Comment:
If you are participating in Strikezone Wotan, please consider also visiting the version of this battle report that I have posted there, and leaving a rating/recommendation, it’d help me out a lot and bring some extra motivation for me 😉
https://wotan.warconsole.com/battles/yasashii-fuyu-vs-lady-wazabi-1496078112
The rest of the Circulator Trip to the Wotan Gate went by surprisingly fast, especially considering that I had to spend a good chunk of it at the ship’s med bay getting threated by Sophotect Akaseni alongside some of the other Agents that where with me on R&R. Due to that circumstance I had to get most of my information about the ongoing preparations for system arrival via my holo wristband and the daily meetings with Pheasant Agent Kuang Fu Bao where he tried to summarize what occurred throughout the day and how my subordinates where doing.
Luckily despite all the potential conflict ahead, there was actually very little that could be done for now, everyone knew the ship good enough by now to fight in it without meeting too many nasty surprises, and we even made sure to save some time for Zero G Training just in case some saboteurs managed to mess with the ships internal systems…though I really didn’t want to think about the damage that prolonged Zero G environment would wreak among the civilian population of the “Dancing Panda”, floating into the sky of what is basically a town within a space ship wouldn’t be very pleasant once the gravitation was restored after all….but Madame Zeniba assured me that her crew was well trained for situations like that, and after the Zero G trainings sessions, so was my crew.
As the ship decoupled itself from the Circulator and eventually arrived at the Wotan Gate blockade, the first thing that astounded me as I viewed it through one of the holo screens was the sheer size of the operation. This was indeed a full on military blockade, including several small space stations, a few battleships and countless little support ships, as well as a full on Pan Oceanian Defense Platform System. I did however also instantly see signs of the building up tension everywhere, the amount of ships undocking from the Circulator alongside the “Dancing Panda” and moving towards the Blockade was unnaturally high, and some of them where clearly military in nature, some even obviously transports for Spec Ops Crack teams or their likings in disguise. This area was getting ready for struggle, and it wasn’t fully clear against who because there wasn’t any sign of Alien Presence to be seen yet, except maybe the odd little Tohaa Ship thrown in between, most likely claiming to be on some sort of diplomatic mission or whatnot.
The moment we came into encrypted communication range with the Yu Jing Elements of the Blockade I received a message which had also been sent to the Captain, commanding us to set course and dock with the Yu Jing Light Frigate “Shanqiang” to receive further instructions.
As expected, the “games” where about to begin.
Before we could make it to the “Shanqiang” however we were hailed by the nearby Security Orbital and informed that a boarding party was on its way to proceed with the regular security inspection.
Knowing full well that such a security inspection was far from the norm at the current times as several of the factions now refused to allow boarding parties on their vessels, the Nomads being the most prominent of those ever since the Shasvastii where discovered on their vessel, I quickly sent a message to Madame Zeniba with a request to not acknowledge the message sent by the Ariadnan Orbital, and went to the shuttle bay alongside a security detachment of my best agents.
The moment the crude looking Ariadnan Shuttle landed on board I knew that something was fishy, not only did the inspection detail consist entirely of Caledonians, which while capable of sniffing out some Shasvastii with their Cameronians and Wulvers, sure weren’t the best choice for doing so, but they also brought an unusual amount of heavy weapons and specialized personal with them.
Now of course all of that could have easily been argued for as special security measures in face of the recent discoveries, but it was the behavior of their commanders that made me especially unease, they didn’t seem to come for a routine mission, but rather where on edge as if in the middle of a combat zone, constantly checking us and their surroundings out for signs of weaknesses or aggression, making sure to mask most of their conversations.
Since they didn’t outright attack us though, and had apparently brought all the right digital paperwork with them to warrant a security inspection, I choose to let them proceed for now, sending a special operative with each of their teams while the rest of the forces proceeded with their duty as usual, after all we had nothing to hide right?
Wrong.
