Human Edge

Situation: As the mech battle rages, the dropship Montenegro remains a tempting fortress for the enemy to retreat to. As long as it remains, the chance of them prolonging the battle by retreat also remains.

Therefore, the Montenegro has to be taken out of play. While Anastasia favored a more violent solution, Alexei insisted that the crew, if freed from the threat of hostile infantry, would be willing to relocate the ship and deny it to the enemy. Accordingly, the plan is, officially, to try and remove any infantry left to 'ensure good behavior.' Ana hasn't ruled out a more drastic solution, however, if need be.

Speeding toward the dropship on a hover APC, the approach was not stealthy, but the dropship crews had carefully silenced the sensors of the ship, so it wouldn't set off any alerts. Now it was just a matter of a quick and stealthy clearance of the ship, before an alarm was raised.

Participants: Up to Five Characters

Rules:

Each character will have the chance to attempt to kill two sentries. Each one requires the character to perform the following steps - if a character fails to take out their first sentry, they cannot attempt to kill a second - they are stuck in a firefight for the remaining time.

Step 1) Plan of Attack: The Character will see one of the sentries on patrol, and will have a moment to evaluate the enemy, the area, and take an advantageous position. This step is a Tactics/Perception roll vs a TN of 20. Success grants a free raise on all future rolls against the sentry.

Step 2) Get in Position: This is an opposed Stealth roll vs a TN of 30. If the character succeeds, they quietly eliminate the target without further conflict.

Step 3) Fire Away: If the target spots the Character, then it comes to a gunfight. The character will get three attempts maximum to kill their target. This is taken in the form of a (Weapon Skill) check vs a TN of 25 with 5 reduction. The character has to do a cumulative damage total of 30 to kill the sentry.

For every attack the character makes which doesn't defeat the sentry, they will suffer 4k2 damage in retaliation as the sentry fills the room with ricocheting bullets, shrapnel, and spalling.


If the attempt fails - Anastasia will attempt to scuttle the ship. Characters which achieved both sentry kills will have the option to attempt to help her. (WARNING - this path is almost certainly lethal)

Results:

If all ten sentries are dispatched, the ship is free to relocate without any further damage, and can be negotiated with in future to transport [REDACTED] at expedition end.

If 6-9 the sentries are dispatched, then the dropship is able to move, but is so badly damaged it won't be fit to fly for a year, perhaps longer, as the crew settle in for massive repairs.

If 0-5 of the sentries are dispatched, the ship cannot take off, and must instead either be scuttled or ceded to the enemy.

If the ship is scuttled, the enemy cannot retreat and draw out the crisis - if none of the objectives are achieved, the mechwarriors will be forced to assault the Montenegro head on.

(In)

(Will post and roll later)

Karlotta never had the most tactical of minds. She was one who followed orders first. Following her way into the turrets, her breath was slow and paced as a soldier's, her steps were heavy, and her eyes were prepared.

She was trained years to do something like this. She heard what those people did. Pirates or not, anyone who works under this tyranny had to die for the name of the greater good of freedom.

Karlotta would not let the murderers of her people, the starvers of her Robinson fall from her hands. All what those people did was the worst. They deserved no mercy.

Karlotta wouldn't give any when the confidence on her footsteps bled on the metal of the ground. Not even for herself. The turret turned at her. Karlotta rolled under cover, and the turret took it away.

She was not going back. She couldn't go back. She took a shot with a smile. She knew her aim was the worst. Her entire cover now was staying crouched.

When she took her second shot, it hit her lung and she couldn't breathe.

Karlotta knew from the first day what she needed to do. Two chest seals... Then check for pneumothorax... If there was one, take the air out... Then stitching both holes and put the anesthesia in order...

Did... Anyone else in the ship... Know... What needed... To be done?

Another shot hit. She screamed with the last breath her collapsed lung would allow.

Karlotta's hand stopped twitching when it was over her medical box, her eyes very open.

Would her parents ever know how she chose to sleep tonight?

