Pvt Boh Raal: Delay and Evacuate

[The Stray]

Spoiler: Scenario

Under the simulated experience, Pvt Boh Raal will assume the virtual rank of Corporal, and will lead a fireteam assigned to hold a vanguard position against and Imperial advance on a local hospital. The hospital is a critical site, also functioning as a forward command & control center, as well as a temporary supply center. An overwhelming imperial force is en route to dislodge the entire defenders, and it is Raal’s duty to skirmish with Imperial forces to delay their assault.

The fireteam has been deployed to an advance position roughly 8 kilometers away from the hospital itself, watching over one main surface street, approximately four lanes wide with a grassy median n the center, running north-south to the hospital. To either side of the street is a neighborhood with small alleys running through the blocks on either flank. 2 lane=wide roads intersect the main road every 1.5 kilometers. The main road is blocked intermittently by destroyed speeders, as though it been bombed during a time of medium traffic. Several craters dot the main road. Approximately 4 kilometers away from the hospital is a small market on the west side of the main road, wherein abandoned carts contain various goods and prove cover as well as intersecting with the alley. The buildings on all corners were around three stories tall, but many have been bombed and could provide firebases. Closer to the hospital, which was shielded from the aerial bombardment, scattered occupied residences of civilians who have refused to evacuate, but will likely flee upon Imperial approach. Some may attempt to fight with civilian grade weapons.

Enemy forces are expected to approach in waves.

Objective: Delay Imperial forces for 30 turns, at which point the fireteam must board the last shuttle leaving the hospital. Failure to make it back in time will result in being left behind. (Must board shuttle no later than 33rd turn).
Mission Difficulty: Hard


Alliance Forces:
1 PC Corporal – Private Boh Raal
Equipment
- Standard MCU
- ER40 Blaster Rifle (6 power cells)
- K8 'Katie' Heavy Blaster Pistol (4 power cells)
- 2 G10 HE/DP Hand Grenade
- 2 Smoke Grenades

3 NPC Alliance Soldiers
Pvt. Windsly Norris – Riflemen
- Standard MCU
- ER40 Blaster Rifle (6 power cells)
- K8 'Katie' Heavy Blaster Pistol (4 power cells)
- 2 G10 HE/DP Hand Grenade
- 2 Smoke Grenades
Pvt. Jillian Myrishi – Marksmen
- ESR9 Blast Rifle (6 power cells)
- ER64 Blaster Rifle (4 Power Cells)
- 4 Smoke Grenades
Pvt. Pollix Fenn – Heavy Weapons
- Kraig M88 MLRS/AT (6 rockets)
- M15 MDEWS (4 power cells)
- 2 G10 HE/DP Hand Grenades
- 2 Smoke Grenades

Random civilians may be armed.

Imperial Forces - (NPC'd by Xyrael)
3 Line Squads (27 Line Infantry, SMG's, Vests, Helmets)
1 Sharpshooter Squad (9 Infantry, Rifles, Vests, Helmets)
1 Stormtrooper Squad (9 Infantry, Rifles, Stormtrooper Armor)
1 Light Vehicle Section (2 AT-ST)

The simulator was always all to real. Anyone who stepped foot in it had the unfortunate experience of actually fearing their life. Most of the times, soldiers weren’t put in positions where it was likely they wouldn’t survive. This was the exception.

Boh’s fireteam had deployed eight kilometers from the hospital, his team moving quickly in order to prepare themselves for the approaching Imperials. Pvt Jilian Myrishi sat atop of the few high structures one kilometer west of the insertion point, putting herself slightly closer to the hospital than the rest of the fireteam. The rest of the fireteam had spread themselves out in a staggered formation, each some four hundred meters apart. Pvt. Windsly Norris would be the first to come into contact with the approaching force, positioned on the North side of the main road, while acting Corporal Boh Raal positioned himself four hundred meters west of his position on the south side of the road. Just four hundred meters west of Boh was heavy weapons Pvt. Pollix Fenn.

