Tiglath wrote:Sigrun (and Whistler hopefully!) are ready to carry out their recon prior to the team's strike while the rest of the team assemble at the base camp in a day's time. Same route in as before via G Carrier and recon plan as per below.
Everyone okay with this? Anyone accompanying Sigrun and Whistler on their recon...maybe someone that can ID Lord William, hum?
Recon plan:
1) move up to the base at night and assess the northern perimeter and ruins,
2) establish and conceal an observation point under cover of darkness and from that position study the daytime routine of the Luzon base to gather Intel for the team assault.
Sigrun’s initial task is to confirm her suspicions regarding the apparent lack of any external patrols through the dunes and identify any sentries or lookouts posted at the base.
Prior to establishing a static (daytime) observation point she will also attempt to observe the northern end of the camp (furthest from the radar dome) under cover of darkness to establish the feasibility only of a night time infiltration into the northernmost set of ruins on the base.
Her next goal is to establish a vantage point capable of giving good observation of the Luzon base on the reverse slope of a dune overlooking the camp using the local dune grasses for camouflage and concealment. Her intent is to observe the daytime workings and routine of the base so as to establish the strength, composition and location of the military garrison, other occupants (i.e. any starship or ground crew) and POWs. A position giving a view of the entrance to (or foot traffic from) the Quonset hut and/or the starships would be ideal.
The the primary goal of the recon is to get a confirmed sighting of the blond Lord William.
She will use her recon skill and her rifle and armour’s IR/LI vision aids and sights to her advantage during the recon.
I gave this a couple of days for others to comment on Tiglath's plan. No one did, so I guess everyone is okay with it. Here come results...
1. Getting a camp set up in the preserve where you can do your thing, but not be disturbed: (6+)
[2d6] = 9 Success
2. Move up and do an initial recon without being seen or triggering an alarm: (8+)
[2d6] = 11 Success
3. Sigrun’s initial task is to confirm her suspicions regarding the apparent lack of any external patrols through the dunes and identify any sentries or lookouts posted at the base: (6+)
[2d6] = 4 Failure!
4. Prior to establishing a static (daytime) observation point she will also attempt to observe the northern end of the camp (furthest from the radar dome) under cover of darkness to establish the
feasibility only of a night time infiltration into the northernmost set of ruins on the base. (6+)
[2d6] = 6 Success
5. Establish and conceal an observation point under cover of darkness and from that position study the daytime routine of the Luzon base to gather Intel for the team assault: (8+)
[2d6] = 11 Success
6. Her next goal is to establish a vantage point capable of giving good observation of the Luzon base on the reverse slope of a dune overlooking the camp using the local dune grasses for camouflage and concealment. Her intent is to observe the daytime workings and routine of the base so as to establish the strength, composition and location of the military garrison, other occupants (i.e. any starship or ground crew) and POWs. A position giving a view of the entrance to (or foot traffic from) the Quonset hut and/or the starships would be ideal. (10+)
[2d6] = 11 Success!
Okay, to summarize:
Sigrun (and her team) sneak into the base. They find the fence is not trapped or set up with any sort of surveillance. There are a number of land mines partly buried in the sand inside the fence, but they aren't hidden well and are easy to bypass. You spend some time mapping the location of the mines.
While on their recon there are two drive by patrols of a jeep with two men aboard (driver and observer), neither see you, but they are making patrols. The packed sand in ruts show the jeep is making the same basic path running the length of the fence from near the beach to the north, to near the beach to the south of the base.
As your group enters the ruins just north of the ships and hut you observe a couple of small lights and as you draw closer see a pair of men lounging against a wall smoking cigarettes and talking in low voices. All you can hear is one saying to the other,
"Big one's done. Should be done with the little guy by next week, then we can turn these ships over to their crews to fly out to the GG base, and we will get out of here." The other replies,
"I thought this would be a cushie assignment at first, but now it's just boring. I'm ready to get back to the jungle and make a few raids."
The pair move off in opposite directions after finishing their smoke. It's a cursory patrol and from the paths in the sand they always walk the same route between the ruins and the beach in one direction and the ruins and the dunes in the other. It doesn't look like anyone is watching the area between the dunes and the beach south of the base, but crossing that area would leave anyone very exposed for several hundred meters. Getting into the ruins from the north was easy as the end of the fence is near the ruins and the dunes come further down. You'd still have to watch out for the jeep patrol, but it appears to be very regular, so easy to time.
You find a location inside the ruins where an observation post could be set up. It would give you a good view of the hut and the port sides of the ships. This is an excellent location. Coming from the north should be easy, but is harder to get to and from from the south as you'd have to come in from a long stretch of beach where there will be no cover. You'd have to time crossing the beach with both the foot and jeep patrols, again doable, but a bit more risky.
There is a spot near the top of the inner dune where a stunted tree and some sea oats provide cover. A foxhole dug in there would give a good view down onto the base with little chance of being discovered...if you cover your tracks and don't do something stupid like standing up and waving. This location would give a good view, although at a greater distance, of the entrance to the Hut and both ships. A sniper could do a lot of damage from this spot.
The first day of observation you see five different POW's moving from the larger ship to the smaller, each under guard. Among the POW's there are two women and three men. One of the men is tall and blond.
The POW's spend most of the day in the smaller ship, only coming out under guard to get items from the Hut to carry back into the smaller ship.
You count 8 Luzon moving about during the day, but there appears to be a "shift" change because a different 8 appear from the Hut to take over in the late afternoon. It's possible there are only 16 infantry here, but it is also likely that the four doing night patrols are not among the two shifts of 8 guarding the POW's during the day, and there are another 3 or 4 that you see who appear to be spending almost all their time in the Quonset Hut. All of the Luzon, except for one, are dressed in green camo coveralls. The exception is clearly an officer type. The officer type is wearing two pistols in a belt. The rest of the Luzon are armed with rifles. The guards are armed with SMG's. It looks like the Luzon are all housed in the Quonset Hut.
It appears that the POW's are housed in the larger ship, as all of them are taken in there in the evenings and don't come back out. There is a guard left at the passenger access hatch to that ship and there could be more inside, but from your counts not more than one or two. You note that the open cargo hatch near the rear of the large ship is not, apparently, guarded at all. As best you can tell the smaller ship is unoccupied and unguarded at night.
What now?