FFFF

[X] Sit tight until Juketta and Luyu can arrive as backup

"What do we do?" Shenla asks, her voice is quiet calm.

"Wait." You say. "They're not going to take us in a public bar, I'll call my friends for backup."

She takes a deep breath, in and out, and then relaxes as you make the call. Luyu sends you a quick <<"I'm already on my way.">>

Juketta comes in a moment later. <<Okay, I'm on my way. The Academician and Selko are arguing with that Department head. I'm not sure I'll be able to get Jessica out either.>>

That's a problem. Then again she should be safe from a snatch so surrounded by protestors. Once you get out of this mess you can send Luyu back for her.

Shenla waves a finger over the table's order plate. "I'll have a Russian water please."

"I have a question," says Reizay. "What does 'russian' mean? Is it a place?"

"Earth, supposedly," says Shenla. "I don't know much about it. But given what it tastes like it was probably pretty hot."

"Oh yeah," says Alex, unbidden in your head. "Totally."

"I should tell you what I have," says Shenla. "In case - nevermind. I got into her computer. She left me with her password and identity token so I could access her work files."

Reizay looks scandalised. Shenla shrugs.

"She knew something fishy was up. I guess I was her insurance. But she had some messages with Menti where she referred to Menti appropriating artefacts for her private research collection. Asked pointy questions about when she'd get to visit the chateau to take a look at them."

"We found some of the artefacts we were looking for were missing. That's why we were back there today." You say.

"Well, if they're anywhere, they're at Menti's estate."

You overlay twitches an alert. It's read the local context and put up an automatic alert on Ninara's name. You scan the story. "Academician Ninara of Mesendra's Hope University, expert in ancient Nereidi ruins, has been reported missing after holidaying in the vicinity of the Two Spires temple. It is currently unconfirmed if this is connected with the increasing Nereidi activity in the vicinity of the ruins of the former civilisation, but The Mesendra's Hope Police Agency has urged all citizens to avoid areas of Nereidi activity for the duration of the crisis."

Shenla looks at you all. "Did you get that?"

"Yeah. So that's how they're playing it."

"Fuckers," she mutters. "Trying to pin their crimes on the Deep- the Nereidi."

"Can't we just go public?" Reizay asks. "You have the Chrysanthemum on your side don't you? Just ask them– of course, this isn't like at home where everyone trusts the authorities."

"Menti and her friends have most of the colony media sphere behind them." Shenla says. "We'll just be making wild accusations."

"Do you think Ninara is actually dead?"

"I don't know." Shenla says. "I don't want to think that Menti would do something like that but– mysterious deaths aren't as rare as people claim when you look at the numbers. The thing about murder here is, it works."

Reizay frowns: "Would they destroy her memory store? Couldn't her next incarnation testify?"

"I doubt they'd destroy that." Shenla makes a face. "That would be unholy, but it would be somewhere on her estate. How'd we get to is?"

<<We should raid Menti's chateau.>> Reizay says.

Shenla perks and you do the same. <<Do we have the resources to do that?>> You ask, on a private link channel.

<<You made friends with that Liaison didn't you? And Mirareki has her people. And we have us. We fought through Scythia.>>

A part of you wonders if you'd want both groups, but on the other hand, if you can get some heavily armed Firewatch cell along for the ride it'll make it harder for Mara to bully you– at least in an operational context.

<<Hey hey. The Airborne is here.>> Luyu's voice cuts in. You look out to see her waving at you from the front seat of a large van, knock back your drink and head for the door.

<<So are we really going to do it?>> Shenla asks. <<Can we really raid her compound?>>

<<With the evidence you have, I think I can get Chrysanthemum cooperation to do it.>>

Shenla looks sour about their involvement, then shrugs. <<Well about time they did something useful.>>

Juketta pulls open the back of the van. Behind her there's a Luyu, and probably more you can't see providing overwatch.

<<What's this about a raid?>> asks the one in front of you.

<<We've found out where the artefacts and potentially a person of interest are.>> You send the story. <<If we can find her, then we can maybe help stymie the war party and get back the artefacts we need to understand what's going on, and maybe the Nereidi at all.>>

<<Sounds good.>> Luyu says as the van pulls off onto the freeway. <<We're headed out to the space port where we'll change vehicles. Mirareki's friends have got an area of the sensor net there locked out.>>

<<How'd it go with Mira anyhow?>> You ask.

