Sigma
Inactive Member
Following the hectic events following their return to Prime, the Cavaliers were given some leave, provided that they did so incognito.
Then they all got a message asking them to meet at an apartment in downtown Prime City, in civilian clothes. And to come armed. It was a simple text message from an "Unknown Sender" on their military issue datajockeys.
6001 Delancey Boulevard
APT #12-12
Prime City, Nepleslia Prime
None of them had yet heard about what was going on with Admiral Valken, except that he was now in the care of the IPG. That probably meant he was safely tucked away on Abjection and unable to run anything for 4th Fleet.
Laura and Bernhard were the first to arrive, having driven from Bernhard's family home where the two had been staying. She hadn't wanted Bernhard to be involved in this but his datajockey had pinged too. Officially, he was part of the Cavaliers again, unless Sergeant Volkov kicked him over to the Minutemen or another squad.
But the reason why she didn't want him involved yet was that she was concerned for him. Something was wrong with Bernie and even his family had noticed it. None of them had said anything but it was there in their words.
Like it or not, they were now in hostile territory. Laura fingered the hidden pistol in her left trouser pocket while her right arm was wrapped around Bernhard's left, imitating a young couple on a date.
The apartment looked like it was from some historic decrepit slum. A brick and mortar building set against larger, taller modern prefabricated apartment blocks. It stood out as a place for the underclasses of Prime to gather. Beggars, prostitutes, and vagabonds of all sorts roamed the hallways within.
As they climbed the stairs, they found the rest of the squad outside the apartment, scattered in groups and just waiting
The wooden door had been locked and none of them had decided to risk kicking it down, in case it was booby trapped. It was a simple mechanical lock that Bastilen could have picked in his sleep.
Before any words beyond greetings could be exchanged, the locked door suddenly swung creakily open. All it revealed was an antechamber that looked just as run down as the rest of the place. But they couldn't see the interior of the apartment because yet another door blocked their way.
Together, weapons ready, the Cavaliers entered the antechamber. Laura tried the door in front of them and fell right through it. The others rushed after her, barely registering the fact that the second "door" was a hologram projection and recognizing that something was definitely going on.
The Cavaliers abrupt charge stopped when they passed through and saw Laura unharmed, looking embarrassed. And in front of them, a dozen men and women clad in the unmistakable uniform of the IPG. Each of them had a rifle or shotgun in hand, ready to use them. But they weren't pointed at the Cavaliers.
"Not very impressive, as far as Commando work goes. Which, I suppose, is acceptable since you're not trained for this work. Follow me, please, Marines."
The true interior was actually very cosy and clearly renovated independently of the rest of the complex. It was also very obviously an IPG safehouse, from the way listening and communications gear was spread out. And weapons racks were scattered along the walls.
The speaker led them into a room with no windows and a large square table with enough seats for all of them.
He took one and then waited for the Marines to have a seat.
"I am Commandant Shang, head of IPG operations throughout the Imperium. In other words, I run the IPG while Admiral Valken is running 4th Fleet. Clearly, you have questions but let me speak first. This room is being monitored so any side conversations you might have are being recorded, any messages you send from here will be intercepted, I would really like to do this in a less suspicious manner but... circumstances are not ... optimal for that."
"As you are keenly aware, the NSS Dauntless was attacked two weeks ago by then-unknown terrorists. Admiral Valken's life, as well as your own lives, were imperiled and 68 sailors were killed. We, the IPG, did not detect the threat and it was clearly an internal threat. For that, I owe you all an apology. And I must acknowledge how ham-fisted some of my subordinates were when they came to whisk the Admiral off. My orders, though not the style I would have chosen.
"Simply put, Dominic Valken is actually more important to us than any of the other Grand Admirals. He reformed the IPG while leading 4th Fleet and most of the new Operators were recruited on his orders. And if someone is gunning for him, that makes this as personal as it can get for the IPG. And someone is definitely gunning for him."
