Company of Martyrs (Warhammer 40K Wargame Quest)

-55 Requisition (103 -55 = 48 Requisition)

"Something fast enough to keep up with infantry, but still capable of bringing heavy firepower in a pinch," you listed out with a hum. "We sorely lack anti-armor capabilities at the moment, so anything fitting that category would be much welcomed."

Frucht nodded and put a hand to his chin in thought. Then his finger moved to tap against his comm-bead, relaying an order. A few minutes later, the sound of rapidly moving servos filled your ears and you watched a Scout Sentinel bound up to the two officers. Its legs whirred and lowered to allow the control chamber to reach your level. The hatch on top opened and the pilot emerged, curiously still wearing a gas mask despite the sealed cabin. You supposed that with how toxic Armageddon could reportedly get, it was better to be safe than sorry.

They saluted while the captain explained, "This is Corporal Seltz. I'll be putting him under your command for the time being. I trust you can find a use for him and his missile launcher."

"That I can do," you promised and turned to the pilot. "Do you have any issues following the commands of a commander from another regiment?"

"Not in the slightest," replied Seltz with a shake of the head. "I lost my comrades in a skirmish with the rebels the other day, but I would appreciate it if you still used my old squad callsign in the field. I fight on in my comrades' memories, Major."

The Armageddon soldiers looked at you expectantly, perhaps a test of how you'd react to this break in protocol. But honestly, you wouldn't begrudge a man of his honor, especially from a bond through battle. "What would that be?"

"Ghost-3." You nodded and patted your chest in an unspoken vow. "My gratitude, ma'am."

"Scintillia knows very well the weight of such devotion, especially one born of such noble camaraderie. We all spill blood in the name of the Emperor, wherever we are from," you emphasized. "I'll see to it that my officers also respect your callsign. In fact, I'll direct you to them now-"

A squawk burst through the assembled officer comm-beads now that had all tilting their heads. The instructions were clear though and you sighed, shaking your head. "My apologies, but we are summoned. Head up that street there, talk to the one in charge of tossing tubers. Sergeant Raou will see to it that you have whatever you need."

The Sentinel pilot made the sign of the Aquila before lowering and closing the hatch. The walker was on the move a moment later while Frucht raised an eyebrow to ask, "Tossing tubers?"

"Because using real grenades is too much for training."

"I see. Too expensive."

"No, too dangerous. You wouldn't believe how many throw the pin instead."

Both you and him then made haste to headquarters and entered the converted city building. It looked like you were the last ones here, and the captain gave a single nod before moving to join the rest of the staff from Armageddon. You yourself moved to align with your fellow Vaulters, idly checking to make sure your wig was still in place in front of all these distinguished individuals. There was only a brief moment to do so before the Lieutenant General appeared, striding to the front of a command table. When they had confirmed everybody was present, the room's lights dimmed as the illumination was replaced with the green holograms coming from the valuable device.

A servo skull hovering nearby helpfully projected additional information while Meryln began the briefing. "Military intelligence has good and bad news. Let's begin with the important discovery- the rebel hideout has been identified through orbital observation. It's an old fortress in the mountains, one that happens to dominate the range and sits at an intersection of the various routes through." There was a rendition of the fortress now, a mysterious structure that was neatly tucked away and shielded by the crags. "They likely have all their stolen equipment and vehicles here. Destroy it, and the rebels are without the gear to continue their uprising."

"So do it. Bomb the mountains into a plain," an Armageddon officer callously remarked, earning a few looks from the others. You were sure you were among them. "I mean, with the permission of the planetary authorities, of course."

"No need to be that rough!" A fellow admonished with a shake of the head and pointed at the skies around the fortress. "We control the air, we can do saturation bombing without resulting to naval weapons." That earned another reaction, this time of approving grunts from more commanders.

"Unfortunately, we have already tried both," revealed Meryln and the hologram updated with depictions. There was silence when rounds came in from orbit, only to be absorbed by a sudden shield. Meanwhile, miniature aircraft soaring through suddenly were struck out of the air and collided into the mountains.

"Throne on Terra," you softly swore before you could catch yourself.

