Markus swung his rifle around and headed for the back of the flatbed, "Don't mind if I do." he replied with a chuckle.
He leaned over the side and took aim at the left vehicles front tire.
...
Yuga observed the map and its activities as well as the radio chatter.
She turned to Taylor, "Are we moving out?"
Jag quickly dashed towards the right of the flatbed,
taking an spit moment to scan the police squad car before taking pepping one of it's smoke grenade on it's belt for quick detonation.
Jag then aimed the grenade at the center of the targeted vehicle, tossing past the moment it's side window's opened and the two shotgunners revealed themselves.
Hastily, Jag proceeded to duck down to the floor of the truck's metal bed.
[QUOTE]She turned to Taylor, "Are we moving out?"[/QUOTE]
Taylor looked over at Yuga from where she was sitting. "Not at the moment. But the ship will be ready if we do have to move. Would rather not draw the Black Fleet to us by flying around." she said. She stood, then walked over and looked at the map herself. "We just have to wait and hope for the best regarding their pickup. If the dropship is engaged during or after pickup, then we'll try and do something...sorta wishing Frosty and his fighter were still around now." She sent a message to Bucky while standing there, typing it up as she spoke to Yuga.
[QUOTE]Be prepared to fire up the engines in case we have to move.
- T. Caine.[/QUOTE]
Bucky replies almost immediately.
[QUOTE]Roger that! I'll have the drives spooled up and on standby in about 2 minutes!
-Bucky[/QUOTE]
She immediately starts firing off commands to the ship's main reactor and drive systems over her wireless links. Like riding an old favorite bike, she wakes her sleeping giant and gets it ready to charge headlong to wherever it needs to go.
[quote]"Porter! Koval! Shoot out the tires!" Yelled Maddox as he opened fire, attempting to knock out the tires on one of the police cruisers.[/quote]
Porter nods to the order as he raises his machine gun. He makes an attempt to shoot as requested.
Jag sprung into action in the blink of an eye, running to the right side of the flatbed to throw a smoke grenade. The problem with this snap decision, however, is that the driver of each cruiser was in the left side of the vehicle. The shotgunner in the cruiser he was aiming at was thus seated in the right-side window with his entire upper body exposed and yet shielded by the car, and attempting to shoot at the flatbed over the hood of his own cruiser. Nevertheless, Jag hurled the grenade at the driver's side window in hopes of simply smashing through the glass.
CH Estimate: 7/10
[B]Actual: 10[/B]
Roll Passed.
With a powerful swing, the sanghvi slammed the grenade through the glass and into the driver's lap, where it detonated and began to fill the cabin with choking white smoke. The vehicle began a hard deceleration, backing away from the flatbed, before the driver-side door was flung open and the driver managed to drop the can onto the roadway. The gunner was shouting verbal directions at this point to help keep him on the road, but the driver was too timid to drive at full speed with the glass of the windshield completely obscured by the haze.
Hariim looked out the passenger-side window of the cab, and, finding it too difficult to aim effectively he cursed under his breath. He pointed to Johannes as he turned around. "Keep it steady," he pleaded, before ducking his torso through the window. Grabbing hold of the roof, he stood up and swung his lef around, quickly dropping into the bed of the vehicle where Istasha had taken cover. He nodded to her as the rest of the crew hadn't yet noticed his maneuver.
Throughout the action, Maddox was laying down his orders- there was only one chance to get things right, and as soon as Jag lunged right, Maddox took aim at the left cruiser's tires and ripped off a handful of rounds.
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Failed.
As the veteran soldier took aim, the loose suspension of the flatbed proved to be a difficult platform to aim on. His fire tore hell out of the passenger side of the cruiser, but thick metal panels prevented the shots from penetrating. The ahra-phi shotgunner, sufficiently distracted by Maddox, then responded by shooting directly into the human's upper body.
Ahra-Phi 1: [B]1[/B] x (No Feat Applicable) = 1
Maddox: DEF Roll = 7(Machinist)
No Damage.
The officer aimed poorly despite the short distance, and his slugs completely missed Maddox by whizzing right over the team leader's shoulder. In the instant that the shooter was pumping his shotgun, Hariim fell in next to Maddox and unleashed his own airburst shot, targeting the officer himself instead of his vehicle.
Ahra-Phi 1:
CH Estimate: 1/2
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Passed.
Hariim: [B]6[/B](Missed) x 1.5 = [B]0 DMG[/B]
With a flinch, the officer was able to distort the space between the two vehicles, causing the shrapnel of Hariim's shotgun to scatter into a dozen different directions, harmlessly. Nevertheless, the driver of the cruiser was so badly spooked by the multiple gunshots that he veered left and nearly went off the road. As they swung back and regained their bearings, Hariim checked over his left shoulder and noticed the vulnerable, smoke-filled cruiser which had fallen back. Switching to a rifle rocket, he took aim at the cruiser.
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
Ahra-Phi 2:
CH Estimate: 1/2
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
The gunner in the smoked-out cruiser saw the danger, but was unable to use metaphysics to divert the rocket, nor alert his driver in time as the missile streaked through the air and entered their car through the windshield. The charge then detonated between the two officers, killing the ahra-phi, ejecting his mangled body onto the tarmac as the gohva completely lost control of the vehicle. It skidded off the road into the median where the uneven ground caused it to pop into the air and roll multiple times. The gohva was killed by the whiplash. [B]100 DMG[/B]
[B]Two Enemies Eliminated.[/B]
Markus wasn't about to get careless just because one of the opposing vehicles had been taken out. Hustling to the rear of the flatbed, he leaned over the railing the same way a billiards player would lean on a table for the shot. The cruiser on the left had lost some speed due to its swerving, putting him in a good position to take a shot at the wheels.
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
As he pulled the trigger, the left-side cruiser suddenly applied its brakes, and the bullet ricocheted off the pavement just in front of the bumper. Hariim, using the moment for a quick reload, dropped to the ground with Istasha, and the two began trying to jam the comm radios used by the police. Before they could do their job, however, the gohva in the rear vehicle opened up with his assault rifle, aiming at Markus, the easiest target.
Gohva 3: [B]8[/B] x (No Feat Applicable) = 8
Markus: DEF Roll = 3
[B]5 DMG[/B]
Markus HP: 173/156(Nanosurgeon)
However, the long range and ragged nerves resulted in bad shooting. A single bullet nicked Markus so narrowly that he wasn't even aware he had been hit until he discovered a shallow cut on his arm a few moments later. The police weren't fools; they knew that this wasn't a matter for them to solve. This was a matter for the military. They then attempted to call in greater support from the Peacekeepers and the Black Fleet. Hariim and Istasha were already on the case, however:
Hariim + Istasha
CH Estimate: 1/8 + 1/4 x 3(Ingenuity) = 7/8
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
The radios went dead, and the already dire situation became even more nightmarish for the police. The pair in the rear cruiser knew that they would need to simply bail on the fight, but they couldn't simply leave their comrades in the left-side vehicle high and dry. They kept their foot down and watched helplessly as another one of the mercenaries prepared to unload on that cruiser.
