Let's play: Battletech via MegaMek

[Stefan Stirzaker]

Intercept

Med facilities then raw material survey

[$iljanus]

Intercept

Establish medical facilities. Then we really need to do a mineral survey.

[Zenn7]

[X] Raw Material surveys

[X] Intercept
[] Let them come in

Seems like the raw material is the next big thing we need to get this battlestation to be fully operational, so let's get started on that already, before we wind up building a resort instead of a mercenary base.

On the dropship, seems like the dropship is more important than the aerospace fighters, so let's send them out to intercept. If things go badly, then the dropship itself can engage.

Its sound decisions like this that make me think you just might make an OK lance commander yet.

[El Guapo]

[X] Raw Material surveys

[X] Intercept
[] Let them come in

Seems like the raw material is the next big thing we need to get this battlestation to be fully operational, so let's get started on that already, before we wind up building a resort instead of a mercenary base.

On the dropship, seems like the dropship is more important than the aerospace fighters, so let's send them out to intercept. If things go badly, then the dropship itself can engage.

Its sound decisions like this that make me think you just might make an OK lance commander yet.

That's why the people insisted that I be named company commander.

[Zenn7]

[X] Raw Material surveys

[X] Intercept
[] Let them come in

Seems like the raw material is the next big thing we need to get this battlestation to be fully operational, so let's get started on that already, before we wind up building a resort instead of a mercenary base.

On the dropship, seems like the dropship is more important than the aerospace fighters, so let's send them out to intercept. If things go badly, then the dropship itself can engage.

Its sound decisions like this that make me think you just might make an OK lance commander yet.

That's why the people insisted that I be named company commander.

MEDIC! The voices are back again. Just when I thought you were OK... <sigh>

[$iljanus]

[X] Raw Material surveys

[X] Intercept
[] Let them come in

Seems like the raw material is the next big thing we need to get this battlestation to be fully operational, so let's get started on that already, before we wind up building a resort instead of a mercenary base.

Hey, health care is a right not a luxury!

[El Guapo]

[X] Raw Material surveys

[X] Intercept
[] Let them come in

Seems like the raw material is the next big thing we need to get this battlestation to be fully operational, so let's get started on that already, before we wind up building a resort instead of a mercenary base.

Hey, health care is a right not a luxury!

Go home, hippy!

[AWS260]

Have we forgotten the lessons of the Terran pandemic, passed on for centuries in our lore and history? Do we want to go back to the dark ages of face masks and social distancing? An effective health care system is critical to our society and economy!

[NickAragua]

Have we forgotten the lessons of the Terran pandemic, passed on for centuries in our lore and history? Do we want to go back to the dark ages of face masks and social distancing? An effective health care system is critical to our society and economy!

I was going to say how easy it is to quarantine a system simply by blocking all jumpship traffic in and out, but it's actually not that easy because people can just use pirate points instead of the standard ones.

Vote Results:

Spoiler:

Medical facilities - 4
Raw material survey - 4

Intercept - 6
Let them come in - 1

Hiring a mineral survey crew and building hospital facilities can be done simultaneously. The hospital will take a few months to put together - both for construction and hiring personnel. The survey crew, well, we'll see how it goes. We'll get an initial report next month.

----

"All fighters away." The Moonraker's captain reports as our aerospace units zoom off into the distance. Out of our participating aerospace fighters, four have received major upgrades - the Eagle, the Thunderbird, the Lucifer and the Lightning. As the incoming contacts resolve, it's mostly little anklebiters. We'll need to mop them up quickly so we can focus on the dropship without getting pelted with (relatively) small ordnance.

Alpha-Strike is ahead in our formation. It's a fairly low-altitude engagement, so we have a mountain peak to contend with to the northeast (in between our fighters and the incoming dropship).

Round 1:

Spoiler:

They might not be in visual range, but the incoming hostiles are there.

Round 2:

Spoiler:

The anklebiters close into range. A Thrush opens up with its lasers on our Thunderbird, but our Lucifer opens up on the light fighter, pummeling it with LRMs from the newly-installed LRM/15 launcher. Only nine missiles hit, but each one disables a laser cannon (rendering the ASF weaponless), and then, to top it off, the aero jock loses control and spirals downwards, disappearing in a puff of metal and dust as it hits the ground.

