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The rest of the night and early morning was quiet save for the renewed mewling of the palloos. Longshot and Haywire had made the quick hike over the second hill to see the destruction of the animals that had been caught in the ravine. The gutkurrs had torn two of the large-horned animals to pieces and left one mortally wounded. The scent of the dead and dying was luring other scavengers and predators to the hill.

Haywire backed off from one of the carcasses when something atop it suddenly flapped wide thin-membraned wings that stretched the length of a man. The things long thin snout pulled out of the dead palloo's cavity and hissed. Longshot watched as new animals gathered and yipped in excitement of the fresh kills. There were about 10 shadowed shapes loping about the ridgeline, but whatever the pack was they were too skittish to approach while the two Clone Troopers were present. As they began to walk back up the hill and towards their camp, the shadows converged on the dead animals, while the living palloos wandered a distance away and started their calls once more all the while watching the shapes.

With his low-light visor on, Longshot could see the new pack animal was four-legged and had sharp canine teeth. They were called anfaloks and could present a danger if not watched. Fortunately for Derecho, the time was nearing to move out.

Booth had had the men begin to break their camp and then they all took food. It was the standard issue protein paste that was squeezed from a tube - something that the clones were very used to, but they all wished they could eventually have a normal meal. Once done, Booth sent Mitts to wake Hammer and they piled once more into the Arrow.

The team moved through the low-lands of the Flats, weaving down valley lengths that sometimes took them out of their way and made them have to double back. It was necessary, though, as Martel and Booth did not want to expose themselves to any patrols that might be north and east of the river. The sun rose and light and shadow now filled each vale. Slowly it climbed the sky and slowly the team closed the distance to the Relay Station.

The Clone sergeant turned the Arrow sharp as he followed an S-curved valley. Longshot again was in the turret hatch with the speeder's laser cannon in his hands. Suddenly the ridgelines above dropped away to a wide, flat river bed. A pea-green-colored river flowed lazily in front of them cutting through the flood plain, and stretching off in both directions. Booth brought the speeder to a halt and shut down the engine. Team Derecho clamoured out and Martel laid a tablet on the hood. A holo-map activated and showed their position and that of their target. They were in close range now.

Hammer went to the riverbank and studied the water. It was flowing very wide and slow - the trooper knew that if needed, the men could ford it on foot and probably only get wet to their torsos. He stood back up and returned to his companions who were deep in discussion.

His name was Har'zic and like the majority of his people, he was forgotten. Har'zic was a Dashade - a race of beings that had almost been wiped out in the Galaxy during the Sith Wars, but a colony had survived and now a few went out to sell their services for the highest bidder. In this case it had been General Grievous and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Har'zic's ruthless, but dependable, reputation as an assassin-mercenary had brought him to the attention of Count Dooku who had sent the cyborg general to find him and recruit him. The interest had been mutual and the Dashade was immediately promoted to a commander in the Separatist Army. With this new rank, Har'zic was given a company of various types of battle droids and ordered to ensure the safety of an important communication facility.

And then Grievous was gone - along with Dooku - and the Dashade had not heard from them again. It had been almost a year since he was stationed in the rocky flats of Plinth. Not that he mind - as a reptillian, the warmth of the territory suited him, but Har'zic ached to be on the front. He wanted to be in the middle of it all. Instead, all he had wasthe inflow of transmissions that passed through his station.

He was forgotten.

The sun was rising on a new morning. Har'zic stood on a balcony that overlooked the craggy cliff below and the warmth of the new day bathed his scaled face and chest. An electronic voice sounded behind him and he opened his eyes but never turned, "Commander, sentry team B1-AC has returned with a clear report - there are no immediate threats to our station."

"Of course not," hissed the reply. "Continue as usual with the standard reconnaissance patrol and bring me the current power outputs."

Something had to happen soon so that Har'zic could show his capabilities. Something had to happen to allow himself to be pulled off this rock!

Hammer was a little more groggy when Mitts came to wake him than he'd been earlier but the nausea that he'd felt before going back to sleep was gone now.  He wouldnt say that he was refreshed but he was definately better.  He'd already packed everything before going back to sleep, it gave him the few minutes that he needed for the adrenaline high to come down so that he could close his eyes, and now all he had to do was stand, throw his ruck into the Arrow and follow it in himself.

Once they'd stopped he glanced over at the map that he'd already seen several times, this time with a red dot near their target showing the position of the team.  He listened to the Commander and Sergeant talk while he looked into the river.

"It looks shallow enough for us to walk across here.  I don't seen any dangerous fauna in there at this point but I'll keep an eye out."

Perception +11 to check for any dangerous looking flora or fauna in the area of the river.

Martel tries to recall if there were any dangerous water creatures that could be lurking in the river and sense whether there were any large creatures in their vicinity in the river.

:ooc:

"Good work, Hammer," Booth replied as the trooper returned with his report. Turning his attention back to the holomap, the sergeant laid out the plan. "We cross the river here and make our way directly into this section of rocky upcroppings. Move ourselves right underneath the north-east corner of the power generator. We'll climb or rappel up from there." Booth looked around to see if his team understood.