Porter:
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
However, it was here that the police caught a break, as the large man in the mask appeared to experience a jam at exactly the wrong time. The rains were picking up again, however, and unbeknownst to them, the driver of the truck was just as dangerous as anyone in the bed. Johannes, as it were, found himself wishing he had someone to hold the wheel for him, as he could do something about this chase. Fed up, he rolled down his window and, while driving one-handed, attempted to freeze a section of the lane to the left of him and create a hazard.
CH Estimate: 1/3 x 2(Cryokinesis) = 2/3
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
The cruiser behind hit the slick and began hopelessly hydroplaning, while the gohva driver made a series of over- and under-corrections which eventually resulted in the car going sideways and crashing into the outside barrier. The impact caused the airbags to deploy and the vehicle to sustain critical damage, but the two officers inside each narrowly survived their brush with death. [B]30 DMG[/B]
[B]Two Enemies Neutralized.[/B]
The rear cruiser now had no more reason to follow and summarily slammed on the brakes to check in on the left-side cruiser. The APC now began to close in, leaving the team with precious seconds to plan before its arrival, along with the arrival of the autocannon on its back.
"Weapons free on the APC!" Yelled Maddox while pointing.
He reached into his backpack and pulled out one of his N-X spidermines.
"Let's see if this APC has MRAP-class protection." He then deployed the spidermine onto the road.
As the cruisers swerved and came to a halt down the road, Markus used is rifle as an air guitar to mimic a guitar riff of ride of the valkyries.
More to his credit since his knowledge of the piece was from old holoflics rather than being interested in classical music.
When the APC appeared out from behind the smokescreen generated by the two stranded cruisers he stopped his playing and let out a laugh before turning to the crew, "Ya got any more o' them fireworks lyin' 'round?" He said in a excited tone with a glimmer in his eyes.
Maddox answered Markus's question by slinging the N-X out of the flatbed. The spidermine rolled a few times as it hit the tarmac before righting itself, skittering from side to side in order to line itself up with the enemy's approach. The APC's driver saw this and made a desperate attempt to swerve at the last second.
Human 1:
CH Estimate: 1/2
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
Maddox:
CH Estimate: 4/5
[B]Actual: 4[/B]
Roll Passed.
The mine exploded directly under the vehicle, and while the APC wasn't destroyed by the blast, it was certainly wounded. Maddox grunted with disappointment as it once again started to close the gap, but it was understandable, given that the havoc the crew witnessed at Dyatiq was due to the massive weight shouldered by the compromised truss, rather than the explosion itself. Istasha stepped up and examined the vehicle, ascertaining what damage had already been done. It appeared that each of the vehicle's axels was independently powered via a differential, and the explosion had knocked one axel offline. It was now free-wheeling, and the others were delivering extra power to the road to make up for it.
The autocannon was a fearsome sight, but she was convinced that another shot to the underside of the APC would deal more damage. Aiming low, she fired.
CH Estimate: 1/3 x 2(Sapper) = 2/3
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
The grenade hit its mark perfectly, exploding just under the front end of the APC and wrecking the front differential and steering linkage. The armored vehicle continued to plow on, but it was unable to steer around the flatbed. "Johan, this rig's not getting around us! You can increase your following distance now!"
"Got it!" Johannes responded, slowly opening a wider and wider gap with the bomb truck ahead. "How close to the next checkpoint?" he asked Toothache.
[quote]Two kilometers! Be ready![/quote]
The APC finally returned fire once the flatbed had slowed down, aiming for Istasha.
CH Estimate: 2/3
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
Just as the gunner lined up her shot, Istasha was grabbed by Maddox and thrown to the ground, causing the APC to miss.
"I got you." Said Maddox before getting back up. After helping Istasha get up as well he opened fire at the APC autocannon, hoping that one lucky shot could bring it down.
Jag stood up, looking straight ahead towards the APC. Jag's implant then begin scanning for the APC's targeting systems for the autocannon along with priming one of the calf grenades on it's belt.
Aiming with it's trajectory highlighted out by it's implant, Jag threw the chaff grenade with great strength. Hoping to temporarily jam it's sights.
It's implant, while temporarily linked to the grenade. Had prepared it to burst midair right in front of the gun sights, covering it in a cloud shards of seemly weightless steel.
Jag, in a momentary lapse of judgement, decided to throw a chaff grenade at the APC in hopes of disabling its turret's targeting system. The sanghvi reared back and hurled the canister, aiming at the highly-visible optics on top.
CH Estimate: 1/10
[B]Actual: 9[/B]
Roll Failed.
The grenade exploded right on target alright, but given that the two vehicles were very close together and moving at high speed at the time, the "seeming weightless" steel fibers were immediately caught in the air current- the APC simply drove through the cloud it created and that was that. The gunner then fired at Jag.
CH Estimate: 2/3
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
Bullets narrowly missed the sanghvi and perforated the passenger side of the flatbed's cab. Hariim, seated with his back to said cab, let out a nervous laugh after ducking just enough to avoid a shot which was headed for his natural eye. Istasha became flustered. "Really!?" she shouted as she prepped for another grenade shot of her own. "It's on its last leg, let's take it out, already!"
Maddox and Istasha then teamed up to destroy the turret and take the APC out for good.
CH Estimate: 1/8 + 1/3 x 2(Sapper) = 19/24
[B]Actual: 18[/B]
Roll Passed.
While Maddox aimed to destroy the same optics package that Jag had tried to disable, Istasha intended to damage the gun itself beyond repair, and when the smoke had cleared, both had accomplished their goal of knocking the APC's gun offline. Better yet, the turret was now on fire. Now, at last, the APC began to slow down as the crew prepared to bail out, but as the military wagon fell away in the near distance, there was a loud series of cracks before the turret exploded off of its base and tumbled onto the road nearby. Half a dozen Peacekeepers spilled out of the rear doors, some on fire and attempting to extinguish themselves.
[B]6 Enemies Neutralized.[/B]
[B]1 Enemy Eliminated.[/B]
The team was nearing the second checkpoint. Johannes had fallen back far enough that there was enough room to stop if things were really as bad as Wilson described them. Toothache spoke nervously over the radio, having lost the bravado he had displayed minutes earlier.
[quote]Here it comes... I'm- I'm going to ram it! If we don't make it through, just run, alright? I got nothin' to go back to, and I got no fight left in me.[/quote]
Johannes looked up the road to see what Toothache was talking about. Just ahead, appearing out of the thickening haze of rain, the Vohmdash police and a few UGC vehicles had formed a physical barrier across both sides of the highway, with cruisers lined up bumper-to-bumper to block the path forward. The bomb truck powered onward like a juggernaut as the many guns of the barricade unloaded on its steel-plated front end. Behind the wheel, Toothache leaned forward, his heart frozen as he stared down the wall through the thin slit in his makeshift armor, like a medieval knight charging with his lance.
"Don't ever say that daddy doesn't love ya," he muttered under his breath as he floored the accelerator and closed his eyes.
Toothache:
CH Estimate: 2/5
[B]Actual: 5[/B]
Roll Passed.
The officers dove out of the way as the massive cargo truck slammed into the lead cars, catapulting them into the air like bowling pins. The cruisers behind were pinned by the APCs further back, and as a result were crushed inward as the cargo trucks front-end lifted from the ground and began to roll over them, crushing in the roofs and killing the occupants as the truck nearly rolled into a deadly corkscrew. Bashing into an APC on the right changed its trajectory just enough that the truck avoided tipping onto its side, and regained its traction on the far side of the barricade. Toothache gripped the wheel with all his strength and corrected for the swerving action of the tractor as it threatened to hydroplane.
It didn't. The insane convoy would continue as Johannes, now emboldened by the demonstration, smashed through the same weak point, encountering less obstruction as the flatbed chased the bomb truck.
"FUCK YEAH!" Johannes yelled as the road now opened up. He pounded on the air horn and Toothache answered with several blasts from his own. The team, having avoided practically all injury, let out a cheer from the bed as they charged onward toward the third and final checkpoint, another 15 km away.
---
Rask jumped to his feet, having been listening in to the comms and gritting his teeth the whole time. Opening up a channel to the Muramasa and the Cataract, he felt his confidence grow as the plan seemed to be coming together. "Caine, Sharpe- get your ships off the ground! The plan is workin' just like we hoped, keh! We're gonna do this-"
Rask was interrupted by an ugly screeching sound, one which he always dreaded to hear, before a coarse, darkly sly voice could be heard on all TBC communicators.
[quote]Guess wh[I]ooo[/I]ooo?[/quote]
The voice was followed by a chorus of cackling laughter. Wilson gave a dire warning-
[quote]Fucking shit! There's a fighter wing closing in on you! They're kanads-[/quote]
Another rasping voice, different from the one before, interrupted him.
[quote]Whatever it is you think you're doing... Nah, we're not letting you do it. That was your last chance to stop, back there where you murdered those cops. Now, we're gonna light you up something fierce, kadaren![/quote]
---
As promised, the engines were ready on the Muramasa as soon as the order came, and as the craft jolted off the ground, projectiles arrived from every direction at once, as a Black Fleet commando force had successfully surrounded their suspicious-looking camp site during the late morning hours and had finally decrypted the comm signals. Plasma and rocket fire scorched the armor of the craft before the shields could be fully armed, sending loud, echoing booms throughout its tight tunnels. Just before a mortar barrage could be launched against the ship, the shields came fully online and the Muramasa shot into the air. The Cataract followed; it had been slower to get off the ground, but it hadn't been targeted nearly as much as its more fearsome sister ship.
---
Rask tore hell through the halls of the Aurikha, unwilling to use the comm system any more than what was absolutely necessary at this point. Yanim burst into the hall from the armory and met him there, having overheard the radio intrusion on her implant.
"[What did you do!?]" she screeched at him.
"[The crew is in trouble, don't you dare suspect me now! I need you!]" he replied. "[The enemy has air support. They need the Zeruel program!]" Yanim's eyes went wide as fear settled in.
Knowing that the comm lines were compromised, the two officers bickered over a plan to save their endangered away team while said team and the two crews of the two ships made plans of their own. Time was running out.
[B]Five Turns Until Air Strike[/B]
Maddox did a quick ammo check. "Everyone okay?"
-----
Vakarus was already in the gunner seat when the first strike was dealt.
"Taylor'atvan, our weapons suffered minimal damage during the enemy attack. I am ready to defend our vessel."
He scanned the area for targets.
Taylor straightened up from where she had been standing, having stumbled a bit from the shock of the impacts. "Vakarus, engage anything deemed hostile." she said calmly in his direction, before switching on the ship's intercom. "Bucky, get the shields up and and check for any breaches. Double time. Everyone else, battle stations." She then turned her attention to the former captain, Yuga. "I need the quickest route to the away team. In case the drop ship isn't able to grab them."
Yuga calmly turned around in her vapor mist, raising an eyebrow at Taylor, "You are aware that the fastest route will take us directly into the heat? May I suggest we take a detour and if we are to engage the enemy, we can do so from an unsuspecting angle which will give us the upper hand. Or do you have faith in our armaments and protection to go up against military cruisers?"
An SDF serviceman yawned and stretched his back. This was going to be another boring night shift, he thought to himself. The serviceman was one of thousands communications specialists employed by the SDF to monitor military lines, relay data and intel and more.
Infront of him was terminal with three screens which currently showed a steady flow of traffic with no urgent messages or communication requests at the time. As it should be.
The serviceman folded a blank piece of paper into a paperplane, something he had mastered during his eleven years as a SDF Comms Specialist, and was about to send it flying towards the bin five meters away when his screens turned red.
Startled, he tossed the plane recklessly, sending it crashing down into the floor. He turned his attention to the center screen which displayed a red window: "URGENT COMMUNICATION - CATEGORY RED".
Catgeory red!? The man scrambled to get up. "Sir, I got a category red!"
On the other side of the room the officer in charge got up and rushed towards the serviceman, speeding past a dozen of other comms specialists. "You better not be joking with me, corporal!"
He stopped next to the serviceman and observed his screens. "Well, I'll be damned. This only happen when one of them [i]soids[/i] need help real bad."
The term "soid" referred to agents and operatives of the SSOID, Sol's intelligence service.
"Pass it on to the SSOID HQ, this is above our pay-grade." Said the officer.
-----
"Incoming priority traffic on a open SDF channel, sir." Said one junior agent.
The senior agent got up. "Point of origin?"
"Unknown, the sender must've gone off the grid or destroyed their communicator."
"Tags?" Asked the senior agent who was now next to the junior agent.
"Project Troja, sir."
-----
SSOID Director Talwin Williams shook his head. Infront of him was a message which appeared to have been sent straight to Sol from an unknown point of origin.
The message had not gone through any SDF or SSOID communication relays which suggested that a short-range communicator or transmitter had been jury-rigged to broadcast one single message.
Williams could name at least three dozens of agents capable of doing such a thing, out of those only a handfull were part of Project Troja.
What puzzled him even more was not the way the message had been sent, but the message itself.
[i]"The Children of God are back. You need to prepare yourselves. Unknown status, unknown location."[/i]
First the sighting at the Valley of Heroes and this message. It sent a chill through the director's spine.
After the first sighting Williams had done everything in his power to find out who these Children of God were.
Problem was that they were gone from all records. Nothing as much as a sidenote.
If it was something which terrified Williams the most, it was the possibility of an enemy whoms very existance was shrouded in complete and utter darkness...
