Prelude:
Odessa
An Eastern European city, located on the northern shore of the Black Sea in what used to be the Ukraine. After the Principality of Zeon launched its Earth invasion, Odessa became the center of a vast complex of resource-mining facilities supervised by Captain M'Quve. When the Federation Forces at last launched their counteroffensive, their first target was Odessa, in order to cut off one of the Principality's most vital supply lines…
-From the History of the One Year War by Simon Marks.
Synopsis:
6 Zeon MS-06J Zaku pilots are caught behind enemy lines as the Federal forces advance to Odessa. The Zaku pilots are short on supplies, and have to make it to the spaceport in order to “strategically withdraw” into space. (Odessa falls to Federal forces on November 9th.)
Back story: “Previously, on Kido Senshi Zaku…”
After taking part in the Zeon invasion of Earth, your team was stationed at one of M’quve’s “satellite” mining bases. You served as the security garrison for this manganese mine in the eastern Carpathian Mountains ever since the strategic situation on Earth stabilized back in April. It has been a quiet seven months since then, but yesterday, November 6th; UC 0079 word came down that a new Federation offensive was about to begin. Your unit was directed to implement a scorched earth policy in order to prevent supplies from falling into Federation hands. Hoping to slow the Federation’s advance, you were deployed to a nearby oil field to destroy the petroleum stockpile. The operation delayed your withdrawal, and you missed your rendezvous. While the Gau had left without you, foldable Zaku-sized toboggans were left behind to help you cross the mountains on your own. While making your way through a high mountain pass, the team came under aerial attack by Federation fighters, and your C.O., Lieutenant Oberth was killed.
The team took a hair-raising ride down the eastern slopes of the Carpathians, down into the foothills in order to escape the Fighter planes. You now find yourselves in the forests of the old Ukraine, but as of this moment you have no real idea as to whether this territory is still held by Zeon or has been taken by the Federation.
Part 1: Just where the hell are we, anyway?
It is now just before dawn on November 7th, and you find yourselves short on both food and ammunition. Your Zakus took a mild beating going down the mountain and could probably use a diagnostic, too. According to the map, its 75 KM to Odessa, and from what you learned in training, it would be ill advised to attempt a 75 KM trek to the spaceport on the meager supplies that you have left. It is certainly not something you would wish to do during the daytime, when you would be far easier to spot by the enemy forces. The first decision your unit faces is what to do next: You can still TRY to make a mad run for the spaceport, but risk blundering into the Feddies when you are low on ammo and your response time is down due to fatigue & empty stomachs. (None of you have eaten since yesterday’s breakfast.) Alternately, you can risk making contact with civilians in order to secure food and a place to rest and make repairs.
As they discuss their options, have the players make luck rolls- the lowest rolling player’s Zaku suffers a malfunction. Make an awareness roll at 15+ to smell burning insulation before the cockpit begins to fill with smoke and the view screen goes dead. Activating the fire suppression system will kill the fire by filling the cockpit with Halon, but the cockpit view screens do not come back online. An inspection will reveal that a short has reduced the sensor system’s secondary electrical bus to a mass of melted wiring that will need to be replaced. Until then, the unlucky pilot is going to have to drive his Zaku with an open hatch if he’s going to see where he’s going.
Checking the map reveals a University of Kiev facility not far (3-4 KM) from their current position that may be worth checking out. Otherwise, they can just stumble upon the fence, and equate it with a “seemingly peaceful village” where they can get food, as well as anything else they might want, because hey- they’re in Mobile Suits!
Part 2: BUG OUT!!!
If the team decides they just want to try and make for the spaceport, (or if I decide they need more combat…) they come across a road, and follow it until they come to a T-74 Hover truck and a squad of Federation infantrymen who have set up a roadblock and security checkpoint. The infantrymen are armed with over-the-shoulder Anti MS Missile Launchers, and hidden in the forest is a GM Sniper that already has a good shot. On top of all that, have them make another luck roll; the looser gets a warning light on his auto-balancer and a –2 combat penalty since he’s fighting to keep his Zaku standing.
Battlefield conditions: Distance: 6 Hexes. GM Sniper is in the woods, 10 hexes away. GM rolls 19 Comm/sensors and tactics. Beat the tactics roll to observe “this would be a great place for an ambush, and then roll Awareness 19+ to spot the GM. Otherwise, the GM surprises them and gets a free shot before we roll initiative.
Afterwards, they can stumble across the fence.
