Avastan: Planetfall

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya
While all this discussion is going on, Freya will take a discrete look at her "Useful Contacts List" - Anyone referenced on Avastan?

Freya checks her little black... er... comm but finds that the old hands she expected to find listed on the Scout base strength have been shipped out.

However, it seems the away team need an update/re-tasking as two Tango's are deleted from the battle computer plot on the out of town highway.

She notes Gaughan's G carrier appears to be following the other G Carrier designated as a "Tango" through the outskirts of the city.

As Prerna, Jess and Kit report their success Florence and Dougal high five as the plotted "blips" disappear. Freya's not sure the techs fully appreciate the brutal reality of the absent plots...

Please make a Senor Ops Roll

Oops...

[The Bindoner]

Jess, smiling happily, celebrates the small victory: Nice shootin' ladies.

Assuming that all the potential targets are heading for the Downport, Jess keeps heading there at the best speed Able's vehicle can make.

On the HQ comm: Next target please. We're on a roll. With luck and a tailwind, we can set an ambush for the next lot.

The music changes track and Jess laughs heartily:'propriate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hem05nNTRXg

To the car in general she comments: Jus' like old times, this. Well, 'part from the filthy weather.

[Tiglath]

Frank and Jakob

"The idea has merit, but if we steal the Viper now that will send up an alert, and make grabbing the Hawkwind all the more difficult. Alternatively, we could take out the Viper crew, then fly it out later with the Hawkwind, but we only have one pilot. I wonder how quickly Erica could get a pilot to us, if she has one spare, or if the Vargr might help with that, but I think we might not get that ship back. With the rapidly closing window of opportunity we have I say we stick with the original plan. Voss, your thoughts?

Voss replies candidly "Sir, as your XO I'd say Captain Domici's original plan is well envisioned and viable. Also as XO I'd like us to keep as much of our fighting strength in hand as possible".

Turning to Jakob he asks "Your plan is sound but could you do it with less? Maybe a solo bodyguard for Ms Ingridsdottir? Fewer numbers might also offer less chance of compromise". He then adds "I'll try to scare up some suppressors or get you a loan of gauss weapon to keep things quiet. I assume you'll want to make up your own breaching charges? In the QSM's temporary absence I'll draw your explosives from stores". With smile he says "Although if she gives me grief I might have to tell her it was you!" He adds "Tread lightly for sure but take enough firepower in case something goes wrong".

Voss suggests to Frank "Captain Domici's team plus Sgt Caxton's HQ squad gives him two fireteams to start with and keeps our line troops in reserve, sir".

[Leitz]

Jakob

Jakob nodded. "We can reduce Freya's team if the primary assault team does a more thorough sweep. It means more time before launch, but as you said, we have a strong reserve. Grenades as an option once we're in; the corridors inside and the weather outside should muffle most of the sound. I can handle the explosives."

[Tiglath]

Frank and Jakob

Voss is now thinking aloud, planning and refining. He says to Jakob "Make sure your assault team orient themselves on this vessel. It's the same type as the Viper's Nest - they'll need eyes on the Engineering spaces and the Bridge. The rest of it should be staterooms and hangar. I'll go and have the argument about access to the whole ship with the McLellan Captain". About to depart he turns to add "Of course, flashbangs not frags near the crew stations. Even if she's not flying Viper's Nest immediately we'll need Ms Ingridsdottir to confirm that it can fly if we need it to".

Switching to Frank he says "Sir, an exploitation opportunity. If we can infiltrate more of our troops into the berm as a second phase of Captain Domici's operation then that gives us a second jumping off point and more assault options".

(OOC: Voss Tactics roll:
Roll(2d6)+3: 6,6,+3 Total:15
Oh, FFS now the NPCs are joining in!!! Infamy, infamy - they've all got it in for me! )

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya
And don't forget that if I move this, I need a flight plan (unregistered), clear airspace (the anti-ship stuff has to go), and a safe landing spot (which we'll need to secure).

[Leitz]

Freya
And don't forget that if I move this, I need a flight plan (unregistered), clear airspace (the anti-ship stuff has to go), and a safe landing spot (which we'll need to secure).

"Flight plan is to Erica, assuming COL Cross can contact her and get directions. Clear airspace is the margin between 'over the fence' and 'under the AA arc of fire', and safe landing spot is on Erica." Jakob grinned. "Well, on her directions, the other is Prerna's job."

"Just kidding on the airspace. Mostly. Have your team monitor the AA batteries, and jam them if possible. If any of the AA batteries actually come into the cold and try to fire, we'll light 'em up."

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya
And don't forget that if I move this, I need a flight plan (unregistered), clear airspace (the anti-ship stuff has to go), and a safe landing spot (which we'll need to secure).

"Flight plan is to Erica, ..."

OK - So do we get to recce that flight-path and look out for surprises on route? I could get my drone to take a look see if I knew where "Point E" is going to be.
These crates don't have NOE capability above "Mind that rock captain" - So we will be nowhere near as low as you (I) want if we can't get a LIDAR map before we start and a 3-D course plotted assuming we want the speed to out-run the pursuit.

