Send an attack

"Negative, support inbound. Wait for my order to attack." You ordered. It had been tempting just to let the patrol handle the issue. There was every chance they could deal with it and be gone before the larger enemy **** arrived. That wasn't a risk you were inclined to take however. You immediately called one of the quick reaction **** commanders. Captain Stella. "Captain we've got an enemy **** about platoon strength trying to lay an ambush. They likely have a larger **** in reserve. I want you to take them out." You ordered, sending her the coordinates.

"Understood, moving out." She replied, you switched to her cam and saw her gather her weapons. Her forces had been on standby for an occasion just like this and they were moving in less than a minute. Orders and briefings being done on the move. Switching back to the patrol leader you saw she was still in a position to observe the enemy. You intended to wait until the enemy noticed Stella's approach before closing the trap on them. That would allow for a quick resolution to the first fight in preparation for the possible second.

When Stella was almost there you noticed a shift in the ambushers posture. Their lookouts had obviously caught sight of Stella's ****. You decided this was a perfect time to spring the trap. As you prepared to give the order you heard a twig snap. That was all the warning you had as the sergeant. working on instinct. rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding an arrow as it hit where she had been a moment before. She didn't have time to admire her luck as her patrol came under attack. Those without the same experience or overhead cover went down in that initial attack, leaving just over half of her **** combat effective. Those forces were scattered over the immediate area to better attack those whom you thought were unsuspecting victims waiting to be claimed. It was obvious that the unsuspecting part was false but you weren't yet willing to give up on the victims to be claimed part.

"Forces in contact, engage the enemy." You ordered Stella, her pace didn't change but as she shifted her forces into their final attack formations. She was upon the battle a moment later. Her vanguard easily pushed aside the initial ambush **** as she moved to rescue the remains of the patrol. Those remains were getting sparser by the moment but as Stella's forces came into sight those left standing disengaged and retreated behind them to reform. There was only five left including the sergeant in charge.

As that happened the engagement shifted form from an attack on disparate elements to a company sized engagement. Arrows typically weren't a very useful weapon in the forest, too many trees in the way and bushes to slow them down so much they didn't always register a kill. The enemy commander obviously thought differently. A small **** of archers had set up on an incline and were raining down **** on anyone they could see. Stella prioritized their elimination and you watched as she sent a wedge to break through the enemy line to get at them. The enemy responded by letting them through and trying to close the gap behind them but it backfired as Stella had the wings of the arrow hold the opening while the tip went on to scatter the archers, killing half while the others ran away. The enemy sent a **** around the side and managed to slam into Stella's flank but her personal intervention managed to prevent it from turning into a rout.

The deadly dance continued like this for what seemed like hours but was only roughly fifteen minutes, Stella would make a move, her opponent would counter, a counter attack would be launched, she'd repel it. Eventually the enemy began to fall back, losing their order and cohesion as they began to run. You couldn't understand the reason, despite the ferocity of the fighting the numbers still seemed around equal. The only thing you could figure was the enemy commander must have gone down somewhere. Stella didn't pursue them. Obviously content with her current victory. "Patrol secured commander. Enemy **** defeated and retreating. Hotel 3 has been rerouted from their way home to help carry the dead. We'll load up and be back within a half hour." Stella reported.

It had been a good victory but you felt a bit irked that she hadn't dealt with the retreating enemy forces. You weren't going to second guess a victory however. "Good work Captain. First pick is yours, second goes to our good patrol leader. Get back soon, we don't want anymore surprises." You said, sitting back and letting her get to coordinating the after battle cleanup.

They managed to get back to the town without further issues. The enemy had obviously had enough for the day.