Asteroid Blues

The tiny black corvette sped out of the tunnel mouth, giving its tired crew the first look at open sky they had seen in a month via its holographic bridge displays. The Aspect Astraea, the ship’s pilot, gave them a stunning view of the exterior of the gigantic Novyy Bangkok colony as it sped around its orbit, avoiding the traffic lanes of Pakngein NBIS and carefully skirting the effective range of the embattled Xaraks Battery. Pulling into the short circuit around Liberty Cargo, the ship pulled to a halt behind a bulk trader and Astraea turned to Neoterra Bolt Sergeant Aurora Simpson, the most senior soldier in a condition to serve and who was currently commanding the bridge. “My programming has been tampered with, and I am almost certainly considered a rogue AI. You will have to handle the approach communications and negotiate passage to the licensing office in order to have this vessel declared legitimate. Opening a channel on your mark.” Aurora flicked her hand and a window depicting the beret-framed face of a Fusilier handling traffic. “Lima Charlie traffic, unregistered vessel bearing transponder code 3 inbound Tunnel 1, requesting permission to land at Licensing Office Pad, unregistered vessel code 3.” “Code 3, Lima Charlie tower, you have clearance, patching you through to Licensing Office, wires guiding you in on your channel, Lima Charlie tower.” The Fusilier’s face vanished, cutting over to a new window. Aurora hadn’t had time to even declare her transponder code before the Machinist on the other side shouted at her. “This is Sapper Michaels! Nomads have breached the office! We’re on our last wave of remotes! If you have anyone who can bear arms or can command a squad, get down here now!” Aurora looked sideways, Astraea spoke up as though Aurora had already asked her question. “You are the only soldier on the ship in fighting condition, though Agent Mitchell will volunteer and be effective regardless of her injuries.” Feeling affronted, Aurora glared at the AI. “Just get her up and out here. I’m out of Drop Bears, I’ll need her to watch my back anyway.”

Charging off the ship’s ramp before it even touches the ground, Aurora and the wounded Hexa immediately encountered the Licensing Office’s tiny garrison trying to repel a force of about three times their numbers, backed up with the base’s few remotes. Auxilia and Dronbots guarded the flanks, with Bulleteers watching the centre. The Machinist from the radio and his Palbot stood near the centre of each robotic force, and taking cover on a nearby rooftop a Fusilier Hacker watched his device frantically. Leaping atop a nearby building, Aurora connected to the local channel. “This is Sergeant Aurora Simpson, retired, taking command. Hold, and prepare to counterattack when they enter our range.”

The enemy came, and they hit hard. On the right, a pair of Heavy Infantry marched into a garden, the big one mowing down a Sierra while the smaller, inhuman one launched a Repeater into the stalled main road. On the left, a team of infantry advanced, cutting down a Pathfinder and a Palbot. Fortunately, just as they completed the last of their manoeuvring to repel a counterattack, Agent Mitchell threw them into disarray by shooting their squad leader from a balcony.

This provided an opening, and Aurora planned to take advantage. “Bulleteer Spitfire forward, cut down those infantry and limit their options.” The remote complied, easily killing two from the safety of its ODD and cover, then entering Suppression Fire. An Auxilia also slightly advanced, to prevent the enemy from holding too much ground, and Agent Mitchell regained concealment.

Constrained by the loss of much of their force, the enemy pressed on. The heavy unit, identified as a Kriza Borac by IFF databases, easily shut down the Bulleteer with its oversized HMG as it advanced to contest the central square. The infantry shifted in their cover, trying to watch the PanOceanian approach paths. They were not prepared for the waist-high robot that came straight at their hardest point.

Aurora had directed the Auxilia on the right flank to execute a tactic Lt. Jackman favoured, sending the remote and its flamethrower on a suicidal charge, shielded by the Auxilia’s Combi Rifle fire. Unlike when Jackman tried it, this time it worked in a textbook example of G: Synchronised warfare; the big Kriza tried to shoot back at the Auxilia, lost the shootout, then was cooked inside his own armour by the Auxbot’s flamethrower. Amazingly both PanO assets survived, so the ‘bot was sent into the garden and burned out the smaller Hollow Man too, both robotic combatants being disabled by indiscriminate bombardment of flames and shrapnel. Pressing the advantage even harder, Agent Mitchell was sent forward to hound the last of the infantry.

In a last-ditch effort to repel the overwhelming force attacking them, the Nomads charged. Agent Mitchell came to hand-to-hand blows for the first time in the campaign; shocking the Dragnet agent with her Electric Pulse and then firing her pistol at point-blank range. The shaking Securitate ducked out of the line of fire until Mitchell’s automatic pistol ran dry, but the Hexa simply holstered the weapon and delivered a lethal high kick to the Nomad woman’s jaw. With a sickening snap, she fell to the ground, and lay there for a few seconds until the Hexa above her reloaded her pistol and put two bullets into her head. Almost as an afterthought, Agent Mitchell unslung her sniper rifle and instantly killed the last Securitate, still foolish enough to be watching the rear. The last Nomad, a veteran Interventor and the force’s leader, simply fled the field. PanO had won.

Two minutes later, Aurora sat in a comfy, air-conditioned office while a Fusilier, the Hacker governing the remotes during the battle, examined a report on his comlog. It was full of automated warnings about a lack of maker’s marks, illegal technology and certain alien attack, generated by a Maya scan of the team’s new ship. He simply closed the report, and opened a form. “You helped us out here when chaos would aid the aliens. I believe in karma. What’s your new ship called?” Aurora thought hard for a few seconds. “It’s black, fast and smart as hell. War Crow.” The Licensing Officer took a few notes. “And what organisation am I registering it under?” Aurora nearly froze. She hadn’t accounted for her country’s corporate culture, and might have lost the whole team the ship. Then, a thought- back when their ad-hoc army was still a Hexahedron special project, they’d had a cover in Lt. Jackman’s name. A security firm, with full trademarks and two years’ worth of false and real paper trails. She grinned. “Australis Innovative Security Enterprises.”

[OOC: And that’s that for the Striga Teams of Asteroid Blues! The scenario was Quadrant Control. I finished with 9 OP and AardvarksRus had 2; he’d had equal dominated quadrants and a dominant Datatracker in turn 1 while I secured a HVT. AardvarksRus has just come back to Infinity after a year-and-a-half break, this was his second recent game, just following a match against my MRRF to catch him up to speed with Infinity’s changes. It’s amazing to see how far I’ve come with my NCA; before this campaign this would have been a close match, but due to Asteroid Blues and my state’s first two-day tournament I’ve improved at deployment, spotting weaknesses and all manner of tricks. I can see my own improvements through these reports, it’s a bit surreal. I wish AaardvarksRus luck with future games, and hope to be a part of many more campaigns to come. GO PANO!]