Battle for Xilos

*** to read The Chronicles of Karyle, Ch. 1, please see this battle report from Week 1: http://battleforxilos.warconsole.com/battles/vs-kurar-1466969458

*** to read The Chronicles of Karyle, Ch. 2, please see this battle report from Week 2: http://battleforxilos.warconsole.com/battles/vs-kurar-1467594757

*** to read The Chronicles of Karyle, Ch. 2.1, please see this battle report from Week 2: http://battleforxilos.warconsole.com/battles/vs-kurar-1467807985

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The sour boromite grumbled at the comm panel in disbelief, his honor and training not allowing for any other verbal indication about his displeasure to escape his craggy lips. He had just received a direct transmission, or as close as to one as possible on the hellish Xilos, from his Guildess. His squad, still having never received reinforcements, had been assigned to leave their post at the transmat construction site and head to a small island outpost to the northeast on a search and retrieval mission. Word had gotten to the Guildess through her various channels that the artifacts of the builders, left untouched by the occupying Ghar, had significant value. What seemed to be a “relic hotspot” had been located by one of the Algoryn scouting parties in Ghar territory, so Karyle’s diminished squad would be just the right size to get in and get out without drawing much attention. His orders had been simple, as always within boromite command structures, but he knew from the Guildess’ tone that enemy contact was all but a certainty.

Turning to his most trusted bodyguard and assistant, the boromite relayed the order, “Ready the men and our remaining lavamites. Tell no one the specifics, only that there is the strong possibility for contact with the Algoryn and possibly Ghar. We leave within the hour.”

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SCENARIO EXPLANATION:

Because of our lacking a third player to be the Ghar, my opponent and I set up 4 “Ghar Automated Defense” bots to guard the various relics placed throughout the battlefield. (See the attached photo for relic placement) All 4 of the GADs were used as if they were individual, independent Ghar Battlesuits, with simple intelligence systems similar to the Flitters. Capable of limited movement, the GADs would attempt to attack whatever non-GAD squad was within the closest proximity. Each GAD was given a single order dice in the bag, as well as the typical Ghar disruption dice. When a GAD would activate, the opposing player (i.e. the player further away from the GAD and thus not the target) would control the GAD, performing the simplest and most logical action for a primitive computer mind.

A single d6 was used for each relic, with each relic showing a different number. For each GAD that was destroyed, at the start of the following turn a d6 was rolled, and if the number matched any of the relics still unclaimed on the board, a new GAD near that relic had been activated and the model was returned to the table touching whatever relic corresponded to the d6 roll.

END SCENARIO EXPLANATION

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The jungle was foggy, the canopy thicker than anywhere else the boromites had yet seen on Xilos. They had found the coordinates quickly, considering the loss in time it had required for them to get across the water and securely onto the small island. The intel had been correct: the site did appear to have once been an outpost built amongst the ruins, a single beacon tower shining through the leaves. That it burned brightly was not a good sign.

It meant they were not alone.

As they approached the tower, Karyle’s targeter was able to provide him with a readout of 5 separate points of interest in the area. It appeared two were nestled in the open ground, overgrown with fauna, one was at an old transmat platform, another at what once was a landing pad, and then finally one at the tower itself. Considering the amount of men he had to work with, Karyle knew it would be wiser to safely retrieve 2-3 of the relics and withdraw, rather than see all of his men dead and fail his Guildess. Signalling his X-Launcher crew to set up at the boromites’ extraction point, Karyle pushed ahead through the jungle terrain towards the tower, his Gang Fighters and Worker Gang pushing forward towards the transmat.

Once he had a climbed to a place with a better view of the tower, the boromite Overseer paused for a moment to assess the situation. Several rusted, abused-looking Ghar Automated Defense bots (GAD’s) of a type he’d never seen before stood around the tower. Before he could signal them to halt, Leroy and his eager lavamites rushed into the open. Karyle’s curse was lost in the sudden deafening boom of the closest GAD’s cannon firing at the Lavamites, the closest of the creatures to the ugly machine taking the brunt of the blast and smearing across the rich soil. Karyle and his bodyguards responded immediately, covering the GAD in plasma carbine fire and managing to hit a weak spot; the rounded little bot lit up like small star as its plasma reactor burst, the heat searing the nearby wildlife.

