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MechWarrior 4: Vengeance

You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.
Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field FASA Studio's MechWarrior IV: Vengeance is a 2000 computer game set in the BattleTech universe during the FedCom Civil War era. Smith & Tinker announced on 09 July 2009 that the MechWarrior 4 series of games and expansions will be made available for free via MekTek's endeavors. This finally happened on 30 April 2010, although only with the MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries game.

Canonicity

Computer games are explicitly excluded from the list of products that contribute straight Canon to the BattleTech universe while at the same time it was stated that the IP owners are "not in total denial about these sources either"; it has also been stated that fluff from certain official, licensed products (namely certain computer games including those produced by FASA) can be assumed to be part of the shared universe as long as it is not directly contradicted, and makes sense. On this premise, MechWarrior 4: Vengeance is considered to be an apocryphal product.

Conflicts with official canon include:

  • The attack on Duke Eric Dresari's compound is portrayed as a surprise attack that is over within minutes. The Federated Commonwealth Civil War sourcebook describes it as a three-day battle.
  • The Federated Commonwealth Civil War sourcebook indicates that Ian Dresari becomes Duke, rendering the alternate ending where Joanna becomes Duchess non-canon.

Plot synopsis

Backstory

The FedCom Civil War engulfs Kentares IV after William Dresari, a nephew of famed Clan War hero Duke Eric Dresari, betrays the family, launching a surprise attack by Steiner forces on the Dresari royal palace. William seizes the throne for himself under the banner of Katherine "Katrina" Steiner-Davion's Lyran Alliance and became responsible for the annihilation of loyalists to Victor Steiner-Davion. The betrayal leaves Eric Dresari and the majority of the royal family dead.

Storyline

Upon hearing of the coup, Eric's son, Ian Dresari, returns home and meets up with his uncle, Sir Peter Dresari, on the moon orbiting Kentares to launch a guerrilla campaign to take back Kentares IV from the Steiner loyalists. Ian fights alongside with fellow Resistance MechWarriors Casey Nolan, Jen McQuarrie, and Jules Gonzales, and their commander Elise Rathburn in various missions. The Resistance abandons its base on the moon and sets up camp for the first time in Kentares' arctic regions. At one point during this campaign, Ian's uncle Peter is murdered by Duncan Burke, a high-ranking officer in Katrina's forces. Ian and the rest of the Resistance are devastated by the loss of his uncle and debate over whether or not to continue the fight for Kentares' freedom. They decide to push forward and manage to capture a satellite network from House Steiner. The rebel group moves into the mountains.

After destroying a disabled, but heavily guarded Steiner DropShip, Ian and the resistance move to the Hadra Peninsula, a remote desert region. Rumors of an abandoned prison camp reached the resistance and efforts are made to locate and liberate the camp in order to enlist more personnel for the Resistance cause. Along the way, Ian is shocked to find that one member of his family survived Steiner's siege of the Dresari palace: his sister Joanna. After a short reunion, Ian and Joanna are separated once more as the Resistance plans to mobilize their forces to take the fight to Steiner. While in Hadra, Ian kills James Kulin, who was tasked with suppressing the civilian population of Kentares and personally gave the orders to execute Ian and Joanna's family. They make a brief detour to save a coastal town named Vale after Steiner threatened to bomb the town due to allegations of links to the Resistance. Not only does the Resistance save the population, but Ian manages to personally defeat his uncle's murderer, Duncan Burke, in a heated duel.

Pushing forward into urban environments, the fighting heats up and the Resistance's casualties mount. Joanna informs Ian of an old armory cache hidden somewhere in the city full of equipment enough to outfit four heavy lances of 'Mechs - valuable for assaulting the Dresari palace, now the headquarters for the Steiner occupation. Before the search for the cache could be conducted however, Joanna and her lance are ambushed by Steiner forces, leaving her badly injured and in mortal danger. Ian has to make a choice, between rescuing his sister from certain death or securing the weapons cache for an assault on the Dresari palace. Whatever the player chooses, Ian and the Resistance fight one last battle against House Steiner, finally putting an end to the war. However, the fight is not yet over for Ian, as William shows up in a modified Daishi, challenging Ian to a duel. Ian defeats William and finally frees the planet from Steiner's grasp.

