Robotech: Army of the Southern Cross - IC Thread

[GunMan2]

“Like those construction workers that tried to hinder us during that patrol. Meaning that they might have human engineers helping them.” Said Barnes his fear and speculations finally came true. They need to destroy and stop it before it gets worse.

Whatever, meal he was enjoying was instantly discarded as he left to get in his machine. Beginning the start up sequence before long, he is expecting heavy resistance. “Looks like we will be having a party there, should we continue to go stealth or do we abandon stealth and go there and try to destroy that thing?”

 

[Purr]

Kitty clicks the radio and transmits over the squad channel. "Once we give away stealth and silence, we cannot likely get it back. And if whatever so quickly slew our human Valkyrie warriors spots us, what then?"

"They flew in the open, easily detectable by anything with an open ear. We in 3rd JSOG are trained differently. We... are Recon. Would we not be foolish not to use this to advantage?" Kitty states with a thin grin. "Sergeant? What say you, sir?"

 

[Sherwood]

Steven runs through a quick systems check of his tank, wondering what the plan will be. If it were up to him, he knew what he'd do: Approach the target site silently as possible and recon the place to see what it was that killed the aircraft and see how hard it will be to kill.

But it's not his call, that rests upon the shoulders of Sgt. Dorsey. He may not agree with what the call will be, but he will do everything he can to ensure that the mission will be a success. "Your orders, Sergeant?"

 

[Psychie]

Dorsey replies quickly with, "We move out, quickly but quietly. Avoid any contact that we can so we can get closer to that weapon. I sure as heck don't want to be the target for it. We are the only units this far into the combat zone that can respond without putting ourselves in the line of fire of that cannon. Lets go."

A quick look at the map shows that the grid square indicated by the now dead fliers is just ten miles away, nestled in some very troublesome mountainous terrain that will make approaching even in your mecha difficult, but not impossible.

 

[Sherwood]

Steven nods, saying, "Quiet as a shapeshifting mechanical mecha-mouse. You got it, Sergeant." He eyes the rough terrain around them and decides that being in his battloid mode is probably going to be the best bet to maneuver and get through the place. It will, unfortunately, require him to leave his supply trailer behind, but it will probably just slow them down at this point.

 

[GunMan2]

Barnes nods as he makes a few adjustment on his instruments to see if there are any enemy patrols in the area and see which area is more heavily guarded.

 

[Purr]

Dorsey replies quickly with, "We move out, quickly but quietly. Avoid any contact that we can so we can get closer to that weapon. I sure as heck don't want to be the target for it. We are the only units this far into the combat zone that can respond without putting ourselves in the line of fire of that cannon. Lets go."

Performing as ordered from the get-go, Kitty quietly nods and moves out with stealth and silence, her EU-11 in Maru's capable hands, her pretty blue eyes looking for targets.

 

[Psychie]

The going is slow, even for your mecha. You are traveling through some very treacherous terrain, and it would be hard even for dismounted troops, and nearly impossible for one of the older series Destroids to handle. Perhaps this is a good thing; if you are really about to run into a bunch of Malcontent forces around that weapon, they may not be expecting some 'mere' micronians to approach from this direction, and it will let you get closer to your target unobserved.

As you hike forward, there is a sudden signal picked up by your radios. It is a powerful transmission, coming out in the clear and easily picked up by all. It is in slightly accented English, giving you the hint that the person is not a native English speaker. "Attention micronian forces in and around what you call the Zentraedi Control Zone. I am Commander Renz, and I speak for High Lord Galt. As you already know, we are now in possession of a weapon capable of swatting down your powerful Valkyries with ease. We control the airspace over the Zone, and let me assure you that we will not tolerate any intrusions into our territory. Be prepared to respond to a list of demands if you ever wish to take to the air over this continent again."

The signal cuts out, leaving you in the relative silence of the rain forest as you advance on your target.

Nova chuckles, saying, "I give them this much credit; they have nerve to throw down the gauntlet of challenge and clearly think that they are capable of repelling the inevitable counterattack. But given what they have demonstrated already, they are capable of backing up that threat. Sergeant? We have to take this to be a serious level of a threat, and know that we are walking right into the den of the beast and giving it a kick in its tail."

