Operation story: OD-3

Operation

Story

Previous OD-2	Next OD-5
Characters
Ash Blitz Franka Frost Liskarm Rangers Schwarz Tachanka Miarow Drudge Levi Occphen Mercenary Sarkaz Mercenary Sarkaz Mercenary
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6

Before operation

“

Team Rainbow and the manager of the Rhodes Island Safe House reach a cooperative agreement to shelter the displaced Infected, but the mercenaries and invaders give pursuit.

”

<Background 1>
[Drudge receives a report from the mercenaries attacking Long Spring before, who turned out to be under his payroll.]
Drudge	Guns? Mercenaries? What are you babbling about?
Mercenary	I'm telling the truth, Boss! They've got huge guns! They killed Jarman!
Drudge	Mercenaries with big guns? Are they Sankta? Are you telling me you blew your mission over four Sankta?
Mercenary	...Erm... I don't think they're Sankta... probably...?
Drudge	They're not Sankta but they're mercs carrying around big guns? If you're gonna lie to me, at least make it believable.
Sarkaz Mercenary	He's telling the truth.
Drudge	What do you mean he's telling the truth?
Sarkaz Mercenary	He's telling the truth. They were heavily armed, but they really weren't Sankta. Jarman took one in the brain, but I didn't see an arrow or a bolt. Sarkaz aren't that weak. These ones weren't part of your plan. Having to deal with a bunch of fully armed mercenaries was not in the contract, boss, we need a raise.
Drudge	And where are they now?
Sarkaz Mercenary	They're not in the Infected quarter anymore. Our men are looking for them, but we haven't seen any major movements. They should still be in the area.
Drudge	...... How's the old bastard doing?
Sarkaz Mercenary	Your father's people are tough. Especially that little sister of yours. We bumped off some of their fighters, but we haven't been able to breach the manor perimeter. Your scientist's monsters are doing good work out there, but your casters suck. We lost a lot of them already, without getting much for them.
Drudge	Those are already the best money can buy. Until your boss is willing to send us a caster, you're in no position to complain.
Sarkaz Mercenary	Then get your scientist to cook up some more monsters. Or change tactics. That mansion is a fortress, and a direct attack isn't going to work. And it's not like your sister is an easy target either.
Drudge	What about the old bastard himself? Is he still holed up in the house?
Sarkaz Mercenary	I haven't seen your father yet. No sign of him at all since we showed up.
Drudge	Hahaha... I knew it. I knew something happened to him! Keep watching the manor. Tell me as soon as you've got news.
Sarkaz Mercenary	What about the "change our tactics" part? You're getting ahead of yourself. Call it a Sarkaz mercenary's intuition. The longer you drag things out, the more chances they have to go wrong.
Drudge	I have a contingency plan. I just need time to put it together.
<Background 2>
[Drudge later met Levi in his lab.]
Levi	Confident as I am in the results of my experiments, the look on your face tells me you don't share my assessment. Come, tell me, where have things gone wrong this time?
Drudge	I need progress from you.
Levi	Would you like to offer something a little more constructive? Or is your pointless needling all you have?
Drudge	I gave you enough corpses. I need at least twenty monsters.
Levi	Originiutants.
Drudge	What?
Levi	These "monsters" are Originiutants. They have a name.
Drudge	Mutants, Originiutants, why should I care what they're called? Give me more monsters.
Levi	I gave you so many already. Did you get them all killed so quickly? I'm curious... How are your minions using the Originiutants? Do they rely on your "Originium Arts"? What is it exactly? Super powers? Occult mysticism? Magic? Where does it come from? Come, satisfy my curiosity. I must speak with your "casters".
Drudge	Just do your job, egghead. You don't need to be thinking about Originium Arts right now. Once we're done here, you'll have plenty of time for your own research.
Levi	(Russian) I have very little confidence in your project. But speaking of time, did I not tell you? Yours is, in fact, limited.
Drudge	What are you talking about?
Levi	The lifespan of these Originiutants won't exceed one week. Whatever it is you have to do, you'll have to do it quickly.
Drudge	What are you trying to pull?!
Levi	This is the price for your lack of patience. You want the Originiutants produced quickly, you want them tremendously powerful, and at the same time you want them to have no weaknesses? Do you truly believe such a thing is possible?
Drudge	...... I told you. No tricks, egghead.
Levi	I'm busy. I have no time to joke with you. If you are so dissatisfied with my work, I suggest you take matters into your own hands. Use your own ingenuity to solve these genetic engineering complications that I, as a professional, can't solve in so little time. Of course, you could bring me more materials, give me more time, and make your own contributions to this vapid family drama you're putting on. Science is fair. You always have a choice.
Drudge	That's enough of your slippery talking. Get back to work, egghead. Don't expect any mercy out of me if you fail. The price of failure is a slow and miserable death. I'm a man of my word.
Levi	Hah hah hah. When you put it like that, what else can I say? Good luck, my friend.
<Background 3>
