Coalition Wars - IC Thread

[Psychie]

The burst from the autocannon hits the oncoming dragon square in the chest, causing a new bloom of blood to come out. The dragon is injured, but it is only a minor hit compared to how tough the thing is.

The Cyber Knight being carried by the Juicer is holding his fire, not wanting to become a target with his armor so damaged.

The dragon keeps advancing, and once more, it casts a defensive spell trying to protect itself from getting pummeled. It is now just about 2,000 feet out from your position, and closing fast.

Rykon is up

22 - Juicer [2] withdrawing with CK1 in hand
19 - Ridge [2]
17 - Cyber Knight 1 critically damaged [2]
16 - Dragon [2] minor damage
15 - Graves [3] <====
14 - Winters [1]
12 - Recon Squad member 1 - critically damaged [3]
12 - Recon Squad members 2-5 - all in moderately damaged armor [3]
11 - King [3]
6 - Hatch [3]
4 - Stone [3]
3 - Burster [1] withdrawing

 

[Rykon]

With one Cyber Knight down, Graves turns to the next one to help free up their weapons to dispatch the resistance with another burst from the rail gun.

 

[Psychie]

You fire off a burst at the Cyber Knight, but between the electronic distortion in your HUD and the evasive running of the Juicer, the shot misses.

Silanon is up

22 - Juicer [2] withdrawing with CK1 in hand
19 - Ridge [2]
17 - Cyber Knight 1 critically damaged [2]
16 - Dragon [2] minor damage
15 - Graves [5]
14 - Winters [1] <====
12 - Recon Squad member 1 - critically damaged [3]
12 - Recon Squad members 2-5 - all in moderately damaged armor [3]
11 - King [3]
6 - Hatch [3]
4 - Stone [3]
3 - Burster [1] withdrawing

 

[Silanon]

Those on the run - not much of a threat. One can only hunt them down later on. The dragon, on the other hand - those abomninations are always a problem. Winters redirects her movement, splitting up form the others a little; never group up against a flame-spitting beast. Once more, the gun roars, trying to score the second kill of the day; though magic will likely delay the inevitable end of this confrontation.

Once more +9 to strike, and hopefully 1d4x10 damage.

 

[Psychie]

Once more, Winters can feel the kick of the rail gun firing, and you score several hits across the armored hide of the dragon. It is still very healthy, though.

The members of the Recon Squad lay down some weapon fire, this time on the Burster. He dodges as he runs, but a couple of hits still connect with his light armor.

King sees the dragon coming towards the squad, and he decides not to screw around. He aims his Smiling Jack at the Drake and fires all six of his HEAP missiles in his wings, scoring a hard hit, making the dragon roar in pain and anger. Its hurt, and its magic shields are down, but it is still in the air.

Sherwood is up with Hatch

22 - Juicer [2] withdrawing with CK1 in hand
19 - Ridge [2]
17 - Cyber Knight 1 critically damaged [2]
16 - Dragon [2] minor damage
15 - Graves [5]
14 - Winters [2]
12 - Recon Squad member 1 - critically damaged [4]
12 - Recon Squad members 2-5 - all in moderately damaged armor [4]
11 - King [4]
6 - Hatch [3] <====
4 - Stone [3]
3 - Burster [2] withdrawing

 

[Sherwood]

Thinking back to her 'Know Thy Enemy' briefings, Stacey tries to remember if these dragons can be hurt by plasma missiles. Deciding to play it safe, she targets the big lizard with four of her HEAPs before firing them off.

Spoiler

11 to hit, doing 80 MD damage

On Foot / In SAMAS Powered Armor
Number of Attacks: 5 / 6
Strike: +3 / +8
Parry: +3 / +6
Dodge: +3 / +6 ground, +9 airborne
Roll: +2 / +6
Initiative: +0 / +2
Perception: +2
Disarm: +2 / +4

SAMAS Main Body MDC: 230
Missiles: Range 1 mile
mini-plasmas 1d6x10 MD 8 / 8
mini plasmas 2d4x10 MD 4 / 4
mini-HEAP 1d4x10 MD 12 / 6

Particle Beam Cannon: 1d6x10
2,000 ft range
Payload: 40 / 40

 

[Psychie]

The advanced targeting system on the missiles in the Sidewinder SAMAS helps to make the missiles hit. They rock the dragon back, and you can see bloody chunks of flesh being blown off of it. Its showing its damage much more now.

