Overview
It is 2018 and wars are being fought in a whole new way. Armies stand idle while specialist teams carry out precision strikes - straight in, straight out and get back home in time for drinks at the bar. This is a good time to be a mercenary. 'Private security' firms handle everything from ground-pounding to covert operations. Governments like the deniability of mercenary actions and mercenaries like money; everybody wins.
To some, this new reality blurs the line between warfare and terrorism; to the men and women on the frontline however it is simply business. Welcome to your new office.
The Combat Intelligence Network
While there are thousands of these private security firms throughout the world - ranging from small-time security outfits through fully equipped private armies - there is one place to find them; the Combat Intelligence Network. Originally set up as a loose network of mercenaries for recruiting teams, it has grown into a global brokerage where anyone who can pay can find the people they need for special operations. All work through the CIN is entirely anonymous, nobody asks any questions and that's the way the customers and the mercenaries like it. The original private network is now open to all from thugs to businessmen.
Of course nobody works for free. Payment is another service that the CIN helps it's customers with. Dollars are unreliable, traceable and, depending on where you live, not worth that much. The CIN pays all contracts in blood diamonds - illegally mined but high quality diamonds from the war-torn heart of Africa. Blood diamonds are the fuel that keeps the eternal civil wars in central Africa running; the money from their sale buys guns, tanks and a steady stream of the most ruthless people in the world. Each diamond can be sold for its normal value or the CIN will bank them for their clients and issue Point Bonds (called PBs) to allow partial sale of a single stone. One hundred point bonds equal a complete diamond and PBs are commonly traded between mercs for equipment and services.
The Counter Terror Force
On the 4th of July 2010, a coalition of private security companies formed the CTF. A multinational organization dedicated to combating terrorism around the world, they have been at the forefront of the global struggle against terrorism in all its forms. Unofficially supported by many governments and with intelligence resources that shame many national security organizations, they are often the first - and only - elements to respond to incidents. While their existence is not officially acknowledged they are known to have successfully carried out many operations from hostage rescues to daring raids on suspected terrorist hideouts. CTF operatives are widely believed to have been behind the daring rescue of eleven UN officials who's plane was seized on the and forced to land in the unforgiving terrain between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Although the US claimed that its own Special Forces were responsible, experts who have studied the video footage have pointed out that US Special Forces don't smoke cigars or wear plastic Viking helmets on operations.
The CTF leadership is mostly comprised of former senior military officers from several different countries. The chief authority is Operational Command (known as OPCOM) which is a full time core of staff officers led by the notorious ex-mercenary Thomas Vandire. 'Colonel Tom' as he is commonly known has served in the military forces of four different countries, led two coup d'etats and has fought as a mercenary in over 20 conflicts. Despite all of this he is said to be a genial man who is instantly recognizable by his red beret and impressive moustache.
Other than OPCOM, the CTF has no other full time staff; all personnel are drawn from the CIN as needed. Nevertheless, some mercenaries have declared that they will only sign up for CTF operations and refuse to work for other paymasters. Best known of these is Gianni da Silva, an exceptionally tall man who left regular military service to become a mercenary and has since been the CTF's star operative since it was founded. 'Long' Gianni Silva has been offered a place on OPCOM several times but has always refused as it would be an end to combat duty. He is best known for his work in infiltrating and destroying pirate networks on the Gulf coast.
The Syndicate
An unprecedented upsurge in global terrorism during the first decade of the 21st century was originally ascribed to unconnected radical groups. Many of these groups were well-armed and well-equipped leading most security experts to believe that the terrorists were using the proceeds of crime to fund their activities.
The experts were wrong.
The Syndicate crept out of the shadows in early 2012 when a series of devastating attacks in
Sub-Saharan Africa erupted into a violent coup in three neighboring states simultaneously. The new regimes lost no time in eliminating all opposition and it was clear that not only were they co-operating with each other but that all of them were being actively assisted by an external force. This force has been dubbed 'The Syndicate' by intelligence analysts although the group has never called itself by that - or any other name. Known Syndicate elements have been involved with daring plots around the world. Over the years, several video statements have been released by the Syndicate leadership, each one more confusing than the last. Their stated aims are global anarchy and the complete destruction of the world financial systems (although history has proved that bankers are much better than anarchists at wrecking the global economy).
In contrast to the visible and organized leadership of the CTF, the Syndicate puts forward a
confusing array of different figureheads at different times. Former insiders claim that the overall
leadership is a role that is chosen at random every week by pulling names out of a hat. This has never been verified but, regardless it is true that a dizzying variety of individuals have claimed to speak for the group over the years. An internet radio show hosted by Mark Iavelli (almost certainly not his real name) is the group's main public communication channel. His talk show “Global Security and other Fairy Tales for Small Children”, where Mark regularly recounts the activities of his two star operatives, is a popular favorite amongst the mercenary community as well as the weekly do-it-yourself guide “Will It Explode?” It's unknown whether these are real people or fictional characters invented for the show, however the events portrayed are certainly very real. These operatives are claimed to be brother and sister mercenaries from an unspecified European nation and are called simply “The Man” and “Pink Rabbit.” Every week, mercenaries all over the world can tune in to hear their latest exploits. Pictures of “PinkRabbit” are circulated widely and she routinely appears on the Syndicate-sponsored 'Angelic Anarchists' calendar.
New York City 2018
In the face of the threat from the Syndicate, the world's top security chiefs are meeting in New York City for a special conference. Leaders of every major anti-terror and security organization in the world will sit down to discuss the common threat to world stability, Colonel Tom himself will be chairing the meeting and he is expected to ask for an international coalition funded by most world governments to eradicate the Syndicate once and for all. Behind the scenes the CTF has been stepping up its surveillance operation. Many Syndicate elements have been identified but no definite information exists as to what they are up to.
There is some evidence to suggest that a powerful Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) device has been brought into the city. If this device is allowed to explode, it will wreak havoc with every electronic system on the entire Eastern seaboard of the US. Financial systems will be wiped out, all security and defense networks will be crippled, and millions of people will be without power, water and cable TV. CTF members have limited information about the location of the device and are racing against the clock to zero in on it and defuse it. Meanwhile, the Syndicate is bent on defending the device and delaying the CTF forces for as long as it takes to detonate the device.
As the deadly race heats up, both sides have placed the call out over the CIN for additional personnel. The pay is good, the location is convenient and no, there is no health-plan.
