Shooting Blanks

“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. - Murphy's Law”

We had the opportunity to try out the V3 rules using the newly released cards. This time, the group agreed to hold a team vs. team format where each group will use 200 pts and each player in the 4 player team shall field 50 pts.

Hammers

Slowly, he trudged along, his once sturdy legs now replaced by mechanical limbs.  Each step producing that familiar screech of grinding gears and clank of steel stepping on dirt and cement. He was flanked by two comrades just like him and their group was just one of three squads in formation, watching his group’s sides as they move from house to house to clear the remaining Allied Rangers garrisoned in this village.

To Breach the Stormwall

They’ve been holding this small town for the past few weeks, a once unremarkable trading crossraods now reduced to rubble. It’s elevated terrain and commanding view of the nearby bridge making it an ideal spot for mounting a defensive line, a perfect spot to place the Stormwall. For many days, the Axis forces in the area tried to breach the entrenched SSU lines to no avail, all their attempts to advance were met with bullets and Tesla fire.

Intel reports that the Axis is again about to make another push at the Stormwall. This latest wave is composed of elements from the dreaded “Xevero” group supported by two heavy walkers. To make matters worse, reports came in that SSU choppers were felled near the Stormwall lines and these choppers were carrying communication codes to be used in the war effort. These codes must be retrieved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Road to Babylon - Zero Division Battle Report #02

Second match done today, again at our Base of Operation of sorts, Neutral Grounds Cash & Carry in Makati. Another Axis player, this time it's no other than Jojo Francisco. He's one of the first players of Dust Tactics in the community. In fact he won the first tournament we held here in the country.

Road to Babylon - Zero Division Battle Report #01

After more than a week after we launched our new campaign, Road to Babylon, I finally got to schedule a couple of matches. The first one is against our new blood, Keith, who chose to succumb to the call of Axis' Laser firepower.

Keith deploying his army

Road to Babylon - Behind the Scenes Part 1

We've recently launched our latest campaign for Dust Tactics/Battlefield, Road to Babylon. After much contemplation as to which army to field, I finally decided to go with my home faction, Allies. I went with my tri-faction list for 125 points. The thing is, my units in this list are part of my ever growing paint job back log.

As with our previous campaigns, I want to keep track of my matches and create battle reports and blog entries. So naturally I will take pictures of my army and I want them to look good, of course. With that in mind, I went ahead to painting my second Heavy Destroyer Walker, Six Shooter variant.

As this is a larger model, I resorted to using canned spray paints to get the base colors done. I used Tamiya Olive Drab for the body and Chrome for the legs.

after applying several coats

after 30-40 minutes, paint is dry and pieces were reassembled

Afterwards, I glued the hatches and the machine gun. Unlike the first Six Shooter I did, I opted to have both hatches opened. I hand-painted these parts with Tamiya Olive Green paint. I then applied some Citadel Nuln Oil on some parts for detailing and simulate weathering effects.

For more rusting and weathering, I used some Tamiya Metallic Brown paint and a sponge and started going all over the model.

While waiting to dry, I went ahead and took care of the crew. I opted not to use the default crew models that came with the kit. Instead, I rummaged through my scraps and found some remaining parts of my previous Tank Crew kit from Dust Studio.

I painted the crews' clothing with Vallejo Army Green and the skin parts with Dark Flesh. After some wash and dry brushing, they're all ready to board their new ride!

my desert themed Six Shooter and my newly finished one

As hinted on one of my images here, my light walkers are next on the plate. Will post progress here as well.

Road to Babylon: Prologue

Spring 1947

It has been roughly two weeks since the Axis Juggernaut headed by the "Mongoose" wrenched the city of Leboux from the Allies and annexed the nearby town of Maleera.  Seeing his enemies in full retreat, the Mongoose made the order to give chase.  Looking at the map of the surrounding areas, he predicts that the retreat shall head west in an attempt to connect with the Allied Zero Division waiting there.  The Mongoose pushed his troops to head northwest, hoping to leapfrog the bigger but demoralized Allied army for a decisive strike. However, he failed to predict what the SSU did next.

By total surprise, elements from the SS "Red Dawgs" engaged the pursuing Axis, the nimble KV-47s wreaking havoc at the flanks while being supported by artillery fire from somewhere near Maleera. An attempt at a counterstrike by the Axis "Kalte Biss" was only met by another ambush, this time from wave upon wave of toads with the word "Ghosts" written in Russian painted on their thick front plates.  