Depending what choice the player makes during the second-to-last mission, either Joanna or Ian will ascend the throne as Duchess or Duke, respectively.

Missions

Operation 1

  • Mission 1 - Destroy Communications Array - Ian Dresari joins his uncle Peter Dresari and Casey Knowles as Omega Lance in a mission to destroy the main communication relay station, located on Kentares' moon. Their destruction cuts off all Lyran Alliance communications with Kentares IV.
  • Mission 2 - Destroy SCUD Launchers - Omega Lance (Ian and Jules Gonzales) locate and destroy mobile artillery vehicles, along with their escorts, clearing the way to attack Lyran facilities in the Tholis Basin.
  • Mission 3 - DropShip Hunt - Peter's Omega Lance attacks the Lyrans' main DropShip hangars on the moon, in the Tholis Basin, destroying the ships on the launchpad. They monitor transmissions from a resistance movement operating on Kentares IV, giving them hope they won't be alone once they reach the planet below.
  • Mission 4 - Base Defense - The raiders intercept communications between planetary Governor Lord Marcus Roland and his adjutant, Major Vanda Castro. Castro wants to check out the silence from the moon base, but Roland dismisses her suspicions and delays her access to the necessary transport assets. Ian, Casey, and Jen McQuarrie defend DropShip Two while it prepares for launch, while Peter and Gonzales take another ship to try to intercept Castro's forces. Ian's group successfully repels the Lyran forces, and their DropShip carries them from the moon to Kentares IV's arctic regions.

Operation 2

  • Mission 1 - Recon Area - Ian's Omega Lance executes a hot drop to scout the landing site for the DropShip on the Elysium tundra. They destroy a Lyran recon base and its garrison.
  • Mission 2 - Raid Depot - Peter reports DropShip One landed safely and that he and Gonzales are moving to rendezvous with Ian's group. Intercepted communications indicate significant discord among the Lyran commanders, hampering the effectiveness of their response. Ian's Omega Lance seizes control of a Steiner supply depot and defends it against counterattacks by it perimeter patrols.
  • Mission 3 - Escort Techs - Peter reports he has rendezvoused with a technician team that will be able to disable the Steiner satellite network, and is moving to rendezvous with Ian's group. Intercepted communications indicate that Ian's cousin William (a Katrina-loyalist) is taking his personal unit into the field to join Duncan Burke's hunt for the raiders. Ian's Omega Lance goes into the field to rescue Gonzales and the satellite technicians, who are pinned down in a pass by Lyran forces. Omega Lance defeats the attackers and escorts Tech Sergeant Michaels and his convoy to safety, blowing a bridge behind them to cut off Steiner pursuit.
  • Mission 4 - Capture Base - Gonzales reports he was separated from Peter while escorting the convoy northward. Duncan Burke boasts over an open transmission that he has killed Peter, hoping to goad the remaining raiders into an attack. Gonzales convinces the team to finish the mission Peter started. Omega Lance seizes the Steiner launch facilities and satellite control center and defends it against two waves of Steiner attacks. The technicians cut off the Lyrans' access to the satellite network, rendering them blind.

Operation 3

  • Mission 1 - Sweep and Destroy - After recovering Paul's remains, the team proceeds to the Olympian Reaches, where a Steiner DropShip damaged in earlier fighting has made a hard landing. Ian hopes to prevent the Lyrans from getting it operational again. Omega Lance eliminates several Lyran patrols to open a breach in the ship's protective screen, but sustains casualties among the scout teams.
  • Mission 2 - Capture Supply Convoy - Omega Lance intercepts a supply convoy carrying supplies, technicians, and reinforcements to the crashed DropShip. The resistance eulogizes Sir Peter Dresari.
  • Mission 3 - Destroy DropShip - Communications intercepts indicate Governor Roland is filing reports with Archon Katrina Steiner-Davion downplaying the seriousness of the recent attacks. Omega Lance uses artillery support to destroy the DropShip before it can power up its weapons, and seize a supply cache.

