Vote Results:
"All units, hold position." Zenn7 orders. "Let the runners go, they're all beat to hell anyway."
In the end, we convince our liaison to let us keep the Zeus - the "we need the parts for the Thug" argument seems to work fine. That XL engine, once we get it fixed up, will be excellent to put into pretty much any of our existing 80-tonners; or we can take it through a refit cycle. The repair costs for it will be pretty astronomical, though, but that's ok.
---
"All right," our liaison, Carole "9B" Salido, tells Cylus and Moley, the two remaining ranking officers not yet deployed. She points on a map to a water-logged-looking area with some hills. "We need whatever you've got left to head to these hills, and hold the position until we can divert forces to relieve you."
"Who're we facing?" Moley asks.
"Beta, Gamma regiment. They're pushing hard. We've got units heading over to stop them, but they'll miss the interception window by a few minutes, and then the Beta guys will be all over our main line."
"How many, what kind of mechs?" Moley continues probing.
"Two companies. Lights, mediums, heavies... a few assaults..." 9B lists it off. "Bring everything you've got. I'm coming, too."
Moley and Cylus look at each other. The rest of the company has been doing pretty well so far, but this particular scenario is the kind of situation where we lose a whole bunch of mechs and tanks.
---
We bring everything we've got left - Cylus/Grasshopper, Moneyshot and Thud in Hunchbacks, Xwraith in the Thunderbolt, Moley in the Summoner and Hyena in the Timberwolf. 9B drives an Archer, while we call up second and third hover lances - a mixture of Drillson and lighter hovertanks. There's a significant amount of open terrain to play with so they should perform well.
As the hostile sensor contacts approach, it's looking pretty impressive - there's a lot of Star League tech out there, and mostly medium and heavy mechs. A few lights around the flanks, while three assaults form the core.
"What's the ETA on friendlies?" Moley asks.
"Three minutes, ten seconds." 9B replies.
Round 1:
Xwraith aims the Thunderbolt's large laser directly at an approaching Archer, spearing it through the center torso and causing the mech's heat signature to spike. Our mechwarrior adds an LRM salvo for fun, the missiles clustering around the upper torso and head. Not a bad start at all.
Hyena, meanwhile, splits fire between a distant Orion and a more closely approaching Commando - two PPCs from the Timber Wolf shear armor off the heavier mech while pulse lasers puncture the Commando's left side, melting a foot actuator.
Round 2:
We have a pretty significant range advantage, especially with our superior gunnery and it being night-time - we exploit this to focus fire on a hostile Hunchback, which eats multiple PPC shots and LRMs, taking an armor breach to the right torso.
The hostile Stalker to the south east opens up on one of our Scimitar hovertanks trying to hide behind a hill (unsuccessfully, it seems) and wrecks the drive fans with LRMs, causing the vehicle to drift helplessly on just its lift fans.
Round 3:
One of our Zephyr hovertanks moves up a little too far and grinds up a bunch of LBX pellets in its fans, resulting in the vehicle smashing into a nearby hill. Not too great. Thud and Moneyshot take a couple of grazing PPC hits but nothing serious, while our return fire strips more armor from various mechs.
Round 4:
Thankfully, the hostile mechs are somewhat reluctant to push forward, which is just as well, as it lets us keep our range advantage. One of our Drillsons takes some damage to its skirt, greatly reducing the efficiency of air circulation and forcing it to slow down, but spears the Archer previously damaged by Xwraith with its large laser - in the left arm. Which is, apparently, where a significant amount of SRM ammo was stored. The chain explosion causes the limb to disappear and jets of flame to shoot out the front and back of the mech, but, thanks to (probably) CASE, the center torso remains intact.
However, it must have mounted an XL engine, as it shuts down and drops to the ground anyway.
To the east, Moley knocks a Cyclops to the ground, with generous application of a PPC shot, LBX autocannon rounds and LRMs, while one of our Zephyrs eats more LBX pellets, becoming almost immobilized.
Round 5:
The loss of the Archer prompts an advance along the left flank, with a Victor and a Marauder leading the charge. Cylus blasts at the Victor, frying a center torso jump jet with a laser, while one of our hovertanks circles around its back, blasting off some armor.
A Spider hops in next to Xwraith and 9B - Moneyshot takes the opportunity to stitch a few pulse laser shots across the fast mech as it lands, opening up its left torso, an opportunity which Xwraith exploits to send streak SRMs and machine gun rounds into the light mech's internal structure - multiple jump jets blow out as it lands, firing pulse lasers at 9B's Archer.
Our Hunchback takes an extended-range PPC to the head, although Moneyshot ducks just in time to avoid having the head evaporated entirely.
To the east, our damaged Zephyr tries to get away, but its perforated by laser blasts and LRMs from the Stalker - this gives Hyena the opportunity to deliver two PPC hits and a few pulse laser shots - some connect to the assault mech's right arm and puncture a heat sink, causing it to drip bright blue coolant fluid onto the ground below. The assault mech's operator is unable to compensate for the weight re-distribution and crunches another heat sink upon hitting the ground.
