Winning Vote:
[X] A megaparticle cannon
[X] A man with killer sideburns has done his hair up in a way that reminds you of an obscure anime that you watched on a whim a few years ago. As he's wearing some kind of pilot suit, you assume he must be Jiro Yamada, one of the designated Aestivalis pilots.
---------------
March UE 0083
Nergal Drydock control center
You approach the man with impressive sideburns. His description matches the one you were given of Jiro Yamada, one of the designated Aestivalis pilots. He's wearing a blue pilot suit and surveying his surroundings with an almost giddy air. As you walk over to him, you feel someone clasp your hand for an instant. You look to your side and see Ruri walking away quickly. You realize she put a sticky note into your hand, and bring it up to read it. It simply says "humor ihn" in hastily scrawled German.
Humor him? You think to yourself in confusion. You don't have any time to contemplate this, as Jiro Yamada notices you walking toward him and moves to meet you. You quickly crumple the sticky note and drop it behind you. Jiro has an incredibly eager look on his face.
"Ah, so nice to meet the Silver Bulwark in person! As a fellow fighter for Justice, I look forward to working together with you!" Jiro shakes your hand. You hesitatingly reciprocate his handshake, unsure of what make of this.
"A pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Yamada, though I insist you don't call me-" You are interrupted as Jiro Yamada physically recoils before pumping his fists.
"Do not call me by that name! I insist that you call me GAI DAIGOUJI, THE NAME OF MY SOUL!" He yells the last half of his reply with such passion (and volume) while posing that you can't help but take a step back. You're momentarily left at a loss for words, while you notice several other people either cringe, face palm, or roll their eyes. Now you understand what Ruri meant when she said 'humor him'. It takes a few seconds for you to formulate a response.
"Okay Ji-er, Gai. Is it okay if I call you Gai? I'll call you by the name of your soul-" You cringe internally at saying
that bit out loud "-if you don't call me The Silver Bulwark." Gai Daigouji gasps.
"But why would you not want to be referred to by your title? Did you not earn it fighting in the name of Freedom and Justice against the most detestable Titans and Neo-Zeon? Do you shun the honor that your title bestows upon you?" Gai asks you, disbelief plain to see in his eyes while he gesticulates wildly. You sigh melancholically.
"That 'title' wasn't something that I chose for myself. It was something that others put on me as a label. I felt like I had the expectations of, well, not the entire fleet, but certainly more than what I had to deal with before on my shoulders, and I didn't like that. Especially not after what happened during the Axis Drop." You look down at the floor, a sense of shame you thought you had put behind you creeping back in. Gai stares at you, an oddly contemplative look on his face. After a few seconds, his expression unexpectedly brightens.
"Ah, I see! You are humble indeed, I would have expected nothing less from a decorated pilot of Justice. Very well, as you desire, I will only refer to you by your preferred name. Ah, forgive me, what was your name again?" Gai extends his hand with an embarrassed expression on his face.
"Mira. Mira Ayana." You shake Gai's hand.
"Very well Miss Ayana-san. May this be the start of a long and fruitful partnership in the name of Freedom and Justice!" Gai crows enthusiastically. You can't help but smile.
-------------------
The rest of the meeting goes without much of note happening, although you only really have time to get acquainted with Minato Haruka, the helm officer of the
Nadesico before an alarm starts sounding.
"An unknown enemy is attacking the facility. All bridge crew of the
Nadesico, report to the combat command center immediately. I repeat, all bridge crew report to the combat command center." An announcement blares over the PA.
You and the rest of the bridge crew make their way onboard the
Nadesico and head to bridge as fast as you can. Ruri pulls up a tactical map as soon as everyone is relatively situated.
"It appears the enemy is concentrating their attack directly above our position. The enemy machines appear to be autonomous drones, and they're unlike anything we've seen before." Ruri pulls up a live video feed. The enemy units in question are spindly, insectoid looking machines. They appear to be able to separate into two components: one is a red machine resembling a gigantic ant that is clearly meant for ground combat, and the other is a yellow, grasshopper like machine that flies. The grasshoppers appear to pick up the ant robots when they need more firepower in the air.
MASS COMBAT BETWEEN DRYDOCK DEFENSE FORCES AND GRASSHOPPERS
Friendly forces:
Hizack Squad x5
Guncannon Squad x2
Guntank II Squad x2
Initial wave of enemy forces:
Grasshopper group x 15
Opening Salvo, all friendly forces fire at will, AA batteries open fire
9d10 + 4 Ability (Hizacks) + 1 Ability (Guncannons) + 1 Ability (Guntank II squads) + 2 (AA guns)
Roll 2, 6, 2, 3, 9, 5, 8, 7, 8
50+4+1+1+2=58
Grasshoppers return fire
15d10 + 2 Ability (Grasshopper AI)
Roll 8, 1, 1, 5, 2, 2, 3, 8, 8, 8, 4, 2, 6, 4, 3
65+2=67
Result: The Initial wave of Grasshoppers takes some losses, but the defense force is decimated by the opening salvo
---------------------
What the video feed shows isn't promising. Although the drydock defense force's opening salvo takes out a large portion of the Grasshopper like robots, their return salvo of missiles and what appear to be some kind of laser weapon devastate them in return. Both Guncannon squads and a Guntank II squad disappear in a hail of missiles, and the other Guntank II squad is carved apart by laser cannons. The Hizacks don't fare much better, with three out of the five squads having also been destroyed by missiles. You suspect the remaining two squads of Hizacks haven't been destroyed yet because they're closer to the drydock's anti-air guns, which are doing a reasonable job of keeping the Grasshoppers and their ordnance away from them. Ruri turns to Yurika.
