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>>24356752
Not that you signed up, really--hunter commission job and all--but still. Face in your palm, you look over your erstwhile army.

Of rabbits.

You are on mission to retire or apprehend the maverick Winter Wolfspider, told you were to seek onsite logistical support. Unfortunately, the actual mechaniloid force is out making up a cordon of sensor nets to keep your target hemmed in, leaving you with... this.

Well, it's not all bad. You have Navigator support from Wellington, and the two hunter officers of Outpost 36--a reploid named Calais and a human named Linda, whenever she gets back. On top of that, your rather conspicuous white-and-blue armor scheme should be... well, less of a factor, with the addition of a few oversized ponchos with various camo-prints. Gotta look on these bright sides, right?

Your target is deep within the arboreal nature preserve he went to ground in. The net being drawn around him is closing. Now it's up to you to find him and bring him down.

And, hopefully, manage not to destroy one of Earth's last natural wonders in a spectacular firefight. One thing at a time, you guess.

There's some light snow in the area, nothing too obstructive, and the weather should be clear. The woods are lovely, dark and deep. What do?

>Send in the Ray Bits!
>Lead the ... pack ... inside.
>Other

Haven't seen this one in a while. Wanted to catch up but forgot, so free bump

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Oh my god it's finally back

>>24356754
Send in ray bits to lure him out of hiding.

Also I am very glad that you are back.

>Send in the Ray Bits!
>...But have them wait a few minutes for you to get in position.
>Use a different angle of approach that the Ray Bits. No sense giving Spidey an easy line of sight to you.

TACTICS.

>>24356754
Oh fuck yes.

>Send in the Ray Bits!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqsOTcrJUqs

This guy is some sort of ungodly combination of the Fear and the End, and our best option is honestly sending the rabbits in after him.

Maverick Hunter is a weird ass job.

>>24356955
this

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Thanks, guys. I'm just sorry it took me so damn long.
>>24356939
>>24356955
>>24356967
>>24357279
May as well send the 'loids ahead, you decide.

"Anode?" Wellington chimes in as you start directing your... forces... afield. "I'm given to understand you've linked up with local hunter assets?"

"Assets. Yes. You could say that," you reply, voice deadpan as you break out one of the ponchos, carefully making sure it matches the terrain you're entering.

The snow isn't deep, and even has some terrain poking through here and there, with nothing left on the trees themselves. Carefully you pull the poncho on, adjusting it here and there to permit free movement and quick access to your weapons. Working around your shoulders is the hardest part, and just like Calais said, there's only so much you can do. Still, you should be at least a little less visible as you head in. You try to remember the advice Schwarzhund gave you as you move in, letting the ray bits get a slight lead on you. Most of stealth is not being where they look, and not making them look your way. The snow doesn't crunch too loudly underfoot, and probably at least muffles the blanket of dead leaves and twigs. You hope. Wolfspider will probably know about the sensor nets cutting him off, so he'll expect hunter forces. As long as he's paying attention to the bunnies, maybe he won't see you.

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>>24357395
"I'm receiving tactical data now," Wellsey continues, "Calais is coordinating our data, I have your signal anpffthahahahahaha!"

"Don't." You seethe.

"Oh, heavens, that is the..."

"Just. Don't."

The navigator's voice still has traces of mirth as he recovers. "Now, now, they do have their uses, Anode. Ray Bits are actually still available on the market today."

"For what? Taming hostile soccer fields?"

"They're showing their age, but they're very mobile environment-navigation units with a very low profile. Very cost-effective, and they still pack a fairly respectable punch with their onboard weapons. Light enough for use around delicate equipment. Commercial models are used for laser cleaning, plasma testing, and precision de-icing. They're rather suitable for weaponization, as well."

"What, like throwing them?" you mutter, trying to adjust to having a big tarp over you as you venture deeper into the wood.

Whatever dry reply Wellington was about to make is destroyed as his voice suddenly registers alarm. "Reploid signal closing fast."

>Wait for it. Use the rabbits as bait.
>Rabbits or not, they ARE your support.

>>24357421
Do we have time to set an ambush?

>>24357421
>Wait for it. Use the rabbits as bait.
Not too long though, we just need to make visual contact with this fucker. If anything these 'loids might throw him off in the sheer absurdity of the situation

>>24357421
>Rabbits or not, they ARE your support
stupid morality circuits interfering with tactics. We try to minimize losses on our side while getting the job done.

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>>24357472
Unsure.

Also, I've been asked on IRC to remind people of the ordnance Anode's packing.
Anode Cyclers (high-fire rate busters)
Beam lance (lo-beam)
Misericorde (hi-beam)
VWES-4 containing Blackout Rocket, Tension Coil, Lockon Hunter, and Tumult Shell weapons data.

>>24357421
Use the rabbits as bait, pay attention to any shot angles.

Stay hidden.

He's not stupid, so if he's going to hit one of the Ray Bits, he'll probably try to reposition himself afterwards to lure us into a trap. Keep an eye on the flanks.

>>24357514
Maybe then.

How big of a squad of these things would we send in to look for him? You know, if we were desperate?

Leave that number out in the open, searching. Hide everyone else. Then, when he kills those and shows us where he is, we pop out with our loyal army of Rabots and light him up with Lockon Hunter.

>>24357421
>Wait for it. Use the rabbits as bait.
We'll see if they're actually friendly or not.

>Wait for it... WAIT FOR IIIIITTTTTTTTT...
>Prep a piercing laser, and be ready to go for a head shot.
>In case of a miss, be ready to zip somewhere else with a T. Coil.

We all know the laws of narrative won't allow for us to end this THAT anticlimactically, but it's our best option for an opener. Hopefully once the shooting starts, the noise will cover up our T. Coil's thunks and zwiffs.

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>>24357581
>>24357574
>>24357565
>>24357529
>>24357478
You quickly shelter behind what cover you can--in this case a rock and a tree, and remain still. "Going silent," you whisper. "Keep talking."

Wellington's all business now, jocularity lost in an instant. "Copy. Can't pin an exact location down, definitely some sensor interference, meaning it's probably our man."

You resist the urge to find a better vantage point, instead opting to listen and wait. You can't see or hear anything. Just trees and nature. No real wind in the thick of the woods, so nothing to rustle your poncho and reveal your position, as long as you don't.

The wait stretches into infinite seconds as you keen to hear the sound of fire. Wellington keeps talking. "Still in the area. Signal source is moving, slowly. Sure to have seen the mechaniloids." You can just make out the group ahead of you, a total of a dozen, heads turning this way and that as their scanners sweep the uneven terrain.

Still, nothing. Finally, after what feels like eternity in tense silence--"Signal is moving off. I would wait another minute or two." You check a sigh of relief. "If that was him, he's clever. Be even more cautious from here on out. He'll probably be keeping an eye on these, looking for you."

Terrific. So was this one a win, or not?

>Advance cautiously. He still doesn't know if a hunter is with the 'loids.
>Now's a chance to track him. Try to pursue while you can.

>>24357867
Proceed with caution. As tempting as it is to tail him, we can't just go haring off because we feel like it.

>>24357867
Advance cautiously.

