>>48306769
Pearl calls in over the radio. "Where do you want recon, lead?"
"I want recon to set up in that field to the northeast. The grass should cover you, and you can ambush them with your TOW if you feel safe doing so."
"Copy that, Lead, we'll set up there," Pearl replies. She seems a lot more confident now that you're out in the field.
It's a short wait as they set up, while you have Erich load some of your steel shot.
"In position," she says a minute or two later.
"See anything yet?" you ask.
"... Scopes are clear," she says distractedly. "We'll let you know when we see anything."
"Copy that, out," you reply.

There's minutes of tense silence as you scan the horizon with your commander's sights. Sarah is humming something under her breath, and you need to keep a hand on your knee to stop it from tapping. Erich has a cigarette in his mouth, unlit, but chewed on. You wonder if you should break the silence.

>Calm your crew
>Inspire your crew
>Call up someone on the radio
>Stay quiet
>Other

Pz58 when?

Also
>calm crew

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>>48306773
>Calm your crew
I know the perfect thing to calm the nervous and raise their spirits!

Writing!

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You place your hand on Sarah's shoulder. She jumps a little, and turns to face you, eyes wide. You just smile at her and key the intercom.
"I know that we're facing off against superior numbers, and what looks like superior firepower. I know the odds are against us, we've been cooped up in this tank for hours, and we're a long way from home. I know things look a little grim for us right now. But I picked you three for a reason. We can be the be the best damn crew this side of the Rhine, if we all work together and fight like one. I know we can do it, so let's do it! We'll make it through this, on my honour as a Tank Hunter. Get ready."
"Thanks for that, boss," Susan says over the com. "I'm ready for anything."
Sarah grins at you before turning back to her scope. "This gunner is ready to shoot shit up."
Erich grimaces, nearly biting through his cigarette.
"Second thoughts, Erich?" you ask.
He throws his cigarette to the floor and stamps on it. "As long as I get paid."

Your chance to say more is cut off as Pearl comes in over the radio. "This is Recon to Lead, we have contact! There is a single, that is, one, BMP on the road to the north, cresting the ridgeline. He looks to be alone. Might be a scout, over."
You scramble for your scope, and sight in on the vehicle. You key your radio. "This is Lead, contact seen."
"Grimm, contact seen," Von Grimm chips in. "What shall we do, Edelweiss?"

>Open fire!
>Hold fire, let's see the main force first
>Other

I've seen this movie before.

>Hold fire, let's see the main force first

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>>48307636
>Hold fire, let's see the main force first

Writing

>>48307636
"Hold fire, hold fire," you say. "If he's just a scout, no use in letting them know where we are. Wait for the main force to show up."
The lone BMP sits atop its ridge and scans the horizon. The turret tracks from left to right, like an automated camera. It tracks back in the other direction, then apparently finding nothing, the gun is pointed forward again and the driver takes it forward off the ridge.
"That was a little bit obvious, wasn't it?" Sarah remarks.
She's right, but you don't say anything. The lone BMP continues down the road towards the nearby village ruin. Then behind it, like a horde of old, come the rest of the bandits.

The first thing is the dust cloud. Then the sound, a distant rumbling of engines. Then the vehicles crest the hill. Right in the centre, a tank of some kind, either a T-62 or a T-55, flanked on either side by two BMPs, forming a wedge. As the first formation comes down the hill, the second crests. Another tank, again flanked by BMPs. Finally, a line of BMPs crest and stop, forming overwatch on the area.
"That's a lot of tanks," Sarah says.
"Lead, please advise," Pearl requests, seemingly calm. A wiesel can't resist much, however.

>Open fire, focus on the tanks! Take out their firepower and the rest will crumble.
>Hold your fire. They might pass you, on some miracle. At the very least, they'll get closer.
>Open fire, focus on rate of fire! Thin their numbers as quickly as you can!
>Other

>>48308245
>>Hold your fire. They might pass you, on some miracle. At the very least, they'll get closer.

>>48308245
>>Open fire, focus on the tanks! Take out their firepower and the rest will crumble.

This is best option

>>48308245
>>Open fire, focus on the tanks! Take out their firepower and the rest will crumble.
We have the advantage at range. BMP-1s have extremely low muzzle velocity, they can't do much at range. Their tanks are the biggest threat, but also the least in number. Take them out quickly, and we can probably deal with the rest.

I will say that a hit from a BMP-1 can probably take out a Leopard 1 or a Wiesel, however.

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>>48308245
>Open fire, focus on the tanks! Take out their firepower and the rest will crumble.

>>48308245
>Open fire, focus on the tanks! Take out their firepower and the rest will crumble.

>>48308312
they're BMP-2s btw

writing!

>>48308398
The same applies, I suppose.

>>48308245
>>Open fire, focus on the tanks! Take out their firepower and the rest will crumble.

