Chapter Nine: Prairie Fire!

[Silanon]

"I'd take a free copy of that game anytime."

"Heat's exactly what we need - we're running low on plasma rounds. Trying to evacuate our team at the moment, the more we have to keep the cloud at bay, the better. We're also missing men; let me know if you pick up something. Should also be able to offer support if needed, I'm in the air." Which means that she also stares intently at the cloud, trying to pick out either a target, or Jerry.

"Trouble - any chance you know what kind of mecha this is? You have seen more tech from elsewhere. And know the pilot."

 

[Kaerri]

Spoiler: Lt. Eadric Braidwood

Character Sheet
Action Points: 9/9
Bonus Action Points: 0

Missing men? "Ground forces?" Eadric asks. "I've eyes on a small white cloud ahead of the red one, likely dust and snow kicked up by movement and weapon-fire. I can't make out details, but it could be your people."

Lowering his voice, he adds, "BOOP, can you do your heat thing on the red cloud from here? And if so, would you, please?"

At the first indication that the mecha is firing, Eadric raises his voice to the comm again and calls, "Braidwood, firing on the red cloud." Without knowing the name either of his weapon or his target, it's the best he can do, but better that than saying nothing at all.

 

[Silanon]

"Copy that. Yes, ground forces. We're providing cover for some, but at least one is still out there. One moment." She switches channels to relay the information. "Captain, allied fire incoming, at the cloud. Heat-based." That's not a lot of information, but at least the others will know about it beforehand. Back to Eadric, then. "If it's our team you're spotting, we're between them and the red cloud. Careful where you aim, we've got mecha picking up men."

 

[Purr]

Captain Hesperus Tag!

(Part 1 of 2)

Spoiler: Time for some action-packed music, right?

I don't know about you, but I haven't heard this one in awhile! =)
"SDF Macross - Dog Fighter Extended"

"It's just the cat, Sir. Sorry. Taking over right now."

"The what?" Captain Sharp sounds mystified but not annoyed. Just as quickly, he lets the matter go. "Tell me later."

Trouble, get off the helmet. That sound's irritating. We'll celebrate once he's safely with us.

Until Ylva says this, Trouble is relentless in licking the side of her helmet, magnetically attached as he is.

Spoiler: Ever try to remove a kitten that didn't want to be removed?

If, by chance, Ylva, reaches up to pull on Trouble, somehow, some way, in the manner that only snakes and kittens and perform, Trouble becomes this elastic musical device attached to Ylva's helmet. If she grabs him by the tummy and pulls, his paws remain attached but his mewing goes up an octave. The farther she pulls, the higher in tone he goes. And if she releases him, he goes back down to normal. Either way, this Mega-damage being seems to create his very own laws (paws?) of physics. I wish I had the proper video to demonstrate this with real kittens, but I can't find the one in my head. =)

The moment Ylva makes this request, Trouble unattaches himself (but gets one last "SLUUURP!" in) and resumes normal activities. "Okaaay!" Followed by other sounds that gently fill Ylva's cockpit (yet don't come over the radio). (Warning! Cuteness incoming!)

Spoiler: Cuteness has a place - even in battle! Or so Trouble seems to think.

"Siamese Kitten LOUDEST Purring"

* * *​

"Trouble - any chance you know what kind of mecha this is? You have seen more tech from elsewhere. And know the pilot."

Trouble peeks up at the monitor following the new Veritech in flight. Odd as it is, it appears to have two long things mounted underneath its wings - they look very similar to... ASC hoverbikes.

Spoiler

(Sorry for the size but this is the best picture I could find.)

(Image credit: Robotech Reference Guide)

Everyone in Mack's polyphonic nexus hears Trouble exclaim. "Wooow! Never seen one like dat before, Ylva! Are da wings supposed to point the wrong way? Why iz it carrying dem bikes?"

* * *​

Meanwhile, inside that strange Veritech's cockpit.

Lowering his voice, he adds, "BOOP, can you do your heat thing on the red cloud from here? And if so, would you, please?"

Suddenly, from the inside of Eadric's cockpit (you know, the one without any controls to speak of and the fantastic leather chairs), Eadric hears an audible reply from the top-notch speakers. A male voice, smooth yet robotic, makes the following statement:

"COMBAT MODE INITATED: ENABLING HAWKING DEVICE."

