Impact Ares: Shadows of Prometheus

[TamerBill]

Your first mistake was letting the DR capture you. They rarely let you make a second mistake.

It was three weeks ago that you were thrown roughly into one of Prosperity Dome’s many cramped prison cells and cut off from the outside world. However, today promises to bring a little excitement into the monotony of solitary confinement, a little change. For today is the day of your execution.

What are you going to do about it?

[Moechi_Vill]

!

..

I complain politely to the most amicable guard (if any) that I was doing my duty as a soldier for a government that no longer exists and that I as one of the foremost prodigy of child espers would make excellent materiel for the Divine Republic's research or army. "Would you please, please let me speak to one of your superiors? *fawn* (she's quite cute with slightly poofy red chins that annoy her and with the looks of a 12-14 year old, brownish, whisplish hair (Rosalyn [Okage]), red eyes. very present)


If this fails I immediately sit down next to the wall and look out silently at the outside and at the personnel guarding us.


Otherwise I ignore the scum and filth of humans overcrowding my space.

[ravenkith]

I look around for a set of keys or the like. Are there any visible? Do I know if the guard has a set? Or is it thumbprint/retina locks?

Shane Tokai

Crunch:

Name: Shane Tokai
Age: 17

Shane has:
Stats:
Strength: Poor (-2)
Dexterity: Great (+2)
Constitution: Poor (-2)
Intelligence: Great (+2)
Wisdom: Great (+2)
Charisma: Good (+1)

3 pts
+/- allowed

Skills [44]:

All skills start at Poor (1 point for Mediocre, 2 for Fair etc).

Mentally, Shane is…

Fair at Making Friends +0 (2) + 1 CHA
Fair at Influencing people +0 (2) + 1 CHA
Good at Puzzles +1 (3) + 2 INT
Fair at Geometry Thriving in the desert +0 (2) + 2 INT
Fair at History +0 (2) + 2 INT

Physically, Shane is…

Fair at Acrobatics + 0 (2) + DEX
Good at Tai Chi + 1 (3) + DEX
Good at Hand-Eye Coordination + 1 (3) + DEX
Fair at Sneaking + 0 (2) + DEX

In a PT, Shane is…

Fair at Melee physically abusing his enemies +0 (2)
Fair at Shooting targetting important components + 0 (2) + ?
Great at Dodging getting his mech out of harm's way + 2 (4) + ?
Great at Piloting being highly coordinated while in a mech + 2 (4) + ?

Esper:
Great at Telepathy : Great +2 (4) + 2 WIS
Great at Telekinesis: Great +2 (4) + 2 WIS
Good at Precognition : Good +1 (3) + 2 WIS



Background:

The world came alive again, blackness disappearing in a rapid blinks and some short rubs of his eyeballs with his hands. Cold hard metal embraced his pounding temple, washing away some of the pain, frustration and humiliation.

Shane was leaned upright against the side of the cell when he came to, harsh overhead lights a rude wake up call, followed by the even harsher sight of the bars keeping him penned in.

As he explored the small space he was in, his stomach growled loudly, his hunger making him wish for some of his mother's home-cooked meals. He'd never known they'd done without in that little camp in the wilderness. It was where he'd grown up, and the best that the camp had was the best he'd ever known existed.

So naive, back then. He still had a fondness for the desert in his heart, though; a place where, if you knew how, you could survive, even thrive. The blood that coursed through Shane was a mixture of english, arabian and japanese descent. Always filled with a desire to explore, a love of the shifting sands of the desert, and a drive to succeed unparalleled by any other, Shane's curiosity had gotten him into a great deal of trouble as a kid.

"Hell, it's gotten me into a lot of trouble as a young adult, too," he thought as he glanced around the interior of the cell once more.

Back then, though, he'd been so very happy. Between his father's teachings on self-defence and how to hunt, and his mother's people showing them the secrets of the desert, and despite the more formal lessons in language and math, he still couldn't think of anything better in his life.

"Kind of sad, when you reach your peak at age seven," he thought to himself quietly.

His natural ability to make friends and get them to do what he wanted had made him the ringleader of the children around the camp. He'd used his father's teachings on stealth to raise havoc, playing pranks and stealing snacks for himself and the other kids. He'd earned more than a few spankings in his time.

"Guess I'm in for more than a spanking this time, though," came the pessimistic thought, almost ruining Shane's reminiscing.

It wasn't until he had turned 13 that he'd shown that he was any different from the rest of the boys. He'd known the DR troops were coming, just minutes before they'd shown up, but those minutes were all his people had needed to get packed up and hidden.

The PTs had strolled through the junk left behind by the nomads, and he could hear the frustated comments between the pilots...even though they weren't being said out loud, and he wasn't anywhere near a radio.

It was that day that he'd first coughed up blood. He'd been frightened and terrified then, not knowing what was going on, but over the years, he'd figured it out.

He was a natural esper, a very powerful one...but flawed nonetheless. Whenever he used his abilities, his body turned against itself, unable to withstand the unnatural currents of power he wielded to get the needed effects. In time, his body had adapted, and withstood the torsion caused by his psychic capabilities much better than it had when he was younger...now he only started to bleed if he pushed himself too much...but the damage had already been done.

Years of avoiding PT patrols by bare minutes because of Shane's powers had taken their toll. His young body hade wilted away under the pressure, leaving him physically weaker and less resilient than before.

"I've often wondered how many years I've carved off my life by using my abilities...but I guess it doesn't matter now," he thinks, dragged inexorably back to the here and now of the cold, stark cell.

Shane's abilities had finally failed his tribe one dark night in the desert. Shane had passed out from using his abilities too much earlier in the day, and his people had settled down at a nearby oasis to make sure the 15 year old would be alright. The DR troopers had swept in off the dunes, running a simple check of all the known local watering holes.

His people had been massacred. His father had been killed, trying to fight. Shane woke up the next day under the ruins of a tent, his mother's body blackened almost to ash right outside the front flap.

Shane had been devastated, but knew the desert was a harsh mistress. He wandered for a time, until he came upon a group of bandit raiders. Eventually, with his natural charisma, he wormed his way inside, and was soon placed in a PT of his own. For two years he'd conducted operations with the bandits, becoming a fair pilot in his own right.

Shane had relished every single chance to strike back at the DR, perhaps a little too much. He had stayed late in the last raid, desperate to destroy one more DR PT, one more bad memory.

Instead, he'd been caught by the arriving reinforcements as the rest of his band fled, outnumbered and out-gunned. Even so, he'd still managed to take down three more before they'd finally legged his PT and made it unable to move.

When they'd finally gotten him out, they'd beaten him repeatedly, all the way back to the cell he was in now.

"Well, no use sitting around here," Shane thinks to himself. "Got to start working on getting the hell out of here,"

[TamerBill]

The solitary guard ignores the girl's pleading with typical DR discipline. The only visible set of keys are hung on his belt, and he shows no inclination to give them up.

[ravenkith]

I telekinetically choke the guard into unconsciousness (I think I can do that, right?), which should keep him quiet while simultaneously rendering him a non-threat.

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree looked at Shane again, knowing his power through her well-developed psychoawareness. It had been three weeks in this cell and she had sensed him like a mega-watt bulb dangling uncomfortably from the flaking ceiling. Moving over carefully through the cramped dungeon to sit down next beside him she chose to touch his arm, inching her hand down to hold his -
and abruptly questioning him
"Will they weed us out at the end or is it time to save ourselves?" she thinks to him in a murmur.

---

<"The hell?"> not halfways sat down yet. He had made a choice. Misallo immediately reinforces his attempt to disable the sentry.

[Moechi_Vill]

Precognition [roll0] (Should have been 20.) Before taking more direct action to help Shane: Is this a terrible or a good idea?
Telekinesis [roll1] Aid Shane in an attempt to stop whatever way the guard tries to alert anyone else of the situation while being strangulated (grab a comm. unit, move vocal chords, push a button, etc.) .

[ravenkith]

"I refuse to die here," Shane says quietly. "One lone guard will not be enough to see me to my death!" he continues as he chokes the man until he passes out.

"There'll be a camera," he thinks to himself. "But maybe we can get out and get our hands on a weapon before his reinforcements can get here."

[Moechi_Vill]

<"Tell me next time!"> she looks at him with consternation, mentally flicking through the probability of cameras at reading his thoughts. Her next and most immediate move will be to attempt to undo the sentry's keys from his belt and flip them over to Shane while still retaining her focus on discouraging any alarm being sounded.
Telekinesis [roll0]
<We are underneath a dome. Someone from our cell-block with urban contacts out domeside.> Voiree scans the room for any likely candidates.

[ravenkith]

Telekinesis:
[roll0]

OOC: Although, if I can move an entire mech with my brain power, being able to crush someone's trachea shouldn't even be a roll, right?

[TamerBill]

((OOC: Correct, it is not that simple. Without a T-Link System to focus your powers they are only viable on a human scale. Do not overestimate your abilities))

The telekinetic assault swiftly throttles the guard into unconciousness before he can sound the alarm, his communicator bouncing from his hand to Voiree's in one swift motion. In her mind she briefly hears an older man congratulating her, but the vision quickly passes.

[Moechi_Vill]

Misallo uses telekinesis to pass the weapons and keys to Shane.

[Nerd-o-rama]

(Why haven't new posts been showing up in my Control Panel? Bloody vBulletin.)

One of the prisoners in the back of the cell remains quiet through the whole ordeal. A thin man, probably quite tall when he's not slouched in the back of a prison cell. After the telekinetic assault, he laughs softly and speaks aloud. "Impressive, little Hopes." He stands up, as suspected, to a height of slightly over six feet, and stretches lazily, as if he had just awoken from a nap. The state of his short black hair reinforces the image. "Other divinities will be coming soon. Like a leaf on the wind, we must blow this joint. You are a doppel of Gangers, yes? We will escape together."