"Hammer, Longshot: You are on point. Haywire, Mitts: You two got rear guard. Swift and silent, men. I don't want them to know we were here until we're waving good-bye, understood?"

:ooc: The Arrow staying behind at this point? If so, I would like to know loadouts - not so much for encumbrance (be mindful of it tho) but so we know what you have with you.

The water is shallow enough that the Arrow could cross but it is going to get wet and it will take a Pilot check DC 22 to make sure it does not stall out.

Martel thinks of a slew of indigenous life on Plinth that resides both in water and on land and that are predatory. There are terrible slugs in the fresh waters that burrow into the skin and feed and nest. Fish that are meat eaters, along with reptiles and other mammal-types. The river could offer a threat from some of the fauna that habitat the world, but his Use the Force renders very little in the way of threats.

Hammer can see dried salt along the banks of the river. There is little plant life in the water, but minerals look abundant. The only movement he does notice is small hand-sized aquatic arachnids (essentially crabs) that sidewalk along the riverbank and submerge themselves into the water.

Hammer just has the stuff in his possessions list, that should be all he needs.

"Got it."

Giving himself on last check to make sure he has everything and nothing is loose or rattling he moved toward the river.  This would be one of the more exposed portions of their trek, there was no cover in the river and the only concealment would be if they submerged.

"Haywire and Mitts, one of you cover each direction while till Longshot and I get across then we'll cover from the other side while the rest of you  cross."

"Hmm.. I think we should make our across in the Arrow.  There are plenty of creatures on this planet that won't hesitate to make a meal of us, some we've met already.  There is something about this water that disturbs me... We shouldn't try to cross on foot it unless it's necessary."

 :ooc:My apologies, guys... jumped the gun there... should have waited for a response from Martel's thinking/searching. Also, I had assumed the Arrow couldn't get across... sorry... I'll post a change of plans later... but assume we're jumping in the Arrow. I'd like to bring it as close as we can. Thanks!

 :ooc: Right, so that was just a tiny bit confusing with a possible future retcon in the works there.  Give me a bit to sort out everything before I post.

As for equipment, I'll stick with what I said back in the Episode 1 Thread with one minor tweak.
2 Anti-Vehicle Mines, 2 Proximity Mines, 2 Ion Mines, 1 Limpet Mine, 4 Explosive Charges, 4 timers, 4 manual triggers.  Leaving my stun clip of grenades as well as one of the frag clips and one of the ion clips.  So I'll be at 8 Frags(4 loaded in grenade launcher), and 4 Ion spare.  Leaving one Limpet mine I have with us back in the arrow as well.  Other than that, inventory will be as listed in the Possessions part on my sheet.

:ooc: I'll wait until you guys re-work your posts, or do you guys just want me to move on?

Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Sep 18, 2013, 10:26 AM
"Hmm.. I think we should make our across in the Arrow.  There are plenty of creatures on this planet that won't hesitate to make a meal of us, some we've met already.  There is something about this water that disturbs me... We shouldn't try to cross on foot it unless it's necessary."

"Derecho, hold for a minute. Eyes up." Booth gave his head a shake, "Sorry, Commander. Guess I jumped the gun there."

The sergeant examined the river a moment. "Hammer, you figure the depth's under five feet?" He looked back at the Arrow as his heavy weapons officer replied. Looking back at the Jedi, he continued, "Well, sir, we managed to get the rigged container through atmo and land well enough. I'm thinking I can get the Arrow across without taking in too much water. I'm a fan of staying dry anyway."

Turning back to Derecho, Booth spoke up again, "Alright, team. Change of plans. One more trip in the Arrow. I know you all love it's spacious design. Good news -- you get to stay dry. Saddle up. I don't like staying out here in the open."

:ooc: No retcon posts... but, once again, sorry guys!  :-[

Doug, from the map, can Booth tell if the Arrow will be able to navigate through the rock formations SW of their position towards the power generator?

And here is my pilot check:

 :ooc:Wow... the dice are rolling a lot nicer in this game than in Tempest!  :tup:

Haywire watched the map when Martel pulled it out for just a minute.  He'd been navigating for a lot of the trip so he already knew where they were and where the generator was.  He was still a bit concerned about indigenous life after the predators they'd had a run in during the night with and the large scavengers they'd seen soon after. 

Getting ready to cover the fording of the river as ordered, he was somewhat relieved when they chose to take the Arrow across.  Allowing himself a small chuckle at the mention of how they all loved the interior of the speeder he got ready to go once again, loading himself into the speeder.  They'd been in situations that were more cramped before.  It wasn't too bad in the speeder. 

"Hey Sarge, what's the chances of us getting a nice large suite on board a ship for travel to our next mission after this?  Command has been oh so generous with giving us spacious accommodations so far you know." 

He had a joking tone with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  Republic Command always seemed to like cramming as many troopers into as tight a space as possible for transport.

Hammer stepped back from the waters edge and nodded when the sargeant asked him about the depth of the water, then he hopped once again into the back of the arrrow and hoped they could keep from sinking the thing. "Yeah, maybe they'll buy us our own yacht after this mission."

