Tacit Ronin vs. The World Grand Archive

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

This is a Story-Only thread for Tacit Ronin vs. The World and its second thread, both by @Fyrstorm. The threadmarking in the actual quest threads is a bit confusing for new readers, so I've taken it upon myself to collect all relevant story posts here, so that this great quest is more accessible to others.

This is a Story Only Thread. Do not post here.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

2026.
Seattle, Washington.
New Pan-Pacific Defense Corp Base Camp.

It's been many months since contact was lost with the outside world. The last remnants of the PPDC-- or what is thought to be-- have made a last stand in what remains of the city of Seattle. It's only got a motley crew of capable members left-- the remaining populace is composed of survivors and refugees. A few military vehicles lie around, offering a smattering of defense from the kaiju menace.

But it's not going to be enough.

A week and a half ago, a convoy was sent down to Oblivion Bay in order to scavenge the most intact Jaeger available, and bring it back. With the limited supply of Pt-238 and spare parts that has been accumulated, it should be easy enough to keep this jaeger operational-- if not well-functioning.

Three days ago, the convoy returned with their prize.

A fully functioning Jaeger.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

It's with great joy that the identity of the retrieved jaeger spread itself through the camp; Tacit Ronin, long-time defender of Japan, had arrived! Morale jumped in a matter of days, the formerly dreary and downcast camp-city restored with the will to continue!

Restorative work began almost as soon as Tacit is set down in his holding cell. Stocks of scrap metal were melted down, forged into steel plates. The old reactor was removed, a spare salvaged from Anchorage being installed in its place, fully stocked with a supply of Pt-238. And Tacit's signature weapons-- his Fangblades-- were treated with special attention, care being taken to make sure that every part of their mechanisms function at peak performance.

But a week later, the jaeger is still the very same Tacit Ronin, even through all the renovation and replacements.

The two new pilots-- Webb and Williams-- are ready. Their simulator scores may not be the highest, but their bond is strong, and they're the most qualified candidates in the camp.

Paired with the veteran jaeger, they just might stand a chance against the raging tide of kaiju.

***

Three days after Tacit Ronin Reactivation Test (Successful).

Inside the Command Centre-- retrofitted from the remains of the Space Needle-- a light that hasn't gone on in months blinks. And then it blinks again. And again. There's no mistake, the device isn't malfunctioning.

Seconds later, an alarm goes off, the sensor screens flashing as sirens blare. Sirens that promise death and destruction. Sirens that mean only one thing-- one thing, flashed across warning screens, shouted through crowds, driving tens of thousands to the shelters.

<ALERT: INBOUND KAIJU SIGNATURE DETECTED>
<CLASSIFICATION: CATEGORY II>

If I could get a 1d10+1 for the Scanners?

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Scanners Result: 8+1=9

For a first time, the scanner system works remarkably well.

The kaiju is bearing North, approaching from near the outer limit of the sensor grid-- about 15 kilometers (150 units) away. Visual confirmation and code-naming is soon established.

Kaiju SE-26-001-- codenamed "Ridgeback"-- measures nearly 95 meters from head-to-tail, and exhibits the hexapedal biology commonly seen in kaiju, as well as a fairly high body density. Visual reports say that the kaiju has two horns, and a bony spinal ridge (for which the kaiju is named), while the forelimbs appear to end in some sort of hooks. There has been no confirmation as to the kaiju's maw. Odd.

Ridgeback is approaching from the South, and is approximately 150 Units away-- though it will be much closer by the time your deployment finishes.
What is your course of action?

[x]2 SH-60 Scout Chopper Squads lure it to the southwest. 3 Type 100 Anti-Kaiju Tank Squads deploy to the southeast, out of it's range, and hopefully can hide. Tacit Ronin deploys to the southwest. When Ronin engages the kaiju , the Tanks engage. If the kaiju turns to the tanks, the Scout Choppers engage to lure it back to Tacit Ronin. Brigades hold the wall for now.

It only takes a few minutes for the council members to decide on a course of action-- even if the distance planning is iffy, and has to be compromised on. But even with the minor disagreements, the plan is set in motion.

Tacit Ronin is scrambled, being rapidly deployed out to the wastes of outer Seattle, while the scavenged Type 100s take their ambush points as directed, hiding among the wreckage in wait.

It's quiet.

With a dull thudding, Ridgeback rounds a hill, ghostly blue eyes flickering against pale, chalky hide. Just ahead, the stripped-down SH-60s buzz and flash their lights, drawing the monster's focus. The kaiju follows them, all six eyes intently tracking the helis.

The point is reached, and the scouts disperse. Ridgeback's eyes follow them for a moment-- before something catches its attention.

Tacit Ronin stands only a kilometer away, red markings dark against his alabaster steel. The jaeger's nuclear heart thrums, steam boiling off the dorsal exhaust vents.

Ridgeback stomps the ground, eyes glaring under its massive brow ridge. The kaiju doesn't roar, or hiss, or vocalize at all-- it just stares at the jaeger.

Combat has been entered. Each round of Combat, every member of your forces may take a Move Action and a Standard Action (in that order). If you take a Move Action, you will be at a -3 penalty to your Standard Action. There are also Full-Round Actions (e.g. Charging/Running) and Held Actions (sacrifice your turn to interrupt the enemy on their turn). You may also take up to 3 Free Actions in a round.

Distances:
Tacit: 40 from DP, 20 from Tanks, 11 from Ridgeback
Ridgeback: 11 from Tacit, 51 from DP
Tanks: 20 from Tacit, 40 from DP, 16 from Ridgeback

What do you* do?

*'you' in the sense of the units under your control, not 'you' in the sense of the people directing all this.

[X] Tacit Ronin walks 4 units towards Ridgeback. Try to angle it so Ridgeback ends up between you and the tanks.
[X] Other units remain where they are. Copters stay dark.

The jaeger makes the first move, stomping forwards purposefully towards the kaiju. Ridgeback's eyes narrow, a burst of steam coming from its nostrils.

And then Ridgeback moves. In a second, the kaiju's muscles tense, and fire, the entire monster simply launching forwards like a rocket! Four feet thunder along the ground, eating up tens of meters with each step-

(1+3=4)

-the ground beneath Ridgeback's forefoot collapses. Coming to a screeching halt, the kaiju crashes to the ground, flailing to right itself from the weakened terrain. Nostrils flaring, it finally manages to get upright, eyes glaring blue murder at Tacit, as if blaming the jaeger for its stumble.

Distances:
Tacit: 44 from DP, 18 from Tanks, 3 from Ridgeback
Ridgeback: 3 from Tacit, 47 from DP
Tanks: 18 from Tacit, 40 from DP, 10 from Ridgeback

Really, Ridgeback? You're going to nat 1 me? Really?? Whatever, just means that these blokes can beat your sorry tail a lot easier.

Your move, boys and girls.

[X] Tanks fire at Ridgeback.
[X] Tacit Ronin Charges Ridgeback, engaging with his blades. Time to STABPUNCH.

"Now!"
With a thunderous crack, the tanks open fire, heavy shells slamming into the back of Ridgeback's head and ribs, drawing sprays of acidic blue blood!

Ridgeback takes 2 Strikes!

Two eyes snap around, the kaiju's muscles rippling under its skin as it prepares to deal with this irrita-

Tacit lunges, magnetic rails whining in his arms!
The kaiju's eyes snap back, as Ridgeback rears up, trying to bat away the attacks!

(8,9)
(7,4)

Tacit Ronin ducks under the waving hooks, and activates his Fangblades!
The first sword screams down its magnetic rail, cutting a long but shallow wound right up Ridgeback's front!

Ridgeback takes 1 Strike!

The kaiju thrashes-- and Tacit's second blade comes shrieking out.

The Fangblade rams through the wound, slicing tendons and ripping apart musculature, before erupting out of the kaiju's back! The jaeger rips the blade out, Blue spraying out of the wound!

Ridgeback takes 3 Strikes! -2 Agility! +2 Ongoing Strikes! Ridgeback is losing blood!

To the kaiju's credit, it doesn't cry out-- instead trying to bear down on the offending jaeger!

Reaction!
[ ] Dodge! (1d10+3)
[ ] Block! (1d10+2)
[ ] Parry! (1d5+2, counterattack with penalty on success)

Distances:
Tacit: 47 from DP, 16 from Tanks
Ridgeback: 47 from DP
Tanks: 16 from Tacit, 40 from DP, 10 from Ridgeback

[X]Dodge!

(5)
(7)

Tacit springs out of the way, leaping back a hectometer as Ridgeback smashes its forelegs down into the ground, drawing another spray of blood from its wound!

Ridgeback takes 1 Strike from Ongoing Strikes! Ridgeback is losing blood!

Your move, boys and girls.

Distances:
Tacit: 46 from DP, 16 from Tanks, 1 from Ridgeback
Ridgeback: 47 from DP, 1 from Tacit
Tanks: 16 from Tacit, 40 from DP, 10 from Ridgeback

[X] Tacit Ronin readies a Held Attack.
[X] Tanks fire upon Ridgeback again.

The order is given. All three squadrons immediately open fire.

Well, they try to.

*chunk*
*chunk*
*thoom!*

Type 100 Squadron out of Ammo!
Type 100 Squadron out of Ammo!

Due to an unforeseen shortage of shells, only one batch of tanks actually opens fire, scoring a direct hit against Ridgeback's flank! Chunks of silicon-based meat fly, Blue spraying from the wounds!

Ridgeback takes 1 Strike! Ridgeback is losing blood!

Tacit's weight shifts, 80-odd meters of giant robot sliding into an improvised defensive stance-- hiding its readied attack!

Ridgeback, loosing blood and patience, falls for the trap, and attacks!

Hooked arms raising to attack, the kaiju lunges-

-and Tacit attacks.

(10,10)
(0,0)

In one smooth move, Tacit drives a fist into Ridgeback's wound, and fires.

Major Chest Wound!
Ridgeback takes 5 Strikes! Ridgeback is losing blood! Ridgeback's lungs have been damaged! Ridgeback suffers immense internal damage! +4 Ongoing Strikes! +2 Strikes!

Spine instantly severed, the kaiju's front half thrashes in blind panic as Tacit rips his Fangblade out, nearly bisecting the monster! Ridgeback's limbs flail, weakly slapping against Tacit's feet.

(5-11= -6)

Tacit Ronin drives his other Fangblade through the kaiju's skull, splitting it in half.

Major Head Wound!
Brain Destruction-- Instant Death!

The kaiju-- or what's left of it-- stops moving, as Tacit retracts his blades, watching Blue fizzle across the concrete.

Kaiju SE-26-001, "Ridgeback" has been Defeated!

...Well. That was... that was something.
Let me tell you, cleanup is not going to be pretty. Luckily, you've snagged some sweet bonuses from this, and have a high enough environmental level at the moment.

Write up and Kaiju Stats incoming.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

For a couple of first timers, Alec and Noah have some remarkable luck. Tacit Ronin suffered no damage at all-- other than some negligible pitting of the blades due to Ridgeback's acid blood. In a gesture of companionship, the tank crews take it upon themselves to personally congratulate the duo on their astounding success-- along with a warning to not get too cocky with their strength.

A strip-harvester crew is sent out to SE-26-001's corpse, in order to gather anything usable from the remains. It's not terribly difficult; Ronin split the kaiju right in half, leaving a nice big opening for the harvesters to go through. However, that nice big opening's leaked highly corrosive Kaiju Blue across several hundred meters of Seattle's outskirts, and poses a serious risk to the environment if left untreated. Along with this, something very odd is noted about Ridgeback.

The kaiju has no mouth at all.

While the monster clearly has a digestive system, it's not connected to the head at all, instead leading to its skin. In all likelihood, SE-26-001 probably just absorbed nutrients through its pores. But, while interesting, this observation doesn't really have any use in the field-- as of yet.

Kaiju Stats:

Ridgeback
Class: Category II Kaiju
A hexapedal kaiju with a long ridge of bone running down its back. It's built like an ox, and has the horns of one to match. Its front pair of legs are raised off the ground, ending in two opposing hooks. Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to have a mouth.

Stats:
HtH: 2
Ran: 0
Str: 4
Tou: 5
Agi: 3
Dex: 1

Structure:
Dura: 5
Stru: 14

Weapons:
Horns
Built-In Melee Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10
Parry Dice: 1d5
Armour Penetration: 3
Grappling Bonus: -3
Damage Type: Impact
Damage Bonus: Strength

Gripplers (x2)
Built-In Melee Weapons
Attack Dice: 1d10
Parry Dice: 1d5
Block Dice: 1d10-1
Armour Penetration: 0
Grappling Bonus: +2
Damage Type: Edged
Damage Bonus: Strength

Armour:
Thick Hide
Coverage: All but Eyes, Spine, Neck, and Pelvis
Armor Value: 2/1
Resilience: All, +1 Blunt
Durability: 7

Ridgeback
Coverage: Spine, Neck, Pelvis
Armor Value: 4/-
Resilience: All, +1 Impact, +1 Edged
Durability: 6

It is now downtime.

Category II Kaiju killed: +500 Resources
Manufacturing: +1000 Resources
Achievement Get!-- Flawless Victory: +1000 Resources

Total Resources to Spend: 2750

Free Actions (choose one):
[ ] Begin Cleanup Operations (-600 Resources, prevents Environment drop)
[ ] Take the Environmental hit (Environment level begins to drop, stays at Stable... for now)

Pick any Three Actions from the Downtime Actions List (bottom half). Order does not matter. Just be sure to
[X] Put
[X] Them
[X] In this format

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

[X] Begin Cleanup Operations (-600 Resources, prevents Environment drop)
[X]Improve Communications(-500 Resources)
[X] Research Improvements into Jaeger's Stats! Toughness (15 rolls, -300 Resources)
[X] Research Improvements into Jaeger's Stats! HtH (15 rolls, -300 Resources)

-1700 total

Cleanup is scrambled almost instantly, crews sent over to hose down Ridgeback's corpse with CO2 and Lithium Hydroxide to neutralize the acid. It's an expensive operation for sure, but the kaiju doesn't get the pleasure of salting the earth.

New cables and relays are installed, including sets of archaic semaphore towers, designed to grow the NPPDC's sphere of influence and communication prowess. Thanks to some recycling of equipment, the new systems aren't nearly as resource-intensive as they could be.

The rest of the week is spent researching improvements to Tacit's mechanisms.

The jaeger's joints are re-calibrated, work beginning on a new set designed to provide greater accuracy and more fluid strikes-- though due to several setbacks, the system won't be ready for quite some time.

In order to boost the venerable jaeger's ability to take strikes, a new formula is devised for an impact-resilient gel, which could be used to coat Tacit's precious internal components to protect them from harm. As with the new jointing, however, this research runs into a setback-- the current gel prototype loses all non-newtonian properties after immersion in water-- and given Seattle's weather, this isn't acceptable. But still, it's a starting point.

2/10 points to Toughness 2!
3/15 points to Hand-to-Hand 3!
Communications increases to 1!

Tuesday.

The scanner grid flares. Twice.

And the alarms go off, louder than before.

<ALERT: INBOUND KAIJU SIGNATURES DETECTED>
<DOUBLE EVENT>
<CLASSIFICATION: CATEGORY I, CATEGORY I>

Throw me a 1d10+1 for Scanners!

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

scanner result: 2+1= 3

Unfortunately, the scanner grid malfunctions, forcing a manual reboot to the system! When the system restarts, they're still barely able to get a lock on the kaiju.

The first kaiju is bearing South, and has already passed the sensor grid at 7 kilometers (70 units away). Meanwhile, the second kaiju bears South-East, at a distance of 12 kilos (120 units away). Scouts are deployed immediately, but the recent electrical storm's made visual confirmation difficult.

Kaiju SE-26-002-- codenamed "Rippa"-- is scraping the limits of Category I, shoulder just around where Tacit's head would be. Granted, that's as high as the kaiju gets-- the head seems sunken in. Rippa shows a basic bipedal stance, with enlarged forearms.

Kaiju SE-26-003-- codenamed "Marvin"-- shows a body plan very similar to an arachnid, albeit missing four legs. The density scanners are having trouble with getting a proper lock-- the monster is surprisingly light.

Rippa is approaching from the North, and is approximately 70 units away. Marvin is approaching from the North-West, and is approximately 120 units away. By the time you deploy, they'll be roughly half that distance-- though Marvin's traveling slower than Rippa is.
What is your course of action?

