MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries/Dragon Missions

Overview

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Dragon Missions details the unique campaign featured in The Dragon's Gambit, which can be played in both Campaign and Career Modes.

At its base, the Dragon Missions are a series of multiple mission operations with extensively scripted events and unique map layouts on an exceedingly tight timetable. As the game itself warns, the player must maintain a stable of multiple pilots and 'Mechs with the time between missions only long enough for very minimal repairs. Aside from the longer gaps when traveling between systems, extensive refits and lengthy pilot recovery can sideline a significant portion of your strength for multiple missions, requiring careful management of resources.

Refuse at your Own Risk

Date of Transmission: 1 July 3038

Transmission Expires: 30 December 3038

In the wake of Commander Jake Mason avenging his father's death, after arriving at Vorarlberg the Cavaliers receive a threatening transmission from Precentor Dieron Sharilar Mori, a powerful member of ComStar's ruling First Circuit. Knowing of their active role in the demise of ROM Precentor Kenzo Yamata, an icy Mori demands reparations for his death, offering Mason the choice of assisting her efforts to arrest the ascendency of the Federated Commonwealth by aiding the under threat Draconis Combine otherwise they will find themselves very much unwelcome on ComStar-controlled Terra...

Note: Once Mori's offer is accepted, the player is immediately locked into the campaign through December 4 and cannot take on additional contracts or travel freely. Ignoring the contract prevents the player from participating in any missions of this campaign and also results in a penalty of -400 Faction Reputation points with ComStar.

Depart for Dieron

After accepting Mori's "offer," a more amiable Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht explains that he will wipe the Cavaliers' debt if they help ensure the survival of the Combine in the face of an imminent invasion by the combined might of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces. If this task is not difficult enough, the situation is further complicated by Coordinator Takashi Kurita's Death to Mercenaries edict, meaning the Cavaliers must take care to avoid revealing any hint they are ComStar employed mercenaries lest Coordinator loyalists will seek to slaughter them. With time short, Focht directs the Cavaliers to travel to the capital of the Dieron Military District to meet with newly-invested Tai-shu Michi Noketsuna who will serve as their handler during their service within the Combine.

Dieron

Rat-Infested Shores

Date of Arrival: 12 February 3039

• Employer: House Kurita
• Targeting: House Davion
• Mission Brief: Reaching Dieron just ahead of the outbreak of the War of 3039, Tai-shu Noketsuna is pleased for the assistance promised by Mori and recognizes the extreme risk the Cavaliers face for accepting the contract. Explaining that Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita's foresight in supporting the creation of the Free Rasalhague Republic created a buffer and reduced the border between the Lyran Commonwealth and the Combine, this has placed Dieron under heavy pressure, which is along the border of both the Commonwealth and Federated Suns. With Davion raiders already landing, Noketsuna inserts the Cavaliers into the ranks of the Fifth Amphigean Light Assault Group, an internally raised mercenary "security force" exempt from the Coordinator's edict, to see how well they gel together.

• Hidden Salvage Crate: one Tier 5 LB 10-X AC Solid Slug, two tons of LB 10-X AC ammo
• Mission: 240 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 50 Defense Mission to link up with General Kent Gerber's already advancing Fifth Amphigean to retake and defend a Ninth Sun Zhang Academy Cadre base located in the city of Carp from the FedCom probe force.
• Rewards: 2,000,000 C-bills, 100 Reputation

Depart for Vega

While only a small victory in a larger war, Noketsuna is pleased both with the Cavalier's performance and the Fifth Amphigean CO Kent Gerber's appreciation for their abilities, with continued service within the Fifth Amphigean likely to shield them from the Coordinator's short-sighted hatred of mercs while providing much-needed strengthening to the Combine unit. Noketsuna directs Mason to make any necessary repairs as they will be shipping out in sixty-seven days with the Fifth to defend the vitally important world of Vega from an expected-to-be massive Davion invasion force.

Vega

Date of Arrival: 20 April 3039

Employer: House Kurita

Targeting: House Steiner

Trial by Fire

• Mission Brief: Abrasive and to the point, General Gerber welcomes the Cavaliers into the Fifth Amphiegan, warning them to take care against any Company Store type ploys from their employers and to prepare for the fight of their lives as the FedCom forces initiate a mass invasion of Vega.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: three Tier 5 ER large lasers, four double heat sinks
• Mission: 250 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 55 Warzone-like Mission with Cavaliers and the rest of the Fifth supporting the famed Fourteenth Legion of Vega to try and blunt the initial Alliance invasion landings, with only some artillery batteries to aid them.

