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>>26958183
It's been a painful few days, and it felt surprisingly slow compared to the rush and terror and unease of combat duty. You've had it out with your boss, had a paranoid nervous breakdown, been accused of maverick leanings, and--well, no dwelling on that. You have a job to do.

That job is Solstrike Saetos.

You look at the terminal again, lettering glowing back up at you. A- to S-rank. Three 7th Air Cav officers, and an entire recon contingent. Do not engage by air.

Your hand hovers over the 'accept' button for just a moment, before you push your thumb down hard. Getting back into the game...like tearing off a band-aid, right?

At once, there's a flurry of activity, and an almost unfamiliar voice in your comms.

"Anode?" Seven asks. "Did you just take this Solstrike mission?"

"Yeah," you reply, "Why?"

"I just got pinged on this. Hold on, let me get over there, you have a few minutes anyway."

What does that mean?

Sure enough, he's there in just a minute. "This is a big one," he explains. "I'm getting intel feeds as we--hang on." He puts a hand to his temple, looking down and away for a moment, before turning back to you. "Second's officer is already on-site and confirming activation. First, Third, and Seventh are mobilizing their own assets. Fifth is readying a few dedicated coordination personnel to help juggle unit chatter. And--" Seven looks at you pointedly, "I'm handling the support on this op personally."

"What? Why?"

He rubs his face. "Look, someone has been fucking up. Maybe you," he says (fuck you), "maybe everyone. Did you forget the meeting? Too many variables left unaccounted to let--bad coordination, sabotage--" He lets that linger a moment, waving a hand vaguely. "Or whatever--happen here. You're going to need everything you can get your hands on." He slides in behind a terminal and settles in like he was born there, and begins typing up a storm. "We're both in the hot seat on this one, with all that's going on."

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>>26958208
"All right, cool," you shrug.

"As for you," he replies, turning sharply back, "if I get wind you try to cowboy this, I swear by all that's holy I'll see that Frog nails you to the wall."

"Christ, I get it," you spit irritably, "I'm not going to go Rambo."

He turns back to his screen and punches up a few more commands. "Good. I'll cross-check the contingent myself--you're not going out there with anything less than you should have. I'm going to pull a few strings, call in some favors, make sure everyone else is doing the same. This is too important to leave to some scrub. I'm not going to pretend we're buddy-buddy, but like I said--we're doing this by the book."

You nod--you can appreciate that much, at least. He's still a passive-aggressive little dick, but at least he's professional when it comes down to it. And, given what you've heard, you're gonna need it.

You step onto the pad, and feel yourself whisked away to the Himalayas.

You're met by a blast of bracing cold and hard stone. The mountain is freezing, but you're not alone.

Sprawled out in the small valley beneath you is a full hunter camp, and almost as many of them than you've ever seen in one place at a time.

"Ah, Lieutenant? Over here," a good-natured voice calls. "Lightleap Peruvic, Second Recon." greets its owner, a reploid llama(?). He shakes your hand warmly. "Welcome to Shangri-La. Let me fill you in while the forces muster."

>Tell me about the camp.
>What forces are on deck?
>What's my role in this?
>Other questions?

>What forces are on deck?
>Tell me about the camp.
>What's my role in this?

In this order.

>>26958226
>What's my role in this?

IT'S BACK.

>>26958226
First VMQ2, now MHQ? Almost makes up for the crippling hours at work. Good to see you back Hunter Command!

>"Tell me about the camp."
>"What's my role in this?"
>"Sorry if you get this all the time - llama or alpaca?"

We took the Solstrike mission, huh? Radical.

>>26958226
>Tell me about the camp.
>What forces are on deck?

>>26958226
>Tell me about the camp.
>What forces are on deck?
>What's my role in this?

>Other questions?
Are these large-scale musterings a usual thing?

>>26958645
Accidentally read that as "large-scale mustang," was wondering what Largescale Mustang had to do with anything. >_>

>>26958721
Therr's a Hunter named Largescale Mustang!?

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>>26958183
>And how about that there Mighty No. 9?
For those unaware:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9

>MEGA MAN'S NOT HERE ANYMORE! HE'S DEAD NOW!
>BUT ON MY BACK, AND IN MY HEART, HE LIVES ON!

>>26958782
THERE IS NOW.

>>26958870
With or without horsedong?

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>>26958880

>>26958870
>>26958880
Once a simple Reploid built by an enterprising Japanese director for 'live hentai action', Largescale Mustang gained noteriety after repelling a Maverick attack armed with nothing but a comically oversized dildo...

>>26959218
...Saint's Row MMCX?

Also, stand by, nearly ready. Just waiting on CL.

>>26959268
The thought of smashing a monologuing Maverick with a Penetrator is a hilarious image.

>"And all shall fall before the might of Si-"
>*HORSEDONG OF JUSTICE*

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>>26959624
Wait, did we just build?

>>26959999
>You make one more El Kabong joke and I write you up.
>Sure thing, SHERIFF.

>>26959999
I shouldn't be encouraging you, but wouldn't it be "El Kadong?"

CL is back, hashing out final details now.

>>26960097
That would have required me to go to photoshop, and put The Penetrator in his hand, and this thread is not dildos

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Thanks, guys. Been agonizing and/or spaghetti-spilling over this one. Hope it's up to snuff.

...Uh oh, thunder. If I lose power Zeus and I are going to have a few words.
>>26958319
>>26958321
>>26958333
>>26958334
"Anode, and thanks," you greet. "For starters--and sorry if you run into this a lot, but--alpaca or llama?"

He grins. "Vicugna. I'm from Peru."

"Right, sorry." He waves it off. "Okay, so give me the rundown, from the top. Shangri-La, huh?"

He throws his arms out grandly, sweeping them across the bustling firebase. "An S-rank buzzing overhead, buffeting winds, hard stone, field rechargers and provisions, and endless cold and snow. Welcome to paradise." You laugh--at least he's in good spirits. "In more practical terms, it's a temporary position that's grown roots. Recon pinned down the target's base of operations, and it cost them. So the Seventh sent in three officers to take him down, and it cost them. After that, the hunters rolled out in force--Saetos is a top-priority threat, and we can't afford to lose sight of him. So...this." He sighs and looks up at the looming Himalayas. "We've been at it for months now, making sure he doesn't leave. Set up a perimeter to contain him long enough for an emergency response, and sat down to wait for a chance to take another shot. And that's where you come in."

"I was just about to ask--what's my position here?"

"In regards to this op, you have field command. Our job is to support you and give you a window for the takedown. This is your show, here--any unled personnel answer directly to you, and with other officers, you're first among equals." That's... huh. For however long it lasts, this base camp--and the hundred-plus hunters on it--are yours to command.

Trippy.

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>>26960282
"So tell me who I'm bossing around, then," you say, noting a scattered formation of heavy emplacement guns, barrels craning skyward.

"Officially, 126 hunters make up the containment force. Second has--had--command, with support elements from the First and Fifteenth. Third's set up a supply relay. The Nepal military has been coordinating with us, and they're sending someone out presently. Seventh's helping make up an air cordon, and the Thirteenth deployed a regional adviser and a full compliment--speaking of, could I let him take you off my hands? There's more forces mustering that I need to brief."

>Yeah, sure.
>Just a sec, I have more questions (?)

>>26960298
>Yeah, sure.
Wow, this is a lot of responsibility.

