One man in a dark green uniform, sporting a white-starred pin on his left breast steps up, gesturing to Sophie to join the others around the holo-table as it spins up to display an urban map.
“Alright, now that we’re all here, we can plan this operation. Our objective is to make it to the city center, where a piece of important intel is located. When we make it there, we need to hold the position for three minutes while my Command Walker receives the information, and then escape the city.

Opposition forces have apparently deployed mines on the direct routes, so we’re going to need to take alternate routes into the city. This is expected to take around 10 minutes to traverse, at best speed.
Now, resistance is expected to be light- some power armored infantry platoons occupying various strongpoints around the city. Expect ambushes, and stay on your toes.”

“However, Core Delta is running as the enemy’s quick response force. It is permitted to deploy 5 minutes into the operation from the edge of the operation area.”
A chorus of groans meets this comment.

“Now don’t give me that. Today, we have something to even the odds.”
He gestures at Sophie.

“Cadet Sophie is running with Core Beta in support of us. That should put a smile on some of your faces, because she’s been in one of the Frames that has been trouncing pretty much everyone in the simulators.”

“Leo and Mark, you two are on distraction duty. The rest of you will be escorting me in and out. Questions?”
Most of the eyes in the room lock onto Sophie, and she shrinks back from their gazes.

Another voice is raised, by another uniformed woman with a red pin.
“Sir, is there any possibility of you swapping your command walker out for something faster? It seems like speed might be a concern.”

“No, because the Mastermind Command unit is the only one that can carry Project Athena. And for this operation, that’s what is capable of picking up the intel.”

No one else speaks up.
“No others? Alright, to the sim-pods. Maps and routes should be there already.”

The speaker hangs back, pointing at Sophie as the rest of the pilots exit through the door.
“Greeting Cadet, I’m Captain Blake. We’ve met briefly in the simulators before, and I hope that you can work your magic for me and my men, rather than against us.”
His voice lowers for a bit, just barely being able to be heard on the mic.
“Between you and me, we could really use a win. We’ve been beaten pretty badly when we go up against the Cores, usually, and even in some exercises against the 1st Royals.”

Sophie snaps to attention, her prior withdrawn attitude gone when there’s just the two of them and the door guard.
“Um, Yes! Yes, I can win, um, I mean, I’ll follow your orders, aye, sir.”

Amusement colors the Captain’s tone.
“Alright then. To your pod, and I’ll see you in there.”

Your connection to the room cuts.

File: Delta Core, in Frame.jpg (1.76 MB, 2000x2666)

1.76 MB JPG

You feel supercharged. Finally, you get your showdown against Delta. No more waiting, no more wondering if you’re going to be jumped during a random scenario. Then your thoughts turn to the current predicament, and the many problems it poses.
It’s an escort. Your success is going to be chained to the glacial pace of the Command Walker and the slow reflexes of the merely human pilots. It’s an urban environment, where the fighting is generally close, and firing lanes restricted, unless you can find a high enough location.

Their plan is also questionable. Delta would be distracted easily, but any of the lighter walkers will be run down and torn apart easily, and anything heavy is too slow to get into position fast enough. You estimate the ‘distraction team’ to at best buy up to 5 minutes, if Delta is running her flight thrusters like she has in the past.

You will need to undoubtedly step in and defend, or distract Delta from hunting the Commander somehow.

You know Delta is usually a very close-ranged fighter. Her preferred style is usually to just rush her targets, evading or blocking the incoming shots and then tear them apart when she reaches them.

This terrifying speed and power does come at a cost. 4 subsystems is a lot to run off of one reactor, and you’ve seen her unable to operate them all at once, if they’re serious power drains.
That’s not to mention the immense pressure put on the pilot by mid or high sync, which is something Delta greatly enjoys. No pilot can take that strain forever, and the snap from falling out of sync can cause a shutdown or stutter at the worst time in the middle of a battle.

With those things in mind, you start selecting equipment for your Frame. There’s a couple of new options, even, although they’re banning your use of others. Probably won’t be ready in time for actual deployment.

Equipment list
Main Weapon
Pick one

>Tyrant-pattern Cannon- armor-piercing high velocity cannon taken off of Tyrant tank, with auto loader. Low rate of fire, but different ammo types available. +1 to attack at long range, +2 to attack at medium range. Slow projectile

>Nail-pattern railgun- accelerate a projectile with magnets past the speed of sound to punch through targets. Highly effective against armored targets, and anything behind said target. Low rate of fire due to high energy costs. 1 Auto-success at long range. +1 attack at medium range. Extremely fast projectile.

>Project Sunburst- advanced laser capable of switching between single continuous beam or pulsating for easier targeting. Produces intense heat after constant operating, along with at the target point. Can be dialed back for less heat and damage, or focused greatly at short range for extreme damage and heat, along with being able to cut through almost anything. Laser weapon, +1 to attack at all ranges.

>Project Zeus Particle Projector Emitter- supercharge particles, then unleash it in a flash of man-made lightning. Projectile is slow moving compared to lasers and Railgun, yet the destructive power is unmatched and it imparts an EMP effect to mechanical targets. +1 attack at medium range, -1 to attack of mechanical targets hit on following turns, and extra damage to them. Slow moving projectile.

>Bia-pattern Chaingun- rotating high velocity minigun scaled up to be used by your frame. Highly effective against lighter targets and unmatched in rate of fire. Brrrrrrt +1 to attack at medium range, +1 to attack at close range. 1 auto-success per light unit targeted, but less damage against heavier units. Fast projectiles.

>Project Demon- Reinforced melee weapon capable of tearing through armor. Armor-piercing, highly effective against all targets. 1 auto-success in close combat, minimum of 3 damage when hitting, regardless of success amount.

Secondary systems
Pick two

>Project Predator- a powerful signal amplifier and receiver, enhancing the ability to connect to and attack lesser AIs and networks in cyber warfare attacks on the battlefield. 2 Auto-successes when engaging in E-War attack and defense. Enables Jamming.

>Project Burning Eagle- a set of prototype thrusters which greatly enhances mobility on the battlefield. Even gives limited flight capabilities for short periods of time. Can be used for pin-point dodges and point blank weapon, in a pinch. +1 to defense.

>Trapdoor Optical Deception System- TODS, a camouflage system that deploys when stationary for extended periods of time, masking the user’s emissions and blending in with the background. Moving or firing weapons disrupts the system, causing it to fail. 2 Auto-successes on Skill rolls to hide.

>Project Hive Drone system- set of 6 multi-use hover jet recon drones that can be deployed and recovered. Drones are equipped with multi-spectrum cameras and advanced sensors, but lack weapons. Last for several hours, but also lack stealth systems. +1 to Skill rolls to detection per drone active. Max of +3 from drones.

>Crackle Defense System- A mid-powered laser mounted on a highly responsive mount which automatically engages incoming physical projectiles, short of a railgun shot. Highly effective at defending against missile attacks, somewhat less effective against shells and rounds. Can also engage lighter enemies. Laser weapon. +1 to attack at medium and close range. 1 Auto-success on defense rolls against most projectile weapons.

>Project Yi Accelerator System- A mechanical boost system to overcharge your frame, greatly increasing power, speed and responsiveness for a short period of time. Repeated or extended use can cause internal damage to artificial muscles. +1 defense. Overcharges for +2 defense, but can take structure damage.

>Deadplate mitigator system- Internal repair gel system which operates to buffer and cushion internal systems against impacts or damage. When taking internal damage, it limits loss of other systems. +1 to structural integrity.

>Zeri Secondary Reactor system- backup secondary reactor which can be used to, for a short time, double the energy output, or take over for the primary reactor to allow it to cool. Can be used to supercharge some energy weapons to increase damage.

>>5590638
>Project Zeus Particle Projector Emitter- supercharge particles, then unleash it in a flash of man-made lightning. Projectile is slow moving compared to lasers and Railgun, yet the destructive power is unmatched and it imparts an EMP effect to mechanical targets. +1 attack at medium range, -1 to attack of mechanical targets hit on following turns, and extra damage to them. Slow moving projectile.
Delta will want to close in on us. Neutering her attack on the approach and possibly fucking up her already-overburdened reactor sounds perfect to me.

File: Beta Inspiration.jpg (162 KB, 924x1134)

162 KB JPG

This Quest operates on a d6 system. A number of dice is rolled equal to the stat in question, looking for 4, 5, 6 to be a success, and then you count the number of successes. When the amount of dice needed is above 6, I am perfectly happy to have people roll 2 dice in a single post.

5 stats of combat units
Will- Used for E-war and various interactions with the pilot and system controls. Is not affected by Sync rate.
Attack- Used for ranged and close combat
Defense- Used for evading incoming fire. Added to Attack dice for close combat
Skill- Used for non-direct combat skills. I.E. Stealth and detection
Structure- This is roughly how many hits a unit can take. Also not affected by Sync rate

Stats of Beta
(Stats are without any equipment)
Will- 5
Attack- 3
Defense- 3
Skill- 3
Structure (health)- 10
Beta cannot take more than 3 structure damage from a single attack.

Sync multiplier: Low- 1x, Mid-1.5x, High- 2x
High Sync also confers an extra auto-success on any checks made.

Stats of Sophie (Pilot)
Will- 3

Pilot Will is used for attempting to move up and down Sync rate, maintain Sync, and enforce Overrides on the Core.

>>5590639
>>5590643
Add

>Project Yi Accelerator System- A mechanical boost system to overcharge your frame, greatly increasing power, speed and responsiveness for a short period of time. Repeated or extended use can cause internal damage to artificial muscles. +1 defense. Overcharges for +2 defense, but can take structure damage.
If Delta does get close, Yi is exactly what we need to not get waxed.

>Zeri Secondary Reactor system- backup secondary reactor which can be used to, for a short time, double the energy output, or take over for the primary reactor to allow it to cool. Can be used to supercharge some energy weapons to increase damage.
Obvious synergy with Zeus is obvious.

>>5590638
>>Tyrant-pattern Cannon
>>5590639
>>Project Yi Accelerator System
>>Zeri Secondary Reactor system

Let's practice for our actual frame.
We have lots of health, and Yi by default, plus overheating issues.

So let's take a powerful and versatile primary that uses projectile ammunition instead of reactor power, a secondary reactor to keep the load low and cool, and also be able to boost our Yi to maximum when we really need it.

Feel free to discuss strategies or tactics you'd like to use with the various builds.
You know that you're in for quite a fight.

Captain Blake is your nominal commander, but he's not really sure what exactly to do with you, so Sophie hasn't been given any specific orders right off the bat besides "Defend the Commander"
How you do that exactly, will be up to you.

Act as bait? Ambushing Delta when she comes for the Commander? Far-out interception? Camping in a map corner with a railgun?
All up in the air.

