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Mercenary Company Vote “It’s been a pleasure serving with you,” Lt. Alec Delwyn threw a smart Free World-style salute, then took a moment to smooth out the wrinkles doing so made in his blue dress uniform. Duncan’s smile was thin, his return salute nowhere near as precise as Jason’s, but he felt it was respectful enough. “You’re our liaison officer—they’re pulling you away rather unexpectedly, aren’t they Lieutenant?” Alec bowed his head apologetically, “Sorry, Duncan. It can’t be helped. That little raiding party we fought off was just the tip of the iceburg, the Clans made a big push and the Third Dragoons took some significant damage. My company took a hit and they need me back to fill the holes,” Alec’s head rose again, meeting Duncan’s gaze. The young officer was fighting to suppress a smile. “It’s Lokhagos now. Ah, ‘captain,’ I suppose. And the Republic can’t spare a captain as a company liaison.” “Well, I suppose that just means we’ll have to recruit some of the independent mercenary companies and bring ourselves up to Battalion strength,” Duncan joked. What else could he do? It’d be a shame to lose Alec, the Demon Hawks could’ve been assigned far worse for their first liaison officer, but the kid’s loyalty was ultimately to his own unit. Duncan couldn’t really fault that. “I hope that doesn’t mean,” Jason interjected coldly, “that the Republic’s planning on breaching our contract and folding us into a normal command?” “Not at all,” Alec held up a hand, waving away Jason’s concern dismissively. “You’re heading to one of our deep supply bases to repair and rearm, you’ll meet up with your new liaison there. Those bases are being guarded by the Colonial Marshals, so you’ll likely be assigned a senior marshal unless there’s another unit nearby who can spare an actual officer.” “Marshals,” Duncan quirked an eyebrow. “That sounds more like a militarized police force than a military command.” “It is and it isn’t,” Alec admitted. “For one, they’re volunteers. In order to join the Colonial Marshals you have to serve a term in the RWA and leave in good standing, so they’re all veterans even if they haven’t necessarily seen combat. The Marshals are part military reserve, part police, and part tool to help integrate soldiers back into civilian life rather than just removing them from the army’s structured existence and leaving them to fend for themselves. Every Marshal here volunteered—” “Yeah, we get it,” Jason clapped Alec on the shoulder. “You’ve put my concerns to rest. Congratulations on the promotion, Alec.” Duncan couldn’t help but interject, “I promise we won’t do anything too illegal in front of the Marshals.” **************************************** The battered, blackened Atlas, its crimson and white paint still visible in spite of buckled, warped armor plating and laser scoring, stepped confidently through the massive, armored gates of the Catherine Humphreys Memorial Staging Area. Built into the core of the Xohn Pinnacle, the only thing that really kept the CHMS Facility from being a Castle Brian was the lack of exterior gun turrets. Without them, it was little more than an oversized repair and storage facility, dwarfing the aboveground facility the Demon Hawks had been tasked to protect by several orders of magnitude. The Atlas paused momentarily as though it were a man taking a moment to let his eyes adjust to the interior darkness. Most likely the pilot was simply overwhelmed by row upon row of BattleMechs contained within. A bored ground technician waved a pair of traffic safety batons, catching the warrior’s attention and directing the Atlas towards the repair bays in the rear of the facility. With no small skill the pilot raised its left hand in a reasonable approximation of the Republic’s salute. “Marvelous.” “He’s not that good,” The second speaker crossed her arms, her expression souring slightly as she regarded the Atlas. “That pilot needs to do some serious drilling if he’s going to meet to Republic standards.” “Come now, Marshal Romero, don’t be so judgmental. Captain Kalma is Inner sphere nobility,” the first speaker clapped his hands together, his lips curling into a rather vicious smile. “He hasn’t had the benefits of a proper military education. He’s the Demon Hawks’ diplomat and contract negotiator, if he were a brilliant MechWarrior besides I’d be very tempted to recruit him. In any case, I wasn’t talking about the pilot. I was talking about his BattleMech.” “That,” the woman sputtered, her low, gruff voice suggesting she wasn’t the sort who ever offered undeserved praise, “rusty hunk of walking garbage? I’m surprised it can even walk. And its armaments make no sense! Light autocannons, a PPC, it’s like it was put together from spare parts by a schizophrenic madman.” “Precisely,” the man agreed. “The ingenuity of mankind—our stubborn refusal to lie down and die for a universe that hates and despises us—will always a marvel to behold. He engaged the Clans with that Atlas and walked away with his unit intact. He lost BattleMechs, but the Demon Hawks suffered only minor injuries and in the end the Clans actually quit the field rather than pursuing the engagement. There