Race for the Cargo - Operation Hungry Walrus June 3rd, 2023

 

Direct Line to High Command Established

Encryption Secure

Datalink Secure

Orders Received 

:-: "The chaos on New Hypatia is in full swing with elements of our rivals and minor powers scrambling to gain a foothold in this unprecedented time. A critical shipment of classified hardware is currently locked down in the storage crates at Dock 619 due to the blockade. Military Intelligence shows the Papacy holds particular interest in the docks, their intentions are unknown. Proceed with caution" :-:

Mission Briefing

Scenario: FURBAR 

Combatants: Vanilla Yu Jing vs Military Orders

Points: 300

Final Scoring 10-2 in Yu Jing's Favor 

Deployment

Yu Jing secured the LT roll off and chose to go first. Deployment was cagey on both sides, with PanO setting up to solid lines of fire to my left and central objectives. A menacing pair lurked down my left flank, with a TO bot waiting for the chance to establish over watch and a Paramedic knight of Montessa itching for a chance to spring into action. The Yu Jing strike force set up with two aggressive duos poised on either flank waiting to move forward once the lanes were clear. Long Ya units were positioned to watch access points into the YJ half of the midfield to put pause on MO aggression.

Turn 1

The opening moments of engagement are always the most critical to any operation. As the Knights of the Papacy encroached the forces of the Jade Empire sprung into action

The eternal hero of the state empire, the Shang Ji, sprung into action. Risking return fire from the Sierra, the veteran stepped forward to level his armament to the enemy. Several tense seconds of gunfire rang out and although the Shang Ji's armor was dented in several impacts the engineering of the State Empire held true and the threat was downed. With the lane cleared of enemy overwatch the Jujak engineer's power armor whirred to life to begin his advance to the primary objective crate. Rolling alongside the advance, a licensed bounty hunter pulled into a coordinated position of a doorway, waiting to leap on the PanO hacker lurking inside. The Jujak set about his work and doused the fire on the primary shipping crate with little difficulty. With the cargo secured, the bounty hunter made her move and downed the hacker with a quick application of a chain colt. Their comrades secure, the Shang Ji began his advance down the central shipping lane alongside his field officer, Kokram. The two were able to move to the secondary shipping crate due to a lucky crit against the overwatch and secure the contents inside without any issue. Pulling back, the two hunkered down in defensible positions as the Long Ya units maneuvered slightly to threaten the Knight of Montessa. 

Utilizing superior battlefield mapping networks, the PanOceanian Black Friar discovered a gap in the docking machinery that would enable a straight shot on the Shang Ji hunkering in supposed safety. Scaling a wall and gaining the vantage point, the Black Friar sent vengeance hurling towards his foe. Kokram heard the incoming doom and sprung to brace himself but the Shang Ji was caught in the blast.  Cracks and fractures in the armor from the earlier gunfight with the drone were all the rocket needed, and the incendiary weapon burnt the veteran to a crisp in holy retribution. His angle cleared, the Knight of Montessa lurched forward. Barreling down an abandoned transport track, the Knight was able to safely reach the third burning cargo unit. A Crosier stepped forward to activate the water shield control unit, doing so just in time as the Knight was burned by the container. Attempting a second time, the Knight was able to extinguish and secure the secret data the strike force had been sent to retrieve. Assured the data was uploaded to the team's network, the Knight moved forward to flank Kokram, but was caught out of position by a Panzerfaust from one of the Long Ya units and was forced to hunker down, wounded.

Turn 2 

The momentum of a wave can come crashing down all at a moment's notice. With the primary race for the containers won, the Yu Jing strike force now turned to pushing their momentum forward, leaving no opening for the Knights of the Papacy to thwart their remaining objectives.

 Mourning the loss of their Shang Ji Brother, the Jujak and Bounty Hunter pressed forward. Seeing an opening in the Crosier defensive net, the biker was able to burst forward and lay heated metal on the security team. Downing three of the lightly armored PanO troops she herself was wounded in the return fire, but was successful in killing the Order Sergeant who threatened the advance of the Jujak. The Hacker downed, our Jujak Engineer set to work emptying his heavy shotgun into the remainder of the team caught out of position. A Tiger Soldier launched from the commandeered transport vessel orbiting the shipyard above, weaving his way through the infrastructure of New Hypatia to enter the combat zone from an angel the PanOceanian team was not prepared for. With some quick maneuvering, the Tiger Soldier was able to catch an unassuming Warcor, downing the Knight Commander with the illumination of a flamethrower. With the enemy operations kneecapped, the Jujak pulled back to wait for a last minute chance to seize the enemy control unit. Kokram moved up several docking units to a vantage point to enter suppressive fire, while the Long Ya re-entered a camouflaged state.

Having suffered critical losses to their command structure and on-site coordination, the PanO strike force was limited in options. Scrambling to make what they could of the situation, the Knight of Montessa moved to secure a classified objective he had received in his direct commlink. Several units moved positions or entered suppressive fire, but they felt the tide of battle rushing against them.

Turn 3 

The PanO strike team had shown it was able to pull out threats the assessment algorithm had missed. Now was not the time for mistakes so close to the finish line. The enemy needed to be dealt with, and fast.

With the battlefield rapidly clearing of threats, the on-site Daoying issued an aggressive kill on sight command. The Jujak and Tiger in the PanO pack lines dropped body after body, ensuring no retreat or respite would come to the enemy strike force. The Jujak moved to gain control of the Water Shield control panel, and the Tiger entered suppressive. Long Ya units moved to deploy mines to either exit of the Montessa, before re-engaging their camouflaged protocols. 

With fewoptions and fewer allies, the remaining PanO troopers were caught in a desperate situation. The Montessa heroically dodged the explosives left in his path, and was able to swing around and down a Long Ya and Celestial Guard, but it was too little too late. With their original data from the container secured and the secret classified accomplished, the remaining remnants of the Papacy's Puppets surrendered, ceding the day to the State Empire. 

Wrap-Up

FURBAR is a really interesting mission! I think the first turn scoring is a little strong, but I want to play a few more games to get a real feel for it. The game seems to be in who can put out 2 fires first, at least it's the first player's to loose at that point. That being said, the mission is super different and fun! I felt bad downing the enemy's LT at random in the 2nd turn but it proved to pretty much seal the game for me.