Avastan: Planetfall

[Tiglath]

Here's the updated Tac Map for reference.

Avastan Tactical.jpg (197.19 KiB) Viewed 462 times

NB See Planning thread for legend and details.

Link: viewtopic.php?p=588080#p588080

And, while I remember, special thanks to joertexas for his professional forbearance regarding the egregious marking errors on the runways of the starport...

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya
Returning to the sensor logs, Freya looks at the IR sensors on the ship and sees if she can determine any possible spots for observation teams. Lower tech options won't hide well given the climate; higher tech will be hidden from direct observation, but will still warm any rooms they sit in.

A proper analysis is going to take a lot of time. Someone is going to have to nominate potential targets and then the software will need to track movement or changes at those spot before they get re-reviewed for significance.

As a result, Freya returns to the immediate task of keeping the real-time drone info flowing - and making sure any ground to air fire-sources or active fire-direction/tracking/search scanners are located and that we don't see anyone deploying indirect fire or heavy support weapons.

How's that spare drone doing? As soon as it's ready, prep the next one - just in case we lose one of those out.

[Tiglath]

Freya

At first blush Freya sees no IR blushes from the mountains. No obvious huts etc are occupied (or are occupied by troops in CES/Cham Surfaced armour). She can see a "militaryish" column winding up a precipitous mountain road which might be the company from the starport (mounted in civvy ground vehicles) chasing the insurgents.

Freya realises that the trick with the drones is to mitigate their reduced endurance by rapidly rotating them. Providing you commit resource here then you are good. Fortunately this resource is effectively infinite with the entire merc company all aboard to help service, launch and recover drones.

The two or three over the City (plus one newly launched) are ably coping with being comms relays and giving you a recon asset above the plaza. As the logistical chain is now shortening to cover the return things are only getting better.

Please Make a Recon Roll

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya

At first blush Freya sees no IR blushes from the mountains. No obvious huts etc are occupied (or are occupied by troops in CES/Cham Surfaced armour). She can see a "militaryish" column winding up a precipitous mountain road which might be the company from the starport (mounted in civvy ground vehicles) chasing the insurgents.

Freya realises that the trick with the drones is to mitigate their reduced endurance by rapidly rotating them. Providing you commit resource here then you are good. Fortunately this resource is effectively infinite with the entire merc company all aboard to help service, launch and recover drones.

The two or three over the City (plus one newly launched) are ably coping with being comms relays and giving you a recon asset above the plaza. As the logistical chain is now shortening to cover the return things are only getting better.

Please Make a Recon Roll

Freya is clearly too interested in the sensors to notice what is going on around her!

[Tiglath]

Freya

Freya eventually finds both the reunited team(s) and their transports in the plaza. She was distracted by three local women (of apparently negotiable virtue by the look of them) on vertiginous heels teetering away from one of the pimped out ground cars that the locals favour as top rides. The scene seemed innocent enough save for the pale arm hanging out of the cargo door at the rear of the vehicle.

She is aware of a general exodus from the square. However, it's Avastan so the locals have a high tolerance for gunfire and burning wrecks. Most foot traffic is heading for other local clubs and bars. Some are getting into parked vehicles – the local four wheel drive luxury “suburban” ground cars. Other larger groups head for larger multi wheel or or half tracked civilian personnel carriers. Queues form at the nearby cab ranks.

Freya distractedly notes that no one is using Club Zoo's rear parking lot despite vehicles being parked there. The vehicles therein contribute stark blocks to a mandala in the snow. On a second look she notes that the irregularity of the fallen bodies creates a dissonance to the design contrasting with the organic flow of arterial spray. Nothing moves.

She concludes that on civilian channels nearly everyone hereabouts is using personal comms/media devices so she's going to have to cherry pick for Intel as she has nowhere near enough analysts to crack that much data in real time.

[The Bindoner]

After a brief trek across the square the team ground vehicles are regained together with Able (who parked them on the edge of the square ready to leave). Able reports that he's “pretty sure” that a nearby ground car has been “left open” and could easily be “borrowed” if necessary.

