Strategy Phase
With an expansion of mining operations targeting a rich Caelium vein in the Frosty Mountains, the following changes to your armory occur:
PC-46 Private Aircraft 'Firefly' becomes
(EXPENSIVE)After-Action Report
Will's last month or so had been a series of ups and downs. He'd managed to make a few friends south of the wall (notably the fisherman whose property he'd washed up on), and the CORGI headquarters in the area meant more friendly eyes, ears, and hands. But they'd lost Jacques, and Will liked that guy. He was full of charisma and left a very good impression on this man who was rapidly becoming the center of an expanding web. William knew Jacques had been in touch with Aleks the night he disappeared (and subsequently turned up dead), and while he almost certainly had a hand in Jacques' death, he was too much of a coward to have done it himself. As time passed Will noticed a distinct lack of security around the law firm and its lawyers, and so he decided the best way to respond to the message sent by the SFS was to send a message of his own. Some money changed hands, and soon Will found himself equipped with a plan. And equipment.
It was a little after midnight when a car's headlights briefly illuminated the inside of the step van Aleks was sitting in the back of. He pulled the balaclava over his face and nervously squeezed the
Dallas in his hands. The moment Aleks pulled into his driveway in the eastern Upper District two men leapt out of the bushes separating the lawyer's property from the neighbors. The van lightlessly started and sped forward, getting to the driveway just as the two masked assailants, holding Aleks by the wrists and neck with his mouth covered, reached the street. Another operative inside the van opened the door and the trio stepped in, with Aleks practically being thrown in. The door closed and the van sped.
Aleks' demands to know what was happening were cut short when he saw the rifle casually resting on Will's lap, the end of the barrel just centimeters from his nose.
"Please, please, I can give you money-" his plea started before Will cut it short.
"No, Aleks. We're giving
you the money," Will stated as Aleks' rapidly sobering face screwed up with confusion. One of the other agents dropped an open
Briefcase (Half-)Full of Money at Aleks' side.
"You could have had more, but after you got involved with my coworker's untimely demise you forced us to spend some money on
this whole performance, so we paid out of your pocket. You work for The North now. You
will take this money. You
will hinder the work of the firm's Federation handlers. You
will not ask questions or tell anybody about this meeting. If we so much as suspect you're cooperating with the SFS and its operatives then our next meeting begins and ends with a bullet to the head."
The van lurched to a stop outside Aleks' home once more as it completed it's circuit. The back doors of the van swung open and Aleks was unceremoniously tossed onto his ass. Will leaned out of the van and pressed his rifle into Aleks' forehead.
"Bullet. To. The. Head."
As if on cue, the grinding and rattling of one of the rustbucket
GGPRO Vehicles gave away the patrol car coming around the corner behind the van at the opposite end of the block. Will shouldered the
Dallas and fired three rounds as the van peeled off. Two punched through the rusted hood, causing all sorts of pressurized fluid and gas to spew through the holes. The third hit the driver in the neck. The car immediately lost control and slammed into a utility pole. In the time it took the passenger guardsman to collect himself and exit the vehicle Aleks had run inside and the van had disappeared into the night. As the days went by it became abundantly clear to Will that the SFS had no leads to follow - or were following them so slowly that the trail would vanish before they got anywhere meaningful.
Over the following weeks, cases overseen by Aleks, especially those against Federation-related entities, began to gain publicity as settlements were advised against and refused. While this would obviously result in friction between the SFS and the law firm, the bigger benefit came from the inevitable losses suffered by Aleks at the hands of the courts. A severely reduced faith in Loz and Sons saw a reduction in cases being taken to the firm overall, and this meant less opportunity for the SFS to pull the strings of the puppets still working for them within the law firm.
Loz and Sons has been successfully Purged and becomes
Neutral.
----
The Westlan Broadcast Center was without a doubt one of the best methods of gathering a spreading information that any agency or government could hope for, housing both radio and television stations within it and topped by an array of transmitters that could reach out to anyone on the Harren Islands. UNSA's intelligence agencies knew such an asset was best kept safe, which is why the officer in charge of security in District C2 found himself going on a months-long vacation and replaced by Major Jesse Parsons. The Major was a stickler for detail and quickly gained a reputation for being a hardass, but he got undeniable results. The man had an eye for detail and security in equal measure, and his skills seemed to trickle down to his subordinates.
