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>>1304687
“What are we going to do then?” Sweetwater's president demands... or at least he tries to “demand”, his voice far too tremulous to carry much authority.

“You aren't doing squat,” you grumble. “We would just be acting blindly without a more concrete threat to respond to.”

“So you're not going to do anything!?”

Your palm meets your face in an instant. “Don't get hysterical... all we need to do is figure out how to get this guy to show his hand and then we can respond to what he's holding.

As always however, there's a real question as to the best way to translate that understanding of the broad strategic situation into a tactical decision. Nobody's ever written a book of foolproof ways to bait a canny opponent into revealing their strategy, so it really comes down to one individual against the other. How do you go about out-playing a consummate player like Char?

>Go high and call him out. He's always shown a propensity to finish things by his own hand.
>Go low and call his sister. If anyone can get through to Char it'd be his last remaining family.
>Go laterally, try and contact the real Char... if he's still alive he couldn't POSSIBLY resist the drama.
>Other?

>>1304689
>Go laterally, try and contact the real Char... if he's still alive he couldn't POSSIBLY resist the drama.

>>1304689
>>Go laterally, try and contact the real Char... if he's still alive he couldn't POSSIBLY resist the drama.

>>1304699
Whoops, forgot my trip

>>1304689
>>Go laterally, try and contact the real Char... if he's still alive he couldn't POSSIBLY resist the drama.

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“Well, assuming we begin with the premise that Char is actually alive somewhere and this is an impostor,” you muse, “the logical counter would be to find the real Char.”

“How are we going to do that?” Rossweisse asks with a frown. “Even his sister gave up trying long ago.”

“Well, if we know anything about Char it's that whatever name he goes under...”

He can only ever be Char?

You frown at your sister's interruption. “He can only ever be Char.”

“So he would likely take a job as a soldier, or a politician, or even a mechanic?” Rossweisse ponders the options. “That only narrows things down slightly.”

“He also goes by insane pseudonyms that somehow nobody ever questions,” you observe, “like Quattro Bajeena or Dick Pussyfist or whatever. Always something sexual, something that your average decent person doesn't want to ask questions about.”

“I wonder if those are adequate search parameters?” Rossweisse asks. “Can you relay the message through Catrina?”

Done and done. I've alerted ALICE to the possibility.

“All we need is the data,” you nod.

>Mister President, I need all the immigration data you have from the last ten years.
>I need the names of all civil servants and security personnel.
>Ask Cima to let ALICE comb her data once more, see if something slipped past notice.
>Tell ALICE to work on a program to sift through the data for her and narrow down possible matches.
>Other?

Not sure where to go from here...

>>1304724
>>Mister President, I need all the immigration data you have from the last ten years.

>>1304724
>>Tell ALICE to work on a program to sift through the data for her and narrow down possible matches.

>>1304724
>>>Tell ALICE to work on a program to sift through the data for her and narrow down possible matches.

>3d10, DC 16, Crit 21

Rolled 20, 36, 10 = 66 (3d100)

>>1304748

Rolled 3, 2, 1 = 6 (3d10)

>>1304748
wrong dice >>1304754

Rolled 7, 7, 6 = 20 (3d10)

>>1304754

Rolled 1, 9, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>1304748

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With some focus, you're able to carry out a conversation that excludes those in the room who can't hear your thoughts and simply share your orders with your sister, who then relays them to ALICE aboard the Sericea.

Please work on a protocol for sifting through relevant data for possible matches. Concentrate on detecting names with obviously vulgar connotations who arrived between the end of the war and the first noted appearance of this figure claiming to be Char.

Catrina quietly shares her concerns. Why the intermediate step, sis?

Because even if it seems uniquely appropriate that he would be hiding here, we can't rely on his sense of dramatic flair to limit our parameters. Searching ALL available records within the Sol system will take far longer than we can afford unless we automate the process.

I see... and this will keep ALICE available for combat support.

“She's already spread thin,” you nod quietly. “No need to make that worse by tasking her with an expansive search on a time constraint.”

Rossweisse shakes her head. “You're doing it again.”

“Sorry to tell you,” you shrug dismissively, “but I used to do this all the time without anyone complaining. Old habits and all that.”

“Well, ALICE is only human after all,” Rossweisse sighs, “so anything to ease the strain.”

“So you want to search for pseudonyms?” the president offers, seating himself back at his desk and logging into his computer terminal. “I can do that easily enough. What was that name you mentioned, Quatro Vagina?”

“Quattro Bajeena,” you correct him with the appropriate spelling and pronunciation. “A little less flagrant than we make it out to be, but the effect is the same.”

“Here!” he declares. “We had a Quattro Bajeena arrive several years ago from the Republic, very little information about him, but the name is an exact match and he seemed to settle down in the closed side before dropping off the grid.”

>Let me see that profile.
>Does it say where his last known residence is?
>Who logged the initial entry?
>Other?

>>1304799
>>Let me see that profile.

>>1304799
>>Let me see that profile.
>>Who logged the initial entry?
A new wingman, dare I say?

Also, nice to see a new Gundam Thunderbolt season.

>>1304799
>>>Let me see that profile.
>>>Who logged the initial entry?

>>1304810
I've got to admit I'm a little excite.
>dice+3d10, DC 17, Crit 20

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

>>1304820

Rolled 10, 9, 10 = 29 (3d10)

>>1304820
>>1304825
Wow nice.

Rolled 9, 8, 10 = 27 (3d10)

>>1304820
>DC 17
Ah, sunglasses! The most foolproof of disguises!

>>1304825
Or not. Good rolls my man.

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>>1304825
Alrighty then.

>>1304831
Psh, mine was better.

>>1304831
“Let me take a look at this,” you insist, pushing the president's rolling chair out of the way and leaning in to examine the page. “It's never that simple.”

