Ah the sweet smell of cocaine, where there is cocaine there is money to fund rebels. We'll walk up as close as we can and announce our presence.
Adam
Give me a bit more detail on this. Are you going to approach to a specific distance (if nothing happens first) and then call out? If so, what are you saying and in what language, and which of you is saying it? Or are you going to approach until something happens (someone calls to you, someone shoots at you, whatever), and then answer them?
I will note that as you are approaching the house, men in the town are filling the road behind you.
--M. J. Young
We'll approach slowly until someone calls out or shoots at us. Panaramic Awareness will be up and ready to Missile Escape and Steal Init if needed. -Adam
You get to the front step without incident. The village men are standing a good twenty or thirty yards behind you, but blocking the street; arms are crossed over chests or hands on hips, as if waiting to see what you do next.
The door is painted wood with a view door about eye level, closed.
If the people inside are aware of your presence, they have not given any indication of this.
--M. J. Young
Going to knock on the door and see if someone answers.
Adam
It take perhaps fifteen to twenty seconds, and then the little door opens, just large enough for you to see part of a face and the end of the barrel of a large pistol.
A gruff, heavily accented voice says in English, "What do you want, Gringo?" The eye is looking at you; so is Geniece, as if looking for a cue as to what you want to do next.
--M. J. Young
In English:
"I am looking to buy both gas and information, I couldn't care less about what your growing, I'm not a cop, I'm a mercanary, and right now were looking for work"
Adam
He eyes you suspiciously for a moment, and gives Geneice a once over as well, then nods and draws the gun back inside. The little door closes, there is the sound of a deadbolt shifting, and the door opens.
"Come in, Gringoes. Maybe we can do business. Maybe you might work for me. Tequilla?"
"Gracias, Senor," Geneice answers. He raises an eyebrow as if the Spanish was unexpected.
"Please, have a seat here; I will get the drinks." He continues talking from the next room, apparently the kitchen; he has left you at a pragmatically effective small formica-topped kitchen table in a sunlit alcove with three chairs, up against a bay window. "So, how do you come to my village?"
--M. J. Young
Well we came up the road, we needed gas, and just noticed the business around here. Figured we would find out if gas or work was to be had.
Adam
"Ah. Well, I keep a bit of gasoline for Pepe. She is my little mule, but she gets thirsty, si? Jou won't need much, I think. We can find jou some fuel before jou leave.
"As to work, I am in the agricultural export business, if jou know what I mean. Do jou have any experience in this? I can always use someone who knows the trade. It can be a dangerous business, jou know."
--M. J. Young
*grins and says in the local dialect of Spanish* We are schooled in the arts of armed and unarmed combat, explosives both setting and disarming, infiltraition, security systems, tactics, computer hardware, programming, hacking and operation, stealth, assassination, torture, wetworks and I can make a good grilled cheese sandwich." *smiles*
If the pay is right we'll do anything.
Adam
He continues to address you in English.
"Jew sound like juiceful people to half around, jew know? I do not know whether I can afford such juiceful people--a humble agricultural exporter as I am. My people here, they are laborers, they are happy with their pay; they would not make so much Balboas on another farm, and I give them food. Jew probably would want to work in transportation, si? I might need references, jew know. After all, American DEA could come with training like yours, and think I am doing something illegal, and try to jews me to find some of my friends. Jew understand, I am sure. It is a dangerous business, agricultural exports. Much competition, and much unwanted regulation, if you see what I min. So, how do I know I can trust jew?"
--M. J. Young
*smiles* Your right, but unfortuntly you caught me at a bad time. I'm not looking to bust a small time cocaine dealer, but find out who is funding and training of troops to take over this countries government.
With that said I detest drug dealers so unless you can give me some solid info, my fist is going to burst and cave in your chest cavity. (In English)
If he gives me anything other than what I asked. I will get into Ku Fung, if that doesn't work I will quick draw my katana and try to get into Chow En Lai if that doesn't work Ah Tsum using panaaramic awareness, muscle blocking and missile avoidance when needed.
Adam
I left out why I was getting Ku Fung, to Solid Punch him.
Adam
You fall into the style easily. He starts spouting a spray of spanglish that is tough to follow, even with your considerable linguistic talents. Geneice is staring at him, trying to catch his meaning. She speaks to you in short bursts of Italian.
The gist of what he is saying is that he has nothing to do with the rebels, and in fact he doesn't know anyone who does. They are a strange group, he says, because they don't want any help from anyone, they don't want to work with anyone, they don't trust anyone--it's as if they were a family or something, and you had to be born in their family for them to work with you. He knew a couple of growers who tried to work with them, and now the growers are dead and their operations are run by this mysterious group. Everyone is afraid of them, no one knows where they are, and no one wants to know.
Geneice says she thinks he's telling the truth, but maybe that's enough of a connection to get started. Also, if he's right, you need a new angle--they won't pick up a mercenary or anyone else, if they're that closed. The Union Corse is like that--a criminal organization that only embraces those who are members of the family, and even if you marry into them you are only a second class participant, even to your kids.
--M. J. Young
*smiles as I pull out a 20 dollar bill and leave it on the table*
"You may live, I'm going to leave my wife here to make sure nothing bad happens while I gas up my bike. I'm sure you think that if she's a woman she's weak, believe me she isn't, don't try anything"
*goes outside to get my bike, if any of the "growers" asks, I made a deal with the drug dealer in spanish, I will fill the bike up*
Adam
There is no objection as you gas up the bike.
What's the next step?
--M. J. Young
*we'll head out of town, seems if we need to find family, we'll need to head deeper into the wilderness and find one of them*
Adam
You continue south, through more farmland and more villages, most of these very like what you have already seen, some apparently part of the drug trade, others in a more traditional vein.
