The Modern Dispatch 032 - Deadline

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The
Modern
Dispatch
Deadline, Inc.
By Michael Tresca
NOTE:
This article, while usable on its own, is best
used with Ronin Arts’ Modern: Mercenary Manual,
also by Michael Tresca.
“They’ll be here!” snapped Jones. He was a big
man, prone to sweating. His uniform was soaked.
“They’re on the move again,” Raines said over his
shoulder. It was mostly due to his driving that they
had survived as long as they did.
Taylor crouched over Raines’ shoulder to look
at the green view screen. Suddenly, something big
loomed into view.
“SonofaBITCH!” Raines shouted as he yanked
hard on the steering wheel.
The armored personnel carrier lurched and it felt
as if it was going to tip. Then suddenly they stopped,
hard. Taylor’s head smacked into the dashboard. He
cursed and fell backward.
Raines slammed the personnel carrier into reverse.
Taylor tumbled backward.
“Shit!” shouted Briggs as Taylor crashed into him.
The personnel carrier jerked to a stop as it hit
something else. Taylor stretched out and grabbed the
turret controls.
Raines gunned it, but the personnel carrier didn’t
move. All they could hear was the wheels whirring
in place. They were stuck.
Taylor spun the gun’s scope around. He couldn’t
see anything. Whatever the obstacles were, they
were too close for the gun to see.
THUMP.
Something big pushed up against the personnel
carrier.
THUMP.
Jones started breathing fast. “What the hell are
they doing out there?”
Raines swore vehemently. Tiny alarms were
flashing on his control panel.
“Motion sensors say we’re in the middle of three
#32
Taylor checked the periscope again. Not that it
would do him any good. The opposition, a squad
sent by Deadline, Incorporated, was spread out,
hiding behind crates that had proved impenetrable
to the main cannon. Although Taylor’s squad had
superior firepower, he had limited visibility and
mobility, a deadly combination.
They needed to get out.
Taylor’s men had seen hopeless situations before.
They knew the tide could suddenly turn in their favor.
That was the way of war.
The five of them were tired, frustrated, and getting
desperate. Executive Solutions had promised
reinforcements, but none arrived.
The computer identified a series of crouching
targets, briefly outlining them in fluorescent green in
the scope. Taylor fired.
The blast tore a hole in another shipping crate.
The crates were a double-edged sword - some were
capable of withstanding the blasts and barely moved
when hit. Others exploded with deadly results.
The Deadline soldiers stayed out of sight. Most
of them had run out of ammunition firing at their
armored personnel carrier. It was useless, there were
no lucky shots, no exposed gas tanks, not even an
eye-slit opening.
Taylor swung the turret back and forth, then put the
computer on auto-scan. He turned to face four sullen
faces.
“Where are the reinforcements,” said Bristol, his
corporal. “They should have been here by now.”
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Deadline,�Inc.
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walls,” he said grimly. “We ain’t going nowhere
Searge.”
Taylor put one finger up, silencing everyone in the
personnel carrier. The only sound was the insistent
warning from the dashboard.
There was a banging sound along the side of the
personnel carrier, near Briggs’ head. He jerked it
away involuntarily.
Then another.
Then another. A horrible cacophony surrounded
them. Jones started screaming at the top of the lungs
for them to shut up.
The banging stopped.
Then they heard the voice of the enemy over the
comm.
“This is Sergeant Trey Johnson of the 52
nd
squad,
Deadline Incorporated. We have you surrounded.
Surrender now and we’ll let you go.”
The men gave each other uncertain looks. Taylor
bit his lip.
“Maybe we should-” said Jones. Taylor shot him a
glare. He shut up.
Taylor grabbed the mic.
“This is Sergeant Brendan Taylor of Executive
Solutions,” Taylor said. “Deadline has regularly
violated the international articles of war. We reject
your offer.”
Jones shook his head a few times. He disagreed
but he wasn’t willing to say anything about it.
Raines, feeling useless in the front, began dictating
what he could see through the view screen.
“They’re moving around, going through the
crates.”
Taylor sniffed. “Looking for something to pry us
open, I bet.”
Briggs frowned. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” said Taylor.
“Is it true they killed those guys who surrendered?”
Deadline, Inc. was known for its quick, brutal
raids. They were notorious for showing no mercy.
