MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries/Glittering Gold

NEWSFEED

GRAVENHAGE LIBERATED?

The Draconis Combine’s legal troubles escalated yesterday when Dread Legion mercenaries “liberated” the Draconis world of Gravenhage, claiming it as fair compensation for unpaid wages in their two-year Periphery war against the Oberon Confederation.

The Dread Legion’s contract has been locked in ComStar arbitration for more than three years. The Draconis Combine claims that the Dread Legion failed to fulfill its contractual obligations, and has to date paid less than 5 percent of the promised pay. Despite the gross unfairness of the situation, ComStar arbitrators have tended to side with the Combine, pointing to several clauses with Dread Legion legal aides had failed to read or consider when they signed the contract. The Dread Legion gave up on legal channels yesterday with their invasion of Gravenhage.

DRACONIS COMBINE CAMPAIGN – SEARCH AND DESTROY

The Draconis Combine needs a small but experienced mercenary unit to remove the mercenary unit known as the “Dread Legion” from the Combine world of Gravenhage. This contract pays 3,000,000 C-Bills for six months of service. The ideal unit should have several heavy ‘Mechs. The Combine will pay for all reasonable ammunition expenses.

ComStar Contract Evaluation

• World: Gravenhage
• Duty: Planetary Assault – Search and Destroy
• Begin Date: April 1, 3048
• End Date: October 10, 3048
• Maximum Pay: 3,000,000 C-Bills plus bounty and bonus
• Minimum Pay: Bounty
• Salvage Rights: Good

Glittering Gold

MechWarrior’s Campaign Journal

April 1, 3048

Great. I’ve signed on with someone who’s already admitted that he doesn’t pay his bills. There’s no way the Dread Legion would have pulled this unless Fukuzawa cheated them. It’s bad for business. They sure don’t have another reason for wanting this rock. I guess Gravenhage used to be tropical, but it shifted orbits much closer to its sun, and the seas boiled away, leaving desert.

April 30, 3048

We’re nearing Drevenshire, where we’ve heard there are significant water stores, enough for the Dread Legion to operate on Gravenhage for at least a year. I did a recon run early this morning and saw at least two Dread Legion ‘Mechs in the town, and a few tanks, probably local militia units. The tanks looked pretty heavy, maybe 60-70 tons each, no doubt the reason why Drevenshire has so much water.

May 3, 3048

Drevenshire has agreed to remain neutral in the battle, so we don’t have to worry about the tanks, unless, of course, we happened to do any damage to the town. If we do, the mayor of Drevenshire (he looks more like a pirate or soldier than a civilian mayor) has promised to “kick our butts all the way back to Luthien.” Chu-i Sims is afraid that the Dread Legion will destroy the water stores if it becomes obvious we will capture them.

Draconis Combine – Mercenary Briefing

Kobo Fukuzawa, DC Mercenary Liaison Officer: Water is extremely valuable on Gravenhage, a desert planet, and the tiny township of Drevenshire has one of the few existing water stores. The Dread Legion has been relying on these million-liter tanks, so you must take control of them. Do not allow the water tanks to be destroyed. You will be relying on that water as well.

Fukuzawa: The Drevenshire defense forces have agreed to remain neutral as long as you do not fire on the town. Capture all the tanks, and we’ll give you a 300,000 C-Bill bonus.

• Codename: Glittering Gold
• Planet: Gravenhage
• Terrain: Desert Ocean
• Time: Day
• Mean Temperature: 25 Celsius
• Mission Pay: 500,000 plus bounty and bonus
• Expected Resistance: Dread Legion
• Your Call-Sign: Rattler

Fukuzawa: Capture at least 50% of the water tanks at NAV ALPHA intact. Destroy all enemy ‘Mechs and do not attack the town.

Objectives

• Target: Capture 50% of the water tanks intact
• Bonus: Capture all the water tanks
• Bounty: Destroy all enemy ‘Mechs

Aftermath

Debriefing

Kobo Fukuzawa, DC Mercenary Liaison Officer: You successfully gained control of the hemisphere’s largest water stores. I congratulate you on your skill and speed. It is only a matter of time before we crush the Dread Legion and send a message to any mercenary who would betray us.

Fukuzawa: Already, the Legion has acted, moving their troops towards landing zones and preparing for pick-up by their DropShips. As we control the water, the Dread Legion must fight us for it, or flee from Gravenhage. The people of Drevenshire have agreed to assist us so long as we protect their buildings and their water stores.