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S3E12
"An Exorcist’s Manual, Pt. 1"Operation Light Storm
In the midst of the chaos of the Las Lindas region, as well as the fight over control of Valdivia, Velezia still has one, third front to worry about: the Cortina Roja. The communists have proven time and time before that they are dangerous if allowed to grow, and they will undoubtedly run Velezia to the ground if given the chance. Now, the Silva regime has its chance to strike back and deal one, swift blow to the Cortina Roja’s chances of operating in urban Velezia for good. A strike on their central nervous system itself...
DATE: 1300 hrs. - April 27, A.C. 423 | INDIVIDUAL REPORT: Maj. Lyra Vega | LOCATION: Warehouse 19, Las Playas Docks District | Las Playas, Velezia
The last couple of months had been hard for everyone. A revitalized Valdivia was the last thing anyone would’ve wanted now, after what would have otherwise been considered “an age of losses.” It seemed as if the regime had just left things to happen on their own, regressing from a force to be reckoned with over the zone, to an international pariah. As if it already wasn’t. Velezia’s diminishing role in South Ophiric geopolitics and its subsequent occupation by Euphemian forces had left the country humiliated for not ending the fight over the Zone, paving the way for disillusionment among the troops.
In the midst of all this, though, there was a sliver of hope—the Cortina Roja. It sounded crazy, but the threat of communism and trust in the military was the very thing that Velezia and its people needed right now. Rumors in air of defeating the Valdivians and Cortina Roja inspired increased aerial operations in Valdivia and enlistment, especially among younger, more jingoistic Velezians. If there was one thing that could bring everyone together, it was defending Velezia from a dangerous, bloodthirsty communist rebellion that threatened to run everything into the ground.
For Major Lyra Vega, she had similar plans on her mind. Rather, the Battalion’s command did. While the majority of the military had relocated their assets towards stopping Valdivian advances and stomping out the remnant Canguarian Forces that were stranded in Velezia, the Battalion was still hard at work in stomping out the Cortina Roja menace. Everyone knew the communists were dangerous if allowed to grow larger—and they were always plotting and scheming things behind people’s backs...even if they were so relatively quiet nowadays. Terrorist bombings, kidnappings, you name it. The Cortina Roja always used terrorism to their advantage when fighting Velezia head on, often launching long operations in urban areas to sow chaos and fear, as well as disillusionment in the so-called “fascist” government.
However, the Cortina Roja weren’t always so secretive. It was inevitable that the Battalion’s all-pervasive eye would find the slimy bastards one day or another, and use their slip up to plan a grand operation of their own. One that would utterly destroy the communists’ infrastructure in the biggest of Velezia’s cities: Las Playas, and deal a permanent blow to their capabilities.
The only thing she received confirming this new mission was a nondescript envelope at her bunk in her barracks. The fact that it was a letter like this and not an encrypted email meant it was more discreet than usual..further confirming the severity of the matter. It was a bit of a lengthy and highly-complex Antiochus Cipher to decode, but when it was done, it gave her a simple set of instructions:
So, it was a plainclothes operation. Oceans 91 and presumably Cavalera 27, too, were set to meet at the docks for an operation in the city a little after noon. It sounded simple enough...but why were they needed in the city, of all places? Surely, some other Battalion 241 units would have sufficed for this job.. so why them?
From inside of her car, Lyra watched as a civilian SUV and a white pickup truck pulled into the compound beside her car. From the white pickup came the rest of her team—Cavalera from the SUV—all grabbing their things and walking towards Lyra’s own red SUV.
“Franco, let’s go.” Lyra opened up her door and immediately moved to the trunk, which opened and allowed Rico to hop out, his face still concealed by a balaclava. Franco came out of the car and moved to the trunk, grabbing two large duffel bags and a rifle bag for their weapons, tossing one to Lyra, and another to Rico, before grabbing his own. Once everyone was finished, Franco, who was watching for anyone suspicious, closed the trunk and returned back to Lyra’s side, joining into the impromptu formation of her own team. She gave a nod to Lucia as they approached the warehouse, a move which ire from Franco. “We’ll have time to talk in there.. let’s go, Major.”
