Human Edge

Situation: The Lion deployed not far from the northern end of the canyon which hides Jacob's Redoubt, disgorging its cargo of mechs and tanks under the cover of its guns. As the enemy began to push down the canyon, they would have to pass through an extremely steep region where it might be possible to spring an ambush and bloody their nose. It was critical to stall the enemy here so that the defenses could be fully activated as undetected malfunctions had rendered many of the base guns inoperable, and even now, the techs were desperately trying to bring them online. Until they did, the company would have to hold in this switchback.

Participants: Up to One Combat Lance + Trainee reinforcements.

Rules: This is a combat thread. There is a very real risk of dispossession, injury, or death. The battle takes place under cover of darkness and relying upon sensors for visuals, as well as under heavy snowfall. This inflicts a -1 accuracy penalty to all shots, along with steadily less stable ground - if the battle drags on too long, the ground will grow treacherous, slowing down mechs substantially and increasing the risk of falling. Starting on Turn 5, the techs will make rolls to attempt to fix the guns, giving the green light for allied forces to fall back into the reinforced position of Jacob's Redoubt, escaping off the southern board edge.

Objectives: The goal is to stop any enemy units from escaping from the southern board edge before the guns are online, and to then safely withdraw from the southern map edge.

As the first contacts appeared on scopes, it looked like a group of mechs was escorting the leading elements of the hostile caravan around the bend toward the allied defensive position - with a few leaping high to get a better look. The lead of the column accelerated as they detected the defenders, and sensors indicated there were quite a few more on the way.

The two junior mechwarriors, moved into the Ostsol and Falcon, showed a certain nervousness in their movements, twitchy adjustments to the stance of their mechs, while Yuri, in the path of the enemy, was rock still.


-------- Situation -----

Warhammer -- No damage -- 0 Heat
Osprey -- No damage -- 0 heat
Griffin -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Ostsol -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Falcon -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Grand Dragon -- No Damage -- 0 Heat

Hostile Status -

Charger -- +2
Dragon -- +1
Jenner -- +2
Griffin -- +2
Laser Carrier -- +0
SRM Carrier -- +0
Vedette -- +1
Vedette #2 -- +1

“How are we wanting to be playing this Herr Yuri?”
Maja was all rugged up in her cockpit, resigned to the new mech never really getting warm

“Open fire and then be slowly pulling back, yes? Without the flying jets I am not one for the duels high up with their lights.”

As she speaks the Warhammer stomps forward, it’s two huge cannons slowly turning to the front of the enemy column before roaring into life with the bright blue flash of PPC

((Walk to 1208 and then PPCs, medium lasers and the srm at the lead Charger.))

As the ambush kicked off, the vehicles opened fire, the Laser Carrier lighting up the night with a blinding display as 8 lasers bracketed, but did not hit, the Grand Dragon. The Dragon and Griffin both fired long range shots but couldn't score any hits.

Felicity, jumping to a better vantage point, targeted the hostile Griffin, firing a shot. While there could only be one... this time she didn't make that jest a reality, and the ER PPC crackled away into the earth harmlessly. Snorri also leapt upward, gaining a better view and firing 10 LRMs and a gauss slug at the Dragon, the LRMs fell short, but the slug skipped off the side armor with a deafening gong sound, ripping away a large chunk of armor with the force of the impact (Hit CT, glancing, 7 damage)

Yuri, perhaps annoyed, fired back that the Laser Carrier, his PPC flaying off armor and then 8 SRMs spiraling out, most missing but 2 smacking in and tearing apart tires (Hit FR+FR+LS, 10+2+2 damage, crit motive system). Maja, steadying herself, focused her fire on the Charger as it thundered closer, twin PPC volleys, twin medium lasers, and 6 SRMs all reaching out... most missing, but a PPC and laser did catch the left arm as it ran (Hit LA+LA, 10+5 damage)

More enemies kept coming as the convoy pushed forward - the cold air draining heat off the combatants abnormally fast. There was a howl in the dark air as the Vulcan Aerospace fighter arced toward the fight, looking for an exposed target.


-------- Situation ---------

Warhammer -- No damage -- 0 Heat
Osprey -- No damage -- 0 heat
Griffin -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Ostsol -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Falcon -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Grand Dragon -- No Damage -- 0 Heat

Hostile Status -

Charger -- +2
Dragon -- +2
Jenner -- +2
Griffin -- +3
Laser Carrier -- +0
SRM Carrier -- +0
Vedette -- +1
Vedette #2 -- +0-
Catapult -- +1
Enforcer -- +1
Trebuchet -- +1
Jagermech -- +1

There’s a loud curse.

