While waiting for take off the veritech pilots are given flight assignments and flight leads are selected. As this is done veritechs are taking off from the other end of the runway two.



After a few more minutes the veritechs on runway two begin to take off by two's.

When these two veritechs are about halfway down the runway, the controller gives a third veritech clearance to take off.

---

After reaching their assigned altitude the three veritech pilots maintain a formation of three. The three pilots are able to look into the cockpits of the other two veritechs....

Knight Four is a USMC VF-1A whose pilot is wearing a Woodland MARPAT cover on his/her helmet.

Reindeer Eighteen is a Finnish Air Force FRS.1 whose female pilot is wearing an aviation headset and sunglasses. Obviously the pilot should be wearing a standard issue flight helmet but probably was unable to get one during the confusion of take off.

Vermillion Seven is a JASDF VF-1J whose pilot is wearing a yellow helmet with markings on it with a white skull and cross bones. This is the same helmet as worn by VF-84 Jolly Rodgers, a US Navy Veritech squadron.


OOC: Please make one post. If you have not yet finished updating your equipment sheet please do so.

An American accented female voice transmits on channel.

"Roger tower, Knight four has command. Are we cleared for transformation Tower?"

"Proud to fly with you Reindeer One-Eight, Vermilion Seven.  Adjust comms now."

She tunes to 181.5.

"Lightning, Knight 4, radio check."

After a few more minutes the veritechs on runway two begin to take off by two's.

When these two veritechs are about halfway down the runway, the controller gives a third veritech clearance to take off.

"We will Form a Victor formation on me, Reindeer take left, Vermillion right."

After getting visual of each other the camo headed pilot nods to them, and goes back to HUD to try to evaluate the situation.

"Copy Tower, Vermilion Seven standing ready to launch" Jack reply as he taxi out to his position. "Rodger, changing comms now. Pleasure to fly with you too, Knight Four"

While Jack waits for his turn to take off he tries to make himself at 'home' in the new VF and still somewhat cursing the other pilot who had taken his already adjusted VF.

"Rodger, taking off now tower" he replies before hitting the thrusters and taking to the sky to join his new partners. "Taking the right position Knight"

"Reindeer One Eight copies." Aksa replies to the tower controller and maneuvers her VF-1 into position.

"181.5 copy." She notes, then switches over and participates in the radio check.

As she waits for launch clearance she double checks her seat straps and console presets. She switches to another radio frequency momentarily. [Language unknown: "Vorstisanrat Hisichhat, k. Hoolme ndeprence, Anyin si hencwemo tewi, hesalilesi pr li te ch ERAUT, i, alter k sahi k ate t reswerain ate. Ai Chalpr!"]

Once cleared she maintains formation with Knight 4 thru launch and climb out.

Once joined by Vermilion 7 and informed of the formation positions she nods at the wing-lead and slots in onto Knight 4's left wing.

"On your left wing, level One two five zero feet." She notes and then begins scanning the sky for bandits and ally alike, looking for a decent way into the fight.

[Private to GM:
Roll of 74 v 68 Mil Tactics : FAIL
Roll of 49 v 63 Theater Warfare: Aerospace : PASS]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:39, Mon 09 Apr 2018.

Far off in the distance (several kilometers) a large number of cross crossing contrails can be seen. This is obviously a large dogfight between the veritech's and conventional aircraft launched from Macross Island and the UES Prometheus.

The skies above Macross Island itself is filled with aircraft circling at various altitudes.  In addition to the last 20 or so veritech launched there are quite a few A-10D Super Warthogs, AV-8B Harrier's, and Mitsubishi F-2's orbiting the island. A few ES-11C Cat's Eye's can be seen as well as an EA-6B or two.

There are also a number of Mi-35M Hind E's, and other helocopters flying at a lower altitude.

Below the UES Daedalus can be seen 'beaching itself' and disgorging mecha and vehicles near the harbor.

[Private to Aksa Tikkanen:
You realize that the aircraft above Macross Island have been "stacked & racked", to deal with any additional threat coming from any point of the compass.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:19, Tue 10 Apr 2018.

"All aircraft orbiting Macross Island. Be advised we have a submerged enemy amphibious assault force approaching from an easterly direction. Size is unknown but two scout helicopters were destroyed ten kilometers from the island seven minutes ago by surface to air energy weaponry."

"Maintain your current altitude and orbit. As you pass by the east side of the island search for any targets coming out of the water."

