>>32068588
"My major concern right now is the YK-21 Sangreal," she says. "The blueprints are mostly done, but I'm not sure the design will be practical, and the OS is definitely going to be problematic. The Excalibur works like a standard TSF, so even rebuilding the OS from scratch wasn't so difficult. The Sangreal, however, needs to be programmed for a very different weight and needs to handle non-standard features like manipulator arms. There's really nothing to use for reference."

"Good thing I'm here, then," you say. "Shall we get started? I'm not sure how much I'll be able to pull off, but if we're lucky, we might be able to get this done before the new year and run the live tests concurrently with the Excalibur."

"I'm not exactly looking forward to that kind of hassle," Mary says," but since we are in quite a hurry, I suppose I'll have to learn to delegate the paperwork."

>"We can start by working on the frame. What kind of equipment do you need it to carry?"
>"Let's start with the special equipment. Most of it is just equipment you currently have in the lab, right? I can start by familiarizing myself with it."

>>32068599
>>"We can start by working on the frame. What kind of equipment do you need it to carry?"

>>32068599
>>"We can start by working on the frame. What kind of equipment do you need it to carry?"

The base is important

>>32068599
> "Let's start with the special equipment. Most of it is just equipment you currently have in the lab, right? I can start by familiarizing myself with it."

>>32068599
>>"We can start by working on the frame. What kind of equipment do you need it to carry?"

>>32068599
"We can start by working on the frame. What kind of equipment do you need it to carry?"

"That is the million-pound question," Mary says. "At the very least, it needs to carry armoured plates for emergency repairs and patching, so that part isn't negotiable. The rest is more difficult to decide."

"Let me guess," you say. "You'd like to add refuelling and rearming capabilities, but you don't know if the TSF could handle the weight."

"I'm also considering extra armour, or even specialized parts for more detailed repairs," Mary says. "The weight isn't too much of an issue since the Sangreal doesn't need to enter combat, but I would like it to be able to escape in case of emergency."

You lean back and think about the development potential. If you add armour plates, it'll give the Sangreal some additional protection and you won't need to add any extra tools to the design. Anything more than that will add weight and take up space. Refuelling capabilities means building a fuel pump, ammo means creating some sort of delivery system for the magazines and specialized parts for more detailed repairs are going to require some very precise equipment.

Quickly crunching the numbers, you figure you could add in all the features Mary wants, but the Sangreal's performance would be below an original F-4 Phantom and the uptime would be terrible. There's no way it'd be able to keep up with Tornadoes or Typhoons for any appreciable length of time.

You'll have to pick one extra feature if you want the Sangreal to be practical on the battlefield.

>(cont.)

>>32069220
>"Add in extra armour plates. If anyone needs anything more than that, they can just fall back."
>"We should add refuelling capabilities. We need to keep TSFs going as long as possible."
>"It'll need to carry extra ammo. Pilots always run out of bullets when they need them the most.
>"It should be able to handle specialized repairs. Those can make the difference between life or death during battle."
>"Hmmm... maybe we can keep the Sangreal modular and adjust the frame depending on the mission's?"

>>32069247
So a question here - if the g-element reactor gets completed, wouldn't refueling be complete superfluous?

>>32069247
>"Hmmm... maybe we can keep the Sangreal modular and adjust the frame depending on the mission's?"

>>32069247
>>"Hmmm... maybe we can keep the Sangreal modular and adjust the frame depending on the mission's?"

This also has the benefit of allowing multiple sangreals to fill out all possible mission needs.

>>32069247
> "Hmmm... maybe we can keep the Sangreal modular and adjust the frame depending on the mission's?"

>>32069271
The reactor would just power the electronics. It'd still need fuel for the thrusters and engines in order to move around.

>>32069247
>>>"Hmmm... maybe we can keep the Sangreal modular and adjust the frame depending on the mission's?"
This is the best plan, not only because it lets you customize based on mission parameters, but also because you'd be able to send multiple Sangreals with different loadouts on larger-scale missions.

>>32069305
>The reactor would just power the electronics.
That can't be right. Powering the electronics is not a large contributing factor to loiter time, and the G-element reactor is supposed to be a Big Deal.

