A Bridge Too Far
Heroes: Zeke, Jenissa
Enemies: Extreme weather, the Spheran Tigerclaw Division and Duke Nukem
Mountain Trek
By the time we rejoin our heroes this time, a full day had passed since their fateful encounter with the Dragon of Sphere. Khaurus Vanbaal and his Bloody Ravens had long since departed to cut off the Spherans' path to the Electran Field Camp and had instructed Zeke to lead the rest of the recruits to the east. From there, the day had passed without further orders, and thus our heroes, along with some seventy soldiers of the Republic, trudged onwards along the mountain trail.
The first one to break the silence of the chill mountain air was Cetina. Were the Spherans following them? The idea didn't seem to sit well with her. Zeke drily speculated that if the Spherans were following them, they would have caught up and killed them by now, but this 'reassurance' seemed to do little to calm Cetina's nerves. Varin, meanwhile, said he would take on the Dragon himself if he showed his face around there, and Sgt. Slaughter was quick to volunteer for that task as well. Despite this, Cetina only kept repeating her question and glancing over her shoulder frenetically. Growing tired of this, Zeke finally suggested that if she was so worried, she should send Brock back to scout for the Spherans. Jenissa hastily added her own approval of this idea, and Brock of course was only too ready to be helpful, and within moments was running off behind the column of men. Zeke was a little concerned about how Brock would meet up with them, but Brock yelled over his shoulder that as a gym trainer, he was sure he could catch them in no time.
With Cetina's worries now somewhat assuaged, and Jenissa's almost completely so, the journey passed without incident until our heroes arrived at the most daunting part of their trek: Frostmorrow Trail. The steep, winding pass wound itself up the slopes of a nearby mountain, and our heroes would have to traverse it if they were to continue making their way towards the nearest Electran-held settlement, a place by the name of Ersha. Varin shivered ever so slightly as he looked up at the wind-swept trail above, but still boasted that his Conventionals would be the first ones to reach the other side. Eyeing him disdainfully, Jenissa pulled on her pink mittens and sniffed that he'd have a hard time doing so without catching hypothermia, and Zeke declared to his men that they would only get another beer party once they cleared the mountain. And with such sharp words, the trek over the mountain began.
| Maneuver | Check | Description |
| Battle March | x2 Discipline x3 Condition |
The troops march on in precise formation, keeping their spirits up by singing traditional battle songs! |
| Rapid Hustle | x2 Condition | The troops rush forward at a rapid pace, with an abundance of military dive-rolls. |
| Sheer Will | x2 Morale x3 Condition |
Your noble troops surge onwards on pure willpower alone, often with heroic music playing faintly in the background. |
| Gunboat Diplomacy | x3 Morale F-Att vs. Def 13 |
Your troops practice real 'American style' diplomacy, charging into the situation with their weapons blazing. |
| Snowball Run | x3 Condition x3 Morale |
Your troops pack themselves into a gigantic snowball and just roll through any obstacles in their path. |
| Chauffeur Call | None | The troops' leader pulls out a cell-phone and calls her personal chauffeur to give she and her men a lift. |
| Beer Party | Fail x1 Discipline | The Beer Party is back and it's better than ever! The troops don't really move, but rather break out the beer and sing off-key songs around an ad hoc bonfire. |
The first part of the trail consisted of a long, gruelling slope that led up the mountain's face. Undaunted, Varin and his men started hustling up the side at top speed, while Cetina and her troops formed up for a somewhat less-than-inspiring Battle March. The Wheel meanwhile struggled the whole way to the top on Sheer Will alone. However, Jenissa thought that the slope looked far too long to consider walking up at all and made a call to Jeeves, her personal chauffeur, requesting that he pick them up and drive she and her men over the mountain pass. Jeeves' response was affirmative, and asked if he could pick up anything for the young mistress along the way. Jenissa requested that Jeeves bring along her purple pair of fuzzy mittens to lend to her friend. Jenissa, Vidal and the Outfit then stood at the base of the mountain for the car to arrive. Unfortunately, it seemed that Electra City was farther away from the Velguara mountains than Jeeves had anticipated, and after some good time of waiting, there was still no sign of him. Baffled, Jenissa's men started trickling up the hill, and after a suggestion from Vidal that this 'Jeeves' be fired, Jenissa finally did the same.
