Subtleknifewielder Posted October 13, 2010 Report Share Posted October 13, 2010 Julian Ernest was a low-ranking 'computer-tech' in the Ministry of Defense. Basically a glorified 'white-hat' hacker with moderate skill but enough to be considered a security risk if he ever went rogue. But tonight...he stumbled across something long-forgotten. A piece of Australian history from before the rise of Hanseatic Helsinki under the leadership of the Lady Tintagyl. A shadowy piece, perhaps, but history nonetheless. His superiors would want to know about this...particularly Johanssen. Printing off a single hard copy, he covered his tracks before leaving his station on standby. They wouldn't want this knowledge made public, either... ---- "Colonel, are you sure those coordinates are correct?" Clancy tapped the headset once. "Stow the chatter! Of course I'm sure! Recon only, remember? And Silent!" They were less than half a mile from the coordinates given--deep in the Gibson desert. For that they needed a LOT of sunblock. At least it would be extremely difficult for infrared sensors to pick any of them up in this heat. And they were thoroughly disguised in the proper attire, appearing to simply be pieces of the desert--one man appered to be a lone scrub-brush...another a rock, the rest other inanimate things that belonged in this environment--one was even disguised as a pile of sand. In total, six men. The Colonel had also been told that for the same reason they would be difficult to spot...the satellites couldn;t pick uop anything. Hence they, the 'groundpounders,' were being sent in to investigate. Although [i]what[/i] they were supposed to investigate, he still was not clear on, he grumbled in his own mind, as he put the scoped rifle to his eye once more. [i]'What in blazes am I trying to spot?'[/i] He grumbled in his thoughts. Then he swung his scope back sharply as he saw something that didn't belong... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kingswell Posted October 14, 2010 Report Share Posted October 14, 2010 Everything would have indeed appeared fine to the Colonel, the sun was beating down heavily, the wind gave a some what comfortable breeze and there was very little wildlife about just the odd vulture circling above. Of course the black hulled helicopter, bearing no identification marks what so ever was defiantly out of place. The helo was busy skimming the desert, a few short metres from impact in actual fact. It's windows and doors were all tightly shut and it was moving at some speed for a large rock formation that stood alone in the sand. If the Colonel was expecting the helicopter to pull up or to go around the formation he would be surprised when the helicopter flew underneath a outcropping and came to a halt. Even more surprising would be when the formation wall in front of the helicopter grinded open to reveal what was clearly a very large shaft inside the rock into which the helicopter flew into. As the Colonel watched through his scope the helicopter began to descend the shaft whilst the doors began to close and within a few short seconds the entrance was sealed and it just looked like any normal part of the wall. The Colonel would know, if he had been told, that there were no known installations out here in the Gibson desert and even if he didn't know this was no ordinary installation. What he should do now was entirely upto the Colonel's own decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted October 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2010 [i]'What the hell?'[/i] Well, that fit the criterion of 'anything unusual' mentioned in the briefing. He'd been told to radio back in such a case, on the coded frequency. "White Bishop to White King. Unusual is right. Got a black chopper entering some kind of camoflaged facility. No markings on the craft, and the facility is embedded in an isolated rock face. Please advise." "Confirmed, white bishop. Stand by." -------- Operations (minister Johanssen) grinned. So quickly they had gotten a confirmation. He sent a word to the recon team to stand by, then switched to another headset on a different frequency, indicated that it was the one to be used in this situation, and tightbeamed directly at the hidden installation. "Black lamp is be unshuttered. Watchman to be retrieved." If there was still anyone there to follow the codes, they would know that meant the documents embedded for a later sate had been found, that the recon team outside was not hostile, and if they responded with the right confirmation codes, that a representative of the Minstry of Security would be meeting with them in a matter of hours. Stefan Johanssen nodded to another tech, who donned the previous set. "Black Knight to White Bishop. Code blue." Non-hostile... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kingswell Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 Inside the Blacklight Facility A number of gray uniformed technicians were seated before their monitors, they were all busy performing their assigned roles but at a more hurried rate as if their lives depended on it. Considering that they had just been informed that the Commander was on her way to the control room that fact might be true. A set of heavy black steel blast doors swiftly opened at the back of the control room and the sentries snapped to attention whilst raising their right hand to their fully enclosed helmets in a salute. Their commander strode past them without even a glance and even after she had passed them the guards did not ease until she was well out of sight. The commander herself cast a very intimidating figure. With a strong and yet lithe figure she was clearly a woman who normally would have grabbed any man's attention in fact she still would to those that didn't know her personally or by reputation. Still if one looked at her outfit they would easily be able to guess that this woman was not to be taken