MechWarrior 4: Vengeance/Destroy Bombers

Destroy Bombers[edit]

BRIEFING[edit]

Johanna: Ian, there are a lot of people here who have a lot to thank you for. We’re still coordinating the prisoner evacuation, but we’re going to start airlifting personnel out of Hardra tonight. By the time Roland’s reinforcements arrive, we’ll be long gone. We’ll rendezvous with you in Jeteel, and then start concentrating our efforts on retaking the capital. It’s gonna be a tough fight, but with…

Rathburn: Sir! Sorry to cut in, but we’re picking up a broadcast you both need to see. It’s Roland. I’ll patch it through.

Roland: The town of Vale has been identified as a distribution point of illegal weapons and equipment, stolen by terrorists to use against Duke William’s forces. The flow of these arms has cost numerous lives in Kentares’ peacekeeping forces. Such open defiance of the law is a disease, and will not be permitted to spread, whether the source is an individual, a mob, a town, or a planet. Therefore, to maintain order and peace on our world, military forces have been mobilized, and, at six AM, coastal meridian time, Vale will be leveled to the ground. No building will be left standing, and no man, woman, or child will be allowed to escape to spread their seditious contamination to the rest of Kentares.

Johanna: What does it mean? He’s going to destroy Vale? What can we do?

Ian: I’m not sure. Rathburn!

Rathburn: Yes, sir.

Ian: Where is Vale? Have the satellites picked up anything moving into the area?

Rathburn: Uh…nothing significant. Vale’s on the eastern coast, sparsely populated. Most of Roland’s military presence in the area has been driven back or wiped out. That’s why the resistance was routing supplies through the town. The region’s mostly swamp, which would cut off any…ooh…hold on! This might be something! I’ve got a comm intercept for Roland. Looks like Castro.

Castro: Kulin starts executing military prisoners and now you’re playing at genocide! Are you insane? Do you know anything about the history of this planet? You won’t stop rebellion this way. You’re going to spread it! Not just across Kentares, but beyond! I refuse to be a party to this madness.

Roland: Which is why I removed you from the chain of command on this operation. While you would have whined about the logistical details and asserted that the rapid application of force was impractical, Kommandant Burke identified an airfield near Vale from which we can stage the Second Bomber Wing to implement our demonstration.

Castro: You can’t! The Second? I have those bombers protecting the…

Roland: And once the bombers have finished with Vale, the population of this planet will finally understand what defiance will get them, and this conflict will end. From now on, you will confine your attention to defense of the capital. And Vonda, challenge my authority again, I’ll consider you a threat to this operation and have you shot. I believe this concludes our discussion.

Ian: Major.

Rathburn: Yes, sir?

Ian: Airfields near Vale?

Rathburn: The Second Bomber Wing are Shilones. They’d have to carry a lot of ordnance, which would limit their range. There’s an old abandoned airfield about seventy klicks away. That would have a strip long enough.

Ian: We’ll have to divert from Jeteel. Johanna!

Johanna: Yes?

Ian: The resistance will have to make strikes without us. Can they do that?

Johanna: We’ll take some losses, but to save Vale, yes. Good luck, Ian.

Ian: Thank you. Major, upload what you have on the airfield. Let’s get moving.

Rathburn: Yes, sir.

Karl: We salvaged a couple of Long Toms, young Duke. I wanted you to know, should the opportunity come up for you to use them. They are, basically, snub-nosed artillery pieces; incredibly powerful area-effect weapons, but they’re large and they’re very heavy. Personally, I don’t care much for them. Their travel times are too long to be useful, in my opinion. Still, I have known very good MechWarriors who do swear by them, so I wanted you to know they were available.

Karl: I wish I knew more about what you were up against, young Duke. Under the circumstances, I advise you to take larger chassis, but something with jump jets. Keep in mind, marshy terrain will be more of a hindrance to larger ‘Mechs. There will probably be smaller, faster vehicles to contend with, so, perhaps some faster recharge weapons. Maybe pulse lasers. There’s plenty of water to cool off, so don’t worry too much about heat. For night missions, light amplification. Flares, if you wish, but they serve the enemy as much as yourself. Since we don’t know how the enemy will be equipped, Guardian ECM and some kind of missile defense would be good. I’d also suggest conventional armor. We know little about the enemy you’ll find here, so I can give you little counsel you don’t already know. It was right to divert, young Duke. The people of Vale and all of Kentares have, in you, the guardian they deserve. Serve them well, but be wary for yourself. We need you.

OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW[edit]

Destroy Bombers: Steiner air assets based in a hidden base somewhere in the swamp land to the south of Vale may be used as a weapon of terrorism. We cannot hit let them threaten the local populace any longer. Destroy the bombers and the control tower to end this threat to all noncombatants in the area.

DURING MISSION[edit]

Ian: Elise, I’m in position. No sign of the airfield.

Rathburn: It’s around there somewhere. No precise location data. You’ll have to scout around.

Ian: Roger.

Rathburn: Once you find the field, see if they’ve reactivated the control tower. If you take it out, they won’t be able to fly another group of bombers in there.

Ian: I’ve got some lights up ahead.

Rathburn: if you run into any patrols, take them out quickly. You don’t want them to warn the field before you get in and destroy the bombers on the ground. Good luck.

Ian: Thanks. Omega out.

Loudspeaker: Enemy units on field! All pilots, report to planes! All pilots to planes! All defensive units, scramble!

Ian: That’s the last one. All bombers destroyed.

Ian: That control tower’s toast. They’re not bringing any replacements onto this field.

Rathburn: Roger, Omega. Mission complete. Return to base. Roland’s not going to be too happy about losing his airfield and one of his few remaining bomber wings. I guess he should have listened to Castro.

Jen: Good thing he never does.

Terra: Roland will try something else. He can’t afford to make a threat and not follow through on it.