Updated: 01/25/2008		CON-030

Previous CON	RGHQ-51 Home Page	CON Reports Listings	DSTL Reports Listings	Ops Listings	Gate ID Chart	Next CON

Mission 1	Mission 2	Mission 3	Mission 4	Mission 5

Gatewatch Report

OPERATION MORTIMORS CROSS

July 27-29 2001

No surviving Gatewatch report for this CON.

CON-31 Roster

Additional Notes

• During Mission 2, although all SG team members were technically deceased, they were with the exception of Evans, revived off-world, and returned in a non-critical condition. Therefore ONLY Evans will be awarded the Purple Heart.
  
• Also during Mission 2, the missing Mk2 Stargazer unit was retrieved.
  
• During Mission 3 a crate of 330ml Coca Cola cans contaminated with ABC, were intercepted before delivery to a representative of the Nakamura Corporation. Purpose unknown.

Mission 1

Intelligence Summary: Standard Arborial world. Single unknown encountered and conversed with. Team exited through the gate with no other encounters.

After Action Reports:

MSGT S J Vosloo, Training Officer, 51 PKD, RGHQ-51

Contact mission report 27-29/7/2001

After a very long period of nasty sunspot activity RGHQ-51 was once again fully active.
Yet again we had lots of new faces in the base, mostly science and intel types though thankfully mainly field operatives. Unfortunately we did not have SG-16 present, which left us with a large gap in the PKD ranks.
We also had no PKD field officers present so Col. Law happily put me in charge of field activity as the highest-ranking PKD NCO on base.

Mission objectives

Recon new planet.

Mission protocols

PKD to control mission unless made contact with non-hostile forces at which point science team would take control.
Offensive actions only to be taken for self defence.

Description

Large numbers of non-PKD personnel on this mission. We also had COL Law along as an observer, he was teamed with me as part of the command team.

On entry to the planet found it to be a pleasant arboreal place. Science personnel spent some time analysing and photoing the area around the gate. After an hour or so recon caught sight of some movement which turned out to be a person attempting to evade us. Manoeuvred team until we had trapped him. SO Ash took control and negotiations began. Our panicky friend turned out to be scared of both UNMC & 'them', but especially 'them'. Apparently 'them' are unstoppable and kill everyone on sight while people that go with us just don't come back. He and his group are fighting a war against 'them'. Discussion between him and SO Ash lead to him amicably passing through our lines, though he did seem to gain far more intel on us than we did on him.

His departure was amicable enough that he felt relaxed enough to share a remark with MNE Webb re their choice in weapons.

Intel

*He pretty much told us he's part of a group fighting 'them'.

*Given his behaviour it is highly likely our encounter was with a 'naturally infected' off-worlder.

*Regarding his fear we can probably assume one of two things:
1. He had either been part of (or been in contact with) a group that had ‘met’ a UNMC team in the past.
2. He had heard nasty rumours about UNMC behaviour, though likely based on fact as his worries seemed close to our SOPs regarding treatment of personnel met off-world.

*Hopefully our behaviour towards him will have helped offset this.

Doctrine

Prior to the mission there was confusion in the team deployment. I had requested that all bootcamp trained or experienced PKD personnel be left out of bodyguarding duty so they could be used as recon and roaming teams. Instead they were all put on bodyguard duty and new field personnel from various divisions were put on recon duty despite not knowing any of the UNMC hand signals or protocols.

During the mission we had a few problems with communications, buddy teams breaking up & scouts attempting to act as a skirmish line but generally nothing serious.

What was serious was when one of the scouts fired during our encounter despite a repeatedly yelled order not to fire. Immediately after the mission it was claimed that he just hadn't heard the order but it later transpired that one of the other scouts was telling him to shoot for the legs through the radio which was drowning out verbal commands.

Suggestions

After our later encounter with 'them' (see mission 4) it would appear (at least on the surface) that we may want these people as allies. Enemy of my enemy and all that.

When there is a shortage of PKD personnel intel personnel should be used for protection of science personnel.
Far stricter radio control is needed.

The leader of the scout group should be an experienced member of PKD, preferably the unit 2IC.

A little more emphasis on the chain of command may help reduce the confusion levels.

***NEXT REPORT***

Dr Morticia Ash, Scientific Officer, 51st Scientific Division

Gate Operations 27-Jul-2001 - 29-Jul-2001

United Nations Scientific Corps

This was my first ever mission offworld and I was told that we were going to a planet designated as P298. We were tasked with the job of to reconnoitring the place, as no UNSGC team had ever been there before. We would be going through the gate at 10.14 hundred hours and our return gate would be at 11.01 hundred hours. Our orders were not to initiate hostile actions and if we made friendly contact, command of the mission would fall to myself as head of the UNSC. Since this was my first mission offworld Col. Law accompanied the team, to ensure a smooth chain of command between the UNMC-PKD and the UNSC personnel.