"And if wishes were banthas, we'd all be eating steak," quipped Martel.  "I'll see what I can do but the way our luck goes is that our next target is on some pleasure yacht."  And before they start in, "Ya, ya... Jedi, luck... ha ha."
- - -
"Easier than you thought, eh Booth?" commented the Jedi as they made it safely to the other side.  "Alright, let's button up and put on your game face."

The Arrow accelerated towards the river, while at the same time a strong gust of wind carried down the river valley. The net effect was to cause the craft to be lifted as it hit the water. Like a stone skipping, the speeder dashed over the briney river the repulsors shoveing down and causing water to fountain out on either side. The speed and piloting was quite efficient and kept the Arrow from partially submerging, so the cabin was free of any moisture.

And then they were across.

Once more, Booth commenced the tediously slow drive down the winding valleys of eroded sandstone, closing on the station. Haywire watched the map; Longshot watched for patrols; and Martel felt for any disturbances in the Force. It was another hour of driving and then the sergeant brought the speeder to a halt. The risk of driving any closer and giving up Derecho's presence was becoming imminent. Though they had another couple kilometers to go, they would do better on foot.

---

:ooc: Okay - now we can worry about loadouts and such. I am assuming you guys do not want to park this vehicle right under the station's view and use its laser cannon as a resource, right? Rather go in with stealth? If there is a different plan let me know and I will change my narrative above.

I am setting up a skill challenge now to stealthily close the distance on the station, as well as putting a zoomin map together so you guys can plan your assault.

 :ooc: How far are we now from the station?  Did we have a camo tent to hide the craft or is there natural cover that we could use to disguise/hide it?

:ooc: You have a camo tarp and the terrain is broken and craggy.

Map is below. Each square is 3 meters, instead of the standard 1.5, but I can't make the map big enough to get a good range of squares. So, for movements and range we'll have to work a bit on making sure we are accurate with counts.

We will consider the top of the math north and I put letters on top of the prominent hills and numbers on the smaller ones.

Here is the skill rolls needed from each PC:
Acrobatics (DC 15) - this is to climb with gear through and over the rough terrain. A failure will cause your Stealth DC roll required below to increase by 3 (Stealth penalty will be combined with any bonus from Perception).
Endurance (DC18) - this is to account for the day and a half movement in the Plinth sun, sleeping in armor, etc. A failure will cause a persistant -1 step on the Condition Track until you get proper rest.
Stealth (DC 22) - to move into range of the station unseen; if failed by any member the team is heard and will be confronted by a patrol.
Perception (DC 20) - to notice the enemy; a successful Perception test by the PC will reduce your Stealth roll DC needed by 5 to DC 17, as you are able to see the enemy and move accordingly to maintain stealth. A successful Perception roll from ANY PC in the team will reduce the Stealth DC by 3 to 19 (Perception bonuses do not stack, you get the better of the two).

 :ooc: Here's my rolls:









I'll try to post something later tonight... otherwise, it might not be until Monday.

When the Arrow came to a stop, Martel hopped out and rubbed his neck.  Talk about your poodoo assignments.  Sucking it up, he found that calm spot in his mind, sucked it up, and got his gear.

:ooc:

 :ooc: I had a feeling...

 :ooc:Aha! Success!

 :ooc:I'm not gonna be the one who gets us in trouble ;)

 :ooc: Haywire's Rolls are incoming.

 :ooc: Um, I don't think force points are really going to help there...  :'(

 :ooc:
  :00:
Acrobatics dc 18


Endurance dc 18


Stealth dc 25


Perception dc 22

 :ooc: yikes

:ooc: Man! That dice roller really took a crap on this series of tests! I am thinking that maybe the difficulties were too high, but the number of 1's and 2's that were rolled makes it so that I can't be sure.

I made a couple changes to my test requirements above, but I am not sure it is going to make much difference.

After my changes the analysis of the results is this:

Matt - you don't need to spend either Force Point, so I am not charging you for them.
Zil - Haywire will be CT -1, but a Force Point on his stealth roll might make a difference and keep the party unseen - you would need a 3.
John - Longshot will be CT -1, but a Force Point on his stealth roll might make a difference and keep the party unseen - you would need a 1.

 :ooc: If it has a decent shot I'll go for it.  Force Point away!  Best of 2d6 since we're level 8 incoming.

 :ooc: Looks like a 4 is my better of the two.  Hope that's enough given you said I needed a 3.

 :ooc:
Force point

Hammer jumped out of the Arrow making sure that his ruck was still secure inside.  He had already strapped everything he'd need for the mission onto his LBE.

He then opened the storage hatch on the Arrow, pulled the Camo net and worked to cover their escape route.


Acrobatics (DC 15) -


Endurance (DC18) -


Stealth (DC 22) -


Perception (DC 20) -

I'll use a force point to make the endurance check, I dont see any point in using one on the Perception since it only helps out the stealth check which I already made.

 :ooc: Here are my rolls

Acrobatics (DC 15)


Endurance (DC 18)


Stealth (DC 22)


Perception (DC 20)

Not bad.

:ooc: Not bad at all!

