Durgama Takeover

Incoming communications, alerts and notifications fills both eyes and ears. Such is a Daoying training to discern which deserves priority. These new helmets are a wonder: over-powered comm-logs and better screens. Most are bulletin and sitreps, nothing new. Been there, done that. The situation is pretty tense, lots of sectors here in Cameliard have already been secured, but the fight is toe to toe against both the hulking Morats and the hated sons of the Hyperpower. Offensive is closing to an end, foretold Commander Lu Gi hours ago. No one doubts of the competence of the High Command, but the battlefield is, well, let'say "contested". Eyes surveying batreps, sitreps, telemetries, sky radarings, civil-class distress pings, system failures... I stopped. IS THERE A CIVILIAN IN THERE? A simple ping in the quantronic web of the facility. Cannot be. I opened a voice channel, "Daoying Chéng Chuntao here, receiving distress ping from a civilian in server room A2, has anyone receiving it?". Multiple confirms. "I'm the closest operative. I'm moving in to check". I switched channel to battle group comms. "Requesting situation report for server room A2, we move in, possible civilian presence". Shortly after, less than a quarter of hour, a mercenary hunter sent me live images.
No, I didn't expect the civilian was Diplomat Xi. He supposed to be in diplomatic visit on the Raveneye. And I didn't expect there were intruders. Nomads. "Corregidorians" my geist suggested, reading their badges faster than me. There was an operative working around on of our Data Storage Units. Why didn't the alarm went off? "I didn't feel like shooting Nomads today. Guess I'll do it."

Mission is Looting and Sabotaging, with Assured Support ad Depot special rules.
YJ wins initiative rolls and choose side. Nomads start deploying: daktari and Jaguar haris on left side, a three-man core in the center (Brigada Lieutenant, Evader Engineer, Jazz), Transductor zond in the back, guarding AC2 and reserve Moran. YJ deploys Kuang Shis scattered around, a monk on the right side, Daoying Liutenant hidden in the back, Celestial Guard in High ground (but in cover and prone), Beasthunter in Forward Deployment on the right, near the Panoply and Liberto near the other Panoply and the HVTs. Hact Tao in reserve. Moran is then placed near the left Panoply and Hac Tao is in hidden deployment above a building in the right side.
Classified objective are drawn: Nomads got Data Scan and YJ got Rescue.

YJ spends a command token to take out two orders from Nomads' pool. One order is spent on Evader link, which moves forward and gain sight with the mine Liberto has left beside the Panoply. He then tries a discover but fails. Brigada step forward and discovers shock mine. Moran deploys CrazyKoala on a building, threatening the area of the Panoply. He then clicks the Panoply to cancel Unloaded State, and moves forward. Moran moves toward AC2, place d.charges but go killed by Beasthunter's flames in ARO. AC2 manages to pass all saves. Brigada spends lieutenant order and shoot Shock Mine, the retreat to safety. Evader link spend an order to reposition, Hac Tap reveals itself to ARO but misses.

Liberto enters CrazyKoala area and dodges it. Hac Tao shoot and split burst between Jaguar and Evader: jaguar is critted and dies, Evader enters NWI. Liberto fails Panoply roll. Then fails again. Then decides to do something more inherent to its competences (killing) and moves forward to engage Jaguar. Liberto ends Dogged and Jaguar unconscious. Liberto shoots Brigada (which saves) and moves forward, hunting Jazz. Transductor Zond stuns it. Beasthunter moves forward and tries to kills Brigada with flamethrower, but got killed by his MULTIrifle. Brigada takes one damage. Hac Tao moves up the field.

Jazz links moves forward and shoot pitcher: Repeaters will be useful gainst evil Hac Tao! But both shots failed. Nrigada exit link with liuetenatn order and open Panoply. There was an HMG inside! Links moves further and Jazz reach Hac Tao in hacking zone, trying a Oblivion. Hac Tao saves. Evader moves to AC2 and uses all his three D-charges to destroy it. Yes, it took three order and all the charges to take care of that AC2!

Impetuous Kuang Shi try to kill Evader, but he dodges away. Another impetuous Kuang Shi kills Evader with pistol, a third one shoots Brigada (which saves). Shaolin move forward, smoke the area and approaches Jazz. It took four order to kill her in close combat (wrong battle staff, I guess). Hac Tao moves deeper towards the AC2, saves Flash Pulse then make Zond unconscious, dodges Brigada's flamethrower and deals one damage to the AC2. Impetuous Kuang Shi kills Evader with pistol, a third one shoots Brigada (which saves). Shaolin move forward, smoke the area and approaches Jazz. It took four order to kill her in close combat (wrong battle staff, I guess). Hac Tao moves deeper towards the AC2, saves Flash Pulse then make Zond unconscious, dodges Brigada's flamethrower and deals one damage to the AC2.

