Part 398: Ultimatum - Turn 24

Ultimatum: Tactical Update 24

Pilot Akara lingered in the smoke like a ghost. The knuckles on the hand curled around her combat knife were white with tension as she stared unblinking at the fallen enemy Longbow. Something synthetic was burning, giving the stinging smoke an acrid, chemical scent. She’d likely get a nasty talking-to from the medical technicians—when they finally got around to her—but right now Akara simply didn’t care what sort of damage she did to her body.

The Longbow pilot hadn’t ejected when his machine fell, and she thought she saw the faintest hint of movement inside the cockpit. The machine lay with its back to the low, flat hill the bulk of Alpha Trinary had bivouacked on. Behind it, the enemy Hunchback lay on its belly—she hadn’t seen that pilot eject either. She felt momentary admiration for the enemy, the Rim Worlders were brave to stay with their dead machines. Brave and foolish.

The Sea Fox Dire Wolf that’d killed the enemy Longbow stepped over it carefully, the large machine’s smooth grace completely at odds to its massive bulk. It was still as slow and sluggish as any mud-stomping machine she’d ever witnessed but Akara couldn’t see a single wasted motion. Everything from the slight twist to verify the Longbow was truly out-of-commission to the way the arms swung with each step was intentional. Akara only rarely got an opportunity to fly in the presence of a BattleMech but even she could spot a pilot who wasn’t going to miss.

As soon as it’d passed the Rim Worlder’s cockpit shot open with the snap-hiss of a broken environmental seal the moment the Dire Wolf could no longer see it. Akara sprang forward, and sprinted across the thirty-some meters of open ground. Something exploded behind her and she didn’t even spare it a glance. She’d trained under worse conditions and seen more friends killed in trials than she cared to remember. As long as she still breathed nothing would deter her.

The Longbow’s cockpit was broad and sloped like that of a modern Aerospace fighter. It offered the pilot good vision—but unlike an Aerospace fighter the point directly above the pilot was heavily armored to ward off unexpected attacks from above. Even if the enemy pilot was armed, Akara knew she was safe in this blind spot and used it to her full advantage. The first sign the enemy pilot had that he was under attack was the loud ringing of her hard-soled boots on the Longbow’s sizzling-hot shoulders. Her free hand gripped the edge of the canopy as she used it to throw her whole body into the attack.

Her knife struck the enemy in the chest with every ounce of force she could muster—and twisted in her hand as she struck something at least as hard as `Mech armor. Her hand slipped off the grip and the base of the blade cut deep. Akara let it loose, and swung a risky uppercut at the Rim Worlder’s jaw. A Neurohelmet was good protection, but if she drove up from below and snapped the enemy pilot’s head back she’d still have a good shot at breaking his spine.

She struck with her palm—and this time she did howl as the small bones in her wrist snapped. The enemy pilot rested a hand on her chest. He was bigger than Akara had expected—a little smaller than an unarmored Elemental; but to eyes used to seeing Elementals on a daily basis the reason for that was very clear. The enemy pushed her away with a casual-looking motion backed by the strength of military-grade myomer, and she fell to the hot floor of the Longbow’s cockpit. There was no command couch, merely a vaguely man-shaped divot in which the enemy’s power armor had been resting. The enemy pilot hadn’t ejected because there was no ejector seat but Akara was willing to bet that nothing short of a direct hit by a Gauss Rifle would’ve been guaranteed to kill the enemy pilot while he remained safely ensconced in the cockpit.

“A nice try,” the enemy warrior praised sarcastically. It was a woman’s voice but any trace of her figure’s femininity was obliterated by the manlike shape of her battle armor. “Now just sit the rest of this fight out and wait for your friends to come pick you up.”

“I underestimated you,” Akara hissed, “but that’s no excuse. You’ve beaten me. Will you also humiliate me by not taking me as a bondsman?”

The enemy pilot turned away, “You want to be a prisoner? Sorry, I don’t have the—”

The enemy pilot paused, and turned back to regard Akara’s grim face in silence for a moment. “They’ll kill you for failing even if I don’t take you with me, right?”

Akara stared at the floor of the Longbow’s cockpit and made no reply. The deception hurt but one could never trust a barbarian to make an honorable choice.

The enemy pilot cursed, “Damn it! I can’t risk you exposing our rendezvous point. Sorry in advance—” the Rim Worlder paused momentarily as Akara’s spirits sank. “—For the broken jaw.”

Akara glanced upwards just in time to see the enemy’s armor-covered fist swing towards her unprotected face.



