Part 15: Mission 15: Desert Storm
anilEhilated posted:
Commander, nice to see you again! Your results were convincing enough for the HQ to reassign you to a more important mission. Your star is rising and if you keep at it, you'll get far indeed.*
The Forces of Darkness** are starting to retreat and it looks like they ran out of breath. We simply can't imagine why - instead of the constant crushing offensive that was their strategy until now, there's stagnation***. It even appears they're recalling their units, although we have no idea where. In any case, there's some hope shining through these dark days now: you're not the only reporting victory. This gives us the opportunity to concentrate our forces and attack.
This battleground is like anything you've fought on so far. Vast areas are of no use to our units and all the fighting is going to take place around a couple of key points, mostly oases and roads. Your primary objective is to secure a central path for our logistics, the other combat zones are where the enemy forces us to fight - we're fighting for places we don't have any real interest in but probably possess strategic value for the Forces of Darkness. That is where the fighting will be at its hardest - it's do or die now.
I'll inform you on any updates from the HQ; for now you'll be glad to hear you get to deploy light vehicles for mobility and - for the first time - you're granted access to tanks. These bring terror into hearts of the enemy. use them well. The enemy has new tricks up their sleeve too: the locals, who formed guerillas in the mountains and tirelessly fight on, report they've seen creatures capable of controlling the desert itself. And remember, Alexander - the desert is ALL AROUND. What seems harmless can turn into a deathtrap in the blink of an eye. Be careful.
*End of the world notwithstanding, apparently.
**It's literally called Otherside in the Czech version, that probably sounded too stupid for the English so I guess we'll go with the official one.
***Pretty much literal and it doesn't make sense in Czech either. I'm guessing they tried really hard for something resembling military jargon and failed utterly.
The Middle East was in turmoil. Violence and terror had gripped the region, its citizens at the mercy of murderous warlords and fanatics with psychotic beliefs. Many of its once-great cities now lay in ruins, and in many places, civil society had all but collapsed.
Oh, and then the Forces of Darkness showed up. They only made things worse, but at least that problem had an obvious solution.
This particular operation placed us in Saudi Arabia. The most oil-rich country in the world, Saudi Arabia was the heart of the Alliance, its oil our blood. We weren't facing any major supply crises yet - between other suppliers and strategic reserves, we had enough to keep us going for a while - but every day, those reserves ran drier. Many of our oil fields in the area had fallen into enemy hands, and if we didn't get them back, we'd be facing crippling shortages on every front.
With such a crucial operation came a promotion, and long-desired access to tanks and artillery. While the Alliance still kept its best equipment on the main front, our available options would still give us much-needed armor and long-range firepower. The TAM and STRV tanks were unfamiliar to me, but I'd heard good things about them, and the artillery had proven its worth when we raided the harpy nests. Three tank platoons and two artillery platoons would bolster our firepower nicely.
With the new units came a fresh wave of recruits. There was high demand for the tanks and artillery, and with only so many to go around, veterans who'd wanted them but found them unavailable when they joined got priority. We also fitted the AMXs with the new KTU engines, since we needed to wait for the new units to arrive anyway.
I noticed an oddity with the paperwork of one of the units, though. They were listed as being from a nonexistent country called Grandalt. I tried asking around so I could file a correction, but nobody was able to give me an answer more specific than "They came from somewhere in Scandinavia." I figured it was probably best to let the matter go. After all, Radec's unit had a similar issue, but they'd proven to be an asset on the battlefield.
Since our victory in Europe, all of the world's best scientists had been working feverishly on learning the secrets of magic, and their efforts were beginning to produce usable results. There was a lot we still didn't understand - the entire theoretical aspect of magic was still a gigantic question mark, the spells and rituals we'd been able to adapt to our own ends little better than black boxes. But we'd begun to lift the veil, and we'd taken the first step to using the enemy's own weapons agains them.
Our first major breakthrough came from studying the debris of arrow throwers and ballistae we'd managed to destroy. While they were vulnerable to conventional weapons, they were still far more resistant to damage than wooden constructs should have been, some able to continue fighting even after multiple direct hits from explosive shells. Examination of the debris gave us an indication of why - on several of the largest, most intact pieces, our scientists found a sequence of runic symbols etched into the wood.
