[spoiler]Act III Part 1 Archive: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/242853482/0/0[/spoiler] The team has spent the past 62 hours in preparation of their next move from their makeshift F.O.B. The sunken building would have been roughly two stories tall before it was swallowed by the sands of Mars, yet the combination of high build placement and the position of a large rock wall has slowed it's consumption by the red sand. The weight accumulated over decades has caused the ceiling to partially collapse, allowing entry from above with a gentle slope of sand breaking through the remains of a second floor to lead down to a still spacious shell of a first well below the new ground level. Patterson sits at a folding table, taking notes and marking details on a large, paper map. A projected map lacks the ease of making such notes, and Patterson has always preferred writing the details of his plans by hand. When not writing, he sits impatiently waiting for updates from Lee. The Cabal fortress is roughly 6 hours Southwest of the team's outpost. As the Cabal have been keeping a close eye out for any foreign aircraft since the ketch incident, Lee has elected to scout ahead via sparrow. He lays on a ridge just beyond easy visibility of fortress, peering through his scope to watch Cabal activity. For almost two days, he has been feeding information to Patterson about the layout of the fortress, guard routes and rotations, vehicle traffic... anything that could aid in creating a plan with as little confrontation as possible. Unfortunately, his sight is limited to the exterior, though he believes he has found the location of a detention block based on movement of food, guards, and interrogation equipment. Bee has spent her time preparing the team's weapons and equipment. Taking advantage of the Onyx Guard's small arsenal and repair equipment, she has either repaired or replaced components of both her and Patterson's armor that had been significantly damaged over the past few days. Though she has opted to retain her shotgun, she has managed to affix it with the bayonet of a retro Lancer. The Onyx Guard has set up solar panels within the building to charge a terminal. To prevent the panels from giving away their position, he has limited panel use to peak hours of the sun while keeping them within the building. The panels are small and the process is slow, but the terminal is necessary to establish contact with the satellite cloaked in orbit around the planet. Patterson knows the fortress is too large to infiltrate unnoticed. A frontal assault puts the both the team and exo at risk. The Cabal would simply bombard any attempt to lead away their defensive forces with artillery. The fortress is covered in AA, so a dropship is out of the question. He plans to use topography to their advantage: Pikes kick up less dust than the sparrows that fly closer to the ground. As such, they can use the pikes to weave between dunes and through empty trenches without drawing as much attention to themselves on their way in and out, but the entrance itself is a no-man's land with turrets overlooking the area. Any side entrance is covered by the constant watch of sniper teams, but the guards on turret duty for the main gate swap out every few hours. A large enough diversion during a guard change could cause confusion to aid entry into the fortress and prevent at least a fraction of the turrets from being used by the time they make their escape. "Is your thingy working now?" Bee asks as she sits atop her makeshift workbench, swaying her legs back and forth in the vacant space beneath her. The Onyx Guard exhales a long sigh before responding with a simple, "[i]No[/i]." Patients is in his nature, but has been worn thin by the inefficiency of the solar panels. Patterson looks up from the map, trying to stay awake as his head remains propped up by his arm. "If it's that bad at charging, how are you supposed to use it when we move to the fort?" "[i]Just need it active for a few minutes to sinc the satellite up with the targeting beacon[/i]," the Gear said, motioning toward a bulky target designator. "[i]After that, we won't have to worry about the terminal[/i]." Patterson drops his head back down to face the map. "And your satellite will make a diversion big enough to get us a way in?" he asked, still unsure of the Onyx Guard's 'super weapon.' "[i]I can guarantee it[/i]." Lee's voice projects from Eular's shell, "sixth rotation. Looks like we've got the pattern down. You alright for me to head back?" "Yeah," Bee responds. "Poor Pat is about to fall asleep, and you're the only one that's allowed to play with welders..." An audible sigh is heard from Lee, "that right there is why I don't let you touch the blowtorch. Gonna head that way, see you in a bit." By this point, Patterson has walked over and collapsed on his sleeping bag. Bee attempts to motion Eular over to her, tape in hand as she reaches into a pouch and pulls out a pair of googly eyes. The Onyx Guard looks over at the perimeter security monitors, glancing to make sure the area is clear before walking over to take Patterson's seat at the table. "How's your laser supposed to help us again?" Bee asks, working a strip of tape into a circle and sticking it to the back off the plastic decoration. "The Cabal aren't cats." "[i]It's a target designator. The laser highlights where you want the shot to land. Hold the trigger and watch the light show[/i]," the Onyx Guard replied, slumping back into the chair. "Neat," she says as she gently pushes a second eye onto the top of Eular's shell. "Go get him!" she whispered in excitement, pointing toward the sleeping Patterson. "[i]Aren't there any orbital defense systems or long range missile artillery left on Earth? How can you not know what a designator is?[/i]" The Gear asks, turning the chair toward Bee and leaning forward. "None that I know of. I thought Pat explained that we were pushed back to a single city." "[i]He said you had one last 'safe city.' I assumed people would be trying to expand outward and be setting up outposts or camps. Take back lost ground, reclaim weapon systems that can still be salvaged... There's too much out there that you could use to not try to get it back[/i]." "I don't know," she said, reaching a hand across her chest to rub her upper arm. "We've been doing hit jobs and patrols since being revived, but never actually done anything to reclaim territory. A team of three can run an assassination strike; a team of six can go against the most powerful of enemy leaders... but the city leaders never try to set anything up on the grounds we claim. Goes against everything dad taught us... Think that's why Lee tries to keep us away from the City. They're all backed into a corner waiting to die." "[i]It's good to have a beacon of hope or survival, but if they don't start trying set up other safe locations, they might as well start lining up against a wall.[/i]." "I know. Just hope none of us is there when the firing squad comes."