Three Goblin Art
tannertan36
Sade Olutola
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ojovivo
NASA
trying on a metaphor
PR's Tumblrdome
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will byers stan first human second
Peter Solarz
KIROKAZE
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
祝日 / Permanent Vacation
JBB: An Artblog!
taylor price
AnasAbdin
pixel skylines
⁂
DEAR READER
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@karriethemechtech
Hello! I’m Karrie DeLacey, founder of DeLacey’s Last Resort and MechTech extraordinaire (self-declared). The Last Resort is, ah… between assignments right now, so here we are on Outreach, and I’m offering my services to you! I have almost a decade of service with the MAF under my belt and a seething hatred for doing a sloppy job, and I guarantee if you let me take a look I won’t leave it any worse than I started.
(OOC: this is an rp sideblog of @ace-disgrace-on-the-case)
👀 + sex in a 'Mech cockpit (Xerxes)
Cramped, especially with your size, but reasonable for stress relief during prolonged field maneuvers. Would not be my first time.
...if someone comes in with a joystick they accidentally kicked out of the socket one more time, I will make them clean out grease traps for a week.
And please...at least clean out the cockpit before you give her to me...
To spite Marauder fans I have turned an Urbanmech into a mini-Marauder. Snub nose ppcs in each arm and an omnidirectional Light Autocannon in the head. They are a third the price and half the speed. Have fun.
I would ask what you have against Marauder fans, and advise you stay away from Owen ( @msn-04iinightingale ), but that aside...
No arm lasers?
It has 70% of the firepower of a Marauder. This makes the bird sad.
Nope. I'd have to downgrade the LAC/5 to a 2 and remove a ton of ammo.
As for my immense hatred of the Marauder, there's a fair bit of reasons. One, I can never find any, even if i don't care to field them myself for defenses. Mostly due to being sold out or not in stock. Which means i have crewmembers complaining indefinitely about their bloody Marauders.
Two. There are better mechs. The Black Knight is a better energy boat, and for that matter, more deadly. I know the earlier models of Marauders, if not the modern ones, have an exposed ammo linkage for the AC/5. The Black Knight's full-energy loadout means it doesn't have this problem.
Three. And this is a personal complaint. Nobody shuts up about the fucking things. Black Marauder, Bounty Hunter, who the fuck is he, there are mugs, figurines, did it get its own holovised series or was that just an incredibly long string of advertisements, why is everyone OBSESSED with these things? They're.. fucking... okay forgive me for being a little crude but Marauders are a fucking Awesome with erectile dysfunction. Please. I am almost sobbing. I've even serviced some. I can tell you they're an okay mech. They're not terrible but they're mediocre. I'm sick of seeing better, bolder, hell even slightly mediocre heavy mechs thrown to the sides because More Marauders.
…
My saKhan informs me that, as a newly minted Khan of a newly reformed Clan, I am supposed to carry myself with a certain level of professionalism, and as such, am… unable to voice my true opinions, least they start a diplomatic incident.
So, I will settle for this:
lol, skill issue
(the sounds of his saKhan sighing heavily can be heard in the background)
(@msn-04iinightingale)
Although, now that you mention it, there is a gap in the Marauder line for a light and medium mech.
Oh! And a super heavy. Bell, can we get R&D to work on that?
(a muted, affectionately exasperated “Aff” can be heard)
Wonderful.
(@is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not)
Luckily, the Battle Armor is already covered:
…do I want to know what’s going on here?
An outside party, a mercenary named Locke, has besmirched the honor of the Marauder chassis. I have jokingly sicced Owen on Locke.
Alright, since nobody asked I’m gonna offer my two sea-bills.
The Marauder works. There’s a reason it’s so beloved. There’s a reason the old Star League Gunslinger Program used them. They put good firepower down range. Not to mention the PPCs are a joy to maintain.
