Author Topic: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II  (Read 205646 times)

Frabby

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #390 on: 02 December 2017, 04:18:13 »
I'll just say that you have read the name Kelly Hunt before...
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #391 on: 02 December 2017, 08:06:25 »
I'll just say that you have read the name Kelly Hunt before...

The captain shows up again in “Unholy Union,” but this seems to be his first appearance, chronologically.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

glitterboy2098

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #392 on: 02 December 2017, 14:53:52 »
I'm also confused about the description of the planetary capital, Sarah, as "mostly abandoned."  Why would the planetary capital be depopulated?  The world first appears on the 2750 map, suggesting it was colonized during the Star League era.  It makes sense for it to have had a lot of cities and advanced infrastructure that were unable to be maintained after the collapse of the Star League and the Rim Worlds Republic.  So perhaps Sarah is like the city of Kuroda on Kagoshima, where large swaths are filled with burnt-out ruins, dominated by vagrant gangs, but what remains is still better than the other city, or any of the post-fall villages out in the woods.
or it could be rather like Detroit IRL.. where the city used to be booming and growing, but then conditions changed and the city population moved away leaving lots of unused buildings and a population far smaller than the city had been built for.

considering it went from a semi-independent but closely tied part of the RWR to a vassal world the oberon confederation, one would imagine many of its trade networks collapsed in the late 2700's when the RWR was snapped up by the Lyrans, and didn't grow much after. the world could well have experienced a cycle of economic boom-and-bust's right up to the point Clan Wolf took over in 3049.
« Last Edit: 02 December 2017, 14:57:30 by glitterboy2098 »

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #393 on: 04 December 2017, 15:46:12 »
Date: March 31, 3024
 
Location: Gustrell

Title: Gustrell Switchback

Author: Chris Hussey
 
Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis: On the outskirts of Sarah, Hadric deploys his forces - one lance clearing a path for infantry to reach the central government hall, and the other lance+platoon doing the same towards the main garrison base.  The Lyran forces are designated as reserves, though Hauptmann Eskagaard is directed to stay with Hadric's command lance (something Hadric had insisted on to lessen the likelihood of betrayal).

The Hucksters proceed unchallenged through the "almost dead" city, where crumbling facades and collapsed frames suggest long neglect, and reach the government hall in the city center.  Second Lance reports that the base appears to be deserted.

Gustrell forces rise from hiding and attack with tanks, irregular infantry, a Crab, and a Wolverine.  Heavily pressed in the urban fighting, Hadric asks Eskegaard to bring in the Lyran reserves.  A cat and mouse battle through the ruins ensues, with the Hucksters taking damage, but coming out ahead.  Hadric notes that Eskagaard has pulled back to the city's edge. 

The battle tilts against the Hucksters as Lord Bort brings his BattleMaster into the fray.  Eskagaard encourages Hadric to focus on the Oberon assault 'Mech, hoping to decapitate the defenders' leadership.  Eskagaard repositions to keep the tanks at bay.  Pushing forward, Hadric has to contend with not only ambushes from buildings, but piles of rubble concealing anti-'Mech pits. 

Trapped and with Bort's BattleMaster and supporting armor engaging him, Hadric calls on Eskegaard for support, but does not believe the Lyran's assurances.  Bort charges in to get under the range of Hadric's PPCs, but the Huckster commander meets the challenge, delivering a punishing punch by his Awesome to the BattleMaster's weakened torso.

His 'Mech crippled, Bort surrenders and requests honorable treatment.  Hadric demands the release of the diplomats, to which Bort replies, with confusion, "What diplomats?"  Eskagaard interrupts, demanding that Hadric kill Bort.  Hadric refuses, noting that Bort has just surrendered.

Hadric receives a private communique from his XO, Bennett, warning him that Eskagaard and his Lyrans are retreating to the DropShip.  Hadric orders his fast units to pursue, and not let them escape.

McGurk's Jenner harasses Eskagaard's Centurion, striking at its weakened legs.  Hadric sends an open broadcast demanding Eskagaard's surrender, prompting the other Lyrans, aboard the Carpetbagger to take off without him. 

Notes:  Hadric notes that he grew suspicious of merchant captain Kelly Hunt when he jumped into an "uncharted system" with a long-dead RWR colony and a still functional automated recharging station.  Looking at the Star League-era maps, the abandoned RWR system directly between Steelton and Gustrell is Iron Land.  However, "Touring the Stars: Iron Land" shows that Iron Land is still inhabited (by secretive, pranking "leprechauns" no less) circa 3051, so either Hadric got the wrong impression about the world's status (which is "regressed" rather than "extinct"), or Iron Land isn't Hunt's recharge-stopover point.

The bandit troops' armor support is largely made up of tanks manufactured in the Successor States neighboring the Oberon Confederation (Hunters from the Lyrans, and Saladins from the Combine).  It's interesting, though, to find a FedSuns-made Striker in the mix, since the design debuted only in 3006, and were primarily sold to the AFFS.  One wonders how ended up half way across the Inner Sphere in the last 18 years.

Gustrell doesn't seem to have much of an edge on Sigurd, comparing the ragged infantry irregulars' uniforms and the inexperience demonstrated on the battlefield.  Lori Kalmar (in the Gray Death Legion books) described Sigurd's forces as primarily young, untrained conscripts serving the military dictatorship that has ruled the world since putting down a brief but bloody popular uprising (in which she was orphaned).

Probably only the Oberon Guards, under Grimm's command, are a real line unit.  We don't know their skill level circa 3024, but the 1st Oberon Guards are listed as Veteran in 3050, with the 2nd "Regular" and the 3rd "Green."  The planetary guard forces (if other Oberon-centered fiction is anything to go by, they're called the "Planet" Guards, so these would be the Gustrell Guards) are somewhat more rag-tag, and not significant enough to be listed on the Oberon Confederation TO&E.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

glitterboy2098

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #394 on: 04 December 2017, 17:14:36 »
the striker combat vehicle seems fairly simple on the surface.. basically a heavy truck with a missile turret. so i could see there being some less well known 'knockoffs' being built in other successor states in small numbers. especially by 3024, when the concept had been proven viable.

since the IS relies heavily on their 'warbook' programs for battlefield ID, knockoffs might well show up as the original type on such programs.

Frabby

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #395 on: 05 December 2017, 04:41:15 »
There's an odd technological mismatch here.

The Crab is an extinct design in 3024 that most MechWarriors probably won't even recognize. In any case it is a 'Mech that stands out. Crabs were among ComStar's gifts to the Draconis Combine and in the War of 3039 were part of the reason why the FedCom wet their pants and called off the offensive.

The automated recharge station is also a much, much bigger thing than the story makes it out to be. This is the tech-starved periphery.
Remember that House Mailai essentially based their wealth and influence on the sole JumpShip repair yard in the general area. A facility like this must surely be a secret pirate asset, presumably of the Oberon Confederation (we do know that Kelly Hunt is an Oberon associate).
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #396 on: 05 December 2017, 06:45:08 »
The Crab is most likely a downgraded CRB-20 (from the 3058 revised printing of TRO:3025).  Since the SLDF was engaged in heavy action occupying the Rim Worlds Republic, it's not out of the question that a few were left behind there and (since the design requires less than half the maintenance of other designs in its weight class) that this one was passed down through the centuries in the possession of various bandits.

This is the tech-starved Periphery, but in a region littered with abandoned systems and the left over infrastructure of a major power.  (Note the fully functional pirate shipyards in nearby Star's End.)  Iron Land's entry in "Touring the Stars" specifically states that the system does not have a recharging station (automated or otherwise).  That being the case, though, I'm hard pressed to see what abandoned RWR colony Kelly Hunt used to get from Steelton to Gustrell in the timeframe stated.  New Alborg is the only other abandoned system in that area, and going there would necessitate yet another jump to Butte Hold - risking a run-in with Redjack Ryan.

