Note: I have not read the novels. Everything I know about Battletech, I learned from Sarnawiki and the Mechwarrior games, and even then mostly from the Sarnawiki. I will be playing fast and loose with canon, but will do my best to make sure that 'mechs that don't exist yet won't show up. With that said, let's begin, shall we?
You are a light 'mech pilot for the nearly-unknown Mercenary group, "Lance's Lance". Yes, your CO is named Lance, and yes, your 'company' consists of a dropship, four 'mechs, an aerospace fighter, and support personnel. But it's a life, and a life is one worth living. Except right now, because apparently the planet you are on--Damien, a little backwater in the Free Rasaulhague Republic, which Lance's Lance is doing garrison duty on between other missions, because what are the chances it would get attacked?--is under attack, and you're running from your quarters to your 'mech's hanger, slipping into your uniform as you go.So, what's the nametag on your uniform say?And what mech is waiting for you in the Hanger, on this fine day in March, 3050? It could be a Firestarter, a Commando, a Locust, an Urbanmech, or a Jenner. What 'mech do you pilot?
>>19257102Alright, I'll bite. Tom Derringer, and Jenner pilot.
You slip in the waiting cockpit of your Jenner JR7-D. Venerable old design, but it's been in your family for generations. The cockpit closes around you as you slide on your old, trusty neurohelmet. Two voices fill the cockpit--the first is Rusty John, the tech in charge of your shift crew. "Fully loaded on SRM's today, Tom. Nothin' special, just the basics. Get out there and give 'em hell!"The second is a much more profound, much more welcomed voice.REACTOR ONLINESENSORS ONLINEWEAPONS ONLINEALL SYSTEMS ONLINEThe hangar bay doors open, and you stride out alongside the rest of your Lance--your two fellow 'normal' Mechwarriors, Roland and Gertrude, in their own medium 'mechs, the workhorses of your Lance--a Hunchback HBK-4G and a Griffin GRF-1N, and your lance leader, Lance, in his Orion ON1-K. Lance's voice crackles over your radio. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we're on the move. Uploading tactical information now--Unknown enemies, unknown 'mech designs. Stay frosty. Derringer, you're up front--check these waypoints as we move, I don't want to get surprised."What do you do, Tom?
>>19257351Ok, stay cautious, we're the fast one so we'll be scouting up ahead, keep to the high ground and get as much information on the unknowns before our comrades have to engage.
>>19257449Agreed, the Jenner is a fast little missile boat, so we're probably best served zipping on ahead and using the jump jets to pop up now and again to scan above the local terrain.
>>19257351>ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE>not nominalYou fucked up, OP.
You strike on ahead towards your first checkpoint. Local terrain is forested tundra--not the best fighting terrain, but not the worst you've had. You pop up over the treetops every little bit to get a good view of the horizon, and you see there's some damn fierce fighting going on to the north, where Lance's Lance is heading to reinforce the local garrison. One of those jumps, you see an unknown 'mech in a clearing not to far away, painted in colors you don't recognize--grays, mostly, with a bear's head symbol painted on the side. It doesn't match any pattern you know, but that size it's probably a scout. It's pilot doesn't seem to have seen you, yet, and you know you can maneuver around to get a good shot at it's back without much trouble.What do you do, Tom?>>19257491yeah, I fucked up. My bad, it's been forever.
>>19257529Inform the team of him. Circle around to a good firing position. Then go in and fill him full of lasers. We don't want whoever is using him to scout to get useful data on us.
>>19257553Pretty much this.
rolled 4, 1 = 5>>19257529Put some SRMs in that fucker's cockpit!
"Tom to Lance, we got an unknown scout at these coordinates," you say, uploading them to the other 'mech's map views. "Moving to flank and engage, with your permission, sir, over?""Lance to Tom, permission granted. We don't want their scouts going back back more than they already have, over."With those words, you circle around. The other 'mech is moving a bit, but not much, careful. Not careful enough, you muse, as you level your medium lasers at the back of it and let loose all four... just as the enemy 'mech leaps to the side, dashing sideways and twisting to lance out at you with two medium lasers of it's own, only one of yours managing to hit. You take a scything blow to the front as you hastily change course, jumping up in an attempt to throw off the enemy pilot's aim and firing off a barrage of SRM ammo and your lasers.The enemy contact has dashed into the woods, but you still have ample room to pursue.What do you do, Tom?
>>19257632Lance, moving to pursue enemy scout. You guys move to cut him off his escape an prevent any ambushes. He might be fast, but I ought to be close and he won't be able to go anywhere near his full speed in the woods.
rolled 1, 6 = 7>>19257632Ok, NOW shoot his ass full of SRMs! Go for the legs!
>>19257648Right, we really need to let them know that this guy is FAST.
