RP: Neshaten [Division 5] - Case 01 - Nothing Lost is Nothing Gained

Cirillo nodded to his question's response. It was unfortunate that the timestamps weren't available, but that's just how things went. Nothing to cry or lament about, it was just a variable in the equation. As the meeting finished, he slowly stood up, saluted, then turned out of the room. After trying to remember the building's layout, he calmly found his way to the armory.

Inside, he swiftly tossed on the chest rig of the Operator Tactical Dress, followed by the limb guards and the backpack. He stretched his limbs and jumped a little, verifying everything felt secure but not too tight. As he slung the SMG over his shoulder and put on the helmet, he heard the subdued sounds of Kyet asking for assistance. He looked over and noticed Hana already helped her out, so he didn't say anything. Asking for help from the get-go and being willing to help, good signs, Cirillo thought approvingly. Once everything was ready, he left the armory and headed to the ground floor.

War Room

"So you think they're going to cut it in the field on a job like this?" Adrea turned to ask Leo after the others had already left.
"Well they're going to have to, although I put this team together knowing the situation we were faced with I still chose to anyway, and none of them rejected the offer either. As I'm sure you've already worked out, most of them are quite young and have a lot less experience than us, but they are not inexperienced by any means." Leo replied with confidence, he'd spent hours pouring over the files, records, results and any other information about his team that he could find. And being part of the nations new and most advanced counter terror unit meant he had almost full access to every piece of official information out there.

Ground level - 07:30

Leo and Adrea both arrived on the ground floor exactly on the 10 minute mark, both outfitted in their own set of gear with helmets under their arms. The captain was glad to see the team had all arrived early. "Alright I'm glad to see everyone here on time and ready. Each team will be assigned a Chaser model pursuit vehicle which you've all received training in. In case anyone wasn't aware, each district HQ only has access to a small number of these models so we need to be careful with where we leave them and how we use them, no joyriding." Leo spoke as he looked around at his new team, his nerves were jittery at the thought of actually leading them on an operation like this when they barely knew one another but that was part of the job.

"You all know your teams and missions, Operators Cirrilo and DePolanskaya, you will be driving for the time being. Operator Sher'Meso I want you acting as our HQ link, keep intel updated for us your team especially. Everyone move out immediately, remain in contact until we reach alpha point, then we'll be switching to team comms only. Sher'Meso you'll act as the link between the teams, only re-establish the Ai'Seru comms if absolutely vital."

The Captain and Commander both gave a short gesture before moving out of the HQ building into the garage to board their respective vehicles, the two black and somewhat low-profile cars illuminated by the sterile light of the adjoining building.

Ground Level

"Understood." Sliding into the sleek vehicle, the tiny Daur's helmet flooded with information, sending an inquisitive signal to all other active tactical suits in the area - AKA, those of her teammates. All communications for the team were routed through her neatly, giving Arynn control over their communication - and more importantly, letting her receive all the information from everyone to get an enhanced tactical "view" of the situation. This was her job, of course.

"Let's do this as cleanly as possible. We're not in a movie, and if we destroy half of a city we're not the heroes... Alright?"

Ground Level

Kyet paused midway through climbing into her own driver's seat, she'd watched the digital handshake take place and all their systems sync up like the good little nerd she was behind that shy demeanour - and in fact apparently one of the reasons Leo had checked out her file, though the quiet fox quickly discovered that was mostly because of her sister's exploits rather than her own and the hope she'd live up to those expectations.

But this talk of not destroying half the city, of not acting like heroes - they'd all gone through the training and clearly earned their places here no? ...so was it really much of a jump to think that they all had this ingrained in their heads from day one? maybe the Daur was overthinking it as usual but she almost took the comment as an insult, almost.

"Affirmative... we'll all do our jobs," the young operative spoke as she finished buckling down and began checking everything, it left an odd taste in her mouth but she'd just have to get over it by the time they left the motorpool.

Hana pushed himself in the passenger's seat of the vehicle, leaning back in the seat, before fastening his seatbelt. Throwing up both hands behind his head, the Daur leant back in his seat and snorted out a soft breath as Kyet checked the systems and Arynn half preached half informed the rest of the crew. "Heroes? Heroes are for fairy tales, none of us are. None of us ever will be," the Daur spoke up. Pulling up his armaments, double checking whether they were loaded, before putting the rifle at his feet. The pistol on his lap. Glancing at Kyet, he offered his partner a toothy grin. Which was naturally unseen due to the mask.

