The Six P's (Command)

[Harrison, D.]

1700 Hours, July 24, 2542 (MILITARY CALENDAR)
Ready Room 7, A-Deck, aboard UNSC Vengeance,
in orbit above Reach, Epsilon Eridani System

It was that time again.

Lieutenant Colonel Derrick Harrison reminded himself of that as he made his way towards the plethora of "ready rooms" -- the Navy's fancy term for briefing rooms -- located on the ship's uppermost deck. Rarely did he venture to what the enlisted often referred to as "Officer Hell," and for good reason. Almost every person he passed was an officer of almost every rank and variety, and the majority of them belonged to the Navy.

Derrick held no ill will towards the Navy. Were it not for them and their capabilities, he would be out of a job, as the Marines would be unable to conduct war in the fashion that they did. They also provided him with food, room and board, and medical personnel to keep his Marines in the fight. However, despite all of this, the Navy and it's personnel lived in a vastly different world than he did, and because of that, he tended to give them a wide berth. Harrison preferred to stay clear of their affairs.

Turning down the home stretch, Harrison approached the door to Ready Room Seven, where the battalion's staff and his company commanders had assembled for an operation briefing. Orders had come down the pipeline from HIGHCOM, to the MEU Commander, and finally him a week ago of their next mission. The battalion staff had spent the last week wisely; extensively, they planned out their mission and dredged up all the relevant intelligence that was needed to craft a sufficient Op Order. Now signified the culmination of all their hard work at planning: informing the rest of the battalion of what was to come.

The company commanders and their staff had been thawed from cryo earlier in the morning and advised of the time of the brief. He'd been sure to give them ample time to shake off the effects of cryogenic sleep and get their affairs in order. It would not be long before the Vengeance would be on its way to their next area of operation.

Upon approach, the door to the ready room slid open, and Derrick walked through the threshold into the room. "COLONEL ON DECK!" barked Sergeant Major Leon Carson upon noticing his entrance, and everyone in the room jumped up from their seats and snapped to attention. The Colonel nodded to Carson and took a moment to take in the room.

The ready room was as one would expect. Across from the door at the back of the room was a podium where he would stand to issue the orders that were passed unto him, and at the room's center was a circular holotank surrounded by seats where his company commanders and important officers would sit to hear all that had to be said. The walls were a spartan grey and the seats a dull obsidian.

"Seats," Derrick commanded casually, making his way over to the podium, "at ease."

Everyone took their seats, and Harrison glanced over at Major Killinger for a brief moment before turning his attention to the room's occupants from behind the podium. It was time for the briefing to be underway. "Beatrice, kill the lights," he ordered. Suddenly, the room was shrouded in darkness as Beatrice deactivated the overhead lighting. The holotank hummed to life and an image appeared over the tank of a planet slowly spinning upon its axis, a dull glow emanating from the image.

"If all of you would check your datapads you will find the Operation Order has already been forwarded to your devices," he said, rather matter-of-fact. "The image you see before you is the colony of Melfa, an Inner Colony that has recently fallen under Insurrectionist rule. You may have heard about it already from the reports by CNN, but for those of you who don't know, an organization known as the Melfa Citizenry has overthrown the planetary government and executed its governor in a bout for control of the planet."

He paused as he opened the OpOrd on the table viewer built into the podium. He gave it a quick one over before returning his attention to the people that sat around the holotank. "The Vengeance will soon be departing the system for Melfa, where we will be conducting a large-scale counter-insurgency mission to retake the colony from the Innies. We have dubbed our mission "Operation: HUMP." Major Killinger?"

The Colonel stepped aside to allow his executive officer to take the stand. He would open up the brief with a quick rundown of the planet as well as explain the friendly and enemy situation to some length before the rest of the battalion staff had their opportunity to take a crack at the order. As he waited for the officer to take his place, he scanned the crowd, his eyes falling on Captain Flannigan. He'd heard earlier that the Irishman had given the cryo techs some grief when they thawed him out of the freezers, and he intended to mention it to him after the brief.

Oscar Company had always been well known across the ship and its crew, but now they were infamous. Twenty-seven Navy Master-at-Arms' were hospitalized as a result of an illegal party that quickly devolved into a riot between Oscar Company's junior enlisted and that of November Company, and one of Flannigan's NCOs was to blame for it all. As punishment, the entire battalion had been NJP'd, and he had to personally suffer a berating from Admiral McArthur himself for the incident. It had been the Sergeant Major whom had concocted the idea to place O-Co in the freezers while November Company roamed the ship, and so far the plan was working marvelously. There had been no disciplinary issues worth noting since then, and for that, he was thankful.

Otherwise Oscar Company would give him grey hairs by the time he was forty.