By this time, the other battallions had reached the top of the slope, where an extremely narrow trail clung to the side of the trail. Zeke's attempt to hustle rapidly across only resulted in several slips and falls for his men, whereas here the Battle March performed by Jenissa proved much more effective. However, Zeke's hustle proved much more effective when he reached the silence of the Avalanche slopes, unlike the spirited singing of Cetina's Battle March, which caused the snow above to collapse upon her unit. Fortunately, she and the rest of the troops had a chance to warm up in the maze-like ice-crystal caverns that followed. Varin and his men kept right on hustling along, getting lost repeatedly in the process, while both Jenissa and Zeke packed their men into a GIANT SNOWBALL in a dubiously effective tactic, given the lack of snow in the caverns.
Reaching the other side of the caverns, our heroes forged out into right onto the wind-exposed shoulder of the mountain, where they were immediately buffeted by frigidly cold winds. These winds froze Zeke and Jenissa's willpower in their tracks, but Varin and his men were kept somewhat warmer by the blazing of their weapons as they charged out into the cold firing like madmen. However, although the cold was bad enough, it quickly turned into a swirling blizzard, pelting our heroes with snow and ice and obscuring their vision. Jenissa's men tried their best to battle march through the tempest, but keeping formation proved to be impossible in the violent storm. Zeke, meanwhile, packed his men once more into a snowball, and while the going was slow, at least his men were protected from the blizzard. This tactic proved double effective in the last section of their journey, the downward slopes on the far side of the mountain. Varin's men, up to this point in the lead, broke out the firearms once more, only to stare aghast as Zeke went crashing by them in his snowball, with his men splattering out as they hit a tree at the bottom. The Rose Legion, now apparently rejoined by Brock who was offering to carry Cetina, followed shortly thereafter, but it was a good deal of time before Jenissa finally emerged. Reunited again, and with the most gruelling part of the journey behind them, our heroes pressed on once more with renewed vigor.
Varin and Cetina's men had marched ahead a fair distance, leaving Zeke and Jenissa to guard the column's rear. And as usual when the two squadrons were together, harsh words were exchanged. Desrae was taunting the Special Forces for how out of shape they obviously were, whereas Vidal was still ranting about the slovenly performance of Jenissa's chauffeur, Jeeves. Fortunately, Jenissa informed him, she had a replacement driver, James, all lined up and ready to go for the next time. The rest of Zeke's men, meanwhile, were still recovering from the massive party they had thrown at the bottom of the mountain and complaining about how they were running dangerously short on beer. Jenissa sniffed in haughty satisfaction upon hearing this news, but this only earned her a snowball in the face from one of the Auxiliaries soldiers. The Special Forces were swift and fierce in their retaliation, and then started to make on their Krazy Carpets, which turned out to be one of Jenissa's TBAs.
However, this light-hearted scuffle was about to grow much more serious indeed. As one of Zeke's men ran to the bushes to slip some dangerous rocks into his snowball, there was suddenly a shout of alarm and a burst of gunfire. At that moment, several camouflaged Spheran soldiers broke cover, unleashing a volley of fire to stun the Electran men and then made a break for the forest to the north.
It looked to be two platoons of Spheran Scouts, decked out in camouflage uniforms and carrying Spheran Highwind mountaineering rifles. Zeke shouted that the scouts could not be allowed to report back, and both the Wheel and the Outfit leapt into action in a race against time. The Spherans outmaneuvered their opponents at the outset of the battle, inflicting casualties on the outfit with their blast-grenades, but as they made their way for the river that blocked their escape, a well-aimed shotgun blast broke the lead unit, and the second was unable to muster the courage to over-run Jenissa's troops. In the end, our heroes finished off their opponents in the nick of time and hurried onwards to report the incident to their comrades up ahead.
Harumph. It has not been pleasant these last few days. First off, that grubby Fenixan abandons you in the wilderness, and then you have to walk all the way up that horrid mountain, and THEN only to find more of those atrocious Spherans hiding on the other side. Somebody didn't plan this war very well, that's for sure. Well, at least now you're approaching a town of some sort. There had better be someone of authority there to hear about your indignant discontent.
Troop Status
- Supplies: PK-33 Handguns, Combat Helms, 1 set of field
Medkits, spotless set
of Deluxe Uniforms, mostly full supplies of
ammunition and field rations.
- Morale: Your rout at the hands of the Dragon and
passage over those frigid
mountains hasn't been good for the troops. Vidal
Sassoon has expressed many a
complaint about his frozen hair-gel. They'll certain be
happy to be back in
civilization.
- Health: You, of course, have been fine thanks to your
pink fuzzy mittens and
scarf, but some of your men didn't have your forethought.
