44th Blackstone Company

The 44th Blackstone Company was a unit of partisans, artillery crews, logistics crews and other personnel who fought in an interplanetary conflict.

## **History**

### **The Eightieth War**

"You're on kitchen police duty, and you'll do it with a smile on your face!"

- Sergeant Redleg disciplining a Blackstone soldier who possessed a sense of humour.

A deadly, large-scale conflict, the Eightieth War was actually named after it's starting date.

#### **Front Line Incident**

During the push to seize Saecrofts, two members of the 44th acquired a light armoured vehicle and moved it towards enemy lines. The driver accidentally ran over a friendly infantryman, before the vehicle was completely destroyed as it smashed into hostile positions. There were no resulting enemy casualties from the incident.

Meanwhile, several Blackstones managed to land successful strikes on enemy infantry, and a lucky heavy trooper destroyed an enemy battle tank and suppressed a trench before he was killed by the enemy artillery shelling that ensued.

#### **Partisan Operations at Saecrofts**

After establishing their forward operating base, which was protected by a squad armed with heavy weapons, the Blackstones engaged in a partisan campaign throughout enemy territory. This led to dozens of enemy deaths and the destruction of nearly as many weapon emplacements, due to the Blackstones' effective usage of trucks, rocket launchers and rifles.

Through their actions, the 44th Blackstone Company was instrumental in the liberation of two regions, Saecrofts and Argegio.

#### **Operations at Stray's Refuge**

Hostile forces prodded the lines at Stray's Refuge. One of the Blackstones captured Warrant Officer Kelwul.

#### **Stand at Lockgate**

Many Blackstones situated themselves at a base in Lockgate, which was overstocked with artillery munitions. They rallied on several tank attacks made against hostile territory and performed additional partisan operations, destroying several manned fortifications and a powerful turret designed to shred tanks. Consistent collaboration with tank units, along with usage of mortar rounds, cleared out most of the enemy infantry. A handful of friendly fire incidents took place, all of them claimed to be accidents.

At least two amphibious assaults were attempted by the Blackstones, which destroyed enemy assets, but also alerted nearby gunboats and wet navy assets. Nearly all of the Blackstones whom partook in that operation were killed.

Additional recruits were brought in and trained, as were personnel pulled in from fractured units across the battlefield. After hours of holding the line, the Blackstones and various other infantry were pushed back, and the majority of their tanks deserted their position and departed the region after a failed final attack.

Infantry and artillery pressed on the Lockmarch garrison, shells rained down around the defenders as they declared the base was going to fall before they did. Unwilling to let hundreds of surplus rounds of ammunition fall into enemy hands, the defenders expended numerous amounts in the enemy's direction. Several enemy soldiers were killed and injured, but the biggest effect the ammunition expenditure had was on morale: the enemy infantry retreated due to the severe and insurmountable amount of firepower which stormed toward them.

Hostile tankers had haughtily believed this was an infantryman's job, and had their fourteen tanks situated at different areas while they waited and completed repairs. The retreating infantry caused the tankers to realise an advance was needed, and several moved in. Between the tanks and artillery, dozens of soldiers died standing in the defense. Artillery and tank shells struck them with such fervour there was no room to stand, no other sound to hear, and no means to resist. The base caved, it's structural integrity rendered absent, burying various troops alive. Other soldiers fought on until they were cut down.

Several cargo speeders had exited the area with a hefty amount of supplies, gear and ammunition from the base, relying on the defenders' sacrifice. The Blackstones lived on.

#### **Successes at Westhearth**

Withdrawing to the nearest friendly region, the Blackstones found enemy forces were shelling the local naval base with artillery and sending amphibious invasions, which the Blackstones promptly helped suppress. Enemy marines were gunned down and driven into the sea, or forced to commit partisan raids wherein they were likewise destroyed. Information arose revealing the enemy's intention of restoring a broken bridge to use it for moving armoured vehicles.

An effective enemy mobilisation was going to cost their army dearly, and the Blackstones preferred that sweet, sweet military revenue. So they set up positions on both ends of the bridge and worked logistics to ensure swift delivery of weapons and ammo, along with other valued goods. Snipers used anti-tank rifles to blast down surprised hostiles, and a consistent series of attacks and retreats took place for over twenty-four hours. With the bridge covered in several platoons' worth of enemy corpses, and only a few bodies belonging to friendly squads, the forty-forth had achieved a victory which boosted friendly units for attacks against adjacent enemy territories.

