Two Small Projects: Tentacles and Regimental Advisors

I'm in 'grab and paint' mode, so first had this urge to paint some 3d-printed squid tentacles comic-style: 

I added some gloss varnish as a 'highlight' to make them look yucky and wet. 

Then I painted up some 40k Regimental Advisors, a pack of three NPC-type dudes that I assume fulfill some function in 40k, and which I plan on using for skirmish games like Necromunda and maybe Stargrave and so on. They are a bit of an older style, but still hold up, I think. 

I'm finding that 'trios' are a sweet spot for me, as they let me move quickly from one miniature to the next and back without losing momentum, if I need something to dry, or if I'm carrying colors over from one mini to the next. 

Edit: Turns out these dudes are called Regimental Attaches! Who knew? 

Infinity Haqqislam: The Daylami

N2/3 Daylami

I've been working my way through a new Infinity army, the Hassassin Bahram. These are a subfaction of Haqqislam consisting largely though not solely of specialists of various sorts. 

Current Daylami

Daylami, pictured here, are experts at being cheap, disposable and dangerous. Their role is to hide and present something dangerous, then pop put and fire an antitank missile at an approaching baddie. 

Voidscarred Corsairs are my third Kill Team

I should not have bought a new Kill Team with five unpainted ones in the queue, but I couldn't resist. These Voidscarred are a call back to the OG 40k, and every single one of them is a great sculpt. 

Starstorm Duelist 

Kurnathi

Felarch

Soul Weaver 

Kurnite Hunter

Shade Runner

Blaster Gunner

Shredder Gunner

Way Seeker 

Fate Dealer

I really leaned into these guys. It was fun, but I dunno if I will keep up this level of intensity. There's a joy and a freedom to sketching! 

My Three-Body Problem

My three-body problem is: 

Is this one building? 

Or is it three? 

This great kit was a recent gift. I think it'll make I nice strongpoint, or a table quarter's worth of urban sprawl. I'm even tempted to paint up my MDF stuff now! 

Five Parsecs from Home Turn 7: Cultists

 

In which the crew are hired to escort an esteemed academic to investigate an alien monument that may or may not be a hoax. 

But first: the crew disperse for their usual post-mission activities: 

• Yodel stays on the shuttle, tinkering with her dueling pistol, but can't seem to get it working again. 
• Mireille, minding her own business at what is fast becoming her favorite watering hole, strikes up a conversation with a smuggler who is able to sell her some military weapons: a boarding saber and two infantry lasers! 
• Hearing this, Hob finds a fixer working for an erstwhile resistance group who is desperate to get their hands on any kind of weapons; Hob's happy to hand over some of the team's more basic gear for an influx of hard cash. 
• On his way back to the shuttle bay, Ulf finds a stim pack hanging half out of a Dumpster - it looks like it might be fixable. He doesn't tell anyone where he found it. 
• Sally goes off to a far quarter of the city to draw attention away from the rest of the crew, and comes back unscathed. 
• The two new crewmembers get in trouble again. Kangal comes back pretty banged up, having been jumped for his colony rifle. The gun won't be missed but the bipod attached to it was useful. 
• Mandy returns looking pale and jittery, claiming that he ate something bad. They both end up in Sick Bay. 

The next day Mireille's Wapcaplett, Vendetta and Prang contact offers them another job. Rumors are floating around that a cult has formed out in the sticks, in one of the private mining collectives. This cult is alleged to be centered around an ancient monument constructed by a long-dead alien civilization. The WVP contact wants the team to escort a staff xeno-archaeologist to the site and determine if any of this is true, as any ancient alien artifact may prove to be immensely valuable. The cult is known to be armed and dangerous, so the crew can expect the team to encounter resistance. 

Because the mission will take place in a populated area, WVP insists that only four crew members participate, and adhere to a strict time limit so that neither local authorities nor itinerant journalists are alerted. Given these constraints, the corporation is willing to include a significant completion bonus. 