Vaneheart is up with Stone

22 - Juicer [2] withdrawing with CK1 in hand
19 - Ridge [2]
17 - Cyber Knight 1 critically damaged [2]
16 - Dragon [2] sizable damage
15 - Graves [5]
14 - Winters [2]
12 - Recon Squad member 1 - critically damaged [4]
12 - Recon Squad members 2-5 - all in moderately damaged armor [4]
11 - King [4]
6 - Hatch [4]
4 - Stone [3] <====
3 - Burster [2] withdrawing

 

[Vaneheart]

Sergeant Stone
CSMC (attached to CS Army)
Warlords - Steel Rain
Day 1

Seeing it as the present threat, Stone decides to add to the fire coming at the dragon and fires his rail gun at it.

To hit: Natural 20! (Crit?)
Potential Damage: 30 (60 with crit)

(OOC: I formatted my numbers in a way that doesn't assume a crit on a 20 as a ton of stuff in this game is just flat immune to crits or has spells that grant temp crit immunity.)

 

[Psychie]

This was indeed a critical strike, and the dragon is looking a bit ragged, and right now it is starting to question its decision to fly at you guys, especially since it hasn't had a chance to get within melee range of any of you.

The Burster continues to run, and from your point of view, he vanishes out of sight in the underbrush.

That Juicer does the same, still carrying the one Cyber Knight out of sight.

Purr is up

22 - Juicer [3] withdrawing with CK1 in hand, out of sight
19 - Ridge [2] <====
17 - Cyber Knight 1 critically damaged [2] out of sight
16 - Dragon [2] sizable damage
15 - Graves [5]
14 - Winters [2]
12 - Recon Squad member 1 - critically damaged [4]
12 - Recon Squad members 2-5 - all in moderately damaged armor [4]
11 - King [4]
6 - Hatch [4]
4 - Stone [4]
3 - Burster [3] withdrawing, out of sight

 

[Purr]

Ridge's toothy grin could almost be felt in the tone he shared over the squad channel. "That's what I'm talkin' about! Good shooting, Stone."

He switched to his loudspeakers and taunted the dragon a second time. "Looking forward to becoming our new hood ornament, fang-face?Join your D-Bee mongrels in death, my darling! Ha haa!" Ridge laughs darkly and fires off another burst, mercilessly aiming towards the dripping wounds in the dragon's chest.

The logical side of Ridge is pleased that the threat to the Recon team below has appeared to come to an end. Ridge figures the louder and more dangerous Steel Rain is here in the air, the less chance the dragon will turn on the Recon and their wounded.

Even now, Ridge finds himself wondering about what to do with the Recon team's vehicle. Depending on its situation, they might need Gloria to get the vehicle roadworthy again. No way his guys were walking home if he had anything to say about it.

But first, they needed to end the threat.

 

[Psychie]

Ridge fires another burst from the heavy cannon in his hands, scoring a hard hit on the dragon. It does not look like it is doing well.

With the range advantage that your team has, the dragon decides that it will not be able to get to you, and it breaks off its attack by diving towards the earth, shapeshifting as it goes. It takes on the form of a small bird, making it very hard to spot from your current distance from it. In order to continue to attack it, you'll have to make a successful Perception roll at a -5 to the roll.

Rykon is up

22 - Juicer [3] withdrawing with CK1 in hand, out of sight
19 - Ridge [3]
17 - Cyber Knight 1 critically damaged [2] out of sight
16 - Dragon [3] sizable damage, shapeshifted and out of sight
15 - Graves [5] <====
14 - Winters [2]
12 - Recon Squad member 1 - critically damaged [4]
12 - Recon Squad members 2-5 - all in moderately damaged armor [4]
11 - King [4]
6 - Hatch [4]
4 - Stone [4]
3 - Burster [3] withdrawing, out of sight

 

[Rykon]

Josh had his sights on the Cyber Knight constantly tampering with his equipment before the retreat began. There was a slim hope he could acquire the target of the Dragon now, but it was feasible for him to find and dispatch the retreating knight and his Juicer ally.

