Log:Mandalore: Joyride
During one of Tsook's attacks on Mand'Alor's forces, a strike unit goes after a vehicle dump.
OOC Date: October 14, 2022
Location: Mandalore: The Bloodfields
Participants: Sumi Kora, Terek Rosol, Valeska Kora, Jallo Dara, Nix, and Hadrix Kora as GM Mandalorians, Clan Kora, Mandalorian Revivers
Even kilometers away the thunder of the Baza and Sawali clans engaging with Tsook's forces could be heard. Flashes could be seen intermittently. Heading off another push by the Warlord's forces, trying drive Djarin and Concord Dawn's assets out of their borders. Perfect timing for a small unit action, or a suicide mission. But it's been those kind of weeks.
<<"These old surplus Bee En Sevens have enough punch for lighter vehicles, harassing heavier and smashing through infantry. But be ready for playing some frog-dog as we go through here. We're going to keep moving. Target engines, target fuel pods. Some of their equipment seems to run on ad-hoc ion engines they must've reverse engineered from fallen fighters at The Purge. Call out if targeting that sort of equipment. It does not go quietly. Do not bog down. Do not stay in one place. If I have to retrieve you, because you didn't listen, you are not going to enjoy our conversation.">>
The light tank and the AT-ST marching behind it at its own awkward run descended into a passage cut into the stone. Behind them, others were keeping defense forces pinned down, allowing time for the strike team to enter. Hadrix was manning the tank controls, body shifting with the rolling movements as red work lights start to illuminate the proverbial 'end of the tunnel.' But with that briefing given he squelches his mic, for a moment, taking in the relative silence within his helmet. Infantry can be spotted on scopes, trying to position a pair of E-Webs to stall or stop the approach. Beyond them a functional, if lightly populated, vehicle garage is becoming visible.
Reengaging his comms again, Hadrix's voice returns, <<"Alor'Kora, by your command.">>
<<"They aren't going to kill themselves. Let's get after it,">> Sumi says, her voice slightly robotic over their encrypted comms. Sumi is behind one of the turrets, and after issuing the go ahead, she primes the platform with a flip of several switches, spooling up the barrels and lightly flicking the screen used for targeting.
<<"Gun one is online; cocked, locked, and ready to rock.">> Sumi dons her helmet, its dark obsidian visor suddenly washing out with reflective silver when its HUD activated.
Valeska has opted for some fresh air for this assault, forfeiting her gunner seat in one of the walkers to instead attach herself outside of it. One of these days she will get some magboots. That would certainly be beneficial right now. For now, she will make do clutching to the stomping vehicle with a tight gloved grip as if her life depended on it. Because it does. Very much so.
<<"A few well-placed grenades will help them on their way, yeah?">> So much for killing themselves, that is. She's not one to talk. Her kill count for this endeavor has been low. Not enough fireworks to write home about, really. But maybe she can pick a few off from the air. That always, always goes well.
Those old Imperial AT-STs make a very distinctive sound when they move. Terek never heard one, at least when it was under Imperial control, but he had heard the sound they make. He figured it was intentional, something they would use to intimidate the locals into submission.
Terek had the thought cross his mind as he peered out through the porthole at the front of the AT-ST he was in, <"I wonder if anyone ever actually got snuck up on by one of these."> He says over the local comms, the beast they're in lumbering along as Terek begins to take aim on the closest of those tanks, as soon as he's within range. The chin guns have the longest range, and the biggest punch. He'll need to use them until he gets close enough to unleash the other weapons.
"<Firing as soon as I'm in range, get ready!"> He calls out to warn his passengers, pushing the controls forward again to gain some more speed in the walker, needing to close that distance to be able to start shooting. This has to be fast or it won't work.