As such, a few are
suffering from the effects of the cold. It's
nothing serious yet, but you
hope there's no more mountains to cross in the near
future.
Military Communiques
- Just today, you received word again from Republic High
Command. Your orders
are to regroup in the village of Ersha, which you should be
approaching now. A
Conventionals officer called Field-Marshall Model is in
charge there, and you
are to link up with and support his regiment.
- You also received a classified transmission from
Special Forces Command.
Apparently, your many appearances in the paper hasn't escaped
their notice. You
have been given specific orders to raise the Special
Forces profile with the
local populace of this area through any means
necessary...
Personal Notes
- You certainly hope they have a salon and a shopping
mall in this Ersha
place. It wouldn't be much of a village if it
didn't.
- You've really been enjoying ribbing Varin about how
useful your mittens and
winter gear have been. Those fingerless combat gloves
of his just don't match
up. That boy is going to catch hypothermia if
he's not more careful!
Mini-Objectives
- Raise the Special Forces' "heroic" profile with the
local populace through
any means.
Generally, you've got no problems with running away from trouble. But you're not afraid to face it head on either. Though you've escaped from the Dragon for now, the presence of those Spheran scouts means there's probably more around. You wonder if the folks down in that village you're approaching know anything about this...
Troop Status
- Supplies: Hacksaw Shotguns, Combat Daggers, Combat
Helms, mostly full
supplies of ammunition and rations. However, your men have
complained that they
are running
dangerously low on beer.
- Morale: So far, your men are holding up to the strains
of the field pretty
well, but a shortage of beer could turn that around
in a hurry. You'll have
to find a way to avert this disaster.
- Health: Your boys are a hardy bunch, and the cold
doesn't bother them too
much. Or at least, that's what they claim when
they're sufficiently
'fortified'...
Military Communiques
- Just today, you received word again from Republic High
Command. Your orders
are to regroup in the village of Ersha, which you should be
approaching now. A
Conventionals officer called Field-Marshall Model is in
charge there, and you
are to link up with and support his regiment.
- Word from Auxiliaries command is that another
Auxiliaries unit is already
somewhere nearby in your area. They're supposedly
stationed down at the town
of
Valmore, though what they're actually doing there, you
have no idea.
Personal Notes
- The boys have been complaining about the relative lack
of entertainment in
this desolate area. Stealing tuques and
gloves from the Special Forces is
apparently fun for only so long.
- With your approach on the isolated village of Ersha,
Desrae has been idly
'suggesting' that it might be time to collect a little
'bonus pay' from the
locals. According to her, you wouldn't be the first
Auxiliaries group to have
done so...
Mini-Objectives
- Obtain additional booze and luxury supplies for your
men.
The action resumed as our heroes and their troops marched into the quiet mountain village of Ersha. It was quiet alright - almost too quiet. A few townsfolk could be seen peeking out of windows, but for the most part, the streets were deserted. And there was certainly no sign of Republic soldiers anywhere in sight. One of the few locals out and about directed our heroes to the town's manor-house, where the head Republic officer was said to be staying.
The officers gave their men to leave to go and explore the town, with Jenissa ordering her own troops to keep a look-out for a mall and a salon. The eight of them then proceeded up to the manor's front door. At their knock, it was swiftly answered by a man in a smart, blue military uniform. He informed that the town's commander, Field-Marshall Model, was expecting them and invited them inside the luxurious abode. They were taken upstairs to a spacious study, where behind a mahogany desk, sat the man they had come to see.
Model
Race: Electran
Rank: Field-Marshall
Affiliation: Electran Conventionals
The esteemed and, of a certitude, very important Field-Marshall
Model is a man who knows how to live the good life. And refined,
older man with neatly combed grey hair and a darker complexion,
he wears a heavily medal-adorned navy blue uniform and a gigantic
blue General's hat. He can also almost never be seen without an
expensive cigar and a glass of cognac in hand. In truth, there
are those who might doubt his military competence, perhaps due to
his seeming lack of concern for anyone but himself, but for such
an important man as he, surely such concern is more than
justified.
