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>>3250349

An accelerant that mavericks have their eyes on is moving out sometime tomorrow. To forestall an almost inevitable attack on the shipment, decoys have been sent out around the Point Grey area. Iris relayed between the First and the police to get your Berets into the convoy. The Berets relayed between the police and you to get you into the back of their truck unseen. This includes by your erstwhile law enforcement partners.

You’ll be keeping that under wraps for about ten more seconds.

“This is your last warning,” shouts someone from outside your very-upended transport. “Open the doors and come out, or we will get you out.” A fist pounds on the heavy back door. You slowly build charge in your busters as your comms crackle.

“Hey, Cap?” Spider comms, his voice scratchy and low.

“Go ahead,” you say tersely, smoke filling the back of the truck as the fire outside builds.

“Sighted Vics, sank same.”

“Copy. You good?”

“That, not so much,” he replies. “Tough customer. I won’t be doing jumping jacks any time soon.”

“Roger that. Get outta there, Spider.”

He chuckles, audibly labored. “Your boy Halcyon’s paying double for this.”

From outside the fist slams the truck again--this time denting the armored door, “We know you’re in there. I said, this is your last--”

Bang. Your first plasma shot explodes like a cannonball against the back side. The shouting outside goes quiet.

Bang. The doors buckle outward, bar wrenching as the flickery light of the tunnel outside seeps through the crack.

You step forward, engaging your shriver, feeling the coils unspool and crackle alight in your arm as you swing.

With a final, deafening crash, the much-abused hinges shriek as they give up the ghost, the metal shearing as the doors bow and snap free, tumbling down the road. You step out after them and hop out lightly, smoke clearing to reveal four stunned, wide-eyed mavericks.

“Yeah, I heard you,” you say, drawing your lance.

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>>3250351
“Police are moving to cover,” Susan comms from the driver’s seat--as Flak smashes a window and pops up, readying his blackout rocket tube behind Marx’s shield. “No casualties.”

“Good. How’s the squad?”

“Bright-eyed and heavily armed,” Derby replies.

“That’s Raschen,” Iris adds, indicating the gobsmacked Muzzle Crash near the back of the formation, launcher still smoking.

The mavericks unfreeze at once, opening up with a panicked volley on your location, fairly well ignoring the Berets taking positions behind you.

>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.
>Have the Berets surround Raschen while you clean up the goons.
>Other?

>>3250353
>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.
Morning Hunter Command

>>3250353
>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.

>>3250353
>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.
Can't believe we were upside down like a filthy bat.

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>>3250559
We were only upside down because the mavericks flipped the truck.

>>3250674
Doesn't matter, was bat-like. Repulsive.

>>3250353
>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.

>>3250353
>>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.
don't forget we have our tumult shells. If they have a punch of fire power we can deny them to give our guys a edge as we deal with the muzzle crash

>>3250353
>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.

"Bonjour. ... Shit, wrong coast."

>>3250353
>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.

Seconding the sass of >>3251477

>>3250353
>Squad, take the small fry. The Muzzle Crash is yours.

Time to give 'im the business. Maybe we can get some answers out of him, though I doubt he's the answering type.

Whoever did the archive got the tags and description swapped for this thread.

>>3254000
Ah, crap. Anyone on the IRC who can try to bring it to Lord Licorice's attention?

>>3254020
I mean he's usually in the main suptg chat so

>>3254024
Cancel that I don't see him in the IRC right now

>>3254026
Yeah, I'm stuck at work a while yet.

>>3254028
I'll see what I can do but I don't know if the irc folks will remember to relay the message whenever LL happens to get on

>>3254044
I'll email him from the MHQ email address when I get back.

>>3254098
It's taken care of

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>>3254161
Thanks much.

Also, the idiot was me. I'm the BEST at this whole questing thing.

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>>3250361
>>3250395
>>3250559
>>3250896
>>3251140
>>3251477
>>3251666
>>3253578
“On him,” you decide quickly. “You guys clean up his crew.”

Your squad picks their targets and goes to work as Raschen sights on you, the barrel of his cannon vanishing behind a whirling shell, bead right on you. His weapon cycles, an echoing wha-CHUNG! as it ejects a sizzling metal ring like an outsized shell casing, even as a massive roiling ball of condensed plasma streaks out from its center.

He yowls in pain and surprise as your Lockon Hunter drills right through the shell mid-flight and splashes across his arm, an explosion rocking the tunnel between you and kicking debris up from the road and down from the ceiling.

His eyes widen as you dash through the blast, straight for him. Panic begins to take root as he raises his gun again, sighting ahead to catch you.

Your Raikousen engages as the billow blooms, and then sucks into the slipstream behind you. Fingers of smoke cling to your armor as you close up the distance in a second, cocking back your buster-arm. Raschen leans forward on his tread-feet, about to put the next shell on target.

You’ve got one of those, too. You swing your gun down in an arc, slamming your Shell Driver into his arm the instant it blinks in. The explosion shoves you back and smashes his gun to the ground, where his own shot goes up at your feet. Your shields and the explosion are a blinding flash, and you charge back forward to unload with your lance.

His third shell catches you dead-center in the torso, sending you flying until you slam backfirst into the broadside of a van, rocking on its tires, suspension squealing unhappily. The explosion feels… strangely muted, as you realize your Pullu shield booster has engaged, dulling the blast to a dull roar. It ebbs across your flashing shield like flinty edges of light in sequence, making their way backward in a wave before smoothing out flat as they pass behind you.

“Back off, Blue!” Raschen shouts, braced and bead drawn. “I’ll bring this whole damn tunnel down if I have--”

Be that as it may, he’s hyperfocused on you. You fire a pair of Tumult Shells, one, then the other. His shell hits the shell in midair, detonating harmlessly as the flying barrier shatters with a noticeable whoomph, clearing a ring in the smoke through which the second shell sails blithely on. Raschen’s eyes widen as his cannon cycles, barrel ring already white hot from repeated firing. He fires just as it reaches him, shell striking shell and then blossoming into a hazy smoky orange glow.

The entire accumulated force of his own blast spits back at him as the T. Shell detonates.

He streaks back, but with distance bought, he sights on again--that red-hot ring around his buster barrel suddenly turning a neon blue.

>Act.

>>3254733
Strafe with our buster, and use the Jumpjets, then a quick Raikousen to get around and in front of his next blast, so it should impact behind us for whatever he's doing. This guy's refire rate doesnt seem great, especially if that glow is him charging.
Once in range, try to hit him hard with the Lance and Shriver, use Em's adice to take advantage of our distance control. Raschen seems to be all artillery, and Anode can get in and out of range a lot better then him.

I'd like to know if the phase blade would have any effect on his plasma shots, but im not willing to test it out here, yet.

>>3254733
We have our jump jets, our wire, and our mass shriver. Trying to fight him at long range doesn't really help us since he can keep backing off, but his shots are simple enough to see.
So, my idea is this. Anchor a wire into the wall, use dash and boosters to get behind him, and Garrote the bugger. If his arm is pinned, the situation becomes easier for us, and we can use mass shrive to put more force on the wire.

