Table of Contents:

Introduction
• Task Force Indigo
• Persons of Interest
• Pre-Deployment Check

Mission 1: A Day of Firsts

• Briefing
• Combat 1: High Speed, Low Drag
• Beat 1: Last Stop For 500 Miles
• Combat 2: Walk in the Park
• Beat 2: Behind Enemy Lines
• Combat 3: Angels' Grave

Downtime: Six Months Later

Mission 2: The Typhon

• Briefing
• Combat 4: Special Delivery
• Beat 3: Long Walk Off a Short Pier
• Combat 5: Gatecrashers
• Beat 4: Take a Breath, Count to Three
• Combat 6: Hell's Heart

After Action Report: Operation Winter Scar

Appendix: New Options

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Operation Winter Scar, a two-part mission series for Lancer which continues the story
that began in Operation Solstice Rain. Players will take on the role of Union pilots, soldiers of the
Leandric States Alliance, or members of the Vestan resistance who have been drawn into this
conflict as a result of the events which unfolded during the previous module, and they will soon
find themselves facing a far greater threat than they could have imagined.

Operation Winter Scar is designed to allow you and your players to begin playing Lancer with
minimal preparation, though it should be noted that it is not designed as an introductory module the
same way that Operation Solstice Rain was, and if it's your first time playing or running the game
you may wish to begin there instead. These missions begin at License Level 2 (where Operation
Solstice Rain left off) and end as the players reach LL4.

As with other Lancer mission modules, the missions in this series are comprised of a series of
combats interspersed with narrative beats. While the intent is for these missions to form a
continuous narrative with Operation Solstice Rain, with some modifications they can also be run on
their own, either by simply outlining the previous events for the players or by adjusting the
narrative to suit the needs of your own campaign.

The Lancer Core Rulebook can be accessed in one of two forms: a free version containing all the
core rules everyone needs to know as well as all the information players need to create pilots and
mechs, and a full, paid version that contains Game Master (GM) rules and guidelines along with
additional setting information you may want to familiarize yourself. Both of these as well as
Operation Solstice Rain can be found at massif-press.itch.io along with a range of other
supplements. In order to run this module, you’ll need a full copy of the Lancer Core Rulebook
containing sitreps and the rules for running NPCs.

Operation Winter Scar once again takes place on the distant planet of Cressidium, an isolationist
world recently rediscovered by a Union survey team. Following this recontact, an ambassadorial
delegation was dispatched to discuss the possibility of Cressidium joining Union. These talks
involved two of the world's major nations, the Leandric States Alliance and the Vestan
Sovereignty. During one of these diplomatic summits, a Vestan strike force began an attack on the
city, taking Union Captain Brigid Farris and Union Ambassador Nilan Bannerjee hostage. This
resulted in the Battle of Nov Elysia, during which Union forces enacted a daring rescue operation in
the middle of a city under siege.

In the aftermath of this battle, Union attempted to call for a ceasefire between the two nations but
were rebuffed by the Vestan Sovereignty. The attack on Nov Elysia was, it turned out, the opening
salvo by ultranationalist and neo-anthrochauvinist elements who viewed the current Vestan
government as weak, and who had been consolidating power in preparation for a coup. Union's
arrival on Cressidium and the LSA's overtures of alliance were the pretext they needed to set their
plans in motion. Now in control of the government and the military, and with dissenters and rebels
being hunted down, this new hardline Vestan Sovereignty has declared war against both the LSA
and Union. They demand the unconditional removal of all Union forces from Cressidium and a
return to the world's isolationist policies, among other concessions. All further attempts at
negotiation have been ignored.

This has placed Union in an unenviable position. Cressidium is not a part of Union, and thus does
not technically fall under their remit for military intervention. While Union was attacked during the
Battle of Nov Elysia, this does not in and of itself constitute sufficient justification to participate in
an ongoing war between foreign powers. Standard policy in a case such as this would be to pull
back rather than involve themselves in a Diasporan world's own internal military affairs and inflame
things further.

However, while the current Vestan government has completely rejected Union's invitation of
membership, the LSA did not. They were also the ones to initially invite Union back to Cressidium
after recontact, with a desire to reenter the wider galactic community as part of Union even prior to
the outbreak of hostilities. Though no formal agreements were ever reached at the time of the initial
Vestan attack, if Union were to pull out from the situation now it would leave the LSA to face this
war alone, abandoning them after only just extending an offer of alliance and cooperation. The
message this would send would undoubtedly damage any further relationship with the LSA beyond
repair. Beyond that, it could be argued that Union's very presence on Cressidium at all might have
pushed the conflict forward, which would in turn oblige them to accept some measure of
responsibility. In what way should that responsibility be accepted?

These are all questions with no easy answers, but ultimately, following weeks of intensive
emergency deliberations among Union CentComm once the official reports on the situation were
filed, the LSA's request for Union membership was formally approved and ratified. This wasn't a
decision without its dissenting opinions, some of them made quite strongly, but the majority of
votes among the Central Committee's coalitions were in favor of it, additionally noting that the
commanding offiers and crew of the UNS-CV Rio Grande acquitted themselves well under difficult
circumstances.
To that end, Union has officially entered into the conflict on Cressidium on the side of the LSA.
Their goal is the swift resolution of the war between their newly-inducted member and the Vestan
Sovereignty followed by further deescalation and, if possible, an eventual return to diplomatic
negotiations, though with the present Vestan government the latter seems unlikely at this time.

Union forces in-system are limited, however. The UNS-CV Rio Grande, the carrier which was
assigned to escort Ambassador Nilan Bannerjee to Cressidium, is their only military asset within the
region which can be brought to bear. Reinforcements are en route to relieve the Rio Grande, but
won't arrive for another 30 months realtime due to the planet's distance from the nearest blinkgate.
As such, Union is primarily providing logistical support, strategic and tactical advice, intelligence
gathering, and helping the LSA maintain orbital superiority; while the Rio Grande is unable to
engage ground targets, its complement of strike craft have been able to effectively secure orbit
around the planet after successfully engaging the comparatively limited Vestan navy.

Of those Union ground-capable forces the Rio Grande is able to deploy, which consists of a number
of mechanized chassis squads and marine elements (including the forces which participated in the
Battle of Nov Elysia), given their relatively limited numbers the decision was made to integrate
them into a combined unit with selected LSA forces, allowing both groups to learn from each
others' tactics, training, and combat experiences. This joint Union/LSA unit has been designated
Task Force Indigo, operating under the command of LSA Colonel Adon Petras with additional
oversight by Captain Faris.

[sidebar]
WHAT'S PAST IS PRESENT
Depending on how your players fared during Operation Solstice Rain, or if you're skipping over
that and beginning with this module, both Captain Farris and Ambassador Bannerjee could be safely
rescued, only one of them could be, or neither could be. For the purpose of simplicity, Operation
Winter Scar is written to assume the players succeeded in their mission to rescue the Captain and
Ambassador. If the outcome of your own game differed from this, then you may need to make
adjustments to account for this, such as having 1st Lieutenant Kim take over as acting captain of the
Rio Grande, where he will no doubt be facing the pressures of unexpected command being thrust
upon him. As well, if the Sovereignty still holds Union personnel captive, that can provide another
reason why Union has remained involved with the conflict on Cressidium.
[/sidebar]

Task Force Indigo's remit is special operations, and since the unit's creation they've been dispatched
to conduct numerous actions over the last several months aimed at surgically and efficiently
disrupting the Sovereignty's ability to continue waging their war. This includes sabotage,
reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering operations, and striking high-value targets, as well as
spearheading combat actions against elite Vestan forces. When a mission poses both high risk as
well as high reward, Task Force Indigo is the first unit considered for the job.

Now their latest mission might be the most important one they've undertaken yet.

For years even before Union's initial contact with Cressidium, LSA intelligence has been aware of a
top-secret Vestan military program codenamed TARTARUS. Increasing mentions of TARTARUS
have coincided with a series of targeted raids against space-oriented infrastructure such as launch
facilities, companies manufacturing rocket and satellite technology, and observatories, including
most recently a covert strike against an oceanic platform housing a satellite monitoring array. There
have also been a number of abductions and assassinations, both from within the LSA and other
nations, directed against scientists and engineers involved with rocketry, space launches, and
missile design, including evidence of similar activities taking place during the Battle of Nov Elysia.

There are even indications that Captain Farris was more than just a target of opportunity during this
attack as well. It remains unclear exactly why the Sovereignty went to such lengths to abduct her if
this is the case...the extraction of concessions from Union or her value as a hostage seem the most
likely explanations, but decrypted Sovereignty communications and Captain Farris' own after-action
reports paint a different picture, one in which Vestan forces were explicitly ordered to secure her for
enhanced interrogation as well as passing mentions of "the principal target's expertise" being of
particular interest.

As a result, the LSA has come to suspect that the Sovereignty is attempting to construct an
intercontinental payload system known as STORM, or Surface-to-Orbit Reentry Munition, a project
that was being developed during the height of the cold war between the two nations and which was
shelved some decades ago. Missiles designed to fly over targets from orbit and deploy a series of
kinetic-kill munitions along multiple trajectories, a weapon like this could significantly destabilize
the balance of power between the two nations, giving the Sovereignty a weapon which the LSA has
no effective counter to.

Now the LSA has obtained actionable intelligence of a facility believed to be directly linked to the
development of TARTARUS, and plans are being drawn up for an assault on this installation. The
PCs, now part of Task Force Indigo, have been selected to carry out this mission, timed to coincide
with a large-scale LSA military offensive against the Vestan stronghold-city of Grevka. They will be
using this offensive as cover, acting while Sovereignty forces in the region are focused on the main
LSA advance, and they will be coordinating with members of the Vestan resistance who were the
ones to discover and deliver this intel.

This mission won't be easy, and it will take the PCs into the heart of enemy territory, but if they
succeed then this could be the critical turning point of the entire war...

[sidebar]
A NOTE ON PLAYER SAFETY
Operation Winter Scar puts the player characters in the middle of an ongoing war, and involves
scenes of mass destruction, death, and desperate survival. Every effort has been taken to represent
these matters as respectfully as possible, but GMs should still discuss things with their players to
ensure that all participants are comfortable during play. If your group decides that adjusting certain
scenes will make for a more enjoyable campaign experience then you should do so. You may wish
to make use of tools such as the X-Card (tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg), the Script Change Toolbox
(briebeau.com/thoughty/script-change/), or the RPG Safety Toolkit (bit.ly/ttrpgsafetytoolkit) to help
facilitate this in play. The point of a roleplaying game is ultimately to have fun; as such, ensuring
that everyone at your table can comfortably enjoy themselves always comes first.
[/sidebar]

TASK FORCE INDIGO

Once the induction of the Leandric States Alliance into Union as a member-state was officially
ratified, the question immediately became how to best handle the matter of military coordination
between the much larger LSA military and the relatively modest Union ground forces in a way
which would prove beneficial to both. Union's standard procedure when assisting members in the
midst of military crises is to liaise with local forces whenever possible, but the disparity in numbers
as well as the overall unfamiliarity with LSA doctrine meant that such integration would require
swift and efficient cross-training within a cohesive, flexible, and self-contained unit.
To this end, Captain Brigid Farris proposed the creation of a special operations unit consisting of
mechanized chassis and marine forces from the Rio Grande deployed to Cressidium along with
selected LSA pilots and soldiers. This task force would operate as a detached unit combining and
integrating Union's extensive body of knowledge and experience with mechanized chassis tactics
going back five centuries together with the LSA's own tactical doctrines, as well as their knowledge
of Cressidium and the Vestan Sovereignty. It would then be assigned to missions of "critical
urgency and importance," including rapid-response airborne operations, covert reconnaissance,
sabotage, intelligence gathering, and direct actions against high-value, high-threat Vestan targets
such as airfields, wet naval docks, supply lines, defense networks (such as artillery emplacements or
anti-air defenses), and weapons facilities.

The ultimate goal of Task Force Indigo is to disrupt and eliminate the Sovereignty's ability to
effectively pursue a war of aggression. Missions are selected with an eye towards maximum impact
and minimal signature, capitalizing on the unit's mobility to strike hard and then quickly exfiltrate,
particularly since many of the unit's missions involve operating behind enemy lines or against elite
Vestan forces.

Overall operational command of Task Force Indigo has been given to LSA Colonel Adon Petras,
who is in charge of the unit including its Union components, ensuring a clear and effective chain of
command. Captain Farris is kept in the loop with full clearance regarding all missions and
deployments, and has both tactical and strategic oversight of all operations which involve Union
forces. She also has the authority to end the arrangement if she feels that her forces are being
mistreated or are in imminent, overwhelming danger beyond mission expectations, though so far
this has proven unnecessary.

As members of Task Force Indigo, the PCs might be either Union pilots, LSA pilots, or a mix of
both. Another possible option is playing a member of the Vestan resistance, hailing from the
Sovereignty but opposed to the Vestan government's history of authoritarianism and conquest. With
the outbreak of the war, the LSA has begun openly supporting and coordinating with those
resistance groups open to such cooperation, sharing intelligence and providing material support
where possible, and some members of Task Force Indigo have even been recruited from resistance
cells who were forced to flee their homeland or who believe they can achieve more as a part of this
unit.

PERSONS OF INTEREST
Colonel Adon Petras (He/Him) - Cynical, Stern, Demanding
Colonel Petras has spent the entirety of his military career waiting for the day the Vestan
Sovereignty would declare war against his homeland. Now that the day has finally arrived, he no
longer finds himself on the front lines. In his younger days he saw plenty of action in the Agolis
Islands campaign during the cold war period, a series of proxy conflicts which very nearly turned
the cold war hot, but as the decades passed and the threat of open warfare between the two powers
seemed to diminish, the highly decorated veteran was called upon by his country to serve in a
different capacity instead, as the newly appointed instructor of the Special Chassis Tactics School
also known as GUNHAND, passing along his hard-won lessons to the next generation of LSA
soldiers. And now, with the creation of Task Force Indigo, he has even more responsibilities as the
unit's commanding officer, planning and assigning missions to strike at the Sovereignty and put an
end to the war he's spent his whole life preparing for.

A cynic (though he'd describe himself as a "realist," as most cynics do), the Colonel is well aware
that there are doubtlessly political considerations behind Union's involvement in the war beyond
sheer altruism, but he's nonetheless impressed by their ongoing commitment to this newly-formed
alliance and is content to leave politics to the politicians. His focus remains firmly on the defense of
his homeland, and for that he'll take all the help he can get, even if it comes from distant worlds.
Despite this, or perhaps because of this, his training methods remain just as intensive for the Union
pilots under his command, running them through relentless simulations and live exercises designed
to teach them how to operate effectively even when behind enemy lines, in hostile conditions, or
against overwhelming numbers. His expectations are high, but those who can make the grade will
be able to rightly count themselves among the best.

The Crew of the UNS-CV Rio Grande

The UNS-CV Rio Grande, an Ebro-class light carrier, is Union's primary military asset within the
Cressidium theater. Originally tasked with escorting a diplomatic delegation led by Ambassador
Nilan Bannerjee (They/Them - Charming, Unflappable, Astute), the crew of the Rio Grande
was drawn into the outbreak of hostilities between the LSA and the Vestan Sovereignty when
Captain Brigid Farris (She/Her - Inspiring, Decisive, Level-Headed), and Ambassador
Bannerjee were abducted by Sovereignty forces during the Battle of Nov Elysia. Union pilots,
acting under orders from 1st Lieutenant Alex Kim (He/Him - Eager, Uptight, Tactical) and
assisted by marines led by Staff Sergeant Omari Garcia (He/Him - Stubborn, Fearless, Loyal),
were instrumental in carrying out a rescue operation amidst intense urban combat against both
conventional Sovereignty forces as well as members of Vestan Special Operations Unit 33.

Now, with Union standing alongside the LSA as a newly-inducted member, the Rio Grande and her
crew have found themselves once again taking up the fight. The Rio Grande, being a carrier,
possesses only minimal armament and its strike craft aren't rated for atmospheric operations, which
means Captain Farris and her crew have largely found themselves performing intelligence gathering
and command-and-control duties rather than undertaking direct combat actions, all the while
keeping Union CentComm regularly appraised of the situation. While the rest of the diplomatic
delegation has been sent back home ahead of Union reinforcements for their safety, Ambassador
Bannerjee has elected to remain behind in the hopes that the opportunity to mediate a ceasefire will
present itself.

Lieutenant Naia Reynaud (She/They) - Brash, Upbeat, Determined

A chassis pilot serving aboard the Rio Grande, Lieutenant Naia Reynaud, callsign "Ringer,", has
been tasked to serve as the liaison between Union and the LSA within Task Force Indigo. Initially
this assignment was given to her while she was recovering from injuries sustained during the Battle
of Nov Elysia, but following the successful acclimation to her new prosthetic arm, she has not only
returned to active duty on Cressidium as a part of Task Force Indigo herself, but she has elected to
continue handling these additional responsibilities with her usual irrepressible attitude and
boundless determination.

In their liaison role, Naia reports directly to both Captain Farris and Colonel Petras, and is
responsible for bringing any matters to their attention which might help smooth over any difficulties
and better integrate tactics and training between the combined forces, as well as serving as a point
of contact between the other members of Task Force Indigo and the joint command elements. When
deployed on active combat duty, Naia's role is that of a squad marksman, and their mech (the
Downtown Express) is outfitted with high-gain targeting systems and a heavy caliber rifle for direct
long-range fire-support. While on leave, she blows off steam by drinking, dancing, and fleecing
people at darts, all of which she excels at. She has an alphabetical list of clubs and nightspots in
Nov Elysia, and is steadily working her way through it with unwavering enthusiasm.

Rio (She/Her) - Cheerful, Professional, Caring

The THALASSA-class naval NHP serving aboard the UNS-CV Rio Grande, since the outbreak of
the war Rio has shifted her focus from the carrier to the strategic theater as a whole. Shortly after
the Sovereignty's hardline government declared war, the Vestan Navy engaged LSA naval forces
along with the Rio Grande in an attempt to secure orbital superiority over the world. With Rio's
multispectrum command-and-control capabilities and the Rio Grande's strike craft, the combined
Union/LSA force was able to secure the first naval victory in Cressidium's history, and since then
her attention has been turned towards intelligence collation, signals traffic monitoring, orbital
reconnaissance, strategic advisement, and realtime mission coordination. Her timely warnings and
tactical assistance has gotten more than one unit out of a tight situation, and it's become a rapidly-
spreading tradition to set a drink aside as "Rio's share" whenever it's time to order a round.

Cressidium's development and employment of NHPs is significantly behind the post Second
Committee galaxy, with NHPs being comparatively rarer and with fewer prime novel subjectivities
to draw upon. As such, NHPs assigned to ships and even individual mechs is relatively unheard of,
with most Cressidium local NHPs being tasked with wide-spanning strategic, logistical, and
infrastructural management roles instead. Rio has therefore become something of a celebrity among
the embattled LSA, and she has even been awarded the Order of Leander for her accomplishments,
the first non-Cressidian to ever receive the honor. Her regular care packages of selected omninet
media have also proven to be a welcome morale booster among LSA forces as well.

The Vestan Resistance

Even prior to the rise of the hardline neo-anthrochauvinist movement, the Vestan Sovereignty has
had to contend with various resistance and rebel movements, a product of their aggressive
expansion and annexation of smaller nations under their banner as well as oppressive governmental
policies contributing to civil unrest. These run the gamut from activist groups to organized cells of
partisan fighters and terrorists. The Sovereignty has often used the threat of these groups to justify
its own draconian policies, which has in turn led to the creation of even more rebels with reasons to
take up arms against them. These resistance cells make use of weapons, munitions, and even mechs
which they've assembled themselves, stolen from military bases and supply convoys, or which have
been covertly supplied to them by other nations who don't mind using them to help keep the
Sovereignty in check (which has included the LSA).

Not all of the various resistance movements and cells present a unified front, however, with many
of them having their own ideas about the best methods to employ and targets to strike, and it is this
lack of unity which has kept them from becoming a bigger threat to the Sovereignty. In recent years,
with the rise of neo-anthrochauvinist sentiment, several of the larger groups have begun working
together with a greater sense of coordination, taking ever bolder actions such as the assassination of
General Yorgrev Straton and the destruction of the Fabana East munitions plant.

Much of this recent success has been attributed to the efforts of Vasil Gerou (He/Him - Grim,
Cold, Humorless). A veteran of the Vestan Sovereignty Armed Forces, Gerou served his country
loyally for many years as a member of Special Operations Unit 33 (also known as the Furies),
participating in the Agolis Islands campaign as well as conducting numerous clandestine operations
aimed at destabilizing the LSA. It's unusual for any member of SOU33 to retire, but his service
earned him that much. After a life spent fighting and killing for a country he had grown increasingly
disillusioned with, he wanted nothing more to do with the military, opting instead to spend the rest
of his days in the countryside tending to a small family vinyard.

This quiet retirement was shattered when his son was killed by police during a student protest
which the Vestan government presented as "a necessary response to a dangerous radical
movement." Wracked with grief and rage, Gerou went off the grid, followed by a noticeable surge
in resistance activity directed against targets only someone with extensive knowledge of classified
military secrets would know how to strike at. It remains unclear how Gerou, a former Vestan special
forces soldier, was able to earn the trust of the resistance, but what is known is that a number of
previously unaffiliated movements have united around him, if not as a leader than as a symbol.

Gerou takes no pride or satisfaction in these successes, however. He knows no amount of victories,
no amount of death or destruction, will bring his son back. Vengeance is all he has and all that
drives him on a mission that will likely only end in his own death. In person he is forbidding,
relentless, and implaccable. He shares with others only what they need to know to complete their
missions, and when he drinks he does so alone. For him to share anything from his past with anyone
is a rarity that can be counted on one hand.

PRE-DEPLOYMENT CHECK
By default, Operation Winter Scar assumes the PCs will be at License Level 2, whether they've
previously participated in Operation Solstice Rain or not. This means that not only do they have
access to the GMS catalogue of weapons and systems (Lancer, p. 118-121) but two licenses of their
choice from among any of the manufacturers (Lancer, p. 126-253 as well as assorted supplementary
material). This means that players have sufficient levels to begin utilizing frames beyond the GMS
Everest, each with their own unique traits, stats, associated weapons and systems, and powerful
Core Systems.

If you wish to give players a chance to explore the capabilities of their new frames prior to the start
of the mission itself, you can run a combat for them as a training simulation, allowing them to
experiment with how their new mechs handle without any risk or obligations.

The PCs should also have an opportunity to gather Reserves before they embark on this mission by
participating in one downtime action each (Lancer, p. 53-55). Downtime actions are a good way to
explore things narratively, interact with NPCs, and to focus on individual PC stories in the calm
before the storm; the PCs will be briefed on their upcoming mission a week in advance, which gives
them time both to familiarize themselves with the ins and outs of their assignment as well as several
days of leave they can take for themselves. You may, if your group wants, even ask the PCs
themselves to contribute details such as describing some of their new squadmates they've come to
work with as a part of Task Force Indigo or stories and anecdotes of previous missions they've
participated in over the last several months.

Reserves can be granted from those listed in the core rulebook, or if you have Operation Solstice
Rain you can also grant the Reserves included in that module, which may include selections of
exotic gear (Operation Solstice Rain, p. 27-31).

