Mecha Sky Pirates IC

[Tengu_temp]

Year 160 of the New Calendar, May 10th, Monday

Floating high above the toxic ocean, close to the southwestern coast of North America, taking the major part of a small flying island, lies the city of Long Port. City is perhaps too strong of a word - the place's administration is very loose, and as long as you don't mess with anyone around and pay your taxes, you are left alone to do what you want. Nevertheless, apart from occasional brawls, the place is mostly safe, although rather loud and chaotic, if you don't stray into the dangerous, dark back alleys - most locals and visitors reached an unspoken deal that making too much trouble would be bad for business. And a lot of business happens here - many crews come here to refuel and ressuply, to spend their hard-earned cash, or to look for new jobs. The actions of these crews are often of questionable legality, but as long as you come with money, nobody asks any questions in Long Port.

The city's architecture is bizarre - on one hand many of its buildings don't seem as much constructed as put together from whatever parts were available, often old pieces of airplanes, and whatever looks like normal masonry didn't receive any good maintenance in a longer while, but on the other hand every business tries to look stylish and interesting to lure customers in. The results vary greatly, and overall effect can only be described as headache-inducing. At least the streets are wide and nobody has to push their way through the crowd... The houses of the local dignitaries look much better, but you don't look for any business there, do you?

The bars closest to the port (a lot of which consists of long, sturdy cranes, extending away from the island into the sky) are overpriced, trying to take advantage of impatient airmen - everyone who's been in this business for longer knows that. If you want an honest drink, or information, you go further into town. The first of such bars in this case is called, judging by the large, flashing and partially nonfunctional neon sign, Black Cloud. There is a nuisance that might scare potential customers, though - an old man, balding and long-bearded, dressed in a filthy, ragged cloak, sits in front of the bar. He tries to strike a conversation with anyone who passes by, if you can call it a conversation.
"Hey, guv'ner, got some spare buck for an old soul down on his luck? Or food? Even some old bread'll do, don't remember when I ate last time!"

(Time to introduce your characters, everyone! Your plane is currently at the port, getting refueled - this is the main reason you arrived here. Another might be looking for a job, you didn't get any recently, but more specific reasons are up to you.)

[Nerd-o-rama]

The old man grabs the long, heavy coat of a dark-haired man of surprisingly rigid bearing for this part of town - that, and his fancy if well-worn and insignia-less hat, marks him as the captain of a vessel, and possibly one who takes himself to seriously at that.

In spite of the uptight bearing, though, the airman smiles relaxedly at the old man. "Haven't got any money now, friend," he says, "But I can get you a drink on my tab."

Captain Jacobin Arland, of the Roc, is a generous man, which might explain why he has no money. He's also a man who knows the desperate and obnoxious usually have the best knowledge of what's going on around them, which might explain why he still has a ship.

[Cubey]

A woman is standing right at the border of the more mercantile part of the town. Her current attire consists of a black miniskirt, a dark red top and tall boots. She removes her sunglasses and takes a long look around.
"Hmm, hmm..."
It is Sylvia Carissa Garrett, the spokesperson and ship doctor of the Roc. This is a trade town, so she used the opportunity to leave her lair and go out shopping for fun and interesting trinkets (for personal use - if there was anything the ship needed, it's the captain's job to take care of that!). And where money is exchanged, so are words, so she also keeps her ears open for interesting rumours.

"Well then! Shall we start?" She calls to the person behind her. Sylvia dragged along a poor crewmate, to serve as a mule to haul things she intends to buy.
(I intend for it to be an NPC, but if any other player wants to volunteer for this task, please do! Big, strong men preferred.)

Gather information roll, if required: [roll0]

[Matar]

It was places like this that Demo loved and hated the most. People were suffering here, mostly those unable to keep up with the chaotic life-style around them. Of course, there were worse places in the world, much worse, but it could be so much... better.

He hated that. And yet, at the same time, that was exactly what he loved the most about it. It wasn't horrible, and there was room for so much... improvement. And that is exactly what he was going to do. He couldn't offer much, but if he could help someone clinging on the very edge... well, they might reach out and help someone else hanging.

So that's what he did. Walking around town until he found a store, restaurant, or even a house that was run down yet still somehow standing. And he reached out. This time is was an old couple who owned a restaurant. They hadn't seen much business, and obviously didn't expect to. One there stoves were broken, one of there faucets didn't work, and the main support looked weak to a well-trained eye.

He could fix that. And so much more.

He introduced himself to them with a smile. Which didn't help in slightest, as Demo looks utterly insane. With fiery red hair, red eyes, and a red and black outfit with large matching goggles. But really, with how business was going... how could they say no?

And so he went to work. Using nothing but the scrap and trash around him to do his duty. You'd be amazed at what you could make with just a trashcan. Or what you can repair with a coat hanger and tin cans.

A stove, faucet and support beam are on that list.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

The bustling city was alive with the noise and calls of all sorts of people going about their business. Kamome for her part was kneeling and petting a stray dog while holding her violin case. Though she was supposed to be doing a bit of work, at the moment she was free until either the captain returned for her, or until they were supposed to meet up. The girl smiled and watched as the dog trotted off, perhaps on an adventure of it's own.

The city reminded her of so many others that she had visited in the journeys she had taken. Each one new and different, with it's own smells and sounds. Each city had it's own people, and each of those people had a place they belonged. For now though, Kamome saw it as something of a chance. An opportunity to play and share something that she had found universal. Even if she couldn't speak the language, music spoke in all voices. A brief gust of wind played with her hair, and she smiled.
"Well, I guess this is as good a place as any. Let's play." She said to herself. She opened the violin case and checked it to make sure everything was okay.
Then Kamome closed her eyes in concentration, and she began playing the violin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBWZq7P5c0s) at the corner of a bustling street.

EDIT: (roll is here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7865290&postcount=791).... I used the wrong numbers :smallredface: :smallredface: :smallredface:)

[RandomLunatic]

The companion to the seeming airship captain outside the bar, with his greatcoat, trousers, boots, and gloves, combined with his general bearing, gave off an air of being a military man. Or at least ex-military. Capping off the ensemble was an eyepatch and a simple airman's cap. "I'll buy you a meal," he told the beggar, reaching into a coat pocket and producing a worn and repeatedly-folded photo of a man, smiling at the camera and wearing what was obviously some sort of military uniform. "If you tell me whether or not you've seen this man. The uniform's gone, the hair's longer, and he may or may not have been wearign a mustache, but the face's the same."

[Fri]

"And that's when, the lightning god ripped his disguise off and start hammering the giants!"

Just beyond the dock, a crowd of local undernourished childrens were gathering around a stack of crate. They laughed as a woman in brown made some overblown expression and throwing movement to illustrate her story.

[roll0]+2 Perform: Oratory

"And so, many giants were squashed, the lightning god got his hammer back, and nobody, ever, ever tries to think to steal his hammer again. And everyone lives happily ever after. Well... except for the squashed giants." Alex smiled as the children applaused. Then, she pulled her fedora down and hopped down from the crates.

"Sorry chumps and chumpettes, but I need to look at our ship." She said, ignoring the kids' dissapointed sounds. "Or as I always subtitled, freedom, on a pair of slightly used wings."

She put her hands on her hips and looked toward the towering cargo ship that's currently docked on the pier. She smiled at the workers and asks. "How much longer will the refuelling take, gentlemen?"

[Tengu_temp]

Jacobin & Erich
"Ah, God bless yer souls! I knew there're some good men left in this world."
The old beggar stares at the photo intensely with a focused face - you can practically see him fingering through the archives of his memories. Ultimately, however, he shakes his head.
"Nope, haven't seen him. Sorry, son."

Inside, the Black Cloud looks... normal. Not top class by any means, but not a a place that'd give a visiting health inspector (if there were any on this island) a heart attack. It's mostly empty - just several patrons at the tables, and nobody at the counter. Must be too early for real business yet, or the beggar drove everyone away.
"Hey there. What'll it be?", asks the barman. Whatever you order, the old man doesn't just go away with his food and drink - he sticks around.
"I wanna repay yer kindness somehow. And I think I know how." He looks around to make sure nobody else is listening, then reaches under his cloak and pulls out an unlabeled minidisk in a case. "This is my treasure. It's a map - a map to a high mountain where, fifty or sixty years ago, a giant transporter crashed. And what was its load? Lots and lots of lost technology. From what I know, this is the only map to that place ever, and all that stuff should still be there.
So, whaddya say? You look like the adventuring type. For good folks like you, I'll part with the map for cheap - just whatever you can spare for this old man."

Sylvia
Some of the rumors you hear:

The Blood Comets are becoming more fearless lately, and their attacks more common. You've heard this name before - they're an infamous for their ruthlessness, very large pirate gang, operating from an unknown base and led by a mysterious man known as Steeleye. According to rumors some of the southern governers work with them, supplying them with information about good prey in exchange for bribes and being left alone.

The annual Dog Fighter Tournament is going to be held at the end of this month. It's a very popular competition, held in Spain, where Gale Rider pilots from all over the world battle each other. The winner is granted fabulous prizes, but since there is a high risk of completely trashing your mech, or even getting crippled or dying if you're unlucky, only those with a lot of confidence in their abilities enter.

Officially, the royal family of Australia is dead, but according to rumors they have managed to fled and are living in hiding now, waiting for an opportunity to reclaim their kingdom. This rumor is contradicted by photographic and video evidence.

There are also many rumors about local merchants - that X is overpriced, Y got new stock lately, Z is cheating on weight, and so on. They help you with shopping, though not with much else.
(Feel free to buy anything non-plot important and not costing any equipment points.)

Henry
When you're almost done with the support, the old lady approaches.
"Oh my, you've been working so hard, young man, and for complete strangers like us! How can we ever repay you? You must be hungry - my husband is making pancakes at the moment, would you like some?"

Kamome
A small crowd stays around and listens to your performance, and many others slow their pace down when they walk past. When you finish, the people around start to clap, and many of them throw coins to your empty violin case... even if you didn't play for money.

Alex
"Hold your horses, lady!" A worker, clad in an orange coverall, waves his arm from a distance. "We're almost done here!"

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

The park is quieter than the rest of the city. The rich district in general is a bit more settled, a bit more at peace, or perhaps merely a bit more polite. Regardless, for a man who seeks peace, it is certainly a more suitable choice than the more boisterous and noisy commerce districts.

In a quiet corner of the park, under a tall tree casting a cool, mellow shade over soft green grass that gently moves in harmony with the soft gusts of a gentle breeze, is a man sitting in a spindly metal wheelchair, alone. He is well dressed in black dress clothes, with a wide brimmed soft felt hat with a rounded dome upon his head in a similar hue. Sabata typically favored less meddlesome and more simple attire, but he usually made an effort to appear somewhat fancier when they went on land.

Currently, he is merely enjoying the fresh air. The others had their various interests to pursue, but he had no life outside of the cockpit. If any of them needed him, they knew where to find him; he didn't move around much. For now, he could enjoy the peace.

[Matar]

Henry
When you're almost done with the support, the old lady approaches.
"Oh my, you've been working so hard, young man, and for complete strangers like us! How can we ever repay you? You must be hungry - my husband is making pancakes at the moment, would you like some?"

A smile on his face, Demo happily accepts the food. "The food is plenty, don't worry. I'm just trying to do my good deed for the day, is all." Demo began eating the pancakes, enjoying a fine meal after helping someone out. He didn't plan on getting free food, of course. But these things always seem to just... happen when you lend a helping hand.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome smiled and bowed, thanking the people who tossed coins her way, though it made her cheeks redden just a little.
Ah, this will never get old! Traveling the world, playing music...it's not too bad here! She thought as she picked up her violin case and stored her instrument.

Kamome threw a look around, fixing her goggles that perched in her hair, and decided she'd go try to meet up with one of the others. In the bustle of the city though, it'd be a miracle if she found anyone in a short order of time, and so she made it her goal to meander past the shops to grab a quick bite to eat, now that she had a bit of extra change.
Who knows? Maybe she would run into someone she knew.

[Cubey]

"Ohh?" Sylvia maintains a clever half-smile when listening to the rumours. This will be very interesting for the captain to hear - if he bothers to ask her, that is.

She purchases an article of clothing or two that strikes her fancy, as well as medical supplies that the sickbay is running low on or are getting too old and need replacing. And, just because, a small rock statue that will undoubtedly make for a fine medical room decoration.
"Make sure not to drop anything, alright?" She winks towards the poor soul that is supposed to carry all this stuff back to the ship. His name: Nicol Patrick Cullen, a young and easily flustered crewman and do-everything-guy.

[Fri]

Alexia crossed her hands and gave an amused look.

"Well, I'm supposed to look after our ship, but I guess I can trust you guys. Just make sure that she'll still be here when I get back, okay?"

She then left the dock with hands in her pocket, humming some random tune as she entered the town. This is just a typical small north american city. Not much chance for culture here. She tried to recall what kind of legends or fairytales that she got from those charming kids previously. Not that she was hoping for something new or groundbreaking, just trying to finding out what kind of culture and underlying mythology that this town have. Hmm.. didn't they tell something about the history of this city?

[roll0] Gather Information about local legend and history.

As she chewed an apple that she got from a streetside vendor, she noticed Kamome not far from her. It looked like she's trying to pick which food that she'll get from the shops that lined the street.

"Kinda slow day, isn't it?" She smiled, suddenly already walking beside her.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome turned at the sound of Alexia's voice, a little too quickly to have been a deliberate move.
"Hello Alexia!" She responded with a grin.
"It may be a slow day, but it's a nice one. The people are quite friendly here too." She said, slowing to a stop to look closer at the food stall they were passing. The stall, selling small sub-sandwiches, looked rather pleasing to her eye, and Kamome stopped to politely order one of the sandwiches for herself.
"Do you want anything?" She asked Alexia.

[Terraoblivion]

A young woman in a tattered, faded uniform jacket worn in a highly irregular, opened manner and with all insignias removed, was walking down one of the major shopping streets of the city. Her image was somewhat ruined by the fact that she was in the process of eating an ice cream, something that seemed to preoccupy her more than any such thing should do for an adult. Still despite her preoccupation with the ice cream, she managed to move easily and gracefully through the crowds thronging the streets, seeming to not let them slow her down as she went through them.

Yasmin couldn't help but feel relaxed to be in a port again. Sure, there was a freedom in the sky and she didn't have to worry overly much about Ataraguan agents or bounty hunters who deduced the origin of her gale rider, but it was also cramped and the food was terrible. She also needed some new work boots, the old ones were getting too worn already, maybe she could find money to get something less practical too. Then she could get a proper meal and go out and have a drink without worrying about the reaction of the captain. No discipline here and a chance to see other people from the rest of the crew, having been with the same strangers for a couple of weeks wore on the nerves.

She finished her ice cream just in time for arriving at the store. After a bit of searching she found the boots she needed and as expected she lacked the money to get anything else other than a cheap meal and a drink. Odd how she never had any money unlike the rest of the crews she had worked with. Perhaps she was just no good at negotiating pay.

[Fri]

Alexia chewed her apple again. "In days like this, you don't know what you should be doing. But I guess that's the fun of it"

She then smiled shook her head. "Nah. I think I'll just finish my apple." As Kamome bought her sandwich, she continued. "I wonder where our captain is. Shouldn't he be looking for job for us?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

Jacobin looks levelly at the old man over his drink.

Sense Motive (1d20+6=20) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2403600/)

This was a scam older than the sky, and the old man was clearly hiding something; on the other hand, with sufficient skill and firepower, something he was sure his ship had, there's no reason not to check it out. Work had been slow lately, and at worst, the man was crazy and it was a waste of time. Ambush by other pirates would actually be better than that, as it always means spare parts for the taking, and Jacobin was confident that his crew could outfly any of the sky's other bands of misfits.

"I appreciate the tip, friend. I'll be sure to check it out...there anything else I should know about this 'lost treasure'?" he asked, trying to figure out just what this guy could be keeping to himself.

Diplomacy (1d20+11=16) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2403606/) - trying to be friendly enough to get him to spill.

[Tengu_temp]

Alexia
According to a legend, Long Port was founded by several great pirate captains around 150 years ago, who decided to settle down with their riches. Their treasure is still hidden somewhere on the island.
How true is that rumor? Hard to say. Nobody pays much attention to the history of this place - the locals live from day to day rather than delving in the past.

Sabata
The park, unlike the rest of the city, is very peaceful... apart from one event. Several individuals in overly elaborate uniforms - men of some local dignitary, most likely - walk through some distance away from you, and they slow down a bit as they pass, watching you. None of them approach though, so they probably didn't deem you suspicious.

Sylvia
"I, I will try!", says Nicol nervously, trying to balance the pyramid of bought items. He doesn't drop anything (yet) only by a miracle.

Inside the bar
"Well..." The old beggar seems to hesitate for a second. "The truth is, that plane had automated defenses, and they might be active even now. So you gotta be careful with them, or they'll rid you with bullets."

