Those who served:
Caverick
Osea
Dan
Plancake
Malchrntyne
_____________
SPLAT swung open the gate of our prison, a makeshift compound on a hillside in Tanoa. I went right, leading with a pistol we had scrounged. Rounding the corner, I saw only the gentle slope and distant trees.
Suddenly shots rang out. Dan had gone left and come under fire from our guards. We had hoped they would stay close to our prison, but they were at least thirty meters away, a difficult range for my small Rook pistol. Fortunately I was able to drop them, then a third behind the prison. I scavenged his AK as we armed ourselves, and we ran into the trees.
And ran.
And ran. The trees turned to thick jungle, darkened by an overhead canopy and dropping visibility. We picked our way around thick buttressed roots and fallen logs, as Plancake led us deeper in. Dan lagged behind with his MG, so I took one of his ammo belts to lighten the load.
Threading an impressive rock structure and making our way past the carcass of an abandoned truck, we crossed the mountain and made our way down into the valley on the other side. The trees began to clear and I heard an engine.
"A road, guys" I walked toward it, then froze as an enemy MRAP sped past and vanished around a corner. If it had spotted us we were sitting ducks!
To the right loomed the giant volcanic crater, locating us somewhere in the center of Tanoa's main island. Spotting the "golf ball" comms center atop it, we headed for it in the hope of securing transport.
We had reached the outside base of the crater wall when we took fire. It was a single enemy milita running down the side. We all hammered shots at him and he fell silent.
"Moving up" I reported.
"He won't be alone" Plancake cautioned.
His words were proven with .50 calibre certainity as a second armoured vehicle opened up. "Back to the trees!" I shouted, running like hell. Bullets hit the foliage in front of me as I zigzagged to the right. I threw myself behind a giant tree and heard heavy slugs smacking into it. The MRAP roared down the road and disappeared after the previous one.
SPLAT was with me in moments. Malchrntyne had been hit but was soon back on his feet. We skirted the right edge of the crater, pulling back further as soldiers probed the bush with gunfire.
We broke out of the trees to find ourselves on a rocky hill. To our left we could see two civilian trucks passing each other on the crater's side. Ahead of us a valley dropped into mist.
"That way" said Plancake. I stepped onto the road and was almost hit by another civilian truck that u-turned and sped off. We descended the mountain and crossed open ground into the valley. Dan struggled behind with the heavy MG.
After some time we spotted a small town in the distance. On its far side the sea stretched the horizon. Even at such a distance we could make out the figures of an enemy patrol walking along the road. Hopefully one held a map, our first step toward freedom.
We developed a plan. Dan had the most effective weapon, so he found an excellent overwatch position on a large rock. I handed my AK to Plancake and stayed behind to support Dan. Plancake, Malchrntyne and Osea moved toward the town, using the trees and buildings to cover their approach. I squinted at the town and called out enemy movements.
Shots rang out from the town as our assault team encountered the enemy. Dan squeezed the trigger to suppress them- and nothing happened!
"Can't fire! Can't fire!" he reported.
There was nothing for it but to move in and support our men at close range. I ran down the hill with my little Rook pistol, Dan on my heels. I threaded through some buildings trying to find the team when bullets tugged the air around me, coming from the right. I didn't stop to see who it was, I just threw myself into the nearest building. Dan was able to give me the hostile's position, and when I nervously peeked out the door I saw that my assailant was now looking for the others. I heatshotted him at long pistol range, ran to take his weapon, and almost blundered into an AT soldier behind a small tin hut! He also had been facing away from me, so I emptied the Rook's clip into him from a range of two meters.
I took his AA launcher and rifle, and found he had a map! I opened it up and found that we were at the northeastern edge of Tanoa's main island. To the east, the best part of a kilometer away, lay the marker of an enemy position.
I had just relayed this information to the team when we came under fire from the trees to the west. The enemy had started to close in. After a short exchange we regrouped and started to withdraw to the east. A drone appeared overhead, followed by a helo.
We encountered some soldiers in houses along the road, and had just cleared them when enemy soldiers began to arrive. A squad of three ran up the beach- I dropped two and lost the third behind a house. The enemy hemmed us in, giving them time to draw the net. I put a missile into the helo as it buzzed overhead, and it vanished over the trees.
