The Wrecking Belles

MISSION CRITICAL 2023​

004: Into the wolf’s mouth​

“I don’t like it!” said Obliterette crossing her arms and pouting.

“Blit, when have you liked a plan where I’m the one taking risks?” asked Scarlet Tanager trying not to laugh. As Odalisques, the bulk of their training was as close protection operatives; and Obliterette had always taken the job of being Regina Berger’s personal bodyguard very seriously.

“I must agree with Obliterette-san,” said Kyoko, who had been trying to compete with Obliterette for that spot.

“I made up my mind, and that will be the end of it,” said Scarlet Tanager forestalling the inevitable protests of both women.

The cause of Blit and Kyoko’s discontent was Hannibal’s ‘favor.’ He requested Scarlet Tanager to retake her ‘Apple Pie’ Cage Fighter persona, and be his combatant in an underground Cage Match taking place at Howard Gosselin’s Estate on District 16. It was a private event for the Elite of Omega City One.

Hannibal planned to infiltrate Laxmee to hack into Gosselin’s private server; but needed a way to enter the extremely guarded fortress Gosselin called ‘his estate.’ So, when Hannibal learned about the Wrecking Belles’ presence in Omega City One, he tracked them down in order to request Scarlet Tanager’s assistance.

Called ‘The Streisand Effect,” for a 20th Century Celebrity who tried to suppress a picture of her mansion, bringing a lot more attention to it than if she had done nothing; Regina Berger’s attempts to expunge her denigrating Cage Fights, had only made them exponentially more popular; especially in underground circles.

With the promise of ‘The Buxom Odalisque’, Apple Pie, Hannibal secured his team’s entry into the lion’ den. However, this meant that Scarlet Tanager would be in the spotlight; and there was no telling how deep was Lab Rat’s mind-bending operation.

“Bruno reconfigured this Biometric Visor,” said Battle Charmer. Bruno was the Monstrucker Engineer that Task Force Wrecking Belles retained for on-the-field Rem maintenance and odd jobs.

“It will only detect memory reconfiguring activity inside the brain.” said Doc Starlight ignoring Obliterette’s death glare. “The Meme-Worm has to rewire the neurons constantly to avoid the subject realizing something’s up. So, it should be detectable.”

“Just remember to turn it off while fighting,” said Battle Charmer melodiously. “Or The Duchess will rip your head off.”

Fleur Kader was a Snow Leopard-pattern Chimera, who rose to prominence in the Underground Cage Fighting circles under the name ‘The Duchess’. She became Howard Gosselin’s bodyguard, enforcer and Underground Cage Fighter; making both of them the most feared couple in Omega City One’s underworld.

So, Scarlet Tanager figured she could accept Hannibal’s offer and detect how many of Omega City One’s Elite were under Lab Rat’s influence. An extremely risky plan that depended on Hannibal and his team for extraction. Hence, Obliterette’s disapproval.

During the flight to Gosselin’s Estate, Scarlet Tanager had the opportunity to socialize with Hannibal and his crew. It was a rare opportunity, and Scarlet Tanager appreciated every bit of their renowned expertise. She also had a chance to get a good look at the ‘luxurious’ District 16; an underwhelming, gaudy imitation of Neoterran Architecture with none of its charm.

They were greeted by Howard Gosselin and Jackhammer at the main entrance of his mansion. The man was the same height as the six-feet tall Scarlet Tanager, impeccably dressed in a three-piece white suit and red tie. His blonde hair was combed to the back in a very business-like manner. He had piercing grey eyes, and even through the suit, Scarlet Tanager could see he was a rather muscular man.

The Duchess, looked equally as formidable, despite being a head shorter. Her indigo eyes complimented her white and grey fur. Her limbs looked slim, but muscular, like she was built for speed, rather than strength. Scarlet Tanager was sure The Duchess was going to be a tough opponent.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” said Howard Gosselin shaking Hannibal’s hand.

Scarlet Tanager turned on her Biometric Visor. For a second everything went dark, then the silhouettes of her quarries were visible. If there had been Meme-Worm activity, there should have been red sparkles inside their heads. Fortunately, there were none on either of them.