[Cubey]

"Thanks. I knew I made the right choice. Now, could you bring all of this back to our ship? Big Sis is counting on you!"
And with these words, Sylvia leaves the crewmate behind her, continuing her town exploration quest alone. To be more precise, the objective of her quest is finding something good to eat - and, either by coincidence or intent action, she bumps into Yasmin.

"Hello there!" She waves, trying to get her attention.
"What a coincidence, that we'd both be in the same part of the city! So, what are you up to? And how do you like the place, anyway?" She takes a glance at the busy and chaotic street life.
"Civilisation!"

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata's eyes flick to follow the men as they slow and watch them, his face hidden under the shadows of the tree. He's of a like mind to them; they don't seem all that suspicious, and he is enjoying his peace, so he merely watches.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome paused and then turned back to the stall-keeper.
"One more please. Could you wrap it for later? Thank you!" She said, placing some more of her earned change into the box. When the man handed her the sandwhich, she turned to Alexia as they started to walk.
"You can have it later then." She explained, before beginning to eat her sandwich.
"Mmmm. It has beef. We don't have that often." She observed with a sing-song voice. Before another bite though, she contemplated Alexia's words and shrugged helplessly- one hand holding her violin case and the other with a sandwich.
"I'm sure Captain is finding us some work today." She said optimistically. Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth however, she frowned."But come to think of it, he didn't give me a course to plot this morning when we came into port...and I don't think we were planning on staying here for long.... I guess that means we'll just have to find out when we get back." Kamome concluded. She looked up at Alexia as she took another bite of her sandwich.
"Did you do any shopping?" She asked curiously.

[Fri]

"Thanks!" Alexia grinned. She put the sandwich into one of her many pockets. Most likely she'll have some trouble remembering which pocket did the sandwich went later.

"And, mm..." she continued after she threw the apples' remains to one of the many can that seemed to be plaguing the city. "I don't really need anything...." Alexia said as she subtly licked the tip of her fingers, trying to get the most of her apple. "It'd be nice to have some new books, but I don't sure if this city even got bookstore..."

"Do you want to look for something though? I'd accompany you if you want to. It's not like I have anything better to do. The captain will contact us if he need us anyway."

Alexia grinned again. "Maybe a dress? It's not fair if sylvia is the only one who wear all the nice clothing."

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome's face brightened. "If you want to find a bookstore, I am sure we can track one down. But I would be happy to buy a new dress too! It would be nice to have something to wear for a performance next time." She said with a twirl - narrowly avoiding a passerby with the violin case. She bowed her head a little in apology and kept walking.

A few more bites finished the sandwich, and Kamome pointed at a small clothing shop.
"Let's try there!"

[RandomLunatic]

After buying the man's meal, Erich leaves the beggar in the able company of Captain Jacobin and started querying the barkeep on the location of the man he sought.

[Terraoblivion]

Yasmin broke into a wide smile and nodded in greeting to the other woman, moving closer to her to be able to have a proper conversation. "Hi. Not sure it is that much of a coincidence, this is the place to go if you want to buy actually legit goods in this city."

Grinning slightly she glanced over Sylvia. "So what did you get? And did you have one of those poor bastards carry it back to the ship for you?" For a moment she put on a very serious disapproving expression. "You really shouldn't play with their emotions like that." It quickly shattered to be replaced with the grin again. "Though it sure is fun to look at. Anyway, i don't know the city too well, what kind of thing do you want to eat?"

[Tengu_temp]

Sabata
The guards don't stop, and soon disappear from your sight. The park becomes peaceful again.

Erich
"Hmm... no, this man doesn't look familiar.", the bartender responds to you showing him the photo. "And I'd knew if I saw him, a bartender never forgets a patron's face. Try asking at the port, maybe?"

[Cubey]

"Play with emotions? Why, I'd never." Sylvia's smile can only be described as cat-like.
"I just ask nicely, and our crew is gentlemanly enough to agree to help. Besides, they know that getting on Big Sis's good side will only end well for everyone involved." She sounds amused when saying that, and already walks in a chosen direction - smelling a good restaurant/cafe/bar/food stand, maybe?

"I got a few nice things, you'll notice them immediately if you come visit me in the sickbay." Her amused tone of voice does not change.
"As for food, I'll trust my primal instincts here. Just keep your eyes sharp and your wits quick - if there are no sheep around, mutton will be very expensive or very suspicious. The same goes with everything else."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Thanks for the heads-up," Jacobin says, giving the old man a pat on the shoulder. Turning to the barkeep, he adds, "The old fellow drinks on my tab for the rest of today."

Like I was going to pay that anyway.

With that, he takes the map and stores it in his coat for now, standing to look around for anyone who seemed in need of a more regular freelance job. After all, treasure hunts were all well and good (especially if they were going to yield ammo and fancy point-defense weapons at the very least), but having something more standard to actually pay his crew's salaries was always beneficial. Jacobin sometimes wondered what would happen if any of them had to take a pay cut. Especially Sylvia.

*shudder*

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

The park may have become peaceful again, but Sabata finds that he cannot find it again. Well, men like him didn't deserve peace, anyway. He was an old sinner.

Sabata wheels his way out of the park and heads back towards the more common section of the city, where his fellow crewmembers were no doubt present.

[Matar]

Demo happily eats the pancakes, coating them with enough syrup to chock a horse. In the corner of his eye he spies Sabata passing by. Turing around he gives him a wave and invites him to eat with him.

"Hey old man! How 'bout getting some food here? It's damn good man. 'Sides, you could use some meat on those bones!" With a wild grin Demo takes another bite the pancakes. "My treat!"

[Tengu_temp]

The Black Cloud bar
"Now we're talking! Be careful out there, okay guv'ner?" The old man has a whole day of free drinking ahead of him, and he's not going to let that opportunity pass - he's starting to take advantage of it instantly.

Most of the patrons seem to be more interested in their drinks rather than giving job opportunities. Maybe it really is too early? The only difference is a soot-covered, burly guy with a beard - he doesn't have an offer, but he does have some info.
"You're out of luck, pal. With the pirate activity on the rise, there's been very few transport offers for freelancers recently. They fall victim to pirates too easily, you see, most folks prefer to transport their goods in large convoys instead. You could try up north, the skies are calmer there."

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata pauses, glancing first at Demo before eying the pancakes drowning in a whole Canada's worth of maple syrup. "Thank you, but I will pass." He wheels the chair over to Demo. "Staying out of trouble, I hope?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"And what about smaller, faster ships with the firepower to discourage pirates?" Jacobin asks the helpful guy. "Any work on hand for them?"

[Tengu_temp]

"I dunno." The big guy takes a sip from his beer glass. "You could go look around, but don't hold your breath. The pirates aren't so easily frightened these days - ever heard of the Blood Comets? Just a single plane won't discourage them, no matter how well armed."

[Matar]

Sabata pauses, glancing first at Demo before eying the pancakes drowning in a whole Canada's worth of maple syrup. "Thank you, but I will pass." He wheels the chair over to Demo. "Staying out of trouble, I hope?"

The wild grin stays on Demos face as his taps his metallic (And highly explosive) finger on the table. "Come on now, would I ever do anything dangerous?" Giving a small laugh/cackle Demo finishes up his pancakes, and lifts the plate to his mouth. Tilting it slightly and drinking the rest of the syrup.

And boy, was there a lot left.

With a satisfied sigh, Demo puts the plate back down on the counter, wipes his mouth clean, and orders something to drink. "Give me something sweet to drink, carbonated if ya got it... if not, juice will do." He places the last of his change on the counter, just enough to cover the drink. "And I'll pay this time. Heh."

With a small shrug Demo addresses Sabata. "So, besides moping around, what have you been up to old man?" He gives Sabata a playful nudge with his elbow. "Lots of good to be doing aorund here, even for someone like you. Heh."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Only the basics," Jacobin replies , "top dogs around here, big operation, Dread Pirate Steeleye Leaves No Survivors, etc."

"I guess if they're a big enough group they could overwhelm with numbers, hence the convoy idea...well, if there's nothing to do about it, I guess I'll just have to make my own work while I'm here. Thanks for the tip."

[RandomLunatic]

"That's a good idea. I'll try it," Erich said. He finished and paid for his drink, then headed down to the port section of the city to flash the picture around to crews and other assorted port-dwellers to see what shook loose.

(([roll0]))

[Tengu_temp]

The bar
"No problem. Hope you'll find something." Your informer returns to his drink. Speaking of drinks, the old beggar chugs inhales his at an alarming rate. He holds his liquor surprisingly well for such a frail old man.

The port
The search brings no definite results. Most people haven't seen the man, some think they might have seen him but are not sure, some others are too busy to answer queries by strangers or barely look at the photo before answering.

The clothing shop
The place might be small, but it looks rather nice, more toned down and less loud than the standards of the trade district. The selection is good, too - everything is okay to good quality, and while a lot of it is used there's no tattered rags or anything like that. The shopkeeper appears in sight soon after you enter - a bespectacled lady in mid twenties, with curly black hair and wearing a brown dress.
"Hello. How can I help you?"

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

"I was out in the rich district. Enjoying the scenery." Sabata is much more reserved and somber than Demo. He doesn't begrudge Demo's good nature, he just doesn't share it. "I had thought about maybe seeing if the locals had a church around these parts, though."

[Kasanip]

Kamome

"Hello!" Kamome said in greeting to the woman as she stepped into the shop, clutching her violin case still. She looked around with bright eyes as her vision passed over the selection. She tugged on her 'functional' sky clothing, and looked first at Alexia, and then to the woman with a bit of a sheepish grimace.
"I'm looking for something a little nicer... I want to perform with this." She held the violin case up for the woman to see. "So, I'll look at the dresses. Do you have a changing room by chance?" She asked.

[Terraoblivion]

"That's all well and good, but it doesn't help us decide on where to go. Other than not to a restaurant specializing in lamb." Yasmin shrugged in reply to Sylvia's comment. "I believe they mostly make beef here and somehow i don't think you are the type to suggest a steakhouse. Let's go look for Italian or something, their style of food survived the disaster better than most other and who doesn't like it? We should head off the main street though, food in these places tend to be low quality and overpriced."

[Cubey]

"Italian sounds delicious. Let's have that." Sylvia uses her hand to cover the lower half of her face.
"I didn't expect you to be such a culinary expert. That's a nice talent you have there! Well, lead on and I'll follow."

[Tengu_temp]

The shop
"Oh, of course! the changing room is over there, and the dresses are..." The shopkeeper leads you to another section of the store. Not that it's very big. "Here. You can choose and try on whatever you like. I have several suggestions of my own, if you'd like to hear them."

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome follows the woman over and starts looking at the dresses. Gently she touches several of them, feeling the fabric or seeing the color. At the woman's comment though, Kamome perks up, still a little sheepish. She is obviously enthusiastic if a little shy about the whole process. "Ah...what suggestions would you have?" She asks curiously. "And if you have any, Alexia, I would like to hear it too." She says.

[Nerd-o-rama]

The captain looks on slightly worriedly now.

I should probably go make some money now...

Noticing that Eric had already left, the captain takes his leave (when the bartender's not looking) and heads back toward the port. He does one more thing before retiring back to his ship, though - he stops by the port authority and peruses any local listings to see if there's a bounty on the Blood Comets. If they're that big of a nuisance around here, someone's likely to be paying for their ears.

[Tengu_temp]

The shop
"For example, how about this one?" The shopkeeper pulls out a dark green, long sleeveless dress. The design is pretty simple, without excess decorations, but also elegant, and the material is of very good quality. "You wouldn't look out of place as a part of a fancy orchestra in it! Would you like to try it on?" She seems quite enthusiastic about it. Maybe even a bit too much.

The port
Indeed, there are bounties on the Blood Comets, both private and government ones - dead, alive, even their mecha if there's no other proof of identity. The money you get for common pirates isn't that high, but it's much better for lieutenants, and Steeleye himself is worth many, many zeroes.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome's sheepish look blossoms into a full smile as she looks over the dress.
"An orchestra.... There is a shine in her eyes as if she is daydreaming of a happy idea.
Of course, to play in an orchestra would be wonderful- she had only heard such music on a radio. Were there even still orchestras someplace? Her heart leaped. She loved music...but she loved flying more. Maybe a flying orchestra!? That would be perfect.
"Yes...I think I'll try this one on then." She said. She took the dress from the woman and distractedly went into the changing room...emerging a few minutes later wearing the dress, and looking pleased. She twirled once.
"How is it?"

[Fri]

Alex put one of her hand on her chin and raised one of her eyebrow. "Hmm.... It's quite nice... Got good style and..."

But then she laughed. "Ah, who am I kidding. I know as much about fashion as Henry. My only consideration on clothings are will it hold itself on the field or not.

I like that one though! Simple and elegant. I think it's really cute on you. It's just a shame that it won't be used much."


She then leaned closer to Kamome and whispered. "Be mindful on the price though. I really hope Sylvia is here now, I bet she know how much is the suitable price of that dress."

[Tengu_temp]

"I think it looks wonderful on you! I'm glad the size fits.", says the shopkeeper. "As for the price, don't worry - I got it used, and as such I'm willing to sell it for a reasonable amount of money. Do note that it's in an extremely good state, it's impossible to tell it was used at all! Such is the quality of the cloth used." Did she hear you whispering about the price?

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome blushed a little and nodded.

"O-okay. I think I'd like to buy this one then." She said, holding the sides of the dress with her hands .
"How much is it?" She asked, turning to the saleswoman.

As if on an afterthought she turned back to Alexia.
"Are you going to buy something since we're here?"

[Fri]

"It'll definitely look nice on you, Kamome. Not that you usually don't look nice of course."

Alexia then looked at a line of new hats as Kamome asked her whether she wanted to buy something. She clenched her old, battered fedora as if they threatened her."

"No" *shudder*... I think I'll pass...

Anyway, do you want to get back to the ship already? I think everyone should be back soon."

[Matar]

I was out in the rich district. Enjoying the scenery." Sabata is much more reserved and somber than Demo. He doesn't begrudge Demo's good nature, he just doesn't share it. "I had thought about maybe seeing if the locals had a church around these parts, though."

"Ahh, well. I'm sure there's one around here someplace." A short pause. "After all, there are bound to be a ton of people wanting to confess to something or another."

[Kasanip]

Kamome

"Ah! We should hurry back." She agreed with a nod. She ducked back into the changing room and popped out again in a frighteningly quick amount of time, holding the dress lovingly in her arms.

She handed the correct amount of money to the shopkeeper and grabbed her violin case before trotting up to Alexia again.

"Okay, ready! Sorry to keep you."

[Tengu_temp]

The price for the dress turned out to be... the majority of Kamome's spending money. One can only wonder how much would it cost if it was brand new.

"Goodbye! Hope you will come again soon!" The shopkeeper gives you a wave as you leave.

(Does anyone want to do anything noteworthy, or should I assume you all returned to your ship?)

[Cubey]

Sylvia's already back at the ship, after sharing a meal with Yasmin.

"Hey! Did everyone miss me? Anything happened while I was gone?" She looks around curiously, in search of the new and unexpected. Assuming she doesn't find anything like that, she heads out in search of an important item collection - the things that she bought at the market and had Nicol deliver. They better all be here, and without any wear or damage.

[Neon Knight]

Sabata just gives a slight despairing shake of his head. "Too many, and yet too few." Sabata glances up at the sky briefly, before looking to Demo. "Do you know how long it has been? We should probably get back to the ship." He turns his chair and wheels off.

[RandomLunatic]

Erich slinks up the Roc's boarding ramp some time later, shoulders slumped in dejection. He had lost the trail again.

[Matar]

Sabata just gives a slight despairing shake of his head. "Too many, and yet too few." Sabata glances up at the sky briefly, before looking to Demo. "Do you know how long it has been? We should probably get back to the ship." He turns his chair and wheels off.

"Heh. Long enough." Demo taps his knuckles against the counter top and stands up. He tells the old couple running the bar "Have a good life, man." before heading back to the ship.

[Tengu_temp]

"Goodbye! Come again in the future, alright?" The old couple farewells Demo warmly.

The first thing anyone who returns to the Roc is Ronald, oiling some part of the hatch's machinery. Ronald is the crew's black-haired fat guy - almost every ship has one, for some reason. He says hello (or "hello, captain") to everyone who comes aboard, though nothing more - except in Erich's case.
"What's the matter? You look down."

Sylvia's shopping is left right next to the door to her room. Everything seems alright with it... at the first glance. Nicol is nowhere around, though.

Another crew member that can be seen around is Enya, the communication officer (+ several other bridge roles, necessary when you have such a skeleton crew). Along with Kamome and Nicol she belongs to the younger part of the crew. which is only exaggerated by her cheerful personality and blue twintailed hairstyle. Is that color natural? Who knows. She's currently busy writing something on a computer, though she notices if anyone enters, especially if it's the captain.

Where's the rest of the crew? Somewhere aboard, but you'd have to look for them if you need them. Maybe in their rooms? Apart from Nicol, Robert and Enya, there are only two of them - Daniel and Kara, brother and sister.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

After they returned to the ship, Kamome broke off from Alexia to put her new dress safely away in her room along with her violin. She decided already that she would practice violin this evening with the dress on. Anyone can dream for the stars!

But for now she closed the door and trotted up to the bridge. As she entered she greeted Enya with a cheery smile.
"Hi Enya. Did you have a good break?" She asked, settling into her own seat across from the communications officer and started to look over the systems.

"Hmm... Do you know if the Captain came by at all? He hasn't given me any news on where we're going." She asked with a frown, seeing no signs of the captain's work. Only then did she perk up and look over her shoulder to see what Enya was writing.
"What are you writing? A letter to home?"

[Fri]

Alex waved a goodbye toward Kamome, before continuing to her own room. As he opened the door to her small room, a familiar smell welcomed her. The smell of dusty books and leather tomes.

Alexia sighed comfortably as she sat inside the mess of her room. Her room consisted of only a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and lots, lots of books. Some in a pile, some in a tower, and the rest were just slathered around haphazardly. There are also a couple of ancient artifacts, mostly worthless economically. One of them lied silently on her desk, surrounded by reference books, magnifying glasses, and sharp implements.

She then sat in a chair, and started reading a book that she picked randomly.

[Terraoblivion]

A quick wave and hello greeted Ronald as Yasmin walked aboard the plane, later in the evening. Her walk had lost a bit of the grace it had had earlier, though the simple stairs aboard the plane did little to show this. Once inside she noticed that no one seemed to be on the bridge or in the lounge. After grabbing some crackers in the kitchen she flopped down on the couch and began watching some tv to relax, while trying to see if she could find the penguin among the crackers.

[Cubey]

Unlike Alex's, Sylvia's room was neat and tidy - everything was on its place, and she carefully put her new clothes into the wardrobe.

The sickbay, on the other hand...

The medical cabinet was accessible only after moving away some chemistry glass, which Sylvia used to brew coffee in the morning and didn't have a chance to clean yet. With the medical supplies put where they belong (a cabinet's more or less random shelf), it's time to do something with the stone statue. It should look fine next to the potted plant, right by the operating table.

"All done. The doctor is in!" Sylvia flopped down on a rotating chair. Is anyone coming to visit her today? Probably not, seeing as there weren't any recent fights or accidents for crew members to get mangled in. Regardless, she stays in the bay for a while, reading news on her computer.

[Neon Knight]

Roland receives a simple nod as he comes abroad, and nothing further. Sabata wheels himself towards his spartan quarters, but stays there only briefly.

A slight metal creak outside the sick bay door announces his arrival as Sabata wheels inside, with a nod to Sylvia. "Doctor."

[Cubey]

Sabata might find it hard to move his wheelchair around. Sylvia doesn't keep the sickbay messy (except for the coffee-stained glass, but that's a one time occurence, honest!) but she sure does keep it cluttered.

"Oh, Sabata." The perpetrator of this room's status stands up from her chair and moves in closer, leaning forward in curiosity.
"How can I help you?"

[Tengu_temp]

Kamome
"Oh hello!" Enya waves from her seat. "Yes, I did! I went outside a bit, but this town isn't really my kind of place, so I just relaxed around the ship. And I'm writing an entry in my journal now!
As for the captain, I'm not sure... Maybe something stopped him? Let's just give him some time, I'm sure he'll arrive here soon."

Yasmin
You feel some presence behind the couch - a quick look reveals it's Kara. She and her brother are pretty similar - both are tall, blonde and of unkempt appearances, and despite their oil-stained clothes suggesting busy mechanics they tend to be rather lazy in normal circumstances.
"Hey, mind if I get some?" Before even waiting for a permission, a hand suddenly darts into the cracker bag with an almost inhuman speed, and emerges holding several of them... including the rare penguin! Almost immediately Kara stuffs them into her mouth.

[Matar]

Demo looks around his work station, examining everything. He had a place for everything, from his explosives, wrenches, screws, and all the down the list to his bed. And damn it, everything had better be in it's place.

Of course, he slept in the hanger. He couldn't dream of sleeping in a different room then his dear friend Mr. Plastic Explosive. Or Misses Flamethrower!

With a quite giggle Demo goes through all his stuff, making sure everything is in order. Once he does, he begins to go through his paper work to see what on the ship needs fine tuning, or hasn't been checked on in awhile. He had a job to do, after all!

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata only wheels himself a short way into the room before stopping, not wanting to deal with all the clutter within. He holds up one of his hands. "I was wondering if you could give me something that would help steady my hands."

[Cubey]

"Alright. Give me but a second!" Sylvia exclaims with a wink. She turns on her foot and heads for the medicine cabinet.

"What do we have here, hmm? Anesthetic... stimulant... hey! This thing's for private use!" She takes a mental note to move something away from the cabinet later, when nobody's around.
"Ah, here we go!"

The doctor returns with a small plastic jar of pills, and deposits it in Sabata's hand.
"This should work. But..." She looks at the old man with visible concern.
"Don't take them unless you need to. And if you feel nauseous or sleepy after taking one, tell me immediately, alright?"

[RandomLunatic]

"Wha?" Erich said, looking up at Ronald. "My shoulder's just bothering me. Nothing really," he said, with a dismissive wave of the hand.

Once aboard the Roc, he stepped into an alcove off the main hallway. To tell the truth, his shoulder-his flesh and bone one-really was starting to ache again, so he fished through his coat pocket and produced a bottle of pills. Except there were no pills. Verdammt.

At least he knew where to find those. He headed for the infirmary.

And walked in behind Sabata. "Is this a bad time?" he asked from the doorway. "I can come back later..."

[Cubey]

"My! Don't I have a lot of visitors today." Sylvia sits on a nearby desk. By some miraculous coincidence, its surface had enough free space for her not to trip or break anything when she did that.

"Come in! Come in! You're not interrupting anything. When I do anything that needs intense... concentration, I usually just lock the door."

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata nods, placing the small bottle in one of his pockets. "Thank you. I won't be reckless."

He turns his head and gives a slight nod to Erich. "You're not interrupting anything. I was just finished." He looks back to Slyvia. "Doctor." Sabata then tries to move carefully out of the infirmary.

[Cubey]

Sylvia waves her hand a bit as Sabata leaves the sickbay. But if she finds that he has trouble moving his wheelchair out of the room, she will get up and help him.

[Terraoblivion]

"Hey, i wanted that!" The hurt is clear in Yasmin's slurred voice for a bit, before she slumps back down in the couch. "But why do i care, it's just a cracker. Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you either be in town or sleeping off the booze anyway? We are in town, no need to not visit the bars, you know."

[Nerd-o-rama]

After Jacobin returns to The Roc, he sits down on the bridge to take a look at the old man's data disc - hopefully it was still playable in a modern drive. Meanwhile, he gets on the ship's intercomm system.

"This is the captain speaking; anyone who's on board right now, if you could kindly come up to the bridge, I've got a job to discuss with everyone."

[Kasanip]

Kamome

"Afternoon, captain!" Kamome greeted the captain as he arrived on the bridge, though he looked a bit distracted. Kamome traded glances with Enya and stood up next to her chair awaiting the rest of the crew to arrive.
"A new job, sir?" She asked, cautiously.

[Matar]

After checking to make sure that everything in his workspace is all in order, Demo begins to make his way to the bridge.

'A job, eh?' Demo smiles a little on his way to the bridge. 'Maybe this'll give me the chance to make some... modifications to some of the Mechs around here! We could use some more Artillery! Bwahaha!'

Once he gets there he taps a near-by wall with his highly explosive finger and says "I'm here, oh Capitan my Capitan! Whadda ya have for us?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Hello, captain!" Enya gives a spirited salute when Jacobin enters. "What have you found for us?"

The data disk doesn't look extremely old - maybe 10 years, tops. The map must have been made by some expedition that discovered the crash site, not by the plane's crew itself. In any case, the marked location is far away to the north, in Alaska - a practically uninhabited region, with no trade routes coming through it. The distance from your current location is around 2500 miles - at a normal speed* you should be there in 5 hours.

(* - accelerated movement, aka 500 mph. All-out movement uses a lot of fuel, not to mention that it breaks the sound barrier.)

"I just woke up.", responds Kara to Yasmin's question. "And I don't like bars, they're too noisy. Why aren't you in town, though?"
At the same moment the captain's announcement can be heard.
"I guess that's why..." She heads to the bridge, though without haste.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Once the Avengers assemble on the bridge, Captain Arland explains. "I got information on a supposed trove of lost technology here," he says, pointing at the spot in Alaska on his monitor. "It's unconfirmed, came from an old drunk, and is probably just a pirate trap, but if we go in assuming it's a pirate trap, I think we can handle it."

He turns to address his crew. "There's not really any honest work in our milieu right now, folks, so we ought to check this out while we're still fresh on supplies. Worse comes to worst and there's nothing there, we can always try pirate hunting. There certainly seem to be plenty of our less scrupulous and more wanted brethren around."

[Fri]

Alexia was reading a book with one hand and playing with her whip with her other hand to pass the time. She set 5 innocent cans on her desk, and as she read her book, she mindlessly whipped the cans.

[roll0][roll1][roll2][roll3][roll4]

She folded her book as she heard the captain's announcement, and arrived in the conference room soon.

"Lost technology, captain? Interesting. I also heard that this town was apparently founded by a bunch of retiring pirate captains, and their treasures, so they say, is still buried here somewhere. Are there any relationship with this trove of lost technology? Hm, might be interesting."

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata is one of the last to arrive on the bridge, although he got out of the infirmary without problem. He listens to the captain's briefing attentively, listening quietly. "It seems you have our course charted well, captain, despite the lack of opportunities."

[Cubey]

As for Sylvia, she does not move to the bridge until her business with Erich is done. Taking care of her patients is priority, and everything else could as well not exist as long as she is concerned.

[RandomLunatic]

Erich gets out of Sabata's way and lets him past, not offering help unless Sabata asks for it.

"Hey, doc. I just need a refill here," he said, producing the empty bottle.

After getting the bottle refilled, thanking Sylvia, and taking one of the pills, he headed for the bridge and listened intently to the captain. "When do we leave?" was his only question.

[Cubey]

"There you go." Sylvia hands Erich a refilled bottle.
"You know how to use this, so I won't lecture you. Hmm, what could the Captain want now?" She wonders loudly.

A while later, she arrives on the bridge - without any haste, so she probably is fashionably late.
"Welcome home, Captain!" She winks mischeviously, which is accompanied by a playful salute. Then, after hearing what he has to say:
"Alaska, is it? I'd better make sure everyone wears warm sweaters."
That's despite the fact that Alaska isn't really a frozen wasteland anymore...

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome sits back down at her station and taps a few keys into the computer to enhance the map of Alaska and overlay it with their current location. Her eyes pass over it and she starts typing quickly as the monitor displays a decreasing number of lines due to air current calculations and safe-fly zone marks as she charts a course.


Navigation (Survival): [roll0]
"The flight should be smooth, Captain." She said brightly, swiveling around to rejoin the conversation. "At least until the pirate-trap part."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Well, Alexia, like I said, I can't vouch for what exactly this is until we get there...I'm more inclined to believe there's things waiting out in the wilderness than buried under a big city like this - someone laying down plumbing would have come across any buried treasure here already."

He stands up. "So, no objections, comments, questions? Then why are you all still sitting here, let's get going. Kamome, lay in that course. Have we got everything we need from town? Food, water, rockets, all good? Anyone need to use the bathroom?"

[Tengu_temp]

There are comments from the crew, alright.
"A treasure trove, or a pirate trap? How exciting!" Enya seems to be looking forward to this.
"Hope there won't be a battle. They're some troublesome..." Kara, much less so.
"Understood, captain. We should approach carefully, in case it really is a trap. And if they don't know we know they are there, we can use is for our advantage." Ronald has some words of advice.
Nicol has no comments - he looks too exhausted, and maybe a bit in pain. It's no mystery why for anyone who has seen the mountain of shopping he had to carry.
Daniel suddenly appears in the door, raising his hand in a relaxed greeting. "Hey, everyone! What's up? Did I miss anything?"

[Cubey]

"Well, then I'll leave the whole 'navigating and flying the ship' thing to experts. You know where to find me." Sylvia excuses herself out of the bridge.

"You did not miss a lot. Just an exciting promise of great prizes and mortal peril, but for Big Sis, that's all in a day's work. Oh, by the way." She stops explaining stuff to Daniel and turns in Nicol's direction.
"Good job on transporting my shopping! I am very pleased. Maybe I should thank you personally later, hmm?"

And with that, she leaves the place, heading back for the sickbay.

[Terraoblivion]

You people are crazy. I head to dinner for a few hours and the entire meeting is done already. Good thing i didn't really have anything to add, i guess.

Yasmin shrugs, not inclined to move from her seat in the couch. She does guard her crackers as she eat them though, she doesn't want to have anymore stolen from her like that. "I was in there. Already drunk and all." The captain's call prevented a genuine argument from developing as Kara heads off in the direction of the bridge.

Yasmin followed and quickly overtook the girl, not turning to look, making sure to bring her crackers. Taking a spot in the side of the room, she half listened occasionally munching on crackers and yawning a bit. Seems like drinking before a briefing was a bad idea, though at least she hadn't known about the briefing at the time. But as long as she was getting paid a scavenger hunt was no worse than patrol work or bounty hunting anyway. And if it was a trap it just turned into bounty hunting again and not a lot of pirates could match up to her in the first place.

[Tengu_temp]

"Um, it was nothing, really, but thanks a lot! Ahaha...", Nicol responds to Sylvia's comment, rubbing the back of his head. Once again his easily flustered nature kicks in.

"All the formalities at the port are settled, the maintenance is done, and we're refueled!", exclaims Enya. "The Roc is ready to fly, Captain!"

(Unless anyone has anything else to say, I guess it's time to head out. Feel free to describe what you do during the journey or just wait until you arrive at the destination.)

[Neon Knight]

Sabata finds a place to park his wheelchair where he can easily be found, not be in the way, and yet still rest. Basic and simple things took more out of him than it did the others, and he wanted to be sure that if this was a trap, he would be ready.

[Fri]

Alex smiles at the antics of her friends and started leaning toward the map as the Ship starts its journey.

"So, captain." she says as she fixed the position of her fedora. "How are we going to hit it this time? Usually, we'd have Kamome scouting ahead," she said as she nods toward Kamome. "but I don't like the idea of sending her alone this time. It might be too dangerous, if it's really a pirate trap or an active ancient treasure trove.

Should we anchor our ship far away and hit the site together with our Gale Rider as one team, or should we bring the Roc onto the site?"

[RandomLunatic]

"If I were a pirate," Erich opined, "I'd be a lot more aggressive in getting the location out. I'd make the ambush a lot closer. And I would certainly pick someplace nicer to wait in than Alaska. So I don't think it's a trap. Although it would of course be folly to discount the possiblity altogether.

"So what I think we should do is rig a drone that we can fly over the site beforehand. It might not fool pirates, but automated defenses should fire on it."

[Terraoblivion]

A shrug and a slightly manic grin spread across Yasmin's face as she heard the others express their worries. "And what pirates could stand up to my hercules anyway? Or the captain's piloting for that matter? Even if it is a trap we get to collect a bounty and make the world a bit safer for civilian shipping." She made a broad sweeping gesture with her arm, somehow managing to avoid knocking over anything. "We''ll just need to be on our guard and have our gale riders ready in the sky. Some diversion tactic might be worth a shot too. And then we have a shot at getting rich."

[Kasanip]

Kamome was busy at her terminal with her headphones plugged in, so she didn't hear Alexia's remark to the captain.
The ship's course had been set, so she was helping run the ships sensor diagnostics- making sure they would be ready before they arrived at their destination.
Her mind absently drifted back to thoughts about the dress, but she continued her work all the same.

[Matar]

"Ah!" Demo yells at the top of his voice "Only five hours!? I still have to finish calibrating the Mechs and finish oiling up the hanger doors! Erich, how's your arm?! Does it need fine tuning!?"

A pause.

"Of course it does! Everything needs fine tuning! You ever decide if I should a a back-up bomb in there? Honestly, I have no idea how you could live without."

Demo pauses once more and gasps for air.

"I have work to do! Maybe I'll have time to build a sensor for the Mechs, just in case it is a trap. Or maybe not. Erich, meet me in the workshop for I can fine tune your arm! Gotta get to work! Maybe make some explode..."

Demo makes his way back to the hanger where he works, muttering about possible any possible creations that spring to mind.

[Tengu_temp]

The journey, on its own, was uneventful - you passed several islands on the way, but none of them close enough that they'd register as more than just small spots on the horizon, and most of what have you seen are just clouds. It did get colder as you went further north, though. Sylvia's comment about warm sweaters wasn't without base.

It is early evening* when you arrive at the destination - a tall and broad mountain peak, emerging from the cloud layer below, rocky and devoid of any vegetation. While the mountain is visible from afar, the crash site is much less so - the plane has crashed into a small gap in the mountain, and large rocks further obstruct it. Nevertheless, it is there - a metallic, rusted carcass, with a gaping hole in its hull large enough that the Roc could probably squeeze in on its own.

