Nuclear Operative
PRIORITY: Not defined
 Nuclear Operative |
Superiors: The Syndicate
|
Department head:
No one!
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Congratulations, agent. You have been chosen to join our finest group of operators, the Syndicate Nuclear Operative strike team. Your mission, whether or not you choose to accept it, is to destroy Nanotrasen's most advanced research facility! That's right, you're going to Space Station 13.
Nuclear Badass
As a Nuclear Operative, you are among the finest in the Syndicate's fighting force, the elite. You're nuclear. You're wild. You're no simple Traitor; you have full access to all of the Syndicate's available arsenal ranging from assault firearms, chemical weapons, high-power sniper rifles, RPGs, advanced implants, explosives, badass combat mechs, you name it. Not to mention the most important item of them all: A stolen Nanotrasen Nuclear Fission Explosive. You have all of this for one simple reason: to ensure the total destruction of Space Station 13.
Unfortunately, it isn't as simple as just fly in, plant the bomb, and get out. Nanotrasen has put in safety measures to ensure that even if stolen, their nukes cannot be activated without a special Nuclear Authentication Disk. These are usually granted to the Captain, their one true responsibility outside of leading the station. By the end of this however, you should be ready for what lies ahead.
Your Primary Objectives
- Retrieve the Nuclear Authentication Disk (located on the station).
- Use it to activate the Nuclear Fission Explosive (located on the Infiltrator).
- Escape alive on the Syndicate Infiltrator.
But First, You Must Learn How to Crawl
Before you do anything, you must properly prepare yourself. There's no need to rush, instead take the time to discuss strategy with your squad mates - a job well planned is half done!
The checklist is as follows:
- Plan the attack (how to get the nuke disk and arm the nuke).
- Order items with your uplinks and arm yourself to the teeth.
- Infiltrate from the Syndicate Infiltrator or make your presence known with an assault pod.
- Steal the Nuclear Authentication Disk.
- Activate the Nuclear Fission Explosive (preferably on the station).
- Evacuate the station to celebrate your successful mission with the surviving team at the base.
Knowing Your Team
All of your fellow agents will have a big red 
by their head. Watch your fire when you see this , as you don't want to friendly fire or even kill your fellow agents on accident. You will also all have the same last name which is set by the leader.
Each nuke team will be assigned a leader. They spawn behind the desk, and is the only one with access to the shutters into the Syndicate Infiltrator. Additionally they have a radio headset that has a loud mode, so if they remember to turn it on they will have the large text over your secure Syndicate radio channel. If you are chosen to be the leader but don't feel up to snuff for it, pass your lead agent card and the challenge mode item to someone else.
Planning the Attack
LISTEN TO YOUR LEADER (the guy who spawns inside the tables he is the only one with access to the button to the shutters)! Your team should talk over about their plan of attack, but the leader should have the final say.
A couple of different approaching styles/ideas:
- Classic-style (Surprise Ops): Silently infiltrate the station and sabotage coms/AI. Then come blazing out of maintenance guns-a-blazing after the person with the disk. The classic and most effective style.
- Infiltrator-style (Stealth Ops): Silently infiltrate the station and acquire disguises, then change your Agent ID to a believable name. Assassinate the disk holder and nuke the station without the crew even knowing you're there. Very difficult to pull off and requires coordination.
- Hybrid-style (Split Ops): Basically Classic-style, but with one ore more stealth operatives to blend in and try to nab the disk if the crew isn't watching their back. A useful tactic if the main team fails to get the disk.
- Assault-style (War Ops): Have your leader declare war to grant your team a VERY large TC boost, at the cost of announcing your presence to the entire station and delaying your assault until the round has been going on for 20 minutes.
- Locker-style (Locker Ops): Cram your whole team into a locker, have someone in disguise drag the locker to the station, unleash a locker full of syndies right in front of the Captain. What a nasty suprise! Bonus points if you use the Delivery Office to mail your locker full of hurt to your target. (Fission Mailed operatives)
- Murderbone-style (Fluke Ops): Just kill everything that doesn't have a red S over it. Will most likely result in your failure if you try to take on every damn crewmate. After a while the amount of toolboxes thrown into your head adds up.
- STEELRAIN-style (Pod Ops): Use the drop pod located in the right side of the base to slam into a location of your choice on the station. CRASH AND BURN BABY, STEEL RAIN! Just make sure you have a way out!
These are just a few of the ways your team can try to get dat fukken disk. Experiment, come up with something different or more elaborate.
War Were Declared
Declaration of War - "Cindy Kate has declared her intent to utterly destroy Space Station 13 with a nuclear device, and dares the crew to try and stop them."
The leader starts with a tool in his bag which can be used to declare war against the station. When activated, this alerts the crew that you're planning to kick down their door in about 20 minutes and gives the team a bonus of 280 TC. Declaring war doesn't change any of the above, except you lose the luxury of having time to come up with a plan and the element of surprise. Most times, declaring war means facing a completely armed and armored station hellbent on kicking your ass, so be sure to spend your Telecrystals wisely.
Communication
You have a special radio frequency, set in an encrypted wavelength. This is how you will, and must communicate with your team. Communicate passwords, safewords, and attack plans on this channel early, there is no telling who might get the headset later.
Making code named strikes with your team can be an effective way to deal with the crew, but it is difficult.
Safewords can be said if you see a comrade but both of you are disguised. "Shamalama dingdong!" or something - fast, and easy to say. The phonetic alphabet can also be useful for this, as in Alpha - A, Bravo - B, Charlie - C and so on.
Passwords are only useful if you have a door guard in the Infiltrator, or some one with the Military PDA. Make it as you want, said over the Syndicate frequency.
Alternatively, purchase a Codespeak Manual and speak in codespeak to prevent any crewmembers with the syndicate frequency from hearing you.
The Syndicate radio channel is shared by other agents if any are present, including Lavaland Communications Agents, normal traitors who purchase the syndicate encryption key item with telecrystals, and even malfunctioning AI units. Consider cooperating with them if they talk in your channel.
Ordering Gear as a Team
The operatives will get an amount of bonus telecrystals 
based on the round population, allowing nuke op equipment to scale with the increased threat of a fully-manned station.
Each operative spawns with a personal Syndicate Uplink radio with 25 Telecrystals pre-loaded. If war is declared, everyone will gain a large amount of extra TC, automatically evenly distributed.
Pause and think hard. Which Syndicate Items will you need? Which can cause a huge backlash if used against your team? Now, consider what everyone else will likely need. The problem with the agent ID is the access -- you have very little, but an airlock auth override card (doormag), jaws of life, powersink or stolen high-ranking ID will change that in a moment. You do not have an ID or a position at the station, so don't worry about people finding the broken doors. Everyone on the team should have either a doormag or a jaws of life. The chameleon kit isn't an available option for sneaking in as a Nuke Op, but other items such as a chameleon projector, stealth implant, or simply a change of clothing can work just as well. Bombs are great in the right hands. Energy swords, especially if you purchase double-bladed eswords, are good for blocking enemy fire - but can be easily turned against you if an assistant gets a lucky disarm in. It is likely you may take damage, which is when the usefulness of the medigun and medkits come into play. Syndicate borgs are great tanks, and are even more robust if you have a welder, but are at great risk from ion rifle shots, emps and flashes/flashbangs. Mechs are devastating assault option that can soak up tons of damage and dish out just the same, but are rendered almost useless if Security remembers they have the ion rifle. Getting geared up as a team is all about balancing what the entire team has, making sure that most concerns like access, firepower, recovery, distractions, etc. are all addressed.
Equipment
Green: Tools
Blue: Explosives (Syndicate bombs, C-4 and Syndie Minibombs)
Purple: Your blood-red hardsuits
Yellow: Medical equipment and surgery
Red: The nuclear fission explosive. Detonate this.
You will spawn in the main control room of the base. In the syndicate control room, you will find a few various items strewn about, nothing of too much importance. This is mostly your meeting place to discuss your plan/celebrate your victory after the mission (hopefully). About the only things of note would be the one free Big Red Button which detonates all active syndicate bombs at once, and of course Cayenne, your lovable space carp mascot.
Head through the door towards the south and you'll find the Equipment Room. This contains some lockers with basic gear. Pick out what you need from one of the lockers, having the gear in these lockers comes in handy. Consider taking the Ion Rifle to use against enemy silicons, or purchasing from the YouTool vending machine.
There are five armory closets. Each contains:
- Tactical Turtleneck
- Black Shoes
- Standard Radio Headset with a syndicate encryption key
- Chest Rig for storing extra gear
- An Operative Holster an alternate to the Chest rig, for if you plan on using large guns such as sniper rifles and rocket launchers
- Pocket Crowbar (Absolutely necessary when your team is using a powersink. It fits inside the box too.)
- Night Vision Goggles
- 10mm Pistol Magazine
On the Syndicate Infiltrator, there's also a Tool Storage, which contains:
- Night Vision Goggles
- A Suspicious Looking Toolbox (You need the wrench if you are planting a power sink.)
- 2 Suspicious Beacons (These are beacons for Syndicate Bombs, don't just take them randomly, usually they are used as part of the plan.)
- 2 Syndicate Minibombs
- 5 Bricks of C4
- Syndicate medical duffel bag
- Military PDA with detomatix cartridge
- Box of tear gas grenades
- Box of flashbangs
- 5 Pistol Magazines
- Many other kinds of generic tools like proximity sensors and remote signaling devices.
You must now equip yourself for space travel so you can invade the station.
- If you haven't bought an elite/shielded hardsuit, get a blood-red hardsuit from the E.V.A Gear storage room on the shuttle.
- Take the syndicate mask from the box in your backpack and wear it.
- Ensure your hardsuit is in EVA mode instead of combat.
- Take an oxygen tank from the rack and fill it in the O2 canister.
- Put the tank in your suit storage and activate your internals.
- (Optional) If you don't want to use the built-in jetpack on the hardsuit you can use the jet harness, use it as you would a normal jetpack. It can also be used as your internals.
- Pick out your Syndicate agent card ID's disguise (or wait till you get to the station).
Once you are space ready, and your internals are running from your jetpack, look into the Equipment Room and pick up a pair of Night Vision goggles if you have not already bought a pair of thermals, this is double important if you plan on using a Powersink.
You are now completely outfitted, check the inside of your backpack/military belt and throw out what you will not use, this will be handy for the next stage of equipping yourself with weapons.
Weapons
The most fun part of mission prep: choosing your weapon.
The Operatives are not without their heavy arsenal of weapons, tools and explosives that allows them to best even the station's Security force. The staple of Syndicate operatives is their exclusive use of ballistic weapons. Energy guns, laser rifles, and disablers typically used by station Security are much too advanced for the Syndicate to have on hand. And besides, at the end of the day a big ass LMG with ammo to spare is going to beat one laser gun that has to constantly recharge.
| Item | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
 Makarov Pistol |
Free | Standard-issue sidearm. 8-round magazine, fires 9mm rounds at 30 brute per shot. This is a mediocre primary weapon to use due to its low ammo count and slow rate of fire but it can be useful in a pinch. Magazines can be found strewn about the base and in the Infiltrator as well, so most times there isn't a need to purchase additional mags unless you want to use the alternative ammo types available. Additional Makarovs can be bought for 7 Telecrystals. Compatible with suppressors. Isn't implant-locked like your other firearms! |
 Bulldog Shotgun |
8 Telecrystals | Close combat semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun. 8 shells drum fed, semi-automatic. Five ammo types. Great for close encounters such as combat in maintenance tunnels, but quickly falls short in damage at medium to long range. |
Stechkin APS Machine Pistol |
10 Telecrystals | An ancient Soviet machine pistol refurbished for the modern age. 15-round magazine, fires 9mm rounds at 30 brute per shot. It fires quickly in 3 round bursts, but kicks like a mule and has a degree of bullet spread. Compatible with suppressors. |
 C-20r Submachine Gun |
13 Telecrystals | Close Combat SMG. 24-round magazine, fires .45 rounds at 30 brute per shot. A classic weapon popular among nuke ops, comes with 3 round burst for maximum damage. Great versatility. Compatible with suppressors. |
 M90-gl Carbine |
18 Telecrystals | This carbine has a three-round burst setting as well as a 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher that can be fired using  Ordinary right-click. It doesn't matter if is on or not. |
 L6 SAW |
18 Telecrystals | Fully automatic belt-fed Light Machinegun. 50-rounds box magazine, fires 7.12x82mm rounds at 45 brute per shot. Very powerful weapon, capable of critting most targets in just 3 shots. It can be fired fully automatic, which can be used to great effect when providing covering fire for your team. Or just, y'know, shooting into crowds of people. Remember, no Russian. Very unwieldy however, needs both hands free to fire, cannot fit in any storage slot and must be carried at all times. |
 Sniper Rifle |
16 Telecrystals | Specialist weapon for the professional, or insane. Long range sniper rifle with a mounted scope. 6-round magazine, default .50 ammo deals 70 damage per bullet that knocks people off their feet on impact, with a chance to dismember targets. Comes with two kinds of alternative ammo for either penetrating through walls and structures or putting targets to sleep. The sniper rifle is a very unwieldy weapon but can be devastating in the hands of a skilled marksman. Compatible with suppressors. |
 PML-9 |
8 Telecrystal | The Propelled Munitions Launcher, AKA a god damn RPG. Can hold a single rocket at a time, fires 84mm HE rockets that deal 50 damage on contact with a person, with the resulting explosion causing additional blast damage and potential fire damage. Has a far more expensive 84mm HEDP Rocket as alternative ammo that deals 80 damage on contact, has a stronger explosion, and deals incredible damage to armored targets like mechs or cyborgs (or perhaps the Captain, hehe). While the launcher itself isn't super expensive, the ammo costs add up quickly at 2 Telecrystals for each standard HE rocket and 6 Telecrystals for a single HEDP rockets. Also of note, the PML-9 is unwieldy; both hands need to be free to fire and it can't be stored anywhere except being held. |
 PP-95 Surplus Submachine Gun |
2 Telecrystals. | An ancient surplus 9mm submachine gun pattern updated and simplified to lower costs, though perhaps simplified too much. 5-round magazine, fires 9mm rounds at a much lower 10.5 brute per shot in 5 round bursts. Has a horrendous random spread that makes it impossible to accurately aim at anything except what's close in front of the shooter. Questionable usefulness but is extremely cheap, and additional mags are only 1 Telecrystal! |
The Syndicate is not without its CQC options. Have a quick look at the most commonly used melee weapons.
| Item | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
 Energy Sword |
8 Telecrystals | Close combat weapon. 30 brute per hit. Best if used as a sidearm or if you are very robust in melee. Good for conserving ammo for your primary weapon. Can be disabled to fit in pockets or other small spaces. |
 Double-bladed Energy Sword |
16 Telecrystals | The double energy sword is an immensely powerful weapon, capable of sending unarmored victims into critical in just 3 hits (and likely stunning them, dismembering, or knocking them unconscious long before that). Wielding it grants you a 50% chance to block melee attacks, and energy projectiles like lasers and disabler shots will deflect off the blade. Like the single-bladed Energy Sword, it must be turned on to be used properly, and can still be stored in your pocket when turned off. |
 Energy Shield |
16 Telecrystals | This is a very powerful asset, it will deflect all energy based ranged attacks, laser or stun. This makes it significantly harder for station personnel to attack or subdue you at range as only the armory's riot shotguns (or autorifles if they bought any from cargo) will be effective in bypassing the energy shield. Pair it with an energy sword for a killer combo. |
 Combat Gloves Plus |
5 Telecrystals | Extremely similar to the standard issue combat gloves all operatives start with, but unlike the regular ones these come installed with nanotechnology that teach the wearer the martial art of Krav Maga. Gives you activated abilities that turn your next unarmed melee attack into either a suffocating lung punch, a silencing neck chop, or a leg sweep to knock opponents over. Expands your options if you ever find yourself without your ranged weapon, or can assist in making silent takedowns with the neck chop. |
 CQC Manual |
13 Telecrystals | Reading this single-use book will teach you the basics of CQC - a martial art. You learn devastating combos and when throw is active, have a chance to block and counter attacks. Popular among teams who prefer to infiltrate silently, as CQC allows you to incapacitate opponents silently and non-lethally. |
Syndicate Operatives really know how to make a good situation bad, and the quickest way to do that is by blowing everything up. Here's the list of commonly detonated bombs.
| Item | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
 Composition C-4 |
1 Telecrystal | A brick of standard issue C4, useful for breaching walls for an explosive entrance. The Infiltrator comes prestocked with a ton of these. Use it in hand to set the timer, then use it on what you want to attach it to; it takes 3 seconds to set up, and requires you to be un-interrupted. Can be purchased in bulk duffel bags for only 8 Telecrystals. |
 Syndicate Minibomb |
6 Telecrystals | A standard issue high yield grenade with a 5 second fuse. The Infiltrator comes prestocked with a few of these. Strong enough to blow open a hole to space in the floor, and does extreme damage to anyone caught in the blast. Armored targets may survive, but just barely. |
 Syndicate Bomb |
11 Telecrystals | The largest explosive ordnance available to the Operatives (besides the nuke, of course). Standard issue, the Infiltrator comes prestocked with a few beacons to teleport them in. Set the timer (minimum of 90), wrench it in to secure it, and run away! The blast should obliterate anyone caught in it and cause devastating damage to that part of the station. Incredibly useful for taking out critical station areas such as Telecoms, Medbay, and others. A  Syndicate Detonator can be used to instantly detonate any active Syndicate Bombs instantly, regardless of the countdown; one of these is on a table in the base.
|
 Grenadier's Belt |
22 Telecrystals | A demolitionist's dream. The belt contains a variety of 26 different grenades for you to play with. 10 of those are frag grenades, the rest are a collection of minibombs, incendiaries, EMP grenades, acid grenades, freezing gluon grenades, and more. Comes with a screwdriver and multitool for customization. If you're throwing arm is good and you can cook your grenades right, this single belt can wreck havoc on the crew for an entire operation. |
What makes an effective operator is not their weapon of choice, but their tools and gadgets at their disposal. These are the most commonly seen and used, but feel free to experiment with other options.
| Item | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
 Agent ID Card |
Free | Standard issue syndicate chameleon ID card given to all operatives. Can be adjusted to disguise as any name/job, but only comes with inherent access to the station's maintenance areas, the base, and the Infiltrator. Using it on other IDs (looted from the crew) allows you to copy up to 5 ID access codes to the agent ID. Useful for steath operations when trying to disguise as station crew. Don't lose this! You'll need it to access the Infiltrator's nuke storage and the pilot's console. |
 Stimpack |
5 Telecrystals | This stimulant medipen comes loaded with 50u Stimulants, which will heavily increase your run speed, reduce stuns and give a small heal over time. Lasts a long time and is incredibly useful for combating stun weaponry often used by the crew. Many an operative team has failed due to an angry mob armed with stun batons. |
 Combat Medkit |
4 Telecrystals | Syndicate themed combat medkit, filled with medical supplies for sustaining a team of operators. Contains a combat auto-injector filled with a cocktail of healing chemicals and restorative nanites, a night vision med-HUD scanner for locating injured teammates, a few brute/burn patches and a combat belt defibrillator (which is more useful as a weapon). For standard mission plans, ensure at least on member has one of these to act as the team's medic. You WILL get shot. |
 Codespeak Manual |
3 Telecrystals | Syndicate standard guide to Codespeak, a complex "language" that sounds like random names, places, items, and words to anyone who doesn't know Codespeak, while allowing those who know it to understand each other perfectly. If one of your team goes down and a crew member manages to get access to the Syndicate radio channel, they'll be unable to understand a word you and your team is saying. Use it in hand to learn the language. You can use it on others to smack them over the head to teach it to them as well; this works on cyborgs and animals as well. |
 Universal Suppressor |
3 Telecrystals | A universal syndicate small-arms suppressor for maximum espionage. When attached to a gun, no message is given when you fire it, making it possible to gun people down before they realize what's happening. The sound when fired also is different and much quieter, making it much harder for people to hear at a distance. The only trade off is that it makes the weapon longer and can prevent it from being equipped in some storage slots. Can be fitted to weapons such as the Makarov Pistol, C-20r Submachine Gun, or the Sniper Rifle. Remove it by alt-clicking the firearm. Note that some bundles come with this included already. |
 Chameleon Projector |
7 Telecrystals | A handheld personal holographic projector useful in stealth applications. Using the Chameleon Projector on an item will disguise you as that item. While disguised you move at walk speed and cannot interact with anything you're not already holding. People can walk over you without ruining the disguise. If someone tries to pick you up the disguise fails and you change back to normal. The AI also cannot track you while disguised. The item it defaults to is a cigarette butt. In a pinch can be used to completely vanish from any pursuer that might be after you, or can be used to set up an ambush. Note that after using the projector it makes a slight clicking sound and a small particle effect that lingers for a second. This could give away to your pursuer that you used your projector and are likely to check nearby items. |
 Cryptographic Sequencer (Emag) |
4 Telecrystals | While it no longer has it's airlock opening powers, it still can see some utility in hacking station equipment as it can still break/bypass most other kinds of ID locks. Notably, it can be used to override the station's cyborgs, resetting it's laws to be loyal to you as well as unlocking dangerous hacked equipment. See the full list of things you can use the emag on here. |
 Airlock Authentication Override Card (Doormag) |
3 Telecrystals | Incredibly popular among all operatives and for good reason. This is a specially made emag designed to exclusively break open airlocks regardless of their ID restrictions. Has 3 separate charges that recharge individually on a 3 minute timer, examining it will display the time remaining for each recharge. Note that using it on airlocks that are physically unable to open (bolts are dropped, welded shut) will simply break the door, keeping it shut for good. Useful for quickly making an entryway into areas your team has yet to steal access for. |
 Syndicate Jaws of Life |
4 Telecrystals | A set of compact high power jaws for prying open powered airlocks and cutting apart things. Prying open an airlock takes a few seconds to complete uninterrupted and makes a noisy, distinct sound, but can be performed infinitely with no cooldown. The airlocks take only slight damage each time, and will close normally after a while. A great alternative to the doormag that makes up for the downtime a recharging doormag usually has. |
Mechs
The Mechs, the biggest and baddest. The Syndicate gives you an option of not one but TWO different combat mechs. Make sure you can match the price tag however, they're not cheap.
Dark Gygax Exosuit80 Telecrystals. One of the two assault mechs available to the operatives. At a heavy investment this mech provides a very powerful and versatile assault platform to support the assault into the station.
Mounted equipment:
- FNX-99 "Hades" Carbine firing incendiary rounds which ignite targets.
- SGL-6 Grenade Launcher which fires flashbang grenades.
- Personal teleportation device
- Tesla energy relay
- Thrusters for space-maneuverability.
- Leg actuator function, which speeds up the mech, at a high energy draw.
Dark Mauler Exosuit140 Telecrystals. The single most expensive item available to the Operatives, the Dark Mauler is an unholy terror to behold to even the most elite of Security personnel.
Mounted equipment:
- Ultra AC2 Machine Gun that fires in bursts.
- LBX AC 10 "Scattershot" exosuit shotgun.
- SRM-8 Missile Rack
- Tesla energy relay
- Thrusters for space-maneuverability.
- Smoke grenade dispenser
- Armor booster module (Ranged weaponry)
Syndicate Cyborgs
Syndicate cyborgs teleporters are purchasable from syndicate operative uplinks for a sum of telecrystals. A random ghost with the operative preference enabled will be chosen to act as a purchased cyborg. (if none is found, you can refund the teleporter by using it on the uplink). Syndicate cyborgs are very useful for going loud, as they cannot be stunned the same as Operatives can and have powerful weaponry and equipment (plus the means to emag other borgs). Syndicate cyborgs can also tell who other operatives are, regardless of their apparel. In addition, they have a hyper-capacity energy cell with a charge of 30000 watts and pre-installed ion thruster modules for easy navigation in space or zero-gravity environments.
Syndicate cyborgs can hear and speak on the normal silicon binary channel. On one hand, this allows them to eavesdrop on the AI; on the other, a syndicate borg speaking on that channel by accident can give away your entire operation, so be careful!
Assault
Costs 65 Telecrystals. A lean, mean killing machine with access to an Energy Eword, LMG, Cryptographic Sequencer, and 6-Shot Grenade Launcher.
Equipment:
- Flash
- Energy Sword
- Cyborg LMG that fires 3D-printed flechettes. They are slowly resupplied using the cyborg's internal power source.
- 6-Shot Grenade Launcher that cannot be reloaded.
