Doing his best to shake off the battering he took Thunder calls out "♥♥♥♥.
Frog, Smoke on J7, I need to pull out of here before I die. I'll give you guys as much spotting on those walkers as I can manage. After that, up to you. Maybe mangle those walkers a bit and retreat back to safety, after STOP takes their fire.
Crispr, you do you.

STOP, do NOT let Kettlehead lead or he'll get blown to ♥♥♥♥, those walkers are ready to fire again. With your shield and reaction turn you're best suited to take their shots. Go first, soak them up, then hit them.
Kettlehead, wait for STOP to move up, go north to K11 with Baroque. Do NOT go to row 10. Shoot the Ramat or walkers. Or just both.
Baroque, go north with Kettlehead, at the same time as STOP preferably. Stop at K11, and shoot some of the walkers or maybe the Restada. Walkers are probably the bigger threat. Smoke K11 when you're done.

Not much we can do about the Colpejar, when it comes out it's going to be Loud. Baroque maybe set your drones to shoot it if it comes through."


Awe then sends a brief message. "Seismics reading splash confirmed, target is neutralized, we are green for exfil."




Orbital scans of this district show it to be a relatively small spaceport with two landing pads, there are a selection of logistics buildings scattered throughout the maze of containers that composes most of the district, but there are also Military garrisons in the south eastern and south western corners.

- Destroy enemy AAA units.
- Board Orbital Hauler for Extraction.


HKU - Thunder
- ! STUNNED ! - [-20% to hit]

Centering your aim you fire a shot at the Sostenir.
[180mm Railgun] 80+50-50-5:75 - 61
Another hole punched in its armour, you start moving towards extraction, firing a burst at the infantry as you pass them.
[AP Pulse Laser] 80+10+50-25-50:65 - 84 95 77 32 78 19 11 22 31 54
Your accuracy leaves much to be improved upo, but you at least manage to take out two of them, before you round the corner and Frog covers you with smoke.


CrazyMLC - Crispr
-- !! STUNNED !! -- [-50% to hit and -50% mobility this turn, -20% to hit next turn]
- EMP Recharge:3


Setting your target you fire a volley of Deora
[Ag Caoineadh Iarainn] 80+20:100 - 57
It lands, hopefully deterring the enemy from exiting their garrison. Turning your attention to the West, you give the infantry there a warming barbecue.
[Heavy Flamethrower] 80+20:100 - 13 80 8 90
You grin as the unarmored infantry are immolated, but the Armoured infantry have the gall to not die, which is just rude. But at least Thunder finishes off pair of the Powered Armours and Mylan is kind enough to pop one of the Powersuits.
Waiting for the enemies to clear the smoke you sit, EMP Emitter and Dorn Lasair ready, only for a Slinger to appear to the East and lay into you.
[30mm Chaingun] 80+20-25-20:55 - 77 33 71 56 41 8 10 36 33 20
[150mm Missile] 80+20-25-20:55 - 95
Its missile fortunately goes wide, but it scores a series of hits with its chaingun, although they only deal minor damage. Doing your best to ignore it you look back to the south just in time to see the smoke being cleared, and quickly tracking onto the Colpejar you fire your EMP emitter.
[EMP Emitter] 80+20-25: 75 - 30[/size
It scores a direct hit, but before you can even consider celebrating they, and the rest of the hostiles in the view open fire even as mortars close in on you from above.
[size=85][80mm Mortars] 100-20:80 - 51 26 87
[50mm Rockets] 80+20-20-19-25:36 - 10 39 11 73 64 29 62 50 34 69 4 54 78 84 75 47 40 73 29 61 41 61 27 39 30 12 100 70 69 31 36 59 76 100 3 5 2 38 67 50 57 6 14 90 98 60 32 79 73 18 20 86 48 53 85 15 2 34 9 30
[80mm Rockets] 80+20-20-14-25:41 - 61 71 17 57 90 93 75 52
[76mm Autocannons] 80+20-20-25-5:50 - 23 75 57 26 24 22 24 91
[120mm Railguns] 80+10-20-25-5:40 - 69 45
[8MW Plasgun] 80-20-25-5:30 - 66
[40mm Cannons] 80-20:60 - 9 65 61 41 14
[50mm Missiles] 80-20:60 - 100 25
[4MW Laser] 80-20:60 - 21
[?????] 50-20:30 - 27
[Kinetic Turret APS] 100 - 95
[Discharger APS] 100/80/60/40/20 - 44 19 92 13 80 52 93 78 4 53 64 53 44 17 64 92 72 38 21 39 37 53 73 85 55
[Slat Armour] 50 - 35 81 99 21 6 30 54 80 59 95 30 5124 45 2 40 61 70 2
The sheer volume of fire almost has you panicked for a second, but then you see how poorly aimed their fire is not to mention how admirable a job your APS does, and then with your Slat armour shredding a bunch of the rockets you survive the barrage, shaken for sure, but alive. And then there's a radiation warning as that ♥♥♥♥ drone zips around behind you like the ♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥hole it is.


TheKebbit - Kettlehead

Waiting for STOP to go first you push up north, and as the hostiles come into sight, open up on them.
[70mm SABRE Chaingun]80+50+10-10:100 - 47 58 49 14 72 42 18 80 29 38
[50mm "Backstop" Missile] 80+50+10-10:100 - 69
[Kinetic Turret APS] 100 - 66
Once againt some damned APS eats your missile, but your chaingun fire tears through its armour rather decently. Scanning south you see the Infantry are still hidden behind the smoke for now, only for it to be cleared with a burst of explosions, now having sight on the Infantry, you give them a taste of your Electroalser.
[Quintuple AP Electrolasers] 80+50+10-10-25:100 - 74 41 74 32 79 25 80 59 87 8 54 19 2 96 25 3 55 83 94 17 44 64 80 31 53 65 50 95 35 61 45 92 6 37 30 96 73 3 71 91 4 2 99 84 36 48 14 92 91 96
They don't stand a chance, and are completely shredded by your fire.


CaveCricket48 - Baroque

Driving up behind STOP, you launch smoke to give some cover, and then reaching the others turn and unleash a burst of fire into the Eixam.
[150mm Autocannon]80+50+10-10:100 - 66 33 97 5
Your shells are hammering into its armour tearing away plates, it staggers backwards after the second shell and then on the fourth it erupts into a fireball showering the area in twisted metal.
You then have your drones consolidate their position, they should be of more use grouped together rather than spread out, only for their smoke cover to be blown away and the Ramats to let loose with AP weapons fire.
[AP Beam Lasers] 80-25:55 - 79 78 23 17 22 79 46 63 1 51 39 35 71 39 61 88 29 45 26 69
It eats into their shielding, but they're still online, only for the Dunfort to rumble into their view and open up.
[80mm Autocannon] 80+50-25:100 - 14 10 65 35
[8mm Machinegun] 80+50-25:100 - 69 21 28 98 28 65 4 32 47 19
Its machinegun shreds the shields on the Powered Armours, after which its autocannon has no trouble tearing them and the Powersuit to pieces.


DSMK2 - STOP
-- !! STUNNED !! -- [-50% to hit and -50% mobility this turn, -20% to hit next turn]

