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RP: 4th Fleet (NSN) [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the Enemy

Sigma

Sigma

Inactive Member
It should have taken eight days to arrive in the Tange system. But a full day was wasted getting the whole armada of transport ships organized into manageable units. Another day had been added when their Yamataian counterparts from the 4th Standard Fleet stopped them at Ayano. They took some convincing that the transport ships were all empty and did not contain any invasion force.

The old Oberons and Arashis also slowed the armada. Their engines simply weren't as powerful as the more modern ones. Some of the escorts had a squad of Marines pulled from other assignments to bolster the number of troops on the ground. In total, though, there were only 56 Marines in the entire armada of ships and about 600 naval personnel.

Finally, after ten days, the Nepleslian ships arrived at the edge of the Tange system to discover that the NMX were already there. Two dozen NMX warships orbited the capital planet. Eight of them were the new cruisers that had been recently seen. The rest were escorts.

Just as Valken was about to issue an abort order, Drei informed him that they were intercepting communications along UOC frequencies and encryptions. There was still fighting going on at Tange IV. The NMX arrival seemed to have been a recent thing from the chaos of the UOC transmissions.

Admiral Valken spoke over the speakers to the Marines and ships' crews. "Sailor and Marines, we have arrived just in time! The NMX have only just begun their invasion of this star system. The transports and their escorts will wait here as the rest of the warships advance. All ship captains and squad leaders, I want confirmations that your units are ready. We will be engaging in less than thirty minutes."

--------------------

Laura and Bernhard were checking each other's gear. Laura, in the larger Aggressor, looked down on the shorter Bernhard in a Hostile. "You're sure you've got everything?" she asked, checking the Hostile's weapons once again.

"DARTs, Observation Probe," he glanced at the case holding the probe, "HPAR and ammo, medical supplies. Don't see what else I'd need." Laura had a similar load out, only using the AMP rather than a moneyshot.

Together, they reported to Sergeant Volkov that they were ready.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Clad in her NIGHT armor, Phaedra strode towards the rear of the shuttle, the helmet under the crook of her arm. Her long mane of white hair had been tucked into the back of the helmet ring. Once she reached the ramp, Phaedra turned around and placed the helmet over her head. She ensured that the helmet seal was intact, and she held her breath during the momentary blackness before her HUD activated. Satisfied that everything was in working order, she switched on the comm to address the crew.

"Listen up, Marines! We have confirmation of NMX forces on the ground. This does not change our objective: the rescue and evacuation of civilians and UOC personnel. The survival of civilians is our top priority; we cannot have any civilians as collateral damage on our watch. The Squids will not make this easy; more than likely they will attack us with parasite-infested inhabitants. Do not let your guard down; consider anything hostile. Switch to thermal when we encounter civilians or UOC personnel. If it has a heat signature, its friendly. If it's cold, you blast the hell out of it!"

"Furthermore, the use of DARTs has been restricted to my order. But I cannot be at every location on the battlefield. If you feel the use of DARTs is necessary, you better inform me of the situation asap so I can authorize you to fire them. I will tell you this now, if you come under direct fire from an NMX aircraft, you use them without my permission. Understood?"

Phaedra reached behind her to retrive the MultiPhase Rifle stowed on her back. The weapon unfolded to its full five-foot length and she held it at the ready.

"Marines! Sound off!"
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"OORAH!" Thundered Sawyer's Aggressor suit as he stepped up "Ready to lock and load and take out these damned Squids Sergeant. How long until we reach drop coordinates?" With that he started running targeting algorithms for the dual plasma chainguns on his shoulders and hefted the AMP to ensure that the ammunition feed was clear. "Laura, Bernhard, how's it going over there for you two" He called out over the internal comms.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"I'm alive." Was all Arieg said before his armor sealed around him, everything read green. His Impulse had a grey, black, and white digital pattern painted on and the normal helmet had been replaced with a custom manufactured one with narrow optical slits. As the restraints let loose he could feel with weight of the assault backpack and it's drone points fitted with either three camera types or two of the 'suicide' types. Before they had gotten on the shuttle he had opened a case fresh from Paragon, a send off gift from his company commander. Inside was a Multi-System Armor Rifle with ten plasma magazines, and twelve power magazines. He had fitted all of them to his suit before he had joined the rest of the group, now he stood ready for orders.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Ready and waiting." Matteo sounded off politely from inside his faceless Hostile. The HPAR in his hand was locked, loaded and ready for action. Extra ammo for both it and his SMG was fastened onto the suit securely enough that even a long drop and tumble wouldn't knock it off, yet would be easy to grab. His calf launchers were loaded up with missiles too, which he almost expected not to receive. Liquid tritium and deuterium was piped into the power armor's backpack. Matteo had hurried to make sure it was all ready.

