Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 2:55 PM Mountain Time - Warren Air Force Base, west of Cheyenne, Wyoming
In the operations room-
The communications center at Warren Air Force Base was very busy. Communications personnel were at various workstations, monitoring and directing air traffic, coordinating ground forces, managing activities throughout the base, and trying to get a handle on what was happening in the outside world. The man in charge of it all, Lieutenant Colonel Burton Carmichael, was trying to juggle the entire operation, delegating to his subordinates where possible. The transfer of Major Andrews this morning had made things even more hectic, as his loss made it that much harder to keep everything flowing smoothly. The crisis was unprecedented, yet everyone was working hard to maintain communications.

Unfortunately, information about what was going on beyond the base perimeter was harder and harder to come by. They had been getting intelligence since five or six hours ago from an old CIA listening post that was still operational even though the satellite network was down, possibly due to its use of outdated Cold War technology. When the motel where it was located was overrun earlier this afternoon, Warren AFB had essentially gone blind. Aircraft on patrol could tell what was happening on the ground in the areas near the base, but they had no idea what Russia and China were up to any longer - a situation that was making the general in command of the base more and more anxious. A Huey had been sent to spray the motel area with nerve gas, which seemed to be effective in stopping the hordes. A team in full protective gear to keep its members safe from the residual gas had been assembled and was about to depart, but the connection to the CIA post had inexplicably gone offline five minutes ago. Prior to that, the connection had been open, but there had been nobody present to operate it. The post had reported that Langley had been overrun this morning and that the network could cease functioning at any time, and this was the prevailing theory as to what had just happened. Carmichael was currently discussing whether or not it was still worth dispatching the team in light of this with Regimental Sergeant Major Raymond Crew, a veteran NCO from the RAF who was acting as his unofficial advisor. RSM Crew was used to working with colonels and lieutenant colonels and organizing military operations on a regimental level. Carmichael, a tall black man in his late forties with a bristly gray mustache and close-cropped hair to match, was a no-nonsense leader who was doing his best in an impossible situation.

To make matters worse, there were now troubles inside the base perimeter. An apparently small-scale outbreak of the infection had erupted inside the quarantine clinic. While it appeared to have been dealt with, there were reports that more infected had attacked the clinic from without. Those reports also claimed that the infected people, wearing Air Force uniforms had come from the direction of the cemetery a short distance east of the clinic. They also claimed that these men had risen from the dead, but this had very little credibility among the communications staff.

A pretty female officer strode into the room. She wore a white uniform blouse with captain's bars on the shoulders and a knee-length navy blue skirt. She strode up to Lt. Colonel Carmichael and saluted. "Captain Claire Kelleher reporting for duty, sir," she said.

Carmichael returned the salute. "As you were, Captain," he said. "Crew, Captain Kelleher is one of our best doctors. Captain, this is Regimental Sergeant Major Raymond Crew, attached from the RAF."

"Thank you, sir, but that's not saying much considering the rate at which we've been losing doctors. I've worked with Major MacPherson before. She's irreplaceable, and I'll make a poor substitute for her." She nodded to Raymond in greeting. "Sergeant Major."

OOC,[b]Claire Kelleher[/b] and [b]Raymond Crew[/b], you may each roll Psychology to get an impression of [b]Carmichael[/b]. The base skill level is 5% if it's not on your character sheet. Roll 1d100 on Invisible Castle following the instructions in the Rules and Guidelines thread. If you get less than or equal to your skill level, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. Feel free to start speaking as well.

"Welcome Captain" said Raymond, nodding to her before turning back to scrutinise Carmichael however he was unable to quite get the measure of him. He put both hands on his camouflaged hips and looked Carmichael in the eye "Look sir, we can't afford to waste men on a madcap mission into the unknown which will rob us of valuable troops if we fail and if we succeed it would mean that we would have to divide our forces to defend an unsecure position and risk losing both the listening station and the base. It is my advice that we use what men we have to bolster the defences at the quarentine and prevent the enemy from breaching further into our position. I prepose that both myself and this captain of yours take three or four sharpshooters to the quarantine to hold that position. It may also be a good idea to take a demolitions specialist with us, just in case we have to abandon our position and must deny the enemy an easy point of entry." he said, occasionally gesticulating with his hands for emphasis.

