Mission 1: Search and Rescue

[Terl Obar]

Are you going to make a pass or drop the ground troops off first so they can get in the action?

At 2500m, you have a 25% chance to hit.

[cliff]

"Hey Mal, if your gonna take out the Spider bot with the heavy laser, why don't ya disable the shuttles first while they're still on the ground? Thats DISABLE not DESTROY. We can take care of the bots."

[BD Cerridwen]

At 2500m, you have a 25% chance to hit.

OOC: I really ought to learn math one of these days.

Malcom recalculates his effective range vs. known combat 'droid effectiveness. "Belay that, Maria. Let's get a little closer. Buzz them at 900 m and pray that they don't have big rock tossers!"

"Hey Mal, if your gonna take out the Spider bot with the heavy laser, why don't ya disable the shuttles first while they're still on the ground? Thats DISABLE not DESTROY. We can take care of the bots."

"Because this is a rescue, not a cargo recovery," calls Malcom. "We need to get the OE 'bots back under our control, and that heavy laser's in the way. Once I knock it out we can drop you off at the fence. Remember the code phrase for OE 'bot shutdown is 'Kurabanda dig dung bombs.' Hopefully it still works.

[Will]

"But how close do we have to be to the bots, before we can say the magic words?" Maria asked, as she takes the Dart down even further.

"Anyone who's closer to their god than me," she adds,"start praying now,very hard."

[Bonehead]

[*]On top of the main building (sitting over the gym area, blue dot on the map) is a six legged, spider like looking robot manning what looks like a heavy laser. As you pass by, you also notice another one of these robots moving back and forth along the line of beings and bots moving cargo to the shuttles.
[*]Of the four mine entrances, three of them seem to be open and as you pass by, you see a mining robot headed toward the NE one and watch as another mining robot comes out of the NW one.

<snip>

During your overflight, you count two of the new six-legged robots, two mining robots, seven OEM-01 bots and six beings outdoors. There may be others inside but you won't know until you get on the ground. Also, you can't see into the guard towers still standing.

B'Looone turns from his computer display to activate his comm channel. "I've seen those SPiDeRs before; they're pretty nasty. They're about as good as our combat 'bots, and they can walk anywhere - and I do mean anywhere: over rocks, up walls, anywhere. They're not OE issue. We'll have to take them out."

[BD Cerridwen]

"But how close do we have to be to the bots, before we can say the magic words?"

"As I recall, visual sight range," replies Malcom as he zeroes in on the SPIDER. "They must see the OE patch and be able to hear the command. ... Hello, Mr. Spider. Don't worry about me, I'm just a little fly."

[Shadow Shack]

If we go the 900m route, and assuming the ship speed is slow enough to pop the outer hatch open, Sebastian will let Chatterbox do the talking with the spider-bot.

[Terl Obar]

@Sebastian: You could use the front hatch, if you wanted to. The cargo bays open skyward in the ship's current attitude. However, you'd be dealing with a -70 to hit (-80 for range, -20 for firing from a fast moving vehicle and +20 for firing a burst, +10 stationary target). That would give you a 5% chance to hit.

@Maria: How fast are you going to come in? Maximum is 1500 m/turn, minimum speed is 250 m/turn unless you intend to pop up and land on this pass.

[Terl Obar]

Also do you have a preferred direction and altitude when you make the pass?

[Will]

East, 30 meters above the deck, 300 m/turn.

[Terl Obar]

You circle around from your initial pass and drop down close to the mountain tops as you begin your next approach. When you are about 5 km from the base, your radio comes to life and you hear a human male voice come on the line

"Hull size 2 shuttle craft, you are approaching the Obar Enterprises mining camp. Please identify and state your intentions."

At your current speed, you have about 20 seconds until the base is in range of your weapon and about 60 seconds until you are in range of the Heavy Laser on the building. Then another 4 turns until you are at the 900 m range Malcom requested.

[simplymenotu]

I scream like a girl at the top of my lungs and run as fast as I can into a bulkhead hoping to knock myself out cold.


Ahhh wrong game. Sorry.

[BD Cerridwen]

"Dammit! Ask them to repeat the request," Malcom tells Maria. "And take your time. I need, ahhh... 60 seconds. I'm going to engage at 2000 meters."

[Will]

"Obar Enterprises mining camp, "Maria lies,"you are breaking up. Please repeat your last."

"So much for the best-laid plans of Yazzies and rasties," she grouses after the mike goes cold.

Into the intercom, she says,"everything may have just went straight to the Twenty-Seven Hells, kids. Stand by for possible insertion."

"Keep the prayers coming," she adds.

[Shadow Shack]

I figured it would be a snowball's chance in hell...nix the machine gun fire then.

Sebastian will patiently wait for the insertion.

[Terl Obar]

The reply from the base come back. "I repeat, hull size 2 shuttle craft, you are approaching the Obar Enterprises mining camp. This is a restricted fly zone. Please identify and state your intentions. If you do not veer off you will be fired upon."

You are now 4400 m from the base traveling at 300m/turn and will pass along the south west corner of the base about 900 m from the SPDR-3 on the roof if you don't change course.

We're shifting to 6 sec combat turns at this point (although we may skip a few if nothing is happening). In two turns the SPDR on the roof will be within extreme range of Malcom's guns if he wants to open up early. In eight turns you'll be within extreme range of the SPDR's heavy laser.

[estradling]

Leo looked through the various radio frequencies on the off chance that the base computer has a radio link he can hack through.

[Will]

"Well, why didn't ya say so, sugar?" Maria replies, laying it on thick. "This is the Dart, outbound from Pale, on a resupply run to the base. Surely, Tracking Control at Simeon's Rest informed you of our arrival in orbit. "

"If you give me a minute," she adds,"I'll upload our manifest for you to look at."

"Up to you, guys," she says in an aside to Malcolm and Leo.

[Bonehead]

B'Looone punches his comm.

"It's a bluff! IF these guys were OE personnel, they would have contacted OE before this to at least let them know that they were attacked, and what their current status is. IF these guys were OE personnel, they would not be loading stuff onto haulers until an OE cargo ship was in orbit.

Instead, we've got Vrusk combat 'bots guarding a bombed out mining compound that is shipping ore to a Vrusk freighter.

In short, these guys are lying! Blow some stuff up!"

[BD Cerridwen]

"Roger that B'Looone," calls Malcom. "Blowing stuff up in 48 seconds..."