One Wednesday in late September started off like any other for Private Elfrieda. She was standing guard at the entrance to WBC to check papers, feeling more like a greeter than anything as she asked mostly familiar faces the same set of questions over and over and over. The morning rush (about 4-5am for the news folks) was beginning to taper off when a new face stood before her dressed in a janitor's coveralls and holding a toolbox.
"Papers, please," Private Elfrieda requested for the thousandth time since she'd been posted here.
The man put the toolbox on the table between them and used both hands to pull a wad of paperwork out from a buttoned pocket on the belly of his work clothes.
"Name?"
"Anthony Leander."
That matched.
"What's your purpose here today?"
"I'm the new maintenance worker."
That also matched.
"Alright then," Elfrieda said. Everything he handed over seemed legitimate enough, stamps seemed good, dates were good, nothing contradicted anything. She passed his papers back.
As Anthony went to put his paperwork back in his pocket, Private Efrieda spun around and opened the toolbox for inspection. Anthony seemed to flinch as he realized she'd grabbed his toolbox a moment too late.
"Oh," the Private muttered automatically when the toolbox was full of papers, pictures, and a couple reels of magnetic tape recordings. Anthony spun on his heel and sprinted toward the exit, knocking the toolbox out of Elfrieda's hands as he failed to snatch it back for himself. By the time she'd drawn her service revolver and called out for Anthony to stop he'd already left the building, dexterously leaping over another guard who'd tried to tackle Anthony as he flew out of the doors. He started to run down the street but Elfrieda was fast on her feet and grabbed the
Median from the outstretched hand of the now kneeling guard as he cradled a heavily scraped cheek and nose with his other hand.
The street wasn't very occupied this early in the morning, so Elfrieda shouldered the rifle and aimed at the back of the fleeing man and called out one more warning.
"Stop, or I'll shoot!"
He dipped down an alleyway.
"Damn it!" Elfrieda cursed as she started running again. By the time she reached the alleyway she couldn't see the suspect. But she
could hear him scaling a fire escape above her. She looked up, and saw Anthony scrambling up the steps trying to escape to the rooftops. The Private didn't hesitate to take a quick series of shots. One round fragmented as it hit the metal grate flooring and spattered the bottom of one of Anthony's feet with lead. He let out a yelp of pain.
"Okay, okay! Don't shoot!" he called out as he dropped to a knee and then sat, cradling his mangled foot. Other guards had caught up by this point, and a team went up to the rooftops to retrieve the runner.
As one might expect, his information wasn't actually in the archives when it was called in. While the near-flawless quality of the fraudulent paperwork is worrying, the contents of the toolbox are
frightening.
Documents, receipts, photographs, and even audio recordings of various influential UNSA figures within Harren City painted an almost perfect picture of corruption within the leadership. Everything in the toolbox is assumed to be fraudulent, as a number of the pieces of "evidence" of various criminal activities could be easily verified as false, but even UNSA's intelligence agencies can't manage to disprove every claim.
The Westlan Broadcast Center was the target of a Purge but UNSA operatives succeeded in Securing the location.
While Anthony unfortunately died of his injuries, and definitely not as a result of any interrogation at the hands of Major Parsons, he did manage to tell the Major where he was residing and that he was indeed an agent working for the SFS. A raid on his apartment came up with little more than a few changes of clothes and a small collection of books. All of these books were requested by Project Oculus to be handed over to their care as a few of the analysts agreed that the numerical code at the start of the encrypted messages could correlate to a page, line, and word in a book. It didn't take long to figure out either, since all they had to do was find the book with the "Spaghetti Code". Within a few hours of the books' arrival Project Oculus was decrypting SFS transmissions. Most were useless, but there was always the opportunity for
Actionable Intel.
----
The North Point Observatory is a research facility that attracts some of the most potent minds in UNSA territory, all under the leadership of a single Senior Research Scientist who answered to a board of investors (as well as a UNSA handler). Hugo Andersson was that poor SRS. The pay was nothing to laugh at, especially with the monthly "anonymous" donations he received, and the team was small enough at all times that management was easy, but investors were difficult to satisfy on a good day.
And today was not a good day.
