LANCER: BATTLEGROUP - To Kill the Worthy King

[Tun Kai Poh]

Survival

Caspian waits for the world to stop bouncing around before gingerly prying his way out from the nanofoam crash bubble that his emergency jumpseat has deployed around him. A hand grasps his and helps yank him out - its van Ghent. The senior chief looks bruised but otherwise intact. CGO Bryant hasn't been as lucky - her crash bubble has been thrown against the shattered bridge wall and impaled on a broken girder. She's unconscious and bleeding badly from a shattered arm. Several of Bryant's team are missing, their crash bubbles - like hers - torn clean from their floor mounts by the ferocity of the impact.

There's at least two dozen serious injuries and six dead on the shattered bridge of the Wagner: a relatively low body count, perhaps, but the danger remains. The entire structure has been vented to space when the starboard bow sheared off and now the survivors pat down their emergency vac-suits as they set about helping injured comrades and searching for the missing. More crucially, Caspian notes, the emergency lifeboat station is jammed shut - the massive blast doors crumpled at odd angles.

"Richards? Lt. Foster? Anyone with a hard suit?" Caspian taps the comms.

"Jr. Lieutenant Asad here, sir. I'm afraid the L-T's bought it. We're trying to get the blast doors down but it could take a bit."

"Very well then - keep us appraised on the progress." Caspian says looking at his own emergency oxygen supply. 12 hours in the compact pod and he can see some of his bridge crew handing out the spare bottles from the emergency boxes. A few others are starting to pry Bernd's Casket module loose for removal.

A series of silent flashes light up the rents in the Wagner's hull - a reminder though the Wagner is out of it, the battle still rages.

<AT LAST, CAPTAIN. I HAVE FOUND YOU.>

The unearthly voice seems to come from within his skull. Yet the intonations are familiar. Captain Tiburce Rodin. Wasn't he off to the lifeboats the last time Caspian saw him?

The eerie face of a SSC Dusk Wing mech frame appears at the gaping hole in the starboard side of the bridge - then the many-armed chassis crawls its way in. Surely, this is the dreadful apparition that every war criminal fears - a DOJ/HR investigator in a mech.

<APOLOGIES FOR THE UNCONVENTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS. SIGNAL DISRUPTION FROM STELLAR FLARES INTERFERES WITH THIS MECH'S RADIO. DO YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE? HAWKER AND I CAME TO HELP.>

A highly mobile flying mech like Rodin's is most welcome - it can help secure a working lifeboat, ferry survivors to it, and search the debris for others. Certainly an unsettling visage, but right now the inspector's aid is sorely needed.

Dusk Wing art by Tom Parkinson-Morgan

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

The Straggler, Part 1

The Harrison Armory fleet legion is hosting a confrontation.

"I gave you an order, Commandant!" Captain Ashanti's eyes are wide in disbelief as she stares down the carrier commander through the holodisplay. "Commit your wings and start eliminating the damaged hostiles. You need to engage!"

Commandant Almarik holds up her hands, flustered. "Sir, wait, sir, I just don't think the James I is coming. Sir."

"What?"

"Captain Petrie keeps reporting drive issues... he's straggling at the rear of the formation. He's revised his ETA twice since the engagement began."

Ashanti shrugs. "And? Are you saying he's turning traitor? Shying away from his duty?"

"I don't know, sir, but, but, what if he doesn't show up? Union still has a fresh battleship and carrier, and we've lost half the fleet."

Her words shake Ashanti visibly. She hurries on: "Sir. Respectfully. If we call for a truce now, we can send out S&R boats, save the crew of the Arminius, maybe even salvage the carrier. The Reds will want to save their own spacers from the Richard Wagner."

"And then what? We turn back to the Rim? A couple thousand of our spacers will have died for nothing."

"If we stop now, we save the Arminius. And the Hannibal." Almarik gives a meaningful nod to Ashanti. "Before we lose more."

Ashanti looks away. "This loss will be on my shoulders. I can't..."

The fleet legion interrupts them. "The Björn Járnsiđa has changed course. Collision with Ching Shih imminent."

"Oh. Good, fine," says Almarik nervously. "I guess they chose to die. Browning, hit them with the Scrapcaster."

"Firing!"

The carrier's massive bow-mounted magnetic accelerator casts a conical blast of shrapnel into the Björn's path.

"Fools. I was arguing to save your lives," mutters Almarik to herself.

