We have:
- Pilot "Chicken" narrowly ejecting from the Orion ahead of the King Crab's AC/20 headshot by the skin of his teeth
- Wolverine at ground zero of enemy pilot "Sabretooth's" self-destruction, after having been repeatedly humiliated and not willing to accept yet another capture
- Quickdraw and Thunderbolt in support by Capitol and roadway
- Enemy Ostscout jumping around being annoying
- Davion ASF bombing a crippled Assassin over yonder (leg too damaged to approach the fight closer than LRM long range)
- St. Ives SRM infantry blasting away from a wall tower, and tanker crew bailing from a busted Condor
Link to the battle report:
Phase 6 map, half regular size, close quarters! Lines drawn for the limits Davion units can be ordered to without negotiating for additional
New mini paint fresh out of the art station! Mud was done with Old Rust + Fresh Rust technical paints, dabbed the first on with a worn, splayed-out brush, then drybrushed the second lightly around it.
Check out that freehand House Davion logo, did it with some tiny nail art brushes my partner gave me
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Battletech 4th SW After-Action Report:
Week 3 of Nov 3028
Liao naval base. Made in MegaMek!
The Setup:
The mercenaries had previously uncovered a secret submarine shipping lane which was keeping the otherwise cut-off CCAF contingent to the northeast of Valencia supplied.
This development immediately made a Liao naval base off the Valencian coast a priority target.
Davion-St.Ives forces push on the cornered holdout.
The Contract:
St.Ives Merc Liaison Lin Tseng offers this follow-up contract to the Scouting mission:
Naval Base, St.Ives vs Liao
Base Pay: 100% (890wp)
Primary Obj: Disrupt supply operations (+200)
Secondary Obj: Control island (+100)
Salvage: 50%
Brief: "We've located a small island port receiving more shipments than appropriate for the local detachment, and suspect the cargo submarines are docking here to supply the Valencian coast. We want you to sabotage the base, or capture it if you can."
AO: Small island surrounded in increasingly deep water.
East: Liao surface shipping lane (known)
West: Liao underwater shipping lane (expected)
North or South: Suggested entry
Support available: Cheetah F-11-R scout plane
Negotiations: St.Ives is short on cash, but will offer perks such as supplying hardware, repair, and resupply instead.
The mercenaries chose to negotiate for armor repairs and a Cheetah scout plane loaded up with sensor drones.
I drew the map out onto a vinyl battlemat with wet-erase markers. Behold my 3d-printed bunkers and melon-baller radar dish.
The Battle:
The mercenaries chose to deploy a lance comprised of:
Catapult CPLT-C1
Grasshopper GHR-5N (Custom refit before mass-production)
Griffin GRF-1N+ (Upgraded with Double Heat Sinks)
And the King Crab KGC-000b on its maiden deployment.
Deploying into deep water as part of negotiations, they began an underwater hike towards the target from out of surface sensor range.
They chose to approach from the East, encountering a submarine departing the island. The more advanced mech sensors detected the aquatic support vehicle before it detected them, and they elected to hold still and let it pass by. The submarine then passed them by, blind.
Their approach was timed to arrive shortly after their scout plane did a flyby with sensor drones netting them an idea of what they were up against. They detected a few large entities on the outer islands that were assumed to be mechs, and three 30-ton objects *inside* the main island.
The mercs rise out of the shoreline, attracting the attention of a Mongoose, Merlin, Crockett, and Chameleon mech, as well as two Manta fast-attack submarines engaging them with torpedoes.
One Manta is immediately shot in the Front, hull breached, and takes severe motive damage immobilizing it. Surviving crew start bailing out.
Mongoose about to get it from the Grasshopper and Catapult. A small truck has gunned it away from the satellite building towards the main complex's cavern entrance.
They dispatch the Mongoose in short order, advancing on the Crockett, which had been plinking away at them with ER Large Lasers and an LB-10X.
The Grasshopper and Merlin face off, jumping cover-to-cover, cooling in water, blasting at each other.
The King Crab attempts to bring weapons to bear but the Chameleon in front of it scrambles for cover, to avoid the twin AC/20s.
The second Manta rushes to rescue the first's crew, and leaves the AO for safety once the mercs make onto land.
Enemy Crockett has 4 stacks of PSRs from taking 96 damage this turn! A platform has opened atop the main island and a transport VTOl emerged, being immediately blown away by the mercs. 6 labcoat-clad individuals fell out, two of them dead. One of them hits a panel and they retreat back down the hangar elevator.
The mercenary Catapult had loaded Incendiary LRMs and ignited all the infantry firing positions before they ever entered range of man-portable LRMs, causing the platoons to run further inside the complex.
Merc Catapult also fired up every stand of trees the defending Liao mechs attempted to take cover in, smoking them out of hiding and building up heat.
The mercenaries scrap the Crockett in a hail of lasers, missiles, and autocannon fire, the pilot staying inside the wreck while surrounded in flames.
The enemy Merlin and Chameleon attempt to run inside the complex, the King Crab giving chase into close quarters.
The KGC sees a hidden waterway running through the island where another Seahorse Cargo Sub is docked, along with three large holding tanks, two with red stripes and one with black. The enemy mechs are attempting to hold onto the sub for an escape, but one volley from the AC/20s is enough to sink the sub and force a surrender. Remaining infantry are in no shape to fight without mech support and surrender as well, many of them with severe burns.
The labcoated civilians turned out to be scientists working on an experimental sealant chemical, stored in the black-striped holding tank. The red ones were full of fuel.
The Aftermath:
Defenders got hit hard.
Merc Grasshopper took a beating, the rest got off lightly.
The contract is served with full bonuses after capturing the island.
The mercenaries decide to treat the surrendering infantry and then discuss what to do with the other captured pilots and scientists.
3/4 scientists attempt to bargain for release with safe-handling procedures for the sealant chemical, shushing the 4th.
Battletech 4th Succession War Campaign, Nov 3028: "Triple-Dipping"
Map: Holth Forest, from the Tukayyid map pack. Edits by me!
The mercenaries consider their options after receiving a message from the AFFS Marshal in charge of the Davion push into the St.Ives theater of operations:
To the Kinetic Solutions board of directors and their crew,
I had expected, given your origins in the Federated Suns's territory, that you would show more loyalty to your nation than to the nearest bag of C-bills. In light of your recent contracting for House Liao, it seems my expectation was misplaced.
In recognition of your key contributions towards Operation SIEGEBREAKER and our current hold on Valencia, I will not be designating your group as a terrorist organization at this time. I suggest you do not test my patience further, or I will change my mind.
Now that the prospect of exclusive business is no longer viable, I must regretfully inform you the prospect of exclusive business rewards too, are going by the wayside. You will have to prove your loyalty to House Davion once more if you wish to see another invitation to a major Operation and access to our Lostech stores.
