A weekend at Roger's

[Ron Caliburn]

Do they know much about magic and the supernatural?

Why do you think they seal themselves up in a compound. They are one of the few groups of people th actually know how dangerous this world is and take steps to protect themselves.

Willie, the offer is nice, but you don't have the right . . . uhm . . . complexion to fit in there.

Yeah, Shadow sums it up nicely. As much of a disagreement as I have with the folks inside, they are still the family and firneds I grew up with. As cults go, they ain't bad, just paranoid, isolationist and waiting for the end of the world to come. Real bunker folk.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Darn, I was hoping we'd have an advantage considering the wide variety of weird shit the Society can pull out of its collective hat. Magic swords, magic, shapeshifting, uber strength, etc.

As for Willie, even if he wasn't right for undercover I'd be more than happy to give him the keys to my special ride and let him play the role of backup. Now, it can't stand up to rocketry but there isn't a calibre of bullet that can easily penetrate the armor. Even .50 has a good chance of bouncing off. On the other hand its not that fast anymore; granted Volvo Stationwagons aren't exactly the epitome of speed to begin with.

[Willie Long]

. . . you don't have the right . . . uhm . . . complexion to fit in there.

Help, help, the big scary black man is bein' oppressed!

As much of a disagreement as I have with the folks inside, they are still the family and firneds I grew up with. As cults go, they ain't bad...

They're bad enough that you got us worryin' for ... Rhonda.

Depending on the state and what this cult considers "marriagable age," there are a number of avenues you could pursue, Jack.

*Launch an operation to extract Rhonda.
One non-violent possibility is slipping in a Society member to marry Rhonda and ... "elope."

*Rat out the cult to the F.B.I. for child abuse.
Two drawbacks: they're your friends, and Rhonda might get hurt during the cult's ... "discussion" with the feds.

*Try and win legal custody of Rhonda.
The difference between "extraction" and "kidnapping" is 25 to life.

KT said Adama can turn into a ghost or something; if he's willing he could serve as a messenger between you and Rhonda.

As for Willie, even if he wasn't right for undercover I'd be more than happy to give him the keys to my special ride...

I wouldn't mention that in front of Frog.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

"Help, help, the big scary black man is bein' oppressed!"

Check yer PMs later I don't wanna derail the thread.

"I wouldn't mention that in front of Frog. "

Hahaha.

"*Try and win legal custody of Rhonda.
The difference between "extraction" and "kidnapping" is 25 to life."

I'm in favor of this plan currently.

[Willie Long]

Winning guardianship with their father still alive will be a bitch-and-a-half. The only way I think a judge would go for it is if Ron could prove she's in danger. He could get the ball rolling by calling 1-800-422-4453, but they might flip out when state investigators arrive.

Yo, any Society lawyers out there? Represent!

[Ron Caliburn]

Trust me, they think of this stuff.

For one, the compound is actually stradling the US / Canada border. Tehy did this intentionally so that there is no way the FBI or RCMP could individually surround the compound.

Secondly, eveyrone in that compound has dual citizenship. Yes it seems odd that paranoid recluses would give two governments potential power over them, but the idea is that through use of the dual citizenship and their unique location they can create enough jurisditional conflicts to tie up any legal actions against thm in the courts for decades.

If I want to sue for guardianship, "Rhonda" will be on her 4th child by the itme it's decided, and a lone gun nut with time spent in a mental institution (even if later pronounced 'cured') don't hae much an advantage over her flesh and bloods.

On the plus side, their paranoia will prvent them from launching any legal or other expeditions to get her back. They'll figure she will either get her own way back like they taught her or that she has become contaminated and will write her off.

The trick will be getting her out of their immediate reach before the situation goes pear shaped.

The gosting idea migt be handy though.

[Shadowstalker]

Ron I think I may be able to do something to help I also can do the what you called the ghost thing and few other things as well such as what some of my team kiddingly refer to as my Jedi mind tricks. Basicly with some time to set it up I could pop in meet up with or find "Rhonda" and then quietly walk out the front gate with her by my side. I realise that may sound to simple to work but that is because I'm not going into the details of just how I'd do such a thing and trust me it's a bit more involed than I may make it sound thou if she is willing to leave that is more than a few problems delt with there. Let me know If i can help.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Well golly, it sounds like we have the makings of a plan.

[Celeste Darken]

Well golly, it sounds like we have the makings of a plan.

Or the makings of an immense disaster. If our very own Ron Caliburn doesn’t go anywhere without a twelve gauge shotgun within immediate reach, and he learned everything he knows from them, then why shouldn’t they be similarly armed? And if they’re all suspicious of the “big, bad world,” they’ll have defenses against this “ghosting.” If anything is tried, something will surely go wrong. This would not be an escapade to just “walk in and out.” If they’re as paranoid as Ron makes them out to be, they may very well have a plan to counter anything you can come up with.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t try. Just be cautious.