isn’t a single Republic unit on Andurien that has engaged the enemy and can boast of the same.” “If the rest of his unit is as skilled as that Atlas pilot,” the woman snorted derisively, “they got luck—” Her voice was drowned out by the roar of jump jets as a blue and gold Phoenix Hawk bearing the Demon Hawks’ bizarre logo touched down just inside the facility’s armored gate. There weren’t many pilots willing to risk jumping into a `Mechbay, but the Phoenix Hawk’s pilot landed his machine on a single flexed leg and turned the landing into a walk so fluid and casual it would’ve been impossible to tell he’d been rocketing through the air on a barely-controlled fusion explosion only moments before. The pilot didn’t waste a movement, simply following the Atlas before the stunned ground crew could direct him to do so. The Marshal’s jaw worked for a few moments in silence, as though she wanted to find something to criticize but couldn’t. After a moment she coughed to clear her throat. “So that’s the pilot you’ve broken a Screamer out of mothballs for.” “It is.” “I still don’t like the idea of giving mercenaries current-generation equipment. We could drop back two, three gens and still blow the garbage they’re riding out of the water.” An oddly re-designed Hunchback ducked through the gate, its pilot moving with quiet competence. They didn’t show off the way the Phoenix Hawk had, but if that pilot was any less skilled it was a matter of degrees. The Marshal’s companion raised an arm to point at it. “Those are salvaged Clan Ultra Autocannons. And the Phoenix Hawk’s Large Pulse Laser is also salvaged Clantech. No, the Demon Hawks are not run-of-the-mill mercenaries, Marshal.” A perfect white smile split the man’s face and brought the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes into sharp relief. “Besides. What’s the point of being in charge if I can’t play favorites every now and then? They’re your charges now. Let’s go meet them.” **************************************** Jason clambered down the leg of his Phoenix Hawk. As soon as his feet touched the ground he rolled his shoulders and threw his arms back, indulging in a few long moments of relief as he stretched his lower back. A technician tossed him a bottle of some electrolyte-rich local sports drink, and Jason nodded his thanks before taking a sip. Piloting a BattleMech was more exhausting than civilians credited. Even in normal operations a BattleMech’s cockpit almost never kept a steady temperature. Instead, the whole BattleMech heated and cooled at a semi-steady but irregular rate whenever the Fusion Engine decided the machine needed a little more power or a coolant pump failed to activate because the temperature hadn’t spiked quite high enough yet. The constant cycle of quick heating and cooling was rough on the human body, but the air inside the Republic’s repair facility was almost frigid by comparison. Sweat rolled down Jason’s bare calves, leaving icy-feeling stripes on his skin. It wasn’t the first subterranean facility he’d been in, but in his limited experience they were all like this. One didn’t need to refrigerate the inside of a mountain, simply being cut off from direct sunlight by a few million tons of rock was enough to leave everything right around ten degrees Celsius. A facility of this size hardly needed an air conditioner, just an adequate air circulation system and perhaps a few heaters in the technician dormitories. As if mirroring Jason’s thoughts, Duncan held his arms in front of a wall vent, letting the base’s heaters dry him a little. He turned, regarded Jason for a long moment. “Christ, Jason, did you see the size of this place? ComStar would tie themselves in knots if they saw all this hardware in one place.” “The combined Industrial might of the past hundred years. Give or take,” A tanned older man with just a hint of a sunburn on his brow waved an arm towards the storage facility. Jason regarded the newcomer silently. He looked fit enough, but his salt-and-pepper hair wasn’t shaved at the temples and Jason doubted the man worked out as obsessively as most MechWarriors tended to. As if summoned by the man’s gesture, the BattleMech Recovery Vehicle carting around the company’s captured Copperhead pulled to a stop. He was flanked by a tall, severe-looking woman of Free Worlds Spanish descent, but she seemed content to let him speak his piece. “Ah, your conquest. Lt. Delwyn’s report was very thorough—taken almost entirely intact,” the man continued, studying the lines of the Clan machine as though trying to commit it to memory. “Central Command was disinclined to let you keep it, having an intact Clan machine to study would be quite the windfall. But I suspect we’ll be swimming in technology to reverse engineer once the fighting’s done. One `Mech is a drop in the bucket compared to what the Snow Ravens and, ah, Sea Foxes? Are landing on our doorstep.” Duncan opened his mouth to reply, but Jason raised a hand to stop him. He swallowed, stiffening slightly and saluted the man who was ultimately his employer. “President Amaris. This is unexpected—I didn’t think you were actually on Andurien.” The man’s escort quirked an eyebrow appreciatively. Amaris