Part 696: Snake Pit - Turn 24
Snake Pit 24The Tairakana plains were a deathtrap.
Lt. Jayesh Halloran twisted the bullet-shaped nose of his Stalker away from the beam of an extended-range Clan laser. The beam lasted a fraction of a second, but still burned a meter-long scar down his machine’s left side. He launched a flight of missiles towards the source of the beam, but at this range he’d have counted himself lucky if he even hit the ground. He grimaced as Hanzo Székely’s Shadow Hawk went down, gutted by Clan PPC fire before he’d even gotten a chance to fire his shoulder-mounted autocannon. Hanzo wasn’t the only one who had fallen, and the general advance had only just begun.
He urged the ponderous Stalker forward, pushing his ‘Mech as hard as he could over the two hundred or so meters of open territory he had to cross to take cover in the next little valley before the Clans picked him to pieces. He wasn’t going to make it. A dozen lock-on warnings lit up Halloran’s display. His right thumb hovered over the firing stud as the Stalker’s LRMs reloaded one metallic clank at a time—his left had already closed on the ejection handle. If its armor failed, the Stalker was notorious for turning into a walking bomb.
All at once the enemy locks faded to black. He’d been ignored, or overlooked as they shifted to new targets—but no, even that was wrong. Dumbfounded, he slowed to a walk, and then stopped outright. Right in the open, where everyone could see him.
The Clans had stopped shooting.
“Nan-!” someone Jayesh didn’t know began in Japanese, before slipping into only moderately-accented English. “What the hell?!”
“Word from the brass,” Captain De Lang announced over the company channel. “The Hell’s Horses have just surrendered. Unconditionally.”
What the hell indeed. Halloran called up the command frequency. He was speaking before he was even sure he was broadcasting. “—Tova, they had us dead to rights. So they take a few shots just to show how hard they could’ve made things for us, and then just give up the Imperial City?”
“Something’s happened,” Captain Tova De Lang replied. “We don’t know the specifics, but it’s not just Imperial City. They’re surrendering all over Luthien. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear more. For now, we’re to proceed to Imperial City to oversee the Clan disarmament—and to keep the Dracs from gunning down the POWs.”
“Holy shit,” Jayesh rocked back in his command couch as if he’d taken a hit from a Gauss Rifle. “It’s like Aleksandr Kerensky came back from the dead and called them all tossers.”
Movement Phase
Von Rohrs (Player)
- Attempts to stand (5 base = 5): rolled 8, succeeds!
Shooting Phase
Roughneck DSI (Player)
- Fires Gauss Rifle (Clan) at Kraken (3 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 6): rolled 3, miss!
- Fires Large Pulse Laser (Clan) at Kraken (3 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized - 2 pulse laser = 4): rolled 7, hit Right Leg (15/42 armor remaining)!
- Fires Small Pulse Laser (Clan) at Kraken: out of range!
- Fires Medium Laser at Kraken Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires Magshot Gauss Rifle at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 8, hit Left Arm (26/34 armor remaining)!
- Fires Magshot Gauss Rifle at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 7, hit Wakizashi’s Left Arm (26/28 armor remaining)!
- Fires Magshot Gauss Rifle at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 9, hit Left Torso (4/32 armor remaining)!
- Fires Magshot Gauss Rifle at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 5, miss!
- Gains 22 heat, sinks 22!
Roughneck 3A (Player)
- No Line of Sight to primary target!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 36!
Bandersnatch (Player)
- Fires Medium Laser at Kraken (3 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 10): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires Medium Laser at Kraken (3 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 10): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires Medium Laser at Kraken (3 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 10): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires Medium Laser at Kraken (3 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 10): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires LRM-5 at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 2, miss!
- Fires LRM-5 at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 10, 4 missiles hit Center Torso (27/31 structure remaining)! Crit!
- Fires LRM-5 at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized - 1 cluster = 7): rolled 9, 4 submunitions hit Right Leg (14/42 armor remaining), Right Leg (13/32 armor remaining), Right Torso (16/32 armor remaining), Left Torso (3/32 armor remaining)!
- Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized - 1 cluster = 7): rolled 7, 6 submunitions hit Right Torso (15/32 armor remaining), Left Torso (2/32 armor remaining), Left Torso (1/32 armor remaining), Left Torso (0/32 armor remaining), Right Leg (12/32 armor remaining), Left Leg (16/42 armor remaining)!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 20!
Sentinel (Player)
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Kraken (3 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 6): rolled 8, hit Right Leg (0/32 armor, 18/21 structure remaining)! Crit!
- Fires Medium Laser at Kraken (3 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized = 8): rolled 5, miss!
- Gains 6 heat, sinks 20!
Spider (Player)
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Kraken (4 base + 0 range + 4 movement + 0 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser - 1 oversized = 5): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Kraken (4 base + 0 range + 4 movement + 0 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser - 1 oversized = 5): rolled 8, hit Left Arm (20/34 armor remaining)!
- Gains 18 heat, sinks 23!
