Lancer: Louder than God’s Revolver

[Llyarden]

The Pine Needle was fast, but surrounded from both sides by the knife-wielding mechs there was a limited amount of space to dodge into, and warnings blared across Siobhan's heads-up display...although at least in the short term, the glitchy text that was already running across her displays was a bigger concern.

Ignoring its immediate aggressors, Siobhan spun her mech around and snapped off a wild energy blast from the thermal rifle - but her real focus was on the space between the assassin and assault mechs, and with a hiss of microjets, a small drone popped free from her mech's back where it had been hitherto hidden underneath the cloak. The drone jetted back between the two hostile mechs and attached itself to the barrier that had been printed when they'd first been discovered, unfolding a turret and taking aim at the assassin. And lucky for me, its targeting system is separated from mine...

Spoiler: OOC

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Free: Activate Crack Shot.
Quick: Deploy a turret onto the Barricade's printed barricade.
Quick: Miss laughably with a thermal rifle shot.

[Caellath]

"Ok, I'm moving forward since it looks like they need to remember I'm here." Not that they had quite ignored Wall. The enemies had tried to get him a few times but he'd been either lucky enough to dodge or duck out of the way in time or defend his mech against hacking attempts. He really needed to push forward now to be able to help his squadmates better though.

The Willing Victim first avoided the wreckage of the destroyed barricade and ran towards the disabled armored vehicle in front, cutting a tight corner around it to get line of sight to all the remaining hostiles. It was noisy, dusty and it wasn't particularly elegant, but the lumbering Sagarmatha quickly managed to reposition and rest its machine gun's bipod atop the edge of the defunct vehicle's engine block armor.

With a wide selection of foes to pick from, Wall locked onto the Assassin frame with his systems, sharing the predictive work of his sensors with his teammates before once again pushing his reactor a bit over what's safe to muster enough processing power to mount a debilitating electronics attack on the Bastion

Spoiler: Actions for the 5th turn.

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Movement: 4.
Quick Action: Boost 3.
Quick Action: Lock On to the Assassin.
Overcharge (2 Heat): Invade the Bastion.

[Awful]

Spindle

The time-displaced pilot moved up to the ruins of the enemy mech, using it as a rest for the cyclone cannon as she aimed at the enemy assassin. It was flanked on either side by friendly mechs, and friendly fire wasn't, especially with a gun like this; but Atys was determined to make a clean hit this time. She fed the lock-on to the targeting computer, cutting through the digital chaff inherent to mech warfare.

"Spindle, taking a shot."

Once more, the cyclone pulse rifle let out the crack-boom of launching munitions. The assassin was carried clean off it's feet by the power of the shot, crashing down as scrap metal and smoke.

"X-ray neutralised!" she smiled thinly, but the fight wasn't quite over yet.

Spoiler: OOC

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Spindle moves up, shoots cyclone for 12 hit, 14 damage, which should be enough to kill. If it isn't, she'll OC and plink it to death with the AR's reliable.

[Amaril]

Just as Ash is squaring up with the assassin, there's a peal of thunder, and it's gone, a smoking wreck ten meters off. He doesn't need to look to see who's responsible.

"Hey, that one was mine." There's a faint hint of a smile in his voice on the channel.

[n0ble]

Spindles sniper barrage cuts the assassin in two at the waist. As the smoking upper half of Revenants assailant topples over themselves, the Bastion lumbers back and away farther still from their enemies, yet closer to hostile nonetheless. It’s sensors go wide, sweeping the battlefield for incoming hostile activity even as it raises the huge slab of shield-rock high, cocking it back, then telescoping the entire hunk forward in a blow that knocks Pine Needle into the wreckage if the assassin.

Spoiler: T6 Bastion

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As protocol, the Bastion chose to get resistance from Revenant
Quick action one: skirmished Pine Needle w/ heavy assault shield for 3 damage.
Quick action 2: prepare fragment signal on whoever attacks the assault next.

