Intelligence Summary #16: Bongolaan's Brute Battalion

 

Stardate: Fiday, 104-130 ABY/Tarsan Intelligence Service (TIS)

Subsector: Shannekam

 

Since his Imperial-sponsored New Year's Eve Coup, President Bunda Akhtar has rapidly consolidated power through legislation and executive directives.  However, Bongolaan's new leader has also employed more ruthless--and less legal--methods of tightening his control over the planet.

 

One scheme to circumvent the Imperial limitations on autonomous planetary militias within the Empire, Bunda Akhtar has raised several "civic organizations," for the supposed benefit of the populace.  One such group is the Citizens Against Counter-Revolutionary Activities (CACA).  However, the beings of Bongolaan have another name for this band of thugs:  The Brute Battalion.

 

CACA/The Brute Battalion is a paramilitary force that serves as President Akhtar's private group of bounty hunters.  So far the group has not yet been sanctioned by the Galactic Bounty Hunter's Guild and none of it's members get an official salary.  Instead, members receive payment upon job completion from various "concerned citizens," who've posted bounties against anyone on the Enemies of the State List--which continues to grow almost daily.

More than likely, the source of the bounty payments originate from Bunda Akhtar, or from his inner circle of planetary ministers.

 

 

The Brute Batallion is led by Roten Lardas, the tubby Trandoshan seen in the center of the above image.  While often refered to as "Rotten Lard Ass" by the Bongolaanian citizenry, no one laughs at this play on words. 

 

Those who are charged with committing minor infractions can expect to be sentenced to one year of forced labor on one of the planet's gabaki plantations.  They are discharged automatically upon completion of their sentence--provided they survived this stint of "community service."

 

Rumors have also spread throughout the subsector that indentured servitude is not the only punishment inflicted upon those who've earned Akhtar's displeasure.  There are unsubstantiated reports of victims being fed into gabaki shredders, similar to the one pictured below...

 

 

 ...or tossed into the Bongodile Pit, which was recently built within the Presidential Palace compound.

 

 

Those who perceive such a grisly fate is in store for them, put up a desperate fight and even commit suicide, rather than be captured by henchmen such as Lardas and his brutes.  Due to such firefights, it is said that the life expectancy of a Brute Battalion trooper is short.

 

While the members of the Brute Battalion have considerable combat skills, the group as a whole is not a cohesive fighting unit.  Garrisoned in maniple (company)-sized units throughout the major cities, the Brute Battalion is said to be comprised of malcontents ranging from those who supported former President Zeveg Bharzi, to anyone merely harboring anti-Imperial sentiments.  Whatever the reason, such individuals have probably been deemed a security risk and are unable to find work until they prove their loyalty to the People's Democratic Republic of Bongolaan and the Empire.  In addition to being a band of government contracted bounty hunters, the Brute Battalion also doubles as a penal unit.

 

So far, the Brute Battalion has limited its activities to the Bongolaan System.  This may change in the near future as the unit and its members gain more operational experience.  If this occurs, TIS operatives may be contacted by battalion members wanting to defect.  However, be aware of the possibility that such an individual may be a double agent posing as a deserter. 

 

GM's Note:

 

Roten Lardas is represented by the figure of Gha Nachkt in the Star Wars Miniatures collection.

 



After Action Review #3: Invasion of Vandalla Island

 

 

 

Stardate: Forday, 103-130 ABY/TAg Market Island Security Forces

Subsector: Shannekam

Planet: Zenya

Region: The Tau-Tau Autonomous District

After Action Review:  Bongolaanian Invasion of Vandalla Island;

Evening, Local Time

 

In the late afternoon, the TAg Market Island Security Satellite (Secsat) detected two task forces of grav barges putting to sea from Donmils and Havran Islands.  About an hour before local sunset, the task forces reached the northern shoreline of Vandalla Island.