Where are Susan and Flak?

>>26960450
That's coming up next, along with the rest of the 4th's strike team.

>>26960298
Yeah,sure.

>>26960298
That buzzard overhead thing was a joke, right? He's not really self-assured enough to buzz this base?

>>26960514
It's a figure of speech. That said, I wouldn't put it past him.

>It's back

AWW YISS

>>26960298
It'd be cool if we could get our sister in for this.

Ask some more questions, ask if there are any names among the 126 hunters we ought to know. Ask if he's personally seen Solstrike and what he can tell us about him personally.

>>26961033
>First Advance, I want you ranging up that mountain and rooting out emplacements.
>Except you, Cath.
>You're with me.

>>26961121
Lets first find out what assets we have before we assign them duties.

>>26961277
That was a hypothetical.

>>26961288
I know. I just want to avoid any preemptive strategising.

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>>26960341
>>26960498
"Don't let me keep you," you say, "I should probably get the lay of the land." Lightleap salutes you (huh), directs you to the far end of the encampment, and then heads off the way you came to a steadily-growing number of additional hunters.

You walk through the camp, noting that it seems rather sprawling. Tents, temporary shelters and quarters, pillboxes and defensive fortifications, an array of satellite dishes, a few smaller beam-in pads, and those artillery positions, all strewn with long empty stretches between.

Directing a handful of small mechaniloids at a field repair station in the back of the camp is a tall, lupine reploid--hunter insignia on his shoulder and an icy colorscheme mark him as every inch the Polar officer you're looking for. As you approach, he draws to his full height--something like two-thirds again your own--and salutes.

"Blizzard Wolfang, 13th," he says in a surprisingly smooth voice. "You'll be our point man?"

"Anode, 4th, and yeah, that's me," you return. "Lightleap sent me your way to get acquainted while he briefs the new arrivals."

"Quite a show, huh?" he says. "I think this is the biggest force I've ever been a part of."

"You and me both," you agree. "Before now I've never commanded anything larger than a basic combat detachment."

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>>26961741
"'Roids and 'Loids? Yeah, I know the feeling. As a Polar op I get a bit more leeway with that, though between you and me, you might not want to lord it up too hard. The units will all follow your lead and your orders, but they might resent it."

"Personal experience?" you ask.

"Heh, kind of. Chill Penguin hated that, when he called the shots for the 13th. Say what you will about the pompous puffer, but he helped give us a bit of an independent streak. When all you do is compliment and advise on-site, you tend to value that autonomy. Anyway, decision's yours, just think it over."

"I will," you nod. "I'm a groundpounder anyway, I don't think I'd really know how to properly command an air force."

"Damn sensible of you. Also, gotta say, your logistics guy is really on the ball. We'd always heard 4th's pretty lax. Just base scuttlebutt?"

"Yes and no," you shrug. "Sev's a bit of a hardass, but he does his job. We're not exactly close."

"I hear that. So, let me give you the rundown. Come on, walk with me." You nod, letting Wolfang get down to business. You start ahead, momentarily surprised when Wolfang crouches and begins to move along on all fours. Huh.

That said, frankly, you're relieved everyone here seems so...relaxed. It's sure to be tense, but the fact that they're not in a desperate panic gives you some hope. "Solstrike Saetos was originally christened Solar Saetos before defecting. I'm sure you've noticed the sprawl?" You nod. "Safety measure in case he throws something at us. We've got no idea what exactly he's sitting on, but we know a few high-value targets have been seen in the area. Last I heard we were planning to try to knock out more than one at a time, if we got the chance. Anyway, since priority one until now has been containing Saetos, we want to make sure they can't weaken us enough to make an escape push. So far, a whole lot of nothing.

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Gah, I hate it when I misjudge where to break up a post. Could have done this one in two.
>>26961759
He turns his head out toward the edge of the base, still trotting along. "Our layout is six satellite bases, with a staging ground for each. Shangri-La is our primary, with each of the satellites ringing the perimeter and making up the cordon. Mostly mechaniloids with limited hunter support out there."

>Move on to assembling your forces?
>Questions for the giant wolf first?

>>26961788
>Questions for the giant wolf first?

Get more info on Solstrike and his capabilities, more information on any Hunters in this detachment we should know more about, and their best guesses at what Solstrike is sitting on.

>>26961788
>Questions for the giant wolf first?
How long has he been up there?
Has he been grandstanding, making demands and stuff?
Does this weather get any better or worse? Conditions may affect the op one way or another.
Make a short list of people to know on this op and get coordinated with them. I'm sure a fair number of this will be "do what you think makes sense," but it's still important to get on the same page.

>>26961788
What sort of High Value Targets?
What was this guy before he went Maverick?
Any personal opinions on what he might be sitting on?

Also, if we got a readout on Solstrikes capabilities before this I've forgotten them. So, what can he do?

>>26961759
It's kind of weird, but I never considered the fact that Gate was tooling around at this point in the timeline.

>>26962130
Me either.

... Oh god, I just had a terrible thought. What if, during the run of the quest, the North Pole incident that leads to Alia trying to dispose of Blizzy happens? You think we could muck with the timeline a bit and change events for the better? You know, make sure his team survives, Alia doesn't have to disappear Blizzard Wolfang, and thus no crippling guilt over the incident.

Heck, maybe in the long run, he doesn't end up as a part of the Investigators during MHQ's take on X6... if we get that far, anyhow.

>>26962527
I can dig it. Blizzard Wolfang's a pretty chill dog, dawg.

But in all seriousness, I really liked him; he was one of my favorite X6 bosses, right up there with Gate. I'd be all for changing events so he doesn't end up as an enemy down the road.

>>26962527
Last time we tried to fix something didn't we end up be being why Enigma needed to be fixed in X 5?

>>26962774
That was less us trying to fix it and more a side effect of actions we would have taken anyway.

>>26962774
We didn't try to fix anything that time, actually. We just so happened to be the reason Enigma needed repairs by the time X5 rolled around.

We have yet to actually muck around with the series of events in the Mega Man X games.

>>26962952
Well, Anode is almost directly responsible for proving virus theory is true.

>>26963106
Forgive my ignorance when I ask what you mean, because it's been a little while since the last MHQ, and I really should browse the archives again.

Uuuh, Hunter Command, I think you should keep your notes regarding our enemy and his forces somewhere else, because I am looking at them right now and I am assuming I shouldn't be.

I kind of accidentally read them before I realised what I was looking at. I'm going to stop participating in this mission and start lurking until we're done so as to avoid metagaming.

Sorry.

>>26963142
Ah, it's okay.
I usually set them to expire in ten minutes, sometimes an hour if my partners are busy.
I should work out another means, though, this has happened a few times now.

>>26963134
The quest takes place between X2 and X3, and as the quest started, people were still trying to figure out what causes Maverickism: a glitch, an outside signal, whatever. It turns out that Chaff Weasel, Anode's very first hunt, was the key to proving the existance of the Sigma virus and, thusly, virus theory.

>>26963161
Pastebin? Google Docs?

I'm just throwing out ideas, but those are definitely options, I guess..

>>26963199
Pastebin's what I've been using, that's the problem.

>>26963161
Alright, felt like I should point it out just in case.

>>26963199
The problem is that he is using pastebin and his titles end up being easy to search for on accident.