The board called an emergency meeting but refused to let Hugo know why until he was trapped in a room with the eight of them. One of them had received an anonymous tip as well as a few photos of Hugo having extramarital relations with one of the interns from a nearby university, a Wendy Rose. They'd have probably ignored this, were it not for the additional banking information showing all the gifts and outings Hugo had spent money on that was meant for research and studies at the Observatory.
Hugo was speechless. The Observatory's accountant had already been fired for covering up for Hugo's gross misuse of funds in the thousands of dollars. If they'd had let Hugo collect himself and speak before forcing his immediate resignation and having him escorted from the premises he'd only have had one question.
Who the hell was Wendy Rose?
It seems the
North Point Observatory has been Purged of UNSA influence. As with the Broadcast Center, it seems very, very convincing fabricated evidence is in play. Unfortunately, without the extra eyes, ears, and minds of an active UNSA operation, this information was acted upon and has seen the Senior Research Scientist position taken up by a less...positively motivated individual than Hugo.
----
It was the end of the season and William had just left his report in the dead drop used by the Fisherman. The man had caught Will returning for his buried goods one evening, but a brief conversation revealed the man was a Harren native and had no love for the occupiers. He was more than happy to help the UNSA agent for a little financial aid. The Fisherman would take William's reports (now lightly encrypted thanks to the
Croft that CORGI smuggled in for him) and place them in a sealed container within an inconspicuously marked crab trap out in channel. A
Toad would fly down on predesignated nights and replace the report with orders. It was a great system, even if the
Croft was an annoying piece of shit to work with. But then, he'd rather be fixing the
Croft than risking another shootout. For now. He
did get a rush when he fired at that patrol car earlier in the season though...
----
While operations in the Fortress-City have rolled forward, so has the world. This season saw the Perpetual Conference deadlocked on the proposal to create a Warcrimes Committee as disagreements between UNSA-aligned parties prevented the proposals accession to the voting stage. The Harren Limited Trade Agreement, on the other hand, managed to pass through the Conference and receive approval by a narrow margin. The HLTA is an attempt to reduce tensions both internationally and locally with regards to the Harren Islands.
As a result of the HLTA, items produced by a signatory state may be labelled for their domestic [Civilian] market or made for [Export] across the wall. Goods passing across the border is expected to increase goodwill and reduce tension. On the other hand, [Civilian] items can be targeted by Reverse Engineering Credits in revisions, while [Export]s don't even need that much - the large reduction in potential World Tension created by whatever the good is comes at the cost of the Importer gaining the design for free
without the need to expend a Reverse Engineering Credit. Either party can opt to remove an [Export] tag from goods for a very minor increase in World Tension.
But the Perpetual Conference consists of more than just SFS and UNSA states, and one such nation, the small island of Iava, has brought forth a proposal to denounce recent actions made by their larger neighbor, Bryor. Recent posturing by Bryorian politicians and military figures paints a stark picture, according to the Iavan representative. A massive increase in military presence in their shared waters, multiple brief incursions into Iavan national waters by Bryor vessels, and an increasingly popular narrative of Iava being a historic part of Bryor that should be reunited with its parent nation have the Iavans worried about an imminent invasion.
When given the opportunity to speak, the Bryorian representative did not deny any of these claims. Instead, she laid out for everybody exactly what was happening and why it was best for everyone. Iava, as a historically poor nation with ethnic ties to Bryorians were being led by a government in peril. Rising costs of living and stagnating wages combined with limited job opportunities have resulted in widespread poverty approaching the level of a humanitarian crisis. Bryor seeks to right a historic wrong - the secession of Iava - and bring wealth, health, and prosperity to the island's inhabitants. They perceive the Iavan government as faulty, corrupt, and hostile, and counter the Iavan's request for denunciation with the suggestion that these "internal" politics should be handled outside of the Perpetual Conference, by force if necessary. For the good of the people.
Regardless of what the other member states of the Perpetual Conference say or think, it is clear that Bryor is indeed preparing an invasion of Iava should the government continue to refuse Bryorian requests to dissolve itself. While the situation is politically complicated, the implications of an invasion and Bryor acquiring access to the
Fissiles on Iava cannot be understated. You have a choice before you, and should resolve the decision as soon as possible so that you may act accordingly when the imminent invasion inevitably occurs. You can choose to:
A. Remain Neutral. Your alliance will not publicly speak or act in any manner that could compromise neutrality on foreign affairs. Bryor will appreciate this, while Iava will resent the decision.
