Operations Goshawk (CLOSED - FU ONLY)

[Alfegos]

(Continued from http://forums.joltonline.com/showthread.php?t=588781)

OUTPOST 29

Sergeant Lea'da Ut'so stood atop the defence tower, peering out of one of the gunports. It was one of the few spare moments he had been able to grab - enough time to let the rest of his section get on by themselves, organising their own admin and allowing him to get his bearings of the area. The sun was at an angle where its warming rays snuck in through the open gun ports, heating up his lukewarm body. He savoured it - to him, the simple feelings like this were the ones that gave him the most pleasure. As his mind became more active, he looked out, taking in the scenary around him. Next to him, the twin 100mm cannons sat idle, facing to the north. A razor-wire topped fence, sporting warning signs, marked the border. From here, it was just possible to see one of the morning patrols, a pair of Geckos bouncing along a maintenance track on the Alfegan side. At the checkpoint, the barrier rose to allow the occasional vehicle into Hurgat, few coming back across towards Alfegos. Heavy fortifications guarded the road, dug into a natural outcrop on the side of the road, concrete trenches and covered passageways leading to the group of hardened buildings by the road side. To the west, a thick patch of forest sat held back by a clear zone - a killing zone for those trying to take the fortification. The area showed the signs of what had been an enourmous past battle - craters from the shells thrown by the cannons mingled with smaller mortar holes, alongside patches of grass that seemed like they never wanted to grow. Closing in, an outer ring of tank traps, concrete dragons teeth offering both little cover and impenetrable barrier to an advancing armored unit. And, to stop the infantry, coils of razor wire around the gabion walls. All the sides seemed guarded like this - then, of course, the Outpost was both permanent, and sitting on the busiest road into the Hurgat free state. Within the walls, ranks of buildings, either prefabricated bunk houses or structures cut from shipping crates, sat divided by internal damage-containment walls. And, on the outer walls, the machinegun nests sat ready to be manned in an attack.
He was interrupted by the sound of footfall on the ladder behind him, as a section of men made their way up. Along with them, on the rope ammunition lift, a box of shells.
"Might want to move out of here, Sergeant. It's going to get very loud."

---------

At 0900, the section stood lined up, all neatly turned out, ready for the day ahead.
"Good morning to all you lads. Today, we'll be having a crash course in the usage of the Gecko scout vehicle. Following that, a few practice attack drills out in the exclusion zone. Lunch has been arranged for us - a few foodpacks, which should sustain you. And, after that, a few classroom theory lessons. I've tried to shorten down the time we're here, but as you are aware, we have to be prepared at least somewhat before we go out. A week is all we should need, along with being able to acclimatise to the heat here. Trust me, it gets warmer."
He noticed the transport for the day rolling up down one of the dirt tracks - a nice heavy truck.
"Right lads, listen in. Squad! Squad... 'shun!"
The truck pulled up, a pair of officers jumping from the back.
"Morning sirs. Is this the truck to the garages?"
"Indeed it is. Hop onboard, and these kind gentlemen will drive you over. Whilst we inspect the effort you made on cleaning the barracks. Dismissed"

A few minutes later, the truck rolled into one of the garage areas. Dug down into the ground, the cover concealed the lighter vehicles on the base - cars, buggies, and a couple trucks. Waiting outside, an instructor sat at the wheel of one of the Gecko buggies, reading over a manual. Checking his watch and nodding, the instructor, wearing a Corporal rank slider, left the vehicle to greet the disembarking soldiers.
"Right, pretty simple lesson today. I'll give you the manuals here for reading while we drive over to a place I know. Once we're there, we'll let you have a spin driving them solo, and then fully loaded. In terms of the technical and maintenance aspects, these pieces of junk look after themselves pretty well. Just let the techies do their job when. you're operating from a proper-sized FOB, and read the manual if it goes tits up in the field. Any of you here with any basic mechanical knowledge will easily be able to take care of this."

The drive over was uneventful, the Sergeant wrapping his face around with a shemagh to stop the dust biting into it. A quick ride down the road, the sergeant sitting on the rear step with his rifle lying on his lap, and it started to get rough, as they took a track up into the hills. Eventually, after whipping madly through a patch of forest, they reached a clearing. Within, a bowl-shaped depression had obviously in the past been used for bomb disposal. It now served well as an off-road track, bar the occasional piece of bent metal stuck in the bottom. Standing to the side, the instructor unloaded one of the crates of equipment, sitting down on it.
"Right. Three men at a time, have some fun driving around my little course. Brownie points to anyone who can get around the red-marked circuit in under one minute twenty seconds, and a good telling off if anyone manages to roll one of them - just think what'd happen to your mate on the roof gun if they got caught up in that. If you all can show me that you won't crash these first time, I'll sign the chits saying you can have these out."
In the distance, there came an enourmous bang, followed by a much fainter rumble.
"That'll be the cannon. No need to worry - they'll radio in if any crap goes down back at the outpost."
The Sergeant, Rifleman Ti'ua, Xha'jo and Re'sa took a couple steps back - they already knew how to drive the small buggies, and wanted to watch what these new people made of them.
"So any volunteers to be the first to have a go around?"
Xha'jo's laugh echoed around the clearing, the rest of the section turning to look at him. Re'sa had a wicked smile on his face.
"Sorry everyone. But Re'sa here would like all to know that the betting is on the Jaguar man to be the first to flip it. He's put 10 Aureus on it as well."
"No hard feelings mate. Just go as fast as you can eh?"
Xha'jo laughed again, the sergeant looking on disapprovingly. Ti'ua sat with his knife out again, just visible in the treeline, whittling away at a thick section of wood.

_____________________________________________________________________

FOB Tekanav

The next morning dawned with the sound of gunfire - all night, the guardsmen units had been in prolonged firefights against the more persistant militiamen, meaning a restless night for all posted in the city. The sunlight filtered through the haze, dust and smoke whipped up from the fighting. A flare still hung in the sky, a marker signal over where the foe was concealed, on the edge of town. And down below, they slowly rolled in to take the position.

Lieutenant Hyru woke up on his small field bed, moaning slightly as he picked himself up. He was properly tired, as a result of the lack of sleep - three times, he had been woken up to man the sandbag redoubt on the nearest wall, the enemy slinking away before he had a chance to get his bearings. A runner stood over him, casting a faint shadow from bright fluorescant lighting.
"What is it, Corporal?"
"Sir, one of the Guardsman sections found a gas cylinder last night, which had been deployed against their position. It was, fortunately, white band - a training cylinder, the most lethal component being eau de cologne."
"Have they brought it in for forensic study?"
"Yes, sir. They're on it now. We also have a live video feed coming in from the PoW camp."
"Isn't that more important?"
"Sorry, sir. Just the order I remembered them."

The Lieutenant ran across the the Katonozagi installation, yelling.
"One of you lot get yourselves across the signals centre ASAP! We've got an incoming feed on our man from last night."
All around, empty supply crates sat unpacked, stacked into vaguely neat lines, where they had been filled with waste and unused equipment. Fires sat smouldering in the rubbish pits, as the Lieutenant ran. His rifle clanked on his shoulder, webbing part done up, as he finally approached the signals shed. Banging on the door, he was let in by the door guard, to where he could sit down watching the video feed. It was from the same cell as last time - or it could've been a different one. Either way, the cell was one of the interrogation ones - pure white. White was an intimidating colour - if one was left seeing only white, eventually they would start to hallucinate. It seemed that hadn't been necessary - the man sitting down was visibly tired and shaken. Whatever had happened when the lights went off, the Lieutenant feared to imagine. It had obviously not done the man well.

"Good morning. Interview started at 0620 hours, Neo'los time. Subject's stated name is Tem Asai, date of birth is April 1983. Interviewing are Captain Tei'tan, and Warrant Officer Hi'hea, translator. Session observation is by camera link to FOB Tekanav intelligence office. Tem, I understand that you wish to change your statement."
"I...I...want to tell you where... the cylinders are." The man shivered, pupils wide as he stared at the two men in front of him.
"Excellent. Firstly, can we get you anything at all?"
"A...a drink...water..." Whatever had happened had obviously been really bad.
"For the benefit of the tape, the subject has been given a glass of mineral water." The man sniffed it, before downing the lot.
"Carry on."
"The cylinders are in a small village... I don't know its name. You take track next to north road from Tekanav... on foot, it is a day's journey. There is field next to it - buried is the stash. I don't know how many..."
"Is it guarded?"
"I don't know. I think is... by militia hau."

The Lieutenant scratched his chin. Hau was a fegosian word. Why would he use that?
"Who are militia hau? Are they Fegosians? Foreigners?"
"I don't know. Nobody tells me. They very good - very dangerous."
"Thankyou. Just one last question - can you draw me a map of the stash and the surrounding area?"
A few minutes later, a scrap of paper was passed across, a complicated sketch map with labels in a mix of Fegosian, english, and some other illegible scrawl.
"For the benefit of those watching, the map will be scanned to you ASAP. Thankyou Tem - we'll escort you to non-interrogation cells now. Interview terminated."

The Lieutenant looked down at the notes he'd made, thinking.
"We'll definately be getting a plan made in the next 96 hours then - but that village. I think that may be Qudhat. Where we were bloody going to anyway!"
He turned around the Katonozagi man, a smile on his face.
"We're onto them! Looks like orders today will be to sit here as an RRF, and get all our equipment prepared for movement in the foreseeable future. Whilst we might be delayed, make sure that all your equipment is ready for movement out in 48 hours, in case movement goes ahead. We have had a radio call back from Outpost 29 - the casualties are all stable, and when better will be flown back to Alfegos. Your helicopter, and our CH-53, should be back here by midday."

An alarm suddenly started up, a loud siren.
"Hit the deck!"
A mortar round exploded outside. It was close - so close, that the shrapnel sounded like a heavy rainstorm back home in Alfegos. Dents formed in the metal, and the lights flickered, kit shaken by the explosion. A deafening ringing came through the Lieutenant's ears, as he stood up slowly.
"Anyone hurt?"
"All fine - just shaken. Everyone get to their combat posts!"
The Lieutenant swung the door open, peering around, before sprinting across the open ground to the CBRN warfare centre. Nearby, there came the sound of one of the WAAT launchers firing, a Longbow IV missile screeching into the sky. A puff of smoke appeared in the air above the city, as the projectile split apart. Down below, any enemy would find themselves in a shower of hand grenades, focused to the small area the mortar was reckoned to be in. Smacking into the building, the Lieutenant checked all the blast shutters were down, and all equipment was safely stowed, before moving up with his rapid reaction section to the wall tops. Of course, the Katonozagi lot were already up there - they were excellent when it came to dedication. He had no problem with them - he wished there were more of them. It was now a case of waiting, until the threat was confirmed neutralised by the men on the ground.

[Katonazag]

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat

"Excellent, and convenient too," replied Major Vegyész. "My only concern is..." The alarm and incoming mortar rudely interrupted, as he threw himself flat on the deck with Lieutenant Hyru. After the pelting of shrapnel finished, the younger and more physically adept lieutenant was back up off the floor and out the door several steps ahead of him.

Once out into the desert glare, he could see the response was well underway. The Fegosians were returning fire with assorted ordinance, presumably directed at the source of the mortar fire. The rest of his team were up on the wall at various positions, except for one. Corporal Adorján was one of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal techs, and had the team's Barrett anti-material rifle - making him the designated marksman by default. He had been a fortunate choice, having distinguished himself earlier in the mission under the guidance of the team's special forces attaché, Sergeant First Class Kemény. Sgt. Kemény was up on the wall, but he couldn't find Cpl. Adorján anywhere on the line.

His original concern was quickly removed as he heard the .416 Barrett caliber rifle report his position - outside the wall. The resulting secondary concern was that he was going to have to have a serious talk with that boy before the mission was over. Either that, or give him a commendation if he didn't end up in a body bag first. It was one thing for Sgt. Kemény to do something crazy; hell, it was expected from the HCSK Army's Huns. This kid was trying to take ideas from their play book without the training, which would either get him decorated or killed.

Locating the team's First Sergeant, he unslung his M1/MX carbine and chambered a round of .416 Intermediate and moved up. "What've we got out there besides some jackass who thinks he can shoot a mortar?"

[Alfegos]

On the walltops, behind makeshift crenellations of sandbags and sheet metal, the Fegosian team were quickly checking for the attack. A GPMG was cocked, the clanking of the working parts a premonition of the weapon's power. Peering through a small loophole, a Sergeant watched the distant buildings through a set of binoculars. The radio crackled.
"This is Romeo Alpha Two Three, calling Operator - contact wait out."
In the distance, a machinegun started up, in the area that had just been devastated by the longbow missile. A distress flare shot up into the sky, burning bright red as it arched up above the city.
"Operator, this is Romeo Alpha Two Three - engaged with One Two enemy fighters just off the market square. Confirmed sighting of at least two mortar teams. Section is engaging them from cover - requesting re-enforcements, over."
"Understood, over."
The Sergeant yelled over to the Katonozagi team, as the machinegun opened up in a drawn-out 50 round burst.

"Enemy down in the market square - approximately 1100 metres away. Watch and shoot - be careful, as we have friendlies on the ground."
Three mortar baseplates thudded in the distance, as the militia tried to bring more effective fire onto the FOB. The Fegosian team ducked behind the wall top, as a round exploded a couple hundred metres in front of them. The other two landed closer, shaking dust down from the gabion walls.
"Someone get a visual on the bastards, ASAP!"
The gunfire in the distance was intense - the occasional sound of a lighter AK-74 was drowned out by the din of the 6.65mm AF-07Ps, and assorted machineguns. An RPG round shot into the air, trailing a cloud of smoke as it arched down, before exploding in the middle of a field. The Lieutenant sat with AF-07P ready, just waiting for the call to come in - he hoped they wouldn't find any chemical weapons today, not willing to go out into the hell that the town had become. A mortar baseplate started repetitively firing - obviously they had found a place which suited them for a while. A round exploded near to the wall, the Sergeant cursing yet again.
"Katonozagi units, are you alright? Where's your marksman gone off to?"

The gunfire suddenly quietened, the only sound the occasional firing of a Fegosian rifle. The machinegunner team let the gun hang down from the firing point, waiting for instructions over the radio.
"Operator, this is Romeo Alpha Two - enemy are retreating out of the town. Permission to pursue, over?"
"Negative - sweep the positions for IEDs and survivors. Are mortars confirmed neutralised, over?"
The thud of a baseplate served to answer that question. This time, the Lieutenant could see the puff of smoke from the launch, dust raised by the firing. With glee, he yelled above the ruckus.
"Enemy on the fifth street along, dead ahead, approximately 900 metres. Rapid fire!"
The machinegun started up again. The Lieutenant himself aimed across, snapping the scope adjustment dial to the maximum setting of 800 metres. Aiming just above the black specks in the distance that were the mortar team, he contributed his part in pacifying the enemy.
"Confirm enemy neutralised?"
"Enemy neutralised!"
The Sergeant smiled, as he lowered his binoculars. Next to him, the air shimmered as heat radiated from the red-hot barrel of the machinegun, a pile of empty casings quickly swept into an empty sandbag.
"Keep your eyes open!"

[The State of Monavia]

At 0900, the section stood lined up, all neatly turned out, ready for the day ahead.
"Good morning to all you lads. Today, we'll be having a crash course in the usage of the Gecko scout vehicle. Following that, a few practice attack drills out in the exclusion zone. Lunch has been arranged for us - a few foodpacks, which should sustain you. And, after that, a few classroom theory lessons. I've tried to shorten down the time we're here, but as you are aware, we have to be prepared at least somewhat before we go out. A week is all we should need, along with being able to acclimatise to the heat here. Trust me, it gets warmer."
He noticed the transport for the day rolling up down one of the dirt tracks - a nice heavy truck.
"Right lads, listen in. Squad! Squad... 'shun!"
The truck pulled up, a pair of officers jumping from the back.
"Morning sirs. Is this the truck to the garages?"
"Indeed it is. Hop onboard, and these kind gentlemen will drive you over. Whilst we inspect the effort you made on cleaning the barracks. Dismissed"

A few minutes later, the truck rolled into one of the garage areas. Dug down into the ground, the cover concealed the lighter vehicles on the base - cars, buggies, and a couple trucks. Waiting outside, an instructor sat at the wheel of one of the Gecko buggies, reading over a manual. Checking his watch and nodding, the instructor, wearing a Corporal rank slider, left the vehicle to greet the disembarking soldiers.
"Right, pretty simple lesson today. I'll give you the manuals here for reading while we drive over to a place I know. Once we're there, we'll let you have a spin driving them solo, and then fully loaded. In terms of the technical and maintenance aspects, these pieces of junk look after themselves pretty well. Just let the techies do their job when. you're operating from a proper-sized FOB, and read the manual if it goes tits up in the field. Any of you here with any basic mechanical knowledge will easily be able to take care of this."

The drive over was uneventful, the Sergeant wrapping his face around with a shemagh to stop the dust biting into it. A quick ride down the road, the sergeant sitting on the rear step with his rifle lying on his lap, and it started to get rough, as they took a track up into the hills. Eventually, after whipping madly through a patch of forest, they reached a clearing. Within, a bowl-shaped depression had obviously in the past been used for bomb disposal. It now served well as an off-road track, bar the occasional piece of bent metal stuck in the bottom. Standing to the side, the instructor unloaded one of the crates of equipment, sitting down on it.
"Right. Three men at a time, have some fun driving around my little course. Brownie points to anyone who can get around the red-marked circuit in under one minute twenty seconds, and a good telling off if anyone manages to roll one of them - just think what'd happen to your mate on the roof gun if they got caught up in that. If you all can show me that you won't crash these first time, I'll sign the chits saying you can have these out."
In the distance, there came an enourmous bang, followed by a much fainter rumble.
"That'll be the cannon. No need to worry - they'll radio in if any crap goes down back at the outpost."
The Sergeant, Rifleman Ti'ua, Xha'jo and Re'sa took a couple steps back - they already knew how to drive the small buggies, and wanted to watch what these new people made of them.
"So any volunteers to be the first to have a go around?"
Xha'jo's laugh echoed around the clearing, the rest of the section turning to look at him. Re'sa had a wicked smile on his face.
"Sorry everyone. But Re'sa here would like all to know that the betting is on the Jaguar man to be the first to flip it. He's put 10 Aureus on it as well."
"No hard feelings mate. Just go as fast as you can eh?"
Xha'jo laughed again, the sergeant looking on disapprovingly. Ti'ua sat with his knife out again, just visible in the treeline, whittling away at a thick section of wood.

Corporal Pavlov supressed the faintest smile at the thought of the Mokan flipping the Gecko over. As if someone of his training is going to make that mistake... Since two Alfegans had already made themselves notices, it only seemed fair that they be asked to take the first trip around the course. "Perhaps the two of you would be willing to try the gecko first."