When the inbound alien amphibious assault force is spotted it isn't from the eastern side of the island. Instead sighting are shouted out over the radio simultaneously reporting alien mecha coming from all points of the compass around the island.

"All flights engage!"

[Private to group Russian:
"Fire at will!"]

"Weapons Free! I say again weapons free!"

"Let's get 'em boys!"

[Private to group Japanese:
"It's a lightning attack!"]

The majority of the alien mecha could best described as 'headless and wingless ostriches'. Some of which have missile launchers mounted on top. A few look like they have a radar on top and are bristling with antennas. There is a second type of alien mecha with an rectangular body a large top mounted cannon and arms with cannons.

---

Literally right in front of them, Knight Four, Vermillion Seven and Reindeer Eighteen see a group of 'headless ostriches' storming the beach near the north end of the island.

A flight of four A-10D Super Warthogs dive down at this group of mecha.

Each A-10D launches several maverick missiles at the headless ostriches. The headless ostriches fire upward into the air at the A-10D's with energy weaponry. One of the A-10D's loses a wing from the odd alien mecha with a top mounted gun and rolls over, crashing into the city below. The remaining three A-10D's continue their dive and line up for a strafing run as the two 'headless ostriches' with missile launchers fire their missiles at targets in the direction of the air field.....

OOC: You guys get two actions to fire on two separate enemy mecha below as you strafe them.

You of course don't know the terms 'Battle Pod', 'Arty Pod', 'Scout Pod' and 'Officer Pod' yet. These terms will be created after the battle.

Skill rolls (military tactics, theater warfare: ground), and a really high perception roll will tell you for sure what role an enemy mecha is capable of.

Don't forget to make dodge rolls either!

Target list for you guys.

• 12 'headless ostraches'
• 01 of the ones with a top mounted gun (it just took out an A-10D)
• 01 'headless ostraches' with what looks like a radar on top
• 02 'headless ostriches' with missile launchers on top (current firing at the air field)

[Private to Aksa Tikkanen: 23:00, Today: Darkside Trooper, on behalf of Aksa Tikkanen, rolled 72 using 5d20 with rolls of 20,11,16,6,19.  energy weaponry blasts at you +4.
NAT 20!!!!!!!!!
unat 15
unat 21
MISS
unat 24]

[Private to Jack O'Neil: 23:03, Today: Darkside Trooper, on behalf of Jack O'Neil, rolled 53 using 5d20 with rolls of 10,20,1,13,9.  energy weaponry blasts at you +4.
unat 14
NAT 20!!!!!!
MISS
unat 17
unat 13]

[Private to Meiko Levina: 23:04, Today: Darkside Trooper, on behalf of Meiko Levina, rolled 45 using 5d20 with rolls of 12,15,6,3,9.  energy weaponry blasts at you +4.
unat 16
unat 21
MISS
MISS
unat 13]
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:09, Tue 10 Apr 2018.

"Let's pave the road.  Everyone hit that thing with that upright barrel, and pick another target on your path, then we bank left and come around to hit them again.  Use nose cannons if you got em!  GO!"


She aims for the thing that hit the A10, and a random other pod.

As the fire comes in, Meiko shows her skill as an atmospheric pilot, twisting while she lays in her targets.

Dodges (Auto):
1.  30 unnat - miss
2.  21 unnat (Tie to defender?)
3.  15 - miss

Attacks:

1.  14 - 20mm Cannon - Target 1 (shot A-10 shooter) - 50 MDC
2.  15 - 20mm Cannon - Random pod - 30 MDC

Other Actions

1. Military Tactics - 32 Pass
2. Sensory Instruments - 92 Fail

Meiko gets an additional melee.. which is GU-11, but does that work with nose cannons as well?


[Private to GM: 10:09, Today: Meiko Levina rolled 6 using 2d3+2, unique dice with rolls of 3,1.  Damage Target 2 Strafe.

10:09, Today: Meiko Levina rolled 5 using 2d3+2, unique dice with rolls of 2,1.  Damage Target 1 Strafe.

10:02, Today: Meiko Levina rolled 25 using 2d20+2, unique dice with rolls of 11,12.  Two attacks.

09:54, Today: Meiko Levina rolled 38 using 3d20+5, unique dice with rolls of 19,10,4.  3 Dodge rolls.]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:10, Tue 10 Apr 2018.

OOC: Okay, Guess I'll be the Crashtest Dummy; lets see how this goes.

