Part 370: Hastilude - Turn 16

Hastilude: Tactical Update 16



Duncan Marik stared grim-faced at the inch-tall war machines battling in the holotank in his office. The device wasn’t large but it was portable and that alone made it invaluable. Holotanks weren’t a rarity in the Free Worlds League, but they remained an uncommon-enough fixture that Duncan never counted on having one he didn’t carry with him. His thoughts mirrored Harrison Kalma’s earlier words: the battle wasn’t lost, but the situation was growing increasingly dire. Smoke rose from the fallen form of the Anvil, with such poor quality the Captain-General couldn’t tell if the machine had been destroyed or if it’d just lost its balance.

The door to Duncan’s office swung open to admit a sergeant in full combat armor. Kalma closed it gently and stepped aside. The trooper saluted smartly, and Duncan returned it in kind with a neutral expression. Even Harrison Kalma seemed oblivious to Duncan’s hidden confusion.

“Yes, sergeant? What is it?”

“Sir,” The man said sharply, introducing himself with clipped, military precision. He stared straight ahead, not meeting the Captain-General’s querying gaze. “Sergeant Tyrell Rhys, thirteenth militia. I lead the squad you sent to retrieve Sir Varas’s second: Sir Rhone.”

Duncan nodded, “Yes, sergeant, I remember his name. Where is he?”

The man stiffened, standing at full attention like a recruit expecting a dressing down. “Gone, sir. I wanted to report in person, in case our freqs’re being monitored.”

Duncan froze, and allowed himself only a moment to master his rising fury. “Good thinking, sergeant. Tell me everything.”

“Aye, sir,” Rhys began. “The barracks was locked tight from the inside when we arrived. There was sign out front about them mourning the death of Sir Varas and asking not to be disturbed. So we breached.”

“Rams?”

Rhys shook his head, “Didn’t want to take chances, we blew the doors and stormed the place with “full honors.” Ah, that is, with weapons out and loaded. Whole place was empty, no techs, no Mechwarriors, none of the guards we left. Food left half-eaten. Gear abandoned everywhere. It’s like they went about their routines as long as they could for appearances sake, then vanished into thin air.”

“I left two squads, orders: no one goes in or out, nobody says a damned thing and double-timed the rest of my men to the Trout Mechbay—”

“The trout—?”

“Sorry, sir. Just trooper slang for the Rim Worlders. They’re kinda cold fish, and they’ve got one on their flag too, so it stuck. The bay’s empty sir. I left the rest of the platoon there, same orders. Nobody gets in or out, nobody says a word why. Used your name. They’re good men.”

Duncan rushed to the window, the shadowy forms of three—and the vague outline of a fourth `Mech visible in the cavernous darkness of the Mechbay. “Empty? Sergeant, a battalion of `Mechs doesn’t just walk out of a `Mechbay completely unseen.”

“It’s just those four left. They’re real, dunno why the trou—the Rim Worlders didn’t take them.”

Duncan stared in silence, before the obvious struck him. “Because we can see them. And because they brought spares in as “spare parts!” Harrison! How many of their machines did we check out?”

“Well, we gave them all a once-over,” Kalma thought for a moment. “But if you mean an in-depth analysis? Dr. Sequord’s team did a detailed inspection of three I think. Chosen completely at random. She didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.”

“Random,” Duncan stared at the distant `Mechbay, muttering “I’m sure” under his breath before turning to address the sergeant. “Excellent work and quick-thinking, Captain Rhys. There’s a place for you and your men in my personal guard if you’re willing to accept it. Dismissed!”

“Sir!” The man saluted, and departed with a smart turn.

“Harrison,” Duncan began the moment the man was out of earshot. “Varas was planning something like this from the moment he landed on Atreus. Amaris knew the Clans were coming. What’re the odds that was actually him on the field? Put our troops on full alert.”

“And get the Khans on the line.”







Combat Phase
Knights Wraith
- Fires Large Pulse Laser at Clan Grizzly (3 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 Pulse Laser = 5): rolled 10, hit Right Arm (1/11 structure remains)! Crit!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Clan Grizzly (3 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 Pulse Laser = 5): rolled 5, hit Right Arm (0/11 structure remains)! Arm Blown Off!
- - Damage transfers to Right Torso (16/23 armor remains)!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Clan Grizzly (3 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 Pulse Laser = 5): rolled 7, hit Right Torso (10/23 armor remains)!
- Gains 23 heat, sinks 20!

Knights Anvil
- Fires Large Pulse Laser at Clan Grizzly (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 Pulse Laser = 5): rolled 6, hit Left Torso (10/23 armor remains)!
- Fires Medium Laser at Clan Grizzly (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement = 7): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires Medium Laser at Clan Grizzly (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement = 7): rolled 7, hit Right Leg (6/27 armor remains)!
- Gains 18 heat, sinks 24!

Clan Wraith
- Fires Large Pulse Laser at Knights Wraith (3 base + 2 range + 3 movement + 3 enemy movement + 2 light woods - 2 Pulse Laser = 11): rolled 7, miss!
- Gains 17 heat, sinks 20!

Clan Orion
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 22!

Clan Grizzly
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 1127!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Knights Anvil (3 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 2 minimum range = 8): rolled 9, hit Left Torso (0/14 structure remains)! Torso destroyed!
- - Damage transfers to Center Torso (16/20 structure remains)! Crit!
- Gains 3 heat, sinks 22!



End Phase:
Knights Anvil
- Critical chance in Center Torso! 1 critical hit sustained!
- - Gyro hit!
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (4 base + 3 gyro hit = 7): rolled 6, fails facing hex 1129!
- - Suffers 6 damage in the fall to Center Torso (11/20 structure remains (Crit!)), Center Torso (10/20 structure remains (Crit!))!
- Critical chance in Center Torso! No critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Center Torso! No critical hits sustained!




Unit Status:


Knights of the Inner Sphere Mission Objectives:
- Win (incomplete)

Hastilude Enemy Movement Mods:
- Wraith – Jumped +4
- Orion – Stationary +0
- Grizzly – Ran +1



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