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[Darrian Wolffe]

1100 hours
50.947692,-104.547701
Outside the rear of Major Stastny's communication truck

You stand huddled together to keep the wind blowing away whatever heat your bodies might manage to produce in this god-forsaken stretch of Canadian nothing.  Major Stastny leans out the back of the truck and projects his voice to be heard above the truck's exhaust system.  Not to mention the wind.

"We just received a communication on the general Zone 2 SLDF freak.  Broadcast in the clear.  So I've got some good news and bad news.  The good is that the engagement on the lakeshore last week has effectively depleted the Edmonton-local garrison beyond what they seem to need for smashing the population until they submit.  So it looks as though we're in the clear from threats behind us; discounting more airdrops, of course."  He frowns for a moment and runs his hand through his close-cropped grey hair.  There's quite a bit more than there was two weeks ago.  "The bad news is this communique.  The short version is that our route is predictable, though our destination doesn't seem to be obvious to the Rim Worlds commanders yet; we've got our choice of a whole lot of cities with viable spaceports and SDS IFF systems - Winnipeg is just the closest - so as far as I can tell from backdooring into the local satellite grid, they haven't moved in force to keep us out of a spaceport.  However, our route is generally eastward and has been splitting the difference of both Highways 16 and 1.  So it looks like one General Norman Babcock has moved to interdict us."

The Major waited a few moments for the groans to subside.  "Yeah, I feel the same way.  His broadcast over our open frequency said, essentially, that he's taken the town of Southey and intends to raze it to the ground unless we surrender ourselves to him.  He's given us until noon tomorrow to comply.  Joanna and Marshall brought some news regarding this back from another one of their Toyota-powered safaris: they've moved the civilians to a pair of 60-story office buildings in the center of the city.  So we've got a choice.  We can either go in there and stomp on the Rim Worlders and free the civvies...or we can bypass the city and try to draw them out onto open ground.  Joanna's estimate was that there's about two mech companies, reinforced with about two additional companies of infantry, at least one of which is mechanized.  They'll have a small amount of air support from the local municipal airstrip; conventional fighters, not areospace support.  Yet.

"The downside to going into the city is that, well, it's a city.  And it's one of OUR cities.  Keeping collateral damage and, obvious, civilian casualties to a minimum will be paramount.  Luckily, Babcock seems to have rushed fast forces ahead of us from Calgary so he could set this thing up.  Hopefully that means not a lot of heavier units - they'd have to be faster than us, on a strategic scale - to get there in time.  So there's that bonus.  The downside of forcing this into an open-field engagement is that we'd be fighting units faster than us on open ground...plus we'd have the issue of being more vulnerable to areospace reinforcements Babcock might call in.  Plus, of course, upwards of ten thousand dead civvies on our heads.

"Finally, I can't see bypassing the situation entirely as a viable solution.  That would leave a force in our backfield that's faster than us, and that's going to be bad news if we end up in an engagement to our front and the Rim Worlders are able to coordinate with one another at all.  No, we're going to have to deal with Babcock's little stunt one way or the other.  Captain, you're the shooter.  It's your call.  Take a few minutes and make it."

OOG: You have until Monday noon to decide whether you will be engaging in the city or in the open field.  This is so I can write the scenario and get it to Dan; I'm playing in this one.  Also, the Major didn't say so, but over the last week while you've been making repairs and such, he's asked you to start thinking about ways you can get offplanet.  The hurdles will be: getting a DropShip, taking off without being engaged by starport defense turrets, getting past the near-Earth SDS, and getting past any orbiting WarShips.  The Major has some ideas, but he'd like to hear what you'll come up with.  I'd start a dedicated thread for that discussion, were I you.  You have time before this scenario to make any and all repairs, including engine and gyro hits, that you need to make (at normal WCP cost, of course).  Finally, the ASFs need to be refuled; you have enough gas to fuel them back up, and then use them in ONE additional scenario before you'll need to find gas someplace.

[agustaaquila]

Major, Cap.  My concern about taking to the open fields is that they might not come out to meet us.  They could just sit back and slaughter our people while we fly the flag out away from them.  They have us in a real bind, and as much as I hate to do it, I think we need to chase these snakes into their hole.

We just need to be mongooses and come back out alive.

[Knightofargh]

Captain, as much as fighting in cities sucks, we can't leave civvies to Babcock's tender mercies. He's not what you would call a humanitarian. I'm for going in and wiping that Rim scum out of the city.

[Black Omega]

Cap, I just had a thought.  Suppose I could weld several sets of handles on one of our mechs.  Then our guys in the Nighthawk BA could hang on and be delivered where they need to be faster than they normally could move.  Perhaps we can use them to go headhunting for Babcock.  We could try to get him to communicate with us and triangulate his position.

