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>>2832635

“The diagnostic shows you’re surprised?” Vitamin types away, out of your peripheral line of sight. “You haven’t had a proper sleep cycle in days. That’s sleep, not med-recharge or auto-hibernate. We might not have natural circadian rhythms, but a rest period is still of demonstrable value to the electronic brain.” He looks over at you, just for the positive bedside manner as his hands keep working. “Knowing your work ethic would send you straight out to the field again, I felt it prudent to enforce your nap until you were completely restored.”

You’re not super pleased with being kept offline longer than you absolutely had to be. Still, in a way having little to do with your LIFE core, you do feel a little more… settled and cleared. Peppy. Ret-to-go.

“Well thanks, Vitamin.”

“You’re welcome. I’m just easing you off the induced paralysis from the head down. Your systems did commendable work keeping you online after the pulse for as long as they did. You chose them well.”

“All in the choice of technician, I bet.” The motor control for your neck kicks back in, so you look around. “Was my sister— was Swift Asagi of the local Second Recon here?”

“No, but she sent a sheet of Japanese removable stickers with the express order to make your pod, and I quote, ‘look cute.’ Their Grace fussed with them a while, arranging them with great care.”

Your shoulders come back under your control. You roll them. “Grace? Did Skittle take a new title?”

“No, Their Highness suggested—” Vitamin closes his eyes a meaningful interval— “politely, that we call Golau Gwyfyn by that title.”

“Ah. They’re really a different person around Golau, huh?”

“Enough that the nurses are clamoring to keep them around solely for the stabilizing effect they have on Their Highness. For instance, your ‘choice of technician’ hasn’t cursed aloud once since Their Grace arrived.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No further instances of limb-hacking, either.”

You blink hard. “Limb— why would they even do that?”

“Eff-Two’s conservative pace annoyed them,” says Vitamin, civilly honest as ever. “Their Highness was convinced they could perform surgery, remotely, through his hands, while seated in another room, with no line of sight, faster than he could.”

Wow. “Um. Did they?”

Vitamin closes his eyes and sighs as sensation returns to your feet. The capsule splits on the seam and opens to let you out; one of the fish stickers flops free, half-applied.

“Please remain Scatter Seelie’s friend for as long as you possibly can, Lieutenant. The more emotionally-stabilizing factors in their life, the better we’ll all sleep. If you understand me.”

“Copy that.” You bounce a little on one leg; everything seems in order. “They in the lab?”

“As per usual. Take care.”


>Go there.
>Go elsewhere and check in with other friends. (specify)

Evening, folks. Two Mavericks and semi-unknown interactions yet to go. Otakon and the post-Otakon recovery delayed proceedings somewhat, but here we are again.

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Woohoo!
>>2832637
>Go there.

>>2832637
Ooh caught me a live one!

>Go there.

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>>2832676
>>2832683

Early to bed, early to rise, early to upgrade.

Vitamin wasn't wrong; you probably would've done a couple hours of socializing and then gone straight back to your roster if he hadn't given you a nice medical sleep. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Who in the world would ever fault a Maverick Hunter for focusing on her work? Besides, it's not like you're fighting all day every day, running the sims ragged when you're not in the field. You've heard stories about guys like that...

Golau flutters up to you the instant you enter the quarantine hall. A Mettaur hard-hat covers their head at a non-standard angle, so oversized to purpose that it tips forward and covers their eyes when they stop short. They wave glowing safety-cone wands in your face.

“No no no! Unsafe! This is a construction zone, it is!”

“Construction?” You peer around.

Light flashes from one of the cells and smoke immediately pours from its neighbor.

Golau tilts their helmet back up with the tip of a wand. “Skittle’s expanding the upgrade facility. It seems that with all the equipment installed it was never quite suitable to you and Mister Batteram's sizes to begin with, and now with Mister Monitor larger still…”

Another blast opens into another open cell.

“That that, Maverick wall!” Skittle laughs out of sight.

Golau sheepishly wiggle-tilts their unfitted helmet into balance. “Once it’s done you shan’t be feeling like they’re upgrading you in a shoebox.”

“Oh, that’s fine, I didn’t mind. Though I imagine Monitor would like to be able to turn around.”

Skittle flits out of a middle room, lugging what looks for all the world to be a blunderbuss. The trumpet-ended cannon is rimmed with tiny emitters.

“Let the decidedly-un-waify stray suck it up and deal with it,” Skittle shoulders the gun. “This heckspansion is for me to work on multiple bodies at once if I gotta. Don’t mind the dust, I can see to you in a jiff. Terminal’s inside if you want to check your check.”

“Well that depends. Is the construction zone safe?” You kindly ask Golau.

They adjust their too-big helmet. “It does seem like the, er, crew’s on break, so come on in!”

Golau wands you in like a child playing at being ancient airstrip signaler. You follow their directions, playing along.

A terminal is a little dusty, but warm and waiting for you.


MISSION
C O M P L E T E

- A-Rank Mission Parameters Complete: 35,000z
- Disruption of Enemy Coordination: 10,000z
- Repliforce Cell Neutralization: 5,000z
- SPZR Inc. Gratuity: Lifetime Iridium Account Upgrade

TOTAL: 50,000z


That last item gets your attention. You reach for your datapad – oh, right. You take a fresh datapad off a dusty, toy-strewn shelf and key in your ID. The first place you go is to the recently-commandeered king of reploid social media.

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>>2832783

Little balloons fall over the screen.

CONGRATULATIONS NEW IRIDIUM MEMBER, your Spazer page declares. YOU ARE NOW ENTITLED TO LIFETIME IRIDIUM ACCOUNT BENEFITS: ZERO ADVERTISEMENTS, FREE SPONSORED BEAMS, FULL-SPECTRUM FILTERS, EXCLUSIVE USER ICON WREATHS, AND MORE! START ENJOYING THE DIFFERENCE TODAY!

Ooh. You always coveted a nice ring of bubbles around your icon, but it was behind a paywall. There’ll be time to customize later; your aggregator feed has a few stories highlighted at the top. The highlights – you never knew that Iridium-tier gave them sparkles – means that they have something to do with you personally.


>NOTE FROM MANAGEMENT
Spazer reminds all users that certified Maverick Hunter members may be praised through the Charge function on their public-facing account pages. Offers of pleasurable favors, up to and including marriage, are a form of harassment. Furthermore, uploading explicit artwork of Mavericks and/or Maverick Hunters is prohibited under…

>”FINAL BOSS OF SPAZER” SIM DATA NOW AVAILABLE
We all saw it live – the epic confrontation between Meteor Showa and Arc Morpho – but how well would YOU have fared against the propagandist butterfly? Titanium-tier members and above can now access combat sim data at any Punch Weasel Sporting Goods location…

>FISH REPLOID GROUP CELEBRATES NEW ROLE MODEL
“It’s about damn time a fishbot was a hero,” announced Torrent Marlin, President of the 200-member Pisciform Support League, in a public statement earlier today. “We’re mocked and overlooked as menial labor, too lightly represented in the Hunters, too heavily represented by Mavericks, but now…”

>RELIABLE UNDERWATER EXCAVATION PRAISES FAVORITE DAUGHTER
Japanese construction firm Shinraidekiru Suichu Kensetsu (z$:SSK) released an official statement—


“Right!” Skittle claps so loudly they make you jump. “Scootch aside, lemme show you what’s on offer.”

“Um. Sure, sorry.”

You reluctantly mark that last one to read later, then close out Spazer and back up to let Skittle load the upgrade menu.

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>>2832794

UPGRADES:

VWES (select one):

>Shining Spark
Fires a harmless ionizing laser which, after one second of continuous contact, follows through with a single massive bolt of lightning. Underwater, the bolt fires automatically yet in aimless lashing arcs. 12 shots.

>Dancing Spark
Fires a butterfly projectile. If it strikes a hostile target, it shoots electricity through their body and then through any other hostile bodies within three meters. If it strikes a wall or floor, it bursts a three-meter electric pulse through that surface, shocking foes within range. 16 shots.

>Shining Dancer
Fires a butterfly drone approximately the length of your forearm. It will flutter more or less in place for two seconds, gaining a highly accurate bead on your target, before releasing a non-elemental force beam of high damage and long range. The beam will fire for one second and end in the destruction of the drone. 8 shots.

Synergy:

>Spark Hand-Drill
Combines Arc Morpho’s DNA with Wellbore Drill. Adds an electrical current to the drills for increased damage. The spread of the fired cone-grinder drills will be diminished, but damaging electrical arcs will persist between them until contacting an enemy or solid object. 16 shots, down from 24, or a maximum of 48 seconds of spin for a single unfired drill.

>Butterfly Koi
Combines Arc Morpho’s DNA with Remote Koi. The power of each fish drone’s laser is doubled, but each drone will now self-destruct after firing once, and the aesthetics of the drone’s longer fins will bother koi purists. Still 12 shots. The Hanabi upgrade’s base damage will increase to reach parity with the laser.

(Additional synergy options unavailable at this time.)


GENERAL:

>Energy Capacitor
A new part to your energy balance systems, similar to the one that made Spectrod’s “Axis Slider” possible, allows you to store a charge in either your buster or your throat and immediately switch it to the other. Switching VWES will not eliminate charge; if switching to a weapon that can carry no charge, the charge is simply juggled from one emitter to the other. 25,000z.

(Additional parts unavailable at this time.)


VWES Upgrades:

>Efficiency Draw
Hardware and software upgrades to your WEAPON system add 33% more WEAPON energy to a specific VWES entity, meaning more shots. This may be purchased multiple times, but only once per entity. 20,000z each.

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>>2832796

Hardpoint Devices:

Your hardpoint is occupied with a Saber Pack. You may swap it with a different device, but your sabers are carried in the Saber Pack, leaving two Gear slots free. If the Saber Pack is removed, your sabers would once again need to occupy one Gear slot each.

>RF Buster
Install a second buster. Stock two-shot fire for 5,000z, +10,000z for three-shot or a charge capacity to four-shot.

>Charge Buster
Install a second buster. Stock two-stage charge for 5,000z, +10,000z for a third stage.

>HV Rifle
Corona Sphynx’s high-velocity-ammo rifle could be yours. Stock option punctures armor with solid projectiles; 15,000z. Upgrade option allows for firing VWES entities at 33% greater damage but with 33% greater energy consumption – meaning fewer shots – for 15,000z more.

(Additional hardpoint devices unavailable at this time.)


Additional Weapons:

>Additional Saber
Purchases a new saber to upgrade as you like. The stock option, low-phase 30cm, is 5,000z; 60cm extension and hi-beam tuning are 5,000z each.

>Ceratanium Axe
The long-hafted axe of a woodsman, or perhaps a headsman, once carried by Arbor Elk. Though slower to swing than any beam saber, its damage is still equal to a low-phase blade. It can also parry other solid weapons, pierce energy-nulling defenses, and knock back foes of equal or lesser mass than you. Requires two Gear slots to carry and two hands to use. 10,000z.

>Thagomizer Pick
On the logic that “it’d be right baller, like,” Scatter Seelie has offered to craft you a short-hafted pickaxe weapon modeled after Freezer Ostenops’s spiked tail. Though slower to swing than any beam saber, its damage is still equal to a low-phase blade. It can also parry other solid weapons, pierce energy-nulling defenses, and puncture armor with great precision. Requires one Gear slot to carry and one hand to use. 5,000z.

>Repulsor Wing
A thick bracelet device projects a butterfly-shaped kinetic barrier which repels plasma ordinance and clashes against beam sabers. Its “durability,” or total damage-null capacity, is twice that of your “Old Growth” Arbor Wall, and will break if that limit is exceeded during a single mission. 15,000z, but requires one Gear slot.


Weapon Upgrades:

>Fire Element
“Inspired” by Corona Sphynx’s DNA, Scatter Seelie has offered to add high-temperature combustion to one of your melee weapons for added damage. 10,000z.

>Ice Element
“Inspired” by Freezer Ostenops’s DNA, Scatter Seelie has offered to add an advanced cryomer compound projector – because “fuck the Leidenfrost Effect” – to one of your melee weapons for added damage. 10,000z.

>Electric Element
“Inspired” by Arc Morpho’s DNA, Scatter Seelie has offered to electrify one of your melee weapons for added damage. 10,000z.

(Repulsor Wing will become another melee weapon if an element is added, but it can still break. Your Zanbato can also hold an element at double cost. Your Gaia Sword cannot.)

And a hint: "Unavailable at this time" means your next two Mavericks will unlock some goodies.

Spend as you will, of course.

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>>2832796
>>2832799

Hoo boy, couple of hard choices here.

I think putting an element on the Zanbato is a good idea, even with the doubled cost. That thing does work, especially with the saber pack.

Energy Capacitor feels like a must-have, to me. The versatility and unpredictability it will open up, comboing with our sabers for element-dynamism, will make for a very nasty surprise.

Which brings me to weapons:
Shining Spark needs a full second, which is tough to assure. We DO have Flex 2, which ought to help us keep a bead on a target, but it seems very High Damage Low Accuracy, so to speak.

Dancing Spark would introduce zoning and area control, and I could see that playing really, really well with our other saturation attacks. I suspect the damage is a bit much to be desired and by itself will be a little predictable, though.

Shining Dancer concerns me as being a little bit too "nova this before it novas you," but even that could be an advantage; enemies shooting at it aren't shooting at us, our koi, etc. A different form of risk-reward than the Shining Spark.

The synergy options both feel a bit harsh on the trade-off, but I bet you that the damage output would be positively hellish. Still, too dear for the Koi, but maybe not for the drills.

Efficiency might be nice on one or two of our weapons, Remote Koi and Fluid Lockdown come to mind, but I think it should be secondary to other options.

Also:
>Spark Hand-Drill
Son of a--

>>2832815
>Son of a--

Skittle was proud of themself for that name.

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>>2832859
They would, wouldn't they.

>>2832783
>- SPZR Inc. Gratuity: Lifetime Iridium Account Upgrade
>CONGRATULATIONS NEW IRIDIUM MEMBER, your Spazer page declares. YOU ARE NOW ENTITLED TO LIFETIME IRIDIUM ACCOUNT BENEFITS: ZERO ADVERTISEMENTS, FREE SPONSORED BEAMS, FULL-SPECTRUM FILTERS, EXCLUSIVE USER ICON WREATHS, AND MORE! START ENJOYING THE DIFFERENCE TODAY!

