DC: Fer
|-- Medic: Draakon
Comrade Sulphur's plan was to march us in a line towards the airfield, with alpha at the north and echo to the south, and all others - bar Fox - in between. Fox got to hang back and play lookout to our rear and south. The lower ground would shield us from the enemy near the hangars until it was too late (for them), whilst a generous number of missing sections meant the perimeter fence was only a minor obstacle. With my medic, comrade Draakon, I advanced in the ground behind Echo and Delta.
We breached with the unfortunate Echo, who had lost a man in the process. At Draakon's suggestion I recovered the RPG and pushed on. Despite our numbers progress between the wall and the hangars was slower than expected: on the airstrip ahead an M2 hummer was preventing the southern elements from advancing, whilst to the north we could hear reports of Alpha and Bravo becoming heavily engaged. I sent Draakon north to tend to the wounded, then sheltered at the wall of a hangar.
The next few events happened quickly, or quick enough that I don't recall the precise sequence: enemy troops appeared to our south and were engaged by Echo. Alarmingly, the M2 hummer rounded the corner of the northern-most hangar and I realised that it was within our lines. The RPG took care of that threat, but we weren't out of the woods at all.
Comrade Sulphur was dead and, as DC, I had command. Checking in with the FTLs produced this picture: Alpha was combat ineffective and needed medics badly, Bravo (nearest) was trying to reach them, Charlie was one man ... Comrade Hero Wolfenswan, alone with the explosives ... whilst Delta and Echo were drawing in to my position. Fox was also falling back, and I sent them to the aid of Alpha but it was too late. More enemy contacts had appeared to the North and we were in danger of being overrun. I ordered Delta to crew the vehicles and everyone - bar comrade hero Wolfenswan - to fall back to Delta's position and mount up. Though it felt like far too long, in a minute the survivors of our platoon were speeding across the airstrip to the west, running the gauntlet of a second marauding M2 hummer.
In the confusion of our departure, comrade hero Wolfenswan had set the timers already, so I jumped on a motorbike and offered to pick him up - but he had a Lada to hand so I sped off in the direction of our trucks, which were disappearing over a berm at the edge of the airstrip. As I reached this earthen perimeter my fuel ran out, and I dismounted to take a look back, eager to see if comrade hero Wolfenswan would make it out alive. He did, and in epic style, but I had to read about it afterwards because as I stood on that berm, seemingly miles from the enemy, a round went through my head.
It may not have been the most sophisticated plan, comrade Sulphur, but it worked in the end. Kudos in particular the the FTLs, who kept their teams focused throughout - whether it was on defending a particular sector or undertaking a specialist task like crewing vehicles.
Warlords Inc.
Warlord: Unaco
|-- Bodyguard: Fer
The life of a bodyguard is a tough one. And, quite often, a short one. Short, but adventurous. Or just short. Well, either way, it was fun working for comrade Unaco. We were in the mosque compound, chilling, for quite a long time. I played with the fancy SUV (it has blue lighting on the dashboard) and ambled around the cloistered parts of the courtyard (it's important not to be too visible, given all the high ground around the village). Then the shooting started, and the courtyard became a most disagreeable place to be, as our forces exchanged fire with some BLUFOR vehicles on the hillside to the south-west. This went on for quite some time, and so I went into a building and stared out of the window because I was bored.
To me delayed surprise, an American soldier was walking very slowly towards my building, so I raised my trusty AK to the window and shot him to death, then I started shouting a lot on comms about BLUFOR having got its infantry into the village from the east, and this being a bad thing. And it was a bad thing indeed, because my employer soon decided to flee, but was killed shortly after mounting a technical and well before he could get away from the centre of the village. Things were now very bad: my alternative employer was stuck up a minaret and the BLUFOR troops seemed to be all around us. I crossed to the multiple-storey building on the north-west corner of the mosque compound, but not before poking my head out of the main gate and seeing one of our comrades gunned down at the crossroads.
The fire had come from the south, so as I mounted the stairs I made for a window that would give me a view over that road. Sure enough, an enemy AR had set up opposite and whilst his positioning allowed him to dominate the crossroads, mine allowed me to shoot him to death. So I did.
Then it went a bit quiet, and so I went out onto the balcony to see what was around. A BLUFOR vehicle was parked nearby to the north-west, and I was pretty sure I could see one man near it. I fired on the nearest wheel until the vehicle was disabled, then switched to listening to comrade Wolfenswan narrate his tricky descent of the minaret. North of the village I could see a technical parked by the road with dead bodies nearby. If we could spring comrade Wolfenswan from the minaret's entrance, this could be his ticket to safety. I mounted the roof to see if I could repeat my trick of using elevation to gain advantage over the enemy - and was cut down. In my final moments I had enough time to hear my comrades zeroing in on my killer, but in vain as a second burst cut me to shreds.
The mission was called soon after, when it became obvious that comrade Wolfenswan would make it to safety on foot.
Zargabaddies
Delta FTL: Fer
We rode with Charlie and advanced down the eastern road with them, arriving at the first objective (a small compound ) without incident. Whilst Charlie covered us, we checked the buildings and confirmed them clear, then set up on just south-east of the compound walls, amongst the marijuana plants. Overall, C/D under comrade Tigershark was set up nicely, and we waited, listening to the comms chatter about friendly-fire and a red fist.
Looking south, I spotted a formation of enemy troops on some high ground just beyond the riverbed. Comrade Bodge sent the red fist over to us so that it could engage the troops, and comrade Tigershark gave me a free hand to direct the fire. For the next few minutes I watched HE canon rounds land around the enemy, and soon the majority of the formation was destroyed or dislodged. However, the enemy was not falling back - it's surviving infantry was crossing the riverbed and entering the meadow to our south. A rocket shot through the air in front of us and possibly hit red fist. I can't say for sure, but in moments comrade Tigershark was ordering a bounding movement by fireteam, and we set off towards the riverbed.
Rushing through the meadow I got ahead of my men, and in one of glorious moments when you find your self seemingly alone amidst what you know to be a fair-sized assault, I was standing in meadow staring at an enemy fighter some 50m to my south. We both fired.
I did't die instantly. I was bleeding out, but was able to crawl backwards, picking up one of my men (also injured) and directing him to crawl as well, so that we would not ask the medic to become exposed when treating us After that, my body gave up and I passed into the afterlife of the spectator script.
Which was actually rather fortunate, because it meant I could spectate what was quite possibly the best Folk coop mission I have seen played.
I don't know what happened with our western elements, but in the east comrade Tigershark rallied C/D and various others in the riverbed, before using this low terrain to shield his merry band as it moved towards the centre of our attack, where it was joined by comrade Bodge. There was some excitement as our left flank and leadership elements belatedly realised that some enemy stragglers remained in the meadow (now to the rear of our line), but these were soon dealt with.
Meanwhile, south of the riverbed, comrade hero Wolfenswan and the rest of the MAT team were closing in on the parked Grads. In what seemed to be a frantic game of cat-and-mouse combined with a treasure hunt (for spare RPGs), our brave rocket comrades defeated at least two technicals before taking control of the Grads. Our forces now appeared to converge on the bumpy ground that surrounded the empty vehicles, taking up southward-facing positions just in time for the enemy counter-attack.
T-34s rolled up from the south, accompanied by infantry. These venerable beasts are no threat to a man with an RPG-7, but that's no help if you're out of rounds. Again, comrade hero Wolfensawan's MAT team went forward to shield our platoon, taking on the rumbling antiques. Alas, this was less successful, and made worse when an enemy with a lee-enfield got in behind them and started shooting. They didn't die, but neither did the man with the vintage rifle. In fact, I watched as he managed to run amongst our troops, right through their positions and out the other side to the west, where he set up again and shot or wounded at least two others.
The situation was becoming desperate, but the commander, comrade Bodge, stepped up to the situation and plunged a soviet bayonet right into its heart: a Grad, in direct fire mode, annihilated a field of enemy troops and a tank. In a handful of epic but terrifying barrages (for everyone), comrade Bodge halted the enemy counterattack and bought his men some breathing space.
Mindful of the number of enemies remaining to the south, and the current strength of our platoon, high command got on the radio and informed the comrades that they were all heroes, but to withdraw north of the riverbed. Comrade Bodge never made it, manning a second Grad to shield the withdrawal, he took a round to the face.
An epic mission, made so by the way everyone worked together beautifully at fireteam and platoon levels. Special mentions to Bodge and Tigershark for great leadership.
Warlords Inc.
Alpha 2 FTL: Fer
The wonderful thing about human opposition is that it thinks like you, and it knows that it does (think like you), and it knows that you know that it knows ... that it thinks like it. You. Them. Anyway, the worst thing about human opposition is this. Because they knew that comrade hero Wolfenswan's plan would undoubtedly see at least one fireteam sent to occupy the clifftops south of the village.
Alpha 2 was that fireteam, and I led it. Badly. It started out okay: a pleasant drive through the dusty valleys, parking our unarmed hummer to the south before ascending the high ground south of the clifftops. I spread my men out with wide intervals and we ambled onward, heading for a friendly-looking collection of rocks that would serve as our final staging point before moving up to the clifftops. Over comms someone was asking about our hummer, and if they could recover it. Certainly! As we reached the rocks I took a knee to helpfully mark its posi---
DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA
--out jumped an enemy machinegunner, firing wildly from the hip. Somehow I had survived, but at least one of my men was dead and another might have been wounded. I didn't turn, because in the past I'd been taught that the important thing now was to win the firefight, not cluster on the wounded or (worse) dead. I send two hand grenades into the rocks ahead, waited for the explosions and charged, hoping to catch any cowering survivors. Rounding a boulder I came face to face with an enemy. He was moving too, and we raised our rifles and shot - me without really aiming - and that was the end of me. I'd winged him, and guided by comrade hero Wolfenswan (who could see everything from the reverse position to the far north), my surviving men executed the fighter.
To that brave MMG detachment, I salute you! But next time, have your assistant toss a few hand grenades as well