[Flannigan, S.]

10 Hours Prior:

Flannigan jolted back to life, immediately chilled while his skin felt like it had been lit on fire from the cryo tubes. He hated this process almost as much as he hated the piece that came after it. The pod hissed open, admitting him out onto the thawing floor and he lurched his body forward, forcing up the contents of his stomach with a well practiced gag. He had seen some vets stick their fingers down their throat to get the same effect, but there was no need for that. His body didn't want that stuff in there anyway.

"Good morning sir," a too cheerful tech called. "It's 0700 hours and you have a briefing at 1700. Both Colonel Harrison and the Admiral said you'll be doing all of your tests today."

"I never do tha fookin' tests," Flannigan said, spitting a nasty wad of bile, mucus, and whatever chemicals his stomach was expelling. "Tha' alone passes yer fookin' memory test."

"I have orders, Captain," the tech said. Flannigan finally looked up at him and saw they must have brought down the biggest tech they had. A wry smile crossed his lips as he licked them and forced himself to a full height. He stood toe to toe with the much taller man, painfully naked and still somewhat wobbly.

"Sailor," Flannigan started, his accent still thick with grogginess, "This is what is going ta happen. I am going ta walk out of here without takin' one of yer tests or I am going ta beat ye bloody senseless and then walk out of here without takin' one of yer tests. So ask yerself, do ye really wanna be tha one who got beaten within inches of yer life by a nekid Irishman?"

The tech paused a moment, obviously caught off guard by Flannigan's aggressive stance. Flannigan snapped his hand out quickly and the tech flinched, moving back a step. Flannigan returned his hand, with the towel he had snatched from the tech, to dry the condensation off his face and forced himself past the tech with steady, forced steps. The tech turned, starting to mouth his dissent, but Flannigan simply raised a single finger to warn him off. He made his way to his locker and the tech left with his head hung low, dissapointed that he had lost the game of chicken. 

Present:

Flannigan and Zieed sat next to each other, looking at the Operations Order and checking the important things to them. They didn't dare pass messages over the chatter this time as Oscar had something of a bullseye on their back after the simulator incident. While Flannigan was a bit perturbed by the lack of order, he was somewhat impressed by his marines. Twenty-seven Master at Arms was an impressive body count for unarmed marines. He had publically reprimanded the whole debacle, but privately he had congratulated his marines on their ingenuity, warrior ethos, and proving they had the right stuff to take the fight to the enemy. Harrison had been less than pleased with his explanation of what true warriors were like.

They had a lousy task ahead of them though, and he, Zieed, and Matheson were going to have their work cut out for them in keeping their Marines alive. Insurrectionists were never an easy fight, popping up out of the strangest places to throw lead at marines before disappearing again. He turned his attention back up to Major Killinger as the brief continued. He would take over for the Colonel, and Flannigan expected the XO would perform admirably. The man was a consummate professional and after their chat in the hangar a ways back Shay found his respect for his superior growing.

[Killinger, J.]

John took his queue from the Lieutenant Colonel and stood up to take his place at the stand. Internally, however, he was wishing he could just give the briefing from his chair; a sore knee the culprit of the laziness. While age was taking over, it wasn't the reason why his knee was sore. Some days it was more irritable than others but today his mood was uncharacteristically dyspeptic due to the inflammation. He was extremely irritable but the XO knew he had to be professional about it... to the best of his abilities anyway.

The Major took his place at the stand with a quick exhale through his noise in vexation.

"I'm going to start this a little different than normal," John admitted. "This fight isn't against the Covenant, you and your units be engaging human targets. For as long as I remember we've demonized the Covenant and for a good reason. The Insurrection almost faded until this - this shit surfaced. John said, tapping his fingers on the stand. He caught the action and stopped before it got annoying. "There will be some Marines that will feel... some remorse for killing another human. You should prepare for the inevitable signs of depression or shock within your commands. It will be the hardest thing some people may have to do. Even the most battle hardened NCO might falter because he's never had to shoot at another man before."

He looked over at the CO and mouthed the word 'sorry'. He felt it was his responsibility to look out for the Battalion even if it seemed insignificant.

"Leading on from where the CO stopped... Melfia is a temperate planet located within the inner colonies. It is also on the fringe between high activity core worlds and the outer colonies, so the planet possesses some tactical and strategic value. Tactically, the planet is home to refugees fleeing the outer colonies and strategically it has an abundance of resources the UNSC needs. The planet was colonized in twenty-four ninety-five by wealthy and influential South American dignitaries."

