1 August, 3046Unit lifts off from Wallis
13 November, 3046Athenry reached.
Current Administrator AssignmentsCommand (+1 initiative during combat assignments) 3+1 total
Scout
Defend
Fight
Training (new Hire) Starts Nov. 13th.
Logistics (-1 to IntroTech Availability TNs) 5 total (assigned based on Scrounge <2, and Wolverine)
Wolverine
Skaraborg
Ice
Dragon
Dancer
HR (each Tech gains +30 extra Repair minutes per day) 4 Total
Wolverine
Bright
Dancer
Reaper
Midnight (The regular Admin/HR assigned to Midnight advances to veteran on November 1st)
Unit CO assigns the following Roles:Scout:(x5 minimum) (Ad Hoc et al grouped for availability)
Reaper
Wolverine
Bright
Dancer
Midnight
Defend:(x1 minimum)
Skaraborg
Crusher
Dragon
Fight: (x1 minimum)
Freya
Dunedain
Ice
Training: (x0 minimum)
ADVANCE PAYAs of 13 November, each Lance receives a disbursement for
$552,105 C-bills (Advance Payment)
As of 13 November, the Unit receives a disbursement for
$2,760,530 C-bills (Advance Payment)
13 November, 3046Make planetfall. Begin contract.
18 November, 3046MISSION: Probe (Attacker) - Midnight, Dancer
RESULT: VICTORY - Contract Score raised to 2
After-Action Report: Both probe lances deployed far apart; Dancer to the north and Midnight to the south, each targeting an opposite end of the Draconis picket line and trying to stay out of direct line of fire from the hastily-erected defenses in the mining village of Aachen. This movement pulled the Draconis forces in half; the northern force attempted to engage and pin Dancer Lance, while the southern forces - more numerous but lighter - attempted to interdict Midnight Lance from flanking Hill 607 to the south of Aachen and rolling up their rear. Midnight Lance became embroiled in a pitched melee against almost 2 to 1 odds, felling several Draconis Mechs and losing the leg from its
Clint in return. Meanwhile, the heavier forces to the north of town, supported by accurate turret and artillery fire, engaged Dancer Lance. Dancer dispatched a
Phoenix Hawk, escorting the Davion liaison, to reconniter the northern objective point, while its three heavier Mechs engaged the Draconis counterattackers. This fight was mostly even, but had the effect of stringing out the Draconis units as they tried to turn Dancer's southern flank, which left them exposed and vulnerable to the incoming reinforcement unit: three assault Mechs from Skaraborg Lance. This group smashed through the strung-out OPFOR in a hammerblow of concentrated PPC fire, all but annihilating the lance. With the northern and southern objectives successfully scouted and the Draconis forces bloodied but unbowed, Ranger forces withdrew from the battlefield in good order. No significant salvage was gained, and no serious losses, aside from the leg of Midnight Lance's
Clint, were sustained.
19 November, 3046SOLO MISSION: Ally Rescue - Dragon
RESULT: VICTORY - no effect on contract score
After-Action Report: Dragon Lance, at a disadvantage due to the terrain, coming in from the East, trying to rescue a lance in the middle of a fray as soon as possible. Lamar Leese in the
Cicada was able to get past all 4 allies within a timely manner as soon as Draconis units were beginning to gain a foothold against them. Freeman and Leese were able to hold off fire from the opposing force long enough for the Davion units to retreat past Duckworth and Gato, who were holding down long range support. While trying to keep units at bay, the pilot in the
Jagermech was able to destroy both
Saladins fast enough prior to them doing major harm to Gonzalo. During this time, a
Locust was trying to get past the force and got his leg blown off from the heavy strike that was sent after him. The
Spider was taunting the Davion pilots and was unable to be taken down during their escape, but was also unable to make any of the allies fall as well. Gato in the
Vindicator was in a prime spot to attack all units, but was focused on and incurred heavy damage to where he was forced to retreat. During Gato's retreat, he ending up falling trying to get away in which he was taken down by his own inexperience jumping away, then shut down shortly after. The Spider and Locust was able to get away, but the rest of the Draconis units were destroyed or crippled to the point of being unable to escape in the end. The Vindicator was the only casualty on the Numenorean side, while the
Jagermech was the only crippled unit within the ally side, the mission was a success overall.
