Gramps' run through the Hyades Rim campaign

[MarkDey]

Mission 154: 0.5 Skull Destroy Base ____ Employer: Pirates ____ Target: Harbingers of Doom ____ Biome: Desert
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Macross (Hardpoint), Snipe (Nimbus)

Report: Blame the Nihilists - This drop is limited to 180 tons, which is a bit heavier than the 160 limit I'm used to, but I don't think that our lightweight lance will have any problems. Hardpoint takes Macross, if for no other reason than to have the cockpit bracing to keep her healthy for the other missions. Drunken chatter is picked up on open radio frequencies as we land, so hopefully this turns out to be a cakewalk. Merch sprints up to the edge of the base and automated light turrets power up. 2x Sniper, 1x Shredder, 1x LRM. An enemy mech moves to intercept as we open fire, but Merch removes its leg with a practiced sword swipe. COM-UNK. Hardpoint jumps close and eliminates it with an alpha strike, scattering the pieces of the destroyed reactor. Additional missile fire arrives, and two more hostiles appear - they are swiftly dispatched. JR-UNK, COM-UNK.

Damage: Only armor. ____ Salvage: JR-UNK assembled and moved into storage.
Advancement: Merch: Guts 7 to 8.

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____"Uh... hey, Commander?"
____"Sumire?"
____"A new contract just came up that you should take a look at."
____Darius finished reading the summary before I could find the newest job, adding, "Huh! Looks like they forgot to post the contract through their front organization."
____A job from the Unknown Organization appeared alongside ones offered by the Harbingers of Doom. They need a path cleared for a convoy of injured personnel. Most likely, those wounded were from the base we just flattened.
____"Take that job before they remove it and re-offer it as a Harbinger mission. It's not exactly getting paid twice for the same work, but it's close."
____"You don't think it's a trap?"
____"I think they're getting desperate in this system. Happy to take some of their C-Bills though."
____Darius chuckled. "Contract accepted - wish I could see the look on their face."

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 155: 0.5 Skull Battle ____ Employer: Unknown Organization ____ Target: Death's Consorts ____ Biome: Desert
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Macross (Shadow), Snipe (Nimbus), Crazy Eights (Hardpoint)

Report: Mercy Mission - No weight restriction on this drop, so Hardpoint goes in Crazy Eights. Odds are she'll be left in the dust as the rest of the lance speeds forward, but it'll be good to get her used to piloting an assault mech. Sumire drops the lance at the start of a canyon, and the heavy long-range mechs take positions on the high ground while the scouts sprint forward. Enemy mechs are quickly spotted, and are cut down in a barrage of fire. Hardpoint obliterates a Flea at near maximum range, overjoyed with the raw firepower available. FLE-4, JVN-10A, FLE-14.

Damage: Only armor.
Advancement: Hardpoint: Guts 3 to 4.

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____"Payment actually cleared for the job - glad to see the MRB rules still apply."
____"For now, anyway. Let's take the rest of the jobs from the Harbingers while they are still civilized."

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 156: 0.5 Skull Assassinate ____ Employer: Harbingers of Doom ____ Target: Pirates ____ Biome: Desert
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Macross (Hardpoint), Snipe (Nimbus)

Report: Unguarded and Vulnerable - A quick drop to take out a problematic pirate. The Harbingers are only paying for a drop of 180 tons, so we deploy our usual three mech lance. Merch locks onto targets, Snipe knocks them down, and Hardpoint trades fire while jumping between hilltops. JVN-UNK, SDR-UNK, CDA-UNK (headshot).

Damage: Only armor. ____ Salvage: SDR-UNK assembled and moved into storage.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 157: 1.5 Skull Ambush Convoy ____ Employer: Harbingers of Doom ____ Target: Local Gov ____ Biome: Desert
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Macross (Shadow), Snipe (Nimbus), Crazy Eights (Hardpoint)

Report: Burden of Proof - We've been tasked with destroying evidence of wrongdoing so that a Harbinger official can avoid criminal charges. They are willing to pay for a full lance this time, so Hardpoint goes back into Crazy Eights. Merch sprints forward, and our targets are quickly spotted along with a full lance of escorts. 2x PNT-9R, COM-2D, JR7-D. Gallant UAV, Manticore, Scorpion, Striker. Hardpoint focuses fire on the vehicles while the rest of the lance targets the mechs; she destroys half of the convoy by the time the guards are eliminated.

