RUSTED AND BLOODSTAINED

War 115, Day 45, THE IRON ROAD, Deadlands --- My hands jump, the soft pang of gunfire hitting the sandbags covering me. In response a Warden Field Gun opens up, machine gun fire spraying into the darkness towards the source. That’s the theme here on The Iron Road, occasionally broken up by the hum of an armoured car, advancing out of the trees, yet just as quickly rolling back. I look over towards my colleague, Jean Baricave, across the road in a trench interviewing a Warden soldier who grips his rifle tightly.

Currently Warden forces only control the Northeast Callahan’s Gate within the region. Although the Spine is also de-facto under their jurisdiction it is a much more tenuous situation, having consistently traded hands with advancing Mesean forces. Here though, Caovish forces seem to hold a much more solidified position, with large established bunkers and a strong perimeter around the Callahan’s Gate Town Base further North.

I feel a hand on my shoulder then, it’s Jean pulling me from the debris. We promptly both depart, explosions and gunfire behind us, a fresh mob of Warden’s arriving to stem the Colonial tide. We see it now, a mess of rusted field guns, a red tinge mixed with mud. Looking back we both solemnly agree then, no matter the victor the battle for The Iron Road will be a long and bloodstained one.