I was going to have far more screens but because of an accident I deleted all screenshots before the real deal. I managed to take everything while sparing Azira, which is by and far one of the most important team members. And then, like always, they would face a force that outnumbered them by and far, but this time a far wiser approach: to position them near the north edge of the map in tactically good positions, so that if shit really hits the fan they'll have a chance to get out.
The short is that this time I trained as many militia as possible before taking the final sector in Drassen, and that some of the forces defending it were kind enough to drop a machinegun. Unfortunately it is a piece of shit that can't support scopes, and also antiquated and with a super shit minimum AP cost to fire. And I got one extra PSO-1 scope on the other hand which is why I gave an AK-74 to Ira.
And this is an epic, not in the nextgen market doublespeak way.I had to split the battle of Drassen into two separate updates because I decided to make it truly detailed.
(OLOL THAT LOOKS LIKE TRASH FROM AFAR. Therefore these are the Kodex Kool Krew mercenaries from before the battle)
The Final Battle of Drassen, Part 1
Bolt Thrower - Salvo
(Originally it was Black Hawk Down theme but a music which lyrics are about a soldier being wiped out by Shells in the Night fit much better with the mood)
The massive legions of Deirdranna began to assault the Drassen Mine, as the brave mercenaries of the Kodex Kool Krew and the freedom fighter Ira were ready and positioned to have high odds even against such unfair numerical advantage. Besides them forty militiamen were ready to fight to the death for the cause of freedom. The plan was for the mercenaries to at first, focus their attention to the east while hopefully the miltias would buy them enough time to the west.
(for those not aware the yellow dots in the mini-map represent the mercenaries. I decided to priotize rooftops, except for a few nice well covered spots, including the one where Black managed to survive the previous failed defense before the reboot)
The principles were sound, and they were positioned in a way each covered the other. Azira was starting to become more than a doctor in this battle that demanded impossible feats of skills and bravery.
Black:
I thought the SPAS-15(from the spoils taken after securing Drassen) was better than the Benelli convertible... guess I was wrong... and the worst is that Black don't know even how to use a screwdriver, so his chances of unjamming his gun on his own are very small. He'll have to rely on his backup UDAR revolver for a while.
As the battle seems to never come to an end, and the militias die as quickly as green Imperial Guards without any armored, air and artillery support charging against Chaos Space Marines, Orgasm proves luck is on her side by scoring a very unlikely hit. And Black also got lucky and managed to unjam his shotgun.
Orgasm is truly mastering her skills and even learning how to compensate and shoot beyond the effective range of her shotgun.
Ira said she didn't have real weapons training. Imagine if she did.
Azira's position is one of the most important ones. He will not and cannot let them down.
There are however blind spots, but fortunately Ira reacts quickly enough to a near point-blank range engagement.
The enemy casualties grow up, but unfortunately so do the militia casualties. Yet, for every redshirt killed, their hope there still could be victory grows, even in such dire situation. They have placed their lives between Drassen and the cruel oppression of Deirdranna, and the results of their choice of not running away like cowards and abandoning the miltia to a certain defeat would soon become clear.
Ulminati is starting to become overshadowed in the beginning of this battle by another great hero and killer of tyrants. Azira is growing a reputation as one of the legends of the team. He already had a reputation for saving their lives more than once, and now he be known both as a great doctor and as a great designated marksman.
Femshep was timid, because she was covering the south flank which has been quiet because the militias were until then holding out the enemy forces in that location. But now this changed, and the EXTREME proves its worth.
Then comes a dire discovery: the enemy has brought fire support in the form of infantry mortars to this battle. Now the only thing that could be worse is for them to send their tanks. If that did happen then the battle would be truly hopeless. With mortar shells devastating houses and shelters, the miltias which weren't in a good situation before were even worse.
Nevertheless the Kodex Kool Krew didn't panic. They continued to mostly focus on the east flank. Eventually an opportunity to take down that mortar would ensue, hopefully before it could end into a terrible disaster, but they couldn't do much besides rely on their suppressed weapons and discretion to avoid becoming targets for that devastating weapon.
Eventually the snipers begin to catch up Azira's onslaught against the invaders. And now the enemy seemingly abandoned the east flank and focused their attack on the south. Thus appropriatedly the team shifted positions to face the new threat.
