The Bridge at Angry River

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Nik-note: This tale sorta 'came out of left-field', whispered, "Tell Me..."

The Bridge at Angry River #01

The first burble of an approaching Gevvy lifted my spirits. That didn't last. Instead of splitting to three or four running in 'stealth' mode, there was just the one. Perhaps Medics for our several injured ? Or a mortar crew to sweep that infernal sniper from the ridge above this river's further bank ?

I wriggled around behind my hot-tub sized boulder, peered back along the road, blinked. No, neither of those. It was a long-base Staff Gevvy, complete with pennons. An ebon-clad Agent sat in front beside the helmeted, BDU-clad driver. A Staff Four sat in the middle, absurd in formal parade uniform, complete with peaked hat. A helmeted, goggled, BDU-clad gunner stood in back, grimly clutching the twin grips of the roll-bar's pintle-mount repeater...

My hearts sank. An Agent ? Those 'Black Tabs' judged every-one guilty, by action, omission, association or mere proximity. Their mantra seemed, 'Summary Executions Will Continue Until Morale Improves'.

Sure, our small force had been mauled, stalled half-way to the small market-town we were supposed to secure hours ago, but what good was one un-stealthed Staff Gevvy with a 'Black Tab' and an idiot Four ?

Except, perhaps, to blame and execute some-one ? As our ranking Line, that would be me...

The Gevvy slowed, slid past the bodies we'd recovered to the right of the road. It crept past my three injured but armed squaddies sheltering in the left storm-gulley behind our second burned-to-axles carrier. It coasted past my two armed squaddies in the same gulley behind our first burned-to-axles carrier. It stopped beside our last Eng One, who was warily aiming his PDW, a compact L-14-S, from behind the uncertain shelter of their burned-out Crawler.

The Staff Four stood, looked around. He'd seen those squaddies. His gaze swept the bridge with its raised abutments, poured-stone box-section deck, the burned shell of our Line Four's short-base Gevvy in mid-span. He noted me and my three armed squaddies sheltering behind boulders on this side of the road.

I waved a hand to draw his eyes, called, "Active sniper, Staff !"

He glanced my way then, ignoring my warning, keyed his amplifier, called, "Who's in charge ?"

That would be me. I waved again.

He stepped down from his long Gevvy as if for a parade. Accompanied by his 'Black Tab', he strode towards me.

Again, I called, "Active sniper, Staff !"

Again, he ignored me. Stopping a few paces away, he snarled, "On your feet, Line !"

If I did not stand, the 'Black Tab' would kill me. If I stood, would the sniper ?

I made my standard L-14 safe, collapsed the stock, struggled to my feet and let the weapon hang from its sling. My grimy, blood-spattered BDUs and depleted reload pouches bore witness to this morning's debacle. I took care to stay mostly behind my boulder as I gave a crisp salute. "Staff !"

"Rank ?"

"Line Two, Farrall, Second Squad, Staff !"

"Where's your Line Four ?"

"Dead in Gevvy on bridge, Staff ! Sniper."

"Your Line Three ?"

"Body row, Staff ! Sniper."

"Your Line Two, First Squad ?"

"Body row, Staff ! Sniper."

"The Combat Eng Three ?"

"Sniper, Staff !" I waved towards the boulder-choked river bed. "Tried to clear ford by shattering boulders--"

"His Eng Two ?"

"Sniper, Staff ! Shot hit their satchel charge, blast also caught two Eng Ones--"

"But the bridge is intact !"

"Reduced weight limit, Staff !" I waved towards the hand-painted sign set against the official notice.

"It's a trick ! A clumsy trick by their peasantry ! You should have driven across !"

"Staff, our Four led First Squad across with his Gevvy--"

"Why not the Eng Crawler ?"

"Staff, Eng Three told our Line Four the bridge would require less resource to reinforce than rebuild--"

"Nonsense !" He glanced to his 'Black Tab'. "Dispose."

As his big hand-gun slowly rose, I glimpsed a now-familiar flicker.

