>>3575114
>You’re going to take a hit to your traits, and they may ask a couple of questions- but it’s better than them getting too nosy.
The lag sounds bad.

>>3575114
> Take off your glasses. If what you read is correct, (and your eyes are still normal,) then this might shock them into leaving you be. Apart from the obvious scientific curiosity…

We are already faster than most on this world.

>>3575114
> Take off your glasses. If what you read is correct, (and your eyes are still normal,) then this might shock them into leaving you be. Apart from the obvious scientific curiosity…

Dew it!!

>>3575114
>Take off your glasses. If what you read is correct, (and your eyes are still normal,) then this might shock them into leaving you be. Apart from the obvious scientific curiosity…

>>3575124
We don't need it. Seither is basicaly raw mana and we easily absorv it.

>>3575114
> Other: "I don't need it."

Then:

> Take off your glasses. If what you read is correct, (and your eyes are still normal,) then this might shock them into leaving you be. Apart from the obvious scientific curiosity…

>>3575133
I'm just a bit concerned with how reliable our mech would be if we don't synchronize with it. We'll have to pilot it for the rest of the mission after all.

>>3575114
> Take off your glasses. If what you read is correct, (and your eyes are still normal,) then this might shock them into leaving you be. Apart from the obvious scientific curiosity…

>>3575145
We can synchronize with it better then anyone. We just need to focus and turn our mana in the same frequency as the mana powering the mecha. The same skill we use to avoid friendly fire remember?

We're good.

No, seriously.

Writing.

>>3575114
> Take off your glasses. If what you read is correct, (and your eyes are still normal,) then this might shock them into leaving you be. Apart from the obvious scientific curiosity…

We can cooperate with certain tests . . . For money.

>>3575150
Oh okay then
>>3575114
Switching >>3575124 to
> Take off your glasses.

File: 32761453120_532aa07246_o.png (3.1 MB, 2880x1572)

3.1 MB PNG

We will probably get something absurd like 200% synchronization withoit the suit and using our skill to harmonize our mana with the one powering the mechs.

That is if they even mesure this kind of thing in this place.

>>3575157
I mean, if the suit amplifies mana, dunno why we wouldn't want one, strengths get stronger right?

>>3575219
Ever plug a 120v device into a 220v socket?

>>3575219
I think that the suit is more to block the radiation effect that raw mana have in the normals. Magical girls don't need that kind of protection since they were changed to be able to absorv and channel mana.

So i think that it would be more like putting a insolant around Miranda and so breaking the synchronization.

>>3575114
>>3575129
>>3575131
>>3575132
>>3575138
>>3575149
>>3575158
>>3575162

An idea comes to you at his mentioning that. You’ve always known your eyes has a slightly...abnormal color. You haven’t gotten anything set that really messes with that this time, so if they ARE normal, then, well, if that stuff about Seither Overflow was mentioned, then maybe you could use that to your advantage. If not, you’ll need to talk fast, but...worth a shot.

“If it’s that you’re worried about…” you pause briefly, taking off your glasses, and showing that your eyes aren’t just a tint (and that, as you suspected, your glasses ARE tinted here. So much for ‘clear’). “I don’t think you need to be.”

Fortunately, it seems like your eyes are indeed the same- at least judging by the shocked/surprised expression they all seem to wear (not to mention how a couple of them lean back). “Damnit!” Kine expresses. “You’re overflowing?! What the hell did- wait…”

“No…” Tate says curiously, leaning toward you, as opposed to away. “She doesn’t carry any of the other symptoms...at least as far as I can tell. Certainly she wouldn’t have been as calm as she is.” He shifts his glasses in that way that you swear, all intellectuals seem to do when they’ve found a specimen they want to study. “And considering the way she was brought here...some sort of metastasized Seither effect, perhaps? No normal human could or has remained lucid for so long otherwise...tell me, have you-”

“No, William,” comes the sharp retort from Ms. Black. “You’re not using her as a lab rat when she has more important things to worry about.” He pouts, but backs off as she continues, turning to you. “I don’t care what you might be afflicted with so long as it doesn’t negatively affect your performance. Will it be a problem?”

“Probably a plus, in all honesty,” you admit.

She nods once. “Good enough for me.” With that, the vehicle stops, and you all disembark. “Follow us. Tate, get back to work.”

Tate visibly slumps over. “Yes, ma’am…” Giving one last interested look at you, he nods farewell and heads in a different direct as Black and the others lead you down a hallway. “If you sincerely don’t think the Seither effect will be an issue, we’ll test that in the trials. But if you start showing signs, we’ll do whatever is necessary to protect our assets. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” you respond flatly.

(cont)

>>3575354
“Good.” You quickly arrive at a juncture in the hallway. “Then if your AICAs would be willing to follow Mr. Kine?” You look at them, and they nod- although Jago grumbles a bit as he’s led away. “They’ll be treated with the utmost care. We’re likely just going to have to add a couple of programs, nothing major.”

“If you do anything harmful, I’ll be cross,” you mention.

“Glad to hear it,” she says evenly. “Now, if you’ll follow us to Training Room H.”

The room itself, when you open it, is extremely dark- although it vaguely resembles some sort of arcade with all the sif-in arcade games, ten in two rows of five. However, you can see large, metallic gauntlets and boots attached to a number of wires, as well as a sort of metallic headband. Virtual cockpits, no doubt. Similar to what Dynamic Methods uses, you think- only less sophisticated. “Sit in any one of them. These cockpits are designed to be as similar to the general use control scheme for Variable Walkers as possible. You’ll have a non-customized AICA for this, however.” Fair enough. “Send in AI Jan,” she says, and almost immediately a door on the far right slides open, and out walks a small, quadrupedal dog-like thing...if the dog were entirely made of two ovals. “Jan, ready in Bay...2.” It says nothing, just walks over to the second in the first row and sits next to it, in a small alcove that you hadn’t noticed. A headband of its own suddenly comes up from the floor and fits itself over its eyes as you take your seat and get strapped in.

As the other bay pods sink into the ground, you hear Mr. Crane from behind you. “Don’t worry, hardly anyone fails this. You just need to get used to things and follow directions!”

“The control systems in the latest Variable Walkers are all simplified for ease of use,” he continues. You merely have to think the commands to do them, and you only need to focus on the big ones like moving your limbs or firing weapons. Your AICA will handle everything else like system regulation, biometrics monitoring, data collection, all that small stuff! Trust it, and it’ll trust you!”

Right. Well, it’s nice to deal with tech again, at least. Here goes…

>Roll 1d20+2, best of 4.

Rolled 11 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3575357

Rolled 18 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3575357

Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3575357

Rolled 2 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3575357
>Synch ON!!

Rolled 16 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3575357

"Oh thank goodness, I've still got the hang of this. Been a while since I've last been in a mecha."

Writing.

>>3575380
>Meanwhile Mr. Crane is all: "WHAT? WHAT?!! What the hell is this data?!!!"

>>3575354
>But if you start showing signs, we’ll do whatever is necessary to protect our assets. Am I clear?”

cool, make sure to check our mechs for any explosive "insurance" they may have placed.

>>3575404
I think we want to look for ejector seats, the mechs are the assets I think.
Regardless it doesn't pay to be so openly mistrustful of our employer, keep the scanner sweeps for when we're off-base at least.

>>3575404
If there will be any explosive device it would be in the huge mech. And if they try to hack into Prima i laugh at the attemp and their surprise once they see the upgrades she probably got from the intersection...wonder if Prima's code has the code for a soul. That will spook then up.

>>3575357
>>3575363
>>3575368
>>3575371
>>3575378
Fortunately, it seems like for the most part, their stuff really is pretty intuitive thanks to the synaptic reactions. Walking is a breeze, as is the basics of arm control- full articulation, and although the gauntlets are clearly heavier than normal, slightly restricting your range of movement (annoying) and you STILL have a bit of lag time, but otherwise it’s impressive as you take the thing through a few basic movements- running, jumping, some more esoteric movements, and a couple of katas and a bit of shadowboxing.

“My my...” Is all that Mr. Crane says. No word from Ms. Black, though. “Very well. Now, then, if you don’t mind, we’ll move on to weaponry…”

The weaponry is similar- the rifle and shield that you saw the others have is materialized onto your ‘mech’, and you take them through their paces as well- nothing too out the ordinary. Although your rifle fires slower than you’d like, apparently the issue with aiming is also supposed to be assisted by the AICA, providing corrections and compensation for distance, speed of the target, etc. You’re not sure if it’s that great a help, but likely Prima will be better for it when the time comes.

Flight is a bit different- apparently the mechs have jets (Seither powered, natch) that allow them to fly for extended periods of time. For that you have to get a bit more analog; hitting a button and dealing with a bit of manual control more than just thinking more ‘takeoff’ or ‘launch’, but once you’re there, you’re good, and the AICAs takes it from there, assisting with movement in accordance to the data it receives from your own synaptic responses in order to help facilitate smooth 3D movement. Complicated, but still impressive for what they have to work with.

