Operation Broken Pepper

Scheduled for Sunday 28 March 2021

1. SITUATION
Situation Time: Tuesday, 6 October 2015 05h30L
Lighting: Dark/Dawn (Sunrize @ 06:00)
Weather: Clear.

Zulu Company, Alpha Platoon has been stationed at the air base at KalaeNoowi, Lithium for the past week. A lull in unrest in the region provided a much needed break for the battle-weary troops of Zulu-Alpha and members were allowed time off to enjoy the KalaeNoowi nightlife and culture. One member of ZA failed to make the mandated 03:00 curfew and an immediate roll call and search was conducted. It was soon discovered that the member, an Engineer attached to ZA, was missing. An immediate task force was activated and after a short investigation, witnesses at a local bar reported that a man resembling a ZA soldier was seen being bundled into the back of a land rover by local militia members.
A quick follow-up by ZA Intelligence managed to secure images from a roadside security camera, showing what appears to be a militia convoy leaving the area towards the South. One image appears to confirm the presence of the ZA Engineer in the third vehicle in the convoy.

Approximately 30 minutes ago, ZA Intelligence managed to pick up what appears to be the engineer’s cellular phone coming online for a few seconds before going dark again. It is believed that he has managed to keep hold of his phone and is periodically turning it on and off to allow the signal to be tracked. There are serious concerns about the phone’s remaining battery life and his ability to keep turning it on without being discovered.

ZA’s GPS devices have been rigged to allow them to pick up a cardinal bearing to the cell phone signal. Due to the short duration of activation and lack of ISR resources in the area, it is not possible to get distance to the signal, so ZA will have to find a way to locate his position using only the direction picked up when it turns on.

Zulu-Alpha has been placed on high alert in preparation for a rescue mission as soon as a location can be identified.

A. Enemy Forces:
Local militia in Lithium have been a destabilising force for the past decade, although following recent successful interventions by ZA they were thought to have gone underground. Last night’s targeted abduction of a ZA service member is their boldest action yet and HQ is rightly concerned that intelligence on them might be insufficient and outdated. It is believed that the militia will be trying to evade any rescue operation by staying mobile and would most likely be actively looking for a group to sell their valuable bounty to. The security footage shows a convoy of four vehicles, with the service member in the third vehicle, a tan-colored UAZ with a soft top. A total of 17 armed militia have been identified in the convoy.

B. Friendly Forces:
Zulu Company, Alpha platoon stationed at the air base at KalaeNoowi.

1) Equipment: Standard equipment, no UAV or Stomper.
2) Surveillance: None
3) Ground Vehicles: 4 x HMMWV M2, 2 x RG-31 Mk5E M2, 1 x HMMWV Ambulance, 1 x HEMTT Transport, 1 x HEMTT Repair, 2 x HEMTT Fuel, 1 x HEMTT Medical
4) Fixed Wing: None
5) Rotary Wing: 2 x MH-6 Littlebird, 2 x UH-60M, 1 x UH-60M MEV (Medical)
6) Naval: None

C. Other friendly forces: None

D. Civilian Presence: Local civilian population, sympathetic to the militia but mostly neutral to Western forces.

2. Mission
A. Locate the abducted ZA member
B. Rescue the ZA member
C. Return the ZA member to the air base for debriefing

3. General Instructions
It appears that the member is activating his cell phone for a few seconds every five minutes or so, giving us a way to get a compass bearing to his location, although ZA Intelligence estimates up to a 20 degree arc of uncertainty.
The rescue will have to be conducted with great care and precision to avoid injuring or killing the engineer in the process.

4. Specific Instructions
None

Meta-Mission details:
Location:
Lithium -> co16_Operation_Broken_Pepper_v1.#.#

Medical System:
Advanced ACE Medical.

Respawn Policy:
Standard respawn at airport.

Special Mods:
None.

Special Requirements:
None.