more Battletech OC art, this time of my Ghost Bear Totem Warrior, Astrid Tseng!
art by Gabsilla
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more Battletech OC art, this time of my Ghost Bear Totem Warrior, Astrid Tseng!
art by Gabsilla
ight name mech tonnage and the purpose of the mech. im bored and want to make some new lore
We've decided that Athena very much prefers fire-resistant armor for her point. One part tired of being set on fire for the umpteenth time. One part gleefully striding through an inferno with a manic grin on her face.
Now we just have to narrow down the choices
[medium] Salamander (anti-infantry) Pros: maximum RIP AND TEAR if the magnetic battle claws don't get you, the 10 heavy machine guns at point blank will Cons: only enough armor to comfortably fend off a medium-class laser
[medium] Elemental (fire) (AP Gauss) Pros: pretty ubiquitous very comparable to the standard Elemental suits she first started on longest average range of all primary weapons
[heavy] Stormbird (Jade Falcon) Pros: 2 points more armor than the Elemental SRM3 with 4 rounds of ammo plus the same AP gauss Cons: only a 60-meter jump distance can't make leg or swarm attacks against mechs
[assault] Ironhold (anti-tank) Pros: enough armor to tank a gauss rifle or or clan ERPPC double-fisting BA LBX autocannons means the point is packing effectively a pair of LBX 20s Cons: SLOW, can't jump, can't ride on omnimechs can't make leg or swarm attacks against mechs
[assault] Golem (support) Pros: 18(!) points of armor means you need an AC20 to oneshot one of these suckers and they can tank 3 inner sphere pulse lasers 2 anti-infantry mounts back up an Advanced SRM6 with 6 rounds of ammo. Meaning better range and better clustering than standard SRM launchers. Faster running movement than any of the other battle armors Cons: can't jump or ride omnimechs can't make leg or swarm attacks against mechs
"くそ!" The katana came straight down in a shining silver arc, but the flashing blade of the rapier caught it and guided it to the side, missing Clarissa by a wide margin. Her riposte was fast and aimed for his cheek, but he sidestepped and put distance between them, scowling.
"Language," she taunted him, smirking.
It wasn't that the taller man of Japanese ancestry was bad. Far from it. He was one of the better sword fighters she'd ever had the pleasure of facing in a trial. But he was hot headed and brash. Egging that on certainly wasn't going to hurt her chances here.
Chu-i Hiromichi Shinohara brushed his long black braid of hair over his shoulder, adjusted his grip on his sword, then came at her again. Metal rang against metal as they traded blows and parries, but his aggression was forcing her backwards, testing her footwork. That was fine with her. She was looking for a counter strike anyway.
Her opportunity came when he went low with a slash and her legs and she parried with her blade pointed vertically down, a favorite of hers. It looked like a parry that would be slow to recover from, and Hiromichi immediately raised his blade for a quick strike down, but she flicked her wrist up bringing her rapier up in a fraction of a second to cut at his centerline.
He had impressive reflexes, she had to give him that. He reeled back, avoiding the tip of her blade so nearly that his uniform jacket split as she cut through the thick winter fabric. As he stumbled to regain his footing the jacket fell open, revealing a toned, bare chest and... Were those sakura blossoms tattooed on his pecs? Not what she expected from the brash warrior.
The distraction cost her. She didn't see the kick coming and took it full in the chest. Her own uniform was better quality; with heated threads woven throughout. Which also meant it was thinner, and his foot hit her sternum like an Atlas hitting a prefab building. She flew back off her feet, landed on the back of her shoulders and rolled head over heels in the salt and sand that had been laid out in front of the Carcharadon to ease foot traffic.
Hiromichi didn't hesitate, rushing towards his downed opponent. This trial was only to first blood, but the man wasn't holding back either. Clarissa kicked out, tangling his leg in both of hers. She pushed his ankle back with one foot and tugged his knee forward with the other, sending him sprawling.
They both scrambled to their feet in a rush, but Clarissa was just a moment quicker, which was good because he swung his katana one handed in a slash that would have disemboweled her if she hadn't interceded her rapier in time. As soon as he was up on his feet he moved.
