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Mayu_Zane · 04-09-2018, 07:49 AM

(03-18-2018, 12:52 AM)smuchmuch Wrote: »Try evacuating some of our troops by portals as see if it break the link while we have our vortex ans Solaria artilleries and any gunship that comes back from Cadrow for resupply to bomb and strike near known transport landing positions. Maybe it will kill whatever is menacing the thralls, maybe it'll just break their concentration or dsorganize them just long enough to stop from maintaining the psychic link.

HQ: Good news, Commander. The soldiers who are out of the combat zone are no longer in sync with the thralls… but now all the thralls are dead.

You look back at the screen. Dead bodies cover the grass, each one in a frozen expression of pure agony. Three hundred lives extinguished in an instant by whatever was coercing them to move forward.

The enemy doesn’t care. The lives of all the people they’ve kidnapped, they’re just tools.

You order all air units that are already re-armed to strike every know transport landing position. Your pilots waste no time in throwing bombs and missiles at them, and HQ can intercept enemy chatter:

Quote:???: Life-link Attack was a failure. Our ammunition was depleted but the enemy has suffered no casualties. Transports are gone, proceeding with assault.

Centricom: Understood, Marcher-One. We will begin extraction if situation untenable.

Ammunition? Is that what they were calling these ‘thralls’? AMMUNITION?

You: HQ, can you confirm any visual on enemy troops? Vehicles?

HQ: They’re coming out of the fog now…

[Image: UZdHPhM.jpg]

HQ: Attention all units, we got unidentified enemy vehicles!

There are 80 of them. The vehicles don’t move forward in a single continuous motion. In fact, they don’t even have wheels! Instead, they seem to ‘blink’ forward every three seconds, sometimes a re-appearing a little to the right or left. They are shooting some kind of gel that explodes on contact.

[Image: 9j3qrrH.gif]

You notice that the distance between blinks is only about fifty metres at the most.

You: All anti-armor forces, launch your missiles in a fifty-metre radius area of where target is standing! Don’t be intimidated by their strange movements! Focus, and co-ordinate your shots!

It takes a few tries but your soldiers adjust their targeting. Feathers has already designated these vehicles as ‘Blink Tanks’. Out of the 80 tanks that first appeared, 10 have already been disabled. The human crews from inside two of those ruined tanks continue to fight, launching mortar shells at your soldiers.

HQ: Commander, we’re taking some losses but these Blink Tanks are not going to reach us. All units be advised: Airstrike is inbound!

Your pilots carefully time their attacks and manage to take out 12 more Blink Tanks. Now 68 remain.

Quote:Marcher-One: Centricom, request safety-lock override. We’re not going to make it to the enemy’s Omni-Factory unless we risk this.

Centricom: Permission granted.

You think about the enemy’s objective here.

You: So they’re after our Omni-Factory. That makes sense. If they take it out, we won’t be able to build any new vehicles for 10 days. The facility is located in the center of HQ, deliberately placed there so every direction has equal layers of defense. The walls surrounding HQ provide shielding which protects it from metallic projectiles, but as mentioned, these Blink Tanks shoot out explosive goo, so that’s not going to be much help.

Meanwhile, the Blink Tanks are now moving much faster, but your forces report that they’re also slamming into each other somehow. 3 Blink Tanks have even fused together, and end up immobilized.

[Image: blMbX8t.jpg]

Feathers: Their teleportation system must be reliant on making complex and precise computations. Rushing it like this, it looks like that fused clump is a result of incorrect calibrations.

Ghulls: Yeah but now they’re even harder to hit! Vora, what’s the plan if they get past our line of defense?

You: What are our options?

Ghulls: We can divert all power from the shield protecting the rest of our HQ into the shielding around our Omni-Factory, strengthening it.

Francoise: That would be pointless if they can just blink past the shield and then attack the factory from inside.

Lagantis: Vora, I got a couple of ideas. We can place explosive charges all around the Omni-Factory and also open portals facing upwards all around it. No matter where those tanks blink into, they still need to touch the ground and they’ll either detonate the bombs or fall through. Send the portals into the ocean.

You: Those are good ideas! All soldiers not at the front shooting the Blink Tanks, set up defenses around the Omni-Factory NOW!

Your forces obey, and the enemy assault seems to be slowing down as well. Their gambit has brought them mere inches from the walls surrounding HQ, but the remaining 51 Blink Tanks have suddenly disappeared.

You: Where are they? HQ, any visual?

HQ: Negative, Commander. The Blink Tanks aren’t showing up anywhere. We’ve checked the Omni-Factory, just to be sure, but there’s no sign of them at all.

You: Stay alert! For all we know they could be hiding in another dimension or something, and just waiting for us to let our guard down. In the meantime, start placing those traps!

HQ: Understood, ma’am. We are setting up the proximity mines and charges right now.

Your display tells you 61 of your Regular Army soldiers have died defending HQ.

As the preparations for the Blink Tanks’ return carries on, you get a report from Cadrow.

