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[Parsely]

Assuming we have a decent relationship with whichever infantry were assigned to our tank specifically, we could under cut the captain, but that'd be a monumental dick move and probably court martial worthy. I guess getting our squadron members to disseminate the plan to the infantry platoon would be safer.

((Yeah cutting under the chain of command is a serious offense (in the modern American army at least; I can only assume it's true for most other militaries). In most cases only the CO directly in charge of someone below him can "pull rank" to get them to do something, but there are some exceptions I think.

We can't order anyone to do anything, but I don't see anything wrong with telling all the infantry what our plan is.))

I guess getting our squadron members to disseminate the plan to the infantry platoon would be safer.

+1

[Lermfish]

Assuming we have a decent relationship with whichever infantry were assigned to our tank specifically, we could under cut the captain, but that'd be a monumental dick move and probably court martial worthy. I guess getting our squadron members to disseminate the plan to the infantry platoon would be safer.

((Yeah cutting under the chain of command is a serious offense (in the modern American army at least; I can only assume it's true for most other militaries). In most cases only the CO directly in charge of someone below him can "pull rank" to get them to do something, but there are some exceptions I think.

We can't order anyone to do anything, but I don't see anything wrong with telling all the infantry what our plan is.))

I guess getting our squadron members to disseminate the plan to the infantry platoon would be safer.

+1

Spoiler: Personnel File (click to show/hide)

[NAME]: Panov "Ironshell" Cakekowski
[SEX/GENDER]: Male
[FACTION]: RCP
[BRANCH]: Red Army; Armoured Division
[ROLE]: Tank Crewman (Commander)
[VEHICLE]: Warmaster MkII (Tank)
[CREW]: Jenkins (gunner/spotter); Pork (ammo loader); Parham (driver)

You suppose you'll just chat with 1st Inf and, uh, 'inform' them of your plan. Command won't do anything, since you aren't ordering them. You're being hypothetical. You just tell them what you plan to do, and what you would do if you were an infantry unit. A little wink-wink, nudge-nudge, but they get the point. However, 1st Inf isn't sure if they'll be able to work in-tandem with your unit, since that might carry insubordination, if their orders are specific. Which they most likely will be. On the other hand, war is war, and all these men want to get back home to their families. PC Char can throw his rank around all he wants, but his men are going to make sure they come back in one piece. For it is better to be judged by twelve, than to be carried by six. Perhaps they might work with you after all, but only time will tell. You don't push the issue much, since the mere concept of this idea could be argued as "premeditated insubordination", which might garner you a high treason charge, being wartime and all.

It's evening in the village now, and you're currently in the motor pool watching the tanks get repaired with only one of your crewmen visible. It's Jenkins, you're spotter and gunner. He's leaning up against your tank, whilst a mechanic goes about making your tank run smoothly before the Union attack.

"Hey, top!" He calls out to you, then produces a cigarette from his trouser pocket.

How are you going to respond?

> ...

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Not sure if y'all wanted to skip ahead to the fight, or chill and get some characterisation in, but since this is also a writing exercise for yours truly, I choose the latter. I will be implementing mechanics that will make characterisation matter in Breakfast Wars. Be advised.

[Parsely]

Heyo Jenkins. How's our cover? Soon as we're finished getting set up you guys should grab some chow and rest.

[Lermfish]

Spoiler: Personnel File (click to show/hide)

[NAME]: Panov "Ironshell" Cakekowski
[SEX/GENDER]: Male
[FACTION]: RCP
[BRANCH]: Red Army; Armoured Division
[ROLE]: Tank Crewman (Commander)
[VEHICLE]: Warmaster MkII (Tank)
[CREW]: Jenkins (gunner/spotter); Pork (ammo loader); Parham (driver)

"Heyo Jenkins. How's our cover? Soon as we're finished getting set up you guys should grab some chow and rest."

