Avastan: Planetfall

[Tiglath]

All in the Plaza

Jess hears the nearby ISS trooper shout into his comm “FGMP in the plaza!!! Send QRF!” As folk clear away from the agitated soldier he notes the now armed Jess and attempts a shot but she's quicker on the draw and beats him to it penetrating the CES on his left thigh. The trooper is staggered by the impact of her burst then shudders again and sighs as a strike scorches his chest plate, his weapon arm suddenly gains an extra elbow and his CES sleeve catches fire. He collapses very dead.

A shocked looking Sugar returns to report “One down”. Then adds “Not me. Headshot...” As she speaks the comms static drops away and the inter team radios are restored.

A growling disturbance grows in the drifting crowd and with a cry of “Faugh a Ballagh” a snarling Gaughan barges a drunk reveller aside to burst onto the scene accompanied by the saturnine threat of Lannigan. Gaughan puts up his drawn falx and innocently conceals it within the folds of the long hairy Avastan coat which disguises his armour. He catches his breath and tells Lanningan “Sure an' I told you they'd be fine!” Breathing just as hard Lannigan smiles and says nothing.

After a brief trek across the square the team ground vehicles are regained together with Able (who parked them on the edge of the square ready to leave). Able reports that he's “pretty sure” that a nearby ground car has been “left open” and could easily be “borrowed” if necessary.

Gaughan's team have their G Carrier concealed in an alley closeby. Aided by another pair of rangers in concealing cold weather gear the prisoners are secured in the Carrier and the merc medic sets to examining and treating the wounded. Everyone wearing party gear is grateful to be reunited with their “big coats”.

(OOC: Assets immediately to hand:
Gaughan in a G Carrier and two fire teams of six (four with ACR plus two on the ALMG) each man has two LAW.
One of the unit medics and the "away team".
An enclosed civilian hired ground van with seating in the cargo area which transported the away team downtown).

[shaidar]

Frank and Freya

Dubs patches through a tight beam communication for Frank from a callsign “Rogue's Gallery” which identifies as 4DC Merc Command. Before opening the line Dubs adds “My hunch - this is from orbit or deeper out system rather than local, sir”.

Frank recognises the caller as Col. Skeet of 4DC – he sounds cheerful but businesslike “Colonel Cross, a courtesy call. I have some recon assets in what I believe to be the current operational area of your some of your units. Now, I'm sure they'll all play nicely together but I prefer not to leave things to chance. We're currently committed to as low an operational profile as we can maintain but if we can assist you or your people on the ground then we will”.

Frank

"I appreciate the call and the offer Colonel, I'll let my people know your people are around. I'm guessing then that it's not your people that have just opened up with an energy weapon against the imperial assets, but that you have eyes on? We have more people just arriving so we should be OK"

[The Bindoner]

OOC: Is there an opportunity to acquire one of the ISS comms? If they're helmet-mounted it might be possible.

[joertexas]

"I appreciate the call and the offer Colonel, I'll let my people know your people are around. I'm guessing then that it's not your people that have just opened up with an energy weapon against the imperial assets, but that you have eyes on? We have more people just arriving so we should be OK"

Prerna selects the commanders-only comm net. "Colonel, I recommend that we immediately assault the ships, while their crews are disorganized."

[Tiglath]

OOC: Is there an opportunity to acquire one of the ISS comms? If they're helmet-mounted it might be possible.

Jess manages to remove a helmet (with its integral comm unit) from a casualty. She notes that, despite wearing plate carriers, some have suffered overpenetrating torso wounds. Viewed up close the injuries inflicted are mostly bloodless but no less horrific for that. Although the "calibre" seems small the targets have suffered catastrophic organ and tissue damage around the wound site and also a form of local explosive decompression. Even from a few yards away the results of the headshot put the "what the phic" into catastrophic.

[shaidar]

"I appreciate the call and the offer Colonel, I'll let my people know your people are around. I'm guessing then that it's not your people that have just opened up with an energy weapon against the imperial assets, but that you have eyes on? We have more people just arriving so we should be OK"

Prerna selects the commanders-only comm net. "Colonel, I recommend that we immediately assault the ships, while their crews are disorganized."

Frank

"It is an opportunity, but we need to get everyone back here ASAP while we prepare, and the QSM will need to do a special requisition from the stores"

[joertexas]

"It is an opportunity, but we need to get everyone back here ASAP while we prepare, and the QSM will need to do a special requisition from the stores"

"Copy that. I will round everyone up and get back to the ship." Prerna changes to her team channel. "Recon team, we're recovering to the ship." She begins getting her team back together and onto the available transport to return to the ship.

[Tiglath]

"Ruddyellfekmyoldboots!!!" Able has quite a "turn" when, on opening the back doors of the bus, he discovers Sazanami seated inside now again wearing her "big coat".

Polly volunteers "Three of the Viper's Nest flight crew attacked Kit and myself at the bar and we defended ourselves". Sazanami leans over and whispers something to Polly who then adds "Six more are also... in the park bay at the Club's rear. The Twilight deemed them a strategic priority".

As Gaughan's squad mount their Carrier Able starts up the wheeled bus he observes "We'll be on the same route back to the starport as the pirate crews then. Hope they drive better than the local nutters".

[The Bindoner]

Speakin' of, we oughter intercept them crews 'fore they get home.

hasty post, I'll elaborate when I get home.