I like your style OP, hope this quest does well, and I plan on reading the results come morning
"Tom to Lance, enemy scout has fled. Pursuing. Recommend flanking maneuver, it's fast as hell but there's plenty of trees, over.""Lance to tom, we hear you. Sending Gertrude to flank with you, over."You grin. Gertrude's a bit of an artist with her Griffin, and her backup, if necessary, will be appreciated. You launch off a volley at the enemy 'mech's legs, the SRMs slamming into them and making the light unknown stumble, and while it manages to hit you with a return volley, it slows down enough that you can rake across it with your medium lasers, too. It regains it's balance and strides off into the woods... back towards where you know Gertrude would approach from. "Tom to Gertrude, expect company. Aim for the legs, let's see if we can't get some salvage for once, over.""Gertrude to Tom, I aim to please, over," she replies, and over the crackle and static you hear the unique sound of a PPC firing. "Gertrude to Tom, got it in the knee. Marking it for salvage and reporting back, over.""Tom to Gertrude, glad you could help," you say, and change frequencies again. "Tom to Lance, bogey is down, moving to next checkpoint, over."What comes through chills you. "Lance to Tom, can the checkpoint! I need you here ASAP, the enemy units have moved to flank the front! We have enemy Assaults on us now! Get here, over!"What do you do, Tom?
>>19257749Oh shit! Try to come in from behind the assaults and hit them in the rear of the legs. We can't get through their frontal armor, but maybe we can do enough damage from the rear to help out.
rolled 13 = 13>>19257749If this roll is odd, I vote to find a way to get the hell off this rock, we're not getting paid enough to die. If even, I vote we pull a Leroy Jenkins and come to the rescue with a barrage of SRMS.
>>19257749On my way, I'll be there before Gertrude. I'll come from behind and blast them with all my lasers and missile. Play it safe and cautious until I can surprise them.How many we got and of what variety?
>>19257818You have a standard Jenner JR7-D, with 4 Medium Lasers and an SRM-4, a max speed of 118 km/h, and five jump jets allowing you to jump 150 meters in a single bound. You only have ten standard heat sinks, meaning that overheating is a problem if you rely to much on your lasers, and carry four tones of normal armor. You have one ton of ammo for your SRM-4.
>>19257857That's good to know. I was also asking how many hostiles are attacking our buds and of what variety.
>>19257749Seek to move in behind the assault mechs and hit them in the rear. Aim for legs as a likely weak spot, and be prepared to fire jump jets to prevent rearguard from lighting you up like a Christmas Tree
>>19257874From what's on the Lance's tacnet, the enemy has two Assault 'mechs--one Atlas of an unknown variant, and one unknown. Lance and Roland have already engaged, and you circle around back--indeed, one Atlas and one unknown and unrecognized. You have a clear shot at either of their backs.What do you do, Tom?
>>19257900Alpha strike the Atlas, aim for his rear legs. Then fire jumpjests and seek to stay clear of their lines of fire. As soon as they get hit, one of them is going to try and swat you down.
>>19257900Go for the unrecognized one, it looks to be smaller then the Atlas, because everything is smaller than an Atlas. Fire a full salvo of missiles and lasers at the weakest point we can find. Then get some distance. Don't stay for a straight up fight. Just stop them from getting clean shots on Lance and Roland and buy time for Gertrude to return.
>>19257926Seconding this one.
>>19257926Suppose I'll support this too.
>>19257962You zero in on the Unknown's rear legs and let fly with all lasers and all missiles. They impact just as Roland's Hunchback's Autocannon-20 flings a huge, solid slug into the Unknown's chest--both the Hunchback and Lance's Orion slugging it out with the two Assaults, fighting a retreat back towards the dropship--and you jump right as the Unknown swivels and fills the space you were in with lasers and solid projectiles. You land and fire off another volley of lasers and missiles, your heat gauge rising to near-dangerous levels, and one of your missiles fires true, lodging into the Unknown's knee actuator and forcing it to remain standing.The whine of a PPC fills the air as Gertrude joins in the fight. Roland's Hunchback is limping, and Lance's Orion has taken a huge hit to the chest and is missing most of it's armor.The unknown Assault continues to to try and track you as best it can, preparing to fire another volley of lasers and solid projectiles, and the Atlas is turning it's attentions to the wounded Orion.What do you do, Tom?
>>19257982Our heat gauge is far too high to stay in the fight. Move in the same direction of the unknown's swivel, move fast and jumpjet into cover while spamming missiles if they don't hit our head too bad. Let our heatsinks dissipate a bit more before we jump back in.Once we get back in the fight finish off the unknown Assault, the Atlas is too tough a nut for us to want to try to crack when we've got this Unknown after us.
>>19257994Also, fire a few missiles at the Atlas, just to discourage it from picking on the Orion.
>>19257982Get to a clear spot, and line up a jump to try and land on top of the Atlas. Even if it's an assault mech, the tonnage on a Jenner will be enough to crush up it's upper armor, and hopefully throw off the Atlas' aim.Be sure to put enough juice into the jump, best to overshoot the Atlas and put it between us and the Unknown if we miss
>>19257982Also, any word on our Aerospace pilot or if the dropship has any weapons to speak of? Baddies this tough may require a good bit of heavy firepower
You move quickly, jetting up to avoid the worst of the fire from the Unknown, though you take a hit to the side of your Jenner's torso that ablates most of the armor there. Your heat gauge falls, slowly, almost to slowly, as you fire off a barrage of missiles at the Atlas, which accomplishes little aside from throwing off it's aim--it's Autocannon strikes the ground at Lance's feet, instead of blowing off one of the heavy's legs."Lance to all units! We are leaving! Fighting retreat to the DropShip, we did not get paid enough for this, over!"Gertrude and Roland both voice positives, and move to support Lance in the retreat, focusing on the Atlas and doing some damage to it--the beast is most definitely slowing down. You stride along, in the woods to either side of the path the larger 'mechs are fighting in.The Unknown seems to have lost interest in you, and turns to lay down a barrage towards the Griffon, punching a hole clean through one of the 'mech's arms.What do you do, Tom?
