THE TERROR OF OYSTER BAY

London. 1st March. 1937.

A phone rings in a busy office and a young woman reaches across the desk to answer it.
“London Office. Extension 99.”
“This is Travis speaking. Emergency code seven.”
The girl bites her lip and reaches for a small black book. She cradles the telephone receiver against her shoulder and thumbs through the pages.
“Mother Goose is on the mere” she reads.
“The water is deep and dark” the voice replies. “Put me through to M”

Sir Hugh Sinclair listens to the voice on the telephone, but does not speak. Even when he has heard the disturbing message he simply replaces the receiver and sits for several long minutes in silence. Finally, he reaches down into a drawer and produces a manila folder and a bottle of whiskey. Pouring himself a modest glass, he opens the folder and quickly reads for a few minutes. Then, having drained his drink he walks across the room to regard a large map of the Caribbean which is spread across a wall. His eyes follow the outline of Florida and then he picks out a small red thumb tack from a tray and stabs it gently into Oyster Bay. He regards the map for a moment then returns to his desk. He presses the button on his intercom.
“Miss Parker. Connect me to Meteor.”

At RAF Brookehurst, it is a grey and rainy day and the aerodrome is quiet. Only a few aircraft stand dismally in the drizzle, their cockpits and engine cowlings covered with tarpaulins. Each of the line of hangers is closed, except for the last where several officers stand around a Hawker Hurricane watching as its engine is delicately removed. An orderly approaches the group and passes a slip of paper to the only man not in uniform. He reads the message then quickly makes his way to a small office where a telephone lays waiting.
“Mansfield” he says.
“Daniel. We have a problem” the serious tone in Sir Hugh’s voice is unmistakable.
“Go ahead sir”
“Do you remember Wokinghouse? He worked with you at Meteor for a while.”
“Yes. Professor Summer’s old colleague. I remember him.”
“He’s just gone missing over Florida”
“Over Florida Sir?”
“He was headed for New Orleans on an American Airlines flight, but the plane went missing over the Everglades. The last radio check put them some where over Oyster Bay. The Americans are already looking for the wreck, but I’m sending you over to search independently. Something strange is going on and I don’t trust the Americans”
Mansfield frowns. “Strange Sir? How so?”
“Wokinghouse had recently been approached by a third party whom we have been keeping an eye on. Have you by any chance heard tell of the Alligator Cult?”
“Never.”
“They are a small group who follow a very obscure religion. They appear to worship an alligator deity and are mostly found in Southern Florida. We became aware of them when we uncovered the South American connection to the Brotherhood of the Black Cross...”
“Moros!”
“Moros was connected also, but in a different direction. No, the Alligator Cult appear to be a seperate organisation altogether. They were mentioned in some of the papers we recovered, mostly as the recipients of payments made by one of the front companies which served the Brotherhood’s interests. We were never able to uncover what the Alligator Cult were doing in return for the money they were receiving, but when Wokinghouse became the object of their interests, we sent an agent to investigate. Unfortunately, Wokinghouse and the aircraft he was on, went missing before our man could get to him so I’m sending you and your crew to investigate.”
“What of this agent? Do we rendezvous with him?”
“No. He is too valuable to expose by direct contact. Thats your job. I want you to find Wokinghouse if by some chance he should still be alive, but more importantly I want you to find and destroy what ever operation the Alligator Cult are running for Baron Schöenberg.”
“Very good Sir. I’ll assemble my men at once.”

In his London office, Sinclair nods to himself. “Thank you Daniel. We’ll have a flying boat ready for you at Southampton from 0700 hours, and I’ll wire the particulars to you there.”
He listens to the reply then turns to the man oppoiste him as he puts down the telephone receiver.
“What is on your mind?” he askes the other man.
“You didn’t mention the Kingpin. Mansfield mustn’t be left in the dark”
“Don’t worry. I shall include a full briefing” Sinclair replies. The other man narrows his eyes slightly.
“...and will you tell Mansfield what happened to Carter?”
Sinclair opens the manila folder which lays on his desk. He glances at the conclusion, running his eyes across the words, ‘ritually disembowelled’.
“Yes, but I think perhaps we’ll gloss over some of the more disturbing details...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Azores. 2nd March.
“Wake Mitchell up” Mansfield shouts as he enters the cluttered cabin. George Macarthur opens a heavy eye and peers across at the snoring Texan.
“With pleasure” he says. “I’ve never known any one who could snore louder than the drone of a four engined aircraft!”
Daniel Mansfield regards the men assembled in the cabin. Several are old friends, proven trust worthy, others are new companions. He waits until Mitchell is awake and has taken a long pull from a hip flask before holding up a telegram.
“Okay chaps, here’s the juice, but first let me introduce our recent arrivals...”
Mitchell glances over his shoulder in surprise.
“God damn, did I sleep past the Azores?”
Mansfield smiles and nods then turns his attention to a pair of large ginger haired men.
“Most of you know Hamish and Dougal, they’ve been attached to Meteor by HQ. Their job will be to provide some extra muscle, and they’ve been issued with similar equipment to me, though without the rockets of course.”
The two taciturn Scots acknowledge this introduction with the barest of nods and all eyes now turned to the large dark haired man seated across the aisle from Marcel Messnier.
“Ben Campbell is our tracker. He’s from Canada so he’s used to working far from civilisation!”
“I’m also pretty handy with my automatics!” Ben quips as a ripple of laughter passes through the assembled men.
“Quite so” Mansfield replies, “and they’ll come in handy no doubt! Next along we have my old pal from the RAF, Arthur Spencer and beside him Mister Smith from the Ministry. Mister Smith is an expert on explosives, special weapons and demolitions I believe...”
Smith closes both eyes and nods.
“What about the dame?” Mitchell interupts, and all now turn to regard a slender blonde woman who is seated by the door to the cockpit.
“Surely Joe you remember Vesper!?”
Mitchell looks confused for a moment then grins. “Hell, you mean the girl from Wangai’s ship!”
“The very same”
“But weren’t there two of them? Wheres the other one?”
Vesper turns to regard her fellow passengers. For a moment her eyes rest upon each in turn before she finally reaches to Daniel Mansfield. She smiles sardonically and raises an eye brow.
“Vesper has agreed to accompany us whilst her sister is... on holiday” Daniel explains.
The men glance at each other, unsure what exactly this means. Mitchell shrugs and looks to his friend.
“So spill the beans Danny boy, whats the game?”
Mansfield grins. “Nothing dull I assure you. We’re headed for Florida to tackle a dastardly crew of mad cultists who have snatched Professor Wokinghouse!”
George gasps but Mitchell looks blank. “Professor who?”
“Wokinghouse” Daniel explains. “He was with us in the early days of Project Meteor, and after old man Summers I’d say he was the best man in rocketry we have.”
“He could probably give Professor Summers a run for his money too” George adds. “Whats this cult you mentioned?”
“The Cult of the Alligator. Ever hear of them Joe?”
Mitchell sticks out his lower lip and shakes his head.
“According to MI6 they’re a small outfit, gathered around a mysterious leader who goes by the name of the Kingpin. In the past they’re known to have had connections with the Brotherhood of the Black Cross, but the nature of the relationship is obscure. The Alligator Cult were supplying something to the Brotherhood in return for considerable payments, but we don’t yet know what. Our mission is to go in, find Wokinghouse if we can, but even if we can’t, we’re to destroy the cult once and for all.
“Excuse me Daniel” Marcel Messnier speaks up, “but are you suggesting we kill them? On American soil? Won’t that make the Americans angry?”
“Not this American!” Mitchell laughs.
“We must take all the necessary precautions to avoid a diplomatic scandal with the United States, but the Alligator Cult, which I understand will not be missed by Washington, is to be eliminated.”
“Will we have any local help?” George asks.
“Not this time I’m afraid. The Americans would never assist us if they knew what we were going to do, but rest assured gentlemen... and lady, the Alligator Cult has been declared an enemy of the British Crown and this is a legal operation as sanctioned by His Majesty’s Laws of Secret Warfare.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter One