[X] Deploy tacit ronin 28 units from wall, to engage Rippa.
[X]Deploy tanks to TR's left, ~15 units away, ready to engage Rippa immediately.
[X]Scout Copters to harass Marvin, trying to slow it down by distracting it/ leading it to the Brigades. Fire if needed, be ready for leaping.
[X]Brigades set up along Marvin's path, ready to ambush. 2 groups of 3.

This time, the plan takes off with great haste; the more lightly-armed forces will engage Marvin, attempting to slow it down while Tacit and the Type 100 squads deal with Rippa.

Tacit Ronin drops from the Carryalls, feet throwing up a cloud of ash and dust. Reactor powering up fully, the jaeger rises, steam venting from the exhausts along his chest and spine. Nearby, the dual-barreled tanks roll up, crews starting to load the massive cannons.

Rippa rounds the nearest building, coming into view at last. It's not pretty.

The kaiju's body is armoured, ash-grey flesh coated in a thick, brown carapace. Instead of a neck, the kaiju's face protrudes from between its shoulders, mandibles squirming just under Rippa's gem-like eyes. The monster notices Tacit in an instant, mandibles clacking and foaming in anticipation.

Rippa raises its arms. Each one reaches almost to the ground, muscle visible eve under the carapace. But instead of hands... Rippa's arms end in what can only be described as saw blades, each one snaggle-toothed and bony.

***

Farther north, the Anti-Kaiju Brigades are ready, dismounted and prepared for Marvin's appearance. Above, the SH-60s hover, waiting.

With a hollow hiss, Marvin stomps into view.

As scans suggested, the kaiju looks an awful lot like a four-legged spider, each limb terminating in a hooked claw. The kaiju's thorax and abdomen are both plated in the same dark brown carapace, though the segmenting is far more obvious around the back. From the kaiju's stubby excuse of a head sprouts two very straight tusks, serrated ridges running down the inner surfaces to its mouth. Marvin inhales, abdomen swelling slightly, before the kaiju releases an audible breath.

The monster's eyes flit up, focusing on the noisy helicopters. Marvin takes another breath.

Combat has begun. As the players, you go first.

Distances:
Tacit: 28 from DP, 15 from Tanks, 7 from Rippa
Tanks: 28 from DP, 15 from Tacit, ~17 from Rippa
Scouts: ~10 from Marvin
Brigades: G1 ~5 from Marvin, G2 ~10 from Marvin, G3 ~15 from Marvin
Rippa: 35 from DP, 7 from Tacit, ~17 from Tanks
Marvin: 65 from DP, ~5/10/15 from Brigades (G1/G2/G3)

[X] tanks fire on Rippa
[X] Tacit Ronin move back 2 units
[X] AKB's ready to fire upon Marvin as he passes, Scouts draw his attention and make him follow along the killzones.

(Awkwardly split to deal with each kaiju)

With a shout of thunder, all tank squadrons open fire, throwing heavy slugs of metal at Rippa's body!

No damage!
No damage!

Every shell bounces off, spiraling away to the ground. Rippa's eyes turn to the tanks, mandibles clacking as Tacit begins to back away.

The kaiju howled, and launched off! Rippa closed distance rapidly, aiming to ram the nearby jaeger! The kaiju neared its target...
(4+2=6. Failure)

...only for a saw to catch on the ground, dragging the monster to a halt before it could reach Tacit! Rippa stumbled, catching its balance before it could topple over-- but the damage has been done.

You may counter-charge as a reaction to this. A counter-charge does not afford the opponent a reaction in turn, and will stun if it hits. You do not need to roll for said counter charge, as you are at the minimum distance needed for such an attack. Counter-charging will not use up Tacit's action, as it is a reaction.

***

The SH-60s flare their lights, shining them right into Marvin's eyes! The kaiju screeches, lurching forward a few steps...

"Fire!"

Held attack! Roll me...
2x 1d10 for AKB G1, and a 2d10 Hit Location for each result!

***

Since that was awkwardly phrased, I'll reiterate down here:
1. You may counter-charge Rippa with Tacit as a reaction
2. I assumed that the AKBs had held their attacks. Please roll the first groups'.

Distances:
Tacit: 26 from DP, 15 from Tanks, 3 from Rippa
Tanks: 28 from DP, 15 from Tacit, ~12 from Rippa
Scouts: ~10 from Marvin
Brigades: G1 ~5 from Marvin, G2 ~7 from Marvin, G3 ~12 from Marvin
Rippa: 29 from DP, 3 from Tacit, ~12 from Tanks
Marvin: 62 from DP, ~5/7/12 from Brigades (G1/G2/G3)

[X] Stabbity Stabbity Stab Stab Stab

As soon as the kaiju stumbles, Alec and Noah strike, Tacit rushing forwards to strike! The Jaeger's left arm comes around, blade gleaming as it shoots down the rail!

(2)
(9)

Rippa takes 3 Strikes! -1 HtH! -1 Dex! +2 Ongoing Strikes! Armour destroyed!

The blade tears across Rippa's arm, splitting the carapace and cutting deep! The kaiju screeches, mandibles writhing, as Tacit's other arm comes swinging around!

(4)
(5)

No damage!

The blade ricochets off one of Rippa's blades, knocking the attack to the side! The kaiju hisses and foams, holding its wounded arm close to its body.

***

The short-range rockets scream across the ground, smashing into the side of Marvin's thorax...

No damage!

...to no effect.

Marvin's jaws clack together, the kaiju's eyes locking onto the irritation. The kaiju inhales...

(1)

Only for one of its tusks to just crack, the air whistling from its mouth like a deflating balloon. The kaiju huffs in annoyance, shaking its head side to side.

Your turn. Apologies for the awkward phrasing.

Distances:
Tacit: 26 from DP, 15 from Tanks, Melee with Rippa
Tanks: 28 from DP, 15 from Tacit, ~12 from Rippa
Scouts: ~10 from Marvin
Brigades: G1 ~5 from Marvin, G2 ~7 from Marvin, G3 ~12 from Marvin
Rippa: 29 from DP, Melee with Tacit, ~12 from Tanks
Marvin: 62 from DP, ~5/7/12 from Brigades (G1/G2/G3)

[X] Tanks fire on Rippa
[X] Tacit ronin continue to stab Rippa
[X] flying machines in range fire upon Marvin

The cannons roar, spraying the kaiju with heavy shells! Most ricochet off, but a few punch through the knee joint, severing tendons and blood vessels!

Rippa takes 1 Strike!

Tacit seizes the chance, and slashes his right blade across Rippa's thigh, cutting a shallow wound through the carapace!

(4)
(9)

Rippa takes 1 Strike! +1 Ongoing Strikes! Rippa is losing blood!

The next blade comes around, aiming to skewer the kaiju-- but Rippa's ready this time.

(16-- Critical Block!)
(7)

The crustaceous kaiju's left arm swings, knocking aside the weapon with ease. Rippa foams and spits, bringing his arm back around!

Reaction!
[ ] Dodge!
[ ] Block!
[ ] Parry!

***

The SH-60s swoop in, launching their rockets at the spidery kaiju! But the lack of penetrating power and the monster's carapace stops anything from harming Marvin.

No damage!

Marvin's jaws clack, and the kaiju steps forwards, inhaling as it does!

(8+3-4)

SH-60 Scout Helicopter Squadron destroyed!

Marvin's tusk fires, shooting a spike of bone through the nearest helicopter! The spike rips through the frail metal body, and explodes into a shower of shrapnel and Blue, tearing the other helicopters apart viciously.

Seconds later, what remained of the squadron slams into the ground, fuel tanks detonating.

Marvin's teeth snap like scissors.

Make your reaction first. After it's resolved, then you may plan.

Distances:
Tacit: 26 from DP, 15 from Tanks, Melee with Rippa
Tanks: 28 from DP, 15 from Tacit, ~12 from Rippa
Scouts: ~5 from Marvin
Brigades: G1 ~9 from Marvin, G2 ~3 from Marvin, G3 ~8 from Marvin
Rippa: 29 from DP, Melee with Tacit, ~12 from Tanks
Marvin: 58 from DP, 9/3/8 from Brigades (G1/G2/G3)

[X] Dodge

(18)
(6)

Tacit ducks under the blow, letting it pass harmlessly above! The jaeger springs up, driving a hydraulic knee into Rippa's gut. The kaiju's hissing cuts off, Blue spraying through the cracks in its torso!

Rippa takes 1 Strike from Ongoing! Rippa is losing blood!

NOW it's your turn. Kick 'is ass, Tacit!
Distances are up in the last post.

[X]Tacit applies blades, vigorously.
[X]All AKBs in range of Marvin shoot, the other two get closer(does it take an entire turn to mount up, or can they mount and move/move and dismount? I'm pretty sure they can't dismount and shoot at the same time, but I don't know the rest.)
[X]Chopper shoots too
[X]Tanks move towards Marvin and shoot if they are in range.

To the tank crews, it's clear that Tacit's in charge of the situation. The jaeger's got Rippa on the ropes.

Marvin, however, is quickly becoming a problem.

Kicking their engines into high gear, the Type 100s and other Brigades roar off, heading towards the spidery kaiju! The tanks' dual cannons fire, throwing projectiles towards the monster! While several shots are off, the kaiju still receives a beating, shells punching into its abdominal joint! The nearby Brigades and helis open fire as well, though most of their rockets bounce off.

No damage!
Marvin takes 1 Strike!

For the first time since the battle started, Marvin bleeds. Noticing the incoming forces, the kaiju prepares to fire back!

(2+3)

The air-fired spike smashes into one of the convoys, exploding a second later and wiping out the battalion.

Anti-Kaiju Brigade Destroyed!

***

Tacit strikes, aiming to sever the kaiju's arm completely, only for Rippa to block, catching the blade with its hardened carapace. The other blade comes down, driving into the kaiju's wounded knee!

(3,1)
(3,6)

Rippa takes 1 Strike! +1 Ongoing Strikes! Rippa is losing blood!

The kaiju hisses, backing up a step, before pouncing, aiming to knock the jaeger off-balance!

Reaction!
[ ] Dodge
[ ] Parry
[ ] Block

Your turn. Yes, you can mount and move simultaneously (I'll say mounting's a free action-- because you can always kinda jump onboard your vehicle and quick-start it). And yes, dismounting is an action you have to list.

...AND I made a mistake. Your tanks have a maximum range of 20, not 30. So you will have to move closer before you can shoot again. But I'll allow it because of the ten. BUT ONLY THIS ONE TIME.

Distances:
Tacit: 26 from DP, Melee with Rippa
Tanks: 32 from DP, 26 from Marvin
Scout: ~5 from Marvin
Brigades: G1 (1 AKB left) ~5 from Marvin, G2 ~3 from Marvin, G3 ~4 from Marvin
Rippa: 26 from DP, Melee with Tacit
Marvin: 58 from DP, 5/3/4 from Brigades (G1/G2/G3), 26 from Tanks

[X]Dodge!

[X]Tacit Stabby!
[X]Tonks Vroom (towards Marvin)!
[X]Choopers and AKBs shooty Marvin

(10)(2)

Tacit leaps to the side, evading the kaiju's sloppy attempt at a body slam, and-- as the crustacean-like beast stumbles-- strikes back!

(3)(4)
(-1)(9)

The first blade is almost knocked aside by one of the kaiju's flailing arms, scraping along the surface of the shell uselessly! Tacit shoves Rippa forwards, and drives his other Fangblade straight into the kaiju's back!

Rippa takes 3 Strikes! +2 Ongoing Strikes! Spinal damage inflicts -1 Universal Penalty! Rippa is losing blood!

Rippa shudders, spasming for a second. Then slowly, the kaiju slides off the blade, and topples to the ground, dead.

Kaiju SE-26-002 ,"Rippa" has been Defeated!

***

The tanks continue to roar, powering towards the kaiju. Unfortunately, it seems like the shots that struck were a freak incident-- a few test shots lose their power before they can reach the target. Perhaps those freak shells had some extra propellant in them? Whatever the case, the Type 100s need to get closer.

As the three arriving brigades begin the ponderous task of setting up their Super RPGs, the active companies open fire, the SH-60s above adding in their last shots!

SH-60 Scout Copter Squadron is out of Ammo!
No damage!

Unfortunately, the weakened rounds continue to bounce off Marvin's carapace-- though a few do burn fiercely against its throat, nothing penetrates.

Marvin takes a step towards the smaller group, ignoring the others. The kaiju's mouth opens to suck in a breath...

(3+3-3)

-Only for Marvin to accidentally inhale one of the choppers' rockets. The kaiju's breath cuts off with a choke, a wisp of smoke curling from its jaws. Marvin's abdomen deflates with a huff, blowing out a spike from its damaged tusk-- which barely reaches half the distance before tumbling into the ground.

Your turn. Tanks and AKBs are ready to fire-- assuming the tanks move as well. You really should try for some attack choppers or something during downtime.
Also, the kaiju stats will be posted after you kill this (oddly persistent) not!spider.

Distances:
Tacit: 26 from DP, 32 from Marvin
Tanks: 36 from DP, 21 from Marvin
Scout: ~5 from Marvin
Brigades: G1 (1 AKB left) ~4 from Marvin, G2 ~3 from Marvin, G3 ~5 from Marvin
Marvin: 58 from DP, 4/3/5 from Brigades (G1/G2/G3), 21 from Tanks

[X]Tonks Vroom and Boom!
[X]Chopper bugs out
[X]AKBs shoot!
[X]Tacit Runs towards the party!

As the Type 100s enter optimal firing range, their cannons roar, joined by the rockets of the Anti-Kaiju Brigades!

Not a single projectile harms Marvin. Not even the rocket that hits it dead in its freaky cluster-eye hurts the kaiju.

No damage!

Tacit Ronin turns away from Rippa's corpse, and breaks into a run! The jaeger's legs work, reactor venting steam into the air as Tacit closes in.

Marvin notices, smoke curling from its carapace as it turns. The kaiju's abdomen rises again as it slowly draws another breath...

You need better Tonks. Better everything, in fact.
Marvin was not supposed to be this hard to kill.

Distances:
Tacit: 38 from DP, 20 from Marvin
Tanks: 36 from DP, 17 from Marvin
Scout: ~20 from Marvin
Brigades: G1 (1 AKB left) ~4 from Marvin, G2 ~3 from Marvin, G3 ~5 from Marvin
Marvin: 58 from DP, 4/3/5 from Brigades (G1/G2/G3), 17 from Tanks, 20 from Tacit

[X]2nd Verse, Same as the First - Repeat everything

The weapons roar, rocket after rocket slamming into Marvin. The tanks land several heavy hits, smashing into Marvin's thorax. The kaiju's inhalation cuts off as a pair of rockets smashes into its eyes, blowing chunks out of the clusters!

Marvin takes 2 Strikes! Marvin has been temporarily blinded!

Tacit closes even more, passing the still-moving tanks!

The kaiju hisses, and fires off a spike towards the noise!

(7-1)

No damage!

The spike ricochets off Tacit's thigh, exploding in midair several hundred meters away.

Marvin is within Charging range. You'd require a 5+ to reach him, and gain +2 to any melee action (Attack, Grapple, Slam, etc...)

Distances:
Tacit: 50 from DP, 8 from Marvin
Tanks: 40 from DP, 13 from Marvin
Scout: ~20 from Marvin
Brigades: G1 (1 AKB left) ~4 from Marvin, G2 ~3 from Marvin, G3 ~5 from Marvin
Marvin: 58 from DP, 4/3/5 from Brigades (G1/G2/G3), 13 from Tanks, 8 from Tacit

[X] Tacit charges stabbing
[X] tanks Move closer and Fire
[X] AKBs Fire

The weapons roar again, blowing craters in the kaiju's legs and body as the shear volume of firepower begins to overwhelm Marvin's armour!

Marvin takes 3 Strikes! Marvin is losing blood!

With a rumble, Tacit's pilots kick the reactor into overdrive. The blue-stained jaeger's strides quicken even more, closing the distance in an instant!

(1, -1)
(6, 10)

Marvin can't even react before Tacit skewers it like a shish-kebab.

Marvin takes 4 Strikes!

The kaiju crumples, limbs dragging on the ground as Tacit comes to a stop.

"Gonna take forever to wash these stains off," the forces can hear Noah mutter over the radio.

Kaiju SE-26-003, "Marvin" has been Defeated!

Downtime post incoming.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Thankfully, Tacit's results are less messy than last time. The two kaiju's hard carapaces have kept most of their toxicity inside themselves, and the strip-harvester crews experience very little difficulty. Marvin's pneumatic weapon is interesting, and your scientists suspect it could be adapted for use onboard a jaeger to save on propellant.

