Cut and Run

With the relief force inbound, the Sakhan Liberation Army has stepped up its efforts to take WuWei, and has already overrun several strongholds on the perimeter.

Art by UkitaKumuki

One PLA officer has courageously decided to make a run for the main lines. His attempt to bring supplies vital to the continuing defence may do his cause more harm than good however...

The route to safety, seems pretty clear, but there are well-equipped rebel outposts scattered along it

The PLA enter cautiously, one of the few remaining tanks backs up a squad of infantry

The APC noses around the corner, eyeing up an abandoned pick-up

A rebel armoured car rounds the corner and lets off a powerful anti-tank guided missile - it hits the bullseye and the APC bursts into flames. Four of the infantry still aboard are killed or seriously wounded

The light tank trades shots with the armoured car - the sports car the rebel vehicle is using for cover comes off the worst initially, but after they take a second bite at the cherry the light tank destroys the armoured car before it can rethink its strategy

Feeling under pressure, the PLA lieutenant puts in a high priority call to some interface craft overhead, and  a precision-guided munition lands on top of one of the rebel pill-boxes, taking out an entire squad alongside it

The two trucks shimmy past the wrecked APC, with infantry giving them covering fire

Two rebel teams with anti-vehicle weaponry try to avoid the tank, and manage to take out one of the trucks with a lucky shot

A regular squad assaults a building overlooking the road, forcing  rebels out of it - the rebels draw back further, taking themselves out of contact

Their new position completely enfilades those two road-side rebel groups, and between them and the tank make the position untenable.

With the road clear ahead, the PLA commander tells the remaining truck to floor it and break through, the tank and infantry will cover it from behind. They neglected to take into account the last remaining rebel group still fighting. The anti-armour guy in that squad takes his split-second shot and destroys the truck before it can zip past!

A close one, at things looked like a photo finish until that last rush of blood with the truck made it an clear rebel victory