Operation Neon Tiger - episode 07

Intro

Fashas'di stepped outside, under the hot rays of Varuna's sun. The beach was warm, inviting. "How fascinating - he thought - we and the humans have the same idea of paradise." An artificial reef isolated the Trillionaire Varuna Beach Resort from the depths of the planet's oceans, while lush vegetation imported from Concilium and Paradiso surrounded the buildings. Apparently, the plant selection was dictated by the original patron of the Resort himself: Batth'o Ubelin. 

Shasvastii intelligence had advised Fashas'di that the resort wouldn't be heavily guarded, making it the perfect stop for the Casta Diva to refuel and prepare for the long journey following the xeno archeotech's indications. What the intel didn't know was that a Tunguska intervention team had been sent in advance to welcome the Casta Diva and its occupants: it was a bold move to make such an intrusion on PanOceanian soil but, after what had happened to Módulo Satélite, Philomena was ready to cross any line to repel the aliens. 

Mission and Lists

300 points - Frontline ITS Season 13 Supplement

🐜 Shasvastii Expeditionary Force VS 🕷️Tunguska Jurisdictional Command

🐜 Shasvastii Classified Objectives: Net-Undermine, Telemetry, HVT: Kidnapping, Capture.

🕷️ Tunguska Classified Objectives: Test Run, HVT: Espionage, HVT: Designation, In extremis recovery.

Shasvastii wins the initiative roll and decides to go second. Tunguska opts for deploying second. 

Deployment

Gaming mat is Overlord by Pwork Wargames (4x4', PCV)

🐜 Shasvastii deployment

Taigha on center left, in total cover. Shrouded minelayer in total cover close to the HVT, with a mine controlling her. Forward observer Shrouded on the last stairs ramp of the sniper tower on the left. Mentor and decoy back in center. Taigha on the central right behind a building. Shrouded hacker prone on the far right building. Sphinx inside the bushes (difficult terrain and saturation zone). Caliban engineer on the far right, watching the Sphinx's position. Malignos ahead in the center, passing the infiltration roll. 

🕷️Tunguska deployment

Salyut EVO HD in the left corner. Warcor on top of the leftmost building, overseeing the table. Szalamandra in the center, on street level. Fireteam core with HMG guarding one of command room's firelands, advanced Tsyklon in cover and Sforza disguised as an Interventor.

📍Final deployment

Shasvastii places a minelayer Speculo Killer in total cover on the far left, with a mine preying on the enemy fireteam. Tunguska deploys Mary Problems nearby.

🕷️TURN 1 - Tunguska

The Zondnautica advances ending its first move with the Shrouded ZoC, who uses Oblivion, successfully isolating the bike. The fireteam advances and the Tsyklon tanks the mine deployed by Speculo. Szally advances to clear the way: the first impersonator layer crumbles while the Sphinx comes out of the shadows to shoot the other TAG. 

Szally backs up to avoid the dodging Speculo Killer who was attempting to engage her while shooting both targets and the Sphinx ends up wounded. Mary Problems conceals herself with Cybermasks and advances to reach a safe spot in ZoC of the HVT without triggering mines. From there, she shoots a pitcher and Trinity to death the Shrouded hacker in response to the alien hacking attack aro. The Malignos takes the chance to reveal and drop a mine. 

It is now time for the TAG to resume its advance, killing both the Speculo Killer and the Sphinx. With a clear path in front of her, the Szalamandra also triggers the Malignos monofilament mine. The alien dies horribly but the TAG's armor roll is too low and she goes straight to dead state. Without loosing grip, the Nomads reassemble around the fireteam which advances spotting a mine close to the HVT.

🐜 TURN 1 - Shasvastii

Taigha creatures advance using impetuous orders. Next, Shasvastii spend the first regular orders to put the TAG back online with a little help from the Caliban engineer. The TAG sends both Zondnautica and the Tsyklon unconscious, paving the way for the rest of the army to do something useful. The Shrouded forward observer peeps out to watch the warcor but he's a hell of a reporter and it stuns everyone with his flash. 

The minelayer Shrouded drops another mine while the Taigha on the right finally reaches Mary Problems and mauls her, falling under the fire of the hacker’s SMG. The choice of shock ammo will reveal sub-optimal as it sends the alien creature straight to dead preventing the possibility to easily accomplish the “in extremis recovery” classified objective. As a final order Caliban, Sphinx and both Shrouded perform a coordinated order to go back to camo state.

🕷️TURN 2 - Nomads

The Clockmaker peripheral servant reaches the Tsyklon repairing it (conveniently also completing the test run classified objective). The REM then advances to threaten the Sphinx with its feuerbach but eventually triggers another mine that blows it up again. The rest of the orders are spent on repairing it and completing two classified objectives (HVT espionage and designation) by also spending the Lieutenant order, who is revealed to be one of the two Interventors.