Thus, either Iron Land actually does have an automated recharging station in 3024 (and lost it before 3150, when the writeup is dated), or Hunt used one of the "off map" systems that was colonized by Amaris' secret army as a staging/training/manufacturing point, probably not far from Iron Land (since that's still the direct path to Gustrell from Steelton).

My guess is that its location is known to smugglers and pirates in the vicinity, but that there's a general agreement to leave it alone for mutual benefit, so that various groups of marauders can quickly get in and out of the Lyran Commonwealth when going on raids. 
« Last Edit: 05 December 2017, 06:55:21 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Frabby

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #397 on: 05 December 2017, 08:57:56 »
As shown in Unholy Union, Kelly Hunt is on good enough terms with Redjack Ryan to be not shot at sight. Hendrik Grimm even uses him as a messenger to Ryan. So he could conceivably travel via Butte Hold.
The "uncharted" star system could in fact be a faux RWR facility that was in fact constructed by ComStar, either for the Explorer Corps or directly to support local piracy as part of their Operation Jolly Roger. In any case, I reckon Jolly Roger was where Kelly Hunt learned of the facility.
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #398 on: 05 December 2017, 16:06:54 »
Date: April 2, 3024
 
Location: Gustrell

Title: Gustrell Switchback

Author: Chris Hussey
 
Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  The Central Hall in the city of Sarah hosts a trial hearing, with Captain Lyle Hadric presiding.  The captives, Lord Bort and Hauptmann Eskegaard, are joined by Bort's chamberlain, Okuma Ayaka.  A ComStar representative, Adept Saburo, stands witness.

Hadric and his unit are stuck on Gustrell for at least a month, until the next scheduled trading vessel arrives.  Kelly Hunt is long gone.  Eskagaard informed Hadric that there were no Lyran diplomats being held hostage on Gustrell.  In actuality, Bort had broken away from the Oberon Confederation (though Bort denies this), and Lyran diplomats had offered to send a mercenary unit to eliminate the upstart bandit lord, then abandon the expendable force so that the Oberon Guards could kill them and salvage their equipment.  In exchange, Grimm's pirates would stop raiding Lyran worlds and concentrate on Combine worlds exclusively.

Hadric angrily outlines his situation - Eskagaard lied to him and isn't planning to pay him, Bort may be lying to him, and Grimm is coming to kill him.  He proposes a solution, asking Saburo to contact Grimm and inform him of the events transpiring on Gustrell, letting him know that his "gift" will now consist of a Lyran Hautpmann for ransom, rather than a mercenary unit.

To resolve the issue with Lord Bort (who claims he's loyal) and Chamberlain Ayaka (who claims he's a traitor), Hadric releases them both and tosses them each a pistol, telling them he doesn't care which of them is telling the truth.  While Bort is still working through his confusion, Ayaka shoots him in the forehead.  Hadric then asks Saburo to inform Grimm that Chamberlain Ayaka now rules Gustrell in his name. 

The newly minted Lord Ayaka offers her world's hospitality, but warns that Grimm will still want their 'Mechs.  Bennet, Hadric's XO, suggests that "no reserves is better than no unit."  Hadric tells Ayaka he has something that will make Grimm happy.

Notes:  Grimm's payoff isn't clearly stated, but the implication is that Hadric will provide the Oberon Confederation with intel on the cache of supplies and parts currently in storage at the Hucksters' abandoned base on Winfield.

Given the level of deterioration in Sarah, frankly I'm surprised that Gustrell has an HPG station - particularly given that all communications from the Oberon Confederation ceased around 3045.  This implies that whatever pirate war broke out just prior to the arrival of the Clans, the normally inviolate ComStar compounds were seized or destroyed. 

According to the Periphery sourcebook, the actual diplomatic negotiations between the Lyrans and the Confederation are taking place on Nyserta at this very moment - culminating in an agreement to dispatch elements of the Sigurd Guards to garrison Trellwan.  (Ending with Grimm being betrayed by the Lord of Sigurd - suggesting that Grimm spends most of his time trying to keep his subordinate "lords" in line.)

Now, I dunno about Hadric's overall outlook on life, or his commitment to the mercenary trade, but it seems to me that a few more rounds discharged and one HPG message pledging fealty would set him up as Lord Hadric, Bandit King of Gustrell, with a more substantial army than ol' Bort had.  (Gotta be a Simpsons reference - "We need more 'Bort' license plates in the gift shop."  "No, my son is also named 'Bort.'")

I'm not sure why Hadric doesn't think he'll get his pay.  ComStar witnessed the broken Lyran contract, and the Hucksters should have been working through ComStar's Mercenary Review Board, which should have been holding his remaining pay (minus advances) in escrow until contract completion.  All Hadric has to do is file a complaint against the Commonwealth, get a judgement, and collect his pay.  (Granted, the unit's down to eating tree bark for months if the Commonwealth lawyers up, but...)
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Frabby

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #399 on: 06 December 2017, 02:23:15 »
Now, I dunno about Hadric's overall outlook on life, or his commitment to the mercenary trade, but it seems to me that a few more rounds discharged and one HPG message pledging fealty would set him up as Lord Hadric, Bandit King of Gustrell, with a more substantial army than ol' Bort had.
That's how I understood the ending. Given that the Oberon Confederation was on the brink of legitimacy at the time, and that ComStar had witnessed and presumably verified the Lyrans' betrayal of Hadric's unit, it is conceivable that he might properly hire on with Hendrik III without getting blacklisted. (Wilson's Hussars openly worked for Redjack Ryan after going rogue over a contract dispute with Kurita, and then openly worked for Helmar Valasek of all people, yet still weren't blacklisted.)

As for the HPGs, Gustrell isn't known to have a planetary HPG, nor does the story neccessarily imply that. In the entire Oberon Confederation, only Oberon VI is known to have a HPG (which is enough to send orders out to the other planets though - it's getting a response, or any message, that requires HPGs on other worlds).
I would presume that the ComStar presence on Gustrell is what we know as a Class D station - a representation office that will take (and distribute) messages, but doesn't actually operate a HPG, instead receiving messages from nearby HPGs and using pony-express style message delivery (in all directions) otherwise.
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #400 on: 06 December 2017, 05:09:50 »
One problem with the pony express theory - the story states that no JumpShips are due in-system for at least a month.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Frabby

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #401 on: 06 December 2017, 07:27:52 »
...which is kinda consistent with the time lag often postulated for ComStar's service. The story doesn't indicate when (or even if) Hendrik III received Hadric's message.

I know that messages travel at the speed of plot, but out here in the periphery it is easiest to imagine the Mad Max lostech universe initially portrayed for the game:

My take on the (near) Periphery border was always that it was defined by the edge of the HPG grid.

Gustrell is just over 30 ly from Butte Hold which may or may not have a Class B HPG (it's listed for 2750 and the Dark Age, but apparently not in the 3025 timeframe); and it's within 50 ly from Oberon VI so could receive messages from a Class A HPG on Oberon but not a Class B, unless there was an intermediate relay station (a ship with a mobile HPG on stationary duty, a HPG satellite like the DRUM network satellites, something like that). Oberon supposedly has a Class B station.

Oberon and Butte Hold are the only worlds in a 50 ly radius that were ever said to have a HPG, so barring a HPG relay station or mobile HPGs these are the only worlds from where Gustrell can receive HPG messages. It may not be worthwile for ComStar to operate a pony express out there, but Gustrell must somehow be connected to other worlds - if only to be a member of the Oberon Confederation. So they're definitely using JumpShips that drop by to ferry messages.
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #402 on: 06 December 2017, 09:42:08 »
Date: April 14, 3025
 
Location: Cylene

Title: The Check is in the Mail

Author: Uncredited
 
Type: Short Story (BattleCorps Iron Writer)

Synopsis: On the outskirts of the city of Caine, a recently dispossessed mercenary named Erik finds shelter in a burned out church and switches his rescue beacon to a back-up frequency, hoping to attract the attention of a rescue team. 

