ENEMY STAFF Generic nukesyndie.png Nuclear Agent Alt. Titles: None Access: Any place an e-mag or a block of C4 will open. Maintenance with their Agent Cards. Difficulty: Very Hard Supervisors: The Syndicate Duties: Get the nuclear disk, set the crew up the bomb. Guides: This IS the guide.

You have chosen, or been chosen to be one of the few, the strongest and the best, the Elite. Your mission will be to destroy one of NovusCorp's most advanced research facilities. Yes, our intel was updated. We're certain they send only the best here.

A team of two to five Syndicate Commandos have been sent on a mission to annihilate the station with the nuclear fission device provided to you in your shuttle. You will naturally be supplied with the code needed to arm the nuke, but you will also need to retrieve the Nuclear Authentication Disk from the station itself. Technically, you could use the “disarmed” nuke in the vault, but it has a completely different code known only by the gods themselves, so arming that one will be a waste of time even in best-case scenarios and still require the disk. You will have access to the same items Traitors get in order to complete their mission as well as a lot of special Nuclear Operatives exclusive gear and spare pinpointers that will allow you to easily find the disk.

“Help I just rolled Nuke Ops and I have no idea what is going on”:

DO pick a kit that tailors your playstyle. Ballistics and Energy are no-brainers, Engineer or Medic if robust in either normally. DO ask for the nuke code and note it down either physically or in your mind notes. Learn to pull it up quickly. DO sit at the conference table to listen to the team's plans (if any), or ask for them otherwise before launching. DO buy an emag, or beg someone competent to buy one for you. Even if rushing, you won't be getting far without one. DO put on a hardsuit and grab a pinpointer and put it in your pocket, along with internals. You will need them. DO read how to set up the nuke on the bottom of this page. If you're the only operative left and don't know how to set up the nuke you'll fail the mission and everyone will laugh at you. DO NOT pick Demolitions if you are unrobust due to the extreme friendly fire risk, or Ship and Cameras if you don't understand what it does. DO NOT dress up with the costume vendor unless you're robust enough for it or the team has a plan. The Nuclear Operatives gear is space-worthy and robust. DO NOT touch the fucking bombs if spawned in. Seriously, if you don't know how to use them you can accidentally wipe out your entire squad. DO NOT buy frivolous things with the uplink, ESPECIALLY any of the Nuclear Operative exclusive gear at 40 points. Ask when in doubt. DO uncheck ops from your antagonist settings until you played the game a bit more if it goes very poorly. If I happen to be one of the other operatives, and you fuck this up, DO uninstall Byond and commit die Game Ending Conditions :

If the Bomb detonates on station and the Syndicate Crew extracts with the disk, they win a Major Victory. If the Bomb detonates on station and the Disk is on station, they win a Minor Victory. If the Bomb does not detonate but the Disk is lost, the crew wins a Minor Victory. If the Bomb does not detonate and the Disk is sent back to Centcomm, the crew wins a Major Victory. If the Bomb detonates off station, the round ends in a Draw. Contents 1 Your Objectives 1.1 The Nuclear Code 2 Equipment 2.1 Loadouts 2.2 Your Shuttle and Gear 2.3 Equipment details 2.3.1 Weapons 2.3.2 Support Equipment 2.4 Syndicate Uplink 3 Tacticool Operations 3.1 Eye in the Sky 3.2 Operative Specialization 3.3 Plasteel Gear Solid 4 The Assault 4.1 Getting There and Staying in Communication 4.2 GET DAT FUKKEN DISK 4.3 About Setting Them Up the Nuke 5 Supplementary Video Your Objectives Retrieve the Nuclear Authentication Disk Arm the Nuclear Fission Explosive inside Space Station 13 Extract with the Syndicate Shuttle and the station's Nuclear Authentication Disk The Nuclear Code Your team leader will get access to the nuclear code and a spare copy will be delivered along with the nuclear device. Broadcast it on your team's frequency (say “;” and then add it to your Notes for further reference, use Add Notes verb in the IC tab then Notes to consult)

Equipment When you spawn as a nuclear operative, you get to pick a loadout, ranging from big shooty guns to utility items that can help the mission along. There's also a bunch of stuff available for free on the ship, and all the goodies that can be summoned from the uplink, so be sure to pick up everything you need.

