Dragon's Honor: A Showdown of Sorts

As the mercenary Wagner's Legion and Vistula Legion melted away due to terrible battle losses and treachery, only the forces of Kurita and the 5th Dneiper Explorer Corps remained to contest ownership of the lostech cache on Lycos II. It was time to settle scores.

As each commander jockeyed for position, the two command lances of each main company found themselves in direct conflict. The battle was joined in earnest!

A pair of 5th EC Quickdraw QKD-Cs take cover.

Each force (about 160 pts. per side) quickly sought cover as they advanced. For Kurita, General Nagumo's orders were clear--death or dishonor.

Kurita Grand Dragon & Guillotine advance past deserted vehicle repair domes.

Charlie Blookhawk and his heavily damaged Victor VTR-C draw down on a Kurita 'Mech!

Kurita forces used their superior speed to seize the right flank!

In the foreground, a Centurion takes aim! 

Mysterious MW Kgosi Z. seeks cover, his Swayback HBK-5P laying down a blistering laser barrage!

Combined fire from Kgosi's Swayback and Riggs' Quickdraw bring the Grand Dragon down! 

As the battle ranged, the Kurita forces drew the EC into a high-stakes, all or nothing game of total destruction! [Stu claimed Kurita honor to forgo the Forced Withdrawal rules, and I agreed this was super-cool, so despite some lucky shots on my part that left his reinforced lance hurting, we played on!]

Drunk, crazed, or both, Yandorak and his QKD-C jump into deadly close quarters!

Gallant Kurita Guillotine fights to the last! Honor was served! 

In the end, the Kurita forces lost, but they upheld their honor to the last. While the EC won, they paid a terrible price, with Kgosi Z. and Gord Riggs injured, and Z.'s Swayback HBK-5P a total loss! They did salvage Riggs' Quickdraw and the Kurita Catapult and Guillotine, so Kgosi Z. will not join the ranks of the dispossessed!

Will Nagumo first seek vengeance against Wagner's Legion (the mercs who deserted him)? or will he again try for the lostech cache, this time back on the EC's home planet of Dneiper?

While this chapter of the campaign draws to a close, the larger story remains unfinished!

Thanks to Stu for a great game!

--Scott

In the Maws of the Dragon; A Pursuit Battle Report

Fresh off the meeting engagement with the combined Vistula Guard and 5th Dneiper Explorer Corps, the Kurita forces withdrew to examine their prize. The engagement saw little damage and spirits were high.

Upon returning to their staging area, the engineering staff quickly realized a horrible truth! The recovered tech was not in fact the drive, merely junk! Furious, general Nagumo ordered his second in command, Arata Ito, to swiftly pursue and retrieve the lostech. Mounting his No-Dachi, Arata gathered a pursuit force and quickly set out.

The Kurita forces made good speed, and caught up to the Vistula Guard at a river ford a mere 50km from their supposed landing zone. Catching sight of the enemy in flight, Arata ordered a charge, determined to ride down the retreating mechwarriors. 

Upon seeing the closing Kurita pursuit force, the Corps leader decided to perform a fighting withdrawal. Sending off the lighter mechs with the precious tech, the remaining Vistula Guard prepared for the worst. 

Seeing the enemy turn to face, Arata charged into the enemy. Fire exchanged between both units was fierce, as the close-in fighting offered little opportunity to miss. It appeared both sides had suffered equally, until Ayaka Kito, piloting a panther, delivered a fatal shot to the Guards banshee. Hitting the ammo stores, the mech exploded in a momentous blast, offering little hope that the pilot had escaped alive.

Seeing their leader fall, the remaining Guard units started to withdraw. Arata drove his men onward, determined to destroy as much of the enemy as possible. Without proper support, the units were harried to the riverside, and made a final stand on it's banks. Fire from the pursuit lances crippled first the Guard Zeus, and then the Orion. Charging forward, Arata cleaved off the arm of the enemy Zeus, before driving it deep into the mechs torso. Yet the Zeus pilot was not one to take this quietly. Blasting all he had, he managed to destroy Arata's No-Dachi and force him to eject!

The battle had been won, but the lostech had escaped, undoubtedly due to the sacrifice of the Guard's lance. A telling blow had been struck, but allowing the objective to escape could spell disaster. The enemy could easily slip away, and the prize lost with them.

AAR: Battle On Lycos II, Part 2: Re-Taking The DropShip!

