25

Current Combat Strengths

LCF; 16 Security Officers, 8 Engineers, 4 Communication Officers, 1 Convoy Commander

Casualties (Deceased/Incapacitated/MIA); 1/2/0

Raiding Party [Quiet Murn] (Projected forces); 30-45 Party Members (15-20 Voltiguers, 10-15 Demenaguers, 6-12 Hussards), 1 Party Leader (*estimates according to LCF directory)

Casualties (Deceased/Incapacitated/MIA); 8/5/0

Anti-Faith Factions 1 & 2 (Dubbed Terrorists by New Kantler); 67 civilians (CoM projection)

Casualties (Deceased/Incapacitated/MIA); 6/8/4

*

Based on Leora's current grasp of the ongoing raid attempt, things appeared to be going better than expected. The crews had taken the stun grenades on the chin to be sure, but rather than let it knock them down they'd stood firm and successfully repelled each of the boarding party's. Quiet Murn suffering significant casualties as a result. But even if they'd done well so far, things were developing in a way that favored the raiding party and anti-faith factions.

For starters Crusader C217 was incredibly vulnerable at the moment and could expect continued attacks now that its locks had been blown. The issue of ammo had begun to rear its ugly head for three of the four Crusaders in the convoy as attacks continued to pile up. And worst of all they still had one more terrorist group to contend with before reaching Belveer. Usually in tight situations like these the LCF might send a form of relief convoy to chase off raiders and the like, but with them already so close to the station of arrival, it would be viewed as a waste of resources to scrounge up the Crusaders and personnel necessary for a relief force.

But Leora had her own share of personal problems to contend with. For one she was the ONLY deck officer at the moment. Needless to say having a single security officer patrolling the entirety of the front and back decks was foolhardy at best. Especially when the officer in question was needed exclusively on the front deck to deal with a rocketeer who could arrive on scene any minute. Preece had been the one in charge of the back deck, but scrambled downstairs to assist Youn after Laud fell victim to poor judgement. So when the orders went out to assist C217 with protection of its bay door, it had been Leora who had to temporarily abandon her current post to help cover the current onslaught of the rear. Through taking a shortcut that involved vaulting from either stairway straight to the back deck, she'd only barely made it in time to assist, and even then the last ditch effort of a single Volt had swung things in the raiding party's favor. He'd no doubt be celebrating his victory in the afterlife.

Which brought things to now. Where despite how exposed the rear of the convoy had just become, Leora made the decision to return to her prior defensive assignment and was well on her way back. Because handling the rocketeer, which threatened the entire convoy, took precedent over a single Crusader in the rear of the formation. She also couldn't afford to spend any more ammo carelessly. As confident in her sharpshooting skills as she was, they needed options going forward. Options that would be severely limited by a lack of ammunition.

"Oi, Scholz! Where are you going?!"

[Leora Scholz, 22, Security Division]

Leora recognized the voice as Youn, although she had to lean on the way she'd been addressed to be sure. His voice being more hoarse than usual. Smoke or gas inhalation most likely. But rather than stop and hear him out, she briskly sped across the corridor, stepping over an assortment of bodies that should been thrown away or moved aside by now.

"What's it look like, back to my assignment. I'm not going to waste time and ammo on whats quickly becoming a lost cause."

Youn cast an angry glare her direction as she passed him by and even reached for her arm in an attempt to stop her. Only to be thwarted as one of her arms came up and slapped his hand away hard.

"Point that frustration of your's towards the rear, I don't care for it. And while you're at it get rid of these bodies already, you two will need this corridor clear if you plan on going back and forth. We don't need any more stumbles."

Preece looked on helplessly at the exchange and said nothing as Leora passed him on the platform. Ascending the stairs and returning to the front deck, she turned towards the bridge and mouthed to Reefe whether anything of interest had been spotted in her absence. He nodded in the negative before bringing a pair binoculars up to his eyes once more. At least someone was doing their job. Settling in, she scrutinized her surroundings, including a glance in the direction of their command center, C326.

So far it hadn't been targeted by any of the approaches, seeing only minimal action earlier during the string of hit and runs. As a result, Leora expected a redistribution of the ammo aboard C326 in the very near future as a way to shore up the rest of the convoy's reserves. The sooner the better. No point in waiting for a lull in the fighting that would never come. When it came to strenuous situations like these, a convoy was better off throwing everything but the kitchen sink at em. But that too would inevitably go once they found a way to rip it out of the wall.

Boy did it aggravate her though. The notion that so many people could lack the basic understanding that raids were battles of attrition, that they began long before a convoy even departed and sometimes persisted long after its arrival. The latter referring to the mental rather than the physical. But the players understood this, and invented new and unique ways to stretch personnel and resources to their extremes. A delicate balance to be sure, especially among the surplus of understaffed crews across the Expanse.

A familiar tapping sound then drew Leora's attention to the speaking tube connecting the bridge to the front deck. She felt around for and lifted the speaking tube's lid, all without tearing her gaze from the horizon. "Go ahead."

"Just got word from the CC, he wants eyes on an unidentified flock due West from our current position. On a separate note, C248 is reporting another Quiet Murn sighting at a shorter distance due East. Basically we need to know whether these two groups are coordinating or unrelated. I don't think I need explain to why."

"West, got it."

Leora swiftly moved over to the weak side of the front deck and made a quick scan for immediate threats. Satisfied with the current lack of activity, aside from the ongoing engagement in the rear, she pulled a variable scope from the cylindrical container tucked inside her jacket and equipped it to her rifle. She settled into a stable stance and adjusted the magnification level to above what the LCF's binoculars were capable of. Scanning from left to right she searched for traces of kicked up debris and other signs of recent bike activity. It took her longer than expected but she finally got eyes on the flock, although they'd since sped up to a position just North West of the convoy.

The flock in question didn't appear to be in any sort of formation, nor did any of the rider's apparel seem to match. Strong signs this was the other anti-faith faction group they were on the lookout for. Good thing she'd returned to the front deck when she did. That being said Leora still wanted to confirm the presence of an RED before making any surefire reports to command. A shoulder-fired RED wasn't something any rider could conceal easily, more so if they intended on using it anytime soon.

As she went down the line of bikes her eyes stopped upon reaching the profile of a much longer individual in comparison to the rest. And yet the bike they rode on, unlike the rider's spindly stature, was of standard size, making for a ridiculous looking combination that looked poised to crash at the slightest miscalculation in weight distribution or balance. But the longer Leora watched, the more certain she became of the rider's skill. Their steady and relaxed posture standing out amongst the group of otherwise unremarkable sheep.

A sense of foreboding abruptly overcame Leora in that moment, her instincts screaming at her to pull the trigger until her magazine emptied, but her rational mind couldn't justify it. The group wasn't approaching yet, and they still remained well outside of the critical distance area. She would wait, there was no rush. Wait until they begin their approach and target the figure ahead of the gunner. No, wait. The rider with the RED took precedent over the gunner, but...where were they? None of riders appeared to be carrying it. Was this not the faction after all? Either way Reefe would be expecting some manner of report by now, best make it quick so she could minimize the time her sights weren't on the mysterious group.

Leora would later come to regret the decision to hold her fire. She'd had both hands on the kitchen sink, but couldn't muster the will to throw it without exhausting her other options first.