>>19258108Fire a missile barrage into the Unknown, try to get it's attention before fading back into the woods. Probably be smartest to find a longer way back to the dropship that will pull the Unknown off of the rest of the Lance.
>>19258108Understood. We're one fast fucker so we can delay leaving for longer. Burst out of the woods and lay down another salvo of death on the Unknown, giving Gertrude a chance to leave, before returning and finding a alternative path back to the Dropship.
>>19258072Your Aerospace fighter, Victor, is generally held in reserve. His fighter, a Hellcat, is large and it's not easy to get replacement parts for. Your DropShip is an old, but well-maintained Confederate--lightly armored for what it is, but it's still packing 14 large and 20 medium lasers. There's a JumpShip you were sharing with a few other mercenary units in orbit, but it is an Invader class, nearly completely unarmed with just two PPCs.
>>19258171I'd rather not pull those in right yet, we regroup, then we can if needed distract any remainders to open them up for a barrage from the dropship.
You burst out of the woods, and lay a field of fire onto the Unknown, jarring it and causing most of it's barrage to miss Gertrude, but her Griffin takes a heavy hit to the lower Torso and nearly topples, her legs limping badly. It turns to face you, but by the time it has you've faded back into the woods and started stalking after the Atlas, which continues to lay down a constant barrage. Roland, his 'mech and yours currently the least damaged, rushes between the Atlas and Lance's Orion, taking an Autocannon hit to his Hunchback's shoulder, right where his own Autocannon is.You fade into view and blast at the Atlas's rear, hoping to jar it, damage it, something--it's slower than frozen mollasses, but it still has range. It turns to face you, almost ponderously, and fires off a barrage of lasers and SRMs that hit you hard in the left leg, but you maintain your balance and fade back into the woods.That distraction was enough--the rest of your Lance is away, leaving the Atlas behind, wounded as it is.What do you do, Tom?
>>19258252There are two of them and one of us, granted they're damaged but we still can't take them. As much as I'd like to keep them distracted while they come back with the Hellcat and Dropship in order to finish them off, it'd probably be best to hightail it.
>>19258252Order whatever's left of our force to lay down suppressing fire and withdraw.
>>19258252Cut through the woods and get back to the Dropship. Get in position to cover your retreating lancemates and tell the crew to get ready for lift off. Ensure they prep weapon batteries in case these assault mechs have buddies or decide they want to chase a bit more.
You cut through the woods and head back towards your dropship. The woods are quiet, eerily so, and soon you arrive, barely beating your Lancemates there. "Lance to all units, prep for liftoff. We're getting out of this hellhole. Techs be ready for heavy repairwork, over," you hear as the bay doors open.Gertrude and Roland load up first, then Lance, leaving only you left. One final patrol around the clearing your DropShip had settled in, and you load up as well, the spheroid dropship closing all bay doors and turning it's thrusters on as it heads towards orbit. You leave your battered Jenner as soon as you can can, Rusty John already clucking over it like a worried mother. Knowing Lance--and you know Lance, you've been working for him for five years now--he's already heading to the debriefing room.You have to admit, the damage to your Jenner looks a lot worse than it felt. At least the DropShip isn't shaking from antiaircraft fire, though.What do you do, Tom?
>>19258313Give our Jenner a hug. Tell it that it did a good job today.Then find Gertrude and head to the debriefing room with her.
>>19258324I pet my Jenner.I love my Jenner.
>>19258313Ask Rusty John how bad the damage is. Also see if there are any upgrades for it.If we meet the Unknown again we need to be better armed.
>>19258339Talk to Rusty John and see if you can help him out after the debriefing.
You give the Jenner a good pat on the cockpit, and slide down and out, walking over to Rusty John. "How bad is it? Anything you need me to help with, Chief? And you manage to salvage up any upgrades this trip for me?" you ask with a smile.John shakes his head, rubbing one grease-stained hand into a cloth at his waist. "Most of yer armor's stripped, you took bad damage to the electrics on your left torso, and we might have ta replace yer leg actuators, to early to tell fer that. No upgrades, 'cept for some armor--did manage to score a beagle active probe if you want it installed, but we'd have to take out your SRM for it. Give us some more room, maybe. Put in another heat sink, a small laser, if you wanted."The big mechanic shrugs. "Now go get to the debriefing, boy, 'fore Lance takes it outta yer hide!"You laugh and slap him on the back, walking off towards the Debriefing Room. You meet Gertrude on the way, and she grins at you. The woman's tall and wide, more muscular than most men you've met. An exile from House Steiner, she's a bit tight-lipped about her past, but is otherwise a happy, prideful woman who loves her work... and wrestling. You haven't been in the ring with her since the last time, when you made a drunken bet.Spent a week in Infirmary for that.What do you do, Tom?
