After receiving Hestia's message, Amelia threw the controller across the room and dashed towards the bridge. In near seconds she arrives, stumbling around a bit. She get's her footing and stands straight, looking towards Hestia, "What's the problem?!" she asks hurriedly.
Hariim shouts when the shot lands on his hip. Using his advanced suites, he traces the shot back to its origin. He lets off a burst of airbursting rounds at the man who shot him. Additionally, he shifts his position slightly to put him into better cover.
The tranquility of space was interrupted with a muffled bang as the SNV Shadow appeared from thin air, stopping only momentarily to cool off its engines.
Captain Valerie Reed adjusted the cap on her head and got up. She looked to her right. "First Officer Hendricks, status report."
Hendricks nodded and opened up the ship overview on the large monitor to the left of the captain. "Status is green, engines should've cooled off in twenty minutes ma'am. We should be able to make the next jump in twentyfive mikes."
Satisfied with the answer, Valerie nodded. "Good, keep me posted. I'll be down in the lower hangar."
"Understood ma'am."
-----
Gladius inserted a magazine into the pistol, a heavy pistol called the SDF-PDG. He cocked it and emptied the mag while holding the gun with one hand. All of the kinetic projectiles slammed into the center of his target.
He weighed the gun in his hand. He knew that this weapon, alongside all of the other weapons part of the SDF's updated arsenal had originally been designs from the Lion War Armory.
With nothing else to do for the remainder of the trip, the Commander silently walked out of the armory.
From one of the corners Warren and Mercury eyeballed the hulking soldier as he left the room. "You ever noticed that he always wear his armor." Asked Warren.
Mercury grunted. "Ares told me he never removes his helmet or gauntlets, hell, some of the pilots have gone as far as starting a bet."
Warren raised an eyebrow. "A bet? On what?"
"That he ain't human."
The veteran SDF soldier suddenly got a distant look in his eyes. Could it be? No, there's no way. He shook his head.
"Seems human enough to me."
-----
"Once we reach Zyus II the Shadow is going to deploy a modified stealth fighter to perform a quick recon sweep on the area. Once that's done Strikeforce Ares will deploy with Lt. Warren, auxiliary Mercury and Commander Gladius. Strikeforces Xerxes and Zeus will be on standby to act as supports."
Ares paused and gestured towards the holographic map showing the topology of the arid planet.
"Before we get the updated scans all we have is this outdated map created from the combination of old UGC exploration maps and seized smuggler maps. There's alot of missing variables but they'll have to do for now."
Xerxes nodded towards the map. "Any settlers on the ground to worry about? Local militia sympathizing with the fanatics?"
Ares rotated the map to show a small settlement on the southern hemisphere. "The only known settlement is New Dawn, it consists of about two hundred people who are more or less glorified hippies. Old UGC reports state that they are neutral. Either way they are of no interest to us as SSOID intel suggests that there's a heavy military force on the ground. The size and terrain in and around New Dawn makes it a illogical placement for a military facility."
Once again he rotated the map. "However we've found several ideal locations for base in the north, not only is the desert areas alot cooler but also house millions of rock formations which would provide natural cover from several angles."
Just as he finished the door opened up and Captain Reed stepped in. The hardened SSOID soldiers nodded and did quick salutes which Reed returned.
"We have three more jumps untill we've completely zig-zagged around hostile territory. I trust that the troops are ready?"
Ares, Xerxes and Zeus nodded. "Yes ma'am."
Valerie smiled and nodded. "Good. I'll let you know when we're there."
As she left the TOC-room next to the lower hangar she stopped outside the door labeled "Cmdr. Gladius".
She knocked and entered.
Sitting on his bed with a rifle in his lap, Gladius nodded. "Captain." Reed nodded and sat down. "Commander."
Gladius continued polishing the rifle while looking at Reed with his intense blue robotic eyes.
"Can I help you with something?"
Valerie was silent for a moment before nodding. "Can I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course."
"Why do you always wear armor?"
Gladius stopped. He looked straight into the captain's eyes. "You wouldn't understand."
He continued polishing.
