[X] Ask about possible alertness state. Are they expecting the TSAB anyway or it's all stealth until things start blowing up?
[X] Go alone, Generator shaft.
- [X] Hit the generator first.
"… So how much surprise will we get? Is it possible to get inside the facility before they know we're here, or do they know we're coming?" The man hesitates, shrugs.
"Assuming it's not a trap -" You whip your head around to stare at him and he throws his hands in the air. "A few weeks ago, one of our human agents got word that two of the targets would be meeting for … ah, a personal visit. We sent a team, they got wiped out by drones, and what evidence we found indicated that the targets weren't even planetside. Then our agent disappeared on us.
This time, they would have had to find our worm and turn it without being spotted and the worm destroying itself, so it
should be safe. And in that case - unless they have no sensors whatsoever, they'll know
someone popped in over the planet, and it's not time for one of the regular visits. They'll definitely know that someone transferred to the planet, as well." He waves a hand lazily. "And if it is a trap, they probably know what color pants everyone is wearing." You scowl for a moment, then shrug.
"Can we just blow up the whole facility without going through it?" You're not sure if you could break the facility without being close enough to be caught in the blast radius, but the Bureau might have something … except Fate is shaking her head.
"It would be possible - an Arc-en-Ciel, or a suitably large bomb - but since the goal isn't merely the destruction of the facility, but stopping the scientists, there needs to be a human presence to verify their presence or absence." You nod, irritated.
"Anyone else in the facility that I need to worry about?" The man at the table gives you a sharp look, then glances at Fate. She doesn't say anything, though, and he shrugs.
"Maybe a couple dozen researchers and technicians? Shouldn't be many guards."
That makes you stare - considering the size of the facility, a few dozen wouldn't make use of a tenth of it. The woman who first spoke to Fate clears her throat.
"It seems to be a testing and research facility, and possibly data storage. At least, that's what it looks like they're using it for - they might not have been the original builders." You stare at the floorplan again, estimating how long it should take you to reach the generator, then look at Fate.
"I'll go first, take out the generator. You stay here -" She shakes her head, and you feel the stares of the other people in the room.
"I'm fine, Flandre. I've fought in an AMF before, I know how to take care of myself." You snort derisively and she pales in anger.
"I'll go
first, and take out the generator. You stay here, and when the generator is gone there shouldn't be an AMF anymore, right? No power, no AMF - you'll be able to scry the facility, make sure the targets actually
are there, and teleport right to them. And if it is a trap, you won't get blown up or whatever. Because frankly, even if these people are completely secure, they probably have defenses we don't know about, designed to take out mages. Those doors are probably heavily defended, and if that weird generator shaft
isn't, then the way up through the facility
is. And if you're going to say that you're in charge and you're going anyway, then you're going to sit down and write an apology to Nanoha for doing something stupid or
I'm not going to go." The room is very, very, quiet as Fate wrestles with your ultimatum … but after a moment she sags and nods.
"You're … right." You smile and float up to pat her shoulder gently.
"And when we're done, and it turns out that there was nothing to threaten you, you can lecture me on proper respect for rank and authority, and then make me clean the whole ship with a toothbrush, and I won't complain or get angry." She shakes her head, not even a glimpse of a smile on her face.
"Wait by the teleporter, please. I'll go see the captain." She moves briskly, businesslike, as if she hadn't just had the fact that she's done something stupid recently thrown in her face as evidence that she shouldn't go on
this mission. After she leaves, you look at the other people in the room, who all quickly find themselves terribly busy, then stare at the faces of the targets until you have them memorized. Only then do you make your way to the teleporter to wait for the mission to start.
You leap into the teleporter once Fate gives you the signal, and after a dizzying transfer you find yourself high in the air above a mountain. The sun is much to hot and bright, and there are no clouds to give even the hint of shade. You plunge toward the mountain, not bothering with invisibility - if they don't already know you're here, your entrance won't do anything to change that, not until you start destroying things. You summon a danmaku orb as you fall - and it winks out immediately, so either their AMF is really strong normally, or they powered it up when they realized someone was coming. Not an issue, not for you ….
You plummet into the generator shaft, watching the interior become alive with motion as Gadget Drones - both the flying kind and the cylindrical ones - surge up to escape. Some take shots at you as you dart past them, but you're far more at risk from a simple collision than you are from their attacks. You force yourself to slow down a bit; physical impacts may not
damage you through Loki's protection, but slamming into many of the Drones in succession would likely hurt and disorient you. Then a light builds up far below you, starts circling around the wall of the shaft. You look up, but by this point you're probably closer to the generator than the exit. Your eyes flick sideways, but without knowing where in the facility you would come through the wall, there doesn't seem much point, especially since you'd still have to descend to destroy the generator. You look back down and take a deep breath - and when the rippling beam surges toward you, you fling yourself around the wall, circling it as best you can. The walls light up as the beam erupts past you.
When the pain fades you shake yourself and control your fall. You
hurt, burned even through Loki's protection … but that's it. Not a perfect graze, but you're not done yet! Even if it is too hot, too dry, and you feel like you're being cooked. You grin nastily and Laevateinn appears in your hand as you reach the end of the shaft, not quite bouncing off the floor starting to glow with heat. You look around for the generator, throw yourself through the open door before anyone can think to close it against you. Large drones, the size of a large shed, fly about the gigantic generator - as big as the mansion! - and you hurtle toward them, feeding power into your sister's gift. Flames erupt from the end and you swing the burning blade into the generator, drag it around the outside, carve off a piece. The drones begin reacting to your presence, scattering in a panic, and as you start your third pass something in the generator snaps and cracks. An explosion tears out the side, knocks you and some of the drones flying, and you're plunged into darkness. Well, except for the flames. And after a moment, some lights flicker back into existence … but when you summon a danmaku orb it lasts a whole fifteen seconds before fading away to nothing. So there's still an AMF ….
An aggravating whine assaults your ears and you look up to see an army of Gadget Drones flying into the generator room. Well, that explains the massive volume of the facility, at least. And now that you think of it, Fate
did say that Gadget Drone's were one of this group's projects …. Some of the larger drones that were working on the generator limp feebly away from you, while others lie motionless on the floor. You continue watching the growing army of Gadget Drones. On the one hand, if you fight them here you'll have plenty of space and you won't be burdened by trying to figure out
where you're supposed to go. On the other … if the AMF is still up, maybe the teleporter is, too ….
What do you do?
[ ] Fight the drones in the generator room, then try to find the targets.
- [ ] Send your clones to scout ahead while you fight the drones.
- - [ ] Take prisoners if possible.
- - [ ] Just kill them.
[ ] Focus on the targets.
- [ ] Leave your clones behind to fight the drones.
- [ ] Bring your clones along for Four of a Kind Fun Times!
- [ ] Take prisoners if possible.
- [ ] Just kill them.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: One of you has been auditing the Mad Scientist's Lair Construction class, I see. (And Flan's easy survival of the death cannon is a result of a disgustingly normal roll by a certain
other someone
)
