THE GALTOR CAMPAIGN Design and writing Cory Glaberson Editorial Staft Editor-In-Chief L Ross Babcock Il! Senior Editor . Donna Ippolito Editor Todd Hucttel ai Proofreader Charly Green Production Statt Production Manager Jordan Weisman Att Director Dana Knutson Cover Art David R. Detrick Interior Mhastration sim Nelson Todd F. Marsh Chris Palm Typesetting and Layout Tara Gallagher Pasteup Todd F. Marsh * Dana Knutson Se ANOTHER SCAN FROM The Dragon Princess BATTLETECH, BATTLEFORCE and MECHWARRIOR ave trademarks of FASA Corporation Publishod by: registered in the U.S. Patont and Trademark offices. FASA Corporation "Mech and BatleMech are trademarks of FASA Corporation. P.O, Box 6930 Copyright © 1987 FASA Corperetion. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Chicago, IL 60860TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION How To Use The Scenarios HISTORY ‘Author's Introduction Early History Outbreak of War ‘Tho Fight for Liberation interim ‘The Draconis March Border Operation Muffet General Yoriyoshi ‘The Dragon Moves ‘Things Go Wrong Phase One ‘ACall to Arms ‘Strategic Situaton Tho First Attacks Other Bales Isolation ‘The Battle for Now Derry ‘The Fall of New Wuhan City Control Under Pressure Phage Two Opening Moves Death of a Regiment The Amphigeans Advance Davion Counteratiacks Phaso Throo Fall of New Derty Prince Davion Resurgont Traitor Disaster Aftermath BATTLEFORCE VALUES BattleForce Notations Federated Sune Unite Draconis Combine Units CHARGE OF THE HUSSARS ‘THE GUARDS' FINEST HOUR LIFE AND DEATH IN THE BIG CITY DECISION AT MARDUK VEGANS TO THE RESCUE ‘THE FINAL PUSH ‘Scenario! Scenario Scenario illINTRODUCTION For along time, the Galtor Campaign vanished from official records. As an embarrassing example of frecuhaoing adventursm, th sory of fhe sharp, shor eampaign between the Draconis Combine and te Federated Suns ey buted bereathofcial census, dara, and suppression. Eventually, news dic leak out, but the history of the campaign was often garbled and salt-contradictory. Many interesting stores ard eo-caled "rst-hand accounts" orculafod thoughout the Federated Sure. “This book attompis to ft trough the rumors end sel-aggrancizement to create a compete and accurate portrayal of this struggle. Many never-before-published documents, unearthed by a dedicated team of researchers and hstovane, spol much of the myth and fore that hae shrouded the Gllor Campaign ,HOW TO USE THE SCENARIOS Included in his bookare BattleForce game scenarios representing severalbattes that occurred during, the campaign. The inal three scenarios reprasont the assaultthatdecdedthe fate ofthe planet. These throe battles are part of a single attack and follow each other by a matter of hours, Those who wish to play the final assault should fotow the rules for keeping track of units and damage. Each scenario includes a diagram to show the placement of two BattleFores mapsheots, as well as any rules about inital deployment of forces, This section also indicates which side has the initiatve. The player withthe initiabve sets up his troops cn the mapsheet second but isthe frst to move. The scenarios usually give th inifativa o the Attacker. Game Set-Up alco determines whethor playersmay reserve some oftheir units for drops from outer space or DropShip movement. Players must abide by all restictlons on the placement oftheir counters, ‘Some scenarios give special ules or modifications tothe normal BattleF oree rules. Unloss beth sides {decide to continue using these special rules, he modfications apply only 1o the scenario in question, ‘The yardstick ior determining the victor ofa batt is the number and kind of enemy units kid. fenamy dead outnumber friendly losses, thofriondy forces win. On tho othor hand, victory ie sometimes determined by what objectives were gained in the tray. Troops in a holding action may die to gain time for off-board ‘comrades, for