World War II - The Vanguard Issue #3 - Operation Dynamo! Dunkirk group

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote:Gravity Girl rolled her eyes. "The selection process REALLY needs to be overhauled. Let's get to it."

Was this a coded way of saying, 'Dave do you want to rethink your options', because you know the characters far better than I do and I'm happy to go with what you suggest. I didn't pick them because of their powers but because of personality - I don't know enough about their powers to make that kind of choice. Whilst the threads are just starting out we can swap things around if you like.

========

Having dropped the various teams off their different destinations, Frostbite and the team got ready for their own frontal assault.

"What I suggest is that we drop the ship off, again she can submerge, that way she'll be harder to reach and out of the way of any nasty surprise attacks if enemies come up on her blind side. But she'll be ready to meet us or the other teams should be need to be air lifted out. We are going to have to go straight in though. We've not time for protocal, but straight up to the front line and doing as much damage as we can. If there is any way to create obstacles to the advancing German party, taking our bridges, rail lines and what have you, then lets take the time to do that also.

For that reason I suggest we take some explosives and grenades, conserve your powers where needed. Fastback that means you slow down till we need you to speed up, which should make things a little easier for you. Any other comments people."

With a silent nod of thanks to each one, Frostbite turned to Steed to confer as the course was laid in and the others had a chance to study the front line as it currently stood.

OOC:

Ok accepting the changes that might need to be made in the team rosters, it would be good to perhaps have a sticky or something with the teams powers strengths and weaknesses so we could make sure we had a single point of reference to clarify what our teams can do.

With that we'll get straight into it, I expect it to get messy straight away, but we don't want to risk being suicidal for the sake of it. I don't expect the team to throw their lives at the Nazi front line.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

OOC No coded message - just roleplaying. Some of the team are difficult. Just injecting a bit of life into them rather than making them lifeless automatons. Of course, some of the team are a bit like that too... GG was simply stating that in Hotshot and Tank Man - at least, possibly some of the others - powers were given out to the wrong people, becuase it's gone to their heads... Take a look in the Notable Information thread

The Team gathered equipment. Frostbot looked rather like a pack horse, laden with explosives, and ammunition for the Alien guns mounted on racks on his shoulders, taken from the ship. They interfaced with the robots systems, otherwise they had no visible means of activation, certainly no 'trigger' like conventional weapons.

Gravity Girl raised an eyebrow. "Suits you. I think."

"Thank you madam." said the Frostbot, matter of fact. "I intend to deal out wholesale slaughter."

Gravity Girl looked slightly uneasy, then reminded herself this was war, and sentiment was best left away from the Battlefield!

Tank Man grinned. At his increased size he'd strapped a box of grenades to each leg, had one on his back attached by rope, and was carefully tying string through a dozen or so to fling at the Nazis. "Can't wait to get at 'em..." he muttered. "Too much pussyfooting around. Damned orders. Who needs 'em?"

Fastback, snacking on a basket of sandwiches, looked worried. She'd gone through the nails on both hands at super speed and and nervously hopped about. Smiling weakly, she explained that carrying things would slow her down, and she'd get the Frostbot to leave a box of grenades in the bushes, sprinting back and forth to drop them where needed.

Frostbite looked at the map. The Allies had been informed about the Vanguard - 'special ops' lot in Wynns words to the Chiefs of Staff - but in truth the men on the front line weren't sure what to expect after what they'd seen and been battered by for days now.

They soared over the retreating British lines. Miles ahead, a dark line - tanks - pounded French positions as the French, woefully outgunned in machine gun nests and mostly using rifles against armour, waited to be destroyed.

The ship made for a command tent, hovering off the floor as amazed, frightened French troops waited for the inevitable. It didn't come, and they didn't waste their ammunition against the vessel, nor did they run. Both were fruitless exercises, experience told. And so the French Colonel, LeQuard, was amazed when a strange group floated down, courtesy of Gravity Girl! Frostbite flew under his own power, and over to the Colonel. Immediately soldiers formed a ring around their Commander, but he stood them down. In excellent English he spoke. "So it is true! I feared it was some cruel practical joke, but to see that the Allies have their own flying men - and women, lovely ones at that - well, all I can say is... do not waste your time here! Get to the beaches! Evacuate! The cause is lost!"

As if to emphasise the fact, he offered Binoculars and pointed into the distance...



Huge... no, VAST land based 'battleships' chewed up the Earth as they rolled relentlessly on! French tanks, dwarfed by the scale of the things, were impotent against the several inch thick armour even as those treads rolled over and ground the Allied tanks into scrap! Huge cannons spat death, whilst gatling guns rained fury from the side windows on screaming troops. "First it was a giant robot. Like a man it was, but the size of it! They withdrew it after the rain made the ground boggy, and their advance slowed. Now? Nothing will slow them!"

There were a dozen of the things, spread over a line of several miles. They were chased up by tanks and behind them, infantry. "Our planes cannot get near. Their 'Ubermensch' scour the skies, pulling the wings from our planes and sending our gallant pilots to their doom! Their snipes fire rifles that have incredible range and accuracy. Here..."

He held up a needle thin sliver - Frostbite recognised it immediately - Lunarium! This was different though, depleted in some way. He doubted it gave out radiation like some of the other variants of the strange metal, but heating some propelling had discharged this, and it had sizzled through whatever it struck from a great distance! He looked around.

The soldiers were doomed.

The rumble of tanks and boom of great guns in the distance brought him round. "Any plan Frostbite?" asked Gravity Girl, eyes wide in fear and shock. Even Tank Man was quiet, staring at the unending line that stretched across the horizon only a couple of miles away. "I'm gonna need more grenades." he muttered.

Frostbot turned. "I suggest the troops begin an orderly retreat, thinning their numbers out. Those who remain should be the injured or dying. All able bodied personnel should not be wasted against such a foe."

The French bristled at this, and the Colonel looked up at the robot. "Metal man, you speak out of turn! My countrymen will fight to the last! We were out thought, out manoeuvred and are now outgunned, but the Nazis do not best us in bravery!"

