Silverwind helped the otter to her feet with an amused smile and nodded companionably at her as she returned to her position in the line with the rest, listening to their comments as they came, and nodding or shaking his head, adding a reply in polite and interested interaction as they did. The squirrel lead them aboard the small vessel; a corvette he thought with an idle twist of memory. Almost immediately they went below decks and headed forward. A room was indicated to drop their bags - small as they were - off, and then they were lead into a briefing room, that immediately became cramped with the addition of six GEAR pilots of various sizes, an Ensign, and the general and his adjudtant already being present.
"General Vresco, sir!" Silverwind said, loud and proud. "Reportin' as ordered, sir. All members of the 33rd Special Tactical Operations Unit present and accounted for".
"Very good, Captain," the lion replied with a calm smile. "Please, be at ease and take your seats. We've got a few things to go over before we get properly underway".
Silverwind bade the rest to take their seats, casting a glance over the assembled men and women with a more relaxed eye as he took a seat of his own nearer the front.
They were as mixed a bunch as their dossiers had suggested. All of them had more than a few years in the service under their belts, and had all been on operational duties of some kind, even if it wasn't in a hostile environment. There was a healthy smattering of Special Operations training across the group, and all of them were, of course, GEAR trained and experienced.
Their ages made his head spin. He was literally twice the age of the youngest one, the big, zen-like-calm radiating bear, and the rest had yet to see thirty summers, other than the Ibex who carried herself with an aura of calm confidence which he admired. Although, a less analytical part of his mind said in a quiet voice, there's plenty to admire about all the women. He shut that down quickly, and returned his attention to Vresco, who had finished introducing himself as being the officer directly in charge of the 303rd and it's operations, and was about to explain why; information he already knew. He watched carefully for his new units' reactions to this; it would be of interest to his own future command style and the goals of their operations.
'The 33rd are a Special Operations unit dedicated to a single, clandestine mission. The Solernian Special Intelligence Bureau in combination with Military Intelligence and the Domestic Criminal Investigation Service have all identified a number of similar occurrences and disturbing trends growing within Solernia, and also with our foreign neighbours, allies and even nations considered to be hostile to Solernia. Through comparison and co-operation between agencies and also with our allies, we have identified a number of signs that point to some form of co-operative or joint direction of numerous criminal and international incidents over the last three years, possibly going back further than this. In short, The Kingdom and her her allies are being subjected to a campaign of ongoing action, the net results of which are destabilization of internal peace and security, the testing of our armed forces abilities to respond to indirect and direct threats, and the increasing number of Solernian people and those of our allies that have been killed, engaged in combat, or even abducted".
He paused, taking stock of the room, as the screen projected on the wall behind him showed a collage of news footage and stills from events over the last few years, along with ID shots of missing people.
"This has come to a head within the last six months after several prominent scientific personnel and notable members of the Royal Council and government were abducted during violent incidents in numerous townships and cities throughout Solernia. No other group has come forward, and - despite out best judgement and the general perception of the group in public consciousness and intelligence circles - we are lead to believe that the organisation known as 'Silent Line' are responsible.
Silverwind cast an eye over the room at that point. He'd already known this part, and remembered his own incredulous reaction when Vresco had said as much to him. It was like blaming dust devils or sea monsters, or something from a thriller nobel. But with no other option, and the amount of mounting data...
The lion continued.
"The 33rd are to work with national and international forces and agencies in order to expose whoever is responsible - if it is indeed Silent Line or not - and to bring them to justice, as well as discover and if possible halt their plans and rescue any captives taken. Due to the potential conspiracy involving Silent Line, the chain of command, logistics, and support will be kept small. The 303rd remain under my direct command and structure, and are classified as part of the Joint Intelligence Service, rather than the RSDF. Your role will be as much investigation as direct action, and you will frequently operate in foreign territory, both allied and not, via whatever privileges and deals we are able to bring to bear".
He paused again, this time a grimace setting over his face, ears turned back and tail twitching.
"I know it doesn't sound ideal, nor above board as we might like. It'll also be dangerous and potentially deadly, as you'll be operating mostly alone. But whatever support and aid we can give will be yours in full. You wouldn't be here if your skills and history weren't up to the task, nor would I be explaining this to you all.
