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Lieutenant Miller nods to the plan "sounds sensible. I'll take command at killzone B. Stevenson, join the troopers setting up the mines at C. Identify a good place for an ambush and get to work. Take one of the cavalrymen with you and stay sharp! Xenos might be stalking around" he orders one of his men, who is joined by Tambo, M'Gele and whoever else feels confident in preparing a trap, as well as Simond or Balwin (or both), before carefully melting away into the foilage.

Wyona adresses the St. Paulus trooper "Njall, do you think you are of more use with the Chimeras Multilaser or at the Ambush? It's your choice, as I assume one of the Scions might be skilled enough to man the gun..." to which Miller replies with a shrugg. "Surely at least as good as any infantrymen." maybe a bit of arrogance there, but to be fair the Scions get better training and more time at the shooting range.

To Teodores question Wyona considers "Depends... you were a pretty good shot back at the Skyport. I won't risk our medic carelessly, but if you feel up to the task of joining the first ambush team, we could use the help. Your choice in this case, but don't get used to it.
Ellen, we need you with the Chimera. If things go sideways the survivors will need your knowledge to get back to base." she orders the girl, which positively glows in the trust that is put into her and throws a shaky salute."
Towards all of them she exclaims "I guess that is self explanatory, but I'll stress that nonetheless: don't get cocky. Don't try to fight the Greenies on equal terms. Fight dirty, fight from behind, get at them all at once. If we survive this, that is honor enough. And look after each others backs."

Teodore nods. "I'll go to the ambush site then. It'll be good payback for what they did to us back at the skyport."

Teodore wasn't sure why he said that. Had he grown braver since that first mission? Maybe...he didn't feel brave, but he didn't want to disappoint his sergeant, and make his people look bad in front of the off worlders.

Simond frowns at Teodore, as a healer he was too valuable to risk but if the boy wanted to fight in the line far be it from him to interject on the boy proving himself. He manovured his horse a bit closer to the man and talked low. "Teodore, you keep an eye on the other guys, and keep an eye on how close those brutes are getting."

The plan sounded sensible enough. He prepped one of those exploding lance heads. "Yep sergeant, I'll be ready to go."

He looks to the leader of the scions. "Lieutenant," he gives a slack salute. "Your men are good. Lets have us a friendly bit of competition between both our crews."

He checked over the blasting eggs in their pouch, then loosened the chainsword in it's sheath. Simond took a long swing from his canteen, good strong spirits and offered it to Balwin and gestured to pass it around.

"Our fate awaits us comrades." He says with a smile. "If we are to go before Him, let us do so in glory."

Njal nods, "Ambush team, Ma'am." Being out in the heat and the brush sounded awful BUT he needed to get his own eyes on the area to make sure his Furnace could handle the terrain, avoid surprises, and be ready to move in later. He didn't want to drive into a kill zone the Orks had set up.

He checked over his Las-carbine, made sure it was locked and loaded, and then gave it a quick tap and some words of praise.

With his order given Poncho prepared his weapon, favorin the Longlas configuration for now, as the Orks were shown to be lightly armored so far, he remained silent, ready to move to a spot that would allow him to use his weapon at its best.

The bunch of you go to work, always weary of the potential danger of getting ambushed by the hulking Xenos nearby or even just unluckily stumbling into a patrol. But the Emperor seems to smile upon you today as the Greenskins seem to be content in sitting in their captured refinery for now instead of prowling around. Finally you picked out the three kill-zones, positioned roughly in a triangle, with A (with most of your squad) a good 300 yards to the south of the promethium installation, B (with the Chimera) another 200 yards further southeast of A and C (the boobytrapped) roughly 300 yards east of the facility.

With the help of the Scion Stevenson, Tambo und Mgele have set up two of the claymore mines at killzone C, were the undergrowth is relatively thin and no big treetrunks block the potential blast. From the lay of the land, two or three Xenos might enter the clearing before the first one triggers the trip-wire and will then have far from a good time, but the difficulty would lay into really luring them there. Balwin takes care to memorize the way from the refinery to killzone C, but riding directly through and jumping the tripwire with the horse would definitly be risky - the alternative being riding around the clearing and hoping that a potential pursuer would take the shortcut.