Operation 4

  • Mission 1 - Raid Base - Ian's force travels to the Hardra Peninsula to rendezvous with the resistance, which operates out of several abandoned firebases. Omega Lance attacks a large Steiner supply base in the desert - neutralizing mobile hostiles and providing fire support for a cargo truck convoy, while Romeo conducts decoy operations on the southern flank and X-Ray destroy outlying static defenses. The operation is successful, and the convoy is able to load up with supplies and extract.
  • Mission 2 - Defend Base - Ian manages to contact his sister, Joanna, who is one of the leaders of the resistance. Omega Lance responds to resistance commander Erland's call for help as Lyran forces assault a large resistance base, destroying many of the Lyran attackers and forcing the rest to withdraw.
  • Mission 3 - Capture Barges - Ian and Joanna discuss the benefits of announcing that they are both alive and fighting with the resistance, as the legitimate heirs of Duke Eric. Technical Officer Karl Sontag advises Ian that Joanna always supported him, even after his banishment by their father. Omega Lance captures a convoy of supply barges, intending to use the munitions aboard to supply a resistance offensive on the eastern peninsula.
  • Mission 4 - Destroy Factory - Intercepted transmissions indicate that James Kulin, the Lyran commander who killed Duke Eric, has come to the Hardra Peninsula to crush the rebels. Omega Lance attacks a key ammunition factory with the help of Shepherd, a guide in a Swift Wind scout car, taking out Steiner's munition supplier for the whole northern peninsula.
  • Mission 5 - Capture Convoy - Kulin delivers an ultimatum to Joanna Dresari, threatening to begin killing prisoners of war. In response, Omega Lance intercepts a convoy carrying veterans of the Dresari Forward Guard to a prisoner camp for execution and destroys a Steiner air defense site to enable evacuation helicopters to reach the convoy and rescue the prisoners.
  • Mission 6 - Liberate Camp - One of the rescued MechWarriors, Terra Risner of the Forward Guard, asks to join Omega Lance. Based on a hunch, Omega Lance attacks an abandoned Davion base which Kulin may be using as a prisoner of war camp, with the resistance's Denali Lance and additional ground units in support. They face defenses bolstered by Mantis Lance, commanded by Kulin himself. Ian kills Kulin, and the resistance liberates the prisoners.

Operation 5

  • Mission 1 - Destroy Bombers - Omega Lance and the resistance forces relocate from the Hardra Peninsula to Jeteel, from which they can focus on retaking the capital city. Governor Roland announces that his forces will destroy the town of Vale and kill all its residents, on the eastern Meridian Coast, for its role as a distribution point for illegal weapons and equipment for the resistance. Over Major Vonda Castro's objections, Governor Roland assigns the Shilones of the Second Bomber Wing to carry out the destruction. Omega Lance sweeps through the swamps to find the hidden Steiner airbase and destroys both the bombers and the control tower.
  • Mission 2 - Destroy Patrols - Omega Lance intercepts a communique in which Captain Duncan Burke advises Governor Roland to dispatch a blue-water destroyer from Argonne to Vale, with orders to destroy the city. Roland concurs, but demotes Burke to Lieutenant for his failure to deal with Ian Dresari earlier, and orders him to personally take charge of the hunt for Omega Lance. The resistance attempts to gather enough watercraft to evacuate Vale's population, while Omega Lance splits up to hunt down Roland's coastal hovercraft patrols and take out coastal defense batteries. Ian runs across Burke, and kills him in single combat, avenging his uncle Peter.
  • Mission 3 - Defend Exodus - The Voice of the Resistance reports a general uprising. Rebels have retaken border towns and garrisons in Meer Province, destroyed prison camps in the Hardra Peninsula, and won battles against Roland's forces in Jeteel and on the Meridian Coast around Vale. At Vale, the evacuation is interrupted by the arrival of the destroyer Indomitable. Omega Lance engages the destroyer to protect two civilian ships still being loaded. Steiner 'Mechs attack from the land while the destroyer moves in, escorted by fast patrol boats. As the battle rages, a second Lyran destroyer, the Thunderchild, joins the fray. Omega Lance sinks both destroyers and ensures the escape of the last civilian ship, the Ailouette.

