Catalyst 35TP003 - Operational ...

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TM
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A BATTLETECH SOURCEBOOKS COMPANION
[OPERATIONAL TURNING POINTS: DEATH TO MERCENARIES]
PRESSURE ..................................
BLUE SWANN
HARROW’S SUN
FEDERATED SUNS
26 JULY 3028
“There isn’t any,” Dumont said simply.
“Sir.”
“Hold your ground, Captain.” Dumont paused. Becker
hovered his
nger over the key to cut the transmission o
—
what else was there left to say
? “They got Bax, Robert.”
“Colonel Arbuthnot?”
“Yeah. He was moving between the lines and got
ambushed.” Dumont stopped again. “Tell your people. It hasn’t
calmed down any.”
“I will, sir,” Becker said. The signal lamp died. Dumont was
gone.
When Becker blinked he was back on Misery, back in the ice
and the snow with the Snakes coming from everywhere and the
damn cold wind blowing in through the crack in his canopy—he
opened his eyes. Misery was Hell, pure and simple, but all the
colonels had survived. Most of the majors, even. Losing Baxter
Arbuthnot hurt—and Becker wasn’t even in Epsilon.
Becker shook his head and keyed the lance channel. “Listen
up: the Snakes killed Colonel Arbuthnot.” He didn’t wait for any
replies. “The Major wanted me to tell you that, so you’d know the
Snakes haven’t forgotten Misery. I know you haven’t.”
“Too damn right,” Storrs blurted.
“There’s more of them coming—couple of minutes out.
We’re going to hold right here.”
“I’m out of missiles, Loot,” Truley said.
“There’s no resupply in range.”
The
Zeus
stepped away from the wall it’d been leaning
against and raised its left arm. “Guess it’s a good thing I let
Toomey switch out for this peeper, then,” Truley said, brandishing
the
Zeus
’ big PPC.
“We getting any support?” January asked.
“The rest of the company is holding the next two zones.”
Becker nudged the
Marauder
forward so it was the leading
’Mech. “We took out a company the last time. We can do it again.”
“That was a light company, Cap’n,” Truley said on his discrete
channel.
“Maybe the next one will be, too.”
Some artillery fell in the distance beyond the Blue
Swann line. Fort Belvoir had held out for a month against
the Drac assault, and if the Snakes wanted to line up and
let the Dragoons pick them off as they came through the
layered defenses that was just fine with Becker. He was tired,
though. His hands and his forearms ached from being at the
Marauder
’s controls for so long. His mind ached from being in
combat for so long.
Maybe the jocks still on Misery finally got
some rest
…
Movement triggered a warning ping on Becker’s HUD.
A red caret appeared, moving along the wall toward them.
Becker toggled the switch on his console that would echo
the information to the other ’Mechs in his lance and waited,
weapons at the ready. He was a hundred and
fty meters back
from break in the wall; knife-range for his PPCs and adequate for
his lasers. The caret neared the break. A shape appeared, shaded
by the wall because of the angle of the light—
—a
Shadow Hawk
—
The last round hammered out of the barrel of the Whirlwind
autocannon over Lieutenant Robert Becker’s cockpit with a
nality that felt like silence, for all the clamor of destruction
around him. Becker looked at the ammunition feed counter
again, knowing that the magazine was empty but hoping he
was wrong. He wasn’t wrong. Alarms screamed for his attention
in the
Marauder
’s cockpit but he ignored them.
The target of the Whirlwind’s a
ections, a matte-gray
Vulcan
of the Eighth Galedon Regulars, crumpled around the round as it
pulverized the last of the armor protecting its own autocannon
ammunition. Explosions trickled out of the gaping hole in its
torso as the rounds gang-
red in their cassettes. The forty-ton
Drac ’Mech collapsed around itself. The jock inside didn’t eject.
“That’s the last of them,” Truley, his lance second, reported.
The sergeant’s
Zeus
was leaning against a section of wall. Smoke
billowed out of its shattered right shoulder. “Eleven of them. We
counted.”
