Chapter Two: Into the Maelstrom

[Kaerri]

Elinor listened to the others with a faint frown on her face. Something about what they were saying seemed off, but it was a confused and complicated situation. "Look, I know we ain't got much to go on here, but are we sure that base is here? We're bankin' on it an' the scavs bein' all here, seems like, which maybe they are an' maybe they aren't. Y'all are gonna get awful lonely if we drop you off an' that glowy sign is just somethin' the scavs put up and your tanks aren't for another coupla towns down the road."

On Shirley's command, Elinor likewise transformed to Battloid and "snuck" along at the rear of the line. If this was the plan, she'd damn well do her part as best she could.

 

[Psychie]

Toph slows down and lands in battloid mode, keeping her mecha out of sight as much as possible. "I'm ready to drop off passengers where and when you need it."

 

[Purr]

(Mood music)

Spoiler

"Deeper and Deeper" by The Fixx (from the Streets of Fire Motion Picture Soundtrack). Just another jammin' tune. =)

Partial lyrics:
Then I see the edge
I look I fall
and I get deeper and deeper

While the Wild Cards deliberate near the edge of shadowy Milton, a call over your squadron-only channel comes in - except that it's not from anyone in your squadron...

"Fat Gandalf to Cygnus One. Do come in." The British-American accent of Professor Stein was easy to recognize.

Shirley sounded surprised. "Uh, go for Cygnus One?"

"Have you got time to talk?"

"Affirmative. You got good timing, sir. We're near to... doing something wild."

Prof. Stein chuckled. "Ah, how I do detest missing wild parties. Wish I were there with you. I have three items for you."

"Ready to copy, sir."

"Congratulations, Cygnus One. Per Col. Sharp, as the official squadron leader of the Wild Cards, you are hereby field promoted to 1st Lieutenant. Your ceremony will take place upon your return."

"Uh!" Each of you knew that a field promotion was as good as done. Ceremony or no, as far as Col. Sharp was concerned, Shirley already was a 1st Lieutenant. That did not mean the fact failed to blow her out of the water. "Oh, wow! Thank you, sir!"

"I'm just the messenger. I'll raise a glass when we all next meet. Secondly...."

"Secondly?"

"I'll be standing by here in your Eglin Tower if you need anything. I have received Mario's video footage; being that this is a joint mission, I have used my authority. What you have come across is... dumbfounding! No one near or here at Eglin put Interstate 10 back together. By all accounts, what you have sent back is not physically possible. A TacCorp operative remarked that at best, that kind of work should have taken a week. But a day? Something or someone else out there decided to do Florida a favor. Keep your eyes open. Copy?"

"Copy. Thirdly?"

Prof. Stein sighed. "Keep your eyes open also for a lost ASC operative last reported in your area. During a chance flyby, a T.A.S.C. helicopter very recently came upon an unsettling scene involving three dead Zentraedi grunts, two nearly-atomized civilians, and the sports car they were driving. The ASC operative was being driven down in that car from the north for Eglin for reasons currently unknown."

"Sir, I'm all for great rescues, but how does that involve us?"

"Simple. In case you come across a micronized Meltrandi, one TacCorp Cpl. Neqel Amherst. She did not check in to Eglin nor were her remains found at the strange combat site. There may not be remains, mind you, but since a chance of her survival remains, I forward this opportunity along to you."

"So, in short, I've been field promoted, you're watching our backs from Eglin Tower, we have someone else to thank out there for I-10's repair, and TacCorp needs a pickup if we come across her."

"Neatly summarized, lieutenant. Oh, and I've a message. Reggie says, 'Go Wild Cards!'"

Shirley cheered. "Go Reggie! Hey, Gandalf the White! How'd you get this channel anyway? It's squadron-only."

Another chuckle. "A good magician does not tell his secrets. Good hunting, Wild Cards. Fat Gandalf out."

"Copy all and thanks!"

His eyes closed, Booty grinned from the backseat. "'Grats, woman! You deservin' de promotion."

Shirley replied warmly. "Thanks a bunch, Booty." Then she let out a deep breath. The stakes just hopped up a notch but in a good way. Still, she needed data from her tankers. "O.K. guys, we're still trying this the A.T.A.C. way. How far out from the entrance do you want to be dropped off?"

