Avastan: Planetfall

[Tiglath]

Liv offers "As Jess says we can find out where the crews are socialising and we are well placed both to interdict their route back. We also seem gifted with an opportunity to "Trojan Horse" the berms. I can't help but feel that this job is much better done inside out. There is much to do and whatever we can achieve covertly and in detail puts us ahead of the game".

[Tiglath]

All

While the discussion of tactics goes on a triple "whump" is heard from the direction of the bermed ship shelters and a salvo detonates on the roof of a bunker facility tentatively identified by Liv as a storehouse*.

Florence dashes in, trips over the hatch threshold and then recovers to perform an eyewatering "rotating salute on the spot" directed at every officer present before blurting out "Um... I thought you'd need to know about that! I just heard this in clear".

She plays the conversation back off her dataslate "This is Major Malygin, Quartermaster in Chief. Senior Lieutenant Bezditko I have become aware that you have not declared the losses to your unit. With effect from today your vodka ration is cancelled". The reply is bellowed back "If I don't get it, you'll get it!"

Florence adds "This was immediately before the shooting and then this came afterwards. Um... Malygin reports the ration fraud and being fired upon by Bezditko's heavy mortar battery to HQ. This was the reply". She manually shifts data and then plays back a tired voice which says "Next time just give him his vodka. He has just been awarded the Order of the Red Star, so just give it to him".

(OOC: * The larger black square just west of the "helipad" west of the Shipyard is the Stores (not Issues).)

[gurusql]

Kit

"I think we might just have found a quicker way in. We are trying to understand how to take out multiple starships. If they use a common supply depot we can load up the supplies with anything that will explode. Depending on the final plan we can have timed or externally triggered explosives. These would be blowing up in the cargo holds, but the point is it will hurt the supply lines (food and people) and then depending on the size of the explosives' it can damage the cargo holds enough to make the ships not space worthy. The best part is, the stupid Quartermaster will be the helping us to get on every craft, even the ones we have not identified!"

[The Bindoner]

I'm all in favour of fireworks displays, but we need to make sure they're set up prop'ly to get the full effect. That QM's doin' things by the book. No issues without proper requisitions. Paperwork's very important, runnin' Stores. Not the kind'v bloke likely ter be in post when pirate's'r drawin' on logistics. Don't get me wrong, I'm still in favour'v spikin' the drinks, if we can get access. Effective counter-battery work's important too.

[Tiglath]

All

Liv gets busy renting a couple of ground vehicles (a black saloon ground car and a grey van). She also goes over to chat with the two guards at the VCP / extrality gate. By the time preparations are complete darkness is falling together with light flurries of snow.

Neon City.jpg (36.71 KiB) Viewed 289 times

The grey rockcrete prefab slabs of startown's buildings give way to the urban sprawl of Avastan City. Secure light industrial zoning merges with a shanty town blending into low rise housing complexes on the outskirts of the City proper marker by the air scrubbing pylons of its dome.

The transition to within the dome's scrubbed air is denoted by road signage and a faint electrostatic pop. Some folk clearly trust the efficiency less and retain their filter masks in the proximity of the air quality border. The downtown blocks rise into the darkness as neon illuminates snow flurries blown around and between them by the wind from the mountains.

As the buildings rise Avastan City's dark side begins to show. A tried street girl with a thousand yard stare sits at her spot until plagued by a bike riding kid with a water pistol. The street girl draws her incapacitant spray but her towering heels disadvantage her as the cyclist easily evades her efforts.

The citizens seem to be appalling drivers in the main and the road conditions certainly don't help. Most vehicles seem to show a few knocks and minor damage but, in what must have been some truly bizarre accident, one woman seems to have managed to remove the entire roof of her car.

Liv directs the driver from her data pad “We're looking for Club Zoo – it's where most of the pirate crews start their shore leave”.

Polly wears a parka with a fur lined hood over party clothes which she has accessorised with a chunky “industrial” designer handbag. Sat next to her Sazanami has her own hood pulled up so as to mostly obscure her face.

