Mobius Squadron: Operation Katina

Chapter 34: Hit and Run

Bravo 1

<<This is Ranger 1. We've taken out the target. The factory has been razed. Be advised, we've got a convoy moving out that avoided damage>> the F-111 leader called. <<Roger Ranger 1. Bravo will take it from here, out to you>> Andrews responded as the loud roar of the Aardvarks twin engines echoed overhead. The 12th SOC was currently sat atop of a hill overlooking a road that they expected the convoy to move down. They had located the Free Erusean electronics production, and had deployed via the S.O.A.R to the area. While they were planning this ambush, D Troop had acquired a new toy. There had been a delivery of a pair of MH-60K Night Hawks, a specialised variant of the venerable Osean Black Hawk with silenced engine and rotor blade specifically designed for helicopter units like the S.O.A.R. Needless to say, Delta 1-1 and Delta 1-2 had fallen in love with the thing overnight. It also provided them with more options for some heavier gear than the MH-6M was capable of carrying. Case in point, the charges that currently were stored in the backpack of Jameson. <<Bravo, Anvil. Highlighting the convoy route on your GPS now. Set some ordinance and get ready>> the operator of the loitering MQ-9 Reaper informed Andrews. <<Copy Anvil. Advise Hammer to standby>> he responded, then gave a hand signal to his squad. They started to move out from where they had been waiting.

Bravo 6

The dirt road crunched under Jameson boots as he moved across it. Of course he had been the one given the short straw of working with the demolition charges they had brought for the ambush. They had packed six charges into the cargo of the Night Hawk, meaning that Jameson's plan for placement was simple. First, he laid one down on the centre of the road. He rigged it to a pressure plate detonator, and removed the safety as he moved away. The next four were linked to the firing device he had brought. The process of linking the charges to the firing device was relatively long, and Jameson didn't want to spend any more time than necessary messing with the explosives. Once the four were down, he moved onto the final demolition charge. This one was actually a pretty complicated fuse. Jameson rigged up a buried wire that connected to the closest of the four firing device triggered explosives. The moment that it lost connection with the charge, when it detonated, there would be a 10 second time fuse, then it would detonate. Jameson was pretty proud of his work on that one. <<Bravo 1, Bravo 6. Charges set and ready. I'm pulling back now>> he announced over the radio, before heading back to where the rest of the 12th SOC were set up on the hillside. The Sergeant 1st Class thanked his luck that none of the charges had gone off. He was rather fond of his legs.

Bravo 4

Paulson gently pushed the rouge strand of hessian away from his eye. The ghillie suit was coloured to match into the dry grass that he found himself in. Had this mission occurred any later, the Sergeant would've had to find some white material to blend in with the oncoming snow of winter. To his right, Wilson was dead still. Any movement he made was slow, designed to ensure that the concealment offered by the suit wasn't hampered by his movement catching the eye of any vigilant Free Eruseans. The rest of the team was down the hill, outside of the blast radius of the placed explosives but close enough to engage once the charges had gone off. "Range to TRPs?" Paulson asked while holding a pencil just over his Data On Previous Engagements book, the DOPE book for short. It contained all the information of his previous shots. Packed into that A5 notebook were ranges, targets, crosswinds, ammunition used, results and all of that kind of data. "TRP 1, 1000 metres. TRP 2, 839 metres. TRP 3, 645 metres. Ambush start, 521 metres" Wilson recited as he used the laser rangefinder on his spotter scope to determine the distance to each Target Reference Point. Paulson pencilled in all the ranges besides the appropriate headings. "Movement, TRP 1" the Staff Sergeant announced. Paulson turned his scope onto TRP 1. There were flashes of light, and visible dust from around the bend in the hills. <<Bravo 4 to Bravo 1, contact at TRP 1.Seems to be the lead of convoy>> Paulson said over the radio. <<Copy 4, keep us updated>> Andrews' voice responded. The first vehicle rounded the corner soon after. It was a T-80 tank. The second vehicle was a BMP-1, followed by a group of three supply trucks. Bringing up the rear of the convoy was another BMP. <<Anvil to all stations, convoy at TRP 1>> the MQ-9 updated as Paulson kept his scope tracking the oncoming vehicles. In the predawn darkness, the Free Eruseans would have a hard time spotting the ghillie suits of the shooter-spotter team. "How long till sunrise?" Paulson asked. Wilson consulted his watch. "About 20 minutes till first light. Sunrise is another 10 after that, full day in 40 overall" Wilson answered. Paulson nodded, continuing to pan the scope to keep up with the convoy. Once the ambush had been sprung, he and Wilson were free to engage. The T-80 commander was standing upright out of the turret trying to get a better view of the surroundings. <<Convoy moving past TRP 2>> Anvil came over the radio once again. The T-80 moved forward slightly faster than before. Perhaps the commander wanted to get out of the hills, where he was most vulnerable. <<Update, convoy increased speed. Passing TRP 3 now>> the UAV operator called. Just a little more, Paulson thought as he tensed his finger around the trigger. The T-80 rolled forward more, and the commander turned to signal something to the following vehicles. It was too late for him. A large explosion went off underneath the tank as it's weight triggered the pressure plate. The ammunition inside started cooking off as the crew scrambled clear. As that happened, the four other charges detonated. They sent flying pebbles and other debris ripping through the centre of the convoy. The final charge activated after it's delayed fuse had run out. It catapulted the turret clean off of the trailing BMP. The sound of rifle shots and the crackle of machine gun fire reached the Sergeants ears, as he flipped of his safety. His first targets where the tank crew. Four .338 shots quickly dispatched them. "Heads up, RPK off the lead truck" Wilson said. Paulson turned. The Free Erusean had set up his machine gun, and was hosing the other members of Bravo Team with a continuous stream of fire. Paulson depressed the trigger. He watched the man twitch as the bullet ripped through his spine. The man would bleed out, unable to do anything. <<Bravo 4, RPG-7 with thermobaric warhead running up the opposite hill>> Samson called, the sound of burning fire audible in the background of the Sergeant Major's feed. <<Copy>> Paulson answered, shifting the scope to scan the hillside. There he was. Two RPG teams of two men each. Wilson hurriedly called out the ranges, Paulson adjusted the scope settings, and started firing. Each man took one bullet. By the end of the engagement, a click resounded from the rifle. "Out" Paulson called, hitting the magazine eject. The empty mag fell out, and Paulson slotted in a fresh ten rounder he had fished out from his vest. <<All Bravo's cease fire. Thermal is clean. Advise QRF on route, recommend pulling back to LZ Foxtrot for Delta 1-2>> Anvil called. "Pack up and let's go" Wilson announced. Paulson complied quickly. LZ Foxtrot was about a kilometre away. They would have to move quick to avoid the QRF.

