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jng2058 posted:I'd also say that if you can find it for something less than the price of a a couple of limbs, The Sword and the Dagger wasn't bad either, and sets up some things in the Warrior trilogy by Stackpole, which you should definitely read. The Warrior trilogy is also available from Amazon for Kindle and compatible readers for about $10, I think.
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Jun 20, 2011 17:05
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Taerkar posted:The Warrior trilogy is also available from Amazon for Kindle and compatible readers for about $10, I think. Compatible readers including the PC, as it happens. Though whether or not you find reading a novel on a monitor or laptop particularly satisfying is up to you. Cheapest The Sword and the Dagger is going for on Amazon is $35. And while I think it's pretty good, I don't find it $35 good. But if you can find it for something reasonable, by all means get it.
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Jun 20, 2011 17:14
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Blake was actually welcomed pretty warmly on Terra. There wasn't a whole lot of shooting he had to do for that one. He fell way short of his original plan, though, which was to re-establish order in the old Hegemony worlds by keeping the House Lords out. Kerensky's exodus cut his timetable for preparation short, so he had to use what forces he had put together at that point and at least secure Terra. He knew that if Terra got attacked and the HPG relays there got damaged it would mess up the entire network for years, so he had to accomplish that, at minimum, no matter what. Blake is like... the only guy in the Fall of the Star League era who actually seems decent enough, now that we're learning more about Kerensky.
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Jun 20, 2011 19:33
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Defiance Industries posted:Blake was actually welcomed pretty warmly on Terra. There wasn't a whole lot of shooting he had to do for that one. He fell way short of his original plan, though, which was to re-establish order in the old Hegemony worlds by keeping the House Lords out. Kerensky's exodus cut his timetable for preparation short, so he had to use what forces he had put together at that point and at least secure Terra. He knew that if Terra got attacked and the HPG relays there got damaged it would mess up the entire network for years, so he had to accomplish that, at minimum, no matter what. But the HPG network is also used to control all communications aren't they? I mean sure, that's needed to make sure every state doesn't collapse, but if that got shut down all of them would just invade and re-establish the system under their control, ending the wars early, right? Or is that too simple thinking on my part?
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Jun 20, 2011 19:59
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evilmiera posted:But the HPG network is also used to control all communications aren't they? I mean sure, that's needed to make sure every state doesn't collapse, but if that got shut down all of them would just invade and re-establish the system under their control, ending the wars early, right? Or is that too simple thinking on my part? Well that sort of assumes that you could coordinate some kind of massive interstellar invasion of the core of the inner sphere without a system of communications. With 5 successor states all spanning hundreds of worlds, without pre-planning, you have no way to communicate and coordinate your forces beyond a short series of jumpship 'pony express' lines of communications that take weeks to months to pass messages from system to system. Without central control of forces there'd be no way to really effectively fight the war, especially in a 'total war' mindset where jumpships themselves are targets of attack. The Dark Age novels kind of illustrate the difficulties of launching that kind of war in a communications blackout, and it was difficult for even the successor states to effectively take control of Republic territory during that time with any kind of coordination.
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Jun 20, 2011 20:10
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evilmiera posted:But the HPG network is also used to control all communications aren't they? I mean sure, that's needed to make sure every state doesn't collapse, but if that got shut down all of them would just invade and re-establish the system under their control, ending the wars early, right? Or is that too simple thinking on my part? Theoretically, but even during the Star League era, the advanced training to operate a Sphere-wide HPG network was in short supply. I'd compare it to another state coming in and trying to operate and maintain the GPS network entirely on their own.
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Jun 20, 2011 21:50
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Arquinsiel posted:The Rattler is a tank, the Wyrm is a submarine. The SDS is not that easy to bypass, and it can still gently caress you up if you get too close on the ground. The Wyrm was a WoB original development, though. Still, a network of Castle Brians with capital weapon able to gently caress up ships in orbt is by itself pretty drat bad news. DI is pretty much right about Blake himself having been a rather nice guy overall. A whole lot of the bullshit coming from ComStar and later the WoB can be blamed on Conrad Toyama, who took over when Blake died and turned ComStar into a religion.
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Jun 20, 2011 22:11
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Magni posted:The Wyrm was a WoB original development, though. Still, a network of Castle Brians with capital weapon able to gently caress up ships in orbt is by itself pretty drat bad news. Yeah, Blake just wanted to make sure the phones kept ringing. he's definately more of a philantropist than any of the current successor lords.
