|
The BattleTech Dynasty, Chapt 6 The Opportunity of Chaos (3057-58) - Chapter Complete
Welcome!
Here are the first five chapters of this dynasty so far: Chapter 1 - The Beginning, 3030-3038 - The Battletech Dynasty, Chapter 1 - 3030-38 - Front Office Football Central Chapter 2 - The War of 3039, 3039 - The BattleTech Dynasty: Chapt 2, 3039 - Front Office Football Central Chapter 3 - Solaris VII, 3040-3042 - The BattleTech Dynasty: Chapt 3, Solaris VII, 3040-3042 - Front Office Football Central Chapter 4 - The Explorer Corps, 3043-3049 - The BattleTech Dynasty: Chapt 4, Explorer Corps - 3042-49 - Front Office Football Central Chapter 5 - The Invasion, 3050-3056 - The Battletech Dynasty: Chapt. 5 - The Invasion, 3050-3056 - Completed - Front Office Football Central And now, today, we are starting the next chapter. This dynasty is set to end in 3067, in ten years. |
Chapter 6, The Opportunity of Chaos
As a reminder, this story picks up where Chapters 1-5 left off, on a mega-dynasty through 20+ years of the BattleTech universe. Here is a quick glance/reminder at our players (Chapter 5 has a much more detailed overview of the characters). Dramatis Personae: Col. Braham Essex, CO and founder of Kilts and Commandos, was ranked 8th in Solaris VII before retiring, numerous awards especially by Andurien and Rasalhague. Married, with two children, and has become his homeworld, Epsilon Eridani’s favorite son. He has put the HQ of his unit on EE, married and raised his family there, and assisted them on many occasions. He is currently in operational command of Delta Regiment. Capt. Ted Izumo, Formerly the XO of Kilts and Commandos, and founder. Headmaster of the Essex Training Academy, and commander of the garrison. Ted makes many of the administrative decisions of the unit. Ted is our main liaison with EE and the Inner Sphere Col. Matthew Humphries – CO of Alpha Regiment and third in command of Kilts and Commandos. Humphries was the first one in the IS to use a batchall system honorably against the clans, and the first one to beat them. His name was known throughout the IS for a while. That was a few years ago now. Col. Martin Fitzgerald – Did very well as temporary captain in the face of the clans and was promoted to captain, afterwards for a short time until reorganization gave us an empty chair at the head of Beta Regiment. He took it over, and is now 4th in order of command. Capt. Conner Ward – The new CO of Shadow Battalion and one of our many ex-clan former bondsman who are now fully ours. We won a Trial of Possession against Jade Falcon for their unit’s best MechWarrior and we got Conner, a better than clan elite pilot who has won his bloodname. After being very impressed with him, we recently promoted him. He’s definitely a ristar in our unit. Major Mei Zhen – The new XO of K&C and our primary person in charge of logistics. Mei Ling has been with the unit for a long time and was leading a company when Ted retired and we promoted her. She does recruiting as well. Magnus – Our first bondsman was taken on Thule against Clan Ghost Bear by Col. Matthew Humphries. Using his advice and knowledge of the clans in general and Ghost Bear in particular, he helped to guide us in understanding all things clan. Today we have 25 clan techs, 10 clan elementals and ex-bondsmen from every invading clan – Smoke Jaguar, Nova Cat, Steel Viper, Jade Falcon, Ghost Bear and Wolf. But Magnus is still our primary advisor on the clans. Capt. Randall Lewis – Captain of our Aegis class WarShip the Swift Victory. He served with Gen. Kerensky’s unit in the Periphery Campaign and was later assigned as XO of the WarShip Manassas. Due to a jump drive error while serving rear guard for the Exodus Fleet, his experimental ship was flung into the future, and arrived in deep Clan Space while we were there on a mission for the Combine. We met them, introduced them to the Inner Sphere, and after the Jaguars took the Manassas in battle, we fought for it in a Trial of Possession. After winning it, ComStar traded us for it, and gave us a regular Aegis vintage Star League vessel. With a familiar vessel to helm and a new place to chart in the stars, our large and hefty and jovial Lt. Randall Lewis accepted a promotion to captain. He is the best person alive for the job – he is familiar with the design and served on Aegis’s before, and he has no loyalty to the clans or ComStar – and he is the only person who can say that. Col. Larry Rowe – Colonel of all of our major Aerospace assets in naval ships like the Swift Victory, Fury Unbound, and Arrow of Fate. With such a powerful group of fighter assets at his disposal we expect good things from our naval battles in space. Sgt. Adele Thompson – Founding member, politically connected minor noble of Epsilon Eridani who married a man with a similar background. Mothered Essex’s child before either were married. Elizabeth Walters-Essex – Braham’s wife, the mother of their son, and the CEO of Kressly Warworks, Inc. K&C works very closely with Kressly and their first mech design was based on one of K&C’s own frankenmechs. Thoma Marie Essex – The daughter of Braham and Adele, and just graduated from the prestigious Nagelring, the best military academy in the old Lyran Commonwealth. She has been assigned as a Leutnant with the high profile and elite 15th Lyran Guards on Hesperus II. James Roderick Essex - Currently interested in following his mother’s footsteps with Kressly Warworks. Has been learning the business slowly. Duke James Sandoval – Ally in the Draconis March who considers us a friend Baron Jorgennson – Ally in the FRR whose holdings were lost in the Clan Invasion, and now lives and works in Grumium, one of the seven remaining worlds to help rebuild his beloved Republic. Leftenant General Pierre Benton – Commander of the military forces on Epsilon Eridani, and a strong mind with whom we have a lot in common. Pada Vinson – CO of the rogue and now pirate Vinson’s Vigilantes and has sworn a blood oath on K&C because Essex killed his son in the Solaris VII arena. |
How the clans view us: 1 to 5, with 5 being the best
Ghost Bear – 5 – We helped them save some men when a WarShip was damaged by an asteroid. We fight with honor and have always used batchalls well. We have beaten them many times, but they have won occasionally. Steel Viper - 2 – We beat them and lost to them. Vipers are the most arrogant clan around, so they don’t have a higher opinion of 2 for any IS, much less a mercenary one. Wolf – 3 – We’ve beaten them, and then they used overwhelming force twice to mandate a surrender. They have a higher respect for mecs, and they honor us. Jade Falcon – 3 – We beat them once, and they found honor in us, but we are still a mercenary unit. Smoke Jaguar – 1- Although we beat them once, they claim it was chance. They have a low opinion of many though Nova Cat, Diamond Shark – No opinion, never fought each other States view us: Free Rasalhague Republic – 5* We helped them form in the Ronin Wars, we fought for them and won against the clans on several occasions. They love us. Federated Commonwealth – 4 – We just did a retainer contract for them, we regularly do things for them, they allow us to run our little fief on Epsilon Eridani. We fought well for them in the War of 3039. ComStar – 4 – We did a solid for them in the Explorer Corps and we’ve recently done quite a few contracts for them, all good work. Cap – 2 – They don’t like an Ex-Cap not working for them exclusively Draconis Combine – 2 – Not much of an opinion any way, we rarely do contracts for them. However one anti-clan contract resulted in clans losing more than two trinaries of mechs, plus naval assets. Free Worlds League – 1- We fought against them in the Andurien Wars and we have taken several anti-Blake contracts from ComStar. They’ll employ us, but they don’t like us that much at all. St Ives Compact – 3 – We’ve done good jobs for them, but they also like our stance in favor of non-house states. Word of Blake – 1 – We’ve done only a handful of contracts for them, and mostly just smashed their forces again and again in the employ of ComStar. |
Chapter 6 will be the first one when all of the pieces will start to come together. This is when everything changes, and then everything changes again. This is the beginning of the heart of the dynasty. Not for a while of course, but the pieces are all there.
We need to step back a bit and set the stage with info. Again, most of this is either already in the BattleTech universe or in previous chapters, but not all of it. It will be useful for us to talk about it again. |
Kressly Warworks, Inc
This factory and company makes combat vehicles and mechs, plus some various parts for them. The CEO is Elizabeth Walters-Essex who inherited the company from her farther, who died while she was still young. For decades, Kressly made the Brutus Assault Tank, as well as a few other things here and there. Since Elizabeth took over, she has added new lines and renovated old. When trying to find a location for the headquarters of Kilts and Commandoes and the Essex Training Academy, Ted Izumo and Braham Essex deliberately chose land close to KWI so that they could exchange materiel and technology and personnel. Techs can move back and forth, as well as military and company officials. As a result of our closeness, we were given the factory’s personal company of tanks, plus a few mechs, and given a ten year garrison deal for them, which has been extended several times. We garrison KWI and regularly have two mech companies and one vehicle company patrolling it at all times. Considering what they make these days, the extra heat is worth it. What does KWI make? Brutus Assault Tank – Their bread and butter, newly renovated with star league technology. This 75 ton fusion powered assault tank originally had 2 large lasers, an LRM 20, 2 SRM6s and an SRM2. There are a few variants made for different clients with tons of LRM racks or PPCs. This is their bread and butter, and it still sells very well years later. Blizzard Hover Transport – Introduced a few years ago in 3054, the 25 ton Blizzard was ostensibly designed for use against the clans. It uses an ICE to keep costs down and it has 6 tons of cargo space to carry infantry into battle. Its only weapon is a single LRM-5. This enables it to stay out of the range of most weapons and contribute to the fire at long and extreme ranges both before and after dropping off the kids by the pool. Attila – An 85 ton frankenmech of ours was turned into a powerful mech using level 2 tech like double heat sinks and ER PPCs. It’s a devastatingly powerful mech, and Kressly’s first one. It continues to sell as both a brawler and a ranged mech. We have schematics for building a clan version, but without the clan tech parts, it’s meaningless. Lineholder – A cheap medium mech based on proven technology, this 55-ton beast helped as the second KWI mech to roll off the lines. It uses almost exclusively old technology and competes very well with mechs in the same weight class with twice the cost. By the end of 3057, this is the best selling medium mech in the IS. It features 2 LRM5s, 4 medium lasers, and a large laser. Alexander – Based on a Hunchback chassis, this 55 ton omnimech uses IS technology to make a versatile machine. We have included both IS and Clan compatible pods, giving commanders maximum flexibility. The Alexander was helped along, in part, by our captured clan techs assisting KWI in making an omni compatible system. Even making tons a month, this is sold out for the next year and a half (We have December 3057’s order). Bandersnatch – We recommended against it, but Kressly has signed a deal to license the Bandernsatch made by J D Bandermechs over on Terra Firma. They made them out of a warehouse, and each one took 10 months to make and they could only make a few at a time. KWI stepped in to market and sell these, and they have already come off the lines. Bumblebee – The next joint project we are working on is a 35 ton 6/9/6 mech with MASC called the Bumblebee. It should really round out Kressly’s offerings by giving them a nice fast scout mech. It’s currently undergoing prototype stage. Unamed Brawler Mech – Kressly would like to work on a mech with a hatchet designed to close in the heavy mech weight class. Hatchet mechs have been selling very well and many new designs are making it to the field, and KWI wants a mech that has it. This mech has not even been designed yet, but we are in the conversation stage. Kressly also makes engines for its units, armor, some weapons, targeting and tracking systems, and chassis. For example, KWI makes LRM20s, SRM-6s, SRM-2s for the Brutus, makes its movement and tracking systems, its communications systems, armor, and a 225 fusion engine for the Brutus. However, they import the large lasers from Firmir Weaponry, which makes them on Betelgeuse in the Capellan Confederation. The relationship between Kilts and Commandos and Kressly Warworks is not as close as its CO and CEO, but it is rather cozy. We have loaned them techs, given them mechs, and items. We get a 25% discount on the stuff we buy from them, we garrison their large factory, and we have helped design a few of their products. |
Awesome to see this come back, Abe. Along for the ride as always!
Tell |
Thanks!
|
Epsilon Eridani
This planet is 5 days from the jump points in the system. It has an old Star League era recharging station at both the zenith and nadir points, so JumpShips can jump in, and if they want, pay for a charge and jump back out relatively quickly. The closeness of EE to the jump points allows for increased merchant trade. EE was a holding of the Capellan Confederation for centuries, as well as many of the systems around it. During the Fourth Succession War in the last 3020s, the system flipped to Federated Suns control via the Tikonov Free Republic. The planet itself has undergone a massive commercial revival since leaving the hands of House Liao and the Capellan Confederation. New mines have opened, new DropPorts are opening, merchants are an increasingly constant presence, and companies like Kressly Warworks, Inc are growing. The planet is booming like it never has before. With a pleasant climate, Epsilon Eridani experiences regular rain and thunderstorms. The climate tends to be similar to that of the Pacific Northwest or London, only milder. There are two continents. The northern one has the city of Dori, the largest commercial center on EE. The northern continent holds rocky mountains and contains a lot of mining interests. It also has a lot of coasts and hinterlands. The southern continent is the place where a lot of rain and storms hit. It has swamps and marshes and a section of significant industrial interests. The swampland is extensive and rough, with smaller villages of a few thousand each dotted all around. Significant industrial interests require a lot of transportation, including ports both for DropShips and the ocean. On planet is the Epsilon Eridani SMM, a Federated Commonwealth unit under the command of Leftenant-General Pierre Benton, a local who is fiercely pro-Epsilon Eridani, and less so for the houses. The loyalty of the EE SMM is considered unreliable and the unit is green. That’s one regiment of mechs garrisoning the world for the FedComs plus local armor and infantry. Our own force is much larger. We also have a battalion of tanks garrisoning mining interests on the northern continent. |
The Sarna March
After gobbling up massive amounts of territory during the Fourth Succession War, the ex-Liao planets and systems were organized into a new segment of the government under the title Sarna March named after its new capital, Sarna. Because it was a wedding gift to his new wife, Melissa Steiner, Hanse Davion essentially gave the worlds to the Lyran Commonwealth. However, they were really jointly ruled by both houses. On a map, the Sarna March fell on the Federated Suns side of the border until the union, but Melissa Steiner was the one investing in infrastructure in the ex-Capellan worlds with Steiner money. Also, Steiner military units moved in and began to garrison the area. Eventually, Davion units came in too, and as the Federated Commonwealth became one nation, many of these things began to mix. The Sarna March includes important worlds like Nanking, Outreach, Northwind, Sarna, Styk, Terra Firma, Kaifeng, Epsilon Eridani, and Tikonov. The places on the Davion side of the FC have been denuded of many units as they have been shifted to the clan front deep in Lyran space. For example, the entire Draconis March which is on the border of the Draconis Combine has just 13 BattleMech regiments guarding the whole place. The Crucis March, which includes the capital worlds of New Avalon has just 16 regiments and 4 of those are on New Avalon. While the Capellan March and Sarna March are not stripped as much (because of the distrust of Sun-Tzu Liao and support of the St. Ives Compact), they also have lost some units. |
Terra
The home of ComStar, the Terran Hegemony and the Star League. The cradle of civilization and home of humanity is also a massively powerful system. Humanity spread out in the solar system before moving into the stars. They built a massive drydock in space around Titan and it was the last place that could make WarShips in the Inner Sphere for centuries. Mars is heavily settled, fortified and has factories of massive significance. Terra itself is the single most industrialized planet in the Inner Sphere. It has tons of factories. After the major wars on Terra it was recaptured by Kerensky, he turned it over to his ally Jerome Blake. He asked some of the Star League Defense Force to stay behind and help Jerome Blake rebuild the shattered HPS network and left the Inner Sphere a short while later. Jerome Blake turned the Department of Communications into ComStar and those SLDF units became the first ComGuards. Jerome Blake’s first tasks were to retake the entire Terran System from all bandits, house forces and remaining Amaris troops. After he did that, he declared ComStar neutral, kept the HPG Station’s running, mothballed naval assets and military assets in various systems off the beaten path. His most important role was to get all of the old factories up and running. Some were kept online, but many were mothballed and able to be restored with a few months work. Numerous mech, tank, and fighter factories were in the system. Terra is also the single best defended system in existence. Between massive numbers of capital ships, orbital platforms, naval guns, and countless fighters – the system is virtually impenetrable. Plus add in major defensive fortresses, Brian Castles, and such. You are not going to come in here without major losses. After the schism that tore ComStar into two pieces, one of which is Word of Blake, ComStar became more secular. As part of that, they opened up Terra for visitors for the first time in centuries. Humanity can again tour the land of its birth and ancestors. Terra is 28.29 light years away from Epsilon Eridani. |
I know that a lot of people look to 3028, 3050, 3063 and 3067 as major years in Inner Sphere history when everything changed. But, for me? 3050 and the invasion of the clans is certainly a game changer but 3057 into 3058 hearkens the biggest changes and unseen things. It sets up everything that comes later. 3050 doesn’t. Sure, it sets up some of the events of 3057, but not all of them. 3028 impacts 3057 as well. Plus other events and years are involved, including 3052. This is the year that sets up everything else ever. It’s the straight that connects the lakes and rivers before into the ocean that comes next.
