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>>5416830
There are a few ways you can help in this situation, all of which entail some amount of risk to yourself and to others. But is it more risk than what you’d be exposed to simply staying where you are and hoping that none of these incoming shells hit anything too irreplaceable? That’s a tougher question to answer.

>You can see in the dark. Go down towards the artillery positions and silence a few of them.
>You can call out range instructions to the gunners, giving them an even chance in this fight.
>You can try to reposition mortars - they’ll be exposed while they move, but can fire from cover.
>Other?

>>5416833
>>You can call out range instructions to the gunners, giving them an even chance in this fight.

>>5416830
>>You can call out range instructions to the gunners, giving them an even chance in this fight.

>>5416833
>You can call out range instructions to the gunners, giving them an even chance in this fight.

>>5416833
>You can call out range instructions to the gunners, giving them an even chance in this fight.

>>5416833
>>You can call out range instructions to the gunners, giving them an even chance in this fight.
Superior eyes are go! I still support us hanging back and being the supreme commander on the battlefield.

>>5416833
3d10 best of four

Rolled 1, 2, 9 = 12 (3d10)

>>5418270

Rolled 8, 9, 3 = 20 (3d10)

>>5418270

Rolled 6, 6, 1 = 13 (3d10)

>>5418270

Rolled 9, 7, 1 = 17 (3d10)

>>5418270

>>5418270
It would probably be a bad idea to go down there yourself and start hacking up enemy military assets, though you’re fairly confident you could launch the attack in secrecy. The real problem is that it would leave you too vulnerable to being counter-attacked in the dark, or surrounded by infantry who you would rather not have to hack to pieces in order to survive. Better then to avoid being put into the position of needing to decide whether to bloody your own hands against your self-imposed rules.

Instead you call up the withdrawn artillery from atop the old wall. “If you can’t see your targets, then you may borrow your queen’s sight!”

You scan the area, letting yōki flow through the optic nerves and surrounding tissues to enhance your vision for the task. The location of the stars gives you a direction, and the height of the tiny figures manning the weapon gives you an estimate of the distance involved, based on years and years of training and experience. “I see a battery range fifteen hundred meters, northwest by west!”

The callout lets three gun crews who have braved the incoming fire adjust to your instructions, and each captain calls out when their weapon has been loaded and aimed the way they think will end in hitting the called mark.

“Fire, three round sequence!”

Each crew does as you order, firing the first round then reloading as quickly as possible. It takes about five seconds for the first rounds to impact, none in exactly the right spot but all coming close. After reloading they fire again, and five seconds into the reload you see that at least one shot hits the mark, setting off a few secondary explosions as powder charges go off. The last set of three shots from your own guns fall around the enemy piece, or rather the spot where last you saw it, and the first enemy artillery battery is silenced.

“Target destroyed, next target is at eighteen-hundred-fifty, north-northwest,” you call out. “Three round sequence on my command!”

“Ready!”
“Ready ma’am!”
“Ready!”

“Fire!” you order.
>1/2

>>5419056
The cycle repeats several times. A few of the guns take a little more time and more rounds to silence, but in all your artillery crews manage to take out eight opposing pieces in all before the invading troops start to pull their artillery back. By then you also have mortars dropping rounds in high arcs and lobbing more flares into the air, the former cuts down on the amount of time it takes to wipe out each successive position while the latter makes it so that positions across the border in Tarsus can start to see what’s going on as well.

…

At sunrise, you meet with several of the officers to go over the events of the night. You can see burning wrecks of three armored vehicles which were being used to shell the fortress where you made your stand, along with four clusters of shell holes around where the other cannons were.

“Nine armored vehicles and four cannon emplacements,” one of the artillery captains observes. “By our count two hundred and fifty seven enemies deceased, thirty-nine captured.”

“On our end we’ve lost fifty-seven,” an infantry officer updates you. “Only seventeen significant injuries.”

“But there was fairly significant damage to the castle wall,” the artillery captain observes.

>We should take the initiative. Start trying to shell their supply lines.
>Setting traps has worked well for us. I’m open to suggestions for how.
>We should strengthen our positions, wait until my companions arrive.
>Other?

>>5419151
>We should strengthen our positions, wait until my companions arrive.

It would probably be best to intensify / begin reconnaissance so once support arrives we can immediately get to work.

>>5419151
>Setting traps has worked well for us. I’m open to suggestions for how.

>>5419151
>Other?
Agree with >>5419227 about conducting reconnaissance.
>We should take the initiative. Start trying to shell their supply lines.
But do not reveal too much about our own artillery positions in the process.
>Setting traps has worked well for us. I’m open to suggestions for how.
At least listen to suggestions. Perhaps some of the positions should be dug away from the obvious target called the castle.

>>5419151
>We should take the initiative. Start trying to shell their supply lines.
>We should strengthen our positions, wait until my companions arrive.

>>5419151
>>We should take the initiative. Start trying to shell their supply lines

Worked well for Ukraine, and this enemy has actual equipment worthy of the name

>>5419151
“We should take the initiative, starting today,” you declare firmly, having reached a decision. “I see no better way to go about that than to make it harder for the enemy to do the same to us tomorrow.”

“You mean to strike at their supply lines.”

You nod in agreement. “Precisely.”

“I think we can do that,” one of the artillery captains agrees. “But not from here. We need to move quickly.”

…

The idea, advanced by your artillery experts, is to relocate much of the artillery itself to the next fortress to the north, with a number of mortars positioned behind a low ridge running to the northwest of that hilltop. That gives them a little cover from any incoming fire from the north, while allowing riflemen to aim above them down onto the terrain where any counterattack would have to push through.

All afternoon, rounds fall sporadically around the main road through the region - and after a while even the emplacements in neighboring Tarsus start to get the message and target the same general area. Accuracy isn’t the best, but your forces definitely score a few hits and find themselves rewarded with massive secondary explosions (ammunition) or small fires (food and other supplies).

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 7, 2, 6 = 15 (3d10)

>>5420092

Rolled 6, 6, 7 = 19 (3d10)

>>5420092

Rolled 6, 4, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>5420092
At least we moved the guns.

>>5418270
The day passes with modest results from the shelling and no only a few losses on your side - one artillery crew suffers a near-miss, with shrapnel killing one and wounding three, and a few shells hit the fortifications causing some damage that will be difficult to repair in any sort of timely manner.

It’s not long after dark when you spy a welcome sight: eight cloaked riders with familiar great swords slung across their backs, riding through the streets of Rosemarkie towards the trailhead at the bottom of the hill. You’re there to meet them when they dismount - Helen, Valentina, Serana, Justina, Solaris, Reika, Alexandra, and Zara.

“You’re a most welcome sight,” you greet them cheerfully, embracing Valentina and Helen - being the closest two to your reach. “Come, there’s a lot to catch you up on.”

…

After reviewing the initial attack, the attempted nighttime infiltration, and the actions of the second day as well as their effects on the supply lines, and after detailing the contribution of your neighbors to the west, you pause to consider your options.

“Having you all here…” you frown. “Helen, we need to consider what we can do from here.”

“Agreed,” she nods. “It seems as if the best option would be covert disruptive actions, as usual… but looking down there? That will be difficult.”

>We could stick to what remains of the woods. Keep ourselves hidden from sight as much as possible.
>We need a cloudy night, with no moonlight. That will let us move over more open ground safely.
>I’m wondering how “covert” would truly work here… should they know that it was us who struck them?
>Other?

>>5421134
>I’m wondering how “covert” would truly work here… should they know that it was us who struck them?

>>5421134
>I’m wondering how “covert” would truly work here… should they know that it was us who struck them?

>>5421134
>I’m wondering how “covert” would truly work here… should they know that it was us who struck them?

>>5421134
>>I’m wondering how “covert” would truly work here… should they know that it was us who struck them?

