Chapter 7

Mission 21
Planet: Wyeth’s Glory

Mission: Destroy the Renegades

Lance:
Sonic – Atlas
Sulphur – Blackjack’s
Nekomata – Vindicator
Hacker – Panther

This is an assassinate mission where we have been contracted to hunt down and kill a Pirate mech and any guards that the target may have protecting them. We are being dropped into the badlands on the planet and it is hot so we will have to watch our heat buildup.

Once we were dropped, we started moving up into the hills looking for our target’s last reported position. We were limited by the top speed of the Atlas and that wasn’t all that fast, so we were only moving slowly so as not to be spread out when we encounter the pirates.

And we quickly found three signals on our scanners. They looked like light mechs due to their speed and scan returns. Hacker got a sensor lock on one mech, a Commando COM-1B. Small but nasty with a Large Laser, SRM2 launcher and Medium Laser.

Sulphur got a lock on another Commando, this time a COM-2D model armed with SRM4, SRM6 and Med-Laser. She got a few hits in for some damage but it was still standing. Nekomata joined in with damaging the Commando 2D and Sonic sent a flight of LRM20 missiles in indirectly for more damage.

The first Commando damaged Hacker and Hacker replied with a PPC shot into it in return. A third Commando moved up and damaged Nekomata with a couple flights of SRMs. The 2D fired into Sulphur and melted armour. Sulphur got a better lock on the third Commando and a real confusing fight is developing with so many Commando battlemechs running around. Nekomata joined in with sending damage into the third Commando but it is still fighting.

Sonic was finally able to get in melee range of the Commando 2D and punched it so hard that it broke into two pieces. One down. The Atlas is very dangerous in melee combat and capable of punching out just about any mech if you are lucky enough.

The third Commando fired at Hacker and got very lucky with a hit to the head. Hacker took some damage from that hit and will have to hit the med bay when we get back. Hacker replied by firing back but wasn’t as lucky, just doing damage with no critical hits.

The first Commando fired at Nekomata and damaged her mech. Sulphur took a snap shot but missed completely. Nekomata was better and her salvo blew through the Right Torso and destroying that and the right arm. Sonic fired at the first Commando and blew through it’s centre torso, taking it down. It’s amazing what amount of damage the Atlas deals out even without the AC/20 firing.

The last Commando decided to fight to the end and fired into Nekomata dealing damage. Hacker, Sulphur and Nekomata replied by skewering it with their weapon damage but it was still standing until Sonic took aim and destroyed it’s engine with a salvo of shots.

Now that we had killed the guards, it was up to Hacker to get a sensor lock on our main target. And it was an interesting mech they were piloting, a Blackjack BJ-1DB. This mech is different to our BJ-1’s in that it has 2 x Large Lasers and 2 x Medium Lasers. On a hot map like this it may overheat if they aren’t careful.

Sulphur jumped on top of a small hill and unfortunately missed when firing at the target. Nekomata could only get to fire her LRM5 missiles indirectly to deal damage because of the hills between her and the target. Sonic also fired indirectly and sent LRM20 missiles into the target, chipping away at it’s armour.

Hacker kept up the sensor lock of the target for us. Sulphur sent more damage at it but nothing critical. Nekomata jumped up to a hill and got a direct lock so could fire all her weapons for more damage. The target moved their mech and braced themselves to deal with our incoming fire.

Sonic sent in another flight of indirect missiles but did very minor damage because they were braced. Hacker waited a bit until he saw what the Blackjack did which was to fire at Sulphur’s Blackjack and blew off her right arm. Nekomata fired on the target and was joined by Hacker but they didn’t do much damage. Sulphur fired on it but missed.

The target started to bug out and retreat so Sonic moved out to the left flank while sending in a indirect flight of missiles. It’s only a bit of damage but every bit helps. Hacker had a better angle on the target and was able to blow through the left torso, removing it and the arm and taking most of it’s remaining weapons.

