Mission Prep / Tadian IV
Posted on Fri Nov 2nd, 2018 @ 12:45pm by Major Cornelius Tremble & Staff Warrant Officer Jennifer Masters - Calhoun & Gunnery Sergeant Gaagii & Sergeant Azure Thompson & Staff Sergeant Shayla Kunadt & Corporal Rairror Thoran
Edited on on Sat Nov 3rd, 2018 @ 12:21pm
1,803 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 5 - It Would Be Their Pleasure
Location: Mission Ops Briefing room
Timeline: MD002 0830 hrs
Looking around mission prep, Neil focused the assembled personnel, clearing his throat “We’ll get started. Fleet intel needs us to pick up an asset in Dark Water.” He tapped a console and a 3D orb glittered into existence. “Jennifer, if you’d like to brief on your asset?
Jenn put up an image of an Jelna female on the screen. "This is Xoica. She is a merchant arms dealer. She has been dealing with the new Maquis very often, and she has been giving a lot of information to starfleet in the past. She has informed Starfleet intell she has come in to the possession of important information, but apparently she had to go in to hiding. We have to get her out and bring her safely to starfleet territory." She then nodded Neil. "For the information on her current location I will give the stage to Lieutenant Tremble."
“Meet Tadian IV, planetoid in the Praydor system. It’s a small speck of nothing in a mostly uninteresting system on the edges of Cardassian space. Tadian IV is the chosen hole Fleet Intel’s gopher went to ground on. It has an active volcanic life and that means the atmosphere is laden with toxins, particularly acids that don’t play well with biological organisms. The volcanics are at war with the oceans, so in all it’s a hot, muggy mess that has no life itself.”
He fine tuned the image, which flattened to a more conventional map and continued to rotate. “That atmosphere also screws up electronics. Sensors from orbit won’t pick up anything but static and don’t fair much better on the surface. Science estimates tricorders will function out to 15 meters. Maybe. If the wind is right.”
“Insertion will be via Hawkeye. Level 1, exposure suits, breathing filters and goggles. We won’t have to wear rebreathers or such, but expect rough terrain and carry multiple suit patches just in case.”
"Well, at least we won't be cold." Azure said.
Gaagii had been sitting at his normal seat at the briefing table. As he was always want to do during briefings he sharpened his tomahawks. "Sir, what exactly does this asset know? I only question the reasoning behind sending in Marines to do what Intel should or could do easier. My other question is do we have a clear direction and path to where this asset is hiding?" He looked at Tremble when he spoke and switched tomahawks.
"Other than links to the Maquis, I haven't been briefed in and it really doesn't matter, Sergeant. They're sending Marines in because we are trained to operate in hostile environments. We're a reaction force in this because they're not sure what to expect, save a valuable asset needs retrieval," Neil told his recon leader.
"I'm actually glad they thought to invite us first. Usually they do send in their own team and we have to go in anyway after things go to fix it," Neil added with a grin, his eyes shifting towards Masters.
"Do we expect any hostiles planetside?" Rairror asked. The Orion didn't like the sound of this planet and fighting it those conditions would be no picnic.
"We always expect Hostiles, Lance Corporal," Neil told the munitions specialist, "The world is classified uninhabited, though that survey is ten years old. I think we can assume that remains the case, if an arms dealer feels comfortable using it as a bolt hole. "
Glancing at the assembled personel, Neil continued " If whoever has her spooked gets close, we'll be in the thick. Mid to close quarters combat ranges."
"Ah hae a question. room fur one more? Ah got naethin' else tae be daein', an' Ah heard th' entire briefin'." Wilhelmina was leaning in the door way, seaming to finish up a cup of tea. "Ah know aam nae technically not on duty yet, but aam jist gonna mope aroond haur otherwise."
Tremble glanced toward the Gunny and gestured at the display. "Feel free to wade in, Gunny. You'll need to set up scenarios for training and you'll be leading at least part of the elements on this. We'll have to plan on running a search pattern, which will be tricky in a cess pool like this."
Shayla was of two minds, on the one hand she was excited that there was a mission to be done. But, on the other hand she had developed a friendship with Flarn and wondered what was happening with him. "Sir I know what I am about to ask is unrelated to the mission. But there is something I would like to know. Do you know what is going on with Staff Sergeant Flarn? Sick Bay is mum on anything pertaining to him and they will not tell me anything."
Looking at the Corporal, Neil's forehead creased and said, "Sgt. Flarn is still in a coma from experiences that Temporal Affairs have compartmentalized and told us to keep our noses out of. That means that no. No one knows anything and if they do and don't keep their yaps, they'll end up guarding an asteroid someplace in a vac suit with a slow leak. You get me, Lance Corporal Kunadt?"