The first signs of trouble arose when one of the special operatives reported that amongst the Caledonians there where some sort of low tech Hackers present. Knowing full well that hacking capabilities where extremely rare among the Atek Ariadnans this instantly seemed suspicious, and when I then got a report no 10 minutes later that one of them had apparently tried to hack into our information grid but failed to do so due to our tightened security measures I decided to ready my strike force.
Another 10 minutes later I received a message claiming that one of the Caledonian Teams had apparently confiscated a bunch of crates filled with high tech Zero G Equipment, claiming it to be “infected by Shasvastii” and where now on their way to “inspect” an Antenna grid with direct access to our security system. The agent even sent a recording of a conversation between one of the Caledonian Volunteers and someone who apparently went by the name of “Mac Seamus” stating that “This is great, it’s going to be a great haul, them Chingchongs don’t suspect a thing!” followed by the Mac Seamus guy replying “Don’t be too sure of that, have you seen their commander? He seemed quite nervous about our arrival…”
Having had enough of this charade I decided it was about time we showed them Ariadnans that a Yu Jing vessel was indeed a dangerous place full of potential accidents if you weren’t proceeding with caution or where just an Atek fool not knowing what to do…and which button not to press..
So as they proceeded towards the Antenna grid, I quickly deployed alongside my Strike Team, ready to teach them a lesson.
Father Anderson and a Crane and Celestial Guard Team alongside some Kuang Shi built the left flank, with myself and “Lotus Justice” as well as “Bonbori” building the center, another Kuang Shi and a Lu Duan Drone covering the right flank. Kanren Umibozu who had been monitoring the group had advanced ahead of them, and now lay in ambush at the center of the battlefield.
The enemy team consisted of one of their commanders flanked by two Wulver Bodyguards, 2 Cameronians, a walking tin can of sorts, a team of Volunteers including the ominous hacker, led by a more fancily dressed woman, and some support riff raff, all spread out on both the left and right flank, apparently intending to directly head for the Antenna network.
As expected not long afterwards a security warning appeared on my armours internal systems, warning me that someone has tried to access the security network through one of the Antennas, and as the alarm sirens began to sound the Caledonians instantly let go of their peaceful pretense, and suddenly opened fire on one of the Celestial Guards on the left flank, wounding him.
Apparently they thought that this show of aggression would be enough to intimidate us into submission, but they apparently didn’t have to deal with Imperial Service Agents like us before, for such aggression only leads to an even more brutal counter reaction from us.
I instantly ordered the troops to advance, the Kuang Shi stumbling forward to trigger any potential enemy ambushes, and indeed, a hidden Cateran Sniper instantly took the bait and shoot at them, taking one of them instantly out, but revealing his position on a nearby rooftop while doing so.
Intent on teaching them a lesson in humility I quickly shifted into position to aim at the Cateran, and took him out with one swift burst of HMG Fire, his primitive camouflage no match for my Multi Spectral Visor.
On the left flank the Spec Ops that had recently joined my command in The Neon Dragon revealed himself from his disguise as just a normal Celestial Guard, proclaiming in a soft and relaxing, yet somewhat eerie voice to the wounded Celestial Guard “Daijoubu Buddy, I’ve got you covered” as he administered some sort of regenerative drug to him, which lead to the Celestial Guard instantly rising in a gasp of adrenalin infused energy, back in action at least for now. I could have sworn I remembered the voice from the Spec Ops somehow, but I just couldn’t remember from where, and his face hadn’t ringed a bell the view times I had seen him in The Neon Dragon.
In the meantime Kanren Umibozu advanced to the central antenna and tried to take some pot shots at the Cameronian advancing on the right flank, but the creature was too fast and avoided the shots with ease.
The Mercenary Sniper “Bonbori” tried to take care of the Cameronian sneaking up on the central Antenna next to Kanren Umibozu, but this one too seemed unnaturally swift and managed to avoid the bullets.