>>32069247
>>"We should add refuelling capabilities. We need to keep TSFs going as long as possible."

>>32069383
Yeah, because it'd provide basically unlimited energy.

There's zero research done into converting that energy into a safe propulsion system.

>>32069271
Yes, but only for the Excalibur. You'd still need to refuel every other TSF in the squadron.

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>>32069247
>"Hmmm... maybe we can keep the Sangreal modular and adjust the frame depending on the mission's?"
Modularity is the future.

>>32069247
"Hmmm... maybe we can keep the Sangreal modular and adjust the frame depending on the mission's?"

"Possibly." Mary leans back and closes her eyes to think it over. "I do have the schematics for everything, so design wouldn't take any longer. Production and testing, however, would."

"It's not like we have anything more important to do for the moment," you say. "And we still have time before our 'deadline.'"

"I'll also need to think up a default mode for TSFs on standby," Mary says. "I wouldn't have time to swap equipment if there's an emergency."

"Fuel and ammo probably won't be an issue for emergencies," you say. "But we can sort that out for the moment."

"Agreed," Mary says. "Where would you like to start?"

>"Let's figure out the armour first. It's the most basic feature, so we should be able to get it done sooner."
>"The Black Widow came with schematics for a refuelling pump. It's not quite what we're looking for, but it's a start."
>"Ammo shouldn't be too difficult to figure out."
>"Let's get the difficult part over with first. We'll start with the specialized spare parts."
>"Now that we have the basics of the frame figured out, I'd like to know more about the specialized equipment you want to install."

>>32069787
>"The Black Widow came with schematics for a refuelling pump. It's not quite what we're looking for, but it's a start."

>>32069787
> "The Black Widow came with schematics for a refueling pump. It's not quite what we're looking for, but it's a start."

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>>32069787

>"Let's figure out the armour first. It's the most basic feature, so we should be able to get it done sooner."

>>32069787
>>"The Black Widow came with schematics for a refuelling pump. It's not quite what we're looking for, but it's a start."
Get this out of the way

>>32069787
>>"Let's get the difficult part over with first. We'll start with the specialized spare parts."

Making sure the most difficult parts can work with a modular frame first will save us from having to redesign things later.

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>>32069787
"The Black Widow came with schematics for a refuelling pump," you say. "It's not quite what we're looking for, but it's a start."

"The pump itself isn't that big of a problem, but the fuel tank is," Mary says. "Still, it should give us a head start."

Mary pulls out the YF-23 Black Widow's stolen schematics, which she combined into one convenient sheet instead of the dozens of random pages you brought back from Alaska. You pour over the blueprints and start sketching designs.

>(roll 2d20)

Rolled 7, 17 = 24

>>32070236

Rolled 16, 19 = 35

>>32070236

Rolled 10, 5 = 15

>>32070236

>>32070260
Nice.

>>32070236
It's not that hard to build a fuel pump that sucks fuel out of a tank. It is, however, slightly more difficult to build a pump that is designed for something the scale of a TSF. The Black Widow schematics help a lot with that. You need to adjust the internal mechanism, but that's a trivial manner. It almost takes longer for Mary to draw up a list of all the equipment she'll need to produce a prototype. Still, it takes you most of the afternoon and Mary has dinner brought in from the nearest cafeteria. It looks, smells and tastes exactly like the food at the officer's mess, but it just doesn't feel quite right.

"I can already tell building these modules is going to be a nightmare," Mary says. "I'm not sure if I even have the place to hold them all. Then there's the problem of production..."

"Don't worry about it," you say. "If there's a demand - and there will be - some TSF manufacturer is bound to request production rights. We'll just have to buy as much time as we can to get it all sorted out."

"I suppose we will." Mary yawns and stretches her arms. "What do you want to do now? It's late, but we should still have time to get some work done."

>"I'd like to have a look at the armour plating."
>"We should have time to work out the ammo."
>"I'm heading back to my room for the night. I'll be back in the morning."
>"I'm calling it a night. Have you got a room I can borrow?"