Outworlds Alliance
Sunday, 8 / 2 / 3071
Lycos II, Second Moon of Risin
1130 Hours Standard

As the 5th Dneiper Explorer Corps' Striker Lance and Infantry Detachment made off with what they believed to be a key piece of lostech, the rest of their Company battled to re-take the unit's DropShip! 

Wagner's Legion, previously misidentified as the 4th Arkab Legion, seized the EC DropShip New Horizon in a bold move to cut the unit off and strand them on Lycos II. Captain Charlie Bloodhawk moved the bulk of the EC's 1st Co. back into position for a counter-assault to quickly retake the priceless craft. 

Above, Wagner's spy-drone images (time roughly 0530 standard) of the 5th Explorer Corps' 1st Co. before they split to tackle the mission to recover the lostech. In the background, the EC's DropShip, the New Horizon, to the right, Lycos II's abandoned A. Wilson Arcology, and to the left, the Grinholt Woods and Mining Hab 101. 

Above, the scene from a different angle. Shortly after this pic was transmitted, Wagner's drone was shot from the sky! 

Above, the resourceful Mercs of Wagner's Legion stress combined arms warfare--here we see a 60 ton Dragon and anti-Mech Infantry advancing beneath the massive New Horizon's shadow. 

Above, Wagner's daring Clint and Spider pilots take position atop the New Horizon's hull!

Above, Mousa's Jaegermech and his comrade in a Panther boldly step forward to pour fire into the advancing EC 'Mechs! 

Wagner's deadly AeroSpace support would prove pivotal in the coming battle--pinpoint bombing runs would have the EC running scared! 

Above, initially the EC sought cover in the woods, but then realized they had to spread out or suffer the horror of aerial bomb runs! 

Advancing into the withering fire of the well-placed Wagner's Legion, the EC tried to return the favor with some concentrated fire of their own! They spread out, with Yandorak's Quickdraw holding the far right flank, and Charon Crawford's Cicada rushing to claim the left flank and Mining Hab 101. 

When it came, the AeroSpace attack run left a trio of EC 'Mechs heavily damaged! 

Mysterious EC MechWarrior Kgosi Z. returns fire against the streaking Rievers of Wagner's AeroSpace lance! The devastating firepower of his HBK-5P Hunchback's massed medium lasers strikes home, seriously damaging the fighter's fire control and nearly knocking it from the sky! 

Salazar (Dervish) and Wilson (Trebuchet) trade fire with Mousa in his Jaegermech! Mousa's true feud lay with Kwint Savak in the EC's other Dervish, and it was only fitting when Savak (a Blood Stalker) dealt the final shots that exploded Mousa's heavy 'Mech! 

When Mousa's Jaegermech went down, and Rievers took heavy damage, Wagner's crew pulled back and quit the field. Mousa escaped, and the 5th Explorer Corps claimed the remains of his 'Mech for salvage. The spoils of war! Now the 5th EC and their allies in the Vistual Legion possess a clear means to escape Lycos II with their lostech booty. 

House Kurita, General Nagumo, and their Merc allies will not rest, or let this defeat sway them from their desire to claim the treasures Shango Agathi and his intrepid warriors seek! 

--Scott 

AAR: Battle On Lycos II, Part 1

Outworlds Alliance
Sunday, 8 / 2 / 3071
Lycos II, Second Moon of Risin
0830 Hours Standard

Elements of the 5th Dneiper Explorer Corps and its allied mercenaries the Vistual Guard faced stiff resistance while scouting the ruins of a subterranean research facility beneath Klondike, and abandoned mining town. The resistance came from the forces of House Kurita and its own Merc allies, the 4th Arkab Legion. 

Both forces fielded only light scouting units and infantry--no one daring to bring heavier units to bear in the ruins of the geologically unstable facility. 

Above, the Kurita 9th Galedon Regulars scout elements directed from afar by the ruthless and ambitious Colonel Nagumo.

Above the scout elements of the BattleMech elements of the 4th Arkab Legion--they also brought three units of pesky anti-Mech infantry! 

Above, the Exploer Corp's scouts assemble before entering the complex. 

Above, they were accompanied by light elements of the Vistula Guard.

The scenario centered around a Meeting Engagement with four Tech objectives to battle over. One of those four objectives contained critical information on a Star League era Neural Net interface that could provide advancements in BattleMech and AeroSpace command and control. It was something both Agathi and Nagumo wanted badly. Now their forces would have to fight to claim it.

