Operation: Battle of Big Bend Tunnel

“Big Bend was supposed to be our finest hour. We came for MODUS; they came for us. The Vultures attacked with such ferocity, but why? Yes, we captured the Warlord of the Vultures, but not without a cost. Both sides suffered heavy losses and the MoD-Vir virus remains out of reach.” Commander Connor Johns

Objective
After the initial Firebreather team sent to Big Bend Tunnel to search for the MoD-Vir virus went dark, Commander Johns dispatched Recon to survey and report back. Intelligence returned gruesome details: the Firebreather team had been slaughtered and a note intercepted by the Recon shed light on the culprits: the raider group known as The Vultures. After much consideration, Johns decided that the retrieval of the virus to take MODUS offline outweighed the potential conflict that might arise. Forming a second team of both Firebreathers and Recon, Johns sent them into Big Bend, hoping to swiftly secure the virus and fall back before their presence was realized.

The Firefight
As the Responder team advanced through the tunnel, it was apparent that the raiders were still active in and around the area. The mangled remains of both New Responders and settlers were indication enough that the Vultures still considered this area one to patrol. With so much at stake for the virus, the team advanced deeper into the tunnel. All was progressing smoothly until the team reached the center of the tunnel where railway opened up into a larger, open area. The Vultures attacked at that moment, opening fire on the team. The ambush forced the New Responders to shift their tactics. The Recon units accompanying the Firebreathers tried to search for the virus, while those Firebreathers tried to stem the flood of Vultures from the opposite end of the tunnel. With time running out and the team having no luck with locating the virus, the order was given to change from suppression and cover, to assault and push back. Once the tactical premise of the mission shifted from retrieval to survival, the Vultures were driven deeper and deeper into the tunnels by the united efforts of the team. Although the Vulture known as the Giant escaped that day, the rest of the Vultures were not so fortunate. They anticipated a bloodbath; instead, the New Responders walked away with their Warlord in chains. The irony was not lost on Johns, however, as the entire purpose for sending a team to Big Bend Tunnel was solely for the virus--not for engagement with the Vultures despite their earlier aggressions to the initial Firebreather team sent in. With the Warlord in custody, the New Responders turned him over to the remnants of a judicial system of Appalachia, to be tried for his crimes and judged by a jury of his Appalachian peers.

Footage
Issue Three

Issue Four

Issue Five

Issue Six