"Roger that, sir, we'll make sure those towers go down."
+++
"If you say so Pete, their dereliction of duty will work nicely in out favor."
Sir. If I could suggest setting the ambush as close as we can? A kilometer is a long way to run over rough terrain with greenskins on our back. Sir.
"While I'm generally in agreement with the Specialists sentiment, more of us being closer to the base also increases are chances at being detected. Final call is yours, sir, but, having covering fire sooner when we're getting outta dodge to slow down the idiots would be helpful."
"I see your point. You won't be thanking us if we get seen and stir up the camp to discover you tho.
Set the explosive trap while going in as far forward as you dare. We'll stay at around 700m in the dirt and rush forward as soon as you alert us - should be far enough out so the greenies won't make us out even if the beam hits us."
The commissar starts dirtying up his greatcoat with mud and vegetation so its black color won't stand out quite as much if they get hit by a beam.
The approach is a nerve-wrecking experience - so say the least.
At every sound the group emits - and there are LOTS of those - your hearts
skip a beat and you nervously look up and around in fear of getting discovered.
Despite all the noise - you think that even your comrades back at the
idling vehicles must hear some of them - no Ork seem to notice them.
The only REALLY dangerous situation happens 10 minutes in.
Kalemis, Aurius and Bolus notice sudden movement in the closest watchtower,
just in time to tell everyone to drop and get cover, before one of the
spotlights is activated and DIRECTLY beams at your position.
To make things even worse, Pvt. Black seems to have mistaken the command and
stood up instead laying down!
So the massively build, black guy with two men worth of equipment, stands
upright in the center of the spotlight in the middle of nothing.
A heart attack later - the spotlight has moved over and away, leaving you all
blinded by the bright light for some more moments.
It takes some more moments until you come to the conclusion, that
by some miracle, you were not spotted by the Orks!
The rest of the trip to your target is more or less easy after that.
There is only one more close-miss by the spotlights - this time no one has
seen it coming though - and several unpleasently noisy situations that
causes everyone to stir. Nr.1 under those are the banging of weapons on armor
or the ground and the climp-clomp of small items inside your backpacks.
Despite the overall suboptimal performance, you reach your target after half an hour.
As you reach the desired distance - the area is even worse than were you
started the march. No cover - like at all - just loose stones and flat earth.
You have the immediate desire to move somewhere else for a prolonged stay.
After a quick sweep of the nearby area, Aurius is able to point the group to
a much more adequate location only a hundred meter to the north. It looks like
a small pan, about 10 square meter of lowered ground and slightly higher edges.
You make it to the area without any further incident.
"Be on the look out for better cover, this is the only one I noticed and its not the best. If we're able to maintain our current rate, we should reach their base within the next Hour and some. From here on out, keep as low as possible. If anyone so much as hears 'Get up' or something just as suicidal, ignore it and hit the dirt. That was a close call back there."
The Hand Of The Emperor Is Surely With Us This Night. Blinding The Foul Xenos To Our Approach. Praise Be!
The commissar speaks very quitly, using the combead to be heard by everyone as he as to break vox silence in a moment anyway
"We'll use our time for that once you're in. Don't forget to drop the explosive trap the specialists prepared somewhere further up.
Gerring, try to bring the Towers down so they collapse towards the camp, might crush some.
Thanthus and Kalemis, take good care of the specialists. MacVyger and Smith, I'm sure you're used to this kind of operation, make the best of it.
The Emperor protects, may his vigilant eye rest on you all tonight. We'll be ready to assist with old fashioned firepower if that fails."
Lind changes to the command channel, waiting just a moment to listen in to make sure no ork has somehow blundered into the frequency: "This is squad Anslay. Distraction is in place. Emergency ambush is set. Specialists moving in to sabotage."
After reaching your new 'base', MacVyger sits down, waving Smith over and starts fiddling with his tools and the couple of colorful boxes he showed you earlier. It takes him a couple of minutes - which are a welcome break after the nerve and body wrecking approach - then he has finished ... something.
It looks like a pyramid made of colorful boxes, smoke grenades, wires and ... lots of ductape and rubber bands - totalling in approximately 25 cubic centimeters of explosives.
Stepping back, he surveys his making, then nods.
"Ahhh, what a lovely cracker-tower ischn't it?