Okay, cool - with the Force Points spent, the net results are:

Booth - failed acrobatics, but did not effect stealth; passed endurance; failed Perception but Longshot's success helps everyone out
Martel - passed acrobatics, endurance and stealth; failed perception but Longshot's success helps everyone out
Haywire - failed acrobatics which bounces his stealth roll to 25, but Longshot's success returns it to 22; failed endurance CT -1; passed stealth with a Force Point; failed perception but Longshot's success helps everyone out
Longshot - failed acrobatics which bounces his stealth roll to 25, but his perception success returns it to 20; failed endurance CT -1; passed stealth with a Force Point; succeeded at perception gained a -5 to stealth DC
Hammer- succeeded at everything except perception, but Longshot's success helps everyone out
Mitts - succeeded at everything except perception, but Longshot's success helps everyone out

So, to sum it - Longshot and Haywire are feeling the effects of the transit, sleep deprivation and the heat. Both have a persistant CT -1 until proper 8 hours rest is acheived.

I will post more story later.

The Arrow was draped with the camo tarp and then the team moved out. It was rough going with a number of slips and tumbling rocks and stones. Each time a man went down, Derecho would hit cover and pause for five minutes to ascertain that no one or thing had heard them. The sun beat down above and even with the envirnmental comfort settings on the armor a couple of the men began to wear down. Longshot and Haywire needed to take a few breaks along the way, sucking down precious fluids as they went. Booth wondered at the team's predicament - it made no sense why they were having such a challenge.

Still, though not pretty, the ingress was successful. Along their path Haywire was able to find a number of sensor net devices that would have warned them of their position and Longshot locked in on and followed the progress of six B-1 battle droids walking a patrol. Both team members eluded the CIS defenses and led the remaining troopers into close proximity to their objective.

---

:ooc: I would like to know what you guys want to do at this point. You guys may be as close to the station as hill H on the map - from your right approach to left. Aryn is busy for the weekend but will be able to post on Monday. If need be, I can reply for his PC.

 :ooc: Doug could I use shake it off to get back to peak condition or is that only for in combat situations?

:ooc: Shake it off is good to help ease a Recover action - costing two Swift actions instead of three. But your current condition can't be aided by a Recover, it requires 8 hours rest and the feat doesn't help with sleep.

If you take damage in combat, though, that feat will come in handy.

 :ooc: well I'm alright with pushing on. This is not a place we can rest for a day. The patrols would catch us likely. And it's prob not feasible to withdraw and have to go through this again with possibly the same outcome. Thoughts?

 :ooc:  I dont think turning back at this point is a good idea.  I agree that it's likely that we'll end up in the same place again, or perhaps worse if we fail more checks.  We're here now and with only a couple of -1's. Let's get this done.

as for the plan, my thought is that we'd be best off going from Hill H around 3 and 4 over to Hill J then down past that outcropping with no designation, that will get us closest to the station while still having some cover. Versus just running across a wide open space to directly in front of us.

 :ooc:Agreed, mission is a go for me.

 :ooc:I think Stefan's plan sounds good, and agree that stopping to rest or go back is not in our best interest. I'm posting as such...

Booth gave his troops the signal to hold to catch their breath for a moment. "Five minute rest, troops." Moving next to Martel, Booth brought the map up again. "Commander, I suggest we move along this set of hills and outcroppings to the west, ending right underneath the seppies here." The sergeant traced the route along the map. "It's not as direct, but should provide us with better cover for our approach."

:ooc:For travel formation, I'm good with Hammer and Longshot taking point, Haywire and Mitts on rear guard, Martel and Booth in between.

:ooc: Okay, the tests performed before brought the team in as deep as hill H - if you guys move again, you will need to test against the following Perception [Notice Targets]:

Sniper Droideka Observer Perception
:00: DC n/a Perception +21

:ooc: Well that shouldn't be terrible...

---

The team moved along the low-lands between the hills and came to a hill that their computer map had designated as 'H'. The digital display still showed a wide expanse of ground that would need to be crossed if they were to try here. It would be a killing ground, and Booth knew it. He formulated his plan to continue moving along the cover of the hills to the north and finally to the hill 'J' which was closest to the tiered mount on which the Relay Station sat. He needed a sitrep before they could continue - the team knew of a B-1 battledroid patrol, but they needed to know what else they would face.

Booth signaled to Longshot and Haywire to take point, showing them the route they would take, but before they moved they were to get a view. Hand signals were made and Longshot nodded. He began the careful climb of Hill H to get a look at the enemies position. Haywire followed behind to offer any support if something should happen. Once at the top, Longshot lay on his belly and slid across the ground to each point of cover that he could find. In position to see, he extended out his rifle and eyed down his sight.

The power generator sat on a second tier of the hill across the valley below. The trooper could see a man-door access hatch at its far end that entered into the face of the stone cliff. There were two auto-turrets on tier two and three of the hill that offered 45-degree arc of coverage over the vale from each auto-cannon. The Relay Station itself sat atop the hill and Longshot cringed to see a Sniper Droideka sitting amongst its parapets overwatching the entire country around the facility. Lastly, a Spider-droid was making an apparent routine circle of the station as could be seen by the path dug in its wake.

Longshot swept his scope around once more and observed another patrol of six B-1 Battledroids accompanied by two B-2's. It was going to be a challenge... but that was why Derecho were the chosen ones. They knew how to get these things done.