Players also have access to a new mech license, the HA Gilgamesh (see Appendix: New Options
p. XX), a modular and resilient striker that emphasizes Limited equipment and which boasts
powerful self-repair capabilities. During CentComm's deliberations over the situation on
Cressidium, word of the planet's existence and its political situation was by necessity disseminated
across the major coalitions comprising it, which was in turn made known to Harrison Armory
through their representatives in the New Humanity Front. Excited by the potential historical and
anthropological implications of a previously unknown colonized world dating back to the Second
Committee era, the Armory Purview has pledged their wholehearted support to the LSA's cause and
has granted their military forces unrestricted access to a number of licenses and conventional
manufacturing schematics, including the Gilgamesh. Others within CentComm as well as Union
Naval Command are less inclined to view this as a purely altruistic act so much as HA seeking to
gain a cultural and ideological foothold upon Cressidium, but the LSA is grateful for access to
advanced chassis and weapon designs and have been converting fabrication plants over to HA
specifications.
Not to be outdone, Smith-Shimano representatives have extended Union forces within the
Cressidium theater access to the SSC Amber Phantom, a high-performance chassis suitable for
special operations. The mandatory data sharing agreement which comes as part of this license is
doubtlessly a key factor behind this decision, with SSC hoping to gain information both on
Cressidium as well as the Amber Phantom's performance in the field, but Rio has surreptitiously
modified the print permissions to lock out the recording and transmission systems until any such
data gathered this way can be suitably reviewed and authorized for distribution, a process
guaranteed to occur with all the speed and efficiency that bureaucracy is famously known for. In the
meantime, pilots who wish to employ this cutting-edge chassis are free to do so.

[sidebar]
EXTENDED OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT
The missions that run from Operation Solstice Rain through Operation Winter Scar cover four
License Levels, from LL0 to just when the PCs obtain LL4. Lancer is divided into three Tiers of
play which represent points at which NPCs begin to scale to keep pace with PCs, providing stronger
challenges, and Tier 1 runs through the end of LL4, with Tier 2 beginning at the start of LL5.

As a result, if you wish to have the end of Operation Winter Scar more closely line up with the
transition from Tier 1 to Tier 2 there are several ways to handle this. The simplest and easiest way is
to simply give the PCs an additional License Level at the outset. This would start them at LL3 and
end with them just achieving LL5, ready to continue against Tier 2 opposition.

If you have previous experience running Lancer, you may instead run the players through a mission
which bridges the several months long gap between Operation Solstice Rain and Operation Winter
Scar, creating maps, NPC forces, and objectives of your own. By the end of that mission, the
players will have earned a License Level and be ready to begin this module at LL3. At that level,
PCs gain their first Core Bonus, a powerful upgrade which can define a mech, but no adjustments
should need to be made to the encounters in this module to account for that.

Examples of possible missions (which, even if you choose not to run any of them, can be used to
inform what missions the PCs have been up to in the intervening period between modules as part of
Task Force Indigo) include:

• Sabotage or destroy a military train carrying experimental weapons and munitions to the
frontline.
• Disable an early warning network and capture a Sovereignty air base, then secure it until
reinforcements can arrive.
• Conduct a raid on a remote research installation and gather critical intelligence on a top-
secret Vestan chassis prototype.
• Assault an entrenched artillery position which is preventing LSA forces from advancing and
disable the guns.
• Intercept members of Vestan Special Operations Unit 33 as they attempt to conduct an
assassination mission within LSA territory.

Lastly, there is also an opportunity to potentially add another mission between the two missions
outlined in Operation Winter Scar instead, which will be discussed in more detail on page XX.
[/sidebar]

MISSION 1: A DAY OF FIRSTS

BRIEFING
The briefing for this upcoming operation takes place a week before the offensive against the Vestan
city of Grevka is set to begin. Conducting a large-scale military action such as this requires round-
the-clock preparation, and the Task Force Indigo base is no exception to this, with an endless
procession of supply shipments, maintenance and equipment checks, strategy meetings, training,
and briefings such as this one.

Most of the task force will be participating in the main offensive, striking at selected targets to
neutralize Vestan defenses and clear the way for the main force, but the PCs have been selected for
a special assignment, and the fact that Colonel Petras is giving it in person only serves to heighten
the importance of what's to come.

"As you know, we've been working with the Vestan resistance since this war began, and this
intelligence comes from them. We've checked it ourselves, and we believe it to be extremely
accurate. Now some of you have already been briefed on TARTARUS, what little we know about it
anyway...some sort of top secret Vestan military program, one we've never been able to fully
identify. After the Battle of Nov Elysia, our analysts noted a pattern in the Sovereignty's targets
throughout the city, in particular companies involved in military space defense programs as well as
the disappearance of several scientists and engineers working on those programs. At the time they
were presumed to have been killed in the battle, now we aren't so sure."

The screen behind him changes to display an engineering cutaway schematic of some sort of large
missile, carrying what looks to be a dozen warheads within it.

"This is the Surface-to-Orbit Reentry Munition, or STORM. It's an intercontinental missile program
the Sovereignty was developing during the cold war. It exits the atmosphere and then drops kinetic-
kill munitions from orbit. Each missile can strike multiple targets at once, and the nature of the
munitions bypasses conventional missile defense systems...in theory anyway. We never found any
evidence of it being completed at the time and it was assumed to have been mothballed, but based
on the Sovereignty's activity over the last few years we now believe they may be attempting to revive
it. And if they do, we don't think this new government of theirs will hesitate to use it. Millions of
lives could be at stake."

Another image comes up on screen, top-down images of a vast hard-packed field lined with rows of
aircraft. There are military and civilian aircraft alike along with what look like orbital shuttles and
several even larger vehicles, all in various states of disrepair and disassembly. Overlooking them all
is a massive complex of some sort, perhaps a scrapping facility, though in typical Vestan fashion it
looks like it could just as easily double as a hardened bunker.

"Based on recent materiel and manpower transfers, our resistance contacts believe that this facility,
the Angopolis aerospace graveyard, is in actuality a centerpiece of the TARTARUS project. It might
even be a launch site if TARTARUS is operational, which would be our worst case scenario. This is
our strongest lead so far, and it's come at a critical hour. We need to take this facility, and that's
where you come in."

Among these personnel transfers is Lieutenant Colonel Katya Drakonos (She/Her - Canny,
Disciplined, Ambitious), an armored battalion commander reassigned to Angopolis as a garrison
commander in charge of its security forces. Why a decorated officer who should be coordinating
tank assaults has been assigned to an unassuming facility like this in the middle of a war is a
mystery that can only be explained by there being something important enough about it to merit
pulling them off the front lines.

Colonel Petras goes on to explain that a large force moving towards the suspected TARTARUS
facility will immediately notify the Sovereignty of their intentions and place them on high alert,
potentially causing them to take drastic measures in order to preserve its secrets. As a result, while
the main LSA force pushes towards Grevka, the PCs will instead be inserted along a southern
stretch of the Vestan coast, far from the front lines, as a small mobile unit is less likely to be
detected.

However, the Vestan coastline is ringed with numerous defenses, ranging from anti-air batteries and
anti-ship torpedo launchers to coastal bunkers and point-defense networks. Captain Farris was the
one to propose the solution, based on her experience with naval fighter screening tactics; the PCs
will use external flight packs to make a low-altitude, high-speed launch from the deck of a wet-navy
carrier, while at the same time a salvo of missiles will serve to both soften the landing zone and tie
up hostile point-defenses, creating a clear approach corridor for them to touch down safely. If they
then move quickly enough, they should be able to take the nearby defense outpost before any
alarms can be raised, and their landing will appear like nothing more than an opportunistic
bombardment.

Once their landing is complete, the PCs will have to link up with local resistance forces, procuring
reinforcements and additional equipment on-site, and then move overland through Vestan territory
to the Angopolis graveyard. From there, the objective is to neutralize its defenses, secure all
intelligence and rescue any captives they find, and if necessary destroy the facility before whatever
plan the Sovereignty has for TARTARUS can be put into motion.

Mission Objectives: Insert into Vestan territory, link up with local resistance forces, gather
additional supplies and equipment as necessary, and seize control of the suspected TARTARUS
facility. Destruction of the facility has been approved if necessary.
Mission Parameters: You are cleared to engage all hostile targets. Expect strong resistance while
operating within enemy territory. Local Vestan defense patrols are noted to be highly mobile and
aggressive; counter-mobility and anti-armor capabilities are strongly advised (PC loadout
suggestions include AP damage as well as weapons or abilities which can inflict conditions such as
Shredded and Slowed).
Stakes: Inability to assist resistance forces will severely diminish their effective capabilities. The
TARTARUS facility itself remains a mystery, but failure to take it quickly may result in the loss of
valuable intelligence, hostages, and potentially even more serious consequences depending on the
exact nature of TARTARUS itself.
Reward: Upon completion of this mission, the PCs will be authorized to receive an additional
License Level. Further rewards may be allocated based on mission performance.
Reserves: The PCs have an opportunity to procure Reserves before the start of this mission. Ensure
that they are satisfied with the distribution of all Reserves and gear before the mission begins.

It's shaping up to be a beautiful day, and you're about to do one of the craziest damn things you've
ever done in your life. Considering what landed you on Cressidium in the first place, that's saying
something.

Being part of a naval op taking place on actual water is a novel experience. Unfortunately, you
don't get much of a chance to admire the ocean view from down in the flight bay where your mechs
are being prepped for launch, high mobility packs clamped to their backs. You've all had a crash
course in how to operate these external flight units. They'll keep you comfortably airborne for a
decent stretch...or they can get you somewhere uncomfortably fast exactly once.

You've never done a horizontal combat drop before, but what the hell, today's a day of firsts.

"Raising the elevator, standby," the crew chief says over comms as your mech lurches and rises
from the hangar into daylight, blue skies above, blue water below. "Ready for preflight checks." The
massive thrusters attached to your mech spin up and roar to life, immense power thrumming all the
way through your cockpit and into your bones. Maneuvering jets waggle, control surfaces rise and
fall, and once everything reads green you signal the deck crew with an oversized thumbs up and
crouch your mech's legs like you trained.

The deck crew hook the catapults in place and then get clear, waiting for final launch authorization.
"Task Force Indigo," comes the voice of the ship's captain, "we read no contacts on scopes and the
skies are clear. We've received word that the assault on Grevka has begun, so once you launch we'll
be moving to support elements of the 2nd Fleet. Good hunting out there."

After one last check the catapult chief signals ready, and you open up the throttle, painting the blast
deflectors with flame, then the catapult snaps forward and your feet leave the deck. The speed is
like nothing you've ever felt before, the force of it hard enough to shove you back against your seat
as you race over the water like a comet heading straight for the shoreline, the flight pack eating up
the distance like a shrieking beast.

But as fast as you're flying, something overtakes you in an instant. The missile salvo from the
carrier, your high-yield escort, streaks by in a blink, painting contrails against the sky. Moments
later you can see the explosions rippling across the target area, raising plumes of dirt and smoke...

Then you lurch and snap forward in your seat as you reach the end of the line, retro-thrusters
kicking in full burn to arrest your speed followed by the staccato sound of explosive bolts
jettisoning the exhausted flight pack from your mech. Your feet kick up sand as you hit the ground
running, a textbook landing, if they made books for this sort of thing that is.

The outpost's defenders are already rallying, and you hear the thump and whine of incoming
artillery arcing down towards your position. The easy part's over, now the rest is up to you. Time to
get to work, pilot.

COMBAT 1: HIGH SPEED, LOW DRAG

Sitrep: Gauntlet (Lancer, p. 271)

Enemy Forces:
For 3 PCs: 1x Commander Bombard (Flare Drone, Repeater Cannon, Quick March)
1x Goliath (Power Knuckle, Pin)
1x Scout (Expose Weakness)
For 4 PCs: +1x Seeder (Grav Spike)
For 5 PCs: Seeder: Add Veteran template, +1 Accuracy to Systems checks/saves, and Hacker
trait

Reinforcements:
For 3 PCs: 1x Assassin (Spinning Kick)
1x Hive (Driving Swarm)
For 4 PCs: +1x Assault (Rank Discipline)
For 5 PCs: Assassin: Add Elite template and Cloud Projector system

DETAILS:
The PCs begin in the Player Deployment Zone (PDZ) at the shoreline landing zone however they
like. Half of the enemy forces are deployed to the Enemy Deployment Zone/Objective Zone
(EDZ/OZ) which is at the top of the ridge overlooking the shore. The other half of the NPCs are
held as reinforcements.
The goal of this combat is for the PCs to fight their way up the slope to the ridge and occupy and
control the EDZ/OZ. At the end of the eighth round, if there are more PCs inside the EDZ/OZ than
enemy characters, the PCs will have secured the ridge and the coastal defense outpost, neutralizing
any remaining enemies and preventing word from getting out about their arrival. Each PC and
normal NPC counts as a single character for the purpose of scoring, except for Drones which do not
count. Some NPC templates change how many points an NPC counts for, such as Elites counting as
2 characters.

The assault up the ridge won't be an easy one. The clifside is lined with dangerous terrain dealing
explosive damage (courtesy of mines buried beneath the beach) to discourage invaders from
scaling it directly, and the enemy forces, despite having just endured a barrage of missiles, are well
positioned behind cover to start with. The PCs will have to contend with bombardment from above
while making their way to the target, and then contend with reinforcements. There are also areas of
difficult terrain and obstructions interspersed throughout the map.

The easiest ways to ascend to the top of the ridge will be to either use flight systems to bypass the
mines and the cliff facing, or use one of the paths leading up to the top running along either side of
the cliff; normally these paths would be pre-sighted for artillery fire and gun emplacements, turning
them into killboxes against anyone attempting to scale them, but the missile strike has eliminated
most of these defenses and made them safer to traverse. Treat these paths like ramps leading upward
toward the top of the cliff which can be ascended as normal terrain.

REINFORCEMENTS:
There are also four Ingress Zones (IZs) positioned around the map which reinforcements can enter
from. At the end of the first round, all enemy reinforcements pick a single IZ and enter as one
group.

GM TIPS:
The enemy forces for this sitrep have been separated into a designated starting group and
reinforcement group. The starting group consists of a long-range field artillery unit and a heavy
defender along with support and control units, while the reinforcement group brings several potent
high-damage units into play. Choosing which IZ to deploy reinforcements from is an important part
of the Gauntlet sitrep, since it allows you the opportunity to position them where they can do the
most good.

The biggest threat in this scene, literally, is the Goliath, a large and surprisingly swift defender who
excells at exerting hard control in a large area due to its own enormous size as well as its ability to
lock down opponents. Both Crush Targeting and Pin strongly encourage targets to focus their
attacks on the Goliath and away from its allies, while Power Knuckle allows them to disrupt
enemies who rely on close-range positioning such as melee/CQB focused units or defenders who
want to be near their allies. The Goliath's size means that it's able to ignore things like Heavy
Frame with ease, allowing it to use Power Knuckle or even simply Ram against heavy mechs like
the Drake or Barbarossa and win, while its own Heavy Frame renders it difficult to displace.
Remember that its large size means it causes Engagement in a correspondingly large area, and even
when destroyed its wreck remains a Size 3 obstruction.

The Bombard works best against targets which are grouped closely together in order to get the
most out of its Cluster Munitions, and it can even do this by shelling targets who happen to be
caught in the Goliath's grasp (this will of course risk damaging the Goliath as well). The
Commander template's Quick March gives it the ability to grant its allies additional movement,
which can be used to reposition the bulky Goliath more effectively. Keep in mind that the
movement granted by Quick March is a Boost and can therefore be prevented by conditions like
Slow or Immobilize. The reroll granted by Voice of Authority is also a useful ability that should be
kept in mind.

Once reinforcements enter play, things become much more dangerous for the PCs. Both the
Assassin and Assault are hard-hitting strikers that act as the hammer to the rest of the enemy force's
anvil. The Assassin especially synergizes well with the Goliath's Pin as well as its ability to
outright win control of many Grapples it initiates due to its size, as the Heated Blade deals double
damage to targets which are Immobilized (among other statuses and conditions). The Assault
remains a straightforward and flexible ranged unit, and Rank Discipline gives it incentive to make
use of Goliath for cover granted by Guardian. The Hive adds even more control and displacement
with its ability to force movement, apply Immobilized, and create dangerous Razor Swarms.

The Seeder's ability to deploy mines and move enemies around using its Grav Grenade Launcher
and Grav Spikes is complimented by the many different ways its allies have to force movement as
well, from the Assassin's Spinning Kick to the Hive's Drone Barrage and Driving Swarm. If the
Veteran template is applied to it, Hacker gives its basic Invade option much more punch, dealing
4 heat and applying Impaired on a hit.

There are several precarious outcroppings positioned on the ridge which can be used to trigger
rockslides. Treat these outcroppings as Size 1 objects 3 spaces long with Evasion 5 and E-Defense
5 which shatter into an avalanche of rocks upon taking any amount damage, tumbling down the
ridge. All characters standing anywhere between a shattered outcropping and the bottom of the map
must pass an Agility save or take 1d6 kinetic damage, be pushed 3 spaces away from the
outcropping, and be knocked Prone. These effects apply even against characters that might
otherwise be resistant to forced movement such as those with Heavy Frame, and both PCs and
NPCs can take advantage of them.

[sidebar]
VSAF C-92 OLYMPUS (GOLIATH NPC)
A distant descendant of the original GMS Sagarmatha designs dating back to the Hercynian Crisis,
the C-92 Olympus was intended to serve as a "superheavy assault chassis," one of numerous "total
dominance weapon" projects the Sovereignty explored during the cold war period in anticipation of
it turning hot. Repeated technical and maintenance issues stemming from the chassis' excessive size
resulted in the project being repeatedly delayed, and of the original plan to build 500 with a further
1,500 down the line, only 150 were ever built before the project was ultimately terminated. Now
relegated to parade duties and secondary line postings where its high maintenance requirements can
be minimized, the Olympus is nonetheless a powerful and highly durable chassis capable of single-
handedly holding a defensive position on its own. As the full suite of weaponry designed to
accompany the Olympus was never developed, existing service models use retrofitted armaments
from other chassis such as an upscaled version of the C-66 Kompra's combat shotgun.
[/sidebar]

OUTCOME
PC Victory
If there are more PCs in the EDZ/OZ than NPCs at the end of the eighth round, then the PCs take
the outpost quick and clean, with any remaining hostile forces being easily mopped up. No alarms
or outbound messages are able to be sent, which means that their insertion into Vestan territory, at
least for now, remains covert. Within the outpost is a plethora of useful intel, maps of the region,
locations of other outposts and supply depots, and comms frequencies. For the next battle, Combat
2: Walk in the Park, the PCs can choose one Ingress Zone on the map. That zone can't be used to
deploy reinforcements from.
PC Defeat
By the time the PCs are able to ascend to the top of the ridge, the enemies have already conducted
an orderly retreat. The coastal outpost has been properly scuttled, and the interior is reduced to a
charred husk. No intel can be gathered, and it can be assumed that some sort of message about their
arrival managed to make it out, though with Vestan tacnets busy coordinating the defense of Grevka
it remains unclear what effect this warning will have on the remainder of their mission. For the next
battle, the GM can choose two NPCs from that combat's reinforcements and deploy them anywhere
on the map at the start of combat. These NPCs must be placed at least 10 spaces from the Objective
Zone.

BEAT 1: LAST STOP FOR 500 MILES

As the dust settles from their latest battle, the PCs are unaware that one of the downed Vestan
defenders has been playing dead, waiting until their backs are turned to make one last desperate
stand. They notice the movement and power spike on their sensors just in time to see the damaged
mech raising its weapon in a shuddering arm and taking aim...only for a burst of gunfire to
penetrate its hull, the now completely destroyed mech slumping back to the ground motionless.

Another mech emerges from the smoke, a Vestan "Roundhead" assault mech, but with different
paint and markings than what they've seen before. Then a gravely voice intrudes over their comms,
on a frequency only approved members of this operation should know.

"Good, you're finally here. We should move quickly, our scouts have reported that they're ramping
up activity at the graveyard. I have a feeling something big is happening soon."

This is Vasil Gerou, the resistance commander who first alerted the LSA to the suspected
TARTARUS facility, and the PCs' point of contact with resistance forces in the area. Linking up
with him is part of their mission, but they won't be headed for the facility immediately. First, they
need to help the resistance make ready for the assault, and for that they need to follow Gerou to the
small town of Metina, a place far removed from the front lines but where another resistance contact
is scheduled to rendezvouz with them for the next phase of the operation.

Vasil takes the lead for this leg of the journey, sticking to less traveled roads and wooded areas
when possible. Here and there are aging bunkers and fortifications built during the height of the
cold war, then later abandoned as tensions slowly waned and the cost of maintaining and manning
them proved less desirable to a government now dealing with internal struggles. Patrols are few and
far between; it seems that the Grevka offensive is drawing everyone's attention just as planned.
Gerou is taciturn and blunt if spoken to to, uninterested in pleasantries or personal details. He'll
answer questions pertaining to the mission as necessary, though he's cagey regarding the exact
details of this contact he needs to meet.

If asked about TARTARUS directly, Gerou explains that he retired from active duty before Special
Operations Group 33 began being tasked with missions related to it. All he's aware of are various
rumors, none confirmed, and the intelligence he's been able to gather on his own matches up with
the LSA's findings. He knows that there were plans being drawn up to use STORM against the LSA
during the cold war, so the idea that the Sovereignty could have resurrected the project isn't
implausible, but he suspects TARTARUS must be more than just a missile program. Perhaps it
involves a new type of launch platform as well, or a new type of payload.

One thing he's been able to find out is that a number of high-yield fusion reactors have
"disappeared" from official production records in a manner which suggests they've been diverted to
some sort of top secret black project. Larger than the reactors used in mechanized chassis, these are
the sorts of reactors used to power things like stationary energy weapon emplacements or small
naval spacecraft. He has no idea why someone would need that many reactors, but none of the
possibilities seem good, and he asks if the PCs have any ideas as to what this might mean.

[sidebar]
LONE WOLF
Vasil Gerou is a renowned and respected member of the Vestan resistance, considered a hero by
some and a scourge by the Sovereignty. Earning his trust and respect is a difficult task given his
cold and taciturn nature, but doing so can be an important step towards forging deeper ties with the
resistance. If a PC wishes to do this, it should involve an appropriate narrative approach as well as a
suitable skill trigger roll of some sort. Vasil won't simply open up to anyone who asks, and he'll
have questions of his own for PCs who approach him. For Union pilots, he wants to know why they
choose to fight the Sovereignty and what Cressidium is to them, while he asks LSA pilots how it
feels to have to fight alongside a former Vestan special forces soldier, practically provoking them to
see how they react. There are no right or wrong answers, though anyone who seems insincere in
how they respond is unlikely to earn his trust.

Should a PC earn Vasil's favor, it can be invoked as though it was a background during relevant skill
checks (Lancer, p. 20) such as interacting with other members of the resistance or resistance
sympathizers, and can also be invoked during downtime actions as well. During downtime, Vasil
will also be more inclined to open up about his past to anyone with his favor, sharing a story or two
with them. Being a reserved man, he will only grant this favor to one person at a time. Should you
continue to use him as an NPC outside of Operation Winter Scar, his favor can be granted to one
additional PC per downtime that passes to represent him gradually warming up to the group.
[/sidebar]

Eventually the group arrives at Metina, though the PCs are not greeted as liberators or saviors. Even
those Vestan citizens who don't approve of the war or the new hardline government are still wary
about the people from the stars, to say nothing of their long national enmity with the LSA. Gerou's
presence is enough to mollify the locals, many of whom are sympathetic to the resistance cause, but
even then most of them only want to keep their heads down without attracting undue attention, and
they insist that everyone store their mechs in an abandoned warehouse to keep them out of sight so
long as they remain here.