Ron, when you say you were . . . “groomed” to lead the cult, how devastating was your loss to them? Did they have a backup plan for such an occurrence? And you have said the reunion would not be all brightly painted if you came back . . . but is that solely because you left after giving them the black eye, because they would never forgive a deserter, because you detest all cults, or a combination of all three? Are you completely excommunicated? What is there stance concerning the “penitent”?

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Well, that's the problem with all forms of static defense. If it can be studied it can be gotten around. I should know, I made a career (albeit a short one) out of doing it. Although my plans usually included explosions.

[Ron Caliburn]

My departure caused them no end of headaches I am assuming. I was the head of security a the time.

According to Rhoda, within the compound, I no longer exist. It took a long time for the kids to get it through thir heads that mentioning my name got their mouths washd out with soap, but I am officially unmentionable.

To my knowledge I'm the only one they ever made unmentionalbe, they talk about Hitler and Osma and the devil all the time there.

I suspect I'd be as welcome as a federal agent.

As to the ammount of damage I did when I left, well leaving is the worst form of damage I could have done for it raises the spectre of dissent.

As for just walking her out the front door. That depends, how close we intend to be to the door and what they will try to do to stop her.

It's a good 20 miles form the front door to the front gate and it is patrolled and they have made attempts to make it possible to detect and neutralize invisible or intangible subjects - though to my knowledge those defences were untested so no idea if they will work.

Also, Rhonda isn't intangible or invisible so she'd have to be removed form the complex before they knew she might be on her way out.

When I left, I was on the fenceline anyway, so I had a pretty sizable head start, I still had to play a game of cat and mouse through the woods for 3 days before I reached "civilization."

I hate being the mouse.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Ok, a plan is formulating in my head. Anyone else want to volunteer their skills and time and resources?

[Celeste Darken]

Ok, a plan is formulating in my head. Anyone else want to volunteer their skills and time and resources?

Would Ron be able to sleep at night if I did? I had better pass on this one. Although if Willie offers his services, I might have to tag along. Purely to keep my habit of training strong, you understand.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Well, I get the feeling we'll be operating in the great outdoors and you're extremely prone to sunburn. So you might wanna sit this one out.

[Willie Long]

Trust me, they think of this stuff....

Daaaaamn. Lawyers is out, that leaves us with guns and money. Ron and Bert's got guns... wonder what Traveler King's up to these days? I know he got bank.

Ok, a plan is formulating in my head. Anyone else want to volunteer their skills and time and resources?

Whoa, hold up, dawg. No need to rush.

She ain't in immediate danger, or Ron woulda been keepin' more than an eye on things. I'll give a shout-out to Adama, see if he can reach Rhonda through their fence.

Although if Willie offers his services, I might have to tag along.

I'm a city boy at heart, but I wouldn't miss this for the world.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Wel its not that I'm in a hurry its just that

1) This is going to require an incredible amount of Intelligence Gathering (not something I excel in)

2) I'd rather not wait til the 11th hour to pull off a daring rescue.

[Willie Long]

Word.

I hope Adama checks his PMs.

[Shadowstalker]

Well intel and investigation is well within my bag of tricks by both mundane if high tech means and psi means. So you understand when I said walking out the front gate with the girl in tow I didn't exactly talking about doing that in broad daylight. There were a few other questions and thoughts that ran throu my mind as well. First off this my be a foolish question but do they ever leave the compound for outtings going to stores to get items that they may need or want and if so is there a chance Rhonda could be on one of these outtings,I realize this thought is at best a shot in the dark but it never hurts to ask.Ok the second thought came to me from something Ron said about Rhonda being neither invisible or intangible, well what would you say if for a short time she could be I understand this may sound a tad out there but it is possible, again I'm not going to try and tell you that this is not without risk but it is an option I'd just have to barrow a item to pull it off.

[Ron Caliburn]

There are very, very rare outings involving those who are not adult male.

Basically medical treatment is about it.

This won't be done last minute or without through planing.

This has to be a 0 body count op if at all possible (yes I forgive anyone in advance who kills in self defense).

[Shadowstalker]

Ok this may give us the opening we need, but as Ron said this will take planning, if this is done right nobody will get anything more serious than a bruise if that much one could hope.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

I'm not sure what Voodoo you can do Shadow. But I figure the extraction itself can be broken down into three basic parts.

Getting Rhonda from Point A to Point B. Getting Rhonda from Point B to Point C. And getting everyone from Point C to D (a safe haven).

If Leg AB is up to Shadow (that's getting her from the Inside the Compound to Outside its boundary) and possibly Adama if he signs on and can be of use in that part.

