• Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 3
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"I'll cover Dvajn; everyone else needs to stay focused," Arkadam urged as he continued to limp his mech toward Dvajn's position. Harvey replied over the comms: "Understood, I'm going after that walker." Dvajn had just parked the mech and engaged a sort of autopilot before dropping out of the hatch. As Arkadam approached, however, the formation on the hill was already launching a counterattack on Dvajn, determined to get revenge for his strafing attack moments earlier, and they had already realized that the man inside the machine had bailed out. "Shit, Dvajn, look out!" Arkadam warned. Nathaniel, Vultures 8-11: CH: 3/5 Actual: {2, 3, 4, 1, 2} 2 Rolls Passed. Arkadam: CH: 3/5 Actual: 1 Roll Failed. Shortly after Dvajn exited his mech, the rockets began to fly in. The dwarf barely had time to consider his own mistake, and began to sprint as quickly as his legs would carry him. Arkadam had also begun a mad dash, but in his case he was attempting to take the impact of the incoming rockets before they could reach their mark. His own thrusters were too damaged, however, and the rockets rained down on Dvajn's position creating a massive cloud of dust and a roar of fiery death on arrival. 50 DMG Dvajn HP: 33/63 Having taken several nasty hits from the flak and sustained some awful burns, Dvajn involuntarily fell to his knees. The air around him was choked with dust, but that worked to his advantage. He focused on making his escape while he could. Dvajn: CH 4/5 Actual: 1 Roll Failed. While waiting for the portal to open, he imagined what others might think if the last they had seen of him was his demise by rockets, and then he suddenly reappeared later. It seemed too similar to what he had done once before. Instead, he painfully rose to his feet, where he was intercepted by Arkadam. "Come on, Dvajn, grab on," he said. "I'll get you over that ridge!" Dvajn grabbed onto the arms of Arkadam's mech and the two began to bunny hop their way up the slope, determined to get out of view of both the enemy and the Muramasa team. Jason, meanwhile, was committed to attacking the soldiers on the ridge, especially their leader, after what had just taken place. Taylor, too, knew that Nathaniel was a constant danger to the party, given how the Vultures seemed to rally around him harder than they ever had before. Unlike Archangel and Beta, Nathaniel had climbed the ranks; he was an inspiration. But to become a crucial pillar like that was also a vulnerability- should he ever collapse, the load of the entire operation would come down with him. They targeted him with Plasma and fired away. Jason: 6 x 2 x (No Feat Applicable) = 12 DMG Taylor: 8 x 1.5 x (No Feat Applicable) = 12 DMG And before Nathaniel's group could reply, there was one more barrage fired by Dvajn's mech. Mech: {7, 4, 4, 9, 1} x (No Feat Applicable) = {7, 4, 4, 9, 1} While the group on the high ground was being suppressed by the Muramasa team, Archangel contemplated arming his own gun to explode in an attempt to kill or maim Iron for taking it. However, by the time Archangel got around to doing it, Iron had already discarded it, tossing it aside so that he could use his own sidearm instead. Five shots were fired at point blank range... Iron: 7 x 2.25 x (No Feat Applicable) = 15.75... 16 DMG ...But just after the fifth shot was fired, a much more powerful detonation occurred at Iron's right foot. Archangel: CH: 4/5 Actual: {1, 2} 1 Roll Passed. The shotgun exploded with a crackle of electrical power discharging into the dirt before the plasma contents erupted through every crack, exploding into a white-hot fireball. Iron dove out of the way at the last moment, having had some instinctual realization of the danger, while Archangel, still frozen and immobile on the ground, took the brunt of the blast. It was not a good idea, and it gave the impression that Archangel was becoming frustrated with his predicament, even if that made little sense for a robot. 20 DMG Meanwhile, Karl was doing everything he could to slow down the advance of the Vultures. Karl: {7, 8, 2, 8, 7, 8, 9, 2, 2, 6, 2} x (No Feat Applicable) = {7, 8, 2, 8, 7, 8, 9, 2, 2, 6, 2} Despite his attempts to keep his composure, there were so many enemies closing in that he fired a bit wildly and in many cases barely hit his marks. None of the enemy Vultures were killed by his actions, and several of the returned fire. But this point, however, they were close enough to revive Archangel, and that's exactly what they did. Vulture 1: CH 2/3 Actual: 3 Roll Passed. Archangel is no longer incapacitated. One of the less injured enemy fighters jumped onto Archangel to shield him before pulling an inconspicuous device out of his pocket, jabbing it against his commander's neck, and holding down a button. There was a dull click inside Archangel's neck, and frantically, the Vulture grabbed hold of his head and tugged downward into the neck, at which point there was another, louder pop before Archangel's head swiveled side to side as a test. Archangel sprung to his feet, knocking the Vulture aside in the process, and was able to rejoin the fighting. Vultures 2 and 3: {5, 1} x 4(Conviction)(Death Marches On) = {20, 4} Vultures 4, 5, and 6: {4, 3, 5} x 3(Conviction) = {12, 9, 15} Vulture 7: 4 x 2(Conviction) = 8 Karl: DEF Rolls = {1, 5, 4, 4, 1, 4} 49 DMG Karl HP: 276/305 Harvey: CH: 1/5 Actual: 1 Roll Failed. No Damage. Two rockets streaked through the air toward the walker, but each sailed slightly wide of their narrow target and detonated harmlessly in the air beyond. Alex: CH: 1/5 Actual: 5 Roll Passed. 1 Strike. Mordecai: 9/10 Strikes remaining. The rockets struck the joint at the same location Golem had just attacked moments earlier, and this time, there was an audible groaning as pieces of the steel plating began to warp from stress and break loose from the rivets and welds. The underlying skeletal structure was undamaged, however, and the walker proceeded on its rampage. Mordecai knew that if he wanted to disable the enemy's mechs, he would need to predict their motion and lead them, and after tooling around with the targeting settings, was confident that his chances had improved. He armed the machine for six more blasts. Modecai: CH: 4/7 Actual: {6, 4, 5, 7, 6, 6} 6 Strikes to Self. (Hacked!) Mordecai: 3/10 Strikes Remaining. By the time Mordecai executed the barrage, several things had happened in such quick succession that he was caught completely by surprise. A malicious code entered the walker's intranet through its sole vulnerability, opening a direct channel to Eve for interference. The robot analyzed its layout, taking hold of the servos responsible for the auto-loading mechanisms in its main guns, as well as the sensors designed to detect their positions. She locked those sensors into the "closed" positions while using the servo motors to leave the breeches open. The charges were detonated, and rather than being contained within the firing chamber, the shells exploded within the cannons and caused a cascade of detonations which destroyed the ammunition caches under each gun. The walker erupted into a number of fireballs, one of the main guns actually rupturing and falling free as debris was hurled so far that some pieces might have become hazards for ships in low orbit. Inside, Mordecai was nearly thrown out of his seat as the machine wildly rocked back and forth, suddenly feeling quite unsteady on its legs. Furiously, he climbed back into position and began to compensate; the walker still had its smaller cannons, and that had to count for something...
"Too close for comfort," muttered Iron as he narrowly avoided the blast caused by the self-destructing shotgun. After rolling into cover the bounty hunter he noticed that the Vultures had managed to reactivate Archangel. Iron raised his handcannon and fired two shots at Archangel's knees followed by a series of shots against the Vultures nearby. --- Karl grunted angrily and muttered something unintelligble. Once again he attacked the Vultures and Nathaniel.
"Fuck yeah!" Alex cheered inside his suit "If he keeps fucking up like this, we got this" He got another round ready to fire at the mech. --- "Executor!" Nathaniel shouted over the coms. The team had ducked for cover after recieving a few hits from the enemy team. "Come in, Executor Mordecai!" "I'm fine Took just a bit bruised after the last explosions." The brief pause wasn't reassuring "By the looks of things, main guns are out of order. Secondary weapons are online. Won't be much good against those mechs, but for the ground troops, it will do just fine." "Roger that, we'll keep doing what we're doing." "I expect you to do nothing less." Another brief pause "Hello, what's this? Looks like they have a hacker on their side. I'm purging the system now. Probably in one of the mechs. On foot the signal would be too weak. Unless... somebody is taking full advantage of a machine brain. It will take a second to purge them out. Then I'll put pressure on their foot soldiers." The mech creaked and roared as if it were a dying animal in its death throes But even in its state it was far from safe. It's guns aimed towards the enemy combatants on the ground and opened fire. --- On the ground Archangel scanned for the nuisance that had been plaguing him. It didn't take much time to find him. The android was privy to the conversation going on in the chatter and could formulate a plan based on that. "I've had just about enough of you." It pointed towards Iron "Take him down." He commanded as he started walking towards his target. The plan was simple, the Executor's guns would hammer the field, the Vultures would tear into him and as the dust settled, Archangel will severe the spine. But there were more moves at play. --- "I have an idea." Nathaniel switched comms "Specter can you hear me?" "Reading you loud and clear, Nathaniel. What do you need?" "I need you to put the scanning equipment on that thing to good use. Find someone that is giving off heavy augmentation or android signatures that isn't one of ours. Mark em for me so we can bring them down" Nathaniel's group armed their stingers again, aiming towards Alex. --- "Giving my men orders now?" "You weren't in a good position to do it sleeping beauty, so yes." "Not really the time for you guys to fight over this." Specter was getting frustrated. First the battle wasn't going according to plan, now these two were fighting over the comms. "Countess give me a hand here. Scan to see from where that hacking attack happened." "Too late for that. It's gonna be a dead end. We can identify who has an odd signature, but we need to get closer. Striking distance closer." "Then make yourselves useful." Archangel interrupted her "If you're going to come that close, then bring down those mechs too. And Beta, I know you can hear me. You want to survive and to get your revenge? Make yourself useful." Specter sighed. He had hoped that they would just fly around and make sure the perimeter was clear, but it looked like they are going to get even more involved. He sucked it up and began to pilot the Buzzard towards the battlefield while countess working the console in her-co-pilot seat. It didn't take long for the Buzzard to lock on the mechs.
