My concern is that the E88 capes are likely already boosted, while the Protectorate capes are not (or at least not to the same degree). Without the war games et al. to act as catch up tools, they may be more a liability than an aid.
Comic Book Worm: A Story of Enforced Tropes
- Thread starter Auks
- Start date
- Location
- Up on a Hill
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
- Location
- Fabulously Rainbow Ireland
[X]Both Locations
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]Next Weekend. A week of sparring matches, training exercises and war games between the Protectorate, Wards, and New Wave will allow us to use the new power growth phenomenon to our own advantage.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]Next Weekend. A week of sparring matches, training exercises and war games between the Protectorate, Wards, and New Wave will allow us to use the new power growth phenomenon to our own advantage.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
FunkyEntropy
Occasionally insightful, possibly grumpy
- Location
- Los Angeles
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
The time spent training feels like a trap to me because while we do that E88 will be building an even larger lead on us because they're engaging in actual fights. Which is why going on patrol with the Wards is a good idea - hopefully we'll get enough xp to get Twitch Reflexes before the raid happens.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
We're acting in conjunction with the PRT. You know - the Parahuman law enforcement agency. They're not going to let us keep evidence.
The time spent training feels like a trap to me because while we do that E88 will be building an even larger lead on us because they're engaging in actual fights. Which is why going on patrol with the Wards is a good idea - hopefully we'll get enough xp to get Twitch Reflexes before the raid happens.
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Auks said in SB that that's exactly what would happen, if our combat roll goes well.
Also, stalling for power-leveling gives the Empire time to move their contraband away from the central locations.
- Location
- The end of all things
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
- Location
- Sweden
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Both Locations
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]Next Weekend. A week of sparring matches, training exercises and war games between the Protectorate, Wards, and New Wave will allow us to use the new power growth phenomenon to our own advantage.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]Next Weekend. A week of sparring matches, training exercises and war games between the Protectorate, Wards, and New Wave will allow us to use the new power growth phenomenon to our own advantage.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
And? How does teaming up with practically unleveled support help us in any way? I'm starting to think we may have been better off doing this without the PRT.
The PRT still has more capepower and with them there we got the 4:1 odds to mitigate level gaps.
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
*shrugs*
Judging by the voting trend, I suppose the numerical advantage will hopefully be enough to avoid heavy casualties, because the power/utility is not likely to be there.
pheonix89
Wants to be Seven Of Nine
- Location
- North American Plaguelands
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
The most optimal strategy for gaining power is constant fighting.
But, both New Wave and the PRT/Pro/Ward/ has something called "life" that they have to deal with first.
The longer we wait the stronger both we and the Pro/Wards are, but so is the E88.
The question becomes then, "Can we out grind them?".
If you believe we can out grind them, then waiting till next week is best.
If you believe that we can't then attacking as possible, to reduce what lead they might gain from us waiting a week is best.
But, even if we can out grind them, the longer it takes to get them E88 parahumans in lockup, the harder it will be to keep them there.
Which E88 members are Birdcage bound if we can get and hold them long enough?
Is Lung grinding to try and beat a Endbringer now? He originally gave up on fighting them, because he though it was impossible to win after Leviathan.
But, both New Wave and the PRT/Pro/Ward/ has something called "life" that they have to deal with first.
The longer we wait the stronger both we and the Pro/Wards are, but so is the E88.
The question becomes then, "Can we out grind them?".
If you believe we can out grind them, then waiting till next week is best.
If you believe that we can't then attacking as possible, to reduce what lead they might gain from us waiting a week is best.
But, even if we can out grind them, the longer it takes to get them E88 parahumans in lockup, the harder it will be to keep them there.
Which E88 members are Birdcage bound if we can get and hold them long enough?
Is Lung grinding to try and beat a Endbringer now? He originally gave up on fighting them, because he though it was impossible to win after Leviathan.
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
wertsir
Knower of the Unknown
- Location
- Lost in A Deep Fog
[X]The Armory
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
Voting is closed. Will try to get an update out later tonight.
EDIT: Update will be delayed until tomorrow.