Bravo 1

<<Copy Anvil. Bravo moving now, out to you. Hammer, Bravo 1>> Andrews said as he and his team withdrew into the forest, Samson leading them out towards LZ Foxtrot. <<Hammer reading you five by Captain. Send your message>> a voice drawled over the radio. Hammer was a battery of the 534th Field Artillery Regiment. Their 155mm towed guns had been assigned to provide heavy fire to the 12th SOC. <<Fire Mission, TRP 1. Interdiction continuous. Ammunition at your discretion. Anvil will call your effect. How copy?>> the Captain said. They had to put as much distance as they could between them and the oncoming QRF as possible. Well, Andrews could finally say I told you so to the team about all those laps they had run around Megalith.

534th Field Artillery Regiment

The radio operator made quick notations on a pad. <<Copy you clear Bravo. Hammer out>>. Then he handed the firemission details over to the battery commander. The commander, a Lieutenant, had at his command five 155mm guns. "PA system" he ordered, being handed the radio-like transmitter that would echo through the base. "Fire mission battery! TRP 1, interdiction continuous, HE and DPICM, standby for further!". Out at the guns, the crews had leapt into action. They were dressed in heavy parkas to deal with the cold, and had been gathered around fires when the order came through. Gun plotters started referencing their calculation tools, as men retrieved ammunition. The team opened the breech, loaded the shell, closed it and listened as the gun plotter called out values. "Range, 1500. Azimuth 338!". Two men each grabbed one of the stabilising platforms, lifting them up and rotating the gun until another member called for them to stop as they reached the necessary azimuth. That same man then adjusted the range setting. The gun barrel elevated as they did. "Gun ready!" he called once done, stepping away as he did. One other member grabbed the ripcord that would trigger the gun. Then, the order was shouted. "FIRE!". Each man yanked as hard as they could. The five guns roared in sequence. Then the process started again. Adjustments were called out over the PA as they were relayed from Anvil hovering over the road.

Delta 1-2

The Night Hawk was like a dream come true. It was a near silent helicopter that could carry a sizable amount of men and equipment. Now, Delta 1-2 was pushing it to its limit to reach the clearing designated as LZ Foxtrot. Delta 1-1 was having to do officer stuff, so the younger Warrant Officer 2nd Class was flying the MH-60K to pick up the 12th SOC. <<Delta 1-2 to Bravo. 1.5 mikes from Foxtrot. Pop smoke and call a colour>> he said over the radio as he slowed the Night Hawk down in preparation for landing. Through his visor, he saw the clearing up ahead. He had disabled his night vision in order to see the coloured smoke that would indicate the LZ. <<Bravo 3 to Delta 1-2. Purple smoke is out>> a voice responded. Off to his 3 'o clock, he saw the cloud billow. <<Roger, coming in now>> the Warrant Officer 2nd Class announced as he quickly spun the bird and descended. He flared the nose of the MH-60K just before landing, and the Night Hawk set down with a slight bump. "All in!" one of the troopers shouted after six of them had piled in. Delta 1-2 nodded, and raised his altitude. Once the MH-60K was clear of the AO, Anvil called in for Hammer to stop their fire and the MQ-9 drone headed back to its home base.