"The planets home grown company, 'Melfa Shipping', exports materials from the planet to the UNSC and other colonies still under human control; material distribution is the top source of income for this planet. However - over the last decade - refugees have stressed the resources and available income to a point where the colony fell into dissension between the original population and its leadership.

"In twenty-five forty-one the lack of both material and monetary resources sparked a rebellion after a protest the year before. Nearly half of the planets registered population - about twelve thousand civilians - participated in the protest which further led into riots, martial law and irreversible political decisions. This rebellion is headed by former Marine Alejandro Cortez; his rebel group is not associated with known cells prior to thee start of the war." John said, rolling the word 'war' a little bit.

"The rebels are dangerous and organized now. Members of the local militia, UNSC Army and retired slash discharged former military personnel have joined the rebellion. Those are the leadership of this uprising. The rebels have shown the capacity to spare no one, even the innocent, as previously told by the CO. They have ambushed convoys, bombed barracks, executed civilians, killed law enforcement; in summary they've launched a terror campaign."

"This past April was one of the worst. Attacks became more and more focused on military and law enforcement, attacks became more and more organized and the rebels continued to grow both their arsenal and manpower by taking over and looting military installations. ONI was able to capture former Marine Jackson Gregory and another after a special forces raid. However, both of them ingested cyanide pills so ONIs interrogation failed and the prisoners are deceased."

"After a two week battle between the local garrison and the rebels... the rebels captured the capitol, Cortez murdered the Governor and announced that the 'Melfa Citizenry' have taken control. After the execution the local garrison's general, Dillan Momosa, requested reinforcements. That's where we come in. Any questions so far?" John finished. He wanted to give people a moment to ask any questions they might have had.

[Flannigan, S.]

"Damned Innies killed the governor and thought we'd be too busy to notice," Marret muttered from Flannigan's left. "Why can't they do something helpful rather than trying to pull this crap now."

"No honor among thieves," Alexander chimed in. He was still sporting some facial bruising. Flannigan had heard that he claimed missing a rung down a ladder to another deck and falling almost an entire deck. He knew better, but it was as fine a cover story as any. Flannigan wasn't about to say differently, though from scuttlebutt, he knew the truth was out there, though exaggerated, as often happens. One rendition he heard involved a pistol duel the turned into Flannigan pistol whipping his nemesis. He had to give it to the junior marines for creativity.

"Aye," Flannigan added. "Major, do we have any reports from the Citizenry themselves? Anything that would suggest them negotiating and still remaining a part of the team. Once we're on the ground, it would be a difficult thing to reel the bullets back in."

Both Marret and Alexander looked at him like he had lost his mind. Flannigan understood why, having built his reputation on being a fighter in all situations. That didn't mean he didn't know how to use diplomacy, and in a situation like this, he'd rather use it than waste human life, especially that of his well trained marines. His boys were here for blue blood, not red, and he'd hate to see them spill it because some egghead demanded "equal retribution". His boys were killers, not a retribution squad. 

"I know how ta talk," he said with a grin at his fellow COs. "I jest prefer ta let fists and lead do it for me."

"On that note," Merret said, ripping his attention back to the XO. "How accurate is our OpFor count? What I'm seeing in this OpOrd doesn't look too encouraging."

[Killinger, J.]

"Major, do we have any reports from the Citizenry themselves? Anything that would suggest them negotiating and still remaining a part of the team. Once we're on the ground, it would be a difficult thing to reel the bullets back in." Flannigan asked. Though John was surprised, he wasn't overly shocked that the Captain had asked. After all he just moments ago said even battle hardened NCOs might not have the guts to shoot at another human if all they've ever fired at was alien bastards.

There was a brief moment of side chat and another question asked by Marret.

"Unfortunately, Captain, nothing suggest they are willing to negotiate now that they have the capitol. They're dug in and prepared to defend the city against a UNSC counter attack larger than the light skirmishes along the cordoned lines marked 'Arc One', 'Two' and 'Three'. However, the vast majority of these rebels are civilians. After the execution some could realize that this only ends in blood shed and have had a change in loyalty; they just can't leave the city for obvious reasons."

"It is possible some of them are willing to negotiate but can't do so through official channels. Those who do want to surrender, I assume, would fear for their own life since the execution and would remain quiet until the right opportunity. I would not be surprised if some of these rebels surrendered during battle but I don't suspect anyone to surrender before one. Instruct your men to keep their eyes out for anyone trying to surrender."

John waited a moment to briefly catch his breath and access the most up to date reports on the opposition.

"Captain Merret the count is accurate as of yesterday within reasonable doubt, sources confirmed by scouts and intelligence officers so far. One brigade of light infantry, a company of M eight-oh-eight Main Battle Tanks, two companies of anti air teams and a high potential for guerilla forces though no confirmed incidents yet. Uh, more information to follow as we deploy; I'll put in a request to the Admiral so we can use the cameras aboard the Vengeance like a satellite and update the situation live."