Loadouts Ballistics. C20R rifle, two mags. Beretta pistol, two mags. Nothing fancy or shiny, it's the generic gunman but now with a sidearm when they inevitably lose their rifle to airflow, mopped floors or tasers. Easy default choice if you don't feel like infiltrating or putting any more thought into the mission than “shoot gun at people who are not red”. Energy. Laser rifle and ion carbine. The ion carbine is a weaker version of the ion rifle that can fire more often and fit in backpacks, but has a much lesser area of effect and direct damage. Two EMP nades included. Definitely best tailored to disable energy weapons and cyborgs and engage in skirmishes with Security staff. Can surprise those trying to abuse windows since bullets take a few sprays to pierce those. Demolition. RPG and 3 extra rockets, C32R 6-round MGL and 14 syndienades in two boxes. He makes things go boom, a lot. Same potential for extreme explosive stupidity, but that's what makes it fun, right ? On a more serious note, the demolition part isn't here for show. You will be demolishing everything you fire at, including yourself if you point-blank anything, and adding a copious amount of entrances to the station hull, so beware. Melee. Dual saber, Hi-F machete, Energy Shield and a super manhack nade (spawns 6 manhacks instead of the Traitor nade's two). Everything with blades and more. If you are certain you want your enemies up close and personal, this is the kit. Just be careful, as robust as energy swords are you can get your ass whooped extremely quickly by armed crewmen. Medical. Surgery roller bed (be sure to get some tools), hypospray, advanced medkit, hyperzine and inaprovaline pill bottles, and most importantly a rapid fire syringe gun and a box of 7 more-than-lethal syndicate mix syringes. It's only 7, but a single hit will kill anyone unlucky enough to be in your way, just remember that hardsuits tend to block syringes. Saving a robust Ops can be the difference between failure and victory. Engineering. Super welding googles, 3 C4, mesons, combat pump shotgun and a box of lethal shells, complete toolbelt, energy sword to cut down bolts and walls, and last but not least the advanced syndie magboots that have lower slowdown for robust airflow plays. If you need to do engineering and get into places, can't go wrong with this. The shotgun also packs a mean punch for those extra-dangerous crewmen. Stealth. Disguised thermals, voice changer mask, emag, parapen, silenced pistol with a mag, energy bow. For when you REALLY wanna stealth it, assuming you don't fuck everything up. Ideally only one person would pick this, and try to clutch the ship with their free resources plus whatever else they need to order. The included guns can definitely kill someone, but don't expect to take down all of Security with it (usually). Ship and Cameras. Binary key, mad scientist megaphone to pretend you're helping, teleporter board to actually help because it costs a lot. Only one person should pick this, and if anyone seems to be leaning towards staying on the ship and playing overwatch commander with the ship's cameras, that's their kit. The teleporter board can definitely be an extreme help for infiltration, and the binary key can help foil the Silicons in both stealth and rushes. Your Shuttle and Gear Syndicate Shuttle The Syndicate Shuttle, docked at Mother Base. Before you start your assault it is extremely important that you gear up and plan ahead. Take some time to plan a strategy with your squad. As far as gearing up goes, you will have access to the following :

Multiple lockers containing basic Nuclear Operatives gear. A space suit, jetpacks and weaponry. A Shuttle Medbay containing notably an O2 canister to fill your jetpacks and various medical supplies including medkits. Engineering Arm. Your Combat Gloves are insulated, but you can obtain toolkits and free thermals to organize correct assaults. A Syndicate Radio in the cockpit, basically a Traitor Uplink with 80 points. Don't waste them, but make damn sure that radio is empty by the time all is set. Equipment details Note that some of this is only available in certain loadouts.

