Mizak and Avak returned right at the break of dawn right as Kazak planned, and he was ready for them. The three scout snipers sat at a table with Vult, breakfast laid out, as the Captain and First Sergeant broke down what they saw in the field. They had well mapped out the underground routes' collapsed tunnels and marked ingress and egress points to limit exposure above ground, as well as the most viable overland routes the VDF would likely take to deliver supplies. It was a wealth of information that would help to throw a wrench in the VDF's plans, including the ones that Mizak and Avak didn't need to know about.

As the two went back upstairs and Kazak to brew another pot of coffee in the kitchen, a familiar vehicle stopped outside with General Vaukt stepping out and walking inside. He was being far more discreet, stopping Vult before he could give any type of a salute. "We need to be brief. I need to discuss what you intend to do with your man. Unless he sees some form of action taken, he may go over my head to Grimm with what he told me."

Nodding, he moved with Vaukt to the same VIP lounge he had held his own meeting in hours prior with his team to determine Tuu's fate. As he walked, he procured a dataslate from one of his belt pouches, handing it off to the General as he closed the door behind him for some privacy.

"In your hand are formal transfer orders for Sergeant Tuu at your authorization based on finding my team and I clearly guilty of sedition and conspiracy to commit treason." He explained in a hushed tone between them. "It is his salvation from the fate that awaits us as the noose is now around our necks and IIA will be conducting a thorough investigation...as soon as they get the clearance to do so...his only chance to escape. He gets his feeling of satisfaction and appreciation for doing the "right" thing, we can proceed without incident."

Vaukt took it and looked it over, nodding, everything looked to be in order. "So...you're saying you want me to put the paperwork in for IIA to come down on your heads, knowing it'll be caught up in the bureaucracy? Plausible deniability for my aiding you and it gets this backstabber out of your presence." He rubbed his chin, "It does leave you short a marksman...though I see by some chatter that you've already helped yourself to someone from these like minded experimental units I formed. Perhaps a replacement from the same stock is in order?"

"If you think that will happen, take the risk," Vult nodded. "I was thinking more of telling Sergeant Tuu that is what is happening and the less known about it, the better. All he needs is the validation he seeks, a transfer elsewhere...and whatever reward awaits him for notifying the proper authorities through the proper channels."

The Commander sighed, weary from the whole ordeal.

"...it was a team decision. Unanimously voted in favor at the risk of an ultimatum passing where lives would be at risk. I am going to circumvent that by getting him as far away from us as possible...with your authorization, of course, Sir."

"Ah, well, I think the wording of his orders suffices as a report. IIA won't think to look at transfer orders. If they ask why I never said anything formally, I can simply ask them why they're not doing their jobs. We can go from there. I can play it off, I assure you." He withdrew a tablet pen from a jacket pocket and added his signature to approve the transfer. "Tell him to pack up and send him my way. I can find some use for him in the meantime to make him seem useful. Talk to your three scout snipers here. I'm sure they know of a decent replacement I can have transferred in. Especially that one Lieutenant of yours, he knows what to look for." A firm nod followed, he thought of everything it seemed, a solid thinker if there ever was one.

"Even if I were to ignore the biased opinion that he saved my life, he has been a solid addition to my team in more ways than you can imagine, Sir." Vult nodded, accepting the authorized orders. "I'll pass this along and get Sergeant Tuu on his way. Are you taking him with you now, Sir?"

"Can't. I have places I need to be, troops to direct, Grimm to avoid, you know how it is. There's a post office not far from the police precinct where Grimm set up shop. Tell him he can ruck it over there, or catch a ride from any vehicle he runs into with my authorization. This is a war zone, after all. He wants his...promotion, he needs to work for it." The General smirked and headed for the door. "Do keep in touch, Commander. I'll contact you first in case that Vortian intelligence of a counterattack comes up before that."

"Understood," Vult nodded, opening the door to lead the General back out. "I will keep you posted with any new developments."

As he walked with Vaukt, he sent a message to Corr, requesting his presence in the diner.

Corr came down the stairs, buttoning up his uniform jacket and nodding to Vult. "Commander, I received your message."

Vult presented the signed orders to his Captain.

