Spoiler:
Calling the Dervish a mech is pretty generous - all that's left is the head section, a leg and both arms, which were blown off in ammo explosions and landed some distance away. We can pull the streak SRM launchers and some ferro-fibrous armor off it, but otherwise, it's gone.
Pvt. Assianique Kumagai was not exactly the most spectacular mechwarrior we'd ever seen, but neural shock from multiple ammo explosions is not a pleasant way to go. Usually not a problem as mechs didn't use to have CASE, so a single ammo explosion would usually just send the mechwarrior for a flight and leave them with a headache (but annihilate the mech).
Delta-Ranger moves on, continuing their search pattern for the artillery base.
Delta-Recon gets another reference point on the artillery's position when they are intercepted by a light mech lance accompanied by two tank lances (including some heavy tanks). Accompanied by a Scimitar, our lance's role in this engagement is to track the incoming artillery and see if we can get a better fix on their position.
Round 1:
Spoiler:
Our Phoenix Hawk fires its right-arm large laser at an approaching Wasp, melting the bug mech's right arm (the one containing a medium laser, basically its main gun) to slag, leaving the 20 tonner with just a leg-mounted SRM launcher. Our K-variant Firestarter adds its large laser to the mix as well, blasting a jump jet off the hapless bug mech's right leg.
Round 2:
Spoiler:
Our Spider decides to mix it up with a Locust to the east of town, with limited success - our mechwarrior takes a headshot from a streak SRM, delivering a kick to the Locust's right hip upon splashing down in the river.
Round 3:
Spoiler:
Our Spider avoids the enemy Locust as it bogs down in the water and jumps in behind the Valkyrie, getting in a solid hit on the engine through the light mech's weak rear armor. The standard tactic for when you land behind a mech is to break its ankles, but here, our mechwarrior is tempted to try to push the Valkyrie into the river to try to take advantage of that center torso breach. Unfortunately, the enemy mechwarrior is able to keep his mech's torso above water.
Round 4:
Spoiler:
The Firstarter takes an armor breach to the right torso from the rear from a Galleon tank, but manages to blast through the SRM Carrier's left side with the large laser.
Both the heavy units begin to retreat, leaving just the Manticore as the lone enemy heavy on the field.
Our Assassin pilot sends a string of curses out as the mech's weapons fire at the Locust in the river hits the river instead of the bug mech, which tracks our Spider, nailing it with all four streak SRMs. The Spider continues blasting away at the back of the Valkyrie, breaching its right leg armor with lasers and a solid foot scrape.
*Now* we can push it into the river.
Round 5:
Spoiler:
Our Assassin does take out the Locust, cracking its right leg open - the hull breach causes further damage as water rushes into the limb, which floats off along the river bottom as the bug mech goes under.
Round 6:
Spoiler:
Our Firestarter, meanwhile, takes the leg off the Wasp, effectively eliminating it from the fight in a more standard fashion.
Round 7:
Spoiler:
The Bulldog takes multiple shots from the Assassin's laser and SRMs, one stray missile flying into the crew compartment with predictable results. Our Spider, meanwhile, blasts the Kestrel VTOL that's been buzzing around with a laser, detonating it mid-air.
Our Firestarter sends a Galleon tank off with a kick to the back and then the rest of the hostiles retreat. Being pretty beat up and the salvage not being too great anyway, we let them go.
Our salvage crews haul the water-logged Locust out of the river, "rescuing" the somewhat grateful mechwarrior. We'll probably even let him keep his machine after stripping it for armor, streak SRMs and ammo. A brief chat reveals that he's part of a substantial mercenary crew hired to protect a competing surveying/digging crew out of Lyran space. Nothing too surprising, but it means we're on the clock in general.
Speaking of being on the clock, Delta-Ranger is able to locate the artillery base, while Delta-Sweep locates a convoy with excavation and/or survey equipment moving along towards a set of coordinates we were planning to survey.
Alpha-Heavy is standing by to attack the artillery base, and Delta-Sweep is tracking the convoy - it's way too heavily escorted so Delta-Sweep won't be able to take it on (we're talking an armor/hovercraft company and two mech lances - one light, one medium). Leraje's Gamma-Battle lance is en route with hovertank and Chaparral artillery support, however, they'll probably have to hold back as well until Alpha-Heavy is done taking down the artillery base - otherwise, we'll get shelled while attacking the convoy. The longer we wait to attack the convoy, though, the more chance there is of Delta-Sweep getting spotted and run off, at which point we lose track of it.
Or, we could suck it up and attack under artillery shelling.
[] Wait to attack the convoy until Alpha-Heavy is done with the artillery base
[] Screw it, attack now!