OOC,should I roll a persuade or will that not be necersary?

In the operations room-
"I agree that the motel is a lost cause," said Carmichael. "We don't have the resources to go about trying to hold it, and I highly doubt we can even make the communications network operational again. I called Captain Kelleher here because I do intend to send her to the quarantine clinic to help out, and I am sending an escort of SFs with her. There are already two sharpshooters on the roof, but we could stand to increase that number. A demolitions expert is a good idea too. I'll be sure to include one on the team I send. I can't spare you, however, Sergeant Major. I need you here, and I don't want to risk losing you if there's another outbreak in the clinic." He turned to Captain Claire Kelleher. "I don't like sending you there either, but you're the right person for the job. I still don't know what exactly happened there, but it sounds like several people have experienced mental breaks. That's been par for the course for today. Is it possible that this mental instability is a symptom of the infection?"

"It's possible, sir," said Claire Kelleher uncertainly, trying and failing to read his expression. "We simply don't know enough about it to say for certain. It's also possible that today's events are simply causing an abnormal level of stress, but it's something to watch out for."

Lt. Colonel Carmichael nodded. "That's what I thought. I don't think Captain Johansen is altogether stable given his actions and statements, and we can't depend on him. That's why I'm going to place you in command of the quarantine clinic, Captain. Don't let on to him that this is the case. Once you've arrived and established yourself, I'll make the announcement on the radio and formally relieve him of command at that time. That's the best way to avoid a mutiny. The same technique worked when I sent Lt. Curtis to the communications outpost and had him relieve Lt. Blanco. After what happened with Captain Lereux's team earlier today, I'm not taking any chances."

"Yes, sir."

The voice of Captain Johansen came from the radio: "Lieutenant Colonel, this is Captain Nils Johansen. A Stryker hit the side of the wall after we dealt with the attackers. Condition unknown. One of my Airmen is running towards the roof screaming, and both Security Forces soldiers are dead. Requesting permission to arm the civilians."

"Negative on that, Captain," replied Carmichael. "We've been through this before, and you know our orders. It isn't my call. You said you've dealt with the attackers with the people you've got, and we're going to send some more Security Forces as well as another doctor. Some of those reinforcements are in that Stryker. Find out their condition and render them whatever medical assistance you can."

Raymond hadn't known him for long, but he could tell that Carmichael was a man who took his job seriously and valued the lives of the people under his command. He certainly seemed to have his wits about him.

OOC,The Psychology roll failed, but you were close, so you were able to determine a little. For most of your advice you didn't need to roll Persuade to convince [b]Carmichael[/b], but you'll need to roll if you want him to agree to send you to the quarantine clinic.

"Sir I'm doing no good stuck here in a com room when I could be doing good on the front, and don't forget that every boundary and entrance to this complex has become a new front for us to fight on. If you cannot put me, one of your best combat assets, onto your most vulnerable front then I'm not sure where you can put me." he said spiritedly trying to hammer his point home in the liutenant's mind. "Send me with this doctor and the squad where I can be of use instead of leaving me here waiting for the enemy to knock on the door." He folded his arms and looked the leutenant in the eye, his rifle slung over his shoulder on it's strap and ready to go.

OOC,invisable castle is telling me internal server error 500 so I used [url=http://www.brockjones.com/dieroller/dice.htm]brockjones[/url] instead. unfortunately this roller does not keep a record of you rolls. I got a roll of 27 using this but I'll re-roll with invisable castle if you want.

OOC,No need to reroll. If Invisible Castle is down, you can use alternative rolling methods. The roll doesn't succeed, however, as the base chance is 15%, but it's not that bad a failure. By the way, [b]Carmichael[/b] is a lieutenant colonel, not a mere lieutenant.

In the operations room-
"I'll take it under advisement, Sergeant Major," said Carmichael, "but you've been far from useless here. I value your advice, and it has very useful throughout the day. Your knowledge and experience are of much more worth than your sharpshooting skills, impressive as they are. Not only would you be in physical danger, but your mind could be compromised if you were exposed to whatever is going on there."

"Lieutenant Colonel..." said Captain Johansen on the radio, trailing off. "Nevermind."

