Deserts of Moirae (IC)

[Matterthief]

B.G. switched his Target Analyzer to automatically scan the unknown units as the come toward the group while turning to address Emily +Should I hail them or do you wish to do the honors?+

[Fisher]

Stealth Mission
Traveling expediently southwest, Illen quickly approaches the source of the unknown signal. Though the unknown group is still kilometers away the line of sight is enough to reveal their numbers. Six retrofitted hover sleds were hurtling across the desert sands in the direction of the Rolling Shuffle. Four of the six vehicles look to have cannons mounted atop their frames. To learn more would require getting closer.

Within the Transport
With a shove and a heave the door jerks open, leaving a large gap wide enough for Saul to push through. A surprised yelp reveals the girl to be cowering in the opposite corner of the room, her hands clutched atop her head in defense as if shielding against an expected blow.

Outside the Transport
+ We'll wait until they get a bit closer B.G. There's a slim chance they could pass us by. If they do get much closer go ahead and hail them. +

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Just to keep track of everything, I'll be listing things in actions for the upcoming posts. When/If the group moves on I'll resume with the normal form.

Turn 1
Kioran: Moves 300 meters SouthWest. (2 Actions)
Fendrin: Open Door (1 Action).
Matterthief: Maintain EW (1 Action). Target Analyzer (Free Action).

Info
-Unknown Group has gone from being 3.5 km away to 2.5km.
-There's roughly 2.2km between Kioran and the group.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but the Shuffle is mainly a transport vessel and at the moment doesn't contain any weapons. To make up for this it possesses decent armor and shielding.

[fendrin]

Saul

Collapsing his staff, he puts it away.
"There, that's better. Now we can see each other. Are you hurt? I can help."

[Kioran]

Illen

"Come on, I need a reading on these guys!" Illen mumbled, into the emptyness of his cockpit, communications still only passive. He raced on towards the column of tracked vehicles, and directed the scanners to get a glimpse at the equipment of one of the cannon-sleds.
"I will need to stay north of them, at least a bit, so I can draw them off if it comes to firefight...Of course I could just start slugging at extreme range, and there would be little they could do, probably, but I would prefer for the other side to initiate hostilities" Illen thought, is finger occasionally straying a bit closer to the trigger as he waited for the Target analyzer's readout or clarification of the column's intentions

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I use the TA to get a reading on the cannon-sled, as stated, but it's no tragedy if I get nothing distinct.
Also, Yay Cannon! With an 11 base range, I have an extreme range of 6km! I can fire at any known target right now, if at penalty

[Fisher]

Survivor Situation
Entering the room, the first thing that strikes Saul was a powerful burnt scent.

The girl remained in the far corner, visibly frightened by the man. The moments tick by slowly as Saul stands waiting for a reply.

It is now that he gets a full look at the contents of his surroundings. To his left lies what remains of the door blockade: an oak desk and chair, bits of clothing, a brown suitcase, and a few unlabeled boxes. Two twin size beds sit in the center of the room each decorated similarly with matching blue bedsheets and pillows, now littered with dust and ash. What grabs his attention, however, is a charred, adult corpse resting on the floor near the door. It was obvious that this was the source of the smell Saul had encountered upon entering.

Noting the intruder's lack of aggression, the girl finally responds, "I... I'm fine. Who... Who are you?"


Stealth Illen
The oncoming vehicles continue to advance, unerring in their path. The target analyzer continues to ping the hover sleds, attempting to gain a lock on the equipment. Finally a result begins to printout on the display screen.

Incoming data...

- Unknown Weaponry... Custom Design. 
- Lack of Energy Signature. Suggests Projectile Based Payload
- RC82 Revolt Brand Multi-feed mechanism recognized. 
- No Serial# Found

[Kioran]

Illen

"I don't know about their intentions...yet. But I do not need to, right now" he thought, "speed and heading are enough." Carefully, he steered his tank hard to the south, trying for a straight intercept across the most direct vector of the unknown vehicles towards his allies. The plan was madness.... glorious madness.
If they were intent on attacking his allies, they were in for a nasty surprise. Provided they'd bite. Illen would just have to make sure they did before they started firing on his comrades or the Shuffle.

