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Frank pauses, then continues "Although Ms, Ingridsdottir did enter the east stairwell following some Insurgents. The Sargent-Major joined her shortly after, I believe"

Well, I didn't exac'ly join her. Stairs're an issue fer me right now. But yeah, she cracked the door, then sealed it again. Staff in there, safe but rattled.

Kit

"Thank you, great insight to the men and women under your command. I can now check off the eastern stairway as the entrance point and since the lift was only between levels, that leads me to the obvious question. When your forces engaged the insurgents were they wet? If they were then the water supply may be the insurgents entrance vector.

Ones I saw were soppin' wet, figured they came in either through the pond in the park or the reservoir.

Major Ghoshal? In view of the approachin' ships I hafta ask, what's the status of yer anti-air? Ms Ingridsdottir fixed yer missile turret, but is there anything else? And, bearin' in mind the state'v the Guard, is there a gunner? Or crew for the fighter?

Tiglath wrote: ↑Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:53 pm Prerna

Duran and the twins are corralled in the officers lounge with the other VIPS who are "decompressing" after their trying night of disturbed sleep. The twins are both difficult to miss and something of a distraction to the common soldiery as they seem to have somehow managed to end up with tailored vac suits that are one size too small...

"I have eyes on the twins, along with every male, and a couple of females, in the place," Prerna says to Frank a moment later. She watches as her team gathers the delegation and whatever gear they are taking off-planet with them in preparation for a hasty exit.

joertexas wrote: ↑Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:30 pm

Tiglath wrote: ↑Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:53 pm Prerna

Duran and the twins are corralled in the officers lounge with the other VIPS who are "decompressing" after their trying night of disturbed sleep. The twins are both difficult to miss and something of a distraction to the common soldiery as they seem to have somehow managed to end up with tailored vac suits that are one size too small...

"I have eyes on the twins, along with every male, and a couple of females, in the place," Prerna says to Frank a moment later. She watches as her team gathers the delegation and whatever gear they are taking off-planet with them in preparation for a hasty exit.

Frank

"Thank you Major. Do you want to come along and help the guard? I'm sure Voss and the others can look after the place"

shaidar wrote: ↑Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:39 pm"Thank you Major. Do you want to come along and help the guard? I'm sure Voss and the others can look after the place"

"That sounds wonderful," Prerna says in evident relief. "Do we come to you?"

Kit

"I would welcome the armor and be happy to move with your unit to help out the Guard." Kit says to the Colonel

"Sargent Major, looking for your answer now" - as Kit enters some information into his hand computer and awaits a reply.

All (and admin actions)

All just as a reminder Kit's ex military but is a civilian contractor to the Baron's Admin Staff. So, although this surely isn't his first rodeo, the orders he gets will no doubt follow their priorities – which won't necessarily be military. Equally, given what the team know of the paranoid nature of the command and (lack of) control here, he just can't have any authority over the Mansion's troops or defences which would most likely fall under the control of the Guard – or perhaps ... even the Baron himself!

The Baron's military policies may be as frustrating to him as they are to the mercs but he's actually a few steps further away from being able to influence or change them than SHMC are!

Jess' medical ministrations restore Love to consciousness. It appears she has a mild concussion from a round which struck her helmet and, although she could get back in the fight, probably shouldn't (at least immediately). [Diagnosis: LW (now "cured") which gave a KO result].

She will be aware that the (generally very unprofessional) Flight crew are billeted with the Guard. They were supposed to be at "instant readiness" near the hangar but "extended" this proximity to include the Guard Mess, Lounge and in all probability their own quarters.

Kit the “headcount” of civilian staff members supplied by the Mercs accounts for the majority of his MIAs (alas a minority are confirmed as KIA). Any further must be in the Guard quarters. The rescued staff are currently all very safe in the merc officer quarters (just north of his position) and will gratefully return to the second floor (via a secure and checked lift).

Stop Press: Kit is able to confirm that there is no chain of command for the missile battery beyond "Supreme HQ". This might be viewed as the worst possible scenario - but then he hasn't met the Baron...

Freya

While she's protectively covered by her escort Freya's bot scopes out an (unsurprisingly) hangar sized glass fronted bay adjacent to the hangar. Containing the transparent external "wall" the bay has stunning desert views and a fine array of sun loungers and paths upon which folk could “promenade” whilst ogling the sun bathers. The bay has the odd shrub about its manicured lawns and bizarrely raked displays of gravel but is clearly unoccupied. Two open hatchways lead north to give access to the park and smaller pool area adjacent to the merc officers' quarters.

Freya can see another hatch directly west across the park from the one leading into the merc hangar. However, her bot confirms this hatch shows its status as "deadlocked" and Freya can confirm this with a swift dip into what passes for the cyberspace of the Mansion.

Looking out through the transparent outer wall Freya sees what might be a pair of stars drop from the heavens and level out at what must equate to zero altitude. The pair are hammering towards her at what she guesses can only be full throttle 6G. They are so low each throws up a rooster tail of Inchin dust as they blast across the desert floor. Freya's not a combat pilot but the flight profile for these birds doesn't fit fighters - they are surely strike craft.

Freya
Urgent message: Incoming ground attack shuttles or attack landers. ETA: under 60 seconds. Places gentlemen (& ladies) please.

