[SST] The Gentleman Soldier IC

[HMS Sophia]

OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273110)



The Gentleman Soldier

Plexico's Prowlers. An experimental unit for an experimental time. With the coming of the Arachnids, the UCF needed a new way of fighting. Standard protocols were useless against an enemy who was fast, silent, and suicidally deadly. The bugs most dangerous weapon was their stealth, plunging into the midst of an MI unit without any warning. The prowlers were an attempt to resolve that, using a psychic officer to lead a platoon and give them prior warning before any assault. It was hoped they would change the way wars could be fought. After all, if the bugs could be led by a brain, why not the MI...

-Crawling fury: A history of the bug war in twelve volumes


Episode 1: Operation Bughouse

Fifty MI tranports in a tight formation even under the power of their Cherenkov drives. Each carries between a platoon and a company of mobile infantry, ready to drop onto the surface of their destination: Kelndathu. The bug homeworld. After Pluto, after the smashing of Buenos Aires, it was time to give the bugs a bloody nose. To take and hold a beachhead and make the arachnid's home planet their own.

One of the smallest transports in the fleet, barely a corvette, was the TFCT Dunkirk. It carried but a single platoon, only 1/150th of the entire force ready to be deployed, but even such a small force could be important to the greater whole. On board were Plexico's prowlers, the first platoon put together with a psychic officer in command. It was hoped that they would change the war, after the insufficiencies of the Pluto engagements.

The Prowlers were preparing to go to war in the corvette's troop bays. Armour was checked and re-checked. The platoons single marauder suit was readied and armed, guns loaded and missiles fed onto racks. The intercom crackled into life as they were near the end of their preperations.
"Lieutenant Plexico and NCO's to the Captains cabin please, Lieutenant Plexico to the captains cabin."
The MI ignored the call, other than those it was directed too. Their equipment was more important.

[Vizzi]

Plexico grinned at the message over the intercom his blue eyes roaming across the common area watching the various members of his platoon engaging in various recreational activity's, a good thing in his opinion made for better troopers. His hands moved without even thinking as he shuffled his cards his voice rising over the background noise full of confidence "Sergeant Conners and ?? report." with a single movement he rose up and stored his cards in one of his pockets, after all how could he be a 'Lucky Man' without his deck of cards he thought amusedly.

He made for a bold figure, confident and stocky his eyes shinning with intelligence with a degree on Tactics and Behavioural Sciences, no doubt it was something that influenced the choice of him being the first psychic officer. Still he had a tough time upon first meeting his platoon and he couldn't have imagined some of the other psychics he had meet over his career actually making this work.

As he watched both his NCO's approach he quickly saluted "Alright lads, lets head to our doom." his rakish grin firmly affixed on his face he turned around and headed to the captains cabin.

[Hemnon]

William T. Connors, a young fella with three years of Enlistment experience and still suffering nightmares about Drill Sergeant Zim and Camp Currey. He's a likeable enough guy, reaching almost 2 meters of height with Green eyes and short darkbrown hair. His deep eyes shows the signs of great intellect and a great level of wise knowledge, for someone so young. He's fairly muscular and quite the athlete.

William Responded to the new Lieutenant's coarse joke with a grimace and a shaking of the head. This was gonna take some getting used to... And he's a psychic as well, Sigh...

[HMS Sophia]

The three soldiers pass through the small ship with speed, constantly one the bounce as had been drilled into them since basic back at Currie. They are each saluted in turn at bulkhead 30, the split between Ladies country and the rough tough MI and ships crew. Of course, the fact that both crew and MI had never been anything but integrated meant little. Forward of 30 was still Ladies country, where no MI dared to tread... much. Guard duty was still special to the trooper on duty. A woman who was MI was just another trooper. A woman who was a fleet officer... well, they were just something else entirely...

Each also, in turn, had their ID's checked. Just because the troopers on duty knew their only officer and their sergeants on sight, it didn't mean they were allowed to shirk. Once past though they made the captains cabin in a matter of minutes. A polite knock, and they were permitted entry to the room held to be the holiest of holies amongst the ships crew, the private of working space of the woman who was first after god (or whichever deity the individual believed in).

"Gentlemen." The captain said not looking from her papers. She leaned back slowly, stretching. "Lieutenant Plexico. Thank you for coming so quickly. I was worried you may be delayed, what with preparing for an invasion." A small smile, perhaps a joke, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "I have your orders. I assume you've gone over your set, but considering how closely we're going to have to work, I thought we could sit down and talk them over." She motions to the seats scattered around the cramped room before pulling out a large map.

"Welcome to bug central" She says quietly. "This is your deployment zone. Drop and clear, standard stuff for gropo's. The... 4th batallion's marauder fire support teams will be dropping once you've secured the 'LZ'. Chickenhawks and Bigfoot's. The 8th invasion company will be dropping on your flanks." She leans forward again, shuffling more papers. "We'll be staying in formation, and we'll be sending down more supplies in twelve hours... I think that covers it. Any questions since we're here?"