Jallo looks over the vehicles before they prepare to set off before he climbs up into one of the AT-ST's settling in the support seat, <"Lets see what we have here. Looks simple enough give me a moment to set up and link into the walker's systems."> After a moment he taps on the side of the console he's positioned himself at, <"And all set.">
The plan was to get onto the AT-ST and tie down to the roof of that but when she just cannot get her rockets to direct her to where she wants to go, she flails onto the top of Hadrix's tank. She ties her one leg down to it and pulls out her massive rifle. She quickly reloads her weapon and she grunts quietly at the being left behind part. There is another grunt of understanding and she levees up the weapon and prepares to shoot at something explosive or flammable. A little boop on her own t-visor and she shakes out her limbs. She's prepped and ready.
<<"Weapons free, Chief">> Rumbled from the tank's command seat in the cobbled together mess of a light tank. It's no wonder they're so prevalent since the Alliance became the Republic and started churning out their own armor. The speed from the walker was matched by the repulsor tank, and the mobile gunners down the way were caught off guard by their acceleration.
<<"Nix, Val, you'll need to work on clearing up infantry. Small arms won't get past most light armor.">>
The tank bursts past the turret guns and into the main vehicle area. Bays marked out and separated in placed with makeshift barriers becoming visible and golden blaster fire bouncing off of the sides of walker and tank alike within moments. The E-Web gunners already turning, trying to get a bead on the rear of the mobile vehicles and others in lighter armor sprinting towards vehicles under cover fire.
<<"Copy. Engaging some parked armor, stand by.">>
Sumi proves her prowess behind a turret as the weapon platform is oriented with stark cold proficiency, and its gunner eye-balls a shot at one of the parked armored vehicles. When the long barrel of the turret lifts slightly, spooled and humming, the laser torrent that follows smacks precisely where Sumi intended it to.
One vehicle ignites immediately with a definitive explosion that shakes the dust, rock, and debris from places all around them. Fire wooshes from the combusted ion reactor, and Sumi is laying on the heat with a weapon turret firing at the rapid rate.
<<"Splash one vehicle, aiming for the next.">>
She says, following the instruction to call out her targets and destroyed foes.
Valeska ducks behind the main compartment of her Walker, allowing the tank-on-legs to deflect a large portion of the blaster fire coming their way. With a leg hooked into the non-moving mechanics -- some fuel pipe or whathaveyou -- she leverages herself against the rocking back and forth to bring her carbine to bear. <<"Copy. We'll give them something to think about.">>
Upon the first lull in fire, Valeska swings around the side of the walker to quickly scan the area. <<"Hold 'er steady, Had. Gonna say hello to a friend trying to warm up the E-Webb.">> Valeska ducks behind the heavy armor as two more shots come her way then whips back around with the Tracker at the ready. Two shots later: <<"Our friend said they had to exit quickly. A shame.">>
Jallo's setting up the sensors to show targets for the gunners and driver of the AT-ST, <"Setting up targets for you. I'll put priority on targets that can hurt us in well it says red. Strategic will be in yellow. Infantry blue."> And as he talks it starts to populate for the HUDs on the AT-ST.
Terek's control over the AT-ST seems to be well in hand as he pushes forward, <"Targets coming up, keep 'em pinged and I'll wipe them out!" Terek gets that tank he wanted, as he levels the chin guns. One last step, and then he pulls the trigger in that moment before the AT-ST begins to move again, when everything is still and level.
It pays off, as his shot lances from that chin gun, the left bolt traveling just faster than the right due to the way the gun cycles. To the tank that those bolts hit, the fraction of a second between each one doesn't matter. The first turns the outer armor into molten slag, weakening the whole thing enough for the second bolt to rip through the armor and into the ion engine, which proceeds to detonate in a rather spectacular fashion, throwing tank shrapnel in several directions, cutting down the crew that had been running to man that particular tank.
Nix takes a deep breath as she watches the world around her move. When Hadrix mentions she needs to shoot the infantry, she keeps an eye out. There is one in particular that is starting to man an E-Web and she angles towards him. The shot goes off and the red bolt moves quickly and right through the poor infantry person. She reloads and keeps her eyes scanning to see of any more potential dangers with bigger booms that she can hit.
