Robotech - Southern Cross Adventure

[Sherwood]

Deunan is exhausted, but this briefing brings up a sudden burst of energy and excitement. Finally, we are taking the fight to them! About time! She looks up and says, "A few things, sir. First, how large is the Reflex warhead and how will it be transported? Also, I am concerned with the size of the blast radius. Is there a timer on it to let us get out of the danger zone? Then there is the question of our mecha. We've all been hammered hard, and are in need of some serious repair to bring us up to full strength. Will there be time for that to take place before we launch? And finally, we've been fighting around the clock for weeks, and I can say that the whole team is exhausted. How much time do we have before we have to deploy? Can we catch some sleep and recharge before then?"

 

[Rykon]

Alan blinked, not sure if he should ask the obvious questions but deciding he would anyway. "Well since your offering to answer questions, I may as well ask. With all the prisoners we wrangled did we learn anything of what actually brought them here? How do they about know of us? What do they know about us? Why do they want our planet? Why didn't they respond to any of our attempts at diplomacy? Are there any more ships on the way we should be prepared to intercept?"

The soldier paused then gave an apologetic nod. "I am sorry if it seems if I'm going off on a tirade. I just... reckon I was hoping for a lot more answers to big picture questions after all that work to bring those guys in than just what our next target is. As the Lieutenant says, all of us here have been working ourselves to the bone to bring this conflict to an end. I want to see a light at the end of the tunnel of all these wars sir. I really do."

 

[Psychie]

Deunan is exhausted, but this briefing brings up a sudden burst of energy and excitement. Finally, we are taking the fight to them! About time! She looks up and says, "A few things, sir. First, how large is the Reflex warhead and how will it be transported? Also, I am concerned with the size of the blast radius. Is there a timer on it to let us get out of the danger zone? Then there is the question of our mecha. We've all been hammered hard, and are in need of some serious repair to bring us up to full strength. Will there be time for that to take place before we launch? And finally, we've been fighting around the clock for weeks, and I can say that the whole team is exhausted. How much time do we have before we have to deploy? Can we catch some sleep and recharge before then?"

The Colonel looks at Deunan and says, "The Reflex warhead is very powerful, but its explosion is very contained. Its blast radius is approximately 300 feet, but God only knows what will happen to the enemy Mothership when the blast goes off. You can set the timer to delay as long as five minutes, but the longer you wait, the higher the chance that one of the Bioroids will be able to locate the bomb and toss it out to space. One of your Ajax's will have one of their wing hard points modified to be able to carry the bomb, along with making sure that all of your gear is at 100% before launch, which is going to be in just short of twenty-four hours from now, so you will have some time to be able to rest before launch."

Alan blinked, not sure if he should ask the obvious questions but deciding he would anyway. "Well since your offering to answer questions, I may as well ask. With all the prisoners we wrangled did we learn anything of what actually brought them here? How do they about know of us? What do they know about us? Why do they want our planet? Why didn't they respond to any of our attempts at diplomacy? Are there any more ships on the way we should be prepared to intercept?"

The colonel and the scientist trade a look, then the colonel says, "You might as well know. The Bioroid pilots do not have all the answers to these questions, but they do have a few for us. First off, they have no idea of exactly why the Robotech Masters decided to come to Earth, and are only following orders to attack where and when they are told to. They did tell us that the probable reason why that there has been no effort to talk is that the Clone Masters and Science Ministers are all extremely arrogant, and they don't consider us to be equals with which to negotiate, but instead we are merely bugs to be stomped under foot.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Ryuko's eyes were wide open, yet her complexion and dark spots under the eyes suggest she was not sleeping well. There was also the obvious paper cup full of black coffee in her right hand.
Of course, it was because of the stupid invaders from outer space, and that's just one more thing added to the list of reasons to kill them all.

After hearing the briefing, she yawned before bringing up a question.
"Why can't we like, try going in disguised as a group of friendlies and blast them sky high that way? This mission sounds like a suicide mission from one of those old sci-fi films involving a giant space station."

Psychie​

 

[Psychie]

The Colonel shakes her head. "Unfortunately, we don't have many Bioroids that are functional to be able to pull off such a ruse. But you are not going to be heading into the lion's den by yourselves. We have tasked a large group of aerospace fighters and Veritechs to punch a hole in the Bioroid defenders to get you close enough to the hull that the assault shuttle can deploy you out into space. Once you hit the hull, it is our expectation that resistance will initially be light, since the bulk of our ship forces will be maintaining a safe distance from the big guns of the Mothership to avoid destruction, and our smaller mecha forces will be drawing out the Bioroids away from you. After the bomb is detonated, we fully expect that the enemy forces in the area will be in chaos, and we will be pushing forward with our heavy ships to do as much damage as possible in the window of opportunity."

