Day 3 | Evening | Boom & Bust

[Efren Lanville]

[Group #3]

Efren looked over to Sinsei when she wasn't immediately responsive and saw the woman's look of stupefied horror. A feeling of affinity began welling up in him seeing her reaction to the damage. But when Efren and Sinsei walked through the stealth field and were shown what they had been missing, Efren's eyes opened wide.

"No wonder they got away..."

He looked over to Cuyler.

"I've never seen something like this."

[Cuyler Gray]

"Neither have I. But, whoever it belongs to will almost certainly come here soon.
And, they won't see us standing here."

[Kannon]

[Group #2]

Meanwhile, in the skies, the explosion rattled every craft in air. It took a moment for the one that had almost got Razar's to correct the flight path so as not to crash into the ground.

[Move to Medium altitude.]

Paul had regained control a bit earlier and was getting ahead, preparing to make a vertical U-turn to return. The hostile pilot saw the opportunity to use their trump card - guided missiles.

Dual Missile Shot. Medium.: 2eA+1eP+1eB+2eD 0 successes, 2 advantage


Paul's upward manoeuvre was all that separated him from a direct hit of both! They scraped just beneath and smashed into the mountain!

[Advantages for Setback on the Thopter]

When the battery returned fire on Bravo, they also missed by a narrow margin, Ambrose's last moment manoeuvring confusing the gunners on the ground!

Shooting at Bravo. Short. Shield and Advantage Setbacks.: 2eP+1eA+1eD+3eS 1 failure, 3 advantage


[Advantages for Setback on the Battery]

[Group #2 Turn!]

[Efren Lanville]

[Group #3]

"Neither have I. But, whoever it belongs to will almost certainly come here soon.
And, they won't see us standing here."

"That's a good plan." He looked out and back towards the lava tube. "We can see out but they can't see in..."

"Can we prevent it from taking off? Pull some cords... Just in case things happen."

[Cuyler Gray]

"I haven't taken a close look yet." she shrugged. "But, I can."

[Kannon]

[Group #3]

Sinsei 4.jpg (96.7 KiB) Viewed 1313 times

"This technology should not be allowed to exist in the Imperium." Sinsei said confidently after a shock-pause, addressing the fact of Cuyler's discovery from an entirely different standpoint.

Efren's curiosities needed more time to be checked.

[End of Round #3 for Group #3]

[Ambrose Pantazis]

GROUP #2

Tracers raced up from the battery, some missing, others deflecting off his shield. Ambrose held his course and opened fire again, determined to take it out, but pleased to have at least drawn it's attentions away from Paul.

His efforts were rewarded by the satisfying explosions that carpeted the stationary target, removing it from the battlefield.

The AA gun handled, Ambrose pulled back on the yoke, angling his thopter up to rejoin Paul. Spotting the second thopter that'd set its sights on them, Ambrose pushed his thopter, accelerating to intercept the enemy.

-----
Statement: "Keep calm and trust your training."
Action Gunnery attack with Fore explosive ordnance on battery.
Maneuver #1 Accelerate to 3
Maneuver #2 Move up to Medium of Paul and enemy thopter on Paul, Medium from ground.

D3, Evening, B&B, Round #3b Gunnery, Fore gun on Battery, SoT & Statement Upgrade: 2eP+2eA+1eD+1eS 4 successes, 1 advantage

10 Wounds (6 Damage + 4 Successes)
1 adv banked

Defenses: 5/2 (w/ Shield)
Soak: 3
Wounds: 0/14
Strain: 6/13

Thopter Bravo
Armor: 2
Hull Trauma: 0/8
System Strain: 3/10
Silhouette: 3
Speed: 4 (currently 3)
Shield: Deployed Fore

[Kannon]

[Group #2]

The battery burst up in flames and was no more, its operators scattered away by the blast as living torches. They joined the ranks of smouldering corpses the barra plantations were peppered with. The Atreides changed the valley into a death trap with only two ways out... lava tubes and the pass.

At the same time, mercs who had readied their manpads found themselves useless - all the Atreides targets were out of range. At least until the battle would return to lower altitudes. For now, they sought effective cover from being picked out. Not all of them chose optimal locations though, with fire spreading out...

Prepping for sneaky rocket launch. Stealth.: 2#3eA+2eD 1 success, 3 threat 1 success, 1 threat



[Manpad #1 will be firing with a Setback]

[End of Round 3 for Group #2]

[Kannon]

[Group 1, Martikova's Foxhole (Post-Explosion)]

Hadrian yelled after he recovered his breath from the explosion.

"Atreides! Take it ya bastards!"