Von Rohrs (Player)
- Fires PPC at Kraken (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized target = 7): rolled 8, hit Right Torso (5/32 armor remaining)!
- Fires SRM-6 (HE) at Kraken (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized target = 9): rolled 8, 5 missiles hit Grizzly’s Left Arm (20/22 armor remaining), Center Torso (29/31 armor remaining), Left Arm (18/22 armor remaining), Left Arm (16/22 armor remaining), Center Torso (27/31 armor remaining)!
- Fires SRM-6 (HE) at Kraken (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 bodyguard - 1 oversized target = 9): rolled 6, miss!
- Gains 23 heat, sinks 32!
Kraken S (Objective, ACE)
- Fires ER PPC at Sentinel (0 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement = 4): rolled 8, hit Right Leg (3/20 armor remaining)!
- Fires HAG-40 at Bandersnatch (0 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement + 1 secondary target = 4): rolled 11, 40 pellets hit Head (4/9 armor remaining (Pilot hit!)), Center Torso (18/23 structure remaining (Crit!)), Center Torso (13/23 structure remaining (Crit!)), Left Arm (9/18 armor remaining), Left Torso (0/23 armor, 13/16 structure remaining (Crit!)), Left Leg (0/18 armor, 12/16 structure remaining (Crit!)), Left Torso (8/16 structure remaining (Crit!)), Left Leg (7/16 structure remaining (Crit!))!
- Fires HAG-40 at Bandersnatch (0 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement + 1 secondary target = 4): rolled 9, 40 pellets hit Right Arm (5/18 armor remaining), Left Torso (3/16 structure remaining (Crit!)), Right Torso (14/23 armor remaining), Right Torso (9/23 armor remaining), Right Leg (11/18 armor remaining (TAC!)), Left Arm (4/18 armor remaining), Right Arm (0/18 armor remaining), Center Torso (8/23 structure remaining (Crit!))!
- Gains 32 heat, sinks 32!
End Phase:
Kraken
- Critical chance in Center Torso: rolled 7, no critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Right Leg: rolled 9, 1 critical hit sustained!
- - Double Heat Sink hit!
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (1 base + 1 massive damage = 2): Automatic success!
Bandersnatch
- Must pass a 3+ consciousness test: rolled 6, succeeds!
- Critical chance in Center Torso: rolled 11, 2 critical hits sustained!
- - Medium Laser damaged!
- - Gyro hit!
- Critical chance in Center Torso: rolled 10, 2 critical hits sustained!
- - Gyro destroyed! 'Mech destroyed!
- - XL Engine hit!
- Critical chance in Left Torso: rolled 3, no critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Left Leg: rolled 7, no critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Left Torso: rolled 7, no critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Left Leg: rolled 9, 1 critical hit sustained!
- - Hip Actuator damaged!
- Critical chance in Left Torso: rolled 7, no critical hits sustained!
- Through-armor critical chance in Right Leg: rolled 4, no critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Center Torso: rolled 9, 1 critical hit sustained!
- - XL Engine hit!
Physical Combat Phase:
Spider (Player)
- Punches Kraken with Both Arms (4 base + 4 movement + 0 enemy movement = 8): rolled 8, rolled 9, hit Left Arm (17/34 armor remaining), Head (0/3 structure remaining)! Head destroyed! ‘Mech destroyed!
Kraken (Player)
- Kicks Spider (1 base + 1 movement + 4 enemy movement - 2 kick = 4): rolled 6, hit Left Leg (0/11 armor, 0/7 structure remaining)! Leg blown off! ‘Mech destroyed!
- - Damage transfers to Center Torso (3/13 armor remaining)!
Map Link
Player Status:
Opposing Force Status:
Special Rules
- Enemy units are alert and aware of player positionsPrimary Objectives
- Find and Destroy enemy commander (complete!)
Secondary Objectives
- Destroy Enemy BattleMechs (11/19 remaining)
After-Action Report:
This was an interesting mission to play out, it was a lot more enjoyable for me to manage even if I had almost no tactical control over the early phases of the battle. I don’t have a lot to say, but the end phases of this fight were fairly variable—if the players had rushed for the objective without engaging any of the patrollers, they’d have fought Grier and his entire star at once, which should have been a difficult but relatively even battle since they’d be fresh aside from a little incidental damage. If they engaged the patrols but didn’t lose anyone to the Timber Wolf and Hunchback in phase two, they also would have been forced to fight Grier’s bodyguards directly. If they engaged and destroyed the reinforcements star (or if the reinforcements had been called in before turn 5) they would’ve faced Grier alone.
Instead they managed to fight their way across the battlefield under very difficult circumstances and still walked away at the end with a lance of ‘Mechs. Not bad. Not bad at all.
I know someone will be curious: If either of the other battle votes had been chosen, the battle for Luthien would’ve ended in a duel between Isoroku Kurita and Grier (if the vote had gone to the Inner Sphere) or Grier and Hanse (if the vote had gone to the Hell’s Horses) instead.