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Post by Captain Ameijin! on Mar 18, 2018 10:59:53 GMT -6
“Leaving us out to dry after all that? Don’t tell me ye’ve found a new plaything already!”
The Highlander quickly traded its heat sword for a chaingun, arms operating in tandem to sheath the blade and pull the gun from its rack. As its opponent sped towards the Menaulion, supercavitating bullets raced after it. If he could just take out one of its thrusters…
“Basset, contact the Menaulion and warn them that there’s an enemy Athen headed straight their way,” Sean warned his team via radio. “Tinder and I are feeling mighty jilted.”
---
Hansel followed the trail of breadcrumbs straight into Myra’s lair.
Keeping close to the main building forced the Garmr to engage her at a close range, a fight she was far more capable of handling. Nemea turned in place to avoid the heat sword’s downward arc. The relatively tight space between the building and the base’s outer walls gave her little room for mistakes; Myra could feel the heat sword’s warmth from her cockpit. The Peltast reached out to the heat sword from above, forcing the weapon into the ground from its backside. Her heat dagger detached from her shield and she grabbed it from the air, aiming the weapon straight towards Hansel's cockpit as she lunged forward.
“How are those dry docks looking, Echo? I only have two missiles left and I get the feeling I might need them for a quick getaway.”
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Linkyu
Cosmic Kiddie
aaa
Posts: 47
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Post by Linkyu on Mar 18, 2018 15:00:54 GMT -6
"Foxtrotting to them as we speak. I lost visuals on you though so be careful in there. Fawn, start moving left as well, you're out in the open."
Kara fired one last shot towards Hoplite-2 before a small warning informed her of low ammunition in her rifle. She holstered it behind Neu Alma’s waist and boosted towards the dry docks. She made sure to stay close to the ground to keep a semblance of cover from the remnants of the base’s western part. On her way, she activated two macros to reach for the one of the weapons on her back; she landed next to the steaming Red Sun, a launcher in the left hand, two ART rockets locked and loaded inside.
“Shockwave, let’s finish the docks. I don’t have much artillery, but I think we should have enough between the two of us. I’ll strike from the air to reach the back, can you take care of the front?”
“Should be able to. Not lovin’ the angle here, but I’ll try to make it work.”
Kara leaned on the thrusters to boost towards the docks again. This time however, she then aimed up and pushed the thrusters to maximum output. Her plan was to be fast enough to not be a sitting duck in the air, and hopefully manage to land in the cover of the existing rubble inside the base.
The Red Sun was already on its way out of the water once the fire had died down and the Neu Alma had approached, letting its beam rifle drop as he went for the bazooka again. Someone at the Menaulion was probably going to be mad about all the ammunition he was using, but the overkill was going to be worth it. Gabe took his time to aim as he waited for the Neu Alma to move to a safe distance, the first rocket loaded and ready to fire once she was.
At the peak of her leap, Kara fully unloaded her launcher towards the middle-back of the docks. Not wasting time to confirm the hit, she switched the launcher for the SMGs and focused her attention back to the base as she veered towards the broken buildings. Thankfully, the Hoplites’ attention had been diverted, so she did not fire at them yet to not draw any fire while she was in the air.
Once Kara begun firing, Gabe would join in the assault, leveling the bazooka’s payload at the front parts of the deck, as well as aiming at any ships or other enemy machines that might be revealed in the resultant explosions. While his volley wouldn’t be nearly as impressive as his first initial load, it only took a few missiles to make the proper amount of noise to satisfy himself anyway.
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Post by fen on Mar 18, 2018 20:02:39 GMT -6
Cain’s Phoros was now riding the Arlington, its folded up beam rifle aimed down at the sea as the two sped across. From triangulating information from each of his squad mates, he could tell something was down there, but exactly where was a different story. The Phoros’s aim adjusted, going from point to point, its aiming reticle shifting…
---
The Hellfire sped forward, its hydrothrusters blaring at full speed. Far behind it were the Highlander and Lucky, only one of which could catch up to it. Spitter cocked his head back, his console blaring warnings that he was being fired at. With a smug grin and a flick of his wrist, the Hellfire tossed and turned, avoiding the Highlander’s arc of fire as his bullets sank into the abyss below.
“Heh, for the goons that got lucky enough to steal our stuff, they sure are a bunch of ama-”
The Hellfire’s right arm was torn off as a laser cut through the water, whittling itself down to a thin beam as it managed to cut into metal and gyro. The Hellfire could barely react as the explosion of its lost limb tossed the machine away, its balance torn asunder as it began to sank away from the group.
