Part 19: Mission 19: Blood For Oil

The mysteries of the origins of our enemies were only deepening. During a routine interrogation of a mri, a name came up that was unfamiliar to us - Karadan-Ka. The mri couldn't, or wouldn't, provide any details, even with sustained and intense interrogation. There was, at first, some speculation that the mri had made the name up on the spot to throw off our investigation.

But across the world, on different fronts, the same name was being heard from prisoners across the boards. Orcs and ka-orcs, elves of every rank, and magotars all spoke of this entity with whispers and trembles. Actual information about Karadan-Ka, whoever or whatever it was, was sparse. We knew that they were an enemy of the Forces of Darkness, a recently gained one, and we knew that the Forces of Darkness - the same Forces of Darkness that had rampaged their way across Earth, throwing themselves at our tanks and guns with fervor - were deathly afraid of them. Perhaps the enemy of our enemy could be our friend.



Meanwhile, with news of the Elmag 1 being combat-ready, all of the Piranha crews were hoping to be among the first to get them, wanting to replace their own vehicles which were proving less effective against the new threats we faced. Rusalka and Just In Time were the lucky two, and would be fielding our first Elmags - later fitted with Evadit armor - in the next mission.



We also made a new breakthrough in cannon technology, and the new development was better than we'd hoped for.





The technology had required extensive research into ballistics and magical technologies, and was comprised of two components. The first was a barrel of alchemically enhanced alloy, which allowed it to sustain the higher temperatures and loads needed to fire larger shells.



This was combined with a new network of electronic systems, collectively referred to as the Nordia. The alchemically strengthened systems could support a higher rate of fire, and the Nordia was made to realize that. High-speed loaders were combined with state-of-the-art barrel stabilizers, resulting in a cannon that could fire quickly and with pinpoint accuracy even in a tank moving at top speed or turning sharply. We wouldn't be able to make use of the artillery variant yet - the M113s our present artillery was mounted on couldn't support it - but it was good to know we had the option. The one drawback to the Nordia was its high price, owing to the magical metal and high-end electronics used in its construction.



Even costing what it did, though, the Nordia's benefits were too good to refuse. All of the tank platoons were fitted with the new cannons immediately.



Our next research priority was to develop magical weapons for the infantry. They were already struggling to keep up with our armored vehicles in terms of performance, and with the dramatic improvements the vehicles had been seeing lately, that gulf would likely only widen. We needed better equipment for our footsoldiers, too, and we were confident that we now had the magical production capabilities to deliver it.



But of course, just when it seemed we had a handle on things, disaster struck. News of China's surrender spread quickly through Command, with contradictory reports of the situation and the causes of the sudden surrender of one of the Alliance's bulwarks. There was a great amount of confusion. Things had certainly been rough for China, sure, but they hadn't by any means been on the brink of collapse.



A few days later, the story finally came together, mostly from the testimony of Chinese officers who had fled the country. With the aid of embedded BFS agents, the Forces of Darkness had managed to carry out a raid and seize stores of Sarin gas that China had intended to use in an upcoming battle. This was carried out in conjunction with a coup led by the treacherous general Shen Tzu, during which most of the civilian and military leadership of China was killed in a swift decapitation strike. Many elements of the Chinese army turned rogue and tried to resist Shen Tzu, only to be met by grisly, indiscriminate reprisals against entire cities using the captured nerve gas stocks. At the end of it all, few still had the will to resist. Fewer still survived long enough to retreat the Himalayas. Drastically outnumbered, working under the looming threat of being discovered and carpeted with nerve gas, these brave few continued the struggle for a free China.