Jenkins snorts deliberately before inhaling some of the tar vapor between his fingers. Some ash falls from it and a silence hangs in the air for a few moments, until he decides to speak up. "You know top, I was thinkin'. I know we ain't supposed to do much of that in the service, but I'm a rebel. I don't know why, but I wanna know what started this war. All the killin', you know?" He stops, blinking before returning to his cancer stick. "Anyway, I already filled up the tank." He pats his stomach a couple of times before letting out an obnoxious burp. "Heh. See? Anyway, if I rest now, the sunnysides will roll up on us, and you need your spotter to find the bad guys, right? Honestly, I am pretty tired though. The sooner we send the yolks to Hell, the sooner I can get a little shut-eye."

You nod and think to yourself for a while. You tend to do that when you're not rolling around in a metal kill machine and have some downtime. You get to thinking about why this war began, but nothing comes to you. All you remember is being a child, seeing an angry man screaming at the cameras on TV, hearing the loud, blistering sirens warning you of impending doom, your neighbours running frantically and screaming, your parents yanking you downstairs to get your bag packed, and seeing men in black with black tanks roll through your small town through the rear windshield as your parents' car sped off for greener (safer) pastures. You used to have nightmares of the men in black uniforms coming to take you away. They had on gasmasks and had accents that were rough on the throat. The memory makes you shudder now, being a grown man and all, but the memories of the actual day still make your skin crawl. The things you saw at that age...indescribable. Was is them, though? Was it the Yolklan Union? Sitting down on a small stoop near Jenkins, you hold your head in your hands. It felt heavy from all this thinking.

A) Continue talking to Jenkins. You haven't had a proper chat all day.

B) Go check on the other tanks and see if positions have been set up yet.

C) Get custom with it!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I know, I know. You want more tank action. It's coming! Promise. But let's not forget that when you fight a war, you fight more than one. It's not just about the tanks and the boom-boom, it's about what goes on upstairs. The things you do that you don't want to but HAVE TO. The things you see. The things you see your brothers-in-arms doing. The things the enemy would do to you. Why the war is being fought at all. What happens to your men if you don't make it. Trying to really bring the characterisation home.

[Parsely]

What fucking difference does it make how it started...

B) Go check on the tanks to take your mind off the pain.

[Lermfish]

What fucking difference does it make how it started...

This made me crack up because I pictured Cakekowski saying that to Jenkins. Bonus in the next update for making me laugh.

[Kashyyk]

All that matters is now, and the next few minutes before the next carpstorm.

I again agree with Gunin btw.

[Parsely]

What fucking difference does it make how it started...

This made me crack up because I pictured Cakekowski saying that to Jenkins. Bonus in the next update for making me laugh.

I did intend for him to say that to Jenkins then stomp away.

[Lermfish]

What fucking difference does it make how it started...

This made me crack up because I pictured Cakekowski saying that to Jenkins. Bonus in the next update for making me laugh.

I did intend for him to say that to Jenkins then stomp away.

I think I might have a way to work that in. Stay tuned for the next update, when the Yolklan Union makes their move!

[Lermfish]

Spoiler: Personnel File (click to show/hide)

[NAME]: Panov "Ironshell" Cakekowski
[SEX/GENDER]: Male
[FACTION]: RCP
[BRANCH]: Red Army; Armoured Division
[ROLE]: Tank Crewman (Commander)
[VEHICLE]: Warmaster MkII (Tank)
[CREW]: Jenkins (gunner/spotter); Pork (ammo loader); Parham (driver)

What fucking difference does it make how it started...

B) Go check on the tanks to take your mind off the pain.

Enough feeling sorry for yourself. You're headed for the other tanks to make sure they're all ready to go, and that the men are keeping an ear out for things to pop off. You don't forget to half-tease Jenkins before leaving. "Who gives a shit about who started it? It wasn't us Reds, and that's all I need to know to start sending these sunnysides to the skillet."

"Oh, heh. Right, top."

You sigh before leaving. Shut up, Jenkins, you hear yourself say internally. It seems everything is green as far as the set-up goes. "Sir".

Turning around slowly, you see a tall, skinny comrade standing at attention. "Your armour element is ready. I just got word from my unit. 10th NCOIC says he's keeping a mental note of what you're gonna be doing when the Yolks come." As assumed, the 10th are going to skirt the line between following their CO's orders and doing whatever they damn-well please to stay alive. Again, you did not order these men. No. You simply told them a hypothetical story. What they do with that knowledge is their decision as grown-ass men to make.

