Operation Sour Syrup

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Page 1: Overview

AFTER-ACTION REPORT

Operation Codename

Operation Sour Syrup

Date Of Operation

April 13, 200█

Outfit:
MST Sierra-04¹
"Kudzu Killers"

Personnel Involved and Status:
Sierra-04-1 | Col. Edan
Sierra-04-4 | Pvt. Tomlinson
Sierra-04-6 | Cpl. Franks
Sierra-04-7 | Cpl. Sojo
Sierra-04-9 | Pvt. Hanson

Mission Summary
Through the interrogation of an acolyte of the Church of Malthus, the Authority has learned the location of a proto-cell in the Chengwatana State Forest of Minnesota.

Sierra-04's directives for the operation:
1. Verify obtained intelligence: a proto-cell is located within the Chengwatana State Forest.
2. Elimination of any and all armed personnel belonging to the Church
3. Capture any non-combat personnel belonging to the Church if possible.
4. Signal for deconstruction crew deployment upon location being secured.

Operation Status

FAILURE

Page 2: Op. Map

Note: All paths and positions of soldiers from Sierra-04 are approximations from Sierra-04-4. Map has been darkened to increase readability.

Page 3: Comm. Transcripts

VOCOMM Transcription

Transcriber's Note: _{Subtext is to be read as the communicator is whispering.}

Edan: Site Command, this is Sierra-04 Actual. We have touched down at our LZ outside the target location.

Command: Received Sierra-04. Your first directive is to confirm the intel we have is factual. Intel team has provided maps for your use, with the best estimation of the target location indicated with the white square.

Edan: Understood. Gathering local flora for camouflage.

Command: Acknowledged. Notify command when you have deployed.

Edan: Hey Franks, this is your neck of the woods, right?

Franks: Yeah, went camping with my dad here many times throughout my younger years. Very fond memories of this place.

Edan: Alright, you're the head of team 2. Hanson, you're with him. Sojo, Tommy Gun, you're with me. Call numbers when we're foliage.

Tomlinson: Great, I'm shacked up with the comedian.

_{Ten minutes of communication silence}

Edan: Command, this is Sierra-04 Actual. We are Oscar Mike.

Command: Good luck, Sierra-04. Command Out.

_{Four hours of communication silence}

Franks: _{Sierra-04-1-Actual, 2-Actual. Target identified. Intel is not factual.}

Edan: _{1-Actual. Elaborate your words.}

Franks: _{Uh… Observed personnel count is too numerous to be a proto-cell. Estimate a complement 4 times larger than the typical COM proto-cell.}

Edan: _{Over or under forty?}

Franks: _{It's too close to call. Assume over forty.}

Edan: _{Detailed. Get in position. Oscar Mikes one is. Main out.}

Hanson: _{The fuck?}

_{Twenty minutes of communication silence}

Edan: _{Tell now situation.}

Sojo: _{Actual, Sierra-04-1-7. Confirm your mental state. You are not speaking coherently.}

Edan: Not….. negative.

Sojo: _{I don't like this. 2-Actual, it's your call.}

Edan: [Grunting and hyperventilating]

Franks: _{I don't know. Could be some Malthus security bullshit.}

Sojo: _{If that were true, we'd all be drooling retards like the Colonel is becoming.}

Edan: Groggy… tasty.. wind.. urghbh [Continues to hyperventilate]

Franks: _{I don't want to wait to find out. Engage on my one.}

Franks: _Thr-

Edan: UUUUUUAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hanson: _{Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.}

Tomlinson: _{What the bloody hell?}

CoM Sentry (in the distance): Freeze! Move and you're a dead man! Identify yourself!

Sojo: _{Stay grounded S-4. Colonel's made. Command, this is Sier-}

Edan: AAHEHAAAAHEHHEHEHAAAAHEHAAAHERHEHHAAA²

Command: Sierra-04, This is command. Repeat communication.