As it turns out there are definitely details that the president didn't pick up on at first, which may prove to be relevant. It was last updated soon after Quattro Bajeena moved into his home in the closed side, and his trade was listed as being a mechanic. However upon closer inspection of the document you find that the case officer whose name was listed didn't begin working in the closed side until one month after the immigration record was filed.

“ALICE,” you order, “look at the records of when this document was last altered.”

A few moments later you get your explanation. ALICE says this document was falsely backdated.

“This document isn't as old as it claims to be,” you relate. “Seems someone made it look like Quattro Bajeena immigrated on this date.”

“Does it list an address?” Rossweisse asks.

You nod. “Yes. Yes it does.”

“So how are you going to play this hand you've been dealt?” Cima muses thoughtfully, clearly entertained at the way things are going. “You have an address that's clearly fake, but which presumably was listed for a reason, and a document that someone falsely filed in the name of a person who may never have been here.”

>We should check the address anyway, if for no other reason than to provoke a response.
>We should continue focusing on finding the real Char.
>ALICE, what can you tell me about who DID file this document?
>Other?

>>1304870
>>ALICE, what can you tell me about who DID file this document?

>>1304870
>>ALICE, what can you tell me about who DID file this document?

>>1304870
>ALICE, what can you tell me about who DID file this document?

>We should check the address anyway, if for no other reason than to provoke a response.
Drone surveillance or tapping into nearby security cameras as a start perhaps?

>writing

>>1304933
“So what can you tell me about who did file this document, if it wasn't the person listed on it?”

After a few moments, Catrina gets back to you with an answer. ALICE would like to request permission to access to all telecommunications records in the colony.

“We need to access your telecom records,” you repeat, staring at the president. “I assume there's no problem?”

Even as the president shakes his head, you're already giving the order. Just do it, asking is a formality at this point anyway.

A few more seconds, and Catrina can report the results of the search. We traced ISP records that isolate an apartment building in the closed side.

>Then that's where we're going, straight into the maw to force a confrontation.
>Then that's where the open side's cops are going. Put on the pressure.
>Then we should place that area under surveillance, see what we find.
>Other?

>>1304979
>>Then that's where the open side's cops are going. Put on the pressure.

>>1304979
>>Then that's where the open side's cops are going. Put on the pressure.

>have been writing for a while, I'll be done in a few

Whoops, thread updater got unchecked, so it wasn't updating

>>1305075
Well, if you've been given an address it would be rude not to turn up in some capacity... but at the same time it's more than likely a trap of some sort, and going there on foot would simply not be an option. So that leaves only one real alternative: send in the local authorities.

“I need boots on the ground at this location,” you declare, taking a pen off the president's desk and writing the address... straight onto the desktop, for lack of a notepad. “Local security, fully armed.”

“Even if we find nothing that much police presence will probably force our enemy's hand,” Rossweisse nods. “As much as I hesitate to put others in danger I agree with the plan.”

“Alright then,” you conclude, setting the pen aside then pulling the president's chair back in front of his computer. “You take care of the details and make the arrangements, we'll monitor your progress from our vessel.”

With that decided, you and your party quickly return to the Sericea, settling into the cockpit with Rossweisse while Bianca takes to her mobile suit and Cima heads for the hangar deck to speak with your chief technician.

“So how do you think they'll respond to this threat?” Rossweisse asks, putting her ship back into station keeping above the Presidential Mansion's lawns.

“My guess is it will be a multi-angle response,” you offer, considering the possibilities. “They probably mean to weaken the ability for this side to respond to a direct military move, the only question is how they intend to achieve that effect.”

“Fair enough,” she agrees, switching the Sericea's displays over to project a feed from the team that's been sent into the closed side. The visual is grainy at best, probably shot with a standard-issue body camera then relayed back across the fabrication block that joins the two rotating cylinders. Thankfully the audio is better.

They're getting close to the target building, your sister reports, her voice full of anticipation as you hear the sound of a door being broken down... a no-knock raid is illegal in some parts of human-controlled space, but it seems on Sweetwater such concerns are far from people's minds.

“Left side clear!”
“Right side clear!”
“First squad up those stairs, second squad sweep the ground floor! Report back every five minutes or when you make contact!”

The officer whose feed you're receiving seems to move along with second squad, moving past the stairs and into what looks like a kitchen. “Check those doors!”

Several other armored figures open one door after the next, some prompting cascades of dry goods and groceries as they prove to be pantries or cabinets... one even results in the handle of a mop hitting a rifleman in the face.

“Shit!”
“Keep it together Jenkins!” the officer whose perspective you're watching barks. “Get that door on your right!”
>1/?

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>>1305106
“What the hell?” the man called 'Jenkins' says as he takes a step back and raises his rifle. “Sir, you better get a look at this!”

“What is it, Jenkins?”
“It's... a hole, sir!”
“God... dammit Jenkins I do not have time for your...” the officer in charge bellows, stopping mid-sentence as you see what he and Jenkins are looking at. “Well I'll be damned... Second squad, report!”
“Nothing, sir! Just dirty clothes and empty beer bottles.”
“Move down here and secure the entryways, First squad down that hole!”

Flashlights are switched on as three men file into the closet ahead of your cameraman. It's difficult to see what they're looking at, and none of the officers seem to think to describe it for you.

“ALICE, can you relay a message for them to talk us through it?” you ask.

“I can try,” she offers. A few moments later the squad leader stops dead.

“Hold up... we're getting word from HQ that the visual feed's bad.”
“We're in some kinda passageway underneath the house that runs into the colony wall... looks like we've gone down two decks. Some kinda work lighting and generators down here, none of it on.”

The man aims your camera view at a nearby generator to show you what he means... looks like an old solid-fuel generator built back in the early Universal Century some eighty years ago. They were phased out as the colonies' nuclear power plants started coming online, and became outright irrelevant after shortrange power-beaming technology began to mature in the UC 50's. The advantage of course...

