Topic: The Canterline War: In Earnest

HX-909-A

Date: 2008-07-15 00:33 EST
Hex stood in it's humanoid form on the wall of the north pass outpost, looking down as the first elements of First Division began marching Along the trail that led down from the mountains. The Zep river lay below them, leading further west into the enemy's homeland. By taking all three passes across the Canterline, the Legion of Chain had cut of any potential invasion of the lands of Gemmus Galra, Lord Brutin's ally.

An officer, Captain by rank, moved up to Hex and saluted. The machine turned and returned the gesture before the man spoke, "Sir! Word from the other two divisions. Commander Duket's Elites are heading third division and have made it safely down the pass. They are following the Zep to the rendezvous point. They have mined the pass and left a small garrison at the outpost as ordered. Second division reports that they will be at the rendezvous tomorrow night, there were some delays getting the mines into place."

Hex nodded and turned back to the view from the wall. Below, the soldiers of the Legion marched in ordered formations down the pass trail. The battles for the pass outposts had been small, mere skirmishes. Now the war would begin in earnest...

Verishia Duket

Date: 2008-07-15 09:16 EST
Verishia walked at the head of 3rd Division next to Deacon who was walking quietly until various scouts or messengers would arrive and he would give orders and dispatches. She was impressed with him and studied him for an hour as they made their way down the pass to rejoin the rest of the Legion.

She glanced over her datapad, the scouting reports had been entered as they arrived and she was able to now see a better picture of the battlefield from the data as it arrived. "What are you thinking about?" Deacon asked her and she looked over at him.

"We are on the southern flank and furthest from the City of Pith. This river we are marching next to combines down stream with the other forks of the Zep River. We know that any reinforcements coming to aid this city will come that way. We should create an outpost to protect the branches of the Zep and give us a forward supply base into Phaesia." Verishia explained and Deacon raised his hand as he demanded the datapad. Rishi let her eyebrow go up as she handed it over to him and he quickly scanned the thing before looking at he screen.

"I can't read this." He commented and made to hand it back but she pointed a finger and used the Force to depress the button that would set the information back to their common tongue. She wished they knew a common language like Galactic Standard. Was that so hard? Deacon looked at the screen, at her and then smiled and began reading the data. "You may be right, we will have to see, I wish we had maps." He complained and Rishi nodded.

"We recovered some maps from the forts we overcame. They are being transcribed by cartographers so we can use them." She informed him and he nodded. "We should dispatch a messenger to Hex and ask permission to construct a fort at the branching. Using these rivers we could ship supplies easily to it and the Fort could hold defensive weapons the Phaesians can't counter." She said and he nodded, snapping his fingers and talking swiftly to the messenger who turned and ran back the way they had come.

At this rate it would be a while before he reached Hex but the 3rd Division wasn't motorized, it was a long walk down the pass into the heart of Phaesia.

HX-909-A

Date: 2008-07-15 18:53 EST
((Let's resume the story, shall we?))

It had been nearly a week since Verishia and Lord Brutin had gone offworld, and in that time Hex had kept it's actions in the war conservative. Verishia's suggestions about a base camp had reached the machine, and considering the situation, the conclusion was sound.

Orders were issued to the Engineer Corps to begin construction of a more permanent outpost at the site where the branches of the Zep, flowing down from the Canterline passes, joined the main river. Here would be the first presence of the Legion in the enemy nation of Phaesia. One of the four supply gates to Rhydin would be placed, and used both to supply the outpost, but also to ship captured slaves back to Rhydin.

The fort itself had taken nearly four days to build. The encampment straddled both sides of the Zep river. Platforms and bridges now hung supported above the river, where the inner buildings resided. Below this elevated camp rested a small port, where river boats could dock. Even now the thousands of the Legion were clearing trees to build ships to take them downriver.
Around this camp, on both sides of the river, and even across the waters themselves, were walls of metal and concrete twenty feet high. Searchlights topped guard towers, sweeping across the growing expanse of cleared forest around the Legion's new base. Small robotic recon drones buzzed overhead like large insects, searching for intruders.

The camp of men stationed back at the natural portal to Rhydin were recalled to reinforce those stationed at the North Pass Outpost, while the center and south passes remained defended with minefields and automated gun turrets. No invader would make it through *those* routes.

For the moment the Legion had made no other aggressive moves into Phaesia, biding their time and fortifying their positions. Legion scouting patrols began to press deeper into enemy lands, slowly creeping towards the city of Pith, searching stealthily for any sign of defenses.
Soon it would be time to take that city, but Hex still wanted to wait for Verishia's return before taking to the battle.

Verishia Duket

Date: 2008-07-26 20:17 EST
Rishi stood silently as Deacon pointed his troops into their proper places. They were fanned out in a wide arch and Rishi could see the city defenders standing on the walls watching as their city, Pith, was surrounded and laid Siege. She smiled at that, this action and her name, it was a first for her and she knew time passed with these things, this was no assault, this would take time.

But if anyone could pull it off, it would be Deacon.

She watched him for a while, his quiet efficiency proving to her again that you remained calm during the formulation of the plan, then cut loose with the anger to battle with. Her Elites stood behind her and she pointed to a spot on a hill where they could watch as things unfolded.

"Garm." She said and her favorite Elite stepped forward, his bulk blocking out the sun temporarily. "They are going to send out scouts and runners to warn and call for help. I don't want any of you participating in the assaults until the end so have fun tracking these runners down." She said and Garm smiled to her and turned to the others. They cheered and rushed to construct camp. If they hurried then they could still go play before dinner.

She turned her attention back to the river meandering next to Pith. A water source for the defenders they would have to cut off, she caught Deacon watching her and then step over. "I have ordered water teams to draw water from a specific location upstream and then we are going to poison the water instead of dam it up." Deacon said and she looked at him. Ruthless and efficient.

Hex has not given us a time table for this siege and I know it takes time but the sooner we take it the greater your glory." She said and he nodded, he was aware but she doubted he would risk his people for glory. They loved and trusted him for that.

"We have enveloped the city and now we are closing in to make the noose tighter." Deacon said and she nodded.

"I will be making forays into the city under cover of darkness to weaken their strength and destroy their morale." She declared and Deacon frowned.

"You should leave the fighting to us. It will take longer but stories of a light wielding demon is bound to stir their desperation." He cautioned her but she shrugged it off.

"It doesn't matter, they will fall and we will give them decent terms. But we need to make sure that the closer we get to razing the city the Processors are close by ready to take our levy of slaves." She said and he nodded.

"I need the reinforcements. Having so few troops hampering my ability to conduct this war." He complained and she looked at him. "There are over five thousand defenders on the walls, if they realized just how few we were they could come out here and strike us down and there would be nothing we could do." Deacon warned and she nodded. "I am taking the males in the levy and adding them all to my Division. I will be sending permission back to Hex in writing tonight once camp is set. My professionals are precious to me but I need more bodies and slaves are just as good as any other for that." He said and she shrugged.

"We need to find out what is going on inside that city, how it works, now many defenders we are dealing with and who leads them." She said and Deacon nodded.

"All in due time." He said and she sighed.