Destructive testing confirmed our suspicions; the debris on which the symbol was found was significantly more difficult to chip, cut, or splinter. The effect was more pronounced the closer to the runic sequence the damage was attempted, to the point that the symbols themselves could only be cut with a diamond saw. Marring the runic pattern dispelled the enchantment.
Through interrogation of captured orc officers, we discovered the full ritual necessary to give power to the runic symbols, and before long, an experiment to enchant the armor of a Piranha IFV was a success. The spell, called Evadit from the Elvish word for "shield," resulted in armor that deflected projectiles better than even enhanced armor, without the disadvantage of added weight. With the spell codified, we'd be able to apply it to any of our IFVs and tanks. There was a supply bottleneck for qualified magicians and ritual materials, so the Alliance wouldn't just be able to use it on everything, but I was reasonably confident our division would be able to get it for some of our vehicle platoons.
I also took the time to rearrange the chain of command. One of our more experienced officers was now, I felt, ready to coordinate larger groups, and now we had enough to spare that nearly everyone was benefiting from the improved leadership. I needed to do something about Anoa, though. Rangers weren't up to taking on the escalated threats we were now dealing with. Perhaps they would be retrained to use flamers.
Our new, improved division was ready to go, and not a moment too soon. Many of the Saudi water pumps and treatment plants had been destroyed before we arrived, and the threat of dehydration was becoming a pressing concern. We were currently shipping in most of our water from an oasis north of our base of operations, but not long after we arrived, our scouts spotted the enemy advancing on it, reinforcing their already existing sparse forces. If the Forces of Darkness took the area, it would be impossible to safely transport supplies through it, no matter how well we protected our convoys. Taking it for ourselves would shorten and secure our own supply lines.
Mission 15: Desert Storm
Attending:
Joe Moore (War Boys, Mortar Infantry)
Lazarus (Forlorn Hope, Flamethrowers)
Bonaventura Ferrer (Confederacion, Heavy Infantry)
"Doctor" Snark (Mage Killers, Commandos)
Logan "Hardtack" Smith (War Dogs, Commandos)
Amina (Les Amazones, Piranha)
Patrick Gallagher (Just In Time, Piranha)
Svetlana Aliyev (Rusalka, Piranha)
Erik Spanner (The Toolbox, Piranha)
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)
GyverMac (Gyver's Grinders, AMX 13)
Cholmondely Featherstonehaugh-Smythe (Sphinx Battery, AMX 13)
Griff: God, it's hot. And we had to roll right past that oasis to get here. You have no idea how bad I wanted to jump in.
Hardtack: Hey, at least you have an air-conditioned tank. Anyway, now that we've just passed the oasis, we should be running into the enemy force any minute now. Keep a sharp lookout.
Catherine Ulysses: Left's clear.
Basil: So, the trogs don't have much that can hurt tanks, right? So we should be pretty safe?
Svetlana Aliyev: Don't count on your armor, count on your guns. The enemy can't try to kill you if they're dead.
Amina: The skeletons can.
Svetlana Aliyev: You know what I mean.
Ash Kleef: I'll keep an eye on the right.
"Doctor" Snark: Move up, everyone. We're taking center.
Solaus: Me and Anil'll hang back. Anyone needs fire support, just call it in!
Cholmondely: You know, I'm actually wondering if we'll find harpies here. The desert isn't the sort of place they'd be inclined to roost.
Joe Moore: So I might've dodged a bullet there?
Lazarus: Don't get your hopes up. If it's not harpies, it's probably something worse.
Catherine Ulysses: New hostiles, on that dune!
Catherine Ulysses: Looks like some kind of reptile... lizard... people. Things. Carrying swords.
Basil: Melee troops, huh? Wonder how they compare to those ka-orcs next to them.
Griff: Let's find out how tough they are. Yo, need a strike here!
Solaus: Happy to oblige.
Mael Radec: Confirmed hit! They die just like everything else. Alright, people, treat 'em like ka-orcs.
Joe Moore: Oh shit, they were hiding in the town!
Anil E. Hilated: Quick, light 'em up before they trash my new gun!
Anil E. Hilated: Wow, that was close. Looks like your strike drove them off, Joe! That could've turned out really badly.
Solaus: "Could've"? They sliced half my guns to pieces!
