Five Parsecs Campaign Turn 9 - Office work

At the start of turn 9, 6 credits were spent on upkeep.

Reece, Noah and Kari all spent time training.  Reece and Noah levelled up their combat skill, and Kari her reactions.

Mila, Jak and Nat all went trading.  Only Nat found anything worthwhile, some good quality food and booze.

After a degree of 'persuasion', the prisoner gave up the info that the church had stashed records of its activities on this planet in a non-descript office masquerading as a haulage firm.  Unfortunately he also revealed that if it was believed compromised, a specialist team would be sent in to 'sanitise' the site.  The race was on...

This mission would see the crew (minus Anul, wherever he's gone) take on a black-ops squad of four (including a leader) in a race to secure the cult's records.  The Crew had the numbers, but this time would be facing a more tactical enemy, well armed, with higher combat skill and body armour.

The office is in the centre building.  Crew entering top left, black ops bottom right

 Team one - with the leader

Team 2, the marksman team

The crew rolled up three fast actions for the first turn.  Kari and Nat headed for a nearby building to get a higher vantage point while the rest headed for the target.  The black ops team 1 headed for the haulage yard, while team 2, with the marksman, also headed for high ground.

Turn 2 saw the our 'heroes' roll a staggering five fast actions.  Reece used his jump belt to gain a position on top of the target building overlooking the yard - a decision he would rapidly regret!  All the others moved up into position, Kari climbing onto a rooftop position, as did the black ops team... right overlooking Reece!

Kari takes the High Ground...

As does the sniper!

The Ops Team 1 moved up amongst the crates.  The team leader and trooper both opened up on Reece.  Despite being in cover Reece took two wounds, reducing him to one hit point! (+2 on Combat Skill really hurts when the opposition have it!).

Turn 3
Three quick actions this time, given to Jak, Reece and Kari.  Kari moved up to the parapet but couldn't quite draw a bead on the enemy leader.  Jak took up position behind a truck and fired off a burst at him, but failed to hit.  Reece did better, moving out of site of the trooper and taking a wound off the enemy leader, but was still in a highly precarious position, overlooked by the sniper team.  Fortunately they didn't have their sites calibrated yet and both managed to miss him!

 Reece hits someone!  That's twice in the whole campaign!

But Jak misses 

Black ops trooper repositioning, trying to flank Jak

Reece's position looks tricky...

Reece had been lucky so far, but was under pressure as turn 4 started.  The crew had 3 fast actions, the first of which went to Kari on the rooftop.  Breathing carefully, she rested her auto rifle against the parapet, and lined up the sniper team in her sights...

The targets are in the centre top building, in cover.  A tough shot...

...Or not

In a perfectly aimed burst, Kari took down both members of the sniper team, halving the opposition at a stroke.  Nat knew immediately that she'd be bragging about this for weeks...

Reece and the Black Ops leader, and Jak and the trooper, exchanged shots but with no success on either side (although Jak had cause to be thankful for his new combat armour). Mila and Noah also opened fire but with little effect, but the Black Ops team ended the turn with their first morale failure anyway.  However they were far from being out of the game yet.

Turn 5

Reece, Mila and Noah all struggled to hit their targets.

Jak decided to take a risk, and moved out into the open to get a flanking shot on the remaining trooper - he levelled his rifle and let of a perfect burst, causing two hits, but the trooper's armour held.  Remaining calm, despite the hammer blows of bullets on his armour vest, the operative snapped off a burst back at Jak, dropping him to the ground (despite combat armour and 2 hits points!)!

"Jak's Down!"

Things then went from bad to worse as the ops team leader leaned around the container and snapped off a burst that saw Noah also crumple to the ground!

"they got Noah too!"

Seeing Jak drop, Nat and Kari came down off the rooftop and sprinted towards the firefight, but it was going to take them a couple of turns to get there.

Turn 6

Things were looking grim for the crew of the Envoy - but then, with a grunt of pain, Jak hauled himself to his feet again and opened fire (The compendium rules allow for checking the effect of wounds mid-game, Jak rolled 'Scratched') again his shots were stopped by the trooper's body armour, but this time Jak's Combat Armour did its job and shrugged off the rifles shots that flew back at him.

Reece, in a bold but risky move, used his jump belt again to land on the container right about the ops team leader, but his neither his handgun, nor Mila's rifle could penetrate his military grade body armour.

Turn 7

Using one of the 3 fast actions rolled up, Kari managed to catch up with the action.  Getting around the flank of the enemy leader, she took him out with a quick, but well aimed burst.

Jak and Reece caught the remaining trooper in a crossfire.  Although they didn't manage to land any telling shots on him, it was enough to make him drop back behind the next container - clearing the way for Mila whi, after briefly checking Noah was still breathing, charged into the office to look for information on her sister.

Kari makes another long shot!

Reece and Jak force the remaining trooper back

Turn 8, 9 & 10

A fierce firefight emerged between the remaining trooper, Reece and Jak, as they tried to either finish off or drive off the remaining threat.  Isolated and Alone, the Black Ops trooper decided to live up to his unit's reputation and didn't budge, even when Jak started lobbing grenades, only to finally succumb to a rifle shot in turn 10.

The flanked trooper decides to go out fighting... 

...But there's only one way this is going to end!

Aftermath

Well, that was tougher!  With a D6 based system, +2 on combat skill has quite an impact, cover becomes a lot less useful for one thing.  A combination of Kari's shooting and having multiple hit points kept the crew in the game, but it was looking quite tricksy for a bit there

Loot - colonist rations

Noah - Minor injuries, 1 turn in sick bay, no long term effects

Jak - School of hard knocks, +1 XP

Reece - no long term effects

XP

Reece + 3
Nat + 3 (levelled up reactions) +1 vet rank
Jak +3
Kari +5 (first to inflict a casualty and enemy leader) levelled up combat skill up one vet rank, gained a skill.
Mila +3
Noah + 4 (+1 for becoming a casualty)

Campaign Event - Alien merchant -5 credits, gain Grav Flinger
Character Event - Jak is injured while working on the ship and must spend a turn in the sick bay

Used med supplies to get Jak and Noah out of sick bay