Battle 3 - Defector

"So this Strahlly pilot man, he knew he was defecting, but he didn't bother to top up his tank before making a break for it?"  Jarli Smyth rubbed at his wide, flat nose as he squinted into the midday sun through small spaces in the overhead camouflage net, speaking to his vehicle commander.  "Seems little short sighted, yea?  Like maybe we should leave that sort of donk alone instead of bringing him into the fold."  Ayoub Sallah, the vehicle commander and a former dock worker from the Cairo colony, didn't disagree when he glanced at his dark skinned aboriginal driver.  Jarli's open and honest face wore just a little bit of a rye smile.  "Well now, that wasn't the problem.  Ops said that he got away clean and was being escorted by a pair of our fights when they got jumped by superior numbers.  This Major took a hit, sprung a leak, then landed in the outback safe and sound."  He spread his hands wide encompassing the laagered reconnaissance troop.  "And thus, my good Jarli, as we are the closest LidPiGs hanging about in the sands, as well as being the best about... we are tasked to pluck this fig from the closing jaws of his doom.  He's an important man with important information on the Strahl intentions in our AO, so we've got to have him.  Should be a simple retrieval job. Dust in, dust out.  No problems, no worries."  Jarli recapped the fuel jerrycan he had been checking for fullness, looking pensive before asking, "But yea no yea, mate. It's just... what's a fig?"

Battle 3 - The Defector

    --For the last month or so, the Broken Hill sector has seen a gradual increase of encounters between small groups of the IMA LiDPiGs (Long Distance Patrol Group) and the SDR Fernaufklarung Gruppe 3 (long range reconnaissance) as interest from the two waring armies has grown.  Losses have been low on both sides, just a few trucks and Sandstalkers wrecked from heavy usage on difficult terrain or from strafing runs from over stretched enemy patrol aircraft.  The recent victory for the IMA in securing the New Canberra sector, as well as the discovery of a new deposit of radioactives in the Broken Hill area has eyes turning to the interior, though for different reasons.  For the SDR a more developed flank defending the vital Port Adelaide Zone is desperately needed, while the IMA requires the material to broaden their efforts in space.  Soon the chivalrous cat-and-mouse gentlemen's games will be pushed aside, and real war will come to the outback.--

Our last 2 battles took place online using a VTT as for various reasons the players could not meet in person.  Both fights were between small patrol groups, the first being a meeting encounter between almost equal Sandstalker detachments, and the second being an IMA air raid on a laagered SDR recon group that was only stopped when SDR fighters showed up to support their beleaguered comrades.  This is our fist face-to-face game, and the following photos are recreations of the game without all of the spurious flotsam that accretes around the table while playing.

The battle space for this mission is pure outback consisting a transverse ridge a third inwards from the southwest (right side of the picture) that angles across the center as well as some smaller hill forms in the northeastern sector.  The terrain is mostly low scrub with some areas of very tall (man height) sagebrush and scattered tree pockets.  These tree pockets are very dense and almost impossible to see through.  It was determined that there were 5 possible locations that the Major could have landed, most of which were next to treed areas.

The LiDPiGs deployed a scratch force consisting of a pair of Sandstalkers 222Fs, a pair of AFS II and a squad of scouts in a Sidewinder hover APC.  Their main directive is to find the Major as quickly as possible and return to Supply Base Dundee, but to not jeopardize the AFS suits as there are only 13 left in the TO (theater of operations).

The SDR force from FernAufk. Gruppe 3 was much more powerful than their IMA opponents.  A Sandstaler 232M, armed with a canon instead of the usual heavy machinegun, acted as overall commander. An infantry platoon (3 inf stands plus a MG stand) transported in a Sph69 hover truck would aid in the search with the PCO (platoon commander) controlling newly arrived Krote robot scout and a pair of PaKKrote support robots. The advnaced sensors of the Krotes we to be utilized to fined and retrieve the wayward Major at all costs.

Entering the area from the southeast, the SDR units deployed with the Krote well out front in order to both identify any approaching enemy as well as to help narrow down the possible location for the Major's landing.  The first landing area was quickly found to be empty and the Strahllies pushed out towards the long ridge.