Each man had taken appropriate firing cover, but had not entrenched themselves in order to allow a fluid and quick tactical retreat when necessary. All would be in constant communication through helmet comlinks set to the appropriate frequency, while Pvt. Myrishi would provide tactical information on the location of approaching enemy forces, and guide the rest of the fireteam back towards the hospital.

 

[Xyrael]

((I see that we now have a road that runs east-west. Alright, had to reread it a few times to make sure.))

The first Imperial Army squad came into view, seeming to flood in through a street that intersected the main road. They were lightly armed, equipped with metal helmets and vests, light repeating blasters, and little else. Their helmets bobbed up and down as they approached through light cover, unaware of the ambush awaiting them, but still wary of a potential attack. They were little more than five hundred meters away, and approaching at a steady jog. They would soon break cover, with a hundred meter gap between one broken speeder and the next, well within Pvt. Norris' effective firing range.

 

[The Stray]

Pvt. Norris was up first, and as such he has the best shot to force an automatic kill. He perched in a destroyed building which was nothing more than ruins and half standings walls. He lay with his back to the ground and his eyes to the sky as he waited patiently, his grip tightening around hi weapon. He was frightened, but be damned he was an alliance soldier, and those as the hospital were depending on him. And he was going to have a free shot.

“500 meters and closing” whispered the voice over the comlink. Myrishi had been giving constant updates the moment the enemy forces entered her line of sight. And now they are in the exact range which the fireteam was to engage.

Pvt. Norris’ eyes snapped open, and ever so quietly he brought himself to his knee’s, and bringing his rifle to bear. He was well hidden, and be damned if he was going to be spotted first. So he took his time, and fell back on his training. The training that stuck with him despite the pounding in his chest. He slowed his heart, brought the cross hairs over the unsuspecting soldiers head, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

All he felt was recoil as the bullets flew, a very controlled burst that at five hundred meters was more than accurate. Three shots escaped from the barrel. It was important that every shot count, ammo was sparse.

He didn’t look to see if the enemy went down. He knew he would, and instead focused his sights on the next dangerous target. He wasn’t sure if they’d have locked his position yet, and he’d be ready to take down the next soldier who tried to move out of cover. It’s not like they were in firing range by the look of their weapons. They’d have to move closer before they could get a shot on Norris, which meant he might get another few down before he took off running.

 

[Xyrael]

The first trooper to break cover received a burst of blaster fire to the head. Two of the three shots slammed into the metal helmet, resisting the lasers but knocking the soldiers head back through sheer force, placing it directly in line with the third shot. The helmet went flying off as his body collapsed amidst the rubble. The first Imperial Army squad hunkered down for a moment, their metal helmets peaking up from the speeder they would have to pass to see their foe. They knew they had a a timeline to meet, and decided that safety in numbers was their only bet. Seemingly all at once, the faceless soldiers of the Sith Empire surged from their cover, sprinting across the gap in broken speeders. Some of the men seemed to be running erratically, probably attempting to be difficult targets to hit, whilst others just ran as quickly as they could.

 

[The Stray]

Pvt. Norris was not about to turn tail a run when his opponent was crossing open ground and out of range. More importantly, they still handn’t located him, which meant he had another free shot without fear of enemy fire. Of course this time, they were sprinting, while some were zig sagging.

Norris wasn’t a professional markman, but he was pretty good. However, he didn’t trust himself enough to b sure he was going to get a kill against a target zig sagging. Instead, due to his superior angle Norris would fire on the closest man to the speeder, who happened to be the fastest runner apparently. That was important that Norris eliminate the speedy ones.

His rifle scope quickly locked onto his target, having prepared himself the second he had taken the first shot. It only took him four seconds to come up with a comfortable shot, though this one wouldn’t be a hot shot. It was too quick a shot to hit him in the head, and instead aimed for the biggest available target. The chest.

Three shots again, but with recoil, the gun rose up slightly as intended. This was the hope that the blaster fire would strike first in the lower chest, then high on the chest, and finally if lucky, Norris actually would get a head shot, maybe even a throat shot. A shot to the throat would be a one hit kill he knew. Lightly protected, and absolutely vital for the soldier to continue his run.

