Stardate: 19.11.211
Location: Argolan Heights, Baaka Valley, LZ # 3, on the surface of Kaled III,
The T-98 Wolverine Super Battle TankThe massive 150 mm Plasma Projector Cannon fired again, its recoil shaking the entire 200-ton Wolverine tank. A distance away, another of the approaching Drengin Devourer tanks disappeared in a cloud of fire, smoke and dust. Metal fragments and also Drengin body parts were thrown several dozens of yards away by the force of the explosion. Several other tanks also opened fire, the combined roar eclipsing all other noises on the battlefield. Then the Secondary 20 mm RBCs beside the Main Gun opened up, cutting down large swathes of the approaching Drengin infantry. Return fire from the remaining Devourer tanks, as well as several Mini-Fusion missiles and hand held Plasma Projector beams lanced out towards the Allied Wolverines. Explosions rippled amongst the Alliance line, signaling the destruction of 3 more Wolverines. Artillery fire rained down amongst the Drengin troops, killing several. Two more Devourers were destroyed, the plasma shells burning through the relatively unprotected top section of the tanks. The remaining tanks pressed on, causing more death and destruction. Off to the distant right, a small group of Alliance Dragon APCs suddenly swept down the slopes, disgorging troops and firing their twin 50mm Cannons at the enemy flanks. Several more Drengin troops went down, despite their advanced Battle Suits. Outflanked, the Drengin offense began to falter.
A group of Haraku Aerial Attack Crafts (AACs) swept over the tanks, their twin Plasma Cannons taking out several of the Dragons and sending the rest of the Alliance troops scrambling for cover. Two AACs were shot down in the attack, but the defenders had lost their initiative. Taking the opportunity, the Drengin force resumed their vicious attack. The defenders fought back bravely but it would only be a matter of time before the heavier Drengin numbers overwhelmed them.
Alliance 3rd Company, 4th Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment immediately after landing in the LZ a few months agoPvt. Seymour of the 3rd Company, 4th Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, removed the binoculars from his eyes and turned to his Squad Leader, Sergeant Sanchez who was also hunkered down, watching the distant battle. The 3rd Platoon, consisting of 100 Marines, was stationed in the Argolan Heights, which overlooked the Baaka valley. Their job was to protect the flank of the Alliance LZ, and act as advance warning for any Drengin counter-attack from the west. Down in the valley was the Mobile Command HQ of the 23rd Corps, guarded by an entire Marine Regiment. Already the situation of the Alliance troops was dire. They had destroyed a significant portion of the large Drengin Imperial Army, but at great cost. As casualties mounted and the Drengin repeatedly counter-attacked with increasing numbers, the desperate Alliance defence was crumbling. If the Drengin broke through here and captured the LZ…it would mean disaster for the incoming Alliance reinforcements.
“They’re really giving them hell.”
“Yes sir…I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes for all the gems of Frey II.” Sanchez agreed.
They resumed their vigil.
Many minutes passed. The sun continued to burn down on the soldiers.
Then one of the other members of the Squad stirred.
“Movement to the right. Coordinates 230, 350.”
Seymour took his binoculars up once more.
For a few seconds he saw nothing. Then he saw one of the large rocks in the stony floor of the western valley shift an inch.
Something stirred in his subconscious.
The same realization came to the Sergeant.
“Get down!! Incoming Artillery!!”
Hell broke loose…
A series of huge explosions erupted on the ridge.
Dirt, pieces of boulder and even parts of those unlucky enough to be caught in the bombardment filled the sky. Thunderous impacts knocked the wind out of the cowering soldiers and the air became hot, filled with smoke and fire. Pvt. Seymour crouched down beneath a big boulder, desperately seeking to hide from the devastating bombardment. All around him pandemonium reigned. Screams, curses and even pleas for help filled the air, as the bombardment continued. The hot air was stifling him and the continuous thumps were dazing his mind.
