Operation IV: Phoenix Down: Mission Brief

[Captain Benjamin Maxwell]

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- Incoming Coded Message -- Command Instruction Follows -
- Decode : Excalibur Protocol - GALxBravo 433rd: 7th -
- Disseminate by need only -
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Operation Codname: Phoenix Down
Planet: Not applicable
Terrain: Deep Space
Time: Not applicable

NARRATIVE:

The heavy freighter Phoenix, registered to House Liao, has gone missing while en route to Slocum, a Capellan-controlled world on the border of neutral space. The Phoenix was transporting colonists from Wei, as well as assorted cargo, and a great deal of agricultural product, to the planet as part of the ongoing reconstruction efforts taking place there.

Because the Capellans are tied up with the Blakist invasion of Styk, they cannot allocate any of their forces to search for the freighter themselves. They have enlisted our help to locate it.

Our objectives are to seek out the freighter and determine its status. If it can be salvaged, we are to escort it to Slocum and ensure that it is offloaded safely. If it cannot be, we are to rescue whatever crew remains, salvage as much in the way of supplies as possible, and destroy the ship. The crew and cargo are then to be transported to their original destination. Payment for the contract is 120,000,000 C-Bills, a lucrative sum, but understandable given the current climate in the Inner Sphere.

MISSION OBJECTIVES:

I. Navigate to the freighter's last known location

II. Determine the status of the freighter and its crew

III. Assist in whatever capacity is needed to restore the freighter to its course and nominal operating status.

IV. Escort the freighter to Slocum, ensuring that both ship and crew arrive at their destination unharmed

CONTINGENCY: If Objective III canot be accomplished, the crew, and as much cargo as possible, is to be transported aboard the DropShip Liberty, and the freighter is to be destroyed. The Liberty is then to deliver the crew and cargo to Slocum.

THREAT REPORT:

Minimal. As the DropShip Liberty is a Union-class vessel, House Liao believes that we should have minimal difficulty dispatching any AeroTech we encounter, if any.

As there has been no reported Blakist activity at the last known position of the Phoenix, House Liao cannot advise of any other known threats.


PLANETARY OVERVIEW - SLOCUM

Star Type: G7III
Position in System: 5 (of 10)
Number of Moons: 1 (Stanza)
Days to Jump Point: 7
Surface Water: 66%
Atm. Pressure: Standard (Breathable)
Surface Gravity: 1.0
Equatorial Temp: 53° C
Highest Native Life: Mammals
Population: 1,237,000
Governor: Sheldon Pagano
Planetary Legate: Pat Halvorson

SUMMARY:

Slocum's history is tumultuous. In 2351, the now-defunct Sarna Supremacy attacked the planet, which was then part of the Tikonov Grand Union, and committed acts of merciless savagery against the inhabitants. Many battles and wars were fought on Slocum because it was a border world. Not until the formation of the original Star League did this once-beautiful world get a chance to prosper.

The Star League jointly administered the planet with the Capellan Confederation. A Castle Brian was built on each continent of the planet. Like the other worlds of the Terran Hegemony, Slocum suffered like never before. For eight years, they faced the atrocities of Amaris’ armies. In 2774, General Kerensky’s armies regained control of Slocum, but they discovered that half the population had died of starvation and the ravages of war. House Liao laid claim to Slocum after the fall and attempted to rebuild the once-vibrant world. Again Slocum faced strife during the Fourth Succession War. The planet was spared for the most part and prospered afterward under Davion rule.

Slocum’s continents were severely damaged during the fall of the Star League. Of the four, only three are able to support life. Carnocial, the fourth continent, is a nuclear wasteland that is still hot to this very day. Kuaka, where the planetary capital, Fewers, is found, is in the northern hemisphere, where winter lasts six months out of the year. Just west of the capital are the famous Silver Plains. Here the snow-covered landscape takes on a silver color thanks to the silver content of the soil. Silver was one of Slocum’s biggest exports. The continents of Theramule and Natick support most of the planet’s mining operations and petroleum production.


COMMANDER'S NOTES:

So the Capellans have misplaced one of their freighters, and they've enlisted us to help them track it down. Seems pretty cut-and-dry...but the simple ones are always a devil to resolve. I know the mission profile calls for a venture into deep space, but it's better to be safe than sorry. To that end, I instruct all of you to be prepared for anything - at any time. We will be carrying 'Mechs with us on this mission - if we have to make planetfall, I want to be damn sure we're equipped to handle anything that comes our way.

However, the maximum weight capacity for the Liberty's 'Mech Bay is going to be severely limited this Op, due to the need to maintain enough free tonnage to transport both the crew of the Phoenix and as much of its cargo as possible, if the situation should arise. To that end, no MechWarrior is to plan on piloting anything over 55 tons this mission - in other words, the Heavy and Assault 'Mechs get to sit this one out. I know you're all excited.

Hey, look at it this way - chances are, we're not going to be seeing any Blakists this Op.

- TRANSMISSION ENDS -

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Sender: Captain Benjamin Maxwell
Encryption Priority: HIGH
HPG Relay 37XA01-EPSILON-2237
Recieved: OP Comp. 0932 Standard Terran Time
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