As before, Tacit Ronin sustained no damage to its infrastructure and internal components, though the robot's arms do have to sprayed down with carbon dioxide and bases to neutralize the acid coating they've gained.

Funeral rights are held for the thirty soldiers who perished during the battle against SE-26-003, with Alec appearing to say a few words of honor in their name.

But there's no rest for the NPPDC.

Kaiju Stats:

Rippa
Class: Category I Kaiju
Unusually tall for a Category I, the kaiju's arms have grown into massive saws. Between its shoulders lies a sunken head, with numerous eyes and stubby mandibles.

Stats:
HtH: 3
Ran: 0
Str: 2
Tou: 3
Agi: 2
Dex: 0

Structure:
Dura: 4
Stru: 10

Weapons:
Ripper Blades (x2)
Built-In Melee Weapons
Attack Dice: 1d10
Parry Dice: 1d5
Block Dice: 1d10-1
Armour Penetration: 2
Grappling Bonus: -3
Damage Type: Edged
Damage Bonus: Strength+1

Armour:
Carapace
Coverage: All but Eyes
Armor Value: 3/-
Resilience: All, +1 Fire
Durability: 8

Marvin
Class: Category I Kaiju
This kaiju is built like a quadrupedal spider, with four long legs and a defined abdomen that functions like a lung. However, the head mounts two very straight tusks, each one having an open tip.

Stats:
HtH: 2
Ran: 3
Str: 1
Tou: 2
Agi: 1
Dex: 1

Structure:
Dura: 3
Stru: 8

Weapons:
Spiked Feet (x4)
Built-In Melee Weapons
Attack Dice: 1d10-1
Parry Dice: 1d5
Block Dice: 1d5
Armour Penetration: 1
Grappling Bonus: +0
Damage Type: Blunt
Damage Bonus: Strength+1

Pneumatic Tusk
Built-In Ranged Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10-1
Armour Penetration: 2
Damage Type: Impact
Damage Bonus: 1
Range: 10/-/15

Armour:
Carapace
Coverage: All but Eyes
Armor Value: 3/-
Resilience: All, +1 Fire
Durability: 8

It is now downtime.

Category I Kaiju killed: +200 Resources
Manufacturing: +1000 Resources

Total Resources to Spend: 2250

Free Actions (choose one):
[ ] Begin Cleanup Operations (-400 Resources)
[ ] Take the Environmental hit

Pick any Three Actions from the Downtime Actions List (bottom half).

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

[X] Plan Invest For the Future
-[X] Begin Cleanup Operations (-400 Resources)

-[X] Upgrade Manufacturing to 3 (-1500)
-[X] Scout for any abandoned Resources or Military Bases in the area
-[X] Research Cauterization effects for anti-kaiju conventional forces, such as Thermite Ammo

Cleanup is carried out rapidly, neutralizing the kaijus' acidic blood to the best of the crews' abilities. The crews work in rapid shifts, making sure that nobody receives too much exposure to the toxins at once.

Branch 03 undergoes a major renovation, having its older auto-jigs refurbished and freshly tuned, while new automatizing mechanisms are installed alongside the refineries. By the end of the week, the whole manufacturing section will be functioning at nearly 150% strength.

The remaining squadron is sent out on a scouting mission, attempting to find, well, any military assets available to them. What they find are two teams of stripped-down artillery, essentially immobile without the use of the carryalls or heavy tractors. Still, they're not useless, and the weapons are happily taken into the base.

After careful discussion, it's decided to pursue research into cauterizing ammunition, in order to limit the spread of Kaiju Blue in engagements. White phosphorous, concentrated from the nitrogenous elements found in the kaiju, proves to be a viable material to stick inside the weaponry. Within a few days, the entire NPPDCDF has been outfitted with the new weaponry.

Manufacturing increases to 3!
2 T-95 Anti-Kaiju Artillery Teams Gained!
Type 100 Tank Squadrons, T-95 Artillery Teams, Anti-Kaiju Brigades, and SH-60 Scout Helicopter Squadrons deal Impact/Fire and Cauterize Wounds!

The sensor grid flares.

<ALERT: INBOUND KAIJU SIGNATURE DETECTED>
<CLASSIFICATION: CATEGORY II>

Throw me a 1d10+1 for Scanners!

The Artillery are essentially your Tanks, but you can't move them once you've deployed them, except via Carryall.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

scanner result: 8+1=9

The scanner grid is spot on this time, locking onto the kaiju in no time, while the semaphore towers send back information regarding it. The Category II is bearing North-East, approaching around 16 kilometers away (160 units).

Kaiju SE-26-004 is codenamed "Tanken", and has a very familiar biology. Known casually as a 'trespasser-type', Tanken is bipedal, with two pairs of arms-- one far less developed than the other. The kaiju's head appears to be bony, ending in a long, blade-like protrusion, in a manner similar to that of the Category III "Knifehead". Armour density and speed appears fairly average, though that's still hellishly thick for most weapons.

Tanken is approaching from the South-West, and is approximately 160 Units away-- though it will be much closer by the time your deployment finishes.
What is your course of action?

[X] deploy tacit ronin 30 units south west.
[X] deploy tanks 25 units south west
[X] deploy heli's 30 units south west.
[X] deploy artillery at 25 units south west if time allows.

I'm assuming you're grouping the actual helis with the AKBs. Next time, remember to refer to them as such. Or at least 'Infantry'/'Brigades'.

The forces rush out to face the incoming threat, tanks and infantry hurrying as the new artillery trundles behind. Makeshift barricades are hastily erected, built out of fallen debris. Tacit Ronin is launched, airlifted to its position among the smaller forces, who are clear to remain away from the jaeger's massive feet.

By the time they're done, the kaiju's more than halved its range from the Defense Perimeter. Undeterred, the remaining helicopters fly out to take a quick look.

The resemblance of Tanken to Knifehead is notable, though it's certainly a different kaiju. The kaiju is big, with leathery grey hide shot through with luminescent purple veins. As with Knifehead, Tanken has four arms-- two large and two small-- though the size difference is even more pronounced, one pair thick and muscled, the other stubby and useless. Its head is proportionally longer, ending in a blade of bone and chitin. Tanken hisses at the helicopters, but otherwise makes no actions towards them as they beat a hasty retreat to their positions.

Your turn. Any actions?

Distances:
Tacit: 30 from DP, 40 from Tanken
Tanks: 25 from DP, 45 from Tanken
Arty: 25 from DP, 45 from Tanken
Brigades: 30 from DP, 40 from Tanken
Scouts: 30 from DP, 40 from Tanken
Tanken: 70 from DP, 40 from Tacit/Brigades/Scouts, 45 from Tanks/Arty

[X] Taunt the Kaiju and insult the closest thing it has to a family.

-50 penalty for language barrier.
Not like it'd do anything.

Various military units begin to heckle at the kaiju, attempting to insult it and draw it closer. It's really not needed; Tanken's already seen them. Additionally, Tanken doesn't speak english, which really limits the insults.

The kaiju snarls, and breaks into a loping run, throwing up a dust cloud as it closes in.

Your turn.
Distances:
Tacit: 30 from DP, 28 from Tanken
Tanks: 25 from DP, 33 from Tanken
Arty: 25 from DP, 33 from Tanken
Brigades: 30 from DP, 28 from Tanken
Scouts: 30 from DP, 28 from Tanken
Tanken: 70 from DP, 28 from Tacit/Brigades/Scouts, 33 from Tanks/Arty

[X] Tacit Hold Position until Tanken gets in range.
-[X] All other forces fire as soon as Tanken is within firing range.

The forces' heckling slows, but Tanken's advance doesn't. Cannons and rocket launchers are armed, leveling to aim at the kaiju.

"Steady..."

Tanken's feet slam into the earth, leaving massive footprints many meters across.

"Steady..."

The kaiju's lips draw back, rows of shark-like teeth exposed to the air.

"Steady..."

Tanken raises its arms, preparing to-

"NOW!"

Roll me...
5x 1d10 for Tanks/Arty, and a 2d10 hit location for each result.
6x 1d10 for Infantry/Scouts, and a 2d10 hit location for each result.

Distances:
Tacit: 30 from DP, 4 from Tanken
Tanks: 25 from DP, 9 from Tanken
Arty: 25 from DP, 9 from Tanken
Brigades: 30 from DP, 4 from Tanken
Scouts: 30 from DP, 4 from Tanken
Tanken: 34 from DP, 4 from Tacit/Brigades/Scouts, 9 from Tanks/Arty

[X] Tacit Hold Position until Tanken gets in range.
-[X] All other forces fire as soon as Tanken is within firing range.

2 strikes - Arty - AKB
The weapons fire, splattering white phosphorous over Tanken's charging form! Several guns click dry as their ammo's spent in the brief destructive thunder, the onslaught slowing to a halt.

Anti-Kaiju Brigade out of Ammo!
Anti-Kaiju Brigade out of Ammo!

Tanken takes 2 Strikes!

Tanken bellows, tearing out of the smoke! The kaiju's body is burnt in several spots, but it's still coming! And it's aiming right at Tacit!

Reaction!
[ ] Dodge!
[ ] Parry!
[ ] Block!

Tanken has closed to melee range with Tacit.

[X]Dodge!

(2+3)
(9+3+2+2)

For the first time since its reactivation, Tacit Ronin fails to get out of the way. Tanken's cranial blade skewers the jaeger's hand, ripping it apart down the middle! The jaeger staggers back, oil and synaptic fluid spraying from the wound!

Tacit Ronin takes 5 Strikes! +4 Ongoing Strikes! -2 Universal Penalty! Left Hand Destroyed! -1 to all actions with hands*! L. Hand Armour Destroyed!

Tacit shudders, the pilots gritting their teeth against the pain. The jaeger's right hand latches onto the stump, and squeezes, crushing the wound shut.

1 Ongoing Strike Healed!

This isn't going as planned.

You guys are lucky as... a lot of things. If Tanken had hit you anywhere else, you'd probably be screwed. No matter what, he'd deal a Destruction Wound. Hit to the Arm? Bye bye stabbing. Hit to the Leg? Good luck getting back up. Hit to the Body? Tacit goes nuclear and wipes out all your forces. Luckily you don't really need your hands to fight.

Speaking of which... it's your turn.

Distances:
Tacit: 30 from DP, Melee with Tanken
Tanks: 25 from DP, 5 from Tanken
Arty: 25 from DP, 5 from Tanken
Brigades: 30 from DP, 1 from Tanken
Scouts: 30 from DP, 1 from Tanken
Tanken: 30 from DP, Melee with Tacit, 1 from Brigades/Scouts, 5 from Tanks/Arty

[X] all units fire upon that motherfucker
[X] tacit stabbing. all the stabbing.

As Tacit fell away, the NPPDCDF struck! The cannons and rockets roared, fires blooming along the kaiju's lower body! Several shells rammed into the kaiju's pelvis, working past its armour to burn beneath its skin!

Anti-Kaiju Brigade out of Ammunition!
Anti-Kaiju Brigade out of Ammunition!

Tanken takes 5 Strikes! Tanken is losing strength! Tanken is Stunned, and cannot React!

Tacit rose as the firing slowed, wound dripping slowly. The crushed wrist has staunched the flow, and the jaeger's pilots are already rerouting systems for damage control.

Tacit takes no damage from Ongoing this round!

Tanken, irritated by the burning phosphorous, has its attention elsewhere. Tacit's attack catches it off guard.

Tanken takes 4 Strikes!

The jaeger's right arm swings around, blade ripping through Tanken's eyes-- and the front of its brain. The kaiju shrieks, before collapsing forwards-- only for Tacit to catch the monster's corpse before it can smother the nearby brigades.

Shakily, the giant robot gives the infantrymen a thumbs-up.

Kaiju SE-26-004, "Tanken" has been Defeated!

Okay, that was... something. Downtime post incoming.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Following the battle, Tacit Ronin is immediately rushed to the camp's Shatterdome equivalent-- Branch-01. The first wound that the jaeger's taken is a heavy one, and the venerable mech suffers significantly from it. Everything past the wrist has to be completely scrapped, melted down for spare parts. But that's not all; the internal damage has worked its way up most of the jaeger's arm, causing several splits along major fluid lines.

Tacit Ronin will require a dedicated action to repair, which will cost 1250 Resources. Construction of a new Hand and Armour for said Hand will be separate actions.

Tanken's corpse is thankfully not much of a hassle. The new phosphorous rounds have done a great job of sealing up wounds, and the only bleeding wound can be easily dealt with. Upon examination, it appears that the kaiju was simply lucky with its attack-- it doesn't have anything very special about it.

News of the kaiju's rapid defeat is spread throughout the camp, bringing some much-needed cheer to the streets! Morale jumps considerably, the population now confident after the fourth kaiju's defeat that they're capable to handle the threat!

Morale increases to Calm! Bonus: +10% Manufacturing!

Kaiju Stats:

Tanken
Class: Category II Kaiju
A very similar kaiju to the Category III Knifehead. Tanken is shorter, with a longer jaw and less-developed secondary arms. Instead of yellow, the kaiju features luminescent purple markings.

Stats:
HtH: 3
Ran: 0
Str: 3
Tou: 3
Agi: 2
Dex: 2

Structure:
Dura: 4
Stru: 10

Weapons:
Sword Head
Built-In Melee Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10+2
Parry Dice: 1d10-1
Block Dice: --
Armour Penetration: 3
Grappling Bonus: +0
Damage Type: Edged
Damage Bonus: Strength x2

Claws x2
Built-In Melee Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10
Parry Dice: 1d5
Block Dice: 1d10-1
Armour Penetration: 0
Grappling Bonus: +2
Damage Type: Edged
Damage Bonus: Strength

Armour:
Leathery hide
Coverage: All but Eyes
Armor Value: 3/1
Resilience: All
Durability: 7

It is now downtime.

Category II Kaiju killed: +500 Resources
Manufacturing: +1500 Resources
10% Morale Bonus: +150 Resources
Quick Kill: +100 Resources

Total Resources to Spend: 2600

Free Actions (choose one):
[ ] Begin Cleanup Operations (-50 Resources)
[ ] Take the Environmental hit

Pick any Three Actions from the Downtime Actions List (bottom half).

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

[X] Begin Cleanup Operations (-50 Resources)
[X] Build Hand(-150 resources)
[X] Build Hand armor(-125 resources)
[X] Repair Jaeger!(-1250 resources)

Cleanup is easy. Very easy.

Branch-01 is abuzz with activity. A new set of armour plates are made, set to fit the jaeger's missing left hand. Tacit's forearm plates are removed while the internal damage is repaired-- a grueling experience that takes a long time. In the meanwhile, another left hand is under construction, made to replace the old one. After several days, the entire arm is reconstructed, the new arm gleaming in an unpainted steel shell.

All damage Repaired! Hand installed! Armour installed!

The last calibration test has only just finished when the alarms go off.

<ALERT: INBOUND KAIJU SIGNATURE DETECTED>
<CLASSIFICATION: CATEGORY III>

Throw me a 1d10+1 for Scanners!

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Scanners: 1d10+1= 9

The people who work on the scanner grid will definitely get a promotion after this. Twice in a row the information quality's come back clearer than expected. The grid indicates that the Kaiju is approaching from the North-West, traveling down through the shallows. Current range estimates around 15 to 16 Kilometers-- the uncomfortably close distance is especially noticeable with the Category III; the sensor grid only extends so far out.

Scouts are dispatched, and swiftly report back in with information, confirmed by the long-range sensors. Kaiju SE-26-005, "Arbalest", measures longer than any kaiju Tacit's fought so far-- and it's certainly dense, other than another oddly light part in the centre. There aren't any very defined limbs-- they're either held into its body, or nonexistent. The tail section is very muscled, however, and-- while currently propelling the kaiju-- can certainly be used as a weapon. The kaiju's head appears to have four boy horns extending from it, and what seem like a cluster of eyes at its centre.

Arbalest is approaching from the North-West, and is approximately 160-150 Units away-- though it will be much closer by the time your deployment finishes.
What is your course of action?

[X] all units except tacit set up 20 units to the northwest spread out with at least 1 unit separating you from others.
[X] tacit ronin set up 25 units to the northwest

The forces are scrambled, Tacit running out to the bay on low-power mode in order to conserve energy, while several weapons are airlifted to the scene. Soon enough, a well-spaced array of weaponry is assembled, a few lone helicopters hovering back and forth above the assembly below. Half a kilometer in front of them, Tacit Ronin waits, squatted down with arms resting on his knees.