>>3254783
If youre going to go that route, it might be simpler to just use the wire to pin his arm to his side, kind of half tie him. Anode could almost certainly circle faster then he could fire.

>>3254798
Thats pretty much the plan. A anchor point just means we have something to hold the other end as opposed to directly trying to tie him with it. There is also another use for the wire. We can use it to change our trajectory mid flight. Use the walls of the tunnel to kick off as well.

>>3254733
VWES? Is that a holdover from his hunter days? Unlikely. We might have to watch out for that on other Maverick bigshots.

Have to assume that the swap is an attempt to counter the Tumult Shells. Blue could be a lot of things. I advise caution.

>>3254733
Just noting from the wikidot that Raschen is a T4, and one of their functions is a fixed anchor mode that gives invulnerability to lemons.

>Snipe with a Lockon before he can get his shot off
>Swing around with wire and melee to mess up his tracking

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>>3254808
Here's a picture of the idea just to give some understanding. Excuse my paint skill.

>>3254849
I feel like we tried to do something very similar with Collide. Here's hoping the walls and this guy Not Being Collide will help.

>>3254813
The descriptions of Raschen's buster suggest it's mostly just overheating. A charge function like Anode suspects is also possible.
Actually, that might make him more vulnerable to flash freezing. If we can't get him to damage himself from overheating/our jumpjet, we could try the misericorde.

>>3254868
Collide was a melee specialist designed to wreck shit up close and we tried to fight him at his own game. Raschen is more artillery than melee with that cannon arm being his big trick. If the T4 can anchor and be immune to lemons, then we need to think of ways to abuse that.

>>3254770
>>3254783
>>3254819
Seconding the general consensus to close in on him, but not sure which of these plans are specifically the best...

>>3254895
>>3254897
>>3254819

While I still think we could do this without using the wires, due to the number of hands we'll have to use, I due think that both options work of Raschen staying im anchor mode, which means we should probably shoot him with lemons a bit just to make sure he stays still while we do either one. Otherwise he'd have no reason to use it.
Make sense?

>>3255422
Also, just want to mention, did anyone else forget that we have 2 different Buster upgrades that make them better against shields too?

>>3255422
so long as it doesn't compromise our other aspects, sustaining pressure is a good idea. The reason for the wires instead of lock on or shells is we don't know what the new blast will be. If its energy lock on is useless as a counter. If its wide or piercing, Tumult is useless. However, it does need charge up and the thing with wires is that they help in general by giving us the chance to alter our vector or 'swing'. Depending on how mobile he is while firing it, that buys us moments. Also, sheer or not we are not certain how strong that thing is against lemons. Maybe the lemons will end him, but it might do nothing once its in plink mode. Sides, I want our other ordinance ready for other foes.

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Right, working on the update now. Storm and work have thrown a wrench in everything.

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>>3254770
>>3254783
>>3254798
>>3254808
>>3254813
>>3254819
>>3254849
>>3254909
>>3255422
You break right, kicking off with a dash, peppering him with plasma fire to force him on the defensive. You make ready to break in another direction with your coils as you cycle over to them.

“Dodge this, he crows, the glow in his barrel vanishing into a crackle and boom as--

Your shields don’t flash--

And your capacitors jump up 32 points.

He stares, slack jawed, as the snaking thunderbolt he shot downrange feeds you charge. You grin--it’s really not his day.

You’re about to engage the jump jets and boost him right into the tunnel wall, when a sudden gout of wind does it for you. It absolutely shreds through the tunnel, just as loud as the lightning or the exploding artillery before it. Raschen is blasted clear off his feet and smashed ungracefully--and face first--into the vancrete.

“Remember this, Rasch?” Calls a new contact from the cockpit of his ride armor--lowering a sidearm on par with India’s hand-cannon for sheer enormity.


“Crewd?!” Raschen grunts, crawling out of the (still intensifying) gale and bracing against the tunnel wall. “What are you--that’s mine--”

“Should’ve stayed in line, Raschen,” Crewd interrupts. “When the boss put you on the list, I was first in line. And it’s mine, now.”

“What the hell!” the Muzzle Crash exclaims. “I’m out here for him--you can’t do this--”

Flanking the ride armor, two more figures step forward--a Jetlight Tommy and a Geist. “Moloch prefers to leave former partners exploring junkyards facedown.” He rises up in the air.

The Geist is much more close-mouthed, and seems to be the only one of the three who looks over to you at all. His impassive expression lingers for a moment before he turns back to what seems to be the group’s ex-partner. “Nothing personal.”

“Not for him, anyway,” Crewd says, slamming the sticks on his Ox armor back and snapping the arms to a ready position. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

“No no no no no stay away stay away!” Raschen yells, pushing himself off the wall and sweeping his cannon wildly--now spouting a hellish torrent of flame, heat filling the underpass.

Fire crisscrosses the freeway--including a sudden blast as a hastily-abandoned car goes up in a fireball, engine giving up the ghost under the prolonged abuse.

Now, you can’t be having with this.

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>>3257493
https://youtu.be/ewFBuYHldeY

You remind them you’re there with a withering broadside, sizing the quartet up and finding their melee not so strong as it might be. Plasma splashes across the JLT’s side as he turns and sweeps his buster wide in an arc--

The burning frame of the car behind him screeches and rocks back and forth as a flying guillotine of backpressure streaks out towards you. Already swapping to your coils, you snag the wall and yank yourself aside just in time for it to shear through the cabin of a passenger truck. The flying maverick actually flies back under the force of the gust, and you feel it blow through your own jet intakes mid-zip. You’re rocked back and forth chaotically on the line, slowing your recovery as you’re snapped up and down like a clothesline in a tornado.

You look down just as a small, gunmetal grey caterpillar inching itself to your feet, whereupon it pip-pip-pip-bings! cheerfully before exploding.

You only avoid it by virtue of your jump-jet, streaking out of the explosion and deeper into the fray. That Geist fires another tumbling cylinder--a mobile grenade, it looks like--detonating against your wreathe of flame harmlessly. Your boots touch the ground again as the havoc unfurls, your ambush now a chaotic three-way brawl.

>Pick targets.

>>3257497
Between Caesar and Brutus, let's deal with Brutus first. Caesar has his back against the wall against superior forces, so squeezing Brutus with him makes things easier.

>>3257493
AHAHAHAHAHA

>>3257497
What the hell is going on here.
>Focus on the Tommy: between our supermobility and the BB moping up any meatshields, Crewd probably can't get away and Raschen DEFINITELY can't get away.
>Pepper Crewd with lemons, then dashjuke to the Tommy and Shell Driver Punch into Crewd
>Ignore the Geist to bait him to stealth. When the BB arrive, let them keep Crewd busy while we show the stealth guy that his stealth doesn't work.

>>3257497
Raschen has value. Major value. Intel value. I say we try and have him work with us for the time being. By the sounds of it, raschen is on one side of the tunnel and we are on the other. Even the idea of a team up might shake them up and we can use the distraction to take pot shots.
As for what to use? Lock on hunter should work since a laser is not affected by wind, and Shell driver if they get close. If we can get Raschen to shock us again, all the better. Mass shriver can allow us to get a hold of the ground if they blow more wind, and if worst comes to worse, we have the Misrecord for that heavy duty armor.

