Part 465: Sludge Factory - Turn 9

Sludge Factory: Tactical Update 9

“We’re coming apart over here!” Panic tinged Corporal Ramsay’s voice as she brought her light-weight Hunter around. At thirty-five tons the Hunter was a glorified light LRM-carrier on a support chassis never really meant to engage in direct combat. Against the blindingly fast Clan hovertanks or even the light `Mech rapidly closing on her position she’d have no chance at all. Even the comforting presence of Lt. Dalca’s Partisan was gone now, the surviving crew from the assault tank’s front compartment were already abandoning the burning wreck. Of those in the rear, the engineer and one of the loaders, she expected in five minutes there’d be no trace left to find.

That left her little Hunter at the vanguard of the collapsing line of battle backed up by a pair of Kuritan tank crews she didn’t know and virtually surrounded by Clanners. Even the sickly roar of the Clan jet-Karnov’s engines and the arrowhead of smoke bleeding from its crippled engines wasn’t enough to put her heart back in the fight. The undamaged enemy `Mech popped up briefly over the treeline as it jetted ever closer. In another ten, twenty seconds it’d be the end of her. She was on the cusp of ordering her crew to abandon the tank, a Hunter just couldn’t fight a BattleMech at close range.

Not even the Warlord’s briefing before the invasion could move her now. She hardly cared that nearly every DCMS combat unit had at least one part from Chatham; or that without Chatham’s production the DCMS’s store of spare parts—and ability to resist the Clans—would be exhausted inside six months.

“It will be alright, Corporal,” the crippled and immobilized Manticore broadcast, its turret swiveling to unleash a salvo of missiles at a distant Clan tank. When her memory proved insufficient she called up the unit’s directory to find the vehicle commander’s name. Gunjin Kurucz. A lance corporal, her inferior in rank and far too low in the hierarchy to warrant a vehicle command barring illness or injury of the vehicle’s true commander—or some weird Kuritan field-demotion. Her secondary monitor painted a grim picture: that Manticore’s engine had been knocked offline. It was doomed, a sitting duck, a ceramet coffin full of explosives. Its crew should’ve already abandoned it for the salvage teams to recover later.

“The Clan assault on the left has fallen apart,” Kurucz continued. “Withdraw towards the hospital. We will cover your retreat and hold the Clans long enough for reinforcements to arrive.”

Ramsay turned, looking at each member of her tiny vehicle’s crew. She set her jaw before replying, “Thanks for the offer, Gunjin. Like hell we’re going to leave you to face these monsters alone.”








Indirect-Fire Artillery Targeting Phase
- Mobile Long Tom fires!



Movement Phase
Zorya 2
- Gains ACE Status!

Hunter 1
- High speed turn in hex 1409 (5 base + 0 distance traveled = 5): rolled 5, succeeds!



Indirect-Fire Artillery Phase
- Mobile Long Tom fires a shell at hex 3709 (4 base + 4 direct fire = 8): rolled 6, Margin of Failure 2! Shell scatters 2 hexes!
- - Shell scatters into hex 3608!
- - Shell lands in hex 3607!
- - - Zorya 3 suffers 5 damage to Front (10/15 armor remaining)!



Combat Phase
ACE Sylph Point
- Holds fire!

ACE Epona
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Partisan 1 (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 4): rolled 8, hit Rear (2/16 armor remaining)!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Partisan 1 (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 4): rolled 9, hit Rear (0/16 armor, 4/8 structure remaining)! Crit! Armor breached!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Partisan 1 (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 4): rolled 7, hit Turret (8/22 armor remaining)!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Partisan 1 (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 4): rolled 7, hit Left Side (12/18 armor remaining)! CfMSD!
- Fires Streak SRM-4 at Partisan 1 (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 1 enemy movement = 6): rolled 6, 4 missiles hit Turret (6/22 armor remaining), Rear (2/8 structure remaining (Crit!)), Rear (0/8 structure remaining (Vehicle destroyed!)), Rear!

ACE Zorya 2
- Fires LB 5-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Drillson (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement + 1 light woods - 1 cluster = 10): rolled 10, 3 submunitions hit Right Side (20/21 armor remaining (Crit!)), Right Side (19/21 armor remaining), Right Side (18/21 armor remaining)!

Manticore
- Turret twists to threaten rear arc!
- Fires LRM-10 at Zorya 2 (4 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 minimum range = 5): rolled 10, 3 missiles hit Turret (11/14 armor remaining)!
- Fires SRM-6 at Zorya 2 (4 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement = 6): rolled 8, 4 missiles hit Right Side (7/9 armor remaining (CfMSD)), Front (11/15 armor remaining), Front (9/15 armor remaining), Front (7/15 armor remaining (Crit!))!

Manticore (LBX)
- Turret twists to threaten rear arc!
- Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Sylph Point (4 base + 4 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement - 1 cluster = 10): rolled 6, miss!