***

His limb itches. Reflexively, Noah flexes the joints in his left hand, wiggling each finger about. The new hand feels... weird.

'Course it feels weird. We lost a hand and got a new one stuck on, the man thinks to himself. His Drift partner's presence pokes him.

"Yeah?" Williams asks, turning to the young man on the other side of the Conpod. "What is it?"

"Nothing much," Alec shrugs, his drivesuit's pearl grey plating shifting with the movement. "Just wondering... what exactly is an 'Arbalest'?"

"'s a kind of crossbow," Noah answers. "'though I've got no idea why they'd name a snake after one."

"With HQ, who can tell? Those crazy bastards named a kaiju Marvin," Alec chuckles. "I wouldn't be surprised if they just scribble down whatever name they think sounds cool and call the kaiju that."

Noah smirks. "That would make some sense..." a low double-beep sounds from the central panel. The pair perk up, and slowly rise to their feet.

"Alright then. Showtime."

***

The water stirs, mist roiling off its surface. A few fishing boats turn away, scurrying back to the docks. The kaiju is here.

Arbalest pokes halfway out of the water, body grey and matte, like plastic. The kaiju snakes forwards, thick tail working back and forth.

The kaiju pauses, a wave passing it by. Slowly, the monster rises, carrying its head and upper body out of the water. A cluster of dull red sensors flickers, sitting in the middle of Arbalest's face, between the four, x-shaped horns. The kaiju's lungs pulse, a heavy plume of fog flaring from its mouth.

Arbalest calls, groaning like a foghorn as a hundred spindly limbs stretch out under its chest! The display last only a few seconds, before the limbs retract and the kaiju dives back into the water, pushing forwards again!

Distances:
Tacit: 25 from DP, 5 from DF, 40 from Arbalest
Assembled NPPDCDF: 20 from DP, 1 from each-other, 5 from Tacit, 45 from Arbalest
Arbalest: 65 from DP, 40 from Tacit, 45 from DF

[X] prepare to dodge if fired upon or otherwise attacked, otherwise do nothing.
-[X] other units prepare to open fire.

Arbalest twists through the water, closing in until its belly begins to scrape the ground under the water. The kaiju hisses, and snakes its way upright, limbs extending as counter-balances.

Tacit rises up, reactor whining as the control rods retract out of the chamber. Arbalest screeches, and wriggles forwards, limbs waving!

The kaiju passes the 2 kilometer marker...

"Open fire!"

Held attack! Roll me...
5x 1d10-1 for Arty/Tanks (range penalty), with a 2d10 hit location for each result!

Distances:
Tacit: 25 from DP, 5 from DF, 10 from Arbalest
Assembled NPPDCDF: 20 from DP, 1 from each-other, 5 from Tacit, 15 from Arbalest
Arbalest: 65 from DP, 10 from Tacit, 15 from DF

Tacit ducks, and the array of cannons behind him open fire! Arbalest shudders, the firepower burning off several of the kaiju's hundred legs, but otherwise just being a nuisance.

Arbalest takes 2 Strikes!

However, in the midst of the frantic assault, one team ruptures a few of their shells, causing the phosphorus to leak into the explosive charges!
The lead tank's crew barely makes it to cover before the vehicle explodes, shards of metal ripping into the other two tanks! The surviving vehicles immediately stop, their treads and cannons badly damaged.

Malfunction! Type 100 Tank Squadron destroyed!

Heads turn at the squadron's crippling-- giving Arbalest the opening it needs. The kaiju drops down, and rushes forwards, lunging horns-first at the Jaeger!

Reaction!
[ ] Dodge!
[ ] Block!
[ ] Parry!

Distances:
Tacit: 25 from DP, 5 from DF, 1 from Arbalest
Assembled NPPDCDF: 20 from DP, 1 from each-other, 5 from Tacit, 5 from Arbalest
Arbalest: 65 from DP, 1 from Tacit, 5 from DF

[x] Dodge!

(10+8+4 (22))
(1+4+2 (7))

Tacit dances to the side, letting the kaiju rush past harmlessly! Arbalest hits the ground, coiling up as it slides to a halt on the beachfront. The kaiju hisses, slowly rising to an upright position. The bone plate slides back from its face, the cluster of red sensors glowing dully.

Your move.

Distances:
Tacit: 25 from DP, 5 from DF, 1 from Arbalest
Assembled NPPDCDF: 20 from DP, 1 from each-other, 5 from Tacit, 4 from Arbalest
Arbalest: 65 from DP, 1 from Tacit, 4 from DF

[X] Tacit stabs Arbalest.
[X] Conventionals fire again.

With the kaiju exposed between them and Tacit, the NPPDCDF opens fire again! The spray of phosphorous and DU catches Arbalest off guard, blowing off more spindly limbs and pocketing its hide with scorch marks!

Arbalest takes 3 Strikes!

The kaiju snarls, and whips around, shifting to the side-- just enough to unintentionally dodge Tacit's first attack!

(5)(5)

Arbalest's sensors flare in surprise, the kaiju lashing out with its tail in an attempt to knock the jaeger's other blade out of the way!

(8)(11)

Unfortunately for the kaiju, the slap simply changes the blade's path. Instead of going for the throat, the blade slices through the monster's underbelly, leaving a shallow, bleeding wound!

Arbalest takes 1 Strike! +1 Ongoing Damage! Arbalest is losing strength!

The kaiju doesn't take kindly to this, and lunges, limbs unfolding like a bramble!

Arbalest is attempting to start a grapple!
[ ] Take the grapple!
[ ] Parry!
[ ] Dodge!

Distances:
Tacit: 25 from DP, 5 from DF, 1 from Arbalest
Assembled NPPDCDF: 20 from DP, 1 from each-other, 5 from Tacit, 4 from Arbalest
Arbalest: 65 from DP, 1 from Tacit, 4 from DF

[X] Dodge!

(12)
(7)

Tacit sidesteps, and Arbalest's wildly waving limbs smash into the surf uselessly.

Distances are the same. Your turn.

[X] Once more, with feeling (Same as last time)

With the kaiju caught off-balance, the assembled forces have no trouble landing solid hits on the kaiju! The monster groans, pulling itself around. Even a Category III has only so much strength to call on, and the repeated impacts and burnings are beginning to tax Arbalest.

Arbalest takes 4 Strikes! Arbalest is losing strength!

But there's no break for the kaiju, as Tacit Ronin pushes in again, blades slashing!

(7,5)
(5,17)

Arbalest manages to barely scrape past the first blow, but is blindsided by the jaeger's next move!

Arbalest takes 3 Strikes! +10 Ongoing! Instant Death!

The blade rips through the damaged tissue on the kaiju's front, severing major blood vessels before splitting the kaiju's heart in half! Arbalest's response is ultrasonic, the kaiju's jaw open in an inaudible scream, before Tacit pushes it over, and stomps on its throat.

Kaiju SE-26-005, "Arbalest" defeated!

Fifth kill in a row! The Kaiju Masters had better step up their game! Downtime post incoming.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Unfortunately, Tacit's progress in clean killing seems to have been lost. Arbalest's corpse is leaking blood at a truly impressive rate, and more than double the standard amount of neutralizing CO2 has to be brought out to slow the reactions for it to be harvested. The jaeger's entire forearms receive a thorough scrub-down, and a repaint of their standard white.

Upon examination, Arbalest appears to have more than a few tricks up its sleeves. Not only was the kaiju's body perfect for grappling, its arms could inflict substantial damage-- assuming it could hold its foe still long enough-- but the kaiju's lateral musculature was developed so that any headbutts would have nearly double the force behind them as expected. Additionally, it appeared to have a similar organ to Marvin-- allowing it to propel a series of bone darts with impressive force at shorter ranges.

In other news, the surviving crews of the self-destroyed Type 100s have requested that they be taken off front-line duty, and reassigned to something less heart-attack-threatening-- such as DP guarding, or recruit training.

Kaiju Stats:

Arbalest
Class: Category III Kaiju
The kaiju is elongated, with shrunken, thin limbs it holds close to its body. Its head is roughly shaped like an 'x', with a cluster of sensors in the middle.

Stats:
HtH: 2
Ran: 3
Str: 2
Tou: 4
Agi: 3
Dex: 3

Structure:
Dura: 5
Stru: 14

Perks:
- Heavy Hitter: Treat Strength as twice its amount for the purpose of Slam attacks.

Weapons:
Bone Dart
Built-In Ranged Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10+1
Armour Penetration: 0
Damage Type: Edged
Damage Bonus: 3
Range: 4/-/8
Special: Cannot be used while moving or as a reaction

Tail Slap
Built-In Melee Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10
Parry Dice: 1d10-1
Block Dice: 1d10-1
Armour Penetration: 0
Grappling Bonus: +2
Damage Type: Blunt
Damage Bonus: Strength+1

Leg Flurry
Built-In Melee Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10-1
Parry Dice: --
Block Dice: --
Armour Penetration: 2
Grappling Bonus: +0
Damage Type: Blunt
Damage Bonus: Strength x2
Special: Grapple Only

Armour:
Organic Polymer
Coverage: All
Armor Value: 2/1
Resilience: All, +1 Edged
Durability: 8

It is now downtime.

Category III Kaiju killed: +1000 Resources
Manufacturing: +1500 Resources
10% Morale Bonus: +150 Resources

Total Resources to Spend: 3675

Free Actions (choose one):
[ ] Begin Cleanup Operations (-1050 Resources)
[ ] Take the Environmental hit

Pick any Three Actions from the Downtime Actions List (bottom half).

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

[X] Plan Investing for the Future
-[X] Begin Cleanup Operations (-1050 Resources)
-[X] Upgrade Population (-2000 Resources)
-[X] Research Kaiju Harvesting (Further research Kaiju Biology to increase the number of resources we get off of each Kaiju we kill.)
-[X] Research Improved Kaiju Cleanup (Research more efficient and cost-effective methods of cleaning up after Kaiju messes)

Not a second after the strip-harvesters are done do the cleaners move in, bringing a great deal of supplies with them. The entire operation is costly, ugly, and expensive-- but ultimately sound in its results, as Arbalest's corpse is turned into a pile of sterilized bones over the course of the week.

For the first time since the NPPDC's birth, survivors begin to arrive at the city-- as it really can't be called a camp anymore, not with its size. Construction and expansion begins almost immediately, new housing blocks, resource cashes, and hydroponic bays being practically scratch-built by the reworked auto-jigs. Of course, there's no shortage of jobs around, allowing for quick assignment and employment. A newly-taken census reads the population as nearing 40 thousand people-- births and immigrants combined.

Not all of these survivors are civilians, of course. Quite a few people versed in biology, mechatronics, ad other fields have joined the city's scientific community. And they've got themselves a job.

One concern of the council is the fact that kaiju decompose too quickly to harvest in their entirety. Past a certain point, they're just too toxic to safely continue work on. It's this same decomposition that also makes kaiju corpses such a threat-- their rapid breakdown creates several highly caustic chemicals that wreak havoc on conventional biology. The research division's task; find a way to fix this.

Despite the odds against them, the scientists actually do churn out some worthy results; a few small-scale prototypes and a set of blueprints.

The first set consists of several parts: adapted trucks with sterilizing storage bays on their backs, designed to keep pieces of kaiju fresh enough to make the journey back to the city with time to spare. Once they reach the city, said trucks would be brought to a modified warehouse, where the second part would come in. This second part involves various pieces of equipment in an auto-sterilizing environment-- such as laser cutters, bio-extruders, and bonding chemical synthesizers-- allowing for more worth to be drawn from kaiju components. Unfortunately, the stage-two equipment is far too heavy to be made mobile, so the stage-one equipment will have to bring the kaiju pieces back into the city.

The second set of blueprints and prototypes is supposed to solve the other problem; the difficulty of efficiently dealing with the kaiju's decay. Their solution: another reworked facility, designed to produce a chemical that should neutralize spills fairly rapidly. The only problem is that its efficiency has been noted to drop rapidly; when it was tested on two same-sized samples of Blue that came from different category kaiju, the higher category sample lost 20% efficiency! This suggests that the differing categories of kaiju may have some differences in their blood's chemical composition. While they can't figure it out quite yet, this is still the best solution they were able to come up with in this amount of time.

Population increases to 4!
New Augment available for purchase: Kaiju Salvage Facility
- Kaiju Salvage Facility (Manufacturing):
Cost: 1000 Resources
Provides +10% Resources from a slain Kaiju, independent of Morale. Each further-constructed facility adds +5% to the bonus Resource gain.
New Augment available for purchase: Xenofauna Sterilization Plant
- Xenofauna Sterilization Plant (Population):
Cost: 1250 Resources
Automatically discounts cleanup costs for Kaiju by a percentage equal to 30-(5*Category)%
Discounts: Cat 0 - 30%. Cat I - 25%. Cat II - 20%. Cat III - 15%. Cat IV - 10%. Cat V - 5%.

Three days later, the Kaiju alert goes off.

<ALERT: INBOUND KAIJU SIGNATURE DETECTED>
<CLASSIFICATION: CATEGORY II>

You know the drill; throw me some scanners!

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Scanner roll: 10+10+3+1= 24

The scanner crew (newly promoted) must be supernaturally lucky. The old systems are given an emergency tweak, and the modified wavelength results in an astonishingly sharp reading. Just as impressive is the fact that the reading's even further than normal high ranges-- by almost 30%!

The Category II kaiju-- SE-26-006, codenamed "Abrams"-- is nearly twenty kilometers away, and far further inland than any kaiju than Tacit's ever fought has been. While the scouts are dispatched, the readings are examined.

Abrams is an insectile kaiju, even matching the hexapedal build. The kaiju's stance is similar to that of a mantid-- though with far thicker limbs-- with its forelegs raised off the ground to act as arms. Each of these 'arms' is tipped with a pair of scissor-shaped talons, held close to its chest. Its head mounts a pair of short, heavy mandibles, while its body is coated in a glossy brown carapace, with thicker matte armour along its back. Spectrometer readings show that the matte plating is actually a separate layer from the glossy stuff, and has detectable layers to it. Another oddity; Abrams has a measurable thermal signature-- concentrated around its upper body and head, but a thermal signature nonetheless.

The kaiju is currently showing noticeable aggressive behavior-- actively tearing down nearby structures and vocalizing at the loudest and most mobile things besides itself. When the oddness of this is questioned, someone points out that quite a few kaiju just stride forwards dumbly until presented with military forces. Additionally, Abrams isn't approaching directly-- rather, it's zig-zagging its path, seemingly seeking out the most active nearby areas-- though its destination is, without a doubt, Seattle.

Abrams is approaching roughly from the South-East, and is approximately 200 Units away-- though it will be closer by the time your deployment finishes.
What is your course of action?

Highwind said:
Deep in the NPPDC Headquarters, an emergency meeting began. The entirety of the base's command staff was present, as were the members of the council who governed Seattle, all huddled around a large table in a conference room to discuss the strategy they would use to take down the newest threat, the seventh Kaiju to attack the city since the reactivation of Tacit Ronin. Seated on the sides, were the teams who manned the NPPDC's Defence Forces.

The last to arrive were Tacit's own pilots, already in their armored Drift suits. One of the generals seated at the far end of the table sat up and looked around the room. "You're all here? Good. Let's start the briefing." He gestured to one of the aides to dim the lights and switched on a projector, which displayed a digital model of the new creature on the screen.

"This is the newest Kaiju we detected, code-named 'Abrams'. Thanks to the efforts of our scanning crew," He nodded to the aforementioned crew, who were seated in the back row. "We were able to get a great amount of forewarning, as well as a wealth of information on its capabilities. Abrams main features are a thick carapace to defend against attacks, and an even thicker layer of armor on it's back." As he spoke, the model turned around and its back was highlighted in brown. "Scans indicate this additional armor is layered over its normal carapace and thus its unlikely conventional weapons will be able to do much damage. You're advised to aim for Abrams chest, head and joints." He then looked straight at Tacit's Rangers. "Alec, Noah, while Tacit's weaponry will most certainly damage and may even pierce this armor, you two are not to aim for it either, Just as well, our scientists are very interested in studying this armor and they asked us to try to obtain an intact sample."

"Next, we have its offensive capabilities. The creature has large scissor-like appendages at the end of it's arms which we suspect are it's primary weapons." Again, the model turned around and had its arms and scissors highlighted, this time in red. "Grappling is an option especially because the Kaiju appears to lack any means to grasp its foes beyond its arms and scissors." He gestured to an aide with a Laptop, who pressed some keys. soon after that, a cloud of red, orange and blues was superimposed over the Kaiju's model.