Hit and Run

• Mission Brief: While the Fourteenth face the LCAF units of Task Force Snow, the Fifth Amphigean are tasked to deal with the combined mercenaries of Task Force Blizzard. After the FedCom mercs took the spaceport of Nasew, the Seventeenth Recon Regiment took up position in the city, with the Combine's advanced recon scans pinpointing three notable Camacho's Caballeros salvage depots that Gerber believes will be key to defeating Don Carlos' forces.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: two Tier 5 AC/20, two tons of AC/20 ammo
• Mission: 250 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 60 Objective Raid to infiltrate Nasew to locate and secure the three supply caches containing vital encrypted intel before the Caballeros can respond.

Seek and Destroy

• Mission Brief: With the Camacho's Caballeros forces and positions all but exposed thanks to the capture of their intel, Gerber directs the Cavaliers and the rest of the Fifth Amphiegan to hit them hard and provoke Don Carlos into rashly taking the field himself, his defeat sure to send the Caballeros packing from Vega.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: two Tier 5 Gauss rifle, three tons of Gauss ammo
• Mission: 260 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 60 Assassination-like Mission to eliminate high value targets within the Caballeros operations area and provoke Carlos Camacho into revealing himself.
• Rewards: 300,000 C-bills, 150 Reputation, CPLT-K2-S Catapult

Voluntary Destruction

• Mission Brief: While the Caballeros have bugged out, the infamous Snord's Irregulars led by Rhonda Snord herself have entered the fray, moving to capture two vacant but supply-filed Fourteenth Legion of Vega bases. Though loathe to destroy their own assets, Gerber orders the Cavaliers and the Fifth's Chu-sa Fengo Olesko to each destroy one of the bases to deny the treasure hunting Irregulars their anticipated prize.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: three Tier 5 Ultra AC/5, three tons of Ultra AC/5 ammo
• Mission: 290 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 65 Demolition Mission to eliminate both Fourteenth Legion bases while under fire by the Irregulars' Star League Defense Force BattleMechs.

No Soldier Left Behind

• Mission Brief: Chu-sa Olseko's unit has been ambushed by Snord's Irregulars in the Bandii Wastes, the unit pinned down by artillery with the Chu-sa unresponsive and in need of immediate medivac. Unwilling to leave his troops behind, Gerber orders the Cavaliers to overcome the Irregulars' TAG-equipped 'Mech forces to silence the artillery to save Olseko and the rest of his unit.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: four double heat sinks, six Tier 5 medium lasers, six Tier 5 medium pulse lasers
• Mission: 300 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 65 Assassination-like Mission to eliminate three Irregulars artillery spotter positions to ensure Olseko's evacuation and prevent any further Fifth Amphiegan losses.

Shielded Withdrawal

• Mission Brief: Despite their successes and the rescue of Olseko, Gerber knows the Fifth Amphigean Light Assault Group has simply taken too many losses and must withdraw from Vega to regroup and resupply to avoid destruction, a fact which the LCAF and Snord's Irregulars are more than aware. With the Fourteenth Legion's Sho-Sho Christine Nordica staying behind and agreeing to cover the launch of the Fifth's three Union-class DropShips, Gerber asks the Cavaliers assist them in holding back the FedCom attackers long enough for the DropShips to escape.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: three Tier 5 LRM-10 with Artemis IV, three tons of LRM Artemis ammo
• Mission: 335 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 80 Warzone-like Mission to hold back the FedCom forces for the two to four minutes each that the DropShips Liberty, Titan, and Falcon in turn will need to complete their launch sequences.
• Rewards: 3,000,000 C-bills, 300 Reputation, BLR-1G-S BattleMaster, pilot Shintaro Abe (33/43)

Depart for Auldhouse

Pleased to see the Cavaliers survive the meatgrinder of Vega, Tai-Shu Noketsuna reveals to Mason that such defensive actions won't save the overwhelmed Combine, with Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita devising a bold counter-offensive strategy of deep raids into both the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns to convince the FedCom Alliance to halt their attacks and call off the invasion. To this end, Noketsuna dispatches the Cavaliers from Vega on a sixty-nine-day journey to join the Fourth Arkab Legion in a raid against the relatively minor world of Auldhouse before heading deeper in the Commonwealth.