"Uh, okay", you reply, before you hear a loud 'BOOM'. You and the skinny underling who chatted you up exchanged 'oh, shit' looks before dashing off in opposite directions. You're certain it's a Union attack! You have to get back to your tank and ready up. Shit's about to get real (again).

While you're making for your tank at lightspeed, you can see a small armoured car travelling in the opposite direction, much slower than you think it should be. "All Coalition personnel to their stations and all local civilians need to stay indoors. This is currently a hot zone. Repeat: if you are not Coalition, stay indoors, this village and the surrounding area is now a hot zone." That's what it's saying. Well, the guy using the megaphone mounted on its roof, anyway. No shit, you think to yourself.

Your crew, save for Parham, are already in the garage and ready to go.

"Already checked her, top. She's ready to go." Jenkins practically dives into the tank, followed by Pork, who tosses you your gear.

"Catch, Sarge."

You catch, without much effort. The tank starts up with a satisfying growl. You know she's gonna roll like new. "Wait. Where the FUCK is Parham?!" This irritates you a bit, because Parham is your driver and you're pretty sure he heard the rally. Don't worry. He arrives moments later, with the same dopey look on his face that you caught sight of when you first met him.

"Heya", he says. "Don't leave without me!" He nearly trips on the way to the tank.

"Why would we leave you, jackass? You're our driver." Pork replies. "Fuck yeah! You ready, ladies?!" With crew-wide nods, you shift your eyes forward with a smirk.

"Ironshell, rolling out!"

= = =

What idiots. It's nearly pitch black, and the Yolks are attacking from the east. That's the place with the hardest entrance possibility thanks to your improvements. The two Coalition tanks at the front are going to take care of a good portion of the enemy armour, but you're worried about . . .


[A] Write in . . .

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Yup. Full write-in shit, mates. Since you guys seem more informed about tank warfare than yours truly, you'll get to flex your tactical muscle. But uh, there will be a wild card this time around. Be advised.

[Parsely]

((Assumptions I'm making based on the idea that this place is a "village":
1. The area is relatively open, with much concealment provided by vegetation (brush, low trees, hedges, crops, etc.) and occasional soft cover provided by country structures (homes, mills, barns, stables, etc.).
2. Our tanks are well concealed and will not be detected until they fire.
3. The infantry are dug into foxholes that will prevent them from being identified until they open fire, and have enough clearance to keep them safe if a tank rolls over one.))

Phase 1: Enemy is approaching the town and all our guns are silent. Since we're in concealment, ALL perimeter tanks should acquire at least TWO targets before opening fire, thus when they kill their first target they will already know where to shoot next and will already be halfway to acquiring their next shot while the enemy are still panicking, trying to get a fix on where our fire is coming from. The infantry should be holding their fire and not revealing themselves. Once the perimeter armors each make their two shots, whether they hit or miss, the perimeter tanks should fall back, keeping their front armor oriented toward the enemy and firing as they go. Hopefully this draws the enemy in.

Disregard the fate of the perimeter armor. If the infantry are still undetected, proceed to Phase 2, otherwise stop to alter the plan.

Phase 2: Infantry tank-hunter teams have been organized near the perimeter armor units and are hidden in small one-man foxholes that should be covered and hard to spot from a distance. If the enemy armor is drawn in, infantry wait until they're within AT weapons range to ambush them and take them out.

Disregard the fate of tank-hunters. If the enemy has not given up his attack, proceed to Phase 3.

Phase 3: All armor units attack and destroy any remaining armor. Infantry should collectively take up the attack and support our tanks and protect them from enemy infantry.

[Lermfish]

Okay. Integrity check (for myself). The player(s) deserve an explanation. My muse has dropped a bit, but I'm not quitting. Like I said, I'm in it until it dies (or Cakekowski does). I should post more updates, but I don't believe in half-arsing it. Posting less-than-decent updates just for the sake of posting them. I guess you can say it's quality over quantity. If no update by tomorrow, it's coming early next week. Oh yeah, I'm also going to throw more curveballs to increase the flavour of the SG, because why not?! So stay tuned. We're still rolling!

