Location: Hangar Decks, Mahporeem Remnant Command Ship
Stryker II
Tag:
Captain Charles
Ronhar Tane
R'ayne Asara
Rasha Popova
The air inside the staging hangar of the
Stryker II was thick with the scent of weapon grease and hyperdrive exhaust. Across the staging areas, the troopers of the 12th Combat Recovery & Extraction Detachment's Rampart Platoon moved with automated, military efficiency as they awaited the Operation Orders. As the combat teams cleaned and meticulously checked their weapons and packed ammunition and supplies, the rescue medics were securing pressurized fluid lines to the reinforced frames of their specialized, heavy-duty medical backpacks and verifying that the shock trauma rescue equipment was in good order. Nearby, the heavy security elements of
Ironclad Squad calibrated the magnetic locks on their repeating heavy blasters and grenade launchers, and tested their deployable energy shields, while the scouts of
Specter Squad prepped their long-range scanners. Every set of Valkyrie-class armor bore the unit's uniform: hard, scuffed battleship-gray duraplast accented with bright tactical field-green stripes and deep maroon unit heraldry.
First Lieutenant Orrin Darge stood near the deployment rack of one of Rampart Platoon's dedicated Vureykri dropships. Overseeing his trooper's preparations, he stood unhelmeted, checking and re-checking the slide mechanism of his E-11S carbine with quiet, measured confidence as his armorweave cape billowed over his shoulder. The calm broke instantly as his wrist comms unit flared with a high-priority, red-coded alert.
"Now hear this. Now hear this. All platoon leaders, flash-override priority. Valkyrie Lead, report to Command Briefing immediately for updated operational directive."
Orrin snapped his carbine's power cell into place, sliding it smoothly into his thigh holster. He didn't waste time. Turning to his senior Master Sergeant Hamish Horvath, his voice was flat and commanding.
"Top, get the boys moving to the gunship bay and start loading the birds. Make sure Specter grabs their long-range sweep arrays. Our tasking just changed. Updated OPORD is inbound. Meet me in the briefing room in 5 mikes."
Reporting immediately to the primary briefing room, a vast holographic layout of the dead world
Ruisto rotated in a wash of blue light. Captain Charles stood at the head of the map. The tactical focus had shifted heavily inward, integrating the latest surface reconnaissance data relayed back by Lady R'ayne Asara and Mer Hops'in.
"Lieutenant Darge reporting as ordered, sir!" bellowed Orinn. Upon being cleared to enter the briefing room, Darge and MSgt Horvath stood at parade rest before his superior officer and listened attentively, with Orrin marking specific orders and coordinates in his datapad. His attention was turned to the holomap at the center of the room, upon which were displayed three distinct geographical markers along the planet's scarred surface. Orinn was brought up to speed on the initial assessment data provided by Lady Asara's scouting element which had identified three potential sites for the deployment of the Remnant's first Forward Operating Base, and he and his men were tasked with conducting surface reconnaissance and tactical site assessment before the heavy construction assets could drop.
The holomap highlighted the coordinates in sequence. The first site was a high cliffside overlooking the northern sea lanes. It offered strong defilade defenses, but the accompanying meteorological scan data indicated that violent storms struck frequently in the sector. The second area was amidst the ruins of an old colonial district. Its existing infrastructure appeared intact, but the ground-penetrating sonar analysis showed the presence of a sprawling underground tunnel system that was flagged with numerous anomaly markers. The last of Lady Asara's scouted locations was a deep mountain basin, completely isolated and invisible to orbital tracking, but accessible only through narrow passes.
Orrin studied the three configurations, analyzing and briefly discussing the physical constraints of each point with his senior NCO before delivering his assesment to his Commander.
"Sir, If we deploy the heavy vanguard into the colonial ruins, we predict those unmapped tunnels would represent a severe perimeter threat. Additionally, the coastal storms in Sector Bravo threaten to swamp our incursion ships unless we incur an unacceptable pre-invasion time delay. It is my assessment that Site Charlie, the mountain basin is the most logical and tactically advantageous staging ground for the erection of the FOB. Key consideration must be given to those narrow passes. They will need to be reconnoitered in force by special forces teams before we route supply lines through them. My Valkyries are just the men for the job."
His chest swelled proudly upon delivering his report to the Captain.
"With your permission, sir, Rampart Platoon will deploy immediately and begin ground reconnaissance of the mountain basin. Once we clear those passes and map the terrain establishing secure vectors, we will make contact to signal the all-clear to drop in the Engineering Corps. Until then, we will consider the grid as potentially hostile."
Orrin and Horvath both snapped back to attention and offered a sharp, disciplined salute.
"By your leave, Sir!"
