"You are watching BNN, Brython News Network!" The words bouncing around the empty classroom, "Following President Saie'di's invasion of the tiny nation of Hajazz, Alliance forces have mustered along the border to drive out the Ashuri Ground Forces." You remembered the words that you told yourself back in the officer's academy: the best officers ensure the least amount of losses are required to accomplish their objectives. Pulling some strings, you managed to get your hands on an excerpt about yourself that higher-ups would look at before shuffling you around on your first combat experience.>Name:[Lucian Bedford] >Formation:[Taskforce Dragoon]>Note:[Following the family tradition of the Saphidic North West from the Unified Estates of Merica, he copied his father and uncle, who would become officers in the Merico Army. Unfortunately, the stubby horns on his head are a dead giveaway to Tiefling ancestry, and he would face constant bullying from his peers. We believe that this has led to him being more than willing to take offensive options when given the chance. For this operation, such a trait will be a boon.] >Difficulty:[Wolf] This is a traditional story of leading multi-national troops of the Alliance through a progressively harder war with plenty of firepower to compensate for any mistakes. Where things may get stuck, you can always rely on brute strength to overpower your opponents.>Name:[Emilio d'Armas] >Formation:[14e Legionnaire Chasseur]>Note:[Although coming from potionally organized crime, his relatively rapid progress shows that he is one of the brighter graduates. The Extérieur Légion and the proud tradition of allowing any foreigner membership has worked in our favor this time. This operation will be the first time in over 2 decades that the Legion will be facing conventional warfare. We need officers who will think outside the box since we won't have an endless supply of resources at our disposal.]>Difficulty:[Fox] The Ashuri Ground Forces you will face will outnumber you. They are entrenched, and you will be progressing through unfavorable terrain. You must be able to outwit and outmaneuver enemy forces if your Alliance forces are to stand a chance. Thankfully, at least all your troops speak the same language.>Name:[Alif Başir]>Note:[Confirmed to be of Elfri ancestors, clan Başir is the direct line of the Mamaluk slave warriors from the time of the Ozerman Empire. It should come as no surprise that, like her mother, her grandmother, and all the mothers before her, she would have some tie to the military. Make sure she doesn't rise too far in the ranks. Her aunt, Derya Başir, was a member of the 4th army coup back in the 70's. We must keep an eye on her.
>>6149801>Name:[Alif Başir]>Note:[Confirmed to be of Elfri ancestry, clan Başir is the direct line of the Mamaluk slave warriors from the time of the Ozerman Empire. It should come as no surprise that, like her mother, her grandmother, and all the mothers before her, she would have some tie to the military. Make sure she doesn't rise too far in the ranks. Her aunt, Derya Başir, was a member of the 4th army coup back in the 70's. We must keep an eye on her.>Formation:[138th MechanizedAirborne]>Difficulty:[Snake] You are facing the combined might of 5 different nations with firepower and technology outmatched. Your enemy has spent the past months annihilating your air force. There is not much one can hope of winning this conflict. You must use any advantage on hand to win at all costs. Who knows, maybe later on, something can turn the tide.>Name:[Miriam Ali]>Formation:[109th Armored Presidential Guard]>Note:[Confirmed to be of Elfri ancestry, she is a distant relative of our Supreme President. There are high expectations for Ali here, as we need some sort of evidence to bump her up the ranks. Apparently, there are leaks of Alliance spies targeting certain officers within the Presidential Guard for assassination or defection. Keep Domestic Affairs agents on Ali for protection or elimination.]>Difficulty:[Suicidal] You and your tanks are the best-equipped forces in all of the Aushri Ground Forces. Unfortunately, Alliance forces know this as well, and this will leave a giant bullseye on your back. Enemy aircraft will be actively hunting down your tanks throughout the entire war, and all firepower will be focused on you. The best hope you have at the end of this war is to survive.I will answer any questions about the story and the setting so far. This story will focus on the characters and outwitting your opponents rather than on statistics or technical specifics, although they do play a minor role in the quest (so keep that in mind).Please vote by writing the officer's name:
>>6149802>Name:[Miriam Ali]>Formation:[109th Armored Presidential Guard]>Note:[Confirmed to be of Elfri ancestry, she is a distant relative of our Supreme President. There are high expectations for Ali here, as we need some sort of evidence to bump her up the ranks. Apparently, there are leaks of Alliance spies targeting certain officers within the Presidential Guard for assassination or defection. Keep Domestic Affairs agents on Ali for protection or elimination.]>Difficulty:[Suicidal] You and your tanks are the best-equipped forces in all of the Aushri Ground Forces. Unfortunately, Alliance forces know this as well, and this will leave a giant bullseye on your back. Enemy aircraft will be actively hunting down your tanks throughout the entire war, and all firepower will be focused on you. The best hope you have at the end of this war is to survive.HARDEST difficulty or no balls
>>6149802>Miriam Ali>Suicidal
>>6149809Shit. Eternal hall of shame. How in the actual fuck did forget to change my name?
