Ao Shi
Hmm, she's taking this rather well. Let's not push my luck here. Ao thinks and pulls his hand back.
*khrm* He clears his throat. "I didn't expect you to be real. I'll buy dinner later then, once this situation is over."
"Now then, I don't see how you can help, but I'm listening. Mainly because I can't figure out how did you manage to walk up here without being seen. That outlook is very noticeable you know, in a good way."
Stop groping. Discuss.
Yell remaining engineers to get arm in place and do a systems check.
((We'll use red text for her from now on to distinguish her from normal NPCs.))
"Well, as much as I'd like to accept your invitation, Sote and Mal will probably yell at me again if I do, so I'll have to pass.
Since I snuck in here without anyone noticing, I'm sure I can go check to see what the System League soldiers are doing outside without any of them noticing, or see if whoever broke the backup generator is still down there. It isn't like I'll be of much help with that frame, I'm more qualified to study living things."The six engineers have manage to get all of the more fiddly actuators of of the left arm installed before you all hear banging on the barricades, followed by shouting.
"Come out! We aren't going to shoot you or anything, we aren't Dead Hand, we don't want that sort of shit on our conscience. Just open the door and let us in, we're just here to destroy the chamber, you can all just run back home for all we care." Needless to say, no one opens the door. For starters, its welded shut by scrap metal so no one could have even if they wanted to, plus no one is even near it at the moment.
In a more subdued voice, one of the engineers call out to you, evidently trying to be loud enough to be heard by you, but quiet enough not to be heard by the people outside.
"Hey, er, sir? I think we can install these arms 'bout twice as quickly, but, well er, it might displease the electrical gods, if you know what I mean."((2 Turns remaining until left arm is functional. 1, if you take your chances with screwing up the electronics.))
"Hey, I'll need you guys alert for now. See that truck over there? We're going after it."
Intercept the truck. Try to contact it and order it to stop if I can. Fire some warning shots if necessary.
"Yes boss"You step in front of the truck and they slow to a stop almost immediately, probably because you have enough strength to probably caber toss the vehicle and all its contents with ease. The radio screeches as they tune to the public military channel, you hear them whisper to each other briefly beforehand as they blow through the channel while tuning in
"I thought... the... warnings... didn't know... nothing wrong.... should be..... easy done.""Hello? what is the meaning of this interruption, we have work to do. If it's about being out here, there's nothing wrong with moving through a evacuation warning.""... okay. Something, has to be going on."
Open my box, or try to. Perhaps that way I can figure out its weak point.
You find a terminal tablet just like everyone else. Weakest part would probably be the glass screen which is currently asking for you to either select a network or skip, though chances are breaking the screen, whilst rendering the device unusable probably won't destroy it outright. But, seeing as it, as a whole, doesn't seem nearly as durable as box, it shouldn't be too hard to break through any means really.
Miaoko looked over at James. "..You have a box too? Huh." He contemplated this for a moment before checking the engine's current performance. Also checking how much scrap metal he has on hand. "Hey, try connecting to Malebranche? It's the network I'm on." If he feels like he needs to, Miaoko will raise the blast doors. He looked over at where the text had come from, "Thanks, might need it at this rate.."
You activate the engine for a few seconds and check its performance. It seems to be working perfectly now, though since it hasn't been computer calibrated or hooked up to a control pump, it's going to guzzle fuel like crazy. According to your PDA, you have a gallon of volatile rocket fuel (no Flight Systems Workshop is complete without the risk of violently detonating), an oxy-acetlyene torch (mounted and operated by one of the mechanical arms), three wrenches of differing sizes, a set of screwdrivers (not quite a full set, there's always at least one missing from each set, usually the more useful ones), enough scrap metal to make two decorative sets of plate armor (because nothing says class like stylized replicas of military equipment from a barbaric era), enough motors to animate said sets of plate armor (if undergoing convulsive seizures in an approximation of the worm counts as such), about three and a half (rather shitty) computers worth of assorted electronics and five extra bolts (just about everything seems to come with extra bolts for some reason, including the parts that don't even use them).
Gunfire erupts anew, seemingly from just outside the building. Thankfully, they haven't reached you, not yet at any rate.
Does my squad have cover over here? If so, open fire on enemy frames. If cover isn't good, try to sneak as close as possible to enemy frames and open fire if they notice us. Try to stick to cover at the edges of the plaza when sneaking through it.
You're shit out of luck in terms of cover it seems, the plaza's practically empty and there's nothing large and sturdy enough to act as cover. Infantry might have been able to, but something as large as a PHARAOH or LUPUS is not going to anywhere to hide.
((...Wow, you just rolled poorly. Really damn poorly.))
You lead your squad forwards for approximately 30 meters before you hear a crunch, followed by a shrill alarm. Shit, you kick the crushed husk of what was once a car aside as 6 of the hostiles lurch and begin aiming their weapons at your squad. You feel the chains tense up slightly and the PHARAOH leans forward almost imperceptibly as you and your support team charges forth, weapons blazing.
[UTAR vs. MDEF: 3 vs. 2] Before one of the hostile frames can even move, your autocannon rounds rip it apart, its thin frame doing little to resist the impact.
[UTAR vs. MDEF: 5 vs. 6][UTAR vs. MDEF: -1 vs. 6][UTAR vs. MDEF: 4 vs. 1]The rest of your squad doesn't fare as well, with only one succeeding in destroying their target, the other two having their aim thrown off by the evasive maneuvers of their foes.