It's all ready - so make schure no one is boxing in channel 66c, eh? Would be a schame to blow it up prematurely, wouldn't it?
Just bring it to the desired position and send something via 66c to blow it. Easy as that.
Now gimme a minute to drink schomfing and then we can make our way to schet schome REAL crackersch!"
"Roger that sir, I'll make sure my bodies dead and cold before they get to my charge. If we have to bail under fire, try and draw the towers away if possible. Orks might have crap aim but missiles don't really care so long as they get sorta-close."
Pete and Mord make good time and manage to not make complete fools of themselves.
"Acknowledged. Any ETA for us yet?"
The approach of the IN team is going okay, they smaller group, containing the more stealth-affine members makes much less noixe than the full group.
That doesn't mean they are silent, but much less noisy.
Spotlights pass them by several dozen meters on three occasions but none comes really close.
After an unlucky move of Kalemis - her hellgun scraped over the ground making a unpleasantly loud noise - Pete and also Kalemis immediately notice movement on top of the nearest watchtower!
Quickly passing signs, the group searches for the nearest cover - not a second too late!
The hurting brightness of a spotlight pierces the darkness, drenching the place they just left in light. The light is waved around to the left, to the right, then passes over your hideout - nothing but a couple of slighly deeper than the surrounding ground - then flickers out again.
Carefully looking up behind cover after your eyesight returned, you check the tower again - gladly the Ork guard returned to his 'duty' and settled down near his companion.
++++ IN -team @ 500m mark ++++
Looking around, no spotlights are anywhere near you and something inside the Ork camp cause some ruckus!
Seems like a good time to tackle the next part of the approach, doesn't it?
phew.
As Aurius starts his approach, his foot catches on something in the ground and as he starts to trip and fall forward, he successfully regains his balance before he could tumble and cause a ruckus with all the gear he has on his person.
Pete and Mord continue to be the sneakier ones of the group.
Given the turmoil inside the Ork camp (sounds like a 'small' fight brought out) no one seems to notice the couple of guardsmen stealth approach - even through Aurius has some problems but is able to correct himself mid-stumble and MacVyger looses a grenade from his bandolier - causing a short moment of shock for everyone in the team as the small, deadly metal egg rolls around on the uneven ground - but gladly nothing terrible happens.
The approach nearly completed, only 50m before the scrap metal fence, the noise from the inside suddenly cuts out.
It is overwritten by a bellowing voice shouting ... orders? Profanities? Threats? You can't tell ...
But a quick look to the towers tells you that the guards are fiddling with the light-throwers and obvious doing their best to look ... Guardy.
One is even holding his hands in front of his eyes like using a monocular! It probably would be funny - were it not for the fact that the last steps to your target - not to speak of the actual setting of the charges - wouldn't just become way more difficult with the Orks actually acting like guards!
++++ Ambush team ++++
You notice the change in noise as well - but can't tell what's actually happening.
But you do notice that the in team froze about 50m before the camp in place!
Over the teams combead, Aurius relays the following "Sir, partial confirmation of at least one leader-type ork being present in the camp. If we can take him out at some point, we can cause additional chaos amidst their ranks, Aurius out."
Looking at the rest of the advanced team, he motions that they're going to wait for 5-10 minutes to wait and see if the noise starts back up before doing anything.
Pete nods and keeps his head as low as physically possible.
As things starts to calm in the camp and Storm Trooper Aurius sends his short status report, one of the guards up on the closest towers look at the direction of the in-team.
"Oiii, yah hert dat boy?! Turn Ta sun on an shoot da way, me hert da fings from 'ere!"
The loud talking from the guards is just barely audible and hard to understand - but their fiddling with the spotlight is obvious.
The bright light flares on, sending a ray of light over your position - then frizzles and a small *puff* is audible and some cursing Orks.
"Ya Grotz kills da fingie wif yer dumb 'ands! Da boss will stomb ya ter bits! Ya know how pricy da Mek sell 'osr fings?!"
The other Ork returns the verbal attack with a loud shout of "Me? Ya slly grotz pressed da red button! Ya wanted da use da fingie 'fore da 'ellow blink-bizz stopped! Take dis ya stupid grox!"
And you hear a how a short melee brakes loose on top of the tower - quickly followed my a new wave of shouts and weapon sounds from within the camp...
