Recon in Force

After the Monkeys set up operations in a secluded mountain valley, they began sending out recon patrols to gather information and ascertain the location of the Buda team. One of these recon partols unfortunately made contact with a Kokuryu-kai force from the Sixth Benjamin Regulars.

After-Action Report

The Spider Monkeys were able to destroy the Benjamin Regulars VTOL support before slipping back into the forest.

Strike

The Monkeys identified a wobbie supply depot that was poorly guarded. Although it wasn’t central to the mission, it would provide much needed supplies and help to weaken the Word of Blake in this region.

After-Action Report

With a rapid flanking maneuver, the Monkeys were able to overrun the ninth division’s defensive position and annhilate three Level IIs. They claimed the supplies for themselves.

Forced Withdrawal

After the destruction of their supply depot, the Ninth division put significant resources into tracking the Monkeys down. The mobile Monkeys evaded most efforts, but Second Company was nearly caught by a larger force.

After-Action Report

Second Company executed a fighting withdrawal, using the natural terrain of canyons and bluffs to their advantage. Although several mechs were badly damaged, they were able to extract all units without loss.

Pushback

In an effort to locate the Buda Weapons group, the Monkeys stumble onto a company of Sathien’s Snipers and are forced to give battle.

After-Action Report

In the wooded terrain, the Monkeys jump capable units are highly effective and they are able to destroy most of the opposing force.

Tunnel Rats

The Monkeys get a lead that Yamika may be at the Takashi Memorial Spaceport. The bad news was the Black Dragons had set up a base there. The even worse news was the Wobblies were coming in force to push the Black Dragons out.

After-Action Report

The Monkeys hope to avoid the clash between the Black Dragons and Wobbies but were forced into action when the Black Dragons sent more than a company of mechs and combat vehicles to prevent their infilitration. The investigation turned into a pitched battle. The Monkeys came out victorious but heavily damaged.

Light Machine

After months of fruitless searching, we finally got a solid location for Yamika.

His team had gone to ground in Skytower City, located in Buda Weapons Sector, which until recently was held by the Kokuryu-kai. Unfortunately, the Word has been looking for him too, and they have a better Intelligence game than we do. If we didn’t get out there in a hurry, the Blakists would get them first.

We had not expected the Blakists to leak the info to the Kokuryu-kai. Before we got there, they launched an attack intent on taking back Skytower City. Upon our arrival, the battle between the two Combine factions was already in full swing, and the Blakists were just reaching the battlefield. We were in a race with the cyborgs for the Buda team.

After-Action Report

The Monkeys used their jump capabilities to stay mobile and force the Black Dragons and Manei Domini forces to battle one another. Only when the MDs had dealt with most of the Black Dragons did the Monkeys charge their other flank, dealing significant damage. The commanding Manei Domini retreated but left behind valuable battlefield salvage.

Even more importantly, the MDs left behind someone very dear to the Monkeys: Desiree Sheikh. She had been reconditioned into an MD. She was taken captive and placed in maximum security. The Monkeys hoped to rehabilitate her, even though they had heard horror stories about the effectiveness of the Blakist conditioning.

After victory was assured, the Monkeys searched the facilities and located Dr. Yamika and his Buda Weapons Group. Although pleased to have found them, Dr. Yamika was not yet ready to leave Luthien.

Base Defense

The remainder of the WoB level III blazed toward the Monkeys central command HQ. The Monkeys quickly threw together a defense, hastening to power up and prepare all the mechs for a defense.

After-Action Report

The battle seesawed back and forth, with the Monkeys initially having the advantage of numbers. Then as the Wobbies assault lance entered the fray and the artillery started to fall, the Wobbies started to press their advantage. However, the destruction of the artillery by the Monkey’s striker lances and the entrance of Commander Bane’s own command lance turned the tide decisively in favor of the Monkeys. The wobbies, realizing retreat was impossible, threw themselves at the Monkeys and were taken down to the last man. They did manage to inflict significant damage on the Monkeys before their demise and disabled a lance worth of mechs.

Picket Defense

After their failure at the Buda Weapons factory, the Word of Blake devoted substantial resoures to tracking down the location of the Monkeys base of operations. After a month of searching, a high altitude flyover discovered it in a deep mountain valley. The WoB sent a makeshift Level III of troops from the thirty-second division to deal with the Monkeys once and for all.

Due to a stealthy approach, the Monkeys were alerted to the attack late. The two recon lances were sent out to harry the WoB forces while the rest of the Monkeys mobilized. They would have to hold off the WoB troops as long as possible.

After-Action Report

The WoB units split up to advance through the picket defenses, but this gave the Monkey lances the opportunity to isolate and swarm enemy units. While Spider Monkey lance distracted the main force, the Lemurs were able to isolate and destroy two LRM carriers, although an ammo explosion did serious damage to Kalasa’s Stealth’s armor. The monkeys then we are able to converge on one Level II of mechs connected by C3i and brought down three of them and severely damaged the remainder before calling off the pursuit.

Into the Void 1, Right Flank

Clan Ghost Bear has attacked the Blakists. They are ignoring our communications and offers to coordinate operations. However, they are focusing their attacks on Imperial City and other locations on Hakkaido. While the Ghost Bears have indiscriminately destroyed civilian, military and industrial sectors to get to the occupiers, they’ve ignored the Ishikawajima plant on the continent of Shizuoka. We know the plant has been under Blakist control since their occupation began. It is time to change that, without destroying the factory.

