Trinais

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Meanwhile, on the sidelines lol

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

"The hell is going on down there?" Eyes squinted through his field glasses. Old things picked off the body of an Imperial Officer- a relic from his dad's time in the trenches. But they still worked great and he could see the faces of the soldiers clear through them.

Beast snorted, chewing a piece of grass between her teeth. "Playing war. Infantry against armor. Have they got any heavy weapons?"

Eyes shifted his goggles between the two groups, checking weapons over. "Yeah, I got lances in sight. They're fully equipped. Could pull it off."

"Not likely. Squishy infants can't do jack all without us." Beast spit out her blade of grass. "If that tank crew finds someplace to go hull down, then they're shooting lances at the turret. The infantry creates a kill zone around the back by the exposed engine. Retreat or surrender are the only options. We did it a hundred times in the weekend drills."

"No place to go hull down," Eyes said. "Lancers need to get in close. Whoever plays the target for the tank is gonna get a face full of chalk though. Even if they're firing concussive rounds out the barrel, one of those in the group or-" Eyes paused his goggles movement- a heavy machine gun? "Well hello. Someone is about to have a very bad day."

"Noise," Pedal said. "Lots of it. From two directions. Creates confusion and will drive the escorts to cover."

"This blows all the exhaust pipes! If we were in that tank, every single one of those squishy infants would be dead. Dead! Wiped out! 'Dear Sir or Madam' letters and all! What the hells is that crew doing?"

"Maybe the point isn't to wipe out the militia," Eyes said. "Maybe it's to teach them how to think. We're their armored support. And we have no tank. They'll have to get by without us for the time being."

"Like they'd ever have our backs," Beast mumbled. "Infants pitch a fit and pee themselves when they don't have tank support, then get lazy and run away when they do. Happened to Lightning last week. Happened to Furious two days later. Happened to us at St. Courain."

Eyes was content to put the goggles away and watch what came next in the fight, but Pedal, with that inhuman speed and silence with which he moved, was tapping him on the shoulder.

"By the Valkyr, wear a bell, man!"

"Sorry sir. But look, sir." And Pedal pointed downhill, at a parked supply truck. Filled with the chalk rounds and extra weapons. Concussive Lances included...

"The hell are you suggesting, Pedal?" Eyes lowered his voice, leaning in close to his driver. "You're not actually suggesting we go down there and drive into a sanctioned wargame without orders, are you?"

"Presenting it as an option. I can keep us at Thunderous' cruising speed, and Beast can use one of the Lances. Mount it on a tripod in the flatbed. Call it simulated tank support."

"Fuck off," Beast yelled, popping open her cantine. "I ain't never been trained to fire one of those things!"

"You haven't been trained to load it," Eyes said. "Firing it should be simple, like breach aiming. Line it up, pull the trigger."

"As for orders," Pedal said. "We've been ordered on standby until a new tank is available. We were never ordered NOT to participate..."

"Still can't load the lance," Beast yelled.

"That's a fine line," Eyes said. "That's a very fine line between taking initiative and something going very wrong."

"And I still can't load that GODS DAMNED LANCE!"

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

<Snipped quote by Raven_Operative>

Second ever RP I've been in, in my time with RPG, to be mentioned on some sort of community list. First one was back on the Old Guild o 3o

Side note. I'll get a IC post up tomorrow. Mom's birthday today :3.

@Slypheed

Happy birthday mooooooom!!!!!

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Cool beans.

I work today til 6EST so no posts likely til after then.

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Intro post is up!

Thanks for the opportunity to write with ya'll!

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

8pm on a weekend seemed the perfect time for a massacre at The Crossroads. By his counting, Eyes could see a full column of Imperial troops advancing three hundred meters ahead. From their position inside the treeline, he could track them, count them and re-count them again. A hundred infantry. Two supply trucks in the rear. Two APCs in front.

"Beast, gimme one ten degrees right."