>>19258394Make small talk on the way towards the briefing room.
>>19258394Amazon woman, nice.Give her a brofist, make small talk, ask if she'd like to go drinking later.
>>19258394Smile and say "Hi."
You hold out a fist for the timeless greeting of one warrior to another, and Gertrude responds in kind. "Nice work on that scout, Tom," she says. "I only had to get it once to finish it off. And you saved my ass against those Assaults.""Hah, it's what a team's for, ain't it? Next time I'll be the one to charge in firing, and you can be the one to flank them like an intelligent person."Gertrude laughs it off and slaps you on the back--you only stagger a little--and at this point, you're at the debriefing room. You enter, and Lance and Roland are already there. Lance has a strip of paper towel up one nostril, he must've gotten banged up in his cockpit a good bit. "Gertrude, Tom. Glad we all made it in one piece. Not a whole lot of debriefing to do, but I do want to know just what each of you think of these... unknown enemies. Comms managed to get into their communications a bit, and apparently they call themselves Clan Ghost Bear. Aside from that, we only know what we saw. So let's start with our scout."He nods at you, informally giving you the floor to say what you think about this invading forces.What do you do, Tom?
>>19258439Discuss the Scout and the unknown, work off what features you remember. The big thing is to figure out what kind of tech they have, so we can be prepped for next time.
>>19258439Well the scout was fast as hell, light, I'd say no more then 25 tons. Tailor made for scouting, spotting and short range raiding and ambushes. Made me look slow and the Jenner isn't exactly a clunking beast. He had two medium lasers, and two SRM type missile launchers, not sure of the exact variety.I took out a lot of his mobility and then Gertrude finished him off when he ran.
>>19258439Ask if they said anything else of significance.
"The scout was fast--made my Jenner look like a heavy. Seemed to move fastest in short bursts, slowed down for longer movement, like some sort of professional sprinter or dasher," you say. "Armed with two medium lasers and two SRM launchers, I want to say two fours or a four and a six from the hits I took. Tailor built for scouting, couldn't've weighed more than 25 tons. I got him across the legs, Gertrude finished him off, so armor was light," you finish, sketching out how the 'mech looked, where it's weapons came from, and where you hit it. Gertrude comes up and puts where she hit it as well. "Yes," she says. "Very light, very fast. My shot was lucky, I blindsided it, it wasn't expecting me and got corralled into me. Pilot was very good. We get anything else from their comms?"Lance shakes his head. "Nothing useful, they were using non-standard military slang. At least not to any standard I recognize. We've got it recorded, though, so we might be able to figure it out while we travel. Roland, your thoughts on that Assault?"[Field to long, continued in next post]
>>19258537Roland speaks up next. "That Assault was something else. Some sort of souped-up Autocannon was taking chunks out of us, plus some machine guns and Large Lasers, it was putting a pounding on us, like a gladiator in an arena match on some poor slave schmuck. And that Atlas variant wasn't your normal one, either," he says. He's a small man, a Rasaulhague native and the newest recruit, only been in the company for six months, but he has an encyclopedic knowledge of 'mechs, and used to be a Tech before he found out he had a knack for piloting. "It was an Atlas-II. Historical, really, they were built near the end of the Star League, but when the SLDF left the Inner Sphere they all went with them."Lance frowns. "So. We've got unknown 'mechs, strange military code, and Star League era LosTech 'mechs coming to the inner sphere... from the same direction the SLDF fled to, if I remember my history book. Summarize what this means for me," he says. His favorite tactic when he has a bad opinion--make sure the rest of the Lance backs him up with it.What do you do, Tom?
>>19258544It means this Clan Ghost Bear is bad news. It's not exactly child's play to get hold of an Atlas and the Scout and other Assault were damn good at their jobs, both in terms of technology and piloting. We were lucky to get out of there with as little damage as we did. We bloodied their nose, if you don't count their scout it's hard to say who got hurt more, probably us.The big thing we have to worry about is if they're here on personal business or mercenary business like us. If it's the first one they might hold a grudge, if the second they might not care.
>>19258573ask them why this "clan ghost bear" would be here. where are we, and what resources does the planet hold?
>>19258544It could mean that the SLDF is coming back, with a vengeance. I can't think of anyone else who would have an Atlas II. Not sure why they're doing it now, but they seem to be bringing some new mechs and some old ones with them and they probably aren't here to have a tea party. Not sure what their goal is, but it probably isn't nice. It might be to take over the galaxy, but that'd just be silly.
>>19258591You're on the planet Damien, which is a Free Rasaulhauge Republic world to the 'north' of their holdings, very near the Periphery. It's not much of strategic importance--it mostly exports ores and lumber. Quiet place, away from the usual fronts, it's why you were doing garrison duty here. A vacation, sort of.
>>19258605They either wanted some ores and lumber, an easy foothold or they threw a dart at the wall and it landed here. I'm guessing the first, a full scale invasion would be pretty damn weird, but possible.
>>19258605I see. How well-defended is Damien? Can we access any sort of military stockpiles or ways to order reinforcements (say, from other mercs)?