[QUOTE]"You are aware that the fastest route will take us directly into the heat? May I suggest we take a detour and if we are to engage the enemy, we can do so from an unsuspecting angle which will give us the upper hand. Or do you have faith in our armaments and protection to go up against military cruisers?"[/QUOTE]
"Hell no. This ship wouldn't last a minute against a decently armed cruiser." said Taylor, looking back over at her. "And I am aware of the [B][I]actual[/I][/B] fastest route taking us into direct combat. So yes, find the quickest detour."
"No injuries sustained beyond that of the encounter within the septic chamber, Team Leader Maddox." Jag said before looking over at Mercy in the truck bed.
"Medic Mercy, concussion treatment please?", Jag says while pulling back it's cloak, knelling down below her height.
Mercy, wiping some sweat off her forehead, looks at Jag, "Oh, uh, sure!" She slips on two pairs of gloves, not exactly still being clean after the sewer adventure.
"I really hope we'll be able to wash zis stuff off..." Mercy attempts to conduct the [i]Triage Treatment[/i] on Jag. Again. "Er, hold still for a minute, s'il vous plait."
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTE6lRsRJ4w[/media]
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/51361672/Walk.jpg[/t]
Karbala's sun was mustering whatever strength it had to shine on it's sandy surface to produce whatever it's equivalent of daylight was. It was still dark enough that street lights had to be left activated all the time, especially during the night due to it being pitch black. Frosty shuffled behind Moloch as they traversed the streets of the ArtiSynth's largest settlement. Passersby and bystanders were giving him odd looks, as if he was an outsider, an intruder. They were curious as to who exactly it was that was trailing Moloch as he led him through the settlement. They knew he was an ArtiSynth just like them, but not who he was specifically. Though, he was indeed wearing a full set of armor and uniform of their most revered and lethal unit, the famed CoG Nīrū-ye Qods, so many of them did a very slight bow as they saw him move past.
Frosty was looking around this settlement as he walked when a feeling of familiarity began to grow on him. It wasn't until he looked up and saw a massive obelisk towering over the rest of the settlement did he understand. That city he saw in the photograph, the one he showed to Yuga, he was now walking through it... Or at least, a replica of it, as the photo was taken during a proper daytime and not Karbala's morning dusk. Whatever that city was, it must have been [I]very [/I]important and hold special meaning to the ArtiSynth if they chose to build a duplicate.
"[I]Do not stray now. We are almost there.[/I]" spoke Moloch as he tried to make sure Frosty didn't wander off and get lost. The duo reached a service tunnel of sorts in the settlement square, and after taking an elevator and jeep ride through the tunnel, they arrived at a set of gigantic bulkhead doors with a small ID box next to them. Moloch opened the box, revealing a keypad and a microphone. He punched a combination and spoke into the mic.
".اجازه دهید ما در" [[I]Let us in.[/I]]
The doors opened to reveal yet another tunnel, except this one was much smaller than the one they just traveled in.
"[I]Enter. You may board.[/I]" Moloch gestured Frosty to follow.
This was the entrance to CoG's flagship. They had hid it underneath the crust of Karbala to prevent any pirates from attacking it or making an attempt to hijack it. It also allowed them to construct it and modify it in secret as well, away from any satellites that may be looking at Karbala's surface. The interior was metallic and had a very oppressive feel to it. With wide open corridors and long hallways which branched off in many directions, it made Frosty feel like he was like a tiny rat making it's way through a giant maze. Moloch knew where to go however, as there were signs indicating which path led to where. He ushered Frosty into an elevator which took the both of them into a deck of the ship which looked very out of place.
It was a very well decorated hallway with a home-like feel to it, like if Frosty had stepped into a rich man's mansion. Dark red patterned wallpaper with golden crown molding, combined with a long Persian carpet stretched from the door of the elevator to the reinforced door at the end. A series of portraits lined both walls of the hallway as well. They all appeared to have been high-ranking members or commanders of CoG judging by their appearance. One was of an artisynth wearing a black mask with two yellow stripes painted on, as well as a helmet that had feathers stuck in it. Another was of a very intimidating looking ArtiSynth also with a black mask, but had eyes as blue as the ocean. Frosty wondered if he would ever meet these people, though something told him they weren't running the show, or at least not around to do so anymore.
"[I]Your cabin, Mr. Frosty.[/I]"
The door opened, revealing a living room even more ornate than the hallway. Shelves made of the finest, polished wood were stacked with books of varying sizes and topics. Interior carved out of stone with art decorating the molding. State of the art appliances were also present, and fully functional.
"[I]When we said we had decorated it to our standards, we meant it; as you can see. Now, I have other duties to attend to, but do not hesitate to signal me over the intercom if you require anything. Especially if you wish to leave the ship. I do not want you getting lost within it's halls.[/I]" said Moloch as he left Frosty to his own devices.
He was alone, and with no way out. It didn't look like he was leaving Karbala anytime soon, so the least he could do at the moment is check to see if the news is reporting anything on the situation on Voyak. He turned on the TV and switched channels to see if he could get Intergalactica. The Ayr news anchors went on about headlines such as:
[quote]--"Royal Explorers Guild launching new investigation in unearthed Kauzen vault on Oltanis."
--"Preparation underway for Unification day in Honnoji, Ayr. Observes comment"
--"Khrosus Industrial Homkah scores high on vehicle test, despite production line problems"
--"Independent observers criticize UGC condemnation of Sanghvi Mantle"
--""UGC council set to begin summit within the solar hour, primarily on the state of the union and Sanghvi Mantle incursions into Northeast"
--"UNIDA stocks stabilize after long decline. Economists skeptic of full recovery"
--"Telemachus Solutions's bi-monthly press conference begins, many questions circling around the nature of Elysium's acquisition of HarkArk assets."
--"TriEnterprise's reassures the safely of it's territory regarding concerns of recent Death Vigil activity."
--"Odysseus Associates's announces the delay of the new Argonaut series of FTL drives to late 2386."
--"GRIZZ PMC pubicily confirms it's recent involvement on Yotil IV, Svarog and Triglav. Casualty report to be released later this hour."[/quote]
Sitting through all that very nearly put Frosty to sleep until he heard the TV blurt out what he had wanted to hear for the past [I]three hours[/I]. He sat up straight as one of the news anchors began to talk about Voyak.
"...And now we move over once again to the situation that has been unfolding over Voyak! The ruthless attack on Dyatiq yesterday doesn't seem to be the only incident to plague the people of Voyak as there also appears to be a massive police chase underway! We go live to Aiko at the scene."
The feed cut to an Ayr woman decked out in a hazard suit standing in front of a UGC checkpoint.