Neo raises up her hand to ask a question. "Pardon me, ma'am, but our tanks are not space fighters. How are we supposed to maneuver out in zero G, especially since our transport mode requires air for our hover jets to work?"

"We have developed a detachable booster pack for the Spartas Hover Tanks. It will provide your tanks a sustained flight speed of 220 miles per hour, with short term boosts of up to Mach 2.1 that can allow dogfighting. The fuel cell will last you for approximately eight hours of combat flight, with a lifespan of about three times that in non-combat maneuvering. Obviously, these booster packs do not grant you the ability to reenter the atmosphere. That will still require you to get a ride from a shuttle."

This seems to satisfy Neo, and she sits back in her seat.

The Colonel looks to Deunan and says, "You will need to let Chief Hobbs know which one of your Ajax's will be modified to carry the Reflex bomb. Discuss it with your fliers after this meeting and let her know ASAP."

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan's mind is racing with the possibilities of this mission. A real chance to strike a blow against these Robotech Masters. Excellent. She doesn't have any other questions for the Colonel, so she simply nods and says, "Understood, ma'am. We'll get the job done."

 

[Rykon]

Alan gave an appreciative nod at the response he was given. It was by no means what he was hoping to hear, but enough to give him ideas on how to proceed. When it was time to speak in private among the Third Heavy he presented his full thoughts on the matter.

"I'm not going to mince words. The fact that we don't have more to show for all this fighting bothers me. I want to take one of these clone masters or scientists prisoner if we can. If for no other reason that I can turn them into floor polish in a boxing match should they prove unhelpful. There's been way too many needless deaths on both sides. I get they have, er... are clones probably... still. This is stupid. Ever since the first extra-terrestrials made it here, it's been one stupid quarrel after another. We barely have any idea of what's really out there. Why they want to be here of all places. I want this last battle to mean something. To bring us forward. A reward for all this suffering... What do you all think?"

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Ryuko would be quiet until Alan finished speaking, before she would walk up next to Gabby and whisper,
"I need to talk to you in private when we get the chance."

She sounded as if she had an issue about the mission.​

 

[Purr]

Gabi looked down at her tablet filled with her latest education and playfully gave Alan's shoulder a punch. "What do I think? I think the reward for suffering, amigo, is survival." Gabi quietly recalled her field time as a Recon Patrol operator. The memories in Bolivia made her smile. "We suffer, sure. Nobody likes that. But in our suffering, we make sure they don't suffer. Instead, we make sure they die. Here's why. In evolution, the strongest, the smartest, the most-elite live to pass on the genes of their young. The rest perish." Gabriela looked Alan right in his eyes and grinned her toothy, lioness grin. "Alan, I'm hoping LT allows me to mount the Reflex bomb. Why? So after this mission, I can say I had a direct hand in making them perish."

Gabi leaned over to Ryuko and listened to her. Discreetly, she whispered back. "You got it, desperada."

"LT," Gabi then turned to Deunan. "You ATAC guys are gonna be in a real disadvantage up there outside of atmosphere. Any of you guys got Zero-G training? You know what to do with these boosters when you fire those big cannons of yours in space, right? The projectile and energy cannons are gonna reaaally different, you know? Beggin' your pardon, ma'am, you all gonna be ready for all that in 24 hours?" Gabi's face held real concern for Neo, Alan, Marlon, and her LT.

 

[Rykon]

Alan shook his head. "We have a chance to get ahead of the next alien contact. Zentraedi, Robotech Masters, whatever the hell else may be out there... I think we should take what chance we can if it's not a huge risk."

At the mention of zero-gravity combat, he took a moment to think about the potential measures they could take. "Lots of spacecraft use advanced software to deal with things like Newton's Third Law. We can try to piggyback off of that and reference the combat data we've accumulated to make our own machines work in zero-gravity. It won't be perfect, but it'll keep us from getting ejected into the cosmos by a few rounds getting fired. Or worse, an accidental re-entry without heat shielding."

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan gives a wry smile. "It is what it is. At least we'll have the booster packs on the tanks to keep us moving up there. As I see it, our big job will be to draw fire away from you as you move in with the bomb and deploy it down the port. Just like Luke Skywalker on the Death Star, right?" She places her hand on Gabi's shoulder and gives her a gentle squeeze. "I'll talk to Chief Hobbs about having your Ajax fitted with the bomb."

