Ok... I've been rather busy... too busy in fact to even visit the boards in the last few months. Given the choice of talking about BT and prepping for actually PLAYING it, guess what I picked? At any rate, there is so much backlog on the events of the battle, I think I'm just going to skip ahead and tell you all what happened in a nutshell. (sorry it's not in story form)
The battle turned into a meat-grinder. Lt. Josepho lost his honor dual and was making his way off the battlefield when Captain McKenna challenged the
Flashman pilot to a 'Trial of Possession' for now-Bondsman Josepho. She brutally savaged his machine and won, but with the last blow (a TSM-backed kick that transferred to the CT) the engine lost containment and a hydrogen fireball billowed out of the dead machine. Josepho was caught in the blast wave and severely injured.
The deepest cut of all came when a Blake Arrow IV missile was miss-directed and it came down 30 meters from Lt. Solovitch's position after he had vacated his dead machine. He was killed instantly. Lt. Solovitch had been a member of the Silver Eagles for over a year. He left no family. The next deepest cut was when Lt. Thorpe's
Phoenix Hawk LAM was savaged by one of the Blake
Alacorns, destroying his LAM's left arm completely. The arm cannot be reconstructed and there are no spares in the company stores. Luckily, he was on the ground when it happened. Neither LAM can convert now and both are listed non-operational.
After that, Major Silver ordered the Armor Platoons to leave their fortifications and swarm the enemy. A brutal fight ensued and Captain McKenna tried to rush to assist, but her damaged gyro made her lose footing and she was sent slamming to the ground, knocking her out cold and rendering her
Striker dead. Foot Infantry disabled the 1st
Alacorn and 3rd Armor took out the 2nd, 1st Armor took out the remaining
Chaparral and Jump Infantry took out one of the
Demons. After that, the fight was a forgone conclusion and the Blake Commander radioed his concession of the battlefield. Of the Blake forces, one
SRM Carrier, one
Demon, one
Zephyr, both
Magis, and the CO's
Flashman limped off the battlefield, all with heavy damage.
Here is the TO&E of the Silver Eagles after the battle, with damage reports included.
Pilot (Skill-Status) Unit Status .
Command Lance
Major Silver (V-L) WHM-7M Warhammer Non-Operational; RA & LT Destroyed, RL & CT Severe Dam, LL Damaged
Lt.SG Sanderson (R-W) THR-2C Thunder Non-Operational; RT Destroyed, LA & RA Damaged
Lt.JG Josepho (CR-W) Summoner Non-Operational; H LT & RL Destroyed, RT Dam, CT & Eng Severe Dam
Lt.JG Windsor (R-W) Hellbringer Non-Operational; LA RA & RT Destroyed, RL Severed, CT & Gyro Damaged
Fire Lance
Captain McKenna (V-W) STC-3D Striker Non-Operational; LA RA & LT Destroyed, Eng & Gyro Sev Dam, CT & LL Dam
Lt.SG Faller (R-L) ZEU-9C Zeus Non-Operational; RT Destroyed, CT & Eng Severe Dam, Gyro Damaged
Lt.JG Solovitch (R-K) Executioner Non-Operational; LA RA RL & Gyro Dam, CT RT & Eng Severe Dam
Lt.JG Jones (R-W) MAD-5D-X Marauder Non-Operational; LA RA & LT Destroyed, RT & Eng Severe Dam, RL Dam
Strike Lance
Lt.SG Farrell (V-L) EXT-4C Exterminator Operational; Heavy Armor Damage, LT Damaged, LRM Destroyed
Lt.JG Scott (R-W) WVR-7C Wolverine Non-Operational; LA Destroyed, LT CT RA Gyro & Eng Severe Dam
Lt.JG Yar (R-L) Stormcrow Semi-Operational; LA & LT Destroyed, CT Gyro & Eng Damaged
Volunteer Jamison (R) VL-5M Vulcan Operational; Light Armor Damage, LT ML Damaged
Recon Lance
Lt.SG Thorpe (V) PHX-HK3 P-Hawk LAM Non-Operational; LA Destroyed, LT RA & RL Damaged, CT Severe Dam
Lt.JG Amdecker (R-L) PHX-HK2 P-Hawk LAM Non-Operational; RA LA & RT Damaged, LT RL CT & Eng Severe Dam
Staff Sgt. Chi Lin (R-L) Ferret Light Scout VTOL Operational
Unassigned Ferret Light Scout VTOL Non-Operational; Heavy Armor Damage
Aerospace and Transport Unit