>>32070443
>"I'd like to have a look at the armour plating."

THERE WORK TO BE DONE

>>32070443
>>"I'm calling it a night. Have you got a room I can borrow?

>>32070443
>>"I'm calling it a night. Have you got a room I can borrow?"

There's still time, no need to burn ourselves out on the first day.

>>32070443
> "I'd like to have a look at the armour plating."
It's supposed to be the fastest job, right? We could finish it tonight.

Rolled 8, 13 = 21

>>32070443

>"I'd like to have a look at the armour plating."

>>32070443
>>"I'm calling it a night. Have you got a room I can borrow?"

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1.21 MB JPG

>>32070443

>"I'm heading back to my room for the night. I'll be back in the morning."

I've got three for armour and three for borrowing a room. Can I got a tiebreaker from someone? Doesn't matter if you've already voted.

>>32070790
Borrowing a room.

>>32070790
borrow a room

>>32070443
"I'm calling it a night," you say. "Have you got a room I can borrow?"

"Certainly," Mary says as she turns around. "There's a free room right next to mine."

That is both highly convenient and highly suspicious.

Mary brings you up to the hangar's living quarters and shows you the room next to hers before going to her own room. As far as accommodations go, it's pretty good. There's a bed and two couches set around a table. The padding on the bed and couches look better than what you're used to in the barracks. It's also a lot more spacious.

You carefully fold your uniform - you didn't bring a spare set of clothes, but you've gone over a week without changing during SERE exercises, so it's not like wearing the same uniform for two days straight will kill you - and take a shower. The shower is also a lot more spacious than what you're used to, but it makes you miss the hot tub Mary has hidden away somewhere around here.

You turn the shower off and towel yourself off. The first thing you notice when you step out of the bathroom is how cold the floor is. There are tiles on the concrete, but they don't do you much good.

You hear someone knock on the door, which can only be Mary.

"You can come in," you shout.

Mary opens the door and enters the room. If she's surprised to see you in a towel, it doesn't show. You are surprised to see her in a semi-sheer black nightgown that's just on the border between "too exposed" and "not exposed enough."

"I thought you could use some company before going to sleep," she says. "Just to talk."

>"I'd love to. We still have some designs to think through for the Sangreal."
>"I'd better not. Elaine and Vivian might kill me."

Rolled 8, 6 = 14

>>32071098
>>"I'd love to. We still have some designs to think through for the Sangreal."

>>32071098
>>"I'd love to. We still have some designs to think through for the Sangreal."

Stiff upper lip, think of the queen and all.

>>32071098
>>"I'd love to. We still have some designs to think through for the Sangreal."

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>>32071098
>"I'd love to.

>>32071098
"I'd love to," you say. "We still have some designs to think through for the Sangreal."

Mary giggles at your response.

"For a moment, I thought you weren't going to torture yourself with this," Mary says. "In any case, lie on the bed, face down. I can at least give you a massage."

You get on the bed and rest your head on the pillow, your eyes closed. You soon feel Mary's weight on your back and confirm that she is not wearing underwear. Perhaps you shouldn't have allowed yourself to be tortured like this after all. The way she rubs your back just makes it so much worse.

"Fortified suits aren't good for your muscles, you know," Mary says. "They tighten up too much and don't let you relax."

"In that case, I'll fight the BETA on foot the next time they show up," you say. "I wouldn't want tense muscles."

You don't talk about the Sangreal's design. You don't talk about anything all. You just relax and let Mary give you a massage until you fall asleep.

It's the alarm that wakes you up in the morning. You didn't even know it was there, and you have absolutely no idea who set it. Mary might have brought it after you fell asleep.

You get dressed for another day of engineering and run into Mary just outside your room.

"Good morning," she says. "You look like you had a good night's sleep."

"Best I had in years," you say. "I'll need to find some way to return the favour."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mary says. "For now, shall we get back to work?"

>"Of course. Lead the way."
>"I'd like to check in at the main base. Elaine might be back by now."

>>32071600
> "Of course. Lead the way."

>>32071600
>>"Of course. Lead the way

Julian's balls shall forever remain blue

>>32071600
>>"I'd like to check in at the main base. Elaine might be back by now."

>>32071600
>>"Of course. Lead the way."
If Elaine is here they can come to us we got work to do.

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>>32071600
>"I'd like to check in at the main base. Elaine might be back by now."
Also Vivian.

>>32071600
"Of course," you say. "Lead the way."

You both grab synthetic pastries and coffee and head back down to Mary's session for a brainstorming session.

"We'll need to do more work on the fuel pump once we've decided how to handle the frame's modular design, but this should be good enough for a prototype," Mary says. "We should get to work on something else. We'll need to design all the modules before we can finalize the frame anyway."

"Right, let's get to work then," you say.

>"Show me your plans for the extra armour."
>"Let's focus on the ammo distribution system."
>"We can spend the day on the specialized parts."

>>32072036
>>"We can spend the day on the specialized parts."

Get it out of the way.

>>32072036
> "We can spend the day on the specialized parts."

>>32072036
>>"We can spend the day on the specialized parts."
yeah we will need to know how long our fuel can go for more armor.

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>>32072036
>"We can spend the day on the specialized parts."

>>32072036
"We can spend the day on specialized parts," you say. "I'm assuming it's mostly joints, hydraulics and engines."

"That's right, with a priority on the engines and the legs," Mary says. "Our priority is to keep TSFs operational long enough to get out of a hot zone. We might branch out into luxuries like sensors and arms later, but for now, mobility is our priority."

That's going to make things easier for you now, but a lot more complicated later. You have no idea how you're going to let a TSF perform repairs on another TSF's legs without making it out of rubber. Maybe if you build some of the repair tools in the legs?

But that's for later. For now, you just need to design an accessible container for specialized TSF components.

>(roll 2d20)

Rolled 16, 5 = 21

>>32072373
Rolling.

Rolled 8

>>32072373
>e

Rolled 13, 13 = 26

>>32072373

Rolled 3, 3 = 6

>>32072373
>>32072448

Wait wrong dice

Rolled 9, 17 = 26

>>32072373
Dice

Rolled 11, 5 = 16

>>32072373
rolling

Rolled 19

>>32072373
You spend the rest of the day brainstorm various designs, taking into consideration the components you'll need to keep a TSF mobile, even if it's just barely. You try a wide variety of racks and containers, along with different mixes of components and delivery mechanisms.

You also need to make sure that the components are accessible to whatever the Sangreal ends up using to make repairs, that it fits with the TSF's modular design and that components that are likely to be damaged in conjunction with each other are conveniently close to each other, but not in the way.

"Yes, this is an absolute nightmare," Mary says.

"Would you like to go back to sharp bronze sticks," you ask. "They would certainly be easier to maintain."

"But far less practical, I'm afraid," she says. "Let's keep going. We need at least some kind of plan by the end of the day."

In the end, you decide that if the Sangreal can be modular, the containers for the spare parts can be as well. You'll design them to carry parts interchangeably and if there is an optimal combination, it'll come up during field tests. Or live combat against real BETA. You'd prefer the field tests though.

"It's not much, but it's a plan," you say, looking at the clock. "And it looks like we need to call it a day."

"There never is enough time to get everything done," Mary says. "Will you be staying again?"

"I'm afraid not," you say. "I should check in with the barracks and in any case, we should take the time to build prototypes for the components we have so far and confirm that they work before we proceed."

"I agree," Mary says. "If the modular design doesn't work, we should find out now rather than later. I suppose I'll wish you good night then."

>"Good night, Mary."
>"You could come with me, if you'd like."

>(roll 1d20)

Rolled 14

>>32072766
>>"You could come with me, if you'd like."
If Elaine is back she might need some cheering up.

Rolled 16

>>32072766
>>"You could come with me, if you'd like."
Maybe get something to eat or drink.

Rolled 2

>>32072766
> "You could come with me, if you'd like."

>>32072766
"You could come with me, if you'd like," you say. "Elaine should be back by now, and I'm sure she could use the company."

"I think I'll take you up on the offer," Mary says. "Since I already offered you my hospitality, it's only fair."