"You are very correct, Kenta! Right now as we speak, several Vohmdash police officers are chasing what appears to be a bomb truck on Route 9. The truck, guarded by several currently unknown gunmen, appears to be making it's way north towards the Apapokta Voyoma Desert. The motivations of the terrorists are currently unknown at this time, but police are not taking any chances and have told civilians to stay inside until the situation is over and the terrorists apprehended."
"Aiko, what information do we have on the terrorists so far? Do we have any leads on who they could be working for or who could be behind this?"
"More than likely the Sanghvi of course! Whether it's because they didn't take their loss in their war with the UGC well and are lashing out, or perhaps the Mantle is once again trying to forcefully assert itself on surrounding systems, the signs are slowly but surely surfacing that the Sanghvi are surely involved somehow."
"You heard it here first! The Sanghvi once again attempting to destabilize the region once more in their heinous plot to achieve galactic conquest!"
Frosty could only slump in his sofa as thoughts of helplessness overtook him. Despite this, it's still fortunate he has not noticed the [url=https://i.gyazo.com/470df3d5f695f3f6d66d2629b37a887a.png]mysterious stranger that had been stalking him[/url] ever since he woke up on Karbala.
Bucky pings in the affirmative on comms, and immediately shunts power into the Muramasa's shield generators. Using her ties to the ship, she does a full diagnostic sweep of all decks to check for signs of hull breaches and damage.
-------------------------------------------------
Hariim performs checks of the team's suits, and keeps a weary eye on his EWAR suite all while reloading his rifle and it's rocket projector. He's done with all the swiftness and efficient brevity one would expect of a professional soldier.
Lord Vexar Sword of the Fists of Sol walked in silence. In his right hand was his helmet, which he kept close to his body. To his left and right were Colonel Hakon Burke of the Lunar Children and Arch-Zealot Widon Hazadok of the Divinity Creed.
Behind the three of them was a large entourage consisting of guards and advisors. The guards kept a tight grip on their weapons while eyeballing anyone not from their respective group with suspicion.
Meanwhile the advisors were typing away on their arsenal of electronic tablets, as they had just now learned what Lord Sword's pressing announcement was going to be about.
Sword had announced that he had intended to deliver a speech to the members of his alliance but as more and more outcasts of Sol had joined at a rapid pace he had chosen have his speech a week in advance.
This meant that roughly fifteen thousand people had rushed to the isolated world of Nuroq, far in the eastern fringes, to hear what Vexar had to say.
Despite the urgency Vexar looked as calm as ever. In fact, he was even smiling.
Soon the party reached a pair of doors guarded by a pair of [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/Fists%20of%20Sol%20Trooper.jpg]Fists of Sol troopers[/url] wearing the standard red armor with a grey undersuit.
The guards opened up the door, revealing a balcony and beyond it a massive arena with thousands of seats all facing forward.
As the lord stepped out onto the balcony several spotlights adjusted and fixed their gaze on him, basking the balcony with light. Colonel Burke and Arch-Zealot Hazadok stood by his side while the numerous gaurds and advisors were forced to wait just outside the doors.
Vexar smiled and waved, just like the charismatic leader he was. "Smile brothers, for we are about to make history." He said. Burke and Hazadok followed the command of their ally and waved, causing the crowd to cheer even further.
The arena was divided into seven parts; the first part was enclosed area with multiple balconies overlooking the rest of the area. The second part was the arena itself, currently empty aside from a small group of troopers guarding it.
Last but not least were the five seating sections, the two outer ones were dedicated to smaller religious, resistance and militia groups who were anti-Sol. The inner couple was dedicated to the Lunar Children and the Divinity Creed alone while the center section was dedicated to members of the Fists of Sol.
Vexar gestured with his left hand. "Comrades! Brothers and sisters! It is truly great to see all whom have heeded my call."
He observed the arena as the audience quited down. Their entire focus was on him.
"I have called all of you here today to witness a new beginning, [i]our[/i] new beginning."
"Today marks the day when we, the [i]United Sol Resistance[/i], rose up to claim what is and always has been rightfully ours! Far too long have been forced to live as outcasts. We will no longer be treated as filth or be branded as traitors!
When the dawn comes we begin our campaign towards retaking Sol!"
With a smile he continued; "We shall march into the Sol system and remove the Sol Government by force! We will destroy everyone in our path! Should the entire system oppose us we will turn it all into ashes and rebuild it into our image, the image our ancestors shared with us in the hopes that we would turn it into reality."
By now the crowds were rallied up, even the guards could not contain their excitement. Everything Vexar had said up untill this point had been true and as such so would this. He would lead them into Sol.
"Tomorrow our grand army will begin its campaign, with each step we take Sol will bleed for its mistakes. You will ready yourselves. You will spread the word."
Vexar put on his [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/Fists%20of%20Sol%20Vexar%20Sword.jpg]helmet[/url] and raised his left hand formed into a fist.
[b]"Death to Sol!"[/b]
[i]"Death!"[/i] Yelled the crowd in unison.
Vexar turned around and began walking towards the door but stopped a few meters away. He looked at Colonel Burke who, alongside Arch-Zealot Hazadok, had continued to follow his every step.
"Brother Burke, it is time for your soldiers distract Sol. They will not see the rest of us if they're too busy focusing on something happening in their own system."
Burke nodded and did a quick salute. "I will give the order personally." He then left the balcony.
Lord Sword turned to Hazadok. "Brother Hazadok, ready the Divinity Creed. Your blades shall smash through our blind enemy."
Hazadok grinned and nodded. "Of course, my lord."
Standing alone on the balcony Vexar nodded to himself. Years of planning was finally coming together. Nothing would stop him now. Nothing.
[video=youtube;UhGc_UzsPik]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhGc_UzsPik[/video]
The two ships catapulted out of the reservoir basin, only to be locked-onto by a nearby fighter wing which had been waiting in ambush, just like the commandos on the ground. Owen pulled hard on the stick, causing the Muramasa to take a sudden turn as its sleek body began to yaw in the air. Without any sort of tail fin, the ship spun in this manner so that it was able to change directions on a dime- the rest of the bridge crew was forced to hold on to their consoles despite the artificial gravity. With another burst from the engines, the Muramasa was briefly free from attack as Vakarus screened for the enemy fighters.
CH Estimate: 5/7
[B]Actual: 4[/B]
Roll Passed.
The vakr gunner got his mark and pulled the trigger, nailing the fighter with cannon fire as it tried to dive out of the way. A trail of blue-grey smoke erupted from its tail, but it was still in the fight as it leveled out in the air.
Onboard the Cataract, Gaokah had taken similar evasive maneuvers and was currently arguing with Captain Sharpe that recovering Wilson and the Cascade were more important than assisting the Muramasa. "Wilson can hold his own," Sharpe replied with authority, and that was the end of it. The Cataract pounced into the fight, with Reece operating the gunner's controls for the ship's undersized cannons. He searched for his chance at a lock...
CH Estimate: 4/7
[B]Actual: 6[/B]
Roll Passed.