"Or stupidity." said Tank Man. "I don't like the Frenchies much, never had, but there's a time for bravery and a time to be smart and get the hell out."

The Colonel straightened, raising his head. "And you, giant man with a giant mouth. Will you run?"

Tank Man turned, gaze intent. "I was never one to be accused of being smart. I don't run. You lot can stay, or go, but I'm holding the line right here..." he snarled.

The Colonel stared at Tank Man, then softened. "I do not like you big man, but I stand with you." He turned to Frostbite. "I bow to your judgement. I wish to save as many of my brave soldiers as I can. What do you suggest?"

The Nazis closed in.

OOC You are faced with an overwhelming force, and you've only seen the tanks and those big landships as yet. The closer the Nazis get, the more they will reveal their TRUE strength!

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote:The Colonel stared at Tank Man, then softened. "I do not like you big man, but I stand with you." He turned to Frostbite. "I bow to your judgement. I wish to save as many of my brave soldiers as I can. What do you suggest?"

"Sir," Frostbite said cautiously, "With all due respect, we need to slow down that force and give you time to get back to England. That war isn't going to be won here, nor are the Nazi's going to be slowed by the bodies of your men, now matter how high they pile them. We value your indomitable spirit, but this battle is going to be won by being smart and maybe a bit sneaky. Please don't through your life or that of you men away today. As cold as it sounds, my companion here..." And at this point Frostbite laid a hand on the Robot towering next to him, "is right."

Walking around the soldiers and commander, he said, "We've got to get to that line, we can stop it, but its going to be a helluva fight, I'd like you to take that with your troops so we can regroup and fight another day."

Frostbite waited for the Commanders response, hoping that he might bow down and not be stupidly stubborn. This war had claimed too many lives already.

OOC: In any case assuming a response our next challenge is to get among the forces upfront without getting killed in the process.

Looking again at the maps and areas before them, Frostbite considered their options. "We need cover, to be able to hide and emerge along that line so that we can gain access to this tanks. If we can but get in them, then no armour will help them stop us."

OOC:
Paul what I am thinking is too fold, if we can get to where we can use cover, I can try and get inside a tank, open it from within and let the others in, that way we can start turning them on their own, rigged to explode, and get out hide and duck into another one whilst we start tearing up the front line. The only problem is trying to get into the tanks. Is there any way we can use prevailing or upcoming terrain or buildings to duck in blow up the tanks or get them firing on their own?

If not my next option is to fly in Frostbot and have him take over command of the tanks, whilst Gravity Girl keeps the Nazi's off me, and he then turn the ship on their own. We move down the line trying to do it that way. Right now without cover I'm struggling to come up with an idea to get the other in.

Oh one other idea is covered fox holes, a little way up wait for tanks to go over and load them up from underneath with grenades and then get out. Not sure about that one, as I want to be able to get my troops in among the enemy without being an easy target. Might have to borrow some nazi uniforms along the way.

Anyway trying to play this tactically and with great caution as I don't want my heroes being sliced to pieces so I end up falling on the dark power and whipping everything out indiscriminately.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

The Colonel considered before calling for an aide. "These men need to get to the front. Arrange for trucks. Get the motorcycles out to draw fire. Order everyone to create covering fire and... starting pulling back every 3rd man, picked at random from the able bodied. Any wounded..." he bit his lip, head bowed. "Must remain. We will be slaughtered as the Nazis catch us if we try to move them. Tell them their country will always honour them, as will I. Order a fighting withdrawal by squads. First one retreat, then the next whilst the first covers them."

"Sir, we are low on ammunition..."

"No.. no, don't try to cheer me up with such good tidings. I prefer to wallow in my own misery. No such words of optimism will raise my spirits to the soaring heights that came with the realisation we are all doomed..." he said, rolling his eyes. "If need be, we will throw rocks!" he spat. He turned to the Vanguard. "I will not run. I will die with my men."

=========

Nazis planes roared overhead, taking potshots at the motorcyclists that weaved around craters and leapt over ruts in the ground...

"Feel like a sitting duck" moaned Tank Man as he was getting bounced about. Normal sized in the back of the truck, he glanced nervously at the boxes of grenades. "Hey! Take it easy up there, froggies!"

Gravity Girl rolled her eyes then leaned out the back of the truck. "Too far away to affect with my powers. Unless one comes... ah."

She concentrated, thrusting out a hand. The Stuka diving at them pulled up, a bomb released, but came on the extreme edge of Gravity Girls range! The bomb fell like a stone into the wet mud, so deep it vanished without trace. The aeroplane tore it's tail off, then spiralled into the floor! It mushroomed into fire, eliciting cheers from the beleaguered Frenchmen in their fox holes!

Then they were within range of the artillery, and the ground shook, the air filled with smoke and thunder, soil and blood rained down with every strike! Behind them the bomb the plane had released erupted from the floor in an explosion, sending French infantry scattered through the air. There came a cry from the front of the truck, and the the vehicle suddenly slammed into a rut, tilted, and crashed onto it's side!

Frostbite glanced about, getting a thumbs up from everyone. Fastback looked terrified, Tank Man had a mad gleam in his eyes!

The Frostbot, following in another truck, disembarked after telling the driver to halt. Suddenly the truck vanished in an explosion as the truck was caught by a shell! As the smoke cleared, the group saw the Frostbot struggling to stand in the mud, unharmed and checking its weapons. It clomped over to the overturned truck where the others were. Bullets rattled against the vehicles underside.

"Only a matter of time before they hit the fuel." said Gravity Girl. She peeked around the side of the truck. "Quarter of a mile and closing. Those tank things are BIG, and they have Panzers trailing... dozens of them!"

The roar was now deafening, and the ground erupted all about as tank fire narrowly missed its mark! When the big 'battleships' fired all their guns, the sound blocked everything else out! An area the size of a tennis court was completely excavated down to about 5 metres when it was struck by a salvo. Fastback gaped. "There were men in that foxhole..."