"My thoughts, and that of the strategists as well," your superior idly added with a shake of the head. "It was a remarkable surprise that such a defensive emplacement exists, especially with such capacities. But no matter. We will simply adapt and use ground troops to assault the position."

This declaration made several shift worryingly, and it did not escape Meryln's notice. Quickly, they began to lay out the factors that certainly made this challenging, and how to tackle them. "The rebels still have a sizable armor presence that will certainly stymie any assault through any way in. They'll be able to setup and surround any breakthrough, meaning that we need to be rid of it." They looked up to meet the gazes of the Armageddon officers. "This is where the 407th comes into play. Using the pretense of a logistics convoy going between cities, we will lure out the rebel armor from their defenses and force them into battle on the plains. This should be a rematch that I think you'll be eager for."

"How can we be sure they'll take the bait?' Frucht quietly pointed out.

"They'll need supplies, ammo, and a quick victory to bolster their forces. It would be too tempting to resist, the opportunity to raid a convoy, especially if it appears only lightly defended. The forces stationed here in the city will be in charge of this initial bait, while those heavy elements elsewhere will make up the hammer when the bait is taken." The map morphed into a simulation of the anticipated battle on the plains, where rebel armor elements were being lured out into a trap set by the Steel Legion. Nearby, the servo skull helpfully displayed the command vehicle that would lead the ambush. "I trust in a straight fight, the Tread Knights will not lose."

The officers from Armageddon chorused affirmatives, some even offended at the idea of their famed armor losing to this rabble. Meanwhile, you had to fight back the smile from the idea of a stealthy Baneblade. Then another brought up a question. "What will the other regiments do in the meantime?"

The hologram refocused back on the fortress, specifically focusing on an area not far from it that should hopefully be a safe staging point. "With their armor out of place, whatever is left should be weak enough for us to assault head-on. The 59th Moebian have already insisted on the honor of making the attempt, and they've certainly earned it after their performance at the power plant. They won't be able to count on their Valkyrie support until those anti-air emplacements but they've reassured me they have other surprises up their sleeves." Merlyn sniffed. "I daresay that something about a few choice vehicles being missing from Back by Forty's stock could provide the answer."

Once again the servo skull provided helpful context in the form of the 'missing' manifest. The Taurox may not exactly be a visually appealing vehicle, but it boasted the firepower and speed to break through a surprised enemy line for the passengers within to get to work. From what you've heard about the Penitents, that very well might just be the opportunity they need. That explained the role of another regiment, leaving only one more left to be discussed. "What of the 99th Grenadiers?"

Meryln turned to you and spoke, "The 99th Grenadiers will be supporting both engagements from our staging area in the mountains. Half our forces will move to support the 407th by destroying the escape routes the rebel armor could flee through, to trap them out of their fortress. The other will remain on reserve and on standby in case an emergency should arise with any situation," they commanded and pressed a button on the command table. It dialed out and now demonstrated, with some flickering, the full deployment plan of Oster-1.

Officers studied it intently, memorizing details and committing them to memory. A few even began to mumble between themselves, volunteering for various roles and assignments. This was noted by the Lieutenant General, who knew the soldiers fought best where they wanted to be. You pressed your lips and considered where best to suggest your unit to.

[ ] [Objective] Destroy the Escape. Fifth Battalion will move in once enemy armor is confirmed to have taken the bait and walked into the trap. They'll collapse the mountain routes to block the retreat for the rebels to force them to face Armageddon.

[ ] [Objective] Contingency Force. Fifth Battalion will be on standby to help respond to any complications or issues that arise. It's almost guaranteed for something to go wrong in a plan of this scale, so don't expect to sit around for nothing.

- Of minor note, forgot to list that pretty much everybody has Frag Grenades. I mean, yeah, it's in the name, but it's good for actual bookkeeping.
- Also on that note, didn't realize that Sergeants actually begin with only a Laspistol- the melee weapon is optional, but because Battlescribe is oriented around actual competitive games, it forces you to take one. Think I'm just going to dump the program at that point and freeball it. Way more fun. We'll keep the chainswords for now regardless.