C20r.png Weapons Rpg.png Name Found in Description C-20r SMG C20r.png Ballistics Loadout The trademark Syndicate Operatives weapon. What it lacks in crowd control is made up in stopping power, a few bullets will kill even the most armored of foes and the massive internal damage given by bullets will ensure they can't just apply some ointment, swallow Dermaline and get back into the fight. The powerful rounds will knock your foe down, making follow up shots easier. Right click to change from one-round to four-round bursts. Beretta 92FS Beretta.png Ballistics Loadout A classic 9mm handgun, while the design is over 500 years old it is still regarded as a very reliable gun. While it isn't as powerful as some of your other weapons, it will still down an unarmored target in four to five shots, combined with a magazine capacity of 15 rounds this is a great back up weapon for when you slip on a banana peel and the Clown steals your SMG. Silenced Pistol Silenced pistol.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle and Stealth Loadout A silenced .45 handgun. Has a magazine capacity of eight rounds and a silencer attached to its barrel. Does good damage and doesn't show an attack message when fired due to the silencer. Is both a good stealth and back up handgun. Combat Shotgun Combat Shotgun.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle A combat shotgun that comes preloaded with 12-gauge shotgun slugs. The shotgun can hold up to eight shells and must be pumped after every shot. While it is more awkward to use than semi-automatic firearms, a shotgun slug can do a devastating 60 damage against unarmored targets, a death sentence unless they receive immediate medical treatment. Combat Shorty Shorty.png Engineering Loadout An extremely compact shotgun designed for close quarters engagements. While it can only hold three shells, it can fit into backpacks unlike a normal shotgun. Energy Gun Energy Gun.gif Nuclear Operatives Shuttle Your standard NanoTrasen energy gun. Has two settings, stun and kill. Your strategy with this weapon will be incapacitating enemies with the stun setting and then killing them with lasers on the kill setting. Also useful to shoot laser beams through windows, since normal firearms struggle to penetrate reinforced glass. Can be recharged at a weapons recharger. Laser Gun Laser.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle and Energy Loadout An gun that fires laser bolts. Is basically the same as the energy gun, but lacks a stun setting. Ion Rifle Ion Rifle.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle and Energy Loadout Ion Rifles will not damage humans, but they will disable any electronic devices they hit and will damage Cyborg and mechs. Useful for dealing with cyborgs, but can also be used to shoot at armed crewmembers since the EMP pulse will drain any energy weapons on them, making them defenseless unless they have ballistic weapons. The Energy Loadout includes an ion carbine, which has less capacity but can fit into backpacks. Rocket Launcher Rpg.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle and Demolition Loadout These bad boys shoot rockets that will kill and potentially gib anyone standing in their way. Due to the nature of explosions, this weapon is likely to cause friendly fire incidents, so always make sure no fellow Operative is in the explosion radius. The explosion will punch a hole in the floor, which will knock most people down due to airflow, including you. So make sure to activate your magboots. You can only load one rocket at a time and have to carry each rocket in a separate backpack slot, but it's a powerful tool for both blowing holes in the station and for dealing with interfering crew if wielded by the right operatives. C32R Multiple Grenade Launcher Syndie grenade launcher.png Demolition Loadout What it lacks in direct explosive power is made up in saturation. While the grenades are on a timer that you can adjust, they will allow you to aim and roll your shots more precisely, and severely decrease the risk of an immediate death from a misfire. Of course, the Syndicate Pipe Bombs it fires are definitely worth their weight if you lose the actual grenade launcher, exploding quite decently for a fragmentation grenade. The Demolition Loadout comes with two boxes of Pipe Bombs. Rapid Syringe Gun Rapid syringe gun.png Medical Loadout The Syringe Gun should not be underestimated. While it lacks the satisfying blast of the ballistic, energy or explosive options, it can do a devastating and precise amount of damage to whoever is hit. The more-than-lethal syringe mix contains three extremely lethal chemicals that will make short work of a target unless they are immediately administered anti-toxin and a battery of treatments, effectively a slow and painful death. Can hold up to four syringes. Plasma MP40k Plasma MP.gif Nazivend These guns are similar to the Plasma Rifles R&D can produce, their energy