D&A Session 9 - Children of the Sun

*"Somewhere on the Hawaiian Islands, a legacy thrives; what do generations pass up, pass down, and owe to one another?"*

## Table Members

* ForteNoir as the MC
* SquashDemon as Jacopo Giuseppe Dux
* Kixandra as Akamai Reyes
* Dimin as Oliver Moorland
* Elgar as Antonio Cervantes
* RedAngelAlnet as CINO Ketaminé

## Session Summary

The team is dispatched to the Hawaiian islands by Swallow and Cardinal on a vague search order; Almet claims to have lost a facility somewhere in the archipelago and has only just rediscovered that it existed at all. Having no meaningful data on their lost facility, Almet doesn't enforce a time limit, and Swallow provides the team with a KoBar line of credit for what could be a lengthy stay. The group sails out on a mobile flotilla carrying their custom Kodiaks, and are kept under surveillance using mobile devices. Swallow deactivates Tony's explosive collar, a transparent manipulation that Tony immediately sees through.

Upon their arrival, the team splits up to attend to their own business, with very little done in the way of actual research for several days. Knight acquires a new personal vehicle with the assistance of an old friend and mentor, Dux and CINO are nearly caught breaking into a car dealership, Ollie cases the island of Oahu, and Tony spends much of his time lounging on Waikiki Beach. Dux eventually begins scouting out the harbors on Oahu to search for additional mercenary presence, and manages to locate a camouflaged barge hauling AFs and armed guards. Tony, Knight, and CINO sneak onboard, but CINO is temporarily captured; Tony distracts everyone on the dock long enough for Knight to rescue him, but the response from the barge crew sends the trio fleeing into the ocean. Knight gets a positive ID on the employer of the barge crew, but says nothing to the others.

Out for a casual drive, Ollie is tailed in traffic. The driver's face is somewhat familiar; Dux helps him tail the driver remotely, where the vehicle stops at a remote lodge. The following day, CINO and Dux head to lodge to suss out Ollie's stalker, while Tony heads to U of H's rebuilt campus to gather intel at their geology department. In the office of the department head is the leader of the barge crew, conversing casually with Professor Kiawe. Tony manages to avoid being spotted, and is able to snoop around Kiawe's office when he steps out. Tony is tailed by an unseen presence on campus, but is able to shake his pursuer by blending in with the student body.

CINO and Dux botch their attempt to catch the stalker, who is not alone; Kelly and Fahra claim a connection to Ollie and demand to see him after subduing CINO and breaking Dux's leg. Upon arrival at their hotel, Ollie doesn't recognize either Kelly or Fahra, who implore him to join them to no avail. The following day, the team deploys to a spot off the coast of Kauai to stake out a location documented on Kiawe's maps. Blending in with an undersea tour group, Dux spots Kiawe and the barge captain deploying out towards the open ocean, where their vessel disappears into seeming nothingness.

Following Kiawe into the same space, they are enveloped by a nanomachine cloaking array that is hiding a disused facility. This facility has been the home of dozens of young children who were abandoned by Almet when the Red Army annexed Hawaii during World War IV, and have been under the care of the older members of the same super soldier program, now aged to adulthood. Kiawe, Kelly, and Fahra explain Ollie's own forgotten history with Almet's program, and that they had contracted the Chrome Road to help them escort the children to safety now that Almet was actively seeking the facility once again. Knight contacts OMER for advice and, In spite of himself and the situation, asks OMER to help the team escape from KoBar's clutches; in exchange, the team must help the adult caretakers evacuate the children from the island.

Knight takes a moment to catch up with the barge commander, who in reality is Code Name 'Highway' , the very man who taught Knight how to pilot Armor Frames. After getting all of the children below decks on the camouflaged barge, the group is intercepted in international waters by Swallow, Cardinal, and several KoBar Afs that were en route to investigate the possible loss of the team. A fierce battle ensues, during which Highway is killed protecting CINO from a vicious attack. Despite significant damage and setbacks, the team is victorious against the KoBar detachment and destroys every enemy machine.

In Southern Europe, the children and their caretakers say their goodbyes to Ollie, who feels a sense of satisfaction and purpose from the newfound knowledge that he has always had a family. Knight despairs the loss of his mentor, but has no time to mourn as OMER summons the team to Antarctica on a private charter. When they arrive, the frozen winds are parted by a massive flying fortress, the Hraesvalgr, which is the secret headquarters of the Chrome Road's innermost circle and private clandestine army. Once aboard, OMER escorts them to the heart of the fortress where the team is greeted by OMEGA, an ancient AI that guides the Road's actions in its efforts to oppose the megacorporations and halt the plans of the Aviary. OMEGA offers what information it has on the Aviary and its membership, before offering a contract to the group to stay onboard with the Road as a fireteam.