Valerie crossed her arms. "Believe, I've seen and heard things over the years which would surprise most people. I think I'd be able to understand why a man wear his armor on for the duration of the day."
Gladius shook his head. "No, believe me Captain; you wouldn't understand. This is for your own good. Trust my word."
With that said Gladius moved on to the next weapon while Valerie left the room with decisive steps.
After János asked his question, Hestia appeared out of nowhere, asking to join the away team. Seems like his question was moot.
Then Amelia showed up all hurriedly. He decided to answer her question; "An away team is being formed, with me as its apparent troop leader, to go out and find Frosty, who crashed his starfighter in the outside world."
[quote]"An away team is being formed, with me as its apparent troop leader, to go out and find Frosty, who crashed his starfighter in the outside world."[/quote]
Amelia pauses for a split second, hoping that he hasn't been crushed by the crash, then snaps back into reality.
"Well what are we waiting for? The longer he's out there then the probability of him surviving shrinks less and less!"
(( and yeah brb in about 1 1/2 hours taking a class ))
"Well, we have to get ourselves properly geared up. The outside is devastating, I've heard. Plus, we have to check if anyone else wants to join in," János replied.
Yuga stood up from her chair and turned her body towards the crowd that had gathered and focused on Amelia, "You will do no such thing. I will not dispense all our medical personnel to acquire a suicidal fighter pilot." she conveyed to the group, her tone shifting form her usual monotone to irritation as the commotion around the incident grew larger. She would need to quell it before the actual operation became jeopardized.
She turned her attention towards Hestia, "You will accompany the retrieval team. Machines are built to serve and as far as I know you're not registered to the VSIP. I trust you will fulfill this order without question. Besides, your physical form is far better suited for work in these environments" her compass began transmitting.
She eyed the group before pointing to János, "Take your team and be on your way... before I change my mind about this ludicrous undertaking."
Yuga waved her hand dismisievly, "You are all dismissed. I want reports when you reach the wreckage, and keep in contact with our engineers regarding the salvageable state of the craft."
She sat down and opened her comms to Taylor, "First mate, I want a progress report."
János felt just a tad bit uncomfortable from Yuga's eyeing, especially after her tone changed. He couldn't get out of this even if he tried, so he might as well do as she said. He turned towards Dio, Silvia and Hestia.
"Alright. Let's get ourselves ready. Let's make sure we do this as cleanly as possible," he told the group. He turned back towards Yuga, performing a Zogist salute. He then turned back around once more and left the bridge, with his group following afterwards.
[quote]"You will do no such thing. I will not dispense all our medical personnel to acquire a suicidal fighter pilot."[/quote]
Amelia grumbles. In her eyes, she never had a chance to be helpful. This was one shot to show the crew that she could do something of value, anything. All she has done is use up the hot chocolate and play video games back in her room. And now the captain denied her chance at displaying her abilities as a valuable crew member.
"Fine, captain," she leaned in, frowning at her superior officer before turning around, looking down at the floor. She then walked off into the medical bay, where she would load up her laptop and start reading up on new articles from the local satire news source.
János went forth and got himself as ready as he could. He got himself a much thicker jacket, a thick hat and military-grade gloves and shoes, hoping they're made from materials that could withstand the rain. He put his "Tripistolia pacem" in the jacket, in case things went incredibly south. He didn't really have any special armor suits, and he couldn't really stash the gun Maddox made.
He hoped the others had better gear.
Jag flipped the kanad over after its previous attack, aiming to drive its arms into the commander's upper back.
CH Estimate: 5/7
[B]Actual: 5[/B]
Roll Passed.
With a loud crack, the sanghvi's appendages smashed through the armor and plunged into the muscle below, hooking in such a way that the kanad could be manipulated without coming loose from the grapple.
Jag: [B]4[/B] x 1.5 x Dismemberment(CH 1/2, 1, Failed) = [B]6 DMG[/B]
Blood trickled out of the cracks in the commander's armor as Jag lifted him from the ground. He yelled in pain and frustration, scooping his rifle from the ground and blind firing over his shoulder in a desperate attempt to counter against his attacker.
CH Estimate: 1/5 x2(Malevolence) = 2/5
[B]Actual: 4[/B]
Roll Passed.