The leader of Cavalera 27 had been engaged in conversation with her XO about… Something, before eventually turning her attention to Lyra, meeting her eye. She didn’t actually say anything this time, but well, the gaze was enough to get across how she was feeling, somewhat. She looked like she wanted to say something, but well, she also wanted to avoid the awkwardness of the first mission the two units had participated in together. Which meant keeping her mouth shut right now and limiting herself to a look.
“*Ahem*, if you lovebirds would please come on, let’s go.” Franco motioned towards the door, checking his surroundings one last time. At the entrance to the unassuming warehouse, there was a powerful-looking man that stood by the door smoking a cigarette, his face covered in tattoos. Presumably, he was a docks worker, based upon the uniform...but this likely wasn’t his real job.
“What a beautiful day, no?” Lyra asked the man with a smile.
“Overcast, humid, my kind of day.” The man nodded upwards. “I suppose this is everyone in Oceans and Cavalera, so let’s go.”
The doors of the warehouse opened slightly, allowing the team into what otherwise amounted to a full-fledged command center. Armored vehicles were maintained on the ground floor, an open space that appeared to be a chop-shop at first… if people didn’t look past the armored vehicles and MP-50 Guerrero APC being maintained in the vehicle pool.
“Some ‘party’, huh?” The tattooed man motioned for both death squads to follow him into a separate room. Judging by the amount of firepower and manpower being committed towards such an operation in the city, it was fairly obvious that something big was being planned… but what?
“Lucia, you’re a higher rank than me. Did they tell you anything other than “just come here” in that letter?” Lyra anxiously looked around as they were led further into a labyrinthian compound beneath the warehouse.
“Don’t know anything more than you,” Lucia said simply, also intrigued by the nature of what they were doing right now. Whatever was planned was… Definitely a bit different from a simple raid where they received a briefing and completed a simple objective.
The tattooed man led the two women and their respective teams into a room with a nondescript door. At least, they thought it was a nondescript room, until they saw the massive screen in the center of the room, which itself appeared to be a mechanized mega-lecture hall. B241 operatives in their standard gray drab fatigues, as well as administrative personnel manning computer consoles, were on nearly every conceivable “seat” in the room either waiting for those in the front row to arrive, or doing something relevant and “technical” to the mission. The large screen, on the other hand, told a different story. According to the legend, “red dots” marked Cortina Roja command centers and pockets of high activity. One was, of course, the city of Rodriguez, while the other was much more shocking… Las Playas.
“I never knew the commies had that many guys in LP,” Isaac commented on the side.
“Well, now you do, Cabo González.” A familiar voice from the front of the briefing room prompted Oceans to stand up at attention as Coronel Lucián Saavedra entered the room. “As you were. Teniente Coronel Juarez, Major Vega, I’m glad you could make it. Really, I am. You all know you didn’t have to come—to answer this… ‘invitation,’ but you did so anyways. That’s what I love about your teams. Always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty for your country.”
“If the job has to be done… Then we’ll do it,” Lucia said with a shrug, also offering a brief salute, but still speaking a bit more quietly than she would typically, her head seemingly in the clouds.
The Coronel gestured to someone else in Lyra’s team. “Cabo Romero, if you would please insert that CDD Drive of yours into the computer to your left and take a seat.. Your Ancilla is requested for the briefing.”
While Oliver went to following through with what the Coronel requested, Lyra turned to Lucia, noting her distant gaze and zoned-out appearance. “Something on your mind, Lucia?” It was a bit of an innocent question to ask, really, but at least it helped to be friendly.
“Most of the time, there is… Nothing major, though,” Lucia replied, smiling slightly as she turned to meet Lyra’s gaze, eventually looking back and then at the ground.
“You know.. You can just say s-nevermind.” The Major gave a sign, folding her arms as the briefing continued. Or, rather, the sitting and waiting around continued. The Coronel checked his watch, putting a hand to his chin.
Almost as if on cue, the doors opened once more, allowing a tall black man in a suit to enter, his eyes covered up by dark aviators. As opposed to someone like Lyra who was just tan-skinned, this man was very much out of place, and Lyra honestly thought him to be some sort of civilian, until he revealed the many concealed weapons he carried underneath his sport coat that he hung by the door, many of which were also strapped to shoulder holsters on his suspenders. It was at that moment that Lyra finally saw the briefcase he carried in, watching him set it down onto a table not too far away from the Coronel. He placed it onto a table and opened it up, revealing a CDD drive of his own that he stuck into the console.