Our Thunderbird works on a couple of Angel-class light conventional fighters, mostly ignoring the incoming SRMs and blowing one out of the sky - the first two large laser blasts miss, but the last one hits center of mass, causing the little craft to slam into the ground below a few seconds later.

The Shilone doesn't quite shoot down an Angel, but does inflict enough structural damage that the fighters peels off from the engagement pretty rapidly.

Round 3:

Spoiler:

Gamma-Strike has taken the few extra seconds to circle around and come in on the northern flank of the hostile aircraft formation. Most of the hostiles wheel around to face the newcomers, leaving Alpha-Strike with free shots at their backs.

Alpha-Strike's Lucifer fires some LRMs at a Guardian that participates in the aforementioned maneuver, blowing out most of the paper thin armor and a good chunk of the engine.

Alpha-Strike's Shilone finishes off the Cheetah that the Lucifer damaged previously, clearing the air a little bit.

The hostile aircraft's pivot to face Gamma-Strike isn't unjustified - our Lightning blasts a Meteor fighter straight in the nose with its AC/20, detonating the on-board ammo and scattering bits of fighter to the four winds, while Gamma-Strike's Shilone peppers a Crane-class fighter with LRMs, nearly wrecking it (the process is completed when the aero jock loses control and crashes). The Eagle's shots go wide, but its upgraded armor absorbs quite a bit of damage that would have otherwise probably gone internal.

Round 4:

Spoiler:

The dogfight continues, with Alpha-Strike hitting the afterburners to get into the action as well as Gamma-Strike and the hostiles circle around. Our Lucifer picks off a Guardian fighter, taking it apart with long-range weaponry - large lasers and the LRM launcher.

Our Thunderbird rocks a little as SRMs and LRMs impact it, but still shoots down another Crane. The Crane isn't that much firepower (just fifteen LRM tubes), but every little bit helps at this point.

To the north, Gamma-Strike's Shilone takes out a Meteor fighter, removing that AC/10 from the dogfight when an LRM salvo detonates the fighter's SRM ammo. Our Eagle engages the Transgressor, but the heavy craft is able to absorb a little more damage than the little anklebiters. A Thrush also manages to crash into the ground while trying to avoid fire from our aircraft, saving us a little work.

Round 5:

Spoiler:

Another productive round - while we absorb a significant amount of firepower with one of our Shilones taking a few good hits from the Transgressor, disabling the landing gear, and the Thunderbird taking some damage to the avionics system, we destroy a good number of craft. Including a MechBuster, with its threatening AC/20, plus one of our Shilones gets in behind and heavily damages the engine on the enemy Eagle.

Spoiler:

The damage to the Thunderbird proves fatal, however, as our aero jock is unable to maintain control and hits the ground, with just bits of the tail section and wings left in one piece, and that's being generous. Still, with the Transgressor wobbling unsteadily as the pilot tries to level out, that leaves the hostiles with precious few actual aircraft in the fight, about a third of their starting number. The dropship reverses course away from our aerospace fighters and the lighter, nimbler fighters zip away pretty quickly.

Our Thunderbird pilot is unable to eject before hitting the ground and is killed instantly.

Other than losing the Thunderbird, our upgraded aerospace fighters performed very well, being able to absorb and dealing out a lot more damage, most coming back with only superficial armor damage, and a couple of through-armor internal hits. Our aero techs get to work fixing it, the good news there is there's nothing that requires major replacement parts.

With the challenge to our landing overcome, we rapidly deploy two companies of mechs and begin recon operations while unloading the rest of our mechs and fighters. Our first task is to make contact with the mercs we're trying to bail out. We hit paydirt pretty quickly (in fact, before our spare aerospace fighters are unpacked and before we can even finish patching up the armor damage) - Isgrimnur's lance makes contact with a medium mech lance from "Noutel's Narrators" that's been trying to break through to our position. In order to get to our LZ, they'll need to break through a pretty sizable force of corporate tanks(~2 companies of light armor and hovercraft), backed up by a heavy mech lance.

