Nido de Plaga IV: Secure the Landing Site

From: Marauder Central Command
To: Commander, Marauder Assault Cruiser Mandrake

Captain,

Our long range sensors have picked up distress signals from planet Nido de Plaga IV that indicate a major disaster has swept the planet. Details of the exact nature of the disaster are as yet unclear. We believe the planet was home to a Mazon Labs research facility, this corporation is known to have an extensive weapon and bio-tech research program. As you can see from your star chart the planet is close to the Death Arc and therefore on the border of Asterian space. We believe local resistance should be limited but you should be prepared for other off planet forces to arrive and investigate.
Your mission is to travel to Nido de Plaga IV at top speed and once their neutralise any remaining corporate threats, discover what the cause of the disaster was and most importantly secure any remaining technology for the Marauder cause. Your ship and it's company will be the only Marauder forces on hand so all other forces met are to be considered hostile and dealt with swiftly and with extreme prejudice.
Your first task on arrival at the planet will be to secure a landing site for your ground forces, once this is completed further instructions will be issued.

Gen. Radgrad.

The message above was received by Marauder Captain T. last week and heralded the start of a 6 mission mini-campaign which will see him lead his brave Marauders onto the planet Nido de Plaga IV to discover what has happened and most likely kick some serious arse. Their first priority was to secure a landing area so heavier equipment could be transferred to the planet surface and to eliminate a Mazon Labs security detachment that was holding the area.

The Marauders advance party landed to find a smaller Mazon Labs force holding off a large number of Plague victims whilst presumably hoping for rescue themselves. Captain T. opted to send the following force into action in this mission:

1 * Marauder Warlord

3 * Marauder Commando's

2 * Mawbeast

1 * Marauder Commando Specialist with HMG

1 * Gruntbot

1 * Ripper Rainmaker

1 * Ripper Mauler

The Mazon Labs force was already deployed on the landing pad and was hotly engaged with multiple groups of Plague Zombies. Lead by Guard Commander Graves they fielded:

1* Guard Commander Graves
3 * Mazon Security Guard

3 * Urbana Black Wing Marine

3 * Urbana Black Wing Ranger Specialist with Thermal Rifle

The Marauder commanders mission was to either wipe out the Mazon Labs forces or reach 15 VP's, as the Zombies are worth zero VP's they would just be getting in the way and we used the AI Zombie rules I'd formulated to control them.

The game started with the Mazon troops mostly concentrating on clearing the closest Zombie packs, not being great in melee they didn't want to let the Zombies get in close. The Marauders mostly pushed forwards and shot at a few Zombies and also opened fire with the HMG Commando on the Mazon troops, wounding one.
In the Zombie turn the one group shambled into Ripper Mauler who managed to take out two of the three attackers but took a wound in the process. We also rolled to place two more groups of Zombies who appeared near the Mazon lines.

A similar pattern was followed over the next couple of turns with the Mazon troops mostly taking shots at close by Zombies though one Specialist did manage to put another two wounds on the Ripper Mauler causing it to flee into the backfield rather than die.

The Marauders split their fire more between the Mazon and the Zombies with the Rainmaker in particular laying down some effective fire on the Mazon and killing several of them. One Mawbeast did manage to die when it charged a lone Zombie, much to it's surprise.

A few turns in I stopped the Zombies from spawning (they had been spawning two groups of three at the end of each turn) to encourage the Marauders to advance and this allowed the Gruntbot and the surviving Mawbeast move up the board. One of the Ranger Specialists also managed to find the single booby-trap on the board but managed to survive both the explosion and the fall that resulted.

As the defenders numbers started to drop the Gruntbot got into action but was largely held by a Security Guard who fought well above her pay grade, the Ranger was however savaged by the remaining Mawbeast. 

Guard Commander Graves pitched into the combat with the Gruntbot but whilst he was able to put two wounds on it in the next the Mawbeast charged in and killed him off.

At this point with the defenders mostly dead and their leader slain the surviving members of the Mazon Labs team scattered, no doubt to become victims for a Zombie horde. 
It had been a hard grinding battle for the Marauders but they had the landing platform they required to supply a proper mission on the planet.