Battlegroup Ching Shih
1) Maneuver: Scrapcaster. Range 0 Accuracy bonus cancels weapon Inaccuracy. Roll of 6, miss. On hit or miss, Single Target attacks against the Corsair are made with +1 Difficulty until the end of its next turn.

Place 2 reloading counters on Scrapcaster.

The blast just barely misses the frigate. There is a moment of horrified silence on the bridge. The Björn is now only a few hundred kilometers away. And everyone remembers the Arminius' fate.

"Order the Patrice and the Jubei to fire on that frigate!" Almarik points unnecessarily for emphasis at her display. "Send in the Shermans, send everything..."

The cruisers open fire with their main guns. Wings of mechanized chassis scramble to act. But it may be too late.

The young commandant rubs her hands nervously. "These Union lunatics. No good, no good."

Sherman art by Tom Parkinson-Morgan

2) Stalwarts use Maneuver: Forward Kinetic Batteries, roll 15, hit Björn Járnsiđa for 5 damage.
3) Ching Shih uses Tactic: Raiding Party, Uninvited Guests to send two Wings of chassis to board Björn Járnsiđa.

Kinetic cannonfire strikes the Björn near the bridge. Shrapnel and spalling take a red-splashed toll on the crew. Body parts and severed helmets fly everywhere.

Then the clanging sound of boarding mechs on the frigate's hull. Cutting their way in. The final fight has begun.

Boarding Step:

Facefirst Marines roll to Sabotage Fire Control on Hannibal: 19, success.

Fool's Gold Marines roll to Deploy Ontologic Payload on Hannibal: 17, success.

Ching Shih's Wing rolls to Plant Demolition Charges on Björn Járnsiđa: 16, success.

Ching Shih's Wing rolls to Plant Demolition Charges on Björn Járnsiđa: 12, success.

During the boarded ship's next turn they must choose: either use a Maneuver to repel boarders or take 1d6 damage that ignores Overshield and cannot be prevented in any way at the end of that turn. This boarding command can be stacked up to a maximum of 3d6 damage.

Next: The Tipping Point

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Nearlight Klaxons

Round 5 begins.

At the beginning of the 5th round of play just before the Logistics Step begins, every player needs to determine whether or not they plan to continue the current engagement — by this point, their nearlight drives have cooled down and charged back up, their crew and characters are well prepared and ready to make the necessary call, and the likely tactical outcome of the engagement should be pretty easy to infer: each player must choose whether to jump or to stay engaged.

If a player jumps, their battlegroup retreats from the combat, punching out via nearlight ejection. Any Payload weapons still in flight towards them are outstripped by their acceleration and will not be able to catch them. Battlegroups ejecting from an engagement are no longer threats worth targeting anyways. Those who choose to stay remain engaged. From then on, at the start of every round they’ll make the same check — retreat, or remain engaged.

"The Ching Shih is engaging the Björn, Captain." Sensors reports. "There're multiple chassis on her."

"She won't survive that - either way, she's done for if she stays," Tabitha growls. "No sign of the James I?"

"Nothing on the scopes yet." Senior Chief Moretti replies. "Wonder what's happened to her."

Tabitha looks at the chart for a moment. "Maybe they're backing down." The bridge crew turn their eyes to her a smidge. "Doesn't look like the Ching Shih and the Hannibal are planning on stopping anytime soon," observes CGO Petrov.

"You can't really blame them - Lutjens is looking to go out in a blaze of glory by the looks of it," Gbeho responds. "They could have attacked any one of us instead for better results. The Björn isn't much of a threat in the long term as we are... unless she smacks straight into them, of course."

"Well he's going to have to look for his last stand elsewhere," Tabitha says, opening a channel to the Björn Járnsíða. "Captain Lutjens. As senior commander of this operation, I'm ordering you to withdraw from the battlefield immediately."

Lutjen's hologram flickers and fades as the sound of gunfire rings in the background. "Captain, with all due respect - you need every ship you can get! I can at least damage the Ching Shih, or the Hannibal..."

"At the cost of your ship and your crew AND the survivors of the Wagner you have aboard, Captain," Tabitha responds sternly. "The James I appears to be delayed. This will give us time to mop up some of the surviving Purview forces and regroup to face her. You are to eject immediately with everyone you have aboard. Make sure they're buttoned down tight."

Lutjens shakes his head, "We're going to lose people either way, Captain. I'd rather we go out fighting."