smiled. “See, Marshal? I told you they’re not your average mercenary company. You must be Captain Youngblood. I hear you’re quite the pilot, and I know Marshal Romero was impressed by your entrance.” Jason held his tongue for a moment to master his tumultuous thoughts. “I’m nothing special, highness—” “Oh no. No, no, no,” Stefan Amaris wagged a finger, then clapped his hand together, drawing Jason’s attention away from his thoughts and back to the man himself. “My family rejected the trappings of Inner Sphere nobility long ago. Sir is sufficient in public, and in private I don’t much stand on formality. Stefan is fine. Or Mr. Amaris if that’s too much for you.” “Thank you, Stefan,” Duncan’s irreverent smirk told Jason he’d mostly recovered from the initial shock. “I think what my tongue-tied companion is trying to say is: we’re not certain we’re happy to find you here on Andurien. The Clans—” “—Are here to kill an Amaris,” Stefan replied with a trace of anger. It was obviously a conversation he’d had before. “And if it comes down to it, I intend to let them. What my family has built out in the periphery is more important than my personal survival. Make no mistake, I have every intention to live a very long time. We intend to cripple their ability to wage war on the ground and keep the Clans contained here, on Andurien, but unless the Clans commit the bulk of their warships to Andurien’s gravity well winning on the ground may be a moot point. So for the time being, we’re fighting for a stalemate on the ground.” Duncan blinked. “So. The grand plan is to drag this out until they get bored?” “I think it’s to drag it out until they do something stupid,” Jason corrected. “Which only works if the first stupid thing they do isn’t nuking us all from orbit.” Amaris nodded in agreement. “Notwithstanding, of all the forces I’ve assembled here, your little company is the only one that has impressed me.” Amaris held up a hand to forestall his escort’s protest. “Which isn’t to say that my forces are in any way fighting badly, Marshal. I’m simply not in the habit of rewarding mere competence. They are meeting my expectations and that is sufficient. I am,” he paused momentarily, turning back to regard Jason for a brief moment before directing his gaze straight at Duncan, “in the habit of rewarding those who exceed my expectations. Commensurately. Sell me your Atlas.” Duncan coughed. “What?” “It’s remarkable,” Amaris pressed. “I’ve always been something of a collector of tools, modified far beyond their designers’ original expectations. Your Atlas would be the prize of my collection—gutted by battle damage and scavengers and still returned to a condition capable of not simply fighting, but defeating numerically superior Clan force. It’s beautiful. In an admittedly grotesque way. It’s a walking monument to humanity’s determination and I love everything about it, right down to the utterly nonsensical armament.” A massive form loomed out of the darkness, its body painted in the same crimson and white as Duncan’s Atlas. The grinning white skull of a face stared down at them with an expression that seemed purposefully-designed to be contemptuous. The `mech was huge, but sleek, lacking some of the sheer bulk of Duncan’s Atlas and the massive barrel of a Gauss Rifle—larger than any Jason had ever seen—jutted from the right side of its torso. The medium lasers he’d been expecting on the Atlas’s arms had been removed, and replaced with short-barreled weapons that shimmered like PPCs. It lacked the Atlas’s customary missile launcher—indeed it looked as though the `Mech had never been designed with missiles in mind. From what little he’d seen, the Rim Worlders seemed to prefer direct-fire energy weapons and Gauss Rifles to autocannons and missiles. “The RAS-04a Atlas Mk. III,” Amaris’s companion began. “Derived from Kerensky’s own Atlas Mk. II, at close range the Heavy Gauss Rifle in the right torso can kill a Firestarter with a single shot to center mass. We haven’t had the opportunity to put it to the test, but our analysts think it would take a little more than three direct hits to cripple or even outright kill a Varangian. It’s backed by a trio of snub-nose PPCs. They lack the focus and some of the range of the PPCs you’re used to, but their wider beam makes them more accurate out to 270 meters or so. It’s also equipped with triple-strength myomer—” “Which, in spite what the name implies,” Amaris interjected sardonically, “effectively doubles the machine’s strength.” “Under certain conditions,” the Marshal finished. “Its armor is also a leap beyond the ferro-fibrous armor you’re used to. It’s roughly twelve percent tougher than any `Mech you’ve ever piloted.” “And about twice as expensive as your own Atlas,” Amaris added with a laugh. “It’s a bleeding edge machine, at least comparable and very likely superior to the Clan machines you’ve faced thus far. It’s so new only a select few of our field commanders have been assigned one. If you accept, you may very well be the first person to pilot one in actual combat.” “I,” Duncan muttered, “I’ll have to consider—” “The offer also comes with a gift for your partner,” Amaris continued relentlessly. “I wouldn’t reward one of you and let