Isgrimnur requests air support, as, in addition, it looks like our Union-class dropship buddy that ran away from our fighters is coming back to drop some unpleasantness on his lance (with a small aircraft escort as well). Our aerospace fighters can either provide the air support while engaging the incoming aircraft or burn hard and engage the incoming aircraft before they get to our ground units (but will not be able to provide air support in that case - by the time they finish up, the fight will be over one way or another).

We can also saddle up another lance to provide backup. Cujo's Alpha-Ranger lance will get there quicker, but is a little less firepower, while El Guapo's Alpha-Heavy lance will get there slower, but delivers a massive amount of firepower.

Alternately, Isgrimnur's lance and the allied units could go to ground and attempt to re-establish contact with us later. That will avoid this fight, but will leave our lance stranded in hostile territory.

[] Engage and attempt to break through
[] Lie low

If engaging:
Aircraft:
[] Provide close air support
[] Drive off hostile aircraft

Reinforcements:
[] Alpha-Ranger (4 medium mechs, arrives round 4)
[] Alpha-Heavy (2 heavy, 2 assault mechs, arrives round 8)

[El Guapo]

[X] Engage and attempt to break through
[] Lie low

If engaging:
Aircraft:
[X] Provide close air support
[] Drive off hostile aircraft

Reinforcements:
[] Alpha-Ranger (4 medium mechs, arrives round 4)
[X] Alpha-Heavy (2 heavy, 2 assault mechs, arrives round 8)

I'm assuming that our aircraft is better than their aircraft, so that removing all aircraft is a net loss for us. If that's not the case, then it may make sense to drive off enemy aircraft.

[gbasden]

[X] Engage and attempt to break through
[] Lie low

If engaging:
Aircraft:
[X] Provide close air support
[] Drive off hostile aircraft

Reinforcements:
[] Alpha-Ranger (4 medium mechs, arrives round 4)
[X] Alpha-Heavy (2 heavy, 2 assault mechs, arrives round 8)

I'm assuming that our aircraft is better than their aircraft, so that removing all aircraft is a net loss for us. If that's not the case, then it may make sense to drive off enemy aircraft.

Agreed with this - two companies of armor plus a heavy lance means we probably need the firepower of Alpha-Heavy, even if they are slower. And being able to put ordinance on target early with close air support may buy us time for Alpha-Heavy to arrive.

[El Guapo]

[X] Engage and attempt to break through
[] Lie low

If engaging:
Aircraft:
[X] Provide close air support
[] Drive off hostile aircraft

Reinforcements:
[] Alpha-Ranger (4 medium mechs, arrives round 4)
[X] Alpha-Heavy (2 heavy, 2 assault mechs, arrives round 8)

I'm assuming that our aircraft is better than their aircraft, so that removing all aircraft is a net loss for us. If that's not the case, then it may make sense to drive off enemy aircraft.

Agreed with this - two companies of armor plus a heavy lance means we probably need the firepower of Alpha-Heavy, even if they are slower. And being able to put ordinance on target early with close air support may buy us time for Alpha-Heavy to arrive.

Also Isgrimnur's lance is fairly mobile, right? Ideally they can stay at range and do a fighting retreat (supported by the aircraft) towards Alpha-Heavy.

[gbasden]

Also Isgrimnur's lance is fairly mobile, right? Ideally they can stay at range and do a fighting retreat (supported by the aircraft) towards Alpha-Heavy.

That would definitely be optimal if they can pull it off.

[$iljanus]

[X] Engage and attempt to break through
[] Lie low

If engaging:
Aircraft:
[X] Provide close air support
[] Drive off hostile aircraft

Reinforcements:
[] Alpha-Ranger (4 medium mechs, arrives round 4)
[X] Alpha-Heavy (2 heavy, 2 assault mechs, arrives round 8)

I'm assuming that our aircraft is better than their aircraft, so that removing all aircraft is a net loss for us. If that's not the case, then it may make sense to drive off enemy aircraft.

Agreed with this - two companies of armor plus a heavy lance means we probably need the firepower of Alpha-Heavy, even if they are slower. And being able to put ordinance on target early with close air support may buy us time for Alpha-Heavy to arrive.

