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Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 28, 2014 16:51:39 GMT -6
It was a very strange feeling. It had been two years since Eric had led a squad. Two years since walking out on a promotion to Captain and practically leaving an admiral standing with pips in hand. And today he was drawing up battle plans for a group of mercenaries he was not in charge of.
Eric slipped into his old "field general" mode and spoke into the intercom. "Thank you, Mr. B..."
He forwarded on to his employer and the rest of the team markups of the site map and plotted flight paths over Barce and an adjacent moon from his omnitool as he spoke.
"Alright, here's what I've got worked out so far. Operation: Eight Ball. The name of the game is misdirection: take advantage of the enemy's vigilance by rewarding it... but fate will appear to deal them a bad hand, break some of that tension. Phase One: I think we all agree that the observation post needs to be taken out first. We get our hands on a small asteroid - only about six to eight feet in diameter, seen plenty strewn about on our way in - one with a good, solid makeup. We cannibalize some parts to create and attach a booster rocket and send it along this trajectory you see indicated here. Just a small nudge, but once it's caught in this moon's gravitational pull it'll speed up considerably and then the moon will fling the asteroid towards Barce where it'll sheer or smack down on the target, sending any damage and debris westward, away from the dig site… eight ball, corner pocket… dirty pool…"
"Phase Two. The enemy is now blind but can still use its cue stick: the turrets. This is where Mr. Torrez steps up to the plate. While the enemy is shaking its head and cleaning up from what appears to be a one-in-a-million meteor strike, the Valiant will descend on Barce from the far side making an approach from the southeast. Our team will dispatch from the Valiant in Mal’s [Maelstrom’s] personal ride and proceed due north, low to the ground and beyond visual range. As Valiant comes up into visual range on the turrets, before they can get a lock, Valiant will fire a MAC round disabling or taking them out. Thirteen stripe, right corner pocket. The Valiant will also drop ten drones – seven programmed to head for the command post and three for the wrecked turret setup - before banking west buzzing the site, getting everyone’s attention and then circling back for a covering pass for the drones to the south. The key is to get as many eyes as possible away from the ravine to the north… where the real attack will come from…”
“The Valiant will then sweep in from the west. Give the enemy a fireworks display with its lasers for good measure before turning south, dispensing five more reserve drones and bugging out into orbit. With everyone occupied, me and other snipers will be dropped off here on the north ridge overlooking the mouth of the ravine where we’ll have a vantage point on the ruins. Vengeance will set down in here at the opposite end and unload the remaining team members. They move in and hit the enemy from behind, snipers providing cover and eyes from up above, the reserve drones coming in as backup from the turret pass. If enemy numbers increase or they uncork their hornet’s nest, we fall back to the ravine where they’ll be forced into a bottleneck. Hopefully Dr. Narei’s Bug-Be-Gone will keep the the bugs off of us, otherwise drones, barriers and flame units can provide limited cover until we can evac in the Vengeance. If we succeed in clearing off the pests from the surface any remaining drones can secure a perimeter around the ruins with a couple of team members while the rest contend with any Collectors dug inside the command post. Solid seven... corner side pocket…”
Eric paused for a second or so to let all the details sink in then added a proviso.
“Before I open up the floor to comments and suggestions, there is one major issue,” he went on. “However we finally decide to carry out this attack, there is a worst case scenario I want to bring to your attention, Mr. B. Not the loss of our entire team… I’m talkin’ about your prized ruins. The Collectors clearly know something more about them than we do, enough to massacre your last expedition and chase you away. There may be a chance, however remote… that they’ve gotten to whatever’s underneath the ground and figured out how to use it against us. Against anyone who goes after them next. If that’s the case… are you willing, sir… to let them burn?”