[Black Omega]

Major, Cap,  one other thing.  While I hate the idea of fighting in the city, I don't have any delusions about General Babcock's humanity.  He will kill the hostages and he won't give up his defensive positions.  Therefore I propose that we go in and attack the city...TONIGHT!  Again, night fights suck too, but he won't have time to set his traps or hide his mechs and the law of averages will be on our side.  I would much rather fight on terms that make the enemy uncomfortable.  We need some sensor scanning to determine where the hostages are held and where their forces are parked.  Perhaps we can hack those satellites with their infrared detection systems to see where they are.  I bet Marshall would love to set some booby-traps and diversions of his own to help us get in there close.  Anyway that's my 3 cents.
  

[serrate]

Captain Freund can't help but notice that most of the unit remains silent.  Sometimes, when all the choices are bad, not making a decision seems like the best choice.  But it never is.

"The civilians have got to come first.  We've got no choice really.  We're gonna face off against this bastard Babcock eventually anyway, so why wait until after he's killed thousands of civvies?  No, that's not much of a choice."  He turned to Major Stastny, "I agree with my men, let's go in and put this dog down."

"Bonzai, you see what you can do to get our Nighthawk squad more mobile; nothing I'd like more than to see that LAM used as a jumping off point for some angry marines.  If that won't work, find the best unit that will."

"Rowan, see if you can hack their coms and get any info you can on movements, force disposition, anything at all."

"Callahan, get on the net, and get us all the info you can about this town.  I want as few surprises as possible."

"And Major, let's see if we can figure out the best approach, timing, etc.  I want to know the weak spots in their defenses, I want to know when their patrols are most likely to be taking a break.  We've got to figure out the best approaches into, out of, and around this city."  <Tactics: Land !>

"If anyone else has got any suggestions at all, I want to hear them."  Freund paused for moment, and made sure everyone was paying attention, "Let me make one thing clear.  This time, the gloves are off.  No holding back.  If this is how Babcock wants to run a war, I'll be happy to oblige him."

[Riegien]

Yes, sir.

I agree with Jon.  We need to do something to keep them off balance.  Could we sneak a light force around to the airport and put down their air support or at least slow it down, keeping our heavier elements for the assault on the city?  That way we'd at least have the highground, and possibly be able to distract some of their forces back to their rear.

<When discussions are over, Rowan heads over into the comm truck (or crab, whichever has the beefier gear) and starts probing out the Southy comm grid.  Looking for: local news and underground news reports/video where enemy composition would be noted, any comm traffic between the airport and the city, open but encrypted comm traffic between forces in the city, and local established communcation hubs that the troops might be using to communicate over distances such as to the airport.>

[Black Omega]

Banzai grabs a couple of techs and the 5 marines with their Nighthawk BA and they start climbing all over the LAM (in airmech
mode) looking for places to mount secure handles that don't interfere with transforming the mech to other modes or screw up
it's flight characteristics too badly.

[OOC: Rob, do Nighthawks have magnetic clamps?--if so nothing more is needed.  I guess I'll need to make an engineering skill roll
(sk lvl +6, int 7, wil 3) and/or a mech tech skill roll (sk lvl +3, int 7, dex 5) for manufacturering handles and attaching them to the
mech.  If any of the rolls fail, then I'll try again with Lt. Reed's PHX-1b, one of the Locusts and the Kanga.  By the way we will need
a record sheet for the Nighthawks with weapons, abilities, etc on sheet.]

[agustaaquila]

Xin sat in the empty Mobile Hauler's Cargo bay, whistling a haunting tune that reverberated in the empty space.  The acoustics quickly warped the sound into a sound painful to listen to.  Xin stands up and throws a single bolt across the space, its metallic clang a sharp contrast to the sounds that came before it.

"So, the gloves are finally off.  Not like they were on in the first place.  But when we get out of this hell, there will be a reckoning for what we've done."

[Riegien]

Sir, we've laid out some options.  Whats the plan?  Night strike ASAP?  Wheel forces around to flank the airfield? 

((Rob, if we could get some answers to some of the stuff we have been trying/have been asked to do, it might be helpful.))

[Darrian Wolffe]

OOC: I've heard a lot of questions, but not a lot of "we're doing X".  Tell me what people are actually DOING, and we get answers.  Speculation gets a response of "do something and find out" unless its something you've got a reasonable method of knowing.

[OOC: Rob, do Nighthawks have magnetic clamps?--if so nothing more is needed.  I guess I'll need to make an engineering skill roll
(sk lvl +6, int 7, wil 3) and/or a mech tech skill roll (sk lvl +3, int 7, dex 5) for manufacturering handles and attaching them to the
mech.  If any of the rolls fail, then I'll try again with Lt. Reed's PHX-1b, one of the Locusts and the Kanga.  By the way we will need
a record sheet for the Nighthawks with weapons, abilities, etc on sheet.]

