Black Ops secret background...

[Johnny1A.2]

I remember mentioning this once before, years ago, in a thread, and I was reminded of it lately when I reread some of the 3e Black Ops book.

The book is written in the form of a narrative by Ivan Decker, Combat Op, who is violating Company policy, and quite literally risking his life in doing so, by writing about the Company. Decker is a Combat Op with 15 years experience and having survived a lot of missions, I think he mentions that only 3 or 4 Combat ops have survived more than he has. He's an old hand.

He's discovered that the Company is falsifying the circumstances of the deaths of some rogues, carving their names on their honor roll and claiming they died heroes deaths, rather than admitting that they turned rogue. This disturbs him enough that he's writing this stuff down.

I get the distinct impression as I read Decker's comments that it's deeper than that. My sense that the fluff text and comments give is that Decker is actually having a full on crisis of faith, so to speak. On some level, he's not sure he believes anything the Company taught him anymore.

There are actually plenty of reasons for such doubts. There are a lot of contradictions and gaps in the backstory, and Decker is an intelligent man, I figure that subconsciously he's doubted for a long time, and now the discovery of the fake names on the heroic death list has brought that subconscious doubt to the top where he can't ignore it. He's no longer able to blind himself to the gaps and holes.

As an interesting exercise, what might the actual background be, the reality that Decker senses and can no longer deny? What might actually be going on in-setting that would account for the contradictions and gaps in the Company?

[Randyman]

Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2

I remember mentioning this once before, years ago, in a thread, and I was reminded of it lately when I reread some of the 3e Black Ops book.

The book is written in the form of a narrative by Ivan Decker, Combat Op, who is violating Company policy, and quite literally risking his life in doing so, by writing about the Company. Decker is a Combat Op with 15 years experience and having survived a lot of missions, I think he mentions that only 3 or 4 Combat ops have survived more than he has. He's an old hand.

He's discovered that the Company is falsifying the circumstances of the deaths of some rogues, carving their names on their honor roll and claiming they died heroes deaths, rather than admitting that they turned rogue. This disturbs him enough that he's writing this stuff down.

I get the distinct impression as I read Decker's comments that it's deeper than that. My sense that the fluff text and comments give is that Decker is actually having a full on crisis of faith, so to speak. On some level, he's not sure he believes anything the Company taught him anymore.

There are actually plenty of reasons for such doubts. There are a lot of contradictions and gaps in the backstory, and Decker is an intelligent man, I figure that subconsciously he's doubted for a long time, and now the discovery of the fake names on the heroic death list has brought that subconscious doubt to the top where he can't ignore it. He's no longer able to blind himself to the gaps and holes.

As an interesting exercise, what might the actual background be, the reality that Decker senses and can no longer deny? What might actually be going on in-setting that would account for the contradictions and gaps in the Company?

My personal favorite - the Cabal is the actual major threat. The other threats are either Cabal-related, Cabal-generated misdirection, or outright lies.

Variation - the Company is a branch of the Cabal, drawing off mundanes who might otherwise pose a threat to the Cabal and using them in service to the Cabal - fatal service, which means their threat to the Cabal is neutralized one way or another.