Slow But Fine (A Historia Quest)

[DaLintyGuy]

Spoiler: Da Plan

[X] Plan Western Advance and Numbers Games.
-[X] Civilian
--[X] Decentralized Power 1
-[X] Military Production
--[X] 2nd Cavalry Company
---[X] CQB Specialty
--[X] 4th Infantry Company
--[X] 3rd Infantry Company
---[X] Sapper Specialty
---[X] Motorization (1 Energy)
-[X] Military Affairs
--[X] Secure Transit: West
---[X] 1st Infantry Company (Conscripted Line Infantry Company)
--[X] Spring Cleaning: Motorists
---[X] 2nd Infantry Company (Mechanized Line Infantry Company)
--[X] Secure Transit: West
---[X] 3rd Infantry Company (Sapper Line Infantry Company)
--[X] Scout : South
---[X] Communications Cavalry Company.
--[X] Scout : South
---[X] Kami Squadron
--[X] Reserve
---[X] Medium Tank Company

--[X] Secure Transit: West
---[X] 1st Infantry Company (Conscripted Line Infantry Company)
---[X] 3rd Infantry Company (Sapper Line Infantry Company)

Marching into the latest of the improvised fortified positions with the rest of the recently created Third Infantry was an experience for the combat "engineers" sent to support the small presence on the edge of the Wellspring Region. For one the fortifications didn't even deserve the name, being logs piled into mounds with walkways put into place so that soldiers could shoot down onto attackers. But aside from that was the enthusiastic reception from the Conscript-rated formation. Hearing the cheering you would think that the Third was relieving a siege rather than increasing the number of defenders in one by a half.

After getting over the novel feeling of being needed the Third began redesigning the field fortifications, improving them to the point where they would help against a peer opponent. Proper palisades with razor wire to prevent climbing, distinct barracks sections, and so on in order to make a serviceable temporary camp each time the workers completed another stretch of rough road.

The Chimeric Biters slowly withdrew after the Third joined the First, it seemed, and sightings and attacks trickled off until a new sight was seen in the aftermath of the official finish of the arterial road: a foreign infantry unit, clad in dull blue and sending forward a party to speak with the assembled Gehennan/Japanese troops in their predominantly tan uniforms (although at the time a cold period was going through so all the soldiers were also wearing their winter clothing).

Following an uneasy and tense contact process the newcomers identified themselves as members of the Wellspring Cooperative, French Third Army, and subordinates of the provisionally named Chimeric Commander. Their Entech leader, who they refuse to name, claims the entirety of the Wellspring Region as theirs out of pre-Collapse ties to the area by the people that support them.

[Diplomatic contact made with elements of the "Wellspring Cooperative" and it's Entech commander. Theme: French Republic, Leviathan series.]



--[X] Scout : South
---[X] Communications Cavalry Company.
--[X] Scout : South
---[X] Kami Squadron


There are two features that are immediately obvious along the southern coast. The first, naturally enough, is the small group of two kilometer tall mass drivers that the Polar Approach Battery is built around. In living history the drivers have only been used for light spacelift, lofting small amateur probes into orbit and occasionally feeding the orbital mirror system material. After the Collapse the big guns have been silent without the power to trivially feed their capacitors after discharge. Still, there could be a use for them should the facility be opened to your use.

The second feature is the stranded carcass draped over an island and the shore behind. Twelve kilometers long and nearly three wide, the massive letters on it's side proclaim the hulk of one of the interstellar haulers to have been the Altherschiffen. Not a name you can say you are familiar with, or even included in the marginal records you have available to you.

Following up on the directions from the airborne scouts the First Cavalry noses through the region. Numerous small encampments of civilians are dotted about, often only a kilometer from each other in order to maximize their ability to tend to their fields in the absence of efficient transit. Pre-Collapse civilians turned out of solidly built log cabins, repurposed structures, and even some newly made precast concrete structures to gawk at the cavalry troop passing by their homes.