Dvajn coughed after managing to enter his portal, getting any dust that he had out of his system. He panted as he traveled back to his place, as he began to consider the plan Arkadam had thought of. He knew he had to bring his all to the battle, yet when he first saw the image, he didn't consider using his powers - he wondered why that was. As he thought on it, he arrived at his place, and slowly came to a conclusion. After his life experiences, most recently Zeruel, he had become even more cautious in using his powers, afraid of the mental superstitions he had made himself, of how his powers always caused things to end worse than they should, with Yanim's departure and his involvement in Zeruel being shining examples. As he realized earlier, he hadn't changed at all. No matter what he did alone, he couldn't face his issues by himself... which is perhaps why he was more responsive to Arkadam bringing it up. Once again, no change. The thought frustrated him, as he went through his stuff and grabbed what he needed. But he knew he had to keep fighting, keep pushing, not falter in the face of his own troubles or troubles to come, otherwise Sting won't be the only one who'll have passed. The Buzzard is key here, and while it will be incredibly tough to face it alone from within, he knew he had to do it. As he had carried the grand majority of his weapons with him (even having managed to bring his backpack after pointing out it housed more weapons and was technically a weapon in of itself due to its howitzers), he went through it first. He'd have to account for the fact that he'd be fighting in close quarters, so first things first, he wouldn't dare bring the nuclear LWA Endgame with him... the rest of his LWA arsenal, being the Texas Ranger shotgun, the Vibrosword, and the tiny Second Horseman vacuum pistol, he'd be bringing with however (and the KUAS armor he's wearing too, obviously). Same goes for the modified LR30 8-Shot laser revolver he has, nicknamed Bellevue Ancaria. He debated leaving his Obrez, or as he called it, Andrast, behind, as he initially doubted they'd be taking their armor off even on board, but began to consider otherwise when he remembered how large the vessel was. There's likely going to be someone on board whose clock he could clean with this. He did, however, begin to consider whether or not he should carry his backpack-multihowitzer combo, Aeducan's Blazing Howitzer, with him too. He could put the Ranger on his back and not carry as much with him, since speed would likely be an important factor, but the additional firepower provided could turn the tide, whether it be the various modes (mortar, flamethrower, machine gun, plasma, laser and electric), the second howitzer he had installed in the last two years, the electromagnetic shield he can generate with the electric mode... on second thought, he's exercised enough that he likely wouldn't be impacted by the weight of the device, plus, thinking on it slightly further, he's gonna likely be in cover too if he ends up in a fire fight, so may as well bring it! While he has some more weapons with him, most he won't bring out of respect towards those that had previously used them. He was essentially left with only one more possible weapon he could grab- a creation of Beta's, likely made to assure him that she was still his friend before he could even question the idea: a nice-enough looking plasma saber. Inside, he had discovered a hidden radio antenna which was wired directly into the circuitry of the plasma coil controls, which seemed to exist so that a specialized signal could interfere with the device and cause it to intentionally overheat. Beta probably installed it as a means to destroy the weapon under this exact scenario, but now with the antenna removed, that was obviously off the table. He had added his own modifications as well, granting him more control over the pseudo-blade's length and intensity, but he wasn't fully sure how reliable they would be. After all, plasma sabers are inherently unstable weapons. Either way, he was confident he could at least use it against her. She had named it Kiskermishi, or 'Yours Truly,' while now he dubbed it Krekhedarkup, or 'After the End'. With a air flip, catching it in his hand, he holstered it to his left, behind his revolver's holster, while his right held his sword's scabbard. He then realized that he hadn't really changed his loadout, aside from the inclusion of the saber, but he didn't really mind as he didn't have to mindlessly wait for the portal for his next destination. He did a few stretches before the portal opened up once more. It had taken slightly longer to open, as he had to put the effort to make the portal as high as he was, which should hopefully mask its blue glow behind the racks of compressed air even further. He turned around towards the portal, and held the shotgun in his hands, ready to fire upon anyone that could theoretically notice the portal and be waiting for him on the other side, which shouldn't be the case. If no one's there, he'll peek from behind the racks to see what's going on. With his initial plan set, Operation Inanition could begin proper, as he stepped into the portal.
It looked like their luck was changing. At least a bit. "Keep it up, guys. We can win this!" said Taylor into her comms, before firing off another burst of plasma in Nathaniel's direction. Eve nodded, satisfied with her work as the main guns of the giant mech exploded into magnificent fireballs. "Enemy mech has been heavily damaged. Switching targets." she stated through comms, taking aim at Archangel. Her plasma rifle likely wouldn't do much damage to the mech. She'd leave that to the mechs with missiles. Or Golem. Once she had Archangel sighted in, she opened fire.
The giant mech that was about to attack is still not a blazing fireball yet, so it's still priority target #1 for Golem. Locking on to it's legs, it let loose with it's weapons once more.
The Vigil had suffered a string of misfortunes, but it was time to strike back with a vengeance. The giant walker lumbered forward, its metallic groans sounding like the growl of some great monster, its towers of flame and smoke like bleeding wounds. The large guns under the nose of the vehicle were leveled upon the fighters on foot, who lacked the mobility of those in the mechs. Mordecai: CH: 3/5 Actual: {4, 5, 2, 3} 3 Rolls Passed. Just as Alex and Taylor had finished cheering for the walker's apparently oncoming demise, the first heavy cannon shots began to rain on the battlefield. The Muramasa fighters had no time to react as the explosive shells detonated in their midst, creating a storm of shrapnel that tore through armor and flesh and stalled their next attack. Only through some stroke of luck did Taylor avoid serious injury, as she managed to stumble behind a piece of debris thick enough to protect her momentarily. The others weren't so fortunate. 25 DMG to Iron, Eve, and Karl. Iron HP: 46/100 Eve HP: 74/79 Karl HP: 251/305 Taylor picked herself up, her heart pounding as she scanned the ridge above. The Vultures were readying for another assault with their rocket tubes, and Nathaniel was exposed. She put her sights on the Horseman once again and tried to bring him down. Taylor: 10 x 1.5 x (No Feat Applicable) = 15 DMG A few shots pinged off Nathaniel's armor, slowing him down temporarily as he readied his team for their next barrage. They fired against Alex. Nathaniel, Vultures 8-11: CH: 3/5 Actual: {3, 1, 3, 4, 5} 4 Rolls Passed. (Auto Roll) Alex: CH 1/3 Actual: 2 Roll Failed. Alex has been shot down. A wave of rockets launched from the top of the ridge, all focused on Alex with the intent of destroying his mech. Following the first two impacts, Alex already knew that his mech would be inoperable as the HUD flickered out in front of him. He held his breath as another two slammed into him and the machine toppled over into the dirt and gravel, engulfed in a cloud of dust and smoke. Luckily, its structural integrity held, and he was able to kick the hatch open and climb out. Alex: Action Invalidated. Upon seeing the rapidly escalating destruction, Abraxas finally intervened. He had smartly avoided being seen for a while, mainly just attending to Sting and exhausting every tool in his repertoire to revive her and only accepting her death at that point. In doing so, he preserved himself into the later stages of the battle, where his assistance could be most useful to the party. On foot, however, it would take him a while to cross over the wide field of battle to where the rest of the crew members were now holding their ground. At the center of the field, Archangel resumed his march while Iron fell back, taking shots at the android's legs with his handcannon, and eventually, at the entire gallery of approaching Vultures who wanted him dead. Eve closed in from behind and fired on the android with her plasma rifle. Iron: {9, 6, 7, 7, 4, 8, 4, 10} x 2.25 x (No Feat Applicable) = {20.25... 20, 13.5... 14, 15.75... 16, 15.75... 16, 9, 18, 9, 22.5... 23} Vulture 2 has been Killed. Eve: 10 x 1.25 x (No Feat Applicable) = 12.5... 