<<I've got us some backup from the local cell.>> Mirareki connects into the net. <<Peer aliens aren't strictly our beat, but I've told them about the Post-Nereidi and they agree that artefacts from that era shouldn't fall into the hands of some Chrysanthemum conspiracy faction. Reading your conversation logs, I think we can probably leverage your Liaison friends involvement to get them to provide resources to make sure she doesn't get the full slice of the pie.>>

The van pulls onto an airport access road. <<Sensor system under control.>> Reizay reports. <<I'm just going to blank our presence and feed out false data. I don't think we should do anything too fancy.>>

<<Copy.>>

The van slides into a multistory parking structure and comes to rest, and you all get out to walk across to a large hover people mover. "So uh, how does planning a raid actually work here?" Shenla asks.

"Well, first I need to get in touch with my Chrysanthemum contact, and meet up with them and our other friends." <<Mirareki, can I tell her you're firewatch?>>

<<I'll ask.>>

As soon as you've changed vehicles you relax back in your seat and put a call through to Mara. She pulls you into a projection, with her lying on a large sofa being fanned by one of her concubines. <<Back so soon?>> she asks.

<<I have some interesting information to share.>> You fill her in on what Shenla told you.

<<Hmm. Girl has some natural talent. Maybe I should recruit her.>> Mara laughs, then rolls over onto her knees and beams at you. <<So, let's haggle over who gets what.>>

You sigh. You have to decide how you're going to approach this. What concessions you're willing to grant.

[ ] Try to keep the artefacts and Ninara but give Mara operational control over how the operation happens.
[ ] Try to keep the artefacts but allow Mara to take custody of Ninara and demand joint operational planning.
[ ] Try to use the fact you're in cooperation with Firewatch to force Mara into an equal share of everything, at the cost of tipping your hand about your Firewatch contacts early on.
[ ] Suggest that it would be better to publicly release everything anyway.
[ ] Try to appeal to Mara to let you mostly lead the operation for old times sake.

[x] Try to keep the artefacts but allow Mara to take custody of Ninara and demand joint operational planning.

Mara is a stubborn negotiator but you can wear her down. You have the witness and several of the best specialists in local space; you also have the fundamental advantage that despite her superior attitude she wants to work with you more than you want to work with her. It takes working through a lot of whining with equal stubbornness, but you get her to concede substantial control of the operation and control of the physical artefacts, in exchange for getting custody of Ninara (if she's still alive) and the right to interrogate other captives, yours or theirs, even if they eventually get turned over to Firewatch. They'll be more use to her in the Chrysanthemum's presumable project of unravelling the local separatist clique. Shenla won't be very happy about it, but she's a big girl.

It's once this is all settled that Mirareki comes back to you with the go-ahead and you explain that in your leadership capacity you're including some local Firewatch assets in the operation. The trickle of vinegar through her fixedly smug smile is very much worth it.


The staging point is fortunately quite far out of town, into the more or less untamed wilderness. Fortunately because it's much sunnier out here. You gladly shed your raincoat and sit back in the hot sun the ride down the coat, out of the storm system and to a picturesque beach with a small group of warehouses and growing buildings that might one day be a settlement next to it. Behind you the swirling bruise of the storm still dominates the skyline.

Mirareki steps out from one of the structures. She's wearing a solid one-piece of gloss black non-newton armour, and you know her skin is probably tough enough to stop bullets anyway. The duel mode carbine strapped across her body completes the military appearance.

"Hey. Any sign of Grey Shift yet?"

"They say they'll be here soon. From their transmissions, or lack of them, I think they're trying to assemble their strike team without tipping their hand. Let me introduce you to the Firewatch team while we wait."

She leads you into one of the structures. A huge low hall which will probably be the centre piece of the future settlement. A set of perversely nice, richly carved wood furniture has been dragged in, with thick silks laid across it to protect it from the assembled piles of hardware.

The Firewatch Team is five strong. Most of them are probably locals, and, as you have come to expect from Firewatch, they're all weirdos.

"Let me introduce you." says Mirareki. "This is Wilhelmine." She's gesturing to a projected hologram of a gigantic undersea combat shell bristling with weaponry, which is itself projecting a smaller hologram of an Orca. You hadn't known any of them were on Nereid.

There are four others, human and physically present, "Parsha" is a tall, lanky Communion girl with her hair replaced with a set of massive antenna and data plugs. Next to her, "Z/S" is covered in swirling cult tattoos of a kind that your information flags as belonging to a Communion mystery cult who practise some form of extreme ancestor worship. Another Communion, somewhat slighter than the other two, is sitting on the lap of a suit of large power armour, stroking its limbs.

"Hayako and Asura."The armour raises an arm in a languid wave. Six strong.