19 November, 3046MISSION: Recon Raid (Attacker) - Wolverine, Reaper
RESULT: VICTORY - Contract Score raised to 5
After-Action Report: Reaper and Wolverine entered their recon area in a pincer, with Reaper deploying to the north and Wolverine to the south; between them lay the Mogami River where it collected from the western mountains into a lake before flowing underground to the sea. Opposing them stood a company of light and low-end medium DCMS Mechs, stiffened by the presence of a few heavy units. With the Ranger victory near Aachen the previous week, Draconis forces were taking the mercenaries somewhat more seriously, and had deployed upgraded equipment into the area. Two separate battles developed, a small action between Wolverine Lance and a trio of light Mechs backed by a Tai-i's
Hatamoto-Chi, and a more serious brawl to the north where two lances engaged Reaper's more powerful cavalry group. Wolverine handed their opposition expertly, putting down the assault Mech quickly with an ammunition explosion and rolling up their end of the battlefield to achieve their objectives. To the north, Reaper was harshly handled, and it was only the timely intervention by the reinforcing Bright and Crusher Lances which saved LT Wilhelm's force from serious damage. LT Brightsword personally downed the Combine Chu-i's
Grand Dragon, and the reinforced flank swept the field. A smaller engagement occurred to the northwest when DCMS vehicle forces moved in to reinforce, but by that time the battle was already lost. Ranger artillery smoke backfired, providing an excellent concealed shooting position to a handful of Scorpion tanks, and the concentrated efforts of Reaper and Crusher Lances were required to dispose of the gallant but doomed tankers. All OPFOR units were wiped out, and the carcasses of the
Hatamoto and
Grand Dragon were hauled back as salvage. DCMS forces ceded the area, and contact between the two forces would be only intermittent for the next month as the Combine forces recovered, and the Ranger intel group looked for approaches to their objective. In a tragic miscommunication, LT Tonya Mardas, the Federated Commonwealth liaison to the Rangers for this mission, misheard LT Charikov's orders "not to engage", hearing only the last word. Shamed at being accused side-long of cowardice, she led Wolverine Lance's vanguard and was duly dispatched by a single salvo from the
Hatamoto. The Rangers would argue strenuously that the loss of her ancestral Mech was her own fault, but the FCMC would nonetheless enter the incident as a black mark on the unit's official record.
22 November, 3046SOLO MISSION: Ace Duel - Bright
RESULT: Victory - no effect on contract score
After-Action Report: Bright Lance was sent to find and recon an abandoned town that the unit had heard about but didn’t have an exact location. Due to the battle on 11-19-3046, Bright Lance only had 3 units available to deploy, 2 were from its reserves. Mech assignments were as follows: LT Brightsword in the
Phoenix Hawk, SGT Dubos in the
Trebuchet, and SGT Spears in the
Blackjack. They didn’t have the exact location of the town so the 3 of them was spread out to cover more ground. SGT Spears was the one to locate the town. As he sent the location to the rest of lance, he got a warning alarm on his sensors of a mech approaching fast from the far side of the town. SGT Spears radioed LT Brightsword about the incoming mech and proceeded to move into area to get a positive ID. As he got a positive ID that the mech was a Draconis
Trebuchet, the incoming mech pilot identified herself as Kashira (Talon Sergeant) Hitomi Snow and challenged SGT Spears to combat, which was accepted. SGT Spears entered from the west side of town and
Kashira Snow's modified
Trebuchet from the east. Spears realized he had the advantage at longer ranges and worked to keep some distance. The Draconis pilot tried to close and maneuver to get close and force Spears into the open but Spears stayed close to a cluster of buildings to use them as some cover. This worked well for Spears, because it seemed that
Kashira Snow’s targeting systems was out of calibration and was shooting low. The buildings soaked up a lot damage intended for SGT Spears. Eventually,
Kashira Snow was able to get into position to force Spears into the open but Spears was able to destroy Hitomi Snows right torso which housed his PPC and med lasers, only weapons remaining were 3 SRM 4’s. Shortly after
Kashira Snow moved quickly into short range of his SRM’s. SGTSpears saw an opportunity and let loose with everything he had and nearly took the left torso off
Kashira Snows Mech; Snow couldn’t keep her mech standing from the loss of so much armor. She quickly got his mech up and backed away so SGT Spears wouldn’t be able to get behind her. Spears, feeling the heat rising in his mech, decided to stand still and fired both PPC’s which finished taking the left torso and remaining weapons from Hitomi Snows mech ending the battle.
