Protection; Episode 2: ATZ: Batrep: AAR

Prologue

Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway has taken an inexperienced platoon (-) into Purgatory in order to fix a water/sanitary problem. Zeds have started to appear and he has split his force into three groups. A gun group, under Sgt. 'Stitch' Jones a close protection group for the work party and a rifle group led by himself. This group he has led into the shanty in order to clear the shacks that oppose overlook the work site. The completion of the  task is controlled by the rolling of doubles separated by ordinary activations.

Turn 11 (6-3)

“Rear of the shack. Ready?” Highway ordered. His two men nodded.

“Quinoness, the front. Choozo, with me. MOVE!”

Highway and Choozo moved rapidly to the rear of the building to find nothing but derelict yard space.

Orders.

No zombies, no doubles just Guards movement.

Turn 12 (3-1)

“Woods. Move”

The Guardsmen pushed there way into the shrubbery between the two shacks.

Highway raised his rifle to his shoulder, “Halt, National Guard!” he ordered a bush.

His two subordinates followed his gaze.

“Heck boys, how you find me in here?” a tall male with a single shot two-two pushed himself from the bush.

Wood Clearance

“Get out of there,” Highway commanded. The man came closer.

“Name, date of birth, address!”

“Julian Metcalf, June fourth, here.”

"What the hell are you doing?"

"General, I live here, but you seen what's goin' on, what with the sick an' all?"

“OK Metcalf your with us. Stay close and do whatever I say immediately, without question. Any issues?”

“No problem with that General. I just want a chance to get outta here.”

"I'm no General, a Gunnery Sergeant, I work for a living," finished Highway as he scanned the scene for his next bound.

The woods I treated as a building and R&R card was drawn, revealing a survivor with a Bolt Action Rifle. The interaction with Highway led to him joining the group for the remainder of the scenario. The work gang needs one set of doubles two moves and another double before the work is complete.

Turn 13 (4-4) (6-4)

Highway pushed his way through the brush followed by Choozo, Metcalf and Quinoness. A dog burst from the underbrush yapping at his ankles. A swift boot sent it whimpering away.



A Dog chased by Zombies.



“Gunny! Watch out!” Choozo snapped a round at a tattered blood stained female that burst from the woods. The bullet crashed through the figure’s skull throwing it aside to reveal two further zeds.

"Fire at will!" screamed Highway and loosed a shot. The rifle group fired. Their bullets passing harmlessly through the advancing bodies.



A volley has no effect.



Jones snapped into action; “Johansson, your front. Two figures, one short burst. FIRE!”

Jones’ fire command reached Highway’s ears; “DOWN!” he roared and fell flat. The men followed his lead as the Browning automatic rifle chattered. Johansson’s aim was good and the zeds no longer proved a threat.

Climbing to his feet Highway spied a couple of the ‘ill’ move in the area surrounding the truck, “Fragetti! To your right!”

Jones; “Gun group, half left, building line one figure.”

The doubles created a ‘barking dog’ followed by 3 zeds. The SAW sorted them but in turn created 3 more in zones 1,5 & 6. Highway passed (2d6) a Rep test to get his men down so they wouldn't be effected by any stray rounds. One zed created in zone 5, opposite PFC Fragetti.

Turn 14 (1-5)


Fragetti Flees



Thomas Highway drew a bead on the figure advancing on Fragetti. A deep breath; hold it; let some out slowly and fire. The round shattered the sick’s skull showering Fragetti in blood, bone and brain.

Even at the distance he was Gunny Highway watched as the blood drained from Private First Class Fragetti’s face.The soldiers eyes bulged. Highway knew instantly what was happening. Far too many farm boys’ minds had shattered from the instant shock of death and gore, during the 'Big One.'

“Stand fast Fragetti!” he yelled.

The soldier swayed too and fro. He dropped his rifle, cast off his ‘campaign’ hat and ran screaming into the shanty.

“Shit,” was all the Gunnery Sergeant could manage.

TH passes his in sight and takes a crack shot which hits and kills. Fragetti had a catastrophic fail of his ‘morale’ checks and got a ‘retire’ result.



Turn 15 (1-6)

Highway held his breath and checked out the remainder of his platoon.

“Jones, sitrep!”

The Sergeant raised his thumb.

“Boys?” he asked his group. They all nodded ashen faced, “hold it in and let’s get back.”

Unseen, a zed stumbled from behind the truck and shambled towards the platoon’s driver, Hicks, who was more concerned with the unfolding drama about Donkey Drive, had no idea what fate held for him.

The painful moaning pulled the rifle groups attention and they looked to their right as a couple of the undead appeared.

With no move for the NG zeds get a free shot and advance.