Part 3: The Other side of the Fence:
25 meters past the tree line you see a 3-meter tall chain link fence topped with razor wire. The land on the other side of the fence appears to be a fallow agricultural area. The Zakus can easily crash through or step over the fence, but if someone stops to make a comm./sensor check (Diff 12-15) they spot a small metal sign posted a little further on down the fence. (Handout)
The fence is wired, and if they crash through the fence it sets off an alarm in Connor’s office. He sets out in an open body ATV with his deputies and some gas shells to deal with what he expects to be a gang of food rioters.
Minovski encounter rules: Battlefield conditions: Distance: 40 Hexes. Connor’s Base tactics is 7, +2 for his Int/Awareness of 16. Team is –2, as they have no leader.
When Conner sees the Zakus, he will raise the alarm and high tail it back to the commune for the anti-tank shells. They will fire back only out of desperation.
ATV, Connor at the wheel:
MV-6, Base Evade: 7 Initiative: 1 Power: 2 MA: 5 SP: 0 Kills: 5
3 Deputies with Bazookas:
Base to Hit: 1, while in ATV, 7 if on ground. Current load is gas shells, which will have no effect unless the Zaku’s cockpit is open, then exposure to the gas calls for a stun check at –3 to remain conscious.
Beyond the fields, there is what appears to be a small village made up of several large central buildings, surrounded by small cottages. Muddy dirt roads and paths connect the buildings, and electrical lines criss-cross from utility poles to the buildings. Everything looks like it was cobbled together in a big hurry.
If the alarm has been raised by any circumstances before the team gets to the commune, as it comes in to view they will see lots of folks scurrying around between the buildings, and hear the wavering sound of a hand cranked siren. Others have obviously panicked, and are fleeing into the fields. Many are still in their pajamas or underwear. The ATV is parked next to one of the cottages, and is currently empty.
If the PCs manage to approach the commune undetected, they see little activity, just a few civilians walking around that will notice them in short order. The team can watch as the civilians freak out, scream, run, slip & fall on the ice, and raise the alarm. Then, they will see small groups of people scurrying from one building to another, and hear the wavering sound of a hand-cranked siren starting up.
Part 4: Envoy
Soon, a small ATV (of the same type already encountered) will drive up to (what it hopes to be a safe distance from) the lead Zaku flying a makeshift white flag. Professor Edvard is riding shotgun in the ATV, and he will confront the team.
“Good morning gentlemen, welcome to Field Station C. I am Professor Edvard, manager of this facility. I would like at this time to remind you that according to the terms of the Antarctic Accords, this facility is not classified as a legitimate military target. With that in mind, might I ask you what your business is here?”
“This is an agricultural science laboratory. We have little in the way of supplies, but we will give you what we can if you promise me that no harm will come to my people. I cannot allow that- when it comes to their safety, there is me and then there is God, understand?”
It’s really up to the players as to how the first encounter goes. If it goes bad and a firefight breaks out, it will quickly devolve into a massacre. (and then I have to bring in Amuro at the end…)
Part 5: Field Station C:
Professor Edvard can explain that the “village”, or Field Station C as he calls it, is an agricultural collective that was hastily put together by the local authorities in Kiev in an attempt to grow enough food to hold back the threat of mass starvation.
“Since the harvest…”
“BAH! If you can call that a harvest!”
“We have been concentrating our energies on the more experimental and scientific aspects of our mission. Specifically, we have been studying the environmental effects of… emmm… the conflict, and working on faster growing strains of wheat more suitable to the alterations in the climate.”
60-75 people staff Field Station C this time of year, a collection of university students and old folks; most with a background in agriculture, genetics, or environmental engineering. Then there is a staff of senior mechanics and technicians to keep the labs, physical plant, and heavy equipment running, and a small security staff to insure public safety. The phone lines went down 3 days ago, and they never bothered to install the satellite uplink since the satellite network went down almost as soon as the war started. Most of the staffers speak Ukrainian only, and will have minimal involvement with the team. Assume all planned NPC encounters speak the same language to some degree. The staff has a general anti-Zeon attitude, but most are liberal enough to agree that the space colonies need to be free (except perhaps, for the campus rent-a-cops). They may scold the Zeons for not following the lessons of history and throwing their lot in with a fascist dictatorship, but realize they are not in a position to take on a squad of 6 Zakus.
