[adamu]

Sounds like we are all on the same page.

Jack, that car you hacked, can we just have it autopilot itself around behind the building?
We're all close to the doors of the building now - we could all dash in and no one would have to stay behind to cover (though we'd still do the bombs!).

Filter through the panicked crowd and out the back...and all be together rather than separated - that's key.

[Aria]

The baby dragon can take care of himself 

But yes: regroup, divert attention, get away with William.

The baby dragon is a 'herself' and she will urge you to stick around here for 2-3 minutes until her forces can arrive...surely you can find somewhere to defend that long???  Or hide for that time...it's not huge here but it is fairly big.  I'm 'worried' that if you make for a car you'll get spotted easily...bear in mind there's only one real road exit from this place, right past the Roadmaster (whose drive is presumably still ok).  There are civvie cars making a run for it but surprisingly few...most people still haven't realised there's a fight going on (after all, 18s is not a long time to a mundane unaugmented wage slave!) so cars will stand out  and even wifi dark it is unlikely they don't have additional eyes watching the scene from afar!  Far be it for me to try and rail road you on a course of action but I thought i ought to point this out!

So you can post IC...rough order of events for the next few seconds (assuming no intervention from yourselves)

1. Troopers will bounding overwatch forwards
2. Few APDS rounds in to the van followed by a couple of thrown grenades (and presumably Al's trap going off which is likely to take out the thrower?!?)
3. They approach the main building under cover of some CS / thermal smoke grenades towards the entrance

How is Isaint's booby trap rigged...and where?  Wireless detonator?  Door opening...?  It won't take out more than a couple (they aren't stupid)...but it might thin the pack a tad...

[Aria]

@TB: sorry, you've come off second fiddle again this week, will try and get some IC up for you all tomorrow

@Shamie: can you make a roll for your data spike on the sub please?  Bear in mind the grid penalties and noise of around 4 due to hull/water.  The later is why they aren't on a grid...the corps don't project one under the water where radio waves travel really really badly!  So they are effectively pickig up on the grid created by the Stillwater sub/host...at least I think that's how it works

[Jack_Spade]

@adamu
I can and did - the agent should have sent the car close to the service station.

I wonder if there is a deep fryer around. Those guys in their heavy armor should have trouble with a slick floor...

@Aria
The rigged grenades would be combined with a sensor tag - but probably wireless, yeah. I'd place it into the middle of the lobby - provided I can get the civilians to move somewhere safe.
But the trap rigging will happen in round 7.

Could you give us a short description with what we can work inside the service station (how many rooms/exits/big windows/furniture/people)

[Aria]

Same the world over (at a guess)...fairly large hall with cafe type seating, alcoves for the various 'shops', coffee bars, restaurants etc...toilets and service areas off to one side.  Back rooms to all the shops etc mentioned above.  It's all flimsy, tacky and crowded, lots of AR spam.  Hiding places in the back areas rather than out in the main drag...although you could defend from behind some of the bar areas, set up crossfires etc...except they seem mighty keen on their grenades, and unconcerned about the civvies so...

Something like this perhaps: http://www.flexconnectors.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Gloucester-Westmorland-Services.jpg

[Jack_Spade]

That's what I feared. I expect them to go through the large glass side, so I'll place the grenade there as soon as I have rigged it.

But before I can do that, the others should get there round 6 

[BrutusAurelius]

@Aria

Just wondering if what's going on at the Castle alcan be clarified a bit. I know that there is a ghoul squad scouting a disturbance, and a couple guys and a mule drone at the gate, but I got a little lost/confused after that. Last action I took was to try and call another Sentry to verify the ID of the people at the gate.

[Aria]

Lots of shooting down on the edge of town, it will be like a kicked wasps nest around here very quickly!

[adamu]

The baby dragon is a 'herself' and she will urge you to stick around here for 2-3 minutes until her forces can arrive...surely you can find somewhere to defend that long???  Or hide for that time...it's not huge here but it is fairly big.

Tempting indeed to wait for the cavalry.

But two-three minutes is a long time, and if her people can get here in that time, then so can their reinforcements.

