Arath didn't bother with the specifics in formation. Blasting away at the rocks would let the troops figure out their ranges on their own at which point, they could continue in proper alignment. He himself contributed all the firepower from his railgun to take down the boulders.

"Pew pew pew pew!" Becky added her firepower to the commander's attack on the rocks blocking the tunnel. With her MARMAR she could probably have cleared all three tunnels silently by melting the boulders with concentrated laser fire, but it wasn't like anyone had asked her to. Besides, it would have been boring.

Isra's group cleared the boulders relatively quickly. It was obvious from the start that this debris was newer as the Aces approached - They were burned and shattered harshly, clouds of ash rising from the rocks as they were pulled away, and the tunnel above, once it was visible, was scorched, charred and melted from what was unmistakably a plasma bomb; this has been a controlled collapse, and recently too. The tunnel ahead was man-made and narrowed quickly, until only two of them would be able to walk abreast inside it. It also curved southward a short ways away, instead of continuing west - which, if your map was correct, was likely because the enormous fissure that the colony had been built alongside was in that direction.

In contrast, however, Arath's group blasted away. This went much quicker, the stones blasting and melting under the barrage of fire. Loud blasts and echoes of gunfire could be heard throughout the tunnels, echoing through the rock and toxic atmosphere. This, however, was drowned out by a loud crack, followed by the eastward tunnel collapsing inward. The Aces would barely be able to escape in time, many being struck by smaller pieces of debris. As the dust settled it would be obvious that all they had accomplished was making the hole slightly wider, as well as making a nice, big noise. Notably, the newly-collapsed rock above and around was wet - a water pocket had worn away at the stone and likely caused a natural collapse at some point in the past. Which almost certainly meant the tunnels beyond it were just as unstable - and just as certainly not where the enemy was.

Well, they knew you were coming now for sure, at least.

One tunnel remained untouched. Like the westward tunnel, its debris seemed newer than the natural collapse had been...

• Arath's flight takes 5-10 damage each.
• The enemy is alerted to your presence.

edited 6th Aug '14 11:43:07 AM by Hydrall

The crashing noise could be heard throughout the cave, and dust went flying everywhere. Graham frantically checked for enemies, but couldn't detect any. "A surprise attack!?"

"It's the rocks, they're alive!"

"The rocks are ali—are you kidding me!?" Graham sighed, not sure whether he should be relieved to discover it probably wasn't an attack, or be annoyed by her tomfoolery.

"Arath, get to the southern passage and work on clearing it; quietly this time. We're going to cover our passage; they must have heard us by now," Isra said as she took front.

She was still nervous but her voice gave an air of command which emerge most clearly when she was under pressure.

...

"Only one way to find out, " Isra replied as she continued her trudge forward, weighing tactics and space in her mind, "Keep close and follow me, Mac Donald."

Isra felt an odd sense of Déjà vu, as if this had happened before but washed away by some temporal paradox, leaving only a fleeting memory. It was a fascinating thought, at least the thoughts on Memory and the old Philosophies of the Egyptians, but it passed in moments. Still, she was glad that the formations had already been cleared up as she took lead.

"Damn it, guys," Angus grumbled as he picked himself out of the rubble and holstered his rifle. "Bet this'll be everyone's fault but Arath's, too."

Flipping on his comm channel, he said, "Hang on guys, I've gotcha."

He drew his repair gun and got to work, starting with Becky, who was closest.

The pitch-black tunnels didn't stretch on for long - they appeared to be simply a service tunnel, with openings here and there that held enormous, man-sized pipelines that must have carried materials of some kind in the past - perhaps water, for atmosphere? But it wasn't long before the Aces would see a widening of the passages ahead, and would emerge into a much, much larger cavern.

It had been one of the larger sections of the colony, before its abandonment, and still a number of the smaller domes still stood - its larger structurs, however, had collapsed into a maze of ruined walls and debris. In two places the roof had caved in, forming new pillars that blocked the aces' view of the area. Enemies could be hiding anywhere... But fortunately, they made the first move.

A barrage of beam bolts lanced out from the wreckage ahead, a pair of heavy frames poking their weapons out from the ruins and sending inaccurate fire your way. Fortunately, not a shot landed - yet. The aces would have time to scramble for cover. A total of five could be seen so far, but other shapes that could potentially be opponents could be glimpsed in the shadows... But if they were lurking frames or simply debris, it was impossible yet to tell.

MISSION START!

• Map with names◊

The orange walls are partial cover. They will protect you somewhat from enemy attacks, while also allowing you to shoot back at your opponents. The grey walls (and cavern walls) are full cover. These will not allow you to fire unless bordering an empty space or partial cover, but prevent the enemy from returning fire. Be warned, peeking out from behind full cover to fire will leave you able to be shot again, and no cover is invulnerable...