Oyster Bay 3rd March. 1937.

The sun sets slowly, setting the sky a-fire over the Florida swamp lands and from the sodden mud flats comes the croaking bark of the alligators and the constant drone of insects. Soon darkness reigns over the bay, and lights begin to show from the small settlement which is the only human habitation for miles around. Several figures congregate around a large fishing boat which is moored to an old rotting jetty. Three struggling figures in muddy clothes, two men and a woman, are pulled from the cabin and then dragged ashore, their protests sounding thin and desperate in the warm air. “Help!” one cries in vain to the people standing on the shore, “Some one for God’s sake help us!”.
A figure in cowled robes approaches from a building and the struggling trio pull away when they see what the new comer is carrying. It is a human head! The woman screams and faints.
“My God!” one man cries in fear. “Its the pilot!”.
“You’ll pay for this you fiends!” the other shouts.
“AG-LATA!” the robed man shouts.
“Ag-lata...” the onlookers begin to chant; “Ag-lata... Ag-lata..”
“Oh my God!” the first man cries out again as several more cowled figures, All bearing weapons, emerge from the buildings to stand on either side of their leader.
“YOU!” the man holding the severed head shouts. “YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO DIE FOR AG-LATA!”
“Your all mad!” the first man shouts back at them. He struggles against his captors but they hold him easily. Suddenly there is an awful silence as another cowled figure emerges from a door way. Both men stare in horror as they realise this figure is wearing a flame thrower.
“No!” the first man cries as the terrifying weapon is carried closer. “You can’t do this!”
“YOU WILL BURN IN AL-GATA’S PURIFYING FIRE!” Laughs the leader of the cowled men...

“Not if I can help it!” Rocketman mutters as he raises his submachine gun

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PLAYER ONE: OLEG

Rocketman. Ben Campbell. Dougal. Hamish. Vesper. (Hostages if freed)

PLAYER TWO: PALLE

‘Mad Dog’ Mitchell. George Macarthur. Marcel Messnier. Arthur Spencer. Mr Smith.

PLAYER THREE: GOEG

Cultist leader. 5 x Cultists with small arms. Cultist with flame thrower. 2 x Armoured cultists.

PLAYER FOUR: JAN

The Scrap Yard Merchant. 7 x Strange civilians. Fishing boat skipper.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starting

The game for players one and two begins at the point where the prisoners are being taken from the boat. Starting from across the road, players one and two have four ‘free rounds’ to sneak closer to the cultists. In order to do this, players one and two must move, stealthed and undetected by the cultists and local civilians. For the first four rounds, the consequence of being detected (faiig a stealth vs perception roll) is a loss of movement. In other words, the detected element remains hidden, but may not move.

Players three and four start with all their elements in the western half of the table. Player three may position his armoured cultists as sentries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Map

The roads are Good. Every where else on the table top is Rough, except in the Scrap Yard, and in the building interiors which are Difficult. The water is Impassable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victory conditions

Either side wins automatically by defeating two thirds of the opposing side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special rules

Rocketman has two Hero Points in this game.

Any element attempting stealthed movement inside the scrap yard is hampered by all the junk lying around and suffers a -1 penalty.

Piles of junk and old cars give a +2 advantage against enemy fire. Wooden balconies, fences (its old wood) give +1, as does the sides of the fishing boat.

The two buildings closest to the road are houses, the southern of the two being older and in poor condition. It also has a small workshop to the west of the main building. Next along the cul-de-sac is a commecial building of some kind, possibly a decaying storage facility. Across from it is a storage shed for the fishing boat, and standing on the water, next to the jetty, is an abandoned house.

The fishing boat is moored, but has its engine still running.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conclusion

This game was played on Wednesday 19th October. 2011.
Players were Jan, Oleg and Palle.


The game began with Rocketman and his companions in the trees on the east side of the main road watching as events unfurled. Oleg played Rocketman and Palle played Mitchell’s team. As the cultists began their monotonous chanting, the British agents began to move closer under the cover of darkness. Only Rocketman, encumbered by his heavy rockets was unable to successfully sneak into an advantageous position. Mitchell and Messnier moved quickly into the first house which they found lit by electric light though empty. A wireless was playing music. Dougal, Hamish, Ben Campbell and Vesper moved closer to the second house then around it. The two dour Scots took up firing positions to the front of the building, whilst Ben Campbell broke in through the front door. Vesper made her way around the back.

Mitchell and his team were soon in position to provide covering fire, and as the cultist with the flame thrower stepped forward, Mr Smith set up his suitcase mortar. ”You will burn in Al-Gata’s purifying fire!” screamed the cultist leader, upon which, the British agents opened fire. This opening salvo proved to be very efficient, as both opposing player’s generals were subsequently eliminated. (I don’t think we’ve ever seen that before! Since Goeg was ill and had had to bail, Jan was running all the cultists). The cultists were quite slow to react when the first mortar round went off in their midst, but they began to move to cover, and apparently forgot all about their hostages.


