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

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Sergeant Volkov, when can I start sending transports down to you? Other sites have already started boarding civilians,"

"Send them now, Admiral; send them now!"

And that was when the Rippers started randomly firing at the building near Phaedra's location. She hunkered down and backed away from the edge of the roof.

"This is Greer, fourth floor is nothing but zombies. Clearing them out and checking for survivors,"

"Sergeant, can you call in one of the Greenbeans and get them to do a strafing run? We can't slow down these squids while they're moving and shooting so damn well."

"Be advised Marines at the Terminal, incoming airborne infantry from the northwest. I'll be coming in hard and fast at their rear, so be ready to take advantage of it. And please don't shoot me."

Unfortunately, Phaedra was unable to hear the chatter over the comm from the shells strafing the building and whizzing past her head. And suddenly the firing stopped, because a large blast had either taken out most of the NMX, or at least disabled them temporarily. And then a loud THUD made Phaedra jump and bring her MPR to bear, only to see a friendly airborne PA standing nearby.

"Private Third Class, Jan Kancre, reporting to your command, Ma'am!"

"Nice job private," said Phaedra, noticing his handy work. She turned back towards the field and lined up another shot on the stubborn crab that seemed determined not to die.

"Shuttles on route, Marines. I want this field emptied of hostiles."

She aimed carefully and fired again at the stubborn crab's eyeport. After her shot, she extended her NIGHT's wings and boosted to a small building adjacent to the terminal.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

All resistance from the northwestern group crumbled as the Marines' fire cut down the remaining Nekos.

Similarly, the northern assault group was annihilated as six Tenshi power armours in UOC Peacekeeper colours attacked them from the flank.

"All clear here, Sergeant Volkov. Where shall I meet you?" Petty Officer Motoyama radioed, sounding rather pleased.

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Overhead, the NSS Destiny and ten Subjugator Landing Ships entered the planet's atmosphere. As they closed on the Kazumori spaceport, their dorsal turrets began firing at NMX ground forces detected by the ships' more powerful sensors.

Minutes later, the large transport ships had landed at the Kazumori spaceport, turrets now silent but scanning for enemy ground forces.

"This is Captain Ironside, of the NSS Destiny. Direct the sailors to the civilian collection areas. We'll take 'em off your hands so you mud puppies can continue playing in the dirt," a male voice said over the squad frequency. The last comment had been made playfully, referring to the inter-service rivalry between Marines and sailors.

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Bernhard's armour was a mess of blood and guts. None of it his own. Fending off about a hundred infected civilians was not something one emerged from cleanly. Still, the effort had been worth it as he herded a terrified group of UOC survivors down to the others.

In total, he'd collected and cleared a hundred forty UOC civilians. He heard Captain Ironside's instructions and met a group of armed naval ratings outside.

"This is all we got for you right now. UOC still hasn't cleared a path from their civilian shelters to here. Want to join us on the firing line? It's pretty fun playing in the mud," Bernhard said to the Petty Officer leading the sailors.

"We'll take what we can get. Can't help you. Captain wants us watching the other parts. Lots of hostiles saw us coming down, expect a lot more company soon," the PO replied. He signaled for the UOC civilians to follow him. Slowly, the terrified men, women and children followed the PO back to the Destiny. Bernhard video-recorded the civilians leaving for a few moments.

Maybe one day they'd be back. Maybe.

"Sergeant Volkov. Greer here. Navy's got the civilians. What's the word on the rest of the UOC personnel?" he asked the squad leader.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"All clear here, Sergeant Volkov. Where shall I meet you?"

"Roger that, Petty Officer. Join up with my unit near the north entrance of the terminal."

Phaedra then launched up into the air and landed at the entrance, noticing most of the squad was there already.

"Sergeant Volkov. Greer here. Navy's got the civilians. What's the word on the rest of the UOC personnel?"

"Excellent job Marines, the civilians are away. Fall in to my position at the north entrance. Let us greet our comrades in arms."

