Life and Death on Planet Nauru, Omicron Delta - [PM for Invitation]

[Jack_Henderson]

//This is a roleplay thread that deals with the situation on Planet Nauru in the wake of the FP11 crisis in which the Core and Zoners clashed massively, with the Nauru Iridium resources acting as a key factor of the conflict. This thread aims to depict the reality on the surface, and give the space actions and diplomacy a human face.

---

The sand storm had passed and the glaring light of the sun made the dust that was still in the turbulent atmosphere of Planet Nauru glow in an orange light, creating a spectacular sunrise after a day of total darkness. Power had been cut after the generators filters stopped working due to the sand, and the people inside the village had done what they always did in these events: hunker down, pray and wait.

The golden sunrise wasn’t greeted with enthusiasm, but with grim face covered in dust masks, hands grabbing shovels and – after the shelter had been dug out and the heavy doors had been opened – heavy machinery to clear the thousands of tons of sand that the storm had blown into the small colony of around eight-hundred souls.

Zoners and Corsairs had come here five or six decades ago in their pursuit of freedom and opportunities, looking for a golden future in the golden sand. On this day, after one of the fiercest storms this year, there was little left of the exuberant mood in which their parents and grandparents had started this endeavor out here in the nothingness of the mountainous desert.

It would take a few days, if not weeks to clear the sand, but this was not even the priority now. While the roaring of machines went on and fountains of sand were being blown off towards the outskirts of the settlement, a group of twelve youngsters in their late teen years were gathered around the Elders to receive the blessing for the climb of their lives. Anxiousness and excitement was showing in their faces when they followed the elder’s finger that pointed to the top of the mountain.

Mount Rika-Shi, the sacred mountain of the Goddess of Life had to be climbed to praise Rika for her mercy on the village, and to pacify Yira-Kha, the Demon of Storm. His force had not been able to claim lives this time, and even the houses were spared. It was a sign, a sign that it was time to answer the godly mercy by humane action and the Elders agreed that it was time for The Climb.
Soon after the solemn vows to not return if unsuccessful, the parents kissed their children on the temples and then the whole village watched them start the hike towards Mount Rika-Shi in white ritual dresses.

In two hours they would be small points, barely visible, scaling the steep and treacherous walls of the mountain which Yira-Kha threw at Rika-Shi to bury her alive, but she did not perish. The climbers never arrived before nightfall and it was past midnight when more and more fires lit up the night when more and more climbers made it to the top to light them. Anxiously the parents of the climbers counted them, knowing that hardly ever all climbers survived.

Little did these simple men and women care for what happens outside of their village, and even less did they care about politics. They only learnt months after Yaren fell that the Core was now running the mining business on Nauru, but for these colonies far out from the mining centers it didn’t mean anything as long as the freighter arrived to pick up the Iridium.

Everything that mattered was survival, their loved ones, the freighter, the present and the future of simple hopes and modest dreams. The money they received for their shipments of ore kept them alive, allowed them to buy the fuel for their generators, the spare parts to keep their operations running and food because out here there was nothing.

Zoner and Corsair bloodlines had long mixed in a community that was so remote that only the ore freighters acted as a connection to the outer world, and there also was a communication uplink that was however well-hidden in the mountains and treated like a treasure. No one was ever allowed to use it, and it was surrounded by an aura of mysticism, as everything was that was located inside of Mount Rika-Shi, dug into Her sacred body.

The signal fires caused the villagers to look up and cheer, they were clapping their hands and waving upwards, praising Rika for the gift of life and a new day that would dawn in a few hours. A new day of hard work to stay alive in this arid, hostile environment – and they did not even know of the outbreak of hostility between Core and the Freeport 11 Zoners on that same day. It was an event that would shake up their little world, triggered by forces that they could neither understand fully nor pacify by climbing Mount Rika-Shi.

These were not angry gods, but human forces that were clashing with the fierceness that only a struggle for survival could bring forth. But for tonight, they were celebrating in the village, music and dance filled the village’s center in a loud and sensual tribute to Rika, their Goddess of Life.

In the morning the Elders would walk up to the mountain solemnly and collect the smashed bodies of the young fallen climbers and bury them in the stone tombs that they cut deep into the rock. They would return to Rika, and She would give the survivors the blessing of children this night. Life and death on Nauru would continue – as it always had.

---

+ IMG| DISCORD: https://discord.gg/TWrGWjp
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[t0l]

[withdrawn]

---

[Karst]

It's a quiet, mild evening at ALG's Stuttgart Headquarters. Regular business hours are over here, but there is still life in the building, workaholics putting on yet another pot of coffee, cleaning personnel mopping the already-gleaming corridors, and Division V Director Helmut Weinstein awaiting a visitor in an otherwise empty, dark office. The small office is a rather humble setting for an important guest such as Guildmaster Jack Henderson, but some conversations are best held in dimly lit rooms.

2107 local time
823-05-11
ALG Southwest Headquarters, Stuttgart City, Planet Stuttgart

Weinstein stood up to greet the Guildmaster as he entered.

"Mr Henderson, I'm pleased you could make it. I'm sure you've been no less busy than I have, and I'd greatly prefer if we got straight to the point."

"Herr Weinstein, it's good to be here. I don't have to repeat the context, I am sure you remember our last conversation on the Nauru situation and the plans we were discussing. New Delta intel suggests that the few groups that managed to resist the Core's renewed offensive on the planet surface have been pushed deep into the desert - and frankly - humanitarian aid will not save them. If we want them to keep fighting, we need to act fast, or this door closes. So my first questions is: is the ALG still determined to get involved in Nauru affairs?"

"I think it's safe to say we have both gotten ourselves in far too deeply to consider dropping the matter now. Intentionally, of course; there are a number of reasons why we invested ourselves in the way we did.
It is certainly desirable to keep the remnants of the pre-Core population resisting as long as possible.
You're aware, of course, of the posting of the Nebelbank in the Omicrons. I intend to move other assets out as well."

"I did not know you were sending in more combat assets directly, but it comes as a positive surprise. The Guild will - on the surface - only operate humantarian aid for the Freeport, and perhaps also for the Nauru population, however I have the green light for Operation Nauru Dawn. It's a small scale operation aiming at arming and supporting those indigenuous groups that are still out there. I managed to aquire a non-House provider for war machinery in the Coalition, and I am currently having secure comms and money transfer systems being set up by the Lane Hackers. The Guild plans to send a ground team of twenty-five to Nauru to supply, arm, advise and coordinate efforts. Covert operation, no bread crumbs to us."

"Our plan is the following. Our assets are officially in the area to protect friendly traders, to keep an eye on things, to keep us up-to-date. Which is not even untrue, that is the main part of the operation.
However, we are also planning to send small teams to the surface with military materials. Scour the areas not completely controlled by the Core forces, and offer military assistance. In return, they should make sure the supply of iridium at the Freeport doesn't dry up too quickly, and offer some in direct exchange on scene."

Henderson smirks at his comment.

"I guess we will not be the only ones who have come up with this plan at this moment - I assume Sirius lacks true Samaritans. But... seeing that ALG is also planning to get involved and put boots on the ground, I suggest we closely coordinate our operations for maximum operational efficiency. The resistance groups El Fennek and the Cucaracha Roja are the only ones that we can contact with the intel we managed to gather. The Fenneks need assistance fast or they will be starved out or overrun, so that would be my suggestion. First operation, a 4RE mission: resupply, rearm, relocate, reinforce - as my military attache called it. You already have combat assets for insertion and mission execution there? We lack insertion and evacuation equipment."

"Your intel is certainly impressive. I propose the following: I will have the heavy freighter Meidling filled with combat materials and personnel. A small, fast ship like that shouldn't have too much issue arriving in the area undetected, with a light escort.
I'll have Operative "Melanie", my ranking agent in the area, currently on board the Nebelbank, take control of the landing party, and hopefully your people can organize a rendezvous. The Meidling will remain planetside for evac.
"Melanie" has....an unusual approach to things. But she can be relied upon."