[Bitter]

With the Demolisher hindered and limping slowly into combat and the assault and barricade tied up, Drifter feels confident enough to come running out of cover and closer towards the end of the bridge that they need to hold.

A variety of options run through his head and the thought of trying to gun down the Assault is tempting, but Vagabond has never been designed as the most gun heavy mech. Instead Drifter focuses on the Bastion. He’d already created a backdoor to its system with his earlier attack and now it’s reactor was running hot.

Typing out a string of hacking code, Drifter launches a two-pronged attack on both the Bastion’s reactor and it’s servos. It was impossible for the enemy to stop either attack, but it would be able to defence against at least one. It would just about be able to stop it’s reactor from overheating if it let him get total control over lower motor functions, which would allow him to make it jump off the bridge, or it could just suffer some jitters and poor aim while it’s reactor overheated and exposed itself to critical damage. Drifter smiles in his hardsuit, finding satisfaction in outmanoeuvring an opponent.

[n0ble]

As the Bastion's reactor becomes exposed, the Assault mecha takes comfort in the discipline it can draw on for being in the Bastion's shadow. They loose a barrage of attacks against both Pine Needle & Revenant, raking the latter with automatic fire that kicks their rifle back. The Assault rides out the momentum of the assault rifle burst, spinning wide and low in a slash that misses Pine Needle.

Spoiler: T6-Assault

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Bastion chose to take the heat rather than be moved.

On their turn, the Assault mech took a full action to barrage with their heavy assault rifle vs revenant, hitting for 6 damage, while they missed Pine Needle with their combat knife.

[Rakaydos]

Systems still unstable, TAC lined up another shot on the remaining enemies... only to have the bastion no-sell his most powerful weapon. The shielding it used visibly fell. "TARGET UNHARMED BUT OPEN."

Spoiler: Actions

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Move to the edge of cover
Hit Bastion, damage nullified.
Miss Assault
Miss cube

[Amaril]

More autofire slams into Ash's plating, shocks through his bones. His armor holds, this time. Regaining his balance, he takes a quick survey. Shieldbearer and the little guy still standing. Falling Leaf takes a nasty hit off the wall.

"No you don't!" The big boy's left himself exposed with that attack. Ash goes in ripjack-first, blades biting into a leg actuator. The bastion groans as the leg gives way, sending it teetering--right into sword reach.

This time, Ash is pretty sure he got the pilot.

Twenty-three. "Hostile down." He forms up with Leaf. "I got you."

[Llyarden]

As the Bastion raised its shield to block TAC's attack, Siobhan managed to recover the Pine Needle's balance and stabbed at a button on her cockpit, triggering a command for the turret drone she'd deployed to open fire on the mech before it could close its heat vents again, ducking the Assault's knife attack and managing to place a pistol bullet into the Bastion through a chink in its armour as well. And then Ash came charging in to finish the job. Siobhan grinned - not that any of them could see her. "Thanks!" she replied to Ash, still sounding as cheerful as ever.

[n0ble]

Despite the low calibre ammunitions used (well, light calibre for a mecha) Falling Leaf's pistol shot rocks the Bastion off balance, a credit to their aim as much as it is a fact that the Bastion is now incredibly damaged. For a moment it looks like the towering mech might right itself before Revenant hamstrings the defender, causing it to topple to death on the tip of Asher's blade. Dead.

Then the Assault looses a burst of assault rifle fire Falling Leaf's midriff. The burst of kinetics shatters the silence, even as the lateral follow up slash from the Assaults knife once again cuts nothing but the air where Falling Leaf once was.

Spoiler: Assault T7

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The Bastion is dead

On their turn the Assault Barraged, hitting Pine Needle for 6 kinetic damage with their Heavy Assault rifle but missing with their Tactical knife (again)

[Llyarden]

At first Siobhan thought she'd gotten away luckily from the burst of assault rifle fire...right up until she saw all the little warnings on her screen telling her that the Pine Needle had lost its connection to two of the three turret drones. "Oh, come on!" she complained, flicking switches to disengage the receivers that were still desperately trying to reestablish a connection to the turrets that now littered the bridge in many pieces. "At least let me deploy the things before blowing 'em up!"

