Eridani's 6th Recon Company
(Leadership 5)

Wild Stallions (155 tons)
G4/P6 (+1 tac) Blue Blood - Valkyrie-QA
G4/P5 (+1 ngy) Goth - Cicada
G4/P5 (+1 Edg) BJ - Blackjack-1DB

G5/P4 (+1 Msl) Rookie - Whitworth (damaged)
(1) LT LRM destroyed - 18af of damage remaining.

Dancing Horses (110 tons)
G4/P6 (+2 Bal) Cowboy - Clint
G4/P5 (+1 ngy) Joker - Panther
G4/P6 (+1 CAT) Backdraft - Firestarter

Dark Horses (105 tons)
G4/P5 (+1 ngy) Wolfman - Whitworth
G4/P4 (+1 Msl/Melee) Rabbit - Valkyrie
G5/P5 (+2 ngy) Pong - Jenner -F
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:27, Mon 04 June 2012.

... 27 Hours after Operation Beach Head ...

News was looking good.  The Federated Suns seemed to be pretty serious about taking Hoff back, and they were putting a good push into the effort.  Over the span of the last few hours, there was a steady stream of Combine/Dragoon transport assets boosting off from the planet.  Tentative outlook was feeling almost too good to be true.  Was it possible that the planet had waited out the siege, with no small part of the credit being given to the Eridani Mercenary Unit?

The news was filtering through the narrow halls of the O.K. Corral dropship, home to the 6th Recon company.  Small stashes of alcohol were being broken out and shared in pre-emptive celebration when Captain Schmidt was not about to witness it.

The Captain wanted things quickly put in order in case they were needed to go back into action.  He was a ruthless taskmaster, and was on Scooter's heels to get as many of the mechs put together as possible.  A little over 24 hours later, and as much as could humanly be done was done.  Supplies were limited on the Dropship, but damage was lighter than expected, and Scooter had a good eye for what was needed and took it along before boosting off from the Starport.

What remained to be done, needed to wait for proper parts or tools.  Double and Triple shifts of repairs were starting to take their toll on the Tech crew, and a general 'rest' break was called for after the majority of the work was done.  As news of the Combine's withdrawal was confirmed and spread, the priority shifted from pushing over worked technicians that might make expensive mistakes while fatigued from work to bed.

It was almost starting to look as if too good to be true, was true.  'Almost...'.

The Crew of the OK Corral kept themselves busy monitoring the coming and goings of various Combine dropships and inbound Davion units.  No one was really looking to get into a messy fight.  While the Combine ground units were worn out and in need of rest, there was nothing wrong with their naval assets.

Davion command choose to cut them a wide path, allowing them to depart while allowing them to drop fresh units on Hoff with little to no interference from the Combine units.

The Technical crew was strung out in various bunks or cozied up on the bay floor to catch some much needed rest as the liklihood of combat became less likely the need for sleep moved up on the priority of things to be done.

Injured mechwarriors we given medical attention (heal one point of damage and remaining damage moved to the 'end' of of the line where it has the least effect) and afforded what rest was available.

A priority encrypted communication is sent to the OK Corral from an orbiting Dragoon Dropship with the nav identification of 'Wolfs Den'.  Theres a 'long' discussion as the communications is quickly shared with the Dropship Captain, 6th Company's Brevit major (there is only one captain on a naval ship), and Davion's Command and Control for the relief effort engaging Hoff.

Exactly 12 minutes after the communications comes in, the lighting in the station dims and the red battle hued lights come on accompanied by the sounds of the battlestation alarms.

* All hands on deck * Mechwarriors report to your mechs * Support Crews prep mechs for combat drop *

Three minutes later the OK Corral had plotted a course and burnt fuel to make low orbit.  Hovering in low atomospher they held steady as a squadron of Davion Corsairs made certain that nothing interferes with the combat drop.  During that time Brevit Major Schmidt makes his usual briefing to the troops...

Marcus waited stolidly for the briefing.

Someone... was in a serious rush, since the briefing was being conducted as the mechs were being buttoned up for a combat drop.  Massive coocoons were being secured around the mechs being dropped.  The briefing was being conducted in the dim lighting of the cockpit ready lights.

With the heat and ventillation vents covered, the cramped cockpits start to get warm and the air stale.  Likely psychosomatic, it was too early for that, but combat drops like these were rarely pleasant.

Blue Blood's image appears on the screen and the briefing is quick and to the point.

<http://rpolportraits.shannara-rose.com/mmc725.jpg align=left>  "This is Major Johan Jakob Hinklemeyer-Schmidt.", there was a pause for a moment, as if he were savoring the sound of that title, temporary though it might be.

"We have a priority rush drop mission.  Briefing will be quick and short.  The Snakes have all but given up on Hoff and are departing.  We have word from the Dragoons, that a radical element of the Combine is not willing to just 'let' the planet go.  We are being deployed in a two prong attack.