Model welcomed the new officers to the town, though he admitted that he was surprised at the sudden arrival of more troops in the area, and expressed no small amount of concern over the presence of the Spheran Scouts that our heroes had encountered in the mountains. Jenissa had concerns of her own, pertaining to the location of Model's men. With a deft wave of his hand and another sip of cognac, Model informed our heroes that he had sent them off to march on the Spheran-held settlement of Istava, to the north, some two weeks ago. With himself staying behind at the 'strategic' command centre of the manorhouse. He believed that he'd heard reports that by now, they'd all been slaughtered. Or something like that. Zeke was shocked at this news, questioning whether there were any soldiers at all in the village other than their own. Model's answer was affirmative: other than himself, there were exactly three. These consisted of his personal valet, who our heroes had met at the door, one officer who had returned from the battle to the north, and another who had come up from the unit stationed in Valmore to the east. Our heroes asked to speak to these two officers, and before long, they arrived. And to tell the truth, were it not for the presence of Zeke and his troops, it would be hard to fathom a more disreputable pair.
Funky
Race: Chalchakian
Rank: Sergeant
Affiliation: Electran Conventionals
It would be easy to assume that Funky was some kind of
grease-monkey mechanic or even a drug-dealer, but the last thing
that he looks like is a soldier. Dressed in an over-sized
hawaiian shirt, a pair of baggy denim shorts and a backwards ball
cap, he sports both a slender, funky mustache and a pair of black
shades. However, what he lacks in soldierly appearance, Funky
more than makes up in his expertise in heavy weapons and
demolitions. However, although his skill in these matters is
unquestionable, his integrity is not, as he has often been known
to offer the sale of seemingly black-market armaments at
strangely calculated prices. Still, if there's something you
need built or blown up, then given the right price, Sergeant
Funky is definitely your man.
Sneaky Pedro
Race: Fenixan
Rank: Sergeant
Affiliation: Electran Auxiliaries
While some might say that most Auxiliaries hardly look like
professional soldiers, it could almost certainly be agreed that
Sneaky Pedro doesn't look like any kind of soldier at all. A
swarthy, unshaven face, a tattered and dirty grey poncho and a
badly drooping sombrero: these are Pedro's physical hallmarks.
Pedro was an officer from the Electran forces stationed at the
village of Valmore, who were led by a man known only as 'the
Duke.' His exact purpose for coming to Ersha remained somewhat
questionable, and his biggest contribution to any discussion was
to suggest either flight or surrender at every opportunity.
Funky greeted our heroes with a funkin' yo yo yo, though Sneaky Pedro seemed a bit less enthused to see them. When questioned about the battle to the north, Funky admitted that his entire company and the rest of the force had been wiped out, and that he had managed to make it back into town about a week ago. Jenissa was suspicious that FUnky, of all people, had managed to survive the battle that had killed so many, but Funky attributed his escape to the construction of some kind of trap or contraption which easily bought him the time he needed. Seemingly satisfied by Funky's answer, our noble heroes returned their fire to the Field-Marshall, who had gone back to smugly sipping his cognac. It was speculated that Model was just taking advantage of the war to seize a nice, luxurious place to live for himself. While Model admitted, under question, that the manorhouse belonged to the town's mayor, he had to seize it as a strategic command centre. Jenissa idly wondered whether this included seizing the mayor's cigars and cognac. Bristling with indignation, Model replied that the cigars were his own private stock and he would never go anywhere without them. Before further argument could ensue, Model dismissed the officers from his presence, giving them opportunity to get some training done with their troops.
As our heroes began leaving the mansion, the friendly Funky approached them with a proposal. Apparently, he was feeling 'down and out' without his boys and offered his hyped-up skills to the newly arrived officers. Jenissa and Zeke accepted, and thus the dubious character of Funky became an official member of their battallions.
While Zeke's reluctant men were receiving instruction from an equally reluctant Vidal Sassoon, Jenissa 'tactfully' convinced Desrae to give her own troops a bit of a work-out, using her previous criticism of their passage over the mountains as ammunition. This done, the Special Forces leader decided to explore the town a bit herself. Her soldiers informed her that the town had no shopping mall, but did have an outdoor market. After buying one of the merchant's out of hand-woven baskets to send back home as 'quaint souvenirs' to her friends in Electra, she proceeded to the town's post office. There she found a bitter postal worker with a machinegun slung over his shoulder sourly loading up his truck, but her attempts to recruit the well-armed local post failed miserably. After handing over her baskets to the surly clerk, she then headed to the town's newspaper office next door. The writer there was busily tapping out some story about the town's impending doom, and didn't seem too interested in an interview with an ordinary Electran officer. Unless it was over dinner, of course, in which case it was more than welcome.