“Cute Visor,” said The Duchess in a soft, husky tone. “It will be fun smashing it into your skull.”

Of course, Scarlet tanager thought, the ever-present pre-fight trash talk.

“Why, thank you!” replied Scarlet Tanager with her broadest grin. “Let the best fighter win,” she finished extending her hand.

In less than a blink, The Duchess was face to face with Scarlet Tanager; the brunette’s ample bosom keeping the shorter Chimera from being fully in Scarlet Tanager’s face.

“Don’t worry, I will,” she replied to an eruption of cheers. It was then that Scarlet Tanager noticed the crowd that had been watching from afar. And thousands of little red sparks lit up every single head in that mob.

“Oh shit…”

“Indeed,” whispered The Duchess on Scarlet Tanager’s ear. “We’ll talk during the fight,” she said then shoved Scarlet Tanager and declared how she was going to rearrange her horsey face.

Scarlet Tanager told Hannibal about the mind-enslaved crowd. Which he found hard to believe, until she gave him the Biometric Visor and he saw for himself.

“But they look normal!” he said horrified.

“Yeah, and they will throw themselves at a Missile Launcher at Lab Rat’s command.”

“Can I keep this?” asked Hannibal not waiting for a reply.

“Of course, I’m sure my people are working on equipping everyone with them.”

On the other side of Omega City One, Bruno was reminding Doc Starlight that she had to return his only Biometric Visor or she would have to pay for it.

Scarlet Tanager was taken to the changing rooms, where she changed into a red and black sports bra, with matching shorts, fingerless gloves and ankle-high boots. It took a while for the usher to call her to the hexagon. Apparently, she had been presented as a main event and there had been four more fights before hers.

She could hear the announcer hyping the main event. As she walked into the hexagon, she heard the announcer call her “The Buxom Odalisque, Apple Pie!” to a roaring cheer from the crowd. The Duchess, joined shortly after; and her fight record made Scarlet Tanager reconsider her life choices up to this moment.

With lightning speed and feline grace, The Duchess lunged at Scarlet Tanager and began her assault with a flurry of blows.

“We’re the leaders of Black Lotus…” said the Snow Leopard woman between blows; soft enough for Tanager to hear, but not the crowd.

She then dodged Tanager’s counterattack, and tried to hold the Amazonian brunette in an arm lock.

“Lab Rat has taken over the Elite Districts. We want him out,” said The Duchess in Scarlet Tanager’s ear.

“I’m listening,” replied Scarlet Tanager getting free from the arm lock, and ramming her knee in The Duchess’ side.

Without missing a beat, The Duchess helicopter kicked Scarlet Tanager’s face, then jumped on her back to strangle her in a chokehold.

“He’s hiding in Sector Thirteen, at the abandoned industrial park.”

“And… why… haven’t… you…?”

But the cheering crowd was answer enough. Even though Howard Gosselin and The Duchess were not under Lab Rat’s control, they were surrounded by his mind-controlled slaves.

Scarlet Tanager then pushed hard with both her legs and slammed The Duchess against the mesh.

“How are we going to deal with them?” asked Scarlet Tanager once she was free from The Duchess’ choke-hold.

“You take that bastard down! We’ll take care of District 16!” replied The Duchess giving Scarlet Tanager a body blow that rocked her to her core. “Now we fight!”

And fight they did. While Scarlet Tanager was a very competent fighter, she could not overcome the savagery of The Duchess’ onslaught. By round three, Scarlet Tanager was bloodied, bruised and sprawled on the floor.

By the time she was conscious, Hannibal and his team were already taking her back to her Camp. Their mission had been successful; and Scarlet Tanager now had a way to finish her own mission in time for her wedding. It almost made the pounding worth it.

 

MIssion Critical 2023​

005: Artichoke Heart​

The Wrecking Belles approached the abandoned industrial park stealthily, but in full force. Scarlet Tanager, Doc Starlight and Battle Charmer took the left flank, while Operative Valentine led a Ghulam fireteam through the right flank.

