Tailwind Mission

Monochrome agents inside Astra facility.

**Tailwind** is the seventh mission of the Hidden Order Saga (second mission in Act 2). After learning that their attackers from the Las Vegas shootout, a company called Astra, had been out of business in the US since the 1990s, team Monochrome go onto the offensive. The team conduct a direct assault on the Astra facilities located on an island in the Arabian Sea, Kiros Islands.

Sally Verduzco is killed in this mission.

## Synopsis

### Background

In the gritty world of Monochrome, violence trailed the agents like a sinister shadow. The brutal death of Aurelio De Luca had sent shockwaves through their organization, his once-thriving dealership now a smoldering ruin after an attack by mysterious assailants.

As the Monochrome agents struggled to process the chaos that had ensued, they found themselves unable to contact Marshal Fischer. Rumors swirled that he had been neck-deep in damage control, attempting to salvage the team's reputation after a high-profile client had met an untimely end, right under the watchful eyes of his elite Knights. This turn of events had cast a dark cloud over the team, as they scrambled to uncover the truth and restore their once-untarnished image.

The team had sent the gold sample they obtained from the police station to a trusted partner of the Order for analysis. The results they received were nothing short of astonishing. That sample was not just ordinary gold; it was a fragment of Elbekian gold—a highly rare and limited material linked to the ancient Elbek people who had once possessed it during their time on Earth.

With this newfound knowledge, Marshal Kirsch authorized Monochrome to track down the assailants who attacked them in the Astra vans. They mobilized the vast resources of the Order's informant network, and before the week's end, Monochrome had a location.

The Kiros Islands, an intriguing yet unstable region, had been afflicted by violence, natural disasters, and foreign occupation for a significant portion of the last half-century. The resulting chaos led to a nearly lawless state, making it extremely difficult to control underhanded business activities. This was where Astra set up base, and it was where Monochrome would attack next.

### Town Ambush

Upon reaching the island, the Monochrome team stayed in a hideout while Sally Verduzco infiltrated the town to scout the best route to the Astra facilities. In the meantime, they commandeered two insurgent vehicles and planted a bug on an enemy radio tower for future use. Astra had employed local militias to enforce their will on civilians and keep unwanted attention at bay.

The team located Sally's hideout and found her interrogating two insurgent captives. She informed them that they needed to clear a nearby block of insurgents to draw out an Astra official overseeing the operation. As they prepared their assault, two agents neutralized guards outside a shack and discovered Rex, a small robot left behind by its inventor, Roger, who had been arrested. They took Rex and his source code, ready to launch their ambush.

Navigating the town's narrow alleyways, the team cleared the area with sniper support from a nearby apartment. They captured an Astra employee, who divulged information about three research facilities. Taking pity on him, an agent gave him money to escape and start anew.

### Facility Clearing

The first facility housed Astra vans like those used in the Las Vegas attack. They found a transport manifest revealing a small sample of Elbekian Gold in transit, secured in an advanced case. The team split up, with Sally investigating an empty storage facility while the rest stormed a heavily guarded compound.

After clearing the second facility, the team discovered a research paper explaining that the gold's electromagnetic field could affect human brainwaves and influence thoughts. Sally sent a distress signal from her location, where she found the gruesome remains of Astra's human test subjects, likely forced to fight each other under the gold's influence.

### Escape

Dante sent Monochrome agents to assist Sally, but the facility exploded before they arrived, killing her instantly. With no time to react, the team retreated to a fallback point as they learned that enemy reinforcements were en route. Dante secured a helicopter extraction from a local port. Under heavy fire, Rex the Robot reappeared with a shotgun attachment, providing cover as the team reached the helicopter and escaped the conflict zone.