Part 580: Nergal Reactor - Turn 2

Nergal Reactor: Tactical Update 2

Brackish water sluicing from her Phoenix Hawk’s domed head, Noretti’s `Mech breached the surface like some coastal leviathan. She cast about, trying to take stock of the—it was still so hard to think of her own Clan as the enemy—force. The water dragged at her every moment, pulling at her `Mech’s slender legs and eating away at the machine’s speed. She hated fighting in the water, and it rankled to much wait in ambush to strike an unsuspecting target on the flank. A Warhawk stalked along the beach not far distant and she scrambled to take cover—but in a display of utter contempt the enemy pilot twisted an arm and scoured armor from the Phoenix Hawk’s center torso with a single brilliant shot. Her `Mech rang like a bell as she strained to make out its unit insignia.

“Remember I want that Phoenix Hawk back, Noretti,” Jason chastised her. He didn’t understand. That hit had been ordained from the moment she’d stepped from the relative safety of the riverbed.

“Jason,” his freeborn surname caught in her throat, “We are in trouble.”

“The battle’s barely started, Noretti,” he sounded distracted. Likely still familiarizing himself with the Republic’s alien power armor controls. The setup was as impressive as the technology was distressing—it was as though House Amaris was simply toying with her Clan, presenting them the fight they thought they wanted while slowly, steadily giving them more fight than they could handle. “It’s a bit too early to get fatalistic.”

“No, you do not understand,” she pressed. “We are no longer facing the Snow Ravens and I need to make sure you understand that the Clans do not all fight the same way. The Blue and Green patterns are from the Sea Fox Beta Galaxy, the Sea Foxes are renowned for their viciousness. They do not follow the Clan rules of warfare and unless an opponent impresses them greatly they have absolutely no qualms about grinding it down with massed firepower.”

“They fight like we do, then,” Jason chuckled.

“My warning is unfinished. The unit we face is as unlike a standard Clan front-line battle trinary as—as—savashri, hell with this. The unit we face is Clan Sea Fox’s 197th Assault Trinary, of the Pearl Skate. The command element of Beta Galaxy and one of the most elite units in Clan Sea Fox. You will not find a `Mech in that trinary that does not sport the Shark’s Teeth, which a pilot can only add after a confirmed enemy pilot kill. They are specialized shock troops who excel not only in staging ambushes but in thwarting the same. I know I am not privy to whatever deception Stefan Amaris has prepared to aid us for this battle, but it will not be enough.”

“Unfortunately, even if you’re right we’ll have to leave that to our contractor to decide,” Jason replied. “So keep it together.”

“She’s not wrong, Jason,” Bethany interjected. “I’ve been running the numbers in my head and even with the Republic’s firepower we’re badly outgunned. I hope whatever Amaris has planned is one hell of an equalizer, or you’ll be learning comlang by the end of the day.”








Movement Phase
Mountain Lion
- Shield set to: Active!

Wild Weasel
- Activates Ghost Targets (4 base + 2 Ghost Targets = 6): rolled 7, MOS: 0!
- Activates Ghost Targets (4 base + 2 Ghost Targets = 6): rolled 8, MOS: 1!



Shooting Phase
Atlas III (Player)
- No Orders Received
- Gains 0 heat, sinks 24!

Awesome (Player)
- Fires rER PPC at Varangian Undertow (3 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 10): rolled 5, miss!
- Fires rER PPC at Varangian Undertow (3 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 10): rolled 3, miss!
- Gains 32 heat, sinks 50!

Grasshopper (Player)
- Holds Fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 30!

Lament (Player)
- Fires rER PPC at Swordbreaker Storm Surge (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 1 enemy movement + 2 light woods + 1 partial cover = 12): rolled 7, miss!
- Fires rER PPC at Swordbreaker Storm Surge (4 base + 4 range + 0 movement + 1 enemy movement + 2 light woods + 1 partial cover = 12): rolled 8, miss!
- Gains 30 heat, sinks 32!