HC all you need to do is avoid putting the targets name in the title.

>>26963220
Ah.

Well, again, There's always Google Docs,

>>26963220
I think only one is still active, from a couple days ago. Kill that and you're good. I think.

>MH makes a 'mistake'
>It's actually the enemy feeding us false intel

Maximum Shadowruns

>>26963220
HC, quick question; in terms of canon, are we going with the original X series, (Cain is alive, but until the post X3 - pre X4 timeframe) or Maverick Hunter X games? (Cain's dead from the bombing of Abel City)

For that matter, are we incorporating things from the manga, such as manga-exclusive characters like Marty/Marti/Martei/Merti/However the fuck her name's spelled?

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>>26963243
Thanks, I appreciate that.
>>26963256
Aha! Problem identified. I normally set my documents to expire quickly and leave them unlisted. Unfortunately I can't delete it, but fortunately it doesn't contain anything super-sensitive.
>>26963379
No, it was definitely an honest mistake. Also, Magma Dragoon is a highly respected and reliable maverick hunter who will not do anything problematic in the future.
>>26963445
MHQ follows original X series canon, and other material is on a case-by-case, noncommittal-until-we-find-a-good-place-for-it basis.

>>26963142
That would be my bad for not setting expiration. I've reviewed the info in question and it's not particularly spoilery. I think as one voice in the crowd you should be fine.

>>26963612
I can't continue in good conscience, really. I don't mind though.

For what it's worth, it looks like it's going to be a hell of a thing.

>>26963814
It also looks like managing an engagement on this scale could get really complicated. I glanced at the document and.. ack.

Are we gonna have to break out the graph paper to map this place out? I feel kind of relieved that I'm gonna be busy doing other stuff most of today.

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>>26961853
>>26961885
>>26962003
>>26962130
"Do you know anything else about Solstrike?"

"No one does, unfortunately," Wolfang replies. "He was slated to be a top-shelf unit with the 11th. He went mav on his second mission, deleted his own dossier, and has apparently upgraded the everloving hell out of himself. Word from Command is that his production paperwork may as well be toilet paper. No idea what he's got now, but from the autopsy damage reports it looks like he has some kind of high-grade buster."

"Terrific. How long has he been up there?"

"Probably since he went maverick, honestly. As for when we found out about it, just a few months ago. Recon followed a hunch on some recurring missing persons reports in the area, and you know the rest of the story."

"Any guesses what sort of resources he might have up there?"

"Not a clue, though my gut says he's got some sort of maverick refuge up there. It's been quiet here--too quiet. And then suddenly we've got a few glimpses of HVTs, some of which have been around since the Sigma rebellion."

"Quiet? He hasn't made any attacks, issued any threats?"

"Not a peep. Heh. Peep."

"So what are these HVTs you mentioned?"

He stops to look over a datapad offered by a production hunter, nods, signs off (with a digital pawprint), and resumes his travels with you. "I think there's one more, but I know about four--custom-variants on production infantry. We're looking at Mourn, a Hoganmer, classed LONDON2--whatever that means--Hoplite, a flight-configured Disk Boy, Akagan, an old Cyclops--Cycl0P5 model, and Karst, one of the few surviving Crag Man series 2s."

"I've tangled with a custom hoganmer before," you note. "Damn near smashed my chest in."

"I've seen those Crag Man S2s. Rock-solid, pun unintended. Led one or two myself. Damn fine boys."

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>>26963979
You wince as a sharp gust of wind pelts you in the face. "Gah, does this weather ever change?"

Wolfang gives a barking laugh. "Not much. I spend most of my time down here--and I was already used to it--but I wager there's some high winds further up. Mostly it's just kicking up snowdrifts, but it's cold enough that there's no melting. Shouldn't be too slippery. Anything else?"

"Don't think so," you say. "Thanks for the help."

You're treated to the improbable image of being saluted by a wolf, this time on all fours--well, threes. "Hey, any time. And good luck. I've got your back out there." He waves you off with a grin before returning to his duties, leaving you to your own.

The Fourth's contingent has assembled--and damn, Seven wasn't kidding about the scale of this. A quick tally tells you forty-four 4th Overland maverick hunters have deployed alongside you. You count six Gomeisters (though no Crankshaft--probably just as well, he'd try to ram a helicopter into Saetos), twelve LTAs, eight LTADs, ten LTBs, and eight Steel Berets--at the front stand Flak and Susan, the former of whom throws a cheery wave, the latter settling for a formal salute. Countless mechaniloids are already rolling out, with some vehicles coming in. All in all, a massive strike force--and more than that, off to one side, you see a handful of custom models. They must be the other unit leads in on this op. And--hey, you recognize one. It's Em's brother.

>Go meet the other officers, get them and their forces sorted out.
>Square away the Fourth first, get their perspective and brief them on the essentials.
>Other?

>>26963597
Ah, okay thanks.

I just think that incorporating some elements from the manga might solve little inconsequential things presented by the games, like Alia and X's "slightly uncomfortable but noticeable romantic tension" by giving him a reason to be averse to romance, because as the Manga states in regards to his crush on Marti, he likes her, but he's always second-guessing himself in everything, and he himself sees himself as not good enough.

That, and I would love for Anode and everyone else ever take jabs at X for designing Marti's a-bit-more-provocative-than-her-original-form X2 body.

That, and I grin at the idea of Mega Man X, father of all Reploids and THE Good Guy of 21XX being a covert pervert.

>>26963996
>Square away the Fourth first, get their perspective and brief them on the essentials.

Protection begins at home, after all.

>>26963996
Meet the other officers. We can talk with the fourth later.

>>26963996
>Square away the Fourth first, get their perspective and brief them on the essentials.
Not too much right now. We'll get them properly organized before we start setting them about tasks. Tell them to remain on standby.
>Go meet the other officers, get them and their forces sorted out.
Let's get some perspective before we start organizing our boys.

>>26963996
>Asquare away the Fourth

>Square away the Fourth first, get their perspective and brief them on the essentials.

We're here representing them, so we should know what our assets are when the others ask.

>>26963996
>Square away the Fourth first, get their perspective and brief them on the essentials.
Keep your friends close, but perhaps enemies closer? It seems Seven has some beef with Anode; others may as well.

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>>26964079
>>26964106
>>26964268
>>26964324
>>26964352
You decide to make sure your own team is up to scratch.

"At ease," you announce, striding over briskly. "Situation?"

"Sir," Susan offers, lowering his hand and standing at a parade rest alongside his seven identical brethren. "Fourth's got a twofold task. Steel Beret contingent is being deployed as one to support an officer candidate, after a secondary target of opportunity, designated Karst."

"I just got the bum's rush on him," you nod.

"Standing orders are to separate from the main strike force and engage the target as a group. If you feel you need our fire elsewhere, or the mission is no longer worth pursuing, you may retask us at your discretion."

"Just you eight? Not a mixed force?"

"No, sir. As a newer model, we are better equipped for autonomous decision making and Command feels the Lanceteamer force will be better served as direct fire support against the primary objective." You turn to glance at the wide range of Lanceteamers--if that remark slighted them any, they show no sign of it, standing in perfect formation.

