[Aesaar]

It's only a confirmed curse if Sparda dies in it.

[SpardaSon21]

Now I feel so much better about acting as the scouting portion of the lance.

[Dragon]

Personal log, Master Sergeant Anders Bullman

Joining this unit has proven to be no mistake. First contract, first battle, 13 kills. Made a Master Sergeant for that, not to mention it was fun. The group is an odd bunch, but they're good at what they do. We had some loses, but the reward for the contract should cover everything, especially since it took less than 10 hours from our arrival in-system to our departure. The battle itself lasted about 20 minutes, but those were the longest 20 minutes of my life.

We were working for St. Ives against so called "pirates". I thought they'll be Liao-affiliated troops posing as pirates, but now I have doubts. Their mech selection was really odd, the Crab that we captured would suggest a DCMS-affiliated group, but the skill of the aforementioned Crab's pilot disproved that hypothesis. No DCMS pilot would kill herself trying to stand up like that. Granted, it was the middle of the night, I tripped too, happens to everyone. But she did that 7 times, eventually snapping her neurohelmet mount. That leaves a really shady merc unit doing odd jobs for both Liao and Kurita, or actual pirates with a stolen DCMS Crab.

Not that it matters now, since they're pretty much all dead, or prisoners for St. Ives. Ironically, while my PPCs gutted their mechs pretty throughly, the actual cause of death for the pilots was usually their own automatic ejection system. When a hit knocked down a mech, it usually launched the unfortunate pilot into a building. I need to have the techs disable that darn thing next time we go into the city like that. I'd rather claw my way out of a burning mech than be shot into a skyscrapper by the automatic system. Though I hope there won't be need for this, my Awesome might be a bit old, but it performed admirably on this sortie.

The fight was really fierce this night. The rest of the lance left our Awesomes behind and rushed into the city. Big mistake. Though our Hetzer aimed really well on this sortie, it was eventually crippled, much like our Manticore. Me and Easy carefully strolled down the street, caught up with the action, and promptly reduced the pirates to slag. It would have helped if Easy didn't get knocked out a few minutes after the shooting started, but I guess one can't have everything. Besides, by that time, the only enemies left were a couple of utility vehicles, some medicore lights and an Urbie. Kicking down and beating the latter to a pulp was surprisingly satisfying. Due to darkness and cramped conditions, aiming was hard and I dealt just as much, if not more, damage by throwing kicks and punches as by PPC fire. It helps that a stomping with an 80 ton Awesome is a rather effective at ruining a stomped mech pilot's day. Of course, that's not to say my target practice with those PPCs didn't pay off. The sight of two AWS-8Qs unleashing a total of 6 PPC shots at once is indeed a sight to behold, especially if there are hardly any other light sources present, as was the case tonight.

It was fortunate that we finished this contract so quickly. Those guys weren't even trying to hide, and thus we quickly found them and decided to drop straight on top of them, right after our arrival, in the dead of the night. The last part turned out not to be such a good idea. That night was very dark and very problematic to move in. Everyone, even I, fell over at least once. Vehicles routinely drove into buildings and disabled themselves. Weapon fire mostly made it worse by blinding everyone around, but both Awesomes made it through without too much damage. The same can't be said for anything pirate, except the Crab, of course. A mighty fine piece of salvage, but somehow, I'm happy I'm not the one to pilot it. They way it's pilot died makes me feel uneasy about it. I'm not usually superstitious, but better safe than sorry, especially when it comes to cutting-edge mechs of dubious origin. Though if I had to choose between this Crab and the Icarus (which we also encountered), I guess I'd chose the former. It's the first time I've seen an ICR outside of a museum. To think somebody's still using them these days. Mackie, I can understand, it's a cheap-ish assault mech, 100-tons aren't exactly easy to come by. But Icarus? Come on, this Vindicator we captured was heavier. And yet another odd choice was the converted Harvester Ant. A poor choice, too, since it's engine apparently stalled and it fell over, which caused the LRM ammo to explode. Jury-rigged missile boats risk shenanigans like that.

Anyway, here we are, getting some R&R aboard our ship. Bones patched up my wounds from the battle (which, by the way, Patriot had to point out to me. I guess I got a bit excited and forgotten about them) and I'm eagerly awaiting the next sortie. Since the tech finished fixing my mech (I watched them carefully whenever they laid their hands on it), there isn't much to do, so I'm reading up on some tactics literature. I'm looking forward to the next contract we get. Those pirates were amateurs, but we never know who we'll face next. Our employers were pretty impressed by our day-1 completion of the contract, so I hope they'll put a good word for us.

[Mongoose]

I threw this in a bit tongue-in-cheek earlier, but just why is it that nighttime combat goes so FUBAR in this setting?  Do the 'mechs not have the equivalent of IR displays?