 

[Sherwood]

Mario grins widely as the news about Shirley's promotion comes across the line. "Congrats, LT! Great news for ya." He looks around the grounds for a safe place to unload from the Veritechs. "Anywhere that we can get our gear out from the storage bins and keep you ladies safe from incoming fire should be good. Say, in that last transmission was there anything that tells us just what this TacCorps corporal looks like? I'd hate to pass her by and not even know it."

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Hercules clambered out of the Veritech he'd been crammed into and gratefully set feet on soil once more. It wasn't that he was afraid of flying but the uncomfortable sensation of being in a fast fighter aircraft was not something he enjoyed or wished to repeat. He much preferred feeling the solid contact of mecha feet on the ground when he moved.
As he retrieved his gear from the storage bins of Toph's mecha he also chimed in with Mario.
"indeed, Lieutenant, congratulations! Once we have completed our mission and returned home safely, I shall cook us a fine meal."

 

[Psychie]

Toph looks at the big man as he recovers his gear and readies himself. "I've never had authentic Greek cooking, so this will be a treat that I'm going to hold you to. Next time, I'll show off my sushi rolling skills that I learned at my daddy's side, God rest his soul. Now, you guys be careful out there. This is just the first of many missions in store for the Wild Cards, so don't go buying a piece of real estate*"

Spoiler

A military term for getting killed; you just bought your plot of land that you are buried in.

 

[Sherwood]

Mario hefts his heavy rifle, checking to make sure it is ready to rumble, and shifts his shoulders to help the jump pack sit in the right place on his back. "I guess its up to me to handle grilling some good ol' prime beef with baked potatoes. That is my favorite food. What about you, Booty? What kind of chow does the island life call out to you to make one of these missions? I will gladly confess my ignorance of the culinary style of Jamaica."

 

[Kaerri]

Elinor grinned. "Congrats on the promotion, Mack!"

She does what she can to help Mario get out of the cockpit. "I'm thinkin' between the Red Zens and the Scavengers, there aren't gonna be that many micronized Meltrandi running around here. We'll just ask any we find what their name is, and when we get one that says 'Corporal Neqel Amherst,' we'll know we've got the right one." While the tankers got their gear in order, Elinor kept an eye on their surroundings and on her sensory equipment. Surprise would go by the wayside if anyone got close enough to see them all here.

 

[Purr]

(Mood music)

Spoiler

What else can I play in a moment like this but...
"Playing With The Boys" by Kenny Loggins (on the Top Gun Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Shirley beamed. "Thanks for the congratulations, you guys! Maybe I'll enjoy it awhile before General Steele fires me, right?"

"Anywhere that we can get our gear out from the storage bins and keep you ladies safe from incoming fire should be good. Say, in that last transmission was there anything that tells us just what this TacCorps corporal looks like? I'd hate to pass her by and not even know it."

Shirley's response was quick, mirthful, and challenge-filled. "Keep us ladies safe from incoming fire? How about you get a mech first and then we'll see who keeps who safe, buddy! As for this Amherst chick... Yep. Here she is. Looks like ol' Prof' knew we'd ask or something. What is he, a mind-reader?" Shirley relayed the information to the other two veritechs. If the time was taken, everyone had the opportunity to see the picture of Amherst.

Spoiler: Neqel Amherst

ravenskar. by amaliadaniels

(Image credit: vmbui - DeviantArt)

"Huh," Shirley cracked her knuckles. "Anyone you recognize there, Toph? I figure if anyone here might, it'd be you."

*​

(Game Master note for all)

Spoiler

I hope you'll all pardon me if I take a minor liberty with Herc and Toph with these next words? Reading Cap'n's last post reminded me that all mechs are not created equal and Herc has no veritech aircraft proficiency. This means, like most people without said proficiency, he very well might not know how to get out of the cockpit without help! =)

Hercules clambered out of the Veritech he'd been crammed into and gratefully set feet on soil once more.

Hercules quickly learned that wanting out of a mech he'd never been in and getting out were two entirely different things. Oddly enough, nowhere in the mecha world was this more true than inside of a M.A.C. II Monster, for just getting the hatch open was an Act of God unless you had proficiency, and even afterward, once the chin-hatch was opened, there was the additional danger of the forty-plus foot freefall you had to negotiate unless you knew how to deploy the staircase leading you safely to the ground. Otherwise the average person was stuck inside that thing's cockpit until let out.

