[b]The Next Day, HSV Kharon[/b]

After lunch, Talos' dulcet tones filtered over the ship's intercom, communicating to  everyone on the Kharon, "All field operatives, please report to the hangar. Imperator Partinax and Lieutenant Anderson will conduct a briefing shortly." 

After several minutes Task Force Katabasis was crowded into the hangar, several dropships already loaded up with extended crew bays. There were a few dozen Turians already there, many of them with extensive scars, tattooes, and even the odd cybernetic. They were a hard bunch and regarded the task force members with varying levels of appraisal to near hostility. The Vorcha pilots leaned against their craft, bedecked in flight suits with demonic helmets on. Aegon stood at the front of the formation, between the troops and the dropships, bedecked in armor but with the Spectre badge prominently displayed on the breast plate next to his Blackwatch sigil and Imperator swords. Jake was attired in a more subtle tactical hardsuit. 

They waited until everyone was fully assembled and Aegon activated his omni-tool displaying two separate tactical views, one of a castle on a hilltop overlooking a vast wilderness, the other of Zone Twelve, commonly known as ETown, a rag-tag hodge-podge of prefabricated buildings and temporary housing cobbled among ruins of a London neighborhood. Aegon spoke up, "We're splitting up into two teams now. The Kharon's security complement and an assault squad from the Task Force, led by myself, will head down to Zone Twelve. Tensions are rising and a massive crowd has amassed outside of the neighborhood. Counter-protestors from the refugees are assembling en masse and the situation could turn into a riot at any moment. Normally, this wouldn't be a Spectre concern but intel we've received indicates that Cerberus plans to ignite that riot and spread violence across the town, before blowing a warp bomb and eradicating everything in a square mile." 

"All of our ground resources are busy trying to hold back the crowds, along with dealing with a number of other complications. So we need to go down there, avert that riot if we can and defuse that bomb before it takes out thousands of people. If it goes off, the city and perhaps even the whole planet will see blood flowing between the alien refugees and the locals. General Coats and a special military detachment are already on the ground, but we also have reason to believe that Cerberus has planted armed agents inside the Zone already. If this gets ugly, we're going to see a meat grinder down there. So arm up heavy. At the same time, we have to be careful not to cause too much collateral damage. It's a quagmire I know, but if it were easy they wouldn't have needed us. Jake?" 

Jake nodded and stepped forward, "Our other objective is more subtle but no less essential. Terra Firma extremists have taken several aliens and alien sympathizers hostage and are planning to execute them live on the Extranet. Alliance Marines will do the deed. We need to stop it or it'll send shockwaves through the planet and the galaxy. Commander Vega and his squad will run assist for our covert team which I will lead. We'll be dropping in from a high-altitude, landing in the forest and making our way to this abandoned castle that Cerberus and Terra Firma have occupied. If it goes loud, it'll be nearly impossible to get in so this needs to be done quietly, at least until we're inside. Then we find the hostages and rescue them before the executions and we call the Kharon for evac and fire support." 

Jake spoke up, "With me on the hostage team will be Aviza, Phalanx, Tiberis, Alria, Rol, Rykarn, and Sicaria. The rest of you will go down to ETown with Aegon and his marines." Aegon continued, "These missions will be of the utmost importance. Failure means the immediate deaths of thousands of innocents and the spread of discord and chaos that could claim countless more. As such we need to hash out any and all questions now. Speak up if you have any questions."