The Incident at Pine Gap

Log Title: The Incident at Pine Gap

Characters: Major Bludd, Matt Trakker, Miles Mayhem, Skymate, Sly Rax, Wild Bill

Location: Pine Gap - Northern Territory

Date: June 23, 2016

TP: Oz Effect TP

Summary: Major Bludd and Miles Mayhem lead the extraction of Sly Rax from the Pine Gap satellite tracking station.

''As logged by Sly Rax - Thursday, June 23, 2016, 6:58 PM

Pine Gap - Northern Territory
Pine Gap is the commonly used name for a satellite tracking station approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) south-west of the town of Alice Springs, Northern Territory in the centre of Australia which is operated by both Australia and the United States. Since 1988, it has been officially called the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap; previously, it was known as Joint Defence Space Research Facility.

Partly run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the station is a key contributor to the global surveillance network ECHELON.

The Joint Defense Facility Pine Gap is an American satellite tracking station located near the town of Alice Springs, Northern Territory. The station is a key contributor to the global surveillance network ECHELON. The facility consists of a large computer complex with 14 antennas and over 800 employees. The operational area contains three sections: Satellite Station Keeping Section, Signals Processing Station and the Signals Analysis Section.

Today a number of protesters are gathered around the gates to the main Pine Gap complex, even though the area is restricted. Armed guards watch the crowd, which contains a mix of white and Aboriginal Australians, as well as a handful of Americans and Europeans. Most of the protestors have arrived by bicycle, although there are a few cars and at least one Jeep amongst the group. Aside from some chanting, the protest so far seems non-violent.

Just out of visual range of the facility, a dark blue helicopter with a red cockpit hovers just below the tree line, avoiding radar detection. Its machine gun pods and missile racks are armed and ready, yet for now the pilot hides and waits. The soft wash of its rotors shakes the small trees around it. The sound of the engines is technologically muffled, but the smell of fuel and exhaust fills the small clearing.

On top of one of the Pine Gap buildings stands a tall mustachioed man in green camouflage and a maroon helmet. He looks down over the gate of the main complex, alertly watching the protesters with keen eyes even at this distance. Behind and slightly to the right of him stands a large yellow-green glider with pivoting submachine guns. The man and his glider look ready to spring into motion at the slightest hint of trouble.

Meanwhile above a bright red Camaro with its gull wing doors open flies a circular pattern above the facility. The masked pilot within is clearly visible as he handles the controls and every so often  he glances down to the gathering."

Bludd's jeep is parked at the back of the crowd of protestors, its engine running. He keeps an eye on the crowd and the building.

Tomahawk #505 is hovering over the area keeping a sharp eye out for trouble not to mention transforming vehicles that aren't Decepticons. Not that Wild Bill had to worry too much about those but you never know.

A man comes out of one of the buildings, and strolls casually towards the parking lot. He's dressed as an office worker and looks generally unremarkable as he glances towards protestors at the gate and then continues on as if unconcerned by their presence. However, he picks up the pace as suddenly alarms blare throughout the complex, and he's practically running by the time guards start deploying to seal off the base.

At the sound of the alarms, the blue helicopter suddenly rises up and heads for the complex. Its weapons lock on the weird flying Camaro, and without warning the chopper accelerates to within firing range. "Matt Trakker!" the masked pilot shouts with glee. "My day keeps getting better and better. Is the rest of your pathetic team here?" the pilot taunts. "I'd love for them to watch you go down in flames."

The non-descript man runs for the parking lot, making a beeline for a large motorcycle covered in a rain tarp. With a flourish, he pulls off the top, revealing a futuristic indigo motorcycle with an armored sidecar. The man reaches into the sidecar and pulls out a large green mask, which he carefully lowers over his head. He then climbs aboard the motorcycle, and revs it to life, burning rubber in a short arc as he turns it towards the gate and accelerates.

The Piranha is a futuristic indigo motorcycle with an armored sidecar. A large bullet-proof purple windshield protects the driver, and both the bike and its sidecar have recessed but deployable machine-guns.

The man on top of the building jumps at the alarm, and immediately scans the complex for trouble. Spotting the masked man trying to escape in the futuristic motorcycle, the soldier grabs his glider and pulls it forward, quickly strapping himself into it and launching it up over the grounds. Turning in the air, he dives for the cycle, aiming swivel gun mounts at the driver. "Stop immediately and turn off your vehicle, or I will open fire!" the man calls down from above.

Thunderhawk banks around to face Switchblade. "I guess you'll be waiting a very long time then Mayhem!" he says getting the weapon systems online. "Shall we dance?"