The BN7's maneuvering repulsors are put through their paces. Flicking a switch put the turret into a curious little design that followed the general, cobbled together, design of the fighting vehicle he puts the turret onto 'independent' mode. Giving Sumi the sensation akin to what B-Wing pilots deal with as their craft rotate around their cockpit. Letting her keep her firing line at her own control pace while the oversized thrusters fire and the light tank screams around a corner made by vehicle, wreckage, and divider walls.
More fire is aimed at those mounted on top of vehicles, carbine, pistol and rifle fire meant to try and clear off those firing down on them and others position heavy repeaters normally meant for vehicle harassing at the offending tank and walker. Carbon scoring blackens part of the hull and in other spots armor metal runs like wax from the heat and impact from the lighter AV weapons.
Several crews get to vehicles that have fuel lines and arming gantries pulled away from them, but haven't started up yet - smoke pouring from ones engines revealing it to be an older style ICE unit. Another begins rotating a large bored cannon, trying to get a firing line while waiting to be loaded.
<<"Terek, Jallo, keep watch for the other exit out of here. I can't get eyes on.">>
It's difficult to see through the smoke, even with IR, the thin red lines that comprise the objects lingering behind the obscurity is further compounded by the chaos, noise, and shifting of bodies. Sumi has had a long time to interpret this sort of sensory overload, and despite the difficulty of obtaining a visual, she manages it with an aged squint paired with helmet optics.
<<"Got one with a big rekking gun, gonna try to pop its power source, too. Stand by..">> Sumi is sure to mark it using her helmet's HUD before rotating the cannon's orientation to fire once more. Guns spooled, she releases another torrent of laser fire that envelopes and destroys the ion reactor for the vehicle hauling the 'big rekking gun'. Sumi celebrates with a casual,
<<"Big rekking gun is out of commission.">>
One leg it hooked onto the walker, the other is trying to brace; both hands are clinging to the carbine. It is working for her a dream as she has managed to pick up on the steady back and forth of the walker's stomping gait. Val stoops down again at the next barrage of blaster fire, hearing it pling and dent the metal casing separating her from peppered annihilation. Granted, she would feel a lot safer inside the walker, but who comes to Mandalore to feel safe?
The havoc beyond mixed with the communication chatter is encouraging, at least. Many of those explosions are coming from their side of the battlefield. Wanting to add to that, Valeska swings around again. Ah, but those ground troops aren't nearly as brainless as she would have hoped they would be. Seasoned veterans all, those in a prime position was waiting for that exact moment. Immediately, there is a pain ripping through her leg that effectively throws off Valeska's shots; sending them wide and fruitless. She rallies as quickly as she can, pulling back against the walker with a grunt. <<"I'm hit but still good.">>
Jallo continues with his sensor assistance targetting one of the vehicles powering up using the sensors to pin point a target location for the others in the AT-ST, <"Fuel cell targeted. Please make it go boom."> He rubs his arm just a bit as he goes over the vehicle readout again checking for any damage to the vehicle.
The bit of celebration from the hit to the tank is shaken a moment later when the AT-ST takes a hit, "Damnit, lets finish off those tanks before we deal with those guys. We can take the hits!"
Once Jallo gets the lock on the next fuel tank, Terek locks onto it and fires, again lancing through that weak point in the armor and sending the vehicle up in flames, "Only a couple more left that are powering, lets get on 'em!" He changes directions with the walker, trying to throw off the forces firing at him with the evasive, or at least as evasive as this big beast can be, maneuever.
Nix feels the shot pierce her through the arm and she glances up in time to see Val get shot not once but twice.. There is a deep frown that creases her face and she lifts up her gun and turns it to the one that hit Val. The red bolt flies through the air and just decimates the guard. A growl comes over the comms from a very angry yorkie. She brings her fist down hard on top of the tank to let Hadrix know that she's still there. Probably sounds a lot like a little ping.