You dump a trickle of energy into your shield before bringing it online and powering ahead out of the smoke with a shout "KETTLEHEAD! You heard Thunder! Let me take the lead!" The Grav Drone was waiting for you and fires its emitter.
[?????] 50-25:25 - 95 (49)
It fortunately misses, and you speed past, and well as weak as it is your shield should stop one shot from the walkers if nothing else, and with your reaction turn primed and locked onto the Eixam, you just brace in your seat as you reach the corner.
[20MW Plasgun - Reaction Turn] 80+40-25-20-25:50 - 64
Your bolt goes wide, but they then open fire on you.
[76mm Autocannon] 80+20-25-5-50:20 - 75 11 15 67
[50mm Missiles] 80+30-25-5:80 - 69 88 42 38 75
[90mm Howitzer] 80+10-25-5-10:50 - 22
[80mm Rockets] 80+10-25-5-10-7:43 - 94 31 12 53 5 83 50 51 48 19 33 87 28 32 31 54
[8MW Plasgun] 80-25-5-15:35 - 42
[Twin Laser Turret APS] 60 - 50 4
Your APS swats two of the rockets down, but despite shaking you up that much you're still more or less intact, so you quickly pull back into the smoke behind you.


Areku - Frog

Dashing out of the smoke you rush up to the walkers, delivering a punch to the lighter one that drops its shield while bringing yours back online, turning to the heavier walker you drive your foot into it depleting its shield as well. Striding back out you rush up to Thunders side and deploy smoke.



---- Allies ----


Screen

[50mm Missiles] [GLIT] x2
Fired high-angle at Slinger #1 - in air

[50mm Missiles] [HEAT] x3
Fired high-angle at Stultulo - in air


Trust Operative Mylan

Mylan pokes his gun around the container firing a blind shot that decapitates one of the Powersuits, before making off at a dead sprint, letting loose a blaze of automatic fire in the general direction of the surviving Powered Armour to no real effect, but it suffices to let him get across the open space and behind the Spaceport wall unscathed.

---- Enemies ----

Restada [L11]
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Ramat #1
- Shield Down
- Armour Damaged (Heat)

Slinger [S8]
- Shield Down
- Armour Damaged

Sostenir [Q10?]
- Shield Down
- Armour Damaged

Kriego #1
- Shield Down
- Armour Damaged

Kriego #2
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Unknown Grav Drone [L7]
- Armour Damaged

Dunfort [I17]
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Beetle [I17]
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Colpejar [K18]
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Stultulo [G11]
- Shield Down
- Armour Heavily Damaged

Ramat #3
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Ramat #4
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Giving one last broadcast Thunder calls out "Home stretch now.
Got a feeling that Sostenir is waiting to blast someone in the side. Baroque or STOP, go first and save Kettlehead from taking that.

Everyone focus fire on the south while we retreat north.
Colpejar with its rockets is priority one, Kriegos are a bit of a problem but it can't beat smoke.
The Slinger and Stutulto up north are the only other things with HE in range. Get rid of all those, and our smoke is safe.

Baroque, head north while shooting at the Colpejar. Smoke K9 once we're all up. If you can also end next to me so I can get your sensor bonus that'd be a big help.
Kettlehead, just head north and obliterate that Slinger to the east, and the infantry to the west. Also fire a missile at that agrav drone. If you can stop next to me for the sensor bonus too, that would help.
STOP, just go straight north, whatever you can shoot at is fine.
Crispr, between you, me, and Baroque, we should be able to kill that Colpejar.
Frog, go krump that Stutulto, it's nearly dead so should go down easy. Then get back here and smoke K8.

Bee, can you help Kettlehead wipe out that cancer drone so it can't spot for the enemy?"
Kettlehead confirms with "I copy, STOP, bounce those rounds for me. Moving on up after." then Thunder continues "Oh and Mylan, you might want to back away from me. My gun is loud."
But glancing over to Mylan he's already sprinting off and has made quite the distance in the moments that Thunder wasn't looking.



Orbital scans of this district show it to be a relatively small spaceport with two landing pads, there are a selection of logistics buildings scattered throughout the maze of containers that composes most of the district, but there are also Military garrisons in the south eastern and south western corners.

- Destroy enemy AAA units.
- Board Orbital Hauler for Extraction.