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Okay, I'm going to cut south to be exactly in the way of the oncoming column, at which point I will turn around toward my allies, driving up towards our "friends" in reverse.
Ideally, I'd need a good idea of their speed and heading to pull the stunt I've been brewing.

[fendrin]

Saul

"My name is Saul."

He steps to the beds and pulls off a sheet, using it to cover the corpse like a shroud.

"I'm not going to force you to leave this room, but I can promise you that it will safer to come with me than to stay here."

He slowly approaches the girl.

"If you come with me, my team and I can protect you, and take you somewhere safe. If you stay..."

[Fisher]

Stealth Illen
Lining up with the approaching mob, Illen prepares to initiate his daring plan. The path of the oncoming vehicles remains unchanged.

Survivor Situation
Slowly, the young girl thought over her situation. Glancing over at the shrouded corpse and again up toward Saul there was no way to tell what thoughts were racing through her mind, although Saul could likely guess. Hesitantly she stood to her feet and nodded, agreeing to go with her potential rescuer.

Turning toward the door Saul could feel the hairs on his neck stand on end as he approached the entrance way.

Danger!

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Round 2
Kioran: Moves 600 M (2 Actions)
Fendrin: 2 Actions remaining
Ambon: 2 Actions remaining
Matterthief: 2 Actions Remaining

No actions from Ambon or Matterthief the first round?

Info
- Hover Sleds move an additional 1km. Current Distance is 1.5k away from the shuffle and 500m away from Illen.
-Illen is currently between the sleds and the shuffle. Not sufficient MA to get behind the vehicles this round.

[fendrin]

Saul

"Good choice. Let's get out... hold on, stay back."

Great, what now?

Pulling out his staff, he extends it and steps cautiously to the door.

[Fisher]

Survivor Situation
Carefully nearing the open door, Saul notices nothing wrong. The feeling was still there, at the back of his neck, warning him that something was wrong. His gut told him whatever it was, it was close. Perhaps something in one of the adjacent rooms.

"...What is it?" the girl hesitantly asks, upon seeing the older man's worry.

Fire!

[Matterthief]

B.G. started radioing the incoming vehicles, +This is Solitaire Company calling unidentified hover sleds, you are wandering into an active operation. Please stop your vehicles and state your identification.+

While he was talking, B.G. took his mech and stood on top of the Rolling Shuffle in order to protect it from a possible missile barrage.

+Repeat, you are entering an active operation, if you do not stop your vehicles now, we will be forced to open fire.+

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Action 1: Maintain EW
Action 2: Move on top of Rolling Shuffle

[fendrin]

Saul

Closing the door, Saul collapses his staff and puts it away.

"The fire's cut off our escape route. I'll just have to have another one made."

Alexa's mech has that sword... that should do the trick. I hope.

He clears out the rubble from in front of the desk and pushes it back against the door. He pulls a bed over to it, shifting the mattress to cover the desk as well as most of the bed.

"Crouch under the desk. It should protect us from any debris. Face towards the door."

When the girl is under the desk, Saul ducks under the bed, using his body to shield the girl from any debris that might find it's way around the improvised shelter.

+Alexa, I need you to make me a door. Carve off the left wall of transport. Start just behind the cockpit and go back fifteen feet or so. And for the love of God, don't cut more than a few feet in.+

"Cover your ears, this could get loud."

Saul takes his own advice, and waits.

[Kioran]

Illen

Illen's face was locked in concentration as he lined up his tank with the hoversleds and turned the turret slightly towards the advancing column. Then, abruptly, Illen stopped, and waited, reviewing the Target analyzer and the status read-out of his cannon and autoloader, waiting for the rearmost vehicle to move up, only seconds away now....

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Given the fact that 1 Hex = 50m, and that the enemies move 1km/turn, I'll stay put and in direction, since that puts them at ideal 10 hexes next turn
If that's the distance to the front vehicle, I'll move back any required increment of hexes up to 6 and get ready to rock. Can I use the aim action on moving target? If I can, I'll use for any of the actions I don't need for moving.

