Robotech - Southern Cross Adventure

[Psychie]

Gabi rips through space at high speed, her mind racing with all of the calculations of approach vector, speed and judging the best amount of time for the explosive device to go off for the best results. After a high-G turn and a quick transformation to Battloid mode, Gabi lands next to the open port. With a quick movement, she hurls the bomb down into the opening and blasts off into open space once more.

Once the weapon leaves the hands of the Ajax, Neo is on the radio in a wide band broadcast: "Fire in the hole! The package has been delivered! All units, prepare to take advantage of the situation or get the hell out of the area!"

Long seconds tick by, seeming to be even longer due to the level of anxiety to see if this crazy plan works or not. With all eyes turned to the Mothership, Gabi can see the timer she set tick down to zero. For a moment, nothing seems to happen. Then a large gout of flame shoots out of the opening, followed by a series of large cracks that begin to form across the hull, radiating out from the center like a huge spiderweb. Secondary explosions rip out, sending huge sprays of fire and rubble out into the space around you.

Even while boosting away at top speed, the members of the Third Heavy are rocked by shock waves that hammer you, knocking you around in your cockpits like pin balls. Sadly, while you accelerate away, you can see that not all of the screening force of fighters and mecha are as lucky, and many of your compatriots are taken out by the explosions.

That is the bad news. The good news is, the nearly impenetrable force fields around the Mothership flicker and go out, and the big anti ship guns fall silent! The waiting force of allied ships turn as one and begin to fire everything they have got against the large enemy ship, practically ignoring the Bioroids that are still out in space around them, causing even more damage to the giant ship. In a desperate attempt to get away from the attack, the Mothership begins to maneuver away from the fleet, but seems to lose maneuvering control and it is now set on a reentry path headed for the Earth! As you watch, superhot plasma begins to form on the sides of the ship as the atmosphere drags on the hull, forming a blazing fireball as it plummets down.


Meanwhile, as the Mothership is crashing, the desperate escape attempt by the Third Heavy is still underway. Scores of Bioroids are now moving to intercept you, hoping to get revenge on you for the damage you did to their ship! Things are looking a bit bleak for you, up until you guys see a Tristar Class Heavy Cruiser blasting their way through the cloud of Bioroids, flying more like a fighter jet instead of a heavy ship, guns blazing and their forward hangar bay doors yawning wide open! A rather calm make voice cuts through the radio chatter to your squad, saying, "Mecha of the Third Heavy! Stand by for high speed pick-up. We are only going to be able to attempt this once, so lets make it count. Flight vectors are being sent to you now, and I suggest you follow them or you'll get left behind up here."

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan lets out a loud excited cry as she sees the explosions ripping through the ship. "Yes! Damn right! We did that!" When it becomes clear that they weren't about to be killed outright by the blasts, her grin gets so wide that it almost becomes a permanent addition to her face. "Neo! Get on the horn and get us a ride out of here! I do not want to stick around any longer than I have to!"

With the swarming mass of Bioroids still out here, it is not looking good for them, right up until they get word from the cruiser that they are to be ready for a high speed recovery. Looking at the navigation data that they were getting from the ship, Deunan does her best to comply.

 

[Psychie]

As you wait for the ship to sweep you up, time seems to slow down to a crawl. Then suddenly, the large cruiser is upon you as it accelerates away from the swarming enemy Bioroids and escort ships. The calm voice on the radio gives out firm instructions to continue to boost at top speed away from the ship up until you are swept up in the hangar bay, then you are to cut your thrust and brace for impact.

With the doors of the hangar bay wide open, the pilot of the cruiser expertly maneuvers the ship to scoop you up in one big group. Once you are inside the ship, the effects of the artificial gravity takes effect, giving you a very disorientating experience. Cutting thrust, the hover tanks of the squad are slammed into the deck hard, skidding across the wide open chamber, banging and rattling all of you and giving you a nice set of bruises to show for your efforts.

Gabi and Ryuko are a bit more graceful in their approach, but not by much. Even with their training in zero-G and radical maneuvering, this is still an unusual way of landing inside a spaceship. Your poor Ajax mecha are also banged up a bit, but not as badly as the Spartas tanks. For the two of you, it is more like making a landing on a seagoing aircraft carrier in rough seas.