He reflects that his mission had been to recon an arms depot for a potential future raid, then extract.  However, the depot garrison was substantially stronger than expected, and he'd been forced to eject from his crippled Wasp and flee on foot.  He grouses that if he dies, his ex-wife will get his death benefits, and wishes he'd retired on New Avalon after the divorce, rather than taking to the mercenary trade in a decrepit scout 'Mech.

His internal tirade is interrupted by the arrival of a Combine Panther, which smashes through the wall of the ruined church.  Looking down the barrel of the 'Mech's PPC, he hopes that his ex-wife Marla chokes on the check.

Notes:  This being an "Iron Writer" story, it was written in the space of an hour at GenCon and published without any fact checking.  That is probably why the pursuing 'Mech is painted red, suggesting it's with the Sword of Light, when the 3025 DCMS deployment tables show the 9th Dieron Regulars - which use a parade scheme of white with golden stripes and appropriate camouflage when in the field - as the planetary garrison.

Aside from that, the details (such as they are) largely check out.  The presence of a church might be questionable on a Combine world (where Christians are an often marginalized minority), but the world was a Federated Suns holding for much of the Third Succession War, with the Combine taking control some time after 3007 - explaining the ruined church - a remnant of either the Combine invasion or of Combine repression/intimidation as they impose their caste system on the conquered populace.

It's interesting that this independent mercenary scout was hired by corporate interests through a mercenary liaison on Towne, rather than going through the main channels on Galatea or on Le Blanc, which "Heir to the Dragon" established as one of the primary mercenary hiring hubs on the Drac/Feddie border.  Erik suspects that the "corporate" employer may have been a Drac front, used to lure mercenaries into attacking Combine strong points to give the garrisons some live fire combat experience.  This suggests that Erik did not negotiate the contract through ComStar's Mercenary Review Board, and lacked the legal protections that would have provided. 

If the scout contract was bait to secure 'Mech salvage, it recalls a similar mission from MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, where bandits advertise a contract with terms too good to be true, and then ambush any suckers that take the bait.  At this same time period, Matabushi, Inc. is serving as a front for covert military operations against the Federated Suns - I wonder if Matabushi might be behind the contract that lured Erik to Cylene.  (Though the red 'Mech color scheme wouldn't match the dark blue "Dark Wing" color scheme shown on the MechWarrior game box cover...)
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #403 on: 06 December 2017, 09:49:32 »
...which is kinda consistent with the time lag often postulated for ComStar's service. The story doesn't indicate when (or even if) Hendrik III received Hadric's message.

I know that messages travel at the speed of plot, but out here in the periphery it is easiest to imagine the Mad Max lostech universe initially portrayed for the game:

My take on the (near) Periphery border was always that it was defined by the edge of the HPG grid.

Gustrell is just over 30 ly from Butte Hold which may or may not have a Class B HPG (it's listed for 2750 and the Dark Age, but apparently not in the 3025 timeframe); and it's within 50 ly from Oberon VI so could receive messages from a Class A HPG on Oberon but not a Class B, unless there was an intermediate relay station (a ship with a mobile HPG on stationary duty, a HPG satellite like the DRUM network satellites, something like that). Oberon supposedly has a Class B station.

Oberon and Butte Hold are the only worlds in a 50 ly radius that were ever said to have a HPG, so barring a HPG relay station or mobile HPGs these are the only worlds from where Gustrell can receive HPG messages. It may not be worthwile for ComStar to operate a pony express out there, but Gustrell must somehow be connected to other worlds - if only to be a member of the Oberon Confederation. So they're definitely using JumpShips that drop by to ferry messages.

Your reasoning is solid.  It's just that explicit references in the story to ComStar Adepts rarely leaving their secretive compounds and Hadric's instructions to "send a message to Grimm" implied (to me at least) that there was a ComStar compound on Gustrell and that it had the capability to dispatch messages in the short term.  (Would a Class-C message drop/courier office really need a "compound"?  I've seen them described as storefronts - like the satellite ComStar office where Kai and Dierdre were briefly detained on Alyina.) 

The fear is that Grimm is coming to scoop up the Hucksters as his promised salvage, and the goal of the messages is to divert that plan to another target - the cache on Winfield.  If they have to wait for a merchant ship to show up in a month to send that message, there's no point, since they can extract back to Lyran space aboard that ship.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #404 on: 06 December 2017, 11:36:20 »
Date: July 1, 3025
 
Location: Timbuktu

Title: Snipe Hunt

Author: Troy Garner
 
Type: Short Story (BattleCorps Iron Writer)

Synopsis: Rookie MechWarrior Justin patrols through the rain in his JagerMech, and stops to investigate a sensor ghost.  Though initially dismissive, he radios Corporal Talbot at HQ when he sees a point of light outside the fence line, and receives instructions to investigate.

The light and sensor readings continue to appear and disappear, and Justin recalls academy stories about new recruits being sent on "snipe hunts" - their sensors fooled by base personnel targeting the rookie's sensors with low power targeting lasers.

Returning to base, he radios Talbot to open the gate, but gets no response.  More "ghost image" lights continue to flash.  Moving around to the western gate, Justin finds a Hunchback standing there, not giving off any heat signature or magscan readings.  He demands the pass phrase, and threatens to open fire. 

The Hunchback responds that he's from the garrison over the pass to the west, and was pranking Justin as part of a long-standing rivalry.  He provides the pass phrase, "Thank Monkey."

Notes: This being a non-fact-checked Iron Writer story, Troy Garner understandably went light on the setting details.  I've put it on Timbuktu, since the pilot mentions being fresh out of the Nagelring (putting it in Lyran space), and because that's near a known area with bandit activity, where the garrisons would tend to be bored and prone to tomfoolery.  The date of July 1, 3025 is pure conjecture, selected because none of the 'Mechs exhibit any LosTech equipment.

The Iron Writer events were usually themed, and the 2008 event required each writer to end their story with the awkward phrase "Thank monkey," which required some unusually convoluted writing and plotting to accommodate. 

Despite the Hunchback pilot's story that it was all a prank, it's unclear how the not-terribly-spry 50-tonner was able to outmaneuver the JagerMech and to stay off his scanners.  Was the Hunchback pilot using a Chameleon Light Polarization unit and Null Signature system?  Seems like a rare bit of LosTech to be wasting on bandit-watch out in the Lyran backwater.  Was the Hunchback pilot gifted with "Phantom 'Mech" powers?  How else would he not register on magscan at close range? 

Or had Corporal Talbot sabotaged Justin's scanners - being in on the joke.  (The radio silence in response to the request to open the gate would tend to support this theory - though one would hope Talbot also switched the JagerMech's lasers to low power and put paint rounds in the autocannons, just to make sure nobody would get killed if a panicked rookie decided to shoot first and ask questions later.)

Another oddity is the use of a JagerMech - a design primarily seen in the Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation, with "relatively few found in the other Great Houses."   

I wonder if Troy Garner is related to David-Stansel Garner.  Troy appears as the author of a pair of Iron Writer entries - the other being "An Old Sergeant's Motives."
« Last Edit: 06 December 2017, 11:48:26 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

roosterboy

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #405 on: 06 December 2017, 11:46:30 »
I wonder if Troy Garner is related to David-Stansel Garner.

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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #406 on: 06 December 2017, 12:35:12 »
Date: June 3, 3027
 
Location: Galatea

Title: Zach Slasher Esacpes

Author: Tom Sloper
 
Type: Encounter (SNES MechWarrior)

Synopsis: Herras Ragen returns to Galatea's Club Zero-Zero after trying to run Dark Wing member Zach Slasher to ground on Cawdor. 

Checking the NewsNet, he sees that House Davion has put Slasher on its "Most Wanted List" due to his alleged connections with the Dark Wing.  The NewsNet also has a story about Melissa Steiner and Clovis Holstein rescuing Lt. Andrew Redburn on Styx.

Ragen gets a report from Miss Lana Mann, who reports that Zach Slasher escaped from Cawdor, but appears to be heading to Rostov.

To pay the bills, Ragen accepts a job from Meece Yerta to recover a cache he left behind on Qutang.

