Fire Team Tango

Subtle, dark synthwave music builds over a black screen as voices speak over a tinny radio. The screen fades to reveal a pilot in an Ares Venture VTOL over open ocean.

Pilot: Carrier Twelve? This is Victor Seven-Niner, no response from Baseplate. Please advise.

Radio: Confirm connection.

Pilot: Affirmative, connection established.

Radio: Standby... CAVOK, confirm visual contact for optic transmission.

Pilot: Roger, proceeding.

The pilot flies toward a coastline and sees smoke. The screen cuts to the radio room in the aircraft carrier, where several military radio operators are listening carefully.

Pilot (now over radio): Uh, I'm seeing smoke here...

The screen briefly shows a barrage of special effects lasers coming from the ground toward the cockpit before the scene cuts back to the radio room.

Pilot: Oh Ghost! I'm hit! Friendly fire, friendly-

He is interrupted by the sound of sci-fi laser fire and an ensuing explosion. The radio turns to static.

Operator: Victor Seven-Niner, sitrep! ...Please respond! ...Respond, dammit!

The operator sighs and takes off his headset. He looks at the other operators.

Operator: We've got a Venture down.

The music cuts off for a moment with an Inception horn before switching to another scene, where a decorated Ares officer is giving a briefing to a small squad of troops.

Officer: Twelve hours ago, our base in western Azania went dark. Drone flybys have confirmed unusual thermal activity indicating the presence of unregistered laser weapons. We believe a team of ex-Firewatch terrorists has established a foothold on base, though an internal resistance may be holding them off for now. Any retaliation could spell disaster for them if they've been taken hostage. This situation requires a surgical strike - that's why you're here. Your designation will be Fire Team Tango.

The camera pans by a hulking cyborg, a military mage, and a cocky young pilot man in a bomber jacket, chewing gum obnoxiously.

Officer: You represent the best in your respective fields.

Close-up on the officer.

Officer: But, intel suggests the ex-Firewatch have connections with other underworld groups. We've brought in a specialist.

A movie goth decker girl comes in, obviously clashing with the professional military chic.

Pilot: What? A shadowrunner? Sir, we don't need some merc's help!

Decker: She sighs and pulls out her cyberdeck. Last week, you rented "Elves Gone Wild XVI," "Debbie Does Cara'sir,"...

The cyborg and mage look at the pilot, who shrinks down in his chair.

Pilot: Okay, okay...

The music builds to heavy synthmetal as Fire Team Tango gears up with various Ares-branded weapons displayed prominently to the screen. A few quick scenes show the cyborg and mage performing feats of amazing magic and might with cool CGI effects as well as ironically less realistic depictions of virtual reality include tessellated, obviously computerized scenes of the decker's goth persona fighting off virtual lasers. Several shots of new Ares aircraft outperforming inferior black market models are spliced in too. Title cards appear during this sequence.

Title Card: Horizon Presents

Title Card: A Pathfinder Multimedia Picture

Title Card: Based On A True Story

The music stops. The cyborg approaches an injured, frightened ex-Firewatch troop who has a Redline pulled on him. The cyborg sighs and shakes his head.

Cyborg: That's not a laser.

An Ares Archon drops down from a VTOL that flies in close, and he catches it perfectly.

Cyborg: This is a laser.

The Archon charges up, but the scene cuts away before it fires. The title cards and synthmetal resume.

Title Card: Fire Team Tango

Title Card: Summer 2081