After scrapping a few test bots in an empty field (and a slightly bigger one in a destroyed city) you’ve come to the conclusion that you can do...not quite everything you can naturally- trying to get too flippy with it will likely still stress the frame to breaking point, but your more physical methods of combat could theoretically still work fine. Weapons are clearly intended, however.

When the ‘operation’ is considered finished and you are released from your bonds, you turn around to find Ms. Black gone, and Mr. Crane looking at you with particular curiosity. “Ms. Black had to return to her own duties, but as you’ve been told, I’ll be taking care of you from here. I must say, that was an...impressive performance. I’ll have to double check some metrics when I get back to the lab, make sure of some things, but you really seemed to handle it like it was second nature. I’m curious what kind of Walker or Walkers you’ve driven before…” He doesn’t follow up on that question, and you’re not inclined to answer. “If you’ll follow me to Briefing Room H?”

(cont)

>>3575482
The room itself is fairly simplistic- a table with chairs around it with what you’re pretty sure is some kind of hologram emitter plus keyboard, a flatscreen on a wall, and a few images of various locations that you don’t know. As the two of you take a seat- Mr. Crane on one side, you on the other, Mr. Crane taps a button near the center of the table. “So, to keep things simple. As I mentioned before, we aren’t 100% certain of the location of the device, but we’re fairly certain it exists, and we have a lead on it. It’s going to require a bit of digging, but we’d rather keep everyone else in the dark on this, so your Zeon will be unregistered, unlabeled, and unverified by Aegis except in extreme instances, for deniability purposes. Understand?” You nod. Makes sense enough. “Good,” says Mr. Kine. “In that case, the first target will be…” he pokes at the keyboard a bit until the holographic image of a torn up city comes up. “Here. This area, currently designated Gamma-Five, is an area under Moktu- the aliens- control. We’ve heard some rumors that they appear to be planning an expedition to locate the device as well, as scouts have informed us of an increasing number of biomechanical forces in the area, as well as intercepted, partially translated communications and general Seither readings which indicate particular usage of it in the area. If we can eliminate the majority of the forces present, we can proceed to investigate further. Few of their number seem to be flight capable, and nothing above a medium size class, so we expect a fairly easy time of it due to air superiority. Go in, pick them off, and leave quickly. Preferably with any important looking buildings intact. Any questions?”

> “Nope. Where’s my Walker?”
> “One or two…” (What?)
> Other

>>3575486
>“Nope. Where’s my Walker?”

>>3575486
>> “One or two…” (What?)
"Mind if I grab a sidearm and some ammo? I don't want to be relying completely on my hand-to-hand skills when I'm out and about, and I'd like to see what you guys get to use."

>>3575486
>> “Nope. Where’s my Walker?”

>>3575486
> “One or two…” (What would be classified as buildings? Would you for me to grab some of the alien tech? i think it should be possible to tear off the cockpit and have a intact frame/walker?)

>>3575486
>> “One or two…” (What?)

How do I steal other people's walkers, any security to worry about? What about cross-platform compatibility between walker partsand my walker ?

Can weapons be separated and fired independently of the walkers?

Al,slo >>3575501

>>3575486
Also

> Can I get a close combat weapon for my mech? It will help keep buildings intact.

Guns. Writing.

>>3575486
>>3575501
>>3575506
>>3575517
>>3575523
You lean forward a bit. “One or two. Can I get a sidearm and some ammo? I don’t like the idea of getting caught without something on me just in case I have to do something on foot. Not to mention, I’m curious about what you guys use.”

He nods in understanding. “Fair question, and fortunately for you pilots are afforded a sidearm regularly for just such an occasion. Employees are usually equipped with an Aegis Model Number...I believe we’re up to five, now? So a Model Number 5 plasma pistol. It’s a handy little thing, can even store and charge a shot, although I wouldn’t try to go crazy with it. As for you, however, since we’re trying to keep things off the record, we’re probably going to find you something a little more stock...me or Kine’ll have to check the armory.”

Sounds like you won’t have the opportunity to pick anything out yourself…bah. “Second, am I allowed to steal or scavenge from other people’s walkers if I come across them? Or should I be worrying about cross-compatibility or something?”

He actually chuckles at that. “Yeah, kinda figured you’d ask something like that. Considering your...lifestyle, we’re willing to throw in a bonus. If it’s not Aegis-made, anything you find or...acquire, you can keep, unless requested by us.”

Brilliant. “Last question, then. What about close combat? If you want me to keep buildings standing…”

Ohhh, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered there,” he grins. “But, I think you’ve got the gist of it. Now that we know you’re good for it, we’ll head out to get your AICAs back and get you acquainted with Zeon. Come on.”

(cont)

>>3575887
Near the end of your walk back through the long hallways, you notice your two robot associates standing idly nearby- and Kine’s nearby as well, though you’re getting a strange vibe from him as he stares you down briefly before switching to focus on Crane. Prima’s the first of the bots to spot you, and she quickly nudges Jago, who jars a bit from the shock, but quickly reorients himself. “Greetings!” she says as she waves. “We have been now been optimized for assistance!”

“Yeah, they gave us the deets,” Jago says grumpily. “Coulda been nicer ‘bout it, though…”

“Right.” Kine grunts, before whispering something into Crane’s ear you quickly catch. “...need to show you something later...”

Curious, but you’re not going to bring it up right this second. The group takes you back to the Main Bay, briefly crossing it in front of another door that Kine enters by himself after a quick talk with Crane. Soon enough, he comes back out, and hands you a bulky pistol. “K5 Bolt Pistol. Pretty standard, no one’ll guess where it came from.” Fair enough.

...and far at the end, there’s a smaller door that requires both of them to input access cards, and then you’re led down a number of winding halls before entering, to your surprise, ANOTHER hangar- but this one is far smaller, and only has a single mech in the center. You look to Crane, who’s grinning. “Say hello to Aegis’s latest and greatest- Zeon Alpha!”

It’s a mix of white and red, with a bulky frame standing around 10 meters tall. The bipedal mech stands tall, with Y-shaped feet on which an angular body sits. The head is V-shaped, with the visor across it glowing a soft orange-red, matching some of the power lines running across it. One of those oversized rifles sits in its right hand, while its left is empty, and though the shoulders have oblong, sharp pauldrons, there’s also some sort of cannon over the right one.

“This’ll be your ride and what you’re testing. Designed for speed and stealth, it’s got the most advanced sensor and targeting suite we’ve designed, has a wider range of rotational motion and compression, and has a brand new particle disruption field that dissipates plasma energy more effectively than anything else we’ve put out, meaning that you’d have to have either very powerful solid kinetic projectiles or some serious sustained fire to take this thing out. It’s capable of moving at near Mach speeds when pushed to its limit, even!” He seems rather proud of it. Turning around, you can see that Crane is beaming, while Kine still seems pensive. "We’ve already ran through the final checks, so whenever you’re set, you can ready for takeoff and ship out.”

“Although we won't be in contact, we’ll be keeping an eye on your results.” Kine finally says. Be careful to not damage the Walker too much, or there'll be problems.” Okay, he clearly doesn't like you.

>Call him out on it. You don’t want this to keep on.
>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.
>Other

Stopping for tonight. Will continue tomorrow.

>>3575891
>>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.

>>3575891
>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.

>>3575891
>Call him out on it. You don’t want this to keep on.
Okay, looks like we need to clarify some things.
>>3575896
Thanks for running!

>>3575891
>>Call him out on it. You don’t want this to keep on.
>"Also, just to be clear, I'm going to try my best to keep all of it's limbs attached and functional, but we're going to have to talk if minor dents and paint damage is going to affect my payment."

>>3575891
>>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.

>>3575891
>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.

>>3575891
>>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.
If we called out everyone that had a beef with us we'd never get anything done. Besides, as long as he doesn't interfere with the job, he can dislike us as much as he wants.

>>3575896
Thanks for running.

>>3575891
>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.

He is big military guy who is near someone who is showing traces of overflow. He will only trust us obce he realizes we won't go berserk. He also must think badly of us since we are a scrapper and it was stated thay scrappers are usualy seen as a nuisense or threat.

>>3575891
>“K5 Bolt Pistol. Pretty standard, no one’ll guess where it came from.”
Is this one of those gauss guns that was mentioned in the world report, or is the name just deceptive marketing?

Can we ask for a plug-suit should the input lag become an issue?

>>3576367
It won't be.Prima will probably scan it and fix the lag by herself

>>3575891
>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.
As long as he doesn't sabatoge us let's just ignore him.

>>3575891
>"Just to be clear, I'm going to try my best to keep all of it's limbs attached and functional, but we're going to have to talk if minor dents and paint damage is going to affect my payment."
No need to call him out on his behavior but mention that. Anon had a good write-in but we can just ignore the guy being an ass as long as he doesn't try to cut our pay
>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.

