06-11-2022, 02:22 AM
(Joint Post with Shuell)
Dense Forested Area, Northwest of Côte-Verte
May 11th, 2022, 8:36 AM
The cold, cloudy Aurian morning was made even darker by the thick canopy of trees above the forest. Morning dew dripped from every leaf, branch, and acorn, making the ground muddy and each root ledge slippery. "Private" Ethan Finch carefully clutched his rifle close, peering between trees while ducking his head. His shorter, slender frame allowed him to carefully duck between trees at low risk of being seen. This, combined with his childhood knowledge of the area (being a Côte-Verte native), made the teen an ideal guide for their ambush force.
"The road checkpoint is just up here. Please be quiet. It looks like some paths in the distance have footprints, so they may be patrolling here before they advance in this area." He looked back at the Shuellian Mercenaries and Aurian Rebels following his footsteps closely, pointing between a few trees before them. "That brighter patch there is the road. We must be careful."
The mercenaries, dressed in heavy armor, trudge behind Finch. They communicate silently, using hand signals to point out branches and other hazards on the trail. One of the Kruger-Meszaros soldiers, carrying a bulky radio on his back, marches up to the private. “We’ve got the explosives ready. How many should we expect to see?” He says in a a hoarse whisper. Having been forced to put out his cigarette before the trek, the soldier is clearly in a poor mood.
"I'm not sure. I think I can see at least several dozen. Wait, there's upwards of a hundred at least, and likely several times that number that I can't see. This is a bad angle, I'll have to move up a bit for a better estimate." Finch's accent was a little less dense that a standard Western Aurian accent, so his English was a lot more legible as he kept amending his estimates.
The mercenary grunts in acknowledgement. "We have a few mortars set up on the beach, but we're too close for them to fire. If we can get a little further out, I can call a battery right on top of their heads. Go and get a better look, but don't take too long - the longer we're here, the higher chance they catch a glimpse of us."
Finch gave a slight nod and started off, quicky stepping on protruding roots to avoid twigs snapping and giving away his position. He positioned himself just behind a tree around ten meters from the road, getting a good look at the camp.
It was much larger than he had expected. Hundreds of soldiers filled the clear areas on each side of the road, with trucks and tents crowding the area. He saw weapons and ammunition being distributed among the faded orange-wearing Garda members, trying to commit the camp's layout to memory.
With a quiet sigh, he started back, holding his breath as he proceeded back into the forest. He dove behind old oak trees and scraggly bushes, making it back to his allies in less than a minute. "There's hundreds of them. Equipment trucks, tents, barricades. They're preparing to march soon, they're handing out guns and ammo. We have to move fast." Finch said, out of breath.
The mercenary curses under his breath, stowing his pair of binoculars. "Alright, an attack here would be suicide. We don't have the numbers to take their base, even with the mortars softening them up. Here's what we're going to do, alright?" Pulling out what appears to have been a tourist's map of the area, he points to a bend in the road.
"Assuming this is accurate, we'll plant our explosives at both ends of this curve. Set them off simultaneously and they'll be easy game. We'll be able to get there before the Garda, but we'll have to work quick for this plan to work. Is there a ridgeline in the area?"
Finch and a couple nearby Aurians nodded. "the side of the road dips down into a deep ditch right around the curve, then escalates into a steep hill. There's a dense line of oak trees on the northern side beyond the ditch that could provide good cover. The southern side is also densely forested, but has a lot of thin birch trees, so we may be a little exposed and obvious." The agile Aurian pointed along the map while he spoke, detailing both forests and the ditches between them and the roads.
"Right, right. Let's..." He pauses, thinking. "We'll post up on either side of the road after we get the explosives placed. The bulk of our group will be in the north, with a smaller team in the south to prevent any of them fleeing. If this goes well, we'll blunt their attack and send them reeling - if nothing else, we'll buy Cote-Verte some time. Let's move."
-
Wind blew through the damp Aurian forests, the yellow/orange light of the morning sun peering through every branch. The small group of Aurian rebels and Shuellian Mercenaries we're carefully hidden among the dense trees, watching the dense convoy of Garda soldiers march down the road. Ethan Finch carefully hid behind a tall oak tree, grasping his gun and waiting for the explosives to go off. Time seemed to slow as hundreds of dull orange uniforms moved slowly through the bend in the road, unknowingly marching step by step into an ambush.
Five steps away...
Three...
Two....
One...
BOOM
The earshattering explosions echoed throughout the nearby area, causing many of the Aurians to flinch instinctively and cover their ears. Ethan cocked his rifle, aiming between a few trees at the road, waiting for the smoke to clear and his ears to stop ringing. He glanced over at the Shuellian officer, waiting for his command.
"Open fire! Don't let any escape!" The soldier bellows into the radio, barely audible over the chaos. With the sheer force of the explosion enough to stun any Garda still alive, they'd prove to be easy prey for rebels and mercenaries alike. Just as the Garda soldiers began to recover from the sudden attack, one of the mercenaries tossed a grenade onto the ruined asphalt that was once a road. "Take cover!"