HKU - Thunder
-- !! STUNNED !! -- [-50% to hit and -50% mobility this turn, -20% to hit next turn]

Dumping what energy you can spare into your shields, and forcing them to reboot, you move over to give Crisprs sensors some assistance before moving back into the smoke. Lining things up you center aim on the Colpejar and start pumping energy into your overcharge systems, dismissing the warnings that pop up as the energy levels raise you keep your aim steady, and then just as you see Baroque pop its shield, you pull the trigger.
[180mm Railgun] 80+50-20-10-5:95 - 46
[Crit!] - Cockpit [Damaged: Sensor strength reduced by 50%, all successful hits must be re-rolled]
Your entire tank shakes and rocks on its treads when you fire, alarms blaring across your screens, ears ringing you look to them and only then notice the razor sharp shard of something that's speared through roof of your cockpit, narrowly missing your head. Putting that momentary heart attack to the side for now, you check what the alarms say, and see that that final overcharged shot caused your railgun to flat out self destruct, and nearly kill you in the process. Thanking your lucky stars you slam on the pedals and get as far out of the line of fire as you can.


CrazyMLC - Crispr
- ! STUNNED ! - [-20% to hit]
- EMP Recharge:2

Centering your aim as well as you can, you fire a massed volley at the Colpejar.
[50mm Rockets] 80+20+10-50-7:53 - 24 71 96 45 95 49 80 46
[Twin Laser Turret APS] 60 - 72 62
[Scatter] 7(SE) 3(NE) 6(S) 4(E)
[Ag Caoineadh Iarainn] 80+20+10-50:60 - 55
[Dorn Lasair] 80+20+10-50:60 - 86
[Scatter] 3(NE)
Your aim leaves a lot to be desired, luckily their APS doesn't take out any of your fire in return at least but its shield still remains annoyingly intact. Leaving things to fate as it were you back up, bringing up a review of your combat footage, and do your best to ignore the rattle and shake as you take fire.
[80mm Mortars] 100-20-10:70 - 35 86
[8MW Plasgun] 80-20:60 - 69


TheKebbit - Kettlehead


While waiting for STOP to go first, you loose a missile at the drone.
[50mm "Backstop" Missile] 80+50+10-20-10:100 - 72
You score a direct hit, and when the blast clears, the drone is little more than a scattering of assorted scrap, and following along now that STOP has got a clear path, you open up on the Infantry and the Walker.
[70mm SABRE Chaingun]80+50+10-10:100 - 24 46 69 67 73 78 32 99 10 28
[Slat Armour] 50 - 40 41 8 81 66 90 1 38 40 93
[Quintuple AP Electrolasers] 80+50+10-10:100 - 64 7 80 46 41 34 56 77 92 29 90 71 79 7 59 27 26 34 27 100 7 87 11 14 90 42 97 43 40 10 92 33 76 31 42 5 54 54 7 68 13 74 58 59 7 99 44 82 26 22
Your Electrolaser shreds the Powered armour in the rear, and batters the frontal Powersuit, but doesn't quite finish it off. Your SABRE shells slam into the walker, but its slat armour catches a fair chunk of them, meaning your shells only manage to shred one of its legs and it's still active, you scowl and curse at how it seems every local vehicle seems to have a counter to your weapons before all of a sudden you see Bee jitter into view with some holographic field making them hard to quite make out, and with a burst of railfire they finish off the Walker before zipping back behind the wall.


CaveCricket48 - Baroque

Turning to face it, you track the location of the Colpejar, and centering your aim, squeeze the trigger.
[150mm Autocannon]80+50+10:100 - 30 15 41 69
You first shell proves enough to shatter its shield, and it's hard to tell what happened next, as Thunder fired his railgun, and along with your three remaining shells, the Colpejar just flat out detonates, showering the surrounding area in rockets that detonate themselves, like some sort of demented fireworks display. Putting the show aside for now, you pull back, getting much closer to the exit while dropping more smoke.