Anil E. Hilated: Yeah, but you're not the one who had to wait two campaigns to get them.
Anil E. Hilated: OW, WHAT THE MOTHER OF FUCK.
Basil: Anil, relax, it's just a dust devil!
Anil E. Hilated: NO IT'S NOT. There's sand fucking everywhere, it's clogging everything, and it's slicing my crew up like fucking razor wire!
Solaus: OH GOD HE'S RIGHT, NOW IT'S HITTING ME!
Ash Kleef: God damnit! Someone find out where it's coming from!
Solaus: Maybe it was the lizards? Let's take out the lizards!
Amina: But all they have are swords!
Erik Spanner: Amina, welcome to Magical Bullshit 101. Your intro lesson could've been a lot worse.
Joe Moore: Watch out for the ka-orcs, too! They're trying to charge our artillery!
Patrick Gallagher: Got the last lizard!
Anil E. Hilated: They're definitely stepping up their game. Those things were tougher than the elves.
Svetlana Aliyev: Left flank's clear. Guys, how're things going on the right?
Hardtack: Smooth and easy.
Bonaventura Ferrer: Ow, shit! Okay, need some help here!
Anil E. Hilated: Better?
Lazarus: Better.
Lazarus: Still room for improvement, though!
Catherine Ulysses: We've got keebs and mags in that copse to the north.
Catherine Ulysses: Also, what the hell is this thing to the west? It's not exactly traditional Saudi decor.
"Doctor" Snark: We've got bigger things to worry about right now!
Joe Moore: Oh hey, it missed you!
"Doctor" Snark: Yeah, managed to dive out of the way just in time. Luckily the tornados aren't very la-
"Doctor" Snark: SOMETHING JUST SHOT GREEN SHIT AT ME.
Ash Kleef: I think that's our culprit.
Bonaventura Ferrer: ...Is that a cube? With a skull face? How the fuck does it move?
Ash Kleef: Yes, yes, and I have no clue.
Joe Moore: Looks sturdy. We'd better bring out the big guns for this one.
Bonaventura Ferrer: Sounds like a plan to me!
Bonaventura Ferrer: Oh, what the hell, that was a direct hit!
"Doctor" Snark: Let me, Bona. I owe him one.
"Doctor" Snark: Good news! They aren't invincible!
Hardtack: All the same, though, I'd like a bit more firepower. Tank support?
Patrick Gallagher: Sorry, Tack, no can do. We kind of stumbled on Elfcon here.
Bonaventura Ferrer: GAAAAH.
Joe Moore: Jesus, that thing has range! I can't even see it!
"Doctor" Snark: So close in and hit it! It might have range, but we've got volume!
Lazarus: Wait... Does that make us the trogs?
Hardtack: No, because we win! Stone cube down.
"Doctor" Snark: Yeah, to be the trogs, we'd have to be chronic fuckups.
Basil: And there go the keebs!
Erik Spanner: Yeah, but now you'll have to learn our pain. See those mags? We're gonna have to chase them all around the battlefield picking them off one by one. It's gonna be tedious as shit and you'll have to-
Erik Spanner: -never mind.
Erik Spanner: Ah, well. That's the nice thing about this war You never run out of things to take out your frustration on!
Svetlana Aliyev: Looks like that was the last one. Congrats, rookies! None of you died.
Amina: Is that unusual?
Patrick Gallagher: Not for us.
All in all, it was a good start to the Middle Eastern campaign. The appearance of those strange, stone cubes was worrying, though. Designated "Golems," they started attacking our patrols not long after our first engagement with them, and their strange energy weapons proved devastating against our armored vehicles. We hadn't even had a chance to field the new Evadit armor yet, and already the enemy was fielding new anti-armor weapons that would greatly diminish the advantage it gave us. We were in for a difficult, dangerous battle, but we hadn't come to expect anything less.
Even more troubling, though, were the stores of poison we discovered at the enemy's base camp. These weren't the crude poisons we'd become accustomed to seeing the enemy use. These were industrial chemicals they shouldn't have been familiar with, and shouldn't have thought to raid or stockpile for such a purpose. Rumors had surfaced early in the war of human traitors fighting on behalf of the enemy for God knew what reason. Now we had reason to believe that not only were they true, but that we'd likely be facing them in battle before this campaign was over.