last Sunday, 03 NOV 13 we had Joseph and Omar and were joined by Leslie who will be with us next week. Whilst the story has now diverged from that listed in the NBA Core Rules book it still contains events and characters that appear in the introductory adventure. With that in mind...
***HERE THERE BE SPOILERS***
Gostilj
Final
Day
17:52
(GMT+1)
Ron
pulls the Jeep over once they have reached the hilltop. The team
disassemble the weapons as best as they can. The Zastava M70s are
stripped down easily and concealed in the vehicle but the M76's
barrel is still covered in Vladek's blood and brains. Luc scoops up
mud from the drainage ditches either side of the dirt road and smears
it around the bullet holes to conceal them in the evening darkness.
The team switch into spare clothes and then, embarking again, the
team makes the 4km drive to Srebenica.
Srebrenica
THU,
25 JUL 2013
18:25
(GMT+1)
The
team call ahead to book two hotel rooms. The Jeep goes in a car park
at the rear with the back end facing the wall. Luc, Angeline and
Evelyn dig out the Lennart Dossier to see if they can make sense of
what is going on whilst Ron tuts, shakes his head and goes out
looking for some replacement transportation.
Angeline
starts trying to organise the files – there are around 800 pages of
reports from RSHA Amt VIIb between 1937 and 1945. A scan through the
documents shows that none from the Western Front. The agents discover
the name of the SS-Sturmbannfuhrer from the report dated 18 APR 44 -
Maximillian Kohler.
Moving
on from the Nazi documents they start searching through the CIA &
SIS (MI6) LSD trials - roughly 1,200 pages. Admin reports, scientific
studies, personnel reports cover Operation Moneybags and Operation
Recount (the SIS's experiments with the Chemical Defence Experimental
Establishment at Porton Down) as well as the CIA's project MKUltra.
There are many off the record audio interviews with the CIA and SIS
men involved, including the scientists involved, the soldiers and
the CIA project manager. From 1953 to 1973 the intelligence agencies
used the cover of using LSD as an interrogation drug to try and
establish what was happening on the Eastern Front. The results came
to naught with no evidence that the Russians had infiltrated ergot or
LSD into the German supply lines or whether the Soviets had used it
to make their soldiers immune to pain.
Next
up, Angeline opens up some Russian NKVD reports. These internal
records are from Commissars on the front line suggesting that the
many Russian soldiers who were deserting could be being abducted by
German infiltrators trying to terrorise the rest of their conscript
troops. These reports seem to have gone nowhere within the NKVD and
most appear to have never seen the eye of a senior officer.
There
are dozens of photographs, black & white and colour, from what
appears to be around the time of WWII through to recently. The older
photographs show men in Western SOE and OSS agents with Eastern
European partisans, SS and NKVD uniforms. Some of them are official
posed records pictures, still more are men in the field. The
backgrounds are varied in these. Hills, forests, snow, mountains and
urban areas ravaged by war. Several pictures are of what look to be
more ancient ruins.
The
modern pictures are even more varied. There are pictures taken by
mobile phone camera, CCTV still images, high quality B&W
surveillance photos and what is likely Lennart's own Digital SLR. The
pictures include ships, aircraft, docks, airports, buildings, people,
and one picture that stands out of a sword laid on blue cloth in a
dark wooden display case. The photo is poorly focused and appears to
have been taken with a cellphone camera. Luc makes a one point spend
in Weapons and identifies it as an Oakeshott Type X sword – it
could possibly be anything up to 1500 years old. The handle has
either been removed or has rotted with age. The background of the
photo doesn't appear to imply a museum and the sword may be in the
hands of a private collector.
The
team check the geotagging on some of the photographs taken by Lennart
shows various locations. Akrotiri (Cyprus), Baghdad (Iraq), Beirut
(Lebanon), Haifa (Israel), Hamburg Port (Germany) Pernik (Bulgaria),
Islamabad (Pakistan), Kabul (Afghanistan), Lagos (Nigeria), London
(England), Naples (Italy), Odessa (Ukraine), Oostende (Belgium),
Paris (France), Tel Aviv (Israel), Rome (Italy), Sofia (Bulgaria),
Varna (Bulgaria) and Vienna (Austria).
