>>1105198
>You'll meet, but only help if your demands are met first.
Well this meeting can end only so well.

>>1105198
>You'll meet, but only help if your demands are met first.

>>1105198
>You'll meet, but only help if your demands are met first.

>voting period extended for 5-10 minutes, as usual for the first vote

>>1105272
let me catch up real quick

>>1105198
>>You'll meet, but only help if your demands are met first.

>>1105272
>posted update in SSQ
Fuck all kinds of duck, I'll be back in a moment.

>>1105399
hahaha, gg.

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>>1105399
“I'd be happy to meet with anyone in charge,” you reply, speaking very carefully. “However cooperation comes after we gather enough information to make a decision.”

After a few moments where you presume the other pilot is conferring with her superiors, she responds. “Okay, we're going to a helipad near the President's office. You ever done this before?”

“What, transfer off an axial course?” you ask, confused about what she means. “Of course I have. I mean, hasn't everyone at this point?”

“Not around here,” she replies, a tone of disgust creeping into her voice. “Second or third stringers mostly. Come about and follow me, the window's a little narrow here.”

“Got it,” you reply as your sister projects a course onto your screen. There's a couple of buildings in the way, nothing too difficult.

The official building is only two stories tall, with a couryard out front and a wide field of green grass surrounding it on all sides. You figure it's primarily defensive, giving clean lines of fire through 360 degrees, and the helipad itself is out behind the building connected by a long walkway lined with shrubs. It's all very antiseptic, like it's been put together from prefabricated components with no character or history. With careful use of thrusters to slow her descent, your escort lands on the lawn next to the helipad and you set down flawlessly in the center of the concrete circle.

“Keep on the lookout,” you tell Catrina. “Minimize fuel consumption, and keep comms open.”

Don't wander off. Got it.

“I mean it...”

Chill out sis, I know you need me ready to go in case it all goes sideways.

“Nice to know we're all on the same page,” you nod, setting your helmet on the seat and jumping out onto the gundam's palm. Catrina sets you down and you hop off to see a red-haired woman with intense eyes staring at you.

“That's weird,” she frowns. “Since when do gundams move on their own?”

>Since Newtypes.
>It's a one-off by Anaheim.
>Let's just keep moving.
>Since when is anyone still using GMs?
>Other

>>1105416
>>Since Newtypes.

>>1105416
>Let's just keep moving.

>>1105399
At least it wasn't on a previous SSQ thread, which is still around holy shit.

>>1105449
Welcome to /qst/. Slow as balls for better or worse.

>>1105416
>Since Newtypes.

>writing

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>>1105473
>>1105422
NEWTYPES, SON

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>>1105478
“Since Newtypes,” you counter. “We've been controlling stuff with our brains for years, and some of us have gotten quite good at it.”

“I see that,” the redhead nods. “Damn. Anyway, if you're gonna take a piece with you you'll need an escort.”

“Are you volunteering?”

“Maybe,” she replies with a cheeky grin. Really, you feel like she's got an ulterior motive here... but not anything malicious.

You sigh. “Fine, show me the way then.”

“Awesome!” her grin widens. “The President's always got the best booze, or so I'm told.”

Ah, that accounts for it.

“What's so funny?” she grumbles, thinking that you must be laughing at her.

You shrug. “Nothing, you just remind me of how I used to treat shit like this.”

“You a malt drinker?” she asks.

An easy grin tugs at your cheeks. “I've been known to be.”

“I wasn't before the war,” your escort admits, “but ever since then it's kind of become a habit. You know how it is.”

“I do,” you confirm. “So you were a veteran too? Where'd you serve?”

“Transferred out of the EFSF spacefighter corps to a ball team, then fought at Solomon, Odessa, and A Baoa Qu. Mostly Gms. You?”

After having wound your way through the halls you've finally reached a large room at roughly the middle of the second floor, which overlooks the front courtyard. Your yet-unnamed escort glances over her shoulder at you as you approach a set of double doors.

“Come on, someone with an eyepatch has gotta have some stories.”

>Tell her who you are.
>Give her the short version.
>Politely decline.

>>1105538
>>Give her the short version.

>>1105538
>Give her the short version.

>>1105538
>>Give her the short version.
Strange. No post OYW record for her to speak of?

