School of the Resistance

[Comrade Corsarius]

Good Afternoon, class. I am Comrade Polkovnik Corsarius. Polkovnik is a rough equal to a Full Colonel in your respective militaries, for those of you unused to the Soviet rank structure.

I intend, collobarating with Colonel Taffy, to bring you a series of informative lectures covering the tactics and usage of vehicles and weapons in our long fight against the dominating Invid. Please indicate if you wish to sign up for these lectures as an elective to the TSAW.

You will be required to familiarise yourself with the TSAW lectures, as well as with EBSIS mecha and vehicles. The telemental system has caused problems with non-Russian speakers, so we have provided to us the export version of the Soldati mecha, which has slightly lower bonuses, but is simpler to learn. You will all get to use these mecha in the field in exercises to come. You are here because you are the very best at what you do, and it is our intent at making you better. The top one percent of the top one percent of freedom fighters, and when you leave you will take your skills back to your troops, and lead them to victory against alien oppressors, zentraedi rebels, and co-opting human scum who side with the aliens. The lectures will deal with small, medium, and large unit tactics associated with this, as well as details on supply and ammunition, resistance strategies, assassinations, and special missions, such as the destruction of the two known types of Invid hives.

Once again, please indicate your willingness to accept this course by adding a short post on what else you may like to see. Thank you, Comrades.

(ooc)Basic ground rules: I am going to be using the post-symphony of light world. The Invid are back, but there is a chance of defeating them. All books in the RPG are to be used, in a similar manner to the TSAW. I will be drawing 99.9% on the Robotech RPG and the stats and scenarios within. If you don't like it, well, that's the way I play it. Some things such as organisation of the resistance is part of my own game world and will be covered, but use the 'Invid Invasion' description for most of it. We mostly have a good time in the TSAW and it's my intention to keep us having fun. (ooc)

[The Artist Formerly]

Col, why is it everytime you say colaborate, the back of my eyes start itching?

[Jefffar]

I'm in, I want to see how your EBSIS works.

[Lt. Holmes]

I would really, really enjoying doing a compare/contrast regarding the REF Cyclone Riders and the equivalent EBSIS units.

You've already gone on about how you dislike Protoculture-based technology, so I think it'd be a great thing to see how your tactics fare against ours given that disparity of technology.

[Novastar]

I'm interested in seeing how the second generation of EBSIS mecha performed, especially against the hated Invid.

[Comrade Corsarius]

Comrades, welcome. Please take a seat. You have been provided with pencils and spiral bound notebooks courtesy of the Virgin Islands Worker's Collective. You will also find a copy of Pravda newpaper and the Red Star magazine for you to read, and you will also find that Pravda is especially useful as it's pages are particularly soft and absorbant.

My first lecture will be regarding the use of protoculture mecha, as requested by the floor. Why do we use protoculture mecha only in a minimal sense, when the superiority of such vehicles is obvious, and that we now have REF BMEs who would gladly change our mecha over? The answers are manyfold. Firstly, there is the notion of construction. The few operational factories we have left are tooled for the building of soviet mecha and vehicles. It would take many months for us to change our production line, which would cripple our supply efforts to the world-wide resistance forces. This may be tolerated to an extent, however it is the nature of the energy created by this that is the real problem. Experience in the field, in mixed groups of EBSIS and RDF/SC/REF troops have shown that regardless of the firepower displayed, the Invid will always attack a protoculture powered mecha first, to the extent of ignoring their own casualties to get to these vehicles and weapons. They telegraph your location regardless of camouflage to the Invid. It is also well known that the Invid otherwise lack such sensors as Radar or Sonar, and thus are entirely reliant on information given by collaborators, or their own eyesight. Due to this, our fusion powered mecha, along with the fusion mecha of the ASC are to an extent 'invisible' to the Invid's far-seeing eyes and attract much less attention. A sizeable armed force can move into striking position effectively undetected by the Invid, whereas an equivalent force of destroids or veritechs would be quickly uncovered and attacked, giving away the ruse and ruining the operation. Thus, protoculture mecha, for all their acknowledged superiority (and yes, we do acknowledge that superiority) are mostly a liability in operations in a Invid-dominated environment. Stealth, and the ability to retreat and regroup quickly, are your two greatest assets, gentlemen. We are aware of the existance of 'stealth' mecha such as the 'shadow' fighters, and the limited stealth abilites of cyclones which can operate on conventional fuel in motorcycle mode, however apart from cyclones such stealth mecha is uncommon. If you are used to piloting REF mecha and are offered the opportunity to gain a shadow fighter, it is paramount to gain this vehicle at all costs. One, so that you may use it and it's superior abilities, and Two, so that our technicians may attempt to duplicate it's workings. So far we have been frustrated by the complexity of the shadow cloaking device and have not been able to modify conventional alphas and betas in such a manner.

