MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries/Blood Cauldron

Blood Cauldron

MechWarrior’s Campaign Journal

July 15, 3048

We’re low on water again. The Drevenshire water tanks took more damage than we had thought. Two have suffered a serious leak, and the intense water pressure means that we can’t patch them until they’re almost empty. The locals have been trying to find replacement containers, but most of the water will be lost.

August 31, 3048

Search teams have been out hunting for the Dread Legion. The Kuritans estimate that at least 60% of the Dread Legion forces are still in the field, but I think it’s more like 80%. I still haven’t figured out what the hell the Dread Legion was doing here in the first place. They couldn’t have seriously thought they would survive on this stinking planet. It’s hot, uncomfortable, and useless. Why anyone would want to be here is a mystery to me. I suppose poverty doesn’t give the civilians a choice, but the Dread Legion has never had money problems.

September 20, 3048

We have found a whole nest of Dread Legion ‘Mechs. They are hidden in the hull of a wrecked ocean liner, from back when this sea actually had water in it. The Draconis ‘Mechs are going to wait for me to “flush them out.” Fortunately, this will be my last mission. The Kuritans are tired of paying me, and have already sent for a DropShip. I can’t wait to get back to Outreach and have a bath.

Draconis Combine – Mercenary Briefing

Kobo Fukuzawa, DC Mercenary Liaison Officer: Now we prepare for our final triumph. The remaining Dread Legion ‘Mechs are hiding in the rusted hull of a huge ocean liner high on the former shoreline. Go into the ship and destroy the disloyal mercenaries.

• Codename: Blood Cauldron
• Planet: Gravenhage
• Terrain: Ocean Liner Hull
• Time: Day
• Mean Temperature: 34 Celsius
• Mission Pay: 1,000,000 plus bounty
• Expected Resistance: Dread Legion
• Your Call-Sign: Rattler

Fukuzawa: Enter the hull and destroy the Dread Legion. Your own DropShip has already landed to take you off Gravenhage. Return to your DropShip at NAV ALPHA when the Dread Legion is destroyed.

Objectives

• Target: Destroy All Enemies
• Target: Dustoff at NAV ALPHA

[Should you destroy one of the Friendly Kurita Mechs]

• Target: Destroy Draconis Support
• Target: Dustoff at NAV ALPHA

[Divergent objectives ends]

Aftermath

Debriefing

Kobo Fukuzawa, DC Mercenary Liaison Officer: I congratulate you on your bold victory. The Draconis High Command, which, as you may know, does not smile on the use of mercenaries, is very pleased with your performance. They have assured me that your services will be used in the future, and I, too, will be rewarded for employing you. When you return to Outreach, tell your mercenary friends what has transpired here. There are consequences for mercs who trifle with the Draconis Combine.

[Should you take the Dread Legion's offer]

Kobo Fukuzawa, DC Mercenary Liaison Officer: As you have failed to meet the terms of your contract, you have been terminated. You have allowed the Dread Legion to escape without retribution for their faithlessness. In fact you actions today are another example of a mercenary's treacherous nature. We intercepted the Dread Legion's transmitted bribe attempt, but our radio equipment failed to pick up your reply. We have no proof that you allowed the Legion to escape, but I suggested that you watch yourself, merc.

[Divergent text ends]

ComStar News Service – October 4, 3048

The battle for Gravenhage is over. The Dread Legion has finally abandoned their position on the heights and may have managed to escape in DropShips that landed on the continent. Over half of the Legion is believed to have escaped, although Draconis Combine representatives vow that they will be stopped at the Gravenhage JumpPoint.

Now that the Dread Legion has abandoned Gravenhage, their reason for taking the insignificant world has become clear. Residents of Drevenshire, the town most damaged by the battle on Gravenhage, discovered an ancient Star League technology cache under the wreckage of the recent combat. Apparently, the Dread Legion took Gravenhage to track down the cache, but was defeated by Draconis Combine forces before they could move it off-planet.

Koki Hussein, Mayor of Drevenshire, told reporters today that the cache contains several extremely advanced computers and a large data store. The Combine has announced its intentions to appropriate the technology, as Gravenhage is within Draconis territory, but Mayor Hussein has already entered negotiations to sell the cache to the Federated Commonwealth for several hundred million C-Bills. “We’re sick of being pawns,” Hussein said. “Now we can afford our own ‘Mechs to keep people off our planet.”