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Chapter Six: All Hands on Deck

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Your conversations come to a sudden halt as the Sam unit in the copilot's chair shouts out in Hiroshi Kirin's voice. "Alert! Missiles in the air! We are under attack!"

Without thinking, Cera shouts right back. "Shields up! Evasive action! Who is it?"
Elinor's mouth opened at nearly the same time as Cera's, so that it almost looked as though Cera's voice was coming out of her dentalla's mouth. Elinor's voice remained silent, though; she figured conflicting orders were worse than none at all, and in any case Elinor had forgotten about the shields and had only been going to order the evasive action. But Cera seemed to have her priorities straight. Instead, Elinor responded to Cera's guilty look with a quick, private "We'll talk about it later," then turned to the problem at hand. "Sam, if the Esper can function underwater like Broadsword can, let's do that soonest." The water itself would be a nice shield if they got deep enough. "If not... we need to find a way to get our boys outside to shoot back, and us girls too. Can we restore shields in the field? Redirect from somewhere else?" Support from the Broadsword would be nice too, but if the Esper's shields were at half already, Elinor didn't think they had time to wait for reinforcements.
 

( Captain Hesperus Captain Hesperus Tag!)

Cera nods to Elinor obediently, but Elinor notices that the Ura-Meltrandi has a death-grip on her Centurion rifle. Sam replies and attempts to cover your requests. "Our intention is to submerge at the earliest opportunity, but first we must find water deep enough or we chance crashing. ETA three minutes. Broadsword Sam pilots in the Super Logan veritechs are scrambling. Preparation is required. ETA to us is 10 minutes. The Broadsword reports it cannot launch the new Traversers. It has one vessel enroute to support us. The Broadsword cannot support us without the drones spotting it.

A second series of explosions interrupted Sam as red lights blinked violently from the cargo ship's console. "Shields down to 23%! The drone missile-fire is currently too great for our shields to regenerate in time. Redirection is not a function of the Esper's shields. We have no gun ports for you to return fire from."

Cera gasps. "The rear loading ramp! Opening the ramp 20 degrees should provide us a firing window! Dentella, all of us can lay prone and return fire!"

Sam replies, "This might endanger the cargo we have... Alert! The rear loading ramp's locks have been disengaged and is opening!"

Cera looks at the rest of you with an astonished face that tells you she had nothing to do with this. "Iriiis!"

"Greetings! This One has opened the ramp and is preparing to return fire! Is this not harmonious?"

The look of Cera gawking from inside her Cyclone helmet would be hilarious if not for the dire circumstances surrounding it.

What do the Wild Cards do?


Star Citizen Lightning -  or Chessel Corporation Griffon.jpg
Chessel Corporation Griffon Drones
(Image credit: Star Citizen)
STATUS Location: Leaving Veracruz and entering the Gulf of Mexico
Exciting Mood Music (click to play): "Dreams" by Van Halen! R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen!
 
"Let's do it!" Elinor says briskly, suiting word to action and heading for the rear loading ramp with rifle in hands. "Iris, don't open that any more 'n Cera said, so's to spare the cargo unnecessary risk." Once at the ramp, she lies prone as suggested and seeks a target.
 
Toph makes a quick dash to the rear hatch, getting the Twins out of their holsters and ready for action. She jokes, "I just hope that if we do go underwater, someone remembers to close the door! Lets do this!"
 
Mario hefts his rifle with a nod. "Absolutely. We'll keep the threat of those missiles down!"

OOC Are we still in our Cyclones?
 

( Captain Hesperus Captain Hesperus Tag!)

"Iris, don't open that any more 'n Cera said, so's to spare the cargo unnecessary risk." Once at the ramp, she lies prone as suggested and seeks a target.

"Acknowledged, squad leader! I will prepare a barricade for your arrival." Iris replies sweetly, like a mother in a kitchen cooking a morning meal instead of a passenger on an unarmed spacecraft in danger of being shot down and crashing into the Gulf of Mexico by AUL fighters.

"Good thinking, Iris! We will need the cover!" Cera grins.

