Battletech Welcome to the Jungle

[Corvus 501]

Get this sites alert system updated, and nothing of value was lost by leaving behind SB.

Isn't that the whole point of this site? (Also every other Spacebattles and SDN alt site)
That said I missed most of that shitstorm by reading most of this here, or archive binging.

And now to completely change the subject, I really do appreciate the work that went into taking the slow burn approach, without the pacing issues that most attempts trip over.

 

[Yellowhammer]

And now to completely change the subject, I really do appreciate the work that went into taking the slow burn approach, without the pacing issues that most attempts trip over.

Thank you, thank you. I've had a lot of fun contributing to this.

 

[lordhighalnder]

What is the top 5 things Weber’s holdfast needs at this point to improve the defensive posture vs a raid or an attack?

Air superiority, not necassarily Aerospace fighters, but yellowjackets, helocopters, etc. Fast deployment would be nice if you could get heavy lift stuff, which doubles as useful for infrastructure. Fast attack is good to, as most pirates should be able to be handled with big guns on fast aircraft. Heavier raids by states would require some heavier equipment, such as your ASF forces.

Intelligence, need to know when the raid is hitting, so satellites that can observe the pirate points, ones that have eyes on the planet after the raid group drops in, etc. If you know where the enemy is, and what they are doing, you can react better than simply setting up a static, or even dynamic defense.

Militia. Train your locals to not panic, to be able to fight back if needed. Import workers in, train them with anti mech mines, Rockets, etc. Get a few work mechs with enough armor to give your fighting boys some time, mount rockets to flatbed trucks so they can fire and flee through a minefield while the air support tags the now slower moving enemy mechs.

Something for the enemy to attack. Empty fuel tanks, lots of concrete buildings with various assortments of metals to ensure proper returns are given, visable work equipment that are all statues. Build up a fortress with enough fakes that the average pirate company looks at it, looks at their intel report, and then shoots their intel officer. Then when they move to attack, use your satellites/ birds to keep track of em, since they are probabbly going to shift to a more lightning raid style attack in order to 'avoid the local garrison'. If they attack the complex because they have enough equipment to do so? Blow it up, and them with it. If nobody attacks? Use it as a training ground for your eventual garrison forces.

Bolt holes. Get your civvies out of the combat zone, and failing that, get them to where they aren't getting targetted down by big stompy mechs. Keep em alive, keep em safe. Keep copies of your tech safe too so it doesn't all go away when a PPC hits the wrong spot.

I know you only asked for 5...

Last thing: Worker mechs. Worker mechs mounted with Rockets. Lots of em using ICE engines to drastically reduce costs. Swarms of em. Use em in infrastructure, build em on site so you aren't as terribly worried about supply line issues. Cheap, set up your own factories making these things primative, with as few logistical constraints as possible. Rockets are great for this because you dont get your worker mechs into prolonged fights, so don't plan on it. Rockets are cheap, your worker mechs are cheap, and a great investment as you can sell them off world if you build too many, and give you time, the literal most valuable currency you can have. Give yourself time to get an actual fighting force. Invest invest invest into your people.

 

[Shadow_Wraith013]

I'm looking forward to the next update. I wonder if Weber brought any new hardware to Catachan to help in it a defense?

 

[Yellowhammer]

I'm looking forward to the next update. I wonder if Weber brought any new hardware to Catachan to help in it a defense?

A pair of bowflexes.

Actually he would have the mechs of his unit, and some other stuff, but AFAIK it's just one Overlord, and you have a fairly hard limit on what you can bring on board.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Actually he would have the mechs of his unit, and some other stuff, but AFAIK it's just one Overlord, and you have a fairly hard limit on what you can bring on board.

And its highly unlikely that the Triumph he has managed to go both drop off the rest of his ground units and then go pick up the armor battalion that's needed to beef up the defences and then return (assuming Katrina even managed to get one ready in such a short period of time)

 

[Bear Ribs]

A pair of bowflexes.

Wouldn't breathing on Catachan burn more calories than using a Bowflex?

Anyway one thing it occurs to me they really need is a way to get reinforcements from the Commonwealth in a pinch. They're in no position to put together enough defenses to really hold up if the Combine gets really serious and throws, say, the entire 2nd Sword of Light at them. The Commonwealth can't permanently station that kind of firepower there but if they had a way to get an SOS out that would leave the Warriors only needing to, say, hold off the Combine for a few days until reinforcements arrive which is a much better proposition.

Unfortunately, either they need an HPG (Bad as they'd have ComStar on the planet), a Black Box (Good option but will Katrina Steiner risk such an asset, even for a factory like Catachan?) or have a JumpShip making regular enough runs that it can spot what's happening and go get help when it jumps in.