Vote tally:
##### 3.18
[X] Both Locations
No. of votes: 5
Ganurath, Jcogginsa, MilkHornets, Raikor, DrachenEngel
[X] Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
No. of votes: 5
Ganurath, Jcogginsa, Lunatic350, Raikor, DrachenEngel
[X] This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
No. of votes: 6
Ganurath, Snake/Eater, Lunatic350, Avalon, Raikor, DrachenEngel
[X] Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
No. of votes: 7
Ganurath, Jcogginsa, Snake/Eater, Lunatic350, Avalon, Raikor, DrachenEngel
[X]Next Weekend. A week of sparring matches, training exercises and war games between the Protectorate, Wards, and New Wave will allow us to use the new power growth phenomenon to our own advantage.
No. of votes: 1
Jcogginsa
[X] Write-in: Two-pronged assault. New Wave and the Protectorate hit the Drug Den, as described under the Ambush plan, while the PRT perform a Lightning strike on the Armory once we've confirmed that the responders have committed to attacking us.
No. of votes: 1
MilkHornets
[X] This weekend.
No. of votes: 1
MilkHornets
[X] Yes, patrol.
No. of votes: 1
MilkHornets
[X]The Armory
No. of votes: 1
Snake/Eater
[X]Lightning strike. Hit Hard and fast, right after the guards radio in, and be gone with the illegal goods and the prisoners before the Empire even realizes we're there.
No. of votes: 1
Snake/Eater
[X]The Drug house
No. of votes: 1
Lunatic350
Vote tally:
##### 3.18
[X]The Armory
No. of votes: 16
OverReactionGuy, Anaja, Ridiculously Average Guy, hcvquizibo, TitanFrost, FunkyEntropy, Anasurimbor, silentspirals, Delwgun, Qazplm, veekie, Night_stalker, pheonix89, Larekko12, drake_azathoth, wertsir
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
No. of votes: 19
OverReactionGuy, landcollector, Anaja, Ridiculously Average Guy, hcvquizibo, TitanFrost, 1986ctcel, FunkyEntropy, Anasurimbor, silentspirals, Delwgun, Qazplm, catlover2011, veekie, Night_stalker, pheonix89, Larekko12, drake_azathoth, wertsir
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
No. of votes: 18
OverReactionGuy, SwiftRosenthal, Anaja, Ridiculously Average Guy, hcvquizibo, JeffJway, TitanFrost, FunkyEntropy, Anasurimbor, silentspirals, Delwgun, Qazplm, veekie, Night_stalker, pheonix89, Larekko12, drake_azathoth, wertsir
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
No. of votes: 6
OverReactionGuy, Ridiculously Average Guy, hcvquizibo, TitanFrost, Delwgun, Night_stalker
[X]Both Locations
No. of votes: 6
landcollector, SwiftRosenthal, WhoAmEye, JeffJway, 1986ctcel, catlover2011
[X]Next Weekend. A week of sparring matches, training exercises and war games between the Protectorate, Wards, and New Wave will allow us to use the new power growth phenomenon to our own advantage.
No. of votes: 4
landcollector, WhoAmEye, 1986ctcel, catlover2011
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
No. of votes: 16
landcollector, SwiftRosenthal, Anaja, WhoAmEye, JeffJway, 1986ctcel, FunkyEntropy, Anasurimbor, silentspirals, Qazplm, catlover2011, veekie, pheonix89, Larekko12, drake_azathoth, wertsir
[X]All out assault. The Protectorate, New Wave, Wards and PRT attack head on and crush the opposition, daring the Empire to try to respond.
No. of votes: 3
SwiftRosenthal, WhoAmEye, JeffJway
##### 3.18
[X] Both Locations
No. of votes: 5
Ganurath, Jcogginsa, MilkHornets, Raikor, DrachenEngel
[X] Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
No. of votes: 5
Ganurath, Jcogginsa, Lunatic350, Raikor, DrachenEngel
[X] This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
No. of votes: 6
Ganurath, Snake/Eater, Lunatic350, Avalon, Raikor, DrachenEngel
[X] Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
No. of votes: 7
Ganurath, Jcogginsa, Snake/Eater, Lunatic350, Avalon, Raikor, DrachenEngel
[X]Next Weekend. A week of sparring matches, training exercises and war games between the Protectorate, Wards, and New Wave will allow us to use the new power growth phenomenon to our own advantage.
No. of votes: 1
Jcogginsa
[X] Write-in: Two-pronged assault. New Wave and the Protectorate hit the Drug Den, as described under the Ambush plan, while the PRT perform a Lightning strike on the Armory once we've confirmed that the responders have committed to attacking us.
No. of votes: 1
MilkHornets
[X] This weekend.
No. of votes: 1
MilkHornets
[X] Yes, patrol.