In your minds, you feel more than hear Iris's satisfaction and pleasure from the compliment as you hustle straight back to the aft of the Esper. Running there takes hardly any time at all, especially when you are powered by your Cyclone's augmented mechanical musculature - it feels like you could run forever, if only circumstances were the kind to provide the opportunity.

Upon reaching the Esper's aft, you see that most of the bay is skillfully packed with every last military-style crate you could find inside Outpost #5 before you blew it sky-high. The decision to remove the Esper's damaged drive core becomes clear - there is hardly any room to maneuver here at all. You see daylight outside of the opened ramp and the dusty, windblown city of Veracruz receding in the distance. You also see Iris walking backward slowly from one end of the ramp's rearmost edge to the other. Out of her mouth, you witness her secreting a strange substance web-like and the color of black oil in sunlight complete with the rainbow after effect.

You realize it resembles enough of a large, wide pile of sandbags that you find yourselves dropping prone one Wild Card beside the other lest you become an open target for the Griffon Drone's anti-vehicular cannons. Iris then squeezes herself against one wall and makes herself as small a target as possible.

"Your barricade is dry now," Iris advises. "Happy shooting!"

Due to the nature of this combat, your Characters are at a -4 penalty to any attempts to Dodge. However, because of the barrier and your prone positions, you have cover and are therefore harder to hit.

In a matter of moments, you have gone from having no way to attack back to having a firing platform where all of you can respond against the enemy!

Looking out from the inside of the Esper, you catch three Griffons in the distance some 500 yards out or so. You witness a stream of speeding missiles already in the air. The air shudders as they explode just outside the Esper - a barrier of light suddenly appears around the cargo ship, then it fades like a dream.

"Wild Cards!" you hear Sam report over your internal communication system. "Our shields are down! However, according to the data we recorded during your first meeting with the Griffon drones, the enemy should now be out of missiles!"

This left only one thing to shoot at - the drones themselves. This dawns on you right as you spot a fourth Griffon drone rising up from beneath your field of view - and it looks huge! You realize immediately why the trio of Griffons are hanging back; they are covering this one while it made its attack run - and now that ship is less than 100 yards away with its cannons seemingly aimed right at you!

What do the Wild Cards do?


Star Citizen Lightning -  or Chessel Corporation Griffon.jpg
Chessel Corporation Griffon Drones
(Image credit: Star Citizen)
STATUS Location: Leaving Veracruz and entering the Gulf of Mexico
Exciting Mood Music (click to play): "Dreams" by Van Halen! R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen!
 
Mario takes aim with his rifle even as he is diving to lie prone behind the barrier and fires a full burst at the drone, hoping to do some serious damage with the Thundercracker.
 
Toph raises up her arm and triggers off her Cyclone's pair of mini missiles at the drone right in front of them.
 
"Nice job, Iris!" Elinor calls as she drops behind the newly-dry barricade. She nods absently to herself, noting her team already firing (as well they should, with the enemy right in front of them!) and fires a long burst at the same target, the Griffon directly in front of them. "Stay focused on the nearest 'til it's down," she advises.
 

( Captain Hesperus Captain Hesperus Tag!)

The nearest Griffon seems to hang in the air, lining up for a deadly shot - that is, until the Wild Cards loose as one on the drone! This first team-wide assault appears to catch the aircraft off-guard

Mario strikes with a full burst for 50 M.D.!
Hercules strikes with a full burst for 50 M.D.!
Toph's two-missile salvo smashes into the Griffon for 60 M.D.!
Elinor's long burst bites the Griffon for 18 M.D.!
Cera's full-auto Centurion burst nails the Griffon for 27 M.D.!
Total = 205 Mega-damage! =)

This hailstorm of missile and laser-fire catches the drone from above and sends its own cannon-fire harmlessly down into the Gulf of Mexico. The other three Griffons loose unimpeded.

Two of the three Griffons rolled below 5 on my d20s (a 2 and a 3) meaning they miss completely. Call it Wild Cards luck!