discontent fester.” “I don’t need a new `Mech,” Jason said in low tones. He didn’t—the Phoenix Hawk had been his father’s, it was almost impossible to imagine piloting anything else. “And I’m not looking to sell my—” “I’m only interested in buying Duncan’s Atlas,” Amaris dismissed his concerns with an annoyed wave. “But if you’ll allow me to make a personal observation? I’m not Mechwarrior but even I can see that you’re stagnating in that Phoenix Hawk. You’ve pushed it to its limits but it’s not capable of pushing you to yours. You need something new, even if you decide to return to the Phoenix Hawk afterwards.” Compared to the Atlas III’s hulking form, the gift Stefan Amaris had in mind for Jason looked tiny. It was long and angular, possessing some of the same lines as an Aerospace fighter, but it was clear enough to see this machine had never been intended to fly. It was too bulky, and the hips and retrograde legs looked more suited to a Marauder than a medium BattleMech. Its right arm ended in the barrel of a PPC, the left a pair of lasers, an armament very similar to the one Jason was familiar with. “The SCR-3R Screamer,” Amaris’s companion explained. “A very old design that helped fight Kerensky on Terra. The SCR-3R is a production version of the SCR-1X Screamer Land-Air `Mech. This one lacks the disappointing land-air functionality. Instead of the delicate and fragile conversion systems, roughly twenty-one percent of the Screamer’s mass is devoted to ‘improved’ Jump Jets and a partial wing to provide enhanced aerial maneuverability. The Screamer will carry you farther and faster than any `Mech you’ve ever piloted. It’s faster in the air than it is on the ground.” “I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s the single most dangerous BattleMech ever produced,” the woman paused for several long moments, “and it’s nearly as dangerous to its pilots as it is to the enemy.” “Don’t frighten him, Marshal,” Amaris’s voice cooled momentarily. “It’s true that the Screamer demands respect and a skilled pilot, but its reputation as a ‘pilot killer’ is undeserved.” The Marshal regarded Amaris’s back for a long moment. “No one `Mech should have that much power, Sir. In the whole of the Republic, there are only seven pilots certified to pilot a Screamer. So understand this is not a machine we give away lightly. It’s also very easy to keep in the field—in the event of damage to the primary armament the ER PPC in the right arm can be jettisoned and a replacement installed in a matter of minutes. Its armor, however, is several generations out of date. It’s only utilizing ferro-fibrous, which means you’ll need to take extra care to keep it intact.” Duncan turned, shared a glance with Jason. Jason nodded in reply. It wouldn’t be the same as his Phoenix Hawk, but he wanted to give that Screamer a try. “We accept,” Duncan replied, “while I’d much prefer a Shadow Hawk or a Warhammer, we need something capable of taking a beating—and as long as no one else is willing to take a hit or two for the company, that means I’m elected. We’ll reserve the right to trade the Screamer back to you in exchange for something else if Jason doesn’t like it; and seeing as we’ll be up a `Mech with no spare pilot, we’d very much appreciate it if you’d pay any storage fees and tell your techs not to monkey with it without Jason’s supervision.” Jason smiled apologetically, “I finally got the command couch positioned just right.” Amaris laughed, “Ever the bargainers. You mercenaries could teach the Clans a thing or two about ‘bidding.’ Done and done, if you don’t like it there’s no sense keeping it. Just try to return it in one piece, we haven’t built very many of them and the RWA always grumbles a little when they hear I’ve ordered a replacement.” The man smiled, “Oh, and before I forget, let me introduce you to your new liaison officer: Marshal Romero. She’ll be serving alongside you and looking out for the Republic’s interests. You’ll have a little time to repair and rearm your machines, and for your people to familiarize themselves with the replacement machines we’ll be providing. I took the liberty of having all of your replacements painted in your company’s colors but our technical staff will be able to direct your pilots to the correct replacement machines.” “We’ve also done an analysis of the Komodo,” Marshal Romero interjected. “With your pilot’s permission, we’d like to modify it to make it more effective against Elementals. Our technical staff think they can enhance its armor and give it a bit more long-range bite while they’re at it. It probably won’t be much, but anything beats praying the Clans won’t tear you to pieces before you get close enough to shoot back. The Tempest and Enfield are total losses—we don’t have the parts to repair them so we’re going to need to replace those machines, and,” she paused a touch sheepishly, “the Republic hasn’t built a twenty ton BattleMech in over a hundred and fifty years. I don’t think there’s a single Locust on Andurien—so we’ve found something else for your scouts to pilot. I hope that won’t be a problem.” “It should be fine,” Duncan agreed. “We’ll discuss it with them. If they don’t like the replacements we’ll let you