A/N:(long, sorry) The string to follow is somewhat disjointed, as each was originally meant as a 'teaser' giving some insight into details that were being uncovered relating to the OSS11/OSS63 encounters with agents/factors of a man knows as "Farrier", and the dire connection between a faction of the ISS and certain SCAN rouge elements. (Again, my own creative license in deviating from any source material)
Farrier, Orona, and most critically, Delta, relate to a string of events which started with the OSS11 Ops Group attracting the attention of a group of 'bad guys', which later led to observation of activities near OSS63, a botched recovery mission aimed at survivors of OSS11, the 'cleansing' of SR46, and the raid on AirSub10. Each of these events—as well as certain events unrelated to either OSS group—put information, resources, and certain key technical data into the hands of Farrier and his associates.
At this point in the timeline, the players of OSS11/63 have some rough idea of what Farrier and his SCAN associates were pursuing relevant to the infected Imperial 'Hounds'. At this point, however, the players have only seen the aftermath of the 'Delta Event' (to follow in later parts). And the final section that I'll put down here later is 'forward looking', a glimpse of "what could be" and was sent to select players to keep their interest high, during a lull in our ability to meet regularly.
Disclaimer: (1) If you don't know Living Steel this will probably be way, way out of context. (2) I make no ownership claims nor recieve any profit from LEG, Living Steel, Phoenix Command, etc. However, I have 17 combat actions, a DRGN suit, and an SAR-8. That's more than 4 actions per impulse. Rawr. (see, context...)
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"Increase pressure by eight percent."
The nervous tech siting at the interface console quickly adjusted the controls to the requested level, "Pressure adjusted by zero-eight percent, sir," the young woman stated, a slight tremor in her voice, "the subject's bio-signs are high, but within safety limits."
The stone-faced man standing behind her gave no indication that he had heard her, instead continuing to stare at the observation screen labeled "PRESSURE TUBE D-INTERIOR VIEW". His browns knitted as he watched the display, which depicted a tall blond man, devoid of clothing, in a cold, hard metal chamber. The man in the chamber seemed to be in some amount of pain as he moved about the small room pressing his palms to his ears.
"Open the I-Link to the chamber," stated the man behind the tech.
"I-Link open sir," replied the tech, risking a quick glance at her superior. He was a man of medium height, perhaps six feet, and not unattractive in a hard-edged manner. His Armani Dencia triple-breasted suit was spotless and very appealing. The SCAN-SecCOM ID badge he wore read: FARRIER, N. F., LT. CMDR.
It was not his appearance that made the tech nervous, but his demeanor. Hallie—that was her name, Hallie Schrager—had always felt good about reading people. Friends often asked her opinion about this guy or that guy; they trusted her intuition. Farrier was different, however. From him she got nothing. Like being in the room with a synthetic, she thought with a try at self-assuring mirth.
As Hallie looked back at the bio-monitoring equipment, Farrier addressed the man within the chamber, "Hello Mr. Blake. How are you feeling today?" he asked with false concern in his voice. To Hallie, it sounded an alien thing to come from his mouth.
The man within the chamber looked about until he spotted the location of the observation pickup. "Farrier? You bastard!" he shouted in anger as he moved closer to the vid unit, "You can't do this to me! You bastard. I told you the damn truth; you've used the drugs! You gotta' believe me, dammit!"
Farrier lips stretched in a cold, dark smile, "Mr. Blake under normal circumstances I would be inclined to believe you, however, the circumstances of your egress from the target zone act to possibly taint your testimony."
"Farrier you can't possibly believe…"
"Mr. Blake," Farrier interrupted smoothly, "you are a field agent; look at what I face: Primus, one rouge telepath with an estimated Psi rating of over 250 who somehow maintains mental dominance over an estimated one-to-two thousand VISR infected individuals. The implications of that alone should give pause."
Hallie jerked slightly as Farrier placed his hand on her shoulder, leaning closer to the display screen. It was not a gesture of friendship, comfort, or camaraderie; she was just a convenient prop, like a stool. He continued, "Secundus: Within hours after you leave the target zone, I receive confirmed reports that my remaining agents there have been captured and/or eliminated. Your timing is…complicated."
"Tertius, and most damning for you, Blake: My Hounds confirm undeniably that you have been in some form of empathic contact with my lost pet, Warrant Officer Scott. This makes you a potential liability."
Blake could be seen looking at the vid in stark disbelief. He looked around the chamber, perhaps seeking some manner of exodus that he might have already missed. "You…you trust those freaks…over me?" he asked, a sick tone in his voice. "I've been with you for years!"
Farrier leaned back away from the display, a perturbed look on his face, "And for that I do truly regret what I must do. A good tool is not something I throw away lightly." He turned slightly to look at the tech, "Increase pressure another sixteen percent and begin recording."
Hallie's hands moved smoothly over the control pads, adjusting and compensating for changes in the chamber environment, "Affirmative sir, pressure adjusted one-six percent. The subjects bio-signs are at nine-four percent and rising."
Inside the chamber the man, Blake, could be seen alternately beating his hands against the door and pressing them against his ears, howling incoherently. Blood could be seen to trickle from his nose and ears and was now smeared on the chamber door.
"Six point five percent Mr. Schrager," said Farrier, cold, hard.
Hallie again adjusted the settings and watched as Blake's Bio signs went red across the board, "Zero-six point five sir," she replied looking away from the gore-drenched thing on the display. "Internal hemorrhaging has commenced, systemic collapse in approximately six-eight seconds."
"Increase pressure by one percent per second Mr. Schrager. Set the system to automatic shut down, and alert Dr. Orona to collect his specimen," Farrier said coolly as he turned and began to walk from the room. "Have a copy of this vid with full Med-scan sent to my quarters…and Mr. Schrager?" He stopped in the doorway, turning back to look at the tech, his eyebrow raised.
Hallie swiveled her chair to face Farrier, something catching in her throat, "Yes sir?" She asked, voice trembling with trepidation.
"I've scanned the reports and see that you have failed to report for your P-testing," he said, a wolfish smile spreading across his visage. "You will report to Dr. Tanachi and Warrant Officer Victors after you are finished here." He slowly turned, exiting the room, "And Mr. Schrager?" His voice ghosted back into the control room, "I will be checking to see that you comply."
Hallie, pale and trembling, turned back to the display just in time to see Blake's body begin to compress and cavitate, visceral gore squirting through ruptures in his flesh. The scanners dutifully informed her that Blake was dead…and so am I, she thought in helpless terror.
(PartII soon)
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End Notes:
AS - Air Subcon
AS10 - Air Sub 10 - located in eastern Elandia in proximity of SR46
ISS - Imperial Secret Service
OSS - Operation Seven Swords
OSS11 - Level 3 Operations Hub based the Isle of Grus
OSS63 - Operations group 63 based near SR46
OSS64 - Operations group 64 based near AS10
S4 - Seven Swords Special Service
SCAN - SCAN Medical Technologies Inc. - A Starguild corporation with significant operations on Rhand, Matrix and Chemex.
SR - Small Resort
SR46 - Small resort 46 - Starcaste beach house resort located in eastern Elandia
VISR - Virally Induced Sociopathic Response