Dorsey nods, replying with, "Understood. People, we may be the best shot at finding this weapon and neutralizing it without incurring massive casualties on the part of our own forces. We have to find that cannon and if we can't take it out ourselves, we can at least give the local firebase something to lay down some fire support on. We may even ditch the mecha and scout in on foot to reduce or odds of detection. Keep moving, everyone."

 

[Purr]

Kitty nods and stays on the move. She tries using everything in her playbook to detect danger before she or her team are detected. What else was there to do but hunt or watch more of their brave human pilots fall out of the sky?

 

[Psychie]

Moving onward, the five of you advance closer towards the grid square that the initial blasts had come from. You finally come to a tree-covered ridge line, and looking out, you are able to spot the origin of the beam: a crashed Zentraedi Command Ship. The sheer size of the ship was enough to help disguise it as a part of one of the many mountains in the region, keeping it from being discovered for so long.



At their prime, these miles-long ships were in command of many dozens of smaller ships, second in firepower only to the famed Flagship. This ship was capable of housing thousands of mecha and soldiers, and would most certainly would make for one hell of an outstanding base of operations for the Malcontent forces working in this sector.

There is camouflage netting and dirt covering much of the ship, but there is still plenty of evidence that you can see of many scores of mecha having come and gone around the base of the ship. Given the size of the ship, there could be a couple of thousand Regault Battle Pods and other

Nova lets out a low whistle. "My, my, my. Isn't that a rare sight? I think we've found something of significance."

Dorsey nods, saying nothing for a time. "We have indeed. Now, we need to gather up as much intel on this as possible for our troops to be able to do something about it. No one use your long range radios. Barnes, try to establish a connection with one of the comm satellites using a laser signal so it can't get tapped into. We have got to report this in."

 

[Purr]

GunMan2 Psychie Sherwood

Kitty cannot help but quietly smile at the sight of a Zentraedi command ship. What a prize! What a danger, too! Things just got incredibly interesting for the Meltrandi ESWAT Information Specialist.

 

[GunMan2]

"On it" Was barnes response as he got to working on rerouting their communication to satelite rather than radio. It would take a few minutes tops to get the the connection to the satellite. While doing that the country boy was looking at the ship and it somehow clicks in his head. The attacks on the village, base and taking all that computer ware and technical equipment was all for repurposing a battleship cannons which kind of confirms his crazed super weapon theory. *Im glad i did not share that with the other. Well at least i get this moment but ill keep the i told you so to myself.*

As he finshed the thought the satellite communication was on and active. "That should do it"

 

[Psychie]

It takes a moment for the laser signal to make its electronic 'handshake' to establish a two-way signal, but once that is done, Chris' viewscreen lights up with the image of a fresh faced corporal in the signals corps at Brazilia Base. In a crisp, professional voice, she says, "Zero two niner, secure signal initiated. Please report."

At this point, Dorsey quickly begins to upload the data files from his computer, along with a verbal summary of what the team has found. "This is Sgt. Dorsey of the 3rd JSOG. We have a high priority artillery target sighted. Get everything in the area ready to pour on some hurt on this."

The eyes of the woman on the other end of the signal widens a bit as she quickly speed-reads the data. "Standby. This needs to be bumped up the line."

Doing his best to keep the irritation from his voice, the Texan drawls out, "No need to rush; we're just sitting here with our asses sticking out on the line and a direct visual on the Zentraedi Command Ship that appears to be the base of operations of the Malcontents in this area. We'll wait."

The corporal says nothing in response and simply blanks the screen while keeping the line open. Thirty seconds later, the screen lights back up, but this time, its a major with creases in his uniform so sharp you could cut a steak with them. He says, "This is Major Klein. 3rd JSOG, we acknowledge your priority target. Can you laser designate?" You all know that you have two laser systems; one in your mecha and one that can be used on foot. The range of each designator is the issue. Can you get close enough to the target to generate a good signal for the incoming strike and survive to tell the tale?

Dorsey is quiet for a moment, obviously considering the approach options. "Yes, sir. We can. Give us thirty minutes to get into position."

"Excellent. We are tasking both planetary and orbital systems to engage the ship. We will give you thirty five minutes, that's three-five minutes, before launching a general area bombardment. Get a move-on, soldier. Klein out." With that, the screen blanks out.

Nova has a serene look on her face as she says, "Sergeant? What are your orders?"