13 DMG As Iron and Eve unloaded on their foes, it seemed as if, once again, the enemy would not even be slowed by their best efforts. Archangel certainly didn't seem to mind the attacks, but then, as they prepared to unleash their own volley, one of the Vultures took a knee, fell over sideways, and simply stopped moving. He had expended the very last of his energy, giving more than any normal soldier would, and paid the price. The rest followed through on their leader's order and attacked. Vultures 1 and 4-7: {4, 5, 1, 4, 3} x 3(Conviction) = {12, 15, 3, 12, 9} Vulture 3: 1 x 4(Conviction)(Death Marches On) = 4 Iron: DEF Rolls = {5, 5, 5, 5, 1, 1} 33 DMG Iron HP: 13/100 The remaining Vultures pulverized Iron with their attack, driving him backwards from the sheer force of their firepower until he fell to the ground. Abraxas was in full sprint, sensing that the bounty hunter couldn't survive this much longer. Unfortunately, Archangel was much closer, and wasted no time in seizing his weakened opponent. As Archangel lifted Iron off the ground, time seemed to slow for a moment as everyone looked on; if only Iron could endure one more attack, then the medic would have a good chance of preventing his demise. The android hoisted him all the way above his head and stood as a pillar of brute strength, before using all of his power to throw Iron straight down onto his knee with an impact so devastating it bent his armor out of shape- and the force transferred all the way through. Archangel: 5 x 2(Conviction) x 2(Merner's Strike) = 20 Iron: DEF Roll = 1 19 DMG Iron's helmet rolled off his head, revealing the true face lying beneath it. Ira's head lulled out at an odd angle, and her expression was frozen into a contorted mixture of shock and agony, totally lifeless. True to his intention, in one fatal drop, Archangel had managed to break her spine in two places. Ira has been killed. Karl replied immediately by taking his frustration out on the Vultures all around. He started with Nathaniel; if that bastard hadn't intervened, the remaining Vultures under Archangel's command would have been overwhelmed and they would have moved on to the walker by now. Instead, the enemy got a second wind that was already costing his comrades their lives. As tempting as it would be to retaliate directly against Archangel, Nathaniel was the more valuable target, here. Karl: {10, 2, 2, 8, 6, 5, 7, 1, 9, 10, 5} x (No Feat Applicable) = {10, 2, 5, 2, 8, 6, 5, 7, 1, 9, 10, 5} One after another, after another, the Vultures took hits, and yet they kept fighting. It was the most unreal display; they had no sense of self-preservation. Now, with another crew member dead and only four mechs left in the fight, the Muramasa team felt as if the major coup they dealt moments earlier had been fully reversed. And it was about to get even worse. --- Aboard the Starving Buzzard, Beta had just finished equipping her demon's tail and recharging her jetpack when Archangel called on her to put her technical expertise to use. "I'll bet it was the same AI that burned me last time..." she grumbled before flashing a toothy grin. She opened the tip of her tail and extended a data plug, which she connected to the flight console on the bridge of the Buzzard. "Let's get even, then." The ship began a dive toward the battlefield, Specter honing in on the enemy using the gunner's controls and locking on directly to the four mechs still in use, and Golem, the other large target available, and fired away. Specter: CH: 3/5 Actual: {4, 5, 4, 2, 5} 4 Rolls Passed. 1 Strike to Dvajn's Mech. 3/5 Strikes Remaining. 1 Strike to Harvey. 2/5 Strikes Remaining. 25 DMG to Arkadam. Arkadam HP: 74/79 25 DMG to Golem. Golem HP: 94/99 A number of thundering strikes fell from the Buzzard as it roared past the battlefield, most of them hitting their marks. Arkadam grunted over the comms, sounding like he was hurt. "Don't let them distract you. Keep the pressure on their commanders!" he demanded. Harvey and Jason replied in the affirmative. Countess: CH: 5/7 Actual: 2 Roll Failed. Beta: Action Invalidated. Above them, Countess was using the ship's instruments to try for a lock on the enemy responsible for the walker's crippling, but she used the wrong calibration and quickly lost track of the only signal worth tracking. Beta was absolutely livid. "Syarmizraht! Can't you do anything right!?" she spat. "Get that lock already!" Dwan: CH: 9/10 Actual: 7 Roll Passed. Dwan entered the Buzzard entirely unseen by its currently-small crew. He looked down the length of the room; it was empty aside from all the spare equipment and empty seats its crew would likely utilize just before deployment. Skulking into the room cautiously, he could see a discarded nitrogen tank in the corner, still hissing its residual contents into the air. Beta had obviously left the room in a hurry, not long ago. --- Having climbed up the dusty slope from the large crater that lay beyond, Arkadam re-entered the fight by attacking Nathaniel and his Vultures with plasma. Jason and Harvey landed nearby and joined him. Arkadam: {7, 6, 1, 9, 1} x 2(Desperation) = {14, 12, 2, 18, 2} Jason: {9 + 7(Assault) = 16, 1, 10 + 4(Assault) = 14, 10 + 10(Assault) + 5(Assault) = 25, 4} x 2 = {32, 2, 28, 50, 8} Harvey: {8, 8, 4, 2, 1} x 0.5(Medic) = {4, 4, 2, 1, 0.5... 1} The plasma barrage was devastating, causing the Vultures to briefly lose their organization as the shots came from three different angles at once. They dropped to the ground, some catching fire until they could put themselves out, while one man was actually blown in half, killing him instantly. Even Nathaniel, their courageous leader, looked far worse for wear than ever before. Portions of his armor were burnt and smoking, and he was visibly in serious pain. Were Archangel just a man, he, too, might have displayed such fatigue. "Looks like there are more Vultures down there in the crater..." Jason noted. "Ignore them," Arkadam ordered. "We'll clean them up when we're done with their commanders!" Just then, Golem sounded off with a powerful artillery launch against the walker. Golem: 9 x 1.25 x (No Feat Applicable) = 11.25... 11 1 Strike on Mordecai. Mordecai: 2/10 Strikes Remaining. Multiple impacts at the already-weakened knee joints caused the walker to list unnervingly to one side before correcting itself. It was very clearly on the verge of toppling.
Taylor looked over, just in time to witness Archangel slam Iron down onto his knee. She practically froze in place, as Iron's helmet fell off. Archangel, the android that Taylor had a vendetta against since Voyak, had just killed another one of his crew. This time, it was the one that was the closest to her. The one she had practically grown up with, having been raised alongside her by her mother Miranda. Her adopted sister Ira was now dead, her spine snapped and her body tossed to the ground. She flipped on an open comm line to Archangel. "You're a dead man, Archie." was all she said, before the comm went dead. Regardless of what she was feeling, she targeted and fired on Nathaniel from where she was. First, the Vigil morale must be broken. Nathaniel had to die. Then, she could personally kill Archangel. "You heard Arkadam. Continue firing on the mech and Nathaniel. Destroy their support, break their will, and give them a reason to fear us." she stated into allied comms. A few tear drops fell, landing on the seat and controls in front of her. ------ "Understood, ma'am. Changing targets." said Eve, shifting her attention to Nathaniel from Archangel. She took aim, and fired off several bursts of plasma fire.
With one sudden she was gone. As her life crumbled away Ira stared into the sky. Tracers, projectiles and explosions turned into a beautiful mix of colors. Someone shut off the lights. A pitch-black darkness surrounded her. Ira felt herself pushing forward. A pair of rusty metal doors covered in posters parted, revealing the dimly lit interior of a bar. A window running alongside the far wall revealed the beautiful red vistas of the mountains on Mars. Walking forth Ira seated herself at one of the bar stools. The bartender, a robot with a cracked faceplate, turned around and smiled. "Welcome, Ira." A glass of tequila was placed infront of her. Ira grabbed it and emptied its contents with one sweep. She looked to her right. Sitting at the far end of the bar was a man in a damaged set of armor. Blood, snow and ice filled bullet holes, scratches and other holes. The man looked up. His face was blurred out, like someone had censored it. "He's not true," said the bartender. "Someone made him. He's half a soul and half a man." Ira nodded. The glass had been refilled. "Am I dead?" The bartender chuckled. "No, this is just the beginning. Trust me kiddo, life is never truly over." Ira nodded once more and took another sip. She looked to her left and spotted a man and a woman sitting at a table. They spoke with hushed tones but there was no mistake: she knew them. "Mom? Dad?" Ira stood up from her seat. The man and woman looked up. "Ira?" The couple practically flew out of their seats. Ira met them halfway across the bar and the three of them embraced eachother in a hug long overdue. --- Karl screamed violently as he watched Ira get killed. He pulled the bolt backwards again, again and again. A swarm of sniperfire was unleashed upon Archangel, Nathaniel and even the walker out of pure frustration.