>>3575891
>>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.

>>3575896
Happy Birthday!

>>3575891
>Bolt Pistol
As in 40k bolts? Those things will tear just about anything to pieces. But if those are typical, what sort of things are we going to be up against?

Oh, btw, if the mech is leaking background Seither, then can we set up our condenser to get some trickleback, or would it sap the energy from the mech instead?

>>3575891
>>3575891
>>3575902
>>3575905
>>3575934
>>3575960
>>3575981
>>3576122
>>3576499
>>3576512
You’re not going to give him any guff about his issues- so long as he doesn’t mess with your job, he can be as worried as he wants. “Alright. I’m good to go, then.”

Mr. Crane claps in excitment. “Fantastic! We’ll go ahead and let you and your AICA get set- once you sit in, the AICA should perform the final greenlight checks for you, and you should be cleared for takeoff shortly thereafter.”

Kine grunts once, nodding as he walks up to a console, pressing a button that opens the chest area, where you can see the cockpit and minibay for the AICA. “We’ll upload the GPS data to your system before we cut out. We expect you to finish the mission without delay. Return back as soon as possible. Good hunting.”

With that, the two begin walking out, as you head to the large mecha, and it’s there that you realize… “Oy! Just a tick. Which o’ us are ya takin’?” Jago asks, just as you have the same thought. You’re certain they’re both capable of the basics, but more than likely their personalities and skillsets will result in different approaches for their priorities and system adjustments.

>Take Jago
>Take Prima

>>3575891
>Just ready up and prepare for launch. You’re burning daylight.
Happy birthday, Handler. hope you got a great party/dinner.

>>3577485
>take Prima

>>3577485
> Take Prima

She's better for scouting and stealth.

>>3577485
>>Take Prima
This mech ais setup for speed and such. If we know we're going to be mixing it up, Jago would be the better choice, but for now Prima is better suited.

>>3577485
>>Take Prima

>>3577485
Well, they're here so we can evaluate them right? It would be a waste to leave them behind
Maybe Jago can ride on the mech somewhere? Do we have a storage compartment?
>Bring Both?
if not
>Take Prima

>>3577518
Jago - the Backseat Driver.

>>3577485
>Take Both.
If not possible:
>Take Prima

>>3577518
>Put Jago in the bag of holding
Hmm...

>>3577485
>Try to take both with you if possible
>Prima goes to minibay

>>3577485
Wait, i like this idea.
>Put Jago in the bag of holding.

>>3577485
>>Take Jago
Happy Birthday!

>>3577485
>Take Prima
And try find a way to bring Jago too - even if it means using a ridiculous amount of ropes to tie him to the back of the mech's head. In fact we might benefit from having eyes on the back of our head like that.

...Pft.

Writing.

>>3577485
>Take both
If that’s not possible, leave a talking stone with whoever gets left behind.

>>3577589
They can't use murmur stones because it requires influx of mana.

>>3577598
but the ambient mana should be able to keep them online.

>>3577598
Well, shit. Can Sal still patch us into their minds on a conference call, though?

If I recall correctly we tried to get them tiny mana reactors before leaving so they could use the stones and bags. Was there some reason why we weren't able to?

>>3577609
well they don't need mana for their bags

>>3577609
we only talked about giving them mana reactors, but we never gave them one. But if we can't cram jago into the bag of holding, maybe one mana crystal should be enough to keep the murmur stone online for the rest of the mission.

>>3577609
Because there was only one anon who proposed the idea and no one supported it.

File: Screenshot_20190616-08434(...).jpg (774 KB, 1080x1920)

774 KB JPG

>>3577622
>>3577618
>>3577609
It was a threeway draw between prioritizing a certain research option, hiring an assistant or leaving things as they are. Leaving won after additional vote.

>>3577636
huh. i didn't remember that.

File: 20190616_083659.jpg (435 KB, 1080x1107)

435 KB JPG

>>3577605
Requirements for bots to use magical items without their own mana are kinda unclear desu.

File: Screenshot_20190616-08413(...).jpg (922 KB, 1080x1920)

922 KB JPG

>>3577642
I'm still very pissed about that.

>>3577587
Thinking about it, you wonder if there's a way you could get some extra bang for your buck…the cockpit doesn’t really seem all that spacious, unfortunately. There’s just enough room for you and your AICA, but while you can see a touch of space behind that mini bay, you’re pretty sure it’d be a tight fit for Jago- not to mention how you’d even manage to get one out and the other in in the middle of a fight or otherwise. Considering the prospect, you turn to Jago. “Hey, how opposed are you to getting in my bag and-”

“DO NOT.” Prima suddenly nearly shouts. And although the rest of her body doesn’t seem to budge save for the sudden swivel of her head to Jago, the two Aegis employees momentarily look back in surprise before continuing on their way, talking animatedly. “I would not recommend that course of action despite the usefulness of the containment device!” She’s talking kinda fast all of a sudden. “It is rather lonely and there are just floating objects to keep you company. I recommend waiting at base.”

You blink once. She really doesn’t like your Bag of Holding, huh? Wonder why. Clambering up the ladder placed next to the cockpit, you take a closer look. “I mean, there looks like there might be some room right behind where Swan needs to go, but it seems more for ventilation, so the best you could do would be, like...be pressed up right against her, so-”

“Sold!” He says quickly, and Prima seems to stiffen slightly as he jogs towards the cockpit. “Sit ‘round here with all these stuffed shirts and low-rent nobodies, or deal with a lack o’ personal space in exchange for bein’ right in the thick of it? Easy call!”

“Oh dear...I must insist that you do NOT distract me, then!” Prima says as she scampers up herself, quickly overtaking him up the stairs and hopping into the bay area. “That means no untoward comments, and no wide motions!”

“Ha! Fine, fine, sheila. I’ll be on me best behavior.” Jago chuffs.

“I have to agree with her this time,” you say as you get seated and hit the buttons to lock in. “I don’t want her to be off target or miss any calculations or anything.”

“I SAID I’d be on me best! Blimey…” As he attempts to get situated, you notice that your assessment is correct- he’s got maybe enough room to take a step forward or back, but aside from that, he’ll be standing.

“Right, then,” you decide as your cockpit closes, the systems warm, and the visual feed starts up- a holographic viewpoint that stays synced to your eye level and angle. “Ready?”

(cont.)

>>3577685
“AICA System synchronization online,” Prima intones as her headband wraps around her. “Beginning boot-up protocols...all systems normal. Ready for launch.”

A loud humming erupts from above you, and you tilt your head (and thus the mech’s) to see the hangar door yawning open. “Alright. Let’s get to work.”

You thumb the button for takeoff, and with a small hop and a roar of the engines, the Zeon bursts into the air. There’s only a moment before a beeping starts going off. “Destination received,” Prima says. “Inputting location data, planning route...route confirmed.” The overlay simply shows an arrow, and you rocket off in that direction. “Arrival estimated in approximately one-point-four hours.”

“Fantastic,” you mutter. Well, road trip, then. Although you find yourself interested in just what’s on the floor there...

>Roll 1d20, best of 3!

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>3577691

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>3577691

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>3577691

>12
We're probably going to step on some unlucky engineer or trip on a car

Interesting. Not good, but interesting.

Writing!

>>3577718
Is there enough space in the cockpit to set up the condenser? Would it even be able to collect mana, or is the cockpit shielded from the background Seither radiation?

>>3577718
Well in a way that is good, it'd be pretty ominous for something to go bad this early, we just got our big stompy robot.

>>3577718
How well can Jago drive a mech himself?

Well enough to just move it? Because then we could steal one.

>>3577745
>High Seither levels a must to facilitate link with Mecha.
Can't do that without mana. At least for organics. Maybe ayys can have something that would allow someone without mana to control mechas.

>>3577745
I think any mech we steal will need to come with an AICA of it's own if we want Jago to drive it. Otherwise Prima would be running the Zeon by herself.

>>3577751
>>3577754
If we really want it, we could try to jury rig something with the mana condenser.

>>3577691
>>3577694
>>3577695
>>3577698
“...So I got the same run-through as you did. T’ain’t THAT complicated on a straight,” Jago says as he tries to lean forward to talk to Prima. It’d been a quiet ride for a while, aside from the occasional comment about the lack of environment or idle thought. “Whatcha think we might have to scrap?”

“...Unsure,” Prima says after a brief delay. “I’ve not been able to adjust the long-range scanning system as much as I would have liked.”

You pause at that. “Wait, ‘adjust’?”

“Yes,” she confirms. “I am detecting some unoptimized areas in the system code. That would be the easiest to adjust, initially.” Oh. Well, then. Before you can comment on it, however, she speaks up just as you see something flash on the screen. “Approaching destination.”