Dorsey is quiet for a moment, then says, "Refresh my memory. What is the range of our target designator lasers?"

She replies, "Our tanks have a range of 1,500 meters, and our hand-held units are accurate out to 800 meters."

The problem that you all see is that between the Zentraedi patrols and the cleared area around the ship, there is very little in the way of cover and concealment for either one of those options to be safely taken. Not to mention that if you are on foot, there is the very real risk of getting hit by friendly fire that is off-target. Dorsey finally says, "The best option for us is to sneak in on foot. The Malcontents are less likely to consider a dismounted micronian to be a threat, so the odds are better for us to get in close enough to light up the target outside our mecha. Grab your packs and lets hustle; we only have thirty four minutes to get into position."

GunMan2 Purr Sherwood

 

[Sherwood]

Doing his best to keep his mind from going to a very dark place, Steven drops his mecha down into its tank mode to make it a smaller target to spot, then gathers up the laser designator and his personal weapons. Looking out at the ground approach, he tries to come up with a covered location where they will be able to get close enough to the laser cannon to lase it with the designator to guide in the thunder and be able to get away alive. With all of the ordnance that Command is planning on dumping this direction, that last part might be the toughest.

Spoiler

Rolled good on my Perception check for a total of a 25.

Hit Points: 39
SDC: 82
Action Points: 7

Natural Aptitude Bonus: Jack of Many Trades

Combat Bonuses
On Foot / In the Tank
Number of Attacks: 5 / 7
Strike: +7 / +10 with cannons and long-range weapons, +12 with EU-11, +10 in HtH
Parry: +11 / +15, +1 with Shields
Dodge: +9 / +12
Roll: +5 / +8
Initiative: +1 / +3
Pull Punch: 0 / +4
Horror Factor: +3
Maintain Balance: +2
Perception: +6
Critical Strike From Behind
Critical Strike on a Natural 18-20
Knockout/Stun on a Natural 19-20
HtH Damage: +2

Eu-11: 1d6x10+10
APFSDS - 3d6x10+20: 15
MPAT (AoE 50ft) - 2d6x10+10: 9
HEAT - 2d6x10+10: 9
Incendiary Plasma (AoE 25ft) - 2d8x10+10: 9
Canister - 1d8x10 (AoE 25ft), 1d4x10 (AoE 50ft): 3
Smoke: 3

 

[Purr]

GunMan2 Psychie Sherwood

"Your will, sergeant."

Knowing full well they will be blown to smithereens if the Zentraedi spot them, especially outside of their tanks, Kitty does as ordered,. Grabbing her pack and weapons, she gives Maru a goodbye kiss on his hull and sneaks off into the unknown.

 

[Psychie]

Doing his best to keep his mind from going to a very dark place, Steven drops his mecha down into its tank mode to make it a smaller target to spot, then gathers up the laser designator and his personal weapons. Looking out at the ground approach, he tries to come up with a covered location where they will be able to get close enough to the laser cannon to lase it with the designator to guide in the thunder and be able to get away alive. With all of the ordnance that Command is planning on dumping this direction, that last part might be the toughest.

Spoiler

Rolled good on my Perception check for a total of a 25.

With the crashed ship having nosed into what appears to be a part of a ridge of mountains, there are two peaks, one on either side, that will give you the best line of sight on the turrets on the top of the ship that are responsible for dishing out so much damage to the air power of the RDF/ASC forces in the area. The problem is, these locations are probably going to be patrolled or equipped with some sort of security measures to keep away anyone that the Malcontents don't want around there.

The good news of these peaks is that you can get to either one in relatively short amount of time, being in position to be able to lase the targets on the ship before the bombardment from the artillery bases that have the range to reach out and touch the place.

 

[Purr]

Times like these, Miyazaki is appreciative for the time and effort she goes into keeping fit. She double-checks her gear so that it makes as little noise as possible (preferably none) and she adjust her combat rig so it is ready for climbing. Once finished, the Meltrandi begins to acclimate herself to the scents and sounds of the jungle.

This appears, at least on the surface, to be a mission that 3rd JSOG is well-equipped to handle as opposed to mecha pilots or infantry; the former would be ill-equipped to leave their mecha while the latter, unless airdropped in, would still be on the march from the base. 3rd JSOG is a small and highly-mobile force able to act in or out of their mecha. This mission would soon make its own challenges for them.