"Sounds about like the SLDF are coming back, sir," you say, voice a bit low. The idea's shocking to you--the SLDF are the subject of history and children's tales. Everyone thought they had just died after they left, vanished into untamed space, eaten by the universe. "And we don't really know what they're here for, either. What if they want to take over the Inner Sphere?" you muse aloud.Gertrude snorts. "They are welcome to try! We have been warring, year after year, since the fall of the Star League. We have perfected the art of the Soldier," she says. Roland speaks up after. "But if they are, shouldn't we let them? I mean, the Star League was the golden era for mankind. Peace, prosperity, technology... if they really are the SLDF and can prove it, why shouldn't we help them? Or at least let them?"Lance shakes his head. "Because if they wanted to, they should've asked first. And no Great House is going to take this rolling over... and honestly? Neither am I. They attacked first. We might be mercs, but we're still citizens of the Inner Sphere."He looks between all of you. "It's all we've got, ladies and gentlemen. We're heading full speed to Rasalhague itself for our next job. Any questions before I dismiss you?"What do you do, Tom?
>>19258663It wasn't. Your lance, perhaps two other merc groups--all told about five lances, some aerospace fighters, some vehicles and some infantry. It was poorly defended, poorly equipped, because no one expected it to be targetted. As it stands, your DropShip has gotten to the JumpShip, and you're getting out of there as fast as you can. There probably wouldn't be any stockpiles, anyway, as Damien wasn't a military world.
>>19258665Well, given that we may very well have war coming, how much do you think we're going to be able to up the cost it takes to hire us? Now it is time to drink, and enjoy ourself.
>>19258605Either there's something specific here that they want or they're just going to hit everything in the area. Or maybe they just wanted to poke at us and see what we did.Yeah, I know, I'm Captain Obvious here, but we gotta put all the possibilities on the table, this could be anything.
"Well, given that this war's probably gonna be a big one, how much do you think we can bump our prices before people quit hiring us?" you ask.Lance laughs. "We'll see. Leave the haggling to me. Dismissed for now, everyone--get some relaxing in, some reading, some drinking. It's a few weeks there. You know where to find me if you need me," he says, and with some nods, your fellow Mechwarriors scatter. Roland, you know, is going to be heading for the mess. Gertrude is likely going to the gym for some lifting, and Lance is going to file a report and then crash hard for a few hours, getting some sleep.What do you do, Tom?
>>19258804Grab a couple six packs of beer, join Gertrude in the gym. Bro it up.
You swing by the Mess to grab a couple of six-packs of the local flavor--Rasalhague beer's some of the better you've tasted--and to wave at Roland before you head by your quarters to get changed out of your pilot's suit for some better workout clothes and head to the Gym.Gertrude is there, wearing a sports bra and some athletic shorts, and is doing her stretches and warm-ups. You join her and toss her a beer. She laughs and drinks it, and the two of you move to the weight machines--free weights are bad juju on spaceships, but resistance machines are fine. It seems she's in an upper body mood, hitting the bench machines.You make some small talk as you work, mostly involving how loose you think these invading SLDF fighter's mothers are and how weak their beer probably is, but after a bit Gertrude asks you a question that you haven't answered in awhile. "You know, Tom, we've been working together for four years now and I still don't know much about your past. I'm tight lipped about mine, yeah, but I don't even know where you're from! You ever gonna tell us?"What do you do, Tom?(If you decide to talk, basically anywhere in the inner sphere is good. For those new to Battletech, if there are any, have this: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Inner_Sphere and mind that the year is 3050.)
>>19258878Sure, it just doesn't come up that often and isn't all that important.Draconis Combine, my father worked his way up the ranks to a decent level. Paid the bills, kept me and my siblings in school, taught me how to pilot and so on. I decided against following his footsteps, never much liked Bushido, and became a mercenary. I still have the Daisho from my graduation lying around somewhere. Just so you know, if we're wrestling again I demand the right to use a staff or wooden sword.
"Born in the Combine, actually. Dad was military, put me and my siblings through school to follow him. But I wasn't much for that, so I struck off to become a military. Still have the Daisho from my graduation in my room," you explain between reps."And, on that subject, I'm reserving the right to use a bokken or a staff against you next time we wrestle."Gertrude laughs. "I thought you might have been Draconis, you had a bit of the accent. And if we're going at it with weapons, I still have my father's old Zweihander in my room," she grins at you, sitting up from her set and quaffing another beer. "Want to have at it again? Wood swords, to capitulation?"What do you do, Tom?[Also: Given how it seems all but one of you has gone to bed, I am considering pulling the quest to an early, post-wise, close until a better time. Archive it in case it dies, run it again quite possibly on monday. Not until we reach a good point of stopping, though.]
>>19258981Very well, we shall see which is superior. My swordsmanship steeped in ancient tradition, honor and duty, or the howling barbarian with an anvil that pretends to be a sword. This shall be a true fight of our cultures, prepare yourself.I'd say that we should drink more beer in between rounds but I think that'd favor you quite heavily.