And so it was inside Toph's Ajax in battloid mode. The only clearly-marked exit was the latch marked "Ejection." That latch also likely came with all of Toph's considerable fire and ire, for to activate that meant ejecting them both and ruining her mech's combat-worthiness for the rest of the mission. Talk about a no-go.

But how else did one get Herc's feet back on the ground?

Toph, being the exceptionally-perceptive type, noticed the big Greek's efforts and safely opened the hatch for him. Their combined seats were pulled upward as the Ajax's head-hatch unsealed and opened. There was a gust of fresh air as the two of them were lifted up and outside of the Ajax. Herc dismounted with great care (lest he fall over two stories to Milton's concrete streets or grassy ground) and climbed his way down. Once upon the ground he, like Mario and Booty, would be able to access their extra gear and ready it properly. Both Herc and Mario made it there without any trouble and began gearing up. Toph descended back inside of her Ajax and resumed watch.

*​

What about you, Booty? What kind of chow does the island life call out to you to make one of these missions? I will gladly confess my ignorance of the culinary style of Jamaica."

"Jus' a moment, mon." Booty gulped and looked around. The way out of this mech seemed anything but safe. It was one thing to be bursting about with a jump jet, but quite another to still be effectively trapped inside of the Red Baroness. With a jump jet, at least he was in charge of his movements. When he was flying high in an aircraft, he had not only those old soul-gripping demons to face but the unhappy knowledge that his fate was not in his hands. This is where the big Jamaican could relate with Mario and Hercules.

Sensitive-hearted Shirley, however, seemed to notice this. Ever since she learned that Booty had some kind of PTSD involving flying, her heart had gone out to him. For not only was this a guy brave enough to battle these unknowns alongside the Wild Cards, he was also Reggie's beloved father. Many were the hours when Reggie wouldn't stop going on about how much he loved his dad and his courageousness under fire and innovative ability when pursuing any one of Booty's many technical dreams. And now, here the man was, facing his own Dante's Inferno with a bunch of people he hardly knew.

"Hold on, Booty." Careful not to light the engines lest their brightness give away her squadron's location there at the edge of town, Shirley transformed the Red Baroness into Guardian mode. She let the canopy rise and deployed the ladder down. This way, the journey was both easier and shorter on Booty. She even stood and helped him to the ladder. Booty shuddered and nodded his thanks.

Finally, he was on the ground again. Despite his mega-suit's climate control, he was still sweating profusely. He knelt down, reverently, and touched the earth with his bare lips. Then he reached for the nearest stone he could find and kept it in his hand. It seemed to comfort him. Then he pocketed the stone and rose to the Red Baroness. He noticed Shirley had popped the hatch to his gear.

He strapped on the jump jet, readied his rifle and belted ammunition, and finally his Mk. 25 automatic grenade launcher. He tested the optics on the weapon and breathed a long, ragged sigh filled with frustration and relief.

"Hey, corporal?"

He looked up to his lieutenant in query.

Hand on her hip, Shirley made eye contact with him. "Guess what, big buddy? No more flying. At least not today. You're on the ground again!"

He glanced at the backseat and back up to her grinning blue eyes. She was right. She was right! No more flying!

"Mario mon!" Booty yelled. "Booty lovin' de jerk chicken wit' extra peppas an' onions! Gimme fat forty-ounce, a toke of de big blunt, some Bob Marley, an' you gotta Jamaican mon ready to winnin' de whole world!" He turned toward Toph with new vigor in his brown eyes. "Little Miss Muppet! Don't you worry! We gonna get dem tanks! We gonna beat de Wicked Men! Dey gonna, dey gonna..." he thought hard, "we gonna make dem singin' 'Sesame Street!' Now let's be winnin' an' grinnin'! Booty ready!! OHHH YESSS!!"

*​

Once the A.T.A.C. tankers were geared and ready, they found their lieutenant waiting, literally with open hands (the Red Baroness's) and new orders. "O.K., tanker-dudes! Get those cute buns of yours up in here! Booty and Herc, each of you into my hands. Elinor! Pop to Guardian and take Mario." With a hint of devilishness, Shirley grinned again.

"You guys are gonna hot-drop into this combat zone - Close Air Support-style..."