We are not taking contracts for a while, because a lot of our units are returning from long contracts or being on ships for months and months. I mean, you are in DropShips and JumpShips for months, and then drop down and 15 days later you are back in again. Then you do another contract when you get home and head out for another 8 months only 11 days of which are on planet. This sort of things continues, and our men need a bit of a break. We also have 21 companies returning back from contracts in the next few months, the majority of which come back in January. It’s just time for some R&R before taking more contracts and heading back out. |
Kilts and Commandos Roster:
Alpha Regiment: Col. Matthew Humphries, of Star Battalion Myth Battalion: Capt Foster Keynes, of Typhon Company Heliades Company - Return on June 8, 3057 Styx Company - Return on June 8, 3057 Tethys Company – Return on June 8, 3057 Typhon Company – Return on June 8, 3057 Star Battalion: Col. Matthew Humphries, of Defender Company Defender Company – Returns on February 2, 3057 Cinq Company – Brawler Company – On Terra Firma until June 28, 3059 Heater Battalion: Capt. Jason Thomas, Trinity of Company Delta Company – Trinity Company- Butler Company – Beta Regiment: Col. Martin Fitzgerald, of Ganges Battalion Ganges Battalion: Col. Martin Fitzgerald, of Phaeton Company Phaeton Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Boxer Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Rebel Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Amazon Battalion: Capt. Gabriel Williams, of Mustang Company Mustang Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Hex Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Raven Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Rheims Battalion: Capt. Aurelia Jenson, of Aleph Company Aleph Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Laser Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Sabre Company – Return on Jan 14, 3057 Gamma Regiment: Col. Gilda Atwater, of Breaker Battalion Breaker Battalion: Col. Gilda Atwater, of Fallout Company Trident Company – return home on January 6, 3057. Miner Company – return home on January 6, 3057. Fallout Company - return home on January 6, 3057. Scimitar Battalion: Capt. Mika Sanders, of Vegas Company Vegas Company – Guile Company - Tango Company - Mesopotamia Battalion:Capt. Kyla Jeffries, of Nineveh Company Jericho Company – Return on Jan 26, 3057 Babylon Company – Return on Jan 26, 3057 Nineveh Company – Return on Jan 26, 3057 Delta Regiment: Col. Braham Essex, of Shadow Battalion Shadow Battalion: Col. Braham Essex, of Shadow Company Bruiser Company – Ready March 15 Shadow Company – Ready March 15 Sealion Company – Ready March 15 Flame Battalion: Capt. Johan Kreidler, of Blaze Company Pyre Company – Ready March 15 Blaze Company – Ready March 15 Ember Company – Ready March 15 Armor Battalion: Capt. Jassa Ramgarhia, of Aegis Company Aegis Company – Ready March 15 Shield Company – Ready March 15 Chainmail Company - Ready March 15 Vehicles: Tank First Battalion – EE- mining garrison complete on October 15, 3057 Tank Second Battalion - On Terra Firma until June 28, 3059 Garrison and Infantry – EE, garrison, Fighters: Col. Larry Rowe, of Arrow Company Arrow Company - return home on January 6, 3057. Bolt Company – Catapult Company -. Swift Justice, Aegis WarShip – Fighters Ready July 5, 3057 Scots Flotilla, Merchant JumpShip – Johnny Appleseed, Invader JumpShip - – Robin Hood, Union DropShip – Megan’s Fury, Union DropShip - Star River, Union DropShip - Serendipitous Victory, Union-C DropShip -. Amalgamated Bliss, Union DropShip –. Defiance, Overlord DropShip – Daily Menace, Overlord DropShip, Upgraded - Faith’s Bulwark, Fortress DropShip, Upgraded - Fury Unbound, Vengeance DropShip - Fighters Ready July 5, 3057 Firebird, Avenger DropShip – Arrow of Fate, Achilles DropShip, Upgraded - Fighters Ready July 5, 3057 Stalwart Destruction, Model 96 Elephant DropShip – |
January 15 – A commando from an unknown power infiltrated our Academy and tried to destroy our BattleMaster 2C, a vintage Star League mech with the very rare commander cockpit that we use for training. Although unsuccessful, more than 300,000 in damage was done to it before our troops arrived and killed the commando. We cannot discover who sent her.
This upcoming era is a continuing one of many scenario packs. These are scenarios that detail major events in the universe that a player can play along with. Some, such as Tukayyaid and Luthien detail a major campaign on that world, and those are past. Some others detail many battles over years by one unit, such as Tales of the Black Widow Company and The Black Thorns. A few are for role-playing purposes, such as Unbound and Royalty and Rogues. Finally, others detail generic campaigns that one can put their own unit into, such as Operation Flashpoint and Operation Stiletto. We have not been able to do any of these save for Living Legends, but I’d like to do a few more. We will be doing Lawyers, Guns and Money, and I suspect I’ll be accelerating when it happens. I’d like to do a few others from this era as well. Depending on what paths we do in this chapter, we could be in several of these. We are powerful enough that we could be with operation Bulldog, and then do The Dragon Roars, or we could be in Task Force Serpent and do Twilight of the Clans, or we could be the new replacement for Brion’s Legion rather than the 21st Centauri Lancers, and could do The Fall of Terra. I still see Operation Stiletto as an obvious choice for us, and may move it up by a year or two to fit into the campaign better. So it will definitely be run in this chapter. I’m also considering something a bit…unusual. I’m thinking about running MechCommander 2 as part of this overarching campaign. We’ll see if it works or not. It depends on where we are when that happens. I can’t run it too early, because it is set against the backdrop of the D vs S C War, so I can’t accelerate it into the Chaos too early. Well actually, let me take another look at the videos and mechs. Yeah, a lot of the mechs haven’t even been released yet, such as the Men Shen and Razorback. –I think I could move the plotline to 3057-3058 era and just substitute it for the actual campaign for Carver V quite nicely, but otherwise, the mechs and such force me to move it until later. |
I have a lot of mechs and tanks in our garrison that are not currently being used. But I can’t recruit tank crew if I’m spending all of my time recruiting mechwarriors for my various units. I have 27 mechwarriors in our garrison, plus Ted Izumo and Mei Zhen. We also have all of our infantry as garrison force. Remember we have to patrol not only our complex but also Kressly Warworks Inc as well. Plus, units on shore leave and awaiting new contracts are used in these garrison roles.
Just for fun I roll to see what contracts are available in January and February. While I want to keep most of my guys here for some shore leave, for the right contract, I’d move out. January has Obj Raids wanted by Fed Com and Comstar, and a Garrion by FedCom. Let’s see where. Comstar wants to smash a planet out in the periphery, FedCom out in the deep parts of the Free Worlds League, and the garrison is for a planet two jumps away from their capital for two years. February sees two contracts, one by Word of Blake, who wants us to Assault a planet., and the other by FedCom for a objective raid against the Dracs. Target world is just three jumps away from our home planet, Epsilon Eridani. That intrigues me. Where, what and when? |
Target, Nashira. Length, just six weeks, objective – destroy a local leader’s company of mechs who was a traitor and defected from the Lyran Commonwealth during the war of 3039 and now has become a political irritant. We are to blast his mech as an embarrassment to him, which should drop his political capital.
It’s just four days to the jump points from the planet, and this is a nice, quick mission for my guys. I take it. Salvage: Full Salary: x1.3, x4 x1.6, x1.5 if we face the clans Support: Battle Loss 40% Command: Indy Remuneration: Yes, x1.05 Length: 1 months Transport: 100% Reimbursement 35% Bonus We manage to dicker them down to one month for the raid, assuming it is complete. I dispatch the inexperienced Butler Company to handle this. Let’s go ahead and sim it now Butler Company |
Butler Company on Nashira
Mar 13 – We arrive at the planet of Nashira, on board a cargo transport hiding us. Combine regulations have apparently stiffened, and we are discovered in a search of the craft by docking authorities, but we manage to bribe the officials to keep silent. Mar 17 – A platoon of infantry with the company have scouted the area in rented trucks. This DropPort is about fifteen miles from the local city where the traitor’s summer estate resides. As this is summer on their planet, he is confirmed by our troops and a local intel rep we meet from the FedComs. Mar 28 – We have manufactured an opportunity to force his entire company to suit up. Our infantry have paid some locals led by our infantry dressed as civilians. They will begin a mass demonstration against the traitor at the local shopping complex that is the largest in the city. It’s just a handful of blocks from the DropPort. Then our infantry will begin to launch grenades, infernos, and attack the local forces, with the intent of dealing damage to property instead of people. We believe that the combination of these anti-sentiments en masse plus violent damage will rile the traitor enough to force him to bring his whole unit to put down the demonstration with violence. Mar 30 – The plan is set in motion, and it fails. The local does not emerge from his summer estate. We finish the plan. Mar 31 – After negative coverage by the local media when he did not stop them the first time (the local police were not equipped to stop us) we do it again, and forced by the bad media, out emerge his entire company of mechs. He is in the lead. |
The lead mech of our foe is an Avatar DCMS omni-mech, with their prime config.
 Our goal is to destroy this mech. The leader is elite. Their other mechs are: DRG-5N Dragon HTM-27T Hatamato-Chi JR7-K Jenner CRB-27 Crab CRD-4K Crusader KIM-2 Komodo GUN-1 Gunslinger These are low-tech mechs GRF-1N Griffin CGR-1A9 Charger WVR-6R Wolverine VLK-QA Valkyrie The ‘Slinger, Jenner and Dragon pilots are veteran. The Komodo is elite. The rest are regular As a reminder, here is Butler Company: Anvil Lance: ATA-2 Attila GLT-3N Guillotine AXM-1N Axman CN9-A Centurion Hammer Lance: LGB-7Q Longbow GLT-5M Guillotine TBT-5N Trebuchet RLF-3N Rifleman Thunder Lance: VL-5T Vulcan LCT-1E Locust WTC-4M Watchman JVN-10F Javelin We have one elite, one green, three vets and seven regulars. This is not a battle tested company, so they were chosen specifically to give them more experience. We fire out of the drop ship and the crowd melts away, and we engage them in a large warehouse area, with little possibility for civilian damage. The first battle of the new chapter has begun! |
Turn 1 - We win initiative. I deployed the bulk of my forces in clear sight, and five units behind buildings – the Axman, Watchman, Javelin, Locust and Vulcan to harass, jump around and surprise folks. Angry ,they rush up numerous mechs into my space. They close quickly. They expose their rear of the Crab after I leap my Axman from behind the buildings behind it. I also hop our Vulcan behind their Crusader. They make their skid rolls. Here we go, time to exchange fire. The Atilla’s ER PPC opens up the torso of the Avatar after missiles wear down its armor, and it ignites the LB X ammo and it explodes. It has CASE< but the XL engine shuts down. Their Komodo blasts our Centurion, hits the AC ammo and it explodes. No CASE. Our Locust opens up the Jenner and hits its Gyro. Ther Griffin open sthe arm on one of our Guillotine;s and nails the arm and hand actuators. Their Valkyrie follows by taking out the laser there. Only their Komodo falls, under three mechs unloading on it. It smashes its engine once in the fall. Our Axman hatchets the Head of their Crab it falls to the ground dead. After not falling from the gyro hit, our Locusts kick forces their Jenner to the ground.
Turn 2 – We win init. I hop the Vulcan next to their Jenner after it stands and moves away. I move my wounded Guillotine next to their now standing Komodo. The Javelin join sthe Komodo dance. We focus a lot of attacks on their Charger. The Watchman hits two leg actuators on that mech. Our Guillotine, 3N Variant, destroys the RT of their Komodo and that takes it out – XL engine. The Javelin destroys the LT too. Their Charger collapses and hits its hip. No physical attacks connect at all. Turn 3 - We lose init. Our foes are beginning to back off. They came in too quickly, got smashed, and now are looking to pull out. I try to jump on top of a building to hammer their Jenner with my Jav, but it collapses under me and it falls. I move my Axman next to their Charger that stood up. I unload on their Dragon. Their Crusader destroys the LT of my Javelin. Their Gunslinger nails the H of my Longbow with its Gauss Rifle and destroys the head and kills the MechWarrior inside. At the same time, the Longbow ignited the ammo on their Dragon and it exploded - CASE keeps the mech alive, and no XL engine keeps it on the battlefield. It falls, breaks the other torso off, and the pilot blacks out. Their Charger is destroyed by a hit by the Axman’s large pulse laser at its head, shearing it off. Turn 4 – We win init again. The Longbow’s death probably keeps them in the fight. It was a very strong mech, and now things are a bit more leveled, with it and the Jav going down. I eject the pilot from the Jav. Their Jenner and Crusader skid and tumble. This turn we blast the Valkyrie. I go overheat to blast the Crusader with my Vulcan. The Attila opens that center torso and nails an engine once on the Valkyrie. Our Vulcan nails a foot actuator on their Crusader. Their Valkyrie survives but falls. Their Dragon pilot wakes up. Turn 5 – We win init. I order my mechs forward into their soft position. I hop the Vulcan by his Hatamato Chi after he rises the crusader. Jenner stays on the ground, but it’s not a real target right now. They fail to stand the Dragon. This time, the Gunslinger is the main target. A Guillotine destroys the RA of their Crusader. The Axman’s Large Pulse Laser nails the H of their Gunslinger and destroys his THIRD mech with a head hit today. Their Crusader destroys the LA on our Guillotine 3N. They eject the Dragon pilot and fade away. We win. |
We gather the salvage into the DropShip and take home MW’s Gloria Juarez’s body. We replace the Centurion with the Komodo. We recruit a regular pilot for the Longbow, Keith Baker, who replaces a veteran Gloria Juarez. Veteran Horace Jackson, in the Trebuchet, is promoted to Sergeant and takes over that lance.