That the PCs are even able to venture into the town at all is due in large part to the current Vestan
government's aggressive conscription policies; all able-bodied men and women have been ordered
to report for military duty, and outlying regions in this part of Vestan territory have been deemed
"strategically unimportant" since many of their valuable resources have long since been extracted.
As a result, the town is bereft of any local soldiers, guards, or even police who could attempt to stop
a group like this in the first place. Everyone the PCs see is either too old, too young, or too infirm to
be considered fit for duty.

Metina is quiet, not a ghost town but hollowed out and cast aside all the same. Residences stand
half-empty, with families pulled apart by conscription, and many businesses and even government
offices are closed. Some people have boarded up their windows, while others seem fatalistic about
things. If the war comes their way, what will planks of wood do? Some places still remain open, and
clusters of older men sit at cafe tables and talk, eyeing the new arrivals suspiciously, while children
dart across the streets, playing or running errants for harried grandparents while the school is closed
down. Things feel tense, but unlikely to erupt in violence.

The PCs will be in Metina long enough to rest (Lancer, p. 82) and, if they feel like it, explore a bit,
though Gerou warns them not to cause any trouble before he departs. The locals remain wary, but
some are curious or open-minded enough to be approachable. Every PC's field kit contains a modest
sum of Vestan currency, mainly intended for barter or bribes if the need arises behind enemy lines,
which allows them to purchase sundries such as fruit, cigarettes, or coffee. In many of the
businesses that are still open or over personal dataslates, the Vestan media is reporting on the LSA
offensive against Grevka, telling citizens to hold fast against the invaders and that the hour of the
Sovereignty's triumph is imminent.

While the PCs are waiting for this resistance contact to arrive, some of the more sympathetic locals
may share some information with them if asked about recent events in the region:

• Many of the locals with family in the military stationed in the area (those who weren't
conscripted later for the war against the LSA) have received letters about those family
members being transferred or reassigned to a classified location further inland. All attempts
to contact their family have been denied, and in some cases have resulted in arrests and even
disappearances.
• They can confirm that there have been an unusual number of convoys moving into the area
recently, including supply transports, heavy equipment haulers, and armored vehicles. Given
the lack of any notable military bases nearby, it seems likely that the Angopolois graveyard
is the only place they could have been headed.
• Several people have stories or rumors concerning strange tremors occuring near the
Angopolis graveyard, even though this region isn't known for earthquakes, and the
government staunchly denies any such thing. According to these stories, these tremors began
happening around a year or so ago with increasing frequency. Those who used to work in
the nearby mines back before they were closed say that rather than earthquakes, the tremors
seem more like underground explosions.

Eventually, a small convoy of rugged, off-road vehicles arrives in town, carrying men and women
with guns and one especially nervous individual carrying a large metal briefcase. These are
members of another resistance cell, escorting the contact that Gerou is here to meet. At first it seems
as though the man with the briefcase is the contact, but it soon becomes apparent that the contact is
actually within the briefcase itself.

Avel (They/Them - Officious, Analytical, Precise) is a Vestan military logistics NHP who wishes
to defect. They are in fact the one who initially informed the LSA about the suspected nature of the
Angopolis facility, collated from numerous points of data regarding budget discrepancies,
construction manifests, and material shipments. Having long been aware of the impending
instability facing the Vestan government, and fearing for their own safety in the aftermath, Avel
made arrangements with the resistance, offering to supply them with the locations and access codes
to military supply depots in exchange for extracting them and helping them secure safe passage to
the LSA, which will be left up to the PCs to carry out once their mission is complete and they await
their own pickup.

Like Vasil Gerou, Avel has their own suspicious about the true nature of TARTARUS. According to
them, the Sovereignty has been screening Vestan NHPs for "TARTARUS compatibility," though
they have no idea what this compatibility is for. This is another factor which prompted their
defection, as they have no desire to be a part of whatever this secret project entails.

In the meantime, Avel's next part in this mission is to provide the location and codes of a concealed
munitions depot which the resistance plans to raid for heavy weapons and supplies prior to the
assault on the graveyard. Depots like this have been built all across Vestan territory to keep their
armed forces supplied during mass invasion and overrun scenarios (echoing SecComm doctrines
dating back to the Hercynian Crisis), and the resistance has taken to raiding them for weapons,
ammunition, and sometimes entire mechs. Once the PCs have finished up, it's time to move out to
the target location where additional resistance forces will be gathering, a concealed bunker deep
within a forest.

Avel is not a combat-rated NHP and knows nothing about mechanized chassis operation. Equipping
them onto a mech is technically possible (this costs 0 SP, the mech cannot have another system with
the AI tag equipped already, and they do not count as a valid system for any effect which destroys
systems) but confers no benefits beyond their running commentary on events.

[sidebar]
INTEL ANALYSIS
Based on the intel gathered by the PCs up until now both from their briefing and in the field, this is
a summary of what they know about TARTARUS so far:
• The Vestan Sovereignty, even prior to the outbreak of hostilities, has been conducting
clandestine operations centered around rocketry, missile development, and space
technologies. The LSA suspects this is related to an old space-based missile program called
STORM.
• Captain Brigid Farris was abducted during the Battle of Nov Elysia and overheard her
captors discussing her "expertise" as a matter of interest to the Sovereignty, making it
unclear if she was simply a target of opportunity or not.
• Vasil Gerou can confirm that the principal TARTARUS facility is within the Angopolis
aerospace graveyard. He also knows that a large number of high-yield fusion reactors and
energy weapon systems have been diverted to the facility, though he isn't sure why.
• Locals in the region have reported an uptick in sporadic seismic activity over time, tremors
which seem to be coming from the area around the Angopolis facility.
• Avel, a Vestan NHP, is aware that the Sovereignty has been screening NHPs for
"TARTARUS compatibility."
[/sidebar]

With final preparations to resume their mission underway, Vasil Gerou pulls the PCs aside and
grimly expresses concerns that Avel's extraction may not have gone as unnoticed as he'd hoped. The
resistance couriers escorting the NHP to the meeting barely evaded a Vestan patrol en route, and
can't be sure they weren't spotted. He wants their help to ensure the Sovereignty is thrown off the
scent, removing traces of their presence here or otherwise throwing any patrols which come looking
for them off the scent. Treat this as a skill challenge (Lancer, p. 47). Allow the PCs to approach this
challenge creatively; those with technical skills might attempt to use drones to lead would-be
pursuers astray, while those with social skills might try and enlist the locals for help. Additional
complications might arise during the challenge as well, such as a snippet of intercepted comms
traffic suggesting someone in the town might be sending clandestine transmissions...could someone
in the town be a member of the Vestan secret police?

Success on this skill challenge allows the PCs to conceal their presence or otherwise divert attention
away from Metina, at least for long enough to carry out their mission without any further
complications. Failure will result in additional enemy forces being diverted to Combat 2: Walk in
the Park, as well as additional narrative consequences during Beat 2: Behind Enemy Lines.

COMBAT 2: WALK IN THE PARK

Sitrep: Extraction (Lancer, p. 270)

Objectives: 1x Munitions Transport (Size 2, HP 20)

Enemy Forces: Special note, all enemy forces are held as reinforcements at the beginning of this
sitrep (see below)

For 3 PCs: 1x Archer (Rapid Response)

2x Veteran Berserker (+1 Accuracy to Hull checks/saves, Harpoon Cannon, Feign
Death)
1x Elite Hornet (Supersonic, HEX Missiles)
1x Elite Sentinel (Punisher Ammunition, Rapid Response)
1x Support (Latch Drone)
If the skill challenge during Beat 1: Last Stop for 500 Miles was failed: 1x Specter
(Step)
For 4 PCs: +1x Barricade (Drag Down, Titan-Snare Drone)
+1x Mirage (Metafold Shove)
For 5 PCs: +1x Archer (Rapid Response)
+1x Support (Latch Drone)

DETAILS
The PCs begin in the Player Deployment/Extraction Zone (PD/EZ) on the left side of the map.
On the right side, the Objective is placed in the Objective Zone (OZ). Enemy forces are not placed
on the map at the beginning of this combat. Instead, all NPCs are held as reinforcements, and are
deployed periodically throughout the scene. The PCs are aware that enemy forces are closing in on
them, and can see incoming contacts on their scanners moving quickly on their position.

The goal of this encounter is to move to the OZ and retrieve the objective, a munitions transport,
and the escort it back to the PD/EZ by the end of the tenth round and extract with it. Resistance
forces need these supplies to help mount an attack on the TARTARUS facility, and once the PCs
have reached the OZ, several resistance members accompanying them will hotwire the transport,
but they need protection on the way back. While in the PD/EZ, PCs can extract as a free action at
the end of their turn, removing them from play. If the transport is adjacent to a PC when they
extract, and it isn't being contested by hostile forces, then the transport is also extracted and the
objective is a success.

Note that the only requirement for the mission to be considered a PC victory is for the transport to
be safely extracted. Not every PC needs to extract along with it, and once the transport has extracted
the combat will end. However, if victory seems unlikely, any PC still on the battlefield at the end of
the tenth round will be overwhelmed by enemy forces, and so in cases such as that it may be
preferable to abandon the objective and simply extract without it.

As with the Escort sitrep (Lancer, p. 269), the transport only moves when a character who started
their turn adjacent to it makes their standard move. "Daisy chaining" the objective between PCs is a
good way to maximize the amount of distance you can cover in a round this way. Note however that
the PCs have no such restrictions when first approaching the OZ to retrieve the transport, and
therefore they are free to move, Boost, and otherwise make for that zone as quickly as possible. If
the transport is ever adjacent to characters from two opposing sides, then it stops moving and can’t
move again (or be extracted) until only characters from one side are next to it.

Throughout the map are copses of trees divided into two types of terrain, light woods and areas of
dense woods within them. Light woods are zones of soft cover and can be moved through
normally, while areas of dense woods are obstructions which count as hard cover. However, any
amount of damage or heat is sufficient to destroy an entire area of dense woods at once, which turns
it into light woods. In this way, additional paths and sightlines can be easily created, especially by
area weapons such as mortars and flamethrowers.

REINFORCEMENTS
In an Extraction sitrep, all NPCs are held as reinforcements, which means that none of them will be
placed on the map at the start of combat. Instead there are four Ingress Zones (IZs) located along
the outskirts of the map. At the start of any round, you can deploy 2 NPCs (or up to 4 Grunts) in up
to two of the IZs. You can't deploy using the same IZ twice in a row, which means enemies will
come from multiple directions. This gives you plenty of opportunities to flank the PCs and move to
intercept them depending on their position along the map.

Keep in mind, several details of this mission can change depending on whether the PCs were
successful or not during the previous battle, Combat 1: High Speed, Low Drag. If they were
successful, then they can choose one IZ from which no reinforcements can be deployed for this
fight. If they failed, then you may place 2 NPCs of your choice anywhere on the map before combat
begins, as long as they are no closer than 10 spaces to the OZ.

GM TIPS
The NPCs closing in on the PCs are a Vestan rapid reaction force being deployed to aggressively
deny the resistance any useful materiel, with orders to capture any resistance members they can for
a public trial and execution. As such, they won't willingly damage the transport, merely keep the
PCs from extracting with it. All other forces beyond the resistance members are considered kill on
sight.

The enemy forces are aggressive and highly-mobile with the Archer and Sentinel both possessing
Rapid Response, the Berserker's Avalanche Charge, and the Hornet's innate speed. They also
possess strong defenses against direct attacks including the Berserker's Stampede Defense which
grants them Resistance to all damage, and the Hornet's high Evasion as well as its Weave trait,
which can cause the first attack made as a reaction against it each round automatically fail.

However, many of these same enemies are vulnerable to control effects and conditions. Stampede
Defense shuts off if the Berserker suffers from any one of a number of conditions, and Hornets
have low E-Defense and Heat Capacity. Even Fragment Signal, the starting Invade option all
PCs have access to, can prove extremely useful here. If the PCs find themselves struggling, remind
them that they can make use of the Scan action to learn more about NPCs, including their
weaknesses.

Berserkers are highly aggressive melee strikers that can quickly close the distance with their
targets, and both Aggression and Avalanche Charge give them the ability to swing their Chain
Axe repeatedly in quick succession. Their Harpoon Guns can also be used to drag PCs away from
the objective and into vulnerable positions. Keep in mind the attacks granted by Aggression and
Avalanche Charge are made against random targets, and so if any of the Berserker's allies are
within range (including the Support's Latch Drone) then it may attack them as well. Crafty PCs
can use this to their advantage with clever use of forced movement and AoE attacks. Feign Death
gives them one final surprise opportunity, and can be held in reserve for just the right moment.

Remember that the NPCs want the objective intact and will not willingly harm it, which means the
Berserkers should never willingly position themselves in such a way where they might accidentally
wind up damaging or destroying the objective with randomly targeted attacks.

Supports add more sustainability to their allies but deal no real damage on their own, though they
can still perform other actions such as Ram, Grapple, Lock On, or Invade. Their Sealant Gun can
also be used to Slow targets as well as create patches of Difficult Terrain to further impede PC
movement.

If the Barricade and Mirage are brought into play, they form a strong backbone of control and
support for the enemy forces. Drag Down and Titan-Snare Drone further hamper the PCs as they
attempt to move the transport, and the Mirage can teleport both allies and enemies alike with
Glitch Scanners, Blip, and Metafold Shove. Its Dataveil system can also make either the Mirage
or one of its allies Invisibile, though it becomes vulnerable to attack without it. Meanwhile, if the
Specter comes into play, look for opportunities to catch isolated targets out of position with its
Monowire Sword and guarantee additional damage from its Hunt trait. Being able to enter from
multiple IZs along with its powerful Step ability means that it can easily strike from any position as
soon as it enters play, and you may want to keep it in reserve to act as a surprise ambusher.

Since enemies enter play two at a time, choosing which ones to bring in and from where will
depend on the PCs and their own positioning and what the immediate tactical needs of the enemy
force are. A good recommendation is to begin by bringing in one of the Berserkers and an Archer
(or Barricade if that's in use), followed by the Sentinel and Support, then the Hornet (or Mirage)
and the other Berserker. This spaces out the Berserkers so they don't immediately double up on a
PC and intersperses things with the Support who can then direct their HP restoration where it's
needed most. Other NPCs which haven't been deployed can be brought in as necessary; if you feel it
would be more advantageous to skip over the Hornet or Mirage in favor of an Archer's longer
range attacks and suppressive fire, then do so. reinforcements are an important tool not just for
adding more enemies to a combat scene, but for adjusting the tempo and flow of combat based on
the moment-to-moment circumstances.

There are a number of munitions crates scattered about the map, which the PCs can attempt to make
use of during the scene. As a Quick Action, a PC adjacent to a munitions crate can open it and
make use of whatever is inside. Roll 1d6:

• On 1-2, they may either immediately reload a Loading weapon of their choice, or they may
grab and immediately fire a chassis-grade disposable rocket launcher. Treat this as a GMS
RPG, ignoring the Ordnance tag.
• On 3-4, they may choose from any of the previous options, or they may grab and
immediately fire a powerful directed energy weapon. Treat this as a GMS Thermal Lance,
ignoring the heat cost.
• On 5-6, the PC finds a chassis-portable missile launcher. Treat this as a Bombardment
reserve which must be immediately used. Only one PC may find this, and any other rolls of
5-6 are treated as 3-4 instead.

Dismounted players can also use these crates when adjacent to them as a Full Action to find and fire
an infantry anti-armor weapon. Treat this as a ranged attack with the following stats:

Range 15
AP, Reliable 2
5 explosive damage

Once a crate has been used, it cannot be used again by anyone. If a crate, even one which has been
used, takes any damage or heat (treat crates as Size 1/2 objects with Evasion 5 and E-Defense 5)
then it explodes in a Burst 1 area. All characters within the affected area must succeed on an
Agility save or take 2d6 explosive damage. On a success, they take half damage. NPCs will not
willingly destroy these crates.

OUTCOME
PC Victory
The PCs manage to escort the transport and its resistance drivers away from the depot. Moments
later, demolition charges set by the resistance detonate the remaining munitions, destroying
everything in a massive explosion. Sensors show no pursuing hostiles...either they pulled back or
were annihilated by the blast. The weapons and supplies secured here will greatly bolster resistance
forces, and they quickly set about distributing them. This will add an allied Squad NPC that the
PCs can utilize during the next battle, Combat 3, Angels' Grave.

PC Defeat
Unable to safely secure the transport, the PCs and their resistance allies are forced to abandon it and
retreat, lest they be overrun and captured. Any PC that hadn't extracted before this happens is
attacked one final time by an NPC of your choice from those remaining on the map, regardless of
range. This attack deals damage as normal if it hits, but does not cause structure damage checks.

During their retreat, the PCs have a chance to grab at least some supplies before they're forced to
pull back. Roll 1d6: on 1-3, one PC can replenish 1 use of all Limited weapons and systems, while
on 4-6 one PC gains a core battery Reserve. These supplies aren't enough to distribute among
resistance forces, however, and this will severely restrict their activities during the upcoming
engagement.

BEAT 2: BEHIND ENEMY LINES

After putting some distance between themselves and the munitions depot, the PCs once again have
a chance to rest as well as meet with more members of the resistance. Some of them are soldiers,
former Vestan military who deserted when the hardline government took power and began
conducting arrests and purges, but many others aren't. Some are farmers, students, engineers, and
teachers, while others are partisans with no formal military training but years of experience waging
asymmetric warfare against the Sovereignty's forces.

The mood of this meeting will depend on how things fared during the supply raid; if it was
successful, the resistance fighters are in high spirits, otherwise things are much more subdued.
Some of the younger fighters, whether out of excitement or nerves, are eager to ask the PCs
questions, while older members remain more withdrawn and suspicious.

If the PCs failed the skill challenge during Beat 1: Last Stop for 500 Miles then the mood suffers
further as word comes in that Vestan forces have descended upon Metina, conducting mass arrests
and even killing several of the townspeople for "providing aid to seditious elements." If this news
arrives on the heels of a failed combat, several of the resistance members begin to loudly question
the PCs' competence and even their loyalties, going as far as to suggest they might be sabotaging
the mission. Arguments and even a brawl might ensue as tensions boil over, and it takes cool heads
and steady nerves to rein everyone in and get them back on track.

While the PCs are expected to maintain comms discipline during this operation, they are still able to
listen in on allied tactical networks. The LSA offensive is beginning to encounter increased
resistance as the Vestans pour everything they have into the defense of Grevka, and it appears that
several elements of the operation are behind schedule. Things aren't looking dire just yet, but it's
clear that the Sovereignty isn't going to give up the city without a fight.

Now that they've linked up with resistance forces, the PCs are ready to make their way to the
Angopolis aerospace graveyard. No longer simply traveling the outskirts, this will take them deeper
into Vestan territory, with a heightened chance of encountering patrols. These patrols represent a
danger, but also a potential opportunity if one or more PC mechs have been destroyed during the
previous combats. Destroyed mechs can be brought back into operation by spending 4 Repairs
(anyone can contribute the Repairs to do this, allowing a team of pilots to share their resources for
this purpose, see Lancer p. 82), but it might be that insufficient Repairs throughout the party exist
to allow the group to effectively continue into the assault on the graveyard.

The resistance is well versed in ambushing patrols and utilizing them as a form of in-field resupply,
however, and with their assistance the PCs can supplement their dwindling resources. While the
PCs rest during this beat, those whose mechs have been destroyed may choose to participate in an
ambush to hijack and procure supplies or even an enemy mech. Each PC participating in this
ambush should make a skill check using an appropriate trigger if applicable.

• On 9 or less, the ambushed squad turns things around on them and refuses to go down
easily. Their mech is brought back from being destroyed at 1 structure, 1 stress, and full
HP, but then they lose any unspent Core Power and their Overcharge counter instantly
becomes 1d6+4 heat.

• On 10-19, the ambush is successful. Treat this as a result of 9 or less, but they only have to
choose one of the above effects. Options they are unable to take (such as already having
spent their Core Power or already being at maximum Overcharge) force them to take
another effect as necessary.

• On 20+, their role in the ambush proceeds flawlessly. Their mech is brought back from
being destroyed at 2 structure, 2 stress, and full HP.

They may then spend any Repairs to continue fixing their mechs as normal. If a mech has been
destroyed beyond the ability to be repaired (such as a reactor meltdown) then the ambush can be
used to hijack a Vestan mech instead. Treat this as a GMS Frame of your choice (including the
Everest which can be found in the core rulebook, or the Sagarmatha or Chomolungma which can
be found in No Room For a Wallflower and Operation Solstice Rain respectively, and which can be
accessed through Lancer’s online companion app, Comp/Con) with structure, stress, and other
drawbacks based on the results rolled.

Other patrols can be skirted around and avoided, though there may be a close call or two along the
way, and it's late in the day when the PCs crest the final hill of their trek and see the graveyard
awaiting them. Orbital imagery simply wasn't able to convey just how big it all looks in
person...rows upon rows of aircraft and shuttles lined up next to one another on a massive field, and
overlooking them all is the main facility, a looming edifice of imposing Vestan architecture.

It's also under attack.

For a moment it seems as though the alarms are meant for them, that they've been detected as soon
as they've arrived, but Gerou swears viciously as he spots another group of mechs and soldiers
down below fighting their way towards the facility. It's another resistance cell, and it looks like
they've already kicked off the assault on their own.

"Damn those idiots! I told them to wait for my signal! And we've come too far to pull back now...the
element of surprise is lost, so we need to make up for it with speed. Cut straight through the
graveyard, punch a hole and don't stop. Go, go!"

The sounds of fighting, gunfire and explosions, grow louder as they make thieir approach to the
facility, but as fast as they move it isn't fast enough to prevent the first group from being
overwhelmed. Over comms they can hear the resistance fighters panicking as they find themselves
being pushed back by unexpected numbers, far more than anticipated.

"There's too many! Where are they all coming from!?"

"Watch it! Two more on the right!"

"They're rolling right over us-"

That last transmission is cut abruptly short as a nearby mech explodes into a fiery wreck, and then a
tank bulldozes its way through a nearby aircraft hull, engine roaring and metal crunching beneath its
treads as its turret begins traversing towards its next target.

COMBAT 3: ANGELS' GRAVE

Sitrep: n/a

Enemy Forces:
For 3 PCs: 1x Archer (Blinding Shells)
1x Hive (Motile Swarm)
1x Elite Veteran MBT (+1 Accuracy to Hull checks/saves, Smoothbore Cannon,
Pintle-Mounted Machine Gun, Secondary Gunner, Mobile Bunker, Legendary)
1x Veteran Priest (Fortress, Sanctuary)
For 4 PCs: +1x Breacher (Superior Ram, Follower Count)
+1x Sentinel (Impaler)
For 5 PCs: +2x Breacher Grunts
MBT: Add Commander template Press On! trait
Priest: Add Elite template

Optional PC Forces: Special note, if the PCs were successful during Combat 2, Walk in the
Woods, they will be joined by a Squad NPC (Ambushers).

The primary objective of the PCs in this combat is to defeat the enemy opposing force by
destroying all NPCs. The resistance assault on the facility is being pushed back by an unexpectedly
strong defensive force, including Vestan tanks coordinating with mechanized chassis, and a hole
needs to be punched through the line so that their allies can push towards the facility itself and take
it.

The PCs begin in the Player Deployment Zone (PDZ). The MBT has its own dedicated
Deployment Zone, while the remaining NPCs can be placed anywhere within the Enemy
Deployment Zone (EDZ).

