SLA recognised a while ago the thin line that a well established, well loved and very effective operative may walk sometimes. One missed placed grenade, a slightly too slow a reaction time and so forth and goodbye ammunition's plant. It's not their fault really. With higher security ratings, they undertake often dangerous missions that involve higher risk and sometimes thoses risk's might work against them causing them to accidently destroy something of importance to SLA or commit some other crime that SLA frowns down seriousily upon. Often the penalty is death, or a big debt to pay. Either way, SLA tends to lose some very good operatives to a simple slip up. With the continuing battle against Thresher and Dark Night, good operatives are becoming a bit of a rare commodity.
However, there is an alternative...
Melange.
A short while ago, Scientist Professor Alaforn Melange petitioned Mr Slayer himself to establish a new department. This department would take on those operatives who had fouled up in some big way but were otherwise very loyal, very good operatives and a waste to loss. Here, they would serve their penalty by working for SLA as new Melange operatives. Once their penalty is served, they can return to SLA, working as normal operatives once again.
But Melange is no easy way out. Not at all...
Upon being commited to Melange, the Operative loses all Security Ratings and all possesions. Their house is taken back by SLA and any equipment, weapons, vehicles etc.. are placed into a secured storage in secreat from the operatives. Their Finace chip is removed or their card taken away from them and any units they have in hard cash is removed with their property. Their identities are removed from all but the most upper levels of SLA records and as far as the public are concerned, the operative has gone missing. However, they now work for Melange.
Depending on their crime, they will be sentanced to a number of years working for Melange. Typically, the number of years to serve Melange are far more than the operatives lifespan of and normally range from 300 to 600 years. However, there is a way out of Melange. The operative is sent back into the fold with Melange equipment to work missions through the BPN halls. He may take normal BPN missions if Melange Station Analysis approves. For every 100 credits he normally would have earnt on the mission though, he gets one year knocked off his sentence. In addition, Melange may send the operative themselves out on missions with a number of years assigned to it. Successfully completely it results in those amount fo years being knocked of their sentance.
The Penalties of failure are severe though. Failure either results in those years being added on, or in severe cases, termination.
Melange have developed a number of implants that are placed within all operatives except Ebons and Brain Wasters. The first is an explosive placed by the heart. Should the operative fail badly or deviate from SLA or Melange orders, Melange Station Analysis will set it off. Attempting to remove the implant except at Melange will set the device off and all other implants are tied to this so that if they too are removed, the device explodes.
The second set is simalar to the Finance Chip. It allows Melange Station Anaylsis to keep tab 24 hours a day on the operative. It also allows Melange to give the operative money should they need it and only at the approval of Melange for the benefit of a mission. This chip will not show up on Station anaylsis or on finance chip scanners unless Melange allows it so through their own station anaylsis. However, this chip will show up on Finance Chip scanners belonging to Melange equipment. It will also show the number of years left on the operatives penalty.
The next implants are a small ear piece inserted into the right ear (unless deaf in that ear) and a microphone inside the jaw. This allows the operative to hear Melange Station analysis and to communicate with them.
Unless they are allowed to by Melange Station Analysis, the operative must report back to their Melange building at the end of the day where they turn into a room prepared for them with sufficient food to keep them fit and well. Any Melange vehicles they are given are turned into the garage below the building where Melange engineers repair the vehicle, refuel it and rearm it. Any weapons they are given are stored in the armoury with their armour where they too are maintain and reloaded. Everything is made ready and fresh for the operative in the morning to take out.
When an operative is given the choice of one of two vehicles that they may like to use. They may decline to take a vehicle, but most are recommended to take either the Melange Shareal Car or the Melange Road Burner. They keep this vehicle until their sentance is up when they must return it. It should be kept in as good a condition as possible and severe damage or destruction of the vehicle may be penalised. These vehicles are repaired and their weapons rearmed each time they are placed into a Melange buildings garage. The insides of the vehicle are equipped with high tech security gear to prevent others from stealing the vehicle and anyone caught tampering with one (including the operative using it) may be terminated by the implant or in the case of non-Melange operatives, by a Melange operative themselves. Each vehicle appears slightly different however, individualised upon intiation into Melange by the operative so that each Melange vehicle appears different to the next. (For reasons why, see public relations later).