Combat Phase
Kodiak
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 0314!
- Fires Ultra AC/20 (ultra) at Unknown Assault (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System + 1 smoke = 6): rolled 7, 2 shells hit Right Arm (12/32 armor remains), Right Torso (11/31 armor remains)!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Unknown Assault (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System + 1 smoke = 6): rolled 10, hit Left Leg (30/37 armor remains)!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Unknown Assault (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System + 1 smoke = 6): rolled 7, hit Left Leg (23/37 armor remains)!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Unknown Assault (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System + 1 smoke = 6): rolled 6, hit Left Arm (25/32 armor remains)!
- Fires Streak SRM-6 at Unknown Assault (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System + 1 smoke = 6): rolled 4, fails to lock-on!
- Gains 32 heat, sinks 40!

Kraken 3
- No target declared!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 38!

Dire Wolf H
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 1608!
- Fires Heavy Large Laser at Chameleon (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods + 1 smoke + 1 Void Signature System - 1 targeting computer = 9): rolled 10, hit Left Arm (0/16 armor, 0/8 structure remains)! Arm blown off!
- - Damage transfers to Left Torso (4/16 armor remains)!
- Fires Heavy Large Laser at Chameleon (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods + 1 smoke + 1 Void Signature System - 1 targeting computer = 9): rolled 3, miss!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Chameleon (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods + 1 smoke + 1 Void Signature System - 1 targeting computer = 7): rolled 6, miss!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Chameleon (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods + 1 smoke + 1 Void Signature System - 1 targeting computer = 7): rolled 7, hit Left Torso (0/16 armor, 1/12 structure remains)! Crit!
- Gains 40 heat, sinks 40!

Atlas IIC
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 0208!
- Fires Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifle 40 at Longbow (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 3 Void Signature System = 7): rolled 11, 6 projectiles hit Left Torso (13/18 armor remains), Left Arm (4/9 armor remains), Left Arm (0/9 armor, 13/14 structure remains (Crit!)), Right Arm (4/9 armor remains), Right Leg (13/18 armor remains), Head (4/9 armor remains)! Pilot Hit?
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Longbow (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 3 Void Signature System = 7): rolled 8, hit Left Arm (6/14 structure remains)! Crit!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Longbow (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 3 Void Signature System = 7): rolled 8, hit Right Leg (6/18 armor remains)!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Longbow (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 3 Void Signature System = 7): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Longbow (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 3 Void Signature System = 7): rolled 10, hit Left Leg (11/18 armor remains)!
- Fires Streak SRM-6 at Longbow (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 3 Void Signature System = 7): rolled 3, fails to lock-on!
- Fires Streak SRM-6 at Longbow (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 3 Void Signature System = 7): rolled 7, 4 missiles hit Right Leg (4/18 armor remains), Center Torso (19/21 armor remains), Left Arm (4/14 armor remains (Crit!)), Left Arm (2/14 armor remains (Crit!))!
- Gains 32 heat, sinks 38!

Dire Wolf B
- No Line of Sight to target Longbow (too much smoke)!
- Gains 1 heat, sinks 36!

Crab (Ace)
- Fires ER Large Laser at Kraken 3 (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 Void Signature System + 1 heat + 2 light woods = 9): rolled 6, miss!
- Fires ER Large Laser at Kraken 3 (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 Void Signature System + 1 heat + 2 light woods = 9): rolled 8, miss!
- Gains 36 heat sinks 36! Overheating! ACE!

Unknown Assault
- Fires Plasma Rifle at Kodiak (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 smoke + 1 Void Signature System = 5): rolled 9, hit Right Leg (23/34 armor remains)! Target gains 2 heat!
- Fires LB-10X Autocannon (Cluster) at Kodiak (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 smoke + 1 Void Signature System - 1 Cluster = 4): rolled 7, 4 submunitions hit Right Torso (22/32 armor remains), Left Leg (32/34 armor remains), Left Arm (28/32 armor remains), Left Arm (27/32 armor remains)!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Kodiak (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 smoke + 1 Void Signature System - 2 Pulse Laser = 3): rolled 8, hit Center Torso (16/40 armor remains)!
- Gains 26 heat, sinks 26! Overheating! ACE!

Longbow
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 26!

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

Excalibur
- Holds fire!
- Gains 11 heat, sinks 22!

Coyote
- Fires ER Large Laser at Incubus 3 (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement - 4 target movement + 1 Void Signature System + 2 smoke = 5): rolled 8, hit Head (1/9 armor remains)! Pilot hit!
- Gains 24 heat, sinks 28!

Coyote
- Fires ER Large Laser at Incubus 3 (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement - 4 target movement + 1 Void Signature System + 1 smoke = 4): rolled 5, hit Center Torso (7/15 armor remains)!
- Gains 24 heat, sinks 28!

Coyote
- Fires ER Large Laser at Incubus 3 (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement - 4 target movement + 1 Void Signature System + 1 smoke = 4): rolled 6, hit Center Torso (0/15 armor, 9/10 structure remains)! Crit!
- Gains 24 heat, sinks 28!

