Robotech - Tales of the UEEF (Main)

[Sherwood]

A sudden knock on the door reveals the presence of Commander Holsten. He pokes his head in and says, "Well, I was able to pull some stings and keep your three Valkyries that you've been using, but both Lt Bella and Lt Caldera will still be assigned the Alpha and Beta. Also, I have a new toy that I want your team to try out, a new gadget that the technical crew has come up with." He hands your a data pad with a diagram of several missiles on it. "The tech tabs call these Protoculture Lures. They have replaced the warhead on a missile with what is basically a beacon that the Invid can see with their sensors. The bigger the missile, the bigger the power signature. This should work to distract the Invid, and I want you to take some of these on your mecha and experiment on the best way to deploy these Lures to the rest of the Fleet. Put them through their paces and report back."

Alex leans over and takes a peek at the data pad. "Wow. That is a cool idea. I can imagine setting up some of those Inorganics to charge in and gather around, then hammer them with an artillery barrage! Or a bomb run from a group of Beta fighters."

"Just what I want to hear. Keep those ideas rolling, and even if they don't work, I still want a report on it. Ok, I have to get back to work, and I'll leave your team to get to know one another." With that, he exits.

The tall Paraxian warrior waits for the CAG to leave, then steps forward. "Sir, I have heard much about the Storm Dragons, and I will not let you down. I look forward to destroying our enemies together!"

 

[Psychie]

Looking pleased, Amanda smiles. "Good deal. I have gotten to enjoy my Mach speed baby. Not that there is anything wrong with the new fighters out there, but still." As she talks, she looks over the two new pilots with interest.

 

[Orikanyo]

Grumpy paused for a moment as the CAG left, rather....

Well that man was kinda nonchalant about that.

Was this his life now? was the CAG always like that? If he was, well, he was certain to become fast friends soon. reminded him of Scorch in a way. But hey! new toys! "Glad to see we're the guinea pigss till, wouldn't have it any other way really... Wish I was able to get the shields onto the veritechs, damn size compatability and..." he paused to see the Paraxian finally speak!

He watched her for a moment before nodding. "Well said Lieutenant, I look forward to seeing you and your fellow recruit in action. It seems however we have orders, we are to lay down a lure nearby some invid forces then utilize a planned strike to eliminate as many as possible before backing out to report out findings. essentually, from the way I see it, there beacons are ambushes in a missile.

Prepackaged and ready to deliver, if they work they could be wonderful distractions to pass by or bring a foe where We want them. We all know the invid's attractions to the stuff, lets make certain these are ready for wide usage." Grumpy stated to his squad standing straight.

"And remember, above all else, we must come back safely. We must never leave a teammate behind and don't take to many risks. We're not risking our lives any more than we have to for a test. I trust you all, so lets fly as one, strike as one, and get back as one piece. With that shit out of the way, if anybody sees a walking bedsheet with eye holes cut out around here, please let me know immediately." he added in before closing the meeting.

 

[Nokie]

As the meeting adjourns, Darius steps forward offering his hand to meet everyone. To Grumpy, "Sir, thanks for the opportunity to put my skills to use here. This group, our group, has had alot of press lately and I'm keen to help keep that momentum going." With an emerging smile he continues, "And a Beta has loads of bomb space."

 

[Psychie]

Amanda looks at the new pilots with a grin, especially when Bishop makes his comment about the Beta and it's bomb bay. "Yup, you'll get along with the rest of us just fine!" She then looks over at Grumpy and nods her head over to one side, trying to indicate a desire to speak with him quietly. "Did you hear anything about that security risk we warned everyone about? I personally have not heard anything, but you are the one in command and might have more info."

 

[Orikanyo]

Grumpy nodded towards Darius, accepted the handshake. "Sounds like you'll fit in, I've always been privy towards the higher explosives myself, though my track record seems to show I'm better at designing defences it seems." the shield generator he managed to pull out of that old ship was beyond what they could imagine, plus those generators certainly helped space down in the power supply rooms. More generators, more power, so he thinks anyways.

Still recromends getting a paraxian who knows this stuff up here, but thats besides the point.

He leaned towards Scorch now, lowering his voice. "Not yet.. I haven't been approached with any knowledge but I had hopes it was dealt with quietly... That.. or the group disbanded, perhaps they saw something we did or our reactions..." he sighed and rubbed the crease in his forehead. "Regardless, next I see the Head of Security I'll ask."

He straightened up "Now, any questions for or from the new recruits? I would like any concerns out of the way first."