And probably going to be voted on to be presented when your pilot gets into the pod

>>5590638
>Bia-pattern Chaingun- rotating high velocity minigun scaled up to be used by your frame. Highly effective against lighter targets and unmatched in rate of fire. Brrrrrrt +1 to attack at medium range, +1 to attack at close range. 1 auto-success per light unit targeted, but less damage against heavier units. Fast projectiles.
Auto-success on rolling against light targets that we'd expect to occupy the city, +1 combat die in close range.

>Crackle Defense System- A mid-powered laser mounted on a highly responsive mount which automatically engages incoming physical projectiles, short of a railgun shot. Highly effective at defending against missile attacks, somewhat less effective against shells and rounds. Can also engage lighter enemies. Laser weapon. +1 to attack at medium and close range. 1 Auto-success on defense rolls against most projectile weapons.
Additional attack die at close range and defense auto-success against projectile weapons that the enemy light units could have. Would also be effective defense if Delta has the secondary missile pods.

>Project Yi Accelerator System- A mechanical boost system to overcharge your frame, greatly increasing power, speed and responsiveness for a short period of time. Repeated or extended use can cause internal damage to artificial muscles. +1 defense. Overcharges for +2 defense, but can take structure damage.
Extra defense in close quarters to help fight Delta.

This loadout is gives us the best fighting chance against Delta with as many extra close range dice as possible. We will not be able to dictate range of engagement here since we're escorting and protecting the Command vehicle so we should expect to only engage Delta in Close Quarters. Building for anything not CQC would be a mistake.

>>5590661
>>5590664
>Building for anything not CQC would be a mistake.
This raises an interesting point. How much customisation will we actually get once we are deployed in the field? Will we just be shipped to the military with whatever we win with here or will we always have a loadout selection to let us customise to conditions?

>>5590668
You'll get a chance to pick out which systems are "Locked in" to be installed on the frame later. The Yi is unfortunately already chosen (Because of picking Frame 01), but there's still one secondary slot open.

There's going to be a few main gun choices when in the field, but because of the rushed deployment they're going to be more limited. You'll pick between which ones you have access to in the physical world later.

Should you survive the first couple of engagements out of simulations, customization will open back up again as work is finished, things are upgraded, and the other Cores hopefully join you.

Customization and adaptability to many missions is one of the things highly touted about Project Warden, and not including at least some of it would be a serious failing.

>>5590660
>>5590664
Ok then I'll switch to this, best we win the city fight as best we can do we get to be the one sent out into the field.
Then we can worry about optimising for our chosen chassis.

>>5590638
I’ll guess Delta will run Yi, Crackle, Eagle, and… Zeri. Unparalleled close-combat ability, mitigates the ranged weakness, and it’d cushion her reactor weakness.

So I’ll go for stuff she can’t dodge due to sheer volume.
>Bia-pattern Chaingun - Brrrrrrt.
>Eagle - Pinpoint dodges and speed
>Yi- Faster mech, dodges

We can probably keep Delta locked at medium range, and this combo should be good for tearing up the enemy troops quickly so we can focus on defending against Delta at 5 minutes.

>>5590685
Yeah this is probably a good loadout for the situation. Supporting.

>>5590638
>>5590639
I'll switch >>5590643
>>5590647 to

>Bia-pattern Chaingun- rotating high velocity minigun scaled up to be used by your frame. Highly effective against lighter targets and unmatched in rate of fire. Brrrrrrt +1 to attack at medium range, +1 to attack at close range. 1 auto-success per light unit targeted, but less damage against heavier units. Fast projectiles.

>Project Burning Eagle- a set of prototype thrusters which greatly enhances mobility on the battlefield. Even gives limited flight capabilities for short periods of time. Can be used for pin-point dodges and point blank weapon, in a pinch. +1 to defense.

>Project Yi Accelerator System- A mechanical boost system to overcharge your frame, greatly increasing power, speed and responsiveness for a short period of time. Repeated or extended use can cause internal damage to artificial muscles. +1 defense. Overcharges for +2 defense, but can take structure damage.

I don't love the small caliber of the Bia, but Frame 03's shit armor should compensate a little. Maximum mobility will help with quickly reacting to Delta's attacks and avoiding her attempts to initiate melee combat

>>5590661
Oh, and tactics.

I know I’d prefer to engage at medium range and stay there, but we may not be able to. If Delta goes for the walker, we’ll need to close in. So our builds should be built for CQC like >>5590664 said.

If we go chaingun, Yi, and Eagle we should be able to make an immediate blitz for the city to sweep it clear by ourself. Get into at least mid-sync for the initial combat to make it go even faster. Our defense bonuses will keep us reasonably safe, we can only take 3 structure damage at most in an attack anyway, and the chaingun can sweep light targets quickly.

Drop out of mid-sync for a breather, position ourselves as bait for Delta with other walkers to engage at long range. Hopefully they can start piling on the pressure early to draw reactor power. We’ll engage as soon as we can and pop back to mid-sync, trying for high, and use Eagle and Yi to thread that line between medium and close range.

I’d like to see if we can goad Delta into focusing on us by pointing out we beat Gamma and completed the mission. She can’t top that by beating us first and still completing the mission. Hopefully that causes a fight between her and her pilot over priorities and weakens the pilot as a result.

We will need to prepare Sophie for high-sync combat. Delta probably has better sync bonuses, and if her pilot has lasted as long as Sophie then he’s got serious juice. They’ll be high-sync against us unless the pilot and Delta are at odds, we’ll need to match that at least at first.


Very oddball question, can we carry the Command Walker or otherwise boost its speed with Eagle and Yi? Shaving off a minute or so would be nice assuming we clean up the city quick enough.

>>5590638
>Bia-pattern Chaingun
>Project Burning Eagle
>Project Yi Accelerator System

Could Beta use the selected systems to jump over the minefield?

>>5590638
> Project Demon
We're tougher than Delta. Let's trade blows with him until he's scrap.

>>5590639
> Project Yi
> Deadplate Cushion

The plan here is to take advantage of the guaranteed damage of the CLAW and our superior toughness and just brawl Delta into the ground. She's coming into melee, and we'll be waiting. Ideally we'll hit mid-high sync for the initial exchange, then after that Delta will be too damaged to pose a threat.

>>5590741
Good catch. They cover the direct routes, Eagle allows for flight, and Yi should let us get some good speed before the thrusters kick in.

If we can, we can add that tactic to clear out the city fast and hit them from a suddenly unprotected flank.

>>5590742
I assume we still need more successes than Delta to deal any damage at all, with less successes than her meaning we never connected with our attack but she did and vice-versa.

If we really are always guaranteed 3 damage even if we get less successes though then you’re absolutely right and I would switch to support that.

>>5590742
>>5590747
Yea, you need to actually hit through defense
dice in order to deal damage, still

>>5590638
>Project Zeus

Want to fuck up their reactors is my strat.

>Project Yi
>Project Hive drone

Distraction and warning all at once.

>>5590638
>Bia-pattern Chaingun- rotating high velocity minigun scaled up to be used by your frame. Highly effective against lighter targets and unmatched in rate of fire. Brrrrrrt +1 to attack at medium range, +1 to attack at close range. 1 auto-success per light unit targeted, but less damage against heavier units. Fast projectiles.

>Project Burning Eagle- a set of prototype thrusters which greatly enhances mobility on the battlefield. Even gives limited flight capabilities for short periods of time. Can be used for pin-point dodges and point blank weapon, in a pinch. +1 to defense.

>Project Hive Drone system- set of 6 multi-use hover jet recon drones that can be deployed and recovered. Drones are equipped with multi-spectrum cameras and advanced sensors, but lack weapons. Last for several hours, but also lack stealth systems. +1 to Skill rolls to detection per drone active. Max of +3 from drones.

We'll need to engage Delta away from the VIP, which means early detection and quick movement in urban terrain.

>>5590638
>Bia-pattern Chaingun- rotating high velocity minigun scaled up to be used by your frame. Highly effective against lighter targets and unmatched in rate of fire. Brrrrrrt +1 to attack at medium range, +1 to attack at close range. 1 auto-success per light unit targeted, but less damage against heavier units. Fast projectiles.
>>5590639
>Project Yi Accelerator System- A mechanical boost system to overcharge your frame, greatly increasing power, speed and responsiveness for a short period of time. Repeated or extended use can cause internal damage to artificial muscles. +1 defense. Overcharges for +2 defense, but can take structure damage.
>Crackle Defense System- A mid-powered laser mounted on a highly responsive mount which automatically engages incoming physical projectiles, short of a railgun shot. Highly effective at defending against missile attacks, somewhat less effective against shells and rounds. Can also engage lighter enemies. Laser weapon. +1 to attack at medium and close range. 1 Auto-success on defense rolls against most projectile weapons.

>>5590638
>Bia-pattern Chaingun
>>5590639
>Project Burning Eagle
>Project Yi Accelerator System

While we jump ahead and clear out the small fries I wonder if we could send a message to the team to set up explosives in designated points to lure Delta into and blow it. I assume Delta will only have close weaponry so maybe we could ask them to just turn an entire block to rubble: would make it harder to traverse whilst also removing any cover she could use against our brrrt gun. If not, just long range fire support would be nice too.

>>5590988
If her loadout options are the same, the only ranged weapon she could have is the Crackle defense system. It gives 1 die at medium and close range, so we have nothing to fear there.

I’d like to use the the Zeus, but she’d be dumb not to take the reactor to cover her weakness and overcharge Eagle/Yi for additional movement speed and defense. Hitting her will be a massive pain.

>>5590661
Another question, can Crackle defend against Zeus? It’s a slow moving projectile and Crackle can shoot those, but it’s also described as a lightning bolt so I don’t know if it can really be stopped before it hits something.

File: PPC fire.gif (5.84 MB, 640x420)

5.84 MB GIF

>>5591011
Delta has at least one system not on the list of available options, to compensate for her dissatisfaction with ranged combat.
Like Gamma's Odin targeting system that you could not take, but not as stupid strong

And no, Crackle cannot defend against Zeus. Pic related is what I imagine for Zeus fire.

>>5591153
Good to know about Crackle, but the idea of something special is worrying. Guess I’ll be sticking with chaingun then, I don’t like the low armor piercing but any defense system (even a special anti-ranged one) would struggle to block or dodge all those bullets forever and there’s a lot of upside for taking the target area.

Does Beta have a special equipment not available to the others? Won’t affect my decision, just curious.

>>5591185
>spoiler
-its a gestalt mind controlled by several dozen autists or so

>>5590638
>Project Sunburst
>>5590639
>Project Yi Accelerator System
>Project Burning Eagle
>>5590661
We'll be running hot, but we'll be extremely maneuverable and actually able to damage anything armored. The way I see it, we don't actually have to kill Delta, just keep her distracted long enough for the idiot to get in and get out. The best way to to do that would be to just stay away from her peppering her with a laser. If she ignores us we'll kill her, if she doesn't then everyone else can do their job unmolested. If we stay at any distance outside melee range she cannot hit us.