"Another concerning reading which our scanners picked up was a strange thermal signature centering around Abrams' chest and head. It's currently unknown whet exactly this means, if it is a weapon or just another curiosity of Kaiju Biology, but after Arbalest's necropsy, we can't discard the possibility that it is a ranged weapon of some kind."

Grimaces spread across the room, The conventional forces' only real defense was that they could remain far away from the Kaiju. A ranged attack meant that their jobs became much, much more dangerous. The only ones who didn't seem to share this worry were the Scout Helicopter teams, whose members seemed to be unfazed. One pilot in particular, who was sprawled on his chair, sipping form a very, very large cup of coffee, and with large bags under his eyes actually laughed at his colleagues distress.

The General looked at him disapprovingly, but decided not to say anything. He knew very well the kind of shit the Scout teams had to put up with in the past missions He gestured to one of his aides and the display changed to a tactical overview of the surrounding area. A small red arrow showed the Kaiju's current position on the screen.

"Once again, our Scanning teams managed to give us a lot of time to prepare. The Kaiju is approximately twenty kilometers away from our headquarters, and is expected to arrive in about thirty five minutes. Abrams behavior is quite anomalous as well. He appears to seek out and attack anything that is large, loud or fast, which makes it advance in a zig-zag pattern and slows it down considerably." The Kaiju's marker on the map moved, leaving behind a zig-zagging red line. "Our scouts also reported his eyes are quite small, so its likely the creature is mostly blind. We suspect we can use this to bait the creature if necessary."

The Scout Helicopter teams glared at the General, and the tired looking pilot just muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "Not this shit again". The General pretended not to notice and motioned for his aide to switch screens again, showing another tactical map.

"Gentlemen, your orders are to go to this area, approximately five kilometers away from the base, where the Kaiju is expected to arrive. Conventional units are to spread around Tacit and overlap your guns maximum range to create a killzone." As he spoke, blue markers appeared on the screen, nine small ones in a semi-circle centered around a larger symbol which clearly represented Tacit Ronin. circles then appeared to show the conventional's maximum range, showing they overlapped in a small area around Tacit. "When the Kaiju approaches, Tacit Ronin is to attract its attention through whatever means necessary. After ensuring it is heading towards you, you two are to move back, away from the killzone and await for the first volley of shots to be fired. After that, you are all free to proceed as you please."

All teams present nodded in assent, with the exception of the Scout Helicopter teams. They just looked like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"In the event the Kaiju moves away from the ambush point, we'll need to lure it back somehow." Someone from the Scout teams said something that sounded very much like "And here comes the bullshit orders again." to the General's ears and received a half-hearted slap to the back of his head from his commander. The General smiled and continued speaking. "As such, our Scout Helicopter squad..." The pilot with bags under his eyes laughed and took a long sip from his coffee. "...is to remain in the base and get some fucking sleep." The Pilot promptly choked on his coffee. "A Carry-All is to be loaded up with crates of Fireworks, low grade gunpowder and assorted explosives set to a long fuse. Its job will be to fly within visual range of the Kaiju, light a fuse, drop a crate and promptly run away. The explosion should catch Abrams attention and set it back on track."

The general appeared not to notice the confused stares the others in the room gave him and kept on speaking. "The Carry-all is to continue baiting as necessary. Now, to Summarize:" He gestured again and the aide dutifully changed to a simple Powerpoint screen with only a few lines of text.

[] Plan Boom, Zoom and Stab
[] Tacit and conventional are to deploy 50 units away from Headquarters, on the Kaiju's projected path.
-[] Conventionals are to spread around Tacit and overlap heir guns' effective ranges to create a killzone.
-[] Upon sighting Abrams, Tacit is to jump around, shout, insult, do whatever it takes to catch it attention.
-[] When Abrams starts advancing towards Tacit, the pilots are to back away from the beat and lure it into the killzone.
-[] After the first salvo, Tacit is to charge the Kaiju and stab away.
[] A Carry-all is to load up with makeshift lures made from fireworks and spare explosives and use them to lure Abrams to the Ambush.

The stares of those present became increasingly incredulous as they read the ridiculous plan. The General, however did not notice this and continued speaking animatedly. "The operation is to begin as soon as all teams can mobilize. The Carry-all team will remain on base until we can gather all the explosives. Any questions?"

The people gathered in the room continued to stare in silence at the General for a whole minute. Then Noah Williams slowly raised his hand.

"Well, speak up, son." The General said, still smiling.

"General Highwind, sir..." The pilot spoke slowly. "...are you insane?" The General's smile turned into a frown of confusion, and Alec slapped the back of his partner's head.

"Don't say that kind of hit to a General, dumbass!" He chided. "Ranger or not, he might put you on latrine duty or something!"

"Dammit, Alec," He rubbed his head . "I know you were thinking the same thing. We share brainwaves, dude- ow!" And was hit in the had again.

"That's not how drifting works and you damn well know it"

"Rangers," General Highwind tried to steer the conversation back on track before the pilots' shenanigans distracted them all completely. "Stop with this nonsense. What do you mean 'am I insane' Williams?"

The Rangers looked sheepish, especially Noah. "It's just... your plan, sir."

"What's so insane about my plan, Williams?" General Highwind's was starting to lose his patience. "Just speak already."

Noah exchanged a Look with Alec. "The plan is mostly solid, nothing we haven't done before, except..." He grimaced. "The bit with the Carry-all, sir."

"Sir," Alec decided to save his partner's skin. "We're just wondering how you plan to scrounge up enough fireworks and gunpowder to make those lures before Abrams gets here." He explained.

"And If the Carry-all just drops the crate, it'll break apart when it hits the ground and then it might fail to explode." Noah finished.

"Well..." The General looked at a loss for a moment but quickly regained his footing "That's not really a problem, we have plenty of spare gunpowder and some crates of fireworks leftover from Fourth of July, and we can just attach normal airdrop parachutes to the crates." He explained. "I understand your concern but there's nothing here that's actually insane."

"Yeah, but attaching the parachutes will take even longer than just making those lures. Not to mention we can achieve the same effect of finding the Kaiju if we deploy five kilometers out, assume formation and then move out to meet the Kaiju." Alec objected.

"I mean, this whole thing sounds pretty awesome. We'd be baiting a giant preying mantis crossed with a tank using a Fourth of July display so we can lure it to get shot at by artillery and then be wrestled by a giant robot." Noah Continued. "That's frickin' awesome, but we're wondering if it's really necessary, sir."

"It just seems really wasteful when we're such a tight schedule." Alec finished.

General Highwind stared mutely at them for a moment before throwing his hands up in defeat. "Fine! You two win!" The Carry-all teams released a quiet sigh of relief. "But we'll be preparing the Carry-all anyway, to either lure or delay the Kaiju as needed." And then they all began cursing under their breaths.

[X] Plan Boom, Zoom and Stab
[X] Tacit and conventional are to deploy 50 units away from Headquarters, on the Kaiju's projected path.
-[X] Conventionals are to spread around Tacit and overlap their guns' effective ranges to create a killzone.
-[X] Upon sighting Abrams, Tacit is to jump around, shout, insult, do whatever it takes to catch it attention.
-[X] When Abrams starts advancing towards Tacit, the pilots are to back away from the beast and lure it into the killzone.
-[X] After the first salvo, Tacit is to charge the Kaiju and stab away.
[X] A Carry-all is to load up with makeshift lures made from fireworks and spare explosives and use them to lure Abrams to the Ambush.

With thirty minutes to spare, the plan is brought into action. A few squadrons of carryalls are prepared, two bringing in the heavy artillery, the remaining one carrying a series of explosive lures to draw the kaiju's attention. The last few touches have been put on the fortifications, when the alert comes in.

Abrams is approaching.

[---]

The kaiju screams bloody murder, ripping through the rubble with a wild slash from its scissor claws. the carryalls dodge around, barely keeping ahead of the monster. The sixth chopper releases its pallet, which quickly slams into the ground and detonates. Abrams' screech of fury could cut glass. The kaiju's maw stretches open, air sucking down its gullet. Sensors ping off in the choppers' cockpits.

"Temperature spike! Evasive maneuvers!"

The carryalls scatter, lights flashing. Unable to focus properly, Abrams snaps its jaw shut angrily, and continues on.

[---]

"Alright then, here it comes!"

Tacit Ronin rises up, joints hissing with steam. There's an audible clanking and whirring as the jaeger's systems switch from transverse mode to combat mode, sending power from the reactor to the limbs, maneuvering thrusters, and weaponry.

The jaeger's loudspeakers start up... and release a hideous static shriek, coupled together with Tacit's foghorn. It's a noise Abrams can't help but notice. Seconds later, the kaiju plows through a building, limbs flailing and mandibles gnashing. The carryall helicopters dart ahead, the final one dropping its payload into Abrams' face. The air-burst fireball only blackens the kaiju's armour, but the thing is clearly focused.

Tacit lets out the static-foghorn scream again, firing its blades up and down his forearms, stomping its feet, and generally being a very loud distraction.

Abrams, as expected, falls for it.

With a high-pitched wail, the kaiju charges forwards, scissor-claws snapping!

Distances:
All NPPDCDF units are properly spaced and hidden. Tacit is at the killzone. Abrams is little more than 15 units away from your units, and 10 from Tacit. Your plan of action? You still have a little bit before Abrams (who is being very vocal) reaches the killzone.

[X] Tacit is to move backwards, away from Abrams and safely out of the killzone and prepare to charge—being sure to continue taunts/foghorn.
-[X] Conventional Units are to fire at Abrams as soon as he enters the killzone.

Tacit pushes its 11 up to 11.25. Thankfully, the NPPDCDF came prepared with some noise cancelling headphones. Some very good noise cancelling headphones.

"Reverse!"

The jaeger takes a step back, footstep inaudible under the screeching and honking.
Then another, and another, and another. Tacit strides back as carefully as it can, stepping past the forces. Abrams screeches back, continuing its mad-dash forwards--

--right into the killzone!

Rolling time!
4x 1d10 for the Tanks/Arty
6x 1d10 for the Crunchies
2d10 Hit locations all around!

Distances:
All NPPDCDF units are properly spaced and hidden. Abrams is at the killzone. Abrams is little more than 6 units from Tacit, who is 1 unit behind your other forces.

[X] Tacit is to move backwards, away from Abrams and safely out of the killzone and prepare to charge—being sure to continue taunts/foghorn.
-[X] Conventional Units are to fire at Abrams as soon as he enters the killzone.

The destructive splurge of fire and thunder that follows drowns out Tacit and Abrams' roars, as phosphorus and depleted uranium pelts Abrams in an unrelenting barrage!

The kaiju drops to a knee, mandibles snapping as the firing dims down. chunks of dull grey shell slough off its left side, crashing to the ground to expose the glossier carapace of its head and shoulder. Abrams' head comes up, the molten remains of its eyes sizzling against its armour.

Abrams takes 2 Strikes! L. Shoulder Armour Destroyed! Head Armour Destroyed! Abrams is Blind!

Of course, blindness isn't going to put down a kaiju so easily. Especially not Abrams. The monster's mandibles draw open, and its thorax pulses!

"Temperature spike!"
"Evasive maneuvers!"

But Abrams isn't aiming for the military. They're small, and its other senses are finicky. It's got a larger target in mind.

Tacit's pilots barely realize this before Abrams sprays the jaeger's face with liquid fire.

Tacit suffers 1 Strike! Wound cauterized! Tacit's Conpod is On Fire!

The jaeger stumbles, pilots caught off-guard! The burning, black fluid sticks to the vulnerable conpod, melting away at the thin metal plating! And even worse; it's sticking.

Distances:
All NPPDCDF units are properly spaced and hidden. Abrams is at the killzone. Abrams is little more than 6 units from Tacit, who is 1 unit behind your other forces.

You're On Fire. As long as you're On Fire, you automatically take 1d10 Fire damage per Burning location at the end of your turn. You can extinguish the fire as a Standard Action-- to be specific, a Dexterity Test. If you succeed, you remove one location of On Fire. However, Fire can spread to other locations, so putting it out fast is useful!

[X] TR try and put out the fire!
[X] Everybody else shoot Abrams again!

Alec and Noah are quick to act, activating one of Tacit's several ECDFEs (Emergency Coolant-Dispersal Fire-Extinguishers) in a few seconds. A small section of the jaeger's collar folds away, and an array of nozzles douse Tacit's head with freezing gases. The jaeger reaches up, wiping away frost and black gunk with its hand. Fortunately, damage is minimal.

Tacit's Head is no longer On Fire! All Fires Extinguished!

Meanwhile, the firing starts back up, shredding the kaiju's other dull shoulder plate and pockmarking its chest with burning black wounds! The fiery substances melt shut any cuts or punctures, keeping Abrams' toxic blood inside.

Abrams takes 5 Strikes! Abrams is losing strength! R. Shoulder Armour Destroyed!

At the same time, the rapid firing begins to have an effect on the NPPDC's forces, a couple brigades running out of ammunition. Even so, there's still enough forces left to do some damage.

Anti-Kaiju Brigade out of Ammo!
Anti-Kaiju Brigade out of Ammo!

Shuddering, Abrams' jaws work-- but the flaming bile lacks pressure, only making it a few meters before dribbling to the ground. The kaiju doubles over, joints shaking.

Distances:
All NPPDCDF units are properly spaced and hidden. Abrams is at the killzone. Abrams is little more than 6 units from Tacit, who is 1 unit behind your other forces.

Your turn. Are you going to have Tacit steal the kill again, or just have the troops keep burninating Abrams?

[X] Plan "With Hearts of Steel and an Iron Will"
-[X] Tacit is to keep drawing Abram's attention and prepare to Charge forward if Abrams tries to make a ranged Attack against a Conventional Unit.
--[X] Badass pose and speech optional.
-[X] All others are to fire again and keep firing until Abrams is defeated.

Tacit's loudspeaker crackles on, the mighty machine planting its hands on its hips with more 'tude than an 80-meter-tall mech has right to.

"Now, you see-

Before Tacit's pilots can finish speaking, the remaining forces open fire! The kaiju's joints practically shatter, its ruined eyes blown to pieces, the entire monster toppling to the ground with one final screech before the kaiju's stamina runs dry.

Abrams takes 3 Strikes!

"-Now, wait a second, I-"

Kaiju SE-26-006, "Abrams" Defeated!

"Oh, come on! I was going to improvise a badass speech and everything!"

Ta da! I'll slap together a downtime post tomorrow or something, don't worry.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

While Alec is understandably miffed about being unable to carry out his speech, there's no denying that this was a rock-solid victory for the NPPDC! Due to the usage of only cauterising wounds, next to no kaiju blood was spilled, relieving the overworked cleanup crews of a dangerous duty.

Tacit Ronin has some nasty melting around its conpod, but a quick scrub down reveals that most of the damage was cosmetic in nature.

Repairs to Tacit Ronin will cost 1 Action and 50 R. However, given that it's one strike, Tacit's perfectly operable without the fixing.

Upon return, the crew of one tank squadron in particular, and receive noticeable commendation for their performance, having landed several solid hits against the kaiju. Of course, the efforts of the ever-valiant brigades are also made aware of, as without them the battle would have certainly been longer and bloodier. The tank squadron receives a ceremonial maroon paint-job for their vehicles, distinguishing them from the pale white and red standard tanks.

1 Type 100 Anti-Kaiju Tank Squadron promoted to Type 100 ELITE Anti-Kaiju Tank Squadron!
Elite Units explode any Natural 10 that they roll, as Jaegers and Kaiju do.

Abrams' corpse is eagerly examined by the scientists, ~~who run their grubby little science hands all over it~~. The kaiju actually has some fairly interesting stuff going on, which K-Sci believes they can adapt to function with the NPPDC's existing technology. Abrams' petrochemical bile could be easily refined into a potent fuel, allowing for all sorts of uses-- long-ranged missiles, rocket-propulsion, or simply an accelerative boost for ground units. Also of interest is the kaiju's ablative armour-- which allowed it to weather several tougher wounds from its foes (though, against the sheer overpowering firepower, this was fruitless); something like this could easily be fashioned to protect Tacit Ronin!
However, this sort of research will be very intensive, and eat up any sort of opportunity to use the kaiju's data for different project.

Abrams Token Gained! This token may be redeemed during any Research Roll to roll an extra 1d10 for any research roll involving...
- Refined Petro-Bile Fuel
or
- Ablative Protection
Once used in this fashion, the Abrams Token is discarded.