Liv states “Polly and I are going in to recce the place. We'll need a couple of you as back up and also an inside reserve. This place is apparently a little rough”.

(OOC: Just gently nudging things along... )

[gurusql]

Kit

Kit wear his suit slacks and shirt and seems to have found a dark tan faux leather coat that extends down to his thighs. The coat has a small hood and the shoulders are puffy. He has greased his short dark hair back and is carrying his two pistols that he was carrying on Inchin that he calls "Sun" and "Moon". He volunteers to part of the inside reserve group. "Let's hit the town."

[joertexas]

Prerna divided her team up to help provide security. She assigned Able and Baker to pose as a couple, and had them stay close to Jess. She teamed up with Xray as a second couple, and assigned Uncle to Liv. They all carried handguns with four spare magazines.

[gurusql]

How much of out group are we sending? I thought it was a must smaller group. However, I could just have missed the point.

[BackworldTraveller]

My group can fly a drone to watch, but my team have Coffee and a quiet place to rest. And the ship is the best armoured place we know.

What comms is the recon group taking?
I'd be interested to see what sort of Electronic response there is to a sortie.

[joertexas]

What comms is the recon group taking? I'd be interested to see what sort of Electronic response there is to a sortie.

Given the climate and the location, Prerna and her team are outfitted in nondescript shipsuits, with covert armor underneath. They have handguns and covert comms.

[Tiglath]

Prerna divided her team up to help provide security. She assigned Able and Baker to pose as a couple...

That would surely be Easy and Baker???

Able and Baker's attempts at blending in as a couple will be at the very least... unconvincing!

[The Bindoner]

Prerna divided her team up to help provide security. She assigned Able and Baker to pose as a couple...

That would surely be Easy and Baker???

Able and Baker's attempts at blending in as a couple will be at the very least... unconvincing!

Well, that depends... Freddie could give them some tips on the subject.

[Tiglath]

Cpl Able intercepted in mufti whilst claiming to be on route for a recon...

it_aint_half_hot_mum_duo.jpg (23.18 KiB) Viewed 254 times

[joertexas]

Prerna divided her team up to help provide security. She assigned Able and Baker to pose as a couple...

That would surely be Easy and Baker???

Able and Baker's attempts at blending in as a couple will be at the very least... unconvincing!

Yeah, I meant Easy

[The Bindoner]

Since the expedition has changed from hiring offices to trailing pirates around the nightspots of Avastan Jess goes to change. Looking at her luggage she regards the choices. It comes down to Contractor or not. In the interests of OpSec she opts for not.

She selects her LBD, low-heels and, with a resigned sigh, the bra that she swore not to wear again after Inchin. “Party-tits it is, s’pose.” After all, she is going with Sugar.

Even with her scarves, that leaves some non-party-girl ink on display, but that can’t be helped. Hopefully no-one will be looking at the ink.

She transfers her 9mm to her dispatch-rider’s satchel (which serves her as a handbag), along with a first aid kit, pen-light, cigarette lighter, make-up case, ammo-pouch of cash, perfume spray and comm. She keeps the folding-stock carbine in the poachers-pocket of her "mesh"-lined leather trenchcoat. Looking in the mirror of her stateroom she changes her mind, puts the flats in her satchel, and wears the strappy heels. She'll change if there's dancing, or running, in the offing.

As a finishing touch she puts on her sunglasses.

Rejoining the others she asks: Hey, Sugar, yer tooled up, right?

An' I don't want ter know where yer hidin it.

EDIT(ed)

Casually to Liv, as she looks for an empty metal box to hide the pistol: What'dya reckon on security? Think I'll get away with a flash-bang an' a smoke-bomb in me bag?

[Tiglath]

Casually to Liv, as she looks for an empty metal box to hide the pistol: What'dya reckon on security? Think I'll get away with a flash-bang an' a smoke-bomb in me bag?