Becker stopped the
Marauder
and let go his controls for a
moment. He
exed his hands, trying to stave o
the cramps he
knew were coming from the death grip he’d held on the sticks
for the last half-hour. The
Marauder
’s heat sinks were blasting
hot air into the cool atmosphere as quickly as possible but the
cockpit was still a sauna. He wanted to open the faceplate of his
neurohelmet, wipe the sweat on his brow. He didn’t dare. The
Snakes would be back…
which means we need to reconsolidate
.
Reconsolidate. Becker laughed. How many times would this
be, then? His lance became the Assault Lance of the Fourth
Provisional Company, Gamma Regiment, Wolf’s Dragoons, after
Misery. Most of the rest of the company—
hell, the battalion
—was
already dead or out of the
ght, so he hadn’t minded not getting
his own company. He’d brought his lance through all right.
Behind Truley’s
Zeus
Timmy Storrs’ big
Charger
was helping
January’s
Wolfhound
to its feet. The thirty-
ve ton ’Mech had
fallen when a Snake
Stinger
came down out of a jump on its
shoulders, but Timmy’s eighty-ton
Charger
had taken care of
that jock with one big foot.
A tone sounded on Becker’s com board. “Becker. Report.”
He sounds tired
. “Sir, no losses. We’ve accounted for eleven
Drac ’Mechs in our zone. No information on whether they have
support moving up.”
“Excellent work, Robert,” Major Arthur Dumont said. “And
don’t worry—they’re coming again. Recon puts them
ve
minutes out.” A di
erent signal pinged on Becker’s map board,
showing the reported position of the incoming Galedon Regulars.
Becker eyed the position, his mind automatically replacing the
terrain icons with rocks and trenches and mine
elds. He’d been
standing on this patch of ground for three weeks.
“We need ammo, sir,” Becker said. The zero-reading on his
autocannon feed glared at him in crimson accusation. “I’m out,
my people are out.”
1
[OPERATIONAL TURNING POINTS: DEATH TO MERCENARIES]
PRESSURE ..................................
Becker
red. Both the
Marauder
’s thick forearms spat a slug
of accelerated ions into the
Shadow Hawk
’s chest. The Kurita
’Mech staggered as armor exploded away, pushing against the
fty-
ve ton mass like rockets. A third PPC—Truley’s—missed
to the left and exploded a two-meter patch of the wall. If the
Snake ’Mech had been a man it’d have been shredded by chips
of ferrocrete, but its armor brushed the shrapnel o
. Lasers,
three bright ruby beams from Storrs’
Charger
and a fourth from
January’s
Wolfhound
, brushed away the last vestiges of armor
covering its chest and left leg. In six or seven seconds the Drac
medium ’Mech had been denuded to the point of
ight. Becker
watched the ’Mech, riding out of the desultory trio of long-
range missiles and autocannon
re that pitted the armor over
the
Marauder
’s left breast.
He’ll either move forward to clear the breach, or he’ll go back, for
cover
… If he did the
rst, Becker would hit him again with both
PPCs and lasers, and damn the heat. If he did the second, he’d
hold his
re for the next one through, and hope the
Marauder
’s
heat sinks could bring the waste heat from the
rst barrage
under control.
And if I have time, I’ll have the techs strip the damn
autocannon o
and
ll the space with more heat sinks
…
The
Shadow Hawk
disappeared over the wall in a short leap
on its jump jets. Becker exhaled, loosened his
ngers—
A sixty-ton
Dragon
charged through the breach without
slowing, missiles
ushing from its chest-mounted launcher. A
second
Dragon
followed, and then a seventy-ton
Grasshopper
.
Becker
red without thinking—one of his PPCs hit the
Grasshopper
in the arm. The other wasted itself on the horizon
behind it. More Kurita ’Mechs moved in the smoke behind the
leading three. The rest of Becker’s lance
red and hit, but they
weren’t enough. Three or four hits from the lance’s big weapons
were enough to cripple the recon company that had rushed
in earlier. Those same hits weren’t enough to stop an assault
company of fast heavies.