Silently, Miyazaki nods to Sgt. Dorsey - she is ready, willing, and able to take on the Malcontent's Command Ship in the hopes of blowing it to such bits that forces both friendly and hostile get to see the show for miles. More importantly, the humans who are far more important to Earth's freedom than she (at least so she continues to feel) will have defanged the Malcontent's latest beast in the battle. Having this opportunity put a smile on Kitty's attractive face - she relishes the idea of turning the tables on the Malcontents again. And to have a ringside seat and direct involvement on the action?

What could be better?

Plus, her cynical ESWAT side internally griped, if this didn't get 3rd JSOG a promotion in rank, what would? Kitty quietly chuckles at the thought and begins looking and listening all the while keeping her head low.

 

[GunMan2]

Barnes followed the orders like a good soldier would. He would take his regular equipment, which includes the heavy shotgun and the pistol along with any knives or other survival gear he may need. He knows the risk, he knows that one mistake here could cost them their lives maybe even the war. The tanks are basically new tech and if they fall into enemy hands...well lets not dwell on that.

"Rodger, that captain" He then leaves his tank behind as he heads into the jungle, prepared to kill or be killed in action. Such is the life of a soldier and such is their death.
The coms officer moves with the stillness of a predator as he follows his companion towards the enemy camp. They got to get rid of this weapon and fast or else more lives will be lost. He is definitely not letting this abomination go online, not on his watch.

 

[Psychie]

"Rodger, that captain" He then leaves his tank behind as he heads into the jungle, prepared to kill or be killed in action. Such is the life of a soldier and such is their death.

When Chris says this, Dorsey lets out a snort. "Don't call me 'Captain'. I'm a Sergeant, and I work for a living. Alright. Everyone set? We're burning daylight. Lets move."

With all of your gear in hand, everyone is loaded up for action, and the big Texan sets out at a brisk pace, moving along quickly but quietly through the heavy mass of trees and undergrowth. Twenty minutes later we find our intrepid team advancing along a barely detectable wildlife track, with Nova in the lead.

Suddenly, she raises up her fist in a silent signal to those behind her to stop. She points, and in the diffuse sunlight shining on the trail, you can see a glint of metal of a tripwire, set waist high across the path. Nova drops down and probes at the dirt with the tip of a hunting knife and soon begins to crawl along under the wire, bypassing the trap without having to stop and defuse whatever surprise was waiting for you.

One hundred feet down the path, there is another signal to stop. Nova probes at the earth with her knife again, carefully exposing a buried explosive device. Breaking out her tools, the Meltrandi warrior quickly defuses the explosive and renders it safe, all without any words being spoken. Soon enough, you are on the move once more.

Finally, Nova crouches down and points ahead at a set of sandbags concealed by camouflage netting. A slight bit of movement signals that there is someone hidden in the machine gun nest.

Dorsey's face is a thundercloud as he looks around. Speaking softly as to not be overheard, he says, "We can't take the time to work our way around that before the party starts. We need to take that guard out. Anyone packing a silenced rifle? Otherwise we may have to risk closing in and using our knives to hopefully keep from raising an alarm."

Sherwood Purr GunMan2

 

[Purr]

Psychie
Kitty taps her armor twice to get Dorsey's attention. With a smile that no one can see (thanks to the helmets on the ASC Megasuits), the ESWAT-trained information specialist produces her favorite ballistic firearm affectionately nicknamed... "Fluffy," complete with sound suppressor. She glances at the target, points at herself, and then back at the target hoping to silently get across the idea that she is willing to go in and take the target(s) out if Dorsey thinks it's a good plan.

Spoiler: Fluffy

MP-84 Machine Pistol
Name: "Fluffy" =) ("Stay fluffy, brother!" - Killfire)
The MP-84 is a small frame, select fire machine pistol that chambers the 9mm Parabellum pistol round. Similar to the old Skorpion machine pistol, the MP-84 is a simple and rugged weapon that packs quite a punch.
Weight: 2.8lbs
Range: 165 feet
SDC Damage: 3d6 SDC per single round, or 1d6x10+5 for a five round burst using conventional rounds.
MDC Damage: 1d4 MD per single round, or 3d4 MD for a five round burst using HEAP rounds.
Rate of Fire: Single shot or five round bursts. Each burst counts as one melee attack.
Payload: 20 round box magazine is standard, but can be loaded with a 60 round drum magazine in special circumstances.
Note: The MP-84 comes with a folding stock that when used grants the user a +1 to Strike when firing bursts or Aimed Shots.
Magazines: 4 20-round magazines.
Accessories: Sound suppressor, Red Dot Sight (+1 to Strike).

