One of the hardest things to plan for during legion operations is insertions. How to get from a staging area to the operations area can mean the difference between life and death for the deploying troops.
Entering an AO is one of the principal reasons commanders agonize over up-to-date intelligence produced by area reconnaissance. If the recon team overlooks hidden anti-aircraft guns or robot intelligence running airspace denial drones, it could lead to heavy casualties for the incoming force.
Spot on intelligence has always been a defining factor in the legion delivering their troops via multiple methods. In Dark Operator Book 1, Kel Turner is sent on a new assignment and takes civilian transport to the planet. This not only allows him to enter the objective area anonymously, but also allows him to acquire intel on the area via the freighter’s crew. The family that ran the hauler had made multiple trips to the planet, and Kel was able to casually engage them during the trip about any number of topics that could aid him upon arrival.
In Turning Point, the legion raided Ankalore where the Zhee had taken control of a Republic military base. The base had significant defenses against airborne incursions, so the Navy commanders had to use tactics, terrain, and superior technology to deliver the troops to the ground.
In No Fail, the members of the Kill Team decide to deploy via High Orbital, Low Opening parachuting. While the operators and their bots deploying to the planet were well trained, they weren’t the only ones going on the mission. In some instances, subject matter experts who are not special operators must be taken along to lend their expertise during the mission. These “strap hangers” will not always have the level of training their Kill Team counterparts command, and have to be aided during the insert.
Finding a middle ground between battleship style delivery and jumping out of a spacecraft can ensure a better start to the operation. Drop ships, armored shuttles capable of taking hits by a wide array of weapons, are deployed from the larger craft and rush for the objective with a full complement of leejes and kit. Often small enough to avoid enemy detection systems, the drop ships resemble heavily armed and armored scout freighters with massive troop doors wide enough to spill their soldiers into the fight.
While no insertion method is one hundred percent reality proof, a heavily reconned landing zone combined with up-to-date mission intel can alter the course of a battle.
These detailed side notes adds more to the overall universe and really give us, the fans/readers, that feel of being there and having the information that makes us a part of the setting.