Damage: Only armor. ____ Salvage: PNT-9R assembled and moved into storage.
Advancement: Nimbus: Guts 7 to 8. Hardpoint: Gunnery 4 to 5 - Multi-Target

 

[PauloBrito]

Can you please post what the mechs are?
Ghost / Macross / Snipe and Crazy Eights are what kind of mechs?

 

[MarkDey]

Can you please post what the mechs are?
Ghost / Macross / Snipe and Crazy Eights are what kind of mechs?

Sure! It's in the Brief Company Review threadmark.

 

[PauloBrito]

Thanks.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 158: 1.5 Skull Defend Base ____ Employer: Harbingers of Doom ____ Target: Local Gov ____ Biome: Martian
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Macross (Shadow), Snipe (Nimbus), Crazy Eights (Hardpoint)

Report: Titan Attack - The local authorities have found a hidden base and have sent an assault mech to flatten it. I accept the job with the sole purpose of trying to salvage the whole mech, and won't be too sad if the rest of the local forces destroy a few buildings before I drive them away. There are several dust storms brewing as we drop down, and Hardpoint moves into one near the base while the rest of the lance heads out to find the enemy vanguard. Contact is made quickly, and our forces elect to start with melee attacks to keep their heat manageable for a bit longer. SDR-5V, ENF-4R (headshot), FS9-H (headshot), COM-2D. A second enemy force is detected, and Hardpoint pivots to face them while the rest of the lance sprints back to the base to engage. Merch locks onto the blip, and an enemy Stalker is revealed. Nimbus lines up a shot, and decapitates it in a single volley. STK-3H (headshot)

Damage: Only armor. ____ Salvage: STK-3H assembled and moved into storage.
Advancement: Shadow: Guts 8 to 9. Hardpoint: Piloting 3 to 4.

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____"That's the last of the Harbinger contracts, Gramps. Feel like turning the tables?"
____"I'm sure there are plenty of other people that will pay us to ruin their day."
____"Indeed there are. Some pirates need help defending a casino from a Harbinger lieutenant. Looks ilke he's operating from a small base and has called all available remaining Harbinger forces in the system to assist."
____"Sounds like a nice shooting gallery."
____"The downside is the pirates are cheap, and can only afford a light lance. Still want to take the job?"
____"Yes. Let's see how Hardpoint handles being very outnumbered."

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 159: 1 Skull Attack and Defend ____ Employer: Pirates ____ Target: Harbingers ____ Biome: Desert
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Macross (Hardpoint), Snipe (Nimbus)

Report: Escort Services Provided - The lance arrives just as enemy forces are seen to be moving to engage the casino. The pirates have a Flea and Commando for protection, and they're very glad to see us. Nimbus moves Snipe to a forested hilltop that provides good lines of fire to the main approaches of the base. Hardpoint jumps Macross into a spotting position to intercept enemy forces, and Merch sprints the Ghost toward the enemy base, relying on the stealth suite to keep him safe.
____ The first wave of enemy units is detected and engaged: HBK-UNK (headshot), 2x PNT-UNK, JVN-UNK. As the enemy base comes into view, a defending lance of mechs protected by ECM opens fire. 3x PNT-UNK, LCT-UNK. Hardpoint jumps into the middle of the pack, obliterating the ECM Panther from behind. Before she can get away, another Panther lands a solid punch, tearing off some armor and ripping out some internal equipment. Merch methodically demolishes the Harbinger base before a wave of reinforcements can land.

Damage: Macross, RT reduced to 90% structure, Double Heat Sink destroyed. ____ Salvage: JVN-UNK, PNT-UNK assembled and moved into storage.
Advancement: Merch: Guts 8 to 9. Hardpoint: Tactics 4 to 5 - Sensor Lock.

