Caught in the Crossfire

It is year 337 of "The Way" and Alois Hammer's troops find themselves back on the planet Meridienne.

The Hashemite National Army, previously the ruling group on the desert world of Meridienne, had been defeated by their rivals - the Sincanmo Federation Militia - three years previously. That's because that when the Hashemites had hired mercenaries to enforce their power, the Sincanmo had hired better ones: Hammer's Slammers.

After the end of hostilities in 334 the Hashemites had apparently stood their forces down but - in secret - they had been plotting. With money carefully hidden in off world accounts of the wealth Hashemite leaders, plans were made and forces hired. Now, three years later, things are back to (almost) where they were before. But with one exception: the Hashemites had learned their lessons: this time it was they who had hired the best.

Hashemite leaders had hired the Slammers and they were in trouble: A Slammers artillery battery and its support vehicles had been badly mauled by Sincanmo Mercenaries: the Zaporoskiye Brigade with artillery support from The Firelords, plus The West Riding Yeomanry with support from the Thunderbolt Division.

The Slammers remaining artillery vehicles from 'A' Battery have hunkered down in a desert village with support from what remains of a Texian light infantry force, also similarly reduced through combat. They have laid a minefield but they are surrounded by a small Sincanmo force led by Chief Diabate of the SFM himself and a much larger mercenary element and are desperately awaiting relief.

Major Danny Pritchard - one of Colonel Hammer's most trusted commanders - is leading a Slammers force of two tank platoons, two combat car platoons with some infantry support in a last ditch attempt to relieve Captain Lavel in the village. If he doesn't succeed he'll make Diabate and his men pay dearly…