Two months have passed since your encounter in Onaping Falls. The Lazlo Militia sent in an entire company to aid in your search for the Onaping Falls refugees. For two weeks you searched with little incident. During the last few days you don’t find any more refugees and command declares the search and rescue mission closed. The experts at the base have speculated that since, according to Lancaster, the townspeople were dead and then sustained by the Old One they, and any newcomers that were “killed” after arriving into Onaping Falls, ceased to exist once the Old One was… well whatever it was that happened to it. They’re still debating the details on what exactly that failsafe device did. Unfortunately no sign of Sunshine, Lady Nina, Simon Steelhelm or The White was ever found.
     After that you spend the next six weeks helping with the set up of the new forward operating base, Aegis II. Mostly that means patrolling the perimeter and the outlying areas to make sure nothing nasty surprises the base. Other people are busy erecting the prefabricated buildings, tents, wall, etc.
     During this time you say goodbye to two other personnel. Noren returns to his squad now that he’s been freed from Onaping Falls. Ayashe Rainmaker had a vision related to her home village and her people. She doesn’t tell you the details, but she does say she needs to return home. She formally requested to be released from the militia and a few days later her request is granted. So off she went.
     As for the rest of you, you eventually are given great news. After you and the Onaping Falls survivors were debriefed and the information reviewed, it has been determined that you’ll each be rewarded with a medal and a promotion. Meina to chief warrant officer 2, Shawn to sergeant first class, Zato to staff sergeant, James and Ariella both to specialist. Congratulations. Before you ask, these promotions do not impact how much money you made over the past two months as the award and promotion ceremony was held the day before Mission 5 starts.
     Now on to the mission.
     On the morning of your recon squad and three others are summoned into a large tent along with their respective APC crews. The briefing will be conducted by Eric Ferma, a civilian Xiticix expert and by Lieutenant Curtiss, your platoon leader. A man you’ve seen so infrequently that it prompts Scott Blood to comment, “We have a platoon leader? When the hell did this start?”
     In game you have a little bit of time before the briefing begins. You may post any actions before the briefing takes place. Also, just like last time you have until this briefing concludes to make any equipment requests. Once this briefing is over the window to ask for anything is closed.

     I reply to Scott, “Yeah, of course. Remember when we… No, he wasn’t there. But when we… No, he wasn’t there for that mission either, but he was… No, not that mission either. You’re right. Since when did we have that lieutenant?”

Corporal Roberto Dominguez Rivera, more commonly known as Rob, of the Lazlo Militia, was ‘saddle sore’. Less than 24 hours ago, he had been assigned to ‘Recon Squad 125’, given minimal information about his new unit and told the logpac (logistical package) for its current FOB (Forward Operating Base), FOB Aegis II, would be SPing (Starting Point) soon and he had better be on it.

Unexpected Fragos (Fragmentary Orders) were nothing new to Rob. As a member of the E4 Mafia, not to mention a generational member of the LM, he knew stuff like this just happened. So he’d saluted his platoon leader, packed his ‘I’m going to be in the field for who knows how long’ bag, loaded it on his hovercycle and took his position in the convoy.

Thankfully the trip out to FOB Aegis II had been uneventful. In fact they had made good time but it had still been a long ride and while he loved his NG-424 Hornet, it was built for speed, not comfort. He had just passed the gates of the FOB and was taking in its partially completed appearance, when a PFC came running up to him to inform him that he was needed in the TOC (Tactical Operations Center), his new CO was giving a briefing to the squad on their next mission, time now.

“Frack me,” Rob muttered as he took off his helmet and racked it on his hovercycle. “I was hoping for a chance to settle in first, maybe get cleaned up before meeting the CO but oh well. Which one is the TOC?” “I’ll take you there corporal,” the young woman says and then leads the way, thru the entrance control point. Not seeing a clearing barrel, Rob shrugs and steps into the TOC, glancing around at the assembled people before selecting an unoccupied piece of ground to stand on and hoping that he hasn’t missed too much.

Judging by the looks of things, him reporting in wearing his ride armor, his sidearm strapped to his thigh in its drop-down holster, didn’t seem too out of place. “Small favors,” he thought to himself.


OOC
I don't know how much Army jargon and terms everyone is familiar with so I added subtitles. If that is good, bad or indifferent, please let me know so I can adjust fire as needed