RidOv Chpt-27

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==Ridiculously Overboard!! (A Captain Roberts Tale!!)Chapter 27 - Report to the Loremaster==
===Recommendations to the Boss===
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To: Loremaster Acton Howe
From: Seron
RE: The Deep End.
I strongly suggest examining reforms regarding the following training and methods:
1. Fieldcraft and Operational Security; My affiliation was known before I got here. Not JUST that, but source D-77125's identity was also burned before I got here. I was informed of this directly, the criticism given being that this was due to flaws in methodology and technique in infiltration and the placement of long-term agents. Nichols outright told me during second watch that our agents are being made easily by criminal elements, and that part of the ongoing problem regarding assignments undercover, is that our undercover agents are being spotted quickly and fed bad intelligence, which reaches analysis branch and leads to bad conclusions, particularly in foreign operations employing human intelligence resources.
He also threatened to out both of us to Captain Roberts, whom lacks what he terms 'the essential character flaws to spot a bad cover identity and poor fieldcraft'.
The officers aboard are aware of Desmond, though the true extent remains debated, with roughly half of leadership personnel at middle levels simply attributing it to a mild form of trauma-induced dissociative disorder, rather than a technological installation.
2. We're going on a mission with the Northsun Protective Association to conduct a POW/Hostage Rescue raid. The context provided to Captain Roberts, is that of being the Pirates who prey on Pirates, though she does seem to be working through her romantic delusions toward a more or less morally stable position that suggests the beginnings of emotional and psychological recovery.
3. For the time being, Executive Officer Larry Nichols has agreed to keep our identities and affiliations confidential, but he did clarify that he had a 'magic mail' set up in the event of perfidy on either of our parts. This strikes me as quite prudent, and suggests he may have formal training in Intelligence work by someone...better at counterintelligence than the Watch is currently modeling and training to deal with. Recommend a background check on 'Larry Nichols' for possible ties to DMI or MIIO, or formal military intelligence training in his past, but if they are spotting our agents this easily, how in hell can we be sure the check is accurate, correct, or not planted as bait?
4. The fun part: according to the local belter community (they have one!), the repair dock in this system 'looks worse off than it is' and with a minor amount of investment, can be brought up to a field-ready repair and maintenance station. The major obstacles being insufficient resources to protect it from banditry. Oddly enough, Nichols and I are in agreement that the Northsun system would be a good place to forward-emplace reaction forces for the Touman, given the proximity to Alphard and the need to secure our current region from bandit and pirate attacks using the unincorporated zone as a highway, supply shop,and staging ground since the fall of Port Krin several years ago.
The Clan should definitely either increase our formal military presence in the area, or look into sponsored proxy forces to stabilize the region and do something about the banditry problem. Activating the Northsun base may be of value in doing so.
addendum: The only person aboard who has the coordinates for any additional sites, aside from the ones we retrieved before the database worm finished eating the database, is Captain Roberts, or more specifically, the 'imaginary friend' in her head, Desmond, and she is releasing this information slowly or not at all.
Still, investment in security means fighting the bandits on ground other than the actual Raven Alliance's integrated and productive regions. I strongly urge you to urge the Khan to investigate this approach as we continue on our mission to rescue civilians and put some fear in the bandits.
Be aware, President Avellar may receive another message from Captain Roberts soon, if all goes well.
-Seron
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===Planning Session: Tresspass Raid===
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"That's where we're going." Captain Roberts announced. The 'Task Force' included a beaten up Invader class JumpShip with a passenger-modified Mule Drophip, accompanied by a truly ancient Manatee class 'mech carrier and an even more ancient Gazelle combat vehicle transport (DropShip).
"Tresspass? I don't know that name." someone mentioned.
"Well, no shit, it's not on modern charts in the Inner Sphere, and hasn't been on modern maps since the second succession war...but that's where the Sons of Plunder were basing out of, at least, according to their navigation buffer, and some frequent stops and goes to Joan's Post, so it's two possibles for finding anyone who hasn't been sent...somewhere else." Amanda stated, adding, "They also seemed to stop a lot at Bannerhoft, Culmia, Michtal during their, well, 'off season'? I suspect the organization is larger than the battalion we took out at Halla, or there may be other groups in the area, they have to be doing something with all the stuff and people they were taking."
"What's the plan then?"
Amanda smiled wide. "Cartegena." she said, "We're going to raid and rob them...or just rescue people, but I'm thinking there's going to be raiding involved somewhere in that, but first, there's a reason for the dropship full of supplies instead of soldiers-besides us not having enough soldiers."
This drew some nervous laughter. "What is it?"
"Gonna sneak in and actually look first." she stated, "I've got drop-tanks for my smallcraft, and now we have fighter pilots and more drop-tanks, we're going to give it a good old fashioned peek-before-the-poke, that way we're not wasting precious time, and we'll do the first one, at Devil's Breath while we're charging, then the second at Joan's Post. Once we've cleared those as possibles, or not? We'll move on to Tresspass, because we've GOT imagery and maps from their files on that one. I'm going to make a guess that the first couple locations aren't more than air-and-water breaks, if that. They're too close to patrolled territory claimed by the Snow Ravens, if they have anything in those systems it'll be a listening post. Tresspass is the first really solid lead, so figure a minimum six weeks if we come up dry, three out, three back, just on charging time, which sets our limits for this. IF we're lucky, we'll find the people we're looking for, and be back before too much impact here."
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