Bingo- with a green light appearing on his HUD, Reece grinned and pulled the trigger. "Target engaged!" he shouted as a spurt of machine gun rounds buzzed another kanad fighter. The bullets ripped through the metal surfaces of the aircraft's wing, but failed to do enough to shoot it down. The fighter wing responded by picking targets, with three remaining focused on the Muramasa and the other two chasing the Cataract. Within moments, the nimble ships had regained their locks.
Fighter 1:
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
The fighter that had been hit by Vakarus moments earlier responded with an air-to-air rocket which exploded against the under-side of the ship. The electromagnetic shields were able to prevent serious damage but a large dent had form as a result of the concussion.
Fighter 2:
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
Another rocket blasted the Muramasa near the engines from above, launched by the fighter the Cataract had damaged, piercing the armor plating but failing to penetrate the hull. Nonetheless, the ship's alarms began to sound. Bucky sprinted to the closest access hatch with her repair tools and immediately began reinforcing the hull in that location.
(Auto Roll)
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 1, 5, 3 (Multitasking)[/B]
Roll Passed.
Bucky skillfully contained the damage to ensure that another shot to the same location would not pierce the hull. A moment later, she had climbed out of the hatch and had resumed monitoring the systems for damage.
Fighter 3:
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
The third fighter launched its missile from a heavy dive, attempting to tag the Muramasa's engines. Luckily, the G-forces involved with the turn were too much for the rocket to overcome and it sailed under the ship, pelting some unfortunate building in the city below.
Fighter 4:
CH Estimate: 4/5
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Passed.
The next fighter locked onto the Cataract and attacked with rockets. The support ship's shields were inadequate, allowing the explosion to pierce straight through the hull into the empty hangar space in the rear of the craft. Rey practically materialized out of thin air in his rush to repair the damage.
CH Estimate: 2/5
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Failed.
The hole was simply too large for one man to patch in short order. After the ship made a hard banking maneuver and he nearly fell through the open gash into the air below, Rey alerted the bridge of the potential catastrophe awaiting unless the ship were to take immediate evasive maneuvers. Meanwhile, outside, the final fighter in the unit launched another rocket against the Cataract, aiming for the bridge.
CH Estimate: 4/5
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
Miraculously, the rocket suffered a catastrophic failure midway to its target, causing its propellant to over-pressurize and explode en-route. "Captain!" Gaokah implored. Sharpe slammed his fist on the armrest of his captain's chair. "Dammit, can't you see I'm trying my best!? If we run away now, they'll just run us down like a wounded gazelle. We need the Muramasa more than they need us!"
---
The crew on the flatbed settled in and prepared for the final stage of their Mad Max-like run into the desert. The city had disappeared and the terrain was flattening out; it wouldn't be long before extraction would be possible. Mercy set about healing Jag yet again, as the sanghvi still possessed wounds from the earlier sewer fight.
CH Estimate: 1/4
[B]Actual: 4[/B]
Roll Passed.
+20 HP
Jag HP: 50/50
Having once again healed the sanghvi to full fighting form, Mercy awaited further instruction. However, before anything more could be done, a threat appeared in the form of a close air support craft, much like the type some of the crew had encountered on Itara. It appeared from the direction of Yovek airbase, screeching over the arid landscape in direct pursuit of the convoy. As per usual, the defending crew would have first initiative, but the question remained of whether they possessed the firepower needed to shoot down the enemy craft.
---
Yanim, having scanned through her own engineering notes of the Muramasa using her implant, had finally gathered enough information to be able to assist the crew without spoiling the ploy to the eavesdroppers on the comm. There was one problem; at their current pace, the Muramasa wouldn't reach the desert until after the fighter wing spotted by Wilson (entirely separate from the one currently engaged with the two ships) had already assaulted the convoy, something the flammable cargo of the bomb truck definitely wouldn't endure.
They needed to buy the crew some time... somehow! And that's when Rask had a clever idea, one which mimicked earlier shenanigans he had pulled with the Terika-Belladonna Company. "[Imagine if you were aboard that dropship with, uh, what's his name... Wilson? They'd divert course, wouldn't they?]" he asked rhetorically. Yanim already understood the plan; the Black Fleet could hear all the voices on the comm, but probably couldn't determine exactly where each voice was originating, especially if they networked themselves to mask the Aurikha as the source. They couldn't explain themselves to anyone on the crew; they simply hoped that everyone would understand the ruse (and that Wilson would forgive them for what they were about to do!)
"Yanim!" Rask said into his comm as the signal was routed first through the Cascade and then on to the other ships. "We need a crew evacuation. You and Wilson need to get down there immediately!"
---
The commander of Yovek Airbase jumped slightly as his comm system was suddenly overridden by a high-priority call from the GKVR. A short conversation was all he needed to divert the fighter wing to run down the Cascade and capture the infamous fugitive he had received so many memos about since the previous day's attack on Dyatiq. "[You can rest assured General; she will not escape us!]"
---
Wilson felt his blood vessels bulging through his forehead as he gritted his teeth. He hadn't been this angry in [I]years[/I]. He bit his tongue for the moment and dove for the cityscape below as the fighter wing began to turn and hone in on his position.
[B]??? Turns Until Air Strike[/B]
---
Yuga finished plotting a course as the Muramasa continued its battle. It would take several minutes to reach the desert, assuming max speed and no further distractions (7 turns).
Vakarus laughed as he continued to scan for targets. "These enemies will bring much honor to my house!"
He opened fire.
-----
Maddox widened his eyes. He looked at Koval. "Aim for the pilot!"
He pulled out a RPG, a improved version of the one used in the previous mission, and loaded it with a N-X rocket.
Mad glanced at Hariim and Istasha. "If you can, make those ships go nuts to the point where the pilots would be forced to land!"
The armorer then looked at the closest ship and pulled the trigger, sending a rocket flying towards it.
Yuga jolted and held onto the ship as it rocked from the assault.
She corrected her hat as red lights began flashing on the bridge.
She inspected the map and the status of both ships.
Yuga turned to Taylor, "We should order the Cataract to head for the extraction point. We can follow close behind and provide cover fire. If we up our speed to the maximum the enemy fighter will have to work double to both fight and chase us."
---
Markus scoffed and Turned towards the fighter. He slumped down towards the wall of the flatbed to have more stability.
He reckoned hitting the pilot was a waste of bullets so he opted to aim for one of the engines instead.
Porter leans up, raising his minigun, and strafes AA fire at the fighter, attempting to either scare it off, hit the pilot, snip a wing, anything is fine.
------
Amelia is thrown from her chair after the explosion hitting the back of the ship. She gets back up, trying to keep both Amy and Valk stable, "You okay, Hestia?" she asks while checking the monitors of the two unconcious patients.
