Operation Inferred Part 7; Walk Softy, and Carry a Big Gun
Location: Khe Sanh, Quảng Trị Province
South Vietnam
26th of December, 1967
Written by Lawrence "Devil" Sjurn, Reviewed by Jacob "Manitou" Akecheta
Briefing
The CIA has given Armiger the go-ahead to approach the Lang Hoan Tap (LHT) Hell Pit with the ashes, with the intent of "sealing" the pit so no more Spirit Demons come crawling out. We have absolutely no idea how to achieve this, with the current idea suggested by Manitou being to place the ashes in a box around the hole and seeing what happens. If that doesn't work Armiger will be pulled out of the town immediately, we can't risk the company getting pincered by Demons and that special NVA force that arrived recently while carrying the ashes.
US Command has agreed to provide a mechanized force if Armiger clears the route to the Hell Pit in their sector of potential ambushes by NVA, VC or anything else for that matter. This force will consist of several tanks and apcs alongside regular infantry. The size of this force is a double-edged sword, its big enough to help prevent interference by outside forces during Armiger's attempt to seal the Pit but its going to be drawing in alot of attention. The quicker you can get them in and out the less NVA you will have to fight, atleast while at the Hell Pit.
The Hell Pit does offer Armiger a unique opportunity however. The presence of the ashes will definitely draw the NVA out, especially that Dị thường group that just arrived. Khe Sanh has every single gun and aircraft pointed towards the town and the convoy route. US Command wants Armiger to act as bait to draw as many of these shit heads out into the open and bleed them dry, maybe even get a decisive victory for the US to plaster on their papers back home. Up to Leadership to make that call.
The town of Lang Hoan Tap has been in a containment zone enforced by the CIA since you last visited the place to prevent locals from stirring up the Demons, and have noticed "lesions" that have begun to grow on the land surrounding the town. White in colour, these areas rapidly kill any living creature that enters them, reducing the corpses to skeletons within minutes. Flamethrowers seem able to destroy the lesions, but with the Hell Pit present attempts have been limited to avoid angering the demons.
Unfortunately the same can't be said about the recently discovered Hell Pit that sits in the north east of the Quảng Trị Province that Armiger failed to find during their mission to recover two of the ashes. The Hell Pit has expanded to considerable size, making the mountain it once sat on look like a dormant volcano. Demons now prowl the area for several kilometers around the site and have wiped out all villages in the areas around the pit. Attempts to get close to the Pit by ground are repelled by Demon patrols, with only an aerial view possible.
Find a way to seal the Pit in LHT, then we can worry about getting you guys close enough to the second pit to the northeast.
Best of luck gents, walking into a shit-storm with this one. Convoy route for the mechanized company, marked in lime green.
Size of the Hell Pit's influence between the two Temples
Post operation notes
- Convoy survived over 50% strength
- The Hell Pit in LHT was successfully sealed
- One of the Spirit Beasts encountered by Armiger dropped some kind of artifact, the CIA liaison somehow swiping it with Chap noticing