🐜 TURN 2 - Shasvastii

The forward observer Shrouded tries again to complete the classified but fails once more. The Taigha on the left engages the Interventor lt but instead of trading with berserk decides to fight normally. The hacker wins the FtF and survives against the odds. It could have been a huge mess for the Nomads if the alien fiend would have been able to rampage through the fire team. Unfortunately the Caliban wastes several orders to take down the warcor, but it's now time for the Sphinx to come out of camo to destroy the Tsyklon. 

In the process, two repeaters are shot forcing some orders to be wasted to remove them. The minelayer Shrouded exchange shots with the Interventor, who is revealed to be Father Lucien Sforza, and sends him to dogged state. It's now or never: the Sphinx jumps forward taking the last three Nomads and tanking all the AROs.

🕷️TURN 3 - Tunguska

With only two troopers left, the HMG Securiate tries to secure the HVT while the Zondbot on the far left comes out and is shot down by the Caliban.

🐜 TURN 3 - Shasvastii 

The Shrouded forward observer finally secures his classified objective (Telemetry) while the rest of the team advances, taking extra care not to trigger AROs by the HMG.

Final score: Shasvastii wins! 4 - 3

Debriefing

🐜 Shasvastii

Looking back at my list, I reckon I've been very lucky. Too many combi rifles and too much low effort area coverage. Having faced Corregidor more than Tunguska lately may have made me overestimate Nomad's tendency to advance recklessly to engage in cc. 

When I saw the Szalamandra I harshly regret non having another Caliban and my trusted panzerfaust-bracing Seed soldiers. As I already wrote, the Sphinx is not a good TAG counter so I feel like I suffered from a sort of tunnel vision: despite having 5.5 SWC out of 6, I was still lacking effective firepower. In the end the dice smiled to me: I really had very few losses for a Shasvastii game.

🕷️Tunguska

My list was put together around the desire to bring the miniatures I had recently painted: Szalamandra, Zondnautica and Sforza. With 4 classified I made sure to bring many specialists and last minute I swapped Raoul parachutist for a Grenzer with biometric visor and discover +3 which is also linkable.

Zondnautica ended up isolated in the first order of the game so all my smoke-hacking-chain rifle trick expectations were immediately frustrated. Szally did really well and for the first time I was able to fully exploit the high burst and long range accuracy to dish pain even to my mim-6 opponents. Unfortunately I had to learn about monofilament mines the hard way as I walked into a mine trigger area actually hoping to fail the ARM roll to accomplish the test run classified objective. The Malignos had revealed so its equipment was open information, I should have asked!

After my TAG went straight to dead and the Caliban had brought back the Sphinx I was at severe disadvantage and could only play the mission and run contingency plans. My only other heavy gun platform, the feuerbach Tsyklon, failed me this time multiple times so there was not much I could do.

My brave Warcor and Mary Problems kept me in the game and if I had been a bit smarter with ammo choice I could have scored 4/4 classified (I was very lucky with my drafts).

All in all it was a good game, definitely several frustration items but also some epic moments and learning opportunities!

Outro

The Lead Dragon Lounge was almost empty now. Without a phyiscal night-day routine, venues never really closed on Hlökk Space Station: they just had busy hours and less busy hours. With a couple making out on one side and a table of drunk bounty hunters and hardcases arguing about who owed another round to who on the other, Brother Hermann and Irina were still talking passionately.

Despite coming from very different backgrounds, they had discovered to have much in common. After a long duty as engineering specialist culminated with an honorable mention and the loss of her arm during Operation Cornerstone, Irina had been diverted to a branch of Ariadnan's technological unit about Weapons and Ammo R&D. She took the role seriously and in ten years she reached the top, leading the program herself.

- I've studied, I fought on the field, I have all the skills. But I have to admit I am not that super specialist. I don't have "the knick". Anton did...well, he still does but he'll have to face martial court for treason so, who knows. What I want to say is that we're loosing a very important asset. And we have to, because treason is a serious matter and we can't let it pass with a pat on the shoulder. Anyway; Anton Koseacasomov is a weapon genius and I really knew how to take the best out of him.

She paused, looking at Brother Hermann's glass, still full; untouched.

- I'm afraid we're in this situation because I took also something else out of him. Something he was going to look for elsewhere. I am probably going to face consequences for my actions as well.

The knight nodded.

- I get it. This is why we're having this chat: you want to shortcircuit the whole thing closing a deal that will overshadow your shortcomings.

Irina looked at her cyber arm, holding a glass now filled just with melting ice cubes, evaluating brother Hermann's comment.

- Ariadna is a proud country. We can stand by ourselves, but we know we don't live in a vacuum. The human sphere relies on hyperpowers. If the deal blows up with one, we can still have a partnership with the other.

- Looks like this is not the first time you have to manage a similar situation.

- Wait until you see Anton's weapons in action: they'll sell themselves.