[IC] Hijacked - LowInt ops, In Character thread for Low Intensity Options

[Raiden]

what the hell is that?! is it coming from the HUMVEE? Longshot asks looks down rather surprised.

[Thanee]

Tatjana doesn't quite know what to make of it. Did the sergeant lie to them? If so, what was the reason. And who was he talking to over there...

Anyways, there was little she could do about it at that moment, so she reminds herself to keep an eye on him, just in case.

When the loud voice suddenly lists the specifics of the car they are sitting in, her look is obviously confused and she turns around to see if anyone seems to have a better idea, what is going on.

[phlapjack77]

Crispy tries to act casual, while internally he's not nearly so cool. He sets the speaker volume to 0 with a quick wireless command sent to the drone through his PAN. The damage is done though. He racks his brain for a way to salvage the situation in the few moments remaining before the drek hits the turboprop.

[Mach_Ten]

Puffing and panting like a man very out of shape, Sgt. Ricoh arrives back at the group
"What in all that is holy is goin' on?!" He demands, not knowing which of you to look at his head jerks around trying to spot a guilty face.
Then all eyes slowly turn and face down at Crispy as the i-ball trundles out from under the truck, its scan complete, and bumps against his thigh dropping into standby mode.

"Jeebus H Mother of Mary ! I can't leave you fraggers alone for five seconds.. Fraaag me!... " "
He takes a deep breath and settles himself before continuing
"Right! on your feet son lets see what's in here got you so interested, but for Frags sake keep yer voice down!"
Around you the other teams have settled back into their own discussions.

Ricoh steps up the the rear door of the Hummer in the trunk bay where Artemis hovers, a look of disinterest frozen on her face
"Mission Briefing is complete, are there further services required?" She inquires monotonously
"Blow me!" Ricoh responds matter of factly and reaches into the side of the bay, a switch kills the holo display
but not the ghastly green glow, this gets brighter as the bottom shelf rolls back and folds neatly away
to reveal ..... a candy shop assortment of ammunition, all neatly arranged by type and subtype and by weapon size.

"Welcome to the mini-bar, what's your poison?!" He spreads his arms wide to encompass the view before him
"The bitch won't let me tell you to go lethal or not, that's for the scoreboard, but if ya REALLY Wanna, then this right here is for you !" He pulls out a cartridge case labelled ex-ex™ and another SnS™ beneath the holes now open in the array you see another layer of the same selections,
it probably goes all the way down into that compartment underneath, no wonder the drone listed enhanced suspension in it's spec rundown.
"I'm not sayin this is for free, before ya get yer grubby mits all over my shinies, anythin you take is subtracted from your pay at the end,
if you don't make it, well you got some stuff I can see that'll .'compensate' me for my trouble!"
He Shrugs and replaces the carts in his hand into the available slots then spins back to face you all.

"We got ourselves off on the wrong feet here din't we, I'll make it clear for ya, I don't like you, and frag me, I picked some o them others out there that gots 'poh-ten-shul' but that pointy eared bastard over there says he gots history and conflicts of fraggin interest! .. so here we are"
his accent slips into a southern, redneck like drawl, "but I'm fragged either way, if you don't pull through on this then I gets mah record marked, so I'm in this to make sure you street pizza wannabes get the job done and win!" Hunching his shoulders against the night chill he drops his hands deep into his pockets again, looking for all, like a sulky teenager, allbeit one with facial scars a grey stubble beard and obvious second hand oxidised and tarnished cybernetics.

"So, lets get this happy clappy all friends together group hug thing goin' on like dem others over there, you got questions? I got answers!"

[Mach_Ten]

Longshots comm blicks in his AR peripheral vision, indicating a received a voice message

[ Spoiler ]

<< @Derick[Babette] : Hey there Hon'
So dis Vashon island (Attachment: General Survey Map.xml) hope you sure you know whats you is doin' out dere' hon'?
Dem guys ain't no local civvies armed with knittin needles and protectin flocks of sheep, dey got serious powah,

The plant is mostly robotic, but they gots workers out in the synth-fields pickin crops and tendin beasts

Dem offices at the central tower (Map ping PoI: Vashon Town) recently got a short term contract for a merc team to run penetration testing and fill the holes they found for three weeks leading up to the launch of their winter catalogue
An dere is only TWO days left on that contract,

De Shadowtalkers, they say they got some new Radar installation over dere, not sure where tho,not enough range on dat fing to cover de whole island so my guess it's mobile

if you goin dere... make sure you got someone watchin yo tail hon!