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Jun 20, 2011 22:45
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Hothouse: Introduction The Level I known as the "Final Word" marched in a loose formation, slowly advancing towards their isolated target along a twisting and turning river canyon. It had taken them days to progress--days in which the rest of the Com Guards fought and died to harass the Clan invaders and keep them off balance. They had slept perhaps three hours of the past six, but had crept inexorably closer to their objective; finally reaching it undetected. From his position atop a duney cliff, Demi-Precentor Kelly O'Donnely stared silently through his binoculars at the distant HPG. It seemed like every other he'd ever seen--and that was a bad sign. It was active, and the Clans knew how to use it--the hastily painted Black Knight of the Hell's Horses couldn't quite conceal the etched sword and star of Blake on the building's facade. "Not completely undefended after all," he mumbled quietly, slipping back down the steep slope to take a flying leap to the shoulder of his Crab. He slipped into the cockpit and quickly entered the data into his computer--broadcasting a quick burst to the rest of his lance. In keeping with ComStar's current naming conventions, he tagged three of the enemy 'Mechs with an Inner Sphere designation followed by a 'Mk II' and a 'C' for Clan--no matter how flawed and potentially deceptive he felt that naming convention was, Precentor Miraborg wanted it done 'for the sake of troop morale'. After all, hadn't blessed Blake himself commented that The familiar was always less frightening than the unknown?  New Special Rules: Electromagnetic Interference: All weapons suffer a +2 penalty to hit, all cluster-hit weapons suffer a -2 penalty, all Active Probes are rendered useless, and all ECM systems operate at double capacity. Rapids: All water hexes are rapids and apply an additional movement penalty and a penalty to piloting tests for any 'Mech moving through them. Pressure: All clanners automatically win initiative if they destroyed an enemy 'Mech on the previous turn. Inner Sphere Forces: KGC-001 King Crab - "Demi-Precentor XXIX Kelly O'Donnely" - DatonKallandor FLS-8K Flashman - "Acolyte XIV Erica Mars" - Uberjew BL6-KNT Black Knight - "Acolyte IX Guy Lesable" - Gothsheep EXT-4NS Exterminator - "Acolyte XXVI Evelyn Rush" - W.T. Fits LNX-9C Lynx - "Acolyte XI Pavil Cherenkov" - Revenant Threshold STY-3C Starslayer - "Acolyte XIII Gunter Lorraine" - Renaissance Spam Clan Forces: Dervish IIC Hunchback IIC Unknown Quad 1 Unknown Quad 2 King Crab IIC Tactical Update 1 coming soon
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Jun 21, 2011 02:15
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Oh dear lord, King Crab IIC? At least we have one of our own!
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Jun 21, 2011 02:19
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It's not quite as bad as it looks, since there is a canon King Crab IIC (see if you can find it). Actually, no, I'm mistaken--it's a 'Mech based on a never-produced cousin of the King Crab.
PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Jun 21, 2011 |
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Jun 21, 2011 02:21
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I've been catching up on this thread for the past three weeks and I just want to say thank you to PoptartsNinja and everyone else in the thread. It's been riveting reading and provided a great distraction during finals.
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Jun 21, 2011 02:25
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KGC-001 is GAUSS RIFLE KING CRAB... WELCOME TO LEVEL II PLAY BOYS. ok, the kgc-001 has dual gauss rifles in the arms, and a variety of additional weapons... large PULSE laser, (less range than regular large more damage and heat, and -2 to hit (in your favor) a lrm 15 and 2 streak srm 2s it is known as a "CLANBUSTER" varient." and has an inner sphere XL engine, this means any torso loss will kill the mech. good news it gives no fucks as it is an assault mech with a lot of armor and you want to get into range 3-7. gauss rifles are 22 max range 1 heat, 15 damage guns with minimum range 2 and short range 7, and explode if the GUN takes a hit so watch it. also this king crab has flipable arms, anything getting behind you can eat some deadly deadly gauss. Black knight 6 is the standard black knight, its a 4/6 heavy with zombie tendancies, use it to protect the king crab Flashman 8k is the original FLASHBULB MECH. it has an xl engine, moves 5/8 on a heavy, double heatsinks and mounts 3xLarge Lasers 5xMedium Lasers 1xFlamer 1xAnti-Missile System it is shooty. Exterminator is a 6/9 with an xl and made to run fast and fire poo poo... and its 65 tons of fun.. and POPTARTS SAY IT IS THE NULL SIGNATURE MODEL. The Lynx is a 5/8 medium with jumpjets and this version mounts an er ppc, some lasers, and more streak srms, also xl engine, watch out for torso busting. the starslayer is basicallya crab, it was made to replace the crab but failed... because crab gives no fucks. AtomikKrab fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Jun 21, 2011 |
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Jun 21, 2011 02:28
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PoptartsNinja posted:Clan Forces: Please please PLEASE be the ponymechs. Also be interesting to see your interpretation of the Dervish IIC. It's a mech I've always had a strange attachment to, despite not being all that hot.