[Fisher]

Incoming Data (Illen's Console)

Part		Weight		Armor
Frame		14 Tons		M.Striker
GES Pod		4 Tons		M.Striker
Booster Pod	2 Tons		L.Weight

Armament		Weight		Payload		Range
Multi-Feed Cannon	3 Tons		N/A		N/A

Current Speed: 360 km/hour
ETA: 5 seconds

...Deep scan in process

The Wrecked Transport
No sooner had the girl ducked behind the desk when Saul heard a loud explosion from down the hall. A wave of fresh, black smoke cascades into the room, filling it like a thick fog. The smoke settled quickly, however, and the sound of crackling debris down the hall soon faded as did the sense of impending danger.

On the Radio
Static fills the empty channel as B.G. awaits a reply from the oncoming vehicles. While positioning his mecha atop the Shuffle a voice replies in a measured, deep voice, +You are wrong. It is you who have entered our territory. Drop your weapons, equipment, and any supplies you may have and then leave.+

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Vehicle Group Distance: 500m from Illen and 500m from the Shuffle. If anyone decides to attack this round, I'll consider it a "surprise round" and roll initiative at the start of the next. This doesn't mean that the enemy won't fight back this round though.

[Kioran]

Illen Yaron

The virtual HUD superimposed on the images of the armed hoversleds displayed distance, the crosshairs displayed elevation, angle and prpbable impact velocity. The sleds were racing over the desert, fast enough to make aiming difficult, make waiting for the perfect moment a strenous task.
"One shot, for glory and victory" he thought, leading the rearmost, vehicle, waiting, almost lining up...

The roar of the cannon reverberated through the desert, it's muzzle flash kicking up a cloud of dust as Illen resighted and fired again, the Gungnir's cloak dropping, the tank becoming visible again in patches that rapidly spread, until it's gunmetal body was clearly visible again.
+Well, well. Looks like you overplayed your hand, not knowing your own territory and all+ he transmitted, unencrypted over the channel they used, grinning madly. He could have claimed the bluster was meant to distract them, to draw them to him, and to give Saul and the others time to kit up and regroup. He could. But then, he had to admit, he loved the pure audacity and drama of it....

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BAMM!

Two shots at the rearmost vehicle, modify with movement penalties as appropriate
Attack roll - (1d10+10)[11]
Location roll - (1d10)[3]

Attack roll - (1d10+10)[14]
Location roll - (1d10)[8]

contingent dice - (3d10)[8][2][7](17)

[fendrin]

Saul

"Well that wasn't as bad as I thought."

+Alexa, forget the door. We can make it to the exit. You go help Illen.+

Smiling to the girl, Saul extends a hand to help her out from under the desk.

"Stay close behind me, and we'll be fine."

He then begins making his way back to the hatch he entered from, as fast as he can while still checking doors for heat, and making sure that the girl is keeping up.

I wonder what her name is?

[Matterthief]

+Sorry, about that. My comrade's warning shots tends to do too much damage for it's purposes but I did warn you that we will fire if you wander too close. I assure you will lose more than you will gain in this fight. Don't let my trophies fool you, (B.G. points to his mismatched mech parts) We are a Private Military Company on a Search and Destroy mission and we are armed to do so. This is your final warning, turn around and go back to whatever place you call home or else we will mercilessly kill you down to the very last man as we are not paid bonuses to bring back prisoners+

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Action 1: Decrease EW range from 500m to 50m

Action 2: Intimidate the hell out of bandits

Cool(6) + Intimidate(0) + 1d10 = [roll0]

[Fisher]

Round 1
Illen's shot strikes true, crippling one of the vehicles booster pod which explodes in a fiery blast. Startled, the mob scatters posed to attack. Several level their weapons toward the Shuffle and it's crew while two others prepare to retaliate against the one who initiated the surprise assault.

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Intimidation Successful! Enemy 1, 2, 3, and 6 suffer -2 to actions this round. Enemy #4 was injured by Illen's attack.

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Initiative

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Illen: (1d10+5)[12]
Alexa: (1d10+7)[12]
Nino: (1d10+5)[10]
Saul: (1d10+9)[19]
B.G. (1d10+7)[17]

[fendrin]

Saul

Emerging from the burning vehicle, Saul takes in the situation and turns to the girl.
If they are here to clean up after the initial attack, they might target a survivor...

"You'll be safest in our transport. I'm about to get up close and ugly with these guys. I'll carry you over there."

He then climbs into his cockpit and starts up his mech. He lowers a giant mechanical hand to the ground next to the girl.

