Nondescript News

[Raleigh]

Well using traps is just logical. It would seem Nokel prefers guerrilla tactics despite having a sizable force judging from what you say Rommel. *Makes note the Steel Talon ignored his question about air support.*

[Jello Shot Mischa]

Are there likely to be any flying opposition?

Major Durant glances at Raleigh. "Our reconnaissance flights encountered a fairly sophisticated form of aircraft, sufficient to engage our own fighters on at least an equal basis." Her own display shifts to show a rather fuzzy image that appears to be almost more like a living creature rather than a machine, resembling a mechanical bird. "They utilize some kind of beam weapon, as well as missiles using gravimetric warheads, as I mentioned earlier."

*Rommel adjusts his jacket slightly.*

"Anyway, since there are no further relevant questions, I will proceed with the briefing on Nokel's tactics. Now, given that they're a highly mobile force, like my organization or the CTC, his forces love to pursue out-gunned or fleeing enemies. Despite this tendency, they are extremely wary and resourceful. The moment they sense a trap being pulled on them, they are more than willing to cut off the pursuit and essentially disappear for a juicier quarry. This leads into their second favorite tactic: traps. Rule of Thumb: If Nokel's forces are fleeing from you, IT'S A TRAP. No exceptions. If they seem weak or under-powered, that means their heavy-hitters are about to tear a new waste disposal system for you. Hit and run is another favored pastime of his forces, so don't get suckered into those sorts of fights if you lack the firepower or mobility to go toe-to-toe."

The major listens intently to Rommel's explanation, considering his words. "Hmm... well, that would make sense. They can afford to yield ground for a superior tactical position, particularly since I doubt they have many relevant strategic sites in this wasteland, unless we're somehow fortunate enough to stumble across one of their own operations or staging bases. It seems like it would be possible to execute a counter-trap against them, since they seem to be at least predictable in this regard. But given their wariness, it's unlikely the same methods would work on them more than a couple of times before they adapted."

[Raleigh]

Aye, I've noticed that. I was more or less asking if they have bombers though gravimetric warhead missiles could be just as effective as a few megatons of explosive dropped on our heads.

How much analysis has gone into the enemy's power armor? Do they rely on hydraulics or is some other method used? How defended against EMP are they? Average thickness? Known weak spots such as the typical joints? Prone to overheating under extreme duress? Only functional under the full moon... wait I retract that last question.

[Jello Shot Mischa]

Aye, I've noticed that. I was more or less asking if they have bombers though gravimetric warhead missiles could be just as effective as a few megatons of explosive dropped on our heads.

How much analysis has gone into the enemy's power armor? Do they rely on hydraulics or is some other method used? How defended against EMP are they? Average thickness? Known weak spots such as the typical joints? Prone to overheating under extreme duress? Only functional under the full moon... wait I retract that last question.

"We have not observed any sort of strategic bomber in use," Major Durant replies. "Their gravimetric weapons have so far been limited to small-scale devices deployed against enemy armor and aircraft, although even those have been quite effective. We suspect that Nokel does possess some kind of 'weapon of mass destruction', given the devastation we've observed in the ruined cities, but so far haven't seen them in operation yet. We hope that the forthcoming scouting mission to the nearby ruins may help shed some light upon this."

She glances at Lieutenant Rommel. "I will defer to the Steel Talons for information regarding the powered armor used by the enemy, as according to their report it's roughly similar to the armor they themselves use, at least in terms of durability and strength. Lieutenant Rommel has also apparently fought some of the more elite forces of the opposition, so he can likely provide useful information regarding tactics and potential weak points."

[Raleigh]

*Nods.* Aye, that was who that question was aimed at unless Tsae could fill us in. I only ask since I've seen at least three or four different kinds of power armor so I'm always uncertain as to which I'm up against without elaboration or seeing it in action myself. I suspect there is a variation that is animated by magic and probably affords various levels of magical defense such as curse resistance and the like. *Is also asking so he will know if the Glare of the Basilisk technique can simply kill the targets inside the armor rather than having to bother pulling out a can opener to get to the squishy insides.*

[??????? ?? ????]

*pulls from the arm's of her cloak a small disc, pressing the side which has the disc create a holographic projection, cycling slowly through various power armored troops that have been spotted amongst Nokel's forces*

"It should be noted that their powered armor is, for all intents and purposes, very simple and in the grand scheme of things, irrelevant, aside from the fact that it is powered armor, and therefore better armor that is not. This isn't to say its not without its unique points. First of all, from a tactical standpoint, the armor is fully sealed, a sensible precaution in a hostile environment such as this. This is important to note because the troops themselves are not at all effected by the miasma, that can be determined. Because of this, precision strikes to target normal weak points in such a design, such as joints, are not warranted. When the choice is between disable and destroy, there is no benefit in going for disable."

