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You are Captain Anode, maverick hunter, on mission to seek and retire one Hurricane Wren. You just came in with a literal army at your back and hit her with everything they had.
And she just turned it aside, closed to melee, and cut you to ribbons.
It only took her twelve seconds.
>>46411337
It takes another twelve for you to get your head back on, shaking off the haze and disorientation to remember where you are, what's going on.
"Captain?" Phasian asks.
"Fine," you reply, trying to move your arm and failing. "I'm fine. What do we have coming in?"
"Cannon Drivers less than a minute out!" Replies a voice, accented English, the one you haven't met yet. "TSVs in a loose ring, she's on them now."
"Where?"
A doomed soldier answers your question as he dies a brave, pointless death, firing a shot straight up into the air from around the other side of the nearest ridge.
"Go," Phasian declares. You're already moving, dashing and climbing up to the top for the best vantage as Phasian flies lightly ahead of you.
"I've still got decent guns, need you in front," you tell her.
"Understood."
"Rosé, any word on the release?" Blanc, the male Reploid officer, asks.
"Approved and en route," comes the unknown. "Both of them."
You have maybe a few seconds before entering combat again--maybe your last--and once again, as the sound of Wren's relentless assault grows louder, you have to evaluate how best to attack.
>Lockon Hunter. Pure damage wins the day, in the end, and she can't last forever.
>Blackout Rocket. See if you can disorient her. Might make Phasian's life a little harder, but maybe she could box Wren in with the flak.
>Highball Skipper. Maybe you can focus on harrying damage to protect some of the humans getting butchered.
>Other?
>>46411348
IIRC her shields took a beating. Now seems like the time for Lockon.
I think she'd just blow the blackout and the skippers away anyway.
>Lockon Hunter. Pure damage wins the day, in the end, and she can't last forever.
Attrition works two ways, and the quicker we take her down the less we need to use the "Send men to fulfull the murderbots kill quota."
>It costs $400,000 Zenny to hold this bird... for 12 seconds.
>>46411348
Lockon. Exploit the chink Phasian put in her armor.
>>46411348
Lockon. Let's see how much OPAL really helps.
>>46411348
Blackout would normally be my first option; it provides cover and a area denial we desperately need when dealing with Wren. ESPECIALLY with how capable she is at dodging, but at the same time it would be bad for phasian to start it off weakened as well. Might be good if wren tries to get too close and we see the wind up.
For now, we go Lock On Hunter and have our dash ready to get us out of there along with our flak rockets.
Remember, we need to keep her here for the support to arrive. We have a good minute.
>>46411563
>the support to arrive
I'm here, does that count?
Good morning all.
>>46411348
>Lockon Hunter. Pure damage wins the day, in the end, and she can't last forever.
Blackout later, we need SOME damage in before disorienting is going to be helpful.
>>46411638
Sup CL, so how easily would she danced around us if we fired Hunters first?
>>46411348
>Lockon Hunter. Pure damage wins the day, in the end, and she can't last forever
Sup HC
>>46411783
Oh I can't possibly comment on would'ves. Not yet, anyway.
>>46411799
Meh fair enough, whenever/however this ends then
>>46411348
After Anode's inevitable death, I propose all of us who didn't vote to go after Wren first team up and destroy those who did.
>>46411370
>>46411393
>>46411422
>>46411510
>>46411563
>>46411670
>>46411783
“Sniping,” you tell Phasian. “I’m only going to get a few shots at this.”
“As will I,” she replies calmly, stretching her wings and cresting the hill.
You’re atop it a moment later, looking down at a small ravine already littered with debris. Massive, armored bipeds with hunched profiles skirt around on boosters, curving wide circles around Wren as she snaps back and forth, carving through another one of the suits like a tin can. A guttural scream and a font of blood tell you she got to the “meat” inside, turning and throwing a shorn-clear plate behind her and twisting out of the path of a buster salvo from one of the suits--TSVs, you’re guessing.
The poor bastards, they’re built for close combat. One lunges, blade projectors along the outer planes of its arm snapping alight as the pilot makes a doomed attempt on Wren. She sidesteps inward and raises her knife overhead, the suit’s arm going slack with the cut. The other knife plunges in and through the sensor suite in the suit’s “head,” sparking wildly as the sensors crack.
Phasian comes in on her swift and silent, bringing that strange blade of hers down. Wren is nowhere near it, diving back and then lunging past Phasian, who turns her blade aside and tries to rake the maverick as she flits past.
>>46412122
I agree with you. 'Oh we need to save as many lives as possible!' In the words of the solar fuck bird, 'Bravo.'
>>46412135
You find a vantage point atop one of the wrecks of the missile platforms, its dead crew littered about, glassy-eyed, holes in their throats, their chests, their stomachs. Sighting onto Wren, you feel the OPAL link engage, interfacing with your sensor data and generating a small reticle. It jumps wildly around Wren, attempting to predict her next move as she tumbles around and past Phasian, slashing a buster shot from one of the TSVs out of the air as it bears down. Phasian disengages just for a moment, raising an arm and firing what looks like a small blue-green dart. It hits across Wren’s back and splashes, the bird jerking to a halt for a half-step as something seizes her internals for a split second.
It’s enough to line up and take the first shot, set to overcharge. The blue beam sings through the air and impacts with a sizzle, Wren’s shields flashing as you put a scorch on her armor, just a hair off from the damage Phasian inflicted.