The axis commander "Xevero" heeded the call for reinforcements but was intercepted by another SSU command, this one headed by the great Timofei Teodorovic of the Steel Wind.  The able Axis commander fought the SSU to a stalemate despite the ambush and the SSU's use of new tech never before seen in battle.

Another call for reinforcements was made to the Axis "Enziel" stationed at Maleera, but these calls were left unanswered as the Enziel is protecting Maleera from possible attacks to prevent the ongoing research on an improved superhuman serum from falling to enemy hands.

Arm Me an Army #1

In this series of articles, I’ll try to cover some of the army lists I’ve used for Dust Tactics/Battlefield/Warfare. I may also feature lists used by members of my local playgroup who piqued my curiosity.

With the conclusion of our month-long campaign, Operation: Chronos, I would like to take time and discuss some of the lists I used for my matches. I had a total of some 20+ games during the entire progress of the campaign, some won me games, others obviously didn’t fare too well.

As previously discussed, one of the main purpose of the campaign is to get our local players familiarized with the new rules for Dust Tactics. With majority, if not all, units from my chose bloc, Allies, drastically changed, it’s time to experiment on a few mechanics. It is worth noting that during the earlier half of the campaign, we only had access to the units previewed on the Dust official website. As we go along, however, we got more cards and stats made available to us.

Army List 1:

Bazooka Joe (12), The Big Boss (13), Grim Reapers x3 (33), Bot Hunters x2 (18), Wildfire x2 (14), Hammers (10). Total: 100 AP.

With the first load of previews of the new unit cards and rules, one of the first thing I wanted to try out was fielding (and hopefully abusing) multiple Officer Units. Joe is one of the top choices, having Officer skills combined with his Black Ops make for an optimal “lead from the shadows” centerpiece. During that time, The Big Boss was the only other non-character Officer unit previewed so they were automatically included.

Having a quarter of my force spent on background units, my remaining 75 points must be a force to reckon with. A Grim Reapers squad is one of my staples being a very offensive anti-infantry unit. Having three on your side should spell headache to the opposition.

For armors, I turned to 2 squads of Bot Hunters. Nothing too impressive but they’re cheap and a squad can be joined by Joe should he feel like, well, Bot Hunting or something.

My pair of Wildfires acts as an alpha strike and/or clean-up unit, depending on how aggressive I want to get. If they survive the first wave of attacks, they can also serve as defense towers to my commanders.

Rounding out my list is a squad of a handy dandy Hammers. The combination of Charge, Flying and First Strike all packed in just 10 AP, yes please! They’re very good at pounding problematic characters and/or vehicles, bypassing Steel Guard/Superhuman/Zombie saves, and they can go Shoryuken against aircrafts.

10 activations are above average, at least from what I’ve observed from my local play group. With Joe’s Black Ops, you have better chances of winning the Initiative roll per round so you can dictate judging by your assessment of your opponent’s force if you want to go first or not. The general strategy is to position the Bot Hunters first, followed by the Grim Reapers. Depending on the situation, I will almost always have my The Big Boss follow to either try and reactivate a Grim Reaper or have a nearby unit injected with Stimulants. Wildfires will open fire on those more aggressive infantries like the fast moving Fakyelis or those pesky Zombies. Joe will then attempt to reactivate The Big Boss, if successful, another Stimulant or 2 attempts at reactivating a Grim Reapers squad.

This list won me my first weeks during the campaign, having lost only to an SSU list where I had to downsize to match his points. The massive rolls of the Grim Reapers against Armor 3 or lower are not something to joke about. Depending on the situation, you can focus fire on certain, hardy (or lucky) units, or you can split to several softer ones. Wildfires are very nice. The 11-square effective opening range is very decent and often times, they have to be taken down by units worth more points, exposing them in the process. The Advanced Reactive Fire can almost always frustrate would-be attackers, attempting to take a nibble on your Officers. I can’t stop saying how much I love the Hammers.

The Bot Hunters are what I consider to replace in this list. Switching them for another squad of Hammers and a squad of Gunners, this time dedicated to escort Joe.

What do you think of my list? I would like to hear your feedback and if possible, let me know if you get to take it for a spin in your own community.