Beast's arm gripped the high-explosive round, sliding it into the barrel of Thunderous. 'High Explosive' was relative, as Thunderous itself was a relic of the First Europan War, and the shells tended to explode with all the force of a modern grenade. Still, the distance they shot put them one up over the Imperials they were going to shoot.

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

Thunderous shuddered, the barrel of the tank kicking back and discarding the shell.

Eyes watched through the periscope as the blue contrail of the ragnite explosive landed in the middle of the advancing column of Imperial soldiers. The men were advancing in parade formation- damn parade formation- heading toward St. Courain village like conquering heros. The shell that exploded dead center in their column dropped an even dozen men to the ground and sent the rest scattering for cover.

"Hit! Dear Valkyr, that was beautiful, gimme another eight degrees right on the APC!"

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

More gas, more heat. The explosive shell landed on the side armor of the front transport, just barely missing the exposed ragnite engine.

"Beast, load up an A-P round and put it in the cockpit up of front one! Pedal, rev the engine then put some fire down with the co-ax!"

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

The A-P round fired off as the tank engine sparked to life, striking the side plates of the lead APC and puncturing through the other side. Pedal's light machine-gun fired tracer rounds over the road, keeping the Imperial soldiers pinned in the ditch.

"Beast, ammo count!"

"One A-P, one smoke, two Explosives, Eyes!"

"Save the smoke and load Explosive-"

The impact on Thunderous' hull shook the crew from their perches. Pedal's machine gun fire arced wildly skyward, Beast dropped the explosive round to the floor with a loud "FUCK!" and Eyes fell off his command chair, knocking his head on the hull of the turret. His vision blurred and his tongue tasted copper and salt, his nose filled with the smell of sulfur and Ragnite.

Lancer.

"- got rockets! Eyes, Pedal, we have to go NOW!"

"Orders, Eyes?"

Eyes slid up into his chair again. Not dead yet. Still not dead yet.

"Militia in town can fight the infantry but we're all they got against the APCs." Eyes slid the turret periscope down, lining it up with the barrel. In the center of the road he saw the pile of Imperial bodies their first round had left. The remaining hundred infantry were ducking for cover in the ditch behind the road, but he could see the Lances being passed forward from the burning APC. "Beast, gimme the A-P. We gotta take the last one out!"

"Fucking crazy," she said, sliding the orange-tipped A-P round into the breach. "Clear!"

"Wait... Pedal, gimme three round burst on the front APC."

Eyes watched through the periscope as the tracer rounds followed after the rat-tat-tat of the old machine gun.

That's what, two hundred meters?

"Call it Eyes."

No, two-fifty. Two-fifty. Aiming for two-hundred will put it in the dirt.

"Eyes! Lances! Lances are bad!"

"Traverse turret three degrees right, one up."

Please let me be right!

"Ready!"

"Fire!"

"FIRING!"

The AP Round soared out the barrel, cutting into the front engine compartment of the APC. The body of the vehicle was still intact, the front armor too thick to allow the round much penetration, but the engine was toast.

"Oh, I could kiss you-"

"DON'T!"

"Beast, gimme smoke. Pedal, full reverse! Time to leave."

The engine pulled the tank back as, just as quickly as the A-P round had been fired, a pair of Lance rockets were fired from the prone infantry. "BRACE!"

The explosion rocked the front armor but even ol' Thunderous had generous plating there. The second hit landed below them with a loud SNAP! and CRACK!

And then they stopped moving.

"Pedal, full reverse!"

"Go Pedal, go!"

Pedal gripped the levers, sliding the tank from reverse into forward, then back into reverse.

"No traction, Eyes. Treads have been hit."

Dead in the water. Thunderous, you treated us good.

"Eyes, we have to bail! We've only got the smoke and Explosive rounds left!"

"For once I'm inclined to agree with you, Beast. Put the smoke down on the road. Everybody grab your gear and check your ammo. We huck it through the woods."

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

--------------------------

72 HOURS LATER

"So what'd they say?"

Eyes kept his hands in his pockets, approaching Pedal and Beast on the hillside. The skirmish range below was nearly set up but without a vehicle the tank crew wouldn't be expected to participate. Just observe.