Liskarm	There's so much smoke and chaos. Don't even need to get close to know what's going on.
Franka	Never expected a riot of this scale here...
Liskarm	Butting our horns in is sure to cause problems.
[Schwarz returned from her recon duty.]
Schwarz	...I'm back.
Rangers	Oh? What's the situation?
Schwarz	...It's out of control. There's constant fighting around a mansion on the north side of town. Looks like mercenaries on one side. Things are even worse outside the manor. Bloodstains and collapsing houses everywhere. There's infected sand beasts scurrying through the alleyways, and there's a lot of them.
Liskarm	If it's gotten that bad, where's the Sargon military? The Lord Ameer's forces?
Schwarz	There are some armed guards in that manor on the north side, but I didn't see any other Sargon soldiers.
Franka	So it's been like this for two days? Then I wonder if the watchman at the safehouse is okay...
Liskarm	It doesn't look good.
Rangers	Let's not jump to conclusions.
Schwarz	...In other news, I found the safehouse. Some people have taken up guarding it, but they're not Rhodes Island personnel.
Rangers	It's been occupied by the mercenaries?
Schwarz	No... not exactly. They don't look like typical mercs. Their defensive positioning is extremely specialized. They have ambush killzones, traps, and decoys all set up. Most importantly, they've got a lot of townsfolk in that safehouse.
Liskarm	Townsfolk? Just what kind of people do they have guarding the safehouse?
Schwarz	They look pretty much like you. They've got guns.
Liskarm	Guns? Blacksteel mercenaries?
Schwarz	They don't have any obvious markings on them. I can't say for sure they're Blacksteel.
Franka	Armed professionals stripped of any identifying markings... with guns. Oof... my head hurts.
Rangers	There are a lot of forces at work in this town. We can rule out a bandit raid. And if the Lord Ameer's forces are missing, it's not an act of war.
Liskarm	If they're willing to protect civilians in the middle of a riot, they can't exactly be evil.
Franka	Maybe we should try to make contact?
Rangers	Let's be careful. There are a lot of possibilities here, even if we just look at them protecting the townsfolk. I just hope they're the type you can reason with.
<Background 4>
[Tachanka is checking a Terran circuit board as Frost joins in.]
Frost	What's the situation?
Tachanka	No good. I can't make sense of it. This thing looks like a circuit board, but it's totally different from any circuit I've ever seen. If you gave me a month and a technical manual, I'm still not sure I could figure it out. Screw it. I'm going to stand guard upstairs. I've been squatting so long my back is sore.
Frost	Good hustle, Lord.
[Frost walks away as Ash approaches her.]
Ash	No good?
Frost	None of us have ever seen anything like the tech inside this comms equipment. I don't think we're going to be able to get it working.
Ash	You wouldn't know it from the outside. It looks like your typical transmitter.
Frost	Just like with the van back there, the energy they use in this world is unique. All their technology is based on this stuff called Originium.
Occphen	You're still studying that communicator, huh? Originium comms equipment uses some really complicated tech. Rhodes Island always had to send engineering casters out to maintain it. I'm not surprised you can't fix it.
Ash	You said before you used this device to send out a distress signal?
Occphen	Oh... I'm not sure if the signal actually got through. When the rioters attacked the safehouse, I hit the communicator as quick as I could. But they broke in before I got to talk to anyone. Everything happened so fast, I could barely speak... It could be the Rhodes Island operator who took the call couldn't even hear me.
Ash	So the cavalry isn't coming.
Blitz	I was never waiting for the cavalry.
Occphen	You don't look worried at all.
Ash	You could say we're pretty used to fighting without backup.
Occphen	Wow. I'm thinking if you had shown up just a little later, I'd be spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair. Or maybe a coffin. All I can say is thanks.
Ash	Not necessary. You've done a lot to help the civilians yourself.
Occphen	Well, I wouldn't make a big deal out of that. Treating the Infected is kind of Rhodes Island's business. Hahaha... ...Even if I'm just a reserve Logistics Operator serving as a doorman.
Ash	Treating...? Does that mean there's medical supplies here? But what are these weapons for?
Occphen	Oh, well... Rhodes Island is mainly a pharmaceutical company, but this safehouse doesn't actually offer any treatment services. Safehouses are mostly to provide combat operators with supplies, equipment, weapons and stuff when they're out on missions.
Frost	Right...... Hold on. What's this?
Blitz	Is this a grenade launcher?
Ash	Grenade? Let me see.
Blitz	Oh, my. Is this a landmine? And you've got all kinds.
Ash	...I thought the people here didn't use thermal weapons. The structure of this grenade launcher is a little strange.
Blitz	There's no propellant charge for the grenades. Does it use compressed gas?
Ash	Look, here's a model using hydraulic springs.
Occphen	Be careful! That box is full of Originium explosives! It's dangerous.
Ash	Mr. Occphen, do you have ammunition for small arms here?
Occphen	Small arms...? Do you mean guns? Oh, are you asking about etched ammo? We wouldn't usually have anything that valuable in a safehouse like this. Rhodes Island combat personnel rarely use guns.
