[Chaeronea] [Attacking Region 7: Sardis] "You'll love my warm hug!"

[Fatty]

[member="Tamara"]

"Hehehe!" The Bintir'boise Fringer squee-ed as he sat atop a Tank, speeding its way towards Sardis. The Krotan Army was confident in victory! The Fringe for once, had a plan to execute, and a (able?) commander to lead them to victory... or not. He was a snowman, what did he care? They were in a very specific formation, with the Armor Unit right up front, followed by four whole units of Infantry, with Artillery making up the back portion. The strategy was simple if the territory proved hostile, shell them with artillery before the army even reaches the Krotan Fringe, crush everything in front of them once they get close, and if there is significant resistance swarm them with troops. The region was divided forest and urban terrain, which meant they would be at their strongest in the city, and the forest would play almost no object. What would be an object however, was what the supposed enemy would hold... and also a rock, rocks were objects too.

"Wee!" He squealed some more, exclaiming his thoughts of what little came. Right now they were mostly filled with fun. What the Krotan knew however, was that this was intended to start out diplomatically, so they can start right in the urban and completely bypass the forest if things went sour. But when did anything ever go sour when you offered warm hugs? Fatty couldn't remember a one

The entire contingent stopped abruptly as the Sardisians seemed to appear from afar. Right now would decide if they were friendly's or hostile. Instead of hoisting a white flag to symbolize friendliness, a soldier near Fatty tried to lift him in the air. The soldier could not lift him, due to his immense density in comparison to his size. The co-pilot came out and helped him, and then finally the gunner was able the get Fatty in the air. Matters were not helped as Fatty began to dance and hoot and hollar to the other forces.

"Hey! I'm in command over here! Wanna hug it out?"

 

[Fatty]

A rather gruff Sadrisian looked in the general direction of the Krotan Fringer military, and look in disgust at the decrepit creature three soldiers were vainly attempting to hoist up. What did it mean? Who knew, but these were invaders, and they would be treated like invaders. He aimed a rifle at the snow things head, as it hooted and hollered about hugs. What kind of monster invaded and destroyed a man's land and mocked him too when both were strangers to each other?

A shot was fired, and went straight through the snowman.

---

"I bet they are the nicest, gentlest, warmest people ever!" The round went through him. He didn't even notice until one of the soldiers tried to get his attention. "What do you want funky looking donkey?" He asked him, and then the soldier told him to look at his chest, which had a gaping whole in it.

"Oh look at that, I've been penetrated! Hehe!" He shrugged. Fatty continued to wriggle. A soldier from a neighboring tank, decided they were hostile, and that the soldiers hoisting up Fatty needed to... activate him. They set him down, and reluctantly played a game of rock, paper, scissors on who had to do it. The co-pilot ended up the loser, and so the pilot and the gunner jumped into their snowman-shelter (the tank), while the gunner went to whisper something into Fatty's... well, the side of his head.

"Commander, they told me that snowmen..." He hesitated long enough for Fatty to interrupt. "Well what is it? Snowmen...?" He motioned with his hands to tell the co-pilot to tell him the rest, while holding a joyful and anticipating smile.

"...Melt. In. Summer." The last word echoed a little inside Fatty's empty noggin, and his eyes dilated and his whole body froze for a whole second.

"CRUSH THE MEANIES!" The little snowman suddenly burst into a humongous monstrosity of ice and snow, knocking off the co-pilot as the Ice Giant Bintir'boise gestured angrily at the Sardis region, with a blast of ice breathe in their general direction as he issued the command, which echoed throughout the Krotan Army. Immediately, the Tanks went full speed forward to roll over anything in front of them, the soldiers sprinted forward to swarm anything that slowed the tanks down, and the artillery slowly trudged behind as they blasted thousands of shells into the air to land on top of any Sardisian Militant near them.

[member="Tamara"]

 

[Fatty]

Strategic analysis...

Spoiler

Forest Biome

Krotan Army:
1x Armor Attack 4-2=2
4x Infantry Attack 2+2=4x4=16
2x Artillery Attack 6-2=4x2=8

Total Attack pts (Unmodified)=24
Total Attack pts (Modified)=26; net gain 2pts

Vs

Sardis Army:
1xWalker Attack 6+2=8
1xBomber Attack 10+2=12
3xInfantry Attack 2+2=4x4=12

Total Attack pts (Unmodified)=20
Total Attack pts (Modified)=32; net gain 12 pts

Resolution: Well poodoo... dis gunna be hard.

The Armor units rolled there way through the forest, pushing down trees and firing into the ranks of the enemy infantry and walker contingent, significantly slowed down due to the coverage to the enemy via the forest. Fatty was stomping on his tank like a mad snowman and demanded they move faster. Above them, there was a mix of two deadly sounds... one was friendly, the falling projectiles of artillery landing on the infantry and walkers haphazardly once again due to coverage; but that other sound... was much more foreboding and vile in the mouth of every Fringer Soldier there. They had feared this would happen... bombers.