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____After making it very clear to Hardpoint that losing lostech like a Double Heat Sink is not an acceptable loss, I tell her to get ready to drop for the last contract in this system. She promises to prove that she has learned her lesson.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 160: 1.5 Skull Battle ____ Employer: Pirates ____ Target: Death's Consorts ____ Biome: Desert
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Valkyrie (Shadow), Snipe (Nimbus), Crazy Eights (Hardpoint)

Report: Repossession - We're off to destroy some vehicles that were not returned on time. No drop weight restriction, so Hardpoint goes into Crazy Eights again. Ghost sprints ahead and detects our targets, while the rest of the lance sprints along a ridgeline for better firing positions. Gallant UAV, Inferno Carrier, PPC Carrier, Striker. As the vehicles are turned into scrap, a lance of light mechs moves to engage us. JVN-10N, FS9-A, SDR-5K, LCT-1E.
____ The Locust runs in and spots Snipe and Crazy Eights. Merch misses the PPC Carrier with Ghost's sword, and that lets it open fire on Snipe, shearing off its already weakened left arm and blasting a large hole in its right one. Nimbus jumps away from the fight, firing as he goes, while Hardpoint attracts attention by splitting autocannon fire at all of the remaining enemy mechs. This works, and as shots land on the armor of Crazy Eights, the other members of the lance maneuver behind and eliminate their opponents.

Damage: Snipe, LA Destroyed, RA reduced to 35% structure. ____ Salvage: FS9-A assembled and moved into storage.

 

[MarkDey]

____Yang tells me that it will only take about a week to fully repair Snipe since the arms have no equipment in them and are mainly for show. The work on Macross will take about half that time, and we do have a spare Double Heat Sink that can replace the one that was torn out. Sumire sets a course back towards habitable space, with Hadley and the Black Market our first stop in about three weeks. As expected, with that much downtime, the pilots get restless.

Event - Class Warfare: Hardpoint tries to put Shadow in his place because of her noble birth. Shadow's fist makes it clear that her noble title means nothing out here as it introduces itself to her nose with a crunch. As I approach, they both freeze and then snap to attention. I turn to Hardpoint to reinforce Shadow's message, but making it clear that I prefer to use words rather than fists to solve personnel disputes.
Result: Hardpoint gains Low Spirits for 60 days. Shadow gains High Spirits for 14 days.

____Eck is cleared for duty by the time we get to Hadley. The Black Market has some pirate mechs for sale, and other gear that is rare, but we don't need any of it. The contracts are scarce, so we move on. The monthly financial report comes due, and it shows that we are spending about a half million C-Bills per month by keeping people at a normal rate of pay. Arriving in Badlands, I find some useful items in the Black Market to add to our reserve equipment, and there is one contract available from the Federated Suns. Worth a quick stop.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 161: 2 Skull Recovery ____ Employer: Federated Suns ____ Target: Bloody Horns ____ Biome: Martian
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Valkyrie (Shadow), Snipe (Nimbus), Crazy Eights (Hardpoint)

Report: Asset Retrieval - We've been tasked with recovering a piece of SLDF technology. This is a mission just to boost our reputation, and there's no weight limit. With luck, Ghost can sprint in, grab the gear, and sprint back out. Everyone moves forward, but we are engaged by a lance of defending mechs. WVR-6R, TBT-5N, 2x JVN-10F. A hole is blasted through the enemy line, and Merch sprints through it while the fighting continues behind him. By the time he has secured the gear, the rest of the base defenders have been eliminated.

Damage: Only armor.
Advancement: Hardpoint: Tactics 5 to 6.

 

[MarkDey]

____A travel contract from the Evil Eye organization appears on the list for the Kama system, and that's a Black Market system on the way to our appointment with Alexander Madiera. It'll take two weeks to get there, but I'm happy to have our jump fees paid for. On the way, I find another pilot dealing with their boredom, but in a constructive way.