Type: Melange Bike
Max Speed: 100m/phase : 625 km/hour
Movement: Fusion Charger rechargered at Melange Station Analysis
Dimensions: 0.65m Width, 0.75m height, 2m length.
Weight: 0.4 Tonnes
Crew: 1 Driver
Passengers: 1
Skill: Drive Motorbike + 1
Armament: Built in twin hidden FEN Melange 444 (each equipped with 80 bullets)
Cost: Not Avalible on the common market.
PV: 15 ID: 175
Acceleration Rate: 4 (+10 per turbo. 4 turbo's availble each time it is recharged)
Turning Circle: 1
Extra's: 2 Smoke Screens. Nava-Map. Radar (250m). Supressors and Silencers on the built in FEN 444. 100m Finance Chip Scanner. 50m Motion Scanner. Fixed Forward and Rear Camera (With IR mode and Range Finder and telecsopic sighting to 1000m). 4 Data Slugs (only retrivable by Melange supervisors at a Melange Station Analysis).
Type: Melange Car
Max Speed: 100m/phase : 625 km/hour
Movement: Fusion Charger rechargered at Melange Station Analysis
Dimensions: 1.5m Width, 0.75m height, 3m length.
Weight: 0.75 Tonnes
Crew: 1 Driver
Passengers: 1
Skill: Drive Civilian + 1
Armament: Built in twin hidden FEN Melange 444 (each equipped with 80 bullets)
Cost: Not Avalible on the common market.
PV: 20 ID: 300
Acceleration Rate: 4 (+12 per turbo. 4 turbo's availble each time it is recharged)
Turning Circle: 3
Extra's: 4 Smoke Screens. Nava-Map. Radar (500m). Supressors and Silencers on the built in FEN 444. 100m Finance Chip Scanner. 100m Motion Scanner. TV / Radio. Swivel Camera (With IR mode and Range Finder and telecsopic sighting to 1000m). Hands off phone. 4 Data Slugs (only retrivable by Melange supervisors at a Melange Station Analysis). Fax Machine.
Operatives for Melange are then issued with their equipment. This is the only equipment they will be issued with and they must keep in as good a condition as possible (though sometimes Melange gives out other equipment for special Melange missions). This equipment is as follows:
Either:
1x Melange Jitte
2x Melange FEN 444
1x Melange Armour
1x Melange Shield
8x Melange FEN 444 clips
Or:
1x Melange FEN 444
1x Melange DWL 2000
1x Melange Armour
1x Melange Shield
4x Melange FEN 444 clips
2x Melange DWL 2000 clips
Or:
2x Melange Jitte
1x Melange FEN 444
1x Melange Armour
1x Melange Shield
4x Melange FEN 444 clips
Developed by Melange as a special form of close combat weapon. Operatives may use the Jitte in close combat like a 1-handed club or use it's spike that can flick out of either end like a martial arts weapon. It also can be extended in the middle to form a garotte to slice open peoples necks. The final option is that it can used as a range weapon, firing it's spike up to 25m on the end of a chain using the pistol skill. This ability can also be used to dig the spike into hard surfaces to act as a grappling hook kind of mechanisim.
Club DMG: 6 PEN: 0 AD: 6
Spike DMG: 6 PEN: 2 AD: 4
Garrote DMG: 8 PEN: 0 AD: 0 (Only if strikes the head. No LAD if kills)
Chain Shot:
DMG: 6 Pen: 2 AD: 4 ROF: 1 RCL: 2 Range: 25m (max) Weight: 0.5kg Cost: Not Avalible
A small and effective pistol that is either built into Melange vehicles or used by operatives. Developed by FEN, it carries 10mm bullets and when built into vehicles is fed by an ammunition bin built into the vehicle itself. The gun is identity coded so only the operative who the gun belongs to can use it, else the gun will self destruct.
