(edit)
*Honk Honk* as Zellgato preps hoping someone who can shoot pretty well will hop in. Otherwise he'll offer the space to those from the caravan
The convoy rolls out with the scout vehicles leaving earlier and speeding ahead and reporting back. They other scout vehicles point out things that worry them. Some of the struggling farms they pass have dozens of vehicles outside. They slow down and look through their binoculars to make sure most of those are non-functioning before crossing that off as a possible ambush.
Sometimes they stop to clear brush.
Behind the convoy are dozens of vehicles now, with the groups of people mentioned under the spoiler above. People wave to each other and shout from car to car just as you start off again, but soon they lock their vehicles' autopilots to follow the vehicles in front. From far enough away, the convoy would look like it was moving as one, snaking down the desert highway.
It's about 6 hours before you see red smoke drop. As soon as it does, cars begin to pull over. The large trucks take the furthest to stop. Those who have comm devices are getting messages almost simultaneously, "Possible trouble up ahead. Stop and wait for more info." To them, the red smoke might seem like an archaic way to communicate, but by the confused looks from the other cars, many of the refugees don't have any comm devices.
Zellgato gets the word first, but soon everyone has heard: Someone has towed a line of vehicles across the highway up ahead. It's an obvious ambush but they weren't anticipating scout vehicles and probably not a full-sized convoy. No sign of who put the cars there.
April Rain contacts Zellgato through the commlink he gave her, "It looks like we got trouble up ahead. Your guys willing to help with the heavy lifting?"
IX makes his way to the front to help move the abandoned cars.
"By heavy lifting.. I asssume you mean scout out this probable ambush? Or move the cars. Either way, I think we can help out at least. I'll queue up the group.
Also, careful if they weren't expecting this size-they might pick off the straglers in the back."
Touching his communicator " Hey guys, heads up. Blockade, Wanna come help bust it up? Come armed-Probably an ambush. Hopefully the size of the caravan made them quit though."
Archeron stops the suv, takes the keys, and pulls the case from his pack, assembling his rifle without looking while walking towards the front.
By the time he arrives near the first vehicles, he is fully armed.
Archeron brings up his rifle and sweeps it about, looking for threats.
"By heavy lifting.. I asssume you mean scout out this probable ambush? Or move the cars. Either way, I think we can help out at least. I'll queue up the group.
Also, careful if they weren't expecting this size-they might pick off the straglers in the back."
"Yeah, I mean scout this very probably ambush. It's about 1 klick up the road. I don't want to bring the convoy any closer. I doubt they're ready for something this big, but I don't want to get cocky."
The very probably ambush is one kilometer down the road. The scout vehicles found it and signaled back.
Von Junzt climbs on top of a truck and checks out the top of the surrounding mountains/hills.
"I can't see jack. Can we take our cars and go check it out? No way I'm walking in this weather", he speaks on the comm unit, while protecting himself under his umbrella.
Szreem follows the group, moving cautiously and stealthily. As Szreem leaves the rest of the convoy behind, they draw their concealed weapons, and additional eyes appear on the back and sides of their head, watching vigilantly for any prospective ambushers who'd try to circle around.
The blockade is made mostly of cars, some of them in decent shape except for a few bullet holes. They've been dragged across the road and chained together. It's not a hard blockade to dismantle, but it will take time.
One of the URA workers shouts that he needs to check it for traps before they move it. While he's doing this
Szreem sees the trap closing before anyone else does. A yellow off-road buggy is zooming towards the road, trying to insert itself between the convoy and the scout. It has a single driver. The remaining space is filled with barrels.
Crystal, mark the driver.
Done boss. Switching to combat mode.
Archeron raises his rifle, takes aim at the buggy driver, and pulls the trigger.
he then yells "Destroy the buggy. It has explosives!"
Spinning his vehicle around, Zellgato takes an injection and guns it towards the approaching buggy at Archeron's warning. Attempting a collision the encroaching buggy to disable it or slow it down--but leaping out shortly b efore impact to ideally avoid death. He's seen explosives before, he'd rather not see that carnage on the folks just looking for a home.
"Then shoot the explosives!" IX yells.
Von Junzt squints his eyes, trying to follow the action from all the way back in the convoy.
"Are you sure it's explosives? Not much to steal if you blow everything up".
"Shoot out a tire on the vehicle, make it flip!"
Knowing that at its current speed, the buggy might reach its destination even if the driver is killed, Szreem takes Gristlethorn's suggestion and fires at the buggy's wheels, trying to arrest its momentum.
Knowing that at its current speed, the buggy might reach its destination even if the driver is killed, Szreem takes Gristlethorn's suggestion and fires at the buggy's wheels, trying to arrest its momentum.
dice=Tactical Shirren-eye Rifle
The driver of the buggy is standing and whooping. He wears a crown of spikes and is barechested. By his excitement, he either craves death or is too blasted to care.
Szreem lines up a shot and hits the buggy's wheel. A lot of modern vehicles use a kind of reinforced mesh tire that doesn't need to be inflated. This old buggy, however, has air-inflated tires. That's unfortunate for the buggy driver, because now he needs to stay on the road after a tire blows, and he was already going pretty fast.
The buggy's driver fails to control the vehicle. He was driving recklessly to begin with but now flies off the road causing the buggy to flip. When it lands, upside down, it blows into the air. Pieces of buggy and pieces of the buggy's driver rain down. Shrapnel from the barrel blows in all directions.
