Clan Jade Mission : Umber Wall

Mission Instructions

--- Incoming Coded Message ---
Kurultai GalxB_7th - Bronze level clearance
- disseminate by need only -

Wolf's Tau Galaxy is on the surface. We have deployed the 73rd Striker, and 6th Provisional Assault Clusters and the 51st and 9th Garrisons to counter this threat.

Elements of the 1st Wolf Cavalry have been spotted to the north, in Mare Ferris, approaching a friendly mining operation. No doubt they intend to attack the facility which, if taken or destroyed, could jeopardize our ability to manufacture Heat Sink Components in this sector. We cannot afford to dispatch many units to what is obviously a feint. Your unit will be on escort duty at the site.

You will ESCORT a loaded HOVER TRAIN to a nearby PROCESSING UNIT. The enemy is more likely to attack in the open rather than risk an assault at a well-defended position.

Objectives

Situations and Aftermaths

Heavy, wet snow, tinted orange from accumulated iron oxide dust, covered the head and shoulders of every BattleMech in Star Commander Tomas's command. Hours ago, he and his MechWarriors had used their energy weapons to chisel waist-deep holes into the ice, in which their 'Mechs could hide. The blizzard had done the rest of the work, concealing the Falcon BattleMechs from even the sharpest eyes.

To keep himself alert, Tomas watched ice form intricate patterns on his 'Mech's cockpit screens. He had last spoken with Trinary Command seven hours ago, when they reported the Wolf vanguard five hours from his position. An hour's delay in such dreadful weather was to be expected, but, as the second hour crawled by, Tomas found himself vacillating between boredom and apprehension. Tomas bit his lip in frustration, desperately hoping that the enemy would show. Success in this operation would guarantee him a chance at a Bloodname; to gain that opportunity, he would wait until hell froze over if necessary.

Suddenly a red light blinked to life on the comm panel. Tomas flicked the comm switch. "This is Star Commander Tomas--report."

The reply made all traces of Tomas's boredom melt like snow near a bonfire. "Star Commander, I have detected a single BattleMech, currently three kilometers due south and  approaching our position at 108 kilometers per hour. I have no visual, and my mag-scan cannot identify the machine."

A BattleMech moving that fast in a blizzard meant the MechWarrior was either brilliant or crazy. More than likely it was a scout for the main body of Wolf Clan forces. Tomas ordered his Star to power up and prepare to engage the enemy.

Situation

Angered by an unbroken string of Wolf Clan victories, saKhan Vandervahn Chistu had determined that the world of Evciler would become a graveyard for Ulric Kerensky and the Wolves' Tau Galaxy. To meet the Wolf Clan forces, Chistu deployed the 73rd Striker Cluster, the 6th Provisional Assault Garrison, and the 51st and 9th Garrisons. If such an overwhelming array did not succeed in destroying the Wolves, it would at least bleed them dry.

The southern polar continent of Messian was in the middle of its twilight months, and saKhan Chistu used the half-light and wintry landscape to his forces' advantage. In preparation for the battle, Chistu ordered his troops to paint all their 'Mechs and Elemental armor a dirty white that the Wolves would find almost impossible to see. To avoid ammunition-resupply problems, Chistu ordered all units configured to use energy weapons, supplemented only by long-range and short-range missiles. Finally, he ordered the Falcon forces to dig trenches and 'Mech pits in which to ensnare the advancing enemy. This time, saKhan Chistu was taking no chances.

Clan Wolf's forces dropped onto Evciler's southern continent in the light of a ghostly dawn. The shadowed terrain played tricks on the warriors' eyes, and the southern pole's intense magnetic field rendered most of their BattleMechs' electronic equipment useless. Not even their holographic infrared displays could help the Wolf MechWarriors much in finding their prey; the constant eruptions of volcanoes and geysers through the snow and ice confused infrared sensors. Against such odds, the Wolves could only hope that fortune would favor them.

Aftermath

The Jade Falcons' ambush at Semore Chasm took the Wolves by surprise. The hidden Falcon 'Mechs opened fire on the badly rattled Wolves from all sides, costing them several 'Mechs. Victory eluded the Falcons, however; the shallow pits in which they had hidden weakened the ice on which they stood. The heat of weapons fire melted the ice and snow,  weakening it further until it cracked and sent several Falcon 'Mechs into the river below. The Falcons' sudden confusion gave the Wolf Clan forces time to rally and mount a counterattack. Several Wolf MechWarriors began to fire at the ice near the pits, sending  even more Jade Falcon BattleMechs and Elementals plunging into the icy river. The Star of Falcon 'Mechs still on its feet retreated southward, pursued by the surviving 'Mechs of the 1st Wolf Cavalry.

The battle ended after another twenty minutes of heated fighting. Two Stars of Jade Falcon BattleMechs and four Points of Elementals littered the frozen landscape. The Wolves had lost eight 'Mechs in the ambush, but only the Jade Falcons' misfortune had kept the cost from rising higher. None of the Falcon units that fell through the ice re-emerged from the river, prompting one Wolf MechWarrior to comment that some fates are worse than death.