The AC5…is an Achilles heel. I won’t lie. But when you consider this thing was designed for double heat sinks and CASE, it starts to vaguely make sense. (Love that directional mount, too, though its use on a long range prodding weapon is…questionable).
Later variants do tend to fix the problems but the impromptu shielding a lot of them have on the spinal mount is a bitch to take off to do service. Almost none of them are alike.
Just stick back until the time is right and then advance to finish the job. It’s like a more energy-focused Warhammer (really, the Warhammer is a Marauder that decided missiles were more its speed.)
To spite Marauder fans I have turned an Urbanmech into a mini-Marauder. Snub nose ppcs in each arm and an omnidirectional Light Autocannon in the head. They are a third the price and half the speed. Have fun.
I would ask what you have against Marauder fans, and advise you stay away from Owen ( @msn-04iinightingale ), but that aside...
No arm lasers?
It has 70% of the firepower of a Marauder. This makes the bird sad.
Nope. I'd have to downgrade the LAC/5 to a 2 and remove a ton of ammo.
As for my immense hatred of the Marauder, there's a fair bit of reasons. One, I can never find any, even if i don't care to field them myself for defenses. Mostly due to being sold out or not in stock. Which means i have crewmembers complaining indefinitely about their bloody Marauders.
Two. There are better mechs. The Black Knight is a better energy boat, and for that matter, more deadly. I know the earlier models of Marauders, if not the modern ones, have an exposed ammo linkage for the AC/5. The Black Knight's full-energy loadout means it doesn't have this problem.
Three. And this is a personal complaint. Nobody shuts up about the fucking things. Black Marauder, Bounty Hunter, who the fuck is he, there are mugs, figurines, did it get its own holovised series or was that just an incredibly long string of advertisements, why is everyone OBSESSED with these things? They're.. fucking... okay forgive me for being a little crude but Marauders are a fucking Awesome with erectile dysfunction. Please. I am almost sobbing. I've even serviced some. I can tell you they're an okay mech. They're not terrible but they're mediocre. I'm sick of seeing better, bolder, hell even slightly mediocre heavy mechs thrown to the sides because More Marauders.
…
My saKhan informs me that, as a newly minted Khan of a newly reformed Clan, I am supposed to carry myself with a certain level of professionalism, and as such, am… unable to voice my true opinions, least they start a diplomatic incident.
So, I will settle for this:
lol, skill issue
(the sounds of his saKhan sighing heavily can be heard in the background)
(@msn-04iinightingale)
Although, now that you mention it, there is a gap in the Marauder line for a light and medium mech.
Oh! And a super heavy. Bell, can we get R&D to work on that?
(a muted, affectionately exasperated “Aff” can be heard)
Wonderful.
(@is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not)
Luckily, the Battle Armor is already covered:
…do I want to know what’s going on here?
To spite Marauder fans I have turned an Urbanmech into a mini-Marauder. Snub nose ppcs in each arm and an omnidirectional Light Autocannon in the head. They are a third the price and half the speed. Have fun.
I would ask what you have against Marauder fans, and advise you stay away from Owen ( @msn-04iinightingale ), but that aside...
No arm lasers?
It has 70% of the firepower of a Marauder. This makes the bird sad.
Nope. I'd have to downgrade the LAC/5 to a 2 and remove a ton of ammo.
As for my immense hatred of the Marauder, there's a fair bit of reasons. One, I can never find any, even if i don't care to field them myself for defenses. Mostly due to being sold out or not in stock. Which means i have crewmembers complaining indefinitely about their bloody Marauders.
Two. There are better mechs. The Black Knight is a better energy boat, and for that matter, more deadly. I know the earlier models of Marauders, if not the modern ones, have an exposed ammo linkage for the AC/5. The Black Knight's full-energy loadout means it doesn't have this problem.