"Captain, again, I admire the tenacity but this isn't supposed to be a fight to the death. I agree that we cannot risk Purview forces taking out their frustrations on our survivors but smashing your ship against a carrier isn't going to change much if anything. Get out with everyone you can and deal with any stray Purview boarders once you're somewhere where they can't vaporize you in an instant." Tabitha responds firmly. "Now get out of here."

Lutjens sighs and salutes "As you say Captain," Turning to his bridge crew he says wearily - "Prepare to jump."

Roll: 5 - Successful ejection

There's a wild flurry of activity as crewmembers desperately slam reinforced bulkheads behind them to slow the progress of the boarding chassis as they rush to their emergency stations. The sound of klaxons echoes through the crippled ship. The Björn's navigation team is working in a frantic rush to calculate their trajectory.

In the reactor spaces, Warrant Officer Chang is monitoring the jump procedure when a burst of heavy cannon shells punches through the armored doorway, and leaves a neat series of holes in the bulkhead opposite. Then a massive series of CLANGs! ring out and a large armored hand slowly begins to pry the battered door apart.

Then the jump klaxon blares.

The reactor crew leap from their stunned silence and strap themselves in - or simply brace wherever they are. Chang watches as the blast doors slowly peel away to frame a hulking HA Sherman chassis. The armored behemoth seems to look up and, for a moment, Chang can imagine the look of terrified realization on its pilot's face at the klaxons going off around it.

Then everything blurs.

When her vision returns the Armory chassis is no longer there. Instead, there's a mangled impact crater at the end of the corridor about the same size and shape. She swallows dryly at the thought.

Cleanup on aisle 4.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

A Talk in the Boneyard

"Holding steady, Captain. We will be at close range in an hour or two. At that distance, our main guns will make short work of whoever we choose to aim at." CGO Petrov reports without taking her eyes off the constantly shifting firing solutions on her screen.

"Björn's away," Meade notes, "Splinter's completely off the table now. Its just us left."

"Well, let's hope they bite then," Tabitha says, straightening up her uniform and speaking directly on open comms to the remaining Purview ships.

"Attention, Hannibal and Ching Shih, this is Captain Tabitha Saint-Germaine of the UNS-BB Nikolai Bukharin. At this point, we are within optimal range of all our Battlegroup's weapons and our main guns are fully charged," The Bukharin's weapons track the newly arrived Carrier menacingly, "The Hannibal is overrun and vulnerable to being overwhelmed and you've already lost half your initial fleet," she pauses for a moment.

"Our forces are not in much better condition and you have a fully operational Battleship on the way in. Everything hangs in the balance and the desire to push that little bit harder is overwhelming," another pause, she looks down a moment, "However," looking back up, squarely at the screen.

"At this point any victory today will be a pyrrhic one for the Purview. Continuation of hostilities will ensure the loss of at least one more Purview capital ship. Possibly both currently in the field to achieve nothing more than to weaken a Union presence that might otherwise be deployed to prevent Karrakin reinforcements entering the exclusion zone should they choose to do so. Our mandate in the Dawnline Shore does not apply solely to the Purview after all."

"Our orders are to prevent additional belligerents from entering the Dawnline shore and I intend to follow those orders to the best of my abilities as I am sure you intend to follow yours. But given the situation as I have outlined, I cannot see how further hostilities will be anything but the needless sacrifice of lives for no reason other than pride."

"I am therefore proposing a truce. Both sides will cease hostilities temporarily, both sides will be allowed to recover survivors and casualties without hinderance. Both sides will exchange any prisoners taken."

"In addition, I would also propose negotiations on the nature of your mission and if it would in any way be possible for nonmilitary or neutral intervention to achieve your goals. In exchange, the Purview would withdraw your surviving ships out of the conflict zone."

"I don't think we're authorized to offer them anything, Captain," Ki says, cocking her head as the commline closes, awaiting a response. "We have to throw them a bone, Ki. At least start talking. We can work out the issues from there," Tabitha responds as she turns away from the comms and looks at her crew. "In the meantime, stay alert. If they try anything we blow them out of space."

Round 5.

State of the fleets:

2nd Crisis Response Group (Union Navy)

Battlegroup Eland (Range 3)
Interdiction 1d6+2
UNS-BB Nikolai Bukharin (22 HP), 2 volley counters on 3x3 Block Short-Spool Cannons, 2 greywash counters.
UNS-CV Shamokin Rising (16 HP)

• 2x Fighter Wing (5 HP, 5 HP)
• Destroyer Unicorn (6 HP)
• Destroyer Undine (8 HP)

Battlegroup Splinter (Range 2),
UNS-BB Richard Wagner (-7 HP).
UNS-LS Björn Járnsiđa (2 HP), nearlight eject.