"Captain Kelleher, you and every member of your team will be wearing an orange Racal suit to provide level 4 biohazard protection. These suits must be worn at all times while you are within the quarantine zone. There are enough oxygen canisters at the facility to refill your air tanks as needed. If your suit is breached, you will be subject to quarantine yourself and will not be permitted to leave, just as has happened to Captain Johansen."

"Understood, sir," said Claire Kelleher. "Sir, perhaps you should permit Sergeant Major Crew to join my team. As I understand it, there is a serious lack of NCOs on hand, and someone with his experience would be very helpful both in organization and in defense of the facility. And he actually wants to go. How many other volunteers have you had, sir?"

"Well...just Airman Rourke," Carmichael admitted.

In the operations room-
"So you see, sir," said Captain Kelleher, "the Sergeant Major here would be a valuable addition to my team. You could stay in radio contact with him and still benefit from his advice while he's there."

"Very well, you've convinced me, Captain," said Carmichael. "Sergeant Major Crew, I'll need your help picking out the doctor's team. It's especially important that I get your advice on this since these people will be your team as well. I'm thinking we'll need to send two squads of SFs with you, each six strong and led by a Senior Airman or a Sergeant - both Senior Airmen will be directly under your command. One squad can be infantry, armed primarily with M-16s. The other squad will be support, and will include the snipers, the demolitions specialist, and anyone else you feel would be important to have. A corpsman would be a good addition too. Can't have too many people with medical skills under the circumstances. I have a stack of personnel files here I've been looking at." He indicated a large pile of papers on his desk. "Why don't you go through them with me and we'll select the best ones for the job. You too, Captain. You'll be the one ultimately in command, and once you're deployed RSM Crew will answer to you."

"Thank you, sir." Claire Kelleher held out her hand to Raymond Crew. "A pleasure to have you aboard, Sergeant Major."

Ray saluted the Lieutenant Colonel smiling slightly to hear two officers, one of whom being his commander, singing his praises and lauding his abilities. "Thank you sir, I am sure you will not regret your decision" he said turning on his heel and first shaking the Captain's hand then saluting her as well "Thank you too ma'am, you'll be in safe hands while we're at quarentine". Ray turned to Carmichael and nodded to him, "Why don't we get started on that crew list now sir, so we can be back as soon as possible." he said sitting down in front of the desk, facing Carmichael "For the first fireteam, led by myself, I would recommend two sharp shooters with SDM-Rs , a demolitions expert with an M320 underslung, some breaching charges and a pack of C4. Finally I would recommend a Corpsman with full medical kit, I think we may need him badly when we arrive. For the second fire team, led by the Captain here, I would ask for two SF troopers with m4 carbines for CQB and two SFs with M16A4s for slightly longer range engagements. We should be done reviewing the files in five or six minutes and then we can be gone. One thing I need to know, once we are at quarentine should we hold that position and if so, for how long. We will be unable to hold it forever and I would ask that the Captain be given the freedom to fall back with the civilians if there is too much of a risk to the saftey of the base."

In the operations room-
"Captain Kelleher is going to be in charge of the entire facility," said Lt. Colonel Carmichael. "She's a doctor first and foremost, and she's not going to have the luxury of micromanaging a fire team. And you're going to be in charge of the clinic's defense, Sergeant Major. You won't command one fire team, you'll be in ultimate command of both of them. First we'll need to pick out two NCOs to lead the fire teams for you. They'll answer to you, you'll answer to the captain, and she'll answer to me. Your objective will be to secure and hold the clinic as long as possible. Should the clinic be about to fall, which will be up to the captain's judgment, then the civilians and anyone else potentially infected will be evacuated beyond the base perimeter. I do believe it can be held, though. The outbreak was limited in scope, and it seems to be dealt with already."