The targeting reticle goes wild again, but the circles are becoming tighter as it ‘observes’ Wren, picking up her movements. She whirls away as Phasian comes in for another exchange, swinging up and around. Wren moves with it, wings fanning out as she glides back. One talon touches earth and she shoulders forward again, barreling straight at Phasian.
“I have her att-” Phasian’s report is interrupted by the relentless storm of blows rained down on her. She dodges one, two, a half a dozen, but backpedals, ceding ground under Wren’s relentless striking.
That’s when it hits you, realizing that a moment ago that was you, seeing Phasian falter, miss a dodge, then two, then half a dozen, microcuts lighting up her sides and arms and face as her shields strobe, doing nothing to stop the attack.
>>46412146
“They sent the wrong hunter,” you murmur to yourself.
“Captain,” Phasian’s voice--thick with pain and an audible grimace--interrupts you again. “Take the shot.”
“But--”
“Take. The shot,” she repeats, leaping back as Wren folds in on herself and then releases a pair of gleaming metal blades, arcing through the air and pinning Phasian against the wreck of one of the TSVs. She tears her wing free with a barely-muted cry, her blade coming to the ready just in time for Wren to snake past it.
>Fire.
>Don’t.
>>46412156
FIRE
>>46412156
>Fire.
If we do she's dead. If we don't she's dead. Fire the shot.
>>46412156
>Fire
Gotta put faith in 4E, and pray that there'll still be enough of her for the ziplines to hit Wren and pull her towards us for a blackout.
>Fire
Take it. Sometimes life is hard.
>>46412156
We're overcharging this right?
>>46412156
>Fire.
>>46412156
Goku has Raditz occupied. Let's play Piccolo. Make it count.
>>46412270
Does that mean we take her kid and try to teach it how to dodge? Does that mean we die to veggie themed mavericks?
>>46412308
>>46412351
Not you, you damn saibamen. Yamcha-dodo is already dead.
>>46412308
Unfortunately we already used up our dragonball Resurrection
>>46412308
Of course not.
>Smash Durianer turns viral
Ffffff--
>>46412369
Does that mean Em is Krillen
>>46412308
You'll never succeed. Damn Pavlov.
There was going to be another joke here about Nail but I just can't bring myself to do it.
>>46412401
Yes I can. If you're Piccolo that means that you'll eventually have a green man inside you, which I'm sure has been an ambition of Anode's for a long time now.
>>46412386
No, he's nail. When the time comes we fuse with him to fight a maverick fridge.
>>46412386
Short? Best friend? Under-appreciated joke magnet? Hardest-working Badass Normal? Sure.
>>46412411
I'm actually kind of proud of you.
>>46412434
Your approval fills me with shame.
But I shall take it nonetheless.
>>46412432Is also gonna get a hot babe if we have anything to do with it
>>46412487
Yes, Anode is going to become a hot babe as soon as we can afford the endo.
>>46412487
Power couple.
>>46412487She'll even be an android!
>>46412554do you mean an android android, or DBZ's android cyborg?
>>46412501
I thought that was going to happen when Cathode eventually dies and we fuse with her remaining parts?
Either way, we are getting ahold of Em and no firefly shall get the chance!
Here comes the trauma train, pausing at Court Martial Station! Choo choo!
>>46412802
>Anode getting put through the wringer for his first instance of friendly fire
Oh, that's gonna be fun.
>>46412802
It's been a while since the last time we got properly trashed by a mav. Only appropriate that this fight makes up for that.
What does everyone back at base think of Anode's 'every other mission, things go to shit' record? There must be betting pools and memes by now.
> Fire
>>46412951
Did you miss the part where Anode got iced by Dr. Doppler himself? Doppler and the Zero op aside, there have only been TWO mavericks between Solstrike Saetos and Wren here.
>>46412902
"No, YOU'RE out of order!"
>>46412986
Yes, actually. India lost a bunch when Skipjack went so easy for you.
(Going to car shop for a while now, don't kill Anode.)
>>46412996
It's been a long while since that thread.
>>46412986
I believe Anode's official record notes that for being on the job for only a couple months, Anode has already been through the wringer more than many Hunters. He is, indeed, an exceptional case.
>>46412986
Well, the first 8 were due to Seven being a massive dick and targetting us constantly, but being able to take massive amounts of abuse is what we were designed for. To make it easier to think what others are thinking of Anode, imagine him as a Tank in any MMO out there.
>>46413020
>an exceptional nutcase
Fixed.
>>46413022
>Seven being a massive dick and targetting us constantly
AND being a Maverick sleeper, can't forget that.
>>46412169
Phasian turns aside the first hit, wheeling her blade back and around, scraping through the TSV behind her and coming up with a sharp clang as it bites Wren again. It carves a line, just off-center, up her body from leg to chestplate to face, shields warping under the strike. The whole furrow seems to simply float off Wren in a single strip, suspended in the beam of Stillwater’s blade.
Then your shot drills square through Wren’s back, piercing Phasian at the shoulder.
She was starting to say something--to you, to Wren, to HQ, you don’t know. Space ripples and bends. Phasian, a hole drilled neatly through her arm, matching a score of knife wounds from eyes to knees, folds and crumples even as a pulse you can feel in your teeth booms. In an instant she goes up in lights, vanishing into a flurry of luminous green compression scatter, as space unfurls like a blossom to reveal absence. No hunter remains, no body crisscrossed into sixty-four little cubes and crunched into dots before your eyes.
