Part 402: Ultimatum - Turn 28

Ultimatum: Tactical Update 28

Mechwarrior Adrian McKenna winced as her Dire Wolf’s right foot snapped off with a piercing shriek, stripping the massive machine of what little agility it had ever possessed. Worse, her last-second decision to try to kill both enemy Chameleons at once hadn’t born fruit. Her first shots had crippled one, but with her leg badly damaged she hadn’t been able to turn quickly enough to keep her crosshairs over the faster jumping mediums, and the moment she’d finally established a good lock the enemy’s incessant LRM barrages had begun raining down on her machine.

Worse yet, that damnable Sea Fox pilot had stolen one of her rightful kills! Although she was a bloodnamed member of House McKenna and from the greatest warrior lineage her Clan had produced. She’d be a laughingstock if she didn’t kill three times her number in enemy machines and to have a kill so blatantly stolen filled her with a black and icy depression. She had the same need to succeed as every other Clanner she’d ever met, but Adrian was always dissatisfied with one-on-one duels and her trinary had been stripped from her when she’d refused to bid for the opportunity to do battle with Duncan Marik’s laughable Knights of the Inner Sphere. She hated fighting those who had no chance of success, what challenge was that? A victory over the helpless was no victory. She wanted to win but she wanted her battles to be honest ones, not simple ego appeasement.

These Rim Worlders fascinated her in a way no Clan opponent ever had. They didn’t have the same firepower as a Clan machine but they were relentless and skilled and pushed their weaker machines to the limit to try to keep pace with superior Clan engineering. Their “cowardly” missile attacks were gratifying in a way Clan trials had never been: the Republic’s Mechwarriors saw her as a threat too great to fight fairly. They didn’t even pretend to be bound by the hidebound Clan rules. She could hear her commanders even now, whining about the unfairness and the dishonor of the Republic’s surprise attack. She didn’t care! Her commanders were imbeciles! The Republic’s Mechwarriors feared her but there was no malice in it. It was a calm, professional fear and it fascinated her.

Calmly, Adrian McKenna reached out to brush the toggle for her automatic ejection mechanism, pressing it with her thumb until it snapped back into the ‘on’ position for the first time in her career. She was going to lose this fight, but she didn’t care about the dishonor. She wanted to fight the Rim Worlders again. On any terms.



Movement Phase
Crab (ACE)
- Activates Void Signature System!



Combat Phase
Dire Wolf H
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Chameleon (2 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 3 enemy movement - 1 targeting computer = 4): rolled 9, hit Right Torso (0/16 armor, 2/12 structure remains)! Crit!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Chameleon (2 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 3 enemy movement - 1 targeting computer = 4): rolled 11, hit Left Torso (0/12 structure remains)!
- - Damage transfers to Center Torso (0/22 armor, 6/16 structure remains)! Crit!
- Fires Heavy Large Laser at Chameleon 2 (2 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 secondary target + 1 heavy laser - 1 targeting computer = 6): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires Heavy Large Laser at Chameleon 2 (2 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 secondary target + 1 heavy laser - 1 targeting computer = 6): rolled 3, miss!
- Gains 40 heat, sinks 40! Overheating!
Atlas IIC
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 0711!
- Fires Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifle 40 at Chameleon (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 smoke - 1 Short Range HAG = 6): rolled 10, 5 projectiles hit Right Torso (0/2 structure remains) Torso destroyed, Damage transfers to Center Torso (3/16 structure remains (Crit!)), Center Torso (0/16 structure remains (`Mech destroyed!)), Center Torso, Center Torso, Left Leg (0/24 armor, 11/12 structure remains)!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Chameleon (2 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 smoke = 9): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Chameleon (2 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 smoke = 9): rolled 9, hit Center Torso!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Chameleon (2 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 smoke = 9): rolled 11, hit Center Torso!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Chameleon (2 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 smoke = 9): rolled 8, miss!
- Fires Streak SRM-6 at Chameleon (2 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 smoke = 9): rolled 7, fails to lock-on!
- Fires Streak SRM-6 at Chameleon (2 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 smoke = 9): rolled 7, fails to lock-on!
- Gains 29 heat, sinks 38!

Unknown Assault (ACE)
- ???
- Gains ?? heat, sinks 26!

Crab (ACE)
- Fires ER Large Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat + 1 smoke = 6): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires ER Large Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat + 1 smoke = 6): rolled 6, hit Right Arm (25/33 armor remains)!
- Gains 34 heat sinks 34! Overheating! ACE!

Unknown Assault
- ???
- Gains 23 heat, sinks 32!

Longbow
- Holds fire!

Black Knight
- Holds fire!
- Gains 10 heat, sinks 36!

Excalibur
- Holds fire!
- Gains 10 heat, sinks 22!

Coyote
- Fires ER Large Laser at Incubus 2 (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement + 1 Void Signature System = 1): automatically Center Torso (7/15 armor remains)!
- Charges PPC Capacitor!
- Gains 29 heat, sinks 28!