Zellgato cannot avoid the shrapnel, but he is alive.
The URA workers who scouted the blocked road look at Szreem in amazement. If Szreem looked more like a super-spy, they might have just blown their cover. Before anyone can even say, "Nice shot" a call comes in over the comm devices. It's April Rain. The convoy is under attack. Luckily there isn't a buggy filled with explosives parked on the road between the convoy and you. Nothing is now preventing you from racing back there.
IX runs to aid the convoy.
Archeron also begins running, although his upper body doesn't move at all as he sweeps his rifle back and forth looking for more targets.
Considering the distance between the convoy and the blockade, Friedrich, who never left the convoy, will have time to act before everyone gets back there.
Here's what he sees (and what, soon, everyone will see.) A couple of vehicles have pulled up on either side of the last truck in the convoy (the spot furthest from the blockade). The only thing behind this last truck are the straycats. A couple of yahoos are firing in the direction of the rapidly retreating straycats, trying to get the refugee vehicles to get back and out of the way. Six other yahoos are taking control of the truck in the rear.
Riding through the explosion, taking shrapnel as a result all Zellgato can think is "Oh.. That was nuts. " coughing and breathing as he was saved from death by seatbelt.
Swinging around he'll pick up anyone who needs a fast lift back to the convoy.
Briefly checking his instruments, Zellgato swings the vehicle around and hits a hill jump and tries to flatten some enemies on a driveby-too worried to attempt lasering the vehicles so close to the convoy.
“What do you know, we are being attacked at the back of the convoy. How unexpected! I suggest everyone rush here before we have to start planning funerals for the straycats.”
A couple of yahoos are firing
Are they together?
“What do you know, we are being attacked at the back of the convoy. How unexpected! I suggest everyone rush here before we have to start planning funerals for the straycats.”
A couple of yahoos are firingAre they together?
Von Junzt will mingle with the straycats, and does nothing unless someone goes up to him alone.
By the time the majority of the party get back to the convoy, six of the yahoos have succeeded in taking over one of the trucks. The driver and guard lie dead on either side.
Another pair of the yahoos have driven most of the refugees back or off of the road with bursts of gunfire, clearing a path for the truck to begin turning around.
The yahoos cling to the sides of the truck and fire their weapons at anyone who looks brave enough to stop them.
"Looks like the convoy is about to lose a truck."
Zellgato raises April Rain on the comms, "Rain, you have folks down, looks like they have a Truck-I don't think we have the resources to catch without damage to the truck..."
IX runs and attempts to jump on the truck, his trench coat flapping wildly.
Archeron continues running, then takes aim at the driver's side mirror. He had never actually tried this before, but it would cost him very little to try.
Continuing to run top speed, Archeron aimed and fired at the rear-view mirror on the driver's side door, hoping to richochet a lazer into the driver itself.
The truck is reversing, beginning the second point of what is intended to be a three-point turn. It's a big truck and not meant to be turned around on the highway. This is the part of the plan the yahoos did not think carefully through.
One of the yahoos clinging to the side of the truck and, seeing IX grab the truck, hesitates for a moment trying to figure out what IX is and then remembers it doesn't matter and fires.
Archeron attempts to shoot the driver with a trick shot through the mirror.
The driver turns towards laser blast and hits the gas, driving the truck a bit too far off the road.
Carl Patrick, one of the URA workers, takes a shot at one of yahoos riding on the truck.
“Finally, some distractions. Let’s try and help my “friends” not get killed.”
Von Junzt approaches the truck from the side of the driver, and when he’s within 30 ft., casts Daze on the man behind the wheel. Will DC 16 to negate.
The driver of the car is dazed.
The driver of the car is dazed. There's another yahoo inside the car.
There are four of them on the outside of the truck and those are the one's you have to contend with right now.
It sounds like Von Junzt and Archeron ran around to the Driver's side of the truck. The rest of you would be on the passenger's side. IX is clinging to the passenger's side, I believe. There are a pair of yahoos on either side.
First things first, if it isn't too late Gristlethorn calls out to Zellgato. "Nice job on the buggy, now pull yourself together and help us deal with these morons!"
"Let's focus down these yahoos before they attack the damage the convoy." Gristlethorn points to a random yahoo he thinks all of his party has a chance to see. "Start with that one."
Looping around to passanger's side, Zellgato calls his revolver to his hand, stands in the buggy,takes aim and fires at the yahoo closest to his clinging ally.
If hit, and damage done, Toxic Inhibitor biohack: Target gains sickened condition for 6 rounds.
EDIT: damage die messed up. Its only 1 d6 not 2d6. +1. I wrote "1d6+1P" meaning piercing but I guess thats a formula. Piercing damage
"What a terrible weather to rob a truck, don't you agree?" as a move action, von Junzt uses feint on the criminal next to the driver.
Then he casts Daze again. Will DC 16 to negate.
Szreem had drawn a pistol from a concealed pocket on the way back to the convoy. They train it on the yahoo on the right, but it is a feint, and they fire at the one on the left with a sudden flick of the wrist, which briefly bends at an inhuman angle to do so. The previously concealed pistol fires a bolt of electricity at its new target.
IX struggles to climb toward the front but manages. After taking a little progress he finds himself within arm's reach to one of the yahoos, doesn't take a hand off the side, and throws his head at the yahoo's.
The vehicle momentarily stopped, Archeron begins moving forward, but also away from the vehicle so he can line up a shot on the driver.