Part 6: Ukrainian Hospitality
Assuming a firefight does not break out immediately, Professor Edvard will see to their wishes. He will try to keep contact between the team and his people to a minimum, but realizes he is in no position to stop the team from doing as they please. He will suggest they come to his cottage for breakfast. Of course, if they want to check something else out first, he will accompany them and serve as a go-between.
• Rebecca can walk by at this point, and if a team member doesn’t instigate something, she can at least gives the team a dirty look.
• Once they get to the professor’s cottage, he serves them coffee, and his assistant, Helga begins cooking a greasy breakfast of eggs and hash browns. Nadia, ever the curious one, sneaks a look through the window. If she is accosted, she will come in, start talking to them, and wind up serving them breakfast.
• Connor will show up to find out what’s going on as Professor Edvard answers the team’s questions. He will then send Cowboy in to shadow and spy on the team.
• Remember that the team went out for a combat mission yesterday, and had the additional joy of crossing over a mountain and coming under aerial bombardment. They’ve had no sleep since the night of the 5th, and no decent food in 24 hours. Unless they get some food and rest now they will begin to suffer the +4 fatigue modifier to all difficulty levels. By taking shifts, they can each get a few hours down time, and this will give us a chance to have some one on one interaction with some of the villagers.
• Have the team make awareness rolls to spot Cowboy tailing them.
• The machine shop in the harvester depot has all the parts needed to repair the Zakus. Bernhard “The Hammer” Ballentine has the equipment cage locked up, and the only key is hanging from a chain around his neck.
“I don’t have to co-operate with you. These are my machines, my tools, it’s my responsibility to see everything remains in working order, so I’m going to hold on to every nut, every bolt, every scrap of wire. I am not going to be caught short and let innocent people starve in the springtime just to help you Zeon scum. If you want the key that bad, let’s see if you can take it from me, eh?”
• Nadia, 19, invites the squad to come to her house for some good home cooking for their next meal. She is cute, but the team learns she is a terrible cook when she serves her special goulash. No one has ever had the heart to tell her that her cooking sucks, except her little brother Fredrick (and his opinion doesn’t count). Fredrick is also in the house, and will stand up to the Zeons if they mistreat his sister. Bruno, the dog is his best friend. Bruno will defend Fredrick and Nadia to the death.
• Svetlana lives right next door, and she can stop in to help out if needed.
• The Zeons might also want to conduct a search of the facility for whatever reason.
Part 7: Mystery in the field
The villagers are hiding a crashed Federation core fighter in one of their fields under a large plastic tarp. If asked, the villagers make up stories, such as: “It’s a carp pond we built to get more protein into the collective’s diet, but in the winter time the open water attracts bloodsucking insects. They lay eggs…” If the tarp is removed, the core fighter stands revealed. It’s relatively intact, but has taken some fire across the cockpit and came down hard enough to break the landing gear. The cockpit is still open, there is broken glass and blood in the seat. The pilot was injured in a dogfight and put down in the field last night. (The same night the C.O. was killed!) Rebecca is tending to him in one of the bedrooms in Dr. Mottiger’s cottage. He is a FedIntel courier carrying intelligence dispatches on computer disc. Air Sergeant Alexander, 20 years old. His sidearm is stashed under his pillow, and if he is threatened, Rebecca will be the one to pull it out and defend him. If he is tortured he might reveal the timetable for the MS team operation, but he’s been trained to resist torture. Threats against Rebecca will make him talk.
The disc is in his fight suit pocket, and contains detailed Federation battle plans for an attempt to seize a strategic river crossing (See “The Dispatch” handout). The computer expert will have to roll Hacking 20+ to access the data. A fumble will infect computer with a virus, which shuts it down. Each attempt takes 15 minutes.
With vital intelligence suddenly thrust under their noses, the team has a tough decision to make; they can try to break for the spaceport and spread the warning, not knowing whether they will arrive in time. Belgorod is on their situation maps, and only about 25 KM from their current position. Do they have the guts to move on Belgorod and blow up the bridge in time to halt General Peyton’s advance? Alternately, they can close the Minovski ports and try to get a radio signal out to warn HQ, but any signal they send out will most certainly be detected by the feds and may bring enemy units down on them in the collective or elsewhere.
If it all goes to hell…
If the team gets out of hand for whatever reason or decides to attack, there are 4 man portable anti MS “over the shoulder” rockets for Connor and his deputies or someone else to use against them. Two will jump into the ATVs and provide moving targets, while the other two will take up positions in the larger buildings. Connor and his men have been trained to target the Zaku’s sensors in order to force the pilot to “open hatch” and allow a –6 penalty shot directly into the cockpit. Professor Edvard has some hunting rifles, and there are some shotguns and pistols, but that’s basically it.
