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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Oct 27, 2004 17:04:41 GMT -5
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- Incoming Coded Message -- Command Instruction Follows - - Decode Sabre Protocol - GALxBravo 182nd: 2nd - - Disseminate by need only - ____________________________
Operation Codname: Broken Arrow Planet: Saffel Terrain: Temprate forest / Open plains / Rural urban Time: Day
NARRATIVE:
A Mercenary by the name of Hadrian "Fury" Isis, bitter over the overthrow of Archon Nondi Steiner and her forces by Peter Steiner-Davion and his Kell Hound allies, has gone rogue, taking a dropship and the two lances under his command, and fleeing into Draconis Combine space. Disguised as a detachment of the Davion-controlled Federated Commonwealth, he intends to incite a major conflict between House Kurita and House Davion by launching a direct attack against the planet Saffel - a planet that has historically been a major point of contention between the two factions.
This has thrown the Kell Hounds into a panic. They cannot respond directly to this situation, because an incursion into Combine space by a traditionally Davion-loyal force would be looked upon by House Kurita as an act of war, even if they were there to prevent an incident. Beyond this, if it were to become public that a detachment of one of the largest, and most respected, mercenary units had gone rogue, it would be disasterous for both the Kell Hounds and the MRBC itself.
For these reasons, we have received a contract from the Kell Hounds to track down and capture Captain Isis, and eliminate, with extreme prejudice, the remainder of his lance. The Kell Hound dropship must be destroyed to prevent it from falling into Kurita hands and being used as evidence to support a war.
It is imperitive that the mission be carried out in utter secrecy. Neither House Kurita nor House Davion may be allowed to know of the nature of this mission. If we fail, the consequences could be catastrophic.
MISSION OBJECTIVES:
- Penetrate Draconis Combine space and make planetfall on Saffel. Do not allow the Legionnaires' dropship to be detected.
- Locate Captain Isis, and capture him alive. Eradicate his followers. AVOID, AT ALL COSTS, DETECTION BY DRACONIS FORCES.
- Destroy the Kell Hound dropship, leaving no identifiable evidence.
- Escape from Kurita space, and return Captain Isis to the Kell Hound liason on Outreach.
CALLSIGNS:
Callsigns for this mission are as follows:
ALPHA LANCE:
- Castle-1: Captain Maxwell
- Castle-2: Lieutenant Holms Net
- Castle-3: Corporal MechWarrior
- Castle-4: Sergeant Victor Eisenfaust
BRAVO LANCE:- Spectre-1: Captain Gunman
- Spectre-2: Lieutenant Murphy
- Spectre-3: Corporal Shea Anzovino
- Spectre-4: Sergeant Jak S Wildmen
ROGUE LANCE:- Rogue-1: Commander Desparado
- Rogue-2: Sergeant Miyamoto
THREAT REPORT:
Captain Isis' lance was last known to have been outfitted with a wealth of Inner Sphere and Clan BattleTech. At last inventory, Captain Isis' assets included, but were not necessarily limited to:
- One (1) Cyclops
- One (1) Anihillator
- Two (2) Inner Sphere UrbanMechs
- One (1) Bushwaker
- One (1) Blackhawk
- One (1) Uziel
Current loadout configurations are unknown.
The Kell Hounds have also reported that Captain Isis is in posession of his personal Behemoth (known to the Clans as a "Stone Rhino." It is likely that he will be piloting this formidible war machine.
The dropship itself is an Aurora-class vessel, equipped with Heavy Gauss rifles and assault lasers.