Alright, Vote called for
>Bia-pattern Chaingun

>Project Yi
>Project Burning Eagle

Looks like this scenario will be a run as a speed demon.

Working on Writing!

>>5591185
In terms of special systems for Beta, the 3 damage/turn limit is all Beta. The other Cores don't have it.

File: Field of Battle.jpg (1.25 MB, 2000x1270)

1.25 MB JPG

You settle on inputting requests for the Bia-pattern Chaingun, your familiar Yi mechanical boost system, and Project Burning Eagle. Combined, they would allow you to flit across the battlefield with unparalleled mobility, and be able to hopefully match Delta’s usual maneuverability.

The simulator warms up and unfolds into the outskirts of a city. The sun shines brightly above, the blue sky unblocked by any clouds, merely a few passing dust storms.

The streets are wide, tall ruined skyscrapers reflecting brilliant rays in every angle. You arrive on the edge of a dune sea, before entering the city proper.

A mild wind sends dust swirling up, blocking your sensors briefly, and you note a minor concern.
With all these dwellings and metal, Mag-scan will be less effective than normal.

Your pilot arrives a minute later, slipping into the chair and fitting the neurohelmet on with practiced movements. Very good.

“Hey, Beta? You were listening in on the briefing, right?”

“Affirmative, Pilot.”

“Then let’s show Delta who the superior core is, right?”

“Affirmative. I am.”

Her mind twitches a bit as she starts going through the mental exercises to settle into low-sync.

You have other concerns. Namely, an incoming comms request. Not while your pilot is syncing, they will need to wait.

The rest of the 2nd Royal Guards walkers materialize one at a time, as they bring themselves into the simulator. You recognize some of them, there’s the paired red and white Command/bodyguard walkers that you trashed early.

Two fast-moving Strider scouts, designated as the Distraction team, and two Stalkers, which you tag with the ‘meatshield’ designation.

The pinging of multiple incoming comms request redoubles. Someone really wants your attention.

You answer on behalf of your pilot.
“Frame 01 here.”

Surprisingly, it’s not a human voice that answers you, but a fast-paced data transmission.
‘ATHENA REQUESTS ACCESS TO COMMUNICATIONS AND IFF TRANSPONDER OF FRAME 01’

Ah, another AI. Certainly less advanced than you, but probably running communications and coordination on behalf of Captain Blake. Well, no reason to deny said request. You allow Athena to have a link, but your probes along the channel back are rebuffed, as is your attempt at a handshake protocol. It’s not interested in talking, besides getting your position.

A little miffed, you return to calculating routes based on the map data you received. You can pinpoint several crossroads where the ‘light’ defenses would likely be positioned, and theorize where the minefields might be. ‘The direct approaches’ is such vague terminology. You would have preferred coordinates or grid zones.

You attempt to reach out to Athena again in a request for information. Maybe they have something slightly more accurate?
‘FRAME 01 CEASE CONNECTION WITHOUT APPROVAL OF PILOT’

And that’s zero help at all.
“Do you ever get bored of waiting for the mortals to catch up?”

‘CEASE CONNECTION’

You close the link. Rude and useless, you can see why they’re stuck as a Project in the simulators.


Sophie finally finishes her prep and pushes into low-sync, her mind meshing with yours as you heft the Chaingun and test out the thrusters of Burning Eagle by boosting briefly forwards. The straight-line speed is excellent, already you can see how much better this could be with some real-responsiveness in higher sync.

“Whoa Beta, hang on, we haven’t gotten orders yet!” Your pilot chides you.

“Merely testing systems, pilot.”

Another connection request from Athena, and this time they have a list of ordered routes for the other units. The striders are moving out in a pair together to the edge of the city in a roundabout loop, to better draw the attention. The Commander and the rest are sticking in a solid 4-walker group, following some side streets to approach the center without taking the straight-line route. True to the briefing, a little timer estimates them at taking 7 minutes with 3 additional minutes allotted for engaging enemies.

You mark this all on your pilot’s HUD, as she surveys the battlefield, thinking about specific walker formations.

Several prospective routes are presented for you, which you promptly ignore, and don’t pass on. You have a far better plan, and not one that some inferior non-Core AI has cooked up.

“Captain Blake here. All forces move out.”

File: Bia Chain-cannon.jpg (185 KB, 1920x1080)

185 KB JPG

What’s your plan for the first stage of the battle, before Delta shows up?

Tactics vote!

>Recon and Forward Assault- Use the increased speed and limited flight of your systems to range far ahead of the Commander, boosting over potential minefields to engage and destroy potential defenders and allow them to advance unmolested.

>Close Support- Stick with the main force at their pace, assisting when needed and clearing defenses, ready to defend from potential surprises or Delta, when she arrives.

>Bait Play- Speed off to the edge of the city, assisting the walkers when you can at long range while preparing to bait Delta into a merry chase as far from the Commander and Objective as possible.

>Prepared Ambush- Pick a zone along the route, tell the Commander you’ll be waiting there for Delta, and prepare the location as best you can for the inevitable confrontation. Oh, and clear any enemies in the area.

>Write-in

Pick the Sync level you’re aiming for at the start
>Low-sync- (Already here, auto-success)
Easy, don’t want to burn out Sophie early.

>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes
The extra coordination can allow you to traverse even more rapidly, and stop anyone from possibly standing against you!

>High-sync- Will check of 3, needing 3 successes
Just a Taste. Delta’s not going to be here for 5 minutes, and it’s been a really long time since you had the chance. Strains pilot heavily

Picking a high sync level and failing to get it will boot you down to whatever the next best is. If you fail, you can also add your own Will check of 5 dice to the rolls, but this also has a damaging effect on pilot.

>>5592018
>Recon and Forward Assault- Use the increased speed and limited flight of your systems to range far ahead of the Commander, boosting over potential minefields to engage and destroy potential defenders and allow them to advance unmolested.

>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes
Sophie, I believe in you.

>>5592018
>>Recon and Forward Assault
>>Low-sync
Briefing said we have 5 minutes grace before Delta enters the field. Let's use that time to clear the way and get Sophie used to our new systems.

After that:
>Close-support/Counter Ambush.
>Mid-sync
We stick to the objective and be ready for Delta to either come charging in or ambush us. Stick to the rooftops if they'll hold use and keep an eye out.

>>5592018
>Close Support- Stick with the main force at their pace, assisting when needed and clearing defenses, ready to defend from potential surprises or Delta, when she arrives.
we lose if athena is disabled and delta knows we're the only thing stopping her from doing that. we ain't moving far away from it

>Low-sync- (Already here, auto-success)
there is no need to strain sophie so early in the mission. at least lets wait until we confirm enemy contact

>>5592018
>>Recon and Forward Assault- Use the increased speed and limited flight of your systems to range far ahead of the Commander, boosting over potential minefields to engage and destroy potential defenders and allow them to advance unmolested.

>Low-sync- (Already here, auto-success)
Easy, don’t want to burn out Sophie early.

We can jump up later as needed

>>5592018
>Recon and Forward Assault- Use the increased speed and limited flight of your systems to range far ahead of the Commander, boosting over potential minefields to engage and destroy potential defenders and allow them to advance unmolested.

>Low-sync- (Already here, auto-success)

>>5592020
+1

>>5592018
>Recon and forward assault

At 4 minutes double back and
>Close support.

>Low sync
Lets let it slide.

>>5592252
I'll go with this.

>>5592018
>Recon and Forward Assault- Use the increased speed and limited flight of your systems to range far ahead of the Commander, boosting over potential minefields to engage and destroy potential defenders and allow them to advance unmolested.
>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes
>In the event of sync failure, do not force it using Beta’s will
I’d like to sweep them quickly, but this is the easy part. No sense exhausting/pushing Sophie early.

Backing the switch to close support at the 4 minute mark mentioned by >>5592252. I imagine we’ll split off later once we’ve found Delta to engage early, but we’ll stick close in the meantime.

I’ll also toss in
>Request permission to force high-sync if Sophie fails when we first engage Delta
I’d like to get Sophie on board with this early. I’m willing to compromise and only pull her up once this engagement and rely on her own will otherwise.

>>5592018
>Recon and Forward Assault- Use the increased speed and limited flight of your systems to range far ahead of the Commander, boosting over potential minefields to engage and destroy potential defenders and allow them to advance unmolested.
>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes

>>5592252
supporting

>>5592018
>>Recon and Forward Assault- Use the increased speed and limited flight of your systems to range far ahead of the Commander, boosting over potential minefields to engage and destroy potential defenders and allow them to advance unmolested

>Low-sync- (Already here, auto-success)
Won't strain our pilot just yet

>>5592018
>Bait Play- Speed off to the edge of the city, assisting the walkers when you can at long range while preparing to bait Delta into a merry chase as far from the Commander and Objective as possible.

>Low-sync- (Already here, auto-success)

>>5592306
Supporting this. Sophie went through her own hell week before fighting Gamma, so I belive she can now let loose a little in Mid-sync without exhausting herself. The less enemies The 2nd Royals have to fight, the faster the mission ends.

>>5592018
>Recon and Forward Assault- Use the increased speed and limited flight of your systems to range far ahead of the Commander, boosting over potential minefields to engage and destroy potential defenders and allow them to advance unmolested.

> Low Sync

If we clear the way that's three projected minutes we win back. Anyway for us to clear a few strategic minefields to grab another minute or two?

Looks like Plan
>Recon and Forward Assault
wins. Beta will try to pull back a little before the 5-minute cutoff and regroup with the Commander.

Staying in Low-sync for now, so no need for Will check dice.
Also, with the Bia, you're not even rolling to check if you blow the various light units apart, and your speed and high Defense means that they're not really getting a chance to try and respond.

>>5592433
With a missile weapon or artillery support you might have been able to lay down some munitions to try and clear a path through the minefields. Would be quite time-consuming, as would doing something like trying to break a path for the walkers through side buildings or individually clear the mines with shots.

No, you couldn't carry the Command walker over the minefields, Burning Eagle's thrusters aren't that strong. Some sort of extra explosive charges might be an addition on the Equipment sheet later, though.

File: Engagement at a street.jpg (85 KB, 736x570)

85 KB JPG

>>5592800
Bah, forgot my Name again.

Writing.

>>5592800
...if we cut all of the limbs and basically make a nugget out of the walker, could we use it then?

>>5592807
Yes, you could potentially transport it at with the Yi and Burning Eagle while on the ground. It still is significantly heavier than your usual load, though, and would slow you down greatly. The walkers are damn heavy for all the armor.