Carmichael shuffled through the personnel files, pulling out four of them and showing them to Raymond. "These are the best candidates we have available. It may take five or six minutes to pick the teams, but it will take considerably longer than that to gather everyone here from their current stations in the base and have them suit and gear up." He pointed at the first dossier, showing a woman about thirty years old with an intelligent gleam in her eyes. "This is Technicial Sergeant Jessica Valdez, one of our rising stars. She's got good leadership potential and is excellent at inspiring and rallying the troops. She doesn't have much in the way of combat training, but she's got a level head on her shoulders." He then went over the second, which displayed a stern-looking young man. "Staff Sergeant Michael O'Dell. He's a big bull of a man who knows how to fight, and more importantly, he's highly skilled with explosives. He's not the only one in this pile who is, but he is the best. Has a history of emotional problems, though." He reviewed the third personnel record, a young lady with short blonde hair. "Senior Airman Susan van Horn. Almost a good a sharpshooter as you are - almost. She should be a sergeant, but she suffers from a lack of discipline." He examines the fourth one, a tall black man with a thin mustache. "Finally, we have Senior Airman Sam Wright. He's a natural at CQB and a good tactician. A bit of an abrasive personality, but a good man to have watching your back."

In the operations room-
Captain Kelleher looked over Raymond Crew's shoulder as he reviewed the personnel files. "I think Tech Sergeant Valdez would be an excellent fire team leader," she said. "Your NCOs will be working directly for you and will be responsible for our defense, so I'll leave the decision to you, Sergeant Major."

In the operations room-
Suddenly, Captain Johansen shouted over the radio: "Need help ASAP! Stryker crew is KIA, and reanimated! All hell's broken loose sir!"

"We're already assembling a team to send to the quarantine clinic," replied Carmichael, "but it's going to take a little time to get them ready and suited up. You need to hold the clinic until they arrive, Captain." He then spoke to Captain Kelleher and Sergeant Major Crew. "We're out of time, and we need to pick our teams fast. I don't believe a word of this reanimation stuff, but it sounds like the outbreak is not contained after all and Captain Johansen has lost it. Sergeant Major, pick your two NCOs now. I'll have them each bring their own teams with them here. Then you and the captain need to suit up." He indicated a door with a jerk of his chin. "The Racal suits are in there. When the teams arrive, they'll have to put their suits on quickly too."

Crew glanced at the radio, wondering how much truth there was in Captain Johansen's madness, before turning back to the files before him. He skim read what he could see and took a quick look at the the photos before considering his options. On the one hand there were his natural choices, a sharpshooter and a demolition expert, however they were both unsteady at best and while he was confident in his ability to keep a grip on his own discipline, he worried about their effectiveness when exposed to whatever had so badly spooked the Captain. On the other hand the two other candidates looked promising, with a decent controller in Tech Sergeant Valdez who might be useful for controlling possibly unrully civillians as well as rallying the surviving quarentine troops, while Senior Airman Sam Wright looked to be a decent contrast for Crew's sniping skills while hopefully keeping the level head needed for a tactician.

Crew looked up at Carmichael and pointed at Valdez and Wright's files "These two should do" he said "I'll leave picking the other individual members of the fireteams up to you but remember what we discussed, we need a medic, a demolitions man and some sharpshooters. And I'd like to request that the majority of them have had very few or no emotional or diciplinary problems in the past, we have no idea of what we're really up against and from the sounds coming out the radio we're gonna need solid men" Crew saluted Carmichael and Kelleher before turning smartly on his heel and walking to the room with the Racal suits.

In the operations room-
Carmichael nodded and got on the radio. "Attention Tech Sergeant Jessica Valdez and Senior Airman Sam Wright! Each of you select a team of three of your best airmen and bring them to Ops ASAP, and all of you bring your equipment as well. If available, priority should be given to those with sharpshooting, explosives, and medical skills." He called out to Crew as he walked away. "I'm letting the NCOs pick their own teams. We don't have time to micromanage this from the sound of things. We'll send any additional personnel to assist you later as needed."

Captain Kelleher also saluted the lieutenant colonel. He returned the salutes as she followed Raymond Crew into the changing room.

In the changing room-
The room in which Captain Kelleher and Sergeant Major Crew found themselves contained a dozen lockers in two rows of six, with a long bench between them. Each locker contained an orange Racal suit designed for level 4 biohazard protection.

"You made good choices there, Sergeant Major," said the captain approvingly. "Well, let's suit up. Don't worry about stripping down to your skivvies in front of me. I'm a doctor, remember."

In the changing room-
Captain Claire Kelleher and Sergeant Major Raymond Crew removed their clothes and changed into their orange Racal suits. When they finished, they returned to the operations room.