[Lermfish]

Spoiler: Personnel File (click to show/hide)

[NAME]: Panov "Ironshell" Cakekowski
[SEX/GENDER]: Male
[FACTION]: RCP
[BRANCH]: Army, armored division
[ROLE]: Tank Crewman (Commander)
[VEHICLE]: Warmaster MkII (Tank)
[CREW]: Jenkins (gunner/spotter); Pork (ammo loader); Parham (driver)

Phase 1: Enemy is approaching the town and all our guns are silent. Since we're in concealment, ALL perimeter tanks should acquire at least TWO targets before opening fire, thus when they kill their first target they will already know where to shoot next and will already be halfway to acquiring their next shot while the enemy are still panicking, trying to get a fix on where our fire is coming from. The infantry should be holding their fire and not revealing themselves. Once the perimeter armors each make their two shots, whether they hit or miss, the perimeter tanks should fall back, keeping their front armor oriented toward the enemy and firing as they go. Hopefully this draws the enemy in.

Disregard the fate of the perimeter armor. If the infantry are still undetected, proceed to Phase 2, otherwise stop to alter the plan.

Your orders are simple; neutralise the hostile threat. Good, you think to yourself as you wait silently for the outer tanks to acquire their targets. An eternity passes before the first round is fired. When that first Yolklan Tank explodes into pieces, you know that shit has gotten real, even if you can't see the pristine, white-and-yellow, high-tech tanks of the enemy. Oddly enough, they continue forward, losing more tanks than they should, ala the British Loyalist forces in The Patriot (the one with Mel Gibson).

>Allied Tank: What are these assholes doing? Are you guys seeing this?!
>Ironshell: No, but I hear them. Sounds like they're trying to bull rush their way through our perimeter.
>Jenkins: That's usually our shtick.
>Field Command HQ: Cut the chatter, soldiers. Keep the channel clear for tactical chatter. Out.
>Jenkins: We never get to have any fun!

Much to your credit, this seems like a rather stupid plan, until you realise they have a good amount of tanks, and that they were approaching from many different sides. Not just the east as originally thought. Sadly, not all of the infantrymen are following the plan (they have a different CO, remember?), and some of them pre-emptively fire, compromising the plan.

>AT Team (10th INF): Who fired? Goddamnit who fired?!
>AT Team (10th INF): Those were our orders, remember?
>AT Team (10th INF): You idiot! Now the plan is compromised!
>CO Char: Plan? What plan? Your only plan should be to follow my orders. Since you wanted to be fucking different, plan to get your ass torn once this is over. You're lucky I don't blast you myself.

>Yolklan Tank Team: Who's idea was it to disregard their anti-tank element?
>Yolklan Tank Team: Central's. The Reds always fight head-on, even when they aren't too bright for it.
>Yolklan Tank Team: Oh, so the Reds are cowards, now?
>Yolklan Tank Team: Cowards? More like smart. Instead of that bull shark testosterone approach they're known for. "More Dakkah", right?
>Yolklan Central: Shut the hell up! This is a war, not a real-time strategy game!

The Union armour ceases their encroachment on the village. Those that tried to bulldoze their way into it were quickly taken care of. You don't leave your position, but you know something's not right and radio in to ask what the hell is going on.

>You: What the FUCK is going on? I don't hear any iron rolling out there!
>Allied Tank: Sergeant, the enemy tanks...their barrels are--

Rising upward, almost to a perfect 90 degree angle. These tanks seems to be capable of 'transforming' into artillery! And there is a great deal of them. Now the village has a new weather forecast: heavy metal rain. Should've seen some kind of parlour trick like this coming. This is the techie faction, after all. They're always creating weird and underhanded ways to win this war!

>Allied Tank: Holy shit? Artillery! Those damn eggies can never fight fair!
>AT Team (10th INF): This is bullshit! How are-
>CO Char: Relax. All 10th INF soldiers are to hold position. Let them use up all their ammo.
>AT Team (10th INF): Are you fucking mad?! We'll get torn to bits if we stay here!
>CO Char: You will follow my orders, or I'll tear you to bits after the action.