He did a complicated series of steps, suddenly shifting to her left side. Clarissa barely dodged the blow, mostly out in instinct. He'd slipped into her blind spot. That was bad. While her cybernetics and glasses let her see they were far from perfect. The paired sensors faced forward, giving her fantastic depth perception, but almost no peripheral vision. If he stayed close she'd be at a disadvantage and he knew it. The Chu-i was even better than she'd given him credit for if he'd figured that out so fast.
She feinted a kick at his knee, making him shift his stance and she took that moment to twist and use her stance's superior range to create more space between them. He tried to come in again but with nimble footwork and the point of her rapier she kept him back. Still, there was no winning like this. She needed an opening. Or for him to make a mistake.
He ducked low, under the point of her blade and Clarissa stepped to the side to keep her range. Then he grabbed a handful of the ground and hurled it at her head. Sand, salt, and mud hit her in the face. Her glasses blocked some of it, but not all. She cried out in pain as the salt burned into her eyes. They immediately started to water and she staggered backwards. Hiromichi rushed in then to finish her, sword held high above his head for the final cut.
He froze with Clarissa's rapier a centimeter from the hollow of his throat. She held her blade steady, eyes squeezed closed and wet and red. Both of them stood completely still except for their heaving chests. Sweat poured down them. Clarissa flicked her blade up a fraction and it slid across his chin, leaving a red line and a single drop of blood.
"Sorry," Clarissa heaved, taking a step back and rubbing at her eyes. "Blinding my eyes isn't very effective. A nice try though." Thanks to her glasses she could see his face twist into a grimace even with her eyes squeezed shut.
Hiromichi threw his katana down, the point sticking into the mud of Helios, then crossed his arms over his broad chest with a huff. "Fine. You can keep the damn gloves."
Clarissa turned to the witnesses of the Trial of Possession, and bowed with a flourish of her rapier, then turned back to Hiromichi. "On the contrary, it's rare to find a mercenary who can issue a proper challenge, much less abide by the rules. You can have the gloves at a ten percent discount."
Refusal
Kinship FOB Helios
"I'm just...concerned, sir." Colonel Bell said to her superior, Commander Owen McEvedy as the two walk down the hallway in the Kinship FOB medical wing.
"About what, Colonel?" He asks. He's in a good mood, all things considered. Not only has the Commanding General had delivered not only one of his people hge thought dead, but also, a great deal of good and...interesting news.
"...about Elenor, sir." she says, the taller raptor woman stopping infront of a closed door.
"Doc's say she'll recover fully. And Melissa mentioned that the SLDF has resources to help with the other scars." he says, stopping by her. "You worry too much." He says with a smile.
Bell blushes slightly.
"Eh, really should get a move on with that..." he thinks, remembering his conversation with Melissa earlier.
"Be that as it may, sir...I have concerns about what will occur should any of the clan based systems pick up on her...or indeed, any of our genetics." She look pointedly at Owen when she says this.
"Ah, that..." He says. She has a point. While Melissa at least...and others...are supportive, others might not be. Still, having a Commanding General in your corner counted for a great deal.
"...I don't know...maybe the word "Wolverine" won't be a dirty word someday."
Bell cocks her head slightly, confused. "Again, be that as it may...I am still concerned about what will happen if some of the more...zealous groups find out."
"I'll handle it, if it comes to that..." He says, reassuringly. "Besides, who's gonna know?"
"...I suppose you are correct, sir."
He smiles, and reaches out and pats her arm. "Like I said, you worry too much." he says, more softly. "Now come on, got some things I need to talk to you about."
The two begin to walk away.
@the-clawtake
Hannah watches the throttle of her 70 ton Guillotine as she looks over the briefing from the SLDF operations center.
“Blood Spirit actual to all points. An hour ago, perimeter scouts detected roughly a Level II worth of ragtag enemy forces pushing towards Clan occupied territory. Operations estimates their objective as an ammo dump 20km to the north of our camp. We managed to secure the bid for the defense due to our small force size and proximity. Enemy force is estimated at 3 Battlemechs medium or smaller, 3 combat vehicles, and several platoons of mechanized infantry. By default, assume zellbrigen is in place, though act at your own digression. Our secondary objective is to secure material for the Clan. Capture everything you can, take bondsmen, and secure the ammo dump for our own use. Terrain is grasslands and light woods, with the possibility of frozen marshes and ponds under the snow.”
@the-tired-merc @is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not
A Helios Moodboard