Three. And this is a personal complaint. Nobody shuts up about the fucking things. Black Marauder, Bounty Hunter, who the fuck is he, there are mugs, figurines, did it get its own holovised series or was that just an incredibly long string of advertisements, why is everyone OBSESSED with these things? They're.. fucking... okay forgive me for being a little crude but Marauders are a fucking Awesome with erectile dysfunction. Please. I am almost sobbing. I've even serviced some. I can tell you they're an okay mech. They're not terrible but they're mediocre. I'm sick of seeing better, bolder, hell even slightly mediocre heavy mechs thrown to the sides because More Marauders.
…
My saKhan informs me that, as a newly minted Khan of a newly reformed Clan, I am supposed to carry myself with a certain level of professionalism, and as such, am… unable to voice my true opinions, least they start a diplomatic incident.
So, I will settle for this:
lol, skill issue
(the sounds of his saKhan sighing heavily can be heard in the background)
(@msn-04iinightingale)
Although, now that you mention it, there is a gap in the Marauder line for a light and medium mech.
Oh! And a super heavy. Bell, can we get R&D to work on that?
(a muted, affectionately exasperated “Aff” can be heard)
Wonderful.
(@is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not)
Luckily, the Battle Armor is already covered:
…do I want to know what’s going on here?
>audio start
"Why am I doing this Phobos? Johnny usually does this"
"Johnny got taken out by the clanners"
"Fucking, allright. Hello everyone, this is callsign Leviathan, leader of the Skyborn merc company, my second in command thought I should do an intro audio or whatever. We are a bit outta time, told there were others like us, we came from around 3051. Anyways, we'll be planetside too and.... what?... no I'm not gonna say that... cause it sounds corny!... fuck you, I'm the leader.
Anyways, still figuring out this omninet shit, so yeah so see yall planetside"
As I said before, it is good to see you again. - Melissa
HOLY FUCK YOU GUYS ARE HERE TOO?! - Savannah
Savannah! Great to hear from you, quick question, what the fuck?
Oh, so... so she told you, huh?
Aff, of course I told h-
Shut.
Anyway. Yeah. My name is Savannah Cameron. Those Camerons.
The Star League ones.
Surprise...? :)
I need a drink, kmow what, you owe me a keg at this point, at minimum, also don't expect me to start bowing. Also Phobos says hi, and HEY WHAT THE FUCK?
Fair enough on the drink.
Please, for the love of God, do not bow. Please. I hate that.
Hi, Phobos. To answer your other question: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Well glad I at least we have some familiar faces, god knows we need it. Lost half our company just before arriving, need some familiarity
Ahh, shit, sorry to hear that Levi... you and yours will be in good hands down here. I promise.
Plus, the Argo's here. Still got the pool and everything.
Argos is still chugging? God damn have to come by and see it. I'm gonna be at that bar alot
It's always open for you. Lot of legacies of the old crew, too. Got some 3rd generations onboard now.
Hey! SWO Karrie DeLacey here. I'm kind of the one in charge here with regards to mechteching. What's, uh...what's the situation for y'all there? Are you gonna need assistance?
...Melissa, are they gonna need refits?
Ack. This is fine!
Probably gonna need some, about a quarter of our mechtechs are dead or injured, we have enough to maintain, just gonna need help updating, teach the old dogs new tricks, old 3 Strikes should still be good though
Only 2 lances about remain in combat operation. I'll put you in contact with our techs
I’ll get Sigrid and my folks in contact with your folks. We’ll get this all sorted. Maybe, uh, lob some stuff my way and I’ll send you modernization proposals?
>audio start
"Why am I doing this Phobos? Johnny usually does this"
"Johnny got taken out by the clanners"
"Fucking, allright. Hello everyone, this is callsign Leviathan, leader of the Skyborn merc company, my second in command thought I should do an intro audio or whatever. We are a bit outta time, told there were others like us, we came from around 3051. Anyways, we'll be planetside too and.... what?... no I'm not gonna say that... cause it sounds corny!... fuck you, I'm the leader.