Lt. Day, supported by the LAM lance, will drop and engage the command units responsible for this atrocity.  Take them alive if possible, dead is just as nice as far as i'm concerned.  (Lacking a BM, their success or failure will be a reflection of the rest of the units progress)

The rest of us are making combat drops to engage units preparing the nukes for deployment.  Units are departing the space port to assist, but are expected to be in position and drop too late to assist, so it's us or no one.  Flak fire is expected.  Cant be helped.  NAV point is being downloaded.

Orders are to engage with extreme prejudice, no quarter is expected, none shall be offered."

---

Kitten Drop rules.
1)  Each mech droping will be subject to (4) flak rounds (tn 8+ to hit you)

2)  Each hit will inflict (5) points of damage and add +1 to your pilot roll to land 'on target'.

3)  The re-entry coocoon will absorb 10 points of flak damage before being rendered useless.

4)  Pilots need to make a pilot roll at penalty +1, and modified by damage to land 'on target'.  (Mech will scatter d6 hexs for each point this roll is missed by)

5)  Pilot needs to make a pilot roll (modified by damage) to land 'safely' otherwise they take a three level fall.  Mechs with jump jet are at a -1 tn bonus to make this roll for a safe landing.

---

Flak Gun Results...

Wild Stallions
Blue Blood (+3 Pilot roll)(takes 5 damage CT)
Goth (+3 Pilot roll) (takes 5 damage RT)
BJ (+2 Pilot roll)
Rookie (no adjustments)

Cowboy (no adjustments)
Backdraft (+3 Pilot roll) (takes 5 damage LL)

Wolfman (+1 Pilot roll)
Rabbit (+2 Pilot roll)
Pong (+1 Pilot roll)

---

Pilot rolls needed (If you believe i've miscalculated your target numbers please say so and i will review the numbers)

Land on   Safe    Pilot
Target   Landing
tn 10+  6 tn 8+ ok Blue Blood
tn  9+    tn 8+    Goth
tn  5+ ok tn 3+ ok Rookie

tn  7+ ok tn 6+ ok Cowboy
tn 10+  4 tn 8+ ok Blackdraft (scatters 4d6 hexs)

tn  7+ ok tn 5+ ok Wolfman
tn  7+ ok tn 5+ ok Rabbit
tn  7+ ok tn 6+ ok Ping Pong

Make your rolls.  If you land on target, you get to pick where you drop on a 'blank' map.  Enemy units are placed before you land, but revealed after you land/scatter.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:05, Sat 09 June 2012.

Caitlin hoped Jakobs promotion was a way that the Eridani leadership hoped to get him out of being in charge of combat operations. Promote him to a desk where he might be effective. She almost fell asleep during BlueBloods self promoting briefing when her eyes flashed wide open. "Preparing nukes?" she thought to herself. She looked to the others to see if they heard what she thought she heard. Even the dragons weren't that insane. Kentares IV had cost them dearly, she didn't think they'd be stupid enough to deploy the one thing that might start a war between every successor state and the combine.

And then they were in the pilots compartment. Waiting for another drop. Rabbit didn't fear the drop. She enjoyed it. Nothing quite like a combat drop to prove your skill and command in piloting your Mech...plus with the laser and sword removed, her Mech felt more nimble to the touch. She winced as the flak cannon hit the cocoon, but a touch on the guiding thrusters brought the drop pod back on course. As it reached the prearranged target area, Rabbit hit the thrusters, guiding her Valkyrie to an easy landing despite some rough turbulence caused by the drop pod rockets, to end up directly on target.

"Rabbit is down and safe."

09:42, Today: MW Caitlin Mallory rolled 11 using 2d6. Pilot Landing check 7+.
09:55, Today: MW Caitlin Mallory rolled 6 using 2d6. Safe landing. 5+

Reapers mech was still opened up so he wasn't going to be able to come along and Joker's Pather had her torso voluntarily opened up to identify the structural differences between his and Oliver's sinks.  Cowboy nodded his head in understanding as he hopped into his Clint and ran over the initialization procedures.  Even the engine shielding had been repaired which surprised him when the gauges all came back in the green.  Looking over to Svend he simply said, "We hit the ground running and we don't stop till the snakes head is rolling."

When nukes were mentioned and Halo and the LAM's being deployed to take out the command element he brought up a private comm to Holiday in her LAM, "Keep her safe Holly, and good luck."

Dancing Horses were a rapid response company...or they were before being decimated.  With practiced hands Cowboy had planned his landing vector and tapped his thrusters a few times during the fall to make himself a more difficult target for the flak guns.  As they burned hard to cut the velocity the pod hit the ground hard and popped away from his mech, autocannosn being brought up and targeting systems going live within seconds, "Cowboy is down and Dancing Horses are engaging."

10:57, Today: 1st LT Adam Carlyle rolled 9,8 using 2d6,2d6. Stay on Target, Watch the Speed bump. Success, Success.