Fire suppression foam sprays down on all of you in an attempt to keep you from starting a fiery explosion inside the ship, and brave deck crewmen race forward to help get you out of your mecha. As you stumble out of your mecha and slip-slide through the fire suppression foam, it begins to sink in that you have accomplished your mission, and you are alive and safe - for now.

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan stumbles out of the cockpit of her battered Spartas and tries her best not to fall flat on her face as she slip-slides around in the fire retardant foam with a pained look on her face. "Ow! Damn! That landing hurt! I guess its true what those pilot-types say: Any landing you can walk away from is a good one." She looks around, trying to get a head count on the members of her team. "Third Heavy! Sound off! Is everyone here, alive and in one piece?"

She pauses to think, Please tell me we got through that without losing anyone! I do not want to be sending any letters of 'I regret to inform you . . .' out to anyone's family.

Rykon Purr D. Rex Gundam Watcher 27

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Ryuko was next to Gabi, sitting down and wore out.

Unusually enough though, she had a sinister smile, like some sort of hidden agenda was accomplished.

"I'm alive. Can't say the same for the Bioroids we blew sky high."

 

[Rykon]

"Yeah I'm bruised but breathing. Hold on tight, looks like we've got some fires to put out." Since Alan was trained in Rescue work, as soon as he is free, he attempts to join the ship's crew in extracting the rest of the Third Heavy from the damaged mechs.

 

[Purr]

Ryuko was next to Gabi, sitting down and wore out.

Gabi was not sitting but instead in her Ajax, attempting to get Neo out of her VHT.

"Chrome Shaman here," Gabriela sounded off. "I'm fine, LT."

She was working to assist Neo unless Alan was doing that. If so, her target was Marlon. "Neo! Talk to me, amiga!"

 

[D. Rex]

Coming from his tank, Marlon removes his helmet, revealing a sweaty helmet haired mess. "Marlon here."

He said, being helped out of the mecha. "I think... that we landed about as well as tanks can be landed." Though despite that, certainly didnt mean he wasnt rattled by the shock of it.

"Duenan, you okay?" He asked, regardless that she was obviously alive. She had still taken the most hits.

 

[Psychie]

Neo manages to crawl her way out of her tank with Gabi's and Alan's help, and she pulls off her helmet and sputters out a mouthful of blood, with more running down her face from her nose. "Damn! I think I broke my nose banging my face against the control panel! Ouch!" She takes a deep breath, then says, "Neo here, ma'am. I'm alive, even if I'm a bit messed up." Neo looks around the interior of the cruiser and says in a tone filled with wonder. "I didn't honestly think we were going to come back from this, but hell yes, we did it!"

As the reality of the moment is sinking in, a couple of corpsmen begin to pull Neo aside and press a bandage to her nose despite her complaints, and another goes around to check on the rest of you. While that is going on, you feel the deck under your feet shudder from a series of heavy blows, showing you that the ship is still under attack and you are not out of the woods yet.

The corpsmen that are examining you politely insist that you all go to the med bay to be examined by the doctors to make sure that there are no serious injuries that might be overlooked. Once you get there, the ship's physician makes a quick examination of all of you, and other than poor Neo's nose, the worst that the rest of you have is a few bumps and bruises that will color up nicely over the next few days.

While the nurse gives out some painkillers for those that need it, a small male officer walks into the main exam room. A quick check of his rank tab shows that he's a TASC Lieutenant, and his name plate says, 'Montgomery'. He walks in and asks the doctor, "How are our stowaways, Kurt?"

"One has a broken nose and is getting patched up, but the rest are good to go."

Capt. Montgomery then says, "If that is the case can I have a few minutes with your patients?"

Nodding, the doctor says, "Certainly, Neil. They are all yours."

Montgomery motions for you to follow him. "Lets get you out of here and free up some of the good doctor's work space. First off, let me welcome you aboard the John Stennis. The ship's Captain, Major Welker, wants to see you right away. I am Lt. Montgomery. Please, come with me."