The Lu Duan Drone hat sent a warning signal about some sort of high threat target advancing on the left flank, and since a double check revealed that it wasn’t talking about the Cameronian, I decided to leave my high vantage position and check it out myself.
The target turned out to be the heavily armoured tin can of the Caledonians, some sort of nobility supposedly, with enough prestige and money to clad itself in whole armour of Teseum, the only way those backward hillbillies could ever hope to achieve any sort of meaningful protection I reckoned.
With a bit of pity on my mind for the poor woman inside thinking herself save behind those slaps of metal, I took aim with my HMG, targeting the joints of her armour with my advanced targeting display, and pressed the trigger. The master crafted weapon guided by the high tech targeting array hit the weak joints of her armour with ease, sending the woman to an early grave in an instant of ripping metal plates and meat. She didn’t even have time to gasp in surprise before her heavy body hit the floor with a metallic CLANK.
With the main threat on this side taken care off I proceeded to take a defensive position near the antenna on the right flank of our half of the battlefield, ready to suppress the area should any enemy show itself.
The moment I left my position on the right flank, the Cameronian that had been hiding behind the building to my right sprang into action, leaping on top of the building to advance towards my position, it had however apparently forgotten about “Bonbori” who instantly fired at him with her Sniper Rifle, missing him, but forcing him to take cover on the building’s roof instead of proceeding.
The Cameronian in the middle couldn’t resist the urge to attack any longer, the scent of Kanren Umibozu who was standing right around the corner too thick in its nostrils, and bellowing a challenge it dashed around the corner, opening fire on Umibozu with both of its chain rifle, ignoring the fact that it opened itself up to fire from several of my troopers.
Kanren Umibozu dashed for cover as the creature was riddled with countless bullets from all sides, but the hailstorm of shrapnel from the duo Chainrifles was too much and he got knocked out as one of them grazed his head as he dived out of the way.
The Cameronian wasn’t as lucky though, and his body slowly turned to sludge as it was eaten away by one of Father Anderson’s Viral bullets, it’s hulking body slowly disintegrating upon itself.
With the Cameronian’s advance halted the Caledonian Commander decided to join the action himself as he sneakily advanced along the right flank, thinking himself outside of any serious threat range. But with his primitive knowledge of the technology available to the proud Imperial Service and it’s contractors, he hadn’t expected Father Anderson’s X Visor, which allowed the grizzly old veteran to easily pick his target, and take out the enemy commander with a precise bodyshot with his viral rifle, even while he was being guarded by his two Wulvers next to him.
In the meantime the Caledonian Team on the left flank tried to secure the Antenna from a potential counter attack, there was a little problem waiting for them however which they needed to deal with first……
Logged Communication near Security Antenna G-21H:
“Wait! Wait! Don’t move any further! Did you hear that? What the hell was that noise?”
“Sounded like a goat to me…”
“Yeah right Mac Pea, everything sounds like a bloody Goat to you, stupid goat fu..”
“Oi! Don’t go there buddy..”
“But it’s true isn’t it? Them Mac Pea’s are all goat herders right? And you know how lonely them guys get when alone on the field aaaaall day right?”
“Oh shut up morron, I’m sure he was just joking anyways, right Mac Pea? You tell him!”
“But…eh…no, I was being serious, it actually sounded like a goat to me…”
“Bwahahahahaha”
“Muahahahar”
“Tzch….come on guys, listen to the lad, I’ve heard them Yu Jing guys have recently started using some sort of automated attack robots, they supposedly look like cute animals too, coalas, pandas, who knows….maybe they’ve got goats now?”
“Yeah right, as if a Goat would be a cute animal…only a Mac Pea would eve..”
“Enough! I’ve had it! You know what? I’ll just go take a look a’right? But if I’m right and it’s a goddamn goat you’ll never badmouth my family again….”