B. Offer Humanitarian Aid to Iava. Equipment in your armory that could be used for non-military purposes is delivered to the island nation. Iava will appreciate the help, while Bryor will resent this.
C. Offer Humanitarian Aid to Bryor. A naval invasion is bound to be costly beyond the military expenditures, so non-military equipment from your armory is sent to Bryor to relieve that pressure. Bryor will appreciate this, while Iava will resent it.
D. Offer Military Aid to Iava. Bryor is acting aggressively and has a much larger industrial base than Iava. In order to give the Iavans a chance to protect themselves, military hardware is sent to the Iavans. This can result in Direct Intervention if a Military Unit is developed and sent over. Iava will greatly appreciate this, while Bryor will despise the action.
E. Offer Military Aid to Bryor. Sometimes it's best to back the favorite horse. Military hardware is sent to Bryor to fill any gaps in production they may have as the invasion approaches. This can result in Direct Intervention if a Military Unit is developed and sent over. Iava will hate this decision, while Bryor will greatly appreciate it.
(Options are arranged in order based on how much they can impact World Tension individually)
If both UNSA and the SFS take the same stance on the matter, then the impact on World Tension is negated, but neither side gains access to Iava's two Fissile Resources (with one exception). If the invasion succeeds, Bryor will give the faction it favors most access to one off-Harren Fissile Resource and World Tension reduces as the situation is resolved. In the event that the invasion fails, Iava will grant grant their most favored faction access to one off-Harren Fissile Resource, but World Tension increases as Bryor and Iava enter a state of conflict.
The one exception mentioned above is if both the SFS and UNSA provide Iava with Military Aid. The war expands from an invasion attempt to civil unrest as differing ideological groups vie for power in the aftermath of the failure of the invasion. The situation will continue to worsen, increasing World Tension until one faction can dominate the other. Once the dust settles, Iava will be in position to join the alliance of its preference and hand the victors access to
two off-Harren Fissile Resources.
Opting to deploy military units will greatly increase World Tension, but are much more likely to swing the balance in your favor - unless they have to face an enemy unit or otherwise get bogged down in a foreign war (see: Vietnam).
Future instances of events requiring your alliance's input will be more open to your own interpretation and less cut and dry, but consider this a basic introduction on what you can do and what may result from your actions and interactions with non-aligned states.
Due to your successes in the field and at the office, you have gained the ability to compromise your enemy's communications -
Actionable Intel. This results in a one-time bonus that can be applied during the Strategy Phase which will increase your odds of success against the opposition. Once you use
Actionable Intel, your opponent will become aware of their compromised status and automatically act to change their encryption or methods of simple communication. More Actionable Intel may be gathered upon successful Secure actions against Purges as a result of your decryption program. Look at this as a way to have your info wars without needing to constantly use an action to do mundane revisions on communications tech. Actionable Intel can be held until you decide to use it, and does not provide any passive bonuses for holding onto it. You can locate Actionable Intel in the Credits spoiler.
----
This Season saw the SFS introduce what is clearly some sort of intel fabricating operation, and a dangerously effective one at that. Not much detail is known otherwise. They have also decided to adopt a fleet of second-, third-, and fourth-hand vehicles to install their special GGPRO engines into. Unfortunately for them, it is obvious to anyone with eyes, ears, or a nose that they purchased the absolute cheapest vehicles they could find, and the refits for their engines did not include any other maintenance or repairs to these very, very, very unreliable vehicles. But they did paint the Federation Star on them!
It is now the Design Phase. You have two Design Actions and some decision-making to do. This will be the final turn for proposal estimates.