If he spots his mark, he fires another Railgun burst.

 

[Psychie]

Graves does not see any targets at the moment, due to the range that you are at from the people on the ground and the small size of the dragon. In order to spot anything, you'll need to get closer and do a search for the bad guys.

Silanon is up

22 - Juicer [3] withdrawing with CK1 in hand, out of sight
19 - Ridge [3]
17 - Cyber Knight 1 critically damaged [2] out of sight
16 - Dragon [3] sizable damage, shapeshifted and out of sight
15 - Graves [6]
14 - Winters [2] <====
12 - Recon Squad member 1 - critically damaged [4]
12 - Recon Squad members 2-5 - all in moderately damaged armor [4]
11 - King [4]
6 - Hatch [4]
4 - Stone [4]
3 - Burster [3] withdrawing, out of sight

 

[Silanon]

If one of the foes dies, it should be the dragon - so Winters tries to spot its shifted silhouette, ready to send another trail of projectiles on its way if successful. "Could hunt them down. Might have allies around, though."

Perception at -5 (don't think I have any bonuses), then the usual +9 to strike and 1d4x10 damage (hopefully).

 

[Psychie]

From as far back as the squad is currently, you don't spot where the dragon has slipped into the trees at, especially with as small as it is at the moment.

Currently, you have no visible targets, and the firefight seems to be over unless you go hunting the survivors. What do you guys do now?

 

[Sherwood]

Stacey is somewhat disappointed that the dragon is not in sight anymore. She was looking forward to mounting its head on the Gloria, just like the LT said. That will happen some other time, I suppose. Lets move on. "Sir, I don't see what more we can do from out here. The Recon guys are not under threat anymore, and once the Gloria gets here, we can look at getting their vehicle out of the ditch its in, and hear from them exactly what happened."

 

[Purr]

Psychie Rykon Sherwood Silanon Vaneheart

Speaking on the squad comm, Ridge addresses Hatch. "Hatch, stay near Recon, update Summer, request the Gloria to get over here. Graves, Stone, if you haven't already, switch to heat-vision - that dragon, regardless of his form, is the only bit of heat in this sky. If he's turned into a bird, then maybe he only can go as fast as a bird. Make damned sure he's not around to jump on our backs while we're down there. King, Winters, you're with me."

Ridge soars down, looking for anything they missed - especially with an eye on the condition of Recon's guys. Creatures like Juicers and dragons could come back and ambush them when they're together. Ridge was a doctor - while he specialized in cybernetics and bionics, he knew how to patch people up and knows Recon might need that.

Using the Wild Weasel's ability to better encrypt their radio communication, Ridge tries to raise the Recon team. Counting five people and zero corpses, he quips in the style of Recon guys everywhere, "What? None of you sorry bastards died in the line of duty? I guess you're not ugly enough yet! You got wounded? What can Steel Rain give you?"

If the Recon team is stable and the area is secure, Ridge moves into a different line of questioning. Recon teams weren't known for falling into ambushes. "How'd these assholes get the jump on you?" Ridge's tone suggests that he only wants to learn so his own people don't get hit in a similar fashion. The Warlords had yet to deliver Cpt. Ramsey to the assembly point - wherever that was.

This was No Man's Land - Ridge felt anything could happen between now and then. Best to be prepared.

 

[Sherwood]

Stacey nods, then verbally replies, "Copy that, LT. Calling the Gloria now." She shifts channels to the one connected to the APC and calls out, "Status report. We have engaged the ambush force attacking the Recon team, and eliminated several targets and caused the rest to retreat. Zero casualties on our part. Their vehicle is stuck on its side in a ditch, and will need the assistance of the Gloria to get it upright and out of the ditch. Be advised that there is a polymorphed young dragon in the area that we are chasing down, so consider this to be a potentially hot zone."

 

[Silanon]

"Right behind you, Lieutenant." It's just words, at first, but Amy Winters makes sure to make them come true only moments after. The thrusters send her on a descending arc through the air and towards the ground, eyes shifting between the recon squad below, and the surrounding. There's a monster out there, still. The kind that'll strike without hesitation when given the chance. Better to remain vigilant. While Ridge asks the important questions, she takes position in-between the men, right next to the one who got hit the worst. Weapon aimed at the sky above, at the ready. There aren't any fancy words to be said; just the quiet promise of heavy covering fire and resilient tech if anything dangerous decides to creep up on them.

