The City of Aredor

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

At the southern end of the Atoxo peninsula lies the city of Aredor, a once bustling city of the early 1900s turned into a small town by the Youth War. The city is still dominated by some rubble, albeit construction efforts are picking up. It primarily lies on a flat plain, although there is a rich neighborhood on some of the only hilly terrain in the area. On the outskirts of the city is an airstrip operated by bribed officials who turn a blind eye to drug shipments and other cargo.

 

[Sheridan]

As the plane landed, the man known as Mr. Black smiled. There was a lot of heroin in this plane, but Black knew that he'd be okay. He had been informed that the local authorities knew of his approach and had already been bribed in order to accept him. With him in the plane were six armed men, although for all intents and purposes this meeting was to be peaceful. If the Mendiaki illicit market men liked what Mr. Black had to offer, there would be a lot of money to be made. Which was good, because Mr. Black had flown for many hours just to arrive.

He noticed a vehicle that looked nice despite their current surroundings. That must be them, he thought to himself.

"Two of you, follow me. We are going to introduce ourselves. Hand me a little baggy, I'll see fi they like the shit." Mr Black stated as one of the four men that were to stay behind handed him about an ounce baggy of powdery white heroin. He scooped a little onto the side of his hand and snorted it up. "Ahhh fuck. Good shit. We should be making some good money today boys! Hang tight."

As he left with his two armed guards, he struggled to see the Mendiaki car in the sunlight.

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

A bulbous-bellied man with business attire and parts of his hairy chest revealed awaits Mister Black by a black car. Three suited men stand aside the man, one holding the back door to a limousine open. The man in business attire at front and center has a shit-eating grin on his face and smells of local Mendiak cuisine, a stubby mustache protrudes from his face. They all look like real wise guys - likely part of the Mendiak antolakuntza.

"Ah! Our buyers! Welcome to Mendiak, friends! Come, come. We're headed to the countryside to discuss business - if you so wish it, you may leave men or I may leave my men to watch your plane until our business is concluded."

 

[Sheridan]

Mr. Black knew wise guys when he seen them, and this was certainly a group of wise guys. He liked that, always made it easier and smoother on his end of the deal.

"If it's all the same to you, I already have men waiting my return in the plane. They'll be watching the product until we come to an agreement." Mr. Black said through a smile as he got into the limo. His men also got in and once the antolakuntza men got in, they were driving away. Mr. Black extended his hand to shake the hand of the fat man who had spoken to him.

"A pleasure to meet you, I am Mr. Black, what should I call you good sir?"

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

The dealer has been speaking with a hint of garlic in his breath and an exotic accent. He responds cooly.

"Matxin, or uhh... Max, in the language of your people."

The limousine pulls around narrow historic street corners of Aredor, bringing the entourage into the hills. Soon enough, it pulls in front of a mansion with a massive fountain spouting water in the center. A valet awaits the group at the entry to the mansion, sliding the back door open. Matxin leads the way out, tucking a 100 Mendiak bill into the valet's shirt pocket.

"Come, we'll go lounge by the pool and discuss business."

 

[Sheridan]

Mr. Black smiled as they sat by the pool. There were girls lounging, and Mr. Black was hoping that more than a few would be up for making some money. There were two chairs and a small glass table with an umbrella in between. Black sat on one as Max took the other seat.

"Well Max, I appreciate the setting I do. Shall we get down to business? I have brought a little bit of the product. Maybe you want a bit to try? It's quality shit." Mr Black produced about an ounce worth from his coat pocket and put it on the small glass table in between them.

"I was hoping we could work out something for trade. Perhaps me and mine supply you with this premium quality smack? We would accept gold or silver as payment. But I was thinking more along the lines of... something a little more seedier? I was hoping that we could get something from yours as trade. Perhaps... something of the chemical variety?"

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

Matxin licks his mustache, furrowing his brow. He nods along as Mister Black speaks. He ushers one of his men over and orders him in quick Mendiak to try the product. He withdraws a switchblade and motions for the opium.