"You're on, Miss 'I Call An Anvil A Sword'," you say with a grin, drinking a beer of your own. You walk over to where the practice swords are kept, and pull out a bokken. It's not weighted quite to your specifications, but it'll do. Gertrude swaggers over and pulls out a hefty wooden two-hander. "What do you say to drinking between rounds?" she asks, testing the balance.You laugh. "Favors you a bit much, don't you think?" you ask as you and she take position opposite each other at the gym's sparring ring. She simply grins, and holds her weapon in a guard stance, waiting for you to take the first move. She's strong, and her weapon has reach on you, but you're faster. You should be able to dodge most of her strikes, but it'll take you a bit to wear her down, if wrestling her was any indication of her endurance.You, on the other hand, probably only need to get hit once.What do you do, Tom?
>>19259093Wait for an attack, parry then counter and dodge out of range again.A block is just asking for trouble.
>>19259093Let her take the initiative. At the very most lightly poke at her defenses. Make her attack and parry or dodge and then counter attack. Never outright block. She's got one big sword, it takes a bit to change directions on those. If we can get one a solid hit on the wrist might make her lose her grip for a second. Also we can shift to a one handed grip for lunging thrusts that give us more distance then she is betting on.Keep circling her and don't let her get a straight angle of attack. Don't get caught up in a clinch, that gives her far too much of an advantage.
>>19259125This, but watch out for her lunging the weapon at us one-handed. I don't think a wooden sword is as heavy as the real deal.
You circle around Gertrude, both hands on the hilt of your blade. Both of you are silent, waiting for one or the other to make a mistake. You feint with your left leg, pretending to be moving in for an attack, and Gertrude sees, lunging at you with a two-handed chop and a fierce war-cry--it is, admittedly, very loud, especially in the confines of the gym. You dodge to the side and slice at her wrist, hitting it solidly, but she manages to keep her grip.The Lyran woman lets her momentum carry her into another attack, swinging at you from the left. You duck to dodge it, and reach out again, landing a solid blow on her side, though she manages, barely, to change the path of her wooden blade to hit you on the top of the head with the flat, leaving you stunned for a moment, but you recover swiftly. Still a bit dizzy, you go back to circling her in the mat, both of you a bit winded, but neither ready to capitulate yet.What do you do, Tom?
>>19259207We got a solid blow on one of her wrists, she has to be feeling it there. Throw a few light testing thrusts that we don't expect to go through at her belly and face, see how she reacts to them, then feint a swing to the head and go for the wrist we've already hit.
>>19259230Sounds good.
>>19259207She's likely to favor her other hand, be ready to dodge sideways and bring a chop down across her forearms to connect with one wrist or the other.
You move to strike, sending a few light thrusts at her stomach and face. She dodges away, blocking one with the flat of her blade and simply staying away from the others. You swing once more at her face, and she ducks with a roar, moving low and fast to put the point of her wooden sword in your chest. You dodge nimbly to the side and smack her on the wrist again, a howl of rage coming from Gertrude as she drops her blade, her momentum forcing her to the floor at the edge of the ring.You leap forward and plant the tip of your sword at the base of her skull. "I think that's game, Gertrude."She laughs, and turns around. Smiling, she holds a hand up. You take it, and help her up. "Good match! We should do that more often, Tom. Haven't had a good swordfight since my Academy days," she says, grinning. "I'm tired as balls, though. Think I'm gonna hit the showers and get some sleep."Thinking about it, it hasn't been the shortest day, and between the battles and your workout you are feeling tired yourself. You take another beer and nod. "See you around," you say to Gertrude as she leaves, taking the rest of her sixpack with her. Stifling a yawn, you head to your quarters for a shower and some sleep.The SLDF is back, your Jenner got roughed up all to hell, and you still aren't sure if Gertrude is flirting with your or just being a bro.It's three weeks to Rasalhauge. Plenty of time to think about things.End Mechwarrior Quest: Thread One.[Hope you enjoyed it, folks! I've been up for 33 hours now and really should get some sleep.]
>>19259348Thanks it was good fun, get some sleep man.I'm not sure if she knows the difference between flirting or being a bro either, or if she does there's an imperceptible difference between them, at least in the beginning stages.
>>19259348Damn, we're lucky if we have access to water showers! Take advantage now before the Captain cuts our rations! Also sleep well you tire tired storyteller.
BATTLETECH: WHERE THE WOMEN ARE MEN TOO
>>19259397Never said it was a water shower! Probably a sonic shower.Going to bed for real this time, just poking my head back in to ask for comments, questions, and criticism. If the thread's still up when I wake, I"ll address 'em, else, I'll address them in Thread 2: Quest Boogaloo.g'night /tg/.
>>19259409How much modification of our Mechs are we going to be allowed to do?Whereabouts are we in terms of piloting skill, and where would you put the rest of our team?Could you give us a brief physical description of Tom some time?About where are you going to try to balance the proportions of Mech Combat to person stuff like negotiating contracts, spending time with the team, and all that other stuff?
Quick bump for others to have a read of it., and to hope OP can answer >>19259497 's questions.
>>19259497Ah, glorious sleep.>How much modification of our Mechs are we going to be allowed to do?As much as you want, within tonnage reasons. And as a normal mech, not an omnimech, it'd take time, of course. Rusty John allready offered to swap out your SRM and ammo for a Beagle Active Probe.>Whereabouts are we in terms of piloting skill, and where would you put the rest of our team?Above IS Average, below Clan Average--in game terms, you're still a 4 Gunner/5 Piloting pilot. Lance is, perhaps, 4/4.>Could you give us a brief physical description of Tom some time?Tall, thing, black hair, brown eyes, very fit but not bulky is how I've been seeing him in my mind.>About where are you going to try to balance the proportions of Mech Combat to person stuff like negotiating contracts, spending time with the team, and all that other stuff?It's Mechwarrior Quest, so Mech Combat is going to be a big portion, but I do want to explore the other parts of the universe, too. Call it a 60/40 split?
