The Zhanshi checked the area around him before giving the all clear to move out. Ambassador Ka Ho Ling had met with Jean-Batista Bomokano, the local chieftain in an attempt to gain access to the ore reserves under his territory. At least without a fight.
The Yu Jing forces were moving toward the aircar, the Zhanshi body guard were keeping themselves between Ling and the wall of the compound and had moved into the main square of the village when one of them was cut down by a stream of gun fire.
Another of the Zhanshi returned fire hitting one of the civilians in between him and the tankhunter firing the heavy machine gun at their group. The tankhunter fired again and, his leg cut off at the knee, the Zhanshi dropped.
The team leader moved Ling down the wall further during the exchange of fire and into safety around the corner.
The aircar was not far away now. They had to pass one more building. Suddenly though an explosion near the aircar alerted them to danger closer by.
Ling kept a cool head and call in the reinforcements that were awaiting his summons.
Across the plaza a paracommando with a grenade launcher was lobbing grenades at the troops near the aircar. The pilot of ZHI-65 saw his location and hit the indicator for the Tiger soldiers to prepare to drop. When the call came in they were ready and deployed instantly.
Two of them dropped in on target but the third was thrown off by a burst of machine gun fire by the tankhunter next to the compound.
The paracommando only had time to spin around before he was spun back around by a burst of machine gun fire that painted the wall behind him with his blood.
The Tiger soldier that had deviated landed right in the middle of the plaza and the tankhunter drew a bead on him and fired as he landed. The shot ripped through his reverse thrusters but left the man unharmed and he returned fire, his shots ripping through both the dumpster the tankhunter was using for cover and the tankhunter himself.
The troops by the aircar, after scattering from the initial grenade found themselves in a long range fire fight with more assailants moving from the western edge of the village.
A missile streaked over head. While one of the arragato used his bike for cover and to steady his combi rifle returning fire. Three quick shots and a kazak, a moblot and a veteran kazak all went down with bullets in their heads.
The kazak with the missile launcher wisely ran to cover and continued to fire.
The ambassador decided to make a run for it and the two arragato and the two butai decided to cover him. It was a fatal error, missile after missile went screaming towards them each blowing apart a man and leaving the rest too stunned to effectively return fire. The ambassador had reached the door of the aircar when the last of his bodyguard between him and the kazak went down.
It was his turn and a missile struck the aircar near him blasting his clothing away and leaving him sprawling unconscious on the ground.
The two remaining Zhanshi moved to cover daring the Ariadna forces to advance to try to capture the ambassador.
The remaining tankhunter had a better idea. He moved up, still unrevealed, to the opposite side of the buildings the Zhanshi were using for cover. He rested his adhesive launcher on the airconditioning unit for a shot at the aircar itself.
He heard movement above him and wheeled around and looked up. There was nothing there.
And then there was.
A Guilang sniper shimmered into view and fired two shots both of which hit the tankhunter. The airconditioning unit behind him stopped functioning and so did he.
However the sniper had now shown herself on top of the building and the Ariadna scout drew a bead on her and fired.
The Guilang didn't even scream as she fell from the building.
The rest of the Ariadna force advanced carefully through the village but they met no resistance as they made their way towards the wounded diplomat. The Yu Jing had withdrawn.
has a painting service do Space Marines.