"Sir I get you." Shayla replied. In truth she did not accept the answer. However, she knew that was the answer expected of her so she gave it. As the road went on she would try to find a more definitive answer.
Mina listened and looked finally adding in "Dependin' oan hoo far apart a' everyone is havin' some a body on overwatch might nae be a terrible ideal. but Ah think we might be tae spreid out every body is tae cover everyone."
Neil tapped the controls and the screen shifted, showing atmospheric detail. "We do have coordinates to operate on, but we'll have to expect anything. I imagine they'll be a landing zone, so a ship or shuttle. Once down, we'll set up a perimeter, including overwatch and listening posts and Ms. Masters can make contact."
Mina gave a appreciative nod. "Good planin', hopefully ita least holds out a little while." She sounded like she was mostly joking, but did also sound like she did think it was goodplanning."
"Sir is this a dark op? Am I to take my team in first?" The soft spoken native american spoke. The tones of his voice hid the excitement that he had at getting out there and doing something. Something more than being an overgrown doorman for Intel.
"Dark Water missions usually are fairly dusky and we're going in as quiet as we can, Sergeant," Neil responded. "My plan is to let your Team do what you're best at. Get in, take a peak and set overwatch on wherever we end up meeting. You and yours will get a ten minute head start, goggles recording and terrain mapping as we go. Gunny Wilson will be going with you, she's got experience in this and will get the lay of the land so to speak. "
Neil tapped a few keys and the map suddenly zoomed and way-points popped up. "The remaining squads will envelope and set up the perimeter. Once myself and Ms. Masters arrive, you're squad and we will collapse on the meeting point, with you preparing for exfiltration."
Lighted dots processed a tactical review over twenty seconds and Neil shut the holo down. "Textbook, but like Gunny Wilson mentioned it likely won't last. If it falls apart, then we do what we do best: Adapt. Overcome. Persevere"
Shayla leaned in and looked at the map. "It seems that your best bet for an extraction would be here." She had the image zoom in on a small, but open field in the middle of a canyon. "This is about ten clicks from the combat zone, and close enough that if I park the Hawkeye on the far side of the planet I can beam everyone in one swoop. This would be the best as an emergency evac point. Being on the far side in low orbit I can avoid their detection grids and keep an eye in the sky on the proceedings."
Wilson piped up at the mention of transporting them all at once. "What aout pattern enhancers fur tha' transport? Ah know we most likely dornt need them. but i've had plenty ay bad experience wi' odd atmospheric interplay wi' transporters. micht be worth bringin' thee."
Neil shook his head and brought back the orbiting globe, "Atmosphere like that and limited transport ability of the Hawkeye, means we'll need to enter atmosphere, drop ship style and insert roughly here." He indicated a point and continued, "We disembark, Recon takes off while the rest grab emergency gear and follow a few minutes later."
Turning tot he Cure's pilot, he said, "Corporal, once you drop us you can orbit as you've planned, and we'll plan on using the canyon for extraction. Everyone will be wearing Dog Collars and we'll be carrying pattern enhancers, so if beam out becomes a necessity we'll have the best chances."
Catching a couple of looks, he sighed inwardly and said, "Dog Collars are Marine speak for Personal Pattern Enhancers." Other thoughts, concerns comments?"
The gunny would shrug "Sounds like we got a good plan overall."
Gaagii stood and holstered his trademark tomahawks with a smile. His only thoughts being that finally there was some action. "It will be good to get out in nature again." Those were his only words as he mustered to attention.
Shayla was smiling broadly as well. "I have one more question. When do we leave?" She cracked her knuckles as the excitement of an op built up in her gut."
"Wheels up in three days, feet dry four days after that. A day there and then the return. Ideally we'll be back aboard the Pioneer in ten days," Neil recited the timeline he'd drawn up.
"Time to get to work."
A Joint Post BY
Second Lieutenant Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Warrant Officer Jennifer Masters
Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
Gunnery Sergeant Wilhelmina Wilson
First Sergeant/Rifle Fire Team 2 Leader, USS Pioneer
Sergeant Gaagii
RECONN Fire Team Leader, USS Pioneer
Corporal Azure Thompson
Corpsman Command Fire Team, USS Pioneer
Lance Corporal Shayla Kunadt
EVAC Specialist, USS Pioneer
Lance Corporal Rairror Thoran
Munitions Specialist, USS Pioneer
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