Command and Ranma GDI: Croatia
Author Notes: The last chapter cut into this one just a little.
More like a lead-in
Also, a new character is coming in. That's the GDI Commander who was sent to Croatia by GDI InOps to help handle Eastern Europe's Croatia Base.
What makes this mission harder for Nabiki is that she's always either started fresh, or started full. She's gotta adapt from a near-lost state and turn things around real quick.
But then again, if I could manage, then so can Nabiki
Oh yeah, one more thing: the strategy deployed on this mission to defend the base from Nod's three-way attack, was the one that got me through the mission on the campaign. Took four run-throughs to figure it out.
Power Management
Incoming Tech Message
Emergency Engineering Report
Warrant Officer S. Bowen
GDI Forward Operation Base "Echo-2"
Croatia
SBowenMonkeyWrench: Power Plants are down and our base grid is compromised - there just isn't enough juice to keep everything running at the same time. The only way you're going to keep those defenses online is to power down anything you're not using. If you shut down half of the base defenses, we should be able to squeeze enough power to keep the other half online. If one of the active defenses gets destroyed, it won't draw power, so you can turn on another defense to take over. You may also need to shut down defenses that aren't active to re-route power to guns and turrets that are under immediate threat. Juggling power under fire is the key to survival here.
Again, my strategy wasn't to keep cycling between the fixed defenses, but rather deploy mobile defenses and foxholes with the appropriate troops inside. Worked until the flame units started coming…then I needed to turn on surface defenses. Oh yeah, the Vertigo Bombers are annoying. Not much can destroy a Mammoth Tank, but the Vertigo is a quick strike weapon platform that hits like a sledgehammer. Only two are needed to take out a Mammoth in one hit.
War Factory Repair Drones
Capability Update
Everyone knows that War Factories build vehicles. But did you know that a War Factory can also perform repairs? War Factories have been upgraded with autonomous repair drones that can perform even the most complex repairs to severely damaged vehicles in a very short period of time. How does it work? Just get close. Vehicle crews in damaged tanks, APC and Buggies should bring their vehicles back to the War Factory and the drones will begin repair operations when the vehicles are in proximity to the factory structure.
-/0\--/0\-
Croatia Base
The on-site GDI Commander is busy setting up the defense grid to repel the Nod invaders. He's got to hold out for five minutes, when the reinforcements from European Command are scheduled to arrive.
"I need the following defenses set up to supplement the fixed defenses. Along the south will be 6 foxholes with 2 riflemen squads each. Same for the west entrance. The North will have the same amount of foxholes, only with rocket soldiers in each bunker. That goes for the eastern entrance as well. Deploy APC's to each entrance; riflemen to the southwest, rocket soldiers to the northeast. Also, deploy Predators to the northeast. Sporadically place Pitbulls around the AA Defenses, and switch them on. Prepare for assault.
-/0\-
The reinforcements, which consist of the MCV, two Predators, two APC's, and two Pitbulls, as well as various infantry, roll through the city at a leisurely pace. Nabiki's established an uplink with Croatia Base, and currently has the base centered on her display. She notices that the commander has placed his defenses well.
"All right people, five minutes to arrival in the combat area. Start priming your weapons. This is Nod country, and they probably have a surprise waiting for us." Nabiki said over the squad-comm.
"Yes ma'am." Everyone said.
The Predator tank crews starting arming the first round; APC crews load up the ammo belts for the main gun; Pitbull crews lock in the first missile pack, and begin active scanning for any surprises. Meanwhile, the infantry slam the first clips for their rifles, and the first rockets for their launchers home in their respective weapons. Ranma enters a meditative state; Ryouga checks his weapons, and also enters a meditative state. Ukyo, however, is whipping up a new tempura batch with an explosive secret to it.
"2 minutes to engagement."
-/0\-
The Croatia base has so far repelled the relentless assault, when the comm line all of a sudden opens up for all the GDI forces in the region. It's Kane.
"Forces of GDI, I am Kane. This isn't one of your precious blue zones. Your on our turf now. Leave, and your death shall be painless."
The comm line closes afterward. The countdown continues to roll when a large heat signature is detected from the north. "SIR, FLAME TANKS!!!"
"All forces, stand by to repel Flame and possibly Stealth Tank assaults. Infantry, stand by to repel Black Hand."