Then taking in the battlefield he spotted the Merc near the eel. A grin formed on his face as he yelled. "Push up Bern, I'm gonna go help Lydia!" He then leapt out of the foxhole and rushed the two mercs at the ledge. Placing the eel between himself and the merc he took a firing position and sent a few rounds into Lydia's attackers.

Boom & Bust | Firing Carbine: 2eP+2eD 2 success, 3 threat, 1 Triumph



2 Maneuvers long to medium.
Shoot the guys near Lydia.
Do something cool with the Triumph.

Wound 12/12 | Strain 4/12
0 | 0
4 Soak

Hadrian's sudden advance from behind must have surprised the jungle lurkers. Through the thicket, his haphazard shot found the way right into the back of one of them. Who cared that Hadrian tripped on some root and fell flat right after. It might have been deliberate, it provided cover!

[Using 3 Threat: Prone]

[10 Damage, 7 after Soak]

Hadrian's Triumph for Crit: 1d100 2 Nicked.

Funnily, the guy first thought it might have been some big mosquito before he saw his blood pouring from the mouth. His loud yelp was what Lydia needed to see where he was!

[Since Crit was superweak, it's on me, and I am giving you bonus Triumph effect for priming this one for Lydia; she doesn't have to roll Perception on this guy to shoot.]

[Group #1 - 3 Turns More!]

[Bernard Martikova]

[Group 1, Martikova's Foxhole]

The explosion occurred, and it was a good thing that he was already prone, otherwise he'd probably be knocked over from the shock. Still, he got back up from the ground and continued to press onward, despite his brother moving in further without his say-so. Blaming it on the explosion and not him being hard of hearing moved within a range.

He moved in. He was a bit winded, and needed to recover himself before he could actually do something useful, but he once again went into cover, watching on as the soldiers did their thing, trying to get his head together for the next move.

~~
Maneuver to move one range (Long to Medium)
Action to use Maneuver, getting into cover. My precious strain >_>;;

[edit]
With no sniper fire coming, it seemed clear that Lydia was equally as stunned about what had occurred and hadn't recovered yet. Unfortunately, with his shield up, he couldn't fire his gun, so he spent his time drawing his sword and joining the big guy. He looked on at his brother, took a deep breath. "Be ready to provide some cover fire!" Wasn't the most inspiring thing he ever said, but he took that moment to catch his breath and prepare for the next assault.


~~
Day 3 | Evening | Boom & Bust | MOAR LEADERSHIP MANEUVER PROVIDING | Presence Invoked

Net Successes: -1; Net Advantages: 5
No threats rolled, +1 advantage
Maneuver to grab sword
Triumph can be used to provide additional Challenge dice for Dom's next defense roll
Taking all that advantage back to strain. (14/15 strain)

[Kiran Alsahar]

[Group #4]


Duncan.jpg


There was sadly no time for deeper discussion, only decisions now. Duncan got it that neither Laila nor Kiran were asking for his assistance. Xard's response was mostly a huffed "Sinsei..." to the inquiry, so he didn't seem ready to launch himself into action. Duncan thought for a split-second about freeing him first and then face-slapping him into situational awareness, but his protector's instincts tolled stronger, making him project shitty outcomes if the mobility of all of them remained compromised this way or another. He bent to get his legs free, accounting for the sprained ankle he owed to Paul. When Marek and a gunman appeared in the doorway, they found him crouching.

[End of Round 3 for Group #4]

[Laila is triply tied, Kiran has legs tied, Xard has hands tied, Duncan is free.]

[Initiative Roll time for Round 4: Cool]

Kiran prepared themselves as they bent to get their legs free.

Init - Cool: 2eA 2 successes

[Dominic Rorkar]

[Group #1]

"Catching up, Sergeant?"

Dominic said with calm bravado as he chased after the retreating merc with the confidence of a shield fighter derived from ingrained awareness that, up to a point, projectiles couldn't stop him. There was certain muscle memory that rendered him unhinged after killing had started.

[2 Manoeuvres to Engaged, Attack.]
[5/13 Strain]

Double Stab. Statement.: 3eP+1eA+2eD 2 successes, 2 advantage, 1 Triumph


[Activating 2nd blade for 2 Advantage, Triumph for Crit.]

He descended on the merc head on, right into the man's safe zone, one blade digging into his pancreas and another into the right lung, fluidly pulled out with a arched blood spurt. The merc stood, but swayed and looked as if he was going to collapse any moment.

[2 Stabs for 7 w/ Pierce 2, 12 Wounds]

Stab Crit. Vicious 1.: 1d100+10 84

[Winded: Cannot suffer strain voluntarily.]

[End of Round #3 for Group #1]

[Kannon]

Round 4 for everyone!