Captured: Avatar Prime, missing RT Crab missing H Komodo, missing RT, LT Dragon, missing LT, RT Charger, several actuators, missing H Gunslinger, missing H Destroyed: Centurion LA, RA Repaired: Guillotine 5M, actuators, ML Guillotine 3N – missing LA Javelin, missing LT Longbow, missing H We receive money for the destroyed parts and Centurion equal to 40% of their value. Then we spend money to repair, rearm and refit my guys. After paying for all repairs, we lost 1.575M C-Bills. All repairs are made and my new mechs are moved to the garrison. Butler Company returns to Epsilon Eridani on June 19. |
Rewind back to….
February, 3057 We don’t take any of the other missions available. March 3057 – 5 contracts available, and they are….two periphery I skip, and contracts for Fed Com, Free Worlds League and the Free Rasalhague Republic. They want Cadre, Security and Recon Raid, respectively. The Federated Commonwealth wants us to do training in Draconis March, near the border with the Periphery, months away. I say no. The Recon Raid is for a planet captured by Ghost Bear, and it is 18 weeks away. Nah. Much of our military is ready to go by the end of March. |
March 14, We get news that a raid is underway on Terra Firma. Both Brawler Company and Beta Tank Battalion are there on garrison with an industrial complex of size combining many large and expensive companies and factories. A company of mechs of unknown origin is bearing down on our position. We always have one lance of mechs and one company of tanks on garrison there at any time. We combine, so when our heaviest mechs are there are lightest tanks, and vica versa. They struck when we have our best tank company from the battalion, but our scout lance.
Defending troops Our troops are at least a half-hour away, and thus they have a chance to blast us and move in. These mechs, with two green and two elite pilots JR7-F Jenner CMT-1 Comet LCT-1E Locust STG-3G Stinger And this company of tanks Zeta Company Schrek PPC Carrier Brutus Zhukov Bulldog Schrek PPC Carrier Harasser Hunter LRM Carrier Saladin J Edgar Drillson Saladin Most are veteran Here are our foes - are they house units, mercs, corporate units, ComStar, Blake? Commando Stalker Vindicator UrbanMech BattleMaster Firestarter Grasshopper Thunderbolt Whitworth Uptech DV-7D Dervish VTR-10L Victor BL-9-KNT Black Knight ALM-7D Fireball This is their Fireball, a quick 20 ton mech with a machine gun and a streak SRM 2 rack, plus 11/17 movement. It’s not that good.  As many know, tanks tend to be more fragile than BattleMechs. And I don’t have any heavy metal Mech’s to spearhead an offense. We are fighting outside of the industrial complex to reduce collateral damage to our employers. Plus, they rolled three assault mechs, so I am up against some serious competition. They will likely flee once they suffer 20% losses, since this is just a raid. The Victor, BattleMaster, Fireball and Dervish all have veterans Alright, time to get slaughtered. |
Nasty looking fight this. Good luck in surviving!
Tell |
Thanks!
|
Turn 1 – We win init. I hide my LRM tanks behind buildings to use them for indirect fire. I focus indirect fire on their Commando. The Drillson hits the ammo and it ignites and blows up. Their Thunderbolt hits the movement system on our Bulldog Medium Tank. Our Jenner took some fire but was left standing.
Turn 2 – We win init. I expose my J Edgar Hover Tank to spot for my LRM guys and to direct fire away from my other guys. It’s just two hexes away from their Battlemaster and Thunderbolt. I move up my Saladins as well for a quick shot and then retreat. I jump my Stinger behind their Fireball. I manage to get some fire on their Dervish. Their Dervish immobilizes a Schrek, and then falls down. Turn 3 – We win init. One of my Saladins skids, but I recover and get it out of there. I move in the Harasser Missile Platform as a spotter. Their Dervish rises Their Stalker immobilizes our Harasser. Then their Vindicator destroys its Left Side. Our other Shreck tears the Hip actuator of their Dervish. Their Victor immobilizes our Bulldog. Our Brutus nails the Dervish’s engine twice and destroys the RA. Their Thunderbolt finishes the Bulldog;s front side and destroys it. Our Harasser destroys the Fireball’s LT which destroys the mech. Their Dervish falls and hits a third engine and goes down. Turn 4 – We win init. I move up the Saladins, Stinger, J. Edgar and Jenner to get some pressure. Their Firestarter skids and falls near my assault tanks in the north. My already wounded Shrek is immobilized permanently. Their Stalker destroys the right side of a Saladin. Our Zhukov destroy the RA and RL of their Firestarter. They destroy the LA of ,my Stinger. They retreat and help their Firestarter up and out. |
We are unable to repair the Saladin, but we can repair the other tanks. I send in a Saladin from our garrison back on EE one jump away to replace it. This contract has full salvage and 50% battle loss so I’ma going to go ahead and figure out those financials. Repairing the tanks and limbs is easy this time. I lose 520k. Anyway, we managed to take out three mechs, but I went for easy targets, taking out two lights and a medium, so keep numbers even. To be fair, they took out some lights too!
Parts: Commando RA, LA, LT, H, LL Mechs Salvaged: Fireball missing LT Dervish, 3x engine hits, hip actuator Repair: Shrek Movement System Bulldog, Harasser, Saladin Stinger LA The salvage is sent right over. |
April 1, 3057 – Contracts? Four are out there, from ISx3, and Companyx1. Company? In Lyran half of FedCom . They want a Cadre/Garrison deal. We’ll look at that in a bit. Three other deals are for FedCom, Combine and St. Ives Compact. They want Planet Assault, Extraction Raid and Security. The Combine wants us to hit the Nova Cat Clan, to extract materiel from one of their worlds The Assault is skipped by me, its against a target in the Periphery. The Ives Contract is far away, but easy to do. I have the units back to send out, so maybe it’s time to dispatch someone. I also want to see where the company game is. I roll to determine the planet, and it’s…Denebola, on the border with the Free Worlds League, and just two jumps away.
I send in Armor Battalion: Capt. Jassa Ramgarhia, of Aegis Company Aegis Company – Shield Company – Chainmail Company - To do the deal. Salvage: Full Salary: x1.1, x4 x1.3, x1.5 if we face the clans Support: Battle Loss 50% Command: Liaison Remuneration: Yes, x1.05 Length: 6 months Transport: 100% Reimbursement 42.5% Bonus Armor Battalion arrives there April 28, 3057, and they’re contract ends on October 28, 3057. Normally, I roll to see what happens in these deals and run the whole one. This time, however, I am only rolling through August . We’ll pick it up in September. There are no major garrison attacks at the company while we train their security forces at this new branch of a multi-system company. |
The Security Detail is for the planet of Armaxa. With such a small military, the St. Ives Compact does not have the forces to bolster the local troops, and a local Count is about to stand trial for treason, and trouble is expected between his supporters and his rival, the Governor of the planet. Armaxa is 8 jumps away.
Salvage: Full Salary: x1.2, x4 x1.2, x1.5 if we face the clans Support: Battle Loss 50% Command: Liaison Remuneration: Yes, x1.05 Length: 6 months Transport: 100% Reimbursement 55% Bonus They only want a company of mechs. After looking at the roster, we send in Cinq Company. They arrive on August 5th, their contract ends on December 5th, and then they hit us back March 26, 3058. During our time at Armaxa, I roll to see if we have any issues. We do |
August 28th, 3057- While on patrol around the Governor’s estate, a large amount of vehicles move in. It’s night time, the area is fairly grassy and open ,with gentle hills and no vegetation to cover you. We can’t tell all of the units we are facing at first.
Cinq Company BLR-1G BattleMaster AWS-8Q Awesome HBK-4G Hunchback WVR-6M Wolverine ZEU-6S Zeus GRF-1N Griffin GRF-1N Griffin ARC-2S Archer VL-5T Vulcan WSP-1A Wasp SDR-5V Spider LCT-1V Locust This company is fully lowtech mechs, with none of the lost tech on any of them. This is one of our older units, and they fought in the War of 3039 and were decorated there. Our enemy – many unknown vehicles of some sort. There are, in fact, 24 tanks, hovercraft, and so forth of various sorts. It is night time, with a large bright moon, thus reducing accuracy. |
Turn 1 – We win init. We look down, and numerous tanks are already in our area, and we are surrounded by these vehicles. There are some big tanks in our area, such as a Mauler City Tank, and a Condor Heavy Hover Tank. Because of night, it takes twice as much movement to move a hex. Our range is limited, and we can’t shoot with the accuracy normally we could. We can still jump our full length so I jump out my Spider to scout out there, and see several trucks and minor tanks, plus a few threats such as a Hunter Light Support Tank. They move up tanks such as Savannah Master, Maxim Heavy Hover Transport, a Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun, and others. Very few skids by tanks. Our Hunchback destroys the left side of their Condor with its AC20. It’s fuel tank ignites and blows up. The BattleMaster immobilizes a Hunter Light Support Tank. Their Mauler goes internal on our Awesome’s H but hits nothing. Their Maxim hits the Awesom;’s head with a MG, but it’s a glancing blow so just one damage is dealt, leaving it with one damage there. Our Zeus lances faire into their Hunter and destroys the right side. The Spider hits the movement system on their Myrmidon Medium Tank and slows it. The Awesome tumbles. The Zeus kicks and destroys the front side of their Heavy Hover APC and blows it up. A kick from our Wolverine immobilizes a Gladius Medium Hover Tank.
Turn 2 – We lose init. I hopped my Spider into a Brutus I didn’t see. I keep most of my mechs by their tanks in the front. The Awesome rises. I go massively overheat in my Archer for an Alpha Strike on their Myrmidon. With it’s AC20, the Hunchback immobilizes a different Gladius Tank. Our Wasp fires and destroys a Savannah Master Hovercraft’s front side. Our BattleMaster immobilizes a Hetzer. Our Awesome destroys the front of another Savannah Master. The Wolverine destroys the first immobile Gladius. Their Mauler destroys the RA of our Awesome. It took more than 80 damage and needed a 9 or higher to stay standing, and stood. Our Awesome kicks and destroys the front of a Harasser Laser Platform. Our Wasp and Spider kick and hurt the movement on two tanks, but both are still moving. The tanks slip away into the night as we gather the salvage. |
Hunter, immobilized, RS destroyed
Gladius, immobilized Savannah Masterx2, front Harasser Laser Platform, missing front Awesome missing RA We fix the Gladius, but the Hunter and one Savannah Master are unable to be recovered. Three level ups Alan Roderick, Awesome – now a Veteran Dale Snyder, Hunchback – now Elite Lynda Karatos, Zeus – Gains Edge: 1 I roll, and it appears that we keep the rest of the countryside quiet due to this, and no other issues occur. We made 752k on the contract. Cinq Company has completed their mission. Okay, let’s roll back. |
Apr 16 – Maria Santos, veteran pilot of the Phoenix Hawk in Delta Company retires. She is replaced by new signee regular pilot Miles O’Shaunessey.
May 1 – Contracts? One from Periphery and two from FedCom and one from Capellan Confederation. The IS deals are Cadre, Garrison, and Assault in that order. The Garrison is for years and years, and I’m not interested. The Cadre duty is in a system that’s six jumps away, and that I’ll take. At Elbar, just a company needed. I roll, no battle occurs. We make 265k and I sent Delta Company, they return on February 15, 3058. |
EVENT May 20, 3057 – Today. Joshua Marik, son of Captain-General Thomas Marik, dies while being treated in the New Avalon institute of Sciences of Leukemia. Thomas Marik was sending supplies to fight the clans to the Combine and Federated Commonwealth in exchange for the care of his son. Fearing that these supplies will dry up, Archon-Prince Victor Ian Steiner-Davion decides to initiate a plan created by his father, the late Hanse Davion to substitute a body double for Joshua Marik.
And so, it begins. Soon, a gauntlet of chaos will envelop the Inner Sphere. |
May 22, 3057 – A large contingent of mechs drops into the large mining complex area on Epsilon Eridani and successfully raids it. They then lift off.
May 23, 3057 – As a result of that, General Pierre Benton arrives at our HQ to begin discussions with us regarding contracts to strike people who are attacking various places around the planet, if able, with compensation from the government. While there, we hear that Benton has into that believes that the force was a merc force in the employ of a company called Minroc Mines Interstellar. It is believed that they were not trying to gather mining supplies, but instead looking for a rumored LosTech depot from the Star league on the planet. And now, we are beginning our next module |
Lawyers, Guns, and Money
 It was my attempt to run this in the middle of the ensuing chaos, but instead, I am moving it up a few months to do something a little different before the big huge battles begin and numerous campaigns for K&C will ignite. Until this module runs its course, I will not be updating the time line, until things are done and I roll it back. This is a canonical module which takes place on Epsilon Eridani, nothing has been changed, but I am bumping it up and inserting us into the mix. (In reality, the depot was found in 3057, but the prospector does not tell anyone until five years later, so I am just having him tell folks now, which is not a major stretch). (I’m also increasing the size of the units involved to their full fighting force, a regiment each. In the scenario, they are just a battalion each, but the merc units in question are regiment sized). |
May 25, 3057 – A mercenary unit on the books for the company General Atomics arrives and begins to explore the same area, but in the abandoned mine section. With the new contract with General Benton in place, Ted Izumo and Mei Zhen dispatch a local force to handle the mercs. They arrive at the mines and force the merc units away. The mercs, named the Lone Star Regiment, retire and establish a camp about an hour from the mines.