"Herr Weinstein, you seem to have this under control. The IMG is not able to provide planetary insertion craft, nor escort ships in Delta, therefore we would like to place our operatives onto the Meidling for transportation and insertion. We are trying to keep the visible IMG footprint in this mission as small as possible, aiming at keeping our humanitarian mission in the foreground and keep Core forces from focussing on us. I'll inform Chief Barnes to get into touch with the ALG to organise the details about this flight into the combat zone. She also has the intel on possible landing zones near one of the staging areas of the insurgency group our team will be supporting. One question: how much cargo space do you have on the Meidling? I assume only personal equipment is permissible for the first flight in?"

"We should be able to take a small team. It's a lightly armored Ragnar-class, so there's a good amount of space. I will have her filled with the space your team will require to spare.
The Freeport itself may be the center of all the attention, but with all the traffic there it may actually be the most discreet place for Chief Barnes to rendezvous with "Melanie" and board the Meidling.
The Nebelbank could provide escort, although she might draw too much attention. A Division V snubcraft or two, which I intend to send to escort the Meidling to the Omicrons, may be preferable for the final approach."

"Hiding inside the crowd. I see what you are doing there. As long as scanners do not expose the weaponry on board and the people as what they are, I doubt it would be much more dangerous than meeting in a secretive location. I somehow like it and trust the ALG to organise this part of the mission. I will have Chief Barnes send the planned IMG mission to your agent Melanie, so she can decide whether it fits into the ALG plans. But I guess we'd better let the military guys do these things. The Chief always gets very angry if I interfere in her operations."

He chuckles, and Weinstein smiles politely.

"Indeed, the strategy on the ground is best left up to them. They will know what they are doing. I'll try to arrange escorted transfer of the Meidling as soon as possible, and I will let "Melanie" know of the plan.
I'm certain she will be...enthusiastic about it."

Weinstein glances over the notebook he has periodically been consulting.

"I think that covers our current course of action. Anything more to add?"

Henderson pauses for a while before shaking his head.

"No, that's all we needed to get out of the way. We'll let the military guys play now. I'll be contacting you once we are finished putting the right pieces onto the playing field. Should not take more than 48 hours for the small teams to assemble and be moved discreetly. Good luck. We'll stay in touch."

"Of course. I'm done here myself then. Shall we see ourselves out?"

A few hours later, the Division V Ragnar-class freighter "Meidling" departs from her previous posting, with some very specific cargo to be loaded.

---

[Doc Holliday]

Hutoka was fresh off of the shipyard at Lividia. It's combat ability largely stripped down in favor of defense and enhanced medical and research labs. Zoner carriers, after all, were never known for their ability to fight nor was the enterprise for which it was constructed known for war. They were people of peace.

It's commander was a former Libertonian officer, Commander Jonathan Bashier. He was short but proud and he walked that way. He was well respected by his crew and even his enemies. The Hutoka was in it's initial runs. A cloaking device and hyperdrive both checked out. All decks were reporting normal. As the test flight went smoother, Bashier took his captain's seat with a fresh cup of coffee.
As the test flights commenced, medical and science crews went about their own tasks of beginning their work.
"Engage the cloaking device and make way for Omicron Delta," ordered Bashier.
"Yes, Sir," replied the helmsman who made it so.

Hutoka entered the system and with cloaking device still engaged, they made their way through the system.
"No Core ships present, Sir," commented the tactical officer.
"Good! Good!" replied the commander as he stood up for a moment. He then turned to his bridge crew.
With a straight face, he simply instructed them to read case file #901.
"You are all here because you are the best," he stated, "you will now understand why you're here."

There was a brief silence as each crew member on the bridge read case file #901. Each nodded their understanding and found their seat.
Bashier smiled, "no one will suspect this being done right under their noses."

The Hutoka made it's way to Planet Nauru. Once there, it began a decent into the atmosphere. With a cloaking device still on and shields down, the atmosphere left burn marks on the new ship.....as intended. Once through, the ship made a course for it's designated landing coordinates provided to them in the case file.
"Helmsman, set it down and use the landing thrusters to dig into the sand as much as possible." he instructed.
"Tactical, engage filtration systems," he said over his other shoulder.
"Yes, Sir," replied the tactician.