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>>26965423
"In addition," Susan adds with a nervous chuckle, "Major Schwarzhund has ordered me to inform you that the officer corps is setting up a betting pool on your success. Currently, 8-to-1 odds on your completion of all mission objectives--no one has taken Lieutenant India up on that--while Lieutenant Dodo and Warrant Officer Crankshaft have placed their money on primary objective completion. Captain Emerald did not bet on success or failure, only 'your survival and a lot of explosions,' while Major Schwarzhund... well, he simply put in a call to Lifesaver support."

"...Did he seriously order you to say that?" you cringe.

"Yes sir," Susan answers sheepishly as Flak giggles.

"Thanks, Schwarz," you grumble.

Susan recovers his composure. "If there's nothing further, sir, our plan of action is to advance under mechaniloid cover and air support when the main offensive begins. We will move out with your force and then separate to pursue the secondary objective. Once it is secured, we will link up and provide additional support to any local hunter elements.

"If there's nothing further, sir?" Susan repeats--you can tell that underneath the formality, there's excitement at this chance for an independent mission.

>Nothing further, make your preparations as planned. Dismissed.
>Change of plans. (Writein)
>Other?

>>26965488
>Nothing further, make your preparations as planned. Dismissed.
Sounds as good as any. If they request any extra mechaniloid support to bring down their target, tell 'em we said it's okay.

>"In addition," Susan adds with a nervous chuckle, "Major Schwarzhund has ordered me to inform you that the officer corps is setting up a betting pool on your success. Currently, 8-to-1 odds on your completion of all mission objectives--no one has taken Lieutenant India up on that--while Lieutenant Dodo and Warrant Officer Crankshaft have placed their money on primary objective completion. Captain Emerald did not bet on success or failure, only 'your survival and a lot of explosions,' while Major Schwarzhund... well, he simply put in a call to Lifesaver support."
Well, that's one way to get Anode inspired, but that's a fucking challenge if I heard one.

>>26965550
Lets go win india a whole lot of fucking money.

>>26965488
>Major Schwarzhund... well, he simply put in a call to Lifesaver support.

We've got to thank that thoughtful bastard when they beam our torso, head, and one remaining arm back to base.

They sound like they ave their prey covered though. Remind Flak not to do anything reckless, and to listen to Susan.

>>26965488
>Nothing further, make your preparations as planned. Dismissed.

This one.

>>26965488
Well, India had better cut us in

>>26965488
>Ask for the identity of the officer candidate and ask for who assigned them to assist him.

>>26965488
Inform Lieutenant India that we'll be taking that bet, to the tune of 1,000Ƶ. (We still have a thousand zenny lying around, right?)

>>26966577
(Wait, no, that's not right. How much is a kilozenny actually worth? What's a reasonable amount for a stupid bet? And keep in mind, either a) we'll be getting paid pretty well for this op, or b) we can trust India to spend some of her winnings on good flowers and booze for our funeral service.)

sorta afraid solstrike will just takeout the air support and fry the gruondsupport if we just leave them alone

not much we can do though, I'm not even sure we can get him 6 on 1

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>>26966718
The zenny is roughly but not exactly like the current American dollar.

>>26967089
assuimng he's actually S class and not A. S class seems almost TOO obvious.

what if hes weaker than we all think?

>>26967282
Always assume the foe is as strong as reasonably possible.

With complacency comes weakness. With weakness, defeat.

>>26967240
Ah. Okay, I guess a kƵ would be about right ... if the idea had any support, which it doesn't, so never mind.

>>26967282
>what if hes weaker than we all think?
Then we'll have a very easy day of it and be back home in time for milk and cookies. And also India's next issued vehicle will be a pig.

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>>26965550
>>26965702
>>26966363
"All right, sounds good," you nod, signing off on their objective. You see Susan almost sigh with relief. "Furthermore, if you want to requisition any mechaniloid support, you have my permission to do so."

"Thank you, sir!" calls Flak with unrestrained enthusiasm.

"No problem. And--out of curiosity, who's the officer candidate?"

"That would be me, sir," says another Beret in the line, saluting alone. "Serial 15817."

"Do you have a name?" you ask.

"No, sir. I'm planning to take one if I complete this mission."

You nod, for lack of much else to do with that. "Good luck then, Berets. Dismissed." They all salute crisply, turn on their heels as one, and march out in formation.

For now, that leaves you to go meet and greet the officers you'll be directing. You head over thataway, stepping around crates and crates of armaments, equipment, and undeployed mechaniloids.

"The man himself," introduces Lightleap. "Lieutenant Anode, field commander for this little sojourn. These," he turns and gestures at the assembled crew, "are your backup. From the top, gentlemen...?"

"Delphi, First Advance," says one reploid, her armor covered in white robes, "Commanding."

"Stim Berbis," says an... antelope. "Her second in command."

"Kit," says another humanoid model with sleepy eyes, clad in silver-striped armor, scritching the chin of a C-15 met on his shoulder boredly. "Third Deploy."

"Fryctoria, Fifth Communications," says the next, another female. "And this is Teletrans Anemone, my second." The anemone nods at you.

Diamond is about to introduce himself when a pair of similar-looking models clear their throats as one. "Captain Adler, 17th Elite unit," says the first, emphasizing his rank and unit.

"Captain Fromm, Command specialist, 17th Elite unit," mimics the other. Great.

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>>26968215
"--Right, and you know me, Diamond, co-commanding the Seventh Air Cav," he finishes. You note that behind him are ... four finches, and a goat.

"Shocklight Fringe, head of our sub-unit," says the first with a sharp salute.

"Trinidad Euphonia, call me Phoney," offers the next.

The third nods. "I'iwi Warwing."

"And Strikeforce Siskin."

"And, senior commander for the Seventh's compliment, and my boss on this shindig," Diamond finishes, motioning at the goat, "is Vector Addax."

"Charmed," Addax adds, nodding and folding his arms.

>Right, let's get down to business. Who's doing what?
>First off, Captains, we need to come to an understanding.
>...A goat? Really?
>Other?

>>26968235
>>Right, let's get down to business. Who's doing what?

>>26968235
>Right, let's get down to business. Who's doing what?

>>26968235
>Could someone explain to me why I'm in charge?

>>26968235
Wasn't Delphi the name of one of Cathode's teammates?

Anyway - >"...A goat? Really?"

"I'm sorry it's just...when you say Air Cavalry the first thing that comes to mind is not a goat."

Followed by

>"Right, lets get down to business. Who's doing what?"

Also - how the hell do you come up with all these names Hunter Command? Or is Cain Labs the mastermind behind them.

>>26969079
A bit of both of us. Mostly CL for the unit rosters.

>>26968901
>Yeah, aren't I the greenest one here?

>>26968901
>>26969170
Basically, other divisions defaulted on the target, and considering his powerset, Anode is the most qualified in the Fourth to take down Saetos.

>>26969211
That would make sense if everyone was an Lt, but 17th sent two Caps.

>>26968235
>>Right, let's get down to business. Who's doing what?

>>26969407
Yeah, but Anode uses electricity

Flying types are weak against electric attacks.

>>26969970
... Stop. Just stop.

>>26969407
Again, they don't wanna deal with it or have more pressing issues.

>>26969407
Anyone else a little suspicious of these two? Maybe I'm just being paranoid and I know Saetos has taken out enough Hunters to warrant attention from the 17th, but something about them bugs me.

>>26970222
I am now.

>>26970420
>>26970222
Come on guys, this way lies madness.