Thunderhawk fires a pair of lasers from its wingtips towards Switchblade.

>> Thunderhawk strikes Switchblade with Laser . <<

Wild Bill whoops as the action starts! He zeros in on the bad helicopter/jet thing, which the Thunderhawk seems to be engaging. "Yer outgunned and outnumbered, so why don't you give it a rest?" he says over the Tomahawk's loudspeaker. He fires a shot at the Switchblade for emphasis.

>> Tomahawk #505 strikes Switchblade with Gatling Gun . <<

Switchblade> The pilot of the blue chopper NYAHs as his ship is hit by the flying Camaro's wingtip lasers and the Tomahawk's Gatling gun. Glancing at the Joe pilot, Mayhem snarls, "I'll take care of you once I've finished with Trakker." The blue helicopter turns in place, and lasers mounted on the landing skids target the flying Camaro. "You're going to have to get better help than that if you mean to defeat me, Trakker!" He opens fire with the Switchblade's lasers.

>> Switchblade strikes Thunderhawk with Machine-Gun . <<

Bludd flicks a control in the cabin of his jeep and a small screen with a targetting reticle unfolds from the ceiling. "Can't have that glider fella ruinin' Sly's day, now can we?" He calls up the firing commands for the missiles mounted on the back of the vehicle. "Swattin' a fly with an elephant gun, maybe, but ..." He acquires GI Joe glider with the targetting systems and fires a rocket. He's betting the Joes and MASK won't risk hitting the protestors to take a shot at him... though once the firefight starts they'll probably scatter like cockroaches in the beam of a flashlight.

>> Stinger 4x4 #742 misses Glider with STA-Rocket . <<

The crowd of protesters does immediately break up and scatter, as people drop their signs demanding peace and hightail it away from the sudden explosion of weaponry. The complex's guards split their forces, some trying to get the protestors to safety, and others moving to close the gate and prevent the cyclist from escaping. The eyes of the soldiers nearest the Stinger widen in surprise as the Jeep produces missiles and fires at the incoming glider.

On the bike, the masked man looks back, realizing he's got an aerial tail. "Well, don't that beat all," he comments in a nasally drawl. He turns his head, and therefore his mask, to face the man in the glider as the glider dives down at the cycle. Still driving full-tilt towards the gate, the cycle pilot mutters, "Stiletto, on!" and immediately fires a stream of barbed darts from his mask up at his pursuer. He breaks off long enough to swerve around incoming cars, barreling recklessly towards the closing gate.

Glider> The Glider pilot dives down at the cycle, but has to suddenly yank hard on the controls and pull up to avoid the incoming missile from the Stinger. In comparison the hail of barbs is a little more than a nuisance. As little as he wants the cyclist to get away, the missile-Jeep is a bigger problem, and the glider-pilot dives down to intercept it first, leaving the cycle to the guards. Activating a remote in the glider controls, the pilot aims its machine guns at the Stinger and returns fire.

>> Glider misses Stinger 4x4 #742 with Ballistic . <<

Thunderhawk shudders a bit as Switchblade's shots slam into it but the pilot is able to keep it under control. Trakker banks around to line up on Switchblade the wing cannons charging up again. "Still got a good shot on you didn't they?" Trakker taunts firing his cannons. "A little fumigation is what this place needs it helps to keep out unwanted pests."

>> Thunderhawk strikes Switchblade with Wing Cannons . <<

Switchblade> Mayhem shakes his fist as the Camaro's wing-cannons pepper the side his helicopter. "You're the only pest I see here, Trakker! Go back home to Boulder Hill! There are forces going on here you couldn't understand!" Mayhem again rotates the Switchblade, spinning it around and getting it back into firing position. "Take your flying car back to the junkyard! You're dealing with the big boys, now!" Mayhem hits a button, and fires a missile at the Thunderhawk.

>> Switchblade misses Thunderhawk with Missile. <<

Stinger 4x4 #742> As the protesters scatter, Bludd puts the jeep in gear and sets it rolling, which is fortunate because it gives him the opportunity to swerve away from the incoming fire from the glider. "Pesky little thing." He sends another missile to follow on after the first.

>> Stinger 4x4 #742 strikes Glider with STA-Rocket . <<

The protesters scatter, and are quickly moved away, depriving Bludd of the cover they initially provided. Soldiers move in to target the Stinger, but have to pull back as Bludd puts the Stinger into gear and sends another missile after the glider. Closer guards open fire on the Stinger, their bullets ricocheting dangerously off the vehicle's armour. The braver among the soldiers move in closer in an attempt to surround Major Bludd.