As she reset some of her mech's beleaguered systems, she also tapped another series of commands, causing the massive shoulder-mounted rifle she'd fired on landing to begin the laborious process of reloading.

Spoiler: OOC (T7)

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And in contention for the world's simplest turn, behind only that one turn where someone was stunned, Siobhan Stabilises to fix her heat issues and reload.

[Bitter]

Piloting Vagabond behind Wall, which incidentally makes Drifter feel a little odd about using one of his own comrades as a human shield, Drifter fires off a series of shots at the Assault-class mech that was still standing and in their way.

The shots from his assault rifle target it in the shoulder and the miniature drones from his nexus bracket it in small arms fire, dozens of small bullet holes trailing across the mech’s exterior.

[Caellath]

Piloting Vagabond behind Wall, which incidentally makes Drifter feel a little odd about using one of his own comrades as a human shield

An armor plate located on the Willing Victim's behind protecting its rescue gear reads, in big blocky lettering: THIS SIDE AWAY FROM THE ENEMY.

"Locking on." After his whiffed shot, Wall proceeds to do what he does best: return to being cover and focus his efforts on providing his team with targeting solutions. His mech answers with what feels like eagerness, electronic systems swiftly providing what he needs to share the information with the squad.

Spoiler: Actions for the 7th turn.

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Movement: Nada.
Full Action: Full Tech Lock On to the Assault and Demolisher

[Awful]

Spindle

Spindle clanked forward, working the action of her oversized cannon. As she rounded the hulk of the destroyed megatank, she fed in Wall's targeting data and snapped off a quick burst of fire from her mech's wrist-mounted PDW. Gleaming brass casings bounced on the bridge as bullets cracked into the hull of the assault mech.

Almost done. It'd be over in less than a minute, one way or another.

[Rakaydos]

Moving carefully up along the edge of the bridge, Tac took the moment to stabilize his mech's systems, the vents of his mech finally shutting.

[Amaril]

Leaf's taking more fire. Before Ash can engage the assault unit, however, return volleys rain down on it from multiple directions. He can hear Wall's Sag rumbling in on his six.

His knuckles whiten on his controls. It's right there.... Sirens are ringing in his ears, heat warnings. Sweat's pouring down his forehead inside his helmet.

He lets go of the throttle, reaching for the vent releases. The others can handle this one.

[n0ble]

There’s not much left to the Assault as they topple over dead. A arm cut off at the brachial joint attached to a vaguely scapulary shoulder piece. Half a head remains, and by the time it impacts with the ground the lone optical scanner in it is faded to a charred black.

In the face of the onslaught, the Demolisher begins to retreat. It’s an unceremonious lumber that takes the hulk down the stairs.

[Bitter]

Taking no joy in shooting down a fleeing enemy, Drifter allows his reactor to cool as he slowly lumbers back to collect his portable cover that he deployed earlier.

"Victory for us," he exclaims cheerfully over the comms to their CO. "This is Drifter, I can confirm we have secured the Bridgehead successfully. Damage to our mechs is... minimal to moderate. It would be good to have a chance to repair but we can push forward if needed."

[Caellath]

"Yeaaah, we've got the bridge secured. We have a single enemy retreating. Very slowly." Wall commented as he watched the Demolisher's undignified attempt at biding a hasty retreat.

[Rakaydos]

Tac scanned the wrecks, seeing if there was prisoners to detain until reinforments arrive.

[Amaril]

Ash watches the heavy retreat, sword lowered.

Kill him.

He doesn't move.

He's the enemy. He's like you. He deserves to die.

He turns away, moving to form up with the team.

You're pathetic.

"Took some internal," he reports. "Could use some patch time."

