In-character prelude for Spartan-117.  All other players, reading is encouraged but please don't post in this thread.

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Novo Selo Training Range, Bulgaria
05 January 2015
1402 hrs local (1202 hrs Zulu)

The lukewarm water in the untouched pitcher dances when the nearby artillery battery cuts loose again.  Shadows rock in the corners of the room as the bare bulb over the table sways on its wire.  In the fragile silence between salvos, the door creaks open to admit two men.

The first is close to six and a half feet - tall enough that he has to duck to keep from banging his head on the doorframe.  He's a vigorous late-fortysomething, with unmilitarily-long silvering hair, weathered skin, and a three-day beard.  A U.S. Navy flight suit with jump wings and warrant officer's rank insignia hangs loose on his spare frame.

Close behind him is his polar opposite: slightly plump, pale, broad-shouldered but nearly a foot shorter, with a dark, well-tended pencil mustache and a shaven head with the creases that come lots of hours in a flight helmet.  He's in British MTP camouflage with RAF patches.

"Good afternoon, Porucznik Kowalska," the latter says, crossing the room and extending his hand.  "Thank you for flying out here on short notice.  I'm sure Colonel Gastal was his usual closed-mouth self about why you were asked to report here but we'll clear that up shortly.  I'm Group Captain Grant Mewes, Royal Air Force.  This is Chief Warrant Officer Ted Bannon, U.S. Navy."  He scrapes a chair out from the table and takes a seat.

"Heya."  Bannon flashes you a grin, stretches his own hand at the end of a disproportionately long arm, and folds himself into another chair.

"The short answer to most of your questions is that we represent a joint intelligence unit reporting directly to the NATO general staff," Mewes begins without preamble.  "Our primary tasking is counterproliferation.  We go after technology and information that could enable WMD attacks, and we monitor emerging technologies and trends that could have unforeseen security implications.  We are a very small, very agile, and very black unit.  Our mission is too critical to be hampered by the alliance's usual layers of bureaucracy."

Bannon takes up the pitch.  "Right now, we're running a single direct action team.  Their optempo has gotten unsustainable, so we're looking at adding an expansion team.  Because of the tech side of the mission, we need troops who speak enough geek to understand what they're dealing with, but we also need them to be able to take care of themselves if it comes time to put hair on the walls.  You fit the profile pretty good for a chick."

Mewes pulls a notepad and mechanical pencil from a sleeve pocket.  "I do want to stress that this is entirely voluntary.  We don't want anyone who feels they're being pressured or voluntold to join.  So, to a certain extent, we are prepared to answer what questions you may have about the unit before we ask for your decision.  If you turn down the offer, you'll have a couple of days of leave on the Black Sea, then return to your unit.  No black marks in your copybook."

Lina poured a glass of water from the jug.  It reminded her of Bolesławiec pottery from her childhood, though the Bulgarian pitcher was not as colorful or ornate, even in comparison to her faded memories.  She had just sat the pitcher down when the two men entered.

”Gentlemen,” Kowalska said, shaking each of their hands in turn after hearing Mewes’s explanation and introduction and Navy Warrant’s very informal greeting.

As the Group Captain outlined the unit and it’s mission, Karolina’s eyes narrowed, but she was content to hear him out before asking any questions.  As Bannon took up the pitch, she was already outlining questions in her head.  Her train of thought was interrupted when he mentioned her gender, but she quickly refocused and moved on.

With their pitch done, Lina wasted no time in getting down to brass tacks.

”Direct action for intelligence acquisition or target interdiction?”  Breaking in and copying a hard drive was one thing.  Killing everyone in a Chechen safe house was another.  Lina wanted to know exactly how black, “very black”, was.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:19, Wed 05 Nov 2014.

Mewes inclines his head toward Bannon, ceding the response to the chief.  You catch the focus behind his casual demeanor and realize he's watching how you handle Bannon.