Meanwhile, Zeke had business of his own, and it didn't involve hand-woven baskets. Having noticed the impressive array of drinks in the Field-Marshall's office, he suspected that the manor must have some kind of wine-cellar. Ringing the house's bell, he was once more greeted by Model's valet. After enquiring about the existence of the wine-cellar, he asked to be taken again to the Field-Marshall. Model was of course still in his office, and just lighting up another very expensive looking cigar. Zeke opted to play it straight and asked outright for access to the wine-cellar, due to its critical role in maintaining his men's morale. This proved to be a poor track to take, as this request was promptly denied by the civic-minded Field-Marshall, who couldn't allow for the mayor's private possessions to be plundered by the soldiers. Of course, this denial was made while Model was in the process of pouring himself a fresh glass of cognac. Frustrated but unwilling to countermand the Field-Marshall's direct order, Zeke left the manor for now to save this matter for another time.
As Zeke was just exiting the manor and Jenissa was returning there, they were both alerted by the shouts of a Special Forces soldier who came running into sight at top speed. Varin and Cetina were also drawn by the noise, and the four officers gathered to hear the soldier's breathless report. His first few words immediately caught their attention: the Spherans were here. A small contingent of Spheran soldiers were approaching the town - and they were flying the white flag. Zeke gave the word to assemble all of their men at the manor while the four leaders would proceed out to meet the Spheran entourage.
The four arrived at the outskirts of the town just as the Spherans came marching into view. Zeke was happy to know that they outnumbered the Spherans: there were only three of them. Yet, in spite of this fact, the lead Spheran alone would probably have been enough to intimidate any number of young Electran officers.
Sir Karsh
Race: Spheran
Rank: Battle-Knight
Affiliation: Spheran Coalition, Tigerclaw Division
Despite his relative youth, there is no doubt that the Spheran
knight Sir Karsh bears a powerful presence. A thick mane of
black hair spills down his neck, and his face is painted with
black and white stripes of tiger-like war-paint. His gleaming
white breastplate leaves bare his powerfully muscled arms, and
red flames roar up the sides of his baggy white pants. By his
own words, Karsh is a member of the Spheran Tigerclaw division,
although with the Spheran organizational structure as of yet
unknown to our heroes, this means little. What's more relevant
is that he was in command of the Spheran contingent sent to seize
the settlement of Ersha in the East of the Velguara mountains. A
fierce warrior and a decisive leader, Karsh was not a man to be
underestimated either on the field or off.
Karsh's command of the Electran language was good, if not perfect, and it was certainly adequate to make clear his terms. Karsh was giving the Electran forces a chance to surrender before his men swept down on the village. Straightening his back, Zeke demanded to know what they would get in return for making this settlement. Karsh's answer was bleak and to the point. They would live. Jenissa asked where all of Karsh's men were, if they were in such imminent danger, but the Spheran commander snarled back that he was no fool and had no intention of giving away his men's position. His ultimatum thus delivered, he advised the Electran officers that they had one hour to decide, then turned on his heel and, with his two guards beside him, stalked swiftly out of sight.
Our heroes wasted no time in returning to the manor house, where their subordinate officers were already waiting. The platoon lieutenants relayed the most recent news, although Desrae was skeptical of why Zeke hadn't jumped the Spheran leader then and there. This done, Derae, Sgt. Slaughter and Brock were dispatched to finish assembling the men while the rest of the officers went inside to inform the Field-Marshall.
Model nearly spilled his cognac at the news of the Spheran advance, and baffled, posed the question of what the Spherans could possibly want with this small rural community. Jenissa suggested that maybe they were only bluffing, but Model quickly came up with a far more plausible hypothesis: they were after him! The proper response to this revelation was of course to panic, and Model did so admirably. He immediately called for his valet to prepare his car, and instructed him to make sure to bring his cigars. Meanwhile, Zeke and Jenissa remained unconvinced of the Field-Marshall's tactics and set about debating their options.
Clearly, the protection of the villagers was the group's first priority. According to Funky, there had been over a hundred Spheran soldiers when he had last encountered this force to the north, and the Electrans currently had just over sixty. Funky also offered that for a small price - say fifty bucks - he could construct a contraption that was sure to stop the Spherans dead in their tracks. Given how well Funky's 'contraptions' had apparently worked last time, it seemed to our heroes that a pitched battle was a sure path to defeat for them. However, Varin, with a sidelong glance to the 'crucial' Field-Marshall, suggested another reason for the Spherans' advance. He had received a military dispatch informing him of an RAF radar station that was based in the mountains just a few hours to the north-east. The station was supposed to facilitate RAF operations in the area, but if the Spherans captured it, they might be able to use it to bring their own airforce to bear. In Varin's opinion, the station definitely had to be protected. He suggested that they call in the RAF for a strategic airstrike and march out to meet Karsh and his Spherans head on. Despite their inferior numbers, he felt that with air support, the day could be theirs.
