Asteroid Blues

In our ongoing narrative (https://forum.corvusbelli.com/threads/once-upon-a-time-in-bangkok-player-group-narrative.35098/) the Nomads try to speak to certain individuals about a possible cube smuggling ring. So they set up a meeting and want to know more. Only that the CA is in on the deal and wants to collect their witnesses…
We modified Rescue so that the Exclusion ton was very dangerous with a Dam 15 hit on any 18+ except ARM / BTS rolls. Multiterrain etc. would not help against that.
I won the Initiative and took first turn. My Speculo managed to infiltrate into his DZ to sour his Sniper tower there. And honestly this list exists to use the Overdrone (which is proxied by a Xeodrone), no other reason

Aspect Styx surveyed the AO. Most of the involved humans were present, Now they only had to grab the ones who knew about the traceable cubes they put into the trade and no one would be the wiser. It’s mind saw nearing enemies. Humans of the Nomads, they brought armour, wise choice. Before they were in position it ordered the Overdrone to fire. Several impacts forced the first armour into cover. Seeing an opening it advanced and shot at the foremost human (Targeting error), again, the host got hit (Targeting error) and it receded as a rock smashed a joint. The Shasvasti’I tasked with crumbling the Passageways were doing good work, this whole section was unstable. It ran around the far side to engage another human, (Targeting error) more rocks hit it and a projectile damaged its leg. It ran further (Targeting error) and another projectile smashed through the chassis’s head.
Styx was reborn in the Overdrone, immediately it advanced to kill the human with his walking bombs. The Ikadron on the left it willed forward to supress the humans.
(I started with the Overdrone attacking the first Gecko, he took 2 wounds and went into cover. Then my Charontid attacked the Wildcats, losing a wound to the hostile terrain… Then he moved around to engage the Engineer, who only had a combi rifle and get critted, I ran closer to get my three shots and go down to a single hit… Lt, my Hacker and the Data Tracker dead – great. I missed 6 shots in a row against 14 with the Charontid. The Overdrone walks around and kills the Data Tracker Moran, also freeing the Speculo from the Koalas.)

The human armour advanced on it (Targeting error) an explosive hit it, the next one missed it’s third shot connected and the armour went down. The sensors of the Ikadron showed the humans advancing, it was hit, the human smashed by a rock from the ceiling. The sensors still working, Styx saw the humans trying ti destroy it. Nothing harmed it. (New carapace composition valid, updating database). The other Ikadron was hit as well, but the fire peeeled off.
(His Geckos spent 4 orders shuffling around to shoot at the Overdrone, I take a Panzerfaust in the first exchange and lose 2 wounds, then I put down the MK 12 Gecko. His Wildcats advance and shoot down an Ikadron, but the Wildcat rolls two twenties and is killed by the terrain. He pumps 5 hits into the unconscious Ikadron and a rocket into the other one and I make all saves! These guys are mow officially made from titanium granite. I should build Charontids from this material.)

Styx fired at the lonely human (Targeting error) it was hit by fire, but remained untouched. “Smoke deployed.” came from the Daturazi. Styx willed the Q-Drone to shot a human (Targeting error). Deploy Rasyat, it thought and the Morat crashed through the ceiling. “Confirmed. Attacking.” Styx used the eyes of the Morat, through the smoke the shocked human appeared and was impaled. “Advanci..” The transmission stopped the Morat was hit in the head by his own rebouncing grenade. Styx once more moved on the human, this time it got annhiliated.
(The Overdrone tries to kill the HRL and gets hit, but survives. The Rasyat lands on a five, next to the Wildcats, after the Daturazi smoked a way to shoot for the Q-Drone who did not hit. The Rasyat smokes the Wildcat, stealthes in an puts the Wildcat down. Then I made my second big mistake, getting greedy I wanted to smoke the door and kill the Daktari and Wildcat inside. I roll a 20 for the smoke and the Rasyat falls unconscious to the the terrain… The Overdrone risks it and finally takes down the Wildcat HRL for good. With the Lt Order by the way.)

A human moved and revived the one slit by the Morat. Another one appeared and shot at Styx with a heavy slug thrower. (Targeting error) Several impacts tore through the damaged host.
Styx was reborn in the Speculo, hiding behind the enemy lines. It saw the Q-Drone get shot by the revived human. (Targeting error)
(He heals his Wildcat Engineer and takes two orders with the Intruder to finally put down my Overdrone. The Engineer crits the Q-Drone into unconscious, or the Gecko was it I am not sure right now. The Gecko shoots at it but it remains on the board.)

“Attacking. Human down.” The Daturazi sent the revived human down again. Styx started to run with his guise activated. The armour called it out, but was distracted by debris. Finally at one of the witnesses Styx reached out...and was reborn in the Daurazi. It saw the Speculo crushed under debris. It ordered the Obsidian to repair the Q-Drone and ran into the building, dodging beneath a bullet it swang the axe into the other humas belly. Outside the Q- and R-Drone went into hibernation and a human ran along outside trying to access the back-up of the Morat. Styx threw an incendary charge at it’s feet as the last standing human in the room shot at it.
Styx was reborn.
(The Daturazi decides it is time for Morat Power. He runs around the corner and puts his Chain Rifle on the Wildcat, who misses and goes down. Perfect. The Speculo Lt, moves up to a civilian and gets discovered down to IMP-1, the Gecko loses a Wound from the environment with a 20 on his discover. The Speculo is out of sight and has a clear route out of the Combat zone, he synchronises with a … 18 and falls unconscious, the Automedikit a … 14 and he is dead and the game is over for me. The Daturazi runs into the room with the Wildcat and the Daktari, survives the hit from the Daktari and puts down the Wildcat in CC, watching the Daktari and the Civilians. Also I moved the Ikadron and the R-Drone to ARO in his final round. Also I repair the Q-Drone.

The Gecko puts down the Q-Drone with one hit, rans forwards crits the R-Drone, gets out of his TAG to complete In Extremis recovery on the Rasyat and crits it. The game was over here with a 1-0 for the Nomads. He has one order left and the Daktari shoots the Daturazi Lt.The Morat has enough of this and throws a grenade hitting himself, the Wildcat, The Daktari and the HVT. The Daktari misses and all survive the ARM rolls except the Daturazi… [Yes we know that move is illegal, but it was fun])

So 1-0 in the end. I made two big mistakes, overreaching with the Charontid and going for kills instead of going for mission with the Rasyat. Had I not lost the Speculo to the environment he would have had no way of getting even. A very close game with hilarious rolls, I lost everything that crossed the center line to the environment, except the Daturazi who died to his own grenade. He did not make any big mistake and was rewarded or it, even though we both would have loved it if the Gecko Pilot would have been killed by rocks as well, while trying to do the classified^^ As it was the dice carried the day, or crushed it in my case. At least I am making less mistakes with my CA by now.