The map itself is filled with aircraft in various states of disrepair and disassembly, all of which can
be used as hard cover or to block line of sight if sufficiently large enough. Each Size 1 section of
aircraft has 5 Evasion and 10 HP, and can be destroyed independently to create new pathways or
deny cover.

During the fight, the Earthquakes environmental hazard will be in effect (Lancer, p. 278) as
tremors from an unknown source begin to shake the ground with increasing intensity.

GM TIPS
The MBT is one of the primary threats of this combat, a large, heavily armored tank equipped with
multiple weapons. Its armored facing gives it an additional layer of protection against physical
attacks, though it's more vulnerable to being flanked as a result. The MBT is able to move through
smaller obstacles with ease, and its Smoothbore Cannon also deals high damage to objects and the
environment as well. Between the MBT's primary and secondary weapons as well as its Tank
Shock trait, it possesses a great deal of offensive power, but even with Secondary Gunner is
vulnerable to conditions like Jammed or Stunned.

With the graveyard being as dense with wreckage and obstacles as it is, one of the MBT's biggest
assets in this fight is the ability to use Tank Shock to simply drive straight through obstructions
smaller than Size 3. For the purpose of this and other terrain destruction abilities, the aircraft lying
about the map are considered to be made up of Size 1 sections of terrain, and so the MBT can
simply drive right through them, creating openings that its allies can move through in its wake.

Accompanying the MBT are an assortment of facility defense forces. The Priest can use both
Investiture and Dispersal Shield on the MBT to enhance its offensive and defensive capabilities
even further, while the Priest can benefit from the MBT's Mobile Bunker trait to protect itself
from retaliation in return. Fortress makes the Priest significantly more resistant to tech attacks and
abilities which might disable Investiture or force it to move away from its allies, but it remains
susceptible to physical damage, and can be far more easily destroyed than the MBT itself.
Sanctuary is a potent defensive ability that can be applied to any ally, which

The Archer and Hive serve to disrupt the PCs so that the MBT can follow up with its own
weapons. Blinding Shells inflicts a powerful effect that can stifle all of a PCs attacks, including
tech attacks, but keep in mind that anything which ignores the need for line of sight (such as Arcing
or Seeking attacks) will be able to ignore this effect. The Hive enables another layer of control both
by deploying Razor Swarms, which it can reposition with Motile Swarm, and by utilizing Drone
Barrage to force enemies to choose to either become Immobilized or move out of position where
they can be attacked more easily.

Breachers are powerful but inaccurate strikers, more suited for handling low Evasion mechs with
higher Armor and access to Resistance, but their ability to charge through obstructions allows them
to smash their way through the graveyard to knock targets prone with Breach Ram before opening
fire with their Dual Shotguns. Follower Count allows them to mark chosen targets, granting their
normally inaccurate weapons Accuracy when used against them as well as providing additional
movement towards marked targets, but once applied the effect can't be changed to a new target until
the initial target is destroyed.

The Commander template, should it come into play, will give the Priest an additional level of
structure and stress, while Press On! gives it the ability to clear Jammed or Stunned from its
allies, a useful way to keep them in the fight if the PCs try going after them first.

If the PCs were successful during Combat 2: Walk in the Park, then they are accompanied in this
fight by a Squad of resistance fighters. The Squad is a unique NPC that has a large footprint on the
map but can overlap with obstacles and even other characters as long as at least two of the spaces it
occupies are free. Despite having only 10 HP, the Squad is deceptively resilient thanks to Strength
in Numbers, which gives it Resistance to any attacks which aren't Lines, Cones, Blasts, or Bursts,
as well as immunity to abilities like Ram or Grapple which makes them harder to displace from an
area. Undersize means they also always benefit from soft cover regardless of their location, but
can't benefit from hard cover.

The Squad's ability to make multiple attacks with their Primary Weapon and Anti-Armor
Weapon can also deal significant damage when added all together, but Armor applies to each
individual attack, making them less effective against heavily armored enemies, and when they take
a certain amount of damage they also lose one of their Primary Weapon attacks as well.
Ambushers gives the Squad a bonus to attacks, checks, and saves at the start of the fight, and they
have their own set of Deployment Zones to choose from before combat begins to make the most of
this.

Additionally, the main engine and drive thruster assembly from an aerospace shuttle is sitting in the
open, removed from the hull but yet to be broken down. This Size 3 object can be jury-rigged by a
mech, a dismounted pilot, or the allied Squad to perform a test fire sequence using the last of its
power reserves as a full action. Treat this as an attack from a Plasma Thrower (Lancer, p. 233)
originating from the thruster assembly in a direction of that character's choice.

[sidebar]
VSAF T-12 ATHAS (MBT NPC)
The T-12 Athas has been the Vestan Sovereignty's main battle tank for nearly half a century, kept up
to current standards through a successive series of modernization and block upgrade programs over
the decades. Operated by a crew of four, or three with a subaltern loader, the Athas MBT is a
symbol of Vestan military might that lives up to its fearsome reputation as a heavily armored
juggernaut. The T-12S utilizes a high-velocity, large-caliber smoothbore gun as its primary
armament, while the less common T-12E trades this out for a powerful coherent beam cannon.
Secondary armament is variable, though frequently consists of either a pintle-mounted heavy
machine gun for engaging infantry and soft targets or an anti-armor missile launcher designed for
indirect fire including from hull-down positions, capable of firing both independently tracking
munitions as well as wire-guided missiles for use during heavy jamming. Like all tanks, the Athas is
reliant on combined arms support, and Vestan armored doctrine emphasizes close coordination with
allied chassis during combat operations.
[/sidebar]

OUTCOME
PC Victory
If the PCs eliminate all enemies, they punch a hole through the defenders and rally the resistance
assault, clearing a path to the facility. The remaining Vestan forces continue to hold out until the
bitter end but are unable to keep from being overrun, and shortly thereafter the PCs begin hearing
updates on comms as resistance teams breach the facility ahead of them and begin moving from
floor to floor.

PC Defeat
If the PCs fail, the Vestan defenders push the assault back, smashing through the uncoordinated
resistance offensive without slowing down. It's all that the PCs and Gerou can do to prevent a
complete rout from occuring, but with the momentum gone and more enemies continuing to pour
from the base, no one is able to cross the graveyard and make it to the facility without being shot to
pieces. The attack stalls here, with scattered resistance forces falling back to avoid being overrun.

The following section (p. XX) will have additional details on what both victory and defeat entail for
this mission. In either case, the tremors the PCs have been experiencing continue to intensify.

Something's happening. You can feel it.

It's been building ever since you reached the graveyard, a rumbling that has nothing to do with
advancing tanks or incoming fire, shaking aircraft parts across the ground and causing your mech's
balance control systems to flash notifications you've only ever seen in simulations before: TERRAIN
WARNING - SEISMIC INSTABILITY. It isn't until your sensors detect the massive hangar built into
the ground beyond the facility, concealed doors sliding open like a maw set into the earth, that you
realize it isn't an earthquake at all.
Comms are a mess of confusion and panic up and down the tacnet. The worst case scenario is
unfolding in front of you, and there's no time to lose. If the Vestans are launching a missile then the
Rio Grande has to vector its fighters for an orbital intercept...but when you see the shape emerging
from the monstrous hangar dug deep into the earth, your mind can't quite wrap itself around what
you're seeing at first. Buildings are supposed to collapse during quakes like this, not rise.

And that's when your perception reorients itself and you realize what it is you're looking at. You
couldn't tell at first because you've never seen one this size making its way up a gravity well before.

The Sovereignty isn't launching a missile, they're launching a ship.

It claws its way into the air on pillars of fire, bristling with weapons and cradled in a harness of
take-off boosters each big enough to count as a payload lifter all by themselves. The sheer sound of
it rising out of the hangar is deafening, so much so that you can barely hear the voices over comms
shouting for everyone to pull back, to run. Those boosters, as powerful as they are, won't be able to
raise this ship into orbit on their own, which means-

The ship's main drive cones begin to glow, and with a sound like the end of the world, a second sun
rises over Cressidium.

The blastwave hits like a bomb, flattening the ground beneath it with the force of a giant's fist.
Those unlucky enough to be closest, Vestan and resistance alike, are smashed into the earth,
crushed and torn apart by the force of engines never meant to fire in atmosphere. The ones further
out are picked up and hurled like toys, tanks flipped over and mechs sent flying. And then the
blastwave reaches you and the world goes spinning.

When you finally come to a stop, your cockpit displays are awash in critical damage alerts.
Weapons are offline, limb joints are shattered and fused, a cascading list of system errors. All you
can do is lie there, watching through backup cameras as the ship climbs higher and higher into the
sky, your comms hissing and crackling with atmospheric distortion.

"...units...repeat, all...unidentified vessel app...orbit...no signature match...you can hear this, please
respond...all units...immediate retreat...anyone...please respond..."
DOWNTIME: SIX MONTHS LATER
"This is Captain Farris to all Union forces on Cressidium, I send fallback. Repeat, fallback. We are
cut off and unable to provide effective support at this time. Orbital approach vectors and off-world
evacuation corridors are under extreme risk of hostile interception. You are advised to withdraw to
a secure location and go to ground until further notice; survive, evade, resist, escape.
Reinforcements are underway and will arrive in-system at best possible speed. Stay safe, stay alive.
This message will repeat. This is Captain Farris to all Union forces on Cressidium..."

The Vestan Sovereignty holds Cressidium at gunpoint.

The hours and days following the launch of the Vestan ship, later identified as the VNS Typhon,
were a frantic scramble by the LSA to respond to this unexpected development. Their immediate
action was to hastily order their own much smaller naval vessels to intercept the Typhon as it
established position over Cressidium. These corvette-tier ships, previously among the most
advanced naval vessels Cressidium had to offer, were destroyed with shocking speed and
overwhelming firepower, the first demonstration of the Typhon's capabilities. In a panic, and with
the major offensive against the Sovereignty already faltering, the nation's military high command
then ordered every available surface-to-orbit missile launch site to exhaust their entire stores against
the ship, but even this was unable to break through its overlapping point-defense screens in any
meaningful fashion.

In response, the Typhon retaliated by laying waste to multiple LSA military bases, blue-water naval
vessels, and entire armored divisions with batteries of powerful directed-energy weapons and
kinetic salvos from orbit, then threatened to do the same to major civilian population centers.
Within less than a week, the LSA issued a formal surrender.

Now Vestan forces occupy major LSA cities, wresting control from local governments and
enforcing martial law as they continue to annex territory after territory, carving out new borders for
a greater Sovereignty that threatens to stretch across the planet. Uprisings are few and far between;
those that aren't met with brutal reprisals by occupying forces are, if they seem poised to seriously
threaten Vestan dominance, met with orbital bombardment from the Typhon itself. The devastation
and loss of life that has resulted from this has been substantial, but compliance has thus far been
maintained. The Sovereignty has since turned its sights upon Cressidium's other nations as well,
forcing capitulation from the Republic of Okasnia which until now had remained neutral in the
ongoing conflict as well as other smaller states.

The Rio Grande has been forced from Cressidium orbit, unable to go toe to toe with a vessel that
significantly outguns it, and has pulled back to a safe distance. However, the Typhon can't pursue
the Union carrier beyond Cressidium's orbital borders without removing the advantage the Vestan
military has come to rely so heavily upon, and so a naval stalemate of sorts has ensued, with
Captain Farris unable to do much more than watch as the Sovereignty conquers with impunity. Even
at full fighting strength, the Rio Grande is only a light carrier, and much of its chassis and marine
forces were stranded on Cressidium's surface when the Typhon launched. With only a partial
complement of strike craft to her name, attempting to launch an attack against the Vestan ship
would merely merely be sending her pilots to their deaths.

Union reinforcements will not arrive in-system for another 24 months. The amount of damage the
Sovereignty will be able to do in that time is impossible to estimate.

The situation is grim, but even so the fighting continues. Remnants of the Vestan resistance
movement, surviving LSA military, and Okasnian troops who refused the standdown order have
continued to wage a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Vestan occupational forces, though
their ability to engage in extended combat operations is limited by the threat of the Typhon hanging
overhead. When not sortieing to strike at Vestan supply lines, assassinate commanders, or destroy
munitions depots, resistance forces lie low in the bombarded ruins of cities or take shelter in
underground tunnels and bunkers, some built during the cold war, others which date back to the
Barren Years (a period of strife in Cressidium's post-colonization history that far predates even the
cold war).

This is where the PCs find themselves six months after the Tyhpon's launch, during a harsh, grey-
skied winter. Having survived the launch itself, they were able to retreat (or were retrieved by other
survivors) from the Angopolis facility, and while the general order to go to ground and await
reinforcements has been issued by Captain Farris, most of the Union forces on Cressidium have
chosen to continue fighting alongside the resistance. Surrender also isn't an option, as the
Sovereignty has made clear its intentions to hold public trials and executions for any "interstellar
aggressors and their terrorist collaborators" it captures.

With the help of stealth microsatellites launched by the Rio Grande providing them limited
windows of intelligence and reconnaissance, the resistance has managed to maintain their guerrilla
campaign against the Sovereignty, striking when the Typhon isn't overhead and retreating before it
can be retasked, but their gains have been minimal thus far. Something has to be done and soon,
before the Sovereignty's grip upon Cressidium becomes impossible to break.

[sidebar]
THE VNS TYPHON
The Vestan Naval Ship Typhon is the largest spacecraft developed and launched by a Cressidian
nation in the planet's settled history, and the only one of its type. By Union naval classification
standards, the Typhon sits somewhere between a cruiser and a frigate in tonnage, with a primary
reactor and non-nearlight drive system based on archived schematics derived from the ships which
fled to Cressidium during the collapse of Union's Second Committee.

The Typhon began development during the cold war period as a proposal to secure orbital
superiority and form the cornerstone of a newer, stronger Vestan navy, competing with other "total
dominance weapon" projects like the STORM program, but the government eventually shuttered
the project due to shifting priorities, massive cost overruns, and an inability to solve the engineering
hurdles associated with lifting such a large vessel into orbit. However, several military leaders
within the Sovereignty, unwilling to simply let such a powerful weapon lie dormant, continued to
divert funding and resources to it even without the presiding government's knowledge, operating it
as a secret black project under the codename TARTARUS. The change in government as the
hardline faction took power as well as the arrival of Union merely served to accelerate the project's
development further.

For a ship of its size, the Typhon is excessively overgunned, with more armaments than its reactor
can safely handle at one time. Thankfully it lacks any form of long-cycle weaponry, averting a
geological-scale catastrophe were such a thing to be turned against the planet, but it still boasts
multiple overlapping short-cycle linear accelerator beam cannon batteries and kinetic point-defense
guns, which allow it to inflict significant destruction from orbit and even potentially go toe-to-toe
with Union naval capital ships on comparatively equal footing. It also possesses its own dedicated
NHP, Greer (He/Him - Imperious, Proud, Overconfident), a retasked blue-water naval fleet
coordination NHP. Though Greer is still adapting to this new role and the many critical differences
between terrestrial and stellar naval operations, their inherent processing capabilities are sufficient
to prevent the Rio Grande from simply subverting the Typhon through electronic warfare.
Despite the serious threat it poses, the Typhon has been plagued by ongoing engineering issues as a
result of its rushed launch, and has required multiple in-flight systems overhauls over the last six
months in an attempt to address these concerns.
[/sidebar]

That something is a last-ditch plan to take the fight to the Typhon directly. Ordinarily this would be
impossible; the Sovereignty holds orbital superiority and no dropship or space launch could hope to
approach it without being intercepted and destroyed en route. However, a group of Vestan soldiers,
sickened by the destruction wreaked by their nation, has made contact with the resistance at great
personal risk to offer a plan, albeit a risky one. They can arrange for a small group of mechs and
soldiers to be smuggled onto the Sovereignty-controlled Pharos 1 space elevator when the Typhon is
scheduled to be docked there for resupply and personnel transfer.

The mission, then, is as straightforward as it is dangerous...infiltrate the space elevator, use it as a

staging ground to board the Typhon, and destroy its primary reactor, disabling the ship and putting
an end to the threat looming over Cressidium once and for all.

ROLL THE CLOCK FORWARD

This six month intervening period counts as a Full Repair, during which the PCs gain 1 License
Level. The resistance has access to the GMS schedule 1 printer that was delivered to Cressidium
prior to the Battle of Nov Elysia, which was hastily broken down and evacuated to a safe location
when the threat of the Typon became clear. It now provides the resistance with crucial resupply and
repair capabilities, but due to being pushed past its limits the lifespan of the printer has been
significantly shortened. It may not last long enough for Union reinforcements to arrive, which
means they should take advantage of it while they can. The PCs also have the chance to gain
Reserves at this time through downtime actions.

Furthermore, if the PCs were successful during Combat 3: Angels' Grave, resistance forces were
able to storm the facility and rescue both a number of captive scientists and engineers who had been
forced to work on the Typhon, riding out the ship's launch in the hardened structure and then
evacuating once it was clear. They possess extensive knowledge of the Typhon and its capabilities,
which they're eager to share:

• The Typhon was forced to launch prematurely due to mounting pressures by the LSA and
concerns that the war might be lost before it could be brought to bear. As a result, many of
the ship's systems are incomplete or not fully shaken down, including the damage control
and reactor stabilization systems. While this means it should be much easier to force the
ship's reactor to critically detonate, it also means that power conduit overloads and energy
surges are environmental hazards they should be mindful of throughout the ship.
• Due to this rushed launch, the ship also lacks a full crew complement. While the Typhon's
onboard marine and security forces include members drawn from Special Operations Unit
33, their actual onboard numbers are less than originally planned, and few of them have
extensive experience in boarding/counterboarding operations given Cressidium's minimal
history of naval warfare. This means the ship's defenders will be both less numerous and less
organized than they might otherwise be.
• The Typhon's point-defense tracking algorithms are based on systems designed for use in-
atmosphere, mainly by wet-navy ships, and haven't yet been optimized for use in this much
different environment. Several of the engineers are able to provide information on these
algorithms along with gaps in the ship's primary weapons coverage, which will prove useful
when it comes time to board the ship itself during Beat 3: Long Walk Off a Short Pier (p.
XX).
Their success during this combat also secured a wealth of valuable intel, including detailed
operational plans for preliminary orbital bombardment against LSA targets and even estimated
projections of which cities would be most likely to require strikes directed against them in order to
help "reinforce compliance." While the PCs may have failed to stop the launch, this intel was
enough to provide advance evacuation notice to these areas during the critical early days, saving
thousands of lives as a result.

During this downtime period, the PCs can also take stock of everything which has happened over
the last six months since the Typhon's launch, exploring their new base of operations and interacting
with NPCs as they like. This is a long time gap, but that isn't necessarily unusual. The amount of
time between missions can be as flexible as you like. Lancer's setting is one where significant
amounts of time can pass during interstellar travel or extensive military conflicts; some missions
might take place close together, others might be spaced far apart, and even during missions
themselves you may have more extensive narrative beats between combat scenes that don't qualify
as downtime or a Full Repair.

The tunnels and bunker complexes being used by the combined resistance were designed as
emergency fallback positions for military forces as well as emergency shelters during the numerous
periods of conflict throughout Cressidium's history, and in particular many of the complexes going
back to the Barren Years no longer even appear on any official records, a fact that serves to keep
them hidden from patrols and sweeper teams. In addition to resistance forces, a number of displaced
civilian refugees and those fleeing Vestan occupation have also taken shelter there as well. The
challenges facing the resistance during this period go beyond just military actions, but securing
critical resources like food, munitions, spare parts, and medical supplies as well. Some of the
bunkers were already stocked with supplies, while raids on Vestan supply lines have further
supplemented this, though shortages are a regular concern.

The remains of Task Force Indigo have regrouped here along with other LSA forces, including
Colonel Petras and Naia Reynaud, as well as Vasil Gerou and many members of the Vestan
resistance. The Rio Grande remains in contact via omnihook (a secure form of communication
unable to be traced by the Sovereignty) and communication with the crew is possible, though they
remain unable to provide more than remote assistance at this time. As dire as things are, life
continues even in the middle of a war. People find ways to occupy themselves and keep their spirits
up, birthdays and holidays are celebrated as best they can be under the circumstances, and quiet
moments are shared.

Some notable places the PCs might explore, use for downtime actions, or interact with other
characters during this downtime include:

1. Operations:
The bunker complex's nerve center and war room, where gathered intelligence is analyzed,
resources are tracked, crises are triaged, and military operations are planned. Avel, the Vestan
military logistics NHP, has been put to work here leveraging their immense data processing
capabilities and eye for detail, but the stressful events of the last six months have taken a toll on
them, and they're beginning to display signs of rapid onset cascading. Cycling is a process best
handled by dedicated professionals, but even an emergency field cycling (as any Union or cross-
trained pilot would be instructed in) would help them greatly.

2. Comms Center:
A patchwork of receiving and transmitting equipment, the staff here are responsible for handling
incoming and outgoing communications with resistance cells, using heavily encrypted burst
transmissions bounced from the Rio Grande's microsatellites to avoid the signals being traced. The
rest of their time is spent monitoring Vestan broadcast traffic to sift useful information from
propaganda, a depressing but necessary task.

3. Mess Hall:
Like many of the bunkers designed with extended military action in mind, this one comes with a
large communal dining area. Food is strictly rationed to stretch the stores of military provisions on
hand, and the risk of shortages have necessitated regular supply raids. Outside of mealtimes people
use this area as a communal gathering space, coming here to talk, play games, or simply be around
others.

4. Engineering Bay:
A large subterranean hangar bay once intended to house numerous armored vehicles on standby, this
area now houses the base's printer along with chassis that aren't on active deployment, including
those waiting for repairs. Supplies and spare parts are at a premium, and the technicians are having
to do more with less every day as mechs return from sorties damaged and base equipment breaks
down. The heat produced by the printer and other equipment makes this one of the warmest places
in the base, and there are no shortage of volunteers willing to help out for a chance to take the chill
off.

5. Medical Facility:
The bunker's medical facility was never state of the art even when it was first constructed, designed
for the treatment of battlefield injuries first and foremost rather than long-term medical care, but
despite this it remains a vital element of ongoing resistance efforts, and just about anyone still left
fighting has wound up here at some point over the last six months with a story to tell for it. Critical
shortages of medical supplies are a constant concern.

6. Briefing Room:
Normally the briefing room should be off limits to all but military personnel, and even then only
when tactical and strategic plans are being discussed. However, the room also contains one of the
largest display screens within the bunker complex, and following negotiations Colonel Petras has
agreed to allow the use of it to host periodic "movie nights" on rotation to help keep morale up. Rio
continues to supply omninet media along with her periodic intelligence reports, though some
civilian and resistance members have personal favorites they managed to bring on data storage
devices. Votes on what to watch next are hotly contested.

7. Living Quarters:
The barracks facilities built into the bunker complex were originally intended to house military
personnel only with an expectation of hot bunking for maximum efficiency, but the inclusion of
civilian refugees and resistance members has resulted in a much more informal living arrangement
out of simple necessity. Now the barracks are a tightly-packed mix of bunks, cots, sleeping bags,
and blankets, with tents lining the outer hallways. The lack of personal space is an ongoing source
of stress and friction among survivors.

8. Storeroom A-37:
There are countless storerooms just like this one all throughout the bunker network meant for
housing materiel. Someone discovered that the ventilation system works better in this particular
storeroom than in any of the others, however, and so it's become the place to go if you want a
smoke, complete with cheap folding chairs and some tables made of crates. The only downside is
the ventilation also lets more of the cold in.