- Cryptographic Sequencer
- Crowbar
- Pocket Fire Extinguisher
- Syndicate Pinpointer
Medical
Costs 35 Telecrystals. Less deadly than the Assault model, but still amazingly useful. Syndicate medical cyborgs make effective combat medics as they cannot be stunned, have access to surgical tools, a combat hypospray, and a Medbeam gun for healing operatives at a distance.
Equipment:
- Syndicate Hypospray containing Restorative Nanites, Potassium Iodide and Morphine. Can pierce through hardsuits and space suits.
- Combat Defibrillator, which works through hardsuits and also offensively.
- Medical Beamgun
- Health Analyzer
- Full set of surgical tools, including an Energy Saw, gauze and organ storage bag.
- Cryptographic Sequencer
- Flash
- Crowbar
- Pocket Fire Extinguisher
- Syndicate Pinpointer
Saboteur
Costs 35 Telecrystals. Good for sabotage, as it can disguise itself as normal engineer cyborgs using an integrated chameleon projector. Saboteur cyborgs also have access to a fake destination tagger, which can be used to travel around the station using the disposals network.
Equipment:
- Welding Tool
- Crowbar
- Wrench
- Powered Screwdriver
- Wirecutters
- Metal Synthesizer
- Glass Synthesizer
- Cable Synthesizer
- Reinforced Glass
- Rods
- Floor tiles
- Robotic RCD (Painted in Syndicate Colors, can dismantle reinforced walls unlike regular RCDs.)
- Rapid Pipe Dispenser
- Wire Synthesizer (can be replenished faster by clicking on wire coils with the wire module active.)
- Fire Extinguisher (must be refilled manually.)
- Zipties
- Flash
- Thermal Vision
- Fake Destination Tagger
- Cyborg Chameleon Projector
- Syndicate Pinpointer
Guys? Where are you?
Syndiborgs have a handy little device called the operative pinpointer. This does not point toward the nuclear disk like the nuke op pinpointers did - instead, this points towards the nearest nuclear operative. If a syndiborg is lost or the radio is dead silent, they can use the pinpointer to find their way to an operative. Of course, it does have drawbacks, like not discriminating between a Syndicate corpse and a Syndicate operative, as well as a tendency to stick to the same operative. However, it's very useful for coordinating with your team, and since it has no power draw it should be kept active at all times.
Actually Getting There
Alright, your team has a plan, you've geared up, and you're ready to get dat fukken disk. The Final Step: Getting to the Station.
You have two options with their ups and downs. Pick and chose from...
The Syndicate Infiltrator
The Syndicate Infiltrator is the standard ship that operatives use to conduct their clandestine operations. It's controlled using the syndicate shuttle terminal in the cockpit, which can be used to travel a point near the station for it to jump. There is an additional console allowing the creation of a custom destination around the station. The Infiltrator itself is outfitted with powerful turrets which fire damaging penetrator rounds at anything that isn't an operative, as well as only one entrance that can be sealed with a blast door to keep those who somehow bypass the turrets from getting in.
When choosing a spot to send the ship, make sure your team is going to remember where it is and that it is mostly out of sight for those in EVA on the outside of the station. Many an operative has gotten lost in deep space because the Infiltrator was put somewhere weird.
The Assault Pod
Grab your team, cram into the pod, select your area and launch. You'll be on station within seconds, obliterating anything unfortunate enough to be caught in the way. The pod is also lined with turrets that fire on anyone not Syndicate, so even if you don't land on them they will likely be caught in a hailstorm of bullets. From there it's a simple matter of assaulting the crew and cornering whatever poor bastard has the disk.
Caveat emptor: The assault pod is a one way trip so make sure you have an exit strategy. When taking the assault pod, always be sure that one operative flies the shuttle close to the station so the assault team have a way out after the disk has been secured.
Dat Fukken Disk
Alright. You and your team have made their way onto the station. You're most likely huddled up in maintenance, psyching up for the next part: getting the Nuclear Authentication Disk.
You need this disk to activate the nuke, but as it could be guarded by the Captain, Head of Personnel, Head of Security, or the Clown... you best go in without second thoughts or distractions. Even a lure and false positive to get the disk holder to where you want them will be effective.
One method includes blowing up the wall the disk holder has their back to. A block of C4 will knock down any wall and seriously wound whoever's on the other side.
If you're in the bag for a more elaborate ruse, have one of your team members cause a ruckus in a secure area, forcing the disk carrier to flee right into the arms of your waiting team members.
Don't be afraid to think outside the box! This game mode in particular lends itself to unconventional approaches.
If you declared War, be prepared for the possibility that the crew took extra precautions to make sure the disk was annoying as possible to get/find. They could have stashed it in a box inside of a backpack filled with boxes, in a locker filled with backpacks (also filled with boxes), inside a locked/welded/wrapping paper covered locker in a secure room filled with lockers. Or they could have surgically shoved the disk into the chest cavity of the Clown for safe keeping. Who knows! You declared War; expect these things to be a possibility as a result.