The corporal now surveyed the track, making meticulous observations about its turns, grades, and the road angle as it wound around the wooded area. He would need to understand the layout well in order to make a fast run around, and perhaps even beat the limit that Sergeant Lea'da had designated. Eighty seconds. That's not very long. Perhaps it was a willingness to demonstrate what he knew about driving vehicles from his army training, or perhaps it was his sense of duty as the second in command of the section to prepare and demonstrate a proper example. Either way, he now decided that it was purdent to speak up.

"Sergeant, perhaps it would be alright if I volunteered to make the first run at driving this Gecko around the track. I'm sure that two others in our section would be willing to accompany me," he said, directing his gaze for one moment at the Zaheranians and the Mokan, then looking at Xha'jo and Re'sa. It was likely to be the sergeant's choice who went on the first run, however, and Pavlov did not expect anything to happen without his superior's approval.

[Katonazag]

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat

Mortars continued to rain down just a matter of meters off to Cpl. Adorján's left. Luckily for him, he had scooted over the next mini-dune after the first one - he saw some dust kick up from the one he had just been behind. Unfortunately, the barrage meant that he would have to remain in his natural cover until it stopped. Every time there was a few seconds lull, he would pop up and try to find a target, only to find himself having to take cover again, denying him the opportunity for a clean shot.

"Nomad 7, Nomad 1 actual," broadcast Major Vegyész. Almost rhetorically, he asked, "What is your 20 and do you need a 10-29, over?"

After the last group of mortars were finished interrupting, Cpl. Adorján touched his throat mic, "That's a negative on the 29, Nomad 1. I'm outside the wire, 10-4, and resuming engagement at this time."

There was another thump as yet another mortar was sent up, followed by a shout from the wall defenses. A puff of smoke was sighted along one of the streets, and the heavy machine gun on the wall opened up. He wanted to stay up and take a shot, but out in the open he would be like meat before a butcher if he got unlucky. He ducked back down behind his natural shelter of sand just in time before the mortar impacted not far away. He felt something strike his helmet rather hard, and knew he had been hit in the head. He reached up and felt the helmet, and was relieved to find that it was all there. It did, however, have a large crack and strike mark that he could feel, but he dare not take it off even in it's damaged state. After a couple of deep breaths to collect himself, he crawled back up the dune and popped his rifle up for what felt like the 25th time in 3 fruitless minutes, and began searching for a target all over again.

Major Vegyész shouted over to the Staff Sergeant bio-environmental technician, "Get over to the shelter and make sure it's not damaged."

The Staff Sergeant immediately left his position on the wall and double-timed it over to the NBC processing shelter. The mortar that had landed inside the compound had left it's marks on the cargo container with the little bit of above ground equipment. He checked the monitor and noticed a red flashing light over one of the shelter's components. Fortunately, it wasn't a highly critical one - the seal on the secondary filtration unit was damaged. But since it was a backup safety feature and was the last barrier before the air reached the outside world, it would need to be replaced as soon as possible. Breaking out a role of chem-tape, he went back outside and applied a liberal amount to the exterior joints of the assembly. "Better than nothing," he thought to himself.

[Zaheran]

The two Zaheranians sat silent during the journey out to the training area. Schiller, as the more experienced soldier of the pair, had converted his rucksack into a makeshift pillow and sat with his Minimi resting in his lap as he browsed through the Gecko manual. The bumping of the truck as it rolled over the rough road seemed to not disturb him at all, while his younger comrade looked slightly nauseous by the time they reached their destination.

Schiller eyed the course as the soldiers lined up for the instructor's briefing. It did not look very hard, but he knew that there could be hidden obstacles which an unobservant driver might not notice until he drove right onto them. Even so, one minute and twenty seconds to get round the track should not be an impossible goal for a somewhat experienced driver like himself.

The two men looked at each other as the instructor asked for volunteers, then shrugged. Someone had to be first, and it could as well be them. Schiller took a step forward.
"Private Sterben and I could accompany the Corporal on the first trip if he wishes."

[Alfegos]

Outpost 29

The cannons fired again, as the Sergeant made up his mind.
"Right. Corporal, you can go show us your skills first, along with Private Schiller. And, Rhe'sa..."
Rhe'sa had stopped smiling, as he threw his backpack and rifle down by where he was seated. He knew what was coming next, and had been stupid enough to walk straight into it.
"...you can show them how hard these are to control at speed."
Rolling his eyes, the Rifleman quickly paced across to one of the waiting buggies, revving the engine. The gearbox was manual, the control stick jutting out from the skeletal central section of frame. He noted these buggies had no armour on them - none of the polycarbonate plates on the windscreen or doors, and not even the ceramic/steel plates that normally covered the engine section. These were performance ones - they would go much, much faster than the standard ones, and would likely tip over more easily. Swearing, he switched into 1st gear, revving the engine. Not enough, as he stalled it on the first go. The entire section laughed at him, even Ti'ua looking up from his whittling with a smile on his face. The hunk of wood he had been playing with was slowly changing into something organic, the shape of vines and leaves slowly taking shape. He watched as Rhe'sa tried again, this time shooting off with wheels spinning. Jumping down a steep slope, he hit the course. The instructor looked at his watch, counting as the buggy passed the first red cone in the crater, the start of the course. Screeching along an angled slope, the buggy shook violently as it hit a series of vicious bumps in the road, violently shaking Rhe'sa. As he regained his sense, the buggy careened through a muddy pools, momentum more than anything keeping him going across to the other side. A series of steep climbs and drops later, he reached the slalom section - a series of metal posts, some mangled from past crashes, sticking out from a patch of concrete. The buggy screeched as it violently turned, taking the last turn on two wheels. Throwing the wheel around, it landed back on all four wheels, before skidded off forwards again. A series of violent bends and straights, which saw Rhe'sa mere inches from rolling it down the steep slope of the bowl, before the final climb of the course - a vicious 1:2 slope. With the engine roaring flat out, the buggy hit the base of the slope, shooting upwards before finally rolling out where the rest of the section were standing.

Rhe'sa was shaking as he was helped out the buggy, face white. He had not enjoyed the course, and in the process had knocked himself round the head while taking the bumps too fast. The instructor looked at his watch.
"Ninety-one seconds. Not bad at all, especially considering you almost rolled it at least five times. You enjoy it?"
The look Rhe'sa gave him as he walked back to the log could have killed. The sergeant smiled, letting the man sit down.
"So, section, as you can see, it's not that easy! Private Sterban, you're up with Schiller and the Corporal - this time, it's a race. And, just so you have an idea of how difficult that course is, Rhe'sa has driven one of these before. So, when you're ready..."

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

FOB Tekanav

The battle was coming to a conclusion of some sort, the Lieutenant hoped. The enemy, for now, seemed to be fleeing from the city. Smoke and flare markers hung in the air, along with the trails of artillery fire, slowly edging into the fields and open areas on the edge of town. Trucks of re-enforcements were rolling into the settlement, just to ensure that the enemy weren't hiding. Of course, the locals didn't support the fighting at all - they were likely as not to shoot both Alfegan and Militiaman, if it meant they could get on in peace. For now though, they knew it best not to shoot at the Alfegans - after all, they'd be fixing the city.

The radio crackled, the Lieutenant fearing what was coming over. He had it tuned to the emergency channel, reserved for casualties and major incident reports.
"This is Romeo Alpha, calling Charlie Bravo One - message, over."
"Go ahead Romeo Alpha, over."
"Company have encountered IECD, 2nd street, 5th intersection. Unit is backpack gas canister, with artillery shell strapped to side. Trigger appears to be radio antenna. Unit is concealed in a ditch. Over."
"Romeo Alpha, keep a countermeasure unit in the area. Evacuate area, and have cordon kit up in CBRN dress. RRF will be arriving ASAP, over."

The Lieutenant turned to the Katonozagi group.
"We've got a call - they've found a possible IECD over in the city. Get your men coming out kitted up and ready in three minutes, for briefing before we move out. Sergeant, same goes for you."
He turned to the Fegosian group, who lept down from their positions, sprinting across to their barrack units to grab extra food, drink, and equipment - for most, just their patrol order equipment. The Lieutenant himself was already ready - his patrol kit sat waiting in a Gecko by the base of the wall, on the passenger seat. Taking a sip of water from his hydration pack, he sat waiting in the shade of the wall. The Alfegan group coming out were section-sized - the rest of the platoon were being held as a reserve here. Just in case, and he knew it could happen, they found another cylinder left in the enemy retreat. Once the Katonozagis quickly filled in a semi-circle around him, he started talking.
"Situation is we have radio-detonated IECD, found by one of the Alfegan companies in the city. They've set up a perimeter, and got a radio-jamming pack in place to stop it going off. However, we don't know of any secondary detonation devices yet, so have to assume it could go off at any time. Our mission is to neutralise the device, stabilise the chemical agent, and then bring it back here for decontamination, without release of the chemical agent. The plan is, we'll set up an FRV at the next intersection along, where our company have their HQ. From there, we will proceed on foot with equipment to the device. A team of four will scout the device whilst the rest stay back to cover them, then report back. The next step will be to decomission the device, which will be done by the relevant specialists. If not actively engaged with the device, we will hang back in the surrounding structures to cover them. When the device is confirmed safe, we will escort it back to the FOB, along the proven safe route, and hand it in the bunker for decomissioning. If we get bumped at the device itself, the team on the device will take cover in the buildings, and open fire. The cordon company will provide assaulting power against the enemy, whilst we continue to neutralise the device. If we get bumped on the way back, we'll not stop.
Finally, if there is a chemical release, we will proceed with action to either stop the gas release, or to force it down into a ditch, thus reducing the speed of dispersal. The cordon company will ensure all civilians are evacuated downwind. The entire platoon will be called in for decontamination procedures, the HAZMAT showers being set up at the ERV, at the intersection two south and one east of the chemical device. The battalion will be called in to cordon the area off, whilst we call in additional support from Outpost 29 to help with the situation. However, there will not be a chemical release - we will strive to make sure that does not happen.
All of you have maps you can study on the way out, if you feel you need to. Our kit is loaded up on the Geckos already. If nobody here has any questions, then we'll move out ASAP."

[Katonazag]

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat

The CBRNE containment team gathered around Lieutenant Hyru.

"We've got a call - they've found a possible IECD over in the city. Get your men coming out kitted up and ready in three minutes, for briefing before we move out. Sergeant, same goes for you."
He turned to the Fegosian group, who lept down from their positions, sprinting across to their barrack units to grab extra food, drink, and equipment - for most, just their patrol order equipment. The Lieutenant himself was already ready - his patrol kit sat waiting in a Gecko by the base of the wall, on the passenger seat. Taking a sip of water from his hydration pack, he sat waiting in the shade of the wall. The Alfegan group coming out were section-sized - the rest of the platoon were being held as a reserve here. Just in case, and he knew it could happen, they found another cylinder left in the enemy retreat. Once the Katonozagis quickly filled in a semi-circle around him, he started talking.
"Situation is we have radio-detonated IECD, found by one of the Alfegan companies in the city. They've set up a perimeter, and got a radio-jamming pack in place to stop it going off. However, we don't know of any secondary detonation devices yet, so have to assume it could go off at any time. Our mission is to neutralise the device, stabilise the chemical agent, and then bring it back here for decontamination, without release of the chemical agent. The plan is, we'll set up an FRV at the next intersection along, where our company have their HQ. From there, we will proceed on foot with equipment to the device. A team of four will scout the device whilst the rest stay back to cover them, then report back. The next step will be to decomission the device, which will be done by the relevant specialists. If not actively engaged with the device, we will hang back in the surrounding structures to cover them. When the device is confirmed safe, we will escort it back to the FOB, along the proven safe route, and hand it in the bunker for decomissioning. If we get bumped at the device itself, the team on the device will take cover in the buildings, and open fire. The cordon company will provide assaulting power against the enemy, whilst we continue to neutralise the device. If we get bumped on the way back, we'll not stop.
Finally, if there is a chemical release, we will proceed with action to either stop the gas release, or to force it down into a ditch, thus reducing the speed of dispersal. The cordon company will ensure all civilians are evacuated downwind. The entire platoon will be called in for decontamination procedures, the HAZMAT showers being set up at the ERV, at the intersection two south and one east of the chemical device. The battalion will be called in to cordon the area off, whilst we call in additional support from Outpost 29 to help with the situation. However, there will not be a chemical release - we will strive to make sure that does not happen.
All of you have maps you can study on the way out, if you feel you need to. Our kit is loaded up on the Geckos already. If nobody here has any questions, then we'll move out ASAP."

Major Vegyész turned to his men, "You heard the Lieutenant - gear up! Assault bag and C-bag only. Sgt. Kemény, you and Cpl. Adorján are coming with me in the humvee," he said with a look that really meant, "You're coming with me so I can tear you a new asshole on the way." Looking over his men again, he selected two of his chemicals specialists to fill the other two seats. "The rest of you - First Sergeant is in command. Stand by to roll out as necessary. Until further notice and as a precaution, MOPP 2 outside the wire. Move out!"

A few moments later, the team met over at the humvee. Major Vegyész assigned one of his chemical specialists to the driver's seat, the other to the Fegosian 12.7mm machinegun on the roof they had mounted the day before. "Fall in with the convoy when they start to roll out," he instructed the driver. Turning back from the passenger seat to look at the Sergeant First Class and the Corporal in the back seats, he began, "I don't know what you're trying to do here with all this crap going outside the wire during firefights, but it's got to stop! Look at your f***ing helmet! That was going to be your brain, you got lucky once is all!" Pointing at Sgt. Kemény, he continued, "And you! Putting that crap into his head that he can do that kind of stuff! I don't care if you are a crazy-ass Hun, if it happens again with either of you, you'll be lucky if you're wearing the Corporal's stripes there, and he'll be lucky to have even one stripe, and you'll both be off the mission immediately! Do I make myself clear?"

The driver had a deer-in-the-headlights look as he moved into his place in the convoy. Sgt. Kemény switched places with the gunner on the roof, citing that he was better on it. They rolled out of the FOB gate, on their way to the discovered device.

[Alfegos]

Tekanav


The three Alfegan Geckos rattled along at the front of the group, roofgunners keeping an eye on their surroundings as they quickly drove into the town. From the edge, it was easy to see that the last sixteen hours of fighting had left scars across the town. People cowered behind shutters and sandbag defences around their houses, a few brave souls checking the damage inflicted upon the stone facades. Bullet holes, shrapnel scars, and the occasional crater from an explosive riddled the roadway, that had at one time been freshly laid by Alfegan engineers. It would have to be relaid, once the fighting was known to be over. At the head of the formation, a Lance-corporal swung around on the vehicle-mounted GPMG, eyes open for anything that could be a threat. Overhead, finally, support had come - an Aerofrigate hung in the sky, still half an hour away, coming in to sweep the enemy flushed out into the earth. For now, it was but a threat, a solitary cloud in a deep bue sky.
The Lieutenant sat in the passenger seat of the second gecko, a crate of decontamination kit on his lap. He had already rigged up his gas mask with a radio, allowing him to listen in and organise his resources. The geckos were carrying the bulk of the kit - six heavy crates of bomb disposal kits, spare filters and CBRN suits, chemical sirens, indicator strips, testing units, spare pins and keys, and a powerful radio jamming device. The rear-facing seat on the vehicles had been taken up with extra ammunition, a couple crates of the stuff for both Fegosians and Katonozagis. Not that they were intending to have to break into the reserve - it was, after all, a backup.

The vehicles passed past the area one of the mortars had originally been - a building compound, completely devestated. The area was littered with holes and metal fragments, the gates closed whilst an engineer team swept for unexploded bomblets from the longbow missile. They passed the tail section of the missile, lying in the road, a few hundred metres up, as they moved through a road checkpoint. Another couple hundred metres, and they would reach the FRV. To the side of the road here was the town medical outpost, setup and run by a charity. It was also doubling as the morgue, lines of bodybags hidden just out of sight in one of the spare rooms, as people were hurriedly attended to, military first-aiders mixed in with the frightened civilian doctors. Further up here, another artillery rocket had gone off, showering the road and a few nearby buildings with craters. Large temporary warning signs, along with white mine tape, warned all of the possible dangers within. Finally, they reached the FRV - a field tent set up in the atrium of a roadside house. The inhabitants here had been relatively wealthy - decorations hung here and there, whilst the household went about trying to entertain their guests. A field telephone had been hastily set up, linked to the four roadblocks around the area, and to a rooftop observation post. It was now ringing, the Captain in charge of the company answering it. Chattering on for a short while, he turned around, putting the handset down as the Lieutenant entered with the Katonozagi IC.
"You've made it here in good time, Lieutenant. The device is still stable - we've had a couple peaks in the enemy radio frequencies, but nothing the jammer can't handle. Nearest enemy units are 800 metres to the west of the device, so no need to worry about any direct enemy fire. There may be some undirected mortar fire, but we should hopefully give you some warning beforehand."
He gestured to his 2IC, a Colour Sergeant, who moved across from where he was briefing the company's rapid-reaction platoon. The other two platoons were spread out guarding the area, watching out paranoid for an enemy attack.
"Grab some men from the HQ roadblock, and get them to escort these men over to the site."

The Lieutenant noted in slight dismay that, whilst the ICs weren't in any form of protection, the rest of the company appeared to be fully kitted up in NBC warfare equipment. The Colour Sergeant took the hint from his gaze, unzipping one of the pouches on his patrol sack to reveal the tightly-folded kit. Whilst he was changing, four men ambled over from the roadblock. The Lieutenant sighed, signalling for the rest of the NBC reaction team, and the Katonozagis, to bring over the crates of equipment. They were quite heavy, needing two people to lift them, meaning that most of the Alfegan section was occupied in carrying them across into the building. Once all were kitted up, with the standard-issue NBC warfare suits and body armour plating on top, the Lieutenant selected two men from the Katonozagi section, and two from his own section, to come along with him to the IECD.