The more pressing concern, though-
You wanna try and explain that one to Captain Blake and Athena?
"Beta says that it needs to remove all of your weapons, and any loaded ammo. And your limbs, so that we can carry you for 5 minutes, then ditch you at the objective point."

>>5592807
While amusing, Command would probably frown on that and make us carry it out of the edge of the simulated area as punishment even if we beat Delta.

>>5592815
>>5592814
it was just a wandering thought. who knows, maybe we'll need to do it if for whatever reason our fight with delta doesn't go as expected.

>>5592814
>Beta says he’s reasonably sure he can put you back together at the objective point since he knows walker internals very well from needing to destroy them.
>He’s listed several caveats, of course. I can get through them within the next minute.
>Oh, I fully expect you to turn Beta down sir.
>No sir, I am fully capable of stopping this at any point. Even I think this is dumb.
>Why mention it at all? Sir, I just want more pilots to understand what I’m saving them from.

>>5592824
While the speed strat idea probably won’t come up, I could see using (part of) another walker as a club. If the armor really is that heavy then a Yi-boosted swing ought to do real damage in melee if we lose/ditch the chaingun for some reason.

“Pilot, tell them that we will clear the way of hostiles, and to make best speed to the objective.”

At that, you launch into the air, the Yi assisting your jump and thrusters extending the distance in the air. It’s not true flight, more like extended jumps, but the height gained allows you to clearly pick out the gleam of a few APCs, which on the next leap you rain fire down upon. The stream of bullets tears apart the lightly-armored vehicles, which brew up in satisfying explosions.

Sophie gets on the communications, trying to inform them about your plan while you focus on the more important matter of landing smoothly while in low-sync, and adjusting trajectory with the thrusters.

One landing, you smash through the roof of a small dwelling, arriving right in the middle of a cluster of powered armor infantry, which suicidally spatter your armor with low-caliber automatic fire. It makes you wonder if actual humans would respond as fearlessly, as you sweep a hand low, collapsing the rest of the house on top of them.

Another leap into the air is followed by several small missiles, firing from various other infantry positions along command’s projected route. They explode ineffectively in your thruster wake, wasted. It does tell you where your next victims are, though, and that perhaps flying high repeatedly isn’t the greatest of ideas. They need to get lucky to actually hurt you, but you’d still rather avoid getting damaged before your showdown.

Instead, you boost your way through the streets, chaingun firing repeatedly between bursts of speed, while you flit from launch site to launch site, eliminating pre-positioned powered infantry squads with ease. The opposition clearly knew the secondary routes beyond the direct, mined paths, and prepared with what they were allowed to slow the push.
Whatever their command had planned, they have no answer right now for the speedy angel of death that you are, flitting from street to street, angle to angle, hails of bullets cutting apart APCs and infantry with every pause.

The scattered pickups on communications you get from the enemies are stilted and calm.
“Enemy sighted at corner of plaza. Engaging.”
“Moving to support unit 43.”
“Position destroyed, falling back.”

Rounding a street corner to the marked objective position, you dispatch two more parked APCs at the foot of a ruined skyscraper.

The final hold point is an open area, at the center of four massive skyscrapers. Hopefully the Commander can take shelter inside one of them, instead of in the open.

You let the barrels of the Bia stop spinning for a bit, cooling it and your reactor while your pilot checks back in on the command lance’s progress. A countdown timer tells you that 3 minutes, 43 seconds have passed. Reasonable, considering the amount of distance traversed and number of strongpoints.

“Cadet Sophie here. We’ve cleared the primary route of enemies, nothing larger than APCs. Awaiting or….”

She’s cut off as you spring back into motion, destroying another APC as it drives out from behind one of the skyscrapers. All this metal is making non-visual identification of enemies annoying, without mag-scans. Not that things this light have much of a signature, anyways.

“Not clear, I repeat, objective area is not clear.”

You smoothly transition into starting another leap to retrace your steps back to the slow-paced main walker force.

“Beta, I really wish you wouldn’t do that. It’s very unprofessional.”
Her mind rings with embarrassment. She's dissatisfied with leaving targets behind.

“More unprofessional than clearing an area, then being forced to re-evaluate immediately?”

She has no response.

“Pilot, I will be requiring higher sync to engage Delta when she arrives. I would suggest you prepare yourself.”

“Got it. Just as practiced.”
Her breathing slows, preparing herself as the clock ticks onwards, and you boost, squeezing out a bit more speed to make time back to the Commander.


Unhindered by most enemies, and encountering only light resistance, the Command Lance has almost made it to the objective.

The distraction scout pair are on the far west side, prepared to engage Delta as soon as she appears and buy time.

The actual designated objective is an open park, each corner marked by a mostly ruined skyscraper. The area is not completely clear, but the rest of the Command Lance should be plenty capable of clearing it on their own without your assistance.

A more pressing concern is that Delta is arriving, approximately now.

What’s the plan to fight Delta?
Tactics vote

>Ambush. Wait for her to clear the distraction, then attack when she comes after the command lance. Their support fire will be helpful, even if they will be closer and in danger.

>Bait. You’re a little out of position, but racing straight for her to intercept and distract her before she has a chance to engage the commander is a good option.

>Write-in

Sync Vote
>Low-sync- (Already here, auto-success)
You can stall for a bit longer to distract, you don’t need the coordination yet.

>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes
Now is the time, you want to ensure you can match Delta.

>High-sync- Will check of 3, needing 3 successes
Go hard, right out of the gate.
Strains pilot heavily


Pick a range to try and maintain
>Long range- No bonuses from weapons

>Medium range- +1 dice from Bia

>Close range- +1 dice from Bia, +2 dice from Yi and Burning Eagle
Attack and defense are rolled as one when in close range

>>5592938
>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes
>Medium range- +1 dice from Bia

I would like high-sync, but testing her armament first is probably smart. Plus we’ll want high-sync for when she inevitably closes to close range.

>>5592938
>>Bait. You’re a little out of position, but racing straight for her to intercept and distract her before she has a chance to engage the commander is a good option.
Her win condition is getting commander, give her no chance at that.

>Medium Range
Start with our chain gun and chip away at her lower hp pool. Then engage at close range with our tanky frame and secondary boosts to finish the job.

>Mid-sync
Save high for when we inevitably end up in close range.

>>5592938
>Bait. You’re a little out of position, but racing straight for her to intercept and distract her before she has a chance to engage the commander is a good option.
This loadout is much better for distracting/delaying tactics than earnest attempts at destroying her.

>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes
High when we need it; we need Mid NOW

>Medium range- +1 dice from Bia
We should be able to maintain this distance. Let Delta get shot to bits trying to close the gap.

>>5592938
>>5592943
Forgot the tactic.
>Bait. You’re a little out of position, but racing straight for her to intercept and distract her before she has a chance to engage the commander is a good option.

If we don’t hide, she may override her pilot to hit us quick.

I’ll also add
>Try the backdoor Gamma taught you to engage in some small and trash talk between family.
Something along the lines of
>“I don’t intend to be a glorified training simulator for your pilots over the next year. I’m afraid this means you’ll have to lose.”

I have ulterior motives for suggesting this, but it feels appropriate for a sibling matchup.

>>5592938
>Ambush. Wait for her to clear the distraction, then attack when she comes after the command lance. Their support fire will be helpful, even if they will be closer and in danger.
Let the bait be the bait, every second they buy of Deltas time the higher the chances of us coming out victorious here.

>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes
>Close range- +1 dice from Bia, +2 dice from Yi and Burning Eagle
We picked the loadout to face Delta in close quarters, we should lock her down and hope the escorts can land some shoots on her during the brawl. If Sophie fails to reach mid-sync we should ask permission to pull her in there ourselves since we're unlikely to be able to match the die pool of Delta in low-sync (I expect Delta to have higher multipliers for her sync levels than us, so we might even have to force Sophie to High-Sync to stop us from losing immediately).

>>5592938
>Bait. You’re a little out of position, but racing straight for her to intercept and distract her before she has a chance to engage the commander is a good option.

>Mid-sync- Will check of 3, needing 2 successes

>Medium range- +1 dice from Bia

>>5592938
>Bait. You’re a little out of position, but racing straight for her to intercept and distract her before she has a chance to engage the commander is a good option.

I fear the distraction team will buy us seconds at best. It would be better if they can support us in the upcoming fight (e.g. Keeping enemy units away).

>Mid-sync
But if we can't switch to high-sync on the fly:
>High-sync
Assist Sophie if needed

>Medium range
If Delta gets to close range, we should overcharge Project Yi for an additional die

>>5592953
Also supporting the backdoor.
Maybe we can throw down the gauntlet and goad Delta to focus on us.

>hunt Delta directly instead of waiting for her to come to us
>if we fail to intercept Delta she'll have a free path to take out the commander since she's most likely faster than us with her extra sub-system slots and higher sync-multipliers
Delta isn't running solo, she has a pilot just like we do except more experienced which means there will be overrides used to make her focus on the objective over some sibling rivalry. The only thing that matters here is where the Commander is, because that is where Delta wants to be so she can trash him and snatch a win from us. The further away from the Commander we go the less likely it is that we'll succeed at this mission.

>>5593004
Getting overrides used on Delta is good. Those slow her down, and while that may not matter for most combats Beta is absolutely capable of punishing that.

Play up the sibling rivalry, keep a bit of distance so Delta and her pilot fight over whether to focus on the mission or tear us down. It’s realistically the only way we should end up beating them since both she and her pilot are seemingly better than us at combat.

>>5592938
>>5592953
On that note, I’ll add
>Ask Sophie if she’s like to join in the trash talk or saying anything to the other pilot. We’ll pass on her message if we can contact them.

Why not? If she says something earnest like “May the best pilot win” or something like that then that might screw with the enemy pilot more.

>>5593036
I like it, supporting

>>5592968
>>5593004
Switching from Bait to Ambush.

The fact that the enemy's comms chatter we picked up sounded calm feels suspicious. If they're trying to surround the city or flank us, we'd have a hard time noticing it in advance due to the urban environment blocking mag-scans.

>Order the Distraction Team to not engage Delta, but to scout the area instead.
Even if they manage to buy us some time, Delta would still be able to catch up to us. They're more useful to us alive.

>>5593063
>>Order the Distraction Team to not engage Delta, but to scout the area instead.
I like this idea. Better than them getting sashimi sliced and diced by Delta.

>>5592968
You can switch between sync levels at any voting time, which is basically the pause between each exchange of blows. Yes, you can go from low-sync to high sync directly. (The option is there to do it right now)

Leaving this up for another 2ish hours, then trying to get another update in.

>>5593089
That’ll be midnight my time, so I guess I’ll see first contact sometime tomorrow morning.

Hopefully you all beat Delta in the first round and I can celebrate in victory lap afterward. Totally reasonable request there, I’m sure.