Rouge’s voice filters into your ears under a line of static. “Captains! Status!”
“Phasian’s gone,” you say quietly. “Not sure if they got her out in one piece.”
“Cannon Drivers are setting up, you need--”
A momentary twitch warns you an instant before Wren fills your vision, blowing past you on a column of thrashing air. You fire another Lockon Hunter into her as she pivots, hitting her in the side. You don’t wait to see the flash of her shields, immediately dashing away and pouring whatever scant capacitor energy you had left into the boost. You feel her come down where you were standing, the disabled platform buckling under the strike, a moment before she tears after you, kicking up plumes with each wingbeat thudding closer and closer at your back.
“Captain, Cannon Drivers are to your west. We still have some Liberté platforms south she hasn’t gotten to yet--she knows they’re crewed, so--”
>West.
>South.
>>46413045
That too. If we manage to survive to the end of season 2, I am looking forward to the grudge match with Seven. We'll find a way to flood his floor full of lube yet!
>>46413320
>South.
Once again, Wren won't bite if there aren't live targets.
>>46413366
She's fixated on us now, though.
>>46413320
>West.
>>46413320
>>South.
Blackout time, let's see if she can still kill as quickly while leaking and disoriented.
>>46413320
>South
Best chance of her to follow.
HC, is this a vote to draw her in a particular direction, or do you mean she may head either way?
>>46413320
South.
Whatever direction we pick, use the battery, black out, and what have you to keep our charge going. The cannon drivers are long range units, right? If we are lucky, they can fire on the spot as well to try and take her down as well.
Wait, going south doesn't mean the Cannon Drivers are going to bombard our own men, does it?
>>46413462
Literally the same thing in this instance.
>>46413514
Don't think that matters much right now. They are dead by wren or dead by cannons and if we die they will be dead anyways.
If you wanted to save lives, this mission is NOT for you. ESPECIALLY this early on.
>>46413462
>West
>>46413547
No shit, I'm just trying to clarify. HC says it'll depend on us, mostly.
>>46413601
True. Another thing to consider is the fact that this entire plan was to get wren in place for a mass bombardment on her. If she destroys the cannon drivers, we lose that option and likely invoke our death.
Treat her as a S. Do not destroy our heavy weapons to save lives that will die horribly due to the lack of them. Head South.
>>46413320
>South. At this point, while it's still going to suck, it's best to head where we know she's going to want to go and attempt to get the other hand.
>>46413570
Screw it, changing this vote to
>South
>>46413366
>>46413441
>>46413456
>>46414194
>>46414419
You take off like a shot, cycling your dashes as fast as they cool down. Still, Wren gains ground on every cycle, once overtaking you as you reflexively dive to the side instead of continuing your flight, the blur of blades and death streaking right by. She circles around, lunging, but this time you countercharge, hitting your jump jets what you thought was a second too early. You’re wreathed in flame and streak past Wren, clipping her as you pass, her shields and your own sparking again from close collision--and her outstretched knife raking you as you go. They’re noticeably dimmed, now--you use the impact for another mini-raikousen and evade a followup, continuing the pursuit again.
You hear the guns of those heavy emplacements open up, turrets scything through the air over your head and hacking away at Wren. She doesn’t stumble, but her attention shifts, for just a moment, giving you another near-miss escape from oblivion as you continue a mad dash towards whatever guns you can find.
“--firing now, all troops, hull down, hull down!”
The gunnery stops, the turrets retracting as the platforms contract their stabilizers and outer firing decks, turning into a solid metal bunker. A rolling thunderstorm salvo to your side warns you to snag one of those Libertés with your coils, swing yourself around, and shelter behind the armor as impacts echo off the hills.
Wren’s pursuit breaks off as she catches a shell clear in the chest, actually arresting her movement again as she finds herself in a field of falling cannonballs. Her head snaps around to the horizon, where your OPAL link warns you with telemetry data a few seconds before each shell bursts, reducing the landscape to craters.
A moment later, Wren is gone, winging into the air and up towards those heavy guns, shrapnel falling like rain as she ignores another impact, despite those ever-dimming shields.
You actually shook her.
>>46414569
“--can’t keep throwing things in piecemeal,” Blanc is arguing.
“We can,” Rosé returns, “because it’s working, for a change. We’ve done more today than we have in days.”
“We’ve LOST more today than we have in days!”
“In worth? Yes. In lives? No. It’s working, Blanc,” his ‘sister’ replies.
“We should regroup,” he insists.
“We should press,” Rouge returns. “Air complement is strong. And we have the dragons.”
“At the same time?”
“We can’t keep throwing lives at her for days on end,” Rosé replies. “Tiptoeing through is just costing us the same losses over a longer period of time.”
“Captain?” Blanc asks you. “What do you have left?”
“Good question,” you return tiredly. Wren landed a shallow hit, but it runs from the side of your helmet and doesn’t seem to stop until it hits your heel.
“We’re down Phasian,” he reminds you. “And you don’t have much left in you.”
“We do have emergency repairs on standby,” Rouge adds. “It will help. Some.”
>I’ll be the judge of that. Keep up the pressure, send in the clowns.
>If falling back to regroup has happened before, we can do it again. We made a real dent here.
>Other?
>>46414581
>I’ll be the judge of that. Keep up the pressure, send in the clowns.
Don't forget, we can burn our emergency battery if needs be.
>>46414581
>>I’ll be the judge of that. Keep up the pressure, send in the clowns.