Dodges (Auto):

1: 20 NAT!! Not today sucker!
2: 18 Unat: DODGE
3: 21 Unat: DODGE
4: 14 Unat: HIT

---

Actions:

1: 16 Unat At a 'Regular' Unit w/ GU-11
2: 24 Unat At what looks like a 'Recon' Unit w/ GU-11
3: 75 v 68 Mil Tactics: FAIL
 - Perception: 20 Unat PASS?
4: 78 v 58 Weap Sys: FAIL
5: Holding for Dodge(s) vs trailing fire on climb out

---

Damage:

Target 1: 50 (Regular Unit)
Target 2: 50 (Recon Unit)

---

Aksa rolls into attack and then all hell breaks loose. Slamming her controls wildly she moves to evade the incoming fire, and does well to start but still eats some of the enemy incoming. Felt the heat of that first one... she blinks, then lights off with few choice expletives in her native tongue as she is struck.

"My turn!." She snarls and depresses the firing stud loosing two short bursts at two targets, including one that looks like it's wearing a radar or some such.

As she passes over the targets she snaps her head back to get a better look at the enemy. "Damn things look like eggs. Definitely NOT AUL" She comments over open channel to no one in particular.

She switches the Chaff/Flare's to automatic, just in case. She briefly growls under her breath as her attempt to fire-link her weapons doesn't go as easily as planned.

OOC: Let me know if anything needs to be changed / added / discarded. Been a while since my last full blown combat post.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:42, Tue 10 Apr 2018.

Auto dodge 1: 9+13
Auto dodge 2: 1+13
Auto dodge 3: 2+13
Auto dodge 4: 16+13
Auto dodge 5: 2+13

Action 1: Target who him. Nat.20 (24) dmg:15(30 if double)
Action 2: Target the same pod. 12 dmg:12
Action 3: Military Tactics - fail
Action 4: Weapon Systems - success
Action 5: Reserved for dodge

"I'm hit! Those bastard have experience for sure!" Jack exclaim as his VF shakes from the impact from hit as he rolls back and forth dodging the other shoots and open fire once a opportunity present itself. "Payback!"

[Private to Darkside Trooper: 19:17, Today: Jack O'Neil rolled 9 using 1d100 with rolls of 9.  Weapon Systems.
19:18, Today: Jack O'Neil rolled 97 using 1d100 with rolls of 97.  Military Tactics.
19:20, Today: Jack O'Neil rolled 12 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 8.  nose laser.
19:20, Today: Jack O'Neil rolled 24 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 20.  nose laser.
19:24, Today: Jack O'Neil rolled 12 using 6d4 with rolls of 2,3,1,3,2,1.  nose dmg.
19:24, Today: Jack O'Neil rolled 15 using 6d4 with rolls of 2,4,1,4,3,1.  nose dmg.]

Seven of the sixteen Maverick missiles launched by the A-10D's hit their targets. The rest are evaded as the headless ostrich mecha leap out of the way.  The seven headless ostrich mecha that do get hit (this includes the two missile launcher ones) are utterly blown to bits indicating that the 57 kg HEAP warhead on a Maverick missile is more then enough to destroy one of the mecha.

The remaining nine alien mecha fire upward as the three A-10D's and three veritechs make a gun run. The A-10's take some of the anti-air fire which includes some sort of airburst munitions that does a serious number on one of the A-10's engines, and blows away a quarter of a wing. The damaged A-10 stays in the air. Four of the headless ostrich mecha are destroyed in the A-10's attack run, with a fifth severely damaged. As the A-10's pull out of their attack run they bank and head out to sea.

Knight Four fires at what is probably a command mecha but its pilot is good and side steps out of the way of the burst of 20mm shells. The second target, one of the headless ostriches is hit by several 20mm rounds but looks like it's still in the fight. As she pulls out of the attack run she follows behind the A-10's.

[Private to Meiko Levina: Military tactics: On your next attack run you should probably use your ECM pods. It should degrade their targeting. You would make an ECM roll at the begining of the melee, and it will cose an action. ]

Reindeer Eighteen watches as several energy blasts bracket her cockpit narrowly missing her. Firing her GU-11 she puts a burst into one of headless ostriches that was damaged by an A-10. This enemy mecha crumples and collapses. She then fires at the 'recon unit' headless ostrich but it leaps out of the way. As she pulls out of her attack run alarms blare out that she took some hits.