After fire erupted, Norris was still confident he could take down at least one other target before retreating. In fact, he was even having thoughts of taking out two or three. By the time they reached the speeder, they would still be roughly four hundred meters from his position, and Norris a good hundred meters before Norris was instructed to retreat.

 

[Xyrael]

The fastest of the 8 remaining troopers took three shots to the chest, knocking him off his feet. His metal vest, however, had absorbed the energy based attack with little effort, and the AI-controlled trooper scrambled to his feet in time to get to cover behind the speeder. Another, however, wasn't so lucky, taking a quick burst of blaster fire to his leg, rendering him completely combat ineffective. The seemingly wild shots that were hastily sent off had now been located by the Army troopers. The 'officer' in charge of the group, hardly noticeable save for the commands he was giving, directed his soldiers to move in two groups up the sides of the street, four to the north side, including the officer, and three to the south. The group on the north face would hug the walls, attempting to stay out of the shooters line of sight, while the group on the south side would advance steadily. Debris littered both sides of the street and provided ample cover, and the Imperial troops were advancing steadily.

The soldiers advancing along the south took their time, setting up at locations to fire several bursts at Private Norris before moving on, speckling the walls around him with scorch marks and giving him notice that while inaccurate at around 350m, the blasters were more than capable of killing him at this range. Private Norris, however, was in sufficient enough cover to fire off another burst, clipping the shoulder of one of the soldiers advancing along the southern face, sending him to the ground and out of the fight.

To the east, another squad of line troopers surged onto the main street, again 500 meters from Pvt. Norris' position and advancing to support their comrades.

 

[The Stray]

The enemy armor was tougher than Norris expected, but at least he scored a hit worth something. Every shot had to hit, and at the very least that soldier’s armor had taken a pretty good beating. Chances are, a second salvo and the armor wouldn’t stand up. But still, every shot had to be a kill shot, and Norris cursed that his desired target hadn’t been neutralized. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

What he didn’t like was the fire that scorched his cover. He didn’t like getting shot at, and if it hadn’t been for Myrishi’s voice appearing on the comlink.

“Identified possible squad leader. Suggest coordinated fire to neutralize leadership” Myrishi questioned, this time, the question pointed directly at Boh.

“Combine fire, don’t let them realize we’ve got a sniper” Boh responded.

“Target in sights, fire in three… two… one…”

As Myrishi finished her sentence, Norris having followed the conversation let his rifle roar. This time, he fired four shots at the approaching squad. They weren’t well taken, and if Norris was lucky, one bullet might scrape an approaching soldier’s chest plate, but nothing more. However the real punch came in, when Myrishi unleashed her powerful sniper rifle at the very moment Norris fired. Her shot was deadly, and would strike the soldier who gave the orders without worry. The idea of Norris firing was to cover the sound of the sniper fire, and to keep the opponent unaware of other alliance personnel, and keep the imperials in the dark.

“Target down, second squad incoming” came Myrishi’s voice again.

“That’s it, I’m out Norris said, having had quite enough for his round, and bringing himself to the ground where he quickly crawled towards the back entrance to the wreckage, onto the side streets, and at a run set his pace tracker for eight hundred meters, and braced himself for the dangerous run. He’d stick to cover as possible, doing what he could to take back alleyways, and put large objects between him and the advancing squad as much as possible. His confidence was also boosted by the fact that Myrishi had eyes, and would inform him if he needed to hide should the enemy be moving his way.

Meanwhile, Boh would be up next, his body positioned in a rundown building similarly to Norris. The enemy would already be in range of his fire, and he’d been lining up his sights for a while now. A natural marksman, Boh was an excellent shot, and had been waiting for them to enter optimal firing range for some time without giving away his position. Now he had the angle on the troops approaching from the south side, and the means to take them down.