Rumors of killing prisoners abounded. But that
rumor had been leveled at every mercenary company
since man drew breath.
Taylor would have taken it all back after the words
came out of his mouth. But it was too late for that.
“That’s what the reports said,” he said in a low
voice.
Jones was sweating even more profusely, if that
was possible.
“Maybe we should, Searge. I dunno. I got a bad
feeling about this.”
The voice was talking again over the comm.
“This is Sergeant Trey Johnson. If you do not
evacuate the vehicle immediately...we’ve fond rocket
fuel in one of these crates.”
“Awwww, SHIT,” said Briggs.
“That’s it, we gotta surrender,” said Jones.
“They’re going to roast us. Oh my god they’re gonna
burn us alive.”
Taylor could see his tactic was backfiring. He’d
turned the enemy into a horrifying boogeyman. They
all started shouting at once.
“Maybe we should-”
“They’ll fry us!”
“-the hatch and take as many down with us.”
“SHUT UP!” shouted Taylor.
They shut up. Four pairs of eyes looked to him.
“Calm down,” he said. “We are not going to leave
this vehicle.”
Bristol looked him in the eye. “I think that’s a
mistake.”
Taylor looked back. “Thank you corporal, I will
make note of your disagreement in my report.”
He turned back to the comm.
“We reject your offer,” he said again.
Taylor looked through the scope. A hand poured
something liquid on the roof of the armored
personnel carrier. Then it ignited. The strange
green flames turned into what looked like a blasting
inferno, overwhelming the view of the scope.
Taylor slapped the scope away.
“What?” Jones said, his voice cracking.
“Son of a BITCH,” Raines said.
Damn it, thought Taylor. He’d forgotten that the
driver could see what the scope saw.
“What? WHAT?” shouted Briggs.
“They’re doing it. The personnel carrier’s on fire.”
Jones was on the verge of tears.
“I say we open the hatch and blow as many of
those Deadline bastards as we can get,” said Briggs.
He patted his holster.
“We do not know that is actual rocket fuel,” Taylor
said. “This is a tactic. They can’t get in. We lose our
only advantage by going out there. We have time on
our sides. We just have to wait them out.”
The men calmed down. Some of them were
exchanging looks. Taylor started to feel like he
couldn’t turn his back on them.
The comm crackled again.
“Last chance. If you don’t surrender, we’re going
to poor this fuel down the turret.”
There was a pause.
“Then we’re going to light it. Despite what you
may have heard, Deadline respects all articles of war
and will release you unharmed.”
This time, nobody said anything. Taylor started to
worry.
“Look-” he started to say.
“I say we surrender,” said Bristol. “All in favor,
raise your hands.”
All of the men raised their hands. Except Taylor.
“Stand down!” shouted Taylor. “I am the
commanding officer of this vehicle and you will do
what I say!”
“It’s official. You WERE commanding officer,”
said Bristol.
He pulled his pistol faster than Taylor was able to
react. Taylor’s jaw went slack.
“Put this in your report, asshole.”
Taylor’s head bobbed backwards as the blaster
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sizzled a gaping hole through his face. The impact of
the blast smacked what was left of his head against
the armored interior. The body flopped to the ground,
sizzling.
Bristol looked around. He gave a nod to Briggs.
They popped open the door.
Stunned faces greeted them.
“I’m Corporal Bristol,” he said, wiping his sweaty
lip with one sleeve. “I have relieved Sergeant
Brendan of duty. We surrender.”
Unlike Executive Solutions, which acts exclusively
for monetary gain, Deadline, Inc. is on friendly terms
with most United Nations interests and First World
countries. It fills the gaps that the United Nations
peacekeeping forces cannot by providing training,
strategy, and specialized support for internal conflicts.
Deadline’s core programs include strategic
planning and project development, training in a wide
variety of combat operations (including intelligence,
special operations, and electronic warfare), direct
combat operations, humanitarian services (medical
services and disaster relief), counter terrorism,
maritime support, and insertions into hostile
environments. At least on paper, Deadline, Inc.
purports to be the good guys.
Its CEO, Henry Spitzer, knows much. Too much.
Most governments fear him, as he has done enough
black bag jobs to implicate a dozen nations if he were
ever to be captured. He’s too dangerous to kill, too
powerful to ignore. So they allow the relatively tiny
Deadline, Inc. to continue operation. Because to do
otherwise is to court disaster.
small, smash and grab contracts that are high on up
front cash and small on reimbursement. Deadline
doesn’t want any equipment or lodging financed,
but it does expect to be paid the resources it needs to
get a job done. With Deadline, there’s no haggling
– the company regularly walks away from dubious
contracts.
