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[Parsely]

See what you can do about optimising the Battle-Comp.

[GreatWyrmGold]

What Joben said.

[Sirus]

((I'm not gonna be online for quite some time after this turn, but go ahead and get your orders in ))

T+ 000:14:15:765

Spend a few minutes continuing repairs and making munitions; Harvest scrap to replace materials used.

Prioritize sensor repair.

Even though we don't recognize the skimmers do we suspect they were a human design?

Though you keep your weapons armed, you relax a little and come down from hyper-heuristic mode, and devote some time to repairs. In particular, you want your sensors operational after that little debacle. That was almost as embarrassing as breaking one of your optical heads!

Sadly, you determine that repairs are already going about as fast as they can be (3). At current rates, it will be another 5 hours to bring your sensors back to combat readiness, though you can shorten that time by giving this project priority at the expense of patching up your armor.

On the other hand, your nanites have been doing a great job with munition production. In the short time since they started, they've filled 15% of your stores...however, they did this by using a whopping 10% of your raw materials (6). If you take into account the amount laid aside for current repair jobs, that's two-thirds of your supplies gone. Thankfully, despite the explosions there's still quite a bit of useable material around, and you fill 8% of your raw material supply (5).

Checking your memory for details about the skimmers, you come to a shocking realization: your short-term memory is completely gone. You don't remember any details about what planet you're on, who the Enemy is, what your mission here is...nothing.

Thankfully, your long-term databanks containing details of past missions and standard Concordiat equipment are still intact. And while the vagaries of human design mean that you can't be sure, you estimate with a probability in excess of 85.771% that the skimmers you shot down were not piloted by humans.

T+ 000:20:57:176

See what you can do about optimising the Battle-Comp.

Your Battle Computer doesn't look good, to be honest. While you might be able to squeeze a few more percentage points out of it, a several runtime programs have been corrupted and there's damage to the circuits themselves (3). With proper care, it won't get worse, but this will likely require a replacement.

As you contemplate your situation, your sensors begin screaming warnings at you. It seems another wing of skimmers were in the area, and they got far closer than you would have liked by hugging the ground. The missiles from those aircraft are already zooming towards your starboard side!

(OOC: Yeah, you guys rolled a 1 on a hidden roll. Lucky you! )

[Joben]

((doh! ~6 minute response time and they know we're here.))

Point defense vs missiles. Repeaters vs skimmers. Shields up.

Lets turn the ECM on this time too.

((Does running the screen and ECM drain our energy a great deal?))

As a point of principle hail the attackers. Ask to speak to their commander or something.

-------

If no one has a more pressing suggestion post-combat lets get moving and keep the ECM on. Our position has been made big time. These flyiers were just annoying last time. But if they bring more appropriate missiles this time, or if whoever sent them has more substantial forces we could be in trouble.

[Sirus]

((Or do they? Perhaps they were just flying along with the last bunch that got blown up ))
((As far as power requirements go, you should be able to use both ECM and the screen for now, as Great has nearly-full capacitors. The screen does take a lot more power, so it's really only used in combat while ECM can be used more-or-less continuously. ))

T+ 000:20:57:298

Were you a being of flesh and blood, you would likely be dead already. Since you are not so limited however, your BatComp screams back to life as you raise the screens once more. You also feed power into your ECM systems, and static blazes across the frequencies.

The ECM works even better than you had hoped, as three of the missiles outright detonate midflight, confused into triggering their airburst modes. Another four go spiraling out of control, locking on to phantom targets (5). The other seven missiles continue towards you, and point-defense clusters spit forth their deadly projectiles.

It is not enough. The range is too short, and not a single missile is hit (1). The seven slam into your battle screen, which thankfully holds (5). These were also air-to-air missiles, which implies that these craft were already in the air when battle was joined. In some ways this is good, as even without your screen such light weapons would be a minor annoyance at best. On the other hand, their low approach means that they were aware of what happened to the last skimmer wing...and the time between engagements offers a probability greater than 92.335% that they reported back to a superior.

The skimmers break to the left and right, presumably hoping to get around to your other side. During this time, they are extra vulnerable to attack, despite spreading out. You decide to hail them, see if perhaps this was all a hideous misunderstanding. Your only response is a strange, chittering noise interspersed with what sounds like a severe cough (5). Whatever these things are, they aren't human, and as they loop around for a second attack run it becomes clear that they don't want to talk things out.

With grim determination, your repeaters fire once more. This time, your aim is perfect, and all seven skimmers burst into flames almost simultaneously (5). It's time to get out of here, before more capable reinforcements show up. Only question is, where do you go?

A) The group of humans
B) One of the ruined cities, to seek shelter
C) Try to track down where the skimmers came from
D) Other

[LordSlowpoke]

The group of humans. We must find out what happened, and see if there's any place we can get decent repairs done on us left.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Agreed.

