Reservoir Raid

I am planning on bringing this to life later this year, early next year.

Meanwhile, enjoy the story

Reservoir Raid

Dotted all over Mallera-9 were large water reservoirs primarily used for industrial applications for the experiment. Simply sea water pumped into most spilled out when the event occurred or have tried up.

A few key locations still operate and are used for freshwater supply with the help of desalination plants and refining.

One remains in The Outer and was controlled by multiple groups over the past 20 years however until recently it was controlled by a Suite Trafficking Cartel.

The small dam and associated pumps and equipment were purchased from the Cartel by Black Faction where work was underway to repair the facility to support the functions of an operational Sector with a refining operation.

Mistress Vanessa had moved in close to 90 Temps to support 40 SCU Units to begin air lifting freshly trained units to be stationed at the nearby turn junction where numbers of units are increasing to two Caches.

The whole operation is expensive and resource heavy while not currently outputting any Neon Dark.

The one plus is that it is relatively safe from attack by other factions being so isolated and cut off from the rest of the islands infrastructure.

Only the jungle commandos pose a threat.

The Site

Jungle Commando Lani has been observing the operation for weeks, she sees the equipment flown in on ZT-90s and Cache Carriers.

The equipment turning up in the first week looked like it was going to be just another outpost. Barrack gear, water, food, weapons, comms and of course units.

The tell tale signs of something bigger started to show up, maintenance gear, generators, charge packs.

Transports were landing every hour day and night, carrying piping, pumps, crates, construction materials.

Then the day she knew it was serious was when a large desalination unit arrived along with a round press and bulk bags. But the flow of units stopped and engineers and admin staff had begun to move in.

Then a Cache carrier arrived with Mistress Vanessa herself onboard, 90 fresh SCUs in brand new gear marched off and lined up. It’s the perfect opportunity for a sneaky single shot to finish off Vanessa for good but it wont fix the impending problem.

If a sector establishes here, the outer is gone.

Vanessa walks below and within minutes she sees her come back to the top and order the SCUs back on the craft, it lifts off and returns to where it came from. Another location in the outer where they are staging.

Lani knows they are cut off there and can’t support larger numbers of units.

She has 3 other Jungle Commandos to work with but needs more fighters.

The Strategy

The Reservoir has no value to her however in its current for it does have value to a faction.

V-Corp is out of the question due to her relationship with Ayla.

KTS and Zuvic are not interested in any operation of that size in the Outer.

So she approached Caterina with the offer to hand it over to her once its taken over and assurance that Jungle Commandos and Marauders will not operate near it.

This move will delay Black Factions expansion or even end it plus give them a near pier adversary.

Caterina was sold on it.

The outside

It’s a small span dam of 80 meters width and 40 meters height and 20 meters thickness across a rocky gap. To one side is the water reservoir, to the other, mud, sludge and a slow running river that increases with water releases.

The area ontop is the designated landing area for Transport which can accommodate 2 ZT-90s or a single Cache Carrier.

In the immediate area around the dam is patrolled by two pairs of two unit that cycle on 4 hour patrols.

There are 4 units at either end of the dam who change every 4 hours. The units are cycled between the outer ring and inside.

Guards are posted on the main entrance where inside there is the main service lift.

The only other way inside is a door halfway down the dry side with a access ladder to the top and 4 manholes on the top of the dam structure.

The Surrounds

Thick jungle surrounds the facility with the only viable approaches on the east and west side of the rocky gap.

Viable non liquid earth paths run near sheer drops into the mud and liquid earth of the dried up river.

The patrols venture a few hundred meters south then return north leaving ample opportunity for approach.

The interior

Inside only the upper 4 levels are not flooded. There is a main atrium pump room which is half flooded with water. Service tunnels extend east west with a set of service stairs connecting the tunnels at either end as well as ladders within the atrium.

Branching off from the service tunnels are rooms on either side containing everything from sleeping quarters, storage, comms and operations.

The entire interior is serviced by the main elevator. There is a stop function set on it to prevent it descending into the water logged levels below.