 

[Sherwood]

Mario stands still to make it easier for Lt. Hall to pick him up without banging him around. As he does so, he says to Shirley, "Hey, boss-lady, I don't know what you think you know about the ATAC, but we're trained to take on the Wicked Man inside or out of our mecha! The tanks just make it less embarrassing for the bad guys to say, 'Yeah, we got beat by the Cavalry!' Bring it on!"

He feels a excited thrill go up his spine as he gets ready for the hot drop. With the jump pack, it will break our fall to a safe speed. This is gonna be fun!

 

[Psychie]

Toph can feel her pulse increase as the level of risk continues to ratchet up. "Corporal, do all tankers talk smack like that, or just you?" Once Hercules is on the ground and safe, she buttons up the Ajax once more and has the mecha give the other two Veritechs a thumbs-up. "Muppet is all green and ready to go."

 

[Purr]

"Hey, boss-lady, I don't know what you think you know about the ATAC, but we're trained to take on the Wicked Man inside or out of our mecha!

Shirley's smile was in her voice when she replied, "You oughtta understand, I come from a tough, military family. You saw Sgt. Powers, my dad, right? He's just one of the bunch. He's Special Forces, too. As for A.T.A.C., I'm used to covering you guys when it gets too hot. Now I've got three of you under me. I'm just goading you on because I wanna see you dudes in action! You hear me?"

 

[Sherwood]

Mario laughs. "No worries, Lieutenant! Its not like we've ever heard the Air Force comment on how much territory they've captured; that important job is left to the ground pounder to get things done!"

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Hercules no longer spoke. His weapons were ready in his hands, his helmet locked onto his neck seals and, within his massive chest, the warrior's blood that was his heritage pounded through his veins. He was Macedonian and his heritage was that of Alexander the Great, the man whose empire was encompassed only by that of the great Ghengis Khan. He strode forward until he was alongside Mario in the Red Baroness' other hand. He carried his HPW-6 tightly in both hands, the weapon's power cell loaded and primed for action. The thermal scope hummed quietly as it powered up and calibrated itself. While he remained tensely silent, he did nod meaningfully to his fellow A.T.A.Cs as he set himself for 'launch'.

 

[Purr]

"No worries, Lieutenant! Its not like we've ever heard the Air Force comment on how much territory they've captured; that important job is left to the ground pounder to get things done!"

Shirley was not above jokes aimed at herself. "Of course, you haven't! They don't call us the 'Chair Force' for nothing!"

Spoiler

(Image credit: iFunny)

 

[Purr]

Finally, with a plan at hand, Shirley spoke with teamwork in mind while she used her telescopic magnification in an attempt to get a better lay of the land.

"All right, Wild Cards, here's how we do it. Flygirls? We go in single-file formation. Elinor, I want you 100 yards off behind my tail; Toph, 100 yards off Elinor's. I don't see anything resembling power lines between us and them, so we go in low and slow at 150 knots at 50 yards off the deck. That should keep us off their radar and hopefully they don't see us visually. Toph, stay in jet mode. I'm taking Herc and Mario both because your Ajax lacks hands in Guardian mode.

"Tankers! About 300 yards from the Scavs, I'll give a '3-2-1-go' signal. Drop on 'go.' Just hop out of our hands; we'll keep you cupped with our fingers against the wind so you don't get any resistance. When you drop, reply 'Geronimo!' or whatever, but if you don't drop or if something goes wrong with your jump jet, say 'abort!' Otherwise, we have no way of knowing if you're still in our hands or not when...

"...Flygirls! After the tankers are out, light up your afterburners, punch it up to above 500 knots and buzz the Scavs. If you still have a tanker in your hand, Elinor, then burn back to Milton at top speed. If you don't, both of you can follow the ballsy hole I plan on making or attempt your own. Remember to hug the deck. Trust in your speed and horizontal turns. If you're fired on, zig-zag, but don't pull up; you'll just lose speed and make yourself the biggest target around. Also, don't think about firing on them. You'll have your hands full enough following me in. If you think you can, drop one set of flares and chaff right in the middle of them. That'll keep their attention. Got me? Our objective is to piss off the Scavs long enough for our tankers to drop unnoticed. Which reminds me..."

"...Tankers! Remember the use of your jump jets or energy blast fire can easily make you target as the flare or light from your exhaust or barrel can be seen much farther in non-daylight conditions. If we do this drop right, you'll be less than 100 yards from the Scav's position with that glowy sign between you and them as your only cover.

