Smoke hangs low in the SOE briefing room, turning the lamp light into a dirty halo. Sharp Archer steps in beside a scarred table while a British operative pins a rail map hard against the wall.
The Operative
There. That junction. Less than three hours before the train passes through.
His hand shakes as he taps the route, then he drags a dossier across the table toward Sharp Archer.
The Operative
You put the charges here, and here. Enough to bring the cargo off the line, not enough to ruin what is inside.
The papers spill open, showing track sketches, timing marks, and a red-circled junction lit by a guttering lamp. Outside, a distant engine clatters past, somewhere far below the street.
The Operative
If we miss the window, that relic reaches German hands by dawn. If we overdo it, we lose it forever.
He looks up at Sharp Archer, pale and sweating, then nudges the dossier closer with two fingers. The room goes very still as the ticking clock and the map both seem to wait for an answer.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confirm the sabotage plan is viable
“How many people will be on this mission”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +2)
The operative swallows, then straightens his shoulders against the wall map. 'Four,' he says. 'You, me, and two men to cut the lines and lift the cargo clear.'
The Operative
No more than that. A larger party draws eyes, and we cannot afford eyes.
He taps the red circle again, but this time his finger lingers on the schedule marks beside it, not the junction itself.
The Operative
The plan is viable if the timetable holds. We reach the spur before the guards change, set the charges, and the train keeps its cargo intact.
His gaze flicks to the dossier, then to Sharp Archer, as if weighing whether to say the next part aloud.
The Operative
There is one problem. These times came from a clerk in the station office. If someone fed us bad hours, we walk into a trap.
The room stays quiet except for the clock and the faint rattle of traffic below, the answer now hanging between them with the papers on the table.
“If it's a trap, I should be able to handle it or at least figure it out. What i need from you is your best demo operators.”
SUCCESS (Good Tactics, rolled +2)
Sharp Archer
If it is a trap, I can handle it, or figure it out. I need your best demo operators.
The Operative
Good. Then take my two best. They know demolition, and they know how to keep a charge small.
He reaches for the dossier, flips to a marked page, and slides it across the table toward Sharp Archer.
The Operative
Mallory for the line, Evans for the lift. Both are steady under pressure.
His finger lands beside the timetable again, but this time it stays there, pinning the plan in place.
The Operative
If Archer trusts them, the job holds. If he does not, I have nothing better to offer.
Outside, a vehicle passes below the room, then fades. The papers lie open between them, waiting for a decision on who goes and when.
Quest Complete
Confirm the sabotage plan is viable
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Good→Great