 

[Psychie]

Psychie
Kitty taps her armor twice to get Dorsey's attention. With a smile that no one can see (thanks to the helmets on the ASC Megasuits), the ESWAT-trained information specialist produces her favorite ballistic firearm affectionately nicknamed... "Fluffy," complete with sound suppressor. She glances at the target, points at herself, and then back at the target hoping to silently get across the idea that she is willing to go in and take the target(s) out if Dorsey thinks it's a good plan.

Spoiler: Fluffy

MP-84 Machine Pistol
Name: "Fluffy" =) ("Stay fluffy, brother!" - Killfire)
The MP-84 is a small frame, select fire machine pistol that chambers the 9mm Parabellum pistol round. Similar to the old Skorpion machine pistol, the MP-84 is a simple and rugged weapon that packs quite a punch.
Weight: 2.8lbs
Range: 165 feet
SDC Damage: 3d6 SDC per single round, or 1d6x10+5 for a five round burst using conventional rounds.
MDC Damage: 1d4 MD per single round, or 3d4 MD for a five round burst using HEAP rounds.
Rate of Fire: Single shot or five round bursts. Each burst counts as one melee attack.
Payload: 20 round box magazine is standard, but can be loaded with a 60 round drum magazine in special circumstances.
Note: The MP-84 comes with a folding stock that when used grants the user a +1 to Strike when firing bursts or Aimed Shots.
Magazines: 4 20-round magazines.
Accessories: Sound suppressor, Red Dot Sight (+1 to Strike).

The sergeant nods at Kitty, then looks over towards the target at the machine gun. He crouches down, hand on his own energy rifle, hoping that it won't be needed. He motions for the Meltrandi to go ahead and take the shot.

Are you planning on using the SDC or MDC rounds for this, and do you fire a single round or a burst?

 

[Psychie]

Settling in to make some observations, Kitty is having some trouble getting a good look at the target due to the thick mass of trees and vines around you. But as you watch and flip through your enhanced optics available in your helmet, the thermo imaging shows you two important things: First, the person at the ring of sandbags is by him or herself, and second, the person is lighting up a cigarette. Clearly this individual is not wearing a helmet, so even an SDC shot to the noggin will be able to connect and do serious harm to the person.

 

[Purr]

GunMan2 Psychie Sherwood

Kitty brings Fluffy up to her shoulder and with the practiced ease of an ESWAT anti-terrorist soldier and aims down the sights while her thumb goes to the safety. Discipline being both a thing for Meltrandi and ESWAT, her finger remains off the trigger as she studies her target. Thermograph gives her the benefit of citing her target but it does not reveal whether that Target is human or alien or even its gender. Kitty is just starting to wonder what the combination could be when the target takes out the cigarette.

This changes everything!

Spoiler: Destroy Everything You Touch

Song: "Destroy Everything You Touch" by Ladytron.
Video: "Destroy Everything you Touch, Appleseed EX Machina"

Kitty's recent paramedic training informs her that nicotine is a highly-addictive substance that improves synaptic response and helps humans chill out. The problem is, the nicotine is also slowly killing them while it's doing it. Kitty had seen enough humans smoke, but never had she seen a Zentraedi or Meltrandi to take even a single drag.

The reason was simple from her perspective - nearly every one of her kind wanted to die in battle, preferably on top of mountain of enemy corpses, the higher the better. In Miyazaki's view, to die to a wasting illness caused by nicotine was the worst nightmare of every true warrior - to die uselessly especially addicted to a drug that helped you deal with stress because you couldn't cope without it. How weak! How utterly pitiful! Therefore the Target in her sights was either a human or the very first alien she had ever seen who used cigarettes.

And an amateur at that!