example, and a convoy of tricks ambushed by raiding party would probably consider mere survival tobe a bate victory. Because of these and similar cases, the BattleForce scenarios are weighted toreflect the oferent objectives ofthe atacker and defender. Whenever a unit is destroyed, its Purchase Points are added to the opponent's Victory Point total. A destroyed Elite Heavy ‘Mech Lance, for example, is worth 28 Victory Points (18 or the ‘Mech type, plus 10 Paints or its Elite Exparence Level). Ifthe Mech unit alsohad.a +2 Firepower chit, itwould add another three Victory Points to tho total. Im adition, each captured Salvage counter is worth 10 Victory Points. Individual scenarios also give Victory Points for specific actions or events, including occupying certain hexes, moving counters off the ‘board, and others. Aithe endofthe game, botn sides add up thei Victory Points. The piayer with the highesttotal subtracts his opponent's score from his total and consults the Victory Point Table. VICTORY POINT TABLE Victory Point Ditferential ‘Outcome +19 Draw 42010 449 Minor Victory +50 to +99 Major Victory 44100 to +150 Decisive Victory6 AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION My story is the story of Gator. twas born nto a world dominated by the military {oroes of the Draconis Combine. While | ‘was growing up, my father founded the resistance movement, and as a young ‘man, | became a leader in the revolt During the recent climactic bales. | served as a statesman; now, | am the Federated Suns’ governor of Galtor. ‘As a surviver, | can toll 2 survivor's tale. lam also a historian, and | folow the precepts of the great Terran historical societies of the 22nd century: "Speak tho ‘ruth, but remember compassion.” There- foro, ashead ofthe Inner Sphere Coalition Cf Historians, | stove to make the follow- ingreportan accurateportrayalotthe men ‘and events that chapod the Galtor Cam- ppaign. As aman who has lost friends and family, | remember that the true costs of war are the lives crushed by grood and rnatonal pride. —Skyles OHanlon GALTOR “Excerpted From the ComStar Encyclopedia TriMilennian, ComSter Press, 2024 GALTOR Mt (Grand Duchy of Gator 2ronghaa Renmin Calor Gio ‘Soler System Spctel Olas F (TranatTive 8-12 day) ‘Sats the bird panes. No oer lat inthe Syston are habtabla Gator has twomoons, tow lee hun fe letersi. Tho moore ar lod Tomoe and ions. air wo founding fers of ‘he camry, Poop Popuiton: 36 23,000 Pepuation Densty: 27 per square kiorotr ‘New Dorey:200,000 "Now Wuhan Cty: 1.590000 (Changlee: 60,000 Olatrbuton: On14: 269% $e 57.7% > 00 164% Etnie Groupe: an Gnas: 4% agora 45% orga, Korea, Manchu, cers: 0%. niglone: Corfosariem, Budshar, Sta Nliate, eran Catal Ma habitable are consists of 13,328,380 square Klometers vide notre casner. Th fet sentcert Ere, hes @ spre lvast nourtahsard «boas ttlparictby numerous ie, The thor we “ontinrts covet most of ert or mourtae, excepto eoasal food plans andiepclungloa along ‘he equator. "Tre Weonl Panis animmensa large aoe, wol-wateredandemineay susbitorcutivator.Oniy s2parcentot hepsni cunt bsingcltvetes, down Yom 58 percent éuing SarLeaguedays Fourgret tor yet he Cranghang th Outi, te Fuha, andthe Xang—oride wale lor vast aman. Government ‘Gupta: Now Dery ‘Government Type: Feudal Monarchy Goverre agpcinedby Prince Hanse Daven Hand of State Goveror Shee OMarien {Ceca Divisions: 22 provinces 2 autonomous rgiont Defense: 8.3% 01 NF Industies: Tet, cos procosig, elie, and gnetc zoprosach (Chol Crops: Whee ce, bare, cts, alr Grr, soybears, supe com ay, Sugar wie, fat, ‘Miners: Ol, ad, rc, ron, subhur, sve, copper, pO (Crude Energy Reserves: 0.30 unis (maining weeDues plunceed by reveating Kut forces) Maat production Beef: 592 milion metictons orks $2 maion matictons Lamb: 25009 mare ens ‘Arab Land: 39% Transport “Sonora and Magnetic Ril rate: 2,00,000,00 net tn Motor Vehicles 13000,00 passenger crs 200000 