The two of you walk back to the main barracks. The winter is cold, but not so cold as to feel unpleasant, and there's little wind tonight.

You open the door to your room and find Elaine and Vivian sitting on Elaine's bed.

"Julian! I was wondering where you were," Elaine says.

"Engineering." You nod towards Mary. "Our latest project was being a bit difficult, so I decided to stay overnight and get an early start."

"Your loss then," Vivian says.

Before you can ask Vivian what she meant by that, Mary walks up to Elaine and gives her a hug.

"How are you holding up," Mary asks.

"I'll be fine," Elaine says. "It was... it wasn't unexpected, so all the affairs were in order. I just had to settle things with the Earl Marshal. I supposed you need to call me 'Your Grace' now."

"And you need to call me 'sir.'" You tap the new insignia on your sleeve.

Elaine tilts her head to get a better look at it and then sticks her tongue out at you.

"As if rank really matters at this point," she says. "And by the way, you're going to need to vacate the premises Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays."

"We're reserving private time together," Vivian says before you can ask why. She then gently cups Elaine's cheeks and kisses her. Elaine immediately opens her mouth to accept Vivian's tongue and wraps one arm around her.

Mary stares at then, entranced and blushing bright red.

>"... all right then, I'll stay over at the hangar."
>"You know what? At this point, I just don't care."

>>32073332
>>"You know what? At this point, I just don't care."

We have achieved the zen of blueballs.

>>32073332
>>"You know what? At this point, I just don't care."

"Was this what I missed when I took first shift when we when to build the anti-hive weapon?"

Wow....blueballs strikes again

>>32073332
>>"You know what? At this point, I just don't care."
Yeah I agree we every one. But we should have a hangar party later.

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>>32073332
"You know what? At this point, I just don't care."

Elaine and Vivian let go of each other long enough to be able to talk.

"Are you sure," Vivian asks. "We're doing this out of consideration for you, you know."

"It's not like you have a lot of opportunities for 'private time' of your own," Elaine adds.

"I haven't had 'private time' since before I graduated," you say. "I'm used to it."

"Well, you've already seen everything in the locker rooms, so it's not like we're in a position to complain," Elaine says. "Which reminds me. Mary, why don't we have breakfast together, just the two of us? We haven't spent as much time together as I'd like."

"That sounds great," Mary says.

The three women make small talk as you stuff your uniform in a hamper and take a shower. The cold water doesn't help.

The good news is, you only have to put up with this for a few more weeks. Once the New Year rolls around and you start the Excalibur's live combat evaluations, you'll have other things to keep your mind occupied.

In the meantime, it's nice to have something to think about other than humanity's impending doom.

>>32073653
MISSION REPORT:
- Richard Hall survived. (1XP)
- Began work on the YK-21 Sangreal. (1XP)
- Added modular design to YK-21 Sangreal. (1XP)
- Designed refuelling module. (1XP)
- Designed spare parts module. (1XP)
- Total: 5XP

NOTES:
- Modularity will allow the YK-21 Sangreal to perform more roles on the battlefield. However, it will also delay mass production and deployment of the TSF.
- The refuelling module will increase the flight time of TSFs in combat.
- The spare parts module will increase the survivability of damaged TSFs.

CHARACTER STATUS:
Julian Reber (Main Character)
Level 8 (26/80XP)
Skills: TSF Piloting, Gunnery, Melee, Engineering, Computers
Resources: Budget 2, Connections 7 (Cerberus Battalion, Swiss Government, RAF, Crusaders, MI5, British nobility, Cherno battalion), Gear 5, Personnel 1, Rank 2

>>32073675
And that's it for today. Next thread will be Wednesday at 7PM EST.

'Night folks.

>>32073694
Thanks for running

>>32073694
Thanks for running, man. Fun thread as always.
See you next time.

>>32073694
What would have happen if we were to went to Eriane's room?

Also does that mean our route for her is locked since she turned lesbian/

>>32073763
She's bi.

>>32073812
Is Vivian also bi too?

or is just compromising for Eliane?

>>32073833
at this point it doesn't really matter.