OPERATION LONE LINE - AFTER ACTION REPORT (20 JUN 2016 @ 0712)

OPERATION LONE LINE - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: LT Naomi Bowden


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 3x Seekers, 3x Floaters, 3x Sectoids, armed with plasma weapons

o Friendly Forces
 - CPL Naomi "Artemis" Bowden (United Kingdom)
 - CPL Jirina "Stiletto" Markusova (Czech Republic)
 - SPC Wushun Zhu (China)
 - SPC Leigh Fahey (United States)
 - SPC Maurice Vos (Netherlands)
 - PFC Synclair Mallari (Phillipines)
 - PFC Caio de Abreu (Brazil)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to China, 20 JUN 2016 @ 0712 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Abduction Operations.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 0930 hrs. The squad was assembled in the Skyranger 0521, and we touched down in China at 0712 hrs. The LZ was scarce of cover, so we moved to what cover was available as quickly as possible. Nearly immediately, CPL Markusova spotted a pod of Seekers, just before they went into stealth. We converged  into a formation where we could provide overwatch, and waited for the bastards to come out of hiding. 

Two of them came out of hiding almost immediately. I saw the one nearest Mallari first, but apparently one had also appeared directly above me, intent on locking me down with its tentacles. I took down the one going after Mallari, while the converged fire from the rest of the squad left little recognizable of the one that was coming after me. 

When the third did not immediately appear, we started moving toward the distant building, where Fahey had reported hearing something. As we approached, we saw a Meld canister, but before we could reach it, the third Seeker manifested. The squad massed fires, but even so it took several direct hits to take it down. By the time Fahey made it to the Meld, it was already locking down. 

I ordered the squad to spread out, with Fahey and de Abreu going right, and Vos and Zhu providing overwatch.  At my signal, we breached the building, and spotted a pod of Floaters on the far side of the building. PFC Mallari made the first kill, taking a long shot at an exposed Floater nearly on our left flank. When the remaining Floaters did not advance, we took the fight to them. 

Markusova dashed in, drawing fire so the rest of the squad could move, and snapped a shot as soon as she made cover, killing the Floater that had shot at her. With the other in full cover, we advanced, while de Abreu opened the rear wall, so Zhu and Vos could get into the fight. Unfortunately, the last Floater proved difficult to kill, so it fell to Fahey to charge in and flank it with her shotgun. Once it was down, she reported another Meld canister, but of course, it closed as we tried to reach it.

A few quick probing advances showed that the remainder of the building was clear, so we flexed back toward the other building. We stacked on multiple breach points, and went in at the same time, with Zhu taking to the rooftops. It was in the laundromat that we met further resistance, in a pod of Sectoids. Mallari, Markusova and myself were in contact, while Vos, Fahey and de Abreu came in from the cafe, and Zhu moved to cover from the rooftops. 

Markusova moved up and took a close flank on the closest, while the other two scattered for cover out in front of the laundry. Zhu, from his rooftop vantage, had a clean shot, but the X-Ray jerked back at the last moment, and he only grazed it. CPL Markusova dashed the gap, drawing fire, and letting the rest of the squad advance. Mallari and Fahey moved up and flanked the two Sectoids from around the bus stop, putting them down almost simultaneously.

We cleared the remainder of the site, but met with no further hostiles.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain: 
 - Mult-directional breech
 - Explosives to shape the battlefield

o Improve:
 - Use Scanner for better battlefield awareness
 - Overwatch element still needs to be close enough to engage