>>3257547
This sounds good.

>>3257547
Cant argue with the logic here

>>3257547
Backing, sounds good.

>>3257547
I am fine with that, but we should use some tumult shells or other stuff to interfere and support Raschen. We don't want all three on us, since that wind and the Tommy would be dangerous along with those crawling bombs. 2v3 is better for us then 1v3v1 and then 1v3
Besides, I want that intel. Not only could we figure out their plan, he can likely tell us where Moloch's officer HQ is. We could wreck their place of resupply and coordination, making it easier for us to end the fight.

>>3257661
Backing this. I'm opting to say we focus on keeping those chumps from getting away and since Raschen is arguably the least mobile of the bunch I'd say his ex-associates just bought him some time to negotiate a surrender in exchange for, preferably, more information.

>>3258411
Why would he stay loyal to Moloch anyway when he just ordered his death?

>>3258416
Ideally he wouldn't, but as far as he knows his choices are for his ex-associates to kill him now or for the hunters to kill him now. We keep him alive for now by focusing on his more mobile friends, which is both intimidation (demonstrating that he can't run from us) and ensuring that they don't off him to keep his mouth shut. For clarity's sake, we're not going to attempt to negotiate his surrender while there are enemies pointing guns at his head, since that will give them incentive to kill Raschen before we can protect him.

Also, we didn't give them permission to dance with us. Cutting in is RUDE. Were they built in a barn?

>>3258439
>Were they built in a barn?
Haybale Twingus takes offense at this

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>>3257547
Backing this, and we should also do a little celebratory dance when we win this victory royale

>>3257497
Tag the Geist with a cable, then Shriver swing him into the Jetlight. They'll never see it coming.

>>3258416
Just because Moloch's cast him aside doesn't mean he's not maverick. He could still believe in Doppler or just not trust the Hunters to let him live (remember, he's a former Hunter himself). He's earned a chance at surrendering, but the enemy of enemy is my enemy's enemy, nothing more or less.

>>3257547
Backing this. Rip 'em up!

>>3258786
Aye, but at this point I'd rather he would focus on the other three than us. We can handle him when Crewd and his crew are gone, but having all three of them focus on us would be bad. The enemy of my enemy is currently not shooting us in the face with wind guillotines.
Still, both ideas work. We can apply pressure to the three, relieve pressure on Raschen, and deal with them. Really, any that are focused on Raschen are open to a cheap blow from us.

Hey, hold up. Not related to anything in the thread, but...

...Do you think Dammahnation would be worth pumping for information... Not on Moloch, but on Seven?

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>>3257547
The tunnel is empty--the few vehicles on the road swiftly abandoned, the routes cordoned and blocked off. The few police officers on the patrol beat feet the moment things got hot, your Berets covering their retreat. Aside from the (admittedly nonzero) possibility of a few millions tons of water ruining your party, this is a fistfight in a fusebox.

All the stress and the helplessness as you’ve had to move the pieces on the board, far removed from the front lines, all of it surges up to the fore. You feel a maniacal grin you haven’t worn for what feels like years split across your features.

“Feeling good about your choices, Raschen?!” You howl, barreling back into the fray.

“Shut up shut up shutup!” He howls from inside what seems like a frigid wall of ice.

Fire kicks up gouts of road at your feet as the JLT strafes you. His wind blast left him a step out of time, though, giving you room to maneuver before he can box you in. You break hard to the right, ignoring him as you bear down on Crewd, launching shots downrange at his bulky armor as fast as your busters can send them. They join a growing crossfire between the trio of mavericks, the hapless artillery renegade, and your team--speaking of--

“Back end’s clear,” Susan comms. “What are we hitting?”

“Ruin the flyer’s day,” you reply quickly. “He’s the most likely to make it out of this!”

“Copy,” Flak replies, and a distant whoosh tells you he’s shot his chaff rockets downrange.

You keep an eye on the Jetlight through your pell-mell dash, entering close range as the Ride aims and fires its shoulder cannon at you defensively. You leap clear, then fire a T. Coil straight back down, land hard, dash. The Jetlight casts his buster arm back dismissively, and a lingering cloud of his own trails in streamers from his weapon. It seems to drift into the oncoming missile, which sputters midflight, goes dark, and then clatters to the ground. It skids on its own momentum before blooming harmlessly into a cloud of chaff far from the fray.

“That confirms it,” Iris says decisively. “That’s Claxton.”

You ignore him a little longer as you come up on Crewd--he braces himself like Collide did, plasma beams crisscrossing his Ride’s chest--

And then you promptly dash dead away, back towards Claxton.

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>>3259847
The Jetlight Tommy is fast, but you’re faster--slamming your cocked buster into his face and detonating the Shell Driver, sending him straight down so hard he bounces off the asphalt. You gain air hang from the recoil, switching quickly to your coils and launching one down beside him. Still cool under fire, he sends another screaming gale straight up at you, the invisible axeblade of wind slashing through the cable and clipping your arm, sending your shields back alight--and carrying you back into the air, buffeting through your jet intakes and tumbling you aloft. Your shields strobe intensely sun-bright for a moment as that scale effect claws back over them, and then a faintly unpleasant zzzztPOP in your chest accompanies a small notice in your head announcing CELL LOST. Damn.

He’s filling the air around you with spread shots, but you’re not done with him yet. You fire another cable and catch him square in the chest. You engage the Shriver as your shields fade, twisting yourself in midair and slinging him around like a bola, cutting the line as he slams hard into Crewd’s ailing armor.


Your squad advances, taking what little cover they can (and occasionally vacating it as an artillery shell or a wind blast or an overachieving grenade lands home). The Geist strides out of the rolling fogbank he created, his appearance suddenly glitching left, right, and away, casting him as somewhere else entirely. Buster rifle shots punch through it harmlessly.

Unfortunately for him, your OPAL readily identifies him, and he realizes you can see through him just in time for you to piledrive him into the wall. You plant your boots on his chest and kick off, driving him further into the stonework, just an instant before another wall of ice crystallizes, trailing cold vapor clawing at your feet. He vanishes in the cold for only an instant before your optics lock onto him again--no escape for the wicked.

By now, Crewd is backing off, his Armor laboring and sparking as another artillery shot splashes across it from an equally desperate Raschen, sheltering beside an overturned tractor trailer. Claxton is hauling himself up, but you sense from the coiled spring that it’s more wary than weary. The Geist is maneuvering stealthily, firing a few more grenades into the fog where he thinks you can’t see him.

>Send your Berets after a target.
>Send yourself after another.

>>3259850
Have the Berets focus fire on Crewd who not going to be dodging, while anode deals with Claxton, who seems like the worst threat so far.

Could Anode direct Flak to launch a Blackout to the Geist? He'll be pretty useless for a while if he cant see anything and his friends cant help him if they cant see him either.

>>3259894
That sounds like a good plan I'll support it.

>>3259894
>>3259850
This, but I would direct Anode to keep a close tab on Rashcen’s line of fire while engaging.

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>>3259850
I think we oughta ruin the Geist's day.