Notes: The NewsNet entries that reference the events of Warrior: En Garde serve as useful touchpoints for establishing the actual chronology of the SNES MechWarrior plot (rather than the 3-days-per-mission in-game chronology), but tend to give information that no news organization would ever give out.

I can see why the news story would report on Melissa and Andrew - since they've been established as media celebrities - princess and war hero.  But who would care about Clovis Holstein?  Given his role in Heimdall, I'd have thought that the Kell Hounds and Melissa (out of respect for her father) would have completely covered up the Heimdall cell's role in the Silver Eagle incident, and not breathed a word about Clovis. 

Besides, the "saving" amounted to shooting one overconfident Drac trooper, then being found almost immediately afterwards by the Kell Hounds.  The FedSuns news reporting would have focused on the Hounds' rescue of Melissa - as commemorated by the statue on New Avalon.

It's clear that the leads are pretty much randomly generated.  The previous session's leads were from Lana Mann (MIIO agent), who had infiltrated an underground network on Puxi.  Now, she's reporting that Slasher has escaped Cawdor and is en route to Rostov.  What was she doing on Cawdor if she was busy infiltrating a Mercenary Underground network on Puxi?

Despite the loopiness of much of the SNES MechWarrior plot, the concept of a Mercenary Underground is interesting.  It somewhat presages the creation of the Allied Mercenary Command (albeit by pulling together the kinds of shady mercs who'd otherwise be turning bandit, rather than the Dudley Do-Right types of the AMC).  As we've seen in "Gustrell Switchback" and "The Check is in the Mail," the 3020s were a hard period for mercs to place trust in their employers.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

glitterboy2098

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #407 on: 06 December 2017, 15:29:43 »
Your reasoning is solid.  It's just that explicit references in the story to ComStar Adepts rarely leaving their secretive compounds and Hadric's instructions to "send a message to Grimm" implied (to me at least) that there was a ComStar compound on Gustrell and that it had the capability to dispatch messages in the short term.  (Would a Class-C message drop/courier office really need a "compound"?  I've seen them described as storefronts - like the satellite ComStar office where Kai and Dierdre were briefly detained on Alyina.) 

The fear is that Grimm is coming to scoop up the Hucksters as his promised salvage, and the goal of the messages is to divert that plan to another target - the cache on Winfield.  If they have to wait for a merchant ship to show up in a month to send that message, there's no point, since they can extract back to Lyran space aboard that ship.

perhaps the world had a mobile HPG at the time, unofficially? comstar might not always advertise where such things were.

or perhaps a message was sent out on an outbound jumpship, and the response came in from one of the nearby HPG's? (since you don'y need anything fancy to pick up the messages in the target system)

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #408 on: 06 December 2017, 15:59:15 »
There is one account that supports ComStar using a mobile HPG out in towards the Periphery - a TRO:3026 entry that describes ComStar relocating its HPG after bandits run across it, but the bandits returning and stumbling across the HPG again and again. 

Since normally these HPGs are huge, immobile fixed facilities costing a billion C-Bills to build, the only way it would make sense for ComStar to move one repeatedly (after recovering it from the bandits) would be for it to be a mobile unit.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Date: June 5, 3027
 
Location: Northwind

Title: Warrior: En Garde

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Warrior: En Garde)

Synopsis: Quintus Allard, Director of MIIO, visits his son Dan in a military hospital on Northwind, where Dan is healing his broken collarbone with the aid of a NAIS-designed electro-impulse bone knitter. 

They discuss the events on Styx, noting that Patrick Kell told the Hounds, the Silver Eagle passengers had been loaded onto the Manannan MacLir and evacuated to the Cucamulus during the hour granted to make the surrender decision, but the passengers had actually hidden elsewhere on the asteroid while the Kell Hound DropShip made a phantom pickup run - enabling Patrick to taunt the DCMS forces that their quarry had slipped away, goading them into a rash attack wherein Patrick whittled down the Combine numbers by sacrificing himself.  The Cucamulus jumped to Northwind with Combine forces in hot pursuit, but the local AFFS aerospace fleet forced them to retreat.  Once the Combine pulled out of the region, the Silver Eagle was able to travel to Northwind attached to the Bifrost, with the surviving passengers, Hounds, and Heimdall members aboard.

At a signal from the valet, Quintus escorts Dan to an office, where First Prince Hanse Davion awaits. 

Hanse welcomes the Allards to his makeshift office, where Cat Wilson, Andrew Redburn, Clovis Holstein, Salome Ward, and Melissa Steiner are also present.  Hanse announces his plans to honor the sacrifice of those who lost their lives on Styx - Patrick Kell most of all, but to maintain a cover story that the Silver Eagle was carrying a Lyran official to the NAIS for medical treatment.  He swears all present to secrecy.  The group drinks a toast to Patrick's memory. 

Hanse announces rewards - Andrew Redburn has been promoted to Captain; and the Heimdall cell has been pardoned and offered medical care and repatriation to the Commonwealth.  The Kell Hounds will receive the Dragon Slayer's ribbon and the fallen MechWarriors will receive the Medal Excalibur, to be awarded after the wedding.  Hanse asks the living Hounds what reward would suffice, and Dan suggests a scholarship for MechWarriors.  Cat and Salome concur, and Melissa pledges a matching scholarship in the Lyran Commonwealth.

Notes: The office used by Hanse is freshly whitewashed, but has wooden pillars supporting the ceiling and an unfinished wooden desk in the center of the room.  Why wouldn't Hanse have planted his flag in "The Fort" - the old SLDF Castle Brian that the Northwind Highlanders used as their HQ upon returning to their homeworld?  Had the AFFS let a major LosTech installation like that fall into ruin?  I'm guessing that any installation built to Star League standards wouldn't have wooden support pillars.

The scene between Quintus and Dan essentially serves as a massive exposition dump.  My guess is that Stackpole was up against a hard page limit, and didn't want to waste space on a post-climax description of how the Hounds once again pulled the Combine's shorts over its head and wedgied it hard. 

Based on the description of the action, it would seem that the Combine has technology enabling them to accurately track JumpShips through a jump - calculating their destination based on the energy signature of their hyperspace transition...and that they were also able to hot-charge and follow the Cucamulus shortly after its departure, when it hadn't had anywhere near enough time to do a regular recharge.

It would also seem that the DCMS (DCA?) flotilla pursuing the Hounds either lacked significant aerospace fighter assets (or else the Manannan MacLir would've been shot down en route to the Cucamulus), or that the AFFS had a Fleet Wing stationed at the recharge station in the Northwind system.

The bit about the supposedly "best of the best of the best" Genyosha blindly accepting the Kell Hounds' taunts about everyone having gotten out on the Manannan MacLir and abandoning the Styx asteroid base en masse (leaving the valuable and still functional Silver Eagle and Bifrost behind) fails to track, unless the surviving Genyosha and ISF troops had formed a cult of personality around Yorinaga, and seeing him beaten and wounded shattered their morale.

Dan's request for a scholarship in Patrick's name is a nice sentiment, but his stipulation that it go for "potential MechWarriors with the same sort of 'heart' as Patrick" seems rather vague.  In the Commonwealth version of the scholarship, I can see whichever social general is in charge of disbursement determining the level of a particular applicant's "heart" as directly correlated to the size of their bribe, or the strength of their social connections (running directly contrary to the presumed intent).

Do you suppose Phelan attended the Nagelring on the Patrick Kell Memorial Scholarship (before getting kicked out)? 
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Date: June 10, 3027
 
Location: Sian

Title: Warrior: En Garde

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Warrior: En Garde)

Synopsis: Justin Xiang and Tsen Shang don formal court dress before proceeding together for an audience with the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, Maximilian Liao.  Justin is still woozy from being drugged on Solaris VII, and aching from multiple hyperspace jumps.

Entering the cavernous throne room, they behold Chancellor Liao on a huge throne carved from a solid piece of mahogany.