"Per General Vaukt's authority, Sergeant Tuu is to pack his gear and report to the Field HQ for reassignment. Effectively immediately. He's to leave behind any non-standard issue equipment he's been issued. It's out of my hands, Captain."

"Understood, Commander," Corr took the orders with a nod, mindful of any Vortian snipers that might be watching and headed back upstairs, knocking on the door to the apartment Tuu claimed as his quarters. "Sergeant Tuu, I need to speak with you, immediately."

The marksman answered the door, fighting back a yawn.

"...sorry, Sir...caught me right before turning in…" he straightened up, blinking slowly. "Is something wrong?"

Corr held the orders out for Tuu to read. "You're being transferred, Sergeant. The Commander said you're to leave any non-standard issue equipment here and head off at once. It's out of our hands. Apparently General Vaukt has use for you elsewhere."

That woke him right up. Tuu stood there, stunned at the news. Transferred? Did this have something to do with his pleas to General Vaukt the day prior? Surely this was related. The nature of this unit did not permit for a simple change of orders or hats, so to speak.

"Uhh...may I ask as to why, Sir?" He queried through the confusion.

"The General sees you as a strong performer, both in marksmanship and in the field. He wants to use your expertise to lead a team of snipers if what he said is true. You're not in any sort of command position here, Sergeant, but you will be there. Perhaps he may make a Sublieutenant of you yet one day."

A mixture of doubt and relief filled him. Was that authentic? Him, leading his own team? A promotion? It was hard not to feel proud of such an accomplishment then and there. With that, he nodded in understanding.

"I...sure...okay. Just...give me a moment to pack the gear I can take, Sir." He reasoned. "...is the Commander available? I...I want to say goodbye before I push off."

"Of course," Corr started, "reasonable enough. The Commander is downstairs in the diner if you want to speak with him."

Tuu nodded, snapping a salute before turning about to start securing his equipment. Granted, it wasn't much. Most of his assigned gear was top-secret, assigned only to this unit. His bare essentials and a basic field uniform in lieu of his normal armored Spec Ops suit modified for their use. Within fifteen minutes, all he had to call his own was properly stowed away in his rucksack and on his back.

Downstairs, Vult sat with the rest of the recon team and Kazak, looking over the intelligence still in greater detail. He caught Tuu's approach out of the corner of his eye. Excusing himself from the conversation at the table, he rose to his feet as Tuu went to attention, saluting.

"Commander, Sir."

"At-ease, Sergeant." Vult returned it, breathing a deep sigh. "...hate to see you go. General Vaukt has something big in store for you. He wasn't privy to the details. Classified, even for us."

"I wish I wasn't leaving, Sir."

"Neither do we," Vult lied through his teeth convincingly. "Who knows, maybe we'll be seeing each other again in the near future. I may be calling you "Sir"." He smirked.

"I don't know about that, Commander." Tuu huffed a small laugh.

"Never say never. Pedigree like yours, wouldn't surprise me." The blue-eyed Commander extended his cybernetic hand. "It's been an honor, Sergeant. Do us proud, will you?"

"Yes, Sir." He wholeheartedly accepted, shaking his now-former commanding officer's hand.

"Dismissed, Sergeant. Don't keep them waiting. Need to make a good first impression after all."

"Of course, Commander. Thank you, Sir."

Kazak glanced up from the intelligence laid up at the table, he heard what was said between the two and gave Tuu a slight wave, hoping to add to the sentiment Vult was trying to show. He was otherwise busy going over everything with the other two. Even if they didn't know the whole of it, this was all looking extremely useful.

Vult watched one of their loose ends, for the time being, become tied up on its own accord thanks to Vaukt as Tuu left through the front entrance and started making his way down the road towards where Field HQ had been established. One of the many passing transports or personnel carriers would provide a quickened trip soon enough. He watched him depart out of view before sliding back down into his seat at the table.

One less thing to worry about. For now.

"Solid piece of work you guys did out there, Mizak." Kazak grinned, giving his former CO a pat on the back.

"What can I say? They picked us for the job and we made one fine unit didn't we?"

"That we did," Kazak looked to Vult, "Well, on one hand we get intelligence that gives us potential VDF pathways to the power plant both below and above ground. Though, I think one issue now is that we're down another sniper. Think we'll manage in the meantime?"