Event - Moonlighting with an LRM: Eck is surprised to see me in the mechbay as he has an LRM 15 halfway apart. Since he's well read, I ask him to share his ideas with Yang to see if they can work together to improve the launcher.
Result: Yang has his techs try out Eck's suggestions, but they don't work and a cascade of short circuits renders the launcher useless. Lose 1xLRM15

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Mission 162: 2 Skull Recovery ____ Employer: Evil Eye ____ Target: Local Gov ____ Biome: Polar
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Valkyrie (Hardpoint), Snipe (Nimbus)

Report: Recovery - This is a budget job with only 180 tons, so we use our usual three mech force. Our target is the critical cargo of a dropship that supposedly went down in this system. The Ghost sprints ahead, its silhouette flickering amongst the trees, as the other two mechs move to good vantage points. A defending lance of mechs is spotted, and Merch focuses on smashing through the building to get the cargo while his systems relay the targeting data to the shooters. VND-1X, KTO-18 (headshot), JVN-10A, LCT-1V. The enemy Javelin is cored by Nimbus, Hardpoint maneuvers behind the Vindicator and destroys it with a single salvo, Merch blasts apart the Locust from the side, and Nimbus decapitates the Kintaro. The team makes it look easy.

Damage: Only armor. ____ Salvage: KTO-18 assembled and moved into storage.

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____Darius looks visibly disappointed after reviewing the store. The Black Market transmitter for this system is still reporting, but there are no buyers or sellers at all. Must be a bug in the transmitter, or an older code. The normal marketplace doesn't have anything interesting, but there are a half-dozen contracts that we can take, mostly from the White Death. Not great pay, but it'll be good experience to get Hardpoint more familiar with the role she's training for.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 163: 1.5 Skull Recovery ____ Employer: White Death ____ Target: Bad Moon Rising ____ Biome: Polar
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Valkyrie (Hardpoint), Snipe (Nimbus)

Report: Early Access - The gladiators turned pirates are pretty cheap, and are only willing to pay for 160 tons worth of help to secure a set of recordings for a popular holovid series before they are officially released. There's also a White Death agent that needs to be recovered, so Merch sprints ahead for the pickups. A lance of light mechs attempts to engage the Ghost, but they are cut down before they can reveal it. COM-3A, COM-1B, 2x LCT-1M. A second enemy force moves to reinforce the base, and Hardpoint catches an LRM to the head; fortunately, the advanced cockpit bracing prevents serious injury.
____ Hardpoint moves behind a building to finish off the Locust, but the enemy Rifleman ignores Merch picking up the agent and finds a gap, scoring some internal hits. Not wanting to lose another Double Heat Sink, Hardpoint jumps out of visual range and sensor locks the enemy. Nimbus opens fire, but it takes several salvoes to decapitate the Rifleman. The enemy Javelin begins sensor locking the Ghost, forcing Merch to sprint from cover to cover. Hardpoint is able to maneuver closer to land some long distance shots. The Cicada is cored by Nimbus, and Merch and Hardpoint attack the Javelin from both sides, reducing it to scrap. JVN-10A, RFL-3N (!) (headshot), CDA-2A.

Damage: Valkyrie, LT reduced to 70% structure.
Advancement: Nimbus: Guts 9 to 10 - Improved Resolve Gain. Hardpoint: Tactics 6 to 7.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 164: 1 Skull Target Acquisition ____ Employer: White Death ____ Target: Harbingers ____ Biome: Polar
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Valkyrie (Hardpoint), Macross (Shadow), Snipe (Eck)

Report: Every Falling Star - A cache of weapons is located in an abandoned facility, but the Harbingers have occupied the facility and our employer has decided to write the cache off as a loss. However, they don't want the Harbingers to find and use the cache, so they are planning to redirect a meteor onto the site to completely destroy it. Our job is to triangulate the area for the strike. There is no drop weight limit, but speed is of the essence, so both Macross and Valkyrie are deployed for this drop. Our units move out quickly on landing, and enemy forces are detected. FS-UNK (headshot), SDR-UNK. The beacons are deployed and enemy units are eliminated with ease. Once we get confirmation that the meteor is on the way, the lance moves to the extraction point and departs.

Damage: Only armor. ____ Salvage: FS-UNK, SDR-UNK assembled and moved into storage.
Advancement: Merch: Piloting 8 to 9.

 

[Ken-Sw]

Ok I need to ask.
The story line sounds fascinating but you appear to be stuck in low level missions for which you are often overpowered.
Any indication when you will start encountering higher level missions?

 

[MarkDey]

Ok I need to ask.
The story line sounds fascinating but you appear to be stuck in low level missions for which you are often overpowered.
Any indication when you will start encountering higher level missions?