They had previously thought about using a strategy with less infantry and a higher focus on denying power projection, however in the last moments their strategy changed, hinging on the hope the damnable things wouldn't show their faces. Also, initial reports on the bomber schematics had indicated they were much weaker in design to the point where worrying over them was futile... however, the latest report indicated much the opposite. They had been, at that point, already underway to Sardis and could not turn back, especially as they hinged on the hope they could have assimilated the Sardisians. Thus, the Krotan would be hear to learn a deadly lesson, one they wouldn't soon forget... well except perhaps for their alleged "commander".

Immediately, they all knew that if this was to be a victory, it would be a hard fought one, and it would most likely count on how quickly they could neutralize that bomber unit either through firepower or through strategy. Additionally, since it was invariable they would lose several contingents of units in this battle they had to make sure that bomber was destroyed before too much of their army was, otherwise defeat was inevitable, and retreat would likely be the only option. Another factor that had to be eliminated were the walkers. Thus all in all, the bombers were priority one, walkers priority two, and enemy infantry priority three.

They had no AA units, but they did however have artillery, and tanks. They also outnumbered the enemy by a degree. It was going to be a tough and close call, but it could be done. The formation changed, with the Infantry halted by the tanks, while the tanks maintained their general position to fire at the bombers. In addition to this the Artillery aiming at the skies would make sure that the flight pattern of their projectiles would be arcing through the bomber flight patterns. This would not be an efficient defense, but it would be the only defense they had against them. At the very least, the Artillery shells would be landing on the enemies head through the canopies of the forest.

The other factor of the Walkers had to be dealt with, and the angry snowman ordered all footmen to their destruction. Any time a walker came by, all arms were expected to aid in its destruction, so they could thoroughly defend the tanks to destroy the bombers. The aircraft above them though, we merely scouting the areas, the bombers did not come just yet. They were prepping for launch, as the Krotan Army became a fortification of big cannons, tank coverage, and a swarm of infantry. The Walkers must not be allowed to destroy the tanks under any circumstance. The tanks were the most mobile and defendable heavy units that could reach the bombers, as the artillery had to be left behind friendly lines to ensure their safety, but it left them however vulnerable to bombing runs.

The strategy would be to bring the enemy army as close to the Krotan's as possible, to deter the bombers from harming their own troops. If the Krotan's could capture the enemy's regular army, they could force the plane down with the use of hostages. From there, the Big Snowman could issue the Big Surrender.

[member="Tamara"]

 

[Fatty]

Back in the Krotan Region...

The Heroic NPC King Krotan shook his head as he watched the holovid of the battle commencing, and great disappointment. What were they thinking? How could they not have prepared for an aircraft attack? Surely they had enough resources for Anti-Air coverage. Alas though, it seemed throwing his lot in with the Fringe may not have turned out to be such a great idea after all. They were in their first invasion, and already the battlefield looked to be playing against them entirely.

Under ordinary circumstances, had the bomber not been there, the Krotan-Fringe Army would have crushed this contingent of Infantry and walkers... even if they had a differing contingent equal to the bomber, it would be likely Krotan could have taken Sardis without too many casualties. For example, had there been three more units of infantry, The Snowman's Armor units in conjunction with four units of infantry and raining down artillery rounds would have made out a much better situation than the one they were in now. However, not even accounting that aircraft might be a problem? A sour mistake indeed, and a costly one.

The King Turned to a Fringe Diplomat also observing the battle with him, recording the performance, and receiving live reports of the carnage to come. Apparently, there had been some miss communication and even non-communication between the military and their informants of the region. It would seem, that the Fringe had been counting on negotiating with the Sardisians so they could be granted access to their cities, least they become hostile. They even sent one of their most non-threatening commanders to settle the negotiation... at least the lovable snowman a second side to it. They were completely incompetent.

"Diplomat, I am displeased. The assimilation of Sardis already amounts to failure. How could you let this happen?" The diplomat shook his head at the kings words.

"The battle is far from over my lord, you underestimate the flexibility of our army. We can send them out this way, with a commander whose reputation is... spotty in the mental department, and they are still capable of responding to enemy stimuli. They heard the buzz of aircraft and responded by moving in as close to the enemy position as possible, and preparing any of their heavy long ranged units to blow them out of the sky using sheer luck. It isn't truly effective, but it is the best they can do in the situation. I'll admit that I'm a little disappointed in the information department of this battle, but I do not think it is lost just yet." He responded respectfully while returning his gaze to the holodeck.

"I do hope you are right, diplomat." The King grumbled softly.

 

[Fatty]

In Sardis...

Fatty The Giant Snowman roared in the direction of the 'meanies'. The artillery roads came down like giant explosive hail stones way in front of him, blasting craters into the forest, or otherwise lodging themselves into trees and breaking it. With the coverage of the forest, the Krotan army had to make certain they did not advance to far into the region, least they become victims of their own artillery blind firing. The rounds were relying on the luck that they might hit something slow like Infantry soldiers running through the forest, and on good occasion Infantry soldiers were laid to waist before even encroaching on the Krotan line.