9. The Black Cat:

Some enterprising survivors have taken it upon themselves to convert an unused area into a bar of
sorts, complete with a still, though where they get their ingredients (or what exactly they are)
remains a closely kept secret. They even have a precious collection of liquor and wine salvaged or
stolen during topside supply raids, though these are only broken out during special occasions. A few
posters and a battered dartboard serve as an attempt at decor, along with a repurposed survival radio
playing music and the bar's namesake cat, a stray someone brought back after a mission that's made
itself at home. Naia Reynaud spends much of her free time here trying to keep spirits high and
tensions low.

10. Memorial:
Whatever this space was originally intended to serve, it's long since been turned into a memorial
space to commemorate those who've been lost, either in battle or to the Typhon's bombardments.
The walls are covered with pictures, letters, and names (far too many) carved into the surface, while
mementos such as stuffed animals, bits of jewelry, and dogtags are laid across makeshift shelves.
People can be found here at all hours of the day, praying for the fallen and the living alike.

In addition to making downtime actions, each PC should also make a roll on both the What You've
Lost and What You've Gained tables, each representing something they've experienced during the
last six months of desperate warfare and its lasting consequences for them. Many of these results
ask questions of the players to fill in the details of exactly what happened to their characters over
this period, and they can be used to paint a picture of the events which have occurred "off-screen."
Some players may not be comfortable leaving elements like this up to random chance, however, and
they can instead choose particular results if they feel it would be more appropriate.

WHAT YOU'VE LOST

1-2 A battle, one of many fought during this six month period. What happened, and how was it
lost. Were you in charge, or were you following someone else's orders? What were the
consequences?
3-4 An old habit. What was it? What made you stop?
5-6 A friend. Who were they? How did it happen?
7-8 A treasured keepsake or memento. What was it? How did you lose it? Was it lost, stolen, or
did you give it to someone else?
9-10 A relationship. With who? What sort was it?
11-12 A doubt or fear. What was it? How did you lose it, and how has losing it changed you?
13-14 Time, a month or more. Were you seriously injured, captured, fallen ill, or something else?
How has this experience affected you?
15-16 An opportunity, one that's since slipped through your fingers. Was it to save someone? To
kill someone? Something else altogether?
17-18 A limb or an eye. How did it happen? Have you managed to replace it with a prosthetic, or
has that not been possible under these desperate circumstances? Note that this won't affect
your combat performance; it can be assumed that your mech and your hardsuit are capable
of making up the difference via specialized control systems, neural interface, etc.
19-20 Your ID. Due to a system error with the resistance's printer, your personal identification
files have been lost and refuse to sync up with the Rio Grande's database. A workaround
has been established so that you can continue to utilize the printer, but the printer now
recognizes you as someone else altogether, possibly including pilots who are KIA, MIA, or
not within this theater at all. Until the next Full Repair, you may select core bonuses from
any manufacturer when equipping your mech, regardless of which licenses you have.
WHAT YOU'VE GAINED
1-2 A collection of dog tags you've steadily been gathering over the last six months. Who were
they, comrades or strangers? How many did you personally know? What do you plan to do
with them?
3-4 A new habit. What is it? How did it start? Is it helpful, or harmful?
5-6 A scar (or scars). How did you get it?
7-8 A piece of artwork or a cultural treasure of some sort that you've managed to save. What is
it? How did this come to be in your care?
9-10 A relationship. With who? What sort is it? Note that if you roll this result along with a
result of 9-10 on the What You've Lost table, you could have gained and lost a
relationship with the same person or with different people, the choice is yours.
11-12 A strong conviction or belief of some sort. What is it? How did it come about?
13-14 Someone's respect. Who was it, and how did you do it?
15-16 An obligation or responsibility someone entrusted to you. What is it, and why did they
choose you? How well have you kept it?
17-18 Private Regas, who was there at the Battle of Nov Elysia, and who has latched onto you
during this new battle as well. How did this happen? Does he remember you from before,
assuming you were there? Though still jumpy, nervous, and a bit too talkative, time and
experience has tempered some of the green out of him. If more than one PC rolls this
result, Private Regas is now Corporal Regas, and he's far more competent, self-assured,
and battle-hardened than before.
19-20 An anomalous print permission you don't recall ever having access to before. This has
happened randomly to several other resistance members as well, including Vasil Gerou, all
of whom have begun utilizing this new chassis to devastating effect in the field. You
permanently gain access to the HORUS Lycan Frame (p. XX) as Exotic Gear. If you
already have a rank II Manticore license, then until the next Full Repair your mech gains
a Custom Paint Job (Lancer, p. 120) which costs 0 SP, whether you wanted one or not.

This six month period is also an ideal opportunity to explore the extended period of narrative
downtime through roleplaying as well as skill challenges (Lancer, p. 47), either flashing back to
moments in the past or occurring closer to the present day. Up to three skill challenges can be
presented for the PCs to participate in during this downtime. In addition to the narrative stakes and
consequences, succeeding at a skill challenge grants the PCs one additional reserve or one piece
of Exotic Gear of their choice to distribute among themselves as they see fit. Failure means that
one PC chosen at random must roll an additional time on the What You've Lost table and accept
that result (a PC can't be chosen for this consequence more than once).

The following are some examples of skill challenges the PCs might face, along with additional
complicating factors which can be added to customize them, or you can create your own. Players
should be encouraged to approach these skill challenges creatively, coming up with their own plans
and utilizing their PCs' skill triggers as appropriate.

Supply Raid
Life in the bunker complex is precarious, and not just because of the constant threat of discovery by
Vestan forces. Wars are more often lost due to a lack of supplies than a lack of firepower. Food,
medicine, fuel, spare parts, ammunition, and winter clothing are just some of the things the
resistance requires to effectively operate, and without any official support or supply lines to rely
upon, it's up to them to procure what they need by any means necessary. This time, the PCs are
tasked with that procurement.
Complications: An NPC wants something specific or unusual (an intact subaltern body for Avel, a
particular caliber of ammunition for Naia Reynaud, etc.), an NPC insists on accompanying the PCs
for their own reasons, the Vestans have anticipated this raid and set an ambush, the lack of supplies
is causing rising tensions among the survivors.

Troubled Waters
Though united in a common cause, the surviving LSA soldiers, resistance fighters, and civilian
refugees don't always agree on the best path forward. Arguments often arise over which targets
should be struck, who should be sent on missions, and even how supplies should be distributed. In
particular, members of the Vestan resistance believe more aggressive action should be taken against
the Sovereignty while LSA forces advocate for a more cautious and methodical approach, and this
disagreement over which strategies the combined resistance command should pursue has finally
come to a head. Now it's up to the PCs to break this deadlock, either finding a compromise or
advocating for one side over the other, before things spiral out of control.
Complications: Several different NPCs (such as Vasil Gerou or Colonel Petras) approach
individual PCs separately looking to bring them over to their respective sides, a fistfight breaks out
as tempers flare, recently obtained intel casts one side's arguments in a new light, civilian
representatives argue that neither side is addressing their concerns and wish to enlist the PCs
themselves.

Moment of Respite
In a protracted conflict like this, under constant threat of discovery and destruction by Vestan
forces, keeping morale up and spirits high is as important as strategy and logistics. An upcoming
holiday, such as the LSA's Alliance Day or the more widely observed Elysian Remembrance (a
thanksgiving day which commemorates those lost during the Barren Years) is the perfect
opportunity to recuperate, enjoy a meal made from more than military rations, and reflect on
everything that's happened and everything yet to come...provided the PCs can help make the
necessary arrangements and ensure nothing goes wrong, that is.
Complications: An NPC needs help finishing a backlog of work before they'll be free to attend, a
recon patrol has reported Vestan scouts in the area, the owners of the Black Cat want a favor done
for them before they'll part with any celebratory spirits, malfunctions are causing intermittent power
outages throughout the base.

Lastly, this six period can also serve as another moment to create and play through an additional
mission (with a corresponding additional downtime) if you wish to end Operation Winter Scar with
the PCs earning enough License Levels to reach LL5 and enter Tier 2 (see the Extended
Operational Deployment sidebar p. XX). Missions during this period will be different from those
that could have taken place prior to the start of the module, focused instead on guerrilla warfare, hit-
and-run tactics, ambushes, and fighting retreats, all with the ever-present threat of the Typhon
hanging over their heads.

EXOTIC GEAR AND NEW FRAMES

In addition to normal Reserves, the following Exotic Gear options are available to the players as
well, representing a selection of specialized IPS-N boarding/counterboarding print permissions
derived authorized by Captain Farris and Rio to assist in the assault on the Typhon. These
independent weapons and systems represent holdovers from a prototype chassis program which was
eventually passed over in favor of the Caliban, now repurposed for use by Trunk Security teams
during anti-piracy operations and available to other pilots through special licensing arrangements.
Harrison Armory, aware of the situation via CentComm backchannels, has also approved access to
the HA Kutuzov (p. XX), a compact, projected barrier chassis based on Napoleon technology
designed for boarding actions. Several pilots have also discovered that they now have access to
something called the HORUS Lycan, which appears to be derived from the Manticore pattern-
group. No one can explain how this license has come into their possession, including the printer
technicians, though a preliminary analysis has deemed it safe for use.

[sidebar]
TAG: EXOTIC GEAR
EXOTIC GEAR: Once acquired, this system becomes a permanent part of the character, but does
not increase their LL or count as a license rank for the purposes of gaining core bonuses. If it is
destroyed or damaged, it can be repaired or reprinted as any other gear with no penalty. Exotic
Gear can only be installed or removed during a Full Repair, like any other gear. Characters may
install up to two pieces of gear with the Exotic Gear tag at a time, but can own any number of
pieces with the tag.
[/sidebar]

Shrapnel Cannon
Clearing the cramped corridors and hallways of spaceships requires weaponry capable of
engaging threats at all angles, even around corners or behind cover. A simple and brutally effective
weapon, the shrapnel cannon fires explosive shells lined with a metal/polymer composite that
erupts into deadly shards upon detonation. The composite's elasticity is sufficient to enable these
shards to ricochet off hard surfaces without compromising terminal ballistics, enabling wide-
coverage indirect fire across spaces where traditional CQB weapons can't reach without exposing
the operator in turn.

Main Cannon
Exotic Gear
Range 8
1d6+1 explosive damage
On Hit: This weapon creates a Cone 5 area originating from the target, oriented away from them in
a direction of your choice and tracing line of sight from that target. All units in this area must pass
an Agility save or take 1d6 kinetic damage.

Electrohydraulic Claw
A chassis-scale, weaponized version of the iconic search-and-rescue tool, IPS-N's electrohydraulic
cutter/spreader claw is even more powerful than its utilitarian cousin, requiring direct coldcore
feed for optimum power. Typically brachial-mounted for additional stability, while the claw's
reinforced cutting blades serve as an adequate, if clumsy, weapon on their own, their true potential
lies in their ability to literally pry chassis apart when suitably braced, able to exert nearly 50,000
psi of pressure and rated capable of shearing through even reinforced armor composites. The
ability to easily bypass sealed doors and airlocks (or create alternate openings in a pinch) lends the
weapon additional versatility, allowing wielders to smoothly transition from breaching actions to
combat and back all in a single package.

Main Melee
Exotic Gear, Inaccurate, Overkill
Threat 1
1d6+3 kinetic damage
1/round, you may activate the claws as a quick action when you hit a character with this weapon
to automatically grapple them. Targets grappled this way must pass a Hull save or become
Shredded until the end of their next turn.
This weapon deals 10 AP kinetic damage to objects, cover, and the environment, and gives +1
Accuracy to all non-combat mech skill checks to pry heavy objects open or apart such as sealed
airlocks, jammed cockpits, vault doors, cargo containers, etc.

Fusion Torch
The FS-90 "Rockhammer" directed high-output mining beam is a heavy industrial energy cutter
used to carve apart starship-grade hulls and toughened asteroids for mineral extraction. Patched
directly into a chassis' reactor, a magnetic containment field channels a focused beam of
superheated energy capable of effortlessly melting through even reinforced bulkheads, though
attenuation rapidly degrades the beam's effectiveness at range. Repurposed by IPS-N as an
offensive chassis-mounted weapon system, the fusion torch works just as well against enemy armor,
and its effectiveness as a breaching tool is second to none. Users often refer to the glowing slag
deposits which frequently adorn their frames as "war paint."

Heavy CQB
AP, Exotic Gear, Overkill
Line 5
2d6+2 energy damage
On Attack: This weapon automatically deals 30 AP energy damage to objects, cover, and terrain
within its area, and destroying these leaves behind clouds of burning slag in their place that linger
until the end of your next turn. Characters other than you that begin their turn in these slag clouds or
who enter them for the first time in a round take 1d6 energy damage. As long as you are at least
partially within a slag cloud, you gain soft cover.

Quickfoam Charges
A common piece of equipment aboard commercial and military spacefaring vessels alike,
"quickfoam" is a self-curing polymer foam laced with whitewash utility nanites that rapidly
expands and hardens even in null-atmosphere conditions, used to seal hull breaches, sustain
compromised systems, and dampen dangerous hazards. While not considered part of a standard
combat loadout, marine pilots often make use of deployable airburst cannisters full of the substance
to effect in-field emergency repairs or to set improvised snare traps in chokepoints and access
corridors.

3 SP, Exotic Gear, Limited 2, Unique

Patch Grenade (Grenade, Range 5): When used on an allied character, you Bolster the target and
they may clear one hostile condition. When used on a hostile character, they become Impaired and
Slowed until the end of their next turn.
Sealant Mine (Mine, Burst 1): This mine detonates when a character moves adjacent to or over it.
All allied characters (including yourself) within the affected area gain Grit+4 Overshield and clear
all burn. All hostile characters in the affected area become Immobilized by quick-curing foam
sealant, which hardens in place. They remain Immobilized until the hardened foam takes enough
damage to break; it counts as an object with 10 HP and Evasion 5.

BOUNDER-Class Comp/Con
Originally planned as part of the "Campbell" license package which ultimately lost to the Caliban
during selection trials, the BOUNDER-class comp/con represents IPS-N's latest developments in
next-generation smart weapons design. The Campbell program was intended to facilitate boarding
actions through indirect targeting solutions, minimizing the risk of incoming retaliatory fire, and
though the Campbell was ultimately never adopted, BOUNDER was a cornerstone of that design
and remains available as a self-contained license for requisition.
BOUNDER is a joint hardware/software suite, incorporating both a weapon-integrated comp/con
as well as a comprehensive upgrade package suitable for most mainline armaments, designed to
maximize surface reflectivity and projectile/waveform cohesion through a combination of
specialized ammunition, variable electromagnetic lensing, and adjustable firing profiles. Thanks to
the system's advanced ballistic calculation capabilities, users are able accurately chart oblique
firing solutions across hard surfaces in realtime with acceptable accuracy.

Lessons learned from the infamous UNCLE-class comp/con have resulted in a much more stable
and user-friendly experience, though some pilots experienced with both systems claim they find
UNCLE's idiosyncrasies more endearing than BOUNDER's polished but less eccentric personality.

3 SP, AI, Exotic Gear, Mod, Unique

Choose one CQB, Cannon, or Rifle (excluding Blast, Burst, Line, or Cone weapons). Your
BOUNDER-class comp/con and its additional ballistic control systems are integrated onto that
weapon.

1/round, you may choose one of the following:

• When you miss an attack with this weapon, you may reroll that attack against a different
target, tracing Range and line of sight from the original target's location.
• You may bank your shot around corners and off of the environment to hit distant targets.
Choose a wall, object, or piece of cover or terrain within the weapon's Range and line of
sight, and you may then make your attack from that location, tracing Range and line of sight
from there instead.
• When you roll a 20 on a die for this attack (sometimes called a "natural 20"), you may
riccochet the shot to strike a critical area on the target. The attack's damage can't be reduced
in any way, and on hit the target is knocked Prone.

This system isn't a full NHP and cannot enter cascade.

MISSION 2: THE TYPHON
BRIEFING
The complex's briefing room was built to the same standards as the rest of the bunker network,
stark, reinforced, and unadorned. Maps line the walls, some old, some new. The newer ones have
X's marked on them where the Typhon is known to have struck over the last six months. The picture
it paints is disquieting.

Everyone physically present is seated around a large table once meant for discussing top-level
strategic maneuvers in the event of an all-out world war, dressed in layers to keep out the cold; the
repurposed chassis reactors providing power to the base have their limits, and this winter has
proven to be a bitter one. Across from the table, a technician makes some final adjustments to a
patchwork of outdated electronics and salvaged communications equipment all tied into a central
display screen, including an omnihook.

"Sir," she says, "I have the Rio Grande on the line. Signal's stable."

"Patch them through."

Colonel Petras looks tired. Everyone does. It's been a long, hard six months, and things could only
get harder from here, but at least there's a glimmer of hope to shoot for, as long of a shot as it may
be. On screen, Captain Farris, 1st Lt. Kim, and Rio join the briefing from the Rio Grande, still
stationed a safe distance away from the Typhon's batteries. The Vestan ship used to periodically
feint like it was going to pursue the carrier, looking to provoke some sort of reaction. Now they
simply watch each other and wait.

This particular briefing is the final pre-operational outlining of the plan that's been in the works for
several weeks now. Pharos 1 is an LSA-built space elevator taken over by the Vestan Sovereignty
following the LSA's surrender, and the Typhon is scheduled to dock there 48 hours from now.
Sympathetic Vestan soldiers stationed at Pharos 1 have agreed to help smuggle mechs and soldiers
aboard the space elevator, concealed inside cargo containers as part of a supply shipment. This
infiltration force will consist of several teams, including chassis and marines, and while the other
teams are to take and secure Pharos 1 itself, the PCs are tasked with boarding the Typhon and
destroying it.

In order to accomplish this, the PCs will have to first secure a staging area. It can be assumed that
during this the Typhon will pull away from the docking station and attempt to flee, which means
moving through the elevator and boarding it through the docking connection likely won't be
possible. Instead, the plan is to, via exterior airlock or improvised breachpoint, make a high-speed
extravehicular approach to the ship directly from the elevator platform. Doing this from such a
relatively close distance should prevent the Typhon's point-defense guns from operating at full
effectiveness, and additional cover for their approach will be provided by the other teams as well.

Once aboard, the PCs will need to fight their way towards the ship's main reactor and destroy it; this
should ensure the near-total destruction of the Typhon itself, minimizing the potential danger from
de-orbiting debris. If successful, shuttles dispatched from the Rio Grande will retrieve them
afterwards. If they fail, no extraction or rescue will be possible beyond what they can attempt
themselves. Both Colonel Petras and Captain Farris are aware of how much is being asked of
everyone involved in this mission and the risks that it carries, but this is the most vulnerable that the
ship will ever be, and this opportunity represents the best, and perhaps the only, chance that anyone
on Cressidium will have to stop it.
Mission Objectives: Infiltrate the Pharos 1 space elevator, board the VNS Typhon, make your way
to the ship's primary reactor, and destroy it by any means necessary.
Mission Parameters: Anticipate heavy resistance and intense close-quarters combat both within
the space elevator and the ship itself. Due to the area of operations, exoatmospheric/null-grav
traversal capabilities are highly recommended. (PC loadout suggestions include flight or zero-
gravity maneuvering systems, traits, or abilities, as well as weapons and systems capable of
terrain destruction).
Stakes: Failure to destroy the Typhon will leave the hardline Vestan government in a position to
continue to dominate Cressidium's orbit uncontested, and may result in reprisal strikes. Security
measures will doubtlessly be reinforced in the aftermath of an assault on the ship, rendering future
attempts against it nigh-impossible as well as endangering further resistance efforts until additional
Union reinforcements can arrive (ETA: 24 months).
Reward: Should they succeed at this critical mission, the PCs will be authorized to receive an
additional License Level and will likely receive further commendations for their efforts.
Reserves: The PCs have an opportunity to procure Reserves before the start of this mission. Ensure
that they are satisfied with the distribution of all Reserves and gear before the mission begins.

Six months. Six months of running, hiding, surviving, and almost dying. Now it all comes down to
this.

Everything's riding on this mission, if not for Union then for the LSA and for everyone you've
fought alongside. All available resources have been diverted to this op, which means for the first
time in a long while you're heading into the field locked and stocked...full magazines, demolition
charges, auto-repair kits, and as many spare parts as the techs could scrape together, all to give
you every advantage possible. Even then, it's not going to be easy. There's a lot more of them up
there than there are of you.

Of course the hardest part might be the waiting. You're being smuggled up the elevator in shipping
containers, lined with sensor baffles and rigged for maximum concealment. If anyone even gets a
whiff that something's out of the ordinary, the mission's scrubbed before it's even begun, which
means you're nestled in your mech's cockpit on standby power only. No lights, no comms, nothing
but you, your hardsuit's internal life support, and total darkness to keep you company on a long,
silent ride to the top of the world.

Stuck in your own personal metal coffin, you wonder if this is what it feels like to be buried alive.

An eternity goes by before the decel finally kicks in, snapping you out of your thoughts and
signaling the end of the line. The familiar pre-battle nerves chase the stiffness from your limbs and
light stabs your eyes as your mech begins spinning up from standby, coldcore thrumming to life and
systems checks reading all green. They're moving you again, this time towards whatever unlucky
cargo bay is about to play host to a firefight. Not long now.

When the go signal comes and the explosive bolts turn the container wall into a door, the first thing
you see is stars greeting you through the wide armorglass view panels set into the bulkheads, the
ink-black vista of space stretching out before you. Then wailing alarms and panicked chatter
intercepts snap your attention back to more immediate concerns as the deck crew reaches for their
weapons and scrambles to repel boarders.

COMBAT 4: SPECIAL DELIVERY

Sitrep: Holdout (Lancer, p. 272)
Enemy Forces:
For 3 PCs: 1x Elite Veteran Spacer Engineer (+1 Accuracy to Agility checks/saves, Mobile
Turrets, Arsenal, Acrobat, Concussion Gun)
1x Seeder (Hopping Mines)
1x Spacer Support (Remote Reboot, Gravity Rifle)
For 4 PCs: Seeder: Add Elite template and Grav-Spike system.
For 5 PCs: Support: Add Elite template.

Reinforcements:
For 3-4 PCs: 2x Ronin (Charged Slash)
1x Sentinel (Bodyguard
1x Witch (Pain Transferrence)
For 5 PCs: +1x Rainmaker (Hound Missiles)

DETAILS:
The PCs begin in the Player Deployment Zone/Objective Zone (PDZ/OZ) within the middle of
the cargo bay they've been smuggled into, surrounded by containers and heavy equipment which
grants hard cover. The initial group of enemy forces, a startled group of engineering and cargo
handling mechs, is deployed to the Enemy Deployment Zone. The remainder of the NPCs, which
consist of dedicated security forces, are held in reserve as reinforcements.

The objective for the PCs is to securely hold the PDZ/OZ for six rounds. They can also succeed by
destroying all enemy forces. Note that they do not have to remain within the PDZ/OZ during the
combat in order to win. Instead, their focus should be on preventing the NPCs from occupying it. If
too many NPCs make it to the zone and remain there by the end of the sixth round, the PCs will
lose.

This combat introduces zero-gravity conditions. Gravity aboard this part of the space elevator is
sufficiently minimal that mechs with flight or zero-gravity maneuvering capabilities (including
GMS EVA Modules) are able to freely fly. Mechs without these capabilities can fly as well, but are
permanently Slowed while they do. Any mech that wishes to can use the basic magnetic grapples in
their feet to walk along the floor or other solid surfaces within the map normally, without being
Slowed.