“That man is Euphemian,” Rico whispered to Lyra and Lucia from the seat behind them, pointing towards the black man. He stepped away from the computer, folding his arms in front of him, though he still wore his sunglasses, despite being indoors.
“Is this everyone?” He asked the Coronel in perfect Velezian, who nodded. Lyra noted his voice was deep and baritone, carrying with it a natural sense of authority. “Alright. I assume most of you don’t know who I am, so I will keep my introduction short. For the record, I am not CBI, you will soon find out why.”
He pulled off his sunglasses, revealing black eyes that gave a Siedenunlander Stare off into the distance for a moment, before returning to the group. “My name is John Kids-See-Ghosts Tha Carter Forest-Hills-Drive Rodriguez, and I work for SOSEC’s Ophir Branch. My interests are strictly corporate and not political, and if you think I admit to a certain cynicism and pride myself in killing communists without fear or favor, know that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against unnecessary violence. My business is strictly in keeping my clients safe and doing the right thing, and I choose to live my life in the company of Turmenistan intellectuals like James Freeman Queen, Jr., and Mohamed Mitchell Z. However, I am not here to lecture you on them. I am here to brief you on a threat that’s been plaguing Velezia for a time longer than many of you have lived, and how we intend to stop it once and for all, in one fell swoop..”
He paused for dramatic effect, then continued. “As of now, your commander has authorized me to become a mission officer for Operation Light Storm. If you would like to challenge this, I welcome you to take your requests to offices as high as your president, who will kindly tell you off. Effective immediately, you will consider me an equal to your Coronel. Call me whatever you like—’buddy’, bastard, whatever, I don’t care. We all have a job to do, and I can only hope you will help me finish this job.”
There were murmurs in the crowd even among B241 personnel who didn’t belong to Oceans 91 or Cavalera 27.
“Wouldn’t say I care too much about who you are, either… As long as you can help us,” Lucia stated calmly. She was… More focused on their goals than who they were working with, where they were from, or what their agenda was. As long as their goals happened to align, she was fine with it.
John could only smile at her compliance. “Your services are thanked.” Reaching into his briefcase, he revealed a small remote that, when clicked, changed the map to what otherwise amounted to a slideshow. The lights dimmed accordingly. “Anyways—the mission. Antiochus, ASTROTHUNDER, a word.”
Upon request, the swirling mass of colors that vaguely made a face—ASTROTHUNDER—appeared on one of the computer screens...along with a new addition. First appearing to be a mosaic of binary and ASCII symbols changed into the digital form of a human, his clothes and appearance reminiscent of an ancient Solaran statue. “Antiochus, if you will. I welcome your Ancilla to listen along.”
“As you wish.” The Ancilla nodded. “At approximately 0000 Hours, SOSEC’s signals intelligence department intercepted signals belonging to the agency you know as the Superintendencia de Investigaciones Federales, or the Superintendency of Federal Investigations, Velezia’s prime domestic intelligence and internal affairs agency. These communications would otherwise be brushed off as normal if not for the contents: an encrypted message containing Cortina Roja battle plans pertaining to a “grand operation” in Las Playas. This means the Cortina Roja is planning an operation in Las Playas of unprecedented size and complexity, and are using operatives hidden within the SIF and society to function as sleepers, effectively allowing them to hide in plain sight. Such a security breach could be used to threaten the Velezian government directly, or take over such an important city like Las Playas in a relatively short period of time. Next slide.”