[Moechi_Vill]

*nods*
weird p*rson

Voiree ceases paying attention to the rest soon and reaches out to tap the man's hip lightly with her left index finger, looking up at him steadily as if something.

Alternatively and later if noone will do her messy work for her then she will rip out the sentry's throat with her nails.

[ravenkith]

Shane quickly takes the keys and opens the cell door.

"Last train's a leavin', boys" he says, as he bends down and appropriates the guard's weapons.

He then looks around the area he finds himself in, searching for a way out.

[Nerd-o-rama]

The thin man walks nimbly toward Shane and the door, pausing to speak to Voiree. "No need to disassemble the cog, little Hope. You'll get him everywhere. If you want him to keep lying down, just snap his neck."

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree looks at her bloodied hands, the man talking to her. Deciding it'll take too much time she quickly follows him up to a step between him and Shane.

[TamerBill]

Shane finds himself in possession of a small pistol-esque weapon, the only one he could find on the body of the guard. It looks to be electric; a stun weapon, perhaps? An unusual design, in any case.

There appears to be only one way out of the cell block; a single locked door opposite their previous home. However, with the keys in your possession the lock would probably be less than an obstacle.

[ravenkith]

"Alright, if you're coming, let's go," Shane says, holding the weapon down by his leg, pointed at the ground, and making for the door quickly, but quietly. If there's a window, he'll look through it. If not, he'll unlock the door and peek out, again, quickly and quietly.

[TamerBill]

Peeking through the door, Shane sees that it leads out into a wide circular courtyard. His attention is drawn, however, to the dozen or so DR soldiers hanging around the area, chatting and relaxing. This is either a recreation area or a very informal ambush. Other doors are dotted around the circumference of the yard, but there is little cover to be had in the area.

[ravenkith]

Shane quickly motions for the others to stop, and doubles back to the unconscious (dead?) guard. Looking at the size of the guard's uniform, he compares it to himself and the other prisoners to see who might make the best fit.

He also looks around for any handcuffs that might be found, and begins stripping his former victim.

"We can't go out that way without some kind of disguise, some kind of cover. There's a dozen off-duty guards out there. I'm thinking we pose as a guard accompanying two prisoners,"

He looks around.

"The girl can't be the guard, so it's down to you and me pal, and that'll be decided by whom the uniform fits better," he shrugs.

"I don't know either of you from adam, but since you're in here, I have to imagine none of us are very popular with the DR, and it would be in our best interests to work together to get the hell out of here."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Adam? I'm no angel. Aaron is my name." Aaron looks over the prone guard. "Smaller than me. I think you should. You move more like a soldier anyway."

[ravenkith]

"Alright. Help me find some cuffs for you two," he says, starting to get changed into the uniform. "Then we can get out of here,"

[TamerBill]

The guard's belt yields a single pair of metal cuffs, which fit to one of the keys on the key-ring. The pockets of the pilfered uniform also contain an ID card, registered to George Girder, and there is a lone bucket in the corner of the room. Beyond that, there are no further resources to exploit.

[ravenkith]

"Hey, girl! Grab that bucket," he looks at the big guy. "You need to put these on," he says, tossing the cuffs to the larger guy. "Behind your back if you don't mind," he adds, as he shrugs into the uniform.

"If the fecal matter hits the rotary impeller, don't do anything, unless I say , I don't know, rosebuds, or something. I'll try and talk us out of here, but there's no telling what'll happen when we get out there,"

He straightens up and fixes the collar on the shirt, and draws the pistol from the holster, covering the other two with it. "Both of you in front, big guy first. Don't say anything,"

"Any of you remember which way you came in? I was unconscious when they dragged me in here. Mainly I'm just trying to figure out which way to go when we get out there..." he asks.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron quietly takes the handcuffs, cufffs them in front of him, and steps over them with each foot to put them behind his back. "Good to know," he says to no one in particular. He then moves to the door and waits for the girl before moving out.

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree follows the orders complacently but with some hatred in her eyes at the sight of the bucket.
Locking her hands behind her back felt like a horrible idea but what could she do with them anyway.. She follows the Big Leaf.

[Moechi_Vill]

Not wanting to leave an eventual alarm behind Voiree uses her telekinesis to snap the man's neck before putting on the cuffs.

[roll0] (that should be an 18)

[TamerBill]

((OOC: There is only one pair of cuffs; Voiree doesn't have any. She just has a bucket.))

[ravenkith]

"Watch the door," he says to the big guy, before walking back over to where the girl is busy snapping the man's neck, and then standing confused at the lack of cuffs for her.

"Hey, don't look at me," Shane says, looking at the girl. "I'd much rather have two pairs of handcuffs," he adds apologetically, "But it looks like the bucket is all we've got,"

He looks around the cell block once more, checking for anything he might have missed.

"We've got to go. You, girl, try to keep the 'prisoner' between you and the guards as much as possible. Hold the bucket in both hands, like it's heavy, and you're just carrying something for me so I can keep both of you covered. Hey, big guy!" he calls out as he approaches the door, trying to get the man's attention.

When the big man turns to face him, Shane busts him in the nose with the butt of the pistol, breaking the cartilage and causing blood to rush out.

"Sorry man, I didn't want to hurt you, but we need to have some reason to leave the cell block, and a medical emergency is the surest way," he grins. "For some reason all dictators seem to want their prisoners nice and healthy before they go to the gallows..."

He looks at the door.

"Now listen," he says, suddenly very serious. "The four best words to get rid of off-duty soldiers are "Looking for a volunteer'," he says.

"Soldiers are hard wired with the belief that volunteeering for anything is bad. We're going to go out there, and I'm going to call out and ask for a volunteer to help me get you to the medbay," he shakes his head.

"That should get rid of most of them pretty quick; they'll disperse, trying to avoid any extra work, or getting dragooned into any, because after volunteers have been asked for and not found, the next step is drafting someone,"

"If we're lucky, they'll all split. If not...we may end with one or two that stay behind," he stops for a second.

"Worst case scenario, we end up having to fight them all, and that's nothing more than what we've got right now. Oh and, girl, you'll be using the bucket to catch his blood, " he says, thumbing in the direction of the big guy.

"What do you think?" he asks, looking at his compatriots, and wincing at the swelling of the big guy's nose as he gets a better look at it.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron thinks for a moment, looking surprised but not particularly pained. Then he kicks the other man hard in the stomach.

"Good plan. Catch your breath and we'll go."

[ravenkith]

Winded, Shane bends over in the middle and tries to catch his breath.

"Huff....huff....huh...fair....huff...enough...," he gasps out, a sardonic twist to his mouth.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Nose bleeding slowly over the front of his outfit, Aaron turns toward the door out of the room.

"Miss, please catch my blood. I may need it later. Sir, lead on. I am ready to dissemble." He puts on an exaggerated grimace of pain and anger, as a brutalized prisoner might have.

[Moechi_Vill]

I hold the bucket up and down in front of him to catch his blood. Thank goodness I'm not cuffed.

[ravenkith]

When Shane has caught his breath, he motions towards the door with the pistol.

"None of you remember how we got in here?" he asks plaintively as they get ready to go through it and face the dangers posed by the soldiers in the common area.

OOC: Surely someone would remember the way out, having been awake when they were brought in, DM?

[Moechi_Vill]

Psychoawareness roll for prison: [roll0]

[TamerBill]

Between your fragmented recollections and Voiree's psychic ability you're pretty sure that the exit is reached through the door opposite to you, on the other side of the courtyard.

[ravenkith]

"Alright, let's try this on for size," says Shane.....and then the light bulb goes on.

"Wait, wait...what if we strangled one of those guys out there, like he was choking? He drops to the floor, they resuscitate him...Wouldn't they run him over to the med station? Wouldn't that take, like, four of them, at least?" he looks at the others.

"It might cut the odds, before we risk our lives," he says, glad he thought of it before charging through the door.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Seems repetitive," observes Aaron. "Also, you broke my nose already. It'd be a shame to waste it."

[Moechi_Vill]

"If anything happens we could telegrab their weapons and have them fire at each other. Also, I wouldn't pull anything, it'd heighten their alert."

"Stay cool." she directs Shane. "Alternatively, finding out where their hospital is may be beneficial for a prolonged escape but time would lag out and increase the risk in total. Either we go now or we launch an all-out psychic attack starting with confusion among their ranks with the same effect as the aformentioned. Personally I say we remain vigilant and get the drop on them at the last moment should something happen or to gain exit. Perhaps you walk us to the end of the other door and then we choke one amongst their number to cause distraction."

"They will wonder why you do not direct him to the infirmary so it will be necessary to take radical action towards the end phase."

"And I have a communicator." Misallo adds. "You should be carrying it." she hands it to Shane.

"Let's go." she touches him as if to comfort but her sharp look remaining. "Time is wasting."


"You have precognition, Shane?" Voiree reminds him in the form of a question. I'm assuming the two of us know each others name as we both have great Telepathy

"Remember to use telepathy to adjust our plan in res and to rebound the information to each other, in particular any passwords or names of authority figures that we can gather."

Precognition Roll [which of the plans will end the best]: [roll0]

1) Direct Escape.
2) Direct Escape with distraction at end.
3) Direct Escape with distraction at start.
4) Infirmary.
5) Other

5/6) Deliberate


Add-on parts

X) Friendly fire as distraction.
Y) Choking as distraction.
Z) Both doubled up or split as distraction.
A) All out psychic assault.