As both sides began firing at each other, Ben Johnson entered the ground floor of the second house where he found an unusual machine humming gently to itself. At first he wasn’t sure of what it was, but then as he drew nearer he saw it had a plaque on the front, with German writing, and gauges showing amps and voltage and he realised it was an electrical generator of some advanced design.

As the fire fight erupted, one particular cultist turned and ran towards the fishing boat. This individual did not waste any time and sprinted for the cabin. As he did, Mr Smith dropped a mortar round onto the fishing boat, but to no avail and the fishing boat skipper scrambled to untie the vessel from the jetty.


The cultists and the local civilians, who had been standing around watching, seemed to be acting strangely, as if they were in a state of shock, or under the influence of a drug. They moved slowly, seemed hesitant to engage obvious targets, and yet had enough purpose to engage in hand to hand fighting. Two of the cultists were tougher than the rest. They were wearing some form of body armour and despite taking a lot of fire; it was only when Mr Smith turned his mortar on them that they eventually died.

Rocketman in the meanwhile had taken to the sky, and flying in a wide arc he came around to land in the midst of the cultists and their affiliated civilians, who were gathered around the large shed. The cultists failed to engage him as he came in to land, some even stared in dull incomprehension, but once he had landed, they attacked him as best as they could but with little avail. Mansfield used his submachine on the first then knocked the others down with a serious of heavy punches and it was during this exchange that he notice that none of the cultists or civilians bled when shot.


In the meanwhile, Vesper moved to the south, along the back of the second house and its attached workshop. Here she found nothing of interest, so she moved stealthily through the undergrowth to the commercial building.

The fire fight between the cultists and the British agents culminated with the mortar strikes on the armoured cultists and Vesper taking control of the rear entrance to the commercial building. By this time, only two cultists remained and they were hiding in the front room of the commercial building, with the flame thrower. Rocketman sprayed the building with SMG fire, but the heavy timber construction defied his best attempts. Vesper entered the commercial building from the rear and was amazed to discover a large aubergine-like plant growing from the remains of several dead bodies. Careful not to get too close to this monstrosity she sneaked through the building to the front room, but realising that if she shot she might cause the flame thrower to explode, she retreated back outside.


Mr Smith then dropped his last mortar round through the roof and the explosion from the mortar round caused the flame to detonate. There was nothing left of the last two cultists after that. The British agents realised that not only had they killed every single cultist (save the two who had gotten away on the fishing boat), but they had rescued the hostages and had not suffered a single casualty!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Chapter Two: Something strange is afoot

Oyster Bay 3rd March. 1937.

Wokinghouse blinks and stares at the armoured figure with the twin rockets strapped to his back. “Goodness me... Mansfield, is that you?”
Rocketman examines the bruised and battered man for a moment, then nods. “We meet again Professor.”
“We do indeed, and what a jolly old show this is! If you hadn’t turned up when you did, our goose would have been cooked!”
“It did seem that way. What on Earth is going on? Who are these people?”
“I’m not entirely sure” the older man exclaims. “I was approached in Miami by a man who claimed to be from the American government, but I was assured that this was not the case...”
“Assured by whom?” Mansfield interupts.
“Pardon...? Oh, I was travelling with one of our lot, that is to say, one of your lot... well, one of Sir Hugh’s men at any rate, a chap named Carter, I didn’t catch his christian name. He went to investigate the matter and that was the last I heard of it, or him. I didn’t think much of it at the time, you secret division fellows come and go all the time.”
“When was this exactly?”
“Exactly...? Well, lets see. I waited in Miami before my meeting, then I caught the flight.. so it would eight days ago now.”
Mitchell approaches, lighting a fresh cigar.
“What d’ya wanna do with the stiffs?”
Daniel blinks at him in confusion. “Pardon?”
“Well you can’t leave corpses in this heat” Mitchell explains. “They’ll swell up real fast and start stinking the place up. I suggest we heave ‘em in the lagoon. The ‘gators’ll get rid of the evidence so the local flat feet don’t catch our trail.”
“Oh I say” Professor Wokinghouse swallows in distaste.
Mansfield shrugs. “It can’t be otherwise I’m afraid. We’re not here with the sanction or good will of the American goverment, so we shouldn’t leave any inconvenient dead bodies behind... Go ahead Joe.”
Mitchell nods approvingly.
“By the way” Professor Wokinghouse asks as he watches the men begin to drag the bodies to the water front, “how on Earth did you find us?”
“We were lucky enough that your unfortunate pilot had just broadcast his position moments before the plane went down. We came straight here as this is the only mooring on Oyster bay, at least according to our maps. It was our great fortune that you just so happened to arrive ten minutes after we got here.”
“Heavens!”
“Indeed. A few minutes earlier and I’m afraid we would have been too late.”
“No, thats not what I meant” the professor cries in agitation. “I just remembered, the men in the boat were coming here to rendezvous with more of their people!”
“Do you mean to say there are more of them coming here?”
“Thats exactly it!”
Both men turn to look toward the main road where the lights of distant vehicles are beginning to glimmer through the undergrowth.
“Whats that?” Mitchell asks.
“More cultists!” Mansfield shouts. “Every one get under cover!”
Every one scatters into the shadows, but even as weapons are prepared there is a sudden commotion from the water front.
“What the hell?!” Ben Campbell’s deep voice cries out.
“Look out!” George cries.
“What the deuce is going on?” Mansfield shouts.
Suddenly a horrific scream rends the night and Ben Campbell staggers into view, a huge pale, green worm-like creature tearing at his throat. The big Canadian pulls frantically at the creature but its cruel jaws are already clamped on his neck and he falls to the ground, writhing in agony.
“Get that thing off him!”
Mitchell rushes forward and pulls the worm away. Blood spatters across the ground as he throws it to one side and Ben Campbell falls face first into the dust.
“What the hell!” Mitchell curses and stamps on the dreadful creature. “What the hell is that?”
“Is he dead?” Professor Wokinghouse cries
“Never mind that now!” Mansfield pulls the Professor to cover as the head lights of two vehicles suddenly bath the tree tops in light. “They’re here. Every one get under cover!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PLAYER ONE: OLEG

Rocketman. Dougal. Hamish. Vesper. (Hostages if freed)

PLAYER TWO: PALLE

‘Mad Dog’ Mitchell. George Macarthur. Marcel Messnier. Arthur Spencer. Mr Smith.