[NGTM-1R]

I threw this in a bit tongue-in-cheek earlier, but just why is it that nighttime combat goes so FUBAR in this setting?  Do the 'mechs not have the equivalent of IR displays?

They do actually, along with a magnetometric one, but in a city that's being actively inhabited when fighting breaks out neither of those is likely to be worth anything. The other point is that something with feet has more worries about traction than something on wheels or treads. The Awesomes couldn't run on pavement without worries about skidding, reducing them to a base movement of three anyways, which regardless of your night-vision options is going to go down in the dark.

[deathfun]

Dr. Bones - Patient Logs

Lieutenant Aaron Yi

Minor cuts found around left arm, some stitching was required. Patient was responsive, no other signs of injuries.

Corporal Kevin Huffman

Some bruising on the right side of torso. No signs of broken ribs. Patient was released shortly after.

Corporal Zhong-xian Wang

Patient proved to be difficult during examination. Insisted on being "Fine" despite possible concussion due to hit on the head. Will keep patient under observation for the time being.

Corporal John Aherne

Minor bleeding from hand. No stitching required.

Corporal Cheng-gong Pak

First degree burns near right shoulder. Bandaged and released

Master Sergeant Anders Bullman

Patient was still feeling the effects of the adrenaline as he entered Medical. Laceration along his left torso required immediate attention. No sign of internal bleeding or broken ribs. Possible concussion due to head trauma, overnight observation required.

Major Caden Webb

Brought in barely able to walk, definite head trauma. Reactions were slow, responsiveness was lacking. Will have to check for brain damage. Minor lacerations were found haphazardly around the patient.

Addition - Patient moved due to pipe smoke causing unrest from neighbor. No permanent brain damage detected.

Corporal Nancy Ma

Unconscious upon arrival. The head had some bleeding, but the immediate concern was the piece of metal lodged in the patient's ankle. Upon removal, there was no apparent damage to the main artery despite the proximity.

Addition - Patient remains unconscious, but condition is stable.

Sergeant Dermott Carver

Second Degree burns were found around the patient's body along with fiber imbedded into some deeper cuts. Infection unlikely.


Personal Log - Dr. Bones

The sortie went rather well despite the injuries incurred. Some surprises from how heavily damaged those vehicles were in comparison to the crew. I'm amazed they even managed to crawl out of them in relatively one piece.

I heard some talk about a Crab and Icarus being among the Pirate's ranks. Not everyday you hear about an Icarus being around these days, so that should prove to an interesting spectacle.

A lot of celebration going around. Hopefully some of the cashflow will find its way into Medical. I could certainly use some more supplies after realizing I was short some painkillers. Luckily, the patient passed out before his screams were too unnerving for anyone passing by.




(I didn't really do this whole personal log thing before, and know very little about the lore of this Universe. Just let me know if I'm off base or to just "No")

[esarai]

Lulz that seems pretty spot on.  I want to post a log about annoyance at being left out of the action, but I don't even know my character's name yet. 

Scotty, any chance of seeing the full roster anytime soon?

EDIT:

CO Easy chillin' with the repair crew.



Started as a test sketch and evolved.

[Scourge of Ages]

12th Scout Lance
Corporal Dereje "Esarai" bin Hassan, 6/5, Wasp WSP-1A (Esarai)

(First page was updated)

[esarai]

Ooh thanks Scourge.  With that name... let's see, Dereje is African in origin, and the Hassan surname could be either Irish, Arabic or Jewish.  Since the bin is in there I take it that I'm african/arabic.  Only house I know of that has Arabic origins is Kurita, so yaaaay I'm Kuritan.

[Patriot]

I wonder what's in store for us next, some scouting perhaps

[carbine7]

Personal Log, Corporal NAME REDACTED, BattleMech Technician
(since Scotty has somehow developed a blindness to my posts and missed me repeatedly )
Contract 1, Surface of Milos, St. Ives Compact

Despite our dramatic entry into the system, the 'Mechs at least came out of it relatively well (though I definitely wouldn't mention that in front of my non-bipedal focused grease monkeys). I've seen drops on top of enemy encampments go a lot worse than this, despite the loss of our vehicles. It was surprising to see the 'Manti go so quickly, but even more surprising was the performance of what the crew have taken to calling the Urban Renewal Box, one of our Hetzers. I'd hate to have been on the receiving end of that thing.

Boy did I sure pick the right company to sign up with though. When you hear about a new merc company recruiting, you never quite know what you're going to get. One AWS-8Q alone would've been a treat, two is just pure joy. Some techs like the lighter 'Mechs more because they're smaller and therefore easier to get around. These techs have no admiration for the true beauty that is the BattleMech.