On that note, rest assured, if we find our former weapons pointed back at us: We will be repossessing them.
Cordially,
Marshal Joseph Goff
Next Moves:
The Leopard still has more holes than swiss cheese, with the Chief Engineer feeling a breeze in the engine room. It isn't spaceworthy. Field repairs would be extremely difficult without gantries and lifts, and they don't exactly have a mechbay big enough to park the Leopard in... They weigh their options. At least the injured flight crew will recover soon.
-Davion representatives ask for an absurd amount, which the mercenaries's Accountant notes is the exact cost of replacement for the lance they took out in the last mission.
-St.Ives Compact, sensing an opportunity (and a veiled way to one-up House Davion), offer to repair the Leopard for free... If the mercenaries sign on to their open Scouting contract for 0 base pay. A favorable deal to the cash-strapped St.Ives, but one the mercenaries can't afford to refuse.
-The Chief Engineer raises the possibility of looking around for independent spaceport crews, but cannot guarantee any levels of Good/Cheap/Fast work in these war-torn times...
The mercenaries decide to take the offer from St.Ives. Why not fight for all 3 sides in the war?
Holth Forest's default look. I added topographical lines and water.
The Contract:
Base Pay: 0% (Special agreement- Leopard repairs)
Salvage: 100%* (If you can extract with it… Difficult infil/exfil)
Brief: The Liao position in the forest/coastal areas Northeast remains strong, despite projections that they should have run out of supplies by now. Find out where said supplies are coming from. We suspect a hidden cache or supply route in this area.
Objectives:
Primary: (+100) Discover source of supplies.
Secondary: (+% of 50) If possible, sabotage source.
Support available: Cheetah scout plane
Can load sensor drones in bomb bay to scan ground targets with.
Light weapons/armor (2 M.Las, 1 S.Las, 13 Frontal armor.)
Without command rights, will stay at high altitude and not engage.
The mercs chose to negotiate for sensor drones and armor repairs.
The Battle:
The mercenaries decide to take St.Ives's transport into the mountains and hike south to the AO. They pile in with a WVR-6R, QKD-4H, CPLT-C1 (traded in their -C4 for it at a sale), and ASN-21. Peeking over the cliffs, they spot a lone Vulcan surveying the skies. They tell their scout plane to hang back when they determine the mech is armed with Flak AC/2 rounds.
Epic monitor table put together by a player who also DMs D&D for us.
The mercs storm the field, fanning out and combing the forests, sensors sweeping. They spot a supply truck and destroy it on their way to engage the Vulcan. One of the mercs detects 250 tons of metal beneath the water on their Magscan sensor. They decide to investigate.
They find a Seahorse cargo sub that was attempting to rendezvous with the cargo route. They also beat the hell out of the Vulcan and force it into retreat, with a Whitworth tagging in, engaging the mercenary lance with LRM fire.
A Whitworth, Crusader, and eventually Zeus come running up from the base to the south to reinforce their rear supply line. The Catapult lays covering fire with LRM-15 Smoke rounds, delaying Liao's counterattack while the Quickdraw and Wolverine deal with the submarine, jumping into the water to blast it with point-blank lasers and fisticuffs. It tries to fire back with its side-mounted Long-Range Torpedoes, but they are unable to hit targets so close. Tearing apart the hull, the mercenaries watch as crew bail out of the sub in panic and the vessel sinks.
Thinking the day won, the Catapult, Wolverine, and Assassin make their way up the cliffs once more, jumping to relative safety, while the Quickdraw makes a small detour to snag a supply crate, eager to keep the mysterious contents for themselves with that sweet 100% salvage clause.
Pilot "Fuji" is accosted by Crusader and Zeus, being knocked over by missile fire, and hit in the head twice! "Fuji" clings to consciousness and makes his mech stand, spotting for the hidden Catapult to cover with Smoke indirect-fire, then jumping up the cliff where the Liao hitters can't follow. 5-ton crate secured!
The Aftermath:
Assassin and Wolverine took light damage, with the Wolverine experiencing a seawater breach of the Right Arm while it went after the submarine, causing the Quality to degrade as rust develops inside the structure.
Catapult took no damage, taking a rear-line support role this mission.
Quickdraw got messed up, with the head almost being destroyed, and half the mech being peeled of much of its armor, and "Fuji" glad to be alive.
Follow-up:
-Their salvage crew finds 2t of LRM Artemis missiles, 2t of SRM Artemis missiles, and 1t of medical supplies, which help with treatment of Fuji's moderate injuries.
-The accountant comes to the boardroom with uncomfortable news: Money has been going missing. As far back as Op.FOGHORN, ammunition costs have been increasing to unreasonable levels, always when buying from Davion-linked suppliers. When asked about the subject, Quartermaster Conrad and Lead Mechtech Henriette point fingers at each other, saying the other's ineptitude is responsible. Just what is going on?
-The St.Ives spaceport crew finishes repairs on the Leopard, but Chief Engineer Tamir wants to do a pressure test to verify it's spaceworthy. He asks for time to lock up the Leopard and run it, the longer the better, but no one can come in or out of the ship for the duration.
-Several mechs have progressed on refit orders submitted earlier, involving Double Heatsink upgrades to the Grasshopper, Griffin, Phoenix Hawk, and Orion.
-St.Ives Merc Liaison Officer Lin Tseng offers a follow-up contract, which involves going after a naval base they've located that is likely to be further up the supply chain for Liao loyalist forces. Its destruction would cut the enemy off at the knees all along the coast, relieving pressure on Valencia. As it is, the ferocity of lingering combatants in the NorthEast of the city outskirts has died down sharply, with encircled forces backed up against the mountains and running short on ammunition.
The mercs decided to double-dip on the conflict, taking a contract for their prior enemy, demonstrating that in true Mercenary fashion their loyalty is to the almighty C-Bill above all else.
The Contract:
-----4: Stem the Tide (Liao vs Davion)-----
Sao-Wei Samuel Lu, Capellan Confederation
Base Pay: 100%
Salvage: 0%
Brief: "Illegal occupiers have set up a reinforcement route through Lengjing pass. Rid this beautiful valley of the Davion dogs. Destroy their checkpoint and any assets/supplies you can to relieve pressure on Valencia."
Objectives:
Primary: (+100) Breach gatehouse (At least 1/4 of 100CF hexes destroyed)
Secondary: (+5/+10ea) Destroy/Steal 5t supply crates.
AO: Mountain pass
North: To Davion FOB
South: To Valencia northern outskirts (Davion-held)
East/West: sheer cliffs (+3 elevation to extract, requires Jump movement, or Climb check)
Support available: 2x Warrior Attack Helicopter (AC/2, SRM-4, standard ammo)
(Non-ASF airborne targets get +1 evasion)
Limited command rights:
-Must attempt to maintain a +4 TMM (Move at least 10 hexes)
-Won't approach closer to enemy than Mercs
-Stays outside enemy formation limits
No Negotiation power (Negative reputation with Liao)
Kinetic Solutions dropped off the Davion technical team who had been studying the Star League Royal KGC-000b for the past two weeks. They received a copy of the data as agreed: a pile of technical documentation, precise measurements of various parts, material samples of armor, structure, hydraulic fluids, coolant, myomer, software tests, instrumentation data, engine power and cooling circuit tests, wiring diagrams, and the like.