"Any other questions before proceeding with the briefing?"

[Flannigan, S.]

"What do we know about the army forces holding the cordon," Alexander chimed in, not wanting to be left out of the conversation for too long. "Are they capable of holding it down while we rout out the guerillas?"

"All the better you got," Marret asked softly, chiding his comrade.

"Shut up, you guys asked all the good questions," Alexander said with a shrug.

"Lock it up lads," Flannigan warned. "This is going to be messy."

Flannigan noticed both Zieed and the Sergeant Major grinning to themselves as they watched the three Captains ask the needed questions and interact with each other. The things those two had seen made the combined knowledge to the three officers look like an elementary study of war. Thankfully, Zieed was there to help form up any plan that Flannigan had put together. That knowledge would be irreplaceable if something were to happen. The Corps would do it though, and the day would come, sooner rather than later, that Flannigan would lose his friend, either to the enemy or the Corps.

"When do we thaw our boys out," Flannigan asked when there was another break. "Some of us haven't had the luxury of integration yet and I'd like to get on that sooner rather than later sir."

[Killinger, J.]

"Soon, Captain, briefing isn't over quite yet." John replied.

"But I'm pretty sure the UNSC Army is capable of holding their own, Captain Alexander." John said, his tone laced with annoyance. He knew there was a rivalry between the Marines and other branches but John didn't see the point of insulting a planets primary defensive force. They had given a lot to protect humanity from the Covenant as well and deserved some respect; but, at the end of the day, rivalries would be rivalries. "The local UNSC Army unit is the 22nd Brigade. Within that brigade is the 16th and 18th Infantry Regiment, 22nd Mechanized Regiment, 3rd Mobile Artillery Regiment and the 51st Armored Regiment."

"Other UNSC Forces on the ground are the 3647th Supply Regiment, 440th Air Wing and the 212th Artillery Regiment." John said.

He gave the room a moment to look up the units and their compositions if they wanted.

"Our primary objective is to contain and destroy the rebellion, classed as an insurrectionist attack by intelligence, around and inside the capitol city. We will link up with the UNSC Army's cordoned area and proceed with an assault alongside them. We will depart the Vengeance and land at FOB Tinman. From there the MEUs GCE companies will be briefed about any activity in their area of operations before departing."

"M-Co's assignment is patrol zone one, marked PZ-one on the map, and their route is marked PR-one. N-Co will take zone three and the marked patrol route on the overlay. O-Co will take zone two and its marked patrol route as well. Your tasks within your zones is to conduct counter insurgency operations as intel and FARGOs becomes available. All companies will work QRF to adjacent zones should it be needed."

"Any further questions?"

[Harrison, D.]

Colonel Harrison stood back away from the podium and resigned to listen and watch as Major Killinger took his place at the podium. Derrick had seen the man grow since he had joined the unit as his executive officer, and he'd acclimated to the role quite nicely. Killinger had managed to form a repoir with a great many Marines within the battalion because of his leadership and compassionate attitude towards the strife of the enlisted. He was, as some called, the enlisted man's officer. Or, at least, that was what Sergeant Major Carson had to say about him.

Of course there were some within the battalion whom did not share such views. Ironically enough, it seemed the dissenters mostly hailed from Oscar Company. It was no secret that Flannigan's outfit were the black sheep of the battalion, and it was apparent that his subordinates had taken to the role quite nicely. He was not sure if that was his doing or not, or even if Flannigan shared their views on the XO, but it was definitely the case for a few within his company.

The greatest bit of evidence that lent credence to that theory was the incident that had occurred a couple months ago between the Major and two of Flannigan's NCOs. Staff Sergeant Cruz and Sergeant Willowby had assaulted him, and were it not for the Major's insistence on handling the matter himself, Derrick would have had them both court-martialed under the maximum penalty outlined by the UCMJ. Assaulting an officer was tantamount to mutiny in Harrison's book. Especially given the circumstances that spurned the incident.

Harrison turned his back to that train of thought and quietly listened as the Major started with his portion of the brief. The XO prefaced his brief with a cautionary message to the officers and their senior enlisted on the effects of battling fellow humans as opposed to the damnable aliens of the Covenant. He was impressed with him for bringing up that topic, as it wasn't exactly something that had crossed his mind, and the advice was sound. Many within the battalion had little to no experience against the likes of Insurrectionists. The days of the Insurrection had long since been forgotten in the minds of many as the Covenant took their place as the boogeymen to the UNSC. It was rare to hear of instances of terrorist activity due to the nature of the war.