>>6149802>>Name:[Miriam Ali]>>Formation:[109th Armored Presidential Guard]>>Note:[Confirmed to be of Elfri ancestry, she is a distant relative of our Supreme President. There are high expectations for Ali here, as we need some sort of evidence to bump her up the ranks. Apparently, there are leaks of Alliance spies targeting certain officers within the Presidential Guard for assassination or defection. Keep Domestic Affairs agents on Ali for protection or elimination.]>>Difficulty:[Suicidal] You and your tanks are the best-equipped forces in all of the Aushri Ground Forces. Unfortunately, Alliance forces know this as well, and this will leave a giant bullseye on your back. Enemy aircraft will be actively hunting down your tanks throughout the entire war, and all firepower will be focused on you. The best hope you have at the end of this war is to survive.Only due to the absolute bonkers difficulty and the hopeless situation.
>>6149802>>Name:[Miriam Ali]Do or die
>>6149802>Name:[Alif Başir]
>>6149802>Name:[Miriam Ali]I agree, we anons do love the mystery/pain box option. Alif would be a close second, especially if it xas actual air combat, but hey, we actually get cool toys here, just have to live long enough to keep using them. And if not, then we'll make sure the Alliance fools on the other side remember this fight.> inb4 the not!Americans handpick us as the leader of a pro-not!Western military junte to replace outr more famous relative using our prestige from the war and our maybe lack of war crimes. That could be funny too!
>>6149802>Name:[Alif Başir]I like this more. Not are we only faced against foreign armies, we also must resist internal politicking.
>>6149802>Name:[Miriam Ali]
>>6149802>Captain Miriam Ali"Come on, we have to leave the building!" you had to yell to get your subordinates to respond. All the officers had been using the classroom whiteboard to write out and draw the situation at hand. Sometimes, the ceiling shook from the jets that thundered over the school, although you were confident that Alliance forces weren't willing to bomb schools and hospitals.Lieutenant Hisham was a dower older officer who fought in the last war against the Shahdom, "We can't hope to withstand enemy air attacks with our tanks! We need to put our tanks in reserve!" Those words that began the meeting caused an eruption of outroar among the younger lieutenants. These were some of the loyalists and most fanatical members of the regime, indeed the most devout graduates; if they were anything less, they wouldn't be in the Presidential Guard."You can't be serious?" Lieutenant Kitab appeared practically like a girl compared to everybody else in the meeting and said while pointing at the line on the whiteboard, "With our tanks entrenched here along with our infantry, we have the best hope of blunting any attacks with our infantry's ATGMs." This also prompted Lieutenant al Fedayeen, with a scarred cheek, to stand up to support Kitab, "Besides, the enemy hasn't been bombing our tanks yet. This should mean our camouflage has been working as intended, and they can't spot our vehicles. That's not to mention that there is no fallback line; the closest thing to shelter for our tanks is the ragnite storage warehouses. Keep in mind if we decide to use these warehouses and any ragnite is still left in those buildings and a fire starts, our tanks start cooking off.""Where else should we keep them?" Lieutenant Mizreq, the only officer who was mixed with Elfri and something else because she had dark ruby hair, spoke up to support Kitab's idea. "There is nothing but open air and vast flat desert until we can reach the former Hajazzi-Ashuri border. Unless we want a mad dash across the sand, we have no choice but to use these warehouses. It's better to hide them a few kilometers from the trenches rather than keep ourselves open to aerial attacks.""If our AA systems back in Ashura failed to stop Alliance jets from bombing our cities, what hope do we have of fending off their attacks here?" Hisham said with a rather severe tone.Fedayeen fired back, "You've not taken into consideration that the very act of moving our tanks away from the trenches leaves them vulnerable to enemy bombing. They can be hit while they are driving back to those warehouses!">[Hide our tanks in the warehouses]>[Keep our tanks hidden along the trench line]>[Plan a retreat across the desert]>[Prepare a counter attack for when the enemy breaks through]>[Write-in]
>>6150124>[Prepare a counter attack for when the enemy breaks through]
>>6150124>[Prepare a counter attack for when the enemy breaks through]We're actively being hunted. Retreating across the desert is out of the question, unless we want to be an even easier target than they already are to the airforce. The very same goes for making a break to the warehouses, as that's probably what they want since it'll make it easy to single us out from above if they catch us. If we get spotted while hidden in the trench line, yes, we could probably fend off some attacks with the ATGMs, but good luck keeping that bulwark up when enemy knows well that we are the best equipped in the war - They'll likely come prepared with their fair share of firepower.