 :ooc:I'm assuming we're rolling stealth checks vs that perception roll?

:ooc: Only if you guys move out from Hill H - otherwise your previous tests covered the ingress.

 :ooc:
Hmmm what about LS staying at H or possibly moving to the small rock to cover the group or moving there while there is a distraction, while the rest of us sneak around the perimeter of J at the top, moving left behind the small rock at the most remote part of the spider droid's path?

 :ooc: am I too far away to actually provide cover fire though?

:ooc: Hey John, you are in range. Here is what you need to know:

First all squares are equal to 2 in game ranges, so 0-15 is Point Blank instead of the normal 0-30, 16-30 is Short, etc.

Second, your rifle is accurate so no penalty at Point Blank or Short.

Finally, if you aim first your scope reduces all range bands by one step. So if you aim, you would be able to cover out to 75 squares without a penalty.

Not bad. The only thing you'll need to check for is line of sight.

Hammer sat at the bottom of a lump of rock the map labeled Hill H and watched their rear to make sure there weren't other patrols behind them that might spot them and raise a ruckus.  There was a lot of open ground to cover between them and the power station, it was a well defined kill zone and they had no choice but to run right in. Watching the rear distracted him enough that he wouldnt stress himself out about it, no point in worrying about it prematurely.

:ooc: Great post Stefan.

If you guys want me to move the team along, I will - but you will need to give me another Stealth roll to move to Hill J - the DC is 22. Posterboy made his with a 26. Otherwise, let me know if you guys are going to rock and roll on the droids you see.

 :ooc: well the rest of the team might as well try to sneak in. If we open fire now it's an all out assault right? If that's the case we could prepare better for it. Bigger guns and jet packs and whatnot?

 :ooc:I'm okay with Longshot staying on Hill H and providing coverfire to us. I'd love to avoid taking on the droids until we're on the wall looking to assault the place. Unless someone can figure out a way to take out the patrols quietly and without them raising the alarm.

 :ooc:I say we just take the long way around the hills and sneek in. We might have to battle the spider droid though, but if we reach voer undetected we could take it out with some ion grenades that are more "silent".

Anyway, I'm rolling for Stealth:

Hammer's Stealth roll

"Alright, this looks like our best route," says Martel, pointing along the north side of the map (at J) getting to the base of the hill that has the installation and the least exposure the to spider droid.  "Longshot, make yourself a home right here, covering our approach.  Once we've made the base of the hill we will ascend and proceed from there.  If it all goes south, we meet back at the speeder.  Any questions?"

If seeing none, he gives his sniper comrade a pat on the back, "May the Force be with you."

:ooc:
If necessary,

:ooc: Okay, the dice roller seems to be back in the team's favor... I am going to add the new post, but first going to throw the dice for Zil just to move us on. If he comes back and is unhappy with the results, let me know.

Haywire Stealth check
:00: DC 22 Stealth +17, CT -1

With Longshot perched atop Hill J to provide overwatch, the team moved out. Hand signals were the primary source for communication - no one doubted the Republic encryption in their comlinks, but there was a massive antenna above them; better to be safe than sorry.

Again they moved from rock formation to rock formation, keeping low and watching the direction they were moving and from which they came. Longshot kept them in his sights, sweeping from right to left, back towards the enemy position. None of the droids reacted. The spider droid continued in its lumbering path while the sniper droideka changed positions atop the station to check the entire swath of land around it. Only the two patrols concerned the clone trooper and he did his best to keep an eye on them, but they too disappeared behind rock formations.

The sun arced over their heads and the men began to feel the weariness of stress lay over them by the time they reached Hill J. They crouched in its shadow along its feet and assessed the crossing before them. It was 45 meters from where they sat to the first tier on which sat the power generator... close enough to almost touch.

Longshot gave Martel nod. "Thanks . I'll settle for the force being with you guys. Bringing you all back in one piece. If it all goes to Gutkarr poo, I'll be here to draw their fire."

The trip from the speeder to the installation had been a bit more taxing on Haywire than he'd anticipated.  A slight bit of heat exhaustion wouldn't severely hamper his ability to perform though.  They were much too close now to turn back or wait.  He'd be dealing with it for most of the operation if not all of it.  Once they finished the mission he'd have a chance to rest and recover. 

After the quick stealthy maneuver over to another rock, leaving Longshot in a position he'd be able to provide cover fire if they needed it, Haywire finally got a good first-hand look at the power generator he'd be exploding.  It was going to be a glorious explosion.  Most likely his biggest one yet.  There would be zero chance of that station coming operational again after it went, since there wouldn't be a station anymore.  Using what he could see of the generator, he'd try to make sure it matched up with the information the engineers had provided or if the Separatists had made any obvious modifications without revealing himself.

:ooc: My apologies, got a bit busy in real life.  Yeah, I'm fine with the roll.  Glad you went ahead and did it without me.  Should have made time to at least come over here and warn people.  Sorry.

Is the cooling equipment for the generator outside or inside the facility?  If we go with just explosives on the cooling equipment, do we actually have to enter the facility?  I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me to ask earlier.  Fresh eyes I guess.

