The Captain is speaking as the location of your drop and the site you will be observing for the duration of the mission. "These are the Orochi mountains in the North West hemisphere of Basil. You will be dropping into a zone that will allow you to observe a valley containing a very large mining facility. Further up the Valley is ONI research facility PANTHER. You will have the secondary objective if assisting in the defense of the base if there are rebels in the area, and if they act during the mission. The research and facilities in PANTHER base are invaluable. Keep it safe. Any more questions?"

Sir, smart AI's require the computing power of a large UNSC installation like a Naval Base or a Starship. Failing that only the reactive metal liquid crystal layer of SPARTAN Mjolnir armour coupled with parallel processing using the human mind as wetware, can support a smart AI functions.

How the hell am I supposed to carry one. Sir

"Now son, you must know how that works seeing as you are a specialist and AI handler. Your pack there houses the newest advances in AI hardware and support. As well as your comms unit and e-warfare gear, whatever that may entail. Now I'm not you so I think you should be asking yourself those questions. Now if that is all then you are dismissed!"

Once you have secured all your personal equipment your team mount up into their Pods and brace for the drop. You hear the hatch under you open and the whoosh of the rails as they launch you from the ship into the atmosphere. The ride is bumpy as always, your pod rattles as the friction causes it to shake and heat up. You hear the Lt. over the comm "We land and make camp asap, Adrianna and Rolland, you retrieve the gear from the supply pod. Then double time to the designated cliff for our surveillance." The comm crackles off and the res of the ride is spent in silence. You bounce in your harness as gravity hurls you towards the surface. Watching the altimeter you wait for the point where the mark for your drag chute to deploy. At 2000 meters you feel your speed lessen. AT 50 meters the breaking rockets ignite and drastically cut your decent. You quickly brace yourself as your pod smashes into the ground safely. Once you have landed you deftly release the hatch and hop out of your pod. You collect your heavy gear locate Adrianna and the additional equipment and make your way to the camp local.

When you get there Lt. Winthrop instructs you to go with Adrianna and secure the perimeter. "Make sure to make no contact with anyone. Set the perimeter and scout out a secondary spotting location."

As you set off you make note of a few excellent spotting cliff further up the mountain.

>>12582476
Do we have any climbing gear, or does there appear to be an easier way up the cliff?

Also, turn on our equipment and listen in for any radio traffic.

>>12582476
Hack the comms system at the base so you can get a feel for their security, then when you get there, berate them for having such lax e-security.

>>12582544
Adrianna is carry some climbing gear for the two of you with her. Your base camp is on a plateau leading up the northwest face of the mountain overlooking the valley. The whole area is forested and you notice a easily hiked area on the southern face, but you don't know if it leads to any usable spots. But the north face over looking the valley has several cliffs and caves dotting its side.

As you are hiking through the forested area setting up the perimeter monitors you access several frequencies being transmitted in the area. They all have varying signal as you are traversing the mountain. The non-encrypted channels are as follows:
Alpha Shaft, signal strength 3
Prospectors Building, signal strength 6
Beta Site, signal strength 4
Pariah Industries Mining, signal strength 7
356th Marine Battalion Comms, signal strength 9

If you wish to access any encrypted channels you can locate Gaele could search for them and try to access them secretly, or you yourself could try to open them.

By the time you have finished the perimeter you are closer to the south side and already about 70 meter up. Adrianna turns to you after activating the camera. "So, should we get back to camp, or do you want to do more exploring. I saw you eying the slopes as we WE were setting up. You want to check out the top or something?"

>>12582815
Have Gaele monitor the open channels for anything interesting, and if any patrols will be coming our way.

I'd like to get up to the top to see if we can set up a covert transceiver and signal booster.

As you begin the trek up the slope you instruct Gaele to monitor the open channels for anything out of the ordinary. She agrees and goes about shuffling through the transmissions and announcements of the facility below you. As you go she has nothing to report so far.

You decide that is will be most efficient to hike your way up the mountain. As you go about the trek the terrain become steeper and steeper until you are forced to climb your way near the top. You have to stop about 20 meters before the peak, there is no way to reach it. You are able to find a good enough cliff that overlooks the valley from the northeast side. From here you can see down the southwest slope and to the end of the valley on that side to the ONI base. You begin setting up a transciever as Adrianna keeps watch further down the slope for any sign of patrols or trouble. Just as you are finishing up with the transceiver Gaele tells you something urgent. "Lowell, I picked up some traffic on a channel that just came online a few moments ago. Its... There is a group of para-military personnel coming up the slope. It seems that they are on a patrol with some of the Pariah Prospectors and engineers."

Just as Gaele finishes you see Adrianna crest the cliff and hurriedly lies low in the rocky surface. She quickly motions for you to get down. You swiftly drop to your knees and press your shoulder against the wall. She whispers something quickly over the comms, "There is some kind of patrol coming up the slopes, I think..."

Gaele quickly interjects, "I have informed him, they are some escort details with a group of miners."

>>12583245
Is there any way to get down the cliff without being seen?
Or any hiding places?

>>12583448
Sorry this session is going to have to get cut short. I don't think we have enough participation tonight. I'll be back tomorrow, and Thursday to try again. Sorry to the few people who are participating tonight.

>>12583494
That's fine. I'll archive it.

Alright, it's been archived.