The humongous canopy that delivers a panoramic view nearly every direction Eadric looks begins to change before the Canadian's eyes! The "glass" between himself and the Earth's atmosphere shimmers! A thousand sleek multicolored lines zip across every square inch of the canopy. It is quite beautiful but it only lasts a second. Then there is a soft flash and deep hum that surrounds Eadric. Before him on the canopy is a strange symbol that he does not recognize. It resembles a targeting reticle complete with rangefinder and magnification indicator. It gently shifts colors as to always remain visible regardless of what Eadric is focusing his vision on. Wherever Eadric looks outside the canopy (not inside the cockpit), this follows and remains wherever he is directly looking:

Spoiler: Hawking Device Targeting Reticle

(Image credit: Nexus Mods]

The voice from BOOP's speakers calmly provide instruction. "HAWKING DEVICE ENABLED. INDICATE DESIRED TARGET BY LOOKING AT IT. SAY THE WORD 'FIRE' WHEN READY."

This is followed by another one of BOOP'S friendly-sounding "Boop!" sounds. =)

​

 

[Purr]

(Part 2 of 2)

"Captain, allied fire incoming, at the cloud. Heat-based."

"Give it to me," orders Captain Sharp. "Cleared hot! I need it!"

But it is at that moment that fate decides to change things around...

"Captain!" You think you hear Cal's hurried voice from Adamantium coming over your main radio channel.

"Sharp here. How's it going back there, trooper?"

It is indeed Cal and he sounds cool, but worried. "Sir, First Flight can't take us all up."

"Say again?"

"That last bombardment... we've got critically-wounded here. No way he's surviving an air evac, sir. It'll be too much for him." His voice shakes. "What... what do we do, sir?" This is not a call Cal, or anyone in his position, wants to make. To possibly leave someone behind who might not make it anyway. To possibly leave their remains where their family will never see them. Here in this hostile frozen tundra on one of the loneliest places on Earth. People in Cal's position refer to this as a "nightmare call" because one way or another, you're endangering your people - or losing someone dear to you in order to save the rest!

After as long as it takes you to read this part of this sentence, Captain Sharp comes back with a very confident-sounding, "Hunker down and dig in! Both teams! Piper? Land the Broadsword and pick up our wounded!" Sharp is requesting that huge Garfish starship to land only 500 feet behind you!

Spoiler: SCL-107 Broadsword

(Image credit: bbs.stardestroyer.net)

From the bridge of the Broadsword, not only do you not get any "friendly reminders" that your captain does not need; you get a cheery-sounding Piper replying, "Yes, sir! Changing course!" And sure enough, each of you can see the big red ship from humanity's future immediately altering course and seemingly coming straight at you! Her lasers are blasting away, the Broo and their guns are popping off rounds, and from time to time, each you see that triple-cannon underneath her shining hull - her anti-ship guns - blasting straight into the Red Thunder Cloud. The Broadsword itself is coming in sure as can be!

Just like the Red Thunder Cloud.

The Red Thunder Cloud seems to just get bigger and bigger and... bigger by the moment! Particle beams and autocannon fire streak out in nearly all directions! It is as if if those inside are nearly as blind as those outside. There is hardly any coordinated fire at all. Wargoths are launched to be punched out of the sky by laser fire and the Broo's Undertaker rifles. But... it is clearly a short matter of time until you are engulfed by it and whatever is inside of it!

Captain Sharp's voice is as hot as a fired tank round when he orders you, "Wild Cards, slow this damned cloud down any way you can! We'll be the last one's on-board!"

Except that none of you can really see inside - that must be part of the Red Thunder Cloud's protection - even at this range, it is just a thick moving cloud of crimson!

It's finally time again... to roll initiative, Wild Cards! Let me know in Fat Gandalf's if there is anything specific you'd like me to do concerning that. =)

 

[Silanon]

"Wooow! Never seen one like dat before, Ylva! Are da wings supposed to point the wrong way? Why iz it carrying dem bikes?"

"I wouldn't know. Thanks." For now, those questions will have to wait. Friends and foes incoming at rapid speed, and only so much time to get the wounded out of here. Once more, Ylva's microphones comes to life, addressing Eadric before any mishaps can happen. "Sveadotter again. Careful, we're bringing in a larger ship for the wounded. Cloud's moving fast, might get too close for comfort. Give us whatever you have, but watch what you're hitting."

 

[Sherwood]

"Copy that." Mario keeps his focus on the enemy that he can barely see in the red fog, wishing that he had some way to see through it to get a clear shot on the bastards. In any case, his first responsibility is to ensure the safety of the squad and the casualties being picked up. It is somehow unnatural to think about diving into the path of a bullet to save someone, but that is just what he's prepared to do to save the lives of the team, even as he is laying down as much suppressing fire as he possibly can from his own guns. The line is drawn here. None shall pass while I still draw breath!

