At the height of the battle, with the twinkling of the Fleets battling in orbit above me.
The roaring firestorm of the SecMass offensive, massacring my friends around me.
I finally understood the ancient phrase "There are no atheists in foxholes".
For all the teachings of society and politic, I had come to the religion of war.
Been baptized in the holy waters of oil and blood.
In the martyrdom of my comrades, I was born anew,
A Prophet of War.
- Cpl. Alych Gomez. Survivor of the Siege of Lychke,
later interred in the Opalheart Advanced Care Facility for severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Sector: Lychke Military District [ 2 km from City Center ]
Strategic Situation: The Gray Knight, with newly arrived corporate fleet assets has begun engaging the Conclave and Provisional Fleet blockade. Coinciding, with a large scale combined arms attack by SecMass ground elements on the Orbital Defense guns, specifically COC Firelight, which controls the largest cluster of defense guns. The 5th CMI Mechanized Brigade holds the position, and is exhausted, having fought much of the Siege. However, the grav tanks of the corporate army, have allowed them to encircle these beleaguered souls, separating them from the 10th Scout, and 3rd Prov. Infantry Regiment. by about three blocks. Some reinforcements from these two regiments did reach the 5th to bolster these critical positions. But they may not be enough.
Tactical Situation: A Bolstered Platoon of the 5th Mechanized is situated in prepared defenses around COC Firelight, with defense centered around the main control station. A Grav mounted Scout team from the 10th, just made it to the AO, before the encirclement. Their new CGS-1 may prove invaluable. The Infantry are backed up by several CT-8's and a CT-7 MLRS variant. SecMass is launching their assault with heavy grav tanks, and large groups of corporate infantry.
Layout of COC Firelight, the green circle representing the fire control center, and arrows representing corridor of approach.
The only asset of the 10th to get to COC Firelight before its encirclement this gravmech grenadier squad represents the pinnacle of Conclave training and weapons technology.
Exhausted recruit squads fight tenaciously from their positions, dealing a good toll on the approaching Corporate troops, the CT-8's deal an avalanche of 40mm autocannon hits on the SecMass tanks reducing their effectiveness, but not destroying them.
The Grenadiers secure the southern gun battery, as the recruits in the west, east and north die for every inch of the gun battery
The CT-7 MLRS launches the first of its limited stockpile of missiles into the Corporate infantry, and the entire assortment of Conclave vehicles pour lead and fire in behind. The slog across the marshlands into the hard cover of the city is proving slow, and while many die; the corporate soldiers (either through raw mettle or as a result of fanatical indoctrination) continue to push into the COC.
A larger overview of the last shot.
An elite squad of Corporate stormtroopers, makes it across the killing ground and rips into the western recruits.
A view from one of the western squads, towards a SecMass MRAP. These men would fight from this position for the entirety of the engagement.
A view of the Corporate forces as they wade into the position, for much of the early stages, they had a very difficult time coordinating their attack, either due to enemy fire or disruption brought about by the fleet battle above.
But, soon they begin to mass behind a small housing complex, and a large rush of troops into the central command station seems imminent.
Corporate Squads finally arrive and silence the northern gun. immediately setting about establishing their own terminals to use it against the Conclave fleet.
Also in the north, SecMass vehicles blaze down the main highway, but it is critically disabled by the fire of all the north defenses. The crew bailout of their shattered hulk, casually walking back to their lines, with the cover of a company of SecMass Marines.
The crew of the MRAP, controlling an assualt drone to try and break through the western defense
The firefight between the infantry is interrupted by the divert of the CGS-1, which uses its mobility to spray a few bursts of large caliber machine gun fire into the Stormtroopers, before returning the help the eastern line.
Recruit Corporal Mal Cezarno, rallying his squad at the climax of the battle, as SecMass Marines charge across the road into the trenchlines.
A view from the defenses as the marines charge.
An image of the forces on the west and north defenses as they are met with a brutal SecMass charge.
The surviving Corporate Stormtroopers cut into the eastern recruit squads. The melee would last the rest of the engagement. Nearly all the recruits would give their lives to hold the western line.
As the marines begin to move, an Autocannon round rips the lead soldier in half, suppressing the squad and halting the charge.
But the corporate MAT has their own rebut
Which has potent and deadly effect, but their actions proved to late. The CGS-1 is able to catch the charging Marines in the open, cutting them down in the street along with heavy fire from the Recruits. causing the attack to falter and eventually sputter out.
In the end. One CT-8 burns, another sits, its crew half dead, its workings all but shattered, The CT-7 is out of ammunition, many recruits are dead or wounded, either of heat exhaustion or enemy fire. The CGS-1 patrols the perimeter of piled corporate bodies and empty hulks of fire licked corporate tanks. The guns of COC Firelight were held, by only the slimiest of margins. Skirmishing around the battery would continue for several days, until the APA reached the position.
In the end, the guns would mean that the Corporate fleet could not land more soldiers. But no grand victory was won. the Siege of Lychke was over for the moment, but the Campaign of Lychke Province had only begun...