CRACK !

The 'Black Tab' spun sideways, hydraulic shock spraying blue blood from his snout and his body-armour's joints. The Gevvy's alert gunner fired across the river, though suppressive rather than aimed. The startled Staff Four looked about. I went flat behind my boulder, counting, "Two, three--"

CRACK !

A jet of blue blood erupted from the Four's upper back, the 'through' throwing him down. He landed beside his 'Black Tab' in a messy heap.

"Jump !" I yelled towards the Gevvy.

The driver dived clear, the gunner leapt, rolled--

CRACK ! Whoosh ! Bam-Am-Am-Am-Am...

I flinched, tried to burrow beneath my boulder as the Gevvy's split power-pack erupted, cooking off the repeater's part-drum. Like our lighter L-14 ammunition, those caseless rounds had a sub-sonic kick-charge which took the barrel's twist for spin, 'base-burn' for range. Un-aimed, they flew everywhere. Happily, the gunner had managed a long enough burst to deplete the flimsy drum, and his racked reloads just burned noisily.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

== The Bridge at Angry River #02

I wiped grit from my snout, shook my head. Then I noticed the Gevvy's gunner nimbly low-crawling across the road, his L-14-S competently held. Part-masked by the Gevvy's flames and drifting smoke, cammo BDUs now filthy, he wriggled into this side's ditch, headed my way. Pausing by the dead Staff Four and 'Black Tab', he un-buckled their holsters, took their hand-guns and reloads. He took the Four's Comm set from its clip, crawled onwards. Halting in the lee of my boulder, he pushed up his goggles, reported, "Staff Two, Gennes."

"Staff," I responded warily. Even as a very young Two, he'd out-rank our now-dead Line Four.

"Sitrep ?"

"Active sniper, Staff, medium weapon. A light Repeater covers bridge deck and river bed. Five Line Ones and my Line Two combat effective. Three Line Ones injured, but defense capable. One Eng One armed with PDW. No Comms."

"Add my Driver One and detached Staff Two with PDWs, these two hand-guns, one Comm-set." He shook his head. "What is that weapon ? No muzzle flash, no discharge, just, 'Crack' !"

"Unknown, Staff. It... It does not fit any weapon in our Line briefings." I shuddered. "Unless a trick, there is a count of three or four between shots."

"But they can breach a Squad Carrier's or Eng Crawler's cupola ?"

"Yes, Staff." I shivered, confirmed his unhappy observation, "One shot, one kill..."

"Ancestors !" he muttered. "I have codes for this Comm-unit but, before I report, I need to understand what happened. Start with what you know of the strategic position."

"Staff..." I took a shaky breath, then a second, quoted from our limited Line briefing. "Staff, this planet, local identifier 'Kaaal-2', Imperial Asset Code pending, orbits mid-orange star 'Kaaal-Prime'. Intel mapped two polar continents and many reef-ringed island chains in a shallow world-ocean. Axial tilt high, almost half a corner. Orbit unusually eccentric, with significant seasonal variation. Day-cycle length almost three times Central's, so surface-synchronous orbit is unusually high.

"We are on smaller Northern continent's Southern coast. Here, lowland narrows between steep scarp of wide karst plateau and embayed coastal swamp. This 'Angry River', local drain for plateau, is subject to flash-floods, hence name. Road is single hard-top route between continent's capital and space field at South Port, and small, but regionally important market town of New Hampton to East. Control that, we control its pass up the scarp, out-lying villages, farmsteads, the small Port Eastham and South-Eastern coast.

"Intel report four or five types of Exos, mostly in scattered farmsteads. Small Regional Militias limit piracy and prevent escalation of clan squabbles. Intel reported no heavy weapons...

"A guard-ship challenged 'First Fleet' near 'Kaaal-3', a gas-giant, but fled when attacked by Light Escorts.