Most dissenters to the UNSC and the Unified Earth Government had long ago out aside their differences in light of the looming threat of total annihilation. The Covenant did not play favorites, carrying little for the squabbles of humanity. To them, all humans were the same, and all of them equally killable. Men, women, and children of all backgrounds and creeds were targets in the Covenant's grand scheme of human extermination. The majority of Innies realized that the UNSC, even with its questionable politics, was the only thing keeping the Covenant off their doorstep. If the UNSC was defeated, humanity was doomed.

Major Killinger quickly shifted his focus back to the matter at hand, and briefly discussed the history of Melfa, and the events that led up to their current mission. This was all information that the Marines in his S-2 shop had accumulated when planning for the mission, and he was glad to see that his XO had memorized it all. The Six P's were being shown to full effect, Harrison realized.

When the Major finished his spiel, he opened the floor up for questions. Naturally, the company commanders did not disappoint, berating the executive officer with queries ranging from now many enemies they would be dealing with to whether or not the Army could handle their own. Killinger was quick to answer all of them before he carried on with a detailed breakdown of their operation and its overall goal.

Harrison stepped forward when Killinger, again, opened up the floor. "I think that'll be enough for questions for now, Major. The show must go on, I'm afraid," he said to the officer. Derrick looked over at Captain Weathers and nodded to him, a gesture that indicated it was his turn to assume the helm of the briefing.

Captain Weathers stood up from his seat and took Killinger's place at the podium. "Thank you, Major," the field-grade officer said, "that was definitely informative. So, to add on to what has been said, we currently do not possess a definite count of OpFor in your assigned AOs. At least not for the guerillas, anyway. What I can say for sure is that the Innies you will face in the jungle will be vastly different than the ones you will face in the city."

Weathers paused to let that information sink in with the company commanders. He knew there would be questions, so before anyone had the chance to voice them, he continued. "The guerillas are mostly volunteers from the civilian populace whom believe in the cause of the Citizenry. They lack any sort of formal combat training and likely only rudimentary skills in marksmanship. You won't find them using complex military tactics or organizing themselves in fight military formations. This is, of course, both good and bad for us in many ways. It is good because that means they will be easy to outmaneuver and outsmart, but it is also bad for us because this means they will be unpredictable, erratic. Anticipating their moves will be next to impossible."

"Fortunately, this does not seem to be the case for the Innies in the capital city, whom we have determined are comprised of mostly veterans. Marines, Army, Air Force, Colonial Militia. These individuals are trained and proficient in warfare and small unit tactics. They will be more difficult to engage, but far more predictable than their jungle-dwelling counterparts."

Weathers eyed the Marines before him for a moment, ensuring he had their full attention. "The Innies in the jungles have been described in AARs as wearing little to no armor and with substandard weaponry. The most dangerous weapons in their arsenal are the confetti makes MMGs and rocket launchers. However, on the flip side, they do also have access to mortars, limited arty, and AA, so do not dismiss them as totally interior. They aren't push overs. You can expect the Innies in the city to be far better equipped and armed."

"Lastly, and this comes straight from ONI, General Cortez is to be captured or killed. While our mission is to retake the city and drive the Innies out, ONI wants all forces to keep their ears to the ground for the whereabouts of Cortez. General Cortez and his lieutenants have all been listed as high value targets, and SF units will be ready at a moment's notice to deploy if any of them are found. That is all. Any questions?"

[Flannigan, S.]

Flannigan looked to his two fellow CO's and found that they too were now deep into this briefing. OpOrd briefings always felt a bit redundant, as the information was there in front of them in the OpOrd, but it was a good opportunity to get any specifics hammered out. Unfortunately, the better your S-Shops were at their jobs, the more redundant the briefings became, and the MEU had brought in some of the best. Captain Weathers, while obviously lacking in the department of field command, was an excellent mind to be found providing intel to the boys on the ground.

"So we have no actual idea of what we are facing with the guerrillas," Marret said flattly. "In light of that Colonel, how fast are we expected to move? If we are to push the guerrillas into the army cordon, we'll have to sweep thoroughly."

"Thoroughly doesn't have to mean slow," Flannigan said, raising his eyebrows in a slight challenge. "However, I think if we're going to be successful, we'll have to coordinate between the three companies to ensure we don't leave any cracks for the enemy to slip out of. I guess that means some of us will be more thorough than others."

Flannigan shot a glance and a smile at Alexander, essentially telling everyone where he believed the weak link would be. The larger Captain rolled his eyes, knowing better now than to take the bait. Zieed coughed to get Flannigan's attention and then nodded back towards Captain Winters, who was something of a captive audience to the rivalry that was spilling over into the room. Flannigan got the message, knowing he would have to move them forward again.

