The Dakova Grab
Summary
An account of the attack on a Frontier Protectorate road train bound from Muqtar MaxSec (Evanoff, Siima Heliosphere) to Offworld Transit Platform 1-C, Sutter’s Drop in 978.
The attack occurred during the transport of Byron-Othiambo Dakova, co-head of the Lions Rampant terrorist movement, to a waiting Unitas barque for rendition. This attack was personally led by Byron-Othiambo’s life-mate and LR co-head Abena Dakova.
Background
Byron-Othiambo Dakova was co-head of the Lions Rampant terrorist network and Number 2 on the Siima heliosphere’s Most Wanted list. After a twenty-three-year career of co-orchestrating strikes against Unitas interests in the Siima heliosphere, he had been captured alive during the failed bombing of the Uplift Hub Delta Municipal Hall on Evanoff. This foiled terrorist action on the part of Lions Rampant ended with seven cell members dead, while costing the lives of four Frontier Protectorate security personnel.
Capturing Byron-Othiambo Dakova alive was a coup. This individual had been one of two spiders (the other being Abena Dakova) at the center of a web of terror and murder spanning more than two decades, and an organization of an estimated 250 terrorists and insurgents spread across four worlds. A comprehensive and years-long debrief of this individual by Unitas interrogators was imperative.
Though the marriage between Byron-Othiambo Dakova and his life-mate is a storied one, it is sufficient to know that their bond was obsessive. Abena would not allow Byron-Othiambo to fall into the hands of the enemy. This is the primary motive for the quick response to his capture.
The attack was a complex proposition for both sides. Neither could allow Byron-Othiambo to perish: Unitas, because the knowledge he possessed was a once-in-a-lifetime prize, and Abena because the irrational value she placed upon Byron-Othiambo’s life meant she could not brook the possibility of its loss—even if it placed her own life, and their life’s work, in grave peril.
Prelude
The Frontier Protectorate quickly moved to render Byron-Othiambo offworld for prolonged debriefing and to negate any possibility of rescue or elimination by Lions Rampant.
A road train would transport the prisoner without delay to Offworld Transit Platform 1-C at the nearby trade hub of Sutter’s Drop. There, a Unitas barque would take receipt of the prisoner and depart for coordinates unknown. The journey to Sutter’s Drop was scheduled to take approximately an hour. The road train was a convoy composed of three reinforced 18-wheel rough-terrain vehicles: an escort front and back, with the central vehicle containing Byron-Othiambo and his guards.
Each of the three vehicles was armed with a pintle-mounted HAC-20 autocannon. The lead vehicle carried one tactical auditor and three Mnemonic Commandos, protected by the mission leader in a Sakura zeo. The prisoner transport carried the prisoner and two GuardCorps troopers, protected by a Stormer zeo. The rear vehicle carried two drone ops, each with two Huntsmen drones and a Hyȁne drone, protected by a Stormer zeo.
Evanoff is a hostile, near-airless world baked by solar radiation. The use of zeos and environment suits are mandatory for any extra-habitational activity. Any violent breach of the central vehicle would expose the prisoner to asphyxiation, irradiation, and death in a matter of minutes.
The Frontier Protectorate chose not to provide the prisoner with an environment suit, partially because they had not considered a rapid response from the Lions Rampant as being at all likely, while also reasoning that it would be preferable that the prisoner expire rather than fall back into the hands of Lions Rampant. Judge Suu, in passing the order, expressed the hope that this measure would disincentivize any kind of attack on the road train—no matter how desperate.
This hope fell on deaf ears.
Operation
Phase 1
The road train was overseen by the three zeos in its protection detail (one Sakura, two Stormers).
Lions Rampant forces paced the road train from either side of the service road, just outside scan range.
Within the prisoner transport, an inserted Lions Rampant sympathizer eliminated the other member of Byron-Othiambo’s guard detail at the cost of her own life. The Lions Rampant war party, synchronized with the escape attempt, launched their attack from the left and right as Byron-Othiambo took control of the prisoner transport.
The Lions Rampant Riyad neutralized enemy comms and targeting. Their two skerpskutters succeeded in neutralizing one Stormer while the gun-dancers kept the transport autocannons busy.
The lead vehicle responded by attempting to slow and then block the service road. However, the hijacking was timed to occur as the convoy moved through relatively open terrain, and Byron-Othiambo was able to maneuver around the lead vehicle before swerving off-road entirely in a westerly direction.
Zeo-killers disgorged from the lead vehicle as four Huntsmen drones and two Hyȁne drones unloaded from the rear vehicle. All four Huntsmen converged on the prisoner transport: one neutralized its drive train while the remaining three detonated on wheels. The prisoner transport subsequently jackknifed while maintaining internal atmospheric integrity. The two Hyȁnes converged to secure the prisoner against any rescue attempt. The Protectorate Auditor responded by jamming enemy comms and targeting. Both sides were now required to fight analog.
Outside of scan range, a cargo lifter under the control of Lions Rampant dusted off and moved to intercept with the intent of grappling the prisoner transport and airlifting it beyond Frontier Protectorate reach.
Phase 2
The rescue attempt drew a heavy toll from both factions. The cargo lifter succeeded in grappling the overturned prisoner transport and extracting, only to be shot down by sustained fire from remaining Protectorate forces. Byron-Othiambo was seriously injured in the event, but stabilized by the LR zengineer. Byron-Othiambo narrowly survived atmospheric exposure when a surviving bokujin provided an environment suit scavenged from the corpse of the cargo lifter’s pilot.
Abena Dakova lost her life protecting her husband while LR forces extricated him from the transport wreckage.
Byron-Othiambo subsequently escaped Unitas custody and remains at large.
Aftermath
Lions Rampant went into hiding for several years after this event. This fostered a wary return to calm and stability after almost three decades of terrorist activity.
This did not last. When Lions Rampant resumed its activity, it was with renewed vehemence against a populace that had momentarily relaxed its guard.
This “second age” of Lions Rampant is noteworthy for its new levels of ruthlessness and cunning. Many ascribe this to Byron-Othiambo’s grief over the loss of his life-mate.
Political Consequences
Judge Suu of Uplift Hub Delta Municipal District was summarily defrocked and discharged following her reckless issue of an order concerning the safeguarding of a critical Unitas asset that fell far outside her portfolio.
Following a short period of relative peace, the world of Evanoff is now subject to far stricter Unitas oversight, restrictive security measures, and constraints on public movement.
Lions Rampant activity, while having dropped in frequency, has escalated in violence and damage to infrastructure.
In the wake of his life-mate’s death, Byron-Othiambo has been moved to #1 on the heliosphere’s Most Wanted list.
Factions & Notable Participants
Lead Team
Direct Action Cell 1
Direct Action Cell 2
Frontier Protectorate Prisoner Transport Crew:
Lead Team
Prisoner Transport Team
Rear Transport Team