A double handful of vehicles were seen leaving the Battery by the aerial scouts and so the captain of the troop, one Catherine Quinzel, decided to camp in place to wait for them. The wheeled vehicles were decidedly more advanced looking than the open top halftracks used by the Second Infantry with solid armor and a dorsal turret with ruggedized barrels menacing the terrain around them.

In a decidedly more comfortable meeting than with the French-alikes to the west the troops introduced themselves as deputized members of the South Polar Approach Battery's security team and promptly engaged in the normal soldier business of comparing equipment and bragging about deeds done. In a somewhat understandable twist the legally appointed commander of the Battery just wants everything to go back to "normal" and so has had to have been forced into expanding their available manpower by the reckless action of a subordinate in… Acquiring, an Entech engram of their own.

Niceties performed as tradition demands of a guest, the cavalry then meandered over to the wreck of the interstellar. Obviously it could not be explored in a single season by a single company, but a few items of interest were checked. First and most importantly, if there were any capacitors within the mighty vessel that still held a charge. Somewhere within the hulk was a dimensional tap that would feed capacitor stacks the length of the ship but these primary systems were blatantly broken and were probably dry when the vessel's contragrav failed on approach. Hijacking a few biplanes let the cavalrymen bypass the kilometer or so of height the partially collapsed voidcruiser still possessed as well as the internal damage to it's cargo sections in order to skip directly to the access point for the comparatively tiny personnel compartment.

Getting in was simple, the airlock being left unsecured when the previous crew had abandoned ship, and a number of barbarians began sweeping through the command space of an interstellar freight mover to find what they might recognize. Poking and prodding did find that the systems had been carefully shut down to preserve them… And, therefore, the "minor" capacitors meant to keep the crew alive on their journeys and in case of accidents were about half full.

To a voidcruiser, it wasn't much. To such a remnant as you it was a major bounty and the cavalrymen painstakingly siphoned off as much as they could into the transportable units brought for this sort of purpose.

[Points of Interst found: South Polar Approach Battery, Wreck of the Altherschiffen.]
[Diplomatic contact made with Polar Battery Exterior Security Force. Theme: BattleTech.]
[Salvage gained: +4 Energy]


--[X] Spring Cleaning: Motorists
---[X] 2nd Infantry Company (Mechanized Line Infantry Company)
--[X] Reserve
---[X] Medium Tank Company

The first operation against organized resistance by Gehennan combat personnel starts… Slowly. Tracking faint and often contradictory trails, following patterns of behavior, and simple patrols sees not much at all happen. The somewhat ramshackle vehicles used by the Motorists flee at the first chance of contact, leading to dispirited troopers among those sent to hunt them.

One squad does eventually find something that had once been home to a number of temporary structures and found evidence of repaired damage to the terrain caused by high vehicle traffic, and later patches of ruthless deforestation carefully kept away from the mobile base itself. The conclusion is quickly made that the enemy has a mobile base of operations, complicating the entire search. Still, keeping the enemy on the move rather than harassing your civilians was seen as worth it.


Well into the campaign season a pair of halftracks and their organic infantry complements stopped at the ford of a stream to water and stretch legs. Half an hour later a trio of Motorist vehicles blundered into the stopped patrol in column rather than battle order. The sentry watching that direction, an infantryman on the machinegun of one of the halftracks, let off a burst against the last vehicle in the column that caused at least one breach in the vehicle's radiator and possibly other damage as the driver lost control and spun off the road.

This put the enemy force in a bind. Instead of fleeing they turned to recover their comrade even as the Gehennan troops boiled out of their relaxation spot to secure the crashed vehicle and it's crew. Nearby patrols were called in, nearby raiders were called in, and the status of the engagement was upgraded from a meeting engagement to a battle as both sides kept escalating.

To the displeasure of the Gehennan troops the second Motorist formation made itself known on the second day of vehicles rushing here and there in the small valley. Commonly described as "vaguely beetle like" these vehicles are clearly built for combat first while their comrades also consider the transport of loot. Still, machine gun armed buggies are not a good match for rapidly moving light AT guns and so a handful of the things are disabled, wrecked, or otherwise neutralized.