Finding the Disk
Each operative will start with a syndicate tablet 
in one of their pockets. Grab it, turn it on by using it in your hand and turn on the Fission360 program. You can click "scan" and select the nuke disk. Do so as soon as possible and then put the tablet in your inventory somewhere you can see it. It will have an arrow overlay tracking the disk.
Now, you have your equipment, tools, and toys. But the trouble is just getting started as you strike the heart of the wild.
You are equipped and armed with the best, but what matters is the will to win, and the thirst for blood. Couple that with wisdom, and a large helping of know how, and you have a chance. But what makes the Syndicate agent successful isn't their red suit, or revolver, it is their team.
ACTIVATING THE NUKE!
NOT AT YOUR BASE!!!
Getting the disk is just the first half of the battle. Now you have to destroy the station. Haul ass back to the Infiltrator and grab the nuke from the aft storage area. You'll need to put in the disk first to unanchor the bolts keeping the nuke in place. Take the nuke back to the station and find an area to set it up.
Now follow these guidelines in order:
- Click it with your open hand.
- Place the Nuke Disk into the slot.
- Punch in the nuke code, hit enter. You can check the code by going to the IC tab and viewing the notes verb.
- Set the time.
- Set it to Armed.
- (Optional) Disengage the anchor.
- (Optional) Have it timing as you run off with the thing (if you die it will still go off).
- (Optional) Place the nuke anywhere you want on the station.
- (Optional) Anchor it.
- Take the Nuke Disk out.
- Take the disk with you, or have something to throw off the crew's pin pointer.
- Get back to your Infiltrator.
If any other Nuke Agents are alive, give them a moment to get to the Infiltrator. Once you and your buddies are loaded in the Infiltrator, get out of there. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done once you get back; you've earned it.
Mission Debriefing
Congratulations. Your efforts have (hopefully) resulted in the destruction of Space Station 13, a major blow against the Nanotrasen scum. Your contributions towards the Syndicate are appreciated. You will be compensated handsomely of course for your continued cooperation. Your team is now on standby until the next assignment is distributed.
Depending on how well your operation went, there are multiple 'endings' to a Nuclear Operatives round:
- Syndicate Major Victory: The operatives managed to get the disk and detonate the nuke on-station, and at least one operative made it back to their home base alive. What you should be aiming for!
- Syndicate Minor Victory: The crew manages to flee on the Escape Shuttle, but the disk is still on the station z-level. The crew may have lived, but the station is yours to blow up off-screen.
- Crew Major Victory: The crew manages to secure the disk and take it with them on the Escape Shuttle, and/or all operatives have been killed. The mission was a failure, and all that's left to do is for any surviving operatives to go home in shame.
- Crew Minor Victory: The nuke was set off, but not on the station's z-level. The Syndicates got dat fukken disk, but without the only nuke they brought, they'll have to take it home as a consolation prize.
- Neutral Ending: The Syndicates manage to nuke the station, but they all die in the process. Technically a win for the Syndicate, but a loss for everybody involved, on both sides.
- Humiliating Syndicate Defeat: The crew managed to figure out the nuclear code, stole a Syndicate ID card from one of the operatives, hijacked the Syndicate Infiltrator, flew it back to their home base with the disk, and detonated the nuke at the operative's HQ. How did you fuck up this badly, holy shit.
Lone Operative
The Syndicate is known for rarely sending lone infiltrator units to stations that have been identified as having "subpar enforcement of standard NT nuclear authentication disk handling procedures". More often than not this ends up being a suicide mission, but occasionally the Syndicate gets lucky and manages to destroy a few stations here and there for the fraction of the assets. Thus, the practice of sending "Lone Operatives" still takes place to this day, instilling fear into Captains with one simple passing thought: "did I secure the disk?"
As the name implies, Lone Operatives consist of a single nuclear operative. They appear extremely rarely on their own (or perhaps never at all) at random controlled by a player selected from ghosts. The chance of a lone operative being sent to the station increases the longer the Nuclear Authentication Disk stays still. Lone Operatives start in space somewhere around the station equipped with standard issue gear (makarov, knife, jet harness, agent ID, NVG goggles, pinpointer, uplink, blood-red hardsuit), but come already wearing their hardsuit with an expanded capacity oxygen tank. They are armed with a Bulldog Shotgun right off the bat, but they can chose to purchase other weapons if they desire.
With no ship, no nuke, and no extra free gear, how are they supposed to detonate the station?
Thankfully, Syndicate intelligence officers from MI13 were able to obtain codes for SS13's onboard Self Destruct Device, located in the station's Vault (detonating this has the added bonus of making the detonation seem like a regular self destruct, committing insurance fraud against NT). Impractical to access with a full strike team, but for a single, stealthier operative getting closer to the guarded vault is a more realistic option. Just like the nuke, all a lone operative has to do is steal the disk, slot it into the Self Destruct, punch in the code and set a timer, and let it rip.
This is no simple task. While the disk might still be sitting still in the captain's office or wherever it got lost, a lone operative is only one person with a limited TC budget comparable to that of a traitor.