Our gate transit, I was told, was pretty much what one comes to expect. A strange feeling of walking in limbo from that arises from the time distortion gate travel entails. As the team exited the gate we found ourselves in a verdant green landscape with woods off to our right. It was warm and I started perspiring immediately as the heat hit me. A large number of annoying insects were present and seemed to take an active role in adding to my discomfort and that of the other team members. However, time was limited and we took photographs of what appeared to be abandoned structures. Then we started on our mission to reconnoitre the area. First by commencing on a brief patrol of the surrounding area circling through the woods and then making our way back to the gate. It was while we were carrying out this part of our mission that we came across a lone human being. It was at this point that Msgt. Vosloo took command of the mission, as there was a risk that the person could be an advance member of a hostile force. It became apparent to me that our team was jumpy and expecting trouble, as one of the UNMC personnel started firing, but a command made him stop. Since the man we met didn't appear to want to cause us trouble, after some small confusion, command was transferred back to me.

He appeared to be of average height and weight. He spoke English, but the masks we wore made telling if he had an accent difficult. He was clearly very panicked, though apparently not just by us. He was also quite clearly rational and able to connect cause and effect. I gathered that he was the sole surviving member of another team that was also reconnoitring the planet and that they had come into contact with a hostile force that he euphemistically called "them".

From his account it appears that the people he represented were in a war with "them" and he saw the UNSGC teams as part of the problem. Quite clearly we were not "them", but we were killing his people and removing his friends to Earth, never to be returned. The hostile ones called "them", only function appeared to be killing and they do not remove their targets from the world where they were found. These "them" appeared to be like unstoppable killing machines that cannot be reasoned with. Our lone contact was unwilling to return through the gate to Earth with us, as quite clearly he didn't trust us to let him go home. He appeared to know that we would attempt to decontaminate him with experimental equipment. He was also able to make it clear to me that while he knew he was outnumbered and would die if a fight broke out. He also made it quite clear that it was preferable to die and take his chances than voluntarily come with us.

Given the clear desperation of the man and the small likelihood of gaining any information, by forcing him to go with us either dead or alive, it seemed preferable to try and build some trust between us. To that aim, I formally introduced myself and explained my role within the SG team. In the hope, that some good could come out of the chance meeting, I ordered that the man be allowed to proceed to the gate to go home. As he did so he exchanged a comment with one of the PKD personnel over their choice of weapon. This seemed to me to reflect the fact that he felt comfortable with how the meeting had gone.
At this point we just had sufficient time to complete the sweep that our patrol had started. Time was running out and it became imperative to head back to the gate for our jump home. However, I couldn't help but feel that that my actions were not considered appropriate by some within the team. Comments along the line that a more robust and forceful response should have been made. It appeared to me that the PKD personnel were as paranoid as the lone unknown that we had just met.

Our gate transit back to RGHQ51 came as a cool relief to the burning sun of P298.

***NEXT REPORT***

Debrief by Captain R de Beer, Notes taken by Lt T Stewart.  28 July 2001.

Colonel Law (went along as an observer)

Q         You went along as an observer only?
            Yes except had to step in and make sure that the transfer of command back to Captain Ash OK.

Q         She stated that there were no problems so what happened?
            Her close order protection didn’t appear to be doing the job satisfactorily (Monroe?) The Close Protection Division needs to be trained with the SG teams to understand communications. - They should stick to their assigned target personnel - he had a tendency to roam off and with the communications problems couldn’t take over if difficulty arises.

            Vosloo may not have been aware of any problems but Jason J Darius was, possibly due to inexperience, a little too far out.
            The contact seemed initially aggressive and armed but not hostile.  Contact seemed lucid and in control of his full faculties, he also seemed to be able to rationalise and assess his position, so was possibly not contaminated (ie not as badly as previous prisoners proved to be).  He had heard of what happens when people are taken back through the stargate with an SG team to earth and although was not wanting a fight was prepared to die and take as many of us rather than to return with the team.

            The world was a warm one with large numbers of insects.

Team

Captain Vosloo (sic. Msgt Vosloo) stated that the planet was very warm and nice and quiet.  The gate entry was and exit was clean, there were some strange structures but nobody around.
The started to walk around and spotted movement in wood, in response to this we went into combat posture.  After handing command back to science officer we had another check around to see if there was anything else and then returned to the gate point.

Q         Did any training issue arise?
            A bit more training in the buddy-buddy system.

Captain Ash stated that the contact seemed very scared and saw UNSGC as part of the problem.  Captain Ash felt she needed more officer training and some SOPs would have been useful on this occasion.