The squeak and rattle of a huge battleship tank got closer. The truck was now being churned up by bullets! Gravity Girl flattened herself on the floor. "WE HAVE TO MOVE!" she screamed. Tank Man grabbed his grenades, strapping them on and grew... He turned to the others. "I know I'm insufferable and arrogant, awful to get on with. You know what else? I don't care! I just want to kill Nazis!" he snarled, with a grin. He thrust a handful of grenades into his mouth opening, yanked a dozen pins all at once then popped up over the truck side to toss them. "UP YOURS NAZIS!" he yelled. He fell back after he was peppered with machine gun fire, looking dazed and with blood pouring from his shoulder.

The others were talking now, but no sound reached the ears of Frostbite - the battleship tank was almost on top of them!

OOC The battleship tanks are old school tech - just built on a much bigger scale thanks to future/alien tech manufacturing processes. That means Frostbot can't control them, but if you get inside the controls should be easy to figure out. It's within 100m now. Quite literally, the air is thick with bullets and shells exploding all around you. Dirt rains down from above, the mud is churned around you and already Tank Man is spattered with his own blood, trying to 'be small' whilst grown. The truck is about to go up with a bang. Planes roar overhead and several hundred metres away French soldiers are blown out of foxholes by Nazis with flamethrowers as the line continues it's inexorable march forward along the several mile length. The first of the Battleship tanks is heading your way.

Over to you.

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote:The others were talking now, but no sound reached the ears of Frostbite - the battleship tank was almost on top of them!

Frostbite held out his hands, calling for the others to calm down. His deeper self, Joe knew what it was to be in war and his presence and memories bloomed as he faced the shock of war in its raw form.

"EVERYONE remember you training, this is war. We'll move using the fox holes, I'll go ahead get inside that tank and bring it about we can use it for cover whilst we let it become the target and move along to the next one. Tank, you can lob grenades to your hearts content, but make em long. And don't let anyone guess your where you're throwing them from. Gravity girl, anyone comes snooping up above you know what to do."

Then turning to Frostbot, he said, "Look after them old friend."

Then in an instant he was intangible, it still took getting used to, all over again. He sunk into the floor, holding his breath as he then flew forward through the surface of the ground, ducking up to catch his bearings and his breath until he was underneath the first tank and then inside.

OOC:

Ok going to get inside, not sure if I should just blow the thing up or take it over. I think take it over as blowing it up only causes it to sit as a shield but also becomes a target too quickly.

Once inside I'll attack. But if it looks as if the forces therein are going to have superhuman help. I'll drop that plan and go with plan b and drop a a bunch of grenades on the magazine rack and let it light the place up, retreating the way I cam in.

Otherwise I'll go for the attack, take them all out as best I can, and then turn the tank around to start firing across the lines ahead into the nearest big tanks to me left. Once that starts happening (if only I could set it on automatic) I'll rig the ship and get out go along to one three tanks down and do the same thing. Then we've got figure out how to get in among the other tanks to start causing some major mayhem in the 'softer' areas.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Intangible, Frostbite had no problem drifting through the air, and the thick hail of bullets that spewed from the Nazi forces. Just then heard a massive explosion and turned...

The truck... GONE!

A crater and burning wreckage marked where it'd been. There was no sign of his team though, and Frostbite hoped that meant they'd gotten to safety - well, as safe as any place could be on these killing fields! He saw the French infantry pinned down or mowed down. Any attacks they made were futile, and snipers picked off those that popped up to throw grenades. Focus!

Frostbite forced himself to turn back to the massive tankship as it rumbled across the muddied, bloodied field. He passed through the thick metal hide of the thing - several inches of treated steel that would repel even the most powerful Allied munitions - and into its dark heart. He was in the noisy engine room, a place where half a dozen conventional tank engines had been uprated and combined to power the behemoth. Nazi technicians, stripped to the waist because of the heat and covered in black grease and oil, worked feverishly to check pressure gauges, tighten bolts and reseal gaskets. It seemed that whilst the Nazis could manufacture these things based on the future plans and designs of the criminals from the future, their limited 1940 technology meant it wasn't the most reliable device...

OOC Does Frostbite want to strike in here or move on? The dozen or so technicians are all busy at their tasks, essentially nursing this weighty war machine across the battlefield. Taking some or all out might cause it to shut down, but not instantly, meaning it would continue to spew death on the hapless French. Or he could strike at the engines. Or as mentioned, move on into other sections of the tankship? Your call....

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote:
OOC Does Frostbite want to strike in here or move on? The dozen or so technicians are all busy at their tasks, essentially nursing this weighty war machine across the battlefield. Taking some or all out might cause it to shut down, but not instantly, meaning it would continue to spew death on the hapless French. Or he could strike at the engines. Or as mentioned, move on into other sections of the tankship? Your call....

Frostbite didn't hesitate, he needed the controls of this beast, where he could use the workers below to power this thing against their own forces. Brutal, but he saw little choice if he was going to stop this madness.

OOC: To the control room to hopefully wrest control and turn this bucket of bolts around on its own forces.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew



OOC translated from German.

"Target, maximum firepower. Coordinates... 17e 14n elevation..." he looked into a scope "Seven."

The huge cannons boomed, and somewhere outside two French tanks were obliterated!

Satisfied, the Commander looked around. This strange contraption had thus far proven impervious and unstoppable, but the engines were a worry. Having had to use existing tank power units, he was aware of the overheating issues and the dreadful fuel consumption, though the 'Lunarium engine' they'd been promised would soon come online.

"Helm. Set course. 226. Speed... the ground looks rough. Slow to four. Advise all gun crews that French infantry will provide target practise in, estimated time 1 minute. Engage."

He stood back, admiring his handiwork on the bank of flat panel screens that gave a 360 degree view of the vessel. Truly a work of frightening scope, the machine which he commanded had advanced wartime technology by decades in a single stroke!

=========

Frostbite moved through several layers of the ship...

One was a barracks. Nazi soldiers strapped on what appeared to be lightweight armour...

'Kevlar' said the strange voice from the future in his head.