"Our combat landing at South Port's small space-field was un-opposed. Town was deserted. All fled day-cycles ago, as 'First Fleet' approached. Squads One through Six secured the space-field, town, harbour, local roads without loss. Tracks confirmed Intel that many non-combatants dispersed into thick scrub-land to the West. The rest came East. As 'Local Summer', nights here are short and days long.

"We got some rest, deployed at dawn. Line Four's Short Gevvy led, with his driver and roll-bar repeater's gunner. One Combat Eng Crawler, two eight-wheeled squad Carriers followed, each with cupola repeater and gunner. Eng teams scanned and checked the road's storm ditches, verges, drains and gullies. Found nothing. Before coastal plain narrowed, we passed several farmsteads, all deserted. Came to this bridge. Our Intel and official sign showed rated for our heavy vehicles, but new sign said not.

"Gevvy wreck hides a black zig-zag across right lane near mid-span. Fresh hazard paint around it, arrows painted on the deck to steer traffic to the left lane."

"Perhaps over-loaded during evacuation ?" The young Staff Two shook his head. "Or just too convenient ?"

"Staff... Our Line Four thought it a clumsy trick, but Eng Three refused to risk our vehicles..."

"Logical: A weak bridge deck would require far less resource to reinforce than rebuild."

"Staff..." I replied, shook off my surprise, continued, "Dry season, so river level is low between storms. Their flash-floods bank-fill this over-sized channel, wash down Gevvy-sized boulders. There are ramps for a ford, but bed is choked. Our Line Four agreed to seize bridge on foot, secure the far bank's ridge which commands crossing. Then Eng team would use succession of small charges, shatter enough boulders for Crawler to clear ford, bring our vehicles across...

"Line Four led the way in Gevvy. First Squad and their Line Two stayed close to the low bridge parapets for the minimal cover. Line Three had our Second Squad and three cupola repeaters in support...

"Gevvy was half-way across, just passing those markings, when, 'Crack !' As the Gevvy began to burn, a light repeater raked First Squad...

"The cupola gunners had no target, but laid 'suppressive fire' across ridge. Did not help...

"Crack ! Crawler's cupola repeater gang-fired down to its box. Neither gunner nor driver got out.

"Crack ! First Squad's Carrier's cupola repeater gang-fired. Neither gunner nor driver got out.

"Crack ! My Second Squad's Carrier's cupola repeater gang-fired. But rear door was open, so explosion vented. Driver got out...

"Line Three tried to co-ordinate counter-fire, 'Move and Cover', but, 'Crack !' That was our Comms lost, too.

"Though First Squad's Line Two was wounded, he pulled two injured off the bridge. Took his Squad's combat effectives, half my Squad Two and, with the Engs, tried to force a crossing through the boulder choke beneath the bridge deck. We gave a lot of suppressive fire, but had no targets. They were flanked by both sniper and light repeater."

"Ancestors..." He closed his eyes for several breaths, asked, "You've been pinned down since ?"

"Yes, Staff." I hesitated, added, "The sniper did not shoot at retreating, injured or body recovery efforts, but returns fire with lethal effect."

"Urrr... Have you narrowed location of the sniper ?"

"No, Staff. No flash, no blast, no glints. Ample cover atop that ridge, height provides plunging fire. Surmise sniper and light repeater move about."

"Logical. Now we need a Recon over-flight, a Mortar Carrier and/or a Combat Flyer. Plus transport." He shook his head. "I should not have these codes, I'm just a 'Two'. If asked, my 'Four' lived long enough to delegate."

"Yes, Staff."

[MikeKozlowski]

If asked, my 'Four' lived long enough to delegate."

Hooked.

Mike

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

== The Bridge at Angry River #03

The young officer plugged in an ear-piece, fetched a short document from a pouch, carefully keyed the Comm unit. He replied to the validation challenge, reported, "Staff Two, Gennes. Sitrep: Advance halted at 'Angry River' bridge. Active sniper, with medium weapon plus light repeater in support. Vehicles destroyed. Senior Ranks dead. Multiple Lines and Engs dead. Nine combat effective. Three injured but defence capable. Request support--

"Confirm: All Ranks above Two dead. All vehicles destroyed. Request support. Yes, I'll hold...

