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>last time
"Colonel, Eberhardt here. I have arrived at the fortress and am proceeding to secure it, currently have a strength of 70 officers and other ranks including children barely old enough for school and several vehicles. Requesting orders"

"What the fuck are you doing with. Never mind, I don't want to know. This entire front is going to shit, Eberhardt. The Greenskins have abandoned their push East where we've blown bridges into Old Brexenburg. What little our pilots can see says they've split off to the North and South where other groups have made breakthroughs, and the line to the North of my position is led by an idiot. My position will be outflanked soon enough, and the greenskin forces attacking to your East are going to swell."

"I'm not sure if you've given me the good news or the bad news, Colonel Mathis."

"I wish I knew, Eberhardt. Fly boys are reporting broken vox contact with stragglers that may be looking to cross the canal to your West. Try and keep an eye out for them. If things go to shit -"

The ground rumbles and several people near you hit the ground as a deafening thunder rumbles across the skies.

"Eberhardt! Do you hear me?!- in two-eight-zero-zero hours! Hold until relieved! Say again hold until-" The Colonel's yelling voice vanishes as the vox link goes dead.

"Specialist Tine, what the hell just happened? Specialist Tine?"

"Orbital bombardment to the North!" yells someone. "Incoming!"

>>38972489
>in two-eight-zero-zero hours!
So we have to wait 2,800 hours? that seems a bit long, or is it 28:00?

>>38972608
I believe 28 hours.

>>38972489
The world turns into a series of ear-shattering whines and deafening roars as more impacts streak over the fortress and into the city. Thrown to the ground as the planet trembles with each impact, all you can do is pray to the Emperor that you haven't come all this way to die to some foe you can't even offer a whimper of defiance to.

It isn't long until you're sitting there comfortably with your arms shielding the back of your head, the cries of terror around you almost soothing until you could almost...

The sun is warm and the grass of the hills sways gently in the breeze as your daughter begins to snore softly upon your arm. Sweet little Elise, oblivious to the dead and dying around you. The replacement's cries for his mother as Else and Otto deftly avoid stepping upon him or the greenskin that put a crude axe into his guts. Tomas' eye staring blankly at you as his body twitches and sputters, not yet understanding that it can not function with your friend's face and brain scattered across several meters. One by one you watch your friends run past or fall, until what was left of Kristine looms over you, dripping blood.

A boot strikes you just below the armpit. "Get up, General. You're not dead yet." The voice of the young woman that wanted her kills confirmed earlier feels like it is inside your head, but coming from everywhere at once. Your head hurts, and you curse the greenskins responsible for the bombardment. Ribs burn as if the person lifting you was gripping your bones.

Before you can thank her, she's gone off to see to someone else.

"Fick dich" grumbles someone nearby. Your taskforce seems to be intact, and the bombardment hasn't given any obvious signs of striking those you command.

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>>38972918
Your officers are moving about in an attempt to reorganize your forces when one of the militia you don't recognize approaches.

"General! I once did a report on Brexen Fortress for school, and Miss uhh, Renata. She told me to come see if you needed any information that I could provide..."

>Map Legend!
1. Brexen Keep - A massive, blocky structure that anchors the Brexen Towers. The flat section of the keep between the towers once acted as an air base for craft capable of vertical take off and landings.
2. Keep Entrance - Shrouded by an overhang that can support smaller lighters landing above it, this entrance is the only path into Brexen Keep if the Keep comes under assault.
3. Old Hospital - The hospital back when Brexen Fortress was in fact a fortress instead of a recreational park.
4. Old Motor Pool - Once the heart of any garrison's vehicle maintenance. Now a relic.
5. Old Gates - Once a mighty pair of gates to entrap attackers. Now converted into an entrance to the Brexen Fortress Park. Still an important choke point, though.
6. Brexen Reception Hall - Formerly one of the main barracks, most of the floors have been renovated into halls suitable for mass gatherings and events.
7. Old Munitorium - Once the heart of the Fortress' munitions and layered in reinforced structures to defend against external damage.
8. Brexen Tower West - Towering over the Fortress and the lands surrounding, the towers of Brexen Fortress once dominated the Western edge of New Vienna and provided a view of the entire approach. With the expansion of the city, they now provide amazing views of the city's sprawl.
9. Brexen Tower East - Struck by some greenskin weapon, the top quarter of this tower was almost completely reduced to slag and debris.
10. Brexen Park Administration - Once a minor barracks, now the Administrative heart of the Brexen Fortress Park. A commissary and minor medicae facility are located here.
Yellow Dots - entrances/exits for tour vehicle lifts. Tank-sized.