He didn't know what Kevlar was, but it was clear there wasn't enough to go round, with every 5th troop of the 50 strapping it on. There were flamethrowers, strange machine guns and long barrelled rifles with scopes and counterweights on. Uneasy, Frostbite figured the thing would be accurate up to a mile or more away!

He passed on, unseen in the darkness. The Nazis had not thought - or had time to implement - much in the way of creature comforts. Even the lights were haphazard strings of wire with bulbs swaying as the machine rumbled on.

Getting near the top, he passed through metal corridors and walkways, ducking back as Technicians and soldiers jogged past. He heard the constant buzz of machine guns, felt the rock as the cannons boomed, competing with the constant thrum of the engines and tracks down below.

As he was about to go up, he popped his head through what appeared to be a fault door.

It was pitch black in here, and he couldn't see. More than that, there was a strong smell of decay and death, and Frostbite was sure something - something sinister - lurked in here! He moved on, upwards, a shiver running down his spine. There was no end to the lengths and breadths of the Nazi evil! They would turn the world into a charnel house and rebuild it in their image!

On the bridge he saw a wide open space, panels and machines lining the walls and technicians tending them.

There was a raised dais, on which stood a Nazi officer (OOC as seen above) half a dozen uniformed aides and lieutenants, and one partially armoured man (OOC picture to follow) who stands about, looking satisfied at the progress being made.

Frostbite floats in deep shadow, unseen thanks to his chestplate lying dormant, his Frostbot/Computer personality elsewhere. He knew he would know if the Frostbot was destroyed - the plate would become blue again, and the voice back inside his head.

OOC 20 technicians, 8 on the Dais. No easy task to take them down but the armoured foe (picture later, have 'chores' to do ) is the main threat.

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote: OOC 20 technicians, 8 on the Dais. No easy task to take them down but the armoured foe (picture later, have 'chores' to do ) is the main threat.

Inside Frostbite railed against what he saw. "Nothing is straight forward in this war. How am I supposed to take control of this when there are so many more out there. How are we supposed to stop so many?" For a moment, power or no power, the man within the superman felt weak and powerless. Yes there was always the dark power, but he was constantly aware of how it might supplant his own desires with ones of its own. Whilst he didn't doubt the ability of the dark force within to get the job done, its total lack of finesse let alone humanity or compassion meant he might wipe everyone out. Though the power had shown control and even a willingness to work on his terms, in the past. Frostbite was under no illusion as to any sort of consistency. But deep within he saw their options falling away one by one.

Blowing this whole space up would get the job done quickly and urgency was needed, he had several hundred more to try and disable and he was frankly unsure as to what to do. He even found himself missing the Frostbot at this stage.

OOC:

Oh boy I thought this would be a straight in and out job start taking the tanks down and hey presto! That not being the case, we need Superman level power rather than what we've to which is street level stuff.

Still I think I am going to drop the bombs in the engine room and go, go back and get some more and move along. At least with the engines down the thing will either explode or stall, I think that is going to be my best bet. Haven't time to get into fisty cuffs, if I've got a hope of slowing some of these guys down.


Sj

Admin wrote:OOC as for the hopelessness of the situation, that's exactly what I wanted to convey.
This is just one part of the campaign - depending on how the various teams do, and how many of the BEF get back to Britain will determine how long the war lasts. If you fail here... well, the campaign takes a decidedly different turn...

Fair point, I wasn't sure. I'm glad you mentioned this because I had begun to have my doubts about what we ought to be doing given the overwhelming nature of what we seem to be facing. As a DM I know that there is a difference between something being scaled and doable and completely impossible TPK stuff.

Seeing how things are here, it does seem that we are either in the later half of that which forces us to use the dark power as the only viable way to 'win', the no win scenario we seem to be facing, or keep pressing in, keep plugging away and finding out what happens next. I really wonder if we're going to be left with little choice!

==============

Frostbite saw that they had some sort of Metahuman, "Cyborg" Was the unfamiliar word that floated forward. Quelling the deep sense of dread that was coming over him, he steeled his emotions and floated back to where he saw the men working in the engine room.

In the shadows, he pulled off first a smoke grenade and then several more primed grenades, having thrown the smoke grenade in among the men, he then followed it several moments later with a handful of grenades before sinking unseen into the ground beneath the tank and making his way down the line to another tank to start the operation again.

OOC:

Ok I think its clear what Frostbite is trying to make it look like something freaky is happening, not that someone is floating into their armour and blowing it up. He'll keep trying to do this along the line, as long as he has grenades to do this with.

And then head back to the team

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Frostbite soared away even as shouts followed him. Moving through the thick hull of the tankship and out into the open air proved no quieter, the boom of distant guns and the constant chatter of machine guns creating enough noise to wake the dead!

Glancing back, Frostbite counted "2...1..."

There was a muffled BANG! and every hatch on the tankship rattled as the grenades went off in the engine room, then caught the munitions stores...



Even though a massive explosion had gone off inside, the structure of the thing mostly held together, though a number of plates were stretched and twisted outwards, smoke and flame pouring from within. The machine sagged on its tracks, still rolling, then tipped on its side with a huge crash. A continuing series of explosions rattled the dead war machine and a thick black pall of smoke coiled high into the sky!

Frostbite saw the others hiding in a trench, and made his way over. The Frostbot had a number of holes punched clean through it, circuitry showing and fluids leaking. Gravity Girl was holding a cloth to a cut on her forehead, whilst Tank Man lay sprawled in a crate to the side, bleeding from dozens of wounds. "Good work." he grunted through the pain. "Think I got some soldiers. We created a gap in the Nazis front here... make 'em... think twice..."

Bullets continued to zip past, and French soldiers, emboldened by the minor victory, made their way forwards, actually advancing!

=========

Through binoculars one of the Nazi Commanders saw the distant scene.

"Get fire control on the line." he stated. "Inform the General I wish to halt the advance in my sector. There are British metahumans operative. Requesting instructions."

He snarled, knowing that his delay would be seen as a failure on his part. They had superior forces, yet one of the Tankships under his command had been destroyed, the only one along the front that chased the BEF to the sea!

"Put in a request for the Overmen. We need to send a clear message."