---
“Come in, Dropkick, Tinder, did that shot connect? I saw an explosion, but we can’t get a full read. Basset is here for pick up, when you get a chance just.. Ah, well, I’ll let him explain.”
The Phoros turned towards the Arlington’s front, raising its arm up and giving it a thumbs up as its thrusters flared, launching it upwards and onwards back to base- back to home.
-----
The Garmr and Nemea were locked into a deathmatch, the small area giving them not much breathing room. While the Garmr had more power, the Nemea was quicker. Myra’s movements caught Hansel off guard- if only for a moment. With a heat dagger bearing down on his cockpit, Hansel did the only thing he could do.
Momentarily dropping his rifle, the Hoplite sent its spare hand flying forward, disrupting the angle of the stab as it dug into the side of its chest, while its fist gave the Nemea’s cockpit a good knock. A channel opened up between the machines as the Garmr forced the Peltast down to a knee.
“You’re pretty good, I’m surprised, I guess Earth does have good soldiers. Unfortunately, it’s not enough.”
---
The drydocks exploded with ensuing fire, the foremost ship’s bridge going up in flames as Kara and Gabe attacked. While they could not damage all of them, all but one had been sufficiently destroyed, with the final one suffering most of the damage simply from being beside the others. The Hoplites that had been searching for the Neu Alma shifted their focus to the wreckage, moving forward to pin down both Fawn and Kara as they regrouped.
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Post by montywonty on Mar 18, 2018 22:18:48 GMT -6
Lana had unfortunately taken her sweet time to dislodge her failed lance from the water's murky shore bed, retracting it back into the Athen's arm. She did however, pay witness to the Highlander's tenacity in her place, as well as the smiting from the heavens. "That was a one hundred percent shot, Merlin!" She replied to Cain with a huge grin. Eyes constantly re-adjusting on her radar, the brightness was waning. "You took its arm off and its sinking now, I'm losing a signal."
The Lucky extended its claw, slowly letting it tread in and out through the waters almost as if to beckon the Highlander closer. "Bassett, you are going to pick up Dropkick, right? I can help him to the surface for you."
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Linkyu
Cosmic Kiddie
aaa
Posts: 47
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Post by Linkyu on Mar 19, 2018 16:32:47 GMT -6
From the relative comfort of the small cover she took, Kara confirmed the destruction of the majority of the docks. She switched to the team’s comms.
“Objective completed. Everyone, time for extraction. Shockwave, cover us as needed when we exit. Jingo, you able to make it?”
“Do you even need to ask?”
Kara holstered her SMGs for now and leaned closer to the makeshift cover; second by second, the Hoplites chipped more and more of it away. She glanced at her inventory status on a side panel and smirked. A solid plan formed in her head. She pulled a couple controls and the Neu Alma reached for the shotgun on her back and the one grenade she brought in the left leg container. She would deny it later, but right this instant, she was in her element.
“Alright. Fawn, make your way south, I’ll cover you. I’ve got a new toy to try.”
Kara turned the dial on her screen and reduced the grenade’s timer to its minimum. A breathe in, a breathe out, and mechanically she switched between macros and maneuvers continuously. From her covers, she threw the grenade towards the Hoplites' feet; it had barely left the DAGGER’s hand that she had darted on the right, shotgun primed and aimed at Hoplite-2. Two clicks, a boom, shortly followed by a bigger boom when the grenade detonated. Relentless, she fired another round as she initiated a macro to quickdraw an SMG in her left hand and fired blindly into the smoke with it. A few “ping” rang around; stray bullets that managed to hit her in retaliation, but insufficient to cause concerning damage for now.
“Jingo, if you needed a distraction, now’s the moment!”
Myra twisted her machine to face the nearby building. The Peltast launched one of its final two artillery missiles into the building’s upper floors, forcing the weight of the structure to buckle in on itself. The shockwave-- combined with the momentary distraction of Kara’s assault-- loosened the Garmr’s grip on Nemea, allowing her to free herself. She boosted her thrusters backwards as the building began to fill the narrow passageway with rubble.
“Never claim victory until your opponent breathes their last.”
She cut the communications channel between herself and Hansel as the passageway obscured sight between one another. Nemea rounded the corner of the quickly-collapsing building, slipping through the backside of the hangar unnoticed as the remaining Hoplites focused down Kara. Myra pushed her thrusters to their max and vaulted over the hangar’s wreckage, using her tailfin to adjust her trajectory mid-flight.
