Adventure Time - "New Wheels"

[raketenjagdpanzer]

John Alligator looked at the wreck that lay before him. Aside from the broken wing and creepers, one might think that the C130 had landed just as if it had touched down on an airstrip. The cockpit canopy windows, crushed in by trees, told the other half of the story.

He examined the outside of the aircraft carefully - this was just the kind of place a New America patrol would use for an observation post, and even if they weren't here now, they may well have left plenty of booby-traps throughout the mostly intact fuselage. Once he was sure no tripwires or other nasty surprises lay in wait for him, he pulled the forward crew hatch open and looked up. A skeleton lay on the flight deck floor; he could see the arm of another in the pilot's seat.

The big Seminole wedged himself through the partially open hatch; the overgrowth kept him from opening it completely without chopping away branches and creepers, and if the wreck was a bolthole or observation point for the white separatists running amok in Florida, he wanted to keep evidence of his passing as limited as possible. But the idea of recovering a piece of useful gear off of the Hercules transport was too tempting to not act on.

Then he looked astern of the cavernous aircraft, directly into the cargo hold. His eyes adjusted to the dark, and he saw what was parked on the loading pallet...

...

THE SCENARIO:

During the later phases of the Sino-Soviet War, prior to the general outbreak of WWIII, the United States and allies were providing the PRC with a variety of weapons systems on a lend-lease basis. While the US couldn't (and indeed for security reasons wouldn't) provide the Chinese with M1 Abrams, they did ship a variety of other armored fighting vehicles to the Chinese. Most, however, were fairly unsatisfactory when facing Soviet Main Battle Tanks. The LAV-75, despite it's innovative 75mm ARES gun, was a bitter disappointment. The light tank simply lacked the armor to face T72s, and the main gun didn't have the punch to get a first-shot kill from the frontal arc.

A stopgap measure to remedy the problem was the introduction of the LAV-105/M40 Ridgeway, a vehicle very similar to the LAV-75, but armed with a more powerful 105mm M68/L7 main gun in place of the ARES 75mm. Chinese armored forces were far happier with this vehicle. However, production levels never reached the same pace that LAV-75 did, and the opening of hostilities in Germany meant that armor production in the US had to be shifted to focus solely on vehicles for the European front. A solution proposed by MOWAG was an extension to the formidable Piranha LAV family - a stretched 8x8 vehicle featuring a Ridgeway-like unmanned turret. The LAV was in production under license in Canada already, and adjusting the production line to include the new design specifications was a simple matter, as the LAV chassis was highly adaptable. Extant M40 turrets would be shipped to Canada, mated to the new (X)M1128, then shipped via rail to Canada's west coast ports and on to China.

The vehicle performed so well in the Chinese theater that there was a call for some of the vehicles to be procured for RDF forces staging in the Gulf.

To assist in bringing US troops up to speed on the new platform, a single example was scheduled to be sent to Orlando, Florida from Ontario. The vehicle would be gone over by engineers and programmers working for the US Army at the Joint Simulations System Team HQ near the University of Central Florida; from there, training software would be created and a driving and gunnery simulator built to assist RDF troops in incorporating the new vehicles into their brigades.

The flight was scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend, 1997...

...

THE SITUATION:

Seminole scouts friendly to MilGov forces holding out in Central Florida have found the wreck of the C130 that was en route to Florida. The initial EMP strikes damaged the aircraft's flight systems and forced it down. The pilots tried to bring the stricken Hercules down on a long, straight stretch of highway but severe crosswinds caused the plane to veer off the glide-path and crash into a treeline, killing the crew while leaving the fuselage largely intact, and the M1128 unharmed.

The 1st JMC of Central Florida faces a serious threat from New America. Although the 1st JMC has a moderate armored force consisting of some light armored vehicles including a pair of M113s, a few Humvees and a lone M60, they are spread thin across the middle of the state. While another "tank" isn't a panacea for the harried 1st JMC troops, New America has raided several private collectors and museums and built their own armored force and are now threatening the I-4 corridor near International Drive; probing attacks have consisted of M113 and M8 Greyhound supported units but thus far have been pushed back by a combination of mortar fire and air support in the form of the JMC's two functional helicopters. The Joint Military Command's M60 is in north Central Florida, at best two hours away. MilGov forces in Orlando can't hold out against a determined attack by mechanized forces without something to shift the balance of power back.

THE MISSION:

Friendly Seminole scouts have relayed the information about the M1128's location to the JMC. Unfortunately, Command can't spare the men nor the equipment for a full "proper" recovery. Firstly, a movement of forces to the crash site wouldn't go unnoticed by New America. Such a deployment would weaken the defenses around Orlando to the point that the city would be vulnerable to an all-out attack by NA troops and armor. If New America instead chose to tail such a force and discovered their goal, holding the crash site and making off with the MGS intact would be difficult at best. Thus it has been decided that a covert approach is the best hope to recover the vehicle or deny it to the enemy.

Lt. Col. Frederica King, CinC-JMC, was the head of the Army's CONSIM project, located near the University of Central Florida. She was aware of the coming delivery of the MGS, but assumed it was completely lost during the nuclear attacks of 1997. Now that it has been discovered, the prospect of adding one more vehicle - a fast one with a lot of firepower - to her forces is too tempting to not seize. If nothing else the vehicle must be destroyed if it cannot be recovered, lest it fall into New America's hands.

