Day 298: Kazakh Firefly
By [KAZ] Flannel84
Day 298, War 119
The Clahstra
COMMUNITY SUBMISSION
As I sat around a campfire to drink a hot cup of tea in the cold Caoivish night, I heard a soldier telling a story.
"The darkness of the night was lifted as the bunkers burst into flames, the night sky was lit up by shells an-" before he could finish, I requested him to restart. He obliged and started from the very beginning.
On Day 298 of War 119 the [KAZ] regiment had departed their facility with 3 rocket artillery half-tracks, 3 flatbeds of rockets, a fuel truck, and a 40mm armored car heading for The Vault in The Clahstra. The convoy was so long that, immediately upon setting off an inattentive driver in the fourth truck did not pull out, and the convoy was split, having to pause for the other half to catch up. Though the operation was to take place in The Clahstra, the route was chosen to drive through Reaching Trail, Viper Pit, and then on to Weathered Expanse before entering the Clahstra. Many strongly formed opinions were voiced given the confusing route, leading to many stops and copious doses of migraine medication for lead vehicle and operation planner [KAZ] Cpt. SeaofSerenity.
Believing that all drivers were indeed competent and all questions asked/answered/ignored the convoy pressed on before reaching a tight turn. The convoy got split up and a coincidental gap in watchtowers meant that the final five vehicles missed the turn towards Harpy and instead went a short distance into the next hexagon of battle over. It was at this point it became clear that some of the members of [KAZ] had some undiagnosed cognitive deficiencies. The convoy would successfully reach The Vault one hour after departing from Basin Sionnach.
Upon arriving, the regiment quickly set to work ranging and firing Sky Caller incendiary artillery, but were pushed back by Colonial infantry with anti-armour weapons. The 40mm armoured car (with a small infantry support group) suppressed the Colonial guerilla attacks long enough that the Wardens could reposition and continue the operation. We faced repeated counter-battery Colonial 120mm artillery, they began to rain hellfire on the firing position. The operation continued to fire, retreat, repeat as the night pushed on and the days passed. 40mm armoured car gunner [KAZ] AB The Shark and [KAZ] driver Papa Bear set up three more watchtowers to cover critical areas where Colonials were sneaking past to increase regional security.
Soon, an infantry battle broke out at the destroyed bridge. The decision was taken to dismount from the guns and continue fighting as infantry. This was in order to secure the bridge from the Colonials before the operation could be resumed. [KAZ] Roomypants vented some pent up anger at the Colonials, killing well over a dozen with his machine gun. He said this of the encounter:
"Buildings burnt through the night,
Wardens were spoiling for a fight.
Collies screamed as they fried,
A part of me had there died."