Part 24: Missions 24 and 25: The New Guys

We'd held the line, but the enemy clearly hadn't suffered much for their losses. No doubt the orcs leading the charge had been chosen because they were disposable. The next attacks would be coming soon.




At the same time, our research was beginning to yield results. Though the science division was loathe to use the term, it was discovered that the release of magic into our world had endowed a small percentage of people with a wide range of psychic abilities, and that number was only getting higher as more wells were discovered and opened by our foes. Even with no real grasp of or understanding of their abilities, these gifted people had already saved many lives both on and off the battlefield in ways that were only now becoming apparent. Some soldiers found comrades yanking them to safety just in time to avoid an arrow none of them should have been able to see coming. Others found themselves immobilized by wounds and out of contact with their units, only to find themselves rescued by squadmates who claimed to have heard cries for help they'd never made.

After extensive analysis and testing, our scientists developed a reliable system to detect and quantify psychic capabilities. We could now begin developing a training program for soldiers and recruits found to have psychic gifts, teaching them to hone their powers and reliably use them in the stress of combat situations.




Now that the new arrivals had been integrated into the division (the largest bunch since it had been formed), and we could recruit new officers, we reorganized things so that everybody could benefit from a solid chain of command.



It came just in time, too.

Mission 24: The New Guys, Part 1

Attending:
Lazarus (Forlorn Hope, Flamethrowers)
Habitually Red (Sane Max's Own, Flamethrowers)
Solrick Skaft (Scion of Emer, Flamethrowers)
T. Hinman (Ethereal Corps, Flamethrowers)
"Doctor" Snark (Mage Killers, Commandos)
Logan "Hardtack" Smith (War Dogs, Commandos)
Patrick Gallagher (Just In Time, Elmag 1)
Svetlana Aliyev (Rusalka, Elmag 1)
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)
Anil E. Hilated, Esq. (Polite Obliteration, AMX-30)
Grand Inquisitor Solaus (Balkanian Inquisition, AMX-30)
Gregor (The Swell Swords, AMX-30)
Michael de Boulogne (Chivalric Order of Saint George, AMX-30)
GyverMac (Gyver's Grinders, AMX-13)
Cholmondely Featherstonehaugh-Smythe (Sphinx Battery, Gepard)
Billy John (The Truther Squad, Gepard)
Ash Kleef (Ashsavers, Humvee)
Catherine Ulysses (Smart Patrol, Humvee)



Our forces deployed on top of the plateau, west of the compound they'd defended in the previous fight, to force the enemy to come uphill to them. The first wave was barely worth mentioning. It was comparable to the force that had attacked earlier, and that had barely been a match for us when all of our heavy vehicles were gone. The enemy had, it seemed, given us an unintentionally perfect battle to ease the new recruits into things.

Radec's Rhinos, despite being one of our consistently best-performing units, sat this battle out. We needed to give the green troops their first taste of combat with something they could easily handle.



They acclimated quite well, and we got to sit back and appreciate just how far the new artillery pieces could shoot.



Even with magic on their side, if the Forces of Darkness didn't have such an advantage in numbers, we would have won long ago. Surely they couldn't sustain these sorts of casualty ratios?



It was at this point that we got a small break in the attacks, despite the enemy having plenty of forces remaining. This was a matter of some speculation among Command. The eventual consensus was that the enemy knew that these initial attacks had no chance of breaking our defenses, even with our reduced forces. They weren't meant to win. They were meant to tie us up so that we couldn't refit our units with improved magical equipment, or regroup and replace whatever losses they did manage to inflict.



They'd failed. The gap between attacks was large enough that we were able to upgrade some of our best-performing units. The M1s and AMX-30s had proven a boon even without the new Nordia guns or, in the case of our tanks, Evadit armor and improved engines.



The engines were another recent breakthrough, giving both the enhanced speed of the KTUs and improved maneuverability to better allow our tanks to evade enemy projectiles and avoid exposing their side or rear armor to the enemy.



The War Dogs, meanwhile, had volunteered to become our first paranormal infantry platoon. The War Boys would be taking part in the experiment as well, their mortar tubes very likely having just been made obsolete.

The training program for psychic soldiers had been drafted and implemented, and the Alliance was now ready to field paranormal infantry platoons. These units entered the battlefield armed with nothing but their minds, which had been honed into formidable weapons in their own right. They could sense the presence of enemy units far better than ordinary humans, having no need for binoculars, and they could strike directly at the minds of enemy soldiers from artillery range, causing unconsciousness or death. Walls and armor offered no defense, nor were flyers any safer than their allies on the ground.

In all likelihood, we could have achieved even better results if we interspersed paranormal ability-trained soldiers with our regular squads. Unfortunately, attempts to do so had resulted in severe loss of morale and unit cohesion. Psychics were, generally speaking, not liked or trusted by other soldiers. While the Alliance was already making extensive use of magical weapons, equipment, and parts, these powers were something else entirely. A common fear was that their squadmates were reading their minds, discovering their darkest secrets. Hopefully we would be able to field mixed units as people grew more accustomed to those with psychic abilities.