The Lieutenant leads you through the ship to the Command Deck and into the Operations Center. The room is filled with dozens of men and women sitting at various communication consoles, doing their best to relay combat instructions to the fighting forces in the area and maintain some measure of control in the heart of the chaos. For most of you, the multiple display screens are a confusing mass of red and green dots with numbers and labels on them.

But for Gabi and Ryuko, you can make a bit of sense out of the mess on the screen and you can see that the Robotech Masters have moved their ships into position around the Earth in a blockade pattern blocking the ship from returning home, so at the moment, it seems that at the moment, you are on your way to the Moon.

The ship's Captain swivels around on his seat and looks over at you. "Thank you for bringing up the heroes of the hour, Lieutenant. Welcome aboard the John Stennis. Let me give you a quick update of your efforts and our current status. Especially since you were so instrumental in bringing about the current situation."

He points at one of the screens that shows a long distance video view of a burning plume of smoke rising up from a crater. "The ship that the attack was focused on entered the atmosphere and has crash landed down in the North American state of New Mexico. As you can see, a long range scout has eyes on the vessel, and it appears that much of it has survived the landing, and the ASC is currently mobilizing troops to the location as we speak. We won't know the full extent of the damage until more assets are in the area."

"Right now, we are cut off from a return to Earth, and even if we weren't the Stennis is too badly damaged to successfully make a landing, so along with the remaining fleet units left, we are going to Moon Base Aluce for repairs and to regroup. We will be arriving at Aluce in four hours, whereupon you'll be given your formal debriefing about what you experienced in the attack on the Mothership."

He leans forward in his seat and gives you all a wide grin. "You were able to pull off what I personally considered to be impossible, and you took the fight to the enemy in a way that shows them humanity is not to be trifled with. Let me be the first to give you my congratulations on a job well done!" When the Major says that, many of the bridge crew pause what they are doing and give you a round of applause and cheers.

 

[Sherwood]

Before leaving the hangar bay, Deunan checks on Neo. "You are going to be ok, champ. Once the nose heals up, you'll be as good as new! For your sake, I hope you get a cute orderly to give you your sponge baths!" She gives the younger girl a playful nudge with her elbow before letting the corpsmen take her away.

She the takes a look at her battered up hover tank with a sigh. Another day's work, and her baby is all battered up again. Marlon was right; she took the brunt of the damage this time, but from what she saw in her monitors, it was all worth it. They were able to do some real damage against the Mothership before they had to bug out. I just hope the cost in lives was worth it.

While the doc checks her out, she keeps on insisting that she's fine, and that she's had worse bruising from her hand to hand combat training sessions, but doesn't complain when offered a painkiller to ease the growing ache in her body where the safety straps bit into her on landing. Deunan is super happy with the performance of her entire team, and is very glad that there is no losses in her squad.

When they are taken to the Command Deck to see the ship's captain, she listens intently as he gives them a quick rundown on the current situation. After all that damage that they did from the bomb and the fleet's bombardment, the Mothership was still able to survive the reentry into the atmosphere and crash land and not be destroyed? Damn, the Robotech Masters sure build their ships tough!

Deunan trades a glance with her team as the members of the ship's command staff cheer and applaud them, not even trying to hide her wide smile. The only dampener on her enthusiasm is the fact that they will not be a part of the ground force hitting the crashed ship like a fucking hammer, with their side trip to the Moon. Well, the recruiter did say that I would be traveling and seeing the world; I guess he was right!

"Thank you, sir, for the update and the kind words."

 

[Psychie]

If there are no other comments or questions being made on the Command Deck, you are allowed to go to the ship's galley where you are reunited with Neo after getting her nose fixed. The poor thing looks like she's gone a few rounds with a heavyweight champion, with a pair of black eyes and her nose taped up, but thanks to the meds she's been pumped up with, she's in no pain and is expected to be back to her old self in no time.

There is a mixed feeling of both excitement and sorrow coming from the other crew members of the Stennis as you sit in the galley. They are all very happy to have been a part of striking a serious blow against the Robotech Masters, but there has been a lot of casualties on the ship in the fighter and mecha wings, and several ships crew were killed in the various heavy guns of the enemy ships firing back.

