Loot Crates!

Log Title: Loot Crates! Characters: Bludgeon, Blockade, Soundwave, Skullgrin Location: Inner Rim - Delta Quadrant Date: November 28, 2018 TP: Bludgeon's War TP Summary: Bludgeon grabs who he can to retrieve some crates full of weaponry. As logged by  Blockade

Log session starting at 19:00:11 on Wednesday, 28 November 2018.

BEFORE

'''It was a dark day in Tarn when Bludgeon decided to round up his own motley crew. The selection was random, when the mech tempted/strongarmed/ordered/or possibly outright threatened the crew into a mission briefing...'''

'''The skull-faced warrior growls as he stands before the assembled crew. "We need to regain our...focus. Right now, leadership has stalled, with Megatron off-world. Being that Onslaught is neglecting his duties to....*non* Combaticons. I have decided that I am taking up the reins..."'''

'''A hologram displays a solar system array. "Laserbeak has brought forth good news to us. The arms dealer Kreezy..."'''

'''The image flickers to a strange sight. a small glob of something with eyes and a face, almost cartoony in nature.'''

"is delivering cargo to the planet Cancould. He is doing so via drone delivery, straight intra-atmosphere. The arms dealer and the planet themselves both have fairly.....respectable weaponry at their disposal, but that will not stop us."

Bludgeon clenches his fist, "We'll steal their wares and put them to our cause, and we'll do so.... .during re-entry!"

'''A picture of the planet shows, with some diagrams. "Speed-sleds will be given to all ground troops that lack extra-space power. Cargo drones will also be slaved to our systems. We tag items for pickup, they move in and retrieve. We're also expecting resistance, so there'll be plenty of fire coming our way....and we do all this for something very precious."'''

The screen changes again to show the technical specs of a fusion cannon.

"This....is indeed one of Megatron's fusion cannons. No doubt lost during our glorious war. I find the idea that these lesser whelps have 'bought' it, an infuriating prospect. We shall reclaim it.... We have no idea which crate it is in, so we must gather as many as possible."

'''He lets the words hang on the air. "That is all. We move to launch within the astrohour."'''

'''Blockade shuffles a bit but keeps his mouth shut. If he tries to point out that he's not built for flying around, he's not getting any sympathy.'''

'''Soundwave listens to Bludgeon give his speech. Raids. Now theres something they havent had in a while. He is glad to see things returning to business as normal. That will help build the morale, definately. "What belongs to Megatron is ours. We will reclaim it for him. Soundwave: Is prepared for battle." and perhaps sounds a bit eager for it too. Its a change of pace from being a nursemaid to crystals.'''

'''Skullgrin is one of Bludgeon's most loyal troops. The likewise-skullfaced siege warrior nods in approval of Bludgeon's plan. His desiccated face shows no expression - he merely clenches his ax and prepares for battle, studying the diagrams carefully so as to be as prepared as possible to bring Bludgeon's vision to life... and for their enemies, death, as death itself is the only thing that can still Skullgrin once he's set his mind on a goal.'''

NOW.

'''the Kreezy cargo transport is about as armed as you'd expect from a single-celled sapient weapons broker who constantly has to fight off power struggles from his constantly replicating body. Such as to say, it is heavily armed. The large vessel, sporting several cannons, maintains a high orbit around Cancould.'''

Meanwhile the Decepticon forces, all non-spaceworthy forces having been issued their speed-sleds, have been waiting nearby, behind one of the planets twelve 'solar moons'.

From the Decepticon Shuttle, Dronepunk, the pilot/drone expert, gives a thumbs up from behind his Daft Punk-esque helm, as he listens to some sort of Earth music.

Bludgeon waits, his eyes focused on the prize.

'''Several moments pass, before a blip hits the radar system. The first of the escorts were being fired off to planet-side.'''

In their wake....

Precious cargo.

'''A mixture of defense escorts and cargo begin to rain down onto Cancould. For the people below, it'd be loot Christmas....if it got there.'''

Bludgeon raises his sword, and gestures forward, "DECEPTICONS.....PLUNDER!"

Soundwave places on his own earth music (Todays choice:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auuqlcom6tM) he prepares the enemy for their arrival- by blocking their radio communications so that the escort team is thrown off.

GAME: Soundwave PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of Immense difficulty.

'''Blockade is.. not the most technically adept mech. Nor is he a natural flier. So, instead of trying anything subtle or fancy, he just guns right into the middle of things, trusting in his oversized form and armor to protect him.'''

GAME: Blockade PASSES a COURAGE roll of Immense difficulty.