You're still pretty far away from the target and it's hard to see much detail, especially if you stopped the ship before any potential ambushers could notice it. You can approach the crash site in whatever way you want.

* - unless you decided to fly slower or faster than default speed.

Feel free to describe what you did during the journey or the meeting, still - especially if anyone wanted to constuct something or make plans.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Captain Arland spent the journey pondering the tactical possibilities of this location (as well as his usual ponderings of how he wound up reduced to treasure hunting with such a bizarre if endearing group of people), making sure the brdige crew keeps their attention focused (especially Kamome), and adding another layer of clothing once they passed the approximate location of Seattle.

Once there, the situation does not disappoint - hell, he's just happy the wreck exists, really. One visible entrance, plenty of maneuvering room for Gale Riders...he closes his eyes and envisions the situation, letting scenarios play out in his mind before summoning all his pilots back to the bridge.

"Alright, here's how we're going to do this," he begins, all business this time. "All our Gale Rider pilots will head into the wreckage through the main entrace we can see on the screen here. The Roc will move in close to cover you, and I'll personally stand by as backup. Your objective is to fly in and find and eliminate any hostiles - you can expect at least automated defenses and possibly squatters or, as always, a trap."

"Any questions so far?"

[Cubey]

Sylvia spent the time constructively, by reading stuff on her computer and other leisurely activities. And when the captain calls everyone back to the bridge, she is there too. She had a chance to change into a somewhat more professional outfit - a uniform similar to the one Kamome (and possibly other ordinary crewmembers?) wears, if hers came with Zettai Ryouiki and a fancy beret with a red cross symbol on it.

"Everyone, play it safe, alright?" She stands next to the captain but faces the rest of the pilots, leaning a bit in their general direction and with a finger raised.
"Don't get hurt and have me worried, okay?"

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata chuckles slightly. "Don't worry, Doctor, I don't plan on getting fragged by a half-rusted turret." He glances at the other pilots. "And we're all watching each other's backs."

He then looks to the Captain. "Only one: May I take point?"

[Matar]

"Just remember!" Demo makes himself known. "I just finished fine-tuning the Mechs, so don't get them scuffed up. You may be there riders, but they're still my babies!"

Demo grins a little and laughs softly. "My wonderful, highly dangerous, explosive wielding babies."

[Fri]

"It's huge!

Interesting, is it a pre-historical machine or something a bit newer? I'd like to have some close examination on that." Alexia said as she equipped her fingerless gloves.

The ship itself might actually count as a treasure! Anyway I might be able to disarm some of the traps, but if we can find the central processing unit, it might make things a bit easier. Oh, I hope the mainframe is still active. If it's as old as it look, I might be able to gather some interesting stuffs."

As she finally finished her preparation, she continues. "Any idea where the so called 'treasures' resides though?"

[RandomLunatic]

"Oh, don't worry. I plan on coming back in one peice," Erich said, reassuring both Sylvia and Demo. "Though I would like to take point, since I don't think you want me providing the cover fire," he said, tapping the side of his head right next to the patch covering his right eye.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome stood up as the captain explained the orders.
"Where do you want me, sir?" She asked earnestly.

The thought had occurred to her that he might deploy her in the scouting role as well, or perhaps as backup to work as a teammate for one of the other pilots...but it might be necessary to have her on the ship as well, if things were ugly. She awaited the order.

[Tengu_temp]

In whatever order you fly, or whatever is the distance the Roc stays behind the mecha, once the pointman is around 3000 feet away from the wreck:

Suddenly, heat signatures appear around the crash site! Red-colored Gale Riders, previously unnoticed due to having their engines turned off, emerge from inside the wreckage and hideouts around it, and start to soar into your direction! Luckily the distance is too far to take you by surprise, but their numbers are great - there's around 15-20 of them!

"Captain, there is a radio tranmission incoming!", Enya exclaims at the Roc's bridge. The pilots receive the transmission as well.

"Haha, I knew this trap is gonna work!" The male voice can only be described as loud and obnoxious. Kinda on the high-pitched side, too. "You totally didn't expect it, did you? Only I, Boris Karbov, the most trusted of Steeleye's lieutenants, would be able to come up with such an ingenious plan!"

You hear a heavy sigh in the background. It belongs to another, most likely female, voice.

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Inside the cockpit of his mecha, Sabata coolly halts his advance, taking in their situation. It wasn't as bad as it could have been; had the enemy waited, they might have caught them off guard and up close.

"Captain, it seems we have ill-mannered guests. Your orders?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"There are quite a few of them, aren't there..."

Arland considers for a moment. On the one hand, being outnumbered 3-4 to 1 was pretty terrible odds for getting caught out in the open like this. On the other hand, the enemy commander was clearly an idiot, and pirates used to swarm tactics were unlikely to be able to deal with a coordinated group - or a battleship - and taking any or all of them down would be worth good money, in addition to a community service.

He broadcasts his instructions quickly on the ship's personal encrypted band. "Gunners, prepare to fire cannons on the hostiles from maximum range, before they break formation. Gentlemen, ladies, you'll follow the shells in and mop up the remainder. Try to let them crash somewhere we can take back proof of the kills, and see if you can take their leader alive. I'm curious."

Not deigning to respond to the Blood Comets yet, the captain sits back and guides The Roc into cannon range, carefully pitching the machine up to give a clear field of fire around his own mechs. "Fire at will."

[roll1]

Actions: Move to within 1200' of the largest formation/group/clump (speed at least 180mph for the round, High-Speed Modifier +2), and fire cannons to hit as many of the Blood Comets as possible.

Reflex DC 22, Damage +12, 120' radius explosion.

EDIT: goddamn board roller. Initiative (1d20+4=23) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2411989/)

[Tengu_temp]

"I am afraid this will be goodbye." The pirate leader continues his monologue. "We plan to use this trap in the future, after all, and you will ruin all the fun if you tell anyone else about it. Which means..."
One of the red units - an Ulysses with a large Blood Comet flag* on its back - points its finger towards you in a dramatic pose.
"Get'em, boys! Don't let anyone get away!"

"Yeah!" "Well said, boss!" "We'll show'em!" "Yarr!" The radio gets filled with excited yells, followed by a bemused, low female voice.
"Why must I be stuck with this idiot? Enemy units, do me a favour and die quickly."

The battle has started! Most of the pirates are using either Perseuses, or Condors. This is what the unit database, or the memory of anyone more familiar with various Gale Rider types, has to say:
http://ffrpg.republika.pl/condor.PNG

The Condor is a cheap knockoff of the FG line of Gale Riders - it's not just a single model, the construction is so simple that it's produced in different places by different companies all over the globe. It's a weak unit, with worse combat parameters than even the Perseus. The only good element it possesses is the in-built weaponry, impossible to drop or disarm. The one with the machine gun is Condor G, the one with the back-mounted missile launcher, Condor M.

All the enemies are around 3000 feet from you, but they're not clustered together - they formed a rough line of small groups instead, with around 200-250 feet between each. From your left, the groups are:

2*Perseus (minion)
2*Condor G (minion)

1*Condor G (minion)
3* Condor M (minion)

Ulysses with the flag, armed with 2 pistols and a lot of knives
Ulysses, armed with a shotgun

1*Perseus (minion)
1*Condor G (minion)
2*Condor M (minion)

2*Perseus (minion)
1*Condor G (minion)
1*Condor M (minion)

Minion initiative: [roll0]
Non-minion initiative: [roll1]
Feel free to move if you roll higher than both. State just where you start the battle otherwise.

* - a typical pirate flag, only with a soaring, red comet instead of the skull.

[RandomLunatic]

"And I bought that scumbag a meal too," Erich muttered to his cockpit as he heeled Die Valkure around away from the pirates and climbed. Unlimbering the chainsword and shotgun, Erich's fingers flew over the sensor controls, sorting through background clutter and isolating individual signatures for an accurate count and makeup of the enemy force.

Leveling off somewhere above the Roc, Erich waited for the plane's main armament to lay waste to the incoming pirates.

Initiative 1d20+12=29 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412037/)
Computer Use to use Profile Database: 1d20+16=24 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412038/)
Delaying action until after the mooks go. Then gonna catch the entirety of one group with a the shotty's alternate fire mode. +12 Damage, 300' cone, Ref DC 20 half.

[Tengu_temp]

Erich
Both of the enemy Ulysseses are unmodified machines, in line with what you have. The movements of the one with the flag show that its pilot - Boris, in other words - is more experienced than you and will not be an easy target. The other one seems to be in line with your abilities.

As for the other units, the pirates that pilot them are weak and shouldn't be much of a challenge. (They're minions, too, which means that among other things you can take 10 on your attacks against them.)

[Fri]

"Aw... bummer."

Alexia looked genuinely down in her machine, shoulders sagged if anyone communicate to her. It seemed that she's really expecting a genuine artifact ship. She then sighed.

"Oh well, must work my payroll as well. And you know what, we might still be lucky. I'll check the ship later I guess." She said as she revved her Gale Rider's engine inside the ship.

[roll0] initiative

[Cubey]

Sylvia

"That's quite mean of them, wouldn't you say Captain?" She stayed on the bridge and listened to the pirates.
"Thinking they got us in an ambush like that. Well! You have Big Sis's trust, so show them what for!" The last sentence was directed to the ally pilots in their robots, as Sylvia grabbed a radio communicator in the meantime.

Mind-controlled slave Yasmin

Yasmin was moving in the center of the formation, her unit's larger size undoubtedly drawing attention. This positioning allows her to defend others with her tough Hercules more effectively, and also do what she already prepares to - fire a barrage of missiles at the closest cluster of enemies, as soon as they get in range.

Initiative: [roll0]

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome
"Kamome, launching!"
She announced, pulling her goggles down over her eyes. Kamome flipped a few switches to start up her mecha, and launched. In the formation she flew a bit higher and to the right side, so as to have a better view of the enemy forces for analysis (and so she could assist her teammates as needed).

Initiative: [roll0]


(ooc: are you going to roll our 'notice' checks for us, or do we need to be doing them?)

[Tengu_temp]

I'll roll them if the players don't roll themselves. What exactly do you need Notice for in this case, though?

[Kasanip]

I just wanted to know if I needed to roll for her to represent her actively keeping an eye on the enemy, or if you would be rolling it as it was needed... Since Kamome is more of a 'scout' - she is trying to look out for her team too.

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Inside his own cockpit, Sabata tended to the controls, his movements quick and sure. The modified systems had different nuances and demands upon its user, but Sabata had grown accustomed to all of that.

Before he launched, he offered a simple prayer.

"May the Lord smile, and the devil have mercy."

Initiative: [roll0]

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata quickly assessed the situation, briefly looking amongst the cluster of enemies before talking into the radio. "I'll engage the left most group." His old hands move swiftly across the controls, and the Perseus shot forward.

Sabata carefully brought his mecha against the group, just into range of his gun - and theirs. He carefully positioned himself, lining himself up with one of the Perseus to allow him to place the shot more precisely.


Moving just into range of the first group, and taking a shot at one of the Perseus. Also attempting to outmaneuver the Perseus I'm shooting at, opting for a +1 to damage if I get it.

Attack: [roll0], DC 20 Toughness Save.

[Tengu_temp]

The enemy Perseus barely manages to avoid Sabata's fire. The whole group moves in forward, circling around him and firing at him with their machineguns! He manages to dodge those attacks too, however.

The Condor G from the other closest group charges as Sabata's Perseus, drawing a knife with its unoccupied hand in the meantime. The pirate machine stabs!
(Enemy attack roll 25, toughness save DC 24.)
The three Condor Ms from the same group fly towards Sabata as well, but they keep at bay - and instead of shoot at him, they are using their targetting systems. A red warning light flashes in the old pilot's cockpit as one of them manages a lock on!

"Concentrate on the medium ones first!"
The third squad targets Erich - the Perseus' and Condor G's machineguns rattle, while one of the Condor M's shoots a missile at him. From all these machines only Condor G manages to connect, however.
(Enemy attack roll 21, toughness save DC 25.)
The other Condor M locks on target!

The last pirate group shoots at Alexia - she manages to dodge the Condor M's missile, but all the bullets hit her Ulysses!
(Combined attack: attack rolls 22, 20 and 18, toughness save DC 31.)

"Roger! Opening fire!" The Roc's cannons roar, filling the air with explosive shells. The largest group they can safely target is the one that attacked Alexia, and the results are very good - three of the enemies receive a direct hit and blow up, with only one Perseus remaining!

Current battle situation:
Groups, by distance from the players who haven't moved yet:

3000
3* Condor M (minion)

3000
Ulysses with the flag, armed with 2 pistols and a lot of knives
Ulysses, armed with a shotgun

2500
Sabata
2*Perseus (minion)
3*Condor G (minion)

500
1*Perseus (minion)
1*Condor G (minion)
2*Condor M (minion)

500
1*Perseus (minion)

Turn order:
Sabata
Enemy minions
Jacobin
Alexia & Erich <--
Enemy bosses
Kamome & Yasmin

[Fri]

lesse... do I do this right?

[roll0]dogfighting check
[roll1] defense [roll2] defense [roll3] defense

outmaneuver for bonus attack against the nearest perseus[roll4]
attack[roll5]

Forgot to roll the toughness check

toughness check 1d20+12=27 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412581/)


"Gah!"

Alexia gripped her joystick hard as she tried to dodge all of the incoming projectile. It seems that she managed to dodge two of them, but one of the bullet hit his Achilles.

"I'm an archeologist, not a fighter pilot you know!" She pouts

As she said that, the Gale Rider sized drill in her mech's arm start to spin, and she maneuvered toward the nearest perseus, trying to get the upper hand before thrusting her drill.

"Take this!"

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Even as the recoil from the gun hit his mecha, Sabata knew that he had missed, watching the enemy Perseus smoothly slide out of line with the streaking tracer. An answering hailstorm of tracers soon surrounded Sabata as the group pounce don him, circling around like hawks. Sabata kept clear of the arcs of fire with a quick boost of his mecha's jets, only to meet oncoming Condor with the glint of edged steel in his hand. Sabata drew back as his enemy pressed on. Sabata realized that wasn't enough to keep him out of the knife's reach, and twisted his mecha ever so slightly to the side, dodging the thrust by a slim margin.

Klaxons blared in the cockpit as a target lock pinged on Sabata, a situation he had encountered many times before in his career, smoothly he shifted his mecha's position neatly, jinking in a pattern that followed most sensors, and also trying to put the melee Condor in between him and the other Condors and sticking close to his enemy, to try and confuse their signals. It was a similar tactic to the "grabbing the enemy by the belt" that infantry sometimes use to try and negate enemy artillery, by being too close to units friendly to the artillery to allow it to fire.


All of the above is just flavor text.

Toughness: 1d20+10=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412552/)

Initial toughness save is not looking good, so I employ Mecha Dogfighter.

Mecha Dogfighter Pilot Roll: 1d20+10=28 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412579/)

Bingo.

Shake Lock is a free action. My Top Gun level means that I succeed automatically unless the enemy has an equivalent Top Gun level.

Also, I have Elusive Target, so enemies are at a -8 to shoot at me in melee unless they have Precise Shot.

[RandomLunatic]

Erich executed a wing-over and dove at the incoming pirates, only to be greeted by by rising tracers. So Erich broke into a crazy series of rolls and jukes that threw off the pirate's aim. His TWR chirped intermittently as the two missile-armed pirate Gale Riders fought an uphill battle against both their target's erratic motions and the garbage signals its ECM gear was kicking out in an effort to acquire a lock. One of them apparantly gave up the effort and just fired dumb, hoping that the missile's own guidance would ensure a hit. Erich used his own thrusters to push his Gale Rider down and inside the missile's corkscrewing flightpath, a manuever which the weapon had no hope of matching. Sensing a miss, it self-destructed in hopes of hurting the target anyway, but that was not to happen today-the fragments just bounced off Die Valkure's armored skin like hail on a tin roof.

Erich finally soared underneath his the feet of his attackers, putting an end to the gun fire as they struggled to turn around and pu their target back in fire arc. But they were slow, painfully slow, and Erich pulled up behind them and rolled to bring his twelve-centimeter shotgun to bear, choke wide open. It thumped out a hail of high-velocity metal which ripped into the thin rear armor of thep irate machines.

Mecha Dogfighter to negate hit 1d20+8=26 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412595/) Missed!
Pilot Check to break lock 1d20+19=28 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412601/)

Move Action: Manuever to catch as many enemy units in the shotgun's coen without hitting allies
Standard: Shotgun blast. +12 Damage, 300' Cone, Ref DC 20 halves.
Free: Outmanuevering the leader for Defense bonus. 1d20+23=27 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412609/)

[Tengu_temp]

(Alexia's mech - 1 damage.)
Alexia's drill punches right through the pirate Gale Rider's armor - something explodes inside, and an escape pod jumps away from its back, back into the mountain's direction. The machine becomes limp.