[gurusql]

Perhaps this is The Bindoner was saying.

Kit offers the following option over the Command channel. "We do not have to hit the ships or even any of the hard targets on the map. With all of the pirate crews trying to get back if we can intercept any traffic coming from the city into the yard we can eliminate a lot of crews. Which would hide to a degree that we were the force responsible for the attack."

[joertexas]

Perhaps this is The Bindoner was saying.

Kit offers the following option over the Command channel. "We do not have to hit the ships or even any of the hard targets on the map. With all of the pirate crews trying to get back if we can intercept any traffic coming from the city into the yard we can eliminate a lot of crews. Which would hide to a degree that we were the force responsible for the attack."

"There are still the hostages to rescue, but I agree that we should destroy the crews first," Prerna says.

[shaidar]

Frank

Over comms to Col Skeet: "Apologies Colonel, one moment..."

He mutes the channel and turns to Voss: "See if you can contact Erica, or her representative, and confirm whether or not these attacks at the plaza are her people, but don't mention their call-signs."

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya
With so much going on, mostly out of LOS to the starport, there should be a lot of radio chatter...Freya will start looking to localise transmissions and identify call/response pairs thus revealing which groups are which.

[Tiglath]

Frank

Frank
He mutes the channel and turns to Voss: "See if you can contact Erica, or her representative, and confirm whether or not these attacks at the plaza are her people, but don't mention their call-signs."

Voss responds quickly "Sir, I have spoken to Ms. East. She states that she is sure that the assets in the plaza, while not her own troops, are indeed friendly and that we should on no account engage them. She states they are an elite pathfinder team from 4DC equipped with battledress, support weapons and tac missiles. She mentioned that they may be difficult to detect as they also have full EW support. Further to her last she said she wouldn't mind knowing how you know they're there, sir".

He winces and adjusts his earpiece adding "She's holding on the tight beam link if you have any further but she keeps shouting commands in Swordy so I believe she may be... um... busy, sir".

[shaidar]

Frank smiles at Voss

"As Ms East is busy then let's not keep her any longer, thank her for her time and tell her a company has to have some secrets. I'll tell her in slow time.".

He switches to the team command channel

"I'm sure nobody was planning to, but do not engage the forces attacking the plaza."

He then switches back to Colonel Skeet

"Apologies Colonel, I've been gathering some Intel before we move into action. I can assure you that we won't be interfering with your assets at the plaza, our people are leaving the area"

[Tiglath]

Freya

Freya is able to analyse the intercepts for patterns and discovers that on the same frequency Hawkeye talks with One and to but not with the others (Two, Three and Four). The numbered callsigns all occasionally talk with each other and their tone is "experienced/professional".

When what she assumes to be Hawkeye deployed active radio jamming in the plaza area she was able to narrow his position to one tower block but he was capable of very fast repositioning at a estimated speed approaching ~200kph indicating grav transport. That he was able to maintain the speed through urban clutter would indicate an accomplished operator.

She also notes that there is now a void in her pattern which if it was the unit and grav vehicle engaged in the plaza confirms their demise. They did have intermittent contact with what is very likely to be the Imperial compound at the starport.

She notes plenty of unencrypted civilian traffic and unit to unit chatter from private security teams but very little apparent activity from law enforcement.

[Tiglath]

Frank

He then switches back to Colonel Skeet

"Apologies Colonel, I've been gathering some Intel before we move into action. I can assure you that we won't be interfering with your assets at the plaza, our people are leaving the area"

Col. Skeet replies "My team are also about to displace but I'll send you an encryption key for a handshake channel. If you transmit on that they'll contact you - by tight beam if they're in range but I understand there is an amount of comms clutter dirtside".

[shaidar]

Frank

"Thank you Colonel, that will be very handy to ensure there is no confusion when we put our plan into action. I'll ensure you are kept in the loop with anything relevant."

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya

Freya is able to analyse the intercepts for patterns and discovers that on the same frequency Hawkeye talks with One and to but not with the others (Two, Three and Four). The numbered callsigns all occasionally talk with each other and their tone is "experienced/professional".

When what she assumes to be Hawkeye deployed active radio jamming in the plaza area she was able to narrow his position to one tower block but he was capable of very fast repositioning at a estimated speed approaching ~200kph indicating grav transport. That he was able to maintain the speed through urban clutter would indicate an accomplished operator.

She also notes that there is now a void in her pattern which if it was the unit and grav vehicle engaged in the plaza confirms their demise. They did have intermittent contact with what is very likely to be the Imperial compound at the starport.

She notes plenty of unencrypted civilian traffic and unit to unit chatter from private security teams but very little apparent activity from law enforcement.

Ops Room: The radio chatter doesn't seem to include anyone other than private security teams and the Hawkeye group. Not certain we have any "Pirate" chatter at all. Either they are using land lines, direct LOS or mesons - or they really aren't talking/coordinating.

Not much to contribute - sorry.

[Tiglath]

Freya

Voss replies to Freya with a smile "On the contrary your analysis may have revealed that the pirates really are in rout and there is little to no co-operation among the crews. Neither are they calling on the locals for help".

He further muses "I suppose the absence of evidence isn't really proof but could the fact they are not calling up their ships mean they either have no intention of leaving or insufficient crew left aboard to lift the vessels?"