Kanad: [B]8[/B] x (No Feat Applicable) = 8
Jag: DEF Roll = 1
[B]7 DMG[/B]
Jag HP: 63/50(Nanosurgeon)
The plasma burst caught Jag in one of its arms, blasting away part of the outer shell and shocking the powerful sanghvi into releasing the officer with that arm. Acting quickly, the officer broke loose and tumbled away, creating a bit of distance as he continued to fight for his life. Back in the vehicle, Markus re-positioned himself to fire out of one of the roof hatches at one of the gohva. The latter spotted him as he did so and fired from the hip in a mad rush to prevent the sniper from setting up in time.
Gohva 2: [B]1[/B] x 2.5(Homefront) = 2.5... 3
Markus: DEF Roll = 3
No Damage.
The gohva missed, and the plasma splashed harmlessly off the side of the APC's thick body armor. Behind the flash of light, the human sniper lined up his shot and pulled the trigger, attempting a head shot.
CH Estimate: 3/5
Actual: 2
Roll Failed.
Markus: [B]6[/B] x (No Feat Applicable) = 6 DMG
((Radley, I don't think you ever sent me Markus's level 2 stats. You sent me a PM telling me to "put another point into DEF" when I asked, but I'm assuming that it only applied to Yuga since you put a point into her DEF, but on Markus, you previously raised his HP. Please advise.))
The bullet missed the gohva's jaw and instead deflected off of his shoulder armor. He crouched for a moment as the pain from the impact shot down his arm. As he rose to his feet, another of the Muramasa crew members took aim: Taylor, who once again propped her gun against the APC and fired.
Taylor: [B]6[/B] x 1.25(Machinist) = 7.5... [B]8 DMG[/B]
The gohva staggered backwards in obvious pain, and yet he was not retreating. Just how many shots could this fierce being handle? If more of them come, the team could be in great danger. Taylor was correct in her assertion that the APC should be ready to move, but perhaps Maddox was acting too quickly by getting behind the wheel, as the job wasn't done. Or... maybe the crew could simply crash the gates and leave the remaining soldiers behind?
Meanwhile, the other gohva was still standing just outside of the APC, and was now focused on the last person who had attacked him: Abraxas.
Gohva 1: [B]10[/B] x 2.5(Homefront) x Crit(CH 1/2, 2, Passed, x2) = 50(!)
Abraxas: DEF Roll = 3
[B]47 DMG[/B]
Abraxas HP: 52/79
Throwing a punch that might have killed a lesser man, the gohva broke Abraxas's nose through his gas mask and slammed him against the wall of the APC as he pushed his way through, threatening the other crew members in the process. Maybe a quick getaway was no longer possible. Abraxas tumbled out of the vehicle in shock and loaded up a medicinal needle, not for himself, but for Valkyrie, who was busy squaring off with the human Peacekeeper. He had seen her take a rough blow moments earlier and wanted to assist her.
Abraxas:
CH Estimate: 3/5 x 2(Insightfulness) = 6/5
Roll Passed.
Valkyrie + 8 HP, 100/100
The dart hit its mark, injecting its contents into Valkyrie as she recovered from her recent wounds. However, Abraxas was not capable of restoring the extra protection that Hestia had bestowed on the crew before the mission began, and so his dart only provided a fraction of its potential healing power.
Val, feeling the surge of energy brought about by the transfusion, straightened up and fired her SMG at the human Peacekeeper at the same moment the latter fired again with his VRI.
Valkyrie: [B]6[/B] x 1.5(Machinist) = [B]9 DMG[/B]
Human: [B]7[/B] x (No Feat Applicable) = 7
Valkyrie: DEF Roll = 2
[B]5 DMG[/B]
The chaos of the moment prevented either from landing a particularly damaging shot, but Valkyrie got the better of her opponent, sending him wheeling backwards as a few bullets pierced his armor. As Val then drew her cutlass and took stance, he hesitated before suddenly holding out his off hand and taking several steps in retreat. "Whoa, hey... okay, so, that's a sword-" he stammered as she advanced and closed the ground. The human took note of his fallen comrades and the remaining Peacekeepers in the battle before wordlessly holstering his pistol and taking off in a sprint toward a nearby blockhouse.