 

[Sherwood]

Bella eyes both Alex and Grumpy with interest. "I look forward to learning more about how it is that the males of this squadron were able to get the Priestess of the Temple of Life to give you the Mark of Callendra. I am not surprised that Lt Loxley has been granted that honor; but a male? It is hard to believe." She does not seem to be trying to be insulting, but instead it is just the way she was raised.

 

[Orikanyo]

Grumpy took a mental note. the Mark of Callendra huh...?

"In truth it was all a spur of the moment. We all know how a battle shifts and flows into odd places, sometimes fronts hold, sometimes things slip through. On that day we were engaging various hostiles across the city, Scrimm are some of the worst invid robots to face in a civilian populated area, they spread horrific poisonous gasses. We had only just managed to clear what we could of the things when we went back to the temple's perimeter to aid the people fighting near it. by the time a handful of invid soldiers had gone inside.

Being the first ones there, we got out of our valkyries and head inside on cyclones, I'll admit we were ignorant of laws preventing our entry but our orders were to remove the threat as soon as possible, the temple was a high priority place to protect of course from the very start.

We managed to get inside, take down the threat by aiding the guardians already inside without damage to the temple thankfully. It was truly a miraculous place I'll say. After that, we were escorted out, the priestess thanked us for our efforts and asked us to take off our helmets, then inscribed the mark on our armor.

Though, we didn't know the name of the mark, who is this Callendra, was or rather is she a hero of your kind?"

 

[Sherwood]

She nods. "Yes, indeed. Callendra was a warrior of great renown, and according to the legends, she stood against a war band of Sisters from a rival clan that were seeking to destroy the genetic heritage of Callendra's clan. Against all odds, she was able to hold her ground against her foes long enough for more Sisters from her own clan to arrive. She died from her wounds, but her legacy lives on. This Mark is given to very few, and the fact that you have it is unprecedented."

 

[Orikanyo]

"Truly? Then it is a great honor to have it." he scratched the point where it would've been. "Though, the other question is what does the mark mean for us that have it? I shall admit, we lack a great deal of knowledge about your people. Hopefully this can be rectified in the future once the invid have been removed permanently.

We have much to learn from one another, thats for certain." Grumpy scratched his chin, he may like this Bella yet. Though the name makes him think it may not be her full name, something with Bella in it? Or maybe he was over thinking..? again.

 

[Nokie]

The bigger the missile, the bigger the power signature. This should work to distract the Invid, and I want you to take some of these on your mecha and experiment on the best way to deploy these Lures to the rest of the Fleet.

After a respectful wait following Bella's explanation about the Mark of Callendra. Darius pipes up to the group as a whole.

"Thinking about it, I think these Protoculture Lures mentioned by the Commander have the potential to be a real game-changer. My only question would be getting them deployed to begin with. Unless these lures have ridiculous ranges, the Invid will be able to spot any of us coming in on a Cyclone or Fighter long before making full use of them. Maybe shoot a whole bunch off from one direction as decoy indicating a large force, while a small group comes around their rear to snag whatever they're guarding? Would be fun being the 'decoy-shooter'... nerve-wracking but fun."

"And what about stay time, in other words how long do the 'lures' stay active after the missile they're riding runs out of juice and tumbles into the bushes? Can they be shot inactive and allow us to activate them after some time?"

"Lotsa potential here."

 

[Sherwood]

According to the file on the Protoculture Lures, the range and duration of the Short Range Missile version is five miles and they last four one minute. The Medium Range version go out to eighty miles and will last for five minutes. The Long Range version go out to a thousand miles and last a full thirty minutes. The heavy missiles are powerful enough to mimic a full sized Command Cruiser, and are going to be deployed only in certain special occasions. As of now, there is not a mini missile version, but that is under development. For now, each of the fighters of the squadron will have two of your Short Range missile payloads will be a Protoculture Lure for testing.

Another thing that will be useful is the fact that not only are the Valkyries of the Storm Dragon squadron are equipped with the Shadow Stealth System, Bella and Bishop are being assigned Shadow Fighters also, giving the entire squad almost total invisibility to all sensor systems known except for the good old Mark One Eyeball. After all, you can still be spotted visually.

 

[Sherwood]

Several days pass, and the squadron continues to see some action on the surface of Paraxis fighting scores of Invid. Right now, you are down on the surface of the main planet of the system, providing close-in air support to the Marines in their Destroids and Hover Tanks. There is one valley in particular that is giving the combined UEEF and Paraxian forces trouble. As one of the NCOs put it, "They are dug in deeper than a Alabama tick." The fighting is very reminiscent of the battles of World War Two in the Pacific, where the Japanese forces had carved out multiple tunnels and firing positions from which they were very resistant to all forms of attack. This is turning into a real meat grinder.