Grenda: COMMANDER! UNIDENTIFIED UNIT ENGAGING ENEMY FORCES!

You look at the footage. Wait. Isn’t that…

[Image: YP9O1A5.jpg]

Ignatius Smith? He’s definitely looking different right now though!

The true president of Planet-117 speaks as he battles the Bodyjackers and Pretenders in the streets with a glowing sword.

Ignatius: So my country's purpose, is to help us to move out of the dark chamber of horrors into the light… to find a way by which the minds of men, the hopes of men, the souls of men everywhere, can move forward towards peace, and happiness, and well-being.

The entire street is clear, and civilians who were watching from inside the buildings cheer.

Ignatius: Dwight Eisenhower. Atoms for Peace, 1953. I loved that speech. I know things didn’t turn out like he said, but it inspired me.

You: Iggy? What happened to you?

Ignatius: Commander. I’ve become one with Cheet-Cheet. It was his idea. Our life-signs are one and the same, yet different from what we were. The Auditors, the Authors, the Redactors, they will never know now which ‘story’ Cheet-Cheet came from. They will never be able to remove him, for he no longer exists, not as he once was.

You: Are you able to keep fighting?

Ignatius: Of course. I’m heading towards the Hotel District. I’ll save as many people as I can.

You: Understood.

He then rides an impressive and equally terrifying wave of rats towards the hotels. The rats crush and tear any stragglers unlucky enough to get in their way.

[Image: 18LFXAG.jpg]

Grenda follows him too, singing cheerfully.

Ghulls: Vora, a starship just appeared in orbit! It’s the Deathman!

You: Rainhar’s ship? Hail them immediately!

It looks very different from what you imagined it to be.

[Image: n8Xx26v.jpg]

Grand Slam: This is Grand Slam, Helmsman of the starship Deathman. Greetings, Commander Vorador Mortanius. This ship has been modified extensively to carry Freezer bombs.

You briefly wonder why the helmsman is named Grand Slam, but this is no time for something so trivial.

You: Freezer bombs?

Grand Slam: Correct. They were designed to freeze any target within the area of effect, with minimal damage to buildings. After ten minutes, all targets in the area should be completely frozen. We carry 60 bombs, all of them primed to detonate on contact. We were ordered by Commander Rainhar Kasar to attack the enemy’s airbase at Region 1, and we will carry it out as soon as our engines have re-calibrated from FTL travel.

You: Where is Rainhar Kasar? What was he planning?

Grand Slam: Apologies, ma’am, but he didn’t tell us anything besides the order to attack Region 1’s airbase.

You: Wait, WAIT!

Grand Slam: Ma’am?

The Deathman has been given orders to attack the enemy’s airbase, but right now Cadrow is in immediate danger, and extreme cold should stop the Pretenders or at least slow them down.

You: Right now there’s a city being terrorized by enemy forces. Pretenders, Bodyjackers and soldiers are slaughtering people down there, and your Freezer bombs would be extremely useful in helping us save the city from being infested with worms without destroying the city.

Grand Slam: Hm. I cannot reach Commander Rainhar. Very well. We’ll help you save Cadrow city.

You bring up a map of Cadrow City.

[Image: m5xXtil.jpg]

Where should the Deathman drop the Freezer bombs? They have enough to strike up to TWO target zones.

Cadrow Stadium:
City Guards have been completely overrun by Pretenders, and many have congregated here, turning into a breeding ground. Freezing the entire stadium will stop the worms and leave the stadium intact.

(Sparing the historic stadium will increase civilian financial support to your cause)

Hotel District:
Completely evacuated, completely infested. Your soldiers are doing their best to contain the worms and Bodyjackers from moving westwards. Iggy Smith and Grenda are rushing there, but it’s uncertain if they are enough to tip the scales in your favor. Even your Usurper Knights are having trouble; although they were designed to counter Pretenders, there’s just too many of them.

(The sheer number of the enemies in the hotel district are so numerous it’s not unrealistic to assume they can take over the whole city if they manage to slip past your soldiers, and financial support to your cause will be increased if the hotels remain standing)

North of The Recycling Facility:
The Recycling Facility is not only responsible for reducing the amount of waste in the city, but also a key source of employment and profit as the recycled materials are sold to other cities. There is a horde moving southwards towards the facility, and the Deathman can stop them without risking any damage.

(Saving the Recycling Facility will provide additional resources for your cause)

Cadrow University:
This prestigious university also has valuable research data. It has been taken over by the monsters, but dropping freeze bombs here should save the university and the knowledge within.

(New Research option available after battle)

Please note: After using the Freeze bombs, the Deathman will be fully reloaded tomorrow as they do not require rare elements like Darangium to produce. Rainhar’s ship seems better equipped deal with civilian-heavy areas.

You may also direct Enderfist strikes yourself, if you deem the collateral damage acceptable. You have 12 of 12 Darangium shells.

>_

Units available:

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