He's trying to lure us out of cover. See if we can stay hidden until he's pinned between sensor nets and us.

>>24357867
>>Advance cautiously. He still doesn't know if a hunter is with the 'loids.

For all he knows, Calais sent a few scrap bots in here to hound him him.

>>24357867
>>Advance cautiously. He still doesn't know if a hunter is with the 'loids.
Short quick bounds, can we get Wellington's last known location of the fucker commanded into the 'loids as we move. With any luck we can force the spider into our web.

>>24357867
>Advance cautiously. He still doesn't know if a hunter is with the 'loids.
You absolutely cannot afford to lose patience in a situation like this.

>>24357867
>Advance cautiously

>>24358014
This is important to remember: he's essentially trapped in this forest. There's no cannon, or missile, or victims, or anything like that. He's got no plan we need to foil. For pretty much the first time since Weasel, time is on Anode's side.

>>24358069
yes in this case slow and steady wins the race.

>>24358069
Just remember this guy probably realizes that too. Don't go for the first opening we see, its likely a bait.

>>24358221
Don't go for *any* opening until we can pin him down between the sensor nets and our group.

By that point, he should be pretty nervous, which means he might do something very stupid.

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>>24358036
>>24358014
>>24357943
>>24357941
>>24357933
>>24357931
>>24358203
It's another long, tense minute as you wait for Wellsey to confirm the signal has moved well and far on from here. Slowly rising, still half-expecting some attack, you carefully move ahead and catch up with the mechaniloids once more.

"So he doesn't know I'm here," you breathe. "Not for sure."

"Not for sure," he repeats. At least you think you made the right call--it's probably what Schwarz would have done.

Your advance is slow and steady. The rabbits hop along a meandering course as the sun filters in between the trees. You move from cover to cover in quick moves, waiting and listening after each for a shot that never comes. It's almost boring, if you didn't know you were sharing these woods with a dangerous hostile.

It's something like an hour of this, a maddening combination of heavy, oppressive silence and slow, creeping dread.

And then, all at once, the routine is broken up ahead--small floating cores suddenly burst out of the blanket of snow amidst your ray bits. Gems dotting across their surface flash to life and draw matter from around them, clumps of dirt and wood and snow pulled in as one and forming ablative shields as your own mechaniloids make evasive hops and open fire.

>They're all the fire support you're going to get on this mission. Join the engagement.
>Maintain your stealth. Sacrifice most of your force.

>>24358356
Kill it quick and split.

>>24358356
>They're all the fire support you're going to get on this mission
yes do this watch for an ambush.

>>24358356

He's trying to draw us out. Take careful shots, and change position after each time you fire. Don't let him hone in on you.

>>24358356
>They're all the fire support you're going to get on this mission. Join the engagement.
Try not to break cover too much. It should look like the Ray Bits brought them down themselves (somehow).

>>24358356
Middle ground. Let's pick them off and reposition rapidly. Short burst, then move, then repeat. Try to maneuever around the flank of the group, keep looking ahead and watch out for Spider trying to come from behind us.

>>24358389
This, try and mix your fire with that of the Bits.

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>>24358366
>>24358375
>>24358380
>>24358389
>>24358426
>>24358429
You don't have time to debate this one. Wellington is announcing the signatures coming online as you're making the decision. Doing your best to overlap your fire with that of your mechaniloids, you add your own burst of plasma. Three of them just fired on the same target at once, blasting chunks of debris from its body, leaving it wide open for your shots to strike home. Something critical explodes within, blasting it to bits. Quickly you duck and roll, repositioning out of sight before looking for another opening.

Fortunately, the ice de voux--who names these goddamned things, anyway?--go down quickly, though not without cost. Two of your twelve ray bits were destroyed, crushed by the little cores' ramming attacks. And your stealth is blown.

You both learned something about each other in that exchange. Your cover is blown--you hope that he at least didn't get a good look at you to know who's after him. On the other hand, now you know he's operating with at least some support.

You wait for oncoming fire, ready to dash to safety, but only silence meets you as the last echoes of falling metal and sizzling electronics die away. There's nothing left to do but continue your sweep, and try to ignore the unease settling into the back of your mind.

Until you hear the engines.

"Wellington, is that ours?"

"Negative. Could be civilian, but..."

"...I doubt it, yeah."

"How do you want to handle this, Anode?"

>Well?

Engines? Investigate.

>>24358987
Can we tell how big this thing is from the sound of the engine? Is it some sort of snowmobile or is it something bigger?

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>>24359105
It's far off, but it sounds like a personal vehicle. At least one. Maybe more, you can't tell if that's an echo or not.

>>24358987

Can we get visual feed from the ray bits? Have them scout ahead.

>>24358987
>>24359142
We need a visual. Let's check it out.

>>24359142
Could we use the tension coil to move between the trees quickly and quietly?

Move along above the Ray Bits and wait for him to engage.

>>24359142
Let's take a look.

Maybe we can steal one.

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>>24359175
You could, if you like.
>>24359173
If you'd like, you could send the ray bits out as a vanguard as you've been doing.

>>24359262
Alright then, Spiderman Anode.

And head towards the source of the noise.

>>24359175
I thought using the T. Coil would be relatively loud, considering you have to fire it and lodge it into something.

>>24359275
>>24359335
It would be, or at least audible if anyone were there to listen. Still want to go through with it?

And confirm/deny sending in the bunny brigade ahead of you, then I can write.

>>24359374
Let them hang back, we don't wan to lose any more than we have to.

>>24359374
Send the Ray Bit vanguard. This could be a ploy to draw us out and ID us by Wolfspider. Remember, we need patience. The other hunters are already cordoning the region off, so if Wolfspider was going to make a break for it, either he'd have done so by now, or he'd have to acknowledge going through the MavHunter barricade, which I'm not sure he wants.

>>24359460
I agree with this.

Ziplining would make to much noise as well.

>>24359568
But it would make it much harder to ID us. It's a new tactic, and being predictable will get us killed.

I also thought about ziplining+beam lance. It's an easy way to get into melee when he gives himself away, and once he's in melee it'll be hard to get out again.

>>24359374
Send them in ahead.

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>>24359658
On the contrary, being out in the open and ziplining everywhere will make it even easier to pick us out, ghillie suit or no. We're fighting against The End from MGS3, effectively, and you don't beat The End by running around like a jackoff in the open.

>>24359568

It's not just the noise, the more we reveal of our abilities and weapons the more he learns about how to beat us. We have to draw HIM out, not expose ourselves. Send in the raybits.

>>24359374
>bunny brigade ahead
yes
zip-line no

>>24359720
Not to mention that Wolfspider's profile lists him as exceptionally dangerous in melee range.

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>>24359095
>>24359105
>>24359173
>>24359174
>>24359175
>>24359191
>>24359262
>>24359460
>>24359568
>>24359671
>>24359864
"I'm going to investigate," you say. "Sending the 'loids ahead first."

"Copy," Wellington replies. "I don't have access to their cameras, but I've got them sending automated reports. I'll keep you posted."