"Captain, orders?" Ruri asks.
"We'll launch through the underwater dock into the ocean. Once there, we'll emerge behind the enemy and neutralize them!" Yurika responds, not a hint of the lovestruck romantic you saw earlier in sight.
"And that's where I come in! I'll deploy in a robot and lure them further inland. In the meantime, the Nadesico can launch!" Gai Daigouji says enthusiastically.
"You can't, you blew out half the joints in your Aestivalis with that dance routine you did down in the hangar before the meeting, remember?" Uribitake grumbles.
"Oh no!" Gai yelps as he remembers what Uribitake is talking about.
"A decoy is already launching, there's another robot ascending in the elevator." Ruri suddenly speaks up.
"Eh?!" Everyone else present except you does a double take.
Megumi immediately opens a line with the Aestivalis in the elevator. The viewscreen pops to life, and you're greeted by a youthful young man with spiky brown hair wearing brown eyes wearing an orange button up shirt. He's not wearing any semblance of pilot gear as far as you can tell.
"Who the hell are you?! State your name and position!" You bark at the unknown pilot.
"Akito Tenkawa, cook!" He says. Yurika immediately perks up at that.
"Akito! It's Akito! It's been so long. It's really you, Akito! Why did you pretend not to know me? I get it! You're still the same shy boy I used to know." Yurika doesn't give Akito a chance to respond, even as his expression becomes more bewildered.
"Hey, wait just one second! What are you doing there anyway?" Akito finally manages to get a word in edgewise.
"She's the Captain of the
Nadesico." Mr. Prospector explains. Akito gives a surprised yelp.
"That's right! Ms. Yurika Misumaru is the captain of the
Nadesico!" Yurika exclaims triumphantly.
"H-Hey Yurika, who is that person anyway?" Jun asks in befuddlement.
"Well, he's my prince in shining armor. Akito always comes to my aid whenever I'm in trouble." Yurika says while blushing. Dear god, you can already feel your brain cells dying.
"I can't let you act as a decoy against the enemy, but I know how you are once you've made up you mind. I suppose the words of a passionate woman won't stop you." Yurika continues gushing. Yep, you definitely feel your braincells dying.
"Hey wait, what's this about a decoy?!" Akito says in alarm.
"I understand. I'll trust you with the fate of the Nadesico and all her crew. Make sure you come back alive!" Yurika then closes her end of the call. You barely have any time to comprehend what just happened before you make a snap decision.
"Scheiße! I'm going up in the ReZel!" You say.
"But why? My darling Akito will surely be able to protect us!" Yurika twirls around before throwing her arms out like some fairytale princess.
"Against THAT many? Akito's not even a pilot, he's a cook! How do we know he's not just going to fall flat on his face the moment he's deployed?" You counter, perhaps a bit more venomously than you intended. Mr. Prospector clears his throat.
"The Aestivalis uses IFS nanomachines as part of its control interface. Mr. Tenkawa has received these nanomachines in the past, so controlling the machine should be quite intuitive for him." Mr. Prospector explains while pushing up his glasses.
"Even so, I don't think it's a good idea to leave him alone up there." Yurika smiles at your words.
"I understand, please protect my darling Akito out there Ms. Ayana, and make sure he comes back safely!" You resist the urge to scoff at such a sappy declaration.
You leave the bridge and make a mad dash for the hangar.
--------------------
You boot up the ReZel custom and are pleased to see that, true to his word, Uribitake managed to integrate the Megaparticle Cannon into the structure of the ReZel without compromising its ability to enter Waverider form. As the elevator you're taking nears the surface, the other members of the bridge crew contact you.
"Elevator slowing, you're almost near the surface." Ruri says.
"Good luck out there girl!" Minato encourages you.
"Mr. Tenkawa has already deployed and is leading part of the enemy force away from the ship. We only need another ten minutes." A heavy set man you haven't seen before addresses you.
You respond by sketching a salute just as the elevator reaches the surface.
START OF COMBAT TURN 1
You immediately jump before shifting into Waverider mode. A pair of yellow grasshoppers combine with a pair of ants to pursue you. You fire the ReZel's beam rifle into a Grasshopper in your way, immolating it. You destroy another Grasshopper, and then two more before the combined Grasshoppers pursuing you fire on you.