Challenger X
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Zorya 3 (4 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 5): rolled 10, hit Left Side (0/9 armor, 0/4 structure remaining)! Armor Breached! Vehicle destroyed!
- Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Zorya 3 (4 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods - 1 cluster = 4): rolled 8, 6 submunitions hit Front (3/15 armor remaining (CfMSD)), Right Side (8/9 armor remaining (CfMSD)), Front (2/15 armor remaining), Front (1/15 armor remaining), Front (0/15 armor remaining (Armor breached!)), Right Side (7/9 armor remaining (CfMSD))!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Zorya 3 (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods - 2 pulse laser = 6): rolled 9, hit Turret (5/14 armor remaining)! Crit!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Zorya 3 (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods - 2 pulse laser = 6): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires Artemis LRM-10 at Zorya 3 (4 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods + 2 minimum range = 7): rolled 5, miss!

Wasp
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 2116!
- Fires Medium Laser at Zorya 2 (4 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 7): rolled 7, hit Right Side (3/9 armor remaining)! CfMSD!
- Fires Small Laser at Zorya 2 (4 base + 2 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 9): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires Small Laser at Zorya 2 (4 base + 2 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 9): rolled 9, hit Rear (6/9 armor remaining)! CfMSD!
- Fires Flamer at Zorya 2 (4 base + 2 range + 3 movement + 0 enemy movement = 9): rolled 7, miss!
- Gains 14 heat, sinks 10!

Partisan 1
- Turret twists to threaten right arc!
- Fires Autocannon/5 at Anhur (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 11, hit Right Side (0/14 armor, 2/3 structure remaining)! Armor Breach! Crit!
- Fires Autocannon/5 at Anhur (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires Autocannon/5 at Anhur (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires Autocannon/5 at Anhur (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 11, hit Rotor (1/3 structure remaining)! Crit! CfMSD!

Hunter 1
- No Line of Sight to primary target Epona!
- Secondary target Sylph Point not in firing arc!
- No Line of Sight to tertiary target Horned Howl!
- Fires ER Large Laser at Donar (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 3 enemy movement = 11): rolled 8, miss!
- Fires Artemis LRM-15 at Donar (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 3 enemy movement = 11): rolled 7, miss!

Tokugawa 2
- Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Odin (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement - 1 cluster = 6): rolled 10, 6 submunitions hit Left Side (0/6 armor remaining (Armor breached!)), Left Side (1/2 structure remaining (Crit!)), Left Side (0/2 armor remaining (Vehicle destroyed!)), Left Side, Left Side, Left Side
- Fires Artemis SRM-6 at Hephaestus (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 7): rolled 5, miss!

Partisan 2
- Primary target destroyed!
- Secondary target destroyed!

Regulator
- Turret rotates to threaten Rear Arc!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Anhur (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 3, miss!

Drillson
- Fires Large Pulse Laser at Sylph point (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 7): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires Streak SRM-2 at Sylph point (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires Streak SRM-2 at Sylph point (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 6, miss!

PNT 10K2 Panther
- Primary target destroyed!
- No Line of Sight to secondary target!
- No Line of Sight to tertiary target!

Mobile Long Tom
- Holds fire!

Zorya 1
- Fires LB 5-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Manticore (LBX) (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods - 1 cluster = 9): rolled 12, 3 submunitions hit Right Side (27/34 armor remaining), Right Side (26/34 armor remaining), Right Side (25/34 armor remaining)!

Zorya 3
- Fires LB 5-X Autocannon (Cluster) at Tokugawa 2 (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement - 1 cluster = 4): rolled 6, 4 submunitions hit Turret (35/36 armor remaining), Left Side (32/33 armor remaining), Rear (25/26 armor remaining (CfMSD)), Left Side (31/33 armor remaining (Crit!))!

Mars Assault Vehicle
- Holds fire!

Anhur
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Manticore (LBX) (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 1 enemy movement = 6): rolled 9, hit Front (34/42 armor remaining)! CfMSD!
- Fires AP Gauss Rifle at Manticore (LBX) (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 1 enemy movement = 6): rolled 4, miss!

Donar
- Fires ER Large Laser at Drillson (4 base + 4 range + 1 movement + 3 enemy movement = 12): rolled 9, miss!

Horned Owl
- Fires Large Pulse Laser at Manticore (LBX) (4 base + 4 range + 3 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 10): rolled 11, hit Turret (32/42 armor remaining)!



End Phase
Zorya 2
- Chance for Motive System Damage! No damage sustained!
- Critical chance in Front! ECM Suite destroyed!
- Chance for Motive System Damage! Heavy damage (MP Halved, +3 penalty to driving)!
- Chance for Motive System Damage! No damage sustained!

Anhur
- Crew stunned by Armor Breach!
- Critical chance in Right Side! Crew stunned!
- MP reduced by Rotor damage
- Critical chance in Rotor! No damage sustained!
- Chance for Motive System Damage! Heavy damage (MP Halved, +3 penalty to piloting)!

Tokugawa 2
- Chance for Motive System Damage! Moderate damage (-1 mp, +2 penalty to driving)!
- Critical chance in Left Side! 8

Manticore (LBX)
- Chance for Motive System Damage! No damage sustained!



Next Turn’s Movement Phase
Athena Combat Vehicle
- High-speed turn in hex 2125!
- - Must pass a skidding test (5 base - 1 distance traveled = 4): rolled 6, succeeds!

Epona Pursuit Vehicle
- Designates Epona Pursuit Vehicle as Ace!








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 Saturday!