Almost an hour had passed and there were no signs of the bombardment abating. Then suddenly, a series of explosions took place…so violent that they could even be heard from such a great distance. The enemy guns had been detected by Alliance Counter-Battery Sensors, and destroyed by a small detachment of Viper Interceptors.
As the bombardment stopped, Pvt. Seymour got up and looked around. Several bodies littered the ground some distance away. To his right Sgt. Sanchez was rallying his men, trying to return some semblance of order to the Squad. 4 of the squad had survived. Pvt. Harrison had not been so lucky. His crumpled body lay nearby…his upper torso having been torn apart by one of the shells.
Another shout broke Seymour out of his trance.
He crawled back onto the edge of the Ridge and looked through the scope of his MK. II Plasma Projector rifle.
Nothing…
Then he saw what the others had seen.
There were thousands of them.
Almost two full battalions of Drengin Marines were approaching their ridge.
He gulped and clutched his rifle more tightly.
He heard a curse and turned to see Pvt. Kleene angrily gesticulating to his radio.
“They’re blocking our communications.”
“Use the Direct Frequency Communicator.”
“It was badly damaged in the bombardment.”
A silence prevailed as the men considered their situation. They were cut off from reinforcements, and facing superior numbers. The artillery barrage had whittled the odds even more in favour of the Drengin. If the enemy broke through, Command HQ would itself be threatened.
Sgt. Sanchez spoke.
“All right men…you known now what we’re up against. We are facing bad odds. But we can’t let the enemy occupy these heights. Let’s hope that someone in the valley notices the battle here and informs the top brass. Lets make those bastards pay.”
A huge roar answered him.
“People, man your positions. Fire at will, but aim and fire. Aim for the faceplates. Remember the enemy has better armour. We don’t have unlimited ammo.”
The Squad took up their positions.
The enemy soldiers were coming closer, their huge forms wrapped up in Battle Suits. They were approaching cautiously, knowing that the defenders had the advantage of height.
The Alliance troops opened fire.
Seymour looked through his Rifle Scope, trying to pick out a target. He found one, and centered the crosshair on its faceplate. The Mk. II Rifle roared, and the face of the Drengin exploded in a crimson spray. Around him, the well-aimed Alliance fire felled some more of the enemy troops. But they still advanced.
Seymour chose a new target and fired…
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Many minutes had passed. Many Drengin lay dead on the valley floor, but even more advanced.
Seymour looked at the Safety Indicator on his Rifle. It was hovering around the Red Zone. The rifle had been fired continuously so long, it was overheating.
The Drengin troops were returning fire now.
Mostly their shots went wide…the high ground protecting the Alliance troops. But some hit.
A cry of pain pierced the battlefield. Seymour turned to see one of the Alliance soldiers collapse, his face a smoking ruin.
He returned grimly to his task.
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The RBC cut down several of the advancing Drengin. But more followed.
They had almost reached the heights.
Seymour threw another grenade. Two more Drengin went down.
He turned to see the commotion to his left. The Drengin had overrun the RBC position.
He saw Harding fire his rifle point blank at the faceplate of one of the advancing enemies, causing it to collapse.
Then the other Drengin opened fire…virtually vaporizing the Private.
Seymour turned back to his front, and saw three Drengin heading his way.
He threw his last grenade. One of the Drengin went down. Using the confusion, he took aim and felled one more enemy. But the third had reached him. As the big lizard aimed and was about to fire, Seymour hurled himself at it. The shot passed scant inches over his head. As he came up he saw the Drengin swing at him with the butt of the gun. He ducked the blow and punched back…but without much effect. Then the next thing he knew was a crushing pain in his abdomen, and he was hurled several feet back. As he struggled to catch his breath and get up…he saw the enemy raise its gun.
Time slowed down…
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Lieutenant Hunter pulled his throttle back as the Vipers cleared the surrounding hills. The view below him took his breath away.