Sojo: _{Edan, stay away.}

Edan: NONONONONONONOONONONONOOWOWOWOWOOWWWOFUCKFUCK

CoM Sentry (in the distance): YOU BETTER GET YOUR HEAD STRAIGHT AND PARK YOUR GODDAMN FEET! LAST WARNING FUCKHEAD! IDENTIFY YOURSELF!

Sojo: _{Edan, what ar}E YOU DOING?! DROP ME!

CoM Guard (in the distance): OH FUCK! KENNY, WE'VE GOT SPOOKS IN THE WOODS! START THE DEAD ZONE!

Command: Sierra-04, are you there? Repeat communication.

Edan: [Painful screaming]

Hanson: _{Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck}³

Franks: COMMAND, WE HAVE SPAACS⁴. REPEAT, SPAACS. NEED EXTR-

[A burst of gunfire is heard in the distance. The sounds of flesh being penetrated are picked up by Sierra-04-6's VOCOMM unit.]

CoM Sentry (in the distance): LIGHT 'EM UP!

[Repeated gunshots are heard in the distance. Members of Sierra-04 return fire.]

Edan: [Painful screaming continues]

CoM Sentry (in the distance): FOR THE LOVE OF HUMANITY, TWO-HUNDRED TO THE GUY THAT ENDS HIS GODDAMN SCREAMING!

Tomlinson: _{COMMAND, FRIENDLY KIA. SEND EXT-}

_{Communications Jammed}

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Page 4: Post-Op Debrief

Post-Operation Debriefing

April 17th, 200█ | 0902 Hours

Interviewed: Sierra-04-4: Private Cail Tomlinson

Interviewer: Lieutenant Francis Hilcot, Protection Operations Intelligence Officer

Foreword: This interview is being conducted to ascertain what happened in Op. Sour Syrup that caused this complete cluster fuck. Please note: I will end this interview if Private Tomlinson is uncooperative, or unable to continue. Given what he's been through, we're fortunate he's able to be debriefed this quick into recovery.

<Begin Log>

Lieutenant Hilcot enters the interrogation room.

Hilcot: At ease Private.

Tomlinson: Thank you sir.

Lieutenant Hilcot and Private Tomlinson take their seats.

Hilcot: How is your recovery coming along? Do you feel well?

Tomlinson: Admittedly Lieutenant, physically: I'm probably halfway; but mentally, I feel like I'm staring down a tunnel. Everything about it, the walls, ground, and ceiling feel out of focus. The end of the tunnel is the Colonel's fucking screaming mug. I can't get it out of my mind.

Hilcot: This was your first time being present during a SPAAC event I take it?

Tomlinson: Yes, sir. It hasn't been a year since I left Benning⁵, but I feel like I just completed a goddamn tour.

Hilcot: I understand. I know this will be difficult, son, but we need to review the events of this operation. We need your account to understand what transpired.

Tomlinson: Go ahead sir.

Hilcot: During your recovery, we listened to the recording several times. We are certain it was a SPAAC event. However, there is a significant time gap between the communication jam and your transmission two days later that is unaccounted for. We need you to fill in the blanks.

Tomlinson: Alright. I guess I'll start with the battle.

After my interrupted evac request, the rest of Sierra-04, sans the Colonel of course, returned fire. After Sojo was lifted by the Colonel, I lost the ability to think. I WAS A GODDAMN DEER IN HEADLIGHTS! Then the feedback from jammer started and raped our ears. The change in the Colonel, and this feedback…

_{I panicked, sir.}

No matter how man times I ran it in my head, the likeliest outcome I saw was us being completely fucked. So, I fell back to my training. I hugged the dirt and p-prayed to God Edan wouldn't pick me up too.

I… I don't like to think of myself as a coward, but I FUCKING LET MY BROTHERS DIE! I COULDN'T SEE A WAY OUT! GODDAMNIT, I COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO MAKE SURE AT LEAST ONE OF THEM LIVED. FUCKING GODDAMNIT!

FUCK!