Becker’s
ngers keyed the delta call into his console. “Major,
they’re coming through. Get someone behind us, because we’re
not stopping them.” The PPCs recycled and he
red, aiming more
carefully. Both blue-white streaks burned the
Grasshopper
o
its
feet, although the Drac jock was rocking the ’Mech to its knees
almost as fast as it fell.
“They’re pressing everywhere,” Dumont’s reply came. Becker
heard the heat alarms in Dumont’s cockpit screaming for
attention. “Hold the line, Lieuten—“
The signal died.
Becker screamed in frustration. One of the
Dragon
s crashed
into the wall alongside Truley’s
Zeus
when it missed trying to
crush the
Zeus
between it and the wall. January’s little
Wolfhound
bounded past Becker’s
Marauder
at more than ninety kilometers
per hour and crashed into the second
Dragon
. Both ’Mechs fell,
but the
Dragon
got back up. Laser and autocannon
re blasted
armor over the
Marauder
’s heart. A Klaxon blared to life as one
of the lasers nicked the reactor shielding. Becker slammed the
throttle forward and
red again at the
Grasshopper
. Both PPCs
drilled the ’Mech’s torso armor but failed to penetrate. The
Marauder
’s long-legged gait ate o
the meters between them.
The
Grasshopper
’s jock shook the PPC impacts o
and set the
’Mech’s feet to receive him.
The impact of seventy-
ve tons of
Marauder
striking seventy
tons of
Grasshopper
knocked Becker into the dark quiet of
nothingness…
’Mech’s feet to receive him.
The impact of seventy-
ve tons of
tons of
nothingness…
The impact of seventy-
ve tons of
tons of
Grasshopper
knocked Becker into the dark quiet of
nothingness…
2
The
Grasshopper
’Mech’s feet to receive him.
The impact of seventy-
ve tons of
Grasshopper
.
Becker
red without thinking—one of his PPCs hit the
in the arm. The other wasted itself on the horizon
behind it. More Kurita ’Mechs moved in the smoke behind the
leading three. The rest of Becker’s lance
red and hit, but they
Becker
red without thinking—one of his PPCs hit the
in the arm. The other wasted itself on the horizon
behind it. More Kurita ’Mechs moved in the smoke behind the
leading three. The rest of Becker’s lance
red and hit, but they
2
[OPERATIONAL TURNING POINTS: DEATH TO MERCENARIES]
INTRODUCTION ...........................
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to
Operational Turning Points: Death to Mercenaries,
a
campaign book designed to give players the opportunity to
ght
in one of the landmark con
icts of the Inner Sphere’s tumultuous
history. The
Operational Turning Points
series is slightly di
erent
from the standard
Jihad
or
Historical Turning Points
PDF exclusives;
although still o
ering the same great gameplay opportunities; an
Operational Turning Points
expands the Track section into a more
robust campaign setting, using both Mission and Touchpoint
Tracks to let players
ght a full-
edged, multi-world campaign.
The general information contained in the
Atlas
and
Combatants
sections gives players the tools needed to
ght an
in
nite number of engagements, while the
Track
section gives
details on some of the more pivotal battles of the campaign. The
Track
sections can be used with stand-alone games set in 3028.
The
Atlas
section presents a global view followed by some
quick facts about some of the planets visited in this campaign.
Included in this section you will
nd terrain tables broken into
various categories. These tables can be used as a random chart
to determine the maps used in the tracks, or simply as a guide
to give you ideas of the types of terrain found on the world. This
section also contains a list of various additional terrain types,
environment and other rules that can be used to enhance your
game experience. All players should agree whether or not to use
any or all of these features before play begins.
The
Combatants
section gives details of the units who
participated in the con
ict and can be used by players who wish
to add authenticity to their game. While the units who actually
participated in the battles are noted, in most cases the numbers
on each side are left undetermined. This allows the players to
pursue the Tracks with di
erent forces as they wish. The rough
ratio of forces on each side is provided as a guideline. Players
should feel free to balance the forces in each track as they see
t, whether by battle value, tonnage, total number of ’Mechs, or
whatever else suits them.
