The raid on Galtor III was your basic, class-A, monumental screw-up... but then, hey, that wouldn't be the first time someone had screwed up on that God-forsaken world, right? We'd been dropped too far from our assigned targets for us to do any good, the maps we'd been given didn't correspond to any terrain features we could find anywhere on the whole damn planet, and the "light covering forces" they'd said we'd find guarding the place turned outto be a couple of regiments of crack Davion 'Mechs. Still, we gave it our best. We sent out recon parties and managed to locate an industrial park maybe ten klicks from where we'd touched down. We'd brushed aside the opposition and cleared the way for our cargo vehicles to move in and load up. It was on the way back that Davion reinforcements started hitting us hard. All of a sudden our column was dissolving, and enemy 'Mechs were everywhere. Someone yelled over the taccom that the Captain was in trouble. That was when we realized we'd be lucky if we ever saw our DropShips again... --from Recollections of a Renegade Samurai by Tom Takai New Avalon Press, 3027 Situation: 0925 hours, July 23, 3027, Galtor III GAME SET-UP Lay out the BattleTech map sheets as shown. Defender The Defender is one element of the Kurita mercenary company Daggers of Death. The Defender's forces include the following: Command Lance Capt. George Rodgers; Veteran Dragon Tom Takai; Veteran Crusader Fire Lance Lisa Cummings; Veteran Centurion Willy Yavin; Regular Dervish Recon Lance Lt. Alaya Addison; Veteran Panther Sgt. Nick Fellini; Veteran Phoenix Hawk Francis Rodrigo; Regular Stinger Rodgers' Dragon has already taken 10 points of armor damage to its right leg and 7 points of armor damage to its center torso. The Defender sets up with Rodgers' Dragon on the east map, anywhere within ten hexes of the east edge of the map. Any three of the remaining six Kurita 'Mechs may be set up as desired on the west map. The last three Kurita 'Mechs may enter the combat area from the west edge of the west map at the beginning of Turn 3. Attacker The Attacker consists of elements of the Galtor Defense Legion, a reinforced planetary militia. Galtor Defense Legion, Company A, 2nd Battalion Command Lance Capt. Harrison Sims; Veteran Marauder Dennis White; Regular Archer Fire Lance Lt. Kelly Vane; Regular Centurion Jorad Trelawny; Regular Enforcer Pietro Gallini; Regular Archer Fredrick Cavendish; Regular Blackjack Recon Lance Lt. Janet Gregg; Regular Valkyrie Kevin O'Shay; Green Cicada Bela Gomez; Green Wasp The Attackers set up any five of their 'Mechs anywhere on the east map after Rodgers'damaged Dragon has been positioned by the Defender. No more than one Davion 'Mech can be closerto the Dragonthan 3 hexes. The remaining four 'Mechs may enter the combat area from the east edge of the map on Combat Round 2 or after. VICTORY The Defender must attempt to rescue Captain Rodgers while inflicting as much damage on the Davion forces as possible. The Attacker must destroy as many Kurita 'Mechs as possible. Victory for the Kurita forces can be rated according to the following table: SPECTACULAR VICTORY: Captain Rodgers rescued, plus five or more Davion 'Mechs destroyed. DECISIVE VICTORY: Captain Rodgers rescued, plus two to four Davion 'Mechs destroyed. TACTICAL VICTORY: Captain Rodgers rescued, regardless of losses. Victory for the Davion forces can be determined using the following table: SPECTACULAR VICTORY: Five or more Kurita 'Mechs destroyed, with no more than two Davion 'Mechs lost. DECISIVE VICTORY: Five or more Kurita 'Mechs destroyed, with no more than four Davion 'Mechs destroyed. VICTORY: More Kurita 'Mechs destroyed than Davion 'Mechs. TACTICAL VICTORY: Kurita 'Mechs destroyed or driven off the board before turn 15. Note that it is possible for both sides to claim at least a tactical victory. LOCATION: Five kilometers west of the Calliope Machine Works, Beacher's Crossroads, Gaitor III Galtor III had been the site of a major debacle earlier in the previous year, when an attempt to bait Kurita forces into a trap had turned into a trap for both sides and had transformed the planet into a BattleMech graveyard. The career of at least one Kurita general had already been ruined on that world, and no one was anxious for a repeat engagement. But the Kurita high command had decided that they had to know more about Hanse Davion's intentions in the sector. His Galahad: 27 training maneuvers had caused considerable concern within the Kurita border defense command, and it was thought that a snap raid against the Federated Suns garrison in the Galtor system would reveal Davion's intentions. Faulty intelligence and poor co-ordination ruined the raiders' chances of success. Galtor III was garrisoned by local militia reinforced by regular Davion line Wech units. The Galtor Defense Legion was a combination militia/ 'Mech training unit organized under the command of Davion regulars. Early Kurita successes on the planet were lost when Davion reinforcements arrived. The raiders secured little in the way of intelligence, though the Calliope Machine Works plant near one of the main landing zones was looted of light machine parts and equipment valued at several hundred thousand Cbs. During the withdrawal towards the Draco Combine DropShips in the final stages of the raid, Captain Rodgers, the Commander of Company B, Daggers of Death mercenary regiment, took damage to his 'Mech and fell behind the main column. A sudden rush by Davion forces shadowing the retreating Kurita column cut the company commander's Dragon off from the rest of his unit. Lieutenant Alaya Addison, Recon Lance Leader, used her own initiative in organizing and leading a hastily-assembled strike force to rescue Captain George Rodgers before he could be overwhelmed. Her sudden strike, at a cost of one Centurion destroyed, plus the loss of Rodgers' own Dragon, rescued the injured Captain Rodgers, and delayed the Davion thrust towards the Kurita landing zone. For her part in the operation, Addison received an official commendation from Colonel Joab Keen, commanding officer of the Daggers of Death, plus promotion to Captain and a chance at company-level command. Unfortunately, George Rodgers never fully recovered from his injuries. He received a medical retirement from the Daggers, and Alaya Addison took his place. Officially, both the Galtor III raid and the sharp action at Beacher's Crossroads were described as victories. Flush with victory, the Daggers were withdrawn to the "secure" world of Scheat V to regroup and rest. Back to BattleTechnology 2 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1987 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com