Ground Zero Mission

Operation **Ground Zero** is the first mission in the Golden Phantom series. Although it is not the first event in the timeline, it acts as the first point in which players are introduced to The Orb and when the first members of the Space Time Continuum Task Force are inducted.

## Synopsis

### Initial Crash

On July 1st, 2020 an unidentified flying object crash landed in a field near a highway crossroad in north-western Kazakhstan. The crash was immediately picked up by USSF tracking stations scattered across Europe, and the object in question radiated high levels of energy that could be detected continents away. This anomaly was instantly put on the radar of many active militaries operating in the area due to its massive, yet stable power levels. As such it was instantly deemed a Class-A investigation site, and the immediate deployment of troops to secure the area was authorized.

Within five hours a US predator drone fitted with sensitive telemetry and data acquisition hardware was en route to the crash site where it would collect data on the environment around the crater and details on the object itself prior to the arrival of ground teams. As the drone approached the crater a surge from an electric storm forming around the site caused the onboard navigation computers to fail, which entered the drone into a auto-landing sequence. The drone conducted a hard landing in the fields nearby the crash site, and interference prevented any communications with it at all.

### Ground Response

Ten hours after the drone incident, a US Special Recon Team was contacted with the details of the mission while conducting a coordinated assault on a Russian-backed arms dealer factory in the Kazakh desert. Just before completing the objective, the team was ordered to redirect to the crash site as it was the closest US military unit to the crater site. The team scrapped the rest of their operation before moving out to the new objective which was a six hour drive to the east.

The mission was to be a covert ground-only recon operation, since the US government had not been cleared to operate outside of it's approved AO. The team was ordered to move quickly and secure the crater anyways while operation command (OPCOM) worked on acquiring the political clearance to operate there.

At approximately two hours before arrival, multiple unidentified vehicles approached the crossroads and lost their radar signatures in the electric storm around the site. It was suspected that other militaries had also deployed units to the area, so extreme caution was urged onto the ground team in order to prevent a political nightmare from emerging.

The team arrived at the edge of the fields a few kilometres from the objective, and setup a camp from which to rearm and move. The plan was to garrison an abandoned gas station at the corner of the two roads just a few hundred meters away from the crater's edge. A heavy thunderstorm and thick rolling fog was able to mask their approach. Strong interference by the electric storm prevented contact with OPCOM until a high-power radio station could be setup at the planned forward operating base.

### Objectives

The team completed the following objectives during this mission:

1. Garrisoned the gas station and used it as a fortified defense position.
2. Setup a high-power radio transmitter to communicate with OPCOM through the electric storm.
3. Recovered the data from the downed predator drone, and destroyed the drone itself.

#### Gas Station Defense

Upon arrival at the crossroad, the Special Recon Team captured an already fortified gas station to setup camp. Inside the building SRT operators discovered the bodies of multiple British SAS operators, suggesting hostile contacts in the region. Upon further investigation, Russian Spetsnaz and Chinese Special Forces were also detected in the AO. In an encounter between the two groups, it became clear that their orders were to suppress any other forces in the area, thus Russian and Chinese forces were considered hostile towards each other.

The fortification of the gas station provided with excellent cover and as a potential FOB when reinforcements arrive. It was also fitted with a high-power radio transmitter to communicate with OPCOM, however the gas station did not have enough electrical power to sustain its operation.

#### Power Reroute

The limited radio range in the area prevented communication with other ground units up to a certain distance. The Special Recon Team planned to hook their radio transmitter into the power lines crossing over the gas station, but they first needed to reroute power in this direction by visiting a transformer station. A small group took the task of moving to the transformer station, but upon arriving they noticed a Chinese radio camp connected to the transformers. It appeared as though Chinese special forces had the same idea with using a high power radio tower to communicate with their base command. SRT forces were able to successfully assault and reroute power to the garrisoned gas station, and establish connection with OPCOM.

Russian forces opted for a different approach and used several small radio camps scattered throughout the region to act as radio relay stations in order to send messages to and from their head command. Once SRT forces engaged several camps, their radio array was severed and Spetsnaz could no longer communicate with other forces in the area.

### Crash Site Investigation

Upon investigating the crash site, SRT forces discovered a crater approximately 100m in diameter with what appeared to be a large stone gate in the center. The archway of the gate contained a large glowing orb with several smaller orbs circling around it. As the team approached they began hearing voices in their heads that could not be resolved to human language, but seemed understandable nevertheless. The orb appeared to be communicating with them. It ambiguously asked them if *"they wished to see",* which startled the members of the team as they retreated out of the crater.

By the time they had exited the crater, night had fallen completely and the entire area was pitch black. In a blinding instant, a red light illuminated the area immediately around the team. Some of the SRT members were injured and the team could not pick up and run in any direction without breaking formation or leaving men behind. The circle of red light began shrinking in size, with the team at the center of it. The world felt unreal to the SRT members as their vision was discolouring and returning, and as rocks and boulders in the area began floating away.

One more time the voice appeared in their heads and asked a more direct question: *"Do you wish to see it? The future, the past, the multiverse?".* Confused and distraught, one member shouted "Yes" into the open, and with a flash of lightning the entire team disappeared.

## Trivia

* This mission acts as the first induction into the Space Time Continuum Task Force (STCTF).
* Although being the first mission played, it is not the first event for the SRT on the timeline.