After all, the Supreme Soviet recognises the use of a non-polluting near-infinite engergy source, and in a better time we would use such a thing in all aspects of society.

However, right now Protoculture has it's uses. A small amount of active protoculture can draw the Invid like bees to honey. This is a weakness we are happy to exploit. Choose your ground carefully and utilise all protective camoflague measures. Most invid are only slightly smarter than the common housebrick, but some, such as the stage 4 and 5, may decduce your movements and determine an ambush. A common setup, and this may be scaled up or down from small to large unit actions, is to place a protoculture device, such as a gallant, or a wrecked SC battloid or alpha, in an open field or abandoned village. Villagers may occasionally not like to abandon their homes but we have NKVD troops to assist us in these operations, and we do allow them to return and assist in the rebuilding or relocation process as the case may be. This decoy will be set with a remote command on/off, and also with a sizeable amount of explosive that can be on-command detonated from your command UAV or mecha. Mark the blast radius well and make your troops proficient in recognising it. Orange dye is fine as most Invid are colour blind. Your radar units should pick up the Invid force from some distance out, upon which time you should activate the protoculture device. An antiaircraft weapon slaved to your command circuit will definitely get their attention.

Once drawn in such a manner to the killing zone, wait until the Troopers are on the ground before opening fire. They will usually land some distance from the device and advance, with the scouts and armoured scouts flying top cover. If you are lucky then the Enforcer or RCB commanding will also land and approach. Wait until they get as close as possible before detonating your explosive charge, then launch missiles at any airborne Invid. If it survives the RCB will always take to the air at this point. Air support from MiG or Sukhoi interceptors is useful here, but may not be relied upon. You ideally should conceal your troops at 5-600 metres to allow for the best freedom of movement and engagement range. Depending on how you number you may continue to destroy the Invid until they are all gone, or you may need to retreat in the face of superior numbers. Utilise camouflage and for any blitz-bikes or Cyclones, speed is your greatest asset at this point. If you are gone from within a few miles of the killing zone and have no protoculture, usually the Invid will lose interest unless led by a RCB. I will deal with the RCB in later lectures. Another protoculture decoy can be used to distract the Invid while you make your escape, or another alternative is (if you have one) to fire off a Reflex missile, usually in the direction of the hive, but only travelling slowly, at mach 2 or slower. This will often draw off the airborne mecha.

I will allow you time to digest this information, and answer any other questions you may have regarding this simple trap manoever.

[Ice Dragon]

Could be interesting for a general staff officer, if you allow comrade colonel, I will take a seat and will listen, what you have to say.

[Jefffar]

I know of a group that did something similar by setting off a large incindiary device in a field of the Invid weeds.

[Novastar]

Or burying and then remote-detonating a Reflex Warhead.

[Comrade Corsarius]

Well done, Comrade Jeffar. Burning the weed out is guaranteed to get the attention of the Invid, and let them know that you and your group means business. Immolating a large number of Invid along with it, and the rather 'special' explosive properties of protoculture (when placed in the correct manner) can guarantee a warm welcome for our alien friends.