>>3259850
Kill the Jetlight tommy. Make sure he is down and can no longer fight. Flak flaking the geist is a good idea and maybe we can use our juice to shock the flak and further fry him?
Either case, work to keep pressure on Crewd with the other Berets, maybe with Susan taking a shot of opportunity with their rifle if any try to ditch. Provide Tumult Shells when needed.

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>>3259952
To elaborate on this, I think that as soon as it really sinks in for him his stealth is ineffective on us, he's going to divert his attentions to either Raschen or our team. I want him taken down hard before then.

>>3259850
>CELL LOST
RIP money

>Anode goes for the Geist
The geist has Anode's weakness, and I'd very much like to not need to repair the C. Cap. Firedash into supermelee to end it quickly.

>Berets on Claxton
Raschen's still hammering Crewd, we need to keep Claxton from running.

>>3259923
Seconding this

I think we should also focus on Crewd for now though, he has the biggest gun

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>>3259894
>>3259921
>>3259923
>>3262005
“You guys chip down Crewd,” you order, setting your sights back on Claxton. “And put a rocket on the stealth guy.”

“Can do, but… where?” Flak asks.

You announce his location by shooting the ground at his feet. The Geist flits back lightly, ready for a gunfight, looks up from the shot at you, and makes the connection just in time to vanish into a storm of blackout chaff.

Your own turn to go on the defensive as you diveroll forward, narrowly avoiding an invisible blade that cuts an entire damn car in half, straight through the engine block. You sight on and punch him in the shoulder with a Lockon Hunter; immediately dropping back to avoid a return-volley of his spread shots. Another quick reversal--a car engine explodes not far away, and you vault forward as the mangled frame bucks upward, leap, catch the burning roof, and kick-jump from it. He throws another wind axe, but your boosters have cooled--they make a hellish shrieking noise as the gale sucks through the air intakes, but you weather the storm and barrel straight through.


His eyes widen as the scything ruin parts around you, frantically releasing another cloud of magnetic chaff around you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnLAC5AJPuM

You pour on the juice and electrify the whole damned cloud, little microbead particles sliding off your armor like hydrophobic sand. Your lance snaps out, finally, and you swing for the fences.

He jukes, but only just--and the whole leadup into launch affair has bought you time to build charge for a pair of shots. His retreat is stymied by predictability, struggling to keep himself on an even keel in the now-sustained winds whipping through the tunnel. That cyclone weapon Crewd is using doesn’t seem to let up quick, and you take advantage of the instability by launching a charged shot right into Claxton’s side.

His shields flash, and he actually seems to freeze. “What…”

Your buster reports a ‘strong’ read on his shielding system. You release your other shot.

His shields are a miniature corona. He moves to dodge, but the blast seems to carve straight through his flickering buffer. One of his nacelles explodes and he lists over in the air, actually catching himself on the back of a semi.

“No…” Claxton looks up at you, not afraid, but unbelieving. You fire, but he leaps, launching another wind axe straight downrange that you only avoid by virtue of the telegraph. This time, he doesn’t fight the recoil, blowing himself back--and away. You realize his bid for escape too late, as he uses the maze of upended, ruined cars to sprint, not fly, down the freeway.

Trying to pursue nets you a shot across the back--from Raschen, no less. You turn back, shields scourged in a crisscross of fire as you pass. “See?!” He yells. “See! I’m no sell-out, I haven’t told them anything!”

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>>3262488
Whether he’s game or not, the Geist cuts you off with grenades, and like that, Claxton is gone--trailing smoke and sparks as he vanishes, rolling over as he takes flight to narrowly avoid a last bid to snipe him down with a Lockon.

A moment later, rolling explosions blow the windstorm out from within as Crewd’s Ox finally gives up the ghost. It’s a sturdy thing--detonations blooming in angry crisscross as it blinks and strobes across the hull. The A-Cruise, panicked, turns and barrels straight through the vehicles, tankers bowing around his retreating bulk as he bails as fast and as hard as he can before his ride goes out from under him.

“No keeping up with that, sir,” Susan says reluctantly. “Not for us, anyway.”

Not for them, maybe, but--Raschen’s cursing disrupts your thoughts as he fires, missing cleanly, through an afterimage of the Geist, reminding you that he’s there. Once again you have to hesitate, sizing up the remaining two mavericks. He knows something--and your Berets can’t see his dance partner, if you leave them. That settles that, then--the A-Cruise lives to fight another day.

Two down, two to go.

Somewhere in the distance, you hear the whumph of Crewd’s ride detonating, even as you suddenly change directions and rocket in on the nearest target. The Geist’s optics are little flitting darts of lights on a featureless grill, so he can’t show surprise--but he stumbles back, staggering as your lance smashes across his arm.

It’s no contest. He tries to release another frigid fog, but you wind up and slash again, and take off his buster at the shoulder. Unspent cryomer aerosol pools miserably as it falls to the ground, and he looks down at it in muted horror.

Your third strike is the last. He goes up as you hear Raschen’s treads grind--something stuck in them, probably a lot of debris--and you turn, slashing the incoming plasma globe in half as you focus on him. It detonates in a final, almost tame blue fireball, held at arm’s length. Your Pullu system rolls as if simply shrugging, more than happy to be only at secondary distance from the heart of the miniature sun.

On you stride through it, to his disbelief. He launches fire again, and you simply leap over the sweep as the pavement beneath goes molten, and come down hard. Your boot slams down onto his cannon arm, wrenching him off-balance long enough to shear it off with a two-handed upswing of your lance. He freezes, wreathed in ruin, as you halt your kill-stroke perilously close to his head.

“You a true believer, or a smart guy, Raschen?” You ask lightly, the last smoke from the plasma shell seeping off your chestplate.

“...I’m a smart guy,” he mumbles, letting his arms fall.

“Good.” Familiar steps from the left tell you one of your Berets--Flak, it turns out--approaches. “Status?”

“We’re clear, sir, all hostiles down,” he reports. “Minimal damage.”

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>>3262493
“To you, maybe,” comes a gruff, voice. You lift one hand from your lance to level a buster as a smaller figure emerges from behind one of the upended convoy trucks.

He holds up his badge, waving it irritably like he’s shooing your buster away. “Detective Lawrence Bragg, VPD.”

You lower your weapon at the sight of the human civilian. “You good?”

He ignores your question, stepping out rather fearlessly considering the close-range artillery-and-hurricane gunfight you just had in the cramped tunnel. “‘Just us, sir,’” he mutters, kicking what’s left of a shorn car door mirror with his scuffed once-dress shoe.

“I’m sorry?” You ask, keeping your eyes on Raschen until Flak and Susan step forward, taking him off your hands.

“‘Two squads, reporting directly home. We’re here to help, sir.’” He throws his becoated arms wide at the thoroughly annihilated once-freeway barely-still tunnel. “Outstanding job, hunter.”

>I apologize for the deception, but we’ve got a very big fish to fry.
>If you have a problem with our operation, you can take it to me.
>Other?

>>3262495
>I apologize for the deception, but we’ve got a very big fish to fry.
We do pest control, and while Vancouver's got a bunch of roaches, our eyes are on a rather big rat.