Minutes passed as his forces continued to pound the French positions with artillery and tank fire.

"We have received word Commander. Halt your advance and wait. The General will solve your problem for you..."

The Commander cursed, then looked up.

=========

Frostbot looked down at the dark fluid running down the inside of a leg.

It had identified the damage as the cause of its limping, so moved slowly to a crate where only its top half was exposed and continued to fire, picking off Nazi infantry and holding them off.

French soldiers scrambled into craters all around, and Gravity Girl, holding bandages to Tank Mans wounds, asked of Frostbite "What next?"

Nearby, a stuka, victim of Gravity Girls power, burned whilst nose down in the field. A tank looked bent and twisted, having been subjected to several times its own weight and burnt out its motor.

Dead nazi infantry lay about some 100m away, courtesy of a super strength throw of grenades from Tank Man.

A French sergeant, despite being wounded, crawled up to Frostbites crater as shells exploded all about, bullets zipped past. "More grenades fer you monsieur." he grinned, blood running down his front. "We stop those nazis good... eh?"

Frostbite looked up, following his gaze...

A strange circular ship, with five engines holding what appeared to be a clear glass disk, dozens of metres across, hovered miles up in the air over the battlefield. "Sacre Bleu! What now?" asked the Sergeant.

What indeed? If Frostbite didn't know better, that rather looked like a flying magnifying glass, of all things! Did the Nazis want to get a better look at the battle, or did they have other plans?

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote:What indeed? If Frostbite didn't know better, that rather looked like a flying magnifying glass, of all things! Did the Nazis want to get a better look at the battle, or did they have other plans?

Frostbite sighed, somehow he knew that taking things at this pace wasn't going to get them much time. Still he'd made an impression, now he wondered what was going to happen next.

"I don't like this, I think we might need to pull back, if that is some sort of advanced weaponry, we might not be wise to stand in its path. I'll buy you some time to retreat."

With that Frostbite returned to his intangible state and flew like a bullet straight up toward the craft, he had a bad feeling about this.

OOC:

Ok I am flying up with the grenades and taking no chances, I'll go straight in, set the explosives and dive straight out again, I haven't time to waste looking about.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

The sun was edging across the sky from beyond hills and trees as the khaki clad figure shot upwards. His target, the strange alien magnifying device, small from the ground but enormous nearer. What could it's purpose be? The stabilising engines kept it level, but Frostbite surmised that by firing some of the engines more than others, the lens could be tilted one way or the other. Why?

'Why indeed?' said the voice of Joe Rigdon inside Frostbites head. 'What other purpose might a magnifying glass have than aid with reading? Didn't you ever play in the woods as a child with leaves and twigs and one of those?'

Frostbite glanced down, then back up at the lens. What? No... surely not?

It was there to amplify the power of the suns rays to scorch the earth from above, instantly melting the flesh off hapless French soldiers!

Higher up now, and beyond the range of bullets that zipped past, Frostbite saw another lens, miles up even past the one he aimed for! The Nazis would have used a number of them in series, magnifying the suns rays to become stronger and more focussed, until with this last one they could fire down with accuracy and burn with an intense beam a trail across the Allied lines, causing panic and death on a huge scale!

=========

"He's heading for the lens! Send for the Overmen! Get up there!" shouted the Colonel in charge of the section Frostbite had attacked.

"Tell them, NOW! Do it! He must be stopped!"

=========

The upper lens seemed to fill and flood with light, blinding to see! The beam came from somewhere in near space!

It tilted, the light refracting harmlessly in several directions, but Frostbite could see it turning steadily towards the lens he flew towards. It would tilt to fire the beam at the lower lens, then that would tilt and turn to focus the beam on the battlefield! It would only be a dozen metres across or so, maybe slightly more, but the heat it would produce... deadly! And by tilting it further, the beam would be reduced in intensity, but widened!

'Use it against your foes' said the Dark voice inside.

Frostbite blinked. Could he...?

Just then he heard a CRACK! from somewhere below and behind the advancing German lines... he was about to have company!

OOC Face the new threat or head on towards the lens and try to point it at the Nazis? Or simply destroy it? A weapon like this is too nasty to leave in the Nazi hands.

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote:Just then he heard a CRACK! from somewhere below and behind the advancing German lines... he was about to have company!

OOC Face the new threat or head on towards the lens and try to point it at the Nazis? Or simply destroy it? A weapon like this is too nasty to leave in the Nazi hands.

Frostbite couldn't believe the technology that the Nazi's were employing, so as to win by any and all means. Despite the obvious danger from below and the fast approaching Nazi, Frostbite wanted to give the front line something else to worry about besides target practice. Seeing how the 'ship' steered the lens, he worked quickly to aim it at the Nazi Front line.

OOC:
1. Ok I'd just tilt this if need be, but I think its gyroscopes would just right it again, however if keeping it in place is the only way to make this work so be it.
2. Otherwise I want to aim it at the front line carving along and back toward the commanders tents or or lower ranking positions. An army isn't much good without his command structure.
3. Meanwhile as I am doing this I am doing this I am being mindful of the oncoming umbermesch that might try and hit me from below.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Frostbite continued to fly upwards, intangible and unhindered by the wind even at this altitude. As he got closer, he could see the lens was enormous! It was over the size of a tennis court, the engines balancing it blasting flame to keep it perfectly level at all times. Getting closer, he looked down. The cloud cover obscured the battlefield now, and doubtless, the incoming Ubermensch...

Coming parallel to one of the thrusters, he considered his options. Taking out an engine on one side would cause an imbalance. It would tip, and point the lens one way or the other. The sun was bright above the clouds and he saw the distant gleam of a far off lens, high up in the earths atmosphere, too far even for him to fly due to the lack of oxygen.

Suddenly a blinding white light shone from it, and a beam flashed down, striking the lens and being re-angled to smash into the floor miles below!

=========

Tank Man gaped. "Look at that!"

A beam of bright blinding light crashed into the floor, sending rock and earth tumbling outwards in all directions! The team saw the briefest flash of dark shadows within the light, which was dozens of metres across, and knew that French soldiers had been incinerated!

