EVENT: Simulation Day: Alpha Team (Day T-1, Afternoon, Sims)

[Snorri Tycho]

"Please. I should be charging you for the pleasure." Snorri lets out an overly long theatric sigh as he grips the control. "But I suppose it makes good business sense to let the first taste be for free"

[Comstar]

As the team settled into their pods, the computer, in that soothing voice, checked off all the startup sequence. Each pod contained a bulky neuro helmet which covered the head and rested on the shoulders of the padded cooling vest, along with the hookup tube for the vest, and the bio-sensor patches to attach to arms and legs. It would be a familiar ritual to any mechwarrior, attaching the monitoring patches to bare skin on legs and arms, and then attaching the coolant pump. That familiar chill as the cold liquid surrounded their torso, and then the wash of heat as the 'mech engine' began sending waves of warm air up across their feet and into the cockpit.

For now, it was nothing much, but once things got started, the pods would become proper ovens, in which the mechwarriors would be ever so glad they weren't clad in full combat fatigues - though many novice mechwarriors were uncomfortable stripping down, many veterans would go into battle wearing nothing more than combat boots, shorts, a tank top, and the coolant vest... and some less than that. Anything to help stay cool.

As the pods began to warm, a voice crackled over the simulation.

"Good luck. You've had a chance to watch, now is your chance to do."

Yuri Creed signed off the mic, and then leaned back in his own pod, wiping his brow. Another button activated the simulation, and the view screens on each pod opened up to a simulated cockpit view. They were in a grassy valley, with lightly rolling hills and patches of woodland.

--

Round 1:

Status: All green across the board

Player movement -> simultanteous shooting -> enemy movement -> repeat

Players should post their planned movement and then shooting from their end square, if any.

[Maja Eklund]

Maja wriggles slightly uncomfortably. It still felt weird having the temperature change in the pod like that.

As she scans the battlefield the young pilot isn’t wholly sure of the best approach, and so defaults to what worked for her on the ground. Getting high.

The Wyvern turns and starts to run with earth shaking trades as it begins to climb a nearby hill to get some height on the nearest enemy mech.

When it crests one of the lower slopes the mech’s right arm raises and a bright beam of energy shoots out from its laser as the torso launches a salvo of missiles, hopefully at least disorientating the opposing pilot.

((Run to 1112 and then if she can see the grand dragon. firing large laser, lrm and srm at the grand dragon. ))

[Dorgan Bruun]

Bruun wishes he could scratch his beard in thought, as the tactical choice here isn't an easy one. He knows Snorri will go straight ahead, but the others are unknown quantities. Not hearing immediate thoughts from his teammates, the veteran curses and then opens up comms: "That Dragon's gonna be a bear, so let's try to gang up on it. Snorri, Eklund, I'm moving toward you and will open up support fire in moments. Chow, if you can hit the side of that Shadow Hawk, I owe you two beers when we're out of here." Alright, if this doesn't work then we know whose ass screwed it up.

Bruun's Valkyrie starts stomping downhill toward the road, almost directly toward the Grand Dragon mech. As it moves, Bruun readies all weapons. Likely to hit? Probably not, but the sooner the shooting starts the sooner it'll be over. Let's see what you got, Blondie. First dance usually ain't pretty, but it'll sure be memorable.

------------
OOC:
Valk walks F-F-F (total 5mp)
Firing ML and LRM at Grand Dragon.

[Gillian Chow]

Gillian nudged the controls to turn the Cicada about, rushing to the woods to take cover near Bruun’s position. She trained the mech's range finders on the Dragon, trying to acquire a target lock.

—
New at this, so let me know if any of this is wrong!
Movement: starting in hex 1503 facing northwest, rotate left, forward, rotate left, forward, forward, forward (into heavy woods), rotate right, end in hex 1406 facing southwest. 9 movement points (running).
Attack: fire particle cannon at Dragon in hex 0409 (range 10 = medium range, plus running penalty)

EDIT: corrected hex numbers

[Snorri Tycho]

"I've got some cover up ahead, and I think I can pop into cover under that elevation if things get too hairy." Snorri pushes his Hussar forward, trying to get keep it at a level speed "I did say that I would try to make some noise for you all." Snorri veers his machine into the light forest, hoping to use the terrain to his advantage as he charges up the Hussar's laser

___
OOC

Moving from 1510 to 1008 (5 forward, 1 turn, 1+1 enter forest for 8/9 MP for walking)
+1 penalty for walking
Defensive cover from forest
Anticipatinf firing LL attack at medium range

[Comstar]

The first moments of the 2nd simulated battle kicked off with volleys of long range fire as Alpha squad rushed forward, guns blazing.

