Coalition Wars - IC Thread

[Silanon]

Their numbers dwindle; no real match for Steel Rain, or so it seems. All it takes is a few more moments of absolute focus, and this'll be over without much of an effort. Another volley, aiming for the wounded creature in sight. No need to give that one the chance to slip away, or who knows what might come to its aid... it's a hostile world, out here, the wrecks and bodies prove that much.

And... well, that one lives, for now. Unfortunate.

 

[Psychie]

A clean miss.

Rykon is up

Initiative Order:
21 - Hatch [3]
18 - Ridge [2]
15 - King [3]
9 - Stone [2]
7 - Winters [2]
7 - Graves [1] <====
5 - Warriors 17 [2] badly injured
5 - Warriors 18-20 [1]

 

[Rykon]

Joshua Graves aims his rail gun at Warrior 17 and fires a full burst.

10MD, better than nothing.

 

[Psychie]

Even with the grazing shot that Graves fires off, the damage is enough to drop the bug in the dirt, dead.

The last three look about at their rapidly dwindling numbers and decide to bug out (ha! See what I did there? "Bug" out?) They scatter and begin to fly away at their top speed. They are now spread out too wide to be able to hit more than one at a time even with AoE weapons.

Sherwood is up

Initiative Order:
21 - Hatch [3]
18 - Ridge [2]
15 - King [3]
9 - Stone [2]
7 - Winters [2]
7 - Graves [2]
5 - Warriors 18-20 [2]

 

[Sherwood]

Seeing the three Xiticix on the run, Stacey spins her suit around to face Warrior 18 and fires three of the HEAP missiles at it, hoping that she is on target and does not miss.

A 24 to hit, doing 90 MD.

Spoiler

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 / 0
mini plasmas 2d4x10 MD 4 / 0
mini-HEAP 1d4x10 MD 12 / 10

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

 

[Psychie]

The three missiles fly straight and true, striking Warrior 18 and blowing it to smithereens. Quite dead. This leaves only the two last bugs on the run.

Purr is up

Initiative Order:
21 - Hatch [4]
18 - Ridge [2] <====
15 - King [3]
9 - Stone [2]
7 - Winters [2]
7 - Graves [2]
5 - Warriors 19-20 [2]

 

[Purr]

"Oh, where you think you goin'?!" Ridge grins crazily while laughing at the fleeing Xiticix. "You got ta pay for all these here fine Coalition heroes you done killed! Our soldiers went to Heaven! So you gotta go straight to Hell! Good golly, Miss Molly!"

Spoiler: Music for your listening pleasure!

"Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly (Muhammad Ali's 50th Birthday)"

At his brain's command, his metal hand grips the Mk. 25 grenade launcher. His index finger, the one emblazoned with, "It's Trigger Time," pulls and Ridge looses a one-way ticket in the form of half a dozen speeding grenades in an effort to catch one of the fleeing Xiticix in a cloud of shredding Mega-damage fragments. Hit or miss, he screams out as they explode in the air. "Oooh! Lookit these fireworks, baby! It's the Fourth of Juuuly!"

 

[Psychie]

The spray of grenades detonate all over the fleeing bug, spattering its innards across the field. Scratch one more.

At the same time, Sgt. King takes a long moment to take careful aim, then fires a shot with his cannon at the last of the fleeing Xiticix, and manages to blow the head off of it with a clean shot.

There are no more visible living bugs in the area. Moving out of combat time.

Fires on the field in the ruins of various mecha and vehicles continue to burn, sending up plumes of black smoke into they sky. On occasion, a bit of ordnance in the fires are cooked off and explodes, sending more debris into the air. The scene is quite nasty.

King keys his radio and says, "Sir, if there were any other bugs hiding around here, all of this weapon fire would have flushed them into the open. In my opinion, we have a clear field to search for possible survivors."

The APC is still about ten minutes out from your current location.

 

[Purr]

You know that dance little kids do when they find out you're all going out for ice cream? Or to a favorite park? Or that they've gotten something they've reaaaly wanted? That's the dance Ridge is doing right now. "May the Payback gods be happy because I sho as hell am!!"

Spoiler: Woo!

Here's some happy dance music too.
"Rip It Up" by Little Richard


And take your pick of these happy dances!

If that's not crazy enough, he is doing this while updating Lt. Summer. And if you listen to his voice over the comms, years of in-the-field experience have helped Ridge come over as calm, cool, and in charge. That's just how he sounds right now. All while doing his happy dance to the defeat of this mob of Xiticix!

