Enter, The Pact.
120pt Epirian Foundation vs Kaigus Pact
A small hydroponics facility sits on the western edge of Daviston Outpost, bracketed by the failed Mackie Ranch Bullroach grazing area and the reclamation and research facilities on the edge of the acidic Three Minute Lake. While seemingly of little tactical significance, the troops of the Daviston Militia find themselves called to action to defend against the planetfall of a Kaigus Pact incursion.
The Forces
The Kaigus Pact - Canto Melrahb
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The Epirian Foundation - Daviston Militia
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Deployment
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The mission for this battle is Strike and Hold, which uses the Meat Grinder and Delayed Objectives Objectives. Iain, playing the Kaigus Pact under the command of Curator Melrahb, selected the Wave of Flesh Faction Objective, while Michael, playing the Epirian Foundation, selected Master of Machines. The Kaigus Pact are the attackers, and deployment is using the Face Off map, which leaves a straight 18" space between the opposing deployment zones. During deployment, Michael put the Fireflies and Scarecrow in cover, while Iain elected to put his Shatter Thralls On the Move - at two placed tokens each, neither side received a Command Point bonus for the start of the game.
Turn One
With Priority going to the attacking Kaigus Pact, the Vapor Thralls scuttled forward into the plaza in front of the hydroponics facility, clouds of Concealing Vapor emanating from the orifices on their backs.
The vapor clouds of the tiny thralls block line of sight across the middle of the battlefield.
Hunter FK-16 lurched into motion, moving forward and spraying the diminutive thrall swarm with suppressive fire. While Suppressive Fire does no immediate damage, this successfully bumped the swarm up to suppression level 2. The nearby Contractor Defender squad chose to take a more direct approach, advancing around the corner, taking aim and firing on the swarm to full effect. Three critical hits from grenade launchers and a single successful pistol shot saw one base of thralls removed as casualties, 2 injuries on the next, and their suppression increased two more levels.
The Contractors unleash everything they have on the thralls.
Down in the lake complex, the clawed Tamakin dashed forward across the walkway and into the ruined Building 23.
Clawed Tamakin on the move in the ruin.
On the opposite flank, the Muharis Sentinel unit dashed across to the nearest forest clump, laying down suppressive fire on the scouting Firefly drones. The Fireflies failed their WP test for both successful hits, raising their suppression level to 3.
Muharis and their attached Biologis Adept spray the Epirian drones with darts as they run.
Journeyman Bracks, stationed with Spider Unit Alpha in the generator complex, crouched down behind his barricade, peering over to take aim at the Vapor Thralls, but missing the skittering creatures in their concealing cloud. Spending two command points, he used Push the Machine to reactivate Hunter FK-16, increasing the warmech's suppression level to 3. The Hunter unleashed another burst of suppressive fire, increasing the thralls' suppression level to 6 before shaking off one point of its own. Journeyman Tempus followed his peer's lead, eschewing moving to find a target in favor of using command points to reactivate the flakk-equipped Hunter yet again. Engaging aiming protocols, the Hunter aimed on the thralls, smashing them with three injuries. With their suppression already at maximum, the thralls suffered a further two injuries of suppression damage, leaving one base on the table at FOR2.
Behind the now depleted Krii, the dart Tamakin brood advanced, aiming at the Contractor Defenders. Their weak dark hosts were unable to inflict damage, but the Sentinel Strongpoint unit to the Tamakins'rear was more successful, their Brood Launchers showering the Contractors with acidic projectiles. The Epirians' reasonably priced armor was not up to the task, with three Contractors and their drone collapsing under the onslaught, leaving just the team leading standing on suppression level 3.
The Contractor unit is unable to withstand the massed Kaigus Pact firepower.
Spider Unit Alpha took what cover they could at the entrance to the first bridge, aiming at the clawed Tamakin in the ruin. Their machine guns stuttered out shots, killing two of the thralls and raising their suppression level to 2.
Two Tamakin are cut down by the Spiders' machine guns.
On the other flank, the Fireflies dashed across to the roundyard, snapping out laser shots at the Muharis but missing. Curator Melrahb responded, moving up to the corner of the storage tank he was sheltered behind and shooting a blast at the Epirian flyers with his genostaff. Although the nimble drones were able to Dodge one injury, one drone went down and their suppression level went up two points. Melrahb then spent a command point to bring the reserve Tamakin unit onto the field via Hypergenesis, namites streaming out and building the thralls from base materials in front of the roundyard.
In front of the hydroponics facility, the Biologis Attendant unit moved in position to aim at the Contractor team leader, blasting him with darts and Genostaff acid. His armor melting from his body, the last Contractor slumped to the ground.
Hunter CM-34 moved closer to the roundyard, taking aim at the newly spawned Tamakin unit. Peppered with shots from the warmech's Chaingun, Suppressor Machine Gun and Strike Missile launchers, the thrall unit didn't stand a chance, all falling as casualties.
The Tamakin are overwheled by the Hunter warmechs impressive firepower.
On its raised balcony, the Scarecrow Sniper took aim on the Shatter Thralls scuttling behind the hydroponics facility, a critical hit from its maglock Railrifle taking out one base of the critters. The resultant explosion raised the suppression levels of both Curator Kaniima and the Epirian Firefly unit two points, taking out another Firefly from suppression damage.
The Scarecrow scores a hit, with explosive results.
In the plaza, the pair of Orakan dashed forwards, going On the Move but unable to close on a target. Curator Kaniima followed, his staff spraying out acid at Hunter FK-16. While the hits were blocked, the Hunter gained a suppression level and its armor was permanently damaged, reduced by 2.
Kaigus Pact forces advance up the center.
Spider Unit Beta retaliated, moving towards the Orakan and unleashing their weapons at short range. With an impressive 14 shots, even the impressive head armor of the Orakan was unable to block them all, and the two beasts both went down.
Flakk Spiders can be deadly at short range!
The last unit to activate this turn, the Shatter Thralls charged Hunter CM-34. The warmech's defensive fire inflicted 5 injuries, taking out a base and raising the survivors' suppression, but increasing its own suppression by 3 as the thralls died explosively. The surviving thralls swarmed the Hunter and self-detonated, although they had little effect - the blast doing no damage beyond raising the Hunter's suppression another level.
Krii Shatter Thralls swarm the Hunter warmech.
With the first turn down, both forces had inflicted casualties, scoring 5 VPs each, and they each also secured 1 VP from their Faction Objectives. The Epirians gained an additional 5 Vps for killing more enemy units than the Kaigus Pact had managed, leaving them on 11 VPs to their opponents' 6.
The battlefield at the end of turn one, with Delayed Objectives now deployed. (Click for bigger)
Click to move on to Turn 2!