Alex thumbled out of what remained of the mech. The dust and smoke made it hard to see at first. But as the scene became more clear to him, it turned out ot be a gruesome one. Ira's death send a shiver down his spine and anger mixed with hatred began to swell within him. Every other command just became background noise for him. There was nothing but the want for revenge. The power sword was still strapped to his back even after the crash and he had full intention to use it on Ira's murderers. Fully disregarding tactics and rules of engagement, he gripped the hilt in hand and charged the nearest vulture, intending to skewer, rip and tear. --- Yet another hit shook the walker. It wasn't going to last too long if the hits kept coming like that. But Mordecai had a way to survive in the event of it collapsing. That wasn't his concern. What was however, the group of mercenaries that continued to stand in his way. If he could, he would stomp them out of the way, but that would proved difficult. He wondered for a second what possible thing was said to them to instill such willpower. Opposing sides or not, he had to begrudge them that admiration at least. https://youtu.be/jynTNYSKNuk But as the guns loaded the next batch of ammunition, those thoughts quickly disappeared. The last thing he was going to allow was for these insects to rob him of what was rightfully his. He settled for continuing his tactic. It proved to be much more fruitful than aiming at the mechs. The targeting systems locked on to enemy combatants again and shook the air as the guns fired again. --- "Fuck sake Countess, get it together." Specter grumbled. "I'll circle around for another run. Do it again and this time don't fuck up. Rather not have Wicked witch of the west here screeching at us." He didn't care if Beta heard him. Not now at least. He was sure he would regret it later, but fuck it. He looked up the console as an alarm flashed to get his attention. INTRUDER ALERT! Great. Just what they needed. He flipped a few switches and pressed a few buttons. The automated defense systems would slow whoever was on board down at least. Might get them if they were lucky. He turned his attention back to those mechs. The Buzzard's guns were ready to fire again. --- "I see that was someone you gave a shit about." Archangel gloated over the open comms. The armor was a dead giveaway on who it was. Iron was a bounty hunter with a reputation. But nobody knew he was a she. In a former life he would have probably cared for a way to settle bets whether that rumor was true or not, but that was long ago now. The android looked over to where Taylor's signal was coming from. He knew he had to hurry and bring her down. Without her, the rest would scatter. "Forward! Kill her and the backbone falls apart!" He pointed before he led with a charge. --- On top of the ridge the Vultures began to feel the pain of the sustained fire. Nathaniel however was really begining to feel it. Letting out a cry of pain that would make weaker men turn their stomach. The plasma had not only burned his suit, it had melted the metal and the drips began to fuse with his skin underneath. The onboard system began to scramble to administer painkillers to dull the pain. He raised his head and looked towards Jason's mech still in the air. Then back towards the vultures. "Take him down next!"
Unfazed by the death from above, Golem keeps up its attack on the mech.
Coming through the portal, Dwan aimed his shotgun as he boarded the Starving Buzzard. Luckily, no one was there, and the decrease in portal size seemed to have been worth it, as the blue glow emanating from it barely shined from behind the rack of compressed air. Peeking from the rack down the length of the bay, he saw that it was rather empty, aside from the equipment lying about and the empty seats which would've held plenty of folks prior to this battle. Dwan sighed in relief, thankful that he could start this as a sneaking mission instead. Skulking into the wider bay, glad but cautiously, he noted the discarded nitrogen tank in the corner, still hissing its contents into the air. It was clear that not only Beta had avoided death earlier, but she had managed to recover. But it was also clear that she had left the room in a hurry, and with the tank still hissing, it couldn't have been too long ago. As Dwan continued onwards however, he began hearing some movement, but it wasn't any footsteps; it was mechanical sounding. Looking in the direction of the noise, he noted the appearance of turrets! So, it was going to be one of these days, won't it? Dwan rushed to find cover to avoid getting fired upon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIOO_7DLr3M Ira's death would not be in vain. There was a series of long-range attacks which cascaded across the bow the Stalingrad, far above in orbit, like one long streak of lightning. She was in a better place; all that was present here was death and the fury which furnishes it. But as horrendous of a burden it was, that weight which her comrades felt in their hearts, they would not be deterred from their goal of achieving total victory and not just petty revenge, as the galaxy was depending on them to rise above. Taylor and Eve began by targeting Nathaniel. Taylor: 7 x 1.5 x (No Feat Applicable) = 10.5... 11 DMG Eve: 7 x 1.25 x (No Feat Applicable) = 8.75... 9 DMG Karl roared in defiance, joining them in their retaliatory attacks. Karl: {1, 10, 4} x (No Feat Applicable) = {1, 10, 4} No Damage to Mordecai. Blinded by rage, his accuracy was poor, but Nathaniel nonetheless took a hard impact from one of his bullets, as well as plasma burns from the Captain and the robot Valkyrie left behind. Alex climbed to his feet, unsheathing his power sword and rushing in, just as enraged as Karl. Alex: 2 x 1.5(Contender) = 5 DMG He came up upon a Vulture who had charged forward on Archangel's orders, and with a series of heavy swings, he forced the man to backpedal, but only struck him once in a shower of sparks from his armor. The Vulture ultimately grappled with him and pushed him away before hastily rejoining the charge as ordered, apparently more fearful of Archangel's wrath than Alex's inaccurate attacks. Finally, the assembled Vultures opened fire on Taylor, trying to wipe out her already-damaged mech so that the Captain could be dragged out and slaughtered. Vultures 1 and 5-7: {6, 8, 9, 4} x 3(Conviction) = {18, 24, 36, 16} Taylor: DEF Rolls = {7, 6, 5, 5} 71 DMG Taylor HP: 69/195 Vultures 3 and 4: {1, 1} x 4(Conviction)(Death Marches On) = {4, 4} Taylor: DEF Rolls = {5, 3} No Damage. Despite an overwhelming wave of attacks on the mech, the armor held, much to the Vigil's frustration. Archangel himself closed in, crashed shoulder-first into the mech with incredible brute strength, and knocked it off its feet before leaping on top of the machine. Inside, Taylor watched through the round cockpit window as the android pounded on the glass and surrounding armor with nothing but his fists, and yet the screens of her HUD flickered with each impact; apparently, Archangel was made of denser material than the mech! Archangel: 7 x 1.75 x 2(Conviction) x 2(Merner's Strike) = 49 Taylor: DEF Roll = 1 48 DMG Taylor HP: 21/195 A serious amount of damage had been done to the frontal armor by the time Taylor had finally managed to shake him off and rise to her feet again. The fight was far from over, it seemed. Meanwhile, on the ridge, Nathaniel and his cohort were ready for another round of rockets, and this time they targeted one of the bigger nuisances on the battlefield, Jason. They launched a combined volley of rockets on Nathaniel's signal... Nathaniel, Vultures 8, 9, and 11: CH: 3/5 Actual: {3, 1, 4, 4} 3 Strikes. Jason has been shot down! (Auto Roll) Jason: CH: 1/3 Actual: 1 Roll Failed. ...and knocked Jason out of the sky and out of his mech. They crashed hard into the gravel covered slope just as the mercenary was about to make another pass, and as it rolled, the hatch popped open. To their surprise and utter amazement, Jason didn't just bail out, he leaped out with his rifle blazing, laying down additional fire on Nathaniel and his crew. Jason: {3, 4, 7, 7} x 2 x (No Feat Applicable) = {6, 8, 14, 14} Nathaniel was barely worse for wear, but Jason managed to land a number of good hits on his cohort before hitting the ground himself and rolling to a stop. He was now at point-blank range near the grouping on the ridge. He didn't stand up to them immediately, and soon it was clear why: Dvajn's mech, still on autopilot, had finished making a loose turn and had returned to fire on Nathaniel's position again. Dvajn's Mech: CH: 4/5 Actual: 5 Roll Passed. When they realized what was happening, the entire grouping attempted to scatter, including Jason. Nathaniel, in great pain despite the painkillers, found his own mobility reduced, and wasn't able to get out from under the rocket's flight path and took a devastating hit. 25 DMG to Nathaniel. On the far side of the field, Mordecai looked down on the action and made his target selections. Now that Jason was out of his vehicle, he, too, became a target for the cannons aboard the walker. With the swipe of his finger, he mercilessly activated another barrage. Mordecai: CH: 3/5 Actual: {1, 5, 1, 5, 1} 2 Rolls Passed. 25 DMG to Eve and Abraxas. Eve HP: 49/79 Abraxas HP: 145/155 "We have to finish that bastard off already." Arkadam hissed as he watched it happen. "That walker can't take much more; let's show these scumbags what a phony their leader is!" Golem responded to the order with another artillery launch against the walker, striking it at its weak spot once again. Golem: 8 x 1.25 x (No Feat Applicable) = 10 1 Strike. Mordecai: 1/10 Strikes Remaining. There was an unnerving rumble which traveled through the body of the machine, and the sound of something breaking loose. It was impossible to tell from his seat on-board exactly what was occurring elsewhere in the machine, but his HUD told Mordecai that the vehicle was experiencing critical "load" errors suggesting that the legs were having trouble balancing the heavy body in the center. More rockets flew in from another direction: Harvey: CH: 1/5 Actual: 1 Roll Failed. They missed their mark, but Arkadam was right behind them with his plasma cannons. One crippled mech laid into another... Arkadam: 4 x 1.25 x 2(Desperation) = 10 1 Strike Mordecai has been shot down! (Auto Roll) Mordecai: CH: 1/3 Actual: 1 Roll Failed. And a giant came crashing down. There was a much louder pang, the sound of a solid piece of metal fracturing from incredible stress. The list that Mordecai experienced before was nothing compared to the stomach-turning freefall that followed the final barrage, the old man barely clinging to his seat as the whole cabin turned to a 70-degree angle. Alarms blared, lights flashed, and the horizon turned in the windows, until finally the great impact occurred; the walker's body slammed into the dirty ground with such a plume of smoke and a manic orchestra of twisting metal creaks and shrieks, followed by a few firecracker-like explosions from the reactor on board, venting steam as its turbines disengaged for safety. The absolute leader of the Death Vigil had been ripped loose from the chair and dumped unceremoniously onto the crumpled cabin wall which was now below him, suffering minor bruises and scrapes which paled in comparison to the absolute indignity of falling to the Muramasa crew's desperate attacks. He picked himself up in the dimly-lit hulk. He would have his victory one way or another. --- Up in the sky, Dwan, free from his alter-ego, now endeavored to cross the Starving Buzzard's length to its bridge, where his nemesis awaited. Automated defenses began to come alive, which would slow him, but nothing would fully deter him at this point. Dwan: CH: 4/5 Actual: 3 Roll Passed. Before the guns could fully come online, he ducked aside into a small room no larger than a closet. Unable to see him, the guns remained spinning but did not fire. He had a moment to think; how would he get behind them? He had to move quickly, as the pilot was continuing to attack his allies on the ground. Specter: CH: 3/5 Actual: {4, 2, 4, 2, 1} 3 Rolls Passed. 1 Strike to Dvajn's Mech. Dvajn's Mech: 2/5 Strikes Remaining. 25 DMG to Arkadam. Arkadam HP: 49/79 More attacks rained down on the Muramasa crew, striking "Dvajn's" mech just after its second pass over Nathaniel and his Vultures. Another hit Arkadam, who had just delivered the final blow to Mordecai's walker. All three of the Vigil officers broke into swearing as they saw the beast tip over onto the dusty landscape, so struck by alarm that Beta forgot about being called a witch. She merely urged Countess to get the target lock she needed. Countess: CH: 4/5 Actual: 5 Roll Passed. A moment later, the Buzzard had managed to identify Eve's signal. "[Let's see if you're as sophisticated as you look...]" Beta grumbled as she attempted to break her way into Eve's code. If she could only gain access, then she could cause all sorts of havoc... Beta: CH: 4/7 Actual: 1 Roll Failed. "Akha! Fuck! That's not what I was expecting!" Beta yelled as she opened her eyes. She had immediately been beset by firewalls which not only forcefully broke her concentration, but they also gave her a terrible headache. Scowling at the other two on the bridge, she gave a vague explanation. "...Whoever built that piece of shit has a special place in Hell waiting for them! Maybe if I try another approach..." she said as she closed her eyes once more, gripping the bridge console.