Ash	Can we use these explosives?
Occphen	...*Sigh*... Just be careful. Originium explosives are very dangerous. They used to only be for combat operators. But you look like you know what you're doing. I won't stop you.
Ash	Thank you very much.
Blitz	What about these? What are these wild looking parts for?
Occphen	Backup casting units. Don't break them.
Ash	Casting units...?
Blitz	Must be for that "Originium Arts" stuff.
Ash	Originium Arts is the technique that lets them throw those fireballs?
Occphen	We're getting into the weeds here. I'm no caster. But Originium Arts comes in all kinds of flavors. Every caster has his own specialty.
Ash	Would the engineering casters you mentioned before be one of those?
Occphen	Huh? Have you never seen Arts before?
Frost	Well... we haven't seen much.
Occphen	But how? You've got guns. Aren't you casters? A gun user who can't use Originium Arts? Now that's rare.
[Occphen leaves his seat...]
<Background 4>
[...but Miarow reminded him of his injuries.]
Miarow	Oh, Mr. Occphen, your leg hasn't healed yet. I don't want you walking around.
Occphen	I'm fine, I've got my crutches. I can walk a few steps.
Ash	Doctor, how are the patients doing down there?
Miarow	I've got most of the wounded stabilized, thanks to the medical supplies here.
Ash	You don't look so hot. Are you okay?
Miarow	I just haven't slept at all. I'll be fine.
Ash	You need rest. We'll be in big trouble if we lose our only doctor.
Miarow	Don't worry, I'll be careful.
Blitz	Speaking of Originium Arts. Don't they have some kind of magic where you say a spooky incantation and there's a big flash of light and... PRESTO! You're all healed up?
Miarow	Erm... What are you talking about? Hahaha...
Blitz	No, then? What about like a healing potion that you drink it and all your wounds close right up? None of that either?
Occphen	That's the stuff of sci-fi novels.
Miarow	There are Arts that can heal wounds, but they're a very difficult type of Arts to master. Before you can master healing Arts, you first have to have a complete understanding of medical science, you have to know the anatomical structures of all the different races, things like that... Also, most healing Arts users can only stop bleeding or speed up wound recovery. These Arts are very useful on the operating table, but in my experience they're no substitute for real medical skill.
Occphen	Doctor, can you use Arts?
Miarow	I have a little knowledge... not very useful though.
Blitz	That's boringly realistic... *sigh*. To think a world with magic could be so inconvenient. Hold up, did you just say "sci-fi novels"? Now I'm extra curious what your world's sci-fi novels talk about. Would we find a bookstore in a bigger city? Maybe some history books too? Are books expensive? I've gotten myself all worked up now.
Occphen	You're a weird bunch. Where are you from anyway? Columbia? Victoria? You talk like you're Victorians, but like from a couple decades ago...
Blitz	Well... I'm not really sure how to answer that one.
Miarow	Miss Cohen and her friends came from very far away. From a place where Oripathy doesn't even exist.
Occphen	What??
Ash	...Yeah, that.
Occphen	A country with no Oripathy? Really? No Oripathy, no Infected, that means no discrimination? A place with no hatred, where everyone's equal? Lordy loo. What kind of paradise is that?
Blitz	......
Frost	......
Ash	*Sigh*...
Occphen	...Alright then. Your faces say it all. Just pretend I never asked...
[Sounds of gunfire are heard outside the safehouse.]
Ash	!
Frost	We're under attack!
<Background 5>
[Ash checks on Tachanka, who had just eliminated the attacking mercs.]
Ash	Sitrep!
Tachanka	This is just the first wave. They have us surrounded. They were probing us with those earlier strikes.
Frost	We've got more incoming!
Ash	Your traps?
Frost	All good!
Ash	Watch your explosives. Blitz, keep an eye on the left flank. Don't let them get the drop on us.
Blitz	Understood.
Ash	Lord, conserve your ammo!
Tachanka	No problem. Let them come.
Ash	Watch for surprise attacks! Let's see what they've got.
Tachanka	Here they come!
Ash	Hold your fire... let them get a little closer.
[Ash blasts the attacking mercs with her M120 CREM.]
Frost	Nine o'clock!
[Tachanka guns down the merc spotted by Frost.]
Frost	Lord, the enemy's up, dead ahead!
[Ash takes out the merc ahead of Tachanka.]
Ash	Enemy down! These big guys with the horns are tough. Go for headshots!
Frost	Ash! Over there!
Ash	?! What is that?! Lord! Be careful!
[A hulking mutant strikes at Tachanka, but he narrowly dodged it.]
Tachanka	(Russian profanity)!
Ash	Alexsandr!!
Tachanka	I'm okay! Don't worry about me! Hold the line!
Ash	What on earth is this! Watch out for those mutants! Light cover's no good!!
<Background 6>
Rangers	That's a proper formation. Those four know what they're doing. Sounds like gunfire... No... Those are more intense shots. That's a big, rapid-fire gun.
Schwarz	They're surrounded. It's the same mercenaries who were attacking the manor.
Liskarm	Those monsters remind me of what we saw in Lungmen.
Franka	The "Host" and the "Herd." But they're not really the same.
Rangers	Mercenaries carrying big guns and mercenaries commanding mysterious monsters... The situation is changing. And the balance is about to break.
Schwarz	...What do we do?
Rangers	Don't hestiate. Prepare for battle. Those vile beings who drivie[sic] this kind of monsters into battles deserve not a single bit of mercy.
Schwarz	Roger.

