Semo's eyes grow wide when Davis pulls the grenade and threatens to turn them all into hamburger. "Cap? I think the spook has lost it," he says in English.

Luis is taken aback, too. He doesn't bother with English, mostly for Bello's benefit. *Put that goddamn thing back where you got it, Davis. Threats don't help anybody.* He switches to English, "Not to mention, I think the man has a point. Mission priorities were to make contact with the resistance. Well, we finally have. Now you want to blow them up?"

"What happened to 'leave no man behind'?" Davis asks. "Luis, you heard the Cyllan, you know what will happen to them if they're captured. Do you want to abandon them and leave them to have their limbs cut off, tortured, unable to die? No, we're going back for our team." He looks back at Bello. "Now."

"Your comrades do not share your conviction, Davis," Bello responds, speaking softly and carefully and making no sudden moves. "I have a few people in the area. They may be able to help whether we return or not. If it is your wish to turn back" - Bello addresses the team, not just Davis - "We will do so."

OOC note: Was Davis speaking in Englsh or Imperium? Could we agree on a language symbol convension, such as *text* for Imperium?

Lus responds emphatically and quickly. "Yes, but if it means failing in our mission and getting all the rest of us killed, it's not worth it. Let's do what we can, but we shouldn't get crazy."

Within seconds, Hugh has his pistol aimed at Davis's head.

*Kindly hand me the vox,* he says in English.

His eyes shift to Bello.

"Two things I would like from you, Bello. One, please tell your men to sow some chaos, we need all the confusion we can get. Two, can you recommend any downtown plazas large enough for a freighter to land?"

Davis looks over at Hugh, grenade still in his hand. "So much for honor, then, Captain Verrill? Vox is on the floor." He looks back to Bello. "Then drop me off. Everyone else may be interested in abandoning your partners, but I'm not. Give me an assault rifle, grenades, ammo and an AT4 and I'll do it myself, then. Unless anyone else wants to come with me," Davis says, looking around the ship. "Semo? Ngawai? Either of you two up for a rescue mission?"

Ngawai gives Davis a wink. "You'll get scooped up in a flash if I'm not with you. I probably won't be an Apprehender after this clusterfuck so might as well abuse it while it lasts."

"You don't have to go, man," Mellish advises. "Angel hasn't even asked for help yet. They've got things in hand." Davis' look silences the Hammer.

Davis digs through his pack and starts assembling his SCAR-H, idly noting it hasn't even been fired yet. The single magazine of prototype AP rounds slides into the well with a slap - then Davis considers saving the magic bullets for the much heavier-armored Turai and switches it out for FMJ rounds.

"Drop them off here," Bello orders his driver. The gravsled dips out of traffic and comes to a halt. "It was nice meeting you, thank you for not blowing us up."

"You a fast runner?" Ngawai asks Davis. "'Cause it'll be close." She points to three fatter skimmers flying in through the chaotic air traffic. If they run NOW, they might get to the monument before the dropteams.

Bello takes his vox and barks another order - which you're guessing may be in Bashakran - to his as-yet unseen men near the concourse.

---

Fly casual... Max can't help but think as he strolls out of the alley with Angel, taking long hurried strides towards the blue gravcar hovering dutifully at the roadside. A swarm of drones pour into the back alleys, their shrill sirens and flashbang strobes creating a hellish echoing wail across the center of Gran's Hope. The car hatches clamp shut just as the first recon drones pass over the car and into the street. Max sits his Toughbook in the center console where he can get a better handle on his ongoing Kansatai eavesdropping. The driver's seat is centered up front, with two cramped seats behind and a style reminiscent of a flying Peugeot 910.

I hope this isn't their version of the Pinto, Max thinks as he tries to figure out the controls. Luckily, he's a quick learner and the pandemonium keeps his shaky start from being noticed by the drones, who are currently flooding the Kansat central servers with countless facial scans. Angel's a little nervous in the back seat - this thing is a far cry from a Striker or even an up-armored Humvee. At least the bubble canopy provides an excellent field of view. And it's with this excellent view that Angel spots the Kansat skimmer chasing Fourth Claw across the center of the concourse.

Semo looks at Davis as he spouts about jumping out and fetching their friends. "You are not Delta. I am, and I have faith that my teammates will manage quite handily on their own. Frankly, I think you are as likely to put them in greater danger as to help them."

Hugh looks to Semo.

"Something tells me that this will be a fun debriefing."

"Then we'd better get going," Davis says, and they start running. He keys down on the radio. "Max, Ngawai and Davis are en route for backup. Three Kansat skimmers with reinforcements are on their way as well. What's the situation on the ground?"

Hugh's remark draws a grimace from Semo. Debriefings are never fun, so clearly the captain is being facetious.

That's an especially bad sign from an officer.

"You got that right, Captain."