Karl crouched down and adjusted his aim. The collapse of the enemy walker was a sight of joy, however the fight was far from over. First he attacked Archangel with two rapid shots. Then he attacked Nathaniel and the rest of the Vultures.
Alex grunted when he got pushed aside by the vulture. He wasn't gonna let the fucker get away and chased after him. Not even the crashing hulk of the walker distracted him. --- Mordecai stood in the darkness of the hull, the occasional sparks and fading light from the window illuminating his surrounding. The comms were shot and too much interference from the hulk surrounding him prevented him from rallying his troops. The enemy would think him dead but so would his men. As much as he would prefer to keep his status a surprise for his foes, he needed to keep morale up. The cabin window had cracked from the impact and presented a way out. Kicking and bashing it uncovered a way out. He would have to crawl out, but it was a way that didn't involve him going through a wreckage that could collapse in on itself any moment now. 'Before we stand, we learn to crawl.' Outside he stood and observed the battle. It was nearing its conclusion by the looks of it. The only channels he could access was the one open for all. "You think you could kill me just like that? Better men that you tried only a month before and they failed. Then they send you to do what they couldn't, but you failed too." he cut it short and ran to join his troops on the ground. " --- On top of the ridge Nathaniel gritted his teeth from the attack suffered. But to his amusement he could see another mech come crashing down even if the pilot survived, it meant that they had one less tooth, one less claw to lash out with. Pointing towards Dvajn's mech and uttered one word "Kill." --- Archangel had turned his attention towards the wreckage and then toward the lone swordsman attacking his troops. "Kill him. I'll deal with the captain." He looked towards Taylor's mech. This was a long time coming and now their game was at an end. It looked like his calculations were right. He got under her skin, distracted her and now he would reap the rewards. Deep inside something resembling satisfaction flickered in his mechanical mind. Would have to examine later. "You should have killed me when you had the chance." He began to taunt "I was laying on the ground completely helpless to do anything. Maybe that one would still be alive." A blade emerged from the wrist. "Not going to bother trying that again. Just going to use it as a can opener to get you out of there." He began to walk towards her "I still owe you one for my last arm." He lunged towards the mech, intent to finish this. --- The Buzzard turned around for another round. On board Specter began to feel a fountain of sweat trickling down his spine as the situation was becoming more intense. The Executor was still alive, but he was exposed just like the others. The following minutes were going to be the most deciding out of any so far. The one mech engaged by Archangel was off limits to him, but the rest were not. He locked on to them and Golem. Next to him, Countess began to scan the ship, trying to find where that intruder was.
Dwan sighed, having ducked into the small room. He could hear the guns still spinning outside, so it was clear it was still aware of his presence. He knew he had to get past the turrets somehow, and considered his earlier train of thought. If the turrets were still spinning, then they should knew he was still there, so it had used some means of identifying him. The question was, how did it identify him? Was it by sound? Motion? Could it be heat? Or maybe there was just a camera in the corner that he missed. He wasn't paying enough attention, and he was hitting himself for it. He considered what the turret may be functioning with - while he may be biased, he thought that he didn't make enough noise to be noticed, so he eliminated that option. Giving it more thought, it couldn't be a camera system that's to blame, since it would need to work in tandem with another system to identify foreign bodies, whether it be software to recognize the kind of armor worn or hardware via chipping. Too costly, he thought. Motion would also be a costly way of identifying people, as it would be reliant on another system to function, plus they wouldn't have any reason to suspect that someone could have boarded the ship, especially given that explosion. Heat would be the simplest solution, as it would be an easy way of identifying how many people are on board, foreign or not. He'd need to test his theory though. Dwan decided to look through this small room he was in now, searching for anything that could provide a heat source, and was easy enough to throw outside of the room, in a bid to distract the turrets. If there wasn't anything, he'd have to find if there was anything made with a material that has a high enough melting point to allow him to use his howtizer's flamethrower mode to heat it up and throw it out to distract the turrets. He'd ideally want something that is a larger heat source than he was.
Golem's inner systems were processing. -PRIORITY TARGET: DESTROYED.- -NEW TARGET:..- It's head spun rapidly on a swivel as it scanned the battlefield until it came to a dead halt, pointing directly at Archangel. It activated it's boosters and opened up it's hands, sending itself flying towards Archangel, speeding to peel him off Taylor's mech.
"Keep talking, you souless metal bastard." responded Taylor through an open comm. "Just keep it up. I'm still going to kill you. One way or another. Even if I die in the process. I'm going to take you with me, motherfucker. I will die screaming as I rip your damn head off with my bare fucking hands." she said, more tears dripping from her face and landing on the console. Her grip on the controls tightened. He's too powerful in close combat, and the mech couldn't take much more punishment. She'd have to knock him back, or...could she rig the mech to self distruct if he gets in close again? Could the blast get him? Its risky. No, too risky. As much as she wanted to take him down in a firey blast, there was a chance he'd get away. Shit, she needed to do something. As Archangel drove at the mech intent to try and cut it open, she jerked one of the arms back and slung it forward. Hopefully the mech's punch would stop him cold. And do some damage in the process. -------- As Eve tended to some damaged portions of her external armor, she sounded off through her comms. "Hostile mech is down. I recommend focusing fire on the individual Nathaniel, on the ridge." she stated, before getting an alert from her internal systems. Someone had just attempted to hack her? She looked up, tracing the hacking attempt back to the hostile ship flying about. "Interesting. It seems someone aboard that enemy craft just tried to hack into my systems. Locking down local systems for a moment." stated Eve, before she ducked behind a piece of large debris. A moment later, she knelt down. Her form locked up, as motor functions ceased.