Hariim starts working with Itasha to boost the range of his EWAR suite to where it can reach out and touch the enemy ship's systems. His plan is to splice in an mess with their data management programs, reorganizing hostiles as friendlies and friendlies as hostiles while also inverting controls and resetting the rudder trim on their control surfaces to throw off their flight capabilities.
Taylor gripped onto the table where the map was being displayed, holding herself steady as the ship rocked before straightening up.
[QUOTE]Yuga turned to Taylor, "We should order the Cataract to head for the extraction point. We can follow close behind and provide cover fire. If we up our speed to the maximum the enemy fighter will have to work double to both fight and chase us."[/QUOTE]
Taylor switched on comms, connecting to the Cataract. "Cataract, head for the extraction point. We'll follow behind and provide covering fire. Maximum speed, we're running and gunning." said Taylor, before switching off the comms. The Cataract couldn't take too much damage, otherwise they might lose the entire crew plus four of their [I]OWN[/I] crew that were still aboard it. To make matters worse, they still had to worry about the ground team.
Jag quickly begin setting up an set of advanced flashbangs on it's belt with it's implant remotely.
Configuring them each to both scramble or overlord the Gunship's visual targeting systems at different frequencies.
Jag also had set them so that their impacts would not be visible to the rest of the team.
Allowing them to act unfazed by the grenade's blinding flash and continue firing freely at the ship.
The Sanghvi then threw two of them with it's arms in an whip like fashion at it's target.
The grenades flew through the air at an great speed towards the Gunship.
Primed to burst mid air only a meter or so from the front of the Gunship's cockpit.
Captain Sharpe acknowledged Taylor's message, "copy that, we're on our way." While Gaokah put the engines on full impulse and corrected course, Reece found another target lock and revved up the machine guns.
CH Estimate: 4/7
[B]Actual: 5[/B]
Roll Passed.
With a hail of fire he raked another kanad fighter as it dove from above, forcing the pilot to roll out and carve his way through the air to the underside instead. "Yeah, you punks, get some!" Reece yelled as he watched the enemy pilot take evasive maneuvers. Meanwhile, on the Muramasa, Vakarus had set his eyes on one of the two smoking craft currently circling the corvette. He pulled on his stick and aligned the crosshairs on his HUD with the enemy.
CH Estimate: 5/7
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
A burst of flak caught the Cataract-damaged fighter and ripped its wings off. As it pitched over, the canopy blew open and the pilot ejected into the rainy sky, tumbling end over end until his parachute deployed.
[B]Enemy Neutralized.[/B]
The fighter pilots, down a pilot and having just overheard the two captains discussing their plan over the compromised comm system, now adjusted their formation. The fighter which had been damaged by the Muramasa's auto cannons earlier on traded places with the undamaged craft currently trailing the Cataract, meaning that the Muramasa was beset by a pair of undamaged fighters while their less-capable sister ship would face the already-wounded pair. They then opened up with their own barrage of attacks.
[quote]Yetsak, teresen![/quote]
[I]Eat this, humans![/I]
The damaged fighter that had just switched to fighting the Cataract targeted the support craft's engines, hoping to slow the ship down. Any and all delays were beneficial to the kanad pursuers.
Fighter 1:
CH Estimate: 4/5
[B]Actual: 5[/B]
Roll Passed.
Another rocket screeched away, slamming into the engine compartment just next to a thrust vectoring nozzle, which was blasted into a poor shape and jammed open. Inside the bridge, Gaokah was forced to compensate for the stuck nozzle causing the whole ship to list uncomfortably as it lumbered through the sky. The second ship pounced on the wounded Cataract with equal ferocity, once again targeting the engines.
Fighter 4:
CH Estimate: 4/5
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Passed.
Another hit caused the rear of the support ship to begin burning as coolant lines had been punctured by the blast. "Rey, we've got real problems, now, get your ass in there!" Captain Sharpe demanded. The craft was losing power, and increasingly, Gaokah was forced to divert more and more power to simply keep it afloat. It slowed further, to the point that the Muramasa closed on and briefly overtook it by mistake. Behind it, the two remaining, undamaged fighters targeted the corvette's weapon systems.
Fighter 3:
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
The rocket came from below, striking the Muramasa at the site of one of its flak cannons, which detonated the ammo storage within and rocked the whole vessel. The lights and consoles in the bridge nearly flickered out completely as the primary electrical conduits which ran the length of the craft from the engines in the rear had been severed by the explosion, and the backups were quickly engaged.
The last of the four fighters watched as smoke and debris erupted from the belly of the Muramasa. Its pilot pumped her fist as she aimed for another cannon on the starboard side of the craft.
Fighter 5:
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
Another rocket slammed into the Muramasa, causing a similar explosion to the first as the ammo cache detonated, blowing a large hole into the cargo compartment and starting a fire. Alarms competed with the sound of rushing air throughout the tunnels of the craft as automatic fire suppression systems kicked online, coating the cargo bay in a foam-like substance. With two guns destroyed, the Muramasa would have a harder time defending itself and the Cataract.
Everyone began to miss Frosty just a little bit more, at this point.
On the latter ship, Rey had finally managed to crawl inside the engine space, having quickly donned a hazard suit on the way. Patching holes was one thing, but having to stop an engine fire was every engineer's greatest fear, as it threatened to consume the whole ship. Plunging ankle-deep into the flooded compartment, he grabbed hold of the severed tubing and set to work splicing it all back together again.
CH Estimate: 2/5
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
In the midst of nearly restoring flow, Rey lost his grip on the beam he was using to support himself and reflexively placed his hand on the next solid object, which proved to be an engine element. Even with his hazard suit, the surface of the metal was hundreds of degrees higher than anything he could safely handle. He was severely burned, and his hazard suit was damaged. Within moments, the air inside began to grow hotter as his visor began to fog- he couldn't remain in the engine compartment much longer, but if he were to leave now, everything could be lost. [B]50 DMG[/B]
Rey HP:
50/100
---
With the away team no longer threatened by a second fighter wing, Yanim, via Rask, could now pass directions onto the crew. Before doing so, however, she had sprinted to her quarters to retrieve her tail device which, after she had plugged it into her YS-X pack, enabled her to interface directly with the Aurikha's computer systems. Out of breath and seated in the pilot's chair, she overrode the system and began delegating out duties for the task ahead. Rask, after listening carefully to her as she explained the procedure, spoke into the comm: "Captain Caine, follow this order [I]exactly[/I] as I give it, ya hear? Alright... Have Vakarus verify that units 9 and 10 of 'system 52' are 'type EC-200.'"
After a moment, Vakarus, who had correctly ascertained that "system 52" was referring to the five-by-two missile pod on the upper rear of the craft, answered in the affirmative. The ninth and tenth missiles were currently loaded with EMPs.
[quote]It is as you said, Rask'Atvan.[/quote]
"Prep unit 9, keh," he said flatly, as if to avoid letting on that an attack was being hatched. The female fighter pilot intruded on the channel to interrupt and mock them.