“Fiiiine, but Feargus….if it is a goat….and you start shagging it, I’m out!”…
“Bwaaaahaahahahaha”
“Muahahahar”
“Yeah right…very funny you…”
Conversation interrupted by the sound of triggered Mad Traps jumping into action, followed by the characteristic Baaaaaalaaargh sound of them detonating in a blob of instant hardening sludge
Apparently the guy they sent out to trigger the Mad Traps was a natural talent in dodging their lightning fast attack pattern, nimbly avoiding both of them by hoping over them as they approached.
With this threat to their movement taken care of the team fell back a little into a saver position, their hacker starting another attempt at logging into the security grid.
In the meantime on the right flank of the battlefield “Bonbori” tried to take out the Cameronian still hiding on the rooftop, but even with her years of experience she just couldn’t land a hit on the nimble creature, muttering an annoyed “That’s not right…those things shouldn’t be that fast…couldn’t be….” under her breath
Back on the left flank, unflinching and uncaring for the shots ricocheting off the asphalt next to them, the Kuang Shi continued their zombie like walk towards the Caledonian battle line, homing in on the Volunteer Team that had just dispatched the Mad Traps. Uncaring for its own security one of the Kuang Shi stumbled around the corner, opening up with its chain rifle on the unsuspecting Caledonian Hacker sitting next to the Antenna with her primitive computer in front of her. Too surprised to effectively defend herself she was instantly taken out by the storm of shrapnel, her hardware shredded alongside herself as the emotionless Kuang Shi continued on towards her colleagues, repeating a monotone “Death is the currency in which we pay for our crimes…” over and over again…
Unable to shift to a better position the remaining members of the Volunteer Team tried to shoot the Kuang Shi the moment he stumbled around the corner, but no matter how many shots they poured into the brainwashed human creature, it just kept pressing the trigger of his chainrifle, the unending rain of Shrapnel reaping one life after the other.
By the time the Kuang Shi finally fell to the ground, uttering a last “Death…the currency..pay our crime….” The only ones left standing where the heavily wounded Highlander Grey, as well as the man that the others had refered to as Mac Seamus before, wielding his shotgun with surgeon like precision, somehow still unharmed among all the dead.
He was just leaning against the nearby wall, a sigh of relieve rasping through his lungs as his body fought with the after effects of the adrenalin rush, when he suddenly heard another voice coming from the other side of the building he was leaning against…. “There is no innocence, only degrees of guilt…”..and then the world was darkness and pain for Mac Seamus.
Not too far behind the Kuang Shi the Crane Agent leading the Celestial Guard Team managed to aquire a better firing position on the Wulvers that had tried to cross the street with their commander before, and thanks to his X Visor he too managed to easily make out the Wulver standing in the middle of the road, ripping him apart with a long burst from his Spitfire.
In a last desperate attempt for vengeance the remaining Cameronian threw a smoke Grenade and advanced towards the Lu Duan Remote that had just skimmed closer to his position, but the Remote was ready for him, and a blazing hot stream of Fire from the Remotes Heavy Flamethrower ended the creatures existence just as his Chainrifles ripped the remote apart.
Suddenly there was only a single Wulver and a 112 that had been hiding behind a nearby building left for the Caledonians, and with their commander gone they decided that retreat towards their shuttle was a better option than trying to prevail here….naturally they didn’t make it far, a closed airlock ending their attempt, quickly followed by a burst of destructive Nano particles from my inbuilt Nano Pulsar, removing all evidence that they had ever been present on this ship.
The same procedure awaited all other members of the Caledonian team, though by the time the cleanup crew made it to the Volunteer Team’s remains, the Caledonian known as Mac Seamus was no longer there…..
Comment: Holy cow…..I wished I could have created the battle report on the Strikezone Wotan Campaign Website as easily as on this Blog…there it took me over two hours, here only like 10 minutes (of course I did a lot of preparations there, but still..)
Gotta say, this battle was a lot of fun, my wife is getting motivated for the Campaign as well, and I’m sure we’ll be having a lot of fun battle reports in the next few weeks.
I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed playing it!
the gentle winter 