[Vizzi]

Plexico liked the Captain very straightforward and efficient and from the small smile he glimpsed someone fun outside of her job, well nothing to do his mind focusing back on the job as he inspected the map "A few questions Captain, just to make sure everything is in order." he pauses briefly thinking them over "Firstly any new intel?" he pauses frequently to let her answer as the stream of questions "Considering how we will be clearing the LZ can i requisition a few more heavy guns for the squads? How much Close Air Support and of what type? Is Orbital Support Available?" as she finished answering his questions he pauses briefly and with a slight hesitance asks "Is there any general plan of retreat or fall-back in place? I am asking for thoroughness." he knows full well that asking could cost him, but frankly not having such a plan always felt like folly to him, combat was not a certain thing even more so against aliens, it appeared unlikely but perhaps they could focus most of their forces on one of the 'LZ's'.

[Hemnon]

Sgt. Connors remain silent as his new leuitenant and the captain was talking strategy and reinforcement plans. He was leaning up against a wall, arms crossed and merely listened to what was said.

[HMS Sophia]

The captain leans back, almost stretching. "I'll start at the end if you don't mind?" She glances at the but is simply being rhetorical. "There's to be no retreat. You're there to establish a beachhead, take and hold and strangle the bastards until the planet is a dead rock..." She pauses, taking a deep breath. "The Dunkirk will not be staying on station, but there are four close support ships with the fleet, the UFSS's Gallipoli, Sevastopol, Leningrad and Antwerp. At least one of them will be in the area throughout, but they could well be busy with more intense areas of fighting." She pulls out a diagram of the deployments, showing the platoon's landing zone to be an area unlikely to be hit hard by bug attacks, at least according too Fleet analysts.

"CAS will be provided by fighters from the fleet's dreadnoughts. Their main role is in the suppression of AA and AO units, but you never know when a pair will be free to bomb a bug swarm." She shrugs, not out of a lack of care but simply from lack of knowledge. She shakes her head at his requestion request "Really? We barely get to play with carbines. You boys get to play with all the big ordnance... Well, other than what's on the hull of course. We've got no chance of making any transfers either. As for intel... Your guess is as good as mine. You'll be the first boots on the ground."

[HMS Sophia]

After a lengthy Q&A with the captain, the NCO's and Officer of Plexico's Prowlers return to their units. After only a couple of minutes the alarms blare, and every ready man (Which is, fortunately, all of them) heads for the drop bays. Twenty seven men and women, three sergeants, and officer and three squads of enlisted line up alongside the capsule loading ports. All of them are armoured, even the marauder pilot who will be riding her huge warmachine down instead of a drop pod. Ammo is in pouches, rifles are slung, everyone is ready. Corporal's report their sections to each sergeant, and not a single trooper is counted unfit. The outfit is prepared.
"Lieutenant Plexico, Drop is logged for three minutes, thats One-Eight-Zero seconds. Are you go for launch?" Comes the voice of the captain over the MI's suits internal sets.

[Vizzi]

His eyes roamed across his men looking for any faults, it was with great pleasure he found none as his brief inspection ended "Confirmed Captain, ready in 3 minutes, One-Eight-Zero seconds." turning his attention to his men "Plexico's Palisade drop in One-Eight-Zero seconds. Lets go give the bugs hell! HURRAH!"

[Hemnon]

Sgt. Conners and his Harriers are totally ready. ''Hurrah!'' They all call out in unison with the LT.

[HMS Sophia]

The troopers each step into their capsules, the LT and the sergeants on the centreline, the other troopers along each wall around them. The marauder steps gingerly into a large chamber at the far end of the room, arms extending from the wall to secure it for the drop.

The 180 seconds are long for the men and women strapped inside their capsules. Time ticks slowly when you can only hear your own breathing, your movements restricted by the pod surrounding you. Then:
"Drop in 30..."
...
...
"Drop in 10"
...
"Tubes Open, Drop is go!"

And so begins the mechanical thumps indicating the steady firing of troopers towards the bug planets surface.

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The deployment fleet is suffering. Plasma fire is heavy, forcing ships to spin and weave out of formation to maintain any semblance of combat capability. Three frigates take hits, the Benbow breaking in half. A fourth ship, one of the fire support vessels, is bracketed by plasma and begins to spin slowly, it's nose - and therefore the direction of thrust from its still functioning engines - pointing towards the planets surface.
Almost every ship is firing pod after pod, shuttles screaming from their launch racks, doing everything they can to get the MI and their supporting Invasion companies down tight and fast. It's not going as well as planned, but troops are hitting the surface.

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Plexico, launched first as he was, hits the deck first and is followed quickly by his sergeants and then the squads. They are in a shallow valley, a depression that cuts long range line of sight. All the teams gather quickly, unmolested by any bugs. The terrain around them is flat, though being in the valley as they are they can't see their nearest supporting units. They can, however, see the streaks of plasma heading up towards orbit and even a few contrails from overhead fighters...