Both sides could sense the conclusion of the battle on the horizon, but how quickly it would arrive remained to be seen. With Mordecai now emerging from the wreck of his war walker, the Vultures had their spirits raised slightly to know that their leader was still in the fight. The Muramasa crew was undaunted, however. They only saw another target, another opportunity to crush the morale of their black-clad assailants. Karl: {2, 8, 9, 1, 7, 9, 2, 5, 5, 5, 3} x (No Feat Applicable) = {2, 8, 9, 1, 7, 9, 2, 5, 5, 5, 3} Karl continued to lay down manic fire, gradually whittling the resolve of the attackers as they tried to focus their attacks on one crew member at a time. Alex, still enraged over the death of Ira, and unwilling to be sidelined, threw himself at the same soldier who had thrown him aside moments earlier, swinging and thrusting his power sword with a battle cry. Alex: 10 x 1.5(Contender) = 15 DMG This time, a powerful blow connected with the vulture's armor vest, sending sparks and flecks of material into the air like an anvil struck by a hammer. The man stumbled backwards in pain, but Alex would be rewarded for his attack with a united barrage from the Vultures all around him. Archangel had noticed him as well, but saw him as nothing more than another lone hero, like Ira had been. He would allow his minions to soften Alex up before returning to finish him off. Vultures 1, 3-6: {7, 6, 6, 1, 4} x 4(Conviction)(Death Marches On) = {28, 24, 24, 4, 16} Alex: DEF Rolls = {4, 4, 2, 5, 10} 71 DMG Alex HP: 105/156 Alex was hit numerous times in his body and legs, knocking him to the ground. He could feel the nanites already at work in his body, repairing him with a tingling sensation even as the wounds still burned and stung. Then, there was suddenly another pain, hitting him right in his neck. Reaching up, he could feel a small dart sticking out of the flesh, and realized that it was one of Abraxas's syringes. +36 HP Alex HP: 141/156 Alex could feel the elixir entering his veins, intermingling with the nanites already present. He felt his strength return to him as he forced himself to his feet, even as more wounds were opened on him. But while the action had greatly improved his chance of survival, Alex felt a certain concern for Abraxas. The medic had just revealed himself to the enemy as a prime target, one who wasn't prepared to fight the way most of the crew was. Up on the ridge, Nathaniel was blinded by rage, ordering his crew to use their rockets against Dvajn's autopilot-controlled mech. Hurriedly, they let fly another set of rockets at what they believed was a manned craft. Nathaniel and Vultures 8, 9, and 11: CH: 3/5 Actual: {3, 4, 1, 1} 2 Rolls Passed. Dvajn's Mech has been Destroyed. Half of the rockets launched made contact with Dvajn's mech, which erupted in fire as it came in for another pass, narrowly missing the crowd at the top of the ridge as it tumbled into the dirt and gravel and disintegrated end-over-end. The entire team, aside from Arkadam, was stunned as they believed that Dvajn had just been killed. Jason was especially distraught, as he had been trying hard to prevent this from happening after the previous rounds of combat had seen several of the Muramasa team's mechs destroyed, but none of those events had directly led to the loss of a pilot. Arkadam, knowing that the man inside was on a singular mission and likely wouldn't return anyway, chose to play into it. "Shit!" he yelled into the comms. "Dvajn, are you there!?" There was no answer. Jason screamed his frustration as he laid into Nathaniel in melee. Jason: 3 x 2 x (No Feat Applicable) = 6 DMG The Horseman simply grappled him and threw him aside, energized by his apparent victory. Arkadam replied with his plasma cannons, and Harvey added his rockets to the conversation. Dvajn would be avenged. Arkadam: 8 x 1.25 x 2(Desperation) = 20 DMG Harvey: CH: 3/5 Actual: 4 Roll Passed. 25 DMG Nathaniel was treated to an absolute downpour of projectiles that pinned him to his current position and extracted a scream of agony more intense than the last. The man inside that armor was being burned alive, and yet there was not a single splinter in his resolve. His men would follow his example, of course. Down below, Archangel seized the moment by charging forward, planning to cut Taylor out of her mech by force. At that same moment, Golem turned its attention to the android and marked him as the greatest current threat. It blasted forward, trying to close the distance, until all three met in the same place. Just as Archangel grabbed onto Taylor's mech, Golem grabbed onto Archangel, and attempted to pry him loose before he could damage the Captain's vehicle. Golem: CH: 2/5 Actual: 3 Roll Failed. Golem: 8 x 1.25 + 10(Hydraulics) x Hydraulics(CH 1/3, 3, Passed, x3) = 60 DMG Unable to pull him loose, Golem simply applied maximum strain to Archangel's entire chassis, stretching and bending components beyond their tolerances and inflicting massive damage to the machine. Archangel knew that his own body wasn't capable of sustaining such an attack for long, and quickly broke loose from the grapple. In that window of opportunity, Taylor used the robotic arms on the exterior of her mech to punch Archangel in hopes of knocking him away. Taylor: 5 x 1.5 x (No Feat Applicable) = 7.5... 8 DMG Reacting with machine reflexes, Archangel rolled with the punch before attacking the way he had intended all along, cutting deep into the metal and ripping the mech open like a can opener. Archangel: 5 x 1.75 x 3(Conviction) x 2(Merner's Strike) x 0.5(Suppression) = 26.25... 26 Taylor: DEF Roll = 2 24 DMG Faced with no other options as her machine cried out in a dozen alarm tones, Taylor bailed out and entered the battle on foot. Nearby, Eve confirmed that someone was trying to hack her, and so rather than intervening, decided to lock herself down for the safety of the crew. She ducked into cover before doing so. --- Up in the Buzzard, Specter targeted Arkadam, Harvey, and Golem, noting with growing enthusiasm that the number of Muramasa mechs was dwindling quickly. The ship made another roaring pass over the battlefield and dished out a punishing barrage. Specter: CH: 3/5 Actual: {3, 1, 2} 1 Roll Passed. 25 DMG to Arkadam Arkadam HP: 24/79 Out of its three targets, however, Arkadam was the only one caught by the Buzzard's fire, further damaging a mech which was nearing its last legs. Future runs would need to be more successful if the Vigil was expected to triumph. Countess meanwhile had switched from ground targeting to trying to identify the intruder's position on the ship. While she worked, Beta made a final attempt at hacking Eve. Beta: CH: 1/2 Actual: 1 Roll Failed. ...And found her systems had already been disabled to prevent it. "Shnkaaa..." Beta hissed as she ripped her tail out of the console, snapping its blades together several times in frustration. "It's turned itself off! It must know what we're up to... and you-" she spat, pointing at Specter, "call me a witch one more time, and I'll show you all the ways I've been wanting to hurt you since we've met. Now who the fuck is on this ship!?" Countess: CH: 8/10 Actual: 3 Roll Passed. Simply by rewinding surveillance footage of the hallway, Countess was able to catch a glimpse of Dwan ducking into the closet. Upon seeing him on the screen, Beta's tail ignited with a screech, turning bright red from the tip to half way up the stalk. "It's hiiiiiim..." she said, her whole face twisted into inarticulate rage. "Turn them off." "What?" Countess replied. "THE GUNS - TURN THEM OFF!" Beta howled, yanking her VRI out of its holster with her left hand, and another weapon out of a pocket with her right. This time, it was nothing new or novel. It was simply another plasma saber, built to the same standards as the one she constructed for Dwan, without the intentional flaw, of course. She called it S'exskala, "One who lives to Kill." As she stormed for the bridge exit, Countess rushed to fulfill the kanad's demand, as it was clear that arguing would be far riskier. Further back in the ship, Dwan searched for an object with which he could fool the guns, when he suddenly heard them spin down as if deactivated. Action Invalidated.
Dwan didn't know what to think when he heard the guns spinning down. Any multitude of reasons, from positive to negative, could've caused it to happen, but mechanically it sounded as though they had been deactivated for whatever reason. He peaked out of the closet to find the turrets were indeed off, but as he sighed in relief, he still wondered for the reason why this occurred. They must know he's on board at this point, surely. He'll have to prepare for proper physical combat, but before he would leave the closet, he stopped to listen in to what was going on. His comms were still reconnecting to the lines when he entered the Buzzard, and by the time it had fully reconnected, he mainly heard yelling coming from the others, indicating that someone must've died, to his absolute distress. But at the same time, it also strengthened his resolve to beat Beta and incapacitate the Buzzard. Now, however, from Jason's screaming and Arkadam's comments, it appeared that his mech had gotten destroyed. Bother, especially as he's up here. He'd have to figure out what to do when the time comes. For now, however, he needed to concentrate on the operation. He slinked out of the closet, and continue to sidle, prowl and sneak onwards. He could immediately reach for his laser revolver, his plasma saber, his Vibrosword and his Obrez, followed by his howitzers, his shotgun, and his vacuum pistol. If faced with another saber wielder, he'd have to be careful in close quarters combat. He was more ready than ever, and even if they knew he was on board, he still had the element of surprise as they knew not where exactly he was. The dice were in his hands, and he had the means to escape if things got too hairy - he just needed them to roll in his favor, for once in his life.
Alex felt rejuvenated from the healing dart, courtesy of Abraxas. He was ready to continue fighting, but there was a problem. The doc made himself very visible to the enemy and they weren't exactly happy about him undoing their hard work. He needed to get their attention and stay on him if the doc is to help the others. "Come on you skullfuckers! That all you got? I got enough gas in the tank for you and your geriatric king!" He taunted as he swung the sword again. --- Mordecai had joined the fray to boost the morale of his troops. It's been decades since he fought on foot, side by side with those who followed him like this, but he hadn't lost a step. The Executor quickly moved from cover to cover, dodging the sniper's aim. "Geriatric eh?" He smiled under his helm. That pup really wanted to be put down, didn't he? Besides, powerswords make memorable trophies. He looked towards his men "Kill him and his friend." The Executor upholstered his plasma pistol and fired bolts towards their direction. --- Nathaniel yelled in pain once again. The melting armor taking its toll on him. He needed something to distract him from his misery. A stressball. A human sized stressball. He looked towards Jason and could only feel one need. The need to rip him apart. Before he could do anything however, he got a message from Archangel bellow. Looks like the tin can was running into some serious trouble. "Kill that robot attacking our robot" He said while refusing to take his eyes away from Jason. The attempted jest poorly hiding the pained tone. He took a few steps forwards and was on him like a dog off its leash. Behind them, Nathaniel's men took aim at Golem and fired. --- "Did the boyscout leave you? Or is that him in there?" Archangel commented as he looked at Golem "Regardless, your crew has a knack of getting themselves between us" His left hand sparked, the machine's gauntlet now being electrified for that extra insult "Even if it ends poorly for them." The blade from his right wrist was primed and ready. The machine onslaught would not stop it's onslaught until one of them was dead. --- "Yes, maám." Specter said quietly after Beta threatened him. A minute later she was gone from the bridge, off to do whatever she was going to do "Take your broom and get the fuck out of here." He cursed under his breath. "When did you grow a pair?" "If I'm dying, I'm getting shit off my chest. Do me a favor and keep me updated on what that harpy is doing back there. I got enough trouble keeping up with the shit in front of me." The Buzzard made a sharp turn, circling around to descent on the remaining mechanical foes of the Vigil that were still standing.
Karl focused his efforts at Nathaniel and the Vultures again, delivering yet another series of shots.