A cigarette under these conditions? Against professionals as Kitty strove to be? The target might as well have sent up a truck full of flares to announce their presence in the woods. Nothing in a jungle or forest smelled like tobacco smoke, the unmistakable smell carried easily with the wind, and Kitty was convinced the only thing out here that used cigarettes walked on two legs and carried lighters.

But it was her oath that changed her action. Kitty's sworn oath to the ASC was to aid humanity against all threats domestic or alien. Up until this point, 3rd JSOG had aided humans whenever possible. If Sgt. Dorsey ordered her to kill a human, she would do so without hesitation, but that order had not been given. So... best to not kill what might be a prisoner acting under duress and give the good sergeant the choice.

Kitty takes the thumb off of her safety and quietly slings Fluffy across her shoulder. Without taking her senses off of her target, she takes her time slowly removing her armor until she is without it. Without having to look, she reaches down and draws her twin stun batons making certain not to turn them on just yet lest any sound give her away; being a creature created to hunt and kill, she knew it took only one.

Sneaking up to an advantageous position, all the while listening for any other sign of life, she approaches the target. When she is convinced that the target is alone, she bolts out from her hiding spot, turns her twin stun batons on, and - as quietly as she can - she lets the amateur have it full force in her human martial way, Jeet Kune Do!

Spoiler: Bruce Lee

"Bruce Lee Filipino Kali Stick Fighting"

 

[Psychie]

Kitty slinks forward as quietly as possible, closing in on the concealed machine gun nest and its somewhat unobservant occupant. Once you get within a dozen or so feet you are able to get a good look at your target. It is a man in somewhat dirty and greasy clothes with a lightweight vest of SDC body armor on. The weapon he's seated at is an old M-60 belt-fed machine gun armed with a belt of HEAP rounds, and you can see that there is a more modern Wolverine Assault Rifle propped up against one of the sandbags a short distance from the sole occupant. But even with all that firepower, the most dangerous item here is undoubtedly the short-range radio transmitter. If he manages to get an alert out, it will prove to be very bad for you.

Once the stun batons come out and you make your initial leap attack, it makes just enough noise for the gunner to turn and look to see what the source of the sound is in time for you to slam into him with the twin shock sticks. He doesn't say anything other than letting out a gurgling sound as he slumps to the ground, unconscious.

Purr What do you do now?

 

[Purr]

GunMan2 Psychie Sherwood

The first thing Kitty does is take the human male's radio, glances to see what channel it appears to be tuned into, lowers the volume to an acceptable level, and clip it on her hip.

If he has dropped his cigarette, Kitty, using her heel, smothers it and puts the cigarette stub into his pocket. She slings his Wolverine and puts him into a "fire-fighter's carry." Covering up as much of her tracks as she can, Kitty carries him back to where she left her Mega-suit.

If he makes a single clue that he is about to come to, he gets another stun-thwack on his bare head.

She dons her Mega-suit minus her helmet and pulls out her survival kit. Into his mouth goes one of her survival gloves. She puts her helmet on his head backwards. Kitty then uses her fishing line to lash his wrists together (behind his back). She does the same for his ankles.

Then, out comes her bivouac bag. She empties the contents of his pockets into the bottom of the bag. Then she places him into the sleeping bag with only his helmeted head sticking out. If he shows signs of awakening, he gets a stun-thwack on his bare neck. Once this is done, she pulls him back into the fire-fighter's carry and returns to 3rd JSOG.

If all this happens without incident, Kitty whispers to Sgt. Dorsey (and any of the team close enough to hear) while laying her new captive at his feet. "This human male was alone and free at an M-60 filled with HEAP ammo. He was smoking. His radio is here," she points to her hip and gives him a view of its model. Stun-baton in her left hand, suppressed Fluffy in her right, she aims both at her captive and glances up to the non-ESWAT-trained Dorsey. "His belongings are in the bottom of my bag. I have not searched through them." She also indicates the Wolverine slung over her shoulder.

"He should wake shortly if you wish to interrogate him. I highly recommend we use no names, no ranks, no identifiers. Remember - what he learns, he can tell."

Kitty has a hint of a smile and a dangerous glint in her eyes like an outdoors cat bringing back a kill for her master to enjoy. Aiming her weapons at the captive's bare neck, she looks up to Dorsey, appearing ready to do whatever her commanding officer requires of her.

"Your will, sir?"