Purr
Kaerri's Man. =)
(Incoming big post! Almost 2,000 words, so grab the drinks and a snack, sit back and enjoy the action, friends!) =)
As the Wild Cards covered a terrific amount of ground in a very short time, the reality of the situation began to come more and more clear to each of them. Even shrouded in the night, they could begin to see the towering mechanical hulks that were the Scavenger mecha. They appeared odd-looking. It was as if their shapes, lit dimly by the big red neon sign, could be seen just well enough to identify what they were. And what they were was not comforting.
Frankenmecha!
It was a form of mecha the A.S.C. and R.D.F. did not use - mecha that were made up of different parts from other types of mecha.
In the case of the once-R.D.F. destroids, the gathering of mecha, of which there were at least six, all possessed qualities never approved by the United Earth Government - a Spartan with its left arm completely replaced by the menacing barrel-like appendage of a Phalanx mecha with its deadly assortment of long-range missiles peeking out; a Phalanx mecha with both its "arms" replaced by Valkyrie arms, each holding a GU-11 gun pod; a Defender with the right half its upper body resembling that of a Tomahawk minus the spotlight but with the addition of the particle beam cannon the Tomahawk was so well-known for. And more.
Each Scavenger mech was in some way heavily-modified.
These mechanical abominations appeared to be in better than top condition in that they were bulkier, heavier, and certainly more strongly armored than their typical R.D.F. counterparts. They also appeared to be undamaged and decently-maintained. Their legs carried them along at a slower-than-usual lumbering pace, but otherwise, their combat readiness seemed in no way impeded. Turrets moved quickly enough. Arms swung weapons about responsively.
The red splash of light from the sign showed the terrible, scar-like signs of welding marks all over the Frankenmecha. Like the horrific, fabled monster from which they took their name, these towering, multicolored machines were in no way attractive and in many ways intimidating. They were ugly destroyers on a post-apocalyptic battlefield, ready for battle, with the focus of their foray just before them.
With the tankers away, Elinor watched Shirley's Red Baroness tuck its arms, gun pod, and legs away as it neatly transformed into the jet mode required to achieve 500 knots. Toph saw the same from Elinor's Valkyrie as it too entered jet mode. With no calls to abort, it seemed the tanker drop had gone successfully. It was now up to the T.A.S.C. team to provide the distraction the A.T.A.C. team needed.
Toph said, "Fox one! Missile away!"
As the three Wild Card veritechs shot through the night toward the Scavenger mecha, Toph sent her single mini-missile out on its own short-lived destiny. It added its own little glow as it hurtled along toward the great red blinking sign with computer-aided accuracy guiding it along. Then the sign blew apart. A fantastic plasma-filled explosion, super-bright and blazing like the sun, turned night into day for one long and precious moment. Burning chunks of metal flew in every direction as its destruction sounded all across the landscape.
Then the T.A.S.C. team made contact with their adversaries.
Just 50 yards above the rushing earth and traveling at speeds faster than a bullet fired from a rifle, the T.A.S.C. team flew straight at the gathering of Scavenger mecha. Shirley, her eyes watching for an opportunity to get the most out of the moment, found one. There was indeed a gap large enough for her beloved Red Baroness to fit between the mecha. Channeling all of her skill and focus,* the Valkyrie ace did what appeared to be the nigh-impossible - she turned her swept-wing jet aircraft ninety degrees so that the wings were perpendicular, instead of parallel, with the earth. Now, her Valkyrie's wings were no longer horizontal, but vertically-positioned as she slipped inside the Destroid formation at speeds approaching mach.
*(Game Master note)
The result was astonishing.
Over the civilian channel the Scavengers used, Shirley's excited cry taunted. "Here's our response, 'Scabs!'" Then the chorus to an old song rang out over the channel as she sang...
"Yooooou light up myyyy liiiiiife!!"
(GM music)
(GM video - F-16 shooting flares in daytime)
With the flick of a switch, Shirley's bright red flares soared in all directions and chaff blew out from the Red Baroness's dispenser, the cloud of tiny metallic bits ringing upon the Scavenger mecha like dozens of tiny bells. The deafening roar of her Valkyrie's afterburners followed immediately afterward as the Red Baroness flew between the enemy force like a cannon shell and past them and back into the night. Only the tell-tale glow of her rapidly-receding twin engines told where she was.
Over the radio, the Wild Cards heard the shocked sounds of unfamiliar men.
"AAAAAH!!"
"WHHOOOOA!!"
"WAT DA CRAZY FUCK?!"
"I SHIT MYSELF! I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST SHIT MYSELF! DAMMIT!!"