“Finally,” Jago grouses. “Let’s see what’s what…”

“Yeah,” you agree as you begin to take the Zeon to a lower altitude. Easier to get into range before things get loud.

The city is still desolate and appears bombed out in many respects, and this makes it relatively easy for your mecha to slip between skyscrapers. You can see a couple signs of strange, black and orange creatures, however- not to mention some rather disturbing growths on the sides of some buildings. “Looks loike they’ve started renovations…” Jago mutters as you weave through the city.

“Well, let’s see if we can’t find any major groupings,” you figure, considering the job was to waste most of them...you doubt they had the numbers to occupy the ENTIRE city, so…

You can see a few fully corrupted buildings- and you noticed a couple of them have strange, thick antennae sprouting from the top, with a bulbous red tip. Wonder if those are for anything in particular...

Before you can say much else, however, Prima shouts, “Break left!” you hear a warning blare, and instinctively jerk to the left just as a salvo of shots stream through where you just were. “Enemies detected!” You quickly shift to where the fire came from, and you’re surprised to witness a spider-mechanical esque- thing- it seems like it’s made of a thick, coarse black metallic substance, although several aspects of it definitely seem like it’s bark or grass, as well…

That, and the six-shot cannons it has. That, plus a number of strange, ostrich-like ground forces aiming after you and some other things tells you-

“HA! Roight, time ta get inta it!” Jago crows. Well...he’s not wrong.

>This thing is all about speed, so play to that. Hit and run, attacks of opportunity. Doesn’t matter who you swing at, so long as you hit something.
>You’re going to get mauled by the concentrated fire if you lapse for even half a second- you need to take out the small fry first and get some breathing room.
>As long as you’re not an idiot, those small guns aren’t an issue. Take down the big guy first before things get bad.
>Other

>>3577817
>This thing is all about speed, so play to that. Hit and run, attacks of opportunity. Doesn’t matter who you swing at, so long as you hit something.

>>3577817
>This thing is all about speed, so play to that. Hit and run, attacks of opportunity. Doesn’t matter who you swing at, so long as you hit something.

>>3577817
>>You’re going to get mauled by the concentrated fire if you lapse for even half a second- you need to take out the small fry first and get some breathing room.

>>3577817
>>This thing is all about speed, so play to that. Hit and run, attacks of opportunity. Doesn’t matter who you swing at, so long as you hit something.

>>3577817
>This thing is all about speed, so play to that. Hit and run, attacks of opportunity. Doesn’t matter who you swing at, so long as you hit something.

>>3577817
>You’re going to get mauled by the concentrated fire if you lapse for even half a second- you need to take out the small fry first and get some breathing room.

>>3577817
>This thing is all about speed, so play to that. Hit and run, attacks of opportunity. Just evade any targets that show a level of guile until the herd is thinned a bit.

Can't hit what you can't catch.

Writing.

>>3577817
>>3577822
>>3577825
>>3577832
>>3577838
>>3577844
“Let’s move!” you yell, pushing forward as your thrusters flare. Your rifle barks heavily, and a trio of the stilt-legged mechs explode into flames as you quickly shift to the side and dart down a side street just as the pavement behind you lights up in a cacophony of explosive plasma. “We can’t let them get a bead on us; we’re gonna have to move fast and keep out of sight.”

“Understood,” Prima says. “Rerouting extra power to thrusters.”

What follows is a guerilla style battle of hit and run as you do your best to stay out of sight, weaving through buildings and debris like trees, doing your level best to make the bots constantly hunt for you. You’re surprised, though, that aside from the big one’s cannons (which rip through concrete and superstructure easily and quickly enough to keep you on your toes) the rest can only come close to hitting you. The movement speed in the Zeon is far above what you tested out, you have to say, and your own experience combined with Prima’s assistance in targeting functions proves to be a combination that they have a tough time getting rid of. Still, it seems like their numbers are thinning well enough after about 15 minutes of hide and seek. Still a decent chunk of smaller ones to deal with left, however, and the big one’s torn up the entire block if not more trying to hit you while you’ve managed to put a couple of small holes into it.

“How many more o’ these blokes ARE there?” Jago wonders. “They gotta get tired o’ this eventually.”

Almost in response, you begin to hear a strange humming as Prima jolts slightly. “Getting a new reading! Seither levels elevating at a slow yet steady rate! Source is...multiple sources across the city! They correspond with some of the overtaken areas we saw before!”

Weird...but, interestingly enough, you notice that as she says this, the sound of plasma shots is tapering off a bit. A quick peek reveals that a number of the forces present are beginning to take on a reddish tint that makes you think of Seither Overflow. But intentionally? Odd.

>Let it happen- Seither is lethal to these things in high doses, right? So long as you can hold out, then it should be fine.
>Best not to take any risks. You’re going to have to ditch this fight for now and trash those emission sources.
>You don’t like the sound of this. You can absorb mana, which Seither pretty much is, but you don’t want to get caught off-guard. Time to get some distance.
>Other

>>3577955
>Best not to take any risks. You’re going to have to ditch this fight for now and trash those emission sources.

>>3577955
>>You don’t like the sound of this. You can absorb mana, which Seither pretty much is, but you don’t want to get caught off-guard. Time to get some distance.

Lets just leave and let them wonder where are we hiding. Anyway, they surely must have alerted the rest of their forces about our existence.

>>3577955
>Let it happen- Seither is lethal to these things in high doses, right? So long as you can hold out, then it should be fine.

We're fast enough to run if we need to

>>3577955
>>Let it happen- Seither is lethal to these things in high doses, right? So long as you can hold out, then it should be fine.
We're fast enough, and it'll let us see what happens in a situation we can bug out of if needed.

>>3577955
>Best not to take any risks. You’re going to have to ditch this fight for now and trash those emission sources.

Tie between going hunting and letting it happen. 5 mins before I roll.

>>3577955
>>3578013
Fine, changing to
>Best not to take any risks. You’re going to have to ditch this fight for now and trash those emission sources.

>>3577955
>>Let it happen- Seither is lethal to these things in high doses, right? So long as you can hold out, then it should be fine.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Aaand I got distracted. I should've rolled in the first place, plus...yeah.

1: Stay
2: Hunt

>>3578051
Well, missed the vote, dang, those aliens are ripping up the buildings we want to keep intact! This is terrible!

>>3577955
“Damnit. This could lead to a lot of problems,” you voice out loud. “I need to find those sources. Can you-” A group of six arrows suddenly pop up on your display, pointing out the direction of the sources. “Fantastic. Let’s move.” You burst out of your hiding place, and to your surprise you can see the stilled creatures turning red, almost, and their skin tearing as exposed muscle begins to bulge unnaturally and growths begin to protrude from their skin… including the big guy, who’s now looking almost like a meaty tarantula.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

Well, shit.

“Beginning evasion!” Prima shouts as a hail of plasma fire blankets the area and you’re forced to lean hard to evade. They said this would be EASY. Not to mention they’re making a serious mess of the city, which you really DIDN’T want. You’re going to have to make this as quick as possible- just as a couple of the shots suddenly graze by and a brief warning klaxon goes off. “Grazing hit!” Prima reports as you bear down upon the first of the antennae. A quick pulse of rifle fire pops it, at least, and you’re quick to dart off to the next one as Prima continues reporting. “Multiple new contacts approaching. Reinforcements!”

Lovely. You snap off a 180 and manage to drill a number more of the ground forces as you do your best to dodge the big cannons- they’re at least more sitting ducks now, only apt to charge in a straight line and vainly trying to aim upwards to you as you get higher Even the big spider cannon is mostly just shooting whenever it sees you and has stopped really trying to aim like before.

The second one is through a few streets, and it’s popped just like the first. Interestingly, you swear that they’re getting a bit more...shaky? A number of them seem to have collapsed by themselves, the muscles shrinking a bit before they collapse as you rocket for the third- in a jolting descent, you’re forced to nearly kiss the pavement as the big mech stomps over a building to attempt to drill you with its guns again. You return the favor by taking the opportunity to scrap a bit more foot fodder before continuing on. Hopefully, not TOO many of their buildings have been wrecked, but...survival is paramount. You’d been avoiding using your auxiliary weapon, but in this situation...

>It might be destructive, but that cannon could help a lot, too; might as well try it.
>You’re still fine- just will have to be faster with destroying those emitters!
>Dangerous, but this might be the best chance to down that giant thing- so much of it is exposed!
>Other

>>3578114
>Other, they seem to be degrading, how about we just employ the run part of "hit and run" and wait for them to melt from seither overload.
If they don't maybe it's the result of that artifact they were hunting for.

>>3578114
>Other, they seem to be degrading, how about we just employ the run part of "hit and run" and wait for them to melt from seither overload.

>>3578114
>>It might be destructive, but that cannon could help a lot, too; might as well try it.
They've already made a serious mess. What's a little more?