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Jun 21, 2011 02:31
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AtomikKrab posted:KGC-001 is GAUSS RIFLE KING CRAB... Do you suppose the King Crab gives any fucks?
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Jun 21, 2011 02:32
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Zeroisanumber posted:Do you suppose the King Crab gives any fucks? see edit.
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Jun 21, 2011 02:35
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gently caress yeah. The King Crab has always been my favourite Tech 1 Mech. Forget about making some kind of all rounder, we're going to make 100 tonnes of close ranged death, arm it with 2 AC20's and a turn it loose. Twin Gauss Rifles though? King Crab now can give no fucks at any range.
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Jun 21, 2011 02:35
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Does the Lvl 1 refer to the King Crab or the full unit?Magni posted:The Wyrm was a WoB original development, though. Still, a network of Castle Brians with capital weapon able to gently caress up ships in orbt is by itself pretty drat bad news. Guys, you have two of my favourite chassis on the table now, but that means the Black Knight will lose the entire CT twice over, with enough crits to kill it three times, before anything else gets touched. The BL-6b-KNT is the royal, the BL-6-KNT is the standard Black Knight. It's still a dangerous mech, but not *as* dangerous. Arquinsiel fucked around with this message at 02:40 on Jun 21, 2011 |
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Jun 21, 2011 02:37
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AtomikKrab posted:Black knight 6 is the SLDF Royal model, it has double heat sinks, and large pulse lasers and an er ppc. ER ppcs do 10 damage but have 23 max range, no minimum range, and 15 heat. That's the 6b, although looking it over it's a superior design and an easy swap. AtomikKrab posted:Exterminator is a 6/9 with an xl and made to run fast and fire poo poo... and its 65 tons of fun.. and is some custom model of poptarts design who knows what it has. Null Signature System. It's a factory original.
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Jun 21, 2011 02:43
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what the poo poo null sig? my god. Alright, here is what null signature system is. Its what stealth armor wishes it was. 10 heat when active, but any guns firing at their medium or long range have an additional +1/+2 penalty respectively to hit you. it weighs nothing and takes up 7 crit slots, a hit to the critical slot will disable the null signature system. Pray tell does this Exterminator have a LPS as well? as to the enemies, the dervish is a refit with more guns... and the hunchback? it packs 2 ultra auto cannon 20. and 6 tons of armor. The pilot is expected to DIE. make it happen, it has 12 range max, and the king crab should rip it apart with gauss as soon as it can. (any hit by the gauss rifle on anything but the center torso will penetrate.) Oh also the gauss rifle is a headcapper. if it hits the head it automatically kills the enemy and does it at up to 22 hexes. I am not sure on the quads watch out on them and the KGC-IIC whatever that is it probably gives no gently caress... unless its a supernova. VVVVVV Still good. Also the null signature system makes the exterminator unable to be targetted as a secondary target, so it should always walk, and stay at range to get benefit from null sig... and hunt the hunchback which can threaten you if you let it close. OH right one more edit. Null signature takes us past level 2 play, Welcome to Experimental rules country... if only solely for that. and the chameleon LPS (light polarization shield) is null sigs buddy, it is compatiable and provides the same bonuses, takes up one less crit slot but some tonnage, and generates 6 heat. the bonuses stack so a mech with both does 16 extra heat and has +2/+4 at medium and long ranges, effectively doubling the range penalty. AtomikKrab fucked around with this message at 03:01 on Jun 21, 2011 |
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Jun 21, 2011 02:45
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AtomikKrab posted:Pray tell does this Exterminator have a LPS as well? You are not that fortunate, no.
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Jun 21, 2011 02:51
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Uhm, if this is supposed to be a balanced fight, then do I really want to know what the clans get? 