Liao stands and greets Justin, expressing pride in his arena victories, and confers upon him Capellan citizenship.  He expresses admiration for both Justin's fighting skill and his unique insight into how Hanse Davion thinks.  He explains that he has recalled Tsen Shang to serve as a Maskirovka analyst, and offers Justin the same position, to process intel on the Federated Suns.  He says he knows he can trust Justin, because of the way the Federated Suns tried to break him in the earlier trial.

Justin accepts, and he and Tsen follow Maximilian through a door into a dining room, where, to Justin's astonishment, Duke Michael Hasek-Davion awaits in a bright green uniform.  The group drinks a toast to the destruction of House Davion.

Notes: Only two weeks have passed since Justin was drugged on Solaris VII.  It's 5.18 days to the standard jump point in the Solaris system, and another 10.43 days from the standard jump point to the surface on Sian.  I can believe a pirate point entry in Sian, but they probably had to use standard routing in Solaris, meaning they made the trip from the Lyran/League border down to the Capellan capital in about eight days - necessitating a pre-established command circuit. 

Known symptoms of Transit Disorientation Syndrome mostly include nausea, headaches, and disorientation, rather than muscle aches similar to a flu - suggesting that (despite Justin attributing them to hyperspace) they're a side effect of being drugged.

Justin describes the back of the throne as "carved from a single piece of mahogany" and covered with symbols from Capellan mythology, describing the universe.

Here's the throne in question (with Sun Tzu aboard): 

Taking a look, you've got a coiled dragon around the outside (Chinese-style - long and sinuous), some suns with orbiting planets, crosshatched gold lozenges, and a couple of imps/demons/monkeys staring out from around the corners of the red cushions.  Not really getting "the universe" from that, though the resolution on this pic is somewhat low.  The mahogany checks out - Terran-grown trees can get up to 12 feet in diameter.  (I imagine an adapted specimen on the low-gee Capellan world of Tall Trees could be even larger.)

Justin also describes the walls as glowing a "warm red" from diffuse lighting, whereas the walls behind Sun Tzu's throne are white/gray marble/stone blocks.  Sunny must have redecorated.  (Romano probably just had heads on spikes as her central decorating motif.)

It would seem that Michael is wearing the standard green Federated Suns duty uniform (seen here on his grandson, George): 



as opposed to the blue blinged out dress uniform here: 



I wonder if the servants who help Justin and Tsen get dressed for court were Servitors, or if court duties have sufficient prestige that even menial jobs there are assigned to more trustworthy castes.  There is the strange story, from the 3070s, of a group of Servitors who commandeered a Po and used it to rescue survivors after the Celestial Palace was bombarded from orbit, thereby gaining citizenship.  So we at least know it's not unusual for Servitors to be in the vicinity of the palace.

Interesting that the crack analysis team here seems to be only focused on the Federated Suns.  Does Max have another team of crack analysts poring over Free Worlds League intel in another part of the palace?  ("So, we're thinking...maybe not a good plan to grant dominion over the Ohren and Zion Warrens to a House named "Sian-Marik"?)
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Date: June 15, 3027
 
Location: Galatea

Title: An Island in the Shape of a Bat

Author: Tom Sloper
 
Type: Encounter (SNES MechWarrior)

Synopsis: Having missed Zach Slasher multiple times, Herras Ragen returns to Club Zero-Zero and is informed that he just missed Zach at the club.  Cearle, the bartender, says Zach was talking about two planets - Kagran and one that has an island shaped like a bat.

Roden Wull corroborates Cearle's account, noting that someone is trying to hire mercenaries for riot duty on a planet that has an island that resembles the shape of a bat.  He suspects that that "someone" is the elusive Dark Wing member, Zach Slasher.

Notes:  I suppose this was some sort of in-game puzzle, where players would be challenged to remember the images displayed about the planets made up for the game, and would then be directed to Galeton.  The Crescent Hawks' Inception did something similar, with the final solution dependent on realizing the significance of a wavy green line connecting certain planets on the game manual.  That said, though, this method of adding challenge really takes one out of the in-universe immersion. 

I suppose referring to a world as "the one with the island shaped like a bat" isn't completely beyond the pale in a universe that features a world named "Great X" because its primary continent is shaped like a giant X.  Looking at a screengrab of Galeton (attached)...phew, my congratulations to anyone who figured out that this thing was the "island shaped like a bat" without using a guide.

Taking this mission results in a climactic battle with Dark Wing member Zach Slasher, and moves Herras Ragen one step closer to exacting revenge on the mercenaries who killed his father.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Frabby

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Known symptoms of Transit Disorientation Syndrome mostly include nausea, headaches, and disorientation, rather than muscle aches similar to a flu - suggesting that (despite Justin attributing them to hyperspace) they're a side effect of being drugged.
More likely, a result of high-g burns from Solaris VII to the jump point and/or on approach to Sian. I think pirate points are over-used in the fiction given their inherent dangers; with a command circuit in place there is no reason whatsoever to put a VIP transport at risk by using pirate points. If you're really trying to cut some travel time (because the Chancellor said so), I reckon it's a much better idea to burn at more than 1g for a time.

Makes me wonder... do designated high-g courier vessels exist with a cruising speed of, say, 6 (= 3g) and luxury quarters with acceleration couches? Off the top of my head I can only think of the Intruder-class DropShip.
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Mendrugo

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I think you have it exactly - high-gee runs while he was unconscious and strapped to a couch would explain the muscle aches.  Since an estimated 80% of TSD cases are judged to be psychosomatic, the sedated Xiang shouldn't have even noticed jump sickness-related effects.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Date: June 22, 3027
 
Location: Udibi

Title: Wolves on the Border

Author: Robert N. Charrette
 
Type: Novel (Wolves on the Border)

Synopsis: Captain Frank Woomack, of Wolf's Dragoons, chafes at his confinement at a Federated Suns base on Udibi following their capture during a battle over supplies five weeks earlier.  Woomack is joined by Corporal Kathy Keegan and MechWarrior Steve Geiger.  The arrival of a column of AFFS hovercraft lead to speculation that Colonel Wolf has sent a rescue party, or that their ransom is in the offing.

Summoned to meet Major Whitfield, Woomack enters, prepared for another 2-3 hour interrogation session.  Instead, he finds Whitfield joined by a white-haired stranger in a business suit.  Woomack recounts the details of his unit's battle with McKinnon's Raiders over the supply cache, and asks for the formal ransom customary for captured mercenaries.  He expresses no confidence in Major Whitfield's assurances that it will be arranged without delay, noting the weeks that have passed since that promise was first made.

The white haired man interrupts, explaining that the delay was his fault, and introduces himself as "Allard," one of Hanse Davion's ministers.  He promises to return Woomack and his companions, along with what's left of their 'Mechs, to Le Blanc with no ransom, if Woomack will perform a task for Allard.

Suspicious of the lack of ransom, Woomack angrily tells Allard that Dragoons don't betray their employers. 

Allard clarifies that the job is just a courier mission, to bring a lucrative employment offer to Colonel Wolf.

Notes: This is a direct follow-on to the multi-part May 1-7, 3027 campaign in the Fox's Teeth scenario pack (conclusively proving that the 3029 date in the scenario pack is in error).

The discussion among the mercenaries centers on the practice of ransom, which is mentioned in the RPG sourcebooks, but rarely shown in any of the fiction.  It would appear that, circa 3027, the standard practice would be to hold captured troops only until someone (their unit, their employer, a wealthy benefactor, etc.) paid their ransom, returning not only them but (depending on the circumstances of their capture and the size of the payout) their BattleMechs.  This was clearly put in to emphasize the "neo-feudal" aspect of the Late Third Succession War era, echoing the historical practice of ransoming captured knights, their armor, and horses.

While this fits an era where semi-autonomous MechWarrior families pledge fealty, service, and 'Mechs to their lords in exchange for landholds and titles, it seems to have fallen out of fashion during and after the Fourth Succession War, and may not have been universally applied, even in the Third War era.  The Capellans never exchanged any prisoners at the end of that conflict, and ComStar had to broker prisoner exchanges among the other warring parties.  The Combine's "Dictum Honorium" would seem to preclude such ransoms, since it mandates the immediate execution of any foe cowardly enough to surrender.  The Feddies, apparently, are softer touches.