Also, why "in excess of XX.XXX%"? It would make more sense to say "in excess of XX%%" or "approximately XX.XXX%."

[Sirus]

((GWG: A 32,000 ton battle tank can name probabilities and percentages any way it wants to ))
((Also, did you guys want to divert more repair work to the sensors to get them done faster, or what?))

T+ 000:22:01:712

Your decision trees determine that the best course of action is to find current information and possible repairs. The logical course of action at this point is to seek human grouping from earlier.

Now that you're free of the mound of debris, your sensors can easily pick up the settlement. It is approximately 60km away to the south, over broken terrain (3). This will put a bit of strain on your fuel reserves, but now that your solar collectors are working you can supplement the energy needed.

You shut down your weapon systems and begin trundling south. The ECM stays active, to help disrupt the sensors of anything searching for you. On the downside, pumping out so much interference also renders your own sensors next to useless.

The going is harder than you expected, and you sometimes have to detour around vast craters or other piles of broken machines. Solar power is less efficient than it could be thanks to heavy cloud cover, and your fuel reserves are down to 15% (2).

You come across what used to be a largish town. Judging by the scorched fields on the outskirts, this used to be a farming community. While this is not the human grouping you saw earlier, your sensors detect a great number of lifeforms inside the town. However, you cannot tell what they are.

What will you do?

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

Computing
Personality Center: Optimal
Primary Computer: Ready
Battle Computer: Sub-Optimal = 40% capability
Memory: Sub-Optimal - Short-Term Memory blank

Armament
Main Battery: Sub-Optimal
Infinite Repeaters: Ready - 7/7 port battery, 5/7 starboard battery
Anti-Personnel Battery: Ready - 70% operational
VLS Array: Optimal

Defenses
Outer Shell: Critical - Under Repair
Internal Dampeners: Sub-Optimal - 38% operational
Battle Screen: Ready - 73.890%
Point-Defense Clusters: Optimal - 86% operational
ECM: Ready

Sensors
Passive
Optical Heads: Ready - 6/10 heads active
Auditory Sensors: Sub-Optimal
Active
Radar: Sub-Optimal - Low-Res Ready, High-Res Under Repair
Lidar: Ready

Power Plant
Fusion Plant: Ready
Solar Arrays: Ready - Active
Fuel Cells: Critical - Integrity 100%, Fuel 15%
Capacitors: Optimal - ~81% charge

Drive Train
Fore Tracks: Ready - 75% Operational, 25% Inactive
Aft Tracks: Optimal
Anti-Grav Lift System: Sub-Optimal

Cargo
Deplete-able Munitions: Sub-Optimal - 33.75% capacity
Recon Drones: Ready - 10/15 in storage.
Nano Fabrication Unit: Ready
Raw Materials: Optimal - 89%

Commander
Cpt. Eric Chihiro: DECEASED

[GreatWyrmGold]

Locate fuel and repair stuff.
Refuel, repair.
If anyone approaches, try to figure out if they're friendly or foey before we kill them.

[Sirus]

(Where do you want to locate fuel? In the town, on the outskirts, move on, what?)

[Parsely]

Disengage ECM and conduct a more thorough scan before deciding what to do.

EDIT: So, what? We just find fuel lying on the ground?

[GreatWyrmGold]

(Where do you want to locate fuel? In the town, on the outskirts, move on, what?)

Outskirts for now.

[Sirus]

Disengage ECM and conduct a more thorough scan before deciding what to do.

EDIT: So, what? We just find fuel lying on the ground?

T+ 000:55:31:900

Hopefully, you've managed to elude your pursuers for now. You disengage ECM and begin sweeping with your mostly-repaired sensors (3).

A bolt of energy streaks out from one of the closest buildings (1), glancing off your armor (5)! You focus with your optical heads and lidar on the attacker's location, and see two humans dressed in some form of improvised armor (5). The two are manning a stationary weapon, probably a light anti-tank platform.

If anyone approaches, try to figure out if they're friendly or foey before we kill them.

You don't know a thing about these humans. Are they working with the Enemy? Are they pirates, or some form of resistance movement? You activate your communicator and begin hailing on as many frequencies as you can.

Watching through your sensors, you see another human running towards the gun crew, waving his or her arms. They don't seem to notice the third human however, and fire again (4). Your battle screen doesn't come up in time (1), and the deadly beam detonates one of your port infinite repeaters (1). Pain, no less uncomfortable for it's artificial nature, streaks through your circuitry, and your dampeners fail to contain the damage (1(!)). Several point-defense clusters go offline, whether destroyed or simply disabled you cannot tell at the moment.

In response to the damage, your Battle Computer rages to life and prepares to defend itself.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Defend self. If vocorders or somesuch are available, use them to apologize in case of misunderstanding.

[Sirus]

Defend self. If vocorders or somesuch are available, use them to apologize in case of misunderstanding.

Deadly force, or purely passive?