Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 1: The Culmination

[Xinnidy]

She what?

Roxanna felt herself sink onto the chair, her gaze was vacant despite still facing the doctor, taking the absurdity pretty poorly. "...Excuse me." She turned back to her desk, staring down at the tablet for a good half-minute, before slamming a fist dangerously close to the apparel.

"WHAT. THE FUCK?"

The XO let out an exasperated sigh before sinking back on her chair, massaging either side of her head to put out becoming any more stressed with the situation. It's going to be alright... it's going to be alright and it's going to be a success and she's going to be fired on the spot justletitgodon'tthinkaboutit... Once she'd made her terms with the situation, she was finally able to address Tristan's request. "Permission to... take command?" Roxanna bit her lip. Can't you see I've been waiting for this moment since I've been reassigned to Hellhole, Arizona, you numbwit? Her face soured, but she kept herself from taking it out on the Ensign.

"Tristan Calvin..." The XO spoke slowly, some hesitance in her tone as if she was making peace with the passing of a loved one, "You... you are the most experienced with the Heion Riese's inner workings since you've been here for longer, and with these news, I feel like my attention is going to be split worrying about the operation teams... s-so..." The last part was particularly stuck in her throat. "I-I'll give you permission, as far as the s-ship's capabilities are involved, to take, c... c... command!"

She forced a salute.

Line of fire

Everything was going so fast... the ANF models quickly made a line of defense to collide against the rebel Heracles. From the tiny front-seat Makoto had, it was quite the clash of titans! Whoa... the ANF's legionaries are really made to last, those two are taking so much fire! And that Velite... I've never seen somebody react so fast! Despite the situation, Makoto couldn't help becoming starry-eyed at the sight of his saviors.

"Makoto!" The voice of his trusty* officer finally replied through the comms, "I think I've got the channel, I'm going to drop it on your Phalanx's control panel so you can try to switch to it."

"A-Alright, send it to me." Well, that was abrupt, and kind of unnecessary now, but continuous communication with the ANF pilots would be appreciated. Better late than never? "Hello? Hello?" He tried switching to the channel, picking up his receiver. "Can the soldier HR-0097 hear me?"

*(definition of trusty may vary.)

[MechanicalBull]

Talog evaded the clumsy attack and thrust back with the gunlance, taking satisfaction in the BANG-clunk-CLANG of the system. The heavy brass casing sailed in a sedate arc as it was ejected and a fresh charge loaded as Talog snapped up an arm, catching a pair of attacks aimed for Thorvald on the armoured limb. Alloy plates cracked, and black hydraulic fluid began to leak out a ruptured system, but damage was minimal.

A steel hand dipped into the black liquid, dragged a heavy black line across her mech's faceplate, and Talog grinned as it made a warstripe of mechanical blood. The mech rumbled with approval around her.

"Alright, let's keep this up, we're smashing them!"

[Shin]

All the enemies seemed rather far away, and there was only so far Tarquin could shoot. There was also the matter of his misaligned sights, if things got tough it'd be hard to aim then unaim in order to him. The others had recommended that he stayed back, and for the most part, he'd been managing to do so. The structural damage to his unit had been patched for the moment, and his chances of any more heavy damage were relatively low. It'd require a little teamwork, but Nikolai was the perfect candidate to help him out.

"Oni Three moving forward, Nikolai, the target should be easy for you to finish." Tarquin announced over the public channel. "They appear to struggle with longer range engagements."

Tarquin moves to 9,15 and attacks Heracles #5 with his Beam Rifle

[Sandalphon]

The idea of needing to take orders from these people didn't sit right with Nikolai, but regardless of his feelings towards the people who had unceremoniously shoved him in a padded cell instead of kindly murdering his ass he had to admit that playing nice was in his best interests.

He gave a weak grunt of approval as he proceeded to do what he did best and shoot the ever living heck out of anything that moved.

Nikolai moseys on over to (9,14) and shotguns #5 in the face, probably whilst in his Jess-Free Happy Place™

[Nanami Touko]

Taking Command

"Thank you, XO!" Despite Roxanna's horribly loud reaction to what Jess had done, Tristan tried his best to remain calm, taking the seat back at his console. He didn't have to sit in the captain's chair to monitor the rest of the Riese's fight against the remaining rebels patrols, their numbers dwindling steadily. "Main cannons charge, E-Field currently taking all energy output. Tubes two through twelve, load and fire barrage. AA gunners, make sure you aim for where they'll be, not where they are, follow their trajectory and predict. All other hands, maintain the Riese's energy as best as you can. If we lose that E-Field we're going to be taking some steady damage. And from the sounds of the fight inside the colony, we're almost done here. Let's give them a ship to come back to." He smiled, getting back into his element. This wasn't the first time he'd taken control of a bridge, and he hoped it wasn't the last. Especially with what the 'captain' had just done. I'm sure she knows how grave her offense is, but even still, taking out a prisoner like that... It's more than a risk. It's a mistake. I'll be sending in a report along with the XO, judging by her reaction.

Tarquin's aim may not be perfect, but his senses are!

Beam rifle at #5!

Final Hit: 84
Final Crit: 12
Roll: 34,66
HIt
no crit
Final Damage: 58
 
Tarquin gains +10 exp, +3 Will
 
Heracles Counters!
Tarquin has Alert up!
The Heracles misses!
 
Tarquin gains +1 will!

Nikolai rumbles in after him, giving him the business end of his boomstick!

Target, #5!

Final Hit: 69
Final Crit: 48
Roll: 66,78
Hit
no crit
Final Damage: 50
 
Heracles #5 shudders and stalls, collapsing!
 
Nikolai gains +200 EXP, +7 PP, +6
The team gains +2400 credits!

[Dandragon]

The enemy was falling apart, but the group wasn't hurrying enough for Elaine. She had to make her move soon or else the colony members might not make it. And now, the three custom Heracles were moving in, one of them attacking Thorvald. "Great...just great..." She breathed deep, and looked toward the enemy. She joined the open comm channel that the security bot was using for communication.

"This is Ares 2. Hey, whoever is in there, I'm gonna need you to attack with me. Follow my lead!" Without waiting for a reply, Elaine aimed her rifle once more, firing between Thorvald and Brant to hit the regular Heracles that was directly in front of Thorvald. She hoped that whoever was piloting would follow through.

Elaine uses Sniper Rifle on Heracles 1, Makoto Offensive Support with Revolver

Edited October 2, 2016 by Dandragon

[Xinnidy]

Follow-up!

"H-Huh? Roger!" Ares-2? I guess they use a different callsign when acting in group... That was quite a bit to follow, but Makoto caught the gist that he could finally provide support fire!

"Take this!" Drawing the Phalanx's revolver, Makoto followed up the Legionary's ballistic attack with... a much smaller-scale one.

Elaine attacks!
Target: Heracles #1
Weapon: Sniper Rifle
Final Hit: 79
Final Crit: 17
Roll: 58, 33
Hit!
No crit.
Damage: 78

Heracles #1 counters!
Weapon: Spread Missiles
Final Hit: 96
Final Crit: 0
Roll: 35, 59
Hit!
No crit.
Damage: 27

'Got your back!'

Makoto support attacks for Elaine!
Weapon: P. Revolver
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 32
Roll: 69, 22
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 26

'Impossible! A police bot can do this much damage?'

Heracles #1 is disabled!

Elaine gains + 50 EXP, + 7 PP, + 7 Will!
Makoto gains + 125 EXP, + 2 Will!
The team gains 2000 credits!

Edited October 2, 2016 by Xinnidy

[scorri]

Astin move to 12-12, chakram #4

[Xinnidy]

Great success!

Astin attacks!
Target: Heracles #4
Weapon: Energy Chakram
Final Hit: 90
Final Crit: 29
Roll: 60, 90
Hit!
No crit!
Damage: 71

Heracles #4 counters!
Weapon: Spread Missiles
Final Hit: 86
Final Crit: 0
Roll: 92, 35
Miss!

Astin gains +10 EXP, + 3 Will!

[Phoenix]

(Fluff? Wait and hope.)

Brant moves to 8-14, activates Focus, and attacks Heracles #4 with Funnels.

Edited October 2, 2016 by Phoenix

[Xinnidy]

It turns out funnels are pretty decent in reduced gravity!

Brant attacks!
Target: Heracles #4
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 9
Roll: 83, 8
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 96

Heracles #4 goes down!

Brant gains +150 EXP, + 7 PP, + 7 Will!
The team gains 2000 credits!

Battle Mastery point acquired! Edited October 2, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

Smoke Clears

Vera stood, silent, staring at the Android. Her sword had cleaved straight through the stump of an arm that Hannah has swung down as her last line of defense-- and it had worked, in a way. Vera's sword sat in Hannah's gut, one third of the way through chopping her in half. The android was leaking coolant, oil, and other miscellaneous fluids, but despite the sudden extreme robotic nature of her movements, as a hand came to rest on Vera's blade, and she looked down, Hannah was still functioning. Her stump of an arm had provided enough of a shield to stop Vera's swing from slicing straight through her.

"Y-Your-our swing was too-oo shal, allll-- allow."

It seems she wasn't functioning at one hundred percent, though. That didn't matter, her movements quickly became fluid again as her hand grasped the blade, attempting to tear it out of herself. Vera was spent. The blue glow in her own cybernetic limbs had worn off, all of them now smoking, as she began to sweat.

"I guess I underestimated you... Heh. Helena did warn me about fighting a robot, though. You things are too damn resilient for hand to hand... I'll know for next time." Vera didn't try to pull her sword out, instead disengaging the electronics, the blade melting into a liquid and pouring out onto the floor. She stumbled back a few steps. Hannah made to move after her, before collapsing down onto one knee, eyes reverting back to the sky blue they had been before.

"Err-err-- or, damage, crit-- iiiiiIiIIiIIIical. Can not... Proceed, 
FURTher. Combat, c-cease."

As her side and arm sparked, she struggled to stand back up, receiving Melissa's call through her barely functioning systems. The message came through distorted, but she caught the gist of it. Re-route all power to speech and leg functions, proceed to escape with the civilians now that the threat has been sufficiently neutralized.

Hannah stood up straight, staring at the ground for a moment, as some patterns flashed over her eyes, some mechanical noises whirring from her form. Vera watched carefully, scoffing. "Seriously? You don't have self repair hidden in there, do you? The hell... And your people think I'm a monster."

"Negative."

She responded clearly this time, walking slowly towards the hole in the wall, side leaking mechanical liquids as she moved.

"My protocols can not repair missing or damaged areas, I am only 
capable of re-routing subsystems to serve other purposes until I 
can be repaired by the proper personnel. I have disabled my combat 
systems for logistics and aiming, and have re-routed the power and 
functionality towards movement and speech."

She stepped into the hole and started to make her way through it, ignoring Vera's staring. "And why bother telling me all that? You think I won't tell the rebels you can't fight anymore?"

"I felt it was fair to you as you also appear to be unable to 
sustain combat further... Error... L-Logic of decision not found... 
Storing for further inspection."

So she's got one of those installed in her, huh? Well... Interesting. It'll be fun to see how she's grown, if things proceed as we've set... "A good fight then, Hannah... Better catch your civilians fast... Hah, I'm gonna get laid into for letting them get away." Hannah didn't respond, too set on escaping and analyzing her own decision. Vera bit her lip, but smirked.

Only one option left, then...

She limped towards the hall she'd entered from, pulling out a small pad with some switches on it. She flipped one of them, as she cracked her neck. Half a mile off, on the other side of the colony, two white eyes whirred to life.

Press On

Trevor didn't really want Melissa getting left behind, so he grabbed her arm and started to drag her down the hall with the rest of the scientists. "Come on, it's just a robot. We build plenty of them, y'know? We can just make another, but we can't make another you. Leave it, yeah?" It wasn't until the group had gotten halfway down the fire escape that Hannah responded to Melissa's call.

"Ms. Jordan. I have rendered the enemy combatant unable to 
pursue us further. I have received serious damage and am 
functioning on 23.4% total functionality. My combat systems 
have all been re-routed towards moving and speaking so that 
I may better coordinate escape with your group. I have passed 
through the wall and am making my way towards your group. Is 
the escape proceeding well?"

Trevor smiled, as they moved down the steps. "Hey, there you go! It survived! How about that? Geez, I knew we built these things sturdy, but that was ridiculous... I can't imagine how the fight went."

Hannah wasn't moving very fast, only able to walk without faltering, so it would take some time to catch up to the quickly scurrying scientists.

Quickly wasting no time after calling Melissa, Hannah switched her transceiver over to Brant's original line, picking it up, though there was more static.

"Lieutenant Abrams, this is Hannah. I have subdued the threat to the
scientists and am proceeding to escort them out of the building through the
back fire exit. Please have personnel on scene to provide support as rebel
groups are circling around to cut off our escape. I am unable to fight any
further, and may only provide a shield for them. Over and out."

Edited October 3, 2016 by Narmaya

[Phoenix]

Megumi looked up from her monitor as the exchange between Roxanna and Tristan concluded. Was Tristan really going to be taking over? Megumi supposed it was fine as long as he knew what he was doing. The chain of command was going to be a little fuzzy for a while, though. She returned to monitoring the team's vitals, occasionally sighing when she got back around to the feed from the latest Legionary the Riese had deployed.

---

Talog was taking care of herself, and Nikolai was on the move. Feeling it was his responsibility to be an early warning against any betrayal on Nikolai's part, he followed the Legionary closely, though he also had his eye on the enemy. "There," he focused intently on a Heracles battling it out with Astin, and the funnels aimed right for the cockpit, sending several beams in and frying the pilot inside. It probably hadn't been painless, but at least it'd been quick.

Hannah contacted him soon after, and Brant found himself laughing at the situation. "More sympathy for a machine than a human being. This is going to be my new norm, isn't it?" He turned the comm back on. "Lieutenant Abrams here. Glad you're alright, Hannah," he said, in a mild but encouraging tone of voice, "don't worry about that. We're almost there. Just a few more mechs to get past and then we'll help you all out of there. Over."

[Snowy_One]

"Hannah. You did good. As a mechanic, while I am not qualified for android repair, if the need comes I can do some quick upkeep. More to the point, you did good."

Edited October 4, 2016 by Snowy_One

[Juliette]

Juria shook in her seat. She couldn't bring herself to truly talk, only making squeaking sounds as Astin seemed to narrowly avoid danger, shaking in her seat. As Astin used a chakram against one of the enemy robots, she made her first real sentence since asking whether things were okay earlier. "Am s-sorry, Astin friend! Juria didn't know how scary b-battlefield is... not take all warnings most serious. Useless even here..." She sniffled, attempting to curl up into a ball in the mech's seat.

[scorri]

As the chakram returned from slicing into the robot, it managed to explode the missiles that the enemy robot had shot in half. Astin grinned, but that quickly turned to a frown as Juria started to almost cry. "Hey, whoa now, come on. You're definitely useful, don't you start that. You're keeping track of things so that I can focus on the battle. And you're making it so I'm being less reckless, which is for sure a good thing. I've gotta keep you safe after all. And this is your first battle. I bet that as you get more used to things, you'll be so much more helpful. So don't panic. We've got this, alright? Just trust me and trust yourself. You can do this."

[MechanicalBull]

Talog tapped a few keys, and the microbots swarmed forth from their nests within her steel hive - their target, Thorvald.

"Looking a little battered there! No worries, I'll get you back into shape!"

Half action: trust thorvald

[Balcerzak]

An unexpected incoming private transmission caught Thorvald by surprise, arriving as it did from a source other than the one's he'd already been juggling. In hindsight it really probably shouldn't have. Despite not having spent much in the way of one-on-one with her, Lieutenant Kim was also a TK, and she'd clearly picked up on some of his recent turbulence and decided to try her hand at extending him some reassurance. It was almost cute, her broken English and the fact that she was reaching out unasked for after having repeatedly herself having seemed more in need of exactly what she offered. Indeed it would very much have been so, if it hadn't been more of an embarrassing source of shame. Here was a girl, half his age, slap in the middle of the same circumstances, and not only was she not (this time) finding herself in a bit of a struggle, but she'd gotten the impression he was so poorly off he needed an intervention.

"Oh man, what am I doing with myself to let something like this come about," he muttered lightly, before flipping the switches that would allow him to respond. A slight chuckle of self-derision also escaped, but truly the fog was already mostly lifted as he radioed back, "Roger that, Lieutenant. With a fierce oni like yourself at my back, I know I can focus on facing forward. Thanks as well for the praise about my judgement, it's good to know top members of the squad are comfortable being my hands and feet out here with me, willing to help with covering what I can't alone. Let's hurry and get this wrapped up so we can get back to base. Then there'll be as much time as needed to go over everything important. Over."

Thorvald had barely finished communicating with Seung-Min, when messages began coming back from Brant: first the communal one from their SOS contact that he'd been diligently relaying, followed by the more personal reply to his difficult request. The other pilot was on board with his decision, not only that, but had apparently been on the same wavelength from the start and was already positioned to execute if necessary, it seemed. That was a small sigh of relief amidst the swirling sea of uncertainty that formed the backdrop to the latest development.

As the captain herself resumed broadcasting bits and pieces in reaction to revealed information and new developments, Thorvald felt a small twinge of guilt as he realized he'd never addressed the fact of her arrival to the lady herself. Nor had anyone else really. Regardless of the supreme flaws in judgement it had taken her to get to this point, the captain had clearly done what she'd thought was best, and got nothing back from her crew except the cold shoulder. In spite of that, she continued to try to diligently command. In its own way, that was commendable, and some of her recommendations were still sound. Trying to find a safe way to probe the capabilities of the custom the rebel leader was in being one such matter. For the moment, this Abigail of theirs had been keep back, near the site of the distress, keeping a solid focus on actually completing her own mission, presumably, instead of answering their invitation to battle and diverting herself to focus on that. No doubt that was a hard choice she'd been dealt, given what they'd been told about her personality. Sooner or later though, either she would make a move, or the team would have advanced far enough to meet her. Thorvald would have to be ready to handle things when that time came, but he was pretty confident he was holding just the cards he needed to make that happen. "All hands, Ares Leader here. As far as engaging the rebel leader goes, when it comes to that, I'll be taking point. Make sure you don't get caught up in the excitement and go after her unless following my lead. Till then though, we've still got our work cut out for us, so keep up the good work. ...And welcome to the fight, Captain. Do stay safe." The last lines were polite enough, even if they seemed a little detached. His message probably went out about the same time as Oni squad leader Doyle's message was reaching her in private, but he had no way of knowing that little tidbit.

Regardless of if it was his transmission or the captain's, the ice had been well and truly broken, and a stream of others popped up, either supporting, or at least not condemning her arrival. For his part too, the piloting captive appeared to be behaving rather obediently, so Thorvald nodded and pushed that to the back of his mind, content to let Brant be the first line of defense if something changed. Jess had clarified that out here the field commanders still had jurisdiction, she had intended to merely be present in a supporting role (and potential hostage), though she did formally assign her craft as part of his squad. "Received, Captain Gefalscht. Adding Svartalf 1 to the ranks of my current charges. Forgive my brevity, but I've got incoming, over."

Indeed, two approaching problems needed more immediate handling for the moment. As he crossed sword with buckler, time and again, their loanee from Captain Miller continued to provide assistance, much as in the previous combat. It was nowhere near as drastic an impact this time around, both because it was no longer an unexpected occurence, but also because the incoming blows she was helping to deflect were much smaller ones in comparison, things he would have felt comfortable handling on his own. The sergeant's craft had just been recently reinforced, and Thorvald wasn't so full of pride as to refuse, so he concentrated on just making every one of his blows land. Perhaps this lapse in defensive vigilance was responsible, but perhaps he wouldn't have seen it coming regardless. After all, till now the far three mechs had been stationary, stonewalling at the foot of the building the civilians, and the robot fighting with her whole being to secure their safety, were trapped in. So he was taken with surprise when the spinning chakram bit deep into an unprotected flank before flaring its electrical output to full level and then being remotely retrieved. The fact that Talog hadn't caught on to its approach either was no comfort, especially since Thorvald took pride in his ability to keep incoming damage to manageable levels by ensuring only the peripheries took hits, leaving the vital systems safe and unharmed. Not so with this one, though, as klaxons began sounding in the craft and a few red lights glared up at him from across the operating dashboards. It was bad; not crippling by any means, but this poor Legionary was now being pushed harder than it ever had before.

"I can't let that go unanswered," he grunted out, rerouting power from the saber he'd been using to fend off the grunt Heracles, focusing it to the inbuilt laser cannons. Once collected and aimed, angry yellow beams shot out, one from each shoulder, arcing towards the offending target, in the middle of their operating range. Almost in tandem with his foe's retrieval of the remote weapon that had bit so deeply into his craft, the twin beams pounded their solid assault in return. It was small comfort, as even from this distance Thorvald could see the opposing craft's armor was doing its work, the outer coating melting and evaporating into small clouds of dust to diffuse the beams from their full efficiency by refracting them this way and that. Still there was darker colored smoke pouring out as well, and a few sparks here and there, indicating overall success. Even if he hadn't given as well as he'd taken, he should be proud they hadn't flown wide and had definitely left a mark. Sweat dripped from his brows, stinging its way into his eyes as he frantically swivelled the Legionary's cameras, checking for the movements of the other two of the three that had appeared to act as the rebel's commanding trio. However it seemed only the one had had enough command of range to make an attack in addition to its full movement, the other two were not in any position to follow up, a fact for which Thorvald was extremely grateful.

His latest surveillance also hammered home the good news. They now officially outnumbered the currently fielded rebel forces, though it was a bit distressing not knowing the status of the refurbished ANF mechs the enemy had in their custody, nor the location of the Apotheosis Lieutenant. If an unexpected movement from even the visible enemy could take him by surprise to such a good effect, just imagine what an unseen ambush from an enemy ace might be capable of.

A cautious transmission on the open comms from the policeman he'd been coordinating broke into his musing, and Thorvald moved to respond in kind, hopefully clearing up any confusion about serial numbers and call signs in the process. "Ah, yes, Peace Officer, that would be me. Go by Ares Leader on this channel, much less of a mouthful to say. I see you figured out the frequency, welcome aboard." No sooner had he sent that reply than Elaine butted in with her own ideas, requesting the fellow help her out with a tag team assault. That... hadn't been what he'd intended when he'd sent the Phalanx over to her for safety, but it didn't quite rise to the level of violating his admonishment against doing anything stupid... if only barely. And considering the fact that it actually worked, surprisingly effectively at that, Thorvald was loathe to follow back with any words of disapproval.

As the repairs from Ares 1's long distance service bots began to work their magic, the frenzied alarms in his cockpit abated, and he turned his attention back to the field. The foe who'd laid into him just now was formidable, sure, but clearly not the leader, despite having moved into center position of the formation. One of the others, the obviously customed Heracles, had stayed slightly closer to the building, presumably to keep them from making an entrance and disrupting her plans completely. Perhaps she hadn't heard the news yet, about the android inside having fully rebuffed her forces' efforts, or perhaps she hadn't yet played her full hand. Either way, she was certainly going to be one to be reckoned with. Let's see if we can't help pacify her a little bit, make it easier for the others to really tenderize her, he thought as he brought his special weapons systems to bear. Occasions like this were exactly why he always kept a chaff grenade at the handy.

Thorvald remains stationary, fires Chaff at Abby

Edited October 4, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Ether]

"Judgment come experience. More experience than rest squad combine." Seung-Min replied over the private channel, facing the incoming Heracles as it readied it's plasma buckler. Swiftly evading the swing, Kim's velite grasped the dangerous arm of the Heracles from below, holding it docile as she pressed the barrel of her beam rifle into the Heracles cockpit.

"Goodbye." She murmured to herself, as the beam melted through the paint and metal, coming out the back of the Heracles, innards of the machine roasted along with it's pilot, the once-proud mech tossed aside in a heap of scrap. Their front line appeared to hold, until Thorvald took a hard blow from one of the custom models, which was swiftly patched up by Talog as the last remnants of the opposing Heracles were mopped up, leaving only the custom models. It seemed that Thorvald had no reservations about continuing the fight, firing some chaff at the lead mech, the one that seemed to be the leader. Time to keep up the pressure.

Kim holds, attack Abby with TK Rippers

[Nanami Touko]

Closing it Out

Jess had kept her squeaks to a minimum as Nikolai kept firing, watching the rebels drop like flies through the main camera. All that was left were the leader models, their visors and some additions quite different. Jess could only guess that the blue one belonged to Abby, it was far and away the least like a Heracles it could be, though the legs were from the same frame. Whatever work she'd done to it had been done with great care for detail and effectiveness. Still... This was no time to be appreciating their enemy. Thorvald had finally radioed in, though he... There was something off, but it wasn't the time to press him over it. It was most likely her decision, honestly, and the reminder of that made her doubt this entirely, as helpful as Nikolai had been to their squad.

