Setting up a safe temporary base of operations was the team's top priority as soon as they entered the complex. Highly skilled Core Army soldiers manned the entire facility, and they would surely respond angrily to any unauthorized personnel. Nora noted that the vehicle bay had a number of benefits, including being in the middle of the area, having plenty of cover in case it was needed, and having comparatively little traffic based on the schematics. A malicious gleam appeared in Yan's eyes upon hearing this, but it was swiftly extinguished by Nayla's piercing gaze.
Since maintaining stealth was still crucial, all communication was done through hushed whispers or pre-planned hand signals. As they moved in single file down the hallways to the car bay, Nayla kept a close eye on her portable infrared scanner. On the display, a number of heat signatures were visible, but they were all securely confined behind walls to their right. Although there were a few tense moments where discovery seemed imminent, getting to the garage turned out to be fairly easy. A sizable Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), known as a "Hustler" by the Rim Army, served as their base. The APC had basic sensor equipment that allowed them to scan about half the base at once, and they had firing ports that they carefully manned. As is common with military equipment, its interior was functional despite being austere.
The garage itself was about 250m square and contained what looked like a whole mechanized division's worth of vehicles: 20 CLS-8 "Colossus" heavy tanks, 10 MMR-11 "Myrmidon" reconnaissance tanks, and 20 HSR-3 "Hustler" APCs. Yan clearly wanted to take control of a Colossus and wreak massive havoc on the facility, but the other members of the team vetoed this idea. With four powerful Particle Accelerator Cannons (PACs) mounted atop a heavily armored turret, two surface-to-air missile racks, and three automated anti-personnel cannons, the Colossus was a formidable machine that measured five meters in width and eight meters in length. There had to be two crew members to operate it efficiently.
"Come on, guys, it's too perfect!" Yan muttered frantically. "The most powerful war machine in the Core Army arsenal, just sitting here waiting for us!"
"Yan," innocently responded Nayla, "did it ever cross your mind that there are nineteen other equally powerful tanks nearby, presumably with full crews stationed less than a kilometer away?"
"Who cares?!" Yan responded with a hiss. "We could level this place before they even heard the engines!"
"Not happening, Yan," Nora said bluntly, putting an end to the argument.
In the center of the APC's cabin was a fold-out table with a detailed map of the base. Everyone gathered around it except Yan, who continued to look out a gun port at the rows of tanks with a lustful gaze. The meeting to discuss their next course of action began.
Nora made a firm statement, "I don't care if it causes the most damage," Our goal is sabotage, which calls for delicacy rather than full-scale combat. Stealth is what we need. Ideally, they shouldn't even be aware of our presence until it's too late. Yan appeared ready to defend the tanks, but Nora interrupted him. "But plain explosives are boring!" Yan muttered an objection. "Can you even imagine what we could do with one of those Colossus tanks?!"
Coolly, Nora shot back, "No, and I have no intention of trying," "You have been assigned to take care of setting up any explosives that are required. "What functional difference exists between one well-placed explosion and another?" is a rhetorical question that should not be answered. Yan slumped his shoulders a little and returned his focus to the map, defeated.
Nora went on, "Now, back to business," "Our primary targets are the fusion reactor, the raw materials depot, the main docking bay, and the defense systems control room."
"Judging by these layouts," Yan said, suddenly serious, "a few grams of explosive charge on remote detonators should be sufficient to completely disable each of these targets."
Kieran continued, drawing lines on the map, "I could determine the best location for maximum impact if I had the detailed circuit diagrams for this facility."
"I can handle that," Nayla said before continuing. Her assigned position as a Diagnostics Officer required her to have a thorough understanding of systems architecture and a variety of computer languages. Although she was skilled at upsetting systems, she acknowledged that Luna had taken a long time to teach her how to hide her digital footprint because fixing intricate sabotage wasn't a skill she had focused on. It was surprisingly simple to gain access to the facility's technical database; after three minutes of navigating through comparatively simple encryption protocols, she was able to gain full administrative access. It was obvious that the base command had not given much thought to internal network security. She printed all 246 indexed pages of the facility schematics. Kieran skimmed through them, throwing out 213 pages of unrelated information. The intricate diagrams, which were full of technical icons that the others were not familiar with, could only be fully understood by him.
Kieran took a copy of the base map and annotated the most important vulnerability points in each target area with yellow dots after spending approximately an hour studying the pertinent schematics while the team completed their overall plan. He was also able to determine the exact quantity of explosive needed for each location thanks to the diagrams. Choosing to delay the operational phase until the next morning, they spent the rest of the night either getting equipment ready or trying to unwind. Although it was completely normal for him, Kieran's meticulous disassembly of his mechanical hand for cleaning still unnerved the others. Earlier, Nora had snagged and broken the string on the sheath of her sword, and now she replaced it carefully on her crossbow. Every half hour or so, Luna and Nayla found and printed out bits of potentially useful data as they continued to explore the base's computer network. Yan replaced both magazines in less than eight seconds after practicing reloading drills with his OICW.
As they alternated between standing watch inside the APC, they managed to get roughly seven hours of interrupted sleep. At 0600 hours, Yan, who worked the last shift, woke everyone up on time. Reluctantly, they got up; the APC provided surprisingly cozy sleeping quarters for a military vehicle.
Before leaving the APC in single file, the team swiftly finished their breakfast rations, loaded their weapons methodically, and sharpened their blades one last time. With Kieran's schematic overlays now visible on the map, Nora took the lead and gathered all the information that was required in one location. The defense control station was their first target. By neutralizing it, they would have a fair amount of freedom inside the facility, until their presence was eventually detected. Kieran's examination of the schematics revealed that the station was mostly automated, reducing the number of employees needed. This was supported by the guard rotation schedules that Nayla and Luna had obtained, which revealed that no employees were expected inside the security center until 08:00. Kieran had also noticed that the corridors were lined with motion and sound sensors, but that they were positioned so that someone could pass through them quietly and carefully.
Only their silenced pistols, the only weapon type shared by all five with suppressors (even Kieran's heavy.45 had a large 'can'-style silencer), were drawn when they moved. Unless there was a significant, inevitable firefight, their heavier weapons would stay stowed. Nora had given them standing orders to use knives to subdue a guard in silence if the chance presented itself.
They moved carefully for twenty minutes and arrived at the security center door without any problems. Knowing that one inconsiderate step could set off an alarm, Luna carefully walked around the electronic lock. She made a brief hand signal after isolating the appropriate wires. The group stiffened. Luna intertwined the cables. Silently, the door slid open. With their weapons raised, the four eager companions hurried into the room and immediately spread out to cover every available space. If anyone had been in the room, they would have been caught in a deadly crossfire, but it was empty.