Hot Damn. Now that's how a Reploid knows she's appreciated. Then again considering the high mortality rate of our job a Lifetime Membership might not be that long...

>>2832872
That's what SPZR Inc. is quietly counting on.

It's the most expensive tier, because X was also given one gratis, and lots of people want to get on his level in at least that area.

>>2832968
Clever bastards.

Wow I totally missed the morpho thread, and for a while was thinking you were doing a bit where Showa's data pad and short term memory got zapped, and we had to figure out what happened on the mission, Hangover style

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>>2833184
While that would be narratively cool, I'm sticking to formula.

The previous thread is archived here: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2744980/

>>2833184
>I did what to her face?

>You literally surfed it down the tower, using her antenna as handlebars and throwing up the horns with your free hand. It was fucking amazing.

>So how did I lose my legs?!

>That was before the surfing but after the karaoke contest.

>What?

>You did Through the Fire and the Flames fucking beautifully.

Can we install the second buster... in Showa's tail?

With flex 2 it'd be all aimable and shit, and would extend the amount of areas she can hit into a full 360 degrees. And since Showa can put koi eyes on the back of her head, being able to see what she's targeting there is no problem.

>(Repulsor Wing will become another melee weapon if an element is added, but it can still break. )

If it becomes elemental, does it take different damage from different elements (like, would a fire wing take less damage from ice attacks, and more damage from electrical attacks?)

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>>2833315
Installing a buster in her tail would require another hardpoint, as the current hardpoint is located on her upper back, and sadly another hardpoint is not available. The most that could be done for aiming would be to install the buster on a hardpoint turret.

If you get a Repulsor Wing and stick an element on it, then its vulnerability will be affected as well. You could shield-bash with an electric wing, say, but incoming wood or ice or who-knows-what would short it out faster.

>>2832783
>Besides, it's not like you're fighting all day every day, running the sims ragged when you're not in the field. You've heard stories about guys like that...
It's me, I am that guy

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>>2833426
I bet.

>>2832796
>Spark Hand-drill
If we get this, then aoe will largely cease to be a problem. Only thing to grab at that point would be some sort of wide cleave for the zanbato. Getting this. Godheck that name though.

Not sure if ice or electric, but yes to an element for zanbato

Kinda want to bank the rest of the money until we get buster upgrades or the some synergy options for the energy capacitor.

>>2833315
>>2833370
Forget a buster, stick Zanbato there!

If showa wants to be a dragon, a rathian tail flip is the way to go

Discuss/vote away, thread, work has me commuting early in the morning.

>>2833448
>>2833454

Banking money is always an option. Just sayin'. Though having a Zanbato tail would be a neat gimmick in, say, MMZ.

>>2833466
To be clear, im fairly certain showa lacks the jump good to get enough height and spin for zanbatos huge ass blade. At least, without other synergy.

But spinning underwater should be possible right? Like, ALL THE TIME?

>>2832815
We could get more ammo for remote koi, but if we do that lets pair it up with a buster hardpoint for a solid wall of plasma every which way.

>>2832799
Incidentally, what happens if we use remote koi with the HV rifle?

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>>2833496
I think I'm going to suggest we element-ify the Zanbato with either Ice or Electric, leaning Ice. Imagine the antipode/thermal shock we could pull between a freeze+hibeam into a gaia stake and/or Prominence thermite ignition.

Putting my vote in as
>Spark Hand-Drill
>Ice Element Zanbato (20000)
>Energy Capacitor (25000)

The angle at which the Wellbore Drill splits apart always struck me as a drawback, so the Handdrill upgrade sounds like it'll be the biggest improvement to our arsenal.

I'd like to add ammo to our other VWES weapons too, mainly the Lockdown, followed by the Koi, for how often we use those two.
>>2832794
>Furthermore, uploading explicit artwork of Mavericks and/or Maverick Hunters is prohibited under…
I CAN'T GO TO 21XX JAIL
>>2832968
Did Zero get to keep his after he came back at the end of X2, at least?

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>>2833651
chroost I meant to delete that middle part before I posted

>>2832799
I had an idea during downtime, Would it possible to get, instead of the Ceratanium Axe, A Ceratanium Tooth Chainsaw?

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>>2834191
Now we're talking

>>2834194
I just thought it would be cooler, and have more potential for meaningful upgrades

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>>2834231
Another direction we could possibly go with this is a chainsaw that had lowbeam emitters instead of teeth. They'd be integrated into the "chain" which would basically be a long flexible saber 'haft' with multiple emitters.

Of course, at that point it wouldn't really be related to Arbor Elk anymore aside from the obvious logging aesthetic.

>>2834232
That would be a complete step above the dashy blade dude Emerald fought before things went ultra double bad for him.

I guess the technology jump should be about right to make it possible.

>>2834245
It's been a couple of X games since then (if I'm remembering my timelines correctly) so I'd say it's not implausible. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to either option - and parrying any type of weapon with a chainsaw of either type is a dubious proposal at best.

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Looks like one of the currently-available synergy options is a favorite, but I'll leave the vote open until I'm settled at work. I count the total votes in addition to specific ones to judge a majority.


>>2833496
The koi, not being a raw projectile, will each receive a slight DPS boost at greater energy cost.

>>2833651
Zero's account was frozen upon news of his death, to serve as a memorial. He didn't use it often at all, and it was mostly rebeams of vintage swords and samurai movies/cartoons.

>>2834191
>>2834194
A solid chainsaw would not be impossible to construct, but the terms of Showa's observation by R&D -- and Skittle's management of her resources -- unfortunately prohibit such experimentation.

>>2834258
>it was mostly rebeams of vintage swords and samurai movies/cartoons
Yeah that sounds about right

>the terms of Showa's observation by R&D -- and Skittle's management of her resources -- unfortunately prohibit such experimentation.
Poo. I guess you'd have to stand against a poster of X that says "you must be this mentally stable to ride" in order to get that kind of thing made.

>Spark Hand-Drill
>Ice Element Zanbato (20000)
>Energy Capacitor (25000)

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Votes: 4

>Majorities:
Spark H.: 4
Zanbato Element: 3


>>2832799

“… Spark Hand-Drill?”

“Clever, isn’t it?” Skittle beams. “See ‘cause it’s a—”

“I know what it is. And I want it. Morpho’s little butterfly arcs weren’t much fun to dodge.”

“And these won’t be either,” Skittle rubs their hands. “Since there’s three bits, it can’t give you a straight tripwire arc like hers, so what it’ll give instead is a spreading triangle sort’ve thing. Just with less spread than what’s on already. Golau, wanna prep the DNA synth?”

“Do I!” Golau flutters over to another terminal.

“What else?” Skittle asks.

“Just one thing, and I’ll save the rest of the zenny.” You pop your Zanbato free, unignited. “Can you make this baby an ice saber?”

Golau turns their head to join Skittle in a wide-eyed stare of possibility.

“Um,” you continue, “if it’s not too much trouble.”

Skittle holds their hands out, palm-up, side by side, head bowed. You take the cue and, with some ceremony, daintily place the hilt in their hands.

“Do you know what you’re asking me to do?” Skittle asks.

“Kinda?”

They snap back to normal, flip the hilt in the air and snap it up on the descent. “Saber tech hit a renaissance in the war. Used to be you’d have to stick liquid nitrogen generators on a hilt for the old one-two thermobreak punch. Now I can slap on some stock data to get a solid crystalline cryomer mass for the blade.”

“But the data said…”

“Ap-ap-ap, shush,” Skittle smacks their free hand closed. “A slapdash icicle saber isn’t worthy of you, like. What I’ll do is get the one-two, but the first hit won’t be boring old ellen. It’ll be liquid cryomer in an electromagnetic sheath. Still gets you the hard temperature shock with the high-phase followup, but it’s a lot more efficient. And with that saber pack you can swing it all day!”

“I like the sound of that.”

“It’ll be rather like your Gaia Sword,” Golau notes, “only backwards. Element first, then the beam. And WHAT a beam…”

“Stick your eyeballs back in,” Skittle reprimands their sibling, “we got work to do!”

And work they do. Golau synthesizes the Maverick DNA – you watch as complicated code-strings of flighty blue and rocky orange twine together in the visualization emulator, giving the serious and technologically sound science an interesting semi-accurate lies-to-children feel. Skittle finishes with the saber work at a crafting table before Golau's done, and assesses their work while you wait.

The critique is positive. Good for them. The fairy siblings get along surprisingly well, given Skittle’s demeanor, but what’s more surprising is how quickly Golau takes to the needs of upgrading. They’re a children’s park mascot on what’s essentially a working vacation, after all.

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>>2834417
Your nagging foresight and second-guessing team up to give you a grim thought. If you’d taken Skittle along on the Spectrod op and not been able to save them, Golau might well have been drafted as a replacement…

“Right then,” Skittle concludes, “we’re done here. Now get outta here, I’ve got expansions to expand.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!” Golau elbows you and winks.

Skittle hushushhes them and clamps a hand over their mouth. “Eh-heh, never mind them, you just go have fun, yeah?”

Well that was weird. “O… kay? Thanks as always.”

You put it out of your mind as you walk out of the lab, carrying a new saber and a new weapon and 30,000 zenny still in your account.

And a news item unread.

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>>2834421
>RELIABLE UNDERWATER EXCAVATION PRAISES FAVORITE DAUGHTER
Japanese construction firm Shinraidekiru Suichu Kensetsu (z$:SSK) released an official statement earlier today regarding their newly famous daughter, Meteor Showa. Here in full is the release by Director Sanae Hisakawa.

“SSKN-KS04, Meteor Showa, first of our Koi Series to join the Maverick Hunters, has freed the world from a major incursion of propaganda and severely disrupted Repliforce hacking attempts and internal communications. Not twenty-four hours prior, she was instrumental in recovering a significant energen cave and preventing Repliforce from gaining a strong foothold in inland Australia. Since her near-destruction in the closing days of the war, she has also disrupted Maverick activity from the central United States to the tip of Antarctica. We could not be prouder of her performance and the honor she has given our company.”


Aw, Mom…

You check your Spazer messages, all on auto-translate. There’s one from Dad…


>T.Hamasaki
Good work.


Gosh, Dad, don’t get so emotional.

There’s also a slew of messages from your siblings.


>G.CHAGOI
WAY TO RETIRE THAT MAVERICK, SHOWA, YOU LOOKED LIKE AN ACTION HERO :)
NOW SHOW THOSE PIRATES SOME OF THAT :)!!!!

>S.KOHAKU
d=(´▽｀)=b

>A.TANCHO
fluttering blue wings
broken, melted, grounded, gone
arcs of light darkened

ice and wood and flame
a tricolor hunter’s will
hero to all eyes

>S.ASAGI
How’d you like the stickers??? (´∀`)
I got away in one piece thanks to you, but it was a close call, wasn’t it? ε=(ﾉﾟдﾟ)ﾉ
Seriously, Showa, I might have died… ((´д｀))
But more importantly, I’m glad you didn’t. Love you so much. ＾▽＾

>B.KUJAKU
Your retirement mission versus Arc Morpho was splendidly done, Sister. Father likely gave you some taciturn praise easily mistaken for lack of concern, but you know as well as I do that’s just his way. Please understand that we’re all extremely proud of you. It’s all we can do to follow your lead.


You’re so lucky to have them. You take a break up at the skybridge crossing and message each of them back.

Sunlight fills the glass dome.


>Go test out your new gear.
>Go catch up with friends. (specify)
>Just stay a while longer and enjoy not working.

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>>2834426
Protecting precious cinnamon roll siblings in a superfighting world: an emergent MHQ thematic.

>Go catch up with friends. (Batteram)

Let's see how he's doing since Spectrod. I'm hoping he's enhanced his chill a little bit with regard to the Standards and might appreciate a more engaging social buddy than he himself is capable of.

>>2834463
Protection that's going quite well, considering that Asagi, Deco, and Skittle are still around.

>>2834426
>Just stay a while longer and enjoy not working.
I wonder if it would be possible to fail morale so hard Showa goes mav. Or did we already avert Ultra Bad End?

>>2834426

>>2834463
+1

Good to see this quest is back!

>>2834547
She has lost no one (yet). Consider it averted.

>>2834554
Thanks! Otakon and post-Otakon recovery had priority on the schedule until now.

>>2834426
>>2834463
+1

Might as well.

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>>2834463
>>2834554
>>2834788
You skygaze for a moment. The baked-on I LOVE MY FRIENDS doesn’t seem in a hurry to leave.

You wonder how Volt is doing. After Alice Springs, you didn’t check up on him as much as you maybe should’ve.

There are maybe three places on the base where he might be, and one of them isn’t open yet.

You head down to the range. On the way you pass a pair of Larimars who glance furtively at you and titter once they’re out of sight. You glance at a window for your reflection – nope, the fairies left no pranks on your face. Weird.

Thompson the silent Disc Boy throws you a thumbs-up on your way in. You toss him one back, as it’s only polite. The range has the usual rank and file, but Volt isn’t among them, so you move on to the sparring ring.

There’s much less of a crowd than last time. Last time was a veteran picking a brawl with a few desk-jockey Standard Berets. This time is a lesson.

Rubus comes at him with a combo. Low jab, blocked. Uppercut feint into a high elbow, caught. Knee to open side, tagged. Middle straight, knocked off-course and punished by a battering-ram palm to the chest. Rubus staggers several steps. Some onlookers ooh.

“Again,” Volt orders, lowering his fists to a totally unguarded stance.

Rubus dashes to his left, jumps at a right angle, comes at him with a kick. He takes it low on the forearm, jerks back to dodge her follow-up kick – she used the first impact as a pivot, she knew he’d block! With the force she put into the second kick, though, she’s off-balance and off her feet. Volt corrects her by sending her to the floor with a headbutt to her back.

The spectators groan. You notice Hotel Two is among them, but neither of the other Decomms members.

“Explain,” Volt orders.

“Overcommitted,” Rubus groans into the floor.

“Good. Up.”

“Gimme a sec,” she groans again.