 

[Purr]

"You got it, LT." Gabi grinned appreciatively. "I'm honored to be selected for that responsibility, ma'am." In her heart, Gabi was hoping the Reflex bomb would be mounted on her Ajax. She wanted the honor. She wanted to be the one that pulled the trigger on Earth's enemies. Plus, the engineer in her was thrilled at the very idea of flying with something like this on her wing. Part of her wanted to see the precise destruction it would cause while the Recon Patrol operator in her was just chomping at the bit to either completely destroy these Robotech Master bastards or send them packing away from Earth never to return again.

If the meeting were done, she gave Ryuko the sign that she was ready to speak with her. Gundam Watcher 27

"What's on your mind, desperada?"

 

[Sherwood]

With the meeting done, Deunan makes the call to Chief Hobbs, telling her to get Gabi's Ajax ready to carry the Reflex warhead on the mission, along with making sure that all of the squad is set to make the trip to space.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

As soon as they would leave to speak in private, Ryuko would put both hands on Gabi's shoulders, looking angry.

"Gabi, please don't do it."

Ryuko would then look down, her eyes covered by her hair.

"This mission might end badly... With you dying and .... I just don't want to lose my best friend! "

Purr

 

[Purr]

Gundam Watcher 27

Ryuko had done it again. She had made Gabi wonder why Ryuko had joined the military if she could not handle the lifestyle.

"Chica..." Gabi's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Every mission can be a soldier's last. Everybody knows that's part of being a soldier. Why don't you get that?"

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

"I understand people die in missions. It's just... We never had a mission like this before... We won't be able to tell what could happen in space! This will be the first time doing so, and it's scary to me!"

Ryuko then let go before looking away.

"No... It's not the mission I'm afraid of. It's fear of never seeing you again. Either one of us could die, from this new and unfamiliar demolition job, and I don't want what happened in the past to happen again. "

Ryuko then would calm herself, before looking at Gabi.

"I can't stop you from going... And I want to see this through too, but promise me... Just promise me you'll make it back here alive..."

Purr

 

[Purr]

Gundam Watcher 27

"Desperada, that's a promise I can never make. Not to you, not to mi familia ("my family"), not to nobody." Gabriela pushed her hair back, glanced skyward, and gave a little grin. "When God wants me, I'm going proudly.

"But I can promise you this - I ain't letting go of this life easy, you know? You know I'm a fighter. When I go out, I'll be going doing something I know is right." Gabriela shrugged her fit shoulders.

"That's the best I can give you, amiga. For your sake, I hope it's enough."

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan notices that the two pilots are off talking together, but makes no effort to overhear their conversation. The two ladies have a bond from being together in the other unit, making it natural for them to turn to each other when times get tough.

Sticking to her plan to check on the status of the mecha and to tell Chief Hobbs that Gabi is going to be carrying the warhead, Deunan heads down to the motorpool level of the building to talk to the Chief.

 

[Psychie]

When Deunan gets to the vehicle bay, she sees that there is an extra squad of mechanics there hard at work putting your mecha back into top shape. A very tired Chief makes her way over to you. "Don't you worry, ma'am! We'll have the repairs done in plenty of time for your trip up to give the Robotech Masters a black eye. I did receive word that one of your Ajax mecha will need to be modified to handle a special package; I just need to know which one you want set up for that."

What are the rest of you doing in the 24 hours before your launch time?

 

[Rykon]

Alan would be working on tuning the Spartas mechs to better handle zero gravity conditions.

 

[Purr]

Gabi focused on two things - 1. prepping for the mission until her brain was filled with relevant information (travel in space for their team, relevant information on the enemy, how the bomb operated, etc.) and 2. chilling the heck out! To be relaxed, rested, and ready before a big event was just as important to her performance.

So one hour, Gabriela could be found neck-deep in manuals and computer screens, and the next hour, she's breaking out a blanket on top of a high place away from prying eyes and sunbathing in her gym outfit.

This was going to be the mission of a lifetime - a real history-maker. She wasn't expecting her name to be read by anyone in the future, but they would know one thing - she had not failed in her duty to Earth's people.

 

[Psychie]

Luckily for the team, the Robotech Masters seem to have decided to give you the needed down time to get the rest and repairs needed before this mission. Come early morning of the day of the mission, everyone is rousted out of bed to get to your mecha and aid in getting them loaded into the assault shuttle.