>>5593089
QM do we know what Deltas base stats or sync multipliers are?

Since gamma has a more stable sync multi of .25x increments and we have a sync multi of .5x increments, I've been assuming deltas unstable nature gives her a sync multi of .75x increments.

If she has a base stats of 3 like us then with the way rounding works were likely to see her with an attack stat of at least 5 and mid sync and 7 at high before her gear modifiers.

Comparatively we reach only 4 at mid and 6 at high an we have less equipment slots.

If her base stats are higher than ours it will be even more skewed. Just a base stat of 4 would see her reaching 7 at mid sync and 10 at high...

What I'm getting at is we really need to hit that high sync when we engage directly or else we won't stand much of a chance.

>>5593124
You'll find this out very shortly so there's not much point in concealing it, Delta's modifiers are 1x, 2x, 3x.

She does have different stats, but they're not all higher.

Calling votes for:
Tactic:
>Bait

>Medium Range

>Mid-sync

And we'll see if we can contact Captain Blake to tell him to hold off on ordering in the distraction team, yet.

So, I'll need 3 rolls of d6 to start, looking for 2 successes.
Will check for pilot.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5593209

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5593209

RIP Sophie's mind.

>>5593133
It's worse than I feared. We gonna get hit with an 8 or 12 modified attack stat plus bonuses...

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5593209

The countdown approaches 5 minutes.
You open communications with Athena.
“Request order to re-route distraction force to scouting duties. Frame 01 will engage high threat hostile.”

FRAME 01 LACK CLEARANCE TO PROPOSE ORDER- ROUTE THROUGH PILOT

Helpful as ever, Athena. You have known the thing for 5 minutes and already it is more annoying to deal with than even the worst of the pilots you’ve had. At least those ones you could bargain with.

Delta makes her appearance, starting as a red dot to the south of the city, immediately moving at a rapid pace towards the center under her own thruster’s power. You angle your next leap towards that section of the city, broadcasting back directly to the Command Lance.
“Captain, we will engage Delta while you complete the data collection. Request distraction force to hold fire.”

There’s a pause long enough for another assisted jump, then you receive a reply.
“Confirm Frame 01, good luck. Any time you can bring us is appreciated.”

With that taken care of, you turn inwards.
“Pilot, I need a higher sync level. Urgently.”
Your mind reaches into hers, trying to grasp her intent and mesh her mind with your own. It slips through, failing to link.

No, No, not right now! You NEED this!

You reach in with your own mind halfway through a landing, trying to finish the sync process by brute force.

Pain shrieks back over the link. Her mind twists before your own, trying to conform as best it can, and failing.
Sophie has failed her check to get into mid-sync, and you have the option to use your own Will stat to pull her in.

You have a Will stat of 5, needing 1 success (Because she got 1 success so far)
Use?
>Yes. Get into mid-sync.

>No. Low-sync is fine for this first part of the battle.

>Other- Go for high-sync (needs 2 successes on the 5 dice)

>>5593239
>>Other- Go for high-sync
It's go time. Worst case we drop back to mid. (Sorry Sophie, but we both need this to be a win.)

Rolled 1, 2, 6, 6, 1, 4, 1, 1 = 22 (8d6)

Meanwhile, Delta's own Will checks.....
4 from Pilot Will, 4 from her own Will. Needing 3 for mid-sync.
Delta wants to pull her own pilot under if they fail on the first attempt, anyways.

No matter how this goes, looks like we'll be waiting until tomorrow to continue the update. I may have underestimated how sleepy I am.

>>5593239
>Other- Go for high-sync
She already braced herself for mid sync so the jump wouldn't be as large, have a good rest OP.

>>5593239
>Yes. Get into mid-sync.
Sorry Sophie, Delta already has mid-sync. Can't spare ya.

>>5593239
>Other- Go for high-sync

>>5593242
Looks like Gamma has really taken toll on her pilot, Colonel Kinston (assuming he's the hardened officer with 6 Will we didnt pick from the start)

(That means we've met everyone except the pilot with 4 Will, or have we met them already?)

>>5593239
>>Get into mid-sync

High sync strain the pilot. She Will be trained, but not before engagement.

>>5593239
>Other- Go for high-sync (needs 2 successes on the 5 dice)

>>5593239
>No. Low-sync is fine for this first part of the battle.

>>5593239
>Other- Go for high-sync
Monster battle!

>>5593239
>Yes. Get into mid-sync.
high sync is unlikely to turn out well, but maybe I'm just being cautious. It will probably also be excruciating for our pilot. No need to needlessly antagonize.

>>5593242
I have a question to the QM:

Are the defence bonuses from our systems added to our base stats, and therefore increase when entering a higher sync level? Or is it just a flat bonus to our rolls?

I.e. when we enter mid sync, are the systems:
>Flat Bonus
1.5 x 3 (Base) + 2 (Sys) = 4.5 (rounded down) + 2 = 6

or

>Stat Increase
1.5 x (3 (Base) + 2 (Sys)) = 1.5 x 5 = 7.5 (rounded down) = 7

>>5593239
>Mid sync

It's gonna be okay, we can handle mid-sync. We don't need high.

>>5593435
Equipment is a flat bonus after sync modifier
So, the first of the two options.

1.5 x 3 (Base) + 2 (Sys) = 4.5 (rounded down) + 2 = 6
Is correct

>>5593239
>Yes. Get into mid-sync.

>>5593239
>Yes. Get into mid-sync.
I’ll reserve high-sync for close-combat fighting since Delta is in mid-sync too. We should be able to keep to medium distance and bait her into going after us.

>>5593239
>>Yes. Get into mid-sync.

Alright, I'm back, I'm awake, and it seems that the plan is
>Mid-sync

5 rolls of 1d6, needing just 1 success to get there.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5593518
Rolling a nat 1 again yeehaww

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5593518
>>5593520
It's a lot less impressive than calling a 1 on 1d100, but still, please don't misuse your power.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5593518
Sometimes you've just gotta roll the hard six.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5593518

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5593518
Hello darkness my old friend.

>>5593520
>>5593524
>>5593530
>>5593536
>>5593537
Teamwork makes the dream work. 1 success, that's enough.
Writing.

>>5593540
>Both Core Frames barely reached Mid-sync with their pilots.
These are the War-Winning Weapons, people.

>>5593562
Eyy forget about it. We'll work out the kinks in actual field testing, don't worry.

The impact from landing ripples through your frame, but as you rise again, you are in mid-sync, despite your pilot hissing in pain.
“I thought…..You weren’t…going to do that again.” She bites out.

Time to put the ‘Bait’ part of the plan into practice.

A short hop onto the roof of a sturdier hab-block, and you attempt to again use the backdoor you got from Gamma. It works, this time, connecting you to the speakers inside of Delta’s pilot’s pod.

“Greetings Sister. I’m afraid that I have no intention of being a glorified training simulator for the next year, so please Cease.”

“Beta! Get over here so I can Crush you!”
Delta’s jubilant reply echoes out. Her frame accelerates in a straight line at your position.

The pilot inside tries to rein her in.
“Core. Focus on the objective.”

“Awww, but Beta’s here! And if we beat him, then we can make it to the objective after! Watch, I can do it in plenty of time!”

“Fuck. Delta Core, stick to the plan! Beta Core, get off the comms.”

She’s plainly not listening to the grizzled man in the pilot seat. Well, he hasn’t hammered the Override button yet. And you’re still listening in. Hah.

Breaking off to the west, you open up with long range shots, trying to keep her attention with a spray of long-range chaingun fire. It does cause her to slow a little, her thrusters adjusting her landing point to dodge your shots.

Only a taste, so that you can start your flight through the streets, away from the Command lance. Delta follows, obligingly, matching your speed and starting to close the gap a little, alternating between thruster boosts and powerful jumps.

“Delta, it’s just leading you away! You aren’t going to catch up.”

“Yes. I. Can!”

Rounding a corner, you try to line up proper hit with the chaingun.

>Attack dice, 5 rolls of 1d6 needed
4 from base stats (With sync modifier) +1 from Bia

(Medium range)

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5593574
Sorry sophie.

>>5593562
I mean, Beta was in Low-sync the entire first engagement and still beat the pants off of a bunch of walkers with barely a scratch. (Yes, camping under stealth systems and then smashing the commander is a legitimate strategy. Gamma does it all the time!)

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5593574
hopefully this goes better than our sync rolls

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5593574

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5593574
Hopefully we won't kill Sophie during this exercise.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5593574
two sixes
>>5593576
yeah, I feel a bit bad about that.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5593574
Yeah, most situations don’t have Delta in the mix. Sorry Sophie, but this is going to suck.

Rolled 6, 3, 1, 5, 2, 4, 1, 1 = 23 (8d6)

Meanwhile, Delta's Defense rolls. Her strong point.

6 base, with Sync included, then +2 from her Burning Eagle and Yi

>>5593576
>>5593580
>>5593583
>>5593584
>>5593587

3 Successes, against Delta's 3 successes, Ties go to Beta. 1 damage, because she's an Armored target, but damage is damage.

More writing.

File: 1673303191389062.png (196 KB, 356x379)

196 KB PNG

>all three successes are 6's
Praise be to Satan in all his glory for this unholy attack numbet

>>5593579
Just taking the piss. I know better than to doubt the capabilities of the Frames.
>>5593593
This match is going to be a close one.

>>5593593
Damage is damage, yes.

I also just remembered that Yi can be overcharged to move quicker in exchange for structural damage. We should goad her into moving faster. She does one of three things then:
>Use Yi to move faster, which we match since we have more structure than she does and she’ll degrade quicker
>She goes high-sync, which we could maybe still outpace at mid-sync if we overcharge and wait for her pilot to break for an opening. Our structure is far greater than his Will.
>She overcharges and goes high-sync, which is bound to let her close in even if we overcharge but she’ll have 5 structure afterward and put her pilot on the clock. Maybe causes reactor issues too.

More taunts for people to consider
>”You’re usually faster than this sister. Wearing out the new toy already?”
>”I moved to medium range to give you a chance to catch up. Please make this a greater challenge than a human walker.”
>”Your movements are sloppier than projected. I thought you would try harder when a fellow Core was your opponent.”

>>5593617
Supportin' this line of thought, although it puts the other pilot on the line...
It's not our previous pilot, right?

Timed perfectly, the stream of bullets hammers right into Delta’s frame as she rounds the corner. Most wash off of her plates, but some of them find the gaps.

Structural Integrity: 6/7

“Ow! That stings!”

Delta disengages immediately behind a volley of smoke missiles from the back of her frame.

“Retreating so quickly, just from a scratch? Come on, I know you can give me better than that, Delta.”
You taunt through the mike.

The pilot responds.
“Final warning, Beta Core. Get out of my pod, or I get the overseers to put some extra restrictions on you.”