 

 

According to the invasion plans, discovered by Diplomatic Security Team-Three (DST-3), this attack was not suppose to commence for another 18-36 hours.  The Bongolaanian ground force commander may have realized the plans were compromised and decided to launch the attack early.

 

The TAg Market Island Grav Patrol Boat Squadron, however, had a surprise of its own. 

 

 

 

Shortly after sunset, both naval task forces were attacked by GPVs 255 and 256. 

 

 

 Several guard vessels and grav barges were damaged and/or destroyed in the attack. 

 

 

 Unfortunately, GPV-255 was sunk with all hands. 

 

(Image derived from the album cover of Fast Attack Boats)

 

 

GPV-256, didn't fare any better.  The boat sustained heavy damage and over half the crew were injured, some seriously.  Lieutenant Commander Katzir managed to beach the shattered hulk near Ooverton and evacuate his surviving crew. 

 

(Image derived from the Movieland Wax Museum Exhibit of PT-109)

 

 While neither of the Bongolaanian landing forces sustained serious casualties, it appeared to have delayed the advances on Vianda and Ooverton. 

 

 

 By midnight local time, the battledroids of the 7th and 8th Cohorts of the 599th Droid Infantry Legion (599 DIL) appeared to have assumed a defensive posture against another possible counter attack. 

 

 

 

This respite allowed the Vianda and Ooverton Constabulary Battalions to muster up to full strength, while initiating the evacuation of non-combatants in both cities. 

 

 GM's Notes

 

The ship counters in the map pictures were borrowed from Command at Sea, while the infantry units are from Star Viking--which is a free download!

 

 

After Action Review (AAR) #2: Tarsan Pre-emptive Strike, Phase-II

 

Stardate: Forday, 103-130 ABY/TAg Market Island Security Forces

Subsector: Shannekam

Planet: Zenya

Region: The Tau-Tau Autonomous District

After Action Review: Pre-Emptive Strike Against Surface-to-Orbit Artillery (SOA);

Afternoon, Local Time 

 

In addition to destroying most of the Crimson Aces fighters on the ground, the TAg Market pre-emptive strike also served another purpose:  It pinpointed the location of the Surface-to-Orbit Artilllery (SOA) the Bongolaanians had smuggled on to some of the nearby islands. 

 

Once the sites activated their sensors and scanners, each site was spotted by the TAg Market Island Security Satellite (Secsat) in geosynchronous orbit above Pierson Station.  Targeting data was downloaded to the Grav Patrol Boat (GPV) squadron.

 

 

Four of the squadron's six vessels (GPV's 251-254) raced to their launch points. 

 

 

 

 Meanwhile, the two remaining X-wing fighters were re-armed and refuelled.  They had one more mission to perform:  Shoot down the Bongolaanian security satellite.  Once the fighters were ready, two of the squadron's most experienced pilots, captains Malakhi and Natali, hopped into their cockpits and took off.

 

 

 However, this mission turned out to be more than a "milk run."  Before leaving the atmosphere, they were bounced by the two remaining TIE fighters of the Crimson Aces.  (This was contradictory to typical mercenary behavior and the pilots may have been on a personal vendetta). 

 

 

Malakhi's top, port-side laser was damaged, but the veteran pilot and his wingman managed to turn the tables on the TIE fighters. 

  

 

Both TIEs were destroyed in the fight and neither of the pilots ejected.  Unfortunately, Malakhi's fighter sustained too much damage in the dogfight and he was forced to crash land on the forest side of Jamasp Island. 

 

 

 

(Image from:  Ulrichvb)

 

Once Natali ensured her flight leader survived the crash, she blasted into orbit to intercept her target.  Even without TIE fighter cover, Natali had to dodge a barrage of blaster fire from the satellite's point defense system.  The fusillade inflicted moderate damage to her fighter.  However, she managed to destroy the satellite's positioning thrusters.  It's orbit immediately began to decay and the Bongolaanian "eye in the sky" plummeted into Zenya's atmosphere. 

