Part 459: Sludge Factory - Turn 3

Sludge Factory: Tactical Update 3

Eksandre flinched as a mass of pipes and concrete rushed towards her unexpectedly. It jerked to a stop at the last minute, and the barrels of her medium lasers came within centimeters of impact as the Odin scout tank rocked backwards on its rear wheel. It settled again with a crash Eksandre barely heard over the sound of her teeth clacking together. With an angry motion she flipped the toggle linking her microphone to the tiny driver’s compartment.

“What the hell, Wick?”

“They have mined the bridge,” Wick’s basso response was immediate and unapologetic.

How the former elemental managed to cram his massive frame into the Odin’s tiny driver’s compartment she’d never quite figured out. She could picture him clearly, hunched over in a hulking ball with the control wheel—even at maximum extension—nearly resting in his lap. He was simultaneously one of the best and worst drivers Eksandre had ever served with. He was careful, every motion he made was crisp and precisely executed, but he had such a lead foot she suspected he simply couldn’t easily move it onto or off of the accelerator.

The Odin suited him at least as well as it did her. Eksandre was a “problem,” a freeborn warrior who’d tested well enough to pilot BattleMechs but who had nonetheless been relegated to crewing a second-line tank so that the best of the Clan’s decrepit old Mechwarriors could pilot the machines instead. She was a crack shot, but hated taking orders. She’d driven so many vehicle commanders mad ignoring their targeting orders to fire at vulnerable targets they hadn’t spotted that none would voluntarily serve with her. For Eksandre, the Odin was heaven. For Wick, she assumed it was hell. Even so, she hadn’t expected the sudden about-face.

She knew Wick wouldn’t be able to resist getting a last dig in. Annoying each other had become one of their favorite pastimes. He didn’t disappoint her, “If you spent half the time watching the enemy that you spent watching those Hephaestus, you would not have even needed to ask.”

“We’re out of range,” When she’d learned how badly contractions annoyed Wick, Eksandre had redoubled her efforts to use as many as she could. And even invented a few. “I’d time. Didn’t think you’d grown so tired of me that you’d try to crush me.”

“We had a meter to spare,” Wick grumped, “you mewling infant.”

“Don’t reject it before you’ve tried it. Unless something changed from the last time I checked, all Freeborn infants’re responsible for is still eating, sleeping, and pooping. I could hardly think of a more relaxing way to live.”

Wick’s shudder was almost audible, “You remain disgusting. We have a battle to fight.”

Eksandre smiled, drawing her combat knife and scratching another tally mark on the turret’s casing. She prided herself on her accurate kill-shots, even when the engagement was a verbal one.








Indirect-Fire Artillery Targeting Phase
Mobile Long Tom fires indirectly at hex [target hex greater than 17 hexes away]!



Indirect-Fire Artillery Targeting Phase
Mobile Long Tom fires indirectly at hex [target hex greater than 17 hexes away]!



Movement Phase
Manticore (LBX)
- High-speed turn on concrete in hex 1205!
- - Must pass a skidding test (5 base - 1 distance traveled = 4): rolled 5, succeeds!

Hunter 2
- High-speed turn on concrete in hex 3603!
- - Must pass a skidding test (5 base - 1 distance traveled = 4): rolled 3, fails!
- - - Margin of Failure 1, maximum skid distance: 1 hex
- Skids into hex 3505
- Chance for motive system damage: rolled 7!
- -Minor damage sustained, +1 penalty to driving tests!
- Movement continues as close to previous orders as possible



Indirect-Fire Artillery Phase
- In a previous turn Mobile Long Tom fires FASCAM shell at hex 0813 (4 base + 7 indirect fire = 11): rolled 7, Margin of Failure 4! FASCAM shell scatters 4 hexes!
- - Scatters into hex 0812!
- - Scatters into hex 0811!
- - Scatters into hex 0911!
- - Lands in hex 0910! Mines deployed!
- Mobile Long Tom fires FASCAM shell at hex 2116 (4 base + 7 indirect fire = 11): rolled 7, Margin of Failure 4! FASCAM shell scatters 4 hexes!
- - Scatters into hex 2115!
- - Scatters into hex 2114!
- - Scatters into hex 2013!
- - Lands in hex 1913! Mines deployed!



Combat Phase
PNT 10K2 Panther
- Fires ER PPC at Odin Scout Tank (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 4 enemy movement = 11): rolled 6, miss!
- - Gains 16 heat, sinks 24!

Odin Scout Tank
- Holds fire!



Next Turn’s Movement Phase
Zorya 1
- High-speed turn on concrete in hex 1830!
- - Must pass a skidding test (5 base - 1 distance traveled = 4): rolled 8, succeeds!
- High-speed turn on concrete in hex 1529!
- - Must pass a skidding test (5 base + 0 distance traveled = 5): rolled 7, succeeds!

Anhur
- Ascends to Height 3 in hex 1225 (3 MP)!








Final Player Status:



Opposing Force Status:




Mission Objective:
Capture the Coolant Factory (0/1)

Secondary Objectives:
Protect the Mobile Army Support Hospital from detection (0/1)
Defend the Mobile Army Support Hospital (0/1)
Locate the Clan Ammunition Dump (0/1)
Destroy the Clan Ammunition Dump (0/1)

Special Rules:
Caustic, Tainted Atmosphere (TacOps p56)
Vehicles suffer an automatic Crew Stunned if armor is breached, Mechwarriors take double damage from cockpit hits.
Point Commanders
As long as they are active combatants, the Mars Assault Vehicle and Epona Pursuit Tank may designate one unit each as an Ace for two turns. New Ace units may not be designated until Ace status expires. Units which opt to remain immobile for at least two turns gain Ace status on the first turn they move. BattleMechs and VTOLs may not be Aces.



Orders Due: Midnight Tuesday!