The LiDPiGs deployed in two groups, with the PCO and the APC separated from the other Sandstalker and the AFS (whom rode on the side of the little Sandstalker, bracing their feet on the plenum edge while hanging onto hand bars near the top of the hull).  This setup gave them wide coverage as well as being able to quickly lay eyes on 3 of the possible landing locations.

Seeing dust plumes from vehicles moving beyond the further hills, the SDR group split into two with the CO and a PakKrote moving right down the ridge between two tree pockets (blurry in the distance of the photo below).  As the second group crested the ridge they we greeted with the view of the Major's aircraft grounded right below.  As the troops jumped down from their transport the Krote detected and identified the pair of IMA vehicles rushing down a hillface opposite their position and relayed the info the CO.

Unfortunately for the Mercs, as the Sandstalker and Sidewinder dashed headlong down the hill towards the large mass of trees where they detected a possible signature from the Major's radio, the Sidewinder took a direct hit in the front from the canon of the SDR Sandstalker.  The vehicle crashed to a halt, the crew perishing as the scouts were spilled onto the hard ground.  Before anyone could blink HE shells from a PakKrote crashed in, wiping the scouts out to a man as the Sandstalker returned ineffective fire while doing its best to evade.

Hearing the fighting suddenly start, the other IMA Standstalker pulled up hull-down while the AFS sprung into a tree filled gully between hills, advancing into protected firing positions.

The sizzling of IMA lasers lanced the SDR troops on the hill felling a fireteam lightly damaging the Sph69.  The MG of the infantry team beat a tattoo of fire out in return, and one of the AFS suffered motive system damage, immobilizing it in position but still able to fire.  The Sandstalker popped up and added the voice of its own MG as the firefight quickly intensified, routing the Stahl PCO and Sph69.  With their controller legging it instead of directing, the Krotes suddenly flipped to automatic, pausing vital seconds to asses their current situation.  This was all of the opening the Mercs needed, allowing the smoke launchers of the COs Sandstalker to put a covering screen between him and the Stahl CO so he could flash forwards and retrieve the downed Major from the treeline right under the enemies nose!

Luck was on the side of the Mercs.  The LiDPiG CO blasted out of the area the way he came, only taking a glancing blown the pursuing SDR Sandstalker.  The damaged AFS dueled with the Krote on the ridge while his buddy fired at and immobilized the enemy COs Sandstalker, stopping any SDR chance of them being able to catch the Major.  The remaining IMA Sandstalker popped a smoke screen so the undamaged AFS could haul his damaged teammate out of the trees and onto the vehicle.  In very short order the IMA had vacated the battlespace, leaving the SDR troops empty handed in the dust.

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Game Notes

    The total plying time for this mission was just over 90 minutes, which included a lot of gab.  The opening moves were the slowest part as both sides were using blinds for their troops as well as a couple of dummies (the IMA had 1 while the SDR had 2).  Spotting and identifying the enemy is a big part of this game, with several unit types having special roles to aid in this (such as the Krote and Racoons) as well as being able to give attack bonuses on spotted enemies to friendly troops.  Units can also go back into being blinds (with dummies) if they are able to break LOS and sensor locks.

    As far as the game went, the SDR were able to get good sensor readings on the IMA troops very early, but the IMA Sandstalkers were able to discover the right landing zone before the Strahl literally stumbled upon it!  The die rolling on both sides was quite chaotic with neither player having consecutive successes, and the imitative swinging back and forth until the very end where the Mercs were able to eek out an advantage due to the SDR PCO routing and the Krotes flipping to autonomous.

    All said and done, the IMA got away with the defecting Major for the victory, but lost a Sidewinder destroyed, along with it's crew, 6 scouts KIA and 2 WIA.  The only SDR losses were an infantry fireteam (3 WIA and 1 KIA).  Damaged vehicles on both sides are repairable, but the IMA AFS pilot will be recuperating for a short bit.

Next time....

Just what vital info does this defector carry?  Will he spill the beans or will the SDR be able to launch a recovery operation before he can talk?  Stay tuned for the next developments!