The unmistakable sound of a Kriza Borac Heavy Machinegun told Scarlet Tanager that they no longer had the element of surprise.

“Talk to me, Val,” she said on her Comlog

“Give me a sec. Özlem, smoke ‘em!”

A Haqqislam Heavy Machinegun burst later, and the industrial park fell silent once more.

“Kriza down,” came Operative Valentine’s voice through the bone conducting earpieces built into Scarlet Tanager’s mask. “I see some activity inside the rightmost building-

Another exchange of gunfire interrupted Operative Valentine’s assessment.

“Everything ok?” inquired Scarlet Tanager a bit concerned.

“Intruder,” said Operative Valentine, and Scarlet Tanager needed no more explanations.

The Wrecking Belles had locked horns with Intruder Midnight and his Crazy Cats enough times to develop a friendly rivalry. And if there was one thing Midnight taught them the hard way, was to never underestimate an Intruder.

“Neutralized,” said Operative Valentine.

“Roger,” replied Tanager. “Delara, open a path for Blit.”

“On it.” came Delara’s response.

Delara’s unicycle zoomed past the downed Kriza Borac; and dropped a smoke screen at the side of the rightmost building from which the Intruder had appeared.

Dropping from the upper level, Obliterette controlled her descent with her Ribbon-Chute, which offered the advantage of retracting into her backpack for reusability. She then entered the ground floor of the building, finding an Engineer and a Tomcat, caught unaware of her presence. Without hesitation, Obliterette blew them both with her Boarding Shotgun.

“Clear.” she said with professionalism. “He’s on your side.”

“Roger that, I’m moving forward,” replied Scarlet Tanager.

“Wait!” squeaked Battle Charmer. “Total Reaction Rem, dead ahead.”

Indeed, as Scarlet Tanager peeked out, a burst of Heavy Machinegun fire nearly took her head off.

“I’m sending you a safe path,” said Battle Charmer. “Just follow the AR dotted line.”

Apart from bone conducting headgear, Scarlet Tanager’s mask had a Neural-Link that projected AR images into her retinas, allowing her to see the Quantronic world that, as an Atek, was usually denied to her. It was not nearly as good as her AR glasses, but since it had two miniaturized systems built in, it was better than nothing, and harder to fly off her face in the middle of combat.

A Taskmaster with a Red Fury came out of the rightmost building, pinning Scarlet Tanager to a panoply. Before she could say anything, though, another Red Fury roared from several feet back; and the Taskmaster’s attack ended as abruptly as it had started.

“Thanks Doc,” said Scarlet Tanager noticing her lethally accurate friend.

Scarlet Tanager advanced silently, but found herself face to face with another Tomcat. She opened fire with her Breaker Rifle, while avoiding his Submachine gun’s barrage by a hair.

“Uh-oh!” said Battle Charmer, making Scarlet Tanager stop in her tracks.

“What?” asked Scarlet Tanager reflexively.

“The TR-Rem repositioned itself,” replied Battle Charmer. “If Doc and I follow you, we will get wrecked.”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” came Obliterette’s voice on their Comlogs. “Doc, just blast that thing and be done with it!”

“That’s a Total Reaction Heavy Machinegun!” replied Doc Starlight horrified. “I only have a Red Fury and I’m waaay out of my optimal range!”

“Stand down, everyone. I can take it from here.”

To their credit, none of the Belles protested.

Scarlet Tanager moved closer to the door where the Taskmaster had come form and gave a quick peak at the room inside. It was a medium-sized lobby, with a desk on the far end and dilapidated arm chairs on the sides. Standing in the middle of the room was Lab Rat.

Scarlet Tanager stepped into the room. She figured that if it was a trap, it was better if she sprung it alone.

“Hello, Regina,” said the soft-spoken man with the mouse-like helmet. “It’s been a while.”

Scarlet Tanager groaned. After she had been released from CINDER’s captivity, she had run into two people who seemed to know her, but she had no recollection of ever meeting them. One was a Triad Mob Boss on Human Edge; the other one was a Space Pirate. This was her first psychopath.