"In regards to our chemical products, a trade is on the table for gold and silver - that is definite. In terms of chemicals, it truly depends on what you seek. We cannot, of course, offer our most expensive and rare products on a first deal - this requires deliberation and trust between my boss and your boss, unless you are your own boss or you do not have a boss. I can offer you certain... home made compounds, synthetics, potentially low-grade explosives or simple-made poisons. Anyone with the right tools can make tear gas or chlorine gas."

 

[Sheridan]

"Totally understandable. I'm sure we can wait as far as that goes. Be careful though my friend, that is high grade Heroin #4 right there! I must ask... what is your organizations thoughts on Human Trafficking? Mendiaki girls who look like this would be as good as gold back home." He said motioning to the girls lounging in the pool, as the mafia men where having someone test it, Mr. Black scraped a little bit of it to the side and took another big snort of it off the table. Less of a showing the Mendiaki that they could trust the dope, and more of him just wanting to get higher.

"As far as MY boss goes, you might as well consider me self employed. He is much to busy to be bothered with an underling like me's trade deals. Although he will be excited if we can work something beneficial out."

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

The henchmen who had a switchblade scoops up a bit of heroin, snorting it with one nostril. He kicks his head back and grunts. He starts laughing afterwards, exchanging words with Matxi. Matxi nods rapidly and motions to Mister Black.

"Your product is good, friend. Very good. In regards to human trafficking, my organization does not typically engage in that. I have dabbled in it, sure, but these women you see are not ones that we hire - merely wives and girlfriends. Sometimes both."

Matxin pauses, admiring a passing girl with a smile. He continues.

"I have a contact in the Boko Islands... eugh... to the south of the peninsula. If you are not aware of the situation in Mendiak, it is actively controlled by the... how you say... far-right. The Gendarme are too busy playing slapass to confront them. I am uncertain if you are willing to fly into an area controlled by them, they are not friendly to foreigners. My contact is reliable, however, and as far as I can tell his business is booming. Perhaps this can be part of our trade - his information and some gold for your product? We can arrange a monthly transfer of assets, and we will peddle it to our dealers here for ten times the price you sell at a base and split the cut fifty-fifty."

 

[Sheridan]

Mr Black sat quietly for one moment. Maybe he was debating the bargain in his head, maybe he was just high off his gourd. Then he grinned and looked at Max.

"Sounds like a deal to me." He said extending his arm and shaking Max's hand. "As it happens, I have a good 150 kilogram's.... well minus one ounce... sitting in the plane at the landing strip. Perhaps you could send some men to help my boys unload it for ya? As far as landing on that island I am not too worried, I can be cordially with customers so long as they pay." Mr. Black said still with a large almost goofy grin on his face. He bent down and took another deep snort from off the table.

"Get a hold of that contact Mr. Max if you would be so kind. I intend to pay him a visit this afternoon if weather permits." Before standing up Mr Black took one last look at a few of the women in the pool. "A damn shame not one of these is open for business!" He said while chuckling. One of the Mendiaki men visibly frowned, and Mr Black assumed one of the women he was staring at where that mans significant other. Mr Black, now standing, lit a cigarette. "Well I figure it's going to take the boys a minute to unload that plane. How about you accompany me back for the drive... maybe fill me in on this 'situation' on the Bokos."

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

Matxi, a seasoned businessman, brushes the comment about his family and his henchmen's families away. He stands and smiles.

"We have a deal, my friend. I'll have my men come in their cars."

Matxi quickly motions for some of his henchmen. He leads the way back to the limousine. Two cars with four men each soon pull out as Matxi guides Mister Black into the back of the limousine again.

Matxi starts as the limousine begins driving, making quick motions with his hands.

"My contact goes by the name 'Suge', and he works specifically for an organization that calls itself the 'Boko Independentzia'. A peaceful organization lobbying for independence on the Boko Islands - that is his cover. His organization lost their support and role as the militant Korperban under Koldobika - the man behind our civil war in the 20s - took over. He fortified the islands, and near the end of the war he came to appreciate his decision to do that. He still maintains de facto control - albeit, more so as a guerilla army that harvests food and pillages towns on the islands than a governing force. The main cities, however, remain under certain occupation. Koldobika was fascist, and tries to maintain a certain cult of personality. Some of the youth took to that and still fight for him. He's more of a criminal than a dictator."