The
Tracks
section presents both
Mission
and
Touchpoint
tracks, allowing player groups to build full-
edged campaigns
set during the events listed. A general guideline for how to
begin
ghting the historical campaign is included in
How to Use
the Campaign
. Each of the
Mission
Tracks is reusable, and the
Touchpoints
cover several key battles that occurred during the
campaign, though they are not the only ones. Players wishing to
incorporate these tracks into their
Chaos Campaign
campaigns
should use the Warchest Points (WP) listed in the brackets.
Optional points are awarded only if the group achieves at least
one Objective while using the listed option. Objective points are
cumulative as they are achieved, unless otherwise noted.
Players wishing to run an even richer campaign should begin
with
Historical Turning Points: Misery
and may use their units and/
or their
nal Warchest Point total from that campaign as their
starting WP for
OTP: Death to Mercenaries
.
The
Annex
section contains two o cial Record Sheets, one
for the
eld-expedient ANH-1E
Annihilator
and another for the
custom
Victor
of
Tai-sho
Li Dok To.
CREDITS .....................................
Project Development:
Ben H. Rome
Factchecking/Playtesting:
Joel Bancroft-Conners, Rich Cencarik, Bruce
Ford, Stephen King, Mike Miller, Andreas Rudolph, Geo
Swift, Øystein
Tvedten, John Unchelenko, Chris Wheeler, Patrick Wynne
BattleTech Line Developer:
Herb A. Beas II
Writing:
Jason Schmetzer
For more information about the various battles mentioned in
Operational
Turning Points: Death to Mercenaries
, please look at the sourcebooks
BattlePack: Fourth Succession War, The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas:
Volume One, The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas: Volume Two, The
Fourth Succession War Military Atlas: Scenarios
, and
Wolf ’s Dragoons
. All
o
er further details that may enhance the
avor of gameplay based on
OTP: Death to Mercenaries
.
Editing:
Ben H. Rome
Production Sta
Cover Design and Layout:
Matt Heerdt
Evolved faction Logos Design:
Jason Vargas
Portraits and Unit Logos:
Ray Arrastia
Operational Maps:
Øystein Tvedten
Record Sheets:
David L. McCulloch
©2010 The Topps Company Inc. All rights Reserved. Operational Turning Points: Death to Mercenaries,
Classic BattleTech, BattleTech, BattleMech and ’Mech are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of
The Topps Company, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs and the
Catalyst Game Labs logo are trademarks of InMediaRes Production, LLC.
STAR LEAGUE ERA
STAR LEAGUE ERA
CLAN INVASION ERA
CLAN INVASION ERA
JIHAD ERA
JIHAD ERA
®
SUCCESSION WARS ERA
CIVIL WAR ERA
CIVIL WAR ERA
DARK AGE ERA
DARK AGE ERA
3
[OPERATIONAL TURNING POINTS: DEATH TO MERCENARIES]
ATLAS ........................................
CROSSING
rest of the March for an expansion of the Draconis March Militia
to Crossing. The DMM has historically been unwilling to allocate
more resources to the planet, given its already strengthened
position with the normal military tra
c and the presence of
such strong aerospace defenses on Wayfarer, but with hostilities
underway it seems likely that Duke Sandoval may take more
interest in the proposal. The crush of equipping so many
regiments actively
ghting, however, makes it unlikely that the
vehicles and ’Mechs would be available even if Robinson does
approve the idea.