[Moechi_Vill]

Telepathy, attempting to read the surface thoughts of the dozen guards and also attempting to ascertain what tactic they will be most susceptible too: [roll0]

VM will keep ahead and hold the bucket in front of the weirdo (IC) at a comfortable angle and keep up the visual with the guards so she can continue to read their minds and rebound the information to Shane.

[TamerBill]

((OOC:


Precognition Roll [which of the plans will end the best]: [roll0]

1) Direct Escape.
2) Direct Escape with distraction at end.
3) Direct Escape with distraction at start.
4) Infirmary.
5) Other

5/6) Deliberate


Add-on parts

X) Friendly fire as distraction.
Y) Choking as distraction.
Z) Both doubled up or split as distraction.
A) All out psychic assault.

Precognition does not work that way. It is passive, not active. If you recieve a vision I will let you know.



I'll run an attempt to use telekinesis to make a few of them want to pee or poop as well if I can reach within their bodies.

No. First of all, you don't have that much power. Secondly, that's extremely vulgar and not appropriate for this game. Please don't use 'f*cker' again either.

/OOC))


Voiree sifts through the jumble of thoughts floating around in the courtyard. A lot of it is of no use to you at all, but you do pick up one interesting thread; apparently the soldiers have all been ordered to use non-lethal fire today. The reason, however, remains a mystery.

[ravenkith]

OOC: I think he meant he wanted to try and get them to want to go to the bathroom. So as to ge tthem out of the room.

Shane nods and gestures to the door.

"Let's roll the dice," he says aloud. "Head for the exit. Slowly,"

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron heads out into the room and for the exit. Slowly. He arranges his face into an angry scowl while simultaneously looking cross-eyed at his own nose, figuring that's pretty close to how anyone would look in his apparent situation. Meanwhile, he's calculating exactly how he'd have to contort to jump and move his hands in front of him in one motion, in case he gets to do violence.

[Moechi_Vill]

<I smell a setup. Let's not head for the resistance before we can trace every possibility, mental and physical, of being followed.>

[TamerBill]

((OOC: I'm British, not American. The edit's not important, since telekinesis can't do that; for future reference, you can't influence bodily functions like that.))

[ravenkith]

<Look, sometimes, you've just got to go, and hope for the best. We can't wait any longer!> Shane thinks at the others carefully.

He points at the door.

[TamerBill]

((OOC: Moechi, in order not to derail the thread any further I've put my reply in the OOC thread.))

From outside your cell you hear the chiming of the noon bell, a daily occurence that signifies the middle of the day. Which, coincidentally, is when executions traditionally take place....

Time, as they say, is running out.

[Moechi_Vill]

<he's not a telepath> comes a sardonic thought back.

Misallo hurries up along Aaron who is already leaving, OOC thread statement? and does her incarnate best in holding the bucket out under his face to catch any drops of the prisoners lifeblood.

[TamerBill]

The group's progress across the courtyard is brought to an abrupt halt when a soldier calls out to them "Hey, you! What do you think you're doing?"

[ravenkith]

"Oh good," says Shane. "I'm glad you're here, as I need a volunteer to help me get this guy to the medical wing and get him cleaned up,"

"Seems he got a little desperate as the hour approached, and I had to crack him one. The simple fact is, he can't be executed looking like that - It's supposed to be some sort of propaganda coup, I was told, and if we do it with him looking like this, it'll just look like we're abusing our prisoners,"

Shane looks at the inquisitive soldier and his companions.

"You guys don't look like you're very busy, maybe one of you can help me out. I'll have to keep him covered, so you'll be the one doing the cleaning, mind. Any volunteers?"

[roll0]
(Influencing people check - keeping in mind that his goal is to get them to go away.)

[TamerBill]

The soldier glares at Shane as his companions suddenly remember prior appointments and slip away behind him.

"The execution is in ten minutes, soldier. If there's a delay because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself then there will be hell to pay, you mark my words. Now get going, and be quick about it!"

[ravenkith]

"Oh crap," says Shane. "In that case, I'm going to take him outside to hose him off first, then over to the med bay to get him treated. I just want to get the worst of the blood off, and make it look like he's been getting decent treatment. Wouldn't want to delay anything!"

with that, he kicks the big guy in the back to get him moving again, this time, towards the door.

"Move it out, scum," he says, for the benefit of the audience. "...and no funny stuff, or I'll just shoot you this time,"

[Moechi_Vill]

<you're good at this> Voiree thinks with some admiration while using her girly little frame to appear innocent and scared as she struggles to keep in throw with the leafy prisoner.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Two gangers walk into a bar. Ouch. See? Not funny at all," Aaron deadpans, and continues marching solemnly toward the exit.

If you can hear me thinking, Hopes, tell me when we break for it.

[ravenkith]

<Outside again.> Shane fairly rumbles with mental pleasure as the warm wind hits him. <Listen, we'll probably be in some kind of fortress,> he thinks to the others. <Play it cool for the moment, we're 'looking for a hose'; what we're really looking for is a way out. Most likely the sewers will provide our exit. But we've got to find one fast, because someone's going to go looking for us in our cells soon, and then it's curtains.>

Shane turns the radio on, but extremely low, so that only he ought to be able to hear it, when the balloon goes up.

What does the exterior look like, Tamer bill?

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree gives a miniscule nod to the big guy to ascertain something while extending a tender caring hand to brush a little of his matted hair aside.

``feel the same, to break the line to hold... and when I'm far far away from thee but beside you when I think of you so always in my life``
<roger - Shane

maybe we can battle versus some rats down there>

Psychoawareness for sewer tunnels...

[Moechi_Vill]

(attempt, version 4.5)

[roll0]

[TamerBill]

The view outside is hardly what one would call stimulating. The ground is hard desert earth, and the compound is surrounded on all sides by a giant barbed-wire fence, with sentry posts keeping guard at appropriate intervals along the barrier. You can see no obvious sewer entrances, but on the other hand you don't see any soldiers either.

[ravenkith]

<Well I got us outside.> Shane thinks at the other two. <But without sewers, I'll be damned if I can imagine how we're going to get out of the compound. Maybe an aircraft or the motor pool?> he asks.

Shane looks around with an eye for a hose or a hangar, basically any bloody way off the base.

"Around the back, you two!" he snaps, gesturing with the pistol for the benefit of any on-lookers, for the 'prisoners' to travel down the side of the building away from the fence, hoping to get a better look at the layout of the rest of the camp.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"There should be Knights of the Temple or their younger brothers somewhere here," Aaron mutters quietly. "If we can surprise their handlers, we could make off with them."

[TamerBill]

Around the side of the building, the group finds an exit. It is, however, a little more trafficed than they may have hoped for. A gate leads through the barbed-wire fence and out into the wasteland, and through it travel the supply trucks of the Divine Republic. One such truck is sitting by the side of the building, unmoving. From the size of it, it would seem to be carrying a large cargo.

[ravenkith]

Are the guards searching the trucks as they leave?

<Right, we're taking that truck.> Shane thinks at the others. <You pair get in the back. Stealthily.>

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron nods, and is off, creeping as quietly as possible and staying out of the guards' sight.

Creeping skill: [roll0]

[TamerBill]

((OOC: The trucks are leaving unhindered))

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree leaps into the nearest truck as fast as she can but with an attempt at stealth. Stealth: [roll0] She quickly examines the concent in the back, hoping for a conveniently emplaced war machine or valuable supplies to sell on the black market.

If it's a war machine her efforts refocus to getting into it immediately.

Security has been a laugh. Is the DR weak and incapable of rulership unlike the old lords, Italy, the United States of America, even the fragile United Nations? ... something is amiss...

Misallo remembers the passing trucks and carefully scans them from any well hidden vantage point in the back: sifting through the thoughts of drivers and any security personnel. Something big had gone down. Something valuable was close. Telepathy: [roll1]

[ravenkith]

Once the two 'prisoners' are hidden away, Shane looks around to make sure no-one saw, holstering his weapon, as if having just checked to make sure it was fully operable.

If still unwitnessed, he tosses the cuff keys into the back of the van, and makes his way to the front of it, hopping up into the cab, starting the truck, and making for the gate.

<Pray we get out before the alarm goes out, people.> he thinks at them.

[TamerBill]

Shane turns the key in the ignition, but the machine doesn't start. Instead, he hears a click as all the doors lock themselves, and the cargo section is sealed. The radio crackles to life, and everyone present in the vehicle hears an old man's voice adressing them.

"Very well done, I must say. Good show of initiative and resourcefulness. You all pass the test."

[Moechi_Vill]

<I killed a man for nothing. What a waste.>
Misallo kneels down and waits patiently with somewhat wild eyes but her hands patiently folded upwards in her lap. "Please forgive us" she says in tel and somatic.

[ravenkith]

"Well that's not good. Not good at all." Shane thinks, then pops the hood of the truck, and hops out, going to the front of the vehicle to look inside.

"First getting captured, and now some kind of game. What else can go wrong?"

[TamerBill]

((OOC: I'm unfamiliar with the term 'pop the hood', but you can't get out. All exits are locked))

[ravenkith]

OOC: Pop the hood - the act of pulling the (often internally located) hood (or bonnet) release lever in an attempt to access the engine compartment.

<Upon finding the door locked, rolls down the window, or, failing that, uses his tk to pry off the door panel and, upon seeing the lock mechanism, mentally force it to open.>

OOC: Unless, of course, we're meant to be recaptured in order to progress the plot.

[TamerBill]

OOC: Unless, of course, we're meant to be recaptured in order to progress the plot.

((OOC: I'm not that sort of DM. The plot is what your characters are doing; everything else's just background. Remember, there are no railroads in Neo-Corsen :smallwink: ))

Shane finds the window mechanism just as locked as the doors, and so rips off the door panel and begins fiddling with the mechanism. The disembodied voice admonishes him as he does so.