He stepped outside into the light, already harsh at this time in the morning. It was quiet now - the silence after passing destruction. Overhead, the airship had turned off its engines, slowly gliding as if without effort, as it moved towards the battle lines. Even the gunshots and blasts that came from there were strangely silent - muffled. A bird sang a cackling, laughing call, before flying off afraid of the suited men. The four men from the cordon company quickly walked, as if afraid to stay out in this deserted place, before pointing over to a corner. At the intersection, in a ditch by the roadside between structure and paved surface, a piece of tarpaulin covered the device. In the middle of the road by it, a flat box sat with antenna extended, a strange four-pronged harpoon-like device. A single LED light told all it was performing its task in a satisfactory manner. The Lieutenant signalled for the cordon company to leave, leaving only him and the four other men.
"You two." He pointed to the two Alfegans who had followed him out. "Go grab the bomb disposal crate. And you two." He indicated to the Katonozagis, as he edged forwards slowly.
"Don't move. Get down, SLOWLY, onto your bellies."
He pointed across to a small incongrous patch on the dirt track, which branched off the paved road at this intersection. It happened that, a mere three metres from the Lieutenant, there was a landmine. Apart from the disturbed patch of earth, all that was apparent was a single piece of metal spike - part of the pressure plate. Edging forwards, he opened a tool pocket on his assault vest, pulling out a roll of fabric. As well as holding the cleaning kit for his rifle, it held valuable small things, such as the standard-issue mine kit. Six tent pegs, two arc pegs, a roll of mine tape, and a mine uprooter. The tool he removed was strange - alongside the ringpulls it had hanging from the middle, tied on by the lieutenant, it had two folding probes, and a funny-shaped shovel end. Designed, of course, for uprooting mines, if he were stuck in a minefield. He looked across the road - were there any more? He could see another, perilously close to one of the Katonozagi men, as they inched closer to the chemical device. Using the probe to check the soil around him, the lieutenant slowly dragged himself fowards, to where the landmine was. Whilst the simple method was to just detonate these mines, he didn't want to have the risk of setting off anything, like the chemical device. He still didn't know what it contained. So, for now, he would leave it. Taking out a peg, he planted it into the ground, wrapping a length of mine tape around it.
"All units, be advised of anti-personnel mines in the area of IECD, off the main tarmac road. Watch your step - we'll call in the engineers to help tidy this mess up once we've dealt with the IECD."

Behind him, the two men came back with the crate. Unloading it on the main road, the lead man quickly unfolded a metal detector, switching it to shallow depth. With that in mind, he slowly walked forwards, the second man cordoning off the area with mine tape, erecting a folding warning sign. There came a loud beep, audible through the headphones in this quiet environment, the man stopping dead. Moving it slowly, he located the offending article, marking it out with a peg and some mine tape. Slowly, he had marked a path direct to the IECD ditch, using the mine tape to show either side of it. Step over the white line, and you would risk death. Motioning to the Katonozagi men, the Lieutenant slowly wriggled across to the marked pathway, standing up with relief. He was getting very hot, and very moist. And yet, he did not dare risk taking the biochem suit off. Moving forwards, he unfolded a long probe - another measure, mainly for searching buildings and moving things he didn't want to touch. It was like the pointers found at business meetings, but a good couple metres long. Looking around the tarpaulin, the Lieutenant gradually inched the sheet up from over the device, feeling for any signs of tension, and looking for any pressure devices on the IECD. There were none, prompting him to move the sheet all the way back. Of course, somebody had painted over the cylinder, to try and conceal what the gas inside was. They had done an awful job - it was easy to see three green bands on the device, which looked more sturdy than the cylinder they had last dealt with. Attached very obviously to the top of the cylinder was an 80mm mortar round, fuse wires from the top of the projectile leading to a mobile phone tied to the side of it. Pretty simple, it seemed, until one saw the grenade underneath it, hammer held in position by the weight of the cylinder.

The Lieutenant signalled for all to go back to the FRV, following the white-marked path back onto the solid road. From there, it was easy to walk, albeit at a fast pace, across to the FRV. Once inside, the Lieutenant took off his gas mask, allowing some air into his suit.
"As you lot just saw, we've got a bit of a problem. Traps everywhere - landmines, a grenade under the device, and that mobile phone bomb. I also had a little gander at the stripes on that cylinder - it's a nice new one, obviously from that outpost that got raided. It's not very nice stuff in there - a mix of diphosgene, cyanide, and chloropicrin. If the cyanide don't get you, the diphosgene will. The one good thing is it will tell you when you need to change your filter - you'll be violently sick, once you get a whiff of the chloropicrin.

So, here's the plan. The bomb disposal experts in this team will go in first, and deal with that explosive on the cylinder itself, once they've carted the high-power jammer in. We're then going to remove the grenade, by digging down to where it is, and removing it. The blast probably won't rupture the cylinder, since it's new, but will likely kill you if you're nearby. Once the bomb disposal experts are done, the forensics experts will come in and do their thing, as fast as they can. With that done, we'll carefully remove the cylinder. The best direction of travel is up onto the roadway - there, we can have a vehicle pick it up. I'll call in a truck once we're clear.

Action on getting bumped is simple - I'm going to bring out some blast shields, as a precaution. We throw those on the device as soon as anything goes bang, and take cover across the street. Which is where the rest of the section comes in - anyone who ain't on forensics or bomb disposal is on overwatch - get yourselves a good high position, and keep your eyes out for any enemy. Take one of the vehicle guns up there. Radio in for permission before you fire, so we have some sort of warning.

Any questions? On this one, I'm handing command of the fire support section across to Sergeant Kemeny, if that's alright Major. If possible Major, can you come with me to help with the IECD disposal?"

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

FOB Tekanav

The rest of the CBRN Rapid Reaction unit sat waiting, anticipating what was to come next - were they to be called out? With positions up on the walltops, and back at the CBRN HQ, work was going on at high speed, and with high focus. Occasionally, the Alfegan Corporal who'd been left in charge of the area shouted news across to the Katonozagi position.
"The RRF has reached the IECD."
"The enemy have been pushed from the city - they're being hunted down in the fields now."

Because they were outside the city, heavy firepower had been authorised. No longer were Longbow missiles the largest weapons on offer agains the enemy - artillery, especially from the airship, was ready to be used against them. There came a burst of incomprehensable chatter over the radio, as the airship crew spoke to the base at Tekanav - the crew were, unfortunately, not fluent in english, so were using the next best option of Atrean, albeit in a Fegosian dialect - so-called Aerlinus. The base commander was fluent in that, enough at least to co-ordinate the attack. A warning in english came across the radios, as signals translated.
"Kilo Alpha, airship is ready to give fire support, over."

Somewhere in the distance, a flare shot up into the air - a warning signal to the airship as to where the Alfegans were. A couple more shot up, along with smoke grenades, as targets were painted with invisible designators. On the walltop near to the Katonozagi position, one of the rifleman leant down to shout over to them.
"Oi guys, get yourselves up here! You don't want to miss the fireworks!"
Invisibly, beams locked onto the target source, plotting it precisely with a GPS co-ordinate. Within seconds, the crew on the airship would have armed a missile, and would now be waiting to ensure no friendly fire was caused. The walltop personnel waited, breathes held. And then, a missile was loosed. A couple panels of cheap plastic dropped down to the ground, as a missile dropped from the airship underside. The engine started up as it fell downwards, quickly shooting it up to speed. A few kilometres away, it came down at a steep angle, the only sign of its passing a trail of smoke. Then came the explosion - all 500 kilograms of RDX that it was. The flash was easily visible, even from behind the hillside. Eight seconds later, the blast came - a huge blast, able to be felt even from here. That was the start, as a barrage of twenty longbow missiles found themselves flying to join bursts from the autocannon, explosions ripping across the land ahead. An anti-air missile exploded in mid air, not even touching the airship, as the vehicle continued its onslaught.

Meanwhile, in the CBRN centre, the cylinder brought in in the morning was being checked over. Samples of paint were being analysed in the small laboratory, whilst a technician tried to reassemble the section of nozzle with the serial number printed on it. More work, in trying to get as much information as they could about the aggressors.

[The State of Monavia]

Hearing Schiller’s brief request to the sergeant, Pavlov gave him a slight nod in approval. “I see no reason why the three of us can’t try this,” he said.

When the sergeant had called for Rhe’sa to prepare and carry out a demonstration of how difficult the controls were to operate, Pavlov simply made mental sigh. It’s never good to act smarter than the sergeant…or your section mates. Observing how Rhe’sa examined the control stick and gearbox assembly, he noted that the controls would be easy to locate and read, but that they were liable to damage and jamming, due to the lack of protection from enemy fire, and the exposure left them open to the elements. The weather should stay calm, or else we’re out of luck.

The demonstration appeared to show one glaring issue with controlling the vehicle: it was cumbersome to control, despite its light weight. The stalling and spinning out didn’t help much with his first impression of operating the buggy, yet that would have to be resolved, rather than griped over. His eyes followed the buggy down the slope at the beginning of the course, flying along a slanted path, hitting bumps, and shaking up the driver. The flat portion did not bother him much, for as long as he could slow down by a few kilometers per hour before hitting the bumps, and then accelerate after passing over the last one, he could manage that part of the course.

Muddy pools, hills, a slalom course on concrete (the solidness of the surface offered him some consolation), bends, and a steep slope were the last obstacles to be overcome. While it would prove to be a daunting challenge, the course limit was obviously being set as a standard higher than most would be able to reach on their first attempt. Sergeant Lea’da’s mention of Rhe’sa having driven the buggy before did not help much at all, but with Schiller’s experience and his own training, perhaps they could manage…

Beckoning for the two Zaheranians to join him near a waiting buggy, he walked over, waiting for them to meet up. When they had all reached the vehicle, Pavlov seated himself, then asked Schiller and Private Sterban to choose amongst themselves which seats they wanted. He would drive first, having volunteered to do so, and Schiller was likely next.

Having assumed their positions, he said to Lea’da, “Sergeant, tell us when we may begin.”

[Katonazag]

Tekanav, Hurgat

Corporal Adorján peered through his spotter monocular at the area while Lieutenant Hyru scouted a way through the mines with the two HCSK Army chemical specialists in tow. "Mines, plus the cylinder... either someone had a lot of help, or a lot of time on their hands, or both." As the Lieutenant peeled the tarp back, he could make out the edge of the mortar and cell phone assembly. Beyond the IECD site, he noted a few more places further up that were also likely mined. Atop with the humvee's M2-derivative machine gun, Sgt. Kemény scanned the streets with his own keen eyes, and at times assisted by his binoculars. A silent, menacing sentinel post of flesh, steel, gunpowder, and lead, ready to reach out and touch the enemy hard, fast, and continuously.

Lt. Hyru came back with his report:

"As you lot just saw, we've got a bit of a problem. Traps everywhere - landmines, a grenade under the device, and that mobile phone bomb. I also had a little gander at the stripes on that cylinder - it's a nice new one, obviously from that outpost that got raided. It's not very nice stuff in there - a mix of diphosgene, cyanide, and chloropicrin. If the cyanide don't get you, the diphosgene will. The one good thing is it will tell you when you need to change your filter - you'll be violently sick, once you get a whiff of the chloropicrin.

So, here's the plan. The bomb disposal experts in this team will go in first, and deal with that explosive on the cylinder itself, once they've carted the high-power jammer in. We're then going to remove the grenade, by digging down to where it is, and removing it. The blast probably won't rupture the cylinder, since it's new, but will likely kill you if you're nearby. Once the bomb disposal experts are done, the forensics experts will come in and do their thing, as fast as they can. With that done, we'll carefully remove the cylinder. The best direction of travel is up onto the roadway - there, we can have a vehicle pick it up. I'll call in a truck once we're clear.

Action on getting bumped is simple - I'm going to bring out some blast shields, as a precaution. We throw those on the device as soon as anything goes bang, and take cover across the street. Which is where the rest of the section comes in - anyone who ain't on forensics or bomb disposal is on overwatch - get yourselves a good high position, and keep your eyes out for any enemy. Take one of the vehicle guns up there. Radio in for permission before you fire, so we have some sort of warning.

Any questions? On this one, I'm handing command of the fire support section across to Sergeant Kemeny, if that's alright Major. If possible Major, can you come with me to help with the IECD disposal?"

"Affirmative," replied Major Vegyész. "If it's newer as you say, the container should be in good condition and stable once we get the explosives taken care of. We have our HAZMAT container in the back of the humvee for when we're ready to take it back to the FOB. It's somewhat armored, NBC sealed, lead-lined, foam padded, and 10-digit alpha-numeric combination mag-locked. As long as it doesn't take a direct hit from an anti-vehicle mine, RPG, or other heavy ordinance, it should be good to go." Turning, he said, "Cpl. Adorján, gear up MOPP 4, and get to work on those UXOs."

Gesturing, Sgt. Kemény said, "Fork over the Barrett - don't worry, I'll take good care of it." After taking custody of the anti-material rifle, he stowed his M1/MX in the humvee and when he popped back up, he continued. "I want two Geckos to circle behind the cordon to the intersecting street, ready to direct fire up that street to cover, while one Gecko will stay here with the humvee to do the same from here. We'll be forming a crossfire where we can effectively cover a threat coming from either direction. Someone is transmitting and trying to set the device off, so chances are they are also watching, and if they're watching, they're probably planning on attacking too. And besides covering the disposal effort, don't forget to cover each other, and keep your C-bags handy just incase. Since we lack immediate air support, I'm going up for a birds' eye view," he said, pointing up to the corner of the roof above the IECD. "Incase you haven't been briefed, my callsign is 'Nomad 3', and I'll direct you on anything I find via radio."

Rather than entering the building, which he assumed had more booby traps, he decided that the safer route was to scale the building with grappling hook and rope. After producing and hooking it up, he spun it a few rotations before slinging it skywards toward the roof. With a clank, it caught the edge when he pulled it. He checked to make sure it was secure, attached it to the clips on his frame for safety, slung the Barrett rifle across his back, and began his ascent. After a few moments, he reached the goal, and took up post at the corner overlooking the device. Propping the rifle up on it's bipod, he began using the rifle to scan for threats.

Seeing Sgt. Kemény was in place, Cpl. Adorján checked his XD-41 pistol and his gas mask seal before proceeding up the white mine taped path to the IECD. He looked at how the cell phone was wired to the mortar, and at first glance, it appeared simple. Just remove the power, and threat neutralized. And then he saw the capacitor and resistor sub-circuit wedged and concealed right under the fuse. If the power was simply removed or cut, the capacitor would discharge across the sub-circuit, and detonate the IECD. The poor paint job was probably intended to be a distraction so that one would miss the subtle wiring add-on. He selected a very small wire cutter and a hemostat from his pouch, and cut the positive wire on the sub-circuit. After pulling the clipped segment to the side, he put a gob of a liquid rubber insulator on the tips, which dried quickly and would reduce the chances of a mishap. Then, he took the same steps to the negative side, distal to the resistor. He would have removed the capacitor itself, but it was welded on and likely charged, the heat or static discharge would not be desirable to introduce to the situation. He then removed the cell phone battery and placed it in an anti-static bag that would normally have been used for computer parts. Carefully, he detached the mortar from the cylinder and brought it back out of the cordon, where he quickly stripped it down and removed it's explosive components, and handed them off to the Major.

Now for the hand grenade. Yet another simple task for the EOD technician, but he wasn't taking anything for granted at this point in light of what he had found moments ago. Instead of just removing the grenade with it's handle intact and removing the fuse, he decided to investigate further. He began excavating slowly around the grenade, and was rewarded with finding a second grenade under the first! Two grenades, each requiring two hands to handle, one partially buried. Cpl. Adorján decided it was time to get that extra set of hands, and came back out again. "L-T, your grenade is actually a pair of grenades. Do you have another EOD tech I can borrow?"

[Alfegos]

Tekanav

The day was progressing. As the fighting was forced away from the city, dissolving more and more into the surrounding plains and mountains, they got on with the hard work of disarming the IECD. The Lieutenant sat at a distance with his team of specialists, in the cover of the other side of the street. In the middle of the road, the jammer continued to transmit - whilst it was designed not to interfere with friendly radio channels, the occasional wave of static washed across the communications channels. The Lieutenant crossed over the road every now and then, through the marked path into the bomb area. He had set up the promised blast shields, as some form of protection - two heavy sheets of oxynitride glass, their supporting feet lodged into the ground, protecting all those except the munitions technician within. The forensics specialists were busy with their cataloging - a crate sat open by their side of the road, slowly filling with small plastic bags and sheets of notes - they had images of half-erased footprints around the area, of the mines, and of the device itself. As pieces were removed, and the tarpaulin folded away, they officiously catalogued - whilst it was useless now, when analysed later it could be the goldmine of information they were hoping for.

In the midst of formulating an explanation for this, he was interrupted by one of his team - one of the munitions technicians.
"Permission to speak, sir?"
"Granted."
"Sir, I've been looking at this, and applying this setup to the standard models taught on the munitions disposal course. From this, I have concluded the device does not match the oppertunistic deployment of IEDs and IECDs in the past - this is a prepared device, with the intent of taking us out. The PRA used a similar tactic during the 2nd and 3rd civil wars to try kill bomb technicians, with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of other deployed devices."
"And you're sure that this matches with PRA tactics?"
"Sir, they had these attacks set up with high levels of effort at every point. And, failing that, they would launch counter-attacks to try and eliminate targets."

The Lieutenant thought as he walked across to where the Katonozagi team were signalling. As if to prove the lower ranking man's point, as he peered carefully through the slightly misty visor of his CBRN warfare kit, he noticed a second shape. Another hand grenade. Patting one of the two Alfegan munitions technicians on the back, he directed them over to finishing defusing the traps around the device, before retreating back to the forensics team. They were already waiting to do the field examination of the cylinder, not touching the buildings for fear of their being more traps. In his position, the Lieutenant opened a radio channel.
"Hello Nomad 3, this is November One. Be advised of possible large-scale enemy surprise attack, outside or inside of the cordon. Keep those eyes of yours open."

-----------

He was right of course. No normal criminal agent in Alfegos would risk meddling with proscribed devices - for that would be a triple death. Death by firing squad, the Death of their entire group, and the Death of their name. But there were those revolutionaires, rebels and insurgents who had no care of this, and knew they would better their cause as such. At the end of the 1st Civil War, in mid-1954, the country lay in ruins. Over 80 000 tonnes of chemical ordinance had been deployed, along with numerous experimental bio/radiological methods of stopping the other side from gaining victory. Most of this was deployed in Milkavich province - with stalemates reached at the fortified mountain passes, and any movement at a near halt in the dense rainforests, it had seemed the only option at the time. It had worked, to devestating effect, leaving empty shell cases and gas cylinders scattered across the province. With UXO of all kinds left in great quantities at all the main battle fronts, it was likely that someone would get their hands on such equipment. The same chance came in the 2nd Civil war, when the PRA guerillas were able to either overrun stockpile positions held by loyalist forces, or just left vast stashes of unused CBRNE ordinance abandoned in the rapid retreats forced upon them by the loyalists.

The market in such weapons was enourmous, and taken advantage of by the remaining rebel groups, especially with ordinance thought abandoned, not officialy existing. Whilst the biological weapons quickly degraded, and the smuggling of radiological devices was near impossible, the chemical weapons had their own huge popularity, sold instead of being stockpiled.