John clicked the remote, changing to grainy black and white footage of an exchange happening outside of a nondescript building, covered from multiple angles on security footage. At this point, Antiochus continued. “The SIF’s own hidden camera network around Las Playas also discovered this exchange happening outside of the Gran León Casino and Resort in Las Playas’s Half Moon District. The two men in this footage are SIF Inspector Eaven Campos and Gran León supervisor Felix Mendoza, Cortina Roja officers you know as Subcomandante Luca and Subcomandante Bogotá, respectively. With the information we have on hand, we believe the Cortina Roja is going to use an event at the Gran León to make their move. The communications we intercepted have named the following individuals and establishments as targets of the Cortina Roja: The Presidency, Comite Nacional de Resturacion, The Velezian Senate, the Akhmanari Embassy in Las Playas, the Courburg Embassy in Las Playas, the Alvimian Embassy in Las Playas, the Regentor Embassy in Las Playas, the Kaelic Embassy in Las Playas, the Florianan Embassy in Las Playas, and the Euphemian Embassy in Las Playas. From the weapons that have been identified in this exchange, we can deduce these to be high-quality weapons of the aforementioned nations… as well as uniforms.”
“Once again, the Cortina Roja’s criminal side at work.” Coronel Saavedra butted in. “If I may, Mr. Rodriguez. If it isn’t clear to you, the Cortina Roja are planning a false flag attack to make everyone throw a simultaneous chimpance and destroy Velezia, or, at least, themselves...leaving Velezia ripe for their taking after they summarily kill the current government. Luckily, the Communists have made a major mistake in moving most of their command to Las Playas, and if we were to catch them off guard in one, swift strike…”
“It would mean the Cortina Roja would be crippled. Permanently.” John nodded, folding his arms behind his back. “Are there any questions thus far?”
Seeing as how no one else had any questions, John continued. “Right. For the sake of this operation, Oceans 91 and Cavalera 27 will be temporarily merged. Your mission will be twofold. Phase One of Operation Light Storm shall be intelligence gathering. For this phase, we require simultaneous infiltrations of both the Gran León Casino and Resort, as well as the SIF, to determine the Cortina Roja’s presence in both agencies. This will involve taking on cover identities as both Casino personnel and SIF inspectors. They do not know the appearances of these covers, but they know they are Cortina Roja, and will be expecting you. Your identities will mean that you will be interacting with communists, and thus, you should act like one. You know how they think, so this will not be a problem. Get a bearing of the level of Cortina Roja currently active in Las Playas...and, if possible, eliminate any command personnel, if possible. Do so discreetly, and remove any traces of your presence.”
John paused for a moment. “The next phase is execution. The Cortina Roja plan to launch their operation symbolically on May 1st, which is seen as a sort of holiday among the communists, and the date of an important international summit in Las Playas, at the Gran León. That’s four days from now. This gives you exactly three days to complete your mission: two days of intelligence-gathering, and one day of execution. During this phase, your objective will be simple: Squad Raptor 11 will be rooting out the SIF in a raid on their headquarters, before they deploy to the resort a day in advance, as per usual. Your job, then, Oceans 91 and Cavalera 27, is the fun part: you will be directly raiding the Gran León. Ideally, you will have a list of targets collected during your investigation period, so the raid should be swift and quiet. Remove any traces of your involvement with the raid upon exiting.”
The Coronel clasped his hands together, sighing. “I’m afraid support during Phase One will be limited. You’ll have to make do with what you can, as proper support may ruin your cover as Cortina Roja. However, during Phase 2, the full might of the Velezian military garrison in Las Playas will be available to help you complete your mission. Limit civilian casualties as best as you can. At the end of this operation, you will be rewarded accordingly, for your services.”
“Your operation begins now, as the Cortina Roja are expecting new arrivals to their front organization. Half of you will remain on standby as support—I was told this would be a Pascual, Rico, Infernio, and Vagabundo,” John slowed his voice down, as if he were reading names off a list. “You lot, report to the secondary armory two doors down. You will be called if your “field buddies” need help—that would be the rest of you. Report to the quartermaster to receive your cover uniforms and equipment. I would recommend taking backup radios, burner smartphones, medical supplies with you. The Cortina Roja have their own eyes and ears around, and it would be a bureaucratic mess to explain to the Federal Police what the B241 is doing operating in the city...as I’m told, half of the police don’t even know you exist.”
“If there’s no other questions, Romero, take your CDD. Antiochus, you are dismissed.” The Coronel ordered. “Everyone else, you all are dismissed. Report back to us with your findings whenever convenient. We will be monitoring your progress.”
