Black Omen SSS-971 Mission Log
Mission 1
The first mission for the newly transferred Black Omens was a rescue mission designed to recover pilots of M15's Heartbreaker Squadron who had been given orders to fold to a asteroid moon orbiting the desert world of Hydra. The Heartbreakers were ordered to escort a troopship by a rogue branch (or an unknown) intelligence unit of the United Nations Government. Unknown to the Heartbreakers, their unit as well as the loaded troopship were considered to be fully expendable in order to confirm the presence of a powerful Protodevlin. The Protodevlin was indeed present and destroyed the troopship outright killing several UNS pilots including the Black Omens Executive officer, Captain Damen Forrest. Varuta forces were destroyed and the asteroid, a hollowed out manufacturing facility and base were destroyed by application of Planet Buster thermonuclear warheads carried by the VF-22's of the elite squadron.
Mission 2
Black Omen squadron, under the command of Colonel Lee Hastings returned to planet Hydra while forces from M15 conducted a mop-up operation of the Asteroid facility. Again the desert world of Hydra would produce a few new surprises as this time, in a series of massive underground chambers, a replica or wrecked version of the Megaroad-01 Colony ship were discovered, along with active and fully functional old-style Destroids all bearing the Megaroad-01 Colony mission insignia. In addition, an unidentified deceased Alien life form and wreckage of its mecha were discovered. The alien corpse and samples of the wreckage were recovered and returned to the Fleet for investigation later. The findings remain classified to this day.
Mission 3
The alien lifeform and its mecha is investigated aboard the UNS Oracle, a newly assigned Sentinel Class Stealth Carrier assigned to the M15 Fleet for permanent support to the special operations group. Fleet Intelligence also provides data regarding the sighting of this mecha near the Avemaria Colony planet. The Black Omens, aboard Oracle make their way to the Avemaria system, inserting into orbit of the systems immense gas giant. Their mission is to deploy a series of reconnaissance satellites and covert probes, in an attempted to detect the re-emergence of the alien mecha now code-named "White Knight". Special care must be taken as the main colony at Avemaria has declared its independence from Earth and the UNG. A small ore freighter is disabled by the inspecting team and left to drift.
Assassination
July 9, 2048. The worlds of Colonial Mankind were rocked by the tragic death of the controversial United Nations Senator, Ian Finn. Senator Finn, long opposed to the funding and resources necessary for the mega-projects undertaken by the UN Space Corp, especially Project Outbound, mankind's multiple colonization mission, the latest and largest of which has been designated as "Fifteen" or "XV" as some call it. Senator Finn and his staff had scheduled a fact-finding trip to M15/C15 with the intent of exposing some of the cost over runs to the Senate oversight committee. Senator Finn was part of a growing minority who shared the belief that the amount of military hardware accompanying the colony mission was unnecessary and bordered on negligent when compared with leaving those squadrons behind to defend Earth. Excessive when considering the growing number of Zentraedi and Maltrendi hybrids now serving though out the Fleet.
Several UNG Senators decided that there would be no better time like the present to rid themselves of the controversial Finn and steps were taken to do just that. Lieutenant Michael Rolston, aka The Jackal was contracted and equipped to carry out the grisly task of ensuring the Senator shuttle and all occupants never reached the Colony Fleet. Flying a captured FZ-109, modified only slightly to carry a disposable fold booster and given pinpoint fold co-ordinates. Rolston's fighter fell upon the Senator's shuttle while elements from the Black Omens were launched to provide support for the assassination on the direct orders of Fleet Intelligence who quickly realized that they were in a win-win situation. Allow the Senator to die and cover up any evidence of a UN involvement.
The operation consisted of Colonel Hastings and Lieutenant Mikel Emerson flying back-engineered and heavily modified FZ-109's complete with Varuta Squadron colours. These spacecraft are folded to the site of the attack where the assassin Jackal, had just completed his first devastating pass, slamming the Senator's shuttle with a volley of missiles and burst after burst from his laser cannons. Now that the surprise was complete and the Senator's shuttle was little more than a burnt out, drifting wreck, Jackal had only to contend with the Senator's escorting flight of VF-19's from Shiva squadron.
Badly outnumbered and facing the superior VF-19 Excalibur, the FZ-109 flown by Jackal would have been easy work had not the twin elements of the Black Omen support mission. Emerson and Hastings to directly confront the 5 VF-19's of Shiva Squadron. To counter the stealth threat, Lieutenant Muse Gilliard flying a VF-23 Banshee outfitted with jamming pods, and a shuttle carrying a technical crew suited up for EVA and a shipment of replacement fold boosters. The powerful jamming signals from the VF-23 combined with the debris created from the shuttle negated the stealth profile of the VF-19's as well as the sensor and targeting equipment of both the FZ-109's and the VF-19's, reducing the fight to visual only, skill against skill in a pure dog-fight.
The Black Omens prevailed, headed toward the rendezvous with the VF-23 Banshee jammer and the waiting shuttle. The technical crew changed the foldboosters in mid-space, recovered the spent boosters and folded back to Oracle, leaving no evidence and sketchy sensor data scanned by M15.