PLANETARY OVERVIEW - SAFFEL
When first discovered, Saffel was a rather cold world at the onset of a minor ice age. The first colonists were hardy folk from Terra’s Siberian, Scandinavian and Canadian regions, who found the cooler temperatures reminiscent of their homelands and planned to build cities on the north polar continent of Dovejin, Saffel’s largest landmass. This frigid land, half-covered in a glacial ice cap, was considered an ideal location due to the large metal deposits detected during early surveys. Unfortunately, before these rich veins could be tapped, the so-called Outer Reaches Rebellion broke out, leading to the eventual collapse of the Terran Alliance’s dominion over its far-flung worlds. With it went the fledgling settlements’ only means of support. Unable to obtain the equipment necessary to turn their new home into an economically viable system and poorly equipped to handle their sudden, unasked-for independence as the harsh Saffel winter set in, many of these first colonists perished. By the time the Terran Hegemony formed nearly 100 years later, the surviving population had migrated to the warmer equatorial zones, particularly the continents of Awonera and Sophrati. Eking out an existence in the rugged, thickly wooded plains of these new lands, the scattered communities didn’t know what to make of the arrival of new settlers from the Hegemony, especially when these newcomers claimed the early cities that had been abandoned by their forebears. A brief brushfire conflict broke out between the old and new inhabitants of Saffel before the Hegemony government managed to negotiate a truce. In the heyday of the Star League, Saffel became known as an exporter of valuable metals, as well as home to the Saffel Medical Institute. Located in the city of Radjik on Awonera, the SMI developed a revolutionary instrument, the Eligus Diagnoser, which was capable of rapidly scanning a patient’s body, identifying any known ailments and rendering a diagnosis. Although it was withheld briefly to prevent a panic in the medical community, as some suspected the device could put doctors out of work, the eventual unveiling of the Eligus Diagnoser put Saffel on the map, adding valuable medical equipment to the planet’s list of exports. After the collapse of the Star League, Davion forces promptly seized Saffel and established the planet as a gathering point for troops in one of the first major campaigns against House Kurita. In response, the Combine launched a devastating attack in 2787 but failed to capture the planet. Over the following centuries, Saffel was raided and invaded several times but remained largely under the Davion sunburst until the Draconis Combine managed to take the planet after the Fourth Succession War.
COMMANDER'S NOTES:
This will not be an easy assignment, MechWarriors. Do not expect a quick win. Captain Isis has a reputation as an extremely zealous leader, and will not back down from a confrontation. Use of excessive force is authorized, but use discretion so as to avoid alerting the local militia.
Good luck, MechWarriors. The continued peace of the Inner Sphere rests on the shoulders of this mission. Failure is not an option.
- TRANSMISSION ENDS -
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Sender: Captain Benjamin Maxwell Encryption Priority: HIGH HPG Relay 29XA01-OMEGA-9184 Recieved: OP Comp. 2318 Standard Terran Time ____________________________
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Oct 27, 2004 17:06:25 GMT -5
"Okay, people, this is it. We've got a contract."
I turned off the lights in the briefing room as the sitrep for Operation "Broken Arrow" flickered into existance on the holoscreen.
"The Kell Hounds are asking for our help. Hadrian Isis, one of their most respected commanders, has gone rogue, and is taking his lances on a suicide mission into Draconis Combine space in the hopes of starting a war between House Kurita and House Davion. Disguised as a Davion commando team, their target is the planet Saffel - a political hotspot that's been the focal point of a lot of dispute between the two factions. We think he's headed for the capital - probably going to try and take out the heads of state. Our mission is to capture Isis alive, and take out the rest of his lance."
"Two lances against a government installation? That's suicide! What's Hadrian hoping to accomplish?"
"That's a good question. The answer is...publicity. Isis is bitterly resentful over the overthrow of Nondi Steiner by Peter Steiner-Davion, and wants to get back at the Davions by instigating a civil war between the two houses that the Davions know they can't win. And even though Isis knows his mission is suicidal, a directed strike against the seat of the planetary government, in public view, by Davion units, would most certainly be seen as an act of war by House Kurita. Their retaliatory strike would be devastating."
"So why can't the Kell Hounds take Isis out on their own? They're much bigger than the Legionnaires and better equipped to handle the situation."
