CSR 73 - The Fight For Freedom
Backstory
Gasmea Central Intelligence Directorate, January 23rd, 1986
“Thank you all for attending this special intelligence briefing, ladies and gentlemen, but we have a developing situation in Archana where we might be able to further our interests,” Kelly Aguilar, the deputy director of the GCID stated. “For those of you who don’t know, this is James Franks, our senior analyst at the Archana desk. Jim, the floor is yours.”
Jim shuffled his papers and made his way to the dias at the front of the auditorium. This was Jim’s first senior intelligence briefing, and he was feeling the heat, even in the cool air of the room. “Thank you, deputy director Aguilar. I will to keep this as brief as possible for you all. Lights please!” The lights dimmed in the auditorium and the slide projector flickered to life. “Ladies and gentlemen, the following briefing is classified as SCI/TS; anyone without adequate clearance, please leave the room and remove your personal belongings.” A few people stood up and filed out of the auditorium quietly, and after a moment, a green light illuminated on the back wall, indicating it was safe to continue.
“As you all know, the death of Premier Elpidio Hussai - the leader of the Progress Party of Archana, and the only head of government the country has had since its unification in 1946 - died suddenly three months ago, without a plan of succession in place. This has left an enormous power vacuum in his absence, and a number of factions have emerged within the Progress Party, each of them vying for control of the Archanan government and its various ministries. Next slide please.”
“Adding to the already unstable situation, the prefect of the Dalluha region, on the northeast coast of Archana, appears to be making a move to unilaterally declare the region’s independence from Archana. For those of you who don’t know, Dalluha is culturally and linguistically distinct from Archana, and has chafed under the brutal and autocratic rule of the Hussai government for years, existing in a state of nearly perpetual civil unrest. Next slide please.”
Jim continued his briefing; “Last month, our asset in Dalluha, Major General Sayyar Gajos, the head of the Dalluha Military District and a native Dalluhan himself, was forced out of his position by the Progress Party two months ago in an apparent purge perceived threats to the Party. He has since re-emerged on our radar, having made contact with us last week in a remote area of the country, where he is working with a number of his loyal officers to establish a paramilitary force to force the Archanan government out from the region. While he cannot overtly support this so-called Dalluhan Liberation Front, the local prefect has indicated he would not stand in the way of such a group. It is our estimation that with a level of clandestine logistical and material support for the DLF, they would stand a very good chance of success against the Archanan People’s Army.”
“James, this is Director Knight; a question, if I may? What kind of material support are we talking about here?” Director Sandra Knight, the head of the GCID asked, sitting in the front row.
“Ma’am, it is our estimation that the largest need for the DLF is mobility; they need a large number of light, commercially-available motor vehicles, such as pickup trucks and utility vehicles, to be able to succeed in their endeavour.” Jim stated. “They are cheap, readily available, they can be converted to technicals if needed, and they would not arouse the suspicion of Archanan customs officials if inspected at a port of entry.”
“Technicals?” a voice in the back asks.
“Technicals - basically, a light motor vehicle outfitted with modern light weapons such as anti-tank missiles, rocket launchers or recoiless rifles, that can transport a squad of soldiers into and out of action quickly, and can engage in hit-and-run attacks on larger targets if need be.” Jim replied, starting to find his feet a little bit.
“Forgive me for asking, Jim,” Director Knight asked, “but how would a gaggle of rebels in pickup trucks with machine guns strapped to the back be able to compete with the largest army in the world?”
“Good question,” Jim answered, “While the Archanan People’s Army is the largest in the world, it is generally very poorly equipped and trained, outside of the elite units in the capital region. Additionally, most of their units are more under the control of the Party’s political officers rather than the military commanders, so morale and initiative are very low on a whole. WIth a few losses, it’s very likely that large numbers of army units will desert or even switch sides in a potential conflict.”
“Has Gajos indicated how many vehicles he needs?” Deputy Director Aguilar asks, puffing on a cigarette, its ember glowing bright in the darkened room.
“As many as we can afford him; thousands, or tens of thousands possibly.” Jim replied, wincing a little bit.
“How on earth are we going to get that many vehicles into the country?” Director Knight asked, a little incredulously.
“We’ve given that some thought, ma’am,” Jim replied, a faint smile washing across his face, “In spite of their issues, Archana has been undergoing a strong economic boom lately, and a number of motor vehicle manufacturers have set up distribution networks in the country. We think they would be willing to help us to import these vehicles into the country, which the DLF will purchase through a series of fences, funded by us.”