Still cloaked, the Hutoka touched down in the sand. It was an ideal landing spot. The sand was soft so it gave under the weight of the ship. It looked like a giant sand storm as the sand was sent everywhere and began covering the ship. Things were going to plan.
After several minutes, the ship settled and the cloaking device was turned off. It was buried quite deep in the Nauru surface and sand and some rock littered most of the ship. Bashier was happy as he turned to his crew, placing a chip in a computer and sending a secure transmission.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Nauru," he said, "we'll be here awhile and we'll have some help coming. For now, I must speak with the medical and science people. Mr. Watts, you have the bridge."
"Yes, Sir," replied Watts, the helmsman.

---

[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Jack_Henderson]

Planet Nauru, shortly before the Hutoka's arrival:

---

Team Blue Dune, a small quad of 5 led by Chief Barnes had taken an observation position in the area that was deemed a good landing zone for the Hutoka by the scouting parties. The full team had been ferried in by the ALG insertion mission and the remaining operators were were still in the process of deploying their equipment and organising for backup and supplies. The Hutoka was part of it, and this was the first real mission in Operation Nauru Dawn.

The small group was dug into the sand, performing overwatch over the stretch of dunes that seemed endless. The vessel would have to touch down far from the Core's main city and even a good stretch from the heavily fortified mining settlements. This was a place void of anything interesting, filled with dust and sand, empty of life, yet a place where lives would be saved in the future.

Operator: "All clear, Chief. No aerial contacts for 2 hours. No visuals. No thermal contacts."
Chief: "Roger. Long range comm. We call our package in."

---

Operation Name: Nauru Dawn
Mission Name: Dunes of Steel
Time on Nauru: 5d 21h 58m 32s
Position: 22°76'174 / 163°29'165

Priority: High
Encryption: High

---

Time to atmospheric entry of the Hutoka: 00:21:16

---

This is Blue Dune, calling Hutoka. Blue Dune to Hutoka: We have marked you a potential landing zone, grid coordinates A 5.8823 / 7.2293, transmitting coordinates now.

Sending aerial of potential Landing Zones now. Four grids, so there are four potential LZ. All east of the main dune "Boss Alpha". Object height: approximately 125 meters.

Make sure to stay east of the main dune for maximised protection from visual and sensor detection. Sand depth approximately 40 to 80 meters in the depressions east.

Depending on sand coverage after touchdown, Blue Dune team has explosives ready to collapse the side of the adjacent dunes onto the Hutoka to accomplish full coverage fast. Recommended entry vector is parallel to the meridian.

Good luck Commander.
See you on the ground.
Blue Dune, out.

---

Time to atmospheric entry of the Hutoka: -00:04:57

---

"Visual! 98 degrees! Up!" one of the spotters reported into the headset, and all heads were turning upwards.

The silhouet of the landing ship was showing black against the bright sun and the clear blue sky. "Hope they don't hit us." someone joked over the comms. "Good point! Mark our position with strobes!" ordered the Chief, to make sure that the position of friendly forces would be recognized by the crew.

Moments later, the ship was huge and descending fast, it was turning the whole area into a mayhem of dust and whirling sand. "Take cover!" someone shouted, "Maaaaasks!!!" yelled the Chief, but everybody had them on already when the cloud of flying dust plunged everybody into darkness, biting any part of bare skin that it could hit.

---

Time to atmospheric entry of the Hutoka: -14:33:13

---

After the engines had stopped, and the dust had settled to a degree that Blue Dune could see enough to operate, they immediately hurried towards the landing zone. The vessels was partially covered by sand and dust, sitting in a valley next to a towering dune. "Satchel charges. There... there... there... there... 40 meters apart. 20 meters below top! Go!" yelled the Chief into her microphone, pointing at the ridge. The men and women started to climb the dune, running upwards in the burning heat.

Chief: "Blue Dune to Hutoka, keep your hatches sealed. We are causing a sand avalanche to cover the remaining part of your ship. Hang in tight. Might be loud plus pressure wave. Stay inside." she instructed what she expected to be civilian crew inside the ship that they had to bury as fast as possible.