“Totally off the grid,” Rossweisse realizes about the same time you do. “Clever, but it begs the question.”

Time to see what they were trying to hide.

A few moments later, after carefully walking down what seems like an empty hallway lined with equally empty workshops, galleries, and storerooms that became obsolete when the colony atmosphere was finally breathable, the squad comes to a dead end.

“The hell is that?”
“Looks like some kinda device, sir.”
“God DAMN it Jenkins I know that!”
“No, sir... I mean I used to work in nuclear weapons storage, and this looks like a tactical device.”

You immediately feel your good eye widen in alarm. This is NOT what you wanted to hear...

>Get them the hell out of there, now.
>Tell them they need to make sure this thing is disarmed.
>Tell them to hold in position while you rendezvous.
>That thing needs to be outside the colony as soon as possible, by all means possible.
>Other?

>>1305172
>>Get them the hell out of there, now.
Uh oh, that ain't good.

>>1305172
>>Tell them they need to make sure this thing is disarmed.

Giving it a few minutes for a tiebreaker.

>>1305172
>>Get them the hell out of there, now.
>Get them the hell out of there, now.

>>1305279
Whoops.
(once again, the auto-updater didn't work)

>dice+3d10, DC 18, Crit 21

Rolled 10, 1, 8 = 19 (3d10)

>>1305289

Rolled 9, 9, 5 = 23 (3d10)

>>1305289

>>1305303
nice

Rolled 7, 8, 8 = 23 (3d10)

>>1305289

“Get them out of there!” you demand, seeing where this is about to head. “That thing's an EMP generator!”

“What, you're sure?” Rossweisse asks in similar alarm.

You nod confidently. “An old Zeon design meant to cripple a colony from the inside... even most EFSF ships weren't fully hardened. Only vital systems, too expensive and heavy otherwise.”

“It'll still kill anyone standing that close though.”

“So that's what he was planning... does that mean there's another one on this side of the colony?”

You quickly punch up the comms. “Carlyle, get your ass aboard ship now! Rossweisse, get us into the fabrication block, the amount of metal there might shield our vulnerable systems!”

“On it!” your partner reports, frantically tapping in controls and spinning Sericea's engines up. “All hands to general quarters!”

On your feed you hear the fireteam leader curse. “Shit, apparently it's an EMP bomb!”
“Of course, they're crazy not suicidal...”
“If we're here when that thing blows we're still toast!”
“Calm down soldiers, we fall back from here... Jenkins, the hell are you doing?”
“I can do this! I recognize the design, sir!”
“Dammit Jenkins you are going to die down here, son!”
“Then I'm gonna die doing my job, sarge! I fucked up during the Titans conflict... I'm not gonna fuck up again. Not this time!”
“... god damn it Jenkins, guess I gotta stay with you. Can't go lettin' you die alone down here.”
“Then gimme some extra light over here sir...”

They're trying to defuse the bomb anyway? Brave... stupid, but brave.
>dice+3d10, DC is 19, no critical

Rolled 8, 6, 1 = 15 (3d10)

>>1305336

Rolled 3, 7, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>1305336
Should a localized alarm be issued as well? Like, there might be nearby hospitals with patients on life support.

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

>>1305336
here goes

>>1305346
Nice!

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“ALICE, broadcast a message on all emergency frequencies warning of an EMP event,” you order as the Sericea moves in towards the fabrication block. Meanwhile the security team continues working frantically to disarm the bomb.

“We've got sixty seconds!”
“I can fucking read sir!”
“Don't you sass me, son!”
“If we die you can kiss my ass in hell, sir!”
“And if we live you're in for it!”
“That's fine, I'll still be alive!”
“That's the red wire!”
“I know that, but you never cut the red one.”
“Don't just cut wires randomly based on what you THINK the right one is!”
“NO TIME!”

Then you hear a triumphant shout. “Got it! Get fucked... sir!”

“Damn fine work, Jenkins!”

That's your opportunity. “Rossweisse, flank speed!”

“On it!” she calls out, executing a hard burn to propel your ship out into the closed cylinder. A few seconds later static washes over the Sericea's hull, and the lights flicker.

“Multiple EMP events detected!' ALICE reports. “One in the open cylinder, one in the fabrication block, none in the closed cylinder!”

“Report!” you order your partner.

Rossweisse keys in a series of commands and the initial results of her systems test scroll across the viewports. “All core systems are still online, including propulsion, central power, navigation, and life support. Hangar deck is unaffected. Peripheral outages including diamagnetic generators and point defense batteries. External sensors are temporarily inoperable.”

You unbuckle your safety restraints and vault over your seat. “I'm heading out then, we need visual and point defense capability. They're going to try and capitalize on the havoc caused by that EMP attack.”

“The launch catapults are still online, but computer assist is offline,” Rossweisse reports. “You'll be heading out on manual.”

“That's fine.”

It's around the time you arrive on the hangar deck that you can feel it: several hostiles coming in the direction of Sericea with something powerful at the head of the formation.

The Red Comet is laughing at you...

>>1305398
And that is where we leave off for this week. Char's EMP bombs have cut Carrina and Rossweisse off from their limited support from the open side and blinded Sericea, giving them a real shot at clearing the way for a full takeover of Sweetwater.

Thanks for turning out, and I look forward to seeing you next week!

>>1305410
Thanks for running! See ya on the next one.

And dayum, of course it'd be multiple EMP devices discharging. Well, at least it wasn't a tac nuke like I expected. That would've been way messier, not to mention a MS reactor detonating from a beam weapon already has that kind of yield. Good on Jenkins for being the mook that did the job and lived.

Kinda disturbing that either there's closed side sympathizers on the open side to act on this, or it's already been set way before hand.

And btw, is Quess still onboard the Sericea?

>>1305459
Indeed, Quess is present but not active as she has no formal training. Unlike Char, Carya and Rossweisse would consider putting her in combat both dangerous and deeply irresponsible.