The chance of hitting the bombers with the tanks and artillery storm was next to impossible. With the speed of artillery rounds the bombers would easily evade them, and the hover tank targeting systems would not be able to effectively lock on to the aircrafts. However, it was the plan that the storm of artillery rounds would create such a maelstrom in the sky it would distract and even detract from bomber pilot's ability to initiate a bombing run, and with the additive of rank rounds whizzing past them the bomber would have less of a chance of initiating their attack. This was a far cry of what they needed. What they needed was one less artillery and at least one AA cannon unit. Unfortunately reinforcements would not arrive in time to back them up. They had to make due with what they had. With the ineffective measures of "air defense", their main concern were the walkers. They needed to destroy as many as possible, and ensure that the enemy was far too close to their army to justify bombers. The Krotan's would leave behind their artillery unit as open bait for the bombers.

Having solidified the plan to its fullest, half of the tank unit turned to fire on incoming walkers. That's when the buzz of bombers became apparent... doom was nigh-upon them.

"FORWARD! MOVE IT, OR BE BAIT FOR THE BOMBERS!" Fatty belted out the command.

 

[Fatty]

With hell raining down on their enemies encroaching position, the Krotan army was careful not to go too far, when they lurched forward to meet the Sardis army. If their were friendlies around enemies, it would be stupid for either army to depend on dropping bombs on each other. The Krotan Fringe were making a hefty sacrifice leaving their big cannons behind for the vulturous bombers. But in this way, how the Fringe saw it, they had for the most part evaded the threat of overwhelming air power. It was going to be a fight between a walker unit and three infantry units, versus a tank unit and four infantry units. The fight would be equal more or less. As the armies began their convergence, the artillery rounds stopped falling, to keep from attacking their own.


It would take 3/5ths of their army to overpower the walkers, they didn't want to waste too much time on the infantry, but obviously they could not be ignored either. In terms of tactical strength, the Krotan-Fringe were equal to five total infantry units, and the Sardis army was also equal to five total infantry units. The only difference between the two armies, is that the Krotan had a specific target to bring down. The Sardis army did not have this joy, as the less numerous tanks in the forest had been reduced to the effectiveness of a handful of infantry soldiers. The walkers though, were a much larger threat, being a military unit twice as effective as an infantry unit. This was sure to be a blood bathe, and the only way the Krotan-Fringe could win is if the Sardis Bombers had the ethical mind set not to destroy their own army and people.

Of course, with the straggling Infantry unit, things were about to be made a whole lot more difficult. There was at least one infantry unit just behind enough in relation to the rest of the army it was undoubtedly too late with the bombers just over head now. The bombs were about to be released...

 

[Fatty]

Back in Krotan...

"Why do they stall the inevitable? Retreat force damn you all!" King Krotan slammed his fist against the desh in frustration. This was a suicide mission! Flustered, the King nearly left the room. He was however, stopped by the Diplomat. "I've had enough of your false promises for one day, Fringer! Wake me up tomorrow, and we'll see how amicable I'll be towards this alliance!" He yelled and tried to leave further, but was still stopped by the Diplomat.

"My lord, do wait out the battle. Have faith in your compatriots, it is all they have now. That army after all, is also composed of your soldiers as well. Those that are dying on the battle field are deserving of your respect to watch them in their heroics. Some of them are making grave sacrifices to ensure our goals are meat." The Diplomat tried to reach into the King's compassion. This was war, and it looked like it was going to be a bloody one... a really bloody one. The King needed to be capable of dealing with setbacks. He needed to stop looking at things with defeatism. The Fringe would prevail in due time. Even if, faith has not been on their side in the past half hour.

"You had better be right about this!" The King hissed. His cloak swirled around him as he returned to the holoboard.

 

[Fatty]

In Sardis...

The battle was going to be really close... too close. The enemy had a unit of infantry that had been severely damaged from the initial artillery bombardment. It was still operational but the man-made meteor shower had put a significant dent in their numbers. In this case, it would be easier to maintain concentration on taking down the walker, with the slightly reduced numbers of the enemy. On face value, the enemy was quite severely outnumbered... but in terms of quality of equipment the Krotan were outgunned. Every inch forward would take at about an inch back. Which was in no way a good method for victory. The battle would become one of attrition, of who could out blow-up who when it came down to the final numbers. With death looming over them, it seemed in the Sardis favor...

A unit of infantry on the Krotan side had been just nearly wiped off the map. Of those who did survive, frantically sought for cover. The bombers set the forest behind the Krotan-Fringe ablaze, cutting them off from escape... putting them back into a wall. This would become desperate fighting now, stuck between a rock and a hard place... or in other words a wall of fire and an enemy army. The artillery were still live, but they were effectively useless. However, knowing where they had bombed, the gunners knew that hardly anyone survived the attack, and thus there was at least one safe place to fire. They needed to distract the bombers away from boxing in the Krotan's into a death zone, they needed the bombers to come at them. They were the live bait, they would sacrifice themselves if they had to to save the rest of the army.

Now it was a Walker unit, 2 and 1/2 units of infantry vs a tank unit and now three units of infantry. The battle was being fought hard, and now the Krotan would fight even harder. They had too, or they would die...