"Do we have any known hotspots for guerilla activity Captain," Flannigan said returning back to business. "They have to be getting their orders and coordinating somehow."

[Harrison, D.]

Colonel Harrison stood off to the side observing him closely. Since his appointment as the head of the battalion's S-2 shop, he had done a marvelous job in collecting all of the intelligence necessary to make the battalion's operation orders possible. His previous commanding officer in the Sixteenth Marines had spoken highly of his talents and abilities as an intelligence officer, and that was precisely the reason why he'd had the officer assigned to his battalion's staff.

Derrick had a knack for uncovering talented individuals, and he'd used that ability to his advantage when shaping his staff. It was precisely that eye for talent that had landed Major Killinger his position as the battalion's executive officer, and also the reason why Captain Flannigan remained in his current billet. The Colonel was certain that Flannigan was capable of handling Killinger's position, however, he was best left where he was.

Captain Flannigan had made it perfectly clear to him -- and everyone in the battalion, for that matter -- that he had no interest in the political aspects of life as a battalion officer. It was that deftness to the "game" that prevented him from ascending the military hierarchy any further, and besides, his temperament was at times a troubling issue. Even now, knowing that his superiors eyes were upon him, he was provoking his peers in an attempt to cause conflict. Derrick found that particular trait to be toxic, and obviously it had trickled its way down into the ranks of the enlisted in his company, or thus there would not have been the issue of what could only be described as a riot breaking out aboard the Vengeance.

Officially Flannigan had not condoned the behavior exuded by his junior personnel, but Derrick knew him better than the old Irish codger realized. Shay Flannigan took pride in what his Marines had accomplished, and likely -- though he could not prove it -- congratulated them for it. It put a sour taste in his mouth, but unfortunately, there was nothing that he could do. Oscar Company were indeed the black sheep of First Battalion, but when it was time for them to buckle down and complete their mission, they delivered every single damn time. While he did not approve of the means, he could not argue with the end result.

Derrick was pulled away from his introspection at the behest of Captain Marrett, whom directed a question his way, much to his surprise. Harrison contemplated the answer for a moment before clearing his throat. "Colonel De Cheney stressed three words when he passed down our deployment orders, gentlemen. Tempo. Tempo. Tempo. The terrain and our lack of intel on enemy size and composition may seem like a major hindrance to the lot of you, but I cannot tell the Colonel that we don't do jungles. We will not allow the enemy to dictate the tempo of our movements. Our violence of action will keep the enemy off balance and will be sufficient enough to drive them into the waiting arms of the Army holding position at the cordon."

He grinned at the officers, and nodded to Captain Flannigan as he simplified his explanation of the tactical situation. While he did not agree with the personal dig at Captain Alexander, he could not find grounds to refute his wisdom. If the companies coordinated with each other on their movements, the enemy's presence in all sectors could be thoroughly pacified. However, the thought that occurred to him in the back of his mind -- one that he would not mention aloud -- was the question of whether or not the companies could effectively coordinate with one another given their past... rivalries. Mike Company would have no issue in coordinating with its sister companies; but Oscar and November? That would be a bit of a slippier slope.

"Do we have any known hotspots for guerilla activity, Captain?" Flannigan inquired to Captain Weathers. "They have to be getting their orders and coordinating somehow."

The Captain nodded slightly, and leaned forward against the podium. "While our intel is limited at the moment, I was able to glean some information from the AARs submitted by the Army units on the ground. According to the after action reports, there has been a significant amount of rebel activity near and surrounding the Forward Operations Base the Army have named "Tinman." For now that is all the information we have until we arrive in-system and can connect to the local communications and spy grids. On the topic of the command and control of the Innies inhabiting the forests, we are not quite sure how they are communicating with their higher echelons or receiving their orders; however, ONI informs me they are working on acquiring that information. Hopefully we'll know more when we arrive in-system."

Captain Weathers paused for a moment, and then asked, "Are there any other questions before I step down?"

[Flannigan, S.]

Flannigan looked back and forth at his fellow Captains as they did the same. All three obviously had no questions, but none wanted to step on the other's toes. Well, almost none of them. Toes had never really been Flannigan's concern and now was a perfect example of why. While they all sat there looking like idiots, one of them should have spoke up to move them on. His mouth was already engaged while Marret and Alexander exchanged stupid looks.

"No more questions sir," He offered quickly. He was starting to piece together his own OpOrd on the datapad in front of him. Zieed was in the same document, the powers of technology, and the two of them each started copy and pasting their own respective pieces into the document. It was a tradition that had gone back to their first op together. Zieed, in typical First Sergeant fashion, seamlessly fit himself in and had all of the resupply information there and ready to go by the time Flannigan had pulled out his tactical details. Flannigan had made sure to compliment the NCO who just laughed at him. Apparently Flannigan had been lacking in the First Sergeant department before then and didn't even know it.