The PRA, or People's Revolutionary Army, were known to be constantly trying to undermine the Alfegan government. A few months ago, there had been an enourmous blast in New Alfegos, the first of the 3rd Expansion colonies. Fighting had flared up again in the Gra'Fegos of Milkavich province, the six regiments permanently stationed there taking the oppertunity to capture more and more ground. And there had been suggestions, during the Antigran civil war, that they had been in league with anti-establishment forces.

And so, a group of four insurgents lay underneath a heavy piece of tarpaulin, completely still, watching from a rooftop. One of them had a heavy target rifle of some sort, zeroed in to three-hundred metres, the street that they just had a view of. Through a gap in the rooflines, it was just possible to see the junction, the fully-suited Katonozagi and Alfegan soldiers hard at work with the device. Next to him, one of the men had given up trying to ring on his cell phone - the signal had been lost ages ago, the only small peaks of reception being too short to quick-dial. The other three men held a mix of scoped rifles, mostly antique bolt-action rifles, scopes of varying vinatge set to their targets. And now, what could be called the leader zeroed in on one of the men at the junction - an Alfegan soldier atop the Gecko covering the junction. He sat with the machinegun ready and cocked back, slowly swinging as he looked around the area. His finger loosened momentarily, as one of the two patrolling Geckos rumbled past in the street below, before regaining his composure. There was the man again, fully suited up, in the only patch of shade the street provided. He counted, slowly his breathing and heart rate down. There he was again, the two thin wires of the crosshair intersecting right over what was almost a dot - the man's head, before breathing out slightly. The crosshairs now slowly twitched around his torso, or the upper half not covered by the bulletproof glass sheets. The trigger moved to the first pressure - the decision position. If he tightened it even a tiny bit more, a cheap .303 ball round would find its mark. He thought for a moment, making tiny adjustments to his position, and then made up his mind.

There came a tiny click. Cursing slightly, he slowly opened the breech, letting the round fall out. The slightly-rusted steel casing had a small dent on the primer cap, which had failed. Reaching back to the stock, he felt for where a small bandolier was strapped on - fifteen rounds, in addition to another thirty in an unopened box in his pocket. He removed one of them, twiddling it between his fingers, scraping a small nodule from the base. It slipped into the breech without resistance, perfectly fitting. The bolt went forwards again, the handle locked down. He looked again - the gecko had moved slightly, into the shrinking shadows. It was now impossible to hit the gunner, unless he could penetrate the bullet-proof glass. He decided against it, searching for another target. One of the helmented soldiers working over by the trapped area deserved his attention - which he gave. Again, the arduous, long process of getting in position - he wanted to make it a shot which counted. He might not have a second. He nodded to the others in the group, who raised their rifles to position. There came the click of bolts coming into position, followed by slow breathing. A gust of wind caught some rubbish in the abandoned street below, it rattling past in the grooves made by motorised traffic. A couple birds circled - overhead, in the slight cooling breeze. Apart from that, it was strangely silent. Even the conversation between the soldiers on the cordon had stopped - the small roadblock at the end of the street, the cordon edge here, was strangely silent.

And then, that silence was broken. The crack of a shot echoed down the streets, reverberating back. The reverberation was not noticed, in the chaos of what happened.

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

There came a yell as a round smashed into one of the men at the cordon. It was one of the forensics team, waiting by the crate of evidence. The bullet of course was supersonic, hitting him a mere instant before the sound came to him. The sound of a fist hitting a wall, as the man rolled down into the ditch. The forensics team took cover, as the men by the IECD ducked down. The Lieutenant threw himself into the ditch by the device, thanking all that there were no mines in the ditch. The Alfegan helper, halfway through removing the grenades, used a spare foot to hook the blast shields down, so they now pinned him and the IECD to the ground. Whilst uncomfortable heavy, the Oxynitride glass was worth its weight in gold - a standard plate, of lesser thickness to Grade III polycarbonate armour, could stop an AP .50cal bullet. Expensive, but a lifesaver. In comparison, high-explosive shrapnel stood little chance of penetration.
"Nomad 3, this is November One - where is the enemy, over?"
The Lieutenant called the Sergeant, before switching to the secondary channel.
"Romeo Alpha, this is November One - November elements pinned down in area of device, over. Request immediate action."

The group of three across the road shouted across, one loosening their mask briefly.
"He's alright! The armour took it."
The Lieutenant allowed himself a brief moment of happiness, before turning to the Major.
"Major, do you have a rifle on you? My rifle is over across the road - I've just got my pistol on me. See if you see where the bugger is."
The Gecko gunner, the sole user of the vehicle at present, sat behind the polycarbonate armour, watching out. On the cordon, the company keeping control had taken cover, digging in whilst searching for the enemy.

A second shot rang out, smacking into one of the blast shields above the Katonozagi's head. Whilst deafening in impact, it hadn't even penetrated a third of the way, leaving a small crater surrounded by hairline cracks.
"Nomad 3, enemy is in the area to the north of our position, at unknown distance. Did you get any sign of them that time?"
A third shot richocheted from the side of the Katonozagi humvee. It appeared the sniper had stopped with aimed shots - he was going for a general attempt to pin them down. The Lieutenant slowly moved his hand, a feeling of foreboding crossing his mind. By his right hand, he felt something metallic. Turning his head, he realised the patch of ditch he was in, five metres down from the device, was mined.
"Everyone stay still! There are mines in the ditches!"
Everyone froze. Even the injured soldier, swearing and cursing as he tried to reduce the pain of a broken rib, stopped in fear. A cry came from the ditch across the road.
"There's a mine in here as well!"
A nightmare. Pinned down in a minefield, whilst two men tried to disarm a cylinder that could kill half the town. It was warm as well - he was sweating like a pig inside his CBRN suit, and he knew he'd have to take a break sometime. Risk the IECD going off, or risk heatstroke in another ten minutes. He made up his mind. Reaching down to a webbing pocket, he took out his two smokescreen grenades, slowly passing them to the Major.
"Everyone listen in! When the team here give us the all clear, we're getting out of this position. Two smokes are going to go down, and give us cover. When they're down, the two men with the cylinder are going to run it across to the eastern side of the street, where the Gecko is at the moment, and take cover in the shadow of the buildings. Forensics, I want you now to find yourselves a safe path out onto the tarmac, over to where the Gecko is. Major, you and I are going together to the Gecko. Everyone watch your step, but try to get there as quickly as. Once we're there, I'll get on the radio to the cordon commander."

The Lieutenant looked across at the cylinder. In the civil wars, these had been deployed by entire batallions, each man with one of them on his back. Once in position, and kitted up, it was a case of pointing them the right direction, and then either manually setting them off, or using timed detonators. Alone, a single one could be used to flush out an enemy position. At the level they were deployed, entire swathes of land were washed over by a rolling cloud of death - the so-called creeping wall of death. Sustained in a fast warfare role, if the wind was in the right direction, it was a deadly and feared tactic. Advances in chemical warfare during the 50's had been extremely rapid, and whilst the chemical stockpile in Alfegos was one of the largest in the world, its response and defence techniques to such an attack were similarly world-class. As, thus, was its bomb-disposal units.

----------

In combat-arm training, all Army personnel were trained in the use and defence of chemical weapons. It was a one-week course, whether you were enlisted or commissioned, and not one he had enjoyed. The first day had been spent as a theory course - sitting in a classroom, taking notes, and then being tested on it. He'd been fine with that. The second day was something that he hadn't been prepared for - the gas chamber. Eighty of them had been lined up at once in a cold underground bunker, behind their CBRN warfare kit, packed as was standard into a CBRN pouch. They were then told that, on the sounding of an alarm, the entire chamber would be flooded with cyanide gas.
It was the fear - as the alarm sounded, it had hit him, the feeling of two cold eggs broken in the small of his back, then running down. The absolute terror of remembering how exactly to put on all the equipment. The visibility in the chamber suddenly reduced, as someone let off a gas cylinder. He'd scrambled into action - respirator straight on, and filter locked in. His first breath was that of fire - as if his entire respiratory tract had suddenly ignited. He'd screamed then - as had most of the room, yells of terror. Some of the men, with gasmasks half on, tried desperately to escape, banging on the door to the chamber. As the panic reduced, people finally setting their masks correctly, the chamber was cleared. He had been told he was one of the few who had passed that day, and that he wouldn't have to do it again. He was also told they'd used tear gas.
And then, after that, combat exercises in the field, at different states of CBRN alert, followed by chemical attack and defence practices - albeit with the aftershave cylinders, as they were known. The end of the course had seen everyone drained - the officer cadets and army whiteshields alike.

He'd thought that'd been the end. And then, when he opted to do the CBRN specialism, his degree in biochemistry allowing him to fast-track as an upper-echelon specialist, he'd had to do it all over again. It was just him alone this time in the chamber. The cylinder sat in front of him - a special training aid filled with a mix of BZ gas and Chloropicrin. He'd know immediately if there was a gas leak, and his protection was compromised - the Chloropicrin gas would cause him to vomit immediately. And even if he was allowed to stop the exercise, afterward he'd have 18 hours of violent hallucinations. The aim of the task was simple - identify and neutralise the gas cylinder, using field equipment. Two crates of testing equipment, with which he had to estimate from chemical decay the approximate age of the device, the exact gas composition, and whether the system had been discharged. And to add to the complication, there was an anti-tilt device attached to it.
Two pain-staking hours, and he'd managed to finally neutralise the device to the point that it was safe. He'd left the chamber, and been congratulated. And then, he'd been told he would have to pass an endurance test, which he could do right there - endure 5 minutes exposure, without protection, to CS gas, then later one minute exposure to Chloropicrin, and one minute exposure to a KolKol agent.

Right now, he was facing a cylinder filled with things much worse than Chloropicrin - part of the year of training and then research he did was on the effects of chemical weapons on the human body, and how best to reduce the effects. There was diphosgene in there for a start - an odour of freshly mown grass, preceding the edema it would cause in the lungs. Drowning in one's own tissue fluid, unable to breath the sea of air that they stood in, whilst nobody could help. The gasmasks first issued in the 1950s had been unable to defend against it, stopping only the so-called "First Generation" gases. Nowadays, the advent of mass-production nanotechnology meant almost any threat could be dealt with - the filters manufactured in Alfegos would, via adapter, fit any series of gas mask in the Fegosian Union. The first stage was designed against the latest threat encountered - chemicals able to react with the activated charcoal, producing toxic gases within the gas mask. And then, after that, the standard ultra-high grade filters, massive surface areas allowing normal breathing, even in the midst of a gas cloud. The filters did need changing - the gas mask was not designed for use anytime over an hour, less if cyanide gas was used. For long-term disposal operations, the mask would fit an adapter to medical oxygen, enhanced air cylinders, or simple compressed air systems. One of his collegues was starting on the first prototypes of an integrated CBRN disposal suit, self-cooling and with integrated body armour, utilising a rebreather so that one could use a simple 1 litre oxygen bottle for three hours straight. He was still in contact, and had asked for the first batch of prototypes to be shipped out to him. They'd be interesting to try, and if better than standard CBRN kit would be the kit that all CBRN specialists would adopt. Whilst most of the CBRN defence and disposal officers were ranked as Lieutenants, many were on pay rivalling the best that chemical companies in Alfegos could offer, and were invaluable in ensuring Alfegos stayed that one step ahead of the rest of the world in their specialist field.

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

He snapped back from his reverie. This was the fifth sniper round to come down, smacking into the blast shield again. More cracks formed around the impact, as the bomb disposal units worked. He looked across to the Major.
"Major, it's your call when we move - you're in a better position than me, so to speak. Good luck."

__________________________________________________________________

OUTPOST 29

The Sergeant let the three men roll up to the starting line, the supervising staff for the training watching with interest. They had been more professional as to who they were betting on losing, a quiet word being all that was needed. Money would change hands - after all, gambling was one of the few forms of amusement that they could indulge in. A helicopter cut overhead, as the Sergeant shouted across to the men.
"Right you three - let's see you do this nice and easy. Your national and personal pride rests on this race, etcetera, etcetera. Try your best, and try not to roll the Geckos - they cost money! The supervising staff will be keeping times, and of course, we all know the fastest times will be rewarded with the Sergeant's bonus points! Three... Two... One... GO!"
It was a quick start - dirt flew in the air as the vehicles shot off the line. The Sergeant stood back, watching them shoot around the course, letting Xha'jo give a shouted commentary. He now turned his attention to the matter that had been bothering him - Ti'ua had one of those looks about him. He had stopped with his whittling, a half-formed shape cut into the wood, and was looking about with an intent stare. Ti'ua was always put as scout for a good reason - he knew when something was about to happen, well before anyone else did. He didn't know how he did it, but didn't care.

"What's going on mate?" He spoke quietly and softly, following his gaze. In the distance, there was a muffled explosion, many kilometres away. Ti'ua was watching a patch of woodland, on the far side of the clearing, his gaze fixed on a patch of trees.
"Three men, wearing US Woodland camouflage, about fifteen metres into the treeline. They're armed, and they don't know we're watching them."
"How the hell do you know that?"
"See the shadow over there?"
The Sergeant looked. He grabbed his pair of binoculars, staring at the patch indicated. Just as he was about to dismiss it, he saw... the shadow was wrong. And then he saw everything. He looked again for a few moments.
"AF series would you say, Ti'ua?"
"Possibly. You never know. They're waiting for something though. I don't think they're going to... there we go."
The Sergeant looked again. The shadow was normal again.
"They've gone. Either a scout party, a bomb team, or they just spooked."
"Yes Ti'ua. Keep an eye out with Rhe'sa will you? We'll carry on, just in case they're still watching - if they don't know we know they're there, it might be useful."

He walked across to the radio, switching to the local frequency.
"Operator, this is Goshawk Alpha One. Requesting priority patch to area command, over."
"Go ahead Goshawk Alpha One, out."
"Goshawk Alpha One, this is Zero Two Niner - go ahead with message, over."
"Zero Two Niner, three unidentified units spotted at old explosives area - units are armed, and currently acting non-hostile. Request orders, over."
"Goshawk Alpha One, RRF unit Yankee Alpha One and Yankee Alpha Two are inbound to your position. Do not engage unless engaged first, over."
"Zero Two Niner, understood. Request RRF to make FRV five zero metres south of area entrance, to avoid spooking the enemy, over."
"Understood. Out."

The Sergeant in the time had completely forgotten the race. The vehicles sat lined up at where they had finished. He walked over, for now not worried about the results.
"Tell me the results in a minute lads. The pressing news is that there may be enemy in the area - Ti'ua has spotted three possible hostiles, having a little nose at what we're doing here. Don't look now, but they're over to the north-west of our position, in the trees. Now, what we're going to do is to stay completely unaware of their presence - the Mokan can go down with Xha'jo, and do the circuit. Ti'ua is current on the Gecko system, so is staying up here to give us a heads-up should they show themselves ag... yep, he's seen them again."
Ti'ua had sat up again, watching another patch of forest closely, slowly reaching for his rifle. Idly, as if playing with it, he adjusted the scope, fixing the distance setting perfectly.
"So, here's what I want the rest of you to do. Rhe'sa, go with our Monavian friend on the spare gecko, and sit over by the patch of trees Ti'ua is. The two Zaheranians, I want you to go across to the edge of the bowl-shaped area, and find some cover you can spring into, should it be necessary. I'll give the order when we need to make ourselves scare into cover.
We'll have the RRF element arriving within a couple minutes. When I meet them, the Monavian will be temporary IC, and the Mokan temporary 2IC. If we're contacted whilst I'm away, stay put in the best cover you can find, and return fire. Hopefully, we can work out some attack plan."

The two supervising corporals looked across to him, slightly discontent with the situation. They were auxilliaries, not used to mass-fighting.
"You two Corporals, you're attached to the Zaheranians here. Follow them, do what they do, keep them in check if you have to. Until then, you can supervise the two men who need to get qualified on the Gecko platform."

He turned away, walking down to where the RRF would be arriving. Just before he left, he looked back.
"Oh, and who won that race?"

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

A few minutes later, he sat down the road, where two LY219 IFVs had pulled up, forming a defensive chevron. The autocannons sat idle for now, as the two sections mounted on them looked in on the Lieutenant accompanying the group.
"Sergeant, I want your men to stay fixed in the area for now, and give me regular status updates. Section One, you'll stay here with me, as the reserve force. Section Two, you'll be sweeping through the forest in extended line, searching for the enemy. Hopefully, this will either prompt the potential hostiles into giving away their position, or forcing them into open ground. You will sweep around the edge of the clearing, then come back down this way. If the enemy is not located, we'll perform a second sweep of the area, and call in air support to sweep the zone."
Behind him, one of his platoon sat with a small shoulder-launcher unfolded. On the far end, a small UAV sat ready to be launched. A laptop had been set up in the back of one of the IFVs, where the other one of the UAV team sat checking the cameras. Seconds later, it was in the air, slowly and silently gliding above the forest. An infa-red image came back on the screen, three bright figures moving through the forest picked up on the camera. The image switched to enhanced visual, briefly showing a flash of US Woodland camouflage amongst the dense foliage.
"All Hurgat National militiamen are required to wear desert ALFDPM disruptive camouflage. All our units wear ALFDC Digital camouflage. Thus, they are either a foreign unit, or hostiles.

Right, you have five minutes to get final kit prepared, before moving out. Understood?"

The sergeant slowly walked back to the clearing, a tin of 1000 6.65mm rounds in his hand, and his rifle slung across his back. Grabbing out the 100-round packs, he quickly distributed one extra to each man there - for they already had a good 400 rounds each - giving the extra 200 rounds to the gunner for use in magazine feed mode. It was like giving rather heavy candy out. He smiled, before sitting with Ti'ua. Below, the other two quickly went about completing the course.
"So, they reckon they're foreign or enemy. Either way, hostiles."
"They're definately hostile. They're using flower formation to perform close-target reconaissance of our position - moving back to an FRV somewhere back behind the trees."
"There's no other enemies been picked up on yet. Do reckon there might be some at the FRV?"
"No. This is a light party - it'd be difficult moving a larger group than four people around, especially here. Right then - I believe we're giving fire support to any attack they make."

-----------

It was perfect timing as the two other men finished their run. The three Geckos sat parked together, whilst the two groups sat in conversation, all the time looking out. The radio crackled into life.
"All units, contact, wait out."
Ti'ua was already diving for cover behind a log when the first shot was fired. A solitary round cut across the clearing, missing anything and burying itself in the ground. Within seconds, the response was there - the Sergeant and Ti'ua were the first to fire. The Sergeant followed the new training of disciplined fire, implemented in guard regiments - single shots on semi-automatic, with spacings of three seconds for aiming. Ti'ua however betrayed his training as being from a light-infantry regiment - as he dived, a loud rip of five shots in the general area of the enemy, followed by two-shot bursts on automatic. The rest of the section got into position, firing at the vague area the shot had come from, the North-west of the clearing, before shouting.
"Section, get ready to move forwards to assault!"
Ti'ua drew his knife again, smiling, holding it between his teeth.
"MOVE!"