Comrade Novastar, I was thinking more along the lines of using the reflex missile as a decoy in order to draw off the airborne attackers whilst your troops retreated. A reflex multi-warhead missile is not something you come along to every day, and I would have arranged for the warhead itself to be removed and detonated after allowing the protoculture emissions of the reflex motor to lure as many invid as possible into the zone of explosion. A good ruse, nonetheless.

For tomorrow's lecture I am sure I will be taking many questions from the floor regarding this: How do we organise a resistance team? What is the best size for a specific purpose, and what specialities (OCCs) should your team ideally incorporate? I will break this up into a series of lectures involving small, medium, and large sized teams, as well as mission-oriented ones. The class is encouraged to give me brief scenarios to which I will answer to the best of my ability with the resources the EBSIS currently is able to field.

(ooc) I'd love to keep going but it's late and I've got to work tomorrow, but keep 'em coming and I'll answer 'em!(/ooc)

[Ice Dragon]

Small Team Type 1:
- 4 Cyclone Riders (just people who can ride them.)

Small Team Type 2:
- 1 Veritech Fighter Pilot with Alpha Fighter
- 1 Military Specialist
- 1 Bio-Mentaince Engineer with Truck
- 1 Freedom Fighter with Cyclone
- 1 Nomade/Scout with Cyclone

Small Team Type 3:
- 1 Veritech Fighter Pilot with Alpha Fighter
- 1 ATAC Pilot with Veritech Hover Tank
- 1 REF Destroid Pilot
- 1 REF Cyclone Rider with Cyclone
- 1 Bio-Mentaince Engineer with Cyclone
- 1 Military Specialist with Alpha Fighter

What small Team did your EBSIS Speznaz Team use to fight the Invid.

[Jefffar]

Specifically the team used the distraction of a burning protoculture field to empty a local hive prior to infiltrating the hive with explosives.

A variation on an old bee keeper's trick.

[Comrade Corsarius]

Welcome to class, comrades. Take a seat and have your pencils ready.

Second lecture: Small unit force.

Generally, a small unit guerilla force should be no more than 6-10 units. This will vary with availability of mecha etc, as well as the friendliness of the locals you associate with. Remember, that locals may be living under the Invid yoke and may not wish to co-opt with your group. After all, once the mission is over you are gone, but the Invid are often still there, and in a nasty mood. There is no need to have them associate your unit with villagers unless they are willing to take the risk of discovery.

Small strike team #1:
5 Blitzkreig battle bikes, and 1 Blitzkreig command bike. This unit is a variation on the standard blitzkreig squad, operating in known areas. The unit maintains it's contact to HQ via the command cycle, which can add superior missile support to a strike. The emphasis is on speed and flexibility in which to race to the objective, secure or destroy it (using onboard firepower and/or demolition charges) and recover with minimal casualties.

Deep penetration strike/recon team #1:
6 soldati mecha
2 SH-AT mecha
1 hover-transport or truck with ammunition, parts, and supplies
2 AAT-30 type vehicles with the following crew:
2 EBSIS Military OCC (drivers), 2 EBSIS Infiltration operative OCC, 1 Civilian OCC (doctor), 2 Soviet technicians (use either BME but without protoculture knowledge or RDF electrical/mechanical engineers), 1 communications engineer.

This long-range unit is designed to work for a period of time from a small base camp that can be quickly packed up into the trucks and move with a minimal 'footprint'. The Infiltration operatives are there to work with the local governments/villagers as you pass through, and create a state in which you should be able to travel gaining supplies along the way, and back again. (ooc: it is my belief that the SH-AT is a pre-invid design that didn't see much production before the Invid came, and was designed to replace the less satisfactory Recon Destroyer and Juggernaut). The Soldati mecha are for the direct front-line combat, to protect the convoy, and to perform strike missions or underwater recon. The SH-AT mecha are command mecha, which in turn use their missile armaments to perform counter-air in support of the Soldati, as well as fire support and counter-infantry duties. This unit can still travel reasonably fast through difficult or unknown terrain, and is used for deep penetration missions, insertion of operatives, precision strike on small targets, counter-collaboration missions, and, with extra trucks/vehicles, escort and resupply of larger units in the field.