Then then had their Manatee cargoship lift off from the Davion airbase it had been parked at for Op.SGBK, to go hang out on the moon where they'd likely have plenty of advance warning of anything approaching.
Then... It was on to the contract.
The Battle:
KNTX Tactical Officer Wren Jensen suggested deploying beyond the mountain peaks to the East or West, then hiking over via mech. He estimated Davion would set up in the narrowest part of the valley, the Yellow circled area. Ofc. Jensen suggested making a crossing from the Blue zone for a sneakier approach, or the Red zone for a dynamic entry where they'd be spotted quickly.
The team had other ideas.
"Unidentified dropship, state your intentions."
A Davion mechwarrior's voice comes over the radio, as the mercenary Leopard is screaming in directly towards the AO. They blast loud music back over the radio in response.
"This is a restricted area. Vacate the premises or be fired upon."
The mercenaries come over the ridge to see several anti-air mechs with weapons trained on them... And Leopard pilot Abasi Zegema now needs a new pair of pants.
Merc Leopard does a hot-drop, deploying their Lance at Altitude 1. The Scorpion has no jump jets with which to cushion a fall and must wait for the next turn to walk out of a landed Leopard.
A Rifleman, Jagermech, Blackjack, and Centurion open fire on the Leopard as mechs drop out of its belly. It goes down hard, the pilot unable to keep level flight, crashing just barely clear of the deploying Lance. Metal screeches and folds up as the aft is nearly crunched into unusability, the ship barely able to limp away from the field of battle.
Scorpion pilot "Witness" is feeling tense, not having any way to cross the mountain peaks and extract without help.
Ouch!
A fierce battle ensues, the Quickdraw barrelling towards the objective, covered by the Scorpion sniping from woods near the LZ, while the Griffin carefully jumps cover-to-cover towards the enemy Rifleman plinking away at them from high ground.
The Grasshopper crosses the peak near the gatehouse, triggering ammo explosions in the Jagermech and forcing the pilot's auto-ejection.
Automated laser turrets pop up from beneath the snow, but do little more than annoy the mercs. A radio tower on the peak rotates...
Boom!
Quickdraw and Scorpion make short work of the enemy Centurion, seeing the pilot bail out as they close ranks on the Blackjack.
The Grasshopper jumps behind the gatehouse to find supply crates stashed out of sight of the road, just avoiding landing on one.
The Griffin gives the Rifleman a Death-From-Above, knocking it down and demanding surrender. The Rifleman pilot only curses.
Downed Jagermech pilot makes a run for the roadway, starting to clamber down a cliff side.
A jet streaks over the battlefield, answering a reinforcement call from the radio tower, making a strike at the Scorpion and missing with all weapons. A brief, disappointed-sounding greeting reveals this to be the same Lightning aerospace fighter pilot that had been assisting them throughout Op.SGBK.
"I thought you guys were cool..."
They offer him a chance to be cool, for THEM, and money!
"I don't know, I get paid pretty well," the jet pilot answers, streaking off into the sky and circling back for another pass. Perhaps he is one of those weirdos who actually likes his country.
"Surrender!"
Quickdraw and Scorpion light the gatehouse on fire, blowing a hole in the doorway soon after.
Grasshopper interrupts the Jagermech pilot's escape, who wisely accepts capture when faced with the Heavy Mech alone, unarmed.
The Blackjack rescues the downed Centurion pilot and escapes.
Seeing his lancemates defeated, the pilot of the crippled Rifleman surrenders too, having no chance of turning the battle around now and not wanting to find out how long it'll take for his own exposed ammo bins to touch off.
The Lightning ASF makes one final parting shot, dumping a load of bombs on the Scorpion as the mercs all fire back at it, but not doing any more than minor structure damage, it leaves before it catches any more concentrated fire, heading back to the Davion FOB to the north.
The mercenaries blast the radio tower for good measure.
The Damage:
All in all, not too much damage. Except for the Leopard. And the Liao helicopters I forgot to mention because they died immediately upon arrival.
The Leopard limps back to the AO to extract the lance, much to the relief of Scorpion pilot "Witness". Unable to RVZ with the Manatee due to the hull breach, they hide out in the wilderness and plan their next move.
The mercenaries decide to sue House Liao for an extra 50,000 C-bills over some ambiguous wording around the contract terms "Assets" and "Destroyed", saying they expect to be paid for the destroyed radio tower. Their legal department succeeds.
Western Gate: same maps as "Phase 5: Hold The Line" from Op.SGBK
Sitrep:
Contract chosen: Headhunting
Objective: Kill/capture unknown enemy commanding officer.
Map control around AO:
-North: Davion (Mercs infil here)
-South: Davion (Encircled airport, no ground escape route, requires Leopard pickup for 50wp if used to extract)
-East: Liao (Pressured in-city forces)
-West: Liao (Bulk of Capellan Army)
Contract:
--Lt. Col. Daniel Legsworth, Federated Suns--
Base Pay: 90%
Salvage: 10%
(+5% good rep bonus, can be put towards either pay or salvage)
Brief: Line combat has begun in the western fields. Liao and Davion armies are clashing in a pitched battle. Travel down the line and target any leadership elements you can find.
Support available:
Hunter light support tank (off-map) can provide LRM-20 Indirect Fire.
Negotiations:
Mercs chose a small pay bump, a bit more salvage+insurance, and as many fire-support strikes as they could gather.
Mechs fielded:
Thunderbolt TDR-5SS, piloted by "Blitz"
Quickdraw QKD-4H, piloted by "Fuji"
Orion ON1-K, piloted by "Bub"
Grasshopper GHR-5H, piloted by "Bunyan"
The mercs take to the field, boldly diving into the unknown.
A quick scan of the gatehouse outskirts from the mercenaries reveals nothing on thermal scopes, leaving Blitz and Fuji reasonably confident there weren't infantry hidden amongst the trees.
Orion and Grasshopper scan further afield, spotting 35t of metal behind the gatehouse, suspecting a light mech.
The light mech turns out to be their old friend the Ostscout, who escaped from them intact after they downed the King Crab during the capitol defense. It sees them but doesn't fire at first... Thumper artillery guns fire in the distance, it was spotting for fire support!
Enemy Ostscout is escorting a Centurion running out of the gate towards:
An Awesome powers up in the woods, from an elevated cover position, already facing them... It's like the pilot knew there'd be an attack coming. A hostile Crab soon bolts in from the rear, swooping in to assist. It's an ambush!