"Hello ? Yes. Staff Two, Gennes. Sitrep: Advance halted at 'Angry River' bridge. Active sniper, with medium weapon plus light repeater in support. Vehicles destroyed. Senior Ranks dead. Multiple Lines and Engs dead. Nine combat effective. Three injured but defence capable. Request support. Yes, I'll hold...

"Hello ? Yes. Staff Two, Gennes. Sitrep: Advance halted at 'Angry River' bridge. Active sniper, with medium weapon plus light repeater in support. Vehicles destroyed. Senior Ranks dead. Multiple Lines and Engs dead. Nine combat effective. Three injured but defence capable. Request support. Yes, I'll hold..."

As this hold stretched, stretched, stretched, he whispered, "Thank the Ancestors I charged this for him...

"Hello ? Yes. Staff Two, Gennes. Sitrep: Advance halted at 'Angry River' bridge. Active sniper, with medium weapon plus light repeater in support. Vehicles destroyed. Senior Ranks dead. Multiple Lines and Engs dead. Nine combat effective. Three injured but defence capable. Request support.

"Hold this position, await orders ? Understood." He took a breath, asked, "Sitrep ?"

Whatever was in the lengthy reply, the young Staff's eyes went wider and wider, his snout darker and darker, until he took a shaky breath, repeated back, "Hold this position, await orders ? Understood."

I'd been a 'Line Two' long enough to figure this meant our routine 'Liberation' had gone seriously off-Plan. I waited while the young Staff took a wary sip from his water bottle before he tried to speak. Still took him three tries.

"No air-support," he began. "The South Port landing's two light Combat Flyers scouted West, met 'shoulder-launched'. Drones just lose their command link, fall from the sky..."

"Ancestors..."

"This bridge..." He waved at the wrack. "This is bad, but the Southern landing at North Port ? Worse..."

"Ancestors ! How ?"

"North Port council had declared they were 'Open', no combat within city limits. Still, an Assault lander off-loaded in their 'Central Park'. Line squads seized all major buildings, secured road junctions. No opposition, all had fled by land or sea. They'd left all 'Utilities' shut off, 'strong' password protected. But that's Civil's problem...

"Three Armour and two more Line landers off-loaded at the space port. It's a dredged island in the estuary. Long causeway, with poured-stone, box-deck bridge spans across wide channels at start and end. Like yours, but much bigger. Column forms up, rolls onto the causeway...

"Combat Engs have checked, no mines or demo-charges. Then, when the entire column is on the causeway, Boom ! Bridge ahead goes down. Boom ! Bridge behind goes down. Those explosives were sealed inside the box-decks, must have been there for many day-cycles. And the council had not lied: The causeway and bridges were outside the city, the big 'Welcome to North Port' sign set eight-eights of paces inland of the nearest abutment...

"Column is stuck. Channels are too deep, too soft for Heavies or Crawlers to wade, currents too fast for Carriers to swim, water too rough for laden Gevvys. Intel got that much right...

"So, 'Plan_B'. There's three commercial 'Heavy Shuttles' docked to 'First Fleet' in orbit, each with an eight of heavy combat flyers aboard. Two eights for North Port, to patrol, meet any militia counter-attack by boat or land. One eight for South Port, to patrol your scarp, road and swamp. All due tomorrow, but called early. North Port's Shuttles would off-load, then hover to the causeway, land on road, ferry one or two heavy vehicles ashore at a time.

"While those are inbound, Combat Engs get lines across the channels for 'cable-ferries'. They swim a few tethered Carriers then, for Line Squads and re-supply, a tethered pontoon they've crafted from a store-yard's empty drums.

"North Port's two 'Heavy Shuttles' land, open tail-ramps. Their flyers are charged, armed, crewed, ready to hover out, fly off as soon as their lashings are released...

"Edge of the field, four pipes stand, hinge over. Shoof-Shoof ! Shoof-Shoof ! One missile flies up each ramp, explodes. Then another..."