And if anyone knows Gunnery, a list of targets of opportunity for the way out would be useful. Most of the Male Aslan will claim expertise...check their actual skills before you let them near the guns! Gunnery isn't a Genetic trait in any but Droyne - despite the Aslan's claims.

Do we have a plan for suppressing the anti-hijack program on the target ship? Do we even know what type of security the ship might have internally? Crossing the deck with the floors playing grav-ping-pong won't be fun. Assume some form of Gas will be deployed. Vacc Suits are Good. And if you have urban warfare shields, cameras, etc - that might save us from some ambushes. Even the marines hate boarding actions against active defenders.

[shaidar]

Frank looks at Voss, Jakob and Freya

"Fortune favours the bold! Yes to the captain taking the Viper. Yes to reinforcing the berm with more troops so we can use it as a jump-off point. However, I'm not sold on flying the Viper away immediately. Surely it will raise an alarm and make our next moves more difficult? If we have the ship and berm under our control, then why do we need to fly it out? The only reason I can think of if we wanted to use it partially as a distraction when we undertake the Hawkwind operation?"

[Leitz]

Jakob

"If we fly it to Erica, she gets a mobile artillery platform and we have a resource win out of harm's way. If we keep it here then we have to protect it, and that takes bodies off the assault," Jakob said. "If you have any pull with the Vargr, then maybe get into a business deal with them; they take out the helos and attack jets on the north side, and then any pirate ships on their side of the Viper's Nest that they can capture are theirs. That contributes to SEMC goals, gives us a win with the Vargr, and reduces our task load."

[Tiglath]

All

A concerned Gaughan speaks over the HQ link "I've lost contact with the G carrier we were chasing. It's not where it supposed to be and we have no visual. Do you think these lads might be the better pirates? If they have a patrol cruiser someone may have given them a G carrier to match. Sure if they're nervous and wary enough they might have switched on their EMM and counter measures. I'll press on but our Carrier might turn from hunter to hunted - especially if they mount anything onboard that outranges our LAW".

Oops...[/quote]

(OOC: About that... )

[Leitz]

Jakob

Before gearing up, Jakob looked at Freya, and said, "How common are EMM and counter measures? Can your team scan for those?"

Then he was off to go have some fun.

[shaidar]

Jakob

"If we fly it to Erica, she gets a mobile artillery platform and we have a resource win out of harm's way. If we keep it here then we have to protect it, and that takes bodies off the assault," Jakob said. "If you have any pull with the Vargr, then maybe get into a business deal with them; they take out the helos and attack jets on the north side, and then any pirate ships on their side of the Viper's Nest that they can capture are theirs. That contributes to SEMC goals, gives us a win with the Vargr, and reduces our task load."

Frank

"If we are using her berm as a staging post then we need to protect it anyway. Once the Viper goes up then all element of surprise is gone and we'd need to be ready to move with the main assault."

All

A concerned Gaughan speaks over the HQ link "I've lost contact with the G carrier we were chasing. It's not where it supposed to be and we have no visual. Do you think these lads might be the better pirates? If they have a patrol cruiser someone may have given them a G carrier to match. Sure if they're nervous and wary enough they might have switched on their EMM and counter measures. I'll press on but our Carrier might turn from hunter to hunted - especially if they mount anything onboard that outranges our LAW".

"Shit, we need to back Gaughan up, and work out a way to do this at the same time we take the Viper. Is there anyway we can wangle a g-belt team to send to support to Gaughan with some heavier weapons? I'll command it myself if we need to. We're close to over-stretching ourselves here."

[The Bindoner]

Jess, tersely: Sar'nt Gaughan, please describe the occupants of the G-Carrier you were pursuing.

[Tiglath]

Freya

Freya knows many things.

Some of them are:
her small bot really hasn't the "legs" for a recce on a star ship flight path especially in Avastan's crappy comm environment
she is aware of the various hazards presented to simply flying the Viper's Nest away (static AA systems and the Close Orbit Interceptors) and that these are made worse with no present ability to man the defensive ship systems (anti missile sand / lasers)
one of the other clear and present dangers is simply being hunted down by another pirate once the theft of the Viper became apparent...
the patrol cruiser would make mincemeat of the fat trader
even another trader would surely shoot her to bits with no gunners aboard her to return fire
also if these ships do initiate a pursuit then they're not going to be available to be stormed in their berths
storming starships just isn't the same as house clearing... [/ooc]

She also knows that EMM is standard on mid/high tech military vehicles when the local tech level reaches the threshold. Counter measures are not factory fitted and will be part of an on board sensor suite. They are for use by folk who are smarter than the average bear...

[BackworldTraveller]

Jakob

Before gearing up, Jakob looked at Freya, and said, "How common are EMM and counter measures? Can your team scan for those?"

Then he was off to go have some fun.

EMM on the ships? As we can see them, we can check their IR Profiles really easily...Counter Measures...Anything visible we can eventually spot.

