Part 8: Mission 8: Spear Fishing

While the performance of our Piranhas in the last mission left us little to complain about, it brought with it ideas for how we could make sure our infantry stayed relevant. It was widely agreed that their biggest weakness was their vulnerability to enemy weapons, even with the new UNT armor, so the next step in research was how to further improve their defenses.




There was more work to be done before we got anything useable from it, though.



In the meantime, the performance gains our IFVs had gotten from the KTUs had spurred in developing better, faster engines for our other vehicles. Work began on another new diesel engine design that would give our tanks an extra edge.




This theater was a lot busier than Eastern Europe in terms of officer assignments, especially with a lot of the ones who'd been serving there now freed from the need to defend their homelands, and it didn't take long for us to get our hands on a new qualified one.



We'd have to forego both our new lieutenant and the new KTUs - again - though. We had a likely location for a Dark Side sacrificial temple in our sights. If any of the civilians from that town that had been taken for use as sacrifices were still alive, we didn't have time to waste.

Mission 8: Spear Fishing

Attending:
Anil E. Hilated, Esq. (Polite Obliteration, Mortar Infantry)
Sersan (Anoa, Rangers)
Habitually Red (Sane Max's Own, Heavy Infantry)
Bonaventura Ferrer (Confederacion Internacional de Militadores, Heavy Infantry)
Logan "Hardtack" Smith (War Dogs, Commandos)
"Doctor" Snark (Mage Killers, Commandos)
Solrick Skaft (Scion of Emer, Commandos)
Mael Radec (Radec's Rhinos, Piranha)
Skull Face (XOF, Piranha)
Patrick Gallagher (Just In Time, Piranha)
Svetlana Aliyev (Rusalka, Piranha)
Erik Spanner (The Toolbox, Piranha)
Catherine Ulysses (Smart Patrol, Humvee)
Ash Kleef (Ash Savers, Humvee)



Catherine Ulysses: Alright guys, same as last time. 'vees scout, Piranhas shoot, infantry back up.



Catherine Ulysses: God, there's a lot of trees here. It looks like the path splits, too. Ash, which side?
Ash Kleef: I suppose I'll take the left.



Catherine Ulysses: Alright. I'll let you guys know if I find anything.



Erik Spanner: We're at the fork now. Just give us a yell if you need any trogs blown up.



Erik Spanner: Oh, what the shit.



Catherine Ulysses: Fucking help!



Svetlana Aliyev: Sorry Cathy, we've got a situation here, too! Get back to us, we'll cover your retreat!



Catherine Ulysses: Thanks guys. Just be ready, there's another horde of ka-orcs coming from the right!
Skull Face: Nothing we can't handle!




Patrick Gallagher: You sure about that, Skull? There's a lot of them here. If they concentrate their attacks...
Skull Face: Hm. Good point.



Skull Face: Run awayyyyyyy!



Mael Radec: Here you go, guys! You've got your pick of the targets!



Anil E. Hilated: For us? You're too kind.



Erik Spanner: Not all of it! First come, first served!



Ash Kleef: I'm helping!



Solrick Skaft: About time I got to do something.



Habitually Red: Oh God, what? Why didn't anyone kill the wolves? Someone kill the wolves!



Mael Radec: Ask and you shall receive!



Ash Kleef: Looks like we're clear for now. Trogs hacked one of my 'vees into scrap metal. Everyone else okay?
Anil E. Hilated: I've lost some men. You guys really need to start taking better care of your artillery.



From here, the group went back to the original plan, except Catherine and Ash switched places. Catherine went left...



...Ash went right...



...and the Piranhas brought up the rear.



It was when Catherine rounded the corner that she found the next enemy group.



Catherine Ulysses: Heads up, boys and girls, we've got ballistae. Not a lot, though. Just roll up and we'll win with superior numbers.



Ash Kleef: And over here we've got, um, a cabin. An empty cabin from the looks of it. Whatever, I'm going to sweep it for trogs.



Catherine Ulysses: Damn! You'd better hurry guys, the trogs saw me.



Erik Spanner: Oh God, I forgot they can go through trees and we can't!



Mael Radec: Relax, Erik. There was only one real threat among them, and they just got minced.



Skull Face: Except for that thing!