Noble Ruler:
Duke James Sandoval
Appointed Ruler:
Baron Edvard Caine
Star Type (Recharge Time):
G4V (185 hours)
Position in System:
4
Time to Jump Point:
7.96
Number of Satellites:
4 (Wayfarer, Journeyman, Trinket, Scope)
Surface Gravity:
.99
Atm. Pressure:
Standard (Breathable)
Equatorial Temperature:
37° C (Arid)
Surface Water:
78 percent
Recharging Station:
Zenith
HPG Class Type:
B
Highest Native Life:
Insects
Population (3028):
282,730,000
Socio-Industrial Levels:
C-C-D-C-B
GLENMORA
Noble Ruler:
Duke James Sandoval
Appointed Ruler:
Baron Dassault Edgerton
Star Type (Recharge Time):
G2V (183 hours)
Position in System:
3
Time to Jump Point:
9.12
Number of Satellites:
0
Surface Gravity:
1.01
Atm. Pressure:
Standard (Breathable)
Equatorial Temperature:
27° C (Arid)
Surface Water:
78 percent
Recharging Station:
Zenith
HPG Class Type:
B
Highest Native Life:
Insect
Population (3028):
191,460,000
Socio-Industrial Levels:
C-C-D-C-B
Crossing has always been an important world in the Davion
border defenses against the Draconis Combine. In fact, the
world’s location and apt name have made it a popular waystation
for troops and logistical trains moving to and from the Kurita
border, and much of the world’s southern continent, Charon,
is given over to military reservations and rest and recreation
facilities for the AFFS.
The western continent, Ganse, is home to the planetary capital
of Averrant City and the famous bowl of Tartarus Caldera. The
western Shores area is a highly-sought-out vacation destination
for nobles from across the Draconis March. The waters of the
Averrant Sea are near-crystal clear, thanks to unique monocelluar
plankton analogue in Crossing’s seas and there are no natural
predators. Averrant City, fourteen kilometers north of the Shores,
is home to the largest non-military spaceport on the planet.
Two of Crossing’s moons, Wayfarer and Trinket, are AFFS
military reservations. Wayfarer hosts the third-largest regional
aerospace proving ground in the Draconis March. Run by the
Department of the Quartermaster, the Wayfarer ranges are
used extensively for testing new munitions and seeker heads
from new manufacturers to make sure they conform to the
performance standards of regular AFFS suppliers. Trinket is
home to the Draconis March Militia’s hostile environment
warfare center, which trains infantrymen for combat in vacuum
and near-death pressure environments. As many as two infantry
regiments are normally barracked on Trinket at any one time,
although daily shuttle
ights rotate down to Averrant City for
rest and relaxation.
Much of Crossing’s civilian population is made up of retired
AFFS veterans and much of the existent cottage industry caters
to them and their families. Indeed, so much of certain Crossing
cities like Crassus and New Rhodes are made up of veterans,
and the local governments so timocratic in bent, that the MIIO
keeps a quiet presence on Crossing to make sure that dangerous
elements like the Warrior’s Cabal don’t make appreciable gains
while the state is occupied with the war against Kurita and Liao.
Baron Caine has been quietly spending political capital in the
Glenmora is most famous for the volcano
elds of Hades,
its largest and most populous continent. Seventy percent of
Glenmora’s population lives and works under the constant
overcast of Hades, but the remaining thirty percent are spread
across a series of large islands, too small to be continents,
that ring the equator of the world. Hades’ chemical factories
provide much of the income from Glenmora’s export tari
s, but
the rare—and pure—metals pulled from the seabeds around
Davison and Carson are just as pro
table.
Tronka, Glenmora’s largest city, is home to the capital and
the planetary assembly that supports the baron’s political
schemes. The Glenmorans have a small independent streak,
which appears at odds with how much they support their
baron’s policies. Baron Edgerton, who seems to prefer his
subjects’ indi
erence to his wants, spends much of his year
on the resort island of Cape Sarah, wooing potential investors
for the Hades-based chemical conglomerates. His
fetes
are
near-legendary in the Draconis March, and rumor has it that
the recent establishment of a New Avalon Institute of Science
(NAIS) geological resource station in northern Hades is the
result of a wager between the baron and one of the NAIS’
provosts during the 3024 Grand Cape Sarah Regatta. Many
pundits suspect the people’s a
rmation of their baron’s hands-
o
policy is a result of their agreement with his successes; for
the most part, he provides the opportunity, and the people
provide the successful advancement.
4
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