Still, there was... Something? She checked Nikolai's radar as he fought, a new blip appearing on the long range scanners. It didn't register in the Legionary's library. That's... That's not good... "E-Everyone," she pulled onto the comms again, the worry evident. "Check your long range scanners if you have a chance, there's... There's an unknown that just showed up on them, not ANF, EU, or rebel faction... Lieutenant Abrams, can you give me a line to the android? She did confirm that the Apotheosis member had been subdued, right?"

This was a sticky situation... If there were more than one there, what were they going to do? Their lieutenant had fought with a security android, hand to hand, and nearly defeated it, what that meant for their tech and their everything else... Jess was scared to ask, honestly. She could only hope that it was a bug in the system; the Legionary wasn't checked well enough before taking off, or something.

Idolm@ster

Chrissy had gone through the poster and spent some time messing around on Kim's PC, eventually finding what she was looking for... Though the folder was... Hmmm. She left it alone and flopped back onto the bed, rolling up the poster as well, setting it aside. "She did hide that, when I came into the room... Maybe she doesn't want people to know? An idol turned ANF Lieutenant, though... Was it because of her TK abilities? But she's... She's younger than me, or at least she looks it. Does the ANF value that sort of stuff this much?" She rolled around in the bed thinking about it, getting wrapped up int he blanket and sighing. "Maybe a nap to clear my head would do me some good..."

Glad

Hannah paused a moment, as the messages from Lieutenant Abrams and Melissa Jordan were registered in her directory.

"Glad. Why are you... Glad?"

She asked back, before shutting off her comms; something in her processors had decided it was for the best to not receive an answer for that. Instead she focused on what Melissa had said.

"As long as the civilians are alive then my performance has been satisfactory. 
Approaching the stairwell, please make it outdoors and await ANF backup.
ANF Riese crew member, Lieutenant Brant Abrams has come with an entire 
squad; their fight appears to be proceeding well. Over.

Hannah slowly made her way down the stairs, just as the group of scientists had reached the bottom, stalling to push the door open and leave. They couldn't really blame each other. There was either going to be a group of rebels ready to fire on them, giant robots fighting, a crazy woman with a lightning sword, or... The smallest chance of salvation.

Trevor wasn't feeling up to it, either. He looked at Melissa, who had been the bravest of the group so far. "You, uh... You wanna go first? Because, honestly, I'm content sitting here until the android catches up... I don't wanna die after all this."

Main Cameras Down!

Thorvald decides it's time for some FLAK

Target, Abigail!

Final Hit: 100!
Final Crit: 1
Roll: 67,47
Hit
no crit
Final Damage: 1
 
Thorvald gains +60 EXP
 
Abby counters with her laser, firing wildly!
Final Hit: 79
Final Crit: 19
Roll: 18,41
Hit
no crit
Final Damage: 36

Kim rips and tears the now blinded target!

Final Hit: 84
Final Crit: 30
Roll: 48,83
Hit
no crit
Final Damage: 69 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
 
Kim gains +60 EXP
 
Abby counters!
Laser gatling out, again!
Final Hit: 17
Final Crit: 20
Roll: 83,25
Miss!

Edited October 10, 2016 by Narmaya

[MechanicalBull]

Hmm. That arm had reduced function.

She recalled the repairbots, and set them to work on her own mech with a skitter of her large hands over the controls.

While the spider-like (or perhaps beetle-like?) machines got to work, she regarded the battlefield. The girly lad looked a tad isolated, and the movements of the enemies suggested that they'd be aiming for him next. Her mech clunked up alongside his, ready to defend.

"Hey, Oni Leader. Best look out, hmm? Think they're gonna be gunning for you."

12,13, repair self

[Xinnidy]

Charge!

Makoto's bullet pierced through the Heracles rather effectively, the teen felt proud of his aim for a moment. It didn't last too long as his unit's visors took a closer look to the Heracles behind the final enemy lines. Are those a different model? ...No, just some adjustments. He gulped. Those were probably the big threats. I-If I put myself on the front, I might get hurt, but... Makoto opened the comms again, "Right. Sir Ares Leader, this Phalanx's effective range is short. Permission to come closer!" His guard trooper's treaded heels roared to life, "I'll be sure to keep cover behind your legionary units!"