"I don't think you really want to do that. You can't keep your disguise up for ever, now, can you? Isn't it much safer in here?"

[ravenkith]

"Sorry, I'd rather not stay 'in here', which happens to be smack-bang in the middle of an enemy camp!" says Shane aloud, frustrated. "Who are you?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I feel safe," Aaron says, concealed in the back of the truck. "Are you a Vox Dei, or a Vox Populi?" he addresses the mysterious voice.

((He's asking if the speaker is with the Divine Republic (Voice of God) or the Gangers (Voice of the People). I realize I went rather far afield with this one, so I thought I'd explain for the sake of our DM.))

[TamerBill]

Unbidden, the truck suddenly starts up and drives out of the camp and into the wasteland.

"Is that better? As to your question... consider me a Vox Ego."

[ravenkith]

"Am I going insane?" Shane wonders to himself. "Even in a world of espers, this is not normal,"

Thinking relatively quickly, despite the shock of the events, he pantomimes that he is, in fact, the driver of the truck, just in case anyone is watching.

"Christ. Stolen from a DR camp by a possessed truck in the middle of the day, minutes before my own execution," he thinks as the truck meanders along at it's own volition. "Life sure isn't simple anymore,"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Don't think that's grammatical..." Aaron mutters. "Where are you taking us, Voice I?"

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree settles down in a curve on something soft to get some sleep. She'd use the big one's arm as a headrest but he seemed too inquisitive at the moment. At the worst she'll take off her shirt over her bra for a pillow.

Life was better.
*snoozes off

[Moechi_Vill]

<Father.>
----------

[TamerBill]

"I have a job for you. I need some resourceful people to do some work for me, and since you beat my little game back there I think those people are you. Of course, if you'd rather be shot in front of hundreds then I can just as easily turn this truck around and drop you back off, hmm?."

[ravenkith]

"Well I see there isn't much choice," Shane shrugs. "Can't say as I like your methods, though,"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"It is my experience that mysterious voices usually know what they're on about," Aaron says sagely. "Unless they're telling me to stay in the jar. What do you need of us, Mysterious Voice?"

[TamerBill]

"I'll tell you when you get there. Let's just say it involves our big metal friend in the back there."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Big metal friend? Um." Visibly excited now, at least relatively, Aaron brings his cuffed hands back in front of him and begins rooting around in the cargo area, carefully keeping his balance in the moving truck and moving aside any tarps or the like to determine what kind of cargo it was carrying. "Is it..."

[TamerBill]

It is. As Aaron pulls the tarp aside the metal face of a Personal Trooper stares up at him from beneath it, eyes dim and still. Its metal skin is black, and the machine is ever-so-subtly unsettling to look at.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Suddenly, a grin splits Aaron's face, equally vaguely unsettling. "Hi!" he exclaims, placing a hand to the PT's "face". "Who are you..." he muses. Pulling more coverings aside, he attempts to get a better look at the frame and deduce what he can of its abilities from a visual inspection.

Understanding machines: [roll0]

"Mysterious Voice, big Hope, the machine and I would like to be free now," he says, gesturing with his still-cuffed wrists for Shane's sake and looking at the PT with a sense of...something. Kinship, perhaps?

[TamerBill]

The machine appears to be only lightly armoured, and on its back is a large, heavy pack; presumably for power. Its most notable feature is its left hand, or rather lack of; the arm ends instead in a very big cannon.

[ravenkith]

"Hey, don't look at me: I threw the keys in there with you," Shane says.

"Oh, and starting that sucker up right now is probably the last thing we want to do at the moment; lest ye forget, we are in DR downtown central,"

He shakes his head while continuing to pretend to drive the truck.

"You'll be deader than that lizard we just squished,"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Sorry. I' a little out of it today..." Finding the keys, Aaron uncuffs himself and looks out the back of the truck. "So this is downtown central? Downtown central isn't nearly as metally and rich-looking as I thought. I see the Divine Ones' entertaining films were also lies."

"Besides, I'd kind of like to kill some of the Divine Ones now. A populated area seems like the most efficient location for that."

[TamerBill]

((OOC: We are not in DR downtown central. The truck is driving through the wasteland, which is mostly empty desert.))

[Moechi_Vill]

Waking up (presumably) towards the end of the trip Voiree once again looks to the Leaf. "What was that about wanting to kill Civs?" she smiles at him, then looks away at the robot, thinking for a moment.


"Let me have it please. For a test ride." She puts on her shirt when the truck comes to a halt and attempts to enter the cockpit.

[ravenkith]

"What I mean to say is; we just left a military base. Their response time will be extremely low, and they will probably respond with extreme prejudice," He glances back at the crazy man in the back seat. "I don't want to die today thank you; I thought we establishe that we all had at least that much in common when we decided to break out,"

"Hey, Vox, where are we headed, anyways?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"We'll let her decide between us when the time comes," Aaron assures Voiree. "It might depend what kind of reins she has."

Turning to Shane, he asks, "You're worried about dying? You're a very strange man. And yes, where are we going? Is it far?"

[TamerBill]

"Not far now. First we're going to pick up some essential supplies of the explosive nature."

[Moechi_Vill]

"We'll let her decide between us when the time comes," Aaron assures Voiree. "It might depend what kind of reins she has."

"OK." Misallo replies compliantly.
"Tell me, please. Who are you?" she asks the man (Aaron) as the truck slims on along the arid road.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Who am I? What makes you think I'd know something hard like that? I mean, do you know who you are? My best guess is that I'm a PT processor module, though I have to wonder why I was given all these extra glands and such in that case. Possibly I'm a man as well."

"And I call myself Aaron Septus because it sounds nice."

[Moechi_Vill]

"I'm Voiree Misallo."
"Nice to meet you Aaron Septus." she states blankly.

"You like Latin?" she enquires.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Yeah. It makes me sound deep. Anyway, father named me Test Subject Alpha-Seven, but I felt that was a mouthful, so I changed it. Had to burn my old name out of existence, but the records room was on the way anyway."

[Moechi_Vill]

"That's nice" she nods lightly, back against the wall.
----------

~~

[Moechi_Vill]

If it is necessary and possible I'll gladly temp the others most carefully.

[ravenkith]

<Shane continues to pretend to drive.>

[Moechi_Vill]

(You're still in the land of the living caring posting!)
*Le hug* pwease don't leave this game ;^_=

[Nerd-o-rama]

"So...explosives were mentioned. Are we there yet?"

[TamerBill]

((OOC: No-one will be temping anyone. That's never going to be an option))

Suddenly an alarm sounds within the truck, and the voice curses under its breath.

Looks like some friends of mine are on our tail. Two helicopters, with an unknown number of soldiers. Whatever you do don't let them get you."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Sounds like my kind of party," observes Aaron. "Can we stop and shoot them, please? Tortoises can't outrun hares, let alone hawks. I promise I'm a very good shot."

[ravenkith]

"Do you have a gun capable of taking out helicopters? Does it have ammo? Am I driving this thing?," Shane shakes his head.

"I lost control of this situation the moment the truck started talking to us," he shrugs.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I'm looking at one right now..." Aaron says, gesturing to the PT, not that Shane can see that. "Stop the truck and I'll start her up."

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree attempts to get into the machine first.

(+ modifier for being small in a possibly cramped enviroment?)
[roll0]

[ravenkith]

"I'm only pretending to drive, remember?"

[TamerBill]

((OOC: Where are you getting -3 from, Moechi? Her modifier is -1 in this situation))

Small and nimble as she is, Voiree is able to hop into the cockpit of the PT while Aaron is still talking to Shane. The machine greets her with words on the display screen, overlayed on top of the truck's interior.

Extra-Over Technology Prototype EOTX-2, Dunkelgeist
Motion data installed
For The Republic

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Fine, be that way," Aaron says petulantly, in Voiree's direction. "But if that machine has a Driver, there will be much laughter from my little corner."

Aaron looks around the back of the truck for any useful fire-support weapons: rockets, preferably, but he'd take a rifle. Hell, he'd take a sidearm if nothing better was available.

[TamerBill]

Unfortunately the inside of the truck is bereft of all weapons except for the twenty-metre-tall humanoid one, so the stolen stun pistol is all that's available.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron sighs, "Okay. J'éspère que vous 'espers' connaisez ce que vous fait."

He then proceeds to lie down in the back, trying not to get in the way of the huge mecha's startup. "I think I shall take a nap. If I'm shot, I'll assume it went poorly for you."

[Moechi_Vill]

((Misallo has a minus three strength doesn't she?))

"Roger" Voiree whispers back at the psychodriver. He was a psychodriver, maybe this was a mistake. No it wasn't. Only two helicopters to fight and this machine was a beauty.

<Now would be the time for instructions 'I'>

VM will run out of the truck, fire any available weapon she can identify at the nearest helicopter then spin sideways.

[TamerBill]

((OOC: You're rushing, Moechi. Don't you think the first PT battle of the game deserves a little more attention than that? You're trying to cram too many actions into a single post, as your five rolls attests. You should never have cause to roll more than twice in a single post))


((Misallo has a minus three strength doesn't she?))
((OOC: She does, but that is clearly an application of dexterity, not strength. You also forgot the -2 penalty for being unskilled, making it a net modifier of -1))

The truck refuses to stay its course despite Shane's efforts to exert any control over it, so the battle is joined on the move. The large back door drops open, exposing the PT to the harsh desert sunlight as the helicopters close in on the escapees. At Voiree's command the machine rises from its slumber and stands alert in the back of the truck, a loud humming emanating out from the pack on its back.

Black Hole Engine Initiated
Charge Time: 30 Seconds

[Moechi_Vill]

Misallo scans the enemy pilots slowly as she searches the cockpit for any new functions and to familiarize herself with its weapons and usages. If at all possible she will attempt to not seem hostile or appear friendly till she knows what to attack with.