As for sympathizers, there's a very good reason for that which you'll learn next time.

New to quest, appreciating OP's above-average writing quality. Is there a recap somewhere?

>>1314256
don't think so, but here's the archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Shadows+of+Zeon

qm also does Shinigami Savant Quest

>>1314256
Flattered. My twitter handle is @QMKingofHearts and there are pastebins linked there with some details. How familiar are you with the franchise in general? If you're still around I could try and give you a crash course.

>>1314683
Intimately, don't worry. Enough to know who ALICE is, at least. Looking forward to the rest of the quest.!

>>1316217
So I'm contemplating just continuing this thread for a few more hours this evening.

>>1328172
You are Captain Carya Marseille-O'Hara, and the situation isn't looking great. The Sericea is all but blinded by an EMP burst and many of her guns are offline, leaving you and your mobile suit as the first, last, and only line of defense. And it seems you'll soon be obliged to act in that role.

Several mobile suits have scrambled to intercept your ship, trying to capitalize on what they assume will be a moment of disorientation. Far from it, Rossweisse has thrown the Sericea into reverse and lowered her towards the colony walls. Even if her defensive options are limited she's taken out two directions the enemy can approach from, leaving you only her forward, lateral, and dorsal approaches to cover. Her position near Sweetwater's central fabrication block will also allow you to intercept anyone dumb enough to think they can simply fly past you.

The only problem is that although you still harbor doubt that the approaching Newtype is Char you can feel that he's got a substantial presence to him... it would be a mistake to assume that just because he's an impostor means he's powerless, or that you can make light of the threat presented by his accompanying force.

“I'll focus on getting the dorsal missile banks back up and running,” Rossweisse informs you as you strap into the cockpit of your gundam. The internal monitors flicker to life, painting an image of the surrounding hangar broken only by the small open hatch directly in front of you. “I'll keep you appraised, but don't expect any help in the short term. Best I have is light point defense autocannons.”

While no doubt effective against incoming missiles, and resistant to EMP weapons, those cannons won't have the punch to bring down a mobile suit at any range.

“Understood,” you reply, shutting the hatch and allowing your sister to migrate her mind partway into the AI storage banks in your mobile suit's head. “Now bringing the Viola fully online, heading for the catapult deck.”

“The hatch is open,” Rossweisse informs you calmly, “catapult deck is ready for manual egress. Just try not to scratch the paint.”

“Of course not,” you reply. “Still paying this thing off.”

Ready when you are.

>3d10, DC 18, Crit 21
>best of four

Rolled 9, 10, 6 = 25 (3d10)

>>1328453
Glad to see you back in the saddle, King.

Rolled 3, 8, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>1328453
Sup King

>>1328459
Not much, just relaxing while people find their way in.

>>1328458
Well then.

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>>1328467
“This is the Viola, launching in three... two... one...”

Your own thrusters send your mobile suit screaming out of the Sericea's catapult deck and into the air, heading higher into the colony's atmosphere. The number of mobile suits coming your way is honestly daunting, with nine Zaku-type machines showing up on a quick scan of the area led by a larger, more powerful mobile suit painted an eye-catching shade of red. That has to be the lead machine... no doubt about it, the pilot's the one you could feel even back in Sericea's hangar.

Incoming!

Your sister quickly highlights a number of rocket shells coming your way, seemingly aimed so that if they miss your suit they'll continue on towards the stationary patrol cruiser behind you.

“Not a chance!”

Autocannon rounds streak towards the barrage of incoming explosives, shattering most of them and detonating a few early. Those blasts give you cover to rush your enemy, firing a pair of grenades that burst against the armor of two Zaku-IIIs. One seems to lose its main camera and goes spiraling out of control, its pilot no doubt a total novice in over his head with a far more powerful machine than he can handle. That suit eventually manages to slow its descent by sheer luck, coming down in a survivable impact some distance away.

The second takes the blast to its chest, touching off a reserve of propellant for the chemical thrusters in its shoulders and skirts. The secondary explosion sends it reeling, all attitude control lost as it slams headfirst into the ground and carves a short trench into the colony wall before it comes to a stop.

That leaves you seven Zaku-III-type machines, and the unknown red machine with what looks like it must be humanity's biggest, meanest shotgun.

Its design makes it seem more as if it's descended from the Marasai, or some other sort of Titans-era weapon.

“Possibly a Xeku derivative?”

Perhaps. The bulk, the linear acceleration, and the large weapon would fit... trouble is they'd fit otther Titans weapons too.

Catrina quickly tags the mystery machine with an arbitrary moniker: MS-XX “MORON”.

>Engage the... “Moron”. Keep the Char wanna-be occupied.
>Keep the enemy away from Sericea while Rossweisse and the crew bring her guns online.
>Thin out the herd, focus on downing the Zaku-type machines.
>Other?

>>1328531
>>Keep the enemy away from Sericea while Rossweisse and the crew bring her guns online.

That designation almost makes me want to attempt a backronym for it. Almost.

>>1328531
>>Keep the enemy away from Sericea while Rossweisse and the crew bring her guns online.

Alrighty then
>dice+3d10, DC 17, Crit 21
>best of three

Rolled 7, 8, 8 = 23 (3d10)

>>1328555
Rollin'

Only problem I can anticipate is if a few mook suits bypass both us and the ship to wreak havoc on the open side colony. Keeping fingers crossed that Bianca's GM isn't messed up by the EMP, or at least can be brought back online in time to cover that end.

And man, this auto permasage after 72 hrs sure isn't helping any with thread visibility.

Rolled 6, 5, 1 = 12 (3d10)

>>1328555
Really not liking /qst/ as much as I used to, used to akun where it dings whenever there's a new post.

>>1328557
Nice crit, anon.

>>1328557
Well, since not only did we get a crit on the first roll but we've also gotten both the two players at the moment I'll get to it.

