POST VI
THE_CLAYMORE
1st GALIDRAANI ARMOURED-VOLUNTEER BRIGADE
2nd BATTALION,"THE BLUE-HEARTS"
OBJECTIVE 1: Generis Base | ORCC
ALLIES (NIO/GA):
Rurik Fel
Djorn Bline
Willan Tal
Lucien Dooku
Konrad Bolter
Jax Sloane
Loros Kalaric
Nima Appw'rii
Halketh
Jiosha Relawny
Rika Hiro
Don Belkora
Arten Jinn
Sol Stazi
ENEMIES (TSE): Marimax Mortui
SF-3335
Eira Dwynwen
The Amalgam
Darth Daiara
CALLSIGN: BLUE-HEART ALPHA
Custom Blaster-Pistol | Basket-Hilted Vibrosword Claymore
BARRAN, KALARIC & SLOANE: PART II
'Why else do you think the Lord-Commander let us take extra? Use it to cool the smoothbores, you karking idiot!'
<"Yes, Staff-Sergeant! Just like Bastion then! C-C Fourteen out!">
'An' fix yer cover, Bryant! If ah can see ye stickin' oot like a sare thumb, then that walker can-'
Interrupted by the bright explosion of the Cataphract at the far front-right of the loose horseshoe-formation, the temporary tank-leader couldn't help but throw the earpiece of his comms device at the inner-wall of his tank as the Lord-Commander watched on from inside his ACV, drinking from his hipflask in silence as the dismayed Staff-Sergeant swore obscenities into the misty, smoked-outed clearing beyond. Unimpressed, Erskine found himself understanding Myles' frustrations with the Cataphract NCO-staff he commanded, but kept his thoughts to himself as he checked on the G-Company positions. With the ability to move around more-freely, despite being encumbered by handheld rocket-launchers, (and the carbonite ammunition needed to pile on the pressure for Kalaric's anti-tank barrages) Rhone's Guardians were proving quite impossible for the Advanced Walker to track-and-trace, a small blessing that Barran was all too happy to accept under the circumstances.
'Baird's holding his own though, look o'er to the left tip o' the horseshoe.', the Lord-Major muttered, pointing in the general direction with a cursory nod as he stepped outside the ACV to stretch his legs for a little while. Rhone would nod emphatic approval in silence as he stepped out to join Lord Erskine, and to offer any protection possible wherever his Major chose to tread, but was also focused on the Guard-Corporal's position; seeing that Baird was keeping his platoon as widely dispersed as the young NCO would permit, though still maintaining clear lines of visual (and digital) communication between all those under his smart-thinking supervision, Barran's CSM allowed himself to exhale a quiet, though still-obvious sigh of relief. Snorting mirthfully, Barran couldn't help but include
,'If ye look all around the tanks, you'll find the rest o' G-Company are making a good go of it as well.', before turning to gaze on the Advanced Walker again.
'We'll be lucky ti beat that karkin' hing doun there, though. There's only s'much Kalaric's walkers can achieve for us, especially if they're no given further fire-support t'batter it's dome wae!'
'All in good time, Rhone. I have a feeling Sloane's got a sneaky trick up his sleeve.', Barran responded, though very instructively, pointing both sides of the horseshoe's gap out for his CSM to see. Once Rhone nodded confirmation of what he was being shown, Erskine looked back to the Company Sergeant-Major and went go into detail on what he was thinking, confident enough that Rhone was paying attention that he rifled on before the assumption escaped his recollection,
'A nice wide gap for an entire formation to burst through, wouldn't you say?'
'Whit? An' fae where, exactly, d'you suppose we'd find random allied-units doubling back fae Tal's general-advance? Am ah missin' suhin here, Milord?'
Unable to hold back his mirth any more, Erskine was reduced to a wheezing fit, doubled over as the Guard-CSM stood looking more perplexed with each passing moment; and much to the chagrin of Rhone, Barran wasn't ready to ruin the surprise for anyone present to fight Nixie's Advanced Walker, though none present even knew who was inside it, piloting beyond the walker's projected limitations to survive the combined storm of anti-tank and carbonite barrages. There was obviously more to the Lord-Major's plan, but no matter how much he racked his brain to find the puzzle's missing piece, the clueless CSM had, once more, found himself unable to assign any potentially-available third-parties (and as a result, nor any possible consequent actions) to the task of beating down the Advanced Walker with lasting finality.
'You really need t'give it time ti see for yersel, Rhone.', the Lord-Major finally replied, calming down enough to speak without being rendered incapable by another fit of laughter, sighing and looking back to the subject of their aggression with eyebrow raised in surprise, seeing that all the abuse thrown at it had still not been enough to fully-degrade the protective shell that protected the pilot inside. Shaking his head and tutting loudly, Barran had time to grumble,
'Just look at it, man! Makes the NIO's walker R&D look like a token showing in comparison, can't be having tha-', before two more tanks on the right flank exploded under the pressure of Nixie's latest barrage of AT-rockets. Sending the Staff-Sergeant nearby into a frenzy of rage and grief, compounded by the fact his second-in-command was inside one of the destroyed Cataphracts.
'What now, Milord?'
Just as Barran was making to answer, they were both interrupted by the unmistakable sound of motorbikes travelling en masse, and drawing nearer to the hostilities from what sounded like almost every direction around them. Upon hearing this new development, Erskine had no chance of being able to supress the laughter, bursting forth as Sloane's contingent drew closer with every passing second, wheezing as he leaned on the tracks of the APC parked right next to his command-vehicle. All Erskine could could do was giggle himself back to the ACV and wave his CSM over to hop in with him, but once everyone was inside with the doors locked, the Lord-Major was calm enough to answer,
'We leave the tanks here wae G-Company, and we go for a wee ride to ground-zero. Ah wanty see the whites o' this pilot's eyes for myself, an' you're bodyguardin' yer Lord-Major's approach - every step o' the way!'
'Oh, kark! You've got that Bastion look about you again, Milord. Just thought you should know, before we drive into the jaws o' death again an' all.'
If it goes the way ah hink it's gawn, we'll be showing up at the tail-end o' whatever happens next. Safe as houses....