Exactly where the downed Hercules is located is entirely up to the Referee - if he or she is familiar with the Central Florida location a good locale would be somewhere along the 441 corridor between Orlando and Gainsville - there are vast areas of forest and swamp for a downed aircraft to sit, undiscovered during the chaos of war and reconstruction, along that route. Otherwise, consult a resource such as Google Maps and find a likely (remote) location. Ideally for maximum challenge it should be at the very nearest a couple of days' hike from Orlando.

EQUIPMENT/T.O.E.

The players may take any equipment at the JMC's disposal. LAW rockets are plentiful, however the JMC only has a few heavier (81mm) mortars, and these are unavailable to players. Pistol and rifle ammo and LMG ammunition of various calibers is readily available, as are grenades (40mm and thrown). The team will be provided a radio if they don't already have one. Food and medical supplies will be provided. Explosives for demolition will also be provided.

A patrol can take the team to the edge of the city whenever they're ready to move out.

THE PRIZE

Once the aircraft is located, getting in and examining the M1128 is fairly easy. Aside from low tire pressure, the vehicle is in fine condition. A considerable problem, though, is the vehicle's fuel: the tanks contain only a minimal amount - enough to drive it perhaps 10 miles.

If the party wishes they may attempt to drain fuel from the aircraft (while most leaked out, some 100 gallons or so remains in the wings) to use in the MGS. However, this will be problematic - the ultra-high octane for the C130's engines will play havoc with the turbine diesel. Adjusting the engine so that using Avgas doesn't seriously damage it (50% damage as from a weapon hit) will require a DIF:MEC roll. A failed roll will mean extensive repairs must be performed before the vehicle can be restarted - and another DIF:MEC roll required to operate it on the C130's fuel. Even so, the vehicle will require repairs and an overhaul (treat the engine as 90% damaged!) once it returns to Orlando if the party chooses to fuel it with the volatile aviation gas.

A second option is that if the team is large enough, fuel may be taken to the vehicle - there is enough diesel in Orlando that some can be given over for this vital mission. The MGS' rate of fuel consumption is 6.2 MPG of diesel, which is 328 miles on a full tank. If the vehicle is 100 miles (or so) from Orlando, at least fifteen gallons will have to be packed in (3 Jerry Cans, at 41lbs each). The party may also be able to scavenge such fuel - perhaps an abandoned semi-truck on a nearby back-road could be located, or even a local civilian could be convinced to assist them in locating fuel.

The other option is, of course, destroying the vehicle in place - a few charges placed in the aircraft fuselage and then the vehicle itself will render it so much junk.

OPFOR

Fortunately, unless the team is extremely careless with radio traffic or dealing with any non-hostile NPCs they encounter, the odds of encountering a large NA force will be low. Standard random encounter rules should be used; most if not all "vehicle" type encounters will be soft-skinned vehicles (cars, trucks, etc.). There is a 5% chance, however, of encountering an NA "armored" force. Roll 1d6:

1 - M8 Greyhound*
2 - 5 - M113 (.50 CAL)
6 - M4 Sherman*

*=both are using HE rounds for their guns (37mm and 75mm, respectively)

...and an attendant number of infantry in trucks and other light vehicles (1d10x10).

Finally, if the party wishes to neither destroy nor retrieve the MGS but instead exfiltrate back to Orlando for whatever reason, there is a 1% cumulative chance per-day of the wreck and the Stryker being discovered by NA forces - they have moderately capable reconnaissance and intel, and will note with interest the comings and goings of a long-range patrol out of Orlando, and accordingly, work to discover what that patrol was doing...

...

Welp, there it is. Just sort of off the cuff. The original idea I had was for it to have been a C17 that crashed with an M1, but I think this is better for whatever its worth.

Hope you enjoy (and that this is one of those content-filled posts we need more of around here!)

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Oh, poop. I forgot to stat up the Stryker. I'll get it written up tomorrow if it's not already done by someone else.

Also: a STD:MEC roll is required to open the cargo door to get the Stryker out (a failed roll just means another hours-long attempt must be made).

[Olefin]

this would also be a good add for the next edition of the online fanzine - very similar to the mini-adventures that were in Challenge.

[Olefin]

Even if you couldnt use the aviation fuel for the Stryker a 100 gallons of aviation fuel would be of a lot of use for their two remaining helicopters, and who knows what can be stripped from the C-130 itself. The vehicle is a huge prize by itself but a good party will look at what other treasures can be found.

Plus all you dont need is NA finding that gas and being able to get some air support for their next mission from an old P-51 that they have ammo for but no gas.

[stormlion1]

Stripping the C-130 is an adventure in of itself. Radios, web strapping, engines, electronics. They could fill a couple of dump trucks full of salvageable gear if they wanted to and all of it would have a use somewhere else.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

I'm not sure how much the team could haul in/on the Stryker; it's my understanding that the turret basket pretty much negates the cargo abilities of the M1128, but yeah I'm sure an intrepid group could find a way to get some stuff off the bird, too.

Also, a quick note about the Stryker on the C130: IRL, the MGS is too tall to put on a C130. For purposes of Twilight:2000, the Ridgeway turret installed on the MGS can "duck" for loading and unloading: the turret is rotated to 0' and the gun and attendant systems lower and lock in place. A series of mechanical interlocks keep the gun from firing when in that position. It takes 1 combat round to unfold and be usable again.