The arrival of an armored fist serves to break the morale of the enemy units and their surviving elements melt back into the forests and hills.


[Operation inconclusive. Minor tactical victory, small number of prisoners taken. Motorist faction theme identified: Command and Conquer. MCV-alike present. 1st Motorist unit identified as civilians turned bandits, 2nd Motorist unit identified as Entech.]
[2nd Infantry Company took minor to moderate losses among it's infantry but inflicted moderate losses upon the enemy using their attached antitank weapons. Will require strategic level replenishment. Progress towards Experience rating increase. 1st Armored was disappointed that they did not get to fire their guns in anger.]
[Priority dispatch: Faction designated "Motorist" possesses field expedient power production in the form of biomass generators. Strategic use is uncertain due to inefficiencies within generation and production, tactical use could be significant.]


=====


In your opinion the Southern regions are nearly untapped in terms of salvage, both in power and whatever cargo the freighter possessed. Unfortunately this seems to be due to a Pre-Collapse official using Entech to crack down on anyone trying to take advantage of such a thing. Even your small tap of the freighter brought a strongly worded message about "property rights" and "anti-looting measures" delivered in the name of one Senior Officer Hiequin. If you want access to the things an interstellar society deemed worth shipping across space you will have to be willing to either be sneaky or forceful about it.

Back at home your production equipment spooled up and then back down as the acquired power ran out. Still, two more companies was an excellent boost to your capabilities. Though it did start to raise the specter of command and control for such a force. Assembling brigades would be necessary soon at this rate and that would bring it's own struggles.

At least the civilians were no longer dipping into their side of the budget for basic amenities. The first level of decentralized power production has been deemed complete and the people of the camps luxuriated in the return of their standard living conditions rather than being deprived of their disposable income. Of course, with that done it was time for your staffers to come up with new infrastructure projects. A competition which was surprisingly cutthroat by the standards of this, your time.

 

[DaLintyGuy]

There was a strange mood among the civilians. In the positive category, the raiders that had started to turn to stealing their local generators had been repulsed and there were still organized pockets of civilization out there. In the negative category, any actual organization was being enforced with combat forces and none were quite willing to let the Gehennan Preserve take what would be needed to reestablish what they considered normal standards of living. A number of representatives had been sent to your desk (well, not yours specifically, you had people for that) inquiring about your immediate goals and when the hydroelectric power of the Wellspring would be brought under control and piped back home.

What was wholly positive was the finalization of the distributed power network. While not strategically relevant it did heavily cut down on power interruptions caused by the improvised trunk lines coming from the basement fusion plant in the old Resort (and it was definitely a sign of the times if only three years was now "old"...), translating into a bit of a morale improvement. It wasn't something your people were involved in and you spent nothing into the project so the completion didn't reflect on you but it was nonetheless an improvement for those under your protection.


A long hot spell had afflicted the land outside of your office and a number of sheer tarps and various manual water transports had populated the many small farms that mostly dependably supported your people, rolling quickly and efficiently out of the small fabricator plant in between military projects. It was worse than that, actually, as a substantial amount of the mirror segment shone through your window at odd hours.

And when you turn your view from the landscape to your desk you sigh. At the rate you were expanding, you were going to need to consolidate your commands at the start of the next operational period.


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Civil Affairs

With your knowledge of what is needed during this emergency you have a degree of influence in civil affairs. It would behoove you to use that for your benefit.
You can spend Power to increase effects of these actions.

Choose One
[ ] Industrial Specialization: In normal circumstances ensuring every camp was entirely self sufficient would be a good thing. However, it would limit the availability of a number of valuable things that could be used to augment your limited fabricator time. Salvaged polymers, wood, canvas, cotton, and so on. As of now these would be more akin to guilds rather than the industrial plants you are used to seeing in your dreams but it would still be an improvement and cause a flow of materials in your territory. Perhaps more valuably, it would reduce dependence on the fabricators for any kind of skilled labor. (3 Turns)

[ ] Aerodrome Facilities: In order to use anything better than light Interwar aircraft even once you get the technology to build them you are going to need the infrastructure to do so. And your current group of flyers would appreciate operating out of wooden buildings, earthen revetments, and from a distinct runway rather than tarps and grass. (1 Turn)