know before you throw us back into the fight.” **************************************** “I’m sorry, Captain, but I’m out.” Duncan rubbed his eyes. It hadn’t been unexpected, a man didn’t earn a callsign like ‘heat sink’ unless there was something wrong upstairs. Duncan and Jason had hedged their bets on a hot temper, but Barna had cracked in the battle with the Clanners. Duncan couldn’t say he was surprised, but all the same it was disappointing. “I’ve already spoken with the Marshal, the Republic will repair my `Mech once the fighting’s over and they’ll give me a job driving a loader `Mech in the meantime, so I’m not going to starve.” Barna grimaced, unable to meet Duncan’s gaze. “So. I’m done. I’m not even going to ask for severance. I’ve been in combat before but it was never like that. I don’t want to go through that again.” Duncan nodded, “I understand, Barna. I can’t force you to stay, so take care of yourself alright?” The man nodded and turned, walking away without a second glance. Duncan massaged his forehead with his fingers—they still had twelve pilots, but it was disappointing. Against the Clanners he’d rather have had a little leeway, something they wouldn’t necessarily be expecting. A technological edge wasn’t enough, and Duncan was always ready to resort to dirty tricks. Even having a single extra `Mech in the company would be enough to throw most enemies looking for twelve targets for a loop. If there were thirteen, then there must be another company—or even a full battalion! “Marshal, this is Demon,” Duncan leaned on the intercom switch for the office the Republic had loaned him for the duration of their repair and rearmament. “I’d like to hire another pilot. Have any of the other mercenary units dropped below effective combat strength?” “Looking to poach someone?” She sounded more amused than surprised. With Amaris gone, she’d relaxed considerably. It probably hadn’t hurt that Jason had simply taken her apart in the simulators. She seemed like the type who was a bit too caught up individual piloting skill to see the real big picture. “The 1st “Galatea Irregulars” pulled a fast one on our negotiators,” she admitted. “Three independent lances banded together to take our contract without any clear idea who was in charge or whose orders to follow. In their first combat outing they were a disorganized mess, and they’ve lost all three lance commanders. There’re only seven of them left now, none of whom are especially happy with one another. They’re all currently looking to join up with other outfits. I’ll send their files over. Just let me know who you want and we’ll fold them straight into your contract.” Duncan nodded, “Thank you, Marshal.” He let go of the intercom, settling back into his chair. That was one crisis averted, assuming any of the pilots in the Galatea Irregulars were up to snuff. Of course, if he hired none of them there’d be more money for the pilots remaining, but he’d be giving up his psychological ace-in-the-hole. His computer beeped as the files arrived and he started winnowing out the ones he knew Jason would reject instantly. In the end he marked three for further review and forwarded them over to Jason’s station with his notes appended. They all still had their original machines, which Duncan preferred. There were enough Demon Hawks who’d be stuck familiarizing themselves with new machines. A replacement pilot would have enough to worry about just trying to fit in. Jason would help him figure out which of his four choices were cowards and which among them had just proven smarter than their lance commanders. He expected at least one would be cut, and then a final interview would winnow out the rest. “Now I just need to figure out what to do with the Copperhead.” “Well, that’s simple,” Bethany leaned against the doorframe. Duncan had no idea how long she’d been standing there—probably quite some time. “You’re putting me in charge of Battle Lance, right? I can pilot it.” Hiring Vote A) Teri LeRoy (g4p4) - BSW-X1 Bushwacker B) Shin Metis (g4p5) - CRD-5S Crusader C) Gordon Franklin (g3p4) - CLN-7W Chameleon D) None of them Pilot Reassignment Vote A) Give Bethany the Copperhead, sideline Noretti B) Give Noretti (g3p4) the Copperhead, leave Bethany in the Hunchback C) Give Bethany the Copperhead, allow Noretti to pilot the Phoenix Hawk D) Let Bethany pilot the `Mech of her choice, turn Noretti over to the Rim World Republic PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Jun 30, 2016 |
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Apr 14, 2016 20:42
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Noretti is the captive, the one who surrendered last mission?
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Apr 14, 2016 20:59
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Octatonic posted:Noretti is the captive, the one who surrendered last mission? Yep. The Warhawk pilot.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:00
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Correct.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:00
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Who's Noretti? And why does it seem like we're pressing charges with the whole "turning over" ?