>>6150124>>[Prepare a counter attack for when the enemy breaks through]
>>6150124>>[Prepare a counter attack for when the enemy breaks through]We know we're a high priority target, and a lot of people are watching out for us. And from the file, infiltration is likely. The warehouses rely on us not getting spotted while moving, which is dubious because air superiority is firmly in the Alliance's hands. Staying with the line relies on the quality and veterancy of allied troops, which is also dubious. It also keeps our greatest asset defensive, and will reveal us while we are in a fixed position, and we go back to the "being bombed to shit" issue. The retreat is much the same, just with more running, and we're almost guaranteed to get bombed until the ground forces catch up to us or we cease to exist as a fighting force.So yeah, staying where we are, where we are currently not being bombed, and waiting until the enemy cracks open the frontline, is not the worst idea. Lull them into a false sense of security. They'll break through and go to start rolling up the line, and that's when we crash into their back, pin the isolated and presumably somewhat blunted spearhead between us and the line, destroy them, and push out. Hopefully this means we'll always be too close to enemy forces for the Alliance to make effective use of high altitude air support, and hopefully what remains of the infantry can ward off close air with the AA. Then I guess we try and grab hostages *ahem* prisoners of war, and stick close to them so the Alliance doesn't turn us into fine mist as we plan out next move ?Of course this relies on the quality of our own unit, but from what we've been told, they should be up to the task, and seem willing to bloody the enemy.
Rolled 61 (1d100)>>6150124>>6150133 >>6150138 >>6150144 >>6150518 >>6150541>[Prepare a counter attack]Gathering all your officers back in a command bunker just behind the trench line, you began entertaining the idea of planning to launch a counter-attack once the enemy broke through the trenches."I want Kitab and Mizreq company to hold the line when the Alliance starts their attack,"Lt.Hisham asked, "Should we also stay along the line?""Yes, except for the best elements in your company to participate in this attack should be moved just behind the front under the cover of darkness,""Are we to hold the line at all costs?" Lt.Mizreq said."No, additional fallback trenches will need to be dug up by our girls because your companies will need to slowly give ground as the enemy attack intensifies,""I'm guessing our companies will launch the attack at your command?" Lt.Fedayeen answered with a question. There was a smirk on her face as if the entire thing was a foregone conclusion.As the day drew on and the planning of the finer details continued, there was an important matter that almost everybody forgot until Kitab chimed in, "I've been receiving reports that my girls aren't getting the proper amount of rations that should be made available." That had everybody else pause for a moment."You can't be serious?" Fedayeen's frustration was evident, "We're about to be hit with the most tremendous military force the Presidential Guard has ever faced, and you want to prioritize a few hungry soldiers?""This is serious!" Mizreq was becoming red in the face with pure anger, "Our troops aren't receiving the proper amount of ammo, food, uniforms, weapons, spare parts, oil, and other supplies because jets keep hitting our cargo trucks that have to sprint across the desert. It would help them a lot if we volunteered our ZSU-24s-""Unacceptable," The words cutting off were straightforward and blunt from Hisham, "There is little to nothing we can do to protect these trucks adequately. We are not an AA company, and even if all of our ZSU elements are combined, we don't have the numbers to cover the whole highway adequately. That's not to mention that I don't think even our AA can affect some of their more advanced jets.""Well, we have to do something! They're practically bleeding us dry before we can even fire a shot off!" Mizreq stood up to make her point clear."Honestly, Cpt.Ali, we need as many combat-ready elements massed on the line as possible," Kitab said, "I still don't like the idea of intentionally peeling back and giving ground, but diverting our ZSUs to the edge of the desert is even more absurd. If we are to confront the Western dogs head-on, we need all of our AA, not some of it.""Maybe Heaven will be in our favor and blow in a sandstorm to fend off their jets," Fedayeen said with a chuckle."Be careful what you wish for, girl," Hisham replied with a hint of a threat,