May 26 – The first group of mercs have returned, Redfield’s Renegades. They have just hired themselves to a local company to get the right to stay on planet after their raid a few days ago. Their first company pays some money to the local authorities to okay it. Major Zhen flies in with several others to review the situation. In the Shamus Mountains, an old set of mining operations took place, and have since lost their value. The metals here are lower value ones that prevent a lot of scanning. Recently rumors have erupted of LostTech caches in the area. Major Zhen orders research. May 28 – A skirmish of the two units results in one scout lance defeating the other one. Battle flairs up until our circling aerospace assets force them each back. That’s only going to be temporary though May 30 – Major Zhen turns up a useful piece of information in research. Epsilon Eridani used to be the headquarters for the 4th Army of the Star League. This means there may be an old HQ or depot in the mountains, and that would be the one place on planet that would have escaped scans for things such as this. In order to keep the peace, Braham Essex has returned from recruiting on Outreach to respond and takes his battalion, Shadow Battalion to do some searching while Col. Martin Fitzgerald takes Beta Regiment, to the area to keep the peace. They also have aerospace units, infantry, and tanks searching along with Shadow Battalion. Even if it’s not there, their search will narrow the areas that the others will look in, and thus help us to cordon them off and keep the peace. June 2 – After ignoring our Aerospace assets, a battalion from each regiment approach each other, and we must respond. Both units are veterans. Rheims Battalion is dispatched from Beta Regiment to handle them. This is Aleph, Laser and Sabre companies. Sabre is our heavy company, Aleph our experienced one, and Laser our normal one for that mix. As they arrive, the two battalions of our enemy are poised for combat. We order them down but they refuse. |
These battles will be three way battles, with one merc side vs the other vs us. Whoever keeps the field wins the salvage, so it is possible that we could win salvage of mechs that we don’t even shoot down. If they gang up on us, this could be quick, but will they?
As the forces close, each side has a scout lance that moves to the middle of the area and begins sniping at each other. Us FS9-Abe Firestarter JVN-10N Javelin JR7-D Jenner CMT-1 Comet This is Sergeant Adele Thompson’s lance. She is in the Firestarter. Our foes. Lone Stars: Wasp Phoenix Hawk COM-5S Commando (level 2 mech) STG-5M Stinger (level 2 mech Renegades: Valkyrie SCP-1O Scorpion (level 2) Cicada Locust Our map is fairly dry and rocky. Their Scorpion is a rare quad-mech design  |
Our map is fairly dry and rocky.
We begin in the south edge, and they on the east and west. Turn 1 – We win init. Everyone begins clustered around each other. I try to move out of this scrum. Many others are as well, and things are spreading out. Weapons exchange does nothing much, but Adele’s ll actuator is nailed by a kick from their Scorpion. Turn 2 – We win init. I try to get my guys out of the line of fire for now. I run my Jenner behind a Stinger on the north side of the map. Adele manages to hop away and makes the piloting skill roll despite the damaged actuator. The Cicada takes a scouring form the Commando, who hits with all weapons and manages to stay standing. My Jenner kicks and destroys the RL of the Stinger and it falls hard. Turn 3 – I lose inti completely. I try to play keep away. Their Stinger can’t move, so I hop Adele two hexes away and manage to stay standing. I alpha strike the Commando with my Jenner. The Alpha Stirke, five weapons each needing a 7 in the rear of the mech misses three times nad gets two sevens so two glancing blows. The Commando’s LA is destroyed by the Scorpion. Turn 4 – I lose init badly again. A lot of maneuvering out of harm’s way. Very little weapons hit, but my Jenner kicks the Cicada and goes internal and hits a foot, but it still stands Turn 5 – I am in the middle of init. Everybody is jumping, running lots of spaces, and such, this could go on for turns and turns. Their Stinger manages to stand. Adelewants to run her Firestarter over to it, but the Phoenix Hawk has yet to more and could come in for a close shot, punches, kicks and so forth. Instead, she plays it safe. She runs within two of the Valkyrie. My Jenner destroys the RT of their Cicada. Turn 6 – I lose init. I try to get away from the firing field, and for the most part, I succeed. The Scorpion manages to destroy a leg on the Commando. My Jenner kicks and destroys the LL and LT of their locust. Their Phoenix Hawk punches and destroys the LA of my Javelin and it falls. Turn 7 – I lose init again. Adele moves in to the damaged Locust. My Jav stands and runs. The Commando rises, but the Locust does not and hits its engine falling again. Adele destroys the Locusts;’s CT and it is done. The Phoenix Destroys the Cicada’s H and it goes too. Now the winner gets a Cicada. Turn 8 – I keep losing init. Crap. Adele is forced to jump but keeps upright. Their Stinger finally falls back down trying to track my Javelin. It has been moving around a lot. I have to jump away though, too many other mechs closing in on its position. I have moved to the south behind the Renegades and the Lone Stars and Renegades are closing. The Scorpion destroys the LT and hits an engine once on their Commando. Adele loses a machine gun and jump jet from SRM fire. Turn 9 – Yet again, I lose init. While the Renegades have just two mechs left, they are doing well. The Lone Stars have the blasted Stinger and Commando. All of my mechs have been peppered, and Adele’s Firestarter is critical in five places. I run her into one of the only two heavy woods in the area. Their Stinger fails to stand and I move my Jav back by it. This is a normal Jav with SRMs, not lasers. The Wasp moves into the water in the center of the map, falls, and breaches its CT and is destroyed by the breach. The Javelin destroys the LA, LL and LT of the Stinger. Dead mech (two legs missing). The Scorpion destroys the RT and hits the engine and gyro each once on the Commando which falls and destroys its CT. The Phoenix Hawk kicks and nails two leg actuators on the Scorpion, which tumbles. Turn 10 – Units left. Phoenix Hawk for Lone Stars, Valkyrie and Scorpion for Renegades. Each of the foes move off, and leave us the battlefield. We have emerged victorious. |
Cicada missing RT, H
Stinger, with a destroyed RL, LL, LT and LA Wasp, CT breached with water Locust LA, H, RL, RT, RA on the ground Commando H, RL, LT, LA Our Javelin is injured, destroyed LA Adele’s FS repaired MG, JJ and actuators We make no money from this, the government will settle later post battle. It takes about 950k for more ammo, repairs, and such for our guys. It takes about 1.5 mill to fix up the Cicada and Stinger. After a few mechs join them and carry away the salvage, the main battle is about to begin. |
Stars move out to smash each other. We send out the powerful Sabre Company to overwhelm and force them back. Battle breaks down into lance sized units and we are faced with various lances.
Sabre Company ATA-2 Attila Grizzly BLR-3M BattleMaster Ryoken C Supernova Galahad Vulture Prime Rifleman Iic Shadow Hawk Iic Dasher D JVN-10F Javelin PXH-3k Phoenix Hawk We have a lot of clan-tech here, and a ton of clan pilots as well. We are facing these lances. They are fighting as lances, not as individual companies Renegades: Lance 1 Catapult Whitworth Trebuchet Dervish Are all vet, and level 1 tech. Asterisks will mean high level of tech, and number sings elite pilots Lance 2 OTL-5M Ostsol, *# GRF-3M Griffin. * KW1-LH2 Lineholder Lynx , * Lance 3 Thunderbolt Shadow Hawk Wolverine RFL-5m Rifleman, * Lone Stars: Lance 1 HCT-5S Hatchetman, *# CGR-3K Charger * Snake * VND-3L Vindicator * Lance 2 Atlas Banshee Awesome Dragon Lance 3 Wasp GRF 3M, Griffin*# Phoenix Hawk LCT 3M Locust * This company has a lot of heavier mechs, but few of them are using the new technologies. This is their Snake, a mech from the Technical Readout 3055 which is made by House Liao. It's 45 tons, sports an XL engine to move 5/8/5, features an LB 10-X AC and three SRM 2 Streaks, seven tons of armor and double heat sinks.  |
A gamebook which might have rules for this chapter just arrived, called Combat Operations. I am reading it now to see.
|
Good luck, Abe. Should be some fun stuff coming. Hope the new stuff is good stuff!
Tell |
I guess we'll see.....
|
They begin in the SE and NW corners, and we begin anywhere in the middle that we want. This is a more open map. The small hills are in the top center, center left and bottom center left positions. No hill is higher than level 1, so no mechs are obscured. We should eviscerate these guys with our better pilots and better mechs. We have a bad starting position, but better mechs by far. There are small pieces of mechs around the area, because of the recent battle by other forces.
Turn 1 – I deploy mostly in the SW corner of the central area, and I will move my mechs into the woods in the SW corner of the map. We win init. I slide my mechs out of the way and begin to exchange fire. Their Atlas nails the H of my Galahad with a through armor critical on an SRM missile and hits the sensors. Our Ryoken destroys the LT and then hits the engine thrice in the CT on their Whitworth. Our Rifleman IIc destroys the LA and LT of their Rifleman and it has an XL engine and dies. Our Grizzly destroys the LL on their Catapult. A gauss slug from the Galahad smashes the H of their Vindicator. Our Vulture nails the gyro on their Catapult twice and its down. Whitworth, engine fixes, missing LT Rifleman, missing LT, LA Vindicator missing H Catapult, missing LL and gyrox2 We have destroyed four mechs, and they have not gone internal in any place. They decide discretion is the better part of valor and leave us our bounty. They didn’t even exchange fire with each other. I also targeted the Snake, but missed a lot with the Attila, Javelin, and BatttleMaster who were my major guys firing at it. We gain the various mechs and spend 3.79 mill on them. With us holding the middle ground, the two sides retreat and return to their camps. |
June 4, 3057 – Tonight, under the cover of dark, the entire regiment of the Renegades invade en masse at the Lone Stars base. We can’t scramble quickly enough to stop it, hindered by bad intel and the darkness. The Renegades won the battle, destroyed the base of the Lone Stars, slew one of their leaders in battle, and left to head back to their command before we could arrive to reinforce the Lone Stars.
June 7 – A counter raid by the Lone Star forces slips by us, entraps and destroys a scout lance of the Renegades. June 8 – We move our camp just outside of the Renegades to prevent further issues. June 13 – After a few quiet days, a prospector of the Lone Stars discovers a old Star League Depot. One of our spies followed their group and we know where it is. Braham Essex orders Shadow Battalion to coalesce around the area, while Martin Fitzgerald keeps Beta Regiment ready to keep back the two combatants. June 14 – At dawn, a small lance of Lone Stars have arrived at the depot ahead of other combatants and set up defensive positions. The Renegades have discovered that the Lone Stars have found the location, but Beta Regiment surrounds their camp and keeps them from leaving. Reinforced by our aerospace forces, they are not going to try and assault us to break out, because many of their units are not resupplied from the large battle on the 4th, and many units were destroyed even as they won. They are about twenty five mechs down from a full regiment, we are full, and we have defense and countless aerospace assets. |
Braham’s Shadow Company arrives at the depot prior to the other two companies. The Lone Stars have reinforced their position.
Shadow Company ON1-AbeC Orion HGN-732 Highlander ST-8A Shootist FLS-8K Flashman Zeu-9S Zeus GAL-1GLS Gallowglas APL-1M Apollo GRN-D-01 Grand Crusader LNX-9Q Lynx PXH-1b Phoenix Hawk STY-2C Starslayer TLN-5W Talon Elementals Elementals This should prove to be an easy battle. Lone Stars HSR 400-D Hussar, * Falcon Hawk Hitman Panther GOL 3M Goliath, * Longbow Lynx Lineholder Axman Archer Cyclops LCT 3M, Locust, * WVR 7D Wolverine, * 13 mechs now. The Falcon Hawk is a 35 ton mech that came out a few months ago. It features an ER PPC, two medium pulse lasers, a rear facing medium laser, a small pulse laser, 5/8 movement, maximum ferro-fib armor, and an XL engine. Here it is:  Because of LosTech fever, they will fight for a while. They are on an industrial outside of the depot, and we are approaching on the west. |
Turn 1 – Even with tactical genius, I lose init. We move in all of the units at once, spearheading with heavier folks in front. Their Hitman skids and falls on the pavement Our Shootist destroys the LA and LT on their Locust, hits the Anti-Missile System ammo, and the pilot blacks out. Their Longbow opens the arm of Braham’s Orion and hits two actuators. After focusing a lot of fire on it, our Grand Crusader hits LRM ammo on their Longbow and it explodes. They destroy the Orion;s LA. Their Locust hits the engine and gyro once each when it falls. We kick the Wolverine three times and it misses a kick. It makes the first three piloting skill rolls abut fails the fourth and final one and falls.
Turn 2 – I lose init despite tactical genius. I hop my Elementals into the square with the downed Wolverine. The Wolvie tumbles once, but rises and runs away from my mech hunting infantry. Instead, the Elementals try to decapitate the Locusts’s Head while the pilot is unconscious. Our Lynx destroys the RT of their Hitman and that’s an engine shutdown kill. The Locusts’s CT section is destroyed as they miss the head and it dies. Braham’s Orion destroys the RL of their Hitman too as it dies. Our Zeus destroys the LL of their Wolverine. Our Gallowglas took some damage and I am backing it up. Turn 3 - We win init even without tactical genius. Their Wolverine does not rise, but its too far to reach in one turn with my elementals, so I start. Their Wolvie fell once. I run my Grand Crusader up by their Falcon Hawk. Their Goliath hits the Large Laser on our Gallowglas. The Apollo destroys the RA of their Falcon Hawk. The LA of their Archer is destroyed by our Grand Crusader. The Archer tumbles. Our Grand Crusader misses the key kick and keeps standing. Turn 4 – We win init without using tec gen again. I move my Elementals into the Wolverine space where it is down. Their Falcon Hawk runs away from us and nears the edge. I run my Zeus beside their Hussar. I hop the PXH to base their Panther. Their Hussar hits a shoulder actuator on our Zeus. Our Apollo’s LRM 15s destroy the CT of their Falcon hawk. Our PX hhis the foot and two jump jets on their Panther. Our Orion nails an LRM 20 on their archer. One unit swarms the Wolvie and the other successfully attacks its leg. THei r Hussar punches, hits the Zeus’s H, blacks out the pilot, but she makes her Edge roll and succeeds. The Zeus misses a nasty kick, the PXH does not. LL on Panther gone. Turn 5 – We win init without tac gen again. Their Wolverine stays in the same spot, as do my infantry. They are running their Hussar back. I don’t move the Apollo to get a good line on it, hopefully we can bury it in a missile avalanche. I hop the Highlander beside the Goliath and archer. The Panther falls, and I rush in my Starslayer and Lynx. Our Highlander hit sthe LRM ammo on the archer and it blows up – too old for CASE. The engine explodes and shreds the Highlander for 28 damage, and other mechs for progressively less. The Shootist hits a foot and upper leg actuator on the Goliath. Our Phoenix Hawk destroys the front RL on the Goliath. Ou rStarslayer hit sthe LRM ammo on it and it blows uop – it does have CASE. Engine destruction ends it. Elemental Battle Armor naisl the Hip of their Wolverine’s RL> The Starslayer kicks and destroys the CT of the downed Panther. With that, they radio us their surrender, and we let them leave the depot to us. |
Longbow RA, H, LA
Locust H, LL, RL, RT, RA Falcon Hawk H, LL, RL, RT, LT, LA Archer LA, LL Panther H, RL, RT, RA, LT, LA Hitman missing RT, RL Goliath missing FRL, RRL, RT Orion – missing LA Repairs are 3.565 mill for everything. Level up Raven Hamilton ,elite pilot in the Apollo, gains Edge: 1. |
The scenario book does not have a list of the contents of the depot, but wre know it was a lot of mechs, because damaged units were able to refit themselves. . We get this story from the local info here:
On March 11, 2767, during the Amaris Coup against the Star League, a major battle was fought near here on Epsilon Eridani. The 2nd Battalion of the 83rd BattleMech Division had lost, and were fleeing. They were given coordinates to wait at a secret depot while they were waiting to be picked up. This was a battalion of troops that was damaged and defeated in battle. En route, a large Colossus DropShip suffered major damage, and fell into the Depot, where the crash damaged some mechs more, and everyone fled before the Amaris people arrived. Apparently, they never found the place, and it has been here ever since. The mags in here perfectly align with the local terrain, and can only be found from a scan in an area roughly 100 meters by 300 meters in the box canyon next door. The contents of this Depot include: The damaged Colossus Damaged mechs A few other assorted items, such a security robot missing its head (the head was sold to Kressly Warworks Inc by the prospector who found the place). (I am intentionally changing the story to make this find less than it actually was, because I didn’t want to give away too much, you know?) |
It will cost about 7.5 mill to fix the Colossus. That is a nasty DropShip from the Star League era. It is a troop transport that can carry, are you ready for this? It can carry one full battalion of mechs, 72 tanks, 725 tons of cargo and 12 foot platoons of infantry. That is an incredible amount of military might. It’s name was the Honored Living, and we find that a suitable name and keep it. It will be fixed in early September.
