This is the AAR following the exploits of the Mech Mercanary company, Bengy's Blobs in RogueTech (the complete overhaul mod of BattleTech). Earlier AARs can be found here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
It's been a season of change for the Blobs. A relocation to a new star system means that there are better paying but more dangerous contracts available for the Blobs to take on. More danger means better salvage... but also the chance that we will see some serious damage. Serious damage is not great... as the Blobs don't have the depth in Mechwarriors and Mechs to field replacement Mechs if there are fighters that go down for extended repair or hospital time!
The Blobs have grown from the cannon fodder worthy Light Mech mercenary lance into a viable fighting force.... albeit, still a Medium double lance that will get chewed up by Assault class Mechs! Still focusing on stealth and speed for survival instead of firepower and straight up armour. However, there is now a balance towards the armour and firepower for one of the lances, which means that the company is slightly less running, and more standing and fighting!
It also means that the Blobs have outgrown their initial hunting grounds, and will need to relocate to a star system that has more appropriate contracts and more importantly, more lucrative salvage rights and rewards!
After some searching around, the star system Vindemiatrix was settled upon. Contested strongly by the Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League, it also has a former Star League and current Comstar presence, meaning that rare LosTech and Comstar equipment might be up for grabs! Plus, if I'm lucky, perhaps the Clans will make an occasional visit?
After taking roughly a month (of expenses...) to transition through the hyperlanes to arrive in the system, a quick glance at the contracts shows a definite spike in contract difficulty (skull ratings). Hopefully, that will be reflected in the salvage that comes out of the battles... and less in the repair costs!
... in fact, one of the earliest battles surfaces a Clan Tech Ryoken II in the salvage... almost enough for a complete Shell (4/5 parts)... and a nice smattering of Clan Tech components! I'm going to like making Vindemiatrix my home for a little while!
A later base defence mission against the local pirates concluded with the pirates dropping a full two lances of Heavy and Assault Mechs. By myself, at the end of a battle, it would have been a tough job to handle these guys. But I was backed up by the local base defences and the fact that they all dropped together quite tightly in a bunch...
... which allowed me to rain Hydra infernos and Thumper mines for maximum chaos and carnage!
Even still, there were a few deadly Mechs in there that could cause some serious pain if they managed to connect with my units! This 100 ton King Crab for instance... but, I want that salvage! I only have to take it down before the mission times out!
... and I ended up taking out all the enemy reinforcements, making for a wealth of choice in Mech shells, both Heavy and Assault! Unfortunately, the salvage was all for the the Pirate variants of the Mechs... which tend to have unusual and sometimes irreplaceable dodgy or primitive components. Still, beggars can't be choosers... and they could spot in for missing shell pieces in more advanced configurations if necessary.
One target acquisition mission was starting to go horribly wrong, with a Heliopolis artillery Mech smashing up my company from afar. Due to the water, I couldn't close the distance quickly enough. Thankfully, a Pepperbox vehicle tried to smash my VTOL but ended up filling the enemy Heliopolis with slugs from behind... causing an ammo explosion which destroyed the Mech and saving my bacon!
On this new star system, I've been avoiding the enemy Kill Teams. I thought that they would be too strong for me in this more difficult environment. In the easier star system, they were already a bit of a handful....
... however, you always want to see what happens if you poke a bear in the eye!
I knew where this kill team was coming down... and I positioned all my forces around it... ready to hit them as soon as they exited their Dropship!
... only four of them, but there was a Stealth Bomber... a heavy tank and two Assault Class Mechs. I managed to take them down... but not before the Stealth Bomber completely unloaded into my Griffin Mech.
... alas, my poor Griffin. The mainstay of the Blobs since the very beginning. As you can see, there is nothing left of the Mech aside from a Head that is barely connected to two Legs. The rest of the Mech, arms and all the torso is completely and utterly gutted!
Not worth repairing this, there isn't anything left. It would be like rebuilding it from scratch. I'm a touch sentimentally attached to the Griffin... but every merc needs to know when to cut and run. In this case, the Griffin was starting to get outclassed by newer salvaged Mechs. Plus, it's limited hardpoint selection (mainly geared towards support and anti-infantry) was limiting it's usefulness in combating the heavier enemy Mechs that I was starting to see.
... so, with a heavy heart... I fare-welled the Griffin to the scrap yard. However, over the course of the next couple of missions, I would welcome three new Mechs and two shells to the stable.... and some really NICE ONES!
This Dervish (55 tons) is a nice replacement for a Toro that was splattered by one of the enemy Kill Teams. It is outfitted with two arrays of MRM20 missiles, and then two additional advanced ATMs. One of these is even a Clan Tech (Society even!) version that has an incredible range and both have Streak technology to avoid wasteful misses without a lock-on.
The Dervish serves as a missile boat, run in hard... unleash salvos and hope it is enough to disable the opponent. The sheer amount of explosive ammunition sitting in this Mech is a bit of a cause for worry... but that is only if it gets too hot... or if someone starts shooting at it!
This Helepolis (75 tons) is the heaviest of my Mech roster. It was designed in the Star League era as a mobile (barely) artillery platform on legs. I have outfitted it with a Thumper Artillery piece and a Thunderbolt 10 missile system. Both of these are hard hitting, long range pieces of weaponry... useful, seeing as the Helepolis is slow as all hell!
Unfortunately, it has a very primitive Fuel Cell engine instead of a Fusion reactor. Something that can't be removed due to the Pirate version of the Mech having made it an integral part of the chassis. This means that I can't replace much of the internal engine and heat sink components, which makes it stuck on the less efficient single heat sink system.
As an additional bonus, I have made it the anti-missile umbrella for the company, with an Advanced AMS providing group cover for the Blobs.
The Stormcrow (55 tons) is the first of my Mechs to feature the Clan Omnimech technology. Based around a modular design, it makes the hardpoint limitations of the Inner Sphere Mechs a thing of the past. You can equip it with any type of weapons in pretty much any position you want.... and it is much cheaper and quicker to swap in and out components.
I have outfitted this Mech with two Clan Tech Streak 6 launchers on the shoulders, and Clan Tech lasers in the arms. It's configured as a Skirmisher, closing in hard and letting blast. Clan Tech Exchangers keep the heat in check, at the risk of a volatile explosion.
In order to keep it alive long enough whilst closing the range, it is equipped with both Stealth armour and Active Camouflage technology... making it difficult to see and target.
One of the more exciting salvages was the the completion of this Avatar (70 tons) shell. To begin with, it is the heaviest (aside from the artillery platform Helepolis) Mech that I have in my arsenal. It is mobile enough to take part in the main part of the fight AND it is a Clan Tech Omnimech as well!
Just need to scrounge enough C-Bills and components to get it into battle ready condition! Could take a while... but it will be well worth it!
Finally, the last of the new shells to be completed from battlefield salvage. This Blackjack (50 tons) is a Clan Omnimech variant on the old Inner Sphere/Star League design. It's nothing special aside from that modular design, but it would be a nice replacement to field in a Gauss Rifle or Autocannon sniper role.
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