Bring on the heavies and rain fire and steel on our enemies.

[Leraje]

[X] Engage and attempt to break through
[] Lie low

If engaging:
Aircraft:
[X] Provide close air support
[] Drive off hostile aircraft

Reinforcements:
[] Alpha-Ranger (4 medium mechs, arrives round 4)
[X] Alpha-Heavy (2 heavy, 2 assault mechs, arrives round 8)

I'm assuming that our aircraft is better than their aircraft, so that removing all aircraft is a net loss for us. If that's not the case, then it may make sense to drive off enemy aircraft.

Agreed with this - two companies of armor plus a heavy lance means we probably need the firepower of Alpha-Heavy, even if they are slower. And being able to put ordinance on target early with close air support may buy us time for Alpha-Heavy to arrive.

Agreed.

[El Guapo]

Also Isgrimnur's lance is fairly mobile, right? Ideally they can stay at range and do a fighting retreat (supported by the aircraft) towards Alpha-Heavy.

That would definitely be optimal if they can pull it off.

I mean, Isgrimnur's lance is no Guapo lance, to be sure, but I think they can accomplish this at a mediocre level or better.

[Isgrimnur]

[Zenn7]

[X] Engage and attempt to break through
[] Lie low

If engaging:
Aircraft:
[X] Provide close air support
[] Drive off hostile aircraft

Reinforcements:
[] Alpha-Ranger (4 medium mechs, arrives round 4)
[X] Alpha-Heavy (2 heavy, 2 assault mechs, arrives round 8)

I'm assuming that our aircraft is better than their aircraft, so that removing all aircraft is a net loss for us. If that's not the case, then it may make sense to drive off enemy aircraft.

Agreed with this - two companies of armor plus a heavy lance means we probably need the firepower of Alpha-Heavy, even if they are slower. And being able to put ordinance on target early with close air support may buy us time for Alpha-Heavy to arrive.

Good plan, let's do it.

[AWS260]

[] Engage and attempt to break through
[X] Lie low

Let's see if Isgrimnur goes native, Colonel Kurtz-style.

[Zarathud]

Isg makes nice bait. Lay low then surprise attack!

[NickAragua]

Vote Results:

Spoiler:

Lie Low - 2
Engage - 10

Close air support - 6
Drive off hostiles - 4

Alpha-Heavy - 6
Alpha-Ranger - 4

February 15, 3047
154km south of initial landing zone
Wright, Capellan Confederation

Isgrimnur briefly considers calling the whole thing off, but finds it unlikely that he'll be able to hide two medium mech lances from a searching force this size long enough for them to give up. The only real option is to punch through and re-join the rest of our forces.

El Guapo's Heavy Lance will provide the "stopping point" - it's unlikely that even two companies of light tanks will want to go up against an "on the assault side" heavy lance.

Urban Lance is Isgrimnur/Hatchetman, Paingod/Merlin, Bass/Blackjack, and the BattleAxe. The allied units are a Hunchback, a Griffin, a Quickdraw and a Condor hovertank that got mixed in there somehow. Heavy Lance is El Guapo/Marauder, Fury/Grand Dragon, Thud/Gbasden's Awesome, and the Cyclops.

We haven't had much chance to repair, but our aerospace fighters are also ready to go. We'll have a little over a minute of uninterrupted close air support before the hostile aircraft show up and start making a mess. And, to be honest, since "hostile aircraft" includes a Union-class dropship, we better get this wrapped up before they do show up.

Round 1:

Spoiler:

It definitely would have been hard to hide out with all these VTOLs zipping around anyway. Isgrimnur's anti-aircraft targeting system picks just this moment to go on the fritz, but he still manages to "brush" one of the helicopters with a laser, frying some components in the nose.

Round 2:

Spoiler:

"Hang out in the woods until reinforcements get here, do not move out to the plains." Isgrimnur plainly instructs everyone else.

"Nah, nah, I'm just gonna take a peek... " the guy in the Condor hovertank replies. This is immediately followed by an "Oh, shit!", some static, then "we're disabled, bailing out!".

