AFTER ACTION REPORT
Reporting Officer: Captain TT Vortigern
Operation: Investigate Project Nightfall Base
Location: Project Nightfall Base, PCC Territory
Origin: Greyditch
Unit: United Coalition FEC Detachment (10 personnel)
SUMMARY OF EVENTS
The detachment consisted of ten United Coalition FEC personnel, inserted via an armoured personnel transport bus operating from Greyditch.
The objective area was located approximately 20 kilometres inside PCC-controlled territory (Pennines Cannibal Cult, hereafter referred to as PCC). Due to operational constraints, the mission was strictly time-limited, with the transport asset authorised to remain within the area for a restricted window before mandatory extraction.
Shortly after disembarking and advancing toward the facility, the detachment was ambushed by PCC forces. The unit came under immediate and sustained fire, resulting in significant damage and forcing an initial withdrawal from the contact point. A feigned retreat was attempted in order to draw enemy forces into a more exposed position.
The detachment regrouped and pressed forward under continued hostile pressure. Multiple recommendations to abort the mission and withdraw from PCC territory were raised due to escalating risk, but movement toward the objective continued. An alternative approach route was identified when standard reconnaissance failed, as deployed drones were unable to detect hostile thermal signatures.
During movement, the detachment was harassed from the rear while advancing toward the objective. Upon reaching the outskirts of the facility, two deceased individuals were discovered exhibiting signs of prior cryogenic preservation. Assessment of the site indicated the facility had remained undisturbed for approximately ten years and was identified as a former UK–US Marines installation.
Captain Clay ordered the remainder of the team to hold position while he advanced with Riley to investigate the main facility. Shortly thereafter, automated sirens were activated and defensive protocols were initiated. The detachment then encountered three robotic or cybernetic entities, believed to be part of the facility’s automated defence system.
Initial engagements indicated the entities were vulnerable to small arms fire; however, they demonstrated autonomous self-repair capabilities and re-engaged after being neutralised, significantly reducing the effectiveness of conventional weaponry.
The detachment attempted to push deeper into the facility to identify a means of neutralisation. The reporting officer withdrew to a rear treeline position to provide covering fire and support. Despite this, sustained hostile fire resulted in forward elements being neutralised during the engagement.
The reporting officer withdrew to the rear where Riley, Isaac, and Sally were located. Isaac was down but stabilised, while Sally was critically wounded and actively bleeding out. Riley remained combat-effective and was engaging hostile robotic units.
The reporting officer advised immediate withdrawal from the engagement area; however, Riley initially assessed that continued presence may still be viable.
During an attempt to administer medical aid to Sally, the reporting officer was incapacitated while still in possession of medical supplies. Riley subsequently used the available medical equipment to stabilise the reporting officer.
Riley then advanced to reassess the tactical situation at the forward position. During her absence, Sally succumbed to her injuries and bled out. Upon Riley’s return and further evaluation, the remaining personnel agreed that withdrawal to a safer location was the most viable course of action.
Riley confirmed that all remaining forward team members were KIA.
Riley also recovered a data translation device from within the facility, assessed to require advanced technical expertise or hacking capability to decrypt. Riley additionally recovered the medical box and used it to stabilise and treat Isaac and the reporting officer.
The remaining survivors were subsequently extracted from the area and transported safely back to Greyditch without further incident.
CASUALTIES AND LOSSES
KIA: Sally, Clay, Ned, Crow, Sicknote, Frank, Dr. Edward O’Brien Brenner.
All listed personnel were confirmed killed in action during the engagement at Project Nightfall Base within PCC territory. Recovery of remains was not fully completed due to the hostile environment and continued threat from automated defence systems.
RECOVERED MATERIALS AND INTELLIGENCE
A data translation device was recovered from within the facility. The device contains encrypted information, including internal date records and operational logs linked to the installation.
Preliminary analysis indicates references to autonomous robotic/cybernetic defence systems capable of self-repair and reactivation following destruction, suggesting advanced pre-war or experimental military design.
The internal data strongly supports the assessment that the facility remained inactive and undisturbed for approximately ten years prior to detachment arrival.
Further decryption is required to fully assess intelligence value.
ASSESSMENT
The operation resulted in heavy casualties and partial mission failure. While limited intelligence was successfully recovered, the detachment was unable to secure the facility or neutralise hostile forces.
PCC forces demonstrated effective ambush tactics and strong territorial control within their claimed area. Standard reconnaissance systems were insufficient, with UAV thermal detection proving ineffective against hostile concealment or environmental interference.
The primary threat within the facility was identified as autonomous robotic/cybernetic defence units capable of self-repair and reactivation following destruction. This rendered conventional small arms fire insufficient for sustained neutralisation.
Loss of multiple personnel, including command elements, significantly degraded operational cohesion and contributed to the necessity of extraction.
Overall, the operation highlights a severe underestimation of both PCC defensive capability and the technological threat present within Project Nightfall Base.
PERSONAL NOTES
I should note that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the detachment deployed with only one medical box available for field use. However, I do not believe that a greater quantity of medical supplies would have altered the outcome of the operation in any meaningful way.
In fact, I assess that increased medical capacity may have encouraged prolonged engagement within the facility and potentially led to a complete tactical annihilation of the detachment (total party kill scenario), given the overwhelming nature of the automated defence systems and PCC resistance encountered.
I believe the facility may be capable of being taken in the future, provided a reliable method can be developed to neutralise or permanently disable the robotic defence units. Without addressing this capability, any further attempts at direct entry are likely to result in similar or greater losses.
Of greater concern is the feasibility of deploying another team to the site. The PCC presence in the surrounding territory is highly effective, and unless the area is properly pacified or suppressed beforehand, safe insertion and extraction may prove extremely difficult or untenable.