“Mavericks won’t—” Volt spots you as he rolls his eyes. “Oh. Uh. Meteor. Hi,” his sternness evaporates. “Just training.”

“Is that so?”

Rubus pushes herself off the ground. “Told you I’d be back, ma’am.”

“He giving you a hard time?”

“Yeah, and it’s great,” Rubus grins. Part of her face is damaged. The cosmetic white curves in her mouth are broken such that it looks like she’s missing a tooth. “I’m learning a lot.”

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>>2835192

“A lot of basics,” Volt counters. “But she put in the request. Filled out the right forms. She knew the consequences.”

“Of getting them wrong?”

“Of getting them right,” Volt smiles thinly. “Maybe in four, six, eight months, we could have a passable new fighter.”

“Two,” Rubus smirks as she eyes a new approach.

“Two years,” Volt crosses his arms.

She advances on him again, but Volt keeps his arms crossed. He dodges, ducks, turns, fights back with only his legs and his head and an enviable sense of balance. After a few exchanges Rubus ducks a horizontal heel and springs up high, inviting the headbutt that she cross-counters with an elbow. The resounding clang separates them. You join the applause.

Rubus shakes her arm out. “Yo Meteor! Uh, ma'am. Tag in?”

“She’s got better things to do than save your butt,” Volt at last uncrosses his arms.


>I don’t, actually. You’re on.
>I just wanted to talk a bit.
>(Leave them to it, do something else.)

>>2835200
>I just wanted to talk a bit.

>>2835200
Can we sorta hybridize the first two? Maybe have Meteor provide some of her own lessons while chatting with Volt.

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>>2835511
That can be a thing.

>>2835511
+1 here. He's the type who speaks with his fists, so I think getting in the ring would help us better get in that head of his.

>>2835511
I'll switch to this since it seems everyone wants it, and it seems fine.

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>>2835299
>>2835511
>>2835612
>>2835729

“Yeah,” you quip, “like beating yours.”

The audience likes what they’re hearing. Rubus hurries off to a corner.

“Seriously?” Volt tilts his head a little.

“Totally. C’mon, just a friendly conversation. With punching. We can even teach Rubus how to fight a different body type.”

He seems to think about that. He beckons, with a smile.

Some spectators scuttle off to fetch others. You put up your fists and walk over to boxer-tap him.

He keeps his hands to himself and opens with a sweep kick.

>[Flex +2]

You just barely clear it, but his follow-up uppercut scrapes the length of your guarding forearm.

“What the heck!”

“Teaching,” he grins.

You light into him, still fists-only. He blocks, parries.

“See you’re no worse off after Spectrod,” you start. “Got worried for a bit!”

A straighline right punch sails over your ducking head and you guard against a left jab. You go for his abdomen, but he’s playing slippery.

“Shouldn’t,” he grunts.

“C’mon, he hit you with your weakness! I know what that’s like!”

“Kinda doubt that.”

His footwork breaks his retreating pattern and comes at your chin with a knee.

>[Flex +2]

You jerk to the side, right into the path of his fist, but a backwards dash saves you from it. He brings up his fists again and speaks up, likely to Rubus.

“You never know what’ll work best. Try everything.”

“Yeah,” you add, “mix it up.”

“Even if you’re afraid to.” He tucks his arms closer to his barrel chest. “Habits are easy. Dangerous. Might make you lose.”

He dashes for you, head down, fists up. This’ll definitely hurt.

… But it’s a lesson for your former subordinate, isn’t it?

You dash headlong into the world’s shortest game of chicken. Volt Batteram doesn’t waver. Neither do you. At the last possible instant you could break off, you throw an uppercut – and are treated to a rare glimpse of your friend’s widened eyes as your fist meets his chin. Time slices thinly. On the next slice his fist is crossed into your shoulder. On the next you’re on the other side of him, tumbling away.

“—oof—agh—”

You eventually stop rolling at the edge of the ring. Hurried spectators groan that it’s over already.

“Get it?” You groan.

“Think so,” you hear Rubus reply from somewhere in the spinning room.

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>>2835945

You look up, and Volt is already there, holding a hand down to you.

“See you’re no worse off after Morpho.”

You take his hand. He hauls you up. You dust yourself off. “Worried for a bit?”

“About you?” He smirks. “Never.”

Round Two goes about as well for you. You pour on more dash to let him show how to catch momentum with momentum. You get a nice dent in your chest for your trouble, but you think Rubus is picking it up well. She tries the same thing when Volt dashes at her, and the hit is clean, but she simply lacks your mass and takes a trip to the floor.

“Again,” Volt orders his pupil.

She’s getting better. They both are.


>Visit the sims
>Visit Deco
>Visit Nouveau
>Visit Turtle
>Visit Monitor
>?

>>2835955
>Visit the sims

We haven't done that for a while, and I'd like to see Flurry again.

>>2835955
>Visit Turtle

Torn between that, the sims, and Monitor. If it's a dead heat between Sims and Turtle, change my vote.

>>2835955
>Visit the sims
do some A rank stuff

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>>2835961
>>2836004
>>2836131
Well, as long as you’re here…

You break off from the ring to hit the combat sims. Flurry sweeps the floor.

“Hey, player,” she greets you without looking up. “Finally got some time to yourself?”

“Oh, some,” you wonder about the nickname.

It’s very easy for a Snow Rider to give you a side-eye. “How was it? Where’d he take you?”

You rub your dent. “To the floor, mostly. Really gave me a pounding, but I think it was educational for everybody.”

Flurry drops the broom. “Damn, girl. I mean I thought you could handle him, but…”

“Oh, he’s rough because he cares. Just his body language, so to speak. And hey, I knew what I was getting into.”

Flurry stares at you. “You think he’d give me a shot? Not that I’m trying to get in your way or anything.”

Odd, you didn’t know she was into sparring… “Yeah, maybe, if you ask him.”

Flurry seems to be staring into the middle distance. She shakes her head after a moment.

“A-a-anyway, you’re here for sims, right? I’ll hook you up. Preference?”

“Something A-class, but somebody I’ve done a few times before, ‘cause I’ve got some weapons to test out. Palehorse, let’s say.”

“Can do.”

----

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>>2836451

Nine spike-knotted cords snake from his hand. A mane of razor chains clinks like a prisoner march. Clop, clop, clop, clop, he slowly steps from the thick smoke of the burning seaside resort.

“Behold, and quake with fear, for I am the Thief of Days, the Ghost of Arizona, the honored student of Dammahnation Blade! It was I who made dark the Light of Phoenix, I who felled the mighty Largescale Mustang, I who punish the wicked and make wide the world of reploidkind! Weep and bear witness to your end, for you stand before Scourge Palehorse!”

It’s just a recording, but you laugh now as you did then. “S-sorry, sorry, just, his delivery…”

“Focus,” Flurry advises, “he’s gonna start attacking if you do that.”

“Not if I do first.”

“Dare the challenger make mock of—”

You dash for him and open with a thermite splash. His shields flash, and it’s down to business. The thing about solid-wire scourges is that while they hurt like heck, they’re difficult to finesse – if they swipe in one direction, they’re unlikely to turn. And so here it comes:

>[Flex +2]

Swipe one, across, swipe two, diagonal, swipe three, vertical up, and there’s the opening where you stick your shiny new Ice Zanbato.

The pale horse takes the pale blue blade full in the stomach. The effect is weird and pretty: the liquid mass of the blade splashes and clings, and the lemon-yellow hibeam strikes home, gouging horribly and nearly blinding you with shield sparks.

You get the heck away, knowing what’s coming. A tornado of clanking chains and thrashing flails tears through nothing but air. Last time, which was one of your first times in the Veracruz Sixth, that blender took your arm clean off and scoured your side down to the chassis. Repeated practice against him let you learn his patterns.

The problem is that after a big enough hit, he goes patternless for the whole rest of the fight.

And here he comes now, jumping out to a wall, kickjumping off and – oh heck, here comes the big kusarigama.


>Prioritize dodging his attacks.
>Prioritize burning him down.

>Power Assault: Charged shots, big hits.
>Rapid Assault: Low-power shots, multiple hits.

VWES:
>Arbor Wall: 12/12
>Fluid Lockdown: 6/6
>Remote Koi: 12/12
>Spark Hand-Drill: 16/16

>Gaia Sword: ∞
>Zanbato: ∞

>>2836456
>Prioritize dodging his attacks.
>Rapid Assault: Low-power shots, multiple hits.

practice tying up those wires with the Arbor Walls, then going around getting buster-koi experience. Dodge everything while managing the koi.

>>2835200
Damn that's Ram? I can see why Dee wanted to get slammed by this guy.

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>>2836456
Hah, poor, innocent Showa.

>Prioritize burning him down.
>Power Assault: Charged shots, big hits.

This is a sim and we could use some experience with the rushdown for when we inevitably have to prioritize it over caution. We have a set of tools that enables that kind of aggression, let's be fully appraised of how to use it.

>>2836451
>>You rub your dent. “To the floor, mostly. Really gave me a pounding, but I think it was educational for everybody.”

>>Flurry drops the broom. “Damn, girl. I mean I thought you could handle him, but…”

Umm, shes not talking about fighting is she?

>>2836514
Gonna go with a no there chief.

>>2836456
>Prioritize burning him down
>Power Assalt

>>2836491
That's him all right. Drawn by MHQ's latest "official" artist!

>>2836514
>>2836523
Flurry is indeed not talking about fighting. What is she talking about? That remains to be seen.

>>2836451
Lewd. Note how she didn't mention if she was talking about Volt.

>Prioritize burning him down
>Rapid assault

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>>2836474
>>2836503
>>2836544
>>2836745

Chains and flails and sharp things. They’re all just arrows pointing back at him, really.

You fire an Arbor Wall in the chain-sickle’s path. The density of the wood stops the blade cold – you hear the thunk but don’t see it, as you’re already moving. He lands with a rattling clanking cacophony and swings a Morningstar out of his palm.

>[Flex +2]

You really wish you had your current mobility the first time you fought him.

The spiked ball on spiked chains sails a killer arc right over your head as you select your new toy with the horrible pun name. Spark Hand-Drill whirrs to full spin and sheds electric arcs even before you fire it.

The cone-bit grinder drills stay much closer, as advertised, but you can hardly see them through the brightness of the electric triangle. By the time it reaches Palehorse the shape is his height. Only one drill makes contact, striking him at the knee, but the electricity surges through him and snaps all three lines at once. His body seizes up as lightning zigzags between his chains.

So you fire again and again, triangle after triangle, keeping your distance and pouring on the damage. The quicker the drills come, the more they grind against and bounce off his strobing shields. So they still have that to worry about, good to know – oh heck here comes the –

Not even your Flex Architecture can outrun the harpoon. It drives into your side and anchors deep with wicked barbs.

“Get over here!”

Scourge Palehorse is A-class for a reason. He braces his hooves and hauls back on the chain; even your mass means little to his bestial strength.

He times the swinging flail to the instant your shields quit flashing.

You time your Prominence to the instant he swings.

Your shield and his try to out-flash each other, but your mouthful of thermite makes his labor all the more. Inspiration strikes, and so does your Ice Zanbato, but from what you can tell the cryomer does more damage to the molten metal itself than the body underneath. When the hibeam clicks on, of course, it easily out-damages the thermite.

Palehorse kicks like a cannonball and goes for another flail, but your long yellow blade meets his wrist and carves it off. You rev up one more Sparkdrill and drive it home; his chain mane seems to float out, sparking like a storm as his core ruptures.

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>>2836807

SIMULATION
C O M P L E T E

>YOUR RANK: A

Whew.

“What’s that new one called?” Flurry asks. “The triangle.”

You tell her. She groans.

“I know, right?” You step out of the pod. “But I’m really liking the damage.”

“Didn’t you use to spit lightning?”

“Yeah, Exhalation Beam. I had to combine a couple Mavs to get that. It was great, but high-collateral, know what I mean?”

“Oh yeah.” Flurry pats her arm cannon. “I’ve been trying to build up something like that for me, but it’s tough with my rank.”

You think briefly of your unused electric element. Hmm. “You talk to Skittle about it yet?”

“Might have to, but I heard they’re crazy.”

“You’ve heard right,” you laugh, “but it’s a good kind of crazy.”

“Chatty, too.” Flurry’s eye becomes an upward-pointing crescent. Is she… smiling?

“Yeah, tell me about it. Thanks, Flurry, but I should get going.”

“Sure, sure. Have fun now.”

You begin to get the sense that you’re missing something. Maybe some joke Skittle’s playing on you. Tsk, that’s just like them.


>Visit Deco
>Visit Nouveau
>Visit Turtle
>Visit Monitor

>>2836810
>Visit Nouveau

>>2836810
>Visit Monitor

See how the new guy is settling in.

Also, we still need to drag Skittle out of the lab again for proper socializing, at some point.

>>2836810
>Visit Monitor
Let's see how S̶t̶e̶e̶l̶ ̶M̶a̶s̶s̶i̶m̶o̶ is getting along

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>>2836810
>Visit Monitor

>>2835192
>On the way you pass a pair of Larimars who glance furtively at you and titter once they’re out of sight. You glance at a window for your reflection – nope, the fairies left no pranks on your face. Weird.

>“Chatty, too.” Flurry’s eye becomes an upward-pointing crescent. Is she… smiling?

What happened.

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>>2837360
fear.jpg

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>>2837360
>>2837363
Something's fucky

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>>2836951
>>2837021
>>2837360
You’re not sure where everybody else is, but you have a pretty good idea where Fourth’s newest officer might be.

There was a time when you spent at least an hour every day in Requisitions, checking out the new gear, asking everyone where things might be improved, and professionally quibbling with Windsor and his team over specifications. You haven’t had a chance since being booted from Decommissions with good cause. You decide that now’s as good a time as any, with a new guy in charge and Rubus on a path to a career change.

The underground garage is never totally quiet. It’s here where material shipments come in for assembly, and where vehicles and mechaniloids are delivered, stored, and maintained. Inspection mechaniloids come and go, as do members of the Fourth’s repair crew. Most are green; Monitor should fit right in.

At the edge of your well-tuned hearing, you notice that you’re walking in a bubble of lower volume. Anybody you pass by seems to pause work for just a second.