As they left, John sighed, pulling on his coat and sunglasses, and closing his briefcase. “You know, Lucian… I have a team of my own that I can—”
“No, John.” The Coronel interrupted. “Apologies. No. Only if absolutely necessary. My men and women are the best Velezia has to offer. Besides, at the end of this operation, the Cortina Roja will be nothing more than a whimper on the city of Rodriguez.”
In the midst of all this, though, there was a sliver of hope—the Cortina Roja. It sounded crazy, but the threat of communism and trust in the military was the very thing that Velezia and its people needed right now. Rumors in air of defeating the Valdivians and Cortina Roja inspired increased aerial operations in Valdivia and enlistment, especially among younger, more jingoistic Velezians. If there was one thing that could bring everyone together, it was defending Velezia from a dangerous, bloodthirsty communist rebellion that threatened to run everything into the ground.
For Major Lyra Vega, she had similar plans on her mind. Rather, the Battalion’s command did. While the majority of the military had relocated their assets towards stopping Valdivian advances and stomping out the remnant Canguarian Forces that were stranded in Velezia, the Battalion was still hard at work in stomping out the Cortina Roja menace. Everyone knew the communists were dangerous if allowed to grow larger—and they were always plotting and scheming things behind people’s backs...even if they were so relatively quiet nowadays. Terrorist bombings, kidnappings, you name it. The Cortina Roja always used terrorism to their advantage when fighting Velezia head on, often launching long operations in urban areas to sow chaos and fear, as well as disillusionment in the so-called “fascist” government.
However, the Cortina Roja weren’t always so secretive. It was inevitable that the Battalion’s all-pervasive eye would find the slimy bastards one day or another, and use their slip up to plan a grand operation of their own. One that would utterly destroy the communists’ infrastructure in the biggest of Velezia’s cities: Las Playas, and deal a permanent blow to their capabilities.
The only thing she received confirming this new mission was a nondescript envelope at her bunk in her barracks. The fact that it was a letter like this and not an encrypted email meant it was more discreet than usual..further confirming the severity of the matter. It was a bit of a lengthy and highly-complex Antiochus Cipher to decode, but when it was done, it gave her a simple set of instructions:
ALL GIRLS FREE NIGHT AT CLUB W19!
MEET AT LP DOCKS FOR FREE BUS RIDES
BRING AS MANY FRIENDS AS U LIKE
PARTY STARTS ONE HR AFTER NOON
ENDS WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS
PACK FOR THE OCCASION BUT NOT THE PARTY
WE HAVE ALL THE PARTY FAVORS
MEET THE BOUNCERS AT THE DOOR
WEATHER TODAY WILL BE OVERCAST, HUMID, MY KIND OF DAY
REMEMBER: WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY, NO?
So, it was a plainclothes operation. Oceans 91 and presumably Cavalera 27, too, were set to meet at the docks for an operation in the city a little after noon. It sounded simple enough...but why were they needed in the city, of all places? Surely, some other Battalion 241 units would have sufficed for this job.. so why them?
From inside of her car, Lyra watched as a civilian SUV and a white pickup truck pulled into the compound beside her car. From the white pickup came the rest of her team—Cavalera from the SUV—all grabbing their things and walking towards Lyra’s own red SUV.
“Franco, let’s go.” Lyra opened up her door and immediately moved to the trunk, which opened and allowed Rico to hop out, his face still concealed by a balaclava. Franco came out of the car and moved to the trunk, grabbing two large duffel bags and a rifle bag for their weapons, tossing one to Lyra, and another to Rico, before grabbing his own. Once everyone was finished, Franco, who was watching for anyone suspicious, closed the trunk and returned back to Lyra’s side, joining into the impromptu formation of her own team. She gave a nod to Lucia as they approached the warehouse, a move which ire from Franco. “We’ll have time to talk in there.. let’s go, Major.”
The leader of Cavalera 27 had been engaged in conversation with her XO about… Something, before eventually turning her attention to Lyra, meeting her eye. She didn’t actually say anything this time, but well, the gaze was enough to get across how she was feeling, somewhat. She looked like she wanted to say something, but well, she also wanted to avoid the awkwardness of the first mission the two units had participated in together. Which meant keeping her mouth shut right now and limiting herself to a look.