Auldhouse

Date of Arrival: 14 July 3039

Employer: House Kurita

Targeting: House Steiner

Lightening Strike

• Mission Brief: Skeptical of Ta-Shu Noketsuna's glowing review of the Cavaliers performance on Vega, Brigadier General Li Cheng grudgingly welcomes them into the Fourth Arkab Legion as they make way to the lightly defended Auldhouse system. Though the Arkab Legions generally do not accept non-Azami and mercenaries at that, Cheng recognizes that the increasingly dire threat to the Combine makes it necessary, along the necessity of Kanrei Kurita's counter-invasion to turn the tide in the war. While some of his troops including his second-in-command Chu-sa Omari Ali—their fears inflamed by messages from home—believe the mission is a fool's errand and that they should return to Trolloc Prime to liberate their families from FedCom occupation instead, Cheng knows that the long-term survival of Azami hinges on the success of missions like theirs.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: two Tier 5 SRM-6 with Artemis IV, two Tier 5 SRM-4 with Artemis IV, two tons of SRM Artemis ammo
• Mission: 335 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 65 Objective Raid with the Cavaliers sent to acquire four separate data shards the Fourth's attached Saurimat assets have located in the city of Arkendorf to assemble vital intel and also to see if the "troops from the Fifth Amphigean" can maintain the lightning pace that is the hallmark of the Fourth Arkab.

Shattered Lines

• Mission Brief: While Cheng is pleased at seeing first hand that the Cavaliers are as skilled as Noketsuna claimed after they secured the data shards, this knowledge is tempered when a boobytrap triggered by the decryption process kills an intelligence officer and inflicts heavy damage on a Fourth Arkab DropShip. But the information obtained reveals the location of two high-value targets in the nearby city of Shivren which if crippled will shatter the local LCAF supply chain—Cheng tasking the Cavaliers to assist in their destruction.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: four double heat sinks, three Tier 5 large pulse lasers, six Tier 5 small pulse lasers
• Mission: 340 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 70 Demolition mission with the Cavaliers ordered to destroy a Auldhouse Militia armory and a food distribution center to cripple the LCAF's resupply efforts, offering additional monetary rewards if they ensure the survival of the accompanying Fourth Arkab troops also assigned to the mission.
• Rewards: 5,000,000 C-bills, 100 Reputation, MAL-MX90-S Mauler, pilot Ari Fuji (37/48)

Depart for Arcturus

Although many members of the unit like Chu-sa Ali continue to press to return home, Li Cheng considers the mission a qualified success in showing Kanrei Kurita's plan will work if they maintain the pressure and strike much more important targets than Auldhouse. Aware of the Cavaliers true origin, Cheng assures Mason that his Saurimat will help keep the secret from the Internal Security Force, directing him to rest and refit during the eighteen-day trip to the far more heavily defended Arcturus, inflicting heavy damage on the former capital of the entire Lyran Commonwealth ensuring FedCom forces will have to withdraw from the Combine to chase them.

Arcturus

Date of Arrival: 15 August 3039

Employer: House Kurita

Targeting: House Steiner

Foothold

• Mission Brief: With word of Kanrei Kurita personally taking the field in a 'Mech during the Ryuken deep-strike against Breed convincing the naysayers on the purpose of the counter-invasion, the entire Fourth Arkab is eager to attack Arcturus. First they need to land though, with Li Cheng directing the Cavaliers to act as vanguard and secure a safe-landing zone for the Fourth's DropShips.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: two Tier 5 LRM-15 with Artemis IV, two tons of LRM Artemis ammo
• Mission: 360 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 75 Raid to infiltrate and eliminate multiple orbital defense cannons at four nav points defended by elements of the Arcturan Guards and planetary militia to ensure the rest of the Fourth Arkab safely reach the surface.

Into Darkness

• Mission Brief: Now on the surface, Li Cheng sets the Fourth Arkab Legion's sights on the planetary capital of Malcheema. With the Archon loyalist press and the Twenty-fifth Arcturan Guards forcibly silencing any reports from those opposed to "Hanse Davion's war," Cheng orders the destruction of a pro-war media center and the seat of the planetary government to halt the propaganda and heighten the threat the Fourth represents. Recognizing the Cavaliers may have concerns about attacking civilian targets in theory sacrosanct under the Ares Conventions, Cheng counters that the Davion threat has forced such desperate measures.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: one Tier 5 ER PPC, two Tier 5 PPCs
• Mission: 365 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 75 Raid to flaten a Arcturus media center and the planetary statehouse located in Melcheema along with any other targets of opportunity, the deafening silence sure to send the world's citizens into panic.

Arcturan Arms Incursion

• Mission Brief: As rumors mount that Hanse Davion has taken the bait and started to pull back troops to deal with Combine deep-raiders like the Fourth Arkab, Li Cheng insists that they must continue until they are certain Kanrei Kurita's plan has worked. Though its glory days are behind it and reduced to little more than a refit facility, Arcturan Arms still serves as a vital resource to the LCAF war machine and its destruction will cripple defense in the region.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: two Tier 5 AC/5-BF, three Tier 5 AC/2-BF, one Tier 5 LB 10-X AC Solid Slug
• Mission: 365 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 80 Demolition to obliterate the four annexes of Arcturan Arms, multiple waves of battered and heavily damaged Arcturus Guard 'Mechs desperately fighting to save the facility.