#### **War Crime Allegations**

Records indicated the Blackstones captured Sergeant Saetche, questioned him, removed his machine blaster and ammunition, and sent him back toward enemy lines. At least five enemy soldiers were captured by the 44th, however most of them, including Corporal Blashev, were allegedly dumped in trenches and shot. These war crime allegations were not investigated, at least not earlier on in the conflict.

#### **Final Offensive**

Only a few parcels of land remained in the hands of foreign aggressors, and Blackstone personnel shored up offensives and prodded enemy lines all across.

One of the enemy's greatest boons of the time was a fortress and it's walls, breached in a great event many years ago when they first occupied the north. Every breach had turrets, weapon emplacements and infantry fireteams defending it. Hundreds of troopers died trying to clear them out.

Blackstones provided support to a number of tank crews, eliminating anti-tank positions. Several of those Blackstones perished when their tanks were struck by mortar barrages. More Blackstones were there with fuel and medical supplies to care for the troops and tanks, but the tanks themselves retreated after several hours of rough fighting.

An enemy tank arrived, it's twin turrets firing with vigor. The entire frontal offensive in that sector collapsed until it was destroyed and more allied tanks could afford to advance. A three-pronged assault with numerous tanks and infantry ensued, slowly cutting away at the enemy. Their greatest success was along a road on the right flank, where tank-infantry offenses proved successful in clearing out bunkers and fortifications.

Though Blackstones joined in each of the three pushes, most of them stuck to the right flank. They had delivered desperately needed supplies to the front line, using four cargo transports to make the delivery. The road was temporarily blocked by shipping containers that had to be removed by crane, and their removal was also the work of the Blackstones.

Amidst the cheering of grateful soldiers, they advanced on the right flank, though shells struck the base they had just resupplied. One brave Balckstone led repair efforts.
On the front, tanks lobbed shells into fortifications and scattered hostile units as infantry platoons skirmished with enemy troops and sought to avoid being chewed up by the various bunkers and pillboxes that stood firm. One brave Blackstone used explosives to clear out an enemy bunker single-handed.

Another Blackstone sniped several enemies, and two more pulled in enemies as prisoners to interrogate. One of the prisoners was killed by stray slug rounds from a friendly position on the way back to base.

The attack on the enemy intensified on the northerners' right flank, and Blackstones wholly dedicated themselves to that push. They faced a line of fixed positions when the comm messages arrived.

Nuclear weapons had been dispensed upon the occupiers' headquarters. Their local command structure all either perished in the flames of annihilation, surrendered, or fled for their homeland. Previously hostile southern units began laying down arms.

And so the eightieth war officially ended. Blackstone troopers celebrated victory, though the gaping losses were also apparent.

### **Enemy Resurgence**

Northern high command's intelligence apparatus declared there were only a few southern resistance cells left in operation, and large scale anti-partisan efforts took place. Their investigation was lack=luster, and failed to reveal the depth of the enemy's partisan network. Thousands of ex-occupiers fought in hostile land, often blending with the civilian population. Within a few months, they had disabled numerous vehicle and wet navy hangars, factories and repair hubs. Entire supply depots and garages were destroyed, or the vehicles and supplies inside were stolen.

Stationed in a remote corner of the north, the Blackstones did not see most of these goings-on take place and were unaware of the extent of the damages. When they returned to the nation's temporary capitol, a fresh army of southern troops were already on the border and taking advantage of the partisan-sewn chaos to march on the north once more.

Another war was upon them.

### **Bridge Successes**

Maintaining a firm communications and tactical teamwork link between armoured, infantry, medical and artillery assets, the Blackstones learned to eliminate enemies attacking an area with a bridge and then storm the other side with small infantry elements. This began slowly lowering their casualty rate, as the losses the other military units were suffering had been devastating and beyond hostile numbers at the time.

### **Cut Off and Under-supplied**

Enemy forces pushed past and eliminated the army's offensive units, resulting in a hasty defense of several key outposts. Blackstones divided themselves between defensive and logistical duties, but found the resources needed to carry out a successful series of operations were simply not there. The supply chain fell out from under them, and they and a small number of other units experienced heavy casualties as the defensive bases crumbled and fell.

### **Ceasefire**

The government managed to reach a deal with the enemy, resulting in a ceasefire which lasted several days. Then the war renewed in full, and the Blackstones joined a push against enemy forces on another bridge. Using sniping tactics, they caused the enemy to waste manpower, ammunition and building materials in their futile efforts to reconstruct a bridge as their anti-aircraft guns were consistently sniped by regular riflemen.