The Frostbot remarked. "This unit cannot repel firepower of that magnitude. It is time to leave..."

Gravity Girl gasped "It's an Armageddon weapon!"

Tank Man laughed, a humourless sound in the face of such destructive power. "Yeah, armour geddon out of here! Come on!"

The three scrambled from the crater they were in, despite the flying bullets. Frostbot provided a shield with his battered robot form, and bullets pinged from it. Not all though. Some areas of armour were so weakened they punched clean through, exposing wiring and fluid bearing pipes underneath, which split and sparked. Suddenly the Frostbot was aflame!

=========

Frostbite couldn't see what was going on below, but saw the engines were altering their output, causing the lens to drift...

He moved to an engine and saw thick pipes feeding the thing. The frame was a fuel tank, so he held onto a pipe and concentrated.

Suddenly the engine started sputtering, then died as the fuel in the pipe froze solid, causing a blockage!

The heat from the other engines was immense though, and as fast as Frostbite froze the pipe, the ice would start to melt! Sensing he didn't have long, he heaved with all his might down on the inert engine, tangible now and fighting against the high winds up here, only feet from instant death as the magnified beam from space flashed into and through the lens at a different angle, cutting into the ground far below!

=========

The Colonel looked through his binoculars.

"Look at them scatter!" he laughed. Suddenly one of his aides pointed and everyone gasped. The beam was changing angle, pointing towards... "Tell those idiots to turn the beam! It's pointing towards... ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Even from metres away the edge of the beam was blisteringly hot, melting flesh and metal alike, and the Nazis screamed as the beam sliced a path through their ranks! Tanks were chopped clean in half or melted outright, machines overheated nearby, and men died screaming as their clothes immolated!

=========

Frostbite couldn't see below save for the line he'd sliced through the clouds, which were drying up rapidly!

WHAM!!

OOC Frosty just took 40 points of damage, split 20/20 with reduced dividers!

Through the pain and tumbling clouds, he saw a flash of energy, something that looked like a fiery being? Save it was fast, and hard to see!

As he righted himself, having been knocked a dozen metres or so from the lens, he looked about. The lens was vibrating, shaking rapidly, and slashing the floor far below with a deadly beam!

Something was up here with him though, something fast, deadly and HOT!!!

OOC Hard to see exactly what though. It flew past Frosty with a fist out and clobbered him. At the speed it was going, it was out of sight and under the clouds before he could regain his senses! The lens floats nearby. Something is about to clobber Frostbite... does he continue aiming with the lens or get out of there?

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote:Something was up here with him though, something fast, deadly and HOT!!!


OOC Hard to see exactly what though. It flew past Frosty with a fist out and clobbered him. At the speed it was going, it was out of sight and under the clouds before he could regain his senses! The lens floats nearby. Something is about to clobber Frostbite... does he continue aiming with the lens or get out of there?

"I'm not one for turning tail and running..." He thought to himself as he felt the heat of the blow that had knocked him back. Such speed would be difficult to outrun in any case, much more easy to stand and fight.

Moving back to the lens, Frostbite positioned himself where he knew if an attack came, he could use it to further damage the lens. Returning to his intangible state, didn't leave anyone the wiser as to his condition, so he looked as if he was struggling with the lens, to let his enemy know he had a clear shot. A shot Frostbite hoped would overshoot through him and aid in damaging the lens still further.

OOC:

Ok so I stand my ground intangible and hoping that the good who hit me, will use such power again, this time going through me and damaging the same engine I was at moments before. Judging by the overshoot, this guy has got speed but not manoeuvrability. Well Frostbite sure hopes so anyway.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

There came another crack, a sound like a BOOM! Frostbite kept his eyes peeled for the sky and this time got some warning. A bright flash, like a blazing comet! He was fast! More than that, even Frostbite, in his intangible form, felt the incredible heat given off by the man! As he blasted through the clouds the white wisps simply dried out, punching a clean hole where he passed!

Closer to Frostbite and showing a degree of skill and control over his power than Frostbite had not yet seen from a Nazi in the war, he wondered if this man was the most dangerous of the Nazi agents...



OOC Roll of 17, hit. Damage is 45htc, split equally between htc/htk. Dividers are reduced to 8, so Frosty takes 2htc and 2 htk, despite being intangible. But because he IS intangible...

THOOM!!!

The fiery man crashed through Frostbite and into the lens, completely destroying half of it with the impact and sending the rest spinning hundreds of yards into the air! The nazi himself spun out of control at over 1000 mph, out of sight and leaving a trail of intense fire behind him!

Frostbite watched him go, and saw the burning wreckage of the lens tumble towards the Earth. The final impact had jarred it, and the beam had drawn a ragged slash through the Nazi forces, killing hundreds of troops in an instant! Included in the casualties had been another Tankship, half a dozen tanks and several heavy artillery guns, now all so much scrap!

The lens was gone though. For now, so was the Nazi, but the Vanguardian had a feeling they would meet again...

OOC Frosty can go looking for a fight with 'The Atomic Flame' (translation) or head back to his troops on the ground, and see what else they can do to halt the Nazi advance.

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote: OOC Frosty can go looking for a fight with 'The Atomic Flame' (translation) or head back to his troops on the ground, and see what else they can do to halt the Nazi advance.

Frostbite smiled briefly, but this wasn't a time or place for humour. Although he'd love to stick around and he had no doubt the flaming Nazi would be back, he had to think about the mission and his men. They'd bought some time, but it was going to take more.

Heading back to the ground, still in his intangible state, in case he should suffer another surprise attack, he sought out his allies.

Catching up with them, he noted the beaten up Frostbot, the wounded tank and the shell shocked and haunted look in their eyes. This was for many their first taste of war. He imagined that without his companion Joe Rigdon, who himself had seen action, he might find himself in a similar position.

After checking that everyone was OK, he sought to confer with the group as to what their next plan of attack might be. Joe know that they'd done a little, but they needed to do a lot more. They needed to cause chaos and punch above their weight in terms of the problems they caused. The Nazi's had to earn every foot they took at as much expense as was possible.