bolts don't pass through windows like lasers do but they knock down their targets and deal good burn damage and mildly irradiate them. In order to obtain them you need to both hack and emag the Nazivend found in your base. Energy Sword Sword.gif Melee Loadout or Syndicate Uplink A hard-hitting melee weapon that will quickly kill an unarmoed target. Combine two energy swords to make an even more powerful double-bladed energy sword, which has a chance of deflecting energy projectiles. High-Frequency Machete Machete.png Melee Loadout or Syndicate Uplink A melee weapon similar to the energy sword, but when turned off can be thrown for decent damage. Combine two to make a powerful Bloodlust, which cannot be dropped. Pinpointer.png Support Equipment Ops hardsuit.png Name Found in Description Blood-Red Hardsuit Ops hardsuit.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle A hardsuit that strikes fear into the hearts of NanoTrasen crew. Well armored against most types of damage and spaceproof, this hardsuit is nothing to laugh at. Due to its highly recognizable nature most crew will know there are nuclear operatives as soon as they spot someone in this hardsuit. Red Space Suit Syndie spacesuit.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle A slightly less threatening space suit. Good for infiltration and stealth, since it isn't a dead giveaway that there are nuclear operatives because Traitors are able to buy it as well. Blood-Red Magboots Syndie magboots.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle Activating these will slow you down, but protect you from being knocked down by airflow. Don't forget to activate them if you're planning on creating breaches on the station, or else you'll get knocked down and some random guy will pick up your gun. Jetpack (Oxygen) JetPack.gif Nuclear Operatives Shuttle Allows you to freely move in space. Fill it up at a oxygen canister before using it. Since it uses oxygen it can also be used as internals. Do not go out without one. Explosive Implant Implanter.png In your body All syndicate operatives start with an explosive implant, preventing them from being taken prisoner and Syndicate technology from falling into NanoTrasen's hands. It either activates on death or when you say *deathgasp. When you are knocked unconscious and you notice the crew stripping you, activate it so they do not get your gear. Pinpointer Pinpointer.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle Probably your most important piece of equipment. When activated, this device will show you the location of the Nuclear Authentication Disk aka the thing you need to complete your mission. You need to be on the same Z-Level as the disk in order for it to work. Nuclear Operative Holomap Chip Op holochip.png On your jumpsuit Your jumpsuit starts with a holomap chip, that allows you to see a map with your location and the locations of your fellow operatives. Very useful for not getting lost and knowing where your comrades are. Energy Combat Shield Eshield.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle Often neglected, this shield allows you to block some incoming melee and projectile attacks. Sometimes a lucky block can save your life, so keep this shield in your offhand while you shoot people. Military PDA Military PDA.png Nuclear Operatives Shuttle This PDA will allow you to open and close the shuttle's blast door, preventing intruders from breaking in. If you buy a Detomatix PDA Cartridge you can also use it to blow up PDAs of crewmen. Plastic Explosives C4.gif Engineering Loadout or Syndicate Uplink A brick of C-4, use it in your hand to set a timer and then plant it on something. Will destroy most things in your way without doing too much collateral damage. Useful for when you can't get into an area with just an emag or when the AI bolted you in. Can also be planted on people. Cyanide Pill Toxin pill.png Creatine “Last Stand” Suicide PillToxin pill.png Ryetalin Pill Toxin pill.png Your backpack Often overlooked are the Cyanide Suicide Pill and Creatine “Last Stand” Suicide Pill that start in your inventory.The former will kill anyone who consumes it shortly after taking it, and the latter will give you a slight boost to your health and turn you into an angry Hulk for about two minutes before it kills you. Either way, you should only use them as a last resort or if it seems like you're going to be killed no matter what. An argument could be made for force-feeding the cyanide pill to someone when they're stunned, especially in stealth to quickly and cleanly dispose of a Parapen victim while you drag it away to strip down important items. The creatine pills can also be fed to a fellow operative who is about to expire, to give them a last chance at being a disturbance. The Ryetalin pill was recently deployed as an emergency treatment for any genetic disabilities The Syndicate could've missed. Make sure you eat it before the mission starts.