In the operations room-
It was about 3:05 PM when Captain Kelleher and Sergeant Major Crew returned from changing into their suits, their sidearms now strapped to the outside on their utility belts. Lt. Colonel Carmichael was waiting for them.

At about that time, eight people entered the operations room through the main doors. Crew recognized Technical Sergeant Jessica Valdez and Senior Airman Sam Wright from the photos on the dossiers he had reviewed earlier, but the six airmen trailing after them were unfamiliar to him. One of them, Airman First Class Sebastian Harper, was the explosives expert he had requested, as evidenced by the satchel charge slung over his shoulder. He was part of Sam Wright's fire team. They looked around at the busy room, where communications personnel were managing air traffic, coordinating ground troops such as themselves, and keeping the base running efficiently and securely. Lt. Colonel Carmichael, a black man nearing fifty and almost as tall as Sam Wright, with gray hair and a mustache that was a good deal thicker than Sam's, was obviously the man in charge.

"Good, you're here," he said simply to the new arrivals. "I need all of you to change into level 4 biohazard suits such as your commanders here are wearing, at once. They're through that door." He indicated the still open door the two orange-suited people had used to enter the room. "Captain Kelleher and Sergeant Major Crew will brief you en route, but there's no time for explanations now. Every minute counts. Move it!"

Sebastian gives the Lt. Colonel a quick salute before making his way through the door towards the bio suits. Once in the next room he makes his way to the nearest free suit and begins stripping off his gear.

In the changing room-
The room beyond the door contained a dozen lockers in two rows of six, with a long bench between them. Each locker contained an orange Racal suit designed for level 4 biohazard protection, except for two lockers which were empty. The suits had replaceable oxygen tanks attached, so that each one was an airtight, self-contained environment. The other seven SF troopers filed into the room and began undressing, stripping down to their skivvies.

"What do you think this is about?" asked Sam Wright.

"Ya got me," said Jessica Valdez. "Whatever's going on, though, it sounds big."

OOC,[b]Sebastian[/b], roll Idea.

Sebastian finishes putting his suit on while saying, "There is probably an outbreak somewhere. This could get dicey." With that he finishes the last touches and heads back into the main room.

In the changing room-
Sam Wright nodded. "I bet you're right, Harper," he said, suiting up himself. "I just wish you weren't."

Soon everyone finished putting their orange suits on, and they all filed back out to the operations room.

In the operations room-
Lt. Colonel Carmichael, Captain Claire Kelleher, and Sergeant Major Raymond Crew were waiting for the SF troopers when they emerged. The colonel nodded when he saw them, and Captain Kelleher quickly inspected them to ensure that the suits had been put on and sealed properly. She gave a thumbs up.

"Good, you're ready," said Carmichael. "There's a Stryker waiting outside the main entrance to take you to your objective. Let's get a move on!"

"Yes, sir!" said Captain Kelleher. She snapped off a salute and led the way out through the main doors. "This way, everyone! Sergeant Major Crew and I will brief you on the way there."

"Move out!" said Sergeant Major Crew, following her.

"Yes, Sir!" Sebastian said as he turns and follows the others towards the main entrance. Deep in his gut Sebastian was beginning to have a very bad feeling about this mission.

In the operations room-
Sebastian Harper and the other SFs fell into line and marched out through the main doors quickly, making their way through the headquarters building and back outside, not knowing if they would ever return.

Outside headquarters-
A Stryker ICV was parked near the front entrance of the HQ. It had not been there when they had entered, so it had to have only just arrived.


The driver waved the group over. One of the SF troopers got into the front compartment with the driver, while everyone else got in the rear, since there were ten of them and the main compartment only had seats for nine. Crew sealed the hatch once everyone was inside, and the Stryker pulled out, heading south through the base.

"I'm Captain Claire Kelleher," said the female officer in the orange suit. "I'm a medical officer being sent to take charge of the quarantine clinic we've set up inside the base perimeter. The clinic is being used to house and monitor several civilians and Air Force personnel who were admitted into the base earlier this afternoon. There have been a few outbreaks there, as well as incidents of apparent madness among both the patients and the staff. Two of the three doctors originally assigned to the clinic were killed, and the third was wounded. The Security Forces assigned to the clinic have also taken heavy casualties, and they need the rest of you as reinforcements. Our mission is to secure and hold the quarantine clinic until relieved. I have to stress the importance of maintaining your Racal suit's integrity. It could very well save your life. Anyone whose suit has been breached, even if it's just a pinprick, will be restricted to the clinic under quarantine indefinitely. Captain Johansen, the surviving doctor at the clinic, has already had his suit breached and is subject to quarantine."