Small unit #3, shallow penetration fortified strike:
1 SH-AT
2 Juggernaut
4 recon destroyers
8 Soldati.
This unit is designed to be resupplied in the field. Often by the unit above. It is set up to operate at short range from a mobile base (often canvas marquis tents) and can have double the number of pilots in troops and technicians. Mecical support is always available at these base camps, which once again use either the AAT- series vehicles, trucks, jeeps, or hover vehicles to move about. The fortified strike is designed to move fairly slowly, but stealthily in to Invid dominated areas and perform a heavy attack. The large number of Recon Destroyers is deployed for missile and counter air support, while the commander rides the SH-AT. The RDs are also used for their superior radar and sensors. The juggernauts are often sent ahead in a roving pair, to engage the enemy first with the commander, while the other units spread out, using their speed to converge on the target from different points. Once the objective is destroyed, all units will attempt to return to base, or return to a different rendezvous and await hookup with the travelling base unit. More than ever, several of these units will join together under a single commander to perform a heavy operation, before using their combined firepower to escape. After all, Invid seem to utilise local defence initiatives, and do not call for reinforcement unless a scout is sent to summon them (once again, any group led by a RCB is the exception to this rule)

Generally, I do not like the greater variety of units that some may utilise for these missions. A single veritech is an excellent missile boat, but is nothing but a target once those missiles are gone. It is fast and manoeverable, but experience shows that the Invid dominate the skies, which is the natural terrain for a veritech. When ordering veritech units on a strike basis, it is more natural to have them grouped into an all-veritech unit, where the speed and flexibility of these fine mecha can be used to the maximum. It's no good to be in a hostile environment and find you are the only available airborne unit, or that you are the only unit that cannot make a quick strike/getaway (if you are a destroid or tank jockey)

[Jefffar]

In my experience, any ground vehicle does not have the "fast getaway" option against the Invid who are universally flight capable.

The better indicator of a group's success is how quickly and easily they can move from a concealed position to a fighting position and then withdraw toa concealed position. Speed is a part of this measure, but it is not the only factor.

Many conventional armoured vehicles can be camouflagued more effectively than the more vertically built mecha. Most of these vehicles can be hard to detect from human eyes, the Invid who have know knowledge of what a tank or a SPAAG is will often not even notice a well camoflagued AFV. Even if they do notice one, the shape of the vehicle does not resemble any of their traditional enemy's weapons and will remain unmolested, even if the engine is running!

I have heard of many successful ambushes conducted but conventional armoured vehicles against Invid patrols. The key elements to these successes was the ability to hide the ambushing force and the ability to destroy the Invid force before they could summon the (typically massive) reinforcements. Even if the reinforcements arrived, the AFVs, sometimes still in their firing positions, would remain undetected.

[Lt. Holmes]

For this type of mission, the Cyclones are the final word when it comes to the mecha you need.

Not only are they off-road capable, but they can take advantave of a man-sized humanoid form for all those areas that no armoured vehicle could ever go. Heck, battloid-mode Cyclone Riders can swim in their gear if need be.

Also, Cyclone weapons are not only mecha-grade, but the EP-40 doesn't rely on one-use-only missles which would make it ideal for a roving mission where regular resupply isn't a given. Same thing with the EP-37 and the CADS, but I'm not too fond of those weapons.

The problems I have with Blitz Bikes and hover vehicles is that they're still bound by their vehicular shape, which doesn't lend itself well to pushing through even moderate vegitation. As well, they tend to leave an amazingly large trail for any little munchkin to follow, such as the human collaberative scum that the Invid have a nasty habit of using to offset their own deficiencies.

[The Artist Formerly]

With the Commrade Col.s permission, I'd offer the REF alternitives to the above.

We have a problem. Our machines betray us. With few notable exceptions, the Invid know the second we make a move to engage them. We charge a weapon system, they know. We activate a sensor system, and they know it. We so much as swivel open a missile pod, and they know it.