>>6151192"You don't realize how much havoc a sandstorm can cause in a battle. We had to learn it the hard way back during our war with the Erani." There was true emptiness of horror in her eyes, "The things we had to do to keep out those revolutionary cultists...""Talking about that," Kitab was fending off the sweat on her forehead, "We still haven't talked about how the weather will affect this entire plan," Coughing some more as one of the burning mines was located somewhat near the bunker. The fumes from the burning mines throughout Hajazz were ruining their lungs.You had to ponder about the weather for a bit. If there were clear skies, there was no doubt the enemy would leverage their air superiority to target your tanks. Yes, a sandstorm could confuse your line, but the advantage of grounding all aircraft is tempting. However, the limited visibility by the storm will mean the defenders will only be able to fire within visible range, i.e., too close for comfort. Your battalion combat magi could theoretically conjure a weather phenomenon for a few hours at most, or it could totally backfire—the coin toss of battle magic. Of course, this could only be done on the very day the Alliance decided to attack.>[Divert ZSUs to the desert edge and consider using magic]>[Keep ZSUs with their companies and consider using magic]>[Divert ZSUs to desert edge and disregard magic]>[Keep ZSUs with their companies and disregard using magic]>Soundtrack: https://youtu.be/XI-6Qf8Z12Q?si=UAnZuHC0mbtQHjNj
>>6151193>[Keep ZSUs with their companies and consider using magic]We will blind but so will they
>>6151193>[Divert ZSUs to the desert edge and consider using magic]Hell yeah. Wizards.
>>6151193>[Divert ZSUs to the desert edge and consider using magic]Wouldn't risk blinding our aim, unless we want to get up and close and make ourselves easy prey.
>>6151193>>[Divert ZSUs to the desert edge and consider using magic]
>>6151316 >>6151337 >>6151493 >>6151193>[Divert ZSUs to the desert edge and consider using magic]There was a real possibility that something must be done to relieve the supply deficit situation. Overnight, you were able to organize all your ZSUs to relocate along the desert edge where the highway ran to connect to your supply depots. On the first day, when they were finished moving, the AA systems were able to track and lock on some jets that flew over to reach the highway. These Alliance jets quickly evaded and bugged out once your AA began firing locked missiles. Unfortunately, there have been no confirmed kills so far from your AA crews."Captain! Captain!" Lt.Mizreq shouted over the radio over the otherwise calm, clear night air, "Our 24s are being hit!" Pure panic radiated over the wavelength, "I- I think somehow they're using SEAD weapons. We can't target them in time before a ZSU gets hit, and by the time our crew figures out what's happening, the jet that hit them is long gone."Running outside the command bunker with a binocular, you can see the distant flashing of ZSU crews wildly firing their AAA into the sky as another explosion rocks their positions. Looking further away to the left of those vehicles, there were more flashing and burning things on the highway, "Get me a status report on Hisham's outposts closest to M95." After a tense 20 minutes, reports came flooding in from the scouts, and your worst fears were realized. Alliance jets were not only flying past your AA screen unmolested, but they were now targeting your supply convoys. You didn't think it was even possible for them to conduct SEAD operations so soon after you redeployed your ZSUs, but to be able to send up jets that could completely ignore your AA was previously thought to be an impossibility. There was little rest for you that night as the stench of burning bodies mixed with ragnite fumes, spent ammunition, and blinding flashes assaulted your thoughts.Waking up to the nightmare of the reality at hand, Lt.Mizreq presented a stoic face, but both of you could tell that she was humiliated by last night. Fedayeen began, "I just knew something like this would happen, ma'am. I just didn't think it would be this bad. Now we have Alliance jets that fly in broad daylight and totally ignore our AA to hit the highway because we have no weapons that can even target these things!""Don't you think I can see that!" Mizreq fired back."Not only that, but you've cost us a quarter of our ZSUs in last night's attack alone! At this rate, we'll lose them all in less than a week. That's why I've ordered all radar-guided weapons to operate at a minimum,""That means they won't hit anything,""Our triple-A still works well enough. Besides, it's better than losing everything,"Their exchange was interrupted by the updated meteorology report, "Captain, high likelihood of a sandstorm within a day or two, 80% plus."