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Post by grandest on Jan 28, 2014 18:17:12 GMT -6
Cruendi'has listened intently to Lysander while continuing to look over the map. The human's plan reminded Cruendi'has a bit of the Asgard system attack a few years ago. A couple of Hegemony fanatics hijacked an asteroid and tried to hurl it at a human colony. "What about the blast radius for something like that?" The Batarian muttered to himself. "Thirteen stripe, right corner pocket." Lysander rambled on. Cruendi'has didn't understand what this was a reference to, but it should hopefully be something good. Humans had the habit a rarely saying what they meant. It was nearly always an incoherent series of analogies and idioms. Cruendi'has chalked it up to too much time on the 'net. Overall, he thought the human's plan was sound. He was a former Alliance officer, after all. As long as one or two were left for Cruendi'has, it didn't matter what became of the rest. "If that’s the case… are you willing, sir… to let them burn?” Lysander referenced the ruins. Cruendi'has squirmed in his seat at the suggestion. What they had here was valuable to say the least. Wiping all that out could put Mr. Bridges in a very bad mood and cut into Cruendi'has' pay-- not to mention the fact that he himself would be among the burning remnants. He waited for the reply.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Jan 28, 2014 23:39:03 GMT -6
Esteban cocked his eyebrow at Lysander. He respected the candor of the man. There was no room for doubt on that. He was a touch confused by a consequence of his plan.
"You were hired to secure the dig site and artifacts," Esteban spoke calmly, clearly while he pulled up the map of the moon. The digsite was highlighted on it, emphasizing the importance of it. "Your plan is admirable, but needs to be modified to guarantee the Collectors destroy nothing."
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 28, 2014 23:55:12 GMT -6
"Your plan is admirable, but needs to be modified to guarantee the Collectors destroy nothing," Esteban's voice booomed over the comms, a touch to loud for Maelstrom's taste.
"Emily, tap into that comms channel," Maelstrom said.
"Done," his VI replied.
"This is Maelstrom. I'd just like to point out that no matter what plan is approved, it's impossible to guarantee with certainty that the Collectors won't destroy anything. I'm no expert on their psychology, but if I were in their shoes, with their advanced technology and limited morality, I'd have my last man sitting dead center of those ruins with nuke and an medical monitoring implant for a trigger. His heart stops, it all goes boom. His heart speeds up, it's boom again. Too hot. Too cold. Too happy. Too sad... Boom, boom, boom. The problem is, we just don't know. I'm not saying this plan is the best there is, but I don't have a better one."
He tapped a holographic control, deactivating his input in the comms.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2014 23:55:35 GMT -6
Iskra nodded in acknowledgement to the Salarian’s thanks, a rare genuine smile on her lips. “What kind of doctor would I be if I did not check on my patients?”
The smile faded as Mr. Lysander’s voice rang through the medbay. Other than what must have been some kind of human sayings thrown in the middle, she understood the plan fairly well. The use of the asteroid dated back to the Krogan Rebellions and she found herself surprised a human suggested it.
The whole plan, if she was honest with herself, made her extremely uncomfortable. It’s the kind of plan you’d expect a demolition expert to come up with, loud and chaotic. The scientist part of her was screaming in protest, the risk of destroying everything down there was high. There was no telling if the asteroid would hit the intended target, even a little short could eliminate the very reason for them being there.
The trained part of her was almost just as loud. With the team they currently employed, a low key coordinated attack would be more successful. The risk of destroying any of the ruins was drastically lowered and didn’t require so much risk to the ship as well as the crew. If the Valiant was crippled during one of Mr. Lysander’s many flybys and the main Collector vessel showed up then Mr. Bridges would find himself sharing the same fate as the previous mission.
The young doctor sighed, looking up at the Salarian as if to confirm that her worries were justified.
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 29, 2014 0:25:02 GMT -6
"Meanwhile, my Eezo bomb, which can also be disguised on the asteroid, can eliminate the Collector Outpost or the turret. Your asteroid can take out the other," the asari's voice suggested.
Tapping the control to tap back into the intercom, Maelstrom said, "No way in Hell. The Vengeance is mine, and she's not going to be left sitting in the middle of a damned hotzone. She's built for quick drops or infiltration, not sustained combat. A few shots from a true anti-material rifle or a couple good hits from a heavy weapon, and it won't matter how many artifacts we have aboard, we're stuck on a moon and surrounded by Collectors."
He tapped the control again, hard enough to make his thumb ache, irritated that someone would even suggest using his shuttle in such a role.
"Thank you," Emily said, her voice sounding genuine.
Sometimes, Maelstrom thought, she really makes me wonder if that personality the salarian installed crossed the fine line...
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Post by Iregos on Jan 29, 2014 0:32:40 GMT -6
"This is why we need biotics to protect the shuttle, then. I apologize, I'm not familiar with the specs for your shuttle. You can take the shuttle out the moment you land us, while the collector's are distracted by the rest of our forces."