Erich's barrage downs the Condor G and one of the Condor Ms - their hole-ridden hulls fall down, smoke trailing behind them. The other two units managed to avoid the shotgun blast and emerged with only minor damage.

"This guy looks like an expert pilot! It's a duel!" Boris launches his Ulysses towards Sabata, firing from one if his pistols on the way. The shots are very accurate - not a single one of them hits his allies.
(Attack roll 22, Toughness save DC 25.)

The other Ulysses, pilotted by the low-voiced woman, heads for the part of the battlefield where Erich and Alex took down almost all enemy units. Brandishing her shotgun, she approaches in such an angle that both of those will be hit, and none of the pirates.
"Perish."
And she fires, filling the air with deadly metal pellets!
(Reflex save DC 21, Toughness save DC 27/21 on a passed save.)

Aboard the Roc...
"Captain, another heat signature is approaching! It's an enemy aircraft!"
Indeed, a large plane appears from the other side of the mountain! It surely belongs to the pirates, if the red color and a Blood Comet logo on its wings are any indication. It's a bit smaller than the Roc and looks much slimmer - clearly a high-speed vehicle. It stays out of the combat zone, though.

Current battle situation:

Groups, by distance from the players who haven't moved yet:

~3500
Enemy aircraft

3000
3* Condor M (minion)

2500
Ulysses with the flag, armed with 2 pistols and a lot of knives

2500
Sabata
2*Perseus (minion)
3*Condor G (minion)

500
Ulysses, armed with a shotgun

500
1*Perseus (minion)
1*Condor M (minion)



Turn order:
Sabata
Enemy minions
Jacobin
Alexia & Erich
Enemy bosses
Kamome & Yasmin <--

(Sabata can move already too.)

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I want firing solutions on that enemy plane ASAP," Jacobin says, paging through his computer to determine its make and model, and most importantly armament.

Meanwhile, he opens a channel to Sabata.

"Mr. Sabata," Jacobin says over the private channel, "You seem to be surrounded. On my signal, I want you to disengage and dive straight down, do you copy?"

OOC: Jacobin is asking Sabata to ready a move action to move out of the area of his cannon attack, so he can fire and hit all six guys currently engaging him. This will require the use of his standard action for the round, or for him to delay until Jacobin's initiative, though.

You can always veto this plan, though - Jacobin's not going to shoot one of his own men if he doesn't get out of the way in time.

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata's hands flew over the controls. Everything in his mech had to initiated or manipulated through the use of his hands. He was old, and weakened. Put enough on him and he'd eventually slip up.

Like now, when the sudden charge of the leader caught him off guard. Sabata was rattled around in his cockpit as the shots hammered home.


Toughness: 1d20+10=17 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412667/)

Since I have Mecha Dogfighter 2, I can do it again, but with a -2 penalty.

Mecha Dogfighter: 1d20+8=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412671/)

No dice, so I take a hit. Since I failed the save by more than 5, that leaves me Bruised + Stunned + Injured, correct? Well, the mecha is.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Damaged+Stunned, actually, is the way it works for constructs/mecha. You may want to Hero Point Reroll that Toughness save, or at least use Extra Effort to get rid of the Stunned condition.

Alternatively, if you start freefalling due to being Stunned, you'll fall out of my Area Attack range...

[Tengu_temp]

What Nerdo said, except that getting rid of the Stunned condition requires a Hero Point, not Extra Effort. Also, if you're stunned, roll Concentration DC 20, or else you lose balance and start falling.

[RandomLunatic]

The hailstorm of whirling shot digs into Die Valkure's armor, digging long gouges out of the machine's flank and legs, but fails to penetrate.

Reflex 1d20+13=20 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412678/)
Toughness 1d20+12=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412679/)
Let's not get shot down in the first frellin' round-Hero Point!
Toughness, Take 2 1d10+22=31 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412680/) Much better.

[Fri]

Alexia tried to dodge the shotgun blast with her superior reflex.

[roll0] (and I got evasion 2)

toughness save
BBCode
1d20+12=31 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2412728/)

[Cubey]

Yasmin

Things are not going smoothly. But that only made Yasmin more excited - a little risk to keep the adrenaline flowing. She didn't lose her head though, she knew Sabata needs help. Damage that was already caused cannot be prevented, and it seems the Captain wants to bombard Sabata's current position with artillery fire anyway - so getting there is pointless. But what she can do is remove the most troublesome of the opponents.

With its engines roaring, the Hercules jets forward. Yasmin makes her machine grab its chainsword, the blade immediately starting to whirr. And as soon as she's close enough, she slashes the weapon down on the flag-bearing Achilles.

All-out 5, Attack roll: [roll0]
(Toughness DC 29 + 1 per 2 attack over enemy defense, penetrating. If Yasmin gets attacked, Withstand Damage 1)

[Tengu_temp]

The result of the Ulysses' shotgun blast disappoints its pilot.
"No effect? Tch. Tougher than I expected."

When Yasmin is about to slash at Boris' machine, he suddenly turns towards her and blocks her Hercules' forearm with both guns crossed into an X, keeping the chainsword whirring in the air frustratingly, away from his unit.
"Haha! Don't think such a simple attack will work on me! I am, after all, Steeleye's most trusted lieutenant!"

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome's eyes shifted from one unit to the next as she looked back and forth, a little panicky.
"Oh...what should I do?" She groaned. She wasn't any good at combat...she really didn't like it. What was she doing out here?

But her friends needed her.

Kamome pressed forward on her controls and lowered her mecha's altitude, firing the machine gun normally down upon the nearest perseus model that was in range. (The one at 500)


Attack Role: [roll0]

I hope that's right...

[Tengu_temp]

The machinegun burst riddles the enemy Perseus with holes. The escape pod launches from its back at the last moment before the machine explodes into several pieces.

"You!" The Condor turns towards Kamome mid-flight and fires a missile at her. She doesn't manage to avoid it fast enough, and her Perseus is caught in the blast!
(Attack roll 19, Toughness save DC 24.)

"We've got you now!" The machines surrounding Sabata move in for the kill.
"No!", yells Boris. "This is a duel! I can handle these two fine by myself, go help the other guys!"
They seem to hesitate for a second.
"O... okay, boss!"
All pirate mook Gale Riders from the northern side of the battlefield soar south, towards the largest enemy target not engaged in battle with their leader - which means the Roc! They separate into three small groups and each attacks separately with a cannonade of bullets and missiles!
(Missiles: attack rolls 16, 15 and 11, Toughness save DC 28.
Condor machineguns: attack rolls 19 and 13, Toughness save DC 31.
Perseus machineguns: attack rolls 26 and 24, Toughness save DC 32.)

"Everyone is ready to fi... aah!" Enya gets interrupted as the Roc's hull starts to shake from all those enemies blasting at it. Captain Arland manages to identify the enemy plane, though - it's a Bullfrog-class unit, a fast transporter used for carrying Gale Riders. Its only weapon are low-range machineguns, but it might have more mecha aboard.

Current battle situation:


Groups, by distance from the original starting position:

~3500
Enemy aircraft

2500
Ulysses with the flag, armed with 2 pistols and a lot of knives
Yasmin

500
Ulysses, armed with a shotgun

500
1*Condor M (minion)

500
3* Condor M (minion)

300
2*Perseus (minion)

300
3*Condor G (minion)


Turn order:
Sabata
Enemy minions
Jacobin, Alexia & Erich <--
Enemy bosses
Kamome & Yasmin

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Everyone, brace for impact!"

Was my move action used on Assessment? It's fine if it was, I don't have much else to do with it.

Also, I'm just going to make 7 raw d20 rolls for Toughness and then figure out results from there, which will be posted in my next post. Starting with a Toughness bonus of +18...

[roll0]

EDIT: Okay, I'm an idiot who needs his morning coffee. Next post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7927465&postcount=87) will have the correct number of Toughness saves.

The Roc shakes under the impact of the machine guns and rockets, armor chipping away but flight holding steady. "Keep calm! Target the center of their artillery formation and fire all cannons immediately! Go!"

With that, the plane's cannons open fire again, detonating at a range of 1200 feet to catch all of the Condor Ms in a single blast.

Current status: 2 damage

Standard Action: Cannons, 120' radius explosion, DC 22 Reflex Save, DC 27/21 Toughness Save, firing at a point that should hit all the enemy minions attacking the Roc. If there are any Player Characters in this radius, let me know and I'll amend it.

Technically Assessment takes a move action, but I didn't really have a use for it anyway.

[Cubey]

To protect her balance when the enemy fires at the Roc, Sylvia grabs the closest object that she thinks will help her maintain it. That would be, the captain. And in case there are more attacks, she doesn't let go yet.

"They have guts to attack this ship. But we will show them - fire, fire!"
Does invading the commander's personal space mean you can issue orders in his name now?

[Tengu_temp]

"Don't worry, captain, everyone is alright here.", responds Daniel over the radio. "Firing all cannons!"

Once again the Roc's guns roar loudly, shooting down all three Condors M in the attacking group. Immediately after the attack you can hear something on the radio - roughly two seconds of static, and then the transmission abruptly cuts.
"That transmission... It was coming from inside the crashed plane!" Enya looks over her shoulder at the captain, widens her eyes a bit upon noticing what Sylvia is doing, and quickly returns to her monitor.

[RandomLunatic]

Cut off the head and the snake dies. "Alexia, I'll distract that Ulysses while you swoop around and hit the b***h from behind," Erich said on the squadron's own frequency. He swooped in towards the enemy Ulysses, chainsword whirring as he pressed his opponent hard. None of the strikes got through, but he nonetheless demanded the enemy's full attention.

Move: Move adjacent to shotgun wielder.
Free: Outmanuvering the same for attack boost. 1d20+23=31 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2413477/)
Standard: Ready action to strike when Alexia moves into flanking position (or as soon as it becomes apparant she is not going along with the plan, as the case may be). 1d20+10=21 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2413478/) Damage 10+1 per 2 points MoS. +2 attack, +1 damage if the outmanuever succeeded. Assumes flanking bonus.

[Fri]

"Mister Sabata!" Alexia yelled as it seemed that Sabata is having some trouble. But she got troubles for herself as well.

"Right Erich. Here goes nothing!" As Eirich's sugestion, Alexia maneuvered as their enemy was distracted and stabbed her drill toward it.


outmaneuver for attack [roll0]
attack [roll1]

[Tengu_temp]

Caught between the chainsword from the front and the drill from the back, your opponent finds herself unable to do anything. Both attacks cut into her Gale Rider's armor, sending shrapnels around and leaving her temporarily unable to do anything but make sure they won't deal even more damage. (2 damage, stunned)

Boris' Ulysses dashes backwards, away from Yasmin's sword.
"Are you ready to finish the battle? Eat this!"
He spins both of his guns in a showoffy manner and fires several shots at Sabata. Luckily, the latter manages to regain control of his machine and dodge the bullets in time.

Current battle situation:

Spoiler

Groups, by distance from the original starting position:

~3500
Enemy aircraft

2500
Ulysses with the flag, armed with 2 pistols and a lot of knives

500
Ulysses, armed with a shotgun (damaged and stunned)

500
1*Condor M (minion)

300
2*Perseus (minion)

300
3*Condor G (minion)


Turn order:
Sabata
Enemy minions
Jacobin, Alexia & Erich
Enemy bosses
Kamome & Yasmin (& Sabata) <--

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata's cockpit was a riotous scene of flashing displays, warning tones, systems auto-compensating and asking for manual overrides and providing advisories. Sabata himself was shaken, his weakened constitution strained by the battering he and his mech had received.

But he wasn't dead yet and he wasn't going to die that easily.Even half-dazed, his hands worked at the controls keeping his altitude stable, fighting to keep control of the wounded war machine. The hits had scored along the torso and leg of the right side of the mecha, nothing crippling yet. As Sabata re-oriented himself, he caught his opponent showing off. This gave Sabata the time he needed to dash to the side, a quick burst form his jets enough to avoid the tracers sailing past him.

His hands danced over the controls as Sabata brought his mecha's rifle to bear. He pressed down the firing stud, and the muzzle breathed fire as the weapon quickly reached its max cyclic rate of fire, a brilliantly blazing stream of golden tongues of flame streaking through the sky towards his opponent.


Attempting to Outmaneuver opponent for +2 to the attack roll. Given the nature of the opponent, I will go ahead and provide a roll in case he has enough Topgun to equal mine: Outmanuever: 1d20+19=32. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414152/)

Otherwise, attack roll, full auto rock and roll. I have Precise Shot 2, so I take no penalty for shooting at him even if he is still in melee with Yasmin, and even if he had Elusive Target in that case. Dakka dakka dakka: 1d20+10=28. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414157/)

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome winces as her Gale Rider shudders from the explosion. She looks and notices the Roc coming under attack and her eyes widen. Breathing fast, she presses the pedals and pulls on the controls to strafe to the left, trying to get into a position to help cover their main ship. She fires another round of machine gun fire (normal) at one of the condors attacking, hoping to eliminate it.

"Bridge, are you okay?" She asks, trying to keep focused on the overwhelming combat before her.

Attack roll: [roll0]

[Tengu_temp]

Sabata's burst shoots right through the pirate Gale Rider's torso, leaving lots of holes on both sides! Electricity crawls over its hull and something inside explodes, and the machine starts to shake and slowly descend backwards as Boris tries to regain control over it.
"Argh! What the hell is this?! In just one attack...?!"
(staggered + disabled + stunned)

Kamome's target notices hes shooting from afar, and dodges, hiding behind the Roc.

[Cubey]

Sylvia

"Don't worry dear, nobody is hurt. Teach the bad guys some manners for me, okay?" Sylvia intercepts and answers Kamome's message before anyone else has a chance to.
"Hmm... in fact, this position is quite comfortable. Wouldn't you agree, Captain?" She adds in a quieter (but still easily audible) voice.

Yasmin

Duel? What was the enemy thinking? He was obviously an idiot. And, skilled he may be - he just made a mistake. A mistake that Sabata just used, and Yasmin will follow in his steps. Figuratively, of course.

The Hercules flies up, above and then behind Boris's machine, with surprising agility for such a huge Gale Rider. Yasmin's maneuver was pretty straightforward this time - get at the enemy's back, and then...

"I have you now!" She cuts through the Ulysses's back with her chainsword, trying to cleave the target into upper and lower parts.

Outmaneuver (if successful, +2 attack): [roll0]
Attack (all-out +5, power +2): [roll1]

[Matar]

Demo himself is watching with great amusement with what's going on. Of course he wouldn't want any of his allies getting hurt, it's just that if one of there weapons were lucky enough to hit one of the Mech's reactors there might just be a big explosion. Sure, most Mech's had safety for that kind of stuff, but it was still freaking awesome

Maybe he'd get lucky.

With a small gasp Demo begins to examine the Mechs on screen. Maybe, just maybe he'd be able to notice a mechanical defect on the Mechs that might give one his allies something to exploit. He intensely examines Boris Mech, seeing as how that looked like it was the one that was going to give everyone the most trouble.

Anything would be nice, really. An old communications device hooked to it that might be used to hack into it, a weak-point in the frame the might be exploitable, or better yet something that would make it explode.

That would be fun...

[Tengu_temp]

Boris manages to dodge Yasmin's attack by sheer luck alone.

The Condor M continues firing missiles at Kamome, but they're easily dodged. Similarily, the three Condors G charge at Erich and Alex, brandishing knives, but none of their blows connect to the targets.

"Let's go!" The Perseuses soar towards the Roc, one of them launching a barrage of machinegun bullets at Kamome's mech on the way.
(Attack roll 21, Toughness save DC 26.)
They both reach the plane's hull, and...
"Aha! There it is!"
The other one grabs its dirk, raises it with both hands, and... stabs into the gap of the hangar's hatch! The Gale Rider's joints creek under force, but slowly, it manages to pry the hatch open enough to squeeze in, into the hangar!
An alarm siren starts to wail on the bridge.
"Captain, an enemy unit entered the Roc!"

The other Perseus stays close to the hatch, as if guarding it.
(Everyone aboard the ship can react now. Was anyone in the hangar? No NPCs were.)

Current battle situation:


Groups, by distance from the original starting position:

~3500
Enemy aircraft

2500
Ulysses with the flag, armed with 2 pistols and a lot of knives (disabled)
Yasmin

500
Ulysses, armed with a shotgun (damaged and stunned)
3*Condor G (minion)
Alexia
Erich

500
1*Condor M (minion)

-700
The Roc
Perseus (minion)
Perseus (minion, fatigued, inside the Roc)


Turn order:
Sabata
Enemy minions
Jacobin, Alexia & Erich <--
Enemy bosses
Kamome & Yasmin

[Matar]

Demo growls as the Mechs pry open the hanger bay. His babies were sleeping in there. How dare they wake them up!

Quickly making his way over to a near by terminal Demo begins tapping away at the keys. He had no idea if he could get the Mech outside The Roc, but he might be able to do something about the one inside it.