"Steel Rain to Gloria, come in. Yes, ma'am. The Xiticix platoon has been completely eradicated. No survivors. We are now looking for survivors among our own..."

Aloud, Ridge adds, "...while head-shooting any of these damned bugs that might still be twitchin'! Open wide, bitch!" BOOM! As Ridge searches, he tries to use the Wild Weasel's forearm blasters to blow off the heads of any bugs he sees. Ridge seems to giggle at the sound of their heads exploding. Then he makes his pride for his squadron's actions clear. "Steel Rain, that was one badass ambush! Glorious! Just glorious! Spread out, head-shoot any bugs that might be faking, and find any of ours that are still breathing. Move out!"

Seriousness finally drapes its gray cloak over Lt. Ridge's mannerisms as he focuses on the death and dying around him, his eyes and ears alert for signs of life from friend or foe across the blasted remains strewn across the sorry-looking battlefield. Rykon "Graves! Try to raise any survivors over the radio. Maybe somebody is still aliiive in this goddamned mess."

Ridge grimly marches along, shooting any bug that still has a head as he looks among the battle-wracked Coalition bodies for the slightest signs of life.

 

[Vaneheart]

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

Stone surveyed the aftermath and carnage of the battlefield, his adrenaline still running high. What a day, and it's not over yet. He looked at the bodies of his fellow Coalition soldiers and simultaneously felt both elation at being alive and guilt for feeling so. He hadn't been in many serious fights before, and the last two of the day had been by far the most serious. Taking some deep, slow breaths, he attempted to calm himself and find his bearing, letting the rush of combat fade. He quickly checked himself and his suit for injuries and found none. Hearing the orders from Lt. Ridge, he replied with a steady "Aye aye sir!", steeled himself to the task, and joined the others in the search for survivors.

 

[Sherwood]

Stacey holds her position for a moment, letting her eyes scan across the field to make sure that there are no other bugs moving about. Once it appears to be clear to move out, she advances out of the cover she was ducked behind and moves out into the open. As she does, she begins to head out to inspect the bodies of any Coalition troops that have a chance of still being alive.

Spoiler

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 / 0
mini plasmas 2d4x10 MD 4 / 0
mini-HEAP 1d4x10 MD 12 / 10

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

 

[Rykon]

Joshua Graves opens up radio communications and begins a broad frequency transmission. "All survivors in the area. We are the Warlord Company of the Coalition States. We are here to extract any survivors from the Xiticix. If you can hear us, please respond."

 

[Silanon]

Glorious retailiation - or just a slaughter where the bugs never stood a chance? The new squad leader seems ecstatic; in contrast, Amy Winters... isn't. Concern outweighs the achieved by far. If two dozen were barely threatening; then how many more must've been here before, swarming the brave soldiers, overcoming them despite their prowess? And how much will two dozen matter, in comparison? Missiles and grenades did a buttload of the damage, just now - how many more of those can a squad reasonably bring? Not enough, it seems, eyeing the scene. Do the bugs even care about hundreds of losses?

"On it, sir - looking for survivors." She does that, though her focus is just as much on the dead bugs. The dragon, back then - was arrogant enough to throw its live away. That won't happen to Steel Rain as long as Amy breathes. Several times, she pulls the trigger, whenever one of the abominations looks like it might still be able to move. Better safe than sorry. Better alive than a dragon and dead. There's no joy in it - just the calm demeanor that her instructors taught, with a sprinkle of anger hidden just underneath. Humans died here, fellow soldiers. And what for? For living in a world that's rightfully theirs? Another shot. Another bug dead - if not before, then certainly now. Human bodies in sight, perhaps worth an examination. Some might've made it after all, against the odds. What are the odds even, at this point? So many bugs. And only so many to fend them off.

"Lieutenant - how many do you think, in total? Bugs, I mean. Must've been more than just these few stragglers, right?"

Psychie Are there any signs of surviving bugs that might've left the scene before we arrived?

 

[Psychie]

As the squad spreads out to investigate the scene before you and search for survivors, you can clearly see that this was no small fight that occurred here. There are bodies of the Xiticix numbering easily into the thousands here, more than enough to be an overwhelming force that faced off against the Coalition forces that were assembled here. At this point, there are no signs of any surviving bugs in your visual or sensor detection range.

The radio query does not produce any results, indicating that there are no one currently able to reply.

