[SG2] Battle Report - Neu Bayern

DEBRIEF: Captain Hans Marshall, DM+3422-1
DATE: January 29, 2301

    The morning of January 21, 2301 was dreary, cold, and wet.	The
surface
of Neu Bayern was pock marked and blasted almost beyond recognition.
Fortunately for us, the AI's didn't think much of the cover they kept
providing us when they would shell the potatoes out of our positions. 
Each
crater was called home by some detachments, and others of the second
company
6th jump infantry division called them hell.
    The AI's had suddenly sprung out of what was once a pharmaceuticals
factory on the edge of map reference 26W, 11N.	The exact date of the
computer's sentience was still to be determined, but the guess would
have
been sometime late last year.  When the first cyber-tank appeared, no
one
really knew what to make of this development.  No one really knew where
it
had come from, nor why it had come to the small colony on the outskirts
of
the factory complex.
    It was not uncommon for big robo-factories to be built on somewhat
hostile worlds, but the abrupt attempt to exterminate the populace took
everyone by surprise.  So, naturally, the fleet sent us in to 'capture'
this
robo-fac so that they could find out what made it start to tick.  The
robo-fac captured the colonial militia's defensive weapons, then the
first
expeditionary forces, now the factory had re-tooled itself and was
producing
cyber tanks and other weapons.	Bombs started dropping soon after we
landed
and set up a 'safe' LZ.  Soon as our second wave of drop ships came
down,
all hell broke loose.  We must have lost a whole battalion in the first
wave.  Most of what was left scrammed leaving us with little to no
supplies.
Damn machine snookered us right into the biggest booby trap ever.  Our
uplink comm was out and we were cut off from our only supply so we dug
in
awaiting extract.

    So there we were, less than a company laying half submerged, in a
cold
wet shell hole.  We had fended off two probing attacks by a squad of the
cyber tanks three days ago.  We were expecting a full assault at any
moment
following them, but nothing came.  It was time for action.  I split the
company roughly in two and we set about our approach to the robo-fac
compound.  We made it to within one hundred meters on the left flank
before
the sentry guns opened up on us.
    There were three guns situated along a one hundred meter stretch of
fencing.  We called for support from the right flank, but they were
being
pinned down by both sentries and a squad of tanks.  Immediately I called
for
SAW gunners to move up and lay down suppressing fire on the right most
tower, while first squad would assault with grenades and a tech.  The
squad
made it within four  meters before being chopped to ribbons. 
Fortunately
Stein, our tech, made it to the base of the gun platform.  He was able
to
disable the power to the gun before he was killed by enemy fire.
    With one gun now out of commission, our extreme right was open to
our
advance.  We tried to circle under the rain of shells and lost two more
men
before reaching outside of their firing arcs.  We passed through the
fence
on the extreme Northern side of the complex.  We tried to move towards
the
right flank mission in an attempt to relieve them.  As we approached, we
found a power plant exhaust outlet.  We made for the cooling tower, and
just
beyond lay three of the cyber tanks.  One had been destroyed, the other
three had backed off and fired on the flank mission from afar.	They
were
less than thirty meters from our position at that point.
    I issued the command to the second squad to use their jump packs and
assault the tanks from the rear.  The third squad was to provide support
for
the second squad's assault while the command squad set about the
demolition
of the cooling towers.	No sooner had the squad taken off, then the
right
flank mission broke and begun to run.  Their casualties were heavy and
they
just couldn't bear to take the pounding any longer.  The second squad
was on
the cyber tanks in less than three seconds, giving them very little time
to
compensate for the newly discovered targets.  The second squad dumped
grenades and fired the one plasma gun into the tanks and lept out. 
Third
squad continued to lay down suppressing fire to no effect while the
command
squad continued to rig as many explosives as could be mustered.  The
grenades and ammunition that we tried to use was wholly inadequate to
destroy one of the exhaust ports let alone both.  I sounded a general
withdrawal and pulled the pin on the last grenade.  The tanks were
unaffected by the pitiful assault that the second squad had laid on
them,
and so were moving to eliminate the new threat.  As one of the tanks
drew
near, the explosion of the exhaust port sent shrapnel into it's grav
motor
sending it into a wild spin.  The other two tanks were unaffected.
    The first tank moved off to our left.  The other remained in the
center
trying to draw our fire.  The third continued it's wild ride attempting
to
stabilize itself.  Our 'PIG' man fired the plasma gun into the second
tank
to no effect.  The blows were passing right through the armor but not
effecting any systems as far as we could tell.	It just kept firing
right
back.
    The charge on the plasma was low, which meant that we were looking
at
two shots, maybe less.	 We tried the best we could to lay down fire on
the
second tank while Otto, he was our plasma gunner, tried to fire into the
side of the first tank trying to flank our position.  The first shot
passed
right by the quick moving tank, while the second hit it square in the
side.
It fell like a stone driving dirt and brush up in front of it.	The
second
tank began to move forward while still firing.	We were stuck in a small
ravine, with no cover in either direction, and so we continued to fire
trying to disable to last tank.
    Finally the third tank had righted itself but it's lateral controls
were
still askew and it drove straight into the flaming exhaust outlet which
ruptured it's outer casing, thus destroying itself as well as the second
exhaust tower.	The reactor scrammed automatically and the power plant
shut
down.  The entire area went dark.  The sentry guns fell silent.  The
second
tank just stopped.  It just sat quietly humming from it's grav motor. 
With
no direction, it wasn't a threat any longer.  The robo-fac had been
brought
to a standstill.  Our mission was accomplished... for the moment...  The
retrieval boats began to drop through the cloud cover down towards the
factory complex.  Our ammunition supply was exhausted, as well as the
remaining men...

Scott