COMPLETED: Defending the Henhouse (April, 3024 - September, 3024)

Guarding the Henhouse

Date: April, 3024
Employer: Earthwerks-FWL, Inc.
Contract Type: Security
Contract Location: Keystone, Free Worlds League
Command Rights: Liaison
Overhead: 100%
Salvage: 0% (except in the case of Planetary Invasion in which case 25%)
Contract Length: 6 months
Base Pay: 5 + possible bonuses*

Earthwerks-FWL, Inc. Is looking to supplement the legendary Security-Bot guard force of it’s Kodes Mech Factory. The Kodes Plant produces Stingers, Thunderbolts and Griffins and is recognized as one of the finest Mech Factories in the Inner Sphere, if not the largest. For centuries, the plant has been garrisoned by the automated Security Bots that made the original Earthwerks, Ltd. Famous.
(Bonuses: Earthwerks has been known to offer Mercenary units who successfully complete missions outside the scope of their contract with mint condition Battlemechs, fresh off the assembly line.)

A local factory worker approaches the Scrappers HQ with a request to enlist:

"Uh, hiya. My name is Rollo..., Rollo Timase. I work in the production facility here. Are you by any chance looking to hire Mechwarriors? I don't have a Mech but I'm a good pilot, honest. I've been moving these hunks of metal around since before I could walk. Well, maybe a little after I could walk. I'll pilot anything with a Gyro if you promise to take me off this rock when you leave."


Rollo Timase

Mech: None
Mech Piloting: 3
Mech Gunnery: 4
Skills: None

Profit Making Opportunity:

Colonel Winnfield is approached in a bar by a short, balding man in a business suit. He looks rather nervous and you are perceptive enough to determine that this particular establishment is one he would not normally be found patronizing.

"Are you Colonel Winnfield of the Mercenary Unit Scooby's Scrappers?"

<Insert funny reply from Scooby>

"I need your help and am willing to pay you for your efforts. I have received a shipment of goods in error at my Kodes warehouse (Kodes is the city where you are stationed). The goods should have been delivered to the Kaenge warehouse on the other side of the continent. A dropship is already burning for Kaenge to load the shipment. I need those goods in Kaenge in 4 days or stand to lose a substantial amount of money. The problem, as you may see, is that to get the shipment there in time it will have to travel through the Shelby Badlands, a known hideout of bandits. If you agree to escort my shipment I am willing to pay you 250,000 credits (.5 Wealth Point) as well as a 500,000 credit (1 Wealth Point) bonus if it gets there in time to rendezvous with the dropship. Will you take the job?"

GM Note: The terms of your contract with Earthwerks-FWL stipulate that you are to have 1 Lance on active patrol and a reserve lance ready to start up at all times. You can take the reserve lance with you and hope that there are no alerts in Kodes or just roll with what you have left.

"We'll give you a shot kid. If you do all right by the time we are to leave this world you can come along, until then I will put you in my Command Lance so I can keep an eye on you."

"Excuse me Baldilocks. I need to check with my associates on some things, I will have an answer for you by tomorrow - same time, same place."

Looks into background on these bandits using his dark side contacts. First off he wants to know how heavily armed they are. Second he would like to inquire as to what kind of bribe could buy safe passage.

Streetwise Roll:

The member 'CC' has done the following action : Dice roll

'd6' :

Result :

Your Street contacts can tell you that the bandits are not heavily armed, mostly infantry and light to medium tanks. They are masters of ambush however, that is why none of the planetary defense forces have been willing to send in troops to clean them out, it's just not worth the effort of a prolonged guerilla campaign.

The bandit leadership is fractured and spread out. IF you could spend the time to find them it would probably take about 250,000 credits (.5 wealth points) to bribe them. That would require a tremendous stroke of luck though (Streetwise roll of 12+), and waste at least 2 days, meaning any delay in the trip would make it impossible to reach the rendezvous and no Mech with less than a 5 walk could maintain the speed necessary.