Then you feel the Esper itself tremble slightly as the last Griffon hits its mark.

Cera shouts out over the roar of the high winds and combat. "Dentella! Would you-- Wait..." Then in your minds you hear, "Iris's polyphonic nexus! I nearly forgot! Dentella, you can command the Esper to run its electronic countermeasure suite. May I recommend attacking the Griffon's communication network first?"

All four Griffons adjust their flight pattern. This time, they seem to be aiming on you!

What do the Wild Cards do?


Star Citizen Lightning -  or Chessel Corporation Griffon.jpg
Chessel Corporation Griffon Drones
(Image credit: Star Citizen)
STATUS Location: Leaving Veracruz and entering the Gulf of Mexico
Exciting Mood Music (click to play): "Dreams" by Van Halen! R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen!
 
"Nice shooting, team!" Elinor cries gleefully as their massed fire throws the Griffon's aim completely off. "Oh? Good idea, thanks, Cera!" She keeps her aim on the damaged Griffon, but before firing, she half-turns to shout back into the ship, "Esper Sams! Initiate electronic countermeasures, startin' with the Griffons' communication network, please!" That done, she faces forward once more and lets loose another long burst.
 
Mario grins, happy to see the drone get hit hard. "Remember, focus your fire on one target at a time! We don't need to have a bunch of damaged drones firing on us." He keeps his aim on the same target and lets loose with a full burst rock and roll blast.
 
Toph will take careful aim with her pistols and lets out a dual burst at the damaged drone, hoping to destroy it before it has the chance to fire at them again.
 

( Captain Hesperus Captain Hesperus Tag!)

(Here we go, Gang! A lot takes place in this scene!)

She keeps her aim on the damaged Griffon, but before firing, she half-turns to shout back into the ship, "Esper Sams! Initiate electronic countermeasures, startin' with the Griffons' communication network, please!"

Toph and the rest of the Wild Cards hear her own voice as one of the Samanthas replies over your Cyclone helmet's radio. "Order acknowledged. Jamming successful!"

Immediately, all four Griffons seem to suffer a momentary change - instead of performing combat maneuvers and dodging actions, for a single moment, they fly straight ahead and true as if on autopilot. It is a flaw of some kind no living pilot would dare make and one that makes them momentarily sitting ducks! Seeing this, Cera aims at the closest Griffon with a passion. "It worked! Glory to War-queen Taniya!"

Smoking and flying a bit wobbly, the nearest Griffon is the first to restore itself and attempts to bug out from its point-blank situation with you, but not before the Wild Cards focus their fire again...

Griffon #1
Mario blasts the drone with a critical hit (Nat 20!) full burst for 80 M.D.! Griffon #1 is out of the fight!

Griffon #2
Hercules full burst is a miss (rolled a natural 4 on the Blue d20).
Toph's twin blast into the next-closest Griffon (Griffon #2) and both strike true for 47 (9D6+18) M.D.!
Elinor's long burst lights up the Griffon #2 for 23 M.D.!
Cera's full-auto Centurion burst shoots up Griffon #2 for for a Critical Strike (Natural 19!) totaling 52 M.D.!
Total = 122 Mega-damage to Griffon #2! =)

... to devastating effect! The first of the Griffon drones gets drilled by Mario's laser-fire and its armor, perforated and melted from your initial blasts, simply fails to protect it. Something inside the machine erupts and orange and red secondary explosions rip through the pilot-less bird! With a cough and a sad sputter, the drone begins a wild twirling spin seaward trailing black smoke from several points. It will never fly again but crash into the ocean and out of your sight.

You rake the second Griffon with your fire, but the drones appear to have had enough of you. All three attempt to blast you out of the sky and focus on the Esper later. You are small targets with cover but that does not stop them from trying. Each of you understand that these Broadsword-supplied Cyclone armor, though far tougher than Army of Southern Cross Mega-suits, are not meant to withstand punishment from aircraft-fire!

The Griffon you fired on after the first fell returns the favor. Huge beams of light erupt from its cannons and smash into the Esper's hull, missing you. Again, the cargo ship, virtually helpless against opponents like these on its own, bucks and shudders from the cannon impacts.

