Operation: Swooping Crane
Republican Armies Involved: 8th Underground and Recon Division
Mission Objective:
The Township's forces are facing northwards, towards the airport and the 1st Mechanised's advance. This display of total ignorance and lack of battlefield understanding thankfully underlines the fact that the NCR are not formally engaging us. The farmers are still in charge, albeit with some extra muscle.
We'll take this opportunity to destroy the Township's forces, and wrestle New Dalles from their hands.
Cross the bridge, at night, and destroy any sentries or static guard units overseeing its defense. Do it quietly, if possible, as stealth here is essential.
Proceed west, towards New Dalles. You are to assault the town before dawn break, and on the same day that you cross the river, to achieve the maximum element of surprise possible.
Ideally, we need the Township's forces driven from the town, but just doing them a chunk of damage will do just nicely. Either way, we need to ensure the airport does not come under any immediate counter attack.
Conquer or sabotage. This is your mission.
Enemy Strength:
The Township is not expecting a direct attack against New Dalles, and her forces are facing northwards. However, there is a platoon strength unit of what appears to be NCR troopers, though they lack the NCR insignia. We're expecting these mercenaries to be special forces grade soldiers, but we are unable to confirm this theory.
The town's eastern bounds will be lightly patrolled, unless you fail to storm the bridge quietly. Should you gain access to the town, then the NCR mercs and bands of rag-tag militia are likely to confront you. We do not believe the town's populace to be militant, and they should give you no problems. If they do, then you have the green light to engage every last man, woman and child that attempts to thwart your mission.
Outline:
- A caravan independent of the Yakima Republic has agreed to allow AESIR and most of the 8th Underground and Recon Division VETERANS (known collectively as 'GHOSTS') to use it's extra storage space to hide themselves and their supplies. At approx. 16:00 (DUSK), the Caravan will have crossed the strategic first bridge from the west, it will continue to New Dalles at approx. 17:00 (EVENING).
- The Caravan company has already been paid off, and the Caravaneers and Guards do not know of your presence but have been ordered to look the other way.
- The Caravan, composed of six Brahmin and two wagons, will be stopping in Yakima controlled territory at approx. 13:00 today. The pause will likely be a short rest stop, meaning they will only sit idle for an hour. The Caravaneers and Guards have been paid off by Yakima representatives and proxies (at the request of the 8th Underground and Recon Division) to leave the wagons 'unattended' for approx. 15 minutes during this pause.
It is at this time that the GHOSTS will make their way, undetected, into the wagons. Several crates have been arranged, empty, with ample for all 6 active participants and their weapons to fit cozily.
From 16:30 to 18:00, (DUSK to EVENING), the Caravan should have access to the 1st Eastern Bridge and New Dalles township, leave the Caravan separately and act independently under the orders: Conquer or sabotage.
At DUSK, 2 GHOSTS should exit the still moving Caravan undetected, and eliminate any sentries or guards the township has posted at the bridge, as well as any guards who pass the eastern side of the township. DO NOT BE SEEN. You are free to act independently of orders beyond this.
The four remaining GHOSTS (including Aesir), will dispatch unseen inside the settlement of New Dalles. Act independently, and do as much damage as possible.
At 07:00 approx. (DAWN), each GHOST fire a single flare to scatter and confuse the remaining township forces. Proceed independently north to rendezvous under 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion protection.
- Communication will be minimal. Stealth is our priority.
Resources:
MANPOWER
- Slags (including Aesir): 6
WEAPONRY
- .22. Silenced SMG: 6
- Flare guns (single use): 6
- Cosmic combat knife (clean): 6
- Explosives: (Satchel charges - 6, Powder charges - 60, C4 - 24, Bottlecap mines - 18, MFC Cluster - 4)
ARMOR
[*]Aesir's Shady Hat
- Dark civilian clothes: 6
- Stealth boys: 6
CHEMS
- Party Time Mentats: 12
- Coyote Tobacco chew: 6
MISC
MAP:
The Bridge (Dusk to Dawn)
The Township (Evening to Dawn)
14:38Aesir's journal - "Operation: Swooping Crane_1" holotape no.2"This was really the best you guys could afford to get us?
"I'm not arguing with command or anything, I know caps are a tight resource in what is basically an all out war... But still...
"10 minutes is a really short window of time to get 6 bodies and like 50 pounds of explosives and guns into 3 crates, that's all I'm saying.
"The ride has been bumpy thus far, but I really don't have any complaints, a few of the girls even found it soothing enough to take a nap. I brought a few of these tapes, so I figured I'd use them to bide my time constructively. It is now 1440, or about that time, the Caravan has been moving constantly since we left Yakima territory, and barring any unexpected interruptions, we should reach the bridge in about an hour.