Kaiju Stats:

Abrams
Class: Category II Kaiju
Another hexapedal kaiju, Abrams' stance is similar to that of a mantid, with its forelegs raised off the ground to act as arms. Its head mounts a pair of short, heavy mandibles, while its body is coated in a carapace, with thicker armour along its back.

Stats:
HtH: 1
Ran: 2
Str: 3
Tou: 4
Agi: 2
Dex: 0

Structure:
Dura: 3
Stru: 8

Weapons:
Petrochemical Bile
Built-In Ranged Weapon
Attack Dice: 2d5
Armour Penetration: 0
Damage Type: Fire
Damage Bonus: Strength
Range: 2/5/10

Talons
Built-In Melee Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10
Parry Dice: 1d5
Block Dice: 1d10-1
Armour Penetration: 1
Grappling Bonus: +1
Damage Type: Edged
Damage Bonus: Strength

Armour:
Light Carapace
Coverage: All but Eyes
Armor Value: 2/1
Resilience: All
Durability: 6

Ablative Shell
Coverage: Head, Neck, Shoulders, Spine
Armor Value: 2/-
Resilience: All
Durability: 2

It is now downtime.

Category II Kaiju killed: +500 Resources
Manufacturing: +1500 Resources
10% Morale Bonus: +150 Resources

Total Resources to Spend: 2775

Pick your four actions!

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

[X] Plan SCIENCE!
-[X] Improve Research (-1000 Resources)
-[X] Fix Tacit Ronin (-50 Resources)
-[X] Build 8 T-95 Anti-Kaiju Artillery Teams! (-400 Resources)
-[X] Research Improvements to Tacit Ronin's Toughness*15 (-300 Resources)
(1750 Resources Total)

For once, the long-unattended R&D division gets some financial love. With the new influx of people, more scientists, engineers, and others have arrived, and Branch 01 receives accorded attention. A fresh supply of instruments is constructed, as is a test bay for any prototypes devised by the men and women of science.

Tacit's semi-melted conpod also receives attention, new components being installed to replace the internal damage and distorted sections of the visor. It's a relatively simple job, compared to rewiring the jaeger's entire arm after Tanken. Humorously, one of the technicians has slapped a bandage on the mecha's browline, right on the center of the bile strike.

The city's auto-jigs aren't just building research equipment, however. Forty eight new T-95s are constructed, rolling off the assembly lines bright and early. Their teams have all been selected by the now-retired tank crew, who have been put in charge of artillery training. The new guns are a welcome addition, as even if they lack armour and mobility, they still pack a punch.

With the improvement in Branch 01's capabilities, work can resume on the impact gel once more-- though it'll take a bit before the new equipment offers any noticeable improvement. The results are far more promising this time-- by adding a 12% solution of silicon dioxide, the gel no longer suffers from decohesion when exposed to water! On the downside, J-Tech disagrees how best to apply the impact gel; one team proposes a series of shock-absorber-esque pads filled with gel and attached to Tacit's inner frame, to increase how much damage it takes to cause catastrophic damage to the frame; the other proposes electromagnetically binding the gel to vital components alone, to increase how long the jaeger can function before experiencing decreased performance. Clearly, this will have to be decided before the impact gel can be equipped.

Research increases to 2!
All Strikes repaired!
6/10 points to Toughness 2!

Of course, there's other things that'll have to be dealt with before upgrading Tacit...

<ALERT: INBOUND KAIJU SIGNATURE DETECTED>
<CLASSIFICATION: CATEGORY III>

Throw me a 1d10+1 for scanning.

Fun bit; that argument your research teams are having? Team 1 wants to increase Tacit's Structure, while team 2 wants to increase Tacit's Durability-- seeing how boosted Toughness can do either.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Scanner roll: 1+1= 2

The standard scanning procedure starts up...

...only to freeze, and blue-screen.

"You're gotta be kidding me! This worked just fine last time!" one of the crew exclaims.

Frantic and annoyed, the scanner crew reboots the system, trying to get a lock on the kaiju. The scan quality is irritatingly poor, only offering a general distance and direction of approach. The kaiju, whatever it is, is approaching from the west, and is a few kilometers away. This is going to be a close one-- some of the forces might have to deploy on the camp's perimeter.

Scouting is fruitless-- all that they can see through the torrential rainstorm that's kicked up is a cloud of what looks like snow...

...Even though it's only fall.

SE-26-007 is an unknown distance away. The Defense Perimeter is a thing.
Try not to die.

Another note: deploying your T-95s is effectively instantaneous if they are deployed within the city limits (up to the Defense Perimeter), though they still can't move once deployed (unless you use the Carryalls).

[X]Deploy all Artillery and Tanks onto the Western Perimeter.
-[X]Try and get them centered on the Kaiju's approach Vector, though if that's too fuzzy spread them out a little more to ensure at least some coverage.
[X]Deploy TR 4 units away from the Perimeter.
[X]Deploy AKBs 5 units inside the Perimeter, keep them mounted.

Alarms blaring, the forces rush to the western perimeter, preparing to do battle. The brigades stay inside the walls, trying to keep a general sense of security among the populace-- as the kaiju's sheer suddenness caught almost everyone off guard. Hell, the thing showed up too fast to warrant a codename.

The artillery is set up along the perimeter, each team spaced so that there's more than a kilometer of overlap between any consecutive twelve guns. The two teams of tanks patrol up and down the line, the white and dark red vehicles' engines rumbling as softly as a tank can manage.

Out in front of the Defense Perimeter, blades unsheathed, stands Tacit Ronin, glaring out into the unquenchable rain.

The temperature's dropping noticeably, frost beginning to condense on Tacit's visor. The rain ahead is changing, flickers of sleet dancing through it.

There it is. The kaiju.

SE-26-007 is half-obscured by rain and frost-lined fog, but its basic shape is still visible at this distance. Vaguely saurian, with immense arms and an equally giant head, 'James'-- as the recently given codename reads-- does not look to be easy. Even more worrying is the thermal readings-- or lack thereof. James' body is colder than the air around it.

Distances:
James is about three kilometers/30 units from the DP. AKBs are 5 units within the DP, the 100s, Elite 100s, and 95s are at the DP, and Tacit is 4 units in front of the DP.
Your move.

[X]Tanks and Artillery Overwatch on James
[X]TR attempt to Scan James.
[X]Everyone else sit on their hands until it gets in range.

Scanners: 3+2=5

The barrels slide down, locking into place. The crews attempt to lock on-- but James' low temperature and the distorting cloud of vapor are making it difficult to get a solid lock-- though any shot from this distance wouldn't have enough power to damage kaiju skin.

Tacit's scanner arrays spin up, trying furiously to penetrate the concealing barrier.
It's not working very well, but at least they can narrow down the kaiju's range.

So long as the cloud is in place, all ranged attacks against James will be at +2 difficulty to hit (your tanks normally hit on 5+, with the cloud up they hit on 7+, etc.). Further Dexterity Checks may penetrate the barrier.

[---]

- Tacit Ronin's Conpod

"Hey, remember when kaiju didn't pull this sort of stuff?"

"Yes."

"I miss those days."

"Me too, Webb. Me too."

[---]

The kaiju continues its slow plodding, inching forwards through the rain. It pauses, momentarily becoming more indistinct as the vapor pools around it, and raises its shadowy head. A few seconds later, the head drops back down, James' figure becoming indistinct once more.

Distances:
James is 27 units from the DP, and his stupid cloud thing is stupid and gimmicky. Too bad kaiju don't care how gimmicky their stuff is.
Your move.

[X] Plan Lets Try That Again
-[X] Tanks and Artillery Overwatch on James
-[X] TR attempt to Scan James.
-[X] Everyone else sit on their hands until it gets in range.

Scanners: 3+2=5

The goddamn scanners aren't doing shit.

Tacit sheaths one blade, and bangs on its conpod a bit, as if trying to shake water out of its ears. The lights flicker on and off a bit.

"Sweet damn this thing's got awful scanners!"

"He's an old jaeger; something's bound to malfunction occasionally."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's not annoying as hell."

The jaeger's exhaust nozzles vent a puff of steam in irritation, the arm falling back to its side for the blade to extend again.

James resumes its advance, faster than before. Its shape becomes more distinct, with digigrade legs, triple-clawed hands, and the numerous gleam of scaly hide-

-the two kilo line is crossed.

"Forget this bastard's cloud thing! Everyone, shoot it!"

Overwatch activated!
I need...
1d10-1 for the Elite 100s.
1d10-1 for the normal 100s.
10x 1d10-1 for the half-metric arseload of T-95s you have.
And 2d10 hit locs all around!
Keep in mind you only hit on 7+ at the moment.

Distances:
James is 19 units from the DP (15 from Tacit), and his stupid cloud thing is still happening.

[X] Plan Lets Try That Again
-[X] Tanks and Artillery Overwatch on James
-[X] TR attempt to Scan James.
-[X] Everyone else sit on their hands until it gets in range.

Things go wrong from the start.

It seems that a manufacturing error plagued the last twelve T-95s, as their barrels immediately overheat and melt, causing the rest of their ammunition to cook off and blow the cannons to pieces! The crews are only saved by the heavy blast shields that the weapons mount, and even then suffer substantial injuries.

T-95 Anti-Kaiju Artillery Team Destroyed!
T-95 Anti-Kaiju Artillery Team Destroyed!

More than eighteen cannons are victim of the distorting cloud, their projectiles missing the target completely! Even the elite Type 100s aren't exempt, their own rounds whizzing right over James' head! Even the shots that do manage to connect just ricochet off the kaiju's armour!

Fortunately, one team of T-95s is able to coordinate their fire with the other tank squadron, temporarily overwhelming Jame's armour as the unload shells into its left arm!

James takes 1 Strike!

The kaiju snarls, speeding up again! Gusts of vapor puff from its maw, as the temperature continues to drop!

Distances:
James is 11 units from the DP (7 from Tacit). Your turn again.

[X] everything fire again
[X] Tacit Charge James, Slash it.

The bombardment resumes, but the kaiju's armour is far too thick! In their haste to harm the aggressor, several cannons find themselves running out of ammunition!

T-95 Anti-Kaiju Artillery Team Out of Ammunition!
No damage!

Tacit seems to make a decision. As the monster inches closer, the jaeger's legs tense up... before releasing their force, throwing Tacit Ronin towards his foe!

(7,6)
(6,17)

The first blade is batted aside by a massive clawed hand, blades clanging off the angled scales-- but the second Fangblade hits the target! The sword of polished, sharpened tungsten shatters the scales covering James' vitals, ripping a wound that almost fully penetrates the kaiju's torso! Murky blue fluid sprays out-- though nowhere near the amount expected, quickly solidifying into a crusty scab around the jaeger's forearm.

"What?"

James takes 3 Strikes! Internal bleeding causes a permanent +2 Ongoing! Chest Armour Destroyed! Cloud Disabled-- James no longer has Concealment!
No damage from Ongoing this round!

As Tacit's floodlights flicker on, the vaporous cloud around James is washed away, revealing the kaiju in its entirety. It's a smoky grey behemoth with obscenely long arms, covered in angled, interlocking scales-- except for its recently exposed chest, where dimly glowing blue veins can be seen coursing against indigo muscle. Two hollow spikes rise from the side of its neck, puffing out super-cooled vapours. But most disturbing is its head-- or rather, what passes for a head.

There are no eyes on this monster, Tacit's crew realizes. The head is little more than a massive mouth, with teeth longer tha Tacit's hand. With what might be malice, or might be glee, the kaiju rumbles, and opens its maw. A gust of vapour that frosts on Tacit's conpod shakes his pilots back to reality-- this thing's going to attack!

James Counter-attacks! Reaction!
[ ] Block!
[ ] Parry!
[ ] Dodge!

Distances:
James is 11 units from the DP, and 1 from Tacit.

Well, you broke James' stupid cloud-thing by melee-ing him, so that means you don't have to worry about missing as much. You do have to worry about hitting poor Tacit, who's right in the way of your guns.

[X] DODGE!

(9)
(8)

Tacit Ronin rips its blade out of James' body, dancing away from the kaiju easily.

Distances: James is 11 from the DP, 1 from Tacit (different direction). Your move.

[X] Tacit Sidesteps around James to give the conventionals as clear a line of fire as possible, then stabs James again.
-[X] Any Conventionals that can shoot James without risk of hitting Tacit do so.

As Tacit ducks out of the way of James' jaws, the tank squads make their moves, rolling to the opposing side. Thanks t their mobility, they can manage a relatively clean clean shot against the kaiju-- something the artillery can't.

"Open fire!"

The white and red guns roar, throwing sparking shells into the kaiju's pelvic region, drawing the eyeless beast's ire!

James takes 1 Strike! James is Stunned, and cannot React this round!

The situation's just what Tacit needs, the jaeger leaping forwards to strike!

(0,0)
(6,10)

James takes 4 Strikes! +1 Ongoing! R. Ankle Armour Destroyed! -1 Agility! James is losing stamina!

Ducking low, Tacit chops a slice out of the kaiju's thigh, before ripping his other blade through its lower leg! The scales shatter again, exposing more of James' dark musculature. The additional wounds do no good for James' first wound, the cut through its chest bubbling up with sludgy blood from its damaged heart!

James takes 2 Strikes from Ongoing! James is losing stamina!

The kaiju screeches, nearly dropping to the ground-- but manages to catch itself with its tail at the last moment! The monster's jaws open again, as James spews out a massive blast of freezing gases!

(2,3,1)

Unfortunately, James has no eyes, and can't see that Tacit's not directly in front of it. The high-pressure jet of frost flies through the spot where Tacit's upper body would have been, and splashes down halfway to the Defense Perimeter. The kaiju's spray cuts off, the monster starting to wheeze-- its wounds and failed attack seems to have taken a lot out of it.

Distances: James is 11 from the DP, 1 from Tacit (different direction).
What do?
OOC: I completely forgot that James had both an actual turn and a counterattack. Oops. I am become error.

[X] stab and shoot again

The tank cannons fire again, the shells ricocheting off James' arm and leg.

No damage!

But Tacit's still not done, bearing down on its much larger foe with unrelenting ferocity!

(2,5)
(10,18)

Despite the kaiju's desperate efforts to fend off its attacker, the jaeger powers forwards, and shoves its forearm back into the bubbling wound on its chest!

"Eat this, Frosty."

The forearm twists down... and the blade fires.

Kaiju SE-26-007, "James" Defeated!

You'll be pleased to learn that this won't actually have a very high clean-up cost--between James' perk, your cauterizing wounds, and the fact that he only suffered from 3 Ongoing wounds for, like 2 rounds.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

After a few kicks (to make sure it's dead), James' corpse is dragged over to the perimeter, where the crews set about disassembling it. The injured artillery crews are also hauled off to several hospitals.

Tacit Ronin, completely undamaged, was on top of its game during the fight, barely giving the larger kaiju a chance to breathe. Alec and Noah are, understandably, enthused by this. So far, their in-your-face style of fighting's paid off, and it's easy enough to capitalize on that.

New Perk!
- Beatdown: If Tacit Ronin rolls a natural 10 on an attack with its Fangblades, take a Hand-to-Hand Test (10). On a success, the target is knocked Prone.

While the duo works on their new technique, the science teams are busy with James' corpse.

The kaiju is... weird. Its body temperature is remarkably low, with most of its internal fluids cooling to a sludge in the few hours after its death. It appears to be able to condense the vapor in the air into a blinding cloud, and use a supercoolant fluid as an oral weapon. Your guys still don't know how it got this stuff.

Kaiju Stats:

James
Class: Category III Kaiju
The kaiju is bipedal, holding its long arms just above the ground, balanced by a long tail. The kaiju's head is almost all mouth, two bony prongs jutting out of the sides of its neck. No eyes are visible.

Stats:
HtH: 3
Ran: 2
Str: 3
Tou: 5
Agi: 1
Dex: 4

Structure:
Dura: 6
Stru: 12

Perks:
- Blind: All attacks that would hit the Eyes instead hit the Head. Must make a Dexterity Check for every 5 rounds to locate non-melee foes.
- Supercooled Fluids: Take 1 less Ongoing from any attack, to a minimum of zero. Automatically heals 1 Ongoing per Round so long as James hasn't exceeded its Durability.
- Snow Fun For Anyone: If encountered during heavy precipitation, James is partially obscured by a cloud of fog, snow, and sleet, imposing a +2 Difficulty to any Ranged attacks as per concealment. If the opponent succeeds on a Dexterity Check (8), or enters melee combat with James, the cloud is pierced, and no longer provides concealment. James is not affected by his own cloud in any manner.