[Group #4]

Initiatives #4: Duncan, Xard, Marek, Merc: 3eP+1eA+2eB 6 successes, 1 advantage 2eA 2 successes, 1 advantage 3eP 2 successes, 2 advantage, 1 Triumph 1eP+2eA+1eB 3 successes, 3 advantage





[Marek is at Long from Group, Merc from Medium, likely more Mercs at Extreme.]
Group #4 Initiative Order

Duncan --> Team
Merc --> Cartel
Marek --> Cartel
Xard --> Team
Kiran --> Team
Laila --> Team

Duncan was the fastest to react, but Marek had planned for what he was about to do.

[Prior action from Triumph]

Marek.jpg (16.46 KiB) Viewed 1241 times

The little man waltzed into the cave from below with no fear, only resolute hatred. Cruising amid the lying Muadh bodies out of anyone's reach, he dropped a capsule to the centre of it, which almost immediately started releasing nauseating gas. The merc accompanying him, carrying a big gun, had a mask.

[2 Strain per Round, starting now, until they move to Long from where they are.]

"You will die here, powindah. God's speckle in the dung that you are has been preserved."

He brisked upward to the other end of the cave, where he disappeared in darkness, calling on some thugs coming from that other direction. There was no path of escape. Unless they made one.

[Team Turn!]

[Kannon]

[Group #3]

The insides of the stealth ship were sleek, flowmetal surfaces, controls or machinery unapparent, very much like on the outside. No portholes, only plaz screens which were now on standby. It was extremely clean inside, and the odour of sanitising chemicals lingered around the craft, irritating nostrils and palates, though on the outside the cloak had insulated even that. It seemed an alien, hostile space for all except someone with very distinct needs and preferences. It carried the sense of Ixian sophistication, but not the aesthetics. And it also barred them entry, the passage into it transparent but protected by another pentashield.

The zone between the ship and the verge of the cloaking was no wider than 2 metres, and this is where they were standing.

[Initiative Order]

Team
???
Team
Team
Team

[Kannon]

[Group #1]

[I've been made aware that minions should be dying once critted. Mercs here are not exactly that, but for the flow of the encounter let's rule they drop the following round if past half their wounds, also so that they aren't replaced too soon per event rules.]

Hadrian's shot and Dominic's stabs proved lethal to both mercs, something the heat of battle made them slow to realise. The one shot by Hadrian slipped and rolled down the hill, Dominic's victim bled himself out into exsanguination and organ failure in a matter of seconds, dropping like a sack.

The merc near the ledge found himself alone and in crossfire on the slope, the sniper above and the carbiner beneath. He didn't have great choices, so he decided to rush out to the ledge hoping he can locate the sniper in time and take her place. And the fucker got lucky, though forgot he was in the jungle and tripped.

[2 Manoeuvres. Short from Lydia, Long from the rest. No cover but prone. Everyone sees him now.]

Looking for Lydia, Perception as Manoeuvre. Against Lydia's 3 sux 3 ad on stealth as his difficulty.: 1eP+2eA 5 successes, 1 Triumph


[His net outcome is 2 success, 3 threat, 1 Triumph. 3 Threat to Prone.]

He had no time to get up, nor did he really want to given how exposed he was on the ledge. Despite the bad angle he had on the sniper he ventured a shot, confident in his opening. [Upgrade difficulty from Prone, Upgrade pool from Triumph.]

Shooting Lydia. Short. Upgrades for both sides.: 3eP+1eC 2 successes, 1 advantage


He got her! Satisfaction brought some relief.

[10 Damage w/ Pierce 1, Advantage for Strain. Lydia gets 6 Wounds after Soak.]

The smart merc gal facing the bloodthirsty Ecazi tiger had to think on her feet because she was the next one to be mowed down. The Atreides were rushing in, and the explosion in the pass and in the valley apparently impeded arrival of sufficient reinforcements. This position seemed lost, they needed to regroup where they had higher ground and better firing positions. But if she was to take the shield fighter down she could make the retreat matter. She couldn't be certain she could overload his shield but that was her viable plan, given how bringing a branch onto his head didn't amount to much.

Shooting Shielded Dominic. Short. Upgrade from Bern.: 2eP+1eA+1eB+1eC+5eS 2 successes, 2 advantage, 1 Despair


[Despair for Disarm, Advantage for Setback on next attack]

And she scored a beautiful hit, almost what she exactly needed, though her nice rifle overheated and fell out of her hands.

[Slow-pellet equivalent of A280-CFE in Rifle Mode; 10 Wounds w/ Pierce 2, Soaked to 5 and turned into Strain]

While the Holtzmann field absorbed it, it also tightened around Dominic and banished most particles heavier than muons out of the gas surrounding him, which sadly included oxygen molecules, now violently stripped of their electrons and thrown out as ions. He swayed, breathing heavily, and was on track to complete asphyxiation if he didn't stop his advance and turn off his shield. Excessive electrons left inside formed currents on the shield's surface, a signal obvious for anyone acquainted with shield fighting that device was at the limit of its usefulness. The other Bernard could recognise even without looking, by the stench of ozone.