And now? He was waiting. The military motto of 'Hurry up and wait.' was a classic, and this was no exception; even though he was relatively new, any fool would know that this was the lull before the storm.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Sergeant Volkov, your unit is assigned to secure the Kazumori Spaceport. Remember, priority is for civilians though we want to get as many as we can. If there are UOC forces that attempt to evacuate, force them to join your line. Navy crew will see to the actual evacuation of civilians inside the spaceport, your Marines must hold the perimeter and make sure the civilians have a safe passage to get to the spaceport. Extend your line as far as you feel comfortable. It's one of the biggest commercial spaceports, according to our records, so I expect lots of people will start heading there once they see our transports coming in. Once you've secured the spaceport, signal me so that I can start sending transports down. For now, hang tight and wait for the shuttle launch order," Valken messaged to Phaedra.

------------------

The warships of the 4th Fleet approached the waiting NMX warships. As soon as they were in range, the cruisers began releasing a swarm of F2 drones on a collision course with the NMX vessels. Four of the escorts died instantly and most of the ships were damaged to an extent. But all of the escorts had managed to launch battlepods, which were now speeding to attack the Nepleslians.

To counter this, Valken ordered the deployment of Green Squadron in their FA4 starfighters, configured for anti-starfighter operations and loaded with F2 drones. In addition, he deployed an additional 200 of the F2 drones as automated anti-starfighter defences. As the starfighters, drones and battlepods entered a swirling melee, the NMX cruisers and escorts made their reply to the Nepleslian attack. Their response was uncoordinated, each salvo of missiles and lasers striking different targets, unable to overwhelm any of the Nepleslian cruisers' defences. Two of the weaker Oberons lost shields and were badly damaged enough to the point where Valken had to order them to withdraw to the transports and work on repairs.

The Arashi escorts, true to their Star Army of Yamatai heritage, proved to be very powerful opponents with their diverse weapons systems. Despite taking a beating themselves, the ships managed to knock out one of the cruisers and its two escorts.

Similarly, the Nepleslian cruisers were trading fire with their NMX counterparts. The Potemkin and Primorsky were forced to retreat, both ships badly gutted by concentrated fire, but their brief presence had helped destroy three of the cruisers. Just as Valken celebrated the turn of events, he saw three of the Oberons vanish one after the other as the NMX warships closed on his fleet. He didn't know any of the crewmen so recently assigned to those old ships but he was determined that they would be the last ships lost in this fight.

Green Squadron and its drone support was still locked in a deathmatch with the NMX battlepods. If it remained as a pounding match, the Nepleslians would lose more ships. The Oberons needed to get closer to make effective use of their weaponry. So, it was time to close and engage.

With the six sturdier Arashis in the lead, followed by the fifteen remaining Oberons, the Nepleslian warships separated. Asp, Hornet, Yellow Jacket, and Odessa hung back, covering the advancing ships with their longer, more powerful weaponry. 200 more drones flew towards the NMX warships, ramming them and causing massive damage. Then, the advancing ships hit. The combined close range firepower of twenty-one escorts killed two more cruisers and four more escorts. Whoever was in command of the NMX decided enough was enough. As swiftly as they could, the remainder of the battered NMX flotilla turned and accelerated into FTL, away from the Nespleslians. Things had not gone entirely with the Nepleslians. Three more Oberons had been destroyed and two Arashis left barely functional.