>>3262495
>Sorry about the Superhero scale battle damage, but in my defense I think they would have thrown more guys at us if they knew I was around.

>>3262495
>I apologize for the deception, but we’ve got a very big fish to fry.
You're welcome, asshole.

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>>3262495
>If you have a problem with our operation, you can take it to me.

Man, fuck this guy. I'd maybe be more apologetic if we hadn't scored a huge win here, and we had been expecting this situation. Like, from what I've seeing, we've just done HUGE damage to Moloch's main henchmen... Who weren't even supposed to all BE here.

>>3262495
>In my defense, most of this damage was from them, and three of them showed up to fight the other so a lot of this may have been on the table with or without me.

I love that we went and styled hard so hard on Claxton that he almost literally noped out of the skirmish.

It's fun when the Mavericks get caught off balance for a change.

>>3262926
Raschen panicking when Anode stomped out of the van was hilarious. Actually, he's been funny all through the sequence.

>>3262926
>>3262990
We are so used to interacting with As and Ss that this is probably the first time that we have actually comprehended what an A looks like to Bs/Cs. Anode is something that all 4 of them working together would likely be unable to handle.

>>3262495
>>I apologize for the deception, but we’ve got a very big fish to fry.
Are his men injured? Do they need medical attention?

>>3262495
>I apologize for the deception, but we’ve got a very big fish to fry.

"... And he already killed a bunch of Hunters and broke a bunch of civilian infrastructure."

>>3262495
>I apologize for the deception, but we’ve got a very big fish to fry.
We can tally up our many failings when the dust settles. And to be fair, we're here so they dont HAVE to help.

Is this gonna end up being a [glass him] situation?

>>3263237
>look that up
Jesus fuck Telltale.

>>3263389
Fortunately HC isn't incompetent like Telltale was.

>>3262495
>I apologize for the deception, but we’ve got a very big fish to fry, eh

>>3262495
>Why thank you, it really could have been worse if the battle was somewhere with more people.

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>>3262495
>I apologize for the deception, but we’ve got a very big fish to fry.

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Right, today was certainly a day. I'm trying to settle in and ignore my screaming legs, bear with me.

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>>3262544
>>3262630
>>3263098
>>3263169
>>3263232
>>3263700
>>3264273
You check the urge to sigh--you’d been mentally amping yourself up for this conversation all morning, knowing that the moment you kicked those doors, you were officially on the radar.

“I’m sorry,” you begin, willing some measured calm into your voice. “But we’re here for a very high-profile target, and discretion was a must.”

The detective stares at you in fuming silence for a moment before gesturing angrily at the tunnel again. A hub cap chooses just then to fall from an overturned car, hitting the ground with a resounding clang.

“...I am also sorry for the collateral,” you rally. “Though frankly, it was anything but a waste.”

“How do you figure?” Bragg demands.

You resist a flippant shrug. “One heavily damaged mav, vehicle specialist lost his armor, one confirmed retired, a live capture for questioning…”

“Do you have any idea how--”

“And,” you continue over him, “no one died.”

He stares at you in silence for a moment before his squared shoulders fall, just a hair. “True.”

“Like I said,” you try, losing some of the professional edge. “I’m sorry we couldn’t tell you the scope of the operation. It wasn’t my favorite call. And I’m about as stealthy as you might expect.”

No distant explosions underscore your point, sadly. However, a moment later, you hear Marx ping. “Hey, Captain?”

“What’s up?” You ask, looking down the tunnel.

“We found this,” he says, climbing atop a truck to lift that massive cannon in both hands, apparently too heavy for Crewd to abscond with on foot.

Raschen looks up at it, nakedly covetous. “That’s--”

You, Susan, and Detective Bragg all fix him with withering glares. “... Nevermind,” he mumbles.

“That,” Flak breathes, letting Derby take his place as he meets up with Marx, “is mine.”

You leave him to it, turning back to Lawrence. “While I’m making friends, I’m going to have to insist that Raschen comes with us before we turn him over. He’s got info on the guys who were here for his head.”

“Had to be ol’ Ellis, didn’t it?” He spits, looking at the remains of the Geist. “Just had to let Crewd get away…”

Bragg waves him off, impressively unperturbed by the heavy-duty furball that ruined the freeway all around him. “What makes you think you can make that call? You don’t have jurisdiction here, Junior, I do. Putting aside how much you think you’re actually gonna get out of him, what are the odds we actually get your boy here back in anything but a dustpan?”

You ignore the barb. “I’ve got an expert who will handle the interrogating.

“You think you’re gonna do better than a trained law enforcement official?”

“Me? No. The Russian ex-wetworks deathsquad trooper?” You glance over at Raschen, who is now very studiously examining your face, trying to look for signs of bluffing.

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>>3265536
“Oh, lovely, I take all of my concerns back. You want me to pop one in your head now, save you some grief?” Bragg offers the maverick sarcastically.

His attitude problems aside, you don’t blame the Detective for his irritation. The maverick hunters--you--have done a lot of damage, showed up without permission, have been less than forthcoming (regardless of your reasons), and you’re not even leaving him anything to show for it. Hell, you didn’t even give them a chance to bring in any collateral experts of their own, and now you’ve probably caused a good seven figures of damage. You doubt this road is going to be safe to drive any time soon.

“Look. I’m not trying to undercut you here,” you say. “But he’s got dirt and we want it.”

The Detective ticks off your sins on his fingers. “You show up unannounced with heavy arms fire, your colleagues deliberately hid your presence, your boss just up and lied, right to our faces, you killed an unidentified Reploid and are now insisting on overriding VPD authority to take custody of another, on the grounds of his associations. And,” he finishes, “You haven’t even given me your name.”

“...You’ve got a point,” you admit. “I’m Captain Anode, 4th Overland Geneva.”

After a moment’s pause, he huffs, apparently not having expected the concession. “Right.”

>I’m not trying to burn any bridges here. Can we negotiate this by the books?
>I appreciate you’ve got your own problems, but my operation comes first.
>Other?

For the full panoply of options here, you COULD opt to both turn Raschen over to VPD custody, or you could opt to cease cooperating altogether. I didn’t think either was particularly appealing, but they’re available if you so choose.

>You have recovered the Cyclone Culverin!
A massive weapon, this is a ‘sidearm’ only in the broadest sense. It fires a dense, shredding gale in a tightly-focused and fast-moving whirl. While its range is short relative to other wind-based armament, it has an atypically long sustain, and unlike most, actually intensifies over time.
>Total shots: 4
>Note: Due to the large size of this weapon, it may be possible to outfit with an auxiliary WEAPON cell and tune the cannon further.

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Ah, an update right before I was going to respond to yesterday's. I wasn't eager to cooperate with someone who made himself known by fucking Baneposting

>>3265537
Aw yeah, does the Crossmore have room for more shit?

>>3265537
>I appreciate you’ve got your own problems, but my operation comes first.
I must assure you that the mass murderer Maverick target I'm after is way bigger than you think you know it is. If I can't get him out in the open and he goes to ground, this will all have been for nothing, and neither you nor I can afford that at this point.

>>3265537
>I'm not trying to burn any bridges here. Just tunnels.

I MEAN

>Can we negotiate this by the books?

