Imminent Dawn: Callisto

[Ursali]

Well, well, well... It seemed as though the senior office shared in his sentiment. "Aye, sir. Hopefully this mission is another building block on the cornerstone of peace." He didn't have the Lieutenant Commander's experience to further comment on what the future held in store for the crew and the ship, but that scowl did get him thinking. It doesn't make sense, sending such a green crew to act as diplomats. The newtypes, Leon, and Bonner I could see, but everyone else, myself included, don't have the experience for what we might run into... 

---

Even if it was just a simulation everyone, for the most part, was really getting into it. Louise fancied herself a junior commander, with good advice to boot, Kazue was a completely different person, Scylla as well, and everyone else... Well, they were about what he expected from how they'd behaved at the meeting. "Going 10 o'clock sharp, sir." Things to take note of for sure, but what he really wanted to know was how they all fought.

Daeran to 22, 5.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

It seemed like everyone had made their moves forward. Fortunately, there were not enemies directly north of them, so the group could stay fairly compact until the enemy was in range. The group in most immediate danger of attack was going to be Louise's group following after Kazue. "Helmsman, if you would, have the Dawn follow closely after Junior Lieutenant Park. That will keep us close, and allow us a grasp on the full scope of the battle. We can adjust as we engage."

The enemies were in groups of three, so perhaps they could handle them in waves, but for now, Kazue was going to be in the thick of it, and so, that was going to be where she and the Dawn were needed. 

Sia moves to 21, 4! 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds

[mcd900]

The helmsman, a bright-eyed Ensign, eagerly straightened up in his seat. "Aye, ma'am! Dawn moving to flank speed to support."

Alrenne winced, watching Kazue's blip dart ahead of the rest of the formation. Bah. When I set this exercise up to determine... incompatibilities... I didn't anticipate them revealing themselves quite so soon. He typed notes furiously into his personal terminal.

The hologlobe on the bridge flickered as the simulation fighters advanced on the pilots of the Dawn, the distant fighters remaining in formation while the nearer ones dove into a dogfight, two letting loose missiles at Kazue's HEX, a third taking a potshot at Louise's from just outside of her range.

Satyr 1 lets loose with a Long-Range Missile... 74! ...but fails to get a good lock on Kazue!

Satyr 2 turns outwards, firing a missile! 40! The missile explodes on Kazue's left side, sending shrapnel into her armor!

Satyr 3 moves to zoom past Kazue, firing one at Louise! 81! It flies wide, hunting some distant heat signature!

The rest of the fighters advance!

Turn 2 begins!

[Nanami Touko]

"Kh!" Kazue took the hit in stride, defending against it as best as she could... She'd made sure her machine was equipped for maximum mobility rather than stability. Still, she was able to move, which meant she was able to fight!

"一拳必殺!!" Still on open frequency, Kazue charged towards one of the Satyrs, ducking between the asteroid and machine debris of the simulation, aiming for a killing blow!

Kazue to 12,4, Heavy Metal Sword into Satyr #4!

"Damn hot head," Louise muttered to herself. She'd deftly dodged the first incoming strike, ignoring Kazue for the moment and smirking at her own prowess. "Let's see... I suppose the first target works best~"

Louise pulls out the beam sniper and fires on Satyr #3!

"Bye bye~"

Then hit and away's to 20,7!

"Time to provide cover fire..."

[scorri]

18-5, autorifle Satyr 3 if still alive

Iskra pushed forward, following behind Kazue. She couldn't quite reach as far as the other woman could, so she settled for the target Louise had attacked. Hopefully between the two of them, they would do some damage.

[Xinnidy]

"Ensi--" Bonner took a deep breath as he witnessed the ensign go further in, revving his HEX's engine. "Haaah... oh dear, here we go." Mumbling to himself, his HEX flew towards the debris, unable to catch up with the ensign's own Hex. Credit to her that she can keep up with that machine, I suppose.

Bonner to (14,3), autorifle Satyr #3.

