Part 513: Laager - Turn 9

Laager: Tactical Update 9

It was the chance Chen Dong Chen had been waiting for: the enemy had vanished from their walls. Tattered banners bearing ComStar’s logo fluttered in the breeze and only the Catapult, leaping back to flank the Snake, exposed itself. Ivana would be breaching the front gate in moments and Chen had no desire to be mocked yet again for his machine’s lack of speed. He’d be there to support her the moment she broke into the compound, his Gauss Rifle at the enemy’s backs giving them something to think about. The walls were still too distant to leap over, but Chen Dong Chen had studied the orbital reconnaissance photos provided after a flyover by the Phoenix Project’s DropShip very closely. Lim Zhen Tu’s orders were to stay clear of the top of the wall, but by Chen’s estimation it should have been be more than wide enough at the top to accommodate a BattleMech.

He leapt. It was a risk, but Chen was experienced enough. He could always ease up on the throttle and land just outside the wall if needed. The top of the wall gleamed in soft white. He grinned, it looked more than wide enough for the Helio’s slab-shaped feet. It wasn’t until the heavy BattleMech’s “toes” touched down that Chen realized his mistake. The top of the wall was carefully painted to disguise its rounded outer edge. It ended not in a broad, flat surface but a narrow point that would’ve required a pilot of impossible skill to balance on. Chen wasn’t up to the task, his machine’s heels rolled down a surface cleverly designed to dump any would-be attackers back outside. His jets weren’t finished recharging but he feathered them anyway, spinning the Helios around to stop it from landing square on its head.

The Helios was a tough-enough design, a cruiser that shared the movement profile of the Yu Huang and Emperor “battleships” and Vindicator “destroyer escorts” it was designed to support. It had also been designed in a hurry to make use of technology stolen from the Free Worlds League, and like many first generation machines improvements would be made based on feedback from front-line pilots like Chen. Chen’s neurohelmet went silent as the Helios struck. BattleMechs were tough, even a three-story impact shouldn’t have been enough to do critical damage to one as durable as the Helios—and yet the impact had been sufficient to snap the power couplings linking the machine to its fusion engine. It was the kind of flaw only thorough testing would’ve caught. Exactly the kind of testing the Helios hadn’t undergone in the haste to get it to the front lines.








Movement Phase
BattleMaster (Player)
- Attempts to move into hex 1629, insufficient MP (needs 7, has 6)!
- - Movement ends in hex 1730!



Shooting Phase
BattleMaster (Player)
- Fires ER PPC at Brutus’s Front! No Line of Sight to target!
- Fires ER PPC at Brutus’s Front! No Line of Sight to target!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 34

Viking (Player)
- Repairs and Rearms!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 20

Catapult II (Player)
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Snake (4 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 3 enemy movement = 10): rolled 4, miss!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Snake (4 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 3 enemy movement = 10): rolled 10, hit Right Arm (5/10 armor remaining)!
- Gains 14 heat, sinks 20!

Legacy (Player)
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Brutus’s Front Armor (4 base + 2 range + 3 movement - 4 enemy movement = 5): rolled 8, rolls 10 to confirm, hits Left Side (12/27 armor remaining (CfMSD))!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Brutus’s Front Armor (4 base + 2 range + 3 movement - 4 enemy movement = 5): rolled 7, rolls 8 to confirm, hits Front (14/34 armor remaining)!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Brutus’s Front Armor (4 base + 4 range + 3 movement - 4 enemy movement = 7): rolled 7, rolls 5 to confirm, hits Front (9/34 armor remaining (CfMSD))!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Brutus’s Front Armor (4 base + 4 range + 3 movement - 4 enemy movement = 7): rolled 9, rolls 7 to confirm, hits Front (4/34 armor remaining)!
- Attempts to fire Streak SRM-2 at Snake, no Line of Sight to target!
- Gains 15 heat, sinks 20

“Light Autocannon” Turret 1625
- Fires TSEMP at Lao Hu (5 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 3 enemy movement = 8): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires TSEMP at Lao Hu (5 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 3 enemy movement = 8): rolled 7, miss!