-/0\-
The MCV begins rolling into the engagement area. They are 30 seconds away from a courtyard. The Pitbulls pulled ahead to make sure the area was secure. They come across a road block slightly ahead of the courtyard. "Ma'am, the road's been blocked. We need to find another way around. Let's head back to that courtyard."
As the Pitbulls turn the corner and head across the courtyard, three Laser Turrets pop up and destroy the Pitbulls. Also, new garrison's are detected.
"Croatia Base, this is Reinforcement Group Alpha. We are pinned down and need assistance at the earliest possible moment. I repeat: we are pinned down. Send aid."
Nabiki sends the distress signal, and gets on the line with her friends. "Guys, see what you can do about those garrisons. Be careful though; don't let the Laser Turrets catch you."
Ranma, Ryouga, and Ukyo all disembark from the MCV, and start diving from building to building, moving to the first garrison to clear it out.
-/0\-
Back at Croatia, the GDI Commander received the distress signal, and is preparing a rescue team to recover the MCV and bring it back to base in one piece. He first reinforces the defenses, and then prepares 11 APC's with Riflemen, and one more with Grenadiers to go retrieve the reinforcement convoy. He also includes three Pitbulls to deal with the turret hub. He relegates the task of commanding the rescue op to one of his sub-commanders, then gets back to coordinating the base defenses.
-/0\-
Haverson continues to monitor the situation from his command center. Nod continues to mount an ever-growing offensive. The GDI base hasn't dispatched a recovery team yet, but is instead focusing on making sure the base doesn't fall before Nod's influence in the area. More importantly, what is worrying Haverson is Kane himself. To openly state that they will die painlessly if they leave leaves Haverson at a standstill. However, his orders stand. He is to destroy Nod's primary base of operations, starting with the defense of Croatia.
-/0\-
Ranma begins to climb up the stairs of the first structure, being careful to stay away from the courtyard-facing windows. He clears out the 30 or so soldiers inside preventing the convoy from advancing. Ukyo does the same in the second structure, and Ryouga formulates a plan to take out the turret cluster. He begins to glow with the golden aura of the Shi Shi Hokodan, and focuses his power to his palm. He's ducked in and out of the cover to test the turret's lock time, and has built his plan from that information. He finishes preparing the attack, ducks out of cover, fires the projectile, and then quickly gets back behind the building. He hears an explosion, followed quickly by three more explosions. He begins to move on the remaining garrisons that Ranma and Ukyo aren't taking care of.
-/0\-
The rescue force departs from the base, and crosses the bridge. They then proceed north, garrisoning structures along the way that would secure the route back. The rescue force hooks up with the convoy, although a little disappointed that there was no action.
"Ma'am, we've come to escort you back to base. We've garrisoned some structures along the chosen route. We need to get back to base ASAP so that we can mount a counter-offensive. They've started deploying Vertigo Bombers. Our defenses can't take anymore of a beating."
Nabiki signals to the driver to get the convoy moving. Ranma, Ukyo, and Ryouga, having finished their task, remount on top of the MCV.
The convoy begins to move to the base.
-/0\-
Back at the base, the attacks continue to get worse. Two of the bunkers were eliminated and replaced on both fronts; one of the AA Turrets is the target of some harassment from a Nod bomber, and has thus come very close to destruction four times. The commander is starting to get a little frazzled that the reinforcements haven't arrived, when one of the command personnel looks out at the bridge.
"SIR, THE MCV'S ARRIVED. I heard from command that another commander is onboard and came to help us mount the counter-offensive."
"Well it's about time. Go meet the MCV and get the ConYard set up. We need to rebuild NOW. I want a Tech Center and an Airfield ASAP."
"Yes sir."
-/0\-
Nabiki dismounts from the MCV and heads into the command center. One of the sub-commanders came out to greet her and get her inside. She gets to the command center where she meets up with the commander in charge.
"Ma'am, Commander Wingate at your service. I was tasked with the operation of the GDI Croatia Base in the upcoming assault against Temple Prime."
"Very well. Once the MCV is deployed, build a Crane, Power Plant, a Tech Center, an Airfield, and reinforce the base defenses with more of the same."
Nabiki gets on the line with Haverson.