Seven minutes later, four small detonations caused a part of the dune to collapse and slide down the flank. Tons of sand hit the massive hull of the ship, burying it below many meters of sand and hiding it from eyes in the sky. But sand storms out here in the desert - far away from any Core settlements or known resources - were frequent, and so there was a good probability that no one would even check, or if a routine check was done, nothing would be found.

"Let's get down there. Dig them out again. Shovels!" the Chief ordered with a sarcastic undertone, while she herself pulled the shovel from her backpack, folded it open and started digging with her team where they had spotted the entrance of the ship. "... hope we got the position right..." someone replied panting, and there was laughter: "Hell... hope we do" someone answered, and the Chief barked back without humour: "Save your breath. If you can still talk... you can also dig faster.".

[Arioch]

As Cierra sat looking over the dunes, she couldn't help but marvel at the landscape before her. An endless sea of sand and rocks, of varying desert colors. Many viewed such a landscape as desolate and barren. An empty wasteland void of any beauty. But to Cierra, it was beautiful. It was her home. It was where she was raised, the daughter of one of the local miners.

Looking out, she felt the ground beneath her tremble ever so slightly, increasing steadily. Turning her head, she recognized one of the rigs used to haul the precious resources from the mining camps to the various landing pads that carried the minerals up to the stations in Delta.

---

As the rig came to a stop above her, she tilted her head down, knowing that this brief moment of bliss was over. Standing up, she walked over to the ladder on the side of the rig."Cierra? Urgent message for you." a man said, as he opened the side door at the top of the ladder. Tossing down the datapad, she keyed in her access code, and played the message:

"Cierra, this is Damian. We just received word that Blue Dune are in the area, and are currently outside the Core base. Looks like a Zoner carrier, the "Hutoka", has touched down with relief supplies, and Blue Dune is in the process of burying the carrier in the sands for cover. We've relayed this information over to the Cucauacha Roja along with our coordinates, and are rendezvousing at coordinates 22°76'174 / 163°29'165. Minus the 4 men I've sent to pick you up, the Fenneks are on the move as we speak. See you soon Cierra. Stay safe."

---

Tossing the pad back up, she turned and faced the dunes once more. Looking out, her face switched from that of joy to that of determination, and she slowly closed her eyes. As much as the deserts of Nauru held much beauty in her eyes, it also held death and anguish. For her home had become a battlefield. The Core had swept through the larger mining camps, slaughtering hundreds. No warning, no transmission. Just death.

Many perished, and very few made it out alive. Together though, they were able to get word to some of the smaller camps and villages of the attack, and were able to mount resistance groups. Cut off from supplies and help, they were able to help those alive find shelter and hiding places within the rocks and natural caves within the monolithic rocks half buried in the sand. It was only days previous that word from off-world provided them with updated news. Freeport 11 had been attacked. Thousands dead, and many more injured. Debris from destroyed ships littered the sands on the far side of Nauru, burnt and bent into indistinguishable heaps of metal.

But hope still remained, for a taskforce had made landfall, in secrecy, to help with the resistance effort. Bringing medical supplies as well as arms, the main resistance groups were gearing up to combine forces and meet up with Blue Dune, the off world task force sent.

Recalling the events that led to this moment, Cierra opened her eyes. Determined to make the Core pay for what they did, she silently made a small prayer. Taking in one last look, she whispered to herself...

"It begins..."

[Doc Holliday]

Aboard the Hutoka

Commander Bashier made his way towards the back part of the ship. There, assembled in a secure conference room were the department heads of the ship. The Chief Engineer, Chief Medical Officer, Head of Security, Chief Scientist and his first officer were all present.



As Bashier entered, his crew stood at attention.
"At ease, Gentlemen," he instructed with a smile. He took his seat at the head of the table and the others followed.
He then began to explain things. "In front of each of you is case file 901. This isn't your prototypical mission. As we speak, we are now buried beneath the desert here on Nauru. Only a few people know where we are and those people are friendlies. We will be meeting with them soon enough. Your file will tell of our mission here. Once read, that entire file will self-delete and be non-recoverable."
He then paused to allow his staff to read the file.