[quote]What iz unit ninekeh? You ship is on fire, stoopid![/quote]
Rask ignored her as he continued to give the order. "Captain, access subroutine Y41-X on your main console and tell Owen to [I]let go[/I]. Things are gonna get weird." Rask and Yanim waited in hushed silence for their order to take effect.
---
On board the Muramasa, Taylor had done as she was told. Upon trying to access the mysterious subroutine, the baked-in security systems Yanim had programmed suddenly engaged, and as Owen let go of the stick it began to twitch about on its pedestal as if a ghost were piloting the craft. In truth, subroutine Y41-X had no function beyond this purpose and existed purely for the sake of emergencies like this. With the autopilot having taken over, the ship then broadcast a distress signal to the Aurikha, enabling Yanim to take direct control. It was the same override she had once placed on the Belladonna to prevent Neasha from stealing it back from the kanads, who had stolen it from her, first.
With full control, she accessed a secure memory cache within the system and used her own body's biometrics to unlock the usage of a particular executable- "the Zeruel program." She then disengaged her link and returned control to the crew, the whole exchange having taken only a brief moment. Rask's voice echoed through the bridge:
[quote]Captain Caine, now I want you to access routine Double-X-1. Vakarus, enable system 52 and use unit 9. Captain Sharpe... uh, shields up, keh.[/quote]
---
Jag, per usual, was the first of the away team to act (agility). Priming his smart flash bang grenades for use against the CAS vehicle currently closing on the flatbed, it reared back and threw them as far as it could muster.
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
The enemy pilot saw the flash but was undaunted, as his windscreen shielded his eyes. However, Jag wasn't aiming for the pilot- the grenades were actually programmed to overwhelm the sensory package just under the cockpit, and once they had exploded, the kanad inside suddenly found himself unable to aim properly. The computer-assisted machine turrets kept wanting to aim upwards, fighting him as he pulled the stick downward. He eventually overrode the targeting system altogether, but this forced him to close the distance and get uncomfortably close to the mercenaries on the truck.
Maddox then placed his reticule on the CAS ship and fired an RPG.
CH Estimate: 3/7
[B]Actual: 4[/B]
Roll Passed.
Unlike on Itara, this time the away team had brought enough firepower. The cockpit of the CAS ship was utterly obliterated by the impact and explosion of the rocket projectile, and it immediately veered straight downward to the ground, where it exploded in the center of the highway. Further in the distance, the fighter wing had fully broken chase and was headed back toward the city, toward where they believed one of the Collective's most wanted was trying to escape to.
[B]Enemy Eliminated.[/B]
[I]Markus: Action Invalidated[/I]
[I]Porter: Action Invalidated[/I]
Hariim and Istasha now seized the opportunity to assist Wilson before the enemy could shoot him down. It was doubly important that he stayed in the air, as he had retrieved the device that the Cataract would need to employ for the false attack on Dyatiq to succeed while the rest of the team had been in the sewers.
CH Estimate: 1/3 + 1/8 x 3(Ingenuity) = 17/24
[B]Actual: 23[/B]
Roll Passed.
Inside the leader of the fighter wing's cockpit, the comm line alerted him to a private message, apparently from high command, subject line: MARCO, phonetically written in kanad script. "Eh?" he squawked, before sliding the message onto his HUD. As soon as it opened, his craft began to buffet wildly like a mechanical bull. Grabbing the stick with both hands didn't help much, as something was quite wrong with the control surfaces, which were flapping erratically. As he broke off from the group, the others began trying to contact him, and as each connected one at a time, the virus spread to their crafts as well. The wing leader angrily opened the comm so that the away team could hear him.
[quote]FUCK YOU HUMANS![/quote]
"Polo," Hariim muttered under his breath as the crew stood transfixed, watching the fighters wobble about in the air. Wilson broke away and disappeared safely into the city.
---
Meanwhile, at Yovek airbase, the guards had just finished checking a prisoner into the temporary holding cells at the edge of the base, with the intent to transfer him into the base prison by day's end. Jason Bradley, a human soldier and a former crewmember of the Sparrowhawk, had been captured during the morning's operations to track down those responsible for the attack on Dyatiq the day before. He had been trying to locate the Muramasa, which he knew was somewhere in the vicinity of Vohmdash, as he had already applied to serve on the higher-paying and more adventurous ship. Unfortunately, the Sparrowhawk, the Viridian, the Muramasa, the Cataract, and many other vessels had all been identified as hostile by the authorities, and Jason had been discovered and arrested.
The holding cell was barren and mostly concrete, with the door being heavy and made of metal. A thin slit allowed him to hear what was happening in the hall, but the guards outside were jabbering on in the kanad language, which was foreign to Jason's ears. There was a simple bunk with no mattress, which he was currently sitting on, a basic toilet with no sink nearby, and a camera mounted in the upper corner. Suddenly, breaking Jason free from a trance, there was a human voice in the hallway.
"...well, like I said, that's a matter that needs to be taken up with the Security Council."
A rasping, nasally kanad voice replied in English: "The Council will be informed of our reasons once the device is off the planet. The attack on Dyatiq was too close to Yovek. Imagine if the device... what did you call it?"
"[I]The Archive[/I]..."
"Right- imagine if the Archive had been discovered by those mercenaries, or destroyed, even. We can't just sit here and worry about that scenario while all this is going on. Not even our respect for the UGC goes that far."
"I'm sure it doesn't," the human jabbed with a bit of shade in his voice. "Well, personally, I agree with getting this thing off of Voyak. I just wish that you and your SS friends could find us another shop to set up in."
"Who says we won't?"
"Usually when the SS takes your toys away, you don't see them again. They put 'superior' kanad scientists on the job, don't they? At least that's what I figured was going to happen as soon as I saw those Blackjackets loading the Archive into your GP."
The kanad let out a friendly sneer, their polite substitute for laughter. "I'll see to it that you're still attached to the project."
"I appreciate that. But you still haven't explained why we stopped here."
"Oh, right," the kanad said. "I've been notified of a capture. We've been making sure that our colleagues in the Batakya tell us when they've wrangled one in, especially since we've heard a rather 'high-value' target is the area. Seeing as I'm the only man on the base who's informed on the 'Muramasa case,' I think I should be the first to check in on him."
Another nasally voice said something in kanad, to which the SS officer replied rather quickly and hostilely. The human outside was confused. "What, what's wrong?"
"This is the door," the officer hissed under his breath. "I'll bet he's listening right now... Dammit, Norwood, when are you going to learn some kanad?" The sound of locks opening could be heard inside the cell. The door swung open, revealing the diminutive officer in his all-black uniform. A pair of green eyes studied Jason with evident malice. A tall, thin human with a crooked nose, wearing plainclothes, stood behind him wringing his hands nervously as the officer drew out his VRI, a plasma pistol.
"Let's start with... 'who are you, and what are you doing on Voyak?'" he said to Jason.
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