The
team try to draw parallels between the locations. Some of them are
major port facilities (Haifa, Lagos, Naples, Oostende and Varna). The
Baghdad pictures are mostly of military facilities at the airport.
The photos from Germany include Ramstein AFB and around the Hamburg
dock. Akrotiri in Cyprus is an RAF base. Perhaps there is a NATO or
military angle on these pictures. Haifa in Israel is known for it's
extremely high security but also for being a well known smuggling
location (to Cyprus, then to Athens, then on to the rest of world).
The
dates on the images run back around three years. Lennart appears to
have been either deployed in these locations or has used whatever
free time he could scrounge up between deployments to find his way to
them. The geotagging on some pictures taken by Lennart show him in
Pernik and Starosel in Bulgaria. These pictures contain images
similar to some of the older B&W photographs from WWII.
Some
people (who are not identified by name in the files) appear in
multiple images. Some in cribbed CCTV footage, then with a telephoto
lens. It appears that either Lennart or someone he hired was stalking
several of these people.
Jumping
next to the manuscripts Evelyn does her best to read a few more. Her
Italian allows her a halting understanding of what she is reading.
The geo-tagging on these pictures shows Dubrovnik and Angeline
suggests these could be held at the Sponza Palace which holds records
and manuscripts going back over a thousand years.
Luc
points out the numerous maps that Lennart has collated - Akrotiri,
Athens, Baghdad, Beirut, Berlin, Cadiz, Dubai, Dushanbe, Haifa,
Hamburg, Islamabad, Kabul, Lagos, London, Mumbai, Naples, Oostende,
Paris, Tel Aviv, Rome, Sofia, Varna and Vienna. There are around
fifty maps in total ranging from local tourist maps to survey maps.
The
team decide to watch a video interview. The interviewee is an old
German man who appears to be in his late 80s or early 90s. Lennart
appears to be running the interview from behind the camera. Lennart
asks the man his name and the German answers “Maximilian Kohler”.
Lennart probes him about the report he filed, cross-examining him to
make sure he's telling the truth. Kohler's body language and
demeanour indicate that he is being honest. He doesn't add anything
to the report but he does at one point reach into his pocket and
shows Lennart his pocketwatch.
“Wissen
Sie, auch bis zum heutigen Tag das erste, was ich tun jeden Morgen
ist der Wind diese Uhr.”
He
looks Lennart dead in the eye as he continues
“Wenn es hält immer
ich würde lieber als mich erschießen lasse mich in ihre Hände
fallen”.
A
quick spin through the interviews (both audio and video) shows that
they have all been conducted by Lennart. There are a number of
interviews with men around Kohler's age but also several with men in
current military uniforms. Luc spends one point in Military Science
to identify the uniforms of the US, Canada, Norway, Denmark and
Germany. Each interviewee is from the respective country's air force
and more specifically their transport and logistics wings.
In
one interview Lennart asks the crew chief of a C130E about the
shipping logs regarding the cargo. The chief responds by telling
Lennart he was told that it was cleared by his CO and that he was
given strict instructions not to go poking around the cargo. The
cargo flew in from Kabul, refuelling over Turkey to Hamburg where it
was signed for and the chief and his loaders were told to forget it
was ever on board. The chief recalls the name “Vincent” as the
person who had signed his orders.
There
are interviews with airmen talking about a significant number of
flights out from Kabul and Baghdad and many photographs back these
up. There are even a couple of interviews with crew who looked at
some of the cargo - lots of weaponry being transferred; from small
arms, to anti-tank and surface to air missiles. Tons of ammo, hand
grenades, land mines. It would seem based on Lennart's expertise that
this is what started him looking into things. The audio interviews
are similar but include aircrew who are less happy about going on any
official record, some may have been recorded without their knowledge.
Ron
gets back to the hotel with a stolen black Range Rover. He switches
the plates, happy knowing that ANPR systems are not yet standard in
most backwater areas. On returning to the hotel room he sees the
three parked around the laptop and looking through documents and
videos. He grumbles to himself about enabling the paranoia of others.
