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Post by Galadare on Jul 18, 2007 19:26:02 GMT -5
Beamer: You are on your way to the hangar when the alarm sounds and the comm blares: "All pilots to battle stations! Repeat, all pilots to battle stations!"
You enter the hangar to find all your second chancers suited up and climbing into their machines. Technicians scurry across the room making last minute adjustments to the vehicles and arming weapons systems.
One of the other machines in the hangar lifts itself off its mounts and turns to look at you. "Where have you been?" Tanaka's voice blares over it's loud speakers, "Never mind. Your machine is primed and ready to go. Turns out that there are about a thousand of your little fish out there. Two dozen of which are headed for various locations along the gulf coast. We're to join the fourth and fifth platoons of Bravo Company at Matagorda Bay to prevent these guppies of yours from forming a beachhead at Corpus Christi. Intel expects about six of these fish to make landfall there.
"One more thing," he sighs, "Apparently, Hunter Andrews, you're in charge once we get there. So you better make sure you know what your doing before we get there. I'll give you additional information on route.
HAYAKU! The transport's waiting"
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Post by Beamer on Jul 30, 2007 11:03:51 GMT -5
Beamer looks up a Tanaka, smirks,and jumps into Bitty. "Hello honey. You still speaking Russian love?"
He waits for her answer.
1. if she says yes or speaks Russian still he laughs and asks into the com system toward Tanaka, "Love, get yourself fixed and buy me a dictionary to understand you."
2. if she is speaking Skadi or English he will say, "Welcome back lover." into his com system toward Tanaka.
He will immediately ask Tanaka, "I need the details of the squads that will be at the rendezvous for us. As well what are the mechs that our boys are in? Models numbers will be sufficient, and did that goo scraped from Bitty ever get analyzed?"
He hopes that the Spaniard remembered to get some small body armor mechs for the job. This will be a very hard fight if he didn't follow Beamer's request.
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Post by Galadare on Aug 15, 2007 17:34:04 GMT -5
Bitty's speaking Skadian again, though she seems to have a slight accent.
Tanaka ignores your comment and begins briefing you as you board the transport.
"We're meeting up with Bravo and Charlie squadrons, as well as and Fox company of the fifth armored infantry, giving you a total of 45 mechs and 150 pairs of boots on the ground. They've all been loaded for bear.
"In addition, we'll have three armored mech squadrons holding each of our flanks with a like amount of infantry, just in case these guppies of yours try to give us the slip."
The last of the Mechs locks itself down and the transport lurches skyward. Tanaka continues though it's acceleration:
"As for the goo you recovered, the boys in the lab say it contains several kinds of microbes that they suspect are some form of larvae. Furthermore, the information Miss Dubois recovered as well as the data from her flight recorder has Intel convinced that these fish were engineered as some kind of delivery system.
"Our orders are to destroy the fish while limiting the spread of the cargo. The word is that much of it is composed of dozens of smaller nasties. Those are the infantry's job. In the mean time, we're supposed to take down the fish and anything else that may be too big for the infantry to handle.
"Each mechanized squadron is composed of thirteen AM-76's and a pair of TA-30's for close-in work. The infantry is arranged in 5 platoons of 30. Each of which is 3 ten-man squads. 8 GIs and 2 specialists.
I'm sending your girlfriend more detailed information on our mecha capabilities. Any questions?"
As Tanaka says this Bitty notifies you of the incoming data-stream. She chimes the upload's completion as the com blares: "Attention all pilots: 60 seconds to deployment zone. Prepare for drop. Repeat, prepare for drop."
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Post by Galadare on Sept 19, 2007 12:25:45 GMT -5
By way of clarification:
There should be two stat sheets in that file I sent you. One is the AM-76 "Ape". It represents 30 of the machines at your disposal (one of which is piloted by Tanaka). The other is the TA-30F "Zippo", you have six of those.
Those are your standard forces. In addition, you have your convict pilots, which Tanaka has taken the liberty of assigning to machines (based largely on prior combat experience). These assignments are as follows:
Batista, Facer, Taylor, and Willden are piloting apes, while Kendall's service record makes her best suited for a zippo. Garrett and Giuliano are flying zippos despite their long experience in an ape's cockpit.