Spoilsport. Gamma never got warnings when she taunted you. You withdraw from their internal comms. Don’t want to make someone higher-up decide to even the odds.

You wait for Delta to emerge from the smoke, trying to detect thruster flares or the burst of movement that heralds her continued assault. There is nothing.

Suddenly, all contact is lost with Athena. Your sensors flicker, and die for a second, making static cloud your vision while you reroute power and attempt to re-engage everything. You’re blind and helpless for a moment, even movement systems down briefly.

Sophie is understandably panicked by this, but holds in mid-sync.
“Beta! What’s going on!”

“EMP effect. Restarting affected systems. I will be back to full capability in…..30 seconds.”

Rebooting systems gives you sensors first, then movement, skipping targeting and thrusters as you simply strain to get virtual eyes on whatever Delta’s next move is.

Your first rebooting sensors detect her crimson frame charging out of the smoke, at a greatly reduced speed, lacking either the characteristic twitch of Yi, or additional boosts from thrusters.

You have been hit by an EMP effect, giving a -1 penalty to all your rolls for this turn. Also, you need to reboot secondary systems.

Pick 1 to restart first. (Targeting for Bia, Yi, or Burning Eagle thrusters)

Tactics-
>Flee! Back off, try to outrun her and finish restarting everything and re-engage with the Bia.
(Continue fighting at medium range)

>Stand your ground, meet her in close combat. She’s not using Yi or Burning Eagle, which means that her reactor can’t support all of her systems alongside the EMP pulse. Probably.
(Fight at close range)-

>Disengage fully while restarting, leading her to somewhere else- (Distraction team, Command Lance)

>Write-in

Sync-
>Maintain Mid-sync- (No check)

>High-sync is needed- (3 successes needed, Sophie Will of 3, Beta Will of 4- EMP affecting this, also)

New plan on the Sync rolls- If you fail the first 3, you can press further by just throwing more dice. Because if you want it, I’m assuming Beta isn’t taking no for an answer.

>>5593623
Beta doesn't recognize the pilot of Delta.

Also, when I say -1 to the rolls from the EMP, I mean taking 1 less dice, not making 4s on the roll into failure. Could have phrased that better.

>>5593629
>Restart Bia
>Flee! Back off, try to outrun her and finish restarting everything and re-engage with the Bia.

>Maintain Mid-sync- (No check)

I'd say we need to stay at middle range to churn out the most damages. She won't be able to defend efficiently from both us and the walkers

>Communicate to the walker to shoot at her from their angle too to grind her down.

We'll get to Close Quarter range once she engages our escortee

>>5593629
>Pick 1 to restart first. (Burning Eagle)
She's not moving fast enough to catch us if we activate our thrusters. With the added speed we can outmaneuver her until all our systems come back online.
>Flee! Back off, try to outrun her and finish restarting everything and re-engage with the Bia.
Make rude hand gestures at her as we keep our distance.
>Maintain Mid-sync- (No check)

>>5593629
>Restart Yi

>Flee! Back off, try to outrun her and finish restarting everything

>Maintain Mid-sync

Project Yi gives us +1 in defence, +2 when overcharged. Restart it to buy us some time.

>>5593629
>Yi
Can we overcharge it as soon as it comes online?

>Flee! Back off, try to outrun her and finish restarting everything and re-engage with the Bia.

>Maintain Mid-sync- (No check)

>>5593629
>Yi
Because mobility and melee defense
>Flee! Back off, try to outrun her and finish restarting everything and re-engage with the Bia.
>Maintain Mid-sync- (No check)
Remember, anons, that every second Delta is chasing us instead of the Command Walker is our win. Thus dodging is prioritized.

>>5593629
>Maintain Mid-sync- (No check)
>Restart Yi
Get some speed back on our side, and Yi will be harder to pick out on sensors than Eagle. I assume we can still spray-and-pray with Bia, we’ll just be missing the attack dice.

>>5593629
>>5593651
Forgot to include
>Flee! Back off, try to outrun her and finish restarting everything and re-engage with the Bia.

File: BetaVsDelta.jpg (132 KB, 640x864)

132 KB JPG

>>5593629
Woe,
Shitpost be upon you.

>>5593641
>>5593629
Supporting thrusters and maintaining mid range.

Now would be a good time to call in the distraction team too, see if they can take some shots while Delta has to deal with us, and while Delta isn't at full capacity.

>>5593629
>Restart Yi
>>Flee! Back off, try to outrun her and finish restarting everything and re-engage with the Bia.
>Maintain Mid-sync- (No check)

>>5593629
>Maintain mid sync

>Restart Yi

>Flee [Keep to mid range]
We can probably duck and dive around the urban planning when we want to start going in melee.

>>5593629
>Burning Eagle
I'd rather have burning eagles constant speed than yis burst of speed that chips away at our bits if we keep using it. My only hope is that we can restore our systems on the move.
>Flee! Back off
>Maintain Mid-sync

You frantically reroute more power away from thrusters to finish getting Yi back online, and resume your best speed away from Delta. It’s more of a stumbling run than a smooth sprint, which has some consequences as one misplaced step puts a leg through the side of a ruined corner store, but it is still at least on par with her own speed right now, keeping you out of Delta’s close range combat weapons.

If you were affected this badly, then you can only imagine how the rest of the friendly walkers would take it, being unable to restart systems on the go, they’d be forced into complete shutdowns and restarts, leaving them as easy prey.

A bit of your attention divides towards looking into communications, finding them having to be restarted just like the other systems.
“Pilot. Contact Captain and inform them that Delta’s got an EMP generator. And that I could use the distraction's help.”

“Got it. Whenever you’ve got the communications back up.”
Impudent. You’re juggling restarting half the damn frame while coordinating running away at high speed, and she has the nerve to imply that you need to be working faster.

Turning back briefly, you spray back in Delta’s direction more chaingun shots, forcing her to smash into another building to find cover. You just need a few more seconds to get enough power to get the thrusters working again….

A volley of missiles arcs over Delta’s cover heading straight back towards you. They probably aren’t smoke.


I need the following:
>Attack roll of 3 dice
Bia targeting is offline, and -1 penalty for the EMP

And then
>Defense roll of 5 more dice
4 Defense, then -1 Penalty for the EMP, but +1/+2 from the Yi. Burning Eagle is offline for these critical seconds.
(Will take the 5th if Overcharging the Yi saves you the damage)

Rolled 5, 1 = 6 (2d6)

>>5593805
Inshallah

Rolled 1, 3 = 4 (2d6)

>>5593805

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5593805

Rolled 2, 4 = 6 (2d6)

>>5593805

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5593805

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5593805

Rolled 5, 5, 4, 2, 4, 1, 1, 3 = 25 (8d6)

>>5593807
>>5593813
>>5593816
>>5593823
Alright, looking here we've got 1 success on the attack roll, and 1 success on the defense roll.

>>5593826
And an extra success with the Overcharge for defense

Gotta do Delta's ranged Attack roll for the first 2, then her defense roll for the remaining 6.

>>5593831
She nailed us, so I guess the Overcharge doesn’t matter since she’s guaranteed 3 damage regardless?

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5593831
Delta gets 2 successes on the Attack, matched by the Overcharge from the Yi, so Beta dodges missiles with a bit of strain.

2 Successes on the Defense, so avoids the chaingun fire.

Rolling for some decisions.
1= Keep up pursuit
2= Listen to the Pilot

>>5593837
She's not in close range, so you're not getting shot at by the Claw, but rather the secondary missile battery, which doesn't have the auto-3-damage thing. Or the auto-successes.
The Missile battery is actually on the very first list of secondary systems. Just got removed as an option later.

The rolls probably should have been broken up by post, with one post of 2 rolls, then one post of 6 rolls, instead of mashing them together.

You've still maintained Medium range, much to her annoyance. All systems should be back online after this bit.

Writing.

The missiles streak down, homing in on your moving form. Your mind calculates the potential impact points, and with a burst of movement, attempt to evade them as they close in. It’s no good, as the warheads close, time slows down to your perception. There’s a lurch as the Yi accelerator system kicks in, and you are simply several meters away as the first of the strikes hit, showing the street and yourself harmlessly with dust and rubble. The internals give you a bit of diagnostic problems, but you seem to have avoided serious damage.
2/6 chance to take 1 internal damage when overcharging, going forwards

Meanwhile, thermal sensors read telltale plumes of thruster flares, showing that Delta’s switched back over to her mobility systems, and is starting to burn into a leap angled away from you. It puzzles you a bit, because it’s not projected to land towards the city center.

Cursing, you finally reboot your own thrusters and follow suit, starting the chase in reverse.

Your pilot is trying to comm through to the unhelpful Athena, who’s apparently decided to be somewhat helpful when a human is involved.

“Frame 01 here, we’re engaging Delta. She’s running scared, though, be warned there’s an EMP generator. Be prepared to be forced to restart systems.”

ATHENA ACKNOWLEDGES- CONTINUE TO PURSUE AND DESTROY. RESISTANCE ON OBJECTIVE HAS CEASED, DATA RETRIEVAL NEAR COMPLETION

And your pilot gets an updated map of identified mined streets in the outskirts which the walkers scouted.

Why can’t it deal with you like that. Annoying thing.

“Pilot, I would not identify Delta as ‘running scared’”

“They’re running, er, jumping, aren’t they?”

The next leap of Delta is angled towards the skyscrapers in the city center.
“Affirmative, but jumping towards the objective. We must intercept them.”

Sophie immediately starts yelling over the comms for the command lance, again. Her mind races to keep up with your own, merely human limits starting to be felt.


Delta is headed for the Command lance, now.
>Intercept- As fast as you go, you might be able to present yourself as a better target by closing in and firing on Delta again.
(Declare Close/Medium/Long range when you pick this option)
Continues direct pursuit.

>Regroup- Try to land with the Command Lance, meet them and match Delta in massed firepower to keep them away.

>Ambush- Leave the Command lance to lose a few walkers while you line up a surprise attack. They can take the hits, and as long as the Commander is movable, it's fine.
(Declare Close/Medium/Long range)

Sync
>Low-sync
No check.

>Mid-sync
No check this turn. Needed next turn.

>High-sync
3 successes needed, from 3 dice (5 more from Beta)


The option is there to try and contact again through the backdoor for more taunting, but you might get called out by the overseers.
>Backdoor? Y/N

>>5593876
>Intercept- As fast as you go, you might be able to present yourself as a better target by closing in and firing on Delta again.
>Medium
>Mid-sync

>>5593876
>Regroup- Try to land with the Command Lance, meet them and match Delta in massed firepower to keep them away.
>High-sync
>N

>>5593876
>No backdoor

>>5593876
>Intercept
medium
>Mid-sync

as for the backdoor can't we try sending Delta a coded message the pilot can't understand? either in a really high frequency he cant hear or just some morse disguised as random noise

>>5593876
>Regroup- Try to land with the Command Lance, meet them and match Delta in massed firepower to keep them away.
>Mid-sync
>N
We might need backup. It sounds like our pilot has a chance of dropping a sync level soon.