Size: P Clip: 40 Cal: 10mm ROF: 20/10 Rcl: 10/8 Range: 50m Weight: 0.5kg Cost: Not Avalible
With the return of the old Dracion Weapon Limited, Melange took the opertunity to secure one of the weapons for their operatives. Now operatives with a taste for heavy weaponry can carry one of these advanced weapons around with all the additional technology built into to it to reduce recoil and so forth. The DWL 2000 also comes with a telescopic sight to 250m (including night vision and IR) and a laser painter. It is also simalar identity coded like the FEN 444.
Size: R Clip: 10 Cal: 20mm ROF: 5/1 Rcl: 15/10 Range: 25m Weight: 10kg Cost: Not Avalible
Melange clips are designed in such a way that they may only be refilled at a Melange station. Tampering with this system can lead to termination of the person attempt to tamper with the equipment. Melange usually provides an operative with fresh clips of ammunition each day and their vehicles ammunition bins are refilled. Vehicles usually carry HEAP ammuntion while operatives with FEN 444's usually have 1 clip of Standard, 1 clip of HP and 2 clips of HEAP (double that if they carry two FEN 444's). Melange operatives with DWL 2000 usually have one clip of Standard bullets and one of HEAP. Sometimes, when undergoing special Melange missions, Melange may change the clips however or give them more.
A special armour developed with those who developed the Silver back and with DWL advisors, the armour that operatives are given is considered sufficient for the operatives needs. It is fully enclosed and while out on missions, operatives are requested to keep the full armour on (inlcuding the helmet). Those with cars may take their helmets off in the car as long as they are alone and the full armour may only be taken off inside a Melange building. Operatives are given a small degree of choice of how the suit will actually look, giving each one a very personalised look much like their vehicles.
PV: 18
ID: Head: 80 Torso: 200 Arms: 120 Legs: 180
Bonus's to Characteristics: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity,+3m to Sprint. The Melange Power Armour can fly like a Sliver Back (see Karma suppliment for SLA Industries) and also has built in 75m grappling hooks on each arm. It stores space for 10 Kickstarts that are refilled each day and carries enough Magholds for the operatives weapons and clips. Their is a spot light attached either to the shoulder, head or arm's, the eye pieces allow for 250m telescopic vision with night filter or IR vision as well as normal. There is a built in radio to Melange frequencies and there is also an inbuilt mobile phone and 50m Finance Chip scanner. The suit also features a voice distorted so that the operatives voice sounds different when wearing the suit or using the inbuilt mobile phone. This way, no one will recognise operative if they knew them before they were assigned to Melange. The suit is also equipped with a Melange LAD tag and Melange runs a quick response LAD unit. Melange Operatives never use normal LAD. However LAD does cost a number of years back onto their service.
Built into a wristband on the operatives arm, the riot shield can be activated to form a strong shield to give the Melange operative further protection. Once activated, it may be used to cover either the head and torso or the torso and legs and has a PV of 22 and ID of 50.
Melange is flexible enough to deal with nearly all operatives needs, and therefore may make special exceptions for certain people. For example, Frothers and Drug Addicts may be given small additional injection systems in their armour that include the drugs that they are hooked too and are refilled by Melange each day like the inbuilt Kickstart. Those who smoke are allowed to have their helmet built with an exposed mouth piece so that they may continue to smoke cigarettes. Melange provides them once a day with a packet of 20. Armour comes in all sizes, as does the Jittes, so anyone from simple human to towering Stormer or Chargrin can use the armour and equipment. The people though who most allowances are made for are the Ebons and Brainwasters:
At first, Melange did not deal with these races due to their abilities and their inability to take implants (one of the most important things for Melange is those implants). But after a lot of work and research in co-ordination with Dark Lament, Melange finally came up with a way of keeping them in check and working with the Melange team. Ebon's and Brainwasters are forced to lose their orginal deathsuit (a painful experience for many) and take on a new death suit built and designed between Dark Lament and Melange. To all extents and purposes, these suits are simalar to the normal Melange Armour written above except that it is also a deathsuit that may never merge under the Ebon's skin when using the higher powers nor may it be removed. This armour can only be removed by certain trained technicians and Necanthropes who work for Melange at the end of the Ebon's sentance. This suit will also store upto 50 extra flux via an inbuilt flux gem. No other Dark Lament accesories are added.