"Another excellent question. The Kell Hounds cannot become involved because their presence in Combine space would be looked upon as an aggressive act, due to their previous dealings with the Davions. Aside from that, if it were to become public that a detachment of one of the largest, and most respected, mercenary units had gone rogue, it would be disasterous for both the Kell Hounds and the MRBC itself."
"So the underdogs get to clean up the mess, eh?"
I smiled at the question. "Essentially. Our mission objectives are to penetrate Combine space and perform a hot drop on Saffel. We've got to find Isis and his lance, take out his dropship and wingmen, and bring the good Captain back to Outreach, where we'll turn him in to the Kell Hound liason."
"Four MechWarriors against two lances and a dropship? That doesn't sound so bad."
"Oh, it gets even better. We have to perform this drop in utter secrecy - House Kurita cannot be allowed to know of our presence on the planet. Any and all measures for maintaining absolute secrecy are permitted, but please, gentlemen, use discretion. We don't need an incident on our hands."
Captain Gunman stepped out of the shadows.
"MechWarriors, be advised - Captain Isis is a maverick pilot with an extremely short temper and a zero tolerance for failure. His lances consist mostly of Heavy and Assault-class 'Mechs, and he will not hesitate to use them to his fullest advantage. We've gotten several reports that place Isis himself in a customized Stone Rhino, so watch your six at all times. Remember that we have to bring Isis back alive, so if you encounter him, try to cripple, not destroy, his BattleMech. You are authorized to use extreme force with all other hostiles, including his dropship."
"Commander Desparado will be performing the hotdrop with the Thorin, and will rendezvous with us once he's found a place to park our gentle giant. We need to stay in close formation on this one - no running off into the hills in search of prey - the only way we're going to pull this off is through teamwork."
I nodded in silent agreement. "Since we don't know the exact location of Isis and his lance at this time, we're guestimating our drop positions. As such, we have no nav points or assault vectors for you. This mission is going to get accomplished off the cuff - and there's no room for screwups. Failure is not an option."
The room fell silent as I opened the floor to questions.
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Post by Captain Adam "Gunman" Wolf on Oct 28, 2004 19:38:58 GMT -5
"Do we know anything at all regarding the enemy lance positions, even if we don't know their exact location?"
Having stepped back slightly after my initial statements, I again take a step forward to stand beside Maxwell, standing at attention with my hands behind my back and I look across the room slowly before beginning
"Again MechWarriors, as I previously stated Captain Isis is a maverick pilot. For this reason, although we do not know the exact location of him or his lances, we believe that his lances will be divided. He knows that a direct assault of 2 lances against the government installation would be suicidal and futile. From previous combat data regarding Captain Isis and his team we have determined that his lances will most likely be attacking the installation from 2 directions. With this in mind, his lances will probably be divided but remain within range to support one another should the need arise."
"We must be careful when engaging the enemy, although we may only see one lance, the other lance may be close by. We will rely on Captain Maxwell's Beagle Active Probe equipped Stalker, as well as Sgt. Leatherneck's Cougar's detection abilities to try and scout out the enemy BEFORE engaging them. If we are to pull this off we must maintain the element of surprise and must be fully aware of enemy position and force composition. As stated before - there is no room for screwups, and failure is not an option."
I again take a short step backwards and stand awaiting any further questions/
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Desparado
Recruit
MIA
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king...
Posts: 51
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Post by Desparado on Oct 29, 2004 1:16:26 GMT -5
So the Combine can't know about our prescence in the system? Well how many Naval PPC or Gauss will it take to destroy their planetary sensory network relay satelite? It would sever the planet from communication adn the Combine would have a Jumpship or 5 if we're lucky there in about a day or so. It'd be tight but absolutely the most fool proof way of getting planetside. Once closer, we can pick off other places that could detect us during decent.