_f..uck

Tomlinson begins to cry heavily, visibly startling Lieutenant Hilcot.

Hilcot: PRIVATE TOMLINSON! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!

Sierra-04-4 immediately stands to attention.

Tomlinson: Forgive me sir. [Tomlinson attempts to clears his throat] That was unprofessional.

Hilcot: Sit down Private. Considering what you went through, it's perfectly reasonable. You will have plenty of time to mourn your teammates after we're done here.

Tomlinson: _Right.

Hilcot: Let's focus on the Colonel. After he lifted Sojo, what happened?

Tomlinson: I think the Colonel was the one who killed Sojo sir. Edan dropped him with some force. When Sojo hit the ground, he didn't get back up. While he was fucking up Sojo, he screamed louder, in pain. Hearing that over comms made me go near deaf and made my blood curdle.

Shortly after the jam, Edan began to run aimlessly while screaming. When I went to ground, he was out of my sight, but the feedback from the jam just made his episode worse. His screams sounded like they were from a bubbling cauldron.

He then ran off screaming. Judging from the direction the screams were fading, he went North-East from our original position. That was the last time I saw him, but not the last time I was in contact with him.

Hilcot: Explain.

Tomlinson: Well, after our fire went silent, the Church's soldiers went looking for any other "spooks". I did manage to get some peeks at the cell's BoO, and it was in the process of being dismantled. No longer secure and hidden, I guess.

After an all-clear was declared, they sped up the deconstruction. After nine hours of it, the Malthus jammer went down briefly. I can only speculate they made their own call to headquarters. It was down for only five minutes, but though the brief gap, I heard Edan through VOCOMM.

He sounded winded, speaking like a toddler learning their first words would. "High… Light." At least four times he said this. The sun was rising at this point. I have to wonder if this was the last thing he saw. He stopped speaking well before comms went dark again. I can only hope he passed without pain.

Hilcot: I see. I gather that your transmission was after the cell finished packing up and left?

Tomlinson: Yes, but much later than when they finished. They left in two groups, leaving behind a small force. The first group left three hours after they phoned home, but the fucks from team two didn't leave for nearly 20 hours! Probably were waiting to see if anyone else showed up, I guess.

And that is all I have sir. Are we done here? I need to get out there and see my fallen brothers and the Colonel one last time. His… pet name for me never failed to annoy, but he… he was a good man.

Hilcot: Negative Private. You're staying here until you've been cleared by medical. You can't just sleep off two days of severe dehydration and no food. Focus on yourself and rest.

Hilcot gets up from his chair and walks to the exit.

Hilcot pauses at the door.

I was told to keep this from you, but you deserve to know. When we sent the cleaners to collect your teammates, they didn't find the Colonel. They were only able to collect his mission gear near the edge of the forest. I don't think you'll find him, son. I'm sorry.

<End Log>

Closing Statement: Seeing a grown man cry is honestly the only thing I hate more than funerals. Tomlinson has been moved to inactive status until he is given a clean bill of mental and physical health. In the meantime, I'm going to have our eggheads look at Colonel's Edan's equipment and belongings. We may deal with the stuff from the nightmares of sci-fi authors, but this is too inconvenient for the Authority to be random. Call it a hunch.

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[+] Footnotes

Footnotes

1. The "Kudzu Killers" were a team of reconnaissance and camouflage specialists with very strict entry requirements. As a result, most members were graduates of the U.S. Army Sniper School. Experts in using ghille suits, Sierra-04 heavily specialized in conducting operations in forest environments before their decommission.

2. Transcriber's Note: Sierra-04-1 appears to be giggling in a panic.

3. Transcriber's Note: Hanson continues to repeat himself until the communications were jammed.

4. SPontaneous Anomalous ACtivity; Perceived anomalous activity that is unexpected and unaccounted for. Pronounced as "Sp-Ack(s)".

5. Transcriber's Note: Tomlinson is referring to Fort Benning, the home of the first United States Army Sniper School.