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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tun Kai Poh" data-source="post: 8479669" data-attributes="member: 6761960">The Straggler, Part 1The Harrison Armory fleet legion is hosting a confrontation. "I gave you an order, Commandant!" Captain Ashanti's eyes are wide in disbelief as she stares down the carrier commander through the holodisplay. "Commit your wings and start eliminating the damaged hostiles. You need to engage!" Commandant Almarik holds up her hands, flustered. "Sir, wait, sir, I just don't think the James I is coming. Sir." "What?" "Captain Petrie keeps reporting drive issues... he's straggling at the rear of the formation. He's revised his ETA twice since the engagement began." Ashanti shrugs. "And? Are you saying he's turning traitor? Shying away from his duty?" "I don't know, sir, but, but, what if he doesn't show up? Union still has a fresh battleship and carrier, and we've lost half the fleet." Her words shake Ashanti visibly. She hurries on: "Sir. Respectfully. If we call for a truce now, we can send out S&R boats, save the crew of the Arminius, maybe even salvage the carrier. The Reds will want to save their own spacers from the Richard Wagner." "And then what? We turn back to the Rim? A couple thousand of our spacers will have died for nothing." "If we stop now, we save the Arminius. And the Hannibal." Almarik gives a meaningful nod to Ashanti. "Before we lose more." Ashanti looks away. "This loss will be on my shoulders. I can't..." The fleet legion interrupts them. "The Björn Járnsiđa has changed course. Collision with Ching Shih imminent." "Oh. Good, fine," says Almarik nervously. "I guess they chose to die. Browning, hit them with the Scrapcaster." "Firing!" The carrier's massive bow-mounted magnetic accelerator casts a conical blast of shrapnel into the Björn's path. "Fools. I was arguing to save your lives," mutters Almarik to herself.Battlegroup Ching Shih1) Maneuver: Scrapcaster. Range 0 Accuracy bonus cancels weapon Inaccuracy. Roll of 6, miss. On hit or miss, Single Target attacks against the Corsair are made with +1 Difficulty until the end of its next turn. Place 2 reloading counters on Scrapcaster.The blast just barely misses the frigate. There is a moment of horrified silence on the bridge. The Björn is now only a few hundred kilometers away. And everyone remembers the Arminius' fate. "Order the Patrice and the Jubei to fire on that frigate!" Almarik points unnecessarily for emphasis at her display. "Send in the Shermans, send everything..." The cruisers open fire with their main guns. Wings of mechanized chassis scramble to act. But it may be too late. The young commandant rubs her hands nervously. "These Union lunatics. No good, no good."[ATTACH=full]148089[/ATTACH]<a href="https://twitter.com/Orbitaldropkick/status/1089658618918645760?t=mpqBGmBlItRIt02BtfH0Og&s=19" target="_blank">Sherman art by Tom Parkinson-Morgan</a> 2) Stalwarts use Maneuver: Forward Kinetic Batteries, roll 15, hit Björn Járnsiđa for 5 damage.3) Ching Shih uses Tactic: Raiding Party, Uninvited Guests to send two Wings of chassis to board Björn Járnsiđa. Kinetic cannonfire strikes the Björn near the bridge. Shrapnel and spalling take a red-splashed toll on the crew. Body parts and severed helmets fly everywhere. Then the clanging sound of boarding mechs on the frigate's hull. Cutting their way in. The final fight has begun.Boarding Step:Facefirst Marines roll to Sabotage Fire Control on Hannibal: 19, success.Fool's Gold Marines roll to Deploy Ontologic Payload on Hannibal: 17, success. Ching Shih's Wing rolls to Plant Demolition Charges on Björn Járnsiđa: 16, success.Ching Shih's Wing rolls to Plant Demolition Charges on Björn Járnsiđa: 12, success. During the boarded ship's next turn they must choose: either use a Maneuver to repel boarders or take 1d6 damage that ignores Overshield and cannot be prevented in any way at the end of that turn. This boarding command can be stacked up to a maximum of 3d6 damage.Next: The Tipping Point</blockquote>

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