====== Operation Spice ======

**Operation Spice** was a failed WORM operation in Lima, Peru, which aimed to capture and detain counter-operatives from a local hackerspace. Due to mismanagement and several organizational mishaps, the operation led to the capture of agents by the Peruvian cartel, and eventually, thanks to our interference, to the loss of the ship MO3 and defection of the crew of MO5.

===== Course of the operation =====

Preparations for the operation in Lima were started in late November 2023, when several assets, including //MO3// and //FACILITY// were seen repositioning to the area on [[:agent_systems#as32|AS32]] telemetry.

On January 8 2024, we intercepted an [[:iris]] conversation between //SB// and [[:characters#maria_peters|Maria]] in which Maria was assigned as a handler for the operation, thanks to her position in the Pacific command and ability to speak Spanish. At this point in time Maria has already established herself as a known troublemaker, so the expectations of this mission going south at some point were high. Maria was told to fly to Lima, and subsequently started making arrangements for the mission. After renting a car, she met with the crew of //MO3//, spent some time getting drunk at a hotel, and attempted reconnaissance on a local hackerspace, which turned out to not exist. The mission was shortly put on hold, as additional resources were flown in and more research made.

The raid began on January 16th. //SB// sent details of the counter-operatives' location to Maria over [[:telefax]], which came out garbled. Maria, unsure where to go, picked out a location close to the beach, which turned out to be [[wp>Callao#Crime|one of the most dangerous places in the entire country]]. After ignoring SB's call to abort the mission, the crew went out to do some ground work, at which point they were held at gunpoint by a gang. Shortly after, all contact with the team was lost.

A day later, Maria [[:xorfs:19200-19249#19222|turned up at the airport]] having somehow escaped from the shakedown. She was taken to Gibraltar for questioning. Later, we learn that the operatives have been kidnapped by a Peruvian gang and are being held for ransom. [[:characters#dr_j_marvin_blackweather|J]] is unfazed by this, and decides to cut his losses:

{{::events:2024-01-19_05.14.16.jpg?400|}}

On January 21st, a debrief of the mission is shared on AS32:

| {{::events:spice_debrief1.png?400|}} | {{:events:spice_debrief2.png?400|}} | {{:events:spice_debrief3.png?400|}} | {{:events:spice_debrief4.png?400|}} |

===== Hostage situation =====

On January 20th, we receive an [[:iris]] message from a mobile unit:

{{::events:lima_broker.png?400|}}

Seeing that J is uninterested in resolving this hostage situation, we devise a plan to save the hostages in the hopes of them defecting from [[:organizations#Emtanon]] and joining our cause. Having no way to pay the ransom we are asked for, we decide to offer one of Emtanon's ships as a ransom payment. From previous messages, we have learned that Marine Org vessels are worth millions of dollars, and the kidnappers happily take us up on the offer. We then use the [[:terminals#Aqua terminal]] to impersonate Pacific command and order the crew of //MO3// to strip their ship of weapons and Emtanon equipment and prepare for the handover. We also tell them to leave the //semaphore// equipment onboard, which allows us to track the ship after it's handed over, and gives us an opportunity to sink it, if we ever find the correct passwords and codes.

Over the following week, we keep exchanging messages between us, the crew of //MO3//, and the cartel's broker to arrange the deal. It is finally completed on January 27th, when //MO3// sets off on a //training mission// with some crew, and the kidnapped agents are reunited with the rest, and picked up by //MO5//. The training ends abruptly a few days later, and the remaining crew are dropped off in the high seas to be picked up by //MO5//.

Having rescued and reunited all the crew, we reveal ourselves as the counter operation. After describing our motives as altruistic, the crew decides to join our cause and help us in disrupting [[:organizations#Emtanon]]'s activities.

===== Aftermath =====

//MO3// remains under the control of the Peruvian cartel, its explosives package and transponder still active.

As a punishment for mishandling the operation, Maria was reassigned to Gough Island for some time.

For a short time some Emtanon employees were concerned about //MO3// going rogue, and some aerial surveillance attempts were made (sabotaged by the counterop-friendly crew of //AIR1//), but no further action was taken, and the ship still roams the Pacific Ocean.

The combined crew of //MO3// and //MO5// remains friendly and stays in touch over iris, providing us some insights about the current events and aiding the new crew of //FACILITY// after the [[facility_redemption|mutiny]].