Valkyrie's drone then discharged on the gohva which had invaded the APC just as he had set his eyes on Markus, who, having popped his head out one of the hatches to take a shot, was not fully aware of the danger.
Cerberus: [B]8[/B] x 2(Roboticist) = [B]16 DMG[/B]
The gohva shouted in pain, frustrated at another electrical shock. He turned around and locked eyes on Abraxas once more, mistakenly believing that the shot had come from him. He jumped from the rear hatch and closed on him. Amy, however, was seeking to cover her comrades. Shortly after the gohva had noisily left the vehicle (and hearing Markus swearing up a storm at the close call,) she pivoted the gun to the APC's tail and watched through the optics as the gohva entered her cone of fire.
CH Estimate: 2/3
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
Despite aiming carefully, Amy missed her next shot by a matter of a few centimeters. The projectile flew past the gohva's head and threw bits of rock and mud into the air upon impacting the ground. Johannes, nearby, was more focused on the ahra-phi which was currently engaged with Hariim. He formed a shield made of his pseudo-metallic ice and prepared to launch himself at her, but the second gohva, fighting along side her, had just turned his head at the sound of the autocannon firing and spotted the ambush coming. "Alarghama!" he screamed to the ahra-phi- [I]Look out![/I]
The ahra-phi spun around at the moment Johannes blasted forward, propelled by his rockets. The ahra-phi dropped to the ground instinctively and put her feet out, hoping to parry the maneuver.
Johannes:
CH Estimate: 1/3 x 2(Cryokinesis) = 2/3
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
The ahra-phi's maneuver worked as intended as her boots hit the shield in its flatter areas, and with a forceful kick from below she sent Johannes careening through the air over top of her. He narrowly missed landing on her head as he hit the ground behind her, the shield running aground first as he tumbled over and eventually landed back on his feet. The ahra-phi similarly scrambled to her feet and took aim with her rifle, attempting to shoot through Johannes's shield.
CH Estimate: 1/4
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Failed.
The plasma shot impacted the shield hard, simultaneously cracking it while also melting some of the ice away. As it did, Johannes noticed something unpleasant- the acid rain was weakening the shield as well. As he worked on shoring up its strength, Hariim took aim at the gohva, still trying to finish him off for good.
Hariim: [B]10[/B] x 1.5 x Crit(CH 1/2, 1, Failed) = [B]15 DMG[/B]
Two shots from Hariim's weapon pierced the armor on the mighty gohva, inflicting yet more trauma on his body. Now, at long last, he collapsed onto his hands and knees and groaned, blood pouring from the holes in his armor. As he tried to crawl away, the ahra-phi ran to him, holding her arm out in preparation for incoming attacks. She was attempting to cover his retreat.
---
Dio nodded. "Alright, let's get going then. I can't wait to get my hands dirty."
"Hopefully, we won't need to," Sylvia commented. "As fun as it would be, it would be best to avoid drawing attention to ourselves as much as possible. I'm not going to take any weapons aside from a combat knife."
"Right, and no armor, either," Dio added, strapping a gas mask on and a heavy jacket.
Sylvia donned a thick poncho which accommodated her wings. "I can't fly in this rain, anyway," she grumbled. "Lead on, János."
---
Prospera was unusually quiet after the "Days of Madness" which followed the Grand Prix. The bloodbath had gotten completely out of control, with one shooting avenged by the next, until no corner, no speakeasy, no club was safe from Mafia attack. The white scarves battled the black hats, and dozens of the heavy hitters were cleared out seemingly overnight. But interestingly, the harder Asset Protection worked to regain control of the situation in favor of Franco and the established crime family lineage, the more intense the white scarves' attacks became. They were getting help from another party. Someone who had swooped in just in time to lend a "helping hand." Soon, it was an open secret: Tri-Enterprises' time on Prospera was limited, and the Death Vigil would soon be pulling the strings instead. Say hello to the new boss, and all that.
