Good question. My suggestion would be we try to land together and stick together, since if we don't, we'll probably lose comms to one another soon. Also retracing the other teams steps would take time, so if things seem calm (other than the nimrods), then we should land where we see our team (or activity that our team was there) to save time in meeting up with them.

Of course, if we can't take the nimrods down, we may have no choice, and will just have to parachute in wherever we happen to be flying when they flow up our skytrains.

You are 'together' in that you are on the command channel, you are in separate Skytrains

Blackhat: yes, you are outside the jamming

The wreckage by the school is of a drone and explosions (a while ago...), there is more recent wreckage of a FB Commando on the tower itself and as you get closer you can see the command LAV has landed on the tower so it's a fair bet they got that far...

No flares or other call signs so far...

Between your spiders and air support those nimrods should be no trouble...question, how are the nimrods being commanded given the scale of the jamming?!? - and yes, I know the answer (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif)

That sounds good to me, though if we land inside the jamming zone then I'm gonna send a squad to backtrack towards the original DZ until they get comms back. Then we can see how wide the jamming is, and can relay instructions through them using the LOS laser link (provided we can get a guy with LOS and inside our microwave range.

How far is the microware range btw?

ps. I've read your first IC post and think we'll complement each other well. You do the warfare and tactics, I'll do the speeches (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Right. I figured if we tried to land AT the tower, we'd just be adding the wreckage of a couple of skytrains to that pile, but if it looks safe, I think that's ultimately where we want to be. IIRC from the map, the schoolhouse looked like it was basically a block away. Which might be close enough to travel on foot and not lose a lot of time, but might also mean that its no safer at all. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I'm up for anything, and can edit my previous post if need be. If we're not in jamming range, yet, then it seems like we're sure the other team is deeper in, so we might as well keep going. If we cross into jamming range, we could drop a few guys to land and establish a remote communications linkup. There is also a good chance that once the nimrods are dealt with, and we get closer to the tower, soemthing worse will appear that will change our minds about where to land... so aiming for the school seems like as good a plan as any, for now.

At this point, we know something is up, but we don't know that we need to start taking anyone out, yet, right? The fact that the drones from the tower are being sent to intercept our transport probably means they are hostile. If it comes to that, do we have the firepower on these plane/helicopters/whatever to do serious damage to the tower, or are they mostly built for transport and self-defense?

IOW, the first question is if we possess the capability to just level the tower and be done with it? Second question is, other than suspecting that our men are inside, do we have any reason not to treat that installation as a hostile enemy base?

When did I lose control of the Nimrods! Bah humbug. We've been using them to take out the stationary defense positions, and to run patrol on our LAV. I would think we would have noticed if they went rogue again. Especially after last time.

Lol. So you had drones, and some TMs took them from you, and you got them back, and then sent them out again and you're surprised they got taken again? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

No, I'm surprised I didn't NOTICE them being taken again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) when the last time I got a post about them, they were flying interference and responding normally.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Maybe the hackers decided to have them report in regularly with fake reports that everything is A-OK.
That's what I'd do.

Or even real reports. Until they needed to use them to shoot down our helicopters, the hackers really had no reason to change their orders. Once the drones were compromised (again) they could avoid them, or keep them from reporting specific things.

Like Cptn. Roberts said in his IC, though. If a cyberterrorist takes your gear, once, its probably a bad idea to take it back. Its probably riddled with backdoors, viruses, and trojan programs (not to mention sprites). Safer to just blow it up, and deny them the hardware.

I would notice if my commands didn't work though, and they've been on a rotating frequency, and they're goddamn slaved to my Nexus. I know tms cheat like bastards, but still.

What I am saying is that the hackers could have let your commands continue to work.
Of course, if they are slaved to your nexus, that either means they are spoofing their own commands, or your nexus is compromised.

SEE WHAT I MEAN? You connect to a dirty compromised drone, and now all your nexi are belong to them!

... or, these could be entirely different nimrods... or you could just be flying them over to escort us safely to your location (lols).... lots of possibilities. Too bad we have to shoot them down, rather than find out.

Ah the joys of being an EVIL GM (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif)

Don't worry Sabs, as far as you are concerned the drones are slaved to your nexus and operating normally...of course as they are outside you no longer have LOS to them so...

But the Sultan has LOS on them.
I mean, come on. I'm not going to leave behind 2 giant death machines like that unsecured. Neither is Reid. Especially not after they almost blew up the LAV. Kit and Reid are both in the LAV that's landed. Not to mention Reid ordered me to go into the building, except now I out rank him (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) So there's a slight discontinuity error.

And if LOS is going to be that big of a problem, why the hell don't we pack up in the LAV and fly out of here, and get backup. We can dump the drones, and make room in the LAV for personnel.

Is that the same LAV "wreckage" that we saw by the tower where the nimrods came from?

EDIT: Nevermind, reread Aria's post. There is wreackage AND a LAV near the tower.

That does bring us back to my question about whether or not we CAN level the tower, and whether or not we SHOULD level the tower.
I imagine that at this point, a direct assault is looking pretty grim, and every piece of equipment we bring in range just gets used against us.
Seems like DW just needs to roll up in something that can take out a building with "dumb" missiles or something.

Once we do that, our jamming problem goes away, as do most of our technomancer problems, I imagine.

Yeah, I was hoping the rank issue wouldn't matter, perhaps we can gloss over that one (or make him equal rank and you the best person in the field to do what you are doing?!?)

...as I said (kinda), you are in full control of the Nimrods (via the Sultan, your rotadrones or another retrans effort) and nothing is wrong with them or their mission...as far as you are concerned...that doesn't alter the fact that they are on an attack run against the skytrains (so something screwy is going on?!? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif) )

To Blackhat: the skytrains have basic defense but no 'big guns' as such. You've got some aerial defenses, possibly in the form of more Nimrods (sorry to rub salt in there (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) ). Certainly nothing that could level the tower. I guess DW could get some stuff but that wouldn't exactly get the evidence you need. Part of the initial brief is that the metroplex guard have an airstrike prepped to go once the intel is verrified...and they will be packing all sorts of nasty! I don't know how they'll get past the jurisdictional stuff as the Stillwater community is technically in the NAN but that's for the politicos to sort (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I'm just letting you know that I am still here. I'll post when sabs has told us what to do

When he stops seething at me pinching his drones again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Are the Nimrods flying above the background count area?

Is our mission time sensitive?

The nimrods are inside the area affected by the background count'

The mission is only time sensitive in that the Sojourner incident is going on and these technomancer scum are involved somehow...

Aria: the Shadowrunners, are they with me and Squad 2?
I'm putting together a giant post (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) so I'd like to know.
Also, Who is carrying Gash's meat?

I thought he was back in his meat body....?

I am (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) just look at last IC post