Part 537: Rise of the Phoenix - Turn 14

Rise of the Phoenix: Tactical Update 14

Retro thrusters flared silently as a K-1 DropShuttle slowed for final approach. The smallest vessel capable of docking with a JumpShip, the K-1 cost about as much as an Atlas and weighed twice as much. They were rare anymore, with JumpShips so uncommon. Hopping a K-1 to shuttle over to the next system over might’ve been a common thing for the wealthy of the old Terran Hegemony, but after the fall of the Star League most had been relegated to in-system use, shuttling crews out to asteroid mines or slowly towing water-ice comets. A soft ping rattled the Tianlong in its docking collar as the JumpShip’s docking clamps locked the little K-1 in place.

“Well,” Sang-jiang-jun James Teng murmured, more to himself than to his company. “At least we know the ‘broken chess master’ can fly a shuttle.”

“Be careful where you sling those stones,” the mousy little man called Xuan Wu replied, adjusting his round-rimmed spectacles. “It was following your directives, and Liu Bei won’t be pleased to hear you disparaging his work. An experiment like his is neither made nor broken on the first test.”

The Strategic Military Director of the whole of the Capellan Confederation frowned. He commanded every Confederation military unit save the Death Commandos and the Warrior Houses, who answered to the Chancellor directly. But Xuan Wu and his associates had Chairman Xiang’s full support. They could very easily spin this failure into active meddling on Teng’s part even though they’d invited him to review the strategy they’d programmed into the Phoenix, the massive computer that occupied 95% of the K-1 shuttle.

The Phoenix was essentially a combat simulator writ large, or so it’d been sold to him. It was based on something Liu Bei had called the ‘Caspar’ system, an old Star League defensive weapon that supplemented human pilots with unpiloted drones. If Teng understood the system as well as he thought, an array of cheap but efficient laser-com satellites in orbit had relayed the Phoenix’s orders to the expendable troops at its command. Laser-based communications were impossible to jam, but they required far more precision than Teng considered practical. The Phoenix had proven surprisingly capable in that regard: since it knew precisely where every one of its `Mechs were going to move, it was able to adjust the satellite targeting matrixes on the fly to keep all of its machines in play.

Teng had feared issues with latency, but in practice the Phoenix’s active statistical analysis of the likelihood of individual targets attempting specific maneuvers helped to minimize the actual delay. In practice, the Phoenix’s processing delays weren’t significantly worse than those of a live pilot, and when reduced to a single machine the Phoenix had simply taken over for the `Mech’s DI computer and done all the target processing itself. The project might have some merit as a guerilla force, somewhere where the battlefield itself could be tightly controlled, but as far as Teng was concerned it was a showy and expensive sideshow.

“Your OmniMechs did not perform as I expected,” Teng countered at last, tugging at the hem of his uniform shirt. It had a tendency to drift upwards in microgravity, and while a JumpShip’s station keeping thrusters were more than sufficient to fake a little gravity that wasn’t their intended role.

“I’ll remind the director that they’re prototypes,” Xuan Wu’s response was immediate, as though the protest had been anticipated. “They’re not production models, and while OmniMechs are a superior `Mech, they’re not super-`Mechs. It still takes tactics to win fights with one and experience to make a good one. And experience is something the Confederation sorely lacks. The Warhammers were always exceptionally ambitious machines unlikely to ever enter full production. Unless we manage to take the Free Worlds League’s manufacturing centers, that is.”

Xuan Wu paused for a moment to adjust his glasses once more. “You’ll undoubtedly be pleased to note that Hellespont has begun production of the lower-technology Men Shen design we aided them with, so the idea of OmniMechs and quick refits in the field won’t be completely alien to your pilots. I’m also told that the first production-model Crusader has stepped off the first operational factory line on Outreach. It’s earmarked for the Death Commandos,” Xuan Wu leaned in conspiratorially. Teng knew that Xuan Wu was manipulating him, but his ancestral machine was a Crusader.

“I’m certain we can arrange to let you pilot it once we arrive,” Xuan Wu finished. “We always appreciate feedback from experts.”

“They still failed to stop the enemy from escaping,” Teng brought up once again. “The Tenth Liao Lancers are scrambling aerospace fighters to intercept, but unless they linger like fools they’re certain to escape. What happens when they bring word of what they faced to the leaders of the Free Worlds League?”

“They won’t have any idea what they faced,” Xuan waved a hand dismissively, as though trying to dissipate a foul stench. “And even if we lose Abadan they’ll find no trace of the project facilities. We’ve already moved the bulk of our work to Outreach. Besides, the impending communications blackout will give us plenty of time to bring our production online in secret. The rest of the Inner Sphere isn’t going to know what hit it,” Xuan Wu smiled, his lips curling over perfect white teeth in an expression as menacing as it was alien. “Not until it’s far too late.”








Shooting Phase
Movement Phase
Guillotine (Player)
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (4 base + 3 gyro hit + 0 jumped = 7): rolled 5, fails!
- Falls in hex 1912, facing hex 1811!
- - Suffers 7 damage in the fall to Center Torso (0/22 structure remaining (`Mech destroyed!)), Center Torso!



Shooting Phase
Gallowglas (Player)
- Fires ER PPC at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (3 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 4 enemy movement + 2 glare = 12): rolled 10, miss!
- Fires Large Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (3 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 4 enemy movement + 2 glare = 12): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires Large Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (3 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 4 enemy movement + 2 glare = 12): rolled 10, miss!
- Gains 39 heat, sinks 34! Overheating!