But now the Storm Dragons are being sent in with the new Protoculture Lure Missiles where it is hoped that they will trick the Invid into revealing their firing points, or better yet, rush out into the open where they can be hit with artillery shells and heavy missiles. During this mission, Alex is going to be busy directing the artillery strikes, and everyone of the squad are there to help by using your laser designators to help steer the fire right to their front door.

 

[Psychie]

Amanda is happy to be back in the saddle again. She's a fighter pilot, not meant to work a desk. But that is now over, as she is getting ready to be there to drop some ordnance in support of her fellow Marines on the ground. Time to try out our new toys of these Lures.

Spoiler

Missile Payload
22 Short Range HEAP
22 Short Range Plasma
2 Short Range Protoculture Lures
12 Medium Range Multi Warhead
8 Mini Fragmentation

Combat Bonuses
Number of Attacks: 7
Strike: +10
Parry: +13
Dodge: +14
Roll with Punch: +5
Initiative: +3
Perception: +6
Critical Strike on a natural 18 or higher

Inside the Valkyrie
Number of Attacks: 10
Strike: +16, +19 with the GU-11
Parry: +17
Dodge: +19, +24 in Fighter Mode
Roll with Punch: +9
Initiative: +6

 

[Nokie]

Time to smoke these buggers out. Darius stands by for orders.

Spoiler: Combat Stats

Combat Modifiers

W.P. Handguns
W.P. Rifle (+2 Strike)
W.P. Energy Pistol (+1 Strike)
W.P. Energy Rifle (+1 Strike)

HTH Bonuses: (+1 HTH SDC damage)
Attacks: 5
Perception: +7
Strike (melee): +5
Parry: +7
Dodge: +8
Roll: +1

VR-038 Bonuses (Cyclone VT):
Attacks: 7
Perception: +7
Initiative: +3
Strike (melee): +6
Parry: +9
Disarm: +2
Dodge: +8
Pull Punch: +1
Roll: +4
Automatic Dodge: +6

RL-6: 6 mini-missile HEAP
5 magazines

VF-B9X Bonuses (Shadow Beta VT):
Attacks: 5
Perception: +7
Initiative: +3
Strike (melee): +6
Strike (ranged): Gun Pod +2, Ion Blasters +3
Parry: +13
Dodge: +13 (ground), +15 (in-flight)
Pull Punch: +2
Roll:+2

Missile Payload
MM-20: 20 short-range HEAP
MM-20: 20 short-range HEAP
MM-16:
...14 short-range HEAP
...2 short-range Protoculture Lures
Bomb Bay: 8 precision-guided medium bombs
Wing Mounts: 18 short-range HEAP

 

[Orikanyo]

"Everyone keep your heads on while out there, we may be shadowed but these bugs are dug in. No need to say it, but lure em out, blow em up, real nice and easy. I'd say this is perfect for our tests." Grumpy ran down his lists getting together his usual assortment of ordinace with a nice big difference.

Instead of his two proton torpedoes to balance out the other two, he would bring the heavy lure missiles. 2 of them, if the heavy ones didn't draw them in, nothing would, like a big beacon that screams "come get me!" Plus, allows them to gauge if it really, really works.

No kill like overkill they say.

Spoiler: Missile load

4. MDS: 8 HEAP

Mount 1: 2 heavy protoculture lure missiles.
Mount 2: 3 HEAP (medium)**: 3d6x10 M.D., 40 miles, 20 foot radius, 10 M.D.C.
Mount 3: 3 HEAP (medium)**: 3d6x10 M.D., 40 miles, 20 foot radius, 10 M.D.C.
Mount 4: 2 Proton Torpedo (heavy) SMART: 6d6x10 M.D., 1200 miles, 50 foot radius, 20 M.D.C.

 

[Sherwood]

Now that everyone is fully loaded and ready to rock and roll, the Storm Dragons roll down the improvised runway that the Army Corps Of Engineers made up and prepare to launch as the ground forces are once more doing their part to dig out the Invid from the valley.

From his position in the back seat of Grumpy's veritech, Alex retorts that he has direct radio channels to a pair of artillery platoons; one of missile carrying Phalanx Destroids and one of M.A.C. III heavy cannon mecha. If you can set up a bunch of Inorganics together with one of these new Protoculture missiles, call in the big guns to smash them into bite-sized pieces.

In her Alpha, Bella is ready to go with her mecha loaded down with a mix of Plasma and HEAP missiles. At the moment, her Alpha and Bishop's Beta are not linked together, allowing you both to maneuver freely. She is quite excited to be a part of the effort to free her home world from the Invid.