At killzone A, most of your squad lays itself in ambush. As everywhere in this jungle, the vegetation is abundant and so thick that you can barely see past the next big tree. Hiding from sight is thus rather easy, but hard cover is sparse apart from angling behind one of the thick trees. Looking for a good place for your trap, you have chosen a place were one of the giant trees has recently fallen, it's thick trunk building something approaching a natural barricade behind which your gunners can place themselves. Tambo and M'Gele have instead decided to use their grapnels to get unto a tree halfway between this side an the Chimera, just in range to take potshots with their longlas from above and into the side of an attacker trying to assault the fallen trunk. If things go sideways you will have to run past them while the two Askaris are well advised to get down their current position in the branches as fast as possible to join the others if you have to retreat.



Finally Wyona decides that waiting any longer won't improve your odds and gives Simond and Balwin the signal to scout the promethium refinery and hopefully lure a couple of the Greenskins out.

Njal deferred to Poncho on where he should set-up for the best fire arcs. After all, Poncho didn't tell him where to drive his track. He knew Njal was the expert. Njal would show the Son of Krieg the same respect.

There was no doubt that man knew more about kill zones than Njal had learned in the Mechanized Infantry. There job was to know how to disembark and re-embark as fast as possible, while shooting.

He let Poncho signal him where to go, and he went there. Once in position, he hunched down as best he could, willing himself to be a smaller target. He carefully slid his carbine along the top of a fallen tree, and made sure the barrel was obscured by foliage. He did not want to be the one to fowl up on fieldcraft.

Teodore did as the men around him did, trying to find himself a decent piece of concealed cover and waited...

Simmond picked out a good run between the trees where he could get some speed up for a charge, he picked out a few more other potential runs, but the work would be close and fast. Not ideal, more like a hunt than a fight.

He looked over the setup of the traps and memorised their positions and then took up his position and waited to hear the word whether he was to start this whole thing.

Poncho, meanwhile, directed Njal to a position that would allow them both to have clear lines of fire, the both of them forming a roughly 90 degrees angle where their fire could overlap. Further more, the Kriegsman used his shovel to dig into the soft ground, in an effort to cover both Njal and him with some dirt and plants, to afford some manner of camouflage in the stuffy jungle.

Finally you have been set up and the trap is ready to be sprung.
Using the big treetrunk for cover, Njall, Wyona and Teodore have set up their lasguns ready to run in the direction of the Chimera if things go sideways, where they will be half covered by a rocky step in the terrain running from the dead tree in a western direction. A bit to the west from them is the big tree, where Tambo and M'Gele have climbed to one of the higher branches allowing them to fire from above. While they don't have as good of a firing arc as the others, they are high enough that the Orks won't have cover from them. Poncho is a bit to the south behind some boulders granting him cover, in a position from where he can put a possible attacker on the treetrunk into a crossfire, while Malakai and Adamo are positioned in a way to shoot them in the back or cover Poncho if things should get hot around him. In between the setup is a kind of game trail where your cavalrymen are intended to ride in, luring the Greenskins and giving them enough room to turn their horses around and charge their pursuers if possible.
So far a decent setup, let's see if it survives first contact with reality.


Simond and Balwin get their signal to move towards the refinery and soon the high walls of the installation come into sight. The Ork on the first watchtower that comes into sight some 40 yards away seems to be busy with the imperial autocannon that has been put up there, but it looks more like he is taking the poor thing apart to reassamble it in the makeshift way that is so typical for his species.


Disclaimer: I got the battlemap here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Tombofannihilation/comments/hx2zec/im_making_some_jungle_maps_for_random_encounters/

Simond carefully rode his horse up to the ege of the treeline, making sure that he could see out bu would remain concealed.
The closest beast seemed to be pulling the cannon apart.

He thrust the but of the lance into the ground so he could retrieve it later

A smile cracked Simonds lips as he dug in the spurs and reached into his pouch for a blasting egg. No-one had told him he could not have some fun getting their attention, and besides if he helped damage the defences on the sortie...