"He was a traitor, and he died like a coward. You'll be joining him soon enough, you fucking scrapheap." spat Taylor, leaning out from behind cover and firing off a shot from her rail revolver aimed squarely at Archangel's chest. She hoped Abraxas noticed that she had bailed out of her mech. She was battered and needed a bit of a boost if she were going to stay alive to lead the group to victory. Hopefully. ----- A few moments later, Eve woke back up. "Enemy attempts at hacking have failed. Rejoining battle." she said, standing and shouldering her plasma rifle. She reverted to her previous target, Nathaniel, as she leaned out from her own cover to fire off at him on the hill.
Danger was coming at Golem from both sides now. Sirens ticked from it's sensors as it detected multiple lock signatures on it's chassis. Instead of attacking, it decided to launch smoke grenades and countermeasures around itself, attempting to cloud itself in smoke and flares.
Alex led the charge, knowing that if he failed to protect Abraxas, the team would lose access to its best medic. Harvey was also capable of providing competent medical aid, but he was still in a mech, the very last one not yet shot down. Swapping pilots was a feasible idea, but with the RPG-wielding Vultures and the Starving Buzzard bearing down on fewer and fewer targets, it seemed highly likely that the mech wouldn't last much longer anyway. Yelling loudly for their attention, Alex closed in, swinging. Alex: 6 x 1.5(Contender) = 9 DMG He scored another good hit against his foe, a strike across the arm which cut into the armor. The Vulture reeled back in pain, but was still in the fight. Alex's attempt to draw fire would ultimately be successful, especially thanks to his taunting, but unfortunately this didn't mean the enemy would ignore Abraxas. It only meant that both men would face retaliation. All of Archangel's unit responded, and Mordecai himself lent the opening shot. Mordecai: {10, 2} x 2 x (No Feat Applicable) = {20, 4} Alex: DEF Roll = 5 15 DMG Alex HP: 126/156 Abraxas: DEF Roll = 5 No Damage. Alex was stricken with a painful burn, but Abraxas' armor protected him for the moment. They were attacked from all sides. Vulture 7: {2, 6} x 3(Conviction) = {6, 18} Alex: DEF Roll = 1 5 DMG Alex HP: 121/156 Abraxas: DEF Roll = 3 15 DMG Abraxas HP: 130/155 Vultures 1, 3-6: {7, 5, 2, 9, 4}; {3, 6, 4, 5, 8} x 4(Conviction)(Death Marches On) = {28, 20, 8, 36, 16}; {12, 24, 16, 20, 32} Alex: DEF Rolls = {9, 5, 7, 4, 6} 77 DMG Alex HP: 44/156 Abraxas: DEF Rolls = {1, 5, 5, 3, 5} 85 DMG Abraxas HP: 45/155 Alex and Abraxas fell back, stunned by the barrage they received and feeling for a moment as if the crew was being overwhelmed; Alex had experienced a lot of pain in his life between his upbringing, his prior career as a cage fighter, and the burdens placed on him during his time with the Muramasa, but nothing quite compared to this. It was agony with an underlying emptiness, and the knowledge that he had reached the limit of his capabilities. He was only a man, and he couldn't take much more. Likewise, Abraxas was being worn down. The notoriously quiet medic bore the pain in silence, and leaned on Alex. Somehow, they carried each other along to behind cover. Abraxas reloaded his injector and faced a decision; he could either heal himself or he could heal Alex, but not both at the same time. Without hesitation, he jabbed the injector into Alex's side. +22 HP to Alex Alex HP: 66/156 Karl had turned himself into a machine. He couldn't kill these men like the big game he once hunted for sport; these men were heavily armored, the sort of soldiers one would send into the absolute worst battlefields, the most hopeless beachheads imaginable. They were the sort of soldiers who would walk into the meat grinder and come out the other side killing. But Karl had done a good job thus far of avoiding the sort of punishment others, like Ira, had suffered. And in his moment of calm, he worked efficiently, chipping away at the wall in front of him with speed and precision, like a prisoner tunneling through the wall, unsure of when the guards would come. His focus was ironclad. Karl: {9, 7, 4, 8, 6, 9, 3, 8, 9, 10} x (No Feat Applicable) = {9, 7, 4, 8, 6, 9, 3, 8, 9, 10} Arkadam turned, watching Alex and Abraxas nearly being wiped out, and decided to switch targets. "This can't continue..." he simply declared, locking onto the Vultures gathered around Archangel. "Karl has the right idea... we need to put some of these freaks in the ground already!" He pulled the triggers on his twin sticks and raked the battlefield with heavy plasma fire before swiveling toward the ridge and hitting Nathaniel's men, providing the final punch to several of the foes Karl had diligently weakened. Arkadam: {6, 3, 6, 8, 4, 5, 7, 9, 4} x 1.25 x 2(Desperation) = {15, 7.5... 8, 15, 20, 10, 12.5... 13, 17.5... 18, 22.5... 23, 10} Vultures 1, 3, and 9 have been killed! Golem could detect numerous threats locking on from multiple angles. The threat they posed, altogether, was enough to destroy the drone, so its programming forced it to prioritize self-preservation for the first time during the battle. Smoke grenades were launched as the machine suddenly rolled out of the way in an unexpected direction. Golem: CH: 2/5 Actual: {5, 1} 1 Roll Passed. Archangel plunged headlong into the cloud of smoke, having planned to destroy Golem with a heavy melee attack, as was his specialty. Surprisingly, in the midst of its turn, Golem managed to parry the attack and force Archangel backwards onto his heels before rocketing a short distance away. However, this maneuver had failed to disrupt the Vultures' plans on the ridge, and as soon as Golem was a visible target again, a number of rockets were launched in its direction. Archangel: Roll Invalidated. Vultures 8 and 11: CH: 2/5 Actual: {3, 4} 1 Roll Passed. 25 DMG Golem HP: 94/99 Just before one of the men on the ridge could get his rocket off, he was killed by Arkadam's plasma cannons. The remaining two rockets streaked in, with only one making direct impact. The drone shuddered from the hit but was attended to by a cache of fast-repair nanomachines. Once spent, the nanites left the drone in roughly factory condition. All-in-all, the evasion attempt was an impressive success. Meanwhile, Taylor seized her opportunity to fire off a round on Archangel, but as she turned her arm to face him he lashed out at her, knocking her aim off in the process. Taylor: 3 x 1.5 x (No Feat Applicable) = 4.5... 5 DMG Archangel only suffered a minor, grazing hit from the revolver, to Taylor's extreme displeasure. Eve, on the other hand, focused her next attack on Nathaniel now that she was sure that the enemy hacker had given up on their aims. She shouldered her plasma rifle and fired off a shot. Eve: 1 x 1.25 x (No Feat Applicable) = 1.25... 1 DMG Surprisingly, she also failed to land a direct hit, as the Horseman had turned at the last moment. Nathaniel was already in so much pain that he didn't even realize Eve had connected with him. Instead, he was preoccupied with Jason's repeated melee assault. Nathaniel grappled with Jason and tried, earnestly, to rip him limb from limb. Nathaniel: 1 x 2 x 3(Conviction) = 6 Jason: DEF Roll = 2 4 DMG Jason HP: 141/125(Nanosurgeon) Jason, however, was having none of it, and escaped Nathaniel's grapple before responding with a kick to his opponent's groin. Jason: 3 x 2 x (No Feat Applicable) = 6 DMG This time, Jason did little more than hurt his own foot. As Nathaniel shoved him away and squared up, Jason shrugged off his last attack. Worth a try, he thought. Suddenly, he realized Harvey had turned toward Nathaniel again, and dove backwards. Another rocket streaked in. CH: 3/5 Actual: 3 Roll Passed. 25 DMG Nathaniel was knocked to the ground this time, sputtering in pain. A lesser man would be dead by this point, but he was the embodiment of the Death Vigil's fatalistic motif. Nathaniel was not going to stop now, even as he was burning, bleeding, and falling apart in his own body. All of a sudden, it became clear: it wasn't just that he should be dead, he was already dead. As were those Vultures who fought on fanatically despite taking repeated fatal blows. Even if the Vigil were to win and reign supreme after the battle, there was no medical science which could save their lives- with the possible exception of the AI superweapon beneath their feet. The Buzzard dived in from overhead, targeting the last three armored Belladonna opponents. Specter: CH: 3/5 Actual: {4, 5, 5} 3 Rolls Passed. 25 DMG to Arkadam Mech Destroyed. Arkadam HP: 79/79 1 Strike to Harvey. Harvey: 1/5 Strikes Remaining. 25 DMG to Golem Golem: 69/99 All three took direct hits, and Arkadam, who had limped his mech along for far longer than he probably should have, sensed from the growing heat that the machine had caught fire somewhere within. It fell over into the rocky ground, and he pulled the hatch release, hurriedly pushing himself out and readying a weapon. He loaded his TAC-85 and silently pined for the mysterious "Type-1" Yanim had given him before he lost it at Vostokrebh. --- As Dwan prowled his way toward the front of the ship, he heard a door slip open across the room, and seemingly within the same instant, the sound of boots and other items hitting the ground. He snapped to attention; Beta had entered the room with a roll, and as Dwan tried to ambush her, it was clear that she was trying to do the same to him! He ducked behind cover, spinning around to try to cover the corners, catching glimpses of the smoke rising from her tail while hearing the whine of the plasma coils inside her VRI. He finally found himself a vantage point from which he couldn't be caught off guard, and held his laser revolver at arm's length at the far corner of the cluttered room from around the corner of a large upright metal cabinet installation. A small canister came flying out of said corner- a flashbang! Dwan shielded his eyes as it detonated before quickly ducking down and getting his sights back on the kanad's position, and in a split second, he caught sight of her glare! Beta: CH Estimate: 3/8 x 2(Malevolence) = 3/4 Actual: 3 Roll Passed. Dwan squeezed the trigger, but at that very moment he realized that he was seeing Beta's reflection in the polished metal of her tail. The flashbang had merely been a diversion for the real trick, and she instead got the drop on him by curling out from behind her cover and firing a well-placed shot into his corner! (Auto Roll) Dwan: CH 3/5 Actual: 1 Beta: 6 x 2.25 x 2.5(Kerostasia) x 2(Conviction) = 67.5... 68 Dwan: DEF Roll = 8 60 DMG Dwan HP: 23/63 He made an attempt to dart back into safety, but it was too late- a VRI blast caught him in his neck and shoulder, burning him badly and causing him to shout in pain and shock. Beta laughed quietly from across the room, but it sounded strange. It wasn't the cackling, evil laughter she had displayed days earlier at that unnamed planet far away. It sounded... sad? "Dwan..." she said in a hauntingly intense tone, "this is all meaningless, isn't it? Kyeh heh heh." She darted from her position to one closer to him. He turned, finding an opening in the wall where two doors were tucked away, facing each other in the inlet. He rolled around the corner ducked inside, holding his shoulder as he found himself within a sort of laboratory, beyond which the medbay awaited. There was a sound of scraping, or sliding, and a thunk against the wall behind him. Beta was chasing him but keeping her distance, when she could easily close the gap and finish him off, with the advantage she had gained. But she didn't- was she toying with him? Or was she afraid of something? "Maybe I'll win, after all... even with all the pain... even if it's senseless and cruel... Could you imagine? The lack of order, the lack of justice... a person like me spreading the poison and getting away with it. Kyeh, heh, heh... That's what's evil, in the end. The galaxy makes the pain. I just make sure we all share it. Because if we all share it, nobody's alone anymore. I hope we all die, soon. Lots of screaming, get it all out of our systems. When it's over, everyone will see what I see... "Or maybe you'll get me. Justice served for ten seconds in a galaxy hate-fucking itself into oblivion. It changes nothing... either way, it ends with suffering. Either way, I win..." Her voice grew more distant as Dwan continued to retreat into the hospital room. He needed a plan, and fast. If Beta were to surprise him again, he'd be finished.
