Joint Task Force Special Operations- Welcome and chat

[welsh]

Hey Folks-
I hope to post this weekend, once I get a head on some grading and finish an exam. Here is a question on the exam that reveals I am thinking about you guys-

"The State of Harduk enters into a scientific agreement with the State of Mack to utilize Mack's space center, located on a remote tropical island of the South Pacific. Mack plans to send a crew of astronauts to a passing comet that soars past the earth only once every 100,000 years and is due to burn up into the sun and promises to share its scientific discoveries with Mack.

Everything is set to go when disaster strikes. Out of the water a giant monster arises. It is Cthulhu, the Great Old One, awaken from its death-like sleep and howling to the stars! Mack quickly tries to evacuate who ever it can, it cancels the space flight in order to rescue whoever it can, before the island is destroyed. While Mack is able to rescue a handful of people, everyone who does not escape the island and sees the creature is driven into a state of madness and begins to chant " Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!" while the giant sea monster consumes the spacecraft, the space center, and everyone it can grasp in its tentacles. Having consumed all it can, the creature emits the deep rumble of a satisfied digestive burp for its recent snack, and then returns to the deep to continue its eons-long slumber beneath the waves. As it settles into the ocean floor, it causes a seismic quake that triggers to a massive volcanic blast that splits the island and sinks the ruined island and space center to the ocean floor. Above the earth, the comet soars past the earth before it burns up in the sun, it strange secrets lost forever.

Harduk sues Mack for the lost space craft and crew, as well as any losses due to the opportunity to visit the comet arising out of Mack's failure to provide the agreed upon services of the space center. "

[Philulhu]

What exam is that?

[Mr. Handy]

Thanks you. There's no rush on posting, as I still haven't posted myself. If I don't get it done tonight, I should be able to tomorrow.

What you wrote above is cool, but it's not actually a question.

[welsh]

Hey folks-

Actually its a fact pattern for my international law question- the question really is about defenses to a failure to perform an international treaty and the different potential defenses that can be raised. But one of the issues is "Act of God" and so... hmm... what if that god happens to be Cthulhu?

[Philulhu]

In which case, I expect any insurance you took out to be very much null & void...

[Snapper]

A) Won't be able to post for about another 2 days as busy beaver.

B) Love it. The Act of Great Old One insurance clause / defence!

Did I mention I was watching the movie "Underwater" a few weeks back (killing time on a night shift) and suddenly was going, hang on, are those Spawn of Cthulhu eating the deep sea underwater mining complex? And then, wait, is that ...

(It also has the lass from Twilight running about in bathers.)

[Snapper]

OK, I'm back!

[welsh]

Hey Gents-

Quick message to apologize for not posting in ages. If its any relief, I am behind in grading and letters of recommendation as well, so I am buried. Good news is that there is relief in sight. Our semester ends early this year (before Thanksgiving). I do plan to post, but it's been awfully slow. After Thanksgiving I have about 7 weeks of relative easing. I hope to post more between then, probably tomorrow evening as we watch the polls close in the US election.

Couple quick thoughts. Our time is basically split into two different types of investigators- lab type researchers (an forensic pathologist, a environmental lab fellow, and a tech/financial analyst) and then three door breakers (an FBI, DEA, ICE). There is a lot of evidence for our lab types to get their teeth into. The bodily injuries and especially the children found in the car, the strange red dust and soil samples might offer some clues not yet uncovered, and then a deeper dive into property and personnel records of Saudi purchases and perhaps the tracking the movement of containers through that Saudi shipping company- these might all offer useful clues. Likewise, we have some hard leads for the door busters- a Christian church that might not be all it promises to be, the culprits behind the fire are probably near and hiding in some derelict building or vehicle, and there is a meth lab in the area, the container with connections to terrorist networks, and let's not forget some crooked cops among the local PD. It will take some time to dig out that live body beneath the rubble, so you can make some progress with regard to your next moves in the interim.

[welsh]

Dear Players- Just a quick message and apologies for the long silence. Good news is that the semester is almost wrapped up. I have to get grades in next Monday and hope to start posting again soon and hopefully we can wrap up this episode sometime by early January. I also suspect next semester will not be nearly as oppressive so I should be able to see us through wrapping this up and perhaps, if you are willing, starting further adventures.

[welsh]

Hey Folks-

I am relatively free for the next 4 weeks or so and am hoping to post up to 3-4 a week to keep us moving along. But it might be worth summing up where we are in the game.

Some setting- We are in late March 2021 in a world in which the Pandemic has mutated and evolved. We can assume the vaccines are not working and that President Trump still runs the US, raising all sorts of issues as to whether the US is transitioning from a democracy to hybrid government.

Our band of investigators are exploring the explosion of a building linked to government of Saudi Arabia and a Muslim organization. Currently the feds are keeping hands off this one and leaving this to the police, but evidence is growing that the federal government will eventually have to take jurisdiction over this case. The US government hasn't yet because it's not sure it wants to cultivate the attention or any alarm. Race riots and gang violence in other parts of the NYC- mostly in the Bronx. Federal resources are a bit stretched thin so the federal government is trying to leave little real foot print in the case.

