"Commander, we've moved into position."
"We still can't use bombers?"
"No."
"We'll have to improvise, then. Commence shelling of the fortress."
The rebel fortress, concealed within a small mountain, was a warren of tunnels, with rebel turrets and machine guns poking out the sides. The Nebulans had deliberately remained just out of range of the artillery fire that the rebels had attempted to rain upon them.
BLAM!
The Nebulan howitzers began to open up on the rebel fortress. Explosions rippled across the mountain.
"Tanks advance!"
The tank columns began to advance toward the fortress from three directions. Immediately they came under fire from the rebel turrets. Four tanks were hit.
"Return fire!"
The tanks began to return fire. Many rebel positions were obliterated.
"Status report!" the commander shouted into his radio.
"This is Lieutenant Robinsal. Fire has mostly ceased against the first tank column."
"Wonderful. Troops! Charge!"
Hundreds of soldiers broke ranks, lowered their rifles, and ran for the fortress. None were hit before reaching the tank columns, still resolutely blasting away at the rebel fortress. The soldiers sheltered behind the advancing tanks, occasionally popping out to fire a burst at rebel machine gunners.
The first men reached the base of the mountain. The tanks stopped, continuing to pour fire up the sides. The soldiers at the bottom of the slope stopped as well, waiting for reinforcements to come. Few shots were being fired by the rebels now. Once the numbers of soldiers had been deemed sufficient for the attack by the captain, the soldiers began moving up the side.
Numerous casualties were sustained by rebel resistance, but most of the troops made it unharmed to the first tunnel. A crater and some twisted bits of metal marked the fate of a rebel machine gun nest.
"Let's go!" shouted the captain. The Nebulan soldiers ran into the tunnel, automatic rifles at the ready. They encountered periodic resistance, but this was never significant, and reinforcements continued to arrive from behind. The first rebel squad was taken by surprise and gunned down by Nebulan troops with machine guns. The second squad had set up an impromptu barricade with crates, but a grenade blast destroyed it. The third squad, with more time to prepare, had taken shelter in a larger, more open space used for storage. Metal crates and containers were strewn across the room, and rebel sharpshooters took cover behind these, badly wounding several Nebulan soldiers.
The soldiers were thrown into chaos by this display of organized resistance. The wounded were taken to the medical station set up at the mouth of the tunnel and treated. Meanwhile, the remaining soldiers took cover at the entrance to the room and poured machine gun fire into the room. One soldier threw in a fragmentation grenade, killing several rebels. Another threw in a smoke bomb, destroying all visibility. At this point, a squad of Nebulan troops crawled into the room under cover of a shipping container, firing indiscriminately at the rebels and wounding several.
Within minutes, most of the rebels were wounded or dead. The remaining had grouped near the back entrance to the warehouse, desperately holding off the advancing Nebulan soldiers. Finally, they fled. One was shot in the back, another in the knee.
The Nebulan troops regrouped, waiting for reinforcements and opening shipping containers.