The mercs join battle, focusing fire on the Awesome, suspecting the lance leader to be inside.
Awesome downed, two Engine crits, one Gyro, and several heatsinks destroyed quickly forcing it into emergency shutdown too.
They swiftly deal crippling damage to the Awesome, crowding it in and bringing it down, taking only potshots at the others. The Centurion seems to be hanging back, sprinting along the map edge towards the main Liao line westwards, while the Ostscout stays a hard target, jumping at high speed. The Crab tries and fails to protect the Awesome, whose pilot bails out, searching for a friendly mech to run to.
A dropship is spotted on sensors, flying in at high speed from the North.
It's not a warcrime if there's no body... Right??
Centurion and Crab rush to the downed Awesome pilot's aid, but before they can rescue him...
*FWOOOSH!!*
The Thunderbolt incinerates the pilot with flamer fire, leaving only a glowing red-hot patch of the Awesome's armor behind.
The Centurion shakes its fist at the Thunderbolt in impotent rage before it and the Crab hastily make an exit off to the west, with covering fire from the larger Liao element beyond discouraging further pursuit.
The Ostscout is downed just shy of freedom, having ALL left leg actuators crit up and down at once. After several failed attempts to stand, the pilot surrenders, unable to join his remaining lancemates.
The mysterious dropship flies overhead, painted white with green highlights. An image of an armored knight with arms held in a muscleman-like pose is on the side. It continues straight past, heading southwards.
Postgame carnage report: Mercs
Postgame carnage report: what remains of the CCAF deployment
A Davion ASF comes flying in, evidently chasing it. The pilot rings the mercs up on the radio, recognizing their livery, and, seeing Thumpers firing from up there, offers to go after the artillery guns harassing them. They accept. It diverts to blast away at something beyond the trees to the southwest, and the Thumpers fall silent.
The captured Ostscout pilot, and the Awesome pilot (before he was atomized by plasma exhaust) were both wearing standard uniforms. Interrogation revealed the commanding officer was the Centurion.
This was a rescue mission. Liao forces in-city had their back to the wall, unable to hold ground against the combined St.Ives/Davion assault. The nimble Ostscout had made entry into the walled city, accompanying the withdrawing Centurion who was running back to the main Liao army line, with the Crab and Awesome providing cover fire. for it. The Centurion had stayed back from combat until one of his lancemates was in mortal danger, going for the rescue to be thwarted at the last second.
Legal Matters:
House Liao filed a war crime report with ComStar, alleging KNTX Thunderbolt pilot "Blitz" killed a non-combatant.
Legal counsel Estela Rina, Esq., submitted TDR-5SS BattleROM footage of the incident as evidence.
ComStar dismissed the case, ruling the pilot had failed to indicate intent to surrender, and thus was still considered a valid target.
Misc news:
-The mercs took 1wk off after the all-day Operation, with all hands on rotating breaks to keep things running. They also bought/sold a handful of mechs on the open market in this time.
-They accepted Davion's offer to study the KGC-000b, but on the condition that it be done aboard their own Leopard. Davion agreed for half the previous fee.
-They turned in two Liao pilots to Davion for salvage buyouts (KGC pilot "Pinchy" among them), and one to Liao for cash.
-They honored "Pinchy's" request to send the KGC BattleROM data to Liao. They kept a copy for themselves, it was encrypted but company techs have begun decrypting it.
In answer to questions from Davion:
-KNTX allege comms officer "Chatterbox" succumbed to injuries after P3:AirSuperiority and that's why he wasn't aboard the prisoner transport.
-In answer to the dead Pegasus crew in P2:SupplyRaid, KNTX say they did not have foreknowledge of friendlies in the tunnel when they opened fire, the crew were among enemy combatants and were unfortunate collateral damage.
Kinetic Solutions take stock and weigh their options.
-----
The current state of Valencia city, planet Spica, according to their St.Ives mercenary liaison Lin Tseng. The siege is lifted, but the city is not yet free of occupiers. Active mercenary contracts are registered by all involved sides.
-----
KNTX's tactical officer Wren Jensen found a handful of contracts across the Inner Sphere, should they want to leave the Spica system.
------
Quartermaster Conrad Lyubov scours the local listings and collates a list of mechs for sale, noting prices are currently rather inflated given the unsurprisingly high wartime demand. The slim pickings sees several hardware issues amongst the sales offers:
LCT-1V, in worn-out condition
Another with a damaged Large Laser
PNT-9R, with a malfunctioning Large Laser generating extra heat
SHD-2D, with engine damage
Another with 2 faulty Medium Lasers
SHD-2H, with minor armor damage
PXH-1, with a broken Large Laser
Another with a wonky Large Laser
GRF-1N, with half the engine heatsinks broken
Now would be a good time to be selling mechs, fetching a better price.
*Fun fact: These mechs and wear conditions were rolled for on RATs (Random Assignment Tables) and the Campaign Operations maintenance issues table, and yes, I did get a ton of doubles...
-----
Meanwhile, Manatee pilot Jarno Henriksen complains that his deckhands are having a hard time finding room for all the mechs they've salvaged recently.
They've already had to take several mechs' arms and legs off just to find space, and stepping over/around all the spare parts strewn in the halls is getting old.
They need to sell some hardware or the inefficiencies will start to pile up, costing them time and money.
-----
The crew are tired but in good spirits following their victory. Some say they could use a break from the fighting, but many others are still ready for more, it could go either way. Their next course of action will come down to a crew vote.
KNTX Tactical officer Wren Jensen raises his arms in triumph to the mechwarriors gathered in the Leopard's war room.
"We did it! The contract is complete, and with not a mech or warrior lost." He nods to pilot Chicken who ejected only a fraction of a second clear of an incoming AC/20 round. "This calls for a celebration!" he exclaims proudly, gesturing to security teams. They open a case of whiskey labeled with the Sword-and-Sun crest of House Davion and hand out glasses to the crew.
"Courtesy of the Marshal. He'll be addressing us soon."
====INCOMING TRANSMISSION====
Marshal Joseph Goff of the AFFS congratulates the members of Kinetic Solutions on a job well done, raising a tumbler of whiskey in toast. Standing with him is Lin Tseng, the St Ives mercenary liaison officer. Muffled, distant explosions can occasionally be heard in the background through the holo-call.
"Money well spent. With your assistance we've made inroads much faster than anticipated otherwise. Valencia city is not yet freed of the CCAF's presence, but we can take it from here. We appreciate your assistance, and hope you enjoy your payday. I will be passing along my report of your performance to the MRB. This concludes my personal contract with you, though some of my subordinates have allocated discretionary budgets towards contracting out cleanup work. Officer Tseng can put you in contact with them. If you will excuse me, I must attend to other matters." He gestures towards her, then walks out of frame.
Lin bows. "The capitol building is shaken and will need extensive renovations, but it is still standing," she says. "A symbol of our people in these trying times." Her face darkens.