Despite Varin's gung-ho bravery, Zeke was critical of this plan. If they failed in their battle, it would leave the villagers unprotected. He proposed a full evacuation to the town of Valmore to the east, where they could link up with the Auxiliaries forces stationed there. Cetina and Funky both approved of this plan, but Sneaky Pedro did not. Apparently, such a course of action was surely impossible. In his opinion, they had only one chance, and that was to surrender. Vidal Sassoon seconded this notion, stating that he was sure the Spherans would abide by interplanetary protocol in dealing with prisoners of war. However, none of the other officers thought very highly of this idea. Jenissa suggested that they give the airforce a call just to see what their options really were in that department. As such, radio contact was quickly made with Captain Kal Meecham of the RAF.
Meecham was baffled and outraged by the strange technology that was allowing them to contact him, and demanded to know where they had obtained such an interociter. After calmly explaining to Meecham that they were just using a normal radio, Zeke asked to speak to the airforce commander in the region. Meecham agreed to this, and within moments, Zeke and Jenissa were patched through to Kal Meecham's superior officer.
Admiral Tubby
Race: Electran
Rank: Admiral
Affiliation: Republic Air Force (RAF)
The formidable Admiral Tubby has been given the crucial
responsibility of commanding all RAF operations in the embattled
Velguara region during the Republic's direst hour of need. True
to his name, Tubby is a rather smug-looking, short, balding man
who appears to be more than a bit pudgy around the waist himself.
He wears a navy blue RAF uniform decorated with dozens of medals
and the traditional silver wings of the Airforce. Tubby is known
as a brilliant strategist who prefers to err on the side of
caution in any situation. Because after all, you never want to
make the critical mistake of committing your forces too
soon.
With Tubby's smug face appearing calmly on the view-screen, Jenissa quickly explained the situation and asked whether air support would be possible. Unfortunately, Tubby's response was a negative. The Electrans had yet to even catch a glimpse of the Spheran force, and Tubby didn't want to run the risk of committing his forces too soon. Varin argued that they had sixty guys down there who were committed already, but Tubby remained adamant in his position. He would need a great deal more time to properly analyze the situation and calculate the risk involved. With a sigh, Jenissa thanked the Admiral for his time and ended the transmission.
With air support out of the question, it seemed unlikely that either the town or the radar station could be held for any significant length of time. Field-Marshall Model suggested that the officers march to the field and attack the spherans head-on. Of course, this suggestion was made from over by the closet where the Field-Marshall was hastily packing his suitcase. Zeke asked what the point of such a maneuver might be, and Model responded that it was to buy time to prevent the Spherans from obtaining a strategic resource. Namely him. Deciding to ignore Model's advice from here on, our heroes got back to debating their true course of action. With Tubby's unhelpful response, Jenissa was now in favor of Zeke's proposed evacuation. However, Varin insisted that if they couldn't protect the radar station, they should at least destroy it. He volunteered to lead a small strike force to blow the station and link up with the main column later. Zeke pointed out that the group lacked sufficient explosives for such an operation, but this problem could easily be solved by Funky and his offer to sell the needed demolition charges and remote mines over the counter. And with him, they wouldn't need any of those crazy 'military credits' either, just straight up cash. At a price of 200 a piece, he could sell them a good four such demolition charges, for a total of maybe 950 marks.
Zeke, however, remained passionately adamant that the group's main priority was to protect the villagers. With no telling where the Spherans had their scouts, they couldn't afford to split their forces, and would need both Varin and his men to ensure the townsfolks' safety. Besides, it might be that the Spherans didn't even know the radar station existed. And linked up with the reinforcements in Valmore, they could later return in greater force. Varin remained reluctant, but both Jenissa and Cetina agreed with Zeke and the Conventionals officer finally consented to follow the will of the majority. Sneaky Pedro voiced one last objection to this plan, but was easily ignored.