Finch and the line of Aurian rebels were quick to acquiesce to their ally's orders, firing their rifles into the dusty remains of the convoy. Another explosion sounded as the mercenary's grenade detonated, further debilitating what Garda soldiers were left.
Seeing no escape, one of the remaining Garda officers pointed to the other side of the road, firing his sidearm wildly into the trees. "Skuriet, tut dei vus!" Run, all of you! "No arjiet kenet, no sana dab-"
A bullet flew into the officers temple, knocking him to the ground before he could finish his orders. Out of hundreds of Garda soldiers initially in the convoy, only two dozen remained upright, trying vainly to shelter in the ditches on either side of the road.
Finch felt a bullet almost graze his head, parting a few of his hairs as it narrowly avoided him and was embedded in the tree behind him. Holy shit. He took a moment to hide behind the tree and get his bearings, before peeking out again, getting a clean shot on the soldier who had almost shot him.
Then, silence. All that was left was the ringing in the soldiers' ears. A few of the Orange-suited soldiers had their arms held up weakly, their weapons on the ground in front of them. One of them coughed and begged in a hoarse voice, "Arjiet, luds. Arjiet nag..." Stop, please. Stop now...
With the fighting subsided, the mercenaries approach the surrendering soldiers with their rifles trained. Acting quickly to secure their weapons, the mercenaries begin to restrain able-bodied Garda with zipties and patch up the more severely wounded prisoners.
Speaking into his radio, the officer approaches Finch. “Right. Any wounded or dead on our side? It’ll be a long trek back, especially with all we’ve captured.”
Finch, still shellshocked from the adrenaline of his first battle, made little reply, blinking rapidly and scanning the woods. An older soldier, a Corporal by his insignia, spoke up, his thick Aurian accent shifting vowel sounds in off ways. "Two dead, six injuries. We also have..." He took a moment to glance over to a fellow soldier, who flashed him a few numbers. "Sixteen captures." The Corporals accent caused "Sixteen" to be pronounced "Zeex-deen", making even some of the Aurian soldiers raise their eyebrows at the English pronunciations.
The mercenary nods. "We'll get those injuries patched up and gather the dead before we march. For now -" He turns to face the assorted rebels, barking out an order. "Scavenge anything of importance: weapons, ammo, explosives, medical equipment, and cash! Time is of the essence, people - those detonations are going to attract attention, and I don't want to be here when backup arrives."
Dense Forested Area, Northwest of Côte-Verte
May 11th, 2022, 8:36 AM
The cold, cloudy Aurian morning was made even darker by the thick canopy of trees above the forest. Morning dew dripped from every leaf, branch, and acorn, making the ground muddy and each root ledge slippery. "Private" Ethan Finch carefully clutched his rifle close, peering between trees while ducking his head. His shorter, slender frame allowed him to carefully duck between trees at low risk of being seen. This, combined with his childhood knowledge of the area (being a Côte-Verte native), made the teen an ideal guide for their ambush force.
"The road checkpoint is just up here. Please be quiet. It looks like some paths in the distance have footprints, so they may be patrolling here before they advance in this area." He looked back at the Shuellian Mercenaries and Aurian Rebels following his footsteps closely, pointing between a few trees before them. "That brighter patch there is the road. We must be careful."
The mercenaries, dressed in heavy armor, trudge behind Finch. They communicate silently, using hand signals to point out branches and other hazards on the trail. One of the Kruger-Meszaros soldiers, carrying a bulky radio on his back, marches up to the private. “We’ve got the explosives ready. How many should we expect to see?” He says in a a hoarse whisper. Having been forced to put out his cigarette before the trek, the soldier is clearly in a poor mood.
"I'm not sure. I think I can see at least several dozen. Wait, there's upwards of a hundred at least, and likely several times that number that I can't see. This is a bad angle, I'll have to move up a bit for a better estimate." Finch's accent was a little less dense that a standard Western Aurian accent, so his English was a lot more legible as he kept amending his estimates.
The mercenary grunts in acknowledgement. "We have a few mortars set up on the beach, but we're too close for them to fire. If we can get a little further out, I can call a battery right on top of their heads. Go and get a better look, but don't take too long - the longer we're here, the higher chance they catch a glimpse of us."
Finch gave a slight nod and started off, quicky stepping on protruding roots to avoid twigs snapping and giving away his position. He positioned himself just behind a tree around ten meters from the road, getting a good look at the camp.
It was much larger than he had expected. Hundreds of soldiers filled the clear areas on each side of the road, with trucks and tents crowding the area. He saw weapons and ammunition being distributed among the faded orange-wearing Garda members, trying to commit the camp's layout to memory.
With a quiet sigh, he started back, holding his breath as he proceeded back into the forest. He dove behind old oak trees and scraggly bushes, making it back to his allies in less than a minute. "There's hundreds of them. Equipment trucks, tents, barricades. They're preparing to march soon, they're handing out guns and ammo. We have to move fast." Finch said, out of breath.