 

[Psychie]

Toph calls out, "Understood. Still in the mix with these Zeki, and we'll keep them occupied until we can evac the wounded and get ourselves out of the fire."

 

[Kaerri]

Spoiler: Lt. Eadric Braidwood

Character Sheet
Action Points: 9/9
Bonus Action Points: 0

The voice from BOOP's speakers calmly provide instruction. "HAWKING DEVICE ENABLED. INDICATE DESIRED TARGET BY LOOKING AT IT. SAY THE WORD 'FIRE' WHEN READY."

This is followed by another one of BOOP'S friendly-sounding "Boop!" sounds. =)

Eadric isn't sure if the Hawking Device is the targeting system, the weapon system, both, or combat mode in general. Whichever it was, the targeting reticle is just too cool! He spares a moment to practice, turning his eyes to this object and that, focusing on a single unmoving object and letting his mind get used to not looking at moving things around it (a natural reaction in ordinary times, much less in combat). "Thank you, Boop," he murmurs.

"I wouldn't know. Thanks." For now, those questions will have to wait. Friends and foes incoming at rapid speed, and only so much time to get the wounded out of here. Once more, Ylva's microphones comes to life, addressing Eadric before any mishaps can happen. "Sveadotter again. Careful, we're bringing in a larger ship for the wounded. Cloud's moving fast, might get too close for comfort. Give us whatever you have, but watch what you're hitting."

"Yes, ma'am," Eadric replies briefly. "I'll stay focused on the cloud until you say otherwise." He can feel his heart racing. No one who made a living out of helping Zentraedi to coexist with humans had an entirely peaceful life, but it feels different this time. The occasional sparring match, such as he'd done with Genn that very day, was, to Eadric's thinking, just part of communicating in their language, not life-or-death combat. This is suddenly much more real, the consequences of failure much more severe. He hesitates for just a moment, not from fear (though he's certainly feeling his share of that), but to call upon his Aikido training and settle his body and mind back to something resembling calm.

 

[Kaerri]

It was time. Eadric took a deep breath, then focused his gaze on the red cloud, at a point near its front but not so near as to endanger any of the ground troops (or, at least, so he assumed from the white cloud that hid them from his sight). "Fire."

 

[Purr]

Captain Hesperus Kaerri Tag!

(Eadric's Turn.)

Spoiler: Rockin' instrumental battle music

"MechAssault OST Mech Battle Theme 1"

As can happen in live combat, a lot can happen in a short period of time. No one person ever seems to catch it all - later, the survivors each tell from their own experiences in an attempt at filling in what is nearly always a picture - a chaotic, mind-bending, adrenaline-filled picture - and one that sometimes stays on longer than most mundane memories.

Lt. Eadric Braidwood is flashing through the sky inside BOOP with strange electronics and a whole new experience unlike what the vast majority in his line of work ever see - Eadric is sitting comfortably inside of a forward-swept wing Veritech of unknown origin. It is communicating to him, first with written words, but as he enters combat, through the easier method of vocalization perhaps so his eyes don't have to be reading anything and instead can be where they need to be in order for survival.

While BOOP is flying itself, Eadric sees signs that the seemingly-intelligent vehicle is adapting at every step, altering its position to give Eadric the best possible view of the battlefield while not being in the line of fire. One of these views includes something quite strange - out there, outside of the battle, you have an audience.

Six beings are standing motionless on a snowy slope opposite the Zeki Command Ship. Eadric glances in that direction and BOOP zooms in revealing Female Power Armor! The six are facing the battle, snow all over them as if they have been here for hours and hours. They do not raise a finger. They simply appear to watch.

Eadric, given his natural affinity for flying Veritechs, can feel BOOP all around him. BOOP is helping him in every way possible. And indeed, while the Broadsword is clearly the most menacing thing in the air, BOOP and thus Eadric are also targets. So far nothing hostile has paid them any attention.

They are about to wish they had.

It was time. Eadric took a deep breath, then focused his gaze on the red cloud, at a point near its front but not so near as to endanger any of the ground troops (or, at least, so he assumed from the white cloud that hid them from his sight). "Fire."