"Ancestors..." I whispered.

"Now the North Port Expeditionary Force is down by those two eights of heavy combat flyers, their crews, their relief crews, their Maintenance Engs and spares, their Ordnance Engs and reloads. Also, those two 'Heavy Shuttles'...

"And, yes, their Heavies and Crawlers are still stuck on the causeway...

"Word comes to South Port. They position Squad Carriers ready to un-sight and protect their Shuttle's ramp. Three pop-ups nail the Shuttle as it comes over the perimeter fence. Crash and burn..."

"Ancestors..."

"Ancestors..."

[Hog]

Spot on, very happy it decided to whisper "tell me".

Onwards and upwards.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

== The Bridge at Angry River #04

That interminable day continued. The sun-angle so-slowly changed, the heat rose. We tried to spot the covert sniper, but failed. Neither I nor young Gennes was prepared to draw a kill-shot, so we just held our fire. I dragged the hapless Staff Four then the Agent, a Three, to our body-row. Despite our mauling, seeing those two brought low drew some savage grins...

Twice more, I wriggled back to check on my Lines, our wounded and the shaken Eng. Became clear that, even salvaging bottles from the dead, we would have a shortage of water...

Young Gennes had studied me, the bridge and the further bank's commanding ridge without comment. After my third tour, he asked, "You're 'career' enlist ?"

"Yes, Staff." I shifted to a cooler shadow. "Farmer's third son. First trains as Farm Manager, inherits. Second finds a trade. Third enlists. If I die, loss-grant goes to the farm. If I live, we trade my land-grant to extend our holdings."

"I'm a third son, too," The young Staff Two admitted. "Eldest, Gells, trains to run estate, then inherit. Would rather hunt BoRats and chase village Missies. Middle, Gelnes, in the Capital for a college friend's wedding, caught the eye of a young Imperial Lady, Junior Branch. Now does Admin make-work between her Balls and Parties.

"Family pushed me to enlist, but I wanted to be a 'Civil Engineer'. Did three Annuals of training. Then, when the Others' probing attacks ceased, the Imperials began to, um, 'liberate' some of the ravaged border systems.

"Recruiting switched from 'Fleet' to 'Line'. I was drafted." He shrugged. "If I'd not spent so much of my inheritance on 'Civ Eng' training, I could have bought a waiver. Family refused to help...

"Basic Training was horrible, horrible." He shuddered. "After, they test to find your best-fit. I thought I might get 'Combat Eng', but they sent me to Staff College !"

"Ancestors !"

"Ancestors," he agreed. "Staff-Think is often, urrr, strange. Thanks to my 'Civ Eng' training, I kept turning in 'Minority Reports'. Ancestors, often the only thing worse than being wrong is being right !"

I'd long since noticed that, too. And, wisely, left it unspoken.

"So, when my Four, Imperial Family, Senior Branch, needed a 'Minder', I got the job." He grinned at my tactful silence. "Hey, you risked your life twice to warn him !!"

Yeah, and if that third shot had not destroyed the Gevvy, it could have carried our dead and wounded back to South Port...

"You're concerned about our water supply ?"

"Yes, Staff." I checked the boulder's progressing shadow. "Not yet local noon, heat building. We'll soon lose any shade. Even the wrecked Carriers will bake..."

"I've an idea for water," he said. "First, I'll check with South Port."

He fitted his ear-piece, went through the validation challenges. "Hello ? Yes. Staff Two, Gennes. Sitrep: Advance still halted at 'Angry River' bridge. Awaiting orders. Yes, I'll hold...

"Hello ? Yes. Staff Two, Gennes. Sitrep: Advance still halted at 'Angry River' bridge. Awaiting orders. Yes, I'll hold...

"Hello ? Yes. Staff Two, Gennes. Sitrep: Advance still halted at 'Angry River' bridge. Awaiting orders. Yes, I'll hold...