Everyone froze and turned towards me with a shocked look, almost horrified at what I was proposing. Not a stealth mission where were would be as efficient as Ninjas, snapping a blindfold on them from a distance and using brute force to put Isis down. I cracked my knuckles loudly before speaking.
Ya know, thats the funny thing about war crimes, you need evidence or witnesses to prove them. Simply erradicate these two things and you are practically innocent. The Dropship and all mechs will be toatsed beyond recognition, and if we knock out sensory and communications equipment, then there are no witnesses, especially not Isis.
All mouths were open, astounded. I could only guess if they were wondering, "Did he just actually say that?" It was one of the resons that I had progressed the ranks so quickly. I was ruthlessly rescourceful and cunning. whether this would be the best approach to this delicate situation, we'd soon find out. Another moment of akward silence passed.
With no witnesses, that means we can bring the heaviest mechs we could find and we'd need it with that dropship and 2 lances. Anything smaller would be crushed by that force. We'd have free reign of the planet and then be out before the Combine knew anyone was there. The damages might be unexplained but can't we pull some strings in Comstar and have them report an HPG malfunction that led to a few mistakes that led to failure important equipment?
We need this! Blind the Combine's eye and we can use whatever force we deem it necessicary, which will be Assault mechs. No one has ever destroyed a Dropship in a Raven and I don't intend to be in the unit that tried. Lets strike from maximum range, move in and cover our tracks behind us. Once down, hunt for Isis, it'd have to be quick. We'll need to find him within 36 hours max and be off of that rock and long gone. Its a bit of a long shot but we can do this!
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Oct 29, 2004 8:46:38 GMT -5
My mind reeled at the implications of a mercenary DropShip taking out an HPG relay in full view of the Draconis Combine.
"Commander Desparado...although I appreciate your recommendations, I must rule them as entirely out of the question. We cannot commit our DropShip to an engagement with Saffel's system defense fighters and any other craft that might stand between ourselves and the planet's HPG satellite. In the time it would take us to wipe out the defense fighters, they would have had ample time to engage us and send audio and visual confirmation that we were there, to say nothing of the freighters and other civillian craft plying the system. We'd be shredded by ground defenses before we even had time to make planetfall.
"No...what we need is an insider...someone with access to the HPG system that can give us a window of opportunity to slip in, eliminate Isis and his forces, and withdraw from the system before any communication can be sent out. I think I know just the person for the job.
"As to the matter of having overwhelming firepower - we're not exactly equipped for that task. Most of our 'Mechs are medium and heavy - I may be able to get us access to an Atlas for this mission, but other than that, we're going to have to make do with what we have.
"Captain Gunman - what will it take to get Phoenix up and running?"
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Oct 29, 2004 9:00:55 GMT -5
As Captain Gunman shuffled through schematics of the fallen Mad Cat in an attempt to calculate repair costs, I pulled my tight-beam comm unit from its case and opened the lid, stepping discretely off to the side and using its keypad to tap out a message.
X:\>run tbul.exe
Executing program...
[glow=Limegreen,2,300]Tight-Beam Uplink Enabled[/glow] UserName: ao874oee1y Authentication Code: ************ Enable Secure System Link [y/n]?: y SSL Enabled. Connecting...connected. User "34rtkg8812" is available.
ao874oee1y: I need a favor. 34rtkg8812: no hello? I'm crushed. ao874oee1y: There's no time for this. Did you read the mission briefing? 34rtkg8812: of course - you're no less ballsy than when you were here - you need to come back into the fold...do you really think you're going to be successful? ao874oee1y: Do I have a choice? 34rtkg8812: point taken. well, if you're going to be a martyr, at least let me help cushion the fall. ao874oee1y: I owe you one. 34rtkg8812: you owe me more than that. you should have stayed - you know they're going to turn to us when things get ugly...they've always turned to us ao874oee1y: We'll see about that. 34rtkg8812: very well...tell me what you need.
I tapped a response out, and quickly snapped the unit closed as I returned to the briefing.
