Robotech - Expedition Under Fire

[Psychie]

L'n perks up a bit when word comes down that they have an actual mission. Finally! I have been waiting to test my mettle against a real opponent, getting to use my Alpha firing war shots instead of practice rounds. This is what I've been training for! She looks over at Nora. "I've been feeling on top of my game lately, so I'm ready to go. No need for any pills for me." Turning her attention to Alyxis, she says, "Like I told Nora, I'm ready for flight time, and if there is any trouble between us and Cerberus Squadron, it won't be from me. But I won't leave my squad hanging if trouble hits the fan." She wants to tell the others her secret, but if she does, she is afraid that it will cause more trouble than it was worth.

WlfSamurai Where are we actually located? In the middle of deep space, or in a solar system? Also, how many pilots are there in the Cerberus squad?

 

[Epiphany]

Having had several weeks to train and drill with her new squad, Aymeline has demonstrated a solid if unexceptional competence. She has a good feel for flying and a great head for strategy but, compared to most of her fellow pilots, her reaction time lags a bit behind. Thankfully, the Tirolian is well aware of that fact and tends to fly and fight cautiously, without the more flamboyant (and thus riskier) maneuvers many pilots opt for. She also makes a point of following orders precisely.

Cerberus and their conduct plainly irritates her but the blue-haired pilot is largely silent around them, walking away rather than engaging with her fellow pilots. Aymeline notes how quick her own squad is to react to provocation, though, including her Zentraedi superior officer.

Which is why she looks mildly pleased at Alyxis' warning during their squad briefing about keeping it professional. The Tirolian is discreet enough not to say anything but plainly approves of the sentiment.

"Good advice," Aymeline says, nodding to Nora. While often a woman of few words, she's been known to speak up now and then. "I think I'll be spending my time overseeing flight prep for my Veritech, though. Cerberus is sloppy in allowing its pilots to engage in petty rivalries. If our ships, conduct and accomplishments exceed theirs, there will be no question who is the better squad."

"If that's all, Lieutenant, I'll get to it?" she asks Alyxis. The formal briefing isn't that far off and Aymeline wouldn't mind the chance to make sure her Alpha is in top fighting form.

 

[WlfSamurai]

L'n, you’re actually in orbit of Earth. The UEEF is currently working on a plan for a more permanent Defense Force since the UEEF is all that’s left.

UES Vanguard has been slotted to be part of whatever Expeditionary Force survives the change. Your new squadron is to keep its assignment aboard the Vanguard.

Before 1100, you all filter into the Main Briefing room. Every squadron aboard the Vanguard is present. The ship officers are in attendance, as well. XO Thorton and Captain Lauren Davis sit with them off to the side of the stage.

Captain Hudson takes the stage and walks to the podium. As the CAG, he’s always the one to give the mission briefings that involve the Veritech Wings.

“Good morning,” Captain Hudson says as he places his datapad onto the podium. The wall behind him comes to life with data readouts and specifications as he speaks. “The UEEF has acquired further information on the Haydonites. Several recovery teams and data specialists have been able to piece together information about certain Haydonite locations from salvage recovered after their initial attack. Using this data, several deep space probes were dispatched. One of these probes has confirmed the location of Haydonite outpost planet Tarsiss-23. The nature of this outpost has not yet been identified. What has been confirmed is the presence of a high concentration of Protoculture on the planet.

“A Strike Force has been put together by the UEEF, including this ship, to strike the Haydonite planet and recover the Protoculture. I needn’t remind you of the UEEF’s current Protoculture shortage and the fact that our main Protoculture Factory is aboard the still-absent SDF-3.

“Operation Saber,” he motions to the name on the screen behind him, “will be two-fold. One, recover the Protoculture on Tarsiss-23. Two, recovery any leads or intel one the Haydonites and their intentions. To that end, our first task will be to gather intelligence on Tarsiss-23 and it’s current military capability. The main strike fleet will fold to Tarsiss-22 in 48 hours, the planet farther spinward. The fleet will stage there while the UES Vanguard will make a second fold closer to Tarsiss-23 for surveylance. A three-squadron detachment will escort a sensor shuttle to Tarsiss-23’s moon. There they will hold position and collect as much data as possible. The Vanguard and the rest of her squadrons will be on standby until the shuttle and three escort squadrons are recovered.