cormoria vehi: ‘cv vation '200,00,000,00 passerger-n, 20,00,000000 regrt ton ‘Communications "Video System al transmissions}: 10,00,000 Dally Newspapers: 400 pe" 1,000 poniaton Hath (Ute Expectancy at Birth Nal: 862 years Foreale: 73° youre ‘iene (por 1,000 population): 108 ‘Deaths (pr 1000 popuiaon):0.9 Pryptcians: 23,000 {eeant Morality (per 1000 tv beta): 12:3 Uneracy: 25%EARLY HISTORY ‘As far back as the planet's founding, the two national groups comprising the first colonists have fcugh! eachother. The Pan-Oriental Co-prosperity Inner Sphere Council was one ot many oxganizatons that sponsored the Eastern way of life ‘among prospective colonists. is comput rs gave the Galtor system a triple-A rat ing and listed it as a "primo prospect" At the same time, the Free Irish National Federation classitid Galtor as a system tipo for edlonization and financed the ini tial exploration. Within ten years, the two groups landed colonists and began separate ‘colonies. Six months later, hostilities had cecaleted into ful-scale war. Although bath sides possessed only a few tanks and an artillery piace or two, the destruc- ‘ion was tertible, Then plague, always a fear on new worlds, broke out among the ‘entire population. in a historic document, called the Webster Compact, the leaders of the Pan Orientals and the Free irish ‘agrood to an armistica in order to fight the sickness together. For the frst time, both sides stopped considering themselves Irish or Oriental end considered them- selves Galtorians. In the centuries that followed the Webster Compact, the world became peacatul and prosperous. Agriculture fbocame its leacing export as the rich plains of the central continent were cuti- vated. Water was harvested from tho arctic wastes, ard the native plants and animals proved extremely malleable to genetic onginoering. Soon, Gaitor be- came a breadbasket for surrounding worlds The Age of War had itis effect onthe Galtorians, who traded their agriculture with anyone who paid in hard currency. ‘Not unt the rise of Star League laie inthe 26th century was Galtor underany outside political control Atfirst, the Gatorians welcomed the ‘Star League. The Ariides of Unification gave agricultural planets a special status, which Galtor's leaders shrewdly maniou- / lated to their aevantago. u ‘As the number of populated worlds increased, Galtors postion in space be- ‘came important. The Star League built a military base on the planet, and within ten years, the military bocame the largost ‘customer for Galior’s harvest. By 2725, Gattor’s produce fed abillion soldiers ona thousand worlds. OUTBREAK OF WAR ‘Some ay that tho Hand of God brought on the years of war and grief {ollowing the collapse of the Siar League. Some say it was economic necessity, political destiny, or maniacal shulldug- ‘gery. Personally, | beleve that greed, ah ard simple, caused the petty bicker- Siofan's usurpation, andthe dissolution of the League. Regardless, the Star League col lapsed, and Galtor Il felt the heat like biast from a Dropship. Trade dried up, refugees flooded the planet, and in 2784, Star League troops abandoned Galor to join Kerensky's exodus. And yet, for al ‘most 20 years, the war wes something thathappened out here inthe vastness of space “Then, on the eve of the new cantury, the first Draconis Combine DropShs landed on the Wagrall Plain and claimed Gator Il for House Kurita. Very few of our ancestors resisted. Wthin hours, the flag ‘of House Kurita flow above our planet. Lite under the Draconis Combinewas aim and suilen, replacing tree enterprise wih actushing quota system. Many occu ying soldiers and administrators came {rom disadvantaged words and harbored ‘no sympathy for rich agricultural pianets, The Galtrians lost rights and proparty, ‘and many slaved in the fields while auto- ‘mated farm machinery lay rusting nearby. If one hesitatod, one was thrown in jal I cone complained, one disappeared. 