No. of votes: 1
MilkHornets
[X]The Armory
No. of votes: 1
Snake/Eater
[X]Lightning strike. Hit Hard and fast, right after the guards radio in, and be gone with the illegal goods and the prisoners before the Empire even realizes we're there.
No. of votes: 1
Snake/Eater
[X]The Drug house
No. of votes: 1
Lunatic350
Vote tally:
##### 3.18
[X]The Armory
No. of votes: 16
OverReactionGuy, Anaja, Ridiculously Average Guy, hcvquizibo, TitanFrost, FunkyEntropy, Anasurimbor, silentspirals, Delwgun, Qazplm, veekie, Night_stalker, pheonix89, Larekko12, drake_azathoth, wertsir
[X]Ambush. New Wave assaults the target, and when the Empire response team arrives, they get caught between the Protectorate and New Wave.
No. of votes: 19
OverReactionGuy, landcollector, Anaja, Ridiculously Average Guy, hcvquizibo, TitanFrost, 1986ctcel, FunkyEntropy, Anasurimbor, silentspirals, Delwgun, Qazplm, catlover2011, veekie, Night_stalker, pheonix89, Larekko12, drake_azathoth, wertsir
[X]This weekend. Less risk of discovery, and it gives E88 less time to abuse the power growth phenomenon.
No. of votes: 18
OverReactionGuy, SwiftRosenthal, Anaja, Ridiculously Average Guy, hcvquizibo, JeffJway, TitanFrost, FunkyEntropy, Anasurimbor, silentspirals, Delwgun, Qazplm, veekie, Night_stalker, pheonix89, Larekko12, drake_azathoth, wertsir
[X]No, you can patrol with the Wards after the big raid.
No. of votes: 6
OverReactionGuy, Ridiculously Average Guy, hcvquizibo, TitanFrost, Delwgun, Night_stalker
[X]Both Locations
No. of votes: 6
landcollector, SwiftRosenthal, WhoAmEye, JeffJway, 1986ctcel, catlover2011
[X]Next Weekend. A week of sparring matches, training exercises and war games between the Protectorate, Wards, and New Wave will allow us to use the new power growth phenomenon to our own advantage.
No. of votes: 4
landcollector, WhoAmEye, 1986ctcel, catlover2011
[X]Yes, you've got time for a patrol before the raid.
No. of votes: 16
landcollector, SwiftRosenthal, Anaja, WhoAmEye, JeffJway, 1986ctcel, FunkyEntropy, Anasurimbor, silentspirals, Qazplm, catlover2011, veekie, pheonix89, Larekko12, drake_azathoth, wertsir
[X]All out assault. The Protectorate, New Wave, Wards and PRT attack head on and crush the opposition, daring the Empire to try to respond.
No. of votes: 3
SwiftRosenthal, WhoAmEye, JeffJway
EDIT: Update will be delayed until tomorrow.
Last edited:
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
"This is Insight. I'm in position." You slide your binoculars out of their pouch as you settle into your perch for the raid, the top of an old tenement; you've got a good line of sight on the Armory, as well as the two most likely approaches for reinforcements.
"Roger that. Armsmaster and Miss Militia's teams are still moving into position." Kid Win's voice hissed over the radio. He wasn't participating in the raid- none of the Wards were, even if Aegis, Clockblocker and Vista were on alert- but Kid Win had volunteered to run mission control and coordinate comms between the Protectorate, PRT and New Wave.
You settled into wait as everyone else moved into position- as long as your climb was, the Protectorate and PRT had to go further, and had to remain undetected while they did so. New Wave had it relatively easy with half the members capable of flight, but for this to work the Empire couldn't suspect this was a joint raid.
Which meant you had to wait. Which was fine. You could be patient, and it gave you a chance to look over the armory, make sure there weren't any traps you had missed.
Unfortunately, Kid Win is not quite as patient as you. "So, Insight. What happened last night? I mean Clockblocker won't say what happened, and usually he never shuts up."
You wince at the memories. Panacea had healed your body, but your pride still hasn't recovered. "I don't want to talk about it."
"I mean Clockblocker did say something about dogs, but I-"
"I said I don't want to talk about it. Drop it."
"Geez, sorry I brought it up, I just- hey Miss Militia and Armsmaster are in position." You heard him press a button as he switched channels. "All teams are in position."
A moment later, Armsmaster's voice cut into the channel. "We're go for the operation. Lady Photon, begin the assault at your discretion."