Razing the Enemy

• Mission Brief: As the increasingly desperate Arcturan's pleas for help mount, the Fourth Arkab must make them yet louder by continuing to target strategic military targets. Li Cheng sends his forces and the Cavaliers against an LCAF airfield and communications relay as the Arcturus Guards try to bring their entire remaining forces to bare to try and protect them at all costs.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: four Tier 5 large lasers, six Tier 5 small lasers
• Mission: 400 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 90 Demolition mission to destroy an LCAF airfield and nearby communication headquarters while Chu-sa Ali focuses on trying to eliminate all Arcturus Guard defenders.
• Rewards: 4,000,000 C-bills, 500 Reputation, CGR-3K-S Charger, pilot Akira Ohtani (39/47)

Depart for Trolloc Prime

Li Cheng is proud to report the Fourth's mission was a success, that FedCom High Command has responded by pulling back almost the entire Arcturan Guards brigade to reinforce their homeworld. While the momentum of the FedCom invasion has been broken, its time to eject them from their conquests with the Fourth Arkab Legion being directed to return and help liberate their pre-invasion station of Trolloc Prime. Eager to depart and save their families there, Cheng directs the Cavaliers to use the seventy-six-day day trip to repair and refit their 'Mechs to hit the ground running when they get there.

Trolloc Prime

Date of Arrival: 17 November 3039

Employer: House Kurita

Targeting: House Steiner

Wrath of the Dragon

• Mission Brief: Now back in the Combine, the Fourth Arkab Legion desires to exact retribution upon the occupying forces for taking Trolloc Prime. Lyran troops are in the midst of pro-Federated Commonwealth indoctrination efforts against the Azami population and unprepared for the swift vegence they will face.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: two Tier 5 LRM-20 with Artemis IV, two tons of LRM Artemis ammo
• Mission: 400 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 90 Raid to obliterate the temporary headquarters of the corrupt FedCom Magistrate and eliminate all local Knights of St. Cameron resistance in the city.

Checkmate

• Mission Brief: All across the Combine, FedCom troops are pulling out as Hanse Davion has issued a full recall of the invasion force. While the bulk of the FedCom occupiers on Trolloc Prime are fleeing aboard their DropShips, prior to his death the corrupt Magistrate had tasked Lt. Col. Allistair of the Knights of St. Cameron with continuing to resist the returning Kurita forces no matter the cost. Li Cheng orders the Fourth Arkab Legion and Cavaliers to obliterate them and erase any vestige of the FedCom occupation.
• Hidden Salvage Crate: two Tier 5 LB 10-X AC Solid Slug, two Tier 5 Gauss rifle, two tons of LB 10-X AC ammo, two tons of Gauss ammo
• Mission: 400 Tonnage Limit, Difficulty 100 Warzone-like mission with the combined might of the Cavaliers and Chu-sa Ali's command of the Fourth Arkab Legion sent to exterminate the remaining Knights of St. Cameron on Trolloc Prime, along with their fanatical commander Lt. Col. Allistair.

Message from Michi Noketsuna

• Rewards: 6,000,000 C-bills, 600 Reputation, HTM-26T-S Hatamoto-Chi

Tai-Shu Michi Noketsuna thanks the Cavaliers for their service, their assistance in part helping ensure Operation OROCHI was a complete success. While extremely risky for stripping vitally needed defenders from the Combine, the Fox himself fell for the ruse, convinced the Combine had the strength to launch a full counter-attack when in truth only a few scattered battalions taking advantage of Yakuza and co-opted merchant marine transport assets took part. Noketsuna is also pleased to report that any information about the Cavaliers' real identity was supressed, their actions and his time with the Wolf's Dragoons confirming that some mercenaries can fight to the tenets of bushido as well as any samurai and that the Coordinator's short-sighted edict is wrong. Wishing Mason well, he hopes their paths will cross again.

Message from Anastasius Focht

Date of Completion: 4 December 3039

Precentor Martial Focht sends the Cavaliers a message noting that, in response to Tai-shu Noketsuna's confirmation they had completed the contract with distinction, their debt with ComStar has been cleared as promised. Although thanking them for their efforts and discretion during the contract, Focht warns Mason that this merely ensures they are even, and that any further interference in ComStar affairs will not be dealt with quite so benignly next time.