"We'll make it work. Not the first time we've been down a man," He reasoned, looking to Mizak. "Unless you have any objections, I need to borrow one of your guys in the meantime. You can either suggest someone or I can just take who I want with Vaukt's authorization." He said in a joking manner. "I like to ask nicely first."

Mizak chuckled, "Wouldn't be the first time you took one of us. We can attach one of ours to you in the meantime with the option to transfer him fully if it works out." He looked to Kazak and Avak, "So, who do you two suggest?"

"How many of us veterans are around?" Kazak asked, having been away for some time, he's been out of the loop, even if he still has some idea from those he knew.

"The upper echelon, as well as a good number of the non-coms. Some of those have already been promoted too."

"Sergeant Zurrak still around?"

"It's Sergeant First Class now," Avak added in, "but yeah, he's still around."

"That's who I'd go with," Kazak looked to Vult, "He's from the Second Spec Ops Group, Impending Doom vet like the rest of us, save for Hesa obviously. His team was among those who completed both their primary and secondary objectives in their sector and were awaiting new orders when the priority one came through."

"Guy's a survivor," Mizak continued, "Not only did he do that with his team, he was near some of the worst fighting. Actually said the Elites in his sector actually managed to break the VDF just before that and were set to advance. Made working his way back to allied lines rather easy."

"I'd definitely suggest Zurrak. Quite surprised you chose me over him for solo ops, Lieutenant." Avak looked to Kazak.

"Trust me, I saw the potential in you. Even if he did outrank you, I saw not only your leadership ability but the capacity to do what I do. Glad to see I wasn't mistaken."

"I want to meet him." Vult summarized. "Before we make any rash decisions. I don't doubt his competency behind a scope if he's with your outfit. Consider it an interview. If he fits the bill for what I'm looking for, I'll give him a trial run. Just make it very clear to him what we're about. No offense, but your guys' worst day is a good one for us. We've been very fortunate to be casualty-free save for the usual bumps and scrapes that come with this line of work."

"Yeah, no kidding," Kazak looked to the other two, "What's the worst we get? Hosed down by machine guns? Maybe an AT gun or tank firing on our hide if they spot us? I'd gladly take that over what these guys go through."

"Definitely puts things into perspective," Mizak chuckled before nodding to Vult, "I'll have him report here immediately. Anything specific he needs to know or bring with him?"

"Pack light, bring the essentials. We'll provide the rest. In the meantime, think it's about time we get around-the-clock teams on these routes you guys have scoped out. Start picking off the runners and anyone caught outside of the barriers from either the citadel or the power plant." Vult commented, tapping the marked locations on their map.

He paused, taking a drink from his mug before continuing.

"Pairs at a minimum, teams of four ideal. I needn't remind you we're not dealing with fresh-faced recruits out there now. Anyone left alive in VDF colors is a battle-hardened veteran and won't go down without a fight. Doubly-so for this supposed SIS problem. I had my Communications Specialist put a requisition in for something a little more...stout than your standard kit."

Opening up one of the dataslates on the table, he opened the tab on it before sliding it across to the other Spec Ops soldiers.

"I want one of these set up at each one of these routes. If you two are unfamiliar, this is a gauss cannon. Imagine hyper-accelerating a plasma bolt into a drawn-out, white-star hot lance. Normally see these guns mounted on aircraft pylons for cracking heavy armor open and fortified emplacements if explosive ordnance is too indirect. They're big. They're heavy. Had ad-hoc tripod mounts and targeting optics made for them. This will punch a hole clean through starship hull plating up to heavy cruiser density if overcharged. Field HQ Quartermaster thought it was an error and didn't believe me. I had to confirm otherwise."

"Hoooooly shit!" Kazak looked at the tab wide eyed.

"No damn way we'd ever consider something like this for sniping. Though with those suited bastards being tough as they are and those big ones to boot, I'll be glad I had one, or if a tank rolls around."

"No shit," Kazak looked to Vult, "I get a feeling Haxx and Hesa would get a thrill out of these."

Avak marked a few points on the map. "These buildings are still structurally sound and offer good line of sight and concealment. Best places to put these beasts and wait for them to come our way. I don't think we'll have to worry too much about those SIS guys with these."