As Myra landed roughly against the dirt, Kara boosted backwards, turned, and followed Nemea. She counted on Gabe to cover their exit, but she was confident that they would make it out just fine. A couple warnings were displayed on her panels, indicators of the light damage Neu Alma sustained.
“Command, this is Echo. We are falling back and heading to the extraction point. The objective is … complete enough, I suppose. One dock remains, although still damaged, and--”
Boooom! ...creeeaaaakkkkk…
Myra’s final missile found its mark, tearing a hole in the already-damaged battleship that had remained afloat.
“Scratch that. All docks are wasted. They still have a handful of AAs salvageable; only Hoplites, as far as I could tell, but they do have a custom unit that we were unable to take down in the commotion. Over.”
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Post by S☆E on Mar 19, 2018 19:18:52 GMT -6
With Cain on his way back Ernest swung lower over the water and flipped the Arlington onto its back, gliding upside down. "The bus is here, Dropkick. You better grab on while you can!"
“Don’t worry Basset, I’ve got my bus fare out and ready for ye.”
The Highlander waded towards the Lucky, reluctantly accepting the Athen’s offer. The Spartan climbed awkwardly onto its shoulders as its hydrothrusters boosted the two machines upwards. The momentum carried the Spartan out of the water and into the air, latching onto the Arlington’s handles.
With a metallic ch-CHNK the sensors lit up on Ernest's dash signaling that the Spartan was attached. "Hope you got your seatbelt on, kid." Kicking up the speed he swung his Hippokon back upright, sailing off towards the Menaulion. "See ya there, Tinder!"
Ernest sat back in his seat, his blood pumping a bit slower. The kids did good. Things got hairy but they kept their cool. he thought to himself. He opened up his radio just in time to catch the tail end of Kara's report. "This is Basset. Operation was a success. We encountered two machines that were pretty kitted out, one an Athen and the other a Phalanx. Seems the enemy is upping the ante a bit. Squad's on its way home hardly worse for wear. Basset out."
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Post by fen on Mar 20, 2018 0:31:33 GMT -6
The Garmr could only shift to support the wall that was falling apart, the Hoplite partially covered in rubble and dirt as it supported the remains. The Peltast had fled, and while the engagement continued: it was only for a short while, as the soon disappeared, his comrades forced to set up a defensive perimeter as they secured the area.
Hansel let go another sigh, the cockpit door opening up as the machine knelt next to the wall. The flurry of footsteps was all he heard as a familiar, if not flustered face presented itself underneath his machine- apparently completely unaware of the danger of falling wall and rock. Hansel could only drag his hand down his face, letting out a low groan.
“W-W-Who were they?! T-T-They didn’t-t-t say anything about-”
“...An attack? No, they didn’t. I don’t know how they got here, but…”
“Can’t we assassinate them!? Come on, it can’t be hard to get a roster or somethin’ from…”
Hansel rolled his eyes, sitting back in his seat and shutting his cockpit. The Crwydryn heir was a fool, but that didn’t come as a surprise.
There would be hell about this, later.
---
Adamaris had watched the slaughter unfold in updates, each one seemingly turning that blank expression of hers more and more into a frown. The bridge crew would turn to look at her, their own expressions shifting to ‘worried’ with each passing minute. It wasn’t until the operation had wrapped up that they breathed a sigh of relief as they heard their commander give the go ahead to return.
I knew they were individually talented, but are they really this inept when working together..? She shook her head, letting out a sigh as her fingers gently massaged her forehead, the captain leaning back into her seat. Her hand moved over to her tablet, and she brought it to her lap, peering it over.
Though it had barely been a day, it seemed that they had already received new orders.
Adamaris tapped the console, bringing up her direct line to HEATHCLIFF. “Heathcliff, would you give orders to have them disembark and met at the conference room as soon as possible?”
“Of course, captain.”
---
The Menaulion remained untouched, cruising off the coast. Upon confirmation that their missions had been complete, it had surfaced, its hangar opening up to welcome the returning soldiers. The first to arrive were Sobolevo team, who had the luck of being close enough that a quick jump boost would land them onto the hangar. The Baykovo team came after, the majority of them landing on the Menaulion through flight, with the Hippokon picking up the Athen for a quick dock.
The hangar would once again shut, and the Menaulion retreated into the water, disappearing once more.
