MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries/Dagger Strike

NEWSFEED

KURITA CHALLENGES FEDERATED COMMONWEALTH

In our top story, political analysts predict that the hostility between the Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine will turn openly violent in the months ahead.

DRACONIS COMBINE DEEP-STRIKE CAMPAIGN

The Draconis Combine needs a group of highly motivated, highly skilled mercenaries to perform sensitive, covert operations on a world to be disclosed after the signing of the contract. Pays 2,000,000 C-Bills, already on deposit with ComStar. Contract lasts for four months, and is recommended for a unit with fast 45-65 ton ‘Mechs. The Combine will pay for all reasonable ammunition expenses.

ComStar Contract Evaluation

• World: Unknown
• Duty: Deep-Strike
• Begin Date: June 1, 3046
• End Date: November 1, 3046
• Maximum Pay: 2,000,000 C-Bills plus bounty and bonus
• Minimum Pay: Bounty
• Salvage rights: Poor

Dagger Strike

MechWarrior’s Campaign Journal

June 12, 3046

I have some misgivings against attacking the Federated Commonwealth. DC money is just as good as anyone else’s (maybe better – they don’t like mercs very much, but they always pay on time), but I do think that the FedCom is the best thing for the Inner Sphere. Then again, if the Commonwealth takes over and we all start living in peace, I’ll be out of a job. The Combine isn’t shy about wasting merc lives and equipment, so I’ll have to watch my back on this one.

July 10, 3046

Touched down on New Ivaarsen today. The planet is in its winter now, a season that will last for nearly two standard years. The DropShip captain said he would return to pick me up in 60 days. In the meantime, I will have to be successful in several attacks against well-guarded facilities. The idea here is to convince the FedCom that they’re actually facing a much larger force that just us. Only continued success against larger and more powerful units will convince the Federated Commonwealth to move enough reserves forward to New Ivaarsen to give the Combine a diplomatic advantage.

Draconis Combine – Mercenary Briefing

Kobo Fukuzawa, DC Mercenary Liaison Officer: Your mission is to destroy a Commonwealth advance base, its entire complement of defending ‘Mechs, and its defensive turrets.

Fukuzawa: Our intelligence agents have discovered the frequencies and scramble codes of the Federated Commonwealth combat channels. You will be able to hear all enemy communications.

• Codename: Dagger Strike
• Planet: New Ivaarsen
• Terrain: Snowy Wastes
• Time: Pre-Dawn
• Mean Temperature: -15 Celsius
• Mission pay: Bounty only
• Expected Resistance: 1st Chasseurs
• Your Call-Sign: Strike-Alpha

Fukuzawa: Go to NAV OMICRON. Destroy the wind-power plant. Then go to NAV PI and destroy the FC advanced base and any defenders. After the base is destroyed, wait for and then destroy the returning patrols.

Objectives

• Target: Destroy Base Defenders
• Target: Destroy Advance Base
• Target: Destroy Returning Patrols
• Bonus: Destroy Wind-Power

During Mission

Patrol: Patrol to base. Power station is all clear. Headed for NAV ZETA.

Base: Roger Patrol. Watch for mercenary raiders.

Base: Patrol! Our turrets are down! Shorten your sweep. Raiders may be in the area.

Patrol: Roger Base. We are finishing up now. Returning to base after one more scan. ETA – two minutes.

Base: Patrol, this is Base. We are under attack!

MISSION SUCCESSFUL

Aftermath

Debriefing

Code Detected – ISF protocol BV5690

Kobo Fukuzawa, DC Mercenary Liaison Officer: Your mission was an outstanding success. The advance base and the entire returning patrol have been destroyed. We congratulate you on your victory. ISF agents have informed us that your attack has caused panic in the highest levels of the Federated Commonwealth Command.

New Ivaarsen Radio KIVA-78.3 News Transcript 7/16/46

Federated Commonwealth spokesperson Lt. Commander Sahra Welshing informed New Ivaarsen in a press conference today that Advance Base D12 was destroyed five days again by an unknown band of pirates. All units at the base were destroyed, and the search continues for survivors that may have fled into the wastes. With temperatures falling well below –30° Celsius at night, there is little hope that there will be any survivors. The base had a complement of 45 Commonwealth soldiers, as well as eight New Ivaarsen citizens serving in various support roles.

New Ivaarsen militia units have been put on full alert, and the Federated Commonwealth has promised to bring up reserve BattleMech units to protect New Ivaarsen from further pirate aggression.

Professor Donald Rathmon, a political analyst at New Ivaarsen University, believes the attack to be a surgical strike of some sort. He points out that Base D12 was too small to hold enough equipment or personnel to be a worthy target for a pirate raid. New Ivaarsen is eight jumps from the nearest pirate world – nearly a two month journey. Professor Rathmon also points out that the last time New Ivaarsen was attacked by pirates was over four hundred years ago, during the era of the Star League. When asked who would want to attack New Ivaarsen now, if not pirates, Professor Rathmon refused to comment.