Simond gets a bit closer to the tower, trying to balance the risk of being seen with his ability to throw the blasting egg. He carefully fumbles out one of the strange devices that already served him well on the Skyport when he disposed of one of the greenskins at the ramp and just wants to pull the pin as he hears a loud sniffing noise from above and the head of the Xenos comes into view. "OI LADZ! THA'S A HUMIE DOWN THERE!" he shouts and reaches for his shoota, just as Simond counts to three and throws the blasting egg and this time his aim is even better then at the ramp. The little device lands on the platform and rolls around, deflecting from one of the walls. The Ork is present enough to try and kick it away, but the chaotic movement of the egg lets him miss. A moment later the thing goes off violently and sends shrappnell all over the place. The roaring screem of the Ork indicates that he is definitly wounded, but far from out of the fight. "LADZ! DA HUMIES NEED SOMM KRUMPIN!!!" he shouts and Simond can here some rumble and shouting from inside.

The ork he hit appears at the side of the turret again, this time a bit more careful to not expose himself and be prepared to kick back any other grenades. He still has his shooter, but Simond might have a second or two to get away or react otherwise if he wants.

The gate in the wall is maybe 20 yards to his right, but right now nobody can be seen there. Simond could ride 10 yards in this direction and keep close to the wall and the ork he hit would have no line of sight to shoot him, but he would get into the view of another turret and doesn't know if that is manned - or rather "orked".

As the blasting egg detonated Simond already had his horse turned around. He put his heels to the beast and whooped as he started back towards the treeline.

Fire was coursing through his blood and he could hear the orks calling out behind him, with luck they'd follow with more wroth than thought.

Before the Ork in the turret can really take aim, Simond is already within the undergrowth - which does not discourage him from firing a wild burst in Simonds general direction.

The Cavalryman has to go slow at first to give the greenskins a bit of time to catch up, while keeping his distance. But as the shouting and sound of breaking foilage grows louder he gives his horse the spurs. It's not easy to say exactly, but he would assume that 2-3 Orks are pursuing him.

Closing in on the ambush, Tambo reports trough the microbeats: "I have visual on 3 of the big ones, but it might be four... frak, one broke of and I can't see him. Two coming your way to the treetrunk!" Wyona responds to the Askari "hold your fire and keep looking where the last one went, we don't want to be flanked!"

A moment later Simond gallops into view, followed by two hulking brutes wielding a crude chainaxe and shooter each.

Teodore can't help himself. He takes a shot with his lasgun at the orks as soon as they come into view.

"Simond no!!!"

As Teodore fires, Njal glances over at the Sarge. The kid couldn't hold his ice. By the Emperor he was going to wait for the order to fire.

He narrowed his eyes, checked his breathing, and lined up the shot. With a smooth movement of his thumb, he turned off the safety, and placed his finger on the trigger.

Anytime now Sarge, anytime.

As Teodore fires, Wyona curses under her breath. No real point in waiting anymore... "Everyone, open fire!" she shouts through the combeat, just as the two Orks you can see right now entering the little clearing lift their shooters to answer in the direction where they were shot at. Meanwhile Teodore, under the pressure of the attack, has switched the safety of his weapon a bit to wide to a semi auto burst instead of single fire. But as before through a mix of stupid luck an sheer "martial prowess", his aim goes true and he indeed peppers all three shots of the burst on target into the left of the two orks. Unfortunatly the thick, leathery hide of the fould Xenos does take a lot of the sting out of the bullets and while you can see a bit of dark blood showing, it does not seem as if the wounds will hamper him at all.

In return they send some wild bursts in the direction of the tree trunk, but still running they are wildly off target. The bigger problem will likely be that you will only have moments before they clash into your position, the rider that led them here seemingly forgotten in favor of the slower target.