Previous the JumpShip would be filed under "Bad Idea" because Catachan was getting it's security via obscurity. Now that it's location is out in the greater universe, there's less benefit to be had from that so it may well be time for regular JumpShip passage each week.

 

[PeaceMaker 03]

An angle for Webers company to make money and uptech the Lyrans. They have spent time and capital to build star league equipment. Have engineers put together a production package for weapon lines, XL engine lines, even their spaceborne manufacturing.
Start to finish, by the numbers, CAD drawings, and key components like computers with programs for running the lines.

Factory line in a dropship ready to go to the planet of your choice. Advanced team goes out preps site to ensure dropship lands unloads and building is done fast as possible.

The CAC has achieved great things time for them to turn that to money. Maybe joint project with Olivettisome it was his baron that did the engineering.

 

[PsihoKekec]

a Black Box (Good option but will Katrina Steiner risk such an asset, even for a factory like Catachan?)

Currently they only have a single Black Box, so if they get it, then there is no one who can receive the message. HPG is the only realistic option once the discovery is confirmed.

They're in no position to put together enough defenses to really hold up if the Combine gets really serious and throws, say, the entire 2nd Sword of Light at them.

They have a mech regiment, combined with death world conditions, that they are acclimatised to, it should be enough to throw back the first attempt. But long term, I agree they should have a regular Lyran garrison, in addition to the Harabequsiers. Dropper choppers would be especially welcome.

 

[kashim3]

Currently they only have a single Black Box, so if they get it, then there is no one who can receive the message. HPG is the only realistic option once the discovery is confirmed.


They have a mech regiment, combined with death world conditions, that they are acclimatised to, it should be enough to throw back the first attempt. But long term, I agree they should have a regular Lyran garrison, in addition to the Harabequsiers. Dropper choppers would be especially welcome.

If the warship is not fixable in a good time frame, they can take some of the capital weapons off to use as anti-orbital weapons platforms. Nothing says "F***-you!" like a Naval laser or two!

 

[Knowledgeispower]

If the warship is not fixable in a good time frame, they can take some of the capital weapons off to use as anti-orbital weapons platforms. Nothing says "F***-you!" like a Naval laser or two!

That has been discussed but in all likelihood said weapons are likely to be carted off to a Lyran R@D facility via a Mammoth class dropship

 

[Brian-88]

An angle for Webers company to make money and uptech the Lyrans. They have spent time and capital to build star league equipment. Have engineers put together a production package for weapon lines, XL engine lines, even their spaceborne manufacturing.
Start to finish, by the numbers, CAD drawings, and key components like computers with programs for running the lines.

Factory line in a dropship ready to go to the planet of your choice. Advanced team goes out preps site to ensure dropship lands unloads and building is done fast as possible.

The CAC has achieved great things time for them to turn that to money. Maybe joint project with Olivettisome it was his baron that did the engineering.

HELL no. The best part of Catachan having these factory lines means that they're secure because of the indigenous life forms. Start setting up feeder lines for found tech on less secure planets and it will be proliferating across the IS in no time at all. The best option is to just keep expanding on planet, spread to more mountain ranges if need be. The planet is ludicrously heavy in mineral wealth, it can easily become Hesperus Jr in a couple of decades.

 

[PeaceMaker 03]

HELL no. The best part of Catachan having these factory lines means that they're secure because of the indigenous life forms. Start setting up feeder lines for found tech on less secure planets and it will be proliferating across the IS in no time at all. The best option is to just keep expanding on planet, spread to more mountain ranges if need be. The planet is ludicrously heavy in mineral wealth, it can easily become Hesperus Jr in a couple of decades.

Katrina is already spreading out the technology, I am suggesting CAC and Olivetti make $$$ from it and position themselves as go-to for upgrading factories/ starting new ones.
It would make sense that it would only work for companies and locations approved by L.I.C. because the factory locations met mind mum security protocols.
It is the Lyran state scratch my back and I scratch yours is how it works. But being the company that keeps your factory running and keeps sharks from trying to eat you. Especially as Weber will have a name for fair treatment.
Speaker references Defiant needing to spend 6-7 years setting up a new line, if Weber can knock off 6 months and streamline errors on the manufacturing line, it would be worth billions to Weber and the companies that would hire him.