The second remaining Griffon looses both cannons at you and the Esper again rocks as more of its armor melts away from the blasts.

The third Griffon attempts to lock onto your position. By this time, the incoming fire is just too great. You find yourselves huddling behind the hard, black barricade Iris created. This barricade suddenly shakes! It takes the damage instead of one or two of you and holds. You see huge streams of gray smoke wafting in from the Griffon-side of the barricade. One look and you don't know if it can take another hit like that. Your heads are down for the moment lest a stray laser blast or cannon shot take off a limb or worse. Then the hull under your feet shakes again as if an earthquake had hit you. The Esper is taking a beating!

As the world reels around you and Iris from her corner gazes concerned with her huge eyes colored deep yellow, you receive another radio transmission from a Samantha unit. "We are receiving a transmission on open frequency!"

It is Mack's voice and her anger is fury incarnate! "Get your goddamn sights off of my Wild Cards!!"

This Valkyrie in VF-1S configuration...
www.toywizard.net.jpg
(Image credit: toywizard.net)

... in the color of this car. Which I bet looks just a little familiar? =)
Baby.jpg
(Image credit: GTAForums)

There is a tremendous explosion outside and peeking up, all of you catch the sight of one of the undamaged Griffons take somewhere between 6 and 8 missiles straight to its fuselage causing it to explode into a broken fireball and come apart in midair! The remaining Griffon drones are forced to break off and engage the Red Baroness!

For several tense seconds, the Griffons rapidly turn and swerve, beginning the age-old aerial dance of death that is the dogfight! But the Red Baroness pulls a trick no Griffon can do - Mack transforms. Arms, GU-11, and legs sprout from the Valkyrie as in the blink of an eye, the huge veritech continues the fight in Guardian mode. Engines afire and roaring through the air, you witness Mack herd the damaged Griffon toward you!

Each of you see the opportunity coming - the drone has to fly past your open bay or put itself in Mack's gunsights. In doing so, it flies past and reveals its belly to you at about 250 yards out!

As this happens, Iris sees an opportunity of her own. She sends mentally. "Squad Leader Elly Nor! This One can include the pilot in our polyphonic nexus? Do you wish this?"

Cera mentally yells. "Elly Nor! Can we do this later? If Iris has protein left, I suggest she reinforces the barricade before we get hit again!"

Both Iris and Cera turn to Elinor for guidance. What is her call?

What do the Wild Cards do?


40855242230_89c361a787_z.jpg
(Image credit: Star Citizen - Nick Govacko - talk about wow!)
STATUS Location: Leaving Veracruz and entering the Gulf of Mexico
Exciting Mood Music (click to play):"Poundcake" by Van Halen! R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen!
 
Pedal to the metal, Iris! Reinforce first, talk later. Lieutenant Mack still has voice comms and we need cover!”, the hulking Greek sends into the nexus, as he struggles against the wind and the erratic bucking of the damaged Esper. He trained his Thundercracker on the drone and unleashed another hail of fire at its exposed belly.
“Pour it on!”
 
Toph is in total agreement with Hercules. "Yes, put up the barricade before those other drones take us all out! We need to be able to hold out long enough to stop the rest!"
 
Captain Hesperus Captain Hesperus Kaerri Kaerri

Pedal to the metal, Iris! Reinforce first, talk later. Lieutenant Mack still has voice comms and we need cover!”,

"Query: Pedal to the... metal?"

"Human slang, English dialect,"
Cera answers as the aircraft do battle just outside the Esper. "It means use haste!"

Yet neither Scrath nor Ura-Meltrandi take action. In the harsh universe they knew, there were no votes, no democracies, and nothing but the strictest of military or hive thinking. For even in the future, war is life for them and staying alive means maintaining order. Being creatures of hypercarbon-discipline even under the terrifying fire from the Griffons, they keep their attention on the situation while continuing to seek the Wild Cards' squad leader order.