+Zazie, I've got a passenger coming your way. Can you open the door for her?+

[Matterthief]

+God Dammit Saul! Don't go and expose your sorry ass to enemy fire. Drop the girl off at the left crew entrance and take care of enemy targets 1 and 6; I'll take care of 2 and 3; Illen you take the last two, your cannon should be enough to take them down.+

B.G. moved off the Shuffle and headed 250 meters (5 Hexes) Southwest toward the direction of Target 3, his Minigun raised and the clutch depressed the winding screech of the large barrels foreshadowing the thousands of forearm sized shells tearing through armor like debris in a tornado. B.G. hopes the guy is lucky enough to die from a direct hit, otherwise he might get to see his body parts fly off his torso before he die and that is a bit too cruel a death for a human being. Oh wait, these guys are bandit scum so its okay after all. B.G. smiles as he pulls the trigger and unleash a storm of metal.

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Mecha Reflexes(8) + Mecha Gunnary(2) + Profession Bonus(1) + 1d10 = (1d10+11)[12]

[Fisher]

Update
+ Can do Saul! I'll have the hatch open so you can drop her off. +

While Saul tends to getting the girl to safety, the battle has already begun. B.G.'s assault, charged with adrenaline and excitement, flies wild and misses completely. The shells do little more than embed themselves into the red desert sand.

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Forgot to mention, the two tiles labeled G are the two guard mecha found when the Shuffle first arrived. They'll provide partial cover.

Initiative
Saul (19)
B.G. (17)
Kioran (14)
Alexa (12)
Nino (10)

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[Kioran]

Illen Yaron

With a metallic ring, the autoloader ejected the second cartridge and slammed a third one home. Silently, Illen cursed at the ineffectiveness of the fire laid down by his comrades and him, and at the inconvenient heroics displayed "Seems like I don't get to be the hero" he mumbled, realigning the cannon and firing again, the muzzle flash whirling up dust even as he, sweating now, took aim once more and fired again.
"This time, it seems I get to be the target..." he said into the emptiness of his cockpit, hoping to take down at least one of the two targets in range.

"Only one more shot in the barrel.....

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Both actions used to fire on the previously damaged 4, switching to 6 should I, via some miracle, destroy 4 on my first shot. No movement, of cause.

Attack roll - (1d10+10)[17]
Location - (1d10)[3]

Attack roll - (1d10+10)[15]
Location - (1d10)[2]

contigency - (3d10)[1][1][3](5)

[Fisher]

Battlefield
Illen's first shot hits home, damaging the target while blasting off several scraps of metal plating. The second, however, veers off course colliding with the desert floor.

Annoyed and frustrated the bandits move into action. Several audible, metallic clicks can be heard as the ammo cartridges switch over on the hover sled's cannon chambers. En masse one group unleashes a hail of shells towards the Shuffle and it's crew. Instead of a rain of bullets, the assault leaves splatters of green, sticky gunk throughout the area, fixing Nino, Alexa, and the Shuffle in place*.

Two other vehicles move in to pin Illen, fearful that the tank may vanish once more. Their attempts to cover the Gungir similarly in sticky green goo fails, however, as their shots whiz over past the tank. Trying to create some distance between himself and B.G.'s blitz, the third bandit retreats while laying down a small burst of cover fire. His attack also fails, leaving the Phantom Hound unscathed.

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*Escape Roll vs 18 to break free from grapple.

Map on the way...

Init
Kioran
BG
Fendrin

Edit: And Here's the map.

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[Kioran]

Illen Yaron

Even while the nearby impacts were throwing up dust, shells zipping past, Illen tried to clam himself. The target reticle crawled slowly over the landscape and the moving targets, flickering on and off the mark. It was hard to concentrate with the enemy bearing down on him, and so far, half his shots had veered off, failing to inflict serious damage or make a kill.
His hands were slick with sweat as the made some more adjustment, eyes squinting in concentration, before he pulled the trigger. The cannon flung out the shell with a deafening roar, the lock slamming to reveal the empty, smoking receiver. Empty.

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Okay, my last shot. Actions:

1: Aim at enemy 4 for the +1
2: Attack - (1d10+11)[19]
location - (1d10)[9]

contingent dice - (2d10)[4][3](7)