-/0\-
"Very good. You may begin the strike when ready. Be careful though. Intel has each base defended by a large number of turrets, and the airfield to your southeast is guarded by an Elite Cadre of vehicles, so landing an assault force is out. Be careful. Haverson out."
-/0\-
Nabiki started formulating a plan of attack to take out the three outposts. She needs to pit each bases weakness against the base. The real problem was with the air base to the southeast. With no direct path onto the plateau, her only option was an airlift. The problem was what is waiting for the air brigades. She sent a scout Orca to the base, but it got shot down by anti-air, but it didn't get shot down at a little outcropping to the north of the base. The problem was that she caught site of a Flame Tank ready to destroy any ground forces that land and approach the base. She had one of two options: swarm the base with vehicles and pray, or swarm the base with Orca's and hit the Air Towers and pray that they all don't get eliminated before the towers fall.
She builds up some test forces to test the viability of both plans. Five minutes later, she decides on a plan.
"Barracks, deploy an engineer to the Nod construction yard and capture it. We need Nod's air power to fight Nod's air power."
"Mechanized Infantry, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT destroy the Nod Construction Yard. We will capture it to assist in the destruction of the Nod airbase."
-/0\-
Ranma, Ukyo, and Ryouga finished getting briefed on their assignments. It's been decided that Ukyo will handle the infantry base, with Ranma and Ryouga destroying the vehicle base. Nabiki formulated a special plan for taking out the airbase that doesn't involve anyone.
Ukyo finished checking her gear, then moved out to meet up with her APC. Ranma and Ryouga also finished checking their gear, then went to go rush in with the other infantry, and the Mammoth Tanks, and take out the vehicle base.
Nabiki on the other hand is awaiting the uplink with the Nod facilities to put her plan into action. And considering technically her orders were to neutralize all the bases, with no mention of destroying them, she was free to remove the threat anyway she deemed necessary. And if it meant capturing the base and using Nod's tech against them, well so be it.
-/0\-
Ukyo's group came under limited, but harassing, fire from the base defenses. But considering the Shredder Turrets are anti-infantry, they are rendered useless against the vehicle's armor. The APC's got closer, and the infantry continued to fall under the combined power of the APC's minigun, and the infantry inside. The APC's containing Ukyo and the engineer assigned to the squad approach the Construction Yard, and they both disembarked. Ukyo entered ahead of the engineer to clear a path to the MCT. The engineer established a link to the local Command Post, and the internal construction area began work on a structure, even while the original base continued to be destroyed by the forces. Soon only the Yard remained, bearing GDI colors, and deploying Nod structures to be used against Nod. Nabiki came on the line.
"I always like to bring a little irony into the fight whenever I can. I've programmed the internal construction bots to build up at least one of each structure. My plan is to send Vertigo Bombers to take out the airbase where Nod's Vertigo Bombers are stationed. The Ground-Pounder munitions are strong enough to take out one of our Mammoth's when used in pairs, so I figure send a flight squad of Vertigos against the Air Towers. Two to each of the two towers should do the trick." Nabiki said, having thought the plan through thoroughly.
-/0\-
Ranma and Ryouga in the meantime are having a blast blasting their Nod base away. Although the Lasers were annoying, they preferred to attack the thick armor hide of the Mammoths instead of a fleshy being like the two martial artists. While the turrets were distracted, the martial artists vaporized the turret hubs with their ki techniques.
In no time, the base falls under the power of the Mammoth Tanks. They notice bombers taking off from the direction of the infantry base, and then the bombers disappear. 30 seconds later, massive explosions are seen from the direction of the last Nod base, culminating in the Air Towers falling. Over the comm line came Nabiki's voice. "Mission Accomplished. Ranma, Ukyo, Ryouga, I'm deploying transports to pick us up and take us back to command."
-/0\-
Nabiki closes the comm line and turns to Wingate. "Well commander, I wish you the best of luck in upcoming engagements. I hope that I can work with you in Sarajevo."
Nabiki leaves the building and boards her Ox.
-/0\--/0\-
That one line I used, "I like to bring a little irony to the fight", was used in Half-Life 2, ©Valve 2004-2007
Don't sue. It felt right going there.
Oh yeah, that IS what I did to complete the mission; I captured the Nod ConYard and used Nod's tech against Nod. Ironic, isn't it?
Preview: fireworks; lots and lots of fireworks.