Tanaka doesn't elaborate on his choices, but it seems reasonable that the zippo's lighter armor and inferior anti-vehicle capabilities would make the pair easier to manage if they went maverick during the fight. In fact, you get the impression that all of your red-list pilots would be flying TA-30s if there were more available.
This brings your total forces to 34 AM-76s, 9 TA-30s and 1 Bitty; plus infantry support.
[EDIT: The number of TA-30s mentioned in the email version is inaccurate. The correct figure is nine.]
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Post by Galadare on Sept 19, 2007 12:41:05 GMT -5
I forgot half of my previous post.
Essentially, the "Apes" (with their armor-piercing gauss rifles and AV rockets) are designed for anti-vehicle combat at range while the "Zippos" (flamethrowers and heavy machine-guns) are primarily for anti-infantry support.
Also, apparently my numbers in the previous post are still wrong. You REALLY have 43 AM-76 Apes and 9 TA-30F Zippos.
You also have 39 Apes and 6 Zippos on either flank, ready to back you up if need be but they wont be deployed within your immediate vicinity so it'll take time for them to respond.
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Post by Beamer on Sept 20, 2007 14:35:23 GMT -5
Beamer calls back over the com link, "Tanaka. Please send me the frequencies to contact the captains on the other Flanks. I would like to get them positioned now to prevent any slip up." He glances at the incoming message. "I take it Miss Debois didn't want to come out with us this time?"
He looks over the transmission and chuckles, "Well Bitty, out of the pan... right babe."
[Edit: Galadare] The following is excerpted from a PM Beamer sent me but really belongs here:
[End Edit: Galadare]
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Post by Galadare on Sept 22, 2007 17:06:46 GMT -5
Here's a map of the Matagorda Bay area near Corpus Christi. Just follow the coast north-east. The area was reclaimed as a wildlife refuge and appended to Matagorda Island State Park nearly 300 years ago. The bay is sheltered by Matagorda Peninsula and an artificial seawall was constructed about 50 miles further out to sea to protect the area from rising sea levels. The continental shelf ends about 40 miles further out. The area is largely wetland, dominated by swamps and lakes, With the exception of Bitty (who can fly) your infantry and mechs will have difficulty maneuvering through some of the terrain but Tanaka assures you that it shouldn't be too much of a problem if you can keep your units moving. Otherwise the machines (the heavier Apes in particular) could bog down in certain areas. The only significant cover in the area is vegetation (which is abundant to the point of becoming a nuisance for your machines). As for your metal blade, the technicians dig up an old PR-5 "grinder"; a truly wicked device that resembles a diamond-toothed chainsaw as much as a sword. The "hand held" device fits Bitty's left hand well enough that their shouldn't be any loss in functionality.
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Post by Beamer on Oct 2, 2007 14:00:46 GMT -5
Beamer looks over the ocean and requests an update on what the orbiting patrols will do for any teams that request backup. Looking over the map he has a small team hover above the opening in the south end at the tip of the Matagorda Peninsula in case any of them decide to take the easier path as opposed to jumping the land. As well he requests a map of the local barrier reefs and continental shelf.
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Post by Galadare on Oct 8, 2007 11:45:07 GMT -5
The controller you speak with at fleet command says that they will provide fire-support when possible, but their orders are to make initial strikes incoming targets and to prioritize the defense of sections of coastline that are not covered by ground-based contingents. (They'll do what they can but aren't making any promises.)
As if to emphasize the point, a hail of bright flashes rain from the heavens and explode in the ocean, filling the horizon with thick clouds of steam. One blast strays too close to the sea-wall and cracks it. The damaged section buckles under the weight of the ocean and gives way, causing a chain collapse that leaves a hole nearly a mile long though which the ocean surges.
The orbital blasts cease as quickly as they begin. Your comm cackles to life again and a different controller informs you that you have two incoming, one of which is possibly damaged. She also tells you that they cannot continue orbital fire without endangering your men. A few choice words later, she wonders where they're all coming from and the transmission ends.
A second later you see the two guppies surfing in on the 200 foot wave caused by the collapse of the sea-wall. Their massive bodies flatten to make the most of the ocean swell and their skins change color to bold patterns of black, red and yellow that remind you of an aggressive species of reptile you once encountered on New Caanan.
[OOC: Enough nonsense! Its GO time!]
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Post by Beamer on Oct 9, 2007 16:54:58 GMT -5
[ooc: What is the Sea Wall?]
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