The room went dark and a 2D video projection appeared on the far wall to the left. It showed wrecked vehicles and craters in the ground as NPD and IPG investigators combed it. Amongst the wrecks were heavily armored cars, riddled with heavy caliber bullet holes. "This is the aftermath of an attack on a NPD convoy, which we deliberately leaked false information about, with the NPD's consent. We said that the NPD would be transporting the Admiral under the guise of a convicted murderer. Not true and they actually were transporting a convicted murderer. A few of the officers on this convoy were IPG Military Police Operators in disguise. We found these in their helmet cams."
The silent screening changed to a jerky and smoky video. Whoever was wearing the camera was obviously running, taking cover behind an overturned police car. He or she checked underneath but before the camera could get a view, the head jerked up as if in revulsion and then turned. The Operator's pistol came up, firing thrice into the smoke before a tracer round suddenly zipped through it and struck the IPG agent, who slumped against the car. Then the camera changed as though it was being ripped off the helmet, pointed at the sky. And then when it settled, it was from ground view from somewhere shady. The wounded IPG agent's back visible as he tried to resist before a military-style boot and digital camo trousers appeared. And then the IPG agent fell sideways, blocking the camera's view.
"Operator Ozzeway took the video from his camera, hiding it in that police car after he'd been wounded. It gives one valuable clue. The camouflage pattern on those trousers. We also know that the NPD's radios were jammed, preventing them from reporting in right away. They found out when citizens started reporting an attack through their own telephone lines. Another clue we have are the smoke bombs used to mask the attack. If Ozzeway hadn't given us that video, we wouldn't know a thing about what they look like. Those bombs aren't NAM or factory made. They were home made, with military grade precision. A couple had been left where they were placed, obviously the clean up crew got sloppy.
"No one survived the ambush. We found evidence that some of them, like Ozzeway, had been executed with shots to the head. So, we have a pretty good idea now about who we're dealing with. Any questions so far?"
Shang hadn't given them all the clues he had, like the few bullet casings they'd recovered or the size of the bullet holes and craters, but this was the obvious stuff which had made it a no-brainer for them. Few organizations had personnel with military-grade skills and equipment, practically none of them would have made a daylight assault on a governmental convoy. Something like that ensured the attention of the IPG. While it was still trying to set up intelligence networks outside of Nepleslia, their presence within the Imperium was felt everywhere.
Then they all got a message asking them to meet at an apartment in downtown Prime City, in civilian clothes. And to come armed. It was a simple text message from an "Unknown Sender" on their military issue datajockeys.
6001 Delancey Boulevard
APT #12-12
Prime City, Nepleslia Prime
None of them had yet heard about what was going on with Admiral Valken, except that he was now in the care of the IPG. That probably meant he was safely tucked away on Abjection and unable to run anything for 4th Fleet.
Laura and Bernhard were the first to arrive, having driven from Bernhard's family home where the two had been staying. She hadn't wanted Bernhard to be involved in this but his datajockey had pinged too. Officially, he was part of the Cavaliers again, unless Sergeant Volkov kicked him over to the Minutemen or another squad.
But the reason why she didn't want him involved yet was that she was concerned for him. Something was wrong with Bernie and even his family had noticed it. None of them had said anything but it was there in their words.
Like it or not, they were now in hostile territory. Laura fingered the hidden pistol in her left trouser pocket while her right arm was wrapped around Bernhard's left, imitating a young couple on a date.
The apartment looked like it was from some historic decrepit slum. A brick and mortar building set against larger, taller modern prefabricated apartment blocks. It stood out as a place for the underclasses of Prime to gather. Beggars, prostitutes, and vagabonds of all sorts roamed the hallways within.
As they climbed the stairs, they found the rest of the squad outside the apartment, scattered in groups and just waiting
The wooden door had been locked and none of them had decided to risk kicking it down, in case it was booby trapped. It was a simple mechanical lock that Bastilen could have picked in his sleep.
Before any words beyond greetings could be exchanged, the locked door suddenly swung creakily open. All it revealed was an antechamber that looked just as run down as the rest of the place. But they couldn't see the interior of the apartment because yet another door blocked their way.
Together, weapons ready, the Cavaliers entered the antechamber. Laura tried the door in front of them and fell right through it. The others rushed after her, barely registering the fact that the second "door" was a hologram projection and recognizing that something was definitely going on.