Rolled 14 (1d100)>>6151765Processing the information as fast as possible within your mind, you had to accept that this was your first real taste of combat and for the rest of your battalion as well. Veterans of the Ashura-Eran War were either officers, disabled, dead, or simply too old for service. This means that almost all members of this Presidential Guard formation were green. With a sandstorm approaching your section of the front, this would really pressure the battalion to stay organized through the confusing weather. Your orders were clear: the battalion was to hold the front for as long as possible. Considering the changing circumstances, could you realistically follow this order? The thoughts of doubt claw at the rims of your consciousness. Your troops are green, 3 of 4 lieutenants are untested with combat, AA is practically useless, and now the supply deficit will remain. With the coming sandstorm, you didn't know if your troops could even stay functional.>[Change of plans, redeploy to our orignial postions]>[Change of plans, redeploy to begin retreating across the desert]>[Stick to the plan, and rehearse the counter attack]
>>6151768>>[Stick to the plan, and rehearse the counter attack]
>>6151768>[Stick to the plan, and rehearse the counter attack]
>>6151768>14Well shit.>[Stick to the plan, and rehearse the counter attack]
Rolled 6, 37, 63, 76 = 182 (4d100)>>6151768 >>6151827 >>6151882 >>6152210 >>6152259 >>6152343 >>6152713>[Stick to the plan, and rehearse the counter attack]Reenacting the war plan with different officers and various strengthened Alliance forces under different weather conditions came back with a wide range of results. Looking down at the results from the past two days of war games after action report, Hisham had a worried look on her face, "I'm afraid the situation is not looking good.""Explain," You had to say while drinking whatever could pass as coffee in your tin cup."The war games haven't given us an encouraging result,""What do you mean?""I mean, if we fought against an equal force, we would lose due to enemy air superiority. If we fought an inferior force, we might come to a draw if we don't bleed out first. If we fought a superior force, we stood no chance and would be cut down like nothing. The only chance we had of becoming a clear victor was when confronted with an inferior force while in the middle of a sandstorm. This relies on some assumptions like enemy jets can't operate in the storm and that we can spot or stay coordinated well enough to engage enemy armor,""There are no better alternative to this,"Leaning in to drop her voice low and hushed, "We can always bug out,"You could only give back a frown with a shake of your head, "Our orders are clear, we have to buy time,""Not if it means the entire battalion gets destroyed!""My mind is set on this. Don't test me further," saying through gritted teeth, "Or else I might have to report you to a Domestic Affairs agent." The threat suddenly made the grouchy elder calmer.The next day, a loud wave of debris came running up parallel to the front, "Sandstorm!" You heard one of your officers shout over the radio. Everybody was quick to run into their trench, bunker, vehicle, or any other form of shelter. You expected the withering lashes of particles hitting sandbags but not the whistling. Then came the thud, which made some of your staff perk up, and then came another thud, which resulted in the bunker shaking and dirt falling from the ceiling. You realize it was an explosion, and then another and another. The intervals between the explosions are so short that, at some points, you thought the bombardment was overlapping in on itself. Once everybody in the bunker knew this was an artillery barrage, they scrambled to get to their radios and establish contact with the various companies to check their status.Kitab couldn't be reached at all, and you might need to assume either a shell got her radio and staff or she got hit. There was only complete silence from Kitab company as your staff attempted to hail them over the radio repeatedly. Seeing as it was too dangerous to leave the bunker, you had to pray to All-God that your people could reach the other companies. As if listening to your prayers, Mizreq's voice came over the receiver, "Captain, are you there, captain?""Thank Heavens you are there,"