7 Citizens slid into akind of malaise as ‘he suicide rate soared, and ilnass due to strocs and dopressicn doubled, then tripled. Farm production slipped, then fi- nally collapsed.as machines wore out and ‘could not be replacad. For the fist time in ‘our history, famine struck the cities. A planet thal once fed a thousand stare ‘struggled to feed itseif In time, the whole structure of our word fell apart. n2905, the Federated Suns bombed the Kurita base on Galtor.. Although Davion forces didnotinvade, many Galto- rians eaw the attack as a signalfor action. ‘The farmers organized a resistance movernent called the Blacks. Soon, disaf- fected labor unionists, caling themselves the Whitas, joined tha struggle. The joint leadership ctristened the movement "The ‘Black and Whites.” The resistance quickly contacted New Avalon and requesied support. Al- though the Federated Suns. promised ‘hole, support was slow to como. At that time, Kurita kept a strong presence on all border worlds. Decades pasted. Forces from the Draconis Combine and the Federated Suns battled around and on Kentares IV, Matlory’s World, and Harrow’s Sun. Our resistance supplied valuzble information to tho Davion forces, but our hope of freedom faded like morning mist.In 9024, Hance Davion ordored a survey fall worlds capturedinthelastiew years. Mary contained rich finds of de- Stroyad BatieMechs and vehicles. In addition, some planets had hiddencaches ‘of priceless, irreplaceable parte and equipment dating back to Star League ays. To everyone's surprise, the sophis- ticated computers on New Avalon indi ‘cated an unusually rich deposit on Galtor Mm According to eyewitnesses, Davion read the preliminary survey reports skep- tically. Computer roports were often wrong—what could possibly be left ona planet occupied by Kurita forces for over 400 years? His cynicism proved correct when the first survey mission found the tromains of Star Leaguebass stripped of all usable parts. However, the praliminary survey re- ports would create tho perfect bait. No Kurta commander could possibly resist a pristne Star League base filed with "Mechs and equipment. Sucha find would ‘guarantee the successful commander & laurel wroath and a triumphal procession ‘on Luthien. Delighted by the thought, Davion fed the records 10 known Kurita spies within hie administration. THE DRACONIS MARCH BORDER In 3025, the Draconis March was stable and quiet. After the recapture of Galtor Il, the Draconis March Miitia took over the defense of the sector, spreading ‘ix of ite ton rogimonts across the long border with Draconis Combine. The rest remained as a reserve to counter any Kurita thrust. Only a single battalion and the regimental Neadquariers from the Dahar V Draconis March Miltia regiment (Dahar DMM) defended Gatterll. Thorest Of the regiment occupied the planet Mar- duk and a space stalion refualing stop. A ‘ew lances encamped on asteroids inside Kurita space Battalions of the Raman Draconis March Miltta (Raman DMM), a much weaker, green force, defended an even laigerstetch of frontier. Supporting these regiments was the Bremond DMM, fa- mous as the only regular Davion regiment wah a permanently assigned JumpShip. ‘The proud people of Galtor fielded their own army: the Galtor Irregulars. emnants of ie Black and Whites resis: tance movement, the Irregulars had only small amounts of outdated equipment and rao ‘raining. Supplementing these weak infantry and armor units was 2 loose col- lecton of mercenary BattleMechs called 9 Nerely a group of individual lances, the Lone Wolves employ renegades from mercenary or house regiments, criminals, ‘and green kids tying to buida reputation. ‘They have a knack for smaling blood, ‘appearing immediataly before afight and ‘offering their services tothe natives. Ifthe ‘natives refuse to hire them, they find work with the attackers. though lacking cohe- sion and direction, they