Week 2 - Neutron Nancy & the NBombs

The Contract had been clear, and the team read the message again, scrubbed of course for any incriminating name. Didn’t pay to tell the name of the hiring agent.

“You got style and ill pay a premium for that. I got a prototype tank. It's got hover engines and is designed for orbital drops. Of course you're thinking shit [NAME DELETED] they've had drop tanks since before the IR started cloning brethren.

What makes this tank special is the cannon and the shells. [CONFIDENTIAL] I originally was going to try Neutron bombs. Lots of rads but keeps the buildings intact.
Didn't use them cause at the time it was easier to [CONFIDENTIAL] for me.

But I had all these Nbomb warheads. Converted them into artillery shells. And the Neutron Dancer is just the drop tank to use them close range while keeping the crew safe. But I don't know how the rads will affect Nightmares.
My agents have found the perfect test site. It's codename: Operation Atomic Annie. It's a world only inhabited by Nightmares and Undead. The mission would be simple.

Take the tank for a test drive, test out the vehicle. Then use the five NBomb shells provided on the Nightmare pit, the Yrs Starfighter bay, and the two Giant Nightmares carrying orbital plasma cannons.

Then get the tank offworld before they call for backup.”

The Merc team was already loaded into the tank, and in the hold of a freighter. It was dropped into the atmosphere and its counter jets fired off, allowing it to come to slow stop above the ground of the forested planet. Nykosa V, was a beautiful if primitive looking place. The tank began riding forward on its hover engines, with the sun just beginning to go down.

“Hey Boss is that a Dome City?” asked the newest recruit.

“You got that right, so this planet is in habited. I wonder if our hiring agent knew that,” said Voora as he checked the seals on his radiation suit, then he checked the last page of the document showing the change in venue and the additional payments, and details on the Megadome, “Hahaha, seems that dome thinks there is a set of irradiated meteorites that are going to be striking all week. So they sealed the armored dome, they wouldn’t feel a nuke if we lobbed it right into that Dome wall. They’ll be fine. If for the last three thousand years, Domes have kept people safe from nuclear attacks, those citizens will be fine.”

Voora took a look forward through the viewer of the Neutron Dancer, “Though boys, I think we need to think up a better name for her.)

He could see the sun dip below the horizon, and then the eyes began to peak out in glowing red blue and green in the twilight.
“We have sight on the Nightmare Pit sir,” said the driver.

"What about the Yrs Starfighter Bays?" asked Voora insistently.

The Tank Gunner called back, "Sir, we got visual on the Starfighter bays. It looks like a cavern of living nightmare flesh. The entrance even has teeth,sir."

Voora chuckled, "The Kasanthians certainly got a sense of melodrama. Let's test this gun out."

The first of the NBomb shells were lobbed high, but landed accurately on top of the Starfighter bays. The bomb exploded. Anyone a few feet in either direction of ground zero was vaporized, while the rest of the starfighter bays were washed with lethal doses of radiation. Yet it was rumored to not leave any residue.
The Yrs Starfighter Pilots died in their seats. But the Nightmare backups took over preparing to take off.

"Switch rounds," commanded Voora.

They lobbed a high explosive shell directly in the hole carved by the Nbomb. The shell scrapped the starfighters as they attempted to take off, and destroyed the runway as well.

"Confirm target," said Voora.

"No movement sir," replied the Tank Gunner.

"Target the Nightmare Pit!," commanded Voora, staring through the viewer as a huge flying vessel appeared with large dark clouds rolling off its flanks.

"Sir, we've got an unknown threat coming in, its...huge," said the Tank Gunner.

"Thats a Nightmare Lord Starship," said Voora with a groan, "Saw one of those knock out an entire EEF battalion during the Border Wars. Do you have that targeting solution on the Nightmare pit yet?"
"Sir yes sir," said the Tank Gunner as the tank was attacked by small nightmares who would run up and cut into the side and rear armor and then flee. A wave was fired from the Nightmare Lord Warship, shockingly nothing happened to the tank or its inhabitants.

"I really wish they would have put a damn machinegun on this bucket of bolts, sir" said the driver, as a monstrous face stared at him through the viewer.

"You and me both," replied Voora, "Nbomb."

"NBomb ready," said the loader from his station to the rear of the tank.

"Fire," said Voora.

The Nbomb sailed up into the air and slammed into the top of the Nightmare pit. This slanted pit led deep underground and was filled with vicious Nightmares. There was a rumbling, and a full horde of Nightmares rushed out, only those at ground zero destroyed by the Nbomb. The rest rushed forward and at their lead was the mad K'iou smith, Viggo the Kasanthian. He rode on the back of one of the Black Cats of Rylioh and hefted a battlehammer forged from a Krato's fist. His charge was epic.

But Voora calmed said, "Nbomb, close in. Seal all hatches. And signal the MJ, we need a hot pickup after this shot. We got the Intel the client wants. Radiation is a terrible weapon against Nightmares."

"NBomb Ready!"

"Fire" said Voora.

Viggo didn't quite understand what it was the tank was hurling at him. He nimbly dived to the side, thinking as long as it doesn't hit me I'll be fine. But almost does count with neutron bombs. It landed twenty feet away, and Viggo was hit with enough neutron radiation to kill every cell in his body in nanoseconds. His body was carryed into battle until it was knocked from the saddle and disappeared under a sea of stampeding Nightmares.

Meanwhile a starship dived into the atmosphere of Nykosa V, extending magnetic docking clamps and lifting up the tank and flying off.

Hours later Viggo the Kasanthian was brought back by one of his apprentices. He looked around and whispered with his Nightmares.
When he learned they had driven the tank from Nykosa V, he cheered in his vile way. In his own mind, the little K'iou had won.

--Rewards for Mercs4Hire is 1 Nbomb Tank + 5 Nbombs + 100 standard H.E. shells and blueprints to build more H.E. shells.--

--Rewards for Viggo the Kasanthian is successful creation of a Nightmare Breeding Pit. Nightmare-Kulieks who can breed deadly infant creatures. Though hurt by sunlight, they are now permanent beings--