Looking at the details closer, Flannigan saw a major issue with their usual order of business. Close Air Support was listed 'as available' which was not a good sign. It was normal for CAS to be tied up with the covenant, ensuring the skies were free of Wraiths and other aircraft, but the Innies had no aircraft listed. Flannigan dug deeper and found his answer. Anti-aircraft Artillery. It seemed that the Innies were stacked with all kind of goodies to knock aircraft out of the sky. That would end up being a large part of their missions. Taking back the city without air support or the means to effectively drop ODSTs was a bad fight that he knew command wouldn't want to make.

Highlighting the two lines of tactical information he pushed them over to the First Sergeant, who would understand his point, and then turned his attention back to the briefing. He was sure the Colonel would lay out his intent soon and then they could start nailing down some of the tactical questions that he had building up. This was not an operation that would be a low body count, but there were always ways to mitigate the damage and he was determined to find them.

[Harrison, D.]

Captain Weathers nodded at Captain Flannigan as he confirmed there were no further questions, and then stepped down from the podium. Colonel Harrison craned his head in Lieutenant Jackson's direction and nodded his way. The Lieutenant, taking the officer's nonverbal que, moved up to the podium and cleared his throat.

Jackson scrutinized the company commanders and their SNCOs for a moment. Admittedly, the logistics portion of the operation order was perhaps the dullest subject that needed to be covered, and if it weren't for its extreme importance, he'd almost suggest skipping it altogether. He had no problem with that despite his position as the officer-in-charge of battalion logistics.

"Alright gentlemen," Jackson started, using the term loosely. Captain Flannigan had become a ship-wide name after the stunt his Marines pulled in the simulators weeks back, and something told the man that he encouraged such behavior from his subordinates. Jackson could understand the need to unwind, although he would never admit it aloud in front of Harrison, but there were limits to that rule.

"I know you guys are probably tired of sitting there so I'll try to make this as brief as possible," Jackson said with a smile. "The supply situation for this op is going to be a bit more... forgiving... then that of FROST DRAGON. Class I will consist of two hot, one cold a day while at the FOB. Once the battalion has pushed into the jungle, you'll only get one hot meal a day. Resupply of all materials will occur twice a day through the Army's supply chain."

He paused for a moment, and then continued. "Class II will be resupplied on an as-needed basis and only for the most important items. If your Marines get a tear in their blouse, don't expect a new one to be issued to them until we get back. However, if they lose their Kevlar, that's a different story as it effects combat readiness. Class III will be resupplied once a day."

So far it seemed he hadn't lost the company commanders, and that was good. The look on Captain Marrett's face was enough to tell him he liked the sound of their supply situation this go around. Admittedly the situation on Phoenix III had been a bit skewed. "Class IV will be supplied on a as-needed basis. Class V will be resupplied twice a day through Army supply channels. Class VI, and this is a major change from last op, will be supplied via Army supply channels. If your boys lose a pack of cigarettes, expect a whole crate of 'em to show up. Apparently the Army likes keeping their boys happy in the field. However, alcohol and snack foods will not be included. Class VI will consist of hygiene products, cigarettes, dip, and the occasional crate of soda."

The looks of surprise on the faces of the officers before him forced him to smirk. Never had they ever seen such supplies delivered to the front by standard military supply chains. "I'm sure your Marines will be happy to hear that. Anyway, Class VII will be supplied by us, and only after we have reached the cordon. Class VIII will be divided into two categories like before. Alpha items will be resupplied twice a day, while Bravo items will be resupplied on an as-needed basis. Let your corpsmen know that."

He was almost finished, and for that he was thankful. If things dragged on any longer he'd lose them. "Class IX will be resupplied as-needed for your Marines. As for Class X, it shouldn't fall into the scope of the operation, so it will not be supplied. The Army can handle that."

First Lieutenant Jackson stepped down. Derrick stood idle for a moment, and then replaced Jackson at the podium. "Some of you may have noticed that air support will be available on an as needed basis. The situation on the ground is currently very precarious. The Innies have stolen anti-aircraft artillery from Army posts over the last several months and have stockpiled them in the jungle. Currently we do not have grids to pass on, but when we do, expect to pass on missions to your Marines to neutralize their AA assets. Until the airspace is safe for sorties, you will have arty available and on call at all times."

Derrick scrutinized the commanders momentarily. "Questions?"

[Flannigan, S.]