---

Man, what is going on out there... Esther could feel Kazue's passion from her position... and it was pretty exhausting. She wouldn't guess this type of personality switch from that woman. 

But that was enough of that, she had planes to shoot down. Unfortunately, they were still not in engaging range, just her luck from starting further back, but she was sure to get her good score and show Louise.

Esther to (21,8), stay, Experimental High Track Missile Pod on standby.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Xinnidy

[TheRoon]

Kazue getting fired up really lit one in Leon, he enjoyed a good fight, even moreso when his team is into it too. "You're doing great, Kazue! I like your style! I'll be there to back you up soon." Sadly, Leon's chosen loadout made limited his movement. He couldn't join Kazue's rampage just yet. "Until then be patient..."

Leon moves to 18, 6

[GoldsbroTSG]

Markus kept a mental note to himself of who was following him. He wasn't able to focus his shot too well. He needed to get in close. "Watch my back, I need to get closer." He spoke to whoever was following him. He got ready to dodge plenty of attacks.

Markus to 21,11

[MRDRHAWK]

“Gh… the name’s Scylla, you…!” Wait, had she even introduced herself? Shit, whatever. She was mildly annoyed that the fighter guy hadn’t bothered to remember her name, but she might not have said it to him directly. Still, she was watching his back, so…

Scylla to (21,10)

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Kazue took a hit to her machine, but it didn't deter her in the slightest. She continued her charge, engaging one of the more distant machines. Keeping up with her was going to be difficult, but she was holding her own. Sia quickly scribbled down notes as quickly as her hand would allow. Kazue's shift in personality, Louise's understanding of command, and subsequent nonchalance; something told Sia that this exercise was going to tell her much more than she'd planned for. 

All of the attackers were out of range of the Dawn's main cannons, and moving the Dawn into the fray wasn't on Sia's list of things to do; exercise or no, the lives of those on the Dawn were of the utmost priority. "Cover Ensign Fujimaru's position, and Lieutenant Commander's advance with the range of the main gun." The others started a bit further back, but both sides were approaching rapidly. Just do this as you know how, you've done this before just not with the title as Captain. This is as much as test for you as it is for them, so don't give a bad showing. A team can only ever be as good as their captain is at supporting them.

Sia moves to 17, 4! 

 

[Ursali]

Kazue was still rushing ahead of everyone, not even the Lieutenant Commander could keep up with her speed. It was truly impressive how hard she was able to push her machine, despite technically being a civilian and this being a simulation. Though with those hits she was taking it was very possible she had overextended herself. Bonner made quick work of the damaged fighter that Louise and Iskra had tag-teamed so all that was left was to advance to try and cover Kazue.

17, 5 Autorifle ready.

[mcd900]

Kazue's attack! [67 - hit] [29 - no crit] 14 damage to Satyr 4.
Satyr 4 switches to cannons and counters! [29 - miss]. 10 XP to Kazue.

Louise's snipe! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [67 - no crit]. 11 damage to Satyr 3.
Satyr 3 counters with a missile! [33 - hit] [42 - no crit]. 5 damage to Louise. 10 XP to Louise.

Iskra fires on Satyr 3! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [30 - no crit]. 6 damage to Satyr 3.
Satyr 3's missile counter. [99 - miss] It flies wide! 10 XP to Kazue. 

Bonner fires on the badly damaged fighter! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [21 - crit] 36 damage to Satyr 3, Satyr 3 down! 4 XP to Bonner.

Enemy Phase 2

Javelin 4 closes in with guns! [22 - hit] [95 - no crit] 9 dmg to Markus. 1 XP to Markus.
Javelin 6 lets a missile fly! [70 - miss] It flies off somewhere. 1 XP to Scylla.
Javelin 5 pops a swarm pod and lets it fly! [38 - miss] Esther narrowly evades them all! 1 XP to Esther.
Satyr 6 lets a long-range missile go... [19 - hit] ...and it lands! [84 - no crit] 2 damage to Leon. 1 XP to Leon.