Director Knight sat back in her chair, her eyes narrowing as she thought about the proposal. “Very well; I will authorise the maximum amount of money our of our discretionary fund for this; understand that even one dollar more than the $50 million I can authorise will necessitate a public hearing in front of the Parliamentary Intelligence Committee.”
“Yes ma’am, I understand, and thank you!” Jim replied, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. “If there are no further questions, that concludes my briefing.” Jim gathered his papers and went to re-take his seat.
“Jim?” Director Knight called out, as he was halfway between sitting and standing.
“Yes, director?” he replied.
“Now?”
“Of course, ma’am!” Jim stood back up and shuffled out of the meeting, heading back to his office.
“mornin’, J!” Domingo Suarez, Jim’s best junior analyst, was sitting on the corner of his desk, sleeves rolled up, reading a file. “How’d the briefing go?”
“We got authorised for fifty mil,” Jim replied as he sat down behind his desk, fishing for a pack of cigarettes in a drawer. “Anything from Gajos’ drop yesterday?”
“Yeah, man, some bad news; the Archanan government completely cut off supplies of diesel fuel the day before yesterday, and has begun severely rationing gasoline in the whole damned region!” Suarez replied.
Jim sighed; “So…no fuel then. So much for this plan to mobilise the DLF.”
“Maybe not, boss…” Suarez continued, “they’re still allowing cooking fuel into the region. I was talking to someone down in Tech, and they said that if it’s mixed 50:50 with the existing gasoline they sell there, it’s not far off the regular we sell here. And if it’s run straight, well, it can work in a pinch, but it’s low-quality…real shit fuel.”
Jim took a pensive drag on his cigarette. “Alright, let’s put some feelers out to the companies that work in Archana, draw up a spec and see what they can come up with…”
Judging Criteria
Vehicles for CSR 73 will be judged by the following criteria:
High Priority
- Reliability - A broken vehicle might as well be a vehicle destroyed by the enemy; if it’s not out fighting, it’s just tying up resources.
-
Fuel Economy - An army marches on its stomach, and a mechanised army rides on its fuel tank. Better fuel economy allows for more flexibility and easier logistics.
- Special consideration will be given to vehicles capable of running on Low Quality fuel (76 AKI/80 RON)
- Offroad - Dalluha is a geographically diverse region, with high mountains and arid deserts. Offroad capability will give the DLF the ability to move vehicles outside the road network, helping conceal their movement from the Archanan People’s Army.
- Utility and Practicality - These vehicles must be flexible and practical; they will be used as transports, light offensive vehicles, as well as improvised ambulances and command vehicles too.
- Purchase Price - We’ve been given a fixed amount of money, so we need to make sure can deliver as many vehicles as possible to our ally.
- Styling - General Gajos is well-intentioned, but also a bit of a egomaniac. He wants a tough, iconic looking vehicle that the people of Dalluha will forever associate with their liberation, like how the Willys Jeep or the Spitfire are associated with World War 2. However, don’t make the vehicles so overtly militarised that Archanan customs officials will see the need to confiscate them at the port!
Medium Priority
- Service Costs - It does an army no good if its vehicles are so expensive to maintain that they cannot afford to put them in the field.
- Driveability - These vehicles will be driven by a hastily assembled paramilitary force, many of whom have little to no experience driving any kind of motor vehicle. The less time the DLF has to spend training recruits as drivers, the more time they have to train them as soldiers.
- Overall Dimensions - The streets in many old Dalluhan villages are very narrow, as are a lot of the tracks through the mountains; a smaller vehicle will be an asset here. Addtionally, our, umm, “clandestine assets” will be called upon to airlift these vehicles from time to time, so weight is a consideration too.
Low Priority
- Safety
- Comfort
Not Evaluated
- Sportiness
- Prestige
Restrictions
- Trim Year: 1986
- Model and Engine Family year can be older for lore purposes
- Maximum Production Units (PU) and Engineering Time (ET):
- Engine: 30 PU/40 ET
- Chassis: 75 PU/20 ET
- Minimum Safety: 30
- Since these vehicles must be imported through legal channels, they must not draw undue attention to themselves. Therefore, a maximum engine loudness of 40 must be adhered to, and all vehicles must be fitted with a catalytic converter.
Naming Convention
- Car model: CSR 73 - (username)
- Car trim: Full name of car
- Engine family: CSR 73 - (username)
- Engine variant: Engine name or whatever
DEADLINE: Monday, May 28th, 23:59:59 UTC
Click here if you are unsure how much time remains until the deadline!