Above, initial movement saw some of the EC's infantry using a commandeered Maultier transport to cover extra ground! 

Above, 4th Arkab Spider and Jenner cautiously approach the ruins; their speed and maneuverability would be key as things developed.

Meanwhile, the Vistula Guard fielded its own Jenner! Behind it, an Explorer Corps Flea FLE-17 hauls a unit of elite Longinus XMEC Battle Armor into the fray!

Above, the 4th Arkab's lightning fast Hermes races ahead and enters the ruins--the first objective lies within its grasp! 

Above, 5th Dneiper Explorer Corps and the Vistula Guard cannot reach the ruins ahead of the swift Arkab 'Mechs! 

Meanwhile, Kurita battle armor and a pair of Panthers stalk forward in support of their swift 'Merc allies!

The Arkab Hermes reaches one of the Tech objectives and takes control of it--now his daring pilot must spirit it off the board before his enemies reach him. 

Above, the Vistula Raven and the Longinus Battle Armor scan for the 4th Arkab Spider. 

The 4th Arkab Spider leaps in and seizes a second objective! 

The Flea trades shots with the Arkab's well posiitoned  Clint...

Explorer Corps veteran Imam Mustafah Khamul seeks higher ground in his Spider SDR-C. 

Meanwhile, Longinus Battle Armor seizes the third objective. 

The Arkab Hermes darts through an enfilade of fire, objective in hand! 

Flea and Longinus BA trade shots with the Clint--the Flea takes the worst of it! 

Khamul (in his trusty Spider) takes a serious risk to try to stop the 4th Arkab's Spider and gets surrounded for his trouble!

The 4th Arkab Spider trades shots as he escapes with his objective! 

Vistula Wolfhound and Raven double-team the Arkab Clint, but...

...the Arkab anti-Mech infantry knocks out the Raven with LRM fire!

With each force securing two objectives, we diced off to see who got the "pivotal" piece of Tech. Because they got the better of the EC and the Vistula Guard, the Kurita forces and their Merc allies got a +1 on the roll, but it did not help!  One of the EC's objectives turned out to be key Tech!

Next time, dual Pursuit battles once Colonel Nagumo discovers his troops got the wrong item, he sends them after his foes in force!

Thanks for reading! 

--Scott 

A Quick Game

Two Sundays ago my friend Skye and I played a quick pick up game of Alpha Strike. Skye started out with his mechs in  a prepared defensive position while I was tasked to make a hasty assault and take the position. I had  a few more points than he did, but they didn't do me much good as you will see.

(Skye's Awesome 80 ton mech in a prepared defense position)

I started my assault by moving on the right flank of his position. I had to cross a small river to get to it. The board was mostly devoid of cover, but it did have a few terrain features that provided partial cover from some angles.

As moved forward and the Atlas lumbered forward, Skye sent some of his mechs off to move onto my right flank. I decided that this was more of a diversion and  would deal with it if it became a problem and continued pushing towards my actual objective.

(My assault on Skye's position continues)

As we entered firing range the critical part of this engagement unfolded. Skye concentrated his fire on one mech at a time. His firing (dice rolls) were lethal. He managed to destroy my 80 ton Zeus in three turns of firing. On the other hand, I only made two hits the entire time I was closing.

By this time Skye's mechs on the flank were closing to firing range. Again concentrating his fire, this time on my Atlas, he began to peel away at the assault mech's armor. 

After the destruction of the Zeus and the lethal fire coming from my flank, I decided the smart thing to do was to make an ordered withdrawal and to come back and take the position with a planned assault with more force.

As I withdrew Skye's continued to fire effectively on my Atlas. My return fire remained hopeless. Smelling the blood of an Atlas, Skye closed with the flanking mechs.

Again concentrating on the Atlas he managed to strip it of its armor and into the structure. He also scored a critical hit to its movement rate. But, finally, my shooting improved. His flanking Hunchback got a little too close and I managed to shred it with fire from my Atlas. After that he decided to let my force withdraw.

Total, I lost a Zeus and had an Atlas all but destroyed. He came out with a damaged Awesome and a Hunchback in critical condition. Because I withdrew he would have been able to recover the salvage from my dead Zeus. The pilot escaped however. So a clear victory for Skye. I decided my force commander would be having some words with whoever was in charge of maintaining his mech's targeting computers. 

It was a good game. We both had fun. Here's the best thing. The entire engagement took 40 minutes from start to finish. I love Alpha Strike.

Thanks for reading.

-Dave-