You watch Lars' shot and put two and two together.
"That shuttle, maybe the others too, are equipped with protective automanips. It might be a very bad idea to stress them..."
"So yeah, unless we all want to be on the receiving end of a manip overload, I suggest holding off on direct attacks until we think of something, or run out of options. I might have an idea, basically involving combination of pocket dimension portals to get them close one by one and Flint's containment gun to grab the shuttle, maybe after trying to disable the engines. I doubt the back of the engines is also shielded, that'd probably interfere with the escaping gasses. We might want to check in with Steve first though. Oh, and if any of you happen to know how to hack into those shuttles, now's a good time to mention that."
1) For starters, would it be possible to open a portal in front of 1 (or more if they're flying really close) shuttle, and opening another portal as far away from us as I can facing away, to basically 'teleport' them far away and force them to turn around again, buying us time?
Drawing to make it clear:
|<----O
|---->
| = pocket dimension portal, first and second
O = enemy shuttle
----> = travel route
If yes, do so.
2) Next to that, would the engines of one of these shuttles also be protected by the automanip? I would think not, since then the exhaust gasses would continuously trigger them, but unsure.
3) Is it possible to disable one of these automanips without making it overload? How sensitive are they anyways? Like, if a shuttle crashes into the sea, that's probably gonna overload them, right?
4) Could Flint's containment gun contain one of these shuttles if it were close, if its engines were still on? And what about if it's engines were off? Could he then 'capture' the shuttle and safely deposit it somewhere (eg inside pocket dimension holding cell)?
5) Could we hack into those shuttles and take over control?
6) Could Steve pinpoint the exact location of the automanip on one of those shuttles? If yes, would it be possible to disable it with a precision manip/Comrade spess magic strike without triggering overload?
7) Should they attack us with long range gauss weapons/missiles/other kinetic projectiles, have the gunship use its precision lasers to knock out the projectiles if it can.
1) Yes
[2]
You manage to get one of them. Not even the lead one. But you get one.
2.Hard to say, but it might cut off just before the exhaust. You could test it with a few shots.
3.Depends on their strength. The overload isn't the fear. Stressing them might draw in you know what.
4. It could, Though it might just drag flint or it might just smash against the inside of the containment bubble.
5. If you can connect to them, probably.
6.No, he could guess but it's a guess.
7. Okie dokie. For the moment they're still flying in. You got a turn until they're right on top of you.
: Hehe. Automanipulators. Mutually assured destruction. We can't destroy them, without destroying reality too. Thus they are forcing us to allow them to approach and land or attack us. A very good plan. Or, at least, it would have been, if they hadn't made one mistake: They flew towards the island Flint Westwood is on. :
: Priest, when I'm close, can you please nuke the area between me and them, thank you. :
: Crazy guy? Wanna take your Shiva-Pope dude and go have some fun? We probably can't get them all before they get here, but if we do this right, we can get enough. Miyamoto and Lars can hold the fort until we get back. :
Fly towards the shuttles, grab Pancaek and perch him on my shoulder if he wants to come too. We're going to pirate these airships, yarrr!
I'd like to have an underwater nuke explode in front of them, creating a cloud of hot mist. Lars or shuttle can do it, although I'd prefer Lars.
It will conceal my approach, both in visual and in heat sensors, while I should hopefully be able to use my X-rays to see them (or at least guesstimate their position). This has the added benefit of protecting me from any other space magic they might have.
It might confuse their automanipulator sensors, either making them less likely to activate. Or making them more likely to activate, thus forcing them to shut them down or risk certain death. I'm assuming this isn't a kamikaze attack, since those soldiers fled for their lives from another world, thus they should probably care for them, unless there's something else driving them, something like absolute terror about the ARM being here.
If those are not space shuttles, then they might have an air intake that would be adversely affected by high humidity, thus forcing them to slow down.
If they lower their shields to attack and try to keep me away, I'll be close enough to take advantage of it.
((And for OOC reasons, it's a fun, unexpected plan that involves everyone.))
The goal is to get close enough to physically get through their shields, since if they're like automanipulators we know, they shouldn't be activated by large and relatively slow moving objects. Maybe with the help of my magic eating sphere. I won't go into details since I assume I won't get that far in one turn.
"If you insist, Brother Flint. May Algis shield you."
Follow Plan Flint.
Lars hears the plan, shrugs and takes aim. It's a long shot, quite literally, but an easy one. He lobs the nuke over towards the distant sea and gives flint a thumbs up.
Flint waits a few seconds before lifting off himself. He's halfway to the right height when the nuke goes off. It goes off only a tiny fraction of a second after hitting the water, so the blast is shallow, blowing equal amounts of vaporized water and nuclear fire into the air. The shuttles scatter, either breaking formation or being physically shoved out of it by the blast wave. Flint manages to stay on course, towards what I assume is the leading shuttle. He reaches the right altitude but he's moving quite quickly towards it, and it towards him.
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Topic: Mission 27: Earthquake team (Read 24376 times)