As the hugged the wall, Boh unleashed three controlled bursts of three shots each. Staring down the barrel at a line of troops, each flurry was meant to take down a man. They were separated so Boh could get a handle on each target’s reaction to the first flurry, but would find the balance between letting them find cover, and letting getting a good shot off. Then, like Norris before him, he’d wait for the soldiers to react. They would be at least five hundred meters at the very closest, giving him more than enough time to delay them further. By now, they’d probably realize they’d never make it in time if they continued on the path they were on.

 

[Xyrael]

Of the first squad, the squad's sergeant and his three comrades hurriedly moved along the north wall, stepping over debris and careful to avoid their quarry's line of sight. A burst of four rounds snapped through a gap, one powerful round catching the sergeant in the neck, leaving a gaping, cauterized wound where his trachea would have once been. His three men hurried closer to the position of their foe, but there was no fire. They ducked into the building he had been at, eager to get out of the threat range of the enemy on the south side of the street, and eliminate the foe hunkered down in the building. They climbed steps and jumped over rubble, wasting precious time they could have spent advancing on the hospital in order to eliminate Private Norris so that second squad could get by unscathed.

They found nothing. Instead they hunkered down by several broken windows, like crenelations, using them as cover to fire upon the Corporal Raal on the south side. His use of cover was ineffective, in large part due to the fact that he would need to move shortly, but the light repeating blasters of the Imperial Army were inaccurate at best at 400m. Regardless, the sheer rate of fire from the three soldiers was something to cause concern, and they made very effective use of cover.

Of the three men on the southern side of the street, one had been wounded in the arm, and two were still fully capable. Nine rounds were fired from Corporal Raal, three connected with the wounded soldier's groin, severing a critical artery and taking the poor boy out of the fight quickly. The other two ducked for cover, one jumping behind a speeder, the other into the building closest to him. Corporal Raal's fire, however, caught the soldier who jumped behind the speeder in the leg with a blaster round, the force of the hit sending the man's body spinning in air. A ding was heard as the metal helmet smacked the side of the speeder, and he did not get up to continue firing.

Inside the building in the south, simultaneous with the firing from the three survivors of the squad forming a firebase in the north, the lone trooper on the south side of the street made his way into the back alley. He crept along eagerly hoping to flank Cpl. Raal.

Erstwhile, the second squad of Imperial soldiers rapidly advanced straight down the main street, easily moving past places where their comrades had died, past debris and broken speeders, hurrying past foxholes in the median. It wouldn't be long before they caught up to their comrades.

 

[The Stray]

“We’ve got a loner exiting into a nearby alley commander” declared the watchful guardian Myrishi. “Disappeared behind the building, don’t got a shot. Recommend a retreat with caution.”

Boh heading the words of his sniper, quickly prepared his fall back strategy. He would crawl under the cover of the downed building out through the back door leading straight into the alley way. Unfortunately for him, that meant that meant coming in close range of the approaching loner. At least he’d know which way the man was coming from. It were times Boh had wished he had a thermal imagery set built into his goggles.

From his backward position near a standing entrance way to the building, Boh was in no danger from being hit by the suppressive fire deliver by the rest of the squad. However he would need to be a major decision. He needed to move, but wasn’t about to step out into the street. So instead, from his backward position in the rubble, Boh slung his rifle by the strap over his shoulder, upholstered his side arm, and prepared to ambush the soldier the second he heard a sound.

“Myrishi, keep me posted on the rest of the imperial squad” he whispered, no wanting to give away his position should the imperial be closer then suspected.

Meanwhile, Norris found himself running for his life follow another update on Myrishi letting him know they’d secured his previous position. His next position would be far less entrenched, with greater ability for the riflemen to pack up and go. He hadn’t reached his position yet, but he was getting close.

 

[Xyrael]

The three men from first squad in their firebase on the second floor of the building continued to sustain fire on Corporal Raal's position. However, as he moved into the building, it slowly became clear that they had no more targets to fire on, and they still had an objective to reach. After a few moments of deciding who would command them in lieu of the sergeants death, they finally decided that it would be best for them to stick together and advance down the north alley towards the next major surface street, taking caution to check corners in case Private Norris was lurking in a doorway.