"Congratulations," Eyes said, fishing a pair of small boxes from his pockets. He tossed one at each of them. Pedal caught his and opened it. Beast let hers fall on the ground, taking a sip from a steel flask.

"Bronze Star of the Home Guard." Pedal removed the pendant from his box.

Beast stared. "Huh. Shiny stuff. What's it mean?"

"Fuck all," Eyes said. "It's a new decoration, hot off the presses. They're fucking giving those away to any militia who survive encounters with the enemy. Morale booster. That's it. The St. Courain militia all dropped their guns and ran when that column reached them, so it's likely not a big incentive."

"Can we trade them for a new tank?"

"Nope. Tanks are at a premium right now. All going to the regular army. If we ever get a new one, it'll be one of the First War models again."

"Shit," Beast said. She slid the flask cap shut. "Melt it into bullets?"

"Not easily. Likely against regulations."

Beast uncapped the flask and tipped it upside down. Nothing fell out. "See how much I care?"

"Sure I do, your highness."

"If you don't want it," Pedal said, "I'll wear it for you."

Beast looked at the driver, his own medal pinned to his chest proudly. She scowled and grabbed her own box, popped it open, and looked at the ugly star inside.

"We traded Thunderous for these."

"Yes. We traded Thunderous for these." Eyes dropped onto the grass between the two tankers, eyes fixed on the skirmish field below. Best not to get too comfortable. We're probably gonna get pressed in with the grunts before too long...

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Will get cracking on an introductory post.

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Name: Liam "Pedal" Forrest
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Appearance: Tall and lanky with blonde hair and a standard Trooper's uniform. Pedal often wears his uniform unbuttoned due to the high heat of the tank.

Rank: Private

Class: Shocktrooper / Driver

Weapons and Equipment: Mags M1

Personality: Silent

Bio: Liam came to Gallia a refugee of the First Europan War, a child in his mother's arms. After the armistice was signed between the Empire and Federation, his family elected to stay within Gallia's borders rather than return to the Empire. While not technically a citizen of Gallia, Liam knows no other culture or language than his adopted home country.

Growing up, he showed a particularly good understanding of machinery and vehicles, paying his mother's rent as a delivery driver known for making hairpin turns at ludicrous speeds. After racking up an impressive number of tickets, Liam was arrested and had his sentence commuted on the condition he voluntarily enlist in the Gallian army's mechanical corps and the newly formed "Home Armor Brigade." Even performing menial labor on outdated vehicles showed off his natural talents handling machiner.

Nicknamed "Pedal" by Aaron Vikkers, he found himself serving inside the Gallian tank Thunder at the outbreak of the war.

-----------------------------
Name: Angella "Beast" Hiffen
Gender: Female
Age: A lady never tells! ("She's 21, Queen help us." "You're just jealous I can hold my liquor, unlike you!")
Appearance: Long, regal auburn hair she ties in a knot when mounted in the tank. Her Engineer jacket is stowed in the tank along with most of her equipment as she prefers to ride wearing a tank top to cope with the high engine temperatures and gasses from firing the tank's light cannon.

Rank: Private
Class: Engineer / Gunner

Weapons and Equipment: Imperial GO-II Pistol

Personality: Addict / Partier

Bio: Angella is an enigma to most of the Gallian personnel she serves alongside, never really talking about her past before enlisting in the militia. This of course leads to endless rumors among the rank and file of where the partying gunner of Thunder came from.

She is disgraced nobility from the northern coast, sent into exile for causing a scandal.

She is an ex-con, serving out a felony conviction in service to the state for murder.

She is an unwed mother whose daughter died in childbirth, fleeing her grief for duty to her homeland.

Angella likes to feed all of these rumors, enjoying being the center of attention as she feeds off the drama they cause. The life of a tank mechanic in the Home Armored Brigade was dreadfully boring to her, and turning base life into a soap opera was just the sort of entertainment she craved.