“The three escort squadrons are Red Devil, Cerberus, and Hydra. Make sure to prep your pilots and fighters. Everyone else, prep your teams and equipment. The Strike Force ships will fold in 48 hours. Thank you for your time. Before you’re dismissed, a word from Captain Davis.” Captain Hudson steps away and takes a seat. Captain Davis strides to the podium. Her poise is perfection. She walks with an air of command. Her black hair is perfect without a hair out of place.

“Vangaurd Pilots,” Captain Davis says. “Make no mistake, we go to the maw of the beast. There will be no room for error. This will be unknown space and a planet we’ve never seen before. This ship will rely on you to keep it safe and to do your job. Do not let us down. Dismissed.”

It takes a minute for the last word to sink in to the crowd. They take longer than seems natural to stand and begin filtering out of the briefing room.

 

[Sherwood]

Alyxis nods to herself as she listens to the briefing. An escort mission. Excellent. Time for a bit of payback for all of the lives lost to the Haydonites and their betrayal of us. She looks about as the pilots are starting to shuffle out towards the doors, hoping to spot the commanders of both the Red Devil and Cerberus squads. They should spend a bit of time putting their heads together to coordinate the defense of the EW shuttle.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Alyxis, you spot both 2nd Lieutenant Jayda Baxter, Commander of the Red Devil squadron and 2nd Lieutenant Callum Price, Commander of the Cerberus squadron conversing as they leave the briefing room.

Price, as you and your squadron already know, is a real piece of work. He’s quick to anger and loves to provoke. He’s always wearing a devilish smile that says he’s up to something.

You don’t know much about Baxter, however. She seems confident, but down to earth in the way she talks and moves. Her dark eyes flash a cool kindness to them.

 

[Silanon]

The maw of the beast. For most in the room, that seems to be a reminder how quickly life turns to dust - for some, however, it's the only place where their kind should ever be, eye to eye with their foes. Escorting a shuttle isn't quite the heroic mission yet, no matter how the leaders put it, but it's a necessity; and joining the forces does not mean to let others do the dirty work. Speaking of which - seems like Alyxis already has the needed cooperation with the worst of the worst in mind - of course, it had to be the doggies. Red Devil seems decent, at least, though time will tell.

"So - stuck on a moon with the whole pack of doggies" - she begins to speak as the pilots slowly trickle out of the meeting room - "not quite what I expected."

 

[Psychie]

L'n is not surprised to see that they are being paired up with Cerberus squad; it seems to be their lot in life to have to deal with those jerks. She just hopes that they can try to be at least a little bit focused on the mission and not try to pick fights with the members of Hydra. The Red Devils are an unknown to her; having not had much interaction with them while on the ship. It will be an interesting assignment to say the least.

Seeing that Alyxis is off to try and talk to the squad leaders of the other two teams, she picks up her datapad and heads for the hangar deck to look over her Alpha. With so many squads being tasked for the mission of escorting the shuttle, command must be expecting heavy resistance. Best be ready to dive into it.

 

[Sherwood]

Alyxis gives each of the other squad leaders a polite nod. "Lt. Baxter. Lt. Price. I am thinking that we should get our heads together and make some plans on the safe escort of the recon shuttle, especially since my team has never flown with your people before. How many pilots do each of you have under your wing, and what kind of mecha do they fly? I'm bringing three pairs of Alphas and Betas to the party."

 

[Epiphany]

The briefing is interesting to say the least. The mission parameters seem reasonable enough, though there's a part of Aymeline that would rather be in that sensor shuttle. But then, that part of her life died when her Triumvirate had. This mission was aimed at the Haydonites, which engaged more of the Tirolian's analytical side, since it was only the Invid she wanted revenge on. What were the machine people doing out here? What were their goals and ambitions? Still so little data on the enigmatic species.

The news of Hydra working with Cerberus draws a frown, which she dismisses with a shrug. Unfortunate but at least this is a real mission. Terrans had always impressed her with their professionalism. Surely they'd table their animosity to get the job done.