*she clicks off the device after it has cycled through the sets of armor a few times*

"The other points of note are the unique features to this power armor, but again, largely irrelevant if prepared. First off is the suits causing nightmares and hallucinations, via an emblem that is part of the armor. Simple precautions can be used to work around this and as stated earlier, overwhelming force works fine. The second point is the armor's composition. It is a substance that is largely unknown in these worlds, forged from the nightmares themselves."

[Raleigh]

Alright then. I suppose that satisfies my curiosity. Do forgive if I was being a bit of a pest but I prefer to have as much information as possible and it seemed something was being hidden so I had to pry. *Makes a note to consider fighting at least one hand to hand with pulse blasts to see if it'll fry both wearer and armor.*

[Anonymouse]

"Squeak squeak..."

Safely stowed and treated in the CTC Transport, Bones and his companions are in good hands! Assuming they decide to go anywhere.

Out at Sea, the Sea Monkey probes the depths of the nearby bay, revealing the wreckage to appear to be from civilian ships. Many of them have been roughly blown in half, and show a great deal of corrosion from the murky, acidic waters. Other vessels seemed to have suffered a different fate- these vessels are cleanly cut in two, whether by across the bow or right along the keel of the ships. These aren't as corroded as the other ships, and in fact, where the ships were cut they appear to be the least corroded, as they're sealed by some black residue. Besides the ships, there looks to be some structures as well, giving the appearance of what may have been a floating city that may have drifted about the sea near the coast. A shame it's been destroyed though.

Back at the CTC Research Facility, the neural network goes to work trying to figure out how to control the device. Left to just the device though, it only seems to be able to project pulses kinetic energy waves in arbitrary directions. Maybe it needs some other input besides the network connected to it?

As for their other project, comparisons with plasma and some esoteric energy weapons yield some similarities with the results. When sufficient energy and fiddling with what the scientists have, the energy projector is able to generate a roiling mass of plasma which can be directed fairly easily with the addition of some magnetic coils. However, given previous observations of the other attack sub, it seems likely that it's able to focus far more energy than what it's doing right now, and was able to contain it using something OTHER than magnetism... If only the CTC had gotten view of the weapon actually being fired before being incinerated, maybe then they could see what the obviously offensive oriented energy projector is really capable of.

Despite this, as the scientists continue to fiddle with the remains collected, several get into accidents with the pieces of Soulsteel, as even through protective gear, they break down into seizures, screaming about 'he who brings the darkness'. Probably a good idea to set that Soulsteel aside, and focus on the other strange metal pieces that were collected that could help with the energy projectors. Maybe testing their properties would yield new ideas toward controlling the projectors?

Back at the CTC base, seismic sensors they've been setting out have detected subtle movements, originating from the ruins of the destroyed city. But they eventually quiet. Too suspicious. But not enough to interrupt the meeting for now.

Across the continent, the wearied forces of Shadow, Shade, and Corvus have an anti-climatic lack of things to destroy, given Corvus' highly effective attack earlier. Waiting around the exhausted Corvus, Shadow and Shade probably have to contend with fidgety forces and a lack of enemies to throw them at. The more they just sit around, the worse the edginess becomes, eventually manifesting into a terror that grips those of weaker will... They're going to have to do SOMETHING before the army begins to rip itself to pieces or flee outright. Especially since Miss Lady Love is decidedly missing and there's so much barren wasteland to explore!

"Squeak squeak..."

[Teddy]

Shadow looks up at his own horrors, who were the first to start breaking down. You can't rely on ravenous horrorterrors to be disciplined, especially in the face of true horror. "If we move from here we'll only fall prey to something far worse than the last~ It's a patience game now! Our 'grand and glorious leader.'" He sing-songs, voice dripping with sarcasm as he stares up at his beasts. "If you continue along this line of thought, I'll gobble all of you up and add you to me. We move when he moves~"

Shade looks up from his rest, arms crossed. He opens one eye staring at his own men. "Pathetic! Exercise your will and rest with the rest of us. You want the ones who've died to watch you fall upon each other or fall into a trap?" He grins ferociously, false hand pointing at the middle of the few humans. "Don't think I'll be merciful to cowards. If you want to run back home and tell your friends and families you were too weak to stay here, go now. If you're going to stay, stay quiet. With you guys or without you, we'll be pushing forward."

Meanwhile, Corvus groans, his energy thrashing around him. It touches some places of the desolation, bringing a twisted life to the ground for a few seconds before it decays again. He's still unconscious, but seems to be raging at his weakness and that his army is falling apart.

[Raleigh]

Scarlet: *Telepathically.* Sir, update. Seismic activity detected. Unsure if it is related to the people who decided to perform an orbital drop into a volcano but it seems to be near or at the location of that city we located earlier.

Raleigh: *Same* Interesting. I should be amongst those sent to the city so I'll see what it is personally. Have the probes break off from that area and start inspecting around that volcano. I want to know if there is anything different to the minerals in a location like this.