Anyways, still figuring out this omninet shit, so yeah so see yall planetside"
As I said before, it is good to see you again. - Melissa
HOLY FUCK YOU GUYS ARE HERE TOO?! - Savannah
Savannah! Great to hear from you, quick question, what the fuck?
Oh, so... so she told you, huh?
Aff, of course I told h-
Shut.
Anyway. Yeah. My name is Savannah Cameron. Those Camerons.
The Star League ones.
Surprise...? :)
I need a drink, kmow what, you owe me a keg at this point, at minimum, also don't expect me to start bowing. Also Phobos says hi, and HEY WHAT THE FUCK?
Fair enough on the drink.
Please, for the love of God, do not bow. Please. I hate that.
Hi, Phobos. To answer your other question: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Well glad I at least we have some familiar faces, god knows we need it. Lost half our company just before arriving, need some familiarity
Ahh, shit, sorry to hear that Levi... you and yours will be in good hands down here. I promise.
Plus, the Argo's here. Still got the pool and everything.
Argos is still chugging? God damn have to come by and see it. I'm gonna be at that bar alot
It's always open for you. Lot of legacies of the old crew, too. Got some 3rd generations onboard now.
Hey! SWO Karrie DeLacey here. I'm kind of the one in charge here with regards to mechteching. What's, uh...what's the situation for y'all there? Are you gonna need assistance?
...Melissa, are they gonna need refits?
Ack. This is fine!
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE HERE? HOW? WHAT????
Who?
SKYBORN, THATS MY FUCKING GRANDPA
Gone before I met him
BUT STILL, WE CANNOT TELL HIM I AM THAT
[AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION FAILED]
[BEGINNING AUDIO RECONSTRUCTION: avian laughter, stifled - 80% probability]
Uh…good…luck! With that. Amber.
Karrie, I need you to never mention me if you work on their mechs, please
Wait.
Oh no.
More mechs?! We’re stretched thin as it is…
They have mechtechs, so shouldn't be a problem? I dunno you can ask. I'm gonna hide
Good luck, Amber. Uh. Yeah.
Blake's sake the fun never stops...
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE HERE? HOW? WHAT????
Who?
SKYBORN, THATS MY FUCKING GRANDPA
Gone before I met him
BUT STILL, WE CANNOT TELL HIM I AM THAT
[AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION FAILED]
[BEGINNING AUDIO RECONSTRUCTION: avian laughter, stifled - 80% probability]
Uh…good…luck! With that. Amber.
Karrie, I need you to never mention me if you work on their mechs, please
Wait.
Oh no.
More mechs?! We’re stretched thin as it is…
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE HERE? HOW? WHAT????
Who?
SKYBORN, THATS MY FUCKING GRANDPA
Gone before I met him
BUT STILL, WE CANNOT TELL HIM I AM THAT
[AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION FAILED]
[BEGINNING AUDIO RECONSTRUCTION: avian laughter, stifled - 80% probability]
Uh…good…luck! With that. Amber.
You have 100,000,000 C-Bills and a crack-team of MechTechs to make your dream mech come to life What do you build
(Full access to anything whenever/wherever for convenience's sake)
Are we building like a mech or an army of one type of mech? cause thats a LOT of c-bills doc.
(Also sowwy for not answering sooner :( )
All Highlanders.
Melissa, are you placing an order? I—I’m really not sure I can rush job that many Highlanders…
i was meant to be in bed being eepy but you got me to open megamek and i got a stupid idea
slightly more normal looking centurion, apart from the shield. the weapons payload looks a little light, but thats cus i needed the tonnage for the stupid idea
mostly normal looking centurion. a couple more weight saving measures than usual. dont look at the armour, dont worry about that. moves a bit slowly bc of the shield but i dont think it'll have any problems surviving to close the gap
First thing, Novus. You should eep.