Good question! Only @Hobbes__ knows for certain, but I would suspect that since this is based on the Campaign, the difficulty will increase as the story progresses. Even then, there are still planets that are lower difficulty than others.

I would agree that the mechs being used are very powerful. I also know how to use them pretty well. They were assembled over a long time, but as some Flashpoints / story missions have shown me, the limitation of only having 6 mech bays available (since we're still on the Leopard - finding the Argo is supposedly at the end of the chapter after this one) results in a fragile setup where significant repairs will take months. I think it was after the Flashpoint: Here Might Be Dragons threadmark where there was a long recovery time.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 165: 1 Skull Battle ____ Employer: White Death ____ Target: Local Gov ____ Biome: Polar
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Macross (Hardpoint), Snipe (Eck)

Report: Opposition Attrition - A straightforward job to intercept a lance that is returning to base from a battle, and eliminate it before they can repair. It's another budget job though, so we drop our three mech force, and there is no terrain intel. Merch scouts ahead and finds the enemies relatively quickly. They have shoddy armor, and the opening shots decapitate the Javelin. JVN-10F (headshot), LCT-1S. As we move in to finish off the Locust, another dropship is detected on approach by Sumire. The Ghost's sword cleaves the Locust in half, and local governmental forces arrive to avenge their fallen. I have our units move towards the extraction zone. A second dropship arrives with another lance of reinforcements. Without an real incentive to engage the additional units, I direct the team to extract from the field. A bunch of light mechs rush our forces. JR7-A, LCT-1E, LCT-1S, 2x JVN-10F, FS9-A. Hardpoint gets swarmed and flanked, but as Sumire swoops in for a pickup, the enemy scatters, not wanting to get crushed.

Damage: Macross: RL reduced to 90% structure, CT(rear) reduced to 85%. ____ Salvage: JVN-10F assembled and moved into storage.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 166: 1 Skull Attack and Defend ____ Employer: Pirates ____ Target: White Death ____ Biome: Polar
Lance: Ghost (Merch), Valkyrie (Hardpoint), Snipe (Eck)

Report: Here Come the Predators - The contract is clear on the payment and mission scope at least, but the rest of the text is best summarized as drunken rambling. Two pirate mechs will be protecting their base while we engage the main enemy force. PNT-UNK, LCT-UNK. Quickly moving forward, we spot the enemy lead element. A hostile Phoenix Hawk gets too close to Eck, and is still standing, but staggered, after his salvo. Hardpoint jumps across and blasts it to the ground. PXH-1K, LCT-1V, PNT-8Z (headshot), PNT-9ALAG. Merch sprints past the fighting on his way to the enemy base, and the stealth suite proves to be sufficient protection. A lance of mechs is defending the base, but they are unable to lock onto the Ghost as it begins demolishing the buildings. 3xPNT-9ALAG (1 headshot), COM-1C. Eventually the hostile base is destroyed, and the consistent sniping eliminates the last enemies on the field.

Damage: Only armor. ____ Salvage: LCT-1V assembled and moved into storage.

 

[MarkDey]

Mission 167: 1 Skull Capture Base ____ Employer: Evil Eye ____ Target: Local Gov ____ Biome: Polar
Lance: Ghost (Shadow), Valkyrie (Hardpoint), Snipe (Eck)

Report: Downloading In Progress - A secure data warehouse is under-guarded as defending forces have been moved to counter a threat elsewhere. We are to bring Dr Murad to the site and download a complete copy of their database, protecting the installation from an expected reinforcing force while she works. It's another low budget operation, but this time Shadow swaps into the Ghost for this drop. Sumire drops us a good distance away from the base as turrets have been spotted on the orbital recon. Once the standard turrets are spotted on the sensors, Hardpoint jumps in like a big damn hero and splits fire among them. Eck snipes another one, and Shadow destroys the last. 4x Laser. Reinforcements arrive via dropship, but Shadow has already brought Dr Murad into the base, and Eck opens up with some well placed fire as Hardpoint sensor locks the targets. BJ-1DB (headshot), JVN-10F, SDR-5V (pilot kill), SHD-2H.

Damage: Only armor. ____ Salvage: BJ-1DB assembled and moved into storage.