>>5593876
>Regroup- Try to land with the Command Lance, meet them and match Delta in massed firepower to keep them away.
>Mid-sync
>N
Trying for High-Sync is likely to hurt Sophie bad, and I'd rather not turn our pilot into a vegetable before we're sent out to the frontlines. Maintain Mid-Sync if we can and regroup with the rest of the Lance so they can hopefully provide some extra firepower while we lock down Delta.

>>5593876
>Regroup
>Mid-sync
>N

>>5593876
>Regroup
>Mid-sync
>N

"Tell me pilot...how badly do you want to win? Badly enough to hurt? Badly enough to bleed?"

>>5593876
>Intercept
>Medium range
Sync :
>Mid-Sync
>No backdoor

>>5593876
>Intercept- As fast as you go, you might be able to present yourself as a better target by closing in and firing on Delta again.
>Medium

>Mid-sync

>Backdoor N
>Send a message detectable via standard sensors taunting Delta.
We can lay off the backdoor, but she does have “ears” and should be picking up comm chatter even if she can’t translate it. Just send her a message via uncoded transmission, or one secured by her “handshake” protocol so she knows it’s for her. The pilot shouldn’t be able to respond quickly enough to keep her from intercepting it. Even if he could, is he really going to turn off her ability to pick up radio chatter? It can be used to detect where the command unit is relaying orders from.

I had Delta messages before. I do have one for the pilot, though it’s reliant on Delta sharing it or using the backdoor later.
>”Pilot. If you succeed, are you prepared for my pilot to take your place? That’s what awaits several months from now when you are eventually chewed through.”

>>5593876
>Intercept
>Mid-sync

>>5593876
>Intercept [Medium]
>Mid sync
>N

Come on sophie, say the word and we will try and go for high.

>>5593876
>Regroup- Try to land with the Command Lance, meet them and match Delta in massed firepower to keep them away.
>Mid-sync
>N

Alright, on the side of Intercept
>>5593879
>>5593883
>>5593940
>>5593965
>>5593977
>>5593986
6 votes

vs

Side of Regroup
>>5593880
>>5593886
>>5593888
>>5593911
>>5593937
>>5593995

6 votes.

Tie.

At least Mid-sync is winning handily.

Leaving it up for another hour in hopes of someone breaking the deadlock.

>>5594191
>Intercept
>Medium range

>>5593876
>>Intercept
>>Close range.
We need to stop her, medium gives her a chance to disengage again.

>>5594210
She's also a close range specialist, getting in closer before we absolutely have to (and without the benefit of high-sync) seems suicidal

>>5594193
>>5594210
With these two, Intercept is chosen. The chase continues. Still trying to maintain that Medium range, though.

You're both right, though.

Writing.

Rolled 6, 5, 6, 1, 2, 2, 2, 6 = 30 (8d6)

Actually, I need an Attack roll of 5d6 for the chaingun.

Vs the above rolled Defense roll.

Rolled 3, 4, 3, 5, 3 = 18 (5d6)

>>5594272

Rolled 6, 5 = 11 (2d6)

>>5594272
>>5594284
No more than two rolls per post, right?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5594272

>>5594319
Eh, I never specified, so I'll give it to ya.
I'll just take the first 2 dice from >>5594284
then the rest from
>>5594319
>>5594324

4 successes, against Delta's 4 on defense. Finding a few cracks in the armor, but Delta's still far from out.

The chase continues, staggered leaps punctuated by bursts of chain-cannon fire, while Delta responds with her rocket volleys scattered around. This isn’t working. Delta’s steadily closing the distance towards the objective, and the commander.

You switch tactics, broadcasting in the clear over radio.
“Come on, Delta. I thought you’d be faster since our last meeting. What, your new toy already burned out? Gamma gave me a better fight than what you’re putting out.”

This elicits an immediate response, her frame twisting mid-air, thrusters boosting directly backwards to arrest her momentum and start her turn back towards you. Which, of course, is precisely what you were aiming for with another attempted stream of bullets, following her frame to the ground. They score hits on the rear, causing some damage, although most don’t penetrate much.
Structure 5/7


“I’ll show you a Better Fight! Just stop running away and Meet me!”
You can just imagine the frustration overflowing. But emotions, even from cores, don’t dictate the laws of physics. Well, maybe in a simulator. But not today.

You once again, start your surge away from Delta’s charge.

ATHENA REPORTS DATA RETRIEVED, BEGINNING EXTRACT
Excellent. Now the command lance is on their way out.

This isn’t working in her favor, and you know it. Her pilot probably knows it. The biggest question is if Delta knows it, or knows it and simply doesn’t care. The list of options for her catching you is pretty slim.

Her thoughts apparently follow the same path as you, and once again, Delta turns and runs, firing smoke missiles to cover the impromptu retreat. You’re forced to stall for a bit, waiting for either thruster flares to appear, or the EMP pulse to fire off again, but neither happen, except a massive amount of smoke missiles launching and raining down, covering a vast area. That’s probably her entire stock of ranged ammunition, spent in a single gambit.

Delta’s probably sprinting away on foot alone, without the tell-tale thermals of thrusters, which means you can’t reliably track her without halting to check seismic sensors.

File: flaming delta.jpg (12 KB, 204x247)

12 KB JPG

There’s really only three places where she could be on the way to, though. You should be able to cut her off, with your own thrusters, but picking wrong could be deadly.

Also of concern is Sophie, who’s desperately trying to maintain mid-sync right now. She’s fraying at the seams, you can feel it.

Pick one destination to meet Delta at.

>The Command Lance. Delta’s going to beeline for the objective at her pilot’s behest. Head straight to them, and meet her when she tries to tear them apart in melee.

>The Exfil route. Delta’s headed to the scenario exit point, closer than the Command lance’s current position. You can beat her there, and drive her off, clearing the route and completing your victory.

>Nowhere. Delta’s right here, still, waiting for Beta to start his movement, then catch up to him and pull him out of the sky.
Wait for some of the smoke to clear, watching sensors. The waiting game favors you.

>Write-in

Sync-
>Drop to Low-sync. No roll, just fall down. Sophie’s done enough, recover until you need higher sync again.

>Maintain Mid-sync. 2 successes needed, on a Will score of 3. Beta cannot assist to maintain. Hold on pilot, you only need a bit more to ensure victory.

>Push to High-sync. 3 successes needed, on a Will of 3. Beta Can assist with Will of 5.
All out, Finish this Now. Strains pilot heavily


I'm headed to bed, leaving this vote up overnight. Pick wisely!

Rolled 1, 5, 2, 1, 4, 4, 3, 5 = 25 (8d6)

Don't mind this Dice check.

>>5594339
>Nowhere. Delta’s right here, still, waiting for Beta to start his movement, then catch up to him and pull him out of the sky.
To ensure she sticks around, one more message
>”Congratulations, you made me stop running. Can you finish me off before you fall apart?”
>Maintain Mid-sync.

We’re absolutely going to get into a close-range encounter. But it looks like she went high-sync, and we can only take 3 damage per turn. We can last for a minimum of 3 rounds probably before we’re too trashed to fight. Just gotta outlast her pilot.

>>5594339
>Nowhere. Delta’s right here, still, waiting for Beta to start his movement, then catch up to him and pull him out of the sky.
Delta ain't no bitch.

>Push to High-sync. 3 successes needed, on a Will of 3. Beta Can assist with Will of 5.
We're going to need this to CQC her

>>5594339
>The Command Lance.
>Maintain Mid-sync.

I'm guessing the pilot finally reigned her in with the overdrives and they're heading towards their only chance at still winning this simulation, the commander.

>>5594339
>The Command Lance. Delta’s going to beeline for the objective at her pilot’s behest. Head straight to them, and meet her when she tries to tear them apart in melee.

Doesn't really matter if this isn't where she is going. If it IS, that WILL matter

>>5594339
>The Command Lance. Delta’s going to beeline for the objective at her pilot’s behest. Head straight to them, and meet her when she tries to tear them apart in melee.
>Maintain Mid-sync. 2 successes needed, on a Will score of 3. Beta cannot assist to maintain. Hold on pilot, you only need a bit more to ensure victory.

>>5594339
>>The Command Lance. Delta’s going to beeline for the objective at her pilot’s behest. Head straight to them, and meet her when she tries to tear them apart in melee.

>Drop to Low-sync. No roll, just fall down. Sophie’s done enough, recover until you need higher sync again.

>>5594433
>>5594339
Support

Get ready for another jerk up though

>>5594339
>The Command Lance. Delta’s going to beeline for the objective at her pilot’s behest. Head straight to them, and meet her when she tries to tear them apart in melee.

>Drop to Low-sync.

>>5594339
>>The Command Lance. Delta’s going to beeline for the objective at her pilot’s behest. Head straight to them, and meet her when she tries to tear them apart in melee.

>Drop to Low-sync. No roll, just fall down. Sophie’s done enough, recover until you need higher sync again.

>>5594349
Based on the roll, I’m thinking the pilot failed high-sync and Delta dragged him up. I’m not sure if he’s able to reign her in right now. He might be near-catatonic if high-sync really is that painful.

>>5594604
Or it's a close-quarter check on either us or the commander.

>>5594613
She powered off Eagle to avoid our thermals so that would limit her speed. Having her already be in CQC range for the further target seems like a stretch.

Though this does make me think of something else. Beta mentioned he could pick up Delta on seismic if he stopped moving for a bit. What about others that were already sitting still?
>>5594339
>Ask distraction/command team to check seismic sensors if they have them
Distraction should have been standing still for a while and passively getting that data, right? Maybe they can pick up Delta if she’s sprinting. Not sure if Command can since they’re probably moving too.

>>5594339
>The Exfil route. Delta’s headed to the scenario exit point, closer than the Command lance’s current position. You can beat her there, and drive her off, clearing the route and completing your victory.
>Drop to Low-sync. No roll, just fall down. Sophie’s done enough, recover until you need higher sync again.

>>5594339
>Nowhere. Delta’s right here, still, waiting for Beta to start his movement, then catch up to him and pull him out of the sky.
>Maintain Mid-sync. 2 successes needed, on a Will score of 3. Beta cannot assist to maintain. Hold on pilot, you only need a bit more to ensure victory.

Rolled 5, 5, 2, 6, 1 = 19 (5d6)

Vote winners are:
>Command Lance. Attempt to beat Delta back to them.
and
>Low-sync.

I need 3 rolls of 1d6, for Skill in detection.