Cruz Chronicles - Operation Chronos: Shadowfall (Epilogue)

The continuous shaking motion of my bed kept me awake for more than an hour now. And I thought I’ve drowned the sound of nuts and bolts yanking at each other, but it resonates the minute I return my senses to where I’m at right now.

It’s been a week since the campaign at Leboux was finished. I can still see the flashes of the gun fires when I close my eyes. I can still hear every explosion, every scream, when I try to drift away from reality. I can still feel the bullet that hit my left shoulder. I can still taste my own sweat and blood after I took that hit. And worst, I can still smell the rotting flesh of those God-forsaken creatures. Still makes my guts turn upside down.

That’s it, I said to myself. I stood up from my bed and put on a shirt. I need some air. Some fresh scent, not this confined combination of wood, metal and sweat I’m getting inside my quarters. Not that I’m complaining, I've seen worse. I just need some breathing space.

It’s night time outside, probably. Everyone’s supposedly asleep. You can tell by the moderately lit hallway I’m facing now. This locomotive must be one of the newer models, I guess. Can hardly hear any noise from the machinery and the wheels, unlike those older, steam and coal powered ones.

I decided I’ll walk further into the next cabs. I reckon they will not allow me inside the main machine room. Could be radioactive, especially if this train is running on VK. I've gone past the other quarters. Everyone must be having a good night sleep except for me. I could use some spirit, maybe they got some stored in the kitchen. But where’s the kitchen? We really weren't toured into this train. We were picked from the eastern outskirts of Leboux, shown to our rooms and that’s it. They said the debriefing will be tomorrow morning.

I must have walked several steps when I saw a door right at the end of the now poorly lit hallway. Straight towards the door I continued. It’s a heavy iron door. Not the type you’ll want everyone to have an ease getting in or out from, like the kitchen for example. But my curiosity is nagging at the back of head right now. “Open it!” I can hear myself yelling, repeatedly, in my mind.

I gave in, I looked behind me, and no one’s followed. Nobody’s here except for me, I deduced. My hand gripped the wheel on the door, it was cold. And heavy. It took a serious effort on my end to turn it and open. I slowly pushed to the heavy door inwards, as I do, I made another quick glance around me to check for witnesses. I swiftly dragged myself in to the mysterious room as soon as I confirmed there was none.

“Welcome, Sergeant.” I almost had a heart attack when I heard someone greeted me. When I turned around, I can’t believe who was standing in front of me. Of all people that would catch me, why Bazooka Joe?

“At ease, soldier. I’m not gonna spank you or anything for being such a curious cat.” His words were enough to assure me I’m not in trouble. But something tells me I can’t really relax. “Here, you could use this” he tossed me his personal flask. I obliged and opened the cap, rum. I took one sip and the alcohol drew a warm, stingy line down to my throat.

“Where are we, sir?” I asked. And I immediately regretted what I just said. I shouldn’t be here in the first place and now I’m asking our highest officer questions?

“These are the fruits of our labors, of our sacrifices!” he mocked. He turned around, and even before I completely examined, he pulled the cloth covering a massive object in the room. And what was revealed was more surprising. It was a walker. And not a standard ASOCOM-built one, I’m not looking at a Mickey or the newer Rattler. It’s a KV-47. And then I realized, there’s more in the room. At least four from where I’m standing.

“Why?” was the only word I was able to throw out in response to my awe. I saw Joe threw a clever grin in return.

“This is Shadowfall.” He began explaining as he rubs the exposed Howitzer of the machine. “Our entire operation in Leboux was set with the purpose of achieving these walkers, and that’s what we did.”

What? We traveled all the way to that forsaken city for these? “I can’t understand, sir.” I replied. “We were banking that we were sent there to secure more KV.”

“In a way, yes, we did. But mainly, that was Ozz’s job.” He continued, “by the time the Axis sent in their retaliatory forces after the Zero Division took over the city, Ozz and his men were done packing most of the mined VK from the city. What was left there was merely bait. Bits of cheese to attract the mouse.”

 Joe took the flask from my hand, “you see, soldier, we were sent to Leboux, not to defend it. We were there to intercept the Reds.” He further explained.

“And the Zero Division’s ‘disappearance’, Ozz being gone, that was all a plot, sir?” I uttered, still in total shock of what I've learned.

“All part of the plan.” He confirmed.