Telepathy Scan [targeting helicopter pilots and any soldiers hanging out of them or inside]: [roll0]

[TamerBill]

Doing a brief scan on the diagnostics brings up just one weapon available, and that's the unusual cannon on the titan's arm. Apparently it draws power from the pack on the back, though it's hard to determine much more from just the basic scans. One thing she can be sure about is that the mech isn't set up for espers; her telepathy is unable to breach the boundaries of the mech, indicating the lack of a T-Link System.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Pro tip: Use the big fragging gun! Some people, I swear..." Aaron shouts from his spot in the truck, lacking a radio to do proper commentary.

[Moechi_Vill]

Ignoring Aaron Voiree does a further check to see if the mech was indeed designed for psychodrivers. If it isn't she'll patiently wait for the pack to charge up then fire the huge gun at the easiest target of the two airborne pestilences.

[ravenkith]

Shane looks back into the rear of the truck as the whine of the capacitors charging the great beast of a PT start to really spin up.

"God I hope that thing doesn't have recoil," he thinks to himself.

[TamerBill]

Black Hole Engine Charged
Gravity Impact Cannon Standing By

Voiree grabs the weapon control stick as a targeting visor descends from the top of the cockpit, with a precise targeting reticule and weapon information overlaying her vision. One of the helicopters unleashes a barrage of missiles as it approaches, so she quickly snaps the arm up, aims, and pulls the trigger.

The truck rocks violently from the backlash, and the two fugitives not fortunate enough to be in a twenty-metre armoured machine are thrown about the front of the vehicle. From their slightly-bruised viewpoint they see a beam of dark energy burst from the barrel of the PT's gun, twisting like a tornado as it streaks into the sky. When it hits the helicopter the machine contorts, metal twisting and turning in on itself, until seconds later it implodes in a shower of metal as the beam fades away, leaving little evidence of its passage.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I. Want. One." proclaims Aaron calmly, ignoring the pain from being tossed around the back of the truck.

"Delete the other one and let's be on our way!"

[ravenkith]

"Jeebus!" Shane spits out over the pain. "What the hell was that?"

[Moechi_Vill]

I beckon for Aaron to jump in so he can take the second shot. If he takes Misallo up on it she'll move a bit aside but not leave the machine itself. If not she'll continue piloting and do her best to keep the second target within a practical visual frame.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Changing pilots in the middle of combat is inefficient, inelegant, and completely insane! I like the way you think!"

Aaron does his best to scale the beast and squeeze into the cockpit.

[roll0]

"And how are we feeling today?" he asks in a soothing, pet-owner-to-pet tone when he's in the cockpit, obviously not directed to Voiree. He looks over the controls, taking a few seconds to appreciate the complexity of the PT, before reaching for the controls to the main gun.

[TamerBill]

((OOC: Excuse me? A d20, in my game? What do you think this is, D&D?))

[Nerd-o-rama]

(Habit)

[roll0]

[TamerBill]

((OOC: Yeah, that's what she said))

The cockpit of a PT is hardly spacious at the best of times, so Aaron and Voiree's joint occupancy leaves them squeezed tightly together. The targetting visor swaps onto Aaron's head as he grabs the weapon control stick, locking on to the second helicopter. This gives him a perfectly clear view of the chopper as it launches a fierce and precise barrage of missiles at the PT's chest, which strike and explode in a devastating barrage infront of the cockpit. Unprepared for the blow, Aaron's hands are knocked off the controls, and the PT rocks back and forth before falling forwards, tipping off the moving truck and crashing to the ground. After being thrown into the walls and each other by the force of the crash, the two pilots lie stunned as the loud hum of the engine continues unabated arround them.

[Moechi_Vill]

VM giggles in her blunted state... as soon as she realizes where she is again she'll grab the controls if Aaron isn't up to it yet and stand up and fire, most quickly so if the engine pack has become detached.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Hm. If we were on television, this would mean I was engaged to someone. Either you, the PT, or possibly the missiles. Or all three, if it was a comedy. As it is, please move over so I can fire."

Shaking off dizziness, Aaron quickly reaches for the controls again, attempting to right the machine into a standing position and target the helicopter as soon as he's up.

[roll0] (+X from machine's rating. I'm also guessing that the kip-up will take one "round", and I can fire or start charging after the chopper goes next)

[TamerBill]

With Aaron at the helm the PT is able to slowly right itself, shrugging off the missiles the lone 'copter continues to fire at it. Despite its best efforts the machine is able to lock on and bring to bear a charged-up gravity impact cannon....

[Moechi_Vill]

VM hums pleaseantly as she watches the bar fill up and fixes her stare on the chopper, fingers gently trimming the dashboard. Can she make eye contact with any of the people about to die?

The pilot had been brave enough to utilize her conscious choice to drop professionalism in this counter. Was he a fool or just very brave?

"Does this count as filicide and infanticide all rolled up into one? You're using your children to kill your wife." Voiree cracks feebly at the thought of it all on media.

"Why do you hate DR civilians? Seems a bit cruel.. and that's coming from me." she says seriously.

"I wish we could take the pilot as a prisoner." she adds as an afterthought, turning on the intercom to communicate with the chopper.
she turns it off "Besides that is a fine piece of hardware."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Please shut up," Aaron says as he calmly brings the targeting reticule over the helicopter and squeezes the trigger.

[roll0] + Power

[TamerBill]

The helicopter comes in for another missile run, but when it suddenly finds a primed G-Impact Cannon pointed straight at it it reconsiders that course of action. Engaging evasive manoeuvres it manages to pull up just in time to avoid being crushed into nothingness, and rather wisely decides to affect a retreat, flying back the way it came at speeds to fast to match.

Meanwhile, the open truck continues its inorexable drive to wherever it's going, steadily increasing the distance between it and the metal man of the match.

[ravenkith]

"Hey, mystery man...you wanna stop the truck and let that pair get back on?" Shane asks, frustrated.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron grits his teeth. If the helicopter is still in range, he'll fire again as it retreats.

[roll0] + Pow

"No mercy."

You're not helping me, machine. Did I offend you? I apologize.

[TamerBill]

The helicopter is almost out of sight by the time the engine is charged and ready for another shot, but Aaron zooms the targeting visor in, gets a lock and unleashes another blast of the cannon. Apparently the weapon's awesome power is matched by an awesome range, as the chopper in the distance is ripped apart by the gravitational forces, leaving nothing behind.

Meanwhile, in the departing truck, the mysterious voice explains to Shane that the machine is on autopilot, and so the two riding tandem will have to catch up on their own.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron nods once. "Excellent."

Turning the machine around, he sees the truck moving into the distance. "Hmph. Rude." He begins running the Dunkelgeist after it, while looking around for thruster or booster controls.

3d6+1 + Spd

[TamerBill]

Luckily the truck hadn't gone too far, and the Dunkelgesit was able to draw up next to it at a run, without having to involve any boosters. The trick, however, will be to get a 20-metre war machine on a moving vehicle without killing any of the people involved.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron tries to open a radio link to the truck. "Perhaps we should walk a mile in our own shoes," he suggests. "Ask Vox how far it is to the operation site. She doesn't have the right reins for me, so power might be an issue."

[ravenkith]

Shane looks momentarily confused then puzzles it out.

"The others have caught up," he says "but they can't get on; how far are we from you? Will power be an issue?"

"God, I feel like that lady in that ancient vid, the one whose only job was repeating stuff," he thinks. "Ugh, so stupid" he then smashes his fist into the steering wheel in frustration.

[TamerBill]

"Power will never be an issue for the Dunkelgeist. The black hole engine provides an infinite source of power... in theory, anyway."

[ravenkith]

"Huh. Well that's fun," Shane says.

"Hey pal, Vox says, don't worry, you're obsolete!" he yells across to the pilot of the big black machine.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"That's hurtful," Aaron replies dispassionately. "If only there were some way for us to crush you into a singularity. Oh. Wait."

Of course, the bored-sounding threat is idle, and Aaron simply continues moving forward along with the truck. "Let us know when we're close to the target."

[Moechi_Vill]

"Please shut up," Aaron says as he calmly brings the targeting reticule over the helicopter and squeezes the trigger.

[roll0] + Power

"You were telling me a joke Aaron. I laid it on a bit thick but next time you will instead tell me to be quiet." This is Misallo.
"Nice shot. I'm staying here. What do you think the old man wants from us Driver? Perhaps He does not wish to father us."

[ravenkith]

"Hey girl, he can hear me ya know? So I've got nothing but rosy things to say about him right this minute," Shane replies, shaking his head in disgust.

[Moechi_Vill]

"Mmmmhmmm..." Misallo replies.

[TamerBill]

After much driving the truck suddenly grinds to a stop, and the engine turns itself off. On the horizon you can just about make out a building of some sort, surrounded by another barbed-wire fence.

"Now, listen carefully, as I will only say this once. That building contains the second EOT prototype, the Hexenmeister. Your task is to secure it and get out without losing or damaging the Dunkelgeist. Do you undestand?"

[ravenkith]

"Yes. I understand," Shane replies to the voice.

"Hey guy and gal! That building over theres got another uberpt in it! He wants us to grab it without getting the first one torched!"

[Moechi_Vill]

VM exits the PT to rendezvous with the other Esper. :)

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Hm," Aaron says over the radio. "Distraction and infiltration? We keep their eyes on the lovely assistant while someone else palms the card."

[ravenkith]

"Make em chase dunkel?" he nods "Yeah, we could do that."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I propose a 3:4 defense. Only with two less on each line to account for shorthandedness. Two go in, one remains. I am the best shot in a PT," Aaron states matter-of-factly, without a hint of pride, "but better suited to fire support than main combat. I also cling to shadows well. Who infiltrates, and who detonates?"