Copperhead Gamma (Player)
- No Orders Received
- Gains 0 heat, sinks 24!

Mountain Lion (Player)
- Holds Fire!
- Gains 1 heat, sinks 26!

Coyote (Player)
- Holds Fire!
- Gains 0 heat, sinks 40!

Hunchback #1 (Player)
- Holds Fire!
- Gains 0 heat, sinks 20!

Hunchback #2 (Player)
- Holds Fire!
- Gains 0 heat, sinks 10!

Screamer (Player)
- Holds fire!
- Gains 5 heat, sinks 25!

Bobcat (Player)
- No Orders Received!
- Gains 0 heat, sinks 26!

Beowulf (Player)
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 24!

Wild Weasel (Player)
- Fires LRM-20 w/Artemis IV (Smoke) at Hex 1809 (3 base + 2 range + 1 movement - 4 immobile target = 2): Automatically hit!
- Gains 7 heat, sinks 22!

Phoenix Hawk (Player)
- Firing orders ignored: no reason given for attempting to start incidental fires!
- Gains 10 heat, sinks 20!

Varangian Undertow
- Fires ER Large Laser at Awesome (2 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 10): rolled 6, miss!
- Fires ER Large Laser at Awesome (2 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 1 enemy movement + 1 light woods = 10): rolled 3, miss!
- Gains 26 heat, sinks 40!

Ragnarok Beta
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 28!

Unknown `Mech Alpha
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 36!

Warhawk Riptide
- Fires Large Pulse Laser at Phoenix Hawk (2 base + 4 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 partial cover - 2 pulse laser - 1 targeting computer = 6): rolled 7, hit Center Torso (12/22 armor remaining)!
- Gains 12 heat, sinks 44!

Sohei Gamma
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 32!

Wolf Spider Eta
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 50!

Night Gyr Epsilon
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 24!

Nidhogg Eta
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 32!

Crossbow Alpha
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 24!

Crossbow Beta
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 24!

Naga Alpha
- Fires Arrow IV (Smoke) at hex 2534 (4 base + 7 indirect fire = 11): rolled 8, shot scatters 3 hexes!
- - Arrow IV (Smoke) scatters into hex 2533!
- - Arrow IV (Smoke) scatters into hex 2532!
- - Arrow IV (Smoke) lands in hex 2531!
- Fires Arrow IV (FASCAM)!
- Gains 22 heat, sinks 24!

Swordbreaker Storm Surge
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 38!

Thunderchild Razormaw
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 20!

Shadowcat Eta
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 28!

Viper Ocean Breeze
- Holds fire!
- Gains 2 heat, sinks 24!

Nergal Reactor
- Reactor Output: 20%



Next Turn’s Movement Phase
Sohei Gamma
- Jumps into swamp hex 2006, automatically bogged down!

Night Gyr Epsilon
- Jumps into swamp hex 2006, automatically bogged down!









Player Status:




Opposing Force Status:




House Rule: Flooding Sucks – An armor breach underwater no longer destroys hit locations outright. A section that floods instead suffers damage to all weapons in that location, knocking them offline. All ammunition or special equipment in a flooded section is likewise rendered useless. Head armor breaches are treated as normal.



Primary Objectives
- Lure the Clans near the Nergal Reactor (0/1)
- Stay close to the Nergal Reactor (0/1)

Secondary Objectives
- Accrue Bounty (0 c-bills / 0 goods)
- - Light `Mechs: 1,000,000 c-bills
- - Medium `Mechs: 2,000,000 c-bills
- - Heavy `Mechs: 3,000,000 c-bills
- - Assault `Mechs: 4,000,000 c-bills
- - Infantry Units: 250,000 c-bills
- - Battle Armor Units: 1,000,000 c-bills
- - AeroSpace Fighters: 2,000,000 c-bills

- Last Mission’s Total Bounty: 62,300,000 c-bills (93,450,000 goods)
- Total Accumulated Bounty: 62,300,000 c-bills (93,450,000 goods)



Orders Due: Midnight Saturday!