A strange bulge rises inside Iris's body, up from her thorax to her chest. It comes up the base of her throat as if in preparation, but it stops there.

While Mack's arrival has taken the heat off of your position, there is no guarantee the Griffons will not loose hell again at you - it is a matter everyone behind the barrier understands. Still, Elinor feels at least two pairs of eyes upon her waiting not only out of discipline, but also out of respect.
 
"Yeee-hoo!" Elinor cheers as Mack's fire takes out one of the Griffons and drives another towards the Esper. Quickly, she answers the waiting eyes as well as those who may or may not be waiting. "Iris, get us some more cover! Wild Cards, let's take out this cow Mack's herding our way!" "Sam, keep that channel open so we can co-ord* as needed!" Even as she snaps the words out, she takes aim and shoots a long burst at the damaged drone's belly as it flies past, being careful to avoid Iris if the Scrath's path crosses her line of fire.

* This is short for "coordinate."
 

( Captain Hesperus Captain Hesperus Tag!)

Iris, now ordered by the proper authority, looses another rainbowy-blackish stream of weblike gunk. Wet and sticky-looking, your very instincts tell you it is dangerous to touch.

Mack herds the drone your way loosing bursts from the Red Baroness's GU-11, but you also notice the Valkyrie's head cannon is shooting at the fourth drone in an attempt to dissuade it from chasing her. All of your characters being mecha pilots, you understand that Mack cannot do this on her own, but it is possible for someone in the backseat acting as her gunner to make it happen. Mack is not flying alone.

Being "dogtailed" as it is (a dogfighting maneuver where you stick to your bandit's tail come hell or high water in an attempt to put it into your sights and try to force the bandit into making a lethal mistake), the moderately-damaged drone's attention is mostly on Mack. When the shine of its belly fills your eyes, you see a prime opportunity to really try to put the hurt into it! Once fired upon, the drone attempts to spin out of the way of your combined attack!

Griffon #3

Mario shoots up the drone for 50 M.D.!
Hercules unleashes hell on this Griffon with a Critical Strike (Natural 19) for 80 M.D.!
Toph's twin blasts miss completely (Natural 8 which is dodged).
Elinor's long burst tears into Griffon #3 with a Critical Strike for 38 M.D., destroying the drone!
Total = 168 Mega-damage to Griffon #3! =)

The intense amount of firepower you are able to deliver accurately causes the drone's engines to catch fire. You see a number of secondary explosions which rip off a burning wing, and then the drone vanishes from your line of sight. Moments later, you see one large thick black smoke trail plummeting seaward followed by a handful of smaller trails from the bits you have blasted the drone into. It is a satisfying sight.

The final drone makes no attempt to escape, but cuts upward and looses its cannons. The Esper suddenly shudders and lurches downward!

You hear Sam's voice over your radio. "The starboard engine has been damaged!"

This is no surprise to you. The real surprise is when the entire bay you are in violently drops and dips to your left as if it were pulled on by some huge hand belonging to gravity! Since you are so close to the open ramp and not secured to anything, you realize you are in danger of falling out of the Esper and down into the Gulf of Mexico, hundreds of feet below you!

Without warning, all of you find yourselves uncontrollably thrown as if from a racing roller coaster! You find yourselves instinctively flailing, trying to catch anything that will save you from being ejected from the flying starship!

Mario is the first to leave the ramp's surface and soar up into the air, but Elinor and Toph are able to grab him and with the augmented strength of their Cyclones, hold him long enough to keep him inside.

Hercules too feels his stomach attempt to greet his throat as the great Greek's body comes off the deck and toward the open ramp. He has enough time to yell as Cera grabs for him... but misses! It seems Hercules is about to helplessly get sucked out of the Esper when suddenly, a huge snapping sound is heard and Hercules feels something attached to his ankle like a Veritech Hover Tank in Battloid mode just grabbed him. His outward motion comes to a complete stop! Looking to your left, you see that thing attached to him is a large alien pincer and attached to that is an Iris who has hooked all of her lower legs to the wall of the Esper while her second pincer clamps down on Hercules's gun arm and, despite the howling winds outside, hauls him back inside the Esper to safety!