Isgrimnur rolls his eyes as his Hatchetman flakes bits of armor off a Hetzer that's strayed a little too close to the woods and pops a tire. "Hope you've got your breathers on.", he comments. The planetary atmosphere isn't exactly 'shirt sleeves', as it turns out.

Round 3:

Spoiler:

Paingod (Mk II), continually harassed by helicopters, moves to engage a Vindicator that pokes into the woods a little, scoring a hit with the Merlin's PPC to zap a large amount of armor off the left torso.

Bass scores his first mobility kill of the day, using the Blackjack's twin autocannons to pelt a Galleon light tank's right side, causing the vehicle to slip its treads and become stuck. He also brushes a nearby Peregrine's rotor with a laser.

Gamma-Strike's aerospace fighters (the Eagle, Shilone and Lightning) arrive from the north and pick off a trio of stray tanks - a pair of Scorpions and a Hetzer.

Our Battleaxe driver observes, with some amusement, as one of the VTOLs tries to fire at him, but the AC/5 barrel throws out sparks instead. Armed with only a machine gun, the helicopter zips off to the south.

Round 4:

Spoiler:

We've got some hovercraft that have slipped through a gap in the woods engaging us. Isgrimnur finally finishes off the Hetzer he's been targeting for a while, blowing through the right-side armor with a pair of laser blasts and melting the engine to slag.

Alpha-Strike's air support picks at some more relatively isolated tanks to the north, the Shilone taking out a Packrat, while the Lucifer sinks a Maxim hover transport as it passes over a lake. The infantry clambering out the back don't seem to be in much of a mood to continue the fight, either. We take some anti-aircraft fire, but our aero jocks hold it together.

Paingod takes advantage of a Saladin's misstep and steps out of the woods while its autocannon is turned the other way, but is distracted by covering fire from other hostiles, and has to step back in.

Round 5:

Spoiler:

Bass takes the Blackjack back into the woods to help out the allied Hunchback being picked aparty be hovercraft. A solid laser salvo against the nearby Saladin punches through the hovertank's armor, and it chooses to disengage.

Our BattleAxe engages the Vindicator as it pursues Paingod's retreating Merlin, scoring two PPC hits. No armor breaches, but solid damage.

Isgrimnur, meanwhile, briefly jumps to the edge of the woods just long enough to crush a Bulldog's right-side treads with the hatchet.

Our air support continues working out pretty well, with Gamma-Strike's Lightning sinking another Maxim hover transport.

Round 6:

Spoiler:

Isgrimnur continues engaging the tank cluster to the northwest, disabling a Vedette with autocannon and laser fire.

Our BattleAxe beefs with the Thunderbolt, hitting it with a PPC and an SRM salvo. The enemy mech responds with its short range weaponry, coming out about even in the exchange.

Our air support continues their reign of terror, the Shilones sinking a Saracen and causing a VTOL to crash and explode. That leaves one hovercraft, which briefly takes a few seconds to cause the allied Hunchback's autocannon to jam, then jams its own throttle, leading a retreat which the rest of the hostile force follows, having taken substantial losses for basically nothing in return.

The sensor contacts indicating incoming hostile aircraft also reverse their course, leaving us in control of the battlefield. It takes a few hours to get the Condor back into working order, time which our salvage crews use to do their thing, recovering some tank wrecks. We'll be handing most of that stuff over to our employer at the end of the contract, but we'll be keeping the LRM ammo, as our aerospace fighters actually use it at a pretty good clip.

The other "good" news, salvage-wise, is that we're able to recover 11 double heat sinks from the wreckage of the Thunderbird. It's a little less than the 21 we put into it, but still better than losing all of them.