PLAYER THREE: GOEG

Cultist with SMG. 3 x Armoured cultists with rifles. Armoured cultist with LMG. 4 x Annelids

PLAYER FOUR: JAN

Cultist with SMG. 3 x Armoured cultists with rifles. Armoured cultist with LMG. 4 x Annelids

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starting

Players one and two start in cover in the lower half of the cul-de-sac, with an exception for Mr Smith who may begin in the workshop, making improvised weaponry.

Players three and four; the cultists, begin in their vehicles on the road. Each vehicle contains five cultists and may be placed any where along the main road. The Annelids, which begin stealthed, start any where on the table top, but no closer to an enemy element than four inches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Map

As in Chapter One

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victory Conditions

Either side wins automatically by defeating two thirds of the opposing side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special rules

Rocketman has four Hero Points in this game.

Any element attempting stealthed movement inside the scrap yard is hampered by all the junk lying around and suffers a -1 penalty.

Piles of junk and old cars give a +2 advantage against enemy fire. Wooden balconies, fences (its old wood) give +1.

The two buildings closest to the road are houses, the southern of the two being older and in poor condition. It also has a small workshop to the west of the main building. Next along the cul-de-sac is a commecial building of some kind (which is currently on fire due to the exploding flame thrower in Chapter One). Across from it is a storage shed for the fishing boat, and standing on the water, next to the jetty, is an abandoned house.

If Player Two wishes, Mr Smith may begin the game in the work shop, making one d6 molotov cocktails.

The cultists arrive in two vans, each containing five elements. Once these vans have been placed on the table, they function solely as terrain features.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conclusion

This game was played on Thursday 10th November. 2011.
Players were Jan, Goeg, Oleg and Palle.

The game began with the Cultists parking their vans at either side of the entrance to the cul-de-sac and disembarking to either side. The first group of cultists (Goeg) took the southern flank and the second group (Jan) took the northern. Rocketman (Oleg) and his friends (Palle) scattered around the western end of the cul-de-sac, whilst Mr Smith was in the workshop making molotov cocktails.

The first group of cultists took up positions on the balconey of the second house and from this cover began to seek out targets in the darkness. The second group of cultists fractured with one cultist left to guard the road, and cover the cul-de-sac, one cultist inside the first house, to act as a sniper and the remaining three (including the group's SMG and LMG) moving along the darkness of the northern table edge.



Despite the immediate deployment of ten heavily armed cultists, there was no instant fire fight. A few shots rang out, keeping people on their toes, but very quickly the focus of the game shifted to the annelids; the hideous worm like creatures which were crawling about in the darkness, seeking their prey. The first victim was the female hostage, who was attacked from the rear, and very graphically, died when an annelid sought out the fastest way into her body.



The British agents quickly realised that the annelids, or worms as they were called, were a pressing concern, so for the next hour or so, whilst the fire fight with the cultists gradually intensified, Rocketman set about as a one man pest control, using his superior powers of observation and determination to exterminate as many annelids as possible. In this he was mostly successful, but he was unable to help Arthur Spencer, who had been shot in the back and was lying helpless before an advancing annelid, so it fell to Mitchell to pick up the wounded man and carry him to cover.



Eventually the annelids were more or less all defeated and then the sporadic fire fight which had been going on back and forth along the cul-de-sac began to heat up. The first group of cultists were still gathered around the second house, but most had moved off the balconey in order to prevent them all being taken out by a single attack. The second group of cultists was strung out in and around the junk yard and not getting very far. Mitchell and Arthur Spencer had been pushed back by this advance, but largely avoided it by crossing the road under the cover of darkness, with Mitchell carrying Spencer.

Marcel Mesnier and George Macarthur had entered the abandoned house on the water front, within which they encountered another of the large aubergine-like plants growing from the remains of several dead bodies. This one however was both bigger than the first, gave off a curious smell, and was moving. The large large aubergine-like bulb at the top of the was pulsing and writhing and it was obvious that something within was trying to get out. Messnier ignored this entirely and positioned himself with his rifle at a window on the upper level of the house. George paused to examine the plant, then put a revolver round into the bulb. This only caused the thing to move all the more frantically, but George didn't hang around to watch, prefering instead to position himself at the top of the steps looking down. He was unable to see what was happening from this position but he could hear the wet, gurgling sounds of ...something.



The cultist sniper had seen Rocketman and had taken a pot shot at him, but to no avail. Rocketman moved up to the undergrowth as the British shuffled to launch a coordinated attack against the first group of cultists. This attack saw Rocketman taking to the air to swing around and attack from the rear, whilst Vesper threw a molotov cocktail from the front door of the second house. Initially the attack faltered with the molotov doing very little harm, but once Rocketman and Vesper were close enough, the cultists proved inept at hand to hand against two such formidable fighters. The first group of cultists was defeated whilst the second group was stung out and disorganised. The game end as a second defeat to the British.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kingston. Jamaica. 5th March. 1937.

Sitting on the veranda, sipping a gin and tonic and watching the shipping in the harbour below, Sir Robert Bullington-Smedley, MI6 section chief for the Carribean, is having a lazy day. Every so often, the annoyingly efficient signals officer; Lieutenant Bradfield interupts his maritime surveillance but the equally efficient Corporal Baker, who stands ever ready with the gin bottle, counterbalances these annoyances. Sir Robert glances at his watch. His day is almost done and all that remains now is the impending visit from London’s top agent, Daniel Mansfield. In the valley beyond the plantations, a single motor car can be seen racing its way up the road, drawing ever nearer. Lieutenant Bradfield returns with another sheet of paper.
”Sir, here are the latest French shipping forecasts from the Admiralty.”
Sir Robert accepts the paper without much enthusiasm then points to the approaching vehicle with his now empty glass.
”This will be Mansfield I presume” he states. Corporal Baker steps forward and silently refills the glass.
”Yes sir. Would you like to see him or shall I deal with him?”
Sir Robert turns his eyes on the young Lieutenant and regards him. There can be no question of allowing an uninitiated person to hear what Mansfield will have to report, but Sir Robert is sorely tempted. He takes a distracted sip of his drink and then dimisses both Bradfield and Baker. Somethings cannot be avoided.