Hammer moved with Haywire on point up to the closer hill.  They were close now, he could almost smell the oil on the droids guarding this place.  He glanced up at the sniper first, hoping that they were close enougo to the wall that it could no longer see them.  Then he watched the Spider droid on it's track, timing it's pace, preparing for the order to either kill it or sneak past.

:ooc: The equipment that cools the generator is twofold. The outside condensing unit heat exchanger and fans are plainly visible, while the inside evaporator and fan are obviously inside. The huge turbines that fill the 4 half-circular protrusions that stick up from the ground are also kept linked by the huge enclosed shaft that runs the length of the generator. The Republic schematics assume either a geo-thermal system of conduction or some kind fission reactor to heat the fluids that then turn the turbines. Only the turbines and shaft (half of them) are visible above the ground along with the condensing heat exchange fans - the rest is underground.

There is an apparent man-door that is armored, but gives access into the mountainside by the turbines.

Republic schematics also assume a two-interface control system for the generator: 1) that would be down within the generator structure that engineers monitor; 2) one that would be in the relay station that engineers monitor.

So Haywire has a number of options. With any machine that rotates and makes heat - you kill the conduction unit, you kill the cooling unit, or you kill the mechanical unit (i.e. the turbine and shaft). You guys want an overload and an explosion, so it is recommended that you destroy the thing that keeps the generator cool so that it overheats/overcharges and BOOM! - blows up the whole mountain and everything with it. Any other choice would stop the power generator but it would only be temporary until the components could be repaired.

 :ooc:We'd like to wait until the spider droid is out of sight, going back around the southern face of the hill.  What do we need to do to get from the edge of J and on our way to that hatch (which I believe was our point of ingress)?

:ooc: The last 45 meters will require a Stealth check of:

Sniper Droideka Observer Perception
:00: DC n/a Perception +21, terrain -5

---

The team began to prepare to make the dash across the open ground before them when a hiss cracked in their ears. Longshot whispered only a few words, "New target. Spider droid number 2."

Still out of sight to the team, another spider droid appeared at the far base of the hill, lumbering along the same path as its partner.

On the far side of the planetary system that surrounded Phaeda, the Dauntless, a Venator-class Star Destroyer lay alongside three other ships of her class. The ship was brand new and had rolled out of the Allanteen Six shipyards not a month before. Her command had been recently bestowed upon General Anakin Skywalker, but the famous Jedi was not presently aboard, and so Captain Ballaard currently held the con.


The ship's commanding officer along with his staff stood in front of a large holomap that displayed a particular series of stars and their planetary systems along the Braxant Run. His eyes met a Lieutenant that was in charge of the evening's communications. The young man gave a nervous report, "Still nothing, Sir. The primary team has not reported, nor have we seen any change in the intersystem relay communications."

Ballaard nodded as he turned to his engineer, "Kroviss, I want our hyperdrives spooled to readiness so as soon as the comm relay goes down, we pounce. I want all three of those stations to be receiving our orbital bombardment before any get a chance to transmit a warning."

"Understood, Sir!"

Again the young Lieutenant spoke, "Sir with the destruction of the primary relay station by Team Derecho, won't the CIS be unable to receive any warnings?"

"Lieutenant, when that station goes offline due to our special team, the whole relay system is going to be taken completely down and we shall push back the Confederacy's hold by light years."

Hammer waited till both Spider droids were headed away from their ingress point and sprinted across the open terrain, pressing his body against the rock wall at the far side and wating a heartbeat to hear if the droideka had spotted him before waving his companions across.

Stealth:

FP(if necessary):

 :ooc:Before I make an in-game post, I want to confirm that we see all of the droids indicated on the map.

 :ooc:Getting hammered at work and home at the moment. Sorry for the short post... couple questions:

1) Once we climb up to the first level, will the auto turrets have line of sight to us? Will the Droideka Sniper?

2) TEAM: I'm wondering if we should try to take out some of these spider droids prior to the climb? Or if Longshot should use his HE launcher to hit the Droideka Sniper to start, and then each of the turrets, and then maybe one of the patrols. I don't know how we're going to get into access hatch without alerting the base. Thoughts?

Here might be a multi-team plan: Longshot tries to take on the droideka sniper and the turrets while the other 4 clones move up and ascend the hill. Martel, stays hidden at Hill J waiting for spider droid to begin to give chase to clones, comes up behind spider droid and slashes the droid to bits? Then, maybe goes back to support Longshot, who's probably dealing with patrols by this time? I'm just spitballin' here... other thoughts?

Stealth roll for the last 45m:



Booth took a deep, steadying breath as he readied himself for the final 45 meters to the base of the Relay Station and waited for the spider droid to move around out of view. Two quick cable jumps to the hatch. Secure the perimeter and we're in.

Quote from: tomcat on Sep 30, 2013, 04:23 PM
The team began to prepare to make the dash across the open ground before them when a hiss cracked in their ears. Longshot whispered only a few words, "New target. Spider droid number 2."

"Copy," Booth spoke softly in reply. Things never go easy...

Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Oct 01, 2013, 04:47 AM:ooc: Before I make an in-game post, I want to confirm that we see all of the droids indicated on the map.