'''Bludgeon gives a grunt of approval as the team moves forward. Right now, the loot and the escorts are just barely starting to touch atmosphere. It'll get real interesting when reentry really starts to pick up. "Yessssss! This is more like it. Forward, Decepticons. Forward, and into the fray. We are fearless, we are flawless, and we are without equal." He gestures forward, "Adjust direction planetside. We'll need to hit them closer to the atmosphere!"'''

GAME: Bludgeon PASSES a LEADERSHIP roll of Very High difficulty.

'''Skullgrin raises his ax high over his head. "Plunder!" he repeats. "For the Decepticons!" Activating his space-sled, Skullgrin races forward, fearlessly gunning his vessel directly into the loot field. He activates the flying platform's meager laser weapons, less worried about taking out escorts and more focused on drawing aggro away from the other Decepticons. What Skullgrin lacks in grace is makes up for in pure bull-headed daring. Leering at the enemy defenders, he attempts to drive them off through sheer loco-crazy recklessness.'''

GAME: Skullgrin PASSES a COURAGE roll of Immense difficulty.

'''Already as the Decepticons come in, they'e already ID'd several crates for tagging. Dronepunk's electro-drones immediately start to launch from the shuttle, seeking out the precious cargo.'''

'''The initial attack went unnoticed, as the escort teams had their optics elsewhere. Soundwave's tactic was working, until visual confirmation was made. <> '''

'''<> <>'''

'''Six of the escorts break off from the main trajectory. Small shuttlecraft filled with sapient guards, with rapid fire lasers mounted on front. The escorts start opening fire on the Decepticons, as they screen for the drones.'''

The drone team, with their little glowing and staticky orb propellors snatch three crates, and start to veer them off of their original destination.

'''Soundwave lines himself up with the enemy platform. He then presses the eject button. "Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Buzzsaw, eject. Operation: Retrieval. Find the crate. With the fusuion cannon. Destroy anyone who gets in your way." spacetapes-ho! He tries to provide cover fire for his minions.'''

'''The tapes get launched forward, spreading out. Rumble chimes in, "Yeahhh! I'm the one that gets to hold Megatron's cannon!" Frenzy joins in, "Loot and plunder! Lets drop the base on these stupid squits!" Buzzsaw veers past some of the enemy escort ships with a mighty "SQWAAAAAKKK!" Ravage, however, just remains silent. Cats.'''

GAME: Soundwave FAILS a FIREPOWER roll of Very High difficulty.

GAME: Soundwave PASSES a FIREPOWER roll of Very High difficulty.

'''Blockade sees escorts coming in and chuckles. "I was sayin' I needed more practice on movin' targets." He pulls out a plasma gun and takes his time, leading his shots. There's a faint whine as the tachyon turret on his back charges, but he's saving that in case something bigger shows up.'''

GAME: Blockade PASSES a DEXTERITY roll of Very High difficulty.

'''Kreezy can be heard over the comms <> <> <> <> <>'''

'''Bludgeon leans forward, his sword drawn. Electricty crackles down the blade as three of the escort craft come forward. He slashes at them without a pause. "Fools!"'''

Dronepunk takes a drink, as he plays Bludgeon Bingo back on the craft.

GAME: Bludgeon PASSES a STRENGTH roll of High difficulty.

'''Skullgrin races his sled directly for one of the shuttlecraft. He plots an intercept course, appearing until the last astrominute like he's going to simply ram directly into the enemy craft. However, right before impact he jumps off, allowing the skiff to crash into the gun-region of the shuttle while Skullgrin uses his anti-gravs and momentum to land him on the side of the ship. '''

'''Grabbing hold of the cockpit door, Skullgrin tries to use his immense strength to tear it open, exposing the chewy alien pilot(s) inside. He howls in the thin air as the shuttle starts to heat up, attempting to terrify his enemies with his fearsome strength and daring.'''

GAME: Skullgrin PASSES a STRENGTH roll of Very High difficulty.

More Decepticon drones start zipping into the fray, as others start to draw crates back towards the shuttle.

'''A hologram of Kreezy appears on the main ship. "Target those drones and fire!" "Sir, if we hit the drone, we'll destroy our gear!" Kreezy-332 growls. He splits via mitosis, with another Kreezy, numbered -333, gives an order, "Then shut down those drones. Fire the EMP!" "YES, SIR!"'''

'''The main ship starts to draw down towards the Decepticon raiders, and the underbelly of the ship starts to open up. Plates shift and pull out of the way as a wide angle satellite array angles towards the Decepticons. It starts to charge up a powerful static attack, intent on outright shutting down all drones, the speed-sleds, and possibly the shuttle as well.'''