 

 

Once the boat crews received the "scratch one spy satellite" message, they fired off salvos of concussion missiles at their assigned targets. 

 

 

 

All the SOA sites were destroyed in the attack. 

 

 

Due to the damage sustained by her fighter, captain Natali was forced to make a hard landing at Pierson Station.  The last of TAg Market Security's X-wing was now out of commission. 

 

Post Strike Assessment:

 

Despite the loss of all the X-Wings at Pierson Station, the mission was a success.  The threat to the Station's entry corridor has been removed--for the time being. 

 

While Pierson's Station's supply vector has been secured against Bongolaanian interdiction, it is unknown at this time if the Zenyan Mainland United Government (Z-MUG) will remain neutral in this planetary brush war.  If the Z-MUG Parliament sides with the People's Democratic Republic of Bongolaan in this matter, then Z-MUG space forces could easily blockade Pierson Station.

 

Except for local militia, the Tau-Taus are currently preparing for a military operation against the Sith Mutants on Gadnek Island.

 

GM's Notes:

 

The top photo is of a NASA spy satellite, while the second space image is an artist's illustration of the destruction of the Japanese H-2 Transfer Vehicle.   

 

The TIE and X-wing fighters, along with the Hailfire Tank, are from the Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Miniatures collection.  The "GPV" is a military boat from Micro Machines.

 

The explosions bracketing the Hailfire Tank are blast markers from PaperTerrain.

After Action Review (AAR) # 1: Tarsan Pre-Emptive Strike, Phase-I

Stardate: Forday, 103-130 ABY/TAg Market Island Security Forces

Subsector: Shannekam

 

Planet:  Zenya

 

Region:  The Tau-Tau Autonomous District

After Action Review:  Pre-Emptive Strike Against Bongolaanian Fighter Base;

Morning, Local Time

 

 

Based on information provided by members of a Tarsan Diplomatic Security Team, TAg Market Facility managers agreed to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Crimson Ace fighter base on Concmar Island.  The purpose of the strike was to prevent Bongolaanian forces from obtaining air and space superiority over the TAg Market Islands.

 

The Tarsan Security personnel did not want their names or ship (an armed YT-1300 transport) to be identified in this report, but volunteered to join the strike.  An electronic warfare pod was attached to their vessel and was assigned to follow Squadron Leader Shamira's X-Wing on the attack run.  The station's remaining 4 X-Wings were also readied for action.

 

The 6-ship formation took off before dawn and flew nap-of-the-earth (NOE) in a circuitous route to the objective.

 

 

Due to on-going diplomatic talks, the Crimson Aces were ordered to stand-down, so all their TIE Fighters were on the ground.  However, the base was protected by two Surface-to-Orbit Artillery (SOAs--mobile blaster cannons). 

 

 

 Once over Concmar Island, the strike divided into 3 x 2-ship formations, as it flew through the valleys on Concmar Island. 

 

 

 The attack achieved complete surprise.  Five TIE fighters and a Lambda-Class Shuttle were destroyed on the first pass. 

 

 

 However, the central SOA vehicle opened fire, damaging Flight Leader Shamira's fighter.

 



 

Five more TIE Fighters were destroyed in the second pass.  Flight Leader Shamira managed to get off some shots at the second SOA vehicle, but not before receiving more damage to his X-wing.  Lieutenant Adva's fighter was also damaged by blaster fire from the central SOA weapon.

 

 

 Another volley of blaster fire damaged Lieutenant Tsvi's X-Wing as the formation egressed from the target area.  Grazing fire from the SOA vehicle destroyed the electronic warfare pod strapped to the YT-1300 freighter. 

 

 

 The pilots of the damaged X-Wings were forced to ditch near the southern tip of Kulovaan Island.  The remaining ships landed at Pierson Station without incident.  The crew of the YT-1300 insisted on readying their vessel for space flight and took off within hours of landing.  Their destination remains unknown at this time. 

