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Mercenary Dawn: Steel Phoenixes

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"In what scenario would an organization secretly install experimental military tech in random people...without a killswitch?" Null ponders out loud, the artificial voicebox doesn't convey any skepticism or sarcasm - but those can be surmised. "What exactly is your contingency if, let's say, Evans uses those powerful metal arms to beat one of us to death for looking at him wrong? You upgraded us but didn't include a safeguard?" She lets out a long robotic sigh, shaking her head, "Doctor, do you just not know? Were you upgraded too?"
 
"Ooooh! What about a shock collar?" Tanu chimed in, seeming to be more excited by the prospect than afraid. Her eyes glimmered with chaotic delight as she turned to Evans, "Hey, hey, Evans! Why don't you try to kill someone so we can find out!"
 
Evans was a bit curious and rather excited about the many prospects that lay in his path. First off, his plan with Tanu was off to a good start, but he factored in her aptitude for spontaneity and was still keeping that in mind. Secondly, the prospect that this company would upgrade their bodies and bring them on as mercenaries without a failsafe or kill switch was.....unlikely. This doctor was either not in the loop, a liar or this organization was more than foolhardy. It was not lining up. Something was off.

After taking a moment to think, hearing Tanu's suggestion and contemplating it, he smiled and stood up. There was not much he could do, but there was one thing that would solve this whole riddle. Assuming the organization was watching their investments, which they should be. What organization would not keep an eye on such an expensive endeavor.

Taking a few steps forward, he stood at his arm length away from the doctor. A smile plastered on his face "Doctor, forgive me, but I am going to test how hard I can hit with these new arms on your face."

Without another word he took a swing with his right arm, a focused and calculated look on his face. He was not really going to hit the doctor, but if those with their finger on the failsafe were watching or it was him, they would stop him. He was unworried as to if he might die. The organization would want to keep their investment alive, so death didn't cross his mind. He was making this swing just close enough to make it hard to tell by untrained eyes and it was clear he was putting his all into the right hook.
 
"Hands off the Doctor!" Null shouts states at a very loud volume as she scrambles to her feet from the reclining chair and pulls her sidearm from it's holster. The drone is sent skittering along the conference table as the pilot 'accidentally' kicks it in the process of standing. As Null levels her gun at her teammate, the drone catches itself and quietly hovers along the table to the back of the Doctor's laptop. The drone is in plain sight to everyone on this side of the laptop as it attaches itself to one of the rear ports, but the screen blocks the Doctor's view of it.

-1 Deceive against Doctor Roger to 'Create an Advantage' -> Physical Access to Doctor's Laptop
Burn a Fate Point to invoke Black Hat Hacker with an obsessive need to master new technology for a +2. So that's a total +1 Deceive.
Can I get a situational boost from drawing a gun? Because I'm American? 😁

If Stealth is relevant for the drone, I rolled +1 so that's a total +4 Stealth.

If it's applicable to either roll, I'll burn a free invoke off the Network Decryption Drone for another +2.
 
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Akir watches the scenario unfold stoically, he wasn't really bothered to get in the way of either the suspected sociopath with robot arms or the part human part robot hybrid as they were both so desperate to confirm there was a bomb in all of them. He takes out a lighter, a fancy metal one with a four leaf clover emblem and takes a cigar from behind his ear and lights it, happy to spectate for the moment.
 
Doctor Moss looks puzzled by Null’s questions. “Why would we need a safeguard? If you…” He trails off when Evans stands and moves in closer. When the other man stated his intentions, Roger simply raised an eyebrow. He knew from the pilot’s file and from his talks during the recovery phase that Evans wouldn’t do something that would keep him from a chance to meet his family again, at least not like this. Thus he doesn’t move, barely blinks, when the metallic fist stops just short of his face.

Stuff his hands into the pockets of his lab coat, the doctor opens his mouth to speak when he is interrupted again. This time its from a tiny device descending from its hidden abode in the ceiling, pivoting, and spraying a small stream of water that hits, and extinguishes, Akir’s cigar. A computerized voice sounds over the announcement speaker in the conference room. “No smoking allowed outside of specially prepared and designated areas.”

With a heavy sigh Roger finally continues what he was trying to say earlier. “If you revealed to others what was done to you, not only would you lose the money promised to you, but you put yourselves on the radar for anyone who would want to dissect you to try to reverse-engineer the technology and techniques used to help you. Not to mention any other people who’d consider you abominations and try to have you killed just for that. History has plenty of examples of bad things happening to those who are perceived to be ‘different’.”
 