Cryptographic Sequencer Emag.png Syndicate Uplink Not part of any loadout and must be bought in a Syndicate Uplink, although it is still considered essential Operative gear. The emag allows you to open most doors, which you'll need since your ID only has Maintenance access. Syndicate Uplink The Syndicate Uplink Radio will normally sit on a table in the Shuttle. It is usually a good idea to have one person take orders for everyone, or have each person order the gear they feel is needed. Just remember that you only have 80 telecrystals, so don't waste them, especially if you plan to buy any of the high ticket items (or especially multiple). If you buy something but don't actually need it, like the cyborg teleporter, you can try to stick it back into the uplink for a refund.

Cyborg teleporters will attempt to draw in a Syndicate cyborg. They come in two models, Blitz and Crisis. The former is optimized for combat, the latter is optimized for support. See Syndicate Items for more details. While they can't interface with NT electronics, an extra Silicon teammate can definitely make a serious impact, just make sure the Armory is taken care of before Security gets their Ions. “Mauler” combat exosuits are extremely expensive, but one of the most powerful tools you have access to. They come equipped with a tesla relay for decreased power consumption, a mounted pulse rifle for general damage dealing and wall crushing, and a rocket launcher rack for explosive clearing. The mech itself is also equipped with a jetpack, a sniper mode, forward-facing turbo thrusters that bust through windows and tables, and a smoke dispenser. Put a good pilot into one of these and you'll have a very powerful asset. Just beware competent crews that will try to ion it to death. Gatling Guns cost as much as the Teleporter Board, require you to hold them in both hands to fire it and are blatantly obvious, but they can blow someone's head off in two hits and have a ton of ammo. Be sure none of your fellow operatives are in the line of fire when using them as they are not very accurate over long distances and might lead to friendly fire accidents. On the other hand, their overwhelming fire rate makes them excellent for crowd control since no-one will try to brave the hail of gunfire. Be careful to not lose it though, heavy weapons handling is a freakishly common skill. The Hécate Anti-Material Sniper Rifle sounds about as high-impact as it is. While bringing a precision weapon to a messy crowd fight sounds patently insane, it will obliterate anyone who finds himself in the way of its shots. The scope can easily be mixed with the Syndicate-patented thermals-scope uplink to allow you to see multiple rooms ahead through walls to make use of the gun's extreme wall penetration properties. You only have a few bullets and the gun is blatant when in use, so make good use of it and abuse groups or still targets. The Nikita Remote-Controlled Rocket Launcher is an oddball of a weapon but lives up to its price tag if used smartly. Not only do the rockets pack a mean punch, but unlike the RPG rockets they can be slowed down and carefully aimed around the station, making 90 degree turns on demand and even turning around at a moment's notice, before speeding up to normal RPG speeds to secure the kill on a surprised crewman. Use it to get high-value kills and you will quickly get your worth out of the few rockets you have. The Teleporter Board will allow you to finish your Syndicate Shuttle Teleporter, foregoing the whole “Travel through Space and Maintenance” routine and instead landing your team straight in the Bridge, Teleporter or to any Bluespace Beacon. Note that going back might be more complicated, so planning ahead is always nice. Testfire the teleporter before you use it, because you really don't want to find yourself teleporting to the wrong location. Make sure you don't have a Ships and Cameras teammate before spawning this in, as they get it for free. Syndicate Bombs are a tremendous threat to the crew. While they're not a very sophisticated weapon, they will allow you to cripple the station by opening a massive hole through whatever system it hits, instantly spacing a large amount of rooms and if a target is picked well obliterating specific departments. Set the timer and run like hell. Cryptographic Sequencers are critical for Agents. They will allow you to access any place that isn't Maintenance and/or subvert the station's silicons. Coupled with a Energy Sword for eventual bolted doors and a Crowbar for freak events, this is basically your all-access card. A good old Parapen will take care of any target stealthily. A must for an undercover agent, it will allow you to eliminate the disk carrier without a noise and discreetly recover the nuke disk. You should also have a spare one on a table in the cockpit, containing 22 units of Chloral Hydrate instead of the usual Parapen cocktail. Bricks of C4 can be ordered for 2 credits a brick. Handy for quickly destroying people, walls, lockers, you name it. Voice Changers can be used if you really want to stealth it through. Don't expect to have your cover hold long though. Energy Crossbows can be used as flawless ranged stun guns, and then supplemented with a C-20R magazine. Power Sinks can allow you to use a mere Crowbar as an all-access card outside of departments with separate power grids like the AI Core, Telecommunications or Engineering. It'll also strike fear and confusion in the crew, although most expect Nuke Ops when a power sink is set, and the crew will rarely sit idly by while the sink operates. Chameleon Projectors will allow you to dodge a surprising amount of weaponry and will confuse the crew even further, and can be used for really intricate undercover missions. Any other gear can be used if you feel like it, but don't expect miracles, especially if you don't have any idea on how to use the gear in the first place.

Tacticool Operations A major part of setting up a good assault on Space Station 13 is planning ahead. While the Nuclear Operatives have multiple advantages, to try and list them roughly surprise, equipment and preparation, those advantages can only be really capitalized on if proper planning is done. A half-assed rush followed by hesitation will put the crew in the upper hand, as they have the advantage of number, time, concentrated defense and can overall mobilize much further than you could dream of once they are aware of your presence.

It is highly recommended that you do not even think about leaving the base until you have full operational reconnaissance of the station, a main, fool-proof and thorough plan, and a Plan B if Plan A fails, especially if it includes the words “stealth” or “rush”.

Eye in the Sky Sadly overlooked far too often, is the fact that Nuke Ops start with near-perfect telecommunications reconnaissance (they have access to all channels save for Binary and PDA messages), and more importantly a fully functional advanced security cameras computer. Reconnaissance is a critical part of any plan, attempting to break into the Captain's Office when a party is hosted here will end very badly.

There are many things you have to be on the lookout for, they are the following :

