Joint Log | Gen. Sharpe & Col. Harper | "Now we are free"

Posted on 241507.23 @ 11:27pm by General Richard Sharpe & Colonel Patrick Harper

Mission: The Krigoran War [GQ]

"At my signal, unleash hell." - Gen. Maximus Decimus Meridius

The incoming fire was intense, and no position was truly safe. Trapped in the valley, the 89th MECH continued to take a pounding as they were encircled and cut off from support. Not that there was any support coming, as General Trident had told Harper that there were no reinforcements to spare.

So, this would be how he would be remembered? The new Colonel who had led his men to slaughter in a well conceived trap. He'd been outmatched, outplayed and outmanouvered at every turn, and no matter what he did - the enemy countered it and moved against him. They couldn't catch a break.

He called for air support, they brought forward anti-air assets. He moved his tanks, they counter-moved theirs to meet his own. Considering this was supposed to be an easy operation with an easy foe to face, this had turned into a military disaster. He had one of the best fighting forces known to the SFMC - a mechanized brigade - and still he was taking a kicking. He couldn't move his mechanized forces into play, and his artillery was being systematically targeted. His infantry were huddled in foxholes as the enemy lobbed shells at his positions with impunity. This was truly intolerable.

Harper looked out of the beaten remains of his CP at the remnants of his Brigade and wondered how things could have gone so horribly wrong. The Krigoran commander had demanded his surrender - and at this point, he was tempted to take it. Perhaps his last decent act as an officer in the SFMC would be to spare his men the horror of being shelled to death...

It was as he looked out a flight of fighters screamed overhead, and fired a massive salvo at the enemy positions. This was followed by the ponderous hulks of the LAAT's, as they moved overhead, firing their broadside pulse cannons and missiles at the enemy. The side doors of the craft opened, and marines opened fire as they flew in orbit around the 89th's position, spraying the surrounding Krigoran forces with considerable fire.

Within minutes, the sky was full of LAAT's providing a storm of phaser fire and missile barrages. The 'gunships', as they were referred to, began to land one at a time to disgorge their marine occupants, who charged out behind the Krigoran fixed positions and assaulted them. Spurred on by the arrival of the 5th AirCav, Harper's men burst out of their foxholes and charged the enemy from the other side, catching the Krigoran forces in a pincer movement.

"Hammer Six Actual to all units, engage the enemy as they appear! Engage engage engage!" Harper ordered into his comm unit, spurred on by the unexpected arrival of reinforcements.

One of the LAATs landed near the CP, and a small squad of marines charged out followed by a man wearing crisp battle fatuges, a rifle up over his shoulder casually as he walked out of the aircraft - apparently indifferent to the ongoing firefight going on a mere three metres from their position. When Harper spotted this individual, he had to double-take a moment, then looked again.

"Well, looks like you got yourself in the shit again, doesn't it Pat?" Sharpe asked, casually, as he strolled over - like he was walking through a park.

"You insufferable bastard!" Patrick laughed. "You never could stay in Headquarters" He walked over and embraced his friend and commanding officer. "I'm damn glad to see you Richard."

"Yes, I can see this." Richard replied, after they embraced and he looked around. "Your brigade doesn't look as shiny as it did when it came out of the packet, Harper. You really need to take better care of your toys."

"I don't know how they're doing it! They know exactly what we're doing before we even do it!" Patrick exclaimed. "Its like they're in my CP!"

"They are." Sharpe replied, calmly. "I'm not sure how exactly - yet - but somehow they're everywhere they shouldn't be. I do not, for one moment, think its one of our guys. There's nothing in it for them, and this is far too wide-spread to be one disaffected officer. No, there's something we're not seeing."

Another wave of LAATs arrived, discharging their troops out to the southern flank, whilst a wave of heavy transport aircraft arrived and deployed battle tanks. The 3rd Transport Wing were moving assets from the 33rd Armoured into the field.

"You don't exactly travel light, do you?" Harper asked, amazed at the reinforcements he was getting. "Trident said there were no reinforcements."

"There aren't. The 5th AirCav only just arrived in theatre from the Alpha Quadrant, at my request, and I've pulled a company of tanks from the 33rd - which is too bogged down in the capital to be of much use there. Trident will no doubt scream at me for depriving him of fifteen tanks, but can't be helped." Sharpe explained.

An LAAT took a missile strike, and hurtled to the ground trailing fire and smoke, before it struck one of the empty buildings in the village. Another wave of bombers flew over, dropping a massive payload of heavy ordinance over the advancing Krigoran forces.

"General..." The comm officer said, cautiously walking over. "Sir, there's a communication for you from Headquarters."

"I'd better get this." Sharpe said, and took the receiver. "Eagle Six Actual."

"Sir, we're getting sketchy reports that Colonel Towers' force has taken a significant hit. We can't confirm it, but we're trying to." The voice from HQ informed Sharpe.

So, the leak had somehow let out about Towers' force too. That only complicated things more, as only four people outside of Towers' own unit knew what his mission was - and none of them would be the leak.

"Very well, I'm detaching a company from the 5th AirCav to do a SAR for Towers and his people. Get me General Trident." Sharpe said.

A few moments passed before he was connected "Neptune Six Actual."

"Neptune Six, this is Eagle Six Actual. You are to push over the river at once." Sharpe said, firmly.

"Eagle Six, what do you think we've been trying to do for the last six weeks!" Trident exclaimed.

"Hit them across the entire line, don't relent when taking fire. Use every single asset, but I want our people across that river and holding that line. Contact the USS Anderson, see if they can do an orbital strike."

"Very well sir, Neptune Six out."

Sharpe turned to say something to Harper, but when he went to speak to his friend, Harper wasn't there. When he looked again, he saw Harper lying on the ground, a smoking black mark on his chest.

"Man down!"

= To be continued! =

Gen. Richard Sharpe
CG, 3rd MEF

Col. Patrick Harper
CO, 89th MECH