Null lowers her sidearm when it becomes clear that Evans is not beating the Doctor to death. After a moment, she slides it into its holster and sits back down. She lets out a robotic sigh and answers, "That's putting a lot of faith in our impulse control."
 
"Aww..." Tanu leaned back into her chair, seeming quite disappointed that she hadn't guessed correctly. She pursed her lips slightly, pouting.

Her mood immediately improved as soon as Evans got out of his chair and not only alerted the doctor, but took a swing at his head! Tanu's eyes widened, her mouth open slightly in gleeful surprise, "Holy shit! He's actually doing it!? The absolute madman!"

She gripped the edge of the table, watching as Evans stopped his strike a hair from the Doctor's face, and how calmly the doctor reacted. He didn't even flinch, as if he knew exactly what was going to happen. She had only met one other person who was that sure of themselves, though she didn't like them so much. The Doc, on the other hand, had totally earned these style points. A giant grin spread across her face, her eyes blinking in awe. "I take it back; this business meeting is JUST like the ones from home! I can't believe I thought it would be fancy! We should totally have more meetings!"

Tanu propped her head on her hands, kicking her feet and humming tunelessly, "Don't worry Doc, I ain't a snitch! Can't last long in this biz if you are!" Her smile froze slightly, realizing the irony of her statement. She blinked, remembering why she was here.

The moment passed with a laugh at Null's statement. She playfully 'punched' Null on her shoulder, "Eh? Speak for yourself, Null! I've got total impulse control!"
 
Null sits totally still for a long moment after the playful punch then slowly turns her reflective visor to face Tanu. There's another long moment as one mercenary stares down the other - is it the withering glare, skeptical eyebrow, dead eyes from before, or just a flat stare? It's impossible to tell with the helmet on. Finally, Null turns back to the meeting table and reclines back in the chair, crossing her legs as she taps a finger impatiently on the armrest.
 
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Sara watches the goings-on with a perplexed expression, not really sure what to make of the lunatics team she's been paired with.
 
Irene sits and watches with a smile that grows ever broader the more chaos is unleashed on the little meeting room, though her hand casually draws closer to her sidearm when guns are drawn. When it all cools down she laughs and shakes her head. "Well, you've got a pair on you at least, Mister Evans! Bold gamble, but looks like the house won this round!" she grins at Null. "Though I wonder perhaps if some aren't playing a different game. Do people still bet on chess, I wonder? I have to admit I'm a little sad for the good doctor hear. Was Null the only one willing to lift a finger to defend him? Or did everyone just assume Evans was bluffing? One thing I know for sure..." Irene reaches over and plucks the soaked cigar from Akir's lips, tapping it lightly on the table. "...is that was a waste of a perfectly good cigar."
 
If there was one thing that Roger understood from being around the group these last few minutes it was that it was going to be a very, very long year. "Alright people, we are starting." Pulling a small remote from a pocket, he pressed a button that caused the lights to dim and the display next to him to light up. On the screen appeared an overhead map of a grassy field with a section of it enclosed by walls in the shape of a square several kilometers in size.

"This first simulator is a rather simple test to make sure everyone has recovered enough to handle piloting. You'll be fighting inside the square against several groups of tanks as well as some Old World Walkers known as Sunbursts. Overall, despite the number of targets presented to you, I'm told there should be very little challenge in this initial battle. Do as well as we expect and we'll be moving you up to something tougher. Any questions before you get started?"
 
"Sounds like another medical exam." Null responds in the usual robotic voice, still tapping her finger on the armrest, "Let's get it over with."
 
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Akir looks down at his cigar forlornly as Irene takes it away and he sighs, looking genuinely disappointed before looking at the doctor. "Let's get this over with then."
 
Null tilts her head at the soggy cigar, probably making some kind of expression under her helmet, then starts to turn back to the Doctor. She contiunes to turn her head pass the Doctor, inclining it down slightly to look at the armrest where her finger is still tapping. Null sits staring at her hand for a long moment, her shoulders tightening, then the hand slowly curls into a tightly clenched fist. Null continues to stare at her hand for a few more seconds, then looks up and says, "There are no questions. Let's just get to the simulator."
 
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"Alright then, follow me to the simulator area." While he didn't show it, the doctor was rather surprised, and pleased at the lack of chaos just now. He had expected more antics to occur in response to his asking if there were any questions, perhaps the chance to actually do something was what they needed to get focused?

