Robotech - Southern Cross Adventure

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Capture an enemy alive? That sounds tough to do.... But I think I can do it, except....

Ryuko looked over towards Marlon.
She doubted he'd let her do the capturing part, but this is where her H2H specialization might come in handy...... Right?

And she still couldn't get rid of the stupid Missile yet. At least she was allowed to carry it in a bag instead of Actually holding on to it, as long as it was still seen.

Ryuko would gulp, before asking General Hawkins her question.
She just had to do this, it felt like a wake up call to herself, that she shouldn't give up on her favored type of combat yet, but instead save it for something that actually needed it.

"General Hawkins,"
Ryuko would say, quickly saluting her superior.
"I wish to be in charge of the capture! I have experience in fighting up close with Zentraedi before coming here, and if anyone could be able to catch an enemy unit alive, I believe I can do that!"
Ryuko would immediately think,
Oh shit! Marlon won't accept me doing this at all! What's going to happen if he tells the General not to let me do this?! I can't just sit back and shoot at the enemy! We need to capture at least one person! ONE! I can manage that!
The mental conflict showed on her face, sweat pouring down her face.

 

[Psychie]

OOC Gundam Watcher 27 The officer that you are talking to at the moment is not the General, but your company commander, Capt. Edison. I presume that you still want to say what you've posted?

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

OOC Gundam Watcher 27 The officer that you are talking to at the moment is not the General, but your company commander, Capt. Edison. I presume that you still want to say what you've posted?

Yes.

 

[Rykon]

Alan gave Ryuko a tired glance then to Deunan. He let out a quiet sigh as if he'd been holding a breath. He saluted, requesting the opportunity to speak. If granted he merely offered his opinion. "Sir, I'm grateful you're bringing us in on this and answering questions. However, I'd prefer we leave field specifics to our field commander than placing that burden on you. I'm sure you have more important details that demand your attention than the minutiae of one of our ops, such as coordinating the anti-air operation against the drop ships and watching for unexpected changes in orbit."

Alan knew he was blunt, but tried to soften the directness of his input with the reality of the situation. The Third Heavy's tactics should be left to Deunan. The unit already has their objective.

 

[D. Rex]

Marlon nearly broke his arms in attempt resisting the urge to facepalm after Ryuko's sudden suggestion. Clearly she wasnt listening to anything he had told her.

"Corporal Narukami, it doesnt work that way." He said, looking at her sternly. "This is a squad endeavor. Lieutenant Conway leads this squad. If you have suggestions on tactics, bring them to her or me. Follow rank." His gaze to her was clearly a warning.


Marlon cast a Please dont do this to me glance at Alan. He had one headache already with Ryuko, and he didnt want to have to start getting into Alan too. This was the hardass Captain they were with. Challenging him wasnt going to go well!

"That is why we are here, Alan. Tactics will come in due time. But first we must discuss the logistics of this operation. As such, this briefing is invaluable to the success of the operation. As he, he has already said he is leaving it up to us as to how we handle it."


"The big questions we need answered right now. Captain, what will we have to work with? Is there a resource allotment, or will we have access to whatever we need? That alone will determine greatly how we go about this."

"Secondly... from the recovered battleoid from the initial invasion. Has any intel been gleaned from their mecha and their pilots? Any exploitable weaknesses? Are they EMP Shielded? Inside or outside? Maybe a way to shut them down and leave the pilot helpless? A self destruct system we need to be aware of?"

"A cross section would be useful. If we want to capture them alive. We need to make sure we dont pierce the hull and hit the pilot. Are they human or Zentraedi sized? We cant rip the arms and legs of the bioroid off if it endangers the pilot. Their survivability is paramount here."

He tapped a finger on the table,"If we are unsure of the species themselves... on if they would live or not. Then capturing more than one would increase our odds. Furthermore, this sort of lure tactic isnt something we can repeat with ease once the wise up to it. Our chances at this are highly limited. And, lastly, the high ranked will give likely give us better information, but will likely be harder to pull information out of during interrogation. The grunts the opposite...." he mused.


"Also, Captain, do we have a time frame we are working within?" He asked.

 

[Purr]

Gabi just stayed quiet again, remained straight-faced, and did a lot of people-watching.

Ai caramba, she thought. This is getting so old. Is there anyone she thinks of beside herself? And why is it that every other time she opens her mouth, Third Heavy Recon turns into The Ryuko Show? Mi Dios, sometimes it feels like we spend more time on her than we do with the Enemy.

This caca never happened in Recon Patrol...

 

[Rykon]

With the glance, Alan took his cue to remain silent and kept his opinion to himself. Honestly, why do I even bother showing up to these? Gah, I miss my smokes. He thought to himself.

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan is quiet for a moment, doing her best to keep a calm appearance on her face. "Sir, we'll get the job done, one way or another. But any info you can get to us about the positioning of the pilot inside the Bioroid's hull will be invaluable to us in getting this assignment done. I would hate to blast an arm off just to discover that the operator inside has their limbs out there too. Also, what other assets are available to us for this mission?"