 

 

The three pilots who ejected were picked up by GPV-254 (Grav Patrol Boat). 

 

 

While only 2 X-Wings remain serviceable, the strike was deemed successful in neutralizing the Crimson Aces' presence on Zenya.  Post-strike BDA (Battle Damage Assessment) indicates the remaining craft, 2 x TIE Fighters and a Lambda-Class Shuttle, received at least minor damage. 

 

While successful, less than one-quarter of the Crimson Aces mercenary unit was with hired for by Bongolaan.  It is likely the remaining personnel will want to opt-out of their contract and return to their headquarters.

 

GM's Note:

 

The game boards were from Squad Leader, while the starfighter pieces came from Star Warriors, while I used two pieces I made from Grav Armor to represent the air defense artillery.

New Year Resolution Of Sorts

 

In late 2011, I spun this blog off from Stern Rake Studio to provide a focus on the gaming, activities, updates and overall tabletop mayhem of my Redshift Campaign. 

My purpose of starting this endeavour was to bring out as much of my science fiction gaming material and miniatures into the light-of-day as possible.  Everything from roleplaying (RPG), in the form of the Star Wars Saga Edition RPG, (soon to be superseded by Edge of the Empire--Beginner Game)  to small unit actions (Stargrunt II or FUBAR), to large-scale planetary battles (Dirtide II or Future War Commander), and even fleet engagements (Full Thrust). 

Another goal of mine was to post a chapter per month of my initial webcomic, Breakout from Bongolaan, which will provide a detailed story of the initial Redshift adventure.

So, how did I do in 2012?

Well...

...despite reaching the 130 day point of the campaign, I haven't advance much past the RPG level at this time.  Running an on-going RPG campaign proved too much for my players and I to maintain.  As a result of this demise, I spent a lot time re-evaluating my skills, or lack thereof, as a gamemaster. 

My "cunning plan" to post a chapter-a-month of Breakout proved to be overly optimistic.  Normally, graphic novels are collaborative efforts between writers and artists.  Whereas I'm a one-man cantina band.  Compiling pictures and adding special effects (explosions & blaster bolts), along with conjuring up a coherent narrative and dialogue has taken far more time to do than I originally estimated.  And that's if I have the time to do all this.

Finally--life got in the way.  My girlfriend's son got married in August and her mom passed away, after suffering from a long-term illness in October.  So 2012 has been a year of joy & sorrow for both of us. 

Plus there were other game projects I wanted to complete before this old year passed.

Now that I'm done making excuses, what am I going to do in 2013?

For starters, I'll set a more modest goal of posting 1 chapter every two months for my webcomic.  Since there are three subsequent adventures, this will keep me busy for years to come.  In the meantime, readers can get an overview of past adventures by reading this blog's past News Briefs, Intel Briefs and other appropriate postings.

War is about to erupt in the galaxy far, far away.  My plan is to conduct the strategic encounter solitaire and then post an invitation to fight a miniatures battle to my gaming group.  If scheduling a game proves too difficult, then I'll resolve the tactical battle using one of my sci-fi boardgames in my collection.

Finally, I've come up with another "cunning plan" to resurrect the RPG aspect, of sorts. 

A few weeks back the RPGers of our group held a Council Meeting, in which we laid out a plan for what RPGs we wanted to play and who would gamemaster them.  Because my rotating work schedule continues to be a problem, I thought I could conduct an episodic bounty hunter campaign.  That is, run unconnected adventures in which player characters (PCs) will decide what posted bounties they'll pursue and bring in--dead or alive.

My proposed Bounty Hunter Campaign was well received by the group and the idea is conduct game sessions in between any scheduling gaps that may occur.

That's the plan anyway.

So here's to making more modest, but steady gains in 2013.

Best wishes to all of you throughout the New Year.  Thank you for your interest and readership.