You heard Brandish's terse "Roger" over the radio, and then the shooting starts.
There's no attempt at subtlety here. Brandish, Manpower and Flashbang charge the front door as Laserdream and Glory Girl come in from the top. The gunfire dies down slowly as they sweep the armory room by room, taking their time to clear it and make sure there are no surprises.
It also gives those inside time to call for backup, but that's fine- it's all part of the plan, after all.
From there, the waiting begins anew as everyone waits for the shoe to drop. E88 reinforcements are on there way, but you don't know for sure where they're coming from- you can make guesses, and the Protectorate and PRT are deployed on the two most likely approaches, but you can't cover them all.
So you wait, scanning the horizon with your binoculars, searching for a clue to tell you which direction the E88 will come from. Glory Girl and Laserdream float out in front of the armory as bait, while Brandish, Flashbang and Manpower wait just inside.
Minitues tick by, five turning into ten, then fifteen, when you suddenly hear a creak on the ladder behind you. You tense, then move, padding quietly to take cover as you overhear people- two people, adult male, 180-220 pounds, rifle on sling- climbing up the ladder.
You huddled behind an AC unit, eavesdropping as they climbed onto the top of the roof. "-fucking finally. We better get a fucking bonus for this, man."
They both started moving to the ledge you had been watching from only a minute earlier. "Only if we bag one of the capes. You heard what Victor said."
"Bullshit. We've been camped out in this pisshole for three fucking days. I want some fucking money."
"The shoot one of the bastards." You peak out from behind the AC unit to see one of them laying out a mat while the other sets up a rifle. Sniper team.
"But aren't they all, like bulletproof? I mean, they've got like forcefields and shit. How the fuck we supposed to kill one of them?"
"Shoot them when the shields down? Shoot one that doesn't have shields? Like the healer girl. Pretty sure she doesn't have energy shields."
"I dunno. Aren't you not supposed to shoot the medic or something?"
"Don't be stupid. You always shoot the medic first."
You're getting the feeling these two aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. You slink out of cover quietly, tazer and pepper spray at the ready. You're considering the best one-liner for the situation when the roof creaks under your weight and both of their heads snap to look straight at you.
You settle for "Eat this, Assholes!" As you spray both of them with pepper spray, you mentally make a note to come up with better one-liners for future use as the one to the left starts bawling his eyes out; the skinhead on the right goes for a pistol, so you bring up your tazer shoot him- he goes down convulsing as a 50,000 volt current courses through him.
The other starts to recover, and you drop the now useless taser, drawing your baton as you dodge a sloppy punch, trap his arm, then bring him down with a swing to the head. He goes out like a light.
Well, that was exciting.
You drag both away from the perch and restrain them with zipties before settling back in to watch. You do a quick scan of the surrounding buildings, and pick out two more sniper teams setting up before radioing in. "All, just took out a pair of E88 snipers. Got two setting up on the Eight story brownstone northwest of me and another set on the old factory to the North. Think you'll probably want to have someone take care of them."
A moment of silence before Lady Photon responded. "Understood. Laserdream, take them out."
You tracked Laserdream as she rocketed into the sky, arcing towards the sniper nests, lasers lancing out towards the would be snipers, intermittent return fire bouncing off her forcefield. A month ago, it might have taxed her shield; now, she just barreled through it.
And then the rest of the Empire reinforcements arrived. They came from the northwest, a three van convoy, barreling down the streets with the lights off....and right into the waiting arms of Armsmaster.
He opened with an EMP pulse, frying the engines of all three vans, before twisting around to shoot a cable across the street, anchoring it to the wall behind him. The lead van swerves, trying to avoid the wire, only to flip onto it's side; the two behind it fair better, skidding to a stop, doors opening to disgorge skinheads and supervillains.
Or they try to, anyway. Lady Photon steps forward, flanked by two PRT officers with containment foam sprayers and they begin to spray the vans, starting on the doors before moving to windows. The Nazis scramble to get free and return fire pings harmlessly off Lady Photon's forcefield, and you can see Cricket's already been trapped, her left leg covered up to the thigh. In just a few more moments, all three vehicles will be foamed, and you'll be able to move on to securing the rest of the area.
And then something goes wrong.
Cricket screams. You're a good three hundred yards away and you can still hear it; Lady Photon and the PRT troopers go down, clasping their ears in pain, while Armsmaster, Assault and Battery are sent reeling. There's a crack, and one of the PRT troopers Tank starts spewing containment foam everywhere, snaring Lady Photon, the two troopers and Battery in a rapidly expanding cloud of foam.