Svend looked at the displays with increasing disdain. The flak guns had seemed to know which of the multiple drop containers he was in and unleashed a brutal assault. His mech rocked as the guns beat down the defensive barrier that protected him. He suddenly had a sharp sensation of uncontroled list and realised his auto pilot and secondary thrusters had been damaged. He was not a drop pilot, not used to the controls. He watched as his intended point of land went farther and farther away on the screen and he hoped it was not the middle of an enemy lance.

He felt more comfortable as he got closer to the ground as it felt like he was using very powerful jumpjets. He turned the nozzles to slow the landing and at the very last moment was able to ease her down. Breaking away from the drop equipment, he radioed in his position to Cowboy.

"Cowboy, this is Backdraft. Touched down safely, but with flak damage to my leg. Navigation was damaged and I show that I may be half a klick off course. Waiting for secondary systems to calibrate. Instructions?"

---

10:17, Today: MW Svend Nemerson rolled 8 using 2d6. Safe Landing.
09:36, Today: MW Svend Nemerson rolled 6 using 2d6. Pilot Landing check, TN10.

It had been a while since they did a hot drop and Devlin was a little rusty.  Not so rusty that he couldn't hit his target or make it without damage, but it was closer than he would have liked.

Wolfman down and operational


14:19, Today: Cprl. Devlin Masters rolled 7,5 using 2d6,2d6. On Target 7+  Safe Landing 5+.


This message was last edited by the player at 19:22, Wed 06 June 2012.

04:52, Today: MW Marcus Brody rolled 7,11 using 2d6,2d6. Piloting.

"Command, Ping Pong down and in position."

Cade was in the Mech bay watching the repairs when the sound to battle stations went off.  He was still frazzled from the previous battle at the star port, and was going over the battle in his mind.  Out of position, exposed, and getting lit up.  He climbed into his mech and walked through the pre-launch check list automatically, not really paying attention to much of anything.  He glazed over the briefing and finally came back to when the flak guns starred going off.

Adrenaline spikes and Cade checks his nav computer, his mark is off, however he makes the necessary adjustments to get back in line.  He blows the jump jets perfectly for a semi-soft landing.  "Rookie is down and in position", he echoes into his unit's com frequency as he walks his mech off the landing area and into a supporting position, scanning the surrounding area.

[OOC:

08:04, Today: MW Cade Murphy rolled 10,9 using 2d6,2d6. tn  5+    tn 3+    Rookie.
/OOC]

Johan's Valkyrie took a bit of nasty damage as he descended, but it really couldn't be helped.  In the end, it knocked him a bit out of the position, but at least he managed to land his mech on its feet...thanks, in no small part, to the jumpjets that provided at least a little bit of manuveurability in the air.  "Blue Blood here, let's make this happen!"

22:24, Today: Capt. Johan Jakob Hinklemeyer-Schmidt rolled 4,8 using 2d6,2d6. on target; safe landing.

Black Jack, is going to be a no sure for this mission.  I'm going to presume that Camille has too much on her plate to participate as well since she's missed drop rolls.

Players missing can be presumed to have dropped with Halo, or to fabricate their own excuse for missing the mission.

Map being generated, and will be posted soon for you to pick where you would like to land.

---

Land on   Safe    Pilot
Target   Landing
*tn 10+  6 tn 8+ ok Blue Blood
*tn  5+ ok tn 3+ ok Rookie

*tn  7+ ok tn 6+ ok Cowboy
tn 10+  4 tn 8+ ok Blackdraft (scatters 4d6 hexs)

*tn  7+ ok tn 5+ ok Wolfman
tn  7+ ok tn 5+ ok Rabbit
*tn  7+ ok tn 6+ ok Ping Pong

Total weight.
70 tons Wild Stallions
75 tons Dancing Horses
105 tons Dark Horses
250 tons total for two lances.

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Map
http://www.angelickitten.com/rpol/mw/wotd/setup.jpg

The Dark Black Area is the enemy setup zone and the area of engagement.

If you are outside of this area, your leadership does not count, and your mech is not considered 'engaged' for purposes of calculating target rolls for intiative.

If you are outside of this area, you automatically lose intiative.

The only reason to be outside this area, is if you are disengaging and fleeing.

Being outside the area is 'bad'.

There is a level 2 Hardened building (120cf) on the map.  This building has a pair of Flak guns that will be able to direct fire on unit any units on the map as if they were in short range.

The Building is not armored.  Any hits on the building have a chance of taking one of the flak guns out.  (tn 8+)

There is a lance of mechs and a lance of vehicles on the map.

---

Pick your target hex.  If you landed 'on target', you will only scatter 0~2 hexs from your target hex.  If you missed your on target roll, you will scatter d6 hexes for each point you missed the roll by.  I believe everyone landed 'safely' so no one is prone or needs to make checks for pilot damage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:58, Mon 11 June 2012.

OOC: Uh, Johan missed the jump by as much as 6d6 hexes...or around 21 on average...does that mean he's not even going to be in the fight at all?