Canterra - Operation Toe Dip - Landing

Posted on 08 May 2019 @ 9:26am by Captain Akio Tachibana & Major Terrance West & Lieutenant Jinn Tevran (Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War) & Lieutenant Junior Grade Steven Bernard, Ph.D. & Captain Edward Bolingbroke (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War) & First Lieutenant Gregor Goss (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War) & First Lieutenant Eleanor Hargreaves (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War) & Senior Chief Master-at-Arms Isabella Kelly & Corporal James Robert, House of Rogath
Edited on on 10 May 2019 @ 11:30pm

Mission: Ka Hakaka Maikaʻi - The Good Fight
Location: Canterra - LZs Eiger & Bogota
Timeline: T + 2 Hours

[ON]

[Hilo - Inbound Northern Pole - Canterra]

The planned flight path led around to the far side of the planet, away from the incoming path of Battlegroup Hawaii, bringing the Arrow in over the Northern Pole, where it was intended to descend down through the turbulent and volatile Y Class atmosphere..

That was the planned flight path...

As the shuttle made its way down, the nearest Gorn escort vessel fired a torpedo, yet the trajectory was off.

“I think they saw us,” West called to the cockpit.

"That? They're trying to rattle us," Spencer lied. They were definitely trying to kill them, and he'd hoped he'd have a little longer without being noticed. He pumped more power to the engines, racing them down towards the planetary pole. The atmosphere was going to be hell and possibly kill them, but nobody was going to shoot at them. If the Gorn were already paying attention to them, it was the evil he'd choose, and accelerate towards.

West saw through Griffith-Bailey's lie, yet didn't want to demoralize the troops. He grabbed a handle for the rocky ride into the atmosphere.

"Here we go again," groaned Knorr, strapped in opposite Hargreaves. The most seasoned Marine in 4MSOT, he forever projected an aura of having seen and done it all, and Hargreaves didn't want to question if she could see through the mask. It comforted her as much as anyone else.

"Don't say I never take you anywhere nice," said Hargreaves through gritted teeth, tightening her hold on her restraints.

Jinn could sense apprehension rising amongst the shuttle occupants. He pushed it down and mentally calmed himself. He had been in worse landing situations before. As long as they made it down in one piece, he'd consider this a success.

Bernard opened his eyes and looked around: no one was bleeding, and nothing was on fire. He reset his chin on his vest and closed his eyes again.

"Unser vater im Himmel..." Gregor recited quietly as he gripped his safety harness tightly. All around him the same scene was playing out in different variations, there were torrents of profanity, pleas to a host of spirits and deities, he heard the names of Allah, and the Prophets invoked. Others in 3 MSOT grew quiet, repeating their mantras internally, or psyching themselves up for what lay ahead.

Isabella looked at the task at hand and thought to herself oO Dam, Wish I had taken dad up on that absailing course, Oo as she climbed into the harness, she continued in thought oO I hope I don't make any mistakes, Oo as she watched how the others were putting their own ones on.

Cortez sat huddled in her seat, flanked by a couple of big Marines, she kept her thoughts to herself as the Runabout bumped and jinked on it's descent.


[Landing Zone Eiger One - Supplies drop - 01:00Hrs Zulu]

Down to surface level the path was set at nap-of the-earth-flight on a southerly heading. Very low altitude, less that eighty feet, and at high speed, hugging contours, ground features and terrain to minimize the risk of detection. It was fast and dangerous flying toward the northern flanks of the Skyscraper Mountains west of Onidon. The first landing zone was on a small rocky plateau, surrounded by a dense conifer forest.

"Alright folks" Spencer called back "This is the first stop on our short aerial tour of Canterra. Luggage and bags only, no passenger facilities this time. ETA is six minutes, going to Red Light conditions!" He flicked a switch and the cabin lights changed to a dull red color, allowing the Marines' eyes to start adjusting to their night vision

Still moving at high speed he brought the Hiolo in low, skimming just clear of the tree tops until it was over the clearing. Swinging the tail around, to put the ramp towards the tree line, where they would cache their supplies, he stopped forward momentum and dropped the Runabout straight down, coming to a hover eighteen inches above the rocky plateau.

West was impressed with Griffith-Bailey's skills, something he was slightly concerned about pre-mission.

Tapping his controls Spencer released the hatch clamps, allowed the pressures to equalize and opened the doors. An icy cold wind blew in flakes of snow from the darkness beyond the doorway.

"Take a good look, people," Hargreaves called to 4MSOT. "This is where we need to go if we want to resupply. So I hope you all came ready for a hike." She herself leaned to study, as best she could, the ground around the drop-off point in case a cautious approach would be needed. Then the line of the mountains. Perspective wouldn't be the same, but if she could make an educated guess on what the horizon would look like from down below, it would help navigation.

Around her, the staff did what they needed to unload the supplies, get them securely stowed, all with wary eyes on the perimeter just in case.

