Operation Null Star
- This article is about an in-universe event. For the in-game mission, see Midnight Light.
- "I guess we're field-testing this tonight. Get the arrays up."
"Are we cleared to use them like this?"
"We can tell our bosses later, when we're alive!" - ― Federation defense forces and scientists over powering up defenses
Operation Null Star was a raid carried out by Sicario on the Harkema Industrial Park in the Scarred Sea during the Cascadian Conflict. It involved them attacking the industrial rig while Ronin attempted to uncover information on top-secret weapons being produced by the Pacific Federation.
Prelude
- "Your objective is to wipe out any Federation presence on the facility, providing a distraction for Sicario's SOF to uncover what they're doing. Ronin will be clearing some of the radar buoys, giving you a way into the airspace undetected, and when you make it through, be prepared for anything. We have no idea what else might be being worked on out there."
- ― CIF unit briefer
After the Federation's decisive loss over the Bering Strait, the CIF began having a string of victories that cascaded into each other, with the Federation, having lost a large portion of air power, falling back as a result.
As their frontlines fell, however, more unknown elements of the Federation in Cascadia started to become more active. In the week leading up to May 7, AC Era 432, numerous fishermen reported intense light bursts emanating from Harkema Industrial Park, a naval-based private ownership industrial rig leased out to Icarus Armories, among other tenants. The Federation had also recently deployed their own defenses to the rig and hired Conrad Security to help defend it. Although a thankless task, the defense forces were assured some of the on-site projects would help win the war.
The CIF, being concerned about what was being done on the rig, tasked Sicario to investigate any weapons being produced at the facility and destroy any Federation presence. Arnold Frenken, Sicario's leader, tasked Hitman Team and Ronin to fulfill the task, stating he felt they were the only mercenaries who could do it.
Raid
- "Ronin here. Hitman, up the ante. More chaos you cause, the more we can slink through here."
- ― Captain Kelleher
Ronin cleared out some of the early warning buoys, providing Hitman a stealthy way in. These were at first mistaken for high tides, along with Hitman's interference being from Icarus Armories' projects, before they realized what Sicario was up to and rolled out as many defenses as they could. Conrad Security attempted to warn off the mercenaries, but was reminded that they were at war.
As soon as the raid went hot, Ronin climbed the main rig and reported high-energy readings coming from the rig, perhaps from the numerous railguns installed to defend the facility. Hitman had difficulty weaving through the railgun barrages, especially as the defenders quickly realized the Crowned Mercenary was in on them. The SOF proceeded to access an internal server cluster and downloaded as much data as they could, working in tandem with their AWACS to locate relevant intel.
Klara Rask, a mercenary test pilot working for Icarus, proceeded to load up the SP-34R against the scientists' wishes to load all of their prototypes in containers which would have been dumped into the ocean. This was made more urgent by Federation reinforcements being ten minutes out of the airspace, which was deemed too late for the surviving defense forces. Furthermore, they also began recording combat data from the raid.
Prototype unleashed
- "Let's get this shootout going. Are you going to be worth my time?"
- ― Rask to Hitman
Rask, after contending with scientists in objection, was able to get the SP-34R out in the open while the PW-Mk.I - still unfinished - was flown away by Crimson 7. She proceeded to engage Hitman Team, drawing attention away from the other prototype, whose escape she reported. Hitman was then ordered by Independence Force HQ to shoot down the prototype while their AWACS gathered as much intel as they could on the SP-34R and its pilot. Despite the airframe's sheer agility, Monarch was able to repeatedly strike it, taking advantage of its lack of a fly-by-wire system.
Monarch eventually shot down the SP-34R despite it gaining access to rapid-fire railguns. Concurrently, Ronin detonated explosives on the main rig, bringing it down.
Aftermath
- "I'll tell you what, Hitman, you keep fighting like that, this war might be over too soon."
- ― Kelleher
Rask, with her aircraft spiraling into the ocean, ejected both herself and the pod collecting data from the dogfight. The scientists on-site, before being taken into Ronin's custody, transmitted it to Crimson 1 for his and the PW-Mk.I's use. Ronin, meanwhile, exfiltrated by water and was later picked up by CIFS Eminent Domain.
The scientists were taken back for debriefing and possibly interrogation. The operation, though a tactical success, was inconclusive strategically; little data was found to have been related to weapons research. Codebreakers independent and part of the CIF would continue digging through the data, and in the meantime, Sicario continued regular sorties.
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