Overall, everyone that crosses your path wants to hear the details, and you have the feeling that you'll be getting more than your fair share of drinks bought for you once you reach Moon Base Aluce.

The four hour travel time passes quickly for you, and before you know it, the ship is setting down inside one of the large hangar bays dug into the surface of the Moon. At this point, you are told to report in to Major Eva Sumpter, the head GMP officer on the Moon and the chief of security for your mission debriefing.

 

[Purr]

In the landing bay...

"Hey Neo," Gabi kidded, "you ain't going to land a man looking like that, chica!" But her expression to Neo clearly showed as she told her, "I am so glad you are okay! If you need anything, makeup, whatever, you let me know." Gabi then hung out with Neo as long as the other half-Meltrandi wanted the company.

* * *​

On the bridge of the John Stennis...

Gabi closed her eyes, dropped her chin, and blushed a little. She told the captain and crew, "We wouldn't be breathing without you. On this day, when humanity needed you most, you contributed too - remember that when you tell your grandchildren."

Gabi took in the view of the bridge and the stars outside. She loved what she saw. She found herself looking for Earth. She wanted to see it, humanity's birthplace, from up here.

In the sea of stars, she lookes up and saw a face. It was looking back at her. Proudly.

Gabriela half-daydreamed, half-prayed. "You were right, Miss Claudia. I would have never been happy trying to be another you, but I have come so very far trying to be a happier me! It takes everything you said. Especially sacrifice. I don't know if I'll ever have a boyfriend, much less a husband. But I know that the biggest bomb I ever seen was the one I threw down the Robotech Masters insides.

"It's loca. Pure loca. The Robotech Masters? They designed my mother. My mother gave birth to me. And I'm the one who threw the bomb to destroy them. Life has some crazy circles!"

* * *​

Gabi shook her head causing a few strands to become free. Using Dragonfly (presuming she had LT Conway and the captain's permissions), Gabriela recorded some of their flight to the moon, mostly for her family. She added a narrative, just her thoughts and some video of her squadmates being themselves.

Once they touched down on Aluce, the recording stopped and Dragonfly was packed away. No sense in potentially ruffling the feathers of their GMP debriefer. Still, Gabriela could not help but feel like a kid in a candy store.

Here they all were! On the moon! Holy frijoles and ai yai yai!

 

[Sherwood]

With the adrenaline of the fight fading, Deunan can feel a strong need for coffee to keep her up and moving. But as the ship gets closer to the Moon, her excitement comes back. She's never been up in space before this mission, and now, they are about to land on the Moon! How cool is that! I wonder if I can get a Moon rock as something to remember our trip by?

As they land, Deunan is now ready to go talk to the GMP Officer on the base to share her opinions about the mission.

 

[Psychie]

After the Stennis docks in the large hangar bay, the members of the Third Heavy are off loaded quickly with your mecha, and repair crews immediately get to work to get your mecha back to full operational status. While that is going on, you are escorted by a fresh-faced private to the offices of Maj. Sumpter, the Chief of Security on the base and the highest ranking member of the GMP there for your mission debriefing.

From her, you learn that your squad was not the only ones to attempt the crippling attack on a Robotech Master Mothership. In fact, you were one of three teams that attempted simultaneous strikes, but of the three, your squad was the only successful one. The other two teams were both wiped out before they could deliver their explosive payload to the port.

The Major is joined by a full dozen members of her personal staff, and with cameras rolling, she begins to ask some probing questions. "I'll cut to the chase. What you did was outstanding, but a 33% success rate is not acceptable, and we lost a lot of good pilots out there today. What I want to know is where you went right compared to the other two teams that went wrong. How can we make it so that our next attack is a win, especially considering that the Robotech Masters will most likely be expecting a follow up attempt on the port."