>>38973047
we should probably render the tour exit/entrances in the south and south-east inoperable so they can't be used unless we say so, we should also barricade and fortify the gatehouse and if we've any demo charges and equipment, prep it and other entrances for demolition if we need to physically seal them

other then that, get the wounded setup in the park admin in the medicae unless the hospital has better gear, but I doubt it will

we'll also need a spotter and sniper in the remaining old tower

an idea for the vehicles we can't use, place them near chokepoints/entrances and use them as bunkers

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>>38973047
>Legend continued:

>Squares on left, descending order.
> <18m height structure/wall
> 18m height structure/wall
> 19m height structure/wall
> ~30m height structure/wall
> ~40m height structure/wall
> ~60m height structure/wall
> Rooftop equipment/structure +10m above surrounding
>50x50m square for rough scale

>Both East & West Towers were originally ~93m. East is now partially destroyed.

>Map of New Vienna in this post.

>Green = greenskins (rough)
>Blue = main allied lines/positions

>Known Forces (##)
>Command (6)
General Heinrich Eberhardt (Sturmjäger Rejuv Veteran)
Captain Hendrik (Grenadier Rejuv Veteran, Commanding Flakhelfer)
Lt Adrian Baldur (Grenadier)
Lt Marta Lydia (Grenadier, Head wound)
Lt Torsten (Pzr Grenadier, Assigned to Kettenkrads)
Communications Specialist Ester Tine

>Line Infantry (6)
Sgt Urban Ulrik
Grenadier Greta Elisabet - K98
x4 Grenadier

>Mechanized Infantry (15)
x11 Panzer Grenadiers (Assigned to Kettenkrads.)
x2 Panzer Grenadiers (Assigned to Chimera)
x2 Panzer Grenadiers (Assigned to Basilisk)

>Combat Engineers (20)
x14 Pioneers
x6 Pioneers (Assigned to Mule/Trojans)

>Militia Forces (26)
Renata Edith (Militia Veteran)
x20 Militia
Alfred Rainer (Child Soldier)
x4 Child Soldiers

>Auxiliary Forces (11)
Judge Sunniva Lene (Arbites)
x1 Arbite
x7 Flakhelfer
x1 Medic (Rejuv Veteran, Surgeon)
x1 Sister Hospitaller

>Wounded (Severe) (10)
x1 Grenadier
x4 Militia
x2 Panzer Grenadier
x3 FallschrimJäger

>Motor Pool
Chimera Transport (2/3 Crew)
Basilisk Artillery (2/4 Crew)
Mule/Trojan (3/3 Crew, Towing)
Mule/Trojan (3/3 Crew, Towing)
Hydra Tank (0/5 Crew, Immobilized, Towed)

>Now with a damned twitter
twitter.com/MachineSpiritPQ

>Previous thread! (from months ago!)
archive.moe/tg/thread/35549288

Will answer questions as best I can as far as Heinrich is aware. New players are always welcome, especially in this rather simple 'guard vs greenskins' side story!

>Orders?

>>38973306
>>38973166
would be my current thoughts for orders, we need to secure the fortress and lock down its entrances/exits, post lookouts and sentries and see what is available to use inside the fortress, then fortify the everloving shit out of it

>>38973306
And as it may be important...

>Time is currently 07:45 for Heinrich.

>>38973346
so until when do we need to hold out?

>>38973166
Seconding this.