“How about these Russian walkers, sir? Where are we going to use them?” it took all of my remaining courage and audacity to ask that. I need to know. After everything that happened, I deserve the truth, I thought.

Joe took slow steps, moving closer in front of me, still wearing that devious smile on his face. Looks me straight in the eyes and then taps me on my right shoulder, “Well, soldier, that’s another story for some other time. What do you say we get that drink you were looking for in the kitchen?”

Operation: Chronos - Conclusion

After weeks of bitter fighting, the Axis forces, spearheaded by the Mongoose, succeeded in re-taking the mineral rich city of Leboux. The vicious Axis counter-assault came in hard and fast, taking control of numerous locations and leaving the stationed Allied forces with little time to coordinate a defense. 

The Allied defenders, through pure grit, held the city for as long as they could, but the Axis juggernaut proved too strong, and reinforcements never came, forcing the defenders to withdraw to the west and retreat at least for now.

The SSU forces, though outnumbered and with no air support, showed the tenacity of their available ground assets, taking strategic locations even from the Mongoose on a number of occasions before withdrawing to the shadows from which they came, their purpose for participating in this conflict still remains unknown.

Cruz Chronicles - Operation Chronos: Shadowfall (Part 4)

Even though they’re still several clicks away, I can smell the stench of rotten flesh and my gut starts to feel it will turn upside down. Again. For the third time tonight. I’ll never get used to these Nazi experiments. Not in a million years.

This is the second time we’re defending the Hospital Grounds from an attack by the Axis. But this is a different formation from the last encounter. This is not The Mongoose.

 I signaled my Bot Hunter unit to march to the nearest cover I found available for us. As we were moving, I saw a glimpse of the wave of zombies approaching us. One of them, their “leader”, I think, was carrying a mechanical saw. I told myself we should keep that thing in our firing range.

Behind them is a more terrifying sight. Several of their heavy-armored infantry led by what looks like a woman follow closely. Unlike our Heavy Rangers, these offshoots are sluggers, due to their denser armors, as Intel said. We better be more careful.

To our right flank, I noticed the rest of our platoon assumed defensive positions. The empty tenement immediately next to the trees we’re tucked in was quickly occupied by two of our Grim Reaper units, followed shortly by our Big Boss. I saw Bazooka Joe right behind them. Suddenly my radio buzzed with more bad news from our officer: The Assassin, Angela, was spotted. I ordered my squad to remain as hidden as possible.

I checked my ammunition again, made sure my UGL is loaded. Then all of a sudden, I hear one of our Wildfires made the opening fire towards the enemies who camped inside another empty building across the field. It was answered by a couple of rockets from their Hans, followed by the Ludwig lurking behind it. In a matter of seconds, the light walker was reduced to shattered scraps aflame. Bolton, the pilot, was lucky enough he made the jump before the hit.

I try to assess our orders again: we must hold the defenses and we must take out Angela. Losing the Wildfire just like that made me disappointed, at the very least. I looked at my men and they were awed by the sheer firepower of the opposition. How are we supposed to take them out?

Then out of nowhere, from way behind our defense lines, a squad of Heavy Rangers came flying above everyone else. In a span of seconds, it took us, including the Krauts, by surprise, when it landed right in front of the bushes covering an Axis Grenadier squad. The chilling sound of mechanical arms pounding on human flesh, the cracking of ribs and skulls, not to mention the sight of blood and gut squirting like paste from those German bodies, it all felt like a cold stab of solid ice right into my chest. As if it was not enough shock for everyone, a shriek of what sounded like a female suddenly covered the battleground. The Hammers report it in, they took out Angela.

From there, it felt like everything was put to fast forward. Our Tank Busters did what they do best, turning the enemy Hans to molten spare parts. The zombies led by the one they call Grenadier X advanced further forward towards our lines. Our Grim Reapers exchanged loads and loads of bullets against Lara and her companions. My squad together with a squad of Gunners broke our cover, emptying all our rifles and launchers in one concentrated attack against the nearest bunch of undead Krauts. Everything was happening so fast I failed to recognize if the green slime staining my pants and boots was from those Axis abominations or from my own gut when I threw up to their stench.

“Curse you!”“ Go back to the Nazi-dug graves from where you came from!” “Go to hell!” These are just some of the war cries I heard in the intensity of the battle. Well, apart from the howls and grunts and cranks. I think I even yelled something similar myself while I’m pouring my bullets to one of the zombies.