fight wthstubborn pride and wild, maniacal abandon. To the Kurita Miltary Distict. Gom- ‘mander on Benjamin, General Yoriyoshi, the Davion forces on his border were only a nuisance. Reising's Planet contained Yoriyoshi's 17th Benjarhin Regulars rog) ‘mentand some specialized assault Aero- ‘Space Fightors, The 3rd Benjamin Regu- lars regiment occupied the fortfied moons ‘of the Tripoli system. A third regiment, the 6th Benjamin Regulars, wore just one Jump away atirurzun. With three Draconis ‘Combine regiments facing two Federated ‘Suns regiments, General Yoriyashi wor- ‘ied about nothing.‘THE DRAGON MOVES ‘Once he digestad tha importance of the Davion survey report, Yoriyoshiimme- diately put his men on alert and canceliee allleaves and furloughs. The Port Author- ity cleared supply lanes of commercial traffic, whie techricians gave all military repairs rush privity. With his troops st the height of readiness, Yortyoshi then sat ‘back and waited ‘Commander Yoriyoshi trusted no ene except the Coordinator. The day he re- ceived the survay report, he sent it to Takashi Kurita, not realizing that the Coordinator alraady had a copy. Also possessing a copy of the report was ‘Subhash Indrahar, Drector of the ISF, who passod it onto General Grieg Sam: sonov, Galecon Miliary District Com: mandar and a hated val of General Yoriyoshi “To understand better the intrigue of the court at Luthien, | have included an interview with a highly placed ind'vidval in the Kurita household. Finding his credibil- ‘ty compromised after tho Galtor cam paign, he was smuggled to salety some where in the Federated Suns. The folow- ing excerpts give us an extraordinary glimpse Into the inner workings of the Kurita leadership. Only questions. and answers that rated 99.9% reliable on the truth scanner have been included. UESTION You were close to Takashi Kurita, were you not? ANSWER: On yes, | was constantly around im, evan in his private chambers. | was restricted only trom the Black Room and ‘some storage rooms. @ The Black Room? '& Anarea within the palace encased in a ‘magme-pulse magnetic field. Absolutely ‘secure against alltypes of eavesdropping devices. The walls were painted fat black 10 fol indirect microwave pulses, hence the name. (a: What was the Goordinators response to the survey report? 1x Skeptical. He is a very suspicious man, trusting no one and suspectng everyone. He kept welking around and roading tho cable. | think he suspected that it was too ‘good to be true. © And yet he decided to attack. What made him take the bait? ‘& Well, you have to understand the way the Imperial Court works, Takashi main- tains his balance by keeping everyone also offthois, The minute anyone soams 100 sure, too secure, ha’s when Takashi pulls out the rug. Hes amaster at playing ‘off his commanders againet one anothor. When ne decided 0 attack, he de- cided to spit tho command between the Benjamin and Geledon Districts, instead of using the three regiments of available Benjamin Roguiars. Benjamin would eup- By two regiments, Galedon would supply ‘one, and Takashi added some of his por- sonal guard. ‘@: So, even though he suspected a trap, Kurita caw Gator as a way to koop his commanders in line? x Something like that. You see, it wasnt ‘only the commanders. Subhash Indrahar Cf the ISF was also involved. think Taka~ shiis allie afraid of Indrahar; he aways spoke very carefully eround him. The real problem was the magrituda ‘of the find. Ifthe supply depot was really that big, ne couldn’ let any single com- ‘mander capturetheplanat Not only would ‘such a general become incredibly power- ful, he Would also win much respect and popularity from the ruling clase. A dangor- ‘ous rival would be bor. That is why he decided to spit the command between the two warlords. 