- Date: Thursday, January 10, 110 PA
Time: 0900 by end of post
Temp: 5°, Bitterly Cold outside. A few inches of of snow from last night.
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Only a light dusting of snow and plenty of ice
Ley Line info: None near FOB Delian
Location: FOB Delian
So it is that all four platoons of the 17th load up with their small convoy of Mark IX Exploration armored vehicles. Each one also pulls at least two trailers. There is one Mark V and it is pulling a rather large trailer, loaded with containerized housing units - likely generators, bathrooms, refrigerated storage, and kitchens for the Forward Operating Base. The cargo bay of the DHT and it's sister are full to bursting.
The flight out is boring. Twice the SAMAS escort squad deploys to back up the two jets providing escort, and once a SF-7 Talon is deployed to ruin someone's day. The pilots actually turn on the external camera feed so those riding can watch the awesome destructive power of the Talon. A staccato of mini-missiles ripple across the place where the raiders had launched from, followed by long range missiles at their fleeing transport. The fireballs are awe inspiring. But it's over in minutes once it begins. Still, everyone's been on worse hour long flights. As the power armor troops land and secure the site, the Death's Heads begin their landing sequence. It takes upwards of two hours to unload, but it is done in a very orderly manner. Engineers oversee placement of trailers, oversee soldiers erecting tents, and otherwise making themselves useful. Despite arriving early in the morning, and stopping for lunch (the mess and the bathrooms are the first things completed after the generators), it takes well into the night (2100 or 9 pm) before the job is done. The Combat Engineers who prepared the site evacuate with the DHTs and their transports. The platoon's tent is actually the last thing completed. Aside from opaque walls separating men and women showers/dressing areas, the large tent is otherwise a wide open space. Heaters and fans keep the inside of the tent livable (65 degrees), and more heaters keep the hygiene areas warmer (70 degrees). A bathroom and laundry containerized unit is attached by tent umbilical to keep it from freezing people as they move in and out.
Each platoon disassembles four trailers into a secure armory and tool storage. Each platoon gets a pilot for their personnel carrier who also acts as the squad's supply corporal. While every squad is responsible for its own inventory, the battalion attached supply corporal allows the squad leader an auditor, as well as being able to deploy their entire squad on a fire mission while maintaining security for their transport and gear. Additionally each squad gets five skelebots, and another 20 are deployed in defense of the base on the platoon's behalf. The five from 4th Squad guard the sensitive C3 tent for the company HQ, while the five skelebots from 3rd squad provide seurity for the platoon's armory. First and Second squad both retain their skelebots for deployment, though they do help provide security when in camp as well as allow for maintenance of the camp assigned skelebots.
The platoon spends a good three days getting ready, during which time they get established with the security routine, exit and entrance routines, communication codes and what not. On that night, they begin preparing for their extended patrol. Supplies are packed into a trailer, weapons are stored in the appropriate places, the Hellraiser is prepared for combat, as are any power armor. The cyber-doc in third squad, attached from battalion medical, gives everyone with bionics and cybernetics a good once over, both to establish baselines as well as familiarize herself with the systems everyone has.
So it is that five days after they got on the transports, they set out to begin their task, leaving FOB Delian behind. As the group sets out on their trek, they are moving across the edge of the Hivelands. Aside from the occasional nomadic tribe (psi-stalker, amerind, or simvan), aminals or creatures, or small gang of Murder Hobos (adventurer types), there's not a lot of traffic. The group is too far from the hives to worry about more than the occasional scouting party, but plenty of threats and obstacles exist as you make your way through the wild lands of pre-rifts Minnesota and Manitoba. One of the features of your trailer is that it floats. This is important considering the amphibious nature of the Mark IX and the plentiful lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the region.