Caught by this surprise while in motion, the Scavengers nearby recoiled and were taken off-balance. Limbs flew up into the air. Two Frakenmecha tottered crazily in surprise and shock. One, the horrid-looking Spartan/Phalanx, jerked back so violently, it fell flat on its hind end right there in front of its mates, slamming into the earth. It sat there appearing dumbfounded, dazed, and looking very, very stupid.
Now, Elinor and Toph saw that there were a total of eight Scavenger Frankenmecha. Half of them were physically reeling and distracted. The other half were turning their guns around after the Red Baroness. Now, Elinor and Toph each had their own opportunity to distract the other half of the Scavenger team. This required of them a split-second decision as to their course of action.
(Shop Talk for Psychie and Kaerri)
What do Elinor and Toph do?
Some say that only in hard times do you come to know yourself. War is the hardest of times. Either you survive or you die, but one way or another, you come out knowing more about yourself than when you went in, whether you like it or not. War is thus a hellish brand of enlightenment, no man or woman is likely to recommend. Still, you find out who you are.
(Mood music)
The A.T.A.C. team of the Wild Cards struck the burned wasteland and rolled. Hercules and Booty hit just about perfectly, rolling to one side without incident. They were on their feet in moments. Hercules then saw that MechaKitten was quiet and watchful. Once Hercules was on his feet, the little cat had secured himself on and behind Hercules's left shoulder where he hoped he was out of the big Greek's way.
Something went wrong in Mario's landing. His angle and descent were good but he was unable to get himself properly positioned in time and before he knew it, he had struck the ground very hard. His mega-damage rifle slammed into his chest and then he completely lost his balance. For a moment, his vision was like that of one caught inside a clothes dryer, for he spun and spun until he finally rolled to a stop. As before when he had survived from his bailout from the ill-fated Rattletrap, Mario found himself flat on his back, breathing hard, looking up into the clouds and stars so very far above his head. For a few moments, they wouldn't stop whirling.
And Mario knew there was not a damn thing he could do about it but lie there and wait.
(Shop Talk for Mario)
Hercules and Booty both caught sight of Mario's predicament.
"Mario down!" Booty called out.
Booty and Hercules ran to their fellow tanker's side. When they reached him, Mario was battered and bruised inside his armor and still recovering. Still, to the Italian-blooded soldier, nothing felt broken.
"Hey, hey!" Booty tapped Mario's helmet. "What's Mario favorite food? You rememba?"
Mario remembered. =)
"O.K.," Booty nodded and grabbed Mario's forearm.
Then the three tankers turned as the whole world before them seemed to catch on fire...
The red sign burst into flames born of plasma fury. Dozens of flares lit the night and fell, leaving smoking trails. The sounds of lots of mecha, turning, whirling, and in one case, falling flat on its backside were heard. The ground shook. The air was alive with the sounds of powerful machinery. The sounds of the T.A.S.C. team's veritechs rocketing shook the air violently. When the A.T.A.C. team oriented themselves, they realized Milton was nowhere in sight and they had covered a tremendous amount of ground in but moments.
Most importantly, they were only about 100 yards away from the pit where the big neon sign once pointed.
Mario was helped to his feet. Thanks to his mega-suit and his own hard-earned physique, he could move; he just felt like he had been struck in the chest with a Louisville Slugger.
The nearest of eight Scavenger Frankenmecha was but about 25 yards away from that ramp. At the moment, nearly every mecha was turned in the direction of the veritech flyby. Nearest the A.T.A.C. team, there was some cover here in the forms of blasted concrete and two burned-out hulks of cars, but between them and the ramp that led into the pit, next to nothing but burned night-covered wasteland.
"Dis be it!" Booty exclaimed, ready to move.
What do Mario and Hercules do?
As the Wild Cards covered a terrific amount of ground in a very short time, the reality of the situation began to come more and more clear to each of them. Even shrouded in the night, they could begin to see the towering mechanical hulks that were the Scavenger mecha. They appeared odd-looking. It was as if their shapes, lit dimly by the big red neon sign, could be seen just well enough to identify what they were. And what they were was not comforting.
Frankenmecha!
It was a form of mecha the A.S.C. and R.D.F. did not use - mecha that were made up of different parts from other types of mecha.
In the case of the once-R.D.F. destroids, the gathering of mecha, of which there were at least six, all possessed qualities never approved by the United Earth Government - a Spartan with its left arm completely replaced by the menacing barrel-like appendage of a Phalanx mecha with its deadly assortment of long-range missiles peeking out; a Phalanx mecha with both its "arms" replaced by Valkyrie arms, each holding a GU-11 gun pod; a Defender with the right half its upper body resembling that of a Tomahawk minus the spotlight but with the addition of the particle beam cannon the Tomahawk was so well-known for. And more.
Each Scavenger mech was in some way heavily-modified.
