Despite being hit several times Drano fires two more rounds at the big ass Traix bot. Once/if it is destroyed he coolly shifts his fire, focusing on the four of the smaller PA’s, putting one to three rounds into each one.

 Bringing his rifle to the uppermost of his right shoulders, 'Masque goes active on his combat computer and targetting systems, dropping neat little reticules over the various CS targets available to him and selecting those to be engaged, though as he's an officer he still spares a little of his awareness to make rapid decisions based on enemy deployments.

 "Third platoon, be concentrating small-arms fire on grounded CS armour from closest right to furthest left, as available. Don't take risks!"

 And with that, he gently strokes the trigger, a rapid volley of light electromagnetic pulses ejecting a steady stream of grenades into the air, each departing the barrel with a gentle 'whump' that would be almost inaudable even were there not a battle going on...
 ...where they land, needless to say things are rather different.

 Dropping into a neat cluster centered more or less on the feet of the towering Triax war machine, but actually aimed at the CS armour before it can disperse, a hailstorm of explosions and near-molten hypersonic shrapnel tears through the air, shattering armour and just about anything else it encounters.

 Then - assuming he's still alive - it's back down into the foxhole to pop out the magazine (which is clipped back into his webbing) and replace it with a fresh one for a second try.

McCloud shrugs off the volley of lasers that pepper his GB, smirking at the stupidity of the guys working the guns on the titanic 'bot.  He sends back a few love taps of his own in the form of another volley of boom gun flechettes.

OOC: 22:56, Today: McCloud rolled 12 using 1d20+8. strike.
22:57, Today: McCloud rolled 13 using 3d6. Damage. = 130

22:56, Today: McCloud rolled 18 using 1d20+8. strike.
22:57, Today: McCloud rolled 10 using 3d6. Damage. = 100

22:56, Today: McCloud rolled 22 using 1d20+8. strike.
22:57, Today: McCloud rolled 6 using 3d6. Damage. = 60

22:56, Today: McCloud rolled 20 using 1d20+8. strike.
22:57, Today: McCloud rolled 12 using 3d6. Damage. = 120

22:56, Today: McCloud rolled 22 using 1d20+8. strike.
22:57, Today: McCloud rolled 11 using 3d6. Damage. = 110

22:56, Today: McCloud rolled 28 using 1d20+8. strike.
22:57, Today: McCloud rolled 11 using 3d6. Damage. = 110

Amy, slipping down and well to one side starts to pepper the ground troops as well, now that they are without the giant killer of a robot to swat her like a fly when the stealth drops.

The seven Power Armours on the ground look like some sort of classic model of the SAMAS, but not the traditional bulky suits normally encountered...

The Devastator focuses all of it's firepower on the APC speeding toward it.

Silvermasque covers them in a spray of grenades, along with the laser turrets from Amy's dropship. They all duck for cover in the violent explosions, all of them taking serious damage to their armour. Above them, the Devastator's torso is almost completely shredded, and the giant robot finally collapses on it's back kicking up a cloud of dust when it hits the ground.

The lead SAMAS stands to his feet and is in motion of ordering a charge to the others when he is decapitated by a well placed shot from Drano's boom gun. The lifeless PA thuds to the ground and the others all stand and charge towards the group hurling a storm of mini missiles and laser blasts into the already beaten battle field. Two of the missiles hit just outside of Silvermasque's foxhole showering him with dirt and rocks, and almost filling the foxhole with Silvermasque in it!

The remaining six are quickly cut down by Drano, McCloud and Comartin in a matter of seconds with one shot each, sending the last of the visible enemies into the afterlife.

It could not be better timing as the elevator from underground reaches the top with most of the underground party on board. Sergeant Van Fanel and Corporal Calliandra O'Hare are both carrying odd devices in their hands and are quickly escorted to the teleporting pad by Squad Four.

(The teleporting pads can hold 5 human sized people at a time)

Tyirrak leads the others (Vashti, Karnon, Daemonis, and Shimrod) to what looks like the front lines to find foxholes or other forms of cover.

The elevator then goes back down to pick up the rest of them...

The SAMAS and Sky Cycles who had retreated earlier are returning, and they have doubled their forces this time. Several hundred of them are under a minute away away...
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:40, Sun 14 June 2009.

Eying the incoming swarm of blips on his radar, McCloud finally seems to show some realism as he comms to Drano, "Umm, sir?  I think that might be our cue to leave..."

 The massive spray of dirt and rock across his foxhole as the large 'borg barely ducks in time all but buries 'Masque, but fails to do so deeply enough to prevent him from coming up again a moment later, shaking his 'launcher to clear it of loose soil and slamming home a fresh clip - this one marked with the stripes of an AP drum since fragmentation without a proximity fuse probably won't help all that much against a swarm of fast-moving air targets.

 He's even got time for a quick, silent transmission to the other officer-in-the-field and a hasty order to Third Platoon, "By sections boys and girls, we are going to start falling back on teleport gate - anyone who is having only normal human speed or close to it, you go first. Stop in foxholes around gate an provide cover until is your turn!"

Drano recognizes the lizard Dee-bee and his troops. “Tyirrak get your squad on the transporter pads.” Pausing for a bit to listen to the radio he continues to issue orders. “Silvermasque your squad is next, Victor your squad will be the last to teleport out of here.”