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Jun 21, 2011 03:00
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SynthOrange posted:Uhm, if this is supposed to be a balanced fight, then do I really want to know what the clans get? Probably not.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:02
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SynthOrange posted:Uhm, if this is supposed to be a balanced fight, then do I really want to know what the clans get? it is not a balanced fight, the hunchback IIC is a liability for the clanners, it sucks massive donkey dick. and its slow, short range, and ill armored... if you let it get close it will gently caress you up. at 13 hexes you can laught at it and blow it apart with ease. Dervish IIC is also in much the same boat but a little less suck.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:04
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We would tell you, but that information was redacted. Cool map! This one promises to be really interesting. A ton more L2 tech, and now we get to face off against the clans on a more even level (aka we might drop two of them this time  ). Can't wait to see how this turns out!
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Jun 21, 2011 03:04
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The Pegasus and Unicorn will surprise people, I'm sure.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:04
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Hmm, interesting battlefield. The EMI is an equal problem for both sides. Like others have stated, the Hunchback IIC will tear a mech apart at close range (in ultra firing mode, up to 80 damage in one turn). As for the unknown quad mechs, I will laugh if they are the fabled ponymechs. I assume the Dervish IIC is a PTN special? Edit: PoptartsNinja posted:The Pegasus and Unicorn will surprise people, I'm sure.  ) to seeing them in action.
landcollector fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Jun 21, 2011 |
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Jun 21, 2011 03:10
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quote:Dervish IIC Yay! Thank you. That King Crab IIC is gonna be the double ER PPC/double LB-10 version, and it is going to gently caress you up. Great Com Guard Mechs all around, though.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:11
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Oh man, I forgot all about the Starslayer's goofy head-mounted rear-firing small laser.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:17
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PoptartsNinja posted:Oh man, I forgot all about the Starslayer's goofy head-mounted rear-firing small laser. your clever plan is now ruined, the rear firing small laser will cripple your surprise attack.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:18
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With our luck? Hunchback IIC for Clan MVP, it'll take out at least two ComGuards. And we will have only PTN's dice to blame.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:24
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Don't be so quick to doubt, Xarbala, we've seen some roller-coaster luck between the different rounds of this thread. The Comguards could blow through these guys like nothing or end up as so many craters or anywhere in between.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:30
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Having been a Welsh lass now floating somewhere above this rock, i'm now Russian. Should be interesting to see what can be done with my armament this time around, though I suspect the words "Fire ER PPC" will crop up in my orders a lot.
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Jun 21, 2011 03:38
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AtomikKrab posted:your clever plan is now ruined, the rear firing small laser will cripple your surprise attack. "NOO! Your drat laser managed to headshot me and kill mypilot after I took an IS LL to the face! drat YOU!!!"
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Jun 21, 2011 03:39
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There's a canned adventure for Mechwarrior 3rd edition that has an insane Comstar Precentor use the HPG like a death ray on attacking 'mechs. If the ComGuard wins this one, maybe they can try and use it to burn out the electronics on the already-damaged Lola III?
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Jun 21, 2011 05:17
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Little nitpick: the unit is a Level II. A Level I would be just one mech. Other than that: gently caress yes, you get a King Crab and a Starslayer. Show them the Light of Mankind, boys! Also: what do I get for knowing what the King Crab IIc is? Is there a prize? Defiance Industries fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Jun 21, 2011 |
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Jun 21, 2011 05:48
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Preechr posted:There's a canned adventure for Mechwarrior 3rd edition that has an insane Comstar Precentor use the HPG like a death ray on attacking 'mechs. If the ComGuard wins this one, maybe they can try and use it to burn out the electronics on the already-damaged Lola III? One of the novels has Katrina Steiner trying to defend a planet from Victor hired mercs by shooting down their dropships with a microwave power station. It works relatively well (her plan having been based on when someone did it hundreds of years ago to save the same world from invasion), so maybe ComGuard has something like it up their sleeve elsewhere that wouldn't entail heavy damage to an HPG relay.
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Jun 21, 2011 05:54
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Not hundreds of years ago. Like 30, which is what makes the idea so dumb. As if they would forget about it already.
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Jun 21, 2011 05:56
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Cluster rounds are at a -2 penalty? Oh, you mean on the cluster table, okay.
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Jun 21, 2011 06:14
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Zaodai posted:One of the novels has Katrina Steiner trying to defend a planet from Victor hired mercs by shooting down their dropships with a microwave power station. It works relatively well (her plan having been based on when someone did it hundreds of years ago to save the same world from invasion), so maybe ComGuard has something like it up their sleeve elsewhere that wouldn't entail heavy damage to an HPG relay. The FS also do it to the death commandos during the 4th succession war if I'm not mistaken.
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Jun 21, 2011 06:19
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