Most of the tourists had evacuated the cities by the time Ryvik arrived. With characteristic intuition, he began to retrace his sister's steps, gathering evidence of her presence and influence. He wouldn't be fooled by fake details left to throw him off the trail, like the graffiti left behind at Club Prospera. He was a man with a hunch - the correct hunch - which saw Yanim's involvement at every step. He had already concluded that the Madness was her work, her signature, amplified from earlier showings with the help of an equally despicable crew. He had to stop her before more damage could be done, no matter what low it would require him to stoop to.
His investigators had located an offworlder who had encountered Yanim during her stay. He interrogated her personally, and used his fists to beat details out when drugs clouded her memory. When an ayr shopkeeper mentioned seeing Vakarus, one employee of TBC that State Security had previously profiled, his team raided her shop and her home, searching for contraband and weaponry- anything which could be used to supply that damned Muramasa... they found nothing. But security footage taken from private property revealed a knife-wielding psychopath had joined Yanim personally just before the largest shootout, before the Grand Prix, and Rask Vor'Pangn showed his ugly scarred head in the parking garages of the circuit while the race was coming to its ignominious end. Ryvik sneered as he watched him take a bullet to the stomach. If only it had killed him.
He was getting closer, he could feel it. Prospera was a goldmine of clues which could lead him to his sister's hiding place, but he couldn't rest easy. Not while she was still out there. Not with war on the horizon... There was no telling how her evil little company would further meddle in Collective affairs.
---
[quote]Voyak State News Bulletin:
The crashed aircraft in suburban Vohmdash are unrelated to the kanad-sanghvi conflict. Authorities are currently investing the crashes, believed to be the result of an unlawful mercenary incursion into the UGC No-Fly Zone. No sanghvi activity has been detected on the planet's surface, but civilians are encouraged to shelter in place and allow state officials to conduct their duties.[/quote]
Police cruisers and firefighters had begun to arrive on scene at the area of town where several UGC fighters and one UFO had been shot down. They had not yet discovered the final resting place of Frosty's starfighter, as the nearby apartment block that he had crashed through was now ablaze, and this was diverting attention. It would only be a matter of time, however.
Maddox punched the dashboard in frustration as the attack on the guardpost was taking too long. "Time to make some noise."
He put the pedal to the metal and rammed the gate down with ease. "Cover front!" He yelled to Amy as he got out the back, kneeled and began to lay down precision fire on the remaining peacekeepers.
"YEAH, YOU [I]BETTER[/I] RUN! YA FUCKIN' [I][B]PUSSY![/B][/I]" yelled Valkyrie after the human peacekeeper, as he bolted for the blockhouse. She put away her cutlass, and reloaded her SMG before looking back over towards the remaining peacekeepers. An Ahra-phi was defending a crawling, wounded Gohva. Aww, [I]so tragic.[/I] She walked towards the APC, spraying bursts from her SMG at the Ahra-phi and Gohva as she moved. Her Cerberus drone assisted, moving up next to her and firing off another lightning shot from its modified Arc Thrower.
[B]....[/B]
Taylor wobbled with the APC as it slammed through the gate, before getting herself situated again.
[QUOTE]"First mate, I want a progress report."[/QUOTE]
"Ma'am, we are currently engaging Peacekeepers at the front gate of the Missile Complex. Gate has been breached, and we're about to proceed into the base to the missiles." She took aim at the Ahra-phi and unleashed the last remaining ammunition in the LMG's box magazine. She'd have to reload after this. "Everyone, get in the fucking APC and [B]LETS GO[/B]. We've got missiles to take out!"
János nodded. He motions the troop to head out, with him closely behind, checking where Frosty crashed, so that they would know where to go.
[i]Johannes shores up his shield quickly and, with his right hand, pulls his rifle off his back. He braces it against his shoulder and fires at the Gohra behind the Ahra-Phi.[/i]
"Got it!" Amy turned the gun around. One last attempt to do something with this thing. Hopefully, the loud gunfire will make the fuckers stay back.
Hariim lets off a volley of slugs set to airburst. The lethal slugs detonate just a half-meter in front of the ahra-phi, spraying hot shrapnel and bursts of fire toward the two.
