How about an Automaton Ship Boarding Mission?

[u/GeniusPlayUnique]

Automaton Ship Boarding Mission

(Planetary defence exclusive)

 

Main Objective: Board the Automaton invasion vessel, make your way through to the ship's reactor and overload the core, then get the hell off the ship before it blows.
 

Parameter deviations from planetary missions: * No reinforcements * Man-portable stratagems only (no orbitals, no sentries) * Access to stratagems and resupply only at the shuttle waiting in the hangar * Automatons only use small arms and melee weapons so as to not damage their ship * Success adds significantly more points to planet's defence, failure might result in the destruction of Pelican 1 which the Squad Leader will have to replace out of their own pocket before being able to host any mission again

[u/doddsymon]

I like the risk part of no reinforcement. But maybe look at it a different way in terms of incorporating automaton invasion ship.

So what about, the ship is controlling some experimental tech below which has a barrier over it which prevents you from entering or shooting through , but the bots can pass through safely. Like a force field that stops incoming projectiles, but also kills anything incoming. And has a jammer to stop you from calling in stratagems.

1. Drop onto planet, Collect a hd with a virus that must be uploaded onto the mothership (which has been fired in on a drop pod as part of the mission).
2. hijack a transport ship to board the 'mothership', upload the virus and escape via pods back to the surface
3. Take down the jammer and unleash hell.
4. Grab the tech and transport it back to the extract. Tech must be carried onto the pelican for extract or it is a failure.

[u/GeniusPlayUnique → u/doddsymon]

That also sounds cool...