Session 5a: Bridges

After the group has retreated to the south side, Ellie pulls a few people aside to help destroy the footbridge. It ends up being Sarah, Salazhar, Frebo, Seamus, Sid, Jack, and Kara. Everybody readily agrees to do so.

Seamus notices the rumbling of vehicles approaching.

Everybody loads into a jeep. Kara jumps into the MG.

Suddenly there is a Ress armored car: the Soup Can, double MG variant! The turns toward us. Ellie points out cover: a support ladder to get under the bridge. Kara abandons the jeep, and everybody runs for the cover.

All end up in a catwalk under the bridge so the surface can be serviced. Ellie moves to the middle to plant explosives. Kara goes past her, further north, to provide cover against infantry coming from the other side. Sid moves to a position to provide sniper cover...despite having no rifle. Badass.

The Soup Can shreds the jeep, but doesn’t notice the group moving along the catwalk. The Soup Can has approached the bridge and has hesitated before trying to go across.

Three more Soup Cans rumble past but don’t stop nearby. Then the Soup Can near the bridge reverses and drives away to rejoin its column. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

Ellie gets the explosives in place. Everybody retreats back to the south side, and the ancient footbridge of Bormane is destroyed. Seamus takes off running toward HQ, and Salazhar runs faster and passes him. Everybody else walks.

As all proceed South, we start hearing news that the other bridges haven’t been destroyed. Second Platoon was responsible for the bridge immediately south of ours, at the fork, and hasn’t done much to it. Four Soup Cans, three of them MGs, and one with a 40mm cannon, are firing across the bridge at the Ottomar.

Sid confirms with binoculars that no explosives are apparent on the bridge. It looks like nothing got set. When the group makes it to Second Platoon, they say that the engineer never made it there.

Salazhar and Frebo moves off to fire at the Soup Can with the 40mm.

Ellie gets on the radio and demands explosives get brought to the bridge at the fork. She gets a confirmation.

Salazhar takes his shot. The launcher’s backblast port has been clogged, and the Big Damn Hero is knocked out by his RPG’s sight smashing back into his eye socket. The rocket manages to hit the side of one of the Soup Cans. Frebo grabs Salazhar and starts dragging him away.. The 40 fires at them, and Frebo goes to ground. The impact wakes Salazhar up. He gets up and starts to run. One of his eyes is obviously fucked up. Frebo shouts after him: “what are you doing?! Get over here!”

Mortars start falling near the Soup Cans.

A couple of the group notice that the Zeppelin is still around. One of its big guns is turning toward Second Platoon’s position. Knowing shit is coming, everyone scatters. The gun flashes, and a couple seconds later the water tower explodes. 2nd Platoon’s Gun Team B dies.before the thunder of the guns reaches them.

Ellie starts to freak out and panic. Most of Second Platoon is demoralized and fleeing the position. Jack prevents Sid from running off.

One of the Soup Cans decides it’s time to cross the bridge. Salazhar is coming, notices it, and catches it on fire with a fucking rocket like a boss. It stops. A rocket reaches out from Second Platoon at the Soup Can and hits but is ineffective. While the Can is stopped, Salazhar takes another shot, which glances off and detonates outside. Second Platoon guy takes another shot and misses. In the process, he attracts the ire of the Soup Cans. Several open up on him. One misses wide, but the 40mm destroys his cover and one of the MG Cans ventilates him as he sprints away.

Salazhar takes another shot at the stopped Can and it explodes massively. Burning fuel sprays over the bridge. Mortars rain into the other cans, taking out the engine on one of the MG ones. The 40mm and remaining MG Can bug out. The crew of the recently mortared Soup Can evacuate, but snipers kill all three of them.

As Ellie panics southward, she runs across the jeep coming with the explosives. They call out to her, but she screams back “IT’S NOT SAFE! IT’S NOT SAFE!” The jeep doesn’t need to hear more and just fucking leaves. Ellie calls epithets after them.

Jack calls in the Soup Can retreat and the mortar fire stops.

Sid and Jack run across another sniper, Felicia Kondo. She asks where Sid’s gun is--Sid replies that it exploded. Felicia scoffs at the issue rifle. Sid recognizes Felicia’s rifle isn’t standard; it’s a heavily modified hunting rifle. They exchange pleasantries, then Felicia and her spotter move off.

The group forms back up at the town hall. The Ress offensive has slowed down, but things are disorganized. Explosives seem to be in short supply. One of the bridges got damaged, but not destroyed. Ellie is commended, and the CO comments that the offensive seems to be down for the day.

Just as Kara wonders where the fuck that Zeppelin is and why it’s not shelling the Ottomar position, a shell hits the town hall! Ellie panics again, and everybody else seems pretty unhappy. A truck was outside, with its crew, and now that’s all gone. The east wall of the town hall has come down. The Zeppelin menaces for a bit longer, then withdraws as the mortars start throwing rounds up near it.

Charington Company attempts to regroup, and evening begins to settle in...