“Silvermasque, you and my squad will be the last ones out, and will cover Victors squad. We’ll hitch a ride on the dropship.”

“Amy get ready to pick us four up, then go invisible.”

OOC: I think Silvermasque will fit inside the dropship.....if not somebody let me know. Or we can just leave him to die.

Na-Wa wastes no time climbing out of a hole and running for the nearest teleporting pad, despite the fact he was supposed to wait for the ‘Big Lizard things’ (Tyirrak) people to leave.

Amy pilots the dropship over the slag of the downed sama's careful in case one isn't quite finished in a hurry to reach Drano and his squad, the oddly shaped ship moving quickly to land and allow them a chance to board while she resets the cloaking systems.

Van, Callie, the mutant named Madtown, Na-Wa and a wounded soldier from Squad 4 are safely teleported back to Tolkeen. The next 5 are clear to enter the circle...

McCloud takes the opportunity during this brief respite to clamber out of the foxhole and head over to check out what's left of the Devastator and the CS robots that were supporting it.  He kicks through the wreckage looking for anything salvageable or particularly interesting.

OOC - McCloud, that wreckage is a half mile away. If you go out there, the incoming SAMs will kill you and rape your corpse.

"There are still more down there Lieutenant. Portia and a few others have not come up yet."

Tyirrak then leads his squad to the teleport pad.

Tyirrak, Vashti, Karnon, Daemonis, and Shimrod are next to be safely teleported to Tolkeen.

The pad is now free for the next group.

Drano doesn’t respond either verbally or physically at this last piece of news, he only issues an ultimatum to those still below ground. He didn’t like the idea of leaving people behind, but to do so would be suicide for him and the last of those to leave.

"Any Tolkeen forces that hear this and are still below ground, and hear this respond."

"You have a few minutes at best to make it above ground before your overrun by Coalition forces.”

“We will try to wait for you as long as possible, but we will not wait forever."

Lotus, Mephisto, Photios, Magnet man and Rhys are next to teleport to Tolkeen, and Arthur is the first one to the pad for the fourth group.

Four soldiers from Squad Four join him and they too leave the battlefield.

Viktor orders the Iron Juggernauts to take the safest route back to Tolkeen on their own, and makes his way to teleport out.

Shortly after Squad Four is safely out of the area, the elevator reaches the surface, with Portia, Braga, Oksana, Thasha, Flat Bullet (wounded and being helkped to walk by Thasha), Severin (carrying a dead or unconscious Burd), and what appear to be four human prisoners, none of whom are soldiers... they are wrapped in bedsheets and huddled together like scared kittens. Oksana guides them to the pad, while the others keep their weapons trained on them...

In a few short seconds everyone is safely back in Tolkeen except for Private Yutani, and her cargo : 3 Glitter Boys and a Giant Russian Cyborg Shock Trooper. Amy activates the stealth powers of the ship and aims to move around the incoming Coalition undetected, and then head for Tolkeen, and leave this stinking Hell House behind.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:21, Tue 16 June 2009.

On the way back to Tolkeen, Drano exits his Chromium Guardsman, and stretches. He makes way up to the cockpit to thank Private Yutani for he efforts, but then tells her there is no need to ask if she can shoot next time.

 Creatively 'reinterpreting' Dranos instructions on the fly, 'Masque cycles the mission specialists and unaugmented infantry from Third Platoon out first, ever mindful of the cycle time teleportation seems to require as an evacuation technique, until the last PBI is through the mystic portal and the team are able to mount up, the big Russian 'borg somewhat taller and rather bulkier than a Glitterboy but correspondingly rather more agile and able to cram himself into whatever space is available.

 A soft, muted 'thrumm' that's been hovering in the air around him since the group engaged the enemy fades out as he powers down the latest of his far-from-off-the-shelf gadgets and extends one arm in a pleased fashion, studying the relative lack of damage beyond singed outer plating that he's suffered during the days work.

 Of course, the main reason he hasn't taken much personal damage is sitting in a multi-million credit heap of expensive imported rubble on the battlefield below, but it's harder to get excited about a wrecked tank than a new onboard toy.

 The way back sees a certain amount of winding down at least on 'Masque's part - including an effort to corrupt the Glitterboy pilots left in the launch bay to the extent of teaching them just enough Russian to be able to join in on the chorus of one or two spectacularly obscene marching songs...

"Ah, really, I think I meant to ask if I had to shoot."  She sounds a bit nervous even through the terrain hopper armor flight suit she's hiding within.

Drano explained why he wanted Yutani to fire. "The idea was with you attacking from the rear the Coalition troops would be confused, even momentarily this could have prevented some of his to be struck by enemy fire or killed."

“Yes, there would have been an inherent danger posed to you as you would have attracted the attention of the SAMAS, and would have been attack. You could have been killed. But we are all soldiers and must accept the fact that our commanders may order us into harms way for the betterment of the unit and Tolkeen as a whole.”

"But, then who would fly you and the others out in my place?"

“We would have taken the teleporters back to Tolkeen.”

"Oh.."  with that she grew quiet for the rest of the flight back.

Severin waits his turn to get on the teleporter, helping with combat if needed to do so.