>>3265537
>I’m not trying to burn any bridges here. Can we negotiate this by the books?

>>3265537
>I’m not trying to burn any bridges here. Can we negotiate this by the books?

We're revealed, no sense being sneaky anymore.

>>3265537
>I’m not trying to burn any bridges here. Can we negotiate this by the books?

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>>3265537
>>Other?
>My target sent his goons to try and kill this guy, if he decides to do the job himself, you don't want him in your station. Now that I'm officially here I'm willing to set up a proper joint operation.

>>3265623
I like this.
Offer him to call it in and he can come with or he can call for a guy if he wants a police presence, but we really need to take him with us, at least for today.

>>3265537
>>3265623
>>3265653
>I appreciate you’ve got your own problems, but my operation comes first.

>>3265537

>>3265623
Backing.

>>3265537
seconding >>3265623

>Cyclone Culverin
niiiiiiice, although we probably won't use it this mission. I can definitely see it in use with Yamatoad.
>Hybridize it with wrenade for a 1shot "portable" Giga Attack

So we've taken out one piece of their stealth operation, probably the spotter. That leaves 1 or more Jammers.

Between the Culverin, Raschen, Dalet's mooks, Victoroids and the blade dasher, we've significantly crippled the total collateral potential of the mavericks. Even if Moloch comes around with a surprise gank on the city, there's good odds it's JUST Moloch and maybe Crewd wrecking havoc.

Claxton and Dalet might just vacate the mission entirely. Not great, but we at least have some data on Claxton to help whoever will eventually deal with him.

>>3265982
Considering it's a hand cannon, it's likely more a support weapon. Would work well with our men, or as a weapon for the garuda. Hell, if it can be given some VWES data, it'd work as Flak's new launcher and we can give the other to another of our Berets.
>>3265999
Crewd is likely in for a bad time. He failed in killing his mark, failed his mission, lost hardware and his ride. With how Moloch operates, he will likely be killed as the bearer of bad news.
Keep in mind though, two B rank birds are coming. We have no Pulu and the element of surprise is gone with one of our officers damaged.

>>3266059
Well, you do have a Pullu-2, so you've got one remaining cell that didn't pop from overexertion.

>>3265999
Foxfire must be free to give any intel she has on Daley now, right? Unless it’s one hell of a long meeting.

>>3266067
Dalet, I hate mobile.

>>3266059
>He failed in killing his mark, failed his mission, lost hardware and his ride.
Hey at least he reduced Anode's temporary max HP! By like.....5%.

>>3266073
He nicked Anode's HP bar revealing the secondary bar underneath
>>3265537
>I’m not trying to burn any bridges here. Can we negotiate this by the books?

>>3266065
That is true. I am honestly surprised how well its been doing for us. Anode's been nicked, but the damage given is more than what was received. Now we've become Crewd and Klaxon's Saetos.

>>3265537
Backing this:
>>3265623
with some added emphasis on who things are going to get worse real quickly now that Anode's a known quantitiy.

>>3265999
Don't forget Hutchins, good chance he's still in play, plus whatever Moloch's saving up for his big score.

>>3266460
True. His base specs involve close combat, which SHOULD at most be "throwing cars at buildings" level of destruction, but who knows what other tricks he's got.

>>3266460
>plus whatever Moloch's saving up for his big score.

Sudden thought: Moloch's MO is to kill for DNA data, right? Is there any possibility that the Big Score is just meant to be... Anode?

We know that his C. Capacitor is devastatingly powerful in the hands of someone willing to hook it up to their LIFE. With a weapon that can kill without setting off a shield chain reaction, he could nab it and the DNA in one go.

Maybe it's too paranoid and self-centred, but it might pay to be expecting a trap.

>>3265537
>>3265623

Also backing. Sounds reasonable.

>>3266487
>Is there any possibility that the Big Score is just meant to be... Anode?

For that to be possible, he would need to know that Anode was assigned to retire him.

Not saying it's impossible, mind.

>>3266693
It could just be that he wants the DNA of any given hunter sent after him.

>>3266693
>>3266747
Good points both. Until we get more information, it's impossible to say, but it could be something fucky like that.

>>3265623
Also, might be a good idea to check if this guy has a bug or tracer on him. Don't want to give them a easy way of finding us.

Working on the logistics stuff in the background, should have a post tomorrow.

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>>3265586
>>3265603
>>3265606
>>3265622
>>3265623
>>3265653
>>3265817
>>3265982
>>3266460
>>3266528
“Okay, look, listen,” you try. “We’re both just trying to do our jobs here. And right now, I can tell you the guys we just fought here? They work for my target.”

Bragg folds his arms. “So… what?”

“So, if the big man comes knocking to do what they didn’t, you probably don’t want him in your lockup.”

He starts to formulate another biting response, but you see the pause as he weighs your expression. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

You nod. “Moloch has been tearing a swath over the Pacific Northwest from here to Cali, and no one’s gotten closer than this. And now that they know I’m here, things about about to get very, very hectic.”

The Detective remains silent for a long, long time. You sense he wants to be mad, but he sees your point.

“Come on,” you insist. “You have connections and infrastructure we don’t. We’ve got speed and muscle. Let’s work together and pool what we know.”

“...I’ll need to talk to my superiors about this,” he hedges.

You nod. “I need to square up a few things myself. Meet back in five?”

He’s already fished his comm from his voluminous coat, pacing away as he waves at you in acknowledgment.

You tap your own line. “Grach? What’s your situation?”

“We’re done here,” he says promptly. “I’m afraid this was something of a snipe hunt.”

“What do you mean?”

“P1C0 was malfunctioning. No criminal background, no ties to Moloch. He was…” You can hear the shake of Grach’s head in his tone. “He was forcing his captive to play piano.”

Damn. “Is he all right?”

“Dehydrated, and very tired, but yes. Red is taking him to the EHS now.”

“That’s something, at least. But…”

“Yes, a dead end,” Grach agrees. “No further contact afield.”

“Get yourself back home,” you say. “I’ve got a new playmate for you.”

Raschen makes a rude gesture as you glance over at him, then jumps as Susan almost feeds him the barrel of his rifle at the sudden move.

-----

Evening falls as you return to your quarters. Sure enough, the police have decided to offer full, if grudging, cooperation. And to his chagrin, Detective Bragg has been assigned as the liaison between you. He tries not to look to grouchy about it, warming his hands with a leaky old thermos.

He’s taken Spider’s place opposite you, the mercenary in government care for his injuries, turned over from the VPD to the RCMP.

As for you, you’ve got time, and some administrative work to do.

Choose first action:
>See if Foxfire’s gotten you that information on Dalet.
>Check in on Grach--he should be finishing up with Raschen any minute.
>Report the day’s results to Gopher, including your standing with law enforcement.
>Talk to Lawrence--he’s surly, but he’s been more helpful than the attitude has let on.
>Other?

Stand by for updates.