“Light Autocannon” Turret 2021
- Fires TSEMP at Rifleman II (5 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 1 enemy movement = 6): rolled 7, hit!
- Fires TSEMP at Rifleman II (5 base + 0 range + 0 movement + 1 enemy movement = 6): rolled 8, hit!

Lao Hu
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 20!

Archer
- Fires Artemis LRM-15 at Catapult II (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 2 enemy movement = 10): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires Artemis LRM-15 at Catapult II (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 2 enemy movement = 10): rolled 6, miss!
Gains 14 heat, sinks 24!

Rifleman II
- Reverses arms!
- Fires Large Laser at Turret 2021 (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 2): automatic hit, Turret (7/15 armor remaining)!
- Fires Large Laser at Turret 2021 (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 2): automatic hit, Rear (7/15 armor remaining)!
- Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Slug) at Turret 2021 (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 2): automatic hit, Rear (0/15 armor, 0/2 structure remaining)! Turret destroyed!
- Fires LB 10-X Autocannon (Slug) at Turret 2021 (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 2): automatic hit, Rear!
- Gains 22 heat, sinks 28!

Huron Warrior
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Turret 1625 (4 base + 0 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement = 2): automatic hit, Left Side (0/15 armor remaining)!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Turret 1625 (4 base + 4 range + 2 movement - 4 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser= 4): rolled 10, hit Left Side (0/2 structure remaining)! Turret destroyed!
- Gains 7 heat, sinks 11!

Snake
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 1130!
- Fires LB-10X Autocannon (Cluster) at Catapult II (4 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 3 enemy movement - 1 Cluster = 9): rolled 7, miss!
- Gains 7 heat, sinks 22!

Helios
- Holds fire!
- Gains 4 heat, sinks 20!

Wolverine
- Holds fire!
- Gained 2 heat, sinks 24!

Brutus
- Fires Large Laser at Legacy (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 2 enemy movement = 10): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires Large Laser at Legacy (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 2 enemy movement = 10): rolled 9, miss!
- Fires LRM-20 at Legacy (4 base + 2 range + 0 movement + 2 enemy movement = 8): rolled 10, 6 missiles hit Right Torso (21/27 armor remaining), Left Torso (1/27 armor remaining)!

Brutus (PPC)
- Fires PPC at Catapult II (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 2 enemy movement = 10): rolled 3, miss!
- Fires PPC at Catapult II (4 base + 2 range + 2 movement + 2 enemy movement = 10): rolled 8, miss!

Demolisher (Gauss)
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Catapult II (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 11, hit Left Leg (5/20 armor remaining)!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Catapult II (4 base + 2 range + 1 movement + 2 enemy movement = 9): rolled 8, miss!



End Phase
Rifleman II
- Chance to Shut Down: rolled 5, no effect!
- Chance to Shut Down: rolled (10 + 1 second hit = 11), shuts down!



Physical Combat Phase:
Catapult II (Player)
- Kicks Snake (4 base + 3 movement + 3 enemy movement - 2 kick = 8): rolled 8, hit Left Leg (2/16 armor remaining)!



End Phase:
Snake
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (4 base + 0 kicked = 4): rolled 11, succeeds!



Turn End Phase:



Next Turn’s Movement Phase
Wolverine
- Activates MASC!

Helios
- Attempts to jump into hex 2128, but the landing is impossible!
- - Automatic fall into hex 2227 facing hex 2327!
- Suffers 18 damage in the fall to Right Leg (10/15 armor remaining), Center Torso (17/22 armor remaining (TAC!)), Right Torso (13/18 armor remaining), Left Arm (12/15 armor remaining)!
- Attempts to avoid pilot damage (4 base + 2 avoiding damage = 6): rolled 7, succeeds!
- Through-armor critical chance in Center Torso! 3 critical hits sustained!
- - Engine hit!
- - Engine hit!
- - Engine destroyed! `Mech destroyed!








Player Status:




Allied Status




Opposing Force Status:




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

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 Saturday!