The lone trooper from first squad, advancing through his own alley already, was too anxious to find his prey, and not cautious enough. His bootsteps were loud, his metal armor was not quiet, he had given away his position. He turned the corner, blaster at his hip, and sprayed the entire cartridge through the doorway before ducking against the wall beside the back entrance to reload his weapon.

Down the center of the street, the second squad continued to advance at a quick pace, their weapons ready. By now, the next main intersection was only 700m away, and they were nearly past Cpl. Boh Raal's last position. A flurry of laser bolts shot out a window of a building, but the sergeant of the squad paid no heed, he was determined to secure the intersection. His squad's route would take then into the open just past Boh Raal's last position, followed by several destroyed cargo speeders whose cargo containers had collapsed onto the street and provided a large amount of cover up until the intersection.

At the intersection, however, a significant traffic collision seemed to have occurred in the NE quarter of the two streets. No less than four speeders, each full of families of burnt corpses and broken droids, were piled atop each other, wisps of black smoke still faintly streaming out. The sergeant of this squad, a bit smarter than the one before, did not point, but instead voiced his order, his soldiers grunting in agreement. It would be a difficult signal to interpret. They would advance through cover, between the irregularly angled containers, and rally at the hulk of speeders. The sergeant suspected another ambush, and his men would be ready.

 

[The Stray]

Norris darted in and out of alley ways, streets and cover on his way to getting nearly eight hundred meters worth of separation. It had been tough, but he wasn’t sprinting yet. He was pacing himself, and after dealing with the first squad, saw an opportunity to eliminate the remaining three soldiers of the first squad. So he chose his cover wisely.

Unfortunately Norris could only find a one story house, that was fairly still intact, though obviously damaged. However it sat on a prime corner intersecting a side street paralleling the main roadway, and an alleyway. What made the house of particular tactical use was the fact that there was a 100 meter long corridor in which there would be no side streets or alley ways in which approaching soldiers would be able to dart off into and attempt to flank. They would either need to proceed straight, directly at the house. Or retreat backwards, taking precious time, and most likely still losing a man or two in the process. At which point, it’d be one vs one… and well, Norris was simply better in every capacity than a standard imperial light infantry.

While Norris awaited the approaching three man group, Boh was taking care of the rest of squad one. He had positioned himself just next to the doorway on the inside of the building. The angle left him unscathed by the trigger happy imperial, who he could hear having to reload after his spray of bullets. That’d cost him, as the well-aimed Special Forces marksmen rounded the corner with pace and skill. He didn’t even need a solid shot at that range, and not with the heavy blaster pistol. He simply fired two powerful blasts at virtually point plank range. It’d bring the soldier down for sure.

“Sir, we’ve got the second squad rapidly advancing. They’ve already passed eight hundred meters on the main road.” Myrishi said.

“Open fire” was the order.

With that, the first real sign of a sniper rang through the air as the soldier on the northern side of the squad two would find a bullet passing straight through his unsuspecting head. Unfortunately for them, it wouldn’t be the last shot sniper. They were in the wide open spaces, and the power of Myrishi’s sniper and the angle meant no one was safe, unless they simply hit the deck in one of the giant craters. But its unlikely they’d settle for such a non-aggressive tactic. Even more troubling for the squad would be Boh’s rapid advance to the nearby alley corner which would be the closest outlet off the main road on the south side. And that was the entire point of taking the soldier to west. Myrishi was trying to herd a panic’d light infantry squad right towards Boh where there would be virtually no cover, save for a few inlets into buildings of the alley way. They’d be sitting ducks, pinned from both sides. If they chose north however, they’d almost assuredly loose another soldier to sniper fire, having slightly more ground to make up by crossing to the north side.