Mael Radec: Nothing concentrated fire can't solve!



Patrick Gallagher: Dealt with. They run out of steam already? That wasn't half as bad as the first wave.
Svetlana Aliyev: Doubtful. We haven't gotten eyes on the temple proper yet.




Catherine Ulysses: Maybe not, but we're getting closer. Got a palisade here.
Mael Radec: You know, that gives us a good chance to get the drop on the enemy. Just smash their walls and storm in through the hole!
Catherine Ulysses: Trees're too thick. The infantry'd have to do it.
Mael Radec: True. Hey guys, if you could?



Bonaventura Ferrer: So should I be thrilled we're needed, or pissed we have to trudge halfway across the battlefield to do what we're needed for?
Sersan: I'm just hoping it doesn't get us killed.

LATER...



"Doctor" Snark: Okay, everyone in except Anil? Good. Anil, we'll let you know if we need anything lit up... or when it's all clear.



Catherine Ulysses: Alright, guys, we're heading east to try to find the main entrance. Try not to get killed.




Sersan: You know, I think we just might manage! I dunno why, but this place is empty. Like, there's a big, forested pit, but there's no trogs. Not even signs they've been here recently. It's like they built a huge barricade around an empty field.



Sersan: Scratch that, got eyes on one in the woods. We've got riders!
"Doctor" Snark: Got it. Alright, everyone except Anil, take position on the ledge. Anil, you hang back just a bit behind us and set up your tubes.



Anil E. Hilated: Just give the word.



Catherine Ulysses: We've spotted our own group in the east. Let's go, boys and girls! It's hunting season!



Hardtack: Damn, but they're dug in deep! They must've known we were coming.



"Doctor" Snark: There's only so deep they can dig, though, and that's not deep enough to stop our guns!



Anil E. Hilated: C'mon guys, we've gotta take 'em out before they get a chance to fire back!



Sersan: Gotta get the wolves, too! They don't give a shit about UNT armor.




Bonaventura Ferrer: Got 'em. Guess we'd better meet up with the Piranhas now, who've no doubt already taken out the enemy on their end and are reclining in their cozy armored vehicles.

MEANWHILE



Svetlana Aliyev: This hill keeps blocking my shots and it's PISSING ME OFF.



Svetlana Aliyev: I have to keep going forward and reversing and going forward and reversing and every time I get them in my sights I get YET ANOTHER volley of shuriken in my grill!



Erik Spanner: Hey, don't feel too bad, Svetlana! You can just leave them in and pretend you're in Mad Max! And/or you can try running into trogs and see how many bodies you can pile up.



Svetlana Aliyev: Tempting, but I'll have to pass. I mean, even if it worked, I'd probably have to scrape literal tons of trog off the front afterward.
Mael Radec: Alright. If we're all done here, it looks like we've cleared out the woods! There's only one place left they could be hiding. Once we've gone down the path and confirmed it's secure, we could... um... we...



Mael Radec: Sorry, one moment please.



Mael Radec: So as I was saying, all we've got to do now is sweep the path.




Catherine Ulysses: I hear you.



Catherine Ulysses: 'nother ballista platoon. This one's on top of a pretty tall hill, though. It'll likely get a few shots off at us before we can drop it.
Skull Face: Why don't we bait it out, then? It worked pretty well on the last one.



Ash Kleef: Sounds good to me. Any volunteers?
Mael Radec: Erik can do it.
Erik Spanner: Oh, who made you the commander? If we're gonna volunteer other people, we should at least put it to a vote.
Skull Face: In that case, put me down for Erik.
Svetlana Aliyev: Same.
Patrick Gallagher: E-rik! E-rik!



Erik Spanner: I swear to God if I get killed doing this, I'm going to come back as a ghost and I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I'VE TAKEN SPECTRAL SHITS IN ALL YOUR SEATS.



Patrick Gallagher: Hey, look! See, Erik, that wasn't so bad! Now you just have to pull back and we can mop them up at our leisure.



Patrick Gallagher: ...Or not. Ash, why didn't you tell us there were this many?
Ash Kleef: I didn't see this many, and by the time I could've, I'd be right on top of them!



Svetlana Aliyev: Less arguing, more shooting! We've got to wipe out as many trogs as we can before the ballistae get us in their sights!