Currently, we have a Shilone attached to Beta-Hunter lance, a suggestion is floated to temporarily detach it and put it back into Alpha-Strike to re-fill their numbers (if not the tonnage).
[] Re-attach Shilone from Beta-Hunter to Alpha-Strike
[] Keep it in Beta-Hunter

----

"Ok, after-action review time." Isgrimnur calls out once everyone gets back to the dropships and has a chance to recover a little (while our lance leader reviews the Battle ROMs). "First, the good news. Bass, two good mobility kills out there, especially on the Saladin. Always focus on the little anklebiters first, they're a lot easier to take down and their guns will kill you just as dead as the guns on a mech." Isgrimnur pauses for a second. "Now, the bad news. Pg, you got lucky. Those three mechs would have taken you apart, they had almost a hundred tons on you. You have to stay with the lance, we can't cover you if you're half a kilometer away. Lucky that our 'little' BattleAxe buddy here was able to put some PPCs on that Vindicator." One more pause. "Now, one more thing, and this is critical. Pre-deployment systems checks. My AA targeting subsystem fritzed out on me the second I tried to aim at one of those little helicopters." He looks at everyone. "Unless. You. Are. Scrambling." pause. "Finish. Your. Systems. Checks. Before. Deployment."

"What was wrong with it?" Bass asks.

"Just a cable came loose, apparently. Oh, and one more thing. Those mercs aren't under my command, so I don't expect them to follow my orders, but I do expect that of you. I will do my damnedest to bring you back alive, which means that, if I tell you to stay in the woods, I'm not doing it as a joke. Don't be like the driver of that Condor."

----

Scrub has a chat with the mercs that made it to our LZ. It seems that they've hatched a plan to get some spare parts they need to fix their dropship, but they're being pressed pretty hard. Partially because their comms have been compromised, so they've been having to communicate via runners and direct wire (for short distance) and hovercraft (and are thus extremely happy when we offer to sell them a couple of the hover tanks we salvaged).

After discussing it, we come up with the plan to raid several communications centers, including a mobile one located in a Manticore tank. Alpha-Urban lance is down for minor repairs, as are two of our aerospace lances, but everything else is available (with the understanding that we're keeping one company at the dropships for security).

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

[Leraje]

Currently, we have a Shilone attached to Beta-Hunter lance, a suggestion is floated to temporarily detach it and put it back into Alpha-Strike to re-fill their numbers (if not the tonnage).
[x] Re-attach Shilone from Beta-Hunter to Alpha-Strike
[] Keep it in Beta-Hunter

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[x] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

A medium ASF is not overly effective as support on its own, reattach it to a Alpha at least for now.

[El Guapo]

Currently, we have a Shilone attached to Beta-Hunter lance, a suggestion is floated to temporarily detach it and put it back into Alpha-Strike to re-fill their numbers (if not the tonnage).
[x] Re-attach Shilone from Beta-Hunter to Alpha-Strike
[] Keep it in Beta-Hunter

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[x] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

A medium ASF is not overly effective as support on its own, reattach it to a Alpha at least for now.

Agreed.

[gbasden]

Currently, we have a Shilone attached to Beta-Hunter lance, a suggestion is floated to temporarily detach it and put it back into Alpha-Strike to re-fill their numbers (if not the tonnage).
[x] Re-attach Shilone from Beta-Hunter to Alpha-Strike
[] Keep it in Beta-Hunter

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[x] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

A medium ASF is not overly effective as support on its own, reattach it to a Alpha at least for now.

Agreed.

Also agreed.

[AWS260]

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[x] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

Backup? We don't need no stinking backup!

[$iljanus]

Currently, we have a Shilone attached to Beta-Hunter lance, a suggestion is floated to temporarily detach it and put it back into Alpha-Strike to re-fill their numbers (if not the tonnage).
[x] Re-attach Shilone from Beta-Hunter to Alpha-Strike
[] Keep it in Beta-Hunter

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[x] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

Seconded (or thirded)
A medium ASF is not overly effective as support on its own, reattach it to a Alpha at least for now.

Agreed.

Also agreed.

[Zenn7]

Currently, we have a Shilone attached to Beta-Hunter lance, a suggestion is floated to temporarily detach it and put it back into Alpha-Strike to re-fill their numbers (if not the tonnage).
[x] Re-attach Shilone from Beta-Hunter to Alpha-Strike
[] Keep it in Beta-Hunter

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[x] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

A medium ASF is not overly effective as support on its own, reattach it to a Alpha at least for now.

Agreed.

Also agreed.

Fourth'd.

[Zenn7]

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[x] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

Backup? We don't need no stinking backup!