Sure enough, those engines are getting closer, and sure enough, they aren't civilian--Wellington reports a sudden loss of signal from one of the rabbits. As you approach, you can see why. Six engines roar and snarl throatily, shaking leaves on the copse you've chosen to shelter in. Snowmobiles--with guns--that look like up-armored ride chasers--all bearing a mechaniloid rider. They fall into a neat circle around your remaining rabbits, which fire in all directions, occasionally scoring hits, but none very severe. They fire as one on another rabbit, pinning it to the ground with what looks like a fast-growing clump of ice, and one breaks from the pack to smash it with his vehicle. Two more down, putting you at eight left. "Snow Riders," your Navigator confirms. "He's probably hoping to draw you out again. He has some good support. Calais confirms none of the cordon have reported tracks of any sort through the snow. He's been saving these just for you."

How very thoughtful of him.

"He's going to keep whittling your support down like this. You might need to force this confrontation."

"How?" you whisper.

"Making yourself the target."

... Well, it is what you're good at. Shit. On the other hand, the ray bits are coordinated enough to buy you some time to sneak away from this group, either to set up an ambush of your own, or bypass them entirely.

...


>God damn it. He's right. Attack.
>At the end of the day, he doesn't know much about me, and they're just mechaniloids.
>Other

>>24360295
They may be mechaniloids, but they're adorable rabbit mechaniloids, attack!

>>24360295

Have the ray bits scatter, draw the riders away. Bypass them, stay hidden, try and get him to make a move.

>>24360295
>>24360364
clear a path for this

>>24360295
Clear out the riders. Enemy support is enemy support, and if he's lacking support, that's less chance of something coming around and biting our keister when we eventually confront Wolfspider.

>>24360295
I think we might just have to rely on tanking that first hit to draw him out?

Hit and run on 'em.

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>>24360354
>>24360412
>>24360465
>>24360669
If he's been saving these guys for you, that means they were a resource he had to spend and dear to lose. That's the hope, anyway. You break from cover, running out into the open at a full sprint, busters blazing.

The nearest snow rider takes a bad turn as it swerves away from the oncoming fire, pitching its ride out from under it, rolling three times and then going up in a burst of flame as one of the ray bits gets a lucky shot into its engine. Take that, recreational vehicles!

The others don't fare well either--suddenly caught in a crossfire from you and the remaining rabbits, they're forced to present their backs to one or the other. Two more are destroyed, going down with their snowmobiles. Another one dismounts in time to avoid being taken down with it, snapfiring a shot back at you midfall that leaves a sizzling mark on the tree right behind you. The ray bits rally for another round of fire as the two remaining speeder riders accelerate and circle around you, trying to disorient and distract you. The third raises his buster just as one of the two riders fires a freeze-shot at your legs.

And just as he does, a sudden volley of blasts fills your vision from above. You leap aside, though your left foot is frozen in place as you do, snapping you back as you're firmly rooted to the spot. You avoid most of the barrage, but a single shot impacts your shoulder, jerking it back and contorting your body with the force.

It came from the trees.

>Act.

>>24360886
Lockon Hunter.

>>24360886

Fire a zipline shot in the direction the blasts came from. Get up there.

START HACKIN' DOWN TRE-oh, right. We don't wanna hurt the trees too much.

We gotta get free, somehow. Concentrate on that.

>>24360886
Break that ice on our foot, and get some elevation. Our cover's blown, but that doesn't mean we can't change the venue. Plus, if he's firing, it means he's close.

>>24360886
Blackout rocket towards the ground that faces the trees, to cover us from his shots while we recover.

>>24360886
Break out of the ice, fire a blackout rocket in the maverick's direction, take out the remaining riders quick. Freeze shots are bad.

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>>24360886
Hory shit! Its back!

Nice to see you again, command.

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>>24361154
Thanks, man. I really appreciate the big welcome and all the patience.

>>24361000
>>24360962
>>24360948
>>24360935
Standing still here is the fastest, surest way to get dead, and both you and Wolfspider know it.

So the hell with that. You level your busters and fire a pair of chaff rockets--one intercepts the front of his next salvo, detonating and ruining the shots. The other hits his perch, or somewhere near it. Good thing, too--the sheer volume of fire burned through almost all of the first cloud. Using it defensively works in a pinch, but it's not a lasting solution.

But first things first: your leg, this ice. One has to go, and you like kicking things. Triggering your dash works partway--straining the ice until hairline splinters snap all across the mass. A little burst from the raikousen shatters it outright. Hopefully he didn't see that little display between the ice and relocating. Your ray bits swarm the unhorsed Snow Rider en masse, dragging him down and lasering him to bits. That leaves you a quick opening, and two more still circling around you.

>Coil a tree, trip the 'loids up. They won't see that coming.
>Save that trick. Focus on the shooter. Surprise him.
>Other

>>24361228
>Save that trick. Focus on the shooter. Surprise him.
He's a damn spider, we need that coil to tie the fucker up when we get an opening.

>>24361228
>Save that trick. Focus on the shooter. Surprise him.
In a battle of attrition like this, you don't want to reveal all your tricks too early. Save them for the big climactic surprise.

If there's anyone left on the ground, clean 'em up, then get back to cover. How many Ray Bits do we have left?

>>24361228
I'm thinking saturation fire on the trees, see if we can flush him out.

If we spot any movement, lockon hunter.

>>24357581
>>24359568
>>24359658
>>24359720
>>24360934
Unless I'm much mistaken, we don't *have* a zipline. We passed on that upgrade. The T. Coil is just a fancy conductive whip.

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>>24361497
You did get the spools. It's not QUITE a zipline, more of a rappel. You could eventually make it into one, though.

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>>24361228
Save the coil. Pick off the circling loids then focus on forcing our foe to expose himself outright.

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>>24361526
Oh god. Best one yet.

Also, writing now.

>>24361228
A Weapon/Upgrades/Abilities pastebin / brief infodump would be a welcome addition to the Intro, Command. I can't just hit the start button and tell what's what at a glace in this particular game.

Anyway - Use the Electric Charged Dash + Mounted (couched?) Lance to take out one of the two drivers. This has the advantage of keeping Anode mobile if the hidden enemy decides to fire on him again.

Then, either Kamikazi the snowmobile into the second Snowrider, or throw the Misericorde at his face.

>>24361560
But that gives away a major part of our offense to Wolfspider, and we don't want to give away the surprise. It's how we caught Lockon Bloodhound that time.

>>24361560
Done and done. At some point I should set up a pastebin account so I can make a permanent sheet to link and just edit it as required.
http://pastebin.com/dY235NV3

If we decide to take Wolfspider alive, we're probably gonna have to cut off his arms for safety.

Can a reploid survive that?

>>24361697
I would think so, we've survived worse.

>>24361697
Considering we had ours melted off and Em has lost his before, yeah.

>>24361697
Weren't several of the Civilian and military model Reploids which ended up as victims of Spin Jaguar's 'Art' missing limbs? Anode managed to save most of those as well.

>>24361666
You could use PiratePad. Keep the original URL and distribute the read-only one.

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>>24361733
Yes and no. The first thing you need to consider is that both you and Em are atypical examples. You're absurdly tough and well-armored, protecting most of your vital components. Emerald is the reploid version of an AK-47, designed cheap and sturdy, able to continue operating through adverse conditions without a hiccup. A civilian model would probably be killed by that grievous an injury.

Think of it as like a human--under some, maybe even most circumstances you can survive loss of a limb, but it can also very easily prove fatal. It helps that most of the reploids you've been running into are military-built and can sustain more damage and live. As for stuff like Jagwire, well, he was an artist. He didn't want them to die right away, so he took pains with precision.

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>>24361870
Ah, alright.

>>24361228
>>Save that trick. Focus on the shooter. Surprise him.

I want our murdercharge and coils to be a surprise so we can catch him completely off guard with them.

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>>24361919
Pfft. You should do a Splinter Cell one with Elk's version.
>>24361260
>>24361261
>>24361526
>>24362079
You discount the mechaniloids for the time being. Immobilizing you is a threat, but you know what to look out for now.

Wolfspider, on the other hand, is not going to expect this. You throw yourself headlong into a dash, dodging another pair of freeze shots. Your boots drag trails through the snow cover as you skid into the midst of your own mechaniloids.

You look down at the nearest ray bit--surprised by the sudden motion, it had turned its cute little head up to you, its optic gems shining brightly, full of light and hope and love, the little sensor array in the nose twitching as it stands up on its forelegs to better look up at you endearingly.

You promptly grab it by the ears and fling it headlong into the trees.

"What th--"

The first you've heard of your attacker is followed by the second as he yelps in surprise at a sudden flailing faceful of rabbot.

"Hey Wellsey," you call, grinning as the tension absolutely shatters beneath the sheer absurdity of the moment, "I found a niche for the ray bits."

"What did you do?"

Rather than answer, you turn and dispatch one of the two riders, combined fire with the remaining, unbetrayed ray bits bringing him down. The last turns tail and runs as Wolfspider (you think) fires one last barrage of plasma fire, taking out four with one salvo.

The projectile bunny clatters to the ground beside you, thrown from its perch as he swiftly departs.

You've survived, with minimal damage. And managed to throw a rabbit into a maverick's fucking face.

You're calling that one a win.

"Good news and bad news, Anode," replies Wellington as you prepare to pursue the shooter. "The good news is that Calais is reporting his partner is back from town and can be of assistance. The bad news is that you have a swarm of enemy mechaniloids coming your way. He's trying to screen his retreat."

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS.

>WHAT DO

>>24362271
Chaff works well in fucking those up right? Right?

>>24362271
Right, we're superfast, so pursue him, keep an eye open for any other traps, and we can use Blackout Rockets alongside our frankly absurd firing rate on our Busters to keep the Bats from being a problem.

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>>24362271
Ooh, good idea.

Bury yourself in snow and hope they pass over. Alternatively, look for trees with low branches and use them to limit the bats airspace.

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>>24362271

Would plowing right through their lines while hiding behind a Tumult Shell Shield destroy the bat-bots, or just toss them aside?

>>24362323
We're already down to 6/8 shots on the Chaff Rockets. We haven't seen destroyed enemies drop WEAPON energy yet, so keep the Ammo count in mind.

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>>24362412
It would destroy them. Not a terrible idea, but after one, maybe two bats the shield would break up.

>>24362323
We've used two. We've only got the eight of them. If we end up using two to thin out the crowd of bats, we've halved our supply.

Since it's BATS, though, I think I can be fine with that.

Give chase, fire on the bats with chaff rockets, but ONLY if we HAVE TO, to keep them off our ass. Try not to hit any of the bunnies. We might have to pull a rabbit out of our hat sometime soon.

Just popping in to say it's good to be back!

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>>24362516
Its good to have you back. I really missed these threads.
>>24362271
It turns out, its really hard to find a good splinter cell picture for that purpose.

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We should ask these freeloading trees to help us. Lazy wooden bastards.

>>24362271
Fucking run for it.

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>>24363012
>>24362437
>>24362336
GnaaaaAAAAAAAAH screw it.

You give chase at all speed, leaving your mechaniloids in the dust. Between your fire and your mobility, you hope you can keep the FUCKING BATS off.

"Anode?" Wellington asks. "Situation?"

"In pursuit," you explain, "going to try to run the blockade."

"Acknowledged, and be careful. I'm sending O36's field agent to your last position. Stand by, I'm giving her comm access--" There's a faint burst of static, and then it releases. Abruptly a new, feminine voice chimes in.

"This is Lieutenant Anode? Sergeant Linda Dawes. I hear you're having fun out there."

"Oh, it's a party every time," you reply dryly as you spy the first enemy fliers out ahead--sure enough, bats, with the ever-present Earth Commanders, used by both hunters and mavericks alike.

"I'm going to try and track those snow riders. Calais is requesting more assets to help tighten the cordon now that things are heating up. We don't want to move in with what we have."

"In case it's a feint, right."

"Which way is Wolfspider taking you?"

"West," you reply, ducking a divebombing EC and crashing through a thicket. "I think."

"I'll check the other way first, then. Somehow I doubt he's going to lead you right back home."

"Makes sense." Up ahead, you can barely spot your target, leaping adroitly from tree to tree. You can only see the flurry of movement, no particular details. You can avoid his fliers, but they're slowing you down, and he's getting away.

>Let him go. You've bought yourself time.
>Maintain the pursuit. Hopefully you can end this here.

Hound the quarry! Keep him running, but watch out for anything he might have up his sleeve. Like... Punji traps or whatever.

>>24363319
>Maintain the pursuit. Hopefully you can end this here.

Can't give him breathing room to fuck with us.

>>24363346
Earth Commanders make me think Malay Man Catchers might be more prevalent. Or he's going to try and go full ewok on us.
Either way, keep up the pressure, if we can get him off balance we'll have a better time of it.

>>24363319
>Maintain the pursuit. Hopefully you can end this here.

>>24363402
>Or he's going to try and go full ewok on us.
Heaven forbid.

>Maintain the pursuit.
No time for taking it easy now that we've seen him. Every moment we give him is another moment he has to prepare.

Also, it's been said a lot, but it's good to see you posting again Command.

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>>24363462
Thanks. It's been really flattering to hear that from everyone.

Unfortunately, now's also when I have to admit I woke up much, much earlier than I wanted to and have been fading fast. I might pause the writing proper here and pick up early tomorrow. If I pause the thread, is anyone going to be particularly bothered? If it 404s I'll run again in a week, and in the meantime I can stay awake and do some low-level Q&A, or an interview, or something. Putting it to you guys.

>>24363588
Well we'd all prefer you to be an immortal unsleeping machine god who runs this for eternity, but I think we're okay with you taking a break and getting back to it.

>>24363588
Pause is fine, but make us wait this long again and we're likely to piss in your cheeri-o's.

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>>24363614
I really, really don't plan to, so here's hoping. If people ever need to get ahold of me, the IRC or the twitter will work.

Anyway, I've archived the thread in case it doesn't survive, and like I said, if it does vanish I'll run next week. As for tomorrow, I'll start early. Team Jerkass assembles in the evening, but I should have at least some time.

Now that the formalities are out of the way, any lightish bonus content you'd like to explore?

>>24363850
I suppose a continuation of that one short that got ended abruptly is out of the question.
Cliffhangars drive me nuts.

>>24363588
>>24363850
Does it matter if the thread drops off? If you just link to sup/tg/ (and optionally repost the last post), we'll pick up from there.

And my first preference is to tell you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIBqd1kxoQk although India shenanigans are a close second.

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>>24363850
India's space station flipping adventures?

>>24363958
I'll definitely pick it back up again, but I'm a little bit too tired to really give it my all. Which is how it got cut too short to begin with.
>>24363966
I'd sleep, but if I go to bed now I'll wake up at like 11, still be tired, and not be able to get any sleep for many, many hours.

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>>24363966
>>24363980
Indiamind, it seems.

Also, no, I guess it really doesn't matter, though I try to keep my overall board posting footprint low. Plus, it's a holdover from when things ran a lot more slowly.

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...hm, you know what? Let's try something stupid and see what we get.

-----

You are Astro Cygnus, commander of the Eleventh Space Command, and your palm is currently married to your temple.

Sitting crosslegged before you, arms folded, your most problematic pilot disinterestedly inspects her nails. Were it not for the binder cuffs the MP put on her, this would look like pretty much every briefing she's ever sat through.

"India..." you begin, "what did you do?"

>

>>24364486
I think the proper answer from India ought to be something along the lines of "Could you be more specific? I did a lot of things, and I don't know which one this is about."

>>24364548
Perfect answer.

At first, I questioned why we're giving India's answers if we're Astro Cygnus, but then decided to just roll with it.

But then I imagined him having an India sockpuppet to have sassy conversations with beforehand, just to try and mentally rehearse.

>>24364734
One of the only consistent ways to prepare for India.

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>>24364548
>>24364609
"You're gonna have to be more specific, luv," she replies, still preening those nonexistent fingernails. "There was the thing with the shark, the spacewalk, and the Major's daughter."

"Start," you hiss, wishing you could crystallize the hate and stab her to death with it, "at the top."

"That'll be the spacewalk, then," India responds lightly, before she sits upright, looking up at you unflinchingly, despite the murder you're sure is written clear across your face. "So. Last night got a bit heated, see? So I figured I would go for a walk, clear my head, cool my heels."

"A walk," you repeat, "in space."

"Low earth orbit is 'space' the same way the Seventh is 'flight,' a piss poor facsimile of the real--"

"Semantics," you snap. "You walked out of an airlock."

"Do it all the time. Don't see why anyone's fussed."

"I'm 'fussed' because you were noticed. Or, more accurately, some missing equipment was noticed."

"You've never gone and had a light when you were in a bad mood?"

"First, you're a reploid, there's no REASON for you to smoke--"

"And yet, here we are," she adds drolly.

"--SECOND, neither smoking nor cigarettes are ALLOWED up here--"

"That's why I swallow them, y'know. Ashes and all."

"--And third, you stole an oxygen tank so you could keep your cigarette lit in vacuum?"

"Not really 'keep it lit,' light it repeatedly, you really can't get it to stay on for more than one drag--"

"India."

"--but then I thought I'd go for two, so I held it in the mask a little longer than usual and turned the valve up to full."

"And it exploded."

She shrugs emphatically. "Who knew, right?" After a moment of tense, lethal silence, she sighs. "I already said I'd pay for the replacement. And the solar panel."

You grimace. "Fine."

>And the shark?
>And what's this about the Major's daughter?
>Other?

>>24364897
>And the shark?
Oh, this one I gotta hear.

>>24364952
Probably to do with a space station aquarium and a sudden influx of zero Gs.

>>24364897
>And what's this about the Major's daughter?

That seems more important than the Shark, the Shark isn't anything new with her, but the Mayor's daughter, that's important.

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>>24364897
I'd say this guy
>>24364965
has it right, if it weren't for the fact that its a shark, in space.

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>>24365074
>>24364952
"So what's this about a shark?" you ask, dearly hoping somehow that it's not as bad as the report you woke up to this morning said.

"First off, the shark was already dead, all right? Just...wanna make that clear."

You groan audibly. The MPs at the door tighten their grips on their buster rifles.

"All right, so, last week, we had that inspection, right?"

"I was there, yes," you grumble.

"And, well, as you'll recall, I was--"

"--Found crawling up a maintenance duct singing something about 'snake eater?'"

"Indisposed," she corrects smoothly. "Believe it or not, that one was not my fault."

"So you said, yes."

"No, that one was Valflight."

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>>24365693
Of course it was. Your OTHER problem. A pack of rambunctious blonde lunatics. They and India were like bugs, and the entire space station was the shaken jar. That much ego in this little space was a recipe for disaster. At least when they competed afield, it always worked in your favor--they knew how to keep it professional in combat, and if anything drove each other to greater heights. Nonetheless, back here, off duty... "What did they do?"

"Locked me in there while I was sleeping. In my defense, I was drunk."

"Where did you even find anything to drink?"

"Your desk," she replies calmly. "Third drawer down, left side. Your brand is awful, by the way."

"I'll take that under advisement," you snarl, trying to glower a hole through her. "So, what does this have to do with an Australian zoo and an imported shark corpse?"

"Well, in my magnanimity, I forgave them that slight," India answers, ignoring the hate rolling off you. "But then, they went too far." Before you can ask, she leans forward and answers, voice deadly and low. "They stole. My. Jacket."

"And so you loaded up an old Tetra-B, modified the housing for some VERY special ordnance, and then you strafed their shuttle on its return vector."

"I always tell them not to turn off the set until they're inside the bay, they never even saw me coming. Pure bus driver material, through and through. Man, though, I hope their gun cams were on. Mine sure was. You should have SEEN the hit." You did, actually--you were -looking out your office viewport with a cup of coffee, listening to Beethoven and contemplating your favorite star, when a hunk of meat from a dead aquatic predator splattered across it like a pulpy micrometeor.

>Putting aside the innards of large fish, what was this about the daughter?
>...You know what? I don't even want to know any more.

>>24365705
>>Putting aside the innards of large fish, what was this about the daughter?

>>24365705
We must inquire about the daughter.

Screw your courage to the sticking place, Cygnus.

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>>24365705
>Putting aside the innards of large fish, what was this about the daughter?
Wait, daughter to the mayor of what? Metro City, New York, USA?

>>24366133
"Major", not "Mayor".

>>24366549
Ohhhhh. That makes way more sense.

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>>24365810
>>24366059
>>24366133

In anticipation of yet another strong argument for an early retirement, you brace yourself. "Okay. One more thing. Tell me about--"

"Marie? Or was it Marjorie? I don't know, I'm not really fussed about these sorts of things."

"Was it 'mayor' or 'major?' I've heard both."

"I think it was both. Again, I dunno, I wasn't really paying attention. And besides, it wasn't my fault--"

"Of course," you spit bitterly, as she shrugs again and drums her fingers against the chairleg.

"Look, first off, it wasn't like that, and second of all, she dared me. And it was self-defense."

"You threw the man's toupee into a jet engine."

"In my defense, it was hilarious." You just continue staring blankly into her blackened, hateful little soul. "No? What about the coat?"

"You mean the one with the Congressional Medal of Honor?"

"I'unno," she scratches her nose. "I don't really pay attention to what bits of metal the Colonials pin on their chests. Besides, I dived in after it!"

"Yes," you reply evenly. "Wrecking the engine in the process, sending brass and tatters flying."

"But the Conventional Metool of Convents was saved, wasn't it?"

"Conventional Metool of... Is this like when you kept calling the Watchtower the Fortress of Solitude to piss off that technician?"

"Maybe," she admits. "I guess it's... a bad habit."

You rub your temples. "...India, I don't care where you found them, if you don't take those sunglasses off I will shoot you in the face and feel nothing."

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>>24366706
"Fair enough."

"So, you caused a diplomatic incident, which is funny because we're not diplomats, have no country, and were not formally receiving a dignitary. I'm almost impressed."

"That's high praise, coming from you. It's like a triple word score for war crimes," she agrees. "Or as close as I can get after they took away the marshmellow speedloader."

You groan, looking down at the titanic stack of paperwork--most of it directly because of her--on your desk. "India, what am I supposed to do with this?"

She looks at you. "Really, boss? You could start with a 'thank you' and work from there."

Your head snaps up so fast you're momentarily worried you damaged something in your neck. "What."

She sighs again. "Look, boss. Last week, I had to set a stack of pallets on fire to stop two of the service crew from strangling each other. The real bitch was getting metal to catch, but what can I say, I have a knack. Anyway, not the point. The week before that, Lyn called Tung a metrosexual cabana boy and threw a wrench at his head so fast I'm pretty sure it could have escaped orbit. In case you haven't noticed, we're all pretty high-strung, cooped up here for months at a time. I can actually fly out of here, and even I get cabin fever something awful."

"So that's it, then? It's all some grand crusade for..." you flex and unflex your fingers, struggling to find a word for it. "Morale?"

"Controlled burn, boss. You want to keep the woods, you have to light them on fire every couple seasons."

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>>24366741
You sigh, turning back to look out the viewport--a smear of Great White still visible where the cleaner missed a spot--and mull it over. Strictly speaking, you have enough ammo to kill her without firing a shot. You could have her court martialed, summarily executed, and then her remains brought up on charges. But the thing, the damnable thing about India was that she had a way of making you believe her.

And besides, she was good. When she wasn't driving you to an early grave, India was one of the best pilots you had, one of the best you've ever seen. And part of you knows she just wants to see how much she can get away with, how much of that unflappable pilot persona she's cultivated she can throw in the face of anyone with rank or years on her.

"How long have you been up here now, India?"

"Two years next month," she replies crisply, the most professional thing you've gotten out of her during this entire exchange.

"Right. A demotion, a demerit--you can put it with the rest, I don't even care any more--pay docked, contraband confiscated, apologies made, paperwork filed, potatoes peeled, babies kissed, AND--" you turn back around--"grounded for three days." THAT gets a groan out of her. Nodding to the MPs, you sit at your desk. "You are dismissed, Lieutenant."

The three file out as you immediately reach down and open the drawer, three down, bottom left. Pulling your (noticeably lightened) whiskey bottle out, you then fetch a glass from the cabinet, along with the small, crude voodoo doll you'd confiscated (and, as far as the rest of the 11th knew, destroyed,) of Lieutenant India.

"Until next time," you tell it, tossing it nonchalantly onto your chair as you turn to look out your office window again.

...Heh. Congressional Metool of Habits.

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And, sleep-deprived typos and all, that's the ballgame for tonight. I hope you liked India's little misadventure, and holy fuck that took longer than I thought.

GOOD FUCKIN' NIGHT.

>>24366828
Goodnight, you glorious bastard.

>>24366828
I'll be sure to try to keep the thread bumped for you.

this was great

Morning bump.

>>24366769
heh, voodoo dool

>>24375195
*doll, I can't type for shit apparently
sage because self imposed grammar nazi

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>>24375203
Its alright, we all do it sometimes.

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All right, I'm slept, washed, fed, and caffeinating. Let's get this show on the road.
>>24363346
>>24363374
>>24363402
>>24363449
>>24363462
You have to make another spur-of-the-moment call, and eventually decide that while Wolfspider is in flight, he's not going to be at liberty to do much else.

"Try and track those snowmobiles, Sergeant. I'm going to keep up the chase."

"That's the plan," she agrees, "and please, Lieutenant, call me Linda. Or Dawes."

"Just Anode's fine, and duly noted. Out." You cut the comms to better pay attention to the threat ahead.

The FUCKING BATS are thick in the trees, some perching under the boughs, others milling around in swarms. You can dodge and outrun them, but the Earth Commanders with them are an excellent harrier--they're faster and excellent at getting in the way.

>Take a few hits, force your way through.
>Use your charged dash. They'll never catch up.
>Reveal some of your arsenal to clear them out safely.

>>24376805
Haul ass. Ain't nobody got time for that.

>>24376805
>Take a few hits, force your way through.
This is the sort of stuff X does all the time. If we can't punch our way through, what kind of hunter are we?

>>24376346
tf2 lockon, now *that* is scary, imagine him re-spawning after we killed him

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>>24376805
force our way
BATS! BATS! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS!!!!!!!!!!!

Assuming >>24376877 is a vote for using the dash-charge, we're tied up at 2 for dash through, 2 for tank some hits.

Tiebreaker?

>>24377574
Fine, we'll use the charge dash, assuming our superdash wouldn't get us out of trouble anyway.

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>>24377606
>>24377106
>>24376877
Screw it.

You keep moving even as Wolfspider slips further out of sight, waiting for the perfect moment. It comes when a pair of bats swoop down in a dive-bomb, just as an earth commander moves to cut off your escape. As they all converge, you lean forward and channel your conduits.

With a kick the trees blur past you to either side faster than you can even process. You hear crackling as the snow behind you flash-boils and steams, as up ahead Wolfspider's retreating back comes much, much closer.

This must be how Luke felt, except you don't have the Force to forewarn you of crashing into stuff.

Turns out to be a non-issue, though. Your capacitors weren't terribly high-charged to begin with, and using them as long as you can taps them out in short order. Still, worth the trade, you think; you've left the mechaniloids in the dust. Wolfspider's begun outpacing you again, but it's going to take him a lot longer. You're keeping him busy.

The chase continues, spiced up by the occasional surprise plasma shot or hazard-navigation.

"Anode, can you hear me?" Dawes comms. "I managed to track down where the snow-riders deployed from. I've got eyes on a cave, looks like it might be an abandoned mineshaft."

"Explains the 'loids," you note, "probably can't track their heat underground."

"Calais says he's coming around with the sled from one of those snow riders. He could come pick you up."

So what's the plan? You're ranking officer and on point for the mission." That's...a good question. You might catch Wolfspider on the snowmobile, but the terrain isn't even and you aren't an experienced driver--plus, he could just shoot it out from under you and leave you high and dry. And, now that you've found his base of operations, Wolfspider is caught out in the cordon. He can't escape. You could return to his lair, clear it, and wait him out.