Keeping her reservations to herself, Mireille accepts the job. 

Dangerous Cultists! (Unit9 stl, special guest appearance: Wolfgang Amadeus Wolf by Corvus Belli)

Dr. Arasaka, Xenoarchaeologist (Unit9 stl) 

The Scene of the Investigation

The crew split into pairs and make their way swiftly to the site. Soon, however, Dr. Arasaka is spotted by a group of nearby cultists, and the mission turns hot! The team is outnumbered almost 2 to 1, but the Cultists are armed only with short-ranged and makeshift weapons, and so are cut down en masse in their futile attempt to protect their shrine. Sally, meanwhile, is able to identify the curious object nearby, and determines it to be a Cybermask holo-spoof, presumably used by the recently-deceased cult leader to lure the credulous into his service. She shuts it off and packages it up, knowing it can fetch a fine price from the right buyer. Nearby, in a pile of rubble, Ulf finds a full set of spare parts for the Cybermask, along with a brand new Blast Pistol. He grins and tucks it into his belt. 

The Tragic Consequences of Fanaticism

Pleased with the result, WVP pays them a staggering sum. The credits are starting to roll in... 

Five Parsecs from Home Turn 6: Sand Runners

In which the crew of the Zouave are hired by Wapcaplett, Vendetta & Prang to clear some pests out of a building...

But first: 

Back from their last mission, the crew take some much-needed R&R. Yodel finds a cool dueling pistol in an antique shop. It's been deactivated but she thinks she can get it working again. Ulf hits the gym. Mireille meets a fixer who will find them jobs for a nominal fee; Mireille tells them that they are fine for now but will get in touch if work with their current patron dries up. 

"Reno", Unit 9 .stl

Sally comes back with a new friend in tow! Mandy Reno looks like he's been around and could be useful, so Mireille agress to take him on. Hob makes some contacts of his own, but refuses to elaborate. Mireille wonders if he is starting to feel a little too comfortable on this world? 

Kangal gets into a fight in a local bar. He wins, barely, but the rival crew of Raiders swear revenge on him and his shipmates. 

The next morning Mireille briefs the team on their next mission. The crew has been hired as exterminators! Frakking has caused local geological instability, which has pushed the resident Sand Runners from their dens. Some of these Sand Runners have overrun a research complex, and the exterminator they sent in has gone missing. The team need to emplace a lure in the middle of the complex, which will disperse through the HVAC in the facility and render the sand runners docile for future dispersal. If they can find out what happened to the exterminator, there will be a bonus! 

Their WVP contact tried to insist that the crew to go in with light weapons only, to minimize damage to the facility, but Mireille talked them out of it (whew!). (-1 Story Point). 

The Exterminator: 

Kumiko Sage, PrintMinis .stl

A pack of (juvenile) Sand Runners: 

Squig Herd, Games Workshop

The team ready their equipment and weapons. Sally is given the lure to attach to the HVAC. 

As they are about to go into the facility, though, the new guy Mandy has second thoughts. Mireille has Yodel stay behind to talk him down while the rest of the team start the mission - now significantly short-handed. 

Fortunately Mireille's sensor bot lets the shorthanded team sneak into the building without being detected. 

Ulf spots a group of small Sand Runners at the end of the hall. Seeing an opportunity target, he opens fire on the biggest one, just as Hob shouts, "No! Not that one!" As it falls, the team hears desperate screeching echo throughout the facility, as Sand Runners everywhere converge on the control room! 

Chaos erupts in the control room as the pack of beasts hurl themselves at the crew. They fire wildly at the sand runners but only manage to stun one! 

Correcting their fire, Hob and Ulf manage to down most of the first wave, but one last Sand Runner leaps over a supply box and slams into Ulf, sending him careening down the corridor. He doesn't get up. Sally, seeing the second wave bearing down on her, decides that discretion is the better part of valor, and backs away from the console, firing wildly. Mireille moves to intercept them, blasting away and waving her sword, to draw their attention. 