Ngawai blurs as she activates her suit's camouflage. She's a fast runner, but she's also not laden down with gear. Davis rattles as he sprints to keep up.

---

Arketta's man fires again as he breaks out into the streets circling the concourse. His handgun's a beam rifle with the stock removed and most of the accelerator shroud cut off. Without the long fuel rod or shroud to guide the shots, the pulse-beams arc from the weapon like jagged lightning bolts.

Two bolts blast white-hot craters into the wall inches from Arketta. She's had enough of being shot at and hurls her combat knife - the blade thunks into the man's back, sending him toppling off the pedestrian sidewalk and into the roadway.

---

Angel tries to keep track of the dozen recon drones while Max tears up the sidewalk and fishtails the hovercar through the chaos around the plaza. Arketta should be coming out somewhere over... yep, the nebbish runs out onto the sidewalk with a knife sticking out of his back, sees what until very recently was his own enforcers' gravcar, and actually flags Max down!

The scientist is all too happy to oblige. Angel cranks the scissor door up as the man runs for the open vehicle.

"Go! Go! She's right behind me-" The guy sees Angel and brings his handcannon to bear but Arketta tackles him into the car before he can fire. The small vehicle lurches with the impact. It's a short struggle - Angel and Arketta slam the wounded guy's head into the car door, wrestle the gun away, and manhandle him into the back of the (now very cramped) gravcar.

"Where's the Whiirr?!" Arketta shouts at Max.

---

Unfortunately, the melee-turned-kidnapping isn't something the surveillance drones miss.

*This is drone control, I've located the offenders. Blue gravcar, sector 1 mark 9. Model A09, four occupants. Rerouting dropteams.*

*Unit two, I'm staying on the Whiirr!*

*Drop 1, confirm blue gravcar. Drop 3, cover the plaza. Drop 2, let them get in the open before firing.*

---

Davis and Ngawai are still ahead of the three skimmers when one drifts left and heads to cover the monument. The other two slow up and spread out a little bit, diving lower to get a better view of the streets.

"Up ahead!" Ngawai shouts over her shoulder. "Drones!" At least four of the drones are screaming and strobing towards a small blue gravcar. Over the monument, the Kansat skimmer continues to pump blue-white beams into the ground. Fourth Claw dives into the shallow monument pool as particle beams spray puffs of steam 10 feet into the air. The Gateship monument's shield, designed to protect the ships from deadly microdebris, now provides the Whiirr with a much-needed respite from the withing fire.

In a more pressing predicament, two beat Kansatai who were running to catch Max's new ride spot Davis. They're on the opposite side of the street, having run in from deeper inside Gran's Hope. Davis and Ngawai are maybe 100 yards from Max, Angel, and Arketta, and maybe 50 more from the monument where Swims is splashing through the pool, trying to get to the edge of the plaza and the lake that sprawls behind it.

"Get down now!" one of the officers screams at Davis.

---

If things weren't confusing enough, a blue bolt, like a Star Trek torpedo, launches from one of the buildings facing the monument plaza. This energy projectile tags the skimmer chasing Fourth Claw, impacting it on what would be a squad car's left rear quarterpanel. There's a supernova flash and the skimmer loses control. The front two-thirds of the Kansatai vehicle careen into the Gateship monument, shuddering the massive statue. The secondary explosion strips vital supports from the towering construct and the Gateship lists to the side, wavering back and forth amidst a cacophony of screaming metal.

A fusillade of lancer fire blasts down into the crowded street as Bello's men open fire on the drones from the same building. Most of the shots hit escaping bystanders or crater their gravcars but one of the drones does go down in flames.

---

*Unit two, I'm hit! I'm going do-*

*I have nothing on weapons scanners! That shot didn't register! Wait, I've got weapons fire now, second and third levels of side 1, sector 2 mark 1!*

*Drop 3, stay low, maintain heading. Drop 2, take out the building. I'm on the gravcar.*

"Swims is on his own right now, I need to focus on getting the three...four of us outta here. Hang on!" replies Max to Arketta, flooring the gravcar's accelerator and manuevering deeper into the city.

"We're screwed if we get out in the open. Our only chance to evade them is staying inside the population. I wouldn't get too cosy in those seats, we may have to bail at a moment's notice."

"The skimmer's down! He'll be looking for a way out!" Arketta argues as Max boosts the gravcar higher to skim the tops of what is quickly becoming gridlocked traffic. Behind them, the Gateship monument creaks for a final time before toppling with a deafening crash. Water spray and debris from the impact rolls over the concourse.

*I not reach you,* Swims' rough grunts come over a semi-garbled radio. *You go now, I go lake.*

Max sees a fat skimmer, a SWAT van to the previous vehicle's patrol car, hovering above the buildings trying to keep up with his erratic driving. Three drones are keeping pace with the blue car at street level, providing close-range video as well as being loud flashing indicators of Max, Angel, and Arketta's location.