Good choice not to go into command... :p

[Leraje]

We'll need a recon lance to locate the Manticore, who do we send?
[] Alpha-Ranger - heavier and more firepower, less sensor capability so will take longer
[x] Gamma-Probe - lighter and less firepower, has a beagle probe so will find it faster, but is likely to need backup

Backup? We don't need no stinking backup!

Well bargained and done?

[NickAragua]

Vote Results:

Spoiler:

Gamma-Probe - unanimous

We send Gamma-Probe to track down the Manticore, which they do within a couple of hours of being deployed - that thing is putting out a significant amount of comms traffic, so it's trivial to triangulate its position, especially with a piece of equipment as sensitive as a Beagle active probe.

We're joined in the capture attempt by a reinforced lance of Narrator units - a Griffin, a Firestarter, a Javelin and an Enforcer, backed up by a lone Vedette. Gamma-Probe is the usual suspects, Drazzil/Cronus, Akalon/Vulcan, AWS/Phoenix Hawk, joined by a new mechwarrior in a "Fire" Javelin - instead of twin SRM/6 launchers, it's got four medium lasers.

"Hold up." Akalon suggests, just as we're about to move in. "Weather tracker shows a storm system moving in. That'll slow their tanks down. Then we can surround them and come in from all sides."

The hail storm is pretty nasty. It might not be ice. Long story short is, don't go outside the mech. Per Akalon's suggestion, we surround the hostiles and move in.

Round 1:

Spoiler:

Akalon moves in on the Manticore right away, unloading lasers and short-range weapons into the tank, blasting off bits of tread to begin with. Combined with the on-going hail, that tank is not going anywhere. He dodges the PPC, taking just a medium laser and a few SRMs.

To the south, our Javelin disables a Hunter light support tank in a similar manner.

Round 2:

Spoiler:

Akalon hops on top of the Manticore, disabling a Striker while soaring overhead on jump jets.

The allied mechs report taking some damage, the Enforcer losing a heat sink to a rear laser blast from a Spider, while the Griffin gets tripped up by a Firestarter and winds up on the ground.

Round 3:

Spoiler:

Akalon is on fire this battle, cutting a Scorpion tank to ribbons with continued laser fire for his third kill of the battle (this one an actual kill as opposed to a mobility kill), then flipping over a Saracen hovertank that's been damaged by Drazzil's laser and SRM fire. His Vulcan takes some leg damage from the nearby Locust but nothing serious.

Round 4:

Spoiler:

Drazzil runs into the melee, firing torso-mounted lasers and an SRM salvo at a Wasp, blowing off its right arm and a good chunk of the right torso. Unbalanced, the hostile mech barely manages to take a knee.

Speaking of taking bug mechs out, AWS helps the Phoenix Hawk retain its reputation as a "bug hunter", taking down his target Wasp. A solid kick cracks the right leg as the 20-tonner miscalculates its jump landing spot.

The allied Vedette reports being disabled by a Scimitar hovertank.

The remaining enemy units turn tail and run, leaving the Manticore (and a few other temporarily immobilized tanks, plus the legged Wasp) to us.

---------

As Gamma-Command lance helps the mercs carry out their raid on another comms facility, they maintain a patrol around said facility while the allied mercs loot the place. One of our mechwarriors calls out a warning:

"Perimeter alert, I've got a sensor contact. 70 tons... Cataphract. CTF-1X. Heading our way. Request permission to engage."

The Cataphract is a Capellan mech design. Although, embarrassingly, the main factory manufacturing them was captured by the Federated Suns way back in the Third Succession War, so they had to rebuild the whole factory from scratch elsewhere. The 1X is a middle-of-the-road beefy 70-tonner with average speed. It's packing a PPC and AC/10 for its main guns, with a laser in each arms, and two facing backwards for backup. Ammo count for the autocannon is criminally low, only ten shots. Not the most impressive mech design ever, but 70 tons is 70 tons.

Which mechwarrior sent the transmission:
[] Scrub, elite, in the Warhammer (royal)
[] Cylus, elite, in the Grasshopper
[] Angel, almost elite, in the Flashman
[] no-name veteran-skill in Thunderbolt 5SE (modified)

Also:
[] "Permission granted, take it out now before he spots us!"
[] "Let him go, it may be bait."