"Minister Allard" is, of course, Quintus Allard - Hanse's spymaster.  (It's a good month for House Allard - Quintus just made an ultimately successful approach to the Dragoons, and Justin has been ensconced in the upper echelons of the Maskirovka.)

The mention of Le Blanc is a tie-in to later scenes in Charrette's "Heir to the Dragon," where Le Blanc (portrayed as a semi-autonomous smuggler's den, free port, and mercenary hiring center) is used as a staging area for the DCMS counterattack during the War of 3039.  Charrette set the world up to be a counterpart and competitor to Galatea, but later sourcebooks listing major Hiring Hall worlds for mercenaries always leave it out.  Perhaps competition from Outreach, along with the lack of demand on the Drac side of the border after the "Death to Mercenaries" order, and the negative consequences from the War of 3039 gambit led to a collapse of the mercenary market there.

The Dragoons have a strict (Clan-based) code of honor.  One might suspect, however, that employers should be very careful around ransomed troops serving in less scrupulous mercenary outfits, who might have returned to duty with a new set of instructions from their former captors.

One wonders, though, why the offer of employment would have been made in person through such a channel.  Why wouldn't the AFFS Mercenary Liaison Office just make a formal contract offer through the Dragoon point of contact on Galatea?  "Hey, once you're done beating on us at the end of your current contract, how about signing up for another FedSuns hitch with better pay and bennies?"  Sure, the Combine would probably catch wind of it if done that way, but given the Dragoons' reputation, why would such an offer be at all suspicious - it'd be crazy if the Dragoons didn't have offers from every Successor State on the table at the conclusion of their current contract.

It seems like the main target of this secrecy isn't the Combine...it's ComStar.  The only reason for Quintus to go to Udibi in person, rather than just sending instructions via HPG, is to keep ComStar completely out of the loop - probably to keep them from monkeying with the message contents and scotching the deal.  (MIIO may well know of ComStar's obsession with the Dragoons, dating from the Anton-Janos civil war).  My guess is that AFFS recruiters have a parallel offer - but not a very competitive one - submitted on Galatea through formal channels (and reported to ROM by ComStar's Mercenary Review Board), with the real offer being delivered this way for extra credibility.
« Last Edit: 31 January 2018, 11:28:01 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Date: June 29, 3027
 
Location: An Ting

Title: Wolves on the Border

Author: Robert N. Charrette
 
Type: Novel (Wolves on the Border)

Synopsis: Minobu Tetsuhara, accompanied by his aide Michi Noketsuna, his Ryuken-ni XO Charles Earnst, and a squad of security troopers led by Dela Saraguchi, enters Dragoon Administrative HQ in the planetary capital, Cerant.  They restrain the receptionist and burst, unannounced, into a meeting of the Dragoon senior staff.

Natasha Kerensky reacts with open hostility, but Colonel Wolf is willing to hear Minobu out about a communique he has received from Warlord Grieg Samsonov, who claims the Dragoon raid on Udibi in May 3027 was a violation of the terms of their contract, and impugned his personal honor.  Minobu reports that the Warlord has filed a formal protest with the Coordinator's office, alleging breach of contract, among other charges. 

Colonel Wolf denies that the Dragoons have taken any actions that violate the strict wording of the contract.  Minobu, disappointed that Jaime is using legalistic interpretations to evade responsibility, rather than denying the charges openly, as a warrior, warns the Dragoons that Samsonov has sworn to destroy the Dragoons if they break faith with House Kurita, and that he may be driven to take drastic steps to assuage his wounded honor.

The Dragoons discuss this news.  Natasha says the Dragoons can "kick his butt to Aldebaran and back" if Samsonov tries anything.  Wilhelmina Korsht suggests breaking their contract and forfeiting the bond, and many officers signal their agreement.  Patrick Chan opines that nobody will fault the Dragoons for leaving House Kurita.

Jaime disagrees, warning that none of the other Successor States will trust the Dragoons if they get a reputation for breaking their contract when they get unhappy, turning the Dragoons into cheap sellswords.  He commands the Dragoons to keep the contract, to the letter, until such time as the Combine breaks it.  With a few exceptions (Kerensky and Korsht), the Dragoon officers concede the point.

Minobu commends Colonel Wolf on his devotion to honor, and then informs him that Lord Takashi Kurita has summoned him to Luthien to account for his actions.

Notes: The Government House (seat of Kurita planetary authority) faces the Wolf's Dragoons Administrative Headquarters across Cerant's central plaza.  Earlier, it had been noted that the Dragoons were granted An Ting as their fiefdom for the duration of the contract, with their pay drawn from taxes on the world's economy and offworld trade.  (Throttling offworld trade and undermining the planetary economy were listed as tactics used to push the Dragoons into the "company store" scenario.)  So, why are the Dragoons in an administrative office building across the plaza, rather than having set up shop in Government House? 

I suppose Government House provides continuity for the planetary bureaucracy in between the arrival and departure of short-term "lords" who've been given the world as a landhold.

The Clan lack of subtlety shows clearly here.  The deputized representative of the Combine's Professional Soldiery Liaison is here, backed by security troopers and his officers, and the Dragoons start openly discussing breaking the contract and fighting DCMS units.  This is, on the one hand, a statement of how comfortable they feel around Minobu - feeling he's "one of us" (despite the strained relationship following Minobu's injury and reassignment), and, on the other hand, a reflection of the kind of culture that developed the batchall - laying everything out in front of the enemy, with no attempt at subterfuge, in expectation of a challenging fight with opportunities for glory.

The "legalistic argument" Jaime is making is that the contract authorizes the Dragoons to "make arrangements to secure supplies."  While the expected channels would seem to be things like the Dragoons' supply contracts with Ceres Metals and General Motors, Jaime is interpreting an objective raid on a supply cache as falling under this heading as well.  However, Wolf cautioned Dechan Fraser, when he assigned him to form and lead the raiding party (in April 3027, on Misery) to do it covertly, because the Combine "might not understand" about the "crossing the border bit."  Being freeborn, Jaime clearly isn't quite the stickler about intent vs. letter as a trueborn would be.

The April chapter on Misery and the June chapters on Udibi and An Ting move the story forward, but rely on the Fox's Teeth scenarios to tell the story of the raid itself - an early FASA effort at cross-promotion of products.  However, not having even known of the existence of the Fox's Teeth scenario pack when I first read this story, I felt like I was missing chunks of the narrative (the same as with the Bounty Hunter scenes), and even checked the page numbers to make sure none had fallen out.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Date: July, 3027
 
Location: Keid

Title: Blind Man's Bluff

Author: Thomas S. Gressman
 
Type: Short Story (BattleTechnology 0203)

Synopsis: LCAF Lt. Brian "Dark Horse" Scully reports back to Major Mariah "Phalanx" Thibeaux that his Hatchetman has reached the outskirts of the city of Bel and he is beginning his effort to infiltrate through the Capellan perimeter to locate the spare parts dump inside.

In an underground bunker near the city center, CCAF Captain Daniel Gyory waits for repairs on his Centurion to be completed, fixing the damage suffered from Lyran strafing runs during their initial landing the previous day.  The Centurion is the only Capellan 'Mech remaining in Bel, with the rest of the company having deployed to defend Port Anderson (30 km south) against the main thrust of the Lyran attack.

A technician reports that an inbound Lyran 'Mech has been detected, and conveys orders from Commandant Deng to destroy the intruder.

Two kilometers away, Scully's Hatchetman is intercepted by a militia jeep, which fires a pintle mounted SRM launcher at the Lyran, but fails to survive the laser barrage that returns, exploding in a greasy fireball. 

Gyory, still preparing, receives the final report from Recon Jeep V-7 - cut off mid sentence.  He powers up the Centurion and emerges from the bunker, ready to do battle.

Scully anticipates that the diversionary attack on Port Anderson will have drawn away most, if not all, of Bel's garrison - leaving only infantry and soft-sided vehicles like the jeep.  He estimates it will take him only another 30 minutes to reach the supply dump, and another 30 minutes to withdraw with the data on its location.

