As spies, the Nekekami are among the best in the Inner Sphere. While they do not have the resources or manpower of larger, better-known organizations such as the ISF or even the private intelligence networks of various generals and nobles, their training, daring, physical and mental conditioning, and devotion to the mission at hand have made them invaluable as special covert agents on countless intel ops throughout the various Successor State Houses. Though they prefer not to rely on electronic devices, the Nekekami apparently have access to a wide array of tools allowing surreptitious entry and surveillance. One particularly ingenious device is only a little larger than a pocket recorder. It is attached to an electronic lock by whatever type of "key" is appropriate-tou ch pad, cardkey, paimprint reader-and used to transmit a very rapid series of electronic impulses through the lock in a process similarto trying random numbers on a combination lock, but very, very quickly. Usually, the device will hit upon the proper impulse sequence within a minute or two,
Should the electronic key fail-or should the Nekekami be faced by an old-fashioned mechanical lock-he can always employ more direct and primitive devices to open the door, including lockpicks, drills, and plastic explosives.
C-96 plastic explosive is a favorite of the Spirit Cats. An amount pre-molded into a package of about the same size and shape as a shot glass is placed over the lock mechanism of the door and detonated. The explosion destroys the lock and very little else. If the need for stealth precludes the use of explosives, the Nekekami will drill a small hole in the lock and pour a powerful acid directly into the locking mechanism. In a few moments, the acid will eat away the wards of the lock, making it easy to force back the bolt and open the door.
Of course, the more sophisticated the lock, the more sophisticated the method which must be employed to open it. The story is told of a Nekekami sent to obtain documents held in a safe in the headquarters of a mercenary 'Mech unit. When the operative was unable to open the palm reader locked safe, he located the quarters occupied by the installation commander, drugged the man into unconsciousness, and made prints of the man's palms on a special pressure-sensitive paper he was carrying. The next day, the prints were found inside the safe which they were used to open, and the documents were gone.
Walls offer little hindrance to the Nekekami, who have a great many gadgets
which help them overcome nearly any obstacle. Metal bands with strong claws set into them are strapped over the Nekekami's hands, with the claws projecting out from the palm. A similar set of clawed bands are attached to their boots. These claws are set into small cracks in the wall, or dug into a vertical wooden or ice surface, and allow the Nekekami hand and footholds which allow him to quickly complete seemingly impossible climbs. If the wall is too smooth or hard for claws, a padded grappling hook and climbing rope can be used. These may be thrown by hand or, if the wall is too high, fired from a 20mm launcher. One type of grappling hook, used for scaling very high obstacles, is designed to be fired from a 40mm mortar-like launcher. Some extremely rare versions are rocket propelled, and are fired from a launcher similar to a man-portable SIRM launcher. One form of rocket- propelled grappling device is designed to bury its head in wood or other soft material, providing a ready-made anchor for the climbing rope trailing behind it.
For crossing rivers, lakes, and other such water obstacles, a Spirit Cat might use a flotation device which resembles a MechWarrior's coolant vest, filled with air instead of coolant fluid. Larger or swifter bodies of water require the use of an inflatable one-man boat. The most common type of this sort of craft is similar to an inflatable, foam-filled camp chair. The folded boat and its inflator are not much larger than a couple of aerosol cans. When the Nekekami encounters a water obstacle, he inflates the boat by means of a pressurized can of liquid plastic foam. This foam hardens after a few moments, and the Nekekami can then cross the water using his hands as paddles. If the situation requires it, the Nekekami is not averse to using such mechanical contrivances as rebreathers and diving gear.
Other methods of approach may be employed as well. A series of pulleys attached to a harness and set on a taut wire or rope suspended between two buildings-or to a grappling hook line or power cable or the guy wire for an antenna--can allow the Nekekami to pull himself hand-over-hand across a gulf or up the side of a tower. They may also use HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) and HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) parachute drops, jump packs, or even a catapult driven by compressed air. The level of stealth required by the situation will dictate the methods and the equipment which may be used.
Once entry has been effected, the Nekekami have still more gadgets with which to carry out an intelligence task. All of the high-tech devices employed by intelligence units throughout the Inner Sphere are available: laser and maser microphones, miniature transmitters and recorders, miniaturized cameras-all have, no doubt, played a part in various Spirit Cat intelligence operations. It should be born in mind, however, that the Nekekami prefer to carry out their missions with a minimum of equipment. This represents not so much an aversion to technology as an unwillingness to rely on machines in what they believe should be a human art form. In the Nekekami philosophy, the human body and mind are supremely adaptable to any situation, and far more flexible and useful than any mere tool. The raider at Lyons, remember, memorized the contents of several dozen files, apparently with only the briefest of readings. He bore on his body no metal at all--belt buckles, knives, or the inner workings of a camera or recorder--which would trigger the sensors in the doorway of the vault.
More The Nekekami Spirit Cats Draconis Combine
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© Copyright 1987 by Pacific Rim Publishing.
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