'''Three escorts explode behind Bludgeon as he hurls past. Blockade does indeed get his target practice, catching his first target, but the second one uses a cargo pod as cover, ruining his second shot. Coward.'''

'''Skullgrin takes a different approach, and slams his feet into one of the ship's sides, sundering into the vessel. The pilot inside has a horrified look on his face for about three seconds.'''

'''Soundwave motions to the others. "Cover the drones. All of the crates must be retrieved." he fires his concussion cannon at the ships, trying to get them before they get the Decpeticons.'''

GAME: Soundwave PASSES a FIREPOWER roll of High difficulty.

'''Blockade looks up, and that looks like a really BIG gun pointed their way. Well, he was charging that tachyon cannon for a reason, right? This must be it. The big mech stops the flier dead in the air and tilts himself to line up the shot, not trusting his steering for something like this. A rather distinctive pinkish-purple lozenge speeds its way toward the main ship threatening the Decepticons.'''

GAME: Blockade FAILS a FIREPOWER roll of High difficulty.

GAME: Blockade FAILS a FIREPOWER roll of High difficulty.

'''Bludgeon humphs as he nimbly veers past another two escorts. He angles off to the side, marking another crate as he goes. But just then, one of the escorts catches a few shots on him, and more importantly on his speed-sled. The mech soaks the attack well, barely even scorching his armor. The speed-sled drifts as the cargo starts to gain that red hot glow of reentry about him, and he's going down with it. "My transport isn't able to withstand atmosphere....." He looks up to the EMP weapon powering up, crackling with power, he points up towards it dramatically. "SKULLGRIN.....DO SOMETHING!"'''

GAME: Bludgeon PASSES a LEADERSHIP roll of Very High difficulty.

'''Skullgrin breaks into the shuttle, grabbing the pilot and flinging him out of the open door, presumably to his terrifying death. Skull then slides behind the stick, looking over the sensor readings as the main ship prepares the EMP. If someone doesn't stop it, this is all for naught, but unfortunately Skull isn't pilot enough to make the shuttlecraft into a ramship in time.'''

'''Instead, Skullgrin uses the brief moment to scan over the controls. The gunner position seems intuitive enough, but the question is, where is the best place to target to take out the EMP? Using his background in mounted-weapon tank warfare, he slides behind the turret pod and brings up any weapons not taken out by his kamikaze skiff. Hitting the main ship won't be hard - the primary question is whether or not Skullgrin is smart enough to target the right spot to disable it.'''

GAME: Skullgrin PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of High difficulty.

'''Blockade notes the giant EMP cannon above, and readies that powerful tachyon cannon. Calculations are made, and the trajectory is adjusted for space. The weapon fires, blanketing the area in purple pink fire, roaring towards the ship. One of the escorts, completely caring more about shooting at Ravage, accidentally gets in the way of the shot, and explodes on contact. The nimble panther lands on one of the other cargo pods, checking it out, perhaps even indifferent to Blockade's actions.'''

'''Soundwave's concussion cannon works in concert with the rest of his minions. Rumble calls out, "Hey....hey Frenzy, check this out!" Frenzy takes a moment from firing indiscriminately to look over. Rumble's straddling one of the smaller cargo pods and starts doing his best Slim Pickens imitation as he hits reentry, red blazing fire surrounding him and the cargo. "Yeehaww!"'''

'''Skullgrin seems a bit...out of his element in the shuttlecraft. Still, he's using Kreezy(tm) brand fire control and targeting systems, so that counts for something. All that he really has to do is flip off that pesky IFF tracker, so he can actually fire it upon its own side. Once that's done, the targeting system suggests a conduit system inside that ship. Primary weapons fire immediately thereafter...'''

'''The Kreezy Kruiser adjusts the EMP blast a bit, ensuring to catch the entire raiding party in its midst, when a conduit system on one side just EXPLODES and shoots out a high volume of electrified plasma out one side. The entire underside of the ship BUCKLES and starts to rips itself apart from beneath.'''

'''Meanwhile the cargo is in high reentry, flames surrounding everything. Soon the cargo will be in the line of fire of the planetary defenses. Can the Decepticons make one last cash grab before their exit strategy is forced? Even now, the Con shuttle starts to join them down in the high atmosphere.'''

'''Soundwave nods to himself as the Kruiser takes heavy damage. He sees the cargo heading towards re-entry. "Retrieve the cargo." He moves towards retrieving the falling cargo, finding it more important then taking down the enemy. He pushes his sled towards it, intent on getting it before the box enters oblivion.'''