One more push before we back off and let fire support do it's thing. The battery will be handy and she likely doesn't know of our rocket.
Also, if that resupply includes VWES, I recommend using flak more often to keep her options closed. ESPECIALLY when it's time to get out of there.
>>46414581
>I’ll be the judge of that. Keep up the pressure, send in the clowns.
>>46414581
>I’ll be the judge of that. Keep up the pressure, send in the clowns.
We're doing something and we seem to be making some headway as well. Keep up what we can do.
Hey Cain Labs. Completely hypothetically speaking, what would be the most fun choice for you?
>>46414804
> Other: Feed self to bird.
> Send in the clowns
>>46414581
>>I’ll be the judge of that. Keep up the pressure, send in the clowns.
>>46414857
l-lewd
>>46414857
I'll interpret this as appealing to her feminine side.
>>46414857
B-but Anode doesn't swing that way!
>>46414857
Shit, we never trained any cooking skills.
>>46414942
Anode is a pendulum, he swings both ways.
>>46414581
From the IRC, it seems that our support gear has come in. If possible, bring that stuff up so we can make use of it.
>>46414581
Get those emergency repairs for yourself and then resume pressure.
>>46415196
A good point. Repairs and anything from support I guess. I take it the repairs are at base camp, so we would get our support stuff as well, maybe.
>>46414581
How fast/extensive are emergency repairs? Can we get our other arm working in less than a couple of minutes?
>>46415782
Considering the explosions down our arm, I doubt it.
>>46415782
It's not long, but it's enough that you're breaking off this attack. It's fairly binary here--fall back for supply and repair/regroup, or continue fighting.
>>46415797
>>46415805
Robot future magic tech. I make no assumptions.
>>46414581
>I’ll be the judge of that. Keep up the pressure, send in the clowns.
While I'm torn, we are making progress and I don't want to give Cutty Bird a chance to regroup.
Are we dead yet?
>>46414581
I second this >>46414678 100%
Hunter Command status: writing Anode's horrible, graphic death.
>>46414620
>>46414678
>>46414733
>>46414770
>>46414879
>>46415887
>>46416348
“I’ll manage,” you say grimly. “I’ve got a few more tricks next time she gets on me.”
“With respect, Captain, the fact that you have next times at all speaks to a staggering amount of good fortune,” Blanc replies. “It’s going to run out.”
“Maybe. But I can’t sit back here and do nothing. What do we have?”
“A whole lot of air,” Rosé replies. “Armée de l’air has some fighters in the air at all times, they just changed shifts to refuel. The squadron up there now is topped up and ready for a low suicide pass.”
“Well, that sounds cheerful,” you reply darkly, trying to pick out the fighting in the distance.
“We’ve tried conventional bombing runs for days,” Rouge explains. “She just cannot be hit. A low-altitude strafe is the only thing she doesn’t have time to deal with.”
“We do have the MMC/Fs, too. They’ll help overwhelm her and take some of the heat off our men.” Some.
“What was that about dragons?” You ask.
“Two specialty mechaniloids, we just received approval to launch them,” Rouge says. “Erebor and Eriador. They’re going to cause some collateral.”
“And some Bee Bladers, last and most certainly least,” Blanc adds. “We should be able to overwhelm her at all levels--if we don’t send them in to die one at a time.”
You frown, trying to move your dead arm again reflexively. “Sounds like I need to keep plugging away from back here.”
“It also means a lot of support that can’t help you if she targets you,” Rouge points out. “The dragons might, but they might also do more harm than good.”
You remember watching that shining blue laser punch straight through Phasian’s shoulder. “Yeah, let’s try to avoid doing that twice. I don’t have a Lifesaver on standby.”
“So then, we are committed?” Blanc asks. “How do we approach?”
>Tangle her up with something she’ll need time to chew through.
>...Those fighters have human pilots, don’t they?
>I’ll play the bait. Just don’t expect me to stay long.
>Other?
>Protip: You want a good plan for this.
Do we want to hold off voting and discuss first, guys?
>>46417182
I think that would be for the best
>>46417091
>>Tangle her up with something she’ll need time to chew through.
This is bullshit, everything about her is total bullshit. We should've stuck to killing A-classes with gimmicks
>>46417214
No point complaining now, a bunch of idiots forced us towards this one.
Ideas and reasoning, anyone? How long can we keep having her bombarded?
>>46417182
Fine with me. We want to remain low profile to start. We move in, we prep black outs and cut her off when she tries to avoid the bigger things. Lock on hunter should ONLY be used when we have a good shot she cannot chase us after.
Use the air fighters to do damage and draw her away. MMC/F can also help with that. We can use coils for traps and the like if she tries head on. Battery for breaking off, and skipjack grenades. Really, if we can use the grenades and wires as mines, we can set up some nasty tricks.
We should back away ONCe. And ONLY once. if we need to do it more than that we are dead. Also, build up charge whenever possible. We will need it.
>>46417294
Probably not as long as we want or need. She'll likely break away the moment energy or damage gets heavy. Likewise, we should break away if it gets heavy here as well. We really cannot afford her chasing us.
>>46417091
how long does it take to use our emergency battery? we may need to top off our capacitors to disengage or if we by some chance of luck can hit her hard with some electricity
>>46417302
And use the battery the second we have to. If there's a delay to it, then activate it right now, in case it's needed.
Remember Em's lessons and try not to telegraph. If we can get her with the chaff, maybe back off and electrocute her. Getting her optics or removing her ability to fly would be good, and we know her shielding is running out.