Once the pilots are dismissed, Aymeline follows the rest of her squad out of the briefing room. Seeing Lieutenant Alyxis peel away to confer with the other squad leaders, the Tirolian scoots up closer with her squadmates. "Corpwoman, Lieutenant," she said to Nora and L'n in turn. The Praxian's remark draws a curious eyebrow. "Terrans have always managed to be professional enough in the field to get the job done. You sound like you have doubts." The still-raised eyebrow invites the other woman to respond.

"It's the Haydonites I'm concerned about. Have either of you had any contact with them before now? I'll admit, I've only ever faced the Invid."

 

[Psychie]

L'n nods in greeting to her fellow pilot. "Please, unless the brass are around, you can call me L'n. No need for rank among friends, is there?" She looks over at Nora to let her know that the statement applies to her, too. "I don't think that Alyxis is too picky about that, either. Just as long as we remember that she's the one giving the orders, we should all be ok."

The Garudan listens to Aymeline talk about the professionalism of the humans. "Overall, I would agree with you. But from what I've seen of these pilots of Cerberus squadron, they are bullies that enjoy causing trouble. I would like to think that they won't be stupid enough to open fire on us directly. My guess would be that they will be more likely to ignore a call for assistance and laugh as we get in over our heads. So, lets make sure that we all work together well, and we can keep that from happening."

"It's the Haydonites I'm concerned about. Have either of you had any contact with them before now? I'll admit, I've only ever faced the Invid."

L'n shakes her head. "I've only seen the news feeds showing the ambassadors that were on board the SDF-3 when they first made contact. Never seen or even heard of them before then. I doubt that my race has had any interactions with them; the only aliens on our world was the Zentraedi and a few Robotech Masters keeping an eye on us. Then the Invid came, and everything went from bad to worse, and you all should know the rest."

 

[Silanon]

"That does sound oddly familiar, L'n. I haven't met any of the Haydonites thus far, either - neither as allies, nor as traitors. There might have been contact between them and my people at one point or another; it does not change anything as far as I am concerned. They betrayed mankind, and thus us as well, and that's pretty much all that matters. From what I know, they have little in common with the Invids my kind has served and fought for decades - more advanced, more treacherous. Nothing we could not handle, however."

One hand points where the Cerberus squad was seated during the meeting. "As for the doggies - they are not Praxian. Where we follow one path, Terrans make dozens of choices. Thus far, most ended up with similar results - but I feel like that squad is more likely to differ from our ways than others. Perhaps not, though, and then I will be one of the first to acknowledge that." She pauses for a moment. "There should not be too many opportunities for them to slip up for now - if things go according to the plan, there will not be much fighting." There is a certain disappointment in her voice. "Uless they have better sensors than we do and notice out presence."

 

[WlfSamurai]

Alyxis, Baxter nods. “That would be good. We’re outfitted the same so we should all be able to cover each other well.”

Price folds sneers at you. “Oh sure. We’ll all cover each other. Listen, Lieutenant, you keep your people out of our way and we’ll be fine.” He stalks of down the hall.

Baxter sighs. “What an ass. Send me a meeting and I we can draw up some plans. You want the whole team there or just us? Also, we could try and get some flight time in before the fold, if you want.”

 

[Sherwood]

Alyxis looks over at Baxter. "They must be expecting some serious resistance to send three squads along on a simple escort mission, and I don't expect much in the way of cooperation from Lt. Price and his team. I would not be surprised if his whole team bugs out at the first sign of combat and bolts off to fight and leaves the rest of us with the responsibility of protecting the shuttle from attack. I hope I'm wrong, but I wonder."

 

[Epiphany]

L'n's friendliness is quite welcome! Aymeline smiles shyly at the alien, still unused to dealing with species that don't look Tirolian (like the Zentraedi or the Terrans). "The Lieutenant is Zentraedi; I have no doubt that she'll be perfectly good at giving orders in a theater of war. It's what she was made to do, after all." To a human, it might sound like something of a racist statement but for the Tirolian, it's a simple statement of fact. Her kind had engineered Alyxis' kind, after all.