[El Guapo]

Also:
[] "Permission granted, take it out now before he spots us!"
[X] "Let him go, it may be bait."

I don't think we care enough about him to risk the trap? It's a 70 ton mech, which would be an odd choice for a scout mech. I think we should keep an eye on him if we can (not sure how mobile most of the mech choices listed are), and hope that he leads us to the enemy; if he starts getting in the vague vicinity of our dropship, *then* engage.

[Zenn7]

Also:
[] "Permission granted, take it out now before he spots us!"
[X] "Let him go, it may be bait."

I don't think we care enough about him to risk the trap? It's a 70 ton mech, which would be an odd choice for a scout mech. I think we should keep an eye on him if we can (not sure how mobile most of the mech choices listed are), and hope that he leads us to the enemy; if he starts getting in the vague vicinity of our dropship, *then* engage.

Your opportunity to get Scrub taken out, reopening the command position?

Angel got it in the Flashman and had permission to engage (and kick butt or be mocked!)

[$iljanus]

Which mechwarrior sent the transmission:
[x] Scrub, elite, in the Warhammer (royal)
[] Cylus, elite, in the Grasshopper
[] Angel, almost elite, in the Flashman
[] no-name veteran-skill in Thunderbolt 5SE (modified)

Also:
[x] "Permission granted, take it out now before he spots us!"
[] "Let him go, it may be bait."

Only out of curiosity over whether or not it’s a trap. But fine letting it go too.

[Leraje]

Which mechwarrior sent the transmission:
[] Scrub, elite, in the Warhammer (royal)
[x] Cylus, elite, in the Grasshopper
[] Angel, almost elite, in the Flashman
[] no-name veteran-skill in Thunderbolt 5SE (modified)

Also:
[x] "Permission granted, take it out now before he spots us!"
[] "Let him go, it may be bait."

Hopper is the most mobile one out of the bunch.

[Zenn7]

Which mechwarrior sent the transmission:
[] Scrub, elite, in the Warhammer (royal)
[x] Cylus, elite, in the Grasshopper
[] Angel, almost elite, in the Flashman
[] no-name veteran-skill in Thunderbolt 5SE (modified)

Also:
[x] "Permission granted, take it out now before he spots us!"
[] "Let him go, it may be bait."

Hopper is the most mobile one out of the bunch.

He is, which is why, in case it's a trap, I didn't want him to engage. He'd be best able to quickly get in and reinforce if Angel is going into a trap.

[El Guapo]

Should we consult with Admiral Ackbar first?

[Leraje]

Which mechwarrior sent the transmission:
[] Scrub, elite, in the Warhammer (royal)
[x] Cylus, elite, in the Grasshopper
[] Angel, almost elite, in the Flashman
[] no-name veteran-skill in Thunderbolt 5SE (modified)

Also:
[x] "Permission granted, take it out now before he spots us!"
[] "Let him go, it may be bait."

Hopper is the most mobile one out of the bunch.

He is, which is why, in case it's a trap, I didn't want him to engage. He'd be best able to quickly get in and reinforce if Angel is going into a trap.

I was thinking more along the lines of disengaging in case of a trap and kiting OpFor to the rest of the lance.

[Isgrimnur]

Should we consult with Admiral Ackbar first?

[Hyena]

[X] Raw Material surveys

[X] Intercept
[] Let them come in

Seems like the raw material is the next big thing we need to get this battlestation to be fully operational, so let's get started on that already, before we wind up building a resort instead of a mercenary base.

+1

+2

***Edited to say DAMN I'm behind...

[gbasden]

Which mechwarrior sent the transmission:
[] Scrub, elite, in the Warhammer (royal)
[x] Cylus, elite, in the Grasshopper
[] Angel, almost elite, in the Flashman
[] no-name veteran-skill in Thunderbolt 5SE (modified)

Also:
[x] "Permission granted, take it out now before he spots us!"
[] "Let him go, it may be bait."

Hopper is the most mobile one out of the bunch.

Agreed!