The Cavaliers abrupt charge stopped when they passed through and saw Laura unharmed, looking embarrassed. And in front of them, a dozen men and women clad in the unmistakable uniform of the IPG. Each of them had a rifle or shotgun in hand, ready to use them. But they weren't pointed at the Cavaliers.
"Not very impressive, as far as Commando work goes. Which, I suppose, is acceptable since you're not trained for this work. Follow me, please, Marines."
The true interior was actually very cosy and clearly renovated independently of the rest of the complex. It was also very obviously an IPG safehouse, from the way listening and communications gear was spread out. And weapons racks were scattered along the walls.
The speaker led them into a room with no windows and a large square table with enough seats for all of them.
He took one and then waited for the Marines to have a seat.
"I am Commandant Shang, head of IPG operations throughout the Imperium. In other words, I run the IPG while Admiral Valken is running 4th Fleet. Clearly, you have questions but let me speak first. This room is being monitored so any side conversations you might have are being recorded, any messages you send from here will be intercepted, I would really like to do this in a less suspicious manner but... circumstances are not ... optimal for that."
"As you are keenly aware, the NSS Dauntless was attacked two weeks ago by then-unknown terrorists. Admiral Valken's life, as well as your own lives, were imperiled and 68 sailors were killed. We, the IPG, did not detect the threat and it was clearly an internal threat. For that, I owe you all an apology. And I must acknowledge how ham-fisted some of my subordinates were when they came to whisk the Admiral off. My orders, though not the style I would have chosen.
"Simply put, Dominic Valken is actually more important to us than any of the other Grand Admirals. He reformed the IPG while leading 4th Fleet and most of the new Operators were recruited on his orders. And if someone is gunning for him, that makes this as personal as it can get for the IPG. And someone is definitely gunning for him."
The room went dark and a 2D video projection appeared on the far wall to the left. It showed wrecked vehicles and craters in the ground as NPD and IPG investigators combed it. Amongst the wrecks were heavily armored cars, riddled with heavy caliber bullet holes. "This is the aftermath of an attack on a NPD convoy, which we deliberately leaked false information about, with the NPD's consent. We said that the NPD would be transporting the Admiral under the guise of a convicted murderer. Not true and they actually were transporting a convicted murderer. A few of the officers on this convoy were IPG Military Police Operators in disguise. We found these in their helmet cams."
The silent screening changed to a jerky and smoky video. Whoever was wearing the camera was obviously running, taking cover behind an overturned police car. He or she checked underneath but before the camera could get a view, the head jerked up as if in revulsion and then turned. The Operator's pistol came up, firing thrice into the smoke before a tracer round suddenly zipped through it and struck the IPG agent, who slumped against the car. Then the camera changed as though it was being ripped off the helmet, pointed at the sky. And then when it settled, it was from ground view from somewhere shady. The wounded IPG agent's back visible as he tried to resist before a military-style boot and digital camo trousers appeared. And then the IPG agent fell sideways, blocking the camera's view.
"Operator Ozzeway took the video from his camera, hiding it in that police car after he'd been wounded. It gives one valuable clue. The camouflage pattern on those trousers. We also know that the NPD's radios were jammed, preventing them from reporting in right away. They found out when citizens started reporting an attack through their own telephone lines. Another clue we have are the smoke bombs used to mask the attack. If Ozzeway hadn't given us that video, we wouldn't know a thing about what they look like. Those bombs aren't NAM or factory made. They were home made, with military grade precision. A couple had been left where they were placed, obviously the clean up crew got sloppy.
"No one survived the ambush. We found evidence that some of them, like Ozzeway, had been executed with shots to the head. So, we have a pretty good idea now about who we're dealing with. Any questions so far?"
Shang hadn't given them all the clues he had, like the few bullet casings they'd recovered or the size of the bullet holes and craters, but this was the obvious stuff which had made it a no-brainer for them. Few organizations had personnel with military-grade skills and equipment, practically none of them would have made a daylight assault on a governmental convoy. Something like that ensured the attention of the IPG. While it was still trying to set up intelligence networks outside of Nepleslia, their presence within the Imperium was felt everywhere.