Land
UNSA Model 1936A "Median" Self-Loading Rifle: A 4.5 kg, meter long semiautomatic rifle. It fires 7.92x57mm rounds fed into the weapon by a 20-round box magazine. It has variable sights and is effective to 600 meters. Costs 2 Ore and 2 Wood. (CHEAP)
-"Dallas" Sportsman Carbine: A 4kg, 900cm long semiautomatic rifle. It fires 7.92x57mm rounds fed into the weapon by a 5-round box magazine. It comes with a 2x scope with mildot markings. Effective to 600 meters. Susceptible to jamming in unfavorable conditions. Costs 2 Ore and 2 Wood. (CHEAP) [CIVILIAN]
M1 Hand Grenade: A baseball-shaped hand grenade. Causes a lethal blast within 5m, and injures those within 15m. The shape allows for improved accuracy and distance with throwing, but is prone to rolling around until it detonates. Costs 2 Ore. (CHEAP)
UNSA Model 1941 "Combine" Machine Gun: Utilizes 7.92x57mm rounds on 60-round belts that can be linked together for sustained fire. The barrel rarely overheats even at it's 650 rpm fire rate, but effectiveness drops past 1000m. Costs 4 Ore. (CHEAP)
M2 Lawless 120mm: A 120mm artillery piece capable of HE shells. Requires significant maintenance for the uncommon-but-not-uncommon-enough event of a jam, but otherwise works well enough. Can fire shells out to 15km. Costs 6 Ore. (EXPENSIVE)
Sea
Herring-Class Destroyer: A 115m long ship with 120mm belt armor and 100mm elsewhere. Travels at 35 knots. Armed with a triple torpedo mount and 3x2 120mm rapid firing guns capable of firing AP and APHE. Costs 5 Ore and 3 Oil. (EXPENSIVE)
-Eve-Class Coast Guard Cutter: A Herring minus the two rear guns. A crane and open rear deck allow it to carry a Firefly SPIE as well as provide other utility. Large fuel stores and well-stocked mechanics means the aircraft can be in the air very often. Has a comms. suite useful for interception. Firefighting gear, axes, and firearms along with a raft and hooked ladder provide the highly trained boarding parties with their...capabilities. Costs 3 Ore and 5 Oil. (EXPENSIVE)
Air
PC-46 Private Aircraft 'Firefly': A three-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft civilian aircraft made almost entirely out of Levisteel intended for civilian use. A four-cylinder engine gives the aircraft a 260kmh top speed in conjunction with the "Gravitic Effect" created by the wings. Fuel efficiency is solid and gives it an operational range of around 900km. Fitted with a thermite theft prevention device. Costs 4 Ore, 2 Oil, and 5 Caelium. (EXPENSIVE) [CIVILIAN]
-PC-46 "Firefly SPIE": A Firefly with illuminated controls for night flight and pontoon floats for seaworthiness. Can maintain altitude at lower speeds and silently glide along once engines are cut. Costs 5 Ore, 2 Oil, and 5 Caelium. (VERY EXPENSIVE) OBSOLETE
--PC-46 "SPIE II Toad": A SPIE with shortened pontoon struts and a boatlike fuselage for more stability on water and less stress on the struts. A retractable front landing gear and wheel set into the pontoons allow for takeoff and landing on solid surfaces. Speed rests around 250kmh. Costs 5 Ore, 2 Oil, and 5 Caelium. (VERY EXPENSIVE)
F-42 "Daedalus" Fighter: A three-bladed propeller aircraft capable of reaching speeds of 600km/h. Has a low rate of climb, but is incredibly agile. Armed with four 23mm cannons. Costs 3 Ore and 3 Oil. (EXPENSIVE)
B-43 "Barragan" Strategic Bomber: A large high-altitude bomber powered by four propellers for a maximum speed of 558 km/h. Can protect itself with 10 23mm cannons paired in four turrets and the tail barbette to provide almost total coverage. Can haul up to 6000kg of bombs or a nuclear device. Costs 4 Ore and 5 Oil. (VERY EXPENSIVE)
Other
Fabricated Papers: False identification papers that should allow relatively easy access to enemy territory across The Wall. Costs 2 Wood. (CHEAP)
"Gutenberg" Ruggedized Mimeograph and Typewriter: A standard mimeograph and typewriter used to push pro-UNSA agendas among just about anything else. Improves local cooperation in UNSA territory but lacks supporting infrastructure to impact the SFS directly or indirectly. Packs away in a footlocker. Costs 5 Ore and 3 Wood. (EXPENSIVE) [CIVILIAN]