With Bludd engaging and distracting the glider pilot, the cyclist is able to better focus on what's in front of him - the guards, and the gate. Rax uses his mask barbs to take out incoming soldiers, and the mounted weapons of his armored bike to blow the gates right off their mountings. "This is almost too easy," he boasts from behind his mask, and zooms right past the fireball engulfing the gate and out onto the road leading to the Pine Gap facility.

The Glider pilot dives down, angling his craft to bank and drop, trying to dodge incoming missiles while continuing to close upon the Stinger. His luck runs out quickly, however, as one of the Stinger's missiles slams into the glider, catching it on fire and nearly blowing it completely out of the sky. Its pilot yanks the controls hard and aims it directly for the Stinger. Just before the glider crashes into the Cobra vehicle, its pilot bails out and drops directly onto the Jeep. He draws his pistol and fires straight into the windshield, trying to blast his way into the Stinger to get at Major Bludd.

>> Skymate strikes Stinger 4x4 #742 with M4A5 . <<

Thunderhawk barrels rolls as the missile streaks by. "Time to cool your jets for a while Mayhem." Trakker says as a panel opens beneath Thunderhawk and a pair of stun missiles fly towards Switchblade. "Let's see how a bird flies with clipped wings."

>> Thunderhawk strikes Switchblade with Stun Bombs . <<

Mayhem curses as all the indicators in the Switchblades' control panel go red and the chopper starts to lose altitude, slowly spinning out of control. As the helicopter nears the ground Mayhem pops open the cockpit and bails out, hitting the ground hard and stumbling away just before the Switchblade crashes with a spray of fire and metal. "Rax! Get back here and pick me up!" he yells into his mask's built-in radio, and then looks up, firing a spray of corrosive poison at the Thunderhawk as Trakker flies by. He then looks towards the road to see if help is on the way.

>> Miles Mayhem strikes Thunderhawk with Viper-Mask . <<

Stinger 4x4 #742> The Stinger swerves a bit as Skymate lands on top of it. Bludd barks in surprise as the shot pierces the windscreen. He hits the gas, and when the vehicle gains a bit of speed, hits the brake and puts it into a sudden skid, hoping to throw the Joe off.

Wild Bill sees that the Switchblade seems taken care of for now, so he goes after the other vehicle, the motorcycle. "Whoo-whee, like shootin' cobras in a barrel!" he says, as he zeros in on Sly Rax's machine and tries to take it out.

>> Tomahawk #505 misses Piranha with Machine-Gun . <<

Sly Rax gets the message, but only slows for a second before guards in pursuit change his mind. "Sorry, boss - no can do! I gotta get away with the haul - looks like it's up to the Major to pull your fat out of the fire." Rax throws back his head and laughs, and then hits the gas, accelerating his bike to dangerous velocity as he speeds away from Pine Gap.

Reaching into his sidecar, he comes up with a handful of grenades, which he gleefully tosses behind him to discourage followers from getting too close. As the Joe chopper comes up behind him, he begins swerving and zigzagging across the road, deftly dodging the machine gun bullets as the track along the road near him. Looking back over his shoulder, Rax fires a stream of barbs up towards the Tomahawk's engines.

>> Piranha misses Tomahawk #505 with Ballistic . <<

Skymate holds on to the Stinger with one hand while gripping his pistol in the other, managing to maintain his grip in the face of Bludd trying to throw him off. "Well, well, well," he says, grinning through the spider-webbed windscreen. "Major Bludd - Australia's Most Wanted. Bringing you in will certainly add a feather to my cap!" Twisting around, Skymate attempts to kick in Bludd's windscreen and slide in to attack the Major directly.

Thunderhawk attempts to dodge the Viper blast but it still hits the underside of the vehicle. The damage is minor but it's time to make it personal. Trakker swings Thunderhawk to come to a landing near where Mayhem has bailed out and steps out fists on his hips as he looks at his foe. "You might as well give it up now Mayhem. We're taking you in." He focuses his gaze on Mayhem as the light flashes across the optic of his mask. "Sonic blast on!" A piercing scream of sound heads towards Mayhem's ears...

Wild Bill acks and pulls up suddenly to avoid the shots from Sly Rax, meaning his own shots also end up going wide. He rotates the chopper so that he can get a better angle while keeping out of any further shots, while trying to draw a bead on the Piranha. "Oh no, you ain't gettin' away, nosireebob," he says, as he once again zeros in to stop the slithery villain.

