Part 510: Laager - Turn 6

Laager: Tactical Update 6

Vassago’s systems flashed as targets moved in and out of view. The Capellan Confederation’s advance remained undaunted in the face of the Com Guards’ firepower. His crosshairs hovered over the Imperial purple and gold Von Luckner spearheading the advance of the enemy’s tank lance. Vassago’s missiles were still cycling, the steady ‘clunk, clunk, clunk’ of the loading mechanism as it fed missile after missile into his launch tubes was as reassuring as the electric hum of the massive capacitors for the Catapult’s TSEMP cannons, but all the same he wished they’d reload faster.

The Snake’s autocannon pocked the Viking’s armored hull with small explosions, doing little more than ruining the `Mech’s paint. The Viking’s sloped chest had been designed to deflect the brunt of a shot like that, and several unexploded submunitions glanced off to fall somewhere to the facility’s south. Vassago put them out of his mind even as Arakiel scoffed. Her missile bay doors snapped open as she fired another volley of missiles into the still distant Von Luckner.

“It’ll take more than that to—”

Arakiel cursed as nearly a full ton of the Viking’s convex armor shattered. The design worked well enough against small impacts and infantry weapons but a direct hit from a Gauss Rifle was something else entirely. The distant blister of a Demolisher tank waggled its turret as if saying ‘hello.’ Until recently the Demolisher, like the Von Luckner, had been one of the most feared machines on the battlefield. The swift evolution of the 31st century battlefield had left both murderous, punishing vehicles by the wayside. Unlike the Von Luckner however, the Demolisher’s frame had taken to Gauss Rifles like a noble took to politics. The Demolisher’s reputation as a crew-killer—the venerable tank ran so hot in combat it could bake its gunners alive in a matter of minutes—had given those same crews the impetus to upgrade or field-refit with whatever gauss rifles they could beg, borrow, or outright steal. The resulting refit had done more than make the aging machine comfortable for its crew.

The Demolisher had always had teeth. What it’d never had was range. With a pair of gauss rifles replacing the heavy autocannon, the Demolisher was once again relevant.

Vassago’s lock flashed green as his launchers finished reloading. His thumb hovered on the trigger as he sought the best angle to take his shot. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end—the way it did whenever he fired the Catapult’s TSEMP cannons—and suddenly uncomfortable, he glanced up. His body tensed, thumb stabbing down on the primary target interlock circuit. It wasn’t often one stared down the barrel of a charging PPC. Vassago’s first time, in fact. He jerked his control stick, rocking the Catapult sloppily to the side just as the Brutus nearly hidden behind the armored bulk of the Von Luckner fired on him.

Armor plating on the Catapult’s right breast blackened and exploded as the tank’s PPC caught him less than a meter behind the cockpit. Without his last minute twist, it would’ve caught nothing but transplex, and as tough as the armored glass was it was no match for a PPC.

“Blake’s blood,” Vassago hissed, his body icy cold. The rush of adrenaline brought quiver to his hands that took a moment of concentration to still.






PTN’s notes: Please disregard the yellow movement lines, they’re from last turn. Well, technically this turn, but you know what I mean. I screwed up.



Shooting Phase
BattleMaster (Player)
- Fires ER PPC at Von Luckner (4 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 11, hit Front (16/41 armor remaining)!
- Fires ER PPC at Von Luckner (4 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 6, miss!
- Gains 30 heat, sinks 34

Viking (Player)
- Fires Artemis IV LRM-20 at Von Luckner (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 7): rolled 7, 16 missiles hit Turret (40/45 armor remaining), Front (11/41 armor remaining (TAC)), Turret (35/40 armor remaining), Left Side (29/30 armor remaining (CfMSD))!
- Fires Artemis IV LRM-15 at Von Luckner (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 7): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires Artemis IV LRM-15 at Von Luckner (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 7): rolled 7, 12 missiles hit Front (6/41 armor remaining), Right Side (15/30 armor remaining (CfMSD)), Left Side (27/30 armor remaining (CfMSD))!
- Fires Artemis IV LRM-15 at Von Luckner (4 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 7): rolled 3, miss!
- Gains 23 heat, sinks 20

Catapult II (Player)
- Fires LRM-20 at Von Luckner (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires LRM-20 at Von Luckner (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 2, miss!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Huron Warrior (4 base + 4 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 11): rolled 10, miss!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Huron Warrior (4 base + 4 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 11): rolled 7, miss!
- Gains 23 heat, sinks 20! Overheating!

