06-24-2016, 11:09 PM
The trip from the ferry crossing to the waiting Baadi Qasriga, the 'Somalian' transport ship, took less then an hour. Once the coastguard ships hit open water, they were able to open the engines to full throttle, easily cutting through the rough waters off the Ivory Coast.
The ship was waiting for them, and as the first of the Sierra Leonean coastguard vessels pulled along-side, lifts and ladders were dropped over the side to allow the Legionnaires to board quickly. It was, perhaps, the first time in Zhou Ah Sung's life where he was not annoyed to see coast guard vessels alongside his ship. As an arms dealer with some years of experience under his belt, he had long since learned how to bribe such officials.
Captain Zhou Ah Sung awaited the Legionnaires as they came clambering onto the deck of his ship, where his crew were ready to direct them towards various parts of the ship where the F3LIN suits were unpacked and ready to be worn.
The suits were a decade behind the times, technology wise, compared to those used by major world powers. But they were decades ahead of the times for military power in Africa.
The crates the suits came, while on the surface little more then large wooden boxes, were standing equipment stations, meant to assist a soldier in equipping the otherwise ungainly suits of armour. Video instructions were relayed via monitors built into the crate, including how to customize the suits to fit better, how to use the suits operating system.
Other crates sat open and waiting; weapons. The standard assault rifle of the Legion, the FAMAS F3, while certainly a fine weapon, would fail to fully utilize the capabilities the F3LIN suits offered.
Waiting in the crate were a variety of heavier weapon systems. .50 caliber M4 Browning machineguns had been modified to function as belt-fed rifle systems. At 70lbs (far lighter then the traditionally designed M2s used by the Legion as vehicle-mounted weapons), the M4 would be the service weapon of the F3LIN equipped troops. Support weapons, ranging from automatic grenade launchers to 20mm anti-tank rifles would give the F3LIN troops the punch they would need to overpower most conventional African forces, under the right circumstances of course.
For the Legionnaires aboard the Baadi Qasriga, it would be readily evident that the weapons aboard the ship had been paid for months ago, long before the events in Sierra Leone or even the Battle of Jeddah. To some, it would arise uncomfortable questions; had the events playing out in Sierra Leone been planned in some fashion? Had Jacques always sought to gain control of a country?
The truth of it was that the F3LIN suits had been years in the making, an acquisition long in the works for Jacques and Legion Premiere. They would have given the company a leg up over its competition, especially with the recently opened CCD market. As for the tanks and vehicles held in the ship's hold, those had been a far more recent purchase.
Once the Legionnaires of Operation Gauntlet were geared up and had a chance to at least browse the user interface of the F3LIN systems, they would receive orders on the operations second phase. The return via coastguard vessel to the mainland, hitting instead at the sea-ward commercial docks rather then the inlet ferry crossing, and proceed to Wallace-Johnson's base of operations, the Sierra Leonean parliament.
In the aftermath of Operation Rien N'Empeche's success, what remained of his forces in the city were already entrenching around the government sector, supported by a handful of armoured vehicles. The Legionnaires would have their work cut out for them, but the General's troops weren't near so well trained or experienced.
The ship was waiting for them, and as the first of the Sierra Leonean coastguard vessels pulled along-side, lifts and ladders were dropped over the side to allow the Legionnaires to board quickly. It was, perhaps, the first time in Zhou Ah Sung's life where he was not annoyed to see coast guard vessels alongside his ship. As an arms dealer with some years of experience under his belt, he had long since learned how to bribe such officials.
Captain Zhou Ah Sung awaited the Legionnaires as they came clambering onto the deck of his ship, where his crew were ready to direct them towards various parts of the ship where the F3LIN suits were unpacked and ready to be worn.
The suits were a decade behind the times, technology wise, compared to those used by major world powers. But they were decades ahead of the times for military power in Africa.
The crates the suits came, while on the surface little more then large wooden boxes, were standing equipment stations, meant to assist a soldier in equipping the otherwise ungainly suits of armour. Video instructions were relayed via monitors built into the crate, including how to customize the suits to fit better, how to use the suits operating system.
Other crates sat open and waiting; weapons. The standard assault rifle of the Legion, the FAMAS F3, while certainly a fine weapon, would fail to fully utilize the capabilities the F3LIN suits offered.
Waiting in the crate were a variety of heavier weapon systems. .50 caliber M4 Browning machineguns had been modified to function as belt-fed rifle systems. At 70lbs (far lighter then the traditionally designed M2s used by the Legion as vehicle-mounted weapons), the M4 would be the service weapon of the F3LIN equipped troops. Support weapons, ranging from automatic grenade launchers to 20mm anti-tank rifles would give the F3LIN troops the punch they would need to overpower most conventional African forces, under the right circumstances of course.
For the Legionnaires aboard the Baadi Qasriga, it would be readily evident that the weapons aboard the ship had been paid for months ago, long before the events in Sierra Leone or even the Battle of Jeddah. To some, it would arise uncomfortable questions; had the events playing out in Sierra Leone been planned in some fashion? Had Jacques always sought to gain control of a country?
The truth of it was that the F3LIN suits had been years in the making, an acquisition long in the works for Jacques and Legion Premiere. They would have given the company a leg up over its competition, especially with the recently opened CCD market. As for the tanks and vehicles held in the ship's hold, those had been a far more recent purchase.
Once the Legionnaires of Operation Gauntlet were geared up and had a chance to at least browse the user interface of the F3LIN systems, they would receive orders on the operations second phase. The return via coastguard vessel to the mainland, hitting instead at the sea-ward commercial docks rather then the inlet ferry crossing, and proceed to Wallace-Johnson's base of operations, the Sierra Leonean parliament.
In the aftermath of Operation Rien N'Empeche's success, what remained of his forces in the city were already entrenching around the government sector, supported by a handful of armoured vehicles. The Legionnaires would have their work cut out for them, but the General's troops weren't near so well trained or experienced.