>>1328565
Hi king, not many players over here?
Normally i stick to shinigami savant, but maybe this'll be interesting again.

I stopped reading it like thirty threads in because of such a heavy focus on >the harem
But maybe that's cooled down a little.

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You immediately set to work making as much of a nuisance of yourself as you possibly can, buying time for Rossweisse and her crew to get your fire support back online. The longer you can keep them occupied out here away from Sericea the stronger your position will become.

At least that's how it works in theory. How it works in practice is a little less cut and dried.

“Let's keep their attention on us,” you announce, darting forward towards the red-painted machine and igniting the beam blade in the Viola's left arm. Your opponent ignites a bayonet-like blade under the barrel of his own weapon and parries you, but fails to line up a clear shot as you overshoot and fire a grenade into the back of a Zaku that used that charge as an opportunity to try and close in on Sericea. The machine loses its ability to stay in the air and descends, landing on its wide feet and staying grounded for the time being. Advancing on foot will take substantially longer, so you can turn your attention away from him for now.

Incoming!

You're able to nimbly avoid a trio of wire-guided missiles which each burst into submunitions, clouds of bomblets peppering the surfaces of the colony beneath your gundam but only marring your own armor in a few isolated spots. In retaliation you unleash a stream of coordinated fire at the machines in the lead of the Zaku formation, forcing them to abort a second attack run on the Sericea.

>CRITICAL

“Ha, partial power restored!” you hear Rossweisse shout triumphantly. “You have missiles at the ready!”

That was fast!

“I don't care how it happened, I'll take it!” you reply, grinning wildly. These morons still think you're helpless... that they somehow have the upper hand because of that little stunt they pulled.

Time to show them how wrong they are.

>Precision strike, focus on downing the MORON.
>Saturation strike, danger close. Everything dies.
>Take down as many Zakus as you can to even the odds.
>Other?

>>1328599
Hullo, anon!
This is a totally different quest from the first one, the MC is Carya, and the only other girl from the last quest to make regular appearances is Rosseweisse. There are mentions of some of the other cast; oddly enough, I can't remember if what Dom's up to has been touched on or not yet.

>>1328606
>>Take down as many Zakus as you can to even the odds.

>>1328606
>>Take down as many Zakus as you can to even the odds.

>>1328612
>hullo
Ever been to /kspg/?

>This is a totally different quest from the first one, the MC is Carya, and the only other girl from the last quest to make regular appearances is Rosseweisse
Neat, no harem.
I don't really remember anything that happened in the first quest, though, nor do i really into gundam, so i'll be in the dark.
at least you'll have enough players for best of three

>>1328606
>Take down as many Zakus as you can to even the odds.

>>1328606
>>Take down as many Zakus as you can to even the odds.
>Other?
Spare a missile to poke at the "MORON". See what abilities it has at a glance without our whole volley being intercepted/evaded.

>>1328628
I can support this too.
>>1328625
Never heard of it

>>1328606
>>Take down as many Zakus as you can to even the odds.

>>1328625
>that spoiler
That's all I can ask for really.

Basically, to catch you up, humanity entered into an expansion phase after several newtypes learned that if you make machines that can bend physics in response to specific brainwaves, you win interstellar travel.

The newtype cast from the last series are spread out across a fledgling human empire coordinating interstellar shipping and anti-piracy patrols. This quest has followed two of them as they've tried to explain why they found an unregistered stealth ship adrift and abandoned in deep space, far from any established shipping lanes.

>>1328636
>why was there a stealth ship adrift
bad guys trying to take over colonies and rule the galaxy but something or someone fucked them up
yep, gotta be

Alright, 3d10 for wiping out Zakus
>3d10, DC 18, Crit 23
>Best of four due to jolly cooperation

Rolled 6, 6, 8 = 20 (3d10)

>>1328649

Rolled 5, 1, 9 = 15 (3d10)

>>1328649

Rolled 10, 9, 9 = 28 (3d10)

>>1328649
Rollin

>>1328612
>oddly enough, I can't remember if what Dom's up to has been touched on or not yet.
I think there was a thread way back that had Carya check in on their kid via vid comm, if I recall. Dom's pretty much pulling baby duty.

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>>1328663
Hot damn.

>>1328663
Holy shit. Nice job, anon!

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>>1328663
>writing

Rolled 3, 9, 1 = 13 (3d10)

>>1328649

>>1328606
“Gimme fire support!” you call out. “Full spread, we'll guide them in at the end.”

“I can give you one salvo,” Rossweisse responds, “our loading hardware is still offline.”

“Then I'll make do,” you reply. “Fire!”

“Missiles out!” Rossweisse announces as warning indicators wink into existence on your display. The indicators give way to proximity alarms as the weapons close in on your indication, and it almost seems like some of the Zaku pilots pause in disbelief.

Then the explosions begin.

You burst the missiles in the air all around, shrapnel tearing into vital systems and leaving deep gouges in armor plating. Some of those are heavy anti-ship munitions, which are less effective against mobile suits, but others scatter smaller bombs that are designed to tear off limbs and cave in cockpit hatches over a wide radius. You even bombard the grounded Zaku from the air as it tries to advance on the Sericea... no, you haven't forgotten about him at all. Several direct hits blast away its head and arms, then knock it down flat.

“Rounds complete!” Rossweisse reports.

“And then there was one,” you muse, turning your attention to the red mobile suit and opening a channel to its pilot.

This is Captain Carrina Marseille-O'Hara, Colony Transit Fleet. Your little war is over... stand down and let's see who you really are.

“Not a chance,” the pilot counters calmly. “My compliments to your ship and crew of course for recovering so quickly, but my war is far from over.”

Fine then, we'll oblige you.

>Close to sabers range, you probably have an advantage in limb responsiveness.
>Get him into a turning fight, your machine is lighter and quicker.
>Keep your distance, wear his machine down until you can affect a capture.
>Other?