[ ] Decentralized Power 2: With the barest level of electrification now being utilized to offset some of the maintenance of essential services and giving better data on power usage your civilian aides have drawn up a number of locations to establish "peaker plants" at. Essentially a boiler with a microturbine tacked on these wood burning stations would be used to offset the vastly higher demands caused by extreme weather. (2 Turns)

[ ] Centralized Power 1: As the carefully kept landscape succumbs to entropy it presents us opportunities. The sculpted mountain the Preserve's main resort was built around serves to accumulate snow until a hot flash, at which point it melts and flows away. With a little bit of work we could establish earthen embankments in order to capture that run off instead, turning turbines and providing reasonably clean water for a number of purposes. (3 Turns)

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Military Production

Current Power: 0 Stored + 4 Salvaged + 2 Production= 6

Spoiler: The Great Book of Buildin' Fings

Line Infantry Company (2 Energy): The common soldier, needed for holding territory and supporting every other kind of unit. Consists of three Rifle platoons, one command squad, and a platoon of rear echelon troops for the necessary logistical duties incurred by having a hundred men in the field.
-Motorization (1 Energy): Adds a heavy duty truck for each platoon for increased mobility out of combat.
-Mechanization (3 Energy): Adds an armored halftrack to each squad, providing both mobility and firepower support with machineguns.

Exo-skeleton Company (8 Energy): The expense of so much precision equipment is only matched by the Shock value of a formation of powered armor. Extremely high offense in short bursts before needing to refit and resupply.

Cavalry Company (2 Energy): Soldiers provided with some kind of mount, be it mechanical or animal. In your case you use vat-grown horses. Such mounts allow for easy travel over rough terrain without using precious energy resources, but do sharply limit the amount of heavy weapons the unit can carry.
-Mechanization (1 Energy): Trading in biological mounts for mechanical mounts comes with certain benefits. Not having to manage fatigue, damage is simpler to deal with, and increased weight capacity to name a few. It also comes with a few trade offs, such as a much more dramatic reliance on supply lines.


Light Tank Company (4 Energy): Small armored vehicles configured for speed and operational range, bringing light machineguns and field guns to combat. Useful against infantry, but vulnerable to any kind of anti-armor capability. Consists of four platoons of three vehicles, with a small number of trucks carrying supplies.

• Medium Leader (1 Energy): Add a medium command walker and an advanced officer-type vatform to direct the unit, providing a heavier unit to direct the rest and provide more firepower.

Medium Tank Company (6 Energy): Armored vehicles balancing firepower and mobility with heavier guns and plating than their light cousins. This comes at the cost of mobility due to their larger size and weight.

• Heavy leader (2 Energy): Add a heavy command walker and an advanced officer-type vatform to direct the unit and provide much heavier firepower as an armored unit.

Heavy Tank Company (8 Energy): Armored vehicles emphasizing the ability to take and give damage. Often considered dedicated breakthrough units, with low combat endurance due to large shells and fuel-guzzling engines to fulfill their main role. But in that role there are few better.


Light Walker Company (5 Energy): Like their more primitive kin, Light Walkers are adapted for speed and for outmatching infantry. Due to their motive system they are much better suited to rough terrain and can make maneuvers that tracks simply can not, making them more survivable in combat, though they only carry machineguns. Consists of four platoons of three vehicles.

Medium Walker Company (7 Energy): Larger walkers carrying respectable armor plating and field guns. Consists of four platoons of three walkers. A useful linebreaker unit combining a balance of speed, firepower, and survivability under fire that enables units to resist damages that break others.

Heavy Walker Company (9 Energy): Heavy Walkers differ somewhat from their tracked relatives in that they are built to take punishment and move fast rather than slug it out with the best the enemy has to offer, typically utilizing quad or hexapodal movement for their larger chassis in order to squeeze through lesser protected portions of the enemy line to turn their flank.


