In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #61):

"Roger"

(Since I didn't assign a call sign to him, specifically, I will now.. Juliet for the reactionary forces, and snipers.  Juliet one for Andy, six for rachel)

"Juliet one, Juliet one, this is echo one.  report to echo six, A S A P."

"Echo Six, this is Juliet One. Wilco, over," Andy replied.

He headed over to Kelsey's position and said, "What are your orders?"

In reply to Andrew Montgomery McRae (msg #63):

Kelsey motions to Taras with her thumb "He has a mission for you.  Doubt it is latrine duty, Master Sniper"  She winks, then grins.

"Thanks for the heads up, Kel," Andy replied smiling.

He turned to Taras and said, "What would you like me to do, Sir?"

Andy, the Hell's Angels got alerted about our operation and soon will be getting together to do something. That something I'm afraid will be of no good for us.

Since you were already visiting "Brandi's" and became good friends with the "Bear" etc. I want you to go over there tonight and feed them some "information"...

Tell them that the Police got a call from Chinatown and responded. There was a confrontation with a group of ex-american soldiers and that a HA member was over there as well...So far nothing special, right? Well, I want you to tell them that while they were trying to flee the scene the americans shot the HA in the back before the Police got the best of them. Let them know that we took good care of the biker and he is under recovery in our hospital.

As per our operation they have to understand that we are on the lookout for foreign troops heavily armed and not necessarily Hell's Angels. This should bring some leverage and help ypur initiation with the gang if you are willing to go that way.

Our victim will never know who shot him. In our favor is the fact that he got unconscious and after all we save his life.

We have to start playing our cards.

"Very good, Sir," Andy replied, "I'll drop in on the injured HA when we finish here, I'll get some info from him and then head on over to Brandie's. Is there anything else?"

Nothing more to say, Andy. As you can see we place our trust in your maturity, responsability and judgment to handle this delicate issue.the tone obviously meant business but also a paternal hint could be hinted.Good riddance, soldier. You may resume tasks for now.

"Very good, Sir," Andy replied before returning to his waiting place. He settled back down and remembered he'd need to fill Tyler in on the plan before heading to Brandie's that night."

In reply to Andrew Montgomery McRae (msg #69):

Kelsey pauses to watch the conversation, her face going a bit blank.

"You seriously plan on playing those cards with that rapist and murderer?"

"As far as I can," Andy replied, "I don't think we can get to the stage where we let him go as part of the ruse, but if we can avoid deaths by keeping the HAs dormant for as long as possible, I'll pretend to be pally now. If it came down to it, I'd ice the bastard now without a second thought, but at the moment he's an asset that could help us restore order here, if I have to get dirty to do that, well, that's why they pay me the big bucks."

For the next hour or so, the rest of the operation proceeded without a hitch. Although other inhabitants of the cleared area came out of hiding there was no violence or more threats of violence.

A pair of bikers left Brandie's and moved towards one of the roadblocks to the west. For whatever reason, they did not directly approach. They merely cruised past on their bikes from a block or so away. Not giving any hint they saw the militia but obviously checking where they were located.

"Oh.  Sorry."  A blush colors her cheeks and she turns a lot of focus on her radio and away from the conversation, letting the hours pass as she manages the teams via radio comms.

He squeezed Kelsey's arm gently, "Not a problem Kel, without you to keep me honest there wouldn't be much difference between me and him. You keep reminding us we're white hats, and if we're going to make this work, that's what we need. Next time we get to go for a pint together, first one's on me."
He smiled again and returned to his post.

In reply to Andrew Montgomery McRae (msg #74):

Kelsey smiles and winks "Hey.. yeah.  We got to live with these people.  Remember that."

As the final stretch of streets went under the sweep of the patrols the operation came to an end. A good chunk of terrain was sanitisized, visual presence was established and more information about the daily life of this downgraded version of a city was gathered.

A more important lesson was the ability to perform a complicated maneuvre with different type of troops, militia and different training to good avail. The response to "crisis situations" like the one arising in the old Canada Post building was handled with much coolness and professional approach that previous responses and all of this was quickly reflected in the de-briefing for the operation. The required paperwork was filled and readied for filing as well as forwarding to HQ Command in the Island.