At the outbreak of the Second War, Thunder found itself defending a border crossing alone against a full platoon of Imperial tanks. Eyes and Pedal initiated a retreat, but not before Angella put a High-Explosive shell down the barrel of the lead enemy vehicle, disabling it and blocking the other tanks behind it. Eyes refused to believe the shot was anything more than a fluke, but he did take to calling Angella "Beast" after that skirmish, named after the Imperial tank she destroyed with her lucky shot.

-----------------------------
Name: Aaron "Eyes" Vikkers
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Appearance: Short and muscular with shockingly red hair and a standard scout's uniform. Eyes always carries a pair of old field binoculars around his neck used by his father in the First Europan War.

Rank: PFC
Class: Scout

Weapons and Equipment: Heavy civilian revolver, Gallian-S rifle (illegally modified)

Personality: Commanding / Domineering

Bio: "Eyes" was born in Gallia and enlisted in the army during a downturn in the economy caused by a Ragnite shortage 5 years ago. The steady paycheck and disciplined lifestyle proved to be perfect incentives to keep him going, and while he was never promoted beyond PFC, his superiors shifted Eyes from the Scout Corps into a tank regiment. Military budget cuts saw Eyes busted down into the militia, but he kept his position in the Gallian "Home Armored Brigade" first as a spotter, and just three months before the Second Europan War broke out, as the commander of the new Gallian Light Battle Tank Thunderous.

Pedal and Angella have observed Eyes writing letters in his off time which he promptly delivers to the mail office in town, but he never speaks of who he writes to or what about.

The tank Thunderous is a second home to Eyes outside the barracks, and he has customized the interior of the turret with poetry clippings from newspapers, scenic pictures of Europan cities, and most recently, a list of common phrases in High Imperial. The most recent addition noted by Pedal and Beast, however, is metal chain hanging from the periscope handles, from which hangs a golden ring.

-----------------------

RP Sample: ::Thunder, be advised, you are now entering the exercise field. Conqueror is somewhere in the vicinity and awaiting engagement.::

Eyes reached for the radio com, only for Angella to reach behind her shoulder and seize the com first.

"Roger Cap-ee-tan! Tell Conqueror we're approaching from Route 7. We eagerly await Sergeant Gorrel's vehicle."

Angella snickered at the dead silence which greeted them, thinking the commandant too dumbfounded by her announcement of their position on an open channel to respond. Eyes knew, however, the commandant was forbidden from answering any com chatter except when demanding medical evacuation.

"What was that," Aaron asked tersely.

Angella didn't reply, whistling as she opened the cannon breach to load a paint round.

"What," Aaron asked again, this time kicking her seat back. "Was. That?"

Angella ignored the initial jab at her seat. When Aaron kicked harder, sending her bouncing forward almost into her viewport, she turned around.

"Just some fun," Angella said, shrugging. "It's already 5pm out, hot as hades inside this metal coffin, and Conqueror is a dedicated anti-Tank vehicle- we can't stand up to that firepower in this dingy thing. I don't want to sweat through this uniform any more than I have to."

"If you don't like sweating it out in this thing, you can run with the grunts." Aaron said, popping the hatch on the turret. The private stood on his seat, his head peaking out of the portal as he scanned the horizon for Conqueror. "And they don't have three inches of metal armor between themselves and the bullets. Pedal, get me up to 30, heading northeast toward that treeline. Angella, traverse turret ten degrees left."

Pedal gave no verbal affirmative, but the tank's engine revved to life and their cruising speed kicked up.

"You talk like there's gonna be a war," Angella scoffed, cranking the turret ten degrees to the left as ordered. "Puh-lease. You read the papers. Some blowhard politician somewhere is going to sell out some people on the border, and then all the armies will disband and go home. Happens once a year."

"Happens once a year," Pedal said. "Until it doesn't."

"What did-"

WHOOOOOSH!

The hill behind Thunderous exploded in a shower of orange dust- a paint can exploding across the hillside.

"Hells!" Aaron ducked back inside the tank, sealing the hatch behind him and raising the periscope. "Jerkoff nearly took my head! He's in the treeline! Pedal, there's a ravine 80 meters ahead. Get us in there. Angella, unload the turret! Put some smoke in front of us!"