Poncho took careful aim, steadying the longlas he opted to use on a sturdy branch that was nearby. The Orks suddenly bursting through the canopy, throwing the Kriegsman's aim off for a moment, and he readjusted before pressing the weapon's trigger to a bright beam right at an Ork. Seeing Teodore strike with a very accurate stream of lasers, and assuming the Ork would be at least slowed down by the barrage, Poncho opted for the other Ork as his target of choice, focused on it as he was, he might not have noticed the beams not doing quite as much as expected. With the Ork hit, Poncho took a quick moment to readjust and track his target, aiming quickly at it for a potential follow up shot.

Njal heard the order, and didn't wait for a second one. He had set for burst fire, and opened up.
He started firing as fast as his las-carbine could at the Ork Teodore had shot.

Simond's horse rushed through the forest, he could hear the beasts close behind, he was almost in the designated area. Some unease was brewing in his stomach.

Someone shouted and a streak of light shot out uncomfortably close.
Inwardly he started to cursed the damn stupid boy. He heard the Sergeant shout and all hell let loose.

Simond tucked his head low as he dared, although he wanted to avoid being hit he had to see enough to be able to know excatly where those damn explosives were concealed.

Njals semi-auto burst sends some lasbolts flying towards the brute that was already peppered by Teodors autgun bullets and at least one of them hits true and leaves a burn mark on his right arm, scorching some of its thick hide to a crisp. But it will take more than that to stop a hulking beast that size.
Ponchos heavy Longlas seems to be more up to the task, and his carefully aimed shot takes the other Greenskin in the back, cracking its crude scrap metal armor without much effort and piercing the thick xenos hide. The beast roares angryly from pain and surprise and it looks like the shot must have done quite a number on his inner organs - a human would undoubtedly be very, VERY dead from the shot - but due to its phenomenal endurance and being to dumb to even realize a potential deadly wound it keeps on going.

As both Orks storm forwards towards your impromptu barricade, Wyona takes a last ditch action to buy you some time, switches her autopistol to full auto and tries to intimidate the Greenskins into checking their advance. With a sound like a buzzsaw her bullets slam into the foilage and while none of them really hits your two assailants to any relevant degree the emperor is with you and they flinch back a bit, ducking low and slowing down that tiny bit that might give each of you a second shot, before they are over the tree trunk. Nonetheless they are really close now, maybe 5 yards away.

Tambo and M'Gele don't fire at them, as they are still hunting for the one that went missing, meanwhile Malakai and Adamo get alerted by some rustling in the foilage towards the south. Might be a sneaky ork, but after a year on Skrynne, their money would be on a couple of Gretchin trying to swarm Poncho...

Njal grimaced as he mostly missed his carefully aimed shots. Blasted heat! He did not expect to get another chance at this and he did not want to get in close with these brutes.

The plan had been to give a volley and then fall back. Well, volley was fired so it was time to fall back!

Time to move! Fallback positions? Njal snarled as he pushed himself back-up and started to fall back. He absently sprayed the area ahead to try and keep the Orks heads down, but didn't expect to hit anything.

He stepped back to Wynona and waited for the official order to drop back before he went further. He wasn't sure if there was time to hesitate, but the chain of command was the chain of command.

Teodore keeps his eyes on the tree trunk ready to open fire if anything else emerges.

He looks around carefully. "I can't see anything out here." He mutters in a panic. "Did we get em?"

[Overwatch!]

Simond pulled his horse up and wheeled it around, readying his lance should it need to be leveled quickly. He scanned the forest track for movement.

Wyona seems more then unhappy to fall back, as she had hoped to have a good firing position behind the tree trunk - which would have been true against humans and others prefering a good old shooting duell with cover and tactical maneuvering. But the fact that the Orks simply rushed towards the tree and seem to be more eager to get into melee has made that plan somewhat pointless. "Fall back!" she shouts to Njall and Teodore, still aiming her autopistol towards the fallen tree, which you all expect to be scaled by the Orks any moment now.


Simond and Poncho can hear Wyonas command through the combead and see the two big Orks putting their clawed paws into the splintering bark of the obstacle in front of them before pulling themselves up to go over. Simond quickly realizes that he might just reach one of them with his lance in time if he really pushes his steed, but afterwards he would first have to navigate around the treetrunk.