The lead Sand Runner leaps on Hob, but eats a knife for its trouble. A second Runner catches Mireille on her arm, just as she brings her sword down on it. She goes flying, but seems unhurt. Sally finishes off the last Runner as it turns to go after her captain. 

Ulf rolls to his feet, a smug grin on his face. "No furry mouth with legs is gonna stop me," he proclaims. 

The team find the exterminator technician hiding in a shipment of starship parts, which Ulf and Hob happily carry away before any corpo shows up. Mireille escorts the tech offsite, and the crew return to the ship. The WVP agent pays them five credits for their efforts. 

Once back at the Zouave, Mireille finds a notification: Unity has halted departures and arrivals from the starport for the foreseeable future. No matter; Wapcaplett, Vendetta and Prang has another job for them already. And Yodel has cracked the encryption on the comms device they found on the dead mercenary, those few weeks back; it seems he was hired by a shadowy criminal organization whose members follow a strict code of criminal ethics with something like Zealotry... The data includes an address that may indicate a dead drop, or a gang-affiliated hideout. Only one way to find out, Mireille muses, but work before pleasure, as they say! 

Five Parsecs from Home Turn 5 - Psychos Part 2

All figures Corvus Belli 

Crazy Starcrew pilots!

Some more starcrew

Kangal Gesurat
Figure: "Bran do Castro", Corvus Belli 

One of the big corporate players on this world, Wapcaplett, Vendetta and Prang has contracted the crew to flush out some more Psychonauts from their hideout outside of the city. Ulf raises an eyebrow at this. "Seems like there's a lot of that warp sickness going around," he muses. 

The crew take a short break before embarking on their next mission. Hob manages to trade some bits of scrap he salvaged from somewhere. Mireille finds a trainer. Ulf gets into a nice chat with an old sea dog, swapping stories of adventure and woe, some of them true. Sally is approached by a corporate headhunter claiming to represent Gottlieb & Loh, but she takes his card without making a commitment, knowing that they are already engaged with a competitor. 

Anja comes back with a new friend: Kangal Gesurat. An ex-Ganger from an industrial world, Kangal learned young how to be swift with fists and feet. Mireille offered him a job on the spot, which he gladly accepted. 

Yodel comes back with a wistful look in her eye. Has she met someone? 

The Job: 

Wapcaplett, Vendetta and Prang send the crew the coordinates of the hideout. There's a time limit: word has leaked of the op, and some nosy Journos are on the way! WVP want to avoid bad press and so the crew have to 'neutralize' the targets before the cameras show up (5 turns). Also, no area of effect weapons can be used. 

The crew land outside of sensor range and make their way in on foot. 

Once again, Mireille's sensor bot spots the Psychos before they are spotted in return, and so they are able to move up into good ambush positions. Sally starts the engagement by taking aim at the Psycho specialist with the MG - but misses! 

The Psychos spring into action! Neither the machine gunner nor the wild fire from the other Psychos' pistols find their mark. The crew are in a better position, though, and down two of the onrushing Psychos. 

Undeterred, the remaining Psychos close into close combat! Yodel jumps down from an outbuilding to snap a shot at one of the charging maniacs, and fells her just before she is able to reach Ulf. The other, however, meets Anja at the edge of the woods, and slips a blade under her guard. In her haste to parry, Anja goes flying back! Sally's shots start to connect, but the machine gunner stands her ground. She misses her target, however. Mireille starts closing the distance to the specialist to help Sally. 

Unwilling to let her boss take fire for her, Sally drills the specialist and finally finishes her off. Meanwhile Hob runs up and blasts the remaining Psycho in the back, as she turns to face Kangal. 

The battlefield falls silent. 

Mireille finds a stim-pack in the cluttered mess of the habitat module, as well as an encrypted data chip. 