>>19262322>Beagle Active ProbeGiven our role as a scout and our heat problems, I think we should go with the Active Probe and another heatsink.I hope we can pick up a Guardian ECM along the way, and maybe fit it all into a slightly bigger mech, something in the Medium class, or just simply get a Raven with Jump Jets.
>>19262322>And as a normal mech, not an omnimech, it'd take time, of course.It also decreases the quality of the mech being customized and increases the maintenance.
>And what mech is waiting for you in the Hanger, on this fine day in March, 3050? >3050And just like that, you lost me.
bump
Allright, I'm back, and able to run. Quick roll call? There enough people watching to make it worth running?
>>19267376im hitting the hay...saved your thread tho....keep going, son am proud n all
>>19267376I'm here and ready to go.
>>19267376REACTOR ONLINESENSORS ONLINEWEAPONS ONLINEALL SYSTEMS NOMINALLet's do this.
>>19267376I have no idea what's going on here, but I guess I'll give it a shot.
The worst part about being a mercenary is the waiting, to be honest.It's been three weeks since Damien, and you are finally getting into orbit around Rasalhauge itself, capital of the Free Rasalhague Republic. There's reports coming in from the periphery, a great many worlds have been attacked by these invading 'Clans'. Lance has gotten into communications with the FRR government for a contract, and from the look on his face when he calls his Mechwarriors--You, Gertrude, and Roland--his Aerospace Pilot--Victor--and his head of engineering--good ol' Rusty John--to the briefing room."Alright, lady and gentlemen, we've got a job. And we got four times our normal going rate, too. Garisson duty again, this time on New Bergen, just one jump away, so we have a week. I'm giving you all advanced pay, since it looks like we're fighting the clans more this time."He slides to each of you a card containing your pay--a good few thousand C-Bills, enough for a couple of really good nights on the town... or other things. Other personnel, techs, the Comms Guys, they all get less, but still a good amount. "Everyone's getting four days shore leave, then we're back in business. Just remember my rule: Don't get arrested and I don't care what you do. Any questions before I set you bunch free on the population?"What do you do, Tom?
>>19267667We're mercs working for the FRR?Why don't we just shoot ourselves? It would be a lot less painful than putting up with all the shit they're going to be chucking at us.
>>19267667Can't think of anything except what is the best dive bar around?Head to to that bar with our mates, and get some heavy carousing in.
"I've got one, sir," Victor speaks up. He's a short, pale man, always wearing goggles, who keeps his hair cut completely off, but he's a good pilot. "You sending out a team for spare parts like normal?"Lance nods. "I'm putting Rusty John in charge of it. Any requests go to him.""One from me, sir," you say. "What's the best bar in town?" Your fellow warriors laugh, and Roland speaks up. "Smogasborg's. A cousin of mine owns it, brews his own beer, mead. Distills a bit, too. I was gonna head straight there, if you just want to follow.""Sounds fine to me, Roland," you say, and Lance dismisses you. You, Gertrude, and Roland strike out from the landing port, heading into town in a rental groundcar.Before you go, are there any part requests you leave with Rusty John, Tom?
>>19267821Maybe if he could pick up a Guardian ECM suite? I still think we should install that Beagle and take an extra heat sink.
Rusty John says he'll see what he can do, and he'll swap some parts over to get that BAP installed.Meanwhile, you, Gertrude, and Roland pull up to the bar--Smogaborg's. It's in a fairly good part of Rasalhague City, and while not supremely busy, is fairly so as you enter. The Bartender waves and smiles. "Roland, Cousin! Glad to see you alive and in once piece, eh? You want your usual? And what'll your friends have?"Roland grins at his Cousin. "My usual, yeah. Tom, Gertrude, this is my cousin Sven. Sven, these are my fellow mechwarriors."The barkeep smiles broadly. "Always good to meet friends of family members," he says, pouring Roland what looks like mead. Gertrude laughs. "Strongest thing you have, leave the bottle!" She says, and the barkeep is more than happy to oblige. There's more than a few people, men and women both, staring over at your group when Roland mentions that you are Mechwarriors, most in awe.What do you do, Tom?
>>19268184We could leverage the fact that we rid around in a giant, multi-ton war machine to pick up one of the nicer looking girls.Nevermind that we're only a light mech pilot. They don't need to know that.Considering how unbelievably fucked we are, we might as well get laid before we die.
>>19268184Get drunk with our team. Tell drunken stories of our exploits, share a pile of mead with Gertrude. Enjoy the festivities.
>>19268541Second this. We've got four days, let's enjoy them.