Second thing:
21 TONS OF HARDENED ARMOR?!?!?
given that hardened armour can take 2 points of damage per point of armour, i believe it effectively has about 336 points of armour. a stock Atlas AS7-D has 304. And thats not including the damage reductions from the large shield. chonky boi, for the low low price of 6.7 million c-bills
anyway bedtime now goodnight
Good night, you certified madlad
Me when I attack from the right side using re-engineered lasers (nice armor hardening, sure would be a shame if I ignored it)
Some of the AsTechs have discovered that the brand of sealant I like using has…mildly psychoactive properties.
Really, you guys? You did the inventory sheets, you know how much of that we have. Not enough. Next person I catch doing whippets is scrubbing carbon scoring for the rest of the op.
Blake’s sake…
I suggest Corporeal punishment.
Hannah I’m not gonna kill personnel
Some of the AsTechs have discovered that the brand of sealant I like using has…mildly psychoactive properties.
Really, you guys? You did the inventory sheets, you know how much of that we have. Not enough. Next person I catch doing whippets is scrubbing carbon scoring for the rest of the op.
Blake’s sake…
urby-is-slow jokes aside does anyone know the reason why Hollanders can just Fucking Book It
Structural Components: 7 tons
Engine: 7 tons
Armor: 4 tons
Main Armament: 17 tons
Someone who is good at the mechbay please help me budget this. My battalion is dying
@karriethemechtech
The Hollander is an incredible mech right up until you remember the enemy can shoot you back
Fresh Orders, Round Table
The weather, it seemed, was turning towards rain. At least for the moment. For why, there were a dozen reasons. Localized weather instability. Atmospheric adjustment through aggressive particulate dispersal in the form of weapons fire and detonating mechs, and burning cities. Blakist mad science, once more bending what they should NEVER be touching to their whims...and inevitably failing, as they always did. Or it might just be the planets weather. Terra was not so different, he had heard. Even Unity City itself occasionally had short bouts of rain in the midst of their summers, showers that lasted a few hours or a day before weeks of bright sun would return. Sealth prefered the rain; being in dry air for too long made his skin irritated, and if bad enough, start to crack. It was painful, annoying, and had a frustrating tendency to get infected. He would prefer humidity and damp to direct sun, if he had choice... With luck, the new orders for the next operation wouldn't take him too far from the weather. The Totem Warrior strode through the SLDFs encampment, avoiding clumps of techs and soldiers of all stripes ensuring that everything was as it should be. No slacking here. Not under the Commander's watch, that was for sure. As it should be. He hadn't come alone; in addition to the small camera hung on his cooling vest to allow Tolki to listen in without having to leave his tank inside their Mech, he was followed by Sergeant Theodore "Tedd" Clarke, a hardened, sun-kissed man in a more rugged, almost cobbled together cooling vest, older but no less functional. The large wide-brimmed hat he wore at a casual angle would hint heavily where he had come from originally. Despite its technically lack of existence at this point, the Sergeant still bore the flag of the Calderon Protectorate, under the flag of the SLDF. He was part of Task Force Hawk, part of the infantry unit assigned, here to listen in for the ground troops that would be backing the Blackwatch for the strike. Sealth found the Commander's tent, and ducked in, glancing around inside before letting the other two in behind him. "We may be a little early." @is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not
As the pair enters the prefabricated command building, they notice Commanding General Melissa Hazen standing at the centrally located holotank. Once a prized and rare piece of Clan-only technology, it had begun to proliferate around the Inner Sphere thanks to the efforts of Clan Sea Fox. By now, nearly one hundred years after the Clan Invasion, it was still uncommon outside the Clans.
The Commanding General looked up from the holotank, which seemed to be showing a view of the Blakist's Fort Bayeux. It was that fortress that the Black Watch and Task Force Hawk were to assault and capture in the next 24 hours. The green-feathered avian warrior was not only a famous celebrity and unparalleled MechWarrior, she was also the commander of the entire Star League Defense Force.