>>5421134
“Does being ‘covert’ here actually work in our favor?” you wonder aloud. “I know it’s been our way of doing things for years, but does it even make sense anymore?”

“As opposed to letting them know it was us?” Helen muses thoughtfully.”Continue… to what end?”

“We must have a reputation by now,” you point out. “Knowing that we are here now in force should have a severe effect on the enemy’s will to fight.”

[What sort?] Serana flits through the signs.

“Demoralizing,” Justina summarizes.

“I agree, that’s the most likely result,” Valentina nods.

Serana seems to agree silently on the probabilities involved, though she does maintain some level of concern. [Still.]

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 9, 6, 1 = 16 (3d10)

>>5422409

Rolled 9, 1, 5 = 15 (3d10)

>>5422409

Rolled 1, 7, 9 = 17 (3d10)

>>5422409

>>5422409
“In any event,” you decide after considering it for a while, “the situation has changed since this morning, and it may change again by dawn. I think regardless of how we feel about making our involvement known, we should reassess the situation and choose our targets carefully before committing to anything.”

“Agreed,” Helen nods curtly. “We should be able to see much from here, but I think we should also go down towards those positions as well.”

“Captain,” you call for one of the artillery captains to come over and look out at what you’re looking at. “How dark is it down there?”

“Ma’am?” he asks in confusion.

“My sight is better than yours in the dark,” you clarify. “It’s how I called out targets last night. I want a better idea how dark it is for a normal person’s eyes.”

“Not quite pitch,” he replies. “I can make out some shapes.”

It will be brighter down there, once everything is up close. The light of the moon is faint but not covered by clouds, meaning that human eyes will be able to make out more than just the shapes your captain’s can.

>Wait for tomorrow night, hold out for better conditions for a covert action.
>Do a little bit of scouting work tonight, identify your targets, and act tomorrow night.
>Scout, but be aware of any targets of opportunity. You’re not fussed about keeping this secret.
>Other?

>>5423142
>Scout, but be aware of any targets of opportunity. You’re not fussed about keeping this secret.

>>5423142
>Do a little bit of scouting work tonight, identify your targets, and act tomorrow night.

>>5423142
>>Scout, but be aware of any targets of opportunity. You’re not fussed about keeping this secret.

>>5423142
>Scout, but be aware of any targets of opportunity. You’re not fussed about keeping this secret.

>>5423142
>>Scout, but be aware of any targets of opportunity. You’re not fussed about keeping this secret.

>>5423142
>3d10 best of four

Rolled 9, 5, 6 = 20 (3d10)

>>5425619

Rolled 2, 8, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>5425619

Rolled 7, 8, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>5425619

Rolled 2, 10, 2 = 14 (3d10)

>>5425619

>>5425619
The swift agreement is to head downslope and do some advance scouting under cover of night, to identify targets for a more dedicated attack. But the agreement is that if you find any targets that you can attack tonight in small groups, you should do so. You’re not overly concerned about keeping any of this a secret, since you’re not entirely convinced that letting the enemy know that your companions have arrived is a bad thing for your side - you can easily envision a situation where that information getting out would be immediately demoralizing.

There are nine of you in total, so you split into an unusual set of three teams of three. Helen leads one, Serana leads the second, and you lead the third - going with Helen are Alexandra and Justina, while Reika and Valentina go with Serana. That leaves your teammates as Zara and Solaris, one of the younger generation more recently folded into your band and the second awakened being to join your cause.

You take your team the furthest north, towards the extended supply lines feeding the invasion effort, having identified a low ridge that should afford you excellent views of the area.

“So,” Zara asks quietly, as you settle into a likely-looking spot near a granite outcrop along that ridge. “What are we looking for?”

“Things to explode,” you answer curtly. “Ammunition, food, weapons. Anything the enemy needs and we’d rather they not have.”

“Needs such as medical supplies?” Solaris points to a series of tents… the activities around them make it clear. Men unpack boxes marked with red crosses on white fields, young women seem to wash bandages in hot water, and the wounded are moved on stretchers between tents. It’s not as busy as it would be if this were a completely ‘fair’ battle, but there have definitely been casualties coming in consistently since the battle began.

“They may not make a good explosion,” Solaris muses. “But such a thing should be worth our attention, no?”

>Honestly… medical facilities should be off-limits. We’ll find a better target.
>Those supplies could really help our side… and many hands make light work.
>We need to be careful here. This calls for a light touch, not a bombardment.
>Other?

>>5425919
>Honestly… medical facilities should be off-limits. We’ll find a better target.

>>5425919
>Honestly… medical facilities should be off-limits. We’ll find a better target.

>>5425919
>>Honestly… medical facilities should be off-limits. We’ll find a better target.

>>5425919
>Those supplies could really help our side… and many hands make light work.

>>5425919
>>Honestly… medical facilities should be off-limits. We’ll find a better target.

>>5425919
“We’ll find a better target,” you insist, shaking your head. “As much as we could use the supplies, as hard a blow as we could strike, we shouldn’t resort to attacking a field hospital.”

After a moment, Solaris seems to relent. “I can understand your position… though in your place I would likely not place such emphasis on virtue.”

Zara sighs in apparent relief. “Sorry, I just wasn’t comfortable with that plan.”

“Well, since we can evidently agree on this,” Solaris muses, “what else can we find?”

…

There are a few other alternatives.

The first of these is an ammunition stockpile, heavily guarded and just outside of the range your cannon emplacements could reach tomorrow. If you wanted to strike here you would have to not only hold ground but launch a counteroffensive to get the guns in position. Second, there’s an observation post for what looks to be the beginnings of a counter-battery - a dug-in position from which the enemy can fire back at your fortifications from some cover of their own. This could turn into an artillery duel - a battle which, pound for pound, your forces would almost certainly lose under any fair circumstances.

Third, you spot a cluster of those armored gun-wagons the enemy likes to use as the heart of their major offensives. These seem to be in the process of refueling, marking this out as a major logistics node for the enemy offensive.

>See if you can cause some trouble at the ammo dump.
>That counter-battery could be trouble. Make sure it’s never finished.
>That fuel should burn nicely, and lacking it will cripple the enemy advance.
>Hold off for a moment, see what any other teams commit to.
>Other?

>>5426663
>That counter-battery could be trouble. Make sure it’s never finished.

If we can prevent reactive fire, little should stop us from hitting the other targets (since we should be able to move some of the guns forward should the situation permit), now that we know where the various points of interest are.

>>5426663
>See if you can cause some trouble at the ammo dump.

>>5426663
>That fuel should burn nicely, and lacking it will cripple the enemy advance.
Even if they win the battle here, it'd be pointless.

>>5426663
>>That counter-battery could be trouble. Make sure it’s never finished.

>>5426663
>>That counter-battery could be trouble. Make sure it’s never finished.

>>5426663
“... that counter-battery could be trouble,” you muse quietly.

“You’re thinking about tomorrow?” Zara wonders. “You’d rather not have those guns firing on your own positions… our positions, sorry. I mean, what?”

“Not quite,” you admit. “We’ll have a new list of targets to hit tomorrow, and it would be hard to redeploy under fire from a well-positioned counter-battery.”

“It seems you have this well considered,” Solaris agrees calmly. “What sort of an attack would you reckon will work best?”

“Explosions are always good,” you declare. “And there should be plenty of powder.”

“True,” Solaris nods. “But how does that square with your code of conduct?”

“That has me worried too,” Zara admits nervously. “Sorry, miss Noel.”

“It’s okay,” you sigh, reasoning through your options.

>You don’t need to dirty your hands, Zara.
>We need backup - a mortar strike can do the trick.
>We can foul the guns themselves. That will work.
>Other?

>>5427546
>We can foul the guns themselves. That will work.