During operation

Frost	Let them come a little closer!
Blitz	What's your plan?
Frost	I found a high explosive device in the safehouse cache.
Ash	This fella... feels like he could blow us sky high.
[The High-Energy Originium Bomb on the deployment menu is highlighted.]
Frost	It's got a big blast radius. Not only can it take out the enemies in that radius, it'll also clear the dirt mounds to open up space. But it's not too easy to fire up. After you deploy it, there's an arming process. So you have to make sure the enemy doesn't break it before it's armed.
Ash	It's risky, but we've got no other choice.
Frost	Once the bomb is finished deploying, we can detonate it at any time.
Ash	Choose a good place to set up the "Big Guy". And don't give the enemy a chance.
Frost	Roger.

After operation

“

The Rhodes Island squad reaches the safe house in Long Spring, which is currently under attack by mercenaries and mutated creatures. The Rhodes Island squad fights alongside Team Rainbow to repel the attackers.

”

<Background 5>
[The newly arrived Rhodes Island squad engages the mercenaries attacking the safehouse.]
Liskarm	Thunderbolt!
[Liskarm unleashes a debilitating shock from her shield.]
Mercenary	Aaaagh...! My eyes!
Sarkaz Mercenary	Where are the casters?! Take out that Vouivre!
[Franka sneaks up behind the Sarkaz merc...]
Franka	Don't even think about it.
[...and takes him down.]
Sarkaz Mercenary	What's happening? There's more of them?
Sarkaz Mercenary	How?!
Sarkaz Mercenary	We're in a bad way. They've got way too much firepower.
Sarkaz Mercenary	Cut our losses and fall back before this gets any worse.
[The Sarkaz mercs are unaware...]
Schwarz	...I see you...
[...that Schwarz had her eyes on one of them and fires her crossbow at him.]
Sarkaz Mercenary	Augh!
Sarkaz Mercenary	Sniper!!
Sarkaz Mercenary	Shit, where?!!
Sarkaz Mercenary	Forget it! Just run!
Schwarz	...You're not getting away.
[Before the Sarkaz merc escapes, Schwarz shoots...]
Sarkaz Mercenary	Ugh...
[...and kills him.]
Mercenary	Fall back! Quickly! Just run!
[The remaining mercs retreat.]
Frost	They're running!
Ash	Sitrep!
Blitz	You okay, Alexsandr?
Tachanka	Yeah, just a flesh wound. Those guys are learning.
Ash	Don't let your guard down! We've still got company.
[The R.I. squad approaches Team Rainbow, who pointed their guns at them (since they don't know yet whether the R.I. squad are hostile or not).]
Ash	...That's close enough, friend. I appreciate the help, but let's keep a comfy distance until we figure things out.
Franka	Relax. We mean you no harm. We're a Rhodes Island field team! And you're holed up in a Rhodes Island safehouse. We're responding to a distress call. Please identify yourselves.
Liskarm	Calm down! I'm here to help.
Ash	It's the Rhodes Islanders?
Blitz	Hey, the cavalry came after all!
Ash	Go get Mr. Occphen.
Blitz	Got it.
[Blitz informs Occphen that the R.I. reinforcements have finally arrived.]
Occphen	Rhodes Island Operator? Hooray! We're saved! We're saved!!
<Background 4>
Occphen	That's about the size of it.
Rangers	So those four mercenaries are the ones who set up these temporary defenses?
Occphen	I'm really sorry. They broke my communicator, and I couldn't protect the safehouse... I wouldn't blame you if you fired me on the spot...
Rangers	Don't worry, this old man doesn't have the power to fire anybody. And the way I see it, you held out this long all by yourself. That's pretty fantastic. If it weren't for you, these Infected would've met a much worse fate. How many are they?
Liskarm	Counting the doctor outside, forty-three. All Infected.
Franka	And the four mercenaries were protecting them all this time?
Rangers	Mercenaries going out of their way to look after Infected. That's something you don't see every day.
Franka	Mercenaries who not only don't look down on them, but actively try to help them. Maybe I'm being too paranoid, but where did these saints come from?
