The Season at Rankar’s Deep – Week One

Welcome to the Rankar’s Deep Report (RDR), your source for the matches of the week and
events at the Deep.

After several years on hiatus, the Branson Brewery League began this week at the Deep. Twelve
stables are competing this year, down from eighteen before the Word’s invasion. The League
will run Class Two, Three, Four and Five matches.

The opening match in the Deep was a Class Two exhibition match between local legend Chaz
Feelings and one of the Solaris Home Defense stalwarts, Danni Fremont. In a thrilling forty
minute match, Fremont gave Feelings all he could handle. The veteran and his Valkyrie used
superior speed, jumping distance, and uncanny marksmanship to wear Fremont down until her
Panther lost a leg, ending the match. Both warriors received a standing ovation from the sold-out
crowd.

After that the first-round League matches began. The Class Five match between Isadore Kelly of
Sun Runners Stable and Neil Oldenwhite from the new Star Rangers Stable was the first, and
arguably the best, of the night’s matches. Both men had fought for the SHDL, and both had
suffered: Oldenwhite had been a Word POW for months, while Kelly had been seriously
wounded. Neither had fought a match in several years.

The first few minutes were both men getting used to arena combat again. After that they began
trading shots and soon, both were moving around the Deep like old times. After fifteen minutes a
slug from Kelly’s Victor shattered the Atlas’ leg. Oldenwhite landed face-down, and as he
struggled to turn over, Kelly peppered him until the official stopped the match and awarded the
win to Kelly.

That’s all this week. Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report.

The Season at Rankar’s Deep — Week Two

Welcome to the Rankar’s Deep Report.

Water was a problem at the Deep this week, as three days of rain enlarged the Deep’s pools and
turned the rest of the arena into a quagmire. It took Phil Dawer and the arena crew all night to get
the Deep ready for the matches.

The Stone Fists’ Wayne Layfield and Sherman Chow of the People’s Will Stable headlined the
best match in the Class Two division this week. This slugging match was dictated by the Deep’s
still-soft surface. It is a testament to both warriors’ skill that they managed to spend most of the
fifteen-minute match on their feet, trading shots and moving well, despite the conditions.
Layfield, in his older-model Porcupine, used his ’Mech’s lasers to slice open the left leg of
Chow’s Koto, breaking the ankle and knee joint and felling the ’Mech. Unable to gain any
footing with its damaged actuators on the slick surface, Chow conceded.
The second match of note was between Humbert Barton of the Swords Stable and Wyren Claws’
Hiroyuki Hojo. Hojo, enraged from last week’s loss against Anna Hung, came out smoking
against Barton and his Shadow Hawk. Barton managed to do moderate damage to Hojo’s
Bushwacker, but after thirteen minutes a massive electrical failure in Barton’s cockpit finished
any chances of victory. Barton yielded, leaving Hojo with some satisfaction and a few precious
points.

After two weeks, Jean Cuvier is on top of the Class Two division, Anna Hung holds the top spot
in the Class Three, David Sanada leads the Class Four, and Isadore Kelly is the Class Five
leader.

That’s all this week. Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report.

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Three

Welcome to this week’s Rankar’s Deep Report. We look at the Kroner Kings’ matches this
week.

Lee Lumley, competing in Class Four, has had a miserable 0-2 start. He tried to get back on track
against Rick Dekker of Regulus’ Wrath Stable, but the match was a no-hitter. Lumley had a hard
time hitting Dekker’s Rifleman, while Dekker was more concerned about keeping out of a
Crusader’s missile swarm then damaging Lumley. When time expired, Lumley gained his first
point of the season.

Soren Murphy, 1-1 in his first weeks also found himself facing a Regulus’ Wrath’s
MechWarrior, Tyrone Dyhr. Each needed a win to get into Class Three contention. While
Murphy’s -3U Clint’s ER PPC had more punch than the Phoenix Hawk’s large laser, Dyhr used
his ’Mech’s advantage in armor to pull Murphy into a running battle that ranged all over the
Deep. After fifteen minutes, Dyhr’s large laser burned through the armor and melted the Clint’s
left hip joint. Unable to continue, Murphy conceded the match and the points to Dyhr.

Going 2-0 the first weeks put Jean Cuvier into Class Two contention. The Black Eagles’ Acca
Haig was his opponent this week, and Cuvier used his Spider’s speed and agility to frustrate
Haig and her Panther. A wrong guess about Cuvier’s path of flight cost Haig a foot actuator.
Gamely, Haig tried to hang on for the draw, but after losing a knee actuator, she conceded the
match.

Meg Shaw won her first match of the year against Anne Foster, using the short-range firepower
of her -3K Charger to hammer Foster’s Cudgel into submission before the Wrath ’Mech could
close.

Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Four

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

Relations between Regulus’ Wrath and Black Eagles, both former Free Worlds League-based
stables, have soured since the season began. It’s so bad BBL officials have warned both stables
against violence outside the arena. With seven more matches scheduled between the two this
season, things will remain tense. RDR will keep on top of this.