With their fate thus decided, our heroes proceeded down to the front of the manor where their troops were assembled, and where Field-Marshall Model's valet was loading what looked to be the mayor's cognac into Model's car, much to the envy of Zeke's men. When questioned, Model explained that he could not allow the mayor's valuable possessions to fall into Spheran hands. Model's intention was to drive ahead in his car and allow the column of troops and evacuees to cover his retreat. However, given that there were Spheran scouts strewn all over the land, Zeke convinced the Field-Marshall that it was much safer to stay with the protection of the column. Model finally agreed, but refused to let any of the refugees ride in his car. Zeke's men were disapointed that they didn't manage to obtain the cognac out of the deal, but Zeke assured them that it wouldn't get far.
As the troops were gathering the townsfolk for the evacuation, Zeke and Jenissa were suddenly approached by a frantic man with an outrageous french accent. He identified himself as Roch Voisine, and said that he had come from the village of Valmore. Apparently, his town was being terrorized by a group of bandits and he had come to Ersha seeking aid from the military. Zeke assured him that they were already on their way to Valmore, and though they didn't know anything about these bandits, they would deal with them once they got there. However, Voisine's words rang an ominous tone for our heroes that their plan might not quite work out the way they had hoped...
Although everyone's nerves were on edge, the journey of the soldiers and the citizens of Ersha went without incident and before long, they reached the last major landmark between themselves and Valmore: Crenel Canyon. The rocky, blasted scar split the valley cleanly in two, and was spanned only by a single suspension bridge. Once they were across, they could cut the bridge and be safe from Spheran pursuit. However, there were several hundred villagers, and getting them across the narrow bridge would take time. As such, the Electran soldiers set up a defensive perimeter while Field-Marshall Model led the way over the canyon in his car. Zeke and Jenissa were expecting an attack at any moment, but none came. Varin, who had been overseeing the crossing, came to report that the people had made it across and it was time for the soldiers to do the same. This news came none too soon, as an Electran scout arrived at that very moment, reporting that a brigade of some one hundred Spheran soldiers had been spotted nearby and was closing fast. Zeke didn't need any more convincing, and ordered a full retreat across the canyon.
However, as the Republic soldiers regrouped and approached the bridge, they noticed that the far side was mysteriously devoid of people. That was, until Sneaky Pedro stepped into view on the opposing ridge. With a shake of his sombrero, Pedro declared that he had warned them that his course of action was impossible. And that he had been forced to inform the Duke of their coming. No sooner had these words been uttered than the Duke himself stepped into view.
Duke Nukem
Race: Fenixan
Rank: Platoon Lieutenant
Affiliation: Rogue Electran Auxiliaries
Hail to the King, baby. There ain't a more dangerous leader out
there than Duke Nukem. A well-muscled Fenixan, Nukem has a blond
brush-cut and is ominously dressed in black sunglasses and
leather. Most importantly of all, a gigantic autoblaster rests
in his arms at all times, although some sources might suggest
that he does not in fact know how to use it. Duke Nukem
was the leader of the Auxiliaries squadron stationed in Valmore,
but unexpectedly turned on his fellow Republic officers,
attempting to prevent them from reaching the village. While his
motives for doing so remain uncertain, there is one thing that
is: and that is Duke is there to kick ass and chew gum. And out
in the field, it's darn hard to find enough gum.
After using the tagline that heads this section, it quickly became apparent that Duke and Pedro were not alone. With them were thirty Auxiliaries soldiers, all of whom seemd to back the Duke in his declaration that the Electran soldiers would not cross the bridge. Zeke questioned why his fellow Auxiliaries would be turning against them, but there was no time for debate. If they had to get through Duke Nukem, then that was the way it was gonna be, baby.
The battle began with Duke and Pedro bombarding the bridge with their Hacksaw shotguns and Field Mortars respectively. The suspension bridge shook under the impact, but held firm for now. Zeke and Varin both made for a grove of trees on their side of the canyon and laid down cover fire while the Special Forces charged in full force across the bridge. The two crimson-clad squadrons succeeded in clearing the bridge, but had some trouble climbing the ridge on the far side upon which Duke and Sneaky Pedro were standing. This trouble was magnified further when Duke's squadron started raining blast grenades down upon them. Jenissa's unit took heavy casualties from these attacks, and Cetina's was only saved by Brock heroically throwing himself on live grenades to absorb the impact.