>>5427546
>We can foul the guns themselves. That will work.

>>5427546
>>We can foul the guns themselves. That will work.

>>5427546
>We can steal the guns. Wouldn't that be funny?

>>5427546
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 6, 7, 10 = 23 (3d10)

>>5428715

Rolled 4, 7, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>5428715

Rolled 2, 4, 2 = 8 (3d10)

>>5428715

>>5428715
“We need to take care of those guns somehow,” you decide. “They’re the actual problem.”

“How would you typically slight a cannon?” Solaris asks you curiously. “Molten metal?”

“Usually copper down the bore,” you confirm. “Relatively cheap metal to get, and it melts easily enough.”

“Not something that will work here,” Zara sighs wistfully. “Were it only so easy!”

“It may actually be close,” you declare. “We can blow them up from inside.”

“They’re designed to withstand the powder charges that launch the shells,” Solaris points out. “How do you intend to cause sufficient damage?”

“Do you know what a ‘squib’ is?”

Solaris shakes her head. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the term… enlighten me.”

“It’s when a round has an insufficient charge to be propelled out of the barrel,” you explain. “It’s especially dangerous with a breech loader, since it’s possible to load a second round and fire a shell right into the one jammed into the bore - the results could be catastrophic.”

“You think that with some ‘help’ the enemy’s guns could suffer from the same sort of accident?” Zara realizes. “That’s… ambitious.”

“Are you sure about this?” Solaris asks you. “What if the crews learn from the first failure?”

“If I were their commander I would be aiming for as close to simultaneous a start to the barrage as possible,” you explain. “I think our odds are good that it will work, if we can set it up.”

>Split up. Speed will be key here.
>Work as a team. One spotter, two ‘sneaks’.
>Work as a duo, and the third should be ready with a ‘plan b’.
>Other?

>>5429647
>Work as a team. One spotter, two ‘sneaks’.

>>5429647
>>Work as a team. One spotter, two ‘sneaks’.

>>5429647
>>Work as a team. One spotter, two ‘sneaks’.

>>5429647
>Work as a team. One spotter, two ‘sneaks’.

>>5429647
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 6, 8, 4 = 18 (3d10)

>>5430327

Rolled 9, 9, 4 = 22 (3d10)

>>5430327

Rolled 4, 3, 1 = 8 (3d10)

>>5430327

Rolled 10, 9, 1 = 20 (3d10)

>>5430327

>>5430327
“One spotter, two sneaks,” you decide. “Solaris, you and I will sneak. Zara, you’ll serve as spotter.”

“Got it, miss Noel!” Zara replies immediately. “Leave it to me!”

“How are we going to do this?” Solaris wonders aloud. “Surely not with signal-calls?”

“We will loop around behind their position, so that we are facing this position,” you declare. “Zara, I assume you can see the area fairly clearly?”

“Yup.”

“Then you can use hand signs to communicate with us,” you decide. “We’ll keep our eyes out for any signal from you.”

…

The first part of the mission goes well. The moon isn’t casting full light on Zara’s position against the slope facing you, so without that illumination most people would not be able to see her. But as you separate from Solaris and draw closer to the position your enemy is trying to take up, you find that you can see Zara just well enough to make out what she’s doing with her hands.

[S, two, left. Twenty.]

Two men are apparently twenty feet ahead of Solaris and to her left - so this is working after all. Good to confirm it.

You manage to evade a few soldiers on your own, with confirmation of their movements from Zara helping to guide your steps, until you reach the first gun. There you briefly lose sight of Zara behind a low wall of sand-filled burlap bags as you open the breech and ram a stray shell into it. The gun design, as you’ve become familiar with the enemy’s heavier artillery, relies on a screw-type breech that allows the shell to be rammed into position first, then the powder charges to be loaded in through the screw, ensuring that everything is sealed off and properly-seated prior to firing. But you carefully time your sabotage to coincide with the rumble of a passing engine, which obscures the sound of you forcing a shell well past where it should normally sit, lodging it in the barrel and leaving it there for the morning.

One down, two to go.
>1/2

>>5430596
You carefully re-establish eye contact with Zara, who frantically signs at you.

[N, three coming, right!]

You slip away into the dark and wait for these three soldiers, who seem to be in no hurry, to pass.

>Hold tight. Just wait for them to go about their business.
>Try to get closer, see if you can eavesdrop on them.
>Keep moving, just do so as cautiously as you can.
>Other?

>>5430604
>Hold tight. Just wait for them to go about their business.

>>5430604
>>Try to get closer, see if you can eavesdrop on them.

>>5430604
>Try to get closer, see if you can eavesdrop on them.

>>5430604
>Try to get closer, see if you can eavesdrop on them.

>>5430604
>>Hold tight. Just wait for them to go about their business.
Sneaky covert mission

>>5430604
>>Hold tight. Just wait for them to go about their business.

>>5430604
>>Hold tight. Just wait for them to go about their business.

>>5430604
You hold back, staying in the deepest patch of darkness you can find behind a low clump of bushes for cover. It’s hard for you to hear any conversation, but eventually you can hear the mens’ voices grow more distant. Once you’re confident that you’re in the clear you steal out from your hiding place and continue to the next target.

Here you find another shell, an open breech screw, and lax security.

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 2, 7, 6 = 15 (3d10)

>>5431740

Rolled 10, 2, 1 = 13 (3d10)

>>5431740

Rolled 2, 7, 6 = 15 (3d10)

>>5431740

>>5431740
But this time, your timing is off. The noise you were counting on to cover for your sabotage ends more abruptly than you’d hoped when the gun-hauler reaches its destination and cuts its engine. It could have happened at a worse moment, but even as things stand the metallic grinding sound of the shell being lodged into the rifling of the cannon stands out on the night air. Metallic sounds always do - they hardly ever happen in nature after all, and so even the ears of an untrained human tend to hone in on them (even if that lack of training prevents the listener from reaching any meaningful conclusions about the source).

A voice, not too far away, pauses. Footsteps approach.

You’re not completely sure that the round is seated far enough into the weapon that the next shell placed into the breech won’t make contact at the base, giving a clear hint that something is amiss. You THINK you got it far enough, but on instinct the exposed noise you accidentally caused led you to recoil slightly earlier than you’d anticipated. So it’s possible that a particularly keen loader could notice something wrong.

But then again if the soldiers who are coming towards you find you here it’s definite that they’ll know something’s wrong.

>Fall back and move on to the next gun when you can. No way you’re risking getting caught.
>Pull out now. Even just a majority of guns exploding all at once tomorrow morning will help.
>Hold back, but slink back into this firing position when you can. Ensure the job was done right.
>Other?

>>5432679
>Hold back, but slink back into this firing position when you can. Ensure the job was done right.

>>5432679
>>Hold back, but slink back into this firing position when you can. Ensure the job was done right.

>>5432679
>>Fall back and move on to the next gun when you can. No way you’re risking getting caught.

>>5432679
>Hold back, but slink back into this firing position when you can. Ensure the job was done right.

>>5432679
>Hold back, but slink back into this firing position when you can. Ensure the job was done right.

>>5432679
Queen asked for 3d10s
Best of three

Rolled 4, 6, 2 = 12 (3d10)

>>5433536

Rolled 10, 1, 8 = 19 (3d10)

>>5433536

Rolled 2, 3, 6 = 11 (3d10)

>>5433536

>>5433536
There are two very different sorts of risk at this juncture - the first risk is clearly unacceptable, which is the risk of getting caught in the act. But the second kind of risk is in doing a shoddy job, and leaving something in a state that will undo all your preparations when the time finally comes.

So you have a decision to make, and you spend a significant amount of time waiting for a clear opportunity to get back to the same cannon from before and check to ensure that the job is properly done. Which, after pushing the round just a bit further at the soonest opportunity, you are satisfied it has.