>>3578114
>Dangerous, but this might be the best chance to down that giant thing- so much of it is exposed!
The objective - how are we supposed to get the intel from all this rubble? That big thing really needs to go.

Seems like the idea is to run like heck? Writing, then.

>>3578114
>>It might be destructive, but that cannon could help a lot, too; might as well try it.

>>3578114
>Dangerous, but this might be the best chance to down that giant thing- so much of it is exposed!
We need many of these buildings intact. Finish it now before the whole area is wrecked

>>3578168
Oh for fucks sake, I'm always late.

>>3578168
Well, at least you weren't too late by nine seconds...

>>3578166
there are justifications for both options, we were asked to not damage our mech, the buildings, or expose our relation to aegis. Leaving prevents damage to our mech, but leaves the buildings to the mercy of the aliens.
The reverse is true about killing the spider tank, while using the cannon risks a lot.
The tilting factor for me was "what would a scrapper do?" I don't think they're the reckless sort; or at least, the good ones aren't/shouldn't be.

>>3578144
>Riders Added: Collateral Damage (Structures)
Aren't you forgetting something?

>>3578190
>but leaves the buildings to the mercy of the aliens.
to be fair, the buildings here are already a weird alien mass/blob. They didn't say anything about leaving those intact. In fact, i think we're doing them a favor by eliminating what it seems to be a dangerous alien influence in our beautiful planet.

KILL ALL XENOS!

>>3578212
to be fair, the clients have said to keep interesting buildings intact, and that aliens have clues about the location of our goal. So, you know, maybe we should follow the Rider and not destroy everything?

>>3578244
Well, its either them or us, and i like having miranda alive. Also, if we disappear, the aliens might stop overcharging and therefore destroying the buildings.

>>3578256
>I don’t know how much you know about the aliens, but Seither in large doses utterly ruins them. They get volatile and go bananas.
They are not overcharged, they went berserk. Two different things. And we haven't taken any direct hits yet to worry about our safety that much.
And I'm not arguing about your vote, my issue is with this post >>3578212

Oh boy did i arived just to witness a "spaghetti in the bleach" moment?

>>3578114
>>3578122
>>3578133
Gah. This might end up being a bit too dicey for you to really risk anything. Besides, they seem to be dying out regardless. You’ll take some potshots if necessary, and maybe look at those emitters, but beyond that. “They’re killing themselves,” you mention. “All we have to do is ride out the wave.”

“Understood,” Prima says, but Jago just makes a vaguely concerned noise as the plasma starts flying again.

It’s three minutes of continuous dodging and trying to direct their fire to clearly open areas or otherwise obviously unused buildings, and most of your worry isn’t from getting hit, as opposed to how annoyed your clients might be whenever a stray shot (or leg, in the case of the big tank) smashes into a building.

A few more general shots drop a few more general mooks, popping in a small shower of both flame and black blood…

And the giant beast is getting more and more swollen, no less. "Seither levels still rising," Prima warns. "Rapidly approaching dangerous levels!"

This might not end well.

>Roll 5d13, best of 3, Poker Bonus in Effect!

Rolled 1, 10, 1, 12, 8 = 32 (5d13)

>>3578271
let's see how bad we fail at cards this time!

Rolled 1, 5, 6, 11, 12 = 35 (5d13)

>>3578271
Well, this will end badly.

Rolled 12, 6, 11, 12, 5 = 46 (5d13)

>>3578271

Oh, and Aces Wild. I feel it's apt in this case. (Because pilot. Ace. Get it?)

Rolled 4, 10, 1, 10, 5 = 30 (5d13)

>>3578264
The point is still the same. The order of priorities is: us retreiving the artifact> us having the mech unscratched> having the buildings as intact as possible.
Right now the enemies are using a desperation tactic that if successful, has a very real chance of wrecking the mech, therefore, its for the best that we let them be and we continue searching for the power source.
>>3578269
Hopefully not. Unless the aliens explode when overflowing with seither.

>>3578271

>>3578271
Hm, it would appear that the spidertank is about to explode.
Here's hoping we can launch'm into the emitters

>>3578281
cool, in that case:
>>3578273
>8, 9(1), 10, 11(1), 12
Straight Flush. Or some kind of flush anyway, as we aren't messing with suits.

>>3578273
Well, considering I called Aces Wild...

That is, as I tend to call them, a 'Dirty' Straight.

Writing.

The alien bulging reminds me of when Angels used to explode in Evangelion. Hopefully that isn't the case.

>>3578310
Seeing as how I have to look poker hands every time we do this, that's probably a more correct name.

>>3578269
I think 'bleach in spaghetti' moment would be rolling up to an alien building, jumping out of the mech and trying to disable Seither-sources from the inside.

What's up with the bleach-in-spaghetti scene and why is it so memetic? Is it because it was too ridiculous?

>>3578310
This is ABSOLUTELY not going to end well if you don’t do SOMETHING. If they’re starting to get volatile, then something THAT big going up could be…

“Well, shit!” You hit the throttle as the massive thing starts bulging, heedless of the shots pouring your way, now. You don’t exactly have time to worry as you let instinct take over things now, and a number of snap shots go out once you get anything that so much as resembles a red dot in your vision- you swear at least one of them goes down, as do a number of pursuing ground forces- but that’s not your concern as you line up your shot...while still moving.

This big asshole with the gaping six-piece cannon is your problem. You don’t pray anymore, but another volley barely misses you, and you hope to fuck this works regardless as you and Prima aim, then fire your cannon once, twice, three times at the beast.

The massive cannon shots streak towards the target in bright, smoking streaks, and to your eyes it lasts for at least a minute, while in reality, it must’ve been maybe an instant as they disappear down the cannon’s bores- almost immediately after, there’s a massive set of explosions that rip through the things backside, the creature letting loose a massive, metallic screech of pain as its innards are shredded apart in a conflagration of fire, blood, and steel that ends up smashing through nearby buildings itself. Like a puppet torn apart, it collapses, its massive bulk causing a number of ground forces to be crushed under its weight as many others collapse from whatever’s causing the epidemic.

“HELLS YEAH! BEAUT OF A SHOT, LASS!” Jago crows.

“Target eliminated!” Prima says with clear relief in her voice. “I’m reading that a large number of units fleeing the area. I believe they are retreating from the city.”

“An’ they betta!” Jago cheers. “Lookit how we just trashed their big-arse bug! Too right they’re leavin’!”

You just growl a bit. That was already too dicey, and there’s still a lot of mess there. But...well, they’re going. You can at least do a bit of clean up before you report back…taking out a few of the stragglers should provide cathartic.

“Oh!” Hm? Prima seems surprised by something. “I’m receiving a directed, high-frequency signal...and there seems to be an embedded message.”

Jago seems curious, and you can’t blame him. “Yeah?”

“It says, ‘Mission accomplished under unexpected complications. Good work.’ That’s all.”

Your eyes close briefly, and you let out a sigh of relief.

The cleanup, at least, proves a satisfactory bullet point.

>Cutting for today. Will resume tomorrow!

>>3578405
>They are constantly losing ground, people and material, so why would they turn to such drastic measures?

Good question!

>>3578400
Because it was very, very stupid. We tried to poison someone with bleach on their spaghetti with the very obvious result that the mark didn't die instantly and instead set everyone on high alert.

>>3578410
>>3578412
thanks for running!

>>3578410
Thanks for running.

>>3578410
Night, boss. Oh yeah, before you go, about that K5 Bolt pistol. Is it a normal gunpowder based pistol, or is it one of those magnetic guns that was mentioned in the briefing?

>>3578412
So something to keep in mind if we kidnap an alien, then. Cool.

>>3578412
Sorry, but I can't tell: am I being mocked or not?

>>3578423
Mag.

>>3578466
Nope, sincere.

File: Screenshot_20190616-15055(...).jpg (826 KB, 1080x1920)

826 KB JPG

>>3578474
Okay, my mistake, I'm an idiot.

I know that this can seem obvious, but aegis is capable of tracking all of our moves and there is a chance that they are also recording us. Now, i don't want to sound lioe a paranoid, but we should try to avoid talking about the intersection and all of that when we arebinside the mech.

Yeah, they're definitely recording everything we're doing and saying.

>>3578660
That's fine Prima can hack at it with her skills and stop the feed any time we want. She did managed to hack the security system in her world.

>>3578680
I wouldn't deposit that much trust into her. Not because she is unable to, but because of how green she is.

>>3578680
Doesn't help if they have someone actively listening.
Or we could just, you know, not talk about intersection stuff instead of needing to hack our client.

>>3578891
I would but this guy: >>3578893
is right we just need to not talk about it. Not like we ever talked about the intersection during most of our jobs or anything.

Heck i think by now our cluents nerds are trying to figure out what the fuck is the "strange code" (soul) in our bots.

Setient machinery doesn't seen to be common here, and they must have been assuming Prima and Jago were just custom made bots.