Turn 16 (4-4) (7 a zed in 2) (1-3)

“Targets to your front, rapid fire!” screamed Jones.

“Fire at will!” ordered Highway.

The rattling BAR underpinned the higher sharper reports of the Springfield rifles. Round after round hammered into the advancing zeds all but one burst into a bloodied mess.

Harry Worth threw the last spade of dirt into the excavation, “soldier boy! We’re all done here!”

Hicks is Zombie food, two of the City's three workers flee

Hicks starred, wide eyed, at the carnage. He felt a hand on his shoulder and half spun round. The zed grabbed him by the throat. Hicks kicked the creature between the legs. It roared as if mocking the guardsman’s assault and threw him against the truck's bulkhead, knocking the wind from Hicks. The once human thrust his hand into Hicks' chest. The soldier's ribs burst and he gasped as saw the creature tear his heart from his body. Death couldn’t come quick enough to the young man.

The creature dropped onto Hicks' carcass and began to rip bloodied chunks of flesh from his body stuffing the shreds into its mouth. Only Harry Worth held is ground as his colleagues fled and hid within the jetsam of one of Purgatory’s dumps.

A double concluded the work party’s involvement and the subsequent activation roll was a good one to win for the players. The SAW and the rifle group made short work of the zeds (you’ve got to love the easy hit rule) only one was knocked down and not OOF’d. Hick’s got attacked from the rear and lost his melee (2-43)(2-1)(3-3)(2-6). Feast for 4 turns. All but Worth lost their ’see the feast’ checks and fled.

Turn 17 (1-2)



Worth recovered quickly. He shed his shovel and grabbed a dropped pick. Launching himself at the feasting monster Harry Worth buried the blade into its skull.



Harry takes his pick.





The lads return



Highway made a swift survey of the situation. This mission was hotting up. He crossed to the downed zed and bayoneted the struggling body. "We're intending to return," he hollered, "Qunioness to the truck grab Hicks’ body load it and get the truck up to the gun group, to get us out of here, Metcalf your with him.” He looked at the troops for confirmation. Getting it, he went on “ Choozo, I’m going to get those civvies, cover me.” Choozo nodded. “Jones cover us! When Hicks gets the truck to you, load up and let’s get out of here. Questions?”

Receiving none he yelled, “Right. Move out!” pumping his left fist into the air.

The men required no second chance and they obeyed without question.

Turn 18 (6-6) (7-3 zeds from building 3) (5-2)

Quinoness followed his orders and with the help of Metcalf and Worth the tattered body of Hicks was loaded onto the rear of the truck. The two civvies followed it. He jumped into the cab and kicked the waggon into life.

Highway, jogged across the track and grabbed the navvie , Drake, by his collar and propelled him towards Jones’ gun group,” come on man, we ain’t got time to dawdle.”

Choozo took up his covering position in time to see three creatures burst from the shack they had already searched, “Gunny, didn’t you say that that building was clear?”

Highway turned from his task and saw the trio of creatures stagger from the shanty he knew was empty, ‘what the …’

“Quinoness get that truck up here PDQ! Come on Choozo, grab that civvy!" he shouted indicating to the remaining labourer, the one named Wisdom.

"Jones, keep them sick at bay!”

“Swede, slot ‘em!” ordered Jones and the BAR opened up.

Highway manages to rally the civilians. The double creates 3 zeds from bldg #3.

Turn 19 (4-6)



Highway Rallies the Work Team



The trio of once humans pitched forward, more appeared. Quinoness hammered the truck into an oncoming creature and the truck bounced and swayed as it cut its way through the corpse.

Highway, Choozo, Jones and the BAR team, checked their loads and readied themselves.

“Johanson, get ready to dismantle and embark."

No move for the guards, the zeds just keep coming onward.



Turn 20 (3-2)

Quinoness braked adjacent to the small garden in a cloud of dust, he was too scared to pass a comment.



On they come!



National Guardsmen brace themselves.



Choozo and Highway pushed and heaved the remaining city workmen onto the back. Swede Johanson embarked followed by the remainder of the guardsmen. Highway climbed into the cab.

“Move!” he barked.



The Guardsmen consolidate their Position

The driver needed no second command and the truck accelerated onto Donkey Drive.







Extraction

Epilogue

The mission was a success. It could have been far worse had the dice not rolled the doubles when they did, a couple of more moves and I think the platoon would have been over run. Highway will face a carpeting by his OC. He lost one guardsman, KIA, and one MIA. This leads to another 'off Haven' scenario, when Tom takes his team back into Purgatory, once more, to 'recover' the lost Fragetti.

Thanks for reading. All the best.

Bob