"In case of us needin' to do a drive by - brat tat tat and all that," he explained. Whether Depolyanska asked for one or not.

"These things don't have much armor or weapons, so I'd be impressed if we took down half a city," Cirillo quipped as he climbed into the driver's seat of the chaser. He took a quick moment to adjust the seat since he was a little on the tall side. After pressing the ignition button on the car, the twin-core Lunabaren Reactor softly hummed to life as all the lights turned on in the cabin.

"Ready to head out on command."

Ground Level

"This operation is now underway, drivers, key control to open the doors then we switch to team comms, be aware these cars were designed to outrun anything bar a fighter so watch the throttle. I'll be seeing you all back here by tomorrow at the latest and that's an order." Leo chuckled slightly as the navigation data was sent to the two drivers, each being directed to a point a slight way from their actual mission area as explained earlier in the briefing.

For Kyet the indicated navigation would take them to an older part of the outskirts where many buildings were in a ruin, a good place to hide the car and start their investigation towards the suspected stockpile. For Deniska the navigation had them heading to a high-rise two city blocks from the route they were to watch, while he hadn't explicitly stated it Leo chose the building for its high vantage option although it was up to the team how they wanted to go about their task. Although their communications would effectively be severed each team could still see all the members on their digital maps as well as each teams designated routes, with the starting point for each group roughly 700m from one another.

In his Chaser, Leo went over his own weapons. Inspecting them for dirt or signs of disrepair, a malfunction in the field could have fatal consequences after all. Satisfied the SMG and pistol were up to code he slung the former across his chest and stowed the latter in a across the front of his hip for the journey.

"So, how long you two been operators for?" Commander Mago'Sani asked casually in the second Chaser, looking between Aryn and Deniska with interest having already dealt with his own equipment, while there was dedicated equipment storage lockers on the vehicle they weren't going very far and may need them sooner rather than later.

"Roger," Cirillo replied to Leo's order. The only reason they wouldn't be back tomorrow was if something horrible happened, so it shouldn't be a problem. Once the doors were open, he slowly took the Chaser out of the garage and onto the street.

"Comms switching to team comms, over and out," he replied one last time on the main line before switching over. He had no interest in the speed potential of the car apart from how it could help in a mission, so he drove properly and at the speed limit. Cars slowed as they saw him approach. They seemed a little impatient as they drove too close to each other but were unwilling to drive faster than the cop car. This happened to Cirillo a lot.

"For me, I joined the Division of Public Safety 6 years ago. Before that, I was in the Youth Corps for another 6 years," he answered, never taking his eyes off the road. "How about you two?"

Kyeterinyah remained silent, almost awkwardly so as she piloted their Chaser well within the speed limits and obeyed the road rules - she was just focussed on getting where they needed to go and getting there rather than idle chit chat, which was pleasant considering none of that was her strong suite.

Though the young Daur did wonder, was she being rude? her partner hadn't really started a conversation up yet but was he waiting for her to? oh no, she was being rude... Officer DePolanskaya racked her brain for a moment about what to say, and used her overtaking a slower driver as an excuse to extend the silence before finally speaking.

"Hey uh, Hana~?" Kyet began, her eyes remaining glued to the road with a gulp before the quiet fox continued. "Thank you for the help in the armoury... and for being decent about it~ yeah, thanks."

The commander nodded, least it seemed there was some other experienced members in the division now. "So I assume you would have been invited to join up earlier in the year then, good to see you've got a fair bit of experience behind you too. I was recruited soon after the organisation was founded straight from the navy." Adrea answered.

08:00
Suspected Stockpile
"Pull in over there." Leo said from the backseat, pointing towards a small alcove among some buildings in dire need of a renovation. The area that the team had arrived in was barely above crumbling and was devoid of any citizens, all around them were multi-level warehouses and several attached offices where many people once worked. "Ears up and tails down operators, this used to be a shipbuilding zone and while no one lives here some animals have moved in and there may still be some live munitions around." Leo continued, they'd long since traveled offroad and the way forward was now flanked on either side by damaged hull pieces and other assorted ship parts.

Suspected Trafficking Route
While the Captains team found themselves in among the corpses of ships in the ruined outskirts the Commanders group had now arrived at the marked high-rise, many of its windows were already smashed in or missing. "So kiddos, whats the plan? We got our stakeout route 2 blocks away, the others nearly a klick away and a big ol building beside us. Although you should keep those keys handy, just in case." While they weren't too far from the other group the area that Adrea, Deniska and Aryn found themselves in was far more populated with buildings than ships. Their target location to keep an eye on was an hold wide access road which connected the main sections of the outskirts together and was wide enough to account for larger vehicles.

