Defend the Sonnian Republic

Garrison
Location: Sonnia
Employer: Sonnian Democratic Republic
Start Date: 02 September 3143
End Date: 02 September 3144
Status: Success

Fleeing Errai with a battered touman, the Avengers’ council met to discuss next steps. Engalychev was confident that the information in their possession about the Fortress Wall would be extremely valuable to the Sea Fox saKhanate. They could leverage it to gather much needed supplies and new equipment. However, doing so would require tracking down the saKhanate in this region of space, something much more difficult to do without functioning HPG stations.

Engalychev argued that rather than sending the entire flotilla chasing after the saKhanate across Federated Suns space, the Avengers should instead split their focus. On Errai, Engalychev had learned of a garrison contract put out by the planetary government of Sonnia in the Federated Suns. The contract ran for a year and, while not terribly well-paying, would offer the Avengers a chance for some much needed R&R on a planet known as a vacation destination in the region for its tropical beaches. While the majority of the Avengers fulfilled a milk run contract, a small detachment led by Engalychev would seek out the saKhanate.

The response to Engalychev’s suggestion was outrage on the part of most Clan warriors. The idea of becoming sellswords for hire was berboten in clan culture and the very suggestion of it a hostile act. In particular, Star Commander Connor Drummond threatened Engalychev with physical violence for even suggesting such a dishonor.

The proposal seemed doomed to failure until Arjun rose to speak. He reminded everyone of the responsibility they owed both to the refugees (clan and spheroid, alike) among them as well as to the young sibko trainees who had little opportunity for training. Months of zero-G environment had wreaked a heavy toll on everyone. The garrison contract offered the opportunity to build their strength. Would they rather show up at the Clan Protectate’s door as ragtag beggars or a cluster of clan warriors?

Arjun’s speech ultimately persuaded many on the council, although Connor still strongly opposed the decision. Rather than force the inevitable trial of refusal, he was instead offered the honor of leading the delegation to seek out the Sea Fox saKhanate as a compromise.

Thus, the majority of the Avengers arrived on the tropical world of Sonnia. For many of the refugees, it was a first opportunity to experience walking on dirt in a gravity environment in over eight months. Many wept with joy.

Although the garrison duty promises to be fairly light work, it is not without its tension. The contract had been precipitated by the planetary government’s attempt to restrict the power of the governing noble, Duke Felipe Contreras. For centuries, the Contreras family ruled Sonnia with an even hand, generally allowing for most governmental operations to be run without interference. However, the last two generations of the Contreras family, including the current Duke, have been slowly pulling back more direct power for themselves and limiting governance and free expression.

Tension between the democratic government (including a “House of Lords” compromising a collection of less powerful noble leaders on the planet) and the Duke have been rising for years and finally boiled over in the last year, leading to massive riots and work shortages. Eventually the collective government, now calling itself the “Sonnia Democratic Republic” demanded certain reforms from the Duke to expand democratic governance.

Surprisingly, rather than squash this movement, the Duke appeared willing to negotiate the terms presented to him and the last few months have consisted of these negotiations. Meanwhile, the Duke has removed his house guard from the capital of Crossmantown and restricted them to his estate on a private island in the southern archipelagos.

While many in the government were pleasantly surprised by the Duke’s change of heart, others are more suspicious. They suspect the Duke may simply be biding his time until the best opportunity to strike back presents itself. It is this suspicion which gave rise to the garrison contract, as the Sonnian Democratic Republic desired to “beef up” its conventional forces of mostly infantry conscripts to deter the Duke from any such misadventures.

The Avengers are to primarily garrison the capitol city of Crossmantown which is of both a prime strategic and symbolic point on the planet. Crossmantown is a coastal city located in the tropical zone of the planet. The tension of a planet caught up in a democratic revolt aside, the atmosphere couldn’t be better for the Avengers much needed R&R. They spend much of their day training hard, and in the evening play on the beach and in the water.

Defend Home Base

22 November 3143
Status: Victory

The increasing hurrican-force winds prevented the deployment of the Avengers conventional forces, leaving them only the mech contingent to defend their base as the Duke’s forces bore down on them. As the maelstrom intensified, the Ronin Cats knew this would be a fight to the death.

After-Action Report

With the advantage of the base’s static defenses and shielded positions, the Avengers were able to deliver withering fire on the Duke’s forces as they approached, while the most mobile Avenger mechs used the buildings to quickly engage and disengage stray elements. As their numbers were thinned, the Duke’s forces converged on the central gate, trying to overwhelm the defenders. They were torn to shreds, and only three mechs survived to limp away to their submarine.

Resist the Flood

22 November 3143
Status: Victory

As Warrior Belmiro alerted the remaining Avengers to the threat, the remaining units of Striker Nova moved to cover his retreat. They were ordered by Knight Errant Overton to link up with Warrior Belmiro and to hold the line as long as possible while the remainder of the Avengers mobilized. Skirmisher Star was moving to reinforce them, but they would need to hold out until their arrival.