Operation 6

  • Mission 1 - Recon in Force - Joanna tells Ian that the boatlift inspired the people of Kentares, and that resistance forces are now pushing towards the capital, where Roland has concentrated his remaining forces. The resistance requests that Omega Lance sweep locations where Steiner forces are concentrated and take them out, so the resistance can use the area as a staging area for an attack on the palace.
  • Mission 2 - Rescue Pilots - Resistance forces report heavy losses due to intense Steiner resistance. Omega Lance moves to rescue friendly 'Mech pilots stranded behind Steiner lines, hiding in a parking garage. Omega Lance breaches the Steiner lines, finds the pilots, and provides cover for evacuation helicopters to get the pilots to safety.
  • Mission 3 - Destroy Base - One of the rescued pilots, Captain Damon Squire, joins Omega Lance on Joanna's recommendation. To gain intelligence for an assault on Governor Roland's palace, Omega Lance attacks the heavily fortified Steiner intelligence headquarters at the university. Omega takes out the main generator to disable the defensive turrets and a key communications center, then engages and destroys a company of defending BattleMechs.
  • Mission 4a - Rescue Sister - Joanna's resistance forces launch an attack on the palace as a distraction, to enable Omega Lance to access Duke Eric's armory bunker and seize the 'Mechs there. Roland's forces ambushed the resistance, and Joanna is cut off in one of the command vehicles. Joanna urges Ian to assault the armory and become Duke of Kentares IV. Technical Officer Karl Sontag advises Ian that he should save his sister, and that Omega Lance can win without the equipment in the armory. Ian orders resistance commander Major Jerrard to call off the attack and get Joanna to safety. Omega Lance deploys to Joanna's last known position and, once they find her medical transport, escorts her to safety.
  • Mission 4b - Capture Supplies - Joanna's resistance forces launch an attack on the palace as a distraction, to enable Omega Lance to access Duke Eric's armory bunker and seize the 'Mechs there. Roland's forces ambushed the resistance, and Joanna is cut off in one of the command vehicles. Joanna urges Ian to assault the armory and become Duke of Kentares IV. Technical Officer Karl Sontag advises Ian that he should save his sister, and that Omega Lance can win without the equipment in the armory. On Joanna's advice, Ian leads Omega Lance in an assault on the armory, though Captain Damon Squire goes AWOL and sets off alone to try to rescue Joanna. Omega Lance fights its way past Vonda Castro's elite troops, who knew about the armory and laid an ambush there. Once Castro is dead, Omega Lance seizes the armory and prepares to use the contents in the assault on the palace. Ian receives a report that nobody in his sister's resistance unit returned from the ambush. (Note - this is the canonical story path)

Operation 7

Mission 1 - End Game - In the story branch where Ian saved Joanna, Karl tells him he is a worthy successor to his father, Duke Eric. In the canon story branch where Ian failed to save Joanna, Karl deserts Ian, leaving behind a recording of William's announcement that he has had Joanna executed, and a message that Ian is no better than William.

Omega Lance leads the resistance attack on Roland's palace complex. Commandos destroy the palace's turret control center, enabling Omega Lance to destroy the control facility and Roland's escape ship. Omega Lance defeats Roland's elite guard and kills the Lyran governor. When the rest of Omega Lance moves to the 'Mech bays for repairs, William Dresari emerges to challenge Ian - jamming communications to keep him from calling for help. Ian wins the battle, killing William.