"Hello again Baldilocks. The Scrappers will help you out crossing the Badlands, but only for 500,000 up front and a bonus of another 500,000 after we deliver the goods on time." (Bargaining)

Out of Game:
Scooby aims to increase pay as priority #1 but if it is clear that he cannot accomplish that he will insist on shifting the 500k as up front and a bonus of 250k. I figure the first option is impossible or super high roll required but the second should be somewhat more reasonably attainable.

Clearly, the Command lance will be running the cargo gig since the rest of the unit is not fast enough. Recon Lance will be attached to Command for the duration of their run. Fire Lance will pull one shift on garrison while Scout Lance reinforced by Support Lance will pbe on deck. I may or may not pull elements of Scout to reinforce Command as well.

Recon will be scouting ahead of the Command Lance and Cargo vehicles. Recon should deploy at the beginning, the cargo vehicles and Command Lance should deploy before round 3.

The member 'CC' has done the following action : Dice roll

'd6' :

Result :

You are able to bargain your way to 1 Wealth Point up front, .5 upon successful delivery. After all, if you don't deliver successfully, you will probably be dead so it's no skin of Baldy's head.

I am confused in your previous post. Are Scout Lance and Recon Lance the same thing? Either way, just post exactly what forces will be accompanying the convoy and how far ahead the lead elements are from the convoy.

Recon = Chopper
Support = Tanks and Inf
Scout = new light mech lance

My plan is that Command Lance goes out on the hike with the cargo trucks, Recon (the helicopter) is 2 rounds ahead of them.

Fire Lance is on duty at the mech plant, Support Lance(tanks and inf) and Scout are on deck.

IF Chris's #2 is fast enough to keep up then him and Adams will join Command on the hike, while One-Ball and Nakamura (who I might swap into the Urban mech for just this mission) stay a the factory.

Please make a Perception roll for Stringfellow Hawk as soon as possible. It will determine the starting disposition of any forces that take the field during the escort mission.

Recon to Command just ahead of your position I see...

The member 'CC' has done the following action : Dice roll

'd6' :

Result :

"Uh, Command this is Recon. Everything looks clear from here. The terrain is shit though, crags and crevasses everywhere. Wait, I'm getting something on my scanners...

Oh shit, multiple bogeys to my rear. Command, they're all around you!"

Colonel Winnfield is called into the executive offices of Earthwerks-FWL, thoroughly searched and electronically screened for communications devices and finally led to an executive boardroom. The liaison for Earthwerks-FWL has the following offer for the Scrappers.

"We want your unit to infiltrate the research and development offices of one of our competitiors. They are working on a new Myomer Cell Structure design that we want. You will be paid 1,00,000 c-bills (2 wealth points) and rewarded with one of our Thunderbolt TDR-5SE Battlemechs. The facility is guarded by very heavy vehicles and some lighter Mech support. In order to hide the true nature of the attack and lessen the possibilty of any fingers being pointed at Earthwerks-FWL, you will have to destroy at least a few of the defenders as well as make your way to the office storing the plans and steal them. You will not be able to take your own spacecraft. To hide your identity you must contract transportation on Merchant Dropships and Jumpships. I suggest you only take your fastest and most maneuverable Mechs. Any pilots captured will be disavowed by Earthwerks-FWL and your contract will be immedietly terminated. Do you accept?"

We'll take it. What are our options for transport?

You find berths on Merchant vessels and Earthwerks-FWL will pay through a dummy corporation. It is pretty easy to find transportation from one major industrial planet to another by pretty much any route you choose.

Do we have to get out of our Mech's to retrieve the plans? If so, how long will it take to accomplish this?

attempts to find information to support the mission. Specifically he would like a map, with objectives noted, any detail on the targets defenders, and anything else that might be of aid to the team tasked with the mission. (Streetwise of other appropriate skill)

The member 'CC' has done the following action : Dice roll

'd6' :

Result :