"Arath," Isra said, "I want your team to split off; try the southern pipe. I want to see where that leads; I'm worried that we might get flanked otherwise or have another group of enemies escape."

"The rest of you, advance," Isra commanded, "I can throw down cover, but unless the lights make it to cover, we're still going to be slogging through heavy fire."

"Sunrise, take point on the Western flank. The rest of you, advance; further orders pending."

• Two squares down.
• Shield Up.

edited 11th Aug '14 7:04:23 PM by Fauxlosophe

"Yessir, moving out. If necessary, my shields might provide additional cover." His Frame moved forward, momentarily waiting behind Lilith. He would first need to find more maneuvering room before he could deliver on that promise, however. "That is to say, if I actually end up in front of anyone."

"You'll make it out in due time, with luck, it'll be in just enough time to know where you are needed most," Isra replied, "I'll hold down the front but soon, we'll be returning fire. For now, safe positioning takes priority."

— Christine Hepner —

Christine clicked her tongue in frustration.

"I'm going to go check out the easternmost bogey, Dark Angel, can you come with?" Christine said, maneuvering herself past the large frames in front, and heading towards the rock column around which something was hiding.

((South 5, East 3))

edited 13th Aug '14 7:12:24 PM by zzzdragon

"Sure." James replied, likewise moving around the obstructive heavy frames, weapon raised as soon as his lost their protection in preparation of an ambush.

South 4, East 4

"♫ Drivin' a tank, I'm drivin' a tank. It's not a see vee dubble-ya, but it's a tank. And I've got stupid bullshit cancer risks to thank, for takin' 'way my baby, but now I've got this tank , ♫" Lilith sang to herself as she manipulated the controls, moving through the narrow corridor out into the larger engagement area. Once she was out, she took a deep breath of recycled air, glad to finally be out of that horrifyingly claustrophobic tunnel.

"Taking point, bosslady," she responded over the radio with a nod.

• AP 1: Down 2 tiles (Or is it four? Whatever. Full down).
• AP 2: Move left one tile (after going down, so she doesn't slam into the wall).

Angus finished his team's repairs by fusing the crack in his left shoulder guard shut and wiped his brow symbolically. From the sounds of the other flight's radio chatter, things would be heating up for his flight soon, and he tapped a button on his HUD. A small rectangle popped up unobtrusively at the bottom left corner of the screen, followed shortly by the first song on his combat playlist.

"Everybody get up, it's time to slam now. We got a real jam goin' down," he sang along under his breath as the music filled his cockpit and some long-dead and forgotten artist started spinning his beats. Angus took a moment to double check that the player was set up to automute whenever he used the comm, and muttered, "I love classical," with a soft smile.

Opening up his commline and hearing the expected drop in music volume he said, "Hey, I'm gonna try and set up some cover while you guys clear the tunnel." Rolling some of the larger remaining rocks from the other dispersed debris piles together and using his foamgun to fuse them, he started constructing rough, waist-high barricades in front of the still-blocked tunnel. He purposely kept them more-or-less straight so they could be rolled forward once the tunnel was clear.

TURN ONE

OOC: For those who did not state their actions, I moved for you.

• Map with names◊
• Map without names◊

The Aces dove for cover, more or less - quickly clearing their way out of the confining space of the tunnel. However, now they were in the open - and obvious targets for the enemy to fire upon. Fortunately, they were surrounded by ample cover... It was just a matter of making use of it.

Their advance gave them a clearer look at the battlefield - In particular, two of the objects that had been detected had turned out to be Frames. A Clarent, spotting the aces approaching, ducked around behind the pillar it had been crouched beneath, but there was no escaping notice now. Deeper into the cavern, the distinct silhouete of an Aegis's nanite generator was briefly visible, the Frames' computers logging it even if it was too brief of a glimpse for their pilots.

That made seven enemies so far. Hopefully Arath's flight would get in here soon...