One
French manuscript from the 13th century (apparently written in
Villongue Abbey according to Lennart's notes) is a warning about the
terrible Bulgars. It speaks of how their time has not yet passed,
that they sacked Thrace once and are not afraid to do so again.
Another, later document is from the Bulgarian monastery of St Ivan of
Rila. This contains the same dire warnings and mentions the name
Krivich (a quick google turns up the name of a tribe of Slavs).
Srebrenica
THU,
25 JUL 2013
21:37
(GMT+1)
Ron
suggests that he and Luc go for a walk. They leave and take a stroll
outside. Ron takes the opportunity to try and convince Luc to drop
the research and steer Angeline and Evelyn away from it, concerned
that it will lead them into his paranoia and fear. Luc shoots him a
glance and explains how he has seen combat and is no stranger to
death and this is different. The women are doing this of their own
accord and he is not influencing them or encouraging them. Ron talks
about making sure the job is done and that everyone can be safe and
walk away without fear of reprisal. He appears concerned about Luc,
thinking perhaps that he had him pegged wrong.
Srebrenica
FRI,
26 JUL 2013
08:16
(GMT+1)
The
team spent the night catching up on much needed rest. They grab
breakfast together and leave for Sarajevo to disassemble the
surveillance left at Lennart's apartment.
On
the journey Ron looks up the number of the dealer Rudek put them in
touch with to arrange their gear. Ron calls the man, Stanimir
Nikolic, in an effort to pass a message through to Rudek – there
was a problem with the handover and they need to get back in touch
with him. Nikolic says he'll pass the message on but promises
nothing.
Evelyn
calls Jacques Leclerc, her fence. She tells him the dropoff “didn't
go well” and mentions that he will now owe her a quite considerable
favour as a result. LeClerc apologises profusely and lets her know
about his previous dealings with the Bosnian Pink Panther gang and
this is how Rudek contacted him. Leclerc's reputation,
professionalism and connections are impeccable and he has never had
cause to doubt another professional's word. He tells Evelyn more
about Rudek from what he has heard on the underground grapevine. That
he was not a man to cross but that in all of his dealings he was
entirely trustworthy.
Luc
tries to reach Winants but gets no response. He leaves a message
asking to speak with him urgently. Angeline runs checks on Nikolic's
number. She uses her MOS in Digital Intrusion to patch into the cell
network and identifies a number that Nikolic called immediately after
Ron ended the call. Using some basic triangulation from the nearest
two cell towers she is able to see that Rudek is still in Dubrovnik.
She now has Rudek's number and will be able to track outbound calls
that he makes although not in real time.
The
drive from Srebrenica to Sarajevo is around three hours. It will take
around two to three hours to clear out Lennart's apartment and switch
cars again. From there to Dubrovik will be another three or four
hours meaning that in around 12 hours the team can be back in
Dubrovnik to confront Rudek.
Sarajevo
FRI,
26 JUL 2013
11:31
(GMT+1)
The
team reach Sarajevo and strip the surveillance gear from the
apartment without a fuss. Angeline is continuing to monitor Rudek's
outbound calls. He has made a call to an unlisted number, with a
Digital Intrusion check she ascertains that this number belongs to a
Civil Defence Exchange, an old analogue switch that cannot be
remotely hacked.
Sarajevo
FRI,
26 JUL 2013
16:05
(GMT+1)
Ron
and Luc head out to stash some of the arms before the team cross the
border back into Croatia. They bury the grenades and a pair of M70s
as well as most of the ammo and take a GPS reading to find it at a
later date. Luc field strips the M76, doing his best to avoid
contaminating it. He bags it and tapes the barrel at both ends to
preserve any evidence. The team cut open the roof lining and bundle
the remaining M70 and the disassembled M76 to the inside of the roof
tightly with clothing to prevent noise before replacing the lining.
The border crossing from Sarajevo to Croatia is uneventful and there
hasn't been any more evidence of activity from Rudek since the call
to civil exchange. Pinging his cell phone GPS shows him to be in a
reasonably priced local hotel on Ul Izmedu Polacu. Evelyn cases the
hotel noting that it backs onto another building.