They were just barely being held in check. Stray bullets were singing despair and defeat, but the brave heroes couldn't just give up and die without purpose.
Piles of enemy corpses were building up, but they didn't intimidate the attackers, as they were more afraid of the consequences of Deirdranna learning they were cowards and fled from battle than of dying.
Unfortunately, there was an equally growing pile of militia corpses. They never stood any real chance, and on their own would have already lost this battle a long time ago. Perhaps this will be forever remembered as the Kodex Kool Krew's finest hour.
The most crooked of bees like to sting where it hurts the most, and there are no other heads like in the cyclopean mythos of ~a H.P.hatmc Lovedicks, thus perhaps, unless these soldiers wish to become trannies, death would be a merciful faith for any man having a 7.62x51mm round tearing his only dick apart.
A grenadier almost kills Azira with what is most likely a grenade launched from an under-barrel grenade launcher attached to a rifle. But he is still holding out.
The new southern advance by the enemy forces is being slowed down nicely by Bee's superlative skills. Her malice and likeness of tearing a new dick head apart from one man's dick head have also helped a lot, for it echoes of ancient and sick summoning rituals, and let's leave at.. OH GOD ITS HEAVAN
The Kodex Kool Krew is a legit A-Team in more than one way. They are like Stallone in Rambo 2: no matter how outnumbered they will kick serious ass.
But that does not diminish the severity of their situation, for even for them there is a limit and this battle already pushed it.
Another grenade shatters the house where Ira was and exposes its walls, fortunately still partly covered by furniture and a fridge. Ira knows she better be ready to take down whoever is launching these grenades lest both her and Azira die.
A massive bloom comes from yet another mortar shell exploding and slaughtering even more of the militia, who nevertheless are not afraid of fighting to the death, for surrender would only lead to a fate worse than death. These mortar bombardments are worrissome, and could turn the tide even more in favor of the enemies than it already is through their sheer numerical superiority.
Unlike some of the earlier battles, there is no doubt that in this one everyone, with no exceptions, had a vital contribution to the team. No time to relax or stay behind as a backup. All were instead in the front lines and so far they made it through alive.
Having no seconds to waste applying first aid, Azira injects POPAMOLE health regen into his veins. Of course, being only a temporary effect and actually far more hardcore than instant healing items, it didn't mutate him into a consoletard harbinger of the decline.
Relentless barrage never ceasing
Artillery has found its range
Caught within the crossfire
There is no shelter from the steel rain
Dead men again
By pure luck Ulminati and Femshep survived the mortar barrage, but those militias on the ground obviously didn't have the same luck, and the battle raged on, as the two tried to recover their focus after the shock of the explosion to their eardrums and eyes.
White-hot shrapnel fills the sky
Advancing ever onwards
Conditioned reflex feel no pain
At the point beyond insane
There is no shelter from the steel rain
Femshep and Ulminati are truly lucky to have survived two mortar shells, and now the last remants of what once was a force of 40 regular militias gathered together in the ruins of a public bathroom to make their final stand, and they fought with great bravery. In their despair, they finally did something smart by taking cover under the rubble. Ulminati franctily scouted the battlefield with his sniper rifle to spot the greatest threat of all enemy forces, the mortar operator.
He found the target, his scope showing as the man was quickly loading another mortal shell. He couldn't count on his luck to survive another blast. This shot was the difference between his life and his death. Missing it would most likely lead to the death of both him and Femshep. Steady at hand, he pulled the trigger.
There is no shelter from the steel rain
Dead men again
The loss of their mortar team is a setback for the enemy, but even after suffering massive casualties they still far outnumber the mercenaries. The battle already had one of its decisive points in the duel between a sniper and a mortar team, and now it seems to be heading towards a major momentum.
The enemy legions are still enough to overwhelm everyone left to defend the Drassen mine, but they have already been reduced to over 50% of their original strength. Of course, on the other hand, the militias have been near completely wiped out and soon the mercenaries and Ira will be completely on their own against forces that outnumber them significantly.
The Battle of Drassen is closing to an end. Whether it will be an end of a futile last stand, that although succeeding in delivering far more massive casualties to the enemy forces than they suffered, was ultimately doomed to defeat, or an end of a seemingly impossible victory that will, should they succeed at their ultimate goal of eliminating Deirdranna, be forever remembered in the story of this small country as their own legendary Thermopylae, is yet to be seen.