[Zaheran]

Schiller felt a small tingle of nervousness as he strapped himself into the Gecko. He had had vehicle training during his time in the Zaheranian army, but an old APC from the communist era was not the same as an ultra-light Alfegan dune buggy, and he did not want to roll the vehicle in front of the entire section. He took a deep breath and switched into 1st Gear, silently praying that the engine would not stall as he revved it. He must have done something right, because the next moment the car shot away like an arrow, leaping down the slope onto the course. He nearly bit off his tongue as it hit the ground. A red cone flashed by his eyes, but he barely noticed it, for the next moment the Gecko hit a bump in the road and nearly rolled.

He could feel a small trickle of blood running down his head from where he had hit it, but he ignored it, as well as the dull pain which accompanied it. Adrenaline was pumping into his bloodstream and he could hear his heart beating loudly in his chest. The Gecko roared through the water pools, throwing up a cascade of tiny droplets which glittered in the sun. He had lost all sense of time and distance, all that existed was he, the vehicle and the narrow course ahead of him. As in hypnosis, he navigated through the slalom section with great precision, only twice scratching the posts. He nearly off the course on the last turn, but a hasty turn of the wheel saved him and sent the Gecko skidding along the final stretch. He increased the speed to the maximum he could handle, and with a engine roaring from exertion he hit the final slope, praying to whatever gods which might be listening that the engine would not give up in the middle of the slope. It did not, and with a relieved smile he rolled over the top and killed the engine.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and stumbled out of the vehicle on unsteady legs. Another Gecko was already there, he saw when his vision cleared. Corporal Pavlov's, he guessed. He was proven right a second later when the third Gecko crawled over the top of the slope and came to a stop and a very shaken Private Sterben climbed out. Schiller helped him sit down. It was first then he noticed the silence. Sergeant Le'ada was talking over the radio, looking slightly concerned. He said nothing to his younger comrade, who sat with closed eyes and breathed slowly, mentally and physically exhausted after the tumultuous race, but rised to his feet and went to collect both his own and his friend's weapon from where they had left them. He knew that a experienced solder like Le'ada would not be concerned unless there was some real danger.

His guess was confirmed a moment later when the Sergeant walked over and explained the situation. Schiller nodded solemnly as he listened. The situation was indeed worrying. If the unidentified observers proved to be hostile and there were more of them around, the section could get into some trouble, especially since they lacked armoured vehicles and any heavier weapons than the light machine gun he was carrying. He and Sterben exchanged a quick glance, grabbed their weapons and began to make their way towards their appointed position, waving to the two corporals to follow them. They stayed low to not present themselves as easy targets in case there were enemy snipers out there. They quickly reached their position and found a low bush which presented decent cover. Schiller set up the machine gun and lay down in the grass with his finger resting on the trigger, ready to mow down anyone who came sprinting out of the forest.

But nothing happened, and a few minutes later, two lumbering LY219 IFV's arrived, signalling that the immediate danger was over for now. Le'ada went around distributing more ammunition. Schiller stuffed the extra rounds in his combat webbing without taking his eyes from the forest. They had agreed that he would be the first to hold watch. Sterben was sitting further back with his rifle resting in his lap, idly talking to the two corporals, who obviously were unused to combat operations. For a while, nothing happened. Then a shot rang out over the clearing, quickly followed by more as the FURFF soldiers returned fire. Schiller quickly localised the direction of the gunfire, somewhere to the northwest. He opened fire in short, controlled bursts, feeling a vibration going through his body in time to the rhytmic pounding of the machine gun. Somewhere to the side of him, Sterben sprinted forwards from cover to cover. The younger man held his fire, prefering to save his ammunition until he got sight of the enemy.

[Katonazag]

Tekanav, Hurgat

The gunshot shattered the relative peace. Men scattered for cover wherever they could find it, what little was available.

"Nomad 3, this is November One - where is the enemy, over?"

Sgt. Kemény touched the throat mic, "It came from the north or north-east, about 250 to 300 yards, the echo makes it tough to pinpoint. Could be a window but at that distance and angle, we're likely looking at a rooftop sniper. Heavy weapons, watch your roof edges!"

Back on the ground, Major Vegyész was relieved to find out the positive status of the wounded Alfegan.

Lt. Hyru grabbed the Major's attention,

"Major, do you have a rifle on you? My rifle is over across the road - I've just got my pistol on me. See if you see where the bugger is."

Major Vegyész looked, but didn't see the rifle in question. It had probably got knocked over or had been accidentally kicked aside in the scramble for cover. He had a faster alternative in the interim. Turning back to the chemical specialist on the heavy machine gun, he yelled, "Toss me Sgt. Kemény's rifle!"

The second shot rang out, and the Major didn't have to tell the specialist twice to go below, and into the relative safety of the humvee's light armor to complete his task. The shot slammed into the protective armor around the IECD, causing Cpl. Adorján to take a momentary pause to recollect himself before continuing to defuse his hand grenade. Looking over at his counterpart from Alfegos, it appeared that he had done the same out of caution, proving that the technical field was not all that different world-wide.

"Nomad 3, enemy is in the area to the north of our position, at unknown distance. Did you get any sign of them that time?"

Up on the roof, Sgt. Kemény peered through the scope at his prey. "Copy that, November 1. Northward up the street, east side of the street, at least two Tango contacts hiding under a tarp, 265 yards from my position. Heavy weapons, hold your fire until I..." He was interrupted by the bang and ricochet off the humvee, right as the chemical specialist was coming out which caused him to duck back in again. "... Take my shot, then lay down covering fire on their position!" Steadying his hands, he fired the anti-material rifle at the insurgent as he popped back up for another shot. The .416 Barrett round hit something flesh, because it sent a spray of blood and something tore a hole in the tarp on it's way out. The chemical specialist heaved the heavy-configuration M1/MX onto the street below before grabbing the controls of the M-2 type mounted weapon. They were tough weapons by design (as long as you cleaned them later), so he wasn't worried about causing damage or malfunctions.

Fire erupted from the heavy machine guns and automatic grenade launcher mounted on the vehicles below. The two Geckos that had been out of range had moved into position when Sgt. Kemény called out the position. The wall below them turned into dust and fire as their reply eroded the section of the building.

Major Vegyész took the smoke from Lt. Hyru, and exchanged them for Sgt. Kemény's rifle. It had a full 20 round magazine and another mag in a pouch on the stock carrying .416 Heavy, a round in a similar class as the same .303 that had been raining on them. But this rifle could go full auto, if desired. It too had a scope, albeit a low power but loaded with several high tech functions. As an afterthought, the Major was unsure of whether he had just handed the Lieutenant something classified or not. Hopefully not, but he was sure he could be forgiven given the circumstances.

Lt. Hyru hatched the plot.

"Everyone listen in! When the team here give us the all clear, we're getting out of this position. Two smokes are going to go down, and give us cover. When they're down, the two men with the cylinder are going to run it across to the eastern side of the street, where the Gecko is at the moment, and take cover in the shadow of the buildings. Forensics, I want you now to find yourselves a safe path out onto the tarmac, over to where the Gecko is. Major, you and I are going together to the Gecko. Everyone watch your step, but try to get there as quickly as. Once we're there, I'll get on the radio to the cordon commander."

After a few more moments of supressing fire, Sgt. Kemény gave the order to cease-fire. And then, there was quiet. Major Vegyész popped one smoke and then the other northward out onto the street. The other chemical specialist at the wheel of the humvee pulled up to where the chemical tank was to be delivered, and hopped out to open the back and the special container for the incoming cargo. Cpl. Adorján and the other EOD tech carefully hefted the cylinder into the container, and the chemical specialist locked it. The three mounted up, ready to roll. Likewise, the Major and Lt. Hyru high-tailed it to the Gecko the junior officer had indicated.

[Alfegos]

Tekanav

The Lieutenant waited, watching as fire went down. It was loud, but it was reassuring - he always knew they were doing well when enough firepower was going down to deafen him. Pulling a finger from his ear, he moved to take aim with the rifle he had been given - it was simple enough to cock and aim. He knew where the enemy were, slowly aiming towards where the fire was coming from. A small gap in the buildings, where he took aim. He started firing, one at a time, shot after shot, aimed precisely at where the fire was coming down, just as the smoke grenades rolled across. They had suceeded in this first stage - it was now to getting out. He let another shot loose, and watched as a body rolled from the rooftop - a clean shot. He hadn't time to ponder the fate of the man - he was slowly sliding himself to the clear patch, away from the mines. Using the back of the hand, he slowly brushed the ground, until he was where the Major had been. The smoke was thick now, the mine tape only just visible on the ground. A single shot richocheted blindly through the smoke, as the machineguns returned fire, as he pulled himself to his feet and began sprinting.
The Lieutenant dived into the front seat of the Gecko, next to where the Major was sitting, slamming the sheet of polycarbonate and vehicle door back over the side of the vehicle. On the roof, the gunner let rip another burst, whilst two men sat on hastily-strapped down crates. He counted the men - all were there. The injured Alfegan had been loaded into the humvee, along with the chemical device.
"Major, we're going to need Krommidey off the roof - we'll be evacuating the area now."
He ripped his gas mask off, sweat pouring from the mask interior, taking in a deep breath of dry air, before pouring his water bottle over his head. They were still in cover out of the way of any enemy fire, just behind the building, waiting for the Sergeant to return. He saw a figure flicker through the smokescreen, diving into the humvee.
"All November Units, return to FRV ASAP, for immediate travel to FOB, over."
"Romeo Alpha, this is November One - all November assets are evacuating area with chemical device. Engineers will be moving in once enemy is neutralised to clear mines."
A single rifle round smacked into the polycarbonate by the Lieutenant's head, caught perfectly. The blast shields had been left in place, by the tarpaulin, along with the tattered warning markers and mine tape. The smoke was slowly spreading, the dull grey-white cloud drifting around them. The Lieutenant put the vehicle into gear, before slamming his foot on the accelerator, roaring down the street to the cordon HQ.

"That was a close one there sir. We're going to have to talk to extent at the debrief after this."
The two geckos were already waiting, flanking the humvee as the unit moved on to the FOB. A priority call had already been sent ahead to prepare for the decontamination of the cylinder, whilst the Lieutenant allowed the wind fo their fast travel to cool them down. Back behind them, the firefight intensified as the cordon closed in on the snipers, a muffled hand grenade blast ending the cacophony of firepower. The machineguns would need cleaning after a volley of undisciplined covering fire, and the vehicles would need armour sheetings replaced. And yet, the Lieutenant knew they had been very lucky - the man hit had had it stopped by his body armour. Anywhere else, and he would've been much more seriously wounded.

He was soon back at the FOB, where he turned to the Major.
"Major, get the team you left here to start immediately on work with the IECD. The rest of your team, give them a 20 minute breather, before re-convening at the Alfegan CBRN HQ unit. You can start on your team's debrief during the breather - I'll get all the necessary repairs organised."
The wounded Alfegan had broken a couple ribs from the rifle round hitting him in the chest. He was met by a pair of medics, who helped him over to the small field hospital at the FOB, whilst the chemical weapon cabinet was moved carefully to the decontamination centre. The Lieutenant turned as he left the vehicle, the team on break carrying the equipment and evidence crates away - his rifle sat on the seat, unattended. Picking it up, he passed the other rifle to the Katonozagi Major.
"Nice weapon there - I wouldn't mind sitting a few familiarisation sessions with it."

[Katonazag]

Tekanav, Hurgat

Sgt. Kemény kept an eye on the roof area, where the insurgents were either dead, dying, or soon to be one of the two in short order. His attention was primarily focused, however, on the rest of the area. Afterall, the snipers could be a diversion, and he'd seen and participated in similar scenarios before.

The smoke from the ground below slowly encroached on his fields of vision, thereby beginning to limit his usefulness at his current position. He picked up the rifle, folded the bipod, slung the rifle across his back, and reattached himself to his rope. Just then, his ear piece came on with the voice that was beginning to bore him:

"Nomad 3, Nomad 1 actual. Need you to be 10-5 to the convoy, over."

He was already over the side of the building and into the hazy concealment of the smoke by the time the transmission finished. He could hear the engines running, and could pick out the approximate position of the humvee, it's multi-fuel diesel engine emitting a lower and throatier sound than the lighter Geckos around it. As he approached, the dust and smoke-covered tan shape of the humvee materialized in the pyrotechnic fog. The door swung open to let him in, and he mounted up. Patting the chemical specialist at the heavy machinegun on the leg he inquired, "You alright up there for a few minutes?" Before he could answer, the humvee went into gear and the engine increased in pitch and volume, and the four-wheeled beast began lumbering forward.

*************************************************************************************

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat

The First Sergeant had the decontamination shelter ready to go live for when the convoy returned, and a team suited up and prepared to immediately receive it. And right on the ETA, they entered the gate after passing through the checkpoint. The humvee broke away from the Geckos and made it's way over. When he stopped, everyone except the driver, Cpl. Adorján, and the EOD tech from Alfegos dismounted, peeling off more layers of gear. The driver then threw the transmission into reverse, turned on the rear backing lights, and began his descent down the ramp to the shelter. At the First Sergeant's hand signal, he stopped at the bottom, and the senior NCO opened up the back gate of the humvee. The two EOD techs began pushing the HAZMAT container out, and two of the suited members of the team helped pull it from the vehicle. They disappeared with it into the relative dark of the shelter, closing the doors behind them, the light on the door turning red.

After letting Lt. Hyru know that he would be happy to let him have a go at the M1/MX system, Major Vegyész turned to the rest of the group, called, and motioned, "Nomad patrol, on me." Once the four had gathered, he continued. "Good job out there today. Dangerous situation, but with skill and luck, we made it happen. We're going to have a more detailed debrief later, but I want to go ahead and get anything you have to say. It looks like the threat in the area is a real pro, probably military trained and possibly equipped."

Cpl. Adorján spoke up. "Sir, they've got some combination of manpower, time, and either forced complicity or cooperation from the local population. Placing the devices the way we saw today would require at least two if not all three of those. And with your permission, I'd like to order a few more 'power tools' for delivery. I have the feeling we haven't seen the worst of it yet, and I want to have all the advantages I can."

"See the First Sergeant for the form, fill it out, and I'll approve it. The helio is back, so they can make the run for it when it comes in. Anyone else?"

"Really could have used close air support today," said Sgt. Kemény. "We did ok without it, but that was luck - all luck. And maybe a lack of skill on the Tango sniper's part. I'm going to order some SIGINT equipment, but it's going to be ISOC hardware so I'll take care of the paperwork and it's going to have to be delivered directly here and into my hands due to it's sensitive nature."

"Very well then," replied Major Vegyész. "You two got anything?"

One of the chemical specialists said, "If that cylinder had gotten hit, it would have been bad news for all of us, suits or no. We have to get the sniper situation under control or we could all end up lumps of acrid dead meat."

The wheels in Sgt. Kemény's head started turning. He thought that he might have a solution for all three problems. It would all depend on what ISOC's answer was.

[Alfegos]

FOB Tekanav - Alfegos CBRN HQ

The laboratory was relatively busy, as the forensics teams stationed there worked industriously on the samples collected, the team leader discussing with his team the various implications of the information. A whiteboard had been hung up at the end of the workspace, covered in photographs and complicated flow diagrams. Just around to the side was the Lieutenant's office, also his accomodation for the time here. It was here the debrief was to take place. Inside, crates and folders had been stacked up to clear space, whilst a whiteboard had been installed. A fold-out projector sat on the table, next to the Lieutenant's computer, broadcasting white light for now. His field bed had been tidied away, along with his rucksack and equipment, giving the area more an impression of an office rather than a disorganised bedroom. Once the Katonozagi team had finished their breather, they entered along with the Alfegan team. The injured man was still out of action, ribs being tended to, his buddy taking notes for him. The air conditioning unit hummed quietly, providing some cooling to the interior, as well as removing dust from the air. He proferred a field chair to the Major, before he began speaking.
"Very well done on your work today, all of you. Need I remind you that our superior skill as a team was complimented today by a very healthy serving of luck - the worst we had was Private Hui'ko, who I am told broke two ribs. Other than that, I have the maintenance teams seeing to our vehicles, and they should be able to sort out the damage soon enough. Major, they don't have parts for humvees here, so they'll be using applique armour sets from the U-LSV troop van to fix the damage. Apart from that, we should be sorted within the next three hours, maintenance-wise.

However, we need now to push onto the serious matters of the lessons learnt today. Upon clearing the area, engineers found four sniper units, all KIA'd, on a rooftop a couple hundred metres from our position. All armed rather tackily, fortunately. However, what they failed to do with the sniper fire, they also made up with with the mines - the engineers found sixteen anti-personnel mines planted in the area. The ability of them to set up such a large-scale trap has led to talks with JMHQ back in Alfegos, about the implications of these tactics, concluding the enemy to either be foreign, or an advanced domestic insurgent group. Preliminary evidence suggests the later, as shown in the following slides."

He tapped on the computer. An image came up on the whiteboard display - an excavated land mine. He pointed to a small white mark, just visible on the edge of the image.
"That white mark may not seem significant. But if I enlarge it, you should be able to see it more clearly."
The next slide was from a different angle, and zoomed in. The mark was clearly distinct now - a crossed machete and hammer, in the centre of a star. To the bottom right, the palm tree of the Alfegan flag was also visible. On the side of the screen, a logo outline in black had been pulled up. A couple of the Alfegans in the audience shuddered.

"That logo is the insignia of the People's Revoluntionary Army - their way of marking their property, normally to let us know it's them. They do the same with their explosives, and with equipment they have to abandon. We aren't sure yet if this was either picked up from an existing minefield, or whether the PRA deployed this. But that suggests Alfegos domestic involvement. However, if we combine it with the tactic they used today, it means that PRA involvement is extremely likely. As a result, there will be an officer's briefing sometime this evening, where the full PRA reaction brief will be given.

I have already been informed that more resources will be mobilised our way - many, many more. The choice is whether that is in the form of extra air support, or in the form of ground personnel re-enforcements. The air support I believe will be an Air Fleet asset of some sort - possibly an Aerodropcraft, definately a couple more helicopters. The ground personnel will likely be in the order of two more platoons of men, and a mechanised attachment. We will all be getting prototype HAZMAT-2 Combat suits to afford us better protection in the field, and additional ammunition and armaments - it is just that choice I have to submit in the next couple hours.

Now you are all aware of the situation, I would like to ask you all to raise any points with me, if you have any queries, and for the Major to decide which would be best option for re-enforcement of our CBRNE warfare unit."