>writing

>>1105601
It's a little odd that she didn't mention anything after the War, but then again it's not inconceivable that her service record between now A Baoa Qu was simply so unremarkable it doesn't even warrant an overview. Or perhaps something happened in that time she's not proud of, or would prefer to forget. Certainly there were some things you were a part of that most people wouldn't really want to spend the rest of their lives thinking about.

But she's asked about you, so the least you can do is give her enough to fill in the blanks.

“You ever heard of an Ace pilot Zeon's forces called the 'Black Star'?”

She nods emphatically. “Rumors mostly. You duel her in the war or something?”

You can't help but laugh again, more peevishly this time than before. “No, the rumors were about me. That was my nickname.”

Your escort laughs too for a moment as you open the double doors, then suddenly stops. “Wait, really?”

“Mister President, I presume?” you ask, focusing on the man behind a nicely-carved wooden desk and flanked by two armed guards. Come to think, that desk may be the only thing in this entire building with any character.

And that includes the people... aside from your escort, admittedly.

“President Shaw,” he tells you, offering his hand across the desk. You shake it firmly, and the man glances down at your gloved hand.

“It's part of the bodysuit,” you tell him, “it's a pain to take them off. You called me here?”

“Surely you must have noticed on the way in what sort of reception you got,” President Shaw begins, gesturing at a chair. You sit, and your escort stands behind you. “The other half of the colony isn't a welcoming place for outsiders, and that includes those of us from the open side.”

“Not a problem,” you shrug. “But yeah, pretty noticeable. Why?”

“Suffice to say they're essentially holding us hostage,” the President continues. “They have most of the productive capability, and maintain their own standing mobile suit forces.”

>Let him continue, see what he says.
>If you want us to intervene and help you, just say so.
>I'm not changing the balance of power here.
>Other?

>>1105648
>>Let him continue, see what he says.
We can hear the man out.

>>1105648
>Let him continue, see what he says.

>>1105648
>Other?
So, what's stopping them from fully taking over this piece of real estate? I imagine the other half of the colony would like to settle down in something this nice.

>>1105685
This is a good point too. Perhaps we can ask when he's done speaking, or Queen can have him bring it up.

>>1105700
>3d10
>dc 16, Crit 20

Rolled 6, 9, 9 = 24 (3d10)

>>1105739

Rolled 6, 2, 4 = 12 (3d10)

>>1105739
Right. Let's see what we got.

>>1105750
woot

Rolled 7, 9, 2 = 18 (3d10)

>>1105739

Rolled 4, 5, 7 = 16 (3d10)

>>1105739

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>>1105750
>CARYA SEES EVERYTHING

>>1105773
But can she see why kids love the taste of cinnamon toast crunch? :D

>>1105773
You elect to let the man continue rather than cut him short, despite the fact that you feel like you already know what this is ramping up to. Sure enough, it doesn't take long for him to get there.

“In order to maintain the entire colony we need access to the fabrication plants,” President Shaw continues, “and to seize the fabrication plants we need their mobile suits out of the way. The longer we delay the more armaments they can build... do you see the necessity of what I'm going to ask?”

No news, your sister reports, unwittingly providing you welcome albeit temporary relief, including from Rossweisse.

“We need you to help us deal with these dissidents in short order,” he continues calmly, as if what he's asking for is the most reasonable and natural thing in the world and you couldn't possibly disagree with his conclusions. “At least, if peace is to be maintained.”

After a few moments of silence, you begin your reply. “You're still fielding overworked GM-II variants here, they've got a force of Zaku-IIIs on the other side. If they wanted to make a move against you they'd have done it by now... which suggests you've got something that's keeping them at bay.”

“What're you talking about?” your escort asks. “What's she talking about?”

“Lieutenant Carlyle,” President Shaw insists sternly before turning his attention back to you. “That sounds an awful lot like an accusation, miss.”

“Captain,” you correct him just as sternly as he shut down his own subordinate. “Was I wrong? Are your mobile suits secretly more advanced than they appear?”

“Your assessment is accurate,” Shaw admits. “It's anyone's guess what the closed-side are thinking, why they haven't attacked us yet. You'd have to ask them.”

>Keep your secret, and I'm gone. You're on your own.
>Tell me what's going on and maybe I can help.
>Okay, I'll tell you what I need from you.
>Other?

>>1105866
>Tell me what's going on and maybe I can help.

>>1105866
>>Tell me what's going on and maybe I can help.