The Esper rights itself and all of you land on the ramp's floor with a cacophony of metal striking metal. It would be comical were it not such a serious situation and your hearts were not beating as fast as a squirrel on sugar.

Outside, you see a bright orange fire which dissipates as quickly as it came.

"Fourth bandit's down!" you hear Mack howl in victory. "The skies are ours, guys!"

Cera is lying flat on her back with one hand on Mario's boot. Gasping heavily, she makes what sounds to be an important statement. "Wild Cards? I hereby recommend we never do that again!"

The ramp raises up, sealing all of you in safely. The battle with the Anti-Unification League Griffons is over. You have lived to tell the tale.

What do the Wild Cards do?


www.toywizard.net.jpg
(Image credit: toywizard.net )
STATUS Location: Leaving Veracruz and entering the Gulf of Mexico
Exciting Mood Music (click to play):"Poundcake" by Van Halen! R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen!
 
Slowly finding his feet, Hercules cracks open the visor of his helmet and grins broadly at the insectoid features of Iris.
"Fílos entómou*, I thank you for the save!", he laughed, wrapping a power-armored arm around Iris' slender thorax in a comradely hug, "I shall make for you a treat like none other, just you watch. Tell me do you like honey?"
He glanced around him to see what state the other Wild Cards were in, ready to offer assistance or at least a steady had to disentangle anyone still needing to find their feet.

*Trans: Friend insect
 
Herc quickly finds someone in need of help. Cera's left arm (the one she went reaching for Herc with) has become stuck to Iris's Mega-damage barricade. You hear frustrated grumbling coming from her as she tries to pull free twice, and then ceases as she gets nowhere.

The remainder of the Wild Cards are shaken up, rattled even, but they are all inside the Esper!
 
"You appear to be in a sticky situation, Cera.", Herc chuckles as he sees the Ura-Meltrandi's predicament, "Looks like sheer 'gum' luck that got you stuck in the mud. Need a hand?"
So saying, he reaches down and grabs hold of Cera's shoulder, helping her to tug at the captured limb.
 
Captain Hesperus Captain Hesperus Tag!

Cera glares at the sticky mess with a mixture of scientific wonder (at the creation and usefulness of the substance) and irritation (for having her arm gotten stuck in something she knows better than to touch before it's dried). "It is best to wait until it hardens, then carve at it with the Cyclone plasma blades," is all she can say.

Iris gingerly releases herself from the storage bay well and scuttles over to inspect her own handiwork.

Towering over Herc at her full height, the alien mantis taps at the gunk. Finding it hardened to a mass as hard as any Mega-suit's armor, she nods, her huge eyes a deep forest green of pleasure.

"Hurk-yoo-leez," Unit One attempts his name and it comes out mechanically, even in your mind. "You are welcome for the save! Query: What is honey?"

When Hercules hugs her, she carefully folds her giant pincers over his back and in an attempt to return the embrace. It is an odd movement for her body, but she seems to be enjoying every moment of it.

Then they disengage and in moments, Hercules is able to free Cera with careful slices of his futuristic plasma blade. The weapon, like the Cyclone, is many years ahead of anything the Army of Southern Cross has and it is a delight to use.

"Gratitude," Cera smiled at her freed arm then to Hercules.
 
Toph lets out a deep breath and holsters the Twins. "Ok, I can officially say that I do not like using guns like this. I much rather target my opponents from a few miles out with a well placed missile. Much more civilized!" She lets out a nervous chuckle, then says, "Great job, everyone. I can see that my services are not going to be needed today. Always good for a doctor to not have to treat any injuries. I am glad to see that Mack was able to save our bacon. How is she feeling now?"
 
Mario looks around with a wide grin. "Hot damn! I absolutely love this stuff! Getting into the thick of it, blasting the crap out of targets." He looks over at the handful of pilots and asks, "Soooo, now that Herc and I have both flown into battle in those Logans, do we get fancy pilot callsigns?"
 
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