>>1328734
>>Get him into a turning fight, your machine is lighter and quicker.

>>1328734
>>Get him into a turning fight, your machine is lighter and quicker.

>>1328734
>Get him into a turning fight, your machine is lighter and quicker.
Taking place in space, these gundams must maneuver with high-powered RCS thrusters, right? Probably bipropellant?
Aim for the thrusters and their fuel storage if possible.

He'll be down to reaction wheels if you take them out, essentially helpless.

>>1328755
I believe we're inside a colony right now, so we're technically in atmosphere, but yes, I imagine the thrusters are mono/bipropellant

>>1328762
Monoprop would be far too weak to use in a high-speed giant robot fight, it'd have to be bipropellant or tripropellant to produce enough thrust.

Especially if they can fly in atmosphere.
Artificial gravity i assume? Simulated by spinning or magic gravity generator?

Either way, disable his legs or else his jetpack, assuming that's where the majority of his thrust comes from.
Destroying his legs will also make him next to useless once he hits the ground.
The weakest and most thinly armored areas will always be around the joints, at the knees, hips and feet. That's where you should aim.

>>1328734
>>Keep your distance, wear his machine down until you can affect a capture.
Thinking about outranging the shotgun the "MORON" is using. Unless it ends up not being a shotgun.

>>1328778
Fair point about mono/bi-prop. As for the gravity, I *think* the colonies are spun to generate it, and there's an area along the axis where the gravity is fairly weak. Though, I remember in the original thread that there was some progress on artificial gravity, but I don't remember much beyond that.

>>1328778
Rotation. It's essentially derived from an O'Neill cylinder, as something of a standard pattern for space colonies in this setting. The earliest ones were torus designs.

It's the powerplants for mobile suits and ships that are essentially magical in this setting.

>>1328785
Artificial gravity is generated in some areas aboard Sericea and other high-end ships along diamagnetic principles, made possible by advances in cooling technology and compact powerplants common within the setting.

In this case some scientist's concerns of long-term safety were handwaved because of the rule of cool.

>dice+3d10, DC 19, Crit 22
>Best of four

Rolled 4, 3, 8 = 15 (3d10)

>>1328808

Rolled 5, 3, 3 = 11 (3d10)

>>1328808
>diamagnetic principles
yeah I remember that now.

Rolled 7, 10, 6 = 23 (3d10)

>>1328808

Rolled 1, 6, 8 = 15 (3d10)

>>1328808
well since >>1328828
got a crit, this roll is redundant, but eh.

>>1328828
nice.

>>1328834
Hey, I'm just reveling in the fact I got four distinct votes.
>writing

>>1328837
I remember how popular the first 'season' of this quest was...Wish they'd all come back.

>>1328840
People moved on, and we ended up switching boards. Shit happens.

>>1328837
It's a nice day out, i was taking a walk!

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>>1328837
The problem with fighting against a new design like this is that even if you were certain which design lineage it draws from the locations of its vital systems will always be a little different. Thrusters are rearranged to improve efficiency or due to changes in mass balance, propellant tanks are relocated behind differently-shaped armor panels, coolant lines are redistributed according to each mobile suit's precise needs.

But of course there are some things that are fairly universal. The cameras, the joints, the manipulators, and the main thrusters are always obvious. Long ago you learned the value of hitting such targets wherever they become visible, since getting in a little damage in that way gradually degrades even the most capable enemy's ability to fight.

So you start by firing at the elbows and knees of the “Moron” while trying to turn its flank. But to your frustration the red machine seems to be pretty good at turning, even if its mass means it would have trouble keeping up with you in more aggressive maneuvers. So long as he keeps fairly still he can at least keep you facing him head to head.

His shotgun fires twice, incendiary projectiles spraying past to your left and right as you jink, the Viola responding nimbly to your slightest input. He must be trying to slag your armor without running the risks of using a beam weapon inside a colony.

“Not half bad,” you admit, igniting a beam saber and shooting past the red machine with a sweeping blow to its shoulder as it turns to maintain its aim. It fires again, two of its pellets burning deep into your skirt armor and shoulder. It doesn't do much damage, but definitely gives you a clear idea what that weapon could do if you're not careful.

But something feels... distinctly “off” about the situation as you close to beam sabers range again, your blade clashing against his bayonet. Two heavy machine cannons in his mobile suit's chest light you up, shaking the view on your screens as you're forced to disengage then clash again. This time he uses the more massive left leg of his mobile suit to strike at your side. The blow sends you reeling, a quick touch of attitude control correcting your position.

“Hang on...” you grumble, shaking your head. “Why am I closing in with you, I know better than that!”

You disengage, firing a grenade at the imposter Char who turns his arm and allows the weapon to evaporate harmlessly against a beam shield which springs into existence atop his wrist.

“Damn,” you shake your head. “What is this feeling?”

>dice+3d10, DC 18, Crit 21
>best of four

Rolled 6, 1, 9 = 16 (3d10)

>>1328929

Rolled 6, 4, 1 = 11 (3d10)

>>1328929

Rolled 8, 10, 2 = 20 (3d10)

>>1328929
Is his Newtype power the kind that gets us into his pace?

>>1328939
k I'm not rolling again.

Rolled 3, 8, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>1328929

Rolled 10, 7, 2 = 19 (3d10)

>>1328942
So close. QM has to roll as well.

>>1328964
At least it's lower than ours.
Hopefully that was for the other guy.

>1328964
Is he throwing our own pace off with his timing somehow?
He seems to be thinking with his head, not just charging in and hoping for the best.

>>1328964
That's it!

In a moment, your head clears as you take a moment to reassess the situation. He can't make you do shit if you know what the trick is.