The moment the entire word leaves the Canadian's mouth, a fantastically large beam exits what serves as BOOP's gun pod. No 66mm cannon shells erupt from triple barrels here as is the case with all VF models he has ever been in, but a great red beam of light that nearly instantly strikes the near side of the oncoming Red Thunder cloud's column. It is not blinding, at least not to Eadric inside BOOP's comfortable cockpit where the entire glass of the canopy immediately adjusts to protect and enhance his vision.

As the beam strikes, it works its way from the near side of the advancing cloud to the far side. From the perspective of the Wild Cards, a great cherry-red pillar of light suddenly flashes out from the heavens. It hits the cloud on their left and quickly makes its way to their right, cutting across like some incredibly-huge red knife made of pure light. Onboard BOOP, Eadric's eye can take note of one of many scientific gauges one of which is marked "TEMP." The number there, high in the Fahrenheit range to harm and possibly kill human life, jumps a bit higher as BOOP appears to be making split-second adjustments to the heat level required of it.

Up in the sky, looking down, it is like someone took an eraser to a gigantic chalkboard and hurriedly moved it from left to right leaving only dust and whatever it was hiding. Down below, for Captain Sharp and the Wild Cards, a 100 foot wide swath of the cloud is nearly vaporized leaving behind small tendrils of debris and wisps of gauzy smoke that don't seem to know which way to blow...

...along with four red and black Zeki Zentraedi Officer's Pods with their guns trained on the Wild Cards!

Spoiler: Officer Pods

(Image credit: www.kent.net - this link doesn't seem to go to where I first found this GIF. Maybe it's no longer in use?")

(OOC: Captain Sharp is up next.)

 

[Purr]

(Captain Sharp's turn - Gang, this is the big post until it's Herc's turn)

An advance force, it appears that they were moving slowly and steadily with the Red Thunder cloud, using it to conceal their movements. The Wild Cards only have a second to notice it, but they are walking along a little oddly. Stumbling more than the proud marching they have seen in Lord Dolza's forces that smashed Earth's defenses into near-oblivion all those years ago.

No, something is off here. The red and black paint on their mecha only covers part of their steely hides; the rest has been left a dull matte gray - a color none of the Wild Cards, and perhaps not even Captain Sharp, has ever seen before. But their weapons are high and ready but the moment the cloud that was cloaking them vanishes, all four of the pods react in a way no Wild Card has ever experienced!

Spoiler: A moment of Shop Talk

As in Pathfinder, I have introduced years ago, the option to Prepare an Action. A character decides "if 'x' takes place, I immediately do 'y'." Kind of like waiting for a bad guy to come around a corner and you're there in hiding in wait to whack him unexpectedly. Your Prepared Action is to smash the first thing that rounds that corner. That action happens on the Initiative the trigger for the Prepared Action takes place.

So it is here. Each of these Zeki Zentraedi have Prepared an Action which means they act immediately. In all fairness, I cannot tell you how they precisely worded their Prepared Actions - I'm pausing here to bring this up to you so you know why they are able to act now (the very moment Eadric removes the cloud they were hiding in).

So... Eadric goes first. This triggers the Zeki's Prepared Actions. Then Cpt. Sharp goes. After this, it's Shirley (with Cera) followed by Herc. =)

What happens next is pure pandemonium!

Three of the four Zeki Officer pods are aimed at...

Spoiler: Random roll

Psychie It's Toph!

... Toph in her Mjolnir!

These three Zeki pods are set up in an ambush position where they are all aimed at Toph and she is not quite aimed at them. It is immediately clear that they used the concealment of the Red Thunder cloud accomplish this. One moment there is a red wall; the next moment, Toph is staring down 15 Mega-damage barrels pointed straight at her! Though she is on guard, due to the circumstances (she never does know that she's even in something's sights until they're firing on her), Toph has been effectively ambushed!

The first pod does something impossible and utterly useless at the same time! Toph watches the three particle beam cannons (two on the arms and the top cannon) glow in brief preparation - she knows what comes next! Humungous bright red blasts suddenly loose all at once! This is not physically possible for any mecha the Wild Cards have ever seen and yet here it comes along with both arm-mounted autocannons! All five loose on her...

... and not a single one hits! Freki, her Mjolnir, shudders helplessly and violently as the devastating energy shoots past her - without a single score!

The second Zeki Officer's pod goes from clumsily walking to suddenly going into what looks like one gigantic fit of epilepsy! Two of its arm-mounted particle beam cannons fire off so badly, their beams cross in an "x" and streak straight past Toph's canopy! Meanwhile, one leg attempts to march forward and instead of stepping properly, it kicks up waaay too high and the whole thing nearly falls over in one big heap!
It seems that Lady Luck is on Toph's side until that third pod trains its guns straight at Toph's cockpit. But it is at this moment that it becomes Captain Sharp's turn (he goes right before it does).