>> Tomahawk #505 strikes Piranha with Chain Gun . <<

Mayhem holds the side of his helmet and yells in pain as Trakker's sonic blast washes over him. "Major!" he gasps. "I require your assistance." Turning, Mayhem runs for the trees, apparently attempting to flee Trakker on foot. How an old man in a mask expects to evade the much younger Trakker is unknown, but Mayhem tries to make Trakker work for it nonetheless, perhaps hoping Major Bludd will intervene in time.

Bludd sneers at Skymate's pathetic attempt to smash the glass. "You wanna bring me in, yer gonna have ta do better'n that!" He leans his head out the window so he can see what's in front of him, puts the Stinger into motion again, and heads for Rax's cycle. The targetting systems are still intact, so he puts them to good use and fires off a missile at the Tomahawk. Belatedly, he hears Mayhem's call for help. "Only one o'me, ya know," he mutters.

>> Stinger 4x4 #742 strikes Tomahawk #505 with STA-Rocket . <<

As missiles explode around them, most of the soldiers head for cover -- by now the protesters are safe, and it's too late to stop Sly Rax from getting out of the complex. The soldiers resist firing on Bludd with Skymate on his windscreen, and instead pull back to the gate. A few head for the clearing where the Switchblade crashed, intending to help Trakker bring in Miles Mayhem. Civilian personnel at the complex have been moved inside, out of harm's way.

Sly Rax dodges the Tomahawk's fire for a while, but even he can't keep the motorized gymnastics going forever, and eventually his bike get nailed by the Wild Bill's chain-gun fire. Still going full speed, Rax pulls off his Stiletto mask and drops it into the sidecar next to him. He instead dons a second mask while steering the vehicle pell-mell with just his legs. He spins around on his seat until he's facing backwards on the bike, and then stands on the seat, looking up at the Tomahawk with a steady gaze. "Buzzsaw, on," he says quietly, and begins firing miniature diamond-hard saw blades at the Joe helicopter's rotors.

>> Piranha strikes Tomahawk #505 with Bladed Weapon. <<

Skymate holsters his pistol and holds on to the Stinger for dear life as Bludd puts it in motion again. "Trust me, Bludd, you haven't yet seen my best." When Bludd leans out the window to steer, Skymate reaches in to grab him, attempting to haul him right out of the vehicle. Skymate grasps at Bludd's collar while keeping his free hand held tightly to the Stringer so they both don't wind up rolling around in the dirt while the Stinger drives over them.

Trakker takes off after Mayhem when he tries to hoof it, the HUD in his mask attempting to keep tabs on him as he starts to close the distance. "Just like a snake to try to slither away..." he mutters.

Tomahawk #505> Wild Bill acks as the funky mask's ability damages the Tomahawk. "Tricky lil feller, ain'tcha?" he says, as he retains control of the Tomahawk though it starts to list to one side. "Right back atcha!"

>> Tomahawk #505 strikes Piranha with Bomb . <<

Mayhem runs into the woods with Trakker close behind. "You've won this time, Trakker, but VENOM will have its revenge!" Quickly Mayhem finds what he's looking for - a concealed jetpack hidden away for just this possible scenario. Strapping the jetpack on, Mayhem laughs, "Bye, bye, Trakker! 'Til next time!" With a jaunty wave he jets way from Pine Gap, leaving Bludd and Rax to take care of themselves.

Stinger 4x4 #742> Bludd gives a wordless shout as Skymate hauls him bodily out of the speeding Stinger. Unable to tuck into some kind of impact-softening roll, he hits the dirt and rolls in an uncontrolled fashion, according to the laws of physics. This quite naturally gives him more than a few bruises and abrasions, even as his body armour absorbs enough of the impact to prevent him from breaking bones. He lays stunned once he finally comes to a stop, while the Stinger coasts on with no one at the wheel.

Sly Rax leaps off the bike as the bomb hits, landing in a neat roll and then coming up to target the chopper once more. His Piranha drives off the road and into a ditch, looking a lot worse for the wear after the Tomahawk's chain guns and bomb. Rax himself seems calm, merely muttering, "You don't give up easy, do ya?" He gazes up at the Joe chopper and continues to fire his diamond-hard buzzsaws at vulnerable parts of the gunship.

>> Sly Rax strikes Tomahawk #505 with Saw Blades . <<

Skymate hauls Bludd out of the Stinger and onto the ground, and then leaps down on top of him, once he's sure the Stinger isn't going to roll into a group of schoolchildren or something. "You should never have come back to Australia, mate, because now you're never going to leave." Balling up his gloved fist, he punches straight for Bludd's scarred face, trying to knock him out in one hit so he can go straight to the paperwork and celebration.