"Hopefully," Kazak chimed in. Nothing really seems to go according to plan with Vult's team from the stories he heard.

"I have a sneaking suspicion a standard rifle is only going to anger them given how robust the suit looks. These cannons put heavy tanks out of action with a single shot. It won't stop this round and likely won't be much left after a direct hit. Only drawback is the spool up and charge time. Little delayed since it's not attached to a power source like a vehicle's powerplant."

He paused, allowing that information to sink in before proceeding.

"...should one of them be encountered, assuming the heat signature doesn't give you away...you'll have to distract the target long enough and keep in the line-of-sight of the emplacement. I have seen what a lesser augmented suit is capable of. Do not, under any circumstance, engage any of these SIS operatives in hand-to-hand combat. They will likely turn you inside out with their bare hands."

"Noted," Mizak nodded, "I'll pass that information on to Zurrak when he gets here."

"Yeah, no joke either. One of those suits you've run into before? Sidekick shattered his femur," Kazak motioned to Corr over his shoulder, sitting at the bar drinking a coffee. "I don't want to know what those big guys are capable of if I can help it."

"Just making it clear what he's getting into should he agree to roll with us." Vult said with a shrug. "If he can handle that, I don't see any issues. Don't want anyone getting sore at me for losing their men."

"Well Kazak is still alive and it doesn't look like he's worse for wear either." Mizak stood up, "Give me a second, let me contact him." The sniper captain walked outside and got onto his comms, "Cobalt, you read?"

There was a few moments of silence before a reply, "Reading you five by five."

"I need you to bring it in, Cobalt. Got a new assignment for you. Dispatch a team to your position."

"Confirmed, out."

Mizak walked back in and took his seat. "He'll be here. All that's left is to burn some time and start laying out prep work for the teams to get out there I'm guessing."

"Right." Vult nodded, turning to call out over his shoulder. "Corr!"

Corr quickly swallowed what was in his mouth before standing and walking over. "Yes, Commander?"

"Putting a game plan together over here, I need your eyes-on." he explained, waiting for him to walk up and see the map and what they were putting together. "Got a temporary replacement for Tuu inbound. Mizak and his guys are going to assist, but I want at least one of our teams out there at all times. Three teams of four. Can rotate emplacements to keep everyone on their toes if need be. The lack of intel on these SIS guys is calling for overkill. I would rather it be dead than angry. Switching from recon to hunting."

Corr looked over the plans and rubbed his chin, "If one of our teams will be out there and the rest back here, we'll need some vehicles for rapid transit. I assume you already have that covered." Everything else pieced together in his mind, the Captain nodding, "Looks solid. I approve. I'll mark out the teams and get them to you in short order, sir."

"I'll put a requisition up the chain to Vaukt for the sake of maintaining a paper trail," Vult assured, sampling his coffee. "All else fails, I'll lay claim to one of several that pass through here all the time all hours of the night per the Tallests' authority. VDF expects to see Imperial vehicles moving about, not one of their own. Our shuttle stays where it's at."

"If we need to breach, the shuttle is our best bet of moving through the barrier. Perhaps a good call." Corr drank some more from his own cup. "Kazak, excellent work on the coffee."

"I think I'm getting used to brewing it." The sniper shrugged, "Glad you like it."

"Now, Mizak, I know you and the First Sergeant here are typically solo operators. You can make do with a team in the short term?"

"Absolutely. You can count on us."

"Good," Corr nodded to Vult, "Unless there's anything else, I have an idea for those rosters now, sir."

"I trust your judgment, Captain. All I require is our people have eyes-on, around-the-clock. Make it so." Vult nodded to his subordinate and second-in-command before looking back to Mizak. "When is your man...Zurrak, was it? When is he going to be here?"

Mizak lifted his left arm to look at an analog watch strapped to his arm beneath the palm of his hand. Kazak had a similar device even after joining, as little technical reliance as possible made them effective snipers after all. "If he hoofs it? An hour. Though if he can catch a transport, no more than maybe...twenty minutes by my best estimate. He's been supervising field activities lately and taking a few shots himself. So, I suppose all we can do is wait."