HC, what kind of charge is a reploid running on when their shield is running low, or is that not connected to their LIFE cell?
>>46417294
Yea I know that but it's still bullshit that we gotta fight manic ADD Edward Scissorfingers set to kill. Shit she rekt'd our shit in 12 seconds with piss all to show for it
>>46417091
>Tangle her up with something she’ll need time to chew through.
Get Blackout applied, and Highball Skippers in full salvo alongside supporting fire.
>...Those fighters have human pilots, don’t they?
Do this the instant we can hit her with more coils at the same time, ready to knuckle down and let the support do the damage or charge into her if she doesn't take the bait.
>>46417453
Welcome to Team Kill All the Wren Voters.
>>46417492
Think about all the people we're saving by stopping this bitch.
>>46417449
Man, we haven't dropped an electro-shock chaff cloud in years. I am eager to use that, but chaff won't be in place long with crazy wind lady.
What's our ammo counts?
>>46417492
what was there plan anyway we are not at all set up for this and Moloch is just a s good for saving lives and working toward Yamatoad is great for our survival plus if we had beaten Mortorphant we would have way more backup for this opp.
>>46417588
>implying they had a plan
>>46417449
Before anything else, we must keep this in mind; we should not be anywhere near wren. Keep our role support only and focus more on denial than grenades. Maybe use some wire and grenades for a trap, but if we are close enough for us to throw nades, we are TOO CLOSE.
Use dragons to pin, the planes for interception, and our lock on hunter for when she is PROPERLY pinned down. We back the hell off when we run low on support. We do not engage her directly, and we will frag the entire zone she is in, including whatever is there if we must break off.
Don't make it too complicated, or parts will fail.
>>46417588
Yes, let's bitch about having taken this op while Wren tears us apart. Do it on open freq. Make sure everyone knows.
>>46417182
This may end up being our most expensive op in terms of equipment wrecked. Let's count assets we can spend.
FIGHTER JETS:
Suicide run, manned (thanks India) probably by humans. If a low-altitude strafe is a best-odds hit, save it for last when she has the least time for it.
DRAGONS:
Sounds like big AoE generators with friendly-fire turned on. X4 Sky Lagoon boss, I'm betting.
BEE BLADERS:
Big and slow, but good for adding heat onto an existing offense.
MMC/F:
Mechaniloid Minifabricator Carrier/Fighters, jets that make/launch very fast bird drones. Good for overwhelming.
>>46417567
Oh yeah, we'll save tons of people when we are dead. Our main goal is survival. If we dealt with sabomole first, the germans could have helped us more. But no, you had to play hero.
>>46417627
I like this plan.
Plus Phasian took off some of Wren's side-plating. Between that and lowered shields, we might have a good spot to aim for.
Stay ranged as much as possible, and I vote to burn out battery asap so we can be ready to dash or shock her as necessary.
>>46417653
If we dealt with Sabomole first, there might not be a France anymore. Welcome to war, kid.
>>46417627
>>46417649
I'm thinking "spend dragons first" too, but good point on not-complicated. Throw too much in and the dragons could clip it.
>>46417725
No France? Shit, we should have done Sabamole first.
>>46417743
Fuck, defeated with my own words.
Spend battery now in preparation or hold off?
>>46417813
Honestly? I'd use it now. We need options open and we need them with no hesitation.
>>46417813
Burn that battery. We can buy more.
Blackout Rockets: Should we use? And if yes, when and how?
>>46417831
I will agree with you. I'd also say try and drain charge from anything we can. If there is a sparking mechanoid, circuit, what have you, take it in. Electro chaff/wire combo may be our last ditch 'fuck this shit' option if she comes after us.
The battery is cheap compared to our life.
>>46417813
Now.
>>46417894
Yes. Do they have to be fired, or can we just pop one out and use it as part of a trap?
>>46417894
Initiating with the rockets could slow her down enough to make her a better target for our support, but it can wind up fucking them over big time.
>>46417894
The rocket should be our main weapon, but do not use them as a opener. Use them to force her into firing zones and bad spots. Punish her speed game and force her to take damage. Coordinate with the bombers and other units to make the most of it, but do not hit her directly to start or if at all possible.
Remember; we are support right now.
Why the hell haven't we got a Navigator on the line?
So it sounds like we are going to use our battery, and provide support with our blackouts and wire, and take any sold shots with lockon if they become available, and avoid if at all possible direct combat
>>46418035
Bear in mind that she can windblast our chaff around. It's not a foolproof field control.
>>46418130
If we can electrocute her quickly enough to hold her in place and maybe short her out, it could be useful. That would certainly need several shots, though.
Pity there isn't a handy lake nearby.
>>46418130
It's not, but if she is blasting the chaff, she's not blasting the others attacking her. It's also making her waste energy which could help us as well. All about playing smart. Maybe getting Navigation to help could be a option.
>>46418179
Speaking of Navigation, seeing as she's gone Mav straight from being a Hunter, we should have a full list of her specs available. We should find out if she has any more weapons/capabilities she hasn't used yet, before she surprises up with them.
>>46417588
From what I know after some talks, she's possibly the easier A. Fear what they have wrought. All of it.
>>46418283
Welp, we're fucked.
Not that we're going to survive this, but if we had? We'd still be fucked.