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Apr 14, 2016 21:11
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Hire the Chameleon pilot and D turn Noretti over to the RWR. I'm assuming our Lyran Mech Reporter is going to choose to drive the Copperhead over her Hunchback. My first instinct regarding Noretti was that overall he would be more useful to the RWR as a source of information than another mech jock, but I wouldn't mind clarification as to how much information he would likely provide under interrogation. I also wanted to say how much I love the way you write El Presidente Amaris PTN. I cracked up when he offered to buy the DadAtlas off of Duncan. He's so delightfully 
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Apr 14, 2016 21:19
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The new machine options: Chameleon 7W is a jumpy medium 6/9/6 with an er large laser, medium pulse laser and regular medium laser. Crusader 5S is a 4/6 heavy missile boat with 2 LRM 15s and a pair of knee mounted srm 6s. also has a pair of medium lasers and flamer for added close range punch  Also has CASE'd SRM ammo in the center torso  Bushwacker X1 is one of the first Inner Sphere Omnimechs. 5/8 medium with armaments best described as a clusterfuck: 2 lrm 5s, an ER Large Laser, an AC/10, and a pair of machine guns. Has tactically irrelevant CASE preventing total destruction from ammo explosions but will be disabled by destruction of its XL engine in the process. Affi posted:Who's Noretti? And why does it seem like we're pressing charges with the whole "turning over" ? The Warhawk pilot who is either our bondsman or the RWA's POW.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:19
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So, what do you think thread? With Noretti on the table, the option to go full Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries is still open to us. This could end in Mr. Youngblood having his own lovely fifedom to get blown up in during the coming jihad! (I don't think that selling out and joining the clans is an option, but I'm sure PTN has surprises for us)
Octatonic fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Apr 14, 2016 |
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Apr 14, 2016 21:21
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Against the clans we can totally use more jumpy assholes like option C for the hiring vote. Buuut... If option D lets us improve the skills on more than one of our existing pilots, that might actually be a better use of our funds/time/etc. Especially if we vote for something like option C to put Bondsman Noretti back in the cockpit- That would put us up to 13 pilots as well, yea? e: nevermind, I guess with one of our existing pilots retiring that Noretti would only bring us back to 12. Regardless of the first choice, I'd definitely go with putting our captured Clanner to work for the Demon Hawks, so voting option C for that. Gwaihir fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Apr 14, 2016 |
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Apr 14, 2016 21:25
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I'm going with option A for both the hiring vote and the pilot reassignment. The Chameleon is probably the best mech of the three and has the best pilot, but I really like the Bushwacker even though it's kind of a mess in terms of weaponry. As for the piloting reassignment, I'd hold off on assigning Noretti for the time being while also not handing him/her over to the NRWR. A bondsman could be a boon to the company, but I'd be hesitant about putting him/her in the cockpit again so soon given the nature of the campaign and our employer.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:27
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Scintilla posted:I'm going with option A for both the hiring vote and the pilot reassignment. The Chameleon is probably the best mech of the three and has the best pilot, but I really like the Bushwacker even though it's kind of a mess in terms of weaponry. As for the piloting reassignment, I'd hold off on assigning Noretti for the time being while also not handing him/her over to the NRWR. A bondsman could be a boon to the company, but I'd be hesitant about putting him/her in the cockpit again so soon given the nature of the campaign and our employer. Hard to say since we haven't seen anything from Noretti's PoV, but they're probably not bloodlust for Amaris crazy because of the whole actually surrendering when disarmed thing, and hey, putting Clan Bondsmen to work for us turned out great in the Death Commandos campaign!
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Apr 14, 2016 21:29
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C for hiring A for pilot reassignment Let's keep Noretti around and see what we can get out of him. Don't trust the fucker just yet though, especially since we'll be fighting against his former comrades. Bethany will be great in the Copperhead. Still don't quite trust her yet too but we'll see. A medium jumpy mech is nice. Good pilot too. Would have preferred to see something with a little more beef since Gooncompany took some heavy damage last fight, but it'll do.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:32
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Between Duncan's new Ferro-lammelor beatstick Atlas and that 27 tons of hardened armor Grasshopper I wager we're gonna be pretty OK in the BEEFCAKE department. e: Also +1 for great writing in this update PTN!
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Apr 14, 2016 21:37
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Hiring Vote C) Gordon Franklin (g3p4) - CLN-7W Chameleon Pilot Reassignment Vote D) Let Bethany pilot the `Mech of her choice, turn Noretti over to the Rim World Republic Jumpy fucker is cool. And never trust clanners. Eventually they will figure out their bondsman shtick is dumb. And with bethany possibly being a spy having two clanners turning on us. Eh.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:39
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Can we put Noretti in the hunchback?
