Wildfire, 野火 (2/3)

RSS Liaison Headquarters
For the most part, the Republic Security Services Corporation has not made a habit of hiring outsiders, preferring instead to stick to known, trustworthy people who have long proven their loyalty to the Minmatar cause. The one notable exception to this isolationist tendency has been the capsuleers, who are afforded much higher levels of access due to their unique capabilities. Unwilling to let such powerful individuals serve other agendas, the RSS long ago made sure that the proper in-space and in-station infrastructure would be there to act as a bridge, a connection between their own shadowy world and that of the powerful capsuleer class.

Nilf Abruskur
Division: Security
0.6 Nilf Abruskur's Rapier in Aldrat

Mission 8: Dead End Intercept

Greetings Nad, I'm Corporal Nilf Abruskur, I'm glad to have you working with us. Now, we have much to discuss and little time in which to discuss it, so if you don't mind I'll get straight to the point.

You conducted yourself with skill and cunning for Agent Takalo. Due to this, and due to the fact that you're already involved in this delicate matter we have decided to enlist your services, if you will provide them.

As you've no doubt learned by now, it appears we have an intelligence asset in the Ammatar Consulate, and their handler – our agent – has disappeared under mysterious circumstances as well. It is a messy situation at the moment, but I have little doubt that we'll clean it up one way or another.

Our Ammatar asset is the priority for now; if we can find her, we will be able to make sense of the Wildfire Khumaak you have discovered. The tribes have their best people working on those documents you recovered as well, trying to glean her identity from something in there, but even though we don't know her identity, they have shown us who one of her enemies is.

The data you have recovered has strongly supported existing evidence that we have an Ammatar counteragent in our midst, and now we have their name. We believe this person has gathered information that may compromise our own source in the Ammatar government. This traitor is currently residing at one of our residential quarters with his family, completely unaware that the world is about to come crashing down on him.

We've dissolved his ship's FTL link without his knowledge, and for the past twelve hours we've run a dead-end intercept on every transmission he's tried to make out of the area. We know he's about to make an escape with his family sometime soon.

Your task is to ensure that ship does not escape the area intact. Local agents will stand down, they know the score.

Objective: Kill the RSS counter agent. He will be found attempting to undock and depart from the RSS Outpost.

RSS Residential Suite
This reconfigured station houses thousands of RSS agents along with their families, and serves as just one of many secure locations for employees to settle down. Often the line of work RSS agents undertake brings with it a risk for recriminations. In order to minimize the threat to their families and keep agent's minds on the job, the RSS often heavily subsidizes the accommodation at these residential suites. For them it is just another way to approach internal security; the cost of these subsidies pales in comparison to the amounts the Amarr would pay for just one good defector, and the damage done from a high-level leak would be significant for an entity that built itself on the security of information.
Singed Datapad
This barely-functioning piece of personal electronics turns out to contain ledger upon ledger of financial statements, high-level meeting transcripts and company rosters from several public and private Minmatar organizations. A large portion of the data is encoded in some sort of advanced cipher, leaving it completely unintelligible.
Mission 9: Surfacing

It's good to know we're on the same page, Nad. Our asset in Ammatar sends their thanks. They've been gathering information for us; there will be something shortly. Get back to me in a minute or two.

We've had analysts from the Krusual and Thukker tribes going over the documents you recovered from our agent's private compound. They've made one more promising discovery so far which we want you to follow up.

They found a recent communication from our source inside the Ammatar Consulate. It seems she sent a package of information on the Wildfire Khumaak to the system of Jark for pickup not long ago. Our guess is that due to the sensitivity of the information and the amount of attention it's attracting, our asset in the Consulate could only get it to the border, not across. This could play in our favor though. Due to its location in the San Matar constellation – the heartlands of Ammatar space - there's a good chance our agent didn't make it out there yet. We have to be careful where our operatives are seen sometimes.

The drop-off location inside Jark is a complex known as Tili's Red Light Palace. Initial intelligence is that it's just another merc RRdive, nothing special. Once you have arrived to the area we'll forward the exact location of the cargo. Speaking of which, I trust I needn't remind you how important those documents could be, or indeed, how sensitive. Proceed with caution, do not take any risks.


Objective: Go to Tili's Red Light Palace, retrieve the package from the pickup location and eliminate all hostile forces that might show up.
 
Okay, here we are. Head for the brothel complex on your right. It's the one in the middle where you'll find the package.


-Cargo Info-Encrypted Transmission
This is an encrypted transmission from the RSS agent's Ammatar spy. It is a wholly incomprehensible string of 1s and 0s.


-Combat-


Well done, Nad, thank you. We'll need a moment to go over the information here, but I imagine we'll need you again, so don't stray too far.


Mission 10: Who Art in Heaven



We've gone over the essential details from the information you recovered, Nad, good work on getting this back to us. Here's the decoded message from our Ammatar source:

All right, my sources have traced the origins of that Khumaak and we've been able to get a little bit of information, but we're still digging. There's remarkably little mention of this stuff anywhere in official records.