[Katonazag]

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat
Alfegos CBRN HQ

"The appliqué armor will be just fine," said Major Vegyész. "The damage wasn't very deep, so unless it sustains worse later, we'll probably wait until it gets back stateside to replace the armor. Now as far as involvement from the PRA, that would make sense. A well-maintained chemical container with a booby-trapped simple trigger and lots of well placed mines, guarded by a shoddily equipped ragtag ambush that fits indigenous insurgent MO. I think you're right, we're looking at outside professionals assisting the local amateurs. In light of this, my lead EOD technician has requested and I have ordered extra detection and imaging equipment, as well as some custom tools."

Sergeant First Class Kemény took over the conversation. "I have sent my intelligence report back to ISOC, along with requests of my own. Among the equipment is a piece of hardware you'll be quite familiar with: the Jade Mesolite. This will give us our own miniature BMS, in addition to plugging us in to SATCOM and ISOC analysis in real-time. The system is in it's operational test phase, and they would like to test it in this theater as well. This will enable the BMS uplink on the Huey, and make use of precision-guided munitions a possibility. Speaking of which, I have ordered an advanced trailer mounted 120mm EFSS mortar system. Provided the Jade does it's job, you'll get to see the real power of BMS in action when it utilizes the EFSS. A classified portable signals listening post will be added to our inventory - it's small and light enough that one man can carry it, and two men can carry it efficiently. Not too dissimilar in weight to those chemical cylinders we've been dealing with. And finally, they're sending us two HCSKAF Sky Raiders to assist with the situation and to analyze the operational test of the Jade Mesolite. A captain and a technical sergeant, so I'm told."

"Let me know when the officer's briefing is so that I can plan to be there," added Major Vegyész. "I'm not sure about how the Fegosian rank structure dynamic works with warrant officers. Do you want the Huey pilot at the meeting as well?"

[Alfegos]

(OOC Note - I've put the rank structure for the Alfegos military forces on rapidshare, here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yytzllltmgm
FURRF ranks are the same as the US military ranks until further notice, just for the sake of simplicity.)

"If your warrant officer got his warrant from the right officials, I believe he is priviledged to join us, if he so wishes to - the list is too convoluted to know which warrants give that priviledge. The meeting will be at..."

The Lieutenant checked his watch, then a sheath of papers. He finally found the piece he was looking for.

"Meeting commences at 1800 hours, prompt. If you wish to bring in a mesolite and ground control units for said mesolite, I would reccommend you prepare a report for the Station Commander, so that he can prepare space and facilities for the units. I'll also check what assets we can bring in on this operation - it is likely that we will be working as part of a brigade-scale operation to clear the area of PRA units, and possibly be put on the knife edge in any surgical anti-CBRN warfare strikes. As you are aware, equipment in Alfegos is... stretched thin, due to the numerous operations it is being used in - Milkavich, working in Nova, overseas in colonies such as these. Any help you can bring in will be appreciated, and it is likely that your mesolite unit will see quite a bit of action.

The time now is..."

He checked his watch again.
"Surprisingly enough, it is now only 1130 hours. That gives you six and a half hours preparation. Since our unit needs to stay back for briefing purposes, for the meeting this evening, all of you are now on rest - those of you not working on equipment or the cylinder situtation will have that six and a half hours off duty. Sleep, chill, mong, whatever you want. I'd recommend those of you who wish to try out the local facilities of FOB Tekanav go around the back of Accommodation Section Echo - there's an area of land they normally use to store crates, but which they've converted to a recreation area. There's a TV room, some internet terminals, and what they could assemble as a gym.

If we get attacked during this period, standard drill - over here to the wall positions. If you need me, or I need you, I'll be here for the duration. We shouldn't be needed, but if there's a huge CBRNE incident in Tekanav, don't be surprised if you get called in.

Again, as I said, I need that report from you if you intend on bringing in extra personnel, especially mesolite equipment.

Just as a final note. If you have any questions, address them to me as you leave. As we all can conclude, there are professionals in the area - proper soldier killers. The PRA are sneaky bastards, the masters of asymmetric warfare. Most of their fighting has been in the past in rainforest, and in the city of Milkavich. They are experts in catching you out when you least expect it, so I want you all to be careful as you can if you have to poke your head above the parapet, or if you leave this FOB. If you see any equipment, and nobody recognises it, don't touch it. If anyone approaches you, tell them to stop. If they don't stop, you know the drill.
Before I was posted here, I worked in Milkavich, decommissioning CBRNE weaponry left over from the civil war in Alfegos - and that is one experience I would reccommend all of you who want to specialise in CBRNE warfare to try and partake in. There are storage yards of these portable cylinders, with thousands of them waiting to be taken out of service. And, when you try get them from the forest areas just captured by the army, you'll find all sorts of traps. The PRA, as you know, are responsible for almost all military casualties in the Gra'fegos campaign, and they do their job very well. I had a collegue who was helping me stabilise a cylinder for transport - a cylinder of dud gas. The PRA lot had welded nails all around it, to try and make it as difficult as possible for us to try and handle it. In the forests, cylinders rust very quickly, so the nails were all lovely and rusty - which is why we have our jabs.
Anyhow, my mate and I managed to scratch ourselves on the nails - nothing, you'd think. Fourty-eight hours later, I definately knew that was not nothing - the bastards had coated the nails in something - the brain tissue of a dead body. And that, my good men, is the story as to how I got Langley's Syndrome, and why I can't feel anything in my right leg. My collegue was less fortunate - he wasn't as responsive to the chemotherapy.

You see, Langley's Syndrome is a viral disease, which attacks the nervous system. It starts off with the receptors in the sensory neurone system, spread by contact with infected matter, and once it reaches a critical level attacks the spinal cord and brain. The first symptoms you get are from where it attacks the receptors - indescribable pain. Imagine the sensation of having a limb set on fire, plunged into an ice bath, being ripped apart by a thousand tiny knives, and crushed by a car, all at the same time. And that's the best part - when the pain stops, you know it's spreading through the rest of the body.
Now, whilst it is an extremely rare disease, confined to Alfegos, infections such as dysentry, HIV, hepatitis, cholera, anthrax and the plague are not so rare. But they all share one thing in common - they can kill you, and can be spread in a single cut.

I'm not saying for you all to go to the medical office and ask to be injected up to the eyeballs with every vaccine they have, or to worry about everything you touch. I just want to highlight how sneaky the PRA can be. When they set off a bomb in New Alfegos, they managed to set it off inside one of the most secure buildings in the island. And how? They shoved the bomb up through a toilet. Gave the bloke on the bog quite a nasty surprise - at least not a problem if he shat himself!
Take care of yourself. Major, I know all your lads have their heads mostly screwed on - just make sure your wannabe hero stays inside the walls. I heard about that little escapade this morning - just make sure you don't try that again. The snipers we've been having up until recently were all amateurs. If one of the professionals tries a bit of target practice, he won't miss. And all it takes is one shot.

So then, dismissed unless you have any further questions."

[Katonazag]

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat
Alfegos CBRN HQ

"Yes, I believe that for the purposes of what the Fegosian Union considers to be an officer, Warrant Officer Domonkos fits the description. He's of higher rank than any HCSK enlisted man, but even a chief warrant officer is below an O-1." Major Vegyész added with a laugh, "But that 2nd lieutenant would be a fool not to heed the technical expertise and experience of a chief warrant officer! But yes, myself and WO Domonkos will be there for the 1800 meeting, ready to hear the brief. Sgt. Kemény will have his report in to you before then, so if there's any problems we can discuss them after the meeting." With that, he bid the Lieutenant a good afternoon, and went to go check on the deactivation of their latest captured device.

Sgt. Kemény was the last one out. "L-T, do you have any reading material on the PRA? Sounds like this mission might not be the milk-run that ISOC was originally thinking. That, and I'll need to get the Sky Raiders up to speed when they get here. They're a bit different from me, the only real similarity is that they're also a special forces combat element. Aside from being flyboys themselves, they have all kinds of signals, cyber warfare, satellite, and all manner of electronic hocus-pocus. Us Huns are geared more towards the fight on the ground, infiltration, human int, guerrilla warfare, security of top classified resources. You can think of it as, we're more muscle, they're more brains - but we all have both or we wouldn't have made it through and been awarded the designations by ISOC. Anyways, do you personally have any questions about the stuff I'm trying to bring in? Otherwise, I'll go get to that report."

Major Vegyész strode through the burning sun and sand over to the decontamination shelter. The First Sergeant was in the shade at the bottom of the ramp, guarding the door as well as listening to see if the intercom came on with any requests. "Good so far, Major," the senior enlisted man said with a thumbs-up.

He then went into the above ground container with the readout equipment for the shelter. Specialist Gellért, one of the lab specialists and the designated medic for the team, was looking at the laptop screen, watching the numbers and acronyms scroll past. Gellért got to his feet when the Major came in. "Heard about the rough morning, sir. Would have been really bad if that tank had got ruptured. Look what we found inside." The Specialist tore off a printout and handed it to the Major.

"How did they get their hands on that stuff?" asked Major Vegyész, suddenly realizing how rhetorical his question was, especially in light of the debrief they just had.

[Alfegos]

FOB Tekanav

"Sergeant, since you show such a keen interest, I will see what I can find for you right now, in terms of literature."
He moved over to the oldest piece of furniture in the room - a wooden travelling chest, carved out of a heavy wood of some sort, turning the key sat in the heavy lock, before opening it. Inside, it was lined with a soft fabric, and filled with a mix of documents, books and clothing. A small box sat within, holding the dress uniform that he would never want to see in his rucksack, which he looked over as he searched. He finally found what he was looking for, pulling out two objects - a cheap, thin paper pamphlet, and a much thicker paperback book.

"I am, as you are aware, an academic man. Whilst the internet provides many answers, I find that books provide me with many more, especially since I have read them all. Most of the books I have on me are relevant to my professional field - that being CBRNE warfare. I mainly have my experience in Chemical and Biological warfare - at the moment, I am still working towards a PhD in Biochemistry. It might persuade the army to up my rank a bit, considering they give me the pay of a Colonel... but I shouldn't have told you that, should I?

Anyhow, the pamphlet should be relevant. It's a whiteshield briefing, which they gave out before they realised that some of the whiteshields were illiterate, when I was stationed in Milkavich. And, the other one's a nice thick tome for you, on the Tactics used by the PRA, and how to counter them. There's a few useful snippets in there, which you should find useful. And, similarly, here's another book you might find interesting."

He reached into the chest again, pulling out another thick book.
"That is a copy of Diseases of Alfegos, which you will find fascinating. Just make sure you don't read it any time near a meal, and if you're easily impressed upon - the photographs in there are not very pleasant at all. Give all of those books back to me when you've finished - but feel free to take notes from them."

He let the sergeant leave, before sitting down at his desk again, turning off the projector. The door to his area slammed shut, allowing him to put his face in his hands. He hated the PRA with a passion - he had seen them do things that had scarred him for life. And he knew that he would disobey the orders given to him - he would not give PRA prisoners the decent treatment they were required. No, they would be lucky if they died - for they were not human in his eyes. He hoped that the Katonozagi Major would do the decent thing of taking control of the situation - he had such a hatred of the PRA, that he would lose the neutrality that his position as an officer required. Pulling himself back together, he stood up, deciding to check on the Katonozagi decomissioning effort.

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

He was slightly impressed with the readout he saw from the chemical analysis.
"They are bastards aren't they? I see you picked up that signature."
He pointed at the sections of the mass spectrometer readout in question, distinct peaks at the various frequencies. He took out a notebook, scribbling down the mix results, before coming to a conclusion.
"As I said before, Chloropicrin, Diphosgene and Cyanide - the stuff I expected. It appears to have decayed very little - which allows us to conclude the age of the cylinder is not great - quite a new one in fact. And, finally..."
He looked at the video feed from the decontamination chamber.
"That signature is, as you correctly concluded, Marker 4, used to indicate whether a biological weapon in the Alfegan arsenal has been released. I doubt that the agent is inside the cylinder, but rather was picked up due to its presence in the working parts. And I see that you've already concluded that as well... I am impressed. As you haven't come prepared with a field bio-weapon lab, I think this should suffice."

He reached into the CBRN pouch on his rucksack, pulling out a tool roll. Inside, he had kept tens of different identification sticks, all in their sealed packages. He moved along, selecting three from the end of the roll. He took the seperate ID markers from their packets, before passing them over to the Katonozagis.
"I have a hunch that there's nothing infectious on the mechanism, but that the cylinder was exposed to a biological weapon during the 2nd civil war. Those strips should tell us straight away if it's any of the really nasty biological agents."

He watched as they were taken down, pushed through the airlock into the chamber interior. The man walked across to the cylinder, daubing the four test sections of each strip on the end of the cylinder, before holding them up to the camera. He pointed at one of the strips, a segment of which had changed colour.
"And that, men, tells us that it was infected with Kuru. Kuru is a rare and nasty type of encephalitis - that is, an infection of the brain. It's spread by prions, or in this case a virus. And, it can only be transmitted if somebody comes into contact with infected tissue - normally by touching or eating the brain of someone suffering from the disease. It's very nasty, and has no cure - so make sure your man in there disinfects before he leaves. Luckily, it is extremely difficult to transfer, so there shouldn't be a huge problem - they mainly cultured strains such as that for use against agriculture, and I believe they completely disposed of stocks of the agent after the 2nd civil war. But, that adds to the conclusion that the PRA really tried to kill at least one of us today."

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

At 1800 hours, the Lieutenant sat with the Warrant Officer and the Major at the side of the mess hall, listening in. Occasional clatters came from the kitchens behind, as the wind blew the door to the area slightly open. At the front of the hall, three officers sat - a Major-General, a Brigadier, and a Warrant Officer. The room clattered to attention as the Warrant Officer shouted out commands, relaxing as the Major-General stood up.

"Gentlemen. As you all are aware, recent events have shown that we are now facing a foe we believed we would not have to face in this theatre.
We are still waiting on direct evidence - however, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. The People's Revolutionary Army have units in the area, and are likely to launch attacks such as today to try and cause death or injury.

This information must be transferred on a need-to-know basis - we do not want this to grossly impact upon morale. However, whilst we plan an effective counter-strategy, the problem remains that the People's Revolutionary Army are in the area.
They do not fight as we would expect a foe to fight - they take potshots, before disappearing. If we are to counter them, all units will have to show increase vigilance from now on - and that increase will be critical. Individual units, you will be getting your new briefs and operational procedures after this meeting, from your direct superiors.

I wish to remind you all of the severity of this threat - not only do the PRA pose a direct threat to our units, they also are likely to equip local militia with supplies and give them extra training. Therefore, the standard operational procedures have changed.
In the case of encountering suspected PRA unit, your orders are to shoot on sight - do not hesitate. This is ONLY to be applied to suspected PRA units - SOPs with miltia still apply. You will be afforded protection in case of mistake, since this ability to catch them unawares is critical. If PRA units open fire on your position, DO NOT pursue them - let the rapid reaction force do that. Again, SOPs with the militia still apply. Finally, in the event of encountering UXO or IEDs of all types, including IECDs, you must plant a warning sign and evacuate the area. EOD and CBRN warfare specialists will be the only ones approaching the site of such devices - they are the only ones who will not be caught unawares by these traps.

Are there any points you would like to raise gentlemen, before I move on to unit specific briefings?"

The Lieutenant raised his hand, nodding to the two Katonozagi men with him.
"Sir, the CBRN platoon, assisted by the Katonozagi units deployed via the FURRF initiative, took control of a device today, as you are aware. Our latest results show that the system was contaminated with a low virulence biological agent. Due to the raised threat level, and the implications of this discovery, I have placed an order for equipment to the FOB. Could you please inform us of what re-enforcement and re-supplying action will be taken prior to an initiatve against the PRA?"
"An emergency supply mission has been authorised - all units are to send in their reports for resources by 2000 hours tonight, for the supplies to be included. Equipment marked essential will be delivered by helicopter at 1100 hours tomorrow. All less-essential or bulkier equipment will be delivered via high-altitude airship drop in two days time. Details going out to commanders when that is relevant."

The Lieutenant turned to the two men, waiting to see if they had any questions, before turning back.

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

"Now, before we move on to unit-related briefings, I must make a few announcements for awards and promotions. Firstly, all are to be informed that Warrant Officer Te'ghu Er'sai, of the Nos'vi city guardsmen, has been awarded the distinction of Hero of Alfegos, 4th Class, in light of his actions during a skirmish six days ago. Warrant Officer Er'sai, when his Lieutenant was WIA, took effective command of the platoon in not only defending their injured and consolidating their position, but launching an effective counter-attack. He then went on to successfully evacuate his platoon on foot, after the incapacitation of their vehicles in the skirmish. A quality that we should see in all men, should the need arise. Whilst we are unable to award you it physically, may I ask for a round of applause for him gentlemen?"

The Lieutenant joined in the clapping, nodding knowingly as the Sergeant stood up on his chair, urged by his peers. The clapping slowly subsided, as the speaker continued.
"Now, onto promotions. For the duration of this operation, the following men are to be promoted to acting ranks..."
He started speaking, reading out a list. It was short, ending with a surprise.
"And, whilst he is evaluated for promotion, Lieutenant Hy'ru is to be promoted to Acting Captain, in light of his effective handling of the very severe CBRNE threat posed to all of us."

The Lieutenant reddened a little joining in with the applause as he smiled a little. He was a modest man, and knew he shouldn't let it get to his head. Standing up as the briefings began, he turned to the two Katonozagi men.
"Sir, and Warrant - we'll be briefed in private in a minute. After the results of today, the commanding staff have told us to keep the results of that cylinder quiet - in particular, the biological traces. This very severe threat means that the commanding staff will be consulting with us during our briefing as to how to tackle this threat, without causing undue loss of morale. The Sanitation Corps squad located here will be providing surveillance of the population for any spread of disease, so we can relax on that aspect - however, we will need to discuss precautionary measures to be read at the updated CBRNE threat meeting, and whether we need extra equipment. At the moment, the entire arsenal of Alfegos is open to us, should we so wish."

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Attached text files - since I CBA to rapidshare it.

SPECIAL PAMPHLET R-1A Summary
RED LIST ORGANISATIONS - THE PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY ARMY
ISSUE - ALL MILKAVICH THEATRE FORCES, 2007
CLASSIFICATION - RESTRICTED, CHARLIE 1

1. PREFACE
> The most dangerous of all red-list organisations are the People's Revolutionary Army, most prevelant in the Milkavich theatre of operations. However, they may be encountered across the Fegosphere, and in territories of the Fegosian Union.
> The People's Revolutionary Army (PRA) remain an organised and dangerous threat in Alfegos, able to launch strikes with conventional weapons, explosive traps, and some CBRN weapons, using asymmetric tactics.
> This pamphlet aims to inform units in theatre of the PRA threat, and to suppliment in-theatre briefings.

