'The reasons for this dichotomy may be both economic and cultural. Their tanks and helicopters use hydrogen rather than fossil fuels, and based on the size of the plant on the Monterrey Bay, they aren't even tapping their reserve capacity. However the shells and vehicles themselves seem to be in short supply-probably beyond their production capacity.
'The static units, on the other hand, are mostly reserve and second line troops. They are reluctant fight and retreat after minor casualities. So, despite production limits, they will often resort to massive firepower on advancing forces.
Addendum: After the clash last night, we see their melee weapons
are unexpectedly effective.'
-Pacific Command, G2
aeftr fowrsnG utaecrs frum dHu nowrtH tuw rutrijt
in disurej, PRA haes trnd sawtH tuw fejs ESA Murijns huw haev crosd dHu
Tehachapis. kejrmn Peter Eden haes stejtd hiz cumplijt confudens in dHu
Armij's ubilutij tuw dijl witH dHis nuw dHret. dHu fajtnG haez unfowrknlij
disruptd mejnij uv dHu nowrml funcsHns, incluwdnG flud cntrowl. it iz howpd
dHu conflict wil bij cwiclij ruzowlvd.
Merry Christmas, Chairman Eden.
Her headquarters was dispersed among fifth company, an infantry company. The artillery was clogging up the roads. Theoretically it was safer, if slower, going cross-country, but Verity really envied her executive who was trying to manage that traffic jam.
They were nearly across the paddy; Verity didn't understand it until the second truck blew up.
Bail!
She kicked herself out to slide and tumble in the mud. Two more trucks went even as the soldiers were jumping out. What the hell? Then the 12.7s on the next causeway starting chopping up the rice stalks. She could now hear the mortars. This time they hit a road to the west. Verity winced. That sounded like an ammo truck.
What the hell was happenning? Who were they? Mobile A was supposed to have been her point. Where? Who?
She crawled back to the now abandonned truck. She could stand up behind its cover. In the gray light she could begin to make out lumps and bundles of her soldiers around her. The company commander was not responding. Section leaders were trying to organise their mortars. Verity dashed to the nearest. Do you have smoke? No, we need cover first. A handful of smoke shells landed short of the ambushers. She raised herself up on one knee. It helped, but they were still defenceless. Oh, hell, the textbooks had an answer to that.
The mortars started dropping rounds on the causeway. Not accurately, but confusion would be to Verity's advantage. She rechannelled her helmet. Okay, people let's go. A nearby soldier stared at her. Verity pulled her to her feet by her gear and started kicking her butt. I said let's go! Go! Go! Go! A glare got another soldier to her feet. The section leaders were also rallying the company. Verity started jogging across the paddy, kicking that one poor soldier everytime she paused. More and more got up around her. At that moment any enemy bullet was preferable to their beloved commander's fury.
A young soldier jumped up in front of her as a machine gun swept past. It went right through her visor.
A mortar landed to her left. An arm dropped at her feet.
She stumbled from a near blast and a sudden pain in her side.
She saw a helmet against the skyline. She fired a burst on the run and it dissappeared.
Hey, Charity! Race you home.
Verity hopped the fence and landed in the ditch at the base of the causeway. She motionned two soldiers to continue up. She followed. As soon as they reached the road, a machine gun burst and they came tumbling down again. Damn. Verity fell into the bank and waited anxiously for any helmets against the sky. Below and around her, the company hesitated.
She
felt her side. It was tender, but she didn't think it had pierced her byrnie.
The shock pad was ripped apart. Apparently the ambushers hadn't had time
to mine the ditch. Apparently, but Verity still tried to coax the soldiers
up as high as possible. They must have been hiding when Mobile A passed
over and then set up to catch the next group. Very effective to ambush
the middle of a column.
One of the section leaders was at the southeast corner of the paddy. She reached the road and found nothing. The ambushers were west of her, near Verity's position. Verity orderred her to gather up a flanking force and come down the road. The group around Verity would use grenades and blind fire to cover the counterattack.
Then another voice greeted her. Fourth company had wheeled east and
was coming to her rescue from the other direction. In a few minutes the
ambushers were surrounded. Two R1s were hitting the road from the south.
The concussions knocked Verity back down to the ditch. Damn it all. Her
battleunit was out of position and two companies hit. It would take to
another hour to get the traffic cleared. She'd be lucky to get on the line
by noon, six hours late. Mobile A was going to have to halt to cover her.
Why hadn't they waited before?