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Description
Orbitaler volunteers of Groupe Mobile 38 picket the eastern heights of the Drakensnek Pass, securing the route for the passage of the vehicle convoy below. The Groupe Mobile consists of a single Ossewa heavy lifter (Tannie Susara) of the Laerstaat Ferreiraskamp, accompanied by the Bakkie escort vehicles Marico, Rooibok, and Okavango. The dismounted Orbitaler pickets are comprised of reserve volunteers from no less than three different Orbitaler and Afrikander republics, stiffened with a handful of ex-Legionaar NCOs distinguished by their habit of shouldering arms in the Legionaar fashion. Though caution and vigilance are essential for the safety and survival of the Groupe Mobile, the dismounted Orbitaler volunteers protecting the core of the convoy are unlikely to see any action, as the Legionaar vanguard picket and rearguard picket take the brunt of any pirate attacks or ambushes. The "civilian" origins of the majority of the volunteers are betrayed by their old-pattern ammunition bandoliers, long dusters, filtration-respirators, and data-hoods, all characteristic gear of a respectable Orbitaler mining clanswoman. While the typical Swartvoet (so called for the nanodust residue that blackens their boots) has some practical experience in subduing violent Freeporter helot riots with nonlethal munitions in the close confines of the mine works and helot camps, Swartvoet marksmanship and fieldcraft is markedly inferior to that of their kinsmen accustomed to the open-air life of the Orbitaler salvager or Legionaar mercenary. Nevertheless, the importance of the Groot Spoor to the economic survival of their ancestral mining clans impels many Swartvoet Orbitalers to volunteer for a season or two with the Groupes Mobiles which have been organized to safeguard that passage.

The Groot Spoor transport route runs through the Drakensnek, linking the Transorbitaal Republiek's latest deep-excavation nanodust mining operations in the southern reaches of the Olifants' Graveyard with the Afrikanderstaat's modern port facilities at Jacobsrust, 150 km away. The lucrative nanodust cargos hauled by the Orbitaler mining clans along the Spoor present an irresistibly tempting target for pirate ambushes, attracting marauding Freeporter gangs and tribes from across the entire equatorial zone. Seasonal Legionaar security sweeps of the main convoy routes were sufficient to guarantee safe passage in the region until escaped Freeporter helots from the nanodust mines began swelling the numbers of the pirate gangs in the aftermath of the Second Helot Rebellion. The escaped helots' familiarity with Orbitaler and Legionaar static defenses in the region significantly reduced the effectiveness of the existing network of fortified outposts.

Although the Orbitaler mining republics were swift to engage Legionaar companies in undertaking more frequent and vigorous patrols along the Groot Spoor with the long term goal of eliminating the Freeporter presence in the region, the cost of maintaining so many expensive mercenaries in the field on prolonged operations forced the Swartvoet Orbitalers to turn to a more cost effective solution. A convoy escort system was devised to protect those Orbitaler republics engaged in ferrying nanodust from the mines to Jacobsrust, organized by ex-Legionaare now in the employ of their home republics. Rather than dispersing each republic's limited manpower to protect its own individual heavy lifters and support elements throughout the Spoor, all available volunteers were concentrated in the most dangerous "red zones" of the Spoor as an operational reserve, forming ad hoc task forces to shepherd each successive convoy to safety, regardless of individual clan or republic affiliation. These Groupes Mobiles typically consist of one to three Ossewa heavy lifters, laden with a full cargo of nanodust, guarded by its dedicated Bakkie escort, plus those vehicles and dismounted Orbitalers contributed by the operational reserve. Dismounted Orbitalers are deployed to secure and picket the surrounding heights and bottlenecks along each stage of the route, with the vanguard and rearguard picketing elements often heavily augmented with professional Legionaar mercenaries to clear ambushes and fight delaying actions. This system has the benefit of maximizing the employment of Orbitaler manpower, especially among the inexperienced Swartvoet volunteers, while simultaneously reducing risk of casualties by allowing volunteers to thoroughly familiarize themselves with local terrain features of their assigned sector. Limiting the deployment of precious Legionaar manpower to the vanguard and rearguard elements of the Groupes Mobiles further economizes on cost without overly compromising convoy safety and security, especially when the remaining dismounted elements are stiffened with a sprinkling of ex-Legionaar NCOs.