2. HISTORY
> The PRA was originally founded as a communist revolutionary group by the politician Ka'sa Ma'ri, against the loyalist government of the time. In its founding few days, it consisted almost entirely of civilians, taking up arms in protest of the government of the time.
> During the infamous Friday March, their ranks were bolstered by professional units - the so-called traitor regiments. Units from these regiments have traditionally been the most likely to desert to join the PRA or other red list organisations, despite stringent disciplinary measures. After the initial massacre of civilians in the crossfire, the PRA quickly spread across Milkavich, fighting a violent war against the loyalist forces, taking Zevkhay province. During this time, the ranks were bolstered with conscripts from newly captured areas, those unwilling to fight sent to concentration camps in the Gra'fegos.
> The PRA was eventually stopped in its advances by a tactical nuclear weapon, which killed or wounded a third of its land forces, and decimated its leadership. In the ensuing chaos, the loyalist forces reclaimed Alfegos.
> The PRA have lived on in between civil wars for three reasons:
- The damage caused to Milkavich has been difficult to repair, meaning support goes out for radical organisations on the red list. The PRA have a very strong base in the more decrepit districts of Milkavich, perhaps the location of their command.
- The dense Gra'fegos has made it almost impossible to find PRA units hidden in the rainforest, allowing them to set up an effective guerilla warfare.
- They have received continuous funding from criminal elements of their organisation, supplies from equipment abandoned in the Gra'fegos, and funding from nations hostile towards Alfegos.
> In the time since the 1st civil war, the PRA have conducted two major offensive campaigns, dubbed the 2nd and 3rd Civil wars. In both, their ability to conduct symmetric warfare has been very poor, resulting in rapid defeat.

3. ORGANISATION
> The PRA is currently headed by a group of ex-traitor regiment generals, who issue orders via proxy to district leaders (normally ex-officers) and then cell leaders (normally talented ex-soliders).
> A cell can consist of anywhere between 8 and 4000 people, depending on its location. The cell can normally be seen to consist of five main elements:
- Command Unit - A group of advisiors, normally either ex-army specialists, or local business heads, who accompany the Cell leader and his Lieutenants. The command unit normally has a retinue.
- Armed Unit - The main arm of the cell, who perform defensive attacks, normally using sniper tactics.
- Guerilla Unit - The offensive arm of the cell, who perform aggressive attacks, normally involving IEDs.
- Auxilliary Unit - Seperated by proxy, the auxilliary are part-time PRA members, who aid and abet the PRA with the provision of surveillance and intelligence (e.g. Mortar spotters), and acquire supplies for the PRA.
- Proxy Unit - Completed unrelated units, who act as in-betweens to reduce the ability of authorities to track down PRA units.

4. EQUIPMENT
> The PRA have access to a very wide range of equipment, limited only by funding and availability.
> It is known the PRA have the ability to deploy chemical weapons, and IBDs.
> It is known the PRA have the ability to deploy artillery up to 120mm mortar, 150mm field cannon, and trailer mounted SRBMs (conventional).
> The most likely armaments used are manufactured military trap devices, alongside older-issue Alfegan small arms. Heavy arms are limited to a few certain cells.

5. TACTICS
> The PRA employ typical guerilla style tactics to attack military targets.
> The majority (65%) of PRA attacks are attacks by proxy - normally explosives traps, including military-grade landmines and improvised explosives.
> The minority of attacks (34%) involve guerilla-style ambushes, using marksmen, gun teams, or partisans to launch quick surprise attacks on infantry and light vehicles, before leaving.
> Less than 1% of attacks involve the use of heavy arms of some sort against forces, including the use of anti-airship missiles, AMESO missiles, aggressive chemical weapon deployment, and hijacked vehicles.
> Tactics are normally theatre specific - see theatre briefings for details, as the list of different tactic types is too long.
> Particular attention must be paid to the possible use of plunging fire and resource magnet tactics, particularly in FIBUA situations.

Excerpts from "The People's Revolutionary Army - Tactics and Counter-Tactics"

Chapter V - Case studies of PRA attacks

"The People's Revolutionary Army is one of the few terrorist groups around the world capable of taking on an equal sized force in symmetric warfare, and having a good chance of winning. However, in an attempt to maximise enemy casualties, minimise enemy morale, and to conserve their own numbers very effectively, the PRA rarely engage in such tactics. Instead, they use so-called Guerilla tactics, setting attacks intended to cause the largest number of casualties in the shortest number of time, using the confusion of the attack to effect a rapid escape. Such is the case in most of the following examples.

Example 1 - Gyu'so'vi, For'pru, Milkavich, 2001 - The Resource Magnet

The village of Gyu'so'vi is a typical For'pru village, with very deep tribal roots. The village is set out along a river, the main road in the area (the C-2310) following the river bank. The village was, at the time of this example, one of the most recent villages to be captured from the People's Revolutionary Army.

The attack was set as what is now known as the Resource Magnet attack pattern. A decoy IED was set up by the roadside, designed to be seen easily by clearance patrols in the area. When reported, an EOD team was called in, along with extra units, who formed a defensive perimeter of 100 metres around the area. Halfway through defusing the device, the PRA struck, opening fire from numerous positions in the rainforest treeline. As the first volley of fire was put down, rockets were fired at the area cordoned off by the EOD team. As the cordon units opened fire at the PRA positions, the PRA units fled into the jungle. The cordon units followed, trying to hunt them down. When breaking through the former PRA positions, they encountered numerous traps, preventing them from advancing any further.

In this attack, the unit performed well, yet made critical errors resulting in the loss of life of one man, and the serious injuring of two others.
1) Securing the area. When the PRA attack, they rely on being able to get as close as possible to the killing zone, to maximise accuracy and kills. In this scenario, the forest acted as the perfect cover for the PRA, who were able to put down heavy fire whilst being able to disappear quickly. As a result, a force deploying against the PRA must take the following precautions:
- Secure all areas of significant cover within three hundred metres, to minimise the risk of the enemy. Within this outer cordon, sweep the hundred metre area for hides, traps and possible sympathisers.
- Secure rooftops. This is an important point, which will be discussed in example 2.
- If available, request aerial support to search for snipers or marksmen.
- If it is impossible to secure the area, then ensure the site of interest is armoured against attack/the line of sight into the area is blocked, and that all personnel remain within vehicles at all time until the threat is neutralised.

2) Pursuit. When the PRA retreat, they will leave traps to either force units into a second ambush, or to cause injuries. Unless specialised support is available to pursue PRA units, they should not be followed by ground units.


Example 2 - Southern District, Milkavich - 1999 - Plunging Fire

In the urban environment, it is well known that most firefights are at a range closer than 50 metres. As such, one must be prepared for many surprises. During the summer of 1999, there was a short surge in violence against units in Milkavich City. The main form of ambush attacks made against vehicles in Milkavich City were in the form of so-called plunging fire.

Units would set up on rooftops either side of the advancing convoy, waiting until it was in the middle of a street. Then, two missiles would be fired, alongside heavy gunfire, to take out the leading and ending units. In the resulting trap, any units who left vehicles were gunned down. This tactic was particularly deadly for three reasons:
1) It is not natural to look overhead for threats. Thus, unless repetitively drilled in searching overhead, it is difficult to notice even uncamouflaged units deployed against a convoy.
2) Vehicles are unable to traverse their weapons high enough to reach rooftops, especially the high rooftops in Milkavich. As a result, effective fire is difficult to acheive against such plunging fire units, only infantry and few specialised vehicles being able to engage rooftop units.
3) Vehicles are either weakly armoured on their roof, or only armoured against mortar rounds. As a result, anti-tank rounds (even the one contained in the warhead of the primitive RPG-7) are able to penetrate the roof armour of even main battle tanks, rendering them very weak.

However, after the first week, an effective counter-tactic was developed, which reduced the threat greatly. This took the form of an infantry platoon and goods convoy heading towards Centre District, lead by Captain Hi'kan. As well as deploying Xha'noa Assault Tanks as the lead and end units of the convoy, the convoy was told to check the rooftops as they passed.
When ambushed, this allowed time for the infantry to get to cover in the buildings, with no casualties. The missiles which hit the Xha'noa tanks were easily defeated, since the Xha'noa was designed for urban environments, with very thick roof armour. Similarly, the weapons onboard were high-traverse, meaning that the main 190mm cannon could be brought to bear against the rooftop enemy.

Other tactics to defeat those using plunging fire include:
- Using an air escort to spot rooftop units, and to engage them.
- Using mesh plates over vehicle tops to detonate explosives prematurely, stopping their effectiveness.
- Using smokescreens to mask the convoy after the initial shots, allowing the infantry to disembark.
- Only travelling on one side of the road, which whilst increasing the damage caused by any IEDs deployed on the roadside, means that the convoy can escape in the event of an attack.
- Using scout or decoy units ahead of the convoy, to draw out attacks or locate them beforehand.
- Denying the enemy use of rooftops (either by installing traps/fences, or by locking accessways).


Example 3 - SP-234A, Mon'pru, Milkavich - 1992 - False Signalling

Perhaps one of the deadliest tactics the PRA have used is false signalling - using deception to cause blue-on-blue incidents. Mon'pru is a very mountainous sub-province, stretching along the middle setion of the Mountains of the Moon, the rainforest merging with rugged upland terrain on the southern boundary. The area has traditionally been under very good control, due to the presence of Airfleet stations and due to the ability of only a few surveillance posts to monitor vast tracts of land.

The 1992 attack in Mon'pru sub-province, the last incident of any PRA activity in the province, was intiated with a burst of ineffective gunfire against Surveillance Post 234A. The post was host to a platoon of light infantry, mostly marksman, who upon contact with the enemy used mortars to project marker smoke onto the enemy position. An artillery strike followed, in which a large section of the forest was cleared. Immediate reaction was for the Commune Rapid Reaction Force (based at Station Luna IV) to deploy to the area, taking half an hour for a mechanised company to arrive.

The mechanised company initially reported the area clear, sweeping for any signs of enemy. A jamming device was then deployed, along with sporadic gunfire from the PRA. Signal smokes were then deployed by the PRA in the vicinty of the mechanised company, who were unable to signal to cancel the artillery strike that followed.

This attack has been mirrored in recent years, yet with reduced effectivity due to advances of signal technology. Perhaps the most important methods used to defeat this tactic are:
1) Always use secure radio channels, to stop the PRA from picking up on radio call signs or on fire support channels.
2) Always use the latest radio technology for communication, with a backup mesolite/satellite link carried at a company level in case radio is compromised.
3) Only use smoke markers if absolutely necessary, or if other methods of target plotting are unavailable or impractical.
4) Scout an area subdued with artillery before sending the main force into the area.
5) Have a pre-arranged signal to indicate a false signal - normally a flare signal of some sort.


Example 4 - Rei'jha, For'pru, Milkavich - 2005 - Friendly Crossfire

Another attempt at getting blue-on-blue incidents to occur is the rapid movement of positions, either depriving a section of fire support or reducing their ability to attack.

Rei'jha is a relatively large village, again on the River Mil'kos, hosting a major road route to the frontline of the rainforest theatre. Much land around it has been cleared for plantation or farming purposes, depriving it of much of its tree cover. As a result the PRA found it necessary to use the plantations for cover when attacking.

The units posted at the platoon garrison in the town reacted rapidly to the attack by moving to the cover of a wall, leaving a reserve section to defend the roadway through the town. The fire support section, armed with heavy machinegun and heavy grenade launcher, took position behind this wall, facing across the field. The main section, led by the Platoon Sergeant, moved along the cover of the wall, before rapidly advancing from a flanking position towards the PRA position. When their position was overrun, and casualities counted, the assaulting section formed a defensive semi-circle around the position, whilst the Lieutenant checked whether he should pursue the enemy. At this point, the section was opened up on by second position, who drew fire straight over the heads of the section. Due to its intensity, the Lieutenant ordered the two sections to open fire - the muzzle flashes were confused with enemy, meaning that fire was initially directed at their section. The result was for causalties to be inflicted upon the Alfegan units.

The simplest method of defeating this attack, as shown in subsequent encounters, is to ensure that standard discipline is followed in a firefight, in regards to crossfire. Whilst smoke may not be best for marking friendly positions, other methods such as the use of PRR and better planning should mean that such crossfires are avoided."


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

DISEASES OF ALFEGOS

Chapter XXVI - The Curse of A'gey - The Lingering Menace of Langley's Syndrome

In the early 1800s, during the charting of the Milkavich interior, the herbologist Ter'ka'jhue'er was one of the many explorers experimenting with the many wonderful organisms that were being discovered. The bark of the fever tree, Ar'besew, was found to cure malarial fever when consumed - one of the many people across the world who first discovered the curative effect of Quinine. Plants such as En'hu's Flower were found to be both useful in the curing of skin infections, and destructive as a powerful poison.

In one of his expeditions, he encountered the village of A'gey'hai, one of the many native settlements that punctuate the rainforest. Whilst normally, explorers from the plains were driven off violently, this village tried deperately to make the explorer's party stay. The problem was soon enough found out to be a mysterious illness that was crippling villagers - the first sign was of a red hot pain, normally around an open cut, that spread gradually across the body. Hours after the pain started to reduce, and the person seemed to be cured, the person would suddenly go into a delirious fit, before dying. There were no survivors, which led Ar'besew assuming it was a posion of some kind. However, on close examination, he found that the ailment only spread within families, passed around by those in close contact.

With fear of catching the disease, the exploring party fled the village. It is now thought that they were responsible for spreading what is now known as Langley's Syndrome into Alfegos.

-----

Langley's Syndrome was first isolated in an amputated arm by the Damirean professor Dr Terence Langley, in 1941. It immediately was classed with the so called 'viral particles' of the time as a disease vector, albeit a very specific one. The virus was first sequenced in 1983, allowing the very first anti-viral drugs to be tested for use. A vaccine was developed in 1952, used to eliminate the spread of Langley's Syndrome within families and close social groups, helping reduce it to a very rare phenomenon.

-----

The most often assumed method of transferrence is via contact with the blood of an infected person, or prolonged close contact. The method of transmission has still not been fully confirmed, due to the relative rarity of cases in the modern era. There have been unconfirmed cases of transmission via aerosol, believed to be attributed to a rarer strain of the disease.

-----

Initial symptoms start when the virus begins mass reproduction in the receptors of the sensory neurone system, normally localised to the incidence of the cut. The incorporation of the viral genome into the cellular DNA, in addition to the damage caused to cell organelles by the viral intrusion, cause the receptor cell to send a constant chemical signal to its attached sensory neurone - this is interpreted by the brain as a severe pain, or as an excess of the affected sensory receptor - it is not uncommon for the infected to feel combinations of burning, freezing, pressure and laceration simultaneously. As the virus spreads along the nervous system, the sensation invoked by the virus spreads outwards, the virus infecting receptors and the fatty sheath cells of sensory neurones.
With the destruction of the receptors and nerve sheaves, the sensory neurones begin to rapidly degrade, before dying. Electrochemical impulses travelling along the nerves can damage surrounding tissues, causing a minor reddening of the affected area - this is often used in autopsies to confirm the viral presence.

After this initial stage, when the virus has built up sufficient numbers it changes state, allowing it to infect neurones and their sheathes. At this point, the disease spreads rapidly through the central nervous system, causing erratic firing of cells in motor neurones, and the spinal cord. This induces muscular spams, false sensations in the remaining sensory nervous system, and delirium if the disease spreads to the brain.

Death is normally caused by damage to the cardiac and pulmonary nerves, producing ventricular fibrillation (due to erratic stimulus of the Vagas and Accelerator nerves), pulmonary distress and eventual paralysis of the pulmonary system. In some cases, the disease can progress to the brain, causing coma and eventual brain death.

-----

Diagnosis of the disease should be sought immediately if a patient feels an excessive pain in part of the body. Normally, anti-viral treatment is started immediately whilst samples of the nervous tissue (taken as a dermal sample) are analysed. The markers Orange-98722 and Green-6512 normally will change to black and purple respectively in the presence of Langley's Disease antigens. This allows narrow-spectrum antivirals to be used to specifically target the disease.
As the disease progresses, the characteristic spread of the disease can similarly be used to confirm the presence of the viral antibodies.

When viral samples are aquired, spectroscopy of bred samples should be used to identify the strain of the virus.

-----

Treatment needs to be rapid - Langley's Syndrome is a medical emergency, requiring immediate attention. The patient should initially be prescribed broad-spectrum antivirals, such as Ribovir, until diagnosis is confirmed to be Langley's Syndrome.
In the case of rapid deterioration of the patient, specific anti-virals should be combined as long as necessary until the disease is confirmed to be Langley's Syndrome, in which case the broad-spectrum anti-virals should be retired.

Additional treatment includes the use of nervous suppressants to control spasms and pain, and artificial ventilation should the patient lose control of their respiratory system.

If anti-virals do not work, palliative care should be considered.

In the past, amputation was used to stop the spread of the virus. However, since it has been detected in the bloodstream, this is often not very effective, and should only be used if no anti-viral drugs are available.

------

The prognosis for Langely's Syndrome is very severe without treatment. If intervention is not made before the virus spreads from the sensory nervous system, the disease is fatal in 98% of cases from the standard virus. In cases of those who survive, paralysis and loss of senstation is to be expected, less severe the earlier the treatment is started. In cases where the virus has spread to the brain and caused permanent damage to the centres controlling respiration and circulation, the damage is irrepairable, and survival without artificial respiration is impossible. The subject may be mentally handicapped for the rest of their life in less severe cases.

------

A vaccination is available for Langely's Syndrome, first deployed in the 1950s. The vaccine utilises only viral antigens, meaning there is no chance of viral infection in those with compromised immune system. The course normally consists of a primary injection (which provides immunity for up to 6 months), with two booster injections of reduced viral particle content at 4 weeks and 3 months after the initial injection. The full course provides lifetime immunity to most strains of Langley's Syndrome, and increased tolerance to other strains.

The vaccine is often combined as part of the STV vaccination, required for all visitors to Alfegos to stop the spread of native diseases.

------

The virus responsible for Langley's Syndrome, Ageya Pathogenicus, is an ssDNA virus. Viral particles are shaped as icosahedrons, and are relatively large (at 120 nm).