It's called a Wildfire scepter. Apparently, the Wildfires were a particular kind of Khumaak-like scepter that existed only in certain conclaves of Starkman Prime in the years while the planet was under Amarrian occupation. The physical details all match up; the holes in the shaft, the blood obsidian sun center, the slightly smaller sun spirals. Only one other has been found, ever, and has since gone missing.According to its previous owner, the Wildfires were all destroyed some years before the Starkmanir rebellion in 22947, and it's not even known for what purpose they were initially created or why, indeed, they were destroyed. We'll have our sources keep investigating.
Lastly, I've cleared you for entrance to the ruins of St Arzad. I've attached the relevant security access codes. I give you my word that the people there will provide their full cooperation and discretion. I'm told that one of the historians even has a text that mentions this Khumaak of yours.”
There is nothing to suggest that our own agent ever made it out to those ruins. He did not pick up the package you recovered, and he has still not returned to base. As our temporary representative, you will be standing in for him.

Your task is to travel to an orbital forward point for an archaeological dig being conducted on a nearby planet – Starkman Prime. There's a team of historians and archaeologists there, a couple of which are supposed to have texts that reference the Wildfire Scepters. Make your way over there and await further instructions. We'll get to the bottom of this mystery yet.


Objective
Meet with the historians at the archaeological site, and learn what you can about the Wildfire Khumaak.


-Warpping-










Shit… the Cartel is here, and they're targeting the outpost. You need to act quickly. Secure the area and protect the archaeologists!


-Combat-


The outpost is down. We've lost this battle…and the Cartel knows it. I've just received word from one of their commanders; the terms of agreement for an exchange. Forget the base; it's a lost cause now, just come back to me.


Mission 11: Playing all Their Cards



We have a transmission from the Angels. Those god-damned slime-excreting vermin. I think you better get back here right now. We're gonna need you for this next part.

We dropped the ball on this one Nad, and those putrescent, motherless Angel freaks made sure to capitalize on it. Our only consolation is that it cost them, too. We've managed to root the Angel spy within our ranks – the one who tipped the Cartel off about your visit to the historians. They're in a world of trouble right now; you can trust me on that.

From our initial interrogation of this captured Angel agent, we have learned that just before the Cartel blew up the outpost, they managed to find and make away with the data we needed on the Wildfire Khumaak. The historian that was supposed to have a text for you relating to it was tortured into handing over his research and was then killed. They're offering us a deal. We give them back their agent, and they give us the information we want. They tried to make a bid for the Wildfire, but there wasn't a chance in hell we going to entertain that idea, especially once we discovered who their agent was. We negotiated it down to the agent, but we have no intention of making a fair deal with them, simply because when it comes to the Angels, there is no such thing. They have no desire for the safe return of this traitorous scum; in fact if they could kill him right now to shut him up, they wouldn't hesitate.
In addition to providing us intel that the historical texts on the Khumaak have been taken, our captured agent has also revealed something else: it's location. His testimony and a good deal of other intelligence we're receiving is pointing to one of the Angels' main staging outposts in Metropolis.
The defense forces posted at this place are impressive, Nad, beyond even your capabilities. We've come up with a plan to lure some out and reduce their numbers to something you'll be more easily able to manage. We forced subversion on our Angel prisoner, made him tell his superiors that we're sending a huge ambush fleet to the meeting point. This should goad them into bringing along a bigger reserve of manpower, most of which will be drawn from that base.
While we're having the meet, you sneak in, bypass the remaining resistance, and grab the texts that were taken. Underneath the central command center, we're told there will be several data banks. The documents we're looking for will be in one of these. You'll need to deactivate the security firewalls, which means some hacking. You're looking for a drive cluster called "EDF-285." Grab it and get the hell out of there before the Angels figure out the game.


ObjectiveHack into the Drive Cluster Archive and recover Drive Cluster EDF-285.


-Incoming Transmission-
They're stalling the negotiations. Our scouts and scanners are picking up no sign of the reinforcements they were going to bring. I'm getting the feeling we've been screwed again. Get the data and get out.


-Combat-


-Cargo Info-Drive Cluster EDF-285
This is a cluster of drives, each of which contains several exabytes worth of encoded data. Somewhere in here is vital information on the Wildfire Khumaak.


Excellent work, Nad. The Republic Security Services are in your debt.



Mission 12: History in the Making



Our historians have pored over the information found on the drive cluster EDF-285. There's a lot on there, but not all of it is pertinent to the Wildfire Khumaak. I've also been in contact with a Krusual historian who has spent some time researching the Khumaak. The historians cross-referenced each other's work and stumbled upon a lead. I guess those nerds are good for something, eh?

I'm sending you to Hiva Shesha, the Krusual historian. She's taken her poor interns with her to the San Matar constellation – right in the heart of Ammatar space. I don't know what she's discovered, but I'm sure it's important. Best you get over there and talk with her. Let us know what you've uncovered, and keep your eyes peeled for our missing agent. I have a feeling that he went to seek out his Ammatar contact. There's no telling what he's up to, either.

Anyway, good luck.


Objectives

Report to Hiva Shesha