Description
Orbitaler volunteers of Groupe Mobile 38 picket the eastern heights of the Drakensnek Pass, securing the route for the passage of the vehicle convoy below. The Groupe Mobile consists of a single Ossewa heavy lifter (Tannie Susara) of the Laerstaat Ferreiraskamp, accompanied by the Bakkie escort vehicles Marico, Rooibok, and Okavango. The dismounted Orbitaler pickets are comprised of reserve volunteers from no less than three different Orbitaler and Afrikander republics, stiffened with a handful of ex-Legionaar NCOs distinguished by their habit of shouldering arms in the Legionaar fashion. Though caution and vigilance are essential for the safety and survival of the Groupe Mobile, the dismounted Orbitaler volunteers protecting the core of the convoy are unlikely to see any action, as the Legionaar vanguard picket and rearguard picket take the brunt of any pirate attacks or ambushes. The "civilian" origins of the majority of the volunteers are betrayed by their old-pattern ammunition bandoliers, long dusters, filtration-respirators, and data-hoods, all characteristic gear of a respectable Orbitaler mining clanswoman. While the typical Swartvoet (so called for the nanodust residue that blackens their boots) has some practical experience in subduing violent Freeporter helot riots with nonlethal munitions in the close confines of the mine works and helot camps, Swartvoet marksmanship and fieldcraft is markedly inferior to that of their kinsmen accustomed to the open-air life of the Orbitaler salvager or Legionaar mercenary. Nevertheless, the importance of the Groot Spoor to the economic survival of their ancestral mining clans impels many Swartvoet Orbitalers to volunteer for a season or two with the Groupes Mobiles which have been organized to safeguard that passage.

The Groot Spoor transport route runs through the Drakensnek, linking the Transorbitaal Republiek's latest deep-excavation nanodust mining operations in the southern reaches of the Olifants' Graveyard with the Afrikanderstaat's modern port facilities at Jacobsrust, 150 km away. The lucrative nanodust cargos hauled by the Orbitaler mining clans along the Spoor present an irresistibly tempting target for pirate ambushes, attracting marauding Freeporter gangs and tribes from across the entire equatorial zone. Seasonal Legionaar security sweeps of the main convoy routes were sufficient to guarantee safe passage in the region until escaped Freeporter helots from the nanodust mines began swelling the numbers of the pirate gangs in the aftermath of the Second Helot Rebellion. The escaped helots' familiarity with Orbitaler and Legionaar static defenses in the region significantly reduced the effectiveness of the existing network of fortified outposts.

Although the Orbitaler mining republics were swift to engage Legionaar companies in undertaking more frequent and vigorous patrols along the Groot Spoor with the long term goal of eliminating the Freeporter presence in the region, the cost of maintaining so many expensive mercenaries in the field on prolonged operations forced the Swartvoet Orbitalers to turn to a more cost effective solution. A convoy escort system was devised to protect those Orbitaler republics engaged in ferrying nanodust from the mines to Jacobsrust, organized by ex-Legionaare now in the employ of their home republics. Rather than dispersing each republic's limited manpower to protect its own individual heavy lifters and support elements throughout the Spoor, all available volunteers were concentrated in the most dangerous "red zones" of the Spoor as an operational reserve, forming ad hoc task forces to shepherd each successive convoy to safety, regardless of individual clan or republic affiliation. These Groupes Mobiles typically consist of one to three Ossewa heavy lifters, laden with a full cargo of nanodust, guarded by its dedicated Bakkie escort, plus those vehicles and dismounted Orbitalers contributed by the operational reserve. Dismounted Orbitalers are deployed to secure and picket the surrounding heights and bottlenecks along each stage of the route, with the vanguard and rearguard picketing elements often heavily augmented with professional Legionaar mercenaries to clear ambushes and fight delaying actions. This system has the benefit of maximizing the employment of Orbitaler manpower, especially among the inexperienced Swartvoet volunteers, while simultaneously reducing risk of casualties by allowing volunteers to thoroughly familiarize themselves with local terrain features of their assigned sector. Limiting the deployment of precious Legionaar manpower to the vanguard and rearguard elements of the Groupes Mobiles further economizes on cost without overly compromising convoy safety and security, especially when the remaining dismounted elements are stiffened with a sprinkling of ex-Legionaar NCOs.