Operation: Tattered Flag

Operation: Tattered Flag was a mission undertaken by the Tombstone PMC in the year 2082. It is considered to be the worst operation the team has ever taken part in, given the sheer quantity of injuries sustained by those involved.

Mission Brief
Two teams took part at different stages of Operation: Tattered Flag. The aim was to obtain information regarding a secret base believed to belong to the vigilante Adam, creator of the Reporter android. It was discovered by Lieutenant Commander Felix Cameron that the coordinates of the aformentioned base was the site of a series of redactions regarding Tombstone PMC mission briefings. These redactions of information had escalated to the point of a serious misconception, in which the Tombstone was put in charge of the transport of two dangerous Psionic convicts. The Tombstone was not equipped to contain anyone of such power, and as a result, Lieutenant Gregory Winters was killed in action while guarding the prisoners.

The team launched an assualt/covert mission in an attempt to prevent any further information being tampered with. A distraction team, led by J.Lieutenant Drog and Lieutenant Eugene Roe, fired a rigged carrier at a nearby cache owned by the company in charge of the base. Sergeant King had loaded the carrier, previously owned by Commander Hendricks, with several tons of explosives.

After this suitably distracted the security personel, the distraction team made way to distract them, but was caught in the crossfire of automated laser turrets. As a result, Lieutenant Manning's right arm was severed, and the Stork carrying the team was forced to make an emergency landing. A furious fire-fight followed.

Meanwhile, the Infiltration Team had successfully passed through the base undetected, eventually making their way into the server room where most information was stored. The team was led by Kat Langford, and consisted of; Victoria King, Felix Cameron, Larissa Matrona, Simon Adalfwolf, and the Psionic, Stark.

After entering the server room, Kat realised the room was guarded by five primed Reporter androids. They were quickly engaged in a fight, in which Larissa was the first to be downed. Back in the Stork, Felix became aware of a failsafe in the Reporter's programming: when there was only one system left, the android was programmed to detonate a series of chemical explosives. This information was passed on just as the second last Reporter was killed, and the room detonated.

Only Victoria and Stark managed to regain consciousness, but quickly realised the room had vented and time was running out. Wolf was pinned to the wall, having been run through with a length of rebar. Larissa was heavily injured and unconscious, and Kat had already been shot too many times to stand. Additionally, Kat had suffered from the impact of the detonating Reporter, having been the one closest to it as it blew up. Her chest had been severely pierced with shrapnel.

It took a short while for Kat's Oxygen Bubbles to deploy, ensuring a safe supply for all until Cameron arrived with the Stork and shuttled the injured team back to the Tombstone, but not before offering assistance to the massacred Distraction Team, who were performing an emergency extraction with a one-armed Angel at the helm, and a cybered Drog holding the Stork together.

The aftermath which followed saw Lieutenant Ashley Wilson go three days without sleep, having been the only one left to be able to truly treat the injured. She eventually passed out on her office floor.

Injury List
Edward King: Near-decapitation with a laser rifle. Required extensive surgery and eventual placement in a bacta tank. Victoria herself had to assist with the surgery on her brother, and was psychologically traumatised as a result. He was later secretly empathically healed by Kat.

Noah Savage: A miscalculation with his own spell left Sparky severely electrocuted, immediately knocking himself unconscious. The burns and damage suffered to his skin and organs meant he had to be nearly immediately placed in stasis. He too was empathically healed by Kat, though Lieutenant Wilson remained unaware, until she discovered the extensive scarring on Kat's neck and hands.

Eugene Roe: While climbing the crashed Stork to reach Lieutenant Manning, Doc was hit by laser fire coming from the defence turrets. His right leg was crippled by the hit, and later required amputation just below the knee. He was fitted with a cyberleg later on.

Angel: The hatch of the Stork fell down on Angel's left arm, severing it. This was later magically regrown on Mars to preserve her Psionic talents.

Sarah Manning: As previously mentioned, Lieutenant Manning lost an arm in the opening volley of laser fire. This was later replaced with a cyberarm.

Simon Adalwolf: Wolf was impaled upon a piece of rebar when the initial detonation took place, and also suffered from atmosphere suffocation when the server room vented. This was countered by the inflation of his Oxygen Bubble.

Kat Langford: Taking the full blast of the detonating Reporter resulted in shrapnel infliction to Kat, much of it reaching her heart. She too began suffocating until her Oxygen Bubble deployed. The Commander was in such bad shape by the time the team returned to the Tombstone, Captain West believed she was dead upon first looking at her.

Victoria King: Though not physically injured in the event, Victoria was significantly affected by seeing her brother in such a mortal state, and had a fit of anxiety when she eventually saw him submerged in stasis. She required extensive time in isolation as a result, being seen by no one but Ashley for several days.

Many other crew members were injured, though not as severely, and were treated promptly and returned to service after significant resting time.