--M. J. Young
Well this mission is a wash, I think we'll just stay in a small village untill the takeover happens, since we have no lead into who these people are.
-Adam
You have seen a variety of villages, so I'll assume you will pick one to your liking. Describe it to me, beginning with whatever factors you consider most important.
--M. J. Young
I just want a place close to the main road but far enough away to not be seen easily. Also would be nice to find one with a liverly cantina with a room to rent.
-Adam
I take "close to the main road" to mean you're doubling back toward civilization and the highway you left a few days back, since the trail you've been following could be called a "road" but not a "main" road--if two cars came from opposite directions, one would have to find a place to get out of the way of the other, and if either broke thirty-five miles per hour it would probably also break an axle.
In any case, back there there will be plenty of active cantinas with rooms for rent in villages along the east-west highway that parallels the canal.
--M. J. Young
Sounds fine, any of them work, let's continue, I will wait however long it takes.
Adam
You settle in for the wait.
In few weeks you get a text message from the office, expressing C's confidence in your efforts and hoping that you will update him when you have information. It is stated a bit cryptically, as if he does not want anyone else to know what it means if it reaches the wrong person. Geneice suggests sending back an update telling him that you have determined that this group is very irregular, and very closed to efforts to infiltrate, but you have reason to believe they may be preparing to move soon and are waiting to intervene at that moment.
"That is what we're doing, right?"
--M. J. Young
Yup that's what were doing. Waiting.
Adam
You've been settled for about four months of business as usual, and then something catches your attention.
There have been several trucks coming from the countryside. This in itself is not so unusual, but these do not seem to be carrying produce, and there have not been trucks going the opposite direction. The people driving them do not seem to be the typical Panamanian peasants, although they do appear to be Latino. All seem to be headed for the capital city or the canal.
There have also been a couple people passing through town from time to time who seem to be, well, snooping--trying to determine what doesn't belong there, looking for whatever is out of the ordinary.
Geneice senses it too; something is about to happen.
--M. J. Young
I would like to detain the last snooper, and convince him as I only I can with mindless violence to find out who he is snooping for.
Adam
You spot one of the snoopers.
He is muscular, well built, and has that air about him of someone combat trained; he also seems very wary, almost cat-like, and has a strong native strain in his appearance. Your trained eye suggests he has more than one weapon, a pistol concealed under his jacket in a shoulder holster, probably a knife in his boot, maybe something else. He is asking the clerk at your hotel something, and being pointed in the direction of the cabanas, but from your position you can't hear what is being said and can barely see.
The snooper heads in the direction of the cabanas; Geneice is in the room, while you are up at the bar from which you are observing.
--M. J. Young
I will follow him using my stealth skills, and see where he's heading, if he comes to mine, I will have to render him unconscious. If it comes to a fight, I think I shall use Ku Fung and pummel him till he is unconscious. I will use Panaramic Awareness, Muscle Blocking, and Missile Avoidance when necessary.
Adam
As you move out into the open, you are caught off-guard as one of the other guests slams the door of the restaurant. The snooper turns, looks right at you, then turns away, continuing his walk.
What are you doing?
--M. J. Young
*smiles well seems I can't catch a break, so no need to continue this ruse, I will get into style Ku-Fung, then great leap to land in front of him and confront him. Panaramic awareness, Muscle Blocking, and Missile Evasion will be used if needed, assuming that the above works*
In this region's dialect of spanish "Your not good enough to snoop here without being noticed, and don't even try to pull out a weapon, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, I prefer the hard way personally. Who are you, and who are you working for?"
Adam
You jump, but even before you've left the ground, he is also in the air. You land on the ground in front of where he was, but he is already gone, landing on the roof of your cabana behind you, and rolling over the ridge out of sight. You here him crash to the ground, in the thicket behind the cabana.
You are in style and your panoramic awareness has enabled you to know roughly where he landed, but you've lost sight of him. For what it's worth, it's pretty certain that he has lost sight of you as well.
--M. J. Young
Well someone worth my skills. I will great leap into the general area he did and play this game of cat and mouse.
-Adam
By "play this game of cat-and-mouse", I am going to assume that you plan to land in the jungle behind the cabin (rather than in the open atop it) and immediately go into your stealth skills.
You leap over the small building and come down softly, rolling into the brush and then coming up well under cover.
Looking around you do not see your quarry; either he has managed to flee the scene (unlikely, as you got here quickly enough that you would see him) or he is also well hidden in the brush here.
Cat and mouse indeed; only, which is who?
--M. J. Young
Hmm well I don't have much on me, save for my firearm, but I do have my xray glasses in a shirt pocket. I will put them on an scan for my "friend". If I see him I will go into Chow En Lei, and shoot him in the kneecap, just to let him know I care about his well being.
Adam
You carefully slip on the glasses and scan the area, finding your adversary about ten feet out from the bungalow, near the far corner forty feet from you. He happens to be partially protected by a rather large tree, although not completely so, as he is scanning the area for some sign of you. Still, it is a small target, head, shoulders, part of one leg, part of one arm.
You draw your gun carefully; are you going to attempt the shot, and are you calling it or just targeting him generally?
--M. J. Young
Shoot him in the leg.
-Adam
The bullet hits the tree, deflecting away from the leg.
Like lightning the man spins around the other side of the tree and comes running straight for you. You can get in at least one more shot, or switch to something else, before he crosses the rest of the distance.
--M. J. Young
Since I am already in style I will draw my Katana, turn on the vibro function and attempt to remove his weapon arm. I will be using all the defensive abilities as above.
-Adam