The contact had appeared scared of the people that don’t die and just as scared of the SG team.  He seemed to know what would happen if he returned with us.   He didn’t want to fight but would rather fight and die (taking as many of us with him as he could) than return to Earth with us.

The contact stated he was part of a 5-man team and had seemed to be pacing rather than patrolling as if he was at an emergency rendezvous point - he had sounded English.  The said that he’d seen people who looked human, but got up once shot and kept on coming and that they were ‘unstoppable’ (we think this means one of the seriously contaminated - supersoldiers).

He seemed to know that people who returned to Earth with SG teams and were decontaminated tended not to survive.
Brigadier-General Courtney stated that it is important to take note of the clothing and equipment of contacts on other planets to try to help establish if they may be MIAs.

Mission 2

Intelligence Summary: Standard Arborial world. Mission to a former colonised world. Multiple contacts encountered and engaged. Stargazer unit retrieved.

After Action Reports:

Dr Bradley Stokes, Assistant Scientific Officer, 51st Scientific Division.

Gate Operations 27-Jul-2001 - 29-Jul-2001

United Nations Scientific Corps

A mission to C213A on Saturday afternoon resulted in heavy casualties - the entire SG team having apparently been taken out by 'Them' - highly aggressive reanimating hostiles, much more dangerous than previously encountered reanimators. I am hopeful that future missions will be able to disable and retrieve one for study without overwhelming fatalities, the opportunities for learning could be highly valuable. From the reports, and the syringe returned with them, the group were discovered and revived by an unknown force - possibly German. They were injected with an unidentified substance, which rapidly repaired the damage and enabled the team to return through the stargate under their own power.

Not all team members were not fully revived, still being paralysed after the experience, but they responded well to treatment with the 'V-Tech' med unit. The syringe and medical results were forwarded to Porton Down for examination - possibly something will be learned from the residue, the restorative power of the substance seems much easier to apply than the current clumsy med-units. Past history of Porton in sharing such data does not give me much hope however.

***NEXT REPORT***

MSGT S J Vosloo, Training Officer, 51 PKD, RGHQ-51

Contact mission report 27-29/7/2001

Mission objectives

Back to the Philips colony world to try get the Stargazer 1 unit back through diplomacy.

Mission protocols

SD and MID in control of mission.
Offensive action only to be taken as a last resort should negotiation fail disastrously.

Description

Team somewhat under strength compared to the previous mission. As it was a diplomatic mission the team's weaponry was toned down in order to project a less aggressive image (which turned out to be a teeny weeny mistake). Put myself onto recon as a) I had been there before and had had successful negotiations with the colonists and b) PKD was not expected to need to take control of the mission.

On arrival on planet it was obvious that there had been a great deal of growth in the previous months, routes that had been clear on our previous visit were now blocked by dense vegetation. While heading towards the area we expected to find the colonists in based on previous encounters we heard voices with a hint of panic, but were unable to get closer due to the vegetation and had to double back and try a different route around the lake. 

As we went round the lake we could hear fire in the distance. Assumed the colonists were being attacked and went into a more tactical mode. Took control of the mission as there was a high risk of hostilities, though bearing in mind the mission objectives and protocols did not put us onto an offensive footing (which turned out to be another mistake). Made contact with unknown forces numbering at least 4 as we were dangerously strung out. Recon had just crossed a large marshy area and the rest of the team were on the other side. Attempts to make peaceful contact by both myself and SO Ash (who had been called forward as soon as visual contact was made) were met with fire and no verbal response.

Returned fire as soon as one of the team was hit (SO Ash?). Became obvious very quickly that these were a new, more dangerous, kind of opponent. When hit they went down, but got up again almost immediately. The speed with which they got up and the lack of any suitable cover in the area (even the slightest movement requiring a dive for cover from the volume of fire it attracted) made offensive manoeuvres seem unfeasible so as soon as we had the closest enemy down we legged it. The intention was to draw the enemy into an area where we could get decent cover and try to keep them suppressed. Got back to the defensive position near the gate OK only to find the enemy had also sent a team round the other side of the lake. As the position would only provide cover from one direction the recon team tried to hold off the enemy while the rest of the team moved to the nearby ditch for better cover (somehow CPL Vorsfelde had managed to understand my garbled yell as I leapt into a hole). In the firefight as we covered the team's withdrawal I was hit in the head and lost consciousness.

Came round in the ditch having been bandaged. The enemy had us surrounded, but were unable to close on us due to the lack of cover in the area. Unfortunately they had us surrounded and we were being worn down by attrition, their ability to recover quickly from normally fatal hits meant they could simply grind us down. Corporal Vorsfelde had even managed to get himself into a surreal form of close combat with one of them, but was taken down. At this stage, just as things were looking bad they got worse! Yet another off-world type made an appearance. Two armed types that just walked obliviously through the middle of the firefight. As they got closer the entire team's firepower was concentrated on them to no effect. Even head shots failed to phase them at all as they headed through our position and off towards the gate. Unfortunately the distraction took our attention off the true enemy and the team was decimated in short order, my last memory was attempting to roll away from a burst of fire heading my way.

