Characters:
Commander Bahram
Bahram is a storied veteran of the Iran/Iraq war, a hardened warrior and true Iranian patrior who takes pride in the service he's performed for his country. He doesn't like war, but is prepared to kill and die for the glory of Iran. But the numerous decorations he's received for heroic and daring actions on the battlefield are secondary to Bahram: his crowning achievements in life come from his close-knit family and tight circle of friends, to whom Commander Bahram is fiercely loyal.
Saeed Kousha
Kousha is one of Iran's premier scientists. He's credited with advancing Iran's base of nuclear operations years ahead of schedule, but the achievement weighs heavily on the young man's conscience. When insiders at the Natanz nuclear facility disclose Iran's nuclear ambitions reach beyond providing "a peaceful energy source" for the people, Kousha begins working with the Americans to dismantle the program from the inside out.
Jack Anderson, USMC
Jack Anderson is a career Marine with quick wit and a sharp tongue. He's been stationed in Iraq for 3 years, but it's not his first visit to the Middle East. Anderson's first tour began in Kuwait in '90, where he was quickly recognized for his expert marksmanship and gut instincts. Since then, Anderson's units earn victory after victory, battle after battle. He's possibly the most trusted leader on the ground today, noted for a fearless ability to overcome the most damning situations American soldiers face in Iraq: ambushes, IED attacks, and urban assaults.
Hadi al-Jamil, USMC (translator)
Hadi al-Jamil, highly educated University of Baghdad student signed up as a translator early in the conflict. His family has long ties to the US (including family in Michigan) and he relished the dream of American-enforced peace and prosperity for his own country. But his early enthusiasm has waned as the reality of soldiering with a long-term occupation force has set in. Originally a contractor to the Marines in Anbar, he's been assigned to Anderson and his team in southern Iraq to take advantage of his dual Farsi and Arabic skills.
Justin Kaplan, USMC (gunner)
Justin Kaplan is the newest and youngest member of the unit. Just 19 years old, Kaplan's experiences in Iraq are chronicled in a daily journal, the pages of which he frequently sends to his family back to Columbus, Ohio. Kaplan's inexperience and occasional nervousness is tempered by the reckless courage that comes naturally to the young. He's hungry for the fight, believing every battle brings the US closer to victory in Iraq-and one step closer to home.
Tony Ramirez, USMC (rifleman)
Ramirez is a 21-year-old private and a two-year veteran of the War in Iraq. Tony hails from a rough neighborhood in southern California where, like his older brother, Tony signed up for the Marines straight out of high school. Though he began his military career as an alternative to working at a low-paying job, Tony is a street-smart young man with the proven ability to fight the enemy with unparalleled shooting accuracy. Though he complains about life in Iraq, the war has come to define him. He is a professional fighter. A Marine for life.
Conrad Harrison, British Officer
Conrad Harrison brings to the unit a feared reputation as a tough-as-nails leader. One of the biggest and brightest stars in the British Special Air Service (SAS), Harrison was a key operator in a covert unit that pinpointed Iraqi Scud missile sites during Operation Desert Storm. Not only is Harrison a master at the game of infiltration, but he's an expert sniper with near supernatural survival skills. Covert operations led by Harrison are marked by his keen will and ability to outlast the enemy at any cost.
Background:
In "Assault on Iran" episode 1 (by Kuma) US Special Forces infiltrate Natanz with the help of a defecting Iranian scientist named Saeed Kousha and, setting explosives, destroy the nuclear centrifuge before escaping with the defecting scientist onto a waiting helo.
In "Command Bahram" (By UISS) Iranian forces infiltrate Iraq to rescue Kousha, whom they believe was seized while on pilgrimage to Kerbala - one of Islam's holiest cities - and is being held against his will by the Americans. Led by a heroic Iranian war veteran, they battle through Kerbala, Iraq, recapture Kousha, and escort him over the border back to Iran.
In Detail:
Commander Bahram hears a horrible tale: the son of his dear friend has been kidnapped by the Americans. He is said to be held in Karbala, Iraq against his will. Bahram, determined to save this young man, gathers together men who could be trusted, men with skill. And he quietly leads his unit to the Iraqi border.
Bahram and his soldiers make it to Karbala, but are impressed by the security at the office for an Iranian "dissident" group (a CIA-front, no doubt) where Kousha has been located. In desperation they turn to local Mahdi militiamen who are glad to help - but with a price: they want American captives for barter. The two forces converge on the building and the streets are soon lit with fire and tracers. And in the midst of this chaos, Bahram makes his way into the building to rescue his friend's son, a sacred charge.
But Bahram is in for a surprise. When he locates young Kousha he finds that the scientist doesn't want to be saved. He had come here voluntarily and with purpose - it was his duty he felt to undermine the Mullahs and bring Iran back to the people. With bombs going off around him and this unexpected crisis, Bahram panics. He hits Kousha over the head and carries him out of the building to his waiting transport.
Episode 1: As part of the MEF in transit, you get a desperate call for help over the radio that the newspaper building in Karbala is under attack. You move on the town but by the time you get there the insurgents have broken through and are getting ready for the final assault. Clear the building, organize any survivors you find, and quickly regroup. (this is a multiplayer episode)
Episode 2: Kousha is missing, so you've got to get your gunner, an Iraqi translator, a rifleman and head out in a HMMWV after the Iranians. Bahram has accounted for the possibility of being followed. He's employed insurgents to execute a blocked ambush against your squad. You evade the first round of attacks, but soon you suffer assaults from every side, IEDs, RPGs - you are running the gauntlet with your prey in view.
Episode 3:Should you survive the brutal onslaught of insurgents, the enemy leads you to the center of Basra, inside a crowded market where your unit must avoid the innocent civilian population while fighting the enemy - and you've got to do it fast before Bahram makes it back across the border to Iran.