14 ‘@: But Galtor Il is clearly on the border of the Benjamin Miltary District. Wasn't Genoral Yoriyoshi upset at this obvious ‘encroachment on his area? A: He was apoplectic He almost resigned ‘onthe spot, especialy because the Coor- dinator named General Grieg Samsonov a joint commander. {@: Samsonov was the commander of the Galedon Military District? ‘&:Cortoct. Yoriyoshi and he hated each other from their cadet days at the Sun Zhang Academy. @:Didn't Takashirealize that their animos: ity would endanger the attack? 2:0! course, but he had to chance it. He believed that his commanders ‘eared him ‘more thantheyhatadeach other. Anyway, heassigned personal spiestokeepaneye ut for any dirty dealings, ‘9; Fortunately, they didn't do that good a pb. 2 Yes, well. suppose $0. @: Can yeu outlino tho final battlo plan drafted by Takashi Kurta? A:!'mnot sure of allthedetals. Many finer points were worked cut secretly in the Black Room, About two weeks after the surveyreport, Luthienissuedorderstothe © ‘1o0ps in field, About 48 hours later, two fegiments of Benjamin Regulars were ready to move, but it took another threo weeks for the Galedon regiment toreach the staging area. Even then, the regi- ‘ments waited at the final jump points for another two weeks before the final orders wero roleased, (@: What took so long? A: don't know. Just the normal bureau- cratic foul-ups, | imagi (Soli! took about seven weeks for Kurita toattack? ‘x: dust about. There was no hurry. Inteli- {gence reporis indicated that no material had left the planet, and Kurita was st concerned he was walking inioa trap, He ‘was content to wait and see it Davion ‘would get cold feet and chow his hand. ©: He almost di 4: Yes, | hoard that. Funny, if he had, | might be interviewing you instead of the ‘other way around.i THINGS GO WRONG Almost every military analyst be- lieves that Hanse Davion's greatest stra- tegicstrengthis his realization rat a battle plan never works. Davion sees a plan as ‘only a common base for changes. War in the 31st contury is t00 fluid to stick to a ‘specific set of orders. Al best, aplan lets ‘everyone know from where they are ‘coming and te where they are going, ‘The Prince's perspective on war ‘explains his reaction to the news that two Cf the three battalions of the 33rd Avalon Hussars stil languished in thelr barracks ‘on Kostroljust one week before the antci- pated Kurita attack. Apparently, a lack of DropShip parts prevented. them from ‘moving the entire regiment. Tragedy also weakened the Feder- ated Sune’ forces. A faulty sealant tuboon the Union DropShip Jasper caused a vio- lentexplosion upon ita on Marduk. Two ‘comparios of French's Battalion of the Dahar OMM were destroyed, and the ‘epairand landing facilities were severaly damaged. Investigators suspected Kurita ‘uerriias of causing the blast. All this Pina Davion took calmly, ‘arranging special transport for the Hus- ‘sars and sending special medical aid to Marduk. ‘Then the real trouble started. The survey team on Galtor Il found a real untouched Star League depot about three ttfousand kilometers from the false site, The news siunnod Prince Davion. Things tke this happened in trasty nov- ‘els—not in real fe. The Star League depotwasfact, and Davion had practically invited Kurita to take ft away from him. ‘At this critcal juncture, Hanse Davion slipped into a malaise thal characterized his demeanor during the earry days of the ‘Galtor Campaign. No one could got himto ‘make a decision or exercise his authority. He became obsessed with the campaign fon the Liao border, and left the local commanders to fend for themselves. Many apeculate that the damands of two major campaigns simply overtaxed the Prince. Anather thoory is that he actually suffered a medical disability that affected his judgment. ‘Whatever the reason, Davion abruplly let goofthe wheel, and the Galtor ‘Campaign dried into dangerous waters. PHASE ONE From A MechiWarior’s Lite, by Marorave Sheridan Douglass, New ‘Avalon Prose, 2026 To provide the details suround- ing