What mechs do we salvage? We will pay 32 mill to fix these up and here they are WHM-7A Warhammer, 2750 EMP-6A Emperor, 2612 SHD-2hb Shadow Hawk, 2750 EXC-B2 Excaliburx2, 2620 ST-8A Shootist, 2621 FLS-8K Flashman. 2701 BMB-12D Bombardier, 2735 STN-3L Sentinel, 2651 KTO-19 Kintaro, 2582 FFL-3PP Firefly, 2750 MON-66 Mongoose, 2660 WVE-5N Wyvern, 2660 BLR-1GB BattleMaster, 2750 KGC-000, King Crab, 2741 BWP-3A Ymir, 2750 HOP-4BB Hoplite, 2750 These 17 mechs were able to be repaired and reinstated. They are all vintage Star League era mechs. I put the years of that variant or mech’s production. We tend not to know for sure on those given a 2750 stamp, and that often speaks for the general era of the mech instead. Some of these designs suck, but many don’t. Take the Hoplite as an example. This is a 55 ton mech that rocks max armor, moves 4/6, and features both an LRM 15 and an ER PPC. It has 11/22 heat sinks, so it can handle it all. It has CASE, an Anti-Missile System, Artemis IV for the LRM 15 and a Guardian ECM Suite as well. This is a good solid mech, that can sit back and launch long range fire, and yet it has max armor, an AMS and no XL engine, so it can trade long distance fire for a concerted amount of time. This is a very strong mech. It’s also super rare. Most Hoplites were believed destroyed after the Amaris War and only a handful are running around. Do we risk running it? Another example is the Ymir. This is a variant made around the time of the wars in the Star League. This 90 ton mech moves 4/6, has 12 tons of armor (ick), 16/32 heat, and has an LRM 10 with Artemis IV, SRM 6 with the same, two large lasers, and a medium one. While it may not have the punch of bigger weapons such as a Gauss or LRM 20, it still features three long distance weapons and some punch up close. It needs more armor and a better weapons config, but it’s not going to embarrass you out there. Consider this early Shadow Hawk variant. 55 tons, 5/8/3 movement, 11/22 heat sinks, 9.5 tons of armor, no XL, LB 10-X, 2x medium lasers and 2x SRM 2 Streak. Again, this is not a bad mech for the era at all. This early BattleMaster has 85 tons, 4/6 movement, 17/34 heat dissipation, 14.5 tons of armor, no XL, 2x ER PCC, large pulse laser, 4x medium laser. With that energy weapon heavy load, it can last a while in battle. You fire the ER PPCS at range while closing, and then just one, and the other weapons in range. The early Warhammer features 70 tons, 4/6 movement, 13 tons of armor, no XL, 16/32 heat, 2x ER PPC, 4x medium laser, 2x small pulse laser, and 1 SRM6 with Artemis. This is very similar to how later ‘Hammers would look, and it has a lot going for it, without the crappy Flamers and Machine Guns and downgraded weapons others would later feature. So what do I do with this materiel? Well, right now, not enough people to run my stuff, so it sits. The rest of the stuff in here we sell for 12 mill. The government pays us 5 million for ending these various threats at their request. |
End of Lawyers, Guns and Money
This is a free campaign anyone can download and it was made available in 2003. It was designed with four battles in it, to represent the first contact between two lances, a full battle, a revenge battle, and the final battle at the depot. I fit that framework around our mech unit trying to stop this stuff while also helping. The book, at 20 pages, was designed to give everyone in the country four battles and have then see how results went, sort of like a tournament. It is fully canonical, but was developed out of house. You can look it up if you want to download a copy for your library. Back to our campaign, already in progress. |
June 1, 3057 – Contract time. I need to upkeep my various units and salary for my peops, so I sell a couple of mechs off. I sell ENF-5D Enforcer for 7.5 mill, and the VT-5S Vulcan for 6.75 mill. That should pay for the upkeep for a few more months for my units without a contract.
Contracts offered include nothing I want, just periphery contracts and such. |
EVENT June 10, 3057 – In order to disgrace ilKhan Ulric Kerensky, two charges are brought against him in the Clans Grand Council. One is treason for supposedly secretly coordinating Tukkayid to get the clans to lose, in order to prevent the Crusader faction from pushing deeper into the Inner Sphere. The other charge is elevation of a known Inner Sphere agent, Phelan Kell, to the saKhan position of Clan Wolf and collaborating with him in his treason. Ulric Kerensky, leader of the clans and a Warden faction man who wants to protect the Inner Sphere rather than conquer it, points out that charges were brought against him for collusion before, failed, and Phelan was taken according to Clan custom, given a bloodname by them, and made saKhan with approval of the Grand Council. Sensing that these charges to remove Ulric as ilKhan are failing, a third charge is spoken from the back bench. Destroying the Clan’s genetic heritage. This only happened once in Clan history, and that Clan was destroyed. The claim is that three generations of clan warriors will not fight and be bloodied, and thus will lose devastatingly when the Peace of Tukkayid lifts in 3067. This destruction of the younger warriors will come about due to the peace, and Ulric planned this all along. Ulric orders the hearing to go to the Grand Council next month, and the hearing will be head. With the majority of Clans as Crusader Clans, the result appears to be a foregone conclusion.
|
July 1 – Contracts are lousy again this year, with just one being out there for us. I rolled a 2 on 2d6
July 15 – The two units that participated in the scramble for the Star League have signed contracts to stay on planet and continue to hunt, suspecting that more caches are out there, but are now on different parts of the planet, and should not come to blows a second time. August 1 – No major contracts arrive, but I considered a garrison for five years in the Combine, yet ultimately declined. |
EVENT August 8, 3057 - The Grand Council convenes, and as expected Ulric Kerensky is found guilty and is dismissed from the ilKhan ship and dropped to Star Colonel. Clan jade Falcon led the charge, and has prepared many troops and mechs ready to take a new offensive. With this decision, the Clans can begin to protect the Treaty of Tukkayid, and thus Ulric Kerensky declares a Trial of Refusal against Clan Jade Falcon. He will declare all of the Jade Falcon planets as the battlefield, and bids his entire Clan in defense. Jade Falcon is forced to bid their full Clan, and the Refusal War begins. Meanwhile, Ulric Kerensky orders saKhan Phelan Kell to take the loyal Warden faction of Clan Wolf along with a majority of the naval forces and the Clan Wolf genetic material, and leave for safe haven in the Inner Sphere states to contest the Crusaders after the Refusal War ends.
EVENT August 13, 3057 – Our first Taurus and Aires Small Craft arrive from Blackwell Industries. We get two this month, and two each of the next two months. Then we will wait one year, after which, if these sell well, we will make 4 million a month from the sale of all four, which is 20% of the profit. After announcing them, early sales for the Taurus are very favorable, but the Aires has not picked up except by a few groups. As a reminder, the Taurus is a giant 200 ton fighter-ish Small Craft and the Aires is a 200-ton Troop Transport one with weapons and armor. |
EVENT August 20, 2057 – Capellan Confederation Spies discover that the real Joshua Marik is dead and a fake has been substituted for him. Sun-Tzu informs Thomas Marik of this, and they begin planning retribution.
EVENT August 28, 3057 – The 14th Battle of Hesperus II begins as Skye Rebellion Forces try to take the planet, and Lt. Thoma Marie Essex of the 15h Lyran Guards will participate heavily in that campaign. September 1 – Braham Essex announces that he is again looking for major contracts. These little company or battalion contracts are no longer cutting it. A week and a half later, the FRR offers a retainer contract, and he looks it over. |
Now the Preamble is over. Five chapters, several real life years of playing, from 3030 until 3057 - it all truly begins now......
EVENT September 16, 3057 Thomas Marik announces to the Inner Sphere Victors replacement of his dead son by a duplicate, and implies it was done to get a son the throne of the Free Worlds League. He announces that, along with Sun-Tzu Liao, their two realms have launched an operation against the Federated Commonwealth to regain systems lost in the Fourth Succession War and earlier. Named Operation Guerrero, this will see forces and mercs from both the Confederation and League drive quickly into FedCom Space. Braham Essex returns to Epsilon Eridani immediately. |
EVENT September 18, 3057 – After fomenting rebellion against her brother, assassinating her own mother to make Victor look bad, changing her name to Katrina to bring her name more closely to the beloved Katrina Steiner, Katherine Steiner-Davion activates Emergency War Powers and secedes the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth away from her brother’s half. Citing the war by Thomas and Sun-Tzu, as well as Victor’s “war crimes” that led to it, she says the name of Commonwealth is forever tainted, and instead names the new nation the Lyran Alliance.
The Sarna March – For the past five years, Sun-Tzu Liao has been preparing for the invasion he knew would someday come. In preparation for this, he has funded pro-Liao sentiment on various planets, guerrilla movements, and bribes to various officials. His planning pays off as the invasion of the Sarna March signals the initiation of the various plans on each planet. Meanwhile, Katrina Steiner-Davion orders all loyal units to return from the Sarna March. As you may recall, the March was given to the Lyran Commonwealth by Hanse Davion as a wedding gift with Melissa, but both sort of rules it together, and it was closer to Davion space than Steiner space. With the defection of various units from planets, combined with the local problems fomented by Liao combined with potential invasions and incursions the result was a dire mess. Many planets and systems are about to undergo heavy conflict as various interests use the military vacuum to step in while others will witness battles between pro-Davion, pro-Steiner, and pro-Liao federations. It will now become known as the Chaos March |
Prior to beginning the Chaos March Mega-Campaign, let’s look at the current list of military equipment by us:
Kilts and Commandos Roster: Alpha Regiment: Col. Matthew Humphries, of Star Battalion Myth Battalion: Capt Foster Keynes, of Typhon Company Heliades Company - Styx Company – Tethys Company – Typhon Company – Star Battalion: Col. Matthew Humphries, of Defender Company Defender Company – Cinq Company – Ends on December 5th, and then they hit us back March 26, 3058 Brawler Company – On Terra Firma until June 28, 3059 Heater Battalion: Capt. Jason Thomas, Trinity of Company Delta Company – return on February 15, 3058 Trinity Company- Butler Company – Beta Regiment: Col. Martin Fitzgerald, of Ganges Battalion Ganges Battalion: Col. Martin Fitzgerald, of Phaeton Company Phaeton Company – Boxer Company – Rebel Company – Amazon Battalion: Capt. Gabriel Williams, of Mustang Company Mustang Company – Hex Company – Raven Company – Rheims Battalion: Capt. Aurelia Jenson, of Aleph Company Aleph Company – Laser Company – Sabre Company – Gamma Regiment: Col. Gilda Atwater, of Breaker Battalion Breaker Battalion: Col. Gilda Atwater, of Fallout Company Trident Company – Miner Company – Fallout Company - Scimitar Battalion: Capt. Mika Sanders, of Vegas Company Vegas Company – Guile Company - Tango Company - Mesopotamia Battalion:Capt. Kyla Jeffries, of Nineveh Company Jericho Company – Babylon Company – Nineveh Company – Delta Regiment: Col. Braham Essex, of Shadow Battalion Shadow Battalion: Col. Braham Essex, of Shadow Company Bruiser Company – Shadow Company – Sealion Company – Flame Battalion: Capt. Johan Kreidler, of Blaze Company Pyre Company – Blaze Company – Ember Company – Armor Battalion: Capt. Jassa Ramgarhia, of Aegis Company Aegis Company – Ends on October 28, 3057, Return on November 21, 3057 Shield Company – Ends on October 28, 3057, Return on November 21, 3057 Chainmail Company - Ends on October 28, 3057, Return on November 21, 3057 Vehicles: Tank First Battalion – EE- mining garrison complete on October 15, 3057 Tank Second Battalion - On Terra Firma until June 28, 3059 Garrison and Infantry – EE, garrison, Fighters: Col. Larry Rowe, of Arrow Company Arrow Company – Bolt Company – Catapult Company -. Swift Justice, Aegis WarShip – Scots Flotilla, Merchant JumpShip – Johnny Appleseed, Invader JumpShip - – Robin Hood, Union DropShip – Megan’s Fury, Union DropShip - Star River, Union DropShip - Serendipitous Victory, Union-C DropShip -. Amalgamated Bliss, Union DropShip –. Defiance, Overlord DropShip – Daily Menace, Overlord DropShip, Upgraded - Faith’s Bulwark, Fortress DropShip, Upgraded - Fury Unbound, Vengeance DropShip - Firebird, Avenger DropShip – Arrow of Fate, Achilles DropShip, Upgraded – Stalwart Destruction, Model 96 Elephant DropShip – Honored Living, Colossus DropShip – |
Beginning of the Epsilon Eridani Campaign
Unless events specifically relate to this campaign, they will not be updated. Then we will return and catch people back up on the various events that are occurring elsewhere. September 21st – A bombing takes place in a village on the southern continent, 12 people die. The government does nothing. September 22nd – A large industrial plant takes massive damage from bombs. Three local officials in a moderate sized city are slain by sniper fire. September 23rd – Four separate instances of violence occur in four different areas of the planet. The government agrees to begin talking about how to handle it. September 25th – Nine more acts of violence and terrorism have occurred, with over one hundred dead in these two days, and the government is doing nothing. |
While they are, the First Council of Advisors meets. Tired of the inaction by the government, several major citizens meet to discuss what to do.