I took a quick look behind me, and saw what we lost on our side of the board. My Bazooka, Michael Terrence, is laying face first on the ground. I willed myself to yell for help but I can’t hear my own voice from the all the noise around me. I told my remaining men to reload and prepare for another strike. I closed my eyes for a bit, took one deep breath. I’m ready to go, I guess. No turning back now. I tightened my grip on my rifle’s handle. “On Three!” I heard myself say. One. Two. And then my radio started to do its weird noise. And then the familiar voice of our Heavy Rangers officer reached my ear:

“Fall back! Enemy on retreat!”

Endziel: Operation Chronos - The silent puppets Wave 3, Lucked out

We are in dire need of resources to continue the tests.our tests subjects are either losing it or, lacking a proper term, dropping dead. We must attack now or we can never make another one ever.

Lacking options and opportunity, We must retake our base from Ze Mongoose. This will be a long shot, as Patient Zero is now under enhancement and rebuilding experiments. We will have to rely on Patient X again for this one. Patient X proves to be an effective weapon based on the past battle against Ze Mongoose, a cheap and effective one. We could always rebuild him or create one as long as we wanted to.

I took one last puff of my cigar and blew the smoke. I watched it as it dissipates slowly, then I snapped my finger tossing the cigar butt on a nearby trash bin as I ussually do.

"That's weird" - I told myself. This would be the second time I'd miss the bin, the first one was the incident with patient one. So I picked it up and put it on the bin myself. "I have a bad feeling about this.", Then I looked back and saw my Leiutenant, Gasparde Frey, looking at me.

"Anything wrong?"

"Nothing, we proceed as ussual" - I replied.

---

We marched onto our destination, bringing everything to retaliate to Ze Mongoose'. We took a different path this time to surprise them to their flank, but I guess our scouts did bad. We are unprepared, we marched right into the snake's pit, another Axis' territory, Xevero. Bad luck?

"This bunch doesn't look friendly, Gunter..." - My other Liutenant, Jester Helwig, said. Leboux is different, faction doesn't give you immunity here, it's everyone for himself. There's no way of knowing if a tiger could be eaten by another tiger.

Of course they were threatened. They shoot first, we send our men, or at least which used to be our men. Led by Patient X who's said to have the strength of five men, where in fact he used to be five men before, they're like pack of wolves hungry and howling, eager to plunge their fangs onto the prey. Our twin Hans, ever vigilant on clearing the path of walkers so that our shamblers will have no difficulties tearing up thair preys. But there's something off. We are doing the correct battle plan, however it seems that it is not working very well. The twin hans were brought down, we sent in another two for reinforcements only to be brought down as well. Patient X isn't fighting the way he used to in the previous battle, and the shamblers seems to be doing the same too. Bad luck?

There's no time to think of that right now. We need to win this or we will not have anything to go back to. After hours of exploding shells and gunning panzers, the dust settled. Xevero is retreating leaving they're territory uncontested. We now have the resources we need to continue with our experiments.

It may be bad luck that brought us here, or made it difficult for us to fight earlier, but a strong army
don't rely on luck, they make their own.

---

Game 3: vs Jpe's Xevero
Format: Dust Tactics V2
Mission: Scenario 3: Bait and Flank
AP: 100 pts
Status: Battle won, Location acquired
Locations held: 1
Special Bonus: none

Operation Chronos - No Rest For The Wicked

Excerpt from the journal of

Major General Timofei Teodorovic

3^rd Guards Cavalry Division, Steel Wind

Operation Chronos - Persistence

Excerpt from the journal of

Major General Timofei Teodorovic

3^rd Guards Cavalry Division, Steel Wind

Operation Chronos - Home Away From Home

Excerpt from the journal of

Major General Timofei Teodorovic

3^rd Guards Cavalry Division, Steel Wind

Endziel: Operation Chronos - Silent Puppets Wave 2, The war within

Mutiny is the least I could expect in the war of Leboux. Ze Mongoose is one of those Axis groups hungry for territory, if it's in their way, they'll take it. I care less about taking territories on Leboux for now, All I need was to set camp and proceed with my test subjects, after that taking Leboux will be easy.

But Ze Mongoose do not care about alliance. They are already at the front doors and looks like knocking wont be their case. I would say this would be my fault. We have just taken an Allied territory and we are just recovering from our losses. Patient Zero is on lockdown, as further using her would be too much of a risk for now. We have no choice but to use Patient X.