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Apr 14, 2016 21:40
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Pilot Hiring: A - I have a soft spot for Bushwackers. Reassignment: D - I'm fine with Bethany driving the Clan mech I guess, but I'm mostly voting to turn our PoW over to the NRWR. I maintain my opinion that he is a security risk under the current combat conditions, and he might get us some more brownie points with El Presidente. Plus, there's a chance he'll provide intel to the NRWR that will get us a mission we wouldn't see otherwise!
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Apr 14, 2016 21:42
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The -7W Chameleon has an ER Large laser, 11 DHS, 2 Medium Lasers, and a Medium Pulse. It's a jumpy 50-ton zombie, which is really nice with a good pilot. The CRD-5S is a 65-tonner which has 10 DHS, 2 LRM-15s, 2 SRM-6s, 2 medium lasers, and a flamer. It has CASE for its ammo, but it's probably a bit vulnerable. The Bushwacker has an AC/10, 2 LRM-5s, an ERLL and 2 MGs. Note that it runs an XLFE and has mediocre armor, so it's extremely fragile.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:43
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Noretti could turn out to be useful. Keep him around and give him the Phoenix Hawk , let Bethany pilot the Mad Dog, because Jason isn't going to be using it and she's the lance commander. Option C I have no opinion at all on the additional pilot. Edit: I have to say that fluff is way better when you were a part of creating it. Amaris was impressed with us 
Ice Fist fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Apr 14, 2016 |
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Apr 14, 2016 21:43
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My vote is A and A. I have a soft spot for goofy as hell looking mechs like the Bushwacker. And it would be C for reassignment if that were putting Noretti in the Hunchback.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:46
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Bushwacker Bushwacker Bushwacker Bushwacker yup yup yup yup A Turn that Clanner over. D.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:50
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Voting C for the hiring. Another jumpy mech will be good, but imo more importantly given the surplus of RWR mechs and shortage of pilots, it comes with the best pilot. Voting B for reassignment, if Noretti turns traitor on us at least it'll be entertaining!
Wafflecopper fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Apr 14, 2016 |
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Apr 14, 2016 21:50
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Scintilla posted:I'm going with option A for both the hiring vote and the pilot reassignment. The Chameleon is probably the best mech of the three and has the best pilot, but I really like the Bushwacker even though it's kind of a mess in terms of weaponry. As for the piloting reassignment, I'd hold off on assigning Noretti for the time being while also not handing him/her over to the NRWR. A bondsman could be a boon to the company, but I'd be hesitant about putting him/her in the cockpit again so soon given the nature of the campaign and our employer. Seconding this.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:50
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C and C. Bethany knows how to pilot it, the bondsman is a useful asset on the field, especially in a jumpymech with a CLPL. A 3-gunner in a parity-jumper medium is a handful.
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Apr 14, 2016 21:50
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Man you guys are paranoid! Clan pilots are a huuuge asset, and something like 8/12 of our current pilots are a merely average 4/5. Hanging on to a 3/4, especially one that might have personal insight in to the ~recurring antagonist~ that we let walk off the field is super good. Vote C/C!
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Apr 14, 2016 21:51
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Voting C for hiring and A for piloting choices. The Chameleon seems like it's the best bet to hire now that I've had the strengths and weaknesses of the mechs of the prospective new members explained to me. Want to keep the Clanner bondsman with us right now, see if he can provide any more intel to us. Turning him over to the NRWR seems like he's gonna disappear into a deep dark hole somewhere. Also, Bethany used another contraction. She's learning to keep in character. GhostStalker fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Apr 15, 2016 |
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Apr 14, 2016 21:53
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Artificer posted:C for hiring Going with this. Having a jumpy harasser will be helpful, and while I'd like to keep our POW around, issuing a bondsman a Mech without making him earn it might go against Clan sensibilities.
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Apr 14, 2016 22:00
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To assist with your choice please accept these fine quality links. http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Bushwacker Prime http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Crusader -5s http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Chameleon -7w My votes are C and a
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Apr 14, 2016 22:00
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Outside of the vote, the other thing of note is that if you take Amaris at face value, the Demon Hawks are the only unit on the entire planet that managed to beat the Clans in something approaching an equal fight. Now, that's likely not as bad as it seems. I'm sure most of the main line units were not engaged in fair fights, but were trying to obliterate Clan formations with as much superiority of numbers as they could. It does suggest that the tech parity may not be enough to put NRWR pilots on equal footing with their Clan counterparts, which is scary considering what we've seen before suggesting that they're supposed to be fairly well trained.