Sniper. .50 caliber. Extremely long range shot. Requires superhuman skill.
Sniper is Victor.
"Fuck." You key your radio. "Laserdream, Victor's on a .50 cal, tower 1500 meters to the north east. Take him down now." She's moving before you finish, rocketing towards the tower, spraying the top with laser beams as she goes.
Below, things are rapidly getting out of control. The final van was never foamed, and a half dozen Empire "soldiers" are now trading fire with the Protectorate, and even worse, Menja has gotten clear of the van and started growing. Mere seconds later, the would be Valkyrie is at least twenty feet tall, and her trademark spear lashes out against Armsmaster, the flat of the blade catching him and sending him flying. Assault bounds through the air, catching him before he can hit the ground, but he's still down for the count.
Dauntless and Glory Girl arrive next, rushing the giantess, forcing her back with a combination of Arc Lance fire and pure force. As large and strong as Menja might be, she's only one person, and as the rest of the New Wave and Protectorate Capes stream in, it's clear she's outmatched. She starts to fall back, attempting to retreat before Brandish manages to nail her Achilles tendon with a Hardlight javelin, and seconds later the second team of PRT troopers have covered her in foam.
Then there's another crack of a Sniper rifle, and Flashbang loses his left leg at the knee.
Shielder rushes to his uncle, a dome shield expanding around him to cover him. A half dozen cries for "Medic!" and "Panacea!" Echo across the comms as everyone rushes to stem the bleeding.
You on the otherhand turn your attention back to the tower. "Laserdream, take out that Sniper!"
"I'm fucking trying, but the bastard's fucking invincible. My lasers aren't doing anything!"
Othala. Empowering Victor. Frequent Partner. In romantic relationship with Victor.
"Try to take out his gun or something. Glory Girl, get over to there right now. Help Laserdream, and find Othala. If she's empowering Victor, she'll be nearby, probably a floor or two below him. Grab her and he'll probably surrender."
"On it!" Glory Girl rocketed towards the tower in the distance, leaving her Father in the care of her sister. Panacea had come out of cover had already stopped the bleeding; reattaching the leg would be more difficult, but Panacea was one of the best healers in the North East. She could do it.
So of course Hookwolf chose that moment to rip the roof off his van and climb out, an undulating wolf of metal hooks nearly the size of an elephant. Behind him, Stormtiger lifted out, supported by a miniature cyclone of air- because of course he could fly now- and the two E88 fighters faced down the entire Protectorate and New Wave.
And then promptly turned and ran.
Apparently there was a strength in numbers after all.
****
When all was said and done, Fenja, Cricket, Victor and Othala were all taken into custody along with over a dozen Empire soldiers, and over a million dollars worth of weaponry. For all that Stormtiger and Hookwolf may have escaped, the Empire 88 is still down four of it's capes, including it's only healer. Panacea was able to reattach Flashbang's leg, though he'll need to eat a lot to regain biomass, and both Lady Photon and the Troopers recovered from Cricket's sonic attack.
It's a great victory, and both the PRT and New Wave are eager to capitalize on it- you've been invited to yet another Press Conference, this time a joint affair hosted by both the PRT and New Wave.
Do you attend?
[]Yes, as Insight.
[]Yes, in Civilian Identity
[]No, stay home
You have gained 20 XP.
Perks available for purchase:
[]Olympian (10XP)
[]Twitch Reading (5XP)
[]Olympian and Twitch Reading (15XP)
[]Action Hero Healing (20XP)
[]Bank XP for later.
"This is Insight. I'm in position." You slide your binoculars out of their pouch as you settle into your perch for the raid, the top of an old tenement; you've got a good line of sight on the Armory, as well as the two most likely approaches for reinforcements.
"Roger that. Armsmaster and Miss Militia's teams are still moving into position." Kid Win's voice hissed over the radio. He wasn't participating in the raid- none of the Wards were, even if Aegis, Clockblocker and Vista were on alert- but Kid Win had volunteered to run mission control and coordinate comms between the Protectorate, PRT and New Wave.
You settled into wait as everyone else moved into position- as long as your climb was, the Protectorate and PRT had to go further, and had to remain undetected while they did so. New Wave had it relatively easy with half the members capable of flight, but for this to work the Empire couldn't suspect this was a joint raid.