>>1105866
>>Tell me what's going on and maybe I can help.
He's still pretty dodgy though.Won't be surprised if what's actually keeping this balance is him holding a self-destruct button to the colony or some such.

>back, writing

“If you want our help, you're going to have to do more than offer us help in response,” you sigh, leaning back in your chair. “You're going to have to gain our trust, and hiding things from us isn't the way to do that. We need to know who we're working with.”

After a few moments, President Shaw leans forward to rest his forehead against his hands. “We... may have access to a small stockpile of chemical weapons, as well as equipment to deploy them.”

You raise your eyebrow. “What kind of weapons? Tell me exactly.”

“Nerve agents,” he replies wearily. “Four weaponized canisters of G3 compound, enough to kill everything in the closed side four times over. When it became clear how outmatched our forces were, we may have threatened to deploy the gas as a deterrent.”

“You may have, or you did?” Lieutenant Carlyle demands.

For your part, you simply shake your head. “How?”

“They fell into our custody when a Titans ship requested safe haven and disarmed itself. My predecessor in office kept it a secret, didn't declare it to any regulatory bodies. We still maintain control to the shutoff valves at the joint where our two colony habitats meet, in theory we could close off contact and flood the closed side with the toxin within a matter of minutes after an attack on our territory.”

“And so that's why we haven't been attacked?” the Lieutenant asks, anger welling up in her tone. “Because we threatened them with fucking nerve gas?”

“It was the only way to maintain order,” the President insists, though it sounds more like bargaining to your ears.

“Yeah, an order with you at the top!”

You raise your hands, silently insisting that both parties shut up before you speak your mind. “Now, the reason I'm here is because the man who seems to be leading this other faction of yours is someone we've become aware of. He may have a connection to several high-profile acts of terrorism around the system, and we want to bring him in for questioning.”

>Help me get this guy and we'll see to the mobile suits.
>Give up the G3 and we'll see what we can work out.
>We'll help each other for now, but then we get the G3.
>I don't think we can work with you. At least not directly.
>Other?

>>1106035
>>Give up the G3 and we'll see what we can work out.

>>1106035
>>Help me get this guy and we'll see to the mobile suits.
>>Give up the G3 and we'll see what we can work out.

>>1106035
>>Give up the G3 and we'll see what we can work out.
Could we call in another ship to take away the G3?

>>1106035
>>Give up the G3 and we'll see what we can work out.
Lock down the canisters and keep them fully accounted for.

>>1106035
>We'll help each other for now, but then we get the G3.

I'm fine with just getting him to give up the G3.

>>1106073
I reckon if the other side catches wind of it, they'll proceed with an attack once the gas threat no longer holds sway.

Also, whoever's gonna ferry it has gotta be real ballsy, since it's really potent if I recall correctly.

>>1106100
Said other ship would presumably have additional mecha.

>>1106035
>Give up the G3 and we'll see what we can work out.

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“Give up the G3 and we'll work something out,” you insist sternly.

The President looks aghast at the suggestion. “That gas is the only thing keeping the closed side from pressing an attack!”

To be fair, you really are asking him to give up his deterrent.

Still no contact or disturbances, but there were definitely some birds I had to scare off. Damn birds. Didn't realize how much I hated birds until one tried to shit on my head.

Well at least someone's having fun.

>Announce that the Grim Guard is here to sort things out. That ought to be a good deterrent.
>You just need to pray you don't have any leaks in your side of things.
>Announce that the Black Star of Zeon is here. They'll lose interest in you damn quick.
>Other?

>>1106129
>>Announce that the Grim Guard is here to sort things out. That ought to be a good deterrent.

>>1106129
>Announce that the Grim Guard is here to sort things out. That ought to be a good deterrent.

>>1106035
>Give up the G3 and we'll see what we can work out.
He should be glad we're not just arresting him and leaking that all over the Space-Internet with help from ALICE.

>>1106129
>Announce that the Grim Guard is here to sort things out. That ought to be a good deterrent.
>Other?
Maybe rig up some dummy canisters to temporarily fool them?

>>1106106
Eyup, it does seem like the kind of situation where additional mecha would be good thing to have.

Gonna have to see if we can establish comms with the Sericea and, I dunno, bounce a message from them? The open side might be getting jammed, or the closed side have taken control of the colony's comms.