Dominic Valken let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He'd destroyed six cruisers and ten escorts. For the loss of six Oberons, his fleet had destroyed two-thirds of the NMX force in orbit and forced the remainder to flee, badly damaged, with their tail between their tentacles. Six Oberons and their crew lost. Shields lost on all ships, minor to moderate damage on the cruisers. The two Arashis were still reporting critical damage from their exchange with the NMX. Six more Oberons ranged from moderate to major damage. Green Squadron had wiped out the battlepods and reported the loss of eight craft. 4th Fleet had been battered but it now controlled the space above Tange IV. Valken signaled the transports that it was clear to come in.

-----------------------

"Sergeant, good luck down there. If you need fire support, let me know. Green Squadron has been re-armed and prepared for atmospheric operations. If the NMX have flyers, Green Squadron will take care of it. Valken out."

Ten seconds later, the shuttles carrying Marine squads were launched towards the planet. A pair of fighters fell in beside each of the six shuttles. Others darted forwards, entering the atmosphere to hunt for the first line of NMX anti-air defences. Each shuttle headed to a different location.

----------------------------

Aboard the Asp, Valken ordered Drei to begin broadcasting in the UOC frequencies that the Nespleslian 4th Fleet had arrived in orbit with transports to lift as many of the civilians and military personnel. The message would repeat as long as the Nepleslians were in orbit.

Kazumori Spaceport could be divided into sections. The first was a large concrete landing zone for several dozen large transports. It was very open and deserted. Several empty civilian transports were parked on the concrete, other vehicles had been upturned or destroyed in the chaos of the NMX attack. Overall, though, the landing zone was undamaged and ready for use. The shuttle ramp dropped for the Marines to exit.

The second part was the main passenger terminal, a large rectangular building of four storeys. It was there that passengers checked in and waited to board their flight. Now, it was pitted by a few holes from heavy weapons fire but seemed as deserted as the landing zone.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Alright Marines, move out! Fan out and secure the area," said Phaedra into the comm.

She advanced down the ramp and crouched to one side to allow her squadmates to pass. She scanned the area and waved the Marines forward, trying to cover them as best as she could with her MPR. Phaedra did a visual sweep of the area, activated her thermal vision, and then checked the area again.

"Watch for movement," said Phaedra.

She advanced cautiously with the rest of the squad, and then opened a channel to Drei.

"Drei, what is the layout of the spaceport beyond this landing area?"
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Sawyer's Aggressor thundered down the exit ramp after the Sergeant stepped off. He took up a position on the right flank and hefted his AMP making sure his sector was secure. "All clear so far, sergeant" he signaled with just his hands. He figured it was best to keep radio emissions down since they didn't know what was in the area.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Sergeant, there is a 2 metre high concrete wall surrounding the spaceport. The only ground entrance is through the terminal. I detect a lot of scattered movement in the areas surrounding the Kazumori spaceport. Cannot determine who or what they might be. Admiral Valken advises contacting local Green Squadron flyers for reconnaissance updates." Drei's response was fast and short, likely she was updating other squads simultaneously.

Overhead, four FA4s streaked by and started dropping leaflets over the buildings beyond the spaceport.

---------

Laura and Bernhard exited the shuttle, expecting trouble only to find there was none. "Secure the terminal, Sergeant?" Laura asked.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Phaedra heard the FA4s flying overhead and switched over a channel to them.

"Green Squadron, this is Sergeant Volkov, NSMC. Requesting aerial recon of the Kazumori Spaceport terminal, over."

"Secure the terminal, Sergeant?" Laura asked.

Like Drei had reported, the only accessible entrance seemed to be the main entrance directly infront of the squad. After a quick glance at the area ahead of them, Phaedra spoke into the comm.

"Laura, Matteo, Sawyer; you're with me. Bernhard, Arieg, Naomi, Rita; cover us and advance once we reach the wall. Do not fire until fired upon unless there are infested. Lets go!"

With that Phaedra leapt up and began working her way across the landing zone, ducking behind cover momentarily whenever she passed a wrecked shuttle or groundcar. Upon reaching the wall, she slid into a crouch and brought her MPR to bear around the corner of wall gate. Seeing no threats she waved the rest of her group onward.