Rangers	I think they may not realize. From the way they talk, I get the impression they were just protecting ordinary, innocent townsfolk.
Franka	I guess it's less that they don't discriminate against the Infected. And more that they don't care about Oripathy.
Liskarm	But they don't look Infected at all?
Schwarz	I've never seen mercenaries like them. I've never heard of any "Team Rainbow".
Franka	They've got guns, but none of them look like Sankta?
Liskarm	Unless the Sankta figured out a way to hide their "Fluorescent Lamps"...
Franka	A non-Sankta mercenary group fully decked out with big guns like that is gonna be huge news.
Liskarm	Blacksteel R&D would go nuts if they heard about this.
Schwarz	...Let's not talk about them like they're not here.
Rangers	Regardless, they saved a Rhodes Island Operator and protected a bunch of Infected. Until we have some evidence, we shouldn't be doubting their motives. Our top priority is finding a solution to our predicament. Let's talk to them.
<Background 5>
Ash	They've been in there for a while.
Blitz	What do you think of this Rhodes Island?
Frost	I've been wondering about them. What kind of pharmaceutical company needs a safehouse full of military-grade hardware out on the edge of civilization? They've got enough arms and explosives to outfit a platoon.
Blitz	And the employees of this "pharmaceutical company" all look like professional soldiers. Either this world's doctors are armed to the teeth, or the pharmaceutical business is a front. Probably both.
Ash	They're armed. But they looked well-trained and well-spoken. It's a night and day difference with the thugs we ran into before. Also... Maybe it's just me, but I get a real familiar vibe from them.
Blitz	You know, I got that too. They're reasonable, civilized people, at least. Everything I saw before had me thinking this world was an apocalyptic, bandit-ridden hellscape.
Miarow	I'm finished binding your wound, Mr. Alexsandr.
Tachanka	Thanks, Doctor.
Ash	Doctor, are you familiar with this Rhodes Island organization?
Miarow	...I've heard a bit from the caravans. They're a group that specializes in critical care for the Infected, as well as an Oripathy research team.
Tachanka	But isn't it an incurable disease?
Miarow	Yes... Actually, there used to be a lot of people who claimed to be able to cure Oripathy. They were mostly shysters who ended up ruined when their scams were exposed. As for those who just exaggerated the effectiveness of their drugs suppressing the symptoms of Oripathy, they might not reach the level of fraud yet, but even their suppressant drugs are very expensive.
Tachanka	I'd guess so.
Miarow	I once heard about a lord whose daughter contracted Oripathy, and he spent a lot of money to buy the suppressants from Columbia to save his daughter. Years later, the lord's money dried up, and his daughter died of the disease.
Tachanka	......
Miarow	But look at this.
Tachanka	What is it?
Miarow	This is the safehouse's store of Oripathy suppressants. These past few days, I injected some of the more serious sufferers with this, and it really did suppress their symptoms. It works better than any drug I've ever seen before. This medicine... must be insanely expensive, no? But Mr. Occphen wasn't concerned with that at all. When I told him some of my patients were in critical condition, he gave me the box. It's not that I don't believe there are good people in this world, but...
Blitz	Hey, I didn't expect that.
Ash	Don't overthink it. Suspicion is costly. Whether you show it or not, it's going to get in the way of our talks with them. It looks like our goals are aligned, so we can just lay this stuff on the table.
Tachanka	If you say so. Oh, they're here.
Rangers	Sorry to keep you waiting. Now let's skip the pleasantries. Thank you for saving Occphen. Without you, Rhodes Island would have lost a good worker. When the mission is over, I'll make a full report, and Rhodes Island will remunerate you appropriately, and compensate you for your supplies.
