Carrot and Stick mission

Bravo Team soldiers uncovering the Russian drones in storage.

**Carrot and Stick** is the ninth mission of the Hidden Order Saga. In an effort to learn the exact location of the Elbekian gold, Monochrome needs to find and talk to Jack Thorpe, a prominent researcher in the field who is being held captive in Sierra Leone by insurgents working with the Yaga Order. With their expansive network of contacts, the Hidden Order manage to manipulate the US Government into starting a war in the region, which would buy the Monochrome agents a window of opportunity to sneak into the country and rescue Thorpe.

## Synopsis

Previously, Monochrome had found valuable objects in a shipwreck, the *HDMS Thunderbird*, in the Siberian Tundra, which upset the Yaga Order's plans. In response, the Syndicate went into hiding, preparing for an imminent war. They also recruited Kadiev, an influential information broker, to their cause.

The primary target was Jack Thorpe, a researcher who had valuable knowledge about the location of the Elbekian gold, which was extraordinarily valuable. Thorpe, however, was protected by a guerrilla force in Sierra Leone, which complicated Monochrome's mission.

The Syndicate leveraged its power and influence to instigate a U.S. military intervention in Sierra Leone, ostensibly as a peacekeeping mission. The U.S. forces were expected to distract the guerilla forces, creating an opening for Monochrome to extract Thorpe. This plan was presented by the Syndicate as a necessary evil to achieve their goals.

### US Army

The US Army deployed several infantry and armor platoons to the region where insurgent forces had been hiding out. This mission followed Bravo Team, an army squad tasked with attacking the city from the north in a pincer movement. Their primary objectives involved destroying embedded artillery positions and clearing the north of the main city under siege, but also to secure an unknown special cargo in the center of the city.

After breaching the city and clearing through to a military storage yard, the Bravo Team soldiers discovered several shipping containers filled with Russian made armed dual-rotor combat drones. As instructed by their commander, the team activated the startup protocol for these drones, sending them flying north to an unknown location.

### Monochrome

After securing a fishing vessel from Insurgents to get through sea-patrolled areas, the Monochrome agents swam to the shore in diving gear near where Thorpe was being held captive. The team moved stealthily through a guarded canyon while the US Army offensive moved insurgent troops south towards the frontline. The agents also used Rex, their robotic companion, to gain access to and disable wide area radio networks, while also controlling the Russian drones released by the Bravo Team agents in the city.

Upon reaching Thorpe's hideout, the researcher told the agents about how The Dogfighter planned to use the Elbekian Gold to influence some kind of international conflict. He also told them that he had given the Yaga (who held him against his will) inaccurate information about where the gold was located many months ago, meaning they were still searching for it to this day. Thorpe also provided the agents with his journal which gave interesting insights into the Yaga's plans:

```
Once again, I find myself confronted by the hollow silence of this accursed confinement. My thoughts echo off the walls of this prison like a bad joke, bouncing back at me with venomous reminders of the life I once held dear.

But, today, I must not dwell on self-pity; I must record the dreadful reality that I've found myself enmeshed in. The Yaga... they've committed an atrocity so foul, it leaves an indelible blot on my soul. Maria, my beloved wife, my life's companion... she has fallen victim to the Yaga's merciless cruelty.

They wanted my research - the culmination of my lifelong pursuit. They were after the Elbekian gold - a treasure that I've tracked for decades, navigating historical records, geological charts, and ancient folklore. I refused initially, swore to protect the secrets that I had discovered at any cost. But the cost, it turned out, was Maria. I saw her life drain away in front of me - her innocent eyes questioning my failure to protect her. And in that moment, something broke within me. I gave them the information they needed. I betrayed my principles, my life's work.

But Maria's death shall not be in vain. I have manipulated the information I gave them. The real location of the gold remains a secret, hidden somewhere within the pages of this journal. I have hinted that it lies within the Caribbean archipelago, a vast region where it could be hidden anywhere. I've encrypted the exact coordinates elsewhere within these entries, waiting for someone with a discerning eye to discover.

As for their plans, I only have fragments - pieces of hushed conversations and veiled threats. The Yaga are not mere treasure hunters; they plan something far more sinister. The gold, it seems, is not an end but a means - a tool to exert influence, to stir unrest, to kindle the flames of a global conflict. The exact reasons remain shrouded, a puzzle I am yet to piece together, but the broad strokes of their plan hint at a catastrophic war.

I find myself staring at the barrel of an unknown future, with the death of my beloved Maria behind me and the uncertainty of my own fate in front of me. If these words are found, know this - the treasure of Elbekian gold is not what it seems. It is a harbinger of doom, a lure that entraps and ensnares, a power that threatens to tip the world into chaos.

I write this in the hope that someone, someday, will read these words and comprehend the gravity of the situation. It is up to you now. The key lies hidden within these pages, waiting to be discovered.

Jack Thorpe

```

## Themes

Throughout the mission, there was a clear theme of moral ambiguity, with Syndicate willing to manipulate, wage war, and commit criminal acts for their goals. The Syndicate viewed themselves as a necessary evil in a world controlled by corrupt governments, while the U.S. Army was unaware they were being used as pawns in a larger criminal scheme. The mission ended with a foreshadowing of more conflicts and challenges as the war for control over the valuable gold heated up.