Dubrovnik
Old Town
FRI,
26 JUL 2013
21:16
(GMT+1)
Since
it is difficult to identify which room he is in from outside, Evelyn
uses Disguise and Filch to sneak a peek at the signing in book whilst
posing as a lost tourist. All six rooms appear to be occupied. One
person only turned up two days ago which is unlikely to be Rudek.
Angeline calls Rudek's number from a cafe-bar across the road. Evelyn
distracts the receptionist by knocking over a glass bowl of mints on
the desk and Ron and Luc make their way towards the ringing phone.
They head upstairs and once out of sight of the reception desk pull
on latex gloves and move down the hallway silently. The phone stops
ringing in room three, apparently going to voicemail. Both Luc and
Ron make a Sense Trouble roll easily and detect the coppery scent of
blood.
Without
sharing a word they both draw suppressed pistols and stack up next to
the door. Luc tests the handle - it's locked. He silently indicates
to Ron and holsters his pistol, taking out his picks. Fifteen seconds
later the tumblers are in place and dropping the picks into his
pocket he draws his handgun and they move in to the small, darkened
room. Luc moves left and Ron to the right. Luc sees a figure,
motionless on it's side on the bed. It looks like it could be Rudek.
Ron finishes his sweep of the room and covers the door as Luc checks
the body. There is no pulse and the body is clammy to the touch, not
yet cold and rigor mortis has yet to fully set in.
Luc's
Forensic Pathology skill lets him estimate that Rudek has been dead
for around four or five hours, just six hours after Ron called him.
He has been killed with a garrotte but where this is normally used to
suffocate an enemy (cutting off either the air or the blood
circulation to the brain) this has been pulled so tightly that it has
cut through the flesh of his neck. The wire has cut into and through
the arteries of his neck and the blood has soaked through his clothes
and the bedsheets. Either the killer was angry with Rudek or they are
possessed of significant strength.
Luc
makes a Notice check to look for clues whilst Ron checks Rudek's
phone which is showing three missed calls. Ron pockets the handset to
check later on and lifts the wallet from the inside pocket of the
jacket hanging on the door hook. A quick sweep shows a small toilet
bag and around three or four days clothing hanging in the wardrobe
and in the chest of drawers.
Luc
works out that Rudek appears to have been garrotted in the bed, not
moved, and that the blood is smeared around the neck wound as if it
has been messed around with in some way. Rudek's only other wounds
are three broken fingers on his right hand (ring, middle and index).
Luc slowly removes the garrotte and places it in an evidence bag
after he and Ron take copious and detailed photographs of the room.
They check that they have left no evidence and back out of the room,
locking it as they go.
Evelyn
distracts receptionist again, asking for directions in hesitant
Croatian as Ron and Luc leave and the team head to the hotel they
booked on the way from Sarajevo.
Ron's
passes Rudek's phone to Angeline - the last call is one from the
team's pay as you go burner phone, the previous two are calls from
Nikolic. Other than the call to the civil defence shelter there are
no other calls shown today. Angeline uses Digital Intrusion to find
further information on the phone. The civil defence number called
once before about three or four months ago. Various other calls have
been made to other numbers but nothing that appears out of the
ordinary. Luc dusts the garrotte for prints, but none are present.
The team reach the hotel and later in his room Ron stares at his
family photos, his paternal instincts kicking in. He doesn't want the
girls to suffer the same fate as Rudek...
Dubrovnik
Old Town
SAT,
27 JUL 2013
07:36
(GMT+1)
The
morning papers are delivered, including the report about a shootout
in Gostilj and the unnamed survivor. Ron was ready to cut his losses
and get out of Dodge with Rudek's death, but with the indication that
Dedopovic is probably still alive (he is not named amongst the dead)
and the fact that the others won't let go of this Lennart's research
material, he decides that he wants to find out more about Dedopovic.
Ron asks Angeline to check the internal police report, which she
does. On discovering Dedopovic is alive Ron comes to the conclusion
that the best thing to do is to have a nice long, detailed and
enthusiastic chat with him. Evelyn reads the report and is forced to
make a Stability check after finding out the guard she hit with the
grenade is dead. She passes at the cost of one point of Stability.