"Aye!" Angella opened the breech, sliding the paint round out and loading one of their smoke shells, tucking her eye against the barrel sight- all in one smooth, practiced motion. A well oiled machine.

"I can see him! I got eyes on him! Traverse turret five degrees right!"

"Ready on one!"

"FIRE!"

The turret bucked, the compartment's temperature spiking as the empty shell was ejected back inside. Through the periscope, Aaron watched a cloud of grey smoke explode inside the treeline.

"That'll give us a second to breathe. Angella, load one of the blues. Pedal, we there-"

The tank sloped down suddenly, dropping on a 45-degree angle as Angella slid another round into the chamber. "Clear!" She yelled.

A rush of air slid through the forward viewing port as an orange explosion impacted across the slope behind them.

"He knows where we're going!"

"Course he Krakking knows! You broadcast our location to the whole crew four minutes ago! They could scope the battlefield ahead of us and plan our route. Pedal, circle us around to the west, prepare to go full speed on my mark. Angella, we loaded?"

"Ready on one!"

"Hold!" Eyes squinted through the smoke shrouded periscope. Trees, brush, smoke, but was that... "Gimme three degrees right!"

"Three, aye!"

"Fire!" The barrel kicked, launching a blue paint shell- a simulated high-explosive round- straight into the fog. Two blue hits or one orange hit would see the enemy tank eliminated. Eyes didn't wait to see if the round struck home. "Pedal, GO!"

"Breach clear!"

"Load up again! Pedal, more speed, their gun can move just as quick as us!"

Thunderous shook like her namesake, and for a second Eyes was sure they were going to flip.

"Was that a hit?" Angella asked, sliding the blue round home.

"Are you painted like a pumpkin?" Eyes asked, sliding the periscope to the right, tracking the treeline. "They hit the ground to our right. They're moving too. Angella, traverse right 10!"

"Right 10, Eyes!"

"Pedal, gimme full speed, 20 degrees to the right."

"Full and twenty."

"Angella, FIRE!"

"Firing!"

The smoke cloud split in two as their enemy, Conqueror, emerged from the treeline- straight into the path of the blue shell. The beastly tank was easily half again their own tonnage, a rolling platform with a massive cannon fixed in a forward firing position. A cannon that was training on them now...

"Hit! We got a hit!"

"Aw hells yes!" The clank of steel on steel and the temperature spiked. Angella slid another round home.

"Pedal! Duck and weave! Angella, gimme another blue."

The breech slid shut. "Last one, Eyes!"

"Traverse turret 10 degrees left, then-"

Eyes never finished the sentence. The Conqueror stopped in its tracks, only to slide backward as its massive canon opened fire, belching an orange shell directly into the path of their vehicle. Pedal gripped the steering gears, sliding on the right brake to jink out of the shell's path. Thunderous only made it so far, as a bullseye shot was turned into a glancing blow on their front armor, and a cloud of orange paint filling the gun compartment and covering Angella from face to hips.

The tank's com sprang to life. ::Thunderous, you are dead in the water by rules of engagement. Confirm?::

Eyes rubbed his face, the adrenaline in his body dropping his mood from a frenzied high to a gloomy and angered low. One look at Angella, furiously swiping paint from her eyes and hair did put a grin on his face though.

"Kill confirmed, Conqueror."

::Roger that. Returning to base. Your gunner have anything to say?::

Eyes wisely clutched the com with both hands.

"Not at this time, Conqueror. Good kill."

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Original post edited.

Would you rather the crew of Thunderous make it back to the base on foot, or have Squad 4 come to them?

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Hrm... well, I'll be happy to transfer them to militia. Easy fix there.

As for the vehicle, I can see two workable solutions- maybe they get a non-canon "Gallian light tank" that's more suited against infantry than armor.

Or their tank is wrecked and yeah, need to nick another one.

Either way, if you find this character group acceptable, I would appreciate a Cliff Notes of the story thus far :)