Asteroid Blues

The Charge of the Highland Brigade

The Caledonian Force
• William Wallace
• Tearlach “Dearg” McMurrogh
• Cpl. Uxia McNeill (covert action)
• SAS (FO) – Lt. Archibald Pennyworth
• SAS (FO) – Cpl. Marcus MacDonald
• Highlander Grey – Sgt. Arthur McPhee
• 112 (motorized) – Sgt. Maxwell McArthur
• 112 – Cpl. Danny McFay
• Isobel McGregor
• Volunteer (chain)– Pvt. Brodie Ferguson
• Volunteer (chain) – Pvt. Arthur McGregor
• Dozer – Cpl. Thomas Jennings
• Traktor Mul – 0103445
• Traktor Mul – 0124522
• Highlander – Pvt. Duncan Shaw
• Highlander – Pvt. Declan Galloway
• Highlander – Pvt. Niall MacLean
• Highlander – Pvt. Kieran MacLean
• Highlander – Pvt. Seamus Murphy
• Fat Yuan Yuan – Bob Billyham

The Tohaa Force
• Gao-Rael (Spitfire)
• Gao-Rael (Sniper)
• Sakiel (Viral Combi)
• Sakiel (Spitfire)
• Makaul
• Makaul
• Kamael
• Gao-Tarsos
• Igao
• Clipsos
• Kaeltar
• Kaeltar
• Kumotail
• Chaksa
• Chaksa

Location: International Spaceport: Traffic Control Offices

Prologue:
“Keep your eyes open for anything that may connect the Haqqislam forces or Shasworth to the Combined Army” Wallace called to his troops as the entered the office. They were part of a coordinated effort from the AEF to investigate possible EI corruption of Shasworth Financial and the Haqqislam forces stationed on Novyy Bangkok.

“You mean other than that the name of the company starts with Shas?” Isobel joked, “Or that their Director of Logistics is named Hugh Manley?”

“We need something concrete. Not just so O-12 will authorize taking them down, but also to prevent unnecessary fighting with Haqqislam”
Isobel nodded. Wallace was right, the human sphere couldn’t afford to be fighting internally when the forces of the EI were constantly pushing them back. Plus there were those Tohaa, which she for one didn’t trust for a second. As if reading her mind a sniper shot buzzed past her, blowing the head off a Galwegian.

“Take cover!” Wallace yelled, “Looks like those Veggie heads want to try their luck again! McPhee, show that Sniper how Caledonians say hello”

As the feeder of the AP HMG came alive an bullets started shredding the tower the sniper had been in Isobel couldn’t help but feel that this day was not going to go as planned.

Mission Objectives: Highly Classified
4 points – Accomplish more classified objectives
2 points – Accomplish the same number of classified objectives
1 point/per – Accomplish main objective
2 points – Accomplish secondary objective

Main Objectives: Net-Undermine, Mapping, Experimental Drug, In Extremis Recovery
Caledonian Classified Objective: Sabotage
Tohaa Classified Objective: Data Scan

Pre-game:
The table was set up for Highly Classified…so just a table with terrain. The board had a large tower on one side just outside of the deployment zone, and an infinitely tall building in the centre (which was forgot during the game). Caledonia won the role and chose to go first. Tohaa chose the side with the tall tower.

Caledonian Deployment:
Galwegians are deployed along the line behind buildings. The Grey AP HMG is deployed behind a wall with a prone foot 112 near him. The rest of the link is scattered near behind walls. The bike 112 deploys behind a wall on the left with a prone McMurrogh. One Mul is deployed hiding on the left, and the second is deployed behind a building on the right flank with the dozer. Both SAS are deployed near the mid-line prone.

Tohaa Deployment:
Gao-Rael spitfire and a triad deploy on the left flank. Sakiel with viral deploys with a triad in the centre. Fusilier deploys on right flank.
Counter Drops:
Uxia fails her infiltration and walks on from the Caledonian deployment. A Gao-Rael Sniper forward deploys into the tower.

Caledonia Turn 1: Just Objectives

Galwegians run forward and meet the MSV2 sniper. Luckily only 2 die. The Yuan Yuan walks on by the marked wall for sabotage…but forgot that the special yuan yuan has d-charges. The AP HMG gets up and engages the sniper. After taking a wound the sniper goes prone.