This is the real beauty of airburst-capable weapons. They take versatility to new levels, being able to project lethal force at a target that doesn't even need to be explicitly seen. As long as you can set the fuse on your shot to the right distance, you can drop high explosive fragmentary pain onto your targets; cover stops being cover. It just becomes concealment.
Whatever Moloch was doing wasn't working. He could sense a faint sense of life in Frosty's body, but it was very dim, and nothing he did seemed to make it stronger. There was very little he could do here, desperate situations call for desperate measures. To try and resuscitate his friend would take a very special psychic talent of his.
Hoisting up his body and his helmet, Moloch walked back to his shuttle. As he did so, he heard the sounds of sirens wailing and people yelling. The authorities were here to investigate the mysterious crash which set fire to one of their buildings. This was a problem. With a twist of his wrist, the fuel storage for the starfighter was opened. He sprinkled some of the fuel outside the fuselage, set it alight, and backed off as quickly as he could. With time, the entire starfighter will be reduced to an ash covered husk of scrap metal, almost unidentifiable.
No evidence could be left behind that his people were here.
Once inside his shuttle, he set Frosty's body on a flip-table, removed Frosty's shirt, and began preparations for his signature Healing Hands technique.
The various fighters involved in the skirmish barely had time to clear out of the way before the APC surged forward into the gate, smashing it open. Just after clearing the barriers, Maddox threw on the brakes and ran back through the body of the vehicle, jumping out of the open doors to personally rejoin the fight. Up top, Amy pivoted the gun, searching for targets. The first gohva, the one which was currently advancing on Abraxas, proved to be the most visible threat, which Amy attempted to cut down.
CH Estimate: 4/5
Actual: [B]5[/B]
Roll Passed.
With two trigger pulls, Amy fired two 25mm rounds through the gohva's body, turning his insides to mush, before a third shot essentially decapitated him. His limp body fell on Abraxas, who threw it aside in disgust.
[B]Enemy Eliminated.[/B]
Meanwhile, Maddox took a knee and carefully fired on the remaining peacekeepers, in order of their apparent threat.
Ahra-Phi 1:
CH Estimate: 1/2
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Passed.
Maddox: [B]{4, 10(Missed), 4}[/B] x 1.25(Machinist) = [B]{5, 0, 5} DMG[/B]
The First shot was directed at the kanad commander, whose armor deflected it, but only with a serious transference of force which bruised the wearer underneath. The second was aimed at the ahra-phi, who deflected it with her metaphysical abilities just before it reached her, possibly saving her life. The third and final shot was aimed at the downed gohva she was protecting, and it hit his armor at a shallow angle, inflicting a bruising blow without penetrating.
Valkyrie, having witnessed this, endeavored to end the ahra-phi and gohva herself, using her drone to assist.
Ahra-Phi 1:
CH Estimate: 1/2
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Passed.
Valkyrie: [B]{7(Missed), 5}[/B] x 1.5(Machinist) = [B]{0, 8} DMG[/B]
The air around the ahra-phi seemed to bend as her arm swung over, creating a distorted arc through which bullets curved around her. She yelled her defiant battle cry as she carried on her last stand. The gohva was struck again and stopped moving, but the ahra-phi discarded her weapon and grabbed hold of him with her free arms and kept pulling. The Cerberus discharged again, and as the lightning blast filled the air, the Peacekeeper braced herself.
Ahra-Phi 1:
CH Estimate: 1/2
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Passed.
Cerberus: {8(Missed), 7} x 2(Roboticist) = {0, 14}
Blown backwards by the crash of electricity, the ahra-phi watched as her comrade was practically engulfed by the blast. Despite her herculean efforts, he was beyond saving, and now she was alone. The kanad commander, finally able to see what had occurred to his team, implored her to run and seek cover as he employed a grenade against Maddox and Jag, his closest foes.
CH Estimate: 2/5 x 2(Malevolence) = 4/5
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Passed.