You finally find Iron Monitor monitoring a line of Raiden ride armors being serviced. He steps down the line, evidently finding nothing at fault, until he comes to one with half its chest missing.

“What happened here?” He calls out to the mechanic.

“Some dinosaur,” the hatless green Standard Beret calls back. “Burned right through. Too bad you weren’t there – you like ‘em hot, don’t you, chief?”

“Har har.”

“Oh shit,” the Standard laughs, spotting you and immediately getting back to work. Monitor glances your way.

“Showa! Hey, good to see you.”

“Likewise. You settling in okay? Nobody giving you trouble?”

“Not a bit. Your Req department’s a lot like Darwin’s. Your Fourth, though? Same as everybody’s.”

“Good, good,” you nod. “So I wanted to ask about deployments…”

“Is that what they’re calling it?” Some heckling Chrysoprase two Raidens down calls over. The mechanics fail to stifle their laughter.

Yeah, that’ll do. “All right, chuckleheads, what’s going on? It’s like I missed a joke while I was napping. If this involves Skittle in any way…”

Monitor tilts back his head and covers his face, easily done with those big hands. “Yep, same as everybody’s.”

“What’s this about, Monitor?”

He sighs, takes his helmet by the beak and lifts it off with a click of magnetic locks. The face underneath is beige and angular and close enough to a Platonic lizard.

“Seelie’s your handler, right? I’m betting he sent—”

“They.”

“They, sorry. I bet they sent it to everybody but you.”

“What message?”

“It was short and straightforward. I asked you out.”

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>>2837440

Um.

“Um.”

Monitor rolls on, completely sincere from the sound of it, and you can only envy his confidence with this sort of thing.

“I like how you look. I like how you work. So I did some research. I like that you came back from the dead. I like that you’ve been non-stop at getting back in shape. I like how you walked into a fistfight with a melee specialist on behalf of a Standard. I like how you fought the guy who killed you – and won. I like strength, Showa, and it might’ve been a quick study, but I haven’t seen a weak line on you yet.”

… This is new.

You’ve gone on dates before, of course. Had a couple significant others, to varying degrees of significance. All of them, however, were all less immediately forthcoming; they gave you more time to build up a friendship. Even Skittle – who long ago spelled out “DATE ME, FISHFLAKE” in fireworks over the Vatican during Pope Augustine’s ascension – was a friend first.

The mechanics work in the way that anybody works when they’re listening hard yet trying to sound busy.

“You haven’t seen any of my lines for more than an hour, total,” you manage to… not object, but say.

“Right. Which is why I want to up that total. I know a place – not right now, still got work to clear. But I can take you out tonight if you like. Show you a good time. Hmm?”

Hmm.


>Yes.
>No.

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>>2837443
>Yes.

Hell, he's direct enough, I can respect that.

We may need to evaluate his prank game to exact vengeance on Skittle, however.

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>>2837443
>Yes.

You know what? Fuck it, I like his directness.

Besides, it might go well.

>>2837454
>>2837445
Agreed though, we must prank back Skittle.

>>2837445
Yuuup. While the end result is nice; no prank must go uncontested.
... a series of 'one free upgrade courtesy of skittles for keeping the prank' coupons passed out to the rest of the base?

>>2837443
>Yes
He knows what he wants and he's direct about it. He also seems to respect how Showa rolls, and it's more than a "I like the cut of your jib" type of appreciation. I say we give it a spin.

... Also we need to talk to Flurry again. Soon.

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>>2837521

>>2836491
His face is like one of the Transformers Animated designs

>>2837559
He's rather 'strongfat'

>>2837443
>Yes
You know what, he might be a good match for showa. Someone....actually level.

>>2837559
>>2837562

Bulky like wool, hard like horns.

Also, votes cast, looks like you're going on a date. Post to come, ill-timed customers keep arriving.

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>>2837445
>>2837454
>>2837457
>>2837521
>>2837616

… Your first instinct is to turn him down, but the entire rest of your brain shoves that instinct in a closet. What the heck is there to lose? You’re not usually into people a size larger than you, and his face doesn’t have a huge range of expression, but he hits some of your high points: honesty, diligence, good voice, rounded corners…

“Tonight, huh?”

“If you’re not working, that is. The way you’ve been at it I bet you could knock out another mission.”

“You bet, hmm?” You smirk.

“Safely, I think,” his voice smiles better than his face can.

“Sure, then. I’ll pick my next and head out, and if I’m back as quick as you think, I’ll go wherever you take me.”

Iron Monitor puts his helmet back on. “Deal. Now, you had a question about deployment?”

“Yeah, is it still a point-buy?”

“I’ll show you.” He gestures ahead. “Right this way.”

He keeps it professional: doesn’t stay at your side, doesn’t go for a too-familiar touch, doesn’t even try “escorting” you. Bonus points on all counts. You might be old-fashioned, but as far as you’re concerned there are levels of friendliness to go through in order, and he doesn’t overstep. Whether it’s by practice or instinct, you can’t tell, but you’re feeling better about the date already.

He takes you to a requisition terminal by the mechaniloid storage wing, a device not unlike the one where you signed out for the ride chasers yesterday. This one has additional monitor space to read tech specs for each deployable unit.

“You’re cleared to access the system from any terminal,” Montior shows you, “but this is how it’s laid out. New standard. I’ll use me as an example.”

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>>2837886

He logs in; he’s Rank A. A bar at the top is subdivided into seventy segments. “Functionality’s the same, but now the queue interface is right up front. So if you have your heart set on bringing some Aclandas but they’re all taken, you don’t have to go down five sub-pages.”

“Nice. Why are the last twenty points a different color?”

“Earned for repeated good use of the first fifty. Not that I brought them all back in one piece, but that I used them smartly.”

“Double nice.”

“There’s also a recommendations box you can toggle on or off. It crunches environmental and enemy data for you, based on the mission. Here’s one of mine…”

He selects one, Fallout Geigeroach, apparently holed up in a radioactive exclusion zone in West Virginia. Mountains, environmental hazard, single target with outlaws and stolen/hijacked mechaniloids. Recommendations pop up: Head Gunners, Helits… Drimoles, Mad Bulls, Crusher Neos… wow, a Pteranoid? Oh, it’s grayed out, along with the Victoroids and Giga Deaths.

“Heavy on the obstacle-breaking,” you notice.

“Not that I wouldn’t go that direction, of course, but it saves a little time sorting alphabetically.”

“Efficient. I like it.”

“Thought you might. And if you want sapient help, the squad register at the range is one tab away.”

“Good to know. What kind of rank-and-file do you tend to pick?”

“Standard Berets, if they’re available. Their specs are outstanding, don’t you think?”

“I do like high specs.” You “accidentally” sidle closer to him to close out the requisition screen. “Guess I’d better get to work.”

“Guess so.”

“Guess I’ll see you tonight, then.”

“Guess you will.”

You try your best to clamp down your smile on your way out.

Two steps out into the hall, a thought stops you cold.

“Oh my god I have to talk to Flurry.”

It’s quite some time before she stops laughing.

----

“… Ohdoubleyouennzeroone Scatter SEELIE!”

The nurses jump at your yell and get out of your way.

“I-I-I’m sorry, ma’am,” Dee Sub One stammers, “they went back to Sixteenth’s tower to grab some materials!”

“Uh-huh. And by ‘back to Sixteenth’s tower’ do you mean ‘hiding under the desk?’”

“We swear, Lieutenant,” another nurse interjects, “Their Highness and Their Grace left right after you did!”

Oh doesn’t that just figure. You huff. “Fine. I just need somebody to get my dents out. But while I’m here, I think I’ll visit their little lab anyway. Who here’s brave enough to drive Their Highness mad?”

Not a single hand goes up.

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>>2837894

----

“Oh, there you are, Lieuenant,” Nouveau looks over from Turtle’s chair in the command room. “I gather from your face that you’ve heard about your breach of privacy?”

“Heard and seen and gotten even,” you dust off your hands.

“Do tell,” he swivels the chair, one leg propped on his knee. “Nothing against regulations?”

“Nothing much. Just a little thank-you. I found the audio tap to their upgrade lab and replaced everything on their playlist with Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies.”

Nouveau covers his eyes and laughs. “You’re letting them off too lightly, Meteor.”

“Maybe so. I’m just feeling in a good mood.”

“It must be infectious,” he tucks some hair behind his ear. “Turtle’s actually in her office. Jaguar’s office. Methinks seeing fraternization among the ranks gave her a nudge.”

Oh boy. You head to the central terminal to make your selection before she calls you in for some mom-friend advice.

Your remaining roster makes the choice simple: one or the other.


SOUNDING HUMPBACK (A-class, high)
>Known Weaponry:
Chorus Cannon, Shock Lance, Depth Note, Bubble Net
>File Data:
A protective former 6th Unit squad leader who abandoned her post and allied with a crew of pirates. Her forces and supporters have based themselves on a South Atlantic wave-farm rig and declared it the Free State of Light, attracting criminals, ex-Repliforce, and other Mavericks. Dangerous alliances may form here; prevent them. Be advised that some of the undesirables are human.
>Available Support:
6th Marine Armada

CHASER GIRTABOMB (A-class)
>Known Weaponry:
Clutch Bomb, Denial Vulcan, Beam Skate, War Tail
>File Data:
A hotshot pro racer allied with Repliforce and helped them take over the Maracaibo Battle & Chase Speedway. A neighboring automotive plant is producing heavy combat assets for what’s left of Repliforce. Go in and stop the enemy’s production.
>Available Support:
1st Advance

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>>2837923
>Chaser Girtabomb

It was real, real close on Morpho. I'd rather do whatever we can to stop the attrition from dash-enhanced Repliforce assets, though by now Humpback might have a good few anyway. Regardless, she's the harder target for reasons both physical and mental. I'd rather tackle her with everything else at our disposal. And hey, optimistic hopeful note, maybe saying "I saved you for last because I don't want to fight you" will actually work.

...no it won't, but hey, it's good story.

>>2837957
Live in hope Robot Devil, live in hope.

Besides if I recall correctly Anode managed to talk a Maverick back onto the side of light so what's to say we won't get a chance here?

>Chaser Girtabomb

>>2837923
>>CHASER GIRTABOMB (A-class)
Speed kills, so lets kill speed.

>>2837923
>CHASER GIRTABOMB

Let's go kill the race car.

>>2838005
Only person I can think of that got talked out of a fight was Sabomole, and that was an under-duress situation, not a legit mav.

>>2837886
>The way you’ve been at it I bet you could knock out another mission.
looks like we're dying this thread

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>>2838142
It's worth trying.

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>>2837957
>>2838005
>>2838082
>>2838104

Eeny, meeny, miney…

“Hey Nouveau?”

“Yes?”

“You were a fan of Girtabomb’s, right?”

“Until the instant he turned, yes. Don’t put him off on my account. Deco and her people determined that every one of the R-series mechaniloids you’ve faced have come from his factory.”

“Well not anymore,” you stretch your fingers for effect before tapping the scorpion-man’s mugshot.

A comms ping on the central map immediately lights up. Nouveau hums a satisfied syllable, pivots his seat back around and patches it in.

A Cabochon-type reploid with the high-standing collar and gorget armor of a bomb squad blinks into view. She’s yellow and orange, probably a specialist. Her helmet is lined with rivets.

“Citrine, Columbus First Advance,” she greets you, gruff and snappy. “You the retiring officer for Girtabomb?”

“I am.”

“UGH, finally,” she rolls her neck. “Better gird yourself, this one’ll be a bitch.”

“Already girding. But shouldn’t we speak in person?”

“No, that’ll spoil the plan. Which is this.”

Her image blinks to a satellite map as she narrates points of interest that blink when she comes to them.

“Repliforce is present in strength, along with our mark. They’re holding a corner of Maracaibo, centered on a manufacturing plant here. The influence also covers the Maracaibo Speedway, which goes across the narrow part of the lake here, to the Isla de Providencia here, then down to the Hipodromo de Santa Rita here. A recent earthquake broke a lot of it and is making the plant operate at half capacity.”

“Yeah, that was me,” you admit. “Load-bearing Maverick in a cave system.”

“Nice,” you can hear Citrine grin.

“I heard about the collateral…”

“Don’t worry about it, they can rebuild, but the wreckage is making Girtabomb patrol more. So me and what’s left of my squad will hit one side or the other – either infil from the city, or ride in from Santa Rita. The choice is yours, because wherever we come from, he’ll speed in to meet us.” Her face returns. “That’ll leave you to enter from the other side, catch up, and hopefully put his lights out.”

“So essentially I’m choosing where to fight him.”

“Provided that we hold out long enough to keep him there. Not that I doubt us,” she points at you with a thickly armored hand, “but he’s a real nasty jock. Understand me: that plant is full of custom heavy assault mechaniloids, but he’s still the most dangerous mobile in the area. He built his whole career on beating the shit out of people at high speed.”

“What’s he packing?”

Citrine blinks. “Not a fan of Battle and Chase, are you?”

“To her detriment,” Nouveau mutters.

“Not really,” you confirm.

She glances down and keys in something out of frame. “That might actually help. Let you go in without preconceptions...”

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>>2838621

Weapon schematics take up a column on the left side, each a rotating graphic.

“See, his arsenal in the races was sticky bombs, energy bullets, and those claws – your basic three-range coverage – but he’s playing for real now. We’ve confirmed variable payloads on his stickies – a whole ice cream shop of flavors – and that tail gun is up to anti-air quality. Plus, his legs and underbelly can transform into a ride chaser with Adion-type saber skates firing on a dash. Real fond of hit and run.”

“Which he couldn’t really bring to bear if we cornered him in the plant,” you think aloud.

“The plant full of speedy damn heavies for backup, yes.”

You rub your lower lip. “See your point.”

“So. Pick your entry and any deployment, then give us ten minutes to set up. After that, we’re a go as soon as you land.”


>Start at the plant, end at the speedway.
>Start at the speedway, end at the plant.
>Further questions?


DEPLOYMENT:
You have 50 points to spend on vehicles and/or subordinate units. The Requisitions UI offers suggestions tailored to your mission.

>Adion Ride Chaser: 25
An Adion F3 ride chaser. It might lack class, but it will speed anyone to victory with overdrive dash bursts and onboard near- and long-range weaponry.