Last is a young woman standing slightly apart from the others, with folded arms. She has grey skin and white hair through which bright red horns reach toward the ceiling in a broken crescent. She's even had her eyes done up with black sclera. She has a fully-loaded red-on-black tactical bikini and a same-styled sword with what's either a River core or a very convincing fake set in the pommel. Her appearance rings a bell.

"This is Lunamist Warscythe," says Mirareki, totally deadpan.

<<A cosplayer? On a real mission, huh?>> says Luyu. <<Though to be fair, it was a fun sim. I want to get a look at that sword.>>

<<Worse than just a cosplayer,>> says Mirareki, walking up to you. <<She thinks they're real.>>

<<Like, a VR realist, or real real?>>

<<Like her friends I tried to tell her that no, there isn't a culture of sexy demon girl pirates at the far end of the River, that whole thing about recovered black boxes was a promotional angle. And like from her friends, she wasn't having it.>>

<<I like her already,>> says Luyu.

You do the introductions for your team, then an awkward silence settles in. You're both covert groups so getting too friendly might be a bad idea. Even Luyu's attempts to get a look at the sword are stymied by Lunamist's jealous backpedalling around the hall. Fortunately it's not a long wait. After about five minutes Luyu cocks her head, and the Firewatch team look up. "Our guests are here."

You walk to the door to see a pair of White Flame VTOLs passing over, narrow, new qianlima insertion gunships. They're both vaguely bird shaped, with long upswept engine pylons and narrow crew sections in the centre. An array of weapon and sensor pods tip the front, changing the impression from bird in flight to some kind of strange insect.

You step out as the ramp lowers. Mara steps free at once, her guards following, a no doubt calculated gesture to show how friendly and unthreatened she is. "You find your friends in the strangest places Stella."

Medea, in full battle gear but with her helmet up steps out afterwards. It's your first time seeing her without her mask. Her eyes are deeply purple, and extremely pretty.

"Shall we get about this?" she asks.

"Yeah." You lead the way inside. "Lets."


An hour later, you're in boarding shell and heading out to the VTOLs. Shenla, in borrowed armour, is sitting next to you. She's insisted she come along, even if she had to stay on the VTOL, and nobody has the heart to stop her.

The rest of your team, and the Firewatchers are with you, fully geared up and ready. It worries you, in an obscure way, to go into battle with people who might truly die doing it, though another part of you regards this disgust as itself odd. You've certainly killed people before, permanently. The squeamishness about a group who have very much made their choice is strange, isn't it? Yet still it gnaws at the back of you, a judgement on them for putting themselves in danger even though they have only one life to do it with.

You review the plan in your mind.

"...reason to believe that she is being held hostage here: at the estate of the Menti family, along with a number of stolen Nereidi artefacts which are vital to preserving the peace. It is likely she is also working with the conspiracy that is acting through ECHO CHAMBER forces to try to create a war between humans and the Nereidi.

Our mission is to retrieve Academician Ninara and any artefacts and data, and neutralise or detain all personnel present for interrogation. Firewatch operatives, as representatives of the Communion in this matter, will take custody of the prisoners other than Academician Ninara, after they've been interrogated. Chrysanthemum agents will be in charge of debriefing Academician Ninara should she be retrieved alive."

"And what are you getting out of this," asked Lunamist, scratching the base of a horn. "Seems like you're dumping the bad stuff on us."

"One of the artefacts should let us speak to the fish people." Luyu says. "With it, we can maybe avert war."

There's the grey emptiness of a FTL jump and the VTOLs are over ocean. Several more birds, Tulpar transports, automated gunships and even a hulking Pegasus-E missile carrier are hanging in the sky over nothing, waiting.

<<Empress, this is Knight 1 and 2: off the cats.>>

<<Copy Knights, proceed with mission.>>

You watch on the tactical view as the two fighters accelerate towards the coast.

The Estate is around two hundred kilometres north of Mesendra's Hope near Hara's Moor. It consists of the main house, Building 101, its two outbuildings, 102 and 103, and then a more distant cluster, 201, 2, 3 and 4. We believe there is a small security contingent present, mostly automated, as well as air defence systems covering the estate. Aircraft from the Surface Carrier Stikla will strike the air defences prior to landing, so we will not have complete surprise..

The aircraft form up and the smaller automated gunships accelerate ahead. The Redhorn Cosplayer is muttering something to herself. You make a final check on your weapons.

There's a second grey flicker of FTL, and then you're over a rainbow uplands, lightly forested with a mix of Terran and local plants. The place seems mostly open, with only a few trees and large spires of volcanic rock. The VTOLs spread out into line formation, weapon pods training.