More light AV weapons come out in the ensuing chaos, one of those being an 82mm conventional munitions that is hefted onto one warrior's shoulder and loaded by another with the gunner in a braced kneeling position. The BN7 is still careening around potential hazards, thrusters intermittently cutting out, reengaging or bursting at over-thrust to make the hovering craft juke and dodge. The throaty bark of the anti-tank round being fired is dwarfed only by the sound of the explosive shell smashing into the far cavern wall.
<<"Copy.">> Hadrix acknowledges the report from weapons, grunting when a smaller AV round tears a chunk out of a thruster well, sending the tank slewing off course. Sensor blips for gunners and drivers alike appearing as the remaining two vehicles power up and lift off of their struts on repulsor engines. Another two vehicle crews climbing into a mobile gun platform and a harrier buggy - the latter of the two rumbling to life moments later.
<<"Took some more armor damage.">>
The LAVs lurch out of their bays, ring turret mount guns with their barrels starting to spin up and feeder belts from large caliber slug bins ready to being feeding in. Another ground team dropping a tube on a bipod down and launching concussion flak at the AT-ST
<<"This may need to be our last pass. Pick your targets.">> Hadrix continuing to give status reports, tone tightly controlled and the BN7 suddenly bouncing on its repulsors to 'leap' over a stack of armor plates that might otherwise slow it down if smashed into. <<"Jallo, find the kriffing exit, I can't see through this shavit.">> his grousing almost as casual as some neighbor doling out gossip.
With armor on the move now, Sumi is instructed to pick a new target and the difficulty factor has gone up. She adjusts the orientation of her turret platform, tracking a target as they move (and land), and fires with the squeeze of two triggers. A volley of cannon fire hits one of the LAV's hard. Unfortunately, it was not enough to disable or truly harm the vehicle, but it was enough to leave armor askew and enforce the fact the Mandalorians were hunting for that kill.
Sumi's voice over comms details the hit, <<"Marked one target, armor damaged but the LAV is still functioning!">> She triggers the coolant release to settle the overheating barrel of her cannon, its loud hiss heard over the engines of the tank.
It is no small feat to remain clinging desparately to a speeding, leaping vehicle through a literal war zone. Now trying to do that when your leg is wrecked and it's a whole new spectrum of no thank you. Valeska grunts mostly to herself as her stomach lurches with the metal beast she is riding upon. Thankfully she's never been close to barfing in her helmet, but today might be a record for almost getting her there. <<"Wouldn't mind a bit of a breather,">> she comments to the idea of getting the rekk out of here.
But who is she to deny a little goodbye kiss? Spotting a Tsook ground pounder as they speed by, Valeska frowns with a vengeful groan. That one right there, she had decided, is worth her ire. As they race past, Valeska peppers the ground with twin shots; making purchase in solid armour and then further penetrating it between the plates. The target falls, disappearing into the burst of sand left behind in their wake.
Jallo sighs a bit, <"Why always with the seeing jokes."> As he starts to mess with the sensors he ahhhhs, <"Found the exit. Marking and pinging everybody's HUDs"> Then he leans back in his seat for a moment... <"Oh we got shot at. That can't stand. Marketing target."> As he tries to lock onto one of the infantry he sighs, <"Little guy is too squirmy sorry! But grenades and missiles are more a to whom it may concern right?">
The group of guys that had been firing upon them had been driving Terek into quite an annoyed state, <"We'd better not take another hit like that or we may not make it out of here. Firing at those cannons!"> Terek calls out over comms, before he turns the head to lock onto the cannon that had just raked over the AT-ST and launches the concussion grenades with a THUMP THUMP THUMP.
The grenades explode in the air, bursting over the area around that crew-served weapon, the shrapnel shredding through several of the guys surrounding that weapon, <"One for the road, lets get out of here!"> He calls out, as he turns to swing the AT-ST around and head for the proverbial hills, wherever Jallo marks for them to head.
