Steiner Recon Action

 

The assembled forces: 24th Lyran Guards (left) and assorted Word of Blake militia (right)

Months after the last instalment and months after I actually played the battle, I bring you the next episode in my Tharkad Battletech campaign. As the name suggests, for a "recon" mission I chose to deploy forces more suited to a frontal assault.

After escaping an attempted counter-insurgency operation with most of their forces intact, "Zebra" company of the 24th Lyran Guards continue guerrilla operations against the Word of Blake occupation of their capital planet, Tharkhad. Among the snowy peaks of Tatyana islands, the Lyrans launch a reconnaissance mission to gather information in preparation for a raid on the local Blakist HQ in the plains. Facing them are a mixed bag of 'mechs and vehicles from a nondescript mercenary company hired to keep order.

Initial skirmishing: The Cicada gets up in the face of the slower Lyrans, protected by its speed and agility

After several days of wandering the mountains with nothing but snow and static on the radar, the Lyrans finally picked up 'Mech heat signatures in the area of a relatively flat plateau and moved in to engage. Untroubled by their lack of sophisticated electronics to scan their opponents, putting faith instead in shooting up the enemy and identifying the wreckage. The mercenaries were equally keen to alleviate the boredom of patrol and paperwork with a little action and battle was soon joined.

The Lyrans ignore the nimble Cicada and instead concentrate on the slower Crusader...

Knowing the chances of hitting the swift Cicada were minimal, the Lyran Mechwarriors focussed their fire on the slower Crusader in the hope of taking its many missile launchers out of the equation. In a reverse of the tragic loss of the Thunderbolt in the last game, first the Valkyrie and then the Marauder landed lucky shots right to the cockpit of the most powerful unit in their way and landing a pristine piece of salvage if they could control the field.

... and a couple of lucky shots blast the head clean off! Salvage all round!

Scenting blood, the Lyrans closed in on the next easy target, the slow moving armoured vehicle accompanying the mercenaries. Although its weapons had little effect on the Marauder (now undisputed king of the battlefield), the Cicada was slowly cutting through the lighter Valkyrie's armour, aided by the slower moving tank. 

One slow mover down, time to move on to the next one.

Slower and less manoeuvrable than the more agile 'Mech forces, the tank couldn't avoid enough fire to stay in the game and took one shot too many. Unfortunately for the guinea pig crew, (thanks to Bad Squiddo for the entirely unique models) this shot struck the fuel tank and the vehicle exploded into flames. It all seemed rather one-sided as the most the mercenaries could achieve was forcing the cautious Valkyrie pilot to disengage rather than incur possibly lethal damage, or worse, huge repair bills.

The Valkyrie leaves the field rather than risk destruction, while the Marauder tries to draw a bead on the nimble Cicada

A moment of calm fell across the plateau as the two remaining contenders prepared to duel. Despite overwhelming advantages in armour and firepower, the Marauder had serious difficulty in targeting the swift and agile Cicada. The lighter 'Mech could easily slip inside the minimum range of the Marauder's weapons and get around to the weaker armour in its rear. However, the Cicada still had to crack the Marauder's armour to bring down the mighty beast and for that, its armament proved insufficient to the task. Each unable to meaningfully hit or damage the other, the pilots (and, to be honest, me) were exhausted after the extended struggle and cautiously broke contact.

Each unable to meaningfully hurt the other, the last two remaining 'mechs cautiously break contact

So, at the end of the affair, I declared Lyran victory and thus control of all battlefield salvage. This was a real win for the company as the reward for the victory, plus the fantastic salvage gained, allowing for repair of their existing 'Mechs in preparation for the next outing at Word of Blake HQ. Watch this space...