Came round to the sight of a group of people (3 or 4) wandering around the team injecting them, had to assume I'd just been injected. The group were speaking what sounded like German and behaving very cautiously. The injections had varied effects - half the team were recovered completely while the rest of us had regained consciousness but had no control of our bodies, we were effectively paralysed. As those capable of movement started moving around they found a bag filled with rat packs that had been left at the team's position - someone was really trying to take care of us although we later found out that the rations in the bottom of the bag were contaminated. Also found one member of the team who hadn't been injected, he was in a hole a distance from the rest of the team.

The mobile members of the team did a wonderful job getting everyone and their kit up to the gate before return time. There we found the Stargazer 1 box lying, a little hidden, in the bushes adjacent to the gate & also the German's injector lying on the ground, looked as if it had been dropped accidentally.After a (very long due to the numbers of injured) session with Doc  Stokes and his magic box all the mission personnel were declared fit to go for the next mission.

Intel

*The troops we encountered would appear to be 'them' as described during our encounter in the previous mission.

*'They' seem to operate in pairs. This is a change from our previous obvious enemy encounters where trios were the rule.

The impressive combat abilities of ‘them’ could be due to one of many options:
1)      They regenerate faster and more completely than any troops met previously, thus bringing them up to combat strength almost immediately after a wound.
2)      Their metabolism makes them more resistant than normal to the effects of our rounds.
3)      They have some form of body armour or shielding that reduces the effects of our rounds.

*We will need to bring one of 'them' home for analysis to determine their abilities.

*The two that didn’t respond to fire may have been a new version of the old zombie troops that head off to a gate once shot, just these ones are more oblivious to the outside world than usual.

Doctrine

By co-ordinating firepower it might be possible to put these guys down and keep them down. We can then disable their weapons and tie them up. Will require far more firepower than we are used to using in a combat situation.

Would be helpful if all mission personnel were to carry rope for tying prisoners.

Would be a good idea to either increase the ratio of PKD personnel to SD and MID personnel in mission teams or reduce the level of protection offered to non-PKD personnel on missions. Attempts to protect SD and MID personnel seriously hampered combat operations, though doubtless would not have affected the end result in a noticeable way.

Suggestions

Need to go back to C213A as a matter of urgency to provide any aid required by the colonists after this sequence of firefights.

***NEXT REPORT***

Dr Morticia Ash, Scientific Officer, 51st Scientific Division

Gate Operations 27-Jul-2001 - 29-Jul-2001

United Nations Scientific Corps

This was my second mission offworld. We were going to a planet designated as C213A to try and recover the UNSC Stargazer 1 unit and its data. This planet use to be a Philips Corporation colony world, which was lost as a result of what we now call "Operation Clean Sweep". Our gate out was at 14.14 hundred hours and our return gate would be at 16.25 hundred hours. Our orders were again not to initiate hostile actions. Command of the mission would be shared between myself as head of the UNSC and Dr. Well representing MID. Otherwise the command would revert to PKD Msgt. Vosloo, if hostile forces were met.

I understood that the risk factor in meeting forces that would act in a hostile way was quite high. We knew that there was a chance that we would meet former Philips colonists on world who had become contaminated. These personnel were reported as not acting in a completely rationale manner and as a result are easily provoked into responding with force.
The strange feeling of walking in limbo was less troublesome on my third gate transit. I felt that I was getting the hang of this wormhole travelling. The team exited the gate and found another verdant green landscape with a sun-blazing overhead in what was equivalent to midday on Earth. More woodland beckoned and I felt the sweat pour down my back. Large insects again made their presence felt. Msgt. Vosloo commented that the area was more overgrown than he remembered it.
He then proceeded to lead the team in the general direction where colonists had been previously found. We walked into the woods and it was at this point that we heard sounds, which on hindsight were voices. The obvious route to the sounds looked too much like a trap set to ensnare us and Msgt. Vosloo insisted that the team take another route around a small lake to reach where the sounds were coming from.

As we came around the other side of the lake we saw I think three figures standing in the woods. Msgt. Vosloo and I think Dr. Well were in front and I was called up to try and initiate contact. However, the people we met responded with fire and in the initial exchange both Cpl. Vorsfelde and myself took hits. Fortunately, I was hit in my left arm, but he was hit on his right. At this point the situation had deteriorated somewhat and I propped my gun up on a branch so as to be able to return some suppressing fire. I noted that we all hit our opponents, but shortly after they got up again. It was apparent to all of us that we had met "them". Msgt. Vosloo ordered a tactical withdrawal as our team was strung out in a column while the enemy were in a line and therefore able to bring more effective fire on us.