Week Four’s notable matches involved Black Eagle MechWarriors. Chris Rogers went up
against the Kroner Kings’ Soren Murphy in Class Three action.

Murphy, who had been manhandled the week before, threw himself into the match. He teased
Rogers by darting in, trying to get Rogers to use his Hunchback’s Tomodzuru autocannon.
Unable to match the Clint’s speed, Rodgers was forced to stay near the Deep’s rock spires to
shield his back from Murphy’s ER PPC. Murphy continued his baiting, narrowly missing being
hit three times by the Tomodzuru. Rogers was struck with several shots from Murphy’s Firestar
cannon, tearing away armor, but not penetrating the heavier ’Mech’s armor.

But Rogers was very lucky. It was only a matter of time before Murphy delivered the winning
blow. That came in the nineteenth minute of the match, when a blast from Murphy’s PPC
penetrated the Hunchback’s center torso and shredded the gyro, dropping Rogers with authority.
The Class Five fight between rookie Peter Blaine and Stone Fists’ Cathy Anderson was more
even exciting. The Black Eagle Stalker and the Highlander fought a long-range battle, giving
everyone good examples on how these ’Mechs should be used. The crowd thought that Blaine
had gotten the upper hand when a LRM volley stripped the armor off of Anderson’s right leg, but
the veteran managed to keep her Highlander intact long enough for time to expire and a gain a
draw.

Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Five

Welcome to this week’s Rankar’s Deep Report.

We look at the Sun Runners matches this week. A scheduling quirk had three of the Sun
Runners’ matches this week against Regulus Wrath Stable.

Abel Dorsey has been with the stable since it formed. Coming into the week, he was 2-2 in the
Class Two Division, and looking for a victory against Tyler Boyer. Boyer’s Wasp started the
match by slipping Dorsey’s first SRM volleys, and stripping away the Commando’s left torso
armor with its laser. Ten minutes of fast-moving action followed as Dorsey’s SRMs peppered
Boyer’s ’Mech, but Boyer’s shots finally struck Dorsey’s weakened left torso, destroying it and
reduced the Commando to a single SRM-4 rack. Dorsey conceded the match.
In the Class Three match, Kane Krizova, who’s 1-3 despite his newly acquired Werewolf, faced
Tyrone Dyhr and his Phoenix Hawk. Dyhr’s plan was to stay outside the Werewolf’s weapons
range, but when his Harmon laser malfunctioned he was forced into a knife-fight with Krizova.
After several exchanges, Dyhr was down to a single medium laser and machine gun, with
damaged actuators in both legs. Crippled, Dyhr shut down his ’Mech in surrender.

The Tracy Vanberchum-Rick Dekker Class Four match was literally explosive. After several
good exchanges of weapons fire, an ammo explosion late in the match ripped apart
Vanberchum’s Marauder and put her in the hospital with minor injuries.

Isadore Kelly’s match against Stone Fists’ Cathy Anderson had similar results. A Gauss slug
from Anderson shattered the capacitors in Kelly’s own Gauss rifle, causing the weapon to
explode and knocking Kelly unconscious. He was taken to the hospital for observation. RDR
wishes both MechWarriors a quick recovery.

Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Six

Welcome to this week’s Rankar’s Deep Report.

After five weeks, the Class Two division has Calidia Raines and Tyler Boyer 1-2. Anna Hung
has the only perfect record in the League and leads the Class Three division. David Sanada and
Natalia Burns hold the top two spots in Class Four. The Class Five division sees Susan Belden
being chased by Thomas Colby. The Stable Championship is between the Red Jians, the Wyren
Claws and the Broken Chains.

Anna Hung and Soren Murphy are our first spotlight match. Murphy had won his last three
matches and was climbing the table.

The match started with a few long-range exchanges, each feeling out the other. After that, Hung
began getting the better of the combat, using the combination of her Vindicator’s PPC and LRMs
to counter Murphy’s sole long-range weapon, his ER PPC. But then, Murphy got in a lucky shot
that mangled Hung’s LRM launcher and swung things back to a more even keel. From there, it
was fast-moving and quick-shooting until time expired, resulting in a hard-fought draw.

The second match was Wyman Mateo-Tracy Vanberchum. Last week, Vanberchum ejected from
her Marauder as an ammo explosion consumed it. After time in the hospital she was back with a
new ride. Speculation was rampart until she entered the Deep in a -7K Flashman.

Mateo tried staying away from Vanberchum, using his Paladin’s Mydron Tornado autocannon to
chip away the Flashman’s armor. Despite being peppered, the Flashman held up well and began
dealing damage in return. After ten minutes of non-stop fighting, Mateo was out of ammo and
low on armor. He tried staying away from Vanberchum, but the Sun Runner had his number,
crippling the Paladin and winning the match.
Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Seven

Welcome to this week’s Rankar’s Deep Report.