IR and vis-light camouflage on people is harder to spot...you might catch people that vanish/appear as they start/stop it working. Few remember to apply it to the surface of their weapons too though.

EW - Many ships sensor suites have those. We'd really want our drones in the barn when we start a major strike because we'll probably lose contact given the number of auxiliary ships that are going to be playing games. They wont be great unless directed by someone with flair - but they will have power on their side. Some of those microwave radars are able to cook anyone/anything animate that is too close and can have a nasty static effect on all things metal.

The sensor arrays for the anti-shipping systems are easily detected if they go active. They can be invisible because they could have been buried long enough that the vegetation has grown over them. With time we can find those using IR and LIDAR and magnetometers.

The worst thing will be someone with an active sandcaster. Don't stand in front of one. Anyone shooting an anti-shipping laser inside the berms will get a nasty burn-back in this weather. They have enough power to flash snow and earth to steam though and the ships are hard to damage.

The hardest things to find are cameras with fibre-optic lines laid. No electro-magnetic signature and simple - you can even lay them around corners with a good swing. Cut the strings and they are useless though. I've several if you can find a use for them!

Cameras with radio connections we've already plotted - and civilian phones are everywhere! The problem is that if we use our own jammers first, it becomes clear this is our operation. But I'd suspect that everyone who can will jam what they can and we can then concentrate on the things that stay operational. Assume that once this kicks off your radios are going to be all but useless - if not a possible danger.

Do we have any radio homing munitions...A few of those landing on transmitters in the target zone (except the ships) might be useful.

If I'm to be running the piloting, I cant be running the EW shack. So I need to brief my team and do so assuming I won't be here to vary their orders. And they are all as green as grass in many ways. They will learn a lot - but in the middle of a battle may not be the best place for that.

Do we have a laser comms link that can act as a hub for fibres to individual units? We may want to site the transmitter well away from anywhere vital because the cruddy weather will mean we have scatter - maybe enough that laser-homers could find the transmitter or receivers.

It all depends on how much kit our opposition brought. For a full blown EW competition we have a good shock armoury but don't have much depth...EW supplies die quickly.

[shaidar]

Frank collects his wits and clears his throat.

"OK, first things first. Captain Domici, assemble a team to take the Viper and secure the berm, and in the meantime I shall consider what we do with her once we have her. Warrant Officer, I need you and your team to find that missing g-carrier."

[Tiglath]

Frank

"Shit, we need to back Gaughan up, and work out a way to do this at the same time we take the Viper. Is there anyway we can wangle a g-belt team to send to support to Gaughan with some heavier weapons? I'll command it myself if we need to. We're close to over-stretching ourselves here."

Voss comments "Sir, we may not need to back Gaughan up so much as use our grav belt mobility to put an ambush unit in front of their G Carrier. We at least know that they are coming here. If they don't use an atmospheric approach then we can take them on the road outside the starport and we're good". He pauses then adds "I'll have the QSM's troop gear up. They'll have to use LAW as the QSM is our AT missile specialist".

He sighs and, raising his one hand to massage his temples, adds "Sir, one more thing. With all this activity I think the furry bast... guests in the back are going to go ruddy spare, sir!"

[Tiglath]

Jess

Jess, tersely: Sar'nt Gaughan, please describe the occupants of the G-Carrier you were pursuing.

Gaughan ponders and replies "Standard issue greatcoats - like the Imperial pattern. Ten or twelve total - difficult to see in the crowd. About half of them were civvies and the other half moved to get them properly aboard. I think these last bunch o' lads were proper soldiers so they were".

[Leitz]

Jakob


Beau gathered the team after they geared up, while Jakob sorted out the explosives. "Keep the boom starters away from the boom stuff," he reminded himself, yet again. He liked his body parts right where they were, but the enemy ship might need a little adjustment.

"Okay, the COL will decide if we leave the ship in place or fly it out. While he gathers intel, let's go over the process and come up with a plan. We're short on time, though, so when we step out make sure your weapons are charged and you have plenty of ammo, grenades, and flash-bangs." He grinned. "We've been asked to not pop a grenade near ship controls, so be sure what you have before you start the timer."

Together, everyone contributed to the plan. Jakob wasn't as happy with it as he wanted, but they were too short on time to get it perfect. "We're not sure if we will go in through a hatch, or through a hole that we have to make. Let's plan on the former, and reset if the ship is buttoned up when we get there. Beau, you and George as Alpha, Love, you and I are Beta. If we hit mid-ship then we get to the center corridor. Alpha holds and shoots anyone moving, Beta moves to the bridge and secures it. Once that's done we move back to Engineering with Alpha taking the lead and Beta cleaning out the staterooms. If the hatch is locked, I'll open it."

Jakob looked at each man in turn. "You are good, and I'm happy to do this with you. The plan isn't the best, but a good plan executed violently is better than a great plan after the enemy ship is gone. The target ship is like ours, so lets do a walk through first. Weapons down and empty; just get the visuals in your head."




Tactics with Beau [2d6+4]=3+4=7
Training [2d6+2]=9+2=11
Leader [2d6+5]=6+5=11