 

[Psychie]

The Captain looks at Ryuko for a moment after her sudden outburst, then redirects his attention to Deunan. "I have sent your datapads the details on what has been discovered so far about the enemy. It should be enough information to get the job done, especially for our ace team. According to our studies so far, the enemy is very similar to a micronized Zentraedi with only a few genetic differences between the two races. Other than the various distinctive hair and skin colors that we've seen in the bodies that have been recovered, they could easily pass for human."

Pulling out the tablet, you can see a schematic of what a reconstructed Bioroid looks like. The pilot is located in the upper torso/head area of the mecha, without having any limbs sticking out into the arms or legs of the Bioroid. If one of the Bioroids were to have its limbs removed, it would not harm the operator inside.

After letting you examine the data file for a moment, Capt. Edison says, "General Hawkins wants this prisoner in hand ASAP. To this end, you can commandeer any and all allied units in the theater of battle to aid you. Keep in mind that once the fake signals hinting at our vulnerability are sent out, we can expect a sizable response from the enemy, so whatever you do, don't strip too many forces from other locations and leave our critical areas unprotected without getting at least one successful capture in hand. We will have fixed wing aircraft hidden away to slam the door shut behind the Robotech Master dropships once they come close enough, and a variety of ground forces including infantry and mecha ready to deploy at a moment's notice. Just get the job done. Am I clear?"

 

[Purr]

Gabi kept her mouth shut in front of CPT Edison, but she delivered a brief look to Deunan that communicated that Gabi had something on her mind she wanted to share after this meeting.

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan briefly meets Gabi's eyes and gives a slight nod to let her know that she's got the message, then looks to the Captain. "Understood, sir. We'll get the mission done with minimal disruption to the other units deployed in the area."

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Ah shit, I forgot about that problem.
Ryuko would think, when the possibility of the pilot being surgically connected to their bioroid was brought up. If that was the case, she couldn't disarm the enemy without killing the pilot inside. Thankfully, Intel would explain they weren't bonded that way, meaning she could remove both arms and still bring the enemy in alive. And to the fact they'll have access to a large number of military forces to work with.

Okay, so that issue is wrapped up, but the problem of actually catching one of these things remains. Maybe..... I'll take it up with the others before departure. I can catch one of these things if I don't screw up... But getting in close to be able to restrain it is the new issue..... Wait.....

Captain Edison mentioned access to ground forces, so maybe.....

"Any chance some of them will be bringing in any tow cables?"

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan lets out a slight laugh. "I doubt that this will play out like The Empire Strikes Back where the tow cables will bring them down. It will most likely end up with us blasting the limbs off and taking the pilot in the body captive that way. Assuming that we will be able to; once the Bioroids see what we're trying to do, they will be all over us. I know I would, if it were one of my people getting snagged by the enemy."

Turning her attention back to the Captain, she says, "Don't worry, sir. We will get the job done."

 

[Psychie]

The officer across the table from you nods. "Very well. You are dismissed. Just make sure you are successful."

He then stands and heads for the door, leaving the squad in the room unless someone stops him.

 

[D. Rex]

Watching the Captain leave with a salute, Marlon turned to Duenan.

"Tow cables may not actually be a bad idea. These bioroids, there biggest advantage over us is those hover sleds. Bringing them down to the ground would make it much easier. And if we stick a harpoon in one with a cable strong enough to hold a mecha, we can yank one right off, and even get tangled in."

"We have free reign in resources. So having a few soldiers with turret launchers outfitted as such, would be pretty easy to set up. Same thing with nets."


Marlon scratched his stubble, thinking,"Either way, limbs will be getting blown off. I wonder if we can get something to disable their entire bioroid. Though knowing what would work there would require a better understanding of their machines than we currently have."

 

[Purr]

Gabi kept her mouth shut in front of CPT Edison, but she delivered a brief look to Deunan that communicated that Gabi had something on her mind she wanted to share after this meeting.

Gabi saluted CPT Edison as was befitting his rank. Once he was gone, she sat down at the table and got down to business with her squad.

Gabi licked her lips then spoke. "So amigos, your Recon Patrol woman here was thinking - these Bioroids are made out of Mega-damage metal like our mecha, right? So, what if we took construction magnets and turned them into a type of "handcuff" and "ankle-cuff"? We take out his sled, get into hand-to-hand, disarm him, restrain him, put the cuffs on. Once the preferably red Bioroid is locked up, then we drag him off the battlefield and airlift it out of there either using multiple Ajax helicopters, a SkyCrane-style helicopter, or whatever we have available that gets our own mecha off of the battlefield and back to base, you know? I think it should work unless they have some kinda self-destruct system like our mecha."

Gabriela made eager tackling movements with her hands. "Before we do it, we drill. We practice the strategy together, kinda like we're a defense team during a game of football. Maybe a blitz play with the other ASC forces covering us? While the cuffs are being made, we might even have our armorers change out a couple of the 1st-gen VHT HEAT rounds with some kinda new fireworks shell with lotsa sound to it. That oughta disorient our target, right?"