Sgt. Shevchenko directed the mobile patrols to pick-up the standing members of the cordoned area and they were dismissed for the day. Then he gathered the ERT members as well as the four remaining militias that wee providing sentry duty.

Gentlemen, we can conclude that today's operation was a great success. There is a secondary element that I would like to address with a more quiet approach and that is the recce of the "Harbour Centre" tower. Taking a look at the situation in the map and the rest of information gathered with touristic brochures I can see that it is a place of utmost interest for us.

Taras looked at the watch with a happy face. There was enough time to conduct a quick check on the status of that building now that only a highly mobile and trained force was available.

That tower not only commands a great eagle view of the city but as you can see is located in the middle of a junction of railroad hub "West Coast" express, a skytrain station and also the former Seabus facilities. There is also a helicopter pad next to it. There is extensive float planes nearby as there is a control tower in a neighbouring building.

Once the strategic value of the objective was exposed, Taras continued with his plan:

We have three vehicles: Clarke's SUV, my jeep and the LAV-III. We will move in first with the two light trucks and secure a parking area to locate the armour. Before I go any further I need to know if our american friends are willing to come with us. Seems like there is a good view of Deadman's Island from up there!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:29, Fri 22 May 2009.

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #76):

"Mmmmm, and I bet we can reach out and touch someone with transmissions from that baby too.  Got antenna, don't it?"

Correct. One of the building uses is comms relay. As you can see in the pictures there are plenty of devices located at the top.

Taras handed out a brochure with a picture of the top of the building.

http://www.worldofstock.com/closeups/ANB1508.php

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #78):

Kelsey looks at the picture and grins "Well, hello darlin."

Rob looks over the brochure.

"Yeah looks like a place you would definitely want control of. I am fine with going along to take a look."

A most valuable target from many perspectives indeed! My idea is to move over there from two approaches, North and South. Clarke and myself will be the drivers of the SUV and my jeep respectively. Robert will be the escort for the Lt. Cmdr. and Andy will go with me. Snipers have a valuable sense of perception that we can exploit. The rest of the ERT team plus the 4 militias will wait and move in after the all clear is given. For operational purposes will code the mission Op. "CROW NEST". Everybody will keep its previous radio codes. If somebody doesn't have one, now is the moment to get it! Chain of command for this operation at the tactical level will put Rachel at the helm as a leader of the patrol element. We need her expertise in FIBUA. Shortly after arrival will start the inspection of equipment and specific instructions from Rachel.

The positive results of the search and cordon motivated the ex-Lt. to increase the tempo of the operations in the mainland and start making effective occupation of strategic terrain beyond the battle for hearts and minds. The lesser amount of human and material resources needed for this task greatly enhanced and streamlined the instructions and tempo.

There should be a suitable place to park the LAV III nearby. That will be our meeting or rally point. The militia will be guarding the vehicles while the rest of us move into the building. The idea is to do a recce and see the possibilities to move over there. The makeshift arrangement at the old Police Station at Main St. will not serve our purpose as good as this building. The strategic situation and value should be exploited as soon as possible. Controlling the Seabus, train and skytrain junction will be considered as a great victory in HQ.

Taras idea was to abandon the derelict old Station fromwhere Op. "DREAMCATCHER" was commanded and create an operations centre located at the Lookout tower. Boosting the personnel numbers from the already secured grounds of UBC will help the deployment over the ferry and train station. If the overall purpose of the recce team was the reconstruction of civil society, control of the transportation hubs was mandatory.

I will contact our operations centre in UBC to get the watch on "Brandi's" going and also get a mobile patrol nearby the tower just in case. Before we get on the move everybody should be checking their equipment and make sure that there is enough radios, flashlights, night vision goggles, weapons, ammunitions and entry tools. Have also water at the ready. There will be a healthy climb all the way to the top. The old good days of the panoramic elevator I'm afraid are long gone!

This is what was going to be most likely missing. The elevator ride to the top:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neb2WsvdqOM
This message was last edited by the player at 05:55, Sun 24 May 2009.

Andy acknowledged his orders and did a quick check of his equipment. Satisfied he had everything he needed he briefed the rest of the team on their role in the mission and then moved over to Kelsey.

He asked, "Kelsey, have you got anything you want hauled up there? I can carry a bit more if you do."

The bikers watching the militia watching them eventually took off without testing the roadblocks. They headed back to Brandie's, their base.

