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[color=Olive]"Green Knights, listen up!"[/color] Colonel Wayne's voice cut over the hustle and bustle of the Knights, the infantry, and their crews all getting settled into the new digs. The sound of his voice didn't carry as far as it did inside the cave, but even so, the commotion quickly subsided. [color=Olive]"Now that I've received reports from all three of our away teams, we'll begin with debrief."[/color]

The three concurrent missions the Green Knights had carried out had all been considerably high-risk, but done in the hopes of high rewards. Over the past few hours, each team made it back to the junkyard and reported in. Now it was time to go over the situation as a whole.

Gaius let his Mechwarriors, command staff, and crew leaders gather around before he began.

[color=Olive]"First off,"[/color] he began, [color=Olive]"I'd like to commend you all for your work out there. Each one of these missions had the potential to go wrong, but all of you completed your objectives. That's three wins under our belt, three steps closer to getting our people back."[/color]

He knew how eager many of the crew were to making their move on Fort Tie Shan, himself very much included. Knowing that they were less than fifty kilometers away from their families, from their spouses and children, from Sal--...from Captain Roth, he bridled at the thought of having to bide his time. However, he knew that without a proper plan of attack, charging at the fort would only get them all killed.

Still, he had to keep that hope alive, to foster the belief that they were that much closer to getting their families back and being done with Espia. But he also had to make sure their thoughts were in the here and now, so he brought the conversation back to the completed missions.

[color=Olive]"The defense of the Nui Awa Dam was an overwhelming success,"[/color] he began, deliberately choosing to omit Saarinen's embarrassment in the river. [color=Olive]"The First Infantry Platoon suffered moderate casualties-- Privates Duffey, Dautrieve, and Borden were KIA-- we'll have memorial services for them at sundown. Fortunately, their sacrifices helped save millions of lives; between the combined efforts of the 'Mech lance, the Von Luckner, and the Buckshot Boys, we stopped the Heavenly Sword dead in their tracks. While we don't know exactly how many soldiers or vehicles the faction has in reserve, it's likely we've dealt a severe blow to their ability to carry out large-scale attacks like this, if not crippled it completely.

"What's more, we were able to recover an ace in the hole: a [i]Davy Crockett[/i] half-kiloton tactical nuclear warhead. It's not a full-blown city-buster, but put in the right place, it can vaporize a lance of 'Mechs, destroy enemy infrastructure...possibly crack open the reinforced walls to a prison fortress. However, the fallout--both the literal and political kinds-- will have to be taken into account before we decide what to do with our new prize. Until then, it's being safely stored [i]far away[/i] from this location,"[/color] he emphasized, partly to ease any fears from the locals who may be listening in, and partly to discourage over-eager scrap-hunters.

[color=Olive]"Now for the bad news,"[/color] he continued. [color=Olive]"While inspecting and disarming the nuke for safe storage, our crew found the serial numbers of the warhead. Its registry number marks it as having last been shipped as part of a group of [i]three.[/i] So while the Heavenly Sword may not have any more armored-up land trains, it's very likely they have two more nukes on the planet. It also means their story of being Espian radicals simply loyal to House Liao is just as bogus as the holovid characters the Crimson Fists are pretending to be. They're being funded by someone with deep pockets and no regard for the survival of this planet."[/color]

As murmurs carried throughout the group, the Colonel continued.

[color=Olive]"Charlie Team also brought us some concerning news from the spaceport,"[/color] he said. [color=Olive]"Whoever is supplying the Espian Guard has significantly upped their air power. In addition to the wing of Meteor atmospheric fighters the Guard has on hand, they've now got their hands on two MechBusters, and a Shilone aerospace bomber. Each of those MechBusters has a nose-mounted cannon on par with the Von Luckner's; they can destroy Light 'Mechs outright and cripple most Mediums in a single volley. Fortunately, those cannons have a short range, so they'll need to be within range of our own weapons to hit. Still, trading fire with one is not advised; operating procedure is to get behind cover when it approaches, then return fire from the back or sides.

"The Shilone, on the other hand, is a whole other set of problems,"[/color] the Colonel continued. [color=Olive]"It can drop bombs from high altitude, well out of the effective range of our weapons, and can outgun most heavy 'Mechs even when strafing from low altitude. What's worse, because it's space-capable and fast as all hell, it can be on us in minutes when we emerge. The [i]Archer's[/i] LRMs and the [i]Shadow Hawk's[/i] autocannon can reach out and hit it if it comes in for a strafing run, but without a dedicated anti-air platform, the Shilone's going to make things considerably more difficult for us."[/color]

This news didn't go over well with most of the crew, nor was the Colonel particularly happy about it. What he wouldn't have given right now for a Partisan tank or a [i]Rifleman[/i] in this situation.

[color=Olive]"Charlie Team was able to perform some internal sabotage on the enemy aircraft before extracting,"[/color] Gaius offered some good news. [color=Olive]"While we don't know the extent to which they succeeded, hopefully their efforts will render the planes less effective when they come at us. Still, until those fighters are down, this does mean we'll need to maintain a doctrine of hit-and-fade. We'll use the tunnel network to move on our objectives without crossing open ground, hit our targets hard and fast, then bug out before the skies get crowded."[/color]

In truth, Gaius didn't like sending any of his 'Mechs out against superior air power, and the tunnel networks were only a stop-gap measure in the long run, but having even a stop-gap plan was always better than having none.

[color=Olive]"And finally, Bravo Team successfully made contact with Stiletto, the information broker Ms. Jeong told us about,"[/color] he said. This last mission was a bit more abstract in its rewards, but had the potential to pay off big. [color=Olive]"She provided us with the name of a representative from the Free People's Army, insinuating they were interested in joining forces. While Stiletto didn't provide direct contact information, she did provide a set of numbers-- possibly coordinates-- to arrange a meeting. Once we confirm and verify this, a team will be selected to meet with the FPA and propose an alliance. If Stiletto can be trusted, this could give us substantial aid. And if she can't...well, I'm not sending in a team without adequate backup."[/color]

Gaius knew this meeting had the potential to be a trap, but it was risk the Knights had to take. Over time, they might be able to pick apart the Crimson Fists, but the Espian Guard were an entire army. If the Green Knights were to have any chance to do anything beyond raiding and running, they needed an army on their side as well.

[color=Olive]"Lastly, one bit of bookkeeping to take care of,"[/color] he announced. [color=Olive]"Keeping track of the current Green Knights roster, we are removing Corporal Lena Von Kemp from the KIA column. While we had initially thought she was killed by the Crimson Fists during the coup, Bravo Team was able to uncover evidence that Wrathchild is, or at least [i]was[/i] until very recently, still alive and operating in South Nui Awa. How she got there, we're not sure, but it's a story I hope to find out. I'll be accepting volunteers for a search-and-recovery mission once we've established our base of operations here."[/color]

The Colonel hoped this last bit of intel would end the debriefing on a high note. They were making good progress, even if the situation on Espia only seemed to get more complicated.

[color=Olive]"If you've got questions, now's the time. Otherwise, dismissed."[/color]