>Calais, come get me. We'll link up at the cave.
>Send Linda in to clear the mine. Take a chance

>>24377899
>Calais, come get me. We'll link up at the cave.
Better not to stay out of our element longer than we have to. Also, the more assets we deny Wolfspider, the better chance we have to bring him down.

>>24377928
I'll support this.

>>24377899

"I'll keep pursuing Wolfspider. Calais and Linda, clear the mine and wait for us there. I'll chase him for a while, get him to think he's lost me and retreat back to the lair. We'll ambush him there."

>>24377899
Have Calais pick us up. That cave could prove to be an asset in this fight, providing a bottleneck and reducing the likelyhood of ambush in our actual confrontation.

>>24377945
We're gonna lose him, anyway. Best we can do is cut off another of the metaphorical limbs.

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>>24377928
>>24377937
>>24377990
>>24378001
"He's got to have limited resources," you observe.

"He's probably spent most of them today. And whatever he has left will be here."

"Right, so, send Calais by. I'll meet up with you there."

"Roger that, Anode."

You keep up the chase a little while longer, keeping Wolfie busy until Calais can get here. And speaking of, it doesn't take him very long--just a minute after you lose sight of your target, you hear the engine approach.

"Hop on," Calais says by way of greeting. You quickly do so, with a little bit of uncomfortable cramping, and he sets off back the way you came. "So, uh," he adds, "just FYI, if things get heated I'm only a C. Linda's B, so she might be more help, but..." But you're dealing with an A-rank threat, right. You mull it over as you pass by the streaks of melted snow left behind you by your lightning dashes, darkened lines of mud and leaves against the field of white. "Hope you don't think any less of me, I'm not even supposed to leave the base while we're doing this cordon."

"One thing at a time. Let's get there first."

He nods and guns it, inasmuch as a oneseater designed for a lightweight mechaniloid can gun with two reploids on its back.

"Linda, we're en route. What's the status?"

"I haven't moved in yet, just keeping my eyes on the entrance. Do you want me to get started before you get here?"

>Yeah, roll out the welcome mat, Sergeant.
>Negative, play it safe. We're holding all the cards here.

AND
>Send Calais/Linda back to base before main engagement?

>>24378714
>Negative, play it safe. We're holding all the cards here.
Let's go in with as concerted a force as possible. If we spring that we're taking out Wolfspider's base too early, he may retaliate when we're not in position.

>Send Calais back to base before main engagement.
There's no shame in knowing when you're out of your depth. This is an A vs. A fight, so there's a lot that can go wrong, and the last thing we want is the death of a Hunter on our conscience.

>>24378863

Seconding both.

>>24378863
I'm hesitant in sending one back because wolfspider is still out there. I don't want him doubling back here and only finding one of them.

>>24378921
In that I mean we need to either keep them both here or send them both back.

>>24378921
It'll only come up when we actually corner Wolfspider.

>>24378921
You're a ways out. They'll have to use the snowmobile. On the bright side, that means getting away would be easier, if it came up.

>>24378714
Good morning Hunter Command,
>Negative, play it safe. We're holding all the cards here.
keep both with us for now

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Sorry for delays, doing a great many things at once here.
>>24378863
>>24378890
It's not an awfully hard decision. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Calais. Though if Wolfspider shows up, you can probably take the ride back to base and continue coordinating. No shame in being outgunned."

He nods. "Thanks."

"For now, we'll stick together, safety in numbers. When push comes to shove, we can probably keep him busy while one or both of you exfil."

The trip passes quickly, though you note with at least a little pride that you're going slower by vehicle than you could on foot, at least in short bursts.

"I'm up in a tree outside the entrance," Linda sends as you get closer. "I can hear the engine, so chances are anyone in here can too." You're not too worried--odds are the alarm was already raised anyway. "We can either approach this cautiously or go all in. I'm in a perfect position for overwatch."

>Hey, Calais. Hold on tight.
>Let's do this one by the numbers.
>Other

>>24381016
>Let's do this one by the numbers

>>24381016
>Let's do this one by the numbers.
If they know we're here, then let's smash them fast and hard. Note to destroy any supply caches and emplacements in the cave.

>>24381016
Slow and steady wins the race. Let's do it by the numbers, minimize the risks.

Calais is a reploid, right? And Linda is human? And Linda has higher hunter ranking?

>wevegotabadassonourhands.jpg

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>>24381171
>>24381256
>>24381847
You size up your situation--no real energy charge, but only very minor damage. A good stock of all your VWES options, too. Seems like you're pretty good to go.

"Okay, people, let's do this carefully. Worst-case scenario is we botch this and Wolfspider gets away because of it." You know, that or death.

You stop the snowmobile a good distance away and dismount, moving ahead to better shelter Calais. Wellington tells you he'll scan for mechaniloid signatures and Wolfspider's return.

"Speaking of," Linda says over radio--you know she's around somewhere, but you can't hear where her voice comes from, "There's raised discs in the snow. I was thinking mines."

"He ambushed me with some iceballs earlier," you note. "Point 'em out for me."

A pinecone abruptly lands somewhere up ahead. You can pick it out now--the little thing bounced clean off. You level your buster. Behind you, Calais does the same. You fire, and--

Plink!

...Plink?

"Heads-up, mechaniloid signatures going live, and a few more from just inside," warns Wellsey.

Sure enough, four little things pop out of the snow abruptly--metools. The combat kind. One promptly explodes as a shot you neither saw nor heard takes it out. You and Calais fire on another, removing it, while the other two shelter back under their helmets. From the mouth of the cave more 'loids start leaping into view--amenhoppers. Lightly-armored, not much of a threat, but they can let the mets get some snap-shots off.

>Suppress the mets. Keep their, er, heads down.
>Sweep out the amenhoppers, let Linda and Calais pick the mets off.
>I'll head inside, you two clean up out here.

>>24382353
>>Sweep out the amenhoppers, let Linda and Calais pick the mets off.

Rapid fire doesn't really work against mets. Lets crush the light armor.

>>24382353
Poor Metools.

We're better suited to dealing with the Amenhoppers. Let the other deal with the Mets.

>>24382353
>Sweep out the amenhoppers, let Linda and Calais pick the mets off.

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>>24382615
>>24382495
>>24382451
"You two handle the whack-a-moles, I've got the bugs," you call, opening fire.

The amenhoppers really don't stand much chance--some hide behind the mets, but the sheer volume of fire you send downrange is more than enough to gun them all down. Of course, there's more than a few of them. The faint pops and crackles of plasma burn sing through the woods as shots are traded--mostly from your side, as the metools can't get a shot off. Before long you and Calais surround the last one and dispatch it.

"I'm going to head in," you declare. "Keep watch from out here and get ready to head in."

"Right," Linda says, "I'm repositioning. Feel free to drag 'em back up here if you want a little cover fire."

You cautiously advance, entering the cave. Sure enough, it does look like this was a mine, once upon a time--old struts and supports made of dry, splintering wood serve as posts and archways down an incline into the mine proper.

