STALKER7

An EXPLOIT ZERO OMNIBUS AAR

LOCATION: Song Ree Peninsula. Howa-Colt Industries’ restricted testing grounds for advanced analysis, material testing, and quality assurance of military systems.

BRIEF: Informants have revealed a prototype mil-spec droid – Mk. I “Xióng” HCD (Heavy Combat Droid) – is being run through its paces at the Song Ree Testing Facility.

OBJECTIVES: Agents are to infiltrate the location, acquire classified test results at the unit’s control terminal, and destroy the prototype unit. A ‘Gaki’ stealth VTOL will be waiting at Rally Point Zeta 9D to exfil the team from the peninsula.

***

This is a straightforward mission with a team of 4 Agents, two objectives – one of which is a three-stage task – and seven turns. Team will deploy on the bottom edge of the game mat and must exit off the top edge, opposite their entry zone.

THE TEAM

Left to Right: Anton (Ronin) – Lister (Sawbones) – Izolda (Razor) – Dante and Laika (Splicer and Drone)

T1- T2: Opening Shots

Agents activate first, so they promptly advanced up the open lane toward the objectives, fanning out and sticking to cover where possible. There are no visible guards or security assets, but because H-SEC spawn at random, from two of four possible entry points, (the corners) players can never be quite sure if their luck will hold. Or if they’re in for a nasty surprise.

And I’ll take ‘nasty surprise’ for $500, Alex.

The first wave of H-SEC spawns, one pair behind the Agents, the other in front. They promptly advance and open fire. Izolda is wounded. Bullets zip past Dante. Somewhere in the distance, an alarm starts warbling.

Lister jogs over to apply a MedKit to a pissed off Izolda, who then charges the hapless H-SEC troopers. Anton provides covering fire for Dante and Laika who rush toward the terminal and start hacking. (Laika has a ECM Pod installed in one of its Hard Points, boosting Dante’s cyber rolls.)

• The first tier of H-SEC troopers are old Kryomek Corporate Marines. It was good to get them back on the table.

One H-SEC trooper in each pair goes down to return fire/mono-filament katana slashes, but more arrive and activate. Before and behind yet again, only this wave it’s 3 models per spawn point.

The lead fire team advances through the cargo crates and squares off against Anton. The rear trio fires at Lister, putting two wounds on him. Bad for the team medic.

T3 – T4: In which things get loud

Anton dashes up the stairs for better cover and elevation, then puts more rounds on the lead H-SEC. (Bit of an ominous build up and potential speed bump to the Exfil zone)

Dante and Laika finish the three-part hack on the terminal ( hack the system, download the files, upload a virus) then move to plant the C6 charge on the heavy droid.

Lister takes cover and is busy patching himself up with bloody fingers. Having dispatched the remaining trooper from the first pair, Izolda runs back across the avenue and tosses a micro-grenade at the new trio. Two go down.

More H-SEC arrive up. D8 tier, up front. The speed bump is upgraded to a road block as both pairs spawn from the same corner and move into cover.

• Pulling more old figs out of the case, Reaper Chronoscope Marines this time.

All of a sudden the mission clock is ticking down and there’s a lot of lead in the air. A bandaged Lister scurries up under the walkway, sticking to the cover of the support pillars. Seeing the new D8 H-SEC take up a position in the street, directly front of them, Dante and Laika plant the demo-charge but opt to put the ceramic and steel bulk of the droid between them and unfriendly fire.

Izolda cuts down the last H-SEC trooper, then dashes up the street toward the sound of gunfire. And the exit. Wanting to thin the alarmingly belligerent H-SEC herd, Anton’s sets his standard issue bullpup assault rifle aside for a moment and pulls out a micro grenade. The last of the D6 H-SEC go down but the new D8’s are tucked in snug, right between the Agents and the exit.

More D8 H-SEC arrive. Before and behind. (“If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”)

• Reaper Chronoscope Nova Corp. Dusting off more old figs.

T5 – T6: EXFIL RFN

Objectives accomplished, it’s time to go. Problem is, there’s a lot of angry security in the way. Carrying wounds, down to the last of their equipment, and knowing D10 elites are inbound, it’s ‘do or die trying’ time.

Izolda slaps on her last Med Kit, then sprints toward the D8s clustered in the street. She will tangle them up on melee, if nothing else, and give her team mates a chance to leave. Anton heals up as well, then starts shooting at the new D8s as he descends the stairs.

Meanwhile, Lister advances up the left side under the walkway and manages to flank the H-SEC in the street. Miraculously, his Back Up pistol takes one down. Dante and Laika try something stupid; they shift right across the street and take cover behind the barriers near the cargo crates, trusting Anton and Izolda will hold the enemy’s attention/draw their fire.

The next wave of H-SEC spawn. Thank the fickle gods of covert ops they arrive in the rear of the mission area, behind the team. Elite-tier with three, D10 actions, they use all their moves to move up. (If the arrival location rolls had been different, most likely it would have been ‘game over’ for our Agents.)

Time to sprint for the finish line. Or in this case, the stealth VTOL.

With enemies all around, the team throws caution – and inflicting casualties – to the wind. All remaining actions are spent running for the exit. Lister, Dante/Laika, and Izolda get there first. The D10’s elites are breathing down Anton’s neck. They had him in their sights, but he makes it by the skin of his teeth.

Network hacked. Files stolen. Virus uploaded. Bomb planted. Mission accomplished.

That’s all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

The EXPLOIT ZERO OMNIBUS is now available at Wargame Vault in PDF.

Print Version at Amazon.