Nomads has two regular order and a lieutenant order. Brigada manages to kill the Hac Tao in the first one, a Kuang Shi with the second one and a monk with the last one.
Kuang Shi impetuously descend by a building and got shoot by Brigada, becoming Dogged. The other Kuang Shi runs toward the Panoply, clicks it and find a +4 ARM. Then Daoying approaches Panoply as well, opens it and finds a moped (MOV 8-4).

YJ fulfills the criteria to score Secure HVT, however Nomads wins 7 to 3. YJ has still 45 points on boards while Nomads has 49.

Agent Guo Long stepped in the server room. He has eyes for no one except Diplomat Xi. "Revered Diplomat Xi", he bowed, "I'm terribly sorry for what happened, if If only I knew befor..."
"You should have expected it", the Diplomat interrupted the Agent with a brief gesture of the hand. "Allies doesn't means friend. They grew suspicious about our operation and this is what happens when intelligence fails." He then looked around. "Our precious combat datas are irrecoverable. However what we have in the cubes and in this Pangguling unit will suffice for the early analysis."
"I will care about that", said Guo Long, almost whispering. "The unit they used to thwart the alarm system is barely functional, but will provide useful insights. They left an synthetic body there and…"
"Don't bore me with the technicalities" cut Xi. "I'm heading outside now, my lift is almost here." He approaches the Agent and whispers "make sure that Daoying and her people gets the credits for my safety. They deserve it. Ah, and the next time you'll be sorry, it will be the last one. Do not forget who makes you a Crane." Without waiting a reply, he walked past the Agent and disappeared in the sun-bathed exterior.
His career at a stake, a new recruit to introduce at the training facility (what was her name? Li Ming? Mei Ling?) and lot of intel to retrieve and organize. Not exactly what he expected from a theatre of war. This is what an operative of the Imperial Service should excel in, however, an occasion for make up the many mistakes were made these days. He sighed, compiled a commendation to be filed for Daoying Chéng Chuntao and summoned the goons for the heavy lifting. Commander Lu Gi will be won't let down this time!

Zhanshi Li Ming left all the equipment at the quartermaster: armor, rifle, pistol and all the uniform standard issues. A notification said she has been commended and reassigned to an unit outside the army. She has already waved goodbye to her battle group once he got the notification. All she knows is she will be shortly transferred to a training facility in Yutang, but other specifications, such as the location, are classified or inaccessibile. She always felt her qualities were unappreciated in ranks of the Invincible Army and this seems the perfection occasion to make a name for herself in the StateEmpire. Agent Guo Long and Diplomat Xi will be pleased, she clearly feel it.
She walked toward the spaceport, smiling.

"So, it is true. You are leaving us". Jing Qo isn't capable to knock doors and ask politely, apparently.
"What?" I replied, moaning for all the heavy lifting we made in the past day near the furnace.
"I know you requested to be transferred to the training center in Huangdi. You are leaving the front, leaving us to fight alone there in the cold" she said, almost shouting. Never seen her this way.
"Listen, we are both veterans, we fought more than what was necessary for the StateEmpire. I'm not combat effective as I used to be, I'm afraid I'm not be able to make right decisions anymore. I won't risk any life, my people's life, anymore. They deserve a better lieutenant, younger. Charismatic. Ruthless. Better retire in a garrison and train the new guys".
"I thought we were going to be comrades forever", she said, almost crying.
"Are you crying?" Is she really capable of crying? "We are still comrade. You can use 'friend', if this is better for you..."
She looked directly at him, eyes into eyes, years of denying weights tons on their shoulders. "Friends will do". She run away. Maybe she got something urgent to do. Or maybe she doesn't want her 'friend' to watch her crying.
He stared at the empty space she occupied briefly before. A space filled by the cold of a hug that never happened, but it should have.
"Maybe I could even ask her out..." says to himself. And laughed. For a brief moment the corridor filled with Daofei Tàng Shun laughter. And, for that moment, the human sphere was a little better place.

This is my last report, I really enjoyed this campaign, even if it was shorter than usual. I wish to thanks all the players, even the PanO ones (lol), for all the efforts they put on the table.

A special thanks to the YJ guys and the High Command, we did great and we roleplayed accordingly. Hope to fight beside you in the next campaign! *happy chinese mob sounds*

A particular mention is well deserved by VeryFastPanda and CrazyKoala, very close friends, with whom I shared the table and the narrative. Nothing I accomplished in this game would have been possible without them. *applause*

I hope you enjoyed my report and my garrison-style narrative. See you in the next campaign!