Unlike Executive Solutions, Deadline doesn’t have
access to every piece of available hardware. Still, its
has enough resources to get the job done.
Deadline, Inc. is a military arm of another
company that has holdings in gas, oil, and minerals.
It considers itself to be a military consultancy, and
it purports to specialize in advice and problem
resolution for legitimate governments. It is an
independent entity, but its senior officers are former
military personnel from several major nations.
Deadline, despite working in good faith, has
earned itself a bad reputation for torturing, abusing,
and otherwise violating all aspects of the Geneva
Convention. This isn’t true, although it may be true of
its CEO. If Executive Solutions can’t stop their rival
outright, they can certainly slander them. Deadline
doesn’t fight these accusations because, at least in
some cases, they are uncomfortably close to Spitzer’s
dark past.
Agenda:
A mercenary organization that acts as a
military consultancy.
Structure:
A small business.
Symbol:
A small clock with both hands at 12
o’clock with the words “Deadline, Inc.” in small print
underneath.
Most Common Allegiance(s):
Deadline, Inc.,
United Nations, First World Countries.
Requisition Limit:
(40) military.
Involving the Heroes
PCs may end up working for Deadline after
becoming disillusioned with the de facto mercenary
organization, Executive Solutions. PCs working
for Deadline will quickly become caught up in its
mysterious CEO’s machinations. What crimes did he
commit and what is he hiding? Alternately, they could
be sent by Executive Solutions to commit sabotage or
even an assassination.
Using Deadline, Inc.
Deadline, Inc. can be a cutting edge mercenary
company in a Modern campaign or a futuristic
peacekeeping task force in a Futuristic campaign.
The CEO, Henry Spitzer, is a vat-grown clone known
as a Deadliner. Deadline, Inc. uses Super-Soldiers in
the field and invests heavily in gene therapy.
As enemies, Deadline, Inc. is formidable. They
are likely to conduct clandestine raids against heroes,
attempting to avoid a major incident when achieving
their goals. They prefer to work behind the scenes,
galvanized into action only when all other measures
fail.
As employers, Deadline, Inc. employees are sworn
to secrecy. They operate in much the same fashion as
the CIA, but have a more global scope. Employees
come from all over the globe and bring their non-
traditional perspectives to the field, often surprising
Structure
Chief Executive Henry Spitzer, a former senior U.N.
peacekeeper, created Deadline in the mid-1990s. He
was their chief assassin for some time, taking out a
variety of enemies and would-be dictators that never
quite made it.
Bases of Operations
Deadline is run out of a small office somewhere
in Texas. On this ranch, troops are organized, run
training missions, and otherwise prepare for Henry’s
personal war.
Resources
Deadline’s resources are large, although not nearly
as expansive as Executive Solutions. It negotiates
Overview
Deadline was formed as a reaction to the United
Nations’ inability to effectively police the world.
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Research
Research checks represent a hero’s ability to collect
data about an organization through fact-finding
efforts like trips to the library and browsing the
Internet.
DC 1:
Deadline, Inc. is a military arm of another
company that has holdings in gas, oil, and minerals.
DC 5:
Deadline, Inc. headquarters is located on a
ranch just outside of Dallas, Texas.
DC 10:
Deadline, Inc. is on friendly terms with
most United Nations interests and First World
countries.
DC 15:
Deadline, Inc. fills the gaps that the United
Nations peacekeeping forces cannot by providing
training, strategy, and specialized support for internal
conflicts.
DC 20:
Deadline’s core programs include strategic
planning and project development, training in a wide
variety of combat operations (including intelligence,
special operations, and electronic warfare), direct
combat operations, humanitarian services (medical
services and disaster relief), counter terrorism,
maritime support, and insertions into hostile
environments.
DC 25:
Deadline, Inc.’s CEO is actually Henry
Spitzer, a former U.N. peacekeeper.
DC 30:
Deadline, Inc. has been involved in every
major conflict around the globe since 2001.
rival mercenary companies with traditional agents.