You fire a grenade and set it off from behind before the red machine can intercept or dodge, and use the moment where his sensors are blinded to close in. You ignite both of your machine's wrist-mounts and swing them like a pair of brightly-glowing scissors that rend through the enemy's weapon as he raises it to block, and takes off the beam shield he ignites along with the arm it's attached to.

Then you finish with a powerful strike to his cockpit hatch, bouncing him around the inside of his cockpit and disorienting him... while something strikes him from behind.

One of the downed Zakus, the first one you hit at the opening of the engagement unless you're terribly mistaken, cradles a large rifle in its arms.

You can feel a surge of anger from the pilot of the red machine as he turns and redlines his thrusters, only to take another heavy round to his monoeye head camera and a third to the fuel lines at his waist. Seizing the opportunity you hose down the machine and touch off the atomized fuel with one of the tracers. The blast sends the customized Moron spinning out of control towards what looks like a power substation built into the side of the colony wall. The Zaku that unexpectedly switched sides rushes forward to meet it, despite severe damage, before your sensors suggest it powers down.

Are they both going to bail out or something you wonder. Neither one of those mobile suits is in a condition to fight.

>Close in on where they meet, observe from above until one or more of these pilots is dead.
>Disentangle from your sister and go to ground while she covers you. You've got questions for these two.
>Other?

>>1329006
>>Disentangle from your sister and go to ground while she covers you. You've got questions for these two.
Have questions, but we're kinda squishy...

>>1328929
So he's got a boomstick with AP-I buckshot rounds, a pair of heavy cannons mounted in his chest, a bayonet and some sort of energy shield.

We have a lightsaber, presumably plasma-based since you said "ignite" and some grenades. Any other weapons? What're we armed with?

>>1329006
>>Close in on where they meet, observe from above until one or more of these pilots is dead.

>>1329006
Other: Make damn sure they're down and out of the fight, but not dead. Destroy the limbs of their suits with our beam saber, then meet with them afterwards.

>>1329006
>>Close in on where they meet, observe from above until one or more of these pilots is dead.
>Other?
Use external speakers to persuade both to step out and away from their respective MS, and to drop any sidearms they may have.

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>>1329019
Various light-caliber weapons in the head and chest, and the beam-based emitters on the wrists of the machine can produce a blade or fire small beam blasts at a high rate. The difficulty with those is that beams have a nasty habit of penetrating colony walls, so anyone with a sense of responsibility for innocent lives avoids using them around civilians. The weapon being used as a handheld right now is a grenade launcher with a detachable magazine, where normally it would be an adjustable beam rifle. Which would be begging for civilian casualties inside a colony.

Carya herself wears an armored pressure suit similar to >>1304689 and carries one of these bad bitches with frangible ammunition. Removing her eyepatch and exposing her right eye directly to light triggers a unique ability that lets her focus her unusually powerful Newtype senses to see a few moments ahead in time and "pick" an outcome that suits her. The drawback is it exhausts her the more she uses it, and she's used it fairly heavily recently. So it's essentially on extended cooldown before she can use it safely again.

>>1329019
>Any other weapons? What're we armed with?
It's listed in the pastebin here. https://pastebin.com/PLtBQjtf

Beam rifles are out of the question though, since it perforates the colony wall and a direct shot to another MS reactor usually results in a nuclear weapon yield detonation.

>>1329037
Christ, we got next to nothing, huh?
Must be the quick and nimble type.

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>>1329050
More that it's extremely pared down and efficient. Each weapon serves a purpose, some serving more than one purpose, with CIWS, melee, and ranged needs covered. The beam rifle is of a design that fires either a broader, more powerful beam or a tightly confined beam which are useful against different sorts of beam and physical defenses.

The machine also comes with racks for remote weapons called funnels that newtypes can use with some training, each of which comes with a beam weapon, but those are extremely difficult to maneuver under gravity except as a stationary fougasse of sorts.

The current generation of Viola is also based on this: a machine capable of being quickly upgraded, modified, and repaired with parts swaps.

>writing

>>1329050
Hmm.
The squishiest part of these gundams is still the pilot, which the whole suit relies on entirely.
It has sensors and cameras so the pilot can see, so maybe a weapon that disables those would be more effective than a big ol' goddamn shotgun.

Maybe a weapon designed to target the pilot inside rather than the machine itself in some way. Directed ionizing radiation, high-power shockwaves that cause severe vibrations and mess with the pilot's ability to actually pilot, impact weapons designed purely to slam into the cockpit and turn the pilot into a greasy smear?

>>1329089
Looks oddly feminine.

You know, except for the big ol' dick.

>>1329105
That's the cockpit, anon ;)
Also the thumbnail made me think it was one of those mecha musume personifications.

>>1329110
Don't fuck with me, i don't know any better and i'll just laugh and roll with it.

What might also be handy is perhaps instead of a rack of remote weapons, have some drones that automatically keep themselves between the user's suit and the target suit, using high energy radiation to essentially take an x-ray of the enemy suit and determine the density of areas within the craft to automatically make an educated guess as to the locations of the cockpits, generator, coolant and fuel tanks and so on, you can actually get an idea of where they probably are and aim at them.

>>1329124
Check out Zone of The Enders for more cockpit action ;)

>>1329089
You maneuver the Viola in closer to the abandoned mobile suits, putting a grenade into the wreckage of each to make sure their cockpits at least are chewed up enough to make them unusable.

“This is my stop,” you determine, focusing on separating yourself from Catrina's consciousness in a brief wave of fatigue. “Cover me from the air.”

Understood. Be careful down there, sis. We have no idea who this stranger might be, but the impostor's ability...

“Char's ability,” you correct as the Viola settles to the ground and you pop the cockpit hatch, handing off control entirely to your sister. “I think it may be Char's actual skill that he was using, and I think I know how he did it too.”

... I get it. Good luck then.

“Thanks,” you nod, leaping to the ground and dashing towards the nearest cover with your sidearm drawn.