Captain Friedrich (R) Union DS "Ace of Spades" Operational
Captain Kaufman (R) Scout JS "Jim Bridger" Operational
Cmdr. Hunter (R) K-1 Dropshuttle "Danube" Operational
Lt. SG Hernandez (R-W) CSR-V14 Corsair Destroyed (unsalvageable)
Lt. JG Tucker (R) Visigoth Operational; Light Armor Damage
1st Armor Platoon
Lt. SG Chekov (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational
Staff Sgt. Dobson (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational
Sergeant Carleson (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational; Light Armor Damage
Sergeant Lancaster (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational
2nd Armor Platoon
Lt. JG Owens (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational
Staff Sgt. Crowder (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational; Very Light Armor Damage
Sergeant Avery (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational
Sergeant Williams (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational
3rd Armor Platoon
Mst. Sgt. Thiemann (G-W) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational; Light Armor Damage, Turret Lock
Staff Sgt. Sing (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational; Light Armor Damage, Turret Lock
Sergeant Marshal (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational; Light Armor Damage, Mobility Hit, Driver KIA
Sergeant Valenzuela (G) M-21 Alvarez MBT Operational; Light Armor Damage
Infantry Support Platoon
Mst. Sgt. Green (G) M-22 Banford IFV Operational; Armor Damage, SRM Jammed
Staff Sgt. Whyler (G) M-22 Banford IFV Operational; Armor Damage, Mobility Hit, Stabilizer Hit
Sergeant Sandusky (G) M-22 Banford IFV Operational; Light Armor Damage
Sergeant Nunez (G) M-22 Banford IFV Operational; Heavy Armor Damage, Mobility Hit
Infantry Company
Lt. JG O'Hare (G) Armored Support Motor Off-duty; 12 KIA, 8 Wounded, 1 Driver Transferred to 3rd Armor
Mst. Sgt. Kobel (G) Armored Support Motor Operational
Staff Sgt. Vadnais (G) Reinforced Jump Operational; 1 KIA
Staff Sgt. Volk (G) Reinforced Foot Operational; 1 KIA, 3 Wounded
Marine Armor Squads
Mst. Sgt. Spanner (R) Clan Battle Armor (X5) Operational
Sergeant Rhode (R) Clan Battle Armor (X5) Operational
--
V: Veteran
R: Regular
CR: Clan Regular
G: Green
L: Light Wounds - Active Duty
W: Wounded - Medical Leave
K: Killed in Action
As you can see, they aren't looking too hot. Most of the 'Mechs are non-operational. Strike Lance is the only operational Lance, with the
Stormcrow classified as only semi-operational (half of the 'Mech is missing, but it IS operational) and the
Wolverine is completely out of action. (severe engine damage) Command Lance and Fire Lance are completely out, with Recon Lance only having a single VTOL remaining operational. Of the 25 infantry injured, 14 died either on the field or in transit to medical aid. 3rd Armor platoon suffered a loss when one of its drivers was injured in the fighting. After the battle, he was sent for medical treatment, but died on-route.
The severely injured, including Captain McKenna and Josepho, were air-lifted by Sergeant Chi Lin to the nearest hospital in Agata, the largest city on Major Silver's landhold. (Agata lies 10 kilometers west-by-southwest of Major Silver's estate) After the battle, reports started coming in that there was fighting all over the planet. Negushevo Reserve units were siding with Countess Silver with the majority of the southern population siding with Major Silver. (including several southern media concerns) There was also heavy fighting being reported in Agata itself. Mounting up as temporary head of 3rd Armor Platoon, (Master Sergeant Thiemann having been wounded) he and headed for Agata with 1st and 2nd Armor, along with Lt. Farrell in his
Exterminator and volunteer Jamison in the
Vulcan. 2nd Armored Infantry and 3rd Jump Platoon were also being ferried to Agata to assist.