Key to the facilities viability is pumping the water out and preventing further ingress.

The Plan

Vital intel was purchased from a former cartel member showing a full schematic of the facility.

Caterina committed 60 of her best units to the raid which is no where near enough to eliminate all of the Black Faction units there but will fair well with a good plan against Temps and newer SCUs.

Two Jungle Commandos are set to eliminate the patrols while the third snipes the static guards on the surface.

Lani will swim from the reservoir side with a rebreather through the inlet pipe into the Atrium, eliminating the engineers and quickly accessing the lift control panel.

Once she is in position CPD will commence their assault from the East from the old access road. Where there will be proportional response.

The service lift will carry 50 units to the surface comfortably however they will more than likely crush pack it to over 60.

Lani will reverse the power to the motor and remove the stop function, sending the lift into the water with the units, taking the lift and the units out of service.

This will force the units to come to the surface via the access ladder on the outside, which will be covered by three Jungle Commandos and through the manholes on the surface which the CPD units will cut them down.

Lani will then head to the control room and switch the Anti Air System to target all and keep resupply away.

The Raid

Hot and extra humid is the flavour of the morning, the jungle commandos give each other a nod and move out to their respective positions.

The sniper pulls up her rifle and high powered scope. The air is thick and still, the units on the surface look bored and tired. Sun is in their eyes and the thigh pads give away that theyre temps.

On the other side Lani breaks through thick jungle and moves gently into the water. Its warm and still. She slowly fits her rebreather and disappears into the murky water.

Bubbles break the surface, but the static guard ignores.

The static patrol units on the East side of the rocky gap are walking towards the jungle commando, who is laying flat with her sight trained straight centre mass of the lead unit.

Sweat is beading off them, again thigh pads indicate they’re temps.

The West side patrol is no where to be seen yet.

The units get too close for comfort and opens fire, double tapping both sending them off balance off the edge into the mud below.

4 shots ring out immediately as the sniper drops the units on static guard on the dam structure.

The West side patrol comes running from the dam structure and the jungle commando opens fire peppering them into the ground.

Lani has already made her way into the Atrium and can see people working on the surface, she breaches the water slowly and opens fire.

Engineers and technicians are being sprayed by her until she spots the site manager holding a PDA.

A quick burst and the head is cut off the snake. She leaves the water shooting every single worker, admin unit and engineer she sees.

She spots the lift, cuts the power, unscrews the cords with a screwdriver from an expended technical and reverses the cables to the lift motor.

The lift stop was cut out trigger which she just kicked off.

On the surface CPD was already moving in firing on the units guarding the service lift entrance, which one managed to sound the Alarm.

Inside Lani could hear a command unit screaming “we’re under attack get to the service elevator”.

She hid climbed up to the catwalk above and hid out of sight, watching the units run in jamming in. The commander pushing more and more in, until they were passed shoulder to shoulder, they were pinned in, unable to move their arms up.

The Commander hit the switch but to their horror the lift began descending, a huge bulk of her units plunged straight into the murky water below.

“Get to the surface” screamed the commander and the units started running to the available openings.

Units started going out on the ladder on the dry side but were being shot off by the jungle commandos.

One would go out after watching the other get hit and plunge the 20 meters into the mud below.

The others attempted to breach via the Manholes but here shot up as soon as they attempted to get out.

After whittled down to her last rotunda the commander ordered the units take defensive positions inside.

Once she had given the order she rushed back to her command room where Lani Followed her.

Temps and SCU’s lined the service tunnels covering the entrances and the CPD Units began swarming.

Brutal tight corridor fighting ensued with instant fast expending on both sides.

Once the commander got into the comms room, shortly behind her was Lani who opened fire, spraying the room taking out the commander along with her admin units.

Re-enforcements had been dispatched from neighbouring facilities and Lani quickly switched the Anti Air to fire all.

Two ZT-90s were downed landing in thick jungle nearby.

All support from Black Faction was pulled and the units left were there to be mopped up by CPD and the jungle commandos.

After the final Black Faction unit went down, the handover to CPD didn’t go as smoothly as intended.