"Mead for me," you say, and Sven pours you a mug. You take a sip as Gertrude drinks straight from her bottle of strong-smelling vodka. It's pretty damn good stuff. You make some small talk with Sven, and after a few minutes a young woman, probably in her early twenties, red hair and green eyes, wearing a tight little clubbing one-piece. She's rather petite, especially compared to, say, Gertrude, but frankly, you're petite compared to Gertrude. The woman clears her throat, and you, Roland, and Gertrude turn, almost as one--the benefits of working so closely together. She blushes, and speaks."You three said, uh, said you're Mechwarriors? Uh, I'm guessing mercenaries? I know this isn't really something you probably get asked alot, but I'm a military anthropology major at the University of Rasalhague, and, umm, I was wondering if maybe I could interview some of you for my term paper? I mean, you don't have to, but I'd really, umm, appreciate it!"She sounds excited, honest, and academic. Gertrude quirks an eyebrow at her, then at you. "There's not a whole lot to talk about," she says, "But maybe one of my friends here might. Roland, Tom?"What do you do, Tom?
>>19268631Shove Roland towards her saying that he'd be happy to help a young student like herself.Then clink glasses with Gertrude and laugh. Offer to swap some vodka for some proper mead. Once we get drunk enough we'll start telling battle stories, with the others interrupting and clarifying events. It'll be a hoot.
>>19268712I suppose this is funny enough.So wait, are we going to try to flirt with Gertrude? Or just keep it bro-friendly?
>>19268948I'm not sure, we're unclear as to where she is going with this, us sword fighting might have been seen as flirting or broing it up. We should bro it up and drop light flirting and innuendo into the conversation. Worst happens we have a bro, best happens we flirt with our bro-amazon Gertrude. With someone like her there is a very thing line between severe broing it up and flirting.
You slip a hand behind Roland's back and push him forward. "Here, Roland'll more than happy to help!" you say, and the woman damn-near squeals in happiness, grabs the Hunchback pilot and drags him to a corner of the bar, yammering questions into his ear.Gertrude laughs and slaps you on the back. "Hah! Using him to keep out of the line of fire, eh? Like that time on Atlas, remember that?"You laugh, and get yourself a shot of her vodka, motioning at Sven to get some mead for her in exchange. "The urban fight, yeah? Against those Cap units. An Archer, wasn't it? Fired a bunch of LRMs at me, I ducked behind him and they slammed into him instead. That was his first deployment with us, wasn't it?"Gertrude nods, quaffing her mug of mead in one go. "Yeah, and he was pissy for a week after that. Hah! He's grown as a soldier, though. Only a few people I can think of that I'd rather have beside or behind me in a fight."You nod, having a drink of your own.How do you want to steer the conversation, Tom?
>>19269150What did you expect me to do, he's in a Hunchback and I'm in a Jenner, missiles and me aren't that good together.Oh, I hope I am included in that few people?Steer it towards light flirting and more drinking.Mention that we'd be worried about breaking someone quite that petite. We couldn't swordfight, wrestle and it doesn't look like she'd be able to hold her liquor. And try to imagine her covering your back in combat. Really not what we're looking for in a woman.
>>19269264I can't think of anything better, and I suppose seeing where this thing with Gertrude leads will be interesting.
"Hey, I'm a Jenner pilot, what did he expect? Missiles and me don't get along well," you say, having another drink. You're starting to feel the good buzz now, and Gertrude probably is, though she hasn't slowed down her drinking a bit. "Hope I'm one of those you'd rather have beside you, though, eh?"Gertrude laughs. "Of course! Even if your mech is a tiny little thing, it's good at what it does, just like you're good at what you do. Everyone's got something, eh?" You chuckle. "Yeah, though some people I'm glad aren't on the battlefield. That girl we shoved Roland off to, she looks like she'd break to a stiff wind. Not really soldier material, in a 'mech or out. Or workout material--I think even I'd manage to break her, hell. Ain't what I'd look for in a woman," you say, slurring only slightly. Gertrude throws back her head in a huge guffaw, shaking the glasses behind the bar as Sven keeps your bottles and glasses filled."So what DO you look for in a woman, hmm, Tom?" She asks, a sly grin on her face.What do you do, Tom?
>>19269794Well Gertrude, that is an interesting question now isn't it. Competence is up there you have to be skilled at something, have something to be proud of, kindness, honesty, reliability, ability to hold their liquor. Strength, I'm not talking about muscles, though that is really really nice, couldn't really stand someone who couldn't do anything.Conviction, that's it, strength of will, following their beliefs all that jazz.No blushing maidens that I have to rescue from towers for me, someone I can rely one and who can hold their own.
Hello, I'm a friend of the OP, and he has texted me to tell /tg/ two things; One, his power's went out, so he can't continue the quest right now.Two, apparently he accidently did the last post anonymous and was about to correct it when his power died.
>>19269794"Now that's a hard question to answer, Gertrude."But the first thing I look for is, is she good at what she does? General competence, being able to hold her own, not being a princess."And two, willpower, you know? Able to take a hit and keep on fighting, even if its through sheer determination."
>>19270029Damn you power grid. Damn you to hell.
>>19270029Well, poop I was just getting into reading what had happened. Oh well.Have a free bump with my favorite mech.
bump for sweet sweet DFA action(eventually)!
>>19270137I'm impressed by the turn around time for "Get a buddy to tell /tg/">>19270069>>19269908We have some clever gents in this quest we do.