"Okay. So!" Demo keeps tapping away at the keys with blinding speed, a almost viscous grin on his face. "Let's see what I can do here."

Demo's mind began working through various ways to disable the mech. Should I try overloading the engine? No, too dangerous. Disable communications? No, won't do anything. Disable optics? No, they might just fire randomly. Disable thrusters/movement? Doable, if the Mech suffers from a defect or safety flaw. Disable safety and slam Mech falling. Possible, may not stop other Mech. Better then nothing. BWAHAHAHA!

Goal in mind Demo attempts to make a connection with the Mech in hanger, and then attempts to exploit any security flaw or defect in an attempt to rid it of it's thrusters and movement. If he is successful he is going to disable the safety on the hanger doors, open them as quickly as possible and see if the Mech just falls right out.

[RandomLunatic]

Erich worked the controls hard as three new enemies interceded to protect their leader. Standing them off with deft flying and the superior reach of his sword, he menaced the interlopers, preventing them from closing. A quick parry-riposte forced a pirate back lest it lose its head. Free for moment, Erich whirled on the prize, the leader's crippled machine. The enemy pilot's previous order, recorded bu Erich, was now thrown back in her face for irony-"Perish", in her voice, rang in her ears as the point of the chainsword stabbed at the neck, aiming for the cockpit...

Erich withdrew the sword from the jagged wound it had ripped into the opponet's skin and jetted away. "Falling back to ship. Group's all yours, gunners." He used the flat of the to force the smaller enemy machine blocking the hangar out of the way and soared in, then spun around and set his own Gale Rider down on the deck. Planting the (deactivated) chainsword's tip on the ground, hands bunched together on top of the hilt, he solemmly informed the pirate, "None shall pass."

Free: Outmanuever leader for attack boost: 1d20+23=26 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414320/)
Standard: Attack with two points of power attack. 1d20+6=25 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414324/) Boom! Crit! +14 Damage +1 per 2 MoS, max +19. +2 Attack, +1 Damage if outmanuever succeeded.
Critical location: 1d20=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414341/)
Leg hit (1 left, 2 right) 1d2=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414343/)
Move: Fly into the Roc's hangar. Pilot check to get past the Perseus, if needed: 1d20+19=33 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414328/)

[Matar]

Demo hisses under his breath and moves himself away from the computer in front of him.

"Captain? I'll be back in a bit."

After saying so he begins to run full speed towards the hanger, trying to get there as quickly as possible. When he gets there he glances in the hanger, taking note of any cover that he can hide behind to avoid being riddled with bullets. If the Mech seems to notice him at the door way he quickly tries to make his way to the cover.

What he does after getting there he hadn't exactly thought of. But he'll think of something

[Tengu_temp]

The pirate must've noticed what Erich is going to do, because the escape pod punches out before his chainsword connects to her mech. The whirring blade cuts through the Ulysses like through a wet tissue, ripping it into two pieces.

When Erich flies towards the hatch, the enemy Perseus leaps in to stop him, but it's too slow - he manages to reach it before the pirate unit, but... the gap is too small! It's barely wide enough for a Perseus to squeeze in, and a bulkier Ulysses can't fit in. He'd have to widen it if he wants to follow...

Demo reaches the hangar, and he can see two Perseuses there - the blue one, belonging to the Captain and standing still, and the red pirate one, sitting on the ground right next to the partially opened hatch - it must've fallen to the ground while entering. The pull of the air escaping outside is noticable, but it doesn't slow him down...
And then the pirate Gale Rider raises its head, looking straight at him, and for a moment its eyes glow brighter! The closest cover is a huge, metal crate - it will probably sustain the mech's attack, at least for a while...

[Cubey]

Sylvia

"Wait, where are you going?" Sylvia notices Demo's rush towards the hangar.
"You'd better not do anything that will get you terribly hurt! Or you will be sorry - not after the pirates are done with you, after the Big Sis is done with you!" She yells in his general direction.

"Everything takes a turn for the worse... Captain." She suddenly sounds serious, and stops clinging to the one she's talking with now, too.
"I will create a diversion... if Demo didn't do that already. Try to use that time to get into your unit. I can handle situations like this, trust me."

And having said that, she runs in the hangar's direction too. Although she stops before entering the hangar itself, resting only a few seconds to gather mental strength for what she's going to do.
(Read: it will be a Standard Action, and I can't do something like that with the round spent on moving all out)

[Matar]

Demo quickly takes cover as soon as the Mech spots him. With the steady hands of an expert mechanic Demo rips the explosive finger off his hand. His shiver runs down his spine and he grits his teeth because of the pain. But the pain just proves how worth it this will be.

He readies the explosive finger and goes over the plan in his mind. Once the Mech stops firing or draws closer, he will toss the explosive finger at the Mechs feet (And, with any luck, not set off the rest of the explosives in the hanger. He wasn't too worried about that though, his babies loved him after all.). With any luck this would do some damage, although his main goal was to try to get it off balance... an explosive should do that nicely. Afterwards he would run full speed at it while it was distracted and jump on the Mech, using his knife to help him make him stick if he had to. The way he looked at it, if he could make his way onto the Mech and put himself in a spot where it couldn't attack back he had the fight won.

Hopefully.

[Fri]

"Ooh boy. Erich, Kamome, our ship is in trouble! I'll leave the Roc to you guys! I'll finish this one."

Alexia maneuvered around the Condor M that's keep attacking Kamome for better attack angle, and when she thought found it, she charged with an all-out attack with her drill.

"Leave her alone, you git!"

outmaneuver for +2 attack
[roll1] all-out attack 5 + power attack 5

[Tengu_temp]

The Condor leaps above Alexia's mech, avoiding her drill.

(Since one of the bosses is down and the other one is stunned/recovering from stun, Kamome, Yasmin and Sabata can move now too. Unless they want to wait and see what'll the captain do.)

[Nerd-o-rama]

The captain, interrupted in the middle of asking why Sylvia is still clinging onto him by the boarding action, sets his face in an atypically stern expression. "This is my ship, you bloody pirates," he mutters. "Enya, you've got the conn. Gunners, do me a favor and wipe out the rest of those Condors while I'm gone."

With that, Jacobin draws his sidearm (for all the good it will do) and dashes after Sylvia, joining her outside the hangar. "Did you have a plan?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Y, yes captain!" Enya is visibly nervous by the recent circumstances. And the fact that she's the only one left at the bridge, in the middle of combat doesn't help.

The guns fire again, but they're much less effective this time - they take down only one of the Condors G, the other two evade the shell's area of explosion.

Boris manages to get his machine under control again. It's still heavily damaged and on the verge of breaking down, however.

Current battle situation:


Groups, by distance from the original starting position:

~3500
Enemy aircraft

2500
Ulysses with the flag, armed with 2 pistols and a lot of knives (disabled)
Yasmin

500
2*Condor G (minion)

500
1*Condor M (minion)
Alexia

-700
The Roc
Erich
Perseus (minion)
Perseus (minion, fatigued, inside the Roc)


Turn order:
Sabata
Enemy minions
Jacobin, Alexia & Erich
Enemy bosses
Kamome & Yasmin <--

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata allowed himself a small, satisfied smile as the last spent casing kicked out of the chamber. He'd done quite a number on his enemy.

Sabata peered at his displays, analyzing the situation as he smoothly dropped the spent mag and locked another one solidly in his weapon. For the first time, he opened up a channel to the enemy leader and spoke. "You're good. But this is over, and you're not getting out of this alive. Even if you punch out... I've taken out escape pods in mid-flight before. You're a dead man... unless you and your boys surrender right now." Sabata leveled the barrel of his weapon at the enemy Ulysses, sunlight glinting off the barrel.


I'm going to try to Bluff him and see if I can't convince him that he's screwed. Also, I have the Taunt feat, so I can demoralize with Bluff instead of Intimidate. If I'm allowed to double up and also do that to him, I will.

I don't think I can do that and take Aim in the same round, but if I can, I will. I'm not exactly sure how much of my turn this skill usage uses up.

Bluff: 1d20+15=18. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414443/) Ehhh, then I go and flub the roll. Beautiful.

[Cubey]

Sylvia

"Thugs - I know their type well. And I can push their buttons like nobody else." Sylvia pauses, looking back at Jacobin.
"Well, in this situation it'll work only for a bit before the guy in this Gale Rider remembers his hostile intent again... but a bit is enough time for the Captain to act and save everyone, right?"

Yasmin

The enemy was stubborn. Yasmin's previous attack should've ended him - but it didn't, and because of that she was annoyed and didn't say anything. She sent her Hercules circling around the enemy, turning her engines on and off irregularly and taking advantage of this changing momentum to (hopefully) catch her opponent unaware - which is when she delivers a thrust at the Ulysses, hoping for the chain blade to do its share of damage.

Outmaneuver (+ attack): [roll0]
Attack (+5 all out, +2 power): [roll1]

EDIT: Ninja'ed! Yasmin will do this only if the pirate is unconvinced. Otherwise, she stays her hand.

[Tengu_temp]

"Surrender? Sorry pal, you should've known that Blood Comets never surrender! This battle is not over yet, take your best shot!" It seems that Boris wasn't intimidated.

Just trying to persuade him doesn't count as an action, so you can still Aim or do something else.

To prove that indeed the battle isn't over, Boris dodges Yasmin's attack. The chainsword nicks his armor though, causing him to lose a small part of it - and that's not counting the tiny elements that drop off with each move.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Well, I'm not much of a gallant hero, but I do seem to be the only pilot available, so I'd better try," Jacobin says.

He nods, trusting Sylvia's insanity ability insanity. "Don't get yourself killed, alright?" He then prepares to make a sprint for his Perseus.

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata merely shakes his head and begins working the controls, his hands making slight, fine adjustments to the mecha's posture.


Taking Aim. I lose my dodge bonus, but get +4 to my next shot.

Trying to Outmaneuver him for a +2 DEF bonus, unless the DM rules that's unreasonable. I can technically do it since it's a free action, but it still might seem odd that I'm outmaneuvering him by standing still and aiming really good. Outmanuever: 1d20+19=31 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414474/)

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Alexia's warning rang unnecessarily in Kamome's ears as she dove after the perseus that were attacking the Roc.

"I know!" She cried out in response, urging the machine faster.
Mentally she cursed herself. She was a terrible pilot. She had missed earlier, and now put the crew in danger! Who knew what was going to happen. It was her fault! But...she didn't have time for that.
Alexia's shots blew up one of the units that was attacking her, and Kamome took the chance she had been given.
Adjusting her goggles, she dove towards her target as she cleared the Roc. The maneuver was jerky as it caused her Gale rider's legs to fly forward so that she was upside-down and looking down on her target, but for that moment she had a clear shot at the perseus that was trying to guard the interior.

Zoom! Erich blasted past in an attempt to go after the one inside, and Kamome took aim at the other perseus that now stood at his exposed flank.

(this is where I roll a 1)

outmaneuver: [roll0]
attack roll (with +2 assuming outmaneuver works)[roll1]

[Tengu_temp]

The pirate Perseus looks over its shoulder, not expecting an attack from this angle.
"What the fu-"
And then the bullets strike right through it, sending the machine plummeting down below.

The Condor M circles around Alex and slashes at her with its knife.
(Attack roll 20, Toughness save DC 24.)

The other two Condors apparently forgot the order their boss gave them, because they come to his rescue, launching a combined machinegun barrage at Sabata's unit.
(Attack rolls 25 and 17, Toughness save DC 31.)

Inside the hangar, the Perseus gets up on its feet and grabs its gun. It heads straight for the crate Demo is hiding behind! It might be huge, but it's not sluggish - the mech's massive frame appears right behind the corner, and aims its machinegun at him!
"Ha, gotcha!"
(Everyone inside the hangar has a chance to react now.)

Current battle situation:


Groups, by distance from the original starting position:

~3500
Enemy aircraft

2500
Ulysses with the flag, armed with 2 pistols and a lot of knives (disabled)
Yasmin
Sabata

2500
2*Condor G (minion)

500
1*Condor M (minion)
Alexia

-700
The Roc
Erich
Perseus (minion, fatigued, inside the Roc)


Turn order:
Sabata
Enemy minions
Jacobin, Alexia & Erich <--
Enemy bosses
Kamome & Yasmin

[Cubey]

Sylvia

"Please, hold this at once!" It was time to act. Sylvia walks into the hangar, her voice at its most charismatic. But she tries to sound soft and soothing rather than commanding.
"You do not know everything. Please, listen to me! I have important things to tell you."
Her hands are clasped together, held in a prayer-like way stereotypically associated with damsels in distress. Also, just to make sure the pirate's attention is drawn where it should be, her shirt's buttons are partially undone.

But as dramatic the whole thing may seem, for Sylvia it was all a routine - she knows what she's doing and did similar things dozens of times in the past.
(Using Charismatic Voice, taking 10 thanks to Skill Mastery for a total diplomacy roll of 29.)

Yasmin

"No, you won't!"
The massive Hercules situates itself between Sabata's unit and the machinegun rounds that were bound to hit it.

Toughness rolls, withstand damage +1:
[roll0]
[roll1]

EDIT: That's right, just one toughness roll. My bad.

[Matar]

Demo makes a slight change in his plan. Instead of throwing the explosive as the Mechs feet, he throws it straight at it's head. His aim isn't perfect, but then again it didn't have to be. With luck he'd be able to destroy the Mechs optics.

The explosive hit a shiver of delight runs down Demo's spine, making him forget about the blinding pain from his now missing finger. Quick as a bolt in flight Demo runs head on towards the hopefully sight impaired Mech and once close jumps on it jumps with all his might, using his knife to help hook himself to it. With luck, he'll be able to use the Mechs own body as cover.

"Bwahahaha!"


Hrm... what do I need here... can I take ten? If so, I do that. If not, here are my rolls.

Please be nice. Guns hurt people. I don't want to be hurt =(

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Nerd-o-rama]

Jacobin doesn't really care which distraction works, taking the opportunity to bolt for his own Perseus and practically vaulting up the ladder into his cockpit, although he makes a mental note to dock Demo's pay if that finger bomb does any internal damage.

[Tengu_temp]

Yasmin intercepts the bullets - they don't manage to do anything beyond scraping the paint off the Hercules' thick armor.

Inside the hanger, Sylvia's presence distracts the pirate.
"Huh? What do you want?" The mech's giant head turns towards her, giving Demo an opportunity to strike!
"What the?!"
The exploding finger didn't seem to damage the Gale Rider, but it did surprise the enemy pilot and block his field of vision, giving Demo the precious seconds needed to start climbing the huge robot.

Jacobin reaches his machine and manages to start it up - a fact that the pirate is surely going to notice on his own soon...

[Matar]

I'm not sure if what's going on is based on turns like everything else is. Posting just in case it's not, so put it in wherever works.


After making his way up the Mech Demo first attempts to use his handy-dandy notebook multitool to remove a plate or something else protective from the mech. And then begins to disable... by cutting and crossing the wires of what's under the mech. Assuming he can get to something important then the work is easy, even with the lack of a finger.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Let's just head this off at the pass so we don't have people working at cross-purposes again.
As soon as Jacobin reaches his cockpit and secures it closed, he immediately hits the loudspeakers while he begins startup. "Demo, get off of the enemy if you don't want to fly or fry! Sylvia, get that hatch open!"

[Cubey]

"Yes, Sir! And I hope this pirate doesn't notice our heavy defensive systems starting up just behind him! If he doesn't dodge them immediately, he's toast!"
Sylvia goes for the hatch. Getting it open is banal for her, but she's not entirely happy about having to do physical work - even if it's just pushing a button. And doubly not happy that Demo ruined her plan.

And, needless to say, there are no defensive systems. The words were meant for the pirate, to make him turn and look back or at least hesitate.

(If the Beautiful Voice failed due to lack of coordination, can I try Distract[Bluff]? If not, this will still be my action, just for the next round.)
Bluff: [roll0]

[Fri]

"Agh!" Once again, her mech trembled as he failed to dodge her opponent's attack. She tried to steady herself, before continuing.

"Okay, steady... Let's finish it for real this time!" Alexia tried to calm herself.

Once again, Alexia maneuvered around her enemy, before punching her thruster and diving for an attack.


[roll0]toughness
[roll1]outmaneuver for attack bonus

take ten for attack+allout attack, which give me 21.

[Tengu_temp]

Alexia finally catches the Condor M and drills right through it. That leaves only three pirate Gale Riders, including Boris, on the field.

(I'll return to what happens inside the Roc when its turn in the initiative happens - everyone involved did their actions so far.)

[RandomLunatic]

Erich is swearing at Demo too, his shotgun lined up at the pirate's back but unable to fire for fear of hitting him. He waits for either Demo to get clear or the door to open.

Delay

[Tengu_temp]

Do note that if you fire the shotgun into the hangar in spread mode, then it'd probably fill most of it with deadly shrapnel. Not a good idea with squishy humans, various mechanisms and Demo's explosive stack around.