"I'm a little confused," stated the chief medical officer, "beneath the desert? In Core territory? I'm no engineer but an Aquilon carrier isn't exactly meant for that environment."
"No, it isn't," answered the chief engineer as he took some reports and readings from around the ship, "but the ship is more than able to handle it. The newer drive systems don't need to vent near as much and I should be able to take whatever waste and re-process it. My only concern will be when we do leave the blowing sand. For now, you have nothing to worry about."
"Yes but medical goods," continued the medical officer, "our biodome only produces so much."
"Trust me when I say, Christian, that you will get all of the medical goods you will need," interrupted Bashier with a big smile, "That will be the least of your worries." With that, Christian sat down.

"Mr. Decker, can you have your security teams ready should we need them?" asked the commander.
"Sir, I have a security team of about five hundred," he answered, "I can't go on a full assault with that but I can damn sure keep this ship secure. With your permission, we'll conduct some drills on ship, some of which will include all staff to include yourself."
Bashier just nodded and answered, "Granted."

"If you don't mind, Mr. Decker, I would like to be active in that," requested the first officer.
"I would be honored, Sir," replied Decker.

"Christian, my science team will work closely with the medical staff," stated the science officer, "I'm thinking that we can get some stuff accomplished together.... a LOT accomplished."

Bashier nodded with a light smile, "It sounds like we have the beginnings of a plan. Gentlemen, take the rest of today and tonight to get your departments settled and figured. I don't have any straight information for anyone right now so be prepared for a lot of FRAGOS.
We'll meet tomorrow morning at 0900 for more discussion. For now, I need you, Mr. Decker and a small security detail. We'll have some visitors soon enough and we'll need to assist them."

Bashier and Decker left to where the entry into the ship would be dug.

---

[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Jack_Henderson]

Blue Dune had been working hard to dig the Hutoka out of the sand landslide again, and after 3 hours there was an entrance that allowed entrance to what would become a mobile headquarters, a resupply point and a field hospital at the same time. At least this was what was in Chief Barne's head. Everything else, the crew would have to either confirm and make real, or tell her why it was not possible.


Planet Nauru, 4 hours after Hutoka's arrival:

The greeting between Blue Dune and the Hutoka's crew was short and lacked all the friendliness that one would have expected under normal circumstances, but this was a warzone and there were dozens of things to do still from the point of view of Blue Dune, likely also from the space ship crew that found itself in a rather unfamiliar situation as well. A time that called for action and less for pleasantries. "Commander, good to have you here. I'll talk to you in detail after we have set up a perimeter. We can't risk being pushed out now that we are here. I'm sure you understand the necessity. You could organise for a staff meeting for late tonight. I have more teams rv-ing here."

---

Operation Name: Nauru Dawn
Mission Name: Dunes of Steel
Position: 22°76'174 / 163°29'165

Priority: High
Encryption: High

This is Blue Dune calling Melanie. We established our foothold, codename Curacao. Transmitting coordinates, verification code Alpha-4C. Confirm position after decryption. Rendezvous suggested to plan our next moves. Dune Blue will be setting up a prelimiary defense perimeter around Curacao. We need Blue 4 to come in with the heavy equipment asap, LZ marked by strobes South East of Curacao. We are scouting the area and prepping positions already. You handle Blue 4, we got Curacao security covered. See you soon. Blue Dune, out.

---

Blue Dune - now with their full manpower of 25 - took all those crew members with them that the commander could spare and they were spreading out in the surrounding, fortifying the area and scouting for good positions. Chief Barnes did not expect an attack, and everybody wanted to just rest, but nevertheless it was essential to be prepared - young positions were easy to attack, impossible to hold with a small defending force against a determined enemy knowing that an attack would be a lot more costly later.

That would have to change as fast as these men and women were able to work in the insane heat of this arid desert. "We find positions and dig in! Element Chiefs, take your elements, secure a perimeter and reinforce it. I want suggestions for Recon and AA positions on my TacMap in 15." she told her assembled teamleaders before they all set out to start digging again. After working for hours to access the Hutoka's entrance, this was an order that made no one happy. But there they were, breaking the upper crust of the desert sand with primitive infantry gear to create preliminary positions - just in case.