Round 6:
Moneyshot stumbles, moving the Hunchback after the Spider, which costs him a bunch of armor - Thud doesn't really have any better luck, extended-range PPCs blasting away at the Hunchback. The worst of it misses, however.
Round 7:
The Spider, having taken enough damage, disengages to the west.
To the east, Moley lines up a shot on the advancing Stalker's center of mass. The reverse-legged mech ducks under the PPC blast, but the LRMs close in on its center torso - having already taken a few hits there, it's not a big deal for the salvo to breach armor. The assault mech stutters then keels over, its heat signature blossoming even as it's completely unable to get up off the ground.
Hyena, meanwhile, blasts the approaching Orion, frying its left arm with a PPC blast while the second PPC shot hits the left torso, cracking the engine shielding. Said Orion, however, finishes off our immobilized Scimitar tank.
Round 8:
Hyena continues whaling on the Orion, wrecking its right shoulder actuator with a few pulse laser blasts, while 9B exchanges LRMs with a distant hostile Archer, both mechs inflicting damage on one another.
Round 9:
Cylus, having been hopping back and forth between some sparse woods, finally hits paydirt on a Marauder that's been hanging out in a nearby lake, pelting Thud and Moneyshot with its PPCs while cooling off - one of the Grasshopper's medium lasers melts through the left torso armor and detonates the streak SRM ammo there. Blowout panels channel the explosion out the front and back instead of incinerating the entire torso, but with about half the XL engine no longer there, the mech shuts down anyway, dropping into the water.
The Victor behind it has had enough of our little Falcon zipping around back there and blasts it with pulse lasers - the skirt is punctured in multiple places and the hovertank joins the Marauder in the lake. The Victor takes an engine hit with SRMs to the back, though.
One of our Drillson hovertanks targets the Orion that previously blew up our Zephyr, and a lucky LRM exploits the armor breaches caused by Hyena, detonating the heavy mech's NARC pods. The explosion isn't even that spectacular - NARC pods are mostly transmitter equipment and propellant, so instead of a spectacular KABOOM, it's a little more of a "piff". But the mech drops to the ground, its XL engine out of action. The Drillson is heavily damaged by return fire, but trading a hovertank for a heavy mech is a pretty good deal.
9B targets a Hunchback in the back of the enemy formation - we'd plastered that mech before and the operator is being a little timid. Combined with LRM fire from another one of our Drillsons, it now has even more reason to be timid, as its autocannon is disabled. Xwraith, screening 9B's Archer, takes a few LRMs from a distant Dervish, disabling the Thunderbolt's extended-range laser.
Hyena, meanwhile, shears a Rifleman's foot off with one of the Timber Wolf's PPCs - that mech had been pelting us with ultra AC/5 rounds the whole time, but not any more.
Round 10:
A Commando makes the mistake of trying to close to range of our clan mechs and eats a full weapons salvo from Moley's Summoner - the PPC shears off the left arm while LBX autocannon pellets perforate the gyro, causing the light mech to drop to the ground.
Round 11:
Cylus severs the Victor's left arm, which takes a pair of pulse lasers out of the fight.
Our Zephyr zips southwest, nimbly avoiding the legged Rifleman's weapons fire (somehow, it had managed to get up). Moley gives it another full salvo to make sure it stays down as well, ripping off the left arm with a PPC blast.
Hyena, meanwhile, engages an approaching Ostsol, melting through its right torso armor with pulse lasers while frying its right arm with a PPC shot.
Round 12:
Our Zephyr gets a little greedy and tries for a back shot on an Archer, but is immobilized by multiple weapon salvos from multiple mechs - it's tough to tell which shot actually does the trick. The hovertank does manage to cause severe damage to the Archer though, its left leg throwing sparks as it keels over, multiple actuators having been destroyed.
The distraction does allow Hyena to land a pair of PPC hits on an approaching Ostsol, blasting through its right torso and forcing its XL engine into shutdown - a feature which a great many mechwarriors dislike. While XL engines provide substantial weight savings, once the torso armor is gone, it puts the mech at risk of being disabled (and subsequently salvaged).
9B's Archer informs her that the mech's long-range missiles have been completely depleted, rendering the mech somewhat less useful. Cylus orders her back with Thud and Moneyshot, intending to keep the three mechs in reserve in case the Beta Regiment force does decide to charge in at some point.
Round 13:
The Victor that was jousting with Cylus finally bites the bucket - more accurately, its gauss rifle explodes after taking one too many laser hits, with some of Xwraith's LRMs helping. The mech keels over, and it's questionable how combat effective it is at this point, only having a single SRM/4 launcher left.
Hyena also detonates a gauss rifle, this one on the Cyclops, while our Drillson hovertank cracks a nearby Firestarter's hip joint with SRMs.
Round 14:
Cylus is feeling a little bit alone, but has good cover and a jumping rhythm going - first into this cluster of trees, then this cluster, then this cluster and so on. A Clint tries to interrupt the pattern and loses its left arm for its trouble.
