FATE - Battletech 2950 Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Tareth

Still shaken by what she witnessed, it takes Charly a while to get up to speed, and by the end of fixing the last armor panel, four hours later, she's feeling exhausted from the exertion and the heat.

Operation Flyswatter HQ...

The Canopian mechwarrior glances back and forth between Markus, Lapeidra, and the quiet Lloyd. Her thin lips are set in a stoic line as she runs her hand through short cropped hair typical of many mechwarriors. The slight wrinkles at the edges of her brown eyes exaggerated by the growing look of confusion and irritation.

She writes down a couple of new numbers on the comppad. "That's as high as I can go. I've added a bonus for each of Hutton's command lance mechs you can scan with this little device." She points to what appears to be a standard targeting sensor sitting on top of a crate near the table. A bit bigger than two bread boxes strapped together, but with nearly every side sporting an array of antennae, lens, and other sensors to give it the look of some alien contraption from the holovids. "My own team put this together. It's a highly modified standard targeting array. Modified to give much more detailed an accurate information of the composition, armament, power, and underlying schematics, and other details of each mech. It might help us identify where these machines came from and what exactly we're up against. It's also able to gather this information at a greater distance than most standard mech targeting systems."

She leans back from the command table and casually tosses the stylus on top of the comppad. "Now...I don't care how you run your unit." Vikhaus says. "Go out and hold a vote, draw straws, or whatever you need to do to decide to take the offer or not." Her fingers drum the side of the table. "But going forward, I need to know your chain of command or at the very least, have one contact person to pass along orders and intel. Acceptance of the contract means you will designate one person as liaison to this command. Normally, I would assign one of my own people to ride shotgun, but we're short handed enough as it is."

"You've three hours to decide. After that we will consider the contract terminated and you're welcome to catch a ride out system when the Glory's Crossing jumps to the nearest system with an HPG station to inform command of our findings so far."

The offer is 4 credits plus .25 credits for each mech scanned with the device. This is an increase from 3 credits and no bonus.

Vikhaus' attitude has Lapeidra really annoyed. She's being a total b+*$~ for no good reason. She's on the verge of telling her to f*@~ off. Unwilling to meet Vikhaus' level of antagonism, Lapeidra holds her tongue.

"You said you want more prisoners to question. That means more risk for us. Add another (1 credit) for each living person we bring in."

Reasonable, ill run this by, you will have an answer.

--------------------

With the team

Ok, so thats the offer. I vote we take it. Concerning the liasion, probably me. I got some established Rapport, and Vikhlas and Lapeidra seem to have beef.

Gunny shrugs when Markus mentions representing the group. "I'm good with it. That should simplify process."

"It's not that, Markus. Vikhaus isn't as tough as she talks. She's afraid of whatever's happening here. Her hardshell attitude - that's fear. This planet is hiding something she doesn't want found. We're getting into some serious s&+# and my gut says she is holding out on us, both her intel and her money.

"But if you're all set on following through I will be here with you."

Lloyd shrugs. "We shouldn't be dealing with hostages or prisoners on a scouting run. I mean, sure, if things go as crazy as they did last time maybe it could happen, but I vote that if this time things look like they're getting crazy we just run."

He pauses. "As much as I'm nervous about this whole thing, I just... I guess, this feels like something big. The kind of big that'll come back to bite us when we least expect it if we don't at least figure out what's going on. These pirates probably aren't pirates, and if it turns out they're supported by one of the big powers or they're actually onto something about there being Star League gear here? Next thing we know we might have to get out of this whole section of the galaxy if we don't want to be caught up in another new warfront."

Lapeidra had never even considered that Hutton and Deigo weren't pirates. "Why do you say they're not pirates? Deigo could have given that up at any time and probably saved himself, but he didn't. And if you're right about that, Lloyd, that's more good reason to not settle for a short payout. And if there's a major faction behind this I don't want my name on a Ten Most Wanted list."

She understands her fame cuts both ways, but that is not anyone else' burden but hers. Still, if Lloyd is right it wouldn't be long before someone put a bounty on all their heads. Her mind races with the implications.

"Vikhaus and Co. must have the same idea, and if she is successful in taking down Hutton, his backers will be more curious than ever and send in the real steel to level this place. So we're just pawns in a much larger struggle. That means work, which is fine, but I don't want to be blamed for starting a war."

"There's no way they got this much metal out here just raiding and pirating," Lloyd responds. "You could hardly afford to keep this many 'Mechs ammo'd up and maintained off of what you could steal in this corner of the Periphery, not without a bunch of DropShips at least. And then you'd need to keep the DropShips supplied..."

He shakes his head. "I'm just saying it doesn't make sense for pirates out this way to have this much firepower without some outside backing."

I... Charly starts to say, but clams up. She doesn't think they can win against someone that's been as well funded as these people seem to have been, at least not without finding a way to cut them off or match their equipment.

"Wh-what about that thing Lloyd said he found?"

While enjoying what’s left of his cigar, Gunny chimes in with some thoughts. “Earlier I came across a sergeant who had some stogies for trade, so I rolled up my sleeves and started helping him with a few repairs that he needed an extra set of hands to complete. During the process he offered me some left-over salvage that would likely clean up the commando. Should we put the old boy back together seeing this is likely going to be a faster pace mission?”

After taking a couple large puffs of his stogie, he continues. “The sergeant also showed me some scrap from their battle. The remains of an unexploded ordinance had the undeniable makings of Valiant. It also had a time stamp indicating they were manufactured less than six months ago. That don’t sound like pirates to me. If they are pirates, they are being supplied. That type of payload is commonly used in more up to date war machines. Say, something like a striker tank, which Valiant normally runs straight through Wonderland Enterprise. They, in turn, normally sell directly to the Federated Suns.” While taking a moment to let that information sit in, Gunny takes another large drag on his stogie. “The whole thing reeks. If I had to guess, someone is deep digging under the radar for some reason and Vikhaus is trying to figure out who it is. Or at least prove it for some reason.”

Lapeidra makes a quick errand to the galley and returns with a case of beer, passing cans around to the team. She cracks hers and takes a slug while considering the limited intel they were given prior to the first contract.

"Anyone talk to the Janissaries that hit the Capital? That's where Hector's Hellions were supposedly hiding out, among other possible locations. Do you think Hutton is with the Hellions? That might explain his abundance of firepower. Or is he a subcontractor paid to dig mud and compel locals by any means necessary?" She shakes her head. "Why didn't Deigo know any of this s+%~?"

Gunny accepts the beer with a smile. “Thanks Lapeidra.” He says while cracking it open. “Do we know for sure that the assault Mech’s are linked to Hutton? The ordnance I seen didn’t look like pirate rabble munitions. It makes me wonder if we have more than one opposing element involved in this debacle.”

I... Charly starts to say, but clams up. She doesn't think they can win against someone that's been as well funded as these people seem to have been, at least not without finding a way to cut them off or match their equipment.

"Wh-what about that thing Lloyd said he found?"

"That's probably their main DropShip, or at least we're scouting it like it is," Lloyd replies. "Hence, scouting. Meaning we're not sticking around and fighting anything if we can help it, right?"

Lapeidra drinks her beer and stares at Lloyd, waiting for the punch line to the joke he started to tell.

---with the Janissarries

So, our spare wasp for your thunderbolt parts? Seems like a good deal, we get our first heavy, you get a scout mech. He holds his hand out.