"Midshipman. I'm curious. You've had a bit of training here so far; what's your assessment and how would you handle this?" General Black asked. "Well, sir. I don't really know the town or the terrain." Evan began. "That is a good start, Midshipman. You didn't just jump in without a plan. It's always important to know your battlefield." The General replied. They pulled up a satellite photo of Goathland Station with identifying markers. Evan explained that if he was a terrorist group he would want to make the biggest bang quickly but also cause the most terror.
Given that most of the targets appeared to be hotels or guest houses…."Fire, sir. Fire. After the residents go to sleep. To wake up to smoke and fire? That would bring the terror and mayhem. People would be confused, then terrified. They would scramble to find their loved ones and flee outside without thinking. They would run outside without shoes or warm clothes – it's the end of November now so the bitter cold would catch them, and they won't expect terrorists to await them outside. If we are to take their attack at Gandy as an example of what they do, it will be like shooting fish in a barrel." Evan began while looking at the satellite photo.
"The train station, the Goathland Hotel, and the Inn on the Moor Hotel are all located on this stretch of The Grn. The Goathland Hut is located a short ways south of the hotels, just along this path here sir. The Goathland Village Hall and the Fairhaven Country Guest House are further along The Grn, just after the bend in the road to the south. The targets appear to be grouped in two main areas. The terrain is flat to rolling terrain, trees in some areas, but mostly agricultural.
Seems mostly rural so the townspeople are not likely to be roaming around much at night. The Goathland Hut and the Village Hall sound more like assembly or event locations and are not likely to be occupied much at night – I wouldn't think those are high-value targets to them, so maybe more symbolic of government? Assuming they will be arriving all together at one drop-off point, probably between the Goathland Hotel and the Village Hall, they would likely split into two groups, and then each sub-group would splinter off into three teams each as they got to their objectives: one just north of the Village Hall, one at the Fairhaven Country Guest House, one at the intersection of the roads in between, one at the Inn on the Moor, and one between the Goathland Hotel and train station, to control incoming traffic. Assuming two to five tangos per team – between 12 and 30 tangos." The Commander and General Black were exchanging looks between them, trying to figure out the Midshipman. "There doesn't seem to be much high ground along these roads – some of the buildings are 2- or 3-story and could provide over watch capabilities. Some are tree-lined, so minimal to some coverage. "Sirs, what would be the terms of engagement?" Evan asked.
"Smart question, lad. Due to the sensitive nature of certain groups, we must confirm intent to cause harm before retaliatory response can commence. In short, they have to fire first," responded the Commander. "How sophisticated are our tangos, sir?" he asked the Commander. "Well, if Gandy is any measure, not very. In Gandy they showed up wearing robes and masks and just began firing. Truthfully, I don't expect much different, except for the time of day. Why don't you finish your analysis and proposal for action, Midshipman" the Commander replied.
"The terms of engagement would exclude setting up an ambush along The Grn, away from homes and buildings. We need to 'catch them in the act'." Evan continued. "That carries a higher risk to the residents. My Sensei says the best defense is not to be where you are supposed to be. If possible, I would evacuate or relocate the residents to another part of town to reduce the risk of them getting hurt. Then I would set up ambush teams at each location: lead them by the nose into locations that would give us the advantage. Maybe we could place utility truck cherry pickers in strategic locations to give us high-point advantage for snipers.
If there is a way to get an eye in the sky that could use infra-red to scan for tangos outside the operational area just for security that would be great. Lastly, I would have sufficient fire-fighting resources available at each location." Evan concluded. Both the Commander and the General Black were impressed. The general outline of what Evan proposed had merit. They asked if he had any further recommendations. Evan responded "Stay away from the lights coming from the sticks in their hands."
One of the classes they recently had was trapping for survival. It made no sense setting up traps where prey did not frequent. One had to find trails frequented by the prey, and sometimes funnel them into the trap. It was somewhat ironic, he thought after having his talk with the Commander and the General earlier. It was like a book he recently finished – Go Rin No Sho, or The Book of Five Rings written by Miyamoto Musashi.
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