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>>48308245
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fvhZxYJopk

"Fire, fire, fire!" you call out. "Prioritise the tanks!" You switch to the intercom. "Gunner, target the tank closest to us!" Sarah had already been tracking that tank, and she fires as soon as you confirm it. Your shot smashes into the front of the turret, crushing a night vision spotlight. A second shell pierces its hull, from Von Grimm's cannon. The tank rolls to a halt, and the driver's hatch opens, a single man climbing out.

The BMPs all come to a halt simultaneously, and open up on your treeline with their autocannons as the drivers try and take their vehicles to the nearest available cover. A pair crash into each other, tracks grinding together, as their crew panics under the sudden assault.
The remaining T-55 halts in place, and aims its gun at your position. The shot comes uncomfortably close, the buzz of a hornet echoing off your tank. The shell destroys a tree as it passes.

Erich finishes loading the round, and by the time he's finished saying "Loaded!" Sarah has already fired. The shell goes low, hitting the dirt in front of the enemy tank and showering it in clods of dirt and dust. Von Grimm's shot doesn't miss. The shell pierces the tank from the side and exits out the other, taking fire and metal fragments with it.
"Silver bullet," you mutter. The T-55 begins to cook off.

The BMPs have scattered now, some dashing for the village closer to you, and some taking for the ridgeline. You begin to fire as fast as Erich loads the shells, catching a BMP in the rear as it flees, and taking the turret clear off another. Footmobiles have joined the chaos as crew bail from their vehicles. If they don't die to your shot, without protection you've surely doomed them to a slow death years from now due to radiation. You abolish that thought by remembering why you're here. A framed picture of Pearl and her crewmembers, one now dead, two kidnapped. You grit your teeth.

1/2

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>>48308619
The BMPs haven't seemed to have located you, and definitely haven't found Von Grimm, but the BMPs on the ridge have a better picture of things than the ones on the lowlands with you. You worry for Pearl.

>Fire at the BMPs in the village ruins. They're closest and you can't give them a chance to regroup.
>Fire on the enemy on the ridgeline. If they draw a bead on you, Von Grimm, or the wiesels, you'll be in big trouble.
>Other

>>48308630
I should see if Trash would do art of Pearl

>>48308630
>Fire on the enemy on the ridgeline. If they draw a bead on you, Von Grimm, or the wiesels, you'll be in big trouble.
Loli protection, yeah?

>target bmps on the Ridgeline
>other: order the rest of the forces to do so, they are easier targets there, and a bigger threat if they find our positions

Is there anything that marks one as commando vehicle?

Also a little map update?

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map update

>>48308630
>>Fire on the enemy on the ridgeline. If they draw a bead on you, Von Grimm, or the wiesels, you'll be in big trouble.

writing!

>>48308968
To bad the bridge isn't rigged with explosives.

>>48308630
>>Fire on the enemy on the ridgeline. If they draw a bead on you, Von Grimm, or the wiesels, you'll be in big trouble.

>>48308630
>Fire on the enemy on the ridgeline. If they draw a bead on you, Von Grimm, or the wiesels, you'll be in big trouble.

Your gut is telling you that something must be up with the BMPs on the ridge. You pat Sarah's shoulder and direct her to new targets. She puts a shell into the lead vehicle, penetrating it from end to end. Smoke pours out of the hatches while fire burns in the rear of the vehicle, the engine catching fire. Von Grimm's fire follows your own, his Type 74 sending a shell into the second BMP. Pearl's squadmate Lara adds to the fire with her TOW, the streak of light soaring across the relatively short range of a thousand yards in seconds, detonating another BMP. The last three back off, behind the ridgeline, but not before one fires a burst towards Pearl's position.

"Hit!" Pearl exclaims. Your heart skips a beat and beats too fast all at once. There's silence over the net for a long moment, then "Non-penetration, it just grazed us." You let your breath out.
"Recon, this is Lead," you say, trying not to betray the shock you just suffered. "Reposition right now, get the hell out of there."
"Copy Lead, we're on the move."
"This is Von Grimm, we are also on the move. Bandits have found our position."
"Copy all," you reply.
Your shift in focus has had consequences, however, as the bandits who have made it to the village have dug in to good positions, concealed by brick and stone walls from your return fire. It's going to take some work to dig them out.

- - - -

And that's it for now I reckon. Sun's come up and I've yawning hard enough to dislocate my jaw. It's 6am. But now I know when everyone is going to show up, I'll come back next week better rested and ready to write more. Really glad for tonight- er, day's thread?

Anyway I'm gonna sack out. See ya.

>>48309868
note, if I end up waking up at midday (six hours), I'll continue. I'll post on my twitter if I do.

>>48309868
SENT IS SPENT

>>48309919
thanks for the fun. sorry I missed it live.