Matxi pauses and rifles around his pocket, searching for a cigar. He flicks one out and has one of his men light it. He pops it in and out of his mouth.

"So Suge's organization isn't important in the grand scheme of things anymore. So they take to flying under the radar and making money, and soon enough they turned into an asset for my organization. He's a storied man, and a shadow at that - I've met him once, he's got his goals set. The war supposedly set his mind away from peace. I'll make a phone call as soon as soon as we get to the airport and arrange a meeting. But the situation in Boko is untenable for certain business. Large-scale meetings might garner the attention of Koldobika's men. I am uncertain how or where you'd meet Suge, but I can arrange a landing point where his men could pick you up on the islands. When you get there, though, I know for certain that you might run into trouble with makeshift checkpoints or gunfights - therefore I suggest making sure you're armed or have enough men to make it out of ten-men gun battles."

The limousine pulls up to the airport, where the two vehicles filled with Matxi's associates soon disembark to assist with the plane.

 

[Sheridan]

"Excellent, Max, just excellent!" Mr Black said as he stepped out of the limo. "Make the call and tell me where to land and I can be on my way. It was a pleasure doing business with you and I will be coming back to meet and score some specialty products in the near future."

The gun fights never worried Black. He and his men had went through 4 years of military training each, and there was six of them all armed to the teeth. This time they would all come out and bring the assault rifles.

Maybe I will try to avoid them, he thought to himself, I am a little to high for it. Moderation was a word that Black struggled to understand.

(OOC: Lets just skip to the part where Mr Black and his men are landing on the island if you don't object)

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

Mister Black's plane passes over several islands and tropical destinations, some of which could probably pass for a great vacation destination - provided there was no revolutionaries occupying them. Soon enough, the pilot comes to land at a small airfield on a large archipelago. The landing strip is dirty and scraped by previous airplanes, multiple old military fighter craft are dismantled nearby. After braking, the occupants of the plane disembark to a humid environment dotted by native fauna and palm trees. Three technicals await them - pickup trucks with machine-guns mounted on the back. A man with a balaclava and rudimentary leather vest awaits the group, simply saying in broken language "Let's go."

 

[Sheridan]

Mr Black got into one of the trucks, his men where quick to follow him. This time they didn't leave the guns in the plane. Each of the six men was carrying Sheridanian made assault rifles. Not the most high end in tech, but sturdy rifles that had been combat tested several times. As well as the usual side arms and knives. Black carried strapped around his back a small sub-machine gun and a large caliber revolver. All he seemed to ever need. Hopefully this occasion would prove no different.

As the continued driving, Black and his men remained silent. Apparently these men where not who they were meant to speak with.... but surely they would be there soon enough. Under the front of needing whores, Black's organization often 'recruited' various foreign women and turned them into spies. Often high end street workers that would be able to provide a means of black mailing foreign politicians and such. While not a total necessity, Black hadn't been meeting his quotas on recruitment... this could be his way back into the big boss's favor. A steady supply of women for pleasure and business? What could possibly go wrong? Black thought to himself.

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

The pickup trucks sped into the tropics of Boko, kicking up mud as they entered a jungle road. Soon enough, the front of the convoy started firing their machine-guns into the brush as they pass by, speeding up. The figures of dead bodies dressed in black clothing can be seen as the trucks speed up. The men mounted on machine-guns jolt and shake rapidly as the muddy and rock-filled roads pass underneath their feet, shaking with each rock struck by the technical's tires. Soon enough, the technicals begin their approach on a clear road towards what appears to be a checkpoint. The first technical crew shouts out something across the line, and the trucks stop. A man in Mister Black's truck spoke in broken English, pointing towards the checkpoint.

"That's enemy ahead. We plow through, be ready now."