“This stupid is right on charging, what is this?”
Maja and the Warhammer do their best to ponderously dodge backwards as she lines up all her weapons on the charger before hammering the big red fire button. Stupid charger mech, who fought like this?

((Walk to 1110 with optimal facing to walk down the ledge, then every single weapon on that charger. And if we can turn t he flashlight on this turn for a turn and then then it off next turn, maybe that too.))

((

Felicity hastily opened up her comms as more enemies appeared. "First Sergeant, Major, you're very far forward. They have more coming. A Catapult, Trebuchet, Jagermech and an Enforcer just showed up. Suggest you disengage and use the valleys instead of trying to bottleneck." Felicity was worried Maja and Yuri would be overwhelmed before too long if they stayed right in the middle of the oncoming wave of enemies. They needed to use the high ground.

Felicity jumped her mech to a better position to give fire support against the Charger, while blocking most of the rest of the enemy from seeing her.

(Jump to 0610 facing NE. Fire ERPPC at the Charger)

The fight carried on as the Vulanc aerospace fighter howled ovehead, the Jagermech pivoting and firing four bursts of lead after it, twin streams of autocannon fire clipping the left wing and shattering armor (Hit LWG, 7 damage). The Vedettes opened fire with their turrets, missing, and the Dragon fired all it had at Yuri - a laser landing a scoring blow (hit CT, 5 damage), followed by twin volleys of LRMs raining down from the Catapult (Hit RA+CT+LL, 5+4+5 damage) The Griffin turned and fired at the Falcon which had stayed stead to aim, scoring a volley of LRMs as well (hit CT+RT, 5+3 damage). The Charger opened fire with 5 ruby beams, but they all missed, the angry pilot unable to connect his furious charge against Maja as she backed her mech away.

The Jenner turn and fired at Yuri as he began to climb the hillside, the Dragon nimbly climbing the steep rock face, and as lasers and missile blew away rock and ice, 2 lasers hit the Grand Dragon a glancing blow (hit RL, 4 damage).

Maja, backing away, opened fire with every weapon on the Warhammer, burying most of the shots into the cliffside, but medium lasers carved into the arm and torso, and 4 SRMs slammed home (Hit LA+CT+LT+RL+RT, 5+4+2+2+5 damage, crit upper arm) showering away armor and structure, fusing the shoulder of the Left Arm. Moments later, Felicty drilled the ER PPC blast into the torso of the Assault mech (Hit RT, 10 damage). From its perch, the Falcon aimed down at an advancing tank and fired, two lasers melting snow and the Snub Nosed PPC smashing into the Vedette#2 (hit FR, 10 damage, crit motive system).

Snorri had no real good shots, so he only risked LRM ammo by firing a volley that was blown by the wind into the cliffside.

Yuri pivoted his Grand Dragon, drawing a bead on the older model Dragon opposing them, then fired his PPC, twin flickering emerald beams, and 8 SRMs leaping from the bulbous chest of his mech. The PPC fell short, but twin flickering darts of emerald energy scored the Dragon's armor, and 3 SRMs impacted across it. (Hit LT+LA+RA+LT+LA, 3+6+2+2+2 damage)

Alexei, seeing his chance, dipped the nose of his craft, sending twin energy beams, lost in the snow, and then a spiraling volley of SRMs and autocannon shells from the guns mounted in each wing, the raining fusillade tearing into the Jenner and sending the mech tumbling to the ground. (Hit CTR+LL, 8+10 damage, crit lower leg, crit gyro) The small mech landed in the snow with a solid 'fwump'. (Hit CT, 4 damage, pilot injured)

Over the comms, they could hear an enemy voice - the charger pilot had to switch to an open channel as the ECM scrambled his unit comms. "These bastards are in some kind of Royal Battlemechs! They must've found a real trove! Try not to destroy the mechs when you kill them!"