More disturbing are the Garudan's observations about Cerberus. "Do you really think that's likely? That they would risk their mission by letting one of the three squads assigned to it fall?" Aymeline is visibly troubled by the idea.

The Praxian Corpwoman on the other hand makes her think. "I'm from Tirol, so I'm probably not used to Terrans any more than you are. But while a squad of them can be unpredictable, I imagine ours will be too. None of us share the same heritage or background. I would hope Cerebus would do as we do; work through differences by following the chain of command."

Once the squad reaches the mecha bay, Aymeline looks over the parked Veritech before saying, "Let me know if you'd like me to check your craft out. I was part of a Scientist Triumvariate. Robotechnology and mecha are both subjects I'm very familiar with. Perhaps, given time and better knowledge of your individual flying styles, I might be able to perform some upgrades."

 

[WlfSamurai]

Alyxis, Baxter folds her arms. “Careful, Lieutenant. We went to basic together and Price pulled me through some shit. Yeah, he’s an asshole. And...” She looks down the hall after Price. “...apparently a bit of a racist. But, I don’t think he’d do anything like that. I’d be careful with what you say.” She turns to leave. “Just keep you team flying straight and my guys will be with you all the way. We’ll see you in the black.”

 

[Silanon]

Aymeline's origin, coming from Tirol - perhaps a potential surprise, though not for someone who read the medical files very thoroughly. Thus far, there have been no words about it, and things remain that way - a simple nod shows that Nora is aware of it, and little more than that. "I doubt that they would actively try to manipulate the mission in one way or another. However, the small things matter often enough. Did 2nd Lt Price try to keep them in check? Perhaps, though judging by the results, he did a worse job at that than Alyxis. Possibly, that will never show, and his way to lead will work out just fine. Sometimes, however, a lack of discipline shows in the worst moments, unintentionally. That one second where you begin to think about the person you're supposed to protect instead of already pulling the trigger, that one second can make all the difference. The daughters of New Praxis know that well enough, and I would trust all of us to pull the trigger in time. Hopefully, we will be able to say the same about all three squads involved when the shuttle returns." It's not just Cerberus - it's Nodren as well, though there is no need to mention that directly - yet.

"As for the Beta: Flying in them is better than to simply watch and wait while others do the fighting, but that is as far as my appreciation for them goes - feel free to take a closer look at mine when you have spare time, there is little I could do to improve it myself. I was trained to always take care of my own armor, but the mechanics needed to maintain the Veritech are not within reach for me." You can clearly hear that that bothers her more than one might expect.

 

[Sherwood]

Alyxis, Baxter folds her arms. “Careful, Lieutenant. We went to basic together and Price pulled me through some shit. Yeah, he’s an asshole. And...” She looks down the hall after Price. “...apparently a bit of a racist. But, I don’t think he’d do anything like that. I’d be careful with what you say.” She turns to leave. “Just keep you team flying straight and my guys will be with you all the way. We’ll see you in the black.”

"Message received, Lieutenant. Rest assured, no one on my team will initiate any hostilities with Cerberus, and we will be on our best behavior for the flight. Best of luck on the mission to you and yours."

 

[WlfSamurai]

The rest of the day is filled with checks and rechecks, flight sims, formation discussion, telemetry, and mecha adjustments. The work centers your team. Even Nodren starts to slip into his own version of comfort, as long as he keeps a healthy buffer between him and you, Alyxis.

The brass treat the ship to real beef, potatoes, and ice cream for the dinner meal in the evening. Each crew member is allowed one beer, as well.

The next day you continue your work. It ends with loading live ammo and checking it. Nothing out of the ordinary happens. The ship and its crew settle into a quiet seriousness. The mission is coming. And all know it.

The next morning, the crew is put on standby in battle positions and the ship readies for the fold maneuver. You’re all tucked into your mecha, ready for the catapult-assisted battle-launch.

The entire ship is counted down by the XO Thorton over loudspeaker. It’s coming through your helmets, as well.

“2...1...” the XO says.

“Fold!” says Captain Davis.

Your vision is shifted and winks into a bright light, then you’re back into the in your veritechs in the hangar. A long silence stretches out. Finally, the loudspeaker sounds again.