Weapons:
Supercoolant Spit
Built-In Ranged Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10/2d10/3d10
Damage Type: Ice
Damage Bonus: 1d5
Armor Penetration: 0
Range: 1/4/-
Special:
Flash Freeze: +2 Damage Bonus at point-blank range.if all three shots are fired.
Can not move and shoot, Can not make called shots.
Six shots only, each attack dice rolled uses up a shot

Slavering Maw
Built-In Melee Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10-2
Parry Dice: -
Block Dice: -
Armour Penetration: 3
Grappling Bonus: +0
Damage Type: Edged/Ice
Damage Bonus: Strength x2

Hooked Talons x2
Built-In Melee Weapons
Attack Dice: 1d10
Parry Dice: 1d10
Block Dice: 1d10
Armour Penetration: 0
Grappling Bonus: +2
Damage Type: Edged
Damage Bonus: Strength

Armour:
Scales
Coverage: All
Armor Value: 3/1
Resilience: All, +1 Edged
Durability: 7

It is now downtime.

Category III Kaiju killed: +1000 Resources
Manufacturing: +1500 Resources
10% Morale Bonus: +150 Resources

Total Resources to Spend: 3675

Free Actions:
[ ] Clean up the spill! (-125 R)
[ ] Leave it be!

Pick your four actions!

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

[X] Plan "Insert Witty Name Here"
-[X] Clean up the spill! (-125 R)
-[X] Upgrade Manufacturing (-2000 R)
-[X] Upgrade Research (-1500 R)
-[X] Research Anti-Kaiju Attack Helicopters
-[X] Research cauterization upgrade for Tacits' Blades

(3625 Resources Total, 50 Resources Left)

As the clean-up is addressed, more love is heaped on Neo-Seattle's scientific community. The new testing lab is expanded, and a personal set of auto-jigs are built to supply them with any sort of useful tools or prototypes they need.

But that's not all the auto-jigs churn out. The older systems are constructing new parts for themselves, the machining complex that is Branch 03 slowly expanding.

Of course, what better to do with new equipment than use it? Two projects are set upon by the Branch 01 scientists; creating a set of cauterising blades for Tacit, and creating a dedicated combat helicopter. The results are... mixed.

Obviously, the easiest was to make Tacit's blades cauterise kaiju flesh is to hook them up to the reactor output-- but there's a few problems with that. On one front, the electromagnetic guide rails don't make any further attachments between the blades and the arms easy, meaning that the energy would probably have to be funneled through the rails to maintain the weapons' mobility-- and that risks overloading the rails. The other problem is Tacit's reactor itself; while it can handle the full mecha with relative ease, its cooling system is a bit iffy-- though Seattle's constant cold weather provides an extra heat sink. Should the reactor be called on to power the massive blades-- each of which is the same size as the rest of its arm, there's a very real possibility of the reactor overheating. The jaeger will need a much better cooling system before it can handle reactor-fueling its fangblades fully. Still, it's a start.

+1 Bonus to continued Research on Cauterising Fangblades gained

The other team has a far easier time. Probably because there's hundreds of attack helicopter designs to come by, and Seattle already has a few types lying around. It takes a while, but eventually the team has their sturdy little prototype out on its first test flight. Although 'little' is a bit of a misnomer-- the vehicle's about the size of a Type 90 Tank, with the firepower to match. Dubbed the 'Hellhound', the helicopter only really matches the Jumphawk in speed-- but speed isn't its focus. It mounts a pair of heavy, phosphorus-filled missiles, along with two smaller rocket racks similar to those on the scouts-- but with an expanded magazine. The only problem is that the prototype is currently the only Hellhound available-- and alone, it won't do much against a Kaiju. No free squadrons for the council.

New Conventional Unit available for purchase: A-KA-77 'Hellhound' Attack Helicopter Squadron
A-KA-77 'Hellhound' Attack Helicopter Squadron
Cost: 500 Resources
- Move up to 10 units a turn.
- Hellfire+ Missile: 1d10 Fire damage. +0 Damage. Range 20/-/-. Hits on 4+. One Shot Only. Cauterises Wounds.
- 'Kaiju-Buster' Super RPG: 1d10 Impact/Fire damage. -3 Damage. Range 5/-/-. Hits on 4+. Four Shots Only. Cauterises Wounds.

Research increases to 3!
Manufacturing increases to 4!

<ALERT: INBOUND KAIJU SIGNATURE DETECTED>
<CLASSIFICATION: CATEGORY II>

Roll me the scanners!

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Scanner roll: 7+1= 8

The error in the scanners has been hammered out, and the signal's narrowed down. SE-26-008-- codename 'Drac'-- isn't directly aimed at Seattle like the others have been, but its current trajectory will bring it uncomfortably close to the city.

Drac itself seems fairly normal, with four elongated arms, two legs, and a tail. Nothing too different-- especially compared to the more recent kaiju. There's currently no indication of any internal weaponry, either.

Drac will be about 10 kilometers away at the 'danger point'. You have time to deploy to intercept anywhere-- if you fancy fighting at all.
What do you do?

As a note, you technically don't have to deploy-- but there is a chance that Drac will change course at the Danger Point.

[X]Deploy Tacit 5 units in front of wall facing danger point
[X] deploy all other units in or on the wall spread out by at least a unit.

With uncertain danger looming, the NPPDCDF and Tacit Ronin deploy. The trip's a short one, only taking a few minutes before everyone's set up at the DP. The scouts are sent out to check on Drac, swooping out to the Danger Point.

As expected, Drac is no big change from typical kaiju appearances. The sandy-skinned kaiju easily catches a glimpse of the noisy helis, and draws its teeth back in a snarl. The four arms are lanky, each double-jointed and ending in a seven-fingered hand with blunted claws. The tail is fairly stubby, and the feet far more dexterous looking than normal-- but it's the head that stand out. More accurately, the eyes.

Drac's eyes aren't the mindless, bestial eyes that almost every other kaiju has had. These are the eyes of a far more dangerous kaiju, all six glinting with a cold intelligence. The eyes dart from heli to heli, before tracing down towards the flickering lights of the city. Drac hisses, the ridges down its back stiffening.

Distances:
Drac is 100 units from the DP. Your scouts are roughly 20 from him.
What do you do?

[X] retreat 10 units if he moves towards them, stay in place if he keeps walking the way he was before.

Drac stands in place, staring down the helicopters.

Not particularly anxious to see what the kaiju has in store for them, the scout helis angle back, retreating towards the DP. The kaiju's gaze follows them for a few seconds, before its muscles flex under its skin.

Drac moves, limbs folding up compactly as it chases down the helicopters, a cloud of dust spraying up around its hand-like feet as it closes the gap remarkably fast!

Distances:
Drac has moved 12 units closer, and is 88 units from the DP. Your scouts are roughly 18 from him.
What do you do?

[X] Scouts are to fall back to Tacit's position.
[X] Conventional Units are to fire as soon as Drac gets in range.
[X] Tacit Ronin is to remain on standby until Drac Approaches.

Engines roar, the choppers retreating at full speed. Drac's approach lessens, the kaiju unable to match the top speed of the stripped-down helicopters. Meter by meter, the distance between kaiju and chopper grows, and the distance between kaiju and city shrinks.

Distances:
Drac has moved 24 units closer (2 rounds), and is 64 units from the DP. Your scouts are roughly 24 from him.
What do you do? You could just have Tacit run up and punch him in the face of he gets close enough.

[X] Plan "I heard there was a Kaiju and got here as fast as I could"
-[X] Tacit is to run until he is 20 units away from the DP or until within engagement distance with Drac.
-[X] Tanks and AKBs are to follow after Tacit at their best speed.
-[X] Artillery is to stay behind and protect the DP in case Drac makes a run for it.
-[X] Scouts are to keep bravely running away advancing backwards to Tacit's position.

Tacit drops down into a running stance, shooting fuel rods into the reactor to bring it up to speed.

"Alright, tanks and AKBs, you're with us! Arty, stay here and defend!"

With that, the jaeger launches forwards, joints whirring and clanking as a hundred thousand tons of giant robot moves a lot faster than it should be able to towards the kaiju. Behind it, the tanks and hastily re-mounted brigades hurry along, barely making a third of the mech's speed.

Drac's chase continues, the helis still shaking him off slowly. The kaiju's eyes follow the scouts-- until they pass by something very distracting. Drac's arms unfold in an instant, double-jointed limbs slamming into the ground to slow the monster to a halt. All six eyes change target, stuck on the charging foe of pale metal and heat.
Tacit Ronin.

Distances:
Tacit: 35 from DP/A, 11 from Drac, 21 from B/T
Brigade/Tank: 8 from DP/A, 32 from Drac, 21 from Tacit
Scouts: 10 from DP/A, 30 from Drac, 19 from Tacit
Drac: 40 from DP/A, 11 from Tacit, 30 from Scouts, 32 from B/T
DP/Arty: 35 from Tacit, 8 from B/T, 10 from Scouts, 40 from Drac

[X] Tacit Ronin is to prepare to defend himself.
[X] Tanks and AKBs catch up to Tacit.
[X] Artillery takes a moment to get some coffee.

"Hey, guys!" one of the artillery gunners shouts, her voice carrying along the perimeter to both her squadron and others."Looks like Tacit's handling this, so I'm going for coffee. Any of you want anything?"

The reply is a rousing roar of confirmation. The gunner chuckles.

"Well, if all of you want some, I'm gonna need some volunteers to help carry it all!"

[---]

Tacit's foot slams into the ground, hydrazine E-Brakes firing in bursts as the jaeger skids to a halt. Tacit raises an arm, pulling back into a defensive stance with its weight on its hind foot.

The tanks' and brigades' engines snarl, the vehicles cutting closer across the terrain.

Drac rumbles, planting its feet solidly on the ground. For a moment, it doesn't seem clear what it's going to do...

Until the kaiju charges, throwing up another dirt cloud as it reachs out with four arms-

-and promptly trips over its own feet, halfway to its target.

Drac has failed its Charge, and is 5 from Tacit. Countercharging is an appropriate reaction.
Distances:
Tacit: 35 from DP/A/S, 5 from Drac, 17 from B/T
Brigade/Tank: 12 from DP/A/S, 44 from Drac, 17 from Tacit
Drac: 40 from DP/A/S, 5 from Tacit, 24 from Scouts, 22 from B/T
DP/Arty/Scouts: 35 from Tacit, 12 from B/T, 40 from Drac

[X] Counter-Charge! Then start with the stabbing!

Tacit Ronin seizes the moment, charging in with blades drawn! But Drac's quick to respond, slamming one of its hands into the ground to bring it back to balance!

(9,2)
(8,9)

Drac's arms swing, one pair grabbing a blade and forcing it aside, the other missing the attack! Tacit's sword ~~penetrates the kaiju~~ rips through the kaiju's hip, slicing through muscles and tendons before exiting the flesh! Blue blood sprays from the wound, a flap of pale skin coming undone, exposing the underlying flesh of the kaiju's lower body.

No damage from blocking!
Drac takes 3 Strikes! +2 Ongoing! Pelvic Armour Destroyed! -2 Agility!

Despite the fact that one of its legs isn't fully working, Drac howls with fury, and throws itself at Tacit, arms outstretched!

Drac is attempting to start a grapple!
[ ] Let's do it!
[ ] Back off, kaiju!

Distances:
Tacit: 35 from DP/A/S, 5 from Drac, 17 from B/T
Brigade/Tank: 12 from DP/A/S, 44 from Drac, 17 from Tacit
Drac: 40 from DP/A/S, 5 from Tacit, 24 from Scouts, 22 from B/T
DP/Arty/Scouts: 35 from Tacit, 12 from B/T, 40 from Drac

[X] Back off. Kaiju Hugs are the worst.

(12)
(19)

Tacit waves its blades furiously, but Drac's grasping limbs are just too agile! The kaiju snarls, and nearly pulls the jaeger's arms out of their sockets as it imposes its weight on it!

You're in a grapple! For the first round, roll 1d10+HtH+Grapple Bonus-- or 1d10+4 (next round, add your strength to make it 1d10+5).

Distances:
Tacit: 40 from DP/A/S, melee with Drac, 22 from B/T
Brigade/Tank: 12 from DP/A/S, 44 from Drac, 22 from Tacit
Drac: 40 from DP/A/S, melee with Tacit, 24 from Scouts, 22 from B/T
DP/Arty/Scouts: 40 from Tacit, 12 from B/T, 40 from Drac

(12)(11)

Tacit Ronin wins the Grapple! 1 Advantage Point Gained!

Still trying to keep itself upright from its wound, Drac is caught off guard as Tacit knees it in the face! The kaiju squawks, temporarily loosening its grip, before the white mecha bears down, yanking Drac's arms out to the side!

You've won this round of the Grapple by one point. You may...

[ ] Continue the grapple, discard the point.
[ ] Spend the point!
--[ ] Equip (neither you nor Drac have anything in your inventory, so not very useful)
--[ ] Disarm (neither of you are carrying anything, so not very useful)
--[ ] Manipulate (grab/interact with anything within 1 Unit-- which is basically just some rubble and debris)
--[ ] Maintain Hold (not useful, since you aren't Choking or Submission Holding Drac)

In a Grapple, you're Clustered with your opponents.

[X] Continue the grapple, discard the point.

(14)(9)
Goddammit Drac. You're a goddamn grapple-bot, why do you fail so badly?!

Tacit Ronin wins the Grapple! 5 Advantage Points!
Drac takes no damage from Ongoing!

Noah screams something about apples, before Tacit sweeps the offending kaiju's functioning leg out from under it. The pale mech fires out a Fangblade, locking one of Drac's wrists against its arm!

Drac is a disappointment.
You have five points to use on as many actions as you want. Your options are...

[ ] Continue the Grapple, and loose all points.

[ ] 1 Point actions
--[ ] Equip (Take something from your (empty) inventory)
--[ ] Disarm (Take something away from your foes (Drac doesn't have anything))
--[ ] Manipulate (Interact with stuff in a hundred meter/1 Unit radius)
--[ ] Maintain Hold (Keep Choking/Submission Holding-- only if you've started one already)

[ ] 2 Point actions
--[ ] Disengage (Pull a Shinji and run away. You attempt to break free from the grapple. You can immediately make a standard Movement action away from the combat. This move is subject to all standard movement rules, and you may not perform any other actions in that round. You can also Disengage for another member of the grapple, allowing them to escape.)
--[ ] Standard Attack (make a standard melee attack against any person in the grapple, with reactions available as usual. On a successful Dodge reaction, instead of shifting one space, gain +1 to your next grapple roll.)
--[ ] Expose (Let another E-Scale character melee a foe without worry of hitting you. Unfortunately, you don't have another jaeger)
--[ ] Shoot (If any member of the grapple is holding a ranged weapon, the winner can attempt to shoot somebody with it. Roll an attack with the weapon against any target, outside of or within the grapple. Do not add Ranged to the attack. Everyone in the grapple, including the shooter, will be considered Clustered if the weapon fires more than one attack dice. If the person being targeted is within the grapple, they can attempt to dodge or parry as with a standard point-blank shooting attack.)

[ ] 3 Point actions
--[ ] Submission Hold (The winner grabs a target from among the losers and forces one of their limbs in such a way as to inflict extreme pain. This inflicts 1d5+Strength temporary Strikes on the target that last for one turn.)
--[ ] Choke (Wrap your hands around their neck and squeeze. This inflicts 1 Strike on the target. Each consecutive Choke action-- including Maintain Hold-- on the same target inflicts twice as many Strikes as last round. (ie, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16…))
--[ ] Prime (If you have an explosive which can be Primed as a single action, you can take it out and Prime it. Additionally, if anyone else in the grapple has an explosive in their inventory which could be retrieved as a single action, you can Prime it while keeping it in their inventory.)

[ ] 4 Point actions
--[ ] Throw (pick someone up and throw them bodily in any direction as many units as your Strength+1d5. On landing, the impromptu projectile, and anyone they land on, takes falling damage. The thrown player is no longer locked in the grapple.)
--[ ] Free Attack (make a Melee action against the target of their choosing using whatever weapon they are holding. All melee rules apply, but the target cannot perform any reactions.)

[ ] 5 Point actions
--[ ] Break (make a Hard (10) Strength skill check. If the action is a success, the target immediately takes a Major wound to a randomly assigned location. (Either Spine, an Arm, a Thigh or the Neck))

You can make up to Three Grapple Actions in a turn.

