Asteroid Blues

–Transmission received–
Source: Liaison Officer Zerat Kolek
Includes forward from: Kornak Gazarot
Confirmation code: 09192019
Destination: Pneumarch of Paradiso
Restricted access: None

–Contents available to all commanders in human space–

–Combat Briefing–
Objective: Seize the defensive battery of Novyy Bangkok, damage or destroy as many human ships as possible before the battery is taken back.
Status: Success

Our forces moved into a small town build around the Xaraks targeting array, deploying Zerat and Yaogat in advance and Kornak’s command group on a roof to observe and support. As Liaison Officer, I was deployed to a rooftop on our right to capture the antenna and assist in combat only if needed.
Initial scans indicated human forces in the area were totally unprepared to defend this location; this was apparently due to the efforts of Victor Messer to obscure a unit of Shasvastii to stop us from being noticed.

Shasvastii had deployed a Gwailo supported by Victor and a drone in the shadow of a building on our left flank and an Obsidon with support slave and Ikadrons in a building on our right. A small force, which may have been due to how little time they had to prepare; Kornak had mobilized our unit immediately after the incident.

We took the initiative, first sending Zerat Takonet up the street on our left to harass the Gwailo group with grenades. While the Gwailo continue to be impressively durable, she was able to severely injure Victor and apparently draw the attention of our opposing commander who revealed the true true reason for their small force: a Sphinx whose fire narrowly avoided hitting Takonet.
With the Sphinx revealed in the center of their formation, clinging to the front of a building, our Yaogat team was forced to run into position to engage it. Time was wasted, but their heavy weapons and visors allowed them to cripple the Sphinx while sustaining minor casualties. Our Obsidon performed adequately.

The Shasvastii commander sent one of his Ikadrons to get Takonet; she damaged it, but was also severely burned. With the way clear, their Obsidon also performed adequately by healing Victor and repairing both the Ikadron and Sphinx, which took the opportunity to move into cover behind a civilian vehicle; the Sphinx’s wounded the Suryat accompanying Kornak. A third Zerat, not one of ours, appeared in the operational area and shortly after one of our slave drones was destroyed.

The Kornak’s Suryat attempted to engage what we now knew was a Speculo, but it disappeared into smoke before a kill could be confirmed.
The vehicle proved an inadequate defense, as our regrouped Yaogat team again demonstrated their effectiveness against the Sphnix and the slave drone which had repaired it. They also activated the left antenna.

Engaging the Sphinx had our forces out of place on the left, the Gwailo began to advance and attack our command position. Kornak received severe burns during the long exchange and mostly served to prevent it from standing still long enough to get a good shot.

I, Zerat Kolek, captured the right antenna and attempted to disable their Obsidon with grenades. Kornak finally called in the Rasyat he had been holding back; this Rasyat killed Victor, but died when he tried to target the Gwailo.
The Yaogat team moved to capture the car containing our primary objective and split up to independently provide suppression fire.

The Shasvastii commander, now revealed to be a Mentor, exited the building it had been hiding in with their Obsidon in a last ditch attempt to stop us. Their efforts were insufficient as both Mentor and Obsidon were killed by our Yaogat.
The Speculo again managed to evade Kornak’s Suryat and our Obsidon in a cloud of smoke and had enough time to get to the Yaogat at the car, but didn’t have enough time to prepare an ambush; it died inches from stopping us from taking control of the Xaraks Battery.

–Attachment–
Source: Kornak Gazarot
“Stealth is advised,” indeed. Stealth may have gotten our infiltration this far, but it can not stop the humans from finding something when they already know it’s there.

Our Morat forces sat and waited, and prepared, knowing we would be discovered earlier than planned. When the bar incident occurred I immediately moved my team to take Novyy Bangkok’s defensive battery to cause as much damage to the Human fleets as possible.
We knew we would only be able to hold it for a few hours, but because of our swift action our enemies had to divert forces away from other fights.
Because of our victory our enemies must spend time repairing their fleets instead of investigating.
Because of our aggression our enemies know they can not trust their own guns for safety.

Tell whoever is in charge of our Shasvastii comrades that we still managed to do their job for them. They can come to our garrison to retrieve the corpses, cubes, and equipment they left behind; I wouldn’t want this Sphinx unit to go to waste.