Which meant you had to wait. Which was fine. You could be patient, and it gave you a chance to look over the armory, make sure there weren't any traps you had missed.
Unfortunately, Kid Win is not quite as patient as you. "So, Insight. What happened last night? I mean Clockblocker won't say what happened, and usually he never shuts up."
You wince at the memories. Panacea had healed your body, but your pride still hasn't recovered. "I don't want to talk about it."
"I mean Clockblocker did say something about dogs, but I-"
"I said I don't want to talk about it. Drop it."
"Geez, sorry I brought it up, I just- hey Miss Militia and Armsmaster are in position." You heard him press a button as he switched channels. "All teams are in position."
A moment later, Armsmaster's voice cut into the channel. "We're go for the operation. Lady Photon, begin the assault at your discretion."
You heard Brandish's terse "Roger" over the radio, and then the shooting starts.
There's no attempt at subtlety here. Brandish, Manpower and Flashbang charge the front door as Laserdream and Glory Girl come in from the top. The gunfire dies down slowly as they sweep the armory room by room, taking their time to clear it and make sure there are no surprises.
It also gives those inside time to call for backup, but that's fine- it's all part of the plan, after all.
From there, the waiting begins anew as everyone waits for the shoe to drop. E88 reinforcements are on there way, but you don't know for sure where they're coming from- you can make guesses, and the Protectorate and PRT are deployed on the two most likely approaches, but you can't cover them all.
So you wait, scanning the horizon with your binoculars, searching for a clue to tell you which direction the E88 will come from. Glory Girl and Laserdream float out in front of the armory as bait, while Brandish, Flashbang and Manpower wait just inside.
Minitues tick by, five turning into ten, then fifteen, when you suddenly hear a creak on the ladder behind you. You tense, then move, padding quietly to take cover as you overhear people- two people, adult male, 180-220 pounds, rifle on sling- climbing up the ladder.
You huddled behind an AC unit, eavesdropping as they climbed onto the top of the roof. "-fucking finally. We better get a fucking bonus for this, man."
They both started moving to the ledge you had been watching from only a minute earlier. "Only if we bag one of the capes. You heard what Victor said."
"Bullshit. We've been camped out in this pisshole for three fucking days. I want some fucking money."
"The shoot one of the bastards." You peak out from behind the AC unit to see one of them laying out a mat while the other sets up a rifle. Sniper team.
"But aren't they all, like bulletproof? I mean, they've got like forcefields and shit. How the fuck we supposed to kill one of them?"
"Shoot them when the shields down? Shoot one that doesn't have shields? Like the healer girl. Pretty sure she doesn't have energy shields."
"I dunno. Aren't you not supposed to shoot the medic or something?"
"Don't be stupid. You always shoot the medic first."
You're getting the feeling these two aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. You slink out of cover quietly, tazer and pepper spray at the ready. You're considering the best one-liner for the situation when the roof creaks under your weight and both of their heads snap to look straight at you.
You settle for "Eat this, Assholes!" As you spray both of them with pepper spray, you mentally make a note to come up with better one-liners for future use as the one to the left starts bawling his eyes out; the skinhead on the right goes for a pistol, so you bring up your tazer shoot him- he goes down convulsing as a 50,000 volt current courses through him.
The other starts to recover, and you drop the now useless taser, drawing your baton as you dodge a sloppy punch, trap his arm, then bring him down with a swing to the head. He goes out like a light.
Well, that was exciting.
You drag both away from the perch and restrain them with zipties before settling back in to watch. You do a quick scan of the surrounding buildings, and pick out two more sniper teams setting up before radioing in. "All, just took out a pair of E88 snipers. Got two setting up on the Eight story brownstone northwest of me and another set on the old factory to the North. Think you'll probably want to have someone take care of them."
A moment of silence before Lady Photon responded. "Understood. Laserdream, take them out."
You tracked Laserdream as she rocketed into the sky, arcing towards the sniper nests, lasers lancing out towards the would be snipers, intermittent return fire bouncing off her forcefield. A month ago, it might have taxed her shield; now, she just barreled through it.
And then the rest of the Empire reinforcements arrived. They came from the northwest, a three van convoy, barreling down the streets with the lights off....and right into the waiting arms of Armsmaster.
He opened with an EMP pulse, frying the engines of all three vans, before twisting around to shoot a cable across the street, anchoring it to the wall behind him. The lead van swerves, trying to avoid the wire, only to flip onto it's side; the two behind it fair better, skidding to a stop, doors opening to disgorge skinheads and supervillains.