However, just as it looked like the Republic soldiers were making progress, events took another turn for the worse. Arriving on the ridge were the Spheran forces, composed of several squads of light infantry, a band of bare-chested, headband-wearing Spheran Windreavers, and led by Sir Karsh himself and his Tigerfangs. Realizing they were in dire straits, Zeke and Varin were forced to lay off their cover fire and make a break for the bridge before they were cut off. This left the Special Forces without support, and Pedro and Nukem stepped up their attacks. With Varin's Lightning Fist holding the bridge-head, taking fire from both Karsh's mobile automatics and the Windreavers' grenades, Zeke's wheel charged past onto the bridge. Instants later, the howling Windreavers crashed into Varin's ranks, attacking savagely with their martial arts skills, and Karsh's own men followed shortly thereafter.
Seeing the Spheran advance, Duke Nukem decided that it was time to make his own timely departure, and he and Sneaky Pedro withdrew from the field. Meanwhile, Varin's disciplined troops managed to pull back from the furious Spheran onslaught, cutting at the bridge's supports with their combat daggers as they went. Seeing this, Sir Karsh abruptly realized what the Electrans were planning pulled his own men back from the badly damaged bridge. The fanatical Windreavers, however, charged onwards, inflicting more casualties on Varin's men. Not a moment too soon, the Lightning Fist leapt from the bridge, as Jenissa's men blasted the final supports of the suspension bridge with a precise shot from their handguns, and the Windreavers went plummetting to the canyon below.
Despite this victorious moment, the battle wasn't quite over yet. At Karsh's direction, the Spheran infantry had taken to Zeke and Varin's former position in the woods and let loose a blistering fire with their Highwind mountaineering rifles, sending Varin's unit into a full-fledged panic. Without sufficient ranged weapons of their own, the Special Forces could do nothing but withdraw from combat, while Zeke's men stayed in the back, offering Varin and his troops their moral support. In spite of Sgt. Slaughter's gung-ho shouting, the Lightning Fist stayed huddled for a few more crucial moments, where they were continually decimated by the Spheran fire. Finally, Varin and slaughter were able to get their few remaining men back on their feet and made good their escape, leaving a brooding Karsh standing on the rim of the canyon behind them.
The Electran force had been decimated, but at least they had survived. As Zeke and Varin crested the rise, they found where the townsfolk had formerly been taken prisoner by the Auxiliaries and were now helping the Special Forces round up the fleeing remnants of Nukem's force. The situation seemed well in hand, but several soldiers were wounded and would require immediate attention. Varin suggested that he and Cetina see to this matter while Zeke and Jenissa scout out the town ahead to check out the story that had been presented by Roch Voisine. Calling for their two subordinates to accompany them, the two officers set off.
As they approached the village of Valmore along the main road, the group immediately noticed that the place was far too quiet. But the silence was about to be broken when stepping into view atop a nearby building was a man in black leather with a giant gun. It appeared that not quite all the rogue Auxiliaries had been rounded up. Duke Nukem declared that they may have beaten his men, but he was king of this town now and they weren't going a step forward. And it was time to kick ass and chew gum.
Jenissa and Zeke were more than ready to charge into battle, but unfortunately their subordinates were not nearly so ready. Desrae didn't want to have to waste her expensive bullets unless there was a little kickback in it for her, and Vidal preferred to provide the spiritual form of support. Jenissa sharply reminded her sergeant that it wouldn't look good if she was seen running into battle without him, but Vidal maintained that it would look even worse if he got blood on his shiny white uniform. It seemed that unless the two Republic leaders were willing to cough up some cash, they were on their own.
The two charged together down the Main Road, while Duke leapt down right into Plain Sight, from where he had a very clear view for his shots, but was incredibly easy to hit. Despite his seeming inability to use his gun, his first volley of bullets cut into our heroes, wounding them heavily. Jenissa responded with a pink bolt of psychic energy and Zeke responded by darting over to a nearby Park Bench to restore his energy. Duke took Jenissa's bolt head on and continued to strafe back and forth. Jenissa struck Nukem with one more blast of energy, but made the mistake of charging into Plain Sight herself, where even Duke was able to gun her down. Meanwhile, Zeke made his approach this time through a grove of trees. However, things looked grim for the Wheel's leader when Duke was out of gum and started acting and firing twice as quickly. The trees seemed to provide him sufficient cover where he was, but he would have to charge into Plain Sight to take Nukem on. Knowing he would only have once chance, Zeke made his charge, and took Nukem down with a single unbelievably powerful straight punch, breaking his sunglasses in the process.
At long last, the battle for Valmore was over. The Spherans had been outrun and Duke Nukem defeated. The biggest question that remained for the Auxiliaries officer as he pondered his victory was how he would obtain the cognac from the back of Model's car.