Intelligence Summary # 15: Warning Delivered/Ships Missing

 

Stardate: Thirday, 102-130 ABY/Tarsan Intelligence Service (TIS)

Subsector: Shannekam

 

Warning Message to Pierson Station Delivered

 

A subspace radio transmission from Pierson Station on Zenya, confirmed they received the warning about the impending attack by Bongolaanian forces.  The station's starport received a garbled transmission from Diplomatic Security Team Three (DST-3), on board the Gadnek Survivor.

 

 The ship arrived within a day of being dispatched from Ku Crassus. 

 

 

 The message from Pierson Station also mentioned the Gadnek Survivor was approached by the Zenyan Mainland United Government (ZMUG) corvette, Jamhuri. 

 

 

 

 Data on the Jamhuri, is as follows: 

 

 

 The Jamhuri may have employed its jamming systems against the Gadnek Survivor which interfered with their transmission to Pierson Station.  This however, cannot be confirmed. 

 

Attempts to contact and locate either vessels have failed. 

 

So it is unkown whether or not ZMUG is openly hostile to Tarsan vessels and shipping interests.

 

While corvettes are among the smallest military starships, the Jamhuri could easily outgun an armed freighter such as the Gadnek Survivor. 

 

News Brief # 17: Missing Persons on Ku Crassus

Stardate: Wonday, 100-130 ABY/Fringe Info Network (FIN)--Ku Crassus Bureau

Subsector: Shannekam

"All the news that's fit to transmit."

Several Police Officers Now on "Sick Leave"

FIN has just learned that the five surviving police officers involved in the gun battle at Cortona Park have fallen ill, or have somehow been injured.  The firefight erupted two days ago when a Tarsan Diplomatic Security Team (DST) became involved in an altercation between a force-user and a street gang.  Within moments, the fight escalated when a squad of Sith Mutants covered the escape of the force-user, rumored to be their Sith Lord.  Two patrol cars and several officers from the Cortona Police Department (CPD), responded to reports of blaster fire erupting in the capital city's central park. 

A spokesbeing for the CPD, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would only say that the officers were placed on sick leave.  However, follow up calls to Cortona hospitals and doctors' offices revealed that no one from the CPD has checked-in to report any illnesses or injuries.  Calls made to hospitals and doctors' offices across the planet also turned up negative. 

The police officers involved in the gun battle are not the only ones missing from the public eye.  All the homeless beings that inhabit, or frequent, Cortona Park are nowhere to be found.  At this time it is too early to jump to the conclusion that there is a connection between the two vanished groups.  However, it seems unlikely that this is a mere coincidence.

Redshift Tales #1

A few months ago, the folks at Comic Life put out a Version 2.  I bought two copies right away and downloaded them to my PC and laptop.  The new version has some cool templates and features, but there is a noticeable learning curve after being so use to the initial version.

I finally found some time to do some serious playing around writing the other day.  As an opening test I wrote this vignette, Tales from The Redshift Chronicles: Carnage in Cortona Park.  (You can also click on Redshift Tales #1 under the Chronicles Pages tab). 

This was based on an actual gaming incident this past summer.  During a session of my Star Wars Role Playing Game (SWRPG), the good guys were chasing a high-powered bad guy through a city park.  One of the players tried to shoot said bad guy, but rolled a "1" on a 20-sided die (d20).  In the d20 game system this is considered a fumble, which can have disastrous, or hilarious consequences, depending on which side you're on.

Fortunately for our hero, the result "only" turned out to be a burned-out powerpack in his weapon.  However, despite being safe from immediate harm, this single malfunction jeopardized the entire team.

I took some liberties with the dialogue, primarily for the sake of space, but I like to think I captured the spirit of the banter that ensued.

I'm not sure if I'll use this new Comic Life version for Breakout from Bongolaan and other full-length graphic novels I plan on writing.  For now, I'll toy around with the program and post vignettes, especially comedic ones, when my muse inspires me.

