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Rules set: The Sword and the Flame
Miniatures: Colonial British, Canal Martians, High Martians
Setting: British-controlled Mars, 1889, in the world of Space: 1889
We knew it would be trouble when them Yanks came strutting off the skyship. And not just common Yanks, neither, but them Confederate Yanks what shot their whole countryside full 'o lead over some little feud about darkies and such. Not that t'were any of my business, mind you. But I knows them hard cases what comes over 'ere to Mars now that they can't 'ave no more slaves in Yankee-land, and I seen how they get them Martians all stirred up. I think the Major knew it too, 'cause soon as those rascals started headin' out into the hills he detailed me to take some o' my boys and dig extra trenching 'round the trading post. Not that I minded. I'd much rather be the one alive and doin' the digging, ya see?
Well, sure enough, what else do ya' expect? Not three weeks goes by, but them blokes come hotfootin' it back to the Major's office, said there was a war party hot on their tails and even the buggerin' winged High-Martians was gettin' in on the act. I didn't hear no details 'till afterwards - we was busy rushin' to the wall and then burnin' up the Queen's powder - but I gather there was some unpleasantness over Martian women or some such. Somethin' about buyin' em to sell to Frenchies up North ... ah, who knows. Story's diff'rent every time I hear it told. All's I can say is, we did a right fine job that day keepin' them skinny yellow wogs off'a the Queen's land. Taught 'em a bit o' respect for the ol' Union Jack, I daresay we did.
| Them Martian blighters got all assembled out in the woods where we couldn't see 'em. But we could sure 'ear 'em. All screamin' and yellin' an' wavin' them big axes o' theirs around ... t'woulda curdled my blood if I weren't an Englishman! | |
| When we knew they was comin', we all got out on the ready. |
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| 'Twas all manner o' civilians in the inner stockade. Women even, though they kept indoors for the fightin'. All trustin' their lives to the thin red line. | |
| Then all of a sudden, they all comes whoopin' and hollerin' out o' the woods all at once. | |
| We gave 'em a good round. But that's when we sees them High Martians them Yanks was talkin' about. Didn't have no guns, them winged blighters, but they sure did move fast. | |
| Potter's platoon hit 'em square, but that didn't stop the survivors flyin' right over the trenches and in amongst the men. He lost some good soldiers that day. | |
| All the while, them wogs was shellin' us from the trees wit' one o' their smoothbores. Our boys got their range, though. Put paid to them in a jiffy! | |
| Thought they'd never give up; they charged them trenches again and again. When we finally drove 'em off, they left quite a mound o' bodies behind 'em. Gotta hand it to 'em. For a bunch of primitives, they fought pretty damn brave. | |
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