Or they try to, anyway. Lady Photon steps forward, flanked by two PRT officers with containment foam sprayers and they begin to spray the vans, starting on the doors before moving to windows. The Nazis scramble to get free and return fire pings harmlessly off Lady Photon's forcefield, and you can see Cricket's already been trapped, her left leg covered up to the thigh. In just a few more moments, all three vehicles will be foamed, and you'll be able to move on to securing the rest of the area.
And then something goes wrong.
Cricket screams. You're a good three hundred yards away and you can still hear it; Lady Photon and the PRT troopers go down, clasping their ears in pain, while Armsmaster, Assault and Battery are sent reeling. There's a crack, and one of the PRT troopers Tank starts spewing containment foam everywhere, snaring Lady Photon, the two troopers and Battery in a rapidly expanding cloud of foam.
Sniper. .50 caliber. Extremely long range shot. Requires superhuman skill.
Sniper is Victor.
"Fuck." You key your radio. "Laserdream, Victor's on a .50 cal, tower 1500 meters to the north east. Take him down now." She's moving before you finish, rocketing towards the tower, spraying the top with laser beams as she goes.
Below, things are rapidly getting out of control. The final van was never foamed, and a half dozen Empire "soldiers" are now trading fire with the Protectorate, and even worse, Menja has gotten clear of the van and started growing. Mere seconds later, the would be Valkyrie is at least twenty feet tall, and her trademark spear lashes out against Armsmaster, the flat of the blade catching him and sending him flying. Assault bounds through the air, catching him before he can hit the ground, but he's still down for the count.
Dauntless and Glory Girl arrive next, rushing the giantess, forcing her back with a combination of Arc Lance fire and pure force. As large and strong as Menja might be, she's only one person, and as the rest of the New Wave and Protectorate Capes stream in, it's clear she's outmatched. She starts to fall back, attempting to retreat before Brandish manages to nail her Achilles tendon with a Hardlight javelin, and seconds later the second team of PRT troopers have covered her in foam.
Then there's another crack of a Sniper rifle, and Flashbang loses his left leg at the knee.
Shielder rushes to his uncle, a dome shield expanding around him to cover him. A half dozen cries for "Medic!" and "Panacea!" Echo across the comms as everyone rushes to stem the bleeding.
You on the otherhand turn your attention back to the tower. "Laserdream, take out that Sniper!"
"I'm fucking trying, but the bastard's fucking invincible. My lasers aren't doing anything!"
Othala. Empowering Victor. Frequent Partner. In romantic relationship with Victor.
"Try to take out his gun or something. Glory Girl, get over to there right now. Help Laserdream, and find Othala. If she's empowering Victor, she'll be nearby, probably a floor or two below him. Grab her and he'll probably surrender."
"On it!" Glory Girl rocketed towards the tower in the distance, leaving her Father in the care of her sister. Panacea had come out of cover had already stopped the bleeding; reattaching the leg would be more difficult, but Panacea was one of the best healers in the North East. She could do it.
So of course Hookwolf chose that moment to rip the roof off his van and climb out, an undulating wolf of metal hooks nearly the size of an elephant. Behind him, Stormtiger lifted out, supported by a miniature cyclone of air- because of course he could fly now- and the two E88 fighters faced down the entire Protectorate and New Wave.
And then promptly turned and ran.
Apparently there was a strength in numbers after all.
****
When all was said and done, Fenja, Cricket, Victor and Othala were all taken into custody along with over a dozen Empire soldiers, and over a million dollars worth of weaponry. For all that Stormtiger and Hookwolf may have escaped, the Empire 88 is still down four of it's capes, including it's only healer. Panacea was able to reattach Flashbang's leg, though he'll need to eat a lot to regain biomass, and both Lady Photon and the Troopers recovered from Cricket's sonic attack.
It's a great victory, and both the PRT and New Wave are eager to capitalize on it- you've been invited to yet another Press Conference, this time a joint affair hosted by both the PRT and New Wave.
Do you attend?
[]Yes, as Insight.
[]Yes, in Civilian Identity
[]No, stay home
You have gained 20 XP.
Perks available for purchase:
[]Olympian (10XP)
[]Twitch Reading (5XP)
[]Olympian and Twitch Reading (15XP)
[]Action Hero Healing (20XP)
[]Bank XP for later.