OOC:
Ok I am looking for some sort of Achilles heal can we get to the high ups, can we cut the creatures head off, can we target a big munitions dump, is there some way we can do more than just pick off at them.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

The section of the Nazi line that Frostbite had attacked was now halted, in disarray and in some places, a smoking ruin! The Infantry had pulled back. Even the tanks and artillery had stopped firing, presumably when they'd seen their own death ray turned on them! Gravity Girl looked exhausted. She'd pushed her power far beyond its limits to create a 'wall' of intensified Gravity to slow or stop incoming bullets. The problem was that Tank Man presented such a big target he was hard to protect. The big loudmouth had used his colossal strength to hurl grenades great distances, finally figuring out that he only had 2 seconds or so to get them to the target otherwise they'd explode harmlessly in the air. Still, there were plenty of dead Nazis to testify to his efforts.

Frostbot had used its body as shield whilst emptying round after round into the oncoming Nazis. It's functional status was now less than 30%. With every clanking step something fell off.

All about, the French sagged into craters, digging in and cleaning weapons. The strange, powerful newcomers had not only saved their lives but bought them time. Here at least the defensive line could be shored up, and the Nazi advance slowed to a crawl as the French laid mines in the chewed up mud of the Battlefield. The problem would come when the Nazis advanced on either side of this position and engulfed it. The Vanguard were therefore needed shore up the defence on either side, and fighting was still fierce there in the distance, despite the Nazi advance having slowed.

=========

Dunkirk Allied Command, BEF

"Sir! We've had word - the odd squad from DICE have been earning their keep! The Nazi advance has been stopped at Hirson, or thereabouts. Word is that they turned the Nazis weapons against them, gave the jerries a taste of their own medicine, what?" laughed a Captain, whilst other officers sipped sherry and sat about in the tent. The man in charge, General Lord Gort, rapped his pointer on the table, getting the attention of all present. "We have to rely on a bunch of bloody freaks to save our skins? And you gloat? There are men dying out in the mud and we sit here on our behinds, out-gunned and outmanoeuvred! The Nazis have god knows what else to throw at us and we have a few oddballs and what amounts to pea shooters against the Nazi menace! This..." he waved his pistol about, causing one or two of the officers to shift uncomfortably. "This has no effect against the Nazi armoured machines! Even their troopers flying about on those Flash Gordon style jetpacks have armour enough to stop our bullets! Do you think the DICE lot are doing anything but delaying the inevitable? Get out there, make sure the men are ready to sail when the boats arrive. This is a bloody disaster..."

As officers filed out, one stayed in the corner of the tent, in the shadows. If someone were to looked closely, they'd see ready eyes, fangs, and a pointed tongue, licking its lips as it fed on the despair of the man in charge of the disastrous BEF.

=========

Tank Man was being treated, whole rolls of bandages being used to patch his wounds.

As Frostbot stood, or rather leaned, fluids oozing from numerous holes, Gravity Girl came over to speak to Frostbite. "I have a plan, but you won't like it. We recall everyone, and hit the weakened section of the Nazi line with everyone, and I mean everyone. Cut a deep divide into their lines and coordinate with the French to attack whilst we're doing it. Sew panic amongst the Nazis. The problem, aside from the obvious of it being a suicide mission, is that we can only delay the Nazi advance at best. Sooner or later they will recover and roll right over us. I can only hope the others have had success cutting their supply lines. That will slow the Nazis down even more. Hungry troops moan more than they fight."

The robot spoke up. "I believe I have another solution. On board the captured Skrall vessel there is something called a 'warp core'. It can be ejected, and set to rupture on impact with the ground. A bomb. The Belgians may not like the idea of a 100 Megaton device going off in their country, however, and the ship will be crippled until more Lunarium can be obtained to restart the anti matter reaction in the intermix chamber. An option, but perhaps best viewed as a last resort."

Frostbite shifted uneasily. Mass destruction? Were things so desperate that it would come to that?

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote: "I have a plan, but you won't like it. Cut a deep divide into their lines and coordinate with the French to attack whilst we're doing it."

The robot spoke up. "I believe I have another solution. On board the captured Skrall vessel there is something called a 'warp core'. It can be ejected, and set to rupture on impact with the ground. A bomb. An option, but perhaps best viewed as a last resort."

"If we're talking about last resorts, I want plenty of options, one of which is I let loose!" He waved vaguely at himself indicating the power that they all had contained within.

"You know the worst part of this stupid war, either way the Shadows win!" He paused for a moment, noting that he probably sounded tired. He didn't want the others picking up on his frustrations but it had occurred to him, that when in Atlantis, the Shadow Prince within fed on the destruction caused by the Atlantean king. If the Nazi's caused terror or they, it all fed the Shadows and they just grew stronger.

"Yes, but you will not prolong the agony, as they would." Joe! The voice had become clearer, more resolute, more distinct. He now had almost complete recall of his 'companion's' memories. He had to wonder what his own long term future would be, if they ever jumped back to Joe Rigdon's time. Would both of them be but passengers in the head of another person. He shuddered, time to bring himself back to the present.

"Ok Frostbot you make the arrangements to have the ship on standbye, if we need that option I want it to be viable. And get yourself seen to whilst there. As for the rest of us we're going to take Gravity Girl's suggestion. We've got to draw attention to ourselves, light up the Battlefield so we take the hit and give the others time to get away." And then to himself, Frostbite added, "and hope I don't need to bring forth the prince within!"

OOC:

Ok suicide is what I think Steed's suggestion is, but it looks as if we've little or no choice. We can't pick and choose what we'll do as we want. And having made a decisive impact it does seem sensible to capitalise on it. Though it does limit us to this point, where we've lost the element of surprise.

I think what we'll do is firstly use the cover of darkness to aid our attempts.