After-Action Report

As Second Company carefully made their way through the factory complex, they heard a loud explosion in front of them. Apparently the blakist forces sent to confront them had accidentally set off some fuel tanks in the factory, damaging several of their mechs.

Taking advantage of the confusion, the Monkeys surged forward. While the Gorillas and Bonobos approached one side of the building, the Lemurs flanked it from the other side, ferretting out several units using the building for cover. The blakists traded shots with the Monkeys briefly, but after one of their C3i spotters, a Hermes II, ws shot to hell and several other units had taken damage, they withdrew. The Monkeys suffered minimal damage.

Into the Void 2, Left Flank

Clan Ghost Bear has attacked the Blakists. They are ignoring our communications and offers to coordinate operations. However, they are focusing their attacks on Imperial City and other locations on Hakkaido. While the Ghost Bears have indiscriminately destroyed civilian, military and industrial sectors to get to the occupiers, they’ve ignored the Ishikawajima plant on the continent of Shizuoka. We know the plant has been under Blakist control since their occupation began. It is time to change that, without destroying the factory.

After-Action Report

Commander Taharqa Bane led First Company through the shuttered factory buildings until they met resistance from two Level II’s of blakist troops. As the Monkeys came out of the cover of the building, they were caught in a horrible crossfire and James’s Archer went down with a busted leg. The Monkeys moved back into the cover of the buildings, drawing the enemy toward them. In their desire to clear firing lanes for their snipers, the blakists leveled several buildings. However, the Monkey’s greater maneuverability in the dense urban environment ultimately won out and they were able to take down several enemy units although they took devastating fire in return.

As the remaining blakist forces tried to withdraw, the Spider Monkeys rapidly flanked their position. Striking from behind in heavy smoke, they were able to take down several more units before they could withdraw, including Manei Domini Precentor Malloch’s Pillager. Only two of the blakist mechs managed to withdraw successfully. The Monkeys considered it a victory, although a costly one. Of the twelve mechs from first company, only five were battleworthy enough to push on further into the factory.

Into the Void 3, Final Showdown

Clan Ghost Bear has attacked the Blakists. They are ignoring our communications and offers to coordinate operations. However, they are focusing their attacks on Imperial City and other locations on Hakkaido. While the Ghost Bears have indiscriminately destroyed civilian, military and industrial sectors to get to the occupiers, they’ve ignored the Ishikawajima plant on the continent of Shizuoka. We know the plant has been under Blakist control since their occupation began. It is time to change that, without destroying the factory.

After-Action Report

The Blakists were pushed back deeper into the factory facility, but not yet beaten. The remaining Monkey mechs pursued and caught up with them near a scrapyard facility. Amid the rubbish heaps, the Monkeys finally spotted their quarry – Precentor Belial and his personal Level II.

Although bloodied and slightly outnumbered, the Blakists fought with the rage of a cornered and wounded beast. They likely would have had the edge on the Monkeys were it not for the new reinforcements the Monkeys had called in. Desiree Shiekh linked up with the remaining Monkeys, leading her newly formed reinforced lance made up of former MD machines, the Cyborg Monkeys. Every warrior in her lance had been recruited from Luthien and they all had payback on their mind.

The Cyborg Monkeys advanced on Belial’s position while the remainder of the Monkeys moved to intercept and neutralize the remaining Blakist forces who were attempting to flank their position. Belial himself was a like a demon possessed, hitting Monkey mechs with devastatingly accurate fire from the Clan large pulse lasers of his Archangel mech even after the destruction of the two spotter mechs for his C3i network.

Eventually battle attrition wore down the durable Blakist mechs and the majority were reduced to slag, although not before disabling several Monkey mechs. The remaining Blakist mechs attempted to form a rearguard action while Belial attempted to flee. Now it was time for the Monkeys to go into a rage. Using their jump jets, the highly maneuverable Monkey mechs rapidly overwhelmed the remaining Blakist mechs. An entire company of Monkey mechs finally cornered Belial at the edge of the scrapyard and collectively blasted his Archangel into atoms.

Belial wasn’t finished however. He was able to eject from his mech before its destruction and fled into a large factory complex. Taharqa ordered the Monkeys to form a defensive cordon around the building and prepared to call in his infantry platoons for a hide and seek mission. Desiree Sheikh had other ideas. She rapidly clambered down from her mech and entered the facility solo. Monk attempted ordered her back, but Taharqa told him to let her go. As a Clanner, he understood the honor battle she needed to fight.

A half-hour later, the Monkeys’ ghost platoon found a bloodied but healthy Desiree Sheikh standing on a platform in a large assembly line area, holding Belial’s head in her hand. The headless body below her had been wounded by numerous blade attacks, presumably from Sheikh’s built-in arm blades. Sheikh wordlessly handed the head back to the nearest trooper and walked slowly back to her mech. Belial’s reign of terror was over.

The Monkeys had paid a heavy cost for their victory. Many of their mechs were severely damaged or fit only for salvage. Even worse, they had lost Telek “Bonesaw” Paulik and Isco Podolsky in the fighting. Paulik had died when his mech exploded from a containment breach after he was knocked unconcious. Podolsky had died after trying to lead a charge through the gates of the main facility. He was knocked unconcious and then dispatched by a targeted cockpit shot as he lay helpless.

Concerned by reports that the Ghost Bears were destroying all forces on planet, the Monkeys quickly gathered their wounded and dead and departed Luthien for good.