Due to your extremely large margin of success, you've got the Nighthawk grips on your LAM.  +2 penalty to all PSRs (down from the original +5) until they're off, due to the weight imbalance (see also: why it takes OMNI Mechs to carry BA into battle).  Lucky you're so well-versed in engineering.

<When discussions are over, Rowan heads over into the comm truck (or crab, whichever has the beefier gear) and starts probing out the Southy comm grid.  Looking for: local news and underground news reports/video where enemy composition would be noted, any comm traffic between the airport and the city, open but encrypted comm traffic between forces in the city, and local established communcation hubs that the troops might be using to communicate over distances such as to the airport.>

There's not a lot of comm traffic, probably due to the increased military presence and the whole "taking half the city hostage" thing.  You're picking up some heavily-encryted comm traffic in a military band enemating from the city, but you can't get through the encryption without better gear (MoF of 5 on the roll).  The public word is that the town has been locked down for its own protection from the depredations of the SLDF renegades who are rebelling against the lawful and necessary seizure of the Star League by Stefan Amaris.

"And Major, let's see if we can figure out the best approach, timing, etc.  I want to know the weak spots in their defenses, I want to know when their patrols are most likely to be taking a break.  We've got to figure out the best approaches into, out of, and around this city."  <Tactics: Land !>

The downtown area of the city is centered around a pair of large towers that house a variety of corporate interests.  Surrounding them is a mixed office/industrial district (zoning issues go away when recycling and waste management of industrial zones is no longer an issue due to tech).  Surrounding THAT are quite a lot of mid-to-high-class suburbs and apartment complexes.  The north end of the city houses a small civilian airstrip of approximately 4000 feet with a dozen hangar complexes - presumably of civllian single and twin-engine craft 9too small for areospace fighters over about 40 tons, but just fine for loads of conventional fighters if they were flown in).  Being the middle of Canada, there really ISN'T a "best approach"; it's all flat land and small lakes.   The southeast and northern quadrants of the city are marginally easier approaches with less water in the way (and if it's a night scenario, be aware that it's REALLY hard to tell if the water is ice or not).  Without proper recon, that's about all you'll get; a "normal" defensive scheme for a city like this is twofold:

1) Keep "tripwire" units on the perimeter and the bulk of the defense force centralized, thus able to respond to any given point in about the same time frame.
2) Split the force effectively in half and guard the two opposing approaches (north/south, east/west, etc).

You are also aware the they have likely not had sufficient time to erect serious defenses, minefields, or breastworks...but they've certainly had enough time to conceal vehicles inside buildings and other sundry, semi-improvised defenses.

[Black Omega]

Cap, I think I know how to locate their forces without a recon (that we don't have time for).  Let me get on the internet and find a geological earthquake monitering website.  I can zero in on Southey and set the filter for microquakes (0.01 rictor). Battlemech footsteps will show up as localized quakes.  We can playback the results for the last 12 hours or so and find out exactly where they are.

(OOC:  Rob, My advanced computer skill +3 I hope will do this.  Int 7 Dex 5)

[Darrian Wolffe]

Cap, I think I know how to locate their forces without a recon (that we don't have time for).  Let me get on the internet and find a geological earthquake monitering website.  I can zero in on Southey and set the filter for microquakes (0.01 rictor). Battlemech footsteps will show up as localized quakes.  We can playback the results for the last 12 hours or so and find out exactly where they are.

(OOC:  Rob, My advanced computer skill +3 I hope will do this.  Int 7 Wil 3)

OOC: Neat idea.  OK, I'll bite.  Advanced Computer skill (MoS 2) find you the site and allows you to set the parameters of the search.  You'd normally need Science/geology to interpret the data, but part of structural engineering can be interpreted as having to deal with seismic activity, so it's feasible that you'd dealt with data like this before...just not at this small scale.  That'll increase the difficulty up to Very Difficult (Average base, up to Very Difficult for having to use a related skill; normally you can't use a Science skill to help another Science skill at all since they're all CA-rated...but this is a creative use of the skill so I'll let it slide), plus a small penalty for dealing with a jury-rigged computer system (having gone through the back door of a satellite link and through another backdoor to Chicago's University of Science) a final effective TN of 14.  2d6+6 gets you a final result of 13, an MoF of 1.

Result:  It takes you some time, but you manage to slice your way into a nearby university geographic monitoring center 9since they're far less likely to detect your intrusion and try to trace your location).  A large amount of extremely minor seismic activity was detected in the area of Southey starting about 30 hours ago.  The resolution of the data simply doesn't allow you to try to trace individual Mech movements, but you note that, while the entire area is completely overrun with such activity for the first 10 hours or so, it seems to have died off in recent hours - being concentrated primarily in the center of the city, with small micro-quakes on the city outskirts every 15-20 minutes.  Given the level of activity, you estimate that there is a total active OPFOR of just over a dozen Rim Worlds mechs.  Vehicles, lacking the ground impact that mech feet impart, do not show up on the scanners.