>Cannon Driver: 20
Tall, multi-cannon fire-support platform. Showing its age as field artillery, but undeniably powerful.

>Cabochon Chrysoprase: 20
Well-rounded infantry unit. Green. Excellent tactical flexibility and response time due to the Secondary Subprocessor – an auxiliary brain that handles all “minor” computational functions like telemetry, firing solutions, and variable battlefield conditions. Equipped with a two-stage charge buster and a lobeam saber.

>Cabochon Howlite: 20
Well-rounded air-superiority unit. White. More cost-effective than manned craft, and far superior to mechaniloid fliers due to the Cabochon series’ Secondary Subprocessor. Equipped with a single-shot high-yield buster for powerful and precise strafing.

>Cheval Ride Chaser: 15
A Cheval GG ride chaser. Comes equipped with standard overdrive dash and rapid-fire frontal buster. Still the workhorse of the Hunters’ one-man vehicular needs after all these years.

>Crash Roader: 10
Wheeled boar head. Delivers high-speed pursuit and collision.

>Helit: 10
Flying missile launcher with an onboard ammo generator.

>Head Gunner Customer: 10
Mobile two-legged missile launcher and minibomb-lobber.

>Head Gunner Masspro: 5
Mobile two-legged missile launcher.

>Spiky Mk.II: 5
Fast, round, spiky. A wheel of pain for anything in its way.

>Crusher NEO: 5
Wrecking mechaniloid capable of punching holes in roads or just plain smashing targets.

>Mettaur D2: 5
Lightly damaging area-patroller. Tries its best. Can hitch a ride on many other mechaniloids.

>Gabyoall: 5
Free-roaming spinny-blade area-denier. Can be deployed by other mechaniloids or carried on your person in a specialized harness.

>>2838637
>Start at the plant, end at the speedway.

Sure we'll start on his literal home arena, but dealing with the factory first would be nice.

>Deployment

I honestly don't know well what tactics we ought to go for on this requisitions-wise. I'd guess that having a ride chaser to go after the literal ride chaser-taur would be good, but as for bringing mechanoloids with us I can't think of what'd be useful.

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>>2838637
Right, I'm not feeling my sharpest, but let me take a crack at some tactical breakdown here.

He's a star competitive racer who will be used to hazards, attacks, and obstacles.

>Aidon Ride Chaser
Expensive, but hopefully durable. May let us play catch-up so we can hammer and anvil him.

>Cannon Driver
Too slow and notoriously vulnerable to getting the legs taken out. Heck, X opens up X2 by surfing his chaser into one and kneecapping it.

>Chrysoprase Squad
They can do some clear and control of that factory, or help set up a position on the tracks, but they're going to need support.

>Howlite Squad
With his guns up to anti-air capability, these guys will offer a chance at air superiority, but like their siblings in the Chrysoprase line, they're going to need support. We might be able to sufficiently busy Girtabomb to keep them safe, but he'll know to expect a top-heavy approach and will surely have measures in place.

>Cheval
Fragile, but possible. If we have any particularly skilled pilots in our motor pool, that might do the job.

>Crash Roader
Too dumb and predictable for the cost, I feel. At best we could use them to set up a flank with the Chrysoprase squad.

>Helit
We'll lose them, but they can be surprisingly effective nuisances.

>Head Gunner Customer
They're sturdy enough, that's for sure. That could be an asset if we deploy them to ablate punishment for the Cabochon team(s).

>Head Gunner Masspro
These guys are riding the line of cost-effectiveness. They might let supporting assets do the job, but they're effectively warm bodies.

>Spiky Mk. II:
A bit prone to spinning out before they've been destroyed.

>Crusher NEO:
Now this might pay off. If we rough up the track--and we're not committed to a Cheval chase, where his experience will benefit him when it comes to maneuvers--then we can slam the door on him or drive him away from his ideal engagement type. We might also look into Bladys, as they're far sturdier, have a reactive counterattack, and can probably chew up the track.

>Mettaur
Hitching a ride isn't a terrible idea, and they can go hat-down to turn into speedbumps at opportune times.

>Gabyoall
We could cause some real havoc with these. I think they'll hit above their weight class--IF we can guide the engagement.

The last thought I had is that we might be able to get some very effective synergy between two Cabochon squads, but that will cost us 80% of our requisition and preclude any non-mechaniloid (and thus dumb) fast-attack.

>>2838704
>If we have any particularly skilled pilots in our motor pool, that might do the job.

The ride chasers are also options for you yourself, not just for any Cabochon you may or may not bring along. The factory may have other rides that you can acquire, of course.

>>2838637
Just woke up, still not terribly sure about this, but:

If we start at the plant, we can bring a good amount of raw firepower and buy time for Crushers to muck up the speedway.

>Cabochon Howlite
>Head Gunner Masspro
>Head Gunner Masspro
>Gabyoall
>Mettaur D2(hitch a ride on Showa or whatever ride chaser she steals)

>Crusher NEO
>Crusher NEO

>>2838637
We have to bring a Mettaur. It tries its best.

That's all we can really ask of it.

Can a ride chaser deploy gabyoalls?

>>2839307
Somebody (you or a subordinate) would need to be riding it, but yes. And a Met's legs are too short to be the one driving.

Also, a heads-up: posts tomorrow will be slower until late afternoon due to the school day. (I'm a sub.)

I might be able to get another update post out tonight, but it's not like I'm excessively pressed for time.

>>2839316
>And a Met's legs are too short to be the one driving.
Sounds like something for Skittle to work on.

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>2839329
GET EQUIPPED WITH: DEERBALL HEIGHTS

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I think we could choose either a:
1x cheval
3x gabyoalls
2x helit and/or crash roaders
or b:
1x cheval
3x gabyoalls
and 1x howlite
Taking just one gabyoall seems pointless and you have to get an odd number if you want to use all 50 points but also have a ride chaser.
>>2839316
>(I'm a sub.)
too much information scarab

>>2839329
Why

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>>2839374
Substitute teacher. You know very well what I meant!

Compiling...

Votes seem to favor starting at the plant and ending on the speedway.

Deployment seems to favor taking at least one Howlite, plus Mettaurs and Gaboyalls. There's also support for taking a ride chaser, likely a Cheval.

I'll give it about another hour for last calls to come in, then away we'll go.

>>2840330
Okay, the starting point obviously is difficulty of approach versus difficulty of boss. Given we're very nearly as souped up as we're going to be, and weighing our forces, I definitely am in favor of starting in the plant and ending on the speedway.

That means we can kit out for heavy ground assault for the plant, or heavy air for the speedway. My inclination is to put Reploids in the plant and mechaniloids on the road. They'll be at greater risk fighting Girtabomb in his element, so instead of making them the primary means, we use them to slow him down and enable the takedown.

To that end:
>Start at the plant, end on the speedway.
>Chysoprase Squad (20)
>Cheval (15)
>Crusher NEO (5)
>Gabyoall x2 (10)

The Chrysoprase team will do well in the plant, helping us reserve our health and resources while we use the mechaniloid force to restrict the track. If the Reploids do well enough to assist after the plant, they can post up defensively nearby to support. Either they or Showa can crew the Cheval and deploy the Gabyoall, and the Crusher can mulch up the road. Ideally once he's on the track we can tear it up as we pressure him over several laps.

>>2838653
>>2840354

I'm putting my deployment vote on this.

Right, votes locked. Post to come, even numbers to be weighed by voter investment.

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>>2838637
Fighting a pro in an enclosed space with lots of backup doesn’t sound fun. He’d have the advantage on the road, but reports indicated it was in bad shape already. You bring up a view of the plant: two main buildings and a lot of pavement. The quake cracked the roof on one of them.

“Citrine – oh, sorry, what was your rank?”

“Doesn’t matter. Now listen, what’ll it be?”

“Come at him from the speedway. Draw him out.” You keep talking as you select support options. “What’s your team’s composition?”

She sounds like she’s moving. “Raul, Turbo, Gambler, Kilroy. Cabochons, one Standard Beret. Busters, sabers, gonna approach on Adions. And me, I blow shit up.”

“Nice. I’m deploying a Chrysoprase team and a Crusher with ridealong Gabyoalls. And a Cheval.”

“It’ll work.”

“Counting on it. Just get their eyes turned to you and their backs to me.”

“Can do. We’ve been harassing him a while, getting him mad. He sees us on the road, he’ll be there with friends, guaranteed.”

“Stay safe out there.”

Citrine barks a laugh. “We’re First Advance. Safe’s not our bag. Citrine out.”

Right. Ten minutes, she said, then go… smart idea. Local forces might detect a beam-in and sniff around if not for Citrine and company hitting the other side.

“Chrysoprases?” Nouveau asks. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. I like air support, but they won’t be as big a help indoors.”

“As you like. Just don’t get bogged down, Lieutenant. You’re there for Girtabomb, not to raze the foundations.”

“Right.”

You spend some of your remaining time contacting your landing site. A Howlite answers.

“Lieutenant Showa,” he salutes. “I’m Merchant, logistics. Your packages are on the way, ETA five minutes.”

“Good. The trigger’s pulled once I’m down, so I want everything ready.”

“Yes ma’am. Oh, the team’s here.”

“Wave them over, I want a word.”

He does so. Three smartly-polished Chrysoprases step into frame. That’s a relief. From the deployment listing, you weren’t sure if it was a single one or a package deal.

“Lieutenant,” the middle one greets. “Here to serve. Name’s Bakker, that’s Murphy and Shock. I understand we’re on a tight timetable?”

“The tightest. We’re rolling out the second I’m there.”

“That’s what we like to hear, ma’am. What’s the ground plan?”

“I need to get on the speedway, but that plant is one big obstacle. You listening, Merchant?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“So here’s what I need from all of you…”

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>>2840541

>Hold the Cheval in reserve for after the factory.
>Prep the Cheval to ride for a dynamic entry.

>Hold the Crusher NEO in reserve for after the factory.
>Deploy it with you for merry smashing.

>Decide who or what will carry the two Gabyoalls.

>Bold Approach: Prioritize swift defeat of hostiles.
>Cautious Approach: Prioritize watching for ambush.

>Offensive Advance: Prioritize attacking your foes.
>Defensive Advance: Prioritize evading hazards.

>Power Assault: Charged shots, big hits.
>Rapid Assault: Low-power shots, multiple hits.

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>>2840541
>Doesn’t matter. Now listen

>>2840544
Let me try my hand at some tactical analysis.

>Hold the Cheval in reserve

>Hold the Crusher Neo in reserve

>Figure out who can carry a Gabyoall without getting bogged down.

>Cautious Approach: We're doing the ambushing, but if we lose the element of surprise then we have a factory full of heavy hitters to chew through.

>Defensive Advance until we fire shots. Once we get the jump on them, hit them as hard and as fast as possible. The longer we fight, the more we have to lose against heavy, souped up mechaniloids.

>Power Assault: They'll probably have some tough armor, so we'll need the extra oomph to punch through it.

Does this seem accurate, folks?

>>2840544
>>Prep the Cheval to ride for a dynamic entry. we're going to wreck the speedway anyway

>>Hold the Crusher NEO in reserve for after the factory.
>Cheval carries a gabyoall as a nasty parting gift, a Chrysophase carries the other to help zone him out.

>Bold Approach: Prioritize swift defeat of hostiles. >Defensive Advance: Prioritize evading hazards. Let's just use a solid wall of fire to bleed out his troops

>Power Assault: Charged shots, big hits.

>>2840544
>Hold the Cheval in reserve for after the factory.
>Hold the Crusher NEO in reserve for after the factory.
>Have Market sortie with the Gabyoalls. Have him hand them off to our designated rider (evaluate Cabochons for ride skill, if none particular, us).
>Bold Approach: Prioritize swift defeat of hostiles.
>Defensive Advance: Prioritize evading hazards.
>Power Assault: Charged shots, big hits.

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>>2840541

“… Don’t get bogged down, don’t get surprised. Watch where you’re moving – don’t let the environment do the enemy’s job for them. When something engages, take it down hard and fast – which means build or hold charge every second you’re not firing – but don’t look for new targets that aren’t right in our way and for goodness’ sake don’t chase them. I’ll take point, so stay within about five meters of me at all times. Copy?”

“Copy,” three voices reply as one. You haven’t been head of a team in a good long while, but you’re certain you could get used to it again.

“Good. Now, which of you’s the best rider?”

Murphy raises his hand. Bakker and Shock both thumb over at him.

“Good. Murphy, right? Ignore most of what I just said. I’ve got a ride chaser and a couple Gabyoalls coming. Keep the bike warm and the spinners stowed with you. Once your friends and I cut a path through to the other side, follow fast – same rules of engagement I just mentioned – and hand the bike and luggage off to me. I’ll ride out and finish what First starts. Once I go, all of you retreat to the speedway. Merchant? When they’re on it, send the Crusher to break the road so ground units can’t follow. After that? Everybody keep safe. Copy?”

“Copy,” four voices reply as one. Oh yeah, this is the stuff.

“Right. That’s all. Prep and stand by.”

Waiting is the hardest part. You try not to second-guess yourself as you stare at the waiting pad. Allied lives are at stake here, blameless strangers who are trusting you not to make a bad call. … You’re failing at not-second-guessing, aren’t you. Nope, none of that, you’ve got this. Lives are always at stake in the big picture, but of course having them right there, with faces and names, is quite another—

“Showa,” Citrine pings, “ready.”

“Beaming. Roll out.”

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>>2841818

You land at a Hunter-occupied street corner café. The windows are blown out, and as you hustle to the exit you see the walls and street are cracked by earthquake damage. Murphy – at least you infer that it’s Murphy – is already in the Cheval’s seat. Both Gabyoalls are fixed to the ride chaser’s sides. Bakker and probably-Shock look to you expectantly.

You tap your earcap. “Showa to Fifth.”

“Yeeeo, Atajo here.”

“Signals?”

“Comin’ clear as a bell. First Unit is on the way and somebody… ah, yep, the scorpion’s already moving on intercept for ‘em.”

“Perfect! Let’s go!”

You find very quickly that the forward “base” is at the edge of the Repliforce zone. There’s a city block and a cracked four-lane road between you and the first of the plant buildings. A phenomenally unlucky Standard Beret is standing beside his Raiden, training a pair of binoculars 90 degrees away from you.