Battlegroup Sour Brains (Range 2)
Interdiction: 1d6+2
MSMCS We Demand Hazard Pay (13 HP), 2 reloading counters on Scrapcaster.

• MSMCS Facefirst (6 HP)
• MSMCS Fool's Gold (4 HP)

2nd Expeditionary Fleet (Harrison Armory Colonial Legionate)

Battlegroup Hannibal (Gyre Center)
Interdiction: 1d6
PCV-DN Hannibal (Turtleback) (19 HP), Boarded by 2x Tenacity 10 Marines. Deploy Ontological Payload: All Wings and Escorts are disabled until end of next turn. Sabotage Fire Control: The boarded ship makes all attacks with +2 Difficulty until the end of their next turn. Incoming Razorback Missiles, 2 flight counters.

• Ace: Albedo Cavalier (8 HP), 2 heat counters on 1 Beam.

Battlegroup Shaka Zulu (Gyre Center)
PCV-DN Shaka Zulu (Paladin) (-6 HP)

Battlegroup Titania (Gyre Center)
PCV-DN Titania (UNKNOWN Man O'War) (-15 HP)

Battlegroup Arminius (Gyre Center)
PCV-GC Arminius (Mastermind Breakwater) (0 HP)

Battlegroup Ching Shih (Gyre Center)
Interdiction: 1d6
PCV-GC Chang Shih (Corsair) (25 HP)
2 reloading counters on Scrapcaster.

• 2x Mounted Chassis Wing (5 HP, 5 HP)
• 2x Stalwarts (10 HP, 10 HP)
• 2x Daggerflight (4 HP, 4 HP)

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Sounding the All Clear

Captain Ashanti faces her officers in the fleet legion channel: Commandant Almarik of the Ching Shih, Commandant Singer of the Patrice, and Commandant Torres of the Jubei.

Nobody wants to be the first to speak. But Almarik goes ahead anyway. "Sir. They lose more ground than we gain if we stop. Their short-spools can't maintain charge for long, and they'll have to power those down. We don't have that problem. Ching Shih's main gun will be ready to fire again in less than an hour. We can also use the time to rearm and repair our fighters and corvettes."

"They can do the same with their carriers," replies Ashanti, unconvinced. "I'm more concerned with Union's ability to get reinforcements into place to block our further advance. Our intel has reported possible capital ship activity less than a week away on the other side of Lighthouse Station."

"If we burn hard, we can evade them," says Torres.

"Even if we beat them today, the Hannibal is still recovering from drive sabotage. It will be close."

"Sir?" Almarik raises a hand like a schoolgirl. "Are we assuming that we'll leave Strike Captain Gopalakrishnan and his crew to fend for themselves?"

Ashanti sighs. "If we can at least get half the fleet to Purview-friendly territory, it will be a success. So yes, that means abandoning them."

These last words put a chill on the discussion. The officers say no more. Singer glowers. Almarik fidgets.

"Discussion is over," says Ashanti, presently. "I've made up my mind."

Captain Ashanti appears composed and calm when her hologram appears before Tabitha.

"Inform your ships that the truce is on. We will power down weapons and begin search and rescue operations right away. We expect your marines to withdraw quietly."

She waits patiently while both fleets begin the process of standing down. "To be frank, Captain, you've run out the clock. While I was about to give orders to commence firing, we received confirmation of your Naval Auxiliary groups moving to intercept our advance. Had we not wasted over a day trading blows with you, we could outrun them. But my engineers can't seem to undo the damage your marines have caused. So now, we wait for Captain Petrie to arrive, before we decide what to do. And I'd appreciate it if you could release Strike Captain Bannon to us."

"We'll have the Mirrorsmoke Marines hand her over on the way back, Captain." Tabitha replies, "We will also transfer the survivors of your boarding parties back over," she turns back to the Union fleet comms. "Well done everyone."

There's a murmur of assent but little else. The loss of the Wagner stings deeply.

"Vera, send word to Vice Admiral Gentle and update her on the situation. Meade, Ki, Evans - head over to the Wagner and the We Demand Hazard Pay. Sweep the area for lifeboats and other survivors. Colonel Milch, I am putting the Shamokin's S&R teams at your disposal to help retrieve any of your Lancers that might have survived the fight. And I suppose you'd better lend the Arminius a hand, Ki." Tabitha says with a wan smile.