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>>3270608
UPDATES
• Spider has been critically injured and will not be available for some time.
• The remains of a new maverick DNA Mimic, the Z4 Doubledart, have been recovered and returned to the Hunter garrison for later analysis.
• A DNA Mimic mechaniloid, identified as a Shield Commander, was engaged and destroyed.
• Spider also reports contact with another DNA Mimic who forced him to disengage shortly after completing his mission. The Mimic remains at large. R&D analysis suggests use of Chameleon Sting.
• The Victoroids in the Harbor have been successfully intercepted and law enforcement informed.
• When VPD agents arrived to impound the mechaniloid shipment, it was found completely destroyed, presumably as a denial of assets that could no longer be secured.
• Maverick agent Ellis “D” has been retired.
• Maverick agent Raschen has been captured alive and returned for interrogation.
• Maverick agent Claxton was forced to disengage with heavy damage and may be down for repairs.
• Maverick agent Crewd has lost his Ox Ride Armor, severely limiting his combat effectiveness.
• Your picture of the Moloch gang has improved.
• A VWES sidearm, Cyclone Culverin, has been captured by the Bravely Broken. The weapon is serviceable and ready for use once recharged.
• Anode’s presence in Vancouver has been made known to local law enforcement and maverick forces.
• Police coordination of assets, intel, and resources will now be arranged directly through Anode.
• The 1st Advance Unit has been released from custody and will be available for assignment.
• The Vancouver Police Department has assigned a detective to Envision, and have him under surveillance. Rumors have reached local media regarding his maverick associations and he has scheduled a press conference to fiercely contradict the allegations.

TASKS/LEADS:
• The mavericks are planning something in two days.

ACTIVITY/INTEL
• Dalet’s attack on the SkyLoop has been called off. While the hacker remains at large, his mustering force has been cut off at the knees and the survivors scattered.

• The evacuation of the Richmond area has been completed safely and the area is now deemed secure.

• With the loaders dispatched and the Victoroid shipment destroyed, no further maverick activity has been detected in the Harbor. Any remaining hostiles have vacated the area.

• P1C0 has been subdued and his captive recovered without injury.

• Additional food deliveries have been struck in Surrey. Having switched to mechaniloid transport units, there have been no further casualties.

• The attacks on their convoy decoys and damage along planned routes have forced the police to cancel the move of the accelerant. They will instead devote resources to securing the university and entrenching there.

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>>3270614
DOSSIERS
• Ellis “D:” A Geist 4S with a malfunctioning illusory projection unit. He nonetheless used it to good effect to disorient and misdirect in combat, backed by a VWES-2. His two entities were identified as Baywind Kestrel’s Freeze Fog, a zone of light-refracting ice crystals, and Backblast Salvino’s Turtle Bomb, a thrown grenade that then crawls towards its target.
UPDATE: Ellis has been retired in combat.

• Crewd: A known Maverick who favors an Ox Ride Armor in battle. Wanted for an assault on Los Llanos Air Base in Spain wherein he stole a classified Hubara Fuertaventura low altitude subradar carrier and murdered several personnel during the escape. Crewd is known for working with others for planning and coordination and is currently a target on Firestar Aardwolf’s dossier. The 3rd Deploy out of HQ5 consider Crewd to be on their personal shit list as the prototype had been destined for them. No distinctive combat characteristics, but custom gear on his Ride Armor is a virtual certainty.
UPDATE: Crewd’s Ox Ride Armor has been destroyed, severely hampering his combat effectiveness. He may still see duty crewing another vehicle, as he remains at large.

• Claxton: Name matches a defector from the Royal Airforce - a Jetlight Tommy who worked as an urban stealth paratrooper. RAF reports no unusual equipment or specs outside of his camouflage pattern being designed for city operations rather than wilderness, though he’s been at large for some time.
UPDATE: Claxton was forced to retreat after taking heavy damage in combat. He remains at large.

• Dalet: No active intel as he never showed up in the Hydrocity, but what we’ve heard suggests a competent hacker who matches records from Shadow Hunter communications of a Maverick with a similar name. Dalet is likely a Shadow Hunter himself and may be coordinating with Moloch or his group - that signal drop suggests someone with some counterintel skills and hacking ability was working the job.

• Dammahnation Blade: Per Spider’s reporting, there is zero chance Blade is working with Moloch. When asked why, Spider explained “because you haven’t found Moloch yet and Dammahnation’s still alive.” Blade has all the subtlety of a freight train at a tea party.

• Hutchins: Via Spider: A real piece of work, don’t let the tuxedo paint job fool you. Mercenary, Maverick, would-be crime boss; Hutchins is a violent criminal in a business suit. During his time as a Hunter Killer, he was known to take trophies from his kills - expect him to be packing grenades and other utilities and tools commensurate with a kitted-out Hunter.

Cont.

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>>3270616
• Pink Rhomphaia and “Blink”: We’ll have to open new dossiers for this intel. Anode suspects that at least Rhomphaia, and probably his unseen counterpart as well, can be linked to PHANTOM, the RUDRA special forces group that has caused problems for him in the past. Rhomphaia’s manner suggests that he’s not affiliated with Moloch, though we can’t put too much stock in the words of a Maverick. Apparently possesses PHANTOM-grade optical camouflage and some capacity to project illusions, per Anode’s report.
UPDATE: The PHANTOM (or PHANTOMs) have not been encountered, directly or indirectly, since yesterday. They may have evacuated the area.

• Raschen: An ex-Hunter with the 15th, expelled for insubordination and conduct unbefitting an officer. Psychological profile indicates recklessness, fascination with explosions, short temper, and extremely poor socialization. Appears to have rearmed himself with a stock Muzzle Crash cannon limb in place of the civilian arm he was issued when he was dishonorably discharged. No surprise to have found him in Richmond; bombarding the airport and surrounding area would be right up his alley. Still a bit hard to contemplate that he’d be working with anyone trying to keep a low profile, as he’s unstable.
UPDATE: Raschen has been captured. He was equipped with a VWES-2 containing Teslacoil Taipan’s Renegade Rail, a long-range lightning bolt, and Cinder Kitsune’s Hellhavoc Whip, a sustained close-range fire weapon.

• Unidentified flying contact: Joined Crewd and Raschen at the attack on Richmond. Profile matched a Jetlight Tommy; likely Claxton going by coordination of reports.
UPDATE: Given repeated appearance with Crewd and Raschen, it seems likely this subject is Claxton, not an additional flying contact.

• Unidentified jamming source: Possibly Dalet; something disrupted communications both at the Harbour and in Richmond. There may be more than one contact responsible.

• Unidentified spotter: Pratt’s analysis on the attack on their unit suggests a spotter calling shots, though no contact was ever made. It is possible that this was the result of discipline and training among the maverick ranks, but given the scale of their operations, it is not unlikely there is a dedicated intelligence officer. This may have been Claxton or some other unidentified party.
UPDATE: Conjecture, but given the maverick complement sent to silence Raschen was not expecting you, it seems unlikely that Claxton was the spotter.

• Torment and Schism: Magpie-build fliers. Rated at B-class for high mobility and evasive capability.
UPDATE: No activity reported.

>Report the day’s results to Gopher, including your standing with law enforcement.

>>3270619
Can we confirm whether Ellis was the spotter in the Richmond fight?

>>3270608
>See if Foxfire’s gotten you that information on Dalet.
I'm concerned that from this point on, any reports to HC will be intercepted.