The crew rush to Anja's aid, and patch up a deep gash in her left leg. Despite the severity of the wound, it doesn't look anything that a medkit can't heal, with time (2 turns, in fact). 

The Wapcaplett, Vendetta and Prang rep transfers 4 credits to the Zouave's account, but a short sharp visit by local officials claws back three of those in fees and taxes! 

Kangal asks to talk to Mireille in private, and shares with her his misgivings about the brutality of the recent operation. Mireille sympathizes and agrees with his request to sit the next mission out. 

 

Five Parsecs from Home Turn 3 - Mercenaries!

 

Breaking out the big guns - can the team overcome a merc with a rattle gun? 

The Zouave entering orbit over Lanzerac IV

With the ship finally fueled, and no further jobs, Mireille decides to take the crew to Lanzerac IV, deeper in the subsector. A corporate state where no freelance license is required, it is sure to be a lucrative source of income. 

The trip passes uneventfully, aside from a blip on the edge of scanning range that Ulf thought for a minute might be pirates (1 Story point spent). 

On landing, the crew disperses to various tasks. Hob manages to find some interesting high-end spirits that may be of some value at the next port of call. Yodel hears about this renegade mercenary with a bounty on his red head, and Mireille gets hit on by a nerd who talks her ear off about the minutia of bioscanners. Ulf and Anja stay on board and train up on the simulators. 

The next day Mireille gets a call from the site manager of a mining operation in the north. It's been occupied by mercs hired by a rival operation. The risk of damage to the site is too high for a full scale assault, but a data cache in the residences cannot be allowed to fall into a competitor's hands, and so the manager hires the crew to get close enough to spike a virus into the base's network and irretrievably corrupt the data. Mireille accepts, and the crew head out to the site via shuttle. 

Dropping the scanner bot ahead of their deployment, Mireille discovers that the mercenary Yodel heard about, Marcus Tranh, is leading the opposing contingent! 

Figure: Unit 9 stl 

Not only that, but the rumored bounty has more than doubled - some anonymous contractor wants this guy bad. 

The scanner IDs the rest of the mercenary squad: 

All figures: Unit 9 stls

Visibly well equipped, including a squad machine gun. A risky engagement to be sure - but the Zouave's crew have surprise on their side! 

Terrain: Micro Art Studios, Antinociti's Workshop

The crew approach the staff barracks building through a small parkette. They've got to get pretty close for the hacking device to be able to burn through the network firewall! 

Ulf and Hob are both spotted by a mercenary fireteam, but after a brief exchange of fire, each takes out their respective target without getting hit in return. 

Marcus, having crept close, peeks around the corner, fires, and eats a face full of plasma for his efforts. He falls in a smoking heap. Emboldened, Mireille pops out of cover to try and hit the machine gunner while Yodel covers her left from the parkette. She misses, and the HMG sends her scampering out of the line of fire, and straight in the sights of the specialist's partner, who throws her back. A stim pack keeps her from being stunned, for now. 

The HMG rattles once more, and this time Mireille hits the ground and doesn't get back up. The remaining mercenary leans out of cover and fires at Yodel, sending her groundwards as well. Anja and Ulf, dismayed by this change of fortune and bent on revenge, move into firing position. Ulf's rifle hits but does not down his target, but Anja blasts the machine gunner with her shotgun. Sally activates the hacking device. 

The last remaining mercenary stubbornly holds his ground, but is eventually pinned and killed by concentrated fire from the remaining team members just as the device finishes destroying the data. The mission is successful, but at what cost? 

The crew run to assist their fallen comrades. Yodel turns out to be fine, having struck her head on a bench as she dove for cover. Mireille, however, is not so fine, with bullet wounds to her left arm and shoulder that will require some time in sick bay. 

Ulf recovers a laser sight from the wanted merc Marcus' blasted body, and also a commlink with some encrypted data on it, that might prove useful to the right patron. Hob, meanwhile, finds that one of the military rifles so recently used against them is still functional. He hands it to Sally to replace the colony rifle she lost in her recent scuffle. 