But by the time you’ve finished, you get a sobering signal from Zara - that evidently, Solaris has finished her tasks and is returning to your meeting point. There are more soldiers now than when you started, and if you don’t wrap things up soon you’ll be running the risk of having to slink back to your own lines in the pre-dawn, increasing the risk that your group will be seen and fired on.

>Cut this off early, head out having only done two of the three you intended.
>Signal to Zara to signal to Solaris that you need help with the third and final gun.
>Keep at this until you’ve finished.
>Other?

>>5433611
>>Keep at this until you’ve finished.
Signal others to start withdrawing, having less of your retinue around should mean that the chance that they are spotted.

>>5433611
>>Signal to Zara to signal to Solaris that you need help with the third and final gun.

>>5433611
>Signal to Zara to signal to Solaris that you need help with the third and final gun.

>>5433611
>>Signal to Zara to signal to Solaris that you need help with the third and final gun.

>>5433769
Oh god damn it. Gimme a sec.

>>5433611
>3d10, best of three
Will update first thing in the morning.

Rolled 3, 1, 1 = 5 (3d10)

>>5434283

Rolled 7, 10, 8 = 25 (3d10)

>>5434283
>>5434298
Jesus christ

Rolled 3, 6, 10 = 19 (3d10)

>>5434283

>>5434283
You stand up, holding your hands over your head and showing Zara the signs asking her to ask Solaris to meet with you near the third gun that was your objective. It’s slow going, but eventually you manage to get close enough to her that you can explain the situation.

[I need your help with this one. There’s too much activity around it and I need a second spotter.]

Solaris nods in understanding. [Where do you need me?]

[That outcropping,] you reply, gesturing towards a pile of boulders half-buried in a low hill. From there Solaris will be able to see the area, and unlike the position where Zara has been you will be able to see her if she tries to get your attention. [Quickly but quietly please. We need to get turned around soon.]

[I can do that.]

…

When you can see that Solaris has gotten in position, you close in on the third and final gun. The problem here is that much of the area is exposed, and you have no direct line of sight on Zara’s position - so if you had tried this without Solaris to help, you would’ve been entirely alone. As it turns out you probably would have run into a patrol shortly after getting to the target, since they were moving from a direction you couldn’t see but that Solaris can. But with her help, you’re able to take shelter by the gun with a shell cradled in your arms.

It takes what feels like an eternity before there’s an opportunity to ram the round home without anyone overhearing, and once that’s done you withdraw to Solaris’ position, then the two of you both fall back with Zara to the meeting point where you’re supposed to reunite with the others.

“Let’s go,” you decide. “We can discuss the night’s actions once we’re back to safety.”
>1/2

>>5435174
The next morning you have your own positions start firing just before dawn, as you wait with your compatriots to see the results of your work. Sure enough, just as the daylight starts to fall on the hilltop fortresses, illuminating their target, the new positons open fire - and between the noise elsewhere on the battlefield and the synchronized nature of the offensive, all six guns explode from the first round loaded into their breeches striking rounds already jammed into the bores. Individual gun crews don't have time to process the fact that they've been victims of sabotage before they execute their orders, with disastrous results.

Between that, the sabotaged fuel stores that have leaked all over the ground and created a hazard in a large fuel depot (courtesy of Helen’s team) and the fact that Serana’s team tainted some of the water supplies that they found out there, this is set to be a miserable day for the invaders.

>Make things even worse, keep harassing fire on their forwardmost positions.
>With the counter-battery gone and fuel running low, you can counterattack to the north.
>An army without morale won’t fight. Continue striking cruel, but mostly nonlethal, blows.
>Other?

>>5435176
>An army without morale won’t fight. Continue striking cruel, but mostly nonlethal, blows.

>>5435176
>>With the counter-battery gone and fuel running low, you can counterattack to the north.

>>5435176
>With the counter-battery gone and fuel running low, you can counterattack to the north.
Low morale makes it easier to run, but you still need something to run from.

>>5435402
>makes it easier to run
It depends on if the point is to force a retreat then counterattack, or bog them down and force a surrender.

>>5435406
Still need something to surrender to. Harassment alone won't do this until they're out of food and water, so several days.

>>5435176
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 4, 2, 9 = 15 (3d10)

>>5435744

Rolled 7, 3, 7 = 17 (3d10)

>>5435744

Rolled 10, 10, 5 = 25 (3d10)

>>5435744

>>5435744
“Disruption to their fuel supplies and destroyed counter-batteries… that opens up an opportunity,” you decide. “If we launch a counterattack to the north we could position ourselves to sever the enemy’s supply lines.”

“Forcing them to withdraw from the southern front to try to secure those supply lines,” Helen muses.

Solaris nods once. “And that means they will be moving back into an area where multiple hilltop fortresses can overlap their fire.”

“Right on all counts,” you confirm. “I’ll give the order.”

…

Your comrades elect to support the effort by serving as porters, hauling cannons and mortars ammunition in pairs while the soldiers who will be crewing those weapons and the infantry who will secure the area around the firing positions scramble down the hillsides to the location you’ve previously noted. You yourself haul a cannon across your shoulders, sliding down rocky scree in a few places before you reach a flat spot.

“Here,” you order. “Set up here and fire down onto that pass you see in front of us.”

>Remain here for the time being. If there’s a counterattack, you and yours will need to haul the weapons back up slope.
>Maneuver into a position to ambush any potential counterattackers. Use it as an opportunity.
>Range further forwards, find more soft targets to sabotage like what Serana’s team did last night. Sow the seeds of chaos.
>Other?

>>5436147
>sow chaos
Can't resist this, someone else be sensible

>>5436147
>Remain here for the time being. If there’s a counterattack, you and yours will need to haul the weapons back up slope.

>>5436147
>>Range further forwards, find more soft targets to sabotage like what Serana’s team did last night. Sow the seeds of chaos.

>>5436147
There’s a golden opportunity here - Serana had a good idea last night in choosing not to attack per se, but to spread chaos. That chaos will not only make it harder for your enemy to create any offensive momentum in a very practical sense, but it will also crush their morale - a worthy goal in itself.

“I like where Serana took things last night,” you explain. “We’ll follow her example, sow a little more chaos for the enemy to have to deal with. Hopefully the effects will be just as pronounced as any military blow.”

“But how to go about doing so?” Valentina muses. “Thoughts?”
>An army marches on its stomach they say. Hitting food AFTER water would be devastating.
>We should keep them from resting. Build a smoky fire upwind from their positions.
>The most demoralizing thing is seeing an enemy in high spirits.
>Other?

>>5436971
>We should keep them from resting. Build a smoky fire upwind from their positions.

>>5436971
>>We should keep them from resting. Build a smoky fire upwind from their positions.

>>5436971
>We should keep them from resting. Build a smoky fire upwind from their positions.

>>5436971
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 3, 7, 2 = 12 (3d10)

>>5437690

Rolled 10, 1, 2 = 13 (3d10)

>>5437690

Rolled 6, 5, 8 = 19 (3d10)

>>5437690

>>5437690
“An army needs to be able to rest at some point,” you muse, carefully testing the wind and finding it more or less suitable. “Find me wood and weeds, as oily as you can.”

“Smoke?” Helen realizes. “I like it.”

…

A few piles of brush and logs later, and oily black smoke is wafting towards the enemy’s positions from where you’ve had your artillery crews position themselves. The wind is doing exactly what you needed it to… but unfortunately, the smoke is dispersing before it really causes any problems for any of the enemy positions.

“Well, at least it’s providing a screen?” Valentina tries to put a positive spin on it.

>She’s right. That’s unanticipated, but adequate. Time to let the guns do their work.
>It’s possible you could drive the flames themselves closer.
>Cover that could be used to further your goal - not quite ‘night’, but enough to screen your own approach.
>Other?