Leaving Field Station C
The team should be ready to leave by nightfall. Daytime / nighttime conditions for the rest of the show depend on when they leave the collective.
Part 8: The Road to Belgorod
Beyond the fields of the collective, the topography is all rolling hills and fallow wheat fields. While making their way through, the team may notice (Awareness roll 12+) a discarded MS parachute floating through the air. If nobody makes the awareness roll, have the team make luck rolls, the lowest rolling PC gets his Zaku engulfed in the parachute. If they make a comm/sensor check at 19+, they detect a Federation hovertruck. The Hover truck will flee if it figures out it has been spotted Roll; Tactics vs. the hovertruck’s sensor roll of 23 to sneak up on it. The hovertruck is spotting for a team of 3 GM Commandos that are searching for Sgt. Alexander. The hovertruck will call the GMs in to cover its retreat.
Battlefield conditions: Distance: 12 Hexes GM tactics base 14
Part 9: Belgorod
Belgorod sits on the banks of the Dniester, and is clearly marked in the Zaku’s onboard computer map. The team can approach the span by wading in the river or by passing through an industrial park and a warehouse district. It is probably best to make the river approach, under the cover of darkness.
River approach: the river is swollen from the winter rains. The water is muddy brown, and thin sheets of ice float slowly downstream. Make a comm./sensors check to detect an approaching barge on the river. The barge is hauling garbage, and has a crew of 3 who are quite drunk and do not see the Zakus. The barge is on a collision course, and the crew has an effective Awareness base of 4. A collision will do 4K damage to the torso, and wake up the crew.
A federation reconnaissance plane will fly overhead and possibly spot them. Roll tactics 17+ to avoid detection. If they are spotted, the MS at the bridge will take up defensive positions in the apartment blocks to defend the bridge with air support from General Arlington, and the engineers will evacuate the area.
Likewise, if they use the Industrial park /warehouse district approach they are seen first by a bicyclist, then a group of shift workers, and finally a screaming woman. Witnesses call the police, and the alarm is raised. The MS at the bridge will take up defensive positions in the apartment blocks to defend the bridge with air support from General Arlington, and the engineers will evacuate the area.
The immediate area closest to the bridge is made up of old style apartment blocks, with the main road cutting through and leading over the span. The apartment blocks take damage according to the table below. The difficulty to hit a stationary target is equal to the distance in hexes (RNG: 7, Difficulty 7) Despite the dispatch, the buildings are still occupied.
Kills Effect
1-3 Gaping holes slammed through walls (also cracks in walls, shattered windows)
4-5 Walls collapse into rubble, highly flammable contents explode
6-7 Entire structure collapses, anything flammable explodes
8-9 Building explodes and collapses regardless of contents
10+ Structure vaporized
The bridge is a double span with one lane and shoulder per direction. Each span is 50 meters long and 12 meters wide. It is a simple steel girder construction supported by a concrete pylon mid-river. The bridge is 10 meters above the level of the river. The underside is criss-crossed with girders and struts, and there are 5-foot high safety walls on both sides of each span that can provide cover for people on the bridge. The banks of the river are steep and slippery, the river is 7 meters deep with a strong current. There are no fords in either direction for many kilometers, which explains why the destruction of this single bridge is so important.
Battlefield conditions: Distance: 14 Hexes Tactics base: 13+2
Belgorod Bridge:
Clearance from riverbed: 17 Meters
South Span Kills: 9
North Span Kills: 9
Central Pylon Kills: 16 (unless the central pylon is destroyed, the engineers can have an emergency bridge in place in 6 hours)
The bridge is currently being held by the Federal forces. 2 GM Ground types, a Guncannon mass production type, and 4-6 GM Commandoes, a Hover Truck, 2 Jeeps and a team of 9 engineers who are inspecting the bridge before they move the armor column up.
Ideally, the Zakus will cross the bridge and be on the North side before they blow it up. If the players behaved badly in the commune and Amuro needs to show up, he enters combat in the 5th round. If they’re on the wrong side of the bridge when it goes down, they can wade through the river, and climb the slippery slope on the opposite bank, but there are those three divisions coming up from behind…
The Armor Column: 4 Km away is an effectively unlimited force of M-61s (3 divisions) and GMs. They can arrive on the scene in 26 rounds, or about 4.5 minutes.
Condividi e segnala 