You’re only a touch surprised at the order to return to base, but then, you suppose that there wasn’t much other way to get your details, and so long as no one physically followed you, considering the tech level here, you probably wouldn’t be tracked in any particular way. Still, that’s more their issue to worry about than yours, if you’re just following orders.

Upon landing, you’re surprised to see a couple more faces there. Mr. Crane and Kine are both present, the former looking decidedly less giddy and more curious, while Kine seems to have no budged from his perma-scowl. William Tate is there as well, sporting a look that goes a bit beyond the curious and into the desiring. However, as for the new faces? The first, a male pilot dressed in an all black skinsuit, sporting a blonde mohawk and a cocky grin. Besides him is a robot that resembles a mechanical wolf more than anything. The second is a larger man, bald, and a bit more ‘filled out’, so to speak- though the toned muscles on his arms indicate his actual fitness level, and the flame tattoo on his right eye cuts a striking figure against his bronzed skin as he eyes your mech up. Upon getting out and landing, you’re the recipient of a round of applause from Mr. Crane and a nod from Kine. “Fantastic! I must admit, we were concerned when we got the readings from the area back. Contending with a biotitan of that size by yourself? And under increasing Seither levels? Simply marvelous!”

“We’ve confirmed the area is no longer inhabited by any appreciable force. We’ve already begun the trek to move in,” Kine says easily. “Your efforts are appreciated.”

“I’d say a bit more than that,” the guy with the mohawk says as he steps up. “Just call me Viper. My callsign. And I gotta admit, that was pretty ballsy for a Scrapper,” Mohawk says casually with his shit eating grin. “Didn’t stop to take anything, either, huh? Humble.”

“Callsign’s Komodo,” the big guy says, nodding once. He sounds almost like he has something in his mouth. “Heard onna you guys had showed up. Word is there was something funky ‘bout ya.” Snorting, he looks you up and down. “No suit? You gotta death wish?”

“Oh, hardly!” Tate espouses. Kine just grunts as the others look at him.

>Ignore them. Ask Crane if they know anything about what you had to face down- they said nothing major would be there.
>Let Crane explain it. It’ll be funny to see what he thinks.
> “I chafe easily. That enough for you?” You’re not a fan of these guys already.
> Other

>>3579749
>>Let Crane explain it. It’ll be funny to see what he thinks.
I kinda like them.

>>3579749
>Let Crane explain it. It’ll be funny to see what he thinks.

>>3579749
>Ignore them. Ask Crane if they know anything about what you had to face down- they said nothing major would be there.

>>3579749
>"Not a whole lot of stuff to scavenge left over, they all exploded after all." Look at Crane "I suppose the scouting data was out of date?" And let's let our handlers handle the... pilots?

>>3579749
>Let Crane explain it. It’ll be funny to see what he thinks.
And after that
>Ask Crane if they know anything about what you had to face down- they said nothing major would be there.

>>3579749
>”Don’t need it.”
Gotta take our sunglasses off dramatically before Crane starts explaining for that cinematic look.
>Let Crane explain it. It’ll be funny to see what he thinks.

Wonder what he thinks of it.

Writing!

>>3579749
>>3579780
>>3579790
>"Not a whole lot of stuff to scavenge left over, they all exploded after all."
>”Don’t need it.” Take our sunglasses off dramatically before Crane starts explaining for that cinematic look.
>Look at Crane "I suppose the scouting data was out of date?"

>>3579818
You just shrug, turning to Crane, who almost seems TOO excited to explain, nearly bouncing on his feet. He seems to take that as an invitation, and nearly jumps in front of you he moves so fast, startling both pilots. “Aha! Ms. Lane does not, because she is, in point of fact, not affected by Seither as we are! Ah, Ms. Lane, if you would?” He mimes flipping up your shades again- you do so, and you get the expected shocked expressions as he continues. “According to the limited data we have acquired on her, Ms. Lane, is, in fact, likely NOURISHED by Seither! my hypothesis is that she was born under extreme circumstances- likely during the fetal development stage her mother was exposed to Seither, and this early exposure caused certain genetic mutations. Instead of succumbing to Seither, therefore, her body has adapted to its presence to a point as of yet unseen by humanity! I’m uncertain of the limits of her mutation, but I suspect that- and feel free to correct me on any point you may know, Ms. Lane- as opposed to our adverse reactions to Seither, she would merely gain the benefits- up to a certain point, at least!”

There’s a brief pause as everyone takes in his actually-sorta-accurate summation. It’s Komodo who speaks first afterwards, however. “Sooo...what, she some kinda superhuman?”

“Yes and no!” He insists. “While I’ve little doubt she has capabilities beyond the human average, it’s also likely that she is dependent on Seither, correct?” He finally looks at you for this, as though you haven’t been hearing everything anyway. “Run into a lack of it, much like a lack of it in our Walkers, and you’d be as weak as a lamb, I wager.”

“Ha!” Viper barks. “So she could waltz through a Red Zone all day long, but too long in fresh air and she withers up?” He shrugs, shaking his head. “Sucks to be you.”

“Well, all things considered, it’s no wonder she’s a Scrapper,” Tate says with a sniff. “That plus those off-model AICAs she’s cobbled together. Why you’d put a virtual intelligence into those things, I’ll never know. I could hardly parse half of the codebase! It’s all spaghetti! Were you that lonely?”

“Now now, Tate, don’t antagonise her!” Mr. Crane scolds. “Really! Do recall she IS helping us immensely! And I daresay her skill is not to be in question.”

“Speaking of that,” you speak, choosing to ignore the insults for now, “I’m guessing that your data was...well, out of date?”

“Seems so,” Kine says gruffly. “That thing didn’t show up in our reports. We didn’t know it existed until you were about to engage. Damn Biotitans...not to mention the reports of the Seither levels increasing. We’re gonna need to do a lot of study about ‘em.”

(cont)

>>3579895

“In the meantime, however, we do have one or two other...objectives, that we might like you to undertake, after seeing your performance here,” Mr. Crane suggests. Mr. Kine nods once in agreement. “They’d help us in speeding up the process for ourselves- or slowing down the progress of others.”

> “Fine. What’s next in the pipeline?”
> “If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”
> “I can’t say I like extra work…”
> Other

>>3579901
> “If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”

>>3579901
> “If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”

>>3579901
>“If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”

>>3579901
> “If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”

> "Feel free to toss me into hot seither zones, too. Just so long as I get the danger pay."

>>3579901
> “If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”

> "Feel free to toss me into hot seither zones, too. Just so long as I get the danger pay."

>>3579901
>> “If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”
Side quests are nice, but they better come with more rewards as well.

>>3579895
>> “If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”

Right before we leave, I'm tempted to show off a minor magiblast or something, just to give a taste of what we could really do.

>>3579924
They generaly do. BUT nothing telling we can't get more from our clients.

Kinda glad Lori couldn't come along she would have punched that guy's face for saying that Prima and Jago are "off-models"

>>3579935
Naaaaaaa, that might tip them off we're even less local than they think

What's in it for me?

Writing.

>>3579901
>>3579911
>>3579915
>>3579916
>>3579920
>>3579923
>>3579924
>>3579935

You mull over it a bit. You’re not too surprised they’d try to get you to do extra work, but you don’t like the idea of just rolling over and saying ‘sure’. “If I’m doing extra work, then what about extra compensation?”

“Getting a bit bold there, hm?” Kine says brusquely.

“You sure you worth that? Viper chuckes. “Aren’t you confident!”

“I’d have to clear it with Ms. Black,” Crane says a bit tepidly, “but while I have the sinking feeling that financially, we’d be...at an impasse, I think perhaps for a capable Scrapper like yourself, a bit of technology would be welcome...perhaps a couple of our older weapons models, or Walker part designs?”

“Aww, come on, chief!” Viper cajoles. “I wanna see if she can pull off whatever you’ve got in mind! Tell ya what- Lane, is it? I’ll foot the bill. Next job he gives ya, if you can do it without getting banged up, I’ll fork over, say...300 units. Howsabout that?”

“I’ll match that,” Komodo says idly. “Plus another hundred if she keeps from smashing inta anything that ain’t another Walker.”

> "You've got a bet, gentlemen." You've never been good at saying no to money, you suppose.
> "I think I'll take the weapons, then." They could come in handy here, and maybe as stuff for the bots to use later.
> "So long as the Walker parts aren't junk, I'll have those." Owlia might be able to scale them down...
>Other

>>3580039
>"You've got a bet, gentlemen." You've never been good at saying no to money, you suppose.
But first lets check in out futuretech whats the worth of 600 units in motes.

>>3580039
> "Two thirds Walker designs, one third weaponry, then. Swan and Falcon will tell you what their combat preferences are."

>>3580039
>> "So long as the Walker parts aren't junk, I'll have those." Owlia might be able to scale them down...
This could help with her Power/Reactive Armor research.

>>3580039
I like what >>3580054 suggests. Have a bit of everything.