"No, you don't!"

You hear Sharp's voice over the radio. From the little mecha in tank mode, his Spartas's 105mm rocks as he sends a round straightaway and bullseye-perfect into the cockpit of the third Officer's pod. It hits so squarely, it explodes out the back of the mecha as only a "silver bullet" can.

As it falls into a smoldering pile of shattered junk, the fourth Officer's pod turns on Captain Sharp with its top cannon - which looks somehow different than the other armament you have seen thus far - though it's not obvious at first, this cannon is somehow shorter, more bulbous. There is what can only be called a huge red gout of red gaseous fire at Captain Sharp's mecha. However, "being an old timer on a field where the only the good die young," Captain Sharp pulls out a trick from his own personal bag - and transforms into Battloid though it is not his turn! This, too, is not something that even Mario and Hercules have seen (indeed, as far as they know, this is not possible in a Spartas). In a split second, Captain Sharp's Spartas goes from destroying an enemy unit to in perfect guard stance behind both of its incredibly-strong arm-shields.

It does not save him.

The gout from the odd Zeki cannon is not something that can be Parried, even by the likes of the shields of the marvelous Spartas Veritech Hover Tank. Instead of bouncing off of the aegis, the gout seems to slip past it, seep between the small openings as gas does, except that now each of you notice that this "gas" is turning, bending, moving on its own! Before anyone can act further, it seems to strike the core of the Army of Southern Cross mecha - and the pilot in it!

"GAH!" Captain Sharp yells. "Bugs! All over my armor!"

"Impossible!" cries Cera. "He is protected by his reinforced pilot's compartment!"

Sherwood Captain Hesperus But Mario and Hercules know something the extremely-young Ura-Meltrandi from the future does not - ASC Spartas VHTs of the first generation (VHT-A1 models) were never designed with a reinforced pilot's compartment! From this new weapon, Captain Sharp has almost no defense - and his time is running out!

(OOC: Next up, Shirley Mack then Herc)

 

[Purr]

(Shirley's turn)

Spoiler: Instrumental battle music

Cyberpunk style! =)
"Scavenger Hunt" by P.T. Adamczyk for the Cyberpunk 2077 Video Game Original Score.

The smile on Shirley's face fades quickly when she sees the Zeki weapon flash right past Captain Sharp's arm-shields and into his cockpit. Unlike the A.T.A.C. Tankers in your team, she has precious little idea how a Spartas Veritech Hover Tank operates and no time to find out! Captain Sharp is in trouble - now!

What knocked out the bugs? Fire! Where where they going to get any?

Where else in Antarctica but the Broadsword?

"Wild Cards!" Mack orders. "Drop these bastards and cover us! We're getting Sharp back before these 'bugs' get him!" The engines on Geri light up full blast as the great hover tank whirls around and, given the size differences of the two mecha, the Mjolnir is able to get under the hips of the Spartas in Battloid and "scoop" Sharp up onto the Mjolnir in tank mode. Then the engines blast off and Mack with Cera is speeding out of the fight.

"Cera! These the same bugs that make up the cloud?"

"I believe so, Leader Mack." Both of their voices are filled with urgency and concern. "I imagine they are eating into his armor as we speak. If they breach his armor, he dies."

"Can we burn 'em off his Mega-suit?"

"Yes, but we will need a non-Mega-damage flamethrower or we will risk killing him."

"Hang on, Captain!"

Then they are on their way to the Broadsword. The huge starship from the future continues to blast away with its lasers and almost every gun it has as it continues to come in for a landing - now with one more to pick up. The Mjolnir races back with Captain Sharp's Spartas hanging onto its front. Even now, you see bursts of laser fire flashing out from the old tanker's EU-11 against the enemy.

Spoiler: OOC for all

This crazy chain of events effectively takes out Captain Sharp, Lt. Mack, AND Cera out of your Initiative order - talk about a doozy, huh?

From the squad radio, you hear Captain Sharp croak out the following order:

"D-- Don't leave anybody behind if you can help it, troops! If... you see a window... get that Isotope-9 for Toph's mom. 'Bring her home' too."

Then his radio appears to go dead.

Captain Hesperus (It is Hercules's turn.)

