Year 1911 AC (After Colonization) Cold Season, Combat Phase
Fighting in the Coniferous Forest
Winters in the Coniferous Forest have always been harsh. Wind rips through the trees and storms drop absolutely massive amounts of snow. Trees and branches often fall on one another, dumping the large amounts of snow they'd caught on the ground below. In a thaw between a few blizzards an Abberan detachment discovered a makeshift fort erected deep in the forest by the Endicarian Remnant, with scouts and patrols covering a wide area. The Abberan advance on the fort was halted by a defensive line of Endicarian soldiers using trees as cover. Their simpler rifles were more accurate at range, but the sheer volume of fire coming from the Abberan infantry was extremely effective in suppression. Even when someone's Modea would fail, the brief time they were out of action didn't severely impact the effectiveness of the offensive.
As the Endicarians were pushed back Gorgons were used to keep them from recovering and holding again until they were in a full retreat back to the fort. The open ground around the fort would have been a problem were it not for the Wickerman Grenade. The smokescreens could be deployed at various distances thanks to the cup launcher, which allowed our soldiers to get close enough to being firing Wickermen over the walls. With up to three available per man, there was a lot of screaming coming from within the fort walls.
But hey, at least they were warm.
When they went in to clear out the fort some pointmen with Dracos were tasked with breaching and clearing the few buildings the Endicarians had constructed. While for the most part the fighting indoors reverted to using Modeas, the Draco was devastating when it worked and when used as a warpick, able to break through door and skull alike.
The fort was secured and the operation considered a success.
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We've successfully cleared Endicarian Remnant from the Coniferous Forest, and now have to secure the rest of the territory around the Abberan capital - the Woodlands and Wooded Mountains. We were going to request you create a large and a small support weapon, but you had the foresight to create the Gorgon. As a result you can make
any single design with a Research Credit this phase. You are still tasked with
designing a smaller support weapon as a second design, like a mortar or machine gun, and doing so will result in acquiring
a Design Credit to be used in the next phase.
There are rumors from Salvios. Some automobiles in the city have been seen emitting a blue glow. There are also mutterings that they've embraced their homeland, whatever that means. Some of our scientists have also reported hearing of experiments with a new material discovered in Salviosi mines. Things are heating up, and your continued assistance is appreciated.
Infantry
ARA Model-1911A "Modea" Self-Loading Rifle: The first Self-Loading Rifle to see combat, the "Modea" is 4.5 kg and a meter in length. It fires 7.92x57mm rounds fed into the weapon by a 12-round en bloc magazine. It has variable sights and is effective to 400 meters. She's packs a punch but suffers from unreliable internal components. The end of the barrel is lightly threaded to allow attachment of a cup launcher. Costs 2 Ore and 2 Wood (CHEAP)
ARA Model-1911C "Draco" Trench Gun: A very heavy 80-cm long 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun. Jams frequently, and the butt spike breaks off after a handful of uses. Costs 3 Wood and 3 Ore. (EXPENSIVE)
"Wickerman" Incendiary Grenade: A 15-cm long White Phosphorus grenade. The grenade has 15m area of effect, an 8 second fuse, and a dud has never been encountered. Costs 1 Ore and 1 Chemical Compounds, making it (CHEAP), but is considered [complex] until we have access to Chemical Compounds.
ARA Model-1911ART "Gorgon": A standard, reliable piece of 155mm artillery. The round and a bag of propellant are sealed using an interrupted screw breach, and the weapon can fire effectively out to 10km. Uses a hydraulic system to manage recoil. Costs 5 Ore. (EXPENSIVE)
Uniforms for the Massed Infantry: The Abberan uniform consists of cotton undergarments, grey gabardine wool pants and jacket, and a collarless cotton button-up shirt. The jacket has multiple convenient pockets and a foldable collar. Jacket buttons hold an image of a crown, and a dark blue crown on the shoulders is used to identify allegiance. Comes with a leather belt and boots. Binoculars are handed out as necessary. Holsters and ammo pouches have flaps on top to keep out the weather. Padded steel helmets are standard issue, as are water-resistant canvas backpacks used to hold the soldier's basic kit. The helmet can be strapped to the back of the pack while traveling.
Specialty Resources
Caelium: A green crystalline supermaterial that we currently know reacts with an electrical current to suspend itself in the air at a level related to the amount of power flowing through it. Further experimentation is required to progress in our knowledge of Caelium.
Chemical Compounds: Chemical Compounds have a variety of potential uses in combat, and so facilities must be dedicated to the production of the compounds we require.
Abbera: 3 Ent., 2 Ore, 2 Oil, 2 Wood, 2 Caelium // 100% Control
Coniferous Forest: 0 Ent., 0/3 Resources // 100% Control
Ore: 2
Oil: 2
Wood: 2
Caelium: 2
Chemical Compounds: 0