The match between Acca Haig and Tyler Boyer this week indicates how serious hostilities are
between the Black Eagle and the Regulus Wrath Stables.

Boyer came into this week leading the Class Two division, after beating Star Rangers’ Steve
Miller last week, while Calidia Raines lost to Broken Chains’ Cindy Santos. Acca Haig is at the
bottom of the division and has only won two of her six matches.

Chief Referee Garret Foster told RDR that the League worried about the match and their fears
were justified. Boyer’s Stinger entered with the Regulun Hussars’ emblem on its chest. Haig’s
Panther, painted in FWL purple, had the Marik eagle prominently displayed on the torso. Neither
gladiator spoke except to acknowledge their readiness. When the signal was given, both
exploded into attack.

It quickly became obvious that both had modified their ’Mechs. Boyer’s lasers struck the Panther
at longer than normal range, only to do little damage to the Black Eagle ’Mech’s glazed armor.
Haig fired her PPC and the powerful beam nearly took Boyer’s head off.

The next twenty-two minutes were ugly, as it became clear that each warrior was out for blood.
Unable to do serious damage to the Panther quickly, Boyer kept moving to avoid Haig’s ER
PPC, which was clearly not the Panther’s normal weapon.

Boyer’s odds finally gave out when one of Haig’s PPC blasts vaporized his right leg. Boyer tried
to fight on, but officials, fearing that things would get out of hand, quickly called the fight and
awarded Haig the win. The Wraths have filed an official protest, which will be ruled on next
week. We’ll stay on this.

Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Eight

Welcome to this week’s Rankar’s Deep Report.

The Regulus’ Wrath’s protest of last week’s Acca Haig-Tyler Boyer match was rejected. In
addition, both the Wrath and the Eagles were warned that any rules violation would result in
point deductions, suspension, or expulsion from the League.
RDR takes a look at the Wrath’s matches this week. Three of the four matches were against
Black Ronin Stable.

Despite Acca Haig’s win last week, she is still near the bottom of the division. This week, third-
place Carlos Valdez was the opponent and both pilot Panthers.

From the start Valdez was quicker. His first PPC shot stripped the armor off of Haig’s right arm.
Valdez continued to be methodical as he slowly took Haig apart. When a PPC blast destroyed the
Regulus ’Mechs’ right torso, Haig conceded the match.

Tyrone Dyhr was in second place in the Class Two division, and he needed to win against Sandra
Nakamura to keep pace with leader Anna Hung. Nakamura started out strong in the first few
exchanges, but Dyhr used his Phoenix Hawk’s speed, mobility, and his large laser’s range
advantage to stay away from Nakamura’s Ronin and slowly pick it apart. After sixteen minutes,
Dhyr’s laser burned through the Ronin’s left leg and fused both the knee and foot actuators.
Unable to move quickly, Nakamura acquiesced.

The third Wrath-Ronin matchup saw Rick Dekker against Calvin Frost. Both men sit in Division
Four’s basement and needed the win.

The fight was brutally short. Frost used his Hachiwara’s supercharger to rapidly close on
Dekker’s Rifleman. The Ronin’s combination of autocannon and vibroblade left the Wrath
’Mech a wreck and Frost the victor.

Anne Foster finished out the Wrath’s miserable week by losing to Neil Oldenwhite in a no-flash,
ho-hum affair.

Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Nine

Welcome to the Rankar’s Deep Report

Starting this week, we look at each division and their leaders in what’s shaping up to be an
exciting season here at the Deep.

The Class Two division has three rookies in it and two of them lead the division. The Kroner
Kings’ Jean Cuvier has been on fire, winning six of his eight matches. The Black Ronins’ Carlos
Valdez is two points behind Cuvier and is looking to push past him this week. Cindy Santos and
Tyler Boyer are a point behind Valdez, with Boyer’s losses the last two weeks costing him vital
points and a slide down the table.

Jean Cuvier’s went up against Acca Haig in a Week Three rematch. Cuvier beat Haig handily the
first time, and was favored coming in. The match was tense from the start. Haig came out fast,
getting the match’s first solid hits, but Cuvier recovered quickly and hammered Haig. The match
was conducted at a frantic pace, Cuvier spending nearly as much time in the air as on the ground.
Haig gamely hung on, using the Deep’s outcroppings to shield her from Cuvier’s pulse lasers.
Despite Cuvier’s best efforts, Haig hung on and earned a time-expired draw.

Carlos Valdez also had a Week Three rematch. Cindy Santos, determined not to have a repeat
performance, came out storming in her Copperhead. Valdez was unflustered, and won the first
exchanges. Santos pressed even harder, but Valdez’s Panther was more then up to the task. In a
twenty-minute fight, he shattered the Broken Chains’ chances of winning the match and the
Copperhead’s right leg.

After this week’s results. Valdez and Cuvier are tied for first, with Tyler Boyer and a surging Lo
Yen a point behind.

Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Ten

Welcome to the Rankar’s Deep Report.