Mission 4
An emergency call from the Macross-15 Battle Carrier brings a
halt to the Omen's satellite and probe deployment before
the network has been set up. The emergency is due to a
Varuta Carrier attacking the M-15 fleet and inflicting heavy
casualties amongst the UNS defenders. The Black Omens
and Oracle fold back to the fleet and launch a devastating
attack on the Varuta Carrier immediately upon defold. Using
heavy anti-ship ordnance, including tactical nukes, plasma
warheads and proton torpedo, the Varuta carrier is critically
damaged, losing is communications, sensors and full use of its
massive engines. The Varuta Carrier commanded by the
Warlord Caine, under the guidance of the Neo-Varuta clone, Riono
escape by using an emergency fold. Lt. Daniel Henwood
maneuvers his VF-22 to be caught by the Varuta fold and is taken
with the ship undetected. During this attack on M15's forces, a
single pilot from Heartbreaker squadron, a Sergeant Ayax
Savage is taken prisoner by the Varuta.
Mission 5
Lieutenant Henwood performs a dangerous solo mission taking numerous reconnaissance video's of the damage caused to the Varuta Carrier before folding back to the UNS Oracle to deliver the new intelligence data. The video footage is able to determine that the missing Heartbreaker pilot was indeed taken prisoner. Upon arrival back, Lieutenant Henwood is promoted to the rank of Captain and is also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Mission 6
The data that Captain Henwood retrieves leads to the planning and execution of Operation Forge, the attacking of the Varuta Carrier and the attempted capture of its Commander and the recovery of the missing Heartbreaker pilot. While the Varuta Carrier Khan was attacked by the combined elements of M15 and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Units, the Black Omens outfitted in Power Armour penetrated the Khan and succeeded in rescuing and recovering the Heartbreaker pilot who had been scheduled to be given to the Varuta Governor. A Governor who was believed to be at the recently captured UN Colony on the planet Eden. They narrowly missed Capturing the warlord Riono but managed to Capture Commander Caine, an aide to Riono.
Mission 7
After the capture of Caine, Captain Henwood and Lieutenant Scott Faulken are ordered to transfer the prisoner to the UNS Shimiere, and turn him over to a Fleet Intelligence unit, the Shadowstalkers. and to return to Oracle when that has been completed. At the same time, Lieutenant William Pointe is delivering a secret shipment of new high-tech weapons for the exclusive use of the Black Omens while the remainder of the Omen's take delivery of a strange Drone or Missile confiscated by City 15's customs officers. Evidence is found to indicate that the guidance system for the Drone is actually an advanced Artificial Intelligence unit, and many of the properties of the Drone, indicate that it was partially alive, having both organic and inorganic systems.
Mission 8
UNS Oracle under the command of Commander John Mason is ordered into mankinds home solar system, transporting the Black Omens first to a remote area of planet mars where a series of a airborne combat exercises are conducted. These exercises are to simulate what experts have been led to believe are the flight capabilities of the bio-drones. All Black Omens with advanced tactical flight training participate while Lt. Faulken flying a dropship/attack transport releases and coordinates the target drones through the dropship's advanced AI unit. All members of the flight element perform well against the drone in simulation.
Arriving next in Earthspace, the Oracle next takes up position in lunar orbit where an extensive computer database and Intelligence investigation is conducted to narrow down the subsidiaries of Gamma-Trident Biotechnology. This company is believed to be collaborating with the Varuta to use illegal cloning and genetic engineering technology on earth - probably in exchange for advanced active stealth technology. A shuttle is detected leaving the company's facility located on the island of Puerto Rico to rendezvous with an independent freighter. The freighter is tracked to the captured colony of Eden.
The intelligence report is forwarded to General Vodrisai who upon Colonel Hastings' recommendation orders the UNS Idaho carrying the Shadowstalkers to Eden . The Black Omens intelligence suspisions are confirmed when the Idaho is attacked by a series of FZ-109-hybrids bearing a working active stealth system.
Mission 9
The Gamma-Trident Biotechnology company that is producing the Bio-drones is confirmed as being located on Puerto Rico. Several reconnaissance flights are sent mapping the facility down to the last centimetre before the final assault. Two VF-22's for aircover while the dropship delivers the remainder of the team in powered assault armour to secure the facility.
Disaster. The team was clearly expected. One lured into the compound the team was pinned down by a pair on ground mecha, destroids of unknown type forcing the VF-22 to render close air support. Once the VF-22's were committed a flight of 12 bio-drones were dispatched against them. Both VF-22 were destroyed, along with the majority of the facility.
Killed in action were Captain Daniel Henwood, Lieutenant(s) Ryan Lader, Allan MacBride and Michael Rolston. Gravely wounded are Colonel Lee Hastings, Major Kelly Jansen and Lieutenant Jelal Sono (who then undergoes a partial memory wipe procedure) and is transferred. Returned to his original unit with a recommendation of promotion.
Mission 9 - The Aftermath
Back on earth, three prospective candidates for Special Space Services are transferred from their various units and branches of service to a UN Air base and proving ground located at Cold Lake, Alberta - Canada. The three are Marine Major Janis Rates and from Intelligence, Captain Snowgard Havenstone and Lieutenant Rafkin Kingston.
UNS Oracle returns to M15 space now orbiting the newly discovered colony world named New Patagonia During the flight back from Earth to the fleet, the intelligence data is analyzed from the disastrous mission to Puerto Rico and a shocking discovery made. All of the attacking bio-drone were operating using the same IFF code as the pair of VF-22's flown by Lader and Hastings, subsequently they were able to attack all the while the threat displays of the airborne Black Omen Force would have identified them as friendly. Those codes could only have been provided by some close to or inside the unit.
Mission 10 - New Blood
The return to Puerto Rioc
To be continued............
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