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Hercules watched in momentary shock as Captain Sharpe's Spartas was overwhelmed by the red swarm and his heart leapt into his mouth. The Spartas' great weakness was how vulnerable the pilot was at all times! As Mack swept in to carry away the stricken officer, Hercules' vision became tinged with red. The Zeki and their damnable bio-technology again! Hurting and trying to kill his comrades AGAIN! He turned back to glare in fury at the Officer Pod that had done the deed.
"Gigantiaío kátharma!", he bellowed through the external speakers of his Mjolnir, "O Iraklís tha eínai to télos sou*!"
So saying he threw his hover tank forward at full speed, pointing it directly at the towering alien machine, even as he urged the conjoined mind of the Mjolnir to engage the target direct front with the EU-13s either side of its hull, while he drew a bead himself and unleashed a full 12-rocket volley from the JTS-MRL. He would see that blasted machine die in flames or he would die trying.

*translation "Giant bastard! Hercules shall be your end!"

 

[Purr]

Captain Hesperus Tag!

Spoiler: Just a little mood music to... you know... get the right mood going!

"CYBERPUNK 2077 - RESIST AND DISORDER by Rezodrone (Jason Charles Miller & Jamison Boaz)"


Partial lyrics:
"Behind the veil is the machine
It steals your soul, devouring all your dreams
My hand is firm upon the wheel
I control, I am the demon

Hate for the world, the birth of a soldier
And I decide if you live or die

Rise up, resist and disorder
Rise up, resist and disorder

Nowhere to run, it's all undone
Everything burns, everything burns
I'll watch you fall down, I'll drag you face-down
Everything burns, everything burns"

As Hercules's mind commands his body to move the advancing Mjolnir, a stunning thing takes place for the Greek Traverser. Aiming his MRL filled with rockets at the odd-looking black and red Officer's Pod with its strange top-cannon which still "smokes" with redness after having sent Captain Sharp to the back lines, Hercules's senses and soul seem to merge into one great and cosmic force. The targeting reticle which guides the computer-less rockets swings towards the Zeki Zentraedi pod...

...and Hercules hears a mechanical voice from seemingly out of nowhere! The voice, Hercules somehow knows, belongs to his Mjolnir, Toothgnasher.

"TARGET ACQUIRED," it says without remorse as Hercules aims at the Zeki guilty of sending Captain Sharp out of the fight. These words are immediately followed by: "ALPHA STRIKE COMMENCING."

All of the Wild Cards save for Mack and Cera witness it. With only Hercules at the controls, Toothgnasher fires everything it has at the black and red Zeki Officer's pod. The dozen rockets Hercules wished to send, a full stream of blazing laser fire from the Blaster Cannon, both of the EU-13 gun pods mounted on Toothgnasher's sides, and then perhaps the greatest surprise of all, the 120mm smoothbore main gun reports and shakes the futuristic main battle tank as it sends a round (a silver bullet Hercules somehow knows) all... at... once!

When living creatures are set upon by incredible threats, the words "fight or flight" sometimes come to mind as part of the automatic survival system belonging to most living beings. However, in reality, there is a third "f" if you will. That "f" stands for "freeze." When the mind is overwhelmed, when fear or surprise steals all training and experience, when one's very thoughts suddenly blank out leaving the body standing there - doing nothing - then you... have... "frozen."

So it is for the Zeki Officer's Pod guilty of sending Captain Sharp into an uncertain fate. When it turns to defend itself against Hercules's mortal vengeance, it sees a barrage of fire heading at that many a mortal would simply call... god-like!

The Zeki Officer's Pod explodes again, again, and again as the laser-fire melts away its armor, as the rockets blast and shake every inch of the giant alien machine, as the main gun blows a humongous hole directly into where the pilot sits. And then the entire vehicle erupts into red and orange fire like some incredible interstellar event - a cosmic eruption but here on the coldest continent on Earth.

In that moment, something in Hercules's brain, a voice from the semi-recent past, inside the Broadsword, inside Drake's bar where the music and partying blares - Hercules recognizes the voice as belonging to Cal from Adamantium. It echoes right then in the big Greek's mind:

Spoiler: Hercules hears the past.

Cal says, "It's crazy that you - a guy who can literally do the impossible - is asking us about the possible. Don't focus on what you can't do. Start focusing on what you can do and don't compare yourself with anybody but your future you."

(OOC: Cap'n, if Herc wants to post here an in-character response, a window to his feelings if you will, you are welcome to do to so.) =)

* * *​

Sherwood Of all of the Wild Cards, Petty Officer 2nd Class Mario Zuko alone knows the following:

(OOC: Read here for Out of Character knowledge except for Sherwood for which this is in-character. You also have the option of not reading this at all and knowing as much as your character does. The choice belongs to you.)

