----- Two Days Later -----
Date: August 12, 3025
Location: Galtor III
Title: Vegans to the Rescue
Author: Cory Glaberson
Type: Scenario
Synopsis: Armed with tofurkey and kale, vegans sent from the future by Interconnectedness Unlimited and the Illuminati try in vain to improve the menu at the palace on New Avalon and prevent Hanse Davion's fatal heart attack in 3052, in an effort to prevent the FedCom Civil War. Wait...what? Oh, this scenario is about Vegans, not vegans. Never mind.
After eight days of heavy fighting against the Combine forces on Galtor III, the 12th Vegan Rangers (with the remnants of the 33rd Avalon Hussars in support) make a final push to smash the Kurita line, trying to break through and isolate the 17th and 11th Benjamin Regulars from each other.
Using the NAIS Atlas conversion tables, the 12th Vegan Rangers field the following roster:
Regimental BattleGroup: Cyclops, 2 Awesomes, 2 Victors, 2 Atlases, 2 Orions, JagerMech, Ostsol, Thunderbolt, Archer
Air Squadron: 2 Stukas, 2 Sparrowhawks
Bragg's Battalion: Victor, 2 Awesomes, 3 Orions, Marauder, Warhammer, 4 Crusaders, 2 Archers, 3 Dervishes, 2 Griffins, Wolverine, 3 Quickdraws JagerMech, 2 Whitworths, 4 Dervishes, 2 Enforcers, 2 Assassins, 2 Trebuchets, 2 Whitworths, 2 Shadow Hawks
McCullough's Battalion: Awesome, Victor, 2 Orions, 2 Ostrocs, 2 Riflemen, 2 Crusaders, 3 JagerMechs, 2 Griffins, Wolverine, 3 Quickdraws, Dervish, 5 Assassins, Spider, Wasp, 3 Stingers, 6 Locusts, 2 Ostscouts, 2 Hatchetmen
Against this, the DCMS fields:
17th Benjamin Regulars
Regimental BattleGroup: BattleMaster, Atlas, 2 Chargers, Stalker, Victor, Orion, Marauder, Crusader, Dragon, Catapult, Thunderbolt, 2 Panthers, Jenner, Wasp
Air Squadron: 4 Slayers, 2 Thunderbirds, 2 Sholagars
Elazar's Battalion: 2 Dragons, 2 Grasshoppers, JagerMech, 2 Griffins, 3 Marauders, Orion, 2 Panthers, Wasp, Warhammer, Rifleman
Sharon's Battalion: Thunderbolt, Catapult, Ostroc, Dragon, 6 Panthers, 2 Jenners, 3 Wasps, Griffin
11th Benjamin Regulars
Regimental BattleGroup: 2 Panthers, Jenner, Wasp
Holgarth's Battalion: 2 Scorpions, 4 Hunchbacks, 2 Phoenix Hawks, 3 Whitworths, Thunderbolt, Catapult, Ostroc, 2 Dragons, 2 Griffins, 4 Panthers, Wasp, Grasshopper, JagerMech, Wolverine, 3 Jenners, Rifleman, 2 Stingers, 2 Locusts, 2 Javelins
With lucky dice rolls, the following reinforcements appear at the northern map edge:
11th Benjamin Regulars
Swift's Battalion: 2 Panthers, 4 Jenners, 5 Wasps, 4 Hunchbacks, 2 Riflemen, 4 Stingers, Wolverine, 2 Spiders
De Alba's Battalion: 3 Wolverines, 5 Jenners, 3 Griffins, 12 Panthers, 7 Wasps, 3 Stingers, 2 Spiders, 2 Locusts, Whitworth, 2 Javelins
Air Squadron: 2 Slayers, 2 Sholagars
17th Benjamin Regulars
Sharon's Battalion: 4 Grasshoppers, 3 Griffins, 4 Panthers, Wolverine
Gonen's Battalion: 3 Marauders, Orion, 3 Dragons, Warhammer, Rifleman, Grasshopper, 2 Thunderbolts, 2 Catapults, Ostroc, Crusader, 6 Wasps, 3 Stingers, 2 Spiders, 6 Panthers, 2 Jenners, 2 Locusts, Whitworth, 2 Javelins
The AFFS forces' goal is to break through the Kurita lines and exit as many units off the northern edge of the map. The engagement ends when either all Vegan units have exited off the northern edge of the map, or when Vegan losses exceed 15 units.
This battle takes place on a moonless night.
Notes: For the AFFS forces, I would recommend putting your assault and heavy units at the front of a narrow wedge, with the light and mediums clustered behind. Move north together at the pace of the Assaults until you engage the Kurita line. If the Kuritans have formed a wide line to cover lots of ground, use your assault wedge to punch through and keep going. If they've massed ahead of your wedge, have your heavies dig in and engage, while your lights/mediums divert to bypass the Kuritan forces on the flanks. If the DCMS forces divert troops to run your troops down, their blocking forces will be weakened, and you can smash through and keep advancing, if they don't, you'll have lots of units making it off the northern edge. Avoid engagement whenever possible by keeping distance, and using woods and terrain to block LOS. The night conditions help a lot. Use your air squadron to tie up the superior DCMS air squadron, so it can't be used for opportunity attacks against your light lances.
Whatever you do, don't split up and make a run for the northern border. You'll get spread out and your lights will be intercepted, strafed, and chewed up, leaving your assaults and heavies outgunned when they reach the fully intact Kuritan lines. Even when you use the recommended flanking maneuver, keep units of similar speed together so they can mass firepower against enemy fighter attacks. A unit off on its own is just begging to get swarmed by fighters. Nonetheless, keep moving north at best speed, because you want to get as close to the northern border as possible before too many DCMS reinforcements arrive.
For the DCMS side, you want to slow down the AFFS advance as much as possible. Put a plug of your heavy and assault units at the river crossing to hold the ford - either forcing the AFFS troops to fight through, or to slow down during a river crossing. Put your light and fast medium units in the woods behind, positioned to engage any units that break through. Once the forward assault units go down fighting, pull your medium and light forces back to the northern map and link up with newly arrived reinforcements to reform the block - again concentrating the less maneuverable heavies/assaults at the ford, while the light/medium units fan out to counter breakthrough attempts.
Your air squadron is going to be key. To win, you need to knock out 15 Vegan units before any Davion troops cross the northern map edge, so send your fighters against light Vegan lances, scoring easy kills against the lightly armored targets. The enemy has four fighters to oppose you, but you start with eight, and the reinforcement table makes it likely you'll get another four on turn 1 or 2.
When your reinforcements arrive, send the heavies to map chokepoints, and move fast lights/mediums up to join the current position of the mobile screening forces.