Liv looks at Jess squarely "This is Avastan. Personal protection is expected in the City. There is no law and the place is run by crimelords - the Bratva. However, if you get caught with grenades you'll have to do the club security some favours you might not appreciate". She looks Jess straight in the eye and says brutally "It's either that or risk being shot through the head. The novelty comes from whether it is before or after you are thrown out of the fire exit. My recommendation is to leave the assault gear with the back up team". She takes a moment and then quickly says "That sort of thing takes a terrible toll. With respect and to your credit I'm not sure you're built for that Sergeant Major. Decent people aren't". She then adds quietly "If you can convince me it's absolutely mission critical I'll get it in".

[Tiglath]

My group can fly a drone to watch, but my team have Coffee and a quiet place to rest. And the ship is the best armoured place we know.

What comms is the recon group taking?
I'd be interested to see what sort of Electronic response there is to a sortie.

Dubs is able to help here with his field experience. Radio relying on superior encryption is going to be standard in a built up area but if a drone could relay laser that would at least allow HQ to tactical command comms.

Meanwhile while Florence (aided by access to the surprisingly sophisticated ship sensor systems and powerful onboard computer to run decryption) has more or less accessed the local military radio traffic. She has also picked up other "artefacts" from broadening her study of the Starport environs. She is intrigued by what could be hyper agile "burst transmissions" of radio traffic originating within a radius of about five kliks of Avastan City but states if that's what they are then she needs some better tech to decompress or crack them if they are encrypted. Almost inexplicably odd.

Over in the mountains she has detected some short radio transmissions which are more accessible to monitoring. She's getting them as "solid" and has identified a few source transmitters (which are highly mobile) but the content of the comms is walled away behind a very sophisticated system of encryption.

[The Bindoner]

Casually to Liv, as she looks for an empty metal box to hide the pistol: What'dya reckon on security? Think I'll get away with a flash-bang an' a smoke-bomb in me bag?

Liv looks at Jess squarely "This is Avastan. Personal protection is expected in the City. There is no law and the place is run by crimelords - the Bratva. However, if you get caught with grenades you'll have to do the club security some favours you might not appreciate". She looks Jess straight in the eye and says brutally "It's either that or risk being shot through the head. The novelty comes from whether it is before or after you are thrown out of the fire exit. My recommendation is to leave the assault gear with the back up team". She takes a moment and then quickly says "That sort of thing takes a terrible toll. With respect and to your credit I'm not sure you're built for that Sergeant Major. Decent people aren't". She then adds quietly "If you can convince me it's absolutely mission critical I'll get it in".

Assault gear? I was thinkin' escape. Ninja stuff. Poof! Gone... Jess pantomimes throwing down a grenade, spreads her hands then waves them in front of her face in imitation of a magic trick, using self-mockery to divert the conversation's trend. Easiest way ter dodge a dance invitation. Plus, harder to shoot us if they can't see us, eh?

So, no need to shield the pistol either, then. Good, easier to get at.

Anyone got a can of hairspray I can have? I'll replace it if I burn it. Jess looks hopefully around between Sugar and Polly.

Turning to Freya she asks Got anything yer want us ter take? Comdot's'll be out'v range, an' a live comm in the pocket's about the best I can think of.

[BackworldTraveller]

The presence of the burst comms suggests that someone is nearby and comms-canny and tech'd up. (Not TL15).

We should be able to triangulate the bursts if we can get a good second (and ideally third) receiver about 100m off. Anywhere we could lay fibre to a remote receiver that wont get snapped in 10 seconds by passing traffic? Drones could do it but (a) I don't want to lose them yet and (b) they don't know we have them yet.

Jess, Take a comms unit - leave it off but set to a particular frequency we can pick one. If you have trouble, turn it on and transmit a carrier. It's easy to spot-jam but such jamming is real obvious in itself. And if you use it move away: They may have HARM rounds! And a single frequency transmission acts like a radio illuminator to the radars too. 1940s Radar technology!

And keep safe

[Tiglath]

(OOC: I was quite staggered to discover that in late WW2 SOE had mobile phone tech that they were using to contact their agents on the ground in Europe. If you re-imagine the opening scene in Narcos but insert a mosquito you're there! I suppose it shows that a given tech level shouldn't be assumed to be universal and how useful it must have been during the Cold War before the tech finally got out into the civilian market).