>>3580039
>> "You've got a bet, gentlemen." You've never been good at saying no to money, you suppose.

>>3580039
Switching >>3580058 to >>3580054

>>3580039
Supporting >>3580054
Seems more reliable

Attempt at a compromise of sorts.

Writing!

>>3580039
> "You've got a bet, gentlemen." You've never been good at saying no to money, you suppose.

>>3580039
>>3580054
>>3580062
>>3580080
Thinking about it for a moment, you turn to Crane, not missing the put out look Viper gives you. “How about two thirds Walker designs, one third weaponry, then?”

Crane frowns a bit as he considers it. “Well, we can’t just fork it all over to you like that. It’ll be dependant on your capabilities in the missions given. That said, I think we can agree to that, yes.”

That’s understandable. “Grand. Swan and Falcon will tell you what their combat preferences are in due time, then. You got any place like a rest area for me to stick around in?"

“Naturally,” Crane agrees. “I’ll show you there now, if you’re interested. In fact, we should have a spare cot and guest room for you ready shortly. Not that you should need it much, but…”

“It’s fine,” you insist as they lead you away.

“See ya around, Scrapper Lane!” Viper waves as you head off.

“Yeah, g’luck out there.” Komodo nods. “You’ll need it.”

As he takes you towards the back, Crane seems to straighten up a bit. “Don’t mind them. They’re some of our best workers, but they have their...particular idiosyncrasies. As for you-”

“Frankly, we’re wondering just what kind of limits your Seither resistance has.” Tate expresses. “We’d like to conduct some field tests, given the opportunity...but that’s neither here nor there at the moment. For now, it only reinforces the decision to have you move out.” You’re led to a hallway with numbered doors, much like a hotel. “Here we are. You’ll be in room 337. We’ve also gotten you this.” He hands you a red and white keycard with a stylized ‘A’ on it. “This is a basic access keycard which’ll get you access to the Main Bay, the VR Testing Room, Canteen, and the Rec Room on base. Anywhere else, you’ll need an escort. We’ll come find you or buzz for you when it’s time to deploy on your next sortie. Until then, consider yourself at leisure. Any questions?”

> “Yeah.” (What?)
> “Nah.”
----
>Check out the Rec Room.
>Hang about the Main Bay.
>See what’s in the Canteen.
>Nap. They’ll call you soon enough. (Timeskip)
>Other

>>3580185
>“Nah.”
>Check out the Rec Room.

>>3580185
>> “Yeah.” (What?)
"How's the grub?"

>Check out the Rec Room.
See if there's any movies or vids that might be bad enough for a bad movie night.

>>3580185
> “Yeah.” (What?)

Any touchy or taboo topics? I don't want to accidently end any fights your people start.

>Check out the Rec Room.

Let's go pump some iron and blow the other employees minds.

>>3580185
> “Nah.”
>Check out the Rec Room.

>>3580185
>>“Nah.”
>>Check out the Rec Room.

Actually, I think I'll end it for today. I need to prep lunch for the workweek. Thanks for playing, folks!

>>3580224
Thanks for running!

>>3580224
Night, boss!

>>3580224
Thanks for running handler

>>3580185
>> “Nah.”
>Check out the Rec Room.

>>3580224
Thanks for running

>>3580185
>“Nah.”
>Check out the Rec Room.

Maybe we can take a look at what our wings turned into during the downtime.

>>3580185
> “Yeah.” ("Would you have anythimg against me putting my tribe symbol (Silver Eye) on Zeon?")

>Check out the Rec Room.

>>3580185
> “Nah.”
>See what’s in the Canteen.

>>3580185
>“Yeah.” (What?)
>Any touchy or taboo topics?

>Check out the Rec Room.

>>3580185
>"Yeah, Is this site a dry dock? (or is there some booze.)"
>Check out the Rec Room.

>>3580577
We're supposed to be a deniable asset on a top secret, black ops mission. the last thing anybody wants is something that can be recognized(even if no one in this universe has heard of us).

>>3583917
Well Zeon is already a pretty unique mecha. So i guess we don't need to put a symbol on it. Soon people will start to talk about the new mech and it's pilot.

>>3583975
I don't think that will happen any time soon, given that we are going to very dangerous, isolated places. Of course, that relies on the crew and the pilots we met managing to keep their mouths shut(which i can assume they won't).

>>3580185
A moment’s thought doesn’t bring up anything major. “Nah. Not unless there’s anything taboo you don’t want me to say or do that hasn’t been brought up yet.”

“Just don’t start bragging about whatever you end up doin’,” Kine says brusquely. “Most folks ain’t gonna know what you’re up to. Just that you’re a Scrapper doin’ some hard work for us. Viper and Komodo get everywhere and are some of our top pilots, so they’re special.”

“Got it,” you respond, and as you check your room out, they leave. It’s not much, really. The walls are white with a red stripe through them, and there’s a single twin-sized bed, a desk, nightstand, and a small closet. There’s some metal panels there on the floor that are noticeably a bit raised, next to...you’re not sure what those are. They remind you of battery inserts, but there’s nothing that indicates any kind of recharging system. Still, maybe it’s some kind of charging docks? There’s also a door that leads to a full bathroom. Good. Although…

“What, no beds fer us?” Jago complains. “Ain’t that a joke.” Prima lets out a low hum, but you’re not sure just what she thinks of it.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to check out the Rec Room,” you decide after looking over the place.

“I’d like to see as well, then!” Prima decides.

“Better than hangin’ round ‘ere,” Jago agrees, and the three of you head off to see just what it’s about.

There’s a few turns, and you have to cross the Main Bay, as it happens- you find yourself getting several confused (and disdainful) looks, but no one says anything to you, fortunately. “How rude,” Prima says with a notable edge in her voice. Guess she noticed, too. “Although I comprehend the logic, it’s still...something I don’t like.”

“Eh, don’t give ‘em th’ time o’ day,” Jago brushes off. You decide to not speak on it.

(cont.)

>>3587398
Eventually, you manage to find the Rec Room- and it’s a pretty big one. Maybe a third the size of the bay, there’s pool tables, a wet bar with a bartender (in a plugsuit?) idly cleaning a glass, a place for darts, air hockey, a number of tables with a couple of groups playing cards, a damn mini-bowling alley with three lanes, even. There’s probably about 30 or so people in here doing something or another. One guy seems to be showing off at the dartboard- a younger, raven-haired teenaged kid in a blue flight suit doing tricks like behind-the-back, blind toss, and more, to the impression of the three around him. The two tables occupied with card players seem particularly into their game, all heads low and focused. Only one guy is around the pool table- a taller guy, also raven-haired, with a dower expression idly hitting the balls around; although there’s a notable difference in that his legs are very clearly mechanical up to the thighs.

Three girls seem to be in the middle of bowling, one pink haired, mohawked, and a bit chubby (the sucker in her mouth giving little guess as to why), one of them slimmer and taller, with blonde tresses down to her back- and a winding tattoo going down to her neck, you can see as she slightly turns in your direction to complain to her compatriot- her face looks a bit scarred, actually. The third seems older aged, shocks of silver running through her shaggy brown hair, although in a plugsuit like all the others; she’s laughing at something the tattooed girl is saying in a light, reedy voice.

“Seems like there’s a bit o’ action ‘ere…” Jago chuckles. Although as he says that, a couple of them turn to look at you, and it seems the place quiets a bit. No one says anything, but tattoo girl is giving you a bit of an evil eye, though her older friend seems to be trying to glare the expression off her face and the bigger girl just seems surprised. The pool player gives you hardly a glance, pursing his lips slightly and turning back to his solo game. The card players don’t seem annoyed- if anything, they’re more...curious? Maybe something else, but you certainly can’t tell just standing here. And the darts group doesn’t seem to be bothered at all, with a redheaded pigtailed girl merely giving you a quick wave before turning back to watch the slick haired kid, who didn’t even bother.

“What shall we do?” Prima asks. She seems a bit...heated, curiously.

>Just head to the bar. No need to interfere with anyone’s good time.
>Tattoo girl clearly has a problem. But her friends don’t seem too bad.
>What’s so special about this dart thrower? You kinda want to see.
>Maybe there’s room for one more in one of the poker games?
>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.
>Other

>>3587401
>Just head to the bar. No need to interfere with anyone’s good time.
When in doubt, the bartender is a good place to start.

>>3587401
>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.

Maybe we can turn it into a four time play? Although loner usualy want to be alone so maybe he won't like it so much?

>>3587401
So many choices and only one Miranda.
>Tattoo girl clearly has a problem. But her friends don’t seem too bad.

>>3587401
>Just head to the bar. No need to interfere with anyone’s good time.
Let's just drink and have some bonding time with the bots.
why do I have the feeling this encounter will turn into a bar brawl sooner or later?

>>3587401
>>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.