Poncho would have both of the orks in sight for another shot, but when they are over the tree, he might at best get a small target when their head bumps up or something. Wyona and the others seem to have fallen back a bit, but 3 humans against 2 Xenos looks like a tough call. Meanwhile he can hear the sound of gunshots and blades clashing from over where Adamo and Malakai were hiding and out of the corner of his eye he sees a gretchin with a knife and a small revolver run out of the foilage towards him, with a second one close behind. Both are maybe ten yards from Ponchos position, so he will have to choose if he dares another shot against the Orks or takes care of the smaller Xenos first.

Around this time Teodore, Wyona and Njall see the heads of both Orks pop up behind the tree as both of them scale the improvised barricade with frightening ease, jumping the last meter or so above it. While you fell back a little bit, they are reaaaally close now, 4 or 5 yards at best. Teodore who had been focussed on shooting the first thing he sees go over that tree sprays the ork he had hit before with another burst from his autogun and several of the bullets seem to find their target, but they don't seem to have the stopping power to leave any real mark on the brute.

Njall on the other hand gets a bit more lucky and out of the spray of lasbolts he had sent in the general forward direction just to discourage your assailants, two hit their targets. The first one only scorches another whole in the clothing of the less wounded ork that Teodore shot at, but the other one pierces through the chest of the grunt that Ponchos longlas shot had already seriously wounded. The force of the high powered lasbolt from the maximum setting on that short of a distance lets the brute stagger and literally incinerates his flesh and ragged clothing, wrapping him in flames. With a painridden groan he stumbles sideways, and slams to the ground, for some valuable moments unable to really do more than trying to maintain concious and hitting himself in an effort to put out the flames.
The gruesome spectacle even seems to impress his more fortunate comrade a bit and while he is still eager to slam into you with his big axe, he seems to lack the necessary "drive" for these valuable moments, giving you another second to breath...




Just as it was beginning to look a bit less grim for the three of you, you hear branches crashing as another greenskin, likely the one Tambo had lost out of side comes charging from the back. The sneaky Xenos seemed to have circled around you to take you into a pincer with his friends. Triumphant that his ruse worked he bellows a blood curdling warcry as Wyona turns around in a rather desperate effort to keep him in check with her autopistol, as the three of you see a little red laser dot appear on his chest followed by a massive longlas bolt from higher up where the two Askaris sit in a tree. It crushes his scrap armor and slams right through his torso. Again a wound that would outright kill any human, but the Xenos is still alive and dangerous. But if you are lucky you might still have a chance. Unfortunatly you WILL be in close combat any moment now and Tambo might not have that clear of a shot again.

"Frosted", Njal cursed. These brutes weren't like the farmers he had fought before. They were not going to go down.

The St. Paulus trooper slung his las-carbine and pulled out his pistol and Brontian Beard-trimmer. He had never really had to use either of these before in service, but he sensed that the carbine would be a hinderance for close in work.

He would need to try and get in under the ork's reach, and give him a face-full of las or ice pick him in the brain pan. He hoped the Throne had his eye on him now, he would need the help.

Teodore tries to keep frantically firing at anything and everything, as he grimly prepares for close combat. "My life for the Emperor!" He shouts

Simond put his spurs to his horse, the orks in front of him were clambering over a log. It would be ideal to throw a grenade at them, but he had his lance in his hand and he was not letting go of it.

Simond rode towards the closest beast and leveled the lance at the creature's head as his comarades fired their gonnes and shouted around him.
It'd be dicey when his horse reached the log, but it wasn't as if he had many other options.

With little to use his rapid-firing Hellgun to unleash a barrage at both Grots, Poncho settles for what he hopes to be a killshot on one of the little creatures, maybe in hope to scare the other smaller Xenos, after all they were a cowardly bunch, nothing like a Guardsman from the Death Korps! Whirling, he took a knee, and the masked man took a moment to aim right, making sure to apply his marksmanship principles before flinging the switch of his weapon to increase the power behind the shots, then letting fly with a lethal beam of energy.

(29 to hit... with close proximity, single shot and aiming, that's just a ton of degrees of success. Damage is as follow 12. I rolled 3 2's for damage -.-)