Hundreds of Drengin littered the valley floor, while many more were on their way to reaching the relative safety of the heights. The entire ridge was a scene of fierce fighting, with the Alliance and Drengin troops in fierce hand to hand, and plasma combat.
Having returned from the desperate but successful raid on the enemy artillery, they were low on fuel, had used up all their Thermionic Bombs and had lost one of their members to the withering enemy fire. But the Lieutenant knew that he had to help…
“All right Squad, let’s go in. I’ll go in first, and then Cathy and finally Morris. We must take as many of them out as possible in this one sweep. Stay sharp of any hand-held missiles.”
As the Viper zoomed down, Lt. Hunter took careful aim, concentrating on the thickest concentration of troops, which were at the base of the heights.
He pressed the trigger, and the specially modified twin 50 mm RBCs with which his Viper had been equipped, spat death and destruction. Many Drengin disappeared in the continuous plasma explosions, which suddenly mushroomed amongst them.
As he pulled up, and sped away, he could see the next Viper sweep in. It laid down a hail of plasma fire across the valley floor and then banked sharply to avoid being hit by a hand-launched Fusion mini-missile. As the third Viper came in, the Drengin gunners were more prepared and a salvo of Fusion mini-missiles lanced up to met it. In a desperate maneuver, the pilot dived the Viper into the Drengin troops below. The massive explosion and subsequent detonation of the Fusion missiles incinerated scores of Drengin and many more were thrown dozens of yards away by the force of the detonation.
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The loud explosions in the valley below momentarily distracted the Drengin soldier.
Pvt. Seymour grabbed the opportunity, diving for his gun, and managing to shoot off one round before the Drengin could open fire.
The plasma blast momentarily staggered the Drengin. Its strong armour and thick hide had combined to take most of the damage out of the hit, but it still hurt badly. Letting out a howl, it took aim once more.
Seymour knew that he wouldn’t be able to get off another shot in time.
Instinctively he leaped to his left. As he dove, a searing pain ripped through his right shoulder.
He fell.
He saw the Drengin take aim once more.
The Ready Indicator beeped.
The blast hit the Drengin squarely on the chest, burning through the remaining armour and gutting the inside. A horrendous screech filled the air.
A black wave swept over the Private as he lost consciousness.
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An insistent sound was invading his consciousness.
Slowly, and painfully he opened his eyes.
“He’s okay. He took a bad hit on the shoulder, but he’ll be okay.”
He turned his head to see the source of the words.
A soldier, in the uniform of a Marine Medical Corps Officer, returned his gaze, and smiled.
He tried to get up, but fell back.
“Steady, my lad. You still need some R&R. After which you’ll be as right as rain.”
The huge frame of Sgt. Sanchez entered his filled of view.
“Sir…did the squad survive?”
A look of sadness drifted across the Sergeant’s face.
“No Seymour, it’s just you and me. We’re lucky we survived.”
“How many people did we lose?”
“Everybody. Only 10 survived.”
Shocked, Sanchez asked the only other question he could think of.
“Did we win?”
This time a smile creased the tired visage of the Sergeant.
“Yes, Private. We won. The air attack wiped off a significant part of their forces, and momentarily stalled their attack. We managed to hold off the rest until the 3rd Battalion came to our rescue. The Drengin have lost almost a thousand troops.”
As the Evac-Shuttle hovered over the ridge, preparatory to heading back to the Command HQ Medical Zone, Pvt. Seymour could see the devastation in the valley below. Hundreds of bodies littered the valley, and the craters of explosions scarred the barren landscape. The other battered survivors were also being similarly evacuated and fresh troops were taking their place. In the distance, explosions could be seen, and muted sounds of a firefight were just barely discernible.
And then as he turned his head he gave an involuntary cry of relief. For there, framed against the red glow of the dying day were the faint outlines of an armada of fiery trails descending from the heavens.
Their reinforcements had arrived…
GalCiv2 Forums
This is some great story telling and interpretation of the battles!
)
but I guess that gives us more to look forward to eh? :CONGRAT:
