Date: 073-1104
Location: Wardn/Lunion (SM1727) B756486-B Ni, Pre-Ag S
Population: 76,000 Sophonts
Formerly known as Silver and previously identified as part of the Metal Worlds it was settled originally by a small group colonists from the Sword Worlds. After the Third Frontier War the system was fully absorbed into the Imperium. Only twenty percent of the population can claim in some part to be descendant from the original colonists. The rest are for the most part members of the scout service who have retired and taken up residence. The economy of the System has yet to develop due to a lack of industry and labor. Subsistence farming, the provision of foodstuffs or services, as well as contract technical labor to the scout base with the income it brings forms the base of the local economy. The Planet is governed by an appointed Governor-General who also holds a position with a knighthood in the sector peerage. The Starport/Scout Base is garrisoned by a permanent duty Colonial Lift Infantry Battalion from Lunion equipped to tech level 12. Personnel rotate through on 2 year duty assignments.
Wardn is a warm moist planet worth a thin atmosphere and 64% Hydrographics. It largest continent hosts large rolling planes and low mountains. Transplanted and modified flora and fauna are being studied for long-term impact and suitability for future seeding and development into an agricultural world. The downport/scout base lies adjacent to the startown of Argent with small outlying farms that are currently successful in the growing of Terran modified cereals and citrus foodstuffs, some small successful ranching of protein sources have made headway. 80% of the Systems population is located within the startown and surrounding farmsteads.
Players’ Information:
Coming out of jumpspace in the Wardn system the Suliman Scout’s systems begin to register electromechanical issues requiring maintenance and minor repairs with the Jump Drive. However the group is in luck, Wardn has a IISS Scout base on the surface. The group reasons that repairs and maintenance should be easily accomplished there. As they land on scout base landing pad 10 they are met by a the Scout base ground crew and a representative of the Base Commander asking that the players accompany him to the base administrative headquarters. Within minutes the group is flown in air/rafts to the Administrative complex built into a small hill. The group notices a large number of Imperial Colonial Army Personnel and vehicles guarding the perimeter of the base.
Located inside the Base Commander’s office is waiting an Imperial Navy Lt. Commander and IISS Commander, who has the overall Command of the base. After pleasant introductions, refreshments are offered and the base commander inquires what needs the group may have with regards to stores and maintenance facilities for the repairs of the ship. The Base Commander has deduced the party is low on funds and proposes a barter of services for parts and the base ground crew to perform the required repairs free of charge in exchange for services and cash payment. If the group agrees. He turns and introduces the Lt. Commander Gihelegashi who appears disheveled and distraught, but quickly masters himself to brief the group on the services he needs.
The Lieutenant Commander begins with appealing to the patriotism of the group and the absolute need for confidentiality. He has a big problem. There is a recent report by the 43rd Fleet Counter Intelligence indicating that Sword Worlds Directorate of Military Intelligence has a deep cover sleeper agent on the planet. The report also indicates that there is a leak at the classified Joint Navy/Scout Special Task Force located within the scout base. Without tipping off the a possible agent or compromised personnel by bringing in a Counter Intelligence field unit, the Lt. Commander is appealing to the group to act under his authority to investigate the primary suspect, and maintain surveillance until enough evidence can be gathered to arrest the suspect and accomplices. He is willing to remunerate all expenses in carrying out the operation for equipment needs, bribes etc… He further offers as an incentive for each member of the group. A Cr. 20,000 payment with a letter of commendation and appreciation signed by the 43rd Imperial Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Lord Danezi Vasilevye.
If the group accepts the offer they will be briefed about the primary suspect is William Decher, a local 15 year resident who is married to a Scout Base Communications Branch Officer. William Decher works as an outback safari guide and conservationist. His background is hazy with a dubious record of a discharge from the Colonial Forces Imperial Army with the rank of Staff Sergeant in the infantry with assignments to Commando School as a student and later as an instructor. The brief record also notes the Awards of three combat service ribbons a MCUF and Purple Heart. The Colonial Army is having a hard time finding a more complete service record and is cooperating by trying to track down other members of his unit without luck. His wife is a Sarl Najal Guishivallii-Decher is a Scout Communication Group Administrator in charge of the Communication Section for the base. The sensitive nature of her position with encrypted codes and access to all incoming an outgoing classified information is a real concern to both the Base Commander and Lt. Commander Gihelegashi.
Referee’s Information:
The group has arrived in the buildup to the Fifth Frontier War. A joint Imperial Navy / Scout Service Surveillance Task Force is co-located on the base. It is the cover for a joint operation for placing operatives and collection efforts in the Sword Worlds Confederation. Specially modified Suliman Scout couriers with Jump 3 capability are hidden within the squadron assigned to the base. Sword Worlds Directorate of Military Intelligence and its outworld coalition partners have long suspected the Base’s covert activities and actually has a team of operatives on the planet keeping the base under Surveillance and have ongoing active collection efforts within the base. The fears of Naval Intelligence is well founded, and to their credit they have identified one, unknowingly, of the real deep cover agents.
Lt. Commander Gihelegashi has more than just the security of the operation to be concerned about, he is in love with Decher’s wife and has had an ongoing intimate liaison with her for the past two years. Her background check has been stringent and she has been verified. The thought of her being coerced and compromised by William is maddening to the lovestruck naval officer. What he is unaware of is he is the target of a honey pot operation. The object of his amorous intentions is really a Zhodani Intelligence Service officer who uses her psionic abilities to gather information from her day-to-day contacts. She is aware her cohabiting partner’s cover is blown and to further insulate her and the backup network that will maintain the flow of intelligence to the Outworld Coalition they are purposefully going to blow William Decher’s cover and engage in some high stakes theatrics to include kidnapping Sarl and attempting to take her off world with the assistance of a Vargr Corsair band who are proxies of the Sword World Confederation Directorate of Intelligence Special Activities Branch.
Sarl and William have planned in two days to have an incident of an incriminating low-frequency encrypted off-world signal communication burst to emanate from William’s Safari Company’s Office that will be easy for a decryption expert to begin to extract a location deep in the Wardn High Veld and the phrase “movement of goods”. William will be deliberately making it somewhat easy for the group to follow his tradecraft, and maintain the focus of the party on him while Sarl moves copies of cyphers and critical intelligence that would blow imperial agents and networks laboriously placed over time with the Sword Worlds Confederation civil and military infrastructure. The real objective is to ensure the coming outworlds collation surprise attack on the Spinward Marches achieves strategic surprise.
William will lead the group on a merry chase through the star town and veld with a the intent of allowing the party to perceive and rendezvous with a ship in veld to take him and captive Sarl off world. The Group will observe the logistics planning such as the purchase of restraints and food, the stocking of an air/raft with weapons, communication gear and survival equipment. William will also create red herrings by falsely implicating local officials and Scout Base personal as co-conspirators. It is important to know that William has limited access to the Scout Base as a dependent and socializes with the personnel in off duty settings.
96 hours after the group sets down on the planet William and Sarl will begin the theatrics setting the final plan in motion. The Lt. Commander will receive a frantic and broken video message saying there was a struggle at her domicile and pleading for help. Will and Sarl will stage the house as a violent struggle with them taking off for the rendezvous point mentioned in the pervious off world communication signal which will be followed by a second signal right after the flash message from Sarl to Lt. Commander Gihelegashi. With the group and Gihelegashi run hot pursuit. They will arrive at the rendevouz point to see a cloaked hovering Vargr Corsair moving baggage and personal onboard… a firefight will erupt between the group and Vargr Corsairs, casualties taken, but William will escape leaving Sarl drugged and restrained in the an “unsuccessful” attempt to exfiltrate her off world.
The post script will be the reuniting of the lovers and in the debrief Sarl will continue to exploit her relationship with Gihelegashi and her position as middle level scout administrator to collect intelligence. She will in the end of the investigation be cleared of any charges and suspicions. She will be transferred to the Major Scout / Naval Facility on Lunion, right under Naval Counter-Intelligence’s noses.
Main NPCs:
Lt. Commander Elian Gihelegashi 8789CA Age 38 (Imperial Navy Line / Intelligence- 4 terms) MCG, MCUF, Combat Command x2, Combat Service ribbon x4, Flight School, Staff College, Intelligence School x2, Streetwise-2, Interrogation-2, Admin-2, Pilot-2, Navigation-1, Ship’s Boat-1, Engineering-1, Handgun-1, Computer-2, Communications-1, Gunnery (Lasers)-1, Forward Observer -1, SMG-1, Ship Tactics-1, Fleet Tactics-1, Vaccsuit-1
Imperial Navy Senior Intelligence Officer Assigned to the Joint Navy-Scout Intelligence Detachment Wardn.
Sarl Najal Guishivallii-Decher 687AAA Psi:9 Age: 44 “Scout Communications Administrator” (Zhodani Intelligence Operative) Telepathy-9, Clairvoyance -5, Awareness- 4; Streetwise-2, Forgery-2, Communications-2, Admin-2, Computer-2, Electronics-2, Bribery-1, Interrogation-1, Handgun-1, Vaccsuit-1
A specially trained deep penetration SORAG operative who is descended from Solomani-Vilani Stock Humanity.
William Decher – 978988 Age: 42 (SWC Army 3-terms) CMV X2, Wound Badge-Bronze, Commando School (x2), Combat Rifleman-2, Streetwise-2, Bribery-1, Tactics-1, Forgery-1, Brawling-1, Recon-1, Grav Vehicle-1, Blade-1, Demolitions-1, Survival-1, Communications-1, Grenadier-1, Vaccsuit-1, Handgun-1
A member of the Directorate of Military Intelligence’s Special Service Force Brigade. 502.