Planet Nauru, 23 hours after Hutoka's arrival:

The ALG special shuttle Meidling, codenamed Blue 4 in the operation Nauru Dawn had swooped in and had dropped its cargo before speeding off again in order not to draw unwanted attention. Green, emptied boxes littered the area around the touchdown area after the equipment was either taken on board of the Hutoka or transferred to the defensive positions via small robot vehicles that the Hutoka provided. No one found the time to clear them away, but the sand was already playing around them, and covering some of them.

It was deep night and the temperatures had dropped below the freezing point when Chief Barnes made her last round to inspect the positions that they had been preparing for the last 12 hours. She took notes on dozens of shortcomings and issues to fix for tomorrow, but the most important defensive positions were ready and her squad needed some rest. The positions were still primitive, but for a start it would have to be sufficient. "Camoflage nets, also IR camo, normal personnel for tonight's shift." she ordered over the radio.

She left their only ground-to-air battery that was being camoflaged at that moment with a silent curse on her sun-burnt and chapped lips. The second AA battery had been damaged already when an PT-5 transport robot fell over and the launcher hit the rocky ground when it tried to ascend the designated position. At least 4 more of her operators would be able to rest tonight, as there was no need to man one more position.

"Section Chiefs, make sure to distribute maps of our kill zones, also to the ship's crew. And arm the mines as soon as possible. Let's lock this place down asap and get some rest. We have a lot of work to do still, I need everybody to be fit for it. Keep hydrated, careful for hypothermia at night. Good job so far. Keep it up" Chief Barnes ordered and then cut the comms.

Every mission's first hours were stressful and knowing that they were facing an absolutely ruthless enemy while having very limited resources here at the moment did not allow her to feel any better. Now she would call their progress in, try to synchronise their mission with the ALG elements that would likely be already enroute and then hopefully find the time to take a longer, more socially acceptable conversation with the Hutoka's commanding crew.

[Doc Holliday]

Aboard the Hutoka

With a security detachment at his side, Commander Bashier greeted those who dug their way to the ship's entry. He promptly provided them with food and drink. It was, after all, very dry on Nauru, and water itself was at a premium. The Hutoka, however, came prepared. There was enough provisions and drink for several years not including what was being produced in a biodome. It's own crew plus patients and guests would be well taken care of. As the commander met with the ground crews, his first officer was setting up the conference room for a meeting.

Lt. Commander Rush was a seasoned combat veteran formerly of the Order. He knew the Core well and had no love of Bounty Hunters. It was his knowledge of Core tactics, Corsairs, Nomads and the Order that made him an invaluable asset. He set the conference room up, not knowing who would be there or even what to expect. For the moment, he was without his assigned security detail. His security was his service weapon and his expert use of hand to hand combat. For the time being, six chairs were set at the table with more available as needed. With the help of the mess section, an a la carte of sandwiches, veggie trays and snack items as well as a full bar would be provided.

The Following Morning

"Mr. Decker, I would like you to assign a detachment of your best men to assist with security outside the ship. Mind you, they are not resistance but security. In other words, defensive actions only," ordered the Commander.
"It will be done, Sir," answered Decker as the two men walked a corridor. "I have a security team of five hundred, all of whom are well versed in tactics of the Core and even Corsairs. I also have one group of crack commandos. I got them at Freeport 6 and when it comes to hand to hand and endurance, no one and I mean no one, comes close to them."
"Very well, Mr. Decker," replied the satisfied Bashier, "Just as long as you are present at the meeting, all is good. I am entrusting this ship's security and all aboard in your hands. I won't tell you how to do something you're already capable of doing." The two men went about their business.

On the bridge, the helmsman, Derek Watts, was getting invites out to those who needed them. He was young but was well versed in secure transmissions. Low band transmissions were undetectable outside of the atmosphere. Those that were sent were sent in an encryption that only the expected recipients would receive. It was a short list but an important one:
-The Nauru resistance
-Jack Henderson of the IMG
If anyone else needed to be there, they would know who to get the word to.
For the moment, all the crew of the Hutoka could do was wait for their guest to arrive and go about their business.