The virus has recently been discovered to come in identifiable strains, localised to their area of outbreak. Whilst fatality rate (near 100%) is similar with all strains, the virulence of the different strains has led to them being separated:
- Standard Strain - The most common strain, endemic to most of Alfegos. Approximately 95% of cases are of the standard strain. Vaccination incurs full immunity.
- Ter'gu Strain - First identified in an outbreak in Ol'vi in 1986. The strain shows increased virulence, with a faster transmission rate and shorter incubation period. Vaccination incurs full immunity.
- Eki'sui Strain - First identified in forest inhabitants in 1992. The strain shows reduced rate of transmission, and a very long incubation period (c. 72 hours). The strain is exceedingly rare. Vaccination incurs full immunity.
- Tey Strain - First isolated from a vaccinated tourist in 1997. Whilst exceedingly rare, it is suspected the strain can be transmitted as an aerosol. Vaccination only incurs partial immunity, increased the incubation period and reducing the rate of disease progression.
- Strain '98
- Strain '99a
- Strain '99b

-------

Langley's Syndrome has, throughout modern history, blighted the lives of many Alfegans. There are approximately 20 000 cases in Alfegos each year, from which there are 7500 fatalities and 3200 permanent disabilties. The relatively high rate of death and disability is caused by difficulties in identifying the disease, and the remoteness of some areas from hospitals. Whilst outbreaks are mostly confined geographically to Milkavich province, there are numerous persons disabled by the disease who live across Alfegos. Due to the social stigma attached to contracting such a disease, even those who survive are often shunned by their community. As a result, many who are affected by the disease tend to hide their lingering injuries caused by the disease.

-------

[Katonazag]

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat
Alfegos CBRN HQ

Sgt. Kemény took the wealth of literature into his arms, careful to keep them in good condition. "Thanks, L-T. I'll get them back to you either tomorrow or the next day. I think this ought to cover everything I'll need to know. If not, I'll be back with questions," he said, cracking a half-smile. With that, he stepped out the door into the arid air and blistering heat. His mind turned to the report he was going to have to generate for the Fegosian brass.

MEMO: ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT AND MANPOWER APPROVED FROM ISOC

CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET;
FOR THE INTENDED READER'S EYES ONLY;
DO NOT COPY, DESTROY WHEN NO LONGER NEEDED

1. (1) JADE MESOLITE
2. (1) BMS FIELD UPLINK STATION
3. (1) DRAGON FIRE 120mm AUTO-MORTAR, TRAILER MOUNTED
3A. (10) 120mm GUIDED HIGH-EXPLOSIVE MORTARS
3B. (20) 120mm GENERAL PURPOSE HIGH-EXPLOSIVE MORTARS
3C. (3) 120mm HIGH-IMPACT, TERMINAL-STAGE ROCKET-ASSISTED GUIDED MORTARS
3D. (5) 120mm GENERAL PURPOSE SMOKE CANNISTER
3E. (5) 120mm CS RIOT GAS MORTAR
3F. (20) 120mm PARACHUTE-RETARDED SUNBURST FLARES
4. (1) 70mm GUIDED ROCKET LAUNCH POD, 7-TUBE
4A. (20) 70mm HIGH-EXPLOSIVE GUIDED ROCKETS
5. (1) MAN-PORTABLE SIGNALS TRIANGULATION AND INTERCEPTION CONSOLE (MPSTIC)
6. (2) HCSKAF SKY RAIDERS (AIR FORCE SPECIAL FORCES); ONE OFFICER, CAPTAIN (O-3), AND ONE TECHNICAL SERGEANT (E-6) - DOSSIERS WILL NOT BECOME AVAILABLE UNTIL THE PERSONNEL ARRIVE TO MAINTAIN OPSEC

TO BE DELIVERED BY ISOC C-130 TO LOCATION DESIGNATED BY SERGEANT FIRST CLASS VIKTOR KEMENY, HCSK ARMY HUNS

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat
HCSK HAZMAT Forward Containment Shelter

"Right, Lieutenant," said Specialist Gellért. "I'll make sure the proper anti-sepsis techniques are used to destroy that particular virus, along with the general techniques incase there is something we missed. With the Major's and your permission, I would like to send a sample back to the national lab in St. Istvan for analysis. Sgt. Kemény said we might have an opportunity coming up to send equipment back stateside for replacement or repair, so I would assume they could handle it if packaged properly."

Major Vegyész thought about it for a moment. "I think that considering who is flying the supply mission, they will make sure it gets to the lab better than any other options available. I have no objections to sending it with them, but this is the Lieutenant's AOR, so it's his call."


Tekanav FOB, Hurgat
Mess Hall

The Lieutenant turned to the two men, waiting to see if they had any questions, before turning back.

Major Vegyész raised his hand, and introduced himself. "Major Vegyész, HCSK Army, CBRNE weapons engineer. I have one question from myself, and one on behalf of my special forces attaché. First, is there any theater-level operations that will commence to seal the island from more PRA support coming in? Second," he paused, producing a slip of paper, "is a list of what my special forces attaché has been approved to bring in, and is pending only your permission for delivery. Of course, per ISOC directive, this list has to be destroyed and can't leave this room. His question, however was as to the ROE for if he manages to capture one alive."

Warrant Officer Domonkos also indicated that he had a question. "Sir, does the 'do not pursue' order pertain to aircraft as well? Likewise, with the protection incase of mistake?"

*********************************************

Major Vegyész applauded with the rest of the officers present at Lieutenant Hyru's promotion to Captain. "Congratulations, Captain," he said warmly. "Drinks on me when we get to a place where we can enjoy them!"

After the newly awarded Captain finished his remarks, he said, "With exception of Sgt. Kemény's order, the stuff I'm ordering is pretty mundane and can come along with everything else."

[Alfegos]

Decontamination Structure

"When the resupply mission returns, they would be best suited to moving the samples to Katonozagi institutes. As I said, this particular disease, or even disease category, has no place in Alfegos. Just make sure it's wrapped up and labelled correctly - I wouldn't like some poor soul contracting it. Though I doubt there are many countries around here where the locals eat the brains of the dead..."

He returned a bit later with a piece of paper, jotting a note in marker pen on the container that would house the sample.
"Since your people will be stopping by at the airbase in Neo'vi to transfer this onto an aircraft, they wouldn't mind taking along some of the low-grade waste we have, just to reduce the amount building up?"
He passed the list.
"It's all in sealed drums - eight drums of saturated neutralisation agents, and a drum of low-level radioactive waste."
He saw the looks given to him.
"Part of my job is to tidy up when any tritium equipment gets destroyed, or comes out of service. Plus, there's still quite a few pieces of equipment in the military that use nuclear batteries - the shielding's in the drum, of course, not the actual radioisotope itself. Then there's depleted uranium sheeting they use in armour and some kinetic rounds - most of the uranium I get comes from AT rounds seized off the enemy, with a few broken uranium sheets off some vehicle wrecks in there. Most of the large sheets are just sealed up in resin and shipped when we have the HAZMAT convoy come to pick up our rubbish. And anyhow, we need the space - if we run out of space in the storage bunker, it's dangerous to leave it out in the open.

Only, of course, if you can fit the cylinders in your helicopter. Just drop them off at the airbase in Neo'vi, and they've got the facilities there to deal with it."

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

General Mess

"Major, you raise some good points.

As you may be aware, there are numerous border patrols to stop people sneaking out of the Hurgat Free State, on the Alfegan side. These patrols move out from outposts distanced at every 15km on the main border with Hurgat. Every sixth outpost is a garrison, which supports the outlying outposts. Outpost 29 is one of these garrisons, which is likely to change status to a Station due to its size. The motorised patrols move along the border zone, along wide cleared routes which offer little cover for those crossing. On the Hurgat side of the border, marked by a large ditch, there are numerous minefields laid by the native population during the 48-hour war, to prevent Alfegans from crossing. In addition, there are a few Aeropatrolcraft which monitor the border area, watching out for suspicious units. The Hurgat Free State Provisional Military patrol on the edge of a one kilometre buffer zone, alongside our ground units. From today, the patrol frequency has been increased, and more units called up from the Territory Reserve.
There are only two authorised border crossings - one in Pa'vi, and the other by Outpost 29. At these, searching has been increased significantly. Finally, we are increasing security checks on civilian contractors in Hurgat city, and searching all air flights when they land there.
Now, whilst the PRA have been sighted here, this order has been issued to attachments across the entire theatre - those on the western river, sweeping the deserts, and up on the Hurgat City front, have been given similar orders.

Second point you make. We do not aim to try and capture the PRA alive - operations aimed as such put the lives of our men at an unnecessary risk. However, if you are able to capture one alive, they are to be treated as per standard prisoners of war - violence may only be used if no other methods are available of controlling the prisoner, they must be seen to medically, and they must be handed over to military police officers as soon as is possible. I must stress that all conduct with prisoners HAS to be civilised. Interrogations will be handled by the military police and the ISS, in Neo'vi, with prisoners held here until necessary. I must also stress that care is taken with them - the PRA are notorious for planting bombs on their person, or concealing knives.

And finally, the rules of engagement apply to aircraft as well - as you are aware, the PRA do sometimes set up aircraft ambushes. We do not want to lose any expensive equipment, or compromise any air support that we have. The only exception to this rule are large airships - aerofrigates or, if we are so blessed, and aerocruiser. If an explanation of your actions is valid, then any confused-fire incidents will have protection granted to the aircraft crew."

The General signalled to a warrant officer, who quickly paced over to get the equipment list. It was quickly checked over, before being handed back.
"That should be perfectly in order. There will be space made, next to your exisiting structure, for a unit to be set up."

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"Thanks everyone - not that I reckon I'll be getting a drink any time soon." Acting Captain. He would have to take some time to get used to the title.
"Now, I'll have a word later with the logistics officers, and have them make sure there's some space available aboard the airship for your delivery."

The command staff had re-entered the room, for the brief on biochemical weapons. The General spoke.
"Before you leave, Major, Captain, Warrant, I must ask for your advice as the leading CBRN experts in the area as to our course of action from now on. You see, escalating CBRN alert would slow down our operations substantially, yet as the Captain put it earlier... 'there is now the added risk of biological warfare'. Whilst I am aware you have discovered traces of a military biological marker, do you believe there is a real chance of biological weapons being used on a large scale by the PRA? And if so, what would your opinions be on preventing, preparing for, and reacting to such an attack?"
The Lieutenant... Captain, he reminded himself. He thought for a few moments, before speaking,
"The PRA have a history of use of IEBDs and biological weapons. Now, whilst the former is rarely effective, the latter is rarely used yet highly effective. So far, we do not believe that the presence of an agent was purposeful - rather, as a result of a past weapon release. However, there is a possibility that they may try to attack us with such a method.
The most likely method, as they know all military personnel are immunised, would be to use a disease agent that could be easily spread, and not immunisable against. That narrows it down to tularemia, and numerous water-borne diseases. As our biological agent alarms would be set off as soon as a weapon is released, they will likely try either to release one we are immunised against, to stop our ability to interact with the local people and confine us to base whilst we decontaminate, or release an agent into the water supply. We get out water here from boreholes, which reduces their ability to contaminate our water - however, I think the sanitation unit stationed here should start monitoring the water closely, in addition to monitoring the local population for signs of any uncharacteristic infections.

As to preparation... standard preparation is there already. Nothing more really can be done. I'd recommend that all units are briefed that, even if they feel alright after encountering a cylinder or other device, that they are quarantined until confirmed that they have not been exposed to a biological agent.

And, as to reaction... identification decontamination is the first priority - we will do that. However, after that, we will need medical personnel en masse, to deal with infections in the local community. If, god forbid, a schedule 1a disease was released here, then it would devestate the population - they have no immunity base to any fegosian diseases. After that, it really is up to the medical corps as to what to do.

Would you like to add any points, Major?"

[Katonazag]

Tekanav FOB, Hurgat
HCSK HAZMAT Forward Containment Shelter

"My concern, sir," started Specialist Gellért, "is that it would have use against the HCSK's cattle population, and we need to know the nature of it and how to prevent or combat it. I hope I'm wrong about that, but with organizations like the PRA and the Griffincrest Corporation around, who knows."

Major Vegyész continued, "Lieutenant, I've seen the drums you're talking about. Unfortunately, our particular Huey isn't rated for safely transporting such materials. However, the plan according to Sgt. Kemény, is for a C-130 to land near the base here on an unimproved LZ. All he needs is about 800 meters of relatively smooth ground. Sgt. Kemeny says he'll be scouting it out and marking it tonight under cover of darkness. I'll make sure that the proper transport materials are on board the aircraft - there's no reason why they can't drop it off on their way out."



Tekanav FOB, Hurgat
Mess Hall

"Thank you, General. I believe you've made yourself perfectly clear on the ROE, and we will comply in full. The PRA are out there, and making a mess for everyone. Hopefully, we'll be able to make a difference and save some lives."

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Would you like to add any points, Major?

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I think that you may be right about them using something we're already vaccinated against and may turn to an especially virulent strain of something much more common, such as influenza or an intestinal ailment that we're not immune to.

Another dimension must be considered with a concerted effort by the PRA to infect the population and our personnel. If it is known that the PRA was responsible, they may lose their local support, which would in turn undermine their bottom-line objectives. I think that our discovery today of bio-weapon evidence was chance, not something they intended. But this also means that we may find more occurrences of this if they are getting these contaminated cylinders from the same source. We need to keep track of this, as it will be evidence against those responsible.

I also agree that all that can be is being done at this time. Unfortunately, the bio-ball is in their court, and all we can do is watch and wait. I am also in agreement about the importance of the medical staff in detection and response. In my report, I will request that a contingency plan be formed for getting a medical unit out here for either mass vaccination or epidemic casualties.

That's all I have - I'll defer the table back to you, Captain."

[Alfegos]

Decontamination Shelter

"I'll discuss about an improvised landing strip tonight with the General, when we have the general meeting. I reckon that, if there's a whole cargo plane landing, we can load up a few more hazmat cylinders. Of course, any extra fuel consumption will be paid for when you reach the airbase at Neo'vi garrison.

Anyhow, you should easily be able to grow it in a brain tissue sample - bovine will do. There is no vaccine, but then unless you use recycled protein as cattle feed, it is very difficult to transmit. There was a study somewhere that certain antivirals have an effect... but anyhow, I'll file a request for information, and have it sent to the HSCK. We have very few secrets to hide from Katonozag and the Fegosian Union - except the most critical ones."

He knew of course that there were things he could definately not share with the Katonozagi men, for morales sake. Most nations had a very limited view of the surface of how deep the 'Alternative Warfare' programme went. The cylinders left scattered around the forests were only the beginning - he knew that well into the 1980s, there had been live research of diseases, genetically and epigentically manufactured to be lethal. Invariably, with costs being placed on research as opposed to security, there had been accidents. It was something you learnt from rumour - that there were still vast stockpiles scattered around Alfegos. There were many rumours that had come from the programme, some of which he was starting to believe - after the Solace VII incident, he knew that nuclear waste and supposedly decomissioned radiological weapons were being used there as a huge power generator. After the spectacular aurorae over Alfegos, he knew that rumours of a geophysical warfare project could have truth in them after all. Of course, one would shrug off the paranormal projects, but even then...

"There was a time when we had a classification system for biological agents. There were 5 categories. Category 5 were agricultural weapons - diseases specific to plants and animals, non-transferable, and devestating to livestock. Category 4 were non-lethals - experiments into making a disease that would incapacitate quickly, yet would allow recovery. Category 3 were the nastier ones, and Category 2 the nastiest. However, all of the human diseases could only belong to categories 2-4 if they had a vaccine developed with them. Category 1 agents were developed as dei'he... the direct translation is 'weapon of a god'. I believe the appropriate translation into english is 'doomsday weapon'. After the 1980s, the entire stockpile of these weapons was destroyed - this was the point at which they realised that it would do more harm than good. Whilst I doubt it is allowed, it is within my security clearance to get details of the encephalitis-type infections, if you so wish. I believe that it would be perfectly acceptable."

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General Mess

"Thankyou very much Major - I believe that sums everything up adequately. There is another point I wish to make, about logistics. The HCSK wish to send a C-130 in to drop-off and receive supplies, near the base. The supplies are mission critical, and will greatly increase our chance of success in this operation. Will that be possible, and safe?"
"Captain, whilst I am perfectly happy with you bringing in a C-130, you must be aware that it will be difficult to secure a landing zone - after the problem with the airship drop. Brigadier, what do you recommend?"
The Brigadier was in charge of the FOB, and it's wider sphere of influence - not just Tekanav, but all the smaller platoon-sized FOBs scattered across the area, all the way to within 20km of Kesoav, and all the way south to within 30km of the border. He nodded to the warrant officer, who sprinted from the room.
"There are numerous possible sites we have for air landings. Most of the airship landing areas are also chosen for their suitability to land aircraft, since they rely on predominatly flat ground. We have five aircraft landing areas available at the moment. I've just summoned the commander of the Nos'vi Guardsman detachment here, who should be able to give you insight into the areas we have available."

A Major paced in, slightly out of breath, a map rolled up under his arm. The warrant officer paced over, taking the map and rolling it out.
"Major, which of the airstrips will you able to secure most easily by twilight tomorrow?"
The map was large, covering the area within 30km of the city. Numerous troop markers showed the location of different groups - platoon-sized garrisons, at each of the villages, manned by numerous different units - whilst the Nos'vi guardsmen batallion operated out of the FOB, the Captain had seen numerous people from different regiments, arriving back to be relieved - the Zevkhay Guardsmen, the Il'vi Guardsmen, the Borealis Light Infantry. They were the ones who held the platoon garrisons, their headquarters back at FOB Tekanav. On the map, the airstrip areas were marked out with a black line, along with a hashed area marking the clearance area. Potential positions were marked around the perimeter.
"The best place, in terms of security, would be to use this one here. It's 15km to the east of the FOB, in a mountain valley. The strip area is 1.2km long, and is easily defendable. We don't often use it because of the distance from the base, and the difficulty of airships coming down through the mountains. However, since this is an aircraft, it should be perfect. FOB Er Keki is at the southern end of the strip area, on the edge of the village there. And there is a dirt road that runs up the side of the mountain, then down towards Tekanav. It'd be best to skirt around the south, and avoid the main town - overall, about 22km drive. About one hour, less if we use geckos. I think that three companies should be able to secure it - that would leave the other two here to act as RRF in case we are attacked. Brigadier?"
"I believe that would be the best course of action. I'll leave you to plan the fine details. You have until 0900 hours tomorrow to get everything ready for this operation. Whilst it would be a good idea to send the CBRN team along, they would be best placed at the FOB, in case of an alert."
The Captain spoke up.
"Since it is a Katonozagi aircraft, there should be at least one unit from the Katonozagi part of the rapid reaction force along with them. And, since we are going to be utilising the C-130 to relieve our Hazmat storage bunker of a few containers, they too will need an escort. I would recommend having a section to travel with it - I will post one of the sections under my charge to travel along with it, leaving us with sufficient numbers to cover the area. Since we have our helicopters returned, we should be able to have sufficient mobility to react, covering for this loss. If that is alright with you, Major Vegyész?"

The Brigadier nodded.
"Then it is settled. We will, of course, continue the planning. You will have your Alfegan order arriving in the morning, I believe - there are three transport helicopters dropping off equipment for you. Unless you wish to raise any points, Major Vegyész, I believe that we can conclude this session."