FourtyTwo

Raven Squad: Redux

Bumpity bump!

Raven Squad: Redux

Skye smiled, the group having their moment to soak up the plan, and Xander soaking up the remnant of his beer. There was no breathalyser on hand....well, so long as he could walk.

@Awesomoman64

"Don't get too aroused. Or shitfaced. I'll leave you to whatever Mateo comes up with." Skye's mannerism was dry, the red braided hair that the Scot had being brushed over her shoulder as she looked to Greyson and Mateo next, knowing they had some concerns, and well, it was something Skye had thought on. After all, it looked like they were light of Ghost on this run, not ideal, but still, they could make it work with what they had.

@Theyra@Steel Legion

"We seem to be an infiltrator light. And besides, I'm not asking you to pin them down and lay on top of them. Just to make sure they have fewer options before we arrive. More infiltrators makes more for compromises, Mateo- if they run out of options then that's enough. Everything else, I leave to you." Skye's decision did seem odd, sending him in with more risk, no buddy, and no help would often be a suicidal move in a usual operation. But then again, the team worked on utilising that multi-talented aspect of it, and she trusted that he could hold out until they arrived. Creativity over strength in numbers, quality over quantity. You didn't need a platoon of men, you needed a few well placed, well equipped individuals and all hell could be wrought.

"I know you don't want to be with me, Greyson. But you are riding shotgun." Skye's smirk was almost the same kind of shit she gave to Xander, shrugging her shoulders as she looked across to the other two members, the Heavies.

@DawningAurora

"Sounds delish. We'll join you when ready. I'm sure we'll get a prompt." Skye politely replied, the ability of the Scot to tailor herself to the team sometimes uncanny, always in control, always one step forward yet still a little in that territory of having that strong, unrelenting drive. Her curse was never stopping, and it was ever present, a subtle lack of fucks that made her as powerful as a lone wolf as she was in commanding. She knew it was a difficulty, but it meant getting the most out of her team...no matter how much they might have disagreed about 1v1 hackathons.

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

"All Torque, All Hell"

Ilha de Santo Antão, Cape Verde

0600 Hours

The island was a truly odd looking one- more like a Hawaiian island compared to the rest of Cape Verde, the deep volcanic canyons were semi-arid with greenery in the heights, and desert sand at the shores. Higher up in the canyons, nobody would have known Black Flag were here- but Raven knew, and they were coming to hit their site hard, and very much take them apart. That was the plan, at least. The team had geared up and was ready for combat in mid-long range styled combat, though in the base itself, an old village, it would be tricky- the canyon was steep and like virtually going up a mountain. Escape routes nil, but that made it just as risky getting in. So a split strategy meant they were hitting them from all angles- inside, from the sky, and from the tracks leading in. The dawn sky had cracked, and the gentle glow of orange had slightly risen over the green-brown mountains, revealing a landscape of dirt roads and wild, remote paradise.

In the interim, the team had the opportunity to gear up, and from them to where they were now, were getting ready to be in position. With the Heavies very, very high in the sky, at a point where they likely would be looking at the curvature of the earth and the faint of the island below, the rest of the team were boots on the ground, and in position. Mateo likely skulking the base, while Greyson, Skye and Xander were in the valley, rendezvousing with their transport drop.

Skye with her exo seemed more warrior like than the woman some would see, almost androgynous given her height and game face on now. Fatigues, MG3, Gustav MAAWS, oh, and extra ammo for both. The Osiris Exoskeleton unit, a light carbon-composite and aluminium framed second-generation combat carrying exo and a singular jump-pack did the job for her, providing a fairly typical load-bearing vest, ballistic protection, the MTP fatigues contrasted by navy/green tartan pattern on the exoskeleton's actual frame itself. An updated Ops-Core looking-like helmet followed suit, as did a navy blue baseball cap that tucked under facing backwards, with a holographic display up on her tactical glasses. Skye's setup was more than sometimes a regular medium would have, it made her fast, nimble, heavy hitting and quick. Perhaps not as hacker focussed, but she could more or less run like a greyhound and chase the team, like a real team mum would. The buzzsaw loaded, Skye felt the cells power on and the weight get pulled back, the LMG go from a bag of bricks to feeling like an MP5 in her hands, and like she felt like an invisible cable was pulling her up and along. It never got old, and while Skye Rosalind Lyons may have been a cute-looking redhead, right now, she looked like the mid-21st century's equivalent of a Highlander about to go scalp some English fuckers, a resolute, burning figure on her face.

