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Colonel Wayne considered each of his Knights' questions, and tried to answer as many as possible.

[color=Olive]"The concerns about engaging with the Crimson King are valid,"[/color] he began. [color=Olive]"I expect he'll want to keep me alive long enough to put on a show, but I don't believe for a second that any one of the Crimson Fists will be interested in a fair fight. Sabotage to the Mech is practically a given, as is the notion that the other Fists will be waiting in the wings. In fact, I'm counting on it. The more of them are waiting to take me out, the fewer of them will be at the Fort."[/color]

At Marit's comment, he glanced at his prosthetic hand. [color=Olive]"The neural link controlling my prosthetic will interfere with my ability to wear a neurohelmet, that's true. As much as I'd like to, the simple truth is I'll never be able to pilot a Battlemech the way I used to. But I don't need to beat the Crimson King; I just need to stay alive long enough to keep him busy. And my [i]Battlemaster[/i] still has enough armor on her that even sustained fire from an entire lance won't bring her down easily."[/color]

Glancing over at technician Wyatt, the Colonel gave her an appraising look. She'd definitely come a long way since the coup, from a talented but reserved weapons tech to being able to parlay with a Comstar Precentor. He'd began to lean on her for her burgeoning abilities as the 'face' of the Green Knights' operation, but in truth her real expertise was still working with Mechs. [color=Olive]"Wyatt: as per your request you're coming with me. Assuming the Crimson King is going to hedge his bets, you're my best chance at sniffing out sabotage. I'll see if I can get someone else to negotiate with the FPA for use of those Thumpers."[/color]

Looking at his Mechwarriors and the crew of the Von Luckner, he went over the tactical overview. [color=Olive]"As for those of you conducting the assault on the fort, the first phase of this operation is simply to draw their fire. Ramrod and Desperado, the two of you keep moving, hit what you can where you can, and bring your fire on whatever provides the biggest threat in the immediate moment. Assuming we are able to get the Thumpers on our side, Alley Cat will be instrumental in calling targets. Family Man, I want you to take an elevated position and put that PPC to use against any armored assets that come in for backup. Giggles, your Archer has enough armor to absorb a lot of the small fire, so don't be afraid to brawl, but listen for Alley Cat's signal to provide fire support as well. Merry-Go-Round, as the Mechs clear the way and draw fire, your crew will come up the pass and blast through the fixed positions."

"In the event that Sgt Dalton gets hung up, we go to plan B,"[/color] he continued. [color=Olive]"Any mech with functioning hand actuators will need to enter the complex and start opening doors. If prisoners aren't able to get to the underground tunnels, we may have to physically pick them up and carry them out. Obviously, that means you may have to choose who you take and who you leave; I'm confident that I can trust in your discretion on that."[/color]

Taking a deep breath, Gaius said, [color=Olive]"There's a good chance that I don't come back from my duel with the Crimson King. In that event, tactical command of the Green Knights is entrusted to Lance Commander Daschke, with advisement from Sgt. Dalton. Logistical command and coordination of the civilian contingent will go to Captain Roth, once she's freed from the Fort. Once operations on Espia are concluded, you'll all receive your share of payment in full, and you'll be free to discuss the future of the command from there."[/color]