"Flygirls, once we get about three miles out, do a wide, long turn to the east back toward Milton. That might get the Scavs chasing us. We'll hang out at the opposite end of town until we get word from our tankers on their findings. If this all works out, the tankers get a clear way in the base and... we trust in them to find the VHTs alone. If it doesn't, they have to find a way back to us, preferably undetected, in east Milton while we work out another plan."

Any questions? If not, surf's up! Let's boogie!"

 

[Psychie]

Toph nods. "Copy that, Cygnus One. I'm going to take up position 100 yards off of Elinor's tail, staying in line and no higher than 50 meters. If possible, lay down a set of flares and chaff to confuse the situation. Question: If I have a good shot lined up with my pulse laser, shall I take it on the scavs?"

 

[Purr]

Question: If I have a good shot lined up with my pulse laser, shall I take it on the scavs?"

Shirley reply was casual. "Naaah. As fun as it would be, all that bright laser light at night will do is alert them early to our presence while clearly giving them the direction we're coming from. If we can buzz and flare 'em before they know we're there, the roar of our engines and taunting will spook 'em all the more. Plus, at 500 knots just off the deck, you don't want to miss something vital like, say, a building we don't know about or an enemy trying to pop you out of the sky. I'd like to keep you around, chick."

 

[Kaerri]

Elinor carefully picked up her erstwhile passenger, cradling the Valkyrie's hand gently around him to keep him secure while still allowing him freedom to move (and jump out, when the time came). "No ticklin', now," she mock-warned Mario. Then she listened to Shirley's commands and repeated them back. "Low an' slow at 50 off the deck an' a hundred yards behind you 'til the tankers dive in, yes, ma'am. Buzz an' flare and snag aggro for three miles an' then curve 'round back to the other end of town. Sounds like fun! Ready when y'all are."

 

[Purr]

Buzz an' flare and snag aggro for three miles an' then curve 'round back to the other end of town.

Shirley had to ask. "Sounds like you've both got the plan, but, uh, what's aggro?" Then another thought struck her. This being the squadron only channel, she kept her casual tone. "Toph, you've given me an idea though. Think you can stick a mini-missile, preferably a plasma, into that big red sign of theirs and have it impact about the same time we buzz and flare 'em?"

(Shop Talk for Psychie)

Spoiler

Given that the giant, blinky sign has no defenses and is quite large, a 5 or higher on a d20 will score a hit. Plus, the shot can be taken just prior to your veritechs doing the buzz so Toph can have her full attention when she needs it.

 

[Kaerri]

"Whoops," Elinor replied. "Video gamin' term, picked it up from some guys I trained with. 'Aggro' means ... well, it means grabbin' the bad guys' attention, more or less. The more you got, the less likely they are to go after someone else." She grinned. "Though they said usually it's the tank's job! Er, 'tank' in that case meanin' the one with the most armor. Which I guess is us, at the moment."

 

[Psychie]

"Plasma warhead primed and ready to fire!" Toph eyes the approach, doing the math on when would be the optimal time to launch the missile to cause the biggest distraction.

Payload
15 Fragmentation
15 Plasma
30 HEAP

 

[Sherwood]

Mario 'sits back' and lets the pilots do the driving. No need to distract them with idle chit-chat. "Zuko here, ready for insertion."

 

[Purr]

"Whoops," Elinor replied. "Video gamin' term, picked it up from some guys I trained with. 'Aggro' means ... well, it means grabbin' the bad guys' attention, more or less. The more you got, the less likely they are to go after someone else." She grinned. "Though they said usually it's the tank's job! Er, 'tank' in that case meanin' the one with the most armor. Which I guess is us, at the moment."

Shirley said in an attempt to keep the good mood alive, "Oh, O.K. Thanks! Just for the record, Elinor? I suck at video games!" Once everyone appeared ready, she checked her distance one more time and the screen on her H.U.D. that provided her telescopic viewpoint. It was strange. She could see vague movement out there from the mecha and the makeshift sign, of course, but where was this base? All she saw was burned, flattened ground everywhere in that area. Then again, she thought, perhaps that had something to do with why the base had gone undetected all this time.

The time had come. Shirley shouted, "It's showtime, Wild Cards! Let's get it done!"