I figure Orks will go for the quickest way into the fighting, which would be through the gates and into the killzone of vehicles parked around it. Meanwhile our spotters make sure they're not trying anything on other areas of the wall.

As for auxiliary forces like the medical personnel and the comms specialist they may as well be pulled back into the innermost area.

>>38973385
11:45 tomorrow morning.

>>38973341 here again
we should also have fallback positions within the keep fortified in case we need to wrthdraw to it but first priority is getting the fortress secure and locked down and fortified

>>38973225
What equipment do the pioneers have? Mines? Explosives? Barbed wire?

>>38973385
That is entirely left open to your judgement, as Heinrich. Little is stopping you from abandoning the position or instead defending by attacking.

>>38973166
>>38973341
>>38973391
>>38973426

For clarification, the only entrance into the fortress walls is through the gate area or over the walls. Everything else is internal entrance/exits.

Consensus seems to be 'dig in at the gate'. Please assign forces from >>38973225

"Everything" is a perfectly acceptable deployment.

Note that you will be using local things like benches and digging by hand for defenses.

>>38973553
>Everything else is internal entrance/exits.
So those tour lifts cannot be accessed by the outside?

Gimme a bit to go over the list and assign them, currently making breakfast

>>38973507
Pioneers have a small supply of explosives and stocks of ammunition supplies.

There is also a wheeled autocannon (without wheels) that I seem to have forgotten on the unit list.

All forces have seen extended combat and are far from fully supplied.

>>38973553
I'd say the vehicles, Line Infantry (minus Elisabet on overwatch in a tower), Mechanized Infantry and Combat Engineers form up around the gates and use the vehicles as mobile bunkers and cover.

Meanwhile the Militia watch the walls elsewhere, the medical personnel/comm specialist stay in the interior, and the other auxiliary forces act as damage control, carrying wounded back to the medical staff etc.

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>>38973640
Something like this?
Hydra/Basilisk the larger rear dots.
Chimera/Trojans the forward ones.
Various infantry in roughly 5s for smaller dots (runners not shown)

>>38974025
Looks good to me. Ideally the Kettenkrads should be ready to transport some forces from the gate to a point that's being attacked on the wall or something.

>>38974025
that looks good, though we might want a lookout or two over the river, don't want the orks west of us trying anything sneaky

>>38974068
we could stage some reserves in the Reception Hall/Barracks if need be and if we have any left over (which I doubt we will)

>>38974068
>>38974085
You pass the deployments on to your officers, informing young Alfred Rainer that he is to take the other youths to patrol the Western wall and detect any greenskin attempts to cross the canal. With no small amount of excitement, he gives you a sloppy salute.

>2d100

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>38974268
Maybe assign a couple of Militia to ensure Rainer doesn't go all blam happy with the other kids.

Rolled 50, 52 = 102 (2d100)

>>38974268
2d100 individually or together?

Rolled 10, 13, 4, 46, 75 = 148 (5d100)

>>38974308
Will you assign Renata or a few other adults?

>>38974358
we can assign Lt Torsten, his kettenrads won't be doing much now

>>38974358
Renata seems like she won't take any shit.

>>38974390 here again
we should also have someone to keep an eye on him and be ready to execute him if he gets blam happy

>>38974390
Lt Torsten is in command of the Panzer Grenadiers that you've assigned to the front gate. (dismounting them from Kettenkrads, which are parked around the corner for quick relocation as per other posts) Will you pull him from the unit?

>>38974413
right then, keep him there

maybe that judge or arbite?

>>38974438
both viable options. Anyone else?

>>38974492
I meant in >>38974403 that it might be prudent to have two adults looking after him, one to command and keep them in line, and one ready to throw the fuckers corpse into the river

I gotta run some errands now

>>38974512
If no one else objects, the Judge and Arbite will both be assigned to keep an eye on young Rainer.

processing...