The mercenary curses under his breath, stowing his pair of binoculars. "Alright, an attack here would be suicide. We don't have the numbers to take their base, even with the mortars softening them up. Here's what we're going to do, alright?" Pulling out what appears to have been a tourist's map of the area, he points to a bend in the road.
"Assuming this is accurate, we'll plant our explosives at both ends of this curve. Set them off simultaneously and they'll be easy game. We'll be able to get there before the Garda, but we'll have to work quick for this plan to work. Is there a ridgeline in the area?"
Finch and a couple nearby Aurians nodded. "the side of the road dips down into a deep ditch right around the curve, then escalates into a steep hill. There's a dense line of oak trees on the northern side beyond the ditch that could provide good cover. The southern side is also densely forested, but has a lot of thin birch trees, so we may be a little exposed and obvious." The agile Aurian pointed along the map while he spoke, detailing both forests and the ditches between them and the roads.
"Right, right. Let's..." He pauses, thinking. "We'll post up on either side of the road after we get the explosives placed. The bulk of our group will be in the north, with a smaller team in the south to prevent any of them fleeing. If this goes well, we'll blunt their attack and send them reeling - if nothing else, we'll buy Cote-Verte some time. Let's move."
-
Wind blew through the damp Aurian forests, the yellow/orange light of the morning sun peering through every branch. The small group of Aurian rebels and Shuellian Mercenaries we're carefully hidden among the dense trees, watching the dense convoy of Garda soldiers march down the road. Ethan Finch carefully hid behind a tall oak tree, grasping his gun and waiting for the explosives to go off. Time seemed to slow as hundreds of dull orange uniforms moved slowly through the bend in the road, unknowingly marching step by step into an ambush.
Five steps away...
Three...
Two....
One...
BOOM
The earshattering explosions echoed throughout the nearby area, causing many of the Aurians to flinch instinctively and cover their ears. Ethan cocked his rifle, aiming between a few trees at the road, waiting for the smoke to clear and his ears to stop ringing. He glanced over at the Shuellian officer, waiting for his command.
"Open fire! Don't let any escape!" The soldier bellows into the radio, barely audible over the chaos. With the sheer force of the explosion enough to stun any Garda still alive, they'd prove to be easy prey for rebels and mercenaries alike. Just as the Garda soldiers began to recover from the sudden attack, one of the mercenaries tossed a grenade onto the ruined asphalt that was once a road. "Take cover!"
Finch and the line of Aurian rebels were quick to acquiesce to their ally's orders, firing their rifles into the dusty remains of the convoy. Another explosion sounded as the mercenary's grenade detonated, further debilitating what Garda soldiers were left.
Seeing no escape, one of the remaining Garda officers pointed to the other side of the road, firing his sidearm wildly into the trees. "Skuriet, tut dei vus!" Run, all of you! "No arjiet kenet, no sana dab-"
A bullet flew into the officers temple, knocking him to the ground before he could finish his orders. Out of hundreds of Garda soldiers initially in the convoy, only two dozen remained upright, trying vainly to shelter in the ditches on either side of the road.
Finch felt a bullet almost graze his head, parting a few of his hairs as it narrowly avoided him and was embedded in the tree behind him. Holy shit. He took a moment to hide behind the tree and get his bearings, before peeking out again, getting a clean shot on the soldier who had almost shot him.
Then, silence. All that was left was the ringing in the soldiers' ears. A few of the Orange-suited soldiers had their arms held up weakly, their weapons on the ground in front of them. One of them coughed and begged in a hoarse voice, "Arjiet, luds. Arjiet nag..." Stop, please. Stop now...
With the fighting subsided, the mercenaries approach the surrendering soldiers with their rifles trained. Acting quickly to secure their weapons, the mercenaries begin to restrain able-bodied Garda with zipties and patch up the more severely wounded prisoners.
Speaking into his radio, the officer approaches Finch. “Right. Any wounded or dead on our side? It’ll be a long trek back, especially with all we’ve captured.”
Finch, still shellshocked from the adrenaline of his first battle, made little reply, blinking rapidly and scanning the woods. An older soldier, a Corporal by his insignia, spoke up, his thick Aurian accent shifting vowel sounds in off ways. "Two dead, six injuries. We also have..." He took a moment to glance over to a fellow soldier, who flashed him a few numbers. "Sixteen captures." The Corporals accent caused "Sixteen" to be pronounced "Zeex-deen", making even some of the Aurian soldiers raise their eyebrows at the English pronunciations.
The mercenary nods. "We'll get those injuries patched up and gather the dead before we march. For now -" He turns to face the assorted rebels, barking out an order. "Scavenge anything of importance: weapons, ammo, explosives, medical equipment, and cash! Time is of the essence, people - those detonations are going to attract attention, and I don't want to be here when backup arrives."
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