Although normally given some time to recover after an operation, they hardly had a chance to change before being called into the conference room by the ship’s AI, HEATHCLIFF.
“Attention all pilots, please head to the briefing room as soon as possible for your initial briefing procedure. Thank you.”
---
Cain didn’t have a chance to change. He wore his piloting suit, walking to the briefing room and taking his seat upon entering. It was emptier this time, not nearly as packed as it was before- just the captain, her second, and a handful of officers. The only ones actually sitting were the recently arrived pilots.
He took his seat towards the front again, opening up his collar to ventilate just a bit, the pilot eyeing the others walking in, and perhaps more importantly- the captain.
Once everyone was present, the initially silent captain spoke up.
“The operation was completed, but I do have some comments.”
The captain took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose as she spoke, her voice low and serious.
“For one… Sobolevo team took quite some time to complete the initial objective, and on top of that, I’ve been informed that our explosives stockpile is being eaten away at for no good reason. When we planned this out, the intention was to focus on the ships… And from what I make, it appears that only a few were destroyed in their entirety, while some were simply rendered nonfunctional.”
Adamaris let go of her face, sighing once more, the captain reclining in her chair. “Baykovo team performed… Better, but you all came back significantly more damaged despite encountering less opposition. It’s been suggested to me that this is just a case of first time nerves with working together as a team, but we do have a limit to how much repairs we can make.”
The captain gently clapped her hands, her cold expression returning after the initial experience of concern and criticism.
“...Beyond those points, each of you performed admirably. Unfortunately, this is war, and due to our unique position we have already received a request from officials to move in on our next target. There is, however, a catch.”
Cain leaned in, curious now, his head resting on his palm.
“Normally we would deploy everyone, but this mission requires a… Finer touch.” Her hands nervously folded together, the captain bearing the look of someone who very much did not like what they were about to say.
“We’ve received a tip off that the MR are attempting to smuggle some of their machines into China, and a contact of ours has claimed that they know where and when. Although the details are being cemented now, we will be splitting the group into pairs to work on this assignment, which will be primarily on foot.”
The pilot let out a low sigh, leaning back into his seat. Somehow, he had an idea where this was going.
“...Many of you lack any formal training on the field, or in subterfuge. This doesn’t come as a surprise, but given our unique ability to travel around the globe without being detected by enemy forces, and the fact that some of you are trained in such ways, it will be expected of the group to do more than pilot in the incoming future.”
The captain paused, raising her hand.
“Though, there will be one pair on watch-duty, who will be primarily fielded in their AAs. Given the nature of the operation, not having high impact backup would be an oversight, but I digress.”
Cain wanted to raise his hand- to ask the question he desperately wanted an answer to, but it seemed she had shushed him almost immediately.
“Your leaders, and the main operatives for this mission, will be Cain Bernard and Kara Qureshi.”
Fuck.
“Sean Roland and Linnea Fletcher will be responsible for following up on a tip off we’ve received in connection to the smuggling operation, as will Alaina Zaephord and Gabriel… You know who, will be doing the same, albeit in another area. These teams will be referred to as Alpha, Beta, and Gamma respectively. While Alpha team will be performing the main operation due to their history and training, I do expect Beta and Gamma to perform well.”
There was a momentary pause as the captain looked the pairs over, before sighing once more, as if forgetting something.
“Elmyra and Ernest, you two will be part of Delta team, which means you will be their mechanical backup should things go… Awry. Currently, the exact location and time of the operation has yet to be decided, however we will know sometime soon- in about five days. I’m giving you the information we have now, so that you can perhaps talk to your partner and get accustomed to them.”
“Any questions?”
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Post by montywonty on Mar 20, 2018 1:15:10 GMT -6
Lana was simply riding the wave of adrenaline. In comparison to her performance on the first mission, the completion of this one left her feeling confident. The improvement was clear in the marathoner's mind to the point that the hunger for a new assignment was already festering. When her wish was granted, she didn't even bother to change entirely, letting the rest of her uniform hang from her hip as she paraded to the briefing room in her undershirt.
The captain mentioning the notion of pairs got Lana even more excited. Her emerald gaze scanned about the room eagerly among her fellow teammates. Who would her partner be? Kara was already one of her hopes, what with the more experienced pilot offering promise of training her. Linnea was also another potentially good option; how satisfying it would be to properly befriend to the curt crewmate. Of course, there was also...
"...as will Alaina Zaephord and Gabriel… You know who, will be doing the same..."