We look at the Class Three division this week. Red Jians’ Anna Hung is the only unbeaten
MechWarrior in any of the divisions, a hard-fought draw with Soren Murphy her only non-win
this year. Tyrone Dyhr would be leading any other division. Instead, he is four points behind
Hung and trying to keep the gap from getting wider.

Hung’s opponent this week was People’s Will’s Wan-Choi Cole. Cole was 2-8 coming in, the
worst record he’s ever had. His older-model Tsunami has been a problem all season, and word is
that the Stable will dispose of it at season’s end.

Hung stayed cool throughout the match, using her Vindicator’s LRM/PPC combo to keep Cole
on the defensive and wear him down. With ten minutes left, Cole decided to gamble and
launched a death-from-above attack at Hung. Hung waited until Cole reached the jump’s apex,
then pounded him with everything she had, punching through weakened armor, ripping the gyro
apart and destroying two jump jets. Cole’s Tsunami slammed to the ground, and officials gave
Hung the victory. Cole was stunned, but okay.

Tyrone Dyhr’s match was against Wyren Claw’s Hiroyuki Hojo. Hojo, at 6-4 and in fourth place,
has been a tough opponent all season.

Dyhr used his speed and jumping advantage to literally run circles around Hojo, staying away
from the Bushwhacker’s Mydron autocannon. Hojo did score several missiles hits, but Dyhr
targeted Hojo’s legs, burning away most of the armor located there. Hojo retreated toward the
Deep’s center, but Dyhr kept the pressure on, forcing Hojo to keep backpedaling. At sixteen
minutes, Dyhr’s lasers blew Hojo’s left leg apart. Hojo was knocked unconscious in the fall,
giving Dyhr the win, and Hojo a headache.
Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Eleven

Welcome to the Rankar’s Deep Report.

The Class Four division is still tight, with new leaders almost weekly. David Santos is currently
in first, but Lee Lumley has been 6-0-1 since Week Four and trails Santos only by a point. Tracy
Vanberechum is a point behind Lumley.

Santos squared off against Wyren Claws’ David Sanada. Sanada is on a two-match losing streak
and looking to avenge a Week Six loss against Santos. Santos’ Thunderbolt and Sanada’s Orion,
promised a slugfest and they did not disappoint. Using the Deeps’ cover only sparingly, both
went for an early win. Sanada scored the first critical hits, damaging Santos’ LRM launcher and
swinging the match in his favor. Santos kept moving, trying to snipe his way to victory, but
Sanada kept the pressure on, drilling through the Thunderbolt’s legendary tough armor and
damaging internals. Santos was quickly down two medium lasers, some engine shielding, and a
damaged gyro. Still he hung on, refusing to concede the match. Sanada continued his assault, and
struck Santos in the head with several missiles. Stunned, Santos fell, and the officials stepped in
and awarded Sanada the match, despite Santos’ protests.

Lumley dueled Star Rangers’ Peter King. King was 4-6 coming in, ninth in the division. With
both warriors using LRM-heavy ’Mechs, a long-range duel was expected.

After the first three missile volleys, Lumley’s Crusader clearly looked worse off. Lumley moved
to cover, but King was patient, using his Archer’s heavier missile launchers to pound Lumley
whenever he showed himself. After twenty minutes, the Crusader was little more than a
blackened shell, forcing Lumley to admit defeat.

While both Santos and Lumley faltered, Tracy Vanberchum seized her chance and quickly
pasted Wyman Mateo for the victory and a share of first place.

Stay tuned for next week’s RDR!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Twelve

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

Week Twelve showcases the Class Five division. Coming in, the top three were separated by two
points. Meg Shaw was a point ahead of rookie Peter Blaine and two points over Susan Belden.
Shaw and Belden went head-to-head in a replay of the Week Six match that Shaw won. Shaw’s -
3K Charger held the advantage over Belden’s Victor, but Belden’s Pontiac 100 autocannon can
change the game in a heartbeat.
Right from the start, Shaw stayed away from the Victor, peppering it with LRM fire. Belden
used the spires for cover and maneuvered into the Pontiac 100's extreme range. The shot, which
many people are calling the shot of the year, slammed into the Charger’s left torso, penetrated
the armor and ignited the LRM ammo. CASE blew the excess damage out the Charger’s back,
but Shaw was defeatged by engine destruction.

Peter Blane needed to beat Star Rangers’ Neil Oldenwhite to take the lead. Oldenwhite, at 4-7,
has had a poor season, but is a cagey Deep veteran. Blane started the match by trying to crack
Oldenwhite’s armor at long-range. But Oldenwhite’s return fire was more accurate, forcing
Blane’s Stalker to fall back. Oldenwhite continued winning the long-range fight, the Atlas’
missiles scoring armor from the Stalker. Losing the fight, Blane changed tactics and moved in,
which proved to be a mistake.

At close range, the two titans traded hammer blows, with Blane coming off the worse.
Oldenwhite stripped the Stalker’s armor off in chunks, leaving Blane with gaping holes in his
armor. Blane fell back, but Oldenwhite went on the offense and the match ended when Blane lost
both legs within seconds of each other, giving Oldenwhite the win and Susan Belden the
divisional lead.