Call me latah
Babe >>

[phlapjack77]

Everything's frosty. I got all the ammo I need, thanks Sarge is said while Crispy looks around his new team to see who's there.

So we gonna have some tactical planning or what? Looks like the other squads're ready to hump it outta here, they got their drek together while we're just standing here with it swingin' in the wind. We need a plan. Let's sound off, since we don't know each other. I'll cover the EW side of the operation, make sure we have battlefield visibility and make sure the enemy doesn't deny that to us. And I'll shoot things while I'm doing it. Anybody else wanna chip in or am I gonna hafta pull this whole mother-fraggin operation off all by myself?

[Raiden]

Longshot checks his comm message, *a contract?. could, nahhh. maybe, bah. If it was, why wouldnt they just tell us.* I can provide either sniper cover or go in quiet like. not many people are a better shot than me. a lot of my skills are for less urban stuff, but I can drive most things on the ground. I have some first aid training, but I ain't the best at that. also, if we need them I got some explosives an' I'm fairly good with em'.

thanks, but I am good on ammo at the moment sarge. just want to ask if theirs anything you think we would like to know before we do this mission. I am gonna be honest, I don't mean to sound disrespectful but a lot of times it seems the head honcho decides we don't need to know everything, a lot of the time it doesn't matter, that don't mean we don't like not knowing. Is there anything we don't know about this, that you do and, in our position, would like to have known?

[ Spoiler ]

he puts a little emphasis on "would like" and social subtly was never something he knew existed

.

<thanks babe, knew you could do it no problemo. when I'm done here I will pick ya up, make a note to figure out where ya wanna go but gimme around two days for it.>

[Mach_Ten]

"Look son, I'm just here to get Big ole tick the box that says I did what I need ta, ta keep ZERG signing my paychecks and NOT sending me to Bogotá!"
The exasperation in his voice begins showing his age, you don't think this guy would actually last very long in a real HotZone with his outdated and ill-maintaned ware.

"I'm gonna do what it takes ta get you in there and do the job, scan! the rest ? well that's on you! "

He closes the trunk and re-activates the holo map and Artemis re-appears
"Mission Parameters have been adjusted, further data is available for download" she drones out immediately

"Awww Drek, here we go!" Ricoh sounds not pleased

"Team Ricoh, You are designated backstop and covering fire duties
in favour of a preferable plan of action from Team Estevez, assisted by team Hammer for main insurgency force,
...
Team Scoreboards have been updated
...
acknowledge compliance!"

[Thanee]

"Well, I'm a magician, so I will cover the astral side. Other than that, I'm a pretty good shot, too."

When the lovely voice of Artemis interrupts them again, Tatjana wonders...

"We are all on the same target? Oh, didn't realize that... covering fire, however, sounds like something we can definitely provide."

With that she looks over to Longshot and Crispy.

[Raiden]

Longshot chuckles "well they picked the right bastard for the job, won't find much better cover than from me and my sniper rifle. on another note, I hear from some friends this place has a mobile radar installation at the place, that, could be a problem. hm, crispy"?

[phlapjack77]

Crispy takes a moment to access the Team Scoreboards and set it as a small AR window in his peripheral vision. This game was gonna be played, he was gonna keep an eye on the score.

Covering fire? Wish they'd make up their minds.

With that he grumblingly begins rooting around in his duffel bag. He withdraws what looks like a child's mylar balloon attached to a small electronics package. A small canister is also found in the bag, which Crispy attaches to a nozzle on the balloon. A short hissing noise is emitted from the canister, and the balloon quickly fills out, floating aloft as the electronics spring to life. Last can of pop - hope we get some use out of Stormy. A quick mental command sends the balloon skyward, the drone fading from view as the polished surfaces darken and seamlessly blend into the backdrop of the sky. Crispy eyes it for a second thoughtfully, waiting for the feed of data to wash over him. It doesn't take long before he's receiving torrents of visual data beamed to him from the airborne drone.