General Pierre Benton, leader of the local troops, who have not left the planet and won’t. Braham Essex, CO of the Kilts and Commandos Mercenary Combat Group Elizabeth Walters-Essex, CEO of Kressly Warworks, Inc Adele Thompson-Sanders, Minor but politically connected noble Count Michael Sanders, husband of Adele Viktoria Reynolds, President of the Mining Consortium Senator Dale Harless, one of the few political voices calling for more Rachel Indrid – Editor in Chief of the Eridani Edition, the biggest local news organization Judge Violet Hamilton - Member of the planetary Supreme Court Ted Izumo, for XO of Kilts and Commandos, and Headmaster of Essex Training Academy Heath McAllister – CEO of AgriNomicon, the largest agricultural company on EE These eleven individuals represent all of the major interests on the planet. Pierre Benton and Braham Essex lead the meeting. During the meeting, they discuss ways they can deal with the various problems the Liao insurgents have caused. “It’s too frustrating to watch my fellow citizens being attacked and I can’t do anything because those assholes in the capital won’t let me” (Benton) “I know. I can’t do anything, that would violate our charter as mercenaries stepping into internal affairs. And you can’t give me a contract this time to make up for their lack of oversight, like you did a few months ago.” (Essex) “We can convince people to move more quickly in giving him authority.” (Indrid) “Yes, but how many days will that take? Five? Ten? A month? And how many homes, businesses, and lives will be lost by then? Besides, for all we know, Liao could be holding up the Senate because they infiltrated It, right Dale?” (Essex) “Exactly” (Harless) “So it’s time to do something. General, I am officially giving you permission to hunt down and take out all rebels with all due speed and by all means necessary. Guerillas are never easy to ferret out, we know it will get ugly, but I am giving you that permission, right now.” (Essex) “You know what that means?” (Benton) “I do, and I do it gladly. Any opposed?” (Essex) (No hands are raised) “Very will sir, I will get started immediately!” (Benton rises and salutes Essex, who salutes back) The Council Meeting Ends. |
October 15, 3057 – The Council Meets Again. Benton brings his adjutant. He shows that all of the Liao resistance has been eliminated. He used some nasty tactics, and struck hard, but all Liao cells and terrorists appear to be ended on Epsilon Eridani. Now the repercussions begin. Benton acted without official authority, and Braham Essex ordered him to take action. Now they will be sanctioned, perhaps.
October 16, 3057 – Council President Gloria Freeman host a press-conference and chastises Benton’s actions as a flagrant disregard for the governmental authority. She has ordered him to surrender the troops to local authorities and surrender to the Senate’s Ruling Council. A few hours later, Braham and Benton host a press conference too. “Benton did not act without authorization, but he did not have it from the government. I gave it to him.” “How can you do so?” “For humanitarian reasons. The death toll is know known at more than 250 people across this planet. How many more brothers and sisters would have died before this government acted? I stepped into the gap that they created in their disorder.” “It seems like treason.” “Is it? Then why did the government wait three weeks, until the guerillas were destroyed, before coming out against Benton? If it was treason then, why wait? They clearly wanted the threat to end, but they didn’t want to do it themselves. If ending a anti-Epsilon Eridani threat is treason, then what does that make the complicators of the Council?” “Benton, thoughts?” “This Council is a gang of frightened bureaucrats unfit to govern a compost heap.” “That’s very articulate. Will you submit to them?” “ I will not submit to their authority now, or ever again. No person in my command will be forced to turn themselves in for defending our home.” “In fact, I will go one step further. I want everyone in the capital of Madison to leave if you can. I am ordered General Benton to Madison to oust the government temporarily. It’s clearly time for a change here. We’ll have elections to follow. Our record on city fighting is very good, and no one wants one piece of concrete to be destroyed or one hair on the head of a person to be harmed, but we cannot know how the local forces will act. Therefore, Benton will march in, and we will give the people a chance to speak and tell us if we acted improperly or not.” |
October 19 – The capital surrendered without bloodshed. The council is temporarily suspended. New elections are set for two months later, on December 19th. Meanwhile, Braham Essex has taken charge of the planet temporarily.
“The rulers of the Great Houses have not done well by us. Therefore, I believe we must do right by ourselves.” (Benton) November 1, The Advisory Council meets again. Braham states that he does not believe he went too far. But we will see. December 19 – Elections are held. Braham Essex, favorite son of Epsilon Eridani, easily wins the election and becomes the ruler of Epsilon Eridani. In the new Senate, Dale Harless is one of only three that are re-elected ,and he becomes the new Council President. Because he rules a world, Braham can know officially take on the title of Duke. He changes the organization. General Benton changes the Militia to the Eridani Guards, and uses them to keep the world safe from any other incursions from the newly named Chaos March. As one of a few peaceful islands in this roiling mess, commerce increases significantly, as people arrive to trade, and production increases. And that is how Colonel Braham Essex became Duke Braham Essex through little bloodshed. End of The Epsilon Eridani Campaign |
EVENT September 24, 3057 – The first battle of the Clan Refusal War begins on the planet of Colmar.
EVENT September 25, 3057 – The Battle on Hesperus II ends, and Lt. Essex wins a minor medal for taking out five combatants during the various engagements. EVENT September 26, 3057 – Three Marik regiments jump into the Denebola System, and the Lyran Defenders concede the system, without firing a shot, and leave peacefully. Our unit on Denebola continues to serve out its contract, since it is with a local company, and not the government. EVENT September 27, 3057 – The Ward forces of saKhan Phelan Kell attack Sudeten to prove that they are in the battle, and then will leave for the Inner Sphere without Jade Falcon knowing. They will arrive at the planet of Arc-Royal, where the Kell Hounds led by Morgan Kell, created the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon. They will form Clan Wolf-in-Exile and work with the Inner Sphere units to fight against the Jade Falcons. |
Very happily reading along, Abe. Great stuff!
Tell |
Beginning of the First Terra Firma Campaign
Again, like the EE one, we will not use events in this unless needed. However, unlike that one ,this one will have, battles. Terra Firma is a nearby planet that has a highly diverse economy and it was granted considerable autonomy during the reign of both the Capellans and FedComs. When Katrina asked that Lyran loyalist units return, the defending regiment on Terra Firma and nearby Capolla blasted off and left. The local Liao forces have begin a hit and run operation against various facilities, and these are mech and tank units. September 28, 3057 – Our units on planet, Brawler Company and Second Vehicle Battalion, are on a garrison contract by local companies that pooled their resources to have us garrison them all. With their planet under attack by forces that are destroyed various industrial enterprises as well as life, we are approached by them. They want to change our contract to a retainer one, and we accept, taking an additional 3 million in cash right now. We are also granted operational command, which means we have the ability to control the battle ourselves. September 30 – Small local Capellan force arrives to attack a local factory, and out of that factory burst eight vehicles from our company. Their scout lance immediately retreats. Now they know we are on the planet’s side, and battle should slow down. October 2 – While out patrolling, Brawler Company is attacked by a trio of Liao fighters, which we did not know they had. We shoot down one and the other two fade away. October 3 – The Blackhearts have arrived on Terra Firma, one battalion of mechs. They were on a contract with the Free Worlds League, and were loaned to the Confederation, who is using them to take the planet. Now we have the local rebels, plus an entire battalion of mechs against one company of mechs, plus a battalion of vehicles. Local garrison have been damaged by the fighting and are not going to be of help. |
Quote:
Well get ready, because a ton of campaigns are about to begin! |
October 5 – We manage to isolate one company of Blackhearts mechs from local intel, and we decide to fight them en masse to try and blast them with good odds. As we begin to fight, we discover that reinforcements are underway. We can only fight for THREE TURNS before we must leave, and we get no salvage.
Brawler Company BLR-1G BattleMaster WVR-6R Wolverine TDR-5S Thunderbolt STK-3F Stalker ARC-2R Archer AWS-8Q Awesome MLN-1A Merlin MAD-3R Marauder JR7-F Jenner CMT-1 Comet LCT-1E Locust STG-3G Stinger All mechs are level 1, and my pilots are 6 elite, 2 green, 3 regular and 1 veteran Our foes are all veteran and all mechs a level 2 tech Bushwacker STC-2D Striker MR-5M Cerberus Hammer Hollander Scarabus WSP-3M Wasp ASN-23 Assassin BJ-2 Blackjack CN9-D Centurion CDA-3F Cicada CP-11-A Cyclops This is their Bushwacker, an oddly shaped mech from the Fed Com that was the feature mech from the BattleTech Cartoon Show from the 90s.  |
Great read as always
|
Quote:
Thanks! |
Turn 1 – Lt. Talib Shadi sets up on the left side. We lose init and try to set up in two sets of woods in the northern and southern section of the area. I run the Jenner next to their Assassin. I focus our fire in the Cerberus. Not enough damage dealt though. No one goes internal anywhere.
Turn 2 – We lose init again. Not a lot of moves of interest. We again focus fire on the Cerberus. The Battle Master hits the engine once on hit. Our Marauder tears into the Hollander and hits the gyro twice and it is destroyed. Can’t move. It falls and destroys its CT so it’s really destroyed now. The Cerberus falls and hits its engine once more. They scoured armor off the BattleMaster Turn 3 – We win init. They run their Scarabus to my Marauder, and I move my Locust to defend it. I move my Jenner over as well. I also hop over the Stinger, Comet and Wolverine. They run their Striker adjacent to my Awesome. Up comes our Thunderbolt and Merlin to help out as well. Their Cerberus rises. Our Comet hits the Scarabus’s engine twice. Our Jenner hits the engine and finishes it off. We destroy the RA of their Cerberus. They go internal on a few mechs but no major hits. Our archer hits three leg actuators on the Cerberus . The Stalker hits the engine a third time on the Cerberus and it is shut down. Their Striker falls. Our Merlin kicks and destroys the Striker’s H and kills the mech and pilot. We leave before reinforcements arrive, satisfied that we took out two assault and two light mechs. They can get the Cerberus up and running, but with three engine hits and a missing arm, it’s out for a while. They can restore the Striker with a new Head and move a disposed MechWarrior to it, but the lights are down. Good stuff. |
October 7 – The Blackhearts unload a battalion of vehicles and tanks as well to help secure the planet, and now we are really under gunned. We have a plan though.
October 8 – Three fighters from the local garrison lift off, and each goes in a different direction. Their defenses find them and chase them, leaving their assets exposed. A DropShip lifts off, and they are unable to inspect it. In five days, it will arrive at the JumpShip in orbit, and from there, jump to Epsilon Eridani to get aid. Oct 10 – The Capellan guerillas strike at two major civilian targets. The mercs have been staying away from that, and it appears that they have different modus operandi. Oct 13 – We are forced into another battle when a Liao guerrilla force arrives at the place a tank company is stationed. We must fight this small force, until they withdraw or we do. Caps RVN-3L Raven UM-R63 Urbanmech CTF-3L Cataphract Thunder VTR-C Victor SHD-5M Shadow Hawk LCT-1L Locust Half of the pilots are elite and the other half veteran. The Locust features triple-strength myomer. This is their Thunder, the only newer mech in the mix, and was debuting around 3055. It features an AC 20 and medium pulse lasers.  Vehicle Delta Company Brutus Condor Brutus Hetzer Ontos Hunter Goblin LRM Harasser LRM Ontos Saracen Goblin Condor |
We begin in the upper left corner, where we are coming out of a building.
Turn 1 – We deploy the LRM vehicles behind buildings. We win init. I send out tanks to scout out the place. I decide to move out the heavy tanks from behind the wall. One Brutus gets a limb blown off crit against the RA of their Locust. Our Hetzer destroys the Locusts’s left leg. A Goblin destroys its LA and LT. Their Shadow hawk stuns the crew in our Hetzer for a turn. Their Locust tumbles. Turn 2 – We win init. I move in the missile tanks and pull back the Hetzer. I moved the Goblins up towards our foe, and maneuver my tanks behind them. I flank my Condors by their UrbanMech. I make my skid rolls. Their Raven nails the movement on one of my Condors. Their Urbie follows that up by immobilizing it. Indirect fire from the Hunter massages the Locust and destroys its CT section. I intentionally set heir forest on fire that they were hiding in Turn 3 – We lose init. I make my flanking moves. They move their Raven and Urbie next to the immobile Condor. A Brutus hits the UrbanMech ammo and it explodes. Their Raven destroys the fuel tank on a Goblin and it explodes. Their Urbie does the same to the immobilized Condor. T 4- We win init. They move their Raven up, and I order my Condor to charger their Shadow hawk. I make my three skid rolls. The Raven lowers the movement on our Ontos LRM version. A Brutus destroys their Raven’s RT which has an XL Engine, dead Raven, and we also destroys its RL and LA. Their Victor stuns the crew of our Condor for three turns. Their Shadow Hawk halves the movement of the Condor. The Condor hits with the charge and blasts the shadow Hawk for 40 damage. We destroyed its LL, hit the hop on the RL< and force it from the field. The Condor is immobilized after the charge damage is taken. UrbanMech – RA, LL Locust – H, RT, RL, RA Raven – missing RT, RL< LA With three destroyed mechs and a legged mech, the Caps leave. All they did was damage some of our tanks, which can be repaired, and destroyed two outright. We destroyed three of theirs. |
Oct 15 – The Blackhearts destroy a garrison and the last of the Lyran troops that remained on world are gone. It’s just us and them now.
Oct 16 – Sabotage destroys the wheels on the Hetzer, and it will take a week to repair. Oct 19 – Brawler Company fires at and blasts two fighters, but is savaged by fighter fire before they arrive in a jungle for cover. They are able to be rearmed with a local cache of supplies the locals squirreled, but the company is out of commission for a few days while that happens. Oct 22 – Some assets have arrived from Episilon Eridani. Arriving is Arrow Company – the Aerospace Asset, transport, and Flame Battalion of Delta Regiment. With power, they force a landing easily and join the battle after the contract is agreed to be extended to include them. Oct 23 – Wanting to hit them before they get settled, the Blackhearts have come in power to protest the presence of Flame here. Using vehicles to protect their flank, and with fighters to dogfight with ours, they move in to attack Flame. Because both of us prefer to stay away from population centers or the infrastructure, this battle will not be hampered by buildings, cities or civilians. |
The command companies of each dispatch from the battalions and engage.