"We have several zones to check. Now is the time to come up with a plan. We can survive, we can achieve our goals, we might even do both, but not without a plan."
"I wasn't expecting your shuttle to be a weapon of war itself, but we can't avoid risk here. We are fighting an unknown enemy and we need every advantage for it."
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 29, 2014 1:41:02 GMT -6
Maelstrom laughed. Some asari he liked. Others... He tapped the control again.
"You want to be dropped off in the middle of the damned hotzone, that's your business. Her stealth systems will confuse them for a moment, but she's not stopping. You run a coordinated jump, and she's gone."
"You want extraction... you make sure every hostile down there has been put down or you're out of the thick of it, not sitting in the damned middle of their defensive perimeter. We can't avoid risk, but I've read this contract in and out, and nowhere does it state I'm covered for like kind and quality of ship if this one goes down."
He muted his input again.
"One of these days," he mused out loud, "I'm going to hit a Cerberus base where they have a nice frigate or cruiser docked. Then I'll be the one hiring people for missions."
"I think it might be nice to be installed on a frigate," Emily said with a cheery tone. "Something nice and sleek."
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Post by dargene on Jan 29, 2014 3:34:34 GMT -6
Meldom looked at Iskra and could see the concern, he did not like the idea of sending an asteroid, what if the boosters failed, what if the collectors saw it and figured out their plan he could see the upside in the plan but the risk he thought was to great, unless they make it so the debris is further away to make the collectors confused Meldom prepared to talk to the mic
"Drones would be useful, can be used to distract, meteor strike however.. risk of hitting something your not suppose to is low but.. still there, furthermore, observation point is on the highest elevation snipers can utilize it, destroying it serves no purpose.." he clears his throat "Not saying i don't like the plan.. just its risky."
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 29, 2014 12:26:23 GMT -6
Eric addressed his employer first.
“Completely understood, sir – that’s what we all signed on for. But the Collectors didn't sign your contract, did they? Who knows? Maybe they haven’t made any headway with the ruins. Like Mal said, maybe they’re spiteful little fucks, too. They might come to the same conclusion that if we can’t have them, no one will and you’ll still lose… all I’m saying… is that you consider every possibility. We’ll carry out our contract, drive out the enemy, secure the site along with any and all artifacts we can. But if that’s not possible… if what’s buried down there poses an even greater threat… we’ve already had to deal with one largely unknown enemy and their Doomsday Weapon at the Citadel. I’m sure that Bridges Unlimited doesn’t need any more damage to its rep if word got out about losing another weapon to another Big Bad!”
Having reasserted his underlying concern about the mission, he regarded the rest of the team before Esteban could respond.
“Guys, I never had the misfortune of dealing with the Collectors until now. All I know are the stories, the colony abductions and their advanced weaponry… I thought the geth were bad. It’s the best plan I could come up with considering the limited intel we have. We may be able to hold our own against ground forces but once their mothership arrives on the scene… Game Over. It only takes one Collector to radio for help and five of them are on that observation post. Even if you manage to snipe them at distance from the ground, one lucky bugger can duck down and sound the alarm. A rocket launch from the ground needs an interval to get up to speed – they may see the approach. A MAC round from orbit would work but they might be able to detect the electromagnetic build up from the coils as we prepped to fire… I figured using the asteroid would be the best way to blind them, fool them into thinking it was natural phenomenon. The booster would be obliterated in the impact, blend in with the damage.”
Eric paused. “I guess the asteroid could be a bit smaller…”
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Post by Iregos on Jan 29, 2014 13:37:30 GMT -6
"Even though it looks like an accident, the Collector's will have it figured out long before it hits them that an asteroid is coming. Maybe not more than a few minutes, or a few seconds if we can get it going really fast, but there it is. We might not have to change that part, though."
"If we could make their sensors start reading false positives... we should be able to do that with some of the eezo we've prepared by now. Orient the drones in a static pattern, dropped from low orbit using the stealth shuttle. The shuttle won't have to expose itself any more than that. At about this time the asteroid will have to strike, while they're trying to figure out if there's something wrong with the sensors. Once it has, the first group of drones descends on the survivors at the outpost, before they can recover, neutralizing them or distracting them, maybe reporting on how much survived and updating us on where reinforcements are coming from, where we can expect to find ourselves in the line of fire."