Abruptly the front truck and the secondary truck plowed forward, flooring it. The third truck, Mister Black's, follows suite. Soon enough a klaxon sounds from the other side of the checkpoint, where several mustached men dressed in ragged black uniforms and armed with standard-issued SLRs make their way out to attempt to lay a defense. Possibly ten in total. The front technical begins firing rapidly and kills about two men before a light-machine gun lights them up. The gunner slumps over and tumbles out of position, while his assistant grabs hold of the mount and takes on the previous gunner's job. Glass shatters as rounds pelt the hoods of each technical.

The second technical's driver suffers a fatal hit to the neck and drifts his steering wheel hard left, steering the technical into a ditch and flipping over. The gunner is tossed off with a yelp.

The other occupants of the vehicles start firing rapidly with their weapons, split among basic rifles to light machine guns. All windows are open or broken by now, smoke and gunpowder filling the air as the trucks speed through. The gates of the checkpoint are smashed open within seconds as the trucks speed by. The first technical leads the way, and Mister Black's truck is the last in the line, the truck open for gunfire by the few remaining revolutionaries manning the checkpoint.

(( just leaving this part open for you to RP your side as they plow through the checkpoint ))

 

[Sheridan]

As the truck plows through the checkpoint, Mr Black and his men did not hold back. Shooting everyone they could that was in a black uniform. After they plowed through, Black noticed that there still some alive.

Fuck, just my luck, he thought to himself as he took aim at one of the survivors with his .45 caliber pistol. His men began firing before he did, but none of them hit the man he was aiming for. He seen the survivor shoot and he shot just after. The survivor fell down, and the bullet that was aimed for Black hit one of Mr Black's men. His other men began to preform emergency medical procedures.

"He's dead guys. Stop it. He's a goner don't waste it!" He yelled. They stopped and noticed he was right. The shot had hit him square in the throat, and the man was dying from choking on his own blood. Mr Black frowned as he shot his own soldier in the heart. "Goodnight brother." He muttered to himself as the convoy kept moving. This was turning out to be some fucking trip, he thought, better turn up with something to gain.

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

The trucks speed away from the checkpoint, some gunfire still echoing. Likely from the crashed technical. They front technical slows down and a man on the back shouts out to the technical holding Mister Black, exchanging some words in their native tongue. Abruptly, they come to a stop at a random point in the road.

The man in a balaclava shoots a quick inquiry towards Mister Black, speaking hastily.

"Okay, we get off here now and go through jungle path. You okay with this?"

 

[Sheridan]

Mr Black hadn't been through conditions like this since his mid-20's, but, as far as he knew it would all be worth it.

"Yes. Men lets go!" He replied, and shouted at those in his command.

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

The flurry of armed men jump out of their technicals and jog through jungle brush, soon emerging onto a dirt path. The dirt path takes them on a long and arduous journey through deep mud while avoiding exotic fauna. The leader of the group constantly unhooks a machete from his belt and chops through some of the brush, sweating profusely with each swipe. Eventually, the group makes it to a small compound in the middle of the forest surrounded by barbed wire fences. Two gate guards dressed in green T-shirts slide the chainlink doors open, ushering the group inside. Three buildings are in the compound total, one of which is almost akin to a villa. A small barrel with a fire is lit in the center of the compound.

The leader of the group exchanges some solemn words with men by the barrel, then leads his criminal comrades to the villa - inside, the atmosphere is musty and smells almost of baked bread. A man in a suit sits casually in a chair on the foyer by a staircase, his face adorned with a classy handlebar mustache. He appears to be reading some sort of log book and dotting information on the interior.

As the group enters, he closes the book and stands, offering his hand to Mister Black.

"I am Suge, and I assume you are an associate of Maxtin."

 

[Sheridan]

"Yes that's right, I am Black. Truly a pleasure to finally reach you." Mr Black was visibly relieved to finally be back to a place of negotiation rather than a place of gunfights. Black however, was confident they could work out a deal. The Military Intelligence Forces that Black represented, could easily be persuaded into giving these men more weapons, more funding, or even proper armored vehicles. Of course, first there would be what the these Mendiaki criminals could offer Black and his organization. "I was told you could help me procure some... well, is there a better more private place we can negotiate?"