Uxia spends an entire order pool running up to the marked building to d-charge it. Uxia gets net undermine on the way. The next order pool is spent moving an FO SAS up to try and get Mapping. He makes the run to the enemy deployment but fails his WIP roll as the Gao-Rael Spitfire guns him down.

Tohaa Turn 1: Advancing and Objectives
The Sniper rises to fight the Grey, but ultimately ends up taking two wounds and going down. Central triad moves up to take out Uxia and the Yuan Yuan. Between smoke and dodging the Tohaa end up burning a number of orders to take them down. Unfortunately for the Tohaa both die outright not leaving bodies to In Extremis Recovery.

The Tohaa move up in the centre achieving Data Scan, and Net-Undermine. The Doctor uses the Chaksa in the tower to revive the sniper, achieving Experimental Drug.

Caledonia Turn 2: The Failure that is the 112
The second SAS FO makes the run and achieves Mapping. The SAS then shoots taking down one of the Tohaa on the right flank while going unconscious to a symbio-bomb. Seeing his opportunity the 112 on the bike rushes across the board. He makes it across the gap without dying to the Gao-Rael Spitfire and…fails the roll. He then steps on a Tohaa neck for In Extremis Recovery.

Worrying that the Hacker in the central room can move forward and get mapping (there were no other visible units able to do it) McMurrogh advances towards the room. A Galwegian runs past intentionally taking a wound and going unconscious. The 112 drives across and take a shot at the Galwegian with his medkit as the Gao-Rael kills him…the 112 misses. McMurrogh stands in the door menacingly trying to be shot down as he chain rifles the Makaul to death.

Unfortunately McMurrogh makes all his saves (never thought I’d say that).
At this point it seems as though Tohaa can’t get more that 3 of the main objectives and their secondary. Caledonia has a chance if the other 112 stays alive for a turn.

Tohaa Turn 2: The Death of Hope
The Sniper rise and puts a wound on the Grey. The Grey chooses to go unconscious, hoping the nearby 112 will bring him up. At this point the Gao-Tarsos drops in. The 112 misses his shot. The Gao-Tarsos takes out the 112. The Sakiel steps on the Galwegians neck and gets In Extremis Recovery.

Tohaa repositions a bit and try to take out McMurrogh but is unsuccessful. The Igao engages McMurrogh in close combat. McMurrogh laughs, berserks and run his sword through the alien without taking a wound.

Caledonia Turn 3: Blind to Fancy Things
The Galwegian near the Gao-Tarsos takes him out. McMurrogh kills the hacker and the nearby Sakiel in melee. At this point it looks like both sides were stuck at 3 main and our secondaries so it will come down to points.

After killing all that is out McMurrogh finishes the turn by lobbing grenades at the sniper to no avail.

Tohaa Turn 3: A Well Laid Trap
The Tohaa spring their trap. Out of nowhere a Clipsos (well at this point TO marker) starts moving up the left flank. McMurrogh begins dodging towards it. Eventually a volunteer chain rifle gets a chance to discover him and he does. At this point it is too late. The Clipsos (FO) moves to the building on the Caledonian right flank and succeeds his WIP roll to get Mapping.

The rest of the turn was spent trying to kill stuff to no real avail.

Final Result:
Objective Points – 10-5 for Tohaa
Victory Points – Caledonia 137, Tohaa 190

Epilogue:
“I don’t know what they were trying to do but they seem to have done it” McGregor said to Wallace.

“It doesn’t matter, they weren’t our objective”, Wallace said bitterly “did we at least find anything?”

“Yes sir” Isobel replied, “Before she was taken out of action Uxia transmitted some data she was able to scrape from their systems. I guess that distraction she made paid off”

“And?”

“It looks like High Command was right. Something fishy is going on with Shasworth. She was able to find reports on the head of Shasworth from some Haqqislam agents. It looks like he may have been replaced by a Shas” Isobel reported, “I’ll be able to figure out more when I get time to look through the data”

“Good, let’s get out of here before someone else shows up to interfere” And with that Wallace walked away. They had lost the battle, but with any luck the data they recovered would help them win the war.

Data Recovered on Shasworth: