Maia Sanders: Right away, Commander Shiek. Operation Teal Toes begins now, I will notify the Chiron of its new destination and alert the Pilots.21st Early Spring 1002
OPERATION 7: TEAL TOES
One hour later
The tactical screen shows the arrival of Chiron-402 in the operation area, touching down on a flat, sandy area used as parking lot by forest-goers, now obviously empty of any vehicles. The fusion engines die off as the cargoplane turns around its own axis to point its cargo doors in direction of the forest. Searchlights and lamps on the underside of the Chiron light up. It's cargo doors open and a ramp extends downwards, allowing the four Mecha to leave the vehicle. Soon enough the camera feeds inside the Pilots' cockpits come online as well.
When they do, the fusion engines ignite and the ramp starts to rise.
Chiron Captain: This is the Chiron. We will take off and circle the operation area to look for Mu signatures from above. As the Chiron takes off, the Mecha turn on their armor lights as well as the searchlights, sweeping the otherwise dark forest, illuminating tall, white, leafy trees that make majority of its area.
Carla Whiteforest: I'm still salty over this. You know, you get a call for help from people in need, and then a bureaucrat, a pen-pusher turns you back?Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: Talk about a messy situation...Carla Whiteforest: Didn't you say that last time? There's a brief pause.
Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: ...I do feel a bit of deja vu, yeah.Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Does this happen often?Carla Whiteforest: Being turned back by officials?Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Er, no, I meant the deja vu feelings.Menetfer Newy: I'm all up for some nice chatter but shouldn't we focus now? Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: Newy is right. Let's concentrate on the task at hand.Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Scanners on.Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: 2 from Roll, +2 from Tracking, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 3
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Some noise at the edge of the scanner. Could that be the Mu- no wait, it just went away.Carla Whiteforest: Yeah, we won't get it like this. We really do best if we link up our scanners, and split into pairs-Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: Ugh, splitting the team again.Carla Whiteforest: I know how it usually goes, but otherwise we will be here until sunrise.Menetfer Newy: I could go with Baumgartner. Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: No, you will be going with me, or wait, no. From what I've seen from our training simulations, you both, I mean you and Erika, your Tracking skills, well... you go with Carla. I mean Whiteforest.Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Alrighty. Newy, go with Whiteforest, I will go with Langrisser.Menetfer Newy: Alright. Carla Whiteforest: Let's go!Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: 4 from Roll, +4 from Tracking, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 7
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: 2 from Roll, +2 from Tracking, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 3
Final result: 5
There's a flash of a beep on the scanner output of the two girls.
Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: South-southwest.Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Keep your eyes open, everyone...Menetfer Newy: 4 from Roll, +2 from Tracking, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 5
Carla Whiteforest: 2 from Roll, +3 from Tracking, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 4
Final result: (4.5 =>) 4
There's another ping on the scanners of the other two mecha.
Menetfer Newy: Are you sure? We're reading west on our scanners. Carla Whiteforest: Northwest, even.Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: It's might be power lines, or a second Mu, or some background noise...Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Let us follow the pings. Keep the comms open, keep distance between us short, and keep searching for Mu particle readout spikes.21st Early Spring 1002
OPERATION 7: TEAL TOES
Twelve minutes later
A new sweep of the area, with all four Mecha spread out like a fan, give a solid, triangulated reading of Mu particles - to the southwest.
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: There it is!Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: 5 from Roll, +2 from Tracking, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 6
Erika manages to pinpoint the location and the reading, but it starts to move around the scanner range at great speeds.
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: That's real fast.Carla Whiteforest: Definitely one of the fastest Mu I've seen on readings, at the very least.In the command center, a new dot appears on the screen, coming from northwest, along the regional highway. A new signature is added to both the map and the radio comms.
Maglev: This is Maglev crew, carrying Coutebleu and Istafan. We will arrive in operation area within eight minutes.Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Got it, Maglev. Two new signatures were added to comms seconds later.
Asrael Istafan: Hello. Astafan is reserved, but Coutebleu basically jumps in her seat.
Marie Coutebleu: Hey! You all haven't found that Mu yet, right?Menetfer Newy: Heyy, you two~ and no, we are pursuing but haven't found 'that Mu' yet. It's real fast. Marie Coutebleu: Wait for us!Carla Whiteforest: Sorry! No promises.21st Early Spring 1002
OPERATION 7: TEAL TOES
Five minutes later
Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: 5 from Roll, +4 from Tracking, -1 Rapid Movements, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 7
Menetfer Newy: 5 from Roll, +2 from Tracking, -1 Rapid Movements, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 5
Final result: 6
The four hunters, led by signature lock-on doubly coordinated by Newy and Langrisser, head straight for the Mu particle readout, which is moving south-southeast - almost parallel to the curve of the regional highway.
And then-
Comes a second signature. Half-strength of Mu particle radiation than before, flicking in and out.
Chiron Captain: This is Chiron, reading second Mu particle reading in operation area.Maglev: Maglev here! Requiring confirmation of the supposed location of the pursued target?Menetfer Newy: We have it on scanners. It's currently going parallel to you, and away from us. The impartial reading gets solid enough - and it is headed southwest, straight for the Maglev.
The readouts coming from Pilots' cockpits suddenly drop by almost a half.
Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: What?!Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: There's two of them!!Goals:
1. Find and destroy the large Mu.
>Update: Destroy both Supreme Lifeform Mu's: (0/2 dead)
Maglev: Maglev here! We do not have any sufficient firepower to repel the Mu threat, and it is too dangerous to stop and drop our Pilots. There's no magnetic channel in the road and thus we're forced to use electric engines. We're continuing along the highway for now! The signature going for the Maglev reaches the highway and turns to pursue it. The Maglev crew turns on the cameras and the searchlight mounted above the Mecha exit - illuminating an unholy creature of nightmares. It is as if an house-sized bovine mutant was shaped into the body of a spider and given a set of six slim, but athletic legs of a horse, complete with hooves, which themselves were star-shaped like claws. It was matching the speed of the Maglev by some sort of alien miracle.
The other signature suddenly turns around and makes a dash for the hunting group.
Carla Whiteforest: It's coming for us! Prepare for combat everyone!Marie Coutebleu: 1 from Roll, +6 from Battling, -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty, -1 from Mistress Inertia = 3
Asrael Istafan: 2 from Roll, +3 from Battling, -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty, -1 from Mistress Inertia = 1
Final result: 2
Asrael Istafan: Open the doors!Marie Coutebleu: What?Asrael Istafan: If it is unable to catch us, we can shoot it down from inside the Maglev!Maglev: You will have to leave the harnesses, it is dangerous to do so while the vehicle is in motion!Marie Coutebleu: No, that's a good idea! Open the mecha bay doors! We can make it work!!Maglev: Opening mecha bay doors now. With a hiss, the doors slowly open outwardly, but the ramp is not extended of course. Coutebleu and Istafan undo the belts and leave the harnesses - Istafan losing his balance because of lack of support, but he manges to join Coutebleu at the exit.
Marie Coutebleu: We hafta shoot together - one, two-! And the duo starts shooting. The demonic spider Mu, in great leaps, bolts from one side of the road to the other, dodging the blasts as they fly past or into surrounding scenery. Occasional road sign is melted down or a young tree cleaved - at one point a larger tree gets part of its crown blasted and the part of the trunk crashes onto the road. That's of course when the blasts do not strike the road itself, exploding small craters in the asphalt and pavement layers, sending pieces of the road everywhere.
Marie Coutebleu: I said together, Istafan!!Asrael Istafan: That's what I am doing, yes?!Carla Whiteforest: 5 from Roll, +3 from Battling, +1 from Mecha Model (Vanzer998Plus), -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 6
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: 1 from Roll, +2 from Battling, +1 from Mecha Model (Vanzer998Plus), -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 1
Final result (3.5 =>) 3
Meanwhile, the other Mu giant - of near exact shape and size - bursts from between the trees, its hulking shape barreling towards Carla's mecha.
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Fire!! The two girls level their dual-blasters and shoot, but while Carla manages to singe its furry carapace, it does not lose speed - but the ungodly shriek it releases confirms that it got it agitated and extra angry as it targets Carla's mecha.
Carla Whiteforest: Fuck off you- She barely has time to avoid the ramming, and only thanks to the model's stabilizers does she manage to avoid a direct hit, turning it into a glancing one.
It nonetheless tosses her Mecha aside, with yellow and red lights flashing on her Mecha's status monitor.
VanZer998Plus-001: 2/3 Hitpoints left!Carla Whiteforest: Dangit, already!? Come on!! Carla picks herself up from the ground as the Mu continues on, rushing towards Eva and Menetfer in the front of the hunting group.
Marie Coutebleu: 2 from Roll, +6 from Battling, -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty, -1 from Mistress Inertia = 4
Asrael Istafan: 2 from Roll, +3 from Battling, -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty, -1 from Mistress Inertia = 1
Final result: (2.5 =>) 2
Marie Coutebleu: 1 from Roll, +6 from Battling, -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty, -1 from Mistress Inertia = 3
Asrael Istafan: 4 from Roll, +3 from Battling, -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty, -1 from Mistress Inertia = 3
Final result: 3
Meanwhile, the barrage of laser rifle blasts continues to pepper the road, the side trees, the grass and everything but the Mu.
Marie Coutebleu: For the love of- Hey! Do we jump and melee it?!Asrael Istafan: WHAT- no!! Are you insane!?Marie Coutebleu: But I can't get a lock with all this inertia and its hellish maneuvering!Maglev: We can slow down, provided you can shoot it down before it reaches us and does any damage?Marie Coutebleu: Well... we try again, then!Menetfer Newy: 4 from Roll, +3 from Battling, +1 from Mecha Model (Vanzer998Plus), -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 5
Menetfer Newy: 3 from Roll, +3 from Piloting, +1 from Mecha Model (Vanzer998Plus), -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty = 4
When the demonic spider engaging the hunters rushes towards Newy, the desert twink, as he was infamously once called, has the audacity to wait until it gets really close, before going for simultaneous evade and point-blank shot.
Something which he manages to pull off in the last moment, blowing open part of its head while avoiding its wide open maw full of teeth. The beast releases a shriek and momentarily loses control of itself, smashing against a tree, bouncing off it, and dazingly going in direction away from those that hurt it.
Menetfer Newy: It's trying to escape!Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: After it!Marie Coutebleu: 5 from Roll, +6 from Battling, -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty, -1 from Mistress Inertia = 7
Asrael Istafan: 6 from Roll, +3 from Battling, -2 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu, -1 from Night-time Penalty, -1 from Mistress Inertia = 5
Final result: 6
Marie Coutebleu: On my mark!! One! Two! THREE! And they both shoot, in near perfect synchronization, in nearly perfect straight shot, the aim undisturbed by the inertia, right into the head of the Mu.
The double-shot in its face leaves it shrieking, tumbling over its own claw-hooves, and then doing an undignified, appendage-twisting roll across the ground.
Marie Coutebleu: We jump!! Coutebleu does not wait for Istafan and jumps her Mecha off the Maglev, and tumbles over. Istafan jumps off few seconds later, and has to gently kneel his Mecha to maintain balance, only to get into a run moments afterwards, the Maglev coming to a screeching halt behind him, sending smoke from its tires.
Asrael Istafan: Quick, while it's still on the ground!!He runs past Coutebleu just as she gets her Mecha off the ground and into a sprint towards the hulking mass of corrupted muscle and flesh a hundred or so meters away.
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: 5 from Roll, +2 from Tracking, -1 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu (Wounded), -1 from Night-time Penalty = 5
The signature caught by Erika soon gets transmitted to other Pilots, and its position is triangulated - and confirmed by a shambling silhouette coming their way.
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: It's that way! Move it!Marie Coutebleu: 1 from Roll, +6 from Battling, -0 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu (Greviously Wounded!), -1 from Night-time Penalty = 6
Asrael Istafan: 3 from Roll, +3 from Battling, -0 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu (Greviously Wounded!), -1 from Night-time Penalty = 5
Final result: (5.5 =>) 5
The Maglev Mecha run up to the prone, bleeding and wobbling Mu as it lets out a defiant shriek.
Marie Coutebleu: Have a nice death, piece of Mu shit!! Coutebleu pulls the trigger, riddling the front of the Mu with laser blasts, soon joined by Istafan. The alien's hulking shape soon starts exploding in gore, sending splatters of corrupted flesh and black blood everywhere.
Asrael Istafan: Uh- I- I think it's dead already. Coutebleu stops shooting for a second, and then sends just one more laser blast in the Mu's skull at near point-blank range, exploding it in shower of gore.
Marie Coutebleu: Heh, sorry, just making sure, you know. She says with a toothy grin, something that makes Istafan eye roll in displeasure.