Satyr 5 fires guns at Daeran! [42 - hit] the rounds penetrate the armor, [99 - no crit] but hit him in a non-critical area. 5 damage to Daeran.
Daeran counters! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [77 - no crit] The explosive shotgun shell blasts the fighter's wing! 12 damage to Satyr 5. 10 XP to Daeran.

Satyr 1 closes in on Bonner... [8 - hit] and every round finds its mark! [91 - no crit] Bonner's defensive capabilities are too good, however. 0 damage!
Bonner switches to the cables! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [25 - crit!] The cables do a little more than slow down Satyr 1, as it explodes. 21 damage to Satyr 1! 4 XP to Bonner. 

Satyr 2, fox 2! [61 - miss] Whiff. 1 XP to Kazue.

Satyr 4, guns! [78 - miss] It hits the asteroid instead of of Kazue!
Kazue swings back with her plasma saber! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [96 - no crit] 10 dmg - Satyr 4, destroyed! 30 XP to Kazue.

 

"All hands, we have reason to believe there are additional enemies in the area. Be wary of an ambush as you move to secure the area around the colonies."

Player Phase 3!

Edited May 4, 2023 by mcd900

[Nanami Touko]

Two more planes fired on Kazue and both missed, missiles colliding with rock, the bullets being swerved around as she charged towards it with her saber newly drawn!

"遅い!!" With a swift slice of the super heated plasma, the plane was cut in half, Kazue's thrusters charging past towards a new target!

"十年 早いん だ よ!!"

Kazue to 12,8, heavy metal sword Satyr #6!

Louise could still hear the Ensign going off on comms, sounding like something out of a movie. "Is she serious...?" Louise rolled her eyes... but she didn't say anything on comms, keeping herself muted. Kazue was performing, even if her tactics were abhorrent. "Right... Let's check the range on this~"

Louise sit still, fire Beam Sniper Rifle (Prototype) on Javeline #3!

[TheRoon]

When the Satyr fired off its missile and made impact with Leon he raised the mech's arms and took it head on. "...heh, finally." He couldn't help but grin after the impact. "Time to ROCK!" And off he went into the fray, he pulled out his shotgun and fired on the nearest Javelin.

Leon rushed to 18, 9 and fired his shotgun (explosive mode) at Javelin 1.

[Xinnidy]

"Haaah..." Bonner really didn't expect his patience to be tested this much, but he wasn't about to have a failed first mission due to a rookie. No. She was getting support whether she thought about her position or not, and so he punched through, keeping his HEX's acceleration high.

Bonner to (13, 6), arrestor cable Satyr #6 if still alive, else autorifle Satyr #1.

---

Fighting an AI was jarring, having nothing to sense, but Esther could still count on her reflexes, barely swerving the volley of missiles. That could've been much worse. Need to stop that one. It seemed heavily loaded, so without a second though, Esther charged through it's blind spot, readying the stake driver mounted to her HEX.

Esther to (20,9), stake driver javelin #5.

[scorri]

Wire-guided cannons Javelin #1 if still alive, else autorifle Satyr #

[GoldsbroTSG]

"Tch," Markus had gotten hit by stray gunfire. "Underestimated its chances... Fine." He locked in, not towards who had hit him, but he had a plan to get himself in a better position. "One. Two. Three. Four..." He quietly spoke to himself as he focused, and fired his missile, immediately swinging to move to a new position.

Markus casts Focus and fires on Javelin #2 with a missile! H&A to 19,13!

[Mercenary on the Winds]

And so the battle really began. Kazue did as was expected, and unexpected, weaving her way through all fire, and cleaving her way through one of the satyrs. She was immediately onto her next target, and the lieutenant commander was right behind her, more than showing that his rank was not for show. The pair moved onto targeting a machine just out of the Dawn's range, but left two machines behind them. Hand scribbling down notes as she did--her time with the Celestial Ocean gave her plenty of practice at doing so on the fly. Kazue can be expected to be reckless, but her flying, and movements match certainly do match assessments. Will certainly need to explain flying in a unit. A quick glance down at the page to make sure that her hand was actually writing the words coming to mind, and quickly shut the notebook. 