The weather is quite clear, with only a few light clouds to obstruct your view of the target area. The valley is quite green and lush, and is full of life of all kinds. It is this reason that the UEEF has elected to use a ground attack effort to clear the place instead of using the main Synchro Cannon on the Shimakaze to blast the valley to dust. That weapon is going to be used only as a last resort.

Right now, the ball is in your court. With your new missiles, it is hoped that you'll be able to break the stalemate and get enough of the Invid out of the underground complex out and in the open where the heavy guns can finish them off.

Flying forward, the squad is approaching the target area, ready to deploy the Lures. Please give me some initiative rolls.

 

[Psychie]

Initiative roll for Scorch

Total of an 8

Spoiler

Missile Payload
22 Short Range HEAP
22 Short Range Plasma
2 Short Range Protoculture Lures
12 Medium Range Multi Warhead
8 Mini Fragmentation

Combat Bonuses
Number of Attacks: 7
Strike: +10
Parry: +13
Dodge: +14
Roll with Punch: +5
Initiative: +3
Perception: +6
Critical Strike on a natural 18 or higher

Inside the Valkyrie
Number of Attacks: 10
Strike: +16, +19 with the GU-11
Parry: +17
Dodge: +19, +24 in Fighter Mode
Roll with Punch: +9
Initiative: +6

 

[Nokie]

As he flies in loose formation, Darius wonders if he should be in the dirt, lazing targets by hand for the powerful force. "If required, I'll be ready for just that."

Roll of 10

 

[Orikanyo]

Grumpy readies to begin the mission, his missiles ready, counted, not armed but still dangerous.

"Form up, we're gonna hit them fast and hard once we've collected enough."

 

[Sherwood]

The six of you move out; three Valkyries, one Alpha and one Beta, all locked and ready to do some damage to the Invid. At the moment, the squad is loitering about the area, roughly a mile up, to keep out of the range of the plasma weapons of the enemy. That being said, there are at least two of the Fury-class artillery mecha down there, moving from point to point, using their heavy ground-to-orbit weapons to keep the heavier guns of the Fleet away. With as small as the veritechs are, you can evade the heavy guns much better than the big ships. Add to that the Shadow system, and the enemy can only target you visually.

Ground forces are trying to advance, but it is very slow going, foot by foot, inch by inch. The Invid have dozens of prepared firing points set up, and once they attack from one, they bolt to a new location before any heavy counter fire can be directed on their location.

Initiative order
19 - Grumpy
16 - Alex
14 - Bella
13 - the Thing
10 - Bishop
8 - Scorch

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

initiative roll

 

[Sherwood]

Alex perks his head up as he starts to review the various signals in the area. He calls out, "Hey Cap? I'm getting reports of the ground forces taking heavy casualties. We are being ordered to try and deploy the new missiles and see if that can throw off the Invid."

 

[Orikanyo]

"Alright, lets head out and grant these men their cover! I'll fire one of my heavy lures first to draw the bastards out, then we take em down with the artillery and pick off and stragglers who get tricky. On me!" Grumpy set off to the point their to target, aiming to try and break that stalemate and get those casualties the help they needed.

"I'm never gonna get used to you calling me Captain Alex."

 

[Sherwood]

Alex makes sure that the recorders are running as Grumpy launches the heavy missile/Lure. It flies out, straight and true, and the missile shell slams into the dirt. The Invid respond quickly, firing at the area around the Lure. Like bees to honey, a group of six Odeon Inorganics, five Scrim and a full dozen Shock Troopers break from cover, all rushing towards the Protoculture Lure.

Alex lets out a excited whoop at the sight. "They work! Lets hammer those bastards! Lasing the area now." Off in the distance, a low rumble that could be confused as thunder can be heard, but as the heavy cannon shells of the MAC III artillery mecha start to land, it is clear what the sound was. The Shock Troopers are quick to fall, having their thinner armor smashed by the artillery blasts, but the Odeons are made of sterner stuff and it takes several direct hits from the heavy cannons to break them up.

From farther up the valley, a heavy laser blast fires out. Bella shouts, "Tallyho! I have eyes on a Invid Fury! Engaging!" She breaks hard to the left, swooping down in her Alpha and fires ten of her HEAP missiles. Most of the missiles detonate on the rocky outcrop that the Fury is using as cover, but it does reveal more of the mecha along with several Enforcers and a pair of Odeons.

Orikanyo is up

Initiative order
19 - Grumpy
18 - Enforcer 1
16 - Alex
15 - Fury
14 - Bella
14 - Enforcer 2
13 - the Thing
12 - Enforcer 3
10 - Bishop
9 - Odeon 1-2
8 - Scorch