Grey Shift's first platoon will insert first and establish containment and base of fire on the site. They will drop directly after the airstrike and move to battle on the surrounding hills where they can dominate the outside of the estate with fire.

At this point we do not know exactly where the hostage or artefacts are being held. While there have been extensive public visits to the main house, it is a large structure of at least eighty rooms. For this reason we will clear both the ten and twenty series buildings simultaneously. 2nd platoon will provide the inner cordon. The compound will be occupied by two elements. Queen-1, consisting of My Team and the Firewatch contingent, will attack the main house, while Queen-2, consisting of 3rd platoon, will attack the 20X complex. We will drop directly onto the targets and flood them as soon as informational control is established. Before landing, we will deploy Somnus to neutralise anyone without strong nanotech protection.

Lines of smoke rise from knocked out air defences. A launch cradle burns with a brassy light. You can see scattered small arms fire, and the beacons of the perimeter team already moving into position. The VTOLs streak in towards their targets, preparing to drop right onto the roofs of the structures suppressed by the outer cordon.

Third Security Chrysanthemum battalion will provide the outer cordon, as well as artillery support and replacement drones as necessary.

"Rook, this is Queen-One-Blue. Are we clear to drop?"

"Queen-One-Blue, Rook-Six, you are cleared into target."

You get up, make sure your carbine is securely locked to the front of your boarding shell and prepare to drop. The buildings below peel away, your vision opening each room to your eyes, your brain linked seamlessly with the internal surveillance swarms. Targets show in yellow and red. Yellows are people neutralised by Somnos. Reds are people in hazard gear.

One of the Grey Shift troops raises a hand. "I have objections to killing humans for real. Communion don't reincarnate do they? Aren't we murdering anyone we shoot?"

The Communion around the room bristle visibly and you step in quickly to forestall an argument: "We'll be deploying knock out nanomachine systems across the state to neutralise as many people there as possible and you'll be issuing non-lethal weapons so nobody has an attack of conscience. I would urge you to remember though that a Communion's memories and self are preserves just as thoroughly as a queue. If it comes to it. Don't hesitate."

The VTOL's doors open over a cloud of Somnus. The buildings below are of a totally different style from what you've seen in the city. Boxy and strange, made from grey stone bricks and with high, white slatted windows. You wonder where they got the idea from. Most of the windows are already smashed in by fire from the inner cordon.

"See you on the other side." Asura says, and then jumps. She lands on the side of the house, and clings to the wall for a moment as the redhorn joins her, dropping on the other side. You move into a similar position on the next window along with Mirareki, and set yourself, your carbine braced on its rig, funnels tight behind you. Then you go in, checking left. Mirareki crosses behind you, going left. Corners and then a line, moving to points of domination in an empty, heavily furnished room. No targets. No resistance.

The Estate is past the edge of the storm system, so we should have good visibility.

You're on the ground.


The interior of the mansion reeks of cosplay. This is the real problem with some people becoming 'grand families' or whatever, they completely lose contact with good taste and start attempting to replicate bad period dramas. Everything in the interior of the house is made of wood. Varnished wood, stained wood, painted wood. Every shift of the boards under your weight multiplies through the structure as a creaking web of sounds; you have to move with great care.

<<One civilian in the hallway. Looks down.>> says Asura.

<<Two coming out.>>

You step out into the hall and move to cover it. The rest of the team emerges from other rooms. Two Luyus replace you on the front and you move to tie up the downed civilian. She has a plain white one-piece with a high collar, the austere habit of one of the local servant orders. You've heard of them. Promotion of self-denying service to others as a spiritual discipline, that for some orders just resolves to spending a few months or years waiting on local power players on luxurious estates. Time will tell how this particular connection works out for her.

You've made entry in the east wing of the house. There's a central section but it's mostly one big atrium, partitioned into a front hall and a large display room. The west wing is guest rooms, and then there's a basement level which, given it seems to have a concentration of both surveillance voids and people in survival suits, is probably where they're keeping the artefacts.

<<We're seeing some flickers on the interior drones,>> reports Parsha, the Firewatch drone maven. <<Probably there's some people in there with high grade countermeasures.>>

[ ] Methodically clear the house to flush out any enemies moving around under countermeasures.
[ ] Aggressively move to the basement to stop whatever activity they're doing down there
[ ] Split your force, sending the Firewatch Team to clear the basement while you deal with the enemy ninjas
[ ] Split your force, moving to deal with the basement while leaving Firewatch to deal with the stealthy enemy.