Spoiler: What Mars knows.

Mario is the only Wild Card, perhaps the only human alive, who has the expert skill to pilot Cera's Mjolnir. He alone is trained in Mecha Elite Combat Training for the Traverser-made hover tank.

What Hercules has just done is not physically possible for a Mjolnir nor any mecha anywhere in all of Mario's experience. Triple-redundancy safety barriers make certain the Mjolnir does not overtax itself, the power draw alone is too great, the firing system cannot handle that much data coming into it at once with any hope of accuracy, the logic and training and reasons fill Mario's mind.

And if Cera designed the hover main battle tanks for this, Mario can be absolutely certain - she sure as heck would have mentioned it!

The other two Zeki Officer Pods watch Hercules disintegrate their best-armed fellow... and turn to run like hell! (OOC: But guess what? It's not their turn, now is it? =) )

Silanon It becomes Ylva's turn inside Munin, the Super Stealth Logan. Inside the cockpit, Trouble is stunned into silence as he gawks at the vanished war machine that dared strike Captain Sharp while in Hercules Papadopolis's presence!

What does Ylva do?

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Hercules' body is shaken by the recoil of the sudden and violent alpha strike, but his grim visage is split by a feral grin as he sees, through the enhanced sensors of Toothgnasher, the subject of his awesome wrath dissolve into so much scrap metal.
"Toothgnasher, my friend, I asked you, implored you to help me defend my friends and allies. Today you have more than proved yourself to me. Thank you, thank you so much."

 

[Purr]

Captain Hesperus Tag!

Toothgnasher replies. Not vocally as Hercules has, but mentally. The Mjolnir machine-spirit's reply to Hercules is brief, but potentially very, very telling.

"The Alpha Strike came from you. I merely complied with your request."

=)

 

[Purr]

Captain Hesperus Tag!

While Hercules is digesting Toothgnasher's response... an odd completely-out-of-place sound reaches the tanker's ears.

Ding, ding, ding, ding!

Perhaps at first it sounds like his imagination. Something ringing against Toothgnasher's hull?

Ding, ding, ding!

Or... yes... the Mjolnir's armored tanky top entry hatch! The very hatch Hercules used to enter the Main Battle Hover Tank prior to this engagement. Someone or something outside is knocking on Toothgnasher's entry hatch!

What does Hercules do?

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Hercules was pulled out of his reverie by the incessant tapping on the top hatch. What was that? It could be anything, a stray Wargoth or some other of the Zeki's monstrous bio-constructs. He reached down to his belt and unhitched his sidearm, calmly powering it up.
Wasn't there someone we were looking for?
He paused and reached up for the hatch release, the gun in his hand. He brought the hilt of the gun sharply against the armored hatch with five rhythmic beats

Shave-and-a-haircut

Then he waited.

 

[Purr]

Captain Hesperus Tag!

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding! came the reply. There was something enthusiastic about it now.

Hercules is aware that he is part of the Wild Cards protective tank column and since he moved forward, he is now the lead tank.

If his fellow Traversers had spotted a wargoth (and every one of aliens he had seen had been flying) coming down on his tank, surely his good friends would have warned him.

Also, Hercules are not seen anything on Toothgnasher's own sensors coming at him from the air.

Hercules can thus very reasonably surmise that whoever or whatever is banging on his tank did not fly in to get there.

 

[Captain Hesperus]

With a smirk, he popped the release on the hatch and let its hydraulics slide it up and out of the access port.
"If you're the baklava delivery man, you're welcome. Otherwise, take a hike."

 

[Purr]

Captain Hesperus Tag!

(OOC: Just a fun moment here.)

The moment Hercules pops the hatch, he "lets the war in."

Unbuffered by his tank's armor and insulation, the incredibly-loud sounds of battle and chaos and Mega-damage machinery moving, gunning, exploding, all reach his ears in a way that no matter how many times you experience it, it makes the war feel even more real. And Hercules knows, this is a thing that infantry deal with every time they go in the battle. It is just one more very good reason to be a tanker!

Hercules is no stranger to these sounds, having fought in a MAC II Monster back in Greece, but even now his memories might still pull back to his brave but flinching fellows in his three-person mech crew yelling, despite the fact that they were in no immediate danger, "Close that damn hatch! You're letting the war in!"