So Tanks jump now. Nix was not under the impression she was riding on a flying tank in this moment but alas, there she is flying through the air with Hadrix driving. When they land, she does two hard smacks to the top of the tank. Ping. Ping. She's still there. She lifts her gun up and sees on particular target. A little brow slowly rises and she hauls the gun up and bloops. She watches the redbolt fire through the air and ping off her target. A little hiss from the medic as she buckles down a little and preps for the next shot. She is trying to focus on the jumping tank and the targets she's trying to hit.
<<"Marked, good... whatever the kriff you call it. You don't have eyes... Good pingy-pingy sensy-sensy...">> shaking his head slightly and angling the repulsortank towards the exit, <<"Sumi, gonna have at least one last good hit before we hit the tunnel. Pheegus should have the Kyr'am Ra Kote close for mobile dust off.">>
Rotary slug cannons open fire from the Tsook tanks, cutting dividers to pieces and chewing up rock walls, causing stones to shake loose and tumble to the floor, knocking over crate stacks and equipment racks, following the BN7 charging around and slewing on its hover systems to align with the opening marked by the miralukan.
<<"Up and out. Pot-Shots if you see opportunities, weapons are free.">> more cannon chatter rakes up the ground in their wake and then behind the AT-ST following the light tank. The latter being targeted with rotary blaster cannons meant to chew up buggies or infantry but in this case succeeding only in blue on blue property damage.
<<"Understood. I'll give some parting rounds..">> Sumi responds, orienting her platform to face their pursuers. With the cannon cooled, the molten orange returned to a glossy black, the cannons spool and fire once more. While, again, she yields damage, it isn't enough to kill one of the vehicles pursuing them. The constant fire with a fresh cannon should have been motivation enough to keep them back though, it was just through some sort of miracle they were not disabled or destroyed.
Jallo's still punching away at the sensors as he puts up a target lock on a harasser because it had the audacity to fire at them, <"Last shots towards us are targeted. Should be a viable lock for your cheek weaponry. Let me know if you want something else and I'll try to facilitate it for you.">
The lock from Jallo is right at the edge of Terek's range, <"That one's damaged, but I can hit it."> Terek replies, as the cheek blasters lance outwards from the walker as it finishes its turn. It had been lagging behind the tank because of the little side trip to blow that guy up.
Never the less, he began to run, picking up speed once he was on a straight line, and starting to catch back up with the tank, <"Coming up on your six, don't worry about us!">
It's a little bit of a wild ride on top of a tank. Nix watches things speed by and just slowly gets lower to the top of the tank and she just holds on looking for anything she might be able to shoot but she's not finding much of any target. The tiny mando grumbles quietly on top of the tank and keeps peekings. <<"Val, I will fix you.">> Her metallic voice speaks out over the radio. <<"Anyone else damaged, report to me for immediate relief.">>
Valeska at least has the benefit of being able to pop the hatch and drop down into the AT-ST once they're clear of the vehicle garage, hanging from the circular 'lid' and dropping down once it's closed rather than just plummeting like a rock through the opening. Slewing one side then another while dumping reserve power into engines, <<"Life support coming off line, it's going to get hot in here.">> the temperature already beginning to rise.
One of those tanks that had powered up remains back, battered, bloodied by mechanical standards and the other two are sluggish to find position with the precision driving being managed by walker and repulsor craft.
Infantry chase after, firing small arms and trying to get AV guns in place. Shouting and chaos are the watch words and when heavier weapon fire is directed up the ramps where ash and black stone are now blowing violently down from the entryway. Heavy 'drop' rods coming down as tank and walker emerge from the vehicle dump. Connecting ports being attached in transit with the Ithorian piloting the Gozanti Light Cruiser does what it was, quite literally, designed for. Armor transport.
<<"We have you connected, lifting off...">> the various point defense turrets of the craft swinging around, tracking and its shields engaging to envelope the escaping craft. <<"Hold on tight, we'll get you back home snug...">> once enough altitude is gained the main thrusters engage, hurling the craft on and away from the target zone, forcing poor Nix to hook onto a pair of stanchions for a long ride in the brisk... acrid... volcanic desert air.
<<"Copy... send the location data for sapper teams as well, now that they've been softened up...">>