The next Leg BC (getting her from the outside edge of compound to the main group) would be up to Ron. I figure he'd know the area better than any of us and he's allready proven that he can get himself free and clear.

The Final Leg CD will either be the easiest or the hardest. On one hand we'll have vehicles. On the other if they're still hot on our tails they'll be pulling out all the stops.

If you guys can handle AB and BC on your own I can do what I do best and make sure any pursuers are slowed to a crawl. Granted there was a squad of us that did it back in the Military but if Willie gives me a hand, with some time to work, I can make it a very hazardous thing to follow us and without doing anything too life threatening. Snares, Nets and Pits might break some bones but prolly won't kill anyone. If Ron can get me a suitably large supply of non-lethal weaponry we'll see how they like giving chase blinded and tear gassed.

I figure if we prepare the area we'd be traversing in BC we'll gain a tremendous lead on them for CD. Of course I'd have to be with you guys for BC so you don't blunder into anything too but that shouldn't be a problem.

[Willie Long]

I figure the extraction itself can be broken down into three basic parts.

Looks good, but I'd change the lineup for the second stage. At that point, we should bring in KT to assist. He can disguise himself as a native animal and ferry Rhonda out on his back. Shadow and Adama can work recon for him.

This has to be a 0 body count op if at all possible.

Count on it. I can run interference for KT from extraction point B to C.

The Final Leg CD will either be the easiest or the hardest. On one hand we'll have vehicles. On the other if they're still hot on our tails they'll be pulling out all the stops.

They won't be on our tails.

I knock out their foot patrols, you and Ron snipe any vehicles, Rhonda gets in Shadow's van or my posse's SUV, and that's that.

[Ron Caliburn]

Interesting ideas, though I'm really not sure how point AB would work.

They set up suff to theoreically stop the unseen and untouchable from getting not and out of the compound in one piece. It's never been tested so I dont know if it will or won't but that's a heck of gamble to take.

[Shadowstalker]

Lets just say that I have accses to a very interesting bag of tricks and leave it at that for the moment, right now I'm looking into getting my hands on that item I was talking about before. My team is ready to start setting up surveillance we just need a location and go ahead from Ron.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Well that's why I left AB open Ron. We need more information.

Willie, sabotaging their vehicles would be ideal but that's a pipe dream. We could shoot their rides out from under them, sure, but that's not really an option if we want to go for a 0 Body Count. If we know they'll be leaving from a designated area (like if the compound is 100% fenced in they'd need to leave through a gate) we could setup some surprises at the gate but other than that we're kinda stuck. I suppose I could have a guy I know whip up some extra large caltrops that'd shred their tires; make them from sharp tubing so they deflate the tires instead of blowing them to pieces.

Hey Ron, can you order Spike Strips?

As for anti-phasing defenses, I don't know of any offhand.

[Ron Caliburn]

Spike strips shouldn't be a problem. There are multiple gates . . . but not that many. Also the fence line is penetratable - though difficult to do undetected.

How would you like to deal with the horses?

Anti-phasing/invisibility stuff is a good questio on it's effctiveness. My own Goggles and my Piece ae built on modified versions of the designs the armorer back in the compound came up with. Mine work, not sure if his do since I've done a lot of tweaking to the basic design.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Unless they're remarkably well trained some flashbangs should run off the horses if they're chasing us on horseback.

Sneaking in should be our goal. Getting out I'm willing to go for a "All hell's broken loose" method if sneaking out is out of the question. Raise as big a stink as possible and try and confuse them while we get away. Like, simultaneously breach the fence in a dozen locations very noisily so they won't know which way we're leaving. If they send a hundred guys after us but have to split them 5 ways to track us down its not so much.

[Ron Caliburn]

A lashbang might work, though they are trianed not to react to gunfire.

The problem with dividing them 5 ways means that yes there will be less of them at the imporant point, but there will be less of us too.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

Well, I assumed they'd be trained not to react to gunfire but I'm guessing that blinding light wasn't covered.

Well, if some of us can Turn Invisible, Shapeshift into Animals, Phase out of sync with matter, etc. they can lose their persuers readily enough and cut back to the main group unobserved.

[Willie Long]

We're wandering afield here. What kind of response can we expect from one little girl wandering away from the compound? If she sneaks out of the compound alone, would they even notice?

It seems to me if the ghosts help her avoid patrols, she could make it all the way to the highway without being pursued; once there we pull over and pick her up. No muss, no fuss.

How would you like to deal with the horses?

KT might have some suggestions. There's another alternative, but you won't like it much: Celeste. She has a disruptive influence over animals, she's ninja quiet, and can soak up any conventional ammo they send our way.