“Light ‘em up!”

Your third-stage buster charge leads the way for the Chrysoprases’ two.

The Standard sweeps to his right to spot you. A Death Guardian blazes around the Raiden from behind and covers the pilot with its giant shield. A Gabyoall zigzag-spins out of a crack in the road.

https://youtu.be/Qbd5E7Fqsh0

“Outstanding,” you grumble as the defense mechaniloid covers the Standard climbing into the seat. “Flanking, charge only!”

“Roger!” The duo chimes.

You spit a Meteor Melter rocket, which the Death Guardian dutifully takes dead center. As its shield melts, it moves out of the way for the Raiden to dash for you, its gauntlet sabers alight.

>[Flex +2]

It’s a joke, how easily he goes down. He telegraphs a punch-stab that you deftly side-hop, and for his trouble you introduce him to your Zanbato. The cryomer splashes like instant-set glue – two, three, four – and the hibeam blade sinks straight in. You swing it out through the ride armor’s hip. The beleaguered Death Guardian blocks one Chrysoprase’s charge shot but the other strikes home, and that’s all the Raiden and its rider could take.

Holy heck you like this sword.

“Spinner!” Bakker whips out his lobeam and takes a swipe at the Gabyoall he jumps over. The beam sparks right off it. A Melter rocket does to the little annoyance what no beam saber can, and soon the road has a splat of slag and halted blades.

The Chrysoprases’ crossfire takes out the shieldless Death Guardian, and on you go.

“Movement inside,” Atajo warns.

“Heading to a garage – paint says Fourteen.”

“Would you believe that’s exactly where I’m seeing it?”

The two Giga Death-Rs dashing out of the garage, with two Hover Gunners following above, preclude snappy rejoinder.

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>>2841820

“Focus right!”

You need high damage, so you give your new VWES entry a spin while your Prominence charges up. The drillcones fly, bridged by lightning in a killer triangle. The rightmost Giga Death opens fire and takes more than it gets from you and your flankers. One drill smashes into a missile, cutting the triangle into a single line which clotheslines the big guy across the forehead and continues past to grind out one Hover Gunner’s solid shots. You dash in, leap another missile volley, and land spewing lava.

“Behind you!” Bakker cries.

>[Flex +2]

Not quick enough, Gig. You jump like a salmon and let a missile sail under you. The sound of charged plasma striking metal and exploding lets you know the Chrysoprases are looking out for you. You land, pivot, kneel, dash, and as Giga Death #2 turns to focus on them, you come in with your Gaia Sword and carve into its big obvious side. Like your Ice Zanbato in reverse, the bulk of the damage via beam comes first, gouging a sparking rent into which the stake stabs deep and sets it exploding.

The remaining Hover Gunner hovers at your side, but a charged shot from a side angle smashes it out of the sky.

“Woo!” Shock pumps his buster in the air. “Gotcha covered!”

“Thanks soldier,” you grin. “Atajo, next?”

“Garage leads to an assembly line. Reading a bunch of bodies. Some on the walls.”


>Switch up the strategy.
>Stay the course.

VWES:
>Arbor Wall: 12/12
>Fluid Lockdown: 6/6
>Remote Koi: 12/12
>Spark Hand-Drill: 15/16

>>2841824
Carve up an arbor wall block and throwit ahead to bait any ambush.

>bold
>offensive

>rapid
Pull out the kois to cover all the angles

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>>2841886
Hah! Inverse ninja-log trick. I like it, let's do that.

Rotational screening as we advance, I think--distribute the damage across our forces. We can take a bit more of it than they can, but we also have to do the heavy lifting on Girtabomb.

>Switch to Cautious Approach, Offensive Advance, remain on Power Assault.

>>2841886
I like it. Think we should add making some Arbor shields for us and our forces? Might be handy to beef up our dudes.

>>2841923
here, forgot to mention:

>>2841923
+1 to this approach, just applying te strategy from >>2841886

>>2841932
goddammit, meant to say >>2841930 here. I'm not >>2841923. Computer y u do dis?

>>2841934
It's okay, I understood by the tripcode.

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>>2841824

You enter the garage. If you had a heart, it would stop.

Offline Giga Deaths sleep up on hydraulic lifts. The room is lined with them. They’re recharging. You try to step lightly yet quickly. You can see where the room ends: a big opening into an assembly line. Mecha-Arms put Victoroids together, piece by piece.

“Orders?” Shock asks.

“We just took out the bedroom guards. Let ‘em sleep.”

“Nooooo problem, ma’am.”

You see movement much closer. Bakker acts before you can finish processing it.

“HOSTILE!”

He lets loose a charge shot underneath a lift. A poor innocent Scriver takes the compressed green plasma comet between the eyes and explodes, sending its screwdriver nose pirouetting through the air – and bouncing off a Giga Death’s forehead.

The lift lowers. The mechaniloid’s eyes light up.

You charge up a Prominence. “Well you’re not wrong now…”

“Sorry!”

You waste no time in utterly whaling on the groggy mechaniloid. Ice Zanbato paves the way for a Prominence to eat into its hull, which you contain in the loving embrace of an Arbor Wall to keep its parts from causing a chain-wakeup reaction.

That was close.

“Darn it, Bakker, take a deep breath and calm your Secondary. Not everything in here is going to be worthy of shooting down. Prioritize and move on, got it?”

“Yes ma’am, won’t happen again ma’am.”

“Good.” You plant another Wall, just at your feet. “Here. Anything that attacks this plank is fair game. Okay?”

“Understood ma’am.”

You saber the base off the floor, catch the wall as it tilts and hold it at a flat angle. You set your feet, turn your torso, spit a spoonful of thermite on the big slab to touch it off, and hurl it flaming into the next room.

Pea-shooter busters and half a dozen Spiky wheels perforate it before it even stops sliding. Two Victoroid Customs, racing stripes and all, dash in and shoulder-smash each other through the flames.

You draw your Gaia Sword. Pause for effect.

“The wood has spoken.”

The assembly line facility is a long room that reminds you of the logging plant. It lacks giant saws, but has similar manipulators, Caterkillers on the ceilng, and crap here come the Vic-Pinks.

You’re not here to get bogged down, you’re here to smash and dash. So are they, unfortunately. Two Knot Berets now charge down the row from either side as the Spikys start to turn. Quite a pinch…

You’re the heaviest hitter here. Time to prove it. The Vics aim their busters.

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>>2842097

>[Flex +2]

Jump, twist, child’s play. The Caterkiller above you has poor timing; its oblong short-range energy balls miss you by a mile. You land dashing, but the right Vic intercepts—

>[Armor +1]

Without enough momentum to shove you. You give it a navel piercing with your Gaia Sword, turn your head and spit the left one’s launcher face off. You hear buster fire – good. You switch to Sparkdrill and uppercut the pierced Victoroid, hammer-grinding your arm straight in after the stake. Its friend recovers, aims for you – then turns on its heel to aim for Bakker.

>[Flex +2]
>[Armor +1]

No time to withdraw your arm, but plenty of reaction time to fire your dash and pretend you're Volt.

You wear the Victoroid like a boxing glove and smash it into its partner.

Through the flash of explosions you see the shot goes off in a useless direction. You brutally stab behind the shooter’s head and break away before it too expires.

“Augh—!”

You look over. Shock has been grabbed by a Mecha-Arm. It carries him over to another arm that stretches out for his legs…

>[Flex +2]

You hop on the assembly line and saber him free. He falls to the floor just as a wave of Spikys rolls through.

You start to warn, “Bak—”

But Bakker already has his lobeam out and makes short work of the killer wheels. The Knot Berets? Already taken care of, while your back was turned.

“Dang.”

He charges his buster. “We’re fast learners, ma’am,” he smiles politely, before shooting down a Caterkiller on the wall.

You lead the charge down the line. It curves around a corner and takes armless Victoroid bodies with it, but you’re not headed that way. Some clever jerks piled crates in your way, and it takes a moment to break through them to make an expedient path for Murphy to take later. The Caterkillers crawling down them and the Knot Berets tossing bombs from the top of the stacks add a few seconds to the task.

“What’s ahead, Atajo?”

“Next building looks like vehicle construction. Ride armors, chasers if you take the scenic route. But I’m getting power signatures from a swath of ‘em – guys hopping in for a ride all over you.”

“Copy.” You fire a Melter grenade right up into a Knot’s belly and switch channels. “Citrine, status?”

“Girding. Speedway’s a big one, but we’re both closing the gap, us and him. Once you’re on the road we’ll bomb our end and retreat, so don’t leave us hanging. Not that we can’t handle it,” she adds, defensively.

“Meteor?” Atajo chimes in. “He’s activating competition-mode traps behind him. Just a heads-up when you hit that part.”

“Lovely.” You blast through the last crate and move on. You, Bakker, and Shock have each taken a ding, but only that. You’re cruising, and feeling confident as you run outside.


>Switch up the strategy.
>Stay the course.

>Direct route. Fight ride armors.
>Indirect route. Fight ride chasers.

>>2842108
>Direct route. Fight ride armors.
chasers will have a harder time stopping the crusher neos

>bold
>offensive
>power
go all out to take them down as they come along

>Can we hijack ride armor for our minions?

>>2842108
>Stay the course.
>Direct route. Fight ride armors.

>>2842794
That could be possible, with more voter support, but the delay in acquiring them would invite retaliation.

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>>2842108
Unfortunately I never got a chance to post this earlier thanks to work.

My biggest worry here is what we leave to contend with on the track--and trying to pin down Girtabomb with riders on our backs isn't great. Like >>2842123 points out, they'll have a harder time with our obstacles, but the armors won't be able to pin us down in pursuit.


...Then again, if we get caught out and pincered by Girtabomb on one side and the armors on the other, that could be rough.

>Bold Approach, Defensive Advance, Power Assault
>Direct route. Fight ride armors.

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>>2842108

“Let’s pick it up,” you order, “I don’t want to leave First out there longer than I have to.”

“Roger,” the Chrysses chime. They don’t seem to have an EAS equipped, so you keep to an unassisted run.

The resistance to the next building is hardly worth the name: just another line of Spikys in staggered formation. As you engage, your wider-set eyes and Bakker and Shock’s secondary-brain peripheral vision catch sight of the same twinkles in the sky.

>[Flex +2]

Big though you are, you’re fast enough to evade the six hostile-seeking energy shots. Light though they are, your subordinates aren’t.

The blue-painted Eagle ride armors hover in for a pincer, feathering the thrusters to stay airborne as long as they can. They’re accompanied by a Death Guardian and a Hover Gunner each.

“North side!” You point to one of the Eagles with your rocket’s red glare, angle your buster and follow the grenade with a Sparkdrill. The Death Guardian dutifully takes the thermite burst for its master, but the spread of your three drill bits expands the electric triangle enough to pass a line of lightning straight over it to damage the Eagle.

You switch to Arbor Wall and seed two walls just in time for Bakker and Shock to hide behind them. Hover Gunner bullets pelt the wood as the Eagles fire again.

In a totally different context, you’d love the Eagles’ cannons. Their secondary charge launches tiny homing bits wreathed in plasma until they overload, which give them the appearance of enemy-seeking comets and lends to the inaccurate nickname “Homing Buster.” In this context, however, it means cover is essentially useless.

Luckily the two green soldiers realize this and book it out once they hear the shots. With the benefit of not being ambushed, they dodge, return fire, and manage to take out the Death Guardian with the melted shield. The Eagles’ shots don’t even come near you. You’re a little insulted.

You dash to one of the walls, hop up, kickdash off and show the slow-descending Eagle what you think of its sense of priorities. The pilot guards himself with the ride armor’s forearm, which takes the thermite splash with a blink of shields. You grab hold of its waist, produce another grinder drill and ram it under the armor’s chest. Your weight throws off its balance and the damage makes it impossible to aim for you as it plummets.

“One, two…”

You time out the Sparkdrill, yank it free and fire southward before it uses more than one shot of WEAPON energy. You let go and land, letting the north Eagle crash and burn. The Sparkdrill triangle expands to the opposing Eagle’s height by the time one of the arcs strikes it.

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>>2843692

With Bakker and Shock focusing on the one big target left, the opportunistic northern Hover Gunner pelts you with a pair of solid bursting shots. You swing around and shoot it down with a boring buster double-tap.

The southern Eagle drops to the ground of its own free will and dashes for Shock while the southern Death Guardian covers it from Bakker’s fire. Shock, to your amazement, cartwheels over to one of the Arbor Walls, and in two blinks of an eye he’s on top and leaping from it with his lobeam out.

He lands in the cockpit and drives the saber into the pilot’s neck with all his lesser weight. He forward-flips out as the Standard starts sparking from the wound.

You put the pilot out of his misery with a Melter grenade and a follow-up charge shot. The Eagle crumples into explosions. Bakker finishes off the hovering mechaniloids.

“And this was outside,” you note. “Stay alert in there.”

“Yes ma’am,” they chorus.

The vehicle construction facility must have heard you were coming. Knot Berets and Spikys roll out to greet you on the two-story assembly line. The equipment looks not repurposed but new; there might have been some repair on Battle & Chase competitors done here before, but now it’s a hive of productivity and moving parts, and corners of the assembly line fitted not to efficiency but the confines of the building. You know how difficult such a retrofit is…

Well. You’re not here to be impressed, and Repliforce’s initial enemy offering is nothing impressive. Between three Charge Busters, you and your duo blaze through to a curve of the production floor. A Raiden waits for you, but you don’t need a VWES weapon for that; charged shots and thermite show it who’s boss.

Your beautiful satellite soldiers and their quick-charging busters even make taking out the next Raiden in your way a freaking breeze. A Death Guardian pet tries to provide floating cover, but your Melter rockets chew through its shield and expose the ride armor to a triple crossfire.

“It’s a lot easier one by one!” Bakker notes as you move on.

“Don’t give ‘em ideas!” Shock clips him upside the helmet.

“How we doing, Atajo?” You check in.

“More signals at the bike wing than around you. See what the straight and narrow gets you?” He teases.

“Preaching to the choir there,” you reply. You switch channels and call— “Murphy, get moving, we’re almost at the switchoff.”

“Copy!”