I remember that we staggered around the lake to get back to a more defensible position, where we were able to dress our wounds. The respite was short though, as they then came at us again and it was obvious that everytime we shot "them" they would get up again. Msgt. Vosloo ordered the team to retreat to the edge of the woods where there was a dried up riverbed. It was here that Msgt. Vosloo took a hit to the head and command of the team fell apart. I desperately dressed his wounds while taking fire from the opposition. Dr. Carter was on my right and we could both see the body of Dr. Well in the woods having been shot down by "them". The next few minutes were ones of absolute confusion and mayhem. As we saw movement I would have to stop dressing Msgt. Vosloo and fire back and it was hard to tell if we were having any effect upon "them". Finally, I was able to complete the dressing and Msgt. Vosloo regained consciousness. I quickly brought him up to date on what had happened.

It was around this time that I noticed two more people walking through the woods. Dr. Carter had started shooting on them and Msgt. Vosloo and myself joined her. However, our fire was to no avail, as they just kept on walking right past us with our fire having no apparent effect. I saw Msgt. Vosloo put a complete magazine's worth of rounds into the head of one of the new arrivals. In the confusion of this exchange another member of our team was taken out and then I remember a shot hitting my head and falling unconscious.

My next memory was a stinging sensation in my arm and the blackness faded as I regained consciousness. Several men were wandering around injecting the team and speaking what sounded like German to me. However, I noticed one in particular as he had managed to tread on me, speaking in a very odd accent indeed. While I was now conscious I was unable to move properly. My body was all limp as if I had been given an anaesthetic. Fortunately, other younger team members were less affected and were able to move without problems. We were able to get organized and retrieve the body of Dr. Well, who the Germans hadn't found and injected, as he was in the woods some ways away from us.

Mission 3

Intelligence Summary: Standard Arborial world. Multiple contact encountered and engaged. Returned cans of infected sort drink and captives sent to Porton Down for further analysis (see DSTL report).

After Action Reports:

Dr Bradley Stokes, Assistant Scientific Officer, 51st Scientific Division.

Gate Operations 27-Jul-2001 - 29-Jul-2001

United Nations Scientific Corps

A former colony world, C055A was chosen for a night mission - the purpose being to discover any survivors of 'Operation Cleansweep', and re-establish contact if possible. Having accompanied the mission to provide medical assistance if required, our teamwork on the ground suffered from the lack of 'boot-camp' re-education that has resulted from recent events. Individual team members were highly effective, but group communication and coordination was poor, radio communication was non-existent, and the effects of heat-exhaustion from the earlier missions was beginning to disable some of the team. On the whole, we were lucky to return unscathed - the fact that this was not planned as a combat mission is the only excuse for sending such an un-prepared unit into combat...

That said, we encountered a lone individual - being nearest, I ascertained that he was carrying a large box of some sort, rather than a weapon. As he approached my position (I was a few yards away from the rest of the group) I realised I was about to be spotted, and stood up to meet him. I did not issue any challenge, being armed with my usual Heckler&Koch G3-SG1, I waited for him to speak first: He seemed pleased to see me, and I gathered that he as a courier expecting to hand over his cargo at this location. Rather than disappoint him, I spoke with him for long enough to discover that the instructions were in the box with the cargo, then clubbed him unconscious (As gently as possible:-). Having captured the courier and his cargo, I eventually attracted the attention of the rest of the group to fetch the body (Communication was a constant problem on this mission). Due to the changed circumstances, and the ill-effects being felt by some of the team, we decided to alter our mission priorities: we had no sign of survivors, a potentially valuable captive, and whatever he was carrying. Mission priority #1 became to get back to the Stargate for extraction.

Scouts went out to cover our movement, but coordination was non-existent in the dark. Carrying the body of the courier towards the gate, we came under tracer-fire, and hit the deck. Making a snap decision not to give away our position by returning fire, we picked up the body and ran for it, fortunately escaping without taking any casualties. Upon reaching the predicted gate site, we set up a defensive position, and were soon joined by Dr Yuri Carter, who seems to have a disconcerting ability to see in the dark...She had captured one of the enemy operatives, who we were able to take back through the gate with us, along with the courier and his cargo.

Although the courier and the other operative were shot technically 'dead' by the time we went through the gate (The courier was hit by stray rounds when the operative made a break for it) they were both placed in immediate cold-storage to preserve their life-signs before being passed to Porton. I very much regret not having been able to question the courier at the time, as later translations of the instructions accompanying his cargo have proved inconclusive - I believe him to have been a Nakamura employee, his cargo was a heavily insulated bag containing Infected cans of soft drink, presumably for Nakamura's research or to be used to infect unsuspecting targets (see DSTL report). I can only say that the operational constraints placed upon us at that time made such a revival and interrogation impossible, but I will try to ensure that such a state of affairs is not repeated.

