Operation: Cloudsight

Operation: Cloudsight was an operation overseen by the Republic of Organized Systems in 2941. The Operation was to locate, secure, and investigate a Crimson Confederation base. The operation was also a double-cross, with the Crimson Confederation installing moles into the Republic.

Context
During the 2900's, the Crimson Confederation was a thorn in the Republics side. The confederation, founded in 2898, was almost a myth. Most believe that the organization is a shadow government founded by the republic for war. Yet, the confederation was almost a perfect organization of rebels. Founded by Slavic miners from Titan, the Crimson Confederation's main goal is to bring peace to the Slavic miners, and 'end the reign." This is most likely in reference to the 2809 Miners Bill. Passed by the Republic Congress, the bill almost made miners on Titan, Mars, Io, and Venus be payed in 'miner money.' This is commonly referred as script, or Mine Scrip. One script (sp) is worth .21 Republican Credits (RC), or .94 International Dollars (ID). This makes the average miner in the lowest class.

Also, most Slavic miners see the Republic Army as a police force. Most army divisions are only used for policing the country. As such, they created the Crimson Confederation to 'send a message.' This began with an assassination of Prime Minister Marley Provence, ending the 103 year peace period. Since then, the Crimson Task Force (CTF) is assigned with dealing with any terrorist action, or base, of the confederation.

Trade Route 19-4A
In 2941, a probe sent by the republic, codename Cloudsight, spotted two Crimson agents driving across the Eastern Tundra of Io with an unknown transport. This transport had five trucks, six or seven land-speeders, and two T-5 Defense Force heavy trucks. This route was common with a trade route on Io known as 19-4A. This route streatch thru the tundra, supplying small villages between Starport Axios and Io City. The Republic Space Investigation Force alerted the Republic Department of Defense about the spotting of a caravan, that is most likely Crimson, and to investigate it. The Department of Defense alerts the CTF to begin investigation.

Investigation of the Eastern Tundra.
The Eastern Tundra of Io is known for its horrid weather and hard to pass terrain. The few trade routes in the area, such as Trade Route 19-4A are the few ways of commerce in the area. The tundra has only 835 people living in the 50km radius, and only one trade depot. This is also the perfect place to hide in. Before the tundra was a wasteland, it was a semi-profitable copper mine. Known as Republic Mine Co-39, the mine was a massive 48km, almost the entire tundra. The mine had the largest deposit of copper on the entire planet. But after a collapse in 2887, the mine was shuttered, and 19km of the mine were now left abandoned. What was left of the mine, about 4km, was barley habitable. Yet, signs of life were their.

On September 30, the CTF found a Crimson agent by the code-name of "Wojak." Wojak was the senior agent of the Crimson detachment, and gave the Republic information of the hiding spot of the confederation. With Wojak's help, the CTF handed off the work to the 103rd Republic Army, and the 9th Recon Core, and begin to investigate.

Investigation into "Wojak"
Beginning on October 19, the 103rd Army began its invasion of the Eastern Tundra. To begin to find the cave system, the 9th Recon Core was deployed. This involved Senior Recon Specialists Michael Zimmerman and Derek J Crowler. The scouting trip was a success, and the cave system was found. Shortly after the November 1 embargo was lifted, the 103rd began its missile barrage and sweep. By December 13, the base was secured, and the cleanup effort began. The public saw the operation as a success, with the army seen in a better light. Behind the curtains, though, the operation was a failure.

During the 9th Recon Core's search for the cave, Zimmerman was injured by an unknown soldier. Zimmerman claimed that one of the recon specialists slit his harness for his ATD Recon gear, but this was not confirmed. They soon found that Wojak was not a former Crimson agent, but a mole by the name of Issac Newson. Newson was a scientist for the Republic National Board of Climate, and had stumbled onto a mass of information discovering that moles had been planted into the republic. The files, later given the name "The Articles" revealed that 9 people were actually senior agents for the confederation. This revelation gave no names, ideas of what they looked like, or who they were. It simply gave information to the CTF about the moles. The CTF launch Operation: Groundhog. Any moles within the republic were to be found. Out of the 9 moles, 6 were found. Their names were never revealed.