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Post by Captain Adam "Gunman" Wolf on Oct 29, 2004 14:46:26 GMT -5
Standing off to the side and nodding slightly in understandment and approval of the Captain's current plan, a slight grin passes across my face at the mention of getting Pheonix up and running. Stepping forward to a nearby console, I punch in my ID and begin to run a few calculations. Turning to the Captain when he returns from his private conversation, god knows who it was with, but the Captain's somewhat shadowy past is a mystery to us all, but that's not important, he's always been trustworthy and a loyal friend, and right now, we're gonna need all the help we can get, even if its an acquaintance from his unknown past. Speaking up after a moment's pause, "Actually sir, it won't take much at all, you know that shipment that just arrived here, the one you moved to 'mech bay 8, it has some .... equipment, I've been waiting for. I've been thinking about that getting that Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) back up and running for some time now and have planned accordingly. I just spoke to the Cheif Technical Officer ", pointing breifly to the console to indicate communication through there, and then continueing on, "he says with everything else going on, give him 14 hours and it will be running like new, and that's including a transfer of the chassis and all equipment to the dropship so that we can prepare for immediate departure. By the time we reach the Saffel's closest Jump Point, Pheonix should be fully operational."
Awaiting the Captain's response for a moment before keying a button on the console to switch it off.
"Alright Captain, get the techs started on it."
"They already are sir."
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Oct 29, 2004 14:56:25 GMT -5
Nodding in approval, I turned toward the gathered MechWarriors and technicians, DropShip crewmembers and pilots, and gave one last pause for further questions. There was a lengthy pause, before a young midshipman timidly raised his hand.
"Yes...crewman...Johnson?"
"Sir, with all due respect, I think I speak for everyone here when I say...let's give 'em hell, sir."
There was another deadly pause, and then, slowly, the room exploded into applause, finally becoming a standing ovation, and I cast a glance toward Gunman, who nodded an approving acknowlesgement back.
"Very well. We dust off in 10 hours. Captain Gunman - have your technicians make preparations to complete the repairs to Phoenix en route. Tell them to focus on getting it on its feet and into the Thorin in time for liftoff. I have a few matters to attend to myself."
Gunman nodded, and turned to face the gathering. "Company...dismissed!"
I watched the cadre file out, knowing in the back of my mind that this was only the beginning...
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Post by Captain Adam "Gunman" Wolf on Oct 29, 2004 15:19:35 GMT -5
As the cadre filed out of the breifing room, I turned to Captain Maxwell, checking again to see that everyone left I spoke rather quietly compared to my earlier statements througout the breifing
"Captain, ... Maxwell, the insider, he is reliable right? We NEED him" After a breif pause, Maxwell turned towards me, and without saying a word I saw the look on his face and knew to just let it be, the Captain knew that we needed the insider, and if he was willing to put his faith in this man, or woman, then that was enough for me, and I was behind him 100%.
Quickly changing the subject, my voice also changed back to its stronger more authoritive tone as well.
"Don't worry about the Pheonix Captain, that ol' girl is already on her feet, ... more or less, in another 10 hours she'll be more than capable of getting on the Thorin under her own power, and the techs will easily finish loading the new weapons and equipment en route."
After a nod from the Captain, I too turned and begin to file out the door, probably to head to the lounge or locker room to do a quick inventory check before hitting the sack for a few hours of rest before the OP, knowing in the back of my head that I would definately need it.
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Desparado
Recruit
MIA
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king...
Posts: 51
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Post by Desparado on Oct 30, 2004 17:08:04 GMT -5
Slightly disappointed that my plan won't be used, and nervous about trusting someone else to keep our butts from being blown away before we hit orbit, I stand and shuffle out of the breifing room behind a few lower officers. I needefd to head to the mech bay and see if my Atlas was finished yet. My sudden insecurity after I had learned how we would approach the planet fueled a paranoia that drove me the see if my Mech was nothing less than invincible.