***NEXT REPORT***

MSGT S J Vosloo, Training Officer, 51 PKD, RGHQ-51

Contact mission report 27-29/7/2001

Mission objectives

PKD in control of mission.
Off to a planet that’s been out of contact since Op Clean Sweep. Try to determine what has happened there and rescue any survivors.

Mission protocols

Careful, careful. No idea what’s out there, but no shooting unless necessary.

Description

Entry into heavily arboreal area went nicely. Initial recon went smoothly. Found one building in a state of disrepair, possible fire damage. As nighttime came in it became exceptionally dark under the trees, very few of us being able to see at all. Humidity was high which lead to a few issues with fogging.

Parked most of the team up in a dense area and sent out a scout team to patrol. There was some movement and light in the distance, but couldn’t get details. As the scouts came back a single person walked into our perimeter. Dr Stokes was spotted by the unknown and called over, the unknown must have thought he was supposed to be meeting him, likely he was the movement we’d seen earlier. The person he met gave him a package and told him the instructions were inside. After receiving the package the doctor rendered his new friend unconscious and brought him in for tying up.

Around this time the humidity got to my contact lenses and I was effectively blind except when I used my rifle’s night sight as a monocle. Getting commands out was proving very difficult as buddy teams couldn’t locate the team next to them. There was movement in the woods near us, SO Ash and Dr Carter went to investigate and brought back a prisoner. They’d stunned him by use of a torch at point-blank and his buddy had shot him from behind as he fell over.

At this time, given that command and control had fallen out of the window with the extreme darkness, I got everyone back to the area where we waited for the gate. There was another group of people in the woods opposite, presumably from the same group as our second prisoner, but they seemed content to watch us. At one point one of the prisoners attempted to make a runner, but got gunned down, unfortunately ricochets from this hit the other prisoner too.

There was a very brief exchange of fire as the gate opened but we got out cleanly. The package contained small cans of cool drink. The promised instructions were in Japanese with 'Nakamura' highly visible. The whole lot was also highly contaminated (see DSTL report).

Intel

The planet was obviously being used as a courier exchange point. We can assume one of three things:
1)      The original occupants of the planet are gone and the couriers know it as a safe area.
2)      The original occupants were the ones expecting to receive the package.
3)      We were being set up to receive the package. The supposed recipients didn't seem to be overly keen or actively searching for the package. This would assume we have a mole.

We should easily be able to determine which from interviews with our prisoners.

Doctrine

The team was far too large to effectively control given the conditions. Should reduce the size of night mission teams or split up into autonomous subteams.

Suggestions

Our prisoners, once resuscitated, should be able to tell us more about the status of the planet and its inhabitants.

We should be very cautious regarding the message with the package - it came suspiciously soon after my request for logistics info and the supposed recipients weren't overly keen at trying to get it off us.

***NEXT REPORT***

Dr Morticia Ash, Scientific Officer, 51st Scientific Division

Gate Operations 27-Jul-2001 - 29-Jul-2001

United Nations Scientific Corps

This was to be my third and final mission offworld, during this gate activation cycle. The planets designation was CO55A. Our gate out was going at 21.08 hundred hours and our return gate would be at 23.14 hundred hours. This was another pick up the pieces left after "Operation Clean Sweep". Our orders were again not to initiate hostile actions. Science was represented by all three on base members, as Intel felt that medical and technical support might be needed. This time not only was the transit long, it was quite jarring and I felt as if I had been bounced around inside a box all the way to CO55A.
I found myself on arrival totally drained and exhausted by the rigors of the previous two missions. Fortunately, it was cooler. Though we now had to contend with the failing light as night descended on CO55A. We proceeded slowly down what would appear to be a well used track and our first encounter was with an abandoned building, possibly a former base. Msgt. Vosloo ordered it searched, but nothing was found inside as the whole building. It was totally wrecked. The track went through some woodland and it became darker with each step we took. After a while the track curved to our right and again Msgt. Vosloo ordered us to stop as it looked like an ideal spot for someone to set a trap for our team.

I thought that he was over reacting, but then we saw a light in the distance and it was quite clear we were not alone. Given that our last encounter had resulted in our deaths, I for one was not going to argue with the good sergeant. We then spread ourselves around into the cover to wait, as it was apparent that who ever it was with the light, was coming our way. He made no attempt to move stealthily and I think I even heard him whistling a tune, though that might have been my imagination of course. As he came close Dr. Stokes arose from the undergrowth and the stranger greeted him. After which he expressed his shock of registering our group in front of him. It was as if the stranger was expecting to meet a group in woods and our cautious behaviour, though startling didn't seem to cause him any undue concerns.