Gyory, having reached the site of the jeep's destruction, is unable to locate the Lyran 'Mech with sensors, and has to try to outthink his foe.  He races west at top speed, hoping he's going the right direction.

Scully arrives in the vicinity of the parts warehouse, but is interrupted in his search by his magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) alerting him to a large mass in his rear arc.  He slips into the shadows of a large building, hoping to conceal his signature in its mass, unsure if anyone is actually nearby, and worried about keeping to his mission timeline.

Gyory approaches cautiously, wondering if the brief sensor contact was nothing more than a radar ghost.

Both 'Mechs step into the street at the same time, and open fire at each other.  Scully, outgunned, fires his jump jets and escapes to the next street over. He raises the 'Mech's hatchet and prepares to strike as the Capellan 'Mech approaches in pursuit.  Gyory blocks the strike with the Centurion's left arm, which buckles, but his return fire leaves the Hatchetman's armor in tatters as it again jets away to safety.

Scully curses the Capellan's quick reaction time, and exchanges fire with the Centurion once more, jetting away amid the cloud of exploding missiles and falling debris from stray cannonfire.  The two MechWarriors lose contact with each other as the Hatchetman plummets through the roof of the building it was trying to jump over.

After several minutes of searching, Gyory detects movement inside the building, and begins shooting blindly into it, hoping to hit his target.  Sully's return laser fire is more accurate, however, and the follow-up charge slams the Centurion into the building across the street.  The Hatchetman clubs the battered Centurion down twice as it attempts to stand, detonating the missiles, killing Gyory, and throwing the Hatchetman back into the intersection. 

Once he recovers, Sully sends an "enemy destroyed, mission in progress" zipsqueal to Phalanx at HQ, and limps away into the night.

Notes: The date of the battle is described from a 3028 perspective as having taken place "last year."  I have put it arbitrarily in July.

Brian Scully is identified as a "Lieutenant," though being the LCAF, his proper rank should be "Leutnant." 

The narrative gives Keid a single moon...which appears to have disappeared by the time of its official MWDA WizKids profile.  (Efficient, those Capellan moon miners...)

The appearance of the SRM-2-firing recon jeep suggests that Gressman was working from the list of conventional forces listed in MechWarrior RPG 1st Edition, which included skimmers, wheeled scouts, jeeps, Vedettes, Hunters, Manticores, Demolishers, B2 Heavy Transports, Command Vans, and an assortment of robots. 

I'm surprised that Gyory didn't call in additional recon jeeps and infantry to defend the warehouse.  It was a close battle, and some extra SRMs pounding the Hatchetman could have made the difference.  (Except, of course, this is 3027, and the only constant in this era is that House Liao loses every battle.)

Given the detailed blow-by-blow, I wouldn't be surprised if Gressman played out the battle between the Hatchetman and the Centurion and simply wrote up the results as dictated by the dice.  Other authors, like William Keith, tend to skip over the details of the fight (enabling the heroes to take down foes in a single volley) so that the story narrative doesn't bog down.  This short story goes the opposite direction, chronicling every autocannon burst and missile volley (something you'd only see in a novel for a final-chapter boss battle, and still not at this level of detail).

Gressman was an early contributor to BattleTechnology, and ended up writing several of the Twilight of the Clans novels (mostly those that focused on the Eridani Light Horse).

It's unusual to see a Lyran vs. Capellan battle, but Keid is close enough to the Lyran border for a raid to be conceivable.  What's odd is that the Lyrans actually staged a diversionary raid to draw off the garrison and then sent in a scout to infiltrate the target.  Lyrans aren't known for diversionary tactics and misdirection.  They form a long wall and stampede forwards with the heaviest 'Mechs possible, confident in their ability to crush all in their path.  This focus on maneuver and scouting suggests this unit has had the benefit of AFFS military advisers - courtesy of the FedCom treaty.

The story is framed as a "BattleTips" article written by Greggson DuVall, a military historian who interviewed pilots, Techs, and eyewitnesses on both sides.  I'm surprised the normally closed-off Capellans granted such access, especially since it showcases their loss of precious LosTech.

The setup - that Gyory's Centurion had been less damaged in the strafing than the other members of his company, and had been the last to enter the repair bay (and consequently been left behind) - runs contrary to the description of the standard 'Mech repair protocol of reverse triage - those with the least damage get treated first so they can get back into the fight as quickly as possible and don't get stuck waiting behind wrecks that need days-long full overhauls to even stand up again.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Date: July 6, 3027
 
Location: Corella

Title: Battle of Kilgour

Author: Uncredited
 
Type: Scenario (BattleTechnology 0101)

Synopsis: The Battle of Kilgour is a BattleForce (1st Edition) scenario that pits the Scotian Highlanders (3 battalions) against the 2nd Kearny Highlanders (2nd and 3rd Battalions), south of the town on Kilgour on Corella II.

Full rosters for the Scotian Highlanders and the 2nd Kearny's two battalions are provided.  The Scotians have 76 'Mechs and 20 tanks.  The Kearny forces have 80 'Mechs and 24 tanks.

An unhexed map of the region is provided, with a scale indicator showing it to be 3.5 x 4 km, with BattleForce hexes being .18 km for movement calculations.  Players are expected to recreate the map on blank BattleForce hexes, and then place and move their forces around this map. 

The Kearny Highlander battalions begin on or west of Kilgour Heights (northwest corner of the map), while the Scotians begin with one battalion on Sumner's Ridge (in the center of the map), with two supporting battalions hidden on Grierson's Hill and on Venable's Ridge (to the south and north of Sumner's Ridge, respectively).

The path of least resistance invites the Kearny battalions to move southeast towards Sumner's Ridge, where they'd have a two-to-one advantage over the Scotians.  Attacking there, however, would allow the hidden forces on the wings to surge out and envelop the Kearny forces.

The ideal option for the Kearny forces would be to advance through the woods, crushing the battalion hidden there.  However, the rules of the scenario require infantry scouts to be sent in first to locate the Scotian forces there, which may only be engaged once a sufficient number of detection rolls are made.

The Scotians claim victory if the Kearny Highlanders lose more than 2,000 tons of equipment.  The Kearny forces win if they destroy more than 2,000 tons of Scotian equipment.  If both sides suffer roughly equal damage, and have lost more than 1,000 tons of equipment, then the Scotians win.

Historically, the 2nd Kearny sent one battalion against the Scotian center, holding the other in reserve.

The scenario is accompanied by a "BattleTac" article that gives extensive background on the conflict:

On July 5-6, 3027, House Liao's 2nd Kearny Highlanders (2nd and 3rd battalion) raided the Davion world of Corella II - a major food producer and logistics hub for Operation GALAHAD '27.  Maskirovka intel identified a gap in the world's garrison as units were shuffled around, and inserted the Kearny forces when the planet was guarded only by its militia and a short regiment of mercenaries - the Scotian Highlanders. 

Liao agents seized the spaceport and the Scotian DropShips there, enabling the Kearny forces to land unopposed and move south from Port Corella towards the grain depots.  The two forces met at the crossroads near the small town of Kilgour, where the Scotian commander opted to wage a mobile defense.

On July 6, the Kearny forces advanced against Scotian positions on Sumner's Ridge, which held for more than two hours before retreating east to the Bloody Field, with the Liao forces in pursuit.  The Scotians held their reserve battalions back until the Liao reserves were committed into the trap, but the Kearny commander did not give the order.  Liao scouts found the Scotian battalion in the trees to the north, but their threat was discounted by the Kearny commander. 

The Scotians, near breaking, called in their reserves, and the battered Kearny battalion on the Bloody Field was caught out of position and broke, fleeing west up Sumner Ridge, their retreat covered by their reserve battalion, and the Liao force, though still stronger than the Scotians, withdrew to Port Corella.