Legacy (Player)
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 1928!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Von Luckner (4 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 2, miss!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Von Luckner (4 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Brutus (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 secondary target = 10): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Brutus (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 secondary target = 10): rolled 10, hit Front (29/34 armor remaining)! CfMSD!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 20

Lao Hu
- Holds fire!
- Gains 1 heat, sinks 20!

Cataphract
- Fires ER PPC at BattleMaster (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 light woods + 1 partial cover = 13): automatic miss!
- Gains 15 heat, sinks 32!

Archer
- Holds fire!
Gains 2 heat, sinks 24!

Rifleman II
- Holds fire!

Huron Warrior
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 0416!
- Fires ER Large Laser at Gate 1628 (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement - 4 target movement = 6): rolled 5, miss!
- Gains 14 heat, sinks 11!

Snake
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 0917!
- Fires LB-10X Autocannon (Cluster) at Viking (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover - 1 cluster = 8): rolled 9, 6 submunitions hit Right Torso (30/31 armor remaining), Center Torso (32/33 armor remaining), Right Arm (29/30 armor remaining), Center Torso (31/33 armor remaining), Right Arm (28/30 armor remaining), Left Arm (29/30 armor remaining)!
- Gains 4 heat, sinks 22!

Helios
- Holds fire!

Wolverine
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 0916!
- Fires ER Large Laser at Gate 1628 (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 6): rolled 9, hit (132/140 CF remaining)!
- Fires ER Large Laser at Gate 1628 (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 6): rolled 7, hit (124/140 CF remaining)!
- Gained 26 heat, sinks 24!

Von Luckner
- Fires Autocannon/20 at Viking (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover = 11): rolled 3, miss!
- Fires SRM-6 at Viking (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover = 11): rolled 9, miss!
- Fires SRM-6 at Viking (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover = 11): rolled 6, miss!
- Fires SRM-4 at Viking (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover = 11): rolled 12, 2 missiles hit Right Arm (26/30 armor remaining), Right Leg (damage blocked)!

Brutus
- Fires Large Laser at Gate 1628 (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 4): rolled 7, hit (116/140 CF remaining)!
- Fires Large Laser at Gate 1628 (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 4): rolled 10, hit (108/140 CF remaining)!
- Fires LRM-20 at Gate 1628 (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 4): rolled 7, 20 missiles hit (88/140 CF remaining)!

Brutus (PPC)
- Fires PPC at Catapult II (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover = 9): rolled 6, miss!
- Fires PPC at Catapult II (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover = 9): rolled 10, hit Head! Edge burned!
- - hit Right Torso (10/20 armor remaining)!

Demolisher (Gauss)
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Viking (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover = 9): rolled 9, hit Right Torso (15/31 armor remaining)!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Viking (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover = 9): rolled 6, miss!



End Phase
Von Luckner
- Through-armor critical chance in Front!
- - Flamer malfunctions!
- Chance for Motive System Damage!
- - No damage!
- Chance for Motive System Damage!
- - Minor damage, +1 penalty to driving!
- Chance for Motive System Damage!
- - No damage!

Brutus
- Chance for Motive System Damage!
- - Vehicle immobilized!



Next Turn’s Movement Phase
Cataphract
- Activates MASC!








Player Status:




Allied Status




Opposing Force Status:




Mission Objective:
- Hurt them (0/3)
- - Hurt them more (0/6)
- - - Teach them the Word (0/9)

Secondary Objectives:
- Defend the Turret Control Tower (0/1)
- Defend the Administration Building (0/1)
- Keep enemy `Mechs out of the `Mechbay (0/1)



Special Rules:
Construction Zones – Unless the hex states otherwise, all construction zones count as light woods.

Reload Point – ComStar’s technicians are very motivated and have six tons of LRM reloads available. They can reload 2 tons of LRM ammo per turn spent inside the Mechbay. The Legacy isn’t built for quick reloads, but the technicians may be able to supply it with one additional ton of gauss rifle ammo. If only one `Mech is in the Mechbay the technicians will also replace damaged armor plates, restoring the armor on all damaged sections up to the nearest multiple of 5. If a section is already at a multiple of five, its armor cannot be restored.

Hidden Assets – The light autocannon turrets are currently in low-power standby mode. ComStar has always maintained up rumors that the power grid supporting them is incomplete or somehow insufficient to power them. They will not open fire until at least two players request their activation on the same turn. This deception may be detected by enemy units with a Beagle Active Probe.



Orders Due: Midnight Tuesday!