She put her hands together and turned her shoulders as if she were firing a pistol. "I would prefer creating some kinda electric stunning device that could penetrate a Mega-damage cockpit, like a giant taser, but we ain't got that kinda time, do we? Anyways, that's what Recon Patrol girl's got. Loca ("crazy") idea, no?"

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan nods. "Good ideas there. How long will it take to rig up some arm and leg restraints for the Bioroids? I'd like several pairs spread across the squad. We then go out and drill. I want everyone on the same page when it comes to which person does what out there. That means, no lone wolf action. That mostly goes for Ryuko, but it applies to all of you. Am I clear on that? We are a team, and if we don't stand together, we'll fall as individuals."

 

[Psychie]

A quick check with the fabricating team tells you that making up some mecha-sized handcuffs will take only a few hours, depending on how many you want and how tough you want to make them. The ones that the techs suggest will have a armor value of 25 MDC each, and will be big enough to lock up either the hands or feet of a Bioroid. A hover tank is big enough to be able to hold one set of manacles and still be able to transform and maneuver around.

 

[Purr]

Gabriela turned to Deunan, her eyes alive like a little girl's with engineering ideas. "Hey, LT? You think maybe we could ask for a SkyCrane and a crew with a magnet-base? We could grab the target, cuff it up, get it to a secure place behind our lines, then lift it out of there while providing air escort in our Ajaxs' helicopter-modes."

 

[Sherwood]

"Sounds like a good idea. Either that, or some other kind of rapid-deployment mecha recovery unit, to get our prize back to the secure hangar where we are to deliver it. Speaking of which, we will need to find out exactly where we are going to be escorting the captured pilot. I'm sure that the GMP will be waiting with bated breath for our cargo, and I'd hate to leave them hanging!"

 

[Psychie]

Deunan would know from the briefing materials that she has that the GMP has set aside a hardened bunker for you to be able to deliver the captive Bioroid pilot to. It was built to be able to survive a direct hit from starship scale weapons, so it should be able to do the trick of containing the Bioroid and keeping any rescue attempts at bay while it is pried open to get access to the pilot.

When you check on the idea of using a Sky Crane to transport the Bioroid once it is captured, you learn that there is a better option available to you; a VTOL capable mecha recovery vehicle.



It has an internal bay capable of carrying six ground battloids or hover tanks, comes with decent armor, and is able to hit speeds of nearly Mach 1 in an atmosphere. Just the thing to get your prize packed up and hauled away.

 

[Psychie]

As time goes by, a set of MDC mecha-sized handcuffs are made up for each of the hover tanks to carry. They are not too flimsy, each one having a armor value of 50 MD, so they can (hopefully) do the trick of keeping a Bioroid secured long enough to get it to the armored bunker that has been set aside for this. The fabrication process for this takes only a few hours, giving you some time to think on strategy for the upcoming attempt.

The next day, the signal designed to lure in the Robotech Masters in has gone out over the airwaves, and Brazilia Base is now on high alert, expecting an attack at any time.

You do not have long to wait. Long range radar picks up six of the bright red dropships coming into Brazilia Base's airspace at high speed, and the alarm is sounded. This time, the enemy seems to be focusing on the airstrips, hoping to keep allied aircraft from being able to sortie out to meet them. Little do they know that there are several dozen fixed wing and Veritech aircraft waiting off base to slam the door shut on them, destroying the dropships to keep the Bioroids trapped for you to make your move and capture one of the enemy.

The air defenses, being 'damaged' from the last attack, let the dropships advance and hover over the base and begin to unleash their cargo of mecha. It is at this time that the trap is slammed shut. Antiaircraft guns and missile launchers suddenly roll out of their hiding places and begin to open fire, and aircraft roar overhead and pour fire on the spacecraft, leaving a handful of Bioroids scrambling for cover as they begin to understand the gravity of the situation they are now in.

Currently, there are only twelve Bioroids in your sector; two Reds, one Green and nine Blues, and they show no desire to allow themselves to be taken alive.

Initiative rolls, please!

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan hits the squad radio band and calls out, "Ok, gang! All we need is one of these guys, so lets trash the rest. I'm designating Red 1 as our lucky winner in your heads-up displays. As for the others, its duck hunting season with no bag limit. Hit 'em!"

Spoiler

Initiative total of 8. Everyone gets the +2 to Initiative from the Command Tank Bonus with that roll.

On Foot:
Number of Attacks: 6
Strike: +10
Parry: +13 - +17 with Heavy Combat Shield
Dodge: +14
Roll: +6
Perception: +12
Initiative: +1
Damage: +2 from Ps
Critical Strike on a natural 18-20

In the Hover Tank:
Number of Attacks: 9 - +1 attack per melee round at levels 1, 3, 6, 10, and 14
Strike: +12 with Cannons, +13 to HtH, +14 with EU-11 (+2)
Parry: +17 (+1)
Dodge: +17 (+1)
Roll: +9
Perception: +12
Initiative: +3 (+2)
Critical Strike on a natural 18-20

 

[Rykon]

Rolling Initiative...

 

[Psychie]

Holding on Gundam Watcher 27 , Purr , and D. Rex for your initiative rolls