Summary
Ali, the owner of Ali’s Oil, visited after hearing how we helped the elder in Naw with his fuel problem. He told us he could offer us good deals on fuel and a tanker of our own if we helped undermine Maku’s control of the oil prices in the area.
We scouted Maku and provoked a firefight, but were not entirely prepared for the full numbers and capabilities of the militia forces present. After regrouping, we secured the area, but the commander slipped away. He called for significant reinforcements, and Ali called Stronghold to warn us and offer his thanks, agreeing to honour all terms of his deal. We exfiltrated and rearmed at base.
Previously, we had discovered a roadblock into Naudeh, a trading town that enforces a no-firearms policy. We decided to visit, enquiring after artifacts and trade opportunities, hoping to make use of Ali’s mates rates on fuel.
Villagers there were selling a variety of goods, such as fishing nets, clocks, FM radios, and even some suspiciously familiar vehicles. There seemed to be some discrepancy between the villagers and the elder, around the armed men, who act as the town’s guard. The villager believed they were men supplied by the commander at Maku, but the elder insisted they were paid for by Naudeh funds.
While the team entered the town unarmed, there was an incident between the overwatch team and one Zaki Al-Rashid, a
civilian known to perform hidden-camera pranks in public with his friends nearby. As yet, it is unknown exactly what
charges are being brought against us, but they have stated in the court summons that they are
in possession of damning video evidence.
After some extended negotiations, the Naudeh elder agreed to purchase oil at the rate we’re getting it from Ali, but also threw in a large golden frog, at which point, one of the suits offered to make a sizeable donation to the operational budget to make up the cost of the tanker, and the short-medium term losses incurred by taking this deal.
In other news, the evaluation of the container recovered from the Naw elder yielded a significant reward, turning out to be non-fissile plutonium. This acquisition has allowed us to pay all of our outstanding billings, and with enough spare to afford some new gear.