My contribution to styx Strange Aeons AAR contest.
M.O.O.S.(E). and SquirrelThe Mission played was Rescue the Innocents.
A slight modification was made to the scenario to enable the Ministry team to attempt to sneak up on the opposition.
The Cultists had two of their number acting as sentries, that would move at random each turn with a 90 degree field of vision to their front facing. (Those hoods do retrict their vision somewhat, you know?
)
A sentry could be eliminated silently if it was taken out in a single turn and if no firearms were used to do so.
If these conditions were not met,then the Cultists would be alerted immediately and could act accordingly.
...
The Commander of Active Operations, Colonel Barely-Able, had received a summons to meet with the Minister of M.O.O.S.(E)., Sir Tunly-Gay, to be briefed on the findings of one of his teams in the field.
The leader of the team, Professor Mustafa Bin Hymn, had just reported the latest machinations of the dastardly Order of the Purple-Headed Worm!
It appears that they had uncovered evidence that the recent kidnapping of Miss Chastity Inn-Dowt, daughter of the Mayor of Soggy Bottom, known as ‘Squirrel’ to her friends, had been conducted by the despicable fiends of the violet-robed cult.
The local Police had tracked them down to a Farmhouse on the outskirts of neighbouring Wrinkly Bottom and received a serious shock when they had tried to rescue her.
Not expecting resistance of the magnitude that they encountered, including coming under fire from at least one automatic weapon, the lightly armed Officers of the Law had had to retreat under fire.
It emerged that a Police officer had been killed and several others had been seriously injured in the vicious fire fight.
Upon returning to the scene, after receiving armed reinforcement, it quickly became apparent that the culprits had fled.
After a search of the property it emerged that they had been using the abandoned farmhouse as a headquarters and left behind evidence of Occult activity.
There was even a Ouija board!
The fiends!
The Ministry had been informed at once, and the nearest Team, that of the good Professor, had been dispatched immediately to the scene.
The more thorough search carried out by the Ministry operatives confirmed the theory and uncovered clues as to the likely current whereabouts of the Cult.
It appeared that the Cult had fled to an abandoned Monastery on the other side of the Bay, there to conduct an unholy rite involving the sacrifice of Miss Inn-Dowt!
Speed was of the essence!
The team immediately set to, driving the short distance to the near shore and requisitioned a rowing boat from a local fisherman, for the short trip across the bay.
As they crossed the bay, oars whispering across the surface, they could sense the forbidding presence of the monastery, which could be glimpsed through the mist as the Ministry Agents approached the shore.
Reaching the far side, having rowed as quickly and quietly as possible to the quayside, they moored their vessels alongside a launch which the Cultists had, obviously, recently abandoned.
Creeping silently onto the launch, they surveyed the immediate area.
Through the mist clinging to the shoreline, they could see the outline of the ruined monastery, and the outline of a sentry that the cultists had left behind, guarding one of the entrances to the ruins, his face illuminated by the cigarette he was busy chuffing on.
Clearly the dastardly heathens were being more careful now, following the raid on the farmhouse, and were covering their backs.
The Agents would have to be extremely careful and try to eliminate any guards first, if they wanted to sneak up on the miscreants before they sacrificed their unfortunate victim.
The team advanced stealthily forwards, attempting to take out the sentries as silently as possible.
The Professor swiftly dealt with the first with a single sweep of his ancient Saracen sword, decapitating the unfortunate soul in mid puff.
As the Professor was taking care of the first sentinel, the other two members of the team, Captain Larjen-Portly and Dr Fiennes-Toombs, dealt with the other heathen, maybe not as smoothly as the Professor, but just as effectively!
Once the removal of the watchmen had been concluded, the forces of His Majesty moved into the ruins, carefully picking their way through the fallen masonry and approaching the site of the blasphemous ritual.
As the team make their way forwards they see, ahead of them, the scene of the foul ritual about to reach its climax.
It appears that they have arrived just in the nick of time, the despicable Cult leader advancing upon his drugged and helpless victim, Chastity Inn-Dowt!
Before the diabolical hierophant can complete the verse he is chanting the Agents of the Ministry spring into action! Two of the cultists are blown off of their feet by the firepower unleashed upon them, one of them wailing on the floor, the other unmoving in a spreading pool of blood.
With one of the cultists dead, and another groaning on the ground, a Tommy-gun lying at his feet, the team rush forwards to end the fight as quickly as possible.
As the agents leapt up from their cover, the evil rapscallions pulled weapons that had been concealed beneath their robes and opened fire!
Amongst the fusillade of shotgun shells and .22 bullets cascading in their direction, Captain Larjen-Portly fell to the ground, his ample frame attracting lead like a pheasant on the moors!
The Professor and the Doc advanced over the downed form of their comrade, eager to exact revenge.
The good Doctor opened fire with both pistols, taking down the shotgun-toting maniac, whose body slumped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. In the meantime the Professor had charged forward to engage the cult leader, dispatching the groaning cultist without breaking stride.
As his leader confronted the cult leader, the Doctor checked on the condition of the Captain, confident in the sabre skills of his Turkish companion. The Captain groaned and reassured the Doctor that he had only received a flesh wound and both watched as the devout Muslim slew the mad cultist, showing an expertise with the sword that few could match.
Chastity ‘Squirrel’ Inn-Dowt was now safe in the hands of her rescuers.
I will post a version of this, in colour, on my M.O.O.S.(E) thread for those that would rather see the technicolour variant...
It is here:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=39808.255