Well, this is great. You took care of some tanks, but now the enemy knows you have anti-tank infantry in foxholes, and they've countered with their crazy tank-artillery vehicles. In retrospect, something like this was likely, as the Yolks are known for experimental, finessed technology and fight even dirtier than the covert/intelligence faction, the Alliance. This whole goddamned situation is a mess, soldier. What are you gonna do to fix it?

>(Write in!)

Spoiler: Radio Chatter (click to show/hide)

Because excessive quotes looks ghetto af, when in battle, dialogue will be written in radio chatter format. We're going Ace Combat in this bitch. Keeping it simple to start with. BLUE chatter is that of yourself (player faction and character), crew, and allies. RED chatter is that of enemies and other hostiles. Any colours for any group is the standard; they do not change according to faction, or character, UNLESS there is change in the relation to the character. In other words, if Bravo Company is deployed and in combat under the Coalition, they will have blue chatter. If they sniff too much gasoline, get crazy and defect from the Coalition, they'll have red chatter. Any questions about this or anything else? PM me or drop a post.

[Parsely]

((Actually I agree with our CO here. If these are primarily Main Battle Tanks then a good portion of their ammo is taken up by AP rounds. Not to mention their HE rounds are probably shit compared to a dedicated Self-Propelled Gun. The infantry are in prepared positions so they're safe, and our tanks are immune to such puny HE shells unless there's a direct hit (that is: it lands on our top armor). There's a chance we'll take a few casualties but we'd take even more if we attacked or retreated, since that's asking to get cut down in the open by enemy infantry and whatever tanks they didn't convert to artillery.))

>Cakekowski: Hold your positions guys. That HE can't do shit to our tanks, and if we bail there'll be nothing keeping their armor from rolling over our boys in the foxholes. 2nd 'toon should spread out to cover our flanks in case they try a push during this storm. Again, perimeter tanks hold your ground. These Yolks think they can scrape us off o' this pan they got another thing coming.

[Lermfish]

Spoiler: Personnel File (click to show/hide)

[NAME]: Panov "Ironshell" Cakekowski
[SEX/GENDER]: Male
[FACTION]: RCP
[BRANCH]: Army, armored division
[ROLE]: Tank Crewman (Commander)
[VEHICLE]: Warmaster MkII (Tank)
[CREW]: Jenkins (gunner/spotter); Pork (ammo loader); Parham (driver)

>Cakekowski: Hold your positions guys. That HE can't do shit to our tanks, and if we bail there'll be nothing keeping their armor from rolling over our boys in the foxholes. 2nd 'toon should spread out to cover our flanks in case they try a push during this storm. Again, perimeter tanks hold your ground. These Yolks think they can scrape us off o' this pan they got another thing coming.

>Allied Tank: Uh, sure top. Planted.
>Allied Tank: I'm not too comfortable with top's orders either, but he has a point. The way I see it, if we take a shell, we can haunt him from the afterlife. How's that sound?
>Allied Tank: Like a plan to me!
>Field Command HQ: How many times do I have to tell you to cut the chatter?!

You can sense the hesitation in your brothers' voices, but you haven't let them down yet and don't intend to start now. 10th Infantry plants themselves in their foxholes and garrisons, praying to whatever god is out there to ensure they don't get blown to bits.

>Yolklan Tank Team: Huh. I knew the Reds had balls, but this is something, huh? I thought they'd charge us for sure.
>Yolklan Tank Team: Don't go getting a fan boner for 'em just yet. Our HE may be lackluster in this mode, but it's more than enough for their infantry.

They're not wrong, which you soon find out from the radio. Some infantrymen in the foxholes were now causalities. Some of the HE managed to hit something. This HE wasn't even meant to win, per-se, but to merely buy them some time before getting their bearings before another frontal attack. It wasn't entirely useless; 10th Infantry has taken a dent to their morale.

>Yolklan Tank Team: It looks like some of the Reds are leaving position. Resume normal attack patterns.
>Yolklan Tank Team: Roger.

The Yolklan tanks convert back into straight-up tank mode, all trying to converge on the village. This time, they're firing whilst on the move, not wasting any time in at least showing you that they mean business. The friendly infantry element is slightly demoralised, but you can pull this off, you think. It is now the height of the dark hour (legitimately black-sky nighttime).

> . . . ?