NOVEL WEB Chapter 43 – The Night of The Raid
I was at an abandoned train station in the middle of the Sierra Sonora, about a half dozen miles north of the Warith camp. Surrounding me was about thirty heavily armed Aldecaldos. The low rumble of engines at idle and the click-clacking of weapons being readied accompanied the quiet chatter of this small army.
The sun had set about an hour ago, and the only illumination came from the moon and the lights on the Nomad vehicles. I could see some familiar faces. Cassidy was smoking a cigarette, looking off into the desert, probably waxing poetic about life or some shit like that. Or maybe he was coming up with a new tune.
Mitch was kneeling on top of the Basilisk, hands inside one of the engine bays tweaking with something. Scorpion was beside him, shining a flashlight on the internals so his buddy could see what he was doing. Whenever I see the behemoth that is the tank we stole from Militech, I am reminded of the fearsome firepower that the Aldecaldos now had and was reassured slightly about our chances of success.
By now, the Nomads had already modified the base Basilisk to what I remember from inside the game. Other than the autocannon on the left side, there were now also two small banks of rocket launchers on each side right behind the cockpit. Some might say that a tank was already a significant advantage, but I'll never turn down more firepower. Overkill is underrated, after all.
Besides the increase in guns, the Vets had gutted the tank and removed anything unnecessary. The engine was modified to have an afterburner, which could be turned on for a short burst before overheating. The engine alterations and lightning of the load meant that the tank's top speed was fast enough to keep up with most vehicles off-road.
Bob, Teddy, and Carol were on the tracks next to a train that was shockingly similar to the one we rammed into the Militech convoy. That was because the train was an identical model to the one we used. That's right, we were at the same station as the one we launched our attack, and we're about to use the same tactics again.
Both the station and the factory used to be owned by CORP-BUD. In order to make their business more streamlined, there were rails directly connecting the two facilities. This meant that we could use the train as another tool to break into the Wraith compound. I had forgotten that the station directly connected to the cement factory, but thankfully, a sharp Nomad scout had noticed the connections and brought it up.
Initially, I was worried that Militech would shut down all the stations after we had stolen the Basilisk and launch an investigation. If they did, we could not use the station as a launching site and the train as a weapon. But, surprisingly, we only found traces of a quick inquiry into the area. After investigating the train and the station, Militech didn't find anything useful and decided to track down the culprits was more trouble than its worth.
Knowing how the Corpos operate, the whole thing was probably written off, and some poor sod at the bottom of the totem pole got blamed for the job going sideways. Either that or a rival to whoever was in charge of the sale of the Basilisk took the opportunity and threw them under the bus. Something similar could have happened in the game to Meredith Stout, the manager in charge of the stolen Militech shipment with the Flathead drone. If you didn't help her smoke out the Maelstrom, you find her corpse at the bottom of a river, having been framed for being the leak.
Carol, Bob, and Teddy got together and turned the spare engine into a supersized explosive battering ram in a few days. They first welded on hardened steel in the front to form a metal wedge, converting the industrial-looking machine into something straight out of Mad Max. Then Carol and her team attached a car and loaded it with a small mountain of plastic explosives, turning the train into the world's largest VBIED.
The plan was for me, Panam, and the Vets to sneak in through the secret tunnel entrance, followed by the train, and finally, the Basilisk and the main force. Once the infiltration team enters and secures the basement, a drone will be sent in and confirm the location of the meeting and that all the leaders of the Shivs are there. Once we've established our target is on-site, the train will blow a hole in the Wraith's defenses. Whoever's controlling the train and detonating the explosives will have to be careful to do it before it gets into the main building. Otherwise, it might bury the infiltration team alive. Following that, the tank will blow another hole in the main entrance, and the nomads will flood through the two entry points.
Hopefully, the main force attacking will be enough of a distraction, and no one will come and help their leadership when the infiltration team decides to strike. From there, we play everything by ear. Cut the head off the snake, set its thrashing body on fire, and throw it into the dumpster. If everything goes as planned, this will permanently disable most Wraith operations in and around Night City, if not completely end it. And the Aldecaldos around me knew that.
The Nomads assembled here weren't as much as the final raid on Arasaka in the "The Sun" ending. Still, it was an impressive number of people, almost all of whom were either veterans or seasoned Nomads. Beneath the light chatter was an undercurrent of tension and anxiety. The people tried to ignore it through small talk or getting ready, but they knew how much this could mean for them and their families.
I, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. Everyone here was well prepared, and I was well prepared. Oh, and did I forget to mention we had a tank? If a similar force could take on an unaware Arasaka, I see no reason why we wouldn't just steamroll the wraiths.
Don't get me wrong, I was under no disillusion that our side would come out unscathed, but the risk was worth it. For the Aldecaldos, success meant they didn't have to work for megacorps and could be the sole player in the Badlands. For me, it meant giving me a faction I could trust and a LOT of room to operate outside the watchful eye of the government and corporations.
And honestly? I was just ready to finally settle business with the Wraiths. I didn't notice until yesterday that I was potentially biting more than I could chew. I was trying to help the Aldecaldos set up a smuggling business, upgrade the Surveyor, root out the Wraiths, and overthrow Yorinobu. I just tacked on toppling the head of the Tyger Claws as well.
After ensuring Yumi was somewhat stable, we hashed out a basic agreement. I'll help her take down the members of the Tygers that she's holding a grudge against, and she helps me keep whatever is left under a tight leash. Yumi had provided a list of her targets, ranging from small-time leaders to the top dog of all Tyger Claws in Night City. On that list were three strangely familiar names: Jun Azegami, Marcus Ichida, and Hiromi Sato.
Digging deeper, I found out why those names rang a bell. Hirmoi Sato was the Tyger responsible for running Clouds, the dollhouse that Evelyn and Judy used to work at. He was subordinate to Jun Azegami and Marcus Ichida. In the game, after the tragic death of Evelyn, Judy hatched a plan to kick the gang controlling the establishment out and hand control over to the dolls. To do this, she convinced another Clouds worker, Maiko, to set up a meeting with the higher-ups that decide who manages Clouds.
Long story short, either Maiko screws Judy and Clouds stays effectively in the Tygers' control. Or Maiko, Jun, and Marcus all die, and the Dolls take control for a bit. If you kill everyone in the meeting, the dolls run Clouds briefly before the Tygers take their revenge and smash the place up, killing many of the workers. It's another one of those Cyberpunk stories where the little guy wants more, succeeds, and then gets brutally put down. No one wins in the end, and the status quo remains effectively the same.
That specific side quest always made me sad, but maybe things could be different this time. If the person controlling the Tyger Claws was in cahoots with the ones trying to improve the worker's conditions, everything would work out much better. And it just so happens I know someone who hates the current leadership of the Tygers and is familiar with gang operations.
I haven't nailed down the exact details yet, but the basic plan is to lure Jun and Marcus out to a meeting, use them to get information on the head honcho, kill the top dog, take over the Tyger Claws, profit. It's a crazy plan, but I think we can get it done with minimal risk with the right timing and prep. While my mind was scheming how to take control of a criminal enterprise, someone sneaked behind me and wrapped their arms around my chest.
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"Hey there, what are you brooding about now?"
I turned around and saw that it was Panam.
"I don't brood."
Panam rolled her eyes exaggeratedly at me before scrunching her eyebrows and imitating me with an intense voice.
"I'm Basil. I think in silence while frowning all the time. I don't tell anyone what I think, so everyone thinks I'm angry."
Feeling indignant at what I thought was an unfair portrayal of me, I wrapped my arms around Panam before lowering them and pinching her well-padded buttocks. She yelped before looking back up at me and letting a grin spread.
"Don't start anything you can't finish."
Her smile was infectious, and I couldn't help but give her a quick kiss and smile.
"So, will you tell me what you were thinking?"
"I'm thinking about taking over the Tyger Claws."
"Really? Arasaka wasn't enough? What's going on with the Tygers? Will they start a gang war and kill everyone in the city? Why them?"
"No, nothing that serious. I guess because it'll make my life easier. Having control of a portion of the city will expand my options. That and, hopefully, it'll allow changes for the good."
"Hmmm. My knight in shining armor. But don't forget your promise about living the Nomad life after this. I'm looking forward to finally spending quality time with my beau."
Right then, a loud *honk* sounded from a large truck. We both looked at where the noise came from and saw Saul standing atop his vehicle. Panam untangled herself from me and turned to make her way toward the commotion.
"I guess it's time things are about to kick off. Come on, Basil."
I checked my gear one last time before slapping my face a few times to wake my body up and stay alert. Time to get serious.