-------- Situation ---------

Warhammer -- No damage -- 0 Heat
Osprey -- No damage -- 0 heat
Griffin -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Ostsol -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Falcon -- Minor Damage -- 0 Heat
Grand Dragon -- Light Damage -- 0 Heat

Hostile Status -

Charger -- +0
Dragon -- +1
Jenner -- +1
Griffin -- +3
Laser Carrier -- +0
SRM Carrier -- +0
Vedette -- +0
Vedette #2 -- +0-
Catapult -- +0
Enforcer -- +1
Trebuchet -- +2
Jagermech -- +1
Bulldog -- +0
Bulldog #2 -- +0
Schrek PPC Carrier -- +0
Schrek PPC Carrier#2 -- +0

"That Jenner seems to have a death wish." By Snorri's eye, it was the only machine which currently had eyes on him, and that made it a juicy target. "I'm going to oblige it"

Snorri kicks on the wamup for the Osprey's weapon systems, marveling at the sheer number. "Let's see what we can do here"

-----
No movement
Firing 3 medium lasers ang gauss rifle at the Jenner at 1409

"Falcon, fall back. Eklund, I'm going to distract the Charger; use this change to pull back."

Here goes nothing.

Felicity triggered the jump jets of her new mech. This was risky, but nonetheless she was grinning. The knowledge of what she was about to do, and how the ECM was going to really mess up their communications, were giving her a real high. Of course the air time was pretty exciting too!

Landing behind the Charger, Felicity turned her mech and unloaded everything she had into its back. Unlike most PPCs hers could handle the short range without any problems. She felt her mech go from cool to hot in moments as shifted her mech forward to give the Charger a good kick.

To ensure she grabbed their attention, Felicity flicked open her own channel and turned her loudspeaker on. Naturally, she turned it up too.

"How about we kill you trash pirates instead? Suicidal morons!"

(Jump to 1108 facing 1208. Torso twist to fire ERPPC followed by both SRM6s into the Charger. Kick it for good measure.)

The waves of fire were becoming harder to distinguish now as multiple units overlapped their barrages, luckily for the defenders, not too accurately. A handful of LRMs slammed into the falcon from the Trebuchet (Hit CT, 5 damage), as well as a pair of light shells from the volleys the Jagermech was churning out (hit LA, 1 damage). The Jenner, squaring off with the Osprey, fired four emerald beams and some missiles, but only scraped the Osprey's left armlet (hit LA, 5 damage), and in front of Snorri twin volleys of LRMs arced from the Catapult down toward the Grand Dragon in the canyon below, a string of detonations shaking the mech's arm (Hit RA 9 damage)

In return, the ambushers poured on the fire, Snorri stabilizing his mech and then firing three emerald beams, one of them cutting into the Jenner, and then following it with a volley of LRMs which further shattered armor, and then making the entire thing moot by launching a silver slug directly into the chest of the small mech... and out the far side in a shower of engine casing fragments and rapidly vanishing flash of fusion flames. (Jenner CT destroyed, Jenner Destroyed)

Felicity, having sprung her ambush, buried 3 missiles and a PPC blast into the back of the Charger, blowing away armor and structural supports (Hit LTR+CTR+RL+LTR, 10+2+2+2 damage), and Maja, carefully stepping down hill onto the ice, pivoted her mech torso to again alpha strike at the Dragon, scraping the armor of her target with 3 missiles and a Medium laser (Hit LL+RA+LT+LA, 5+2+2+2 damage)

The Charger pivoted, punching at the Griffin, and though it didn't hit, it caused Felicity to pull back from her own kick... and she found her mech's foot slipping out from under her, crashing her mech into the ground - luckily for her, she didn't hurt herself in the fall. (Hit RT+RA, 5+1 damage)

The Vuclan pivoted upward, climbing, and then lazily flipping end of end to level out headed back toward the scrum, Alexei scanning for targets.

As the last of the convoy trundled forward, the logjam of vehicles was beginning to really bog down in the difficult conditions. The Charger and Dragon, however, both turned to confront the cheeky Griffin which had just sprung forward to ambush them...

-------- Situation ---------

Warhammer -- No damage -- 0 Heat
Osprey -- Minor damage -- 0 heat
Griffin -- Minor Damage -- 4 Heat
Ostsol -- No Damage -- 0 Heat
Falcon -- Minor Damage -- 0 Heat
Grand Dragon -- Light Damage -- 0 Heat

Hostile Status -

Charger -- +0
Dragon -- +0
Jenner -- DESTROYED
Griffin -- +1
Laser Carrier -- +0
SRM Carrier -- +0
Vedette -- +0
Vedette #2 -- +0-
Catapult -- +0
Enforcer -- +1
Trebuchet -- +2
Jagermech -- +1
Bulldog -- +0
Bulldog #2 -- +0
Schrek PPC Carrier -- +0
Schrek PPC Carrier#2 -- +0
Tokugawa -- +0
Hetzer(laser) -- +0
LRM Carrier -- +0
Zhukov -- +0