Note that this means that mechs subject to involuntary movement can be moved "upwards" into the
air, but because of the zero-gravity conditions they will not fall or suffer from fall damage as a
result of this. Remember though that some forms of involuntary movement, such as knockback,
have specific directions they apply in (for example, knockback knocks targets directly away from
the source) unless it specifies otherwise, so specific abilities may be necessary in order to lift targets
off the ground.

Within the confines of the cargo bay, the maximum flight ceiling for all characters is 5 spaces high.

REINFORCEMENTS:
Up to two NPCs can enter from any of the Ingress Zones (IZs) positioned around the map at the
start of any round.

GM TIPS:
The initial deployment of NPCs consists of an Engineer (with the Elite, Veteran, and Spacer
templates) with a Seeder and Support providing them backup. This combination of templates and
optional abilities makes the Engineer a serious threat if left unchecked as they can continue to place
Deployable Turrets throughout the course of the fight, which are enhanced even further by the
Arsenal trait which gives them access to a variety of capabilities such as dealing Reliable damage,
area attacks, or exploding when destroyed. In addition to this, the Engineer's Flak Cannon gains
additional Accuracy when used against flying targets, rounding out its offensive capabilities.

The Engineer is also one of the only NPCs in this combat that has the ability to freely fly in zero-
gravity itself thanks to the Spacer template, which also gives it a disruptive Concussion Gun. This
weapon deals no damage, but is capable of knocking multiple targets back if they get to close to the
Engineer. This can also be used more aggressively to disrupt enemy positions and to knock targets
over the Seeder's mines in order to trigger them, which works even if the target is flying thanks to
Hopping Mines. The Support also has the Spacer template along with a Gravity Rifle, another
weapon which deals no damage but is capable of dragging targets up to 10 spaces at once, pulling
them away from their allies and into danger. The Gravity Rifle can also be used in a pinch to try
and pull allied units into a better position or away from danger. Keep in mind that the Support still
has to roll to hit and succeed in order to do this, but that the target can voluntarily fail the save if
they wish.

With the Elite template providing an additional activation each round and both it and the Veteran
template giving it additional structure and stress, the Engineer will likely be the primary threat
during this combat. Additional reinforcements consist of security personnel responding to the
intruder alert, and give ways to provide additional pressure on the PCs. Reinforcements can be
deployed in any of the IZs around the map, allowing you to choose the best angle to approach from,
as well as selecting which NPCs to bring in based on the current state of the combat; if you find that
the Engineer isn't threatening the PCs enough, then bringing in additional strikers can make up for
that, while if additional control or defense options are what's needed then those can be brought to
bear instead.

Ronins are hard-hitting melee strikers that are dangerous to try and take down with ranged attacks
thanks to Rebound, but they lack any other form of utility and their melee focus means they can be
kept at bay with conditions like Slowed or Immobilized, or by knocking them Prone. Charged
Slash potentially allows them to damage multiple targets at once, but it requires careful positioning
to get the most out of it since it only affects characters adjacent to the Ronin as opposed to its
longer-reaching Carbon Fiber Sword. The Concussion Gun or Gravity Rifle can be used to try
and set this ability up as well, and the fact that it's a save rather than an attack allows it to bypass
defenses such as Invisibility.

The Sentinel's Bodyguard creates more difficult targeting choices when paired with a suitably ally,
which should be chosen based on the PCs' priorities during the fight for maximum effect. The
Witch's Pain Transferrence discourages the PCs from remaining too close to each other as it
spreads accumulated heat from one target (including heat they gain themselves) to nearby allies.
The Rainmaker is a reinforcement which can come into play against larger PC groups and provides
an additional form of pressure from a distance with its ability to attack multiple targets with its
Missile Pods while ignoring the need for line of sight. Its Hound Missiles are another way to divert
attention by creating a threat that steadily creeps towards the PCs, but clever use of of forced
movement abilities (on both sides) can also influence the missile's flight.

When bringing in reinforcements, up to two NPCs can be deployed at once. Consider staggering the
deployment of the Ronins into the fight, bringing them in one after the other rather than both at
once. Pairing them with other NPCs allows you prevent both of them from being focused or locked
down at once, and gives you more flexibility when choosing where to deploy them into the fight so
they can do the most good.

Along one of the outer edges of the map are several armored view panels looking out into space.
Each of these panels has 10 HP, Evasion 5, and E-Defense 5. If even one of these panels is
destroyed, all of them break as well, causing a sudden decompression throughout the cargo bay. All
characters who do not have flight or EVA capability must pass a Hull save or be pulled 10 spaces
towards the nearest broken panel, falling Prone if they collide with an obstruction. If any NPCs are
pulled into the marked warning areas in front of the view panels, they are ejected from the cargo
bay into space and considered destroyed. Any PCs who are pulled into the warning areas are not
ejected, but instead take the same set of penalties as if they had Braced (they can't take reactions
until the end of their next turn, and during that turn they can only take one quick action of their
choice). After this resolves, emergency shutters slam down over the breaches, sealing them off.

Something to note here, for the purpose of sitreps, is that Drones do not contest objectives such as
the PDZ/OZ. This means that the Engineer can't use its Deployable Turrets to attempt to secure
the objective. An actual mech, vehicle, or person is required to successfully control or contest a
zone.

OUTCOME
PC Victory
If the PCs successfully hold the cargo bay for six rounds, they secure the area on schedule. Further
enemy reinforcements are cut off as the other teams secure their assigned sectors, locking down
doors and access corridors. For the moment, however brief, they control this part of the elevator,
and they're able to gather their supplies and make field repairs. Over comms, one of the other team
leaders reports that the Typhon has hastily undocked and is making a run for it. This gives them
enough time to take up positions near one of the cargo bay airlocks just as the Typhon begins to
swing past their position. When the signal is given, the airlock opens along with every other airlock
along this side of the elevator, ejecting a cloud of cargo containers, machinery, and Vestan mechs
towards the Typhon, creating a screen of debris for the PCs to advance under.

PC Defeat
Securing the platform takes longer than anticipated., too long in fact. By the time the last of the
reinforcements have been neutralized and the PCs are running auto-repairs, the Typhon has already
undocked and is coming about...only it isn't running, it's bringing its weapons to bear. Heedless of
the Vestan forces still aboard the elevator, the ship recklessly opens fire with its main guns, ripping
through the hull with barrages of coherent energy in a desperate bid to eliminate the intruders.
Comms chatter from allies and enemies alike is cut off in an instant as searing beams carve through
bulkheads, and the PCs are sent tumbling into space as explosions and decompression events rock
the elevator.

In the case of either success or failure, the PCs should be able to receive the benefits of a rest
before moving on to the next beat.

[sidebar]
MANDATORY BREAKS
Rests are an important part of Lancer's mission pacing. While the core rulebook suggests that rests
should take an hour or so of time, the exact amount of time a rest requires is something that can be
stretched or compressed depending on the immediate needs of the narrative, whether it involves
activating automatic repair systems to quickly perform in-field maintenance in a matter of moments
or days of waiting around and getting into trouble back at base while awaiting a new assignment.
The important part is that PCs are given the chance to perform a rest at some point between combat
scenes; rests and Full Repairs shouldn't be withheld as punishments or failure states, nor should a
lack of a rest between scenes be something sprung as a surprise. If you plan to withhold a rest
during a mission for whatever reason, it should be clearly communicated to the players in advance
during the mission briefing so they know to expect it and can plan accordingly.
[/sidebar]

BEAT 3: LONG WALK OFF A SHORT PIER

However the PCs have reached this point, whether they successfully disembarked from the elevator
under their own power or were blown from it, they're now set on a course towards the Typhon. The
space around them is filled with hurtling debris, containers and the wreckage of mechs tumbling
over and over in zero-gravity, and in the distance the ship's weapons are desperately attempting to
swat them down as they approach.

Union pilots are, at least, more accustomed to zero-g operations, receiving training in operating
under such conditions as part of their academy curriculum. For any LSA pilots, this may be the very
first time they've embarked on such an action, though some hasty simulator time in the weeks
leading up to this mission should hopefully have given them enough of a crash course to help them
keep their bearings in the disorienting environment where up and down no longer hold the same
meaning.

From this close a distance and under the cover of debris, the Typhon's guns will have a hard time
tracking the PCs during their approach...naval weapons are much less effective against small targets
such as mechs, particularly those quickly moving beneath the coverage envelope of their point-
defense guns...but despite this the ship is filling the approach corridor with fire, hoping to swat
them down through sheer saturation.

Choose one PC at random. If the PCs were unsuccessful during Combat 3: Angels' Grave and
therefore failed to rescue the abducted TARTARUS engineers along with their knowledge of the
ship (including its target tracking algorithms), choose another random PC as well. If they were
unsuccessful during Combat 4: Special Delivery and were forcefully ejected into space rather than
making the jump themselves, choose another. Up to three PCs can randomly be chosen this way
altogether.

If any player successfully predicted the true nature of the TARTARUS program prior to the launch
of the Typhon, that it was a ship rather than a missile program, choose one less PC. This can result
in no PCs being chosen.

All of the chosen PCs must pass an Agility check or their path takes them dangerously close to a
salvo from the Typhon's main guns, and even a near-miss from naval-grade energy weapons can be
dangerous enough to cause damage to oncoming craft. PCs who fail the save must choose one:

• One of their equipped flight or EVA systems is destroyed. This can be repaired normally
during a rest. If the PC doesn't have such a system, this option can't be chosen.
• They take 2d6 energy damage. If this results in structure damage, it does not cause a
structure damage check. If the PC has a Custom Paint Job system equipped, they can
expend it to reduce this damage to half.
• They take 1d6 heat and increase their Overcharge counter by one step (going from 1 heat
to 1d3, from 1d3 to 1d6, etc).

PCs with an appropriate skill trigger (such as Get Somewhere Quickly or Stay Cool) can roll those
instead of Agility if they wish, while appropriate Personalizations can add Accuracy to this check
as can any suitable backgrounds which might be invoked. Any destroyed systems, damage, or heat
taken will carry over into the following combat.

Once through this storm, the PCs will shortly make contact with the Typhon's hull. Though the guns
may continue to fire, from here there's no risk of being hit, and even as the ship accelerates away
from the elevator the magnetic clamps in their mechs' feet keep them firmly affixed to the surface.
From here, the next step is breaching the ship's hull and moving interior, and the best place to do
that is where it's the thinnest, a shuttle bay that should give them a straight shot towards the ship's
primary transit corridor. The bay doors are sealed, but that's nothing some hullcutter charges won't
fix.

If the PCs succeed at every Agility check (or if no checks are necessary), then the swiftness and
accuracy of their boarding action places them right on target, which translates to an equally swift
and high-impact dynamic entry. At the start of the first round of the upcoming combat, the PCs can
choose 2 NPCs to begin the fight knocked Prone. These NPCs will also be unable to fly for the first
round of combat.

Of course, the Typhon's crew is on high alert, and intercepted comms chatter reveals that the PCs
aren't the only problem they're is dealing with; the vessel's hasty departure and reckless firing has
caused a number of overloads and system failures throughout the ship.

"Damage control teams to decks 3, 4, and 6!"

"Engineering is reporting a coolant leak in the secondary heat sink array! Reactor temperature is
fluctuating!"

"Hull breach in shuttle bay 2! Intruder alert! All hands, prepare to repel boarders! Don't give them
an inch, push these Union scum back into the void!"

That last voice may be familiar to the PCs as the ship's defenders move to intercept them; if
Colonel Sorvan Kiros (Operation Solstice Rain, p. 39) happened to survive the Battle of Nov
Elysia, he's here once again, having been assigned to the Typhon as part of its security complement.
Otherwise, voice-recognition analysis drawn from an LSA high-value targets database identifies
them as Captain Batos Rezmira of Vestan Special Operations Unit 33, one of Kiros' subordinates.

COMBAT 5: GATECRASHERS
Sitrep: Control (Lancer, p. 268)
Enemy Forces:
For 3 PCs: 1x Spacer Archer (Hail of Fire, Gravity Rifle)
1x Veteran Marine Assassin (+1 Accuracy to Agility checks/saves, Limitless,
Spinning Kick, Captive Spike)
1x Marine Bastion (Near-Threat Denial System, Pointman Plating)
1x Marine Pyro (Deck Anchors, Napalm Bomb)
1x Squad (Primary Weapon and Anti-Armor Weapon deal energy damage, Armored,
Rapid Insertion)
For 4 PCs: +1x Spacer Operator (Telefrag)
For 5 PCs: Archer: Add Veteran template, +1 Accuracy to Hull saves/checks, and Acrobat trait
Bastion: Add Elite template and Deathcounter system

DETAILS:
The PCs begin in the Player Deployment Zone (PDZ) along the bottom of the map, and the NPCs
begin in the Enemy Deployment Zone (EDZ) along the top. Some NPCs may be held in reserve as
reinforcements if you wish, entering play at the start of any round from the EDZ. Between the two
forces are four Objective Zones (OZs). This combat takes place in a hangar bay and flight deck
aboard the Typhon, with cramped quarters and volatile machinery. Zero-gravity environmental
conditions are still in effect, as the ship is not currently moving quickly enough to generate proper
thrust gravity.

The PCs’ primary objective in this combat is to secure control of the area by scoring as many points
as possible. Points are scored by holding the four OZs. At the end of each round, each side scores 1
point for each OZ that contains only units from its side, with an additional +1 point if they control
all four zones. If characters from both sides occupy an OZ, it is contested and neither side scores a
point. This combat lasts for six rounds, with final scores tallied at the end.

A number of power conduits have overloaded due to the stress of repeatedly firing the ship's main
batteries and are now arcing wildly. Whenever a character starts their turn within or above the
marked areas (up to 10 spaces high) or enters that area for the first time in a round, they must pass
an Engineering save or take 1d6 energy damage and become Slowed until the end of their next
turn.

Unlike the previous combat, the maximum flight ceiling for all characters in the ship's hangar bay is
10 spaces high.

GM TIPS:
The shipboard defenders are better equipped to handle intruders than the space elevator security
garrison was; several NPCs in this combat have a new template, Marine, which gives them access
to additional defensive abilities as well as zero-gravity maneuevring capability, something that all of
the NPCs in this combat share unlike the forces in the previous one.

The Bastion's Pointman Plating allows them to grant soft cover to any adjacent allies, giving them
greater flexibility and defensive coverage than just their Guardian trait would normally provide.
Meanwhile, the Assassin's Captive Spike is a powerful ability that traps a target in an ongoing
grapple which also turns that target into a human shield. The target can only escape this grapple by
passing a Hull save as a full action rather than a contested Hull check (and they're Impaired while
they do so), but also any form of involuntary movement against either the Assassin or their captive
target will break the grapple as well, including using Ram. Lastly, the Pyro's Deck Anchors gives
them the ability to negate involuntary movement once a round, allowing them to more stubbornly
contest crucial areas such as OZs.

The Squad is another NPC whose Immunity to Grapple, Ram, and Knockback and resistance to
many types of weapons makes them ideal for contesting objectives. Once they take up position, the
Squad can be difficult to dislodge, though any Line, Cone, Burst, or Blast attacks will make short
work of them. Remember that the resistance Strength in Numbers grants only applies to attacks,
not any damage dealt from non-attack sources such as saves.

The Archer comes equipped with a Gravity Rifle courtesy of the Spacer template, and their
reaction attack granting abilities such as Moving Target and Hail of Fire allow the Archer to make
those reaction attacks with any weapon they have equipped, allowing them to choose between their
Light Machine Gun or the Gravity Rifle. This can allow them to yank enemies off of OZs and
pull them out of position, though pulling dangerous close-quarters mechs towards them can
potentially backfire if they don't have nearby allies to support them.

The Operator is a highly mobile long-range NPC that can apply constant pressure from a distance,
teleporting around the map using Trace Drive and Step. Remaining in place isn't ideal for them,
which makes them less useful for holding and contesting objectives, and they're vulnerable to
conditions such as Slow and Immobilize, which means they're best served skirting along the
outskirts of the fight to harass the PCs. However, Telefrag is a potent ability which can render a
target Jammed, though it requires the Operator to teleport right on top of someone in order to use
it. Additionally, Telefrag causes the Operator to take damage whether it succeeds or fails. There
are two main ways to utilize this ability. The first is to look for an ideal opportunity to try and
exploit it, Telefrag towards the target, then utilize the Operator's standard move to teleport back
out thanks to Trace Drive. The other is to use it when the Operator is already low on HP and
would likely be destroyed soon anyway, letting you get as much value out of it as you can. Note that
if the Operator is destroyed due to Telefrag's self-damage, this will trigger their Self-Erasure trait
which can potentially deal even more damage to any characters they're adjacent to when they're
destroyed.

Mounted on an overhead gantry above the battlefield is a shuttle undergoing maintenance. Within
the map is a Gantry Control Panel which can be accessed to detach the shuttle and initiate a test
fire sequence, causing it to crash violently into the deck below. An adjacent mech with the
Manipulators system or a dismounted pilot on foot can use the controls as a quick action with no
check required. Other PCs must succeed on an Agility check as a full action while adjacent to the
control panel in order to make use of the human-sized controls with their mech’s hands. When
activated, that PC creates a Blast 3 area 10 spaces high within an OZ of their choice. All characters
within that area must pass an Agility save or take 3d6 explosive damage and be knocked Prone.
Flying characters who fail this save are also forced to land. On a success, they take half damage
only. This panel can only be used once during the fight.

OUTCOME
PC Victory (or Tie)
After the PCs secure the shuttle bay, they're able to swiftly make their way to the Typhon's primary
transit corridor, a spinal passageway running the length of the ship which allows for personnel and
materiel to be moved from one area of the ship to the next. With the ship's defenders still
scrambling to respond to the sudden intrusion, the PCs are able to use explosives to disable the
corridor's tram systems, blocking the passageway behind them with derailed cars and debris, thanks
to which the PCs will be able to influence which enemy reinforcements can enter play during
Combat 6: Hell's Heart. From here, they can directly make their way to engineering and the ship's
primary reactor without further interference.

PC Defeat
The fight is slow, exhausting, and bloody work. The Vestan defenders refuse to give up the ship,
forcing the PCs to fight an ongoing battle for every meter of territory gained. Additional units
continue to harry them at every juncture, delaying their advance and buying time with their lives in
order to allow the remaining defenders to reinforce the engineering section, but the PCs are able to
salvage an additional 2 Repairs from the mechs they had to fight their way through to reach this
point.

BEAT 4: TAKE A BREATH, COUNT TO THREE

By this point, the PCs will have reached the final corridor before the Typhon's engineering section,
and by sealing the bulkhead doors behind them they're able to buy themselves enough time to rest,
effect emergency repairs, and prepare themselves for the final step of this mission; destroying the
ship's reactor and the ship along with it.

Comms chatter coming in over the Vestan tactical network is increasingly alarmed as the intent of
the boarding action becomes clear. Greer, the Typhon's shipboard NHP, is furiously ordering
additional reinforcements to converge on the PCs' location, but despite the fact that they must know
what's at stake, or perhaps because of it, no evacuation orders are being given. The crew is prepared
to either stop them from destroying the ship or to go down with it, no quarter and no surrender.
But there's no turning back for the PCs either. The way they came is cut off, which means the only
way out is through. The mission was always leading to this point, and exfiltration will have to be
figured out on the fly. If they're lucky, escape pods or lifeboats will be within reach once they start
the countdown. Otherwise, they may have to improvise themselves an exit via hull breach,
assuming they have enough explosives left over to do so. Fighting their way back through the ship
is unlikely, though if they successfully liberated the scientists and engineers from the Angopolis
facility they may have been given schematics detailing possible exfiltration routes they could use.

Either way, there's a definite sense of finality to things. One way or another, this is all going to be
over soon. If the PCs have any last minute messages they want to send to anyone back on
Cressidium or aboard the Rio Grande, now's the time to do so. Once they've made all the
preparations they can, all that's left to do is breach the engineering section and finish their mission.

COMBAT 6: HELL'S HEART

Sitrep: Gauntlet (Lancer, p. 271)

Enemy Forces:
For 3 PCs: 1x Aegis (Ring of Fire)
1x Hive (Motile Swarm, Driving Swarm)
1x Scourer (Emergency Vent)
For 4 PCs: Scourer: Add Veteran template, +1 Accuracy to Engineering checks/saves, and
Acrobat trait
For 5 PCs: Hive: Add Elite template

Reinforcements:
For 3 PCs: 1x Ultra Marine Cataphract (Lance Shot, Electrified Bola, Hover Propulsion,
Battering Ram, Captive Spike)
• If Colonel Sorvan Kiros is piloting this mech: Add Short-Cycle Lance and
Supreme Melee
• If Captain Batos Rezmira is piloting this mech: Add Wolfhound Missile and
Hellfire Projectors
Up to 4x Assassin, Scourer, and Sentinel Grunts (no more than 2x of any one class;
see below for details).
For 4-5 PCs: Cataphract: Commander template and Press On! trait

DETAILS:
The PCs begin in the Player Deployment Zone (PDZ) at the entrance to the Typhon's engineering
section. Half of the enemy forces are deployed to the Enemy Deployment Zone/Objective Zone
(EDZ/OZ). The other half of the NPCs are held as reinforcements.

The goal of this combat is for the PCs to fight their way to the primary reactor and occupy and
control the EDZ/OZ long enough to set demolition charges which will ensure the reactor's
detonates with enough force to destroy the ship. At the end of the eighth round, if there are more
PCs inside the EDZ/OZ than enemy characters, the PCs will have successfully primed the reactor
for detonation, and will need to escape before it explodes. Scoring is calculated as per normal for a
sitrep of this type (see Combat 1: High Speed, Low Drag p. XX).

In addition to the normal victory conditions for this sitrep, if the PCs destroy all non-Grunt NPCs
then you can simply declare the PCs victorious.

This part of the ship is full of highly reactive and volatile components, hardly anyone's ideal place
for a firefight, but it's that very volatility which makes it such a critical target for boarding actions
such as this. Throughout the map, marked machinery can be made to explode if damaged. Each
piece of volatile machinery is a Size 1 object with Evasion 5 and E-Defense 5 that explodes with a
Burst 1 area upon taking any damage or heat. All characters within the affected area must succeed
on an Agility save or take 2d6 energy damage. On a success, they take half damage. For the rest
of combat, that Burst 1 area continues to arc with dangerous energy; whenever a character starts
their turn within or above that area (up to 10 spaces high) or enters that area for the first time in a
round, they must pass an Engineering save or take 1d6 energy damage and become Slowed until
the end of their next turn. NPCs can make use of these explosives as well, and will should the
opportunity present itself.

There are also a series of reactor coolant regulators placed around the map as well. Each of these
regulators is a Size 1 object with 10 HP. If three or more of these regulators are destroyed, the
reactor's temperature destabilizes and it begins to emit dangerous levels of heat. Treat this as the
Extreme Sun environmental hazard (Lancer, p. 278). Designated areas on the map count as safe
zones of "shade" against this effect. NPCs will not willingly damage these regulators except for the
Cataphract, whose urge to destroy the PCs is greater than their willingness to prioritize the safety
of the ship.

This combat also does not utilize zero-gravity. By now, the Typhon is accelerating sufficiently that
these conditions no longer apply. Mechs with fight-capable systems or core bonuses (not EVA
Modules) are still capable of flight, but otherwise normal gravity rules are in effect.

GM TIPS:
This combat introduces the Aegis, a defender-type NPC capable of projecting a powerful shield
around itself with Defense Net, though at the cost of becoming Immobilized. This shield applies a
significant Difficulty penalty to all attacks made against anyone within its area, including the Aegis
itself, which stacks with other sources of Difficulty such as cover. It also gives Immunity to the
Slowed and Impaired conditions and removes them from any NPC that enters the shield's area.
Taken together this makes the Aegis capable of establishing a well-defended firing point from
anywhere on the map, even areas which wouldn't normally have cover, but the downside is that
doing so renders it immobile.