"You have the choice to back down now, party to signing an official NDA on all you've heard here, and you can return to your units - although, you will be watched. Or, you can take on this role, serving under Captain Blade, and find out why Solernians have been kidnapped, why our towns and cities are being blown up and attacked, and what therese people actually even want the choice is yours. I'll leave you with the Captain to make his introductions and brief you for your first mission; I have other duties that need to be attended behind the scenes. Good luck to you all, and may whatever ancestors you follow smile on us all".
With that, the General left the room, leaving a moments' pause, before Silverwind stepped up to the briefing podium at one end of the room.
"Okay, listen up," he said with a half smile and an intense look to his single eye. "You all heard what the General said, and I know you'll have questions. So y'all can feel free to answer 'em. But believe me; I'm as half-disbelievin' it myself.
As fer me - I have experience, and a lot of it. I've fought virtually everywhere a GEAR can go, and a few more places 'sides. All I ask from anyone is that they do their best - because that's all I'll be givin' in return. I'll look out fer all of you, so long as you do the same fer me. I ain't a complicated kinda guy. I talk straight, shoot straight, an' expect the same from my people. We don't have ta be friends, but it sure's hell makes spendin' each day tagetha a lot easier if we are."
He tapped a holographic control for his pebble, and the screen behind him shifted.
"As fer what we'll be doin' here. This lovely little yacht we're on is the HMS Repulse. She's a patrol corvette. She'll be assembling with a coastal patrol vessel from the Anthilla Navy, and an amphibious assault ship from the Torenda Defence Force as part of a joint operation".
The screen behind him showed a stylised, simplified map, highlighting the two island nations to the east of Solernia, and the three ships assembling at a point in the ocean to the East.
"The three ships will then, as part of a joint task force, launch an amphibious attack on the island of Isenor, in the Northern Ocean. Isenor is administered by Anthilla - in the books, anyway - but is mostly uninhabited. However, intel points to the fact that it's been seeing a lot of air and sea traffic over the last 18 months, and surveillance flights have indicated a lot of movement and presence on the island - something we're going to go in and investigate, with the goal of recovering any personnel or records present in order to gather intelligence. It seems likely that this is the place that's been used a staging point or headquarters for some of the incidents in this region, along with increased piracy and hijackings in the area. We'll be staging via Aerial insertion from a heavy-lift helo from the TDF ship, and approaching under cover of night, in order to stage the attack in the pre-dawn twilight for maximum effect. We'll go over your individual roles closer to deployment, and when we're ready to stage from the ship. Our GEARs will be transferred aboard once we make the rendezvous, but personal tuning and familiarization can take place as the Repulse is underway in her helicopter hangar".
He looked over them all again, as the screen shut down, allowing more of a smile to creep onto his grizzled muzzle, and his tail wagged slightly, ears pricking with enthusiasm.
"I know we ain't worked together before. An' that none of y'all know me from any other grizzled lookin' bastard. But I'm keen to work with you, and for us to be the best we can be. I see a lotta potential out there, and we're goin' into this with the best GEARs, weapons, an' training the RSDF can give us - which in mah personal opinion is pretty much the best Arvara has too. I'll be in a cabin down the hall from the rest of ya, and we got eight hours ta get our shit together. Any questions, hit me on yer pebble, or jus' come an' ask. I'll be in the hangar along with the rest of ya after the ship gets underway. Chow is on in the mess hall from now as well, an yer new pilot suits oughta be in the bunk rooms set aside fer us where our gear was stashed. We can draw personal arms from the ships' armoury where ours were stowed 'fore we came aboard. Anythin' else, ask away. Dismissed in the meantime, troop".
As the last words left his muzzle, he felt a little tension leave his body; he hadn't realized how nervous he'd been. And not surprising; it had been literally years since he'd last been in front of people and briefed or debriefed them. Even the uniform has changed since you last served, old man, he thought wryly to himself, as he plucked at a hemline with the bionic fingers of his left hand.
He waited a few minutes for the group to say anything, leaning in a more relaxed posture on the podium and letting his single-eyed gaze drift across the assembled Arvarans before him.
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