Blaze Company ATA-2C Attila WHM-7S Warhammer TDR-5S Thunderbolt DRG-5K Grand Dragon PPR-5S Salamander Supernova Galahad ARC-2R Archer FS9-S Firestarter WSP-3M Wasp PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk HER-2M Hermes II This includes 7 elite, 4 vet, 1 regular. Only the Archer and Hermes II are not at least level 2 IS tech. Several mechs (Supernova, Galahad, Attila) are clan tech. Their Lead Company CES-3R Caesar CGR-3K Charger Wolf Trap WSP-1S Wasp WHM-7S Warhammer Venom Tarantula STK-3M Stalker Snake QKD-5M Quickdraw GRF-4M Griffin GHR-5J Grasshopper All pilots are at least veteran, and all mechs are level 2 tech. The Caesar is elite with 2 Edge, and the Venom is elite. This is their Tarantula, a light scout mech with a quad design.  Alons-y! |
Turn 1 – We lose init. MY Grand Dragon opens the leg of their Tarantula and nails two actuators. Our Supernova destroys the RA of their Grasshopper and lances its Head with the ER Large laser, and nails the sensors there. Their Quickdraw gets a through armor critical, hit the LRM ammo on the Grand Dragon, and the ammo explodes. CASE stops it. The LT is destroyed, and the mech, with its XL engine, is shut down. Our Attila nails the gyro on their Venom twice and destroys its RA. Kill for us. Our Warhammer falls.
Turn 2 – We win init this time. I move the Salamander into a sniping post in heavy woods. I stand my ‘Hammer and back it up. Their Venom cannot rise, due to the destroyed gyro. Their Caeser hit stwo leg actuators on our Warhammer. Our Attila blasts the RT of their Tarantula and destroys the mech, engine shutdown. Their Charger nails the engine and gyro once each on the Warhammer. Their Quickdraw hits the SRM ammo on the Wasp and it ias caught by CASE and the Mech is now missing its left side. A Gauss Slug from our Galahad hit she SRM 2 ammo on the Grasshopper and it does not have CASE so BOOM! Their Griffin destroys the RT of the Warhammer Turn 3 – We lose init. I eject the Wasp and Warhammer pilots. I jump our PXH behind their Wolf Trap. An ER PPC from their Caesar hits the head of our Attila and nails the Life Support there. A Medium Pulse Laser from their Charger smashes the H and our Captain dies and the H of the Atilla is destroyed. Our Salamander hits the engine twice and destroys the LT of their Stalker. Our Archer follows with a third engine hit and their Stalker is out of commission. Turn 4 – We win init. They have gotten very lucky – two head hits in a row, a through armor critical to take out a mech, and a Warhammer that fell when it needed a 4 to stay standing, which forced it to not have enough movement to keep it out of line of fire the next turn. They have take out our Wasp, Grand Dragon, Warhammer and Attila, and we have blasted their Tarantula, Venom, Grasshopper and Stalker. We still have two assaults to form around – Supernova and Salamander, plus Archer, Thunderbolt and Galahad, so we’ll be okay, but this is a terrible toll. We have to blast the rest of their heavy metal – Charger, Warhammer, Caesar, to establish more dominance. Or else take out several smaller guys, like their Wasp and Wolf Trap all at once. We just lost our Captain of the Battalion. But we are trained too well. Sgt Rebecca Cooke int e Salamander immediately takes over. I “exposed” my Supenova by walking beside a hill and they took the bait, moving their Warhammer above it. I run my Thunderbolt behind the Warhammer. My Hermes II goes in the space behind the T-Bolt. Our Galahad destroys the RA and RT of their Wasp. Our Supernova follows by destroying its CT. They go internal in a Supernova arm but hit nothing, and we go internal in the Quickdraw but hit nothing. Our Thunderbolt kicks, hit she Warhammer’s LL, and gets a limb blown off critical and it is down. It kicks and hits the Arm of the Supernova. The ‘Hammer destroys its LA in the fall. T5 – I lose init. Their Warhammer can’t get up. My feint worked, and I hop the Supernova back. Their Wolf Trap is flanking me on the left flank where my Archer and Galahad rest. I move the Hermes II back ther eot assist in fending off their guy, since my Archer is very overheat. I move my Phoenix Hawk down their flank onteh opposite side as their Wolf Trap. Their Griffin joins the Wolf Trap in flanking me. Smart. My Galahad flips its arms and buries slugs into the Wolf Trap, hopefully. It works, and the Galahad gets a limb blown off on its LA. Both their Snake and Wolf Trap tumble under weapons fire. Their Griffin misses a kick on my Hermes II and falls too. T6 – We win init. I suspect this will be the turn we definitively win. With four of their mechs on the ground, plus their downed mechs, they will have little movement available, who knows what damage will be done in failed attempts to stand, and we are going to have a chance to take out two mechs if I play my cards right. The Warhammer fails to stand, and the pilot blacks out in the fall. I hop the Firestarter over. I run in the Phoenix hawk early beside their Caesar, to force him away to to deal with the flanking Phoenix hawk, so that I can spend my time exposing the bigger mechs to try and blast my downed foes. Their Snake rises and runs next to my Salamander. The WTrap stands and runs away. The Griffin rises as well. I run the Hermes II behind their Charger. I want to take out the QD this turn, but they hid it behind some trees. The Archer destroys the Wolf Trap’s CT. AA few kicks ensue, no one falls. T7 – We lose init. My Archer, Thunderbolt and Supernova all have serious damage taken, so I order my Galahad to stay still this turn and draw fire. Everyone else will move, save for the Salamander, safe in its cocoon. They pull the Quickdraw out and I chase it with my Supernova. I want to finish it while I can. Our Salamander destroys both arms of the Griffin. Our Galahad the RA of their Quickdraw. Our Thunderbolt punches the Griffin, destroys its RT and it shuts down due to an XL Engine With that, our enemy’s four remaining mechs leave – Snake, Charger, Caesar, and Quickdraw. |
Grand Dragon missing LT
Wasp missing LT Warhammer missing RT, hit legs, gyro Attila missing H Venom, missing RA, gyrox2 Tarantula, actuator damage, missing RT Stalker missing LT, 3x engine Warhammer, missing LA Griffin, missing RT, RL, LA Grasshopper RA, LL Wasp H, LL, RL, LT, LA Wolf Trap H, LA, RA, LL, RL ,LT, RT We lost our Captain. It will take a lot of money to repair, rearmor and rearm our guys, as well as theirs – this was a slogging fest. |
Because of the length of this battle, both of our remaining companies face up against theirs.
Ember Company ATA-2C Attila CGR-1A5 Charger GAL-1GLS Gallowglas ON1-K Orion APL-1M Apollo Masakari C Vulture C TBT-7A Trebuchet QKD-5K Quickdraw STY-3C Starslayer SDR-5V Spider DRT-4S Dart They have: HBK-5N Hunchback HUR-WO-R4M Huron Warrior JM- 6DD JagerMech TBT-7M Trebuchet MDG-1A Rakshasa PTR-4D Penetrator ON1-M Orion NGS-4S Nightsky LCT-3S Locust JR7-K Jenner DVS-2 Devastator CRD-4L Crusader They are all vets and all mechs are level 2 tech. They have just one assault mech, the 100 ton Devastator, but they have a lot of solid heavies, save for the sucky JagerMech. Crusader, Orion, Penetrator, Rakshasa – great mechs. Mediums are strong too – Huron Warrior, Hunchback, Trebuchet, Nightsky – these are good mechs. This is their Nightsky, a brawler medium mech, with a hatchet, one large pulse laser, two medium pulse lasers, one small pulse laser, 6/9/6 movement on a 50 ton chassis, XL engine (yuck), good armor.  |
T 1 – I win init. The map has trees on the west edge, and hills by her. Our Apollo begins in some light woods and does not move. I position the Trebuchet as well. I focus fire on their exposed JagerMech. The Masakari destroys it when its CT section is destroyed by the clan omnimech. Our Trebuchet goes critical on their Orion;s CT section after sanding off armor by missile mechs. Their Orion took more than 80 damage and our Trebuchet more than 40, everybody makes their rolls.
T2 – We win init. I ease back the Trebuchet a bit, since it took heavy fire. I jump the Quickdraw by their Locust . Our Vulture nails the gyro once on their Orion. An AC20 shell blasts the LL of their Trebuchet and it is destroyed. Our Masakari finishes the Orion after hitting its SRM4 ammo and it explodes, with CASE and with an XL Engine. Subsequent fire destroys other parts and it was compaletey obliterated. The only parts left were a leg and a head. Our Attila hits the Locust and destroys its RT, RL hit the gyro four times and the engine three. Weapons fire goes internal on my Spider, and the Attila and their Trebuchet fall. T3 – We lose init. I move the Masakari up beside a one level hill as I push them deeply, and hop someone will come out from their woods areas to take that shot with a kick on the head. Their TBT does not get up. No one takes the Masakari bait. I hop the Quickdraw to their Trebuchet. The Attila rises. Our Quickdraw hits the LRM ammo on their downed Trebuchet and blows off the LT with an engine shutdown. Our Gallowglas destroys the RA of their Jenner. After a lot of fire at their Rakshasa, our Attila hits the engine twice, the gyro twice and destroys the LL. Our Orion falls, but they leave, having failed to take out any of our mechs and losing five of their own. |
Now that's more like it!
|
JagerMech H, RT, LT, RA, LA, LL, RL
Orion H and LL Locust missing RT, RL, 4xgyro, 3x engine Trebuchet, missing LT, LL Rakshasa, missing LL, 2xgyro, 2xengine Good job Ember Company |
Quote:
:) |
The next battle is between Pyre Company and her foes.
Pyre BLR-1D BattleMaster CTF-3L Cataphract ANV-3M Anvil WVR-6M Wolverine AWS-9M Awesome ARC-2R Archer APL-1M Apollo GOL-1H Goliath WTC-3D Watchman COM-2D Commando PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk FS9-M Firestarter Our foes: Bushwacker STC-2D Striker MR-5M Cerberus Hammer Hollander ASN-23 Assassin BJ-2 Blackjack CN9-D Centurion CDA-3F Cicada CP-11-A Cyclops CTF-3L Cataphract Thunder VTR-C Victor We are facing the remnants of both of the units we fought against earlier, and they have 13 total mechs arrayed against our 12. This is their Hollander, a light mech with nothing but a Gauss Cannon.  |
We begin in the north and they in the south.
Turn 1 – We lose init. I move my Archer, Goliath and Apollo into good sniper positions. I focus fire on their Victor. Our Apollo gets a RL blown off crit on the Victor and its down. No one else falls. My Awesome and Archer took some love. T2 – We lose init. The Victor tries to stand, falls, and the pilot blacks out. I rush my Firestarter next to it. I move the Watchman to a space a few hexes away from the Victor as well. I fire the Firestarter and Watchman at the Victor’s H and hope to hit it a few times, perhaps even destroy it. It works, and the Firestarter finishes the Victor. Our Awesome blasts the Hollander and nails both an engine and gyro once each. The Apollo finishes with another hit on each and the double gyro hit takes it down. Our Goliath ignites the ammo on their Hammer and it goes up. No CASE, dead mech. Our BattleMaster hits the ammo on their Blackjack and it goes up. No CASE either. A pellet from their Centurion’s LB 10-X gets a through armor critical on our Cataphract’s H, nails the cockpit and kills the pilot. T3 – We win init. I run our Commando near their Cicada. I move many of my mechs up and push. Now that I’m up in the mech count, I want to push their position and end this. I have a pincer movement with mechs on one side led by Anvil, Phoenix Hawk and Watchman and on the other with a Commando, Awesome, and Wolverine. I rush the Firestarter behind their Centurion. The MASC on their Cataphract freezes. A Guass Slug from their Cerberus smashes nad destroys our BattleMaster’s LA. Our Commando blows up their Bushwacker’s RA. AC20 from their Thunder legs my Commando by destroying its RL. A laser from our Phoenix Hawk lances forth and ignites the ammo in the Centurion and it goes up. It has CASE but the engine yadda yadda. Our Apollo nails the engine twice on their Assassin. None of our mechs tumbles, but their Assassin does. Their Assassin is too hot, and it shuts down, since engine hits add 5 heat per hit every turn. With another mech out and a mech currently shut down, they fade away, and we win the field. |
Victor missing H
Hollander, 2xengine, 2xgyro Centurion, missing RT Assassin, 2x engine Hammer LA, RA Blackjack LA, RL Fix our Cataphract, BattleMaster, Commando Having won all three battles of this fight, the enemy retreats in good order, and we keep the field. |
October 28, 3057 After having lost the battle, the Capellan forces turn to more guerilla tactics, blowing up various places on planet. The mercs are licking their wounds.
October 29 A violent bombing at a private school kills 28 children as well as teachers, staff and others. October 31 Disgusted by the actions of their fellow Caps, the CO of the Blackhearts has contacted us. Field promoted Capt. Hrothgar Bjornnson, performing the role after the death of our Captain in battle, takes the call. The Blackhearts are fed up with the guerrilla actions, and are using an unusual term in their contract to leave. They signed with Marik, and they have no desire to fight alongside guerillas for Liao against civilians. They ask to lift off, and we offer to give them their prisoners of war we captured, and they left off and head away. Now its just us and the local Capellan Forces. November 16 As of today, we have routed out the remaining Capellan forces, after receiving some secret intel from the Blackhearts to help us find the Capellan guerrillas. We have scoured Terra Firma of the Capellan forces right now, and the planet did get some damage from the fighting before we intervened as well as well as various bombings. A few DropPorts are down, as are many other places. Contract and financials time for this mission |
This is our current contract, and Flame Battalion fought, technically, for the local companies, since that was who our deal was with. Since they don’t have money for all of the battle loss on other fields, we agree to take all salvage, and we also
Changes: Captain Hrothgar, of Ember Company, is given the position permanently New MechWarriors recruited to replace those dead: William Oehser, veteran, Pyre Company’s Cataphract, replaces an elite pilot Peri Llewellyn, veteran, Attila in Blaze Company, replaces an elite pilot In Blaze – Esther Goldberg promoted to Sergeant, and Rebecca Cooke to Lieutenant. Our Mechs and Tanks fixed: Cataphract, BattleMaster, Commando, Attila, Grand Dragon, Wasp, Warhammer Cost – to repair these – 15.87 mill Cost to repair, replace and rearm my mechs normally – 3.45 mill (things such as repairing engine hits, replacing actuators, replacing armor, and getting new ammo) Goblin and Condor tanks destroyed. Replaced by two empty ones from our garrison. |
Our cost is 19.32 mill to repair and fix my mechs and tanks.