On a lighter note, presuming we survive, celebratory 'not dead yet' movie night?
so the plan from what I'm skimming is that we're going to send in the dragons in first and then throw in the MMC/Fs and Bee Bladers and then the fighter Jets in last all while we're going to be peppering her with blackouts and lockon hunter over charge shoots right?
>>46418427
While crying, yes.
>>46418310
Treat every B like an A, every A like an S, and piss yourself on the S class since they are likely at the cusp of G. Then you might survive.
>>46418427
the jets are our interceptors just in case she aims for us. Draw attention away from us and keep it on the main cluster fuck.
>>46418471
>piss yourself on the S
Do you mean literally stand on top of them and release some kind of container of unmentionable fluid? Because that would probably count as a valid intimidation technique, and may indeed force them to flee. Or kill us.
>>46418471
Do this the Team F way. Treat every D like a P. Appropriate firepower accordingly.
>>46417813
I thought it took no time so i would say spend it right as we hit 0% but if there is any delay now is fine.
>>46418253
Not a bad idea, but she's not thinking tactically beyond "what can I break next." I think if she had something nastier that wasn't disabled, she'd have used it by now.
>>46418427
"Dragons first and fighters last while watching for when to support" is how I vote. I'm just worried about the dragons' capacity for collateral knocking out the bees and birdmaker jets.
>>46418569
Most importantly, when the bees hit her, we have to make a birds and bees joke. I don't care if we're lying on the ground, in pieces, dying in agony. We have to spare our last energy to do it.
>>46418569
Don't forget that she would likely bug out after the last human in the area falls and outpace the dragons. Meaning even more collateral
>>46418624
Seconded
what about artillery, do we still have artillery support? Because if so we can shell our own position when she comes at us and use our high speed to get out of the kill zone before they hit.
We really need some kind of EMP weapon.
>>46418752
Like some kind of sword with a huge EM field. Where would we get regulation data for something like that, though?
>>46419061
nah, too unweildly. Hey, didn't sabomole have emp explosives? And we could have gotten rid of france too!
>>46419111
Hon sight is 20/20, anon.
>>46419111
Our newest recruit to 4th is gonna be a Frenchman, isn't it?
>>46419172
Probably. Really, the terror targets were france and the west coast. We could have waited a few levels until sanfransisco was destroyed and france turned into a windy field. It would help humanity as a whole!
This thread, number 65, is called 'The Maelstrom'. From this, I shall infer the expected outcome of mission.
'Mael', as any schoolchild knows, comes from Sanskrit and means 'arrrrrrrgh'. From this, we can see there will be much screaming - whether this is pain or terror cannot yet be known. Alternately, there may be a pirate with a speech impediment making their first appearance.
'Strom' obviously comes from 'Nordstrom', the upscale fashion retailer. With this in mind, we can work out that Wren may turn her attacks to some kind of inconveniently placed mall, possibly in pursuit of sale items.
Thus, with all the evidence in hand, it is obvious that the final showdown, as it were, will take place in a clothes-store, possibly in the presence of pirate, and likely with a large amount of screaming involved.
Thank you for your time.
>>46419242
If you don't deal with the terror missions, you risk losing funding from the patron nation. The last thing the Hunters need is cut funding.
>>46419333
Not the webm I meant to post.
>>46419355
Is that shit actually in the game?
>>46419305
Someone get this anon a post in Hunter Intel. This analysis is revelatory.
>>46419333
screw that. These terror missions are full of old school chrysalids! They can deal with them until we get the crossmore and a giant flamethrower.
>>46419399
It's pretty much up to their usual standards of Intel, at least.
>>46419391
Long War. A mod with great ambition and ideas and some really fucking poor execution.
>>46419436
Ah, shit. I meant to reply to the guy with the Watch Dogs: Trump edition who himself fucked up and posted the wrong gif. A spiral of shit, piling ever higher the lower you go.
>>46419487
Yes, those are actual NPC descriptors in Watch Dogs.
Do we have a plan? Have we voted?
>>46419592
We voted to feed ourselves to the bird, just as Cain Labs wanted.
>>46419592
There's what looks like a plan, not much in the way of formal voting on it yet.
>>46419644
I thought cain wanted us to eat out the bird?
>>46419650
I kind of thought the general agreement on the plan counted as voting.
>>46419678
I don't think she has endo and I'm not sure how avian sexual organs work anyway.
>>46419650
>>Tangle her up with something she’ll need time to chew through.
It fits in ways with the plan along side the 'planes have human pilots' does. Instead of just wire though, it's dragons, chaff, and a bunch of other things.
Really, we can all agree on not directly going after her or even being close to her.
If it were us instead of Wren, how much destruction would we cause? Anode may be an A where Wren was an S, but the army seems like it would take Anode out fairly quickly.
>>46419894
Depends a lot on how feral we go. If we end up as pure wren murderfucking, we probably wouldn't last long, if we've got enough smarts left to stick to areas where collateral damage is an issue and where there's power grids to tap, we could be a real monster.
>>46420005
>where collateral damage is an issue and where there's power grids to tap
Let's face it, Maverick Anode would take over Disneyworld.
>>46419894
In a wide open field? Yeah, especially since it plays to Anodes weakness. He can move fast, but he's easy to see if you got space. His defensive abilities are also weaker when there is a lot of space as well, and the flat terrain hampers his capacitors. This is the sort fo spot he's weakest at.
In a power plant with easy energy access, corridors, and spots where he can wire and block off? He's a horrifying beast who could pick them off or just build up enough charge to take out some heavy hitting foes.
