Operation: Brass Pool

### Outcome

**Republican Victory*** Details of atrocities committed by UN forces revealed to public
* End of the Centauri Conflict

Commanders| * ADM Matthias Cole
* CAPT Ted Harper †
* LT Evan Saunders †
* LT Phillip Walker †
* SGT David Lane †
* SGT Levi Weisner †
* Eduardo Denko †

Strength| * 20 soldiers
* 4 Type-23 Belugas
* USS Iroquois
* 1 Colossus
* 2 Automated attack drones
* 1 Corvette
* 1 attack aircraft

Casualties| * 19 soldiers
* 4 Type-23 Belugas
* USS Iroquois
* 1 Colossus
* 1 Corvette

**Operation: Brass Pool** was a United Nations operation undertaken during the Centauri War of Independence to recover Lieutenant Scott Hughes from republican capture. The engagement took place from November 23 to 25, 2339. The UN failed to meet its objectives, and both sides took heavy losses. The only known surviving soldier was Private Casey Mulligan. The USS Iroquois was also destroyed by a ramming maneuver from a Centauri corvette

UN Command was aware Hughes had voluntarily chosen to defect, but Admiral Matthias Cole chose to keep this from both the public and the UN soldiers involved in the operation. Brass Pool ended in failure, resulting in details of UN lead atrocities across Alpha Centauri leaking to the public. This ultimately ended the nearly 7-year long Centauri Conflict.

## Prelude

The Sokolov Landings, taking place just 5 days prior, resulted in complete failure, and brought the largest single-day UN losses of the war. Near its conclusion, UN ships above conducted a last ditch orbital bombardment to destroy Centauri positions, killing hundreds if not thousands of their own, but still failed to capture any territory. Lieutenant Scott Hughes was involved in these landings, and secretly defected during this bombardment. Hughes had long grown bitter to his own side, seeing the attitude of his comrades and UN leadership towards the Centauri public, and organized his defection weeks prior. Part of the Centauri's successful defence of the landings came from info obtained from Hughes.

Hughes was initially assumed KIA, but info from spies in the Centauri ranks proved otherwise. His location was soon revealed, and planning for Brass Pool went underway. The section leaders selected all had previous experience with Hughes. One soldier, Casey Mulligan, had served in Hughes company during the landings and was one of the only survivors of the bombardment.

Participating soldiers were finalized and were as follows:

**Squad Alpha**

* LT Levi Weisner (GER)
* SGT Evan Saunders (USA)
* CPL Fabian Williams (USA)
* CPL Matthias Pitts (AUS)
* CPL Lolade Kayode (AFU)
* SGT David Lane (USA)
* CPL Guo Li (ROC)
* CPL Darius Robles (USA)
* CPL Jude Baxter (ENG)
* CPL Nico Moore (CAN)

**Squad Bravo**

* LT Phillip Walker (ENG)
* SGT Derrick Watts (USA)
* CPL Andreas Correa (BRA)
* CPL Frankie King (USA)-
* PVT Casey Mulligan (CAN)
* CPL Anatoliy Timurovich (RUS)
* SGT Keelan O'Larcan (IRL)
* CPL Raymond Dixon (USA)
* CPL Finn Svendsen (NOR)-
* CPL Valentin Koch (SOL)-

Section leaders were told Hughes had been kidnapped, and were given orders to either free or, if necessary, kill him.

## The Operation

### Initial landing

The 4 sections were each inserted around Hughes suspected location, a remote compound, on Type-23 Belugas. Just past dawn on the 23rd of November, Operation: Brass Pool was launched. As the compound was located below a UN supervised no-fly-zone, it was assumed that aa weapons wouldn't be on hand. This was incorrect, however, and Squad A's Beluga was shot down with a handheld aa weapon, killing both pilots and 3 soldiers. Squad Bravo's was hit and made a crash landing in a nearby lake, killing Corporal Frankie King, Valentin Koch, and both pilots. The others managed to escape and made their way to the compound.

The remaining soldiers assaulted the compound,. The exterior defences were ultimately neutralized, and those remaining made their way inside. 2 more died while clearing. David Lane to a tripwire mine, and Arnaldo Correa to small arms fire. The compound was cleared, but Hughes remained unfound. A short interrogation of Eduardo Denko revealed he had been moved the day prior to a different compound, roughly 200km away. The USS Iroquois, providing air support if necessary to the operation, only possessed the 4 destroyed Belugas. Furthermore, as the operation was top secret, no support could be called from outside the Iroquois. Thus, it was decided that the remaining 8 soldiers would travel by foot to the second location. Phillip Walker, the only surviving section leader, was cleared to lead the survivors.

The group spent the remainder of the day travelling, before setting up a temporary camp near a forest.

### Colossus Encounter

Derrick Watts and Casey Mulligan were assigned to the final watch duty. Around 07:00, the two spotted a Centauri Colossus, as well as two automated drones, heading towards them. The group packed up and retreated, but were spotted by the drones and took fire, scattering into the forest. The drones took chase, while the Colossus remained in a clearing. Jude Baxter fatally damaged one drone but was killed in the process, while the other was killed by Watts, Walker, and Darius Robles. The remaining soldiers surrounded and fired at the colossus, which grabbed and threw Raymond Svendsen some 30 yards. Walker, using the dismembered arm cannon of one of the drones, managed to breach the cockpit of the colossus and kill the pilot. The remaining 6 regrouped around Raymond and remained with him for the final few moments of his life, before burying him and moving on.

### Downing of the Iroquois

In order to quicken their journey, the group detoured to a nearby entrance to the planets subterranean hyperloop system. Though the project was abandoned at the start of the war, it was still partially complete and operable.

At 16:35, a Centauri corvette