Aftermath

In the canon story path, the People's Council confirms Ian as Duke. Ian expresses regret for the decisions he made that led to Joanna's death, and wonders if his father was right in banishing him. He vows that House Steiner must be driven from the Commonwealth, and Gonzales responds "We'll take care of that."

In the non-canon story path, the People's Council confirms Joanna as Duchess, while Ian plans to leave and join Victor's faction in the Civil War, to drive House Steiner out of the Commonwealth.

Featured BattleMechs

'Mechs are classified into four weight categories. They are also either from the Clans or the Inner Sphere. Clan 'Mechs are generally superior to Inner Sphere 'Mechs of the same weight.

MechWarrior 4: Black Knight Expansion Pack

Storyline

After Ian Dresari came to power as duke of Kentares IV Steiner agents started spreading the rumor that Ian was cooperating with the Lyrans and had turned his back on House Davion. After that rumor came out the citizens started protesting and hating Ian, so Ian was forced to put martial law in place. After that Steiner hired the Black Knight Legion to break Davion power over Kentares IV and kill Ian Dresari. Mid way through the black knight's campaign their base was raided by Steiner and Steiner destroyed their dropship with the colonel inside. After that they killed Ian Dresari then went and murdered Clarissa Dapris to avenge the colonel.

Canonicity

The Black Knight campaign appears to be only partially consistent with canon. The Federated Commonwealth Civil War sourcebook notes that Ian spent Wave Two and Wave Three of the Civil War tracking down Katrina-loyalists and fighting off attacks on Kentares IV. The MechWarrior Dark Age pilot cards include Victor Dresari, the eldest son and heir apparent of Duke Aidan Dresari of Kentares IV circa 3130, indicating that Ian survived and passed control of Kentares IV to his descendants despite the best efforts of the Black Knight Legion. (With William and Joanna dead, Ian was explicitly the last living Dresari, so Aidan and Victor cannot be descended from another branch of the family.)

Black Knight Legion TO&E

  • Alpha Lance
  • Flanker Lance
  • Hammer Lance
  • Striker Lance
  • Phoenix Wing
  • Sundance Wing

Missions

Operation 1

  • Mission 1 - Missing Miners - The Corvatti Corporation has contracted the Black Knight Legion under Colonel Lawhorn to defend their operations on a remote crystal mining world on the Capellan border from pirate attacks. Lawhorn assigns Lt. Eric McClair to take Striker Lance and investigate a mining facility that lost contact two days ago. Striker encounters pirate forces at the mining complex and destroys them.
  • Mission 2 - Stranglehold - Colonel Lawhorn takes Alpha Lance to investigate a pirate base, and assigns Striker Lance to destroy the pirates' oxygen tanks and water processor, then fall back to where Alpha Lance will be waiting in ambush. The pirates evacuate to the east.
  • Mission 3 - Safeguard - Striker Lance takes over convoy escort duties from Flanker Lance, and escorts the Corvatti vehicles to a supply depot. When pirates attack, they call upon Flanker Lance and Phoenix Wing for fire support, and defeat the pirates. Hammer Lance relieves Striker Lance on depot security duty.
  • Mission 4 - Seek and Destroy - Striker Lance and other Legion forces attack the pirates' landing site, where their Hrothgar DropShip and orbital cargo launchers are preparing to escape with payloads of stolen crystals. The Stiletto-class fighters of Sundance Wing support the attack. In the middle of the battle, a Talon DropShip descends towards the landing zone and destroys the remaining crystal transports. Aboard the Talon, Major Clarissa Dupree of the Lyran Alliance offers the Legion terms for a new contract, gifting the mercenaries a Sunder and a Ryoken as a gesture of goodwill.

Additional 'Mechs in Black Knight

'Mech Paks

In August 2002, Microsoft released two add-ons to MechWarrior 4: Vengeance: Clan 'Mech Pak and Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak. Each pack contained four new BattleMechs and a few other bonuses, such as new weapons.

Clan

Inner Sphere


Featured Planets

  • Kentares IV

Related Games

Resources

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