The enemy opened fire again, a barrage of beamer fire

• Albatross A1 fires its Autobeamer towards Sunrise! (Bonuses: | Penalties: Out of Range -2) [9, 10] Two shots hit, dealing a total of 15 damage! (235 remaining)
  • It fires again at Theia! The shots hit the shield. (Bonuses: | Penalties: Out of Range -2) [5, 5, 9, 10) It deals a total of 27 damage! (48 remaining shield strength)
    • Its Autobeamer is out of ammo.
• Albatross A2 fires its 300EV-OMG Beam Cannon at Theia! The shot hits the shield. (Bonuses: | Penalties: Out of Range -2) [6] It deals 35 damage to the shield! (13 shield strength remaining)
• Clarent A4 fires its Kinder at Theia twice! The shot hits the shield. (Bonuses: | Penalties: Out of Range -1) [7, 9] The shield generator is overloaded by the sustained fire, and overloads with a crackle of sparks and smoke! It will be disabled for one turn while it recovers.
  • Its weapon is not out of ammo, but it reloads.
• Clarent A5 hefts a launcher and fires a missile at Brick! It is still traveling.
• Clarent A6 moves around cover.
• Aegis A7 tries to look inconspicuous.
• Niot A8 reloads their weapon with nanite rounds.
  • Niot A8 takes aim and fires at Theia! (Bonuses: Aiming +4| Penalties: ) [5] The shot barely hits, but it does - Theia takes 10 damage and is now infected!

Crim's flight quickly breaks through the remaining barriers, and the tunnel is quite similar to the one Isra had proceeded down - narrow, and quickly turning west as well. It undoubtedly leads to the same place... And as they emerge from the tunnel they find that this is exactly the case. They're on the east wall of the cavern, near a cluster of intact buildings - plenty of cover, and an excellent flanking opportunity... If they're careful.

Reinforcements have arrived!

Their new perspective reveals a hidden enemy! A spitfire in the southwest of the cave! It appears to be falling back.

• Flight One
  • Theia (240/250) / Shields Disabled, Infected!
  • Wolf Pup (150/150) /
  • Sunrise (235/250) /
  • Brick (250/250) /
  • Dark Angel (150/150) / In Partial Cover
  • Valkyrie (250/250) /
• Flight Two
  • Crim (250/250) /
  • Dr. Snipes (200/200) /
  • Tachyon (150/150) / In Full Cover
  • Circus (150/150) /
  • Rodeo (200/200) /
  • Rocketgirl (150/150) /

• Enemy Unit
  • Albatross A1 (250/250) / In Partial Cover
  • Albatross A2 (250/250) / In Partial Cover
  • Clarent A4 (200/200) / In Partial Cover
  • Clarent A5 (200/200) / In Partial Cover
  • Clarent A6 (200/200) / In Full Cover, Flanked!
  • Aegis A7 (200/200) / In Full Cover
  • Niot A8 (200/200) / In Partial Cover
  • Spitfire A10 (150/150) / Falling Back

Graham quietly cursed. It looked as if they ran right into an ambush. How did he not notice their presence until now? But right now, there was no time to think about it, since they were already drawing fire. "Ugh, this is bad...commander, permission to engage?"

"Oh look, bad guys." Becky announced as her only indication of joining the fight. Maybe Arath had gotten reluctant to bellow out his orders after the cave-in earlier, but she was certain there wouldn't be a reprimand for blowing up Centauri frames. Moving into a good position behind a wall, she opened fire on the nearest Clarent, who looked to be separated from the rest of the group.

Dodge Booster Move Left 1, 1 AP Move Up 2, 3 AP Fire on A6 with Mar Mar!

edited 18th Aug '14 12:37:20 PM by Satinel

"Brick, we need you to lay down your shields once the shots are fired. Wolf-pup, take down that missle. Sunrise and I will head to cover and return fire; focus on the Clarent and move along from there."

That that, she continued her treck forward, hobbling ahead as heavy frames do, laying into the Clarent as she goes.

• AP 1: 2 down.
• AP 2: Deluge; Fire 1 Shot Missle, the rest at the Clarent.

edited 25th Aug '14 11:10:50 AM by Fauxlosophe

"Aw man, nobody said they'd be shooting back!" Lilith shouted, absolutely overjoyed at this new turn of events. "Well, I'm sick of cowering behind walls! Eat lead, you son-of-a-whore!" Squealing with delight as her KRAG began pointing itself towards the unlucky Knight, she began inputting her commands.

• AP 1: 1 Down
• AP 2: Return fire on the Clarent A5 (KRAG)

edited 19th Aug '14 9:57:53 AM by renathearchmage

— Christine Hepner —

Rocket Girl was moving to engage the unknown, now appearing as a Clarent on Christine's HUD. This was an opportunity not to be wasted.

"Focus fire on the Clarent, bring him down before he can retaliate," Christine called over the channel. After she finished speaking, Christine opened her throttle to maximum and red-lined her frame's rocket motor. Extra cooling radiators extended out the back as the nozzles adjusted for the increased propellant stream as Christine and her Frame raced ahead into a position from which she could fire.

((3AP -> Full speed move 9 East; 1 AP fire on Clarent A5))

"We should probably swing south and flank the group behin—" Angus started, and was promptly interrupted by Becky flying straight into the middle of the cavern.