Notes:  This is an interesting experiment, and one of the kinds of articles that make the early issues of BattleTechnology such fascinating "what could have been" resources.  Rather than being limited to published mapsets, the authors ginned up a battlefield, set objectives, restrictions, etc. and gave the players freedom to maneuver, with restrictions that keep it from being too easy for one side or the other.  I wish more of these had been done at this level of detail. 

While non-canon, the chronology fits reasonably well into the official timeline, and the damage inflicted on the 2nd Kearny isn't so drastic as to put them out of commission for the 4th Succession War.  (Heck, all they really did there was switch sides and beat on some Sword of Light troops on Northwind, anyways.)  The only major continuity issue is what happened to the Scotian Highlanders, since they're not listed on the Feddie TO&E for the NAIS Atlas of the 4th Succession War.

Strategy wise, the Kearny forces would be best advised to seize the ridge in the center, then rain long-range fire down on the Scotians on Bloody Field while scouts sweep the trees on the northern flank.  Once troops there are identified, the reserve battalion can go in and the two can pincer it, relying on terrain bonuses to keep the other Scotians back.  That should put the Capellans in a good position to make a unified advance without having to worry about flank attacks.  There's no time limit, so a cautious, thorough sweep isn't a problem.

For the Scotians, the ambush is a good plan if the Capellans get impatient and aggressive.  If they start sweeping the forests, go for broke and charge the center with everything.  Your northern battalion will get chewed up, but you'll savage the Kearny's southern battalion in exchange, leaving you with the advantage and control of the ridge.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Date: July 6, 3027
 
Location: Corella

Title: Randall's Charge at the Bloody Field

Author: Uncredited
 
Type: Scenario (BattleTechnology 0101)

Synopsis: A BattleTech scenario set amidst the larger BattleForce scenario in "The Battle of Kilgour," Randall's Charge at the Bloody Field takes place at midday on July 6, when elements of the 2nd Kearny Highlanders' 3rd Battalion broke through the Scotian Highlanders' lines on the Bloody Field.  Captain Randall's company is sent in to seal the breach and shore up the Scotian line.

The Scotian forces have a Phoenix Hawk, Vulcan, Panther, Stinger, Wasp, and Shadow Hawk, with 30 points of armor damage distributed at their player's discretion ahead of time.

The Kearny force consists of a Thunderbolt, Catapult, Rifleman, 2 Vindicators, Commando, 2 Phoenix Hawks, Stinger, Locust, Shadow Hawk, and Cicada, with pre-existing damage and 50 points of missing armor distributed as the player desires.

The Scotians win a decisive victory if they destroy all the Kearny 'Mechs, and a major victory of the Kearny 'Mechs are forced to retreat.  The Kearny forces win a decisive victory by destroying all the Scotians.  If the Kearny forces are ordered to withdraw, the victory level depends on losses suffered at that point.

Kearny forces may not fire on the Scotians until the turn after the Scotians first attack, or the turn following a turn when a Scotian comes within 5 hexes.  Every time a Kearny 'Mech is destroyed or disabled, a 2d6 roll of 9+ results in recall orders.

Notes: I get the feeling that the Scotian force was pared back at some point in editing, because the TO&E lacks anyone named "Captain Randall" - though he was still alive when the Scotian commander gave the order.  I would suggest adding an Elite "Captain Stuart Randall" to the Command Lance with a Victor, as shown in the pre-battle TO&E.  Otherwise, we have to assume that Captain Randall died en route to this fracas.  (And how can we have "Randall's Charge" without Randall?)

Without Randall's Victor, the light-to-mid-weight Scotian force is both outnumbered and seriously outgunned, and likely to be cut to ribbons by the Capellan force without inflicting significant casualties. 

For the Scotians, the only chance seems to be to form a blob and advance towards the Kearny forces until you get into a good range bracket, then fire en-masse to get a kill.  Keep your group together and mass fire on your best target each time, hoping for a kill.  Even as your numbers dwindle, each kill gives you a chance to roll on the recall table.  You pretty much have to hope you get lucky, given the force imbalance.  It's highly unlikely that the official lineup would be capable of destroying all the Kearny forces, and only slightly more plausible if the Victor is restored.

For the Kearny forces, dump all your armor damage on one or two units, and park them well to the rear.  Then charge your unit forward to get within five hexes of the Scotians, so you can trigger the "I get to fire next turn" condition at a time of your choosing, not theirs.  Whenever your units get beat up, pull them back and charge in with the rest of your troops.  You might even want to dump ammo right off the bat for many of your smaller guys, to avoid the risk of ammunition explosions, and just rely on the lasers.  There's no cover on the map, so keep even the people you pulled back running around unless they've lost so many MP that going prone is superior cover.

Once you've triggered the "I get to shoot" conditions, you have a choice to make - if you get aggressive, you can keep the battle on the eastern map, keeping your walking wounded on the western map in reasonable safety.  However, if you do take a loss and roll poorly, then your forces are engaged far forward, and you have a lot of ground to cover - with loss conditions growing for each unit you lose during the retreat.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #419 on: 01 February 2018, 13:09:48 »
Date: July 6, 3027
 
Location: Corella

Title: Holding the Line

Author: Uncredited
 
Type: Scenario (BattleTechnology 0101)

Synopsis: Also set during the events of the Battle of Kilgour, this scenario is set shortly after the Scotian commander fires flares to summon his hidden reinforcements from the Kearny flanks.  The Scotians try to hold the line until fresh troops arrive, while the Kearny troops try to break through and escape the encirclement before the net closes.

The Scotians have an Archer, Phoenix Hawk, Enforcer, Valkyrie, Commando, and Whitworth

The Kearny forces have a Stalker, Wolverine, Commando, Grasshopper, Blackjack, Phoenix Hawk, Spider, and Wasp.

The Kearny forces win a decisive victory by eliminating all Scotian forces and moving at least four 'Mechs off the east side before turn 12.  Otherwise, the Scotians win a major victory.   After turn 12, Scotian reinforcements are en route, and the Kearny objective becomes to either withdraw without losing more than three 'Mechs, or to completely eliminate the Scotian force (winning a major victory).

The battle is fought on two blank map sheets, with no cover or other terrain features.

Notes: Both sides are fairly mobile, with a few exceptions, and tend towards Elite/Veteran, so gunnery and piloting scores will be boosted.  Both sides have pre-existing damage - more for the Kearny forces, but they have more units on which to spread it around.

For the Scotians, the Archer and Whitworth won't be setting any land speed records, so set them up at the rear providing stationary fire support with missile barrages, while your mobile units bounce around en-masse, hammering anyone that tries to target the rear duo.  The Scotian goal is to run out the clock, so keep your distance and move as much as possible.  It doesn't matter if the Kearny forces move 'Mechs off the eastern edge if they don't fully eliminate the Scotian force, so all you really have to do is keep your jumpers alive while whittling down Kearny targets of opportunity as you are able.

For the Kearny force, this is going to be tough - you've got the skills to hit your foes, but 2/3 are a bunch of bloody jumping beans that are skilled enough to hit your crew on the bounce.  You need to drop as many of them as possible as quickly as possible, so get up to the mid-field (where your guns will be in range) and then remain stationary to get better "to hit" modifiers.  Concentrate on the most hittable target you can find with everyone, and, ideally, you'll have all six targets down by turn 9 or 10 (it helps that you're fighting in a shoebox with no cover).  If one of yours gets close to dead, pull it back, but your hope is that you can sweep the field clean and still have time to move off the eastern edge by turn 11.  Move your slower units up to a point where they can clear the eastern edge in two turns of running, and start moving them forward no later than turn 9, even if there are targets remaining.  Your worst case scenario is being up against the time limit and having the Scotian Phoenix Hawk and/or Valkyrie bouncing back to the west side, out of range.

To make the targets more stationary, send in your Wolverine, Spider, Wasp, and Phoenix Hawk to get next to their speedy jumpers, and take as many kick opportunities as possible.  With luck, they'll fail the PSR and fall, meaning they can't jump and will be easy meat the next turn.  Or, you might take the leg off, turning them into a bullet magnet.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

 

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