Coyote
- Fires ER Large Laser at Incubus 3 (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement - 4 target movement + 1 Void Signature System = 3): rolled 10, hit Center Torso (1/10 structure remains)! Crit!
- Gains 24 heat, sinks 28!

Chameleon
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 0514!
- Fires Large Laser at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods + 1 Void Signature System = 9): rolled 10, hit Right Leg (7/41 armor remains)! PTN’s Note: I screwed up and didn’t apply this damage until after I applied other damage to this leg, this is the final damage value
- Fires TAG at Dire Wolf H (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods + 1 Void Signature System = 9): rolled 10, hit!
- Gains 20 heat sinks 32!

Chameleon
- Fires Large Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 partial cover + 1 Void Signature System = 9): rolled 8, miss!
- Fires TAG at Atlas IIC (2 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 partial cover + 1 Void Signature System = 9): rolled 6, miss!
- Gains 20 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 8, 12 missiles hit Right Torso (22/32 armor remains (TAC!)), Right Torso (17/32 armor remains), Center Torso (46/47 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 = 4): rolled 8, 16 missiles hit Left Arm (29/34 armor remains), Right Leg (31/36 armor remains), Right Leg (26/36 armor remains), Right Arm (33/34 armor remains)!
- Gains 24 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 = 4): rolled 9, 12 missiles hit Right Leg (21/41 armor remains), Rear Center Torso (9/14 armor remains), Rear Left Torso (9/10 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 = 4): rolled 11, 12 missiles hit Left Leg (31/41 armor remains), Right Leg (16/41 armor remains), Right Leg (15/41 armor remains)!
- Gains 24 heat, sinks 26!



End Phase:
Unknown Assault
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (3 base + 1 massive damage = 4): rolled 7, succeeds!

Chameleon
- Critical chance in Left Torso! No critical hits sustained!

Longbow
- Must pass a 3+ consciousness test: rolled 6, succeeds!
- Critical chance in Left Arm! 1 critical hit sustained!
- - Void Signature System hit!
- Critical chance in Left Arm! 1 critical hit sustained!
- - LRM-20 hit!
- Critical chance in Left Arm! 2 critical hits sustained!
- - Shoulder hit!
- - Shoulder hit!
- Critical chance in Left Arm! 2 critical hits sustained!
- - Shoulder hit!
- - Shoulder hit!

Incubus 3
- Must pass an unnecessary 3+ consciousness test! Rolled 7, succeeds!
- Critical chance in Center Torso! 1 critical hit sustained!
- - Engine hit!
- Critical chance in Center Torso! 1 critical hit sustained!
- - Machinegun Ammo Hit!
- Incubus 3 suffers 100 damage in an Ammo Explosion (0/10 structure remains)!
- - 99 damage safely vented by C.A.S.E.!

Dire Wolf H
- Through-armor critical chance in Right Torso! No critical hits sustained!



Physical Combat Phase:
Unknown Assault
- Attacks Kodiak w/ TSM Lance (3 base + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 smoke + 1 Void Signature System = 6): rolled 10, hit Head (no, I’m breaking my “no interference” rule here and rerolling that), Head (… really dice?), Center Torso (0/40 armor, 7/31 structure remains)! Crit!

Kodiak
- Kicks Unknown Assault (2 base + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 smoke + 2 Void Signature System + 1 Clanner - 2 kick = 5): rolled 10, hit Left Leg (3/37 armor remains)!



End Phase:
Kodiak
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (2 base + 1 massive damage = 3): rolled 5, succeeds!
- Critical hit in Center Torso! 1 critical hit sustained!
- - Gyro hit!
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (2 base + 3 gyro hit + 1 massive damage = 6): rolled 9, succeeds!

Unknown Assault
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (3 base + 1 massive damage + 0 kicked = 4): rolled 5, succeeds!



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

Crab
- TSM Activated!
- Gains ACE Status!

Coyote
- Deactivates Void Signature System!

Coyote
- Deactivates Void Signature System!

Coyote
- Deactivates Void Signature System!

Coyote
- Deactivates Void Signature System!









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




Phase 2 / Phase 3 Objectives:
- Defeat as many enemy `Mechs as possible (13/39 defeated)
- Defend Clan HQ Vehicles (2/3 remaining)
- Defend Clan Personnel (20 tents remain! )
- Defend Clan Equipment (18/36 units remaining)



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

Enemy Movement Mods:
- Unknown Assault +ACE
- Unknown Assault +1
- Longbow +1
- Longbow +0
- Black Knight +0
- Excalibur +0
- Coyote +2
- Coyote +1
- Coyote +2
- Coyote +1
- Crab +ACE
- Chameleon +2
- Chameleon +2
- Phoenix +3
- Bobcat +2



Orders Due: Tuesday Night!