You arrived at the HTG forward base at 08:00 this morning. It is a high-quality facility by all means, something that you will no doubt come to miss in the coming months. The main facility was built long ago by a master alchemist, a massive metallic pyramid surrounded by the sea of sand in the easternmost portions of the Great Desert. Additional facilities have been added over the years, most notably the wall surrounding the grounds, made of sandstone of a much lower quality. Casual observation reveals the nearby ground is incredibly fertile, with a field of grass filling up the area between the building and the wall. Some remnants of a garden and a series of trees remain, though they seem to have been removed at some point in the recent past.
The facility itself is large enough to house a fleet of Alchamechs without issue, dwarfing those that are currently on patrol around its base. It's sides slide open to allow entrance, breaking into panels in order to do so. Inside is practical, comfortable, and secure - at least compared to the harsh conditions of the nearby desert. Alert guards stand duty at random alongside the metallic hallway, which maintains the perfect temperature despite the blistering heat outside. It isn't quite clear where the facility's light is coming from, there are no bulbs of any kind visible in any direction.
But your goal lies outside this location. Your team stopped here for three purposes. First, to restock. Food and water, especially water, is invaluable for your mission. So is ammunition for the troops. Second, for intel. The base's commander, Abu Bakr al-Razi, has been preparing information on your opponents, if not your target. Finally, to prepare a plan of action. Due to the nature of this mission, you have been given a lot of leeway to how you will go about it. Planning is on your shoulders.
In the command room, a middle aged man in a well-kept uniform strokes his long beard. It is a fairly simple room, with a large table taking up its center. On the table are several folders, opened to allow anyone present to observe their contents.
Most visibly was that of a blond woman with an eye-patch over her left eye. Colonel Sophie Tycho, the leader of the enemy expedition forces. Intel suggests she is intelligent and experienced, having earned her rank the hard way. The bulk of her forces are mixed squads, with a reasonable distribution between light and heavy fighters, with Alchamech and alchemist support common throughout. Most are fresh recruits, but their numbers are impressive in themselves. At least a regiment in size. She has several specialized squads under her command, though they don't tend to stray far from her position. These squads are more experienced, and are said to have special alchemical upgrades related to their purposes. Her Alreona is especially competent, making her deadly to face in person. The purpose of the eye-patch is unknown. Current theories suggest that she is hiding a Purified upgrade, as it should theoretically be simple to repair any damage she has sustained. Her men have christened her "The Dragon", and our side has followed suit by giving her the designation "Dragon".
The second dossier has a picture of a mech, rather than a person. As one may guess from its inclusion in this briefing, its owner is a notable ace. Called "Castle", it is a large mech around three stories tall. Black metal in the rough shape of a knight in armor, but it uses its flat "hands" to move forward like a gorilla giving it a more animalistic appearance than that description would suggest. Its most notable feature is its rugged defense system. It has shrugged off several direct hits that should have flattened a mech of its size, or at least poked some nice holes in it. It would be difficult to defeat without finding a way past those defenses. Fortunately, it is slow. This major weakness allows even infantry to escape easily, should the fight prove too much. Its main weapons appear to be a barrage of miniature HE rockets, meant for taking out groups of infantry, and two large auto-cannons located in its "hands", meant to take out enemy armor. If it closes in on enemy it is capable of powerful, if slow, hits with these appendages ending in bursts of gunfire.
Next to this dossier is "Rook". A Purified "co-pilot" with Castle. The two tend to deploy together, as Rook's speed makes up for Castle's lack of such. A tan man with red hair, mostly hidden under an apparently mundane cloak. Current intel from blood samples collected in the field suggests that his abilities are due to "cellular alchemy", an experimental process where runes and enchantments are added directly to the subject's cells on an individual level. His speed and agility are impressive, and while it is rare for him to fight with it directly, so is his strength. He is capable of healing from any wound that doesn't kill him quickly, though on the matter of minutes rather than seconds. Whenever he receives such a wound he retreats to Castle, who protects him until he is back in fighting shape. It is likely that many of his other physical abilities have also been improved, though there isn't much field observation to this effect. His weapons consists of a unique high-calibre assault rifle, a combat knife, and anti-mech grenades. He tends to focus on infantry while Castle focuses on the enemy armor, but is capable of fighting off lightly armored targets using armor piercing ammunition and his grenades. As with Castle, he is an ace with an impressive record.
The last dossier is a pale, gloomy looking man with black hair. Unlike the others, he doesn't have an impressive combat record. However, this alchemist might be the most important target on the list. His expertise lies in dowsing, effectively making him a human radar giving him the designation "Dowse". His job is to find things, and as both sides are looking for something, this is incredibly useful. Intel also suggests that he was on the team that pinpointed the Living City's location to this desert, making him a HVT from a mundane standpoint as well. In combat, if he isn't forced to retreat, he is likely to use his abilities to assist his comrades in arms. His searching ability needs to be activated, but once it is up it would be hard to hide from his sight. It is at least comparable to a radar-focused mech's abilities in terms of effectiveness, but he must communicate this information to his allies for it to be of any use. His armor mostly consists of personal protection, throwing up a half-shell of nearby material. Any larger defenses are likely to come from Dragon's alchemist troops. He is armed with a caster gun, and while its use has not been observed in the field yet, it wouldn't be wise to underestimate him. Capturing him could leap our operation forward significantly, taking him out would at least stall the enemy
Naturally these arn't the only enemies you should be worried about, though they are plausibly the most dangerous in the immediate area. There are plenty of soldiers ready to prove themselves by beating you.
Under and around the dossiers is a map of the immediate area. Blue dots for friendly positions, red dots for the enemy. Enemy forces have set up several camps in the desert to the west, from what our scouts have reported. It is not clear if these are to slow us down, provide logistic support for the search, searching themselves, or some combination of the above. Our forces have several strongholds, though they are spread out and focused in the East. There will be more if you manage to go far enough to the West, but logistics between here and there could be an issue. It isn't clear where the aces are located at this current time.
Now, it is time to start.
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Topic: Alchamech IC: A Fresh Start (Read 6513 times)