The small barn had contained what was an old-school looking Desert Patrol Vehicle, updated naturally for this sort of terrain- chunkier tyres, three seats, and a supercharged engine in the back for extra welly. No doubt this was the bastardised Mad Max vehicle that only the Aussie could pilot, but it was something she could approve on the budget request. Unarmed to save weight, but then again, they were all carrying enough- and had been delivered in the dead of night through a local courier. Just another local tourist attraction, except this one had more horses to pack and it would more than do the job.

"Alrighty then. This ride's ours, no more walking. Should give us an entry and a half. Glitch, you've got the keys. Dinnae fuckin' crash or else it's on your insurance. Brazen, you've got front, I'll set up my gun on the rail. We'll need to keep the speed up and run up the canyon into their base, speeding through any checkpoints. This one's a smash and grab. Moment we knock out their SAMs, secure their HVTs and any data we have lying around, the cavalry can help us mop up." Skye added, sweeping the barn, putting hand to ear, adjusting her comms channel.

"Boba, Scion, how are you two up there? Should be around 110,000 on the altimeter for you now, and one hell of a view. We're gonna start our run into site, so long as we keep our foot down, we should be able to meet you there. Long, long way down so I don't imagine you'll be there soon." Skye knew that the team above would more likely than not have a very different view of the world, and well, would be coming directly on top of things with their method. She knew if the rest of the team had followed, they'd have been more likely cut to pieces- that and the fact the Heavies had their more direct approach always helped. Taking a route cutting through at least allowed them to trim the fat as it were, and at least knock out resistance on their way in.

"Jaguar, if you're in position on overwatch, now's the time if you want to start sneaking in. Satellite recon tells me the base is around an old hillside village, all abandoned. Lots of good sniping spots, and the canyon's fairly deep. Hard to say where the HVTs are, but if you can neutralise SAM sites, helicopters, any IFVs, anything at all, it'll make our assault easier. Remember, stay in the shadows and pick them off, if they raise the alarm, they won't have much to run."

Raven Squad: Redux

Apologies for the delay- post now tonight as I really needed to get my head a bit more straight.

EDIT:

Done! I've got Misa/Jamie high in the sky below a helium balloon, Mateo wherever (either in the base or perhaps sneaking in), and the rest of the team joining Skye for an assault ride into the base.

Raven Squad: Redux

Sorry for my delay! Getting a post up tonight hopefully!

@VeyrinDay

Would you like to still be involved- only as I'm jumping things ahead shortly?

Raven Squad: Redux

Adding chars to the Characters (0th) tab - sorry if I missed anyone intially!

The Conflict

Sean cocked the FAL once again, sliding the rifle into both hands, the keys in his pocket and now ready to go. They'd have the pickup wherever they left it....and one of Malkia's guys had left it in the courtyard, ready to go for when they needed to leave. The situation had seriously detirorated, and going into the evening, he knew that time was going to run out for them.

"Sounds absolutely fucked out there. And so much for food for now. But if the bitch is dead, then we'll be quids in anyway." Sean replied, taking in the situation, aware Hayden was on board, and Yekatarina too. He felt tense, just like anyone, but same time, he'd seen warfare. He reminded himself of the US Marine, the one he took the piss out of, tell him about Fallujah. A hell on earth, a place that man wished upon nobody, fighting in tight, urban quarters, room to room, block to block, never knowing who was on the other side. Urban warfare was often the most brutal and bloody- when hiding spots were everywhere, it made every sector a dangerous one. So Sean had no doubt of what lay on the other side, no doubt Yekatarina knew of Grozny, and Bethan from her experiences in Afghan.

"Sounds like anyone who's anyone is carrying a tool out there. I'm glad we bought enough lead. We can scavenge whatever else we can, but if we don't move fast, we will get cornered. We need to assume anyone out there is hostile, shoot first, ask questions later...fuck." Sean commented, not exactly having a plan, but a comment of his own, as the Welshwoman replied with a confident nod to Hayden's comment, checking her own mag in the FNC, the Belgian-made weapon tight in her hands, mags ready to go in pouches.

"Yekatarina and Sean make a point, we should try and avoid going head on and around the fighting. I made a mental note of it, it's about eight blocks north to Melani's, direct road goes straight on the main highway but there's a series of what looks like slums and roads on the periphery of town. We go through that, we might be able to avoid the heat on the roads. There's no real reason for anyone to fight over turf there, maybe a few gang members but they won't have enough time to make checkpoints or stop us, though we'll need to keep on the gas. We get lucky and keep our weapons out of view, we might be able to pass off as civvies. And if not, return fire. Not like this is place has IEDs....yet.