With Mireille in sick bay, Ulf meets with their corpo contact, who pays them handsomely for a job well done - enough for advanced care to speed up the boss' recovery, in fact! 

Returning to the ship, the crew retire to the mess to reflect on their jobs so far, and discuss how they will find the next one. With many promising leads, they are confident that they will have their pick. 

Five Parsecs from Home Turn 2: Isolationists!

Grateful for the prompt intervention, the starport pays out six credits! As the crew celebrate their first successful contract, word gets around, and Mireille is contacted by a regional administrator who needs some quiet, outside help. 

It seems that a small group of anti-Unity Isolationists, led by an ex-naval officer, have occupied a government environmental support center as a sign of their determination. The administrator wants the crew of the Zouave to move in, assess the extent of the Isolationists' defenses, and if possible drive them away. 

Unit9 stls, except far right: Authorized Bounty Hunter, Corvus Belli

Mireille accepts gladly, and sends the crew off to explore the shanties around the launch pads, while she logs some time in with an expert AI. 

A few hours later, the crew return, buzzing with stories to tell: 

-Hob managed to trade some scrap for a Med Patch, just in case; 

-Yodel found a Swift pub, hoping to find rumors of her former gang, but just ended up having a good time; 

-Anja, also carousing, started talking to a bartender who eventually asked her to deliver a package to a friend. She figured that Mireille would get a kick out of using the old Type S Scout/Courier for its intended purpose. 

-Ulf found himself at a boxing gym, where he got in a vigorous session of Krav Maga with a local expert. 

Sally, however, was nowhere to be found, until starport security called. She had gotten mixed up with some chavs - possibly friends of the ones the crew had tangled with earlier - and had gotten injured and robbed (2 turns Sick Bay, lose Colony Rifle with Assault Blade attachment). After a brief commiseration, Mireille sends Sally up to the sick bay to recover, while the team prepares for their assault. 

Terrain: Hlokk Scenery Pack, Corvus Belli 

Sending Ulf alone to check out the small outbuilding, the rest of the team prepare to investigate the two larger ones. Ulf checks windows, determining that the building is empty, but sees a team of three militia approaching! Taking up a firing position at the base of the stairs, he blasts away with his Plasma gun - but misses. 

The militia trooper returns fire inexpertly - and a round connects, sending Ulf tumbling down the stairs! Meanwhile, on the right, autogun fire erupts, as a specialist opens fire on Anja, missing. Hob returns the favor with his own auto rifle, and scores a lucky shot, downing the hapless gunner. 

Yodel, hearing the exchange of fire to her left, repositions, finding a narrow firing lane from cover. Taking careful aim she shoots - and drops the trooper who shot Ulf. 

A third trooper, seeing his friend felled right in front of him, turns and runs. 

The leader, a seasoned navy vet, is not so easily deterred, however. She moves up under cover to try and get enfilade shots on the team. Repositioning, Yodel fires again - and again her shot hits, punching a neat hole under the leader's left eye. 

The remaining pair of Isolationists back off and hunker down, back to back, giving the crew time to catch them in a pincer. Anja closes and blasts away with her shotgun, driving one from cover; Yodel fires at her but her shot fails to injure the militia woman. 

Finally, Hob appears, and the weight of numbers bring down the remaining Isolationists. 

Mireille, closest to Ulf, runs to check on him. Miraculously, he is completely unhurt! (00 injury roll - the first in this game!). Yodel, despite her battlefield success, seems troubled by the lives she has taken, and is overcome by a deep feeling of melancholy. 

Meanwhile, a quick rifle through the bodies finds a few Dazzle grenades, and also a comlink on a particularly well-equipped Isolationist, who turns out to be a Bounty Hunter, with some very interesting data on his person... 

The Administrator pays the crew 5 credits, under the table.