lightly. Clothed in a sturdy but flexible black combat suit, with a black hooded cloak, and black finished boots she looked more like one of those villians for a James Bond movie than a special operations commander. Yet indeed she was the current commander. Aleria Wilson was the third commander to take control of the Blacklight program following their move into hiding and she was not impressed with the current situation. "Have you confirmed that the code they transmitted is valid?" she asked quite angrily slamming both of her gloved hands down hard on a control panel. The technician seated nearest to her cursed his luck before replying quickly. "Yes Commander. The codes are valid" he said before closing his eyes and hoping she killed him quickly. However, to his surprise and relief she did no such thing and instead cursed aloud to the room. "Send the correct response and then have a welcoming force stationed down in the main hanger. They are bound to send someone to see us" she replied before storming off to gather her weapons, leaving the technicians to send off the correct reply codes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted October 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 "Are you sure about this, Stefan?" The woman addressing him was not only his lover, but his wife. She'd once been commander of the SWORD, but hd been forced to retire over circumstances the public would never be aware of. Perhaps it was just as well...the time under that position had taken its t, with red hair being laced with silver strands, and an eye that was gone, covered by a patch that made her look rather like a pirate from an old film. The usually emotionless tone was cracked with a hint of concern as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "No one is better qualified than myself. You certainly don't expect Her Majesty or His Grace to go, or one of the Marchals?" he smiled reassuringly. "I suppose not. You're the most expendable of those qualified to talk to them... ---- Two hours later, a helicopter approached the coordinates...by this time the sun had set, though not all light had disappeared from the sky. The recon team had long since been retrieved. As it approached, the helicopter transmitted the security codes to let them know this was the expected visit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kingswell Posted November 2, 2010 Report Share Posted November 2, 2010 The security codes were recieved, verified and processed before a reply signal was sent informing the Australian helicopter to hold position roughly two hundred and fifty feet from the Blacklight base. Any attempt to do otherwise would be met with force as evident by any missile alarm warning system the helo possessed suddenly coming alive. As long as the helicopter pilot followed these simple instructions then they would be greeted by two Blacklight helicopters who took up position around the Australian helicopter and escorted it into the base itself. As they passed through the entrance of the base a bright light would greet them as they entered what was clearly a very large and deep running shaft. At one of the Blacklight pilot's command the three helicopters would begin to descend until they came out into a massive hanger. Situated inside the hanger was a good number of helicopters like the duo accompanying the Australians as well as numerous battle tanks and armoured vehicles. All of these were of Australian design and make and if Stefan had ever heard of the odd missing army vehicles he could probally guess where it had turned up. The group passed the vehicles and the technicians working on them and flew out into another hanger where even more vehicles lay at rest however, this hanger had one major difference to the last. In the middle of its space a group of thirty armed and masked Blacklight soldiers stood at attention with their rifles slung over their backs. Even as Stefan and his wife watched their pilot was commanded to bring their helicopter in gently to land before the soldiers and upon doing so to cut all power to the engines. As the pilot hopefully did so Aleria quickly stepped forward from her position before her men moving towards the helicopter's door even before the rotors had stopped spinning. She was really looking forward to ending this meeting as soon as she could and get her men ready for either redeployment to a new base or for redeployment as per the new ruler's wishes. Either way she dearly hoped to not be bogged down by some diplomat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted November 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2010 (edited) The helicopter, naturally, remained at the designated distance. No need to provoke people who were supposed to be on the same side. They didn't have to wait long, as an escort came out to bring them in. The light hurt Stefan's eyes, but fortunately, he was not the pilot (the actual pilot wore a helmet designed to block sudden glares), and the chopper descended steadily to match pace with the Blacklight craft...until they reached the hangar. Stefan let out a low whistle. "The file doesn't do this place justice," he muttered. And he had no doubt this was only a fraction of the entire complex. On one particular vehicle they landed near, he saw the serial number...and recognized a helicopter that had simply been reported missing a year ago. "So that's how they do it. Probably have friends on the outside still." But as the doors opened, he took in the armed guards, and nodded, impressed. He was about to step out when his wife layed a hand on his arm, silently telling him she would get out first. The soldiers would probably take her simply for an elite bodyguard, considering the size and caliber of the weapons she had attached to her. With as many visible weapons, they might be wondering what less obvious ones she had hidden away. She turned, nodding once, letting him know it was as