Looking about, Amy spots one of the company's APCs that is not too badly damaged, with a part of its crew compartment still intact. There is a possibility that there could be a survivor of the vehicle's crew inside. Other than that, the squad doesn't come across any survivors. These soldiers fought to the bitter end.

 

[Silanon]

"Sir - the APC here's in better shape. I'll give it a shot." There's no rush as Amy Winters closes in on the vehicle; indeed, her eyes continue to carefully scan the ground for any nasty surprises. Likewise, her gun's muzzle constantly changes aim from one dead bug to the next.

Once she has made her way to the APC, one fist knocks thrice against the battered steel, then she pauses to listen to for any potential signs of life. "This is Steel Rain. Someone in there?" Another short pause to wait for a reaction. "Careful now, I'm coming in." Easier said than done, likely, given the vehicle's shape; she'll attempt to find a path inside, preferably one of the doors if those didn't take too much of a beating.

 

[Purr]

As the squad spreads out to investigate the scene before you and search for survivors, you can clearly see that this was no small fight that occurred here. There are bodies of the Xiticix numbering easily into the thousands here, more than enough to be an overwhelming force that faced off against the Coalition forces that were assembled here.

Lt. Ridge's steely smile is a hearty one as he admires the piles and piles of alien dead. He raises his hand in solemn salute. He speaks aloud, not to the living, but to the dead with whom he is silently sad and openly proud. "Goddamn, soldiers, if you didn't die properly!"

He comes over the squad comm. "Steel Rain! Now hear thisss! When it becomes your turn to die, I want it to look just... like... this! Heh heh heh!" The cybernetic chuckle that follows is downright ghostly.

"Sir - the APC here's in better shape. I'll give it a shot." There's no rush as Amy Winters closes in on the vehicle; indeed, her eyes continue to carefully scan the ground for any nasty surprises. Likewise, her gun's muzzle constantly changes aim from one dead bug to the next.

"Do it, Winters," Lt. Ridge allows. "Team," he icily alerts the rest of the squadron. "Winters and I are entering this APC."

With a pat of pleased affection on his grenade launcher, he smoothly switches to Big Momma, the weight, mass, and balance of the deadly weapon just another extension of his own body. Quietly, almost soothingly, Ridge whispers to Winters. "I've got your back, soooldier." With the Wild Weasel's forearm blasters and his own cannon at the ready, Lt. Ridge eagerly moves along with Winters, his steps almost casual, his senses reaching out for signs of life and danger. Inside his shell, the Special Forces veteran is deeply hoping they find someone friendly with a heartbeat, but he has seen far, far too much in his glorious and bloody career to lay any money down betting on it.

And if they come up empty, then Ridge realizes that he is just waiting to find an excuse - any excuse - to waste another bug or twenty. No matter how many Xiticix they kill, it won't bring a single Coalition soldier back to life and it won't get him back Ridge's original body - but damned if it still won't feel good!

 

[Psychie]

As you move slowly into the crew compartment of the APC, you find that the fighting had found its way into the vehicle, as can be witnessed by the two bloody bodies that have been cut down by the Xiticix's melee weapons. A few feet farther in, you find that there is a dead bug lying on the deck, dark ichor oozing from multiple gunshot wounds, and it has a vibro blade sticking out of its chest. Just ahead of that you see two figures that are still alive, but just barely. Still wearing parts of their lightweight MDC armor, you can see that one of the figures is a man that has is right arm severed, just below the elbow, that has been hastily wrapped up in an attempt to control the bleeding. The second is a woman that is also badly cut up on her body, but at least she has all of her limbs attached.

A quick looks shows that both have availed themselves to a couple of the medical kits, having attached the computerized system to the worst of the wounds in an effort to save their lives. It is clear that the two are both suffering from severe blood loss and are probably tanked out of their minds on painkillers from the medical kits, but it is likely that they will live.

As you approach, the man looks up at the two of you with a bleary expression on his face as he struggles to sit up. "Oh, thank the Emperor. When I heard the explosions outside, I thought for sure that it was going to be the damn bugs that would find us first." He coughs a couple of times, and nudges the woman next to him. "Hey, Coleman. Wake up. Help has arrived."

The woman is almost unconscious, and all she manages to do is cough up a mouthful of blood. Even compared to the man with the amputated arm, it seems that the woman is in the worse shape of the two.

