RP: Fort Ready [Class 5] Back in Business

Yume leaned moving her and Yosh's daisy quickly in. " I want that intel as soon as possible, i need cover fire as well" she told him telepathically. "Units one and two Daisys engage incoming, Mindys evade and get those bobcats loose so they can teleport BEFORE they explode, Unit three will be assisting. Scout assist Unit one and two's daisy units."

She pressed into Yosh moving them at max speed for the pair of friendly, Her rifle steady she fired a pair of shots at the incoming enemy as they attempted to pass on the peripheral

Letting Saki do her thing, Toshiaki responded to Yume's orders.

"Acknowledged Yume moving towards the Mindys."

Toshiaki then attempted to go forward at the fastest safe speed to get between the enemies and the wounded Bobcats, hopefully blocking their fire. He had exercised too much caution in his first approach and he didn't have time to make the same mistake twice.

Yoshiro attempted to manuver his Daisy into range for combat. He hoped that he could do something and save those pilots. He watched the feed that was coming in from his sensor drones and winced. "Those Bobcats aren't looking so good, Yume-san. We should give those Mishuu ba**ards something else to shoot at while the others retreat." He said to Yume as he tried to manuver in range.

Alright Keiko, you can do this. Shield ready to take incoming enemy fire. Approach the Rippers using the gravimetic drives to engage as Yume instructed. Aim at the big ugly hulk of metal with the LASR and start shooting when it's in range until it can't move anymore

It sounded quite simple and methodical in her head and even though Keiko they where perfectly safe in a simulation she couldn't help but be caught in the moment. Her heart was beating like crazy as she saw the enemy Rippers slowly growing larger through her helmet as she got closer.

Alright lets do this. Keiko thought as she prepared to fire when she got into range.

With the distance between the two squads quickly closing, the sensor drones and other sensors would begin to pick up information about the Rippers. Those actively trying to learn more would learn that despite the fighting, the two Rippers were just about at full strength, their shields not quite fully recovered but well on their way. The Shocktrooper on the other hand was most definitely at full strength, and most definitely not happy about their interruption of the attack on the Bobcats. It had stopped outside of their current range, and was charging it's cannon to attack from a distance they couldn't counter at (not effectively at least).