Even as she said those last words, Phaedra couldn't help but be suspicious. Some would most likely consider her paranoid, but until she knew for sure that the UOC PAs were not infected, she was not letting her guard down. She was responsible for the lives of her squad members; she did not take that responsibility lightly.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

The last Crab Mishhu finally fell as Matteo held the trigger down long and hard, the rifle finally falling quiet as its ammo ran out. Hot, coppery metallic vapors vented from the barrel as the drum magazine dropped from the well, even more heat wafting out of the new orifice. As the Hostile rose from cover at the all-clear, the marine slapped a new drum into place and worked the action, chambering another round. For him, it was almost funny; he was thinking too hard when all they needed to do was just plaster them under lots and lots of fire. 'I'll have to keep this in mind for next time, assuming there is a next time.' he thought.

He briefly eyeballed the friendlies coming in, which reminded him of something. "Sarge, are any more civies coming in, or is this it?" Matteo asked, moving towards her position.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Phaedra didn't say where he had to be on the Z-Axis, only where he had to be on the X-Y axis. Which is exactly why Jan's air was keeping up a pseudo-CAP, Not high-enough to be a sitting duck, but not low enough to be useless, the figure-8 path he took over the north entrance to the terminal gave him eyes in the sky, ready to warn the Sergeant should anything have happened.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Sawyer dropped off the roof of the terminal, boosting slightly before he hit the ground to dampen the impact. Then he moved to flank Sgt Phaedra and said over the comms "I'm here Sergeant, where do you want me to be?"

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Laura stayed on her rooftop. There was no need to move from her vantage point. Not like radios were limited to really really short range.

If the squad was in trouble, she had a clear line. If not, she could warn them of incoming trouble.

Suddenly, she caught movement. "Sergeant, we got civvies on foot. Six of them, from the same NW road. Two kids, four adults, looks like they're trying to figure out how to get here. Maybe get the fly-boy to interdict?"

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

Bernhard joined the squad on the first floor of the space port, feeling a mixture of pride and melancholy. Sure, the civilians had thanked him but not like he was doing very much compared to the others. "No cuts and bruises on anyone?" he asked, looking around. Bernhard also paid close attention to the suits of the UOC Peacekeepers, looking for outward signs of infection.

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PO Motoyama walked up to Phaedra. "I understand if you think we're infected. I assure you, we're not. Your medical personnel can check out my squad while we talk but we need to get the evacuation going. In the immediate 15KM radius, we have 64,000 civilians counted in shelters. Who knows how many more still in hiding. We've got about 2,000 frontline troops scattered around here and another 6,000 rear echelon troops protecting the civilians. Our people will look for civilians in hiding, just keep this spaceport open as long as possible. Please. Say the word, we can get the whole lot moving as fast we can."

Motoyama's voice, now that he was closer, sounded desperate and pleading.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Sergeant, we got civvies on foot. Six of them, from the same NW road. Two kids, four adults, looks like they're trying to figure out how to get here. Maybe get the fly-boy to interdict?"

"Jan, there is a small group of civilians on the road to the North West. Kindly usher them in our direction please."

"I understand if you think we're infected. I assure you, we're not. Your medical personnel can check out my squad while we talk but we need to get the evacuation going. In the immediate 15KM radius, we have 64,000 civilians counted in shelters. Who knows how many more still in hiding. We've got about 2,000 frontline troops scattered around here and another 6,000 rear echelon troops protecting the civilians. Our people will look for civilians in hiding, just keep this spaceport open as long as possible. Please. Say the word, we can get the whole lot moving as fast we can."

"Get your people moving here now. We will keep this terminal open as long as we can."

"Bernhard, check the Petty Officer and his men for signs of infection." Phaedra then opened a channel to the Admiral.

"Admiral, the UOC Petty Officer informed me that there is around sixty-four thousand civilians and around eight thousand UOC troops in the surrounding fifteen kilometers. Keep the shuttles coming, Admiral." She switched back to the Squad channel.

"Marines, listen up. We've got a large number of civilians heading to the terminal, upwards of sixty-thousand. We will hold this terminal, is that understood? Laura, your position is fine up there. I want everyone else to fan out across the rooftops surrounding the terminal. I want any NMX killed on sight. Move it!" She turned back toward the UOC squad.

"Petty Officer, firstly you must forgive my caution, but I cannot risk any infected making their way to the shuttles. Secondly, I want your men up on the rooftops with my squad. We will intercept and destroy any NMX presence that attempts to approach this terminal. Also, this may be difficult for you and your men; but if there are any infected in this wave of civilians, I will give you and your men the option of eliminating them. If you do not, then it will fall to my squad.
I would prefer not cause an diplomatic incident, if you understand my meaning."