“Sir!” shouted the leader of the worker gang, “I think I se-” BOOM! The Algoryn mortar round crashed directly into the gang, the lot of them disappearing in sudden plume of dirt and smoke.

“EVERYONE DOWN!” was heard through the smoke, and as the blast cleared the remaining four Worker Gang members were as strewn flat across the ground and clutching their Mass Compactors, their fifth member now spread several meters apart, having taken the brunt of the blast.

The Algoryn had clearly been alerted, thanks to the despicable little Ghar and their GADs.

The boromites scattered to cover, Karyle relaying new orders to his squads. He could hear another of the GADs at the tower explode, and yet another advancing away from the boromites towards the advancing Algoryn. Smirking at the notion of receiving help from the Ghar, the boromite overseer sent a short-wave burst to Leroy, “Advance on the tower, double-time.” Leroy responded with a quick lash on the back of the nearest lavamite, the lot of them taking off at a run towards the tower. Meanwhile, the worker gang refused their orders, the leader keeping his men down low in fear of the Algoryn mortar team.

Suddenly, the transmat platform begin to glow and spin, an unattractive purple glow lighting the trees around it. Two more of the GADs stepped forward out of thin air, blocking off the relic only feet away from the gang fighters and Leroy’s lavamites.

Regretting the shame it would bring to the soldier’s family, Karyle reluctantly keyed the command in his overseer band to field promote one of the other members of the worker gang to Leader. The new leader wasted no more time and sprang up, knowing what was required of them, and rushed directly towards the GADs on the platform alongside the men now under his command, while the gang fighters simultaneously ran directly towards the Algoryn weapon emplacements hoping to get clear of the GADs. Meanwhile, Karyle held his position and issued commands, firing the odd shot when he could, while his bodyguards searched the nearby jungle floor for the first relic.

Freed from the threat of the GADs on the transmat thanks to the actions of the Worker Gang, Leroy and his lavamites rushed toward the tower, still taking fire from an Algoryn gun emplacement on the hill in the distance. Making it to the tower with a single lavamite remaining, Leroy rounded the tower at a sprint putting him into immediate assault with the Algoryn squad that had beaten him there and now held the relic. Wading through a hail of fire from the surprised AI squad, Leroy and his lavamite tore through their enemies with no mercy, killing them all throughout a brutal back-and-forth exchange. Covered in the blood of their enemies, but holding the relic, both Leroy and his lavamite survived the ordeal and flashed a signal back to Karyle to confirm their success.

Karyle affirmed their acquisition of a relic and gave them the order to fall back to the weapon team. The weapon team was well occupied with raining shells onto a distant AI Assault squad, but would cover their escape as best they could.

As badly as Karyle desired to face the Algoryn in open battle, there would be time for that soon enough If he could secure at least a couple of the relics for his Guildess, it could earn him the favor needed for more men and better supplies with which to seek his vengeance against the insufferable commander Kurar. Having found the relic they were searching for, Karyle and his bodyguards fell back to the weapon team to attempt to cover the others’ escape.

The Worker Gang, determined to earn back their honor from their act of cowardice earlier in the day, pushed up the ramp of the transmat platform against the GADs, hoping to cover the escape of the relic-toting lavamite and the squad of Gang Fighters.

Leroy and his lavamite managed to escape the field, but the Worker Gang was falling fast under direct fire from the dual GADs, as well as the shells dropped by the AI mortar squad. The Gang Fighters attempted to push forward towards the AI weapon crews, but the AI gun emplacement retreated in an expertly executed trap maneuver, their AI command squad closing the gap from the side and cutting off the Gang Fighters’ escape route. As the last member of the heroic Worker Gang was cut down by the GADs on the transmat platform, Karyle met the eyes of the Gang Fighter leader across the field, the stern look of inevitability combined with sorrow clear across his features. There would be no need for a voiced command; they wouldn’t give their enemy that satisfaction. With a curt and final nod to his overseer, the Gang Fighter leader turned back towards the approaching Algoryn Command squad with a defiant yell, charging forward into the overgrowth.

Holding the relic found by his bodyguard and with the heavy burden of command upon his shoulders, Karyle signaled the remainder of his forces back the direction they had come. The Guildess would be waiting.

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Thank you for reading The Chronicles of Karyle, Ch. 3! I hope you enjoyed it; I’ve been having a really fun time fleshing out this narrative.

FOR BOROM!