Task Force Phantom Mission I Act I: WhereAngelsDareNotTrod

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Takeshi had been standing with the rifle at ready but mesmerised until he was shoved by Arkase. That woke him up and he was quick to jump out after the group. His eyes darted from one place to another, seeking any movement in their direction. As the blips apperead he hoped that the Starlight would reach is destination and deploy it's cargo without to much problems. At least he could hope that would be the case. Searching around he quickly found the familiar shape of the mecha carrier. He would keep an eye open for trouble heading that way. He was following Arkase and the rest of the group not to keen on firing his weapons and wasting shots at this moment.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

The battle continued to rage in a chaotic melee with ships closing into point-blank range, dancing with one another with munitions and beams of light being traded. Battlepods and Power Armor fought in between the press of armored hulls, desperately trying to get at one another.

Arkase, Nashira, and Sakamura were firing away with their Gauss Cannons at strafing Battlepods.

"Takeshi-Hei, we need you to fire on the damn Battlepods! We're halfway there, and we can't let any come through on our side toward the Starlight!" Arkase sent over a tight-band channel.

--------------

Tachibana could only watch as the combat unfolded. The Task Force Ships had destroyed the first two Escorts with ease, focusing their firepower to bring the monsters down. But now the Freighters had turned around, bringing their small weapons to bear or even attempting to ram the nimble Yamataian gunships. It had turned the entire combat into chaos, and he had relinquished direct control of his ships moments ago.

On the side closest to the moon, a pair of escorts had the Shinkan cornered against the moon with two of the new Kouken-Class Ships. The Escorts kept a respectful distance from the Koukens, and instead exchanged blows with the longer-reaching Plumeria. But one drifted too close to the Koukens, and energized plasma tore apart its shields and scorched the nose. The Plumeria followed with a blast of Aether, and the Escort began drifting backwards as lights began flickering and secondary explosions touched off.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

"They will not get through." Takeshi answered and raised the rifle, taking aim at one of the advancing battlepods. When he had a good aim he squeezed the trigger firing the rifle and the right gauss canon. Quickly he located a new target and squeezed the trigger again firing another round form the rifle and now the left shoulder canon. He kept on firing while moving forward. Still he tried to conserve the ammunition for the shoulder canons and use the rifle as much as he could. He had more rounds for it and the gauss canons might be needed later. From time to time he did check so that nothing got passed them towards the Starlight.

"Enemies going down." He said as he fired again. He could feel his heart beat harder then before. This was like nothing he ever experienced before, he was not afraid or nervous anymore. Now the calm of a man doing what he had been trained to do had taken over.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Takeshi would find that he only shot down two battlepods in the time it took the squad to reach the Starlight. Most of his shots had missed, or only injured the NMX fighters.

Arkase was the first to touch down on the hull of the Starlight.

"Alright." He said, "We just have to hold our ground until the Ashigaru Mecha make a dah-- TAKESHI-HEI!"

Takeshi was struck a heavy blow from behind, sending him crashing into the hull of the Starlight.

"Focus on those Rippers! Don't let them into the Starlight!"

The NMX convoy had deployed their own Power Armour in support of the mass of Battle Pods, and they were moving at full speed to assault the Mecha Carrier.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Takeshi had just enough time to look up at Arkase before the blow sent him flying towards the Starlight. It was enough that he blow in the back had blasted the air out of his lungs. Then when he crashed into the hull his last bit of air was blown out of the lungs. He tried to get up as quickly as he could, but it wasn't easy his vision blurred and lungs burning like hell. He felt a metallic taste in his mouth realizing that it was his own blood he could taste. This was not how he wanted it to go.

"AIES damage report." Takeshi said as he stood up and tried to move towards the top of the Starlights hull. He did go prone at the bow of the carrier. He hoped the PA would hold up. Now was the time for some pay back. Taking a deep breath and letting it out again he took aim and started firing at the Rippers.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

AIES said:

CFS down 30%. Light damage to Armor.

Click to expand...

Takeshi's shots went wide of the evasive Rippers. At that range, it would be nearly impossible to hit with his rifle with them evading at the speed they were. Of course, as they got closer...

The first shot to land was from Arkase's weapons. The Gauss round bounced off the shields of the lead Ripper. The next few shots that landed came from Nashiro and Sakamura, and the final round came from Takeshi's rifle.

With its shields worn down, and its armored hide showing signs of damage, the round broke through the lead Ripper's right shoulder. The NMX PA careened off to one side, avoiding more fire, until it came back around to join formation with the others.

The NMX Rippers then fired with single-minded ruthlessness on one target: Nashiro.

The enemy fire ripped holes in the plating around the Medic, and soon shots began landing. Dropping her Aether rifle, Nashiro activated her forearm shields to take the brunt of the attack. But they wouldn't hold long, and the closer those Rippers got, the more lethal their fire became.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Takeshi kept going for the lead Ripper now both with the Gauss canons and his rifle. Hopefully he would be putting more shots on target as the had closed in a bit. His mind registered the words from the AEIS but after that he didn't care about the words. Now he was focused on the rippers firing at Nashiro. So he kept firing at the Rippers making sure not to fire both gauss canons at the same time. No time to really do fine aiming he just aimed at the chests of the approaching PA's when he fired. He was not gonna let them take down his teammate. He was firing the rifle as fast as he could while still being able to aim proparly.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

The combined fire of the entire Squad warded off any fatal shots, but what Nashiro received was still terrible.