>>26970611
And it makes Cain Labs so happy ^_^

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>>26968337
>>26968527
>>26969079
>>26968901
>>26969170
>>26969897
"First," you sigh, "I'd like to know why I'm command for this op."

"An EXCELLENT question," offers one of the 17th operatives (as expected).

"Yes, definitely," adds the other.

"Because," Addax says, "the 7th tried to take Saetos on his turf and failed. Our tactical analysis said our next best option was a heavily supported push by ground. The 14th is short on flyers and threw it to the 17th. The 17th said they were busy, so they only managed to spare two of their lower-level," he emphasizes that, earning a scowl in duplicate, "operatives and a small supplementary force. It was turned over to the 4th, it was decided you were the best match, and here you are."

"Thank you," you say with a nod.

"No problem. Although, word of advice from an old hand? Telling your assembled team you don't know your arse from your elbow isn't a great way to start the day."

"Heh. Right. While I'm being unprofessional, though..." you trail off.

Addax looks at you, a glimmer in his eye. "Goat?"

"Goat," you agree. "Sorry, you must get that a lot."

"Oh, don't be," Addax says with a grin. "I love when people ask me that." Something flickers between his antlers, and he lifts into the air just a little bit, rising up with practiced ease.

"Allow me to reintroduce you to Vector ‘Sneak’ Addax,” Diamond explains with a laugh. “Beware the flying ungulate. Now touch down, you showoff, before one of our good Captains gets sucked into the gravity well."

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>>26971331
"Impressed," you admit. "Now that we have that out of the way, though, let's get down to business. What are your roles in this engagement?"

"Advance has volunteered a strong force of Link Riders/LR Vans, complementing the 2nd's LR Scouts. They'll be our vanguard, scouts prowling, Advance moving to open the engagement once one of our targets has been located."

"Which reminds me," Diamond says, "Seventh's complement has a secondary target."

"Quite a few of those today," you note, "Go on."

"Addax will be joining you for the main assault while I head after my own mark," he explains, "Fringe will heading up the finches in a subunit once we're underway, harass-and-harry sorties, test the enemy air and coordinating our own."

"Who's the target?" you ask.

"Real piece of work named Ultravion Fly," Diamond says. "About as hard to pin down as his namesake. We've been chasing the bastard since the Sigma rebellion. Our job is tough, though--we put up the no-fly restriction because we've lost a few more agents in the area. We haven't necessarily put them to Saetos, but the writing is on the wall. Seventh will be staying out of the skies as long as we can--both teams."

"That said, we'll also be making the takedown," Addax says. "We'll be aiming to clip his wings and give you your opening so he doesn't just fly off into the sunset."

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>>26971370
You'd been wondering about that. You nod, turning to the rest of the force. "What about the other secondary targets? I know we've got potential officer material going in on one. Wolfang briefed me. Briefly."

"Few of those in the mix today," Phoney chimes in. "One of ours--Isander--is here for Hoplite."

"In addition to serving as XO, I'll be targeting Mourn," explains Berbis. "I've been on his trail for a few weeks, ever since he didn't turn up where intel said he'd be."

"We have our own officer candidate," sniffs Fromm crossly, "Lieutenant Ulta will be in pursuit of Akagan. Captain Adler and myself will be separating and deploying with two OS-Tyrs apiece."

First on Mourn, Seventh on Fly and Hoplite, Seventeenth on Akagan, Fourth on Karst. And Saetos. "That's a lot of diversions," you note. "What's the plan here?"

"With luck we'll be able to force them to engage," Delphi says. "If so, we'll be able to tackle them at once, as one. If they break away, we'll be stacking back up on the main body of the strike force rather than pushing our luck. The rest are important, but Saetos is priority one."

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>>26971422
"All right," you say, satisfied. "Where's the Third in all this?"

"Back here, if we know what's good for us," Kit yawns. "We're here to support your strike. To that end, we'll be supplying the artillery detachment back here, and we brought some vehicle crew of our own."

"Wolfang and his force will be attached to the Fourth at the hip," Lightleap adds. "And you'll have one more with you at all times, once they arrive."

"Fifth will be doing its part," says Fryctoria. "At all times, one of us will be coordinating between you, and another will be relaying to Command."

"Seventeenth will do what you require," offers Adler, apparently sufficiently stung by Addax's upbraiding, "though we would much prefer to engage our target first."

"So," you sum up, "First and Second lead, main body of the force rolls in with the Fourth, Seventh stays low until we're ready to engage."

"Then," comes yet another unfamiliar reploid as he trots up to your side, "I am the last piece required. Drift Danphe, your advisor with the Nepalese Armed Forces," he greets, with a frankly staggering array of colored plumage. "The Air Service will be taking up positions at a secondary perimeter, should the first be slipped. As for myself, I will be guiding you through the mountains."

Your own reploid sherpa. Cool. One last thing to square away, then, as you turn to the liaisons from Communications. "You said you would be coordinating with Geneva?" you ask.

"Yes, sir," Fryctoria reports.

"Good. Patch me through to the Fourth, if you would."

"Y-ello," comes a familiar, suave voice, completely lacking in discipline or decorum.

"Hey, India?" you ask, grinning widely. "You're on."

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>>26971434
And with that, we're pausing for the night.

The last vote: Are you ready to begin the engagement, or do you have further questions first?

>>26971472
So the running gameplan is "everyone focus on your subtargets while Anode gets down 'n' dirty with Saetos, but if push comes to shove, fall back and support against Saetos himself," right? Don't overextend yourself if you can help it?

>>26971472
I think we've got all of our questions answered. That being said, LET'S GET THIS SHOW STARTED... when you return, anyway.

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>>26971574
For lack of a better word, the running gameplan is a colossal roflstomp. If the hunters have it their way, they'll scout out, respond to hostiles overwhelmingly, force a full engagement by hitting the maverick mechaniloid force, break into the fortifications to drag their targets out, bring them down, tie Saetos up with artillery and air, and then link back up for the big finish.

You know me and things going to plan, though.

>>26971472
No, it all seems fairly straightforward.

And it's a good plan, in theory. Of course, the annoying thing about good plans is that they always look like good plans until things start going wrong.

Bump

Gotta keep this jazz alive.

Right, (late) morning bump. I lost power last night, but I don't think I lost anything essential for the mission. Business as usual, gonna wait a little bit for activity and then try to keep rolling, though it's always got less steam the second day.

>>26980808
I'm here, but I'll need to go to sleep in a few hours.

>>26980808
I'm here, but I haven't woken up yet.

>>26980808
I'm here and I just woke up, let's stab us a buzzard!

>>26980808
I is here.

>>26980808
I'm here and raring to go.

So why aren't we shelling this place to the ground with artillery before moving in? Is there anything we need to worry about not wrecking?

>>26981688
I think it falls squarely under, "We don't know, but there might be."

>>26980808
I'm here.

>>26981688
It's probably the equivalent to a bunker. Artillery shelling would open more tactical holes than it would close.

>>26982972
Plus, bombarding Saetos's bunker would signal the beginning of an attack, and Saetos would either respond in force or bug out, neither of which we want.

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>>26971434
With your plans set and your preparations complete, you give the word for the unit commanders to go and make ready their forces. In short order you're on the move, Wolfang trotting along on one side, your Nepalese adviser on the other. Ahead, the Advance and Recon force is double-timing it, pulling ahead to scout--even if they run into Saetos himself, they're well within support range. They can fall back and be behind your gun line in less than sixty seconds. For now, though, there's nothing, just a well-oiled machine on the move, the air brimming with nervous energy.