“Hostiles!” Shock warns. Crash Roaders speed across the floor. You arc a jet of Fluid Lockdown and let them spin out and crash. Shock laughs at the sight.

You’re having too much fun. To think you were ever worried about this being an A-class mission! When was the last time one went this smoothly?

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>>2843701

Immediately ahead of you is a long rectangular garage door. Typically those lead to…

“Big loading zone ahead,” Atajo confirms. “Conveyors, Knots, only one active ride armor.”

“No sweat.”

“Showa!” Citrine pings. “Maverick sighted, engaging!”

Okay, maybe a little sweat. “Just hold out, we’ll be straight through! One Raiden to go!”

You hit the door panel. The long horizontal slats roll out of the way.

It’s not a Raiden.

Black, white, gray. Half again the size. Claws the size of your legs held at the ready. You’ve only read about this model…

The pilot watches hustling Knot Berets load crates onto truck beds. His white peaked Navy cap turns with his glance. His mad grin hooks over his yellow jawplate beard.

“Well well well…”

The BB-02 Badger ride armor, a variant of the Brown Bear, trundles around. The familiar pilot’s slung-back shoulder mortars bounce a little with his epaulettes.

“So he wasn’t a liar after all. Here you are, the Fire Fish of Veracruz, back from the dead! And with rank and file, too!”

“Captain Decim.” You charge your buster; Bakker and Shock follow suit. “The Twelfth base wasn’t enough for you? Teaming up with a Maverick wasn’t enough?”

“Nothing’s ever enough for Repliforce,” he crosses his arms. “For the Revolution. We’re one and the same, now, us and the Mavericks – General never understood.”

“Then there’s only one way this ends.”

He sits lower in his seat. The Badger’s claws flex. The Knots behind him finish loading a truck and scramble on.

“Yes! With the future in OUR hands! REPLIFORCE FOREVER!”


>Act.

And:
>Give your Chrysoprases orders.

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>When was the last time one went this smoothly?
Dammit, Showa.
>>2843708
Deploy the Koi--he's only seen the older model. He won't know how these behave, evade, or attack. Build charge for plasma, he'll expect thermite. Switch to special weapons situationally.

Order the squad to fan out and flank, suppress and cover from all angles, keep a low and steady stream of constant fire on him to whittle him away. Prioritize defense and staying out of harm's way, protecting one another wherever necessary.

>>2843708
I doubt a root would last very long, but it might be long enough to get inside Decims reach and zanbato an arm off.

Before that, lets wear out those shields with koi lasers and hanabi.

So the armor's weaknesses are
Parasitic Bomb
Tornado Fang

The tornado fang is a drill missile, so I'd expect OUR drill to also be super effective too.

The koi is the closest analog to parasitic bomb but is a bit more of a stretch.

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>>2843708

“Distance!” You shout.

Bakker and Shock split off and fire as you release your charge shot. Yours strikes home and blinks the ride armor’s shields, but Decim swats down the lesser two; the Badger’s claws are immune to buster fire. Great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUZaMqjP96Y

The truck pulls out and Decim speeds the Badger for you. You obey your own order and dash for distance while popping out a pair of Remote Koi; the Ginrin Showas positively sparkle. The ride armor damages a bit of the floor in a scything swipe – those claws definitely have to go. Your fish zero in on him and open fire on the shoulders.

“Not this time!” He taunts.

His mortars flip forward and blast high-yield plasma cannonballs – but with Asagi’s DNA in them, your fish are just too dodgy. They keep up the lasering as he fires ineffectually, but then Bakker and Shock tag-team another pair of charged shots.

The Badger scoops up a chunk of floor, dash-pivots and hurls it at Bakker over by the loading conveyors. The little guy sees it coming and makes dodging look easy, but the geography gives him only two directions and Decim fires on both. The left busterball sets off Bakker’s shields, stunning him and making for easy prey.

You’re having none of that. You whip out the Zanbato and dash for the Badger, but its dash is worlds better than yours. It escapes you, and even your koi have to move to keep up. You chase it with a Melter rocket joined by Shock’s charged shot, but neither hit slows the behemoth.

The Badger’s claws swat Bakker across the room. He ragdolls into a wall, sparking heavily from rends in his arm, leg, and torso. It’s a miracle that his left-side limbs are still attached.

“Bakker!” Shock shouts from just outside where the truck left.

The Badger is definitely showing wear, but it keeps chugging. Decim fires again and again at your koi, but they read him too well and keep carving at the shoulder joints. He theatrically heaves a sigh and turns his mortars on you instead.

>[Flex +2]

You’re faster than the shots, but no way are you faster than a ride armor’s dash, and here he comes. This is bad this is bad do something—

>[Flex +2]

You sacrifice the fish in two Hanabi bursts, panic-fire an Arbor Wall at the floor and dash for all you’re worth.

The added momentum of the Badger’s dash adds force to its claw-swing, and that’s exactly what it takes to fell your wall. It stops the dash, but knocks the wood back at you –

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>>2845066

>[Armor +1]

Impacting with a dense clong that your armor blunts but fails to completely nullify.

Decim laughs despite his ride armor starting to smoke.

“What’s the matter? Scared of blades, Fire Ff—”

Shock’s charged shot smacks Decim in the neck. He grunts under the blink of his own shields. Shock himself is guarding his fellow Chrysoprase, who hasn’t yet gotten up.

Decim growls. The Badger dashes for the incredibly outclassed green reploids.


>Act.

Badger HP: One-third, sturdy.
Bakker HP: One-fourth, disabled.
Shock HP: Three-fourths.
Your HP: Five-sixths, healthy but dinged.

VWES:
>Arbor Wall: 8/12
>Fluid Lockdown: 5/6
>Remote Koi: 11/12
>Spark Hand-Drill: 12/16

>>2845068
Hangon. This will be a bit dicey, but...

>Fluid the floor and get him to slip.
It'll only make him go faster, but if Shock can get out of the direct line then
>Root the Badger. It'll have a harder time smashing the wood without a stable floor

and that's all the time we should need for a drill saber combo to just burst him down.

>>2845066
Can we Fluid Lockdown to either send the Ride careening off-course, or if his momentum would just crash him into the Chrysoprases, can we create an escape path for Shock to dash over while carrying Bakker?

Failing (or in addition to) that, try to Arbor Wall ahead and snag the Badger with the roots, preferably on one leg or the other to unbalance its steering and maybe change its trajectory.

Build a Prominence charge in anticipation of lighting the wood aflame or thermite-puking right into Decim's big stupid Repliforce-y face, and comboing right into the Zanbato. If we rake it across the front of the Badger, aiming for articulation points weakened by heat, the thermal shock and hibeam punishment should just ruin what's left of it.

>>2845086
Fluid Lockdown in the path wouldn't do much to divert the Badger's mass, given that this model of ride armor's dash hardware is immune to slippery floors.

In other news, got stuff to do, but another post ought to come this afternoon.

>>2845350
In that case, attempt an Arbor Root to slow him down a bit and hit his ride armor with the Zanbato. If we could get Fluid Lockdown in one of the armor's joints to gunk it up, I think that could work too. Aiming for the shoulders would be pretty ideal, but busting up the hips to immobilize him would be a nice consolation prize. We need to buy time to get our friends out of that dash trajectory.

>>2845350
I had one last very, very stupid and risky idea, but if literally nothing else in our arsenal can reach in time, it's worth a shot.

We deploy the fish drones and have them shoot the Chrysoprases right before impact. In theory the shielding flash will be active. Bakker would survive with a gentle breeze between him and oblivion, if at all.

>Don't root the armor's legs to the floor. Root an arm to the conveyor belt next to him

That'll get him off-balance better and might even pivot him to slam into the wall

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>>2845068
They’re dead without you.

Dash blazing behind you, throat burning with charged energy, you fire a seed low on the Badger’s leg. How it knows the difference between floor and armored foot is beyond you, but it springs out Old Growth roots that clutch and crush in every direction. Including down.

The clawing cyberwood veers the Badger’s dash into a loading conveyor on the far side. Shock hauls Bakker outdoors, firing basic shots as he retreats. You drop another seed ahead of you, jump onto and spring off of it even as it grows— your jump taking you into the Badger’s reaching backhand—

>[Flex +2]

Your world turns 90 degrees, a clawtip scrapes your tail, and Prominence thermite rains not on Decim but the ride armor’s hull, opening the door for your Zanbato’s cryomer-sheath phase. Freezing liquid chemistry follows burning molten metal.

You land. The shrieking steaming surface starts to slow-blink. Decim rises—

>[Flex +2]

And you’re quick enough on the draw to pelt him with another seed.

“What—?!”

The roots erupt and trap him in the self-destructing Badger. You’re freaking elated as you retreat to let it go off.

Citrine alerts in your ear: “Showa, pick it up, we’re losing Adions!”

“Murphy, pick it up, I need that Cheval,” you relay, watching the explosions die out.

“Doing it!”

The smoke clears. Root bits fall off Captain Decim. He’s hurt, though not severely, but more than that he’s angry. His posture is out for blood.

“Trick after trick,” he snarls through his teeth. “Do you even sleep?”

“Doctor says I don’t get enough.”

Decim snaps his shoulder cannons forward and opens fire, reaching behind his back with the same motion. You return fire and move, coincidentally the same direction he’s going – right to Bakker and Shock. You shadow each other like cartoon ninjas for all of a second before the wall between the loading doors passes between you; you each turn 90 degrees and fire your respective EASs on a collision course.

He whips two hibeam cutlasses out from his back. He surely knows what blades you have. He’s inviting a clash, a melee duel.


>Give it to him.
>Attack some other way.

And:
>Order Shock to guard Bakker.
>Order Shock to attack.

VWES:
>Arbor Wall: 5/12
>Fluid Lockdown: 5/6
>Remote Koi: 11/12
>Spark Hand-Drill: 12/16

>>2845791
>Attack some other way.

We're not here to indulge him, we're here to retire mavericks. Fake him out, do close-quarters mixups, take advantage of his anger and tilt him further, draw more mistakes out. I'm thinking we go in close and then loose a Hand-Drill, Fluid Lockdown the floor he's sprinting along, and Arbor Wall in his path before setting it aflame. From there, Koi and Hanabi, rain explosions and distractions on him. Make a fight with Schwarzhund look fair.

>Order Shock to guard Bakker.

>>2845803
Let's be honest, if he wanted this to be a fair fight he shouldn't have picked it with us.

Supporting.

>>2845803
Also supporting.

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>>2845947
Hell, he enlisted Spectrod and threw in with the mavericks' lot entirely. We're just finishing what he started in thread 1.

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>>2845953
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and we've put this one on ice for long enough.

The only regret is that we have bigger fish to fry metaphorically speaking so we can't take the time to fuck him up good and proppa.

>>2845791
Fluid floor, Koi lasers, and he actually hasn't seen Gaia Blade yet.

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>>2846087
No, but the triplets who escaped did. They must have reported.

>>2846116

True, this.

Opinions taken, writing now.

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>>2845791
Well he can take his duel and stuff it.

There’s still enough dash in your dash to break another hard turn, which you take to your left and splat a Lockdown in his path. You pivot as your dash quits and watch him slide with enviable grace to a pivot mirroring yours.

“Orders?!” Shock shouts.

You don’t even look aside as your Hand-Drill comes out. “Protect him!”

The grinder whirrs up as you brace your back leg in the face of his oncoming dash. You’re pressed for time and feeling more vulnerable by the second, out here within sight of the race track. You’re in a mood to fight dirty.

>[Experience]

Your sparring with Volt lets you telegraph an uppercut legibly enough to fool an expert. It’s as much in the hips and leg positioning as the shoulders. Decim takes the bait, leaps like a deer over your swing-and-miss punch.

The yell he gives suggests he wasn’t expecting the drillpunch to follow him.

His momentum takes him where physics demands as you switch back to Lockdown and fire a jet, taking it to half energy. It splats the pavement, sending him skidding further than he might have liked, which means of course he dashes back doubletime on the icy stream.

Right into the Arbor Wall.

You with your Flex Architecture would have no time to react at that velocity and crash headlong, but he’s quicker on the swing than you gave him credit for. His sabers bite it off at the ground and the wall falls before him – right into the thermite glob. It ignites, and despite his shield strobe he comes at you with a triple combo: cannon, cannon, double overhead swing.

>[Flex +2]

Jerk left, Remote Koi, juke right, Remote Koi, and now you give him the epic clash as naval sabers meet your Gaia Sword and Zanbato. You don’t give him any further satisfaction, instead crashing your fish into his back and spitting more Meteor Melter the instant it cycles back into use.

He roars a defiant war face, opens fire and tries to shove you off-balance—

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>>2846477

>[Armor +1]

But he’d need a lot more of a windup to push you down. There’s no dodging the point-blank fire – it syncs so well your shield battery treats it as a single blow and flash for your protection – but in terms of raw strength you’ve got him outmatched and out-shoved.

You swing your blades to hold his away and dash bodily into him. He tries to stomp for purchase, but his heels land on zero-friction cryomer. You have him! But you’re going on the same ride and your arms are occupied in grapple-parry and your Melter’s sill cycling up, microsecond by microsecond. You need distance! Literally any distance! Kinetic force!

>[Experience]

You take another page from the Batteram playbook and hammer your forehead into Captain Decim’s nose.

He skids back to friction with his balance shot to heck. You scissor him across the chest, left and right, a devastating thermal shock as he comes to a stop.

His shield blinks. And blinks.

He looks up at you. Raises his shaky fist…

And smashes it on his left shoulder.

There is no explosion, or at least not of the light and sound you were expecting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgT-IOPxk-k

Cheater. That goshdarned runaway cheater. He disappears into a constellation of escaping energy orbs. An emergency beamout—

You slam your hand to your ear.

“Atajo! Track that beamout!”

“Trying!”

You glace over at Bakker; Shock is gripping his hand and holding it to his cheek. You switch channels, “Merchant, send that Crusher! Murphy, get here pronto!”

“Coming,” Murphy shoots back, “got shot a few times!”

“It happens!” You switch again, “Citrine, done here, status?!”

“He’s playing with us!” She yells. “One more and we’re on foot!”