"Prepare the main cannons, target the remaining Satyr to the south. As for other units! Focus efforts to the north, and keep an eye out for new threats! Ensign Fujimaru! If you're going to charge into the enemy, keep your machine below the nose of their systems; they'll have a much harder time targeting you." Sia had wanted to simply hold back, and allow the pilots to fly so that she could see what exactly she was dealing with, but the Ensign might require a little more direct approach. 

The Dawn remains put, and fires the main cannon at Satyr 2! Sia also casts Foresee on Kazue! 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds

[MRDRHAWK]

Scylla saw the missile fly by, and tried to move to dodge - if only she knew they had terrible aim. But now she was finally in the thick of things, and she quickly slammed play on her music playlist, the pounding rock driving her as she pulled out the massive sword on her HEX’s back, and swung down, hard.

Scylla to (21,11) and swing that Heavy Metal Sword down on Javelin 4

[Ursali]

"Heh. It's all about the give and take." And this Satyr had taken far more than it had given. Iskra had left the machine barely operational and no one else had turned it into simulated space dust so he was all to glad to finish was the AI had started.

15, 7 Finish Satyr 5 with the shotgun.

[mcd900]

Kazue swings twice at Satyr 6, taking two good chunks out of the hull as it struggles to come around! [88 - miss!] [53 - hit.] [84 - no crit.]. 15 damage to Satyr 6, 10 XP to Kazue.
Louise fires a beam at Javelin 3. Guaranteed hit. [12 - crit!] 39 damage to Javelin 3, taking it out of the action! 33 XP to Louise.
Leon closes in with the shotgun on Javelin 1. [30 - hit.] [12 - crit!] 27 damage to Javelin 1, as it goes up in smoke! 33 XP to Leon.
Bonner hits Satyr 6 with the cables. Guaranteed hit. [27 - crit!] 24 damage to Satyr 6, for some serious overkill. 4 XP to Bonner.
Esther lets the stake driver loose on Javelin 5. [45 - hit.] [20 - crit!] 30 damage to Javelin 5. AI noises from the EMP as it pops. 33 XP to Esther.
Iskra opens up on Satyr 5 with an autorifle. Guaranteed hit. [72 - no crit.] 9 damage to Satyr 5, leaving it on the cusp. 10 XP to Iskra.
Markus pulls some Gs as he lets a missile fly at Javelin 2. Guaranteed hit. [20 - no crit. (19 crit btw)] 10 damage to Javelin 2, as it can't get a lock back on him out of range. 10 XP to Markus.
Scylla lets it rip at Javelin 4! [64 - hit.] [50 - no crit.] [44 - no Luna proc.] There's a loud grinding sound as the blade cleaves Javelin 4 for 17 damage. Javelin 4 counters, guns blazing! [68 - hit.] [7 - crit!] Major damage, as Scylla takes 18 damage back! 10 XP to Scylla.
Sia commands the Dawn to fire its main cannon. [77 - hit.] [88 - no crit.] 16 damage to Satyr 2. 10 XP to Sia.
Daeran shotguns Satyr 5. Guaranteed hit. [37 - no crit.] 10 damage to Satyr 5 for shoot-down. 30 XP to Daeran.

Enemy Phase 3

Markus defends against the charging Javelin 6! [66 - miss] 1XP to Markus.
Satyr 2 slips past to attack the Dawn! [47 - hit] [5 - no crit] 7 damage to Sia! The Dawn's guns roar to life, shredding Satyr 2! Guaranteed hit. [34 - no crit] 9 damage to Satyr 2, destroying it! 30XP to Sia.
Scylla slips through the guns of Javelin 4! [43 - miss] 1XP to Scylla.

