"Excellent idea Mack, I'll get the boys working on a plan as soon as I get back. We'll see if we can find some space for some of those extra shells too."
On returning to the artillery lines, Joe is quick to call his officers in.
"Right lads, got some plans to make for a big push and for us to follow up to a new location. We're gonna have lots of extra shells, so Staff sergeant Blackmore, see if you can squeeze a few extra in, we may also need to pack a few on the outside and rig up some slings for damaged chimeras to carry a few as well. Company Sgt Major, can you get the boys ready to move at short notice, if all goes to plan, we won't be back. Lieutenant Romero, you and I are going to take a look at the maps and come up with a bombing schedule. Lieutenant Powell, the big lads, get them to keep up local mortar support where they can for now, keep the natives heads down, but have them ready to move as well. I'll show you the rough targets, but there will be proper orders to follow shortly. In short, we'll have to drag our sorry backsides out of this cosy trench, but where's the glory in pounding heretics from here, we're going to put the pressure on. Please pass on my belief in the boys to them and I'll be round later to gee them up a bit"
Cunning 47+7ranks commander: 1d100 ⇒ 52
Will 41+7ranks Commander: 1d100 ⇒ 5
loyalty roll essentially
General orders in place Joe took Lieutenant Romero to the planning table, cranking up the lumen to see the map better.
"Right Ronnie, We are putting as big a barrage as we can on this location here, use all we can't take with us and see if we can shake the very ground apart. We'll creep that forward, to allow the troops to get in close and then load up ready to move, so where are the dividers and the range tables... Ah good, right, so let's say 25 rounds per gun, that's 100 a squadron,...OK. Great, thanks Ronnie, draw that up neatly and run it by me, then we'll pass it round.
Cunning 47+8ranks rationalist: 1d100 ⇒ 34
Will 41+8ranks rationalist: 1d100 ⇒ 73
calculus roll essentially
"Roger that, much obliged, although without transportation we'll have to strap additional shells to the outsides to get them to the firing positions, the boys won't like it as we'll more vulnerable to incoming fire, but they'll enjoy the extra boom eh! Would there be a possibility of reserve mechanised infantry bringing up some of the extra shells on their chimeras? Again extra risk from incoming fire, but with a spaced out movement, it should limit overall damage and get the shells there quicker.
We could hit the frontline and rockworks to start you all off at extended range and then if you can take and hold the rockworks we can probably hit the ritual site from there with mixed effectiveness. It won't be pretty, but I would imagine it's hard to chant with HE landing close by eh what!"
General cunning for calculus vs 47 (+8 rationalist): 1d100 ⇒ 68
General Will for calculus vs 41(+8 rationalist): 1d100 ⇒ 12
"Sounds like a lot of mumbled gibberish in here today, but I get the gist we are pushing multiple attacks to distract from the main push on this ritual. If you are happy to have reduced fire support later on, I could have my crews ready to lay on an initial barrage prior to the first attack and then be ready to follow up the push. If you can get us close enough, maybe we can pound the ritual with enough HE. It will however mean our artillery is at risk in the salient and will take a while to reset after. I'm not taking my guns near that mine riddled ground, paperwork for a beached gun isn'tworth it, but I can probably force it to collapse a little more if you want me to though.
Joe nods along as if deep in thought at each summary, probably only taking in 1 word in 5, but supplementing with some lip reading.
Taking the space as his turn, he jumps in with his overloud, almost shouting.
"WHAT'S THAT, EH... USE ABHUMANS FOR THEIR SPECIFIC TOPOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE. SOUNDS LIKE A TOP IDEA TO ME. THEY ARE ALL THE EMPEROR'S SERVANTS AFTER ALL. MY OGRYN MORTAR SQUADS HAVE HAD SOME GREAT SUCCESS, SO WHY NOT THE LITTLE ONES AS WELL, SMALL AND SNEAKY EH!
MY BOYS ARE DUG IN AT THE NORTHERN TRENCHES. POSITION IS EXCELLENT, HIGHLY DEFENSIBLE WITH GOOD SUPPORT LINES, SO I'M SURE WE WON'T BE THERE LONG! WE ARE GETTING A STEADY TRICKLE OF AMMUNITION THROUGH, BUT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE.
THE BIG ISSUE WE HAVE CURRENTLY, IS THAT ONE OF MY GUNS, CREW AND ALL WAS DESTROYED THIS MORNING IN UNSETTLING CIRCUMSTANCES. WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE CREW WAS IN UNSETTLING PATTERNS THAT HURT THE EYES AND THEY HAD NO HEADS, WHATS MORE THE GUN WAS STILL WARM WHERE IT HAD BEEN CHOPPED APART. WOULDN'T MIND HAVING A PRIEST COME AND HAVE A LOOK AND MAYBE ONE OF THE FRIENDLY COGBOYS AS WELL. PUT ME RIGHT OFF MY BREAKFAST."
Decided I don't like typing in capitals even if he is essentially shouting, won't do it again.
Joe was early, only a couple of minutes maybe, but despite his wish to be back in the trenches with his guns, he still stuck to the old traditions he had been brought up on where possible and one of those was punctuality. A large man, his bulk was that of the ageing scrumball player that he was, but there was still plenty of strength and clarity of mind behind his watery blue eyes. They needed hefty assistance these days to see anything closer than the healthy range to shoot orks (basilisk effective range for those wondering!), but his monocle did the job, mostly.
As he entered, Joe threw a smart salute to the regimental standard, laying his battered auto shotgun at its base for now, a hasty salute to the colonel who as a friend of many regicide games was used to him, and a perfunctory nod to the commisar seated at the table before he proceeded to the table of food. Grabbing a grox bun in one hand and the recaff pot in the other, he turned to the room. Around a mouthful of his bun, Joe's over loud voice (a symptom of the constant tinnitus in his ears) asked the room at large "Top-up boys", before pouring his own. Grabbing a second bun to replace the already demolished one, he eased himself into his usual place at the table. "Finally got my appetite back after this morning and I'm famished, I need to get me a batman who can cook like yours Sir"
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