With our research into the paranormal having hit its limits for now, we turned to the development of new vehicles. Our flamethrowers were highly effective against the undead, but they could only be wielded by vulnerable infantry. If the enemy started to field them alongside deadly anti-infantry units such as mechanical towers, they would likely inflict heavy casualties on us. Our engineers believed they could mount a heavier version of the flamer unit onto the chassis of an M113 for a cheap solution to this.




The next attack happened while our paranormal infantry were still training their new abilities, and it was here that the assault on our lines began in earnest. The enemy was no longer attempting to delay us or test our defenses. They were moving to destroy us.

Mission 25: The New Guys, Part 2

Attending:
Lazarus (Forlorn Hope, Flamethrowers)
Habitually Red (Sane Max's Own, Flamethrowers)
Solrick Skaft (Scion of Emer, Flamethrowers)
T. Hinman (Ethereal Corps, Flamethrowers)
"Doctor" Snark (Mage Killers, Commandos)
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)
Anil E. Hilated, Esq. (Polite Obliteration, AMX-30)
Grand Inquisitor Solaus (Balkanian Inquisition, AMX-30)
Gregor (The Swell Swords, AMX-30)
Michael de Boulogne (Chivalric Order of Saint George, AMX-30)
GyverMac (Gyver's Grinders, AMX-13)
Cholmondely Featherstonehaugh-Smythe (Sphinx Battery, Gepard)
Billy John (The Truther Squad, Gepard)
Ash Kleef (Ashsavers, Humvee)
Catherine Ulysses (Smart Patrol, Humvee)



Catherine Ulysses: Alright, we're good to go up here. AA in position?



Ash Kleef: Yep, we're all set up. I'm watching out in the east. Just give us a yell whenever you need flak cover.



Catherine Ulysses: We're gonna need that right about now, actually.
Mael Radec: Been a while since I've seen harpies. Can't say I missed them.
Isara Gunther: I'm more worried about the towers myself. There's a lot of them.
Billy John: Aren't they prototype weapons? How'd they build so many so quickly?



Michael de Boulogne: Don't worry about that. Worry about how we'll destroy them!



Griff: It's good to be in a proper tank at last. Makes the old TAM's cannons feel like popguns.



Jorji Costava: Okay, things getting a little hot in here!



Ash Kleef: Shit, towers! Falling back!



Isara Gunther: Maybe someone should help Ash? There's not a lot left here that can hurt our MBTs.



Ash Kleef: AAAAAAAARGH!
Isara Gunther: Well, shit. Never mind.
Gregor: Gregor still needs spotter. Cathy can, yes?
Catherine Ulysses: After what just happened?



Jorji Costava: Don't worry Cathy, I cover! I shoot the magic guys real good!
Catherine Ulysses: Okay, fine. I suppose I'm the only one left who can still scout.



Catherine Ulysses: Shit! Jorji, now'd be a good time to shoot those magic guys!



Catherine Ulysses: More coming!



Jorji Costava: Glory to Cobrastan!



Gregor: Glory to Gregor!



T. Hinman: Glory to the humans! Which is us!



Mael Radec: That's the last one.



Catherine Ulysses: Same for this side. I think we broke the attack.



Isara Gunther: Looks that way. We'll roll up on the rest. You guys hold down the fort.



Patrick Gallagher: Oh, hey. Looks like you weren't expecting us!



Erik Spanner: Not like it would've helped 'em.



Basil: Last wolf down.
Svetlana Aliyev: Damn shame about Ash, though. I feel bad for the guys in the 'vees, they're still rolling with the same gear they had at the start of the war, and the enemy's only throwing worse at us.
Catherine Ulysses: You're telling me. All these crazy new magic weapons, and they can't make the most vulnerable of us a little less death prone?



We'd held the line once again, this time against a full attack force. Tens of thousands of orcs had died to claim the life of a single one of our officers.



But we couldn't keep defending. The Forces of Darkness, recognizing us as the strongest link in the chain of defense, were changing their tactics. They launched elf-led offensives on our flanks, which were being guarded by other divisions. The elves inflicted staggering losses, forcing them to retreat and leaving us caught in a salient, and they were on their way to strengthen the center front and make another push. We wouldn't be letting it happen. Our next move would be a counterattack to break their momentum.

Where the others had failed, we were holding our ground, and not just holding our ground, but getting ready to drive the enemy back. It was around this time that a disparaging comment came from another division commander: "I can't believe we're putting our hopes on a bunch of drunken slavs."

The phrase caught on, and we wore the title with a sense of ironic pride. To the other divisions and to ourselves, we became known as The Drunken Slavs.

KILLED IN ACTION:

Ash Kleef