Suddenly, a new view opens up, an in-cockpit view of a man and a woman inside a mech in motion.
"Duchess!" Lin says, hurriedly taking a knee and bowing her head.
"If only someone could have taken out those dreadful statues," the woman in the back says, wearing a brilliant green and gold dress beneath a mechwarrior's harness and coolant vest. Old, healed-over scarring from shrapnel and burns peek out from under her collar on the left side, and down her left arm.
"What, you don't like them?" Says the man in front, wearing a neurohelmet and green military uniform with teal shoulderpads beneath his mechwarrior gear. "I think they really tie the place together, my love." He adds with a big grin on his face.
"Oh, shush, Justin." Says Candace Liao, the former heir to the Liao throne, at least before she made a deal with the longstanding enemy of the Federated Suns to salvage what she could of a uniquely precarious position. "How would you like to see a reminder of your failure memorialized outside your front door? Truly, my father IS a madman."
Her bodyguard-turned-enemy-turned-lover Justin Xiang curls his lip. "Would that I had only known who I was fighting that day..." he answers somberly.
"Would you have done any different, Justin Allard?" she says, using his Davion name. Silence hangs heavy in the cockpit for a few moments. Both of them had found themselves torn between freedom and duty many times.
Tac Ofc. Jensen coughs awkwardly. Candace faces forth, and bids Lin rise to her feet with a hand, then faces the team.
"So you are the mercenaries I've been hearing about. I saw your work at the Capitol firsthand. It is a shame about the entrance hall, but perhaps it is time for renovations. Some St. Ives-specific heraldry to replace the old Capellan decor, hmm?" she smirks.
"I am afraid our coffers may not be as bountiful as those of the Federated Suns in this time of need, but we have registered some of our own contracts as well. Lin will also keep you apprised of those." Candace looks to Lin, who nods quickly.
"Perhaps we shall meet again, mercenaries. Farewell." Candace reaches for her copilot console and closes the call as Justin gives a short wave from half out-of-frame.
Lin visibly relaxes when the Duchess hangs up. "I have some reports to pass along," the liaison officer says, reaching for an unseen panel with a flicking motion. Icons with the Sword-and-Sun logo of the Federated Suns, as well as the Horse-and-Battlements of St. Ives Compact pop up on a terminal by Ofc. Jensen.
"As well as some questions..."
==== . . . ====
-Mercs want to buy out P6 salvage, House Davion asks for it to be paid in captured pilots' ransom value as information could be more valuable than money to them now.
-Davions want to hang onto the KGC-000b for up to a month to study a rare piece of history, offering modest weekly rent for the Star League Royal upgrade variant.
-P2 Cargo Raid's missing Pegasus crew was found shot by MG fire, but the Liao infantry teams were armed with laser rifles, what happened?
-A comms officer was reported captured in P3 Air Superiority but was not on the prisoner transfer shuttle, did he escape?
-Captured Elite King Crab pilot "Pinchy" requests a copy of the KGC's BattleROM be sent to House Liao. There is nothing she can offer in return, only a request, warrior-to-warrior, since the mercs have proven themselves honorable thus far.
Phase 6 map, half regular size, close quarters! Lines drawn for the limits Davion units can be ordered to without negotiating for additional Command Rights.
The Contract:
====Phase 6: Capitol Liberation==== Base Pay 140% (833wp)
Brief: Relieve embattled SIMC forces and secure Capitol grounds.
The mercs negotiated for dedicated LTN-G14 AeroSpace Fighter support, sizeable insurance coverage, and some LosTech shares.
They chose to field:
Orion ON1-K (no assigned pilot, Griffin pilot "Chicken" dropping in)
Thunderbolt TDR-5SS, piloted by "Blitz"
Wolverine WVR-6R, piloted by "Bub"
Quickdraw QKD-4H, piloted by Veteran pilot "Fuji"
The Intelligence Report:
A captured Liao communications officer from P3: Air Superiority gave them the specs for a responding Scout Lance. Three of those mechs have been seen, but an Ostscout OTT-7J was unaccounted for.
The Comms Officer also said that 100t of transport capacity was reserved to bring a combat unit to the NorthEast gate, but didn't know the composition of said drop weight.
The St. Ives mercenary liaison and Federated Suns marshal had made offhand mention of a "VIP" to extract in the event of P6's failure, with the P7 contingency plan to be enacted if the Capitol building was destroyed.
The state of Valencia City's held ground just prior to P6.
The Battle:
The mercenaries arrived at the capitol grounds with no enemies on sensors. They had a few moments to prepare, scanning the surroundings in all directions, looking over the small capitol park grounds to the skyscrapers beyond.
They detected a 45t mech right beneath the Capitol building. The metal pinged clear as day on Magscan, but the mass appeared to be barely moving, only occasionally showing up on Seismic sensors.
A statue of a Vindicator and Blackjack locked in combat sits before the capitol building, with a dedication "To the Immortal Duchess" in the year 3017.
In the distance, they detected a 100t and 55t mech on the expected NE approach route, seeing a massive blip through the metal girders of the surrounding skyscrapers
They readied weapons towards the enemy.
King Crab makes a big entrance!
A KGC-000b bursts out from between the skyscrapers, making its 50kph top speed straight down the road towards them. A WVR-7H is close behind, the same one from P5 judging by the damage.
The voice of Sabretooth, the pilot the mercenaries repeatedly trounced and insulted with below-value ransoms during the Valencia campaign, comes over the radio, the rageaholic's voice oddly calm:
"I will not be humiliated again."
Mercenaries order the two Davion tanks to the front while they take up defensive positions by structures further back. Infantry ready man-portable LRMs from a fortress wall nearby, firing as fast as they can reload.
BOOM! BOOM! The King Crab obliterates the tanks instantly, firing lasers and missiles at the mercenaries beyond. It walks past the infantry, ignoring them.
The Thunderbolt detects a light mech moving at high speed jumping from roof to roof over the skyscrapers to the West. The allied Wolverine moves into position to support.
On the sidelines, the Quickdraw and enemy Wolverine engage in scattered fire, though the enemy Wolverine suddenly loses interest when it sees the Mercenary Wolverine, even ignoring the capitol building it was supposedly sent to destroy...
BOOM! BOOM! The claw-mounted AC/20s roar, pincers opening and closing taking down the mercenary Orion with an immediate Gyro hit, grounding pilot "Chicken" despite covering fire from the nearby Thunderbolt.
The King Crab is upon him. "Chicken" grabs the ejection handle, staring down the barrels of the smoking AC/20s as the crab chambers follow-up shots.
BOOM! BOOM! The King Crab obliterates the head of the Orion, but "Chicken" had just barely made it out in time. "Blitz"'s Thunderbolt moves in to rescue him.