[B]20 DMG[/B]
Maddox HP: 100/100
Jag HP: 43/50
Both fighters were wounded by the shrapnel as the kanad gained distance between himself and his foes. He once again ordered the ahra-phi to retreat as he did the same himself, assuring her that [I]reinforcements were on the way.[/I] The Muramasa crew was wasting far too much time trying to finish off the gate guards when there was an entire operation inside the base which still needed to be completed. Somewhere in the northwest quadrant, the sound of Yanim's fingers drumming on the arm of her chair could be heard echoing through every corridor of the Aurikha.
But no matter what he said, the ahra-phi had chosen not to retreat any further. Following the lead of her commander, she pulled the pin on a grenade and sprinted forward - Taylor had already gotten an angle on her and so did Johannes and Hariim - attracting the attention of the entire Muramasa crew in the process.
CH Estimate: 1/2, 1/2, 1/2
[B]Actual: 2, 1, 1[/B]
Taylor: [B]1[/B](Missed) x 1.25(Machinist) = [B]0 DMG[/B]
The LMG rounds missed their mark as the distortion field held around the charging Peacekeeper. Soon, Taylor's magazine was empty and she was forced to watch her crewmates try to finish the job.
Johannes (Auto Roll): 5 x 1.75(Machinist) = 8.75... [B]9 DMG[/B]
At last, a shot penetrated her metaphysical shield and wounded her. She stumbled but regained her balance in stride, focused on the singular goal of killing Valkyrie as vengeance for her comrade. She wasn't going to throw the grenade, but rather use it in a suicide attack.
Hariim: [B]6[/B] x 1.5 x (No Feat Applicable) = [B]9 DMG[/B]
Just a few strides short of her target, the airburst rounds of Hariim's weapon once again penetrated her defenses, and with a loud crack, shrapnel was sent in one side of her armor and out the other. She crashed to the ground on top of her own explosive, and within a second, the bomb detonated and shredded her already mortally-wounded body into several pieces, spattering a shocked Valkyrie with her giblets.
[B]Enemy Eliminated.[/B]
This wasn't the end of the Peacekeepers' attempts at retribution. With the crew distracted by the failed kamikaze attempt, the human peacekeeper that had disappeared into the blockhouse moments earlier reemerged with a rocket launcher and had already dropped into position, intending to destroy the APC. The kanad called out the ominous words- "RPG- now!" Across the lot, the human pulled the trigger and the weapon let fly.
CH Estimate: 4/7
[B]Actual: 5[/B]
Roll Passed.
The rocket screamed through the air, scarcely giving the crew any time to react as their vehicle, a large target with open rear doors, was hit directly by the RPG. Those unfortunate enough to be inside the vehicle were doomed as the magazine of the autocannon was detonated and the whole transport was blown to pieces. [B]125 DMG[/B]
Amy HP: -5/100
[B]Total Incapacitation.[/B]
Having been operating the turret at the moment of the explosion, Amy was blown through the roof of the vehicle in a ball of fire, punctured multiple times over by shrapnel and debris. Her limp body crashed to the ground nearly twenty meters away, still burning from the explosion.
Markus HP: 20/125
Markus was fortunate enough to have been close to exiting the vehicle at the time of the blast, having ducked through the hatch he was shooting from and tucked, which allowed his body to be blown out through the open rear doors. He skipped across the ground, breaking several bones but narrowly surviving the disaster.
Finally, Taylor had been prone on the roof of the vehicle when the explosion occurred, and was launched forward, toward the base's subterranean entrance. In her case, the bulk of the energy involved with the detonation was absorbed by the vehicle and she received less severe injuries in the process and skidded safely to a stop on the concrete. [B]60 DMG[/B]
Taylor HP: 85/125
The most bitter realization crept up the backs of the crew's necks. They shouldn't have stood and fought. They should have pressed forward into the base.
---
The second away team jogged through the rain as they scaled the side of the empty reservoir. Once they had cleared the edge, all they had to do was continue jogging to the plume of smoke rising from a distant suburban block, but as they did, the sound of sirens grew stronger.
"So, what's our excuse going to be if we get stopped by the police?" Sylvia wondered aloud. She looked at János. "I think either one of us could handle talking our way out of an arrest, but we're going to need a bulletproof case to get in there and find Frosty."