Scout Aircraft Squadron (1 Energy): Lightweight scout biplanes built for reconnaissance and surveying of territory, built out of treated wood and canvas in a very cost efficient manner. For self defense they are reliant on the spotter and whatever they bring up with them.

Light Fighter Wing (Interbellum) (4 Energy): A fighter wing of aircraft built for engaging other aircraft or harassing enemy ground troops with light bombs and machine gun fire. Three squadrons of twelve fighters, plus associated ground support teams.

Light Bomber Wing (Interbellum) (4 Energy): A wing of three squadrons of twelve light bombers, capable of payload drops of bombs and other ordinance onto battlespaces. While their accuracy is limited by their technology, the ability to provide fire support without bringing vulnerable artillery pieces to the battlefield can be invaluable in the right circumstances.





Support: Various kinds of supporting troops that can be attached to a field formation. Max two per Company.
-Heavy Weapon Platoon (1 Energy): A general support formation with a few mortars, anti-tank rocket teams, and machineguns. Provides additional heavy weapons and indirect fire support. (Infantry)
-Antitank Platoon (1 Energy): A mix of low to moderate caliber antitank guns for infantry use.
-Super Heavy Machine Gun Platoon (1 Energy): Adds a number of crew served small autocannon to the unit for the range and stopping power in excess of typical HMGs.
-Field Hospital (1 Energy): A doctor and team of medical staff, utilizing basic tools and medicine to treat field wounds rather than merely stabilize the patient or slow their death until they can be moved to the rear. Primitive medicine, but capable of operating in the present unpowered environment.
-Logistics (2 Energy): Additional trucks and labor troops to strengthen the logistical support train of the unit.
-Exoskeleton Infantry (2 Energy): The power of a small vehicle in the hands of a single soldier, the ideal for many a nation and military. While their numbers are lower than the "crunchies" at a single squad they are absolutely devastating against enemy infantry, even in most cases when they are equipped with personal AT, and their enhanced close combat potential allows for an answer to vat-grown monsters other factions may use without being reliant on a limited number of vehicles. Can also serve as tank riders for armored units.
-Reinforced (1 Energy): Two additional platoons of infantry are attached to the formation as basic riflemen. Can serve as tank riders in armored companies.
-Cavalry Squadron (1 Energy): A platoon of rough riders to serve as scouts, mobile assets, and so on for a less mobile or much more obvious unit.
-Biter Handlers (2 Energy): A unit of fourteen handlers with two Biters each. While the Chimeric Commander relied on the natural instincts more than the implants the JDF specialists have made our "beasties" distinct from our foe's with overt cranial implants and integrated radios.



Specialization

• CQB: A greater emphasis on close quarters combat and capability. Replacing some rifles with submachineguns, substituting some shells with canister shot, adding some melee combat training, changing a number of cannon to flamethrowers, etc.
• Long Range: Adding long guns and improved propellants, sniper rifles and scopes, giving the unit indirect fire capability. This comes at expense to close-action capability due to diversion of troops and functionality.
• Sapper: Additional engineering kit and explosive experts are added at the squad level, with vehicles given engineering and mine equipment replacing some secondary weapons. Useful for creating and bringing down obstacles.
• Trench Warfare: Additional sandbags, trenching shovels and skillpatches are given to each soldier to engage in static warfare, while vehicles are built to siege warfare specs. Sacrificing mobility to improve survivability given enough prep time to fortify and dig in.
• Assault: Lighter equipment and emphasis on shock tactics to achieve rapid aggressive attacks rushing at the enemy. The unit becomes offensive-oriented with fewer options defensively.
• Communications: Additional comms gear and specialists are added to the unit, improving coordination between components and with other units.
• Conscripts: Deliberately using low-grade vatforms and equipment quality to field more troops. Doubles unit size at a cost to quality.
• Elites: Cutting unit size to allow for more growth and development time for the vatform troops. Improved neural implants, skill downloads, and equipment gives a sizable bonus to quality at the cost of decreasing the unit size by a third and increasing dependence on the supply line.