Enemy Ostscout joins the fray from the West, staying at speed, taking potshots at the Capitol as distant Thumper artillery guns fire... It's spotting for fire support!
The enemy Wolverine tunnel-visions on the allied Wolverine, its weapons running dry, going for a grapple! Head-to-head, merc Wolverine pilot "Bub" sees "Sabretooth" in the flesh at the helm of the other Wolverine... "Sabretooth" closes his eyes, looking finally at peace.
The enemy King Crab backs away, knowing something the mercs don't, as they see their radar screens momentarily white out with radiation from all directions...
FWOOOOM!! A rush of superheated air bursts out from inside the WVR-7H as the enemy pilot self-destructs the fusion engine! The capitol building is rocked by the explosion, as is the allied Wolverine, though luckily it is still standing, its arms and legs having taken the brunt of the kamikaze attack.
Artillery shells continue to land on the battered Capitol, collapsing the entranceway, the rest of it starting to look shaky too. The King Crab draws ever closer, with the Thunderbolt carefully dancing just out of range of the KGC's main guns while able to fire back itself.
An Assassin limps up the road, also from P5, a hip critical keeping it at the edge of combat firing LRMs indirect. The Davion Lightning ASF swoops in and blows it to smithereens with a strike from the rear, finishing it off before it can do much damage.
The mercenaries complimented the ASF pilot's skills. It had helped them greatly during the Valencia campaign. Torso twist arrows used here to mark the ASF's flightpath/direction.
Just before the King Crab can round the final corner, the main guns run dry. With 3 mercs still standing, 2 allied mechs down, and dwindling fire support, it decides the objective is lost and starts a retreat.
The Thunderbolt puts a stop to it, blowing off a leg with a lucky crit and landing a Gyro hit for good measure. Trapped in a crippled machine, the mercs convince the Elite pilot that surrender is in their best interest, seeing the KGC shutting down.
The enemy Ostscout is still jumping around in good shape, but with the pressure from the Quickdraw and Wolverine, the Capitol building would take too long for it to destroy without the support of the artillery guns that had gone quiet. As the KGC goes offline, it jumps to the East over the park grounds, flipping off the Mercs as it bounds away. The Wolverine takes a few potshots at it but doesn't land a good hit.
Victory!
Operation: Siegebreaker is a success! LosTech shares can be turned in for payment, and salvage from previous phases can be collected.
State of the allied mercs post-battle.
Accountant's Report:
Pilot EXP: Chicken 6>7, Blitz 4>5, Bub 3>4, Fuji 2>3
Elite pilot "Pinchy", 2/3[2], valued at 400wp ransom (total ransom value aboard: 600wp)
10 Lostech shares (total 40LTS)
State of the enemy mechs.
Where will Kinetic Solutions Co. go next, will they stick with the battle for planet Spica, or strike out across the Inner Sphere?Join us next time to see what the mercenaries do with their payday following the completion of their biggest contract yet!
The enemy's anticipated reinforcement route is through the Western gate. You are to prevent House Liao military units from breaching the gatehouse and making entry into the city beyond, until House Davion can reinforce the area.
The Contract:
====Phase 5: Hold the Line==== Base Pay 120% (714wp)
Primary: Block west gateway (+100, -50/unit crossed)
Secondary: Attrition (Bonus pay= 1/2 Damage dealt to OpFor)
Modifiers:
-P3:AirSuperiority cleared, no enemy ASFs present.
-Davion reinforcements arriving end of turn 10 will put all Liao forces into Forced Withdrawal.
Gatehouse stats:
4 Medium Building hexes (40CF each)
Flammable (fire burns for 5dmg per turn)
Entire building falls if >50% hexes destroyed (3/4)
A destroyed hex is passable (Rubble, +1MP, Piloting +0 roll)
The mercs negotiated a salvage claim of 90%, and one airstrike.
Interrogation:
The mercenary operators at Kinetic Solutions, LLC had a few questions for the communications officer they captured at the airport in Phase 3. Pulling him aside from the rest of the captured infantry (whose wounds they had decided to fully treat at a non-trivial expense), a quiet chat in the interrogation room revealed the following info:
Q: What resistance can we expect inside the city?
-100t of transport capacity was reserved to bring a combat unit of unknown composition to the Coastal Gate, near the capitol.
Q: Any other strategic assets being brought to bear?
-Direct-fire units are low on ammunition after a raid on their supply depot (Phase 2), but back-line artillery units were unaffected by this.
Q: What reinforcements are being sent from further afield?
-A unit answered the comm's officer's distress call during the Phase 3 airport attack, but he was unwilling to divulge specifics as it was possible the information could be traced back to him, in which case he and his family would be marked as dissidents.
The mercenaries made an offer to evacuate the Comms Officer's family away from the war, but did not succeed in convincing him. He had trepidations about entrusting them to someone working for the enemy, even if they did treat their prisoners well.
He made a counteroffer: He would divulge the information for 1 million C-Bills, enough to take himself and his family away from the war. Naturally, this would involve not sending him to the Davion POW camp the rest of the infantry would be going to at the end of the day.
The Comms Officer's anticipated escape route.
Every day spent in Capellan space would run the risk of being found and punished for desertion by House Liao's powerful intelligence agency the Maskirovka... And fleeing into Davion space was out of the question. It would take a minimum of 5 jumps to flee to the Marik border from Spica. Jumpship tickets alone would cost just under half of the payment, with the rest being needed for bribes and whatever remained for starting a new life. Luckily at this time planet Scarborough had an agreement to treat Capellan casualties, so there was plenty of traffic already going that way that they could blend into under assumed identities.
The mercenaries accepted the counteroffer, sliding a credit chip and a datapad over to him in the interrogation room, and he enters the details of a scout lance from out West comprised of the following mechs: ASN-21, MCY-99, MON-69, OTT-7J.
The scout lance as described by one nicknamed "Chatterbox".
They held up their end of the bargain, releasing the Comms Officer with the money, watching him slip away into the woods.
The Battle:
Just before deployment, a message comes in from House Davion relaying information from a high-altitude probe:
"Three mechs inbound from western highway travelling ~120kph have rendezvoused with one from woodland closer to city, group speed maintained at ~80kph since. Lance trajectory extrapolated to western gate. Unable to ID specific models/variants."
The mercs chose to field: TDR-5SS, HCT-3F, CPLT-C4, STN-3KA.
Hatchetman still had Flak rounds loaded from P3, and Catapult chose to load half its LRM bins with Follow-The-Leader missiles.
Unfortunately, neither of these specialty ammo types ended up landing hits this mission.
Assassin pressing the advance. Mongoose downed, pilot ejected. Mercury spotting for artillery. Wolverine hanging back... Green hexes tracing the limits of a paved roadway.
On the field of battle, a Mercury streaks out of the hills at a blistering speed none of the mechwarriors had ever seen a mech move at before. It was MASC! Lostech that boosted the mech's speed to otherwise impossible levels.