“*Ahem*, if you lovebirds would please come on, let’s go.” Franco motioned towards the door, checking his surroundings one last time. At the entrance to the unassuming warehouse, there was a powerful-looking man that stood by the door smoking a cigarette, his face covered in tattoos. Presumably, he was a docks worker, based upon the uniform...but this likely wasn’t his real job.
“What a beautiful day, no?” Lyra asked the man with a smile.
“Overcast, humid, my kind of day.” The man nodded upwards. “I suppose this is everyone in Oceans and Cavalera, so let’s go.”
The doors of the warehouse opened slightly, allowing the team into what otherwise amounted to a full-fledged command center. Armored vehicles were maintained on the ground floor, an open space that appeared to be a chop-shop at first… if people didn’t look past the armored vehicles and MP-50 Guerrero APC being maintained in the vehicle pool.
“Some ‘party’, huh?” The tattooed man motioned for both death squads to follow him into a separate room. Judging by the amount of firepower and manpower being committed towards such an operation in the city, it was fairly obvious that something big was being planned… but what?
“Lucia, you’re a higher rank than me. Did they tell you anything other than “just come here” in that letter?” Lyra anxiously looked around as they were led further into a labyrinthian compound beneath the warehouse.
“Don’t know anything more than you,” Lucia said simply, also intrigued by the nature of what they were doing right now. Whatever was planned was… Definitely a bit different from a simple raid where they received a briefing and completed a simple objective.
The tattooed man led the two women and their respective teams into a room with a nondescript door. At least, they thought it was a nondescript room, until they saw the massive screen in the center of the room, which itself appeared to be a mechanized mega-lecture hall. B241 operatives in their standard gray drab fatigues, as well as administrative personnel manning computer consoles, were on nearly every conceivable “seat” in the room either waiting for those in the front row to arrive, or doing something relevant and “technical” to the mission. The large screen, on the other hand, told a different story. According to the legend, “red dots” marked Cortina Roja command centers and pockets of high activity. One was, of course, the city of Rodriguez, while the other was much more shocking… Las Playas.
“I never knew the commies had that many guys in LP,” Isaac commented on the side.
“Well, now you do, Cabo González.” A familiar voice from the front of the briefing room prompted Oceans to stand up at attention as Coronel Lucián Saavedra entered the room. “As you were. Teniente Coronel Juarez, Major Vega, I’m glad you could make it. Really, I am. You all know you didn’t have to come—to answer this… ‘invitation,’ but you did so anyways. That’s what I love about your teams. Always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty for your country.”
“If the job has to be done… Then we’ll do it,” Lucia said with a shrug, also offering a brief salute, but still speaking a bit more quietly than she would typically, her head seemingly in the clouds.
The Coronel gestured to someone else in Lyra’s team. “Cabo Romero, if you would please insert that CDD Drive of yours into the computer to your left and take a seat.. Your Ancilla is requested for the briefing.”
While Oliver went to following through with what the Coronel requested, Lyra turned to Lucia, noting her distant gaze and zoned-out appearance. “Something on your mind, Lucia?” It was a bit of an innocent question to ask, really, but at least it helped to be friendly.
“Most of the time, there is… Nothing major, though,” Lucia replied, smiling slightly as she turned to meet Lyra’s gaze, eventually looking back and then at the ground.
“You know.. You can just say s-nevermind.” The Major gave a sign, folding her arms as the briefing continued. Or, rather, the sitting and waiting around continued. The Coronel checked his watch, putting a hand to his chin.
Almost as if on cue, the doors opened once more, allowing a tall black man in a suit to enter, his eyes covered up by dark aviators. As opposed to someone like Lyra who was just tan-skinned, this man was very much out of place, and Lyra honestly thought him to be some sort of civilian, until he revealed the many concealed weapons he carried underneath his sport coat that he hung by the door, many of which were also strapped to shoulder holsters on his suspenders. It was at that moment that Lyra finally saw the briefcase he carried in, watching him set it down onto a table not too far away from the Coronel. He placed it onto a table and opened it up, revealing a CDD drive of his own that he stuck into the console.