Coyote
- Fires ER Large Laser at Incubus 2 (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement + 1 Void Signature System = 1): automatically Center Torso (0/15 armor, 9/10 structure remains)! Crit!
- Charges PPC Capacitor!
- Gains 29 heat, sinks 28!

Coyote
- Fires ER Large Laser at Incubus 2 (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement + 1 Void Signature System = 1): automatically Center Torso (1/10 structure remains)! Crit!
- Charges PPC Capacitor!
- Gains 29 heat, sinks 28!

Coyote
- Fires ER Large Laser at Incubus 2 (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement + 1 Void Signature System = 1): automatically Center Torso (0/10 structure remains)! `Mech destroyed!
- Charges PPC Capacitor!
- Gains 29 heat, sinks 28!

Chameleon
- Fires Large Laser at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 5): rolled 6, hit Left Leg (17/41 armor remains)!
- Fires TAG at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 5): rolled 4, miss!
- Gains 14 heat sinks 32!

Chameleon
- Fires Large Laser at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 5): rolled 9, hit Left Arm (0/34 armor, 13/17 structure remains)! Crit!
- Fires TAG at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 5): rolled 7, hit!
- Gains 14 heat sinks 32!

Longbow
- Fires LRM-20 w/ Artemis IV (Semi-Guided) at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 2 range + 0 movement + enemy movement ignored + spotter movement ignored + spotter shooting ignored + indirect fire penalty ignored = 4): rolled 7, 20 missiles hit Left Arm (8/13 structure remains (Crit!)), Right Leg (12/21 structure remains (Crit!)), Left Torso (6/32 armor remains), Left Torso (1/32 armor remains)!
- Gains 6 heat, sinks 26!

???
- Fires LRM-20 w/ Artemis IV (Semi-Guided) at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 2 range + 0 movement + enemy movement ignored + spotter movement ignored + spotter shooting ignored + indirect fire penalty ignored + 1 Void Signature System = 5): rolled 6, 12 missiles hit Left Torso (0/32 armor, 17/21 structure remains (Crit!)), Left Torso (12/21 structure remains (Crit!)), Right Torso (11/32 armor remains)!
- Fires LRM-20 w/ Artemis IV (Semi-Guided) at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 2 range + 0 movement + enemy movement ignored + spotter movement ignored + spotter shooting ignored + indirect fire penalty ignored + 1 Void Signature System = 5): rolled 8, 12 missiles hit Right Arm (0/34 armor, 16/17 structure remains (Crit!)), Left Arm (8/17 structure remains (Crit!)), Left Leg (16/41 armor remains)!
- Gains 22 heat, sinks 26!

Locust
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 smoke = 8): rolled 10, hit Left Torso (27/32 armor remains)!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 20!

Locust
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 smoke = 8): rolled 9, hit Center Torso (41/46 armor remains)!
- Gains 12 heat, sinks 20!



End Phase:
Dire Wolf H
- Critical chance in Left Arm! No critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Left Arm! No critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Right Leg! 1 critical hit sustained!
- - Foot actuator hit!
- Critical chance in Left Torso! No critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Left Torso! No critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Left Arm! No critical hits sustained!
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (2 base + 1 massive damage + 2 actuator damage = 5): rolled 7, succeeds!



Next Turn’s Movement Phase
Crab
- TSM Activated!
- Gains ACE Status!









Special Rules
Overheat Ace: The Rim World Blackguard gain Ace status when they overheat by 10 points or more!

Blind: Enemy units are only visible in direct Line of Sight

Hidden Units: Some enemy units remain hidden until they attack. Additionally, units equipped with Void Signature Systems may expend a turn’s movement to hide themselves if they are not in direct line of sight.

Expect Surprises: When the players lose their Phase 1 units, they will gain control of a powerful Phase 2 unit. When the players lose their Phase 2 unit, they will still have a chance to influence the outcome of the battle with a Phase 3 unit. Some of these units start on the map, others will enter from elsewhere.



Player Status:


Glorious Deaths




Primary Objective:
- Defend Clan HQ Vehicles (0/3 remaining)

Secondary Objective
- Defeat as many enemy `Mechs as possible (15/39 defeated)
- Defend Clan Personnel (13 tents remain! )
- Defend Clan Equipment (16/36 units remaining)



Enemy Status:
Everything is a hair’s breadth from exploding. Probably.

Enemy Movement Mods:
- Unknown Assault +?
- Unknown Assault +1
- Longbow +1
- Longbow +???
- Black Knight +1
- Excalibur +1
- Coyote +1
- Coyote +1
- Coyote +1
- Coyote +1
- Crab +ACE
- Chameleon +3
- Phoenix +3
- Bobcat +3
- Locust +3
- Locust +3



Orders Due: Tuesday Night!