With that, Phaedra stepped outside and boosted up to the terminal roof.

"Weapons check. Everyone give me a status on your ammunition."

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Okie dokie, Sergeant! Deploying observation drone," Laura replied to Phaedra. The little robot began floating away, locked into a patrol pattern set by Laura.

"Plenty of ammo still," she added after checking her AMP magazine.

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

Bernhard brought up his suit's scanners and directed them at the UOC squad. It was a little trickier since they were all in armour but nothing the system couldn't handle. He slowly checked each Peacekeeper, one by one coming up clean.

"No infection on them, Sergeant," Bernhard reported to Phaedra. "And still got full weapons."

PO Motoyama turned to Phaedra. "No, my men and I know the streets. We're better off defending the spaceport perimeter walls. A two meter high concrete wall isn't going to stop Rippers from attacking your ships. Plus, you're not in my chain of command." The last was said with a short laugh before the UOC squad started walking away, following the wall. "I'll pass your request up to command but I think your man, Greer, has already shot up infected UOC civilians if the blood on his suit isn't his. And not like we haven't been doing that already."

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

H-how many? They all had to evacuate how many civilians? Safely? "God damn, we're so screwed. Over 64k civvies? If I were the Mishhu, I'd be hitting them as soon as they break cover and start running towards us. We'll never be able to escort them all in safely!" Matteo sputtered, shocked at just how many lives were at stake. In the grand scheme, it was small, but for a person like Matteo, it was a heavy burden already. The marine quickly checked his HUD, then did a hard check of what he had left; plenty. But was it enough for this?

"I'm still up on ammo. I got give drums for my HPAR, and my missile racks are still untouched." He sighed. "Something tells me that then was the time to use them, because now, all the peeps are coming our way."

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

After about two minutes of vicious fighting, Rita was absolutely covered in the blood of her slain enemies. She chuckled and deactivated her vibroknife, then wiped the blood off on one of the dead nekos' clothes, sheathing it gingerly afterward. She began to slowly make her way to the roof, walking up the staircases rather than bounding straight up each floor, and held her moneyshot over her shoulder in a resting position. She certainly seemed quite pleased with herself, and although her squadmates couldn't see it, she was grinning widely. "Yes ma'am! Terminal's secure, by the way." She said in a giddy tone of voice, as if trying to boast about her combat effectiveness to her CO in a subtle way.

As Rita walked, she dropped the drum out of her HPAR and replaced it with a second one, and then let it hang from her shoulders on the sling. She retrieved her datapad, which was inside an armored compartment, and tallied her kills for the day thus far. 24 Nekos, plus one Crab. What a success! Too bad she hadn't even come close to beating her record! Luckily for her, the day was just beginning. Rita pocketed her Datapad and took hold of the pistol grip of her rifle, but didn't put her finger inside the trigger guard.

Eventually, Rita made it to the roof, trailing red footprints and drops of gore. Her armor had gone from green to red for the most part, having used a slashing weapon against a horde of fleshy opponents. She saluted to Phaedra and began to speak. "Reporting, ma'am: four drums of moneyshot left, all DARTs are unused, uninjured and in fine condition to fight." Rita said, approaching the northwest corner of the building. She knelt down and rested her gun on the railing, looking out across the terrain observantly, to report any advancing NMX to her CO.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

It had been about 35 minutes since the 4th Fleet Marines had landed on the planet's surface and seized control of spaceports across the planet.

For the UOC civilians and military personnel, it had been 50 hours since their world was invaded. Most of those soldiers had been fighting non-stop, without rest or food. And their numbers were dwindling against an enemy who seemed limitless.

When the orders came to start moving civilians out to the spaceport, many were skeptical. Most shelters contained 2000-3000 people and 50 fifty UOC Peacekeepers. They would be very underdefended in their move to the spaceport.

However, slowly, groups of civilians with military escorts began leaving.

PO Motoyama radioed Phaedra, "Shelter block 7C has been emptied. 2000-plus civilians heading your way from the south. My squad will make contact and send them to you. Shelter blocks 54K and 56K likewise from the east. Shelter block 92M likewise from the north. They seem to be having problems convincing everyone to leave. I expect we'll be seeing these groups come in waves."