A growling disturbance grows in the drifting crowd and with a cry of “Faugh a Ballagh” a snarling Gaughan barges a drunk reveller aside to burst onto the scene accompanied by the saturnine threat of Lannigan. Gaughan puts up his drawn falx and innocently conceals it within the folds of the long hairy Avastan coat which disguises his armour. He catches his breath and tells Lanningan “Sure an' I told you they'd be fine!” Breathing just as hard Lannigan smiles and says nothing.

Jess smiles at Gaughan and Lannigan. So, you heard it was pirates and went full Swashbuckler, eh?

Well, t'be fair, it's a good look fer yer.

Resuming QSM straight-face she gets back to business: Right, let's 'ave a shufti at this spare motor then, see oo's it was an' if it's worth nickin', err, requisitionin'.

[Tiglath]

All in the Plaza

Any present will be able to slave the now restored drone video feed to you hand held comm.

(OOC: Easy Recon or Comm task handwaved).

Feel free to take a punt at Recon rolls on the drone feed.

[Tiglath]

Jess

Gaughan grins and gasps “Just thought we'd take a wee wander over... what with the bad comms an'... the cold weather an' all... Lannigan, I says, they'll be fine – but yer man there was desperate that we hurry along…”

Lannigan possibly hints at a smile - like laconic granite.

Having at least partially repaid his oxygen debt Gaughan adds conversationally “The lads... have been discussin' piracy... they've formed a view that its a terribly dishonest practice... They've taken against it so they have”.

Able then accompanies Jess on foot (about 30m away) to view the “spare”.

Snug in a civvy coat that Jess knows he wasn't issued with Able accompanies her on a casual walk back to the vehicle. In his best Avastan accent he cheerfully comments “Cheeki breeki, Ma'am!” He then opines “Bein' reliant on 'avin' a crew to shoot any cove just for boggin' up yer motor is one fing but it leaves bit of a gap if you ain't got one. That an' absolutely no one 'round 'ere gives a monkey's wot yer abaht”. He cheerfully greets a trio of pneumatically enhanced Avastan girls with the traditional Collace greeting of "Oi, oi saveloy!" They giggle as they teeter away through the snow.

Able deftly positions himself to cover Jess' observation into the side of a classy, and likely rather sporty, military/civ ground car (two in the front, maybe four in the back plus sunroof). Jess sees that whatever mid tech lock was in place in the door has been brutally ripped out and the access to the bio locked driving control system has been replaced by a bent spoon. The spoon looks suspiciously like an issue one from the Bartizan canteen.

Able's shrug is muted by his comfy quilted coat “Blind guess – EMP slidehammer". He grins and lights an Avastan smoke muttering around it "Eyes abaht an' wotch yer bag, Ma'am – looks like this place is full of fekkin' thieves”.

[The Bindoner]

Jess give Gaughan a crooked smile and, in serious tones, agrees Bad business, attackin’ innocent merchants just to steal from them. With no contract, at that. Shockin’ poor

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Looking over the vehicle appreciatively, Jess muses:
Right shame, the criminality on this world. Best we take this into our safekeepin’ before some wrong ‘un ‘as it away.

Sliding into the driver’s seat she starts the engine. ‘op in, then. I'll take yer back to the others.

Jess accelerates aggressively, spins the car, and pulls up next to the rest of the SEMC, testing the performance.

Right, let’s get movin’. ‘ome an’ change for the next party, eh? Who’s ridin' shotgun with me?

Assuming that the thing drives, that is.

[joertexas]

Right, let’s get movin’. ‘ome an’ change for the next party, eh? Who’s ridin' shotgun with me?

Assuming that the thing drives, that is.

Prerna comes up on the all-hands channel. "Let's see if we can thin out these pirate crews before they get back to their ships. Hit them quickly, and then take an indirect route back to the ship. Be careful about collateral damage, though. Don't take a chance on hitting anyone else."

[Tiglath]

Don't forget this bit!

All in the Plaza

Any present will be able to slave the now restored drone video feed to you hand held comm.