Nekomata was starting to build up a lot of heat so she only fired her PPC but it missed the retreating mech. Sulphur sent more damage into it and was joined by more missiles arcing over the hills to the left from Sonic. Hacker was now firing into the rear of the mech and that was actually the best for it as it’s rear armour had not been touched yet. Nekomata sent in some missiles over a hill for minor damage.

Sulphur jumped closer to the target but couldn’t fire due to heat so had to brace in case they turned and fired back. But Sonic was now in position and had flanked the target, so could open fire with everything and cored the mech totally sending it crashing to the ground in pieces.

With the target incapacitated and no other mechs on the scanners, we could call in the dropship for extraction and the salvage teams. We were able to find a piece of the Blackjack BJ-1DB for Yang but will have to look for more to rebuild one.

Hacker will be in the med bay for 22 days while our Blackjack will take 5 days to repair the minor damage it took.

Mission 22
Planet: Wyeth’s Glory

Mission: Base Capture

Lance:
Medusa – Atlas
Sonic – Blackjack
Nekomata – Vindicator
Sulphur – Panther

We were after a nice easy contract and Darius found one for us. A manufacturing facility had been discovered and the Magistracy of Canopus wanted us to get in a capture the base from any defenders who might be around.

We dropped into the Highlands and saw the facility on the far bank of a river. The design and look of it showed that this was a Star League era facility and that is enough reason for anyone to want it.

As we moved towards the facility, we detected two fast moving targets. They looked like light mechs from the returns and two Locusts came out of the forest and got locks on Sonic. Both fired missiles and did damage to the Blackjack.

Sulphur locked and fired at the first Locust, damaging it and blowing off it’s left arm, removing half it’s weapons. Sonic got a lock and cored it with her weapons and that one was down. Nekomata fired on the second Locust and ripped through it’s right torso and removing it’s right arm. Medusa locked on and destroyed the second Locust with a barrage of medium lasers and SRM missiles.

With the defenders dead, we moved up towards the facility and splashed across the river. We were not sure if there were any more pirates around so we set up a firing line facing outwards while Sulphur took up position in the centre of the facility and called in the news that we were here.

It was lucky that we were all set up because three mechs came into view on our sensors and started moving towards us. All three were light mechs but we couldn’t quite see what models yet.

A Commando popped up from over a ridge and fired on Sonic doing minor damage. Sulphur locked on to a Locust who came out of the forest and blew it’s left arm off with a PPC hit. Sonic took the Commando under fire and ripped it’s left side away in shattering explosions. Left, leg, arm and torso were destroyed in seconds, sending the mech crashing to the ground. Nekomata targeted a fourth Locust for serious damage and Medusa showed what an Atlas could do by killing the third Locust outright.

The Commando pilot stood their mech up and opened fire on Sonic but missed with everything. The last Locust fired on Sonic and did more damage but more scratching the armour than serious. Sulphur fired on the Locust and removed it’s right arm. Nekomata fired on the severely damaged Commando and killed it. Sonic ripped through the Locust’s left torso but Medusa fired a salvo that finally killed it.

This was a cakewalk of a mission but we can’t count on them all being that easy as we have seen in the past.

Sonic’s Blackjack will need 5 days to be repaired due to the damage being focused on it. Meanwhile the salvage teams picked up a piece of the Commando for Yang along with two Locust pieces, one for an LCT-1M and the other a LCT-1V.

All in all a good mission. Here’s hoping the next one is as easy.

Mission 23
Planet: Wyeth’s Glory

Mission: Take the Bait

Lance:
Medusa – Atlas
Sonic – Blackjack
Nekomata – Vindicator
Sulphur – Panther

We just got contacted by the Capellan Confederacy that they had tracked a heavy Pirate mech to a location on planet. We were offered a tasty contract to track them down and kill them. This sounded a little suspicious and could be a trap but the money was good so we took it.

We got dropped into the hill in a highland region and found ourselves near an old abandoned base. Just a collection of old hangars and nothing to worry about really. But the target was in heavy forest and just sitting there. Yep, a trap.