Mordecai ducked behind a rock to dodge the sniper fire whizzing by. He would have to take care of that nuisance next. He gave his men a motion to follow his lead. "Hit them from both sides of that cover. Pincer them." He lept from behind his own cover and began to move towards where Alex and Abraxxas were hiding behind. --- Alex clutched his side where a particular nasty burn had made it through his armor. There wasn't much left to do. Him and Abraxxas were left holding out against a killing blow that was close. Unless. Alex grabbed Abraxxas by the shoulder "Next shot better be for you. I'm at the end of my rope, and the limit of how useful I can be, but you're not." He looked over the edge and noticed the Vultures being on the move again "Leave me here. Go and help Taylor get that tin can off her ass so she can lead what's left of you out of this mess. I got too little gas in the tank to be worth anything." He glanced back towards the Vultures again when he heard a noise. https://youtu.be/ApreCAQiZ4w Above them stood the Executor, brandishing a combat knife. He didn't look too happy about Alex's earlier taunt. In a split second, Alex pushed Abraxxas away as the Death Vigil leader leapt down to deliver a strike. Koronov took a parry stance to counter the old man. --- Nathaniel stood up, breathing heavily from that last hit. The realization that had dawned on him only made him laugh. Something somewhere inside that sick mind broke even further. He pointed in the air to where Harvey was still flying. His soldiers understood what he meant. He lunged at Jason again, this time he was going to throw the runt over the ridge --- "Come now, no need for that toy. I thought you wanted to tear my head off?" Archangel continued to taunt. His gauntlet sparked as he took another swing at Taylor. --- "Another one down." Countess commented on their latest 'kill' "Just one more mech and that tank remaining." "Gonna circle again. What about our guests, they getting along?" Countess looked through the map to get a beat on where Beta was chasing the intruder "He's in medical and she's right on top of him." "Poor bastard." Specter actually felt sorry for their stowaway "Doesn't know what he's in for." He refocused on the task at hand. "Tell me when it gets gruesome. And how much. Got to know how much bleach we'll need."
"Come now, no need for that toy. I thought you wanted to tear my head off?" "Never said I wasn't going to put a few holes in you first, you bastard." spat Taylor. She then noticed his gauntlet sparking, just before he swung. SHIT. She attempted to dodge, jumping backwards to try and avoid the swing. As she did, she readied the rail revolver again, preparing to try and shoot Archangel in his electrified arm afterwards. ------ Eve took notice of Nathaniel, still standing after taking enough damage to kill any other mortal being. And for once in her short synthetic life, she actually found herself not liking something. "Enemy combatant Nathaniel is still standing. Continuing to engage." she stated through comms, before taking aim yet again and charging her plasma rifle for a harder shot. So he wishes to push on beyond his limits? She would show him just how much of a mistake that was. A moment later, she opened fire.
Aside from his slow and deep breaths Karl was silent. He scoped in on Archangel. Boom. Then on Nathaniel. Boom. Finally he set his sights on Mordecai. Boom.
For Beta to turn the tide in her favor like this, Dwan couldn't believe it. That flashbang screwed with him, and that VRI blast was the result, burning him in the neck and shoulder, causing him to yell out. As he retreated through something resembling a laboratory, he could hear Beta's voice, and her ideals, echo through the air. He didn't want to dignify her with a response to her statements, but as he retreated, holding his shoulder, he knew he needed to figure out some kind of plan, and quick. He first considered why it was that she was keeping her distance - one reason could be that she was messing with him, now that she had him in her grasp, perhaps aware that he didn't have enough time to open up a portal, especially in an unfamiliar environment such as this one. Perhaps she feared what he could dish out against her, but that could very well be a ploy too, as to instill a false sense of security. Or, perhaps, she didn't want to exactly kill him, since his powers would be of great use for her if she wanted to spread the poison she's peddling further. He didn't know if the Vigil had the resources necessary to break him mentally and spiritually, but it could be another reason. Either way, however, she was going to strike again soon, even if she was toying with him now. As he retreated into the hospital space and got closer to the medbay, where severely needed medical supplies were likely located, he considered his own inventory - was there anything in his arsenal that could give him an advantage at such an urgent time? It was in that moment that he remembered his howitzers. One of the howitzer's firing modes, electric, has a special function when not in firing mode - it can activate and generate a shield made out of an electromagnetic field, akin to an EMP. Having healed Beta in the past, he has some familiarity with the YS-X neutral implant system she has, modified to make the Demon's Tail she has now. If he reversed the function of the EMF shield, he could have an EMP strong enough to disable all of her electronics; most importantly to him, her tail and her VRI. Considering the burnt spot, it wouldn't be viable for him to use the howitzer closest to it, since firing mode involves him propping it upon his shoulder, so that howitzer would be used to achieve the EMP. She's keeping her distance now, but if he kept to one spot, she would have to jump in, whether it be with a flashbang, a smoke grenade, or what have you. Tricking her into 'ambushing' him in the medbay, after he had found medical supplies to heal him, would work perfectly - she does whatever she feels fit in order to intrude (considering she wouldn't risk throwing an actual grenade into the medbay, which would leave both parties at a disadvantage), he activates the EMP, and before she realizes it, he's firing at her with the left howitzer's machine gun. She'd be partially immobilized as a result of the tail being affected by the EMP, causing it to slam onto the ground and weighing her down, and she'd be left unarmed, an issue the mechanically-based machine gun built into the howitzer wouldn't face. He'd be able to keep his distance and fire at her, knowing she would have trouble reaching him, unable to properly engage in melee combat, but she would still be able to evade his shots if she were somehow quick enough without her implant. It was a flawed plan, sure, but it was one that could potentially reverse things back to his favor. However, first things first, before he could initiate it, he needed to concentrate on finding medical supplies in the medbay. In the state he's in now, only a few blows more and she likely would've weaken him enough to leave him susceptible to death. He shuddered at the thought, but then he realized that he needed to find a way to stall her while he looked for supplies. She knew where he was, and likely knew where he was headed... he really didn't want to dignify her, but it seemed that talking may be a good means of stalling her. "...there will always be suffering, no matter where one is. Pain is eternal, but there is no reason why we should spread such filth. Screaming does not one any good, neither does the lack of order or justice..." Dwan replied in a pained tone. "Objectively, all of this is meaningless. But that's the thing. If things are meaningless, then we're the ones left to give them meaning. Why cause others pain, when you can strive for better? As long as the world can find meaning, and strive to improve, you and your damned ideology are doomed to fail..."
Golem was damaged, but wasn't out just yet. It locked onto Archangel again, but did not shoot at him. It had another idea. It was going to ram into him at full speed, and carry him far far away from the field as possible.
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