"Are you sure sir?" One of my scientist waiting for my confirmation as he know the risk of using Patient X. He is a failed experiment after all. Nevertheless we have no choice, I will not just stand here and let these bastards take what is mine.

The battle began as soon as we expect it. We are losing units, but they are too. It seems that Axis knows Axis' weakness afterall. Patient X surprisingly did a good job, however being the unstable failed experiment that he is, he can only take too much. The attrition is too much for us to take as we need resources If we are to succeed in Leboux. They came in more prepared, so we have to retreat for now to our underground laboratory hidden beneath Leboux, bringing everything we could salvage including Patient X and Patient Zero.

We will wait for now. We might have lost the battle today, but this day could never be forgotten.

---

Game 2: vs Vaughn's Ze Mongoose
Format: Dust Tactics V2
Mission: Scenario 3: Bait and Flank
AP: 100 pts
Status: Battle lost, Location lost
Locations held: 0
Special Bonus: none

Endziel: Operation Chronos - Silent Puppets Wave 1, Apocalypse rising

Patient Zero is still unstable, although she exhibits exceptional traits as compared to Patient X, she is still of the same genetic code mutation. The Wiederbelebung serum seems to have different effects based on the physical, emotional and mental state of the patient.

With these in mind, I am still eager to see her capabilities in battle. I bet those allied scums at ASOCOM would not expect something like this.

"Sir we have arrived, Target's hideout at 6:00, 1000 meters"

Today's target are the Basterds, one of the allied lapdogs, a veteran team. I would say they were formed as old as Division Zero of ASOCOM. Nevertheless they will find death.

The howling began, the beasts were released. Supported by Feldwebel Lara Walter's elite squad and Agent Angela Wolf's assassins, we took them by surprise. We took the whole camp before they even know what hit them. Bullets were never made to kill these guys, they keep on coming back for more, and more... Until there's nothing left of the enemy.

There were blood everywhere, the one you'd expect in a gladiator's arena where you pit lions against a men. This is not war anymore, this is apocalypse. And this is just the beginning.

---

Game 1: vs Vic's Basterds
Format: Dust Tactics V2
Mission: Scenario 1, Encounter
AP: 100 pts
Status: Battle won, Location acquired
Locations held: 1
Special Bonus: Wipeout

Zaitsev's Ghosts: Operation Chronos Week 2 Part 3

The Mongoose

                It was already night time by the time the Ghosts of Zaitsev exited the abandoned mines to escape the Allied forces of Zero. The steel guards’ spotlights illuminating the dark tunnels showed them the path leading to a commercial area to the north of the city; the scouts observed a German battle group stationed in the area; it wasn’t their target the few of them that could read German saw the markings on enemy infantry and supply crates that were scattered about in their encampment; “The Mongoose” it said. Nikolai remembered reading reports from allied SSU units that this particular squad held most of the city; even with in-fighting within the German Army, “The Mongoose” managed to defend against all opposition to maintain its grasp on the city.

                The young sergeant had to make a big choice; should they continue their original mission to sow chaos and confusion within enemy lines that they may learn their strategies and weaknesses or to follow their captain’s personal vendetta against the Germans that killed her beloved. Many things ran through his mind at the same time; if they want to win the war they should attack with no discrimination but doing so would cost them both men and munitions, it’s been about a week since their last resupply and losing the south east commercial area was bad for both morale and supplies. Attacking here now would give them those precious supplies; they didn’t need to take the whole area only what lay inside it. With his thoughts in order he ordered his men to prepare an assault.

                The steel guard burst from their hiding places, their headlights like eyes of beasts lit the night hoping to catch the enemy unaware they fired on enemy positions; mostly line infantry, German ghost squads and strumpioneers took refuge behind the protective walls of ruined buildings while heavier armored Faceless deaths used an old dead tree as cover while they took shots against the heavier armored steel guard. The new steel fist squad made to replace Kova’s squad quickly raided an enemy cache while providing medical attention to their wounded compatriots. As the battle progressed Nikolai saw first-hand the rumored new Axis shock troops, squads of apes rushed in to assault the steel guard. Nikolai stood dumbfounded as he saw these beasts; not knowing if they were sentient or were being controlled somehow, only he was thankful that they ignored his own men. The steel guardsmen pelted the apes with a hail of bullets taking most of them down; even unarmored these beasts seemed to ignore the wounds they gained from the hot steel striking their bodies. The few apes that broke through the wall of ammunition managed to cause casualties in the steel guard’s line their improved strength ripped through the Russian power armor’s plates and tore mechanical limbs apart.

