Part 36: Mission 37: The Prototype

With the battlesuits complete, our scientists could now turn their efforts to other projects. The recently discovered alchemical compound Archotral held some promise. Far more potent than ordinary chemical explosives, it would significantly increase the yield of our bombs and shells if we could use it in them. Archotral was quite volatile, however, and at present it carried an unacceptable risk of exploding during transport. We would need to overcome this.



Meanwhile, despite the efforts of their masters, the orcs' discontent was beginning to boil over. They had been promised an easy, rewarding conquest and they were being thrown into an endless meatgrinder. They were beginning to desert in significant numbers, trying to open diplomatic channels with the Alliance - wanting to join us and take revenge on those who had used them. There were still significant obstacles, both from the Forces of Darkness hunting them down and trigger-happy Alliance battalions gunning them down indiscriminately, but we in the Drunken Slavs would make every effort to communicate with these defectors.



We had another urgent mission coming up, but we had just enough time to spare to prepare our first battlesuit platoon. We'd waited long enough for these. Habitually Red's unit had been quick to volunteer for them, and they would get theirs soon, but the Mage Killers had to come first. They were using the same weapons they'd had since the beginning of the war, and they'd been with us from our very first battles. They deserved this.



We managed to develop a safe way to store Archotral shortly afterward. Much like conventional explosives, it couldn't ignite without oxygen, so safe storage was a simple matter of keeping it sealed until it needed to blow. Development and production of a cannon capable of firing Archotral ammunition were now underway.



Hours before the first Trantor prototype would fire its first shell on the testing grounds, though, we had to deploy on our next mission. The recon satellite had discovered, in addition to key enemy deployment locations, a Helitech Land Systems test unit who had been stranded behind enemy lines, fielding an experimental vehicle. According to Helitech, the research center responsible, it was meant to be an IFV suitable for swampy terrain. The vehicles were surrounded, and it was unlikely we would be able to save them or their crews. But we had to try.

Mission 37: The Prototype

Attending:
Lazarus (Forlorn Hope, Flamethrowers)
Habitually Red (Sane Max's Own, Flamethrowers)
Solrick Skaft (Scion of Emer, Flamethrowers)
T. Hinman (Ethereal Corps, Flamethrowers)
Logan "Hardtack" Smith (War Dogs, Paranormal Infantry)
Joe Moore (War Boys, Paranormal Infantry)
"Doctor" Snark (Mage Killers, Hi-Tech Infantry)
Patrick Gallagher (Just In Time, Elmag 1)
Svetlana Aliyev (Rusalka, Elmag 1)
Mael Radec (Radec's Rhinos, M1 Abrams)
Erik Spanner (The Toolbox, M1 Abrams)
James "Griff" Griffin (Party Crashers, M1 Abrams)
Basil (Paladin, M1 Abrams)
Jorji Costava (Cobrastan's Best, M1 Abrams)
Isara Gunther (Edelweiss, M1 Abrams)
Reginald P. Linux (Doom Squad, Leopard 2A5)
Aethereon Darkfyre (The Mary Sues, UDES)
Stephen Smith (The Counts of Monty Python, UDES)
Anil E. Hilated, Esq. (Polite Obliteration, M106)
Grand Inquisitor Solaus (Balkanian Inquisition, AMX-30)
Gregor (The Swell Swords, AMX-30)
Michael de Boulogne (Chivalric Order of Saint George, AMX-30)
Cholmondely Featherstonehaugh-Smythe (Sphinx Battery, Roland)
Billy John (The Truther Squad, Roland)
Sigrún Raske (Skysmasher Brigade, Roland)
Billy Mays (Infomercial Men, Humvees)
Atom ikk Rab (Those From the Depths, Universal 1R)



Hardtack: Alright, the vehicles' last known positions are about five klicks west. First order of business, let's make sure that hill's clear.



Billy Mays: IT'S NOT CLEAR, BUT YOU CAN CHANGE THAT WITH A GENEROUS APPLICATION OF FIREPOWER!



Anil E. Hilated: Doesn't look like their best and brightest.



Griff: Never know what might be lurking just out of sight, though! Everyone move up!



The division found out the hard way that the enemy had a wizard among their numbers.



Snark's platoon had a chance to try out the new battlesuits' integrated chainguns. They proved a bit unwieldy, despite the suits' enhanced strength and their own training. Neither of those could compare to a lifetime of learning to use rifles and rockets.

"Doctor" Snark: Alright, where is the son of a bitch? My unit's gotta earn its name.



Stephen Smith: There they are! Get 'em!



Griff: Can't quite reach. I'll have to settle for picking off some keebs.



Lazarus: Not complaining about that. Keebs burn a lot better!
"Doctor" Snark: Good, nobody touch the wizard, he's-



"Doctor" Snark: Fuck!
Mael Radec: Snark, we've lost tanks to those guys. The only thing that matters is dropping them ASAP.
"Doctor" Snark: Yeah, yeah, I know... but god damnit, when do the Mage Killers get to kill an actual mage?



Jorji Costava: Is still consolation prizes left!



Atom ikk Rab: Glad we're heading south to scout. Nice to get away from the carnage for a bit.
Aethereon Darkfyre: Carnage? Life is carnage.
Atom ikk Rab: Oh, Church of Yog Sothoth? I'm a Cthulhuist myself. Do you guys have better snacks at your ceremonies than we do? I get tired of the taste of blood after a while.




Billy John: Oh, the humanity!
Basil: Right, that's the last real threat. We need someone to scout up north now.



Of course, Mays and Smith knew the drill by now. They were the free scout-and-shield pair, so up they went. At the same time, in the south...




Atom ikk Rab: Keebs!



Aethereon Darkfyre: Fear not, Atom! I know their secret now! Their arrows can't hurt me!