Yeah, a mobile radar installation could be a problem. If we can find it, neutralize it...I'll be on guard to make sure it doesn't frack with our comms

[phlapjack77]

Pondering the latest announcements from Artemis, Crispy turns to the Sarge with a drek-eating grin on his face.

If we're being demoted to covering fire, we're gonna need to hump heavier gear into the area of operations. Any chance you could arrange some kind of transport for us instead?

He thinks for a moment.

And if we're providing "backstop and covering fire duties" is said with audible quotes, we're probably gonna need to contact with the other teams on where they are gonna want us positioned. Hey Hammer, get your sorry butt over here for a second!

[Mach_Ten]

"FRAG THIS! We're all on the SAME damn OP ?" Ricoh explodes in rage at the holo "Yeah Hammer, come over here a sec!"
He stomps off towards the other team gesticulating in a manner that actually makes some of the crew round here blush.

Moments later he is wandering back with a sly grin on his face that almost matches Crispy's
"Right .. apparently here's the deal ...." Seeing the drone being unpacked and about to be inflated ".. What the ? put that thing away, you can get your toys out when we get over the island, the flightpath of every suborbital jet passes through here, you wanna just stick a neon sign in the air and scream out ZERMAX WOZ 'ERE ?!"

He clusters you together and herds you toward Artemis Holo and the map.

[ Spoiler ]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c96oom5pdi6qpoj/VASHON%20MAP.jpg

"Look here!" He pans the map over to the south of the island.
Artemis gives a run down of Geographic data as it passes over
"40 percent of the island is given over to synth fields and greenhouses
45 percent is worker accommodation, owned by the corporation as are all local businesses and franchises.
the remaining 15% is freehold or corporation offices"

Ricoh continues
"We got to cover their asses while they go in deep, BUT we got the chance to score BIG ..
we drive in and scan the last area the Runners were seen, if we locate them? JACKPOT! "
looking at you all for some sparks of intellect

"and the data and anythin else that's on that list...
let Hammer and Estevez bust their balls against security and we can cover them from the southern approach... it's as simple as pie!"




"You can take my Hummer, I'll co-ordinate comms via the Zerg Sat you are subscribed to from here, only reason Hammer gets to play is ... well.. that's not my place to say"

[Raiden]

sooo, your saying we need to get to the teams last known spot first while providing covering fire? like, the other teams are the decoys for us? that what ya mean? longshot's expression is a tad strained as he mulls over his thoughts.

[phlapjack77]

The look on Crispy's face is a mix of annoyance and embarrassment as he stops in the process of inflating the drone's balloon. With a mutter of disgust he crams everything back in the duffel bag at his feet and takes the moment to replay the mission briefing in his AR field of vision to hide his emotions.

vi) Perform quarantine of the area, disinfect any tainted assets

Hold on a mother-fraggin' second! "Quarantine"? "Disinfect"? "Tainted"? I don't like the sounds of those words. I hope that's just fancy-corp-speak coming from the holo-cube slitch, because otherwise I didn't bring enough firepower for THAT kind of op.

[Raiden]

I'm gonna bring my big gun, I need to get it from my area, its A panther, hehe. also, I think we should try to take the ferry, that way we can move up and search the last known area of the runners before hitting out position for the covering fire. if we can get that info and that VTOL out of there while providing the covering fire ain't no way we will lose.

[phlapjack77]

Crispy's gaze is unfocused and far-away. This could be because he's poring over the AR map, trying to figure things out.

So the plan as I see it - we take Sarge's humvee south to the ferry, take the ferry across to the southern tip of the island, then bust-ass heading north to set up our covering position for the other teams. Along the way we can take a quick detour to check out the last known position of the previous runner team. If we can find them or their aircraft and score some points on the leaderboard, all the better. Nova and Longshot carry the heavy ordinance for long-range support, Brian and I'll have more medium and short-range capabilities.

The merc looks pointedly at Ricoh.

If we're covering for the other teams, it sure as drek would help to know what their plans are - insertion points, tactical objectives, the whole mess. Say, does that ferry have the capability to take the hummer across as well?

