Sladden - chapter 1 - Spodilicious

Report from : Section Leader Wroid

Event : Routine/Patrolling/Engagement/Other

Location : Disused Promethium Storage Depot, Sector 7, Quern Province

Date : 17/01/2231GS

Time : 0843 - 0901

Following intelligence report 16012231/043 indicating a probable Idiran mercenary force shuttle landings in northern Quern Province I was ordered to take a reinforced section and Taskdroid #1782 to the Promethium Storage Depot and there to set up defensive positions to cover any incursions from the South or West.

At 0840 Trooper Cruli on the central Promethium tank reported movements from the south and towards our position estimating the enemy to be around twenty strong. Thanking the gods that we had a half section from 3rd platoon (in addition to our normal complement) I ordered our force to make ready.

The IMs duly appeared and deployed to into three sections to our right and left making for our positions near the Promethium tanks and the ore slag to our left. Several of our troops opened fire at long range but our fire was largely ineffectual and in front of our position at the H-girder the ominous sight of an IM with a rotary gun gave us a momentary pause.

As the rotary gun fired I could hear howls and curses from the three troops holding the position and decided I had better move forward closer to the firing line. After a few seconds the rotary gun ceased fire and a volley of return fire from our lads swept back followed by what sounded like a muffled explosion. Apparently Riflemen Budva, Malvin and Nechtan, having suffered a hail of rounds striking the girder, the ground in front and whistling past their heads, sprang forward and fired desperately at the rotary gunner. They were rewarded beyond their wildest dreams when a lucky deflected shot hit the gunner's ammunition back pack igniting his HP rounds with an explosion. The dead gunner staggered and fell with his ammunition pack firing off stray rounds and odd bursts for the next thirty seconds or so after the explosion. Needless to say this had a devastating effect on his supporting squad and several of them ran off, to our relief.

There then followed a couple of further attacks on the ore slag heap and I moved up to support Brid and Cailtani there - arriving just in time to be hit by a ricochet and knocked back as the worrying sight of another rotary gunner hove into view.

The two riflemen fired steadily before the gunner could open up he fell from sight and after Cailtani threw a couple of S-17s which, although not fatal, had the effect of breaking up the attacks and the rest withdrew.

The IMs then pushed a further two simultaneous attacks forward. One on the central Promethium tank and the nearby empty redoubt (which we had been hoping to occupy) Trooper Cruli at the emplacement on top of the tank threw several grenades which had very little effect but slowed up the attack while Lansing and Irb behind the lattice work pylons fired steadily at them.

The fire from the two troopers at the pylons plus covering fire from Riflemen Egan, Haller and Grove developed into a firefight which was broken up by Cruli finally throwing an effective grenade into their midst and under fire they withdrew with another couple of IMs down.

The final and most crucial attack came on our right where Haller and Grove had been engaging the attackers at the pylons with a cross fire and suddenly found themselves menaced by an assault group almost right on top of them. However, with the good fortune that characterised the latter half of this engagement Haller's S-17 went off beside an IM grenadier setting off his pack of phosphorus grenades and causing the rest to flee.

Although this engagement was successful there were several crucial points at which a contrary result would have tipped the balance of the engagement. Once again the poor throwing of grenades was only offset by Taskdroid 1872#'s supply cart and Trooper Cruli would have been better served on his Promethium tank emplacement with a sniper rifle.

Troops present at beginning of action.

2nd Platoon 1st Section
Senior Rifleman Brid
Rifleman Budva
Rifleman Cailtani
Rifleman Cruli
Rifleman Drozhd
Rifleman Egan
Rifleman Grove
Rifleman Haller

3rd Platoon, 1st Section
Rifleman Irb
Rifleman Lansing
Rifleman Malvin
Rifleman Nechtan

None killed; none wounded
3 Prisoners (wounded)

Signed…..B. Wroid

Editor's note: It should be noted that the highly partial account delivered above fails to give due credit to the enemy known dismissively as 'IMs'. The troops engaged on Sladden were drawn from the army of the Meriscane Confederation and those in Quern province have been definitively identified as being from the 121st Infantry Regiment (The Theoclast's Own). The Meriscane armed forces have a long, distinguished and largely successful history and cannot be dismissed as mere mercenaries - even though it later transpired that the ruling council of the Meriscane Confederation had been coerced and bribed into directing the foreign policy of the Confederation into paths which served the ends of the Idirans. Similarly the account also fails to give credit to the courageous actions and eventual heroic death of Second Lieutenant Acrimon, who several times rallied wavering troops under heavy fire and encouraged them back into the fight and was killed as he prepared to lead a close assault on the position held by Haller and Grove as described above.