>>46420075
Hell of a stage design, though.
>>46411348
Still waiting for someone to take this image and graffiti Seven's face.
>>46420108
Madcap chase through It's A Small World. Killer animatronic Disney characters. Final battle inside the Cinderella Castle.
... Shit, let's go Maverick.
>>46420144
We shot right through that asshole.
Why is it still moving? Why isn't it bleeding out?
How did it not de-power on the week long rampage already?
Anyway, overwhelm him with drones and then call in the dragons to fry everything?
>>46420196
>him
I know she doesn't have a dick, but let's not be rude.
>>46420296
>Deliberately misgender mavericks.
>>46420196
Berserk viral rage is a hell of a battery.
>>46420349
>not calling them xhe and mocking mavericks for being the robot equivalent of SJW's
Okay, not seeing any objections to The Plan(TM). Give me a bit to foodcoma/write.
>>46420435
good bye cruel world, I know ye little
>>46420435
Time to design who we're playing next thread! Unless we have a nice interlude thread for Anode's funeral/memorial.
>>46420525
>You are Wellington, 5th Unit Navigator, and today they PUSHED YOU TOO FAR...
>>46420435
Only hope I see in sight is calling in someone like Storm Owl. Maybe the chaff rockets to disorient her but I'm not too optimistic with the way we've been going.
>>46420486
>>46420525
Well maybe you negative nancies should have spoken up before HC called the vote.
>>46420596
I'd play it.
>>46420623
I did, I just don't really see a way for us to get out of this one so I tried to come up with a plan to at least take Wren with us. We're going to die taking out a distraction.
>>46420623
I agreed with the plan. The design comment is a mysterious thing called joking.
>>46420596
Exactly what horrors could push our intrepid Brit (the non-pilot one) beyond sanity? Halcyon banning tea around the computers in case of spills?
>>46420737
New policy requiring navigators to alert for every potential fall of more than three meters.
>>46420793
And they have to warn again every three meters down.
>>46420793
Halcyon: Master of Health and Safety
schwarz died for unnecessary drama
>>46421299
He ain't dead until Cain Labs parades the body in front of us in a hamfisted attempt to be edgy.
>>46421393
Anode's therapist is going to write a whole book on him by then.
>>46421299
Schwarz comes back with a lady on his arm.
"Hey. Eloped. What happened?"
>>46421299
I will not accept Schwarz as anything other than alive and well somewhere safe.
>>46421459
"We drank all your beer."
>>46421500
You say that like Anode and Em wouldn't be bawling.
>>46421546
With fear of what he's about to do them for finishing up his booze stash, yes.
>>46421500
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0bg0Ges8Pg&ab_channel=angelginger00
>>46421546
you say that like they wouldn't snark through the tears.
>>46421686
I don't think they'd be composed enough to for an hour plus.
>>46420435
>The Plan(TM)
Can we actually attach our knife to our other hip, or is it only able to be fixed to the fucked-up-arm side?
>>46420144
...think I may have to borrow that idea.
>>46421930
Feel free to take it and go wild, as long as we get to hear the results. I do love storytime.
>>46417091
“Okay, I need to stay low profile. I’m getting a little extra juice for when this inevitably goes tits-up,” you declare.
“Stand by,” Rosé responds. “I’ll screen you. As best I can.”
“The jets are human-piloted, right?”
“Yes…” Blanc says hesitantly.
“We throw those last, let them do the heavy lifting,” you say. “They’ll get her eye.”
“One way or the other,” Rouge adds darkly.
“The dragons?”
“They sound big and sturdy, unless this is all just a very bad prank you’ve set me up for,” you muse.
That gets a wry chuckle from Blanc. “No, no, quite big, quite sturdy.”
“Oh, good, something goes to plan today, at least. Okay, they come in swinging, we let the bladers and the carrier jets do harassment and fill in wherever there’s a gap.”
“How do we keep her from losing interest?”
“We just keep up the pressure,” you say grimly. “Keep forcing her attention on one thing after the other.”
“And we keep coming to her,” Rosé notes. “I’ll inform the pilots they should remain in the operational area for more passes.”
“They’ll be thrilled!” Blanc says, mirth palpably bleeding from his sarcastic quip. “I’ll raise a glass to them, when this is done.”
“I’ll drain a glass to them,” you add dourly. “We have any artillery left?”
“A bare handful. She tore through the Cannon Drivers two minutes ago.”
“Location now?”
You can hear quiet disgust in Rosé’s voice. “I have her on visual. She’s clearing out a Liberté.”
“Keep me posted,” you reply. “I’m going to try to set up with a good sight line.”
“You and I are all that’s left on the ground by way of infantry,” she warns. “Wren’s not above going after us.”
You chuckle, taking another look down at your deadened arm. “I noticed.”
“Stand by,” Rouge interrupts. “Release is confirmed, they’re entering our airspace. Erebor and Eriador ETA in five...four...three--”
Dammit, 4chan, don't eat my pictures.
>>46422013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L13bfkV2Hj4
A distant roar thunders as two massive shapes descend, streaming trails of vapor from the cloud banks as they drop. Long tails and metallic wings sweep the air, as the dragons--Erebor and Eriador, it seems--attack. One opens its mouth and a crackling blue-white ball about the size of your torso builds behind its teeth before it projects the blast, detonating into a fountaining ball of plasma.