"I will update then."
16:02Aesir's journal - "Operation: Swooping Crane_2" holotape no.3"So it's Narfi and Nari who volunteered to take out the bridge.Their jobs are incredibly important to the success of this operation, falling more on the 'conquer' side of the mission than active sabotage. With the majority of the township's forces focused on the north and the airport, the eastern bridge should be the only location any patrols are sent most of the night, having those taken out any time, along with the sentries and guards stationed at the bridge, over time, will contribute to the attrition of the townships forces.
"They ALSO will hold a strategic point for any forces wishing to attack the airport from behind, and of course any supplies found at the bridge outpost will be ours for the taking.
"...Hmmm? Oh... Oh! They're leaving now-- I'll be right back--
"(silence)"
16:07Aesir's journal - "Operation: Swooping Crane_2" holotape no.3"(silence)"
"Okay! So those two are gone; that just leaves me, Notte, Vanir, and Freya. They used their stealth boys as planned, and the lack of gunfire seems to indicate that everything worked out. So, current status: Bridge as good as secured, 2 currently deployed, 4 remaining. They didn't don't need any explosives... At least, I don't think they did? They didn't take any either way, so they'd *better* be okay with just the knives and guns.
"Ah yes! Speaking of those guns, send whoever got to work on those so quickly my thanks! They aren't made of stopping power, but they'll be more than enough for our purposes!"
17:54Aesir's journal - "Operation: Swooping Crane_3" holotape no.4"Okay, everyone's left but me, each deployment seems to have been successful, and the Caravan is approaching the end of New Dalles' territorial claim, so I'll be leaving soon. As far as mission status goes, I figured I should elaborate on what each of us are doing.
"We're acting independent of specific orders, but our general mission going into this is two-pronged. One: Sabotage or destroy any military equipment, or equipment that may be useful to New Dalles, any vehicles, mounted guns, and the like, as well as strategically placing mines and traps to further weaken their forces in the morning. Two: The assassination of anyone in this territory with any type of power, this includes men and women with military leadership, as well as any community leaders. We will gather this information through... creative... interrogation of soldiers and citizens.
"With this... umm... what was it called? Trojan horse? What's a Trojan? What's a horse??? With this "Hide-In-Caravan-To-Get-Into-The-Township-Without-Them-Knowing" strategy, I think we can theoretically have this place ready for claiming in one night.
"Because rest assured, anyone who might put up resistance will be killed tonight.
"Even more will be killed by the explosives in the morning, and while we can't take out all the forces stationed north without risking direct combat, we will be scattering them in the morning. When all of us fire off our flares, we'll trigger our C4. Ignoring the casualties that will cause, the forces stationed at the airport, without a central command, should scatter.
"There will be some fighting, but it should be so minimal the airport and Township will all but be thrown into Yakima control."
05:35The flares went early into the dying night sky. Aesir hadn't fired her's, and it hadn't come from the bridge. The Cascadian general made her way through the alleys of the township northward, the planned meeting point was where the Mechanized Battalion should be stationed, she assumed her girls would make their way there.
The explosions began. People were waking up.
They weren't horribly behind schedule, but still-- it wasn't dawn, they had more time. Who fired early?
07:45The dawn sun shone on the encampment, engines began to purr with a foreign sound as the drivers and soldiers of the Mechanized Battalion began the morning preparations. Aesir waited in the shade of a tent as her spies found their ways back to her, Notte and Vanir already had, their nights having gone similar to her own, successful, just cut a bit short. Aesir had already been growing worried, so seeing Nari running toward the tent, bloody and crying, nearly gave her a heart attack, Aesir rushed to meet her, followed by Notte and Vanir.
Aesir blasted Nari with questions as the girl tried to catch her breath, "What happened? Where's your sister? Who's blood is that?"
Nari eventually recovered, and answered slowly and deliberately, as if weighed by some heavy knowledge, "Narfi's fine, she stayed at the bridge to continue holding it. Blood isn't mine it's..."
"Freya? Is she--"
"Nah... the person... the kid... who tagged her. Commander's son, she didn't expect him to... She's dead, kid is too. Body got vaporized...."
Nari continued her attempts at catching her breath when she finished. Aesir and Vanir stood in silent shock, Notte broke down in tears.
The remaining military forces in the New Dalles Township are severely weakened, being scattered, lacking leadership, and are working with broken equipment and landmines on their own soil. Any forces still garrisoned at the airport will also be scattered and paralyzed due to lack of central leadership. The eastern bridge into New Dalles territory is now under full Yakima control.
The Airport and the New Dalles Township are primed for the taking
kapuchu