As the gap closed, and the Rippers came within range (both theirs and ours), members of both sides opened fire, the Rippers mostly with their aether beamlets, trying more for light but effective damage then the possible wide misses with the gauss cannons. As the group opened fire on the Rippers, the majority of their shots still went wide, the shots that hit doing minimal damage to the shields of the Rippers, nothing managing to hit the Shocktrooper. One of the aether beamlets, however, managed to pierce Saito's shielding, not doing any physical damage, but putting her in danger if she continued to move into the fight. However, Toshiaki, in his rush to get to the injured Bobcats drew the full attention of the Shocktooper, as well as a series of shots from the Rippers gauss cannons. He wasn't going to be making it through anytime soon, taking three hits in total, one of them from the shocktrooper, completely depleting his shields. The only reason he wasn't flat out destroyed was sheer luck, the second gauss round having skipped across the edge of his armor, totally ruining the paint job and leaving a large scrape where it had torn armor away in it's passing.

~~~~

Aendri shook his head at the foolhardiness of the squad, deciding that at this point, they hadn't done anything to earn supporting fire. "Think before you move," and here he paused to check which armor was which, "Maeda-Hei. Just because you need to rescue them, don't be stupid, and don't underestimate their firepower. Use your advantages. You're faster and more mobile, but much more lightly armored and shielded, so don't charge right in." He paused, amazed that they hadn't thought of this next part. "And remember, you have an entire ship to boost your signals. You can use the ship to relay instructions to the Bobcats if you feel the need. Let them know you're here, if nothing else, since I doubt they're paying attention to anything but their fight."

Toshiaki silently cursed. In his foolhardiness he had failed to reach the Bobcats, though drawing the enemy fire was part of the plan. When the instructor's transmission came in he cursed himself again.

No time for self-loathing

Immediately he attempted to use relay to contact the Bobcats.

"Yamatai Bobcats, this is Santo Hei Maeda Toshiaki, I'm with a group here to rescue you. If you are in trouble and can safely pull back do so, if not use suppressing fire while I try to flank them."

Toshiaki then tried to engage in evasive maneuvers while trying to wide around the flank of the Rippers. While doing so he tried to check his sensor drones to learn who to fire at before drawing too many more enemy attacks.

Saki almost freaked out when she saw Toshiaki getting hit. Enemy fire took his shields down, but his armour luckily withheld. Saki was the defender in her group she was supposed to cover him. Also Aendri said he will help them if needed OR asked. Their self-appointed officer should ask him. Saki knew it would be better for their evaluation if the didn't used him but she also thought that it would stupid to not use his armour when he said they can ask him. Yume could at least ask him to back them up with long range fire. It had aether beam rifle and particle cannons! It was artillery and there was nothing too far on this battlefield for him. Even that ShockTrooper was only around 500 meters from her. Well this was Yume's show if she decides to not use him, it is her decision.

It showed up that Saki was too far for effective fire and Toshiaki could get hit again. She moved as fast as her gravimetric and momentum from her travel before allowed her to get to Toshiaki and provide him cover. While moving this fast, shooting was out of option. At least her hand shooting, her missiles didn't have such problem and 500 meters were nothing much for them. RIpper she fired upon before was tired and as soon as her targeting system locked on him she fired three missiles from each pod and opened fire to distract him. She just hoped to get to Toshiaki in time.

Yoshiro was looking at his sensor readings and looking at the battle around him. He looked at the shield strength of the Rippers and noticed that their shields were not recharging as fast but that the Shocktrooper had his shields at full strength.

"Yume, I don't know what is going on but the Ripper's shields seem to be recharging slower." He said to her over the comms as he looked at the sensor readings. "They seem to have their energy channeled into their weapons and not their shields. That is my best guess at this and also they seem to have taken hits so they have been a bit damaged."

She growled as the beam cut right through the charging daisy's shield "BAKA! Top and bottom. Left and right. DO NOT put yourself in their teeth" She shouted into the com. " Speed is our game. Wild shots aren't cutting it. Peel at their shields. I'm not hearing enough chatter, i've assigned targets, you should be working with each other. Scout Why haven't you made contact with the Bobcats? If they cant teleport we have to change tactics i need to know NOW"

She twisted them around as she and her partner passed wide but close to the Ripper and Shock trooper. Telepathically she spoke to him " We are the something else to fire at, but no good if that hulking thing does any damage. Fire on it's exposed back, lets see if we can take a chunk out and turn him for the other to do the same"

Keiko started maneuvering her armor down and to her right, trying to avoid the incoming enemy fire while still shooting at her target.

They aren't recharging their shields so they must think they can take us out quickly. I better take priority on avoiding their fire while dealing as much damage as I'm able to their shields.

Toshiaki's attempt at radio contact went unanswered, aside from a quick burst from one of the bobcats in response; they were still much too busy trying to stay alive to send anything more. His evasive maneuvers, however paid off, in that the entire volley of aether beamlets missed his armor, though they managed to keep him from flanking very well, spending most of his time trying to avoid enemy fire.

Saki's incoming motion wasn't assisted all that much by her own drive systems; after all, they had a maximum output of .1c, and were much more suited to quick accelerations than high-speed. Her missiles, fired from extreme range, were intercepted by counter fire with plenty of distance left, and did absolutely no damage, though the slight distraction had undoubtedly taken a bit of fire off of Toshiaki.

Yume and Yoshiro never made it past the Shcoktrooper; it's main cannon had finished recharging, and it unleashed a hail of fire and forced them back away from the bobcats, out of the necessity to survive. Their return fire, even if within a reasonable range, was too scattered and inaccurate to do any major damage to the Shocktrooper's shields, though it did succeed in knocking a little bit off.

Keiko's maneuver, separating herself from the rest of the group by not rushing forward, turned out to be a wise one. With the enemy concentration almost solely on Toshiaki and the Yume/Yoshiro pair, they had completely ignored the armor that was seemingly staying out of the fight. As a result of this, her shots were on target and the large majority of them hit straight on, dropping the front most Rippers shields down somewhere below 50%. Without direct input from the ship, odds were they weren't going to get a more accurate reading then that.

Well at least we know their alive.

The success of Toshiaki's evasive maneuvers gave him some confidence.

"Keiko, keep up the fire, I'll try to keep their attention."

Toshiaki continued to attempt his evasive maneuvers, but also tried to fire both his plasma rifle and his 50mm Gauss Cannon at the Shocktrooper, in hopes of drawing his fire, though realizing his shots would be rather inaccurate.

Saki somehow lost momentum gained while Toshiaki flew her towards Rippers. Well she is slower then. Her missiles didn't have much use either even for short range of only few hundred meters. Saki cursed Ripper in her mind and moved closer to Toshiaki so they coul be paired. Also RIpper firing at Toshiaki had to focus on two target now. She hoped for it to be one of those stupid rippers. Sakis movement wasn't completely straight she tried to maneuver to not be an easy target.

Saki set her rifle to single shots and fired as accurate shots at Ripper as she could. She didn't really meant to hurt him, she wanted him not to recharge his shield until they got closer to fire more effectively. While moving and firing she tried to keep on sitaution and not to be taken by surprise if other ripper or Shocktrooper turned their attetion towards them.

Ramiro watched back and forth between several screens that showed him what the trainees were seeing. He laughed to himself since, through the window in front of him, he just saw the power armors standing in one spot, motionless. He made mental notes to himself on what to lecture the trainees about once they were finished.

"Understood, I'll keep at it" Keiko said at Toshiaki.

The young soldier continued with her flanking maneuver while trying to adjust her distance to her target. Not too far away that her shots would lose accuracy but not to close to get in danger. And all the while she kept shooting at the Ripper, hoping to finally get that shield down.

Just a little bit more...

Yume actually growled out loud as she pushed Yosh's slower daisy out of the hail of fire, and twisted through the worst of it. She leaned in and powered toward the shock trooper, her drones deployed she tasked them for targeting assist. She closed to a fourth of it's full range and let loose her shoulder gauss cannon's three heavy pulses, hopefully into the chest of the enemy. Her rifle leveled for cover fire as she prepared to roll from the straight line course.

Her orders came angry and telepathically. "No one fires at anything more that half max range. All drones are to be set on target assist. Scout you have ten seconds to establish a full line of communication, once that expires you are to broadcast self destruct orders to the bobcats and all units new priority is the defense of the ship."

As the fight went on, Aendri gritted his teeth, but stayed outside of the range of combat in the simulation. He'd definitely have some things to tell them after the simulation was over, but for now, he'd keep playing his part.