Wren is nowhere near it, streaking skyward like a bolt after the dragon, a distant point against the sky. You redouble your sprint as the other dragon roars, building a swirling, almost oily-looking bubble of plasma in the projector. Wren pitches to one side as it thunders right by her, impacting ground and fulminating there with a sound like breaking glass.
You jump down from a crest and land atop the wreckage of one of those artillery platforms from before, still feeling a faint hum of EM interference from the generator inside--
Wait.
Rosé comms. “Captain, where are you? They’re not going to hold her for long.”
“Hold on,” you reply, pulling aside solid plates of alloy armor that Wren sheared from the chassis whole, and--there. You pop your battery and drain the damaged, sparking core, getting yourself up to a solid 40% charge. For survival, it will get you places--for a counterattack, it could be a start. “Okay, I’m back. Status?”
“They’re in melee,” she replies.
“Right where we want her, for a change,” Blanc remarks.
“And losing,” Rosé adds.
>>46422042
“Carriers?” Rouge asks.
“Already on it.” Overhead, little staff-lines of contrails streak as small, familiar mechaniloid birds--the stupidly-named Tubamails--launch from their “nest” generators, mounted on the undersides of adapted fighters. They bank away with their missiles in the air, not keen on pitting the heavy, sluggish conversions against Wren.
“She’s too high up for the Bladers,” Blanc warns. “We--merde! Erebor is going down. Already?”
“Have it fire on her,” you reply immediately. “Make her follow it.”
“Eriador descending,” Rogue responds. “I’ll gauge her response.”
Plunging out of the sky, one wing shorn from its back and the other badly damaged, one of the two colossal dragons fires all thrusters and twists around and around to right itself, trailing plasma fire and straining to keep focus on the smaller figure of Wren crashing down after it.
>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable.
>Hold off a little longer--Erebor is still up there anyway.
>Other?
>>46422065
>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable
>>46422065
>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable.
>>46422065
>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable.
Anything else we can do, apart from trashing yet more valuable military weaponry?
>>46422065
>Feed her all the blackouts we can sink into her.
>>46422065
>>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable.
Pin her down now and get ready for the worst. If we're lucky the constant fire will also help.
>>46422065
>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable.
And is doomed anyway. You will be remembered, dragonbot.
>>46422065
>>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable.
So who hoping for a plot twist where the sensor blackout from our chaff snaps her out of killfrenzy because she can't find anything to kill?
>>46422145
>implying our blackout rockets will be able to do more than scratch Eriador's paint.
>>46422065
>>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable.
We need Erebor to tank the hits as we harass with carriera and highballs
>>46422145
Fear us for we are Anode wracker of bills, destroyer of budgets, bringer of financial ruin
>>46422145
Charge conventional shots or use your remaining Lockon Hunter, try to grab her with coils for them to beat on again, go for a ranged capacitor dump, go for melee (WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT.jpg), etc.
Your whole playbook is generally always open to you, and you can always suggest writeins. Sometimes you may not have time to use them all, but in this case it's more what's practical at the long range where you're acting as support.
>>46422168
Half of all the Blackouts anon, there's still the other one to sacrifice
>>46422211
I hope it's always the same guy in accounting who has to deal with Anode's missions. He's probably going to be our end boss.
>>46422231
>Overland's expense reports officer legitimately believes this is how Anode thinks
Wouldn't blackouts mess up the drones firing on Wren as well?
I want to see what they do tho, we should have tested their effect earlier.
>>46422197
Oh I'm hoping for that. It means we can drop an entire dragon on her while she's still confused.
>>46422220
Well for Lockout, that baby is being used only when she's pinned. Half the reason I chose black out.
>>46422065
>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down. Eriador is disposable.
>>46422065
>Feed her a blackout as soon as she touches down
Some Highball skippers might not be a bad idea either
>>46422272
You mean it isn't?
We're going to be made an honorary member of Unit 0 purely on the basis of our collateral damage.
>>46422635
Honestly they should've sent someone from Unit 0 after Wren.
>>46422570
That accountant is going to be the most justifiable maverick case in history.
>>46422679
They've probably got far bigger birds to fry.
>>46422707
That's terrifying
>>46422679
After Saetos, they probably saw that it was a flier and we were on the mission and noped the fuck out.
>>46422735
And so it comes to past, that whenever Anode is fighting bird mavericks, every hunter is suddenly busy with work, lest they meet the horrible fate of 'anode based collateral damage'
>>46422769
>100 years later, during the Elf Wars, X asks G-ranked Anode why he's so beat up
>"Bird Maverick"
>"Ah"
>>46422840
>every year, the new guys buy him a copy of Storm Eagle's sim data
>>46422769
We took that other mission first. We gave them a chance to ninja it out from under us. Really, it is their fault for letting us take this one.
>>46422840
>man aren't electric types supposed to be super effective against flying types. are sup-type must be fighting or something
>>46422840
There was a statue made in his honor as time went on. Was being the key word. Anode requested that the statue have the means to defend itself against birds and bats. 3 species of bird and 4 of bats were made extinct before it could be stopped.
>>46422887
Was it a deliberate choice to make a tiny songbird the most horrible murder bot? There are a lot of actually menacing birds you could have used.
>>46422922
The statue doubled as an active Tesla coil. Every morning they had someone sweep up the charred feathers.
>>46422952
Original recipe wren was a broken girl
Should we add birds to our bat hatred? They're clearly just as evil.
>>46423019
Nah, Bats we hate, Birds we fear.