Eighty tons of towering metal filled to the brim with enough energy to level a small city by itself; how can you not feel privileged to work in the presence of that? Sure, lighter 'Mechs serve their roles and do so well, but it is pure fact that they are cheap and expendable, despite what their pilots may insist. Awesomes and their counterparts are the lords of the battlefield, and loosing even just one is a keen loss. Thanks to Helm, new SLDF-design Assault frames are starting to show up, but none of the Houses can afford to produce them in large numbers yet, leaving them a rare enough breed.

Speaking of lighter 'Mechs, we pulled what I'd term as an...interesting haul for salvage. The two AWSs did a through job of torching pretty much everything, unfortunately including a vintage Icarus, and our employer pretty much took the rest, leaving us a Crab and a Vindicator impersonating a T-Rex. Mongoose has spent hours slinking around the inside of the Vindicator (I can see where the devil gets his nickname), but the thing wants to continue being armless for the time-being.

The Crab however...the Crab. I worked on that thing, had the unfortunate pleasure of helping open up the cockpit to extract the pilot and remove her control hookups. I've worked on 'Mechs a long time, seen the weird stuff that can happen around them, but this is different. The 'Mech itself only needed some patchwork here and there from its falls, that and a new neurohelmet, but something about it feels...wrong. Broken even, like something will never quite be right with it. Normally it'd be a pleasure to see such a rare piece of prime SLDF hardware still working, but I don't like being near the thing. Good luck to Werewolf, who's been dumb brave enough to volunteer himself as pilot. No one else even wanted it...


[I know a fair bit about BattleTech between Mech Warrior/Assault and the wiki, but feel free to point out if I screw up something.]

[Patriot]

Nothing wrong in that post.

Just wondering when the next installment is coming

[Scotty]

Not sure.  I've had tons and tons of **** to sort through in the last week or so, and it doesn't look to be letting up in the next few days.

[Scotty]

Or maybe it does!  It's the start of the month in-campaign, which means it's market time.  Hopefully I'll be able to replace my destroyed vehicles, and if not, pick up something cheap that I can sell for more later.  Sometimes you can get lucky like that, finding a 'Mech for 20% off.

Before all that, though, I have meaningless fluff to bombard you with!  In this specific instance, it's actually company specific fluff, because while my time lately hasn't lent itself well to actually playing the game, it has to other, slightly less complicated activities.  So, without further ado, I present you with the Hard Light Brigade Commendation List and Order of Preference.  This is totally awarded solely by me, and the game doesn't track it at all.  For ****s and giggles, essentially.  First off, the highest award available in the Hard Light Brigade: the Blue Light Award for Valor.

Awarded to personnel who display the heights of courage and skill in combat.  Only combat personnel are eligible for this award.  Blue Light Awards for Valor are solid blue flanked by gold bars.



Current recipients:
Master Sergeant Anders "Rapier" Bullman

Yellow Light Award (for Valor) – Awarded to personnel who high distinguish themselves in the line of duty.  Combat personnel earn this award for extraordinary valor in the face of the enemy.  Yellow Light Awards earned in the face of the enemy are denoted by flanking silver bars.  Non-valor awards are solid yellow.



Current recipients:
None

Red Light Award (for Valor) – Awarded to personnel who distinguish themselves in the line of duty.  Combat personnel earn this award for valor in the face of the enemy.  Red Light Awards earned in the face of the enemy are denoted by flanking gold bars.  Non-valor awards are solid red.



Current recipients ^{(* indicates for valor)}:
*Sergeant Dermott “Iron” Carver
*Corporal Cheng-gong Pak
*Corporal Zhong-xian Wang

Combat Wound Ribbon – Awarded to combat personnel who suffer injury requiring medical attention as the direct result of enemy action.  Colors are silver flanked by double purple stripes, one thick and one thin.



Current recipients:
Major Caden “Easy” Webb
Lieutenant Aaron “StarSlayer” Yi
Master Sergeant Anders “Rapier” Bullman
Sergeant Dermott “Iron” Carver
Corporal John Aherne
Corporal Kevin Huffman
Corporal Nancy Ma
Corporal Cheng-gong Pak
Corporal Zhong-xian Wang

Long Service Ribbon – Awarded to combat personnel who remain with the Hard Light Brigade for three years continuously, and to support personnel who remain continuously for six.  Colors are blue, green, and silver arrayed vertically.  Blue occupies the center, green the top and bottom, with silver dividing.



Current recipients:
None

Milos Campaign Ribbon – Awarded to combat personnel who engaged the enemy during the campaign on Milos, February 3049.  Color is solid green with blue flanking.