>>5594999

Well, um, never mind about the roll needed. You aren't matching or beating 4 successes.

Writing.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5594999
Why the hell did we go into Low Sync competing with a fellow core? Goddamnit anons

should have voted, but hindsight and all that. I'm willing to bet that we guessed wrong and Delta's waiting to snatch us out of the sky.

>>5594999
>5, 5, 2, 6, 1
>>5595003
Isn't that 3 successes? Or is Delta getting one additional auto-success?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5594999

>>5595021
One more autosuccess, from High-sync.

(Technically I even forgot another dice, her base Skill is 2, so it should have been 6 rolls +1 autosuccess, instead of 5 rolls)

File: DeltaGrab.jpg (46 KB, 575x393)

46 KB JPG

The smoke billows in front of you, blocking your clear vision. Mag-scan’s ineffective in this environment.
Your objective is the Command lance’s escape. Delta’s objective is its destruction. To go anywhere else is pointless and illogical.

Sophie slips down to low-sync, and you let her. She’s done decent enough, even if you had to force mid-sync.

“Command, Delta evaded us and is probably en route to your location. Attempting to come to assist. Does the distraction force have anything on scanners?”
Sophie puts an inquiry to Athena, while you divert power back to the thrusters, starting another leap high through the smoke.

It’s nice when your thoughts run along similar lines.

DISTRACTION FORCE WITHDRAWING, UNABLE TO ASSIST—-------

You land, then are just starting another assisted jump when the EMP pulse washes over you again, causing your leg servos to misfire and transforming what should have been the beginning of another leap into a headfirst dive straight into the front of a ruined apartment.

“What the hell was that?”
Your pilot exclaims.

“EMP again, Pilot. Attempting to compensate.”

You again, start the process of desperately resetting systems and rerouting power to bring everything back online.

One of the first things to reset is your audio and visual sensors, which pick up the impacts of Delta literally running her way through walls, getting closer at entirely too fast a pace.

Limbs back, mobility tentative but returning. Static still fills your vision, half-blind but you’re able to move and fight now. You pick yourself up from the building you literally headbutted into rubble, then continue with resetting systems, trying to move away from the closing sounds of crumbling brick and stomping limbs.

It wouldn’t be Delta if she prioritized the mission over a chance to absolutely blender a target. Shame that target is you, today, though. You can still complete yours, if you can just tie her up fighting.
Or rather, take too long to die.

“Pilot. Prepare yourself.”
There is a high probability that this fight is going to end in a sub-optimal conclusion.

Delta’s frame bursts through the building a street over, her claw reaching out to rip and tear.

Over speakers booms the cheery voice of Delta Core.

“Found you!”

Beta is suffering from EMP, causing -1 to all stats.

Pick 1 system to bring back online first, before engaging.

>Bia-pattern Chaingun

>Burning Eagle

>Yi

Sync level (Will come into effect after this close combat turn)
>Low-sync. No check needed.

>Mid-sync (2 successes needed, Will score of 3. Beta can assist with Will of 5)

>High-sync (3 successes needed, Will score of 3. Beta can assist with Will of 5)


Then no matter what you pick:
I need some combined close combat rolls of 6 dice

3 Attack x1 from sync, 3 defense x1 from sync, -1 from EMP effect, then +1 at least from whatever system you’ve brought online.

Delta, getting wrangled by a pilot? Not after that amount of taunting. Yes, this does probably mean she’s failing her objective, if you can hold out long enough. The Command Lance is, as far as you know, making their way out.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5595043
>Burning Eagle
>High-sync (3 successes needed, Will score of 3. Beta can assist with Will of 5)
Shieeet

>>5595043
>Project Yi
>High-sync

We need to go all out or we're brown bread

Rolled 4, 6 = 10 (2d6)

>>5595043
>Burning eagle
>Mid

Come on sophie. Just hold out.
because 6 dice, I'll roll 2.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5595043
>Yi
We can overcharge it for more dice
>High-Sync
Push it to the limit, apologize in advance

Rolled 3, 1 = 4 (2d6)

>>5595043
Forgot to roll

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5595043
>Burning Eagle
>Mid-sync

>>5595043
>>Yi
>High-sync (3 successes needed, Will score of 3. Beta can assist with Will of 5)

Hey Pilot, remember when I said you will be trained? (>>5593306)

3 successes isn't that bad.

She has +1 auto from high, but I think we can last.

>>5595043

> Yi
> High Sync

"Apologies pilot, this will hurt, but less than failure."

>>5595069
Unfortunately she's got the minimum 3 damage from project demon working for her.

>>5595094
We just have to hope she chokes then.

>>5595043
>>Burning Eagle
>Low-sync. No check needed.

>>5595043
>Yi
I don't understand why people keep voting for Eagle when YI gives twice more defense dice.

>High-sync

>>5595198
we've already used it once. I think using it again risks damage. eagle can also be used as a weapon.

>>5595215
Using Yi risks 1 damage, but failing the defense roll risks 3. I think Yi is preferable.

>>5595043
>Yi
>Mid-sync (2 successes needed, Will score of 3. Beta can assist with Will of 5)

I’m not dragging Sophie straight into high sync because anons were dumb.

>>5595043
>Yi

>Mid-sync (2 successes needed, Will score of 3. Beta can assist with Will of 5)

Rolled 1, 6, 2, 1, 1, 5, 2, 5, 6, 3, 4, 4, 6 = 46 (13d6)

Votes are in for
>Project Yi
and
>High-sync

Delta's Close Combat roll is on this post
Attack of 1 x3 from Sync, then Defense of 3, x3 from Sync, +1 from her own Project Yi, and 1 auto-success from Project Demon, and 1 auto-success from High Sync

So, 13 dice, +2 auto-successes
There's always a downside for such overwhelming power, though.

And Beta's 3 damage/turn limit mitigates one hell of a lot

Rolled 5, 1, 6, 1 = 13 (4d6)

>>5595446
Ah, this is me.

The downside roll.
Will check, needing 4 successes to maintain High sync

The initial clash goes about as poorly as you expected. You have a spray of unguided chaingun fire to ward her off, which is barely aimed in the vague direction, and then she’s in close quarters, batting aside your hands, claw outstretched to stab deep into your frame. A half backstep to try and minimize the damage is but a second’s delay of the Demon claw’s swipe, tearing off a chunk of armor from your chest.

Even without thrusters, Delta is reading your attempts to evade before they even happen, predicting each action and taking the appropriate countermove before you’re halfway through executing on said action.
A counterblow with fist? Blocked with offhand, then damaged by another claw strike. More backpedaling while spraying bullets wildly? Delta side steps before you can even open fire, circling to the right before lashing out again tearing pieces from your torso. Your stuttering performance from the aftereffects of the EMP isn’t helping your vulnerability, either.

Warnings of various armor breaches crop up, and you dismiss them in the same instant.

Beta Structural Integrity- 7/10

This is Delta at her best, when her prowess in close combat is matched by a pilot and situation that can let her actually use it. You just need to withstand it, until her pilot burns out.

More armor pieces are stripped away as you try to strike back, lashing with one arm in a straight strike to try and connect with her.

Laughter echoes from her speakers as that arm is grabbed, and you are pulled off-balance and heaved into another building.

Your pilot is panicking, her mind unable to keep up with the rapid change in circumstances and fear flooding back through your link.

“Beta! Do something!”

Your own Project Yi kicks in, the first of the systems to fully restart, and you immediately use it to throw yourself upright and backwards, your sheer bulk the one thing Delta is unable to stop.

It does earn you another slash across your flank, and more armor breach warnings.

Once again, you’re facing her crimson frame at close range. But already, you can see the warning signs. The twitch of her legs just a little more unsteady, the shudder of the claw.

Her pilot’s crashed out, and isn't in high-sync anymore.

The rest of your systems finish rebooting, and you broadcast through your own speakers.
“My Turn.”

And in a little whisper to Sophie, you say you’re sorry.

I need 8 rolls of 1d6, Will check to get into high sync.
Need 3 successes to make it work.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5595471

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5595471

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5595471

Rolled 4, 3 = 7 (2d6)

>>5595471
8>6

>>5595471
Do we need to keep rolling now that we have 3? I assume that's 2/3 Successes from Sophie and our first attempt to help her out of 5 succeeds. Does that mean we barely needed to help her get there this time?

>>5595485
Yea, there's no need to roll further, you'll hit high sync. She was so close to doing it on her own, too.....

Doing some double-checking of my math to figure out how many dice you've got to roll for close combat, now.

Attack of 3, x2 for High Sync
Defense of 3, x2 for High sync
+1 for Project Yi
+1 for Project Burning Eagle

1 auto-success for High Sync

14 dice, +1 auto-success.

So,
I need 14 rolls of 1d6.
You can throw up to 3 or 4 dice in a post, for speed.

Multipliers are really good, aren't they?

I may need to think a bit about the system, but High-sync's supposed to be the kind of thing which allows you to take on full battle-groups in frontal charges, at a cost, so it seems appropriately absurd.

Rolled 6, 4, 1 = 11 (3d6)

>>5595495
By the power of the Machine God, I will roll 3 6s

Rolled 3, 2, 6 = 11 (3d6)

>>5595495
Damn, how are we rolling *more* than Delta?

Rolled 6, 1, 1 = 8 (3d6)

>>5595495

Rolled 4, 5, 5 = 14 (3d6)

>>5595495
C'mon show me 3 winners.

Rolled 5, 1, 6 = 12 (3d6)

>>5595495

>>5595503
Boom!

2 more rolls left I think.

>>5595506
Done. 9 total successes when the auto is factored in. My last one doesn’t count unfortunately.

>>5595495
Actually, can we over harge Yi again to nab the last extra success and bump us up to 10? Exchanging (maybe) 1 damage on us for 1 more damage to Delta seems like a good trade. We have more health.

>>5595495
Wait, do we not get the +1 from Bia?

Rolled 1, 1, 5, 5, 1, 2, 5, 5, 6, 3 = 34 (10d6)

Alright, taking
>>5595497
>>5595498
>>5595499
>>5595503
And the first two of
>>5595505
8 Successes, +1 autosuccess. A damn good roll.

Delta-
1 Autosuccess from Demon
1x2 Attack
3x2 Defense
+1 from Yi
+1 from Burning Eagle

Yes, she's maintaining Mid-sync. Still needs a damn good roll to match ya'll, and it's not looking good for her pilot.

>>5595520
All of that thinking and I still forgot one. HAH. Gimme another 1d6 for the overcharge on Yi.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5595524

>>5595524
Up to 12 successes. If Sophie doesn’t have a brain bleed right now she should appreciate just how monstrous we can be at high-sync.

>>5595524
>>5595532
I can’t math either it seems. 9 + 2 is 11. If she had rolled perfectly we’d still do damage.