Beside her stood Major Theodora Marten-Steiner, ex-Lyran noble and overall commander of the new Black Watch itself. Recently engaged to the Commanding General, Steiner was a tall, muscled, blonde haired woman with a serious countenance.
The Commanding General waved the two newcomers over. As they drew up to the table, Melissa suppressed a chuckle. The contrast was quite humorous. Sealth, the enormous, Elemental derived, nearly 3 meter tall anthropomorphic cetacean, next to a small Periphery man in rather eclectic MechWarrior gear.
"Welcome, both of you," Melissa said, looking to her fiancee. "We are waiting for Spirit to arrive, as well as for comms connection with the elements that will be touching down after we clear the fort. Canopian commando special ops, from I have heard. BattleMech special ops, no less. Invisible 'Mechs, much like Spirit's *Death Knell*."
@house-steiner-stays-winning
Theodora nods, even as a slight frown stretches her lips.
"Very well. Until then, there's some refreshments in the corner over there," she says, indicating a small table covered in whatever they'd managed to scrounge for the meeting, "don't get crumbs on anything that looks expensive, or the techs will threaten your skeletal integrity." She says the last part as if it is a lesson of hard experience.
@jaded-falcon
"If they can match Death Knell, then they are very dangerous indeed," Spirit announced, stepping out of the shadowed corner of the tent like she'd always been there. Maybe she had. "You must be Sealth—and you must be Sergeant Clark. I look forwards to seeing you both in combat."
Her eyes blazed as she looked between the two, assessing, calculating. Her footsteps made no sound as she strode towards the holotank.
@totemwarriorsealth
Clarke removed his hat in proper respect to the officers involved, and instead of a salute, gave a slight bow instead. Sealth was slightly less dramatic and instead put his fist to his heart. "The honor is mine." He spoke to Spirit. "I hope we will not be a dissapointment." Clarke waited till Sealth was done before making a comment on the Canopian forces. "Invisible special operations Mech lance. Sounds like the Nightstalkers." If there had EVER been any question as to Clarke's point of genetic origin, his accent would have cynched it. Though even there the almost century break between the Concordat and Protectorate showed; his vowels were smoother, his consonants far less sharp. "You know of them, Sergeant?" The Totem warrior quired. "Ay-ahem. Uh. Aff." The Clanner word sounded strange in the Sergeants mouth but he pushed past it with gusto. "Intelligence forces. For..." He glanced over at Theodora before continuing. "Aggressive reconnaissance, in force. By the MIM. Supposedly, they found a way to mask an assault so completely it could sneak up on someone while they were lookin' straight at it." The words Steiner Scout Lance hung unspoken in the air. The orca's brows furrowed but he spoke no disagreement. He simply made a thoughtful hum, and left it at that. He stepped up to the holotank and glanced over its surface. He had questions, but he also had faith they would be answered in time. "Congratulations are in order as well for you, Commanding General." He said, with all the seriousness of a Khan ordering the Annihilation of a fellow Clan. Which was how he tended to show things he took seriously and liked. "I am eager to hear how the wedding goes."
A soft chuckle. "You will most assuredly have to find a more impressive gift for her than the Steiner-Davians at theirs. But, I am sure you will manage."
@is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not
Melissa chuckles, glancing at Theodora, then back to Sealth.
"There are two points I would make. First, Sealth, you speak as though you will not be invited? That is an error. You will know how the wedding goes because you will be there," she speaks cheerfully, before beginning to chuckle again.
"As to the wedding gift, I do not know that setting off a new Succession War is the best idea. But there are certainly ideas that I have."
She turns to Spirit. "It is good to see you again, Spirit," she nods. "Your Task Force will crucial to this operation," she continues, turning to Clarke.
"Sergeant. Your troops are ready, quiaff?" she asks, before turning back to Spirit. "I had expected Captain Sarita. She is occupied, then?"
She turns to Theodora again. "Major, if you bring up the current tactical plan on the holotank?"