Current recipients:
Major Caden “Easy” Webb
Lieutenant Aaron “StarSlayer” Yi
Master Sergeant Anders “Rapier” Bullman
Sergeant Dermott “Iron” Carver
Corporal John Aherne
Corporal Kevin Huffman
Corporal Nancy Ma
Corporal Cheng-gong Pak
Corporal Zhong-xian Wang

Original Member Ribbon – Awarded to combat and support personnel who were serving with the Hard Light Brigade on or prior to 1 January 3049.  Colors are red a red center block flanked by black.



Current recipients:
Major Caden "Easy" Webb
Captain Bowen "Polly" Borham
Captain Stan "Strobe" Roberts
Lieutenant Aaron "StarSlayer" Yi
Lieutenant Andrew "Duck" Gibbs
Lieutenant Hsin "Deathfun" Bones
Master Sergeant Anders "Rapier" Bullman
Master Sergeant Robert "Red" Kahiga
Master Sergeant Anthony "Mongoose" Sato
Sergeant Dermott "Iron" Carver
Sergeant Allan "Toothless" Moore
Sergeant Cliff "Dire" De
Corporal John "Scourge" Aherne
Corporal Nancy Ma
Corporal Kevin Huffman
Corporal Cheng-gong Pak
Corporal Zhong-xian Wang
Corporal Dereje "Esarai" bin Hassan
Corporal Ian "Patriot" Fatin
Corporal Richard "Night" Adeboro
Corporal Hanlon Turtle
Corporal Monica Nasuton
Corporal Mark "DJ" McMickan
Corporal Corey Lovegrove
Corporal Donna Lewis
Corporal Lage "Phantom" Duineveld
Corporal Ryan Subhi
Corporal Janne Kalto
Corporal Phil Brinklow
Corporal Bich Ngo
Corporal Xanthus "Fire Spawn" Kalergi
Corporal Waseem bin Usama
Private Juan Ressurreio

Legacy Ribbon - Awarded to dependents who join the Hard Light Brigade in any capacity after first spending a minimum of six months under the unit's care.  Colors are gold and silver alternating, with silver in the center.



Current recipients:
None

Hard Light Service Ribbon – Awarded for enlisting or attaining the rank of officer in the Hard Light Brigade.  Colors are orange, black, and red, arrayed vertically.  Black occupies half of the ribbon, centered, with orange and red flanking left and right, respectively.



Current recipients ^{(* indicates multiple awards)}:
*Major Caden "Easy" Webb
*Captain Bowen "Polly" Borham
*Captain Stan "Strobe" Roberts
*Lieutenant Aaron "StarSlayer" Yi
*Lieutenant Andrew "Duck" Gibbs
*Lieutenant Hsin "Deathfun" Bones
Master Sergeant Anders "Rapier" Bullman
Master Sergeant Robert "Red" Kahiga
Master Sergeant Anthony "Mongoose" Sato
Sergeant Dermott "Iron" Carver
Sergeant Allan "Toothless" Moore
Sergeant Cliff "Dire" De
Corporal Jean “Werewolf” Vidal
Corporal John "Scourge" Aherne
Corporal Nancy Ma
Corporal Kevin Huffman
Corporal Cheng-gong Pak
Corporal Zhong-xian Wang
Corporal Dereje "Esarai" bin Hassan
Corporal Ian "Patriot" Fatin
Corporal Richard "Night" Adeboro
Corporal Hanlon Turtle
Corporal Monica Nasuton
Corporal Mark "DJ" McMickan
Corporal Corey Lovegrove
Corporal Donna Lewis
Corporal Lage "Phantom" Duineveld
Corporal Ryan Subhi
Corporal Janne Kalto
Corporal Phil Brinklow
Corporal Bich Ngo
Corporal Xanthus "Fire Spawn" Kalergi
Corporal Waseem bin Usama
Private Juan Ressurreio
Private Beverly Luong

Long post is already long, so I'll let this post end with a shot of Dragon's ribbon rack:



Next post should see the Hard Light Brigade advance as far as the next contract!  Woo, progress.

[Scourge of Ages]

A gift for my fellow Milos campaign tankers:

[NGTM-1R]

Maybe I'll get the chance to shoot something \o/

[deathfun]

Dem Ribbons
You could start a fire with all of them Dragon

[Dragon]

Yeah, I guess so, but when you think of it, I've only got one more ribbon than most of our Command Lance, and Spoonzer's crew got just as many (I did get the highest ranking one, though ). Anyway, I love the ribbons idea.
BTW, how do you plan to distinguish a ribbon that's been awarded twice? I suggest putting a star on it on a double award, two stars for triple, etc.

[Scotty]

BTW, how do you plan to distinguish a ribbon that's been awarded twice? I suggest putting a star on it on a double award, two stars for triple, etc.

Yeah, pretty much.  It's gonna be "fun" making stars that small to put on it, but I'll manage.

Those Combat Wound Ribbons are going to end up with a LOT of stars on them if that keeps up.

[Hades]

bunch of fat, larper nerds