This suit also carries an inbuilt camera and explosives and the helmet features a direct radio link to Station Analysis so that these replace the normal implants that other operatives may have. In addition to all this, another inhibitation device is built into the suit. The suit will relay all Ebb actions they do (including the content of telepathic messages) to Melange Station Analysis and at the flick of a switch, Melange Station Anaylsis can drain all of the flux out of the Ebon if they judge the Ebon's actions are incorrect. Failing that, they just blow the Ebon up like any other out of line Melange operative.
Other than the suit and lack of implants, Ebon's and Brainwaster's are issued with the same vehicles and weapons as any other operative for Melange.
Melange agents theoretically do not have a security rating as such. However, Melange does and it rumoured to be very high. They judge what information is avalible to the operative on a need to know basis. So if the information that a high security level is required for is not appropriate to their mission, they don't get it the security rating. If it is, Melange temporily gives them that security rating. They carry a ID card with the security rating left blank. Melange can program this card by remote to show whatever security rating they please however and to most operatives and official's, the card looks no different to a normal operatives security rating card.
When an operative is given other to Melange, their current identity is removed from the public lime light. They are briefed by Melange to avoid camera's where possible and not to speak to the media at all so that Melange keeps a high degree of secreacy. However, all operatives wear unique armour and personalised vehicles so that when the media does see them, they do not confuse one personality with another or tie them up to one central organisation. Sometimes Melange operatives get a bit of lime light shed on them and the media makes up their own names for them as these operatives obviousily working for SLA are considered mysterious and romantic by some. However, the media has never encountered Melange before and Melange is kept well secreat and the operatives never talk about their roles to anyone.
Should an operative complete their time with Melange, they have their Melange equipment taken from them, the Melange implants are removed and are given back their old equipment that was confiscated before they were submitted to Melange. They are told to never talk about Melange to anyone, nor to ever contact Melange again. They are now free to return to work as ordinary SLA operatives, with their old security rating returned to them. Should they ever break those final conditions, they can be sure that Melange operatives will be hunting them out, ready to reduce their own time by a few years.
Though sometimes, an operative becomes so used to Melange that they never want to leave. These serve time and then go on to continue for Melange as advanced operatives with more liberties. They also act supervisors or operators at Melange Station Analysis. Those who don't want to leave are always welcome back into the Melange structure.
You can use Melange for your players after they have commited some big crime against SLA by accident or introduce Melange as NPC's.
Maybe the whole party is forced to serve under Melange, offering a new spin on life for the whole group as Melange allows them to continue to work together. Or maybe only one or two are forced to work for Melange. This is best done if the players do not know about Melnage before hand. You can therefore make out that the players character has been terminated by SLA and they are now playing a new and mysterious character and see if the rest of the party to work out who they really are and what's going on. Then, once they have served their time, they may become SLA operatives again and their character returns but they cannot explain where they have been. Maybe things will click with the group, maybe it won't, but it could be fun, especially when Melange orders them on to something else and the operative may try and persuade th rest of the group to help them out a little.
Melange operatives may also be introduced as mysterious NPC's with well hard technology and working towards unknown objectives. Again, maybe the party will try and work out what they are or maybe they will just shrug it off. The oppertunities are endless.
Melange is most influential on Karatos in it's struggle for control and it may be worth reading the section on Karatos for more information. They do however have places on other planets, including Mort, though they are rarer on these planets.
It might be worth also getting hold of the Manga Oedo 808 trilogy from the Cyberpunk series for the story lines to this video series were the orginal inspiration for Melange. Though Melange is different to that shown on the video's, it does give a rough outline of what it is all about.
By A.Draken.