Abraxas faced the explosion, he sighed to himself, praying to luck. He went over to the burning Amy, throwing off his overcoat and covered her, placing the flames out instantly, he pulled out two things from his hands, he inserted another healing dart towards Markus, firing the dart. Abraxas then carried Amy onto his shoulder and went to cover.
"We gotta move!" He said through the comms, attempting to feel any pulse out of Amy.
Jag decided to change priorities in the heat of the moment as the situation begin to fall apart.
The Sanghvi took a second to stand back and look back at it's comrades while the APC bursts into flames.
It let out a gasp from it's neck after thinking of an solution.
"Gather around behind me and advance forward! Their is no point in standing about in this fight."
Jag replayed towards the rest of it's team through it's implant while next to the wreck.
"I'll cover you all with a heavy cloud of smoke and chaff while the rest of you fire on the move, suppressing them through volume."
The towering Sanghvi said while quickly checking it's belt of grenades, each ready to be remotely detonation via implant.
Maddox fired a covering salvo as Abrax carried Amy. "Go! I got you covered!"
He sidestepped to Markus and helped him up on his feet. "No rest but for the dead, convict!"
Markus groaned as scrambled to get his rifle. Crawling towards it, he grabbed it and attempted to step up. Maddox helped him get up but he collapsed from the pain of his broken ribs and the considerable amount of small shrapnel shards in his right leg and arm.
"Bloody fuckin..." he spat through his gritted teeth while laying on the ground.
Abraxas dart had hit him, but it wasn't instant healing and he didn't have time to wait around.
Markus fished out a small canister from his butt-pouch and pressed it into one of the open ports oh his gasmask before squeezing the handle.
A audible hiss could be heard as the pain-killing gases entered his mask and he took a deep breath.
He threw the canister aside and got up by steadying himself on his rifle. The pain wasn't entirely gone, but he it would have to do.
He fired a hasty shoot towards the kanad commander before limping behind Maddox towards Jag and the others.
Valkyrie was stunned by the sudden blood bath she had received from the body that just exploded before her, then nearly knocked off her feet by the APC explosion. "[B]FUCKING Hell![/B]" she blurted out, as she shook off the shock and straightened up. She wiped the blood from her face, and looked about. Abraxas tending to a lifeless Amy, Markus limping off, and Mad shooting at the remaining two peacekeepers. Shit. This was going to hell and fast. She darted over, slipping under Markus' non-gun arm, and assisted him with his movement. The Cerberus drone moved behind them, assisting Maddox with the covering fire as it slung lightning bolts at the two peacekeepers.
[B]....[/B]
Taylor stumbled to her feet, straightening up and hearing a few bones pop. "[I]Augh, fuck.[/I]" she muttered. Everything hurt, but it didn't feel like anything was broken. Bruised, more than likely. She grabbed her LMG from the ground, and proceeded to reload it as she looked back at the APC's wreckage. Hopefully the others had survived the explosion. She grew more and more frustrated at the sight the longer she looked at it. Now they needed a new vehicle to continue the mission at the airbase later. If they made it that far. "Ma'am, we've lost the APC. Peacekeeper with an RPG. Possible casualties. Continuing on foot into the Missile Base. Will procure transport there." she said into her comms, updating Yuga on the situation.
[i]Johannes whirls around as the rocket impacts the APC and watches as Amy, Markus, and Taylor are thrown from the craft. He immediately absorbs the ice shield and uses his jump jets to propel himself towards his fallen comrades to help.[/i][b] "We need to get somewhere safer. I can encase Amy in ice to preserve her until we get back to the ship. We might be able to save her if I do it fast."[/b]
János tried to think of an idea, as the sound of sirens grew. He wasn't too sure how they would be able to get around this predicament.
"Maybe we can act like we don't know what happened, and then when we do find out, we ask if we can do anything to help?" he said in an unsure tone.
[Ok,I was at work and couldn't read the thread, but Infab had told me what happened. Now I come and see that there is a big change in the text. Whoever made that change happen, thank you!]
((What change happened? It's the same as when I first saw it to me.))
[huh, could have sworn it read inceneration when I recieved the message. Guess I was just too tired at the time when I read it :v:. Ignore me.]
- SNIP, STATE SECURITY GOT ME -
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