[Awful]

Spindle

Historically, this battle had been bloodier, I think. She didn't say it out loud.
"Good work," She broadcast instead, watching the demolisher retreat. While shooting him might be the sensible choice, it felt sour in the rush of victory.

[Llyarden]

"Hmph." Siobhan kinda frowned at the remnants of her turret drones, which were in round about as many pieces as the Assault, and sighed, tapping a button on her controls. The one turret drone she'd managed to deploy let out a quiet whirring noise as it powered down, detaching from the flash-printed barricade and rolling across the bridge like a tumbleweed, eventually coming to a stop near the mangled remains of the Hive. "Well, that was obnoxious. Shall we?" She gestured to the city with the Pine Needle's knife-wielding hand.

[Bitter]

Having restocked his portable cover, Drifter returns to the rest of the group.

"Does anyone have an update on our next objective?"

[n0ble]

The silence that settles into the air affords all of you a better look at Parad's lowest tier of walls, speaking to the abscence of survivors to take prisoner. From the higher tiers the same echoes of sporadic gunfire or loosed artillery can be faintly heard, but nowhere near the volume that came before your push across the bridge. Beyond the bridge & river landing you've just secured, a path of white cobbles spills out to both sides. The pathway is banded with mud before giving way to an expanse of cultivated grass, worn down to a sallow colour under the conflict. Beyond that the faint outline of whilted agrarian sites can be made out. Bits of detritus-toys, blankets, even the odd vehicle or corpse strew across the dying fields denote where the populace of the city left remnants of their old life behind as they fled to or from the conflict. The tableau is broken up by the odd scorch mark or cratered out area, lending the entire area a oddly pockmarked look. Occasionally theres even a small home thats still standing, dome shaped and yellow white eggshell in colour.

Up further, where the white of the pathway ends, your sensors can make out the triumphal arc that marks Parad's western gate. Tracking closer, its plain to see that most roads this side of the city lead to a sort of nexus at the gate. Cast from the same white stone as everything else in the city (and sporting more than a few laser-induced scorches), the piece of human artifice looms tall over the pathway that takes you through it, casting a shadow just deep enough that its visible agains the orange sky. Records indicate that, times past, the arc was inlaid with depictions of humanity's progress, from settling the planet and the founding of the city to the various internicine warfares that saw Trass system through its growing pains, all the way up to the coming of Union & Edth's integration into SCC's territories as a protectorate. Now theres precious little detail to be made out amidst the missing chunks of masonry or the burns carved into things.

Chatter breaks up the grim vista as Staff Sergeant Cilla hails you over the comms. Their voice sounds a bit gruffer than usual-a tell that they've seen recent combat-and perhaps a bit more tired for it as well. An external camera from their mech's PoV queues in, giving you a good view of the team members accompanying Cilla. While there are six total-the same as you excluding the sergeant-two are briefly viewable on screen.

Katrina "Query" Genovese-the team leader absent the Staff Sergeant-strides into frame, her mech almost sauntering for how its four upper limbs sway with an odd sort of alternating synchronicity. All four them have bracers inlayed with octagonal honeycomb-pores. Well. Technically three & one half. One of the right limbs has been torn off into a ragged end of wiring and broken structure. The paint job splashed across the gold of her mech's chassis changes to alternate tessellations of black and yellow depending on what angle it's filmed from, while the dorsal area of the mech's torso sports a mounted dispersal unit that hums with strangely coloured ionizations. Small disks flit from ports on the nexus' ports, hovering or coming into their own lazy orbits about the mech-the Queen Bee. She might as well still be in combat for all the verbalization she doesnt afford you. Even odds its professionalism against frigid superiority that guides the swaying walk of her mech. One way or another, misplaced or otherwise, that paint job definitely speaks of confidence if nothing else. A few of the disk spew two dimensional triangles that scan down across a ruined chassis near the feet of Cilla's mech before returning to the hive on her back. A few more land on the mech-carcass and extrude cutting lasers, allowing them to sample the alloy composites that makeup the dead Assault's outer armour before they buzz back to the vambraces on the Queen Bee's arms.

