Sladden - chapter 3 - Spodilicious

Confederation Victors in Fight for Shantung Mining Complex.

The Shantung Promethium Central Extraction Complex was the scene of a short military engagement earlier today as both sides fought to occupy the crucial establishment.

As the main excavation centre for the region, the SPCEC holds all the computerised start-up codes for the other mining sub-complexes in the area and controls the Promethium mining in the whole of Shantung Province.

With both antagonists badly needing Promethium, Shantung is one of the major objectives in the northern quadrant of the planet hence the fight for the Complex.

The Meriscane Confederation were better prepared for the battle landing three platoons of veteran airmobile Infantry by stealth drop ship from a light cruiser at night and advancing on the Shantung Complex at daybreak.

The PDF force found itself under pressure from the start and hardly got beyond its start line. They managed to occupy the machinery and huts at the eastern edge of the complex but could not advance any further with the militia largely immobile for most of the engagement.

The MC commander was able to occupy the centre of the complex and to switch a platoon to the south which pushed in the fragile militia outposts there while using the northernmost platoon largely as a blocking force. The SDF commander swung his tactical reserve of regulars to prop up the crumbling militia force to the south but this was driven back and in a desperate last ditch attempt committed his HQ section to the fray which suffered the same fate as the tactical reserve - a reverse which effectively ended the engagement.