"I'm Regimental Sergeant Major Raymond Crew," said Crew with an obvious British accent, "seconded from the RAF. I've been serving Lt. Colonel Carmichael in an advisory capacity throughout the day, and I volunteered to lead the SFs assigned to the clinic's defense. Valdez and Wright, you are our fire team leaders. I've hand-picked both of you for this vital mission. If quarantine is broken and an outbreak spreads beyond the clinic, the base would be endangered. Wright, you're in charge of Alpha Team. Your team will be responsible for perimeter security once we've secured the clinic. Valdez, you've got Bravo Team. Your team's job is support, and you'll also serve as a secondary line of defense. The last we heard, it was under attack by a large group of the infected. We don't know the number of the enemy or the current situation at the clinic, but we must be prepared to go in hot. Any questions?"

"Who are the teams sir?" Sebastian asks as he continues checking his gear.

In the Stryker-
"I'm a non-commissioned officer," said Crew, "so you don't need to call me 'sir.' Sergeant Major will do nicely. I think it best that Valdez and Wright keep the people they have chosen as their teams - which puts you on Alpha Team under Senior Airman Wright, I believe. Any other questions?"

OOC,I'm not going to identify the other five airmen yet, to give a chance for other players to make their own characters and insert them here as some of the five.

Sebastian gave the Sergeant Major a nod of understanding before leaning back and closing his eyes. With the way things were going he figured he might as well get as much rest as possible as it might be a while before he got another chance.

ooc,Ok sounds good. Sadly I never even thought about why none of the others had names yet.

In the Stryker-
"Sergeant Major?" asked Sam Wright as the Stryker rolled along. "What are the rules of engagement?"

"Lt. Colonel Carmichael briefed us on them while you were changing," said Crew. "We are authorised to use deadly force against anyone that we have reason to believe is infected, or against anyone who threatens Air Force personnel. In all other circumstances, the civilians are to be protected."

"One of the first things we'll do once the facility is secure is to screen everyone, both medically and psychologically," said Captain Kelleher. "Sergeant Valdez, you'll be assisting me with the psychological screenings, but the medical screenings take priority. We need to know if anyone has been infected right away. It often doesn't take long for someone to go berserk. From what I've heard, while it is possible for someone who has been bitten to last for a couple of hours, some of them turn almost immediately."

Sebastian perked up at the mention of the psych evaluations, "Why are we doing psych evals on people?"

In the Styrker-
"Good question, Airman," said Captain Kelleher. "Several of the people at the clinic, both on the staff and among the patients, have experienced mental breakdowns. It is not clear whether madness is one of the symptoms of the infection, or if it is merely caused by the stress and trauma of the day, but we have to keep an eye on anyone with psychological problems, and if they're severe enough they may have to be isolated or even sedated. There were some blue on blue incidents during the outbreak, and it's not known yet whether mental instability played a role."

OOC,Blue on blue is Air Force terminology for what is commonly known as "friendly fire."

Sebastian nods to the Captain before settling back and closing his eyes.

In the Stryker-
"This is Lt. Colonel Carmichael," reported the colonel on the radio. "I just got word from Captain Johansen. He said that the infected were eliminated, and that one civilian was acidentally hit but not bitten."

"Well, that's one less thing to worry about," said Captain Claire Kelleher. "I'll see to the wounded civvy when we arrive."

"We're coming up on the clinic parking lot now," called the driver. "Don't relax just yet! It looks like a fight's breaking out in the parking lot. There's a big civilian trying to fight off a bunch of people in orange suits!"

"Everyone get ready for trouble!" said Crew.

Sebastian readies his weapon and moves towards the door. "Ready on your go Sergeant Major"

In the Stryker-
"Why are there civilians outside in the first place?" asked Captain Kelleher to nobody in particular. "That's a serious breach of quarantine!"

OOC,Everyone is moving to the following thread.

Triage