The location of the disk if possible. It is very unlikely that you will spot it on camera unless it is on the Captain's Desk. If it is, your plan should change immediately, as it is about to get infinitely easier if handled properly. Otherwise, the location of the Captain, or anyone who is alleged to be carrying the disk. This is your number one target, as he carries the only thing preventing you from nuking the station, and he knows it. Hence, he should be your first casualty, if not your only until the nuclear device detonates. The composition, status and alleged skill of Command, Security and Silicons. A well-trained and staffed Security department will immediately answer in force, whereas a station without any command or defense will be a walk in the park. It is also absolutely critical to see how skilled the on-board AI is (you might end up spotted by it, or hindered) and its Cyborgs (Ion Rifles trump all, they can be thrown away once the Cyborgs are up in flames) The amount of crewmen in general. More crew means more risk of being spotted in Maintenance, around public window bays, or at any time when trying to subdue the disk and carrying it to a rendez-vous point. And of course, they can physically get in the way, going from soaking up bullets all the way to big damn heroes trying to mob unsupported operatives. Any outstanding events, especially if they are currently developing. If Security is busy hunting down some Maintenance strawman, expect them to be distracted and more likely to ignore trivial reports, but prepared and geared for dangerous targets and actively patrolling. Note that events will develop more quickly passed the hour mark, but waiting this long is rarely needed unless the crew is absolutely crazy-prepared. Potential weak points or strong points. Assistants are extremely convenient as they can give you a very easy way into secure areas, or someone might decide to dismantle part of Maint to expand a public area, ruining a stealthy approach in that area. Any intelligence, correct or wrong that the crew might have on hand, especially if you have already sent an undercover agent. It is perfectly possible for crewmen to incorrectly identify antagonist behavior, including that of nuclear operations, as most of them are insanely paranoid (and one can guess rightfully so). In the absolute worst case scenario, paranoia might lead to an early shuttle call, forcing a rush. If you have a competent camera operator, he might benefit from staying on the shuttle (more about that later) and picking the Ships and Cameras kit to complement his passive approach to the mission. Competent camera operators can follow the operators as they go around the station, and mark the way when they erupt from Maintenance to prevent inopportune spotting. They can also discern patterns, including areas that the crew in general (specific crewmen don't generally matter, unless it's the one crewman with the disk) likes or avoids to patrol. Or just spot where all the Security staff is, to make sure operatives lob a bomb or avoid that area until busted. Operative Specialization Generally speaking, every operative should find a role in the upcoming battle. Everything save for a snatch and grab will usually need every crewman to be mobilized to either accomplish objectives leading to the disk's capture and recovery, or support to prevent them from being discovered, pinned, arrested or executed on the field. This specialization also avoids massive planning failures, like a lone Station Engineer hijacking the shuttle or the covert operative getting force-fed space lube by the Clown while everyone bitches about what to do now.

While you are obviously free to do whatever you want, here's a few roles you might consider :

Sleeper Agent. Basically the stealthiest role imaginable. Discard absolutely everything that is even remotely Syndicate (including your jumpsuit, hope you aren't prude), except your headset, which you should put into your backpack box. Craft or steal an identity (consider maybe a Parapen to that end, a C4 brick if you want to be a dick) and just wander around, waiting for the operatives to come into play. Once they do, assume the good old “hero of the station” role and pretend to be helping only to use your inconspicuousness to easily slip away with the disk if it's contested or in your team's cold dead hands. In a pinch, you can also use your explosive implant, or carry a real bomb in your backpack, for when you find the Captain's militia guard group. *deathgasp if your cover is blown, so at the very least you take your captors down with you. Undercover Operator. A sleeper agent that isn't sleeping. Basically a Traitor with five heavily armed buddies ready to swoop in, and an objective to steal the Nuclear Disk. Use the radio to gear up (40 TC is nothing to gawk at) and home in to your target. Strike more or less discreetly but decisively and make a run for it while your fellow operators home in with the nuclear device. Nothing that can be said about Traitors can't be said here, although you have a team to rely on and should communicate with them. Lone-Wolf Operator. Can be considered somewhat stealthy. Go through Maint will full gear (maybe lighter gear like a SWAT outfit to maneuver quickly). Fuck up anyone who notices you. This isn't a stealth role as much as a role to send the station into panic and gun down the crew while the rest of Security goes on a goose hunt after you and your team prepares a plan to react to your success or failure. Communication doesn't hurt, especially if you fare much better than expected, and a backpack bomb can be considered, remember to *deathgasp when caught. Shuttle Operator. Handle any teleporter-related business since you can set it up for free with the kit, you can even send the nuclear device and the rest of the team on a beacon outright once the disk is secured. Handle the shuttle cockpit, move the shuttle back to Base while the team gets busy to prevent a hijack, then move it to a specific quadrant of the station to allow easy team recovery. Handle the cameras, play the literal eye in the sky and guide your team through like you were actually playing a top-down squad tactics game. And keep tabs on the radio, including the secretive Binary channel. Ballistic Fire Team. Usually what most Nuclear Operatives aspire to do. If you choose this role, grab a ballistic gun of choice, a backup gun if you lose your main gun to Security, airflow or the Janitor and a bunch of spare ammunition (12mm magazines or shotgun shells). Keep firing until it stops moving, then add a few extra shells for good measure. Alternatively, buy a Gatling Gun and shoot anything with a pulse. Energy Fire Team. Swap all the ballistic guns for laser rifles, energy guns, and more importantly a disposable Ion Rifle for that one Security Cyborg who is going to suicidally rush your squad. Remember that lasers go through windows, and burn damage can be easily recovered from until they are downed or put into critical. Explosive Fire Team. Swap the guns for a good old fashioned rocket launcher and spare bombs. Try to keep clear from the rest of your team if you end up nailing yourself, and remember fire discipline. Also worth of note, always fire down range. Hallways are good places to use for rocket launching. As for bombs, set them and go. Assault Engineer. Grab a tool-belt, thermals, an emag, C4 and bombs. Your goal is to break into places, especially if that place contains the disk or the person carrying it. Better used in stealth, although explosives work for ghetto Engineering when busted. Support Operator. Grab medical supplies (especially the advanced medical kit) and try to keep your team in the fight. You can't fix broken organs on the fly, but you can patch them up enough so that they can do a last stand. Otherwise, keep ammo and first-aid supplied. Plasteel Gear Solid The last part of your plan is what tactic you'll use to tackle the station. There's a few well-known ones, so consider them depending on your team's skill (sometimes brute force is the only way) or situation (stealth and disguise use is ill-suited if the crew succumbs to paranoia).

