MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries/Gravy

NEWSFEED

JANDEX EXPANDS

In economic news, the Jandex Corporation, the galaxy’s largest producer of personal sanitary products, has announced plans to expand, opening a number of new plants on various planets throughout the Federated Commonwealth. Jandex was among last year’s ten highest grossing corporations.

Jandex Mercantile Corporation – Mercenary Contract

Jandex is a wealthy and influential corporation. Our diverse assets are available on hundreds of worlds throughout the Inner Sphere. We need a skilled and professional mercenary unit to guard valuable resources on the Periphery world of Botany Bay. Job pays 5,000,000 C-Bills.

ComStar Contract Evaluation

• World: Multiple Worlds
• Duty: Garrison
• Begin Date: December 1, 3045
• End Date: January 1, 3046
• Maximum Pay: 5,000,000 C-Bills plus bounty and bonus
• Minimum Pay: Bounty

Gravy

MechWarrior’s Campaign Journal

December 29, 3045

Well, it’s about time. We’ve earned a baby-sitting mission. I’ve heard that these big corporations have money to burn, but I’ve never gotten a piece of the action before. Odds are we won’t see any combat, either. Who starts a fight with a company?

January 4, 3046

With the bonus that weasel Janklow was talking about, I might look into hiring some more aerospace support. Couldn’t hurt, but it is expensive. Sometimes I wish it was back the way it used to be, and all I had to do was fight. But I’m making a lot more money now. I never realized it, but our old commander was robbing us blind.

One thing I’m sure of, I’m not going to end up dying in someone else’s war like she did. When I was on Outreach this last time, I heard about a guy who retired after being a merc for 20 years, and he bought himself a whole planet. Now that’s doing it in style!

Mercenary Briefing – Jandex Corporation

Rex Janklow, Vice President of Operations: We’re setting up a new plant on a small planet called Pitkin. There are no reports of any violent activity, but it’s company policy to have all of our new territories checked out by a BattleMech lance before the VIPs move on-site. It’ll be an easy assignment, and you won’t have to do any fighting, but you know bureaucracy. My boss is riding me to really go after you for the job. After he’s satisfied that Pitkin is clean, we’ll send a DropShip in to pick you up, and as long as everything goes smoothly, you’ll get a nice fat bonus. Everybody wins.

• Codename: Gravy
• Planet: Pitkin
• Terrain: Rocky Waste
• Time: Dawn
• Expected Resistance: Unknown
• Your Call-Sign: Ranger

Janklow: Investigate the city at NAV POINT BETA. Destroy any enemy ‘Mechs.

Objectives

• Target: Investigate the city at NAV BETA
• Bounty: Destroy all ‘Mechs

During Mission

Pirate: Attack now!

MISSION SUCCESSFUL

Aftermath

Debriefing

DropShip Captain Sean Kelly: It’s a good thing that I was still in orbit when I got your distress call and could coordinate a pickup. I thought that Jandex thing seemed too easy. Never trust a sure thing. Anyway, you made short work of those pirates, and they won’t be running that sting again. Just pay closer attention next time. I might not be around to bail you out.

ComStar News Service – January 16, 3046

Sources at the Jandex Corporation confirmed today that an unknown pirate band had been masquerading as Jandex, which manufactures hair care and personal hygiene products. The pirates’ ruse had been to hire mercenary units under the false pretense of guarding a nonexistent plant, and then to ambush them in order to steal their ‘Mechs and equipment.

Although some have fallen for the maneuver, earlier today a mercenary group ended the pirates’ scheming on Pitkin. [Player Name], leader of the group, spoke today to a CNS reporter on Outreach. “We were aware from the beginning that the Jandex job was a scam. We just took it on ourselves to clean up some of the scum trying to prey on hardworking, honest-living mercs,” [Player Name] said.

[If all pirates were killed] Jandex Corporation has discontinued legal proceedings against the pirates, as they were all killed in today’s battle on Pitkin.

[If any survived, this appears in the subsequent NEWSFEED]

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE!

The Jandex Corporation is demanding the capture of a pirate band using their name to lure mercenaries to Pitkin in order to steal their ‘Mechs. The pirates, posting as Jandex employees, extended several contracts to mercenary groups, asking them to survey the planet Pitkin before high-level executives dropped on-planet. Once the mercenaries had arrived on Pitkin, the pirates ambushed them, slaying the MechWarriors and taking their ‘Mechs. Jandex has as yet been unsuccessful in locating the pirates, who fled Pitkin when their scheme was discovered.