 

[Silanon]

Those two... should probably be dead, by now. But the Emperor provides his troops with the tools to live through the worst. The man behind Amy is a prime example; and so are these two, hanging in there for long enough to have another shot. "Two survivors here, in bad shape. They'll need all the help they can get." She says that barely loud enough for the others to hear her over comms - trying to not let the two listen in.

"This is Steel Rain. We're here, now. Help's on the way. You two hang in there now, and we'll get you back on your feet." This time, she speaks loud enough to be heard, of course. Showing confidence that she lacks, herself. She's seen people in better condition die. There aren't so many new faces around this time for no reason. And she - doesn't have what it takes to ensure their survival. All she has is the tools at hand. The Emperor provides his soldiers with the tools to help, empowers them to do what they'd not be capable of.

Without waiting for Ridges input or orders, she closes the distance, avoiding the killed bug along the way; and then kneels down right next to the woman. Her hands fetch the robot medkit - easily accessible like she was taught, exactly for situations like these - and release the six robots within to do what they were created for: Save lives where she can't. "You stay with me now - you'll be fine." If the woman closes her eyes - Amy's not sure she'd open them ever again. Thus the words. maybe they help, maybe they don't. She wouldn't know. All she can do is trust in the Coalition's finest technology, and hope that it's enough. Good men an women die, every day, just to protect those back at home. But if someone's lucky enough to survive such a slaughter - then, by the Emperor, let them survive all the way. She's seen enough death, these past few weeks, and just now.

 

[Vaneheart]

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

Stone moves over to the entrance of the APC that Ridge and Winters entered, and guards it from any enemies that may attempt to sneak inside. He surveys the battlefield, being mindful of both survivors and hidden threats. I hope there are survivors.

 

[Purr]

"My my! We got two live ones here!" At the signs of life, the first thing Ridge does is call for help over the squadron channel. "Rain! We have two survivors, one serious, one critical! Somebody update the Gloria and bring them to our location, now! Everybody else, keep lookin' for live ones."

"That's what I like to see, Winters!" Ridge has zero problem with Winters acting on her own; he is the kind of leader who had little use for soldiers who can't act independently within the guidelines he had set down. Requiring the use of his cybernetic body's hands and senses, Ridge pops out of his Wild Weasel and immediately sets to the unresponsive soldier's needs. He produces and operates the IRMSS with long-practiced ease. It was nice to use the device while not under fire in some foxhole somewhere or in the middle of bad weather; here in a Coalition APC, he would describe things as "downright cozy." It was his every intention to make it just as cozy for these survivors too.

Still, crazy is as crazy does. His mental condition doesn't simply and conveniently go away just because he's trying to save someone's life. As the robot nanites make their way from the IRMSS into the unconscious soldiers' system, Ridge's addled brain can't help but stare as he injects and stares at the feed line as if he could see the microscopic mini-docs flowing into her. Like a high-strung father to unruly children, he points and gripes at the nanites. "You little buggers betta make me proud! If I catch any of you slackin', well, let's just say you don't want me to come down there!" Then he puts his own solid skills as a specialized M.D. in Cybernetics to use in attempting to stabilize the soldier. The sooner she becomes conscious, the better, but he thinks he has to get those internal injuries under control lest she awake and further aggravate them or asphyxiate on her own loose inner fluids.

"Hey, Lefty! I'm Doc Ridge! This here's Winters! Say hello to the nice man, Winters!" Ridge addresses the other soldier regardless of which arm he's missing. "If you ever wanna scratch yo ass with both hands again, I don't think our fallen cyborgs out there would mind if I put one of their arms on you. In fact, they'd probably be delighted! I know I would be; that's what we call 'recycling!'"

Working quickly, Ridge uses his cybernetic senses if they can afford him any advantage while continuing. "After your friend is stable, that is. You wanna join our fine Metal Boys and Girls? Whaddya say?" Ridge doesn't mean to sway the guy in any direction, but he finds he can't even bring the subject up without bringing in a little bias toward his fellow Tin People.

 

[Silanon]

With Ridge's focus on the woman, Amy redirects her attention towards the man - and that of the robots under her control. Not without the briefest of pauses, however; enough time for the soldier to respond to the question, just in case his consciousness fails under the robots' saving assault. He survived this long - he'll survive just a little longer, to potentially decide over his fate. With the most encouraging look she can muster, she points out the robots at the ready. "This could knock you out, despite the meds. Could wake up with solid steel right there, with luck. Just say the word, and we'll make it happen."