"An opportunity! A tiger is most ferocious when cornered!" Boris shoots at Sabata gangsta-style again, taking advantage of him aiming and Yasmin being unable to interrupt due to already shielding him from the other pirates. The shots connect this time!

(Attack roll 22, Toughness save DC 30 [23+7 from TWS].)

Turn order:
Sabata
Enemy minions
Jacobin, Alexia & Erich
Enemy bosses
Kamome & Yasmin (& Sabata) <--

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata had lifted his hand to modify his position when Yasmin intervened, blocking the round meant for him. "Thanks for the cover." Sabata looked back to his opponent just in time to see him drawing a bead on Sabata, and with a deft movement Sabata side-stepped the assault, trying to keep his focus on the target.


Mecha Dogfighter: 1d20+10=25 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414919/)

Damage avoided. Now, for a Concentration check.

Concentration: 1d20+16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414920/)

...a natural 1? seriously? Well, I guess it's better than rolling a 1 on Mecha Dogfighter...

Not knowing what the DC of the check actually is, I don't know whether I failed or not. But I probably did.

Outmaneuver for +2 Attack. Outmanuever: 1d20+19=28. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414928/)

Using All Out Attack to get +5 to ATK and -5 to DEF.

If allowed, I'm going for a Called Shot to the Cockpit. I have Precise Shot 2, if you want to have Precise Shot as a qualifier for that technique.

If the Concentration check isn't enough to keep my Aim, I may spend a hero point to get a re-roll on that check.

For now, raw attack with no modifiers. Attack: 1d20+10=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2414936/)

...a 5. *kvetch*

Can I use a hero point to re-roll that? Otherwise, I've got a final attack roll of 20, 22 with Outmaneuver, and 26 with Aim and Outmaneuver.

[Matar]

"What?!" Demo yells loudly as he's working to disable the Mech. "You are not attacking this damn Mech in here! Do you have any idea how hard it is to repair internal damage?! And you might hurt my babies! THEY DO NOT LIKE BEING WOKEN UP!"

[Fri]

"And there it goes." Said Alexia, drill still spinning, as she watched the enemy mech spiralling down.

"Bridge. You're taking note on where everyone fell, right?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Okay, look," Captain Arland says as he finally gets the mech booted up, drawing the machine's dirk and, in a quick striking motion, jamming it directly into a main upper body motor control junction in the neck of the enemy Perseus, disabling it in a single smooth action and withdrawing the knife just as quickly as the enemy's mech slumped, useless. "Can we please all stop crowding the hangar?"

Attack Roll (1d20+6=25) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2415118/)

Crit = autokill of mook.

[RandomLunatic]

Observing Jacobin put the intruding Gale Rider down from his vantage point at the door, Erich turns away from the door and surveys the battle. Two Condors, prime bait for the Roc's guns, Boris's crippled machine surrounded by enemies, and a plane hovering off in the distance. Knowing the cowardly nature of pirates, they would probably be taking off shortly rather than hang around for a dose of what became their fellows. "Alexia," he radioed, "Let's get that plane before they try to run. Keep 50 meters seperation to avoid flak."

Engines scremaing, he took off for the enemy aircraft, spiraling in to confuse gunners and pilots alike. His target was the hangar bay doors, to conduct a boarding operation of his own.

Free: Outmanuever plane for attack bonus1d20+23=41 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2415147/)
Full: Charge plane, full power attack 1d20+7=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2415149/) Damage 17+1 per 2 MoS

[Tengu_temp]

Can I use a hero point to re-roll that? Otherwise, I've got a final attack roll of 20, 22 with Outmaneuver, and 26 with Aim and Outmaneuver.


Yeah, you can. And since you're not around at the moment, allow me to roll it for you:
[roll0] - rolled less than 10, 33 total

"Huh? What?"
In the hangar, the pirate looks over his shoulder to check what's behind him, providing enough of a distraction to let Jacobin strike. He notices that just fast enough to try counterattacking with his own knife - accent on try. The captain's stab is much faster.

Sabata's shot hits right where he was aiming.
"Gwaaah!" Boris yells in pain, with the sound of something exploding in the background. "R, retreat! I'm gonna remember this!"
The escape pod launches right before the mech blows up in a spectacular explosion. It heads towards the same destination as all the escape pods before, and the remaining pirate Gale Riders - their Bullfrog.

The plane starts escaping even before all the other pirates reach it - the fact that Erich is slashing at its hangar might have something to do with that (although he doesn't manage to deal enough damage to enter yet, it appears that they're heavily armored [1 damage]) - but the moment they're all in its pilot really hits the breaks, flying away at max possible speed.

(All pirate units move all-out, and will use Extra Effort if they have to to escape. Since the enemies got away, everyone receives 1 Hero Point.)

[Cubey]

Yasmin

"No problem. This thing's built to take hits." Yasmin responds to Sabata. She wasn't able to down any hostiles this fight, but if not for the Hercules, the old man'd be in serious trouble. Yasmin hoped for a drink as a reward for saving his skin, but for now she makes sure all enemies are neutralized or running away. And she switches weapons to a missile launcher, in case anyone tries sneak attacking.

Sylvia

"Well, that was reckless. And stupid. But mostly reckless." Sylvia shakes her head. Her voice sounded annoyed, but that's an act - she's actually glad that the situation is under control already. And it seems captain Jacobin took one of the pirates prisoner, which will be helpful for getting info later.

"That was so cool, Captain! Getting him in one clean hit like that." She winks towards the friendly Perseus. Demo, however, gets a different treatment.
"Just, what did you think you were doing here? And that explosion... don't tell me!"
Sylvia moves towards the party mechanic/demolitionist, with energetic bossiness in her walk that causes one of her features* to bounce with each step. The last sentence was spoken when she was close enough to notice his missing finger. Even if she didn't know about it having an explosive payload, she knows enough about human anatomy AND about Demo to add two and two together.
"I should replace this missing finger of yours with a device to shock you remotely."

(* I'm talking, of course, about her hair. What did you think I meant?)

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome slumped back in her seat with a sigh, wiping the sweat from her forehead and lifting her goggles to rest in her hair.

"Kamome here...Hostile contacts are leaving the vicinity. Coming in for docking, Roc. Enya, is everything okay?"

She asks, pulling the perseus gently into the hanger bay away from the ruins and equipment.
She'll hop off on unsteady legs and rest for a moment before contacting Enya again and going back to the bridge to help.

[Matar]

"I'm just glad that thing didn't topple over from the force of your... your... Mmph..." Demo lets out a small groan of agony as he begins to hold his hand. The numbing effects of the explosion were wearing off, leaving behind a very painful ache. "God damn I need something for the pain."

Demo shakes his head and gets right back down to business.

"Hey captain! Do you think asking nicely will get this guy out of his can, or am I going to have to cut him out? Both will be awesome."


"Just, what did you think you were doing here? And that explosion... don't tell me!"
Sylvia moves towards the party mechanic/demolitionist, with energetic bossiness in her walk that causes one of her features* to bounce with each step. The last sentence was spoken when she was close enough to notice his missing finger. Even if she didn't know about it having an explosive payload, she knows enough about human anatomy AND about Demo to add two and two together.
"I should replace this missing finger of yours with a device to shock you remotely."

Demo makes his way down from the Mech with cat like agility. When Sylvia made her way towards him a shiver of fear ran down his spine. Holy hell this women terrified him.

"The trick was getting enough explosives in there while keeping it fully functional. But hell, when you can make machines dance like I can it's all easy."

With another small groan of pain Demo continues on.

" 'Course it hurts like a bitch when I yank it off. Captain!" In a loud voice Demo addresses the Jacobin. "Permission to get some anesthetic before I clean up this mess, or am I need here?"

[Fri]

"Nice, everyone. No need to pursue them, I presume?" Alexia said as she watched the enemy went away. "Anyone injured? Mr Sabata? Are you fine, Kamome? No real damage in my part. I'll be back to the ship soon."

She then zoomed toward the fallen ship. "Is it really just a bait? I wonder if it's been stripped by the pirates. I'm going to do some flyover before getting back to the Roc."


[roll0]knowledge history
[roll1]knowledge... ship or whatever if it's needed.

I want to know what kind of ship is that and how old is it. And, can alexia see how damaged is the ship? I mean, whether it looked like that the pirates had stripped it down or not.

[Kasanip]

"I...I'll be okay. No big problems to the gale rider. Fortunately" Kamome responds to Alexia's comments with an attempt at a light mood.

"Captain...Orders sir? Do you want me to help on the bridge or go help scout the ruins?" She asked.

[Tengu_temp]

"Kamome here...Hostile contacts are leaving the vicinity. Coming in for docking, Roc. Enya, is everything okay?"


"Yes, no problems here! No important systems were damaged in the enemy attack, and it seems the situation in the hangar is solved without anyone getting hurt!" Now that the whole thing is over Enya starts to calm down. "Good job, everyone."

From her examination from above, Alex can conclude that this is, in fact, the wreck of a historical ship from around 50 years ago, most likely used to transport various goods. While the pirates obviously use it as bait now, there is a high chance that it actually did transport lost technology at the time of the crash - maybe some even is left inside, if the pirates didn't look through the wreck carefully.
The inside is dark and it's hard to see anything there from the outside, apart from the plane's giant ribs of rusted metal. The biggest entrance is a huge hole in the back, a result of the plane's tail getting ripped off during the crash landing, but there are smaller ones in the hull too - some of these are big enough for a Gale Riders to pass through.

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata offers a brief, "I'm fine," to inquiries on his health as he takes a closer look at the data provided by his mechs systems, shaking his head slightly at the damage reported. Demo probably wouldn't be too happy with him.

Noticing Alexia, moving towards the ship, Sabata raised a hand to follow her. That's when it hit him. During the fight, Sabata's adrenaline had kept him solid. Now, his hands began to shake. With a soft curse, Sabata reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the bottle of pills Slyvia had given. He took one quickly, stuffing the bottle away and setting back in to working the controls.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Jacobin relaxes a bit, stepping back to cover the egress of the enemy Perseus's cockpit with his own mech's machine gun. "Step out of your machine and throw down any sidearms carefully, friend."

"Kamome, get some cable to tie this guy up, please."

[Cubey]

Sylvia

"Anesthetic, AND some antiseptic. As of now, you have a giant hole in your flesh." Sylvia gestures towards Demo's missing finger. She sounds more soft and calm now, wanting to help rather than scare him. This time, at least.
"And all the local nasties want to use it to get into and mess with your body. So, please excuse me Captain, I have a wounded man on the ship to take care of."

She turns back and heads for the sickbay. The current situation is nothing Jacobin cannot handle, and she wants nothing to do with the captured pirate - at least for now, when restraining and not interrogating him is involved.

Yasmin

"No damage here. One hostile entered the Roc - no trouble to deal with him, huh?"
Yasmin sends her Herc in the same direction as Alexia, to protect her in case pirates prepared another trap under this one. Or maybe they left some defensive measures still active: one way or another, if it's trouble then Yasmin will deal with it.

[RandomLunatic]

Erich looked on the fleeing pirates in digust. Pirates were no better thaqn schoolyard bullies, really-putting on a tough facade against those too weak to defend themselves, but when they ran into somebody that actually could make a stand, they showed their true colors-yellow. Today, they would be held accountable for their misdeeds.

Die Walkure fell upon the fleeing pirates like an avenging angel, shotgun raking lethal cones of shot through them. Erich fired as rapidly as the action could cycle fresh shells into the chamber, each round meanign at least one mroe outlaw that would never kill or steal again.

Geez, I go to sleep and the battel is over on me. Well, I figure since Erich starts between them and their goal, he should get at least one shot as they fly past...

[Fri]

The comm crackled. "...it's a rather old transport ship. Must be at least fifty years old... I can't say anything more without getting closer to the ship though. I don't think we can salvage the transported goods, it's been fifty years and the blood comets have been here... But I think there's might be some chance that they missed something. Those pirates won't know ancient artifacts even if it sings in front of their face...

I'd love to land there to do more investigation after some refuelling. And are we going to do something with those fallen pirates and mechs, captain?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Alright, I give up! Just... don't kill me, okay?" The entrance to the pirate mecha cockpit's depressurizes with a noticable sound, and the pilot climbs out without making any sudden gestures. He throws away his pistol... and submachine gun... and knife... and another knife... and finally raises his hands up. Apart from this pile of weapons, he looks fit for his profession - above average stature, untrustworthy, thuggish face, rough piratey clothing.
"Whaddya gonna do with me now?"

"Um..." The radio crackles. It's Nicol, from the gun stations. "Since the battle is over, captain, do you still want us here?"
"Why are you asking?", Kara is somewhere there too. "Everyone else already left."

Erich manages to down one of the escaping Condors - its escape pod launches from its back, but since the Bullfrog is far away right now and it wouldn't be able to catch up, it heads for a different destination instead... Inside the giant wreck! The small pod disappears in its darkness.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Tie you up, and likely turn you over to whichever merchant or government pays the most for live Blood Comets," Jacobin explains, exiting his own cockpit to cover the man with his handgun. "I might be a little more discerning if you answer a few questions for us, but your answers would need to be pretty good, seeing as you just carved a hole in my plane."

[Tengu_temp]

"What do you wanna ask?" The pirate makes a suspicious face. "I don't know much."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"We'll talk about this somewhere without a hole in the wall. For now, put your hands out and we'll take you to somewhere without a gaping hole in the wall."

Barring any resistance from the pirate, Jacobin will escort him to the ship's brig and lock him in there, grabbing Nicol to serve as a guard as he makes his way back to the bridge.

As for further orders, "Everyone regroup on board for now; we'll investigate the island later."

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

"Acknowledged. En-route." Sabata heads his mecha back towards the Roc.

[RandomLunatic]

"Roger," Erich confirmed, turning his Gale Rider about and returning to the Roc.

Dismounting from his powered-down Ulysees, he popped another one of his pills and walked over to the captain. "So what's up, sir?"

[Matar]

Anesthetic, AND some antiseptic. As of now, you have a giant hole in your flesh." Sylvia gestures towards Demo's missing finger. She sounds more soft and calm now, wanting to help rather than scare him. This time, at least.
"And all the local nasties want to use it to get into and mess with your body. So, please excuse me Captain, I have a wounded man on the ship to take care of."

After giving a small mock salute to Sylvia and saying "Yes ma'am!" Demo follows behind her. Hopefully this wouldn't take all the long, seeing as how he had quite a bit of work to do on the ship.

When Sylvia examines Demo's finger, she notices that the stump on his hand has a metal plate on it, with several holes for the finger to be attached to and presumably connect to the nerves. The whole contraption looks extremely advanced, and fashioned in such a way that getting an infection from the "connectors" of the plate would be almost impossible.

Of course, that's just the plate itself. The flesh connected to the plate looks dirty. However his finger was removed was not a clean cut. Certainly no doctor did it. How Demo managed to not get an infection from it is a damn miracle.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome had brought the rope silently, and without any further orders, had disappeared back up to the bridge to help relieve Enya, after giving the other girl a hug and a small high five. Kamome still wasn't feeling particularly wonderful about everything that had happened, but at least if she kept busy at the work station, the memories would fade some.

[Cubey]

Yasmin

After remembering the rough place of where the pirate escape pod disappeared into, Yasmin returns to the ship. She suddenly really needed a smoke, and if nobody needs anything from her, she went to her room to satisfy that need.

Sylvia

"Wash your hands." She looks at Demo's hands, not willing to touch them in their current condition. She points at the nearby sink - can't have a sickbay without one.

And once Demo is done, Sylvia waits with his medicine.
"Local anaesthetic. This won't hurt a bit." She winks, as a syringe she holds gleams maliciously.

(I assume no rolls are needed for just a simple injection.)

[Matar]

"Wash your hands." She looks at Demo's hands, not willing to touch them in their current condition. She points at the nearby sink - can't have a sickbay without one.

Demo gives his shoulders a shrug and begins to wash his heavily calloused hands. He washes them twice with soap and rinses them off with hot water.



And once Demo is done, Sylvia waits with his medicine.
"Local anaesthetic. This won't hurt a bit." She winks, as a syringe she holds gleams maliciously.

Demo gives a small pause as a chill ran down his spine. He hated that look. It always meant something horrible was going to happen.

Of course, he still held out his hands. He dared not to deny her request.

[Cubey]

"I'm going to count to three, okay? One..." And with that, Sylvia stabs the syringe into Demo's arm.
"There you go. The pain should disappear soon, hmm hmm..." She isn't precise does she mean the pain caused by a missing finger, or the pain caused by a sneak injection attack.

With Demo's condition treated (no, not his insanity - that's probably impossible), Sylvia leaves the sickbay again to head for the bridge. Not to report to the captain or wait for orders, though.

"How do you feel now? It must have been stressful out there. But don't worry, it's all good now. And you did good, too." She walks up to Kamome's seat and offers these words of encouragement. Following them is a warm, motherly hug.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome blushed from the hug, though a small smile came back to her face and she turned to look up at Sylvia.
"I think I'm okay... I don't feel as bad as before. Thanks miss Sylvia." She said gratefully.
Kamome looked down as if struggled for words and pulled her headphones down around her neck. "I don't want to be a burden on everyone though."