These mechanical abominations appeared to be in better than top condition in that they were bulkier, heavier, and certainly more strongly armored than their typical R.D.F. counterparts. They also appeared to be undamaged and decently-maintained. Their legs carried them along at a slower-than-usual lumbering pace, but otherwise, their combat readiness seemed in no way impeded. Turrets moved quickly enough. Arms swung weapons about responsively.
The red splash of light from the sign showed the terrible, scar-like signs of welding marks all over the Frankenmecha. Like the horrific, fabled monster from which they took their name, these towering, multicolored machines were in no way attractive and in many ways intimidating. They were ugly destroyers on a post-apocalyptic battlefield, ready for battle, with the focus of their foray just before them.
*
At the feet of the Scavengers, there lay a ramp leading to a pit of great size, just large enough for a single Destroid to navigate easily. This pit seemed to fall into the blackened, burned earth that made up the landscape on this side of Milton, Florida. What lay inside and below, the Wild Cards did not yet know, but the neon sign with its blinking radiance seemed to welcome anyone who dared to venture in.
*
With the tankers away, Elinor watched Shirley's Red Baroness tuck its arms, gun pod, and legs away as it neatly transformed into the jet mode required to achieve 500 knots. Toph saw the same from Elinor's Valkyrie as it too entered jet mode. With no calls to abort, it seemed the tanker drop had gone successfully. It was now up to the T.A.S.C. team to provide the distraction the A.T.A.C. team needed.
Toph said, "Fox one! Missile away!"
As the three Wild Card veritechs shot through the night toward the Scavenger mecha, Toph sent her single mini-missile out on its own short-lived destiny. It added its own little glow as it hurtled along toward the great red blinking sign with computer-aided accuracy guiding it along. Then the sign blew apart. A fantastic plasma-filled explosion, super-bright and blazing like the sun, turned night into day for one long and precious moment. Burning chunks of metal flew in every direction as its destruction sounded all across the landscape.
Then the T.A.S.C. team made contact with their adversaries.
Just 50 yards above the rushing earth and traveling at speeds faster than a bullet fired from a rifle, the T.A.S.C. team flew straight at the gathering of Scavenger mecha. Shirley, her eyes watching for an opportunity to get the most out of the moment, found one. There was indeed a gap large enough for her beloved Red Baroness to fit between the mecha. Channeling all of her skill and focus,* the Valkyrie ace did what appeared to be the nigh-impossible - she turned her swept-wing jet aircraft ninety degrees so that the wings were perpendicular, instead of parallel, with the earth. Now, her Valkyrie's wings were no longer horizontal, but vertically-positioned as she slipped inside the Destroid formation at speeds approaching mach.
*(Game Master note)
Shirley has used an Action Point toward her Pilot: Valkyrie roll for this extremely dangerous maneuver.
The result was astonishing.
Over the civilian channel the Scavengers used, Shirley's excited cry taunted. "Here's our response, 'Scabs!'" Then the chorus to an old song rang out over the channel as she sang...
"Yooooou light up myyyy liiiiiife!!"
(GM music)
Shirley is taunting them with the chorus of this oldie but goodie:
"You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone
"You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone
(GM video - F-16 shooting flares in daytime)
Airshows... You gotta love 'em! =)
With the flick of a switch, Shirley's bright red flares soared in all directions and chaff blew out from the Red Baroness's dispenser, the cloud of tiny metallic bits ringing upon the Scavenger mecha like dozens of tiny bells. The deafening roar of her Valkyrie's afterburners followed immediately afterward as the Red Baroness flew between the enemy force like a cannon shell and past them and back into the night. Only the tell-tale glow of her rapidly-receding twin engines told where she was.
Over the radio, the Wild Cards heard the shocked sounds of unfamiliar men.
"AAAAAH!!"
"WHHOOOOA!!"
"WAT DA CRAZY FUCK?!"
"I SHIT MYSELF! I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST SHIT MYSELF! DAMMIT!!"
Caught by this surprise while in motion, the Scavengers nearby recoiled and were taken off-balance. Limbs flew up into the air. Two Frakenmecha tottered crazily in surprise and shock. One, the horrid-looking Spartan/Phalanx, jerked back so violently, it fell flat on its hind end right there in front of its mates, slamming into the earth. It sat there appearing dumbfounded, dazed, and looking very, very stupid.
Now, Elinor and Toph saw that there were a total of eight Scavenger Frankenmecha. Half of them were physically reeling and distracted. The other half were turning their guns around after the Red Baroness. Now, Elinor and Toph each had their own opportunity to distract the other half of the Scavenger team. This required of them a split-second decision as to their course of action.
(Shop Talk for Psychie and Kaerri)
Whatever you do, I'll rule that you're popping chaff and flares on them for the sake of distraction unless you tell me otherwise. =)
Your flight options are:
1. Just fly over the Scavengers (no roll required, but no real benefit is gained).
2. Follow Shirley into and out of the hole she made (Pilot roll required at -10%).
3. Make your own hole (Pilot roll required at -15%; I recommend the expenditure of an Action Point if you choose this option).