[Funny Hat + Funny Accent]

*Rommel looks about the meeting room.*

"If it's no problem, then could I and my men be returned to the vehicle garage or hangar. I need to find out what our mission capability is before I can make any commitments to strike plans at the moment."


----
*Elsewhere, thermal conductors have taken their collective toll upon the lava surrounding the downed assault frigate, cooling the molten minerals into a solid rock barrier around the vessel's crash site. Inside the hulls of the warship, its crew and cargo go to work on harnessing these minerals for the onboard factory systems and weakening the barrier enough for reconnaissance units to be dispatched.*

---
"Ah, Comrades. Showtime start soon. You miss me muchly yet?"

[Jello Shot Mischa]

Back at the CTC base, seismic sensors they've been setting out have detected subtle movements, originating from the ruins of the destroyed city. But they eventually quiet. Too suspicious. But not enough to interrupt the meeting for now.

Seismic cluster 23B detected anomalous activity in gridsecs 36-23x18, 36-23x19, and 36-24x18, major.
Vigilant reports GV9s have been fueled and armed.
I've made contact with the exploratory team from the airship, Major. They've suffered heavy losses. We're administering medical aid.
Blue points have been transmitted to the Longinus constellation, major.
Batteries three and four are now in position, major.
Our vehicles are prepped and ready to go, major. Just give us the order when you want us to dispatch.
Patrol three is returning to rally point, no contacts.
Vanguard wishes to confirm the manifest for the next shipment, as well as verify the staging order you wanted, major.
What did you want us to do about Raleigh, major? Our debrief wasn't that comprehensive on what role he would play in the mission.
The latest GPR update from gridsecs 45 through 49 is available, major.
The new coating seems to work fine on the drones, although it's somewhat difficult to apply to the nanomaterial. We may have to use more conventional UAVs in areas of heavy miasma.
I'm getting seismic triggers from ST-A on cluster 43-C. They must be digging out.
Limited loiter time means we'll have difficulty supporting OTH operations.
That energy pulse is dropping off. Monitoring for further activity.
Would you like some tea, ma'am?

Major Durant casts a glance at Elly, who simply offers her a slight smile. The major lets out a slight sigh, and shakes her head.

It couldn't hurt. This meeting is just about over at the moment.

Elly nods at that, before turning her gaze back to Raleigh and Rommel.

*Rommel looks about the meeting room.*

"If it's no problem, then could I and my men be returned to the vehicle garage or hangar. I need to find out what our mission capability is before I can make any commitments to strike plans at the moment."

Major Durant nods. "I think we've completed enough for the moment," she says. "I appreciate the willingness of you all to cooperate and share what you know. If you should need anything else, please let me know." She nods at Lieutenant Brede. "Lieutenant, please escort Lieutenant Rommel back to his men, and ensure that they receive any needed supplies." She looks to Rommel. "Lieutenant, thank you for your time. While I trust you have your own means to contact your comrades, should you need anything feel free to let either myself or Lieutenant Brede."

She then looks to Raleigh. "Our patrol to the nearby ruins is ready. I'm not certain what manner you wish to accompany them in, but given your capabilities I suspect you'll find a method that works best for you. They are waiting outside the front gate, under the command of Lieutenant Darius."

Meanwhile, a small convoy of vehicles assembles in the CTC compound -- three wheeled IFVs, as well as a small force of four hovertanks.

[Raleigh]

Ah good, the reason I'm here. Exploration and the inevitable battle between what might be evil and neutral. I'll be accompanying them in the stage of scientist/analyst and likely meat tank if the environment is as hostile as I suspect. So I need to meet up with Darius, ehh? Nice name. Before I go do I need to worry about any of those imagine breakers being in the team? It wouldn't do for me to cease to exist on this plane for a moment in the middle of a delicate situation.

[Jello Shot Mischa]

Ah good, the reason I'm here. Exploration and the inevitable battle between what might be evil and neutral. I'll be accompanying them in the stage of scientist/analyst and likely meat tank if the environment is as hostile as I suspect. So I need to meet up with Darius, ehh? Nice name. Before I go do I need to worry about any of those imagine breakers being in the team? It wouldn't do for me to cease to exist on this plane for a moment in the middle of a delicate situation.

Durant considers Raleigh's explanation. "We had planned to send a team of SIBLINGs as support, along with EDUs. They will be in the second vehicle, however, so if you travel with Lieutenant Darius in the lead vehicle there should likely be no serious problems. The Imagine Breaker only operates over short distances, at least as far as we've been able to determine. I'll ensure that they're aware they should avoid coming into contact with you."

[Raleigh]

Alright. Works for me. I'll go top side and get some tools that Ebony should have sent me by now and join up with them. Mind if I leave this here? *He holds up a little medallion bearing what seems to be his common crest on it.* It should act as a safety measure should everything go to hell. On that note, I'm off to join up with the soldiers.