[table][row][cell] [right] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/851798918349586452/1109647480771059822/meatapproach.png[/img] [/right][/cell] [cell][h3] [u] APPROACH[color=red]◢[/color][/u] [sub][b][code]Guanabacoa Municipality,[/code][/b][color=gray][s] Havana[/s][/color] [sup][@High Casual][@Shu][@Auz][@Shift][/sup] [sup][@Awesomoman64][@Bonnie][@KaiserElectric][/sup] [/sub][/h3] [/cell][/row][/table] [indent][indent] [color=red][b]I[/b][/color]t was an uneventful drive. The self-driving VI required a password to disable, but toward the end of the trip, Zenobia was able to find a sticky note with a string of numbers in the glove compartment. "Zenobia, don't..." Lizbeth warned through comms. Outside, parties were still going strong in the city core, but beyond downtown Havana, and after midnight, the roads were dark and quiet save for the occasional taxi or party bus. While en route, the SRN team received a message from Captain Riley. Either Solveig or Lizbeth had her notified of their plans. [indent][quote] [b][code]Anchor:[/code][/b] [code]Dangerous plan. We are unable to provide support that far from the spaceport. Hope this ally of yours is reliable.[/code] [b][code]Anchor:[/code][/b] [code]Still, we appreciate you thinning the Reds out.[/code] [b][code]Anchor:[/code][/b] [code]Be advised: the Reds' leader, Curt Weisman, is a highly volatile criminal. He is wanted by both the alliance and the turian hierarchy.[/code] [b][code]Anchor:[/code][/b] [code]There is currently a combined bounty of 10000 credits for his capture.[/code] [/quote][/indent] 30 minutes later, they were at the coordinates Outcast provided. It was a well-worn dirt road in the wooded city outskirts. Outcast's unmarked Jeep parked in between tall shrubs. The dull gray two-story meat packing plant (formerly owned by a company called Carne Fresca) loomed at the end of the road, surrounded by electrified metal fences (designed to intercept both intruders and munitions). There were no reaper structures outside, as the locals had cleared them out in the prior weeks. But beyond the metal fences were the unmistakable jagged rows of dragon's teeth. The place had such a terrifying reputation during the war that no civilian dared to step foot inside even to this day. Outcast was crouched next to their Jeep. In addition to the stealth armor and rifle seen at Cerro, they were now armed to the teeth with three extra weapons and [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/0/09/Defense_Armor_MEI.png]additional armor modules[/url]. [color=silver]"Right on time."[/color] Outcast hailed. [color=silver]"Reds are about to load their vehicles."[/color] [color=silver]"And you brought a sturdy van, good."[/color] They wasted no time in laying out their plan. [color=silver]"They've already disabled the electric barrier at the front gate. Fastest way in is ramming through it."[/color] "You can set the VI to drive remotely" Came Lizbeth through the comms. "But you guys might be walking after that..." [color=silver]"Alternatively, there's an energy fluctuation toward the back. Could be overloaded and sliced."[/color] A layout of the meat plant appeared on Outcast's omni-tool. [color=silver]"Also a tunnel there. Escaped captives dug it during the war. Partially collapsed, may need some digging, but seems to lead inside the plant."[/color] "I guess this is the stealthy route." Lizbeth commented. [color=silver]"Dragon's teeth,"[/color] another proposal from Outcast, [color=silver]"weakened structure from the crucible blast. An array on the eastern side can be toppled with sabotage or explosion. They will collapse onto the fence."[/color] "That's right," Lizbeth confirmed, "a study shown these things are pretty fragile after exposure to the crucible. Their atomic structure-" [color=ed1b2e]"Not now!"[/color] Sevipia silenced her. Outcast cocked their head, but otherwise kept explaining. [color=silver]"Complications,"[/color] of course there were, [color=silver]"lookout on third-story observation tower top of the plant. Patrol of three wandering the perimeter."[/color] "Topographical approximation says you won't have a good angle once inside." Lizbeth piped in again. "You need to shoot the lookout from here." [color=silver]"Your call on the approach."[/color] Concluded Outcast. Zenn kept to himself most of the trip. Tensions were already a bit high and he really did not want to do anything that might set someone off. Though as soon as Zenobia found the sticky note, Zenn put his hands together and placed them in front of the mouth piece on his helmet. [color=0054a6]“Zenobia. I beg of you. Put it back.”