4. Anything else you can think of (but whatever you do, don't fail this piloting roll or there is a chance of your character hitting the deck at 500+ knots whereupon she becomes a clear target for all eight Scavengers to fire upon, assuming she survives the crash!).
-Psychie. As Toph is the last in line and in a veritech 2/3rds the size of the Valkyries ahead of her, I am ruling that she has a +5% bonus given toward either of the penalties listed above (so Option 2 is -5% and Option 3 is -10%).
Your flight options are:
1. Just fly over the Scavengers (no roll required, but no real benefit is gained).
2. Follow Shirley into and out of the hole she made (Pilot roll required at -10%).
3. Make your own hole (Pilot roll required at -15%; I recommend the expenditure of an Action Point if you choose this option).
4. Anything else you can think of (but whatever you do, don't fail this piloting roll or there is a chance of your character hitting the deck at 500+ knots whereupon she becomes a clear target for all eight Scavengers to fire upon, assuming she survives the crash!).
-Psychie. As Toph is the last in line and in a veritech 2/3rds the size of the Valkyries ahead of her, I am ruling that she has a +5% bonus given toward either of the penalties listed above (so Option 2 is -5% and Option 3 is -10%).
What do Elinor and Toph do?
*
Some say that only in hard times do you come to know yourself. War is the hardest of times. Either you survive or you die, but one way or another, you come out knowing more about yourself than when you went in, whether you like it or not. War is thus a hellish brand of enlightenment, no man or woman is likely to recommend. Still, you find out who you are.
(Mood music)
"Who Are You" by The Who
The A.T.A.C. team of the Wild Cards struck the burned wasteland and rolled. Hercules and Booty hit just about perfectly, rolling to one side without incident. They were on their feet in moments. Hercules then saw that MechaKitten was quiet and watchful. Once Hercules was on his feet, the little cat had secured himself on and behind Hercules's left shoulder where he hoped he was out of the big Greek's way.
Something went wrong in Mario's landing. His angle and descent were good but he was unable to get himself properly positioned in time and before he knew it, he had struck the ground very hard. His mega-damage rifle slammed into his chest and then he completely lost his balance. For a moment, his vision was like that of one caught inside a clothes dryer, for he spun and spun until he finally rolled to a stop. As before when he had survived from his bailout from the ill-fated Rattletrap, Mario found himself flat on his back, breathing hard, looking up into the clouds and stars so very far above his head. For a few moments, they wouldn't stop whirling.
And Mario knew there was not a damn thing he could do about it but lie there and wait.
(Shop Talk for Mario)
Mario's mega-suit absorbed the worst of it, but Mario has sustained 12 S.D.C. damage (maximum for the fall). He failed his saving throw vs. Pain (rolled a 3 on the red d20). This begs the question - what the hell is it with Mario failing these Roll with Impact rolls? Poor guy! At least he didn't fumble! *knocks on wood*
Hercules and Booty both caught sight of Mario's predicament.
"Mario down!" Booty called out.
Booty and Hercules ran to their fellow tanker's side. When they reached him, Mario was battered and bruised inside his armor and still recovering. Still, to the Italian-blooded soldier, nothing felt broken.
"Hey, hey!" Booty tapped Mario's helmet. "What's Mario favorite food? You rememba?"
Mario remembered. =)
"O.K.," Booty nodded and grabbed Mario's forearm.
Then the three tankers turned as the whole world before them seemed to catch on fire...
The red sign burst into flames born of plasma fury. Dozens of flares lit the night and fell, leaving smoking trails. The sounds of lots of mecha, turning, whirling, and in one case, falling flat on its backside were heard. The ground shook. The air was alive with the sounds of powerful machinery. The sounds of the T.A.S.C. team's veritechs rocketing shook the air violently. When the A.T.A.C. team oriented themselves, they realized Milton was nowhere in sight and they had covered a tremendous amount of ground in but moments.
Most importantly, they were only about 100 yards away from the pit where the big neon sign once pointed.
Mario was helped to his feet. Thanks to his mega-suit and his own hard-earned physique, he could move; he just felt like he had been struck in the chest with a Louisville Slugger.
The nearest of eight Scavenger Frankenmecha was but about 25 yards away from that ramp. At the moment, nearly every mecha was turned in the direction of the veritech flyby. Nearest the A.T.A.C. team, there was some cover here in the forms of blasted concrete and two burned-out hulks of cars, but between them and the ramp that led into the pit, next to nothing but burned night-covered wasteland.
"Dis be it!" Booty exclaimed, ready to move.
What do Mario and Hercules do?