Bernard roused from his sleep and got ready to go. He switched his rifle on and took it's strap from around his leg.

As soon as the last of the cargo was offloaded Spencer powered up the thrusters. Then, lifting the craft back up to tree level and he swung the nose uphill and started forward, the hatches closing as the craft moved away from it's first stop.


[Landing Zone Eiger Two 4 MSOT LZ -01:20Hrs Zulu ]

From the landing zone the flight plan led up a long and steadily climbing valley, that ended in a high and snowy pass. The second landing zone was some one hundred meters on the northern side of the pass, below the windswept snowy head and potential detection by Gorn sensors in Onidon.

Slowing the Runabout to a crawl Spencer inched it up to the landing spot, his eyes shifting quickly between the controls, the altimeter and the sensor display. So far there had been no indication they had been spotted.

"Alright one minute!" He called back as he searched for a suitable place to drop the first team of Marines.

There was a patch of packed snow and ice, it looked a little more stable than the deeper snow. He slowed the Hilo and let it drift in over the spot, coming to a hover, a foot off the ground. He could feel the wind plucking at the ship and he flicked on the automatic position holding. The computer could compensate quicker than he could for the erratic gusts and shifts in the wind.

He turned in his seat and called back "Ok, all passengers for Eiger Two this is your stop! Please check your overhead bins for any personal items and watch that first step! We hope you have a pleasant time at your destination. Thank you for flying Hawaii Airways Have a safe and enjoyable trip!"

The hatches opened and again the freezing blast tore in, this time bringing snow and icy shards.

"If you need anything, don't be afraid to get on the comm. This isn't gossip hour though," West shouted to Hargreaves before she got up.

"Sir!" Hargreaves had to shout to be heard, but it was that common acknowledgement and farewell all in one brusque syllable. Then she turned to her fifteen comrades and gestured out the ramp. "Let's move, people. Don't be afraid of the cold!"

But these things were best done in a certain way. A brisk nod went to Knorr, who lingered at the back to make sure everyone got out and nothing was left, while she gestured to Staff Sergeant Otero and Corporal Baranel of Red Element to take up position with her as she headed to the snow. There were things she'd do as an officer she'd never do as an enlisted, things she didn't think much about.

JimBob smiled as his boots touched the snow. Arkansas got very little snow throughout the year and he had always enjoyed trips up north or to colder world's when he was a child. It was fun because it was different. He hustled into position and scanned the area before him. They should have made it in undetected, but operations could go FUBAR in a hurry.

Now she thought about them, and now it was her boots that were the first to crunch into the snow of Canterra's mountainous surfaces, and her face that was first hit by the chill all around of this frozen welcome.

"Guess I've got to say it, then, L-T," said Otero, voice light. "You never take us anyplace nice." But Otero was always relaxed, confident, and his comment sent a ripple through the ranks of disembarking Marines that dented the gathering tension.

Jinn waited for his turn behind the Marines in front of him, then strode and hopped off the landing ramp of the shuttle. As the Marines fanned out from the shuttle, Jinn got out of the way of the rest of the group that was disembarking after him and he extended his senses outward. It seemed like the coast was clear, as it were. He could detect no Gorn thought patterns in the immediate surroundings. He brought himself back inward. It wouldn't do to overexert himself so early in the mission.

Bernard helped as best he could when he came off of the shuttle, helping the Marines and doing his best to stay out of their way. He planned to do everything Hargreaves told him and to keep his mouth shut until there was something important to say.

"Alright, we're out of here!" Spencer called as the last of the Team disembarked. The hatches closed, he lifted the nose up and pushed forward on the controls. The Hilo surged forward running down the snowy hill like a bobsleigh.


[Landing Zone Bogota One 3 MSOT & Hilo Hard Pad - 03:15Hrs Zulu LZ]

From the second Landing Zone the flight path reversed course back down the valley, then once clear of the northern foothills of the Skyscraper the path turned due West, crossing from mountains to a series of rocky hills jutting up through the heavy coverage of a temperate rain forest. The final landing zone was on the beach of a small lake, hidden from Onidon by a large rocky hill.



As the shuttle came in over the outer edges of the jungle, there was a faint light below.

"We've been spotted," West muttered more to himself as he flipped his comm to transmit.

=/\= Raider One to Mother Goose, we have been spotted en route to Bogota, over,=/\= West kept it short.

There was only a hiss of static in reply...

There was the soft beep from Grithh-Bailey's sensors, they registered the faintest trace of a low level scan.

"I don't know what that was, it was very quick and very low power." He called out "Certainly not what you'd expect from a Gorn ship or detection system I don't even know if they got a full read on us..."

Either way, they were only a few minutes from their destination and the plan was to find a place to hide the Runabout there. That seemed a better option than to continue flying and risk the Gorn getting a firm track on them.

Spencer increased speed and dropped another six feet of altitude, the tops of the tallest trees were now just inches below their hull as he pushed on.