“That man is Euphemian,” Rico whispered to Lyra and Lucia from the seat behind them, pointing towards the black man. He stepped away from the computer, folding his arms in front of him, though he still wore his sunglasses, despite being indoors.
“Is this everyone?” He asked the Coronel in perfect Velezian, who nodded. Lyra noted his voice was deep and baritone, carrying with it a natural sense of authority. “Alright. I assume most of you don’t know who I am, so I will keep my introduction short. For the record, I am not CBI, you will soon find out why.”
He pulled off his sunglasses, revealing black eyes that gave a Siedenunlander Stare off into the distance for a moment, before returning to the group. “My name is John Kids-See-Ghosts Tha Carter Forest-Hills-Drive Rodriguez, and I work for SOSEC’s Ophir Branch. My interests are strictly corporate and not political, and if you think I admit to a certain cynicism and pride myself in killing communists without fear or favor, know that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against unnecessary violence. My business is strictly in keeping my clients safe and doing the right thing, and I choose to live my life in the company of Turmenistan intellectuals like James Freeman Queen, Jr., and Mohamed Mitchell Z. However, I am not here to lecture you on them. I am here to brief you on a threat that’s been plaguing Velezia for a time longer than many of you have lived, and how we intend to stop it once and for all, in one fell swoop..”
He paused for dramatic effect, then continued. “As of now, your commander has authorized me to become a mission officer for Operation Light Storm. If you would like to challenge this, I welcome you to take your requests to offices as high as your president, who will kindly tell you off. Effective immediately, you will consider me an equal to your Coronel. Call me whatever you like—’buddy’, bastard, whatever, I don’t care. We all have a job to do, and I can only hope you will help me finish this job.”
There were murmurs in the crowd even among B241 personnel who didn’t belong to Oceans 91 or Cavalera 27.
“Wouldn’t say I care too much about who you are, either… As long as you can help us,” Lucia stated calmly. She was… More focused on their goals than who they were working with, where they were from, or what their agenda was. As long as their goals happened to align, she was fine with it.
John could only smile at her compliance. “Your services are thanked.” Reaching into his briefcase, he revealed a small remote that, when clicked, changed the map to what otherwise amounted to a slideshow. The lights dimmed accordingly. “Anyways—the mission. Antiochus, ASTROTHUNDER, a word.”
Upon request, the swirling mass of colors that vaguely made a face—ASTROTHUNDER—appeared on one of the computer screens...along with a new addition. First appearing to be a mosaic of binary and ASCII symbols changed into the digital form of a human, his clothes and appearance reminiscent of an ancient Solaran statue. “Antiochus, if you will. I welcome your Ancilla to listen along.”
“As you wish.” The Ancilla nodded. “At approximately 0000 Hours, SOSEC’s signals intelligence department intercepted signals belonging to the agency you know as the Superintendencia de Investigaciones Federales, or the Superintendency of Federal Investigations, Velezia’s prime domestic intelligence and internal affairs agency. These communications would otherwise be brushed off as normal if not for the contents: an encrypted message containing Cortina Roja battle plans pertaining to a “grand operation” in Las Playas. This means the Cortina Roja is planning an operation in Las Playas of unprecedented size and complexity, and are using operatives hidden within the SIF and society to function as sleepers, effectively allowing them to hide in plain sight. Such a security breach could be used to threaten the Velezian government directly, or take over such an important city like Las Playas in a relatively short period of time. Next slide.”
John clicked the remote, changing to grainy black and white footage of an exchange happening outside of a nondescript building, covered from multiple angles on security footage. At this point, Antiochus continued. “The SIF’s own hidden camera network around Las Playas also discovered this exchange happening outside of the Gran León Casino and Resort in Las Playas’s Half Moon District. The two men in this footage are SIF Inspector Eaven Campos and Gran León supervisor Felix Mendoza, Cortina Roja officers you know as Subcomandante Luca and Subcomandante Bogotá, respectively. With the information we have on hand, we believe the Cortina Roja is going to use an event at the Gran León to make their move. The communications we intercepted have named the following individuals and establishments as targets of the Cortina Roja: The Presidency, Comite Nacional de Resturacion, The Velezian Senate, the Akhmanari Embassy in Las Playas, the Courburg Embassy in Las Playas, the Alvimian Embassy in Las Playas, the Regentor Embassy in Las Playas, the Kaelic Embassy in Las Playas, the Florianan Embassy in Las Playas, and the Euphemian Embassy in Las Playas. From the weapons that have been identified in this exchange, we can deduce these to be high-quality weapons of the aforementioned nations… as well as uniforms.”