25 November, 3046SOLO MISSION: Ace Duel - Reaper
RESULT: Victory - no effect on contract score
After-Action Report: Reaper Lance was on patrol and picked up a mech on their long-range sensors. Lt. Wilhelm moved to the North to identify the unit. As he got a full identification on his computer he received a communication from the Draconis mech warrior Takoshi von Sydow challenging him to one on one combat. Lt. Wilhelm accepted and they both proceeded to engage, Takoshi von Sydow from the north and Lt Wilhelm from the South. Sydow immediately showed his skills with his LRM 20 by score hits with 12 out 20 missiles at max range. Lt. Wilhelm realized he needed to close quickly to get in close range of his weapons and to hopefully reduce the usefulness of Sydow’s LRM 20. So, he moved quickly through forest and hills with expert skill. Lt. Wilhelm was able to maneuver in close with a height advantage and after hitting with a couple of medium lasers and SRM’s, he landed a kick to the center torso of Sydow’s
Griffin. Then the battle became a chase as Sydow tried to get some distance for optimum range for his weapons. It seemed as if Lt. Wilhelm could anticipate Sydow’s moves allowing him to have the initiative and he continued to press in close. Then one of Lt. Wilhelm’s SRM missiles got a lucky critical strike to Sydow’s Center torso damaging his engine and gyro, and he also landed a kick to the left leg causing damage to the upper actuator. Sydow returned the favor by getting a lucky shot with his LRM where a missile found the weak spot in the center torso and took out a jump jet from LT. Wilhelm’s
Gladiator. As the battle continued they both struggled to gain or maintain the advantage. Lt. Wilhelm took LRM missiles to the head taking minor injuries, but in return he was able to destroy the right arm containing the large pulse laser on the
Griffin. This allowed Lt. Wilhelm to turn the tide in his favor. After another couple of exchanges of weapon fire, Lt. Wilhelm was able to destroy Sydow’s only remaining weapon, his LRM 20. Sydow immediately yielded the battle to Lt. Wilhelm. Lt. Wilhelm felt it was honorable combat and allowed Sydow to leave the field. Lt. Wilhelm returned to the mobile field base for medical treatment and repairs, leaving Sgt. Jax Fenwick in charge of the remaining lance members in the field. He also dispatched Sgt Leopold Nimtz, in his
Crusader, to join the patrol.
