Part 640: Operation: Deserved Requital - Turn 13

Operation: Deserved Requital: Tactical Update 13

“Alright. Take your people and go.” Hauptmann Von Tonder’s voice was firm. Sweat dripped from the tip of his nose as he quietly baked in the Archer’s cockpit. He’d come out better than his men and even still he felt like he’d gone ten rounds with the Solaris champion. The quick, brutal battle had pushed men and machines to their limits, and all the same he felt a twinge of jealousy at how calm the Clan commander sounded about it all.

“But, sir!” Victoria Wähner cut in on the company line. “We’ve got them right where we want them!”

“None of you have any armor left, and our mission is complete. We need to recover our downed pilots. Before Saeder-Krupp has an opportunity to dump some new catastrophe in our laps. I think the enemy commander must feel the same way.” His eyes fell on the sleek v-shaped body of the enemy Battle Cobra. The Clan pilot had fallen silent, but was not maneuvering aggressively—undoubtedly she was defending her decision to her own forces. War was the same everywhere, it seemed.

Jacob’s radio crackled as the Battle Cobra twisted to face his Archer. “We are withdrawing, but this is not over for either of us. Lyran commander, tell me your name: I will face you in battle again and I will defeat you.”

Jacob grinned, not even bothering to zoom in on the Clan pilot. At this distance, at maximum zoom, she could probably count the pores on his face even through the glare off his transplex canopy. “It’s Jacob Von Tonder,” her bravado didn’t impress him. It was just Kurita-esque posturing. “I look forward to trouncing you again.”

“Then I declare Vendetta, Jacob Von Tonder” the Clan pilot turned away. “I, Izdihar Steiner, will be the one to defeat you.” Jacob’s radio fell silent for only a moment.

“Wait,” Victoria interjected. “Did she just say—”








[No Combat]




[n/a]



Player Status:




Ally? Status




Opposing Force Status:




Special Rules
Strict Zell – Clan Cloud Cobra is strictly following their Clan’s interpretation of Zellbrigen.
Buildings – Unless otherwise noted, all buildings are Light CF and level 2
Hidden Units – All player units count as hidden until an enemy unit establishes Line of Sight. Units which have lost ‘hidden’ status do not regain it.

House Rule
House Rule: Minimum Range – Rather than scaling based on distance, the minimum range penalty is fixed at +2



Primary Objectives
- Recover intercepted Clan HPG transmission data from the Saeder-Krupp Interstellar facility (Succeeded)!
- Extract Saeder-Krupp Interstellar personnel (canceled)
- - Outlast or destroy the Black Marauder (Succeeded)!

Secondary Objectives
- Protect the Green Knight (failed)
- - Do not destroy the Black Marauder (failed!)
- Extract if Necessary (0/4)



After-Action Report:
This mission was designed to end on turn 12 or 13 with the players battered to hell but alive, their objectives technically completed, and an overwhelming Clan force still on the field. That, ah—that didn’t happen. The Clans still could have won this, with so little armor in the northern lance and a relatively undamaged assault `Mech in the south, this fight was by no means over. That said—the players succeeded in their primary objectives and the highest ranking surviving Clanner just plain underestimated how good her position was. One pilot unconscious, one pilot not communicating after a head hit, an assault `Mech with unknown internal damage, and a leg that’s practically guaranteed to fall off in the next exchange? Those aren’t good odds. Withdrawing is the logical choice.

Who knows, we might even see her again.

MVP vote time!