"LZ Bogota, One minute!" He called out, coming in over the northern end of the lake, he dropped lower still until the Hilo was practically skimming across the water. In a few seconds the beach site showed on his sensors and he hauled back on the power, The Runabout slowed rapidly and he dropped it down on the sand with the hatches swinging open.

"Out! Essentials only," Gregor commanded as soon as the runabout came to a stop. He efficiently extricated himself from the safety harness and was the first to step out onto the lakeshore. Phaser rifle in hand, and with a machete and brush saw hanging from his pack he waved the rest of the team out.

They formed a defensive screen, similarly outfitted. "Come on, we will have to sort out the heavier supplies later if we can," He called to the others.

"Roger that," replied Isabella as she unclipped her own harness, she thought to herself oO oh wow, that was fun, Oo as she now understood why her dad had wanted to take her, as she looked over at Cortez and wondered if she had enjoyed it like she had.

Cortez scrambled out of her harness, grabbed her pack and weapon and hustled out of the door onto the sand, she moved off the beach into the shadow of the treeline and waited for instructions.

As Isabella picked up her rucksack and connected the clips accross her chest, she knew that she made sure of a water bottle was close by, she asked Gregor, "sir, Where do you want me?" as she looked over at him, she continued "at the front or the rear?"

"In the middle," Gregor replied, "You're not as combat trained as my operators, so I want them in the likely points of attack."

West was one of the last to exit the shuttle and he quickly jogged up to Goss.

"Lieutenant, I am estimating we're gonna have Gorn on our ass in 10 minutes or so, so we're gonna need O-Ps set up ASAP," West told Goss before tapping his comm.

=/\= Mother Goose, Mother Goose, this is Raider One, we are at Bogota and requesting immediate sensor and air support, over =/\= West transmitted evenly.

Again there was only a hiss of static...

"It looks like we are going to be working alone for the moment," Gregor concluded, walking up to the Major. "I feel our best chance is to disappear, trying to take on the entire Gorn response force might be untenable. The only problem is the Arrow, tell me sir, do you know how well it handles the water?"

West looked at Gregor like he just grew another head. He walked up to him and whispered, so no one would overhear.

"You want us to fly the Arrow into the river?" West asked, a bit concerned.

"I think we should hide it in the river, Ja," Gregor replied. "Trying to fly it elsewhere risks it being shot down. Leaving it visible will provoke a confrontation with the Gorn, so we hide it. Finding, or making a clearing might be too slow, but submerged in the water and powered down, the Gorn might pass it by, sir."

West understood what Gregor was getting at and was relieved he wasn't suggesting everyone pile back into the arrow and hide.

"I like your, style. It's crazy, yet it might work. Make it happen," West nodded as he walked to a nearby tree and started climbing it to get a better look with binoculars.

"Right away sir," Gregor affirmed. "Team, prepare to move deeper into the vegetation, We're going to attempt to conceal our presence." he instructed into the comm. =/\=Ensign Griffith-Bailey, I'm going to need you to seal up the Hilo, and land it on the riverbed. Do you copy?=/\=

Spencer had been using the time while the Team unloaded to run sensor scans of the lake and river. =/\= The river is too shallow. But there's a spot in the lake, about three hundred meters out, where there is deep water. I can put her in there! I'll shut everything down, just keep my commbadge on, call me when you need me! Stand clear, it's gonna be dusty!=/\=

The hatches swung closed and the Hilo lifted up, thrusters whining, blasting sand and grit around the beach as the craft nosed back out over the lake. It moved towards the center and then the noise died as it settled gently on the inky black surface of the water.

There were some brief gurgles and bubbles as it sank quickly into the darkness, within a minute the surface of the lake had returned to normal.

Inside, Spencer let the craft drop towards the bottom, the forward screens reflecting back the panel lights of his controls. He thought he caught a glimpse of some small aquatic creatures in the dim glow, come to investigate this intruder in their watery domain.

The Runabout settled, canted over a a slight angle as it came to rest on the muddy lake bed. He taped a button, the blast covers slid into place over his windscreen and he started the warp core emergency shut down sequence, cutting everything, including life support, down to the lowest levels.

He sat there alone in the dull glow of the emergency lighting "Aloha Canterra" He muttered to himself.

[OFF]

Terrance "Terry" West, Maj, SFMC
3MRBN/CO

Gregor Goss, 1LT, SFMC
3MSOT/TL

Eleanor Hargreaves, 1LT, SFMC
4MSOT/TL

Jinn Tevran, LTJG, SF
INT

Bernard, Steven J., ENS, SF
TAO

Isabella Kelly, LCPO, SF
TACSECLCPO

James Robert of the House of Rogath, CPL, SFMC
4MSOT/CSO

Eira Cortez, LtJg, SF
AINT
&
Spencer Griffith-Bailey, EN, SF
FCO
LOA NPC's by Tolkath