What we gained, body part wise: Hammer LA, RA Blackjack LA, RL JagerMech H, RT, LT, RA, LA, LL, RL Orion H and LL Grasshopper RA, LL Wasp H, LL, RL, LT, LA Wolf Trap H, LA, RA, LL, RL ,LT, RT We never found the body parts the Caps salvaged from the battle with Delta Tank Company. We gathered these mechs and fixed them up: VTR-C Victor CN9-D Centurion ASN-23 Assassin Hollander LCT-3S Locust TBT-7M Trebuchet MDG-1A Rakshasa WHM-7S Warhammer Venom Tarantula STK-3M Stalker GRF-4M Griffin To fix them all – 17.5, and rearm and repair, 7.5 25 mill to get their stuff up and running. Total costs – 44.32 mill to fix and repair everything. The companies pay us 10 million, and we agree to modify our contract as a result. We are now working for ourselves on planet, in coordination with the local interests. The government was splintered when the Chaos March began, and there are individual lords that have declared for Steiner, Davion and Liao. With no central authority on Terra firma right now, the four mech companies and the vehicle battalion, plus Arrow Company will continue to establish order. The interim governor of Epsilon Eridani orders troops to remain on Terra Firma under his control for now. He also dispatches five troops of regular infantry to help keep the peace. End of the First Terra Firma Campaign :) |
Hah, expansion!
Time to take over another planet, me thinks! Tell |
Okay
|
Chaos March Update –
Many worlds are embroiled in major battles, or one or others have won or lost battles already. A few states have emerged in just a couple of months. We expect more to emerge from the area. The Blackhearts were also on the nearby world of Capolla, another well developed economic world. It has suffered some losses as well. The Blackhearts took out local forces, because they did not face us, and now have left to join their other unit and head out. Capolla is undergoing major battles with the guerillas blasting locals. On neither Capolla nor Terra Firma, the guerilla actions have not gained the loyalty of the populace as expected. Again, local nobles have sided with one side or the other, and about two companies of mechs are on each side fighting. Other planets engaged in major battles include Acamar, Sheratan, New Home, and many others. October 15 – The contract with the mining interests is up, and the first Tank Battalion makes us 2.5 mill in C-Bills. |
EVENT October 28, 3057 – It took longer than expected due to technical issues, but the prototypes of the Bumblebee are completed, and its tests work well. They commission a full run of the Mech, which should be ready in three months.
November 6, 3057 – A merchant JumpShip arrives in the Sirius system and is threatened to be destroyed if it does not immediately leave. It jumps out after paying for a jump and then reports it. EVENT November 10, 3057 – With very lucrative contracts going on in the Chaos March, Brion’s Legion, a two regiment mercenary force garrisoning Terra decides to finish their contract and head out, rather than re-upping their deal with ComStar to assist in defending the planet. Aftre considering their options, ComStar decides to hire another mercenary unit to defend Terra. |
EVENT November 19, 3057 – After being used as cannon fodder on Hsien by the Capellan Confederation forces in their attack on the Sarna March, famous mercenary unit 12st Centauri Lancers break their contract and announce that they are again available for hire. Seeing an opportunity, Word of Blake intelligence decides to initiate a major plan to retake Terra. There is a list of finalists for the Terra job, and we are one of the five final selections – but Braham Essex’s recent foray into politics diminishes us from an obvious choice to a reduced one. Also on that list is the 21st.
November 20 – After receiving and communicating with forces on Capolla, Braham Essex agrees to send in forces to assist in their battle. More and more of the local economy are being destroyed, and they need help soon. No one from the great houses is assisting, but with Braham as the new temporary ruler of Epsilon Eridani, just a few light years away, we can lend them aid. Braham agrees, and dispatches troops to help. Amazon and Rheim Battalions from Beta Regiment will arrive in system at land on Capolla on December 1. EVENT November 30, 3057 - After some subtle manipulating by Word of Blake intel, ComStar selects the 21st Centauri Lancers as their replacement for Brion’s Legion, and they will garrison Terra for five years. Over the next month, Word of Blake forces land on the homeworld of the Lancers, capture the families of the Lancers, move them off world and hold them ransom. They force the 21st to give the Word their forces, names, and so forth, and promise to release their families if they comply. The Word of Blake has inserted themselves as the 21st Lancers. |
Beginning of the First Capolla Campaign
We will follow the exploits of Mustang, Hex, Raven, Aleph, Laser and Sabre Companies on Capolla. In order to hide our arrival, we land in six separate places. Almost 40% of the DropPorts have been destroyed by fighting or guerilla attacks. This is not a contract, but an independent effort by Braham Essex to assist Capolla’s increasingly large independent movement against the handful of nobles who are destroying their planet in the effort to grab for power. The mechs on planet are estimated to number around 30 or 40 in various militaries. We have local assistance for supplies, armor, ammo and intel. Our goal is to smash the forces of all of the various forces on world before they continue to destroy the infrastructure and people. Our first target are the pro-liao forces, whose guerrillas are doing the majority of the damage, To enable us to surprise them, we are quietly led, powered down, to six different locations. They are areas that are suspected to e major targets by guerrila forces. Instead of patrolling them to find people before they strike, we are going to come alive and surprise the Caps and smash whatever military forces they possess. |
December 4 – This plan works very well, because we already have a Cap force that moves in and attacks a fuel depot a mile and a half from where we are powered down but ready to rock. The nearby Company is Mustang. They move out, and head to the Caps, who are completely surprised and very overwhelmed.
The Caps have just trucks, a few small light military vehicles, and infantry, it takes about fifteen minutes to capture or destroy them all and turn them over to local authorities. Now that Mustang is known to be on planet, we move that company out to try and find the local Cap guerrilla forces. Dec 6 – A hospital that houses both wounded soldiers and civilians in a pro-independence area is destroyed by Cap forces. Dec 7 – Another trap is sprung as Hex Company has multiple mechs lighting up in its central train depot for the area. It warms up and moves out to face the outnumber Liao forces. Hex Company BLR-1G BattleMaster DRG-1G Grand Dragon VND-1R Vindicator KTO-18 Kintaro ON1-K Orion BNC-3E Banshee WTH-1 Whitworth ENF-4R Enforcer SDR-5V Spider PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk THE-S Thorn COM-2D Commando Our foes: RVN-3L Raven TDR-9S Thunderbolt ATA-2 Attila CLPT-C1b Catapult VT-5M Vulcan STG-5M Stinger GLT-5M Guillotine DRT-3S Dart Tempest All are vet save the Raven, who is elite. Ironically, we are facing an Attila that was once our mech design only, before Kressly Warworks made and sold them. Here is their Tempest, a 65 ton mech with 4/6/4 movement, almost max armor, XL engine, 11/22 heat, gauss rifle, large pulse laser, SRM6 and 3x medium lasers.  |
We begin on the south and they on the north. We want to kill as many as we can. We are facing nine mechs with twelve, so the numbers are in our favor. I need to take out the Raven, it helps them with its ECM suite raid and blast stuff. We are fighting over road, railroad, trees, and gentle hills.
T1 – We win ini. I have the Whitworth in heavy woods, the only one on our side of the map. The train tracks run from the upper left 30% area to the lower right 30%. I rush my Phoenix Hawk past the tracks on the right. The road goes from the south center to north center. I focus my fire on their Raven but don’t manage to hit it barely at all. T2 – We win init. The move their Dart next to a hill and I hop our Phoenix Hawk adjacent to it on the hill. With my numbers advantage I push my mechs forward into their position even more, much more than I would normally do. They move their Raven behind a small one level hill. No Raven attacking now, so I want to concentrate on another target. They pull back other mechs as well, as I push forward. I run my Commando to a hill next to their Thunderbolt, to give me a punting chance on its head. No skids. The Commando and BattleMaster are the only mechs with a good line of sight on the Raven and I fire at it from them. The Commando blows off the Raven’s RA in a Limb Blown Off crit. The BattleMaster destroys its RT which shuts it down – XL, and also destroys its LA and RL. Our Orion and their Tempest took damage – both are standing still. Our Phoenix Hawk misses a kick and falls. The Commando made its kick. Turn 3 - We win init. They rush their Dart next to my Whitworth and I decide to keep it there without moving it. I stand and run my Phoenix Hawk back 6 hexes. Now I am backing up my mechs a bit. I don’t want a scrum. They huddle mostly in the north west corner. We focus fire on their Thunderbolt, but two fire at the Dart. The Whitworth’s medium laser destroys the RA of their Dart. Our Spider hits the SRM ammo on their Thunderbolt and CASE keeps it from destroys the mech – No more LT or LA. It falls and the pilot blacks out. After being kicked and missing one, their Dart falls. T4 – We win init. Now I push even further with my mechs. Their Dart stands and runs away from the Whitworth. I move our Phoenix Hawk behind their Dart. I rush my Grand Dragon by their Thunderbolt. Our Commando nails an engine and gyro on the Dart once each. The Phoenix Hawk destroys its CT. Our Grand Dragon decapitates the Thunderbolt. Our Kintaro blasts the LA of their Tempest and destroys it. Our Banshee hits the machine gun ammo on their Vulcan, and without CASE, it lights up the sky. It’s ammo and engine explode massively and the Spider takes 24 damage and other mechs of mine take some as well. No parts survive of the Vulcan’s/ Nobody falls. T5 – With just five mechs left, our foes begin to move out. We have one last turn to blast them before they leave. We lose init. Our Spider is savaged badly, and was lucky to survive the last round. It had 2 points internal in the CT, 3 in the RT, and 1 in the LT, plus its internal in both legs. I hop It into some nearby woods. I rush my Kintaro to the rear of their Tempest. It blasts the rear armor and hits the engine once of the mech. We focus fire ion their Catapult which com esto fruition when our Comet hits the LRM ammo and it goes up. CASE keeps it from dying, no XL engine, but the mech falls and the pilot blacks out. Their Attila blasts the RT and RA of my Orion and destroys them. Our Kintaro kicks the Tempest, and destroys its badly damaged LL, which damage travels to the LT, goes internal, and hits the engine there twice and shuts it down. Our Comet managed to kick the Head of their Stinger, and now there is just internal structure there, but nothing more. Our Grand Dragon shuts down from overheating and will take a few minutes to cool down enough to restart. Meanwhile, the three remaining Cap mechs have managed to escape. |
Raven, missing RT, RL, LA
Thunderbolt missing H, LT, reattach LA Catapult, missing RT Tempest, missing LL, RA Dart H, LL, RL, RT, LT, LA Orion, missing RT, RA Level Up Raymond Diggs, in the Kintaro, now has Edge: 1 Tanya Meekins, in the Grand Dragon, is now elite We destroyed or captured 6 of their mechs, but the other three won’t need more than a few hours to keep them up and running. |
December 8 – Having been activated by the battle, the closest mech unit, Raven Company, is activated, and pursues the three mechs. Local scouts and intel have followed the mechs and traced them to some nasty canyons. Raven Company arrives to check out the area, and mag sensors pick up several nearby mechs. We jump in, and there are five Capellan mechs here, plus about four powered down vehicles. The three mechs we chased and another two light mechs – an UrbanMech and a Locust. They have violated one of the basic rules of military amps, and boxed themselves into a canyon with only one exit. We approach, and our twelve mechs easily outclass their three lights, one assault, and one heavy. We radio them and offer surrender, we will take them, their mechs and tanks, and the other prisoners of war, and ship them off planet to a nearby Liao system where they will be released. We captured their CO in the Raven and their XO was killed in the Thunderbolt, so they are demoralized, and they agree.
The major Capellan Threat on Capolla is over. The next target are the pro-Steiner forces still on planet. While most left a couple of months ago, a few local lords who are pro-Steiner are using their personal military to express themselves violently. While the Liao forces were the worst in terms of terrorism, all other forces need to be destroyed as well, or else the planet will still be under the threat of war. December 11 – We have located the three major palaces of the three leaders of the pro-Steiner movement. Expecting good defense on each, we strike out with three companies at dusk, expecting that these nobles will use their mechs and tanks for support of their position. Atone of these, we discover that our intel was weak, and the noble was informed of our coming, and the compound is deserted. At the other two, someone is home. |
Aleph Company is moving in on the northmost palace, when it is interdicted by a combined force of mechs, vehicles, and infantry, with two VTOLs buzzing overhead. Here are our foes:
Because of her duties right now on EE, Sergeant Adele Thompson is not with the unit, and so we have the normal 12 mechs instead of the 13 this company has. Our foes Watchman 2x Sentry WTh-1 Whitworth WLF-1 Wolfhound CP-10-Q Cyclops 3x Laser Motorized Platoons 2x Peregrine Attack VTOL Drillson heavy Hover Tank Harasser Missile Platform Maxim heavy Hover Tank Ontos Heavy Tank 2x Savannah Master Hover Tanks The Whitworth, Cyclops and Wolfhound are not level 2 tech Here is their Sentry, a brand new garrison mech designed for FedCom use. It has a PPC, 4x machine guns, a flame, two small pulse lasers, its 40 tons, 5/8/5 movement, 10/20 heat sinks, CASE, max armor, no XL engine. It’s a good anti-infantry mech and a nice cheap mech. It’s not a very strong anti-mech mech. It debuted last year. Like the Watchman, it is designed to be a cheap mech to fill out garrisons. (However, I think the Watchman is good enough for front line use, but I don’t think that of the Sentry).  (We are using the CityTech map from FAFSA, in case you were wondering) |
We begin in the northeast corner and our foes in the north west.
Turn 1 – We win initiative without having to use Capt. Aurelia Jenson’s tactical genius. I camp my Archer and Griffin into two heavy woods. A Savannah master skids, but they make all of their skid rolls are made. Our BattleMaster destroys a Savannah master’s left side. Our Archer nails the Peregrine with an LRM20 volley and bring sit down and crashes to the ground. The Awesome eviscerates the front of their Harasser Missile Platform, our Champion destroys front of their other Savannah master. Turn 2 – We lose init. Missile fire savages their two Sentryies – one is blasted by our Awesome and loses its LA and the other is legged by the LRM 10 on our Griffin. It falls hard. They get a through armor critical on the Masakari and nail a PPc slot, so it won’t work until we can repair it. We immobilized, permanently, their Maxim and stun the crew on their Ontos for two turns. Turn 3 – We lose init. Our foes crash their Peregrine into a nearby hill after a burst of wind hits it and it tried to cut too closely to the ground. Weapons fire destroys the RA of our Javelin. We respond by blasting the RT and RL off their Watchman. As this turn ends, a large company of conventional fighters moves in and begins strafing. We are forced to concede the battlefield to the locals, but we badly damage many. |
Destroyed sides: Savannah masterx2, Harasser,
Repair – Javelin 10N, arm Level Up: Su Yuan, in the Champion, is now a 2/2 pilot |
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:51 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin Version 3.6.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.