Lana flipped her sights to Gabe, eyes undoubtedly glimmering as in the end, her curiosity was sated. She was to be paired up with the cute chestnut-haired guy. They hadn't had much opportunity to interact before, but the runner would make sure that would change, and fast. She softly muttered a little 'yyyyyes!' to herself in victory with a clenched fist.
When the time came to questions, she had her mind on one thing as she raised her hand. "Captain! If this is a subterfuge mission, are we going to need a cover? Secret identities, and motives?"
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Post by fen on Mar 20, 2018 15:11:29 GMT -6
The captain let out a very, very low groan, once more massaging her forehead, mulling over their options. On one hand, she really, really, really thought that giving them that option was a recipe for mistake, on the other... She shrugged, motioning towards the group. "Nothing will be provided, if that's what you're asking. If you want to do something like that, it's on you. This isn't exactly a mission where you'll have to be talking to people, necessarily."
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Post by Charredgp on Mar 20, 2018 15:59:33 GMT -6
If they were having that much trouble they could just use a nickname or Shockwave...
Gabe thought as he listened to the briefing for the next mission. Beyond announcing his desire for, as he called it, "Whatever the hell that fire gun was", he too had elected to simply go straight to the briefing room without changing from his suit. Not like it was that uncomfortable anyway.
He looked over at his partner-to-be, slightly disappointed that he and Sean would once more be separated. Right. One of the newbies, wasn't she? Hopefully being in China would mean she'd be able to be more of a help than a hassle. But that was a concern for...5 days from now, apparently.
"Any dangers we should know 'bout apart from whoever's smugglin' these things?"
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Post by S☆E on Mar 20, 2018 21:42:49 GMT -6
"What should we expect from this contact, ma'am?" Ernest spoke up. "Any information you can share? I'm not be the one spearheading this operation but I'd like to know who we're to be working with."
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Post by fen on Mar 21, 2018 3:59:30 GMT -6
Adamaris straightened up, the screen behind her flashing on as she tapped at her console, the room momentarily basking in light as it settled onto what appeared to be a text file. A few moments later, images moved towards the left of the screen, highlighting some blurry figures.
One image showed what appeared to be a man, smoking something in a dimly light room, surrounded by other figures.
Another showed a figure in a white suit, arched over a pool table, in what appeared to be a casino.
The third and final image was blurred the strongest, but what could be deciphered was a warehouse in the back, with two figures speaking in front, albeit far from the photographer.
Little could truly be deciphered from the photos, but soon enough text began to flood what remained of the empty screen, detailing the names of areas, people of interest, gangs. It seemed that the individuals in each of these pictures was someone worth hunting down, whether it be due to a direct connection to the Martian Republic, or as a sympathizer acting in place for their military. Adamaris cleared her throat.
"Our main 'catch' would be a load of AAs being smuggled down to what we think would be the port of Shanghai. Their supposed route could change, but if that ends up being the case, then we intend to make contact with our main agent in the city. Codename: Leprechaun."
Though a 'name' was given, no image flashed on the screen, nor a trace of information used to identify them.
"We won't actually be giving you any information involving them, just yet. The ESU still needs to decide when and where this meeting will occur, if it even occurs in Shanghai. Groups Beta and Gamma will be focusing their efforts on discovering how far these Martian ties go, and this means checking with local gangs and mob bosses."
There was a tap of her finger against her console.
"...Due to this, you all will be armed. Due to the nature of the mission, only Alpha team will be permitted heavier duty equipment. Beta and Gamma will be required to work exclusively with concealed carry armaments. I hope there won't be any complaints involving that."
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Linkyu
Cosmic Kiddie
aaa
Posts: 47
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Post by Linkyu on Mar 22, 2018 4:25:39 GMT -6
Kara frowned, but kept quiet. She wasn’t satisfied with Captain Adamaris’ remarks, but knew better than to object. It was never explicitly said that the dry docks were the highest priority; as far as she could tell from the briefing, it was just as important as the hangars. So where was this coming from? Moreover, if time really was so important, wouldn’t it have been relevant to mention it to them explicitly beforehand? And finally, what did she mean, that not all ships were destroyed? Didn’t Kara report the opposite? Did they follow the same mission…?
Nevertheless, she dismissed those thoughts for now and focused on the new mission. Five days were a much better amount of time to prepare, this time, and it looked like she was paired with Cain. She glanced at him; they’ve worked together before, though briefly, but she trusted him to be reliable. All that was left now is to get more details on the mission itself.
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