Archer (Player)
- Fires LRM-20 w/Artemis IV at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 4 enemy movement = 7): rolled 7, 16 missiles hit Center Torso (18/28 armor remaining), Right Torso (4/19 armor remaining), Center Torso (13/28 armor remaining), Right Torso (3/19 armor remaining)!
- Fires Medium Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 4 enemy movement = 7): rolled 10, hit Center Torso (8/28 armor remaining)!
- Fires Medium Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 4 enemy movement = 7): rolled 11, hit Left Arm (0/18 armor, 7/9 structure remaining)! Crit!
- Fires Medium Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long but the target is not in the rear firing arc!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 20!

Wolverine II (Player)
- Spots Shadow Hawk Qing Long for Timberwolf H!
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 1915!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 4 enemy movement + 2 minimum range = 11): rolled 9, miss!
- Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 4 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 7): rolled 10, hit Left Torso (6/19 armor remaining)!
- Fires SRM-6 w/Artemis IV at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 4 enemy movement = 9): rolled 8, miss!
- Gains 14 heat, sinks 20!

King Cobra (Player)
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 1914!
- Fires Gauss Rifle at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (3 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 4 enemy movement + 2 minimum range = 10): rolled 10, hit Center Torso (0/28 armor, 11/18 structure remaining)! Crit!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (3 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 4 enemy movement = 8): rolled 9, hit Left Leg (3/13 structure remaining)! Crit!
- Fires Flamer at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (3 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 4 enemy movement = 8): rolled 6, miss!
- Fires Streak SRM-6 at Shadow Hawk Qing Long but the target is not in the front arc, fails to lock-on!
- Fires Streak SRM-6 at Shadow Hawk Qing Long but the target is not in the front arc, fails to lock-on!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 26!

Timber Wolf H (Player)
- Fires Heavy Large Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 4 enemy movement + 0 glare ignored = 8): rolled 10, hit Center Torso (0/18 structure remaining)! `Mech destroyed!
- Fires LRM-20 w/Artemis IV at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 4 enemy movement + 0 glare ignored = 8): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires LRM-20 w/Artemis IV at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 4 enemy movement + 0 glare ignored = 8): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires ER Small Large Laser at Shadow Hawk Qing Long (2 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 4 enemy movement + 0 glare ignored = 12): rolled 6, miss!
- Gains 34 heat, sinks 36!

Shadow Hawk Qing Long (Blue)
- Torso-twists to threaten hex 2115!
- Fires Large X-Pulse Laser at Archer (1 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 1 enemy movement - 2 pulse laser = 3): rolled 7, hit Center Torso (17/33 armor remaining)!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Archer (1 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 1 enemy movement = 5): rolled 8, hit Center Torso (12/33 armor remaining)!
- Fires ER Medium Laser at Archer (1 base + 0 range + 3 movement + 1 enemy movement = 5): rolled 6, hit Left Torso (5/15 structure remaining)! Crit!



End Phase
Shadow Hawk Qing Long
- Critical chance in Left Arm! No critical hits sustained!
- Critical chance in Left Leg! No critical hits sustained!

Archer
- Critical chance in Left Torso! 1 critical hit sustained!
- - LRM-20 ammo hit! LRM-20 ammo explodes!
- - - Pilot suffers 2 hits in an ammunition explosion!
- Archer suffers 40 damage to Left Torso (0/15 structure remaining)!
- - 35 damage vented safely by CASE!
- Must pass a 7+ consciousness test: rolled 5, fails!
- Must pass a piloting test or fall (3 base + 1 massive damage = 4): automatic failure!
- Archer falls in hex 2216, facing hex 2217!
- - Suffers 7 damage in the fall to Center Torso (8/33 armor remaining), Center Torso (6/33 armor remaining)








Player Status:




Opposing Force Status:




Special Rules:
Glare – Any unit standing above level 0 suffers a -2 penalty due to intense sunlight reflecting off the local rocks. All units attacking a unit standing above level 0 suffer a -1 penalty due to intense sunlight reflecting off the target unit. These penalties stack.

Sole Survivor – The last remaining enemy is fighting with unparalleled ferocity.



Mission Objective:
- Destroy the Enemy (0/1)



After-Action Report:
That lasted longer than I expected. This map was set up to punish highly defensive play, but in hindsight that may not have been obvious. I made a mistake in the set-up giving myself a mobility advantage, which I think convinced the players that they had no way to move past my forces. They still won with good tactics and careful play, but I’d been expecting a hard push like this:



I wasn’t counting on Carlos and his people hunkering down, or the Corsairs taking the extra time at the start to link up. The trigger for the ‘breakthrough’ objective was getting Carlos half way across the map with a Corsair nearby. Nearby is defined vaguely, since it really means ‘closer than any of the enemy `Mechs.’ That’s maybe another point I could’ve been clearer on, I suppose. I wasn’t expecting this to turn into a deathmatch but nobody had any questions about the objective so… I did something stupid and assumed it was fairly clear.

I made one other mistake when I made the map. I was expecting the Corsairs to be far more willing to split up and push to throw the Capellans into disarray. That’s largely why I made the southern ridgeline so easy to cross, but I probably should’ve made the glare penalty lower or given more people the ability to reduce or ignore it somehow. I wasn’t expecting the players to avoid the high ground entirely.

What I really should have done was put a gap right around here:



I’m still not sure the Corsairs would have split up like I was expecting, but doing so would’ve taken a lot of pressure off of Carlos right at the start. If I’d wanted to, with the Corsairs delaying a bit to link up, I might've been able to leave just the Bai Hu to harass them and moved on Carlos’s forces with nine `Mechs. That would’ve been unfun for the players and boring to watch (see also: why I didn’t hang out at 15 hexes sniping with the Qing Long). So in spite of my map-making screw-ups I’m pretty happy with how this mission unfolded!

MVP vote time!