 

[Brian-88]

Katrina is already spreading out the technology, I am suggesting CAC and Olivetti make $$$ from it and position themselves as go-to for upgrading factories/ starting new ones.
It would make sense that it would only work for companies and locations approved by L.I.C. because the factory locations met mind mum security protocols.
It is the Lyran state scratch my back and I scratch yours is how it works. But being the company that keeps your factory running and keeps sharks from trying to eat you. Especially as Weber will have a name for fair treatment.
Speaker references Defiant needing to spend 6-7 years setting up a new line, if Weber can knock off 6 months and streamline errors on the manufacturing line, it would be worth billions to Weber and the companies that would hire him.

Katrina has that tech extremely compartmentalized, there was a whole couple posts about LIC and LOKI straight up murdering a dude to stop the spread of information. Maybe in the future, when it becomes sphere wide knowledge that XL engines etc. are back in production, setting up some feeder factories would be on the table. Right now? I'd keep everything with Defiance, CAC and maybe Olivetti and Tharkad itself for a few years. Ferro armor types? Sure. Freezer pruduction in several systems? Yea, you can never have enough freezers. XL engine production sites all over the LC? Espionage wet dream.

 

[Yellowhammer]

Katrina has that tech extremely compartmentalized, there was a whole couple posts about LIC and LOKI straight up murdering a dude to stop the spread of information. Maybe in the future, when it becomes sphere wide knowledge that XL engines etc. are back in production, setting up some feeder factories would be on the table. Right now? I'd keep everything with Defiance, CAC and maybe Olivetti and Tharkad itself for a few years. Ferro armor types? Sure. Freezer pruduction in several systems? Yea, you can never have enough freezers. XL engine production sites all over the LC? Espionage wet dream.

Also as per the Simon Johnston interlude, he plans to leak some flawed copies of the Core that will hamper enemy R&D. Manufacturing instructions that 'forget' to add the 3% tungsten to the ally composition. or change the temperature to heat the mix to.

So the ISF, O5P, SAFE and the like will figure out about the core soon enough, but the copies they target might be corrupted.

 

[Lancelot]

I'm just wondering is how the next chapter is coming along?

 

[paulobrito]

I'm just wondering is how the next chapter is coming along?

Soon (Tm)

 

[Lancelot]

Soon (Tm)

You're not one of the three people helping him, that is an utterly useless post. I didn't make it clear enough for you I'm not asking for an exact date I just want to be sure the SB bullshit didn't demotivate him any. It's the difference of weeks to months and that is really all I'm asking.

 

[Detlef]

That has been discussed but in all likelihood said weapons are likely to be carted off to a Lyran R@D facility via a Mammoth class dropship

Probably a Pinto corvette?
Possibly intact Barracuda launchers, NL 35s, light NPPCs and NAC/10s. With the exception of naval Gauss an example of each group of capital naval weapons. Nice...

Was the space station discussed too? I don´t remember it?
Chapter 5 said:
"Looks like it used to be pretty heavily armed and armored. Somebody sure beat the hell out of it somewhere along the line, though,” she explained. “One whole sector is basically denuded of armor. Big-damn crater, so either it got hit by a couple small nukes or hammered by warship-grade weapons."
And:
"Honestly, it doesn’t look like the sort of hit that would kill a big station like that. With an industrialized planet right there,” she waved towards the blue-green ball already visible on-screen in the distance and only growing larger with time, “they ought to have been able to make repairs."

They found emergency rations, spare parts like jump computers and dropship collars, EndoSteel and a bay with small craft in it. And I seem to remember that in a later chapter (Interlude 2-J) they searched the computers of the station for the sources of EndoSteel, Ferro-Fibrous plate, Ferro-Aluminum plate and freezers? And finally found those four factory satellites?
So while the outside and some sectors were destroyed the station itself survived.

What would they call a "big, heavily armed and armored" space station?
It´s the wrong location for an Olympus space station. On the other hand I wouldn´t call an Alliance station heavily armed and armored. So perhaps something like an old Bastion station? With perhaps the repair bays in the destroyed sector? Otherwise they would have been mentioned already.
These stations were apparently pretty common in Star League times? And being modular you could transport them using jumpships. Would definitely be easier than build it in a system without any space infrastructure?

Of course it might also be an original Rim Worlds Republic construction. Perhaps similar size to a Bastions station or even a bit larger?
But anyway since it´s an old pre-succession wars "heavily armed" space station it might have some naval capital weapon bays too? And if a small craft bay survived some weapons bays might have too?

 

[Reblax]

Greetings, I am so happy to see this being continued ( I came from SB).
How well do you think an Invasion force would be in there first week on planet. That extra 25% gravity is going to hit them hard. Even harder for anything in the air or hover.
If/when someone else lands, I can't wait to see there reaction to the wildlife.