>>3270619
>Foxfire
No point calling Gopher yet if Foxfire has anything that might make us change plans.

>>3270614
So DNA Mimics can be either reploids or mechaniloids. The accelerant shipment being canceled simplifies things, though I would have liked Anode just telling the police to just let him take it and inevitably use it as a weapon when he got ambushed by Moloch.

>Talk to Lawrence--he’s surly, but he’s been more helpful than the attitude has let on.
We should also look into those food deliveries eventually as well. Those mechaniloids probably got footage of the attackers.

>>3270608
If Crewd is on Aardwolf's dossier, should we let him know he was here?

>>3270608
>Talk to Lawrence--he’s surly, but he’s been more helpful than the attitude has let on.

>>3271115
We can likely do that as part of our report to Gopher.

>>3270619
>Call Foxfire first.
If only for my anxiety's sake.

>>3270608
>Report the day’s results to Gopher, including your standing with law enforcement.
Keep the boss up to date.

>>3271115
I would guess Command is holding back Aardwolf until Anode's taken out Moloch. 7th's already taken severe losses and Moloch's way too good at surpise gankings to risk another officer. Hopefully, Crewd doesn't get away before then.

>>3270608
>See if Foxfire’s gotten you that information on Dalet.
Let's gather our intel before reporting to Gopher so we can give command a more complete picture.

>>3270608
>>See if Foxfire’s gotten you that information on Dalet.
I honestly want her opinion and perhaps a means to counter hack Dalet. The fact they are using mechanoids for delivery makes me think that the mavs will hack them.

>>3271115
To be fair, I doubt Aardwolf would be broken up about Crewd getting taken out early.

>>3270608
Just as a first action?

>See if Foxfire’s gotten you that information on Dalet.

Seems like we could do more with that in the time remaining.

>See if Foxfire’s gotten you that information on Dalet.

I'm all for getting potentially vital info.

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>>3270608
>See if Foxfire’s gotten you that information on Dalet.

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>>3273762
Yes, just as a first action. It does, however, matter.

That said, I need to go scour my house so the plumber can finish(*) fixing(**) the last(***) burst pipe issue tomorrow morning.

Suppose I'll do another checkin with the readers while I'm away; is everyone still enjoying the threads and the pace?

>>3274265
The mission as a whole is a change of pace from most ops. It's a lot to keep track of at times (sometimes the fights themselves get a little difficult to follow), but the recaps are handy. It's a lot of plate juggling, and that has its appeal.

I've certainly been enjoying it. A change of pace like this isn't bad, and it appeals to the tech nerd in me to get a look at other characters loadouts.

>>3274265
I'm digging it, though the asset management can get a little hard to keep track of

>>3274265
It's a good pace, although I'm waiting for Cain Labs to turn Vancouver into another Vienna. Having to pick only one loadout for everything we might face is a pain, but understandable.

>>3275086
That doesn't sound exactly like me.

>>3275157
You already sent the birds.

>>3275181
I definitely didn't send three birds when you were expecting a lizard.

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>>3275196
>>3274265
Ok so real quick, I've been reading through the archives and I'm on thread 29 where Em finishes that new liquid nitrogen upgrade on the misericorde. Now I'm not sure what name you guys gave it, and I don't want to know no spoilers, but I'm just saying Ice Pick would have been perfect.

>>3275394
We never gave it an official name, it's just LN misericorde

>>3275546
The name Misericorde was a pretty good way to distinguish the saber from other weapons so there hasn't really been any need to change the name.

>>3274265
I've liked the arc. Consistent strategy's a bit harder to pull off through voting, but it hasn't bit us too hard in the ass yet.


>>3275196
You meant two birds, r-right?
oh god, there are four birds aren't there?

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>>3275394
>Thread 33

ADDAX NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WHY?! ADDAX WHY?!

HE WAS SO FUCKING COOL TOO, FUCK

THIS IS ZERO IN X1 ALL OVER AGAIN

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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>>3276322

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>>3275987
I'm hearing six, six birds.

>>3276322
sweet summer child, the despair has only begun.

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>>3276520
Wait, wait, he hasn't read... Oh man, oh boy

>>3274265
The thread's good. All this info can be a bit overwhelming, but I've never been the best at widescale asset management so that might just be me. I like watching how things play out, though.
>>3270608
>Foxfire
Not in the mood for all that hacking bullshit from Dalet.
>>3276322
>>3276528
Oh god oh fuck

>>3276562
Oh silly Anon. There is no god here.
There is only Cain Labs.

>>3276576
He's satan not god. I weep for the new anon, for he has not witnessed true suffering yet.

>>3276562
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vHRMeRszw4

>>3274265

I really like it! As a matter of preference, I don't feel like I can contribute much to combat, but I like working with asset management and broad tactics way more than I thought I would and I always love the conversational segments. So this mission has a little something for everyone, I feel.

It's really interesting to run an op like this and feel the pressures of being in charge. I'm very invested and I think you're doing a fantastic job with handling the logistics. As someone else said, the updates are very helpful!

>>3277232
Definitely agreeing with this. The depth of operation is rare for Anode but surely not for the rest of the Hunters of his rank.

>>3276322
As a word of warning, Cain liked Addax, and that is what happened. Expect despair.

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>>3274265
It keeps happening.

Today's adventure is my car overheating because the coolant line emptied itself out entirely from what must be a massive leak in the line somewhere.

Possibly no update again yet today as I work to deal with that. It's bad enough that the full tank of coolant I gave it will probably be gone by work tomorrow.

>>3277474
Oh, I dealt with that too a couple weeks back. There are sealants sold for the radiator, get one, follow the instructions, and it should keep you from having to worry about overheating on the way to the mechanic at least

>>3277380
I still kind of wish I hadn't burned him on that. I loved that character design.

But you know what they say, Satans gotta sate.

>>3278807
Time for his twin brother to appear!

As a Maverick.

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Okay. Things continue to keep happening, but I'm hoping to actually get a post out tonight.

I might just open a new thread for the next post, since we're already on page 10.

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>>3280518
Or, my car could die.

Like, permanently. It's okay, I didn't need those five figures.

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>>3280705

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>>3280705
Well, fuck. Good luck, man.

>>3280705
Had that happen to me, I was so pissed.

If it helps, I'm the anon still reading through the archive and I had a funny thought from reading up on Em/Anode relationship discussions

>Anode and Em get together
>"So who tops?" India jabs
>they think about it seriously
>argue endlessly about the endoconstruction
>End up playing rock paper scissors to see who has to buy the vagina

It's stupid but it gave me a chuckle, I hope it helps a little bit

>>3281633
We're glad you're enjoying it. I look forward to traumatizing you.

>>3281881
Hi, Satan.

>>3280705
February has not been your month man

>>3280705
Shit dude, all I can give are my condolences.

>>3280705
That fucking sucks, dude... You have possibly the worst luck in the cosmos. I hope things stop HAPPENING like this.

>>3281633
> one of the berets overhears a snippet of the argument
> goes to India
> "why are our commanding officers yelling 'buttholes are manlier' so loud you can hear them in the hall?"
> India feels a level of satisfaction not thought possible until this moment