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Apr 14, 2016 22:02
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B for hiring. A for mech choice.
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Apr 14, 2016 22:04
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Zaodai posted:Outside of the vote, the other thing of note is that if you take Amaris at face value, the Demon Hawks are the only unit on the entire planet that managed to beat the Clans in something approaching an equal fight. He said they were competent but not outstanding. With their tech advantage I imagine that means they took acceptable losses but no unit stood out as doing particularly well given their tech parity. Meanwhile the Demon Hawks were decidedly outmatched in tech yet managed a win and drove the Clanners from the field without taking major losses.
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Apr 14, 2016 22:08
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C and C The least problematic machine and the best pilot, which will be that much better for any eventual replacement machines he ends up with. And leaving no resources unused could result in some interesting things happening down the line.
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Apr 14, 2016 22:10
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C/C
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Apr 14, 2016 22:12
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Tarezax posted:He said they were competent but not outstanding. With their tech advantage I imagine that means they took acceptable losses but no unit stood out as doing particularly well given their tech parity. Meanwhile the Demon Hawks were decidedly outmatched in tech yet managed a win and drove the Clanners from the field without taking major losses. He also said the following: He lost BattleMechs, but the Demon Hawks suffered only minor injuries and in the end the Clans actually quit the field rather than pursuing the engagement. There isn’t a single Republic unit on Andurien that has engaged the enemy and can boast of the same.” That suggests that every other unit on-world that tried to fight the Clans either lost or got their poo poo pushed in en route to a victory. Combined with the fact that our original Liason officer got recalled due to losses in his original unit, it seems likely the NRWR are fighting a fairly hefty war of attrition. And attrition of manpower is not something they can stand to suffer.
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Apr 14, 2016 22:13
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B for the hiring - As a terrible pilot, he's got to be lucky to still fight. C for piloting - Let Bethany run the Copperhead and we'll see what the clanner does with a new ride.
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Apr 14, 2016 22:15
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Tarezax posted:He said they were competent but not outstanding. With their tech advantage I imagine that means they took acceptable losses but no unit stood out as doing particularly well given their tech parity. Meanwhile the Demon Hawks were decidedly outmatched in tech yet managed a win and drove the Clanners from the field without taking major losses. Perhaps because GoonMercCompany lucked in to shutting out all the Star Commander/Captains that took the field? And yea, I didn't take Amaris' thoughts to mean that his other units were being big failures, just that they're not coming out of clan fights without more pilot casualties than we did- Given that he's most worried about his manpower, us pulling that off is probably a huge bonus to him. (Well more than probably, it definitely is considering how swank as gently caress the 'Mechs he's giving out are). The bit about buying Duncan's old Atlas is just  dis astranagant posted:C and C The least problematic machine and the best pilot, which will be that much better for any eventual replacement machines he ends up with. And leaving no resources unused could result in some interesting things happening down the line. The Zaodai voice in my head says "Uh oh if the clans see you rolling in with 13 instead of 12 units and assume two companies or a battalion then they might hit you back with two Trinaries or something like that"
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Apr 14, 2016 22:15
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B Everyone knows that being lucky is more important then being good C
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Apr 14, 2016 22:19
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Hiring Vote B) Shin Metis (g4p5) - CRD-5S Crusader Pilot Reassignment Vote A) Give Bethany the Copperhead, sideline Noretti I can't deny that I love the Crusader, it's a classic workhorse and the 5S is competent at long range, though not nearly as up to date as the stuff the other demon hawks would be piloting. The lack of jumpjets is an issue, but having the dual lrm-15s as well as srms' and medium lasers for close range work is a good combination. Also I really love the look of the Crusader. For now, keep the new bondsman on hold until we can get more of a feel for them/debrief, let Bethany pilot the Copperhead
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Apr 14, 2016 22:20
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Hiring Vote A) Teri LeRoy (g4p4) - BSW-X1 Bushwacker Pilot Reassignment Vote A) Give Bethany the Copperhead, sideline Noretti
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Apr 14, 2016 22:24
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Hire Shin in his Crusader. B We need him if we're going to survive Area 88 and being an airline pilot is surprisingly applicable to indentured mercenary slaughter. D for the Copperhead. Changing my vote after ten minutes of thinking about it. gently caress Clanners. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Apr 14, 2016 |
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Apr 14, 2016 22:26
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| # ? May 27, 2024 05:21 |
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Amaris-senpai has noticed us! C for hiring D for pilot reassignment I figure Bethany is going to turn coats on us eventually, so may as well go for maximum fireworks when she does...
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Apr 14, 2016 22:27
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