DSMK2 - STOP
- ! STUNNED ! - [-20% to hit]

Turning south you track your aim onto the Colpejar as best you can.
[30MW Plasgun] 80+40-50:74 - 25
You score a direct hit, doing some major damage to its shield, but putting that aside you brace in your seat and mutter "Big angry tank corridor" before you slam into reverse, but it seems that Frog took the shot, and you get past the Sostenir none the worse for wear.


Areku - Frog

Weaving your way out of the smoke you deploy more as approach the walker, but as soon as you pass the container the heavy tank off to the east fires on you.
[20MW Plasgun] 80+20-25-10:65 - 57
It's shot slams into your shield, bursting it, but you ignore it and move on to your actual target, and closing with the walker you can see it has seen better days, your kick proves to tear off a huge chunk of its chassis and your armature comes back out dripping with oil as it collapses into a heap. Threat neutralized you rush back up north to the smoke.


---- Allies ----

Trust Operative Mylan



---- Enemies ----

Restada [L11]
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Ramat #1
- Shield Down
- Armour Damaged (Heat)

Sostenir [P10?]
- Shield Down
- Armour Damaged

Kriego #1
- Shield Down
- Armour Damaged

Kriego #2
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Dunfort [I17]
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Beetle [I17]
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Ramat #3
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged

Ramat #4
- Shield Up
- Armour Undamaged





Filling your path with smoke, you keep on moving towards the hauler, leaving Stompers battered walker sat there turret twitching as it runs on automatic.
You round the corner and there she is the hauler, engines hot. Mylan is stood on the edge of the ramp gun shouldered and waving you in, you spare no time in rushing aboard and the moment the last of you is on the ramp closes. It's barely closed for a second before the Haulers engines burst into life and you're airborne, the pilot shouts over the intercom "I'm no ♥♥♥♥ idiot, spooled my shields for AAA, will have to cycle them before we hit orbit, but will keep us alive if you missed one or two guns." Thankfully his preparedness no matter how reasonable, proves unfounded as you don't take any fire on the way up.
But as you're burning atmo and have nearly reached orbit, suddenly your comms crackle to life.

This is a message from the Rimward Economic Trust, Parent Interest to the Uasal Amháin Trust.
Your in-theater actions under Fhealltoir contract during these initial stages of Reassertion have drawn our attention.
You showed skill of above average levels and as such we are offering you a long-term contract as a retainer of the Forbróir class.
Before making this decision, Contractors are reminded of the NDA located in Appendix 3, Sub-section E of your Fhealltoir contracts.
We look forwards to hearing your response.


HKU - Thunder
Finally managing to wrench the hatch on your tank open, you pause and take a moment to think.
So... we've been working for a Great House huh, well by proxy anyway. Now that's something to think about. It'd be a step up in the world from general merc work for sure.


CrazyMLC - Crispr
A retainer contract huh...
You pause the footage you're watching and a feral grin spreads across your face.
So that's their next test.


TheKebbit - Kettlehead
Of course.
You reach for your water bottle to find it empty, and with a scowl slam into its holder.
Thought I was dealing with some bigger colonial power but of course they're an Interest, this is another kettle of fish.
Then deflating into your seat with a great sigh you cradle your head in your hands.
But, guess I've got to hold up my end of the deal.


CaveCricket48 - Baroque
After hearing the message you pause where you are and bring up your Fhealltoir contract and scroll to the mentioned appendix, and giving it a once over you see that if you talk about anything that went on during the period of your Fhealltoir contract, well easiest to just quote the line: "The Company will perforce terminate Contractor agreement, Contractor person, and any such individuals deemed by the Company a liability to the secrecy and/or concerns of the Company." Which is... one way to keep you quiet about what went on down there.


DSMK2 - STOP
An Enforcer contract huh, already got a big paycheck due from this Fhealltoir job...
You skim through the details of the Forbróir contract, and pause at the section detailing pay.
But well, how long would the Fhealltoir payout really last you, a few months of the high life? This retainer paycheck though... It's something else.


Areku - Frog
Aha! they recognized my talents!
Maybe this... contract will bring me some worthy foes.