Ash	Remuneration...
Tachanka	Remuneration is nice.
Rangers	Also, you put your lives on the line for the Infected. And that wins this old man's admiration.
Ash	These townsfolk have done a lot for us in our time here. Leaving them to die wouldn't be our style.
Liskarm	So you're mercenaries?
Ash	No... We're...
Blitz	Yes. Yes we are. We're mercenaries. The super expensive kind.
Ash	......
Liskarm	Can you give us the name of your company? Mercenaries like you are a rare breed.
Blitz	Err... We’re... um...
[Blitz whispers to Tachanka in Russian.]
Blitz	(Russian) Help me think of a name!
Tachanka	(Russian) Polar Bear Logistics?
Liskarm	...... I understand if you're not in a position to say.
Blitz	We're... We're from a faraway country in... in the south!
Tachanka	That's right! We're from way down south!
Rangers	The south? South of Sargon?? Beyond the foehn hotlands?
Blitz	Foehn...? Yes, the south. Right.
Rangers	There's other countries beyond the foehn hotlands?? That's... shocking. I've lived a long time, and this is the first I've ever heard of people down there. In all the records of all the Lords Ameer, there's never been a single report of someone crossing the hotlands.
Tachanka	(Russian) You could've made your story a little more plausible.
Blitz	(Russian) Plausible like Polar Bear Logistics?
Rangers	Anyway, warriors with Ursine and Victorian accents, it doesn't matter where you come from. You're willing to fight for the Infected. And at least on that point, our interests are aligned. At least for now, we can work together to deal with this situation.
Ash	I can agree with that.
Rangers	So who can tell us what the heck happened to this town?
<Background 4>
Schwarz	Sarkaz Mercenary... Controlling the monsters, should be casters. They're organized, disciplined, and most importantly, they know when to cut their losses and back down. They're not here for a quick raid.
Franka	They are all properly geared up with Columbian equipment. Some of them were extremely tough back when they sieged the safe house.
Schwarz	Judging from the equipments and tactics, they should be professional mercenaries who signed the "Redmark contract."
Rangers	I'm afraid it's a rebellion against the local lord.
Ash	But why are they attacking civilians? They chased us here from the Infected quarter. What on Earth do these mercs actually want?
Liskarm	The most likely answer is they wanted to silence you.
Blitz	I'm afraid that's not the only thing they were after.
Liskarm	What do you mean?
Blitz	When they attacked the Infected quarter yesterday, they were obviously targeting the sick. They were trying to round them up. I'm pretty sure that was their goal.
Franka	Kidnapping... Infected? That doesn't make any sense.
Rangers	The enemy's objectives are a mystery to us, but that's not the most important thing. For now, the best thing we can do is wait.
Ash	Wait?
Rangers	You may not realize it, but we're standing in the middle of a fait accompli. We walked into this Lord Ameer's territory without his permission, violating his commandments and the local laws. We've broken a major Sargon taboo. The town nobility may be in the middle of a war, but they're still the rulers here. Sticking our noses in anything else at this point would only make our situation even worse. The local lord set up an Infected quarter. That tells us he's not totally cruel and heartless. He was willing to let Rhodes Island build a safehouse here. That means he's not an isolationist. I think he'll treat us fairly.
Ash	National law... local government... I get it. That's the best we can hope for right now.
Rangers	Until the situation changes again, we'll hold out in the safehouse and wait for the riots to die down. I hope you can help us.
Ash	No problem. We need Rhodes Island's professional expertise too.
Rangers	All right then. I'm looking forward to working with the four of you.