Rolled 15 (1d100)>>6152770"Bad news, Captain, I think the Alliance is attacking us through the storm," No, that can't be. The enemy air cover is nonexistent, and why would they knowingly take this disadvantage against an entrenched foe?"Get me in contact with Fedayeen and Hisham!" Ordering the staff to force them to scutter like bugs."Ma'am, I've already lost contact with my scout T-64s. It's safe to assume they've already overrun my exterior defenses. Worse yet, one of my T-72 platoons has been taken out by missiles. News is coming in of enemy tanks and IFV advancing to our secondary trench line. I think our tanks are being killed by their IFVs,""Hold your ground until further orders. Updates!" Yelling at your staff in anger."Lt.Hisham here, elements of my company are already engaging the enemy that is storming the secondary line. The barrage pins elements of my company in the reserve line that war waiting to counter-attack,""Fedayeenhere, I've lost all contact with both my exterior and secondary trench lines, although I do hear sounds of combat in the secondary trenches. Most of us are still suppressed by the barrage, but I think if I'm careful, we can trickle in reinforcements from the reserves during the lull in fire,"Things are deteriorating faster than you expected. The initial defenses on your northern flank are effectively eviscerated, and Alliance armor and mechanized infantry are coming dangerously close to discovering and then destroying Hisham's counter-attack force. Mizreq has been able to hold her line somewhat, but you didn't know if it was due to her efforts or if the enemy simply bypassed them. Fedayeen's company was also getting uncomfortably close to Alliance forces, although Western troops seemed content to take their time to clear out both trench lines before moving to attack her. You had a sinking feeling that Fedayeen was like a rabid dog ready to run from her leash and do something reckless.>Lt. Shiam personality update {Cautious: "Take as much time as you need!" These are the last words of a medieval Elfri poet who died of dehydration in a desert.}>Lt. Mizreq personality update {Stubborn: "You can move a bull into the rain, but you can't move the rain to the bull," Ashuri proverb.}>Lt. Fedayeen personality update {Self-Sacrificer: "Suicide is a sin, but what is better penitence than self-flagellation during our holiday? To offer your life to kill the enemies of All-God and the homeland!" Ashura-Eran war speech by Shah Sassan.}>[Withdraw Mizreq company to reserve lines and start the counter-attack!]>[Withdraw Mizreq company to the reserve line and order a traditional defense]>[Hold Mizreq company and start the counter-attack!]>[Hold Mizreq company and send in the other two as reinforcment]>[Order all companies to begin retreating to the M85 highway and prepare to dash across the desert]
>>6152771>[Hold Mizreq company and send in the other two as reinforcment]
>>6152771>>[Hold Mizreq company and start the counter-attack!]
>>6152771Looks like the Alliance's air game is even better than expected. We probably shouldn't have pulled off the AA, at least they would draw more fire if we kept them here, but there's still some of it kicking.This is a fair bit worse, we can't be sure why they're attacking now or what's going through their commanders' head. If we break, they'll roll up everyone and chase us out of the smoke, and there will be precious little to stop their jets then. We have to rely on what intel we know is correct. Their air support is crap in this sandstorm. So they can't see us. And they're still multinational and lacking in cooperation and link on the ground without link to their commanders. In the heat of battle, morale plays an important role. They likely don't know about the ambush. If we counter and hit a weak spot, we can panic them, and they'll be the ones running around blind in the sand and crashing against defensive positions. A blunted attack is just a meatgrinder, after all.>[Hold Mizreq company and start the counter-attack!]At least appear to have a strong center, while Hisam pushes to what's left of Kitab and Feyadeen moves to pin what she can against Mizreq. Panic their flanks, appear as if we've weathered the barrage just fine and are pouring out from everywhere, let them dither and serve themselves up on a platter, then throw them out. If this works. If.
>>6152771>>[Withdraw Mizreq company to reserve lines and start the counter-attack!]
>>6149960>not not