The park's decorative trees and carefully located benches are torn town with little ceremony by a small swarm of soldiers. Planters are turned to foxholes and small trenches as Trojans are positioned to act as cover in the unyielding roadways. Pioneers assail a collapsed building beyond the walls, tearing free what items they can. A steady stream of wooden beams and boards are brought into the fortress and secured into slightly angled barricades before soil, brick debris and finally uprooted plants are thrown against the works. For nearly two hours your forces work before one of Torsten's sentries signals to abandon the effort and everyone rushes back to the defensive line.

All eyes lock upon the slivers of road visible beyond the fortress' old gate.

"What did you see? Greenskins aren't normally this quiet."

"Florrie spotted a mob of grots and a pair of their little tanks. There may be bigger ones with them, but I'd given orders to stay undetected above all." Torsten wipes some sweat from his brow, leaving a trail of dirt from his hands instead. "They might miss us, if we kill the engines."

"Or we'll be unable to maneuver our tanks until they start back up, if they don't."

>Orders?
>09:55 Hrs

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>>38975088
>forgot map.
>Enemy advancing North.

>>38975088
I vote we kill the engines.

>>38975088
Kill the engines. Avoiding as many fights as we can is probably our best bet to surviving the night.

Rolled 73, 26 = 99 (2d100)

>>38975164
>>38975285

3d100 for nerves...

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>38975308
Stay crunchy...

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>38975285
I ain't scared.

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>38975308
Rollin'

>>38975346
Holy shit

The luck of the Hein lives on baby

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>>38975567
>>38975379

>>38975567
The 99 and 82 overrides the 3 sadly. We're in for a fight. A bad one.

>>38975344
>>38975379
>>38975346

You order the vehicles shut down and the greenskins begin to filter past the gate...

Someone yells about avenging a fallen friend or family member as the second tank drives past, and all hell breaks loose from your lines as everyone begins to fire! The second grot tank is engaged by the chimera's multilaser, repeated hits burning into the ramshackle construct as the hull weapon sweeps the surrounding area of the smaller creatures. The tank is knocked out before it can advance beyond the first corner of the gate area.

Shouts of a larger Greenskin can be heard as the lead grot tank moves into the northern gap, nearly throwing a tread as it swerves and fires a rocket into one of the Trojans. The support vehicle's barricade is obliterated, but the vehicle itself seems unharmed.

The Hydra's autocannons engage the pocket tank and tear it into shreds in moments, scattering the remaining grots and allowing your men to pick off most of the vanguard.

>Pursue?
>10:12 Hrs.

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>>38975664
Dropping images from update posts already!

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>>38975588
>>38975603
Well... I-its not like I had hope or anything

>>38975664
I don't think we should pursue, our forces could get cut off from the fortress and attacked by greater enemy forces.

Repair the barricade ASAP and prepare defences fully. Explosives around the gate ready to blow up if the greenskins try and move anything big through it.

>>38975738
At most do a short pursuit to see if we can finish off the remnants but I wouldn't encourage chasing them to kill them all. Too risky that our men get cut off.

>>38975664
I say we hold and continue to try to pick them off. Rebuild our barricade and also did we set up the wheelless autocannon yet?

>>38975738
Do you want to plant explosives in/on the ground or attempt to collapse the gate sections? The latter is much more difficult.

Looks like no pursuit...

>>38975826
it is positioned to cover the northern entrance.

>>38975831
Just in the ground, like remote detonated mines we can set off if they try and rumble tanks through.
The burning wreckage of those blown-up tanks should hamper attempts to get more through.

>>38975831
I'm still voting pursuit.

Sweet your back. Didn't think you were going to return to finish your quests. What happened anyways? Any plan on returning to space ventures?

>>38975831
Shit should've asked how many grots survived the attack?

The comm bead in your ear crackles and buzzes as the Chimera and a few men ensure that the grots within the gate area aren't wounded. Only a few minor wounds are reported among your men, though it seems the Trojan struck by the grot tank's rocket has been immobilized beyond a simple field repair. It will need a repair facility...

"General, Specialist Tine. The equipment in the Keep is a bit old, but I'll have command and control systems up within the hour. Someone was doing their job bringing this place online. We've located a dozen tarantula sentry guns in crates, as well."