D. Rex Purr Sherwood Gundam Watcher 27 Rykon

 

[D. Rex]

Marlon sucked on a tooth as he though, crossing his arms. "Then we shouldn't attack the port. If we want to win without undue casualties." He said softly. "But we don't need too. We still have options. If we have the ships, surely orbital bombardment can do the work we started. The mothership may be tough, but the blast sight is now is greatest weakness. With proper weaponry, the entire ship can be cored through. It is not exactly in a position where it can evade, and it can only defend for so long."

"But, that hole should also be able to fit a crack team of ASC. With the distraction of a bombardment, we can slip right in. We used the method on a Zentraedi cruiser once, it worked well there. This time we just do it on a bigger scale. And we are better prepared this time."

"However there is one other idea. And that is containment. However its described, this is a siege on Earth. And with the mothership downed, they should have a much greater trouble running supplies. Mecha need repaired. Organics need sustenance. Weapons need ammo. If we can hunt those supply lines, and destroy them, them it's only a matter of time before we win. We have a planet, they do not. They cant win by outlasting us."

 

[Psychie]

The Major nods, "Those are good points, but we still have four more of those Motherships up in orbit, along with multiple support craft, all ready to continue their attack on the Earth. We need to find a way to cripple all of their defenses in order to bring a decisive victory to the ASC and to the Earth."

 

[D. Rex]

"Easier said than done, Major. Their soldiers caught on quick to what we were doing as we were doing it. This strategy isnt going to work again. But the one we have on Earth is a major threat until we know how much of it remains operational. But whatever does remain, of whatever we do to it, could tell us a lot about other weaknesses the mothership might have. A sitting duck to test as many weapons as we need to on it. Better if we take it whole. To learn how it works. But even with probing blasts we can search for weak points and blind spots. Or we can find a way to scan or steal blueprints from it." Marlon said in counter point. "We can spread their resources thin... then once we have the knowledge we need, we can crack their hulls in two."

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan frowns at the news that the other teams were not only unsuccessful, but were wiped out. She thinks back to what it was that helped to provide them the edge to get the weapon deployed down the port. "Ma'am, if any credit is going to be given out for the success of the Third Heavy getting the mission done, the brave pilots of the screening force keeping the bulk of the attacking Bioroid forces off our backs was a huge part of us being able to get the job done. Not to mention the excellent teamwork of all the members of my team. If there is any future attempts to hit a Mothership like this, it will have to include a very large and well-trained air wing covering the point squadron."

 

[Purr]

Gabriela folded her hands and considered. "There may be more to it than that, LT. We got some genius-grade brains in our ranks. We've put those brains to use and come up with original technologies and the means to use it. We are a recon force and we act like one, drones and everything. We've been together for quite awhile and have the added advantage of, you know, being a squad and going through hell together. Not many squads have endured what we have if you don't mind my sayin'. We also had some really good teamwork together on this last run! Nobody tried to be heroes - we just did the job and are lucky to be talkin' about it now. Those are some elements that many squads just don't have. Face it - we're different."

 

[Psychie]

The briefing goes on for another several hours, all with the various staff members asking probing questions on what you saw and what you did out there. But even with as intense as the meeting is, the overall tone is a friendly one, with no accusations of incompetence or any kind of failure to do the right thing at the right time, and there is even the occasional break to let you gather your thoughts and get a snack. Things certainly could have gone a whole lot less pleasant.

As the briefing is wrapping up, Maj. Sumpter tells you to go with one of her subordinates, a fellow named Lt. Cooper, and he will assign you guest quarters for the time being, until the blockade of the Earth is able to be broken and get you back planetside. For now, you are going to be temporarily assigned to the defense force of Moon Base Aluce, set to deploy in your mecha in the event of an attack on the base by the enemy.

Once you are all released from the briefing, it is quickly clear to you guys that you are all the heroes of the base, and are quickly surrounded by many off duty members of the base asking for you to share your stories with them. It is quickly clear to all of you that you are the most combat seasoned people currently on the Moon.

Given your level of experience, Deunan and Marlon are both approached by Sergeant Major Dennis Murphy, the ranking NCO of the base, asking for your expertise with some of his less qualified members of the tank unit currently assigned under his command. He considers his current ground forces to be woefully unprepared, and would like you to help get them up to speed as much as possible.