Stay tuned for next week’s RDR!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Branson Brewery League Standings

Welcome to the Rankar's Deep Report (RDR), your source for matches of the week, and events
at the Deep.

This week, we're looking at the standings in all divisions. There have been a few surprises, and
there will be a few more along the way.

In Class Two, rookie Carlos Valdez has taken the top slot with 25 points after back-to-back week
wins against fellow rookie Jean Cuvier. Tyler Boyer is tied with Valdez in points, but Valdez’s
timing points total is superior. Lo Yen is third, while Cuvier has dropped to fourth.

In Class Three standings, Anne Hung has continued her near perfect season, going 11-0-1 and
opening up a seven-point lead over Tyrone Dyhr. Chris Rodgers, Hiroyuki Hojo, and Eveline
Wilson each have 21 points, which puts them a distant third, six points behind Dyhr.

Class Four standings see Tracy Vanberchum two points ahead of David Santos and three points
ahead of both Natalia Burns and Lee Lumley. Vanberchum has been on fire since she lost her
Marauder and was forced to switch to a Flashman.

The Class Five division is still anyone’s to take, with the top five separated by five points. Susan
Belden, Meg Shaw, Peter Blaine, Thomas Colby, and Theo Forzine will go into the second half
of the season with an excellent chance of being declared the Division champion.
The team standings after twelve weeks are just as open. The Broken Chains Stable holds a two-
point lead over the Kroner Kings, with the Red Jians and the Wyren’s Claws three point out of
first.

Things are still wide open in all the divisions with maybe the exception of the Class Three.
Remember, this is Solaris, where anything could happen!

That’s all this week. Stay tuned for next week’s RDR

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Thirteen

Welcome to this week’s Rankar’s Deep Report.

The Star Rangers’ first year in the league has been a disaster. They start the second half of the
season dead last, with forty-seven points.

Rookie Steve Miller faced Wayne Layfield in Class Two action. He gave it his all, but the more
experienced Layfield used his Porcupine’s speed to outmaneuver the younger man’s Mongoose
in a high-speed match that kept the crowd on their feet.

Team captain Asad Ibn Yasin season has been catastrophic, having lost ten of his twelve
matches. In Class Three action, he faced second-place Tyrone Dyhr. The fight lasted eight
minutes, as Dyhr used his Phoenix Hawk’s speed, jumping, and longer-range weapons to tear
Asad’s Hunchback apart. The match was halted when Dyhr’s lasers found a weakness in the
Hunchback’s head armor, causing a cockpit fire and sending Asad to the hospital with first and
second degree burns on his limbs. It is not known when he will be back.

Peter King, in eighth place in the Class Four standings, went up against David Sanada, the
Wyren Claws’ team captain. It was a slugging match, with Sanada’s Orion hammering
autocannon rounds into the Archer’s left leg. The resulting damage wreaked both the hip and
knee actuators and forcing King to concede.

Class Five fighter Neil Oldenwhite’s match was against first-place Susan Belden. This was
tactical, cat-and mouse game, both fighters using the rocky terrain of the Deep. The match was
heading toward a draw when Belden made a mistake and hid behind a rock spire that had been
weakened by weapons fire. The Atlas’ volley struck the spire, and it collapsed onto Beldin’s
Victor, pinning her. The officials gave Oldenwhite the win, despite the Broken Chains’ protests.

Class Two matches are this week’s focus. With the top five separated by three points, every win
will be critical.

The division leader Carlos Valdez faced off against third-place Lo Yen. The Red Jian's captain
established the tone from the start, getting in the first hits with his Stinger, while avoiding
Valdez’s return fire from his Panther. It took seventeen minutes for Yen to wear away the
Panther’s heavier armor, concentrating the damage on Valdez’s right arm and torso. Despite the
Panther’s heavier punch, Valdez missed almost every time, unable to predict the canny Yen’s
next action. When a penetrating shot damaged Valdez’s PPC was quickly followed with the
SRM launcher being covered with melted armor, Valdez signaled the officials he had enough.
Jean Cuvier looked to get back on track against eleventh-place Calidia Raines. Their fight was all
over the Deep, as Cuvier tried to tease Rains into wasting her SRMs. Despite losing her Javelin’s
right arm and most of her right torso, the veteran caught the Kroner King’s Spider with several
SRM volleys, damaging jump jets and cracking Valdez’s engine shielding. Fourteen minutes into
the match, Cuvier was struck with another missile volley that removed the Spider’s left leg at the
knee, dropping the ‘Mech. Cuvier tried to get up, but after two more missile strikes, he
acquiesced.

Tyler Boyer needed a win to grab first place, and his opponent was Abel Dorsey. From the start,
Boyer drove Dorsey all across the Deep, never allowing the Commando set long enough to
deliver an effect counterstrike. This one-sided fight ended with the Commando missing an arm
and leg and Boyer on top of the division.