Additionally, Defense Net does have a Recharge value, which means that it can't necessarily be
relied upon to always be available when you want it. This means you should be mindful when you
want to deploy the Defense Net, and you should have a plan for what to do when you need to drop
it (or are forced to drop it due to the Aegis becoming Jammed or Stunned) and might not have
access to it again immediately. Simply activating it right at the start of combat risks locking the
Aegis into place without any ability to contribute to the fight as well as forcing its allies to choose
between engaging the PCs or benefitting from its shield. You should be willing to advance with it
and seek out a good position to operate from, but if the PCs decide to try and focus their fire upon it
then activating the Defense Net wherever it is may be a better option than having it be destroyed.
Ring of Fire further punishes PCs who attempt to engage it from close range, dealing heat and
automatically Shredding them as long as they remain within the shield's area.

Accompanying the Aegis are a Hive and a Scourer, offering additional control and damage. The
Scourer's Focus Down trait is capable of dealing high amounts of damage if left unchecked, and its
Cooling Module will clear not only the heat accrued from its own Thermal Lance but any other
heat dealt to it by the PCs unless they force it to move before it can activate. The Hive can deploy
Razor Swarms and use both Drone Barrage and Driving Swarm to interfere with the PCs as they
attempt to approach the OZ.
These NPCs won't be able to hold the engineering section on their own, but the won't be alone for
long, as at the end of the first round an Ultra Cataphract piloted by either Colonel Sorvan Kiros (if
he's still alive) or Captain Batos Rezmira joins the fight, blasting a hole through a nearby bulkhead
as it makes its appearance. An enhanced and modified Vestan chassis prototype designed for naval
actions, this NPC is a mobile striker that can move through enemy spaces, drag them out of
position, and harry them with attacks from multiple directions with both its Ram Cannon. Its
Hover Module allows it to fly freely despite the normal gravity conditions, but the short range of
its weapons means it won't want to loiter too high above the battlefield. For those PCs who have
flight capability, its Electric Bola can knock them from the air and leave them Immobilized, while
its Lance Shot can leave anyone caught in its area Jammed if they fail the save it inflicts.

Depending on who's piloting the Cataphract, its loadout may vary as well. Sorvan Kiros utilizes a
Short-Cycle Lance that PCs may be very familiar with from the Battle of Nov Elysia as well as the
Supreme Melee trait, which grants him additional Accuracy on melee attacks and a free melee
attack during each of his turns, including with the Ram Cannon. Meanwhile, Batos Rezmira is
equipped with Hellfire Projectors, a powerful short-ranged weapon which generates multiple areas
of effect each time it's fired.

Additional reinforcements also begin pouring in as the fight progresses, adding extra pressure.These
reinforcements are Grunts drawn from the Assassin, Scourer, and Sentinel NPC classes. At the
start of the second round, and at the start of any round thereafter, you may deploy up to 2 Grunts
however you like among the IZs, up to a maximum of 4 throughout the combat. No more than 2
Grunts can be of the same class; if you’ve already brought a pair of Scourer Grunts onto the field,
you need to choose other classes for subsequent reinforcements. If the PCs were victorious during
Combat 5: Gatecrashers, they may choose one class of grunt at the start of combat; grunts of this
class cannot enter play.

[sidebar]
VSAF C-78 KENTAUROS EXOBOOST TYPE (FURIES CUSTOM)

The development of the TARTARUS project necessitated the parallel development of additional
spaceborne military assets alongside it, both for matters of internal shipboard defense as well as to
stand ready against the possibility of another nation developing similar weaponry. However, with
TARTARUS already running into major engineering hurdles, plans for a whole new series of
exoatmospheric mechanized chassis were quickly sidelined in favor of retrofitting and upgrading
existing chassis assets for orbital/naval operation. The C-78 Kentauros with its distinctive close-
combat hybrid "lance gun" was chosen as the testbed for this program, incorporating a high-
powered multi-directional thruster array, additional weapon hardpoints, and a secondary reactor
onto an already highly mobile linebreaker platform. The end result is a chassis which is almost too
overtuned to effectively operate, requiring an exceptional degree of piloting skill to handle, though
during trials it exhibited performance levels well above expectations. Currently in limited
distribution to members of Special Operations Unit 33, the Kentauros EXOBOOST Type has yet to
see active combat engagement, and its field evaluation is still pending.
[/sidebar]

OUTCOME
The potential outcomes of this combat, both in terms of victory and defeat, are described in detail in
the following section, After-Action Report: Operation Winter Scar.
AFTER-ACTION REPORT: OPERATION WINTER SCAR
This mission to destroy the Typhon is a pivotal one in the war between the LSA and the Vestan
Sovereignty, one which has been building across both Operation Solstice Rain and Operation
Winter Scar, and there are a number of it can be resolved depending on whether the PCs succeeded
or not. It's important to note that in Lancer, failing a mission does not mean that the game is now
over. Not every mission ends in success, but stories carry on in spite of this, and dealing with the
aftermath of a failed operation can often be just as interesting as exploring the aftermath of a
successful one. And of course, success doesn't necessarily mean that the story ends there either.

Should the PCs fail to secure the engineering section and destroy the reactor, what comes next
depends on the sort of story you wish to tell and the sorts of consequences you wish to explore
going forward. Here are some examples:

• The most straightforward outcome is that the mission ends in failure. The PCs are forced to
retreat, evacuating the ship either by blowing a hole in its hull with the remaining
demolition charges or abandoning their mechs and using emergency escape pods; character
death is never an assumed consequence of mission failure, though for some tables who
prefer grittier and costlier war stories, it could be (such consequences should be discussed
among the group first when establishing stakes to ensure everyone is on the same page).
Linking up with the remaining strike forces from Pharos 1 in a stolen shuttle, they'll be able
to return to Cressidium battered, bloodied, and unsuccessful.

Though their mission failed, the Typhon still suffered significant damage as a result of their
assault, and the Sovereignty's hardline government is shaken by their ultimate weapon
coming so close to destruction. They begin hastily conducting security crackdowns and
internal purges, hunting spies and moles, creating new dangers for the resistance as well as
new opportunities to take advantage of the paranoia and instability which quickly spreads
throughout the Vestan ranks. The Typhon itself remains intact and operational, though in
need of critical repairs, and for a time the Sovereignty is reluctant to commit it to serious
action lest further strain be put on its damaged systems.

But this reprieve, however welcome, is short-lived. The PCs have bought some time,
perhaps enough to organize a new plan of action, but the Sovereignty will spare no effort to
restore the Typhon to full functionality, and when they do the reprisals that follow are sure to
be more brutal than ever. Union reinforcements are still many months out, and the future of
Cressidium is uncertain.

• Another possible outcome is that the PCs are able to damage the Typhon's reactor, but not
properly finish the job before they're forced to retreat. With the ship wounded but still very
much alive, Captain Farris makes the difficult decision to take advantage of this opportunity
and orders the Rio Grande's fighters to launch an attack on the Typhon while its guns are
faltering.

But while the Typhon may be wounded, it's far from toothless. Without any available cover
or support, the Rio Grande's fighters are unable to fully avoid all the incoming fire the
partially operational point-defense screens desperately put out. The PCs have bought them
an opening, but it's one that comes at a steep cost. One after another, they can hear the last
transmissions of their fellow pilots as the Typhon's guns cut them down, until with one final
volley the ship is finally silenced for good.

This is a victory of sorts, but a sober and bloody one. Union's forces are now more depleted
 than ever, having incurred serious losses in order to bring the Typhon down. In addition,
because the ship was merely mission-killed and not completely destroyed as originally
planned, the drifting remains of its hull pose a potential danger to Cressidium should they
begin to deorbit and reenter the planet's atmosphere. However, the immediate threat the ship
poses has been eliminated, and the Vestan orbital superiority stranglehold has been broken.
Without its guns overhead, the beleaguered resistance and occupied nations can begin
formulating plans to liberate themselves from Sovereignty forces as the hardline government
reels from this defeat.

• If character deaths as a consequence outside of tactical combat are acceptable and agreed
upon by your group, then you can offer them a chance to secure a victory should the result
of the previous combat prove unsuccessful, albeit at a cost. With enemy reinforcements
continuing to storm the engineering section, stray fire damages the remaining demolition
charges, rendering them inoperable. A chance still exists to destabilize the Typhon's reactor
however, but doing so will require one of the PCs to manually patch their mech's reactor
into the ship's and trigger an overload.

This can't be done remotely or set on a timer, however. The bridged reactor feed has to be
monitored and manually adjusted in order to bypass the ship's safety overrides, and e-war
safety protocols disallow such reactor modifications to be undertaken by comp/con systems
or NHPs. If this is going to be done, it requires a personal touch. The other PCs will need to
escape, laying down cover fire as they go to buy their squadmate the time they need before
using the escape pods to evacuate the ship ahead of detonation. There's just long enough for
a few final words over comms before the reactor goes critical, destroying the Typhon in a
massive explosion, leaving behind nothing but scattered debris.

This outcome should be presented to the PCs as a choice rather than a mandatory
consequence, and they should be the ones to decide which one of them (if any) will make
this sacrifice. If they decide that they don't wish to do so, then you can use one of the other
potential outcomes instead.

Should the PCs succeed in the fight, then they're able to secure the engineering section ahead of
additional reinforcements long enough to set their remaining demolition charges and start the
countdown. The ship's captain, realizing the situation is lost, finally gives the order to abandon ship,
though for many aboard this will come too late.

Without any additional explosives to open an exit and with time quickly running out, the fastest way
off of the Typhon is to abandon their mechs and get to the nearby escape pods. After evacuating,
they have just enough time to catch their breath before the charges detonate, breaching the reactor.

In an instant, the Typhon is annihilated. The escape pod viewscreens white out as the ship's reactor
explodes in a flash of superheated plasma that turns the ship into an expanding cloud of slag and
debris. Comms are flooded with static from the intensity of the blast, but as they gradually clear the
PCs will hear incoming messages from the rest of the strike team aboard Pharos 1, from the
resistance, and from the Rio Grande, all wanting to confirm their status. The mood is triumphant as
word of the mission's success is reported, and down below on the planet's surface, an impromptu
meteor shower marks the occasion as the remains of the Typhon begin to burn away in the
atmosphere.

Within the hour, Rio begins transmitting news of the Typhon's destruction to every corner of
Cressidium on every channel. The Vestan army, stretched dangerously thin during their campaign of
conquest, now finds itself without the support it's relied upon so heavily during these last six
months to compensate for such aggressive overextension. It doesn't take long for uprisings to erupt
throughout Vestan occupied territories, with local garrisons cut off and surrounded by angry mobs
and resistance cells. In a matter of weeks, the Sovereignty's lines begin to collapse back towards
their own territory as remaining Vestan forces mount an uncoordinated retreat. The hardline
government is in disarray, and there are numerous reports of purges, disappearances, and executions
taking place within its ranks as blame is assigned for the loss of the Typhon.

While the Sovereignty hasn't been completely defeated, they've been dealt a serious blow. The
destruction left in their wake is extensive, but people are able to begin reclaiming their cities and
homes as they drive the invaders out, and with the threat of the Typhon eliminated the remaining
LSA and resistance forces can begin to coordinate, rebuild, and prepare for the future. Union
reinforcements are still many months out, but thanks to the PCs there's a renewed sense of hope for
Cressidium's future.

For successfully completing this mission, the PCs (whether belonging to Union or the LSA) are
each awarded the Order of Leander by the LSA, one of the nation's highest military honors, for
their valiant endeavors above and beyond the call of duty. This can be invoked as though it was a
background during relevant skill checks (Lancer, p. 20). Beyond the narrative significance of this
award, it also acts as a core bonus which any of them can apply to their mechs during Full
Repairs, counting as a piece of Exotic Gear if they do so.

If any PCs gave their lives during the completion of the final mission, they are posthumously
awarded the Olduvai Cross, if Union, or the Alliance Medal of Valor if they belong to the LSA.

Order of Leander
The Order of Leander is a Leandric States Alliance commendation given to those who
have shown "exemplary character, courage, and determination under great adversity."
While largely a military citation, precedent exists for it to be awarded to civilians as
well, with a number of noteworthy historical figures having earned it for efforts during
natural disasters, search-and-rescue missions, and medical crises to name a few. In
the planet's settled history, no one from any other world has ever earned this award
before, but whether you come from beyond the stars or not, for your service in
defense of both the LSA as well as Cressidium you have earned the right to wear it
with pride.

1/scene, you may add +1 Accuracy to any attack, check, or save made by you or an
allied character within Range 10, adding an additional +1 Accuracy for each
structure damage you have. If you take structure damage during the scene after
this ability is expended, you may use it a second time.

The PCs are also granted, regardless of the outcome of the mission, a Full Repair and another LL,
bringing them to LL4 (or possibly to LL5 and Tier 2 if you incorporated another mission as
discussed earlier in the module).

WHAT COMES NEXT

With the end of Operation Winter Scar, the mystery of TARTARUS first hinted at in Operation
Solstice Rain has reached its conclusion, and the PCs have had a chance to change the tide of
history on Cressidium. The war between the LSA and Vestan Sovereignty is still unfinished, but it's
up to you whether you wish to continue exploring this story or if duty takes the PCs elsewhere, to
other worlds and other conflicts.
Union reinforcements will eventually arrive in-system, but not for many months yet. In the
meantime, the war will continue, though the stability of the Vestan hardline government will depend
on the outcome of the events in this module. If dealt a serious enough blow they could begin to
collapse, or perhaps they may continue to fight until the bitter end, unwilling to cede so much as a
single inch without bloodshed. Any successes the PCs accomplish here will bolster the resistance
effort against them, and perhaps the Vestan people themselves will begin to rise up against the
hardline nationalists and neo-anthrochauvinists who've forced them to this point. And of course,
there's the question of what comes after, the reconstruction and negotiations, but these are matters
for diplomats and politicians, not pilots.

These events can be explored in detail, or condensed and summarized as time skips ahead to the
arrival of the reinforcement task force, ready to relieve the PCs and send them on their way to their
next assignment, wherever that may be. Those LSA pilots among them may remain upon
Cressidium to take part in whatever comes next for their world, but they could also find room
aboard the Rio Grande as some of Cressidium's first Union Auxiliaries and take their first steps into
a much bigger world.

The charges are set, and not a moment too soon. Over comms, past the wail of klaxons, you hear
conflicting orders calling both for reinforcements and for all hands to abandon ship, but both are
arriving too late to do any good. As for you, there's only one way off this ride, and it's on foot. The
emergency escape pods are for personnel only, which means it's time to pop the cockpit and run like
hell.

The last thing you see as the escape pod hatch swings shut is your mech standing there backlit by
secondary explosions, one last silent sendoff from the partner that carried you this far just before
the pod kicks you free from the ship with enough force to pin you against the crash couch. Through
the viewscreen, you watch as the Typhon races ahead on its final trajectory. Five, four, three, two,
one...

And once again, a second sun rises over Cressidium.

For a moment it's almost peaceful, hanging there in nullgrav with no alarms or incoming fire, the
universe breathing a sigh of relief. Like all peaceful moments, it doesn't last. Comms are a mess of
static from the whiteout EM of the explosion, but soon enough the interference washes away and
you hear the friendly voices on the other side. "...read me? If you're receiving this, we've got your
beacon and we have a shuttle en route. Just hang on."

Your story won't be ending here, not today. Maybe someday on some distant world you'll wind up
passing on into legend, but right here and now your legend is only just beginning. They'll be telling
stories about this one for years to come, over drinks, in the history books, about what the right
group of pilots can pull off when the odds are long and the chips are down.

So what place in this great big galaxy will your story take you next? There's only one way to find
out.

Time to get to work, lancer.

APPENDIX: NEW OPTIONS
HA GILGAMESH
Striker

The Gilgamesh is Harrison Armory's multirole Legionnaire model chassis, designed to

be distributed to Armory legions and Acquisition & Management Teams across the
Purview and beyond. Built to be fully compatible with numerous hardpoint-mounted
tactical system enhancements and munitions, the Gilgamesh excels at no one task in
particular, but its comprehensive modular construction and rugged engineering allow
it to perform a variety of combat duties without difficulty within numerous theaters.
Beyond the logistical efficiency of a standardized, easy to handle chassis meant to
streamline both materiel concerns and aptitude training across multiple worlds and
cultures, the Gilgamesh has another purpose as well; further reducing the Armory's
remaining dependence on foreign-manufactured chassis designs, in particular the
GMS Everest.

Some commissioned officers have a tendency to look down upon Gilgamesh pilots for
using what they view as an unglamorous "trainer" chassis, but other commanders are
fierce proponents of the design, even choosing to pilot it themselves in order to lead
by example, and in certain regions of the Purview the Gilgamesh is regarded with as
much admiration as more sophisticated models such as the Sherman.

License:
I. Legionnaire Battle Rifle, Utility Drone
II. GILGAMESH FRAME, Emergency Repair Module, Thermal Blade
III. Legion Nexus, SPEAR Charges

GILGAMESH
HP: 8 Evasion: 8 Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 7 Sensors: 10

Armor: 1 E-Defense: Size: 1 Repair Cap: Tech Attack:

8 4 +0
Save Target:
11

TRAITS:

Load-Bearing Hardpoints: The Gilgamesh has +1 maximum use of all Limited

weapons and systems.
Locked and Loaded: The Gilgamesh has a Loadout Die, 1d6 starting at 6. Each time
it expends a Limited charge, reduce the value of the Loadout Die by 1. When the
Loadout Die reaches 1, you may reset it to 6 to reroll one attack, check, or save,
though the second result must be kept. The value of the Loadout Die persists between
scenes but resets to 6 when you perform a Full Repair.

SYSTEM POINTS: 6

MOUNTS:

Main Mount Flex Mount Heavy Mount

CORE system
 Exoframe Engineering

The Gilgamesh was designed from the ground up to be easy and inexpensive to both
construct and maintain, but to Harrison Armory "inexpensive" does not equal shoddy or
inefficient. Instead, the Gilgamesh utilizes a unique two-stage chassis design in which an
inner "core chassis" is first created before a secondary outer "exoframe" is built upon
that core, including additional armor, brachial/limb extensions, and hardpoints. The end
result is a deceptively elegant design capable of not only extensive customization but
also exceptionally simple field repairs. A series of interlocking clamps and explosive
bolts anchor various exoframe components and appendages in place, and when
sufficient structural integrity is compromised these sections can be swiftly jettisoned
and just as quickly replaced, allowing Legionnaires to continue fighting through
catastrophic damage that would render other chassis inoperable.

This construction also allows power to be selectively rerouted between the core chassis
and exoframe components, bypassing system failures and even enhancing overall
performance for brief periods, though the strain this puts on the exoframe necessarily
limits its use to critical situations only.

Passive: The Gilgamesh has a modular construction framework which allows it to easily
make in-field repairs by blowing off and replacing damaged limbs and components with
spares. 1/scene as a free action, you may choose two of the following:
• Regain all HP.
• Clear a condition that wasn’t caused by one of your own systems, talents, etc.
• Repair a destroyed weapon or system.

If you don't use this ability during combat, then when you next rest you may either
regain all HP or automatically repair a destroyed weapon or system. Using the
Gilgamesh's core passive and core active abilities during combat both count as
expending a Limited charge.

Active (Requires 1 Core Power): Exo Amplification

Protocol
You gain Immunity to all conditions that weren't caused by your own systems, talents,
etc until the end of your next turn and clear all hostile conditions you already have
(including conditions that can't be cleared normally), clear Exposed, stand from Prone,
gain your Grit +4 Overshield, replenish 1 use of all Limited weapons and systems,
and until the end of your next turn you may Overcharge for no cost. This ability can be
used even if you would not normally be able to take this action, such as being Stunned
etc.

Legionnaire Battle Rifle

Harrison Armory's primary model Legionnaire heavy battle rifle is a mainstay of both
regular and auxiliary Armory forces regardless of theater or world of origin,
standardizing logistics and streamlining integration of foreign and local assets.
Chambered in a high-caliber round with a variety of magazine options, the weapon is
both inexpensive to print and easy to operate despite its size, and its robust design
allows for sustained volumes of both precision and saturation fire even across
extended engagements without the risk of mechanical failure. Legionnaire pilots are
rigorously trained in fire discipline, but enthusiastic recruits are still known to make up
for a lack of experience with an excess of ammunition.

Heavy Rifle
Limited (3)
Range 15
1d6+3 kinetic damage
On Attack: You may expend up to 3 charges, gaining either +2 Reliable or +1
Accuracy to this attack for each charge expended.

You may attack with this weapon without expending charges, and whenever you would
be forced to destroy a weapon due to critical damage or other effects, you may choose
this weapon to destroy even if it has no charges remaining.

Utility Drone
Mass produced and distributed to Armory legions wherever they may find themselves
deployed, the "Argonaut" utility drone is a common sight throughout the Purview and
beyond. Each Argonaut is a flexible multipurpose drone platform which is rapidly
assembled prior to deployment from a variety of prefabricated systems and
components, including threat interception arrays, electrostatic discharge area
denial/suppression projectors, and field diagnostic loadouts. Legionnaire doctrine calls
for extensive use of Argonaut drones to supplement and enhance squad performance,
and attrition rates among units involved in active combat tend to be correspondingly
high, necessitating frequent reprint and resupply.

2 SP, Quick Action, Limited (2), Unique

Utility Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, Evasion 10, E-Defense 10, Tags: Drone)
Expend 1-2 charges to deploy that many utility drones to free spaces within Sensors
where they create a Burst 2 area. Hostile characters within this area make all checks
and saves with +1 Difficulty, and all allied characters within this area gain +1
Accuracy to all checks and saves.

The utility drone can be redeployed to a new location as a quick action. It cannot be
recalled and expires at the end of the scene.

Emergency Repair Module

Emergency repair modules are often a mainstay on Armory chassis galaxy-wide.
Through a combination of active nanite slurry, hardpatch welding, and shunting to
redundant systems in response to immediate damage, they ensure that a chassis will
be able to quickly complete nonmassive battlefield repairs in order to remain active
without compromising operational effectiveness or pilot safety. A number of informal
celebratory traditions have arisen throughout the legions to commemorate a pilot's
first time taking damage sufficient to trigger an ERM in combat.

3 SP, Limited (1), Unique

Whenever you Brace, you may expend a charge and spend 1 Repair immediately
after taking damage from the triggering attack to restore your HP to full. If you took
structure damage from the triggering attack, you also roll one less die on the
structure damage check to a minimum of 0 (which results in no effect).

Thermal Blade
Available in a variety of designs extensively curated for maximum wide-reaching
cultural appeal, the Armory's line of thermal blades are considered a status symbol
among some Legionnaires, as well as a valuable close-quarters assault tool.
Unpowered the blade is merely a conventional, if solidly designed, chassis-grade
tactical melee weapon, but when the blade's internal power bank is discharged its
striking edge is briefly superheated to extreme temperatures. In addition to its own
internal power supply, thermal blades can even accept limited coldcore draw through
hard-cable or induction feeds.

Main Melee
AP, Limited (2), 1 Heat (self), Unique
Threat 1
1d6 energy damage +1 heat
On Hit: If you are in the Danger Zone you may expend a charge to to deal +3 heat,
or if you are not in the Danger Zone you may take 3 heat to expend a charge
anyway.