the battles on Gator, we have | obtained the services of a historian ‘who actualy served witn the Davion forces. curing the desperate early days of the campaign. Author, lee- turer, and MechWarriot, he iS re- spocted by scholars and soldiers alke. | am refering to Commander Sheridan Douglass, Margrave of Verde and Inspector Generel of the independent Forces. He is also the commander of the elite Alpha regi- ment of the t2th Vegan Rangers, a mercenary unitafiiated with the Fed- ‘erated Suns. The Margrave ora- | clously allowed us to excerpt te fol- lowing description of the battles on Gaitor irom volume three of his book, ‘A MechWarrior’s Lie. | -S.04H. ACALL TO ARMS ‘The job of a field commander is to impose order on chaos, as chaos is the natural environment ofthe bala. The oficerwhois the most successtulatbend- ing the environment 1 his will must inev= itably prevail regardless ofthe strenathot the opposition. ‘The only possible explanation or our Victory lias with the taining of our field ‘commanders. We teach each officer that concentrations of Mechs or firepower do not win battles. Control wins battles and allowsa.commandertowithhold his attack nti! the precise moment: Control gives him the ability to pick outthe waak spot in an enemy tine, The only time we were in danger of losing Galo was when we lost contrel. ‘In the beginning, the situation on Galtor Ill looked as bleak as a fueling station on aioe asteroid, Our original plan calledortwo strong ragimentstoleinwait for any Kurita raiding pasty, trap the raid fers on the ground, and destroy them in @ series of short, swit thrusts. Give the ‘Combine abloody nose and sendthem on ‘heirway. No one preparedior he montis ‘of campaigning that folowed. Because of mishaps and miscommu- nication, only my ragiment, the Alpha Regiment of the 12th Vegan Rangers, \was ai full strength when the Kurita reg ‘monts appoared. Bits and pieces of other units were available, but hey were stung out over the entire planet,PHASE ONE UNITS House Davion Unit ‘ath Vegan Rangers (CO: Margrave Sherdan Douglass) Regmerial BatleGroup Brago’s Battalion Jehietoc'e Battalion MeCulloch’s Battalion sara Avalon Hussars (CO: Lieutenant General Wiison Mandela) Regimental BatleGroup Benham’ Battalion Moade’s Bataion Union DropShip Parthenon (Two weeks trom Gator) Lyon's Batalon ‘Union DropShip Wayiaminit (Thros daye trom reaching orb) 22ne Special Ae Squadron Davion Guard Auxilary Dahar Draconis March Miia (CO: General Se Wiliam Dobson) Rogmorta BatleGroup Pope's Bataion 1 Company 2 Companes ‘Sumner’ Battalion "| Company 2 Companies Frerct's Batallon "1 Company 2.Comparies Gatto kregulars ‘Owen Foe ONeill Legion ‘Marquss of Ormonde's Batialon (General Liao Yaornsiang’s Brigade Gait Fiying Squadron Cone Welves House Kurita Unit 17h Benjamin Regulars (C0: General Spore Yoriyosh) ogmerta Batiesroup Elazars Batiaion GGonents Battalion ‘Sharon's Bataion Imperial Arilory Special At Squackon (CO: Colonel Sis Goan) Sd Benjamin Regulrs, (Co: Brgactr Ganeral akado Nagochico) Ragmortal BatloGroup tsmal's Bataion Shais Battaion Gamasy’s Battaon 2198 Galoden Regulars Location Union DropSip Velaquer (in orbt) Overerd DropStip Santiago \Wagnal Plain (around real Star League storehouse) New Dery \Wagnall Pain (ten kilometers from fake Star Leagus storehouse) \Wagnall Plain (en tlometers from fake Star League storehouse) Union DrogShip Century City ‘Union Dropship Atlan ‘Airfiolé at rd Avalon base Fake Star League depot Now Dory \wagnall Pian (fen hiometers ftom Star League siorenouse) Refueling staion on Gallo I's moon Wutan Pass Now Wuhan City Planet Marduk Destroyed in DropShip explosion Wagnal iain (n 33rd Avalon Husear’s camp) ‘Changes Pass New Dery ‘Wagnall Plain (in 33rd Avaion Hussar’s camp) Outside New Derry Location Fake Star League depot Fake Star League depot Fake Star League depot In omit Fke Ster League depot Upper atmosphere deterse