Ki chuckles. "I don't suppose they'll say thank you for that."

 

[Baron Opal II]

Well done Captains St. Germaine and Var!

Captain Var lives! (Which may be negative reinforcement...)

 

[J.Quondam]

Only discovered this yesterday, but I've really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing, @Tun Kai Poh

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

The Straggler, Part 2

Vera sends an update back to the Vice Admiral, and relays news from the Björn Járnsiđa: They're busy making repairs several light-minutes off the beaten path, and will need some days to get their drives back up. Casualties were thankfully light, apart from the losses to the bridge crew.

The same cannot be said for the Mirrorsmoke mech pilots. Few are left. A handful from Bernadette and Laurent, none from Guiscard. It takes hours to find the only survivors of Isabeau Wing: an unconscious Sparri rookie named Rua and his NHP partner, Fiddler.

Upon her arrival on the Hannibal's bridge, Strike Captain Bannon says nothing to anybody. She is completely unresponsive. She retires to a cabin, collapsing into dreamless oblivion. As Strike Captain Gopalakrishnan is in medical stasis due to critical brain injury, this leaves Captain Ashanti in charge of the fleet - for now.

The wreck of the Wagner tumbles slowly. Caspian and his skeleton crew watch the stars spin by hundreds of times before the first S&R mechs arrive. Shermans from the Ching Shih. The mech pilots are brusque and impatient to get the survivors to the Union fleet, but to their credit, Caspian's crew is treated well enough.

Five hours after the last shot was fired, the James I arrives from nearlight.

Captain Lowell Petrie checks in with fleet command, but not with Tabitha.

The James I is a sturdy Corregidor-built dreadnought, armed with a powerful spinal lance and accurate primary gun batteries. Four outrider destroyers accompany the flagship, each bristling with mass driver turrets to keep strike craft at bay.

"It is fortunate that we did not need to put your friend's loyalties to the test," says Vera to Tabitha. "If he had to turn coat, he would have to face the wrath of his officers. And if he chose to fight..." Vera trails off.

Warrant Officer Gbeho drifts over towards Tabitha. "Sir, we have finished cleanup in the officers' dining area. No real damage, but the Purview marines left a mess when they barged through it. If we're really going to host withdrawal talks face-to-face, it's the best place on the Bukharin for it..."

Next: Lights out

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Thanks for all the comments!

This engagement was always meant to be a 5-on-3 fight (same number of battlegroups as the Union fleet, plus 50%). The James I was supposed to come late, but my players had no way of knowing that.

As you can see, player battlegroups are more powerful than NPCs, but unexpected tricks like the Titania's teleport swap can make things very difficult (and certainly cost Caspian Var his ship).

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Out Like A Light

"It will do, thank you Ike. Any word when Caspian will be on board?" Tabitha asks with an audible sigh.

"He should already be aboard, Captain. Refreshing himself in his temporary quarters I'd imagine." Ike Gbeho responds. "The others will be arriving shortly from the Shamokin Rising. Vera will ping you when the mercs and our other guests arrive."

"Alright then, thank you." Tabitha checks herself in the mirror one last time before picking up her cap and, sighing heavily, heading down to the officer's mess.

As Tabitha descends the access shaft parallel to the ship's main spinal column, a medical subaltern jets over to her side.

"Sir," says a familiar NHP voice, "I have assumed command of this medic. We will be passing your comfortable cabin on the way to the mess. As your NHP executive, I have to point out that you've spent two and a half days fighting a battle on performance drugs, and you are in danger of crashing. There will be at least three hours before all our guests arrive. Let me take you to your cabin and give you a sleep injection." Vera caps it off with an unusually personal appeal. "You badly need some rest, Tabitha."

Tabitha sighs again and closes her eyes for a moment, "Fine, I'll get some rest. Just mark any additional updates on the fleet and FROM fleet for my immediate attention. Also, have someone pull intel on the situation around New Creighton so we can at least have a clue about what kind of situation the Purview thinks needs six capital ships to resolve."

The captain manages to make it as far as her stateroom couch before going out like a light.

Both players may now pick Reputation Advancements for their captains, so that they have them available for the upcoming narrative scenes...

Caspian chooses Demand Satisfaction (respond to a slight by challenging someone to a duel), Tabitha chooses Voice of Authority (can force people to pay attention to her when she raises her voice in command, speech or protest).

Next: Demon gossip