We pushed toward the jungle, but this time it didn't help. Not only did soldiers find us, but mortar shells began to fall! Malchrntyne was hit by a blast, and I took a bullet. Plancake brought me around as Dan helped Christian, and Osea pushed the soldiers back. We fled into the trees.
Once free of our pursuit we stopped in a deserted village and took stock. The enemy position was over a hill and close to a village. We put it to a vote, determined that the village would offer the best approach, and moved toward the beach to find the village.
An airfield stretched along the coast. In a hangar we could see uniformed figures moving. We were running low on ammo, saw the opportunity to resupply for the base assault, and moved in. Fire hammered the windows, I tossed in a frag and followed it, Dan flanked to the east, and it was over in a matter of seconds.
We headed east along the waters edge, and had just gained the village when we encountered hostiles. This was a significant force, the enemy base. After some initial confusion we buddied up, and Malchrntyne and I moved to a flimsy house. He engaged the enemy, came under fire and relocated to beneath the house, but was hit. I revived him and we ran to a house across the street, where I was taken down on the porch. Malchrntyne dragged me inside and brought me around.
Fighting across the open ground proved difficult, and more soldiers started to appear from back the way we had come. They were following us. Dan and Plancake led an assault on the base via a deep gulley on its eastern side. Dan was hit as they approached. I threw smoke and tried to assist but caught a bullet too and fell beside him. Malchrntyne peeked over the top and was hit too.
"You and me, Osea" reported Plancake.
Osea, who had been back in the buildings, moved immediately to support. Plancake could then revive me, I brought Malchrntyne around as Plancake got Dan, and then we all went over the top together. We had successfully cleared the position, a mortar emplacement. We had been hoping for a communications center, and resolved to better decypher the enemy map symbols.
A vehicle stopped in the village. I consulted my map and saw it had gone red- a large force was upon us!
"Pull out!" we made no attempt to engage and returned to the gulley, following it south to the forest. Again the trees were our friend.
Now what? We had taken out the emplacement, equalling our previous escape attempts, but while we had eliminated the mortars that had hampered our progress we hadn't gained weaponry or communications. All other enemy camps were far away.
"There's a seaport not too far from here" offered Plancake. "Maybe we could get a truck there?"
"Or a boat!" I replied. Other bases were along the coast, faster to get to by water.
Now that we had a plan, we moved out. The seaport city was large, and we nervously crossed the open fields leading to it.
We drew fire as soon as we set foot within its limits, from a three-man patrol to the south. SPLAT knew the drill and didn't engage, staying on mission and pushing toward the seaport. We ran into another patrol- they had us hemmed in!
There was nothing for it but to charge. I shot one man suppressing us, then moved up and took out his partner who was more concerned with my colleagues. As the team moved up a civilian car rounded a building and stopped. I ran to get in the car but he pulled back and drove off. As Dan fired the car spun back toward us, missing me by inches and driving Dan into the wall!
I got him back on his feet. While the rest of the team swapped medikits I investigated the seaport. The news was good- two fast boats sat at the piers, enough to carry all of us. But by the time I could get back to report this, we had come under fire. Malchrntyne had been hit. Our every-present pursuers had found us.
Malchyrntyne could only limp slowly in the direction of the boats. The team stayed with him, but there was little they could do. Our medical supplies, like us, were exhausted.
Seeking more options, I spotted a civilian truck stopped by some construction cranes. I ran to it, persuaded the driver to lend it to me, and started her up. As I swung onto the road heading back toward Malchrntyne my blood ran cold- an enemy troop transport was at the far end of the street! I swerved to put a house in between us, gingerly eased it between a house and the pier's drop into the water, and reached Malchrntyne. As he wearily climbed in I saw enemy soldiers weaving through the shipping containers at the other end of the seaport. It was going to be close.
I carefully drove along the edge of the pier. The team had already scrambled into both powerboats. Malchrntyne and I fell into one, Dan fell into the water and swung aboard, Plancake gunned the engine and we sped out of the city flanked by Osea.
We made great time speeding south on the open sea. After such slow and painful progress we felt free, which lasted until we encoutered the four heavily armed enemy pursuit boats. Osea and I were both hit, but Plancake was able to outrun them and take us to one of the south islands. We disembarked near a base.
After some deliberation we assaulted at medium to long range. We gave a good account of ourselves, hitting three or four, but at half strength SPLAT was worn down and, finally, fell.