                Luckily these apes were few and far between; granting Nikolai’s allies the advantage of range killing the rabid animals before they could do more damage. This was only a short respite as the German regular infantry managed to recover from the earlier assault and began to fire on the SSU forces. Information must have been passed to the rest of the Axis forces in Leboux as the soldiers of The Mongoose sacrificed their greater numbers to focus their fire on single squads of Steel Guard’s. They learned that though their weapons may be far more advanced they do next to nothing against the Russian miniature walkers; concentrated fire was more likely to damage joints and other weaker parts in the Steel Guard’s knocking them out of battle than killing them. Nikolai grudgingly admitted the commander of this squad as losing men without actually killing them did more damage to turn the tide of battle than killing them outright.

                The battle was close to being over; the Germans had lost several of their ape squads and some of their regular infantry; Nikolai thought he they had the chance to actually win the battle, instead of trying to hold out and take their supply cache he ordered his men to advance and attempt to take the enemy warehouse on the far side of the encampment. This order turned out to be a hasty choice, the steel guardsmen that arrived there first was caught in a deadly vice. An axis light walker;  Heinrich, they believed it was called stood above them towering like a metal dinosaur with its heavy laser cannon pointed right at them, the warehouse gate opened with a loud grating sound as moaning and growling marked the approach of the rumored zombies slowly marched toward them. Nikolai’s face went white with guilt as the weight of his decision struck him like a hammer. He grabbed his radio and shouted his men at the front lines to fall back and take what they can. He ordered the rest to act as a rear guard for their retreat the steel death snipers were to provide covering fire from afar while the rest of the tornado’s aid in the retreat and the men carrying heavier caliber auto-guns were to attempt to destroy the Heinrich. A few moments later as the last of the soldiers from the front lines started exiting the battlefield a loud metallic cry light filled the ruined city as the Heinrich began to tilt, Nikolai could see the walker’s leg buckle and warp under its own weight, to him it seemed like a dying animal.

                The remaining Germans momentarily stopped attacking as they dodged the falling metal wreck, enabling the remaining Russian soldiers to exit the battlefield. Sweat painted the young sergeants face from beneath his mask as he pondered his actions. They did manage to grab few of the enemies supplies but it seemed to him that they lost more than they gained, his hasty order to advance could have ended worse than it did. His breathing was labored but it wasn’t from a wound or fatigue it was more of an anxiety attack as he began to feel the burden of his stature as sergeant, he knew there were far more better candidates than he to lead the men. He kept thinking most of the steel guards were veterans of several engagements would have been a better choice than he after all he was only a fresh draft from the countryside not even a year of experience in war. His mind was in chaos, his men were completely silent, only the sound of marching feet echoed in these empty tunnels the surrounding veil of darkness was broken only by the steel guards’ mounted lamps.  The man then noticed the men up front stopping abruptly their mounted spotlights showing only glimpses of what lay ahead, suddenly the dark tunnel shone as an electric buzz rang throughout the cavern.

                Nikolai’s hand futilely attempted to block the light as he walked to the front; the ground crunched as his boots stepped on gravel. As his eyes adjusted to the blinding light he began to see what stood before them; a massive KV-47 walker painted in desert cliff yellow, behind it the remaining Ghosts of Zaitsev stood proudly. The sergeant gave a quick salute and stood in attention immediately knowing who piloted the mechanical giant. An electrical screech suddenly burst as the pilot of the walker spoke; “Rest and refit Sergeant, then continue your original mission.” The tone was cold and nearly soulless; it was as if the woman Nikolai knew no longer existed. The boy turned to his men and signaled to continue marching back to camp. “I will hunt down Kalte Biss myself”;  whispered a woman’s voice causing Nikolai’s to look around, he hadn’t heard the radio’s static burst and none of the men seemed to have heard it too, “I’m going crazy” he thought as he laughed bitterly. 