Gundam Watcher 27 and Purr : I'll need you both to decide what missiles you want on your wings. Dannigan, don't forget that one of your hard points has the heavy bomb on it, so you only have three left to load missiles on it.

The shuttle is large enough to fit all of your tanks and the two Ajax with room to spare. At the moment, everyone has their mecha, including the two Ajax, strapped down with heavy duty straps to keep your gear safely in place before it is time to launch out into space to make the assault run on the Mothership. Launch time is coming up fast, and everyone is seated in your cockpits in your megadamage suits, ready to go.

Soon enough, word comes down from the flight deck that the launch is coming up in mere minutes.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

I'll take the mini missiles for all four.

 

[Purr]

Gabi "Chrome Shaman" De la Rosa
Tac Corp Special Forces Recon Patrol​

Spoiler: Payload and Combat Details

VHT-10A Ajax mode: Jet.

Missile Payload:
30/30 HEAP Mini-missiles: 1D4x10 M.D., 1 mile range, 3 foot radius, 2 M.D.C.
5/5 Plasma/Napalm (medium) Short-range missiles: 2D6x10 M.D., 3 mile range, 15 foot radius, 5 M.D.C.
1/1 Present from Earth =)

Gabriela felt relaxed and ready. Times like these, it was best to leave tension and problems behind while keeping one's skills sharp. She had done just that. She felt comforted knowing that space was what her Ajax was in its best-suited environment. Nowhere did the Ajax perform at her peak than in the cold rigors of empty space.

She felt a touch of worry for the ATAC crew. This had to be their first time in this position. Plus, Third Heavy Recon was going up against opponents who had been fighting in space with spaceworthy equipment for probably even longer than the Zentraedi had. This was Third Heavy Recon's biggest test and the outcome could be a major game-changer for one side. Gabriela was ready to do her utmost to see that that side was Earth's.

Her enthusiasm showed in her voice. "Chrome Shaman, ready to go! How you feelin' up here, you guys? It's a heavenly view, no?"

Image credit: www.limetown.com.br

STATUS

Location: In space above Earth orbit.
Statblock: VHT-10A Ajax (400/400 M.D.). CBR Mk 2E Armor (105/105 M.D.). Heavy Shield (55/55 M.D.).
Effects Active: None.

 

[Psychie]

With everyone strapped into their acceleration couches, the assault shuttle blasts off from the launch pad, escorted by a variety of heavy aerospace fighters that are capable of reaching orbit along side the shuttle. Accelerating hard, the attacking force of ASC fighters deploy in a protective screen around the larger ships as the fleet closes in on the Robotech Master Mothership.

The assault shuttle's turrets are blazing at the defending force of Bioroids, and as the ship flies along, you can feel the occasional shudder of an impact on the armored hull of the shuttle. Over the radio, a woman's voice calls out in a clam tone, "Third Heavy, stand by for deployment. We are under heavy fire as things out here are pretty hot. This will be a fast drop." The shuttle shakes again as another blast hits it. "Thirty seconds."

From her position in her own Spartas, Neo grumbles out, "God damn it, I signed up to the ATAC to be a friggin' ground pounder, not some space cowboy! Get me on the ground! I don't belong up here!" She lets out a nervous chuckle.

"Ten seconds. Opening cargo bay doors." For both Ryuko and Gabi, the sight of open space is not a surprise, but for the hover tank pilots, this is a unique vision that has only been seen on tv before. Ships and energy blasts light up the dark space around you as the assault shuttle spins on its axis to point its open doors at the massive Mothership. It is so large, it literally fills the sky in front of you despite still being some distance from you. The enemy ship continues to grow in your view as the shuttle burns at top speed towards it, then the explosive bolts holding you in place are fired, freeing your mecha to be able to maneuver out on your own.

Just as that happens, the shuttle hits its reverse thrusters to help eject you from the cargo bay. You are now out in open space, flying at the hull of the Robotech Master ship at high Mach speed. Everyone in hover tanks will have to apply their thrust packs at full power to keep from hitting theMothership at too high of a speed to be able to maintain control. D. Rex Rykon and Sherwood please give me Pilot Veritech rolls.

Gabi and Ryuko have the advantage of actually being in mecha built for speeds like this, so the two of you are both fine.

Out in space, your radar is quickly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of ships and mecha in the area, making you rely upon both the data feeds from the capitol ships in the area and your own visual target acquisition ability.

D. Rex Rykon Sherwood Purr Gundam Watcher 27 Please give me Initiative rolls, and Sherwood, don't forget to try to get your Command Tank bonuses with your Systems Operation roll.