D6 LE Tactics/Perception + HoV TN 20: 3d10 15
D6 LE Stealth/Agility + HoV + Edge for +1k1 TN 30: 6d10o10k5 28
D6 LE LIW/Dexterity TN 25: 4d10o10k3 19
D6 LE Damage Taken: 4d10o10k2 7 (2 damage due to armor bonus)
D6 LE LIW/Dexterity TN 25: 4d10o10k3 19
D6 LE Damage Taken: 4d10o10k2 22 (17 damage due to armor bonus — Hurt)
D6 LE Overconfident — You're going to die there! // Perception TN 27: 2d10o10 4
D6 LE LIW/Dexterity + Edge for +1k1 TN 32: 5d10o10k4 22
D6 LE Damage Taken: 4d10o10k2 31

Things did not go well for Thomas and after a few missed shots from the Mercenary he retreated.

Close the door. Roll one tactics/perception at 20: 2d10 8
Close the door. Roll two stealth/agility at 30 -5 from armor: 5d10o10k4-5 18
Close the door. Attack roll 1 with civilian rifle: 8d10o10k4 36
Close the door. Danage roll 1, with FMJ rounds -5 from reduction: 7d10o10k3 27
Close the door. Danage roll on Thomas: 4d10o10k2 11 (6 damage)
Close the door. Second attack roll tn 25: 8d10o10k4 23
Close the door. Second damage on Thomas: 4d10o10k2 13 8 dmg edge to 0
Close the door third attack roll tn w5: 8d10o10k4 22
Close the door third damage roll on thomad: 4d10o10k2 26 21 damage, edge to 11.

17 damage taken.

0 guards down.

It was quickly apparent that taking the ship wasn't happening.

Anastasia was not leaving it in play, however, and pushed on while telling the rest to fall back.

What happened in the darkness, none will ever know, but minutes later, Anastasia, her left arm a bloody wreck, flayed to ribbons by flechettes, and bleeding from a half dozen smaller wounds, jumped into the back of the hover apc and said, simply, "Drive."

The guns on the dropship started to track, taking ranging shots, as the small craft rocketed away, the crew inside holding on for dear life.

And then the Montenegro began to explode. It began in the weapons storage, and then spread down the side of the ship, massive explosions daisy-chaining from one storage section to the next, and then catching the dropship primary fuel storage and igniting a chain reaction which blew the majority of the lower half of the craft into flaming chunks of debris, and brought the upper decks crashing down through the rest to the pavement below.

In a matter of less than a minute, a ship which likely took decades of man hours to build was so much burning rubble, a tomb for the crew and passengers trapped within. Outside, a handful of vehicles had started to flee, some were damaged, but most had gotten clear, containing ship crew and other prisoners, conveniently forgetting to inform the Black Dragon soldiers of the danger.

And the captain chose to go down with his ship.

Result: Dropship Montenegro destroyed, salvage largely ruined, Karlotta Roth KIA.

(If GM allows...)

Aloysius Jones could not allow either of the Winter sisters to endanger themselves, not without him at their side. While the others pulled back, he'd managed to eliminate a pair of sentries, allowing Anastasia the path she needed.

- - -
Didn't realize the event had been resolved when I made these rolls. Obligation and Driven would have compelled Aly to participate.

Event: Close the Door Behind Them (Day 6, LE), Tactics/Perception TN 20, unskilled: 4d10 23
Event: Close the Door Behind Them (Day 6, LE), Stealth/Dexterity, FR to reduce TN, TN 25, Edge for +1k1: 5d10o10k4 27

Event: Close the Door Behind Them (Day 6, LE), Sentry 2, Tactics/Perception, TN 20, Unskilled: 4d10 21
Event: Close the Door Behind Them (Day 6, LE), Sentry 2, Stealth/Dexterity, FR to reduce TN, TN 25, Edge for +1k1: 5d10o10k4 26

(Totally fine. If you want to follow in to the danger zone you can - make a thread in your PF - The result was a foregone conclusion so I decided to get it done so other players knew the status of the dropship, but you can do the secret event if you want to take the risk.)