Quote from: Stefan on Oct 01, 2013, 04:25 AMHammer waited till both Spider droids were headed away from their ingress point and sprinted across the open terrain, pressing his body against the rock wall at the far side and waiting a heartbeat to hear if the droideka had spotted him before waving his companions across.

Quote from: Posterboy on Oct 01, 2013, 05:51 AM:ooc: Getting hammered at work and home at the moment. Sorry for the short post... couple questions:

1) Once we climb up to the first level, will the auto turrets have line of sight to us? Will the Droideka Sniper?

:ooc: Replies in order:

Matt, Longshot has eyeballs on both spider droids. You guys can only see the backside of the one disappearing around the hill to the south (S-D1), and the droideka sniper on the top of the building. You can also see the auto-turrets. The new spider droid is not visible to you, or you to it, due to the large rock formation between Hill J and the Relay Station's hill. I am going to mark it as K.

Stefan, if you keep with your current post that is fine. Hammer is not seen due to your great roll, but the spider droid (S-D2) that just is rounding the north side of the hill will be walking south along the path and will eventually come eye-to-eye with Hammer. Maybe Haywire could drop a couple Limpet mines so when those things follow over the path... BOOM! They are like a tank or vehicle, as far as I am concerned.

Aryn, the auto-turrets will get a Perception roll as soon as you guys move south of Hill K. They have a 90-degree firing arc that covers over the generator and the open field in front of the hill. I am going to mark their firing corridor for you guys - understand that this is meta-game knowledge, not necessarily something your PC's know. The droideka sniper's Perception test is what you guys are rolling against now - it received a -5 due to Hill K being in the way for half of the run to the Relay Station hill.

Anymore questions, let me know.

 :ooc:I'm going to stick with the move, both beacause we're going to have to move over there one way or another and because I'd really hate to try to have to make that roll again.  Hammer is waiting with his back to the wall and he knows that there are 2 spider droids even if he can't see either of them so he will be prepared to fire, if necessary, no matter which he sees first.

"We wait until that droid is out of view and then make a run for it," says Martel.  He then hears the update from the sniper. Can only play the sabacc hand you're given.  When the droid is clear, Hammer makes his run.  "We only live once, boys.  Let's go!" And the Padawan follows in the first clone's footsteps.

:ooc:

If necessary:

 :ooc:Argh, nix the FP, there is no way I could overcome the spread.  What kind of commander of a commando unit isn't trained in stealth? LOL

:ooc: Okay Matt, you were observed by the sniper droideka. I now want to see if either Auto-cannon senses you:

Auto Sentry Gun
:00: DC 20 Perception +16

Martel had started across the open terrain between Hill J and then K, moving along the shadow of the hill, but once in the open from the latter the droideka above quickly rotated on its chassis. The droid had not completely moved out of sight when the Jedi had started his dash and the things cruel 'eyes' caught his movement. Not only did it, but the large auto-sentry cannon swiveled to track in on the man.

From his perch, Longshot watched as the defenses of the hill went into a more active search of the land before the Relay Station mount, but thus far there were no klaxons. Was it possible that the droids were unsure of what they had just tracked? Did animals sometimes attract their attention and need to be sorted out whether there was an imminent threat? The Jedi had run through the field of exposure but he hadn't been there long enough to track in on and be shot at. The sniper could only assume that that was the case. But now, the small parcel of terrain between Hill K and the mount was diligently observed.

On top of the Relay Station, the droideka sniper broadcast a message in the binary language, "010110000000110101011100001010010101000111111111." [translate: "ALERT. RETURN TO BASE TO INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL INVADER. (this can only be understood if you guys were trying to snoop with your como gear and also can translate binary)]

To the south and east, as well as the north, the B-1 patrols went on alert and immediately began to move back towards the mountain. Above Hammer and Martel, the two Republic soldiers could hear the servos of the auto sentry cannon as it swiveled trying to lock in on any moving target.

---

:ooc: Any PC's who now try to move Stealth across the area between Hill K and the mountain will have a -10 penatly.

 :ooc:Ah, Martel... well, at least you have cool Jedi powers.  ;)

Hearing the change in tempo of the sounds coming from above him Hammer smirked at the Jedi as he slammed into the rock face to stop himself.

"I think you just screwed the Rancor, Sir"

 :ooc: Perception to check if the enemies noticed us
If succesful then I post the following

As Mitts was getting ready to follow the jedi commander, he noticed he had drawn the attention of the enemy droids. "Stop!" he said to his fellow clones, stretching his arm into the air. "I think we were spotted." after a pause "What do we do now? Longshot, do you see anything?" he said over the comlink.

 :ooc:OK. I totally screwed the roll. Do I know what's happening or just go for it?

 :ooc:Would a HH-15 projectile punch through a Droideka's shield because it is not an energy beam (like a laser), but more like a slug?

"At moment, I'd take the rancor over this," Martel replied.  "Let's go," he called over the comlink, "we can't wait for them to respond. Sentries may be inbound."

Quote from: deadpool on Oct 02, 2013, 11:34 AM:ooc:OK. I totally screwed the roll. Do I know what's happening or just go for it?