>>1106129
>Announce that the Grim Guard is here to sort things out. That ought to be a good deterrent.

>>1106129
>>Announce that the Grim Guard is here to sort things out. That ought to be a good deterrent.

>>1106129
>Announce that the Grim Guard is here to sort things out. That ought to be a good deterrent.

“The name 'Grim Guard' still carries some weight in the colonies,” you muse quietly, seizing upon an idea. “Make a public announcement that the Grim Guard is here to sort things out.”

“The Grim Guard?” President Shaw asks, nonplussed. “When did they arrive?”

“The Grim Guard was built around three ace pilots at first, each with a slightly different skillset,” you explain carefully, “which would later grow to five pilots. Two of them are here, in Sweetwater.”

You sigh as the President's expression grows even more surprised. “What, you think all those Newtypes came out of nowhere? The Colony Transit Fleet is built from the core personnel of our old unit, and all our technology is based on what we designed back then.”

“Trust me, you've got more than four canisters of G3 worth of deterrence right here in your own compound.”

After taking a few moments to consider your proposal, the President agrees. He hands you a small data disk. “This is all we have on the leader of the insurgency in the closed side. Take it.”

“Thank you,” you nod. “Consider the Zakus gone.”

Shaw sighs in obvious relief. “Oh thank god. Our colony will owe you a deep debt of gratitude for this.”

On the way back to your own mobile suits, the Lieutenant stops you by grabbing your arm. “Hey, you can't be serious about this.”

“About what?” you ask. “Destroying the mobile suits?”

“About leaving that asshole in power!” she protests. “You know how men like him think, as soon as the opposition's lost its bite he'll go full Zabi and crack down on any dissent... you'll be setting up a dictator!”

>I'm destroying his enemy's military might. I said nothing about protecting his position.
>Who says I intend to let him keep his mobile suits, either? I intend to clear the slate.
>Something he hasn't done isn't my responsibility... yet.
>Other?

>>1106266
>I'm destroying his enemy's military might. I said nothing about protecting his position.
Honestly we are going to have to investigate him later anyways.

>>1106266
>>I'm destroying his enemy's military might. I said nothing about protecting his position.

>>1106266
>I'm destroying his enemy's military might. I said nothing about protecting his position.

>>1106266
>I'm destroying his enemy's military might. I said nothing about protecting his position.
We have his canisters of chemical weapons, and a witness that he had them and had threatened to use them.
Hell, we probably have recordings too.

His ass is toast.

>>1106266
>I'm destroying his enemy's military might. I said nothing about protecting his position.
>Other?
He'll have to answer for why he was holding onto some treaty banned weapons down the line. He won't be staying in power for long.

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>>1106266
“I have three rules whenever I negotiate,” you tell her as you move to continue walking. “Terms are always open to renegotiation, never treat my allies like they're my friends, and never offer anything that's not already on the table.”

The Lieutenant looks at you curiously. “Meaning...”

“Meaning his position of power isn't what we bargained for,” you explain, stopping and turning in front of Catrina. “I was going to take out those weapons and capture the man behind them either way, and now that I know about this stockpile Shaw's been sitting on I'm going to confiscate it as evidence and have him politically crucified for it.”

“Both sides broke the rules. Both sides lose.”

After a few moments of digesting that thought, Lieutenant Carlyle treats you to a wicked grin and offers her hand.

“We've never been properly introduced... Lieutenant Bianca Carlyle, former EFF.”

You grasp her hand, a much more lively and sincere handshake than Shaw's measured, calculated gesture. “Captain Carya Marseille-O'Hara. Captain or Carrina works in combat.”

“Well then,” Lieutenant Carlyle muses, releasing your hand. “What's the next move... partner?”

>>1106420
And that's all for now, folks. Thanks for turning out, and sorry to make it a short run. But hopefully that sets us up for when I return from a break next weekend.

Hope you had fun, the archives are up on sup/tg/, and see you next time! I'll drop back in to check if there are any questions or comments.

>>1106435
How much weight does the Grim Guard name still carry nowadays anyways?

>>1106435
Thanks Queen!

>>1106469
It's remembered by the general population as a group that stood up to Zeon, Titans, and the Jovians, but not with much more specificity.

Someone with military experience would know more. It'd be like challenging a guy at a bar with a HOG coin and having him pull one out with an eagle and trident on it. Like "oh fuck what did I just get into I'm too sober for this".