Moley and Hyena, having taken care most of everything on the east flank, push up. Hyena concentrates pulse laser fire on an Archer's leg, shredding the actuators and causing the 70-tonner to drop to the ground, where it crushes its right arm.
Round 15:
No catstrophic damage happens as things settle down a little.
"Hang on, backup is almost here." 9B tells us as her Archer absorbs a few LRMs while retreating.
Round 16:
"Time to leave." Cylus comments as a whole extra lance of mechs closes in on our Grasshopper. Although one of the Clints loses its right arm and the attached PPC, so that's a little less scary. There's also a Shadow Hawk running around back there somewhere, but it's one mech and our reserve can handle it.
To the southeast, Hyena and Moley continue rolling up that flank, with Hyena simple blasting a Commando out of existence, the mech's central structure melting under PPC fire.
Round 17:
The less said about Moneyshot's attempt to relocate, the better.
Our last hovertank, a Drillson, is immobilized while circling around an Ostroc - a hostile Thunderbolt directs LRMs at the hovercraft, blasting various fans off the back.
Round 18:
Moley's Summoner informs him that his LRMs have been depleted; Xwraith's Thunderbolt says the same. Even Cylus is down to 50% in the LRM launcher - this is a long, long engagement.
Round 19:
"Just a little longer..." 9B notes, watching the allied Dragoons units approaching on sensors.
Hyena disembowels an Ostroc on the east flank with a PPC shot to the center torso, giving our two clan mechs a clear line of retreat. Moneyshot, meanwhile, struggles the Hunchback up from the ground - just in time to see a flight of LRMs from a distant Dervish close in and impact his cockpit.
The Shadow Hawk messes around a little bit, avoiding Thud's AC/20 burst and a back-swing from Xwraith, then disengages, having seen the same sensor contacts that 9B saw.
"Overlords, return to base. Job's done." 9B states.
"For some of us more than others." Thud mutters, watching the Shadow Hawk jump away.
---
Hyena's elation at having gotten the elusive Mech Ace (five mech kills in a single battle) is somewhat tempered by the loss of Liam "Moneyshot" Thyregood. A relatively new recruit, having served with the company since 3051, he originated from the Draconis Combine. An amateur VTOL pilot in his off-time, his constant bickering with Thud over the minutiae of Hunchback operation and maintenance has been replaced with quiet.
This battle was pretty rough on our tank crews as well, with eight casualties. While only two of the severn hovertanks we brought are totaled (including a Falcon that we have to haul up from the bottom of the pond), the casualties mean that we won't be able to re-crew all the tanks - the ones that we can get working.
That being said, our efforts have helped blunt the rebel offensive. With Alpha Regiment declaring neutrality along with the aerospace assets, Beta and Gamma Regiments have pulled back to repair and rearm, leaving it to second-rate mercs to pick up the slack.
Salvage is pretty solid stuff - an Archer ARC-5W, equipped with NARC launcher and assortment of SRMs and LRMs. 9B is pretty happy with her Archer's performance, though this one is missing its left side and half the missile launchers. The XL engine will also require upwards of a million C-Bills in repairs.
Another Stalker STK-5M - a solid weapons array, armor and much better cooling than the original Stalker models, but a lack of CASE makes it vulnerable to ammo detonations.
A waterlogged Marauder MAD-5D which has suffered an ammo detonation is another option. Putting a single streak SRM/2 launcher on a Marauder seems like a pretty weird design decision, especially since that's what caused the XL engine to crap out. In another departure from standard Marauder design philosophy, it has jump jets.
A Star League-tech Orion is another option, although this one is missing its left side. Compared to the original, the autocannon has been upgraded to an LB-10X, while the missile launchers are all Narc-capable. Double heat sinks restore its status as a respectable mech as opposed to a 70-ton mechwarrior toaster.
We don't really "do" light mechs, so we skip over the Commandos. The Cyclops' only upgrade is a gauss rifle, which, for some of our older mechwarriors still feels a little weird to think about as being "not that special". Even though gauss rifles have been in pretty widespread production across the Inner Sphere for upwards of a decade, there's still a collective memory of them being super tough to find.
The Ostsol OTL-5M ups the Ostsol game by upgrading all the lasers to pulse versions and the heat sinks to doubles. This particular one is missing its right side.
Finally, a double-heat-sink Archer ARC-4M - kind of like the standard Archer with twin LRM/20 launchers and four medium lasers, but has double heat sinks.
Do we want to see if we can grab any of this salvage? Most of these mechs will require extensive repairs, especially the ones with XL engines. While regularly manufactured across the Inner Sphere, much like double heat sinks, demand is so high that they're snapped up almost as soon as they come off the assembly line.
We can skip it, but we probably won't be seeing much more high-tech salvage for a while, as the "proper" Dragoon rebels have taken a significant beating and pulled back.
[] Skip all this stuff
[] Archer ARC-5W
[] Stalker STK-5M
[] Marauder MAD-5D
[] Orion ON1-M
[] Ostsol OTL-5M
[] Archer ARC-4M