(I had planned to have the Mercs automatically lose the first turn's initiative due to the shocking speed, but as they had advance intel on the enemy builds they would have been on alert for it.)
"Chatterbox's" intel was mostly accurate, but as the enemy contacts trickled in, a Wolverine-7H took to the field instead of the expected Ostscout... A significantly greater threat.
Combat:
The enemy Mercury took a covered position and began spotting for artillery, Thumpers firing in the distance. Holding all movement and weapons to make the best calls for supporting fire, it held fast for 4 turns, maintaining aim on the gate.
The Mongoose pushed in to keep the heat off the Mercury and paid for it, the pilot forced to eject from the mech after getting torn up by mercenary fire, swiftly being captured by the Hatchetman.
The Assassin kept mobile, bounding ever closer to the gate as Thumper rounds started raining down on it.
The Wolverine hung back, plinking at the mercs from the edge of the fight with its UAC/5 until the gate was finally breached by the heavy shelling accurately designated by the Mercury.
Once the way was open, the Assassin burst forth, dodging the mercenaries weapons fire and attempts to obstruct, the pilot inside successfully navigating multiple hazards between mech kicks, slippery roadways, and the rubble of the ruined gatehouse doorway, making it through the gate without falling down.
BUT THEN: As House Liao's artillery shells were still raining down, one missed to land EXACTLY on the Assassin's position beyond the gate, leaving significant damage and making the first off-board unit hit of the campaign, to the players's great amusement.
The Mercury tried to follow suit through the gate but saw its engine and gyro both destroyed, going down hard, lights off.
The Wolverine pressed the advance, exchanging fire on the way in. The Griffin tried to block the path to the hole opened in the gatehouse doorway, but the Wolverine widened the hole with an alpha-strike to the Griffin's side and made it through anyway.
What happened to that Ostscout "Chatterbox" mentioned?
CPTL-C4: 53wp
(0) 1 Pilot injury (will heal in 1wk)
(31) 31 Armor (Not counting the 1 from Weak Head Armor quirk)
(2) 1 Structure
(10) 2t LRM standard ammo
(10) 1t LRM FTL ammo
GRF-1N: 10wp
(5) Rush-Reloaded LRM ammo (Feed fault: Jam on 2 or 3)
(0) Stern finger-wag from Lead MechTech Henriette finding LRM safeties disabled
(5) 5 additional armor damage since last deployment
HCT-3F: None
(0) No additional armor damage since last deployment
(0) AC/10 Flak ammo already paid for
STN-3KA: 21wp
(21) 21 addtl dmg
(0) SRM Ammo already paid for
Total Income: +802
Total Costs: -84
----Mission Profit: 718wp----
Mercenary lance. Ammo and armor loss starting to pile up after multiple deployments and limited mechbay time...
Next stop: The Phase 6 finale, the battle to save the Capitol!
Tying up the operation on a victory, or, in the event of a loss, activating the Phase 7 contingency plan...
House Liao are contesting the city gates. You are to open up a new accessway into the city for House Davion's Third Ceti Hussars to reinforce the St Ives Armored Cavalry under siege within.
These three drainage grates have been identified as a structural weakness in the city wall.
Davion infantry sapper teams will insert via hovercraft. Escort them to the drainage grates and protect them while they plant detonation charges to blow open the tunnels to the streets above.
The Contract:
Primary Objective: Breach at least 1 of 3 sites.
Secondary Objective: Attrition, paid for damage dealt to enemy.
Negotiations: The mercs negotiated a small pay raise, some damage coverage, and LosTech shares.
They chose airstrikes over artillery when they were informed Davion artillery have not advanced in time with them and fire support would have twice the flight-time delay to impact than usual.
Intel:
Davion intelligence analysts see light Liao presence in the area. They are confident this access route was overlooked by their military planners. Expect forward observers and rapid-response units.
Allied units provided:
3x Laser Rifle Infantry with C8 explosive satchel charges
3x Machinegun Hover-APCs
The mercs chose to deploy the following, many with prior damage:
Thunderbolt TDR-5SS
Firefly FFL-4B
Sentinel STN-3KA
Griffin GRF-1N
Thunderbolt is making good use of its Multi-Trac quirk, laying fire on several enemies at once. Multiple airstrikes were called in on the enemy sniper (Scorpion SCP-1N), as is tradition.
The Battle:
The mercs made good time onto the field, keeping pace with the hover-transports which were going only at Cruising speed, not wanting to risk skidding in the uneven terrain at Flanking speed.
Sensors revealed thermal signatures in the middle of the AO. They identified LRM infantry who seemed uninterested in attacking them, merely observing... Then they heard Thumper artillery firing in the distance. And it wasn't friendly.
This was the reason Davion artillery had been hanging back, they were wary of counter-battery fire.
Thunderbolt took two splash hits from the Thumper while the team closed in on the drainage grates and the infantry. Infantry dismounted and passed through the grating bars inside to the first planting site.
Blue player's mechs. Brawlers taking the heat.
An enemy Scorpion quad-mech started blasting at them through the foliage, the mech keeping low to make use of the short trees for cover. It landed a few hits early, destroying an infantry transport and killing half the platoon inside, as well as landing a strong hit on the front center armor of the Firefly forcing it to keep distance for the rest of the engagement for worry of getting cored out.
The mercs had a hard time hitting the enemy. Luckily the Davion Aerospace fighter they called in for airstrikes landed two direct hits, one of them blowing out the rear of the Scorpion and sending it into retreat. It was unable to leave the field before the pilot was forced to eject his destroyed mech, being captured by the Griffin soon after.
Red player's mechs. Supporting with long-range fire.
Warrior H4 attack helicopters swooped in to defend the infantry, circling around the mercs and harassing them until being shot out of the sky with massed fire.
The enemy infantry used jump packs to begin fleeing the field, dodging the Thunderbolt's flamer fire. Meanwhile the allied infantry blew the first set of charges, opening the city wall. They boarded their transport to fetch more det charges, and the other transport moved to evacuate the depleted platoon that was stranded by the wreck of the first transport.
A Charger came to the rescue of the Scorpion, swiftly advancing onto the field at a speed few other Assault mechs could match. Unfortunately, it was very quickly headshot before it could land a single attack, ranged or melee, on the mercs.
OpFor sheets. Not having a good day, House Liao!
A Grasshopper, the same one they saw in the Phase 2: Supply Raid, was hot on its heels. It gave chase to the damaged merc mechs, scaring them back. Meanwhile, the remaining 2 full-strength platoons planted their charges and blew open the rest of the tunnels. Mercs and men alike escaped through to the city beyond.
The Grasshopper was drawn to the explosions, coming upon a lone infantry platoon, the mercs having all left once their contract was served.
The brave infantry swarmed the unsuspecting Grasshopper, who had severely underestimated them. It succeeded in brushing off several troopers but... The climbing infantry landed one shot. They lasered the pilot out of the cockpit, leaving it a smoking wreck in near-mint condition.
