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[Rolepgeek]

I want to hear more about your experiences during the landing.

+1

+1

I'd thought the Landings were after his first deployment with the air cavalry, my bad.

[Parsely]

The transport slammed into the sand and there was a high register rumbling as it slid across the ground. It came to a stop after a few seconds and I could hear the pilot's gravelly report.

"Marble 1 to Fleetcom, this is Colonel Barda. Tell the Admiral his landing is complete. Ground forces should change to the prearranged frequency."

The crack of distant gunfire accompanied by the metallic smack of small arms fire deflecting off the hull could immediately be heard. Meanwhile the restraints had automatically disengaged and I cast the messy web of buckles and belts to the floor. I reached for my rifle as the gunfire outside strengthened, giving my movements renewed speed. The interior of the ship was a mess of activity as dozens of men, some of them looking very sick after the rough arrival, pulled themselves to their feet. I flinched as a burst of high caliber stitched across the midsection of the ship. Men fell, missing chunks of flesh; one man didn't even get a chance to scream as he was struck in the head by a round and died instantly.

As everyone again rose to their feet someone tugged on my sleeve. It was Cricket, the rookie. He was clutching his rifle and he gestured towards one of the corpses.

"The Corporal's toast, Gavin." His face was surprisingly calm, but his blue eyes betrayed an underlying fear.

"We should go." I said, and he nodded and fell in behind me.

My squad was nearest the front of the ship so Beem and Artoka were already up and fiddling with the ramp controls. Beem was a squint-eyed man with shortish black bangs that poked out from beneath his helmet; he always seemed to be chewing on something. Artoka was a square-jawed man, partial to grinning, and the second biggest in the squad next to Toric. He was a good friend of mine from the Outer Wars and I valued his counsel. Artoka yanked a control and there was a staccato of pops as the explosive bolts detonated and the rear ramp fell, it's edge plunging into the sand and throwing up a cloud of dust. The first lieutenant—having spoken before the drop, I knew he was green—suddenly appeared and began shouting orders and pointing authoritatively from the mouth of the ship.

"We're sitting ducks here! Spread out and form a perimeter around the ship! Identify targets and-" He fell as he was struck by a single, accurate shot.

I looked back and saw the rookies crowding near the back of the ship as the sergeants and the one remaining lieutenant tried to herd them towards the exit. I knew we were dead if we stayed here. The corporal was killed, and I was suddenly responsible for the command of my squad. My guys were all in cover near the rear ramp, searching for targets.

What did Gavin do?

Code: (USFA Rifle Section) [Select]

[Cover:Medium]   [Frags:10   Smoke:10   HE:5]

Hall | Leader | MC:---  EXP:---  PS:Dead  STA:--- | HK.1-B Carbine [150]

Gavin | Assistant | MC:Stable  EXP:Line  PS:Healthy  STA:Rested | HK.1 Assault Rifle [150]

Toric | Soldier | MC:Stable  EXP:Line  PS:Healthy  STA:Rested | PP.3 Squad Automatic Rifle [500]

Beem | Soldier | MC:Stable  EXP:Line  PS:Wounded  STA:Rested | HK.1 Assault Rifle [150]

Artoka | Soldier | MC:Stable  EXP:Line  PS:Healthy  STA:Rested | HK.1 Assault Rifle [150]

Cricket | Soldier | MC:Stable  EXP:Recruit  PS:Healthy  STA:Rested | HK.1 Assault Rifle w/GL [150/5 Rifle Frags]


Spoiler: GM Note (click to show/hide)

Cover will basically come in three types:
Light cover only provides concealment. (tall grass, interior walls)
Medium cover has a chance of absorbing small arms and fragments, also provides concealment. (wooden fences, trees, exterior walls)
Heavy cover is immune to small arms and fragments for the most part, can possibly absorb direct explosions, also provides concealment. (stone walls, bunkers, trenches, foxholes, hesco barriers, hedgehogs, bales of hay, boulders, tanks)

This doesn't completely illustrate a unit's vulnerability. For example: multi-story houses can render units immune to mortars, but if they were inside trenches that would be a danger. Men in houses or foxholes are less vulnerable to grenades than if they were behind walls or bales of hay.

---

You may ask specific questions about your surroundings before committing to an action.

[stabbymcstabstab]

What does the terrain around look like?

[Parsely]

What does the terrain around look like?

The terrain is made up generally of sandy hills. There is no vegetation. Just outside the exit ramp the sand falls away a little but otherwise the area around the ship is relatively flat. There's about 30 or 40 feet of wide but shallow trench dug in in the ground behind you where the ship slid across the ground. It looks like pretty decent cover. If you asked the pilot he would tell you that there are hills all around you.

[Magistrum]

Uhm, I heard they were bloody but we have got the ship FUBAR before even landing...
Have Toric fire in the general direction of the enemy for distraction, Beem thow a smoke granade, while the other guys charge towars the trench for firing position, followed by both Toric and Beem moving trough the smoke curtain after Gavin and the guys get there.
I'm pretty sure somebody will be shot in the process. I would love to be wrong.
Edit: Proper nouns.

[GiglameshDespair]

Do we not have any smoke grenades?

[Magistrum]

Do we not have any smoke grenades?

We do.

[Parsely]

Do we not have any smoke grenades?

10 fragmentation grenades, 10 smoke grenades and 5 HE grenades between the squad, plus Cricket has the rifle grenade launcher and 5 rounds for that. It's all in the squad's sheet.

[Parsely]

"Toric and Beem, give me a base of fire! Everyone else on me and we'll grab that defilade!" Toric and Beem went prone near the top of the ramp and started angling their fire at the crest of the dunes behind the ship.

Meanwhile I pulled and primed a smoke grenade kept in a sticky-strapped pocket on my combat vest and lobbed it at the bottom of the ramp, inside of the trench. Artoka, Cricket and I took off down the ramp like track runners and ran through the blinding white smoke. The trench was as wide as the ship; about ten feet across. It was deepest where the ship first landed more than thirty feet away and actually grew shallower as the ship had slowed down and come to rest, which surprised me. We ran for a few seconds, having left the cover of the smoke, and threw ourselves down somewhere in the middle of the trench as a hail of gunfire came in around us.

"Okay?!" I shouted even as I rolled over onto my back to glance at either of the riflemen beside me.

"Five okay!" Cricket beat sand from his helmet and sung out.

"Six okay!" Artoka only had to lift his head a few inches to see over the edge of the trench, then he went back to hugging the ground.

"Martians in the open at 150 meters, bearing 140!"

"Okay! Spread out, cover fire on my mark!" I dug my heels into the sand and pushed myself further along the trench, my shoulders moving up and down as I facilitated the movement with my elbows.

Sand flew here and there as we continued to be shot at and Cricket used the butt of his rifle to dig himself further into the ground.

"Base, move up!" I let it hang, then. "Mark!"

I got up and faced towards the east and spotted instantly the targets Artoka had called out. To the right of the ship, running down the face of a nearby dune, were about 10 Martian riflemen. I opened fire at the same time Cricket and Artoka did and some of them fell. The rest went prone and started returning fire, but they were badly exposed and we picked off still another one right away. In the meantime Beem limped and Toric ran some feet past me towards the deepest part of the trench. I saw Artoka drop his rifle and fall down.

"Fuck!" He shouted.

Cricket stopped to reload while Artoka cursed and clutched the back his shoulder.

"They're flanking us!" He shouted, so I spun around.

"Martians, 250 meters! Bearing 200! They're trying to get enfilade on us!" I could see them moving to get to the hill towards our 180 so they could fire down the length of the trench.

During the commotion the rest of the chalk started running out. Some men took cover under the ramp and started firing at the Martians at 140 and two more rifle sections joined me in the trench.

Code: (USFA Rifle Section) [Select]

[Cover:Heavy]   [Frags:10   Smoke:9   HE:5]

Hall | Leader | MC:---  EXP:---  PS:Dead  STA:--- | HK.1-B Carbine [150]

Gavin | Assistant | MC:Stable  EXP:Line  PS:Healthy  STA:Rested | HK.1 Assault Rifle [137]

Toric | Soldier | MC:Stable  EXP:Line  PS:Healthy  STA:Rested | PP.3 Squad Automatic Rifle [443]

Beem | Soldier | MC:Stable  EXP:Line  PS:Wounded  STA:Rested | HK.1 Assault Rifle [125]

Artoka | Soldier | MC:Stable  EXP:Line  PS:Wounded  STA:Rested | HK.1 Assault Rifle [135]

Cricket | Soldier | MC:Stable  EXP:Recruit  PS:Healthy  STA:Rested | HK.1 Assault Rifle w/GL [120/5 Rifle Frags]


[Magistrum]

Problem, problem, problem.
We should try to get on a hill...
Toric suppress the martians moving uphill, we need to slow them. Beem, Artoka and Gavin should try to clear the martians coming from the other hill. Have Cricket learned anything from school? Ask him if he can blown the remaining group with a grenade at that range. If not he will have to go hard way and pick them off one by one.
Also we must try to signal the other squads to advance to the trench. When there's only the enfilading unit remaining we see how are our chances of moving to high ground.

[Parsely]

Sure Cricket can use the grenade launcher, that's why he has it. The effective range for the rifle grenade launcher is 180m, but the maximum range is more than 400. You're only slightly out of effective range so he can probably hit them.

[a1s]

Have Cricket learned anything from school?

What sort of question is that? Are you saying he's dumb? Or do you expect him to do trigonometry? (there's probably markings on his rifle that tell him at what range the grenade will impact. No sane weapon designer expects you to do hard math under fire.)

[Parsely]

Have Cricket learned anything from school?

What sort of question is that? Are you saying he's dumb? Or do you expect him to do trigonometry? (there's probably markings on his rifle that tell him at what range the grenade will impact. No sane weapon designer expects you to do hard math under fire.)

Cricket confirmed for not having passed high school.

[Aseaheru]

Lets go with Magistrum's plan. Do we have any packs on us? We might be able to use them as light cover against atleast one force on a hill.

[Parsely]

Do we have any packs on us? We might be able to use them as light cover against atleast one force on a hill.

What, like a ruck? No, this is a combat landing so all that stuff is elsewhere, on the primary landing ships. You guys are equipped strictly for combat. You could always pop smoke to prevent them from hosing you from the high ground if you don't think you've got enough firepower to take them out.