~~~~~

Toshiaki's maneuvers became more well thought out as he stopped trying for forward progress, and tried instead to distract and evade fire. That said, he was still being targeted by two of the three enemies in range, and to his bad luck, the closer ripper still managed to clip him again, throwing his movements off. His shielding would be reading somewhere around 20% by now, what little time it had had to recharge being hurt by the job of deflecting another shot, even if not a direct hit. Meantime, all three of his shots went very wide of the target, doing more or less nothing towards any purpose.

Saki's motion towards Toshiaki had brought her quiet easily within the targeting of the two enemies firing on him, but aside from a lone aether beamlet which lowered her shields to around 80, they more or less ignored her. Her fire, on the other hand, was still improving, with one VERY near miss, and one direct hit. As she expected it did very little damage, but with the rippers shields still not recharging, every little bit helped.

Keiko's continued fire, though, was becoming more and more accurate, once combined with the rippers ignoring her and her slowly closing firing range. The majority of her shots were straight on target, first collapsing the rear-most ripper's shields, then taking off one of it's legs. Even if it didn't do any real damage in a space environment, it would be a good indicator for the squad as to where their aim should be.

Yume pushing Yoshiro's Daisy away from her proved to be a mixed blessing. While it did allow her to avoid the incoming fire for the most part, it also propelled Yoshiro directly in front of the shocktrooper's main cannon fire, the impact of which resulted in his immediate destruction (in the simulation). The squad was now down to only four members, and while they had done damage, the enemy had yet to take casualties, and the bobcats were now very clearly on their way out.

Yume's latest path, despite avoiding the fire which eliminated Yoshiro, allowed the shocktrooper to hit her cleanly with one of it's smaller guns, dropping her shields to around 50% before she'd even gotten off a shot. It might seem as though it paid off though, because two of the three rounds from her gauss were direct hits on the shocktrooper, dropping it's shields massively. It's return fire missed narrowly as Yume started her roll, giving her a moment to breath.

Keiko was more than grateful for her luck, her target and it's companions still had to pay her any mind and she saw that finally she made some physical damage on that damned big can.

Yet for all her fortunes the situation looked grim. The team was in trouble and the bobcats where about to bid goodbye. It was quite frustrating but she realized that she served ehr team best by keeping at her work instead of doing something stupid and risky.

Still, since her enemies didn't have their guns pointed at her and she had superior maneuverability she could afford herself to get a little closer to her Ripper. The sooner she finished it off the sooner she could get on with another target. Keiko kept firing all the time.

Saki muttered few swear words. Enemy was still pointing most of its attention to Toshiaki and that was not good. "We need to get closer to get some hits Tosh-san!" said Saki telepathicaly to Toshiaki. SHe was quickly trying to think of something while firing another round.

Her computer told her about damage done to one of the rippers by one of her comrades. Good, thought Saki for herself. Well let'S go then.

Saki started moving against hurt Ripper, trying to get close but not to get killed in the process. That is why she had to concentrate more on maneuvering then firing. Well she will fire when she gets closer.

Yoshiro stared at the dark screens in his Daisy. He knew it was a simulation but he was still angry. Baka, you should have done more than just what you were doing. That way when you were pushed out of the way you could have fired a few shots or something. He thought to himself. He could be heard shouting inside his Daisy but what he said was muffled inside. I am not going to graduate at this rate. If the simulation was anything to go by that is...