"By the way," Diamond comms in, "Addax and I were talking, and we both agree you should conserve yourself for the target, if at all possible."
'You'll probably need to' goes unsaid, but it's a possibility all of you are well aware of.

"I do have three figures of hunters," you agree. "I'll be cautious."

"Great, wilco," he returns. "How's Em?"

"Short and angry, you know how it goes. He knocked himself out fixing me up a new toy."

"Yeah?"

You chuckle. "His first words to me were 'fuck the Leidenfrost effect,' you tell me."

Diamond laughs over the line. "Sounds about right. He keeps getting on my case about carrying sidearms, you know? They're not exactly aerodynamic, bro..."

"Big brother thing, I guess. If I didn't know Cath was made of guns, I'd probably do the same."

"So," Wolfang adds in stereo, in your ear and over comm, "You two know each other?"

"Last time we met, he drew a mustache on me while I was sleeping," Diamond answers wryly. The cheerful wolf gives a short, yippy laugh at that.

"I'm unit-mates with his brother," you explain.

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>>26983450
"Heads up!" calls Lightleap from somewhere up ahead and out of sight. "We've got eyes on enemy mechaniloid presence, it's looking like their outer perimeter."

"Roger that," you reply, ending your brief chat. "What have we got?"

"Looking like a good amount of air cover--Bomb Beens and Earth Commanders--" There's a moment of static, and then you're presented an image directly from an optical feed with the vanguard. "Hang on, let me highlight a few things, we're getting a better picture--" Small upright figures, difficult to make out in the picture, are given a green overlay, positioned like little pillars in the snow. "Those are Snow Shooters. And--ooh, tricky, tricky..." Another set of overlays marks small buried lumps in the snow in a red crosshatch. "Check out that barrel profile, Walk Blasters laying down. Once we move to engage they can stand them back up and open fire."

"Clever, I had a target bury a few 'loids like that on my last op," you say. "Anything further?"

"Thermal blooms just outside visual confirmation range. If I were to guess, I'd say a picket of Reploid supervisors. Are we cleared to engage?"

How do you want to prosecute this attack?
>Orders?

>>26983450
>The cheerful wolf gives a short, yippy laugh at that.
>Blizzard Wolfang laughing

I'm imagining this in my head and it is oddly adorable. HC, y u making me want to save Blizzy even more?

>>26983460
>"Quick and quiet, people. Try and get the drop on them as best as you can, so we don't draw attention from the supervisors."

>>26983460
Everyone agree on specific targets so that when we give the call, they should all go down simultaneously. We might not be the stealthiest operation, but the less fuss we put up with, the better. Everyone mark a target and coordinate.

>>26983710
Heavier hitters on the Walk Blasters.

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So, whoever you were that accidentally stumbled across that pastebin, you just saved me from redoing a solid hour of MHQ work.

We made a quick switch to Google Docs last night, and so far it's working beautifully. I just lost power, and I would have lost everything I'd typed up had I not put it into the doc to get proofed. So, thank you for saving me a lot of work and even more profanity. It all worked out in the end. Update going up now.

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>>26983561
>>26983710
>>26983809
You think it over. "Not just yet. Let us get into position so we can all open up together. Unit leads, pick your targets."

"Seventh has the Beens and Commanders," Addax says. "Even grounded, we have a lot of practice hitting moving air."

"Big guns on the Walk Blasters, take them out before they can suppress us. Any takers?"

"We've got it, sir," Susan reports in. "Our buster rifles pack a good punch. If our Artillery contingent supports our fire, we'll have them scattered or dead ASAP."

"Do it," you agree.

"First can handle the Snow Shooters, then engage targets of opportunity," Delphi offers.

"Second will provide fire support for the First and call out new threats as we see them."

"And the rest of Overland will move into center position to answer their reprisal," you say. "You with us, Polar?"

"As if you have to ask," Wolfang grins.

"Seventeenth, I want to hold you in reserve for any big targets. With this many 'loids, there's always a big target."

"That...aligns with our tactical appraisal," one of the two Elite Unit Captains admits grudgingly. "We will advance on either flank, to better respond at speed."

"Second, when you think we're close enough, you and First may commence the attack. We'll open up right after you."

"Copy," Lightleap returns, and Delphi does the same.

You opt to go in busters first, leaving your lance for when and if you close. "Ready? Go."

The hunter column double-times it, moving in at speed. Up ahead, you see the first flashes of plasma as the First's Link Rider force bursts into motion, nose guns blasting on their ride chasers as they blaze a trail through the snow. A split-second later, the hammer drops. The maverick line barely has time to turn to answer as they're overwhelmed with a carpet of plasmafire. The Walk Blasters spring upright just in time to catch the first shells from Shangri-La, leaving them disoriented and their barrels off-target for your Berets to take apart.

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>>26985824
"New contacts!" Lightleap calls out, "Cycl0P5s and Degravers on the ground! Priority, we've got Hotarions inbound!"

"Ultravion's calling card," Diamond says, "he IS here. 7th re-prioritizing on them."

"Fourth's got the rest of the air, you hit the fast movers!" you call, finally drawing into maximum effective range for your busters. You open up on the Earth Commanders without hesitation, your Lanceteamers doing the same.

"Hold up," Wolfang calls, abruptly bounding ahead of you at a full sprint. "We deal with the Snow Shooters all the time. Here and here are avalanche zones," he marks on the tactical display, "the spaces between are safe. Have those heat blooms gotten any closer?"

"Closing, stand by--we've got eight--nine Reploid targets! I have positive ID on a secondary target, Akagan is in the area!"

"Our quarry is here, we're taking him," Captain Fromm announces. "Seventeenth closing with the reploid force."

>The hell you are. Get back in line and protect the flanks.
>Roger that, Fourth can and will support Lieutenant Ulta's shot.
>Other?

And, a primer on the opposing force:
Bomb Been: Flying bomb dropper. http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Bomb_Been
Earth Commander: Dive-bomber, dangerous up close. ttp://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Earth_Commander
Hotarion: Extremely fast-mover that leaves a harmful wake as it flies through formations. Ultravion Fly's creations, screening air engagements. http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Hotarion
Snow Shooter: Durable, stationary "snowball" thrower. http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Snow_Shooter
Walk Blaster: Fire support mechaniloid, can be difficult to hit by design. http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Walk_Blaster
Cycl0P5: Cyclops or "Cycle-OPS," these before it gets scrapped and melted down. http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Scrap_Robo
Degraver: Pickaxe-throwing industrial/mining model. http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Degraver
Akagan: Cycl0P5-0 Z Series, a limited production custom model. Lt. Ulta is tasked with retiring him.

>>26985757
You... You're welcome, I guess?

I feel less guilty now, at least

>>26985843
> >Roger that, Fourth can and will support Lieutenant Ulta's shot.
Whilst making the pose and face in the OP picture.

>>26985843
>Roger that, Fourth can and will support Lieutenant Ulta's shot.
If there's anything ground-pounders are good at, it's pouring it on.

>>26986045
Addendum:
>If I don't see you back on the line after you get Akagan, I'mma be pissed.