[Private to Aksa Tikkanen: The unat 24 is what hits you as you pull out. The fact that you felt the energy impacts means they were particle beam cannons
-14 MDC to right wing
-14 MDC main body

Perception roll: There looks like there are two types of headless ostriches.
Most were these: http://mechajournal.com/wp-con...t-combat-mecha-1.jpg
Some were these: http://mechajournal.com/wp-con...t-Robot-TBP-2A-1.jpg and were firing the air-burst munitions]

Vermillion Seven fires noses lasers at one of the headless ostriches and gets two pulse bursts into it. Simultaneously he takes a series of hard hits that almost causes him to lose control and crash into the island. As he pulls out of his attack run he feels his veritech taking more hits

[Private to Jack O'Neil:
Nat 20
-32 MDC to Nose (i.e.Reinforced Pilot's Compartment)
-40 MDC to Main Body

-21 MDC to right lower leg
-21 MDC to right upper leg

Weapon Systems: On your next melee your gun pod and nose lasers are linked.

The fact that you felt the energy impacts means they were particle beam cannons]

---

The three veritechs follow the three A-10D's out to sea. Behind them of the sixteen alien mecha only four remain, and two of those are damaged. The A-10D's turn around for another attack run towards the island and line up on a different formation of alien mecha.

OOC: OK you guys each get two posts to coordinate the next attack run.

Aksa pulls out of her attack and looks over her damage, such as she can, and purses her lips. Was the damage minor? She manipulates her control surfaces and notes no change in flight characteristics. It seemed to be. She silences the alarms.

Instinctively she flies a buddy check around her two wing-mates to ascertain the extent of any hits they may have taken.

[Private to GM: Roll of 19 v 48 Aircraft Mechanics: PASS]

"Echo Tango's have a flak unit with ABM loads." She says evenly. "Standby Seven, Four, assessing your damage."

[Private to GM: She compares the damage appearance, (scoring, pattern, tearing, etc.) to what she took to see what caused the damage to Seven. Particle Beam, ABM, both?]

---

"If we are to return for a second pass, recommend we thin out the smaller three before working on the Command Unit. That Recon Unit has got to go as well." She says "Would a multi vector approach seem in order, make them split up between targets, instead of taking us all in a row or in a line?" She suggests.

"Their flak units have the thinner more streamlined appearance and larger, eye. Well, larger then the more common ones, but smaller then the Recon ones." She notes. She switches to the Tower Freq for a quick moment to report on the flak units.

Roll of 33 vs 68 Military Tactics: PASS
This message was last edited by the player at 15:48, Wed 11 Apr 2018.

"Good call Reindeer, that is what we will do.  I'm getting my ECM up and running right now as we circle back.  Sorry I didn't use it earlier."

She helps Reindeer by taking a look at her airbody as she circles, though her knowledge is minimal on the airframe, if anything sticks out... she will report it.

"If we come in nap of the earth, we should take less fire, you two up to that?"

"Crap! They shot particle beams from the cannons! Several damage to the right leg" Jack almost curse aloud once the info from the damage is received. "Still able to fly where you need me, Four!"

As the there veritechs turn around they see that the there are hundreds of enemy mecha assaulting the island.  Its a target rich (but dangerous) environment.

Energy beams, missiles, tracers from cannon fire and bursts of flack rise up to strike the aircraft and veritechs firing down at the enemy. Like wise tracers, missiles, and energy beams are fired downward.

Off to their relative right, the members of the flight can see that the UES Prometheus has taken at least one missile hit as smoke billows out from the side of the carrier.

[Private to Aksa Tikkanen:
Can't really compare damage when you can't see the hits on your own mecha.
There are a series of six impact point along the right upper/lower leg of Vermillion Seven's VF-1J. Another three blast points can be seen on the nose, and three more on the lower body.

Knight Four looks to be unscathed

Military Tactics:  Not sure what info your trying to gain. But I will point out if you guys split up your likely to lose each other due to all the other craft flying about.

There is WAY too much comm traffic for you to contact the tower, or even the SDF-1. All you can hope for is that they get your message.]


[Private to Meiko Levina: There are six impact on Reindeer Eighteens right wing and six more on the underside of the body.

Please make a navigation skill roll. ]

Meiko looks over the massive furball, her lips pressing into a grim line.  She looks over Reindeer and then back around the battle.  They need to choose their targets, try to... help someone.

"One-Eight, you have about six impacts on your right wing and another set on your fuselage.  I don't see any other damage.  Looks like your armor held."

[Private to GM: 08:20, Today: Meiko Levina rolled 41 using 1d100 with rolls of 41.  Navigation 60%.]