As the reached the city, the signs of fighting were everywhere. Their tanks immediately started taking small arms fire from scattered Militia fighters. It was then that Agata Police SWAT teams showed up and helped drive them off. As Major Silver and 3rd Armor made their way through the city toward the hospital, (which reports were that there was fighting in the hospital itself) a large mob swarmed 1st Armor as they made their way into the city. Their anti-personnel machine guns tore through the crowds of militia like a hot knife through butter, scattering the remainder and breaking up the mob. Major Solver continued to press for the hospital. Halfway there, he encountered another mob, but this one was made of citizens of Agata, and they were fighting a small group of Negushevo Militiamen. They joined up with Major Silver and they pressed on to the hospital.
As they got close, they stopped short when Major Silver got a 'bad feeling' and he ordered the
Vulcan forward. Spotting movement in a storefront, Nick Jamison (the volunteer pilot) leaned his 'Mech over to peer in a storefront. The single story building promptly exploded, sending the BattleMech flying into the building across the street. Major Silver moved his platoon forward and began searching the area for enemy infantry. As the
Vulcan regained its feet, the building it landed on exploded, sending the 'Mech flying again and damaging 3rd Armor further. 2nd Armor opened up the building from the rear as they drove through the rubble, killing lone snipers and sappers at will, joining 1st and 3rd Armor.
Finally reaching the hospital, Lt. Thorpe, along with Jump Infantry were landing on the roof of the hospital. 4th Foot Infantry, under the command of Captain McKenna, began making their way up through the hospital while Lt. Thorpe and Jump Infantry made their way down, clearing the hospital while the citizen volunteers cleared the surrounding buildings. Major Silver ordered the
Ace of Spades to land in the city center, a large park in the middle of the city, effectively controlling the entire area. By nightfall, the city had been split in two, with Negushevo Militia forces siding with Countess Silver holding the Northwest corner of the city, including most of the city's industrial center, power plant, and water treatment plant. Major Silver and the City police and most of the population hold the remainder. Ordering the Armor Platoons up to establish a front line so the local police could be pulled of the lines, Major Silver and the remainder of the Silver Eagles slept the night with one eye open.
The next morning, Major Silver called for a strategy session. Armed with information obtained by Lt. Faller, (that he'd obtained that night in a recon sweep through the enemy controlled areas) the Silver Eagles prepared a small raid into the industrial center. A major offensive was out of the question. The militia has organized ambush points and explosive charges throughout the industrial center. Any major push would be brutal on their already hammered unit. A small raid of half a dozen might sneak through unnoticed.
What was known was that their HQ was an industrial building that had the proper chemicals for manufacture of Compound C8. If they had been working all night, there would be enough C8 in the building to destroy most of the northwest corner of the city. (along with the charges placed throughout the city) What was NOT known was if there was any sort of WOB leader heading the forces. (the players feel that a WOB leader means that they'll blow the city up if they're going to lose it)
As a next step, Major Silver contacted Baron Karminov, the Baron in charge of the area. Making a play for his allegiance, he conveyed his intent to supplant his sister as count of the northern half of Negushevo. The Baron told Major Silver that if he could regain control over Agata within 48 hours, he would see that as a sign of Major Silver's capability and give his public support for Major Silver's cause.
Thus, Major Silver, Captain McKenna, (now released from medical leave) Lt. Thorpe, Lt. Faller, Lt. Amdecker, and Sergeant Chi Lin are going to make a sneak attack on foot into the enemy's HQ in an attempt to drive them out without destroying the city.
Hopefully, I'll have the time to write more often and continue the story... we'll see!