Goals:
1. Find and destroy the large Mu.
>Update: Destroy both Supreme Lifeform Mu's: (1/2 dead)
Carla Whiteforest: 2 from Roll, +3 from Battling, +1 from Mecha Model (Vanzer998Plus), -1 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu (Wounded), -1 from Night-time Penalty = 4
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: 1 from Roll, +2 from Battling, +1 from Mecha Model (Vanzer998Plus), -1 from Supreme Lifeform Twin-Mu (Wounded), -1 from Night-time Penalty = 2
Final result: 3
Carla Whiteforest: I'm right behind, Baumgartner!Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Great, let's-! A pained shriek makes Erika concentrate on the running behemoth, which has regained some of its speed and ferocity despite half of its head missing. It barrels into Erika as she and Carla both start riddling it with holes.
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Gyaah! Erika loses control of her Mecha for a brief moment when the hulking behemoth slams into her and pins her against a tall, robust tree. The status screen starts listing damage to armor plates and exceeding of stress limits for some structural elements underneath.
VanZer998Plus-003: 2/3 Hitpoints left!Both the alien and the Mecha come to a rest as the tree's trunk cracks, tips, and starts falling sideways - right towards Carla's mecha!
Carla Whiteforest: 2 from Roll, +0 from Piloting, +1 from Mecha Model (Vanzer998Plus), +1 from Slowly Toppling Timber = 4
She scrambles into a run perpendicular to avoid it, getting her Mecha out of the harm's way with maybe a second to spare. The fallen trunk slams to the ground with awful lot of noise.
Then there's silence.
Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Are you alright?Carla Whiteforest: Are you alright?Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Yeah. Erika then pulls her Mecha off the tree and then pushes the corpse of the giant Mu off herself, regaining freedom of movement.
Some minor damage. The Mu particle readouts flatten out and stop at zero.
Chiron Captain: Chiron here. Mu particle readings in operation area now at zero.Maglev: Maglev here. Zero-readings confirmed. Mission accomplished, Pilots.Goals:
1. Find and destroy the large Mu.
>Update: Destroy both Supreme Lifeform Mu's: (2/2 dead)
*MU THREAT EXTERMINATED
*VICTORY TO MAIANS
Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: Good job!Menetfer Newy: Glad to hear you girls were successful, that Mu was quite something. Newy and Langrisser finally bring their Mecha to the area, and Carla scowls.
Carla Whiteforest: Oh, here comes the daredevil. Was that thing you did necessary to get a clear shot?Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: Yeah, I'm wondering too, I was about to yell at you to get out of there, Newy.Menetfer Newy: Aaah... maybe not really, but hey, it worked, riiight~?Carla Whiteforest: Tch, show-off...Asrael Istafan: We got ours dead, too! Coutebleu chimes in.
Marie Coutebleu: My first dead Mu - WOOOO!! Eva Wilhelmina Langrisser: Now that's enthusiasm I like to hear!Chiron Captain: Chiron here - we will be returning to the landing area shortly, Pilots. Return to specified coordinates and we will touch-down to pick you up. In the meanwhile, the Maglev starts slowly backing up, all the way to Coutebleu and Istafan.
Maglev: We've sent a notification to local government that the Mu have been eliminated and clean-up is required, too.Erika Hildegard Baumgartner: Good job everyone, if I may say so. We shall see each other at the base! There's an outburst of cheering and commentary amongst the other five Pilots that cannot get sorted by the communications channels.
21st Early Spring 1002
OPERATION 7: TEAL TOES COMPLETE!
One hour twenty minutes later
As the Chiron-deployed Pilots leave their Mecha one by one, there's a beeping warning as the Maglev enters the Mecha Bay as well to drop off its Pilots.
Engineering team starts examining the damage to the 998Plus models, not looking very concerned about the extent of it, as the six Pilots involved in Teal Toes exchange some chatter. Erika and Carla also managed to escape any injury despite the high-velocity impacts against their Mecha.
They get themselves all lined up when the door opens, revealing their Subcommanders arriving for debriefing. Newy salutes and the other five follow suit.
Menetfer Newy: Hnwy, for our Corps returned from a mission completed successfully! All six of the Pilots look quite happy and satisfied.
Subcommanders IAI, Scarlet and Gaine can now debrief their Pilots!
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Topic: RTD Starlight Mechanized Corps (Read 18487 times)