Asteroid Blues

“Commander. As-salam alaykom. We have received word of an active datapoint at the forwarded coordinates. Retrieval of the data is imperative to the success of our campaign at the battery field. Your first and primary objective is to control the datapoint. We believe that Ariadna forces are highly active in the area – intelligence suggests that they may have scouts entrenched in forward positions already. Ensure that they do not access the datapoint. Your secondary objective is to use the linked transfer nodes to export the data to our backline analysts for decoding. Access codes for the transfer nodes have been forwarded to your field specialists. Your team deploys in 20 standard minutes Commander. God be with you and good luck.”

Haqqislam Turn 1: The Ghazi run forward – 2 are killed by the Kazak Missile Launcher within the TAK core fireteam. Rafiq moves around the Muyib fireteam and spends several orders attempting to discover the exposed camouflage marker – it turns out to be an ambush maker. The Muyib fireteam move out and the camouflage marker in the back of the TAk deployment zone reveals itself to be a tankhunter with autocannon, exchanging fire with the Muyib with rocket launcher. The Tankhunter is killed. The Farzan moves forward and surprises the Frontovik engineer, hitting him with a burst of rifle fire, but the Frontvik’s armour saves him and he ducks back into cover, out of the Farzan’s reach. The Farzan then picks out the Kazak Missile launcher and takes her down. The Lasiq Sniper exchanges fire with the Frontovik sniper that is part of the Kazak Fireteam. The Lasiq takes a hit, but her armour saves her. The remaining Ghazi throw smoke to obscure the route to the tech coffin and the Muyib fireteam advances, deciding in the end to hold up in the centre of the board, using their last remaining order to fire a speculative grenade targeting a group of camouflage markers, forcing a Strelok to reveal itself.
Ariadna Turn 1: Frontovik sniper targets Lasiq sniper and Fanous flashpulse bot, missing the bot but taking out the Lasiq. The Veteran Kazak and his Haris mount an assault on the Muyibs position with Kazak taking point. He is hit by two rockets from the Muyib but miraculously emerges unscathed. The Frontovik engineer takes point now, killing both the Muyib Heavy rocket launcher and Muyib doctor with a single good shot. The Irmandinho advances across the board, using cover provided from smoke grenades to reach the eastward antennae. He takes a couple of tries to activate it. The Haris team advance again, dodging Flashpulses from the Fanous bot. The Veteran Kazak exchanges fire with the Farzan, unwisely attempting to use his Heavy pistol. Against the odds, Farzan first wounds and then kills the Veteran Kazak. The remaining Frontoviks take up defensive positions with their T2 rifles and start laying down suppression fire.

Haqqislam Turn 2: The Ghazi run straight for the Frontovik engineers and despite coming under heavy fire manage to obscure their advance using smoke grenades. The Ghazi move into the smoke and attempt to use their chainrifles to disrupt the Frontoviks Suppression fire. The Farzan then approaches the pair of Frontoviks and takes down both with her light shotgun. The Ghulam doctor next to the unconscious Lasiq revives her and both take cover. The Asawira in the remnants of the Muyib Fireteam guns down the Irmandinho before steeping forward into the path of a camouflage marker which is revealed to be a mine, failing to dodge out of the way, she takes some damage and retreats. The Warcor stands up from a prone position and dodges fire from the Frontovik sniper. The Lasiq in a forward position lays down suppression fire covering the Eastward advance on the Tech coffin and East antennae.

Ariadna Turn 2: The Frontovik sniper targets the Fanous bot and warcor, killing both. A camouflage marker is revealed to be a scout wielding an ojotnik – he fires on the Ghazi and the Rafiq, killing both. The Strelok in the center of the board advances, laying mines to cover his back and to cover the tech coffin before recamouflaging himself.

Haqqislam Turn 3: The Ghazi advance, the first avoiding coming under fire from the scout by placing a smoke grenade. The second runs straight into a mine and is killed. The remaining Ghazi uses his jammer on one of the camouflage markers next to the tech coffin revealing it to be a mine. The Rafiq parachutes in and immediately advances, killing both the scout and then Colonel Voronin. With time running out the Lasiq in a forward position runs out, killing the Strelok standing over the tech coffin, but setting off the mine and perishing. The last remaining orders are used to move the Asawira over to the tech coffin. The remaining Muyib uses his lieutenant order to move to a forward position, targeting the Frontovik sniper, but fails miserably and is gunned down.

Ariadna Turn 3: Despite having lost their Lieutenant, all the Ariadna forces need to do to secure victory is push the injured Asawira off the Tech coffin. The Camouflaged Strelok moves forward into contact with the Eastward antennae and the Line Kazak Forward Observer moves towards the Asawira’s position, managing in the last move of the game to take her out. At the end of the game, despite the Farzan Liason Officer securing an objective point the Ariadnan forces have secured a victory 2-1.

“Comrade. Well done. Victory this day comes with a high cost but our brothers and sisters will not be forgotten. Their sacrifice and your bravery have bought us time to push back these incursions into our territory. Eat and rest now, you and the remainder of your squad have been reassigned and will redeploy at 0400 standard. Glory to the Motherland!”