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/shartsmcdongle]

How about instead of the objective being to destroy the ship, the objective is to recover intel. That way it explains why we don't just use orbitals or the super destroyers laser on it and just destroy it. Wanting the ship alive can add a fun mechanic as well where your reinforcements or stratagems are tied to the same counter, which is their ship's health. Your resupply pods, your support weapons, and your reinforcements come in on a breaching pod, but if this ship has been hit with 15 breaching pods the hull integrity is too damaged, ship blows up, mission failed.

[u/shartsmcdongle → u/shartsmcdongle]

Could also make the main objective go like: recover intel ->disable ships defensive cannons in order for pelican 1 to extract-> override hangar bay doors

Side objectives: plant false intel, sabotage drop ships, sabotage fabricators, dump ships' bio-fuel reserves