Their job completed, the various units started coming in, ready to be debriefed and relieved it all went so well.

Those who were continuing on with OP CROWSNEST got ready to move, taking the UAZ and the Suburban.

The UAZ jeep driven by Taras and occupied also by Andy arrived first and after circling a couple of times the perimeter of the building, settled in the North-East corner where aided with the optics of the sniper rifle, a visual inspection of the exterior was conducted. Upon arrival of the other vehicle, the SUV with Clarke and Robert, took position in the opposite corner to complete the external check of the status of the tower and looking for any possible sign of occupancy.

OOC: And here I'm assuming that nothing relevant was found as the previous mission went well.

The initial team found out that the best place to use as parking was the North face of the building on W. Cordova and Water St. Near the tower itself and the Railway Station entrance. It offered a good field of view of both North and East side. The LAV III and crew were called and summoned to this position. Once everybody was in place. Strangely enough for the eclectic mixture of troops that the team presented, the ex-Lt. ordered them to form a line in front of the vehicle while Lt. Cmdr. Clarke was standing to his left.

Listen everybody! We will be moving soon. Our task is investigate the status of the building and eventually occupy the Tower as it represents a target of high value. The members of the militia will stay here protecting the vehicles and ready to respond if necessary.

Before I give tactical command to Rachel for this operation there are a few things that I want to tell you:

Things that you are going to need are:

- Flashlight. Make sure that you don't have anything flammable.
- Night Vision Goggles.
- First Aid kit.
- We will need entry tools from the vehicles: Crowbars, hammers and saws.
- Drinking water.
- All of you are asked to wear gloves. If you don't have them or don't like them at least wear medical gloves.
- If you have a gas mask bring it too.

Shevchenko gave a few minutes for everybody to check their personnal equipment and collective tools. Then, again in its pure Officer sprit de corps the troop was asked to form the classic line. From the leather satchel he produced a field guide scribbled in his own cirillic alphabet characters, a compilation of personal notes learnt during the previous months leaving as a refugee in the city. A good dose of engineer extra perception could be perceived:

Before going inside we walk carefully around the entire perimeter. Once inside I want you to be aware of loose power lines and stay away from damage electrical equipment.

If you smell rotten eggs that will mean that we have a gas problem. It is unlikely but represent a serious danger. If it happens, alert your team and protect yourself.

If there is standing water inside a room I recommend not to go. The water could carry electricity and chances are that is contaminated.

Examine wall, doors, staircases and windows to make sure that the building structure is not in danger of collapsing.

And this is important: WATCH FOR ANIMALS. Believe me, I've been in many abandoned buildings since I arrived in the city and had many surprises. Use a stick to turn things over if you need and use caution when opening doors and drawers or closets. Animals like humans look for shelter but they will not attack unless they feel threatened.

That's pretty much everything. Rachel will take over and give us instructions for the operation. Remember that keep our security and safety is the most important matter. Good luck, everybody!

Taras was sporting a rather bulky look. The RCMP uniform, except for the yellow stripped pants, was barely recognizable. The torso was protected by the standard ballistic vest. The chest rig was fully loaded with 4 large RPK magazines and 2 handgrenades. The duty belt was somehow balanced with the S&W Mod 5946, medium size Maglite, handheld radio and extra magazines for the handgun. Handcuffs and a small pepper spray completed the kit. The backpack containing mostly tools of the trade for the engineering tasks and a small First Aid kit rounded up the attire with the faithful AKSU weapon in one hand and a 1,5 l. of bottled water in the other. Taras felt that the extra weight will not help at all to reach the top but he didn't like to take any chances on this one...

A big grin from Kelsey, and she scoots a small backpack out from under her desk, picking it up and handing it over to Andrew

"Aye, especially if you can hook this in to the right antenna.  I am available by radio for instructions... or for the trip if I can be spared"
She looks sideways to Taras.

Andy smiled and took the pack, "I'll take good care of it until you tell me where to stick it."

He broke his kit down to his combat gear and checked that his canteens were full. He checked his carbine and borrowed a flashlight from on of the Mounties. He carefully taped it to the foregrip of the weapon and checked it was easy to operate the switch. He readied his NVGs and then asked, "Do we have any stun munitions available to us? I'd rather use them than grenades in here."