Write In: If you want something like a Skink (Sherman with quad 20mm in turret) or something else not on the list (specialist vehicle unit to be a fire brigade for infantry or to keep up with tanks), ask for pricing.


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Military Affairs

You now have a much better understanding of what is happening nearby. The Chimeric and Alien Commanders have left your road spur to the Wellspring alone as the thoroughly spooked and slightly traumatized civilian labor force finishes the planned transit route, the same with the android and motorist bands. Likely, they are all organizing in the face of the appearance of a credible threat.

Spoiler

Local Countryside Taming
A search and destroy mission to reduce and remove dangerous organisms from your area, ranging from seemingly harmless herbivore megafauna to feral canids and felids to vat-grown monstrosities that must have gotten loose from here or there for whatever reasons. You'll have to ask for one of the accurately named "swear toads" to put it into a terrarium in your office...

Spring Cleaning: Androids
As much as the spindly androids have been mostly ineffective, typically trading pointed words rather than bullets with the Home Guard and extorting small amounts of essential supplies and less essential materials from your people, they did still demand your fusion generator back before you were instated on pain of vague "consequences". Either they fall in line or get removed from the board.
-Expected OpFor: a Company(?) Of light infantry. Unknown probability of reserves and new builds.

Spring Cleaning: Motorists
In the aftermath of the running battle between your forces these nuisances have withdrawn to lick their wounds. Likely to recruit and rebuild as well. And, to be frank, you want their mobile manufactory for future operations.
-Expected OpFor: Two companies of light vehicles. Unknown probability of reserves and new builds.

Secure Transit: North
In order to exploit points of interest within the Artani Central Arcology it will be vital to have secure lines of communication and transit in order to push civilian engineering, research, and diplomatic teams into the region.
Note: Disappearances are noted among travelling refugees along this route in particular.

Secure Transit: East
The coastal forest was a marvel of engineering, and now those engineered creatures and plants have reverted to natural selection at the frenzied pace demanded by their genetics. To clear a route to the Eastern Arcology and its nearby port district will require a dedicated military response and that itself will require secure lines of supplies.

Secure Transit: South
Whether the polar approach battery is active or not, regular contact and/or exploitation will require a secure route.

Scout
-Pick One: North, West, East, South
Send a unit to explore a region, picking up salvage, finding points of interest, and brushing against the locals.

Attack
Choose a direction, one of it's known Points of Interest, and the Companies to execute the operation. If organized resistance is present, will often trigger a war turn. (Without a Secure Transit, will operate under significant penalties)
-West: The Wellspring Region has two commanders operating in it but only one of which has territory you know of. However, scouting will need to be done to locate and determine the status of the hydroelectric reservoirs further up the Wellspring.

Reserve
Sometimes you don't want to send out a unit because it would incur an upkeep cost. Or maybe it took losses. Regardless, you don't have to field everything every turn. As a bonus units not assigned to an action can try to support others who have encountered unexpected troubles.

Training
Maybe you want to get two Companies used to working alongside each other for a future operation, or practice with a new piece of kit. Or they are just bad at their jobs and need to improve. (Upkeep costs, where applicable, are calculated as if the unit is in combat)

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Diplomacy

You know of other factions at least. Normalizing relations will be a task even for those you can speak with.
(Pick a faction, a Company to serve as a guard for your envoys, and describe what you are trying to accomplish)

-Android Bandits: Self proclaiming their service to a "confederacy", these robots would likely take a message home at this point, if you want to ignore their masters for now or deliver an ultimatum.
-Wellspring Cooperative: They have killed your archers (a portmanteau of "artificial soldier" growing in use) but are stuck in combat against another Entech commander. Promises of aid could potentially yield concessions on their part...
-Polar Battery Exterior Security Force: These stubborn fools are overstretched and claim protection over everything in their territory. Broaching the possibility of aiding them in their duties could... Do something. Either a reciprocity or a payment.




AN: Yeah, that's probably good enough. If not, this isn't a particularly Elitist game. Speaking of which, omake prompts sometime. And there will be a military reorganization at the start of next turn.
Also also, when making a plan please put Action above a list of the units assigned to it rather than the reverse.