[/color] There wouldn’t be much time to continue the banter after that as they pulled up to the meeting point. Outcast was already waiting for them, and of course his first comment was how sturdy their vehicle was for ramming. [color=0054a6]“You too, Outcast? Keelah…”[/color] Zenn let out accepting defeat on the matter. He listened to Outcast and Lizbeth go over all their available options. Knowing the team, most of them would more than likely favor a direct approach. Well, except for Solveig, but she would probably be needed to take out that lookout. All in all it did seem like hitting them fast and hard was the best option, except for one aspect; the hostages. Someone had to get them out of there and preferably not in the middle of a firefight. The tunnel Outcast mentioned would be perfect. [color=0054a6]“I’ll take the tunnels.”[/color] Zenn stated as he grabbed the shovel that was in the van. [color=0054a6]“If I can get inside undetected, I should be able to locate and extract the hostages before the bullets start flying. Anyone is welcome to join me, but the bigger the group, the more likely we’ll get caught and have to start the party early.”[/color] [color=ffb302]“I say we hit them direct,”[/color] Amina chimed in as she fussed with her armor and belt, [color=ffb302]“we should let Zenn have a minute or two to sneak in. While we are engaging the Reds he can be working his way in from the rear and securing any prisoners they have. If he does need backup though I can be the one to go with him and keep infiltration to two.”[/color] [color=800000]"Digging might take too long,"[/color] Kysar thought aloud. [color=800000]"They're already almost packed and ready to go."[/color] The Turian's three pronged hand stroked his mandibles. [color=800000]"I could overload that back fence, then sneak back around for a frontal assault. But honestly, whatever we do, that lookout needs to go, quietly, and I think we should at least blockade the entrance with the van, even if we don't decide to ram through."[/color] [color=662d91]"Don't worry about the lookout."[/color] Solveig said while flexing the fingers of her metal arm. She then turned to glance toward Zenn. [color=662d91]"You go under through tunnels, I'll go over."[/color] [color=662d91]"We need to keep their leader alive, he may have intel that we need, I'd prefer that nothing... too bad... happens to him."[/color] Nadara chewed hard on the two pieces of gum she’d tossed in her mouth on the route over. While she would have preferred to just take action based on gathered intelligence that was handed to her, she couldn’t yet trust her companions to make the right choices and had to think hard about what her own preferences would be. Her face was covered by the full body armor she wore, but she nonetheless raised an eyebrow at Amina’s comment. [color=82ca9d]“So there are some instances when it’s acceptable to follow an [i]alien[/i],”[/color] she mused. Her voice was muffled through the helmet, but her words were audible. Kysar and Solvieg added their thoughts and things seemed to be coming together even if a solid plan hadn’t yet formed. [color=82ca9d]“Whatever we do, we need to keep them here and prevent them from making headway to the spaceport.”[/color] Using the van as a blockade was a good idea, but perhaps there was something better they could use. [color=82ca9d]“If we blow the teeth, can we rig it so they fall strategically?”[/color] [color=800000]"Shit, if we're blowin' stuff up, my vote is to just straight up bomb the vans."[/color] Kysar shrugged. [color=800000]"Cut out the middleman."[/color] [color=82ca9d]“We’re not just 'blowin' stuff up',”[/color] Nadara replied, exasperated. The urge to add an insult was strong but she refrained, chewing harder on her gum instead. [color=82ca9d]“I’m asking this question to ascertain whether we have the appropriate materials to rig the explosion so as to have large pieces of debris serve as a blockade.”[/color] If successful, it would surely prove more constricting than a single van in front of the gates. The Turian could help but giggle. He had never known an Asari to be so fiery, maybe it was all that green in her. [color=800000]"And I'm pretty ass certain that if we have such materials, blowing up their only means of escape will work pretty damn well."[/color] Still grinning like an idiot, he turned to the rest of the group. [color=800000]"I suppose either way, this lover's tiff is pointless if we don't actually have any explosives."