Bannon maintains his grin but the wrinkles around his eyes deepen.  "On paper, the tasking is intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.  In the real world, the information we have to get is usually guarded by smelly men with beards and Kalashnikovs, and there's also some personnel and material retrieval.  We're not operating extrajudicially, if that's what you're thinking, but our DA team is a combat unit.  You good with that, Lieutenant?"  His feline-at-play tone falls away at the last sentence, replaced by the scrutiny of a very senior NCO assessing the potential of a junior officer.

Lina smiled and nodded.  ”Yes, I’m good with that,” Kowalska said, studying Bannon's hands, eyes, face, and his relaxed grooming standard hair.  She suspected that he was a current or former operator, but said nothing.

”I’m very interested in fact,” Lina added.  Her MI background meant that she preferred tradecraft work to being just another door kicker.  Success in Kaliningrad had left her at loose ends.  ISR seemed a much better option than VIP protection in Ghazni Province, or some equally crappy gig.

”What is the size and composition of the team and supporting elements?” Lina asked.  For the most part she had already made up her mind about volunteering.  Now it was a matter of learning more about the organization she had committed to.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:07, Thu 06 Nov 2014.

Bannon maintains eye contact for a long moment, then nods, seemingly satisfied.  "Roger that, ma'am."  He leans back and nods to Mewes.

The group captain picks up the thread of the conversation.  "Five to eight, depending on the outcome of some recruiting efforts.  We're building a core of technical specialists who can handle themselves in the field, and augmenting with some HUMINT talent.  You'll have the team command slot, reporting directly to me.  For the duration of the assignment, you'll be an acting captain to ease your way in liaising with outside units - that's with the approval of Klonowa Street and will be permanent upon the completion of the assignment, if not sooner."

He flicks a finger toward Bannon.  "The chief here runs our operational intelligence team.  Total ops staff is twenty-two, with another twenty-five in logistics.  When the environment allows, your team will forward-deploy with a small ops contingent for on-site support.  Most have seen combat before but they are not there to augment your team's combat capabilities unless truly exigent circumstances exist.  Our intel take feeds to a number of analysis and research compartments across the NATO alliance, most of whom you'll never have to deal with directly."

Karolina nodded as Group Captain Mewes spoke about the expected size and composition of the team.  When he mentioned command and rank however, Lina’s friendly poker face gave way to a micro expression that clearly communicated a sense of relief.  She had made First Lieutenant early, but had languished at her current rank for far too long.  She knew it was related to her crash report, but she told herself she had no regrets.  The intelligence collection business was first and foremost, a reporting job.  How could the analysts put the puzzle together if you don’t give them the pieces?  Damn the Służba Kontrwywiadu Wojskowego if they didn’t like what she had to say.  Lina stood by what she had written; what she had seen.  Still, the prospect to get her career back on track was deeply emotional and despite her well-developed filters, it showed.

As the conversation progressed to the back office staff, Karolina leaned forward, taking in the information like a sponge.  For an extravert like Lina, the prospect of meet the ops and logistics staff, not to mention the team members she would be working with, was truly exciting.  This was a new opportunity to do what she enjoyed, with an international group of likeminded people.  Group Captain Mewes had barely finished speaking when Lina announced with a palpable sense of enthusiasm, ”I’m all in!"

Bannon suppresses a chuckle at your enthusiasm.  Mewes, rather more restrained, blinks once and smiles.  "Well, then.  I was afraid you'd be a hard sell.  We'll start the process in motion with your people; you can expect your orders within a week."  He withdraws a manila envelope from his flight suit and hands it across the table.  "That holds contact information for our European liaison office, should you encounter any difficulties, and dossiers on those of your new team who've committed to the operation.  We're still working a couple of late recruitment efforts but hope to put a bow on those within the week."  He stands and reaches across the table to offer you his hand again.  "Welcome to Task Force Forty-Seven, Captain."