[Dominic has used all his Strain. 1 more and he's incapacitated.]

The woman didn't remain to gloat, but rapidly ran back.

[Move to Medium from Bernard, Long from Hadrian, Extreme from Lydia.]

[Team time!]

[Kannon]

[Group #2]

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Paul finished his vertical U-turn into a 360 and positioned himself by Ambrose, behind the thopter that had just attacked him. It cost him some more nosebleed from over-geeing, but he was where he wanted to be. He saluted to the Sergeant from the cockpit and swerved to get a lock.

360 Flymove. Piloting.: 3eP+2eA+3eD 2 successes, 1 threat, 1 Triumph


[Triumph to get into Close behind the enemy thopter without more manoeuvring.]

Once the lock beeped, he released the ordnance with a relieved breath. The shield could hold only for so long.

Gunnery. Thopter has Shield.: 1eP+4eA+1eD+1eS 2 successes, 1 advantage


[Advantage to get back Strain, 8 Damage, Shield and armour turn it into 6 System Strain. Cartel Thopter has suffered 9 in sum.]

At this point, the other pilot decided to run for their life, and the only pathway was coastward.

[Action to Speed up to 4, 2 Manoeuvres to move from Close to Medium from Paul, Long from Ambrose.]

[Team Time!]

[Kannon]

[Group #4]

Duncan.jpg (41.46 KiB) Viewed 1201 times

Idaho's instinct was to protect his friends first. Marek was a later consideration. He sprang like a panther on the merc [you know the meme] and hit him with his mass and a fist in the face.

[Manoeuvre to get into Engaged, Brawl Attack]

Brawl.: 3eP+2eA+1eB+2eD 4 successes, 2 advantage, 1 Triumph


[9 wounds, 5 after Soak]

[Triumph to Disarm the merc from the rifle, 2 Advantage to regain Strain, Manoeuvre to kick the gun into Kiran's reach. 8 Strain after gas.]

[The gun is 'Thunderhead' Scattergun equivalent]

---

Marek.jpg (16.46 KiB) Viewed 1197 times

Marek was no longer concerned with the noises below. There were too many mercenaries about to enter the cave system for the prisoners to survive.

[Leaving encounter, sending 1 man down instead - Extreme].

One of them, the Balut enthusiast, rushed down the tunnel toward the prisoners, rifle ready.

[Move to Long, no line of sight yet.]

---

The one whose face now resembled a face dancer transformation stopped midway kept shrieking in pain through haphazardly reorganised trap and yanked the knife from behind his belt to stab Idaho.

[Manoeuvre to get knife, Attack.]

Stab.: 1eP+2eA+1eC+1eD+1eS 2 successes, 1 Despair


He did scratch his side but at the same time Duncan caught his arm between his own and his body so hard that the man couldn't hold onto it and the knife rolled into the cave. [Despair]

[5 Wounds, all Soaked]

[The knife is Short from Laila. She can crawl to it as a Manoeuvre and cut one bond with it as Action. Each such step requires no roll but imposes 1 Wound from shigawire.]

[Team Time!]

[Laila Bridger]

Group 4

Say one thing for Laila Bridger, say she knew her way around a knife.

This is going to hurt, but that's fine, nothing I haven't endured before...

She slithered to the knife, wincing as she aggravated her injuries, and then lined herself up to cut the wires off of her torso.

One thing at a time.

Don't panic.

Fear is the mind-killer.

...

Who needs the help...

"XARD! Keep it together, we don't need to die here, whatever that little shit said. Sinsei's out there, right? Let's GO."

Whoever or whatever Sinsei was, they seemed to be the man's anchor point, so...

[Slither and slice.
2 wounds taken.
Also 2 strain from the gas.
Hands and feet still bound.]

[Cuyler Gray]

[Group 3]

"I imagine that whomever this ship belongs to is the same person who uses that tunnel. They are most likely to come directly here now that all hell has broken loose." Cuyler said quietly. She drew her knife and waited for anyone to approach.

[Hadrian Martikova]

[Group 1]

That was the first time he'd ever killed someone. He choked down nausea before turning his gun on the other guy going after Lydia.


Boom & Bust | Firing Carbine | Boost from Aim: 2eP+1eB+1eC+1eD+1eS 2 successes, 1 threat


Maneuver to aim.
Fire at merc.
Soaking strain.

Wound 12/12 | Strain 4/12
0 | 0
4 Soak

(Note: This would be the correct strain because my original post would not only took advantage of Bernard's maneuver buff. But it was also written to account for a threat soak that got removed.)