The action scientist whips the squirrelly vehicle down narrow side streets. He scrapes the paint off a passing gravsled as he desperately tries to keep the car from plowing into the heavy traffic. Two of the soccer ball-sized drones have no problem avoiding the large vehicles in their path. They arc up and around them or sail down the sidewalk over bystanders' heads. The third drone, however, must not have been paying attention during "if you can dodge traffic, you can dodge a ball" class. It clips a civilian gravcar and shreds like tissue. The dropteam skimmer has no traffic to avoid; it simply follows Max as the crow flies.

---

*I'm on the way,* One-Ton voxes. *Five minutes out. I'm gonna to need those coordinates.*

---

A quick word from Bello and the driver boosts the gravsled higher. As expected from any sort of dangerous situation, a perimeter of curious drivers has gathered like vultures to watch the firefight from what they guess might be a safe distance. Bello's man slides his vehicle into the morass of rubberneckers.

"My people have occupied one of the skimmers and destroyed another," Bello says. "If they are smart, they should be retreating as we speak."

As Bello speaks, the second dropteam skimmer unleashes hell on the front of the insurgents' building. At least one body falls to the street below with the shower of rubble. A handful of scattered shots from the dust and smoke keep the skimmer's attention, prompting the bottom to cycle open. Nine orange and black-armored Kansatai drop right out of the skimmer's floor, falling straight down and gently landing with antigrav harnesses. The dropteam discards the spindly backpacks and starts returning fire as they advance into the shattered building.

---

Max wonders if these bastards have roadblocks. Oh, right. Flying car. No spike strips to worry about. Can't break an axle with a PIT maneuver. All they gotta do is waste these two drones and a skimmer full of Kansatai and they won't know where they went...

Max heart sinks as he glances at the facades of the surrounding buildings. Every intersection has at least one surveillance drone ensconced into the building corner. It's like every traffic camera knows what the car looks like and is telling all the cops where you are. Perhaps deep in the city isn't the best place to lose a pursuer after all...

---

"Davis! Get down!" Ngawai shouts as she fires two pulse-beams at the Kansatai yelling imperatives at the spook. Both shots miss, but they come close enough to scare the officers into diving prone. The Kansatai quickly ready their longlancers. One rolls behind an information kiosk, but his partner's still exposed on the sidewalk.

Davis turns, fires two shots at the exposed Kansat, then turns into an alley for cover. "Okay, Ngawai," he says, "here's the plan. We get to the fountain, bust into a store and use it for cover while we buy Swims and Bello's men time to escape. All we need to do is hold out until the Morningstar gets here, then we get on board and get the hell out. Sound good to you?" He keys down on his radio. "Max, what's your location? Ngawai and I are headed to the fountain to provide covering fire."

admiralducksauce wrote:

Max wonders if these bastards have roadblocks. Oh, right. Flying car. No spike strips to worry about. Can't break an axle with a PIT maneuver. All they gotta do is waste these two drones and a skimmer full of Kansatai and they won't know where they went...

Max heart sinks as he glances at the facades of the surrounding buildings. Every intersection has at least one surveillance drone ensconced into the building corner. It's like every traffic camera knows what the car looks like and is telling all the cops where you are. Perhaps deep in the city isn't the best place to lose a pursuer after all...

"Sonuva...That's it, this isn't working out. We need to make a dash for the boonies. It's our only chance..." says Max to no one in particular, plotting a course of the gravcar's GPS for the nearest bit of wilderness.

"...Hang on!" says Max to his passengers; running down every drone, Kansatai, and hapless pedestrian between him and the treeline.

Punkey wrote:

He keys down on his radio. "Max, what's your location? Ngawai and I are headed to the fountain to provide covering fire."

"Leaving town for better odds in the countryside. We've got every drone within a 10-block radius hounding us. Will radio once we're clear. Good luck."

Davis' first shot sprays foam-crete across the hapless officer. His second shot rips through the Kansatai's arm and Ngawai finishes him off with a beam rifle shot that takes off the man's head.

"Sounds good!" Ngawai shouts back, despite being mere feet from Davis. She's not used to gunshots. The remaining officer blind-fires his weapon around his cover. The cops don't have guncams, however, and the bright lance of energy showers dust over the alley.

Davis leans out from behind cover, takes aim at where he thinks the Kansat's head will pop out from behind the kiosk, and waits for his target to present itself so he can put a bullet through it.

Meanwhile, Hugh's juggling Vox and radio as he vectors the Morningstar to the lake under the cover of testing the navigational system. On the radio, he raises Swims.

"Swims-the-Black, the ship is inbound. There should be a lake nearby, just lay low until the cavalry gets there."