Stay tuned for next week’s Rankar’s Deep Report!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Fourteen

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

The Class Five Division still tight, with now six fighters separated by a total of five points. It is
still nearly anyone’s division to take.

Susan Belden and Thomas Colby fought for first place. These two veterans of the Deep know
each other very well, so no one expected any surprises from either fighter.
They were wrong.

No one expected the triple-strength myomers that Colby installed in his Atlas, nor the heavy PPC
he had replace the heavy autocannon with. Expecting a slower-moving opponent, Belden was on
her heels from the start, and the one-two-three punch of the PPC, LRMs, and large lasers forced
the Victor to try and hide in the Deep’s rocks. Colby stayed outside her range, and wore away
her armor in a matter of minutes. After losing an arm and never getting close enough to hit
Colby, Belden sent up the surrender flare.

Next, Theo Forzine went up against Meg Shaw, with second place at stake. With that on the line,
what was expected to be an exciting fight, became a game of hide-and-seek, with neither side
doing much damage to the other. After thirty minutes, the match was declared a draw and both
Forzine and Shaw were soundly booed as they left.
Peter Blaine, who started the week in fifth, seized the chance and bested Neil Oldenwhite, using
his Stalker’s firepower to keep Oldenwhite’s Atlas from closing on him and using the massive
autocannon. With the points, he vaulted into second, two points behind Colby.

The race has only gotten tighter as all six fighters are still in the thick of it, cleanly splitting from
the bottom half of the table. The second half promised to be exciting.

Anne Hung is an eight-year veteran of the league, all of them with Red Jians stable. She was
born in the Cathy section of Solaris City and grew up around ‘Mechs. After a technician’s
apprenticeship with the now-defunct Golden Lions Stable, she drifted through several stables
until she joined the Red Jians. After MechWarrior training, she made her debut in the Branson
Brewery League’s ‘62-‘63 season. She compiled a 17-6-7 record, finishing third in the Class
Two division, thirteenth in the overall standings, and winning the BBL’s Rookie of the Year title.
After two seasons, Hung moved to Class Three for the ‘64-‘65 season and given the Vindicator
she still pilots today. She won the Class Three title three times in the next five seasons. During
the Blakists invasion, she was part of the local SDHL force. Afterwards, she did some dueling in
several minor venues, but mostly concentrated on her family and the Red Jians stable. She is
married to one of the Jians’ senior technicians, Che Dewery, and they have two children.
Coming into week Fourteen, Hung had a 12-0-1 record and was seven points ahead of Tyrone
Dyhr. Her opponent this week was Soren Murphy, who held Hung to a tie in week six.

The action was fast and furious from the start, but Hung scored the first telling hit, damaging one
of the Clint’s jump jets in the tenth minute. Three minutes later, she damaged another of
Murphy’s jump jets. Robbed of his jump advantage, Murphy tried using his ground speed, but
Hung patiently wore him down, concentrating on the Clint’s legs. The end came when Hung
destroyed both her opponent’s legs, ending the match and avenging her only non-win of the
season.

Tempers flared yet again between the Black Eagles and Regulus’ Wrath teams. Coming in this
week, the Wraths were in fifth place, five points better than the seventh-place Eagles. All eyes
went to the Class Three match-up between second-place Wrath’s Tyrone Dyhr and the third-
place Eagles’ Chris Rogers. Dyhr needed this match to have any chance of staying near Hung,
while Rogers, six points behind Dyhr, needed a win to close the gap on Dyhr.

The match was Dyhr’s speed against Rogers’ power. Under the watchful eye of League officials,
the two squared off. Using his Phoenix Hawk’s speed and jumping ability, Dyhr went for a long-
range sniping strategy against Rogers’ Hunchback. For several minutes, the tactic worked, until
Rogers began moving erratically and acted as if he had a systems fault. Dyhr moved in quickly,
trying to take advantage, only to find himself staring down the muzzle of Rogers’ Tomodzuru
autocannon. Rodgers’ first shot removed Dyhr’s right arm, robbing the Phoenix Hawk of its
main weapon. As Dyhr tried to escape, Rogers second shot stripped his right leg of all armor and
most of its internal structure.
After that, the match became a chase, with Dyhr as the rabbit. Despite being more mobile, Dyhr
was hit twice more by Rogers, the second shot removing what was left of the right leg and most
of the lower torso. It was at this point the match was called.

A furious Dyhr confronted Rogers in the Deep’s Mechbay after the match and a shouting match
turned into a multi-person brawl between Wraith and Eagle personnel that had to be broken up
by both officials and members from other stables. BBL officials are promising severe
punishments for both teams.

Stay tuned for next week’s RDR!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Fifteen

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

Last week brawl between members of the Regulus’ Wrath and the Black Eagles has resulted in
both Tyrone Dyhr and Chris Rogers forfeiting this week’s matches to their opponents. In
addition, both teams were fined five thousand Kroner, and four individuals from both teams,
including Dyhr and Rogers, were fined fifteen hundred Kroner. Both stables were warned that
any more trouble this year will result in doubled fines and forfeited matches.