You receive the message of the forward team.
Just as the Storm Tropper finished, a bright spotlight hits their very position then fizzles out nearly immediately.
Then you hear warcries and the sound of a small erupting battle coming from the direction of the camp.
No lasbeams yet thought.
Hearing the Ork speak up as he gives his report, Aurius freezes momentarily in panic before his training kicks in and he hits the dirt and mentally sighs relief the instant the light dies.
Hearing the sounds, Aurius motions go go go to the rest of the team.
Pete is up an moving in an instant like the good guardsman he is.
Squadnet: "Acknowledged. Priority on the stationary targets. Permission to set explosives at a possible command tend when encountered."
As one the team stands up from their crouch and sprints towards the Ork camp - in an awkward silent that is.
No warcry or prayer for the Emperor on their lips, only the heavy footfalls, the cling-clang of equipment and their rapid breath in the cold night.
Within few seconds you reach the edge of the Ork camp - just in time to hear an excessively loud gunshot, followed by a gurgling, splattering sound. Then you hear something tumble to the ground mere meters from you. As you look at the direction, you can see a - now headless - Guard-Ork lying on the ground, still slightly twitching and burning around the missing head.
After some more firing - probably into the air - the noise coming from the camp smothes down and is replaced by the 'wonk-wonk' of heavy laboring on metal pieces.
The wall you are at, is sturdily build from discarded metal pieces wielded together quickly to fashion a defensive parameter of some kind.
Nevertheless it features some small slids - just wide enough to take a look into the inside of the camp, but not even large enough to put two fingers through.
You came to a halt only 10 meters left of a watchtower.
To the right, you have to walk some 60m to reach the next.
In total the camp perimeter is about 100m in diameter, so some more than 300m to walk around - every 70-80m has a watchtower.
Aurius signals to <Insert name I forgot here that isnt Mcgyver> to plant some charges at the tower theyre finding themselves near. Being this close, he doesn't even risk sending a message back over the combead to the rest of the team to notify them of the situation in the camp as far as he can perceive it being.
The black Private looks puzzled at the hand-signs the Storm Trooper is making.
Realizing his mistake but trying to play it off all professionally, he instead motions that, no, hes not hand-signing Smith but Pete/Mcguyver whoever is found behind him. If neither are, he'll just signal "couldnt see you clearly, my mistake" or something along those lines.
-> Pete
MacVyger signals - with hand signs worthy of a finger-amputated Gretchin - that he could take off towards the next tower with Kalemis.
Or maybe that he wants to search for the next fast-food restaurant - you are not entirely sure.
Pete nods and sneaks over to the tower and sets the charges for the planned time.
As Pete is nearly done setting the charge (he is currently setting the time),
a harsh voice echos from several meters above.
"Oii, sum Boy get da damn Squigg pissin under da towa 'gain!
Bad 'nuff to 'ave watch, dunt need da stink of some Squigg all da time as well!"
Considering the amount of laughter coming as reply, you cannot be sure if
someone will actually come looking for the 'Squigg' or not...
"ETA as planned. For now. Emergencies may arrise at a moments notice."
Squadnet, quietly, they have the combead right in their ear after all: "I couldn't see clearly from here, keeping the orks in sight. How far in did you drop the explosive trap? We don't want to end up inside it when moving up to cover you."
Pete jumps a little when the commissar stars talking in his ear. He breathes deep and quietly, then returns to his task until one hand is free enough to deactivate the bead. He quickly clicks it off and redoubles his concentration. When the charges are successfully set he quickly takes out a note book and makes a bunch of quick notes on how he did it so well to reference on the other charges. It's not like he was trained on this crap and getting lucky the first time didn't happen every day, so he writes down his luck and hopes that all the charges are the same.
Try me a Logic +10 test to make a helpful drawing/note-sheet.
If successful, you do not receive the -20 on the next time you try the exact same thing.
MacVygers voice wispers over the comm, so low in fact, that some of the words don't make it through: "At ... 100m mark. Half circle ... con...-shaped. 30m ...read."
Kalemis and MacVyger sets off towards the left, starting to circle the wall -
staying close by the metal plates, advancing carefully.
Once, MacVyger stops and sets a small charge at the wall at hip-height.