safe as it could be. The man that Aleria saw step out was small, but compact, grey-haired but fit, and was no diplomat, as was evidenced by the sidearm he carried. Stefan kept himself in shape. He simply stared across the space between himself and the commander as she approached, letting her come to him... Edited November 14, 2010 by Subtleknifewielder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kingswell Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Aleria's footsteps rang out across the hanger as she walked up to the helicopter carrying the Australian representatives. As she approached she watched as the door slided open to reveal a greyed hair man sitting down and a well equipped woman with him, and even as she watched the woman layed a hand on the man's arm before stepping out and giving the surronding area a quick look over. [i]"A bodyguard clearly"[/i] thought Aleria as she came to a stop before the helicopter's opening. The man inside quickly exited after his bodyguard indicated that it was safe to do so. Looking him over Aleria noticed his sidearm and his well maintained figure, clearly he was either from a military background or he was no normal diplomat. As soon as his feet touched the Hanger's floor Aleria snapped her legs together sharply and brought her right arm up to salute him. Her soldiers immediatly followed her actions and snapped into a salute. Keeping her eyes focused ahead of her Aleria addressed the representative. "Commander Aleria Wilson, Blacklight Special Operations, reporting for duty" she said leaving the honoury sir of her reply due to not knowing his actual standing rank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted November 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2010 As Aleria studied them, they studied her, her posture, her stride, her manner of address. Every inch a commander, or at least she appeared to be. Time would tell. He nodded once, promptly returning the salute so she could lower her arm as general military protocol dictated she hold it until he answered it. "Stefan Johansen, Minister of Security, classified rank Brigadier General in the Australian armed forces." The rank he gave, for the uninitiated, was a one-star General. Not many knew of this ranking--not even the Queen was made aware. His reply was snapped off in the same brisk manner as Aleria's. He took a good look around, nodding approvingly as he ruturned his attention to Aleria. "You seem to run a tidy operation here, Commander. I must commend you for keeping this facility in order during your tenure as Commander. I can safely assume the rest of the facility is as well-kept as the hangar?" The only thing that broke the silence as he waited for her reply, and the tour he had just hinted he wanted, was the powering down of the aircraft that had brought him here.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kingswell Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 "These facilities have been and always will be kept at one hundred percent effectiveness. Now sir if you would like to follow me I shall take you on a brief tour of the facility" replied Aleria in response before turning about and striding across to a waiting jeep. Climbing into the jeep, which was a vintage world war two australian army vehicle, she started the engine and waited for the Brigadier General and his bodyguard to climb in and belt up. Satisified that both of her passengers were comfortable, Aleria started the jeep's engine and drove off away from the helicopters and the soldiers. As they drove through the first hanger they would pass a number of main battle tanks, though there was only fifteen in total, and armoured fighting vehicles. All of these were painted in the same matt black clolour as the Blacklight helicopters. Driving past them Aleria spoke over her shoulder to the Brigadier General whilst keeping her eyes watching firmly ahead. "These tanks represent the only true heavy ground units that Blacklight possess. We hope to never use them unless this base is attacked or if any force we send out needs heavy support. In truth I dislike using the AFV's unless I have to. Teams of soldiers inserted by helo are much quieter" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted November 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 The Minister (or General, as he would be known here) and his 'bodyguard' stepped after the Commander--the rest of the bodyguards accompanying him remained in the chopper, and would remain there until either summoned or dismissed to go home. Back with Aleria, her guests stepped into the provided vehicle. he never once considered commenting on her seeming boast of the effectiveness of the facility. The tour would prove her words soon enough. He did, however, have something to say about the jeep as they buckled in. "Very nice. Sometimes old designs are the best ones." He remained silent as they passed the rows of ground vehicles, looking closely at any serial numbers displayed--usually they were covered by the paint marking them as belonging to Blacklight, but a few had been black to begin with when taken. Like the helicopter, he recognized those. Then his study was interrupted by the commander. "Yes. In our business," he agreed, referring to both her and himself, "silence is always prefered, though preparation is never amiss." He chuckled at a mental reminder of a saying from a book he read once that seemed oddly appropriate. [i]Never fight when you can bluff. Never bluff when you can run. Never run when you can sneak. If no one knows you're there, you win. [/i]If he was asked what was so amusing, he'd shrug off the question simply by saying it was a personal reflection on what he'd just said. OOC: [url="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Smuggler"]In case you are wondering...[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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