Both Asad Ibn Yasin (Rogers’ opponent) and Humbert Barton (Dyhr’s opponent) were awarded
all three points and a timing points score of 3.0.

But the big news of the week involves the end of Anna Hung’s unbeaten streak.
Hung faced Stone Fist’s John Manhiem. Anna was Thirteen-0-1 coming in, while Manhiem was
sixth, eighteen points behind Hung. Manhiem’s Griffin had advantages in weight, speed, and
larger missile launcher compared to Hung’s Vindicator.

From the start, Hung was clearly off her game. Her shots were inaccurate, unlike her usually
meticulous shooting. Wary of a trap, Manhiem stayed at medium-long range, trading armor loss
for better shots. Hung’s shooting did improve, but by the time it did, she was in serious trouble.
Her armor had been thinned out across her torso and along her right leg, and Manhiem hit her in
a span of a few seconds, stripping away both the right torso and leg armor. Hung did manage to
damage the Griffin’s right hip actuator with her PPC, but Manhien’s return fire found the holes
and shattered both the right leg and torso, which dropped the Vindicator and leaving a stunned
crowd at the Deep.

Despite the loss, Hung is still ten points ahead of Tyrone Dyhr, whose forfeit cost him a chance
to close the gap.

Stay tuned for next week’s RDR!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Behind the Scenes

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

Three days of downpours has postponed this week’s matches. The Deep’s floor is a meter
underwater. After four IndustrialMechs performing maintenance on the arena floor became
bogged down in the gooey mud and had to be winched out, Branson Brewery League officials
decided to postpone this week’s matches.

We at the RDR take this opportunity to inform readers about the League and the Rankar’s Deep
venue.

The BBL was created in 3056. Branson Brewery, one of Solaris’s best breweries, has been the
sole sponsor during the league’s lifetime. The first year saw six teams competing in three
divisions, with Jason Wilson winning the individual championship and the Snake Skinners
claiming the team title. At its height in 3064, there were twenty stable teams competing in six
divisions and two conferences. Shan Kaloo won the individual championship that year, besting
Lew Baden in a three-hour Championship slugfest that is fondly remembered to this day.
The Blakist invasion halted all competition for over a decade. A shortage of money, parts, and
‘Mech chassis, combined with Branson being forced to rebuild their brewery and reestablished
its brand were the main reasons for the delay.

Rankar’s Deep was a strip-mine operation run by Rankar Mining. The company went out of
business around 3015, but the name stuck. The arena is a squared-off pit about a kilometer long,
half as wide and sixty meters deep. Basalt formations are scattered around the floor of the arena,
and new generations of rock are brought in during the off season to change the area’s sight lines.
Any questions you, the reader, have, just send them to the RDR and we’ll answer them in a
future report.

Stay tuned for next week’s RDR, when we get back to action!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Sixteen

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

The BBL is back in action this week, and the Wyren Claws are this week’s focus.
All four of the Claws’ warriors are in the top twenty, and that has put them in first, one point
ahead of the Red Jians. Led by Captain David Sanada, the Claws are looking for their first
championship in their seven years of existence

In Class Two, Mansai Yamazaki went up against the Black Ronin’s Carlos Valdez. Sitting in
fourth, Valdez needed to win to move past Yamazaki into third. But the veteran Yamazaki out-
maneuvered and out-shot the rookie’s Panther with his Jenner in a display of the slashing attack,
winning when Valdez’s engine overheated and shut down.
Class Three saw Hiroyuki Hojo face The Swords’ Humbert Barton. Barton used his Shadow
Hawk’s edge in jumping ability to stay away from Hojo’s Bushwhacker in a fast-moving match
that ended when both of Hojo’s hip actuators were destroyed by multiple hits.

David Sanada went up against the Black Eagles’ Wyman Mateo in Class Four action. The
Claws’ Captain needed only thirteen minutes to hammer Mateo’s Paladin into submission.
Class Five had Theo Forzine square off the People’s Will’s Kay Dolachankov. Dolachankov
tried for a long-range fight, but Forzine used the his Colossus’ heavier armor, and the Deep’s
rocks to move in close. Weathering Dolachankov’s Longbow LRM barrage, Forzine trying to get
inside Dolchankov’s LRM range while she tried to keep out of his weapon’s range. For nineteen
minutes, the match was a slow motioned chase, until Forzine’s lasers sliced away most of the left
leg and the massive autocannon finished the job, giving him the victory.

By going 3-1, the Wyren Claws managed to open up a seven-point lead over the stumbling Red
Jians.

Stay tuned for next week’s RDR!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Seventeen

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

Six weeks to go in the BBL, and the race in the Class Four Division is still open. Tracy
Vanberchum has a five-point lead over David Sanada, with David Santos in third. Natalia Burns
lurks in fourth.