Stinger 4x4 #742> >> Skymate misses Major Bludd with Punch. <<

Tomahawk #505> Wild Bill tries to evade the saws, but several strike the tomahawk. It's still holding together, though, so Bill fires back. "I'll teach you to mess with my whirlybird, punk!"

>> Tomahawk #505 misses Sly Rax with Light Machine Gun <Medium>. <<

Bludd recovers his wits just in time to jerk his head aside from Skymate's blow. He swings his fist at the Joe's jaw, hoping to stun him long enough to allow him to get away.

>> Major Bludd misses Skymate with Punch. <<

Sly Rax turns and runs as the Tomahawk opens fire. He zigzags to his crashed bike, and hauls it out onto the road. "The heck with this," he drawls nasally. "I'm outta here!" He climbs back on his bike and guns it, racing up the highway and past roadblocks that he blithely jumps over, cops' bullets bouncing harmlessly off his armoured windscreen. Eager to lose the Tomahawk, Rax slows down just enough to let it catch up slightly, and then whips a flash-bang grenade up at Wild Bill's cockpit.

>> Piranha misses Tomahawk #505 with Flash-Bang <Medium>. <<

Skymate's fist smashes into the dirt, and he turns his head just in time for Bludd's own punch to smash relatively harmlessly (for Skymate, at least) on the side of Skymate's helmet. "Looks like your friends bailed on you, Major," Skymate taunts. "Maybe it's time you found a better class of friend." Pulling back, Skymate attempts to grab Bludd's shirtfront and simply bash him repeatedly into the ground.

>> Skymate misses Major Bludd with Bash. <<

Tomahawk #505> Wild Bill manages to pull up high enough to evade the flash-bang, then takes the Tomahawk down again to re-engage now that Sly's back in his Piranha. "You sure you're not related to Cobra Commander? Cuz yer both cowardly snakes in the grass!" He fires again.

>> Tomahawk #505 strikes Piranha with Machine-Gun <Medium>. <<

Bludd continues his attempts to get away from Skymate, trying this time to kick him off.

>> Major Bludd strikes Skymate with Kick. <<

Sly Rax glances back and swerves as the Tomahawk's machine guns hit home. The Piranha is heavily-armoured from frontal attacks, but from above it's relatively weak, and it's all Rax can do to make sure the bullets don't hit him instead. He roars over some railroad tracks and then the highway takes an almost 90-degree turn. Rax takes the turn with ease, and looks up as he brings the bike back up to full throttle. "Sorry, maan," he replies. "No relation of mine." He turns his deadly gaze back up at the Tomahawk and fires off another series of sawblades.

>> Piranha strikes Tomahawk #505 with Ballistic <Medium>. <<

Skymate is kicked back off of Bludd, and winds up on his rump. "Quite a strong kick you've got there for an old guy." Skymate picks himself up, and moves slowly between Bludd and the Stinger, trying to cut him off. In a circle around them, the foot-soldiers start to gather, attempting to close in the loop. "Why don't you just give yourself up, Major, before you get yourself hurt." In case Bludd choses violence instead, Skymate slowly draws a large combat knife.

Tomahawk #505> Wild Bill finds that the last attack damaged the stabilizer. The Tomahawk is less steady, and Bill figures it's time to get the machine in for repairs, as soon as possible. But not before taking another shot at the Piranha!

>> Tomahawk #505 misses Piranha with Light Machine Gun <Medium>. <<

"I'm much more than just an 'old guy'," Bludd tells Skymate as he gets to his feet. He draws his own combat knife and slashes at the other man, attempting to maneuver around him and leap into the Stinger.

>> Major Bludd strikes Skymate with Knife. <<

Sly Rax weaves away from the Tomahawk's fire, and then takes the Piranha off-road, heading east away from the highway and its gathering number of cops and roadblocks. He heads instead for the river, and at the last possible moment jumps from the main bike to the sidecar. With a push of a switch, the sidecar breaks off and transforms into a mini-submarine, which instantly disappears into the waters of the Todd River. In a moment, Sly Rax is gone.

>> Sly Rax retreats from the area, escaping all attackers. <<

Skymate is surprised at Bludd's swiftness, and is slashed badly across both arms, dropping his knife as Bludd maneuvers around him and into the Stinger. Skymate reaches a bloody arm out to stop him, but it's too late - before he can make another move, Bludd is in the Stinger and gone.