Gabi and Ryuko have a slightly different reception, since the aerospace pilots of the base are more experienced and combat seasoned than the battloid and hover tank forces, if not quite as much as the two of you. Even so, you are both quickly adopted by your fellow pilots and treated as one of their own.

 

[Sherwood]

Even with the debriefing being a more casual and easy going one, Deunan is still on her toes, so to speak, to make sure that she doesn't say something stupid and really stick a knife in the gut of her own career. As things finally wind down, she lets out a quiet sigh of relief. I'm glad that's over. Too bad that things didn't work out for the other crews sent out. That is a damn shame; all those letters being sent out for the lives lost. All we wanted is peace, and they attacked us. The Robotech Masters have a lot to answer for.

Now that it seems that the Third Heavy will be sticking around the Moon for a while, Deunan decides to get a better handle on the layout of the place, and she sets out to do some exploring in the base - all in the non-classified areas, of course. When she feels that she has a good idea of where things are, she makes her way to the mess hall for a cup of coffee when she is contacted by Sar. Major Murphy. With a nod, she motions for the man to join her at the table.

"Of course. I would be happy to assist in getting your ground-pounders whipped up to speed. It will help me feel useful while I'm up here. Tell me; what is the status of your ground forces? How many mecha are we talking about?"

 

[Psychie]

The NCO pulls out a small data tablet and shows it to Deunan. "Our ground mecha forces are composed of thirty two Hover Tanks and 100 Battloids of various types. The bulk of our defense force is composed of aerospace fighters, Logan and Ajax class Veritechs, and they do an excellent job of keeping Aluce safe. But there have been times that the Bioroid forces have been able to punch through the outer defense line, and my ground forces were just barely able to hold the line with the aid of the automated sentry guns on the crater rim. I know that here in space that things are naturally focused on the fliers, but as was shown by your squad, a Spartas has a lot to offer up here. If you can work on some training drills to help my people out, I will be eternally in your debt."

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan nods. "I am sure that between me and Sgt. McKinney we can come up with a few drills and training scenarios that will challenge them. Hell, Marlon will probably enjoy it far more than he should! He's a natural at being my top kick, and I wouldn't trade him for half the world. Let me talk with him, and we can see what ideas we can come up with. We will need to know just how far we can go with allocating resources and personnel for this, though. I would hate to cause a problem with the Base CO."

 

[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:
0/00 HEAP Mini-missiles: 1D4x10 M.D., 1 mile range, 3 foot radius, 2 M.D.C.
0/0 Plasma/Napalm (medium) Short-range missiles: 2D6x10 M.D., 3 mile range, 15 foot radius, 5 M.D.C.

The moment Lt. Conway allowed Gabriela and Ryuko to go off on their own, Gabriela mixed in with the Aluce pilots and tried to get a feel of them - what it was like to serve full-time in space defending Earth's only moon and everyone at the base. As this went on, Gabriela had another plan in mind, this one involving her family. Here she was on the moon! She had to try and get them all souvenirs of some kind! Preferably something lightweight, compact, and long-lasting, but most of all, something they could all use. They had to have these qualities because she meant to mail them and the lighter and more compact they were, the better. 12 items - 10 for all of her younger siblings and 2 for her Papi and Mami.

Gabriela became a woman on a mission as she thought it out. Then an answer came her way! 12 canteens! There was something that fit the bill! She could laser-etch each of their names with today's date and the next time Third Heavy Recon was at a major base like Brazilia, she could mail them off back home with her blessings! Papi and Mami and her sisters and brothers had plenty of nice things, but they couldn't reach the moon!

"So, what do you guys think?" she confided in Ryuko and the Aluce pilots (and Alan and Neo if they were present). "12 canteens for 12 members of mi familia! It's a good idea, 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: Command Spartas Combat Bonuses.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Ryuko would be staring into nothing when Gabi asked the question. Her eyes were drooping, and she was leaning forward slightly.

Being asked again by one of the other pilots, Ryuko would jump and rub her eyes.

"Sorry, I'm still a little weary from our previous mission."
Ryuko would reply, before yawning.

"Some rest would be nice before we head out again. "

Purr Psychie