Stealth. The cleanest if done properly, but requires an agent of your team to sacrifice himself, hopefully a very-skilled one so that you can immediately arm the nuke once spotted. Send an agent in via Teleporter or Maintenance infiltration, dress him up in less conspicuous clothing, and cross your fingers. Be prepared for a Plan B that isn't stealth if he's caught or the disk carrier is too paranoid to reasonably tackle solo. When attempting this tactic, it is critical that you prepare an alpha strike should your agent be revealed, to prevent the crew from easily reforming to protect the disk. Infiltration. Instead of sending a lone, disguised agent, the whole team drops in somewhere outside of the station hull or via Teleporter in any non-public room. With as much discretion as possible, hack, shoot or blow your way to the disk before the crew realizes what is happening. Shutting down the power via power sink will buy you precious time while the crew tries to figure out why Engineering is so shit at their job, and NVGs will give you a tactical edge. Be careful and prepared to shoot your way through Security if they figure out what is happening. Rush. Get in, shoot your way to the disk with as little discretion as possible, including bombs and rockets, and get out with the disk to set up the nuclear device somewhere more quiet. Quick and efficient if done correctly, but every downed agent puts you closer to total defeat. Bombardment. Set up the Teleporter, throw your tank transfer valves with minimal timers at beacons. Follow up with a quick hardsuit rush while the crew is shell-shocked and clueless as to what is happening. The lack of atmosphere will seriously dissuade Security staff, although Engineers and Cyborgs might get in the way. If done properly, you can even explode the disk carrier and take the disk without resistance. Note that this tactic is going to get people royally pissed off at you even if it doesn't actually succeed. And be sure to testfire the teleporter first! Ambush. Pinpoint the exact location of the disk carrier and give him everything you've got (especially explosives). Mop up and go arm the nuclear device while the rest of the team provides covering fire. Might work less well if the target is in the middle of the station, although a mix between an Infiltration and Ambush can be arranged with the Teleporter. Works extremely well with targets roaming Maintenance. Disguised Assault. While this might seem insane, Nanotrasen crews often fall for social engineering tactics. For this reason, you have disguise dispensers at the home base (can also be used for undercover agents). Do remember to pack some heat once the masks fall, and try to spring an ambush on the disk carrier while enjoying somewhat stealthy movement through public areas. However, don't bother with the “Nanotrasen Disk Inspector” idea, it's been done over and over and your cover will be blown the moment you open your mouth. Locker Ops. This incredibly robust strategy combines the simplicity of rushing, the surprise of stealth and infiltration, and the firepower of ambushing. It's also great because it lets you corral your retarded novice colleagues and get them to the fight without them spacing themselves because they don't know how to use a jetpack. Here is how it works. One person buys a disguise using telecrystals, and equips it under their hardsuit (or softsuit). The other 4 ops suit up, then lay down in an open locker. Then the locker is closed on them. Once the locker is closed, the OPs can stand up at the ready, and await the battle. The final op jetpacks to the station while dragging the locker, jumps into an airlock, and quickly removes his hardsuit so his disguise is visible. Then he beelines to the disk using a pin pointer. Then open up the locker, release the Dakka Dakka, grab the disk, and GTFO. It might be wise to blow a TTV bomb to cover your escape, so first responders without magboots get ZASed to hell and back. Warning: Dragging a locker around is extremely suspicious, so robust crew members may try to interfere and open it. It's best to minimize time spent in hallways, by knowing exactly where the disk carrier will be (through cams) and traveling through the closest entrance straigth to them. (It might also be smart to travel through maint). You can also use a locking locker, but this is even more suspicious. Remember. Plan A, Plan B. Mixing and adjusting plans is not forbidden, but those are usually the main directions for an attack. And finally, remember that plans don't survive contact with the enemy, unless they are damn good plans (or the enemy is really incompetent)