@house-steiner-stays-winning
With the press of a few keys, Theodora brings a tactical map of the fort up on the tank, displayed in glowing green light.
"This is a map of the current tactical situation at Fort Bayeux. As you can see, the primary mechanisms of defense for the fort are the minefields that sit around the perimeter, and the turret emplacements that sit across the wall. For the minefield, we have several dedicated SRM carriers, modified to launch mine-clearing line charges across the minefield and clear a path for the advance. Additionally, while the turrets may pose a threat to infantry and light armor targets, they should be fairly easily dealt with my heavier 'mechs." Her face takes on a more dour expression as she presses another key, changing the display to a projection of enemy forces awaiting them.
"However, that does not mean that we can get complacent. The Blakists have concentrated a significant amount of their remaining forces here, including an Omega superheavy," she nods at the Orca-shaped totem warrior "Hence Star Commander Puget being asked to join us here. The Omega is supported by a Level III of mechs, as well as an additional Level II of mechs in reserves. On top of that, there will be 2 level IIIs of ground vehicles present, consisting of tanks, APCs, and SRM and LRM carriers." As she speaks, she clicks another key, and the indicated units are positioned on the map roughly where they are expected to be at the time of the assault's commencement.
"These mechanized units are supported by roughly 4 level IIs of infantry, consisting of standard militia, Manei Domini elites, and power armor units using Djinn-pattern Light Battle Armor." She looks to Spirit, before passing the presentation to the mysterious warrior.
"Does that match current intelligence, Spirit?"
@jaded-falcon
"As far as I know, aff," Spirit confirmed. "Blakist infantry forces are, however, equipped with heavy AT assets. Our APCs do not have the the armour to withstand sustained antitank fire--and we have intercepted attempted communications with other Blakist elements. Jamming and EWAR forces have so far stifled those communications, but once the attack begins, our EWAR assets will need to dedicate themselves to shielding advance forces while they cross the minefield."
Spirit slipped a datadisk into a small drive on the side of the holotank; a picture of a blonde-haired, emerald-eyed man with a long scar across his cheek took the place of tactical information.
"This is the Blakist commander--Johann 'Caltrop' Burnson. A former Taurian who has seen multiple years of combat and a priority target. Past after-action reports indicate that he firmly believes in the superiority of fortified positions. As such, a counterattack is unlikely, but ground forces should expect prepared positions and ambushes within the fortress. Reconnaissance forces have been unable to see within Bayeux, so there could be anything within those walls."
@totemwarriorsealth
"Ahhh. Shiiiit." Clarke's tone spoke instantly of the situation, and even without the following explanation, the trouble was already a given. "Taurian doesn't get a name like that unless they MEAN it." He expanded. "It's a cultural thing. You earn a nickname and it sticks with you. If he goes by "Caltrop", we'll need to be ready for absolutely ANYTHING." That last part hung in the air; the Blakists were known for their scorched earth tactics. More than literally, in many cases. The last remnants the SLDF faced now might have taken a less intense approach. But war had a way of shifting into paths no one could have anticipated.
With luck, it would just be the usual "defense in depth" stuff. Sealth's vision was on something else; dark beady eyes staring intently at the rotating hologram of the superheavy tripod. An actual Omega. Where had they found THAT? The issue was not merely its presence. The issue was that his own superheavy was not made for brawling with a par unit. His Orca was an artillery machine; dropping Long Toms, gauss rounds and LRMs onto the foe till they broke. He could fight it. But it would still be a great threat to the rest of the force. That much concentrated firepower in one area would stop dead any assaults. But that Omega couldn't simply be ignored... Data flashed through his implants; the thoughts of his copilot speaking too him. "Tolki asks if there is a way to bring the Omega to bear. Apex predator to apex predator. The...terminology is hard to parse. But I BELIEVE he is asking if we can entice it into Zelbrigen." A hilariously improbable suggestion. The Blakists had NEVER had even a single shred of honor during their Jihad. Their origins came from Tukayiid itself in truth, the split the invasion had driven into ComStar. He saw little reason that would change now. But he felt it only right to let his seakin speak his mind. If they could take the superheavy off the board...it would be a more even fight. Clarke looked thoughtful, as if he were going to say something more, but the Taurian didn't. @is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not
Melissa looked to Clarke. "You raise a valid point. At the very least, we do not face a nuclear or radiological threat from the base. We have been able to determine that much via the scouting done by Spirit's troops," she said, looking to Spirit for confirmation, before continuing.