MIRA AYANA VS GRASSHOPPERS
Grasshoppers fire at Mira
Mobility DC 10-6 Ability + 4 ReZel mobility
Roll 1d10 twice + 2 GrassHopper AI
1, 1 = 3, 3
Mira returns fire at the Grasshoppers
Mobility DC 4-2 Ability (GrassHopper AI) + 2 mobility
Roll 1d10 twice (one for attacking each GrassHopper) + 6 Ability
4, 9, = 10, 15
Result: Mira's ReZel takes no damage, Grasshoppers are destroyed.
Dodging out of the laser cannons that one of the Grasshoppers fire is trivially easy; they telegraph where they're aiming so obviously. It's also trivial to shoot down the missile salvo the other GrassHopper fires at you with the ReZel's head mounted Vulcan Cannons after shifting out of WaveRider form. You retaliate by firing your wrist mounted grenade launchers at one of the GrassHoppers before drawing a beam saber and hacking the other in two. You don't bother checking on the other one, and a second later the blip of an explosion shows up on your sensors, signaling the death of the Grasshopper you had fired your grenade launcher at. You grimace at the sight of another wave of GrassHoppers descending on the drydock facility before hefting the Megaparticle cannon. You take a moment to align the targeting reticle with the largest concentration of the enemy machines you can see before firing.
Mira Ayana uses a MAP attack-Megaparticle Cannon
Automatic hit on all enemies in area of effect (tutorial + enemy is dumb as bricks)
Roll for enemy concentration-1d6
Roll: 5
A large number of enemy units are destroyed!
The GrassHoppers have made the decision to bunch together in the air. Their loss, you think to yourself as the Megaparticle cannon roars, slagging a large number of the automated machines. Suddenly, Akito breaks into the comms with a strangled yell, and you turn to see his magenta Aestivalis in midair, pulling GrassHoppers down with wire guided fists and either slamming them into each other or throwing them into the path of a missile salvo. You're honestly impressed that he's lasted this long, looks like Mr. Prospector was right about the IFS control systems being largely intuitive. You're brought out of your observations when you see a disturbance in the water. You quickly realize that it's the Nadesico rising out of the ocean. You glance at the countdown timer, there's still seven minutes left on the clock. Akito's Aestivalis touches down on top of the Nadesico. Your ReZel custom joins him a few seconds later.
"Sorry to keep you waiting Akito!" Yurika chirps.
"What do you mean? It hasn't been ten minutes yet." He asks in confusion.
"I rushed for your sake darling!" Yurika replies cheerfully.
"All remaining enemies have entered our effective field of fire." Ruri reports.
"Target all the enemies we can reach! Gravity Blast, fire!" Yurika orders.
What the Nadesico fires isn't a beam, you can tell that much for certain. However, you can still see the area of effect by the way the dust and air seem to distort, in addition to all of the GrassHoppers looking like they're being crushed by an invisible press before exploding.
"Impressive." You say to no one in particular. Yurika opens a comm channel to Akito and is about to say something, but Ruri speaks up in alarm.
"Electromagnetic and gravitational distortions detected! They're occurring 900 meters directly in front of us!" For once in the short time you've known Ruri Hoshino, she sounds genuinely alarmed. You quickly spot the anomalies in question in the distance. It looks like a green and white sphere of light has formed, and is rapidly expanding. The sphere reaches a diameter of around 80 meters before it suddenly stops expanding and seems to shatter, producing a blinding light. Your display momentarily dims, and when it clears, something else has taken its place.
????? deploys
Roll 1d20 to determine the new opposition
1-10 | A horde of machines that resemble mobile suits, but of no design you've ever seen before
11-16 | A massive Super Robot that resemble nothing Photon Power Labs, the Saotome Institute, Big Falcon or the Nanbara Connection have come up with
17-20 | A force consisting of all of the above
Roll: 20
Transdimensional Assistance!
The Val??????? L???? N???, B?????? N???, and K????? will deploy next turn
The Go?????? will deploy next turn
Tactical Information:
There are no more GrassHoppers remaining
Your new opposition is a slew of machines that resemble mobile suits of an unknown design, in addition to a massive super robot of unknown type.
An aircraft with an IFF of "Big Shooter" is on the edge of the battlefield and approaching, IFF says it's friendly.
For some reason, you get the feeling that the unknown enemies aren't interested in the
Nadesico, but instead seem to be focused on you.
You have not used any spirit commands. Your spirit commands are Focus and Alert.
What will you do?
[ ] Head on
-Charge the enemy Super Robot in an attempt to provide cover for the
Nadesico
[ ] Evasive Action
-Head off in a different direction to try and draw the enemy away from the
Nadesico
[ ] Steadfast
-Try to make a stand on the
Nadesico itself
[ ] Write-in
A/N:
And here's the introduction to combat! Don't worry, I won't kill you during the tutorial, this is just to make things interesting, introduce the Original Generation enemies, and provide foreshadowing! I'll update the character sheet with stats shortly. Also, like always, constructive criticism is welcome.