You start moving, reasoning that Murphy will catch up anyway. The garage-slash-plant isn’t too far from the track; closest to you is a sort of victory loop surrounded by empty stadium seating. You don’t know a lot about the sport, but you know the shape of modern Battle & Chase tracks is a single wide lane with a loop at either end. Groups of competitors start at both ends and must make one full back-and-forth circuit; the inevitable point at which oncoming groups collide supposedly makes for great drama.

You have quite enough drama going on right now.

“Merchant, Bakker’s hurt bad and the area’s still hostile. Target is well clear of the factories and so are we, just about. Get an evac!”

“Copy. Prioritizing.”

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>>2846485
“Lieutenant!” Murphy comms. “Me on your six!”

“Beautiful!”

You spoke too soon. Poor Murphy is perforated by small arms fire. The Cheval, however, is looking good.

He hops off. “Left quite a path.”

You hop on. “Help Bakker onto the road.”

Murphy salutes, ribboning a little smoke from a blast mark on his forearm. “Good hunting.”

You’re off to the races. You enter the track to silent applause from the empty stands.

“Citrine, I’m in transit! Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!”

“Choke on THIS you eightlegged motherf—”

The blast through the comms cuts her off. You can hear it from here through plain air.

Your ride chaser crosses the starting line. Warning lights flare: FALSE START, they read. You can’t deal with rules right now.

“Bakker, Shock, Murphy, I’m on my way. Thank you. Now get to the road and the rest of my deployment will keep you… well, safer than you are now.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Shock comms back. “Been a pleasure.”

You rev the engines and take off past the stands. The speedway leaves the ground almost immediately and starts crossing the water. Already you can see part of the road has collapsed thanks to the post-Orangutank quake, but good news: there’s more than one. Paths branch and overlap, and are not broken equally.

HAZARDS ACTIVE, reads a warning sign far enough ahead to read. COME GET SOME, HUNTER.

Wonderful. One of these types of guys.

You have a track full of danger between you and your Maverick, and a couple minutes before reaching him.


>Bold Approach: Switch paths when needed.
>Cautious Approach: Stick to one path as much as feasible.

>Offensive Advance: Prioritize shooting down hostiles.
>Defensive Advance: Prioritize evasion.

>Power Assault: Attack more than dash.
>Rapid Assault: Dash more than attack.

>Fuck the rules. Go around this racetrack in reverse. Last thing he'll expect.

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>>2846477
>>2846485
Get dunked, Decim.

>>2846490
>Bold Approach
>Defensive Advance
>Rapid Assault

Gotta go fast and be fresh when we get there.

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>>2846496
Sadly, Chevals don't go in reverse.

>>2846490
>>Cautious Approach: Stick to one path as much as feasible.
>>Offensive Advance: Prioritize shooting down hostiles.
>Rapid Assault: Dash more than attack.
dipping a little low on arbor wall. Can the koi hang onto the chaser to maintain additional firepower?

>>2846516
I think he meant going through the racetrack in the opposite direction, assuming the track loops back to the starting point(which I'm guessing it doesn't.)

>>2846521
It does loop around. The thing is, it loops on the very same track. Side 1 and Side 2, at opposite ends of the special-width track, start at the same time and fight amongst each other -- right up until the two sides inevitably cross over in the middle (re: line up shots and collide). It makes for great television. 21XX Battle & Chase is a thrilling, violent affair.

And Chaser Girtabomb was a champion of this high-velocity carnage.

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>>2846490
>Bold Approach: Switch paths when needed.
>Defensive Advance: Prioritize evasion.
>Rapid Assault: Dash more than attack.

S P E E D

>>2846521
>Can the koi hang onto the chaser to maintain additional firepower?

Sorry, didn't see this question earlier. You can spawn them, yes, but they'd quickly be left behind. They'd match velocity upon generation, but even their maxed-out mobility can't keep up with a ride chaser.

>>2846485
>Cheater. That goshdarned runaway cheater. He disappears into a constellation of escaping energy orbs. An emergency beamout—

PUSSY.

>>2846628
Supporting. Time for all those years of Mario Kart to come into play.

The current consensus seems to be fastness with relation to gotta going it.

School work might preclude an update for much of the day, but we'll see.

>>2846490
>Bold
>Offensive
>Power
Go a lap before committing to the fight

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>>2846490
Your first hazard unscrews itself from recesses in the track: old-fashioned Bar Wayings at random intervals.

>[Flex +2]

Twitch, twitch—and you overlean too far on the third, but high-speed glancing impact with a screwshaft merely scuffs your paint. You lay on the turbo every time the Cheval’s system allows and gun it over a ramp. You go sailing a ways and land heavy. Whirring noises behind you – you glance – are Crash Roaders. The back of that ramp was a hatch into the track itself. You’re well past it already, and even a Cheval’s turbo can outpace them, but they’re persistent.

Part of the road is broken off at an upper/lower fork. You weave to a stable bridge of remainder on the high road and turbo across – only to face two more ramp-back hatches opening up. Hamma Hammas peek out. You could probably shoot the gap…

>[Flex +2]

… But you say nope to that whole confrontation and speed off the side.

You drop for a second.

You land hard on the lower track, the Cheval kicking up sparks on impact. You wobble, but your reflexes keep you from spinning out. The wobble costs you, though, when you notice the emerging Gabyoalls too late. They slide right out of recessed slots in the track and scrape more than just paint from your ride. The dashboard flares a HULL INTEGRITY alert as you weave and accelerate.

“C’mon, hold together…”

Up ahead, three more Gabyoalls, bouncing between the edges like hockey pucks.

You clamp your lips, gun the motor, try to time it right—

>[Flex +2]

And manage to hit two of them with a single Melter grenade as they pass each other. The third is easy to jump.

“Lieutenant!” You-think-Shock comms you in a panic. “Drivebys! The gap wasn’t done, they shot us and got on the road!”

Crap. “Damage?”

“I took some hits for Bakker but I’ll live! But they’re on Hornets, they’ll catch up to you!”

“Copy.”

The track starts to converge, but here the earthquake damage is severe: there’s nothing but air between a hazard-hatch ramp and the lip of the upper track.

You don’t like your odds of making it on a Cheval. You need more speed. You have exactly that – but ride chasers hover – unless—

>[Flex +2]

Your timing is perfect. With one hand on the controls, you stand on the seat, aim just ahead and coat the road with pressurized chemistry. You slam your big fat frame back down, sinking the ride chaser to the ground, but its turbo boost meets no friction and speeds all the faster.

You and your bike clear the gap, but it’s a near thing.

“Woo!”

Girtabomb is still first on your mind, but you’re starting to get into the ride for its own sake. A grove of Bar Wayings screw back up in your way, but you bob through them without a hitch.

You start to hear rival engines closing in from behind…


>Switch up the strategy.
>Stay the course.

Cheval HP: Half.

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>>2848136
>Stay the course.

Draw them in and then sucker them with a surprise high-power punchthrough. Ideal situation we can ride-jack, but I'm not holding my breath.

...Though on that note, if we Prominence them/the track on approach, they're going to have a bad time.

>>2848136
>Stay the course.
a damn shame, that. I guess we'll be able to see what happens when a ride chaser slams into a block of wood.

>>2848136
>Stay the course.
>>2848446
Road Hazards? I'll show you Road Hazards!

>>2848446
don't forget, we have our spark handdrills that can serve as nasty trip wires or our koi who can act as ambush turrets.

>>2848785
Indeed you do. Writing now.

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>>2848446
>>2848590
>>2848785
>>2848810
We can also be Queen of the Megadicks and drop our little mechaniloid surprises in unavoidable places, like between other hazards, rendering them unavoidable a split-second before our pursuers cross through them.

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>>2848136
Given your familiarity with field equipment, you know the Hornet ride chasers at your back can overtake you. Regardless, you lay on the turbo and give them a run.

“Atajo, what’s coming for me?”

“Jus’sec. Okay, Hornets on Hornets, three of ‘em. Damn but those things are souped-up.”

“Vee formation?”

“Tailswipe.” Meaning a mobile line, swinging back and forth as needed… “And Bomb Beens ahead.”

It’s times like these that you’re glad you’ve got sensitive hearing. Ahead, slow orange flies drop miniature bombs. Behind you, left right and center, ride chasers open fire.

>[Flex +2]

You’re down to four Arbor Walls, but you do some math, fire behind you and pull a dangerous turn close to the edge of the road. The noises tell the story: increasingly rapid fire, a vrrum of a turn, a crash, an explosion. Adion-type mounted cannonfire speeds past you.

“Jump, jump!” Atajo warns.

You turn your buster forward, switch to normal and pop a Been mine in your way as you take a hatch ramp at full speed.

A crack in the road would’ve made for a nasty accident if you hadn’t.

You sail high enough to, why not, open fire with your Cheval and spray-and-pray the next wave of bombdroppers on your way down. They’re comically fragile and about as evasive as clouds.

Both trailing Hornets fire on you as another patch of Bar Wayings rises out of the tiny fresh minefield.

>[Flex +2]

No evading this time. You give them a swerve, but your Cheval is dinged twice. You hammer the fire button and spit a Melter rocket at the bars right in your way, carving a path at the cost of more vehicle damage. It pays off, however: yours is the only clear path through. Which means the Hornets have to follow single-file.

You make the Cheval jump over a mine as you swing your arm back. They talk to the Hand-Drill. Their conversation is short and involves a lot of vowels and volume. You hear drills shearing metal and electricity crackling into a double crash.

You check your ride’s status. It won’t take much more damage before giving up the ghost.

“Meteor,” Atajo comms, “the road’s broken at the edge of Isla de Providencia. He’s waiting.”

“Any damage to him?”

“Minor if anything.”

“ETA?”

“At your speed? Twenty seconds. Mind the road cracks and good hunting.”

“Right…” you focus. “Citrine, I’m nearly on him, your team alive?”

“Within degrees,” she grunts, oddly rhythmic. “Fuck ‘im up, Lieutenant.”

You crest a slight hill. The hazards have stopped hazarding.

You see him, silver and purple glinting in the sun like a trophy. A long arm – his tail – his tail gun—

>[Flex +2]

No, more like a vulcan. A spray of plasma rains on the downhill curve and you do your best to dodge, but you take a scuffing plasma round to the cheek. Your Cheval takes worse; the dashboard is strobing red.

You jump off and let your faithful steed fly toward him, smoking all the way.

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>>2848999

Chaser Girtabomb braces his eight legs, pivots in place and hammers the poor vehicle with the length of his tail – which you now see is lined with spikes. The Cheval explodes as it tumbles off the edge of the road’s fresh-bombed terminus.

He crosses his arms – both sets of them, human above and scorpion below.

“I broke your stupid crap, moron.”

What were you expecting? Professionalism? He sounds like a street tough.

“End of the road, Girtabomb. Literally. You had to know it would end like this.”

He cocks his head, curls his lip, half petulant and half defiant. “Uhh, no. I shot them chuckleheads down on my turf. Now it’s jus’ you. And, uh, huh-huh,” he chuckles, “y’know somethin’? I ain’t gettin’ paid to stick around for no Hunter.”

His transformation is seamless and instant. His does a little hop in place, his legs fold under him and he hovers before he touches the ground.

“Have fun walkin’ back, dumbass.” He grins, tosses you a mocking salute. “Toodles.”

“Um—?!”

He launches – there’s no other word for it – launches straight for the sizeable gap between you and the nearest edge.

>[Flex +2]

You can’t catch him. You can barely ding him with buster fire. He’s over the top of the hill before you can shoot him twice.

You give chase, your stomach sinking. He’s just running! Why didn’t you expect this?!

You fire over and over, but he’s too fast, too fast. He nears the final crack –

From which Citrine emerges, throwing herself up onto the road like an escapee from Hell.

“I SAID FUCK ‘IM UP!”

Girtabomb skids, “Yo what the—?!”

Citrine throws out her arms, thrusts out her chest—

“CLAYMORE BREAKER!”

The road disappears. You catch a glimpse of Girtabomb’s thrust turning back into legs before he’s enveloped in light and smoke.

You shield your eyes. The wind and blastwave buffets you with grit.

“Atajo, signals?!”

“She’s falling. He’s not. Get ready.”

You wouldn’t want to have been close to Citrine’s special attack. Your portion of the Battle & Chase Speedway has been cut off from both sides, shortened into a slightly curved battlefield standing high above Lake Maracaibo.

Chaser Girtabomb steps out of the smoke. His silver is tarnished, but every body part is still attached – even his scorpion-half claws, which look to have taken the worst of the damage. They clack angrily. His human-half fists shake.

“Frickin’. Unbelievable. YOU!” He points your way, does that little hop and shifts his lower half back into vehicular homicide mode. “I’m gonna fly through your windshield you piece’a crap!”


>Act.

Your HP: Over 2/3.

VWES:
>Arbor Wall: 3/12
>Fluid Lockdown: 2/6
>Remote Koi: 10/12
>Spark Hand-Drill: 10/16

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>>2849006
YOU AIN'T GOIN NOWHERE, I GOT YOU FOR THREEEEEE MINUTES

>>2849006
Let's reserve those Arbor Walls for when he builds up speed to charge at us for a last minute hit, or maybe we can root him to the spot. Not sure if Lockdown will work so good if he can hover, but we might be able to gunk up his systems if we can land a hit. Racecars don't do so good if they get crud ll in them. The koi and hand-drills are good support/traps.

>>2849006
He'll run circles around the koi, and experience has probably geared him against something as simple as blocks on the road.

I think our best bet is drills and sabering the opening he takes or makes.

>>2849072
Good point...let's restrict using Arbor Wall to rooting him, then. He can probably avoid FL, but we might be able to utilize it for clutch dodges, if need be. Our Zanbato might really wreck his day though.

>>2849077
Oh, your Zanbato can wreck almost anybody. The trick would be using it on him in a way that wouldn't invite his swinging tail.

Got work in the morning again, but I'll see about an update stuck into break time. 'Til then, strategize away.

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>>2849086
Did someone say...... TAIL!? And hi-beams are really good at cutting....

>>2849086
If his tail has a bunch of joints, getting a root/lockdown in there might be worthwhile. Too bad the only cutting weapons we have are swords.

.....wait, so girtabomb WILL give us the tail hardpoint, and possible rathian flip

>>2849006
This moron's about to catch a real beatin'.