Dr. Stokes took the bag from the stranger, playing along and then subdued him as he turned to leave. Pvt. Monroe brought the bag over to where Dr. Carter and I were so that we could examine the contents. It was a white cooler bag with two six packs of Coca-Cola in it. Attached to each six pack was a sheet of folded paper with writing on it. At the time I was examining the bag I had to use a red light, hidden as much as possible so as not to give away our position. As such it was difficult to do anything further, though I noted that the script was either Chinese or Japanese, the latter of which I have some familiarity with. At this point our original mission objectives were overridden by the need to get the captured courier and the bag back through the gate. Msgt. Vosloo ordered that we move out. It was at this point that we made another contact with an unknown force. I was with Dr. Carter and we hunkered down to conceal our location and waited as the hostiles moved towards us. It was spooky hearing the noises they make and seeing fleeting glances of their outlines occasionally against the treeline. Dr. Carter was able to bushwhack one of them by lighting him up with her tac-torch and a small exchange of fire ensued. I held my fire and could hear someone withdrawing away from me. For what appeared to be an age I could hear rustling and wondered whether or not is was Dr. Carter who had been hit in the exchange. Fortunately, I kept my nerve, resisting the urge to light the area up with my torch.

A little while later I recognized the silhouette of Dr. Carter dragging a captive along with her and I joined with her. As the exchange had caused us to become separated from the rest of the team we decided to make our way back to the gate as best we could. Dr. Carter's night vision was to become the stuff of legend as a result of this action. I too found myself able to see more than I thought, even so we walked right past an element of our team without seeing them, though fortunately they recognized us by our silhouettes and realized that we had captured another of the enemy.

We made it to the gate where Dr. Stokes had brought the courier and bag (see DSTL report). We sat and waited, as there was some considerable time left to kill. The remaining elements of our team arrived in due course and spread out. Dr. Well and another team member moved around to the other side of the gate to prevent us from being flanked by any other members of the hostile team we had met. I was tasked with the job of keeping an eye on the captured hostile, who had become noticeably shifty as we sat waiting. For some reason I could feel the presence of the enemy team across the clearing from us and wondered why they hadn't attacked us? Perhaps they were out numbered? I don't know why they didn't fire on us, only that they didn't choose to. 

As the time for the gate to activate came closer, the captive became more restless and I had to warn him I'd shoot if he attempted to make a run for it. However, I could tell he was going to try and run for it and kept my weapon ready. My hunch proved right and he bolted for it. I fired aiming for his legs, but unfortunately hit him on the right side as well, killing him. Also, one of my rounds ricochet off him and hit the unconscious courier in the head, killing him too. Oops probably doesn't quite cover it, but I was tasked with not letting the prisoner escape. Shortly after that the gate activated and we managed to manhandle our dead captives through the gate while under fire. I was only able to fire a short burst of suppressing fire as I went through, but noticed that the enemy teams fire came in low and was dissipated on the ground. I don't recall our team taking any casualties. Again one has to wonder whether or not this was them firing for effect. Perhaps the equivalent of saying "get out of Dodge"? 

On our return to base the Brigadier was wondering about the instruction sheets. I was able to examine both and ascertain that in fact they were written in Japanese. I recognized two of the Kanji characters as being Naka and Mura. Since the rest of the writing was not in ideograms it had to be a mixture of Katakana and Hiragana. I failed to notice that both sheets were not quite identical and had variances in there spelling. Please see my report Comparative Translation for a fuller analysis of the retrieved documents and their meaning.

Mission 4

Intelligence Summary: Pathfinder mission to assess potential colonisation feasibility. Multiple contacts encountered and engaged. 1 hostile returned and sent to Porton Down for further tests (see DSTL report).

After Action Reports:

Dr Bradley Stokes, Assistant Scientific Officer, 51st Scientific Division.

Gate Operations 27-Jul-2001 - 29-Jul-2001

United Nations Scientific Corps

Sunday morning brought a further mission - Initial plans were to deliver supplies to P124, with a view to restarting the colonisation process. Lack of preparation in the absence of most of our command staff (Attending a high-level meeting at Porton) almost led to disaster: A scratch team of two operatives was sent though an early gate to scout the area, and they returned to report the presence of a number of unknowns. Having checked that no other UNSGC force was due to be operating on this world, we assumed the worst, and made armed reconnaissance our priority (The planned supplies were left behind as too bulky for a potential combat mission) .

Shortly after arrival, we encountered a group claiming to be UNSGC operatives, who appeared to be armed and equipped as such. Sergeant Vosloo (Then in military command of the mission) was suspicious however, and their answers to his questions became increasingly erratic. As they started to flee the area, Sgt V opened fire, and ordered us to do the same - we brought down one of their number, while the rest fled through the gate, activating it by some unknown means. The captured soldier promptly reanimated, and was shot, repeating this process several times and tests confirmed he was heavily contaminated with 'the gloop' - UV scans of the regeneration process showed heavy activity in the healing areas. I feel that better facilities and preparation might reveal much more about such processes, which far exceed the best we have been able to achieve.