(OOC: Easy Recon or Comm task handwaved).

Feel free to take a punt at Recon rolls on the drone feed.

My error - I should have pressed the keys harder the first time...

[joertexas]

Don't forget this bit!

All in the Plaza

Any present will be able to slave the now restored drone video feed to you hand held comm.

(OOC: Easy Recon or Comm task handwaved).

Feel free to take a punt at Recon rolls on the drone feed.

My error - I should have pressed the keys harder the first time...

Lacking her helmet and its associated display, Prerna looks for any sign of the pirate crews using her Mk I eyeballs.

Roll[2d6]=9 + Recon-1 = 10

[The Bindoner]

Don't forget this bit!

All in the Plaza

Any present will be able to slave the now restored drone video feed to you hand held comm.

(OOC: Easy Recon or Comm task handwaved).

Feel free to take a punt at Recon rolls on the drone feed.

My error - I should have pressed the keys harder the first time...

I didn't bother because Jess is not rated as Recon-trained.

As this roll shows: [_2d6]=(1+3)=4

Obviously too interested in the new wheels and getting on with the chase than scrolling through drone images. Got a Recon Squad and SigInt team for that.

[BackworldTraveller]

All in the Plaza

Any present will be able to slave the now restored drone video feed to you hand held comm.

(OOC: Easy Recon or Comm task handwaved).

Feel free to take a punt at Recon rolls on the drone feed.

Freya returns to the sensors...

[Tiglath]

All

Jess finds the canteen spoon an incongruous, but nevertheless effective, starter and her vehicle both robust and high powered - if not overly agile. Meanwhile others scan their comms for a drone's eye view of the plaza and its environs on the small screens on their personal comms. Back at the starport the HQ staff study the drone feeds direct on the "big screen".

Prerna, like all those who have been inside the club, has the vital context and makes the spot.

Drawn to a disturbance at the taxi rank she notes a double car jacking. Perhaps not unusual in Avastan City but the armed car jackers are wearing pirate colours on their mix of heraldic jackets and slim fit vacc suits. The design looks to be a heap of snakes. (Group 1).

Prerna calls this in which allows the HQ staff to tag and track the group/vehicles in the drone feed designating it "Group 1".

Freya spots more distinctive ship's crew types (now she knows what to look for) and sets to tagging another group outside and on foot but heading for the back of Club Zoo (Group 2). Two more knots of high tech spacers catch her eye in the plaza apparently heading for downtown Avastan City on foot and keeping pace with the foot traffic. (Groups 3 and 4). One group have a lightning stroke motif on their dark gear (Group 4).

Group 5 bursts from an emergency exit at the side of the club and dragging some of their number with them make off down a side alley.

Group 6 Pile into a G Carrier and lift off over the plaza.

Group 7 and 8 Start fragmented but converge on a pair of adjacently parked vehicles a luxury ground car and an air/raft. They pile in and pull away (as ground traffic).

Group 9 A group emerge from Club Zoo in dark greatcoats and move through the foot traffic with coherent and organised purpose.

As the techs gather data the Battalion HQ staff swing smoothly into action. Voss calls designators for the various targets while Dubs creates plots and tags them for monitoring by the now active battle computer. It shows the position of all hostile and friendly elements (except 4DC) overlaid on a tactical map projection in the HQ.

Summary:

Group 1 "Snakes" now in two ground cars (saloons) near the plaza.
Group 2 Unknown heading for the back of Club Zoo on foot.
Group 3 Unknown heading downtown with local foot traffic.
Group 4 "Lightning" heading downtown with local foot traffic.
Group 5 Unknown fugitives in a side alley.
Group 6 Unknown now in a G Carrier over the plaza.
Group 7 Unknown mobile in ground car vicinity of Plaza.
Group 8 Unknown mobile in grav car (air/raft) vicinity of Plaza.
Group 9 "Greatcoats" moving through the crowd with purpose on foot in Plaza.