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Oct 30, 2004 17:18:18 GMT -5
As Commander Desparado filed out of the briefing room, I headed to intercept him.
"Commander."
He turned to face me, and I could see the look of concern and doubt spreading across his face.
"Commander...I need to you know - if my contact cannot drop the communications network as promised - we will have no other alternative than to fight our way in. I hope you understand that it is my wish to try and minimalize noncombatant casualties as well as the risk to this crew before having to resort to a full-scale assault. However, if you feel this plan is flawed..."
I looked to the Commander for his response.
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Desparado
Recruit
MIA
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king...
Posts: 51
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Post by Desparado on Oct 30, 2004 17:57:11 GMT -5
Recognizing this as somewhat of an oppurtunity to reenforce my loyalty to this mission, I responded. Not at all Captain. I'm a soldier, not a diplomat. I'd much rather be tactical and strategic that use cloak and dagger operatives and political alliances. You'll understand my point of veiw and concerns of relying on others. I'd prefer to rely on myself, my lance and the knowledge of what we can really do, not a shady character I've never met.
Besides, we'll have to have a few battles on the ground anyways and those are pretty hard to keep quiet, espescially when our opponents are seeking publicity under their false Identities. I mearly thought that if no one had any chance to share any information beacause large scale communications were out of the picture, we could be free of limits on the battlefeild except for time. With contact on Saffel lost, the Combine woulf flock in droves to the planet so we would need to swiftly knock Isis out and escape. This can make us or break us Sir, I meant to disrespect by my suggestions.
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Oct 31, 2004 12:39:42 GMT -5
The Commander stood tensely, appearing somewhat guarded and cautious, awaiting my response. I waited until the last of the cadre had filed out before I replied.
"At ease, Commander. No one's keeping score here."
Desparado's shoulders sagged slightly, and the guarded demeanor faded a bit.
"I want you to understand that I appreciate your viewpoint, Commander. I really do. Knocking out the HPG array was a brilliant plan, Commander, and it is my intention to implement it. Like you, I would certainly prefer to personally ensure the satellite's destruction - but I don't want this operation to cost any more lives than it is already going to...both on our side, as well as theirs. I don't want to massacre civillians and noncombatants just to keep them silent, and even if I was willing to make that call, I certainly wouldn't want to risk that we might not succeed in getting to the transmitter before they get a message off. Believe me, placing my trust in the hands of a third party to ensure that the communications array is brought down was not my first choice - but it seems to be the most viable option, given our other choices."
"And if that third party should fail?"
"Then we'll hope you brought enough gauss rounds to get us through the ground defenses waiting for us."
Commander Desparado nodded, and left the briefing room without further remark.
I rubbed my eyes, the weight of this mission already beginning to take its toll. I needed to contemplate my options, and a shower seemed like an oddly attractive place to begin the process. I began to make my way toward the barracks, but was intercepted by an unexpected trio of new pilots eager to report in.
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Post by Holms Net on Oct 31, 2004 21:28:53 GMT -5
I was sitting in the back, since I didn't really want to draw attention to myslef. I didn't really know anyone, and didn't want to get in the way. As I left the room, I saw Captain Maxwell, i think was his name, and the Commander that had suggested some sort of attack on some sort of satellite. I hadn't really heard it to well. I was too nervous.
I decided it would be rude to interfere with thier conversation, so I decided to head down to my quarters for a short rest.
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Post by Gen Miyamoto on Nov 1, 2004 14:12:58 GMT -5
As soon as the commander left I walked up to Captain Maxwell to introduce myself.
"Gen Miyamoto, son of Niho, at your service, Captain."
Captain Maxwell turned toward me and he looked exhausted, a pall of worry and concern over his face. He forced a smile, and introduced himself to me. After we talked for a while he left the briefing room and I headed to my Thor to do some Kobudo and get ready to leave for the mission.
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