More important, unless she do some very quick and very persuasive talking, I don't think our faith in the ability of her assets to protect William will be too high.
We turned the family over to her a few minutes ago thinking, wow, the connected drake nobility with the badass corporation will protect them now, and a few seconds later three were charred corpses while her security assets inflicted not a single casualty on their killers.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

[adamu]

It won't take out more than a couple (they aren't stupid)...but it might thin the pack a tad...

The effect of that and the van explosion are hopefully much greater than just taking out two or three guys.

Once they know we have those capabilities and are using those tactics, most professional forces will dramatically slow their advance as they take countermeasures, since no one wants to be the next guy to get blown up.

[Aria]

Exactly, and suddenly 2-3 mins isn't such a long time! eTher's forces are coming from Oxford. SCO19 are coming from London and will be further behind. It would be reasonable to assume that the foe is also London based...where you met them before and the direction they arrived from this time too!

[adamu]

Well, you're sorta convincing me, especially since you're the GM, imbued with great and true knowledge of the universe!

Now eTher's got to convince Al.

He feels like he screwed the family and the whole team by convincing them to go along with Silk's request, and then screwed them all again by trusting eTher with the family's safety.
Both appear to have been completely disastrous.
We'd honestly be fools to trust her word or her resources at this point.

And Al isn't the type to worry too much about roads - once we get a head start on the evildoers, he's more than happy to call up a local topo map and take some irrigation ditch to the nearest farmhouse or service road and jack a truck there.

[Aria]

@TB: sorry, you've come off second fiddle again this week, will try and get some IC up for you all tomorrow

@Shamie: can you make a roll for your data spike on the sub please?  Bear in mind the grid penalties and noise of around 4 due to hull/water.  The later is why they aren't on a grid...the corps don't project one under the water where radio waves travel really really badly!  So they are effectively pickig up on the grid created by the Stillwater sub/host...at least I think that's how it works

Sorry Shamie, definite confusion here: are you doing HotF to gain a mark on the sub or a straight up data spike?  If the latter can you confirm your current attack rating please?

From the crib sheet lurking around on SG somewhere:

Hack on the Fly = Hacking + Logic vs. Intuition + Firewall Get +Mark
Data Spike = Cybercombat + Logic vs.  Intuition + Firewall Do Matrix Damage = [Attack] + 1/hit + 2/mark

@Pistolgrip: can you remind me what grenade it is you're throwing?  A flashbang is going to include you in the blast radius!  Just saying!  Even a flechette is going to be coming back your way, this is a sub after all not an open street...you are probably 5-6m from the breach...I trust you aren't using an HE grenade right?!?

[pistolgrip]

@TB, Aria - the grenade is CS/Tear Gas actually. But it won't detonate until the next combat turn, I think, unless I detonate it wirelessly first, which takes a simple action on my next action phase I believe.

[adamu]

@Tribal Beats

With the shooting starting, Al's initiative is 24.

First pass will be Simple Action for  Perception test - looking carefully for best target. Primary criteria is anyone shooting at Thorn, secondary criteria is distance preferring targets out of his melee/throw range, third criteria is biggest gun.
Primary Perception Test: 7d6t5 1
One hit - okay, so just shoot anybody shooting Thorn!

Then Free Action for Adept Centering, cancelling -5 worth of negative mods, which covers -3 for range and then -2 of whatever else.

Then Simple Action to shoot selected target.
shooting anyone shooting Thorn: 11d6t5 7
Accuracy is 9, so I can use all those hits.
13P -8 AP + net hits

BUT - if Perception test finds nothing matching the first criteria (shooting at Thorn), will cancel the shot and instead do another Perception test to figure out what they are shooting at.
Contingency Perception Test: 7d6t5 4

@TB - okay, continuing on into the second pass from the above, looks like it's really on now so here are my second and third passes for this first combat turn.

1/2
Free to Adept Center, Simple to use Perception to choose best target (anyone shooting at Thorn, then anyone near him but not in direct melee with him), then Simple to shoot.

Perception to choose best target in 1/2: 7d6t5 3
Shooting anyone shooting Thorn in 1/2: 11d6t5 3
Again, that's 13P -8 AP + net hits

1/3 Repeat

Looking for best target in 1/3: 7d6t5 3
Shooting anyone shooting Thorn in 1/3: 11d6t5 4

Keeping my second free action for each pass on hold in case I need it for anything.