(OOC: As an aside I was "moving in a mysterious way" on the Recon roll... As it was a "spot the difference" / perception /notice roll anyone could have a go! )

Please make a focussed spotting roll if so desired.

State your target - but only one group per PC. This is again a perception task so +Int and Recon and Streetwise.

Sensor Ops for those doing it remotely (vehicles may give you lots more emissions to intercept/analyse over people) and delegation/extreme care required for those who are attempting spotting whilst driving!!!

The HQ staff and your Battle Computer will track all your tagged targets).

[joertexas]

All

Summary:

Group 1 "Snakes" now in two ground cars (saloons) near the plaza.
Group 2 Unknown heading for the back of Club Zoo on foot.
Group 3 Unknown heading downtown with local foot traffic.
Group 4 "Lightning" heading downtown with local foot traffic.
Group 5 Unknown fugitives in a side alley.
Group 6 Unknown now in a G Carrier over the plaza.
Group 7 Unknown mobile in ground car vicinity of Plaza.
Group 8 Unknown mobile in ground car vicinity of Plaza.
Group 9 "Greatcoats" moving through the crowd with purpose on foot in Plaza.

Prerna keys her command channel. "Gaughn, you and your team hunt down Groups Nine, Four, Three, Five, and Two, in that order. Verify your targets are pirates, and then kill them. Jess, take us after Groups One, Seven and Eight. Group Six is in a G-carrier, painted green with a yellow band and red numbers, currently over the plaza. Does anyone have LOS to it with an antiair weapon?" She takes a breath. "Do not engage the locals unless it's life and death."

[Tiglath]

OOC: Amending my omission in the Summary. More staffing issues...

To avoid any surprises please note:Group 8 Unknown mobile in grav car (air/raft) vicinity of Plaza. (Now corrected above).

The narrative text has: Group 7 and 8 Start fragmented but converge on a pair of adjacently parked vehicles a luxury ground car and an air/raft. They pile in and pull away (as ground traffic). However, my copypastafu clearly played me false in the Summary section...

[Tiglath]

All

Gaughan mounts his rangers up and slowly moves off through the plaza. After a while he reports back "Ma'am, I have visual on Group 9. They appear to be making a sweep of the plaza but they are ignoring locals. They've launched their own drones - grav ones like Miss Freya's. Sure enough they're hiding weapons under their coats but they've no rifles and they look to be wearing flash red armour. They're bogging our vehicle and look to be in no hurry to leave. They look like they want to know right enough but we can't start a firefight with all these kids running about the square..."

He breaks off to shout "Mind the big steel vehicle, Miss! Someone throw that girl a coat - she'll catch her death!"

He then asks "What orders? Over".

(OOC: The above takes up a unit of time).

[The Bindoner]

Gaughan mounts his rangers up and slowly moves off through the plaza. After a while he reports back "Ma'am, I have visual on Group 9. They appear to be making a sweep of the plaza but they are ignoring locals. They've launched their own drones - grav ones like Miss Freya's. Sure enough they're hiding weapons under their coats but they've no rifles and they look to be wearing flash red armour. They're bogging our vehicle and look to be in no hurry to leave. They look like they want to know right enough but we can't start a firefight with all these kids running about the square..."

Sounds like Red Angel, Sarn't, the crew that's takin' out the pirates. Tip 'em a salute, try an' get clear, hope they let yer go. They're not our target yet.

[joertexas]

Gaughan mounts his rangers up and slowly moves off through the plaza. After a while he reports back "Ma'am, I have visual on Group 9. They appear to be making a sweep of the plaza but they are ignoring locals. They've launched their own drones - grav ones like Miss Freya's. Sure enough they're hiding weapons under their coats but they've no rifles and they look to be wearing flash red armour. They're bogging our vehicle and look to be in no hurry to leave. They look like they want to know right enough but we can't start a firefight with all these kids running about the square..."

Sounds like Red Angel, Sarn't, the crew that's takin' out the pirates. Tip 'em a salute, try an' get clear, hope they let yer go. They're not our target yet.

"Good work," Prerna replies. "Go to your next target."