“I don’t want to know,” replied Scarlet Tanager raising her Heavy Pistol. “On your knees and hands on your head.”

“May I at least take off this helmet, and see if that jugs your memory?” pleaded Lab Rat taking his hands to his head. Scarlet Tanager’s gut was screaming at her not to allow it, but trying to understand her fractured memories was too tempting.

Lab Rat took off the helmet, revealing an array of short cranial spikes with rings of circuitry and interconnecting cables. His humanoid face, beautiful, human-like, yet clearly alien.

“You’re a Tohha?!?!”

“A lab rat. Doomed to never return to my people, but with the gift of conquering yours. I wanted to Enthrall you, but Reverend Verity wanted you all for herself. I’m happy for this second chance.”

As he said the words, Scarlet Tanager’s senses were assaulted. Psychedelic lights clouded her vision, a soft hum invaded her ears and gave a tingly sensation across her skin. There was a fruity, alcoholic taste in her mouth and a sharp smell of wormwood in her nostrils. She fell to her hands and knees and hurled like a drunken teen.

Lab Rat kicked her discarded Heavy Pistol and circled around Scarlet Tanager like a shark.

“Sadly, I can’t use my Enthrall Phero-Attack en masse,” he said from behind her field of vision. “Fortunately, CINDER implanted the blueprint of their Meme-Worm Dispenser in my Cube. Every mind-slave I create is not only loyal to me, but to them as well.”

Scarlet Tanager tried to stand up, but her legs felt like jelly. She remained on her knees, breathing heavily, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling. She felt violated, elated, horrified, love-struck, enraged and wishing to be enthralled again, all at once.

“Impressive. The only other person to resist me was that Chimer- SLAM!

Scarlet Tanager had mustered all her strength and put it on one wild swing of her Electromagnetic Baton. It connected with Lab Rat’s jaw, making him turn 180 degrees and fall face-first away from her. She stumbled to the prone body and restrained his hands with handcuffs.

“Val, we’re gonna need a Tech-Coffin to transport this guy,” she said, bit no answer came. She checked her Comlog and realized it had been isolated.

“Darn Tohaa and their Pheroware!” she said getting up and turning to head out the door. She unexpectedly ended face to face with an ISS Imperial Crane Agent, who slammed the butt of his Spitfire on her face.

Scarlet Tanager fell to the ground, disoriented. The Crane Agent landed a strong kick to her solar plexus; making Scarlet Tanager hurl for the second time in the last half an hour.

“That… felt… personal…” she said.

Four Kwan Shi took advantage of Scarlet Tanager’s state and restrained her hands on her back with magnetic cuffs. She tried to get away from them, but was stopped by well placed kicks to her legs and body.

“You are one unlucky whore,” said the Crane Agent taking off his helmet and showing Scarlet Tanager a half-burnt face. “I’ll make you pay for what you did.”

He then slammed his Spitfire on her face once more, and everything went dark.

When she regained consciousness, Scarlet Tanager was once again inside a Tech-Coffin. For a second she panicked, thinking she had been captured; but the lights came online and she realized she was back in her MSMC dropship.

“She’s awake!” she heard in Kyoko’s voice.

The Tech-Coffin opened up and Obliterette rushed to her side.

“What happened?” asked Scarlet Tanager relieved of seeing her best friend’s worried face.

“We were ambushed by ISS forces,” said Obliterette placing a cold pad over Scarlet Tanager's left side of the face. “They swept the floor with us and had us tagged and bagged.”

“And how did we escape?”

“We didn’t,” said Obliterette producing a small Snow Leopard plushie that looked like The Duchess. “Black Lotus forced them to give us up.”

“And Lab Rat?”

“Thrown out of an airlock. Black Lotus was not taking any chances.”

Scarlet Tanager shuddered. She despised Black Lotus, but she was indeed grateful she had been saved form that deranged Crane Agent. One more enemy to keep looking for over her shoulder.

“What about the crisis?” asked Scarlet Tanager. Sure, Lab Rat had been taken care of, but there were hundreds, if not thousands of CINDER mind-slaves on the loose.