-"Croft" Cryptographic Field Typewriter: A typewriter with a hidden dial to facilitate ease of application of a Caesar cipher. Mechanical issues can cause the desired offset to change without warning. The offset resets when the ribbon spools are removed, which helps hide the true use of the Croft but also increases the time spent troubleshooting. Costs 4 Ore. (CHEAP)
Visas, Permits, and Biometrics: Color-coded paperwork denoting a person's time permitted within the city and to what ends. Visas also include hair and eye color and a fingerprint code Checkpoints at borders and throughout the Fortress-City, as well as important government facilities, provide stamps for people's visas, allowing law enforcement and military police to trace someones route to that point and more easily identify discrepancies. If issues are discovered, people will be held until they are either corrected or confirmed fraudulent. This process can take a little bit of time, but is very reliable. Deportation occurs soon after fraudulent papers are identified. Costs 2 Wood. (CHEAP)
Briefcase Full of Money: A briefcase with a hidden compartment full of money. Agents and operatives are given these as emergency funds and bribes for targets. Money is a little expensive, but access to the full range of worldwide currencies means the target's preferred cash will be of little issue. Costs 4 Wood. (CHEAP)
Project Oculus: A highly skilled team of cryptanalyst equipped with a mechanical-electrical Oculus Machine that helps decode complex ciphers. (NATIONAL EFFORT) [CLASSIFIED]
Civilian Ordnance Removal Group International: A UNSA-aligned group infiltrating SFS territory under the guise of UXO removal. Seen as a force for good globally. Improves the chances of successful intelligence operations in South Harren City and provides a significant level of detail on publicly visible advancements made by the SFS - especially when military-related. (NATIONAL EFFORT).
Enriched Uranium Bomb: A fission bomb utilizing 64kg of Uranium-235 in order to achieve an explosive blast equivalent to 15 kilotons of TNT. Can be deployed via Strategic Bomber. Two Available [Availability based on available Fissile resources].
Special Resource
Levisteel: A metal-intensive costly alloy of Caelium that reduces and resists the effects of the planet's gravitational pull. Shaping of the alloy can alter the direction of gravity's pull on the object. Costs Ore and Caelium in amounts likely to be more expensive than an equivalent design using only Ore-based metals.
Lizing Li-GG Longhaul Cargo Plane
Ore: 3
Wood: 3
Oil: 2
Fissiles: 2
Caelium: 3
Frosty Mountains: Ore x1, Caelium x1, None x1
Coniferous Forest: Wood x1, None x2
Pine Barrens: None x3
Icy Peaks: None x3
Swamp: None x3
Farmlands: None x3
Northern Range: None x3
Northern Scar: None x3
Cratered Fields: None x3
UNSA
Abbera Central Allied Banking: A bank in the walled upper-class community in the east of the Fortress-City with ties to the defunct monarchy that ran the northern island for a few years. Provides and Expense Credit each turn. AFFILIATED
Westlan Broadcast Center: A tall building used for both radio and television broadcasts locally. Provides an Advantage Credit each turn. AFFILIATED
North Point Observatory: A building used to study the skies. Provides a Research Credit each turn. NEUTRAL
Tri-Dream Telecoms: A telecommunications business that provides service to the (northern half of the) Harren Islands. Provides a Sabotage Credit each turn. NEUTRAL
SFS
Tonngaza Refinery: A fuel refinery built on the southernmost tip of the Fortress-City. Provides an Expense Credit each turn. AFFILIATED
Loz and Sons Law Firm: A building housing all the knowledge of law (and peoples secrets) that one might need. Provides an Advantage Credit each turn. NEUTRAL
Harren University of the Sciences: The most prestigious education center on the island. Provides a Research Credit each turn. AFFILIATED
Glaza Private Detective Agency: A popular investigative service among locals. Provides a Sabotage Credit each turn. NEUTRAL
Expense Credit x2
Advantage Credit x1
Research Credit x0
Secret Project Credit x0
Reverse Engineering Credit x1
Actionable Intel x1
Key:
Red=SFS Territory
Green=UNSA Territory
Grey=Neutral Nations
Orange=Old World
Key:
Red=SFS Territory
Green=UNSA Territory
Dark Grey=The Wall
Blue=Ocean
Author
Topic: CWAR: UNSA Thread // Revision Phase // Warm Seasons 1947 (Read 12968 times)