Durgama Takeover

Titanium Grievance, Corregidoran Armed Miner, High Orbit, Concilium Prima
15MM off Raveneye Station

The boarding shuttle drifted out of the Grievance’s docking bay with a whisper of attitude thrusters, beginning our long, dark approach to Raveneye.

“Ten hours at drift before breach,” our pilot announced, powering down his internal systems. In the distance, Raveneye glittered, a star against the night side of the planet.

“Gonna be a long ride, kid. Leave your heater and coms, but power down the rest and get some sleep.”

10 hours later…

Raveneye had grown from a glimmer to a massive fortress, filling the shuttle’s front view. I locked my final mag to my hip and joined the rest of the boarding team at the aft hatch. We were an eclectic bunch, cobbled together from whatever the Grievance could spare from her crew. A couple EVAders assigned to the mining tugs, a Grenzer investigating some sort of smuggling op., even an Interventor doing… something. Then there was me, the new kid on the block, freshly signed with the Tunguska Security service. We were one of dozens of teams from across the Nomad Nation, all converging on Raveneye at the call of our brothers and sisters. I’d never been on Corregidor, but my blood burned at the thought of what those aliens had done to her.

“Let’s go,” Roberto said, slamming his armored fist against the airlock controls.

As one, we drifted from the shuttle towards a breach in Raveneye’s hull identified as our access point. We were to link up with an infiltration specialist from the group defending the fortress’ starboard railgun, then make our way to the defense. At least, that was the plan.

We entered the station, fanning out to cover the open hallways. It was eerily still and quiet; this section was still open to the void from some prior impact. I engaged my tactical HUD, and watched as the rest of the teams vitals and locations flickered into view. Roberto’s EVAder icon grew as he keyed his radio.

“There’s probably EI patrols in these dead zones. Keep alert, keep cover, keep contact. Kid, hang back and maintain comms until I call you up.”

I nodded, ducking behind a stairway adjacent to our breach point.

I watched the team creep forward, Roberto signaling for the other EVAder, Sigel, and the Grenzer to swing to the right, covering a hallway in that direction. Our Interventor, Ruby, grinned at me as she fired up her devices, fingers whirling in front of her helmet.

“Kkkkkt…” A mic keyed on.

“I’ve got a visual on a Morat patrol, 20, 30 meters in. Looks like a Tempest to me. Big gun monkey.” Roberto’s voice was a whisper.

“Copy that,” replied Sigel. “Clear for now on the right.”

I resisted the urge to ping my bio-scanner. Rumor had it that the EI could sense those devices, even the passive ones. Not worth the risk just yet.

Roberto’s mic keyed again.

“I’m going to try t”

BRAAAAAAP

Gunfire. Alien gunfire, heavy, likely a man-portable (monkey-port… not now!) HMG, from up the left hallway. Wow… the training did sink in.

“Shit! I’m spotted! Engaging!”

The rapid bzzzzzrt of a spitfire joined the heavy bass of the alien machine gun.

“Moving!”

I watched Roberto’s icon jump a few meters left, presumably seeking a better angle from the other side of the hallway. His armor registered a pair of impacts.

Glancing, non-lethal.

After a brief pause, I heard Roberto’s spitfire unleash again – a trio of long, sustained bursts.

“Target down, no movement. I do love this baby.”

“She is a peach, Rob.” Sigel replied, “But one day, you’ll see my argument for the heavier rifles. Clear ri… CONTACT!”

I heard the heavy rumble of ANOTHER HMG.

“Another HI! We’re taking fi.” The Grenzer’s link went dead, either his comms were out, or…

“Lukas is down, MOVING!”

The WHUMP-WHUMP-WHUMP of a rifle firing heavy antipersonnel rounds on automatic.

“Target down!”

“Lukas?” I asked.

A pause.

“He’s gone.”

“Contact left. Looks like another HI… light weaponry. Hasn’t spotted me yet.”

CRACK-CRACK

Roberto’s comms were noticeably startled.

“HI diving for cover, unknown contact engaging.”

A chuckle came over the Nomad local net.

“Welcome to Raveneye, I’ll be your guide today.”

Glancing up, I spotted a Specter materializing from nowhere, his sniper rifle trained toward the new contact.

“I’ll keep this one pinned down, the rest of you break up and left, someone will meet you a few hundred meters bow-ward.”

“Copy that,” Roberto waved the team forward.

I was a few meters from Roberto’s position when a blood-chilling warcry erupted from down the hall. A roaring mass of muscle and blade came racing around the corner, eyes locking onto me.

“Looks like our fun isn’t over.”

CRACK

This game felt rough for my opponent! We don’t normally play 150, and he LOVES his HI (which usually terrorize me), but with only 4 orders, plus the LT order, to my 6+1, I felt like I was just unconstrained. I did land couple lucky saves with the AP Spitfire EVAder, which kept him alive to shred the Sogarat NCO – if that hadn’t happened, I didn’t have much to stop him rampaging up my left side. Likewise, after my opponent sliced the pie to kill my Grenzer, the MULTIRifle EVAder landed a clutch ARO! The Suryat LT saved, but that EVAder was then free to dump a handful of active turn orders into the second kill. At that point, my Specter had the rest of the field pretty well pinned down. Fun game for both, but I’m never taking a list this short on orders again, and neither is my opponent!