“All three.” Harper prods at his pudding like it might detonate. “He’s a hardass, but without him, the 111th would’ve splintered a week after the Cataclysm. People trust that he’s got a plan – even when he’s making it up as it goes.”
He leans in, voice dropping to a confidential murmur. “Problem is, he only hears what he wants to hear. Makes giving feedback that isn’t mission debriefs a Sisyphean endeavor.”
It makes enough sense, even if his earlier treatment rubs you the wrong way. “Maybe he should get a hearing aid.”
“Ripperdoc Alley might’ve had one,” Harper says with a grin. “Hopefully we can get it next time we hit the PRC.”
>>Line BreakThe briefing was short and ugly: a gang of looters cracked the local PD’s armory and made off with most of the hardware. The Cataclysm fried the more technologically sophisticated (and dangerous) gear, but they’re still a priority threat with military-grade equipment: AP rounds, laser cannons, even a subsonic weapon. And as of the last few weeks, they’ve been terrorizing civilians in southern Newport News, and shooting at anything that moves into their territory.
The good news is that they aren’t Greaser’s crew. They’re street rats drunk on new toys – dangerous, and stupid enough to shoot first and think later. But if they link up with the self-styled “Warlord of Norfolk”, then the whole mess goes from bad to apocalyptic.
Enter the 2nd Company. Objective: recover anything useful, and neutralize the looters before they become a force multiplier for Greaser. Any assets unable to be returned to the 111th are to be destroyed and denied to the enemy.
The staging area smells like diesel and stagnant water. Just under a dozen APCs line up like metal beasts, humming on idling engines. Soldiers move with well-rehearsed economy, checking kits and last-minute ammo loads. A pair of netrunners fuss with rigs and telemetry; mechanics tighten bolts on turrets and check for radio signals.
Harper has to help you in a borrowed suit of netrunner armor. After a plugsuit and thrift-store threads, the vests and plating feels foreign: snug, rigid, all business. It pins your shoulders back and makes every breath deliberate. He carefully eases the modem into the suit’s spinal housing, and seals the connector with a deliberate click.
“Feels like hugging a small tank,” you murmur, shivering as the suit connects with your nervous system.
“Good,” he says, “Means it’ll hug back.”
>>How do you deploy in this operation?>You deploy with a foot platoon during the main attack of the compound. [Assault]>You join Harper and a scout squad to recon the area ahead of the 2nd Company. [Scouting]>You remain in a rear support group with the company's other netrunners. [Supporting]<span class="mu-s">[LAST VOTE BEFORE NEW THREAD.]</span>
<span class="mu-s">[VOTE OPEN FOR TWELVE(12) HOURS]</span>
>>6330146Yakwawiak is in the Appalachian Mountains, right along the border of Virginia/West Virginia.