>Orders?

>>38976064
set up the guns near the gate and on the walls where they can fire from safety, don't use all of them though, we want to have a couple in reserve if we need to shift our defense

>>38976095 here
we should also have a few peoplt up on the gates walls and pick off those grots running away if we can and if we won't pursue, we need them dead ASAP as the longer they live and flee, the more likely more forces turn up

>>38976095
Agreed we should also put one or two in a spot where Kommandos might try to sneak in

>>38975984
Roughly half of the grots have escaped, while both tanks have been destroyed.

>>38975936
Perfect storm of shit happened. Still not quite over, but eh. PQ proper will return after Heinrich stuff concludes.

>>38976158
>Roughly half of the grots have escaped
Well we're fucked, good job not pursuing them you idiots.

Short break for dinner. As always, the more information you give me for deployments, the better I can implement your plans!

>>38976176
>idiots
Do try to remember the cat sticky and be awesome to eachother, please.

>>38976095
>>38976133

So deploy... 6? Tarantula Sentry Guns on the walls around the gate area? (overwatching the kill zone)

And possibly a few 'somewhere Kommandos might try to sneak in'? (need more specifics for that)

Do you wish to change any of your deployments to include forces off the immediate ground of the gate region?

>>38976766
maybe put a turret near the lifts on the riverside to the south, and maybe relocate a couple troops to the walls just adjacent to the gatehouse north and south, to help spot and fire into the killzones, to try and keep the same amount of fire going into the killzone without having so many clustered up close in case of a bad rocket or something

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>>38976819
Is this accurate for your suggestions?

>>38976963
looks good for now

whats that grey building in the river just west of the fortress thats connected to the walls?

>>38977008
A tower connected by a bridge.

15 minutes for any additional deployment changes.

>>38977069
anyreason we don't have a lookout in it? are there cameras on it?

>>38977121
You've got a group of 6 conducting patrols up and down the canal-facing wall. If you'd like to station people there specifically, it can be done.

>>38977204
if the patrols can see what the tower would see then theres no need unless we expect a lot of kommandos

Rolled 64, 51, 86, 45, 89 = 335 (5d100)

If there are no more deployment changes...

2d100

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>38977362
PRAISE THE EMPEROR!

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>38977362
OMNISSIAH'S SHINY TENTACLES BLESS OUR WORKS!

Sounds cool

Pioneers and flakhelfers scurry about the walls of the gatehouse, using the mobile Trojan to relocate the tarantulas as far as possible. The almost entirely female flakhelfer group seems to have quite a bit of trouble, leading you to suspect they were more of a trophy unit for that troublesome Colonel than anyone would have the good sense to admit. Captain Hendrik certainly has her hands full with them.

By 11:00 hours the sentry guns are deployed and their machinespirits set to overwatch the kill zone below the walls. Just in time for the lingering fog and dust that had both blinded and concealed your movement through New Vienna to lift for good. Called to the wall yourself by Hendrik, you almost wish the fog had stayed.

New Vienna smoulders and burns barely two kilometers out to the North, and the fighting kilometers to the East is visible as explosions blossom along what must be the main defensive line. The warmth of the fire has driven the lingering chill of a long night of fog from your body, and the smoke seems to be blown away from your position for now. High above a battle rages in the sky between Barivian and greenskin aeronautica.

"Brexen Fortress is online, General Eberhardt." Tine's voice feels like she's standing beside you, now. "Plasma reactor online. Thank the Emperor. Vox net online. Augurs at twenty-five percent. Machine spirits ready for duty. Power systems intact. Tactical vox casters online. Strategic vox casters can't seem to overcome interference or have been damaged."

"What does all that mean, Tine?"

"We have a chance, General. Brexen can connect the lines if we can get the strategic vox casters connected. I just need more time."

>Orders?