Vanberchum’s match was against Kroner Kings’ captain Lee Lumley. The two veterans showed
why they are among the most respected fighters in the league. Both wove through the Deep,
trading shots kept the audience on their feet. While both lost armor, neither could find that
winning shot and the match ended up in a tie.

Sanada’s Orion and Santos’ Thunderbolt squared off against each other. Both were looking to
gain on Vanberchum. It was a match of maneuver, punctuated with short, but violent exchanges
of weapons fire. Like the Vanberchum-Lumley match, the two fought a controlled, intense
match. Unlike the Vanberchum-Lumley match, Sanada found that lucky shot, a autocannon blast
that shattered Santos’ right knee actuator. Now crippled, Santos tried to hold out for the tie, but
Sanada stayed on him, forcing Santos to launch the surrender flare.

Natalia Burns would grab third place, if she won her match against Calvin Frost. From the start,
Frost wanted a brawl, where his Hachiwara’s vibroblade could carve Burns’ Grasshopper apart.
Burns led Frost on a merry chase through the Deep, sniping with her extended-range large laser.
Despite the Hachiwara’s edge in speed, Burns managed to stay away from Frost’s vibroblade.
Sixteen minutes in, Burns lured Frost into a supercharger-fueled charge, then jumped over him
and hit him with a full alpha strike from behind. The strike sliced through the Hachiwara’s rear
torso armor and shredding the gyro. Officials awarded Burns the match.
Tracy Vanberchum still leads, but both Sanada and Burns are closing in.

Stay tuned for next week’s RDR!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—Week Eighteen

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

Thomas Colby still holds first place in the division, with Susan Belden three points behind. But
the surprise the last four weeks has been Sun Runners’ Isadore Kelly. Riding a five-match
winning Streak, Kelly has forced his way into contention, passing both Peter Blane and Meg
Shaw.

Colby’s match was against Regulus’ Wraths’ Anne Foster. Foster and her Cudgel have not had a
good season. The match talk wasn’t if Colby would win, but when. the answer was eleven
minutes, Forster sending up a surrender flare when her ’Mech’s left leg was destroyed by a well-
placed shot.

Belden and Blane squared off in a match both needed to keep pace with Colby. Belden used her
Victor’s speed and jump jets to keep the match mobile. Blane’s Stalker came close to
overheating as he tried to slow the elusive Victor, but the wily Belden waited for her chance and
struck hard, targeting the Stalker’s already damaged leg. The blitz was successful, shattering
both the Stalker’s hip and knee actuators, and sending Blane into a nosedive that knocked him
out for several minutes. Officials immediately ended the match, leaving Beldin with the win.
Isadore Kelly also needed to win to stay with the leaders. In a match similar to the Belden-Blane
match, Kelly used the Deep’s cover and his jump jets to stay away from Kay Dolachenkov’s
Longbow. For fifteen minutes, Kelly forced Dolachankov into a game of hide-and-seek. After
several exchanges, his Pontiac autocannon opened up the Longbow’s right torso. After trying
and failing to dump the LRM ammo in the exposed torso, Dolachankov signaled her surrender.
The top three remain the same, and RDR will keep you informed of how things go down.

Breaking news next week!

The Season at Rankar’s Deep—News Items

Welcome to this week’s RDR.

Matches were delayed for another week, after several incidents occurred between last week’s
matches and this week’s. Under the circumstances, BBL officials decided that a week’s delay
was advised.

The first incident involves a possible act of sabotage in the People’s Will Stables. Readers will
recall that last week, Kay Dolanchankov tried to dump her remaining LRM ammo in her match
with Isadore Kelly, but could not. Technicians have examined the Longbow’s ammo dump
systems, and found evidence that the release plate was welded in place, making it impossible for
the ammo to be dumped. This discovery has prompted BBL officials to request an investigation
team from the Solaris Game Commission. Security has been stepped up for all stables, and safety
inspections will increase for all ’Mechs fighting in the BBL.

The second incident involves two members of the Regulus’ Wrath technical staff being attacked
on their way back to the Wrath’s facilities. According to Xolara PD, Steven Bov-Tyler, the two
techs, Milton Dons and Bert Goddard, were returning from dinner and a couple of hours of darts
at the Headless ’Mech pub. A block from their stable, a gang, numbering between five and eight
people, ambushed them. Both men were beaten, but didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries
before a band of Wyren Claws personnel, also on their way home, discovered the attack and
rescued the two techs. The gang fled, and police are investigating.

The third incident involves the hospitalizing of Division Three and overall individual leader
Anna Hung. Hung, who has lost two of her last three matches, complained of weakness and was
taken to the local hospital. It is not known what she suffering from.

Rankar’s Deep Report will keep you informed of all developments in these three incidents.

This broadcast of the 3086 Rankar's Deep Report brought to you by Branson Breweries of
Xolara. All fights are sanctioned by the Solaris Gaming Commission and the Lyran Alliance
Gaming Board.