Distances:
Tacit: 40 from DP/A/S, melee with Drac, 22 from B/T
Brigade/Tank: 12 from DP/A/S, 44 from Drac, 22 from Tacit
Drac: 40 from DP/A/S, melee with Tacit, 24 from Scouts, 22 from B/T
DP/Arty/Scouts: 40 from Tacit, 12 from B/T, 40 from Drac

[X] 4 Point actions
-[X] Free Attack (make a Melee action against the target of their choosing using whatever weapon they are holding. All melee rules apply, but the target cannot perform any reactions.)
--[X] Continue Stabbings!

(11,5)

Without hesitation, the Jaeger drives its other Fangblade forward, stabbing into Drac's shoulder joint-- before tearing off one of the kaiju's four arms! Drac squeals, toxic fluid gushing from the stump!

Drac takes 6 Strikes! +4 Ongoing! -3 HtH, -3 Dex! Drac is losing stamina! R. Shoulder Armour Destroyed!
Drac heals 1 Ongoing! No damage from Ongoing!

(6)(18)

The squeal of pain swiftly turns to rage, as the blood-stained kaiju rushes off its feet, tackling Tacit Ronin to the ground!

Drac wins the Grapple! 12 Advantage points!

The kaiju's upper arms latch onto Tacit's biceps, slamming its arms into the ground. The monster's mouth opens, distending as something sparks in the back of its throat.

(15)

Tacit takes 5 Strikes! +4 Ongoing! +2 Extra Ongoing! +3 Extra Strikes from Electrical Overload! Torso Armour Destroyed! Tacit Ronin's Torso is on Fire!
WARNING: Tacit Ronin is Incapacitated!

Almost too fast to see, a dual-pronged appendage of meat and bone punches through Tacit's gut, shredding the armour plating! Drac's spine flashes white, before thousands of volts of power course down the tongue, overloading the jaeger's systems, and setting fuel lines alight! Overtaxed, the venerable jaeger simply shuts down, oil and lubricants leaking from its wound as the fire licks across the armour.

Shaking as the freakish appendage retracts, Drac raises its shaking fists, and brings them down on Tacit!

(1,-3)

Tacit takes 1 Strike from Fire!

Weakened by tissue damage and a hazy pain, the flexible claws do nothing. One bounces off of Tacit's shoulder, while the others just crash into the ground, their energy almost spent.

Drac warbles, frustrated at its body's inability to function properly. The hands plunge into the open wound, wrapping around the exposed spinal column. With all its strength, Drac throws Tacit Ronin!

(2)

No damage!

'All its strength' does not appear to be much. Tacit Ronin crashes to the ground a few hundred meters from the half-dead kaiju, undamaged. Relatively.

Drac looks up, gaze catching on the approaching vehicles. Stemming the flow of blood from its stump with one arm, the kaiju snarls in defiance.

Distances:
Tacit: Mostly Dead, Somewhat Alive.
Brigade/Tank: 16 from DP/A/S, 18 from Drac, 16 from Tacit
Drac: 40 from DP/A/S, 2 from Tacit, 24 from Scouts, 18 from B/T
DP/Arty/Scouts: 40 from Tacit, 12 from B/T, 40 from Drac

Jesus Christ how horrifying.

[X] anything that can attack, fire.

The maroon colored tanks halt, and raise their guns, aiming for the blue-stained stump. The order is given.

"Open fire."

Drac takes 5 Strikes!

Kaiju SE-26-008, "Drac" Defeated!

The heavy shells tear through the wound, chunks of kaiju flesh crashing to the ground. Overwhelmed, Drac collapses, dead.

Downtime post incoming.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Immediately, rescue teams are scrambled, hosing down Tact to the best of their ability, before the jaeger is airlifted back by two Carryall teams. The jaeger's conpod is detached, set aside while the body is addressed. While the pilots are okay, the rest of the mech is anything but.

Tacit's midsection is shredded, the spinal column and reactor visable through the wound. The armour is irreparable, only useful for melting down. The ignited fuel lines have done some nasty damage, fusing several high end electronics in the mech.

Tacit Ronin will require a dedicated repair action and 1450 R to fix. Additionally, the jaeger will need a new piece of armour, as it's lost the piece on its Torso.

Furthermore, I actually forgot something. Your Elite Units all have +1 to their rolls.

There's no way to hide this damage from the populace. Within hours, the can-do spirit that had suffused Neo-Seattle bleeds out, despite the victory.

Morale drops to Steady! No Manufacturing bonus!

Drac's corpse is retrieved, and stripped down for resources. The only things interesting in its physiology are the double-jointed limbs, and the pilebunker-like 'cattle prod tongue' that punched through Tacit's stomach plate. Even then, the harnessing of bio-electricity is nothing special for the weirdness of kaiju.

Kaiju Stats:

Drac
Class: Category II Kaiju
The kaiju is lightweight, with a standard hexapedal build. It has two pairs of double-jointed arms, tipped with menacing grippers, and hand-like feet. Its hide is pale, with numerous flexible ridges sprouting along it. Oddly enough, Drac looks rather intelligent, with three pairs of quick, darting eyes.

Stats:
HtH: 2
Ran: 0
Str: 4
Tou: 3
Agi: 3
Dex: 2

Structure:
Dura: 6
Stru: 10

Perks:
- Double Jointed: Throw, Break, and all Holds in a grapple cost 1 less point to use, to a minimum of one point.

Weapons:
Talons (x4)
Built-In Melee Weapons
Attack Dice: 2x 1d10
Parry Dice: 2d5
Block Dice: 1d10-1
Armour Penetration: 1
Grappling Bonus: +2
Damage Type: Blunt
Damage Bonus: Strength

Cattle-Prod Tongue
Built-In Melee Weapon
Attack Dice: 1d10+1
Armour Penetration: 2
Grappling Bonus: -1
Damage Type: Edged, Electric
Damage Bonus: 0
Special:
May only be used in a grapple

Armour:
Ridged Skin
Coverage: All but Eyes
Armor Value: 3/1
Resilience: All
Durability: 7

It is now downtime.

Category II Kaiju killed: +500 Resources
Manufacturing: +2000 Resources

Total Resources to Spend: 2550

Free actions:
[ ] Clean up the Blue (-250 R)
[ ] Leave it be.

Pick your four actions.

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

[X] Plan What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger
-[X] Clean the spill (-250 Resources)
-[X] Build 4 pieces of Steel Armor (-500 Resources)
-[X] Research Tacit Upgrade: Toughness*15 (-300 Resources)
-[X] Research Cannon Failsafes : In case a 0 or below is rolled, tanks and artillery treat it as an Out-Of-Ammo roll instead of blowing themselves up.
-[X] Repair Tacit and Install new Armor/Upgrades (-1450 Resources)

The clean-up is addressed-- but it's clearly not the main focus. There's much more work to be done.

First things first, several massive pieces of solid steel plating are constructed, one set painted white while the others are put into storage.

3 Spare pieces of Steel Body Plating added to inventory!

Work on the impact-gel finally finishes, and the new substance is installed. After the disastrous results of the last fight, it's decided that longer operation time is a bigger concern than longer max functionality. The impact-gel is attached in massive shock-absorbent pads to Tacit's innards, cushioning the new and delicate electronics recently installed. Over top is a layer of under-armour, before the metal plates are finally bolted on top.

Tacit Ronin fully Repaired! Toughness increases to 2! Tacit gains +2 Structure!

Research is done on making the cannon systems utilized by the Type 100s and T-95s safer to use. The solution is a little more expensive, but very useful.

Essentially, the vehicles' barrels are turned into 'crumple zones'-- aimed to provide an easy escape point for any explosive misfires. If a shell goes off while loaded into the gun, the barrel will shatter, funneling the reaction out of the weapon, rather than back into the ammo stores. Of course, this makes the gun basically useless until a new barrel can be attached, and they can't be replaced without heavy, specialized equipment, so once a unit's spent its barrels like this, it will have to retreat and refit. Perhaps some sort of resupply battalion could fix this?...

New Conventional Variants available to purchase!
Type 100-C Anti-Kaiju Tank Squadron
225 Resources
T-95-C Anti-Kaiju Artillery Team
75 Resources
- Ceramic Safety Barrels: If a Critical Failure is rolled, treat the unit as Out-Of-Ammo for the remainder of the deployment, rather than destroyed.

Elite Type 100s upgraded to Type 100-C for free!
All Current Units may receive an upgrade to C-Type as a free action. Each unit upgraded costs 25 Resources to upgrade.

With all this done, Neo-Seattle's forces are in substantially better condition than before, and ready to rumble.

A day later, it's Tuesday. And it looks like they just got their chance.

<ALERT: INBOUND BIO-SIGNATURE DETECTED>
<POSSIBLE NON-KAIJU VECTOR>
<CLASSIFICATION: CATEGORY I>

Throw me some scanners!

LostDeviljho · Mar 2, 2017

Scanners: 3+1=4

"Possible Non-Kaiju Vector? The hell does that mean?!" One technician demands. Unhelpfully, the scanning computer simply continues to flash its warning.

The weather itself isn't helpful either. It's raining down quite the nasty storm out there, and the scouts aren't able to launch in time. Still, there's some information.

SE-26-009-X is approaching from the North, the same route as Arbalest. Currently submerged in Peugeot Sound, the... whatever it is is approaching at a leisurely pace. Scans indicate a humanoid build, with... a high metal content. And a-- relatively weak, but present nonetheless-- nuclear signal of all things. Of course, it's also reading biological processes, so maybe the system's finally lost it.

SE-26-009-X (Codename currently not chosen) is approaching underwater from the North, and is roughly 6 kilometers away. This's gonna be a close (but hopefully fun) one.
How do you deploy?

Oh, and have some music. Seems like the type of stuff that suits your style. That, and it's just cool.

[X]Deploy TR and Tanks 2 units in front of the DP.
[X]Deploy Artillery on the DP facing the line of approach
-[X]Space the center out a little so nobody's shot is blocked by TR.

The defense force scrambles, sets of massive cannons being carried down the street by heavy tractors and track bases. Above, Tacit Ronin swings from the carryalls, a gleaming silver-white band around its midsection standing out from the rest of the matte white armor due to the wrong paint being applied. Despite the discolored section and increased bulk from the impact padding, Tacit cuts an imposing figure as it swoops through the stormy sky.

[---]

The mech's feet slam into the earth, mud splashing on the off-white steel. Motors hiss, steam curling from Tacit's joints and vents as it rises up. On the short wall behind it, cannons bristle, pointing towards the ocean.

The bio-signature breaches, pulling itself from the surface. Even at this distance, eyes widen.

SE-26-009-X is... different.

At first glance, it almost looks like a jaeger. Metallic grey plating... clearly defined joints... and two massive spires erupting from its back, one behind either shoulder. A cobalt-colored visor gleams on its otherwise featureless head, three-fingered hands slightly splayed from its sides.

But as Tacit's crew looks more closely, differences appear.

In between the gaps of the armor, dark, fluid shapes squirm. The visor glimmers like an insect's eye, folds and creases running down to separate it into parts. The spires are bony, with stubby spikes growing around the open tips. But even with that, it still looks familiar.

009-X stands, knee-deep in the ocean, waiting.

Distances:
SE-26-009-X is 27 Units from the DP, 25 from Tacit/Tanks, and 17 from the shoreline.
Your land-bound conventionals cannot pass the shoreline.

What do you do?

[X] Attempt to see if we can communicate with it somehow. This is a new and unusual enough phenomenon to see if we can get some kind of reaction without shooting first and asking questions later.
-[X]Tanks and artillery Overwatch it in case it moves into range and does hostile things.

The similarity to Coyote Tango is noted instantly, and a codename delivered. SE-26-009-X has been designated "Waltz."

A new order is given; Tacit Ronin is to attempt communication with this... bio-signature. It's different enough that the higher-ups want some data before the defense forces decide to tear it apart. Needless to say, Tacit's crew is a bit confused.

[---]

"Communicate?" Alec asks his copilot, incredulous. "They want us to wave hello to it or something?"

Noah shrugs, keeping his eyes on Waltz's profile.

"Who knows what goes through the higher-ups' minds. Still, they've gotten us through eight kaiju-- they probably know what they're doing."

"Whatever. Let's make it nine."

[---]

Tacit Ronin takes a small step forwards, and lets off a short burst from its horns. Waltz shifts slightly, insectile visor glittering. The complete lack of anything resembling a normal face is disconcerting-- and its body language doesn't offer any insights either.

Then the being moves. One leg, knee pointed and sharp, pulls forwards, before the foot slams into the ocean floor. Waltz leans slightly, bringing up its other leg. Right leg. Left leg. Right leg. Left leg. Waltz plods forwards, a slight heat haze coming off its spine and spires as it does. The bio-signature slows, still more than a kilometer out, and raises an arm. The thumb and lower fingers curl inwards, leaving what could be considered the index finger pointing straight forwards; right at Tacit.
I'm so milking this for all it's worth.
Distances:
Waltz is 23 Units from the DP, 21 from Tacit/Tanks, and 13 from the shoreline.

What do you do?

[X] Mirror Waltz' pointing, but then attempt to give a thumbs up.
-[X] Try to use Tacit's horns and/or lights to repeat a message in Morse Code.
--[X] "Ally?"
-[X] Keep alert and remain prepared for combat in case it attacks.
[X] Tanks and Artillery continue to hold Overwatch it in case it gets hostile and moves in range.

Tacit's own arm shoots out, pointing a finger right back at Waltz. The being stares, eyelets flickering on the visor.

The index finger of the jaeger curls up, replaced by the extending thumb. Waltz's head tilts in curiosity, as its own arm sinks down to its side. And then Tacit's lights start.

'.- .-.. .-.. -.-- ..--..'

Waltz stares. Or, at least, appears to stare. It's hard to tell with the bio-signature.

Never one to give up, Tacit repeats the Morse signal.

'.- .-.. .-.. -.-- ..--..'

No real effect. Waltz shifts, weight moving to its back foot. A gout of steam hisses from the semi-exposed internals of its neck.

A noise that's somewhere between a crack and a squelch splits the pitter-patter of the rain. One of the spires on Waltz's back falls backwards, before swiveling straight to the surf. There's a pneumatic thump, as water sprays up around the tube.

Waltz shrugs a shoulder, and the cannon swivels back upright with another crack.

Distances:
Waltz is 23 Units from the DP, 21 from Tacit/Tanks, and 13 from the shoreline. Waltz hasn't moved any units, and you've got no idea what it just did.

What do you do?

[X] Try again, this time say Hello using the loudspeakers.
[X] Conventionals are on Overwatch once more.

"What a surprise," Noah says dryly. "The 80-meter-tall biomechanical alien can't speak Morse."

"Oh, come on Williams, don't be such a stick," replies Alec, bumping his comrade with an elbow. The older pilot just rolls his eyes, but grabs the loudspeaker mic nonetheless.

"Alright then, fine. You want social? How's this?" The man brings the mic to his mouth. "Oi, you! Friend, foe, or neither?"

[---]

Noah's voice is a little cracked by the older speakers, but perfectly audible.

Waltz does not reply, except for another hiss of steam.

[---]

"See?" Noah raises an eyebrow. "I told you. English is even less likely than-"

[---]

The conversation is cut off, as Waltz takes a single step back. Instantly, Tacit's head perks up, the Jaeger's stance shifting. Waltz's 'eyes' dart back, before the bio-signature takes another step.
And another.
And another.

The... Not-kaiju passes the Miracle Mile, heading slowly westward with each step.
Ahahahahahaha
Distances:
Waltz is 27 Units from the DP, 25 from Tacit/Tanks, and 17 from the shoreline.

[ ] The kaiju never bothered us anyways (just let it go).
[ ] Chase it down!
[ ] Be paranoid.

[X] The kaiju never bothered us anyways (just let it go).
-[X] Keep track of it with the sensors, stay mobilized until we can confirm this isn't just a trick.

Waltz meets no resistance to its retreat from the NPPDC. The not-kaiju continues, turning northward once it's fully out of range of the guns.

The forces still stay alert, waiting for the okay signal. In the rebuilt Space Needle, crews watch the scanners, tracking Waltz's movement.

Thirty... forty... fifty... Eventually, Watlz passes the edge of Peugeot Sound, and the scanners devolve into static.

The order is relayed out; all forces may return to base at their discretion.

With surprising ease, it's over.

Not-Kaiju SE-26-009-X... Negotiated With?

Downtime post incoming in a few (read; about 7-8) hours. Feel free to speculate.

Also, downtime will probably be easy. There's nothing to clean up or repair, and no resources gained from the ('Category I') kaiju. You'll have 2050 Resources to play with, so planning is fine.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

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