Lone Operatives as such are extremely limited on what options they can take. They can go loud and come in guns blazing, but ammo is limited and they're only one person vs. the entire Security force and the rest of the crew. Taking a stealthy approach is harder to pull off, but is extremely effective as a lone operative as you can sneak around and steal items from the station to aid in your nuking attempt. Plus, there's no other teammates that might fuck it all up and ruin the stealth operation. Either way, time is of the essence as at any moment someone could remember they don't have the disk and could come looking for it.
Once a lone operative activates the Self Destruct Device, they are recommended to run quickly as all eyes will be on the Vault once the Delta alert rings out. Evade being captured and/or killed and avoid letting the disk get back into the hands of the crew. If the SD goes off, the lone operative wins the Syndicate a victory regardless if they perish in the blast or not.
Tips
- Set your ID to a crew member. Give it a legit job. Set your fucking ID to a fucking crew member's name and give it an actual job like Chemist or something.
- The gloves you start with are already insulated.
- You can put all your nuke op equipment into your backpack. Even your hardsuit and jetpack.
- For the love of all that is holy, do not lose your ID, otherwise you'll end up locked out of the Syndicate Shuttle while the nuke timer ticks down.
- Thermal glasses will make you vulnerable to being flashed, even with your hardsuit helmet on. NVGs do not.
- The black-and-red space suit is good for inserting a stealth OP onto the station. The crew is less likely to go into a panic at the sight of a regular space suit rather than the iconic blood-red hardsuit.
- Always bring C4/X4. There are few things more embarassing than an operative that gets stopped by a bolted airlock.
- Your cyborgs can also remotely interact with machines just like regular cyborgs. If you get bolted down by the AI, they can open the way for you.
- Be careful of falling behind and getting lost in space.
- To talk with your team, just talk as if you wanted to talk on the standard radio channel by using the ; prefix, your headset is different and only your team will hear you. :t can also be used if you add a syndicate key to a normal headset.
- Subvert or destroy the AI first. It can give you away. Syndicate borgs are able to dispose of the AI without it screaming for help over the comms, and a sniper with thermals and penetrator rounds will do the job just as well.
- Make sure the Escape Shuttle can't be called and then you can't technically lose!
- Always keep in communication with your team. Having backup and knowledge of what's happening from both the Syndicate and loyal station fronts goes a long way towards an easy victory and far outweighs the damage someone who stole a Syndicate headset can do.
- Installing a power sink on the station is a popular strategy. Make sure you bring night-vision goggles and a crowbar!
- Taking out telecommunications is a good way to ensure the crew remains confused and disorganized.
- Ignore the nuke in the vault on the station. It has a completely different code, and without an admin checking the var and giving it to you, it would be impossible to activate (yes, impossible. the code only generates if an admin or something forces the creation of the code).
- For the love of fuck do not mistake a Tech Disk/Genetics Data Disk for the Nuke Disk. Examine the disk and check your pinpointer to ensure you have the real deal.
- Do not buy a mech unless you are absolutely sure you are capable of making it an asset. It is suggested that you blow out the back of the armory to steal the Ion Gun, as that alone can invalidate any mech it fires at.
- Use the red button found in your base to instantly blow up all deployed syndicate bombs in the game.
- If you know that the station has cyborgs, bring a flashbang or ten. Flashbangs are very effective at taking out cyborgs, and you can emag-crowbar-emag the stunned cyborg to subvert it. The ion gun found at the base is also good for this.
- Purchasing No-Slip shoes is always a good idea; getting dunked on by the clown because you slipped on a banana peel is not the best way to go out.
- You can quickly and quietly rob the armory by applying c4 to the wall from space. No loud beeping. No ruckus. C4, grab the guns, get out.
- If going stealth, the regular headsets in the locker room come pre-loaded with a Syndie key. Chameleon headsets don't.
- Saboteur Cyborgs don't have a built in cryptographic sequencer, meaning they cannot hack station borgs. They can still however easily flash the other borgs while disguised so they can bring them to a disguised operative who can.
- The L6 SAW is a monster of a weapon compared to most guns available in the game. A full three round burst is a guaranteed crit even at full health, and it can sometimes still achieve this even when they have armor. Hold a chokepoint like a doorway or a long maintenance tunnel and lure crew into it. Gun them down.
- Macrobomb implants are not the worst idea if you don't expect to live. Lure a bunch of crew into fighting you in an important area, and upon death watch as the blast wipes the screen of everything who didn't hear the beeping.
- You can purchase a novelty Broken Chameleon Kit. They gave all the good ones for Traitors, leaving you with the malfunctioning ones. Makes you stick out like a sore thumb, perfect for combo-ing with your Syndicate balloon.
- You can purchase an old set of CentCom official gear. Likely taken right off the back of captured CentCom officials, this can actually be useful in faking a group inspection. Just ensure you set your agent ID properly and make whatever you're doing quick, as the Captain may directly contact Central Command to confirm the legitimacy of your "nuclear authentication disk inspection".
- You can purchase a full clown costume. Wearing this will be enough to terrify most crew members.