Mixing and Matching Figures

 

A few of weekends ago, I went on a two gamestore shopping spree, that I posted about several days ago on Stern Rake Studio.

At the Hobbytown store in Wilsonville, OR, I ended up buying four boxes of AT-43 figures. While I like pre-painted miniatures, I felt the Rackham products were a bit too pricey. "Were" being the operative word, because the company went into liquidation a couple of years ago. (I guess other gamers thought their figures were too pricey too).

This was, however, unfortunate because they made excellent quality figures. They're now offered discount prices from sites like The Miniature Market and on the discount shelves in some retail stores, like Hobbytown.

I didn't snatch-up the packages right away, but spent over an hour pondering whether or not to buy them. This was not because the figures were lacking in quality. On the contrary, they're awesome looking.

My major concern was whether or not I could integrate these with my 25 millimeter (mm) Star Wars Miniatures. The Hobbytown staff, while helpful, weren't sure if the AT-43 figures were 25, 28, or even 30 mm.

I didn't have access to the internet, nor did I bring any of my Star Wars figures for a comparison. With the "clock ticking" (I had to pick up my girlfriend from work), I decided to buy four of the box sets, all from the "U.N.A." (United Nations of Ava).

So, without further ado, here's my latest sci-fi figure purchase:

The first set I decided on was the U.N.A. Star Trooper Squad.

This consists of 6 x troopers with assault rifles, 1 x trooper with a "Volcano Machine Gun," and a Star Trooper leader.

Rifle squads often need additional fire support, so I selected the U.N.A Star Trooper Attachment Set.

 

Some, (or maybe all?) of the troops, bearing the following weapons can be added to the basic squad: Missile launcher and flame thrower, along with another Volcano Machine Gun. A medic and/or engineer can also augment the squad, along with another officer/NCO.

All these figures have detachable heads that can be swapped out with triple-lens helmeted ones.

Troops wielding heavy weapons is one thing, but they're still foot-bound infantry.

What about mobile firepower?

As with Star Wars, the AT-43 universe seems fixated on "mechs" or "walkers." The only two I found at Hobbytown were two "Fire Toads," Mark 02 and Mark 03.

At 50% off I couldn't pass these two up. Now that my troops have mech support it was time to answer the big question: Are these figures compatible with my 25mm Star Wars Miniatures?

These U.N.A. troops bear a passing resemblance to Rebel Hoth troopers, so when I got home and conducted my photo-shoot, I dug out the appropriate Star Wars Miniatures for a direct comparison...

 

..."Dang!" The AT-43 figures are visibly larger than the Star Wars ones, even when looking at them from a distance. By the time I was taking these pictures I had access to the internet and confirmed the AT-43 figures are, in fact, 28mm. 

 

(Sigh).

But then I started thinking: Maybe the mech/walkers can be integrated with the Star Wars figures?

Before answering this question, I placed a U.N.A. soldier and a Fire Toad side-by-side, for an initial comparison:

 

Then I placed a Hoth Trooper next to the Fire Toad:

Hmmm. Not bad. In fact, I think the size ratio seen in the above photo is more appropriate.

I mean, mechs SUPPOSE to be BIG, right?

(Whew!).

So this purchase wasn't a total bust.

I may buy a squad of "Red Block" infantry as opponents to the U.N.A. which will give me a couple of small forces for 28mm-scale games. More importantly, I'm seriously considering obtaining more AT-43 vehicles for my sci-fi collection--especially if they're offered at discount prices.

After some more internet snooping I came across pictures of "O.N.I" vehicles and figures (some are conversions):

 

 

They appear to be more suited for police/security/riot control than heavy combat. However, they have that Aliens look that sci-fi gamers love--which is why these vehicles are almost impossible to find.

(Sigh).

Just what I need--another quest for out-of-production game material.