>>5437925
>Cover that could be used to further your goal - not quite ‘night’, but enough to screen your own approach.

>>5437925
>>Cover that could be used to further your goal - not quite ‘night’, but enough to screen your own approach.

ah well, better use it since we have it

>>5437925
>>Cover that could be used to further your goal - not quite ‘night’, but enough to screen your own approach.

>>5437925
“It may not be smoking them out,” you decide, “but it can give us cover.”

[To do more of what we did last night?] Serana asks you silently.

“That’s what I was thinking,” you confirm. “Similar, but not identical.”

“If our smoke won’t reach them from here, why not start a few more closer to their lines?” Valentina suggests.

“We could raid supplies,” Justina suggests, correctly noting that a loss of supplies would also cause the desired effect on your enemy.

Solaris seems to consider the question as well. “We could always try capturing an officer… a move like that could both deprive them of leadership and make them feel unsafe in their own camps.”

>Valentina’s idea is a logical next step. Smoke the bastards out.
>Justina has a point. Destroying supplies is a sound military strategy.
>Solaris had a bold plan. If it works, the effects could be devastating.
>Other?

>>5438644
>Justina has a point. Destroying supplies is a sound military strategy.

>>5438644
>Solaris has a bold plan
Don't mind me, just preparing more psychological warfare

>>5438644
>Solaris had a bold plan. If it works, the effects could be devastating.

>>5438644
>>Solaris had a bold plan. If it works, the effects could be devastating.

>>5438644
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 2, 6, 1 = 9 (3d10)

>>5439207

Rolled 4, 10, 4 = 18 (3d10)

>>5439207

Rolled 1, 10, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>5439207

Rolled 1, 2, 7 = 10 (3d10)

>>5439207
Prepare to be amazed!

>>5439362
Amazed how shit this roll was, God damn.

>>5438644
“That’s a bold idea,” you agree. “But for all the reasons you offered it has a lot of promise.”

“So, we’re going to kidnap an officer?” Valentina muses, before nodding. “Okay, I think we can make that work. But who will be going?”

[Fewer people would be better,] Serana offers her thoughts.

Justina nods once. “Agreed.”

“Serana,” you make your choice on the spot.

[Understood.]

“Then that leaves the question of how,” Valentina declares.

>We use the smoke as cover.
>We wait until nightfall.
>We launch a diversionary attack.
>Other?

>>5441318
>>We use the smoke as cover.

>>5441318
>We wait until nightfall.
The smoke doesn't reach the enemy lines so there aren't any officers under its cover.

>>5441318
>>We use the smoke as cover.

>>5441318
>>We wait until nightfall.

>>5441318
>We use the smoke as cover.

>>5441318
The smoke doesn’t quite offer cover all the way into the enemy’s back lines, which means it isn’t what you would call a perfect opportunity. But it does offer you a way to close the distance, crossing what would otherwise be exposed open ground. And that offers you a starting point.

After considering it for a few minutes, you come to a decision. “Serana, we’ll move under the smoke cover until we reach that copse, just to the northwest,” you declare, pointing out the first objective. “From there we’ll proceed through the tall grass, around to the northwest of the enemy position. You see that rocky outcropping?”

[I do.]

“We’ll use that as an observation point,” you tell her curtly, before issuing orders to the artillerymen nearby. “Valentina and Helen here will be observing us. When Helen gives you the order I want as much fire as you can bring to bear, aimed at that enemy position. Blind them to anything going on around them.”

…

You rush headlong into the smoke that offers you the closest thing you can expect to cover out in the open like this, the low-drifting clouds of ashen grey shrouding your movements. As you close the distance, maybe a mile or so, your ears start to pick out the reports of rifles being fired across the field - blind fire you realize, aimed in the general direction of your own Hazari position. A futile gesture, but a hazard to you and Serana. What would normally be something you could avoid is shrouded as the bullets enter the thicker smoke, where visibility is reduced. You see Serana take a hit to her left shoulder, while you take one through the ankle.

Thankfully this happens close to the trees where you planned to initially take cover, and you both throw yourselves to the ground and hide among the tall grass and the heather of the field. “Are you okay?”

After pulling the bullet out and tossing it aside, Serana offers you a response - since when you asked, her proverbial ‘mouth’ was full. [Hurts.]

If she can smart off like that she’s fine. You check your own wound and find that the bullet penetrated clean through, missing the bone: an easy and quick wound to heal from, for you at least. And since you’ll be crawling the rest of the way, not one that will slow you down significantly.

…

After what feels like hours where your artillery pounds the area blindly and you slither across the dirt like awkward snakes, you finally reach the observation point - up a small hill near the enemy position, not quite at the crest, tucked back amid several boulders surrounded by shrubs and gorse.
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 4, 8, 7 = 19 (3d10)

>>5442039

Rolled 8, 9, 2 = 19 (3d10)

>>5442039

Rolled 2, 4, 8 = 14 (3d10)

>>5442039

Rolled 10, 3, 6 = 19 (3d10)

>>5442039

Rolled 10, 9, 1 = 20 (3d10)

>>5442039
three 19's so far, can i get another one?

>>5442039
After observing for a short while, Serana nudges you and gestures towards a man with a fancier uniform, one with gold piping of an unusual degree.

“I see him,” you mutter. “Definitely an officer.”

[A Captain, yes?]

“I think so, yes.”

[Is he the one?]

>He should do.
>Let’s hold out for higher.
>Let’s wait for someone more vulnerable.
>Other?

>>5442802
>He should do.
Running into a whole captain on the frontline is already good luck.

>>5442802
>>He should do.

Rolled 7, 8, 7 = 22 (3d10)

Queen wants rolls, 3d10 bo3

Rolled 1, 2, 1 = 4 (3d10)

>>5443221

Rolled 4, 5, 7 = 16 (3d10)

>>5443221

>>5443221
[He should do,] you sign back to Serana. [We can’t expect better.]

…

After continuing to observe, until you find that you’re confident in your understanding of the situation, you decide to make your move.

He has no special guard. It’s just a matter of catching him while he’s separated from any of the gunnery crews.

>Knock him unconscious. He’ll be much more compliant.
>Secure him, then subdue some of the artillery crews.
>Just do whatever it takes to make this as fast as possible.
>Other?

>>5443737
>Knock him unconscious. He’ll be much more compliant.

>>5443737
>Just grab and overpower him
After I learned that concussion-caused unconsciousness of 5 minutes or longer practically guarantees brain damage, I stopped voting for knocking people out.

>>5443737
>>Just do whatever it takes to make this as fast as possible.

>>5443737
>>Knock him unconscious. He’ll be much more compliant.

>>5443737
You know that you have to move swiftly the instant you spot the opportunity. When the captain steps away into the stand of trees to relieve himself, you know that’s your cue to move in, swift and silent as passing shadows. Mere moments after he buttons his fly and turns to walk back to his unit he finds himself the victim of a cleverly-applied blood choke - the sort of submission move that half-blooded warriors tend to favor when the situation calls for such measures. By covering his mouth and compressing the right spots on the victim’s neck you cut the flow of blood to his brain, and starve it of oxygen. In just fifteen seconds or so you put him out cold, without having to risk applying much in the way of physical strength (which if done carelessly could have popped his head off like a cork), and release him.

[Nicely done,] Serana muses. [He’s still breathing right?]

You quickly check. [Yes.]

The next step is to gag the man and haul him off, at first by throwing him over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes and slinking off through the trees. But then you’re forced to tie him further and crawl with him tied to your back so that you can hide among the tall grasses and shrubs. Eventually you make it back to your own lines, and splash cold water on the captain’s face.

“Wake up,” you demand. “You shouldn’t be napping.”