Fake Star League depot Fake Star League depot Fake Star League depot In ont (CO: Brigadier Goneral Jarvek Dokmasay, Eat ef Merlowe) ‘legimental Batbesroup Ven Capelar's Battalion 1 Company 2 Companias Warren's Batalion 1 Company 2 Companies Wede's Battalion 1 Company 2 Companise Meroushts Independent ‘Assault Banalon Neat New Derry In orbit Near New Derry In orbit Near New Dery In orbit Wuhan Pace Planet Marduk 1314: ‘The Kurita army had double its re- quired number of DropShips. Exoapt for fighter suppor, these ships were empty to ‘cary the valuables from the Star League Inventory. STRATEGIC SITUATION Strategically the Kurita attack was a masterpiece of misdirecion. Whon athoct (0! Combine DropShips entored Gator I's ‘atmosphere, anassautbattaionattacked the Marduk system, effectively cutting Gator Ill off ftom immediate reinforce monte. Meanwhile, along the Kurta- Davion border, Kurta forces tustieg with sctvily, causing nervous border com- manders to jam New Avalon's military ‘communication stations with cals forrein- forcemonts. A Kurita spy sabotaged the jum station near Robinson, airing the jumpcharge and causing delays of up to 4172 hours. Amid the chaos, our calls for assistance ware ignored. The Combine quickly penatrated our weak air defense {and began dropping all over the planet The main Kutta threat mantested at the fake depot—thoy bought the plan ke itwas a gold mine from Aunt Sarah. Two regiments landed within three klometers the trap and quickly sproad out toward the base. Obviously, they did not expect much opposition. Many battalion com- ‘manders landed their DropShips without sending a scout party first. Overhead, Kurita Slayerand Shiione fighters routed the few Sparrowhawks opposing thom, then began strafing runs on the fake Star League base ‘Nothing went right that dey. Commu- ‘ications were more fouled up than a hen houge afer the fox loft. Kurita was in (greater strength than we could imagine. Worst of all, our orbital position left us three hundred miles from the main battle. Nevertheless, | was confident. Kurita had waked right into the trap without suspect- ing a thing. If we could cause enough Gamage, we might get them to retreat. Tho fake dopot was a small, fortitiod ‘position surrounded by twelve bands of landmines designed to slow, immobilize, ‘and disrupt any attacking force. Covering the minefeeds and sighting forthe artitery in the 33rd Hussars baso camp wore Wo dozen wheeled scout cars, heavily shielded with electronic counter meas- res (ECM) against dotoction. | entrusted the defense of the fake Star League depot to a company from Prince Davion's heavy infaniry regiments the 782nd Davion Guard Auxiliary. They were good men and wiling to fight to the death for their Attached to each squad was a Sniper artilery piece. No BattleMechs were within the perimeter. ‘Supporting the position, three batter- jas of Long Tom artillery hid in hardened, pre-fabricated silos at the 33rd Hussars’ Regimental BatleGroup's baso camp, ‘Most of the 33rd Avalon air lances de- fonded these guns from attack ‘THE FIRST ATTACKS Elazar's Battalion of Yoriyosh's 17th Benjamin Regulars regiment led the tack. Tho lead company was equipped with Advanced Electronic Probes (AEP), specifically designed to spot mines. The [AEPe effectively cut a path through the first band of minefields in less than 15 minutes. To counter the move, the Davion Guard spotiers called artillery and air strikes against these Mechs. While Elazar’s Panthers noutrakzed ‘he spotters, the Srd Benjamin Regulars attacked the depot from the other side of the perimeter. The Grd had no AEP and was bogged cown wit many damaged units. The smoke from these burning ‘Mechs attracted the attention of the 22nd Air Assault Squadron'sK10 Stukas, whieh wreaked holy havoc among the giant war machines struggling in the minefields. Meanwhile, Brigadier General Naguchido, commander of the rd, had