>>26985843
Trying to stop the 17th is like telling the tide to pack it in.

Do we have any reserves that we can move up to protect the flanks while they take the shot? Bringing them in this early is dubious at best, but the payoff could be good if they manage to take out Akagan and complete one of the secondary objectives so early.

If we don't have any reserves and their pursual would leave our flanks exposed, try to keep them from engaging until Akagan moves forward.

>>26985843
I say back them up and when the danger has passed, chastise them. It does no good to yell at them AND let them die, or to let them do as they will, and continue to believe taking risks like that has no consequences.

>>26986045 + >>26986069
I'll go with these.

All this bait is making me think its a trap.

We need to get everyone to stop everyone from thinking like bounty hunters. This setup pretty much implies that they are going to pull a divide and conquer on us.

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>>26985981
>>26986045
>>26986069
>>26986073
>>26986178
>>26986184
"Moving forward to support," you radio. "But as soon as your job is done, go defensive and watch our backs. I don't want us getting strung out."

"Do not tell us how to do our jobs," seethes Adler. "We are the Elite, and we are not the weak link in this cha--"

"Posture later!" you snap, cutting off comms as you dash to the front of the line. You're going to need to give those asshats a talking-to, Captains or not. "4th Lanceteamers, with me, provide cover for their man."

Up ahead you can see one that 17th candidate at the front, having broken off from one side to engage. Your own force spreads out, grabbing what cover they can in a loose formation, sending buster rifle fire downrange as they move. The sheer volume of fire is more than enough to keep Ulta secure, Beens and Commanders shot out of the sky as they try to close in on him. You blast a flying pickaxe out of the air and turn your fire on the Degraver that threw it, while the two sub-squads of 17th close in from the sides and attack its partners.

"Another wave coming in, only a few signals, but they're big," Lightleap warns. "Moving in for a better look--ride armor on the way, three units."

"What about the other Reploids, can you see them?" Diamond asks, voice raised over the buster fire.

"Got a clearer view, but I need to fall back before long," the vicugna replies. "Two Disk Boys, two Hoganmers, and a Crag Man S2. Anything else?"

"Negative, play it safe and get out of there," you answer.

"Copy, already in motion."

>Task Adler and Fromm with flanking the Rideloids. They wanted the big prey, they got it.
>Pull them back to the main force, reconsolidate, force the armor to cross the No-Man's-Land.
>Advance with a mixed Overland/Polar force in bulk, hit them where you're strongest.
>Other?

http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Disk_Boy_08
http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Hoganmer
http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Ride_Armor_enemies#Rideloid-G

>>26987576
>Pull them back to the main force, reconsolidate, force the armor to cross the No-Man's-Land.
If this is a bait on the side of the mavericks, we will bleed them dry trying to tempt us.

>>26987576
>Pull them back to the main force, reconsolidate, force the armor to cross the No-Man's-Land.
Draw them into the fold where the fire is thickest and cut them down with superior firepower. We'll move up the line when there's no one between us and them. There's no reason to take on Ride Armors head on without backup.

>Advance with a mixed Overland/Polar force in bulk, hit them where you're strongest.

If we overextend, we're weakening ourselves.
If we hunker down, we're buying Saetos more time.
If we charge in, like I'm voting, we'll probably walk into a trap.

I think this is the "You're fucked no matter what" mission.

>>26987576
>Pull them back to the main force, reconsolidate, force the armor to cross the No-Man's-Land.

Why would they leave their flanks open like that? It's an obvious trap. Let's not get greedy, pull back and hunker down.

>>26987729
Doubly so if our theory about a spy in our organization is correct. But there's not much we can do, except stay alert and be on the look out for suspicious activity. In a battle of this scale, with so many moving parts, I doubt we will find any traitors, if any exist.

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>>26987629
>>26987671
>>26987759
You think it over. Right now, casualties are the greatest risk to the mission. If Saetos makes a push to escape, the cordon can buy you enough time to respond. If your forces are stretched too thin, not only could he escape, he could take you in an attack and turn this battle into a nasty rout. With that in mind, you decide to fight conservatively.

"If they're courteous enough to come to us, I say we let them," you decide. "Seventeenth, disengage as soon as you're free. Pull back and draw them into our main force."

Of course, Fromm immediately protests. "We nearly have our target! We need only--"

"On the double, Captain," you order, crouching as a Cycl0P5 eyebeam sizzles overhead.

"This is outrageous! We will not abandon the Lieutenant!"

"Then he can fall back too," you reply calmly, "Saetos is the priority."

You hear the click as one of the 17th members is about to respond when he's cut off. "Sirs, that--" pants an unfamiliar voice, slightly weary with exertion, "Won't be necessary. This is Lieutenant Ulta, my target is down, I'm falling back."

"Glad to hear, Lieutenant," you answer, "What's your status?"

Despite being in the thick of plasma fire, the OS-Tyr's voice remains cool and collected. "In good health, nontrivial but acceptable damage taken. Akagan and I exchanged fire in close proximity, and I have captured his remains. Thank you for your assistance in my objective."

"No problem. Now, if that's all settled up," you reply, "I want the 17th back at our position and making ready to answer those ride armors."

Finally they comply, without further complaint. You note that Ulta was somewhat understating his injury--an eye-beam raked across his chest and face, giving him a wicked scar, though he's in good spirits. The First and Second have retreated behind the Fourth and Thirteenth line and quickly fall in amongst them, strengthening your defenders even further.

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>>26988628
The maverick counterattack is weak and noncommittal; still, you take out one of the Rideloids and disable another's armor, forcing him to retreat without his steed. Hunter casualties are minor, only two deaths (unfortunate but expected, and well in line with the force deployed against you) and limited injury. For the moment the battle ends, and the units all stop to reconvene and assess their situations. And as you expected, the charmers from the 17th storm over to discuss the merits of strategy with you. Good. Saves you a walk.

"We should have pushed," Adler says by way of greeting. "Now because of your coddling they will be on the defensive and all the harder to extricate from--"

"Why am I in charge of this op?" you ask softly.

"I had thought we already established that," he answers dourly.

"Why am I in charge of this op?" you repeat sharply.

"Are you hard of hearing in addition to your other--"

"Answer the question, Captain Adler." You stare up at the massive hunter, undaunted by his glare and three feet of height on you.

"...Because it was assigned to you," he growls.

"Exactly. Whether or not I am the most qualified or not is not in question. All that matters," you raise your voice, "is that my target is retired, my objectives are completed, and the forces I have been assigned obey my orders. Is that clear, Captain Adler?" Silence. "Is that CLEAR, Captain Adler?"

"...Yes, sir," he spits with as much venom as he can manage.

"Then you are dismissed. And, good job out there," you add.

"Pah." He turns on his heel and tromps away to sulk.

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>>26988650
"He's a Gehirn," explains Wolfang, trotting over. "Real chip on their chips. You dressed him down good, though. That was sweet."

You shrug. "My builders taught me to talk street. I don't care if he thinks I'm the dumbest commander this side of Frank Burns, as long as he doesn't disregard orders and get somebody killed."

"He'll listen. All their 'Elite Unit' this-and-that isn't just idle boasting. They do their jobs exceptionally well. What's our next move?"

"Business as usual. We re-consolidate and then resume--"

"Anode," Fryctoria cuts you off, "Our radar operators have picked up Saetos's signal. He's near...just a moment, we've lost contact. It was near to your position."