Once the first group arrived at the wall, Phaedra waved the second group forward as well.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Affirmative" Sawyer quickly signed to the Sergeant before rushing up to the wall that she had indicated and taking up a position making sure his AMP was pointing in one of the directions that the enemy may come from.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

The camera's view shook with force as the Hostile thundered down the ramp accompanied by many others of its kind. As its armored boots pressed hard into the concrete, a large rifle came into view, shifting side to side as its muzzle was aimed at the terminal. The owner of this camera feed swung the weapon to bear at whatever he looked at, as though searching for or expecting something.

Nothing. The rifle was lowered from view, turning as the user briefly glanced over plated shoulders to look at another Marine. This one was different. It sported a monoeye much like the others, but off center to its left. Large, mechanical wings adorned its back, built in such a manner as to surely have a function and purpose. And it, she, barked out orders.

"Yes ma'am." The marine replied.

The image was jostled about as the marine's two ton suit darted from cover to cover, staying a little forward of the commanding officer. A wall came closer and closer into view; the perimeter of the airport.

*****

"Sarge - " Matteo started, glancing at his own sensors. "I hope you can get us a confirm on whatever's looming out there soon; I sure as hell don't like fighting what I can't see!" He wasn't exactly happy right now; this airport was supposed to be used to evac civilians. What if those were the civilians, and they accidentally shot them? And what if they arrived too late, the people all dead or worse, the marines now tossed into the fire?

He checked his HPAR again, and trained the weapon at the gate's entrance.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Laura followed, wondering why they were going on foot when their armours had rocket boosters to get them to a location faster. It wasn't like they were trying to be stealthy.

Once at the wall, she realized that the wall was half her height in the Aggressor. Even if she crouched, she could not hide herself behind it because of the power armour's height.

------------

Once Bernhard saw the Sergeant signal, he zipped over to them with his thrusters.

--------------

"Green Six here, your local eye in the sky with weather reports every half hour on the hour. Lots of pedestrian traffic but none of it looks terribly friendly. Looks like cats, crabs and Rippers heading your way. Best bet is to secure the terminal and turn into a strongpoint cos it looks like they're heading there. I'm off to check the other end of the LZ. Rippers shouldn't have a problem getting past the wall."

Then Drei spoke up, "Sergeant, Squad Eight has made contact with local UOC units at their location. They've received the current set of frequencies and decryption keys used by the UOC forces and civilian shelters. Passing it to you now." A list of radio frequencies, their users and corresponding decryption codes appeared in Phaedra's HUD.

"Admiral Valken is currently speaking to the local force commander about moving civilians from their underground shelters. It seems that the Kazumori spaceport is close to several UOC positions. I will keep you informed about when and from where UOC personnel responding to higher authority are coming. The Admiral wishes to remind you that some people in hiding may make their own way to the space port. Drei out."
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Rita grinned widely as the shuttle's ramp lowered with a mechanical hiss. Her armor was completely standard, a simple Hostile with the stock equipment package and no distinct colors at all. She held her helmet under one arm and held her HPAR loosely at her side with the other. A lit cigar was pressed between her lips, and she took a long drag, letting the smoke spill out of her mouth. She stepped forward with a thud and quietly said,

"Well Squiddies, you're in hell now, and I'm the devil."

As Rita filed forward off the ramp, her eyes shooting from side to side, the metal beneath her began to strain. Fortunately, the metallic grinding noise abated when she advanced off the ramp, spat the cigar out of her mouth, and walked calmly over to the Sergeant's position while donning her helmet. With each step, the ground shook beneath her. She raised her weapon as she approached, stacking up behind the wall.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Acknowledged Green Six," said Phaedra. And then Drei passed the UOC frequency encryptions over to her, enabling them to speak with the people they were trying to rescue.

"Attention, any UOC personnel in the Kazumori Starport, this is Sergeant Volkov of the Nepleslian Space Marine Corps. We have come to exacuate any remaining personnel and civilians from the planet. We will be setting up a defensive perimeter in the terminal. Do not fire toward the main entrance. Repeat, do not fire toward the main entrance," she said over the UOC channel.

Phaedra turned toward the rest of the squad.

"We've got squids closing in on the terminal. We need to set up a defensive perimeter fast and use the terminal itself as a strongpoint," She glanced Rita.

"So no unnecessary destruction of the building itself." She then turned to Sawyer.