>>3587476
Nah to turn it into a bar brawl we need to go after the lone guy. Because in mecha history the lone guy is the one all the girls want to ravaged by. Breaking the social circle by it since one of the girls like the guy giving tatoo girl a excuse to come and sucker punch us.

>>3587401
>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.

Time to whale a shark. I wonder what reaction we would get if we bet a mana stone.

>>3587401
>Just head to the bar. No need to interfere with anyone’s good time.

>>3587401
>>Just head to the bar. No need to interfere with anyone’s good time.

>>3587401
>Maybe there’s room for one more in one of the poker games?
If I recall, Miranda is pretty good at poker.

>>3587682
But what if we need money to play the poker game? At least in the bar we can have a tab.

>>3587401
>Just head to the bar. No need to interfere with anyone’s good time.

>>3587401
>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.
If we end up going for a drink we should first ask if it's free.

>>3587401
>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.

>>3587401
>Just head to the bar. No need to interfere with anyone’s good time.

>>3587401
>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.

Man, Scrappers get it rough, seems like.

>>3587401
>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.

>>3587401
>Just head to the bar. No need to interfere with anyone’s good time.

>>3587401
>Maybe there’s room for one more in one of the poker games?

>>3587401
>Join the loner at the pool table. He didn’t seem too put out.

oh boy, there are lots of 1 post tags

>>3589483
Oh, the irony.

>>3589490
Oh yes, definitely.

“Well, unless we want to look awkward about it, might as well try to be friendly,” you whisper back to her. “Let’s try the pool tables. They’re pretty unoccupied.”

“As you say,” she responds, and the three of you proceed onwards. There’s a number of eyes following you on your way back, and you’re getting some serious anger vibes, but you know how the game is- you’re not going to give them any reaction as you head to the rack and pick up a pool stick. A glance in the quiet man’s direction causes your eyes to meet with his briefly; he doesn’t seem to immediately respond to you, however, giving only a grunt as he cleans his stick. Right, so how to appro-

“Oy, this table open?” ...right. That’ll work, Jago, thanks. Prima seems to think similarly, giving him a small kick to the shins, to which he just looks baffled by.

Fortunately, the man doesn’t seem to be particularly offended; he just continues on as he was. “S’just me here.” Huh. For a person that looks that young, he’s got a really gravelly voice. “Do as you like.” That said, he DOES start gathering the balls up and racking them. “Didn’t think I’d ever see a Scrapper setting foot in Aegis territory unless it was to blow something up, much less work with them. And here I thought life couldn’t surprise me anymore…” Finished, he looks up at you, a slight question in his eyes. “Nine-ball?” You nod; that was fine. “I’m first,” he says with no preamble- you don’t dispute it.

He breaks well, despite not pocketing anything, when it’s your turn, you hit the 1-ball, but it’s a hair off the side pocket. “So. Guessing you didn’t just come here out of a change of heart. Bribed or ‘conscripted’?” The way he says the last one tells you he means something different than what he said. Although, right. Not everyone knew why you were here, exactly. Just vague ideas...

> “What if I said it’s a secret?”
> “Well, Aegis has deep pockets.”
> “If I said it was because of my bots, would you believe me?”
> Other

>>3589707
>> “What if I said it’s a secret?”

>>3589707
>“A little bit of "A", a little bit of "B" and well, i like money.”

>>3589707
> Other: "Family to feed. Have a couple of people that depends on me so i came here to get some money. We don't get out much for obvious reasons so since Aegis has deep pockets i though i could make one fast trip to get enough money to myself and the others in my care."

>>3589707
> “If I said it was because of my bots, would you believe me?”

...the bots and us will end up saying a different lie, right?

>>3589748
I'm assuming they'll let us take point. If otherwise then we'll just have to eye them first.

>>3589707
> “Well, Aegis has deep pockets.”

>>3589753
>Prima and jago say a different lie before we manage to respond.
>They get nervous because their lies are different and just keep spewing bullshit.
>We just shut them with out hands and tell him that its a secret.

>>3589748
I would say we could always take a time and work on our history. But since no one seems to give the bots to much attention because of their looks and the fact that setient machines doesn't look to be a thing here.

So i doubt anyone will actually take their time to talk with then.

>>3589777
The world outline mentions AI, and one of the nerds mentioned how having an AICA with an AI installed was weird, so it could be that they’re seen more as property or are regulated to avoid a Skynet situation, at least for Aegis anyway.

>>3589707
>> “Well, Aegis has deep pockets.”
True, without giving much of anything away.

>>3589707
> Other

"Win this game and I'll tell you".

>>3589707
>“Well, Aegis has deep pockets.”

>>3589707
> "Well, Aegis has deep pockets.”

>>3589707
> “Well, Aegis has deep pockets.”

>>3589707
>“Well, Aegis has deep pockets.”

>>3589707
You shrug, after a quick look at the bots, who merely look back, waiting for you to speak up. “Well, Aegis has deep pockets.” It’s not even untrue. “Figured it’d be worth my while.”

The man just snorts once as he takes his turn. “Figures. Now if only all the OTHER Scrappers realized that…” He takes his shot, and the ball goes in. “Not much of a life out there, if you ask me.” He lines up another as you watch carefully. Another shot, and a second goes. He flicks his eyes to you- to your side, and tilts his head in the direction of Prima and Jago. “You made those? Seems like they’ve got VIs installed. Simps, at least, right?”

“‘Simps’?” you ask on reflex.

Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to take it as odd. “Simulated personalities. Dunno what you call ‘em out there. Either way, it’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

“‘Ey, now, yer getting awful snippy, lad!” Jago spits back.

“I must agree,” Prima adds, and you have little doubt she’d be glaring if she could right now (not that you can’t detect a small dimming across part of her eyes). “You seem particularly rude right now!”

To your surprise, he snorts, and then chuckles, shaking his head. “Sure. Whatever you say…there’s a reason why no one ‘round here uses those, though. Too distracting.”

“They seem pretty fine to me,” you defend idly, only to meet his smirk again.

The ball clacks as he hits another shot. “Heh. Well, maybe for your kinda livin’, but-”

“Hey!” A sharp voice comes from a few feet away, the tone promising confrontation. You look up, and you’re not entirely surprised to see tattoo lady walking over; her pinkette friend is behind her, looking a bit nervous, but the older one is nowhere to be found. “Is she buggin’ you too much, Avos? You don’t have to deal with her.”

You can see his nostrils flare a bit, as he answers without looking. “She’s fine, Nira.” Having missed, he finally raises up, allowing you to take your turn. “I’d say I’ve been more curious about her than she, me.”

“Well, I mean THAT makes sense. Scrappers ain’t much for learning new stuff.” No, yeah, whatever else is up with her, she VERY clearly hates Scrappers, and the look in her eyes as she turns to you solidifies it as Avos just sighs lightly. “Why the hell they’d let one of you in here, I got no clue, but I’m keeping my eyes on you.” She almost WANTS to start a fight, and her pinkhaired friend stretches out a hand, as though to stop her, but pulls back at the last second, instead just giving you a pitying look as Jago and even Prima are moving, twitching a bit as though restraining themselves mightily as there’s a notable silence and tension in the air.

> Great. You need to try and de-escalate this, somehow. “Did I offend? Sorry if I did.”
> You’re not going to just sit here and take this crap. “You go around trying to intimidate kids for sport? Real mature.”
> Give her a cue stick.
>Other

>>3593140
> Give her a cue stick.

To play a game of pool with, right?

Because I'm pretty sure she'll be a shit player.

And the calmer we are and the more we refuse to take this seriously the more it will tweak her.

>>3593140
>Give her a cue stick.

>>3593140
>> You’re not going to just sit here and take this crap. “You go around trying to intimidate kids for sport? Real mature.”

>>3593140
>Give her a cue stick.

>>3593140
>> You’re not going to just sit here and take this crap. “You go around trying to intimidate kids for sport? Real mature.”
>Try this instead
>> Give her a cue stick.

>>3593140
> You’re not going to just sit here and take this crap. “You go around trying to intimidate kids for sport? Real mature.”

>>3593180
>Don't add other options

>>3593140
>You’re not going to just sit here and take this crap. “You go around trying to intimidate kids for sport? Real mature.”

>>3593140
>Other: "Your bosses hired me. That's all you need to know."

>>3593157
>>3593180
>>3593184


I hope that isn't a "Glass him" option.

>>3593556
handler doesn't do double entenderes, specially with sensitive options like this one.

>>3593140
>Give her a cue stick.
If I wasn't so late to the voting I would go for "ignore her and continue the game".

>>3593140
> Give her a cue stick.
Play pool or take a hike.

Part if me wants her to try and hit us with the stick...just so we can hold it before it can hit us.

It would also look cool too.

>>3593140
>> Give her a cue stick.

>>3593140
>> Give her a cue stick.
Hold onto it as she tries to yank it from our hand so she’ll stumble when we finally let go.