[Cubey]

"Everyone aboard is doing their job. Nobody's a burden." Sylvia tries to block the mental image of her carefully crafted plan ruined by Demo's trigger-happy... finger.
"And, no need to call me miss. Big Sis is okay." She smirks mischeviously.

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

After Sabata had dealt with the hassle of getting out of his mech and back into his wheelchair, he began looking for the captain.

[Tengu_temp]

Because nobody else seems to be eager to do it, Ron arrives at the hangar and ties the pirate up before the captain escorts him to the brig. Nicol seems a little too eager to guard him.
"Y, yes sir! Don't worry sir, I'll make sure he doesn't take even a step out of his cell!"
That was reassuring. The rest of the crewmembers arrive at the bridge shortly.
"Hey, what are we going to do with all the wreckage?", asks Daniel. "There's so much of this junk left after the battle, pity if it all went to waste."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"We've got two objectives at the moment," the captain explains. "There's piles of quality spare parts and ammo lying around on this island, and the wreck still bears investigating. We've also got a captured Blood Comet - Sylvia, if you wouldn't mind finding out what he knows about the Comets' organization and the wreck - especially anything they took, or any traps they set up." Until that investigation is done, folks with undamaged mechs should go out and bring back whatever enemy wrecks we can fit on here, and folks with damaged ones should help patch them up."

"Oh, and there's a giant hole in my plane," he observes. "Someone should probably patch that up, and scrub the scorch marks from Demo's little escapade off the roof. Demo, I think you're volunteered for that."

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata nods. "Understood, Captain. After that, where are we headed?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Oh, that reminds me!" Enya looked as if she was trying to remember something for a while, and now you know why. "Do you remember the static that appeared during combat for a few seconds, and which came from inside the wreck? I analyzed it, and I'm sure it came from a small, short-range radio: either a personal one or an old Gale Rider model."

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata raises an eyebrow. "Interesting. Either possibility prompts investigation."

"If it was an old Rider, though, why did it transmit?"

[Tengu_temp]

"I... don't know.", Enya admits. "That's all the info I could get from the transmission. Maybe it's an old, malfunctioning piece of equipment from the wreck?"

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

"Could be. I can't think of any other reason it might. If the pirates had found it, they would have probably used it or removed it by now."

Sabata shrugs. "It's an oddity. It deserves further investigation. Cautious investigation."


Which we would should probably get on, even though Sabata is one of those who got his mech banged up.


Sabata nods to the Captain. "If that is all I'll go get on that." Sabata begins to steer his chair out.

[Cubey]

Sylvia

"Maybe it's a distress signal sent from someone the pirates held ransom? Oh, a rescue romance - a fair maiden waiting for her knight in shining armor! Or even better yet, an undescript but rich local businessman, who will undoubtedly share his vast wealth." Sylvia strikes a dramatic pose as she orates this.
"Oh well. We won't know until we try. In the meantime, let's see what our captive has to say. I'll make him talk, using my own ways." She winks secretively, and then marches off.

"Hello. Am I interrupting anything?" She walks into the brig - not the cell itself, that'd be silly. Just a part where she can talk with the prisoner while remaining clear of him herself.
"I won't lie to you, your position is pretty bad at the moment. I guess crime doesn't pay off after all." She sits on a nearby chair, if there are any around, legs crossed.
"But, it all depends on the captain. Let me tell you one thing - nobody has as much influence on the captain as me. If I am happy, the captain's happy too. And a happy captain has a kinder, less punishing hand. So, you just have to make me happy." She just sits there, a clever smirk on her face.
"Don't worry, it's nothing impossible. I just want information - tell me everything you know, about your group of pirates and especially about the wreckage."

Diplomacy roll (trying to improve attitude): [roll0]
Don't forget about the Bishoujo bonus.

[Tengu_temp]

"Um, no, you're not interrupting anything, Miss Sylvia!" It seems Nicol didn't abandon his guarding position in the meantime. "Should I... leave? Or stay?"
In either case he'll do as asked to, letting Sylvia interrogate the prisoner. And yes, there is a chair.

"Well..." The pirate looks kinda confused - he didn't expect to be interrogated that fast, or in such way. Although this shock is not the only reason he stares at his interrotagor. "Make you happy, huh? If you put it that way... Sure, I can do that! But I don't know much. The boss made a plan to set up a trap in the wreck, another captain found and cleared it before, and told him about it. We gave the place a look just in case, but there was nothing special in it - those guys before took everything already. Then several days later we got info a plane is heading here, so we went here first and waited. And that was your plane."

[Cubey]

Sylvia

With a shake of her head, Sylvia lets Nicol know that it's alright for him to stay.

"There's nothing inside the wreck, you say? There'd better not be any traps waiting. Or I'll be very unhappy." Sylvia's gaze pierces through the pirate.
"Tell me what you know about the captain that found this thing first."

Yasmin

"What's our next course of action, Captain?" Yasmin's back on the bridge, having finished her break.
"Scavenging? I can do that. At the very least it'll keep us floating for a while longer."

[Tengu_temp]

"No no, there aren't any traps! The only trap we had, you took down!" The pirate raises his hands. He doesn't feel comfortable being stared at like that. "And the captain... is another of Steeleye's lieutenants. Forgot his name. Haven't really met any of the higher-ups other than the boss - told ya, I don't know much."

[Cubey]

(Sense motive: [roll0]
The rest of the post happens only if I detect no lies or half-truths.)

"Okay. That will do for now - now, stay in there and don't cause any trouble, okay?" Sylvia rubs her hands. The interrogation went smoothly, and her spirits are high. She flashes a smile at Nicol before going back to the bridge.

"We're dealing with very ignorant pirates, captain." She tells Arland.
"This one really didn't know that much. The wreck was found and cleared out by another of Steeleye's underlings, and this group only heard about it from them and then moved in here to set up an ambush. There shouldn't be any traps - no treasures either, but if there's a signal coming from inside then I bet the pirates missed something.
I don't think the pirate was lying. I have ways to make everyone tell the truth, hmm hmm hmm..." Sylvia's smile looks very satisfied as she unceremoniously takes over a seat on the bridge. Which probably was someone else's, because it's the bridge.

[Tengu_temp]

It seems that everything the pirate told was the truth... Although he could have put more effort into remembering the name of the other lieutenant. He probably has inner resistance against betraying his comrades from the gang, not only because he's afraid of retribution.

[Cubey]

Well, Sylvia doesn't care about this at the moment - if the name becomes important she can press on the pirate later.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I think, rather than split up, we can leave the salvage for now and explore the wreck first. If someone - or something - is signaling from it, we should see why."

Jacobin leans forward in his chair and taps his fingers together. "What's the status of everyone's machines? If no one has much serious damage, it would probably be best to move out immediately."

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata paused by the doorway. "I took a hit, but its minor damage. Certainly not something that needs to be addressed immediately."

[Terraoblivion]

"It'll make more than a few condors to even scrape the paint of a Hercules. And more skill than those fools have to even touch." Yasmin's statement isn't exactly delivered quietly, as she looks over the gathered crew members with a look of utter confidence on her face. "But no one seemed to be seriously hurt. Really did those pirates ever think they had a chance? Half the crews out there are either large enough or well-equipped enough to deal with that sorry excuse for an ambush."

She relaxes a bit as she goes on, trying to find a comfortable way to stand on the bridge. "If we go into the wreck, i'll be among those heading in. What good is a soldier if she can't get to do any soldiering?"

[RandomLunatic]

"I only took superficial damage. I'm good to go," Erich said.

[Fri]

"Just minor dents, I'm also ready to go."

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome nods quietly in assent, though she doesn't share her thoughts. She's too busy recollecting the minutes during the fight.

[Tengu_temp]

"If you're all ready, why won't you go then?", Kara adds in a disinterested tone, her attention grabbed by one of the nearby monitors. "You can't move out immediately if you wait and talk after all."

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata wheels himself down to the hangar to launch and go explore the wreck.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I'll be joining the exploration," Arland announces. "The rest of the crew should stay on board, make repairs to the Roc, and radio immediately in case the Blood Comets return."

"Now, let's see what Sylvia found out from our captive, and then we can get going."

Arland heads down to the laundry brig to get the information from Sylvia on the way to the hangar, knocking on the brig door to let her know her time's up.

[Fri]

"Right, my favourite part of the job." said Alexia as she fasten her fingerless gloves. She checked her utility belt, fix the position of her goggles, before jumping to her mech.

"Try to not damaging the wreckage too much, everyone!"

[Cubey]

"Coming!" Sylvia opens the door to the brig and walks outside, leaving Nicol alone with the prisoner.
"Ah! Captain, don't you know that you should never hurry a lady?" She smirks mischeviously, her body leaning forward.
"Well, here's what I got:"

(Repeating what Sylvia would've said two posts ago. I thought that not caring about the small half truth means that post does happen after all, but it's okay either way.)

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome looks a little confused as she stands at the entrance to the mecha bay.
"Wait... did captain want me coming, or staying?" She wondered aloud.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"You're coming, unless you want to stay and guard the ship," Jacobin explains over his shoulder.

He nods to Sylvia. "Thanks...I think we're still going to have a look around, even if it's been looted, though. I doubt the Blood Comets brought a professional archaeologist. I'm going to leave you in charge of the bridge while I'm away..." he thinks for a second, as if reconsidering this idea. "Try not to redecorate the ship in tasteful pastels while I'm out, alright?"

"Or do anything else weird" is implied.

[Kasanip]

Kamome

"Yes sir." Kamome replies quickly, hurrying over to her damaged gale rider with a grimace on her face. She climbs up into the machine and starts the start-up sequence.

"Kamome here...I'm ready to go." She says, when it has finished.

I can't get depressed now...I can't let the crew down. I have to do my best too!

[Fri]

"Even if the captain didn't say anything, I was going to specifically ask for your help, Kamome." Alexia smiled. "I have some hunch that your expertise would be needed for this."

[Tengu_temp]

"Captain, should I move the Roc closer to the wreck?", asks Enya. "That way, if an enemy attacks, our base and Gale Riders will be closer to each other!"

Launching your mecha might be slightly inconvenient due to the fallen pirate unit in the hangar, until anyone moves it out of the way that is. Apart from that there are no obstacles, however, and the giant wreck lies in front of you, its dark interior tempting with mystery.

When you enter it, do note which hole are you using - see my response to Fri earlier for details. The pirate escape pod flew in through the largest one. If you're looking around inside feel free to roll for Search, as well.
Your mecha have head-mounted light sources. No, I don't mean the glowing eyes, although these help too.
EDIT: And there's the mecha's infravision, too. Forgot about this one.

[Kasanip]

"Thanks miss Alexia... I won't let you down. I promise!" Kamome said, clenching her fist tightly. She looked at the wreckage of the pirate's craft in the hangar.

"Maybe we should move this out of the way before we leave?" She asks.

[Cubey]

"Why, I'd never do anything like that. The whole ship? That's way too expensive." Sylvia winks as she says that.

"Replacement captain on the bridge. Everyone, play safe and come back in one piece!" She makes herself comfortable on the best seat on the whole ship - the Captain's, on the bridge.
"If you'd be so kind dear, move us a bit closer to the wreckage. But keep enough distance to be able to shoot at anything that comes out - no worries, I don't mean I want to blast our friends here."
"If anything unusual happens, I'll let you know immediately." The last sentence was a message to the starting Gale Riders. And the rest was meant for Enya.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Step lightly around our new friend," Jacobin says over the radio as he boots up his Gale Rider again, walking cautiously around it before launching. "We'll take care of breaking it down later. Everyone, stay close, and head for that largest opening. Alexia and Kamome, you take point. Watch out for auto-defenses," he instructs.

"And Sylvia, get out of my chair."

[Kasanip]

Kamome

Kamome let out a deep breath and pulled her goggles down over her eyes again, turning the gale rider towards the exit.
"Understood Captain. Kamome, departing." She announced, leading the Gale Rider out into the sky.

[Fri]

"Alexia, launching."

Alexia stopped in front of the opening. She checked the strength of the hull first, before peering toward the inside of the ship.

[Tengu_temp]

The plane was made from durable materials... but not durable enough to prevent it turning into the wreck you see now after it crashed, and half a century of being exposed to the elements wasn't kind to it. Most of the floor should still be stable, but holes and weakened parts that might collapse under the weight of a Gale Rider are to be expected.

From her position, Alexia can only see what used to be the plane's cargo bay - a large storage area, mostly empty apart from several piles of twisted metals here and there and a partially collapsed ceiling. Nothing of interest yet.

[Cubey]

"Aww, but this is such a comfortable chair, captain Jacobin... oh, fine. I'm getting up." Sylvia sounds pleading and a bit hurt, but it's just an act and she doesn't even bother to try to conceal that.

However, she does not get up from the seat. Instead, she winks towards the others on the bridge, raising a finger to her lips in a "shh, don't tell anyone" gesture.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I know you're still sitting there."

Jacobin's Perseus follows in behind the scout's and the archaeologist's, following Alexia's lead at the moment, and keeping an eye out for movement in the wreckage.

Taking 10 on Notice for 16, not Searching because he's here to cover the people actually making Search checks.

[Kasanip]

(Assuming Alexia will do a Search roll - since she's the best- Kamome will use her Teamwork skill to 'Aid Effort' on Alexia's Search roll, and give her a +4)

[Fri]

"Allright, I'm entering the wreckage now. Looks safe enough." She said as she enter the ship. "Bridge, can you presume where our pirate ended when he fell here?"

She activated her Gale Rider's headlight as she sweeped the room. "Okay Kamome, let's do our job. Lighting is still good enough, but it might be a good idea if some of you activated your IR vision just in case. I'll be using my headlight. Kamome, back me up."

[roll0]search for anything unusual
[roll1] knowledge history check or [roll2] ship knowledge check to see what she can remember about this kind of ship
[roll3]notice check, just in case

[RandomLunatic]

"Captain, I'm going to break off and perform an IR sweep from the outside,", Erich advised, breaking off from formation to do just that. The wrecked plane's metal fuselage, long exposed to the cold ambient air, provided excellent contrast to any sources of heat concealed within-like a crashed escape pod, a lonely pirate, or an old Gale Rider...

Take 10 on Computer Use for sensor sweep=26.

[Tengu_temp]

A lot of the ship's subsections have collapsed from the passage of time, and what used to be many separate chambers has turned into one large one now, with a half-standing wall or a pile of scrap here and there. You don't need to descend down the wreck much in order to discover the escape pod crashed into one such pile - the collision was far from gentle, and it looks unusable now. The hatch is open, however, and the pirate is nowhere in sight.

Erich manages to detect two heat signatures inside the wreck, apart from those belonging to the rest of the crew - one is close to their Gale Riders and it's probably the escape pod, the other one is much weaker and further down the plane. It's hard to discover more through several layers of thick steel.
And suddenly, the second signature splits into two!

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata's mech is behind Jacobin's, keeping rear-guard for the scout force heading inside the wreck.

[RandomLunatic]

"Looks like we've got two people inside, right here," Erich said, uploading the location ot the others. "And besides you guys and the escape pod, I'm not reading any other hot spots. I'm coming in," he advised, alighting just outside the large hole the others had entered by. Drawing his chainsword and tunring on the lights, he set a secondary monitor to show the IR picture and followed Sabata's machine in.

Taking 10 on Computer Use and Notice checks, for 26/13.

[Tengu_temp]

Following the heat signatures, or just going further down, leads you to a wall with no visible passages large enough for a Gale Rider to pass through - there are human-sized doors though, as well as few small holes in the wall. If this plane has roughly the same plan as the Roc, what lies beyond should be the living area...
You can clearly see that the heat signatures are at different locations, too. One of them is slightly closer than the other, and seems to be moving slowly.

[Neon Knight]

Sabata

Sabata's lack of utility when dismounted from his mech means that he'll mostly likely be posted as a mecha guard if someone decides to go on foot deeper into the Roc.

[Kasanip]

"Allright, I'm entering the wreckage now. Looks safe enough." She said as she enter the ship. "Bridge, can you presume where our pirate ended when he fell here?"

She activated her Gale Rider's headlight as she sweeped the room. "Okay Kamome, let's do our job. Lighting is still good enough, but it might be a good idea if some of you activated your IR vision just in case. I'll be using my headlight. Kamome, back me up."

[roll0]search for anything unusual
[roll1] knowledge history check or [roll2] ship knowledge check to see what she can remember about this kind of ship
[roll3]notice check, just in case

Kamome
"Yes ma'am." Kamome replied as she followed Alexia in.
with one hand she brought up the gale rider's sensors to help keep an eye out for trouble. She then moved it down to the keyboard at the base of her seat and began to type, calling up the power of the internet to gather information that would hopefully be useful to the archeologist.


Notice:[roll0]
Computers: [roll1] (Gather Information Check)