“Once again, the Cortina Roja’s criminal side at work.” Coronel Saavedra butted in. “If I may, Mr. Rodriguez. If it isn’t clear to you, the Cortina Roja are planning a false flag attack to make everyone throw a simultaneous chimpance and destroy Velezia, or, at least, themselves...leaving Velezia ripe for their taking after they summarily kill the current government. Luckily, the Communists have made a major mistake in moving most of their command to Las Playas, and if we were to catch them off guard in one, swift strike…”
“It would mean the Cortina Roja would be crippled. Permanently.” John nodded, folding his arms behind his back. “Are there any questions thus far?”
Seeing as how no one else had any questions, John continued. “Right. For the sake of this operation, Oceans 91 and Cavalera 27 will be temporarily merged. Your mission will be twofold. Phase One of Operation Light Storm shall be intelligence gathering. For this phase, we require simultaneous infiltrations of both the Gran León Casino and Resort, as well as the SIF, to determine the Cortina Roja’s presence in both agencies. This will involve taking on cover identities as both Casino personnel and SIF inspectors. They do not know the appearances of these covers, but they know they are Cortina Roja, and will be expecting you. Your identities will mean that you will be interacting with communists, and thus, you should act like one. You know how they think, so this will not be a problem. Get a bearing of the level of Cortina Roja currently active in Las Playas...and, if possible, eliminate any command personnel, if possible. Do so discreetly, and remove any traces of your presence.”
John paused for a moment. “The next phase is execution. The Cortina Roja plan to launch their operation symbolically on May 1st, which is seen as a sort of holiday among the communists, and the date of an important international summit in Las Playas, at the Gran León. That’s four days from now. This gives you exactly three days to complete your mission: two days of intelligence-gathering, and one day of execution. During this phase, your objective will be simple: Squad Raptor 11 will be rooting out the SIF in a raid on their headquarters, before they deploy to the resort a day in advance, as per usual. Your job, then, Oceans 91 and Cavalera 27, is the fun part: you will be directly raiding the Gran León. Ideally, you will have a list of targets collected during your investigation period, so the raid should be swift and quiet. Remove any traces of your involvement with the raid upon exiting.”
The Coronel clasped his hands together, sighing. “I’m afraid support during Phase One will be limited. You’ll have to make do with what you can, as proper support may ruin your cover as Cortina Roja. However, during Phase 2, the full might of the Velezian military garrison in Las Playas will be available to help you complete your mission. Limit civilian casualties as best as you can. At the end of this operation, you will be rewarded accordingly, for your services.”
“Your operation begins now, as the Cortina Roja are expecting new arrivals to their front organization. Half of you will remain on standby as support—I was told this would be a Pascual, Rico, Infernio, and Vagabundo,” John slowed his voice down, as if he were reading names off a list. “You lot, report to the secondary armory two doors down. You will be called if your “field buddies” need help—that would be the rest of you. Report to the quartermaster to receive your cover uniforms and equipment. I would recommend taking backup radios, burner smartphones, medical supplies with you. The Cortina Roja have their own eyes and ears around, and it would be a bureaucratic mess to explain to the Federal Police what the B241 is doing operating in the city...as I’m told, half of the police don’t even know you exist.”
“If there’s no other questions, Romero, take your CDD. Antiochus, you are dismissed.” The Coronel ordered. “Everyone else, you all are dismissed. Report back to us with your findings whenever convenient. We will be monitoring your progress.”
As they left, John sighed, pulling on his coat and sunglasses, and closing his briefcase. “You know, Lucian… I have a team of my own that I can—”
“No, John.” The Coronel interrupted. “Apologies. No. Only if absolutely necessary. My men and women are the best Velezia has to offer. Besides, at the end of this operation, the Cortina Roja will be nothing more than a whimper on the city of Rodriguez.”