Second I will float forward to the command tents, and wreak havoc there, trying and get some munitions dumps to go off and generally cause mayhem as much as possible, allowing the others to steal forward whilst I'm chased about and do some more damage where they are. It would be great if they could sabotage the tanks, or just cause widespread damage that makes things even worse in this section for when they start off again in the morning.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

The Nazi advance, stopped completely at this point where Frostbites efforts had seen it smashed, had combined with the loss of psychic communications depriving the Nazis of their main weapon - a seeming 'sixth sense' that allowed them to outmanoeuvre the British Expeditionary Force at every turn. The result was that the Nazi Commanders were communicating via radio, waiting for orders and slowing down their own advances, to the point where they considered digging in and resting, whilst pounding the French with artillery. Therein lay another problem for the Nazis, as their supply lines were delayed or disrupted, and so a hopeless situation for Frostbite and his team was in fact, a state of affairs they could view as being 'successful' - thus far. Of course, Frostbite didn't know that, and so he made plans with the others to go on the offensive under cover of darkness.

The Frostbot staggered off, making the call to the ship via its onboard systems to pick it up. It would make preparations for the 'last resort' - and it would be. Belgium was a neutral country. Bombing it would most definitely see it react angrily! The Skrall technicians would get to work on the stricken robot too, but that woyuld take time for the repairs to be completed.

Frostbite looked down at Tank Man. The big mans face was grey, strained, and he was covered in bandages from multiple wounds. He saw Frostbites look and spoke up "I'll be alright. Just need to rest up. I'm tougher when I'm big, but that's the only thing holding me together at the moment! If I return to normal size I'll die for sure! Give me an hour or two. Then I'll be by your side."

Gravity Girl looked doubtful, then pulled Frostbite aside. "We need to find out how the others are doing. What we've done here is slowed the advance - if they've done their job it should stop completely, as the Nazi forces don't have unlimited supplies of men and bullets, not to mention fuel for all those Tankships and conventional tanks. If the advance stops... " she looked around at the devastated countryside, the shattered French troops lying in the mud, thankful that the only bombardment was by long range artillery now, and that was zipping high over their heads to smash down where none of the (living) French troops were sheltering.

Gravity Girl laughed. "Those Nazis are making their job harder for themselves by attacking us with long range guns! They are chewing up the ground and making it into a mud pile! All we need is rain and they'll stop dead! The main thing we have to worry about is their superhuman forces. So far we've not seen much of them, but when word - finally - gets round that we are here, they'll come. In fact, I wonder why they aren't here already?"

OOC the answer is in Anymans thread...

A steady pounding of distant guns rang out, and the battered French forces managed a much needed breather, though that was denied for miles up and down the Nazi front lines where the beleaguered French were in danger of being overrun!

As if to compound that, a French Colonel strode through the mud to Frostbite and saluted. "Monsieur! I hef sent a request thet you 'elp my comrades in arms along the line. I beseech you and your friends - go! Stop the Nazis as you 'ave done 'ere!"

Gravity Girl glanced at Frostbite. The three of them, against an army?

'There are always other options' stated the Dark Power inside Frostbite...

OOC You can stick to your plan of riding out the day (there is still a way to go before nightfall - it's not midday yet) and attacking the battered Nazi line by night to split their advance clean down the middle, or move North - or south - and fight the advancing Nazis there. What Frosty doesn't know is that Lionheart and Sentinel have been successful so far in disrupting supply lines.

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

Admin wrote:As if to compound that, a French Colonel strode through the mud to Frostbite and saluted. "Monsieur! I hef sent a request thet you 'elp my comrades in arms along the line. I beseech you and your friends - go! Stop the Nazis as you 'ave done 'ere!"

Gravity Girl glanced at Frostbite. The three of them, against an army?

'There are always other options' stated the Dark Power inside Frostbite...

Frostbite was momentarily caught off guard by the voice within. He then realised how quiet it had been this length of time in their situation. Ever cautious but mindful of all they faced, he simple said, [i]"What do you propose?"

Whilst holding a hand up to stop Gravity Girl from rushing him on as he took a moment to consider his options.

OOC:

Ok I'm intrigued to know what the prince is going to suggest, but on the other hand we've got two options opening up to us here. Firstly pressing ahead and second running up the line. I think running up the line is my preferred option until nightfall. Since that is still some time away, but I'm ever mindful that things could turn real nasty very soon. So it depends on helping the French further up or what the Shadow Prince comes back with.

Also I'm mindful of GG's comment about the other Metahumans, I've fought one in the sky, but he disappeared quiet quickly so I think I'll put out a call to Silver Sentinel and Anyman, to see if they know anything. Can I call Lionheart to get a idea what his situation is so we can learn what's going on further back.

Sj

The Vanguard - Dunkirk Crew

The Dark power continued. 'Your friend, Anyman, and my brethren inside him may have uncovered an advantage with regards the metahuman allies you work with. As you know, the old man, with my brother inside, empowered mortals to become your 'Justiciar' team, but they are limited, unlike yourselves. You and the other Vanguardians have within you the potential to be all powerful on this world, and a power to be feared on the cosmic scale! The Justiciars have no such potential. or we thought not, until recently. Two Justiciars are dead, but their souls, curiously, have not departed despite their mortal forms being smashed by the Shadow Priest in Berlin. This is unusual. It seems your friend, General Wynn, and my brother have somehow created a bond between the mortal form and the soul that cannot easily be severed. All they need is the power to reform, and your dead friends can live again.'

Frostbite sensed a 'but' and sure enough 'But there may be a price to pay. We can summon former subjects, Shadow Demons, to bind with their departed souls and reform their bodies, possibly granting them more power in the process, but they will be changed, irrevocably! A dangerous course of action, to be sure, and there will ever be a fight for dominance in the mortals form, but they will be restored to life.'

Frostbite frowned. What then were the options available to him, here and now? 'You are outmatched, outgunned, and reluctant to call upon our Dark Power. Understandable. You can elevate your friends the Justiciars by one simple act, and we will summon Shadow Demons to bind with them, giving them new power!'

Frostbite wasn't sure he liked where this was going. 'All you have to do is kill them, and I will do the rest!'

He looked at Tank Man, pale, wounded and almost dead on his feet, but there was plenty of life left in Gravity Girl!