"Well, it was a god plan while it lasted," he said, shaking his head as he drew his rifle and headed for a good sniping vantage.

Angus down 4 left 1, swap foamgun for MFR-S.

"Got it. Anyone in particular I gotta cover?"

• Activate shield generator

OOC players have been moved accordingly. Generally.

Turn 2

• Map with names◊
• Map without names◊

• Rocketgirl fires three times at Clarent A6 with her MARMAR! (Bonuses: | Penalties: ) [3, 6, 11] She deals a total of 33 damage! (167 remaining)
  • Her MARMAR overheats! Its heatsink needs to be replaced.
• Theia fires one attack from her Deluge at Clarent A5's missile! (Bonuses: | Penalties: ) She misses.
  • Theia unloads the rest of her ammo on Clarent A5! (Bonuses: | Penalties: In Partial Cover -2) [7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10] She deals 31 damage in total! (169 remaining)
    • Her weapon is out of ammo.
• Valkyire fires at Clarent A5's missile with her SURI-9! By a stroke of luck it impacts, the two rockets both blowing apart in mid-air! The missile in particular bursts into a crackling, neon-green and blue cloud of particles that seem to cling to the stone it touches, quickly melting it into glowing slag... Plasma missiles!
  • Her SURI-9 has 4 shots remaining.
• Sunrise fires her KRAG at Clarent A6! (Bonuses: | Penalties: In Partial Cover -2) [10] She deals 45 damage in total! (124 remaining)
  • Her KRAG has 5 shots remaining.
• Wolf Pup fires her Storm at Clarent A5! (Bonuses: | Penalties: ) [9, 11] She hits twice, dealing a total of 16 damage! (151 remaining)
  • Her Storm has 6 shots remaining.
• Dark Angel joins Wolf Pup and fires his LFR-A at Clarent A5 twice! (Bonuses: | Penalties: ) [6, 12] He hits twice, dealing a total of 46 damage! (105 remaining)
  • His LFR-A has two shots remaining.
• Dr. Snipes prepares to administer some bitter medicine.
• Brick activates his shield generator! Sunrise is forced to take a step back or get shoved away.

As Brick raised his shield, it was obvious that the enemy's focus turned to him - evidentally these were slightly better trained than drones, at least. It seemed their intention was to focus fire on one at a time, whittling you down... But they seemed unwilling to move. Perhaps that was an opening.

• Albatross A1 reloads its Autobeamer, firing at Brick! Its shots hit his shield. (Bonuses: | Penalties: Out of Range -1) [8, 8, 10, 11] It hits four times, dealing a total of 30 damage to the shield! (45 shield strength remaining).
  • Its Autobeamer has 5 shots remaining.
• Albatross A2 fires its Beam Cannon twice at Brick! It hits the shield. (Bonuses: Penalties: Out of range -2) [10] It hits once, dealing a total of fifty damage to the shield! Brick's shield goes down under the strain!
  • Its beam cannon is out of ammo.
• Clarent A4 fires its Kinder at Theia twice! (Bonuses: | Penalties: Out of range -2] It misses all four shots. Rather sad.
• Clarent A5 reloads their launcher and starts to fall back.
• Clarent A6 is falling back!
• Niot A8 takes aim and fires at Brick! (Bonuses: Advanced Aim +4 | Penalties: ) [12] Direct hit! They deal 45 damage! Brick is infected! (205 remaining)
  • Their Longshot is out of ammo. They reload with normal rounds.
• Spitfire A10 has vanished from sight again...

• Theia takes ten damage from infection. Her shields finish their repairs!
• Brick takes ten damage from infection.

• Flight One
  • Theia (230/250) / In Partial Cover, Infected!
  • Wolf Pup (150/150) /
  • Sunrise (235/250) /
  • Brick (195/250) / Shields Disabled, Infected!
  • Dark Angel (150/150) / In Partial Cover
  • Valkyrie (250/250) / In Partial Cover
• Flight Two
  • Crim (250/250) / In Full Cover
  • Dr. Snipes (200/200) / In Full Cover
  • Tachyon (150/150) / In Full Cover
  • Circus (150/150) /
  • Rodeo (200/200) /
  • Rocketgirl (150/150) / In Full Cover

• Enemy Unit
  • Albatross A1 (250/250) / In Partial Cover
  • Albatross A2 (250/250) / In Partial Cover
  • Clarent A4 (200/200) / In Partial Cover
  • Clarent A5 (124/200) / In Partial Cover
  • Clarent A6 (105/200) / Falling Back
  • Aegis A7 (200/200) / In Full Cover
  • Niot A8 (200/200) / In Partial Cover
  • Spitfire A10 (150/150) / Falling Back