The substation is across a few dozen yards of even ground, sparsely covered with low trees and shrubs, which you cover quickly enough. The two pilots are inside, you can feel that much now, and with a pair of shots to the door frame you make a loud entrance.

Stepping out of the doorframe to avoid remaining silhouetted proves to have been an unnecessary measure, as the two men are already in a standoff inside the station.

“I was hoping you would arrive, Captain Marseille,” the helmeted stranger muses in a familiar voice. “So did I play the part of a bumbling novice well? I must admit I've always prided myself on my acting.”

“Who are you really, pilot?” a masked man across from him demands, pale blonde hair falling down his back. The mask itself looks something like a knightly helmet, albeit leaving the man's mouth and chin exposed so he can speak. “Identify yourself!”

“How pathetic,” the other pilot shakes his head, weapon trained firmly on his target. “A clone that forgot he was a clone, and believed he was the real thing. All because of this skill of mine.”

“What skill are you talking about?” the man pretending to be Char demands.

“The ability to redouble people's beliefs,” you reply calmly. “I figured it out when I was fighting you, and considered the reason I kept rushing in. It's the same explanation as for why the people who follow you seem never to question your motives... I believed you to be a fraud and so I became reckless, underestimating you at every turn. The people of Sweetwater believe in you, so they became fanatics who would trust you without question. I believed Char was missing or dead... we all did, and that was why we could never find him.”

“You began to believe you were Char, so you forgot your own origins as a clone.”

>Pull the trigger.
>Let the two men handle this.

PLOT TWIST
Char's got his own clone, now neither of them will be virgins!

>>1329124
Difficulty with that is the conceit of Gundam in general: that the particles produced by the compact fusion generators that power everything that needs that kind of power screw with most forms of communication and sensors. Trying to scan the source would be difficult.

Newtype brainwaves only really solve the issue with communication, because the brainwaves don't play by the normal rules.

>>1329134
I don't know what the fuck is happening, so i'll abstain from this one.

>>1329134
>>Let the two men handle this.

>>1329134
>>Let the two men handle this.

>The ability to redouble people's beliefs
i.e. Keep egging someone GARMA on into doing something stupid.

>>1329152
The man claiming to be Char Aznable is a clone of the real deal, using his ability as a Newtype to convince the disaffected people in Sweetwater that he was the original and rally them behind his own, or more likely someone else's, cause.

The real Char has been working under him as a novice pilot, using that same ability to convince people that he was someone else: since before they had a fake Char to look to they believed he had gone missing years ago. And so even if they saw him, his presence would subtly mess with their minds and they'd convince themselves there was no way it was him.

Now the clone and the real one are in a standoff.

>>1329134
>>Let the two men handle this.

>>1329150
You might be able to use the particles generated by the suit's own CFG to try and determine the densities of the suit, then.
Assuming there's tech that can detect them.

Anyone ever considered an arm-mounted spike, launched by a simple explosive charge?
Spike travels down barrel in the forearm, stopped by a large shock absorber at the end.
Throw a punch, lock the joint on impact, detonate that charge and send a 10 foot hardened spike deep into the enemy suit. Reloadable, too.
Alternatively, use a hardened penetrating tip with shaped explosive charges filling the shaft, spike pierces the suit and detonates inside.

>>1329173
"okay"
I chose to abstain because i knew there's just too much plot i don't know about for me to make a decision and feel good about it after.
I'd vote we just handcuff them and throw them in a cell if it were an option.

>>1329134
Can we sentence the real Char to community service working for his sister? Because the idea amuses me.

>>1329188
>Anyone ever considered an arm-mounted spike, launched by a simple explosive charge?
For someone that seems unfamiliar with this universe, most of your suggestions are actually on point with the tech development in UC Gundam canon.

This is pretty much how the shot lance is applied in later Universal Century eras that try to shy away from using beam weapons or anything else that might harm a colony's structural integrity. it's more piledriver than explosive propelled, but the usage is pretty close in practice.

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>>1329228
I'm just trying to think of ways to kill gundams that aren't guns or grenades.
This guy is what i have pictured in my head. I don't know what it's called or what series it's from.

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>>1329134
You keep your pistol raised, but less because you intend to fire and more out of deterrence towards the clone. Just in case he tries to do something stupid.

"Sad as this story is, it has to end now before it gets any worse," the helmeted pilot declares. "If you must be bitter, then curse the misfortune of your own creation."

Then he pulls the trigger, cracking the mask covering the impostor's face and penetrating his skull. The man drops to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut... and in a way, that's precisely what he is.

The pilot lowers his own weapon and removes his helmet before turning to face you. As you know by now, you recognize him immediately.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Mister Comet," you nod, turning the barrel of your sidearm on him with a calm smile on your lips. "I bet you have a lot of interesting stories to tell."

"Boy do I ever," he replies just as calmly, drawing a bead on you with his own weapon... not a threat, you can feel, but simply because it's been so long since he's interacted with you that your true motives must be difficult to discern. His clone's blood pools around his shoulders as he lays silently, sidearm some distance across the floor where it came to rest.

Already forgotten, it seems.

"So, Captain," he asks you, his blue eyes meeting your good eye as you stare each other down across the sight bases of your respective handguns. "What do we do now?"

"I dunno," you admit, holding a resolute gaze. "You've been hiding from the world for so long... you wanna talk about it?"

>>1329288
And that's where I planned to wrap up the session, so thanks for returning to our Page 8 special overtime session and hope you had a good time.

Archive is same as it always is, twitter is still @QMKingofHearts for all your tweeting and pastebin-based needs, and see you next week!

SSQ will resume after I get some food real quick here.

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>>1329299
Wew, shinigami savant!

>>1329299
Thanks for running, mang.

I suppose the likelihood of a connection between the Newtype kidnappers and whoever created the Char clone is high by this point. Makes me wonder if they're just gathering unique Newtype abilities to be cloned like your take on Char's.