When Daniel Mansfield arrives, Sir Robert shows little indication of having drunk any alcohol. His manner is crisp and alert and his eyes regard the younger man with considerable interest. As Mansfield delivers his report, Sir Robert remains silent until he is finished.
”So your saying the Kingpin escaped?” he asks. Mansfield shrugs.
”We really can’t be sure I’m afraid. We killed all those whom we found, but one or two did get away. None of them would surrender either so we were obliged to forfeit any opportunity for questioning them and since we had no intelligence on what this Kingpin character actually looks like, then we have no way of being sure. I’m inclined to believe we didn’t kill him.”
”You almost certainly didn’t. He’s a slippery character. Would you like a drink?”
Daniel Mansfield accepts a drink and settles back in his chair. The view of the harbour below is soothing but his mind is a turmoil with questions.
”So you’ve had dealings with him before?” he asks
”Some” the older man replies. ”We’ve been monitering various activities in this region which indicate his group is connected to others in South America”
”Other groups like his?”
Both men share a pensive glance. Sir Robert shakes his head slowly.
”What do you mean?”
”Well Sir Robert, if I am to be blunt. I’m not much of a head piece when it comes to biology, but I can certainly tell the different between a man and a cauliflower!”
Sir Robert sits perfectly still.
”Plant people?”
Mansfield raises his eye brows; ”You’ve heard of them before?”
”I’ve read reports, but they were old. I thought they were all dead and gone. I’m surprised...” Sir Robert stands up and glances about. He indicates to Mansfield to follow him and the two men walk slowly into the gardens which lie below the house.
”I’m not sure about your security classification” he continues, ”but I presume London acted in ignorance. The plant people haven’t been on the cards for a good long while now.”
”Who ...or rather what are they?” Mansfield asks.
”No one really knows who they are” Sir Robert replies. ”They’ve been around for a very long time. The earliest reports indicate they were already in the Americas before Columbus arrived, but they were certainly here when Carrington met them in 1678. He’s said to have fought them several times, but could never take one alive.”
Mansfield shakes his head in wonder.
”You said you thought they were all dead and gone?”
”Yes. The last time they were reported was in Santiago de Cuba in the 1870’s. The Americans supposedly did away with a group of them there. They burned them rather than allow them to be seen.”
Mansfield nods his head.
”Thats understandable. I suppose they wanted to avoid panic or mass hysteria?”
”Possibly” Sir Robert nods, ”but I understand the Americans always burned the plant people so they couldn’t regenerate.”
”Regenerate?”
”Well yes. They’re like plants you see. All it takes is for one root to survive...”
Mansfield stops and casts his mind back.
”Do you mean the worms? Were they actually roots?”
”I can’t say.” Sir Robert shrugs. ”The reports are sketchy. I’ve read about the worms, but I don’t know what they are or which function they might serve. I only know what I’ve read in a few old reports and those were mostly second hand accounts of American actions. I suppose its possible the Americans might know a lot more than we do, not least since the plant people apprently still exist on the American main land. Or at least they did until recently”
Mansfield smiles sardonically. He is about to speak again, when a distant hail interupts him. Both men turn to face Lieutenant Bradfield who is waving down at them from the veranda.
”Damn the man!” Sir Robert ejaculates. ”Whats so urgent that it can’t wait five minutes?”.
They watch as the young officer rushes down towards them, a slip of paper in his hand.
”I thought you might like to see this at once Sir” he pants, ”...since it is in regard to Mister Mansfield”
Sir Robert reads the message then smiles broadly.
”Well, well. Fortune smiles upon us. The intercept station at Waverly Point has picked up a transmission from the Kingpin. The message was coded, but the transmission came from a position roughly one hundred miles off Santiago de Cuba.”
Mansfield glances at his wrist watch.
”Our plane should be refuelled and ready to go by now. If we leave at once, we might catch him there!”
”Very good. I’ll get onto our local assets and see what help they can provide.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Santiago de Cuba. 0200 hours. 6th March. 1937.

Having flown straight to Cuba, Daniel Mansfield and his companions have been provided with information by Sir Robert's local assets. The Kingpin’s boat arrived in Santiago only a few hours previously and is currently moored along side a German mechant ship on Pier 9.
Pier 9 is an older part of the harbour, where the hulking remains of nineteenth century infrastructure quietly rust amidst the bustle and rush of the larger harbour complex. There are three companies currently operating on the pier. Rheinfeldt Shipping, Sancho & Fernandez and the AGL Transport and Storage Company. Moored along side the quay is a German merchant ship, the MS Liselle.

It is pitch dark. The sky is over cast and it is raining. Hard.

”Steady on chaps”.
On a vantage point, overlooking the harbour, Daniel Mansfield, with the rain pouring down his helmet visor, beckons to his companions who gather around. ”This is the situation as it stands now; The building with all the lights at the end of the pier is the AGL Transport and Storage Company...”
”AGL?” George interupts. ”Ag Lata?”
”Quite possibly” Daniel replies. ”Thats their boat moored at the end of the pier.”
”The one that got away at Florida” Messnier states with satisfaction. ”This time we shall have him!”
”We will” Daniel agrees, ”But we have to move carefully. First of all, we’ll take up positions to make sure no one gets off that pier without we say so, then I’ll go forward with Dougal, Hamish, Vesper and Mr Smith...”
”I’ll come with you old man” Arthur Spencer says. ”I haven’t been of much use so far.”
Daniel nods, then turns to Mitchel.
”Joe, you and Marcel set up to cover both sides of the pier, and don’t let any one pass you by. Shoot to kill if you have to.”
Mitchel nods and Messnier grins.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Under the cover of darkness, the British agents move swiftly down to the dockyard and are taking up initial positions when suddenly there is a flare of head lights and three cars sweep by splashing through the water logged pot holes of the road.
”Who the hell is this?” Mitchell mutters angrily. ”They look like ginny hoods!”
”It seems like the Kingpin has guests” Daniel answers. ”Never mind. Keep going. We can’t afford to let him get away this time or we might never have another chance.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PLAYER ONE: OLEG

Rocketman. Dougal. Hamish. Vesper. George Macarthur. Arthur Spencer.

PLAYER TWO: PALLE

‘Mad Dog’ Mitchell. Marcel Messnier. Mr Smith. Il Conte di Vulcano. Wu Foo.

PLAYER THREE: GOEG

The Kingpin. 2 x Armoured cultists. Fishing boat captain. Warehouse manager. 4 x German sailors

PLAYER FOUR: JAN

Don Vito Scarlatti. Gloria. Herman Rüling. 6 x Gangsters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Starting

Players one and two start at the north edge of the table and have two rounds to get into position before the sudden appearance of Il Conte de Vulcano alerts the antagonists.