 

The Lieutenant Commander winced at the damage alarms flaring for Scylla's machine; digital though they were, the warnings were whining as insistently as if it were the real thing. Another hasty mark on the page...

The comms officer, Warrant Officer Reed, brushed her hair out of her eyes as she studied her console intently, pressing her hand against her earpiece and listening closely. "Captain! We've intercepted enemy communications. It sounds like enemies are launching from the colonies - relaying it now...!"

A synthesized voice played over the bridge's speakers. It was close to a human voice, but there was just enough of a mechanical nature to it that the simulation couldn't cover by garbling the audio. 

"< Hey, what do you guys think you're doing?! You haven't even got any weapons loaded on your fighters-- >"

"< Quit worryin'. We're the Lightning for a reason. And besides, we have the expert with us-- >"

Alrenne stifled a snort. Is that the best callsign they could come up with? That's a little cliche. I know they're engineers, not writers, but they can do a bit better than that...

Three fighters with a lightning bolt emblem take off from the southern colony, while 3 HEXes join the battle from the northern colony! The squad leader has some kind of insignia, but it's indistinct at this distance...

Player Phase 4!

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by mcd900

[Nanami Touko]

"そうさせはせないぞ!!" Turning her machine on a dime, Kazue boosted back into the fray, charging another plane!

"Damnit, Ensign, your machine isn't built for how you're treating it!" Louise was watching Kazue's HEX fall apart under its own motions as the woman drove it through space, pushing it past what it was meant to perform.

"Grrhn... Lt. Drachenheim, pull back! Taylor, cover her! Stewart, if you can still handle yourself, hold the line, else, pull back!" All the while through her orders to the rest of the squad, Louise was slamming buttons and menus on her machine's dashboard, configuring her rifle to fire at its minimum range...!

"If you won't take care of yourself, then I guess I'll have to!"

Louise sits, fire Beam Sniper Rifle on Javelin #2! Hit & Away to 17,7!

"え?" Mid charge, Kazue's target erupted in flame and crumpled under the fire of a squadmate. "ありがとう！ルイーズ!"

"Tch." Louise huffed. This pilot was turning out to be a real problem... She was good in close quarters, but was she living in the stone age? Close quarters with mobile suits!? "It doesn't matter how well you handle yourself in close combat if you blow up before you get there..." She huffed, turning her scanners to the new incoming enemies. "Fighters... Without missiles. Some serious hot heads in this program, huh...?"

Without a target to charge into, Kazue took a deep breath.

Kazue moves to 15,12 and waits

Edited May 4, 2023 by Nanami Touko

[scorri]

18-10, rifle Jav 4

Iskra sighed as the battleship was able to take out the easy target she'd hoped to have, instead leaving her with two options. Stay put and wait for enemies to approach, or jump into the middle of the mess of Javelins and take one of them out. Do your job, after you can hide. She swung her machine around, pushing past Leon to settle in for an easy shot on a badly damaged machine. Incoming units... I should be fine. Should be.

[MRDRHAWK]

“Gyaaaah!” The plane’s weapon ripped through the armour on Scylla’s HEX, and her confidence went with it. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…!” Okay, okay, no time to panic, this was just a sim… that, if she fucked up on hard enough, she’d probably be kicked out of the program, and Scylla was not doing that.

”Okay, fuck this, I’m getting the hell outta here… goddamn planes!” Scylla gritted out through gnashing teeth, flying directly south from her current spot. “Oi, Marky Mark! You’re on your own!”

Scylla to (21,6)

[GoldsbroTSG]

Markus had just barely dodged another attack from one of the Javelins. He gave a sigh, as he heard the calling off commands from comms along with the shouting from Kazue once again.

"Understood." Markus nodded, "I'll head back to the Dawn for repairs and resupply. Apologies," but he wouldn't go down without a fight.

Markus moves 17,9

Edited May 23, 2023 by GoldsbroTSG