:ooc: Hey Deadpool, I have to say that if it was anything other than a rolled 1, I would give you benefit of the doubt because the DC to know that Martel was seen would only be a 10 (if not less) - you all would notice the sniper droideka quickly whirl its sniper blaster around. But, because it is a disastrous roll, I am going to say that Mitts made the dash.

Keep adding any posts you want here guys with dialogue/narrative, but I will be opening a thread for combat rounds.

Haywire had little choice, they had to move and had to move now from the sounds of it.  Listening to orders from the commander he crossed the distance over to the ridge that had the access door.  Martel was definitely right.  They couldn't afford to wait for sentries to come investigate if they'd been spotted.  Once over to the door, Haywire would quickly check to see if it was locked, and how it was locked if so.  "Mines in my pack if you want to set out a mine for the spider.  I've got the door." He'd say quietly to Hammer and Martel.  This was likely the access to where he'd need to plant explosives and possibly a control console for overloading the power generator, and if they needed to get in quick, it was better he start now instead of planting mines.



:ooc: In general, SR applies to everything unless it specifies otherwise.

You know, I've got pretty much no hope of making this stealth check, but just doing it because.  As for Limpet mines, unless I attach a manual trigger to them, they require getting adjacent to the droid to plant on it.  Anti-vehicular may pick up large spider droids for detonation, but Ion I'm carrying are best if we still want to maintain a lower profile.  Explosives are noisy.  As for planting mines, no mechanics check required for those.(Unfortunately, I'd get +2 dice on them if it did.)  They're just a standard action to place.  Entirely up to you two if you want to take the actions to do that.

 :ooc: Hmm, you know at a 22 After the -10 penalty, that's not too too bad.  and by that I mean if the Droideka rolls a nat 1 again it might miss seeing me.

:ooc: Zil's response is the answer.  A droideka's shields will absorb the damage from the explosion.

Also, Zil, you are seen by both turret and droideka.

 :ooc:Bah! Alright... here we go!

Perception check to see if Booth notices the droideka/turrets on alert

Booth watched Mitts and Haywire rush after the commander. Something's not right... the clone sergeant could feel it. A quick peek around the hillside and Booth could tell his men had been spotted. The droideka and auto turrets were tracking his men. "Mitts! Haywire! Watch out!"

Rifle up, Booth fired upon the droideka, hoping to provide some cover for his men as they crossed.

:ooc:Not sure if I can do an attack roll now, but if so, here it is:





Booth continued giving orders, his voice crisp and commanding. "Longshot, we need the sniper and turrets offline before we make the climb."

:ooc: Only a slight bit of GM confusion - just to keep us all on the same track:

Okay the team successfully made it to Hill J with Longshot on Hill H for support. I then rolled a 28 for the droideka's observation that included a penalty for Hill K that might block its view to your team. I then got the following Stealth rolls which meant the team was moving to the base of the hill upon which sits the relay station:

Hammer rolled a 26 +4FP and succeeded with a 30
Booth rolled a 28 success
Martel failed with a 20

This caused the droids to go on alert which changed the test parameters to -10 penalty for the remaining team mates (Mitts and Haywire); also the auto-turrets were now active and had a 33 Perception.

Mitts did not roll a Stealth check, but failed on his Perception to notice the droids' alert status and so it's assumed he moved due to this.
Haywire failed his roll with a 22

Okay, because they all moved, I have the Team now at the foot of the hill, but Mitts and Haywire will be able to be attacked as they run across the open ground. All the other team mates are covered by the first tier of the mountain from any attackers above. As you guys are safe, so are the threats above unless you move out to gain LOS.

So, I accept Booth's last post, but I am calling it that he is making his statements from the base of the mountain, not behind them offering cover.

Any questions, let me know.

Quote from: tomcat on Oct 02, 2013, 10:21 AM
Above Hammer and Martel, the two Republic soldiers could hear the servos of the auto sentry cannon as it swiveled trying to lock in on any moving target.

:ooc: Any PC's who now try to move Stealth across the area between Hill K and the mountain will have a -10 penatly.

:ooc:Sorry, I took it from the post quoted above that only Martel and Hammer had crossed. I'm fine with it going either way, Booth staying at Hill J and firing at (and missing) the Droideka OR being at the base of the station.

I think we need to take out those turrets and sniper before we attempt to ascend the station's hills... it's two climbs to get to the access hatch and atleast 1 turret is going to be hammering us once we climb over the lip of the first tier... and might shoot down our ascension cables when we even attempt the first climb. We also have at least one spider droid that is about to find us, and they have no problem ascending hillsides. Ideas on how to deal with our present threats?

Doug, can the sniper and both turrets target us once we climb to the first tier?

:ooc: Yea, that is my fault on the narrative, Aryn - sorry. But to keep it consistant with your game rolls, we'll put Booth at the foot of the hill with Martel and Hammer.

As for the lines of sight, the auto turrets can't shoot straight down, so you could get under their field of fire. I will have to determine the level of downward fire for the turrets, but the droideka can aim its blaster in any direction. That said, use the vertical exxageration map to get an idea if you have cover from the terrain above you and how far you would have to move away from the wall to gain LOS.