"Hello ? Yes. Staff Two, Gennes. Sitrep: Advance still halted at 'Angry River' bridge. Awaiting orders...

"We must 'Hold until Relieved' ? Understood. ETA ? Understood." He hesitated, asked, "Sitrep ?"

Clearly, the news was less dire this time, as he closed the call with a confident, "We'll hold this position."

He went to take a swig from his water bottle, thought better of it, sighed, reported, "They've devised a 'Plan_C'. A search of North Port harbour facilities found a yard with casting forms for bridge spans and, buried under a hand of dry sand, spare spans.

"No cranes, no heavy machinery, too heavy for squaddies to drag or place...

"There's two Assault Landers in reserve. First load-out is being switched from 'general' to Combat Eng Crawlers, winches, jacks, cabling and such. Will land at the edge of North Port. Crawlers drag spans from yard to causeway, push and winch them to place."

"Sounds like a Plan, Two," I admitted. I'd done similar on our farm after Spring floods washed out gulleys.

"The second Lander..." He took a breath. "I would have sent it to seize New Hampton. Staff-Think ? That would be a Combat landing, suggesting the Plan was at fault..."

"Urrr..."

"So, farm-land near South Port, well clear of any more surprises at the Space Field. Good news, they're sending two fresh Line squads, two Eng Crawlers, a Command Carrier, a Mortar Carrier and a Mauler. Plus a light combat flyer for over-watch." He sighed. "Bad news, the sun will be low by then."

Evening ? We must manage with scant water and rising heat for so much longer than we'd been here ? We'd all be 'combat ineffective'.

[jemhouston]

Just when it looks darkest, it turned completely to Hell.

[Belushi TD]

I am really enjoying this.

I also have a sinking feeling that the protagonist et. al. are unlikely to survive their encounter with a sniper and support. It has all the feelings of a good trap. All it needs is an Admiral to yell such.

Belushi TD

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

== The Bridge at Angry River #05

The young Staff Two read my expression, shook his snout. "But, I have an idea. Would you gather some empty water bottles ?"

From any Staff, even such a polite request was a nigh-immutable order.

"Yes, Staff." I made a crawling tour, combined several bottles, returned with three empties and a horrible suspicion. "The river, Staff ? There's no cover..."

"If I've read this right, I will not need cover," he stated, hesitated, added, "but, if I'm wrong, you may get sight of the sniper."

"Urrr..."

"I'm dead either way: The Staff Four's Imperial Family would send 'Black Tabs' for me." He shrugged. "At least this will be quick and clean, spare my people."

"Urrr..."

"I suggest you back away ?"

I retreated with suitable haste, found cover behind an occupied boulder.

"Ancestors, Two !" The Line One whispered. "He's just going to walk down to the ford and fill our bottles ? Has the heat broken him ?"

"I... I don't think so," I allowed. "You know that old saying, 'If is crazy, but works--' ?"

"Is still crazy, but lucky..." The Line One completed, whispered. "Ancestors..."

"Worst case, we might spot the sniper."

"Ancestors..."

After a glance back to check I'd found cover, the young Staff Two put the code list down, anchored it with the comm unit. Moving slowly, he raised, held up the Four's still-holstered hand gun, placed it atop the boulder. Beside it, he placed the Agent's. He leaned his PDW in plain sight against the end of the rock.

He gathered the three empty water bottles, held them up. Then, after some hesitation, he stood.

No shot came.

Very slowly, still holding the bottles high, he edged from cover.

No shot came.

He took a step forwards. Then a second, a third. Pace by slow pace, he made his way to the top of the ford's ramp, just along from the bridge's down-stream abutment. He slowly traversed the ribbed, poured-stone slope, halted at the edge of the boulder choke.

No shot came.

Moving slowly, staying in plain sight, he edged between the rocks, came to a rivulet. He rinsed, filled our three bottles, then his own. He turned, slowly retraced his route.

No shot came.

He continued, placed all four within my reach, then, still stood in plain sight, called, "Again ?"

I gulped, made a wary tour of our position, returned with four empties. He took them, filled them, returned safely. When I'd distributed them, he made another trip, so that all our bottles were full.

Ducking behind the bath-tub boulder, he retrieved his PDW, then the two hand-guns. No shot came. Even so, I needed a few breaths to nerve myself to join him.

"Don't say it," he whispered. "This may be the 'nice' sniper'. But, next time..."

"Ancestors..." I back-traced his logic. "Which is why you only took a third of our bottles each trip..."

"Yes."

[jemhouston]

Smart Staff

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

== The Bridge at Angry River #06

The sun reached its zenith. The crippling heat built, built, built during that long, long afternoon. Twice more, Gennes went through the ritual of parking his weapons in plain sight, then refilled our bottles. No shot came.

Was the sniper or support shooter still there ? I was not prepared to draw a kill-shot or order one of my Lines' likely death to confirm. And, though, as a Staff Two, Gennes could have ordered it, he did not.

Far to the East and West, clouds gathered, built, towered, spawned lightning, deluged coast and scarp. None came our way.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the sun-angle fell. Though the ghastly heat slowly, slowly faded from the air, the boulders and ground now seemed to glow.

Then, a rumbling from the West. At first, I thought it yet-another rock-fall from the heat-ravaged scarp, as we'd glimpsed and heard several, seen dust rise. But the sound continued. Squinting West against the evening's sun, I thought I glimpsed a combat flyer circling.

"Staff ?" I whispered. "ETA ?"

He peered back along the mirage-rippled road, matching the gaze of our wounded and several Lines. "I think so..."

Slowly, proudly, the relief force came into sight. A Gevvy led. A Crawler, Squad Carrier and Command Carrier followed, their Lines and Engs now warily filing along the road's edge beside the storm ditches. Then, safely spaced, came the promised 'Mauler', an impressive beast. Atop an extended Crawler base, a wide turret's twin heavy repeaters flanked co-axial medium and lighter repeaters. The turret's cupola also carried a lighter repeater. Hull, track-skirts and turret showed the geometric patterns of 'reactive' armour.

After another gap, for 'reactive' armour did not distinguish friend from foe, the second Crawler, the half-open Mortar Carrier and the second Squad Carrier brought up the rear, ahead of a second Gevvy. Again, their Lines and Engs filed beside the storm ditches.

I noticed the cupola repeaters were slanted alternately left and right, while the Mauler turret's heavies were aimed at the river ridge crest. The Mortar Carrier bed's turn-table had one Heavy tube plus two Lights. The crew crouched ready to aim, salvo those Lights while the Carrier deployed jacks to steady their Heavy.

[jemhouston]

Best guess, everyone fell back to the next ambush point, and mind the road ahead.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

== The Bridge at Angry River #07

The convoy's leading Gevvy was about eight-eights of paces short of our position when the trap sprung.

From the scrubby talus slope almost opposite the Mauler, two pipes stood, hinged, launched, 'Shoof-Shoof !'

Those missiles flamed across talus toe, scrub and storm ditch, met the left of the Mortar Carrier about an arm's span apart. Piercing the Carrier's light armour, they found its power-pack and ready ordnance. Those explosions set off racked reloads, their combined blasts destroying Carrier and crew.

Every left-facing repeater raked the talus slope, drawing several 'secondary' explosions. The Mauler's turret swung. The medium and lighter repeaters began hammering the slope. The twin heavies began their terrifying, 'Pom-Pom-Pom-Pom'. More 'secondaries' exploded. The light Combat Flier began a low pass, ventral rotary repeater turned to further rake the talus slope.

Then, from behind us, from the scrub that ran down to the swamp, 'Shoof-Shoof !'

Launched vertically, these missiles arced over, sought the Flier. One ate a flare, blew close but perhaps survivable. The second swatted the Flier from the sky.

Before debris fell, even before the strike, I glimpsed two, four, then six more pipes standing, hinging, launching from that swampy scrub. The first pair struck the back of the Mauler's turret, blowing 'reactive' armour. The second pair went left, punched into the trailing Crawler and Carrier, exploded. Neither's driver nor cupola gunner got out. Repeater ammunition cooked off, hulls began to burn. The third pair pierced the Mauler turret's now-bared armour like thumb-claws through soft fruit.

The turret blew off. It flipped, crashed down in scrub beyond the left storm-ditch. More pipes stood, hinged, launched. These sought, killed the leading Crawler and Carriers. Again, neither drivers nor cupola gunners got out. Repeater ammunition cooked off, hulls began to burn.

Impossibly, in the space of a couple of breaths, our relief force had been ravaged. A few injured moaned or wailed, but most of the dismounts simply peered from their storm ditches in near-bewilderment. The two Gevvies stood intact as their crews, also, had dived for cover. Slowly, the staccato noises from roasted ammunition diminished, until even the echoes from the looming scarp had stilled.

[jemhouston]

Text book ambush

[Hog]

Text book ambush

Wash, rinse, repeat as required.

And again, Nik, thank you for a very enjoyable tale.

[jemhouston]

Text book ambush

Wash, rinse, repeat as required.

And again, Nik, thank you for a very enjoyable tale.

Vary how you do the ambush, you should live to next week.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

More DAKKA to come...

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

== The Bridge at Angry River #08

"Ancestors !!" I murmured.

"Ancestors," Gennes, the young Staff Two, shakily agreed. "I-- I had to study Imperial history. Not just the 'official', all-conquering version, but the 'ups and downs'. How one nation came to dominate Central, then the system, then our colony planets and neighbours. Yes, several nations and planets fought hard. Won terrible battles, yet lost their wars. Yes, Other raiders decimated Imperial fleets, razed the planets those defended. Even so, no Imperial ground-force has suffered such losses in three, perhaps, four generations..."

"Yet, all for nothing," I whispered, "as 'First Fleet' hold Space."

"Urrr, you didn't hear it from me," he cautioned, "but 'Second Fleet' are late."

"Urrr ?"

"Yes, they made their over-drive break-out beyond 'Kaaal-4', an 'Ice Giant', on schedule. Then, suddenly, Intel stopped circulating routine progress reports. 'Second Fleet' should be in high orbit by now, working down to meet 'First Fleet'. They're not."

I blinked, tried to remember our briefing. It had been more of an early victory celebration, of how 'Second Fleet', again with three Battle-ships, two Fleet Carriers, five Heavy Escorts and two eights of Lights, convoyed five vast commercial Carriers with Admins, Civils and Settlers, bringing Imperial benefits to yet-another primitive system.

"Can you see any Staff or Agents ?" He asked, studying the ditches' wary faces.

"There was an Agent in the second Gevvy," I cautioned. It was their usual position, to better spot and execute the reluctant. "No-one got out of the Command Carrier."

"Urrr..." He shook his head. "Can you see a Line Five ?"

Reading the Lines' rapid exchange of hand-signals, I shook my head. "Senior is a Four."

"Who I out-rank..." He shook his head. "Ancestors--"

Before he could say more, a new star lit, high to our South. It faded within a few breaths to a spreading glow, from which two more stars briefly shone. Then two more. Then, repeater-swift, five. Then a ragged, wider but lesser scatter.

"Urrr ?" I managed, before an arc of yellow and orange stretched North and South. It turned to vivid green aurora across our Northern horizon, spread South to swirl above us. "Urrr ??"

There was enough new light for me to see Gennes' face had gone gray, darker than for the North Port news. He gasped, "Ancestors ! Anti-matter breach-- Breaches ! That is-- That was 'First Fleet'..."

He slumped against the boulder, stared up at the light display, shook his head.

[jemhouston]

Maybe not so primitive.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Indeed...
From Chapter #02, "A guard-ship challenged 'First Fleet' near 'Kaaal-3', a gas-giant, but fled when attacked by Light Escorts."

Neither 'Destroyed' nor 'Captured', mind...

Though 'Home Advantage', perhaps a portent...