Obliterette grimaced. “Black Lotus ejected Districts Six, Fifteen and Sixteen out of Omega City One.”

“WHAT?”

“And they pinned it on us.”

Obliterette opened a holoscreen where a Nebula News Network Anchor was interviewing Howard Gosselin.

---

Howard Gosselin:

“Yes, it saddens me to lose my home and fellow Elites, but we have to understand, they are not called The Wrecking Belles’ because of their passive nature. They came to do a job and by Allah, they did it.”​

Linda Lovelyday:

“But at the expense of so many civilians?”​

Howard Gosselin:

“Not civilians, Insurrectionists. Part of a dastardly plot to destabilize our government and ruin my political career.”​

Linda Lovelyday:

“Thankfully, that has not been the case, our polls show you in the lead for next election.”​

Howard Gosselin:

“All thanks to The Wrecking Belles.”​

[Both laugh]

---

“Son of a bitch!”




The End

 

​

OPERATION HUNGRY WALRUS
An unofficial Infinity The Game global campaign brought you by A Tale of Miniatures and Dice
Site: Operation Hungry Walrus​

I'll be placing my Battle Reports of this Campaign on this post. I'm posting them on a new Blog: The Wrecking Belles, so they can be easily accessible.

The Wrecking Belles Files
First post with just basic, but up-to-date info on the Wrecking Belles up until now

Phase 1:

Have A Lovely Day!
Regina Berger and her husband decided on the spur of the moment to go to New Hypatia for their Honeymoon. It's good that they took with them the rest of the Wrecking Belles because trouble's a brewin in Paradise.

Escape from Sélentra
The Rogue AI Brutus has learned of Sheikh Dumar Al Dagher's presence in New Hypatia and has sent a Mercenary Company to "retrieve him from the zones of conflict." Whatever its real plan is, Regina's not going to wait to find out.

I Want to Speak to the Manager!
The Wrecking Belles are sent to Chalsis Virtual Theme Park to deal with a hostage situation. There they learn that another Recreation has gone rogue, the fictional villain Regent Ruin. Will the Wrecking Belles be able to stop the Saturday Morning Cartoon menace?

 

Warning: Minor Spoilers from ENDSONG lore book

Shattergrounds Online Campaign Prologue:
Return of The Sand Cats!​

Boarding Party! with BiotechVera is brought to you by Jeppeson's Malort. Weeding out the weak since 1933 AD.





As-Salaam Alaykum, Mayanauts, and welcome to Boarding Party! Where we bring you the best in Haqqislam boarding action across the Human Sphere.

To avoid legal entanglements, we will be using the universal Incognito Tactical System to rank the different feeds we’re offering for your viewing (and other sensory) pleasure.





Our intrepid Data Miners have uncovered reports of strange events all over the now isolated Concilium Prima. So far, Haqqislam authorities have declined to comment, but we’ve detected a dramatic increase in Melek Reaction Force activity.





Which brings us to our big scoop! Rumor has it that the Wrecking Belles were on New Hypatia when the Circulars were attacked, and have been called back to Qapu Khalqi!





Recently, the Wrecking Belles have been based in Concilium Prima and working with Ramah Taskforce. We’ve been following them on our sister show, MedEvac, but lost track of them after the Durgama Incident.





However, one of our drones caught this video feed of the Wrecking Belles in Odalisque uniforms. I, for one, will not complain. Those sexy ladies look their best in that get-up, and we will bring you as much content as possible in this, your Boarding Party!


One week earlier…


The master bedroom of the megayacht Ra’as Ul-Assad was located at the highest part of the ship, with a 180-degree viewscreen that allowed Regina to see New Hypatia one last time. It looked so peaceful from space. Granted, it was peaceful, now that Yu Jing had taken over the situation and neutralized the rogue AI Brutus. But still, their stay in New Hypatia ended up being far from enjoyable.

“I’m sorry the honeymoon got ruined,” said Regina cuddling her bear of a husband; and, for the moment, enjoying his body warmth.

“I’m only sorry Theresa and Aurora got hurt,” replied Dumar with a smile. “But I won’t complain about all the time we got to spend together.”