* * *​

The first thing Hercules sees when he opens the hatch is the round white helmet of a CVR-3 body armor. The rest of the body armor is attached, but being this close, Hercules knows he should be seeing a face in that helmet. Except there is no face! It appears to be as empty as a Sam/Samantha unit!

He also recognizes the body armor as belonging to the Broadsword and then it hits him! This is his own spare body armor!

(Thanks to Mario's terrific recommendation to Cera), on the back of each Mjolnir are mounted two Cyclones. There is a Rifleman and a Predator on Toothgnasher. The body armor now "staring" at him is undoubtedly one of those two Cyclones.

And then Hercules see something that probably changes everything. A pair of furry ears perks up from inside the helmet. It is as if someone has been crawling all around on the inside of the armor, unable to use the entire suit at once, so they are having to manipulate it one limb at a time.

A familiar head pops up and Hercules sees a pair of female cat-slit orange eyes happily staring back at him. Small fangs and teeth are curled into a huge grin. She speaks.

"HURK-YOO-LEEZ!" She has to stop herself from reaching over and hugging him. If Hercules has his weapon pointed her way, she pays it no mind because she is so happy to see him!

But then she appears a little worried. "Uh oh. Beema no have ba-cla-vah." Hanging from the top of his roaring hover-tank with the war all around, she glances all about. "Where Beema get ba-cla-cah, please? Want to be with Hurk-yoo-leez!"

=)

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Hercules' smirk was immediately replaced with an expression of abject shock and horror. Beema! Here? This was bad, seriously bad. The Brooling was in harm's way in a CVR-3 that was manifestly too damn big for her to use effectively and he'd been blasé about her safety. He dropped his weapon, grabbed the armored alien girl and hauled her bodily into the safety of the Mjolnir.
"Silly girl! D'you know how dangerous it is out there? You could have been hurt.... or killed!", he shouted as he punched the hatch mechanism to get it to close again, "Please, don't scare me like that again."
He wrapped a loving arm around her, before seating her in the Commander's seat and attaching the buckles.
"Hercules to all stations on this net.", he spoke into his radio, "I'm falling back at speed. I got an unexpected passenger I need to exfil ASAP, otherwise Bong will be pissed at me for getting his apprentice all dinged up."
So saying, he pulled back on the tank's controls, urging the advanced warmachine into a rapid retreat.

 

[Purr]

Beema's uneven machine-gun bursts of childlike laughter reaches Hercules his ears as he hauls her into the safety of the tank. "Beema no need ba-cla-vah! Yyyay!'

"Silly girl! D'you know how dangerous it is out there? You could have been hurt.... or killed!",

"Yes, yes!" She exclaims with pride. "Beema no dum-dum. First thing Beema did when she wake was come here!"

"Please, don't scare me like that again."

As Hercules is seating and securing the body amor the Brooling is inside, the helmet's visor slides open and out come a pair of furry, skinny arms that wrap themselves around Hercules thick neck in a big warm hug.

"Beema sorry! She no mean scare de Hurk-yoo-leez. She know she not man or machine or monsta, but girl." Then she pulls her arms back down her little claws cling to the edge of the visor. She remains inside the body armor looking around but touching nothing as if she's been coached to do this.

I got an unexpected passenger I need to exfil ASAP, otherwise Bong will be pissed at me for getting his apprentice all dinged up."

"No, nooo! No exfil Beema! Please!"

Beema seems to fully understand what "exfil" means. "Bong no get mad. You will see!" This she states with complete confidence.

The Youngest Broo taps the inside of her helmet. "No exfil Beema! Beema okay! I listen de radio. Radio say Scary Jerry 'still out there!' Exfil Scary Jerry! He need Hurk-yoo-leez! He need Wild Card bring him home! Unnastand?"

 

[Purr]

"Hercules to all stations on this net.", he spoke into his radio, "I'm falling back at speed. I got an unexpected passenger I need to exfil ASAP, otherwise Bong will be pissed at me for getting his apprentice all dinged up."

This gets a near-immediate reply straight from Mack. She says this over a radio because she knows it's being recorded. "Guys! Cera and I are tied up with Captain Sharp. I can't be in two places at once, darnit!" says Mack mostly to herself.

Psychie "Toph! You're up! Either you're in charge of the Wild Cads or whomever you appoint is in charge. This is a tank job and we're not tankers so use your best judgment. Whatever call you make, I'll back you on it.

"Wild Cards! Whatever you going to do, do it as a team! Oh and don't forget the new guy in the Valkyrie!"