Message:Patron: Chief Cherub
Mission: Secure the systems past Delta Banal.
As a newly minted Squad 100, you are assigned an impossible task.
Each mission you complete will raise your profile by one in failure or half D8 in success. Each rise toward the golden number of twenty (above that is rather impossible) will bring rivals and later favors owed.
You know of three squads in your sector:
89 — Prince`s Own, Princess Porter: Squad has never experienced Jump and Die against a defended planet. An inadequate squad used to control poorly armed colonists in the interior systems of the worm hole routes. They consist mostly of pampered soldiers, but they seem eager to prove themselves in real conflict. A few retired veterans and reservists recently round out their force. The Skia, Porter, unfortunately would need to be replaced if the squad is to become a true fighting force of space marines. She remains impervious to criticism from secret dealings of a financial, political and possibly freakish matrimonial nature. Her hopefully platonic lover is scandalously not of the same alien race.
65 — Battle Song, Marshal Bernado O`Higgins: Squad of mostly Cimmer, recruited and led by an inexperienced Terran, sworn to fight to the death in their first major engagement. Because of this claim, they remain without a sponsor and with limited equipment. Frankly, no one wants to waste the gear on these fanatic young bloods. They did pass basic training, actually, with honors.
47 — Vipers, Jeff Jones: Excellent camouflage and reconnaissance squad; unfortunately, they have a poor reputation, because they are sent into assignments for which they are ill-equipped to conduct. Battlefield casualties have forced this squad to be reconstituted numerous times. Attempts to strengthen their number of Immunes proceed slowly. Many troopers believe the squad number, forty-seven, is cursed. By some trick of fate, the Vipers never have changed ranking, since becoming forty-seven. “Come to think of it, the last forty-seven didn’t fair well either.” The only consistency is Jones; he seems to be an ultimate survivor. Add to that, that Jeff Jones is by far the friendliest commander and a personal friend of almost every other commander in MACE; his distress calls never go unanswered.
These outrank you and until you grow in clout, they will ignore you for their own aims.
You know of five potential enemies to this extended operation:
I. Jesse Liadov, Tetra-League Assembly, thinks the squad is wasted on remote systems. Send them directly at the Kro. The Suits do self-destruct right?
II. Jack Foster, Worm Hole Cartel. He dislikes the waste of transit routes. These systems past Delta Banal are boring and will not further enrich the league. That sector is the boondocks. Some go all the way back to Era Two!
III. Hofer (Cruz), Hero of Tetra-League, War Cartel. He was assigned the task of coming up with a solution to the alien and criminal infestation in that region. He resents Cherub interfering.
IV. Kiel Steiner, Commander Guardians of Sol. Thinks the whole affair is a jurisdictional nightmare. His G/Sol are supposed to handle internal security. So long as these systems are paying League Tribute, they are his domain to police.
V. Mr. Mann, War Cartel. His cartel was ready with Hellburners to tylerize each system. Rumors persist that the robotic bombs have already been sent and lay in covert state of activation.
Wargame elements will develop over the flow of the campaign. Systems will need to be stabilized, subjugated and freed from alien incursion. At least the Karfu Horde is light years away.
Yours,
IronRed
10-Nov-2021