Players three and four begin at the south end of the pier. Player three must begin with no element no further than 12 inches from either the Kingpin or the fishing boat. The Kingpin begins the game, standing at the front of the AGL Transport and Storage Company warehouse. Player four begins any where on the southern half of the pier, except for Don Vito, Gloria and Herman Rüling who must all begin within six inches of the Kingpin.

In round three, Il Conte de Vulcano and Wu Foo arrive in their sports car. They drive onto the table top at speed, but immediately skid to a stop in between the buildings of Rheinfeldt Shipping and Sancho & Fernandez.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Map

All out door areas are Good, except the sea which is Impassable. The interior of the buildings is Difficult, except in the storage areas which are Rough.

The outer deck areas of the ship are Rough, except the main cargo deck which is Good. The ship interiors are Difficult.
The Fishing boat is Difficult.
The crane’s various platforms are Difficult.
Standing on, or climbing over crates is classed as Rough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victory Conditions

Either side wins automatically by defeating two thirds of the opposing side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Special rules

Rocketman has four Hero Points in this game.

The crane is largely made of cast iron and steel plates and can give +2 cover if used to advantage. Lying on the roof gives +1 and and railings give no cover. Though old and rusty, the crane can also be started and used. It can be driven along its rails and the upper half can turn (at 45° per round). The crane can be disabled (the motor housing is not made of cast iron and can be penetrated by heavy small arms fire).

The warehouse has corrugated iron walls, backed by insulation. This would usually provide meager cover, but due to the packing cases, workshop and interior walls, firing through the building, or targetting elements concealed within, will not work. The warehouse functions as a normal building and gives up to +2 cover.

The plant people get a +2 bonus when shot at due to their physical form. They are not impervious to shock waves, explosions, or even punches. Their armoured uniforms also give them good protection.

All vehicles on the table can be driven, though if the car is being stolen, then a hot wiring roll against 5 must be rolled by any one except the Gangsters, Mad Dog Mitchell, George Macarthur, Mr Smith and Wu Foo who all roll against 4. Hot wiring takes one round, per die roll.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conclusion

This game was played on Wednesday 23rd November. 2011.
Players were Jan, Goeg, Oleg and Palle.

Il Conte di Vulcano arrives

Players one and two began as directed by the scenario, moving into advantagous starting positions with Oleg (Rocketman, Hamish and Dougal) covering the western edge of the pier and Palle (Mitchell and Messnier) covering the eastern edge. Mitchell and Messnier were making their way towards the MS Liselle, intent upon taking control of its elevated firing potential when the sudden arrival of Il Conte de Vulcano alerted the antagonists. Screeching to a halt, lights ablaze, behind the cover the large Sancho & Fernandez building, Il Conte di Vulcano was hidden from view and though they became slightly more suspicious, the antagonsists did not react beyond moving one of their cars to cover the western side of the pier with its head lights.

Don Vito arrives to meet with the Kingpin

Since none of the bemused British had any idea who he was, Il Conte di Vulcano was obliged to introduce himself as a great Italian hero on a mission to fight the evil forces of fascism and crime, which was more or less the truth. He explained he was on Cuba specifically to thwart the endeavours of Don Vito Scarlatti (though he'd never heard of the Kingpin) and Rocketman suggested he join them in their assault. Il Conte agreed to this audacious plan and together with his faithful driver, Wu Foo, joined Mitchell and Messnier in their plan to grab the German freighter.

On board the freighter, the night watchmen had been alerted by the roaring engine and screeching of tyres of Il Conte's automobile and two of them had come to a railing to investigate. Mitchell however had already climbed aboard the ship and was making his way to come around the super structure to take the crew by surprise. Despite all this, the gangsters and the cultists at the end of the pier had yet to understand that they were under attack and they remained unaware until they realised they were being approached along the western edge of the pier, by men with guns. At this point, one of the gangsters and one of the kingpin's body guards, opened fire with automatic weapons and the battle began.

To the left, a gangster and a cultist open fire on George, Dougal & Hamish

Mitchell, Messnier and Il Conte carried on their assault on the freighter, with Mitchell bursting in upon two the crew and engaging in fisticuffs, whilst the other two night watchmen ran about the ship in confusion. Whilst this was going on, and whilst Dougal, Hamish and George Macarthur were facing the wild but largely ineffective gun fire on the western edge of the pier, Vesper had penetrated the Sancho & Fernandez building to establish that it was empty. She reached the upper most level and positioned herself in the cargo door way, ready to drop a grenade on to the the AGL building if needed. Arthur Spencer in the meanwhile had also sneaked forward. Under the darkness cast by the crane, he was trying, unsuccessfully to break into, and kick start, a small blue van which was parked on the eastern side of the Sancho & Fernandez building. This was tricky since he had no experience breaking into vehicles, and he was in direct line of sight of the gangsters. Luckily the darkness concealed him but he ultimately failed to break into the van.

Arthur Spencer fails to break into the blue van

Hamish and Dougal tried to rush forward but Hamish was forced to duck for cover and got left behind. Dougal tried to engage the suspected enemies inside the AGL Transport and Storage Company warehouse by firing through the rear wall of the building, but this proved fruitless, so instead he crept forward to where the gangsters had moved a car to act as a barrier along side the building.

Towards the end of the game, both sides were exchanging fire to little effect though the German ship had been taken. Mitchell and Messnier tried to engage the gangsters with sniper fire, but were unable to kill any one. Don Vito decided he'd had enough though and together with Gloria and a driver, jumped into his car and tried to flee the scene. Herman Rüling followed in his car. Neither made it off the table before Rocketman took to the air and strafed the Kingpin, downing him just as time ran out...

Don Vito (in the black car under the crane) attempts to flee

The game ended with no decisive winner. Though Rocketman downed the Kingpin, this was not a victory condition, and since the Kingpin was only 'downed' by bullets, he did not die. The battle hangs in the balance therefore, and continues in Chapter Four...

The table at the end of the game

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Four: The Children of Ag Lata

Santiago de Cuba. 0200 hours. 6th March. 1937.