[Thanee]

"I still don't really get this... is this some sort of trial run? It looks real enough, but I still get the vibe that there is competition between our teams here... and I don't think this is a good thing at all. If this is a dangerous operation, we should be working together!"

"Anyways, looks like we are packing the heavy stuff. I got everything I need in that case and am good to go."

[phlapjack77]

Sarge, point me where to stow my extra gear and then I'll be ready to go

He pauses for a moment, thinking.

Guess we got enough bang-bang to destroy that VTOL craft if we have to. Panther oughta do it. Just in case tho, maybe you can bring those explosives you were talking about earlier. is said to Longshot. Then Crispy turns to the 4th member of the team. How about you Brian?

[Mach_Ten]

Artemis Holo activates on the hour and begins a rundown for whoever is present
"Time is now 22:00 Saturday - We have until 06:00 Monday - to confirm Mission completion,

@ 07:00 Monday, the workforce returns from the on-site domiciles to their workstations.

HAMMER & ESTEVEZ will begin insertion at 04:00 Sunday, giving you six hours to prep and get onto the island

Your main objective is to get to these co-ordinates and cover the main approach from the south to the complex from cover.
intercept and deal with any occurrences as deemed necessary."

HAMMER TEAM will cover the NORTH and ESTEVEZ will go silent to follow the runner teams projected path into the complex to assess mission status and locate them if possible.

RICOH TEAM – Do Not Deviate from these timings


Ricoh watches and nods, then turning off the display looks at the team
"That seems easier than I thought! Take the Hummer, the ferry to the southern tip runs hourly and has minimal security offered by KE Patrols
You'll need a way to avoid that attention.

Once on Vashon, head to these co-ords and look for the aircraft and the team, there was no may-day so I presume them to be parked safely and enjoying tea and cakes with the locals

Keep eyes open for that Radar platform you mentioned, if the Drek hits the fan you'll want an airlift!

keep intouch on secured comms, Don't kill any civilians ... bring me some local beer, they got them a few micro-breweries on there that grows REAL Ale!

I'll be in the radio room in the hangar, have fun, don't get dead!"

[phlapjack77]

Ok, we've got a few hours to kill. Since we're on the clock...hey Hammer! Estevez! We're supposed to be covering your sorry butts. You wanna help us plan how we're gonna do that? Like, tell us what you plan to do once you've achieved your objectives...how the frak do you plan to get off the island? You need us to bring an extra Humvee or two for your teams? Plus you might have found the lost runner team, so that's even more heads needing evac. We'd be lucky to find that VTOL and be able to operate it, but I wouldn't count on it.

[Mach_Ten]

Hammer wanders over and shakes your arm enthusiastically

"Buenos noches Amigo! .. Glad to see you made it back alive..." He guides you a few feet away and asks "What VTOL?"

Behind you there's a few worried looks at each other as if the teams haven't been given the full information and the minor amount of trust they had in, vanishes.

[Mach_Ten]

*********************************
********S C O R E B O A R D ********
*********************************
* HAMMER = 100 *
* ESTEVEZ = 80 *
* RICOH = 60 40 *
*********************************

[Raiden]

Longshot over hearing the conversation uhh, the one, that. Wait, you don't know about that? just what exactly are you guys supposed to be doing? he asks Hammerson (I assume I have everyone in the teams comm-link address) longshot sends out a message, < guys, I wasn't sure what to make of it but my contact got some info, said somthing about this place actually hiring out some people to check their security measures, try to find any holes and the like. I figure I should at least let yall know at this point. Doesn't matter much to me, I am gonna do what I am paid to do.>

[Thanee]

"Are we actually going to take the ferry? With the gear we are carrying?" Tatjana wonders openly.

Then she sends a message to her contact Trish, hoping to gain some information from the experienced smuggler.

<< @Trish [Nova] Hey Trish! It's me, Nova. How's tricks? I need to make a little trip from Seattle to Vashon Island, and while I'm quite aware that this is not your usual playground, maybe you can still help me out there? Of course, it's to be non-official and we will be carrying some things that the patrols out there better don't see. Any idea, what we should be looking out for? Or maybe you even happen to know a colleague who could help us out? >>