The explosion has taken place in a neighborhood called "The Hole" a lost neighborhood between two relatively busy secondary roads between Brooklyn and Queens. Generally populated by abandoned trucks and houses in relative state of decay, the neighborhood has often received little police presence and is something of a "wild west" by tradition, somewhat overseen by an NGO of black cowboys who regularly walk their horses through the neighborhood. The neighborhood is the lowest part in Brooklyn, lacks proper functioning sewers and is frequently flooded. Recent rains have led to some local flooding and might have helped damper any fires related to the recent explosion. Recently the are has seen an increase in people due to the economic declines and the virus spreading. Most of the people are homeless vagrants passing through, and the local property owners are a bit suspicious.

The property was apparently paid for by the Saudi government and has its own odd history. The Saudi's passed the property over to a religious organization, that sought to convert locals to Islam. In past years there has been some rivalry between a Muslim religious center and a local African Zionist Church over converting people that escalated into some hostility. The leader of the Muslim Center moved out and the property changed hands with some new occupants, who have withdrawn and have stopped trying to convert locals and have become significantly more withdrawn. Reports have also spread about missing people around the Hole, mostly of the passing vagrants, who have largely gone unnoticed. Again, historically there has been little police presence.

The building exploded fairly early in the morning. Evidence suggest that prior to the explosion it had been lit afire by local teenagers, at least one of whom was grievously burnt in the process and later died and some of the others might have been injured and are hiding out somewhere in The Hole. The building itself seemed to have been fortified, almost like some kind of bunker, such that when the building exploded, the roof essentially lifted up and then collapsed upon the basement. Those living in the upper part of the building seemed to have been killed in the collapse of the building, while those on the lower parts of the building seemed to have been virtually torn apart. A number of people have been found of different ethnicities and races, as have weapons, ammunition crates, and ammunition. Three vehicles were at the house when it exploded, all damaged, a taxi cab, a expensive sedan and a van. Ammo crates and shells were found inside the van. Bags of what appears to be the body parts of children were found in the sedan, perhaps linked to other body parts that have washed up on shores of local beaches.

The explosion also caused significant damage around the house, knocking over trucks and causing injury to local vagrants sleeping in nearby structures and vehicles. Most have already been taken to a hospital.

One container knocked aside is locked up and seems to have moved through a Saudi Arabian Import/Export firm called Red Wind, that has ties to terrorist networks, illegal criminal networks and various armed conflicts.

Police investigating the site have been combing through the wreckage looking for weapons, bodies and evidence. Sniffer dogs have revealed the presence of at least one survivor beneath the building and rescue workers are trying to dig the body out.

Among the various leads-
(1) The mysterious red dust seems virtually everywhere. This dust appears to have been kicked up by the explosion and is descending on the explosion site. It may be possible to trace this dust through some kind of a chemical or content analysis.
(2) The dead in the house can be identified further and a full examination of the body parts from the car seems warranted.
(3) The survivor in the basement remains to be recovered- but there is little to be done there that isn't at the moment.
(4) Those who started fire are still at large in the Hole. There is reason to believe it might be connected to a local methamphetamines network run by local organized crime types.
(5) The African Zionist Church remains worth looking into as the underlying cause may have something to do with competition over local converts.
(6) The Container from Red Wind remains locked, its contents unknown. A warrant is being sought.
(7) The Saudi connection has yet to be fully explored.

[Snapper]

Team,

We might do better if we just focused on a few of the various leads we have. We can circle back to other leads later. And now we have the CIA adding to the melee.

I'm biased but obviously Gonzales is keen to follow this church that may be at war with the Islamic centre, and Conroy has powder etc to follow up.

Conroy can probably operate solo but Gonzales would definitely need back up.

What would the rest of you like to follow up on first? I have no problem with anyone suggesting something they think is a higher priority than my plans.

[Mr. Handy]

Lee Shaftoe can follow up on what ICE has on the various foreign nationals. Miranda Waterhouse would like to find out what's inside that sealed container, once the warrant comes back.

[Snapper]

Both sound like good plans. I wonder what the time frame of getting the warrant is?

[welsh]

Hey Snapper- Holding back to let you ask Kromkowski the CIA guy some further questions. I'll edit the the post to address the warrant for the container.

[welsh]

Hey Folks-

I've picked up the pace a bit as things are getting a bit "tasty" but let me know if the pace is going a bit too quickly.

[Philulhu]

It’s fine for me.

[Snapper]

All good!

[Mr. Handy]

I was okay with it up until about a week ago, but I was off from work for a week. Now that I'm working full time during the week again, I may not have time to read lengthy posts and reply to them until the weekend.

[welsh]

Hey Folks-

Just wanted to shoot a quick message. Buried in grading (it's end of term) so its papers, exams, more papers- until grades are in. But there is light at the end of the tunnel so I hope to post soon.
best
welsh

[Snapper]

All good Mate, happy to wait if you're happy to keep going.