The Valkyrie, piloted by Bruun, leapt forward, clearing the woods and settling with a heavy thud. The chest mounted missile rack roared as ten missiles launched away, spiraling into the sky and then falling in a wide scattershot which surrounded, but didn't hit, the Grand Dragon.

The Cicada rushed in behind, weaving through the woods, but couldn't quite get the shot it wanted on the Grand Dragon, being forced to hold back for a moment longer. The Hussar, on the other hand, loped forward on double jointed legs, small arms tucked for balance, digging in it's feet as it found some protection in a small thicket, firing the massive laser on its back at the Dragon, though the azure blue beam went high, superheating and shattering a dozen windows along the office building beside the heavy mech.

The Wyvern loped forward, beginning to climb the hill with long lanky strides typical of the design, making it halfway up and firing all the missiles and a brilliant azure beam of its own. 6 short range missiles, 10 long, and a beam of energy all bore down on the Grand Dragon. The short range missiles all fell low, blowing potholes in the road, while the long range volley peppered the mech across the torso, drawing off chunks of shrapnel. At the same moment, the Large Laser knifed into the left leg of the Dragon, creating a glowing bubble which burst moments later, spitting molten alloys all over the road where they steamed angrily. (Hit LT+CT+LL, 5+1+8 damage)

As the Wyvern fired, a volley of missiles howled overhead, launched by the Shadowhawk, and a pair of Autocannon shells dug deep furrows in the ground ahead, geysers of dirt raining down with a soft rattle on the cockpit canopy. The Grand Dragon, hardly discouraged by the damage, fired the PPC with its signature crack and rumble, arcing energy flailing around, but not striking, the Valkyrie. The Dragon then pivoted, pulling back the right arm to recharge and firing an emerald beam from the left arm, which caught the Hussar, punching through the lightly armored core vents, cracking the engine housing and setting alarms blaring in Snorri's cockpit, along with a rush of warm air. (Hit RT, 5 damage, armor destroyed, floating critical hits Engine)

Even as this happened, the Targeting computers of all the team Alpha mechs beeped, pulling up target recognition of the two hostiles.

Those same hostiles were now on the move, the Dragon seeming to abandon the 'hang back' strategy of the last bout, instead pushing forward aggressively, with the Shadow Hawk climbing the hill to keep pace.

[TARGET CONFIRMED: Grand Dragon DRG-1G 60 Tons]
-Armament: PPC, LRM 10, 2 Medium Lasers, 1 Medium laser(rear)
-Armor: 10 tons
-Combat Role: Mid range Brawler/Fire Suppport. Anticipate a durable mech with respectable firepower, but combat endurance is limited by rapid heat accumulation, making protracted use of all weapons a dangerous choice.

[TARGET CONFIRMED: ShadowHawk SHD-2D 55 Tons]
- Armament: AC/5, LRM5, 2x SRM 2, 2x Medium Laser
-Armor: 4.5 tons
-Combat Role: Alpha Striker. Anticipate a mech with fierce firepower at the start of a fight but limited endurance. Light armor for weight makes it vulnerable to concentrated fire, but left unchecked, can easily destroy mechs in it's own weight class in short order.

Status:
Wyvern - 6 excess heat -- no damage this turn
Valkryie - 0 excess heat -- no damage this turn
Cicada - 0 excess heat -- no damage this turn
Hussar - 4 excess heat -- 5 damage this turn -- Engine critical(increased heat gains)

Hostile Status:
Shadow Hawk -- Moved 5 hexes -- +2 to hit
Grand Dragon -- Moved 5 hexes -- +2 to hit

[Yuri Creed]

As he pushed his dragon forward, sweat beading on his brow under the neurohelmet, Yuri flipped a button and his simulator pod filled with synthy rock.

That was the stuff.

Grinning, he pushed the throttles to max and loped the Dragon into battle.

[Maja Eklund]

“Ach! They are giving Snorri the question for. I will try and distract the Grand Dragon, draw the fire.”
Maja glances at the tactical readout on the mech in question and gulps

“It seems most strong, this may not be ideal. But maybe it will not like the upclose and friendly?”
The wyvern turns and soars into the sky with its jump jets roaring. Closing on the Grand Dragon now, this time Maja takes her time and waits for a moment before unloading with all the weapons on its right arm in a single bright beam at the lower mech.

((Turn right, use jump jets to 0910 in some cover and unload everything but the LRM into the grand dragon.))

[Snorri Tycho]

"Well, the simulator got my luck right" Snorri spat angrily where despite all the defensive measures he had taken the sims chose to be super aggressive and accurate. Still that they had exposed themselves...

Snorri kicks his Hussar into high gear, changing up the hill to get behind the Shadow Hawk. It was getting steamy but if he could knock out one enemy the odds looked a whole lot nicer.

___
Moving to 704, facing 804, firing on Shadow Hawks back