Zaitsev's Ghosts: Operation Chronos Week 2 Part 2

A Chance Meeting

                It was early morning; Nikolai had only just recovered from his injuries but was already preparing for another sortie, as he gathered his gear he could see that their hidden encampment was buzzing with activity, Kapitan Tanya had ordered all of her men to gather in the clearing; standing atop the wooden balcony of her personal quarters. As the soldiers settled down in formation she began to speak in a cold and commanding manner; other than Nikolai the other soldiers couldn’t see the anger bubbling beneath her stoic façade. Tanya’s simply gave the men a simple order; hunt down the remaining forces of Kalte Biss; the veteran soldiers’ of the steel guard with faces like stone nodded in acknowledgement, Nikolai and the other young regulars infantry couldn’t understand the steel guards determination, especially with the Axis forces occupying nearly eighty percent of the city how would they find that platoon; when there are many more possible targets. Nikolai knew, it was a vendetta, the loss of Kova the man their captain loved and the other steel guard greatly respected had been a huge blow to them but rather than losing morale the veterans used it as fuel for their ever burning hatred of the enemy.

                The lady ended her speech still in a cold and distant manner, “Remember do not die.” The younger regular infantry simply replied with a salute, but the veterans returned with voices filled with determination; “You cannot kill that which is already dead.” Once ready another platoon of guardsmen headed out for battle; their faces like chiseled stone showed no emotion only steel resolve to avenge their fallen comrades. The march within the abandoned mines was dark and solemn; the combat group was used these ancient mines to strike deep behind enemy lines but since information was scarce and the cities districts rapidly changing hands the best the Ghosts could hope for was to exit in unoccupied territory and ambush the axis forces from behind.

                It was mid afternoon when Nikolai and the other soldiers exited from what seemed to be an old railway tunnel nearby a residential area still looking for their prey they chanced upon a combat group from the Allied Forces. Nikolai couldn’t read English and could only make out ZERO painted in white on enemy troopers uniforms and armor. This chance meeting shocked both forces which turned into a skirmish both of them were unprepared for this sudden battle. The steel guard’s thick armor became their weakness; built to withstand Axis forces concentrated fire, they could do nothing against the allied forces Reapers and Hammers mobility, the allied forces relatively few men as their weaker armored companions hid behind cover away from enemy fire. The tougher and faster jump infantry managed to close the distance and fought the steel guard in close combat.

                Zero wasn’t their prey; the steel guard quickly performed a tactical retreat back into the tunnels firing potshots at anyone bold enough to chase them. Nikolai didn’t know how this would affect the war now that both enemy armies would have knowledge of their presence. From what he knew the other SSU forces deployed in this campaign were mainly composed of light infantry supported by KV walkers, this meeting could change enemy tactics; for good or for ill. The only thing Nikolai was certain was the fear he felt when he saw the enemy jump troops descend from the skies like angels of death; their ambush and fortify tactics were of no use against an enemy that could react quicker than they. The young sergeant could only wish that they never meet them again.

Zaitsev's Ghosts: Operation Chronos Week 2 Part 1

Honoring the Dead

Operation Chronos ****, Spring 1947 – taken from Nikolai Kiritchenko’s personal journal.

My name is Nikolai Kiritchenko, I have been given a field promotion to the rank of Serzhant by Kapitan Tanya to replace my fallen predecessor; Serzhant Josef “Kova” Kovasky.

It has been a week since that fated night when the Axis battalion named Kalte Biss wiped out his entire squad; a battle which I barely survived from. It is a shame to lose such a talented officer; he was a man I greatly admired, from what I know of him he had fought alongside the Kapitan in several engagements their first was Stalingrad before the discovery of VK. The war took a toll on his body, in Zverograd he was caught in an explosion and lost an arm and suffered third degree burns on scattered parts on his body; he would have died from shock and bloodloss but the field medics were able to perform first aid but could only do so much to save his life however; the Kapitan was already an active agent for SMERSH and used her connections to place the Serzhant in a steel guard armor as a test subject which saved his life.

The Kapitan and the Serzhant formed “The Ghosts of Zaitsev”; in honor of the legendary sniper, almost completely composed of the first members of the steel guards, men given second life by the sarcophagus they call their armor. The recent battle however has caused massive losses in the steel guard and I fear the loss of Kova has clouded the Kapitan’s judgement. She had recently ordered a “Haunt”; what the ghosts call their missions, to eliminate Kalte Biss. I cannot go against the orders of my superior but I fear that a personal vendetta will cost us this battle.