You may attack with this weapon without expending charges, and whenever you would
be forced to destroy a weapon due to critical damage or other effects, you may choose
this weapon to destroy even if it has no charges remaining.

Legion Nexus
The PRAETORIAN combat subaltern is one of the Armory's latest and most advanced
models, designed for shock assault, seize-and-hold, and combined arms doctrines.
Capable of effectively wielding both man-portable and heavier-than anti-mech/anti-
materiel weapons and utilizing a tiered hierarchy/command structure allowing them to
operate at levels ranging from individual fire teams to brigade strength under local
comp/con or NHP command, a squadron of PRAETORIAN subalterns can also be
seconded to pilots under local nexus node control, and one or more squadrons are
often assigned to Legionnaire units during combat operations to provide integrated
support. Personality matrices are customizable by users, and HA offers a variety of
preset options to choose from at time of licensing.

Superheavy Nexus
1 SP, Smart, Limited (3)
Range 10
3d6+4 damage
Each time you print this weapon or during a Full Repair, choose whether it deals
kinetic, explosive, or energy damage. You may attack with this weapon without
expending charges, and whenever you would be forced to destroy a weapon due to
critical damage or other effects, you may choose this weapon to destroy even if it has
no charges remaining.

As a quick action, you may spend a charge to task a team of subalterns to operate
independently from the main unit. This counts as a Drone with the following profile:

Legion Drone (Size 1/2, HP 5, Armor 1, Evasion 10, E-Defense 10, Tags:
Drone)

The legion drone is deployed in a free space adjacent to you. During your turn, all
deployed legion drones may move 3 spaces in any direction and then perform one of
the following as a free action:
• Open Fire: The drone makes a ranged attack against a target within Range 10
using your Grit versus the target's E-Defense, dealing 1d6+2 damage of the
same type as the legion nexus on hit.
• Suppression Protocols: Lay down suppressing fire against a hostile character
within Range 10. That character becomes Impaired and all your attacks with
the legion nexus against them are made with +1 Accuracy until the end of
their next turn. This effect does not stack.
• Assault Position: Move an additional 2 spaces. If the drone ends this
movement adjacent to a hostile character, that character takes 3 kinetic
damage and must pass a Hull save or be knocked Prone.

Legion drones cannot be recalled and expire at the end of the scene.

SPEAR Charges
Only recently approved for widespread distribution throughout Legion forces, the
Special Purpose Enhanced Anti-armor Rocket is a lightweight munition delivery system
designed to be used in place of larger payload weapons such as the GMS MC-RPG or
the Snapdragon ACGM. Designed for ease of use with minimal training and fired from
disposable tube launchers, each rocket can either be used in direct-fire mode or set to
loiter over an area, initiating top-down terminal interception upon recognizing hostile
contact within its established threat perimeter.

3 SP, Limited (2), Unique

Anti-Armor Rocket (Grenade, Range 10): Your target must pass an Agility save or take
6 AP explosive damage. On a success, they take half damage.
Loitering Payload (Mine, Range 5, Burst 2): This advanced munition does not detonate
normally; instead, the next time a hostile character voluntarily moves more than 1
space or takes any action besides attempting to detect and disarm Mines while
within its area, up to 10 spaces high, the payload immediately launches itself at
them, detonating. They take 6 AP explosive damage and must pass an Agility save
or immediately stop and lose all remaining movement (if the triggering action was
movement) or lose the action (if it was any other action). A character can only trigger
one loitering payload per turn.

SSC AMBER PHANTOM

Striker
Metalmark Variant

This variant can be taken at rank II of the Metalmark license instead of the base
Frame.

Created as an advanced strike chassis for SSC's INSIGHT ORDINAL next-generation

weapons evaluation program, the Amber Phantom represents the culmination of
numerous technologies developed under the BELLA CIAO line into a single hyperspec,
high-performance frame. Based primarily upon the Metalmark platform, the Amber
Phantom incorporates an advanced neural bridge derived from the Death's Head's
precognitive targeting system in conjunction with TACSIM choral processors in order to
amplify the pilot's situational awareness to beyond-human levels.

The result of this synergy is an uncanny level of mind/machine-integrated

performance akin to seeing into the future. Amber Phantom pilots appear to casually
sidestep incoming fire, and their attacks are perfectly timed to intersect enemy
positions without any wasted movement. This system is not without its drawbacks;
extended use of the neural bridge is said to result in feelings of intense déjà vu,
temporal dissociation, and dyschronometria, and pilots are strongly advised to
maintain regular downtime rotation cycles and centering exercises in order to
minimize these risks.

Not currently in widespread distribution, the Amber Phantom has seen extensive use
among Constellar special forces, and is also available to select SSC clients under a full-
disclosure data sharing and promotional rights agreement.

AMBER PHANTOM
HP: 8 Evasion: 12 Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 5 Sensors: 10

Armor: 1 E-Defense: Size: 1 Repair Cap: Tech Attack:

8 4 +0
Save Target:
10
 TRAITS:

Possibility Mapping: At the start of each round, choose a point during the PC turn
order to act (i.e. if there are three PCs, you can choose to act first, second, or third
among them). If the Amber Phantom takes its turn during that point, it may deal +1d6
bonus damage on hit with a ranged or melee attack it makes that round against a
target within Sensors. If it takes its turn at another point in the round, it may still gain
this bonus damage by taking 1d6 heat.
Hyperawareness: At the start of each round, until the Amber Phantom takes its turn,
all attacks against it are made with +1 Difficulty and it makes all checks and saves
with +1 Accuracy.

SYSTEM POINTS: 5

MOUNTS:

Aux/Aux Mount Flex Mount Main/Aux Mount

CORE system

Tactical Timeline

SSC's precognitive neural bridging systems are not paracausal as the name might
suggest. Using carefully modulated neural stimulation and acceleration, the operator's
ability to consciously process and assimilate even subconsciously-derived sensory input
is greatly amplified, reducing feedback delay and enhancing reaction time to near-
instinctive levels. This then allows users to more accurately predict immediate future
occurrences based on comprehensive sensory awareness and intuitive analysis, hence
precognition.

To further enhance this system's capability, the Amber Phantom marries precognitive
bridging with a chorus of predictive modeling and tactical simulation systems to provide
the pilot with even more information. The result is the creation of a holistic battlefield
timeline continuously extending forward several seconds in advance of realtime,
granting users an unparalleled ability to choose the precise, optimal moment to act in all
situations, reacting to ongoing events even before they occur.

Active (Requires 1 Core Power): Convergence Point

Protocol, Efficient
Choose one allied character that has not taken their turn this round. That character may
take their turn either immediately after your turn ends, or they may take their turn now
before you do anything else during your own turn. If they choose to act now, they count
as acting before you in the PC turn order.

HORUS LYCAN
Defender/Striker
Manticore Variant

This variant can be taken at rank II of the Manticore license instead of the base
Frame.

Despite its recent appearance, the Manticore has quickly become one of the most
readily identifiable HORUS pattern-groups due to its distinctive electromagnetic
signature and indiscriminately destructive energy bleed-off. While this recognition
lends itself well to the Manticore's fearsome reputation, it also limits the design's
strategic applications to direct assaults where early detection and collateral damage
are of minimal consequence.

It remains unclear if the Lycan was designed in parallel to the Manticore or if it

represents a subsequent development, but while it's clear that the Lycan is derived
from the Manticore PG, it decouples the base chassis' heavy armor and hardpoint
capability from the Manticore's more volatile systems. The resulting design is far less
dangerous for the pilot, and far more capable of concealing its signature as well as the
full extent of its capabilities, allowing it to operate with greater discretion until
absolutely necessary.

As a result, the Lycan excels at ambush and counter-ambush tactics, capable of

masquerading as a more conventional chassis until the opportunity presents itself,
then shedding its baffle-lined outer carapace and shifting into a hyper-aggressive
close-combat mode in order to dispatch its targets.

LYCAN
HP: 8 Evasion: 6 Speed: 3 Heat Cap: 6 Sensors: 8

Armor: 2 E-Defense: Size: 1 Repair Cap: Tech Attack:

10 4 +1
Save Target:
10

TRAITS:

Slag Carapace: The Lycan has resistance to energy damage and burn.
Interference Field: All hostile characters within range 3 of the Lycan take +1
Difficulty on all attacks that do not target the Lycan.
Power Flux: 1/round, when the Lycan takes heat, a hostile character within Sensors
must pass a Systems save or become Impaired and Slowed until the end of their next
turn.

SYSTEM POINTS: 6

MOUNTS:

Flex Mount Heavy Mount

CORE system

Subversive Signature

As a chassis designed for covert operations, the Lycan leverages the Manticore's affinity
for electromagnetics in order to further obscure its precise nature, wrapping itself in a
layered mesh of sensor baffles and wideband interference signals that disrupt and
distort recognition scans and targeting systems. The effects of this distortion field are so
intense that they even cause sporadic, uncontrolled power fluctuations in nearby
systems, and pilots who have survived combat with Lycan PGs report experiencing
intermittent electronics blackouts and even reduced reactor output upon approach.

However, the most distinctive feature of the Lycan by far is its ability to shift from its
default, heavily-armored configuration to a more aggressive assault mode. This
transformation is dramatic and known to cause panic among enemy forces as the
Lycan's true nature is suddenly revealed in an explosive jettisoning of heavy armor
plating and a violent surge of power diverted towards the chassis' concealed shock
claws, a series of retractable, high-temperature arc blades based on Manticore
armament designs.

Active (Requires 1 Core Power): Go Loud

Full Action, Efficient
The Lycan violently jettisons its external carapace, extending brutal talons and
supercharging its reactor. Its base Armor becomes 0, its base Speed becomes 6, it
gains +1 Accuracy on all attacks against targets within range 3, and both Slag
Carapace and Interference Field are disabled. These effects last until the end of the
scene.

The Lycan may then charge forward to unleash an attack on a nearby foe, moving its
Speed and making a melee attack against a target in range with the following
integrated weapon, which can now be used for the rest of the scene:

Integrated Mount: Shock Claws

Shock Claws
Heavy Melee
AP, Overkill
Threat 1
3d6 energy damage
1/round, on hit you may deal 2 AP energy damage to a different character within
range 3 of the target.

Taking stress or structure damage before using this system alters its activation
requirements and effects. If the Lycan has taken either stress or structure damage
during the scene before activating this system, the activation requirement is reduced
from a full action to a quick action, the Shock Claws become Threat 2, and their
effect becomes "you may deal 2 AP energy damage to one or two different characters
within range 3 of the target." If it has taken both stress and structure damage, you
may activate it as a free action, the Shock Claws now deal 4d6 energy damage, and
their effect gains "and you gain 4 Overshield."

HA KUTUZOV
Defender/Controller
Napoleon Variant

This variant can be taken at rank II of the Napoleon license instead of the base
Frame.

Following the initial testbed development of the Napoleon and its successful proof-of-
concept demonstration of numerous advanced blinkspace and stasis technologies,
Harrison Armory immediately approved a series of ongoing developmental programs
to expand the application of these systems across a number of successor chassis and
block upgrade packages. One of the earliest of these successor programs, the Kutuzov
was designed for Armory Naval Command as a boarding action force multiplier, taking
the Napoleon's incredible self-sustainability and turning it outwards to create a
compact and maneuverable projected defense platform ideal for accompanying
marine or chassis squads into close-quarters engagements.

Unlike the more iconic Saladin, the Kutuzov remains unsuited to frontline
engagement, and its own personal survivability metrics are notably reduced from the
Napoleon itself. However, its robust array of waveform projectors are designed for
sustained operation under even critical system stresses, and its ability to rapidly
disseminate flash-projected barriers in response to incoming fire have shown
extremely promising results both during training exercises as well as limited live-
combat engagements during anti-piracy operations. The Kutuzov has also begun to
see increasing use as a perimeter security and riot control unit during low-intensity
defensive actions on New Madrassa, alongside chassis such as the Iskander-CC.

KUTUZOV
HP: 6 Evasion: 8 Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 8 Sensors: 5

Armor: 1 E-Defense: Size: 1/2 Repair Cap: Tech Attack:

10 3 +0
Save Target:
11

TRAITS:

Emergency Blinkfields: The Kutuzov and all allied characters within Sensors
immediately clear Shredded (or ignore the effects of Shredded if the condition can't be
cleared normally) from hostile sources whenever they Brace, and attacks they Brace
against can't inflict Shredded.
Self-Sustaining Shielding: After the Kutuzov Braces, it may choose to continue using
reactions until the end of its next turn and may take two quick actions or one full
action during that turn, but if it does then the only actions it can take are Bolster,
Stabilize, and Activating or otherwise using Shield systems.
Parallel Emitters: 1/round, when the Kutuzov Activates or otherwise uses a Shield
system or takes the Stabilize action during their turn, it grants an allied character
within Sensors a benefit based on the cost of that action (you may choose a benefit
from a lower cost if you like):
• Free Action: You may Bolster that character.
• Quick Action: That character ignores engagement, their movement doesn't
provoke reactions, and they may pass through (but not stop in) spaces occupied
by obstructions and other characters until the end of their next turn.
• Full Action: That character may clear a condition that wasn't caused by one of
their own systems, talents, etc.

SYSTEM POINTS: 7

MOUNTS:

Main/Aux Mount

CORE system

Single-Plane Aegis

Among the many challenges Armory engineers have faced since the initial development
of the Trueblack Aegis shielding system, the most significant has been finding a way to
overcome the extreme limitations the blinkspace envelope imposes upon protected
chassis. As incoming attacks cannot cross the barrier, neither can outgoing attacks in
turn, which drastically limits the system's broader applications, and this remains the
biggest obstacle to the wider adoption of the technology across multiple platforms,
something Harrison Armory is keenly interested in.

One of the most straightforward, albeit simplistic, solutions has been to "flash" a single-
plane blinkspace field as a reactive countermeasure, as opposed to a sustained total-
 coverage envelope. Without the excessive demands of needing to sustain the blinkspace
envelope, the system's operational range can be more easily extended for wider-area
coverage through a series of point-defense protocols. However, the drawback to this
implementation is immediately obvious, with intermittent coverage only able to
intercept a limited volume of incoming fire before dispersal, and though overall power
consumption is reduced, the field emitters require an extensive cycling period before
they can be reactivated once more.

Active (1 CP): Project Aegis

Quick Action, Shield, Efficient
Choose an allied character within Sensors. Until the end of your next turn, you may
grant them Immunity to a single successful ranged or melee attack made against them
or a save that they fail as a reaction. If this effect ends without being expended by an
attack or save, that character gains Grit+4 Overshield.

NEW NPC CLASS

MBT
Striker/Artillery

The tank remains a core component of modern military doctrine even in the era of combat chassis,
with a history stretching back to the earliest days of pre-Fall armored warfare. Despite the many
technological advances since then, the overall design of modern main battle tanks remains
immediately recognizable; an armored vehicle housing a large, turreted primary weapon
supplemented by secondary armaments, blending firepower, protective countermeasures, and
mobility into a multipurpose unit capable of offensive or defensive maneuvers as necessary. While
chassis tend to be much more flexible and configurable strike platforms, tanks make up for this with
the ability to more easily mount heavier armor without compromising their ability to employ large-
caliber weaponry while on the move. The sheer variety of tank configurations which can be found
throughout the galaxy is perhaps more numerous than even chassis variants, with different nations,
militaries, and even private armies all favoring designs that best suit their preferred combat
doctrines.

Tactics: The MBT is a heavily armored and heavily armed "setpiece" unit that can quickly
overwhelm enemies with both their speed and firepower. Barraging with both its main gun and
secondary weapon along with the option of using Tank Shock to run other characters over allows it
to quickly deal a tremendous amount of damage, and Composite Armor makes it incredibly
resilient, but it has to balance this with both the restrictions to its movement and its visible armored
facing which makes it vulnerable to being flanked. Choosing when to fire from range and when to
press the attack are key to getting the most out of this unit.

MBT
Vehicle, Striker/Artillery

HP Evade E-D Heat H A S E Armor Spd Sense Save Size

20 6 8 10 +4 -2 +0 +2 2 5 10 11 2

Base systems:
Rolling Thunder
Trait
The MBT can't take the Grunt template, and only a single MBT may be present in any scene.

Full-Tracked
Trait
The MBT must always move in a straight line, although it can move and Boost in separate
directions. Additionally, the MBT can’t climb, swim, manipulate objects, or make melee attacks
other than Ram, but it ignores difficult terrain and has Immunity to Prone.

Composite Armor
Trait
One side of the the MBT is an armored facing (choose one side of its token, icon, or miniature 2
spaces long) which is visible to all characters. Attacks and effects that trace a line directly to this
side treat the MBT as though it has 6 Armor and Resistance to damage from Blast, Burst, Line,
and Cone attacks and effects. AP damage, burn, and any damage taken by the MBT while it is
Shredded is still reduced by 2 against attacks and effects made this way. Mines ignore this trait.
Whenever the MBT makes a standard move or Boost, it can change which side its armored facing is
on.

Tank Shock
Trait
The MBT ignores engagement and can pass through, but not stop in, spaces occupied by other
characters and obstructions smaller than Size 3. Objects passed through this way are destroyed,
while characters passed through must 1/turn pass a Hull save or take 4/5/6 kinetic damage and be
knocked Prone. If the MBT would end its movement overlapping with another character, that
character is pushed out of the way as directly as possible, if able.

Stable Body
Trait
The MBT can’t be pushed, pulled, or knocked back by smaller characters. If a hostile effect would
move the MBT 2 or more spaces or knock it Prone, even if caused by a smaller character, that
character may change which side its armored facing is on after that effect resolves. Characters may
also Ram the MBT to change which side its armored facing is on regardless of their Size.

Choose one of the following main guns:

Smoothbore Cannon
Heavy Cannon
Knockback 3
+1/2/3
Range 10
8/10/12 explosive damage
This weapon deals 10/20/30 AP explosive damage to objects, cover, and terrain.

Railgun
Heavy Cannon
AP
+1/2/3
Line 10
6/8/10 kinetic damage
This weapon ignores hard cover.
ANTARES-Pattern Laser Cannon
Heavy Cannon
+1/2/3
Range 10
6/7/8 energy damage + 3/4/5 heat

Anti-Tank Gun
Heavy Cannon
Ordnance
+0/1/2, +1 Accuracy
Range 15
8/10/12 kinetic damage
On critical hit, the target becomes Shredded until the end of their next turn.

"Streetsweeper" Canister Projector

Heavy Cannon
+0, +1 Accuracy
Cone 5
6/8/10 kinetic damage

Then choose one of the following secondary weapons:

Pintle-Mounted Machine Gun

Main Cannon
Knockback 1
+1/2/3
Range 10
3/4/5 kinetic damage
This weapon can attack two targets at a time.

Anti-Armor Missiles
Main Launcher
AP, Arcing
+1/2/3
Range 15
4/5/6 explosive damage

Marker Nexus
Main Nexus
Seeking, Smart
+2/4/6
Range 10
2/3/4 burn
On Hit: The target must pass a Systems save or gain Lock On and become Impaired until the end
of their next turn.

SKYLIGHT Anti-Air Laser

Main Rifle
Smart
+2/4/6
Range 15
2/3/4 energy damage
On Hit: If the target is flying, they must pass an Agility save or choose one: either take +1d6
bonus damage, or immediately land (this counts as falling without any damage) and become
unable to fly until the end of their next turn.

Multi-Directional Charges
Main CQB
+1/2/3
Knockback 2
Burst 2
3/4/5 kinetic damage
This weapon ignores ranged penalties from Engaged.

Optional systems:
Hover Tank
Trait
The MBT ignores dangerous terrain, and its movement no longer needs to be in a straight line.

Siege Mode
System, Quick Action
The MBT extends (or retracts) stabilizers which cause it to become Immobilized as long as this
system is active. While stabilized in this way, the MBT adds +5 range to its main gun, or +5 to the
length of any Lines; Cones gain a range of 5 in addition to their attack pattern, but the Cone cannot
change directions when fired. While the stabilizers are active, the MBT cannot make ranged
attacks against or centered on characters, objects, or spaces within range 5 using its main gun.

Secondary Gunner
System
The MBT may make attacks with its secondary weapon even while Jammed or Stunned.

Mobile Bunker
Trait
Adjacent allied characters can use the MBT for hard cover. Characters gain resistance to damage
from Blast, Burst, Line, and Cone attacks while benefiting from this cover.

Smokescreen
System, Quick Action, Recharge (5+)
The MBT creates a Blast 2 area of dense, sensor-jamming smoke within range 5, and may
immediately Boost into it as a free action. This area lasts until the end of the MBT's next turn, and
all characters and objects within it gain soft cover. The first time the MBT and any allied characters
enter this area, they clear Lock On.

At higher levels:
Tier II:
HP Evade E-D Heat H A S E Armor Spd Sense Save Size
25 7 10 10 +5 -2 +0 +3 2 5 10 13 2

Tier III:
HP Evade E-D Heat H A S E Armor Spd Sense Save Size
30 8 12 10 +6 -2 +0 +4 2 5 10 15 2
NEW NPC TEMPLATE
Marine
Naval boarding and counterboarding actions are among some of the most dangerous operations
that pilots can undertake in some of the most treacherous environments imaginable, with high
casualty rates on both sides being both expected and accepted by the commanders who order these
soldiers to undertake assaults against ships and stations or against those who seek to take them.
Marine pilots know that preparedness is the key to survival, and outfit their chassis accordingly
with additional up-armoring, breaching equipment, and close-quarters engagement tools to help tip
the odds in their favor when the hullcutter charges blow.

Template Features:
Maneuverable
Template Feature
The Marine moves normally in zero-g.

First On, Last Off

Template Feature
Attacks against the Marine made as reactions (e.g. Overwatch) are made with +1 Difficulty.

Marine Systems
Template Feature
When choosing optional systems, the Marine can also choose from the Marine Systems and Traits
list.

Marine Systems and Traits:

Pointman Plating
Trait
The Marine gains the Guardian trait if it does not already have it (adjacent allies can use the
Marine as hard cover). If it already has the Guardian trait, then Guardian now additionally grants
soft cover to all adjacent allies from all directions.

Battering Ram
System, Quick Action
The Marine deals 10/20/30 AP kinetic damage to an adjacent piece of terrain, obstruction, or
Deployable. They may move 2 spaces before or after using this system.

Portable Barricade
System, Deployable, Quick Action, Limited (2)
The Marine can deploy a Size 1 barrier in a free adjacent area for each Limited charge expended
when they activate this system. These barriers have 10 HP each, Evasion 5, and a Burst 1 area
around each barrier counts as difficult terrain for hostile characters only.

Deck Anchors
Reaction, System, 1/round
Trigger: The Marine is involuntarily moved by another character's attack or by failing a save forced
by another character. This does not include teleportation.
Effect: The Marine ignores that movement.

Captive Spike
System, Full Action
The Marine deploys a powerful piston spike against an adjacent hostile character and forces them to
pass a Hull save. On a success, they become Impaired until the end of their next turn. If they fail
the save the target is impaled on the spike, and they are automatically grappled and become
Impaired for the duration of the grapple. The Marine becomes Slowed for the duration of the
grapple, but is automatically treated as the larger party regardless of Size. To break free from this
grapple, rather than a contested Hull check the defender must instead pass a Hull save as a full
action.

While the target is grappled this way, anyone besides the grappled character who makes a ranged or
melee attack against the Marine must first roll 1d6: on 4+ the attack automatically hits the grappled
character instead (this effect does not stack with Invisible), dealing half damage and heat. This
effect lasts until the grapple is ended or until the Marine takes this action again.