“Even if it was on the ship?”

“As long as I’m with you, I’m the happiest man in the world.”

“Not even a catastrophic event of immeasurable magnitude could tear me away from you,” said Regina rolling on top of Dumar with a playful smile, and feeling his body react approvingly.

“Incoming emergency transmission from Tariqa Barakat” said the disembodied voice of Regina’s Geist.

A holoscreen appeared to the right side of the bed and both Regina and Tariqa Barakat yelled in unison.

“What the FUCK, RHISS?!?!” said Regina sitting up red as a tomato and covering herself up.

“Regina, I wouldn’t call if it weren’t an emergency,” said Sireen equally embarrassed and covering her eyes. “Hello, Sheikh Dumar.”

“Hello, Sireen,” replied Dumar with the face of a man who knew how this song and dance would end.

“How can I be of service?” asked Regina covering up with the silk bedsheet, and placing a large pillow over Dumar’s lap.

“I’m transferring you four back to Qapu Khalqi. You still have a ship with Minotaur Motors?”

“We have two, actually.”

“Good, I’m commissioning both for Melek Reaction Force.”

Regina was taken aback, Melek Reaction Force teams were usually assigned to Immediate Action Sectors and were circumscribed to them. Although, ‘Wandering Angels,’ teams that would move around on any spaceship available, were not unheard of. Still, there was a piece of the puzzle Regina didn’t have.

Before Regina could say a word, the door of the master bedroom burst open with Helena, Theresa and Aurora entering the room in a clear state of panic.

“Circular C8a has been destroyed!”

 

Shattergrounds Online Campaign Prologue Part 2:
Shattered Plans​

Zulqibar Station, HQ of Qapu Khalqi Fleet, was busier than ever. Traders, corporate representatives and independent weapons manufacturers crowded the otherwise luxurious halls of Sector 3.

Sitting on a shadowy corner, a lanky, bearded man, wearing an iridescent visor, dressed in black and purple robes with a contrasting oversized turban in neon pink, smoking from a neon-lit hookah. Across him sat cross legged, a stern looking young woman, with silky golden hair, wearing a skintight robin’s egg blue bodysuit and light brown ankle boots. Between them, sat a black container with the biohazard logo etched in green.

“Twelve hundred,” said Theresa, with the appearance of a cobra ready to strike.

“I told you, Habibi, I have kids to feed. Seventeen-thirty,” replied the man in the turban.

“You and I both know you don’t have children, Kabir. Thirteen-fifty.”

“Akrham saleswoman is around the corner. You can ask her for product.”

“Ok, ok, fifteen and I buy two,” said Theresa lowering her head in defeat.

Kabir produced a second box from inside his robes and placed it on top of the first one.

Theresa swiped her hand over Kabir’s open palm and her Geist informed her of the thirty-thousand Dinar transfer to Mongoose Biomedical.

“I should have a frequent shopper discount,” said Theresa picking up the boxes.

“Go, obliterate, Obliterette,” replied Kabir with a smile.

Kabir, The Mongoose, was famous for his viral ammo. His King Cobra mix was extremely safe in its inactive form; and had a very simple activation sequence that only took place when the vial was loaded on a viral weapon. This made it Theresa’s preferred choice, since she had to carry several vials during missions, for her wrist blade. Unfortunately, he only dealt on Zulqibar, and scalpers drove the price through the roof.

“Whoa, are you planning to start a war?” came the voice of Helena, taking Theresa out of her own thoughts.

“Once we’re in space, these are going to be harder to acquire,” said Theresa storing both boxes inside a half-full duffle bag.

“We won’t need those if we go back to Qapu Khalqi,” said Aurora joining the other two friends, carrying three ice-cold tamr hidi drinks.

“Nothing wrong with being prepared,” said Theresa accepting one of the drinks and taking a big gulp.

“I wonder how those negotiations are going,” said Theresa doing the same and quivering as the sour taste overcame her taste buds.