These questions are directed to Shane, who for some reason Aaron seems to have designated as the field commander in this outing.

[Moechi_Vill]

"A smash and grab might work best" Misallo states for the record.

Voiree tugs on Shane's hand to indicate for him to follow her or get into the military truck again so they can approach the base relatively innocently.

She smiles to him, as two fellow espers they would maybe manage to fool the soldiers inside.

[ravenkith]

Shane looks at the damaged truck.

"Yeah, that's not gonna pass inspection. Hold on a second," he digs around in the truck for a military style toolkit, finally coming up with one that he searches through quickly. He pulls out a pair of wire cutters and puts them in a pocket of his uniform.

"This ought to be pure stealth," he says.

"I've got a uniform and a toolkit. Once I get inside the fence, no-ones going to question me approaching a PT to service it. Somebody's going to complain if someone in a prisoner's getup is walking around loose," He points out. "If I can stealth up to the base, then cut my way inside, I can probably get to the thing unmolested." He looks at the girl. "Stick with Dunkel. Maintain telepathic contact. I'll let you know if and when I need a distraction: It's a com channel they can't monitor."

With that, he starts walking towards the distant base.

"Stay put," he cautions to the other two. "Wait."

He walks over to the truck.

"Vox - this PT doesn't require a special power source to make it work does it? say, like my new friend in the Dunk machine?"

[TamerBill]

"Now that you mention it... yes. The Hexenmeister uses the Driver system to full effect; it won't even move without a psychodriver at the helm. This is, unfortunately, your friend's raison d'etre."

[ravenkith]

"Well, ****," Shane says, with feeling.

"Bang goes that plan," he says, before asking:

"I don't suppose that it's loaded up on a flatbed, like the dunk, by any chance?"

[TamerBill]

"I don't know what it's on or where it is. You are entirely on your own here."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Don't worry about it," Aaron says, jumping down from the Dunkelgeist's cockpit. "I'm stealthy like a butler. You disguise, I'll shadow. Find some sheepskin from a pilot inside, and we can both walk right up."

He gestures toward the base, eager to go.

[ravenkith]

"Military intelligence my ass," Shane frowns at the Vox.

"Yeah, let's make like a tree," he says to his new buddy. "Dammit, now you've got me doing it..." he mutters as he heads out towards the base, concentrating on a stealthy approach.

[Moechi_Vill]

<Be careful Shane, you're too creative in flow to die.>
Misallo looks to re-enter the cockpit of her first post-imprisonment cavalier, but then decides to sit on the entry ramp to wait for his communications.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron joins Shane, moving between any cover available toward the edge of the base.

[TamerBill]

Plan 'Advance Through Cover' fails at the first hurdle, as there is nothing but half a mile of empty desert between the truck and the base....

[ravenkith]

"**** it." Shane says.

He walks back to the truck, and throws the toolkit in the passenger seat, getting in.

"Stay here, you two. I've got some work to do now,"

With that, he heads for the base at the top speed available to the beaten up truck once he's got a bit of a lead, he concentrates on telepathy as he barrels down the road, imagining the dust cloud he's pushing up.

< I want you to chase me.> he thinks at the little girl. <Come and get me. Shoot at me, but miss. Transmit over the radio your hatred of the DR, and make it sound like you are insane. Got it?>

[Nerd-o-rama]

"I seem to be in a speeding truck. At least I hope I'm in a speeding truck, because otherwise I just got ditched. So let's assume this place is in fact a speeding truck. Hm."

Aaron thus sits back and waits for the truck to bluff its way into the enemy compound.

"What should I do when we get there, Fearless Leader?" has shouts up to the cab of the truck.


"You're completely insane," Aaron says quietly as the truck pulls off. "And for the record, that's coming from a man who was raised in a tube."

He then walks casually toward the base entrance, kicking a rock as he goes, following the image of carnage created by the PT chasing the truck.

[Moechi_Vill]

VM chases the truck and fires as much as she can at it, but conveniently missing AT the base - preferably and base installations or what might look to be the hangar part of the building. Hopefully it wasn't underground. Why was she doing this for her fellow esper? She would likely die if made to face off with a driver.

[ravenkith]

Shane, drove the truck as fast as it would go, occasionally swerving out of the path of an incoming blast, as best as he was able. He raced toward the gates at a high rate of speed, trying to make it look like he was desperate to escape the pt pursuing him without flipping the vehicle over.

[TamerBill]

Sirens fire all over the base as the rampaging PT draws closer, piloted by what for all intents and purposes appears to be a lunatic. With each blast of the G-Impact Cannon the Dunkelgeist comes close to tipping over, as the massive recoil is almost too much for a moving PT to take. The resultant loss of accuracy means that more than one shot impacts dangerously close to Shane's speeding truck. The shockwaves rock the vehicle, and Shane has difficulty staying in control and on target. As they near the base several sets of mounted turrets turn to face them, and prepare to open fire.

Meanwhile, Aaron is having a relaxing walk through the desert. Yeah, sure, he's the crazy one....

[ravenkith]

Shane gets on the radio "Open the gates, open the gates, she's after me! Somebody please help!"

He waits until he gets close enough, then rolls the ruck so that it will tumble through the gates, out of control, smashing into the compound and ending up inside the defenses.

He uses his seat restraints, safety devices, and telekinesis to keep from getting bumped around too much in the rotating cabin of the truck.

<Break off! Get the hell out of here!> he mentally commands as he catapults through the fences.

(In theory, this should leave the base defenses trying to deal with the Dunkel, enabling him to get through., and leaving the guards with the impression that nothing could have lived through the crash, and trying to chase after the dunkel, leaving the base wide open. In theory. This would be a use of the influencing people skill...? )

[TamerBill]

Shane's truck skids through the gates just in time, before crashing unceremoniously into a wall. The airbags promptly inflate, preventing him from being written off like his ride. His radio crackles into life as someone from the base broadcasts orders, though whether or not he's supposed to be able to hear any of this is unclear.

"The vehicle is inside the perimeter! All defences, commence suppressive fire at the target. Get a medical unit down to the vehicle and prepare the Tempelritters for launch."

[ravenkith]

Shane quickly grabs a piece of glass, and, hopefully unnoticed, cuts his head open on the side nearest the window, then fakes being passed out.

<Go, get out of here. They're only just scrambling now, so you ought to have at least a couple of minutes head start.> He thinks at his comrade in the big PT. <Make em chase you and keep it close enough to keep the majority of the guards well away from here.>

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Hm. What was the plan again? Or did we have one?" Aaron asks of no one in particular, still walking along. "Next time, we should let the half-crazed psychodriver give the orders. He's never ditched me in the middle of a desert. Oh no, wait, there I go. Jerk."

He assesses a route to the base that will take him away from the commotion surrounding the main gates and the crazy woman with the big gun. Hopefully, any guards on the fence would be sufficiently distracted that he could stealth up. When he thinks he's spotted a path that will keep him out of peoples' line of sight, he'll dart off down it.

[Moechi_Vill]

After yelling her throat sore that she would kill him and that the base would offer him no shelter against the winds of her fury, etc. etc. - Voiree Misallo realizes she'll have to make her own decision about when to draw off, since she couldn't hear him through the armour.
As the truck crashes through the defences VM starts pulling away very fast. He probably would want her to do so. Anyone chasing at her might get uncomfortably close - depending on what they had available and an uncomfortable range of unknown variables. And who knows? If they got th... what was the Driver doing between her and the base? -
in the likely event that they got killed or captured if they didn't secure their own PTs she could join a gang, see about busting Shane out. He was nice, a good planner who left her in the death machine while busting in on trouble.

Why was the driver in the desert, on the outskirts of the base? Why would an intelligent man leave him behind? Had it been an accident? It's too late for me to help anyways.
Other people were strange.

[Moechi_Vill]

Strategic Assessment - What is the best course of action to remain alive? Secondary: What is the best course of action to keep Shane and Aaron alive, preferably in each their mech? Optimally, what should I do for myself or for the group in accordance with my life plans (long-term and short-term survival) and the survival and empowerment (short-term and longterm) of the group?

Tactical Assessment - Which way should I run? What should I shoot at first? How much can I take down? How fast can I run away from any enemies?
(Also, when and if Tempelritters are spotted: How far can a submachinegun fire?) What should I do right now?

When she gets far away enough VM will utilize the fact that she has a reasonable long-distance weapon and fire at the Tempelritters once they appear and she knows she has got them for targets. Their submachineguns would likely not be too effective at long range.

Strategery: 3d6+5 (misplaced a slash)
Tactics: [roll0]
+ Potential Fireing Roll: Courtesy to DM? I don't quite understand the block of skills for a PT as applied to dicerolling.

Yay. We're playing again. :)

[ravenkith]

(still here, still going as planned. Just need the DM to kick it up a notch and go with what real military soldiers manning a base designed to protect and experimental super weapon would do.

From what I know of military organizations, they'd scramble their best pilots in their line mechs - NOT the experimental model precisely because it is experimental - to chase after the Dunk. The remaining guards would go on high alert and man their stations, and the emergency medical techs would scramble to get me into the med bay under light guard.

If I was unharmed, I'd go straight to the brig, where security is tighter, and if I didn't have 'evidence' I was a friendly - in the form of a known-to-be-stolen pt chasing and shooting at me - they would be all over me and put me under heavy guard.

As things stand, I ought to be able to get into the secured part of the compound (the med bay), which would not be far from the hangar bay for ease of transporting injured pilots. I can theoretically take out the armed guards, disable the automated defenses from the inside, load the desired PT on a transport truck (as they obviously have ways of doing so), and drive on out the now non-existent gates while only having to deal with small arms fire, since all of the ready PTs are out chasing you.