Out return to base was complicated by the intervention of Base security - (Corporal Crawshaw?) Who refused to recognise my authority as base doctor, and insisted on taking charge of the body 'in order to search it for weapons', despite my assurance that such a search had already been carried out. My insistence that the body should be transferred to sickbay immediately was completely ignored, and I returned to the debriefing area. While I understand that Cpl Crawshaw was doing his best in the absence of the entire Base command structure, I would hope that such unfortunate misunderstandings can be avoided in future. As base doctor, I feel that the care of 'dead' and wounded personnel, and the containment of contamination is a medical and scientific issue, and as such should come under the direction of the scientific corps rather than base security.

I understand that the body was eventually transferred to med bay, where the base security resorted to shooting at it as it reanimated, which goes to show how laughably unprepared to deal with such incidents they are. I had also understood that Cpl Crawshaw was bringing charges against me for my actions at the time, but no such notice has yet been received by my department. The recovered body was apparently dispatched to Porton (with added bullet holes), again missing out on an opportunity to study the reanimation process (see DSTL report). At time of writing, no feedback from Porton has been received on any of the personnel or artefacts turned over to them. It is to be hoped that the meeting, and the subsequent assignment of Captain DeBeer to their facility will improve communication in both directions.

***NEXT REPORT***

MSGT S J Vosloo, Training Officer, 51 PKD, RGHQ-51

Contact mission report 27-29/7/2001

Mission 4a - P124 (first of two gate runs to the same planet)

Mission objectives

Recon of previously unexplored planet to see if it would be feasible to take through supplies for future colonisation in the following gate.

Mission protocols

Recon only. No engagement except in self defence.

Description

Due to early morning chaos in base only two team members made it to the gate in time. Thought it was more, but turned out some personnel were going out on a training patrol. Recon team found a group of 4 in the target area. One of the group they found was wearing a UN cap and there were apparently some references to the local fauna, as if they were surprised to see it. They weren’t sure how to treat them so hid until the return gate opened.

Intel

Planet occupied by unknown personnel

Doctrine

Although a team of two is very nice for recon we shouldn’t let teams of less than three go through a gate in case one is injured. With a team of two the uninjured one won’t be able to bring an injured one back. Would suggest teams of four for such missions to operate in independent buddy teams unless enemy contact is made.

Suggestions

Mission 5

Intelligence Summary: Return to world from previous mission. Multiple contacts engaged. 1 body returned and sent to proton down for further tests (see DSTL report).

After Action Reports:

MSGT S J Vosloo, Training Officer, 51 PKD, RGHQ-51

Contact mission report 27-29/7/2001

Mission 4b - P124

Mission objectives

Investigate group discovered by recon team on previous mission.

Mission protocols

PKD mission.
Treat as peaceful unless proven otherwise, especially given the UN cap.

Description

Gate exit went well. Team spread out while recon team checked area where the unknown group had been previously. They were still there. Moved forward to engage in conversation while one buddy team was sent to flank them. The strangers claimed to be UN troops that were waiting for us. When asked why they were waiting for us they said they thought we should know why. When asked which unit they were expecting to meet they went into a huddle to discuss their reply. Around this time they either realised they’d been rumbled or spotted the buddy team flanking them and legged it. After a moment of surprise at their behaviour we gave chase.

Herded them into an area of dense foliage while yelling at them to stop or we’d open fire. They continued running so we fired. Brought one down but the others disappeared through a gate we hadn’t seen. Disabled the casualty’s weapon and tied his hands. Started moving him back towards our gate when he reanimated and had to be shot again to keep him from escaping. While waiting for the gate back he reanimated at least one more time, shot him again (much to the disgust of Dr Stokes who was trying to analyse his behaviour but the risk was too high to take after our encounter with ‘them’), looked like he was trying to head for the gate.

On return to base he had to be stopped a couple of times before Dr Stokes finally managed to sedate him.

Intel

*These guys were definitely scared of us and appeared to be trying to talk their way out of trouble. Would not seem to be ‘them’.

*Possibly one of the groups fighting ‘them’. Would hope our captive’s mask is kept on to protect his atmosphere until he can be interviewed (if possible).

Doctrine

Well-conducted mission though may need to increase the PT allowance for some team members given their lack of speed during the chase.

Suggestions

Would be very interesting to find out where our captive got his UN cap. I thought that the UN only got seriously involved in off-world ops after Op Clean Sweep.

***END***

Mission 1 Mission 2 Mission 3 Mission 4 Mission 5