You're met by a hastily-made palisade of supply crates and blocks. Behind it are a ragtag band of old models--everything from civilian models, Disk Boys to Axe Maxes. They don't look like they're moving any time soon. In the center, standing in the open between two fortifications, is a Hoganmer--an old, early combat model, wielding a ball and chain and a heavy shield. He seems to be modified, with extra-heavy armor that almost rivals yours. His solid yellow optics fix on yours as he digs in and raises the shield higher, revealing the maverick symbol emblazoned on the surface.

"Go home," he says, voice thick with buzzing distortion.

>?

>>24382916
>Sorry, I can't. I'm here to serve you an eviction notice.

>>24382916
"No can do. Where's Spider?"

Activate beam lance and wait for him to make the first move. Be ready for a trap.

>>24382916
I'd rather go big.

Shield your back with a tumult to not get caught if wolfspider is behind you. Then just evade the flail and dash in for a lance kill.

>>24383028
^ seconding

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>>24382916
"And leave me all alone during Christmas while two hooligans that look suspiciously like Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern try to ransack my house, forcing me to improvise with paint cans and nail guns?
"Nah. Nah, I'm good."

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>>24383028
>>24383029
>>24383074
"Not a chance," you answer, remaining on guard. "Where's Wolfspider?"

"Don't you worry about that," the maverick replies. "He'll get to you."

After a moment's silence, you aim behind you and fire a tumult shell. It plinks harmlessly off the ramp down. The assembled mavericks laugh mockingly. The smug bastard chuckles along with them. "What's wrong? Feeling paranoid?"

"Not the first ambush I've walked into," you reply evenly, "Or that I've walked away from."

He narrows his eyes, slamming his shield against the spiked ball. "Prove it."

The mavericks level their busters and open fire, as the hoganmer swings his chain under their cover. You bring up your lance, at the ready during the talking, snapping it alight just as the ball impacts where your chest would have been. The phase-blade foils all the shots and blocks the ball, the force of the blow sending you skidding back on your heels a few inches. He snaps the chain back to his side as you wheel the lance around once and raise your buster.

"How...?" he mutters. Neither he nor the mavericks seem to want to leave their cover, preferring to dig in and entrench their position. They prepare to fire again, taking aim as you size up the maverick line--five in total.

>Plan?

>>24382916
"But Mr. Bouncer, I'm on the list under Clint Eastwood, surely you would let Clint in, right?"

We can outright square up to him with our shield. Im not too thrilled to have to brawl with him. Busters won't do a hell of a lot to him as they don't do much to us. I advise tearing that shield away with a coil, poping a shield to keep the mace off, and run him through.

>>24383491
Watch that iron ball and take out his covering fire first. Without backup guns, that Hoganmer is gonna feel mighty lonesome and vulnerable.

>>24383491
>>24383493
Welp. Get rid of that palisade first.

>>24383491
All we have to do is get behind their cover, given that it is hastily made we can use our absurd EAS to wall run on one of the walls to get around the pallisade, or just bust through it at a weak point, and then we can just casually spear them all.

Use our phase-blade and tumult shell to keep from getting hurt.

>>24383491
Two blackout rockets to scatter his fire support, for starters. Dodge to the side, try to jump over that cover to intercept and incapacitate any gunners that are caught unawares with the beam lance while using it to block any stray shots.

Don't get hit by that flail. It's a very slow weapon, so it should be fairly easy to dodge. If we can, try to get him to destroy his own barricade with it.

>>24383491
>>24383524 >>24383532
these 2 no point in burning special weapons on mooks.

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>>24383781
>>24383532
>>24383524
"One chance, all of you, to surrender," you warn.

None of them respond.

You shrug. "Worth a shot." They all, predictably, take that instant to give you some. You dash in as the hoganmer winds up again, ducking under the fusillade as it aims for where you were. Deflecting the ball aside with the flat of your lance, you time and make a great leap. The hoganmer is already retracting the flail, but not fast enough to stop you from clearing the barricade. The fire keeps up from either side of you--warding your left with your blade, you turn and fire a tumult shell to your right and quickly follow it, still negating incoming fire while you close in. The first of the two on that side grunts as the shell hits him, making him stumble back a step, putting him offguard and letting you quickly dispatch him. The other fires from point blank range, hitting you in the chest. You grimace, ignoring the light injury as you raise your buster and return the favor without stopping. The flail crashes down where you stood, pulping part of the first dead maverick's arm on the ground as you riddle the second with plasma, sending him reeling against the wall where he crumples, dead.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the disk boy tosses one of his namesake weapons up into the air, which the axe-max swings into, sending it screaming at you. It impacts on the wall next to your head with a loud clang. You advance again, this time buster-first, as the hoganmer sends his flail crashing through the barricade, clearing the wall. With one more dash, you wrest the disk boy's lighter shield aside and impale him. The axe max swings at you, which you narrowly avoid before unleashing a quickly-charged shot into him, blasting a hole clear through.

Just you and the hoganmer, now. He clears the other half of the barricade out of his way and readies his shield again.

>Close to melee.
>Keep well back.
>End it fast.

>>24384381
>>Close to melee.

He's slow and his weapons are a flail, which requires swinging room, a shield, and his feet, we can easily avoid all of those if we're up close, if we're well back he might clip us with the flail.

>>24384381
>Close to melee.
>End it fast.
Time to see if those methodologies Schwarz and Gach gave us hold up.

>>24384381
Go in fast. We can deflect the flail and skewer him while he's retracting. Staying far we would be just plinking at his shield.

>>24384381
>Close to melee
>End it fast

>>24384381
Over extend him and then get up close.

>>24384381
>>Close to melee.

>>24384381
Close to melee. Misericorde time, I'm willing to bet that flail is going to be useless in extreme close range melee.

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>>24384557
>>24384518
>>24384500
>>24384483
>>24384446
>>24384436
You advance to melee, lance at the ready. The hoganmer wordlessly ejects his flail-chain a short ways, stopping it at about the right length for a close-combat weapon. You come in hard and fast as he swings around the side of his shield--the chain wraps around the lanceblade and actually holds. Abruptly he yanks back, and then throws the chain, wresting the lance out of your hand with it. You go for your misericorde, but he shield-slams you with surprising force. You stumble backwards as your lance clatters to the ground behind you.

He retracts the flail back to close-combat length as you ready your beam knife, ready for a second go.

He comes in fast and hard on the attack, surging forward and putting the spiked ball down into the floor--you only just hop aside and drive in with a thrust of your own. He meets it on his shield, the thick armor slab holding against the misericorde as he finesses the flail, slamming it, hard, into your side. The beam knife stays where you put it in his shield, embedded but not breaking through. You stumble off a few steps, making eye contact as you are once again disarmed.

He's about to gloat when you snap up your buster and fire a Lockon Hunter, full charge, drilling a neat, clean little hole through his shield, his armor, and his head. All at once, he goes slack, falling like a puppet with cut strings. A moment later, the misericorde disengages and clatters to the ground. With a wince, you recollect your weapons from where they fell, checking the dent in your armor.

You're about to comm Calais and Linda, tell them to come down after you when they both sprint into the room.

"He's up there," Linda warns.

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>>24384754
And cutting things off here--Team Jerkass assembles.

Next time will (finally) be the confrontation with Wolfspider!

>>24384778
Thanks for running.

>>24385760
bump