Your PT can run forever, being an experimental model, while theirs, traditionally speaking, will have limited power supplies - eventually you'll outdistance them and have to turn back to base.

At which point it should take anywhere from an hour to 6 hours te refuel and get back out after us, depending on their state of readiness and how set they are for supplies.

Either way, we should have plenty of time to get far enough away that they can't chase us down.

At least, that's what I've been thinking.)

[Moechi_Vill]

OOC: Cool, cool... but you need to be a driver to pilot their experimental mech/PT.
Anyway I'm not leaving you behind before you're dead meat at any rate, but from my experience it is good to get a head start.
From what you've just told me it sounds like it might be a sterling idea to defeat them while they're low on power. Yes... maybe.
Good luck Shane/Ravenkith. Good Game. If you need me to know all of this information IC as Voiree Misallo has a hard time doing things out of loyalty she can always step out of her mech to hear your thoughts for a second. :) It is great to be espers.
Either way, she won't give up aiding your plan as long as she can fight or outrun them. I really do hope you make it. Ganbatte Raven-kun!

[Nerd-o-rama]

(Why are we making entirely OOC posts in the IC thread?)

[Moechi_Vill]

You mean my Strategy and Tactics rolls? That was meant to be in-game. But looking back I see what happened if you misunderstood them as direct questions. ;)

[Moechi_Vill]

OOC off now. Delete those posts and rp a bit? Just to bump up the thread? I like this game. He'll be back, he almost always is. People need time off. We just need to show a continued interest.

[ravenkith]

Shane continues to pretend to be unconscious.

[TamerBill]

"Launching strike team, Tempelritters 1 through 5! You stay in reserve, Ace; we don't know what they might pull out."

"Roger, Ace on standby."

Shane, in his faux-unconcious state, continues to hear the base's radio transmissions through the truck's radio. Presently, however, he feels a group of men approach his totalled machine and begin cutting a way into the wreckage.

Meanwhile, Voiree is suddenly set upon by five PTs, bursting out of the target base and boosting across the desert to meet her. She stops running in order to fire at them with her G-Impact Cannon, but they spread out in formation and her low rate-of-fire means she is only able to take down two of them before they close to melee range. She feels the cockpit rock violently as the Dunkelgeist is assaulted on all sides by the swords of her enemies.

((OOC: Thanks for putting up with the delay, guys. Onwards!))

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Hm. Been spending so much time walking this is starting to feel like a filler episode. I wonder if I've been having flashbacks without noticing it..."

((Is there any gap in the base perimeter I might sneak through, TB? If the fence isn't electrified, I could probably even clamber over that if guards the guards are distracted.))

[TamerBill]

After his nice relaxing walk through the desert, as the others cut their head with glass and get swarmed by giant robots, Aaron arrives at the base perimeter. A tall barbed-wire fence blocks his entrance, unless he fancies his chances with the gate guards. The fence is of sturdy construction, and he can find no convenient holes in its perimeter, but it's not electrified so that's a small consolation at least. Think positive, that's the way.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Hmm. Shears would be nice. Or a sword. A sword would be awesome.

((Chain-link topped with razor wire, as standard today, or is it entirely a barbed wire coil?))

[TamerBill]

((OOC: The former))

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron very carefully approaches the fence and begins climbing. Once he reaches the top, he sets his teeth, plants his left hand between the loops of wire on top of the fence (probably still gashing it pretty badly), and does an impressive one-handed kickflip over the wire, coming down over the side of the fence in a graceful landing...or at least that's the plan.

(Prays to the Rule of Cool, the Dice Gods, and the God of Beards from Generica)

[roll0]

[Moechi_Vill]

Actually, what I wanted to do was fire at them but run away if it even looked as if they were going to get into melee range. I really would appreciate it if we could back up a little, especially if this ends in her getting killed or worse or something like that over an action I didn't want, but if not... exploding in a mecha is a pretty nice end for anyone. But I wouldn't see her 'char' as dead for other unrelated future games I'm in unless it's by actions of my choice. Thank you for listening!
---

At least they were stupid enough to approach her in formation, aiding her aiming process. Would she die like this? Gloriously. For another Esper. Ehn, at least her soul was immortal.
Voiree hits the boosters on her machine and powers up to run away as quickly as possible!! Evasive action to avoid submachinegun-fire!

[TamerBill]

((OOC: You can't run and gun with that thing, Moechi, as I said before. Firing even one shot would give them time to catch up, and you were clearly shooting))

Though she is buckled by the attacks, Voiree able to focus enough to turn her machine around and boost out with extreme haste. The Tempelritters pursue, harrying her with machine gun fire, but the Geist is faster and is able to slowly increase the gap between them.

Meanwhile, Aaron's daring and debatably stupid flip over the fence leaves him crouching in the dust on the other side, relatively unharmed except for the gash on his hand. That could be nasty.

((OOC: Osric smiles on you today, young one))

[Nerd-o-rama]

(Hail Osric!)

Panting and holding his lower arm tightly to reduce blood flow, Aaron surveys the base. "I'm aware...of the damage," he mutters, apparently addressing his own arm. "No need to keep sending reports."

After a quick shake of his head, he'll head stealthily for the nearest building that looks like it has either a) a PT hangar, or b) linens and hopefully disinfectant, in that prority order.

[roll0]

[TamerBill]

Noticing a side door on a suitably-large building, Aaron sneaks up to it and peers inside. It does indeed appear to be a PT hangar, containing a red Tempelritter as well as various maintenance robots.

Meanwhile, the medics finish cutting a hole in the side of the truck, and lift the faux-unconcious Shane out onto a stretcher.

[Moechi_Vill]

All hail mobile power sources!

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?" Aaron murmurs at the sight of the mech.

Continuing his stealthy foray, Aaron will try to move toward the Tempelritter shape and determine what he can about it, trying to get a sense of whether this is the Driver-based machine he's looking for, either through technical cues or vague use of his instincts. Or, y'know, signs on the wall, workorders, etc. If he happens to find a clean rag along the way, he'll certainly make use of it as a binding, as his hand is starting to ache and sting as well as hurt, and that's not good.

[roll0]
[roll1]

(Forget what to roll for looking around for information/improvised bandages.)

[Moechi_Vill]

"Riding to the danger zone. Highway out of the danger zoone..!" Voiree continues to sing to the first Christmas hymn to come to her mind.

[TamerBill]

Aaron is able to get pretty close to the PT without being spotted, and has a chance to examine it closely. It appears to be a customised Tempelritter; as well as the new paint job there are extra boosters jutting out from the back, and other small differences as well. It's probably not the machine he was sent to steal, as it looks too much like the mass-produced versions to be an experimental prototype. In non-robot news, Aaron is able to locate the all-purpose first-aid kit, and loot whatever bandages he needs.

Out in the desert, the Tempelritters pursuing Voiree break off her trail and turn back to base. There is now a considerable distance between them and the base, and they know they're not going to catch up at this rate.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron hunkers down in a shadowy part of the hangar to disinfect and wrap his arm, and to think for a bit.

Now hush.

Hm. Red's pretty, but not who I'm looking for. If I had Shane with me, I could introduce them. Then again...we're going to have to steal it eventually...and I might be able to draw out the driver machine with it...

But I'd have to fight it to get the controller out, and I might destroy it.

But Custom Tempelritter!

But giving away the big surprise!

But GIANT ROBOT! GIANT ROOOOOOBOT!

You make a persuasive argument, but I can delay gratification until I find a nicer one. I'd rather not have to beat up my future partner as soon as I meet her.

When the coast is clear, Aaron will head for a different exit than the one who came in, and look around more carefully for other structures that might be hangars.

[roll0]

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree turns sharpishly and resumes firing at the hapless defenders, but offers for them to surrender by exiting their vehicles.

[Moechi_Vill]

/bump.

Don't take this one seriously. I'm happy as it is. :)
*kicks the booster to jumpstart the machine again
/swears in (Bhasa) Mithra


... I remember right after I designed Voiree Misallo several months ago there came out an Errant Story comic where a little Meji was pimping out a Succubi in Ashenvale. It was just like her. :)

[TamerBill]

Aaron turns away from the red Tempelritter to seek another exit, but is startled to hear a loud clicking directly above his head. Spinning around, he sees that the machine is now looking directly at him, in a decidedly unsettling way.

By the time Voiree notices the lack of pursuit, the soldiers on her tail have already fled a distance away. That doesn't stop her blasting away at them with the gravity cannon, of course, but she gets very few hits. She and her mech are now alone in the desert, with the base barely visible on the horizon.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Um."

Aaron pauses, and looks directly at the machine's head, eyes wide.

"Hello?"

If she's alone, maybe she's friendly. If there's someone driving her, maybe I just confused them.

[TamerBill]

The PT matches Aaron's stare for several seconds, before shocking the life out of him by firing a stream of vulcan shots just inches in-front of his feet.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Not friendly or confused run now

Aaron bolts for the nearest cover.

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree Misallo

I return to the base to get Shane and maybe the Driver out. ((Sorry, Nerd-O-Rama! I guess you should've let me drool on your cloak. :P))
(Post rerolled to show interest. :))

[ravenkith]

Shane waits to get into the infirmary. Some more.

[TamerBill]

Aaron cowers behind a stack of barrels as the red PT relents its firing spree. Its eyes flicker into life and a young male voice emanates from its external speakers.

"This is Ace broadcasting to all personnel. The base defence team has failed, and the perimeter breached. All men evacuate; I'm taking A and the 'Model X' to hold the attacker off."

"That's crazy, Ace!" replies a voice from a wall-mounted speaker "You can't let them get hold of the experimental model!"