[phlop]

Schweppes, hanging around the HQ hears Banzai telling the Capt. about his report concerning using the computers at some school to track seismic sounds. He wonders if the part about the movement at 15 to 20 min. intervals is periodic or continuous.

OOC: Rob, are the movements like guards moving around the perimeter or is it such as a few mechs coming out to check on the listening posts and then going back to a stand down area. A few mechs at the ready.

[Death or Glory]

Duncan listened intently to the briefing with mounting rage and fear.  The Rim World Republic troops were threatening to kill civilians now.  He had family on Terra.  Family that were staunch and vocal supporters of the Star League and Cameron family.  For all he knew, they could be getting rounded up by RWR troops at this very moment.  The thought filled him with dread, but he was an officer of the Star League Defense Force, he wouldn't let his fear show in front of the men.

"Holding civilians hostage?  That's damn unsporting of them," Duncan spat out as he idly twirled a pen is his hand.  "That sort of behavior would give even one of those infernal Taurians pause.  It's what I would expect out of the pirates cowering in their hovels in the deep periphery, not from a regular military, even from a military composed of those rim world thugs.  Well, if they want to fight like rabid mongrels, then I'll certainly oblige them in putting them down as such."  Duncan rubbed his thumb against the grip of one of his pistols at the thought, before puffing up his chest and continuing, "As soldiers of the Star League, we have a duty to protect her citizens at all costs.  We will either defend the residents of Southey from the depredations of the Rim Worlds Republic barbarians or die to the last man, no other result is acceptable."

Suddenly less boisterous, Duncan paces back and forth while puzzling, "However, I fancy that charging in there headfirst won't do us much good either.  We need to know more about the situation first.  Specifically, what sort of threat the bastard Babcock has the civilians under.  If he has the towers packed with explosives, then he could detonate them as soon as he figures out we're not going to surrender.  Additionally, if those towers are swarming with RWR infantry, then we can't exactly clear them out using battlemech scale weaponry without killing scores of civilians.  Lastly, the RWR forces could be under orders to simply open fire on the buildings as soon as we start attacking them."

His mind set, Duncan sharply turns about to face the unit before beginning to bark out orders, "Hawker, get on the equipment again and see if you can find out if Babcock has requisitioned a sufficient amount of explosives to bring down two skyscrapers and combat engineers to set the charges.  Banzai should be able to help you figure out exactly what type and quantity of equipment you should be looking for.  Callahan, think you could create a set of fake IDs so we can pass as Terran residents if the need arises, it never hurts to be prepared after all.  Lastly, Marhsall, from what distance do you think you could drop a man with that rifle of yours?"

"Personally, I think I'm going to go snooping about through the brush a bit and see if I can't figure out a bit more about the current situation.  Marshall, you seem to be the outdoors type, you can join me on this expedition if you wish.  I should be back before nightfall," Duncan finishes and begins to exit the tent before turning about and hastily adding with a salute, "All of this with the Captain's and Major's permission of course."

"Damn, caught up in the bloody moment again," Duncan mutters to himself after he exits the tent.  That speech had made himself feel better.  The fire of his own energy and anger coursed through his veins.  For the first time since arriving in the Canadian wilderness, Duncan didn't feel cold.

OOC: Rob, Duncan's plan is to take an ATV or other such similar vehicle towards Southey.  His goal is to try to come into contact with any locals who might have been able to evade the RWR troops rounding everyone up and see what they know about the situation.  He also hopes to find a spot with a decent view of the city and watch the city with a pair of binoculars for a couple hours to see if he can figure out how many RWR troops are in the two towers and whether or not the RWR forces appear to be rigging the buildings to explode.  He's also trying to observe basic information such as where the RWR troops have set up their headquarters and barracks.  Duncan will not be going in uniform, nor will he be carrying any equipment to identify himself as a member of the SLDF.  Duncan would like to avoid any RWR troops, but hopes to pass himself off as a local hunter (so he will have a rifle with him) if he encounters any.  He'll also bring some money with him in case he needs to bribe anyone for information or to leave him alone.  I figure the stealth, acting, and negotiation skills are appropriate here.  Additionally, the artillery skill could feasibly be used to plot the location of enemy forces with some degree of accuracy.  Furthermore, I will be spending 30 XP to purchase Stealth +1 and 30 XP to purchase Small Arms +1.  Lastly, how long does it take for a mech to perform a cold reactor start up?