Despite the request, Makoto took some preemptive action and already was on his way, using the last of the Phalanx's inhibiting wires on one of the special Heracles.

Makoto to 11,13, use the Harken on Sena.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Xinnidy]

I can be responsible, guys!

Talog repairs self!
188 -> 223
Talog gains 50 EXP!
Talog levels up to 6!
(stat gains pending)

Makoto attempts to snare Sena's unit, and finds an impressive reaction time in return!

Makoto attacks!
Target: Heracles Custom (Sena)
Weapon: Wired Harken
Final Hit: 100 (Size hit bonus so strong)
Final Crit: 0
Roll: 63, 60
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 5
Sena is snared!

'H-Huh? A police bot here? I'll take it down...''

Sena counters!
Weapon: Sniper Rifle
Final Hit: 63
Final Crit: 16
Roll: 19, 18
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 14
Invincible is used!

Makoto gains + 60 EXP, + 4 Will!

"Ghhh!" Makoto braced for impact, the shot had just veered off to the side, taking out the riot shield completely, sending the thing flying off along with part of the arm's armor plating. There were some warnings on the screen, but for the most part, Makoto was safe, and felt little on his end. That's right... if I get hit, I could put mom's life in further risk. He bit his tongue weakly, chiding himself mentally. "I'll take cover behind this legionary, sorry for that."

Enemy Phase / Turn 4!

That bastard is working with the ANF group now? Just my damn luck... Terry was eating his pride raw now, still furious over the situation, but the failure was starting to weight on him. Fine, be that way... I'll just have to punch through them all first! "Red Leader, I'm joining you." He opened his comms, curt and self-sufficient as his movements.

Terry attacks!
Target: Velite (Astin)
Weapon: Wrist Gatling
Final Hit: 64
Final Crit: 12
Roll: 90, 62
Miss!

Astin counters!
Weapon: Energy Chakram
Final Hit: 88
Final Crit: 28
Roll: 27, 16
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 102

'Gah!! What the hell?!'

Astin gains +30 EXP, + 3 Will!

Hilling goes next!

Hilling attacks!
Target: Velite (Astin)
Weapon: Plasma Buckler
Final Hit: 67
Final Crit: 20
Roll: 67, 28
Talog defends!
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 36

Astin counters!
Weapon: Beam sword
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 30
Roll: 65, 89
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 49

Astin gains + 30 EXP, + 2 Will!
Talog gains + 1 Will!

Next up is Abigail!

Abigail attacks!
Target: Velite (Astin)
Weapon: Plasma Buckler
Final Hit: 57
Final Crit: 29
Roll: 71, 89
Miss!


Astin counters!
Weapon: Incision knife
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 41
Roll: 22, 35
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 69

Astin gains +80 EXP, + 3 Will!

And finally, Sena tries to snipe Astin's mech!

Sena attacks!
Target: Velite (Astin)
Weapon: Sniper Rifle
Astin chooses to defend!
Final Hit: 68
Final Crit: 14
Roll: 88, 68
Miss!

Astin gains +1 Will!

What a tough Velite to pin down!

Player Phase / Turn 5!

Objective: Reach the green space by the end of PP turn 5!

Edited October 7, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Snowy_One]

"I am firmly of the belief that none of us desires to die. Company policy even provides guidelines and educational lessons on how to not die. However, I do not believe that these soldiers are interested in stealing the cash register, therefore much of the acceptable responses have gone out the window. Just remember, if you do get caught... ummm... I would say 'do your best to be non-threatening and submissive' but I have killed people today. If... If something bad happens, stay close to Hannah. Hannah, I know this will go against your programming, but if things go bad, evacuate one or two people and do not try to fight. Better you live and save two than you try to be a hero, die, and leave us all ripe for the picking."

She then took a deep breath and opened the door to the outside.

[Dandragon]

And that was the last of the first fifteen. But the survivors still weren't safe. So Elaine still had much work to do. But before she could move in, the three remaining Heracles blocked the path to the colonists while attacking the group. Elaine was still in the far back, almost as though they had purposefully placed her there, to stop her from doing anything they didn't like. She looked at her ammo count. Her rifle was at half the ammo capacity, but her beam rifle was still full of shots left. Was now the time? Could she break through them and get to the building? Maybe...Maybe...