"Sorry chief. Ace out."

The floor near Aaron splits neatly open, and a giant head rises slowly up from underground....

~~~~

Meanwhile, Voiree is closing back in on the base as she boosts her way back across the desert. The Tempelritter attack has bought the base some time, but the Geist is faster than they anticipated. Automatic defence turrets around the base begin to fire volleys out in her general direction.

~~~~

Meanwhile meanwhile, Shane wakes up in the infirmary. He realises that he'd fallen unconcious somehow, and is now lying on a medical table overlooked by a masked doctor. Even without moving he can tell that he's been relieved of his stun pistol, and his movements are slightly sluggish in his newly-woken state.

[Nerd-o-rama]

As he eyes the head of the rising mech with avarice, the Scroedinger's stun pistol in Aaron's hand finally disappears entirely. "Phooey."

Still, he figures his best bet is to get in, or at least on, the new arrival, and takes a leap toward the giant head rising from the floor before it can get too high to jump onto, trying to grab onto the metal.

[roll0]

[TamerBill]

Aaron's jump is a leap too far, and he ends up desperatly clinging to the edge of one of the vulcans as the PT continues rising up through the floor. Luckily the machine isn't actually moving, so he's not thrown to the floor, but it's still a decidedly bad place to be.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Gnhk."

Aaron scrambles as best he can to find stable footing on the mech, possibly dropping from the vulcan to the shoulder, while trying to figure out where the cockpit hatch would be.

"So you're Model X? Nice to meet you. Pardon my rudeness, but I really need your help, or that especially fast mecha is going to squish me."

[roll0]
[roll1]

[TamerBill]

Aaron successfully drops onto the machine's shoulder, but how he's going to get to the cockpit in the chest is another matter, especially as it looks to be closed.

[Moechi_Vill]

Misallo stops to fire back at the automatic defense turrets... and maybe once or twice at anything that looks like a hangar or a hospital.

"Die!" She would get her shoes back, with or without the soles.

(hooo hummm... maybe I'm starting to get her into it. She's changed so much since she was just five years old)

[Nerd-o-rama]

I think I may have made a miscalculation somewhere...

Let's see...square root of...ah, of course. It comes out to 4pi, not 16pi.

Now, what to do about that hatch.

Lacking any better ideas, Aaron continues his abuse of the vagueness of the acrobatics stat monkey-like clambering down the front of the PT and politely knocks twice on the cockpit hatch.

Or maybe falls to his death.

Who's writing the descriptive text here, schizo?

[roll0]

[Moechi_Vill]

((It'll be nice to have another person in a Mecha. Good luck ally. Try not to damage Ace too badly please. I think both Shane and me want to use it.))
((Here is a nice semi/-quasi-relevant comic: http://www.vgcats.com/anime/))

[TamerBill]

Scaling the front of a vertical machine is never an easy task, especially when it's moving. Aaron just has time to knock on the front of the cockpit before his monkey-like clambering becomes stone-like falling, as his grip slips on the smooth metal of the frame. Fortunately a monkey-like splattering on the floor below is averted as the PT catchs the rogue in one of its massive hands, and lifts him up to its eyes for inspection.

((OOC: Gurren Lagann is, like, the polar opposite of the style we're going for here. Nobody will be piercing the heavens in Neo-Corsen any time soon, and anyone shouting 'gattai' is just asking for trouble))

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aaron smiles sheepishly, like a kid caught stealing cookies, and waves.

"Hail, seizer," he says, without a whole lot of enthusiasm. "I think my place has wandered off without me. Have you seen it?"

[TamerBill]

The machine stares at the little man in its hand for what seems to Aaron to be a very long time. Eventually it gives an approximation of a shrug, closes its fingers around the captive rogue and boosts out of the hangar, followed closely by Ace's red Tempelritter. Outside, Misallo has managed to gun down all of the defence turrets with her stupidly-destructive G-Impact Cannon, but has taken considerable damage in the process. On the plus side, however, her energy reserves are as infinite as always, and the gun is still in good shape. Ace fires a couple of warning shots in her direction as his PT gets closer, before issuing a transmission through his machine's speakers.

"Attention, unknown PT! We have your associate captive! Co-operate and he will not be harmed!"

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree Misallo

At the sight of two new enemies Voiree immediately turns the Dunkelgeist around and boost away into the desert as fast as she can.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Oh, sure, just ignore the captured pawn," Aaron comments sarcastically. "This guy's already stared at me for 62 seconds, he's probably ready to crush me by now."

Aaron sighs, not able to do much of anything. Guess I'll wait until I have the chance to jump somebody not 4 stories tall.

[TamerBill]

As the 'Geist turns tail and flees Aaron feels the PT's grip on him lessen slightly.

"Isn't friendship a wonderful thing, ganger? Well, your life's safe for the moment anyway. Yun, take our new friend here for interrogation; I'm going after the guy with the loose screw and the new machine.

Aaron hears the rush of Ace's engines as his red Tempelritter leaves the scene, leaving Jun's Hexenmeister the only PT around. This isn't too much of a comfort to Aaron as he's carried back into the base in a giant robot's hand, but it's a start. Think positive.

[Moechi_Vill]

Voiree Misallo continues to flee as fast as she can, deeming her chances in close combat against an upgraded Tempelritter to be dim. If she knows of any ganger or even better, her resistance comrades from the past, then she'll flee towards them.

Tactics
Fighting them would have been suicide likely, surrendering too. Taking a shot at its hand or cockpit to free you would likely have gotten you killed. There aren't any base defenses though, so if Shane managed to take the last tempelritter or I find reinforcements we'll be ok. Lastly, if I have to and manage to take this one out I do not believe mine will be of much use. I'll try to track down resistance, gangers, other special interest groups or etc., or best of all - the old man and try to help you.

1) Shane 1.2) Other Escape Plans
2) Reinforcements (old man, gangers, other resistance groups)
3) Other ideas
4) (If all else fails) Try selling out to the government.
[I was actually quite keen on this earlier, but they seem intent on executing us, thus this is a last resort. Even if they say they'll take us they will quite likely kill us.]

I think we were supposed to sneak into the base quietly.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Okay. What have I got...

1) Busted nose that's not set properly.
2) Bandaged hand.
3) Prisoner's outfit.
4) Useless, useless friends.
5) Caught.

Hmm...if I had a katana and the Power of the Human Spirit, I maybe could hijack this thing. As it is, though, I guess I have to wait until I find an unoccupied one again.

Aaron relaxes and reclines calmly in the Hexenmeister's hand as he plans out ways to beat up Jun in the event he leaves the machine when not covered with machinegun fire. He also looks carefully over the machine for anything he can potentially damage on its exterior: sensors, antipersonnel weapons, hydraulics, anything.

[roll0]

[TamerBill]

Aaron desperatly scans the surface of the machine for something to damage, but between the nagging sensation in the back of his head and the fact that it's a twenty-meter armoured titan he doesn't get very far at all. When he pays attention to the nagging sensation in the back of his head, however, he realises that the machine is calling to him, in a very real and not-insane-I-swear way. The cockpit opens, seemingly of its own volition, while Jun is still trying to steer it into the base.

~~~~

Meanwhile, Voiree is boosting the heck away from the base, the plan now quite definately in ruins as she flees the ire of the red Ace. Crackling static on her in-cockpit communicator eventually coalesces into the face of a decidedly livid masked man.

"What the hell were you doing out there? You call this a slick operation!? You weren't supposed to be seen! I tell you, this is the last time I involve mentally-unstable convicts in my plans...."

The Vox Ego continues to rant against Voiree's complete lack of subtlety as she runs further and further from her companion.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"...Huh. Thank you, friend. I'll be with you in a second."

Aaron summons all his remaining adrenaline to run up the PT's arm to the point where he can leap/fall into the cockpit, and attempts to sneak attack Jun.

"Shining BOOTTOTHEHEEEEAD!"

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Moechi_Vill]

Aaron desperatly scans the surface of the machine for something to damage, but between the nagging sensation in the back of his head and the fact that it's a twenty-meter armoured titan he doesn't get very far at all. When he pays attention to the nagging sensation in the back of his head, however, he realises that the machine is calling to him, in a very real and not-insane-I-swear way. The cockpit opens, seemingly of its own volition, while Jun is still trying to steer it into the base.

~~~~

Meanwhile, Voiree is boosting the heck away from the base, the plan now quite definately in ruins as she flees the ire of the red Ace. Crackling static on her in-cockpit communicator eventually coalesces into the face of a decidedly livid masked man.

"What the hell were you doing out there? You call this a slick operation!? You weren't supposed to be seen! I tell you, this is the last time I involve mentally-unstable convicts in my plans...."

The Vox Ego continues to rant against Voiree's complete lack of subtlety as she runs further and further from her companion.

"I was not in command old man. I elected to trust the one who saved my life earlier and his plan went poorly. It has not yet even failed. Two of our operatives remain free. Next time try furnishing us with directions beforehand instead of simply naming the goal and shutting off communication so we can not field further questions. And appoint a leader! Preferably me. Directions for this mech? It is durable, powerful, quick and it has endless stamina but a dangerous powerplant. It has destroyed half a base and half its mobile forces. Right now it needs rest."

[TamerBill]

Leaping from a PT's hand to its cockpit is a crazy idea, but Aaron proves himself the man for the task. As Jun stands up to check why the door opened on its own he recieves far more than his recommended daily allowance of boot to the head, but the military lifestyle breeds them tough and he quickly retaliates with a right hook that leaves Aaron sprawled dangerously close to the edge of the cockpit.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Silent for once, Aaron kips up and delivers a quick feint with his right, followed by an open palm to Jun's chin and a kick to the torso designed to knock him back.

[roll0]
[roll1]