---

[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Jack_Henderson]

Private cabin on board of the Hutoka

Kyra Barnes was standing in the narrow shower cabin of her tiny room, but it was her own and the silence and the lack of things to do was exactly what she needed now.

Outside, her Element Leaders were in charge of securing the perimeter, and she knows that she was not needed for such routine operations. Nothing would happen, she told herself. If they had spotted us, they would already be all over us. She kept the shower short, using it more to order her thoughts than to relax or wash, and at the end she turned the water to icy cold, forced herself to remain in the cold spray for a minute, before she exited. She felt wide awake, ready to face the Commanding Crew and the other parties that had been summoned.

---

In the Conference Room of the Hutoka

Fifteen minutes later, Chief Barnes enters the conference room with a short nod to the parties already present. There was some small talk, many handshakes, but her attention was mainly on Commander Bashier, who she thanked for taking the risk to establish a well-supplied HQ, for sending available crew to help with logistics, storage and also digging positions, and who she apologized for her lack of time before.

Then she started discussing perimeter defense and reinforcement with Mr. Decker on how to make sure that his forces were coordinating well with those of Blue Dune, and with a lot more forces available, suddenly many more options appeared on the horizon.

She shook hands with the representatives of the Nauru natives, and with the ALG operators, and they only exchanged short comments and pleasantries for the beginning, knowing that there was an important job to do.

---

Meeting the Resistance

"Let me thank Commander Bashier for hosting our first Mission Debriefing and Briefing on Nauru. Your ship, its crew and its supplies and equipment are invaluable assets for this operation." she als nods to Decker, but then continues immediately. "... I suggest we introduce ourselves quickly, explain what forces we command, what our mission parameters are, what our last mission was or what we did already, and what our next mission is. Just a suggestion, but we somehow have to coordinate our moves." and she leaves out the 'or else', as everybody in this room would know.

"I am Kyra Barnes or Chief Barnes and I command Blue Dune, 25 specialists, light infantry equipment only. Our mission is a classic 4RE mission: Resupply, Reinforce, Rearm, Relocate. However, with the Hutoka present, Resupplying the resistance on Nauru is already completed, at least for the initial stages." she explains, asking herself what kind of forces the other commanders would bring to the board.

"Rearming is partially completed. Earlier today the Meidling dropped equipment. You saw the empty crates, likely. They contained Blue Dune's equipment, also general supplies, but also Coalition arms, ammunition and fighting equipment. It will be distributed to the indigenuous forces as soon as we have finished here." she rearranges her thoughts again, and proceeds to walk the commanders through her 4RE mission quickly and precisely.

Reinforcing our position is our current mission." she nod sto Mr. Decker whose men and women were at the moment outside, continuing the digging in with their superior equipment. "We called in the Hutoka after scouting thie LZ, collapsed the dune to our East onto it and set up a defensive perimeter around our location. We also set up scouting positions. Mr. Decker's men were very helpful in this and I am sure that in 48 hours and with 125 crew working on it in 4 shifts, we will have a multi-layer defensive system set up that allows us to stand our ground. I expect 96 hours to reinforce the terrain to a level where we can assume we are secure against most forms of conventional attack.", she ends and seems rather self-confindet in her words and the defenses that she described.

About Relocating: Our next mission is to locate civilian population and take them to safety. It has not yet been decided how we do this, as the Hutoka's passenger capacities and resources are not unlimited, however we do not expect to find cities of thousands, but more likely hamlets and mining villages. Perhaps hundreds of people? Perhaps a thousand?" she looks to Commander Bashier, then to the Nauru resistance fighters and adds the question: "... perhaps you can comment on the capabilities of the ship and what we can and what we can't expect." and she turns to the freedom fighters: "... and perhaps you can explain the civilian side in more detail? Where we can find survivors. And how to get all those out of harm's way that the Core can threaten and thereby bind our forces in defensive and humanitarian action.

That's where Kyra Barnes ends her short talk and she takes her seat again, after helping herself to another glass of juice and after adding an energy drink to it. She would be paying close attention to the other commanders, taking mental notes on what they could use her people and equipment for and what she could use theirs for.