Patrick Gallagher: There, that looks a lot better!



Mael Radec: Throwing star hit my engine block! How do they even DO that?



Mael Radec: Never mind, it doesn't matter! Not as long as my gun still works!



Skull Face: God, they're throwing everything they have at us!
Svetlana Aliyev: Not to worry! We can just do the same, and we've got more everything than they do!



Erik Spanner: There we go! Nothing left but the ballistae and the wolves, and we're 2-0 against ballistae right now, so I'll just go ahead and pop open a can now.



*THRUM THRUM*



Patrick Gallagher: Jesus Christ, Erik! Half your Piranhas are on fire! What the fuck happened?



Erik Spanner: They shot me with their magical bullshit arrows is what happened! Someone cover me while I get what's left of my platoon in order!





Svetlana Aliyev: Two Piranhas down, repeat, two Piranhas down! Six damaged! What the hell did they do to those arrows?
Mael Radec: Svet, fall back! Most of my Piranhas are damaged too. We've got to regroup!



Catherine Ulysses: C'mon Ash, let's book! I don't want to find out what those ballistae can do to our 'vees!




Catherine Ulysses: Okay, there. Okay, which of our IFVs are still in fighting shape?
Skull Face: Just mine and Patrick's.
Patrick Gallagher: Wait, that one ballista shredded over half our IFV platoons? The hell are we dealing with?
Skull Face: Something we'd better be ready to blast the minute we've got sights on it.



Skull Face: There it is!
Mael Radec: I'll be with you in just a minute, Skull! Just got my remaining Piranhas back up and running.



Ash Kleef: Wait, it wasn't one ballista that did all that! There's two of them!
Patrick Gallagher: I'm not sure whether that's better or worse, honestly.



Skull Face: Damn it! There's too many trees, I can't get a line of fire on the ballistae! Taking out these riders will have to do.



Patrick Gallagher: We'll just have to keep pulling back, then! We'll have them for sure once we've got them in this narrow corridor!




Erik Spanner: That was close! Lucky those arrows didn't hit our Piranhas, huh?
Catherine Ulysses: Oh God, my 'vee's been skewered by an arrow the size of a telephone pole!



Catherine Ulysses: Hey guys. This the "I've been perforated" corner?
Svetlana Aliyev: Apparently!



Mael Radec: Last non-ballista threat dealt with. Can we please take out the things that are doing all the damage now?



Patrick Gallagher: I've got 'em in range, but they've just reloaded! I can't take a shot without both of them hitting me!



Erik Spanner: Okay, new plan. Everyone bunch up and hope you don't get hit! If they set up so we can't hit them without getting in the range of all of them, we'll just have to do the same!



Patrick Gallagher: It worked! I've got a good shot!



Patrick Gallagher: Fucking finally! Burn, you bastards!




Erik Spanner: Ahhh, that's a good sight. We've just halved their firepower.




Erik Spanner: ARE YOU KIDDING I JUST FIXED THESE FUCKING THINGS



Patrick Gallagher: Quick, while they're reloading! Everyone, charge them and hit them with everything you've got!




Svetlana Aliyev: You think you can beat our armor tactics? We invented armor tactics!
Skull Face: I think... I think we got 'em.
Patrick Gallagher: Just when we think we've got the upper hand, the enemy finds some new way to trip us up.
Mael Radec: They're pretty adaptive for a bunch of Dark Age brutes. But they haven't thrown anything at us yet that our guns couldn't destroy.




Over the next few days, our forces recovered about a hundred survivors, most of whom had taken advantage of the enemy's confusion during the fighting and run off into the forests to evade them. The rest of the captives - the vast majority, unfortunately - had already been subjected to the grisly ritual sacrifices of the Ka-Orcs. It was a small consolation when a demo team bombed the temple into rubble. Whatever else happened, not one more innocent person would die upon that foul altar.

This had been our largest engagement yet, and though higher casualties were to be expected, the results were still disconcerting. One fifth of all the Piranhas in our entire division were killed taking that one hill, all the work of two platoons of ballistae. Knowing that the enemy outnumbered us at almost every turn, how much blood would we have to spend before we destroyed the last of them? And would it be a price we could afford?