THE GRATTAN
CAMPAIGN
PART 11- RETURN FIRE
This page continues the chronological log of our Second Votoms Campaign.
7212.10.30- TAGREN FOREST, GRATTAN
After their last encounter with both DEFCOM controlled
ATs and evasive military forces, Lieutenant Fugue and his squad of
misfit AT pilots head into the mountains to try to find possible
allies. Taking their battered freight train into the
mountains, they approach what appears to be a military rendezvous
point, according to the map they recovered in their last battle...
At the head of the train, Camo, the squad's pet Kizzard, spots a
break in the track. It is likely they are heading into an
ambush, but before any warning can be given...
...Burt Buton spots movement in the water under the rails from his
position at the rear of the train. A Standing Turtle
breaks the surface!
Taking no chances, Burt fires a Grenade into the water from his
GAT-22C, damaging the heavy Turtle AT, and narrowly dodging the
return fire!
Meanwhile,a second Standing Turtle with missile launchers surfaces,
and blasts the train with a deadly barrage. Maxim Hiflen's
Rising Tortoise is not seriously damaged...
But the blast derails the train's Tank Car, which goes plunging off
the tracks. Maxim and Mick Wansboro leap clear of the wreck
just in time...
While Lieutenant Fugue manages to extract himself from the toppled
engine's cab, bruised but not broken, and following Camo's lead,
finds some nearby cover.
Meanwhile, Maxim drives his heavier Rising Tortoise AT into the
attacking Missile Turtle, smashing it ashore and crushing it in
melee.
But the team is still recovering from the crash when four Scopedog
units appear, most likely DEFCOM controlled reinforcements!
Burt shoves the remaining freight car out into view, hoping it will
distract the attackers for a moment...
...and the Scopedogs take the bait, advancing past the toppled Tank
Car as they attack anything that moves.
Mick Wansboro makes use of his Octova AT's nimbleness to draw the
Scopedogs further into the slough.
Only the Scopedog with a Solid Shooter fails to take the bait, but
Maxim distracts it by tossing the carcass of the defeated Standing
Turtle down the hill.
With all the attacking Scopedogs in place, Burt fires into the Tank
Car, and a huge fireball blasts the unsuspecting targets, destroying
several and throwing back the rest.
Seeing the Solid Shooter Scopedog is down and has a damaged cockpit
hatch Lieutenant Fugue advances, and lobs a grenade into the empty
Cockpit. Clearly these units are being remote controlled by
DEFCOM, but the grenade destroys the computer system inside,
bringing the soulless machine to a halt.
One of the Scopedogs escaped destruction, and flanks Mick's Octova-
but before it can fire...
An armored War Train appears, with heavy gun turrets blasting the
Defcom units to pieces! Riding on the engine of this railbound
land battleship are none other than Major Perdas Grane and
Lieutenant Odiah. Never did Fugue and his men imagine they
would be so glad to see the officers responsible for much of their
earlier troubles...
With the forest ablaze, Lieutenant Fugue makes his way to the War
Train accompanied by Camo, hoping that his would-be rescuers don't
have some terrible ulterior motive.
The rest of Fugue's squad fall back to the War Train as well, eager
to escape the ambush-turned-inferno.
But the fighting isn't over yet, as a Flamethrower equipped
Marshydog ambushes the Wartrain from below, setting one of its light
AT passengers on fire and tumbling to the ground below, the pilot
inside likely roasted to death.
Another of the Rusty Goat light ATs takes revenge, however, blasting
the Marshydog's fuel tanks open and setting the very water on fire.
One final DEFCOM controlled Standing Turtle staggers through the
firestorm, but Maxim distracts it with a well tossed burning tree
before retreating to the War Train.
As the heavily loaded War Train backs out of the inferno, the
surviving DEFCOM units succumb to the heat even with no living
pilots inside as their wiring melts and ammunition cooks
off.
Whatever Major Grane's original purpose for the War Train was, he
seems content to have acquired Fugue's squad to add to his own
military might. But for what purpose? Only time will
tell...
CONTINUE TO PART 12!
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