“This is XO Thorton, fold maneuver successful,” he says. “All personnel prepare for second fold.”

The ship is counted down again and commences fold. This time, Command chatters immediately over the radio to you, Alyxis.

“Hydra 1, this is Command,” says the young woman on the other end. “Prepare your team for immediate launch.”

 

[Sherwood]

With a crisp voice, she replies, "Hydra 1 copies. Ready to launch." Switching to the squad channel, she says, "Everyone, prepare to boost. L'n, make sure we keep continual radio contact with one another and with the EW shuttle. For the moment, everyone stay linked together. If and when we are engaged, I'll give the order to split up to give our enemy more targets to try and choose from."

Spoiler

In the Beta
Number of Attacks: 6
Strike: +8 /+2 with Gun Pods, +3 with Forearm Pulse Cannons
Parry: +10
Dodge: +10 / +12 while Flying
Roll: +6
Initiative: +3
Perception: +2

Beta Stats
Main Body: 515 MDC
Forearm Shields (2): 375 each

MM-20 Missile Launchers (2): 40 Short HEAP 2d6x10 MD - 5 mile range
MM-16 Missile Launcher: 16 Short Plasma/Heat 2d6x10 MD - 3 mile range
Wing Hardpoints (6): 6 Medium Multi Warhead 5d6x10 - 80 mile range

 

[Psychie]

L'n clicks in on her radio. "Copy that, Ghost. All mecha are on line, signals are clear and strong. All systems are in the green, ready to launch."

Spoiler

Alpha Bonuses
Number of Attacks: 6
Strike: +7 - +10 to hit with EU-13
Parry: +9
Dodge: +10 / +12 when flying
Roll: +6
Initiative: +7
Perception: +3

Alpha Stats
Main Body: 420

Missile Payload
40 Short HEAP - 2d6x10 MD, 5 mile range
20 Short Plasmas - 2d6x10 MD, 3 mile range
8 Mini HEAP - 1d4x10, 1 mile range

 

[Epiphany]

With a resigned sigh, Aymeline toggles her radio next. "Hydra 4 here. Flight-ready and ready to go, Ghost."

Then she leans back in her pilot's chair, feeling relieved that the mission-specific callsigns superseded the one she'd received in the academy, one she wasn't 'allowed' to replace until she'd earned a better one. So it'd taken her a little longer to get a feel for flying than other recruits! And she'd only come in last four or five times! But nooooo...

 

[Sherwood]

Earlier, before the mission:

Axtis will gather her team together to assign flight number to each pilot. "Listen up! When we launch, I want us at our best. That also means keep the radio chatter at a professional level, and to help with that, here is your flight numbers. I'm Hydra 1, obviously. L'n, you are Hydra 2. Nora, you get Hydra 3, and Aymeline, you are Hydra 4. Tyra? You are now Hydra 5, and Nodren, you are Hydra 6. Dorsky, you get lucky number 7 and the passenger seat in my Beta. Help L'n keep us in touch with one another and with the Fleet, and cover our asses with your EW magic.

Any questions?"

 

[Psychie]

L'n nods. "I'm now Tigger in Hydra 2. Got it, Lieutenant. You don't need to worry about us. We'll keep our heads up and eyes open for any trouble. And when trouble shows up, we'll kick its ass back to wherever it came from."

 

[Silanon]

No questions back then, just a nod in agreement with L'n. No worries right now, just the usual peskiness of technology. Slightly belated, her mic crackles. "Here Hydra-3, orders are loud and clear. Computer didn't like my temperature settings for a moment, but it's all green right now - Ostrich is ready to boost. Safe flight, everyone, may She grant us honor."

 

[Epiphany]

"Hydra Four, everything checks out, sir. You'll get nothing but the best from us!"

Aymeline forced cheer she didn't quite feel. After all, this was one of her first actual combat missions as a pilot. Relentless training had given her a good reaction time and competent fighting technique but simulations weren't a match for the real thing. Even a scientist knew that. Now her life would depend on how good that raining really was.

But then, if she survived this, she might have the chance to blow up the Invid. With that cheerful thought, Aymeline settled in to wait for the launch.