The four remaining System League frames manage to leap into the air and fly forth at high speeds. As they open fire with their sniper rifles, time seems to halt. You find that you can cast your glance at will, though your body does not follow.
Try not to die. Just don't expect those squadmates of yours to live.
If you need assistance, I can give you some data about those automatons and their weapons.
Emerging from the frozen muzzle flashes, you see pale lines, curving ever so slightly to account for bullet defects, gravity, even air currents. Each line was marked with time until impact. Around each muzzle was a pale circle, and somehow, you instinctively recognize it's meaning: time until another shot may be discharged. As you focus on the lines approaching your squad, ghostly images come into view, spreading and diversifying with each passing moment (if such still retains a meaning in a world without time), bright lines and circles erupting from your own weapons: interception options. For the bullets that approached you, more complicated options appeared, involving the use of your PHAROAH's arms to swat them away like nothing more than flies. A different set of images also come forth, pathing lines spreading from your location, evasion options. Some entail diving into cover, taking a path that avoided the attack vectors of the enemies, others were, less conventional, apparently requiring you to somehow run along the walls of a buildings.
((That last bit was reposted since it will be removed from last turn, as Dhubos' automated turn will be altered so that Elias doesn't just stop moving in the middle of combat.))
-snip-
You, fortunately have a functioning backup generator. So when you and your crew barricaded the doors shut in the facility's newfound tradition of "HELP! WE'RE ALL GONNA TO FUCKING DIE", all the chamber arms were still functional. Unfortunately for you, the LATRANS sitting in the chamber doesn't have any electrical systems, hydraulics, movement core or limb armor installed. Granted, all its limbs and their actuators are there, but, you don't have a generator, which is, disheartening, to say the least. Worse still, whoever's outside the door is trying to shoot their way through, evidently mistaking bullets for some sort of magical lockpicking device.
At the very minimum, to get the frame moving, the electrical systems need to be installed and hooked up to some sort of powersource. Which, as with most things, is easier said than done, seeing as the doing involves either rerouting the chamber's power to it, or ripping holes in the floor and jacking straight into the entire sector's electrical supply. Okay, you could probably use power supply of the weird terminal that is asking for you to select a network or skip, but trying to power a giant armored exoskeleton using a tablet battery somehow doesn't seem like a smart idea to you right now.
Hydraulics and the movement core would take a bit more time, though they aren't strictly necessary - they're just there for fine movement and smooth movement respectively, but their absence would probably result in the frame flopping around like drunk whale attempting to reenact every professional wrestling match ever.
((Electrical system can be done in 2 turns. You can have hydraulics and the movement core installed by then if you don't want to play "Giant Robot QWOP", but your team will have to rush. 3 turns if you want the three without a rush. If you want armor, it's an additional turn.))
-snip-
-snip-
-snip-
-snip-
(NAV, didn't respond to the PM, but he didn't say no either, so we'll just put Hobart here as well.))
Slowly, your consciousness returns, ever so reluctantly. Sleep-dulled senses intruding upon the utopic oblivion, you feel a headache pounding your brain and dryness parching your throat. And so, another day begins. You awake amidst a noxious haze of tobacco smoke and nausea, the dim lighting of the bar bringing vision to tried eyes. Your three compatriots seem to have freed themselves of sleep as well.
"Awake now, are you?" an orotund voice pierces the silence. The barkeeper, a man in too fine a garment but just the right amount of apathy for his job, idly surveys the four of you, before casting his attention back towards the ceiling.
What the fuck.
There appear to be miniature stalactites and bullet holes in the ceiling seemingly formed from small sections of the ceiling melting and idiots with guns respectively. Judging by the trio of rifles on the bench, you have the sinking feeling you know (or, more specifically
are) the people responsible.
Wait, rifles? None of you own rifles, that's illegal. As in, proper illegal, the kind of illegal activity that is punishable under, and actively punished by, law. Where the hell did those come from anyway? You can't seem to remember. Come to think of it, most of last night is just a blur of disjointed sensations, a vibrant fury signifying little. Were your drinks spiked or something? But where? This definitely wasn't the bar you all piled into at the beginning of the night, and judging by the relative lightness of your wallet, its far from the only bar.
Staring at the rifles in hopes of some sort of epiphany, you are disappointed once again. They don't look like anything you recognize, indeed, they raise far more questions instead. Two look alike, seemingly bullpup weapons with magazines substituted for what appear to be ridiculously long extension cords that snake around the room and out the door. The third looks, a tad more conventional, taking the familiar form of an assault rifle albeit with the kind of sleek construction more fitting for a smartphone than a firearm.
Around the room, tables lie in a cluttered mess, and though all have seen far better days, some have fared worse than most - having seemingly been ripped apart. On top of one of the more intact ones, are four tablets that are certainly far from being intact. Vague memories return to you, you think they had some sort of prompt asking you to pick a network or skip and then they all broke somehow, or maybe you were the one who broke them, it's hard to remember. Okay, thinking it over, you're certain they prompted you about the network or lack thereof, which option did you pick?
"Your pet's outside, in case you were wondering" What? You try and gaze outside, finding that the windows are quite high, though apparently offering a poor view of little else than the footpath, guess that means this joint's below ground level.
Author
Topic: Perplexicon - Down the Foxhole - Raining Mecha (Read 179668 times)