By this point, Norris would be spotting the approaching remnant of squad one hurrying themselves up the road. They were sacrificing speed for security, but chances are it wouldn’t matter. Norris was well concealed inside the house, his rifle barrel barely peeking out a broken out window on the corner of it. They’d be out of luck if they wanted to spot him from that distance without a spotter in for support. Now once they reached the halfway point between the hundred meter block, Norris would judiciously open fire. Three shot bursts, first shot of course would be well taken and targeted for the head.

 

[Xyrael]

The Imperial soldier reloading his repeating rifle looked too late at Raal to make a difference. The two shots ended him quickly.

Meanwhile, the three men left from first squad, realizing that Norris was nowhere to be seen, crept steadily up the alleyway as they approached the intersection. The first sniper round sounded close, Pvt. Myrishi having set roughly 1 kilometer away from the Pvt. Norris' initial location, probably within 200-300 meters of where the three survivors from First now were. Instead of moving further and risking being attacked, they hunched down behind a disposal unit, waiting for another sniper round to be fired so they could determine where it was, and if they were in a position to storm the snipers position.

The second squad, however, did not act as intended as the first sniper round penetrated the metal vest of a soldier, his torso launched backwards whilst his legs carried him forwards, the back of his metal helmet slamming against the concrete. Second squad had an objective to reach, and come hell or high water they were determined to make it. The sergeant ordered the men to make a full sprint towards the intersection, barking an order verbally to his men, "Go south, take cover behind the buildings! Two men, take cover behind the wreck, lay down suppressive fire on the snipers position!" The men shouted back to their sergeant in affirmation. At their position, Pvt. Myrishi was going to be within reach, and her accuracy and rate of fire would doubtlessly suffer. What's worse, second squad seemed to be faster than the first one.

 

[The Stray]

“They’re too close! I gotta move!” Myrishi cried as he quickly rotated her body and rolled skillfully away from the ledge of the three story building. She wasn’t sure if they had her position yet, but she wasn’t about to find out. Instead, she was going to retreat into the building, and prepare for further orders. In the meantime, waiting by the door in a prime ambush spot with her ER64 rifle would be enough to keep the enemy at bay. They might try to clear the room, but with her sights trained on the doorway, she’d be ready tp unload half a clip into the doorway at the slightest sound.

Knowing no more blaster fire would ensue, Norris kept his sights set on the approaching infantry. He needed to eliminate them now, because he needed to get back to help stall the second squad. But he had the best chance to eliminate the stragglers, who if left unchecked would certainly become a problem.

At this point, it appeared the second squad had no intention was funneling off the main road, and moved past Boh’s position. At this point, they were extremely close to private Fenn’s position, who to this point had been lying in wait. He wanted to ambush his prey, and though they were sprinting, they were close enough it wouldn’t matter. Especially considering he would momentarily have Boh’s arriving to hit the advancing squad in the rear.

“Opening fire” Fenn reported, his barrel sticking out of a broken window on what was once a three story building, but instead was a one story pile of rubble with a single room still standing. They’d be quite close, and easy pickings. So without hesitation, Fenn’s rifle erupted fire. It was less judicious than the previous combatants, firing two four shot bursts to eliminate the first soldier, intending to lead him as needed. Then without hesitation, moved to a second target and would begin unloading further shots until the target was either dead or in cover. If he died, he’d move to the next target, and so on and so forth until all men were either pinned down in cover, or filled with scorch marks. If they managed to find cover, Fenn would be ready to fire at the slightest sign of movement.

Shortly after Fenn began firing, Boh would be arriving on the corner of the main street and an off shoot just east of the second squads position. They certainly hadn’t outpaced the marksmen effective firing range, who would from the corner begin judiciously unloading his rifle on any soldier not on the opposite side of cover. Unfortunatley for them , that meant they were trapped between the cross hairs of Boh and Fenn, who’d be moving from one target to the next on either side. They’d be hard pressed to make it out alive considering angle of attacks, even if there were seven of them…

“Myrishi, fall back while the enemy is pinned down! You’ve got eight hundred meters to go before the next sniper position!" Boh ordered, talking between bursts from his rifle.