Action Report: Preparing the Hijack

The Agents

Tobias Stöhner: Gray hat hacker and electronics whiz, Tobias makes computer security experts at the Pentagon break out into a cold sweat when he infiltrates their systems.
Virgil Cooke: A former CIA agent, Virgil is a master of acting a part and working the social aspects of covert ops. You probably should avoid windows if he wants you dead.
Jack Herman: Former SAS, Jack is the group's heavy muscle and military man. If the group needs his talents, it's inevitably because something went FUBAR and they need saving.
Alexandrina Veselovsky (Alex): Russian criminal. Breaking and entering expert. Overly complicated last name. Impossible to keep away from your valuables.
Nima Caspi: A former IDF combat medic, Nima is perfectly at home driving like a complete maniac and patching up complete maniacs who have taken a bullet or two.

This session we had Matt (Virgil), Thomas (Tobias) and Ryan (Jack). Kim (Alex) was absent.

Logan calls the players right after Nima and Miguel finish relating to Virgil that they've found the location of the Los Zetas garage where the escort SUVs are being worked on. Logan informs the players that their destination with the drug shipment is Roswell New Mexico. The agents and Logan talk for an extended period of time, going over the options available.

The Agents decide that they want to avoid Juarez and attempting the passing at Ojinaga. The hijack itself will likely take place just North of Ciudad Madera, with the Agents taking the stolen semi East before turning North again.

Jack goes out in the morning and hits up a few hardware stores, preparing a couple of impromptu spike strips consisting of a tire tread with sharp pointy bits ticking out of it. That finished, he does some scouting of the roads just North of Madera.

Nima busies herself working on their own two SUVs. In the space of ten hours she's reinforced both vehicles with makeshift armor where it's possible (+2 DR), and added ramming bars to the front of each SUV (front DR vs. Slams/Collisions).

Virgil makes a solo run out to the Zetas garage once the mechanics leave for the night. His previous CIA experience coming in handy, he slips inside to review their process and place a few GPS trackers Tobias scrounged together on their vehicles. Each SUV has been outfitted with an extra fuel tank in the trunk, as well as run-flat tires.

Meanwhile, Tobias has been very busy. Between monitoring the bugs on Hernando and Chavez, setting up the radio jammer and ensuring that the jammer won't interfere with their own communications, he even manages to encrypt their own radio traffic.

The Agents manage to record numerous conversations between Chaves and Hernando. It seems the local Zetas are waiting to hear from their superiors where the convoy is supposed to pass into the United States. The information is being kept under wraps to prevent the Sinaloa Cartel from attacking the shipment. This is making Hernando and Chavez very nervous. They learn a few hours later that Hernando is meeting with a Los Zetas courier at a local Los Zetas hideout.

Virgil and Jack visit the local Zetas hangout, which turns out to be a bar, hoping to be able to snoop on Hernando's meeting with the courier.Virgil convincingly plays a harmless tourist (hello critical success), preventing any hostility from the Zetas as long as he's keeping the bartender happy purchasing overpriced local tequila.

At one point, Hernando bursts into the bar, yelling that an arms shipment is under attack, ordering the gang members out to attack the Sinaloas.

The Zetas courier, dispatched to deliver the final route details to Hernando fails to make the rendezvous, dying when he's attacked and killed by Sinaloa Cartel members.

Virgil and Jack learn that the Courier was attacked thanks to Tobias' phone tap on Hernando. Chavez and Hernando decide to try and take the convoy to Juarez, thinking that even if it is the wrong border crossing, the local Los Zetas presence there will prevent the loss of the shipment, even if it was meant to go through Ojinaga.

The Agents begin their final preparations to hijack the drugs.