After a moment he stirs, then starts as he realizes that his hands are bound and that he’s been gagged.

“Valentina, if you will?”

Valentina takes the gag out of his mouth, and he immediately starts in on you. “How dare…”

“Valentina?”

Valentina immediately re-gags the man, who looks incredulous.

“We captured you,” you inform him. “Now we just need to decide what we want to do to you.”

“We could interrogate him,” Valentina offers. “That could be useful.”

“A loser like this probably knows little,” Solaris counters, “and will share less, unless you wish to dirty your hands.”

“Ransom, maybe,” Justina muses.

Helen seems amused by the thought. “We could see what an artillery captain gets us.”

“Less incoming fire,” Zara observes - the artillery unit has probably realized by now that they’re missing an officer, and the pace of the incoming fire has slowed dramatically.

>Let’s interrogate him, but gently.
>Hand him off to the regular troops, let them work on him.
>I like the ransoming idea. It’s repeatable, and actually sounds kinda fun.
>Other?

>>5444809
>>I like the ransoming idea. It’s repeatable, and actually sounds kinda fun.
Plus, if we announce this loudly enough, the other soldiers on their side will VERY FAST learn how much they actually mean to the brass, thats can only break morale.

>>5444809
>Hand him off to the regular troops, let them work on him.

>>5444809
>>I like the ransoming idea. It’s repeatable, and actually sounds kinda fun.
same reasoning as >>5444813

>>5444809
“I think Helen’s right,” you admit. “Ransoming him back to the enemy actually sounds kind of fun - and it’s repeatable, too.”

“Mphmmh!?” the captain interjects, staring at you in dismay.

“So how are we going to do this?” Helen asks you curiously. “I guess we could carry him out into the open under a ‘flag of truce’ sort of deal?”

The captain turns his attention to Helen. “Fwhhmmhrrmm!?”

“Makes sense,” Justina agrees.

“Unless anyone has any other ideas?” Valentina adds.

“Bhmhhh-hmm! Bhmhhh-hmm!” the captain insists.

“See, he thinks it’s a great plan,” you smile.

“MWHHH!?”

“This was funny at first,” Solaris sighs, “but now it’s getting annoying.”

“Mhmh!” the captain seems to agree, before trying to stand up and falling over onto his side.

“And now it’s funny again,” Solaris admits.

“Valentina,” you ask, “if you will?”

Valentina removes the gag again. “They’ll shoot us both if you do that,” he protests. “They’re under orders to shoot you on sight, no matter what.”

“Then you’ll just have to order them to do otherwise,” you insist curtly. “For your own sake I mean. If they shoot at me, I’ll simply dodge.”

“Don’t be daft, you can’t dodge bullets,” he insists.

“It’s easy,” you assure him. “All you need is to know where the bullets will be and simply not be there.”
>1/2

>>5445669
He seems to be stuck between disbelief and the nagging fear that you can actually do the sort of ridiculous things you’ve implicitly told him you’re capable of. ‘Strategic ambiguity’, some of the old texts call this.

>Can we count on you to arrange a temporary cease-fire for your safe return?
>If you don’t like our plan, propose one of your own. Show us some good faith.
>We could always send a message another way - and no, I don’t mean anything sinister.
>Other?

>>5445671
>>We could always send a message another way - and no, I don’t mean anything sinister.
"If you have a specific idea how that could work we're all ears."

>>5445671
>If you don’t like our plan, propose one of your own. Show us some good faith.

>>5445671
>If you don’t like our plan, propose one of your own. Show us some good faith.

>>5445671
>>We could always send a message another way - and no, I don’t mean anything sinister.

>>5445671
“We could always send a ‘message’ to our enemy,” you muse, weighing the options in your mind… until you notice that the captain has gotten even more nervous. “Not like that, I mean an actual message offering terms.”

“... oh.”

“Listen, if you have a better idea,” you offer testily, “feel free to share. Otherwise keep your mouth shut. You’re not exactly facilitating the process here.”

“Very well,” the captain replies stiffly. “I agree with your plan to send a message. My question to you, however, is who will be the messenger? Knowing of course that the messenger will be fired upon without question or hesitation?”

>I’ll do it, naturally. I wouldn’t ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t, and that principle applies here.
>Simple. I tie the message to a rock, awaken my right arm, and throw the rock. I just have to aim carefully.
>We’ll sneak in under cover of night. That strategy has worked for us before, no reason to think it won’t this time.
>Other?

>>5446030
>Simple. I tie the message to a rock, awaken my right arm, and throw the rock. I just have to aim carefully.

>>5446030
>>Simple. I tie the message to a rock, awaken my right arm, and throw the rock. I just have to aim carefully.

>>5446030
>Simple. I tie the message to a rock, awaken my right arm, and throw the rock. I just have to aim carefully.

>>5446030
>Simple. I tie the message to a rock, awaken my right arm, and throw the rock. I just have to aim carefully.

>>5446030
“It’s simple,” you insist. “All I need to do is tie the message to a rock, awaken my right arm, and throw it. The only tricky bit is making sure I don’t accidentally kill anyone with the rock.”

“You’re joking.”

“Not at all,” you assure the captain. “Though really, the threat depends a little on the nature of the rock.”

…

You select a likely candidate, write out a fairly simple message explaining the absence of their commanding officer and the conditions for meeting in the open between your positions to negotiate for his release. After judging the wind and flooding yōki into your right arm, you hurl the stone in a long arc towards the enemy’s line. You watch it bounce off a tree behind those dug-in positions in a spray of bark before coming down to the ground.

Then, you simply have to wait for their reply.

“... do you think they’ll come?” Valentina wonders aloud after several minutes of doubt.
>3d10, best of three

>>5446944

Rolled 7, 4, 9 = 20 (3d10)

>>5446944
>>5446996
I succeeded at the captcha so quickly that I forgot to roll

Rolled 7, 2, 4 = 13 (3d10)

>>5446944

>>5446999
That's what we like to call a catastrophic success.

Rolled 2, 7, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>5446944

>>5446944
“Ah, there they come,” you insist with a wry grin, watching two men clamber out of their trench with a white flag. “We’ll go light. Helen, if you don’t mind?”

“The rest of us should stay here,” Helen agrees. “I’ll hang back with the Captain and wait for your signal, Noel. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

…

“You have our captain,” a man who turns out to be a more junior officer insists loudly as you approach. He’s much more clean-cut than most - a career soldier, you’d reckon. “We want him back.”

“Yes, well, we all have things we want,” you reply calmly.

The junior officer scowls. “So I take it to mean that you intend to ransom our commander back to us?”

“That’s correct,” you nod. “It may seem backwards to your more ‘advanced’ sensibilities, but ransom in warfare is a tradition here. A more civilized way of getting the things we want than simply slaughtering you all and taking it.”

A pause. “Moving beyond that rather insane threat, what is it you want?”

>Nothing outrageous: simply leave my people’s lands and never return. (Start High)
>I want you to withdraw from the area, leaving a fraction of your equipment.
>One artillery captain for one artillery piece. That's my price. (Set Precedent)
>Other?

>>5448451
>Other?
Politely ask why a junior officer is parleying. Does he even have the authority to accept our demands? Who sent him?
Either we get some intel, or learn that our captain was the top commander here and can change the negotiations.

>>5448451
>I want you to withdraw from the area, leaving a fraction of your equipment.

>>5448451
>>I want you to withdraw from the area, leaving a fraction of your equipment.

>>5448451
>>I want you to withdraw from the area, leaving a fraction of your equipment.

>>5448451
“First thing,” you muse, “you would be a junior officer, correct? Am I to understand that a junior officer has the authority to treat with a queen? What weight do your words carry?”

“In the absence of our captain I command this detachment,” the junior officer insists. “In the absence of his direct orders to the contrary, duty demands his men will follow mine.”