"We can take it around to the eastern flank of her place, find a place to hide the vehicle, then get through on foot a couple blocks out. We go in, take down whatever fireteams are guarding the place, any guards in the market outside hers, and if we can scavenge grenades, explosives, IEDs, fuck, anything, see if we can blast our way in. Or climb in and clear the buildings, one by one. Frag Melani, take anything of value, and run. They're not trained in CQC, but we get this wrong, we're getting crucified....in this case, probably literally." Bethan commented, Sean pulling the keys and looking across to the other two, Sean nodding as he looked across to the Hilux, aware that as unstable a platform as it was, it wasn't a slouch. There was a reason it was a terrorist's favourite, a powerful diesel engine, good carrying capacity, four wheel drive, and reliability like nothing. Unlike the most of the Coalition's vehicles, designed for protection and comfort, this did speed and outright versatility far, far better. And right now, a useful thing to have.

"He will want proof we've killed her, too. That machete of hers looked fairly unique....I can't imagine many others have it, y'know." Sean commented, knowing while Bethan didn't want to go into the detail of how this world worked, it was going to be some sort of assurance. Their word wasn't going to be enough, it would be anarchy if they found out she was dead, after all and they other side would want to hide that.

"Jesus, I thought you were about to say we're taking her head back with us. After earlier, nothing's off the cards with you." Bethan barbed back, a wry shrug returning favour given the long day they'd had.

"Well, it looks like she might have already to a bunch of people. I don't think there's anyone normal left here." Sean replied, Bethan nodding in agreement, the two ready to go and aware that while a shit plan, it was at least going to get them into position, avoided the fighting and got them in. It was shit or bust, all or nothing now. No running back.

Part of Sean wondered if they should drive off into the distance, get out of this town and escape and risk that, while they had guns and a vehicle to hand. Shit, to hell with this contract, perhaps just flee far enough to join another mercenary team, maybe cross the border. But even then, there was little hope they'd get another lead on The Hyena if they didn't do this. They'd be starting again, and given how things were about to get sectarian, everyone was about to get paranoid without spilling the beans. So to put out an almighty oil fire, perhaps they just needed to start an even bigger one so they could at least get a lead out of town, and use whatever merc company they needed to get themselves further.

Raven Squad: Redux

Haha, love the dynamic already. The clash between the stoic, pragmatic, and then the all out wacky of the team.

This one is gonna be a bit of an advancement off a plot from before the reboot left off, no need to worry if you're new to the RP!

Raven Squad: Redux

Did I write the post one cider down to simulate what drinking whisky was like? Yep!

Post is up- I've given a little detail to the op- feel free to ask questions and get your character ready, play out any interactions but my next post will nudge us towards every character being geared to go in.

Raven Squad: Redux

Skye chuckled, the team's chirpy nature always getting the better of her. They were a fun bunch, and every rotation meant something different. They weren't the only ones, as she calmly stopped playing, the team here, and this group right here. Mateo with his drink, Jamie towering over the rest in a silent contemplation, Xander chatting shit, Misa looking disaprovingly and making curry, oh, and Greyson. Of course, being observant as usual. She placed the fiddle by her side gently, letting a wry chuckle loose, the redhead aware that Xan had already tailed it off.

@Steel Legion

"Who'd you piss off, Greyson? I tend to find when you leave the loose ends tied, you worry less. The site's got an digital air-gap...and well, has a fuck-off CIWS. Laura and a few techs behind the scenes did the magic, it makes this place somewhere you wouldn't look at. You dinnea' change from what I remember. Always a pragmatist. I'll let you test it if you like." Skye commented, putting her legs across in a fold, eyeing him up, the fellow British operative someone she could tease, even in spite of her iron-like fire.
"You should relax. I wouldn't get you drunk before an op. Well....I might get you one down to ease you in. We're not back in London anymore, aye?" Skye added, Xander coming in and chipping in with his own commentary, chatty as always but someone despite all her grievances, trusted enough. She saw he was trying to get the looser side of her, but same time, she was trying to straighten him out. Make him more...professional. Albeit that wasn't a word you used for him. He made Deadpool seem cold.