"That said, Sawyer, make us an entrance. Everyone, secure the Terminal lobby. Matteo, you're squad leader."

"Arieg, follow me. We're going up to the roof."

"Move it!" she said. Phaedra deployed her NIGHT's wings and then boosted up onto the roof.

Once there, Phaedra boosted to the other side of the roof. She folded the NIGHT's wings and laid prone, scanning the approaching NMX with the scope on her MPR.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Under his breath and without activating his comms Sawyer muttered, "make a hole she says, minimal collateral damage she says" out loud over the coms he said "affirmative sergeant, activating vibroblade to make a door" with that he pulled out his vibroblade, turned it on and cut a slab out of the wall of the terminal large enough even for his aggressor suit to fit through. To laura and bernhard he transmitted "hey, do ya'll want some grenades just in case? Nobody said nothing about grenades all they banned were missile. I got a crate full attached to my back." And indeed there was a crate of grenades there. Once he finished cutting the chunk he lifted it out and set it to the side and entered the terminal with his AMP at the ready and his plasma chainguns set to follow where he aimed.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Ain't that a shame," Rita said, grinning inside her helmet. When Sawyer mentioned that he'd brought along a crate of grenades, she piped up again. "Fuckin' sweet! I'll take some o' those." She approached the man in the Aggressor suit and retrieved five grenades out of the crate, then slid them into the Hostile's modular ammunition pouches.

When the way was open, Rita shouldered her moneyshot and stepped inside immediately after Sawyer, glancing from left to right. She hardly seemed tense at all, and in fact appeared to be quite relaxed. Most likely, she'd been in far worse situations than fighting a few squishy squids while wearing a suit of power armor that magnified her already incredible physical capabilities. "I sure hope this gets interesting," She muttered, peeking around Sawyer to get a full view of the inner terminal.
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Arieg, follow me. We're going up to the roof."

"Whatever you say Sergeant" said Arieg smartly before firing his own boost pack. He landed with a thud a few meters behind were Phaedra lay prone and moved up beside the sergeant, crouching next to her.

"And what now?"
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Shit. Didn't expect the ball to be passed my way this soon!" the marine exclaimed in surprise. "Ok, you all heard the lady! Pile onto the terminal and take defensive positions inside." Matteo ordered, running through the hole in the wall himself. His monoeye glanced over the internal layout quickly before he had his Hostile simply leap onto the second floor, a puff from the thrusters helping to lessen the landing.

"I need half the squad up here, and the other half at the bottom floor." He then motioned his hand across the entirety of the airport terminal. "They'll be coming in from almost all directions save for where the UOC refugees are fleeing to us from, so find cover anywhere you can!" the marine went on, taking cover behind a support pillar and keeping a close eye on his squad.

'Just gotta pop them as they come over or through the wall. Not too hard.' he thought to himself. 'Or so the theory goes.'
 
Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Tsch, take cover he says."

Rita muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes behind her visor. She couldn't help but think of Matteo as a rookie considering her background, and for some reason she found his manner of taking charge offensive. She couldn't quite place why, but she'd probably figure it out relatively soon.

"I got the bottom floor, sir."

Rita advanced carefully, looking down the sight of her gun and slowly scanning side to side. After a few moments, she shuffled into a customer service kiosk. This way she had cover from all sides, except for the spot where the kiosk opened into the rest of the room. She knelt down and rested her gun on the counter, aiming toward one of many entryways.

"Ha!"

Rita laughed quietly to herself as she realized what bothered her about Matteo. It wasn't that he was arrogant or even foolhardy, it was simply his lack of tactical expertise. She couldn't help but find it ironic that a prison inmate, a supposed "grunt," had a better mind for tactics than a sergeant.

Had Rita been the one in charge, she would have ordered more of her men to the upper floor. Chances were that the building could be severely damaged or perhaps infiltrated by the enemy, and having a height advantage could turn the tide of that battle. The men on the upper floors would be able to fire down into the open areas below and massacre enough of the NMX to facilitate a retreat in case a loss is imminent. Their possibility of success was rather high, but Rita had only survived so long by sticking to one simple rule of thumb which had been drilled into her head by her former captain:

"Better safe than sorry."
 
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