"Skies are clear," you say, hoping they really are. "Maybe he's skirting the edges of the airspace?"

"Negative. We have a Render Boy Sat using 11th satellite resources, we'd know for sure. We're switching to another active detection suite, will keep you informed."

"Roger that."

With the reminder that somewhere in these mountains, Solstrike is waiting, how do you wish to proceed?
>Whether not he's up there changes nothing. Retake your formation and move out.
>Change your game plan. Rearrange the forces (specify).
>Other?

>>26988665
Maybe that bastard is cocky enough to buzz us.

I'm no good at strategy, but an S rank threat this close should necessitate some change in plan, shouldn't it? But I just don't know what. It's maddening.

>>26988792
If he is, our entire force opens up on him. As long as he doesn't, "buzz," us with a fucking death laser, I almost hope he does.

This smells like a scouting mission, though; he doesn't know, exactly, who's after him, so he's looking at us from a long way off to pick out ones that might actually be up to taking him down. If he's cocky, he's probably got an ego to match, so he might just skip over us.

To that end, get into cover, but make sure everyone stays in the same general area; I kinda want to deny him a good look at our forces if we can, but I don't him batmanning our dudes(picking them off when no one's looking).

>>26988665
>Is it possible that he used a concealed access point? Underground mountain stronghold and escape tunnel sort of stuff?

>>26988665
>Whether not he's up there changes nothing. Retake your formation and move out.
>>26988898
I think Saetos wants to personally see who just gave his forces a black eye. He'll know the Hunter base camp down here (whether he knows about it already or not), and once he realizes the Hunter offensive is serious, he'll do...something. We can't sit on our laurels and need to maintain our momentum, but unless something comes up to fuck with us, it's business as usual. Just keep an eye out and guns up.

>>26989032
He could have tunnels set up to allow his forces to escape or strike our rear if ours move up to far.

What kind of Air to Ground capability does Saetos have? Everyone goes on about how good an aerial combatant he is, but what sort of death can he rain down?

It could just be that he's trying to rustle our jimmies to throw us off balance, or it could be that he has a bombardment planned.

Let's stretch the formations a bit to minimise any bombing damage. Have the reserves move up and be ready to encircle any breakthrough.

>>26988898
No, that's what he wants us to do. Unless he starts firing first, don't divert fire to him, because he's fast enough to dodge it. I'm working on the assumption that he won't be able to fully utilise his offensive capabilities while moving at top speed - Unless he starts firing, it's a safe bet that he is simply playing decoy.

>>26989281
>What kind of Air to Ground capability does Saetos have?

We don't know. No one really knows what he's capable of except those three poor bastards he took apart.

>>26989409
Which is the worst part. Even with all our backup, we're still effectively going into this blind. Considering the force that's been mobilized, you'd think we would be wont for intelligence. The Hunters seem to operate on the basis of "when in doubt, bumrush 'em."

>>26989281

Part of the problem is that he's likely completely reworked his entire frame--we don't know jack when it comes to him.

>>26989409
Capable of disassembling illegitimate children... the fiend!

>>26989608
And financially destitute ones, at that! Downright appalling, I tell you.

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So, barring the discussion about underground, which I'll include in the next post, we only have one formal vote thus far. Could use at least one or two more.

>>26990100
I'll vote Retake Formation.

>>26988665
>Whether not he's up there changes nothing. Retake your formation and move out.
We might want to voice now that something seems off about this and that to be wary for a trap.

>>26990149
Make a Top Gun reference about Saetos potentially "buzzing the tower" and to be extra sharp since the #1 HVT is almost confirmed to be in the area.

>Whether not he's up there changes nothing. Retake your formation and move out.

>isedBeh blood
Please no.

Well, we don't have a lot of information to go on right now... Assuming that the people commanding our troops are prepared to deal with getting bombed by enemy air forces, we should be able to cut through the mooks ahead of us without trouble.

Are we prepared for an attack from behind in case the bunker has already been evacuated through tunnels or something?

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>>26989032
>>26990140
>>26990149
>>26990331
You frown. Aside from a radar blip you haven't seen a damned thing of your quarry yet. Not necessarily unusual, but combined with the sizable force you have encountered, it raises your hackles. Not that things haven't gone smoothly--the hunters are a well-oiled machine, working and coordinating perfectly. Everything has gone exactly to plan.

And that's the problem.

Call it a hunch, call it your gut, call it intuition, call it a short and painful career of catastrophic errors on every single outing you've ever taken, but you can't shake this feeling that something is off. Something, somewhere, always goes wrong.

"Fryctoria," you send, "are we monitoring belowground as well as above?"

"No, I--that's--do you think he might try to tunnel under us?"

"It's the last place anyone would look for a solar-powered eagle, isn't it?"

"That's...an excellent thought," she says. "I'll retask one of our units. It'll be a few minutes to change configurations."

"No problem, but I want all angles covered."

"Understood." With that squared away, you address the unit leads. "Be advised, Fifth reports Saetos's radar signature in our area. Space out a little in case we get strafed, but otherwise it's business as usual on our advance up the mountain."

"If he's up there, he's not in their base," Danphe notes.

"Yeah, but he can probably wing it back there before we could, if pressed," Wolfang replies. "That might be his game, wait until we make our attack and then flank."

"Maybe," you nod.

"...Er, Lieutenant?" Fryctoria calls.

You freeze. THERE it goes.

She continues, a touch of pressure in her voice. "Your hunch paid off. A GPR sweep picked up a large cavity, and a narrow-band scan puts maverick signals down there. Seismic sensors are picking up faint vibrations, now that we know where to look. They're digging, sir."

"Does it lead out of the containment ring?!"

"No, sir," she says. Whew.

"It's heading towards the hunter base camp."

>>26988665
Ask Wolfy if he or any of the other Polar Operatives know if the mountain has a cave system and if its likely that the Mavs have infiltrated it.

I'd say change the formation so they and part of the Fourth are ready for a rear attack.

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And, as I'm sure you noticed, I'm running down over here. Gonna call it for this thread. Next one will be NO LONGER THAN next (not this) weekend. If I'm feeling up to it, I'll recommence sooner, but I never know where life or Team Jerkass will take me.

Thanks for reading, remember to upvote if you liked it, and if you have any questions or comments, I'm here for a little while yet.

>>26991317
Good as always. Thanks for doing this, especially since don't have to and have a life to attend to outside of this.

Also, even if it's kinda obvious, no matter where life takes you, stay safe and don't die.

>>26991257
FUCK!

Hah! Bitch was tunneling the whole time. Every sane hunter would be looking in the sky for his ass. It takes the one who's one can short of a six pack to look for him underground.

>>26991527
It's always the stoner observations that are the most profound.

>>26991527
And that's why we were put in charge. Because we found where the enemy Mavs were when no one else did, even after such a long time.

>>26988665
>Frank Burns
I don't care if I'm late in saying this or not, by I love you. You are beautiful.

Well. It looks like the tunnel theorists were right.

I think a few well-placed explosives might let us cave in their whole sapper operation without exposing our main forces.

But whether we try that or not, our seismic detectors should keep us from getting taken by surprise now.

>>26993957
Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking. If we have any tech on site that can cause enough seismic activity to collapse their tunnel straight on their heads, things will swing considerably in our favour.