"But then, how should we move in? We still need a way to take out that turret. Maybe while they're recovering from the rock, we blast them with the MAC before we get in range of the turrets, then land our squads."
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 29, 2014 14:21:32 GMT -6
"Don't worry, our little 8-ball'll be fast," said Eric in acknowledgement of the asari "Fast enough to mimic a natural impact. The booster only provides the push; Newtonian mechanics handles the rest."
He then added "False positives, yeah. Confuse 'em even more. There was a mission I was on that used an 'electronic storm' to bypass auto defenses. We don't know exactly how the Collector scanners operate so readings'll have to be across the board: heat, light, seismic, magnetic, what have you. Make it look like reality's falling apart on their doorstep. Heh, if these things ran on batteries a midair EMP burst would solve all our problems!"
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Jan 29, 2014 19:45:47 GMT -6
Esteban rubbed his forehead, carefully paying attention to what Eric was saying. It sounded impressive on the surface. But he couldn't help but look at the statistic again. He pursed his lips, crossing his arms across his chest. Something about it didn't sit right with him.
"I am confused," the businessman began, tapping his finger on his bicep. "The concentration of force is at the outpost here.." He pointed at the outpost, making it light up with his simple gesture. "Why not capture the turrets and retake the dig site while using your attack to remove the central force? Surely the turrets could be used to destroy the observation outpost."
Esteban swept his hand across the projection, making the turrets light up and drawing an X over the Collector outpost. "And with boots on the ground rather than in the air, you can protect the site."
He took a step back, pausing to receive feedback.
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 29, 2014 23:06:58 GMT -6
As he sat back listening to the others, Maelstrom pulled the infuser out of his teapot and poured a cup of soothing jasmine. The warm, delicious liquid was just what he needed.
He listened intently to their plans, evaluating the merits of each. Some he liked more than others. None really bothered him too much, now that everyone understood exactly what his conditions of their using his shuttle were.
Relaxing into the pilot's chair, he deactivated the helm and kicked his legs up onto the shuttle's control console for comfort. Activating his omni-tool, he started sorting through his music files, putting together a suitable list to play ever so quietly during the mission. It would be soft enough for him to hear an enemy sneaking up behind him, but just loud enough that he could hear the rhythm and pacing of the pieces, each of which he had virtually memorized. The technique he still held to at times, a means the squad leader for the Cerberus team lead of the squad he had belonged to first introduced him to. When everything seemed to press in around him, he but had to focus on the music for a moment, and it would bring him back to what he knew- to reality. Many times, he was not needed, and there were even missions he went on where he did not bother with it at all, relying on Emily to snap him out if he froze, but he did not know if he would be able to keep in contact with her today.
Today, it would be Beethoven. For the descent, he selected Symphony No. 5 in C minor Op. 67.
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 30, 2014 11:42:26 GMT -6
The N7 veteran listened to everyone’s reactions and suggestions, extremely wary about what the Collectors would really be capable of on the ground even without their ship or their seeker swarms. His initial plan had all the trappings of the old “shock and awe” campaigns favored by some of the more pompous military commanders, only Eric knew this particular enemy could not be intimidated. Using a strong display of force would more likely amuse or annoy them, but still distract them all the same from a strike at their rear. The other mercenaries preferred stealth and subterfuge. A couple even wanted to attempt to commandeer the observation post and turrets and turn them against the Collectors. Overall, his employer Esteban was animate about preserving the ruins and it’s artifacts at all costs which could prove problematic should Eric's fears come to fruition.
“Okay,” Eric began, bringing up a clean version of the site map “So there’s a fair amount of ‘if’ and noise coming off this plan. It is only a first draft after all… we can do subtle. Let’s see… we can modify a drone to carry a payload. I can rig a couple of extra-strength cryo grenades… all right, let’s go with Mr. B’s suggestion. The turrets were part of his last excursion so some of the hardware may still be operable by us, assuming the Collectors haven’t drooled excessively on them. Use them to take out the observation post. It’ll get the Collectors’ attention; they’ll start to converge on them. At that exact moment we send in some drones through that pass in the northwest. One will be carrying high-ex, four to cover it while it scoots up to the command post and detonates, hopefully allowing the turrets enough time to get off a shot at it as well. Get ‘em between a rock and a hard place, thin their numbers. Now for this part of the plan to work I need someone in this group who’s good in the stealth department, good at close quarters fighting and who wouldn’t mind a little hike and climb up a hillside carrying slushballs. This person will basically sneak up on the three marks in the turret system and ice them with my cryo grenades or every which way they can without being noticed or overpowered. Who can manage that?”