Suddenly the phone rings and Captain De Silva of the City Militia, sitting in his office, staring at the wall, slowly turns his head to regard it with cold grey eyes. With smooth, deliberate movements, he leans across and picks up the receiver.
”Yes?”
”Captain De Silva” the unmistakable, sibilant voice of the Progenitor whispers into his ear.
”Yes.”
”Captain. You must mobilise your men at once”
”Why?”
”The British have traced your sibiling. Even now they close upon him.”
”Where?”
”They are close by. On Pier 9 of the city harbour complex.”
De Silva reaches across his desk and presses a black button. Some where in the depths of the silent station house, a distant bell rings.
”Explain this action to your men. Tell them that American criminals are working to undermine Cuba’s government. Tell them this and they will follow you into battle.”
”As you command” De Silva replies without emotion. He places the receiver on the table and stands as foot steps sound in the corridor.
”Come in” he shouts before the Sergeant has even managed to knock on the door.
”Eh? You called?” Sergeant Mendoza asks as he peers into the dimly lit room.
”Yes. How many men are in the station at this time?”
Mendoza pouts as he thinks, counting on his fingers.
”You, Me, Sergeant Castro and mmmm.... fifteen men... I think”
”Assemble the men at once.”
”Si Capitan!” Mendoza shouts and hurries away.
De Silva picks up the telephone once more.
”Very good” the soft voice says. ”Now listen carefully. You must beware of the British agent who goes by the name of Daniel Mansfield.”
”Why?”
”This man has exceptional powers and I believe he poses a serious threat to our existence.”
”How?”
”The British have technologies far in advance of other men. Technologies even I do not fully comprehend. This man Daniel Mansfield is an agent of forces far more powerful than any we have faced before. He is surely armed accordingly.”
The Captain pauses to consider this insight, but inevitably he shows no sign of concern.
”I will deploy my best weapons”
”As you must for he will not be alone. Other British agents accompany him and a small British war ship lurks nearby. They will almost certainy come to his aid if he should require it.”
”I cannot fight a war ship with the resources I have at hand”
”I understand. You have permission to withdraw if you feel the battle cannot be won, but do not allow your sibling to fall into the hands of the British. They are even more dangerous than the Americans.”
”As you command.”
Captain De Silva puts down the receiver and stands up. He pulls out his side arm and regards it for a moment. Then, unlocking a drawer on his desk, he pulls out the magazine and replaces it with a new magazine from the desk. He regards the weapon for a second then slipping it into the holster, he leaves his office and makes for the station compound where his men are assembling in the pouring rain.
”Sergeant Castro”
”Si Capitan?”
”You will take the armoured car. Sergeant Mendoza will take as many men as he can fit on the truck and I shall take my car.”
Both sergeants salute noisily and rush to follow their orders. De Silva watches his men rushing about the compound and then turns to stare out the main gate to where the harbour lights are dimly visible in the back ground. For a moment he seems to hear the distant crackle of gunfire, but then the armoured car engine barks into life and drowns out all other sounds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PLAYER ONE: OLEG

Rocketman. Dougal. Hamish. Vesper. George Macarthur. Arthur Spencer. Mr Smith. ‘Mad Dog’ Mitchell. Marcel Messnier. Il Conte di Vulcano. Wu Foo.

PLAYER TWO: PALLE

Lt Bambridge. 10 x Royal Navy sailors. Motor Patrol Boat

PLAYER THREE: GOEG

Don Vito Scarlatti. Gloria. Herman Rüling. 5 x Gangsters. 2 x Armoured cultists. Fishing boat captain. Warehouse manager.

PLAYER FOUR: JAN

Captain De Silva. Sgt Mendoza. 12 Militia guards. Sgt Castro in his armoured car

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starting

Chapter four begins with Don Vito’s car swerving to avoid the armoured car and crashing into the Militia truck. In the confusion, Don Vito, Gloria and their driver escape into the Rheinfeldt Shipping building, where from they begin Round One. Herman Rüling comes to a stop behind them, avoiding a crash, but sitting in his car, in some confusion.

All other elements remain where they were at the end of Chapter Three, except those belonging to Player Two, who begin on their boats on the southern edge of the game table, or (in the case of the MPB) either on the opposite table in round one, or at the pier side in round four.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Map

The map is the same as in the previous chapter.

All out door areas are Good, except the sea which is Impassable. The interior of the buildings is Difficult, except in the storage areas which are Rough.
The outer deck areas of the ship are Rough, except the main cargo deck which is Good. The ship interiors are Difficult.
The Fishing boat and the MPB are Difficult.
The crane’s various platforms are Difficult.
Standing on, or climbing over crates is classed as Rough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victory Conditions

Either side wins automatically by defeating two thirds of the opposing side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Special rules

Rocketman has four Hero Points in this game.

The crane is largely made of cast iron and steel plates and can give +2 cover if used to advantage. Lying on the roof gives +1 and and railings give no cover. Though old and rusty, the crane can also be started and used. It can be driven along its rails and the upper half can turn (at 45° per round). The crane can be disabled (the motor housing is not made of cast iron and can be penetrated by heavy small arms fire).

The warehouse has corrugated iron walls, backed by insulation. This would usually provide meager cover, but due to the packing cases, workshop and interior walls, firing through the building, or targetting elements concealed within, will not work. The warehouse functions as a normal building and gives up to +2 cover.

The plant people get a +2 bonus when shot at due to their physical form. They are not impervious to shock waves, explosions, or even punches. Their armoured uniforms also give them good protection.

All vehicles on the table can be driven, though if the car is being stolen, then a hot wiring roll against 5 must be rolled by any one except the Gangsters, Mad Dog Mitchell, George Macarthur, Mr Smith and Wu Foo who all roll against 4. Hot wiring takes one round, per die roll.

The weather and darkness impose several restrictions. The darkness gives a +2 bonus to any stealthed figure not in the light and any one firing at a target in darkness suffers a -2 penalty. This penalty does not extend to the crane, any targets aboard the merchant ship, the fishing boat or Rocketman in flight, all of which are conspicuous, even in the darkness. The poor weather also counts as Rough for Rocketman in flight.

The MTB has two wooden launches, each capable of moving six elements at a maximum movement in Rough of 4 inches, and providing +1 in cover.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conclusion

This game was played on Tuesday 6th December. 2011.
Players were Jan, Goeg, Oleg and Palle.




Chapter four took place immediately after chapter three, with reinforcements arriving on behalf of both sides. The game began with Don Vito's car crashing into the front of the Militia truck. Don Vito, Gloria and their driver (all played by Goeg) then ran from the wreck and took cover in the nearby Rheinfeldt Shipping building whilst behind them, the Militia guards (Jan) began to dismount from their vehicles and using them as cover. This proved to be a mistake because it enabled Mr Smith (Oleg) to drop a gas grenade from the vantage point of the merchant ship's superstructure. Six guards were instantly incapacitated and three were suppressed, including Captain De Silva.