But we aren't helpless. We have more armor then our Soviet Counter Parts, and our weapons tend to have greater range and hitting power. You can use that to your advantage to pound the invid, achiving a victory condition and letting you fall back to a concealment position. Classic Romel and Bradly ground armor techniques serve the REF very well in these fights. Terrain control, set position, set fall back positions, concealed support fire for line units. And of course, excellent mobility. With a couple of notable exceptions, the REF units are able to get significant firepower into position and do it quickly. That's an important advantage.

But the REF isn't just limited to such tactics, we have two other major advantages. The first is the Cyclone. The Ultimate Dragoon unit. The cyclone rides into and out of battle, but fights dismounted, so to speak. Their gasoline engine lets the cyclone unit manover without Invid Protoculutre notice. With a little ground cover, they become all but invisible from the Invid point of view. Heavy firepower in a man sized unit, the Cyclone can let a commander take advantage of holes in the enemie's line, letting a group of Cycs either pull line Invid troops out of position to chase them down, or drain off reserve/second wave units. Or one can use their line armor to draw the Invid force in and have his Cyclones drop in behind the Invid, who unlike the Zentraedi, don't mount weapons in their rear arc. Almost any variant on the hammer and anvil deployment. Pinned between the two forces, even the most solid of Invid machines will start to buckle. And if things go south, it's easier for the commander to reconcil his two forces into a single unit again. So now we have Rommel and Bradley, plus we can add Sherrman, Long Street and Lee to our tactics list.

Of course, the Invid have the air mobility advantage. Everyone of the Regis' units is flight capable. But that's what the Veritechs are for. Ideally, the REF Alpha fighter gives tactical air superority. But things are never ideal. And when fighting the Invid, odds are you won't have air superiority anyway. But, you can deny it to them. A single Alpha fighter dueling will force the Invid to pull significant number of their dedicated air assets, the Scout and Armored Scout off from killing your ground forces duty to keeping your Alpha out of play. And while they are playing chase the wild Alpha, your ground forces should be moving to exploit the Invid weaknesses by putting down the rest of the Invid forces with their own concentraited fire. Once the ground battle is decided, they can then lend their guns to the air fight. And since the Invid units are trying to kill the Alpha, the Alpha pilot gets to decide where and when the fight happens.

Now while it seems the above is about armies engaging Invid forces of significant size, it's a scale able arrangement. As long as the REF equiped forces remember to dicate where and when the fight happens, the Invid, whatever size group you're engaging, has to play your game.

Some general notes to remember, the Invid almost always have the numbers advantage, so careful target selection should be high on the list. It does little good for a unit to spend seconds killing an armored scout if a Pincer Command is firing on your troops.. Coordinate your fire so that the heavier Invid units, with their heavier guns, go first. Double and tripple team them. Whatever it takes to make them dead as fast as you can. Designate a spotter. Someone to watch the radar screens and monitor force strength. If one of yours seems in jeopardy, this is the person who should be watching for it. If the Invid are having similar troubles, this person should be calling for that final killing shot. Some one to watch for reinforcements or if an Invid unit tries to break and run for help. This most often works best in a two seater, so one can concentrait on the machine and combat around it and the other on the screens. Raidar-X is of course the best suited for this.

Remember, no plan survives contact with the enemy.

[Lt. Holmes]

Comerade, after rereading your notes I'm very interested in hearing your opinions on the Cyclone units and their guerilla tactics, especially when compared to your own blitz-bike troops.

[Ice Dragon]

Are the E.B.S.I.S. is still useing cossacks on horses, Comrade?

[jedi078]

When I first crash landed on Earth a bunch of Southern Cross soldiers saved my butt from Invid looking for me and my crashed Alpha on horse back.

A horse does not require gasoline or protoculture, thus is a great mode of transportation on Invid Occupied Earth.

I wouldn't doubt that the E.B.S.I.S. used horses during the Invid Invasion

[Comrade Corsarius]

Are the E.B.S.I.S. is still useing cossacks on horses, Comrade?

Good point... Let me get my uni assessments done and I'll write this up. That's a great idea. And thanks to you as well, Jedi!