The Assault Getting There and Staying in Communication Using the Syndicate Shuttle Console, you can move your shuttle either back to the secluded Syndicate Base at any time or to any of the many, many orbital points around the station and its assets (four in cardinal directions around the station near the solars, one near the Telecommunications Satellite and a sixth at Mining notably). You will also be allowed to warp to “Deep Space” for quick getaways. Note that the shuttle needs to reload its coordinates every time it warps, so don't mess up.

You also have a special headset frequency available in your starting headset that works all over the station using an encrypted wave length. This is how you will communicate with your crew, so make sure to do so. Note however that people near you can hear the chatter from this channel (which is extremely bad when undercover) and that a headset can be recovered if your teammates are stupid. Taking the headset off if you are undercover and stashing it in your backpack can be a good idea to avoid blowing your cover in crowds.

Finally, all of your squad members in view will be marked with an obvious “S” next to their head, wherever undercover or not. Try to mind that signal, least you wish to cause friendly fire.

GET DAT FUKKEN DISK GET DAT FUKKEN DISK You need the disk to arm the nuke, but it could be guarded by the Captain, the Head of Security, the Head of Personnel or even the ignoble Clown or it could be on the Captain's Desk. It is important that you find the disk holder using your Pinpointer and whether undercover or not hit him hard and fast, killing him and recovering his disk before the entire crew arms up and guards him with their lives. Expect the emergency shuttle to be called the moment your presence is discovered on the station. If you can't figure out a way to arrange for it to be recalled or prevent it from being called in the first place, you have 10 minutes from time of call to get the disk and arm the nuke (The shuttle departs 3 minutes after it arrives, but will likely be rushed by living heads)

Getting the Disk is the main part of your mission, and how you go about it will be the pillar of your plan. You can either strike hard and get rid of that problem once and for all or get a subversive Agent to sneak in, take out the carrier stealthily and recover the Nuke Disk before heading to a rendezvous point to arm the nuke. Just remember, the crew will not stand idly by while you try to recover the nuke disk if they know Nuke Ops are currently in play. For this reason, if you choose to go the stealthy route you should be ready to have a backup plan that can be put into play the second you're exposed.

About Setting Them Up the Nuke Once you obtain the Nuclear Authentication Disk it will be your job to warn your team immediately and if possible give them your location and expected destination. At this point, someone with space gear should carry the nuke to a good secluded place on station (if it wasn't done already). From there, the procedure is rather simple :

Position the Nuclear Fission Device to a good secluded place inside the station, right-click on it and choose Make Deployable. Then left-click on it to bolt it down on the floor and make it ready. This can naturally be done before you obtain the Nuclear Disk, just know that the unbolting procedure is rather long and more complicated. If done correctly, a green light should glow Once you obtain the Nuclear Authentication Disk, insert it inside the nuke. Clear the code using the R button if any is already inputted, input the nuke code you have been briefed very carefully and then hit E. If correct, you should now be able to set the time. Set the time to explosion. Resist the wish to input very short times, you still need to extract and if done correctly there's nothing they can do to stop it. 60 Seconds is usually a good idea if your crew is ready to extract (leaving people behind is fine as far as the objectives go, but keeping everyone alive is a serious plus). Set it to Armed. Stay next to the nuke for a second or two to make sure it is indeed counting down you impatient fuck. A blinking red light should activate and the timer will naturally start moving Take the fucking Nuclear Authentication Disk out by left-clicking on the “+++++” symbol. If you do not do that, someone can simply walk up to the nuke and hit “Disarm”, most likely ruining your mission and causing utter humiliation on your crew as you go on a goose-hunt for the Assistant who is now screaming the nuke position on Common and yakkety-saxing around Maintenance with the disk while people converge to guard the now-immobilized nuke. Put the Nuclear Authentication Disk in your backpack, pocket or keep it safely in your hand and carry it back to your Shuttle. The Syndicate wants to study Nanotrasen's disk to make a substitute Nuclear Authentication Disk, allowing flawless station nuking. We are counting on you. Wait for the stupid fucks which aren't on the Shuttle already. You can see the nuke timer by examining your pinpointer. Once it hits around 30 seconds you should leave. Forget about the retards not on the shuttle yet because they're too busy murderboning. Warp to Deep Space or Home Base, and enjoy the explosion.