Aethereon Darkfyre: Ow! Nevermind! They're hitting me from where I can't see them, and my treads are getting bogged down in this mud!



"Doctor" Snark: Why don't I help out? We'll see how many arrows they can fire off before getting minced by twenty autocannons.



Mael Radec: Not gonna let you or your new top-of-the-line gear shoulder all the risks, Snark.

Meanwhile, up north...



Stephen Smith: Ambush! Good thing I crossed first. Towers do nasty things to 'vees.



Stephen Smith: Looks like they had vehicles all around the bridge! Can I have some help, guys? Resistance is heavier than expected, and I'm worried they might have something nasty out there.



Basil: Sure thing, Steve.
Jorji Costava: Cobrastan to the rescue!



"Doctor" Snark: Yeah, I like these. If we didn't need flamers for ghosts, I'd say give 'em to all the footsloggers.
Mael Radec: Come to think of it, we haven't seen any ghosts in a while.



Aethereon Darkfyre: But can we ever escape the ghosts of our past?



Jorji Costava: Is present from Bestburg!




Basil: Looks like we got 'em all. Scouts, move up!



Reginald P. Linux: We're bringing up the rear to the south. You guys go on ahead, too!



Stephen Smith: Nothing to the north so far, 'cept a whole lotta swamp.



Billy Mays: BUT OUR DESTINATION'S JUST A FEW MINUTES' WALK AWAY, WITH A NICE ROUTE THROUGH THE SCENIC WETLANDS!



Stephen Smith: ...Oh, shit. Guys? We're too late. I can see the vehicles now. They're all wrecked.
Mael Radec: Can you get a good look at them? Any signs of survivors?
Stephen Smith: I can see some of the doors are open. I think some of them got away. It looks like the vehicles were hit by rocket fire.



Stephen Smith: And I think we just found who was responsible for it.



Michael de Boulogne: Better call the artillery up... wait. Why does Snark get a fancy new battlesuit when Command won't even replace the guns I lost?



Basil: Hey, it's motherfucking power armor. I think we can safely say everyone was waiting for that.



Michael de Boulogne: You're not wrong, but it hardly seems like good policy to leave a gun battery at half-strength. Anyway, we're all here now. What's up ahead, Darkfyre?



Aethereon Darkfyre: I don't see anyth-



Aethereon Darkfyre: IT BURNS!
Mael Radec: Get ready, people! There's only one thing that has fire like that, and it's Hell Riders! Darkfyre, draw fire for the radar truck while it gets into position!



Atom ikk Rab: Shit, it didn't take the bait!
Solaus: Rab, run for it! They'll burn your trucks to a crisp!



Atom ikk Rab: No! You guys need our eyes. The damage wasn't too bad. Their aim was off, they only got a direct hit on one vehicle.



Atom ikk Rab: Okay, there they are! Kill 'em fast, though, I don't think they'll miss again! [size=0]Oh, and there's a balloon I guess.[/size]



"Doctor" Snark: I wonder if these guys count as mages. They can throw fire, after all.
Erik Spanner: That's why I voted to call 'em Imps.




Griff: There we go.



Aethereon Darkfyre: THE ICY EMBRACE OF DEATH GRIPS ME!



Griff: There, we got someone else for death to icily embrace instead.



Stephen Smith: Guys? Be careful down there. We lost visual on the AT orcs.




Reginald P. Linux: I think we just decorated the landscape with them.



Jorji Costava: Some, maybe, but is still more for us!




Stephen Smith: Hope you enjoyed them while they lasted, Jor-



Stephen Smith: MOTHERFUCKER.



Jorji Costava: Is not problem!



Billy John: What the f- rocket fire!



Billy John: How the hell did these guys get here?
Solrick Skaft: We've dealt with teleportation bullshit before, remember? Probably the same thing here.
Billy John: Shit, what are we gonna do? The tanks, the artillery, all our heavy stuff is too far away to help us!



Lazarus: We kill them ourselves! We've got flamers, paranormals, elmags, we hit 'em with all of it!



T. Hinman: Rocket fire! Take cover, hu-men!



Billy John: Oh Hell, there's a whole mess of 'em. Need some firepower here, my SAMs can't do anything!



Hardtack: You got it. Hit the ones carrying rifles first, they're more dangerous to us and not as well armored!




T. Hinman: I love making orc roast! Like pork roast! Get it? Ha ha!



Habitually Red: Shit, watch out! They've got a wizard with them!



Patrick Gallagher: Just dealt with the last orcs. Everyone, take out that wizard!



Habitually Red: Enemy illusion spell? No problem, just set the whole hill on fire so it doesn't matter where they hide!
Svetlana Aliyev: Okay, crisis over. How're you guys doing on the other side of the river?



Stephen Smith: We just got sight of the engineers. Looks like they were hiding in the mud 'til it was safe to come out.
Engineer: Glad you're here. Let's get the hell out of here, I need a shower.



Engineer: Shitshitshit!



Engineer: Fucking help us out here! There's fire everywhere! There's only four of us still up and moving!



Stephen Smith: ...Oh, hell. Guys?



Stephen Smith: There's a motherfucking 30-foot demon out here! It's got horns and everything!



Basil: All units, concentrate fire! That thing's dangerous, we've got to take it out as fast as possible!



Basil: ...Huh. At least they die easily.



Stephen Smith: Head on back to base, engineers! We'll cover your retreat!



Engineer: Appreciate it. This place is a goddamn deathtrap.



The engineers' return to base was, thankfully, uneventful.



It was a shame we lost the vehicle prototypes, but at least we were able to save most of the engineers. They were able to salvage a few vital components and documentation for the experimental vehicles, which would bolster our own research and development. Data that, for that matter, Helitech should have been with our R&D department anyway. We'd be having a few words with them about that.