26 November, 3046SOLO MISSION: Ace Duel - Ice
RESULT: Victory - no effect on contract score
After-Action Report: Both fighters entered along the northern maps traversing high ground at rapid speed. After an initial heavy laser strike to Drakes
Griffin he tried to close the distance. A brief game of cat and mouse ensued ending, with both sides thinking it would be an opportune time to engage. Drake realized fairly quickly that he would have to set the pace of the battle, once he realized the skill of the enemy pilot. An initial trade at CQC range gave Drake a scare as he managed to aim and fire his medium laser battery toward the enemy and making only light contact. In return he received a skillful kick and heavy laser hit upon his landing. If he hadn't gave a split second evasive jog on landing, a shell from the AC/20 mounted in the severed shoulder pod from a
Hunchback would also have landed. He managed to swing his hatchet toward the enemy, but it was easily dodged as the opfor pilot read his movement. In a hurried decision following this initial exchange, he decided to fall back to the outer edge of his range bands, minimizing the risk from the modified
Griffin's AC/20 and melee skill. The game of cat and mouse played on as Drake and the opfor pilot jockeyed for high ground or cover. Several feints mixed in with his calculated jumps would draw the enemy pilot into prime positioning on multiple occasions - Drake's ability to retain the initiative was decisive in the engagement. Most of the time, however, Drake's medium laser battery would only key in enough targeting info and fire for a few hits at a time. This became a death by 1000 needles for the opfor mech, as the clustering data continued to track enough to hit multiple volleys into key areas. Eventually the combination of the destruction of the enemy's large laser, and crippling the enemies movement, allowed him to stay at the range band of his choosing. This spelled the end for the opfor pilot as she was simply unable to connect with her remaining weapon at the ranges displayed. Eventually a short burst from the ML battery tore away the XL engine shielding, shutting down the Mech. In a near miss, after the battle if was found that Drake's laser fire had scorched - but not penetrated - the autocannon ammo stowage racks on at least two occasions. The enemy pilot, Keiko O'Brien, was taken prisoner and the escorting Draconis Mechs withdrew honorably back to their lines.
27 November, 3046MISSION: Chase - Crusher, Skaraborg
RESULT: Victory - Contract Score raised to 7
After-Action Report: Crusher and Skaraborg Lances stole a march and put themselves in the position to intercept an isolated medium Combine company which was falling back to friendly lines. Through an equipment mishap, they revealed their position too early, giving the Combine company the opportunity to attempt to bypass their force; two Combine
Hunchbacks attacked Skaraborg Lance at close distance in an effort to pin them in place while the remainder of the unit drove through Crusher Lance and escaped. In a close-range, swirling melee, the lighter Combine forces were crushed without undue difficulty. Dunedain Lance, deploying as a reinforcement, attempted to intercept the few remaining fleeing Combine units. Only a single Combine recon Mech returned to friendly lines. Under cover of Combine artillery smoke, the Combine company commander sold himself dearly; destroying the engine of Dunedain Lance's
Firestarter and nearly blowing off the head of MAJ Saultier's
Crusader outright. The Major would spend the next several days in medical care as a result of his cockpit abruptly becoming a convertible. With assault-class Combine reinforcements incoming and several of their own heavy Mechs suffering significant damage from the fight with the
Hunchbacks (and the Combine CO's
UrbanMech), LT Breisacher called for a general withdrawal, which the Rangers accomplished in good order.
1 December, 3046Unit receives contract payment of $8,244,791 CB.
Each PC adds $515,300 CB to their warehouse. Unit adds $2,576,500 CB.
All lances deduct Monthly operating costs
7 December, 3046SOLO MISSION - Ambush - Freya
RESULT: VICTORY - no effect on contract score
After-Action Report: Ambushed in darkness by a Draconis Headhunter force of a
Stalker -4P,
Kintaro -20, and
Grand Dragon -5K, LT Hartmann kept her head and took cool advantage of the enemy's isolated positions. The enemy
Stalker providing searchlight illumination was dispatched first in a furious close-quarters jumping melee in a heavy copse of trees. The pilot ejected after her ammo bin was ignited, and Elsa picked her up as a POW. The
Grand Dragon and
Kintaro timed their arrival in close quarters to coincide with one another, but Elsa was able to use her superior mobility to damage the
Grand Dragon's legs badly enough to almost immobilize it, then leaped behind the
Kintaro and blew out its gyro. A deliberate and targeted snapping of the
Grand Dragon's only remaining leg ended the engagement, and Elsa immediately called a fast-response salvage crew to recover the
Grand Dragon for her own warehouse. While her armor was reduced to worryingly thin levels in several places, no significant damage was dealt to her
Grasshopper.