(Mood music)

Spoiler

O.K. I bet at least one of you knew this old favorite was coming... =)
"Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins and Harold Faltermeyer for the Top Gun Motion Picture Soundtrack

Shirley had Elinor line up behind her and Toph behind Elinor so that moving out would be a cinch. The Red Baroness's engines flared to life. Its GU-11 gun pod attached on the outside of its left arm, those mechanical hands gently came together and cradled Hercules and Booty underneath it, fingers curled against the wind. Their armored heads were but a few feet from the Red Baroness's fuselage. Suddenly, thousands and thousands of pounds of state-of-the-art aircraft were off the ground and hovering in the air. Shirley shifted her thrust lever forward. Hercules and Booty were pushed back as Mack's Valkyrie went from zero to 150 knots per hour in a matter of seconds. Milton was soon left far behind. Hercules and Booty got a terrific view of the earth speeding away below them at half the distance of a football field and flying far, far faster than any football in the history of the game. Mario soon got the same view behind them.

As Elinor launched behind them with Mario and Toph behind the two of them, Hercules and Booty were treated to the full-throated sounds of the Valkyrie's twin engines roaring away. It was deafening and awe-inspiring. And yet... there came another sound along with it... one neither man at first recognized, for it was a high-pitched sound no veritech in the humanity's history had ever made...

"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWEWEWEWEEEEW!!"

MechaKitten, with all claws firmly attached to Hercules's mega-suit, was looking behind the two tankers over the fast-moving land shooting by below them. His little yellow eyes were bigger and wider than Herc had ever seen them. The only thing bigger than his eyes was his little kitty smile. Tail blowing in the wind, he was having the time of his life.

With one hand on his jump jet and the other on his big Mark 25, Booty looked at Herc. One look and Herc knew; Booty's heart was hammering away in his chest. For it was one thing to be inside of a leather-seated, climate-controlled, reinforced pilot's compartment. It was quite another to be sitting on the outside as if you were just another missile along for the ride!

But before Hercules and Booty knew it, they heard Mack's stern voice over their headsets. "Tankers! Deploy in 3...

"2...

"1...

"Drop!! Tankers away!"

The word "Geronimo" was nowhere in Booty's vocabulary, so the Wild Cards had to instead endure, "Whaaaaat daaa bombaaaaaaklaaaaaaaaat?!" over the squadron radio channel as the big Jamaican lit his jump jet, leaped out of the perfectly-good aircraft, and fell toward the wrecked earth below. In the same moment, Hercules with MechaKitten jumped off too and Mario out from Elinor's Valkyrie.

As they fell out of the night sky, the birds they were in were suddenly long gone. Afterburners roaring, all three aircraft blazed away toward the big red sign leaving the three tankers in a too-fast freefall slowed only by the blasting jump jets mounted on each of their backs. Even in the dark, they saw the earth coming up all-too-quickly. Due to the intense speed, velocity and angle, there was only so much the jump jet could do to stop their fall and they knew it.

Right then, Col. Sharp's voice seemed to pop into their minds. With surefire confidence, they heard him say like an echo of memory, "I am here to tell you all - don't worry about it. Just remember your training."

Mario, Hercules, and Booty remembered their training. They pointed their feet and knees together until they were like one limb. Relaxed and ready for impact, each of them hit the ground and rolled with the impact. Even with the assist of the jump jet, hitting the dead earth still felt like hitting a stone wall.

But they were on the ground and very likely undetected.

At that same moment, inside Toph's cockpit, she saw the red blinking words, "Enemy Base Here!" flashing at her like a schoolyard dare. She had just come under the one-mile mark. Her H.U.D. told her that her plasma warhead-tipped mini-missile was now in range to fire. Her training told her to say, "Fox One" as she put the crosshair over the sign and squeezed the Ajax's trigger.

Another fire joined the night as the mini-missile sped away toward its target.

 

[Psychie]

Toph smiles, a deadly predator's grin as she flies. As the only one of the three without a tanker in her hands, all she has to do is focus on her flying. Turning and burning along, her thumb rests lightly on the button to release the flares, and on her other hand, her finger sits right on the trigger for the plasma mini missile. At just the right time for optimal effect, she fires both the flares and the missile. "Fox one! Missile away! Flares deployed! Good luck down there, guys."

Payload
15 Fragmentation
14 Plasma
30 HEAP

Give me a white die for my to-hit roll, please, Mr. Dannigan!
Edited for the correct 'fox' on my mini missile!