A few days ago, we set out from Smuggler's Rest is hope of finding some archeotech or other valuable things.
Entering into an open area, we saw a gang of those despicable Van Saar across the way. Looking up at one of the towers, we saw a heavy with a stubber, watching the battlefield. I split the men into groups of 3 and sent Viktor up to a overwatch position. That was my first mistake.
As soon as Viktor reached his perch, the Van Saar heavy opened up on him. While must of the rounds slammed harmlessly into the wall, Victor was hit with a ricochet and thrown to the ground. I sent Dimitri and some juves around the edge of the field, hoping to get them in position to take down the heavy. Running from cover, on of the juves was clipped, but it was only a flesh wound and they made it to cover unharmed. Ivan and Mikhail made an effort to advance on the other side of the field as I led Nicolai up the center. We were seeking to strike at them with a vengeance.
Viktor was hit again and knocked out of the fight. As Ivan and Mikhail cleared some cover they ran head on into the Van Saar leader and his host. It seemed that other than a few of his men poised to take down the juves on the other side of the field, he had brought his entire gang with him. They brutally opened fire on my men. Ivan was hit and in calculated action the Van Saar shifted fire to his body. In the process they dropped the Juve as well.
I saw all of this just as the stubber opened up on my men on the other side of the field. seeing we were outgunned, I ordered a retreat. Grabbing our fallen comrades, we fled the battlefield, better to fight another day.
All of the wounded recovered fully, and it appears that Ivan has caught a little respect for his daring. The pulse blast missed him, but cam close enough to rip flesh from his leg. He has decided to leave this scar visible in the hope that his surviving it will scare his enemies, though it appears to have worked the opposite on the women. While Mikhail is usually the one looking for the ladies, last night I saw Ivan talking a few to his table at the bar. I can't say I'm proud of our first full scale encounter, but it does seem that we had some rewards from it, we even attracted another juve when we stopped by the camp on our way to get some treatments.
We'll be hitting the wastes again soon, maybe we'll run into you.