Kit

"Colonel, given this news of the incoming attack and the fact that I still cannot raise anyone from the Guard. I need to double time over to that side. Between you and me while it is not my job or responsibility the Guards leadership is not presenting itself in the best light and while I have very little control in this situation, I cannot let the good soldiers die because of a leadership void. If the offer for the escort still stands, I will take it, but I have to get over there now." Without waiting to be dismissed, he starts double timing to the Guard side, hoping to get there before the attack.

This is noting that he is passing on the offer for armor.

Freya
To "kit": The doors in the garden that lead to the Guard are Deadlocked. You are likely to be stuck in the garden without cover.

Freya ducks back into the lounge/lift area between blocks - small, solidly built and around a corner from likely lines of incoming bombs/missiles/very heavy lasers. She encourages her escort to take a similar course. She is fully expecting to find the strike having targeted the roof, hangers (including the Barons) and vehicle bays but doesn't want to take chances that they use smarter weapons to target interior quarters (barracks). The approach direction of the craft she can see suggests that the VIP lounge is safe unless they are using fuel-air weapons or nukes! The garden is totally unsafe as it appears to be open to the roof.

Frank

Over the officer channel "Lieutenant Voss, please secure the prisoners and look after the delegation while we see what the new arrivals want. Voss, keep an eye on Duran and the twins. Major, can your and your team please join us at the entrance to the garden, double-time. Sargent-Major, you too if you're up to it, with however many of your squad we can spare. If this is Patch's troops then maybe we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed. With Duran inside I can't see them doing anything incredibly destructive."

Frank will head over to the garden.

Freya
Who is "Patch"?

Frank

"Patch is a Vagr commander from the Outworld Alliance, considered a terrorist by the Imperium. You might know him as Anuekhs An Gzoug, the Flame that Burns. We ended up working with him taking back The Bartizan on Collace, although we didn't plan it that way."

Frank

Over the officer channel "Lieutenant Voss, please secure the prisoners and look after the delegation while we see what the new arrivals want. Voss, keep an eye on Duran and the twins. Major, can your and your team please join us at the entrance to the garden, double-time. Sargent-Major, you too if you're up to it, with however many of your squad we can spare. If this is Patch's troops then maybe we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed. With Duran inside I can't see them doing anything incredibly destructive."

I'm fit enough. Well, maybe not enough, but I'm comin' anyway. First thing, get those doors shut.

Over unit comm:Caxton, close the hangar.

Love, yer security in the VIP area. Find a chair an' look confident. Charlie-boy, get the squad organised.

Back in a mo. Jess hurries to her room and returns with her holographic Teahleikhoi Regiment sashimono "flying". Might as well make an impression, eh?

We goin' ter get the missiles away or just prepare a defended zone?

Frank

Over officer comms: "Ladies and gentlemen. Let's keep it defensive for now, until we can at least confirm it is Patch. We don't want to upset any chance of negotiation. Our job is to protect the delegation, not to prevent regime change, unless they end up coinciding"

Frank

"Yes Sargent-Major, that's still the intention, we need to get the internal situation under control. Although with these approaching craft we night not get the chance. My comments about a defensive approach was with regards to our new visitors."

All

As the Mercs stage their forces for a push towards the Guard accommodation Freya and her escort rejoin the main body.

From cover it's difficult to see the inbound strike approach but the panoramic views afforded by the transparent wall and ceiling of the pool/park areas allow some view of it for those drawn to watch the fast approaching craft from what is very much a "front row seat".

An anti ship missile flares away from the Mansion's roof but the closing speed of the attackers may have thrown its sensors as it fails to lock onto them and speeds away towards the desert horizon.

Then the glare proofing built into the translucent walls blooms dark as flashing bursts of plasma spear upwards from the lead craft to impact on the Mansion roof. The second craft holds its fire almost until it overflies the Mansion and then rakes plasma directly along the entrance road focussing fire on the basement ramp. The Mansion shudders as the grey two seat heavy fighters pull up over the building making their crossed swords markings visible through the park's transparent ceiling as they engage their emergency agility to break away for high orbit.

(OOC: There is enough collected military experience in the unit to identify the craft as 20ton Angbar class Fighters in the Strike variant configuration. They are almost exclusively operated by Sword Worlds Confederation Navies from their Assault and Auxiliary Carriers).

Freya
If those were Fusion weapons, then we have a radiation issue on the roof and in the basement. Does anyone have anti-rad pills to hand?

The plasma strike on the missiles will have penetrated into the Baron's suite unless the magazine somehow survived.

And the idiot who shot the anti-ship missile at those fighters might have bothered reading the "minimum engagement distance" instructions, because by the time it was fired there were well within it. They have just caused our only anti-ship defence to be thrown away uselessly.

Does shooting the baron count as a survival necessity for the delegates?

Taking advantage of the passage of the strike craft, Freya will urge her group to follow her as she crosses the park and tries to hack the deadlocked door's controls.

Electronics Roll (2d6 + Electronics + EDU): [2d6+4]=5+4=9

Hmmm...may be trying too much at once!

Frank orders the team to move forward in formation, eyes-open for hostiles.

ooc:lots of opportunities for people to hide in the garden, do you want a recon roll?