"Sir," Flannigan started before any of the others had a chance to speak up. "We've got a very wide open time table here. I understand we've got a distinct lack of intel on what we are actually up against, but what is your estimation on how fast we're trying to get through this. If we hit the ground swinging, I think my boys could sweep the place in less than a week. However, I'd prefer some time to acclimate them a little, and if we had a time buffer for anything unknown it would help. Basically, are we looking at a week? Two weeks? A months? Six months? What are we actually working with here for a time table?"

A glance over at Zieed got a curt nod in agreeance of his estimation. Flannigan was glad to have a backup on his timetable. The senior NCO wasn't required to sign off on Flannigan's words, but he had learned long ago from a petite female Platoon Sergeant that having an NCO to work with, rather than against, was vital to command. An officer may be the law to a Marine, but NCO's were one step from God. 

"Mighty ambitious their Shay," Captain Marret whispered from his left. "Why don't you just say a twenty four hour op could do the trick."

"Have you seen my guys Matt," Flannigan offered back with a grin. "One squad put twenty seven MA's down and made the Black and Tans non-mission capable for a week. I was being lenient with a week."

Alexander caught the jutting thumb and the words "Black and Tan" and shook his head in disgust again. Flannigan wasn't sure the man had changed much after their previous 'negotiation' but there was a little something different in Alexander's approach to Flannigan since then. Perhaps they had at least reached an understanding. Flannigan could live with that, and hoped it would make the task of cooperation in the jungle easier. 

"As far as clearance of the AOs," Alexander asked, ignoring the sidebar, "Why don't we just get on line and push on through? Three companies is enough to cover that AO. Three Company wedge formations would be enough to completely drive these Innies right back into the waiting arms of the Army if we did it right."

[Harrison, D.]

Derrick wasn't surprised when Captain Flannigan spoke up first, posing probably the most pertinent question of all that would be asked. He smiled despite the sideshow that occurred between the three company commanders and cleared his throat once they were finished. "Our mission tempo will dictate our time table heavily, and although it may be tough to accomplish, three weeks seems a reasonable goal to reach.

Captain Marrett's brow arched. "Three weeks to sweep the jungle clean, sir? That's more than enough time."

Harrison shook his head. "Three weeks to totally eradicate any trace of the Insurrection from Melfa. The swiftness of our advance and our violence of action shall be to our advantage. We need to be aggressive if we are to accomplish our mission, and aggressiveness, gentlemen, is what I want to see."

He let his words sink in and then moved on to the next question posed by Captain Alexander. He made a very good point. The three companies combined could sweep the jungle clean in one very organized advance from Tinman to the cordon. However, there was but one fatal flaw in this thought process: he failed to account for the unknown. Murphy's Laws came to mind.

He was about to answer, but a thought smacked him across the face so hard it turned his head in the direction of Major Killinger. The Major had not had a chance to speak since he handled his portion of the brief, and the man might have some keen insights on the tactical aspect of their mission. If he was to groom him as his replacement someday, he needed to see what his XO was capable of when put on the spot.

"Major," he called, "I'll let you answer that."

[Killinger, J.]

John nodded at the LTC to affirm he understood.

"I see how it could work, but in this case I don't think it will. You spread three companies across three AO's you've become far to stretched out to respond to an organized attack - should one happen - let alone regroup during a fire fight. Too close a formation and makeshift explosives can take out a good portion of a platoon, too spread a formation and they'll slip right through our detection and hit us from behind; this will be guerilla warfare Marines, they won't attack in large numbers outside the city as the majority of their troops are trying to defend what they took. It'll be hit and run attacks, it'll be ambushes, and it'll be their mobility that makes them dangerous."

John thought for a moment before adding to his sentence.

"I think the answer for that tactic is our own mobility in return, that or a display of force so intense they won't want to attack an advancing formation. It's hard to move a Warthog or a Tank through a forest so our mobility would have to come at the squad level; mobile squads would be your companies quick reaction forces to respond to movement. If we were going to display force I'd like to think that our MAG would cover us until the critical area."

"Two Vultures in each AO just above the forest canopy would give them adequate line of sight for thermal detection. Only problem would be mobile AA teams outside of the city. Give clearance to those vultures to use missiles, counter measures and their big guns and that threat really isn't much of an issue. Any AA teams try to leave the city to reinforce, they get shot at by the Army. To increase protection, the Vultures would stay back behind the Marines until a thermal threat is revealed. They'll inform the ground teams and wait on orders to either attack or let a QRF deal with it."

"I'd think they'd try to take down a Vulture before messing with Marines on the ground, so the first threats would actually be those mobile AA teams, perfect bait for an unsuspecting Marine squad to slam lead down their throats."