Warehouses and Stockpiles

Kyet pulled in as instructed and parked the car in a shady back alley, shady in the sense she could judge from how high the sun was in the sky that their vehicle would remain shrouded in shadows long after they were done - had the ex-agent had it her way there would be a tarp thrown over it too but it seemed time was of the essence so this would have to do for now.

"The animals around here~ they won't be used to people so try to avoid surprising them if you can... it'd ruin our element of surprise," the youngest operator suggested as she readied her submachine gun, chambering a round and maintaining perfect trigger discipline despite flicking the safety back on for now - Kyet knew she'd likely not be authorised to use her blades often once she signed up with the Division due to their innately lethal nature but kept them around anyway for the utility two blades could provide.

Kyeterinyah kept to Leo's left though hot on his heels, allowing the superior officer to take the lead while still being there to provide any help she could - those intensely green-gold eyes scanning every which corner and shadow for anything, scuff marks indicating a heavy stack of guns or what have you had been moved through or even a guard who'd decided to take a piss or smoke break away from the main group if there even was a main group.

The chesty Daur just hoped that her earlier comment didn't make her seem like a know it all, she simply wanted to help where she could but people will do as people will do - unfortunately.

The Trafficking High-Rise

Arynn blinked a few times, sniffling her nose silently. "Well, I believe we should set up in the building first, and organize our operations from there. The height makes keeping watch and organizing our next actions from inside easier. It'll also help us not be so exposed here, if they take this route they'll certainly see us out on the streets." She looked up to the high-rise, then back to her squadmates. "I would say, after that, we can scout out the stakeout."

"I agree, we can stake things out easier if we're higher up," Deniska replied to Arynn, scanning around at the busted windows that made up the building. He wasn't sure if there was even an unbroken window anywhere up there. "However, it would take a long time to sweep the whole building with just the three of us and they could be inside. Perhaps we could carefully make our way to the roof, then one of us could focus on watching our backs? I'd be happy to take on that role myself."

High Rise - Commander Team

"I'd say we're all in agreement then, if you're willing to be rear guard then the role is yours operator, I'll take point, Aryn you cover my opposites. Since it's safe to assume the elevators will be busted we'll have to take the stairs, see if you can find a garage or something to park us in and hide the car." Adrea said as he surveyed the front of the building, picking up his SMG before opening his door while they were still stationary.

"Cirrilo with me! We'll secure the entryway, check down the close side of the building then stack at the door." The commander said as he dropped into a sort of crouch and dashed off towards the far corner of the building to check the other side, as he got closer the daur slowed down somewhat and silently crept to the corner, getting as low as possible before poking around to check the alley behind. "All clear this side." Came the almost whispered voice over their helmet comms as he completed the sweep of the area, moving back along the wall towards the door while keeping an eye on the other two.

Graveyard - Captain Team

Leo kept low to the ground as he climbed silently out of their Chaser, keeping his head on a swivel as he took a few steps to check the path they'd been traveling on before parking and ensuring they weren't being pursued. "Entryway is clear, group on me." Leo spoke, like Adrea his voice was soft despite being through their helmet comms, the slightest sounds could give them away if there was any enemies in the area, slipping quickly back to the front of their vehicle he moved into a one knee stance and pulled out a small physical map to lay on the floor before him.

"This is roughly where we are, this circle marks the predicted area which may have a stockpile or warehouse somewhere inside, splitting up would cover more ground but drastically increases the risks. Most of the ships here were stripped before decommissioning but there was so many that the navy couldn't afford to cleanly deal with every one so looters for smaller terror cells leapt at the chance. Plenty of smaller buildings that could easily house enough gear for a small insurgent force." Leo illustrated each of his lines with points and taps on the small map, the thick black marked circle clearly showing their area of operations with several of the larger buildings marked with red dots.

Graveyard - Captain Team

Kyet moved to check over this team's collective back before the young Daur silently padded back over to Leo and dropped to rest on her haunches with her own SMG resting across the front of her armour - two golden/green eyes peeking out from behind their darkened surroundings to rather attentively study the map and the way their Captain gestured around the map while explaining, offering a few small nods of understanding as he spoke.

