<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/9WWSmj9.jpg)</div>Riding in a mecha over long distances was a little different from driving a car.  The rhythmic, bassy<strong><em>thud</em></strong>of the machine's footfalls dominated over the growl of an engine, causing some of the less secure rubble along the side of the road to shift and crumble as she walked by it.  The cockpit also tended to sway and rock in time with the humanoid war machine's gait ... there were always a few pilot candidates who got a nasty case of motion sickness during training.  For Mizuki, though, these simple tactile sensations were reassuring, like the mariners of old sometimes she got so used to the sway of her mecha that solid ground seemed somehow foreign after she once again stood on her own feet.<br/><br/>The caravan had slowed once they'd reached the ruins.  There was nothing for it, the shattered remnants of the nameless city reduced her visibility to practically nothing.  She swayed her head from side to side as she walked, checking down the side streets and sweeping the barrels of her head-mounted gatling guns over likely guerilla hideouts.  Going up against a Mecha with a rocket launcher was suicide, but there was always a chance that someone was desperate enough to throw their life away for a chance at a big score.<br/><br/>Bunny grit her teeth slightly at the report that irregulars were closing in around the convoy.  If they were lucky, they were merely observers, or opportunists getting in position to snatch up anything that might "fall off" the back of one of the trucks.  There was a chance that they were working as spotters for heavier artillery though.  Mizuki licked her dry lips, letting her breath out in long, slow breaths as she tried to fight down the tension.  Waiting for things to go wrong, somehow, made her even more anxious than having to deal with an attack in the moment.  Bunny shook out her wrists, openning and closing ehr fingers, as if trying to stay limber and alert for when someone forced her to engage.<br/><br/>And then the Akema stepped out from behind the building and into the road.  Lieutenant Fox's sharp voice snapped her out of her speculation as she squinted at a strange sensor reading to the East.  She saw the signal light on her console light up to tell her that she was being hailed by the enemy mech ... there was a decent chance that it was a border guard for bandits.  Such an obvious up-front show of force suggested they were going to try and extract a toll from the convoy.  Bunny started reaching for comm switch when Fox's voice broke in once again.<br/><br/><strong>"Ah!"</strong>she jumped in her seat,<strong>"Y-yessir!  Bunny moving to engage enemy Walker!"</strong>she said, snapping upright and rigid in her seat, like she'd been caught out of position.<br/><br/>Bunny flipped the hat switch on one of her control sticks, the missile pod mounted to her back swinging forward to align over her shoulder, locking into place with an audible clunk.  The targetting computer bracketed her enemy, triangle sweeping to lock onto the dot in the center.  Just like the simulator ... line up the shot and fire.<br/><br/>With a rush of burning rocket fuel, the missile roared free and rushed over the open ground, the mecha lurched forward as she pushed up the throttle, pavement cracking underfoot as the machine's optics burned bright.  She didn't want the convoy being damaged by the blast of enemy missiles, which left her with the ugly option of rushing against that heavy gatling gun he was lugging.  She leaned forward in her seat, clenching her jaw as she toggled on the communications line she'd gotten from the enemy pilot.<br/><br/><strong>"Unidentified Warrior, stand down and dismount."</strong>she said, scraping up all the firmness and authority she could muster.  Internally, she berated herself ... who opens fire on someone and<em>then</em>asks for their surrender?  She'd just jumped into action on the Lieutenant's say-so without thinking things through.<strong>"Ah ... please?"</strong>she offered in a somewhat more conciliatory tone.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Actions</div><div class="spoiler_body"><strong>Operate:</strong> Small Sidewinder<br/>At 2018-09-12 12:05:55, GunmetalDreamer (uid: 52581) rolls: 1d10 Result: 9<br/> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=124757)Eh, spend a Focus to try and reroll that:<br/>At 2018-09-12 12:06:10, GunmetalDreamer (uid: 52581) rolls: 1d10 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=124758)<br/>Oof.  I guess that wasn't meant to be.<br/><br/><strong>Move:</strong> 5 Hexes South (4 for the mech's speed, +1 from the Road)</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Chalcedon X-Series</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/uV3ahWG.jpg)</div><strong><span class="bbc_u">Chalcedon X-Series</span></strong><br/><strong>Stability</strong>:  18 / 21<br/><strong>Power</strong>:  4 / 4<br/><strong>CPU</strong>:  2 / 2<br/><strong>Move</strong>:  4 / 4<br/><strong>K-Armour</strong>:  1<br/><strong>E-Armour</strong>:  0<br/><strong>X-Armour</strong>:  1<br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Condition</span></strong><br/>[R-Arm]: 6 / 6<br/>[L-Arm]: 6 / 6<br/>[R-Leg]: 4 / 5<br/>[L-Leg]: 5 / 5<br/><pre><br/>         [H1][H2]<br/>[RA1]  [T1][T2][T3]  [LA1]<br/>[RA2]  [T4][T5][T6]  [LA2]<br/>       [RL1]  [LL1]<br/>       [RL2]  [LL2]</pre><br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Modules</span></strong><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">H1</span></strong><br/><strong>Targeting Module Mk. I</strong>: Can dedicate up to 1 CPU to this to grant a bonus to ranged attacks (head slots only).  Costs 1 Power.<br/>Condition: 1/1<br/>Size: 1x1<br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">T2</span></strong><br/><strong>Power Cell</strong>: +2 Power, if destroyed explode causing 1d10 Stability damage (radius 1).<br/>Condition: 4/4<br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Weapons</span></strong><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Mech Bayonet</span></strong><br/><em>Wielded</em><br/><em>Power Usage</em>:  0<br/><em>Damage</em>:  6 (+/- 2)<br/><em>Range</em>:  1<br/><em>Piercing (2)</em>:  Ignores 2 points of Relevant Armor<br/><em>Type</em>:  Kinetic  <br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Autocannon</span></strong><br/><em>Installed</em>:  H2<br/><em>Power Usage</em>:  0<br/><em>Damage</em>:  4 (+/- 2)<br/><em>Range</em>:  5 (-2)<br/><em>Suppressing</em>:  Attacking enemies within effective range causes 1 Stress even on a miss.<br/><em>Type</em>:  Kinetic  <br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Small Sidewinder</span></strong><br/><em>Installed</em>:  T3<br/><em>Power Usage</em>:  1<br/><em>Damage</em>:  10 (+/- 3)<br/><em>Range</em>:  10 (-3)<br/><em>Missile</em>:  Every degree-of-failure introduces another "degree of uncertainty" that pushes the missile off course.  Adjacent hexes take half damage.  Can fire without LoS, imposes -2 on attack roll.<br/><em>Ammo (4)</em>:  Small Sidewinders come with a preloaded 4 missile compliment, and may thus only be shot four times per deployment.<br/><em>Type</em>:  Explosive</div></div>