“You may have him back under these terms,” you declare. “Firstly, that you take your men and withdraw immediately - upon your actions tomorrow I lay no obligation. Secondly, that you leave a certain portion of your weaponry behind.”

“You ask much for one officer.”

“It may seem a steep cost, however more than one life hangs in the balance here.”

“And if we refuse your deal?” the junior officer demands. “What’s more, if we decide to violate our deal, what enforcement mechanisms do you think you have?”

>Sneaking behind your lines and sowing chaos is almost like a game to us. Refuse our bargain and the game will resume in earnest.
>Do either of those things and it will cease to be a game. The regular military will not be in such a playful mood with our captives.
>Then this invasion of yours will be crushed and driven back, to drown either in the sea or in your own blood. Starting here.
>Other?

>>5449213
>Other?
Then the fight continues to your disadvantage and the bodies of your men continue to rot. You should at least give them a proper burial.

>>5449213
>Other?
Then we will execute this commander and kidnap each new one in turn. You're the next one, right?

>>5449213
>>5449287
we don't need to excute them, but they also don't need to know that.

>>5449213
>Sneaking behind your lines and sowing chaos is almost like a game to us. Refuse our bargain and the game will resume in earnest.

>>5449213
>>Sneaking behind your lines and sowing chaos is almost like a game to us. Refuse our bargain and the game will resume in earnest.
"If this continues, we'll stop treating it as a [i]game[/i].

>>5449213
“Sneaking behind your lines and causing chaos has become like a game to us,” you muse. “The objective being not only to hinder your efforts but to humiliate, and to demoralize. Give us a reason to, and we may just have to stop treating this as a game.”

“Oh?” the junior officer replies with a scowl. “How could this ‘game’ of yours become anything but a nuisance?”

“Well, it’s quite simple,” you smirk, meeting his eyes and setting him ill at ease. “Instead of castor oil in your cooking supplies it could be poison. Instead of cutting the fuel lines in your armored gun carriers we could rig them to explode. Instead of capturing your officers we could simply make them disappear.”

"Far more than your pride and your morale could be on the line, should you but give us a compelling reason to see your actual suffering."

Not that you're to the point of being willing to kill them outright - that would as ever be a step too far. But there are plenty of steps short of that left for you to explore should your hand be forced.
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 6, 1 = 17 (3d10)

>>5450138

Rolled 3, 10, 3 = 16 (3d10)

>>5450138

Rolled 6, 10, 10 = 26 (3d10)

>>5450138

>>5450186
You are a hero

>>5450138
After several tense moments, the junior officer turns over his shoulder and gestures widely towards his own lines. A second man emerges from a trench carrying a piece of paper fastened to a thin wooden board and a pen, joining the officer out in the open.

“Sir.”

“Take this down,” the junior officer demands before turning his attention back to you. “So, you mentioned that you wanted our unit to abandon certain equipment as part of this ransom. What do you want?”

>Just one cannon.
>Your small arms.
>Every fifth cannon and rifle.
>Half.
>Other?

>>5450980
>Every fifth cannon and rifle.

>>5450980
>>Every fifth cannon and rifle.

>>5450980
>>Every fifth cannon and rifle.

>>5450980
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 4, 9, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>5451752

Rolled 9, 5, 8 = 22 (3d10)

>>5451752

Rolled 4, 8, 9 = 21 (3d10)

>>5451752

>>5451752
So here's a brief tangentially related notice, copied from my other thread for those who don't cross-post in both: I'll be deactivating my Twitter account in the next few days and relying solely on links/announcements in thread to keep people updated on my plans as well as posts in my discord. A permanent link to said discord and to relevant archives will be added to my usual OP formatting, and last updates in each thread will link to the new thread more reliably.

There are three reasons for this. First, all the news outlets I followed have gone over to subscription models and all the QMs I followed have been inactive for years, so I haven't gotten anything out of it since before the pandemic. Second, my (notionally) daily update schedule really makes Twitter updates a little redundant - if you know where the thread is, you can be pretty sure any given day will have an update or two, spaced apart, to be read/voted on at your leisure. Finally, I don't really feel the need to help the richest man in the world cover the interest payments on his own bad investment decision, so now's a good time to do the thing I was already leaning towards doing.

I don't anticipate this having any practical effect, but I did want to give fair notice so nobody goes looking for me on Twitter only to get confused when my handle is gone.

>>5451752
“What I want is for you and everyone else who came with you to this island to completely disarm and go home,” you growl, “and leave us in peace. What I’ll settle for is one-fifth.”

“One-fifth,” the officer repeats. “As in, every fifth cannon we have?”

“And every fifth rifle as well,” you insist curtly. “Yes, I know what I said.”

“And if we refuse?” he crosses his arms.

“Then we’ll take all of your weapons,” you answer, “along with the lives of any among you who refuse to lay them down.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“We came here to,” you counter.

The junior officer regards you with a frown, clearly weighing his options. On the one hand, it would be a humiliating retreat with a loss of materiel that treads a fine line between acceptable and unacceptable. The alternative is just a threat at the moment, but a concerning one - he has to consider the possibility that your side has the capacity to do exactly what you threatened. The one permutation that’s totally out of the question is a complete victory, and he seems to realize that.

So instead, he eventually chooses the terms of his defeat.

“How do you want to handle this?”

>We will release your officer first as a show of good will. Know that any betrayal will lead to immediate repercussions.
>Bring out the weapons we agreed upon, and leave them in the open. That way even if you betray us we can destroy them.
>We get the weapons first, then you get your man and withdraw. We’re the ones with the moral high ground here.
>Other?

>>5453059
>>Bring out the weapons we agreed upon, and leave them in the open. That way even if you betray us we can destroy them.

>>5452650
>>Bring out the weapons we agreed upon, and leave them in the open. That way even if you betray us we can destroy them.

>>5453059
>Bring out the weapons we agreed upon, and leave them in the open. That way even if you betray us we can destroy them.

>>5453059
“Bring out the guns we want,” you order. “Then even if you betray our good faith, we can at least destroy those weapons with a targeted barrage.”

You turn and flash hand signs back to your fellow warriors. [Have our artillery target where I’m standing and wait.]

“Where are we to take those weapons?” the junior officer asks you.

“Right here,” you reply. “We’ll make the exchange out in the open.”

“Understood.”

…

“I can’t believe you agreed to this,” the captain grumbles once the guns have all been assembled.

“Big talk from the man who was captured right out of our own command post,” the junior officer rebuts. “I made the decision I thought would get the least of our men killed.”

“We’ll discuss this issue later,” the captain declares. “Don’t think this is over.”

You signal for your comrades to start recovering the cannons first - you decided to only have two of you in the field at a time, so that if the enemy starts firing on you fewer will be exposed and have to scamper for cover.
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 10, 8, 9 = 27 (3d10)

>>5454782

Rolled 6, 4, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>5454782

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5454782

Rolled 5, 5, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>5454782
Whoops

Rolled 3, 6, 6 = 15 (3d10)

>>5454782

>>5454782
Your instinct is to hurry your comrades along in their task, and so you silently urge them to form pairs and keep up a constant rotation - each team of two leaves the moment the previous team turns around, and they pass each other, hustling the whole way. A half-blooded warrior can move swiftly even under heavy burdens should it be needed, and in this case your instincts prove to have been right on the mark. Your enemy sees you hurrying and do the same, betraying their intent to open fire on you as soon as they’re able.

For that reason you find yourself awakening both your arms and your legs and hoisting one of the three cannons over your shoulders, running all the way back along with Justina and Valentina, the second team.

“That’s disappointing,” you grumble as you drop the cannon near your own stunned troops. “Not surprising mind you, just disappointing.”