GAME: Soundwave PASSES a COURAGE roll of Very High difficulty.

'''The field of fire is getting ever more cluttered. There's almost no such thing as a clear shot anymore, to Blockade's disgust. So, he just aims the sled through the middle and lets his armor take a beating as he powers through to grab what he can on the way back toward the shuttle.'''

GAME: Blockade PASSES an ENDURANCE roll of Extreme difficulty.

'''Dronepunk's shuttle braves the fires of reentry as well, heading down to where Bludgeon's speed-sled faltered. The skull-faced Samurai leaps forwards and off of the disabled device. In mid free-fall he dives forward and down, launching a series of his electric fireballs forward, striking part of the escort team from behind. "All units, prepare to regroup with the shuttle." He eyes the lead crate ahead. His eyes narrow. He angles himself to gain more speed. "We'll brave the enemy fire for just long enough to gain this one. Dronepunk...forward!"'''

GAME: Bludgeon PASSES a LEADERSHIP roll of Extreme difficulty.

'''Skullgrin sets the auto-pilot to fly into the center of the swarm of remaining crates, while Skullgrin himself attempts to identify which are more likely to contain the weapon for which they're looking. Skullgrin is used to intercepting attempted weapon shipments as a siege warrior - he just usually does it safely from the ground. Now, however, he's flying into the flames of reentry, relying on his tough armor to shield him from the heat. Surfing the shuttle through the burning atmosphere, Skullgrin braves the pain to collect one last crate of the shipment, hoping his instincts ring true once again before braving the fire to meet up with the others.'''

GAME: Skullgrin PASSES an ENDURANCE roll of Below Average difficulty.

'''The shuttle tilts to the side, its bay opening up as the last of the drones carry in the Decepticon's filthy luchre. The rest of the team is collected in short order, with Bludgeon pretty much riding the lead cargo pod, sitting crosslegged upon it.'''

The planetary weapons fire is mostly negligible, as the team takes back off.

'''The Kreezy Kruiser buckles again, "Wait...who are you guys?" The ship swells up as the reactor blows inside of it, a scream is heard over the comms, and then silence.'''

'''"Excellent..." the samurai almost purrs. "twelve crates. An admirable amount of loot. Let us see exactly what the score is." He motions to the team, "Barring the fusion cannnon, if it is among this. All of you are deserving of one personal piece from this haul. Use it wisely and well...."'''

Crate one reveals....weapons, some of them blue or green level of rarity.

Crate two reveals....weapons, some of them blue or green level of rarity.

Crate three reveals....shields, some of them blue or green level of rarity.

Crate four reveals....weapons, some of them blue or green level of rarity.

Crate five reveals....weapons, two of them of purple rarity.

Crate six reveals....rebreathers, some of them blue or green level of rarity.

Crate seven reveals....weapons, some of them blue or green level of rarity.

Crate eight reveals....shields, some of them blue or green level of rarity.

Crate nine reveals....shields, some of them blue or green level of rarity.

Crate ten reveals....weapons, two of them of purple rarity.

Crate eleven reveals....weapons, mostly low quality.

Crate twelve reveals....weapons, mostly low quality.

'''Soundwave shakes his head. "It wasn't enough." He comments, as they start to go through the boxes. "Objective: was not acquired. We will need to continue pursuit."'''

'''Blockade hmms and picks up a likely looking gun from the piles of revealed weaponry. "Heh. This looks interesting."'''

'''Bludgeon humphs. "No...but it will be ours. Still, let us not diminish the spirit shown today."'''

'''Bludgeon hefts a multi-cluster launcher, and examines it. "Fire rounds. Interesting." He regards Soundwave for a moment, then reverses the grip on the weapon, and hands it over to the Spymaster.'''

'''Blockade shoulders the gun and leans back. "Any chance of getting a drink?"'''

'''Skullgrin gathers up some high-explosive rounds. "These will come in handy, I'm sure," he comments, looking up with his skullface's eternal grin.'''

'''Skullgrin looks at Blockade. "I'll take that drink. You buyin'?" He chuckles darkly.'''

'''Soundwave takes the weapon and looks it over. "Still we have some useful pieces. Not to mention the fire and spirit. We needed this Bludgeon. The morale has been down." he says. "Drinks: Are on me."'''

'''Skullgrin perks up at Soundwave's offer. "You don't have to tell me twice!" He stows his newly'''

acquired ammunition, and goes with the others to have that drink.

Log session ending at 21:02:33 on Wednesday, 28 November 2018.