If Genovese's mech looks like a surreal fusion of mantis and apiary, Luca "Legwork" Kensington's mech is opposite for how simple it is. Dull grey and simian of posture only to the point of functionality, the Strongman clearly favours performance over something like their CO's flair for the personalization. Then again, it could also be the size of the artillerist: the silhouette of Kensington's mech takes a sizable bite from the ochre-orange of the skyline, looming larger for how spartan the outer hull is. Perhaps the only concession to this functionality over vainglory is a wide brimmed hat-more of a helmet-coloured the same unexceptionally dull gunmetal as the rest of the armour plating that covers them. Hat to toe. As part of Cilla's camera focuses on the mech, small apertures snap open on either side of the helmet. Arms extend from the holes. One salutes, the other waves. A friendly voice chimes over you comms as the Helmet rotates to reveal a small blue LED that blinks. "Greetings friends, not sure we got the chance to properly meet before deploying. I am Gregarious-" An NHP. "I'd happy to maintain any sort of communications you want to forward to my friend and co-pilot Lucas Kengsington, call sign Legwork, Employee of Union, Deliverer of New Madra-" A cough sounds off across the calm, cutting the NHP off. "Sorry about that, Greg's personable but can talk. A lot. Dont worry" The multi-barrelled artillery piece on the mechs back cycles through shell calibers, each denoted by increasingly longer barrel lengths. He selects a smaller one before quickly loosing it off-screen. "We've got your back."

The camera flips as the proximal sound of Legwork's munitions detonates in the distance. Greg offers to initiate a text-dialogue with anyone, or verbal if its more comfortable-and promises to appraise their squad of any important or flagged as must-read communiques sent their way. It coincides with the camera switching from external to internal, giving you a good view of the Sergeants face. The view shakes only a little bit in the aftershock of the detonation.

"Good work, Lancers. With the exits..." Its not hard to catch the hesitancy in their use of the next word, "...secure, general rally point on this tier has been called." A digital waypoint marker pings your comms: straight through the gate, into the deeper parts of the city. "Khusrau-" The Lieutenant "Says we're to meet there while they debrief on the next stage of things. Areas to act as a centre for safeguarding any civic elements-food water, people, things that can be saved-in the interim while we go and crack some heads up-tier. Communication is back on to verbal now that things are underway, so update as you go. Or run into any trouble." The enthusiasm in their voice give way to weariness, as though all the energy or motivation has dropped out from under them with the realization of more fighting. Maybe tinged with a bit of sympathy. Regardless, Cilla continues in a professional monotone: "Get them here if you see them, and get yourselves here too." Terse now. Back to the business. "Questions?" A waypoint pings on your HUDs, beckoning you to the rally point further through the arch and deeper into the city.

Spoiler

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If this were a movie, Staff Sergeant Cilla would 100% be played by Temuera Morrsion

[Rakaydos]

With no prisoners detected, Tac walked up to Wall, and opened his hatch, grey fur and screen-face visible inside. "Loadout didnt quite work out as well as I'd hoped. Is there a commercial printer on the way we can commandeer for a bit?"

[Llyarden]

Siobhan took advantage of Greg and Kensington talking to straighten her hair and generally make herself look more presentable before flicking on her own internal camera. The staff sergeant's hesitation didn't go unnoticed, though she didn't remark on it openly. "Are we expecting to run into any trouble on the way?" she asked aloud.

[Bitter]

With his portable cover recovered or possibly decovered, Drifter pilots his mech through the debris of the bridge and back towards the group.

"It's also been quite a pressing engagement," he adds over the comms. "Do we have time for tea? I'm sure some tea would raise moral."

[Caellath]

"I can check." Wall replied to TAC after he was approached.

"The team did well but a few of our frames lost more chunks than expected. We'd appreciate being given directions to the closest printer after he push inwards, so we can go for field repairs before another scuffle."