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Post by dargene on Jan 30, 2014 11:49:07 GMT -6
Meldom listened to the new plan, he liked the sound of it as it seemed to have more thought.
"Now for this part of the plan to work I need someone in this group who’s good in the stealth department, good at close quarters fighting and who wouldn’t mind a little hike and climb up a hillside carrying slushballs. This person will basically sneak up on the three marks in the turret system and ice them with my cryo grenades or every which way they can without being noticed or overpowered. Who can manage that?”
Meldom spoke into the speaker "Have experience with stealth, cloak too, hand to hand would not be a problem as my omniblade could come in handy," he pondered for a second "Cryo grenades work on collectors ?"
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 30, 2014 12:08:11 GMT -6
A subtle smile crossed Eric's lips when he heard Meldom speak up.
"All the stories I've heard about these things suggest that at least part of their makeup is organic. At worst, my cryo grenades should slow them down enough to give you a good couple of seconds to dispatch them. Once those buggers are down you take up position at the turret. I'll rig up one extra package for you - if it looks like you're gonna be overrun after the shooting starts, you can bug out and leave 'em an 'F-You' card while you make your escape. The turret will have served its purpose."
"While the Collectors are busy trying to figure out which way to shoot, ten more drones will come in from the south by the turret emplacement, eight programmed to form a perimeter around the ruins, two to cover the mouth of the ravine where our team will emerge. Venegeance ready at the far end to evac us if things get too hot and snipers up on the ridge like in the first draft."
Eric paused again for effect. "Little better?"
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Post by Iregos on Jan 30, 2014 13:07:47 GMT -6
"I like it. When the turret comes online for us, they will probably move to take it. I think it's safe to say this will be our best distraction. That's when we need to move in on the dig site."
"I will need to get into the dig site as soon as possible, kick the collector's out of the vicinity of the relics. We have a better chance of getting something useful, or intact, the sooner I can move in there."
"While the turret is drawing their attention, we can land a force behind the observation post. Drones will draw fire. Snipers can stay at the top and cover the dig site, warn us of danger. The rest will get in the dig site, scan the artifacts with their omni-tools, and set a perimeter so that we can look over the artifacts. If there's anything we can stick in our pockets, we grab it if its good enough. The rest we will keep out of the line of fire."
"From there we either grab what we can and run to a safe extraction, or we clean up what's left of our enemy, and bring our frigate in to haul everything off. Everything in that dig site could prove important, no matter how small."
She paused, offered one more consideration. "Even if we wipe them out, we'll still need to work fast. Our frigate will need to keep its engine's running. There will likely be stragglers at the dig site, in this event. With no forces on the ground, they may decide to sanitize the dig site, so anyone left behind will have to run as far and fast as they can to the east, these coordinates." (she sends a secure packet to the squad with coordinates in the east) "From there they can be picked up by the shuttle before the Collector's can land their forces again."
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 30, 2014 13:53:18 GMT -6
"Mmmm - if it's all the same to you, I'd rather keep us focused on the enemy rather than checking which trinkets will sell on the market," Eric balked at the asari mercenary's suggestion of giving up a few precious seconds during a firefight to loot. "Most snatch-n-grab rescue ops have a couple of dedicated runners to go for wounded or civvies, so if you wanna line your pockets take one other volunteer with you and concentrate on that while the rest of us handle the shooting. Besides, those baubles won't be worth as much as whatever that buried drive core's attached to underground. I'm sure that's what Mr. B wants more than anything else."
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Post by Iregos on Jan 30, 2014 14:44:25 GMT -6
Her tone of voice remained cool, straight. "These 'trinkets' as you call them, their value has little to do with how much they will sell for." Of course, this was a human she was talking to. She hadn't forgotten. She smiled gently, even a little warmly, and continued.
"Those precious seconds should be covered by the turret and the snipers on the hill. If they aren't, and we have to focus on fighting, so be it. I didn't mean to suggest that everyone run in there to loot, and that's not what I said."
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