The Cubans retaliated with heavy machine gun fire from their armoured car, but were hampered by not being able to see where Mr Smith was hiding. It took some time to finally defeat him, and during this time, the rest of the table top was ablaze with gun fire. Out in the harbour the Royal Navy patrol boat began to engage the gangsters and cultists whilst the two rowing boats of British sailors attempted to disembark. This proved to be as awkward as the gas grenade had been for the Cubans, though not quite as lethal, and it took some time before the sailors were able to get ashore.

Don Vito, Gloria and their driver made their way through the Rheinfeldt Shipping building and entered the storage area of the Sancho & Fernandez building. Here they ran into Wu Foo and a curious fight began with the gangsters finding it difficult to over power the Chinese driver with his martial arts.




During the first half of the game Rocketman was still in flight, having taken off during the previous game, and eventually he landed next to Herman Rüling's car, in between the Rheinfeldt Shipping and Sancho & Fernandez buildings. Seeing this, Captain De Silva immediately ordered his men to grab the flying agent and several Cubans ran forth. Rocketman was well and truly grappled and another heaving fist fight erupted.

Above all this, Arthur Smith had commandeered the crane and turning it to prevent any of the Cubans following him, he then proceeded to drive backwards, destroying the gang way onto the merchant ship.



At the far end of the table, the British sailors eventually forced their way onto the pier and proceeded to attack the AGL buildingwith rifle fire and grenades. The patrol provided covering fire, but largely kept its distance.



Eventually the armoured car managed to bring down Mr Smith and moved to a new firing position in between the Rheinfeldt Shipping and Sancho & Fernandez buildings, looking down along the western edge of the pier. The new position also allowed the armoured car to open fire on Rocketman, if this was necessary, but Daniel Mansfield was over come by sheer numbers and downed after three heroic rounds. The bad guys didn't fare too well either though as inside the Sancho & Fernandez building Wu Foo defeated Don Vito and his driver.

The game ended shortly after this with something of a stalemate Neither side had defeated two thirds of the opposing side and although players one and two came very close, they also lost Rocketman.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Epilogue

Communication from Kingston Station to GCHQ London. Dated 8th March. 1937.
Marked MOST SECRET.

++AGENT DM AND TEAM SUCCESSFULL++KINGPIN REMOVED++RN UNITS WITHDRAWN++MISSION TERMINATED FROM THIS DATE++8+3+37++DM SLIGHTLY WOUNDED++RETURNING TO BROOKEHURST++

Sir Hugh Sinclair rubs his chin thoughtfully as he sifts through the morning's dispatches and sips from a delicate cup of tea. Across the table from him, sits his wife, Lady Adele Sinclair.
"I say dear" she looks up from her newspaper. "Have you seen this shocking news from Spain?"
Sir Hugh blinks and shakes his head.
"No. Whats happened?"
"Poor Francisco. Those frightful communists have taken him prisoner and are threatening to shoot him!"
"Oh thats too bad" Sir Hugh mutters, returning to his messages briefly before looking absently out the window. "Though it is strange, Franco wasn't supposed to be captured."
"Can't you do something about it? Lady Sinclair asks in a wounded voice. Hettie was so fond of the General, she'll be most upset if they execute him."
"Yes, I suppose she will" Sir Hugh agrees with a mild shrug. "Never mind. One less fascist eh?"
"But is Francisco really such a fascist dear?"
"Oh I think so, yes. He used to get along very well with Herr Hitler you know."
Lady Sinclair purses her lips in disaproval.
"Awful man. Such a frightful bore!"
"Not to worry though" Sinclair brushes a few crumbs from his lap and stands up. "We'll soon be rid of them all."
"Will we dear?"
Sinclair regards his wife's bright green eyes and smiles.
"We will. Joseph Stalin is the only one left now."
Lady Sinclair frowns as her husband leaves the room. The only what she wonders, but she knows better than to pry and returns her attention to the lurid tales of horror in Spain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later, Sir Hugh watches as the plane carrying Daniel Mansfield lands at RAF Brookehurst. Standing beside him are Audrey Mansfield and her father Professor Summers.
"There we are now Back safe and sound" the older man smiles at his daughter who nods briefly.
Silently they watch as the aircraft is taxied closer, then as the door hatch opens, Audrey rushes forward to help a some what battered and bruised Daniel Mansfield clambour down the steel ladder.
"My goodness!" She exclaims "What happened to you Darling?"
"Its nothing" Mansfield puts on a playful grin. "Just a few bent ribs and a broken toe. Nothing a little rest and recreation won't mend."
Sir Hugh catches the strain in the younger man's voice and reminds himself that despite his boyish good looks and muscular exterior, Mansfield is already thirty seven years old and his hair is beginning to show the first signs of age.
"Rest and recreation sounds just the ticket Daniel" he agrees. "After all, you've run several strenuous missions in the last few months and its about time you took a breather."
"I'll say!" Audrey mutters.
"Perhaps you should take a holiday?" Sir Hugh suggests.

"A holiday sir?" Daniel looks up sharply and Sir Hugh smiles and shakes his head.
"I meant a real holiday".
"Well..." Mansfield cannot quite hide his disapointment. "My old chum Percy Worthington has invited us to see him in Paris..."
"Paris!?" Audrey squeals in delight.
"...he sent me a telegram just before I left for Florida. Apparently he's showing off some golden treasure he found in Africa. Some historical artefact or other. What do you say George?"
George Macarthur looks up from the baggage and catches the steel glow of Audrey's eye.
"Oh yes Daniel... you should certainly go and see Percy."
"What? Aren't you coming?"
"Er, no... I think I have to go to Bath and visit my mother. I haven't seen the old bird in an age!"
Sir Hugh accompanies Daniel and Audrey to his car. As he climbs in to the comfortable rear compartment, he shakes Mansfield's hand.
"Good job Daniel. Very good, but now you've earned your rest. Give me a bell when you come home, but don't come back until your well enough to fly again."
Daniel Mansfield nods, holding back his impatience.
"I will sir. Good bye"
"Good bye"
The car drives away and Audrey slips her arm around Daniel's waist.
"Paaaris!" she purrs with a cheeky smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~