>>38978135
give Tine the time she needs, and see if we have any pioneer's who are not currently busy who can help, or anyone who can work voxes

>>38978199
Unfortunately only Tine seems to have training as a tech adept, though the Panzer Grenadiers and Pioneers are capable of field repairs to vehicles.

>>38978357
well maybe she could use one or two of them as muscle and assistance that she can instruct?

>>38978392
You'll be pulling pioneers off of the front lines. Confirm orders?

>>38978416
thats why I said if they were not busy in >>38978199

if they are busy, then they've got more important jobs like defending the fortress to get Tine the time she needs

>>38978437
It is kind of one of those things where they can't switch between the two. Anyone assigned to help Tine would be unable to react against anything but a long battle or an attack spotted far out in urban combat.

While there is currently no combat, there is a balance to be struck when it comes to where to assign your people and what they're to do there. The more people you pull from the 'front', the more things you can get done, but the weaker your fighting force will be in most fights.

>>38978635
well we can probably spare 1 pioneer from the trojans

>>38978675
Driver from immobilized Trojan reassigned!

As it seems the number of players has dwindled, I'll call an end to the thread here. Will sneak in a final update in the morning if thread still around.

Thanks for playing!

Next thread will be announced on that Omnissiah-forsaken thing known as twitter. Hopefully I'll be able to run a multi-day thread again.

>>38978903
thanks for the thread MS, good to have you back

>>38978903
>Q&A for ~45 min if anyone has stuff to ask, as well

>>38978903
Should probably look into the reason on why someone was bringing this place online. This place wasn't being used as a fort before so there might be a reason why it being online is important.

>>38979185
Brexen Fortress was in fact a fortress West of New Vienna. After a few centuries of the city growing beyond the fortress and the city not being attacked, it was turned into a park by demolishing the gatehouses and turning them into a little road for drop-offs.

The position was abandoned by another commander earlier in the battle, prompting an Ork Jager Colonel to dispatch Eberhardt and 30 men and women across a section of New Vienna (Old Brexenburg) abandoned by the Imperial forces to reclaim the position and use the towers to hopefully set up a vox connection between disconnected Imperial lines. The city's buildings and various sources of interference from the battle were screwing with vox communication and hard lines weren't set due to constant retreats.

The Colonel believed it would be a vital position to hold for a counter-attack.

>>38979483
Worth investigating the place more then if it was abandoned by Imperial forces. Might be some supplies we can grab. We might have to take a patrol or two off guard to investigate the place more. We found those tarantula turrets so who knows what else we could find.

it's back! I was losing hope!

Sad I missed it, now it's time to read....

>>38979483
can we use the newly activated vox to look for straglers/

we could use a boost in numbers

Which one of u is dah tattle tell strangler

>>38984496
Who`s that?

Also, will there be an update or I can stop practicing necromancy?

I'll be posting a final update in a few hours.

Pres visit shifted deliveries to farther locations. Bit crazy.

>>38988064

Thanks man,
and good luck with the deliveries

"I guess Mathis wasn't quite sending me on an impossible mission." Hope creeps into your heart and your voice, prompting Captain Hendrik to snort.

"Don't let the kids hear that in your voice, General. They're making their peace with the Emperor like we learned to."

You both watch New Vienna burn to the North and a war rage to the East, Brexen fortress lost in the chaos of it all. Tomas' voice lingers in the back of your head, a running commentary of stories of fireworks as a child and bonfires with his family. It took you four weeks to build a pit like the one he used to describe, and you always planned to tell your son and daughter so many things around a blazing fire. The Expeditionary Wars, your friends, how you met their mother and the six years leading up to the actual event itself. It always ended with sweet Elise in your arms, crying.

Hendrik's knuckles rap upon your helmet. "Don't lose it on me, General."

The vox carries an unfamiliar voice. "Brexen Fortress, Brexen Fortress. Green Leader. We've got a wounded bird that needs a nest. Reading your beacon three by five. Say again wounded bird needs a nest. Reading your beacon three by five. Are you active?"

>See you next time!

>>38992619
Thanks for coming back to us.

>>38992619
Never leave us again!

Thanks for running man