Then they continue their way, unnoticed, leaving a small 'surprise' behind.
Just as pete finishes his note-taking, you hear small trip-trap of footsteps coming towards the watchtower from the other side of the wall.
Riggid breathing and the occasional 'cling-clang' of metal on metal.
Sudddenly a tiny, ridiculously-unpleasent voice shouting back into the camp - it sounds like the caller stands just ONE METER beyond the wall of discarded steel and screams at full force.
"Te's no Squigg 'ere, Boss. Dunno waf da Boy hee'd - but nof a Squiggy any'ere 'round 'ere!"
Aurius will draw his knife and 'shh' hand sign to Pete and flatten himself against the wall as quietly as possible and away from any large apertures in the wall while motioning Pete to also just not move and make no noise.
Another voice echoes from above the tower.
"Ehh, ya stupif fing callin me dumb? Me herd fings 'own 'ere!
Say 'at 'gain an I will chopp ya into bitts an shoot 'em all over da place!"
The loud, commanding voice answers from the camp.
"By Mork, ya all so stupit grox or what?
Rikk take two Boyz an Fluffy an look 'round a bit, will ya?!"
++++ Meanwhile back with the waiting group ++++
While following the progress of the IN-team, your strained senses hear voices - from behind!
Slowly turning around, your goggle show you small group of two Orks and four gretchin, walking towards your position.
They don't seem to know that you are there, but if they follow their current path, they may stumble over you in ten minutes or so...
The orks look ragged and bloodied, the gretchin seems to be unarmed in hardly a better shape than their bigger kin.
Hearing the "Boss" order a small patrol out, Aurius waits a beat to see if the Gretchin near the wall heads back towards the center of the base or wherever he came from before motioning to Pete: Go - Now - Patrol - Hurry and gestures towards their next target.
Once their far enough away from their tower, Aurius will take a quick look around:
And quickly send word back to the others in as quiet as a voice as he can manage while still being understandable.
"Heads up, we've got a 3 boy patrol and squigg being sent out."
Note unsuccessful.
Pete compares his note to the charge... And realizes he's drawn a monkey. He tosses the note away just before something RIGHT THERE starts shouting. He freezes so hard his heart stops.
Then he gets the signal to move and he's not so quiet anymore...
Squadnet: "Patrol heading out from camp. Acknowledged. We have a patrol returning as well. 2 Orks and a small one, all injured. Ambush team eyes behind us. Report on loadout, anything that does not light us up like a neon sign saying we're here?"
Squadnet: "Correction, make that 4 small ones behind us"
Aurius, seeing Pete's attempt at "stealth" so close to the enemy base while they were on their way to potentially look for them, grits his teeth and attempts to help him not get them both killed primarily motioning him to slow down and to watch where he places his own feet. Any more than that and he'd have to speak up which isn't something they can currently risk.
As you disengage the tower, you can make out several things.
First, there is the tiny tipp-tapp of small boots running off and into the camp.
The Ork on top of the watchtower is coughing JUST in the same moment as Pete fumbles with his stealth attempt and his Lasgun hits the dirt and causing him to nearly stumble.
So far for the good news.
Much more worrying is the sound of heavy footfall that near the wall behind you - and the deep and angry GRRRRR of some kind of animal that comes from the same direction as the footfalls.
Then some voices add in. "Wu'z up Fluff? Is 'ere somefing? Can ya smell somefing?"
As if in reply, the growls become more angry and you hear a sound like teeth rasping over leather.
Thinking that the Squig, despite being an Orkoid Xenos, was similar enough to a Serenian Dia-Hound but considerably less trained and thus prone to being distracted, Aurius picks up a rock or piece of rubble lying around and chucks it away from them as hard as he could in an attempt to grab the squigs attention for long enough to let them slink away and possibly confuse its ork handler.
The toss is slightly off course, causing the stone to land somewhere inside the camp with a pronounced CLONG.
"Hooo? Wuzz dis? Ya heart et? Come 'ere ya hummie, lemme smosh ya ta a bloody pulp, oi!"
Which is followed by a thundering storm of heavy footfalls, indicating a charge
into the ork camp.
Aurius gives Pete and Smith a "Holy s&$*, I cannot believe that worked" look of surprise and concern before shaking his head, shrugging and urging them forward.