She was hesitant to speak but forced herself to regardless, an idea was never a bad one until others had heard it after all... or at least that's what she'd been told. "I... vote to stick together, sir~ that way we have each other's backs and... well, less of a chance to miss anything if three people sweep through?" Kyeterinyah asked in an equally quiet voice almost synonymous with the young Officer, her gaze drifting between Leo and Hana as if looking for some kind of reinforcement her idea was a good one - but the fox assumed it would most likely be the opposite, it made sense to her but they weren't her.

"Roger, securing the entryway," Cirillo confirmed in a simple tone that didn't betray his increasing heart rate. He recognized that tense feeling welling inside of him that shows up at start of an operation. The silence, the anticipation, the dread, the excitement. This time, it came with a touch of anxiety over the new team and how they hardly knew each other, but he trusted Leo did his homework. He'd have to prove himself worthy as well.

Cirillo's movements mimicked his commanders and he quickly pushed himself to the opposite wall while unslinging his SMG and flipping off the safety. With slow and subtle movements, he pushed his eyes past the wall and peered down the opposite alley for any signs of the enemy.

Captain's Team

Arynn nodded and sniffled in response to Adrea, stepping out of the chaser quietly shortly afterwards. Holding her pistol and trusty flashlight (the latter being off, for many reasons including stealth and not accidentally blinding her squadmates), the little Daur was nearly parallel with her superior, just baaarely keeping up with him. Whenever he looked right, she looked left. Whenever he looked left, she directed her vision and weapons to the right.

Graveyard team - Captain

Hana also slipped out of the chaser. It was weird, the so-often drunk and rebellious Daur was silent. Deadly silent. Hauntingly so as every step he took was silent. The only indication of his presence was the ever so subtle breathing through the masks. Falling in behind Leo's low form. Sticking out above him. His SMG cocked, glancing from side to side as they proceeded. Though as Leo took out the map, Hana moved to take up point. Pushing himself behind a concrete pillar. Ocassionally peeking around the corner before pushing himself into cover again. Waiting for Leo to finish.

"Single file - spread horizontally to cover more ground; though remain in range of eachother to provide assistance - cryin' out loud am I the only one who attended military school? I'd say, give or take 7 to 10 meters between each of us."

High Rise - Commanders Team

Looking between Aryn and Cirillo, Adrea grinned under his helmet, the thrill of an operation getting started never failed to excite him. "Breaching door!" the Commander hissed quietly before nudging the door open to peek through the crack before flinging it wide and quickly walking in with a hunched posture. They had to get to the stairs quickly and quietly, Adrea motioned with two fingers for the others to advance in their agreed formation, scanning from left to right as they went.

Despite all the warnings and their caution it seemed no one was waiting for them on the ground floor of the building, there were no signs of recent activity in the thick covering of dust that had claimed the long since forgotten building. Every door stood slightly ajar as though tempting the operators to let the fear creep in. The Commander's eyes darted left and right as he worked to control his foot-steps and breathing, all those open doors had him on edge despite the lack of evidence to support that unrest.

Graveyard - Captains Team

Leo nodded at Kyet before turning to face Hana, his eyes drawing tighter for a moment. "No, operator you aren't the only one with a military background, almost everyone in the organisation was recruited from the navy. However as your captain I don't appreciate your dismissal of either Operator Kyet or myself, we'll discuss this later." The daur said with a flat tone, he knew this character wouldn't be easy to deal with the moment he read the file, but experience isn't something you can find every day.

Leo folded his map and stood up once more. "But we are not the military, we are Division 5 operators and for all intents and purposes we are better than the military, and their tactics don't always apply." The white tailed daur said, looking between the two. "We'll stay in proximity, keep your comms volume down, spread out between the debris and smaller buildings and regroup every 5 minutes." The Captain stood and took hold of the SMG hung at his chest and made ready to move out. "I'll take the ships, you guys figure out your paths."

Leo headed off in between the decaying ships with his weapon drawn, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake by leaving the two of them to discuss.

High Rise - Commanders Team

Cirillo waited for Aryn to enter, then stepped backwards towards the door. He scanned one last time outside the building before crossing inside and closing the door so nothing would look different from the outside. Dust, that's a good sign, Cirillo thought as he looked at the slightly open doors to his sides. Dust is hard to fake, we can mostly rule out any of those rooms. Of course that didn't mean there couldn't be a second entrance to those rooms, so they'd still deserve attention.

Cirillo backed up until he reached the stairs, several feet behind his partners. He trained his ears on the environment, but all he could here was the quiet rustling of clothes from those walking in front of him. He slowly brought his feet up the stairs, SMG trained down towards the entrance.