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Shelter block 7C has been emptied. 2000-plus civilians heading your way from the south. My squad will make contact and send them to you. Shelter blocks 54K and 56K likewise from the east. Shelter block 92M likewise from the north. They seem to be having problems convincing everyone to leave. I expect we'll be seeing these groups come in waves."

"Roger that, Petty Officer."

"Mass civilians incoming, Marines. Stay on your toes."

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Roger thaqt sergeant" Sawyer said and boosted back to his position at the top of the terminal. 'Do we have guidance on what to do if the civvies are infected?" Sawyer asked as he moved to position and activated his camouflage system.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Shoot them," Laura and Bernhard replied in unison over the radio.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Good enough for me." Jan said over the radio, his Lancer flying lazily through the air, guiding incoming civilians to the terminal and giving them brief scans as he went over them. If any were infected, he would forward that information back to the rest of the squad for them to deal with.

After all, wouldn't a guy in powered armor swooping down and killing the guy right next to you wouldn't exactly be a calming sight.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

As soon as the bedraggled UOC civilians saw Jan's Lancer, they scrambled for cover, thinking he was a NMX flyer.

"Those people probably haven't seen any of our power armours before," Laura commented, watching Jan flying over the civilians.

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"Rippers in the southeast, cross section of Aoshima and Mitagi! Stop them before they reach the civilians!"

"Crabs and nekos, swarming from the buildings! Find us another route!"

"Listen up, Marines! Six Rippers and a Ravager mecha crunching your way! Coming from the northeast, ETA 10 minutes! Best get ready to hold the fort without us. Fuel and ammo low, lots of heat from their PA and now we're getting reports of gunships. Green Squadron is pulling out for re-armament, we'll be back to clear the skies," Green Six radioed over the squad channel.

The remaining 49 FA4s from Green Squadron were already making a break for orbit and the fleet.

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"Sergeant Volkov, I have just reminded the Admiral that we are in possession of several J2 Ichabod Combat Robots. He wishes to know if you would like them deployed to your location," Drei said to Phaedra.

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Bernhard moved to a position on the second floor from which he could see down the road that the NMX were coming from. As he peered out, he saw more UOC civilians across the road looking around cautiously.

"Hold your fire, civilians across the road, 30 metres east of Laura's position! I'm going to pick them up!" he exclaimed quickly over the radio. Bernhard took two steps back and jumped out of a hole in the spaceport's wall, firing his thrusters as he leaped.

Bernhard landed forcefully on the other side, near the civilians, and creating a small dent in the asphalt. "Nepleslian Marines! Don't move or I will fire!" he commanded over his Hostile's speakers. To emphasize his point, the pulse laser darted around as if tracking targets. Bernhard advanced quickly to them, his HPAR held ready to fire.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Sawyer set his plasma cannons to sweep the sky for hostile aircraft and readied his AMP to face the incoming NMX mechs.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

Jan let out a stream of panicked curses as he was notified of the oncoming Ravager. Not wasting any time, the Airborned Marine landed on the roof of the terminal, and then hunkered down, waiting for someone else to get its attention first.

Re: [Mission 3.2] When a Plan Makes First Contact With the E

"Sarge, we got civvies on the NW road, hunkered down because the flyboy scared them. Send Matteo to get them, I'll cover him from my location," Laura said, cursing at the idiot Jan.

First sign of trouble, he hides behind others. Obviously he valued his life more than doing his duty.

"Oi, flyboy! You're gonna leave the civilians stuck there? Baddies are Northeast not Northwest! You got two legs, you can walk 'em here in five minutes and still have time for a smoke before the squiddies get here!" she yelled at the AIR2 pilot. As far as she was concerned, he was the expendable one since he wasn't part of the squad.

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

What's the silly girl yelling about now? Bernhard wondered idly as he checked the UOC civilians for weapons and signs of infection. Once he was sure, Bernhard pointed at the spaceport.

"Make a run for it. We have more NMX on the way, get inside and the Marines and sailors will get you out of here!"

"All Marines, hold fire on the northeast for 30 seconds. Group of 10 civilians heading your way!" Bernhard warned the squad.

He motioned for them to run and they did.