After-Action Report

The three remaining omnimechs of Striker Nova linked up with Warrior Belmiro as he moved along the elevated GS-5 expressway through downtown Crossmantown. Initially, they were able to push back the lead elements of Duke Contreras’s forces that were in pursuit. However, Warrior Rudolf’s Shadow Cat suffered severe leg damage from a lucky strike. As an entire company of the Duke’s forces moved to overwhelm them, the units of Striker Nova performed a coordinated withdrawal.

In the severe weather conditions, Warrior Rudolf had difficulty standing his mech, which had fallen when it suffered leg damage. As he struggled to a standing position, a pinpoint PPC strike through the enemy’s C3 system cored his cockpit and the Shadow Cat fell to the ground a smoking ruin. Although they dearly wished to pay back the Duke’s forces, Star Commander Soterios ordered his remaining forces to continue to withdraw. The Duke’s forces surged toward them, but the timely arrival of the mechs of Skirmisher Star. Suddenly, the tables were turned. The Avengers pushed forward. The pre-existing damage that many of the Duke’s forces had suffered in their first encounter proved their undoing as one-by-one, they were brought down. In the end, of the eleven mechs that had pursued Warrior Belmiro, only three were able to retreat to link up with the Duke’s other company. The Avengers had lost Warrior Rudolf and his Shadow Cat and all units had suffered some damage, but were still in fighting form. Having held off the initial assault, Star Colonel Stefan called for his units to withdraw back to the Avenger’s base to await the inevitable counter-attack.

Storm of Deception

22 November 3143
Status: Draw

After two months on Sonnia, the hurricane season arrives in the equitorial regions of the planet. Hurricanes are intense and frequent affairs for a couple of months out of Sonnia’s fourteen month rotation around its primary. However, Sonnia’s infrastructure is built to withstand these hurricanes and its people have developed a sturdy, pragmatic outlook toward the experience. The local population just prepared to hunker down as they normally do and the Avengers followed suit, while helping civilian forces with hurricane preparation.

Little did anyone know that this would be the time that Duke Contreras chose to strike. Having received intelligence about the Avengers’ attempt to secure more supplies from the Sea Foxes, he realized that he would need to strike before the remaining Avenger forces returned. When a category four hurricane was projected to slam into Crossmantown, he had his opportunity. Most conventional forces would be sidelined by the hurricane, and he could use the confusion of the storm to hopefully pick off the Avenger forces piecemeal. Loading his house troops as well as some shady mercenaries recruited and smuggled on-planet into a specially modified Verne cargo submarine, they secretly waited offshore for the time to strike.

Shortly after the hurricane made landfall and began flooding parts of the city, the Verne submarine surfaced and made a landing at the wharf, where it disgorged its cargo. The roughly two dozen mechs dispersed throughout the city, on the hunt, as they moved toward the Avengers’ main base.

The first action of the night would come when a lance of the Duke’s mechs encountered a civilian work crew busy building barricades for the flooding. Two Wendigos and accompanying battle armor squads were assisting four Carbine ConstructionMechs and crews when the Duke’s lance stumbled upon them. In the confused melee, the Duke’s men sought to quickly eliminate the Avenger’s forces before they could raise an alarm, while more of the Duke’s mechs moved to intercept.

After-Action Report

Quickly realizing they were ambushed and outnumbered, Warriors Belmiro and Zima moved quickly to collect their battle armor soldiers. As they did so, the IndustrialMechs they were working with charged the Duke’s forces but were quickly shot down. Belmiro and Zima collected their troops and began a fighting withdrawal. However, Zima was cut off by a flanking lance. She demanded that Belmiro leave her to warn the remaining forces. Her Wendigo and the battle armor soldiers with her dished out more damage than they received but were ultimately left smoking ruins as the Duke’s forces continued the hunt.

Payback

27 November 3143
Status: Decisive Victory

The Duke’s forces have been mostly destroyed in his failed attempt to destroy the Avengers and once again lay claim to the planet. However, he is unrepentant, as he waits on his private estate in an island of the southern archipelagos. Although he has lost most of his mech force, he still maintains a significant number of conventional forces and static defenses that make the island a tough nut to crack.

Undeterred, after a few days spent in repair, the Avengers mount an assault on the Duke’s island. They use their Outpost-class dropship, the Pouncing Lion to drop Network Star directly on to the island while the VTOLs and hovercraft of Harasser Star approach the island from the sea. Aero B Star provides cover for the vulnerable dropship from the skies.

After-Action Report

Several fighters rise from their airfield to try to shoot down the Pouncing Lion. However, they are intercepted by Aero B Star who shoot down all opposing forces with minimal damage.

The Pouncing Lion drops its payload as soon as it is over the island, forcing the Duke’s forces to fight on two fronts as Harasser Lance comes screaming in from the sea. Ultimately, the Duke’s forces fold from the assault. The Duke himself is brought down as he attempts to flee toward his dropship. He is returned to Crossmantown to stand trial. After a brief trial, he is executed and the planet officially becomes a democratic republic.