The Special Tasks Section comprises of just under a hundred operators scattered across a continent. The New Gods are each a nation, with armies and economies that rival those of superpowers. The STS has few allies. The New Gods control the governments and corporations. It’s impossible for the STS to sustained prolonged operations against the New Gods.
But they don’t have to fight alone.
Alliances and favours make up a core component of Babylon Black, the third chapter in the Babylon saga. In the past two books, Yuri Yamamoto and his team have sowed the seeds for future cooperation. With an apocalyptic war on the horizon, the time has come to call in favours and rally the undecided.
At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.
This is Babylon. Everyone who bends the knee to the New Gods views all non-believers as infidels, worthy only of conversion or destruction. Everyone who does not have their own problems to handle. Why would they take up arms in someone else’s war? Why would they risk the wrath of the New Gods over a fight someone else started?
Why would they support Public Enemy No. 1?
This is the critical challenge Yuri Yamamoto and his men face. There are dozens, even hundreds, of minority communities in Nova Babylonia, all of whom face oppression at the hands of the New Gods. Though they chafe under their rule, they also fear the overwhelming power that the New Gods can bring to bear. They, too, can see the signs of an impending conflict. For small Powers and communities with no Powers, the only logical approach is to hunker down, ride out the coming storm, and avoid attracting the wrath of Powers beyond mortal comprehension. They wouldn’t dare to involve themselves in the shadow war between Yuri Yamamoto and the New Gods. They will see plenty of downside, and no upside to themselves.
At least, until the equation changes.
Galen the White has remained a steadfast ally of the STS. Sandwiched between two major Powers, he knows that the only way to survive is to ally himself to a third group—one that will not force him to give up who he is. But the New Gods are also aware of the relationship between Galen and the STS. When the war comes, he is going to be at the top of the hit list. Though he is a friend to the STS, he has his own believers to look after.
Moreno Island was once a tiny, inconsequential backwater, far from Babylon. It is so tiny, only two Powers have bothered to move in on the island. In recent times, the people have had enough of the corruption and wanton destruction they have visited on the island. The new Sheriff has promised to clean up the island. The New Gods believe that she intends to sweep them from Moreno altogether. And they’re not wrong.
The New Gods see their conflict as a zero-sum game. Winner takes all, and the losers will be obliterated. As they grow increasingly desperate, they lean harder on minority communities, pressing them to sign up with them. And if they will not sign up, the New Gods will make them sign up. But the Temple Commission and the actions of the STS have shown that even the New Gods can be resisted. When push comes to shove, they, too, will try to find means of resistance. And when they do, the STS will be there to assist.
The world is careening towards the apocalypse. Everyone can see that. Everyone is preparing for that. And part of those preparations involve forging alliances that will withstand the end of the world. Such alliances can only be forged in blood and fire.
Which brings us to Babylon Black. More than just high-intensity raids and lethal close quarter battles, it is diplomacy through violence. It is the story of Yuri Yamamoto and Team Black Watch winning allies and influencing those on the sidelines, preparing against the day of wrath. It isn’t enough for them to simply kill everyone in their path. They need to recruit allies for their cause.
It is the only way for them to survive what’s coming next.
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