As rivals, Deadline, Inc. mercenaries struggle to be
seen fairly and equitably, when they are recognized at
all. Unfortunately, Executive Solutions has performed
a very successful slander campaign in the press,
which has diminished Deadline’s support in the
public arena.
has seen far too much. Deadline acts in what appears
to be the UN’s best interests only because Spitzer
wishes it.
Spitzer is ancient. Rumor has it that a majority
of his body parts have been regrown and replaced.
Despite his war wounds, he is a chain smoker. He
prefers to sit behind the scenes, far too cautious to
reveal himself. Executive Solutions loathes Henry
and would very much like to see him disappear from
the mercenary scene…permanently.
Henry Spitzer (Dedicated Hero 7/Helix Warrior
7):
CR 14; Medium-size humanoid; HD 7d6+21
plus 7d10+21; HP 106; Mas 17; Init +3; Spd 30 ft;
Defense 19, touch 19, flatfooted 18 (+0 size, +1 Dex,
+8 class); BAB +12; Grap +14; Atk +14 melee or
+13 ranged; FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ Deadliner
(hibernate, sleepless); AL none; SV Fort +11, Ref +5,
Will +12; AP 7; Rep +8; Str 15, Dex 13, Con 17, Int
12, Wis 11, Cha 16.
Occupation:
Military (bonus class skills: Hide,
Move Silently).
Skills:
Balance +2, Bluff +6, Climb +3, Computer
Use +2, Craft (chemical) +2, Craft (electronic) +2,
Craft (mechanical) +2, Craft (pharmaceutical) +3,
Craft (structural) +2, Decipher Script +2, Demolitions
+2, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device +5, Disguise
+6, Drive +2, Escape Artist +2, Forgery +2, Gather
Information +4, Hide +3, Intimidate +4, Investigate
+3, Jump +3, Knowledge (Civics) +3, Knowledge
(Tactics) +5, Listen +4, Move Silently +3, Navigate
+2, Pilot +2, Read/Write Language +2, Search
+2, Sense Motive +1, Sleight of Hand +2, Speak
Language +1, Spot +6, Survival +4, Swim +6, Treat
Injury +2, Tumble +5.
Feats:
Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Alertness,
Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Deceptive, Defensive
Martial Arts, Elusive Target, Endurance, Iron Will,
Leadership, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Renown.
Talents (Dedicated Hero):
Skill Emphasis
(Disable Device), Aware, Cool Under Pressure, Faith.
Learning About Deadline, Inc.
The heroes can gather information about Deadline,
Inc. through the use of the Knowledge (current
events) or Research skills. The charts below
represent the amount of detail a hero can collect by
using each skill.
Knowledge (Current Events)
Deadline, Inc. makes no secret of their activities and
enjoys their infamy. The popular press points to them
as the worst kind of mercenaries, literally “Dogs of
War.”
DC 1:
Deadline was formed as a reaction to the
United Nations’ inability to effectively police the
world.
DC 5:
Deadline, Inc. is a military arm of another
company that has holdings in gas, oil, and minerals.
DC 10:
Although Deadline, Inc. is an independent
entity, but its senior officers are former military
personnel from several major nations.
DC 15:
Deadline, Inc. has earned itself a bad
reputation for torturing, abusing, and otherwise
violating all aspects of the Geneva Convention.
DC 20:
Deadline, Inc. negotiates small, smash
and grab contracts that are high on up front cash and
small on reimbursement.
DC 25:
The allegations about Deadline, Inc.’s
violations of the Geneva Convention are untrue—lies
perpetrated by their competitor, Executive Solutions.
DC 30:
Deadline, Inc.’s CEO Henry Spitzer was
a notorious “black bag” operative who committed
several assassinations on behalf of the U.N.
Members
A typical attack squad consists of the following:
1 demolition expert (smart hero), 1 infiltration
specialist (fast hero/soldier), 4 grunts (strong hero),
1 physician (smart hero/field medic), 1 tech (smart
hero/techie), 1 transport specialist or pilot (fast hero),
1 corporal (charismatic hero/soldier)
Spitzer speaks in a raspy, raw voice that is husky
from decades of smoking. He always dresses in
suits that never seem to fit him quite right, and his
hangdog expression and watery eyes belie a man who
Deadline,�Inc.