On the other side of the Sector, two equally unstoppable forces were locked in a contest of jurisdiction. Tariqa Barakat, Member of Haqqislam High Command, had the advantage of the home field and the backing of the Sultanate. Dr. Sam, Chief of Staff of the Metabolic Enhancement R&D Department of Garden Grove Medical Facility, had the combined might of the Al Medinat Caliphate and Ramah Taskforce on her side. The cause of animosity was the fact that Dr. Sam challenged Tariqa Barakat’s request to transfer the Wrecking Belles back to Qapu Khalqi.

“We spent millions of Dinars on rehabilitating and training them,” said Dr. Sam angrily. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get units on Ramah Taskforce levels of effectiveness?”

“I don’t deny they are exceptional, I’ve worked with them for years,” replied Tariqa Barakat. “But right now, Qapu Khalqi needs all available units. Now more than ever we need our Odalisques back.”

“They’re not Odalisques anymore! By the stars, Sheikha Regina here is an unstoppable beast with a resilience unheard of outside of the Sunur Supersoldier Program. No offense,” finished Dr Sam acknowledging Regina’s presence in the room.

“None taken,” replied Regina, who still hadn’t forgiven her so called friends for leaving her alone with these two volatile women. “Well, I´ve heard your arguments, for two hours, but I’ve already made a decision.”

Both Tarika Barakat and Dr. Sam were taken aback. The Amazonian brunette stood up from her seat, towering over both women. Her face was stern, which made her look as intimidating and formidable as they had been describing her for the past two hours.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Dr. Sam, but all of Ramah Taskforce Operatives are volunteers, correct?”

“Y…yes, that’s the way it’s always been,” replied Dr. Sam unsure where Regina was getting at.

“And if my memory serves me, we were actually fired from Qapu Khalqi; right, Sireen?”

“Against my will…” began Tariqa Barakat, but was forestalled by a dismissive wave of Regina’s hand.

“Ladies, I love and respect both of you,” said Regina placing a gentle hand on each of her interlocutors’ shoulders. “But I lost eighteen employees on three ships when the C8 Circulars were destroyed. That’s eighteen families I’m responsible for, as well as all my remaining employees.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” said Tariqa Barakat, swiftly joined by Dr Sam.

“Now, I’m a woman of my word. When we were offered to be trained by Ramah Taskforce, it was under the condition that they would have preference of our services. I intend to honor that agreement.”

“Thank you, Sheikha Regina,” said Dr. Sam bowing.

“However, my ships are my property,” continued Regina solemnly. “And since my three partners decided to leave me in charge, I will also agree to take Melek Reaction Force teams on every ship I have, and take them to their designated targets. This will include my personal ship, as long as it doesn’t clash with Ramah Taskforce assignments. Is that an agreeable compromise?”

Both women looked at each other and nodded. It was the best for both parties, with Regina’s willing cooperation.

“Now, tell me about these Quantum Anomaly Zones…”

 

Thank you! I'm hoping to get in-person games for the campaign, otherwise it will be TTS and recreating the screenshots with my minis at home. I have enough armies to keep it fresh. I'm currently on vacation, and far from my minis and home computer, but I'll try to do a stress test next week, to see how long it would take me to do Battle Reports that way.

 

Shattergrounds Campaign Batreps

I'll be posting the links here to both the Warconsole and my Blog (to preserve them for the future, even beyond Warconsole deleting them)

01: Equinox Rising
https://shattergrounds.warconsole.com/battles/danger-rose-vs-kittyrock-1697257940#report

https://wreckingbelles.blogspot.com/2023/10/normal-0-false-false-false-es-pa-x-none.html

02: CINDER's Response
https://shattergrounds.warconsole.com/battles/danger-rose-vs-honumon-1697771833

https://wreckingbelles.blogspot.com/2023/10/campaign-shattergrounds-02-cinders.html
*The Blog version has an epilogue not on the Warconsole version.

03: Escape from CINDER's Clutches
https://shattergrounds.warconsole.com/battles/danger-rose-vs-kittyrock-1697934454#report

https://wreckingbelles.blogspot.com/2023/10/campaign-shattergrounds-03-escape-from.html