 

[Psychie]

When the medical packs are placed on the two wounded soldiers, the packs quickly begin to work by injecting the two with a mass of nanite repair bots. Then, the screen lights up with medical data from the input the pack is getting from the nanites. Each of the two soldiers begin to relax as the painkillers go to work, and you can see that the blood loss is beginning to slow. Their conditions are stabilizing, but they are not out of the woods yet. It will take a bit more work to get them back on their feet.

As the robots do their work inside the bodies of the two, those outside the damaged APC can hear the deep rumble of the Gloria as the other unit drives into the assembly point. The doors on the sides and front open up and the troops are quickly deployed, weapons at the ready. With the steady stream of reports that were sent back to the Gloria, your own medical specialist, PFC Karen Moskowitz, is already set to go to work on the two injured troopers in the other APC. She runs over with her gear in hand and quickly looks over what has been done so far and gives a thumbs up to Amy and Ridge.

"You guys have done good work, stabilizing these two long enough for me to get here." As she talks, she is rigging up an IV with fluids to begin replacing what has been lost.

While she works, the guy that Ridge called Lefty manages to give the Borg a weak grin. "Well, sir, when you put it that way, I sure could get by with another hand so I can scratch my butt again. What do I need to do?"

Ridge knows that the safest place for him to work is going to be inside the Gloria, and the sooner he can get to work, the better off this guy will be. You have a full cybernetic work station there, and you have plenty of spare parts available to you, both in the APC and in the field, left behind by the fallen cyborgs.

Purr , normally I'd call for you to make some rolls for me, but I can do that for you. What skills do you wish to use to make this effort?

 

[Psychie]

Between the stabilizing actions of both you guys and PFC Moskowitz, you are able to take these two wounded out of the damaged APC and get them back to the relative safety of the Gloria. The woman named Coleman is going to have a nasty set of scars, but she should live unless she has a turn for the worse.

The man is not in any real danger of dying, but he is still messed up pretty bad. Between the fallen Borgs on the field and spare parts in the two APCs, Ridge is able to get the needed supplies in order to be able to perform the operation. It will take several hours of very tedious work to attach the cyber arm to the guy. With Moskowitz acting as your support nurse, she scrubs in and works to monitor the vitals of the man as Ridge does the delicate work of getting the metal grafted to the stump. Fortunately for the man, Ridge is quite skilled, has a good set of equipment to work with, and rolled a 17 on the percentile dice. The operation is a little rough, but a complete success.

It will take some time before the two wounded warriors are back on their feet, and ideally it will be back at one of the larger bases with their advanced medical gear where they can get the full range of treatment available.

In the meantime, Lt. Summer and the rest of the platoon are outside of the APC, fully geared up and raring for a fight. A lot of their good friends were lost in the fight here, and they are pissed. As they scout the area and stand guard, they begin to round up dogtags from the fallen to be able to inform the next of kin of their loss. No other living beings are found it the assembly point.

 

[Silanon]

With most tasks taken care of, more or less, and the medical treatment within the Gloria far beyond Amy's expertise - there's only so much she can do. Unless ordered otherwise, Amy lends her eyes and mobility to those who scout the area; after losses like these, the most pressing issue should be to avoid further deaths. There'll be a lot of those tags coming home without their owners; any more, and they might not find their way back at all.

 

[Purr]

"Welcome to the Cool Kids Club!" Ridge congratulates the young soldier-become-cyborg. "Oughta have somethin' tattooed or a good word burned into that new hand of yours to commemorate the occasion!" Ridge grins as he picks up a small laser torch, one very much like the type that burned his latest marking into his own index finger just before they had left the firebase. "Whaddya say, my man?"

Only when he has done his ultimate for the survivors does Ridge take his leave, unless of course Lt. Summer comes a'calling. Once he is outside, he sets up a defensive perimeter with good firing lines, cover, and any other advantages the terrain might provide, unless Steel Rain has done that already. Given those in his squad, he would not now be surprised to find that the case. Watching the others round up dog tags, Ridge leaves them to their somber work.

He comes over the squadron channel, his metallic voice light and pleased for once. "Goooood, goooood work here, Steel Rain! I ordered, you provided. The situation called, you answered. In short, we kicked ass here, people. Remember that. Because I certainly will. Heh heh heh." Ridge stands his ground holding Big Momma at the ready as he awaits further orders. Taking off his Wild Weasel SAMAS helm, he puts in some practice time with his head-mounted cybernetic motion tracker allowing the feelers to electronically scan the air and ground for all motion.

"Any of you have anything to report while I was in there playing doctor?"