The situation on the front changed overnight. With one of its largest contributors suddenly turned against it, the Alliance's frontline simply collapsed in many places. The army was forced to flee headlong from positions that had been believed to be unassailable, caught between the advancing Forces of Darkness and the elements of the Chinese army not occupied with hunting down the resistance members. The main Alliance force was able to break through to the west, making a path through Mongolia, and form a defense against the Forces of Darkness as they pushed toward western Russia. However, with its numbers greatly reduced and cut off from Pacific supply routes, the Alliance's position was suddenly quite tenuous. It seemed a matter of when, rather than if, the Forces of Darkness would break our lines.



There was, at least, some good news, in the form of the new infantry weapon project being completed. The Shockcandle, as it had been dubbed, was a revival of an American concept known as the Future Force Warrior project - intended to bring wearable and man-portable cutting-edge computer and materials technology to infantry units. While the original project proved overexpensive and impractical, magic has given us the opportunity to develop a version worth employing. Infantry armor has been reinforced with light but durable plates of alchemical metal bolstered with defense runes, along with gun-integrated systems to allow soldiers to hold their weapons more steadily and reduce the effects of recoil.



The system was affordable, and would provide a very welcome boost to our infantry's fighting capabilities, so all eligible units were to be issued the new equipment at the earliest opportunity.



Finally, given that they were something of curiosity, we took the time to study some of the mechanical tower wrecks. Our working theory was that these were an attempt by the Forces of Darkness to develop a weapon using the design principles of Alliance tanks, which had proven quite effective against the enemy. While on the whole a crude imitation, it was a sign that the enemy was adapting to our tactics, just as we were adapting to theirs.

Unlike the fragile arrow throwers and ballistae, most of the mechanical towers' critical systems were concentrated in a central cylinder of enchanted wood and metal. An array of guns allowed them to fire cannonballs in any direction and the entire system was powered by a central rotating engine, pushed by orcs tailored specifically for their upper body strength. Whether they had been selectively bred over many generations, or were genetically engineered over a short timespan with the aid of magic, was not currently known.

The towers, while demonstrating a step up in the enemy's engineering capabilities, had glaring weaknesses. Their cannonballs were deadly to infantry at long ranges, but cannonballs bounced harmlessly off of vehicle armor - something that's held true since the duel between the ironclads Monitor and Merrimac. The second was their glaring blind spot; their guns had a poor elevation range, which made them vulnerable to point-blank attacks by any infantry that came close enough.



As soon as that was done, it was time to make our next attack. With the situation on the main front having drastically worsened so quickly, time was once more against us. They needed whatever relief they could get. Luckily, we were now in position to reclaim one of our major oil fields from the Forces of Darkness. Even with the development of the new electric engines, most of the Alliance would be running on diesel for the forseeable future. And right now, the Alliance needed every advantage it could get.

Mission 19: Blood For Oil

Attending:
Joe Moore (War Boys, Mortar Infantry)
Lazarus (Forlorn Hope, Flamethrowers)
Habitually Red (Sane Max's Own, Flamethrowers)
Solrick Skaft (Scion of Emer, Flamethrowers)
Bonaventura Ferrer (Confederacion, Heavy Infantry)
"Doctor" Snark (Mage Killers, Commandos)
Logan "Hardtack" Smith (War Dogs, Commandos)
Amina (Les Amazones, Piranha)
Erik Spanner (The Toolbox, Piranha)
Patrick Gallagher (Just In Time, Elmag 1)
Svetlana Aliyev (Rusalka, Elmag 1)
James "Griff" Griffin (Party Crashers, TAM)
Mael Radec (Radec's Rhinos, TAM)
Basil (Paladin, STRV)
Anil E. Hilated, Esq. (Polite Obliteration, M106)
Grand Inquisitor Solaus (Balkanian Inquisition, M106)
Ash Kleef (Ashsavers, Humvee)
Catherine Ulysses (Smart Patrol, Humvee)



Ash Kleef: Guys? The sand is all black and wet. I think the enemy's sabotaged the oil rigs.
Habitually Red: Maybe we should scrub the mission? We'll be in deep shit if a fire starts, and if they've sabotaged the rigs, we probably won't be getting much anyway.
Mael Radec: We don't have the luxury, Red. Kleef, Ulysses, drive around and scout out the enemy as usual, but be careful. If you see anything that even looks like it might be used to start a fire, you clear the hell out.
Svetlana Aliyev: I suppose this is a good place to test our new Elmags, huh? Electric engine, magnetic cannon, no fire hazard at all!
Erik Spanner: Oh sure, rub it in. I still have no idea how you managed to call dibs five minutes after the Commander got the memo.