[/color] Outcast fished out a bag of grenades from their jeep. Nadara scoffed at Kysar’s comment, ready to fire back a retort, but pulled up short at Outcast’s action. [color=82ca9d]“That could work.”[/color] If they managed to keep the explosions high enough off the ground it would leave the tunnel intact for Zenn to extract the hostages, and ultimately serve as their own escape route after they’d had a chance to take out any remaining Red goons. Lizbeth interrupted them. "Outcast suggests the eastern dragon's teeth array, but if you blow the western array, they will drop right in front of the plant." "And if you time it right," she added, "you can drop them on the Reds." [color=ed1b2e]"Can we ease up on explosions?"[/color] Sevipia grumbled. [color=007236]"How DARE you say that in front of me?"[/color] Zenobia says with a hint of humor in her voice as she surreptitiously memorizes the VI override code. [color=007236]"Besides, no better smokescreen then a massive explosion if we want to come at this from two angles. We keep them guessing and we win."[/color] [color=ed1b2e]"No wonder you're a merc."[/color] Sevipia shook her head and cracked a faint smile. [color=ed1b2e]"That kind of tactic would never fly with the hierarchy."[/color] [color=ed1b2e]"Still, you have a point."[/color] The medic admitted. [color=ed1b2e]"Where am I needed?"[/color] Zenn looked at the shovel in his hand. Kysar had a point. Time was short, and digging a tunnel wasn't exactly a fast route. Even if it provided them the best escape route, they had to prioritize speed. However, Amina was offering to go through the tunnels as well. Along with Sevipia's suggestion to be in standby for the hostages, gave him an idea. [color=0054a6]"Actually, why don't you and Amina take the tunnels?"[/color] Zenn suggested to the human and turian and handed them the shovel. [color=0054a6]"I'll cut through the weak point in the fence and grab the hostages while you two get the tunnel open. I'll escort them there, then Sevipia can take care of them while Amina and I rejoin the assault team."[/color] [color=82ca9d]“Yes. You should get a move on. Clock’s ticking.”[/color] Nadara's gaze turned to Solveig. [color=82ca9d]“You too, we’ll need that guard gone.”[/color] Her head swiveled to Amina and the Medic. [color=82ca9d]“Notify us as soon as the hostages have been located so Outcast can detonate the spires. While they handle that, the rest of us will serve as the frontal assault team, with Solveig covering us from above.”[/color] Finally, she looked to Outcast. There was still mistrust there, but they were the whole reason the team was there in the first place. She hoped her temporary alliance wasn’t misplaced. [color=82ca9d]“Join us on the frontal assault once the dragon’s teeth have come down.”[/color] Amina took the shovel, keeping a sigh suppressed. [color=ffb302][i]Just as well, Zenn and I can maybe hit the Reds from behind using the cover of their own building.[/i][/color] Still, tunneling through a sewage outlet wasn’t the most glorious thing, but this was not about glory. It was about getting the job done. Kysar's eyes met with Sevipia's. She looked concerned, it was... nice. He smiled slightly and nodded. [color=800000][i]Too dangerous for her at the front anyway.[/i][/color] The turian justified. [color=800000][i]The tunnel will be much safer.[/i][/color] [color=800000]"Why don't you join us tin man?"[/color] He said, turning to Outcast. [color=800000]"I'm sure someone likes you packs some nice toys you can bring along."[/color] Admittedly, Kysar had heard that people didn't fully trust the shadowy operative but he figured someone like that was best kept in full view, rather than at their back. [color=662d91]"Point and shoot,"[/color] Solveig said under her breath as she exited the vehicle. The Volkov sniper rifle sat comfortably across her back There was something she wanted to work out. [color=662d91]"I'll see you from the top. Need to find my vantage before I cloak."[/color] She paused again, [color=662d91]"I... Good God... Speed luck."[/color] Another pause. [color=662d91]"I mean God luck. I... uh. Sorry... [i]skita[/i]"[/color] The cloak dropped. [color=silver]"Very well, I'll head for the western array."[/color] Outcast nodded. [color=silver]"Then rejoin your main assault once they are destroyed."[/color] [color=silver]"Just give me the signal when Rogue and..."[/color] [color=ed1b2e]"Godmother,"[/color] was Sevipia's callsign. [color=silver]"...are in position."[/color] Affirmed Outcast. [/indent][/indent]