"Furthermore, the Navy was kind enough to double-verify that for us with the sensor packages aboard their stealth ships, and reverified it an hour ago with direct recon overflights of the base. But," she said solemnly, "that doesn't rule out other WMDs, or just a particularly vicious defense in depth, both of which are signature Taurian methods. So we shall be wary."
She looked to Sealth as he spoke, and contemplated the idea brought up by Tolkitae. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, snapping her fingers, and began tapping at a keyboard on the holotank surface.
"Tolki may yet get his chance," she said, pulling up a dossier on the holotank. An image appeared alongside it, that of a tall, athletic, raven-haired woman, in at most her 30s, holding a bemused and happy expression - presumably at whomever had taken the photo - as she was lounging in her MechWarrior gear atop an Omega, likely the very same she piloted.
"Spirit's handiwork has netted us profiles on all major personnel involved in the defense," Melissa continued, "which includes the pilot of our Omega here. Senior Adept Ekaterina Ivanovna Belinskaya. Noted for excellent marks in school, captain of her secondary school ballet ensemble, noted preference for close combat, and, according to ROM, "noted distate for civilian casualties, collateral damage, and 'dirty tricks'. History of standing up for 'the little guy' and loyal to her soldiers. Under her command, her Level II regularly achieves top marks in yearly efficiency and morale measures."
Melissa chuckled as she read the note appended to the personality section of the dossier.
"This is dated as of two months ago: member of Belinskaya's Level II approached for recruitment by ROM agent C. Burke. Senior Adept Belinskaya responded by ranting negatively about ROM, the "perversion" of the Word into a "religion of bullies" and subsequently, punching the agent hard enough to knock him unconscious. Commanding officer issued Johann Burnson issued a formal reprimand... and an informal commendation. Recommend classifying Belinskaya and Burnson as "ideological threats" for later re-education."
Melissa looks back to Sealth. "I do not know about you, but she sounds like exactly the sort to honor a proper request for a duel by the rules of zellbrigen. If you and Tolki can pull her into such a duel, that should make things easier. Not to mention make for a good distraction - and one hell of show; I will be sure to have a combat cameraman along to capture it," she smiles.
"Do try and take her alive, if possible. There will be much propaganda value in footage of an honorable duel - especially one where the SLDF victor showed mercy upon their opponent - one who is known for being level headed and opposing ROM, to boot."
"IMINT and MASINT we have gathered suggests her Omega is modified - most likely for close combat. So be cautious when dueling her, quiaff?"
@karriethemechtech
A short, blond woman half stumbles, half bursts through the flaps of the tent. The water dripping from her technician’s jumpsuit gives her the affect of a wet cat, but her eyes flash brightly as she takes in the assembled crew.
“Hi! Ah, sorry I’m late,” Karrie says. “Blake’s sake, feels like it’s been forever since I’ve had the chance to leave the shop and speak with you all.”
Her gaze lands on the rotating hologram, and she spends a moment considering it thoughtfully. Suddenly, she looks up in sharp epiphany. “Ah! Sealth…you…Omega…ah. Yup.” She nods. “Sealth, when we’re done here I’ll tweak with your fire control, give you a closer-in tune. I’m guessing you could benefit.”
@is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not
And this is why I always offer a chance to surrender: so I’m not responsible for the horrors the things coming out of my MechLab inflict.
Well, that and, ah, I’m usually broke (thanks, General, for making that not true this time)