@Awesomoman64

"Heh, that is a funny story. One too many beers I think though? Or....well, you really must have been in the shit with your CO to go that far....I mean, who would do such a thing?" Skye's reaction made it very clear to the group she was letting on something more, because even in spite of Xander's bullshit, oh, it was so, so true, giggling quietly in a form that seemed like it touched on her more human side, the part of her that warmed to him sometimes. Then there was Misa, the appetising smell of the curry she was cooking away quietly reflecting her usual nature. She was perhaps not the best mesh with everyone, but with her armour, she was relentless, capable and part of a very different breed. Cooking away quietly, perhaps it was her own way to payback even without saying a word- but Skye knew the team would have their rota issued soon for dinners. Someone was cooking every night, and she was on it too. Lead by example and all that- the perk they had of not living on a bootcamp meant they had to actually look after themselves. And even for the best, that felt tricky for the former Major...

@DawningAurora

"It smells very good, Misa. Katsu, I think?" Skye commented, sipping down her whisky, watching her twitch, knowing her and Xan might have been like oil and water, but still, they'd back each other. She clearly didn't like how Xan spoke, but then again, neither did Skye. It's why she gave him extra shit and Misa a little less.
"You know, I think you and Xander need to spend more time together. AI programming, robotics....wait, fuck, no, that is a terrible idea. But still...any overlap we can get works here, I guess." Skye interrupted herself, chuckling away as she downed the rest of her glass, knowing her own irony, looking across to the other two in the room.

One that took up more room, the more traditional giant, the son of two legends no less. On a good day Skye wished she'd gotten to know them, the infamous Natalie and Victor, of yesteryear. Then again, if they were anywhere as fucking crazy as Laura, maybe not. Jamie seemed solemn, caln and quiet, embracing the moment altogether. She didn't bother him, knowing when the man had something to say, he'd say it.

@Theyra

The other was Mateo, the quiet agent sipping down a cocktail, then another, relaxing at the best he could. He certainly had some demons to slay, but then again, it was usually a little fire. She knew he kept something on the side regarding the cartel, and so did she. After all, Black Flag had to get its funding from someone. And the places they got it were sometimes less than clean.
"We should put you to work on that, Mateo. Don't give me ideas." Skye retorted back, the calm, calculated and orderly manner of Skye coming back into frame, the red-haired Scot knowing it would tease him, open him a up a little, albeit remind him at that cost.

As the team settled in, Skye had the opportunity to get the feel for the room, and with everyone with a beverage, or at least, settled in, she looked across to the team and knew it was time to spill the beans. The drink had at least levelled everyone, or taken the edges off. Another glass of the whisky followed after Skye, who only relished the chance to have a decent drink. None of this other shite, if you were gonna have a drink, it had to be this.

--

"Thought I'd all get you settled before I tell you what's next. There's a juicy piece of intel that landed on my desk after a recent wetwork in the French Pacific. Given Black Flag decided to try and steal data off a fairly tasty data centre, we've got the chance to get our own back. There's a formerly abandoned military encampment in a canyon in the Cape Verde islands, on Ilha de Santo Antao, and right there we have reason to believe there's a few HVTs from the group there. Including one Alain Fouqualier, ex-Foreign Legion, full blooded Algerian scumbag who is a target of interest. And I'd kinda like him dead for interrupting our last R&R, so.....we have ourselves a little capture mission. I'll be working tonight on the details. But I need you guys to take a few different roles, because we're going to assault the place. Local support is minimal, so it's all on us. I'll fill in the details, but I'll give you an overview for now."

"Lights, you're on duty to infiltrate- Mateo, I need you on hand to get inside the base and make sure those HVTs don't escape, whatever it takes -and any base defenses to be sabotaged. Use whatever infiltration methiod suits you- given it's a canyon, a wingsuit or a clamber might be best. Turrets, and possibly even a small mechanised unit that's on site might need sorting. Greyson, Xan, you're with me- we're taking a buggy into the base, and directly going in to clear a few checkpoints, before we hit the site itself. Jamie, Misa, due to the SAM sites, I've got something more creative for you both. I assume you're familiar with the use of a high-altitude helium balloon and a parachute system, because it's how I'm gonna keep you out of SAM range."

"So it's the usual sort of equipment- regular to long range gear, and enemies that you aren't going to find as easy to frag as usual. Just to remind you, they aren't all skinnies with AKs. They know what they're doing, and many of them are mercenaries, formerly from other elite forces. They aren't going to hestitate, and there will be more of them than us. But we get this done, we get our HVTs, we get out quick, we get a fucking dent in them. All good?"

Raven Squad: Redux

@Awesomoman64

No firm posting order- so feel free to post back!

Sorry guys- I've had a lot of IRL stuff go on and just haven't been all myself lately. Will try and post up when I can to move things forwards!