Thankfully it was a short walk before they reached a large chamber packed full with a dozen simulator pods, a sight that may be familiar to some, even if it was just the commercial arcade version of the real thing. Some of the pods had temporary name cards taped to the side, indicating who was supposed to go to which pod.

"One last thing before you start, the technical specialists have informed me that your pods have been loaded with the data for your respective Walkers, including any modifications you may have requested to the designs over the last couple of weeks." Roger gives a small shrug at this point. "Alright, go have fun."

While the sim pods had generic control setups instead of any specialized setups they may be used to, true to Dr. Moss' word the pilots would find that their actual Walker configurations were ready to go, complete with any quirks they might have. When the simulation finished loading they would find themselves standing in an open, grassy field several kilometers in size. At the edges of the field giant, metal walls encased the battle area in order to keep things contained. The clear daytime weather allowed the group to easily see the enemies arrayed against them at the opposite end of the arena, a bunch of tanks and a few Walkers that their computers pinged as being Sunbursts, an outdated model from the Old World armed with only short ranged weaponry.

((Battle!
Objectives: Destroy enemy targets, each pilot does a 'create an advantage' action at least once
Aspects: Boxed-in Arena, Wide Open Area
Terrain: Open field with clear weather
Enemies: 4 Tank Groups, 4 Sunbursts, all currently at Long Range (you are able to close to Short Range and attack in the same turn. Moving to Melee range this turn would require a Piloting roll and would take your entire turn.)

Fate Core has a mechanic where weak enemies are typically grouped together into 'mobs' to both keep things simpler and to make them more effective. In this case each Tank Group contains 4 tanks. I'm using a rule variation where a mob combines identical attack skills of its members to increase its offensive ability, in this case each tank has Kinetic Weapons +1, so combined that means that the Tank Group effectively has Kinetic Weapons +4. However, a single shift of damage is enough to take out a tank, so 4 shifts takes out a Group in this case. Mobs typically have few skills, no stunts, and only 1 or 2 Aspects.

The Sunbursts are a tad tougher with each having a single stress box to absorb damage with. Technically they are still weak enough to be in a mob together, but I kept them apart for this particular battle.))
 
As the group was leaving the conference room, the drone that Null built earlier flew to her hand and she slid it into a pouch on her belt. Then she followed the others without comment.

SimulationIn the simulation, Null is piloting a nondescript walker without any apparent special modifications. She takes a moment to assess the situation and confirm that there are no surprises waiting in store. Null shakes her head. It really was just another medical exam. Turning her attention the Sunbursts, she 'hacks' one of them to create an advantage for her allies' attacks. Hacking in the simulation was nothing like actual hacking, in reality she'd be looking for exploits and high jacking communications signals, while here it was basically just applying a 'status effect'.

Hack Sunburst (The closest one)
Create an Aspect to Aid Attack: Compromised Sunburst Evasion
Roll +3
Security +4
Network Targeting Array +1
If that's not a Success with Style, burn a Fate Point (Black Hat Hacker) for another +2 if that will make it a Success with Style.

Evasion: -2

GM edit: Aspect made with 2 free invokes due to success with style.
 
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Akir sighs, and looks at the layout of his mech and that of the others for a moment. He looks at the distance and his setup and smirks quietly to himself. "It's showtime." Akir's Crimon Mech speeds forward, faster than it should It's left arm raising as a metal spike gets readied, Akir chuckles as he closes the distance, for a moment it looks like the enemy mecha is going to dodge, but it slows, mostly due to Null's support. Oberon gets to work, raising it's mighty hand and slamming into the torso of the enemy mech, piercing the armour and releasing the stake at point blank range for massive damage. With a loud Clank and explosion the metal spike shoots deep within the enemy mech, Oberon removing it's hand as the enemy mech falls. "That's one. I'd not have done it without the support though." The Gambling man says through their team channel.

(Akir has Forward Boosters allowing him to close to melee and attack in the same turn due to the extra distance he can cover.

Dice -4
Melee weapons +3
Stunt: Ante up! +2 to Melee when changing zones
Invokes Free: +4

Total: 5

Sunburst Kill confirmed by the Bossman.

Evasion roll: 1 (I don't know what to add but Piloting is +4 and Melee Weapons are +3)
 
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Evans was particularly fond of his Walker. He could tell it was a heavy hitter and he enjoyed the idea of being the one to just punch people. Sometimes brute force was the answer.