Her forearm shields shattered and gave way, and a Gauss round tore her arm off at the shoulder. The next shots missed, but then a round landed in the back of her leg, hamstringing her. Nashiro lost consciousness immediately, and began floating through the air.

Arkase fired off a telepathic message to Sakamura, ordering her to reel in Nashiro and protect her. Then, as the Rippers closed into point-blank range, Arkase sent a message to Takeshi.

"I'm the anvil, you're the hammer. They'll focus on me while you take 'em out, alright?!" And then he launched into action.

Dropping his plasma rifle, and leaving it to float, Arkase activated his left forearm shield and his right wrist-blade. He then kicked off from the Starlight's hull and slammed straight into the lead Ripper. The Other NMX PA, however, didn't take the bait and continued to jet forward.

Directly toward Takeshi.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

"The hammer will strike hard." Takeshi answered before he saw that they didn't fall for it. He did curse out loud and in a spilt second adjusted to the new threat.

Takeshi did fire of one last shot from the rifle and the gauss at the lead NMX PA making sure not to hit Arkase, before quickly getting up on one knee. He did not have time to look through the scope, instead he set the gausses to three round burst and fired them at the approaching PA before he dove into a roll to his left trying to avoid contact with the NMX forces. He did not wanna get into close combat with those, he would probably be able to hold his own for a while. He tried to quickly regain his footing and once again find the enemy.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Only one shot of the spread hit, and the round only diminished shields. 'Rolling' in space, however, didn't work as well as Takeshi had planned.

He managed to escape the grasp of the closing Ripper PA, but as he tried to stand only managed to push off from the Hull of the Mecha Carrier. Floating left him a target, and the Misshu happily capitalized. Its heavy buckler-like razor-edged arms connected with the wildly floating Takeshi's left thigh. The blade pierced through the plates, and deep into his leg. Then the Ripper hesitated a moment, and ponderously extended its other arm out for Takeshi's throat. It would likely be his only chance to escape.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Takeshi's scream echoed in his helmet as the blade dug deep into his leg. He used the Mindy's own systems to pull away from the Ripper as it reached for his throat. The pain was just as bad when the blade left the leg as it had been when it entered. In the same motion he activated the left forearm shield and used it as cover.

Quickly he fired of a couple of rounds from the rifle and gauss hoping he would hit at this point-blank range. Then he pushed the rifle towards the carrier before activating the right wrist blade. He would not be getting away from the Ripper so it had to be hand to hand fighting now. Hopefully he would get through this and be able to retrieve the rifle before continuing the mission. Takeshi did not wait for the Ripper to make the next move, instead he closed in looking for the slightest hint of what move the ripper would do. If it wouldn't react first he would do a sweeping cut from the right.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

The shots bored through the Ripper's armor, killing the brain slave inside instantly. Takeshi found himself floating away from the hull. But before he could begin to bring himself down, the next Ripper came forward. It readied its Gauss Cannons for a point-blank shot, without even bothering to get into hand-to-hand like its predecessor.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Takeshi did not hesitate when the next Ripper appeared before him. The marker that was his rifle was moving away from him, he had told the AIES to keep track of it so it perhaps could be retrieved. He did his best to keep the shield between himself and the enemy as he at the highest speed he could get charged the Ripper head-on. Not taking the risk in trying to dodge shots by going to one side he had choosen to try to slam the Ripper with his shield and perhaps get the chance for a strike with the blade. It was risky but would, if it worked be quicker then dodging to one side and try to fire at the Ripper. Still Takeshi sent out a call for help to the squad. Just a short text message saying "Help" and his position. He knew that they all probably had their own problems to deal with but perhaps there was someone that could lend a hand.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

It was as if it was happening all over again.

Arkase grunted, popping his shield to be free of his arm, hefting it and throwing it as quickly as possible at the Kylie. He rushed forward to tackle her.

The Kylie slashed Arkase's tossed shield in two, and lunged with the other blade as he rushed her. It missed by only centimeters, sliding into the side of the armor and burning the skin closest to it. But Arkase's Daisy was stronger than the older Kylie, and his drones made short work of the Kylie's Nodal Support Drones. His momentum and strength pushed the two combatants out of the doorway, the impact of the two echoed in the hallways like the clash of two titans.

They struggled, but suddenly he found himself atop her. He pointed his forearm weapon at her helmet, and bright aether lanced through the thin armor.

Arkase's shield blocked the sudden blow from the Ripper, pulling him back into reality. He twisted himself in such a way that he was able to lance his Aether blade through the Ripper's mid section. He gave it a vicious kick with the back of his foot as his momentum spun him, sending the quickly-dieing Ripper away and him toward the hull of the Starlight.

The moment he landed, he saw two things: Takeshi grappling with the first of two Rippers, and Sakamura tangling with the final of the group of Rippers.