Prime salvage!
The Dispute:
Legal representatives of House Davion argued that, since the Mercs had already left the field after having achieved their objective, the contract was already served. Therefore the Grasshopper kill was achieved by House military units post-contract and not subject to the contract's 50% salvage claim.
The mercenaries made an offer to buy the Grasshopper from House Davion at its appraised value as an out-of-court settlement to avoid a legal battle over the salvage claim, which was accepted.
Next stop, Phase 5: Hold The Line, where the mercenaries will attempt to stop House Liao reinforcements from entering the city at a key crossing!
Neutralize AA, secure or disable airport landing strips.
The Briefing:
Hostile air units have been operating out of a civilian airport taken over by House Liao military. Emplaced AA guns are denying airspace to Davion forces. You and this bag of money will solve these issues.
The Contract:
Primary Objective: (3x 25wp) Take out fixed AA emplacements.
Secondary Objective: (3x 25wp) Sabotage airstrips.
-Enemy air support present. Expect highly mobile ASFs/Helicopters.
-Friendly air support is circling the battlefield and can intervene after AA disabled.
The mercenaries chose to negotiate for two LongTom Artillery strikes, a pay bump in money and assets, and some insurance.
The Battle:
Enemy ASF wrecked after a very, very badly failed takeoff attempt due to extensive runway damage.
Hatchetman took point, slashing open a perimeter fence for a dynamic entry.
Mercenaries swarmed the field rapidly destroying two airstrips. The enemy tried to scramble a fighter, but the damaged tarmac prevented it from building sufficient speed to lift off.
After a near-miss involving the Orion at the end of the runway running out of the way, the Lightning LTN-G14 fighter careens off into the desert, trying and failing hard (rolled Snake-Eyes!) to make the difficult liftoff past the pavement. The left wing digs into sand and the jet flips and tumbles, sending metal and parts everywhere, leaving a flaming trough in the ground behind it.
It was almost unsalvageable, but hung on with juuuust 1 point of Structural Integrity left. If not for the "Halve damage to SI + round down" rule it would've been toast. Pilot was turned into strawberry jam after being put through the spin cycle at 160kph though.
A Mobile HQ ahead of them attempts to dodge fire and coordinate 3 AC/2 fieldgun infantry platoons, but is rapidly taken out, leaving only the communications trailer attempting to jam the mercs' targeting/tracking systems.
It takes several turns of concentrated fire to root out the infantry in their sandbags, though one direct hit with a LongTom inside the sandbags completely vaporizes a platoon. They turned out to be the lucky ones as the Thunderbolt descends on the others, roasting them alive with +2000C Flamer fire.
The Hatchetman brandishes its tungsten hatchet in a threatening manner at the MHQ trailer, convincing the Comms officer inside to surrender and power it down.
Two Warrior H-7 attack helicopters swiftly arrive to back up the infantry, but are just as swiftly dispatched by the Orion and Hatchetman with their Anti-Aircraft Targeting quirks and Flak AC rounds. The helicopters never stood a chance.
"Sabretooth" arrives late to the party, having sprinted in from further afield in a new Vulcan VL-2T, clearly a step down from his last Starslayer mech. He snarls, declaring that the FedRats murder-spree ends today and he will tear them apart no matter what tools he has at his disposal!
The Vulcan's onboard AC/2 and Machinegun fire sounds unusually loud with massive muzzle flashes. The mercs' sensors were not able to match the ammo to known databases. Sabretooth has loaded +P Overpressure* rounds, recklessly increasing range and damage risking destroying the weapons firing them.
*Note: I like Hyper-Velocity AC's but they're really stupid in RAW, why does a gun specifically designed to fire its special high-pressure ammo still blow up? It makes much more sense to make it a special ammo type that the weapon is not rated to fire continuously.
Houserule: Overpressure AC rounds:
-Damage +1
-Short Range +3/+2/+1 for ACs 2/5/10 (recalculate Med/Long ranges)
-Overpressure ammo not available for AC/20.
-To-hit roll of 2 causes a round to explode inside the weapon.
Anyway: The mercs attempt to taunt him but don't succeed in inducing the tunnel-vision rage that his nemesis "Bub", the Wolverine pilot, did last time they saw him. "Sabretooth" then cemented his role as the comic-relief villain by missing two punches at the Hatchetman, failing a piloting roll, then faceplanting twice while trying to stand back up, coring out his own CT. Hooray!
Sabretooth just can't catch a break. Poor guy. Everyone's laughing.
Of the 84 fieldgunners, only 4 surrendering survivors (throwing down their weapons after witnessing their remaining ranking officer, Sabretooth, fail pathetically) were left standing unharmed, with 20 more casualties recovered clinging to life having varying degrees of bullet, shrapnel, and burn injuries among them. Their fates now depend on the mercy of the mercenaries.
The allied Lightning ASF pilot whose intervention was never needed circles back around to leave the area of operations, commenting on how nice the explosions looked from up there. And how funny the Vulcan looked.
Operating Costs: 30wp (not covered by insurance)
(20wp) Flak AC rounds (10wp x2, HCT-3F and ON1-K)
(10wp) 2t ON1-K standard ammo (LRM/SRM)
(0wp) GRF-1N and TDR-5SS still using ammo paid for in earlier phase
Previous account: 2725
Profit: +884
Current account: 3609wp
The Spoils of Battle:
Repairable chassis:
LTN-G14 Aerospace Fighter
Warrior H-7 (between the two wrecks one complete heli can be built)
Mobile HQ trailer w/ 7t Communications Equipment
Scrapped chassis:
Vulcan VL-2T
Dang, didn't realize I failed to focus the camera, but here's the MHQ trailer.
The mercenaries' rides. They brought their heavy hitters to this phase. Minor to moderate armor damage all around, though they no longer have time from here for full-length repairs before the Phase 6 finale... Perhaps they will field something else, rush some repairs, or deploy something damaged anyway.
Next stop: Phase 4: Breakthrough, where the mercenaries will bust open a new path into Valencia through the city wall!
I put them between the ASFs/sticks/bases so the assembly is less fiddly. Just snaps itself into place. Also less likely to randomly come off during handling. Also they can now tilt. Also:
Behold, glowing thruster plumes!
Water medium + tiny bit of paint, you really don't need much, especially if you want to keep it translucent (which I do.) Let it dry partway before handling so it's thicker and easier to pull into points. This took several layers steadily building up a pointier shape.
How it looks when not backlit. Anyway the magnets were a little annoying to put together, and I was deathly afraid of gluing the wrong polarity.
The yellow Davion plane works with the stick going either way but the green Liao one's stick only works one way cause I accidentally flipped the base's magnet into glue and couldn't tell which way it had landed. I think next time I should put a lil marker dot on one side.