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Talents (Helix Warrior):
Haul, Light Sleeper,
Survivor, Darkvision (60 ft.), Strong As An Ox,
Superior Conditioning, Darkvision (90 ft.), Improved
Reaction.
activates and becomes a permanent special quality
of the soldier. A short-term treatment automatically
takes effect in 1d4 minutes and lasts for 1d3 hours.
At the end of that time, the character reverts to his
normal state, is fatigued, and suffers 4 points of
Constitution damage. A successful Fortitude saving
throw (DC 15) reduces this to only 2 points of
Constitution damage.
To create more drastic changes, the soldier must
undergo several gene therapy treatments, each one
requiring a separate set of Fortitude saving throws.
prematurely.
Sleepless (Ex):
The Deadliner does not suffer the
detrimental effects of sleep deprivation. Once per
day, the Deadliner can spend 10 minutes meditating
and receive all the benefits of a full 8 hours of sleep.
However, Deadliners cannot go indefinitely without
sleep. Once every 30 days, the character must get
2 full days of uninterrupted sleep or hibernation.
Failure to do so makes the Deadliner fatigued.
Saving Throws:
A Deadliner gains a +2 species
bonus on all Will saving throws.
Advancement:
By character class.
Deadline, Inc. Genetic Therapy
Deadline, Inc. scientists discovered how to not
only replace abnormal or defective genes, but also
safely improve on otherwise healthy genes. Even
more importantly, they discovered ways to create
retroviruses that target all of an organism’s cells,
thus allowing them to change various aspects of a
creature.
Genetic manipulation can endow a creature with
any special quality. In general, discovering the
effects of performing a specific genetic modification,
requires 3d10 days and a successful Research check.
The DC for this check should be no lower than 20
and can be as high as the GM prefers. Scientific
research is painstaking and even experiments based
on solid theories must often be attempted several
times before providing a conclusive result.
Once the therapy begins, the soldier must make
a Fortitude saving throw (DC varies) once per day
until such time as he achieves a specific number of
successes linked to the genetic modification being
attempted (at which point he permanently gains that
special quality). Every time a save fails, the soldier
suffers 2 points of Constitution damage.
Deadliner (Template)
“Deadliner” is an acquired template that can be added
to any humanoid that is employed by Deadline, Inc.
(referred to hereafter as the character). It uses all the
character’s statistics and special abilities except as
noted here.
The Deadliner template allows the character to
go for long periods without sleep and still function
normally. It also allows the character to enter into
a sleeplike trance that lasts for many days without
suffering the effects of dehydration or starvation.
A character acquires the Deadliner template by
undergoing a course of gene therapy (above). The
regimen requires 25 successful Fortitude saving
throws (DC 20).
Special Qualities:
A Deadliner retains all the
special qualities of the character and gains the
additional special qualities listed below.
Hibernate (Ex):
A Deadliner can enter into a
sleeplike state that lasts for an extended period.
While in this state, the Deadliner does not suffer
the effects of dehydration or starvation. Hibernation
can last up to a number of days equal to twice the
character’s Constitution. The Deadliner decides how
long the hibernation will last before entering into
the sleeplike state. If outside forces disturb or try to
awaken the character, the Deadliner must succeed at
a Will saving throw (DC 15) to end the hibernation
Deadline, Inc. Super-Soldier
While Executive Solutions has chosen to invest in
cybernetic technologies, Deadline, Inc. prefers a
more natural route. They success of their Deadliner
gene therapy has been coupled with an advanced
training program dedicated to maximizing each
soldier’s superior physical abilities. The results are
truly frightening.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Super-Soldier, a character
must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus:
+3.
Skill:
Knowledge (tactics) 3 ranks.
Template:
Deadliner.
Class Information
The following information pertains to the Super-
Soldier advanced class.
Hit Die:
The Super-Soldier gains 1d10 hit points
per level. The character’s Constitution modifier
applies.
Action Points:
The Super-Soldier gains a number
of action points equal to 6 + one-half her character
level, rounded down, every time she attains a new
level in this class.
Class Skills:
The Super-Soldier’s class skills are as
Number of
Successes
Type of Special Quality Fort Save DC
+1 to one ability score
15
10
Extraordinary ability (Ex)
15
15
Supernatural ability (Su)
20
25
Spell-like ability (Sp)
20
50
During therapy, the ability remains latent, so
the soldier receives no benefits from the intended
manipulation. Immediately upon completing the
required number of Fortitude saves, the ability
Deadline,�Inc.
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