He wasn't oriented well enough to help Takeshi, and so he did what he could for Sakamura. Aether bolts tore through space from his forearms, knocking Sakamura's Ripper off balance. The frightened Neko quickly recovered her own balance, spaced her feet on the hull of the Starlight and let loose with her Aether Beam-Saber Rifle.

But the Ripper wouldn't go down that easily. It slid around the first shot and lunged for Sakamura with its blade. The Neko was too fast, however, and cut off the extended arm with the burning-white Aether. The Ripper jerked back, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the next burst of fire from Sakamura, and began drifting away.

When Arkase turned to see Takeshi, he was surprised to see that the resourceful -Hei had managed to defend against the first Ripper, and had tackled the second with his shield.

The cry for help was instantly answered with a flurry of Aether bolts smashing into the side of the Ripper. It went limp, and drifted under Takeshi as his forward momentum carried them forward.

Arkase quickly turned to face the empty space around the Starlight. Friendly contacts dominated his HUD, with isolated pockets of angry red Battlepod contacts amongst them. The battle was entering a lull, for the moment.

"Rally around me!" He called to what remained of his team.

With their only medic down, it was going to be an interesting ride to the Freighter and out again. Arkase desperately hoped Sakaki recovered, and decided to join them.

----------------

The Battle was going well, amongst the ships.

Under Tachibana Hayate's guidance, Task Force Phantom had destroyed the majority of the Escorts.

The final two -- One heavily damaged by scathing lances of Aether-fire that had torn enormous breaches along its length -- stood between the crowded Freighters scurrying away at top speed toward an asteroid field and the Task Force.

Tachibana would be faster, however.

Ordering his Plumerias to only make passing shots as they rushed the bundled Mecha Carrier, Starlight, on its way to the Freighter Group. Then, his Kouken-Class ships with the YSS Phantom's support would finish off the Escorts.

The Power Armour were wrapping up their quick battle, with the Task Force as the clear (if bloodied) victor. Dozens wounded and several deaths were reported in his tactical report made by the collection of MEGAMI systems amongst the Task Force. But Tachibana was satisfied with the results, and ordered the wounded to be taken back aboard the Ikoi Light-Starbase Endai Maru that was still hiding with the scout vessels and freighters of the Task Force behind the moon.

For the rest, he ordered the engagement be continued. The NMX would be receiving reinforcements soon, and he would rather be cleaning up around the time they arrived.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

As the Ripper became limp Takeshi drop his blade in a sweeping movement across its torso as he floated by. He turned around to make sure the Ripper wouldnt come after him. Then he hurried to retrieve the rifle. Then he turned around to move towards Arkase and the rest of the group. He had the AIES make a quick check of how much ammo he had left and how the PA was doing.

"Takeshi reporting in." He said as he came in close to Arkase. As for now the adrenaline in his body did block out the pain in his thigh. He had not forgotten the wound there but he hoped it would not hinder him during the mission. Afterwards he would have time to feel how beaten his body was.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Sakaki only recalled getting back into her armor, she apparently blacked out and had suddenly felt honor bound to return to combat for some reason. The black haired samurai did not remember the reason she had left her post, only that her squad needed her. The adrenalin of combat was pumping in her carried her along, not even recalling the explosives that were attached to her armor for the mission.

She was getting into her armor while the mechanics were trying to reason with her, "Hey you haven't got authorization yet!"

"Then I shall make my own, my squad is depending on me!" she began to level her beam saber toward the bulkhead.

"Everyone get out, just open it!"
"That Neko is nuts!"

The doors opened and Sakaki launched right as they opened. She flew off before her navigation picked up a rally beacon and turned back to the Starlight and flew there instead. Upon arrival, she apologized, "My apologize commander, it seems I arrived late..." as she spoke took a glance around the floating corpses of Rippers.

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

"Alright. In a few minutes, We're going to pass by the last of the NMX Escorts." Arkase said, pointing at the two bright specks of light.

"We're almost finished, people. Sakaki, you're still going inside with me. Takeshi, I may want you to come inside with us -- I'm not sure, so be ready, alright?

Once we've breached the Freighter, we have three goals: First, to give AIES a chance to map the structure, and for the Intelligence boys to get to the thing's bridge. Second, to find what the NMX are shipping, and hopefully to where they're shipping it. Third, to destroy the Freighter once we finally bug out.

We don't know what's inside. We've never boarded an NMX Freighter before, so we don't know how its crew will react, what's inside, or what will be used to defend it. Expect anything, and when a hostile sticks his head up, fry 'em. We're not taking any NMX prisoner.

Questions?"

Re: [Mission I - Act I] Where Angels Dare Not Trod

Takeshi did turn his head towards Sakaki and he felt more secure about that they would make it now. Inside the helmet he smiled at the neko and nodded shortly at her. He did go down on one knee to take a breather and as he did he could almost feel how the regeneration of the wound in is he leg started it's work. After a quick check at the PA's leg armor he looked at Arkase.

"No questions. And ready for the next part of this mission." Takeshi said still standing on one knee on the hull of the Starlight.