"Blake's Seven" 28mm Battle Report: Servalan & Travis Verses The Mutant Menace II

THE FEDERATION RETURN TO XK-72 AND ITS INFESTATION OF MUTANT MONSTERS

This game was played using some homemade rules (M.I.S.S.) so as to allow us to play through a lengthy campaign utilising many of my painted FedSec Trooper miniatures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", and took place upon a small(ish) layout made up of old "Alien Verses Predator: The Hunt Begins" cardboard tiles.

“The story so far… Supreme Commander Servalan and Space Commander Travis have boarded the apparently abandoned Federation medical facility XK-72 to discover that the scientists there have been infected by a mutating space plague. Desperate to recover all the space-station's advanced technology, the pair attempt to restore full power back to its computer banks and operating systems."

THE TABLETOP - THE ABANDONED FEDERATION MEDICAL FACILITY XK-72

Servalan, Section Leader Klegg and the five-man strong Charlie Squad would enter the medical facility from its south-western airlock. Whilst Travis, Alpha Squad and Bravo Squad would start their exploration of XK-72 from the installation's south-eastern airlock. Any mutants, deformed scientists or even worse horrors would either emerge from an air ventilator shaft located in the Central Corridor or Northern Corridor.

The scenario selected was "Reconnect", which meant that the Federation forces had twelve turns in which to locate both the space station's power socket and its missing circuitry, and then bring the circuitry back to the power socket's location. These objectives would only be revealed once a unit had spent a turn examining one of five potential locations for them.

THE FEDERATION FORCES SPLIT UP TO COVER MORE GROUND

Eager to reconnoitre the Bridge but mindful that they might need plenty of guns owing to its close proximity to an air ventilator shaft, Space Commander Travis and Alpha Squad headed west down the Central Corridor. Bravo Squad however, moved north up the East Wing towards the East Storeroom. On the other side of XK-72, Servalan and Klegg made their way north up the West Wing, whilst Charlie Squad turned into the Central Corridor to give Travis some additional covering fire if needed.

To the north the Federation troopers all heard something very large and probably truly terrifying making its way down the Northern Corridor. Whatever the behemoth was, it sounded like it was heading east towards the north end of the East Wing. To make matters worse though a mutant emerged into the Central Corridor, right in between Alpha Squad and Charlie Squad's positions.

SOMETHING LARGE IS HEARD LURKING AT THE NORTHERN END OF XL-72

Travis immediately opened fire on the mutant before him, and despite the monster's formidable mass, managed to twice wound it. The creature was clearly injured by the Space Commander's attack, and resultantly fell to the floor dead, once it was targeted by the mass firepower of both Alpha Squad and Bravo Squad. Servalan and Klegg continued to hurry towards the West Storeroom, with Charlie Squad remaining in situ to support Travis should another mutant appear.

Unfortunately for the Federation forces, all the noise of their firing did indeed attraction a second mutant to emerge from the air ventilator shaft in Central Corridor. Whilst the behemoth at the north end of the medical facility fully appeared at the top end of the East Wing. Bravo Squad immediately started firing at the hulking monstrosity, but their terror at the brute's size got the better of their aim, and they all missed.

SERVALAN REACHES THE WEST STOREROOM AS TRAVIS BATTLES A MUTANT

Space Commander Travis meanwhile, wounded the mutant near him with his mutoid hand-blaster. However, despite Alpha Squad and Charlie Squad's best efforts, the creature refused to die. Somewhat more encouraging though was Servalan's success at locating the space station's power socket in the West Storeroom, meaning her expedition needed to only find its missing circuitry and return it to the device in the storeroom for the mission to be a success.

Eager to explore Engine Room One, the Supreme Commander hurried after Section Leader Klegg, who, having opened to the door to the West Storeroom, was now scouting out the northern end of the West Wing. Further south, Travis decided to let his men tackle the injured mutant near him, and made his way up to the Bridge's closed door. Behind him, Charlie Squad ineffectively charged into the mutant, and failed to even wound the creature with their rifle butts.

TRAVIS REACHES THE BRIDGE AS SERVALAN PUSHES FURTHER NORTH

Alpha Squad and Bravo Squad opened fire on the behemoth slowly approaching them down the East Wing. The monstrosity had completely cut off the Federation Troopers' access to the East Storeroom. Their combined fire managed to wound the monstrosity only once though. To make matters worse, all their shooting attracted the attention of another mutant to the Central Corridor, and this one immediately attacked Charlie Squad - wiping the entire five-man team out with the help of the injured mutant they were already engaged with.

Rounding the corner into the Northern Corridor, Klegg came to an abrupt halt as he witnessed a mutant emerge from its air ventilator. The creature instantly started moving towards the Section Leader, who frantically fired at it, giving it one wound. Servalan appeared behind him, ready to bring her own weapon into play if given the chance.

THE MUTANTS ATTACK SPACE COMMANDER TRAVIS OUTSIDE THE BRIDGE

Travis too was in trouble, as the pair of mutants near him attacked, gravely wounding the Space Commander, and bringing him close to death's door. Turning their attention away from the behemoth moving down the East Wing, Alpha Squad desperately charged the injured mutant attacking their senior officer, and managed to batter the brute into near submission. A moment later and a vicious chop from Travis saw it dead. The Federation forces were slowly clearing the Central Corridor.

Alpha Squad and Bravo Squad then brought their rifle butts down upon the remaining mutant in the Central Corridor, and once again Travis was able to deliver a coup de grâce upon another of the medical facility's disfigured inhabitants. Servalan and Travis were also enjoying plenty of success with their attack upon the mutant before them in the Northern Corridor, as they almost killed their green bulbous opponent with some withering fire.

MORE AND MORE MUTANTS START TO APPEAR INSIDE THE SPACE STATION

Unfortunately for the Supreme Commander and her Section Leader, the mutant wasn't quite dead, and the sound of their blasters caused a mutated scientist to emerge from the nearby ventilator shaft. This jump-suit wearing partial-cadaver shuffled behind the badly-injured mutant towards its aghast prey. To the south, the behemoth finally reached the eastern end of the Central Corridor, which Bravo Squad had already wisely vacated.

Sensing that her position was precarious at best, Servalan fled south back down the West Wing, heading towards the evacuation point. Behind her Klegg screamed in terror as both the mutant and heavily-infected scientist tore him to pieces. The Federation forces holding the Central Corridor weren't faring much better either, as the behemoth  almost came within touching distance of Bravo Squad.

KLEGG FALLS PROTECTING HIS SUPREME COMMANDER FROM TWO MUTANTS

Ordering his men to stand their ground, Travis raced into the Bridge, desperately hoping to find the missing circuitry needed to complete his mission. Outside, Alpha Squad and Bravo Squad repositioned themselves to assail the behemoth with their combined firepower should they be given the opportunity.

THE SURVIVING FEDERATION FORCES RETREAT EMPTY-HANDED

With a curse, Travis realised the Bridge was a red herring, and knowing that a fight against the behemoth, even with two full squads of troopers, would be a difficult challenge, gave the order for his men to retire to the south-western extraction point. The Space Commander nimbly fled the Bridge just as the behemoth approached its now open doorway, and by the time he reached the relative safety of the airlock saw that Servalan was already admonishing Alpha Squad and Beta Squad for their mission's failure...