This 'Mech is an experimental variant on the Dragon, created at the request of Coordinator Takashi Kurita because of his constant wish for more powerful 'Mechs. "Kurita" in neo-Egyptian Royal Cartouche Its presence on Vega was due to an anomaly, a casual mention to the Coordinator by the Director of the ISF that a unit like the Legion of Vega, which deals with a variety of duties (ie, whatever duty under whichever conditions might be an insult to offer to a more prestigious military organization), might use the 'Mech in more different ways in a shorter period of time than, say, the Proserpina Hussars. This was one of its first battletests. The 'Mech was given to an experienced Mechwarrior, Suziko Mihami, who got the best from it and perished in the performance of her duties. Background To divert suspicion from his daring raid at Cochus, Col Theodore Kurita mounted a series of raids and skirmishes all along the front to divert the Lyran forces' attention from their supply base. One of the most intriguing actions took place at New Egypt, twenty miles inland from his position. New Egypt is a tycoon's folly built during the Star League Era by the eccentric Aram Sanders, who believed in the ancient religions practiced by the oldest nation in Terran history. There is little else of interest on Vega-New Egypt therefore attracts more attention than it would on a sensation-sated central world. A stylized pyramid is represented on the world's crest. There are persistent rumors of treasure here. As Col Kurita began to plan his strategy, he instructed native agents to spread the rumor that he had reliable intel of a Lostech depot at the New Egypt site, and that he would mount a raid to seize it. On October 14, the 3rd Lyran Guard sent a lance to hold the area until further troops could be sent. On October 16, one day before the Cochus raid, a Kurita lance moved in, and the action described here took place. The Vegans won, then defended the site against all comers for four days, skirmishing at the last from pyramid to pyramid, fighting to the destruction of the last men and 'Mech. Only two of the Combine forces survived, one of whom died later from his wounds. This heroic defense was all the more noteworthy because they were defending nothing. They died to keep the secret that there was no secret. It took three Lyran lances to do the job. The Grand Dragon, still regarded as an experimental 'Mech, was the last of the 'Mechs to be destroyed. Its energy weapons generated a good deal of heat, which had to be allowed for, yes. On the other hand, it didn't run out of ammo as the other 'Mechs did, because of those same energy weapons. Game Set Up The pyramids are arranged in an equilateral pentagon. They are sixty feet on a side, fifty feet in height. Treat them as heavy buildings. They are solid, honeycombed with tunnels and traps. The Lyrans have not had a chance to hollow one out; 'Mechs can be hidden behind the pyramids, but only men can hide inside them. The defenders are set up in the battle array which they used that fateful morning. As Vega is oppressively hot, a heat modifier of PLUS 5 must be added into every heat calculation. If you think that this causes problems in the simulation, just imagine how the 'Mech pilots felt as they fought and fried in their cockpits! There are no interruptions to line of sight for miles except the pyramids themselves. By this time of day, the pyramids radiate heat from their outer surfaces, though their interiors remain at 45° F. A 'Mech can mask its heat if it is directly next to one. Attacker enters from the East. The Grand Dragon enters one round behind the rest of the force. Defender Third Lyran Guard Lance Veterans Sr Corporal Fritz Schneider Valkyrie # 1 Piloting: 3 Gunnery: 3 Pvt 1st Class Wolf Ehrenhart Catapult Piloting: 2 Gunnery: 4 Corporal Max Hartzenplatz Valkyrie #2 Piloting: 4 Gunnery: 4 Corporal Helga Greim Scorpion Piloting: 4 Gunnery: 3 2 platoons Desert Forces specialized Infantry, 28 men each, armed with rifles. Attacker 14th Legion of Vega Lance Regulars Corporal Ganesh Mihar Panther Piloting: 4 Gunnery: 3 Private Kenji Nakadegawa Rifleman Piloting: 3 Gunnery: 3 Lance Corporal Suziko Mihami Grand Dragon Piloting: 3 Gunnery: 2 Scout Unit Pegasus Scout Hover Tank, The Tank's weapons are fully loaded; the 8 men of her crew have only pistols. Except where otherwise noted, 'Mechs and vehicles are in good condition and fully supplied. GRAND DRAGON Weight: 60 tons Movement: walk: 5 run: 8 jump: 0 Internal Armor: Head 9 CT Front 27 CT Rear 12 R / L Torso F 16 R / L Torso R 8 R / L Arm 14 R / L Leg 18 Weapons: LAM 10 CT PPC RA Medium laser LA Medium laser LT rear Medium laser RT Ammo 24 (LRM 10) Heat Sinks: 12 Back to BattleTechnology 7 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1988 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