Ash Kleef: Found some ka-orcs on top of the hill.



Catherine Ulysses: Got a mixed group to the west. No real threats except the lizards. Hey, it's been a while since we've seen riders!
Solrick Skaft: Ka-orcs? Wolf riders? Did they already use up all their good units or something?



Ash Kleef: Got 'em coming your way!



Patrick Gallagher: Alright, time to see what these babies can do!



Patrick Gallagher: Hot damn! Two volleys and every last one of 'em is swiss cheese. I think I'm in love.
Joe Moore: Don't get too excited, Pat. It's only mags.



Griff: Yeah, we aren't exactly dealing with their best.



Bonaventura Ferrer: But those are their best tanks!



Mael Radec: They might be their best, but they're still terrible.



Basil: Ah, shit! They had backup! We've got mri!



Mael Radec: Not a lot, though. All armored units, ignore the towers for now! Focus everything you've got on the mri!



Griff: There we go! We're just about half-done already!



Griff: MOTHERFUCKING GOLEMS.



Erik Spanner: Stop running, you assholes! God, we need longer-range guns. Or better engines.



Griff: I'm okay, I'm okay! None of my TAMs are out of commission. I just need to pull back for repairs.
"Doctor" Snark: We're getting awfully thin on the ground here, Basil's still repairing. Let's pull back, make them come to us. Then we hit them with everything we've got.




Svetlana Aliyev: Okay, they took the bait! Mince 'em!




Patrick Gallagher: Done. And there's the golem!



Griff: FUCK ME THERE'S ANOTHER ONE.



Catherine Ulysses: And the tower's back, too!



Svetlana Aliyev: Not anymore, it's not!



Mael Radec: Alright everyone, forward! The golems may be dangerous, but we've got numbers on them!



Griff: STOP RUNNING, YOU DOUCHEFUCKS.
Hardtack: Why not just tell them to stop shooting while you're at it?
Griff: Because it's the running that stops me from shooting them!



Mael Radec: Okay, someone get those mri!




Svetlana Aliyev: These elmags are a bit weird, but you know what? I think I can get used to them.



"Doctor" Snark: New shockcandle system's really pulling its weight! Nice to know we aren't obsolete.



Things settled down for a while after the team dropped the last golem. A few stragglers were found roaming the oil-soaked sands.




We used the opportunity to see how the elmags performed some more. They made short work of the enemy.



The group to the west still remained, though. We decided to send in the Elmags and TAMs, since they had the best armor and anti-infantry weapons.



Patrick Gallagher: Shit, get the mri!




Patrick Gallagher: Never mind!



Mael Radec: They really weren't ready for our improved firepower, were they?



Svetlana Aliyev: Ow, fuck! I think they figured out our elmags are the biggest threat. The mri all seem to be targeting us.



Svetlana Aliyev: Not that it did them any good.



Griff: Okay, who's next?



Ash Kleef: Seriously? I'd never turn down an easy victory, but come on, guys, at least make it interesting.



I hope that I can be forgiven for not going into painstaking detail about the ensuing battle. Suffice to say, it was very short and very one-sided in our favor.



Luckily, the damage looked worse than it was. Most of the oil the Forces of Darkness managed to spill was very close to the surface to begin with, so we'd just need to drill a bit deeper to get to the rest of it. With the last major oil field in the region secured, it was time to make the push that would drive the Forces of Darkness out of the Middle East once and for all.