“Good call,” Helen nods in approval, having hauled her cannon all the way here together with Solaris. “We left the rifles behind though.”

“The rifles were an afterthought anyway,” you admit, giving the signal for your own artillery to fire on the location where you left the other guns. “Between those and the cannons I choose the cannons to reuse ourselves.”

“Much more impact,” Justina nods.

[What next?] Serana signs to you.

>We wait for nightfall and deal with this unit ourselves. We do need ammunition, after all.
>We continue trading fire for the time being. Try to create an opening for infantry to advance.
>We withdraw to a better position to hold for the night. Then we counterattack at dawn.
>Other?

>>5455753
>>We wait for nightfall and deal with this unit ourselves. We do need ammunition, after all.

>>5455753
>We wait for nightfall and deal with this unit ourselves. We do need ammunition, after all.

>>5455753
>We wait for nightfall and deal with this unit ourselves. We do need ammunition, after all.

>>5455753
“We’ll wait for nightfall,” you decide with a wry grin. “Then we’ll respond to this betrayal… we do need ammunition for these new guns, after all.”

There are a lot of smiles at the thought, and very soon arrangements are being made to bring porters down to your position just after nightfall when the incoming fire from your enemy’s position ceases.

…

“They’ll be on guard,” Helen admits with a frown. “We’ve taken them by surprise too many times to expect otherwise.”

“I agree completely,” you nod once. “If we want to avoid this turning into a disaster we’ll need to exercise caution.”

>I suggest we cause a distraction. One team causes trouble behind the lines and the other goes after the supplies we want.
>We’ll time our moves together with artillery barrages as cover, both going in and coming back again.
>We’ll just have to be extra cautious. Take a more circuitous route, eliminate noise, and so forth. Double down on stealth.
>Other?

>>5457053
>I suggest we cause a distraction. One team causes trouble behind the lines and the other goes after the supplies we want.

>>5457053
>>I suggest we cause a distraction. One team causes trouble behind the lines and the other goes after the supplies we want.

>>5457053
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 10, 2, 3 = 15 (3d10)

>>5458173

Rolled 6, 10, 3 = 19 (3d10)

>>5458173

Rolled 1, 2, 4 = 7 (3d10)

>>5458173

>>5458173
“A distraction here would work wonders,” you declare. “They’re expecting us to do something in repayment for their betrayal, I say we show them what they want to see.”

“How do we define each of those things?” Helen wonders aloud. “I strongly suspect that what we want to do and what they expect us to do are remarkably similar.”

You consider that problem, before opening up the question to your companions. It’s Serana who offers her thoughts first. [Misdirect them as to type of response.]

“That’s good,” Valentina replies with a nod. “Make them think we’re pursuing a more militaristic, ‘destroy-the-enemy’ type of attack, when in reality we’re going for more of a ‘steal-their-stuff-and-laugh-at-them’ sort of raid.”

“I like both the original idea and the way you phrased it,” you confess. “Any further insights from either of you?”

“Ah, that’s a good question,” Valentina admits. “And I have to say I don’t quite have a feel for the strategic picture here, sorry.”

“Strategic picture…” Justina repeats, having clearly latched onto something.

You think you see where she’s going with that. Helen sees it too.

“You’re saying we should think of it from the perspective of an enemy strategist,” she clarifies. “Determine the attack they would most fear, present that as a feint, and then launch our raid once the enemy commits to defending against the feint.”

“Not bad,” you muse.

>The feint should be well behind their lines, towards the direction of their rear command posts.
>If we attack their nearest reinforcements, we could play off their fear of becoming isolated.
>I think we need to convince them an infantry drive is about to cut them off. We need help here.
>Other?

>>5459421
>The feint should be well behind their lines, towards the direction of their rear command posts.
I bet the commander we returned took back command and ordered this betrayal. And what did we promise him? Another raid of the same nature. He's probably fearing for his life now.

>>5459421
>>The feint should be well behind their lines, towards the direction of their rear command posts.

>>5459421
>>The feint should be well behind their lines, towards the direction of their rear command posts.

>>5459421
>The feint should be well behind their lines, towards the direction of their rear command posts.

>>5459421
“The feint should be directed at their command post,” you eventually decide, “well behind their lines.”

Helen nods in agreement. “I was thinking along similar lines.”

“Why’s that?” Zara asks curiously. “Teach me, Miss Helen, Miss Noel!”

“It plays on their fears,” you explain. “We’ve made it clear that we can strike behind their lines with an ease that probably caught them off guard, so it’s likely that the first thing they would do in that circumstance is protect whatever they deemed the highest value.”

“And the thing many generals view as having the ‘highest value’ is, of course, generals,” Helen completes the thought. “They’ll be on guard against a decapitating strike, and their whole force will know it. A feint that would validate such concerns would almost certainly demand a response.”

“And when they do, we make our real move,” you conclude.

“What sort of ‘feint’ should we be considering?” Valentina muses.

“Explosives,” Justina immediately suggests.

Serana is quick to agree. [Nothing more distracting.]

“I would be wary of such extremes,” Helen admits with a frown. “This is after all meant as a distraction, and I’m certain other options with lower risk of mass casualties could be made to work.”

>I agree with Helen on this one. We need to keep this well within our own rules.
>I think explosives can be made into a convincing feint without breaking our rules.
>Let’s consider adjusting - help the Hazari troops strike the enemy command post.
>Other?

>>5460440
>I think explosives can be made into a convincing feint without breaking our rules.

>>5460440
>I think explosives can be made into a convincing feint without breaking our rules.

>>5460440
>>I think explosives can be made into a convincing feint without breaking our rules.

>>5460440
>I agree with Helen on this one. We need to keep this well within our own rules.

>>5460440
“I think we can make this work to our advantage,” you muse, a thought in your mind blossoming into a plan. “A double-feint.”

“I see,” Helen nods, before clarifying. “The plan would be to use explosives to make the enemy think we’re feinting - position them in such a way that there is little risk of unnecessary collateral, but that they make the enemy think we’re preparing to attack their command position.”

“That was my thinking,” you confirm.

“What positioning would achieve that effect?” Valentina wonders.

>We’ll need up to date information on their deployments. We’ll send a team to scout in advance of our strike teams.
>Their armored vehicles would be a good target if we make the ‘attack’ a convincing stand in for a distraction.
>If we were going to attack the command post, I’d want to bomb several locations and cause widespread chaos.
>Other?

>>5461664
>Their armored vehicles would be a good target if we make the ‘attack’ a convincing stand in for a distraction.

>>5461664
>>Their armored vehicles would be a good target if we make the ‘attack’ a convincing stand in for a distraction.

>>5461664
>We’ll need up to date information on their deployments. We’ll send a team to scout in advance of our strike teams.

>>5461664
>Their armored vehicles would be a good target if we make the ‘attack’ a convincing stand in for a distraction.

>>5461664
“We’ve established a pattern of attacking their armored vehicles while at rest,” you reason. “Doing so again could serve to give us two chances at a successful feint.”

“How so?” Zara wonders aloud.

“If we launch a small, marginally successful attack far away from their command post,” you reason as your companions, most notably Helen, listen intently, “they may assume the scale and modest impact mean it’s a feint to draw defenders away from our real target. Otherwise, they assume it was a legitimate target and allow their forces to reposition.”

[Either way we win,] Seana nods.

“I like it,” Helen agrees, “so unless anyone has anything to add I propose we get started,”
3d10, best of four

Rolled 3, 1, 4 = 8 (3d10)

>>5462916

Rolled 8, 1, 4 = 13 (3d10)

>>5462916

Rolled 8, 3, 10 = 21 (3d10)

>>5462916

Rolled 6, 1, 8 = 15 (3d10)

>>5462916

>>5463652
New thread
Kind of short OP cause we left off at an awkward point, but it should pick up from here.