Sitting in his Walker he took a moment to look around, it seemed the Sunbursts were being handled, but the Tanks were being ignored. That was a problem. Left alone, tanks were dangerous, so, he would deal with them. Could be fun.

Taking hold of the controls, he moved Gilgamesh forward. It was not as fast, but it was big, heavy and ready for a fight. Its movements were not silent or stealthy. They were simply drawing attention straight to him.

Evans will spend his turn using his Piloting to get into melee range of Tank Group 1.

Dice Roll +1
Piloting +2
Total: +3

Evasion Rolls:
Dice -1
Total: -1
 
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As the other walkers barrel towards the opposition, Null starts her virtual machine trudging after them. There was no real threat here but she definitely didn't want to be the only target sitting at long range. Outside of the simulation the Doctor gets a text message - of course it's from Null, "Who programmed this? Sunbursts weren't that fragile."

Forgot to include a Move action.

Move to Short Range.
 
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"Oooh no way! These are just like the ones in the arcades! Ahhh!" Tanu squealed in excitement, running up to the sim-pod with her name on it. She pressed her hands to either side of her face, eyes shining with glee as she inspected the pod's design.

She stopped when she heard that her walker's configurations had been added, and that she wold be piloting a simulation mirror of her precious scrapper. "You have the data on Vampy?! I get to pilot her!?" She rushed over to the Doctor, grabbing his hand and hopping up and down. "Woo! I don't know how you did it but I don't care! This is the best!"

Tanu didn't waste anytime settling into her pod, smiling at the familiar controls. "Oh, I've missed these..."

Inside the simulation VAMPYR stood in its typical hunched over position, its arms looking too long, much like an ape. The hands were tipped in irregular blades, like claws, good for climbing and tearing. The head even looked like it could...bite? It was scrappy and definitely not anything from a major manufacturer. Compared to the others it looked rather awkward, and in the open stood out pretty badly even with the muted black paint.

VAMPYR scraped the ground beneath it, tearing rifts into the dirt. "Let's do this team (wow I love saying that...)! They don't stand a chance! Wait, wait... hold up, are those Sunbursts? Holy crap those things are ancient! I've never seen one in person before! Look at that old world design! It's so cute! Look at it! OMG I just had the best idea ever! I should make a miniature one! Guys let's smash em! I want to have a look at the insides!"

Unlike some of the other melee walkers, VAMPYR hung back for a little while the others raced ahead. This was mostly because Tanu was fangirling, but also something else. She watched the others, cheering as Akir took out one. Honestly it was weird to be in such an open battle and with actual allies. "That was awesome you two! It's like we're already a team! This is so exciting! Ah... I should probably help shouldn't I...

VAMPYR emitted a strange sound like a very warped bass drop, targeting a nearby Starburst with a Control Jammer. After this it shuffled forward into short range while its foe was stunned. "Night night! Ok let's take a looksie! Gotta get a good look at the design for the Miniburst...hmm no that doesn't sound right. Minisun? Sunny.... sundrop? Eh... its a work in progress. I'll think about it. Hey guys Minisun or Sundrop?"

Electronic warfare roll = 1 (+3 bonus) = 4
Evasion Roll = 2

>VAMPYR targets a sunburst named bob
>Uses Control Jammer
>Moves into short range.
>ADMIRES THAT SWEET DESIGN
 
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"Oh, Sundrop definitely," Irene cheerily says over the comms as her mech glides backwards as she brings up her sniper cannon with an unnecessary flourish. The oversized sniper rifle splits the air with a thundercrack, sending a high explosive shell towards one of the Sunbursts. "It's just so warm and cheerful! Fits your personality great!"

>>Move to Extreme Range and shoot at a Sunburst

Roll: 4df = (bbb-) = -1+4 (Kinetics)+1(Sniper Computer)= +4

Evasion: -1 <<
 
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Sara looks the pod over briefly before getting inside, looking at all the instruments. It feels so weird to have never been a pilot of these things, but to already know how to use all of this, she thinks to herself as she starts pushing buttons, the virtual graceful, streamlined mech coming alive in the sim. Taking careful note of a tank group's movement pattern, Sara takes aim at the cluster and fires.

[Stay at range to strafe the tank cluster.]

Attack roll: 4df = (-+++) = 2 + 2 Energy Weapons + 2 Invoke Aspect (Has a rifle and knows how to use it) = 6

Evasion roll: 4df = (b-+b) = 0
 
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