 

[Psychie]

As the members of the Steel Rain advance closer to the ambush site, Ridge can see that the members of the Recon squad are still hunkered down behind cover with their weapons at the ready, hunting for any signs of other attackers. It doesn't take long for Ridge to get in touch with one of the members of the team. "Affirmative, Steel Rain. We have three minor casualties in the form of some broken bones and one squad member with a possible concussion. As it stands right now, there is no other injured, and no fatalities. Thanks for the assist, though. Your timing was excellent."

Once you get closer to the overturned transport, you can see how the ambush happened. There was a ditch dug into the path of the transport at an angle and covered up with lightweight camouflage netting and tree limbs, and when the transport drove over it, it tipped right over, leaving the squad vulnerable to attack. The three wounded got hurt when their ride tumbled over, not from any enemy fire. A quick once over on the transport does not show any significant damage to it; probably just some scuffed up paint, and once it is on its tracks again, it will be just fine.


Hatch's radio call back to the Gloria is quickly answered. "Copy your last, Steel Rain. Outstanding work. The Gloria is en route, ETA five minutes. Keep you heads on a swivel just in case there are other hostiles out there looking for a piece of the action."


Those still on the hunt for the injured dragon, go ahead and give me Perception rolls, please.

 

[Psychie]

Silanon
When Winters kicks on her IR gear, she spots many small animals in the area, all making a beeline out of there to get away from the SAMAS suits that have set down there. But it doesn't take long for your display to light up with the bright heat glow off of what looks to be a small bird being much hotter than it should be. You are 50 feet away from this particular bird, and now have it on a direct line of sight. What do you wish to do about it?

 

[Sherwood]

Hatch's radio call back to the Gloria is quickly answered. "Copy your last, Steel Rain. Outstanding work. The Gloria is en route, ETA five minutes. Keep you heads on a swivel just in case there are other hostiles out there looking for a piece of the action."

Stacey clicks the radio, saying, "Understood, Gloria. See you in five. Stand by." She shifts the channel over to Ridge's frequency. "LT? We have the Gloria inbound, ETA five minutes. They are up to speed on our status here, and are on high alert as they approach." Even as she makes her report, she keeps her head on a swivel, trying to spot any threats to the Recon squad or the members of the Steel Rain squad. With any luck, nothing will be creeping up on them unawares.

 

[Silanon]

"It's here, LT. With us. Fifty feet." Amy speaks quietly, trusting the comms to spread the word rather than alert the beast with loud shouting. "Stands out like it's burning alive." Maybe it is - Winters wouldn't know. Yet. Coordinates follow, to give a rough indication of its position, mostly for those still in the sky. Then she moves. Slowly, carefully. Trying to get in-between the dragon, and the squad they just saved. She lowers the gun, points it roughly in the dragon's direction; tracing several different birds, though she only really has eyes for one. "Clean shot, for me." But there's no point in surprising the monster if it surprises her comrades in turn. Humans are squishier and less flame-proof by nature. That's one way to distinguish them from magic-fueled, mutating abominations.

 

[Psychie]

As you sit and ponder your action against the (probable) dragon, the members of the Recon team help pull the three injured men out of the transport to get patched up, with the healthy members of the team standing guard. As one, they slap fresh magazines into their weapons and reload their grenades into the launchers, keeping a close watch out for other signs of hostiles.

If you make no move against the bird, it sits in the trees, seemingly unconcerned about your presence nearby.

 

[Sherwood]

Knowing that the dragon is probably still nearby is keeping Stacey on edge, but with the team here, she is doing her best to be low key about it. She circles in, keeping her eyes peeled for any other signs of trouble out there. If something is going to be dumb enough to attack, it is going to happen before the Gloria and her crew arrive to add their firepower to the fight.

Assuming that there is no signs of any hostiles, Stacey lands her SAMAS suit a short distance away and walks up, looking at the transport that has tipped over into the trench. With any luck, with the Gloria as a tow truck, they should be able to get the transport back on its tracks/wheels again.