Luc,
Evelyn and Angeline head to the Sponza Palace while Ron prepares to
go after Dedopovic. The team arrive around nine in the morning and
after five hours come to the conclusion that a) Lennart was an
obsessive and b) guys who speak dead languages are useful. Luc
presses the flesh and spend a Network point to add them as contacts.
Ron has meanwhile headed to the local police station and asked more
about the shootout (using Cover and Cop Talk) under the pretence that
it's related to one of his cases. Mention of Dedopovic leads to the
cops disclosing the location of the hospital he is being treated at
(Ljubovija Hospital – around 20km north of Srebrenica).
Srebrenica
SAT,
27 JUL 2013
19:11
(GMT+1)
The
team arrive back in Srebrenica at early evening but decide to enter
the hospital at around two in the morning as it may be quieter and
there will likely be fewer guards at that time. Ron decides to look
out a safe house where the team can interrogate Dedopovic and some
medical support to keep him alive during questioning whilst Angeline,
Evelyn and Luc play dress up in the hospital.
Srebrenica
SUN,
28 JUL 2013
02:04
(GMT+1)
Evelyn
uses 2 Filch points to steal a hospital ID and hospital uniforms, Luc
and Evelyn go inside whilst Angeline maintains a watch outside in the
car. On the 2nd floor, Evelyn sneaks a glance down the hallway off
which Dedopovic is located. There are two plastic seats either side
of the door. One guard is sat there holding a newspaper. Evelyn
approaches slowly with a laxative-laced coffee for the guard but as
she approaches she realises that the guard is failing to notice her
at all - simply staring fixedly ahead. Evelyn shakes his shoulder
gently and he jerks awake.
Inside
the room Evelyn and the guard hear something clatter to the floor.
Luc, waiting just around corner, starts moving towards the room. The
sound of smashing glass comes from inside the room and the guard
turns to face door, unsnapping his holster and drawing his sidearm.
He motions Evelyn to stay back and shouts at her. As she starts to
shoo him back with all the nurse's concern she can muster he tears
into the room gun first. Evelyn goes in immediately after him. In the
room, the shattered remains of two plate glass windows lay scattered
about the room. Dedopovic is gone - the IV drip has been ripped out
and the monitoring machines are no longer connected.
Angeline
sees a figure dressed in black leap from second floor window (about
24' up) carrying a human shape. This figure lands on a dark Mercedes
C200 outside, making a large dent in the roof. The figure jumps off
the car and runs into the shadows by the side of the hospital.
Angeline makes her Stability check, spending two points) before
alerting others. She can see the guard peering out of window, reach
for his radio and start talking. Evelyn dashes to the window and
looks out.
Angeline
thinks fast about the camera footage of Vladek and pulls out her
cellphone - it's not working. She checks her watch and it has also
stopped. Luc sprints down the hallway to the stairwell and towards
the ground floor exit.
Evelyn
does a quick scan around the hospital room. It looks as though
Dedopovic was disconnected from the machines quickly and with little
care, likely the noise heard when the guard was awakened from trance.
From the guard waking there was maybe three to five seconds before
Dedopovic was disconnected from the machines and the window
shattered.
As
Luc heads down stairs he hears the noise of many pairs of boots
approaching, he drops into a walking pace and four armed police
officers run past him, heading up towards the guard left in the room.
Evelyn gets out of hospital room and starts to head down to ground
floor.
Angeline
moves slowly towards the car keeping a close watchful eye on the
shadows. The impact damage to the car roof is significant. Her phone
comes back on and a glance at her watch shows that it too is working
again. She takes the opportunity to start recording the damage to the
car and vicinity with her camera phone.
Luc
hits the exit doors and spies Angeline by the car asking what
happened? Angeline quickly explains what she saw and the two of them
head round the corner of the hospital, towards the shadows, Luc
moving in front of Angeline. Evelyn quickly joins them but with
sirens approaching they move to the car and get out of dodge and back
towards the safe house. Angeline explains again what she saw along
with the device failures and Evelyn explains what she saw upstairs.
***END SPOILERS***
Thank you once more for stopping by. We'll be back next week and again, any feedback or questions are welcome. If you'd like to join in please get in touch with me via G+
Cheers,
Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment