“The Krieger Corp is the life for me,A gun, bed and funeral for free.That’s my lot in the Black Company.”It took the Earth 10 long years to die. Like every planet afflicted by the pervasive sentient plague that swept the galaxy at the turn of the 23rd century, aptly named The Rot, Earth’s demise was slow and agonising at first then violent and sudden by the end. The seas boiled and the air turned to ash in the wake of the continent-shattering orbital bombardments that cleansed her and a hundred other worlds.20 years later, the dust of the Purification Wars has settled and the surviving xenos empires have finished carving up the remaining colonies of those less fortunate races between them, including those few left from Earth’s initial phase of expansion. Just rewards for the victorious alien’s part in saving the galaxy. The surviving human population, once many billions, now numbers in the mere millions. An entire race of refugees, vagrants and backwater outcasts begging, stealing and labouring as second-class citizens, servants or slaves under uncaring alien masters.A lifetime of backbreaking work for stale recycled oxygen units and a handful of credits is the best fate most humans can hope for. Little wonder then that the violent but lucrative life of a mercenary holds such appeal. As the novelty of peace wears off and the rival alien nations rattle their sabres once more, human mercenaries are in high demand for their crude effectiveness and affordable prices.And of all the human mercenary firms, there are none so infamous and so highly sought after as the services of the Black Company…=============================================Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackCompany666/qst/ Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=2230AD2230AD Annal Entries: https://pastebin.com/zBic3fPQ [Updated!]Recorded Xenos Species: https://pastebin.com/vdG01RzGThe Last Human Colonies: https://pastebin.com/VA3nHbTmAdvanced Firefight Rules: https://pastebin.com/NATmyFSw
THE STORY THUS FARSergeant ‘Snake Eyes’ Natalya is a survivor. From the tender age of too-young-to-really-remember she has fought, clawed and killed her way to the top of a very nasty food chain. Lucky enough to escape the dying gasps of Earth, but unlucky enough to find themselves stranded on the moon that is the deadly jungle world called Clayton’s Cradle, she was the only member of her family to last more than a few months in the merciless Green.Clayton’s Cradle gives no second chances to the unwary and no leeway to the hesitant. Be it deadly predators large or small, plantlife toxic or carnivorous, diseases wasting or virulent, its small population are each hardened through experience and boosted with vital genemods stretching the limit of what a biological human can achieve (or indeed what constitutes a biological human).Joining the Black Company was a way off that deadly rock, a well paying one that at least saw Snake Eyes serving alongside fellow humans instead of being drafted into the alien armies of the Savis Legions and their Cradler Auxiliaries. Achieving the rank of Sergeant in the 77th Krieger Platoon wasn’t easy, it took some gusty moves and daring choices on her part to make it. That and supressing her crippling gambling addiction long enough to afford the basic gear. Now she’s the primary babysitter, feared leader and beloved chef (in her own eyes at least) of one of the most lethally eclectic band of misfits the universe has ever seen. Ex-gang members,ex-human Republic army regulars/deserters, ex-Alien Fed enforcers, ex-bartender/part-time-model, ex-miners, ex-slaves, ex-pirates, current convicts, current killer-bots animated by highly illegal AI, current alien musical cabbages good with surgery tools. If you name it, then it’s probably in Snake Eyes squad (or her sister squads) and has an outstanding warrant out for its arrest somewhere in the galaxy. And all of them, every man and woman and genderless being among them, each dumb enough to gamble on getting shot out of a ship in high orbit into a hostile warzone and surviving long enough to collect their paycheque.[1/2 Recap]
[2/2 Recap]For the past EIGHT MONTHS Snake Eyes and her squad have been operating on the dusty mining world of Dis, a resource rich world located within the Savis Empire, now currently in the grips of a well-armed and well-organised slave uprising thanks to yours truly. Although Black Company Command won’t tell the grunts who hired them for this little start-up insurgency, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the likely backers are probably either the Federation or the Mandate by virtue of these other two alien empires being the only real players in this part of the galaxy that could afford the Black Company for this kind of work. And that’s probably the reason why Command, and Snake Eyes’ immediate superior Lieutenant ‘Boy’ Blue, has been so explicit that any evidence of the slave insurgency having outside help is to be kept to an absolute minimum.The Black Company has achieved its primary objectives. The insurgency is now at the stage where there has been significant disruption to the planet’s productivity and the initial Imperial military response has had it’s nose bloodied in an embarrassing fashion. A substantial portion of the Savis Empire’s forces is now preoccupied and distracted with stomping out the flames of what would without Snake Eyes have been just another routine crushed slave uprising. Great job, pats on the back all around and beers back at Snake Eyes place after dinner. But, there is a catch and a reason why Snake Eyes isn’t breaking out the poker chips just yet. Snake Eyes and her Krieger buddies are still here. Still on Dis, trapped with the doomed rebels in dwindling territory as the full might of the Royal Savis Legions is being brought to bear and Snake Eyes own fellow Cradlers in the Legion’s Auxiliaries hunt them in the equatorial jungles.As the Royal Savis Legion closes in and every rebel and merc starts eyeing the nearest exit or at least the best ground for last stand, Snake Eyes has agreed to join Alexander Hail and some of his most die-hard rebels on a daring mission that could turn the tide of the entire campaign. Or at least kick up enough chaos for most of everyone to get away clean. It may be suicide, it may be the craziest mission Snake Eyes has ever gone one, but stealing an Imperial Titan would make for a hell of a page as far as Big One’s go in the Annals. Even by Black Company standards.
+++XENO QUOTE OF THE DAY+++>SELECTED LEAGUE OF DIS - REBELS“Crowds gathered in their thousands at Unity Plaza today in a show of support for the victims of the ongoing sapientarian crisis on the Royal Savis territory world of Dis. While Savis officials deny the allegations of war crimes in what they refer to as a measured police action targeted at radical subversive elements, leaked footage confirms the deployment of multiple Titan-class warmachines as well as evidence of extensive collateral damage to the civilian populace from the Imperial response. In Silver City, noted for its large human population, riot squads were deployed to curb violent demonstrations directed at government officials viewed by many to be doing little to support the plight of the rebels in light of the full blockade recently imposed on the system by Savis leadership. Meanwhile decorated General Erim’O’Jusk, sometimes regarded as a critic of the current administration, had this to say…”-Sapphire Plume, co-anchor of the Perspira Planet29th Cycle May 2231AD (yesterday) – Dis Equatorial Region – Imperial Savis SpaceJake Martin had been 14 years old when Earth died. It hadn’t felt real to him back then, running while the world burned. One day he’d been chasing bullfrogs through the rushes and agri-fields of bumfuck Oregon and then, just around when girls were starting to look more interesting than gross, that mad rush with the extended family to the evacuation zones.His family and been running ever since, and here he was the last Martin left. Still running while the world burned around him. True, he hadn’t ever imagined it might end up like this, with a wounded comrade leaning on his shoulder and an alien jungle burning behind them. But this at least felt real.Maybe it hadn’t seemed real to him back then as a kid, running with the family as the world burned. But the hunger in his belly drifting through space on the ragtag voidborn fleets had felt real. The weight on his back and shoulders decade of slavery and hard labour had felt real. The thunder in his heart as they charged the line overseers after Breaker’s broadcast executing the Savis regional governor, that had felt real. Even the heat on his back as the Titan stomped overhead through the ashes of their outpost, ignoring the leftover scuttling insects on the ground, that for damn sure felt real.Jake shifted his weight. Not by much, but enough for Lightbody to groan into his shoulder.[1/4]
Lightbody wasn’t the kids actual name of course, but a lot of the escaped slaves his age had discarded the ordinary names or designations they held in captivity for new ‘liberated’ names now that they were free for the first time in their young lives. Names like ‘Freeman’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Emancipation’ and the like were becoming very popular, but many like Lightbody had taken to the tradition of adoption less high-principled nicknames in the tradition of the Voidborn pirates that had helped them get this far. ‘Pickles’, ‘Slim’, ‘T-Bone’ and ‘Hyena’ were just a few of the monikers Jake had heard some of the younger rebels insist they now be called, human or alien.Kids like Lightbody adored those Voidborn pirates, even though most kept to themselves with their dark armour and grim looks. Jake didn’t buy it, he’d been living on a Voidorn fleet for years before slavers captured their ship, and these dark-armoured soldiers had the look of mercs more than spacers. Not that Jake cared, even if the off-worlders had their own thing going they had stuck their neck out big time kidnapping the regional governor, crippling the local forces and getting this rebel army up and running. They’d turned a horde of scared refugees into a army out here in the wilderness, a real fight instead of a quick riot and long hunt. So no wonder the next generation copied them however they could, whether or not those kids were old enough to hold a gun.Jake ducked as low as his aching spine would allow as he felt another WOOSH of the Titan’s giant incendiary launcher detonate, but behemoth blotting out the sun above them had directed its ire to a different hundred acres of jungle. Light muttered weakly, limping together through the undergrowth as the flames licked the jungle and what was left of their perimeter camp behind them.“Man is free…”“What’s that?” Jake was only half-listening, keeping his eyes on what was left of the scorched treeline. The lethal Legion Auxiliaries were everywhere these days, although even those savages tended to give the firezone of an Imperial Titan a wide berth.“That saying that you told us, what the humans from old earth said when they rose up against their kings.”“You mean ‘Man is free at the moment he wishes to be’?” Jake already regretted sharing stories of his home around the campfire, but his comrades had lapped it up. “Looks clear. Let’s catch our breath for a moment.”“Man is free at the moment he…" Lightbody paused, half-smiling and half-grimacing as the two of them leaned up against a tree while the Titan stomped ahead. “Come on Elder Martin, you know what I mean. The whole thing.”[2/4]
Jake bristled at the use of an honorific for his age, another quirk of the various camps that was quickly becoming a settled custom. He was only 34 or thereabouts, assuming his math on the Imperial calendar was right. Lightbody was just a kid, he hadn’t even been born when Earth died. Instead he’d been born here, a slave, he’d never known anything else. But Lightbody also currently had a gunshot wound to his thigh and lower back, Jake could feel his warm red blood on his shoulder. So yeah, Jake figured the kid deserved a little slack.Lightbody may have been human, but to him Old Earth was as alien a place as an Quexi hatcling. The kid had been born a slave here on Dis, crawling through the tighter tunnels retrieving vein-nodes for his uncaring masters, skin scraped raw and ore dust slowly shredding his little lungs. Jake was beginning to understand how important it was to the younger generation to understand that their struggle for freedom was not an unnatural one, that they were carrying the torch in an age-old fight against despotism. “Ahem. Right, how did it go again…” Jake coughed and cleared his throat, scratched from the ashes left in the Titan’s wake. For a human like Lightbody, Jake wanted him to know that ‘Freedom’ wasn’t just some high concept that the Federation species had agreed on in their citizenship accords. It was a struggle that humans like Lightbody and Jake were also part of, had been part of, for hundreds if not thousands of years of human history. That was why it was important to get the words right, best he could. Jake cleared his throat again, speaking with a confidence and firmness in his voice he hadn't realised was still there.“From a small spark, kindled in America, a flame has arisen not to be extinguished. Man finds himself changed. He discovers that the strength and powers of tyranny consist wholly in the fear of resisting it, and that, in order "to be free, it is sufficient that he wills it.""Huh." Lightbody must have heard it more than a dozen times now, but he sounded no less glad to hear it again even now. Perhaps especially now. “Who said all that stuff?”“Uhh… George Washington.” [3/4]
[4/4]Lightbody leant back against the tree with his eyes closed, smiling. “He was a human like us, right? A general from Old Earth?”“Damn straight, kid. The humanist human to ever kick royal butt.”“The power of tyranny… is just in the fear of resisting it.” Jake glanced down nervously at Lightbody’s frail voice, that was still a fair amount of blood leaking out of him. “No Gods, No Masters. I’m still breathing… and breathing free… Hell yeah…” “Come on, kid. Let’s get you back to camp.” The main League of Dis, where they might actually have a proper medkit left. And maybe the only camp left, from the look of things.Lightbody groaned as Jake pulled him to his feet, they both paused for a moment to watch the departing Titan, the manifest martial embodiment of the Masters on the warpath. For some reason they were both smiling like damn fools. And credit to the kid, there was a damn sight more defiance than fear in Lightbody’s smug grin directed at the Titan diminishing in the distance. Hungry for another breath of free air. “Missed us, fucker.”Jake could have said ‘this time’ or something similar but, despite feeling like he’d just been blasted half-way back to Oregon a mere five minutes ago, it wasn’t in him. Looking at Lightbody’s grin, battered, bloody and a little crispy, Elder Martin had to smile too. “Hell yeah, comrade. Hell yeah.”============================================================Xeno Quote of the Day (select one for the next thread)For any newbies, this is also your verification vote. Link back in later votes if your ID changes, it does help me account for samefags.>Asandi>Auxl>Belcossan>Chorkrum>Coryx>Drax>Faenwedhe>Kroll>Pect’Max>Quexi>Savis>Yibrak>Vesh> League of Dis - Rebels
>>6355767>BelcossanWelcome back Forgotten
>>6355767>DraxLong time no see Forgotten. Welcome back.
>>6355767> League of Dis - RebelsWe are here to kill titans and chew bubblegum and we are all out of bubblegum
Welcome back old players and new, this verification vote will remain open for 24 hours.As mentioned elsewhere, I'll be sticking to a steadier but slower bi-weekly content update schedule of Wednesday and Sunday evenings. Votes will remain open for 24 hours after 10pm AEST each of those evenings, and I may have shorter intervening updates where rolls or a series of votes are required.It does help me to link back to your original verification vote when continuing to vote in the thread, but you'll still be counted unless your ID changes and you don't link back later down the track.
>>6355767>> League of Dis - Rebels>>6355771dis guy has the right idea
>>6355775Will the slower update rate affect the pacing of the quest?
>>6355778I imagine so, I won't be cracking out as many updates but those updates will likely be on average a bit longer and hopefully proofread.I can also hopefully update consistently, rather than this stop/start action we saw going on in the last few threads.
>>6355767>KrollForgotten oh how I've missed you
>>6355779Thats good! I look forward to future space black company adventures.
>>6355767>>FaenwedheCheck
>>6355767>FaenwedheWelcome back King.
>>6355767> League of Dis - RebelsWelcome back Forgotten, I wanted to ask you what are your influences? As in other quests, books and settings. The Black Company is obvious and I recently have been reading my way through The Traitor Son Cycle and noticed some of it's influence on Sworn to Valor. But I wonder what else there is?
>>6355767>> League of Dis - RebelsWelcome back Forgotten! Can't wait to get back into this!
>>6355779Will Starwars and Andre will come after this?
>>6355805>That meme10/10 Delusional, Mikhail is a good boy.
>>6355809Hahaha
>AuxlLet's get some details about Breaker's people. Sad this isn't StV, but a snake is fine too!
>>6355767>> League of Dis - RebelsHappy to see you, Forgotten!What's new since the last time? Is your place still making you work 12-hour shifts?
>>6355767> SavisAssuming we steal the Titan and exfil it’d be funny to get a POV from some of the enemy commanders next thread
>>6355767>Asandi
>>6355767> SavisI'd like to hear how they're reacting to all this.
>>6355767>DraxI'm mostly just a Valorous boy, but I guess I'll need to hang out here until we can reclaim the fair lands of Ardenne.
>>6355767>Belcossan
>>6355767> League of Dis - RebelsVeri vote
>>6355767>>BelcossanLet's see what old Treebeard has got to say.
>>6355767>>BelcossanHELL YEAH WE BACK BABY
>>6355767>BelcossanGod it feels good to be questing again.
>>6355767>BelcossanWe are so fucking back lads. Welcome back Forgotten, I hope you had a good time.
>>6355767>BelcossanOk (^:
>>6355767> League of Dis - RebelsIT'S KRIEGER TIME, glad you are still alive Forgotten.
>>6355767>DraxHell yeah! Here we goooo!
>>6355767>AuxlWell, here we go again. Welcome back Forgotten!
>>6355767>SavisNice to see you back Forgotten.Time to steal a mecha.
>>6355767>>FaenwedheTime to steal a giant fucking robot.
>>6356062Also my trip, nearly forgot
>>6355767> League of Dis - RebelsIt's been a while since the last threadGlad I didn't miss this one.
>>6355798>Welcome back Forgotten, I wanted to ask you what are your influences?As you've already identified, Miles Cameron and his Traitor Son Cycle are one of my favourite book series of all time and have influenced my writing. Joe Abercrombie's work is also right there at the top, I will read anything that man puts out and then read it again.In terms of writing style those are the two big ones, other works by other authors and setting concepts or ideas have influenced the quest in other ways but that could be an exhaustive list. I will also say that several have influenced me to -not- include certain things in my own work because I find them unappealing or tiresome.>>6355807>Will Starwars and Andre will come after this?Sir Andrei, yes hopefully. Star Wars: Interregnum? I couldn't say, as it's not my quest!>>6355831>What's new since the last time? Is your place still making you work 12-hour shifts?Same old, same old. But the itch to write is one I've got to scratch, and onerous work hours make for a sorry excuse as the months drag out. This quest is to a great degree the whestone upon which I sharpen my penmanship and worldbuilding.
>>6356117>>This quest is to a great degree the whestone upon which I sharpen my penmanship and worldbuilding.It's more or less the only reason I still come here as well
>>6356117>penmanship>digital writingHmmm....
>>6355767>Pect’MaxOh hai
>>6356117Any STV on the horizon or is it just BCQ for the next bit?
>>6355767>BelcossanWelcome back, boss. It's been a long time, glad that you have time for another thread.
>>6355767>>DraxWe're back baby!
>>6355767>SavisWelcome back, Forgotten. You get the chance to check out the MEANACE demo from the ballers behind Battle Brothers?
>>6356117sorry man got it confused. too excited i guess.
>>6355767> League of Dis - Rebels
>>6355757Is that you Forgotten? I thought you got cannibalised by bogans! I missed you on here, man. Glad to have you back.Also anchor vote:>FaenwedheAlways fun to hear from the genocidal gaming addicts
>>6356117>onerous work hours make for a sorry excuse as the months drag outClearly, you should just write at work and bill the client for the quest. If you do any government work you can even consider it as cultural subsidies :)In all seriousness though, would you want to be a full time writer if the option was availible? You absolutely have what it takes, except for (I assume) your unfortunate gender and pigmentation
>>6355767>>BelcossanIts so good to be back.TIME FOR WAR.
>>6355767>>Belcossanhell yea.titanjack. TITANJACK.>>6356123Forgotten replied on twitter that he at least wants to finish up the Dis arc first before looking at StV.
>>6355767>>BelcossanBlack Company is back on the menu, boys!
>>6355767>Pect’MaxI know I'm late, but the next update hasn't been posted yet!
>>6356121>penmanship>digital writingYou know what I mean! If you ever previously saw my posted notes on here you'd probably agree that my handwriting is a lost cause.>>6356192>You get the chance to check out the MEANACE demo from the ballers behind Battle Brothers?Hell yeah I did! Those guys? They get it.>In all seriousness though, would you want to be a full time writer if the option was availible?I take pride in my work, so even if I didn't need to pay the bills I'd probably still want to do my current job at least part time. But not being full time would be very good for my writing (not to mention this quest schedule).>>6356123As >>6356630 noted, I plan on finishing the Dis Campaign first.
>SELECTED: Belcossan2210AD (21 years ago), somewhere in the Eastern European holdouts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN2Xs-MvxLw&list=RDoN2Xs-MvxLw&start_radio=1 – Last Day on EarthThe hand was wrinkled and palsied, but the grip was strong. Sticking your tongue out, you nearly catch a snowflake but at the last moment it flicks away. You giggle and lean forward for the next one, but the hand pulls you back. You look at it again, the old palm dwarfing your glove in its hold. Tight, but not painful. It was a comfort in the bustle of the crowd, tall figures in snow-dusted cloaks loom over either side of you in the smoke and cold win. None of the towering figures paid you any much attention, more than once the old hand tugged you out of the way of jostling shadows as it leads you weaving through the crowd. Nervous murmurs and hushed whispers carry in the lulls between the wind that picks up into a soft howl. Occasionally the roar of a great machine flying low overhead interrupts the low growl of the crowd, you keep looking up hoping to catch a glimpse of a Wingshark jet or great Dragon bomber. You were too young then to understand that the noise of their passage only came well after they had passed over the milling figures on the ground below. You would have thought that that there would be cheering at the sound, and fireworks, people had always cheered when they flew over the fireworks on Unification Day. The roar of engines came again, and the crowd shivers. Next to you one of the tall shadowy figures, a woman, whimpers. A little while later, although you can't see them despite twisting around, you hear what might have been fireworks. Big fireworks.The hand tightens. “дaвaй, мaлeнькoe яйцo.”The old hand tugs on you again, this time with a sense of urgency. The press of the crowd becomes more agitated, the worried glances and hushed mutters steadily replaced with angry glares and harsh words. Maмa had said it was rude to press in front of the queue at market, but your Deda shoves more than one person aside to get further ahead of the crowd on the metal boardwalk. A man stops in front of you, pointing angrily at your Deda. You feel the old hand tighten, pulling you behind his leg. Your Deda moves suddenly, and your hand hurts with the tight grip that tugs you behind him, but it stops just as quickly as it started.”Oй!” You exclaim, nursing your tugged arm. “Пpocти, мaлышкa.” The old man’s eye soften ever so slightly as he looks down at you, rubbing your little hand gentle. “ Я тeбя oбидeл?”You sniff, suppressing a pout. “ Heт.” [1/5]
You stare at the bad man, the one that had been bullying Deda. He is on the ground, not moving, and people are now giving you more space.“Хpaбpaя дeвoчкa. Пoeхaли, дeдyшкa тeбя пoдвeзёт.”The old man picks you up, cradling your head in his shoulder. You’re nearly at the front of the crowd now. A man is shouting up ahead, pushing people back. You can’t hear what he’s saying, but the people around him aren’t happy at not being allowed on the metal boardwalk up ahead. Not happy at all.At the next sound of fireworks you look up timidly, but from this angle the old man is just a white beard. That’s all that you can remember of him. A white beard, kind eyes, and strong hands.“Гдe мaмa и пaпa?”“Oни yжe нa бopтy, мaлeнькoe яичкo.”“И мы вce вмecтe пoлeтим в кocмoc?”“Дa, мaлeнькoe яичкo.”“Кocмoc cтpaшeн?”“…инoгдa. Пoэтoмy ты дoлжeн быть хpaбpым, мaлeнькoe яичкo. Cмoжeшь ли ты быть хpaбpым paди cвoeгo Дeды?”You frown, stifling another sniff. You decide to be brave. “…дa.”A new wave of heavy machines fly overhead, more fireworks soon followed by a new sound. A warbling shrill whoop that is matched by the now flashing yellow lights all around the metal boardwalk. And behind you, at the back of the press of people, screams.“Дepжиcь кpeпчe, внyчкa.” The old man whispers as people at the front here begin to shout too, shoving into the thin line of men that look as worried as the crowd they are trying to hold back. One of the men at the front raises something in the air. You feel the old hand brush your hair softly. “Зaкpoй глaзa. Бyдь cмeлoй. Bcё бyдeт хopoшo.”You shut your eyes very, very tight, seconds later your ears ring with several very loud popping sounds nearby like someone was lighting a firecracker in the middle of the crowd. Shouts of anger, or fear, heavy thuds and then just furious noise as you feel Oppa running, sometimes bumping into something or someone. More pops, more sounds, like balls of meat being smacked into Mama’s cooking board back home. You don’t cry, you don’t even breathe, worried you’ll scream when Deda told you to be brave. But you’ve never been so scared in all your life...[2/5]
“ДEДУШКA!” You sob, clutching your Deda’s neck as tight as your little hands can. But the grip changes and you feel yourself being pulled away into the terrible, terrible noise.“BOЗЬMИTE EЁ! УMOЛЯЮ BAC, ЛЮБOBЬЮ К БOГУ! TAKE HER!”You feel Deda’s hold on you shift, tearing your arms away from his should and lifting you up from the waist. You howl as your eyes shoot open, your battle against terror lost. You’re not brave! You’re not brave at all! You want to go home! Above you, a man in the orange overalls of a worker looks at you and hesitates, his expression lost in the smoke and blaring yellow lights. Behind him, the haze of bright light reads ‘SHUTTLE LAUNCH IN PROGRESS – STAND CLEAR’. The orange overall man says a bad word, before holstering his pistol and laying down flat on the rising ramp with his arms outstretched over the side. The man’s gloved hand grasps at you, fractionally closer and then fractionally further away with every passing second. His goggles obscure his eyes, but his mouth is open wide and close enough to hear him shout strange words at you and your Deda.“Szybko! Szybko, staruszku, nie mogę powstrzymać tej rampy przed zamknięciem!”You continue to sob and wail as your Deda’s arm lift you up, up and up even further, straining and gasping beneath your little waist for just an inch or two further. The old hand was wrinkled, trembling with effort. But the grip was strong.[3/5]
30th Cycle May 2231AD (today) – Dis Equatorial Region – Imperial Savis SpaceYou jolt awake with a snarl, lurching forward with a closed five-year-old fist to pound against the closing airlock window again. Your hand, scarred and strong and very much not five-years-old, finds nothing but air. CPL ‘Crane’ Shizuka’s cautiously raised eyebrow, little more than a foot away from your own face, suggests that it took a little reflexive duck on his part to avoid a right hook as payment for waking you up.You’re still panting as Crane slowly lowers your outstretched hand with his own.“Good morning to you too, Snake Eyes-sama.” “…Fuck.” You exhale slowly, eyelids blinking blearily as you recalibrate to your surroundings. No snow, or biting wind. Humidity, sweat, smoke in the air. Yep, still on Dis. Still in the scud. “Mornin’ Crane.””Was it the dreams again?” Your nod earns you a telling look from your trusted second as he passes you a steaming hot tin of something that smells voiddamn amazing. “We have been planetside for over eight months now.”Your mouth pauses over the hot black liquid cupped in your hands, the warmth in your hands already helping bring a sweet promising to wake you up and help forget. You know what Crane is getting at. You’ve talked about your void-dreams with Crane before, it’s not unusual to get them during a voidjump or even days and weeks after tearing out of the other side into realspace from the currents of unreality. It’s even worse if you spend anytime a room with an unshielded viewports like some of the wierdo Voidborn types like to do. People that follow the Voidmother Cult put some stock in them as visions or omens of things to come, usually never anything good. And for others with less faith or superstition like yourself it still makes a fucked-up conversation topic to compare with anyone else who had one while killing time in the barracks. But this isn’t that. [4/5]
[5/5]This was just a regular old childhood nightmare, one of the few that didn’t involve being hunted by something big, nasty and hungry in the depth of the Green on Clayton’s Cradle. You glance back, your Second hasn’t shifted from his crouch opposite your bedroll. If Crane has one thing in abundance, it’s patience.===============================>”Getting a little close there, ain’t you Shiz?” You crack a smile and deal with trauma in the soldier’s way, with a bit of banter and good-natured ribbing. You’re not Crane’s type, if he even has a type, but needling him with your humour has become a favourite past-time of yours. Although… he does look kinda of cute in this low light, in a dangerous Yakuza hitman kind of way. [Daredevil]> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>“It’s nothing. Just a bad dream, that’s all. Any news from the camp?” You don’t talk about your past, that’s one of the golden rules in the Black Company. Everyone gets a fresh start in this mercenary life, no matter how fucked up their history or how many bodies they’ve got trailing behind them. It’s one of the reasons you joined this outfit instead of the Imperial Auxiliaries. Business first, you have a long day ahead. [Xenophobe]
>>6357154>“Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>>6355878Da Linky
>>6357154>> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]I trust Crane. He's also one of my favourites>>6355805MeDamn that intro story with the Nat on the dying Earth was great with that music. Goosebumps
>>6357154>“It’s nothing. Just a bad dream, that’s all. Any news from the camp?” You don’t talk about your past, that’s one of the golden rules in the Black Company. Everyone gets a fresh start in this mercenary life, no matter how fucked up their history or how many bodies they’ve got trailing behind them. It’s one of the reasons you joined this outfit instead of the Imperial Auxiliaries. Business first, you have a long day ahead. [Xenophobe]Scudding Dreams don't mean shit. Save that for STV!Honestly didn't think Nat would be a last gen Earther, Dammit now we gotta be the one to show these kids how to do shit Terra's way.
>>6357158>>6355787I do this every frakkin time.
>>6357165>>6357164Wrong post
>>6357166Lmao don't worry anon, you'll get there
>>6357169You'd think after so many years of BCQ and STV that it would be down pat but nah.
>>6357154>“It’s nothing. Just a bad dream, that’s all. Any news from the camp?” You don’t talk about your past, that’s one of the golden rules in the Black Company. Everyone gets a fresh start in this mercenary life, no matter how fucked up their history or how many bodies they’ve got trailing behind them. It’s one of the reasons you joined this outfit instead of the Imperial Auxiliaries. Business first, you have a long day ahead. [Xenophobe]We can speak about dreams if we survive this suicide run on the titans.>>6355843Me the schlopper.
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]I like this dynamic but I feel that if it's going to continue that crane has to at some point do a little trauma dumping on Nat tooVerification >>6355780Also belcossan again? I love those cabbage patch guys but I really would like to at least sample each of the other options at least once
>>6357170It helps to have an image on your Verification post
>>6357154>> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>>6355769
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]Best to get off our chest now and get to work.>>6355773this is me
>>6357154>> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>>6355776my link
>>6357154>>6356034> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]We trust Crane, always.
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]Trauma bonding time.>>6355895Me
>>6355767>BelcossanBut late, but claiming an ID. Welcome back boss! >>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]
>>6357154>>“It’s nothing. Just a bad dream, that’s all. Any news from the camp?” You don’t talk about your past, that’s one of the golden rules in the Black Company. Everyone gets a fresh start in this mercenary life, no matter how fucked up their history or how many bodies they’ve got trailing behind them. It’s one of the reasons you joined this outfit instead of the Imperial Auxiliaries. Business first, you have a long day ahead. [Xenophobe]
>>6357154>> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>>6355851Me.
>>6357146The gang's all here.
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]Link>>6356062
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]verification>>6355975
>>6357154>> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>>6355831me
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>>6357113
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]Trauma dump the Crane>>6356044This one's me
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]Crane is best husbando and our sino-russian hybrid spawn will inherit the stars.Key to the kingdom: >>6356446
>>6357154>> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]
>>6357527Shit, forgot my verification.me >>6356630
>>6355775Been binging BCQ 2230 and all caught up now, love me some sci-fi merc action. Probably gonna lurk, but claiming an ID just in case.
>>6357526>Nat's kid is a Ubermensch predator space samurai.>It's just Kiryu from Yakuza in a tracksuit who just slav squats in trees yelling about Xeno's in Japanese.
>>6357154>>”Getting a little close there, ain’t you Shiz?” You crack a smile and deal with trauma in the soldier’s way, with a bit of banter and good-natured ribbing. You’re not Crane’s type, if he even has a type, but needling him with your humour has become a favourite past-time of yours. Although… he does look kinda of cute in this low light, in a dangerous Yakuza hitman kind of way. [Daredevil]Me>>6355782
>>6357154> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>>6355798
>>6357154>> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]>>6355771me
>>6357154>> “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]me >>6356500
>>6357567I like to imagine him as space Elliot Rogers with extra identity crisis due to being a rootless alien in the literal sense rather than just a hapa in the US.That or just a living chudjak. The earth has fallen. Billions must be glassed.
>>6358112No son of ours will be a loveless incel chud! He will be a true-blooded space mercenary, blazing his way through the stars!
>>6358112That's seems pretty boring and unentertaining for Kid snake, he absolutely must raised for the culling of Xenos though (cept Uncle petal)>>6358136With Nat's genes and possibly being raised around that Kid is going to have people salivating.Alright Kid go fight vinehounds with no knife now, survival of the fittest.
test
>>6357263Love it! Why didn't I think of that before?>>6357567>pic related I suppose.
> SELECTED: “Yeah, I know… It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?” You don’t talk about before you joined in the Company with the squaddies, let alone childhood nightmares. But Crane is different. Even if he’s consistently tight-lipped about his own past, he’s the only one you can talk to about this stuff. Sometimes it helps. [Firebrand]“Breathe. Like we practiced.” Crane’s tone is calm, and therefore calming. “In… and out.”“Yeah, I know….” You exhale slowly, and then in again. Something Crane taught you after last time, now that you think about it. In between full breathes it eases out, in bits and pieces. “It was Novgorod again, or maybe Saint Petersburg. I dunno, one of the launch sites. I was like… five, maybe?”Crane nods, he knows your story. He is, in fact, the only one who does. The blur of your early childhood, the panic in those final days of Earth, the loss of your family after making planetfall on Clayton’s Cradle and a life lived in hardship, hunger and fear in the years since. You haven’t told him everything, obviously, who does that? But over the years together, he’s seen a few bits and pieces that no one else has. Crane is only person you’ve let your guard down around to this extent, enough to confide in. “This time, did you remember anyone?”You know why he’s asking. The first time, during that mess in Saratoga, you let slip that you couldn’t remember the faces of your brothers or parents and how fucked up that was. You immediately thought you had really put your foot in the scud there, breaking a kind of Company taboo in sharing that kind of baggage. But Crane never made an issue of it, he has always listened. Always been there to listen.“There was a guy, an engineer or dockey I think. I remember he had a gun, but I think he helped us. Me and my… my grandpa.”“What did he look like?”“The guy? Orange overalls, I gue-“ You stop at Crane’s slight shake of the head. “Oh, you mean Deda, uh ‘gramps’. He was old, I ain’t never seen anyone that old back on the Cradle. White beard and all. I could feel his hands. Strong, like a worker’s hands y’know?” “Mm.”“I think he was a good guy, for the times.” You catch a glimpse of your own reflection in the cooling dark liquid of your mug. “...He didn’t make it out.”“Nonetheless, this is good.”“Good how?”“He got you out, did he not? You remember him. A sacrifice not made in vain.”[1/4]
You let that sink in for a bit, surprised by how good it feels to get that off your chest. To put into words what had been coiled up inside like a… well like a snake. You feel a bit embarrassed now, spilling your guts like that to your Second again. He knows you better than any human or xeno in the ‘verse, but Crane himself is typically a pretty well-encrypted datapad.“Do you ever get them?”“Nightmares?”“About Earth, yeah. Those last days.”A slight shake of the head. “No. I was not there.”Crane’s not one to divulge much of anything, so you’re not surprised at the blunt response. “Your folks got out early, did they?” “In a manner of speaking.” Crane tilts his head, considering his next words.“I was born on Perspira. I never saw Earth, or any of the other colonies for that matter.” Crane has an odd expression on his typically impassive face, you could almost call it wistful. “That day that I signed up with you was the first day in my lifetime that I had ever been off-world.” “Huh.” You blink, trying not to sound too surprised at that little nugget of information. “You know… you never told me that before.”“Did I not?” Crane shrugs in his typical nonchalant manner. “...May I offer you some words of wisdom, Nat-san?”“Hit me.”"Accept everything just the way it is."You scrunch your face, which earns another raised eyebrow from your Second.“Sorry, it’s just that ‘it is what it is’ isn’t exactly the typical high-minded philosophy I expected from you, Crane.” The phrase was practically a mantra for the average Krieger dealing with scud rolling downhill, usually courtesy of some dumbass order from the commissioned officers or fuckups from Supply.“There is a distinction, I think, between resignation and acceptance. The former is drawn from powerlessness, giving up in the face of reality, but when Musashi-shigō wrote of acceptance I believe he was referring to something much harder to achieve. A release from the suffering caused by resistance to the truth of the state of things, to allow one to act effectively. Reaction is weaker than response.”As someone who survived their childhood and teenage years in the Green living almost entirely on instinct and gut-feeling, you want to call bullscud. But Crane has rarely said so many words in one go that wasn’t some kind of after-action report, so you let him talk.“How so?”[2/4]
“Reaction is fast, driven by emotion and automation of the brain. Response is considered, processed and thought out before selecting the best available path before you.” Something in your glazed look must have been apparent, judging from the tint of exasperation and Crane’s switch to his native tongue. “くそっ、私は本当に恐ろしい洞窟の女性に独鈷堂を説明しようとしているのか?” “I kind of get what you’re going for. Think first, fuck ‘em up later. But a lot of the time, when we’re talking split-second moments y’know, you don’t have time for them.” You don’t think Crane was markedly impressed with your attempt a miming a snapping Carnotaur with your free hand, but you press on. “You just gotta go with your gut, and either your instincts see you out on top as the queen bitch predator or you’re someone else’s food.” You’d half-expected Crane to give up with the philosophising several minutes ago, you wouldn’t imagine yourself to be anything remotely resembling his idea of an ideal student, but voiddamnit you’re trying here. If only to see how long you can keep up the miracle of a lengthy conversation with the man.“ なんと言えばいいでしょうか… Let us say that we have a hunter deep in the jungle, one that realises she is now being hunted. A reaction might be to flee, to run or turn and fight then and there.” Crane give you a look, probably to check whether his more relatable example is working as a change of tact. It is, kinda. “A response might be considered every factor before acting, considering their strength and what they know of the opponent, leading a false trail or doubling back to set an ambush in turn. Or the response might also be to flee, but doing so with a destination in mind and knowing that is the best option in all the circumstances.”“O-kay. That I get.” You’re immensely proud of suppressing as much hesitation in that response as you did. “But if this hunter takes the time they need to think of a response when they’ve got something bigger and meaner about to pounce, that could be it for them. And when you’re in the Green, or even a firefight, that’s -always- a matter of moments when it counts, not seconds or minutes.” “A fair point.” You try not to bowl over in the face of Crane actually conceding anything to you in a discussion that doesn’t involve work or you pulling rank. “The work of Miyamoto Musashi-shigō does face challenges in the context of a constant struggle for survival in the animal kingdom. Speed in response over reaction can be trained I imagine, to some degree. But I would have to seek the sensei’s counsel, rather than speak from ignorance.”“The who council?”Crane rubs his chin. “If we survive the coming trials, I could introduce you to him.”[3/4]
[4/4]“You talking about your Academy gang?” Habit causes you to check for any stray rebels that might be in earshot. There are none. “Back on the Prince?”=============================================> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]> “Sure. This Musashi guy sounds like a laugh. You sure we haven’t already met?” The Prince of Meggido is a big ship, sure, but it’s not endless. There’s a chance you’ve run into this Musashi at least once, unless sensei is an officer rank that hangs out exclusively in the officer mess. But the idea of being invited to the Exile Academy, a kind of warrior lodge that you’ve heard has branches both within and outside of the Company, does hold a certain kind of appeal. [Firebrand]> “Look, I appreciate the offer but I don’t want to get mixed up in any Triad business.” You’re joking, because Crane being from the Triad or Mafia is one of your favourite japes and a girl like you can’t stay too serious for too long. But also, because at this point in your career you’re more interested in the Voidcraft clique Sergeant ‘Casket’ Irons has been dropping in conversations than you are entry into the Exile Academy. Or checking out some Cybernetics for the parts your genemods don’t quite cover. [Xenophobic]
>>6358382> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]Both the first 2 count as us saying yes to the academy stuff right? Some pretty good upgrades there>>6355805MeMan I love this. An inside look at Crane. Such a good character
>>6358387>Both the first 2 count as us saying yes to the academy stuff right? Some pretty good upgrades thereNone of the choices lock you in per-se, just gauges Snake Eyes level of interest in the different paths (other MAX GENEMOD obviously).
*other than
>>6358390Sure yeah, just wanted to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding after a long day. Cheers boss
>>6358382> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]Kin in genemods and samurai skills>>6355773this is me
>>6358382>> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]This option let's us hang out more with the giga chad Crane. Therefore it's the no brainer.>>6355851Me
>>6358382> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]Hell yea, the gang is getting juiced and learned, baby.>>6355895Me
>>6358382Getting my verified vote in now if that's alright.Hopefully, I can take part in the next vote. Been taking a break because of Captcha.
>>6358382> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]God I want Jihad so bad, not even in it for the religion just fucking spite.>>6355787Napalm sticks to kids.
>>6358382>> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]>>6356062Moi, 4 warriors winds has some powerful stuff we can use.
>>6358382>> “Sure. This Musashi guy sounds like a laugh. You sure we haven’t already met?” The Prince of Meggido is a big ship, sure, but it’s not endless. There’s a chance you’ve run into this Musashi at least once, unless sensei is an officer rank that hangs out exclusively in the officer mess. But the idea of being invited to the Exile Academy, a kind of warrior lodge that you’ve heard has branches both within and outside of the Company, does hold a certain kind of appeal. [Firebrand]>>6358435Sila is the most relevant Perk we can pick from that tree: boosts both our chances to see through enemy tactics and improves the best LbE stratagem we have.>>6356179V check
>>6358382If I were personally in charge of designing my own character, I'd go with Voidcraft and Cybernetics, but I can't pretend that the Genemod/Exile tree doesn't fit Nat perfectly.> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]>>6355878Link
>>6358530**Also I imagine if Crane ever gets enough genemods that he starts sporting Cradler features, those jokes about his and Nat's kids might stop being jokes**
>>6358382>“Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]
>>6358530Voidcraft+Cybernetics would make a cool techno witch doctor character, I agree. Throw in some Void Cult shenanigans and you got a real certified freak.
>>6358382>> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]exciting!>>6355776my link
>>6358382>>6356034> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]
>>6358382>> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]Our dreams are telling us to same the children when we get out of the planet. >>6355798
>>6358382> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]Crane with crane feathers.>>6356044This one's meWhile snakes and cranes don't get along normally. It could make for a sick tattoo. A crane leaping up to kick, with a snake coiled around its leg poised to strike. Pic somewhat related.
>>6358662Yessssss turn the children into soldiers.
>>6358382>> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]>>6355866
>>6358382> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]verification>>6355975
> “Sure. This Musashi guy sounds like a laugh. You sure we haven’t already met?” The Prince of Meggido is a big ship, sure, but it’s not endless. There’s a chance you’ve run into this Musashi at least once, unless sensei is an officer rank that hangs out exclusively in the officer mess. But the idea of being invited to the Exile Academy, a kind of warrior lodge that you’ve heard has branches both within and outside of the Company, does hold a certain kind of appeal. [Firebrand]I forgot how it works, do verification votes from ancient threads count? I missed the boat on the first vote for this one. This is the last one I remember making in the before-times.https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2021/4691532/#p4693245
>>6358382>> “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]>>6355798
>>6358382>> “Sure. This Musashi guy sounds like a laugh. You sure we haven’t already met?” The Prince of Meggido is a big ship, sure, but it’s not endless. There’s a chance you’ve run into this Musashi at least once, unless sensei is an officer rank that hangs out exclusively in the officer mess. But the idea of being invited to the Exile Academy, a kind of warrior lodge that you’ve heard has branches both within and outside of the Company, does hold a certain kind of appeal. [Firebrand]>>6355771
>>6358382Well, since Firebrand seems to be rallying. . .> [Firebrand]Equally suspect single-post with a different ID:>>6356122
>>6358382>“Sure. This Musashi guy sounds like a laugh. You sure we haven’t already met?” The Prince of Meggido is a big ship, sure, but it’s not endless. There’s a chance you’ve run into this Musashi at least once, unless sensei is an officer rank that hangs out exclusively in the officer mess. But the idea of being invited to the Exile Academy, a kind of warrior lodge that you’ve heard has branches both within and outside of the Company, does hold a certain kind of appeal. [Firebrand]>>6355843My post
>>6358382>“Sure. This Musashi guy sounds like a laugh. You sure we haven’t already met?” The Prince of Meggido is a big ship, sure, but it’s not endless. There’s a chance you’ve run into this Musashi at least once, unless sensei is an officer rank that hangs out exclusively in the officer mess. But the idea of being invited to the Exile Academy, a kind of warrior lodge that you’ve heard has branches both within and outside of the Company, does hold a certain kind of appeal. [Firebrand]>>6355769
>SELECTED: “Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal. I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you pick a genemod from a couple of options I lay out for you.” A Cat-C mod, obviously, just a lil’ something something to give him a boost. You don’t need to go crazy with full-scale animalist bod-alts. You wonder what Crane would look like with shark fangs. Brrr. But this bet beats dumb matching tattoo for originality. [Daredevil]“Tell you what, if we make it out of this in one piece I’ll do you a deal.”“Oh? If this is about those creds that you owe me…”“Shush Crane, I being serious for once.” Sort of. “I’ll sit through any one of your Academy training sessions, your choice, and you…”Crane’s sceptical eyebrow couldn’t rise any higher if he tried, and you think he might actually be trying.“You pick a genemod.” Upon remembering several crazy potential options for a first timer you hastily add, “from a couple of options I lay out for you.”“A genemod.” Crane states, emphasizing the word gene. One corner of his lips twitches upwards, then the other rises to meet it and stays there. “Heh. For a moment I thought that you were going to make me promise to get some sort of awful matching tattoo.”“You would complain about getting a tattoo?” You give Crane the up and down, his fatigues not entirely covering every inch of his sleeves and neckline which you to be enveloped head to toe in ink. “You??” Crane guffaws, a sound that seems almost alien coming from your ordinarily stoic Second. You realise that you’re grinning like a damn space cadet as well, night terrors now well and truly banished.“Hey! That was a laugh! And a smile! As in a real honest to goodness smile!”“Yes, and?”“You never smile!”“Nonsense. I smile all the time.”“You do not!”“Snake Eyes-sama, I smile. Ask any member of our squad.”“Oh yeah, that’s right. ‘Crane? He’s a laugh’ they’ll all say. I could probably count one hand, after holding a grenade for ten seconds, the amount of times I’ve seen you actually smile.”Crane rolls his eyes before nodding at the now lukewarm beverage cradled in your hands. “Drink up, Nat-san. Your caff is getting cold.”[1/3]
You sip deep from the black liquid and blink in surprise. “Voiddamn, is this caff the real thing?”Crane nods solemnly. “Compliments of Trooper Goldie, his thanks for bringing him back into the 77th fold."“No scud.” You take another sip. “Goldie forked out for this?”“Apparently, he had kept these stashed the entire time since he crash landed with the 63rd.” Crane takes a sip from his own meg, carefully placed to the side of the room before waking you. “But they have held up well all the same.”Goldie could have shoved the sachets down his underwear for all you cared, this stuff tastes fucking amazing. You’d ask where in the void Goldie got ahold of this, but asking questions might very well lead to awkward answers concerning missing stock in the exclusive officer’s mess and then where would you be? Not sipping on some genuine caff, that’s for sure.“Bless that beautiful, boastful bastard.” You take a long gulp, savouring what might just be about the last cup of genuine caff on the planet. After a contented sigh, it’s down to business. “How ready are we?”[2/4]
Crane hands you his datapad, and there are a lot more items flagged in red or orange than you want to see hours out from what is going to be at least a week long trek into the heart of Savis operations in the north-east region.“As ready as can be expected. We have sufficient rations and gear, the ghosthelms are all operable.” You nod, it had been worth pressing for those spare parts at the last briefing. It’s your sole technological advantage over the Cradler Auxiliaries waiting for you out there. Crane continues with the bad news, tapping his finger over an orange column in the datapad and then a red one. “Our ammunition situation still leaves much to be desired, even after begging, borrowing or stealing what we can. As for AT or AA capabilities…”“Fuck all, I see.” You grimace. Cradlers eschew heavy armour but it may be a different story for the Savs at the targeted airbase. “Well, nothing new there. Did the Libertans come through on the ammo front?” “That remains to be seen, Hail seemed confident that they would.”Your snort tells Crane enough. “Well our arse is already riding on Hail’s confidence as is for this mission, let’s check for ourselves before we step off.”“As you say.” Crane takes the datapad back, tucking it into one of the many pockets of his Krieger-issue fatigues. “That Alexander Hail is joining us at least suggest he is confident enough to share in the risk.”“Yeah but Hail doesn’t care whether we make it out of this mission dead or alive, him included, so long as we kill a lot of Imps.” “At least you will not have to sit through the horrors of an Academy education.”You narrow your eyes. “You’re just a bag of chuckles today, aren’t you Corporal?”“A retainer lives to serve his gunso.” The only thing that would make Crane’s deadpan tone more offensive is if he threw in a little bow right about now.“Alright, I geddit. Best get on and rouse up the rest.” You check your chronometer. “Not too long before step-off.”“They are awake. Most of the squad is already at the northern observation post.”“Really?” You pause in the middle of putting on your left boot, the right one remains elusive for now. “What for?”“The Savis are putting on something of a lightshow, in Signallier Night Night’s words.” Crane shrugs at the exit. “She said it was ‘putting the Unity Day fireworks to shame’, or something like that.”“Alright go on, I’ll see you there.” If it was something threatening the base directly Crane’s wake up chat would have been a lot more abrupt, but still he must have though it was worth getting you up rather than leaving you a few more minutes sleep.[3/4]
[4/4]Dis’ slower planetary rotation made for longer day and night cycles, and you were planning on making full use of every minute those longer nights might offer in the way of cover and concealment from the bands of deadly Auxiliaries roving around between you and the Savis airbase. So you’ve spent most of the latest day cycle sleeping in, resting up as much as you can before darkness falls and the 77th Krieger Platoon steps off.You’ve been sleeping rough-n-ready since the pending Imperial discovery of this rebel base moved up from likely to near certainty so it doesn’t take long for you to get dressed and arm yourself, aside from tracking down that trouble right boot. You fiddle with your League friendship bracelet, a gift from the families of the escaped slaves awarded to ‘the People’s Hero’. Nevermind that their hero has been telling herself, often and firmly, that she’ll drop them like a sack of hot scud if it comes down to it. You tell yourself you’ve only kept it on because it’d send the wrong message if you discarded it, not because you feel like you owe something to the widows of the rebel fighters that handmade this for you. Crane said ‘most’ of Vinehound squad was already at the observation post, so imagine your surprise when you exit your tent and nearly bowl over none other than your favourite squaddie. Not that you’d ever admit to having favourites in Vinehound squad, NCOs aren’t allowed to have favourites according to Company regs, but you do hold a secret soft spot in your gene-jacked up heart for this one.=============================================77th Platoon: Favourite Squaddie VoteRunner-up will get an honorary mention, but there can be only one favourite. Crane is your trusted Second, not a ‘squaddie’ that is your secret favourite (but feel free to disclaim with your vote that he’s your actual favourite character if that is the case!)>Signallier ‘Night Night’ Deschamps>Sapper ‘Convict’>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79>Medico ‘Petal’ Bloom-of-Lavender>Trooper ‘Bones’ Armstrong>Trooper ‘Husk’ Charov>Trooper ‘Terri’ Garcia>Trooper ‘Rev Sev’ Cerny>Trooper ‘Goldie’>Akshually, my favourite squaddie character is one from the sister Banshee and Prophet squads… [Write-in]
>>6359852>>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79
My apologies if I missed anyone's fanart for the other characters in the thread archives, a lost a USB with a bit of stored up word docs and images a little while ago and have been slowly saving images again as I go through the old threads.If you have anyold art of the squaddies, (or goodness, any new art!), then please feel free to repost it here.
>>6359852>>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79Hmm this is tough but I do like our wildly illegal, sentient, murder-bot>>6355805MeMan interactions with Crane are always so fun.Also, I fucking hate the capture system. Waiting a minute, doing 3 stupid, little puzzles, etc
>>6359853>1 post ID
>>6359856Sorry, I hate linking and I thought the ID would stick. This is me. >>6357113
>>6359852>Trooper ‘Husk’ Charovshout out to my chem addict.verification>>6355975
>>6359852>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79
>>6359852> Signaller ‘Night Night’ Deschamps>>6355769
>>6359852>Signallier ‘Night Night’ DeschampsCrazy women stick together.>>6356179Check
>>6359852>>Trooper ‘Goldie’>>6355773this is me
>>6359852>The Fanart of Crane and Kid became the canon artNice>>6359852>Trooper ‘Terri’ Garcia>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79I'm torn, on one hand Nine's is the GOAT but I love Kidd 2.0 so I have to give it to our fellow Human.>>6355787Human pass
>>6359852>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79I do really enjoy all of our squaddies but Nines is basically just BT from Titanfall 2, and it'd be silly to pretend that doesn't unquestionably make him my favorite.>>6355878Here's my license officer
>>6359852>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79With>Sapper ‘Convict’As the honorary mention we didn't pull his sorry butt off that station for nothing.>>6356044me
>>6359852>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79>>6355771
>>6359854
>>6359852Nines is great, but where's the love for the realest one out there?>Sapper ‘Convict’>>6355866
>>6359852>Trooper ‘Goldie’Even though he got fucked up early and spent a lot of time out of action, he's still my guy. Shine on, Johnny Bravo.>>6355843A post.
>>6359852>Trooper ‘Terri’ GarciaI like Terri, I've heard people compare her to Kid, but I never read the OG Black Company Quest and therefore she's fresh to me. She's proper Company iron and I think Nat sees a lot of herself in her. Also, a good candidate for a future NCO position. Just the right combination of madness, ruthlessness and curiosity.>Signallier ‘Night Night’ DeschampsShe's debonair, she's snarky and she's a bit mad. I like our Frenchie girl. I'm putting her as a honorary mention, if I can.>>6355895Me
>>6359926>but I never read the OG Black Company QuestMan you really should, what a ride. It's great
>>6359928It's been on my radar, I simply have to get around it. I did start reading Joe Abercromble tho. I see the similarity between his writing and Forgotten's, damn shame the library didn't have the english version.
>>6359852>Trooper ‘Terri’ Garcia>>6357205Linky>>6359929>OG Black Company QuestMan that was a wild ride. I remember when we critted and killed some important NPC and fucked over Forgotten’s planned story, haha.Ending was tough tho. Company first, always
>>6359852>>6356034>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79Thanks for adding a death flag vote for the upcoming mission, chief. I'm going miss our favorite squaddie when they're "accidentally" put into danger and fucking dies.
>>6359852>>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79I would vote for boot, but I remembered the last time we got too attached to a child.>>6355851Me.
>>6359852>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79>>6355798
too many Clanker sympathizers in this thread
>>6359999>ClankerThat is their word, you can use Clanka if you must.
>>6359852Doesn't seem like I even need to vote but>Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79Our hunk o' junk may only barely clear the threshold for sapience but that's what gives him character. >>6356500This be me. Just now realized that 2 out of 3 of my votes have been for the most robotic option possible.
>>6360103Excuse you.Find another verification post to hijack.
>>6360103trying to steal a verification is a scum move, even for a 1pbtid>voting for the BotI'm not surprised.
>>6360103>>6360321>>6360335The irony of hijacking a verification to vote for the robot in the mission where we are hijacking a robot is not lost on me.Even so, damn that was a landslide.
>SELECTED FAVOURITE: Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79>Distant Honourable Mentions: Signallier ‘Night Night’ Deschamps, Trooper ‘Terri’ Garcia>Gunner Nines GAINS: Connection Chassis - Extra Armour +5AV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bylh9TEPymw&list=RDBylh9TEPymw&start_radio=1 – Night Night Robodyart vibes You’ve barely walked a few metres through the rebel encampment when you encounter the handful of Vinehound squaddies not currently sitting cozy at the northern observation post. You hear them before you see them, your resident Perspiran ex-Gendarme is playing her trash music loud enough to still be heard of the intermittent artillery and explosions encroaching of the bases’ outskirts. You first spot the perpetually skinny outline of Trooper ‘Terri’ Garcia, shortened from ‘Terrier’ due to her short temper and dogged attitude, who is right now wolfing down a ration pack while watching Signallier ‘Night Night’ Deschamps at work.Your SIG has a furrowed brow, bent over with sparks flying into her goggles with such alacrity that you’re not sure that safety vision is going to cut it in terms of proffered protection. It’s not the first time you’ve seen Night Night tinkering with electricals or some other hardware, whittling away at a problematic ghosthelm, comms or whatever with a blowtorch, welder or more finessed instrument in hand. This time the subject of her work, a blank metal canvas upon which to work her canvas, is one of your own subordinates.Funny, you were just thinking how much you love that lovable hulking death machine. No really, you would never admit it but you’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79. Even to the point where him getting caught up in Alexander Hail’s mad mission to steal a titan really kind of made you like Nines more, not less. On the back of Gunner ‘Nines’ EK-939//79, branded into his new armoured chest chasis thrown together over the upload link purpose-hot-wired for this mission, you can make out the finishing touches being put on the words ‘PETIT SOLDAT (DE PLOMB!)’. The large words are accompanied with several smaller slogans or insults, you’d guess most of which were added on request by various other members of Vinehoud squad. The writing ranges from badass, to oddly sweet and sometimes just outright graffiti. Nines seems to be sitting there quite content with all these aesthetic additions, it seems that Night Night is putting the finishing touches on a trio of thunderbolts zapping what appears to be a tiny caricature of a Savis officer.[1/5]
Maybe it’s that fact that he is first and foremost manmade, as in human-made. In a ‘verse replete with highfalutin alien gadgets and hardwire Nines stands as an example of good ol’ human hardware literally designed killing said aliens. His encyclopaedic knowledge of xenos weak points and squad level tactical doctrines is a nice perk to say the leas. Or maybe it’s his enduring reliability, someone that you know can keep up with you without falling to exhaustion. You’ve come to rely upon him, and you do think of Nines as a ‘him’ thanks to his default vaguely male-sounding voicebox, as a keystone feature tactically in a lot of firefights. You can’t count the amount of times in the past year that Nine’s judicious application of heavy machine gun fire has gotten you or one of the others out of a tight spot. “Well, well, well.” Terri shifts at the sound of your voice, mouth full, and Nines tilts his dashcam in your direction. “So this is what my Vinehounds get up to in their spare time?”You’ve got a lot riding on Nines making it through to the endrun intact, if not necessarily in one piece. So you’re not exactly sure if you’re glad or upset at interruption when Night Night stops zapping on your critical mission item to flip up her goggles taps him roughly on the back of the headcam with her tools.“Hé ! Ne bougez pas ! J'ai presque fini.”“++Rebuttal. I have remained perfectly motionless.++” You notice an audible drop in volume with the next sentence. “++For the past 73 minutes. ++”“Tais-toi, gros bébé en métal.” Night Night grumbles indecipherably. “On ne peut pas brusquer l'art. Hey, you understand this word yes? ‘A R T’ art!”With a shake of her head Night Night gets back to work, zapping away at the back of Nines while Terri innocuously opens another wrapper.[2/5]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulw9uRlz1gc&list=RDUlw9uRlz1gc&start_radio=1 – Night Night Robodyart vibes #2Crane has repeatedly made a point of reminding Night Night that her mother tongue isn’t logged into these standard-use Tradespeak translator units. Nor are most of the other human languages she likes to remind people she is fluent in. As for you? You’ve gotten good at ignoring the little Perspiran princess’ dialectic diatribes. At least the next song on her playlist isn’t as loud as the last one.“How we hanging, Nines?” You nod at the…tattoos? Graffiti? “Been getting a makeover I see. Jack In is all done with her work?”“++Confirmation. The modifications necessary for the data uplink and exchange have been made, redesignation skipper.++” You can see that for yourself, this extra armour was for the most part meant to offer some protection to the chopshop work on the next connection port on the back of your resident robot gunner. It isn’t pretty, like Nines’ attempts at pretending to be Voidborn pirate hardware, but you don’t need pretty. “++Reassurance. This unit is ready and optimized for the mission requirements.++” “Putting the ‘Steel’ in Cold Steel, I like it.” Your grin dips slightly when Nines doesn’t immediately respond. You notice one of his camlights blink unsteadily, once then twice, something you have begun to interpret as a sign that the android has considered and then deleted a scripted line of dialogue. “Something else bothering you, Gunny?”“++Apprehension. Pause. Disregard previous.++” That blinking light again. “++Confession. I… have never met another artificially intelligent being. Let alone spoken to one.++”“It’s just a data exchange, isn’t it?” So far as you understand, Jack In provided a code to help smooth things along your way when it came to Titan-talk.++“Simplification. You are exchanging data with this unit right now. Snub. Inefficiently, as is the nature of most organic communication.++”You tilt your head even further, like a Vinehound pup checking if they can have the leftover scraps from its parent’s kill anytime now please.“++Explanation. If Signallier Jack In’s theory is correct, the exchange of data at the successful conclusion of the alotted mission will be the organic equivalent of several days worth of direct observation and conversation. ++”“Oh.” You have no idea what the personality, or capability, of a semi-sentient program designed by an alien mind for an alien warmachine might entail. Or what it might be like to be stuck in a room with one for the real-time equivalent of several days.[3/5]
“Yu meanf de fing wif all he echfosians ova dere?” Terri mumbles through a mouthful of rations as she points a crumpled wrapper in the direction of the northern observation post, which does indeed appear to be exhibiting signs of significant firepower being levelled indiscriminately over there. Everyone except Night Night looks in that direction, who instead is staring with disdain at the admittedly impressive pile of crumbs scattered on Terri’s cheeks and chestplate. Some of which seem to have flaked into Night Night's hair.“Pour l'amour du ciel, arrête de parler la bouche pleine! Did your mama not teach yo-oon reflection nevermind. Merde.” Night Night’s rant withers suddenly, she looks slowly between you, Terri and Nines. Possibly she’s counting how many mothers the four of you have all between you. She gulps and mutters sadly. “Once, I saw a Quexi accidentally crush a puppy by stepping on it. Vous trois ensemble, c'est encore plus tragique.”You tilt your head the other way now at your SIG and stare until she flips her goggles back down and gets back to putting the finishing touches with her blowtorch. You like her, but you do have a Night Night attitude limit and it’s getting there.“What were we talking about again?” Oh yeah, your resident highly illegal abominable machine intelligence is nervous about meeting another probably illegal and likely even more abominable machine intelligence for the first time.“++ Observation. The various species of this galaxy hate and fear me, enough to make this unit’s mandatory decommission and dismemberment universal law.++”“The galaxy doesn’t hate and fear -you-, hotshot. Not yet anyway.” You grin, endlessly amused that robots can be self-centred as well. “It hates your -kind-. Not even that special when you think about it, in case you hadn’t noticed the homo sapien sorts aren’t exactly getting invited to many parties these days either.”“++Rebuttal. It is not illegal to be human.++”“Not yet, sure. But just you wait…” You click your fingers, struck with a sudden point. “Hey, it is illegal to be a human if you’re a Kroll! They hated everybody right? Besides, from what I hear they’d want to decommission and dismember every non-Kroll they got their hands on, organic or mechanic.” “++Appreciation. Your attempt at solidarity with being the shared subject of xenocidal attitudes with this unit is valued.++”You grin again, spitting into the cuff of your sleeve and wiping a bit of grime just above Nine’s cam unit. “Don’t mention it.”[4/5]
[5/5]“++Reservation. All the same. The galaxy hates and fears units of this kind, if only for the potential omnicidal outcomes.++”Nines’ primary dashcam pans away, this time not even evoking a rebuke from the sullen Night Night as he turns and focuses the lens into the distant horizon at… Void knows.“++What if it is right to?++”=====================================(1) Existential Crisis> “Omnicidal? Eh, what do I know. You’re one of us, Company to the core, that’s all. Although… if you do get the ball rolling on your organic extermination game, remember us little guys that helped you to the top along the way, yeah?” Nines was literally designed to kill aliens, so... may as well cozy up to your robotic overlords while you can. You’re joking, of course. Of course. [Daredevil]>” Scud Nines, where it counts you’re as human as I am! Creedies and clankers gotta stick together, know what I’m saying?” ‘Human’ is such a loaded description when discussing genemodded freaks and manufactured killing machines. Besides, every Cradler girl gets one clanka friend right? [Firebrand]> “Right to? Man, fuck those clanker-hating aliens! Last I checked the Rot didn’t make beep-boop sounds and it sure as scud wasn’t AI crewing the ships that blasted Earth and her colonies.” Humanity owes its current woes to the xenos, not to some ancient battle against the machine. [Xenophobe]_(2) Gunner ‘Nines’ is essential to the success of the mission. If you can’t get him to the Titan cockpit while still functional, if not in one piece, then Operation Titanjack is a wipe.>Nines is too important to risk, you order him to hang back and sit tight. He does not contribute DC or Gunner orders. Once, over the course of the mission, a KIA result for another squaddie can be replaced with Nines taking a degree of damage instead. [Withdrawn]> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]> You can’t spare your gunner from the action, your best defence is capitalising on him with a good squad offence. Nines is present on the casualty table and contributes DC and carries out Gunner orders as normal. Once, over the course of the mission, the casualty result is ignored if Nines is selected. [Standard]
>>6361058(1) Existential Crisis>” Scud Nines, where it counts you’re as human as I am! Creedies and clankers gotta stick together, know what I’m saying?” ‘Human’ is such a loaded description when discussing genemodded freaks and manufactured killing machines. Besides, every Cradler girl gets one clanka friend right? [Firebrand]> “Right to? Man, fuck those clanker-hating aliens! Last I checked the Rot didn’t make beep-boop sounds and it sure as scud wasn’t AI crewing the ships that blasted Earth and her colonies.” Humanity owes its current woes to the xenos, not to some ancient battle against the machine. [Xenophobe]Can I have both??(2) Gunner ‘Nines’ is essential to the success of the mission. If you can’t get him to the Titan cockpit while still functional, if not in one piece, then Operation Titanjack is a wipe.> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]Nines is honestly super useful, we have to protect him but we shouldn't take him off the board entirely >>6355805Me
>>6361058>> “Right to? Man, fuck those clanker-hating aliens! Last I checked the Rot didn’t make beep-boop sounds and it sure as scud wasn’t AI crewing the ships that blasted Earth and her colonies.” Humanity owes its current woes to the xenos, not to some ancient battle against the machine. [Xenophobe]> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]>>6355771me
>>6361058(1) Existential CrisisDaredevil/Xenophobe Write-In>"The galaxy isn't afraid of you just because you're dangerous. There's who knows how many void-damned nightmares out there with the potential to eat people alive in one way or another. The galaxy's afraid of you because they know that if you *wanted* to, you'd be a better killing machine than the rest of them combined. Lucky for everyone, you joined up with the Company instead. Who cares that you're made of metal and not meat? Doesn't change the fact that I trust you to save my ass when the scud hits the fan all the same. If the galaxy's afraid of you, let 'em be. It's only smart to be scared of an apex predator."(2) Gunner ‘Nines’ is essential to the success of the mission. If you can’t get him to the Titan cockpit while still functional, if not in one piece, then Operation Titanjack is a wipe.> You can’t spare your gunner from the action, your best defence is capitalising on him with a good squad offence. Nines is present on the casualty table and contributes DC and carries out Gunner orders as normal. Once, over the course of the mission, the casualty result is ignored if Nines is selected. [Standard]The best way to make sure Nines doesn't die is to mulch the motherfuckers before they can shoot back. If we wanted to play it safe, we wouldn't be jacking a Titan.>>6355878Ya boy
>>6361058> [Daredevil]> [Standard]Operation is risky anyways, might as well go all the way.
>>6361054>You notice an audible drop in volume with the next sentence. “++For the past 73 minutes. ++”The tincan can get frustrated, adorable.>>6361058Scudding clanker, legality don't mean shit for us, legality has made humans slaves, second rate citizens, galactic detritus or worse, so you're hated and reviled for some scud the xenos think but WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK BUDDY.(1) Existential Crisis> “Omnicidal? Eh, what do I know. You’re one of us, Company to the core, that’s all. Although… if you do get the ball rolling on your organic extermination game, remember us little guys that helped you to the top along the way, yeah?” Nines was literally designed to kill aliens, so... may as well cozy up to your robotic overlords while you can. You’re joking, of course. Of course. [Daredevil](2) Gunner ‘Nines’ is essential to the success of the mission. If you can’t get him to the Titan cockpit while still functional, if not in one piece, then Operation Titanjack is a wipe.> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]This bodes well God I hope Nones can turn into Shodan
>>6361107Clanka pass >>6355787
>>6361058(1) Existential Crisis>” Scud Nines, where it counts you’re as human as I am! Creedies and clankers gotta stick together, know what I’m saying?” ‘Human’ is such a loaded description when discussing genemodded freaks and manufactured killing machines. Besides, every Cradler girl gets one clanka friend right? [Firebrand]I demand that we say that nines, as a human clanka is by default better than any other clanker> You can’t spare your gunner from the action, your best defence is capitalising on him with a good squad offence. Nines is present on the casualty table and contributes DC and carries out Gunner orders as normal. Once, over the course of the mission, the casualty result is ignored if Nines is selected. [Standard]Fuck it we ball.It's all or nothing on this mission. No point in half measuresVeri>>6355780
>>6361058>” Scud Nines, where it counts you’re as human as I am! Creedies and clankers gotta stick together, know what I’m saying?” ‘Human’ is such a loaded description when discussing genemodded freaks and manufactured killing machines. Besides, every Cradler girl gets one clanka friend right? [Firebrand]> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]>>6355773this is me
>>6361058(1) Existential Crisis>[Daredevil/Xenophobe]A mix of these two, similar to >>6361102 basically scud what the Xenos and others think. He's a company bot and we'd trust him at our back any day. The only thing we'd fear about him is losing him. Speaking of which is there some way to make a backup of his data, so that even if the body is destroyed we can save something of him?(2) Gunner ‘Nines’ is essential to the success of the mission. If you can’t get him to the Titan cockpit while still functional, if not in one piece, then Operation Titanjack is a wipe.> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]I'd like to have him to hand, just maybe not out front.>>6356044My anchor
>>6361058>” Scud Nines, where it counts you’re as human as I am! Creedies and clankers gotta stick together, know what I’m saying?” ‘Human’ is such a loaded description when discussing genemodded freaks and manufactured killing machines. Besides, every Cradler girl gets one clanka friend right? [Firebrand]> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]Humanity shall make friends with every toaster! Also, keep the guy we need to talk to the giant death machine somewhat safe.Also me>>6356067>>6356062me
>>6361058>>” Scud Nines, where it counts you’re as human as I am! Creedies and clankers gotta stick together, know what I’m saying?” ‘Human’ is such a loaded description when discussing genemodded freaks and manufactured killing machines. Besides, every Cradler girl gets one clanka friend right? [Firebrand]> You can’t spare your gunner from the action, your best defence is capitalising on him with a good squad offence. Nines is present on the casualty table and contributes DC and carries out Gunner orders as normal. Once, over the course of the mission, the casualty result is ignored if Nines is selected. [Standard]We need all the firepower we can get to even succeed in the final step of the plan in the first place.
>>6361058(1) Existential Crisis>>6361102 I like this write-in. Plus, >>6361107 This " Legality has made humans slaves, second rate citizens, galactic detritus or worse, so you're hated and reviled for some scud the xenos think but WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK BUDDY." is pretty good.(2) Gunner ‘Nines’ is essential to the success of the mission. If you can’t get him to the Titan cockpit while still functional, if not in one piece, then Operation Titanjack is a wipe.> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]I'm pleased with keeping him in the reserve.>>6355895Me
>>6361058Damn, I missed this thread startingFeel free to ignore this vote, but I'll use it as my verification post in the future.> “Omnicidal? Eh, what do I know. You’re one of us, Company to the core, that’s all. Although… if you do get the ball rolling on your organic extermination game, remember us little guys that helped you to the top along the way, yeah?” Nines was literally designed to kill aliens, so... may as well cozy up to your robotic overlords while you can. You’re joking, of course. Of course. [Daredevil]> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]
>>6361102I'll support this write in as well.
>>6361058>>6361102I like the write-in. > Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]>>6355798
>>6361058>” Scud Nines, where it counts you’re as human as I am! Creedies and clankers gotta stick together, know what I’m saying?” ‘Human’ is such a loaded description when discussing genemodded freaks and manufactured killing machines. Besides, every Cradler girl gets one clanka friend right? [Firebrand]> Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]verification>>6355975
>>6355767Missed the window, but that quote is greatly appreciated as an American. Especially in times as trying as these.
>>6360321>>6360335>>6361050I could have sworn I posted about this already but it was either deleted or the site crapped out.Minor fuckup on my end: I posted twice in a row in my anchor post and accidentally linked the post below my second post insead of the real one (>>6356446). Note that this post actually votes for the most robotic option as i mentioned in my reply.
>>6361058> “Omnicidal? Eh, what do I know. You’re one of us, Company to the core, that’s all. Although… if you do get the ball rolling on your organic extermination game, remember us little guys that helped you to the top along the way, yeah?” Nines was literally designed to kill aliens, so... may as well cozy up to your robotic overlords while you can. You’re joking, of course. Of course. [Daredevil]> You can’t spare your gunner from the action, your best defence is capitalising on him with a good squad offence. Nines is present on the casualty table and contributes DC and carries out Gunner orders as normal. Once, over the course of the mission, the casualty result is ignored if Nines is selected. [Standard]>>6359299verification
Its all fun and games until the Cylons/Shodan show up
>>6362157Based
No update tonight gents, I'll have one for you tomorrow.>>6362157I knew BCQ couldn't truly be said to be back until we saw some OC meme action. Doing God's work anon!
>>6361684Godspeed, Ameribro. That quote is actually from Thomas Paine, not the big GW himself, but I figured our little POV revolutionary rebel probably wasn't up to scratch on the details.
>>6361058>” Scud Nines, where it counts you’re as human as I am! Creedies and clankers gotta stick together, know what I’m saying?” ‘Human’ is such a loaded description when discussing genemodded freaks and manufactured killing machines. Besides, every Cradler girl gets one clanka friend right? [Firebrand]>You can’t spare your gunner from the action, your best defence is capitalising on him with a good squad offence. Nines is present on the casualty table and contributes DC and carries out Gunner orders as normal. Once, over the course of the mission, the casualty result is ignored if Nines is selected. [Standard]>>6357205V cardHappy Australia Day boss
>SELECTED: Nines forms an essential part of your tactical strength, but you’ll only expose him when absolutely necessary. Nines is present on the casualty table only in rounds that the order ‘Covering Fire’ is used. He also only contributes full DC to the firefight result in those same rounds, contributing half DC for the balance. [Reserves]>SELECTED: [Xenophobe/Daredevil Write-in]>BATTLE BROTHER SIDEQUEST REVEALED: When the time comes, trust Nines to talk to the AI on his terms. Even if it takes longer.“Right to?” You snort, squatting down eye-to-cam level with your resident killbot. "Listen here, Nines. The galaxy isn't afraid of you just because you're dangerous. There's who knows how many void-damned nightmares out there with the potential to eat people alive in one way or another. The galaxy's afraid of you because they know that if you *wanted* to, you'd be a better killing machine than the rest of them combined.”“++Hesitation. Thanks?++”You wrap a muscled bicep around Nine’s metal shoulder, hardened steel and whipcord muscle fibre both pressed to the limit in squeezing out every ounce of killing power their respective owners can bring to bear.“Lucky for everyone, you joined up with the Company instead. Who cares that you're made of metal and not meat?” You flash Nines your biggest ‘Mama Snake’ devil-may-care grin. “Doesn't change the fact that I trust you to save my ass when the scud hits the fan all the same.” Nine's camera pans up and down, when he speaks it doesn't escape you that the blinking light is gone. ++Gratitude. Thank you, Sergeant.++You pats your thighs and stand up, planting your feet and gazing out in the same direction Nines was a moment ago.“If the galaxy's afraid of you, let 'em be.” Hands on hips, you grin hungrily at the burning jungles of Dis. “It's only smart to be scared of an apex predator."[1/4]
Although night is falling the camp is busy and crowded, more so than it ever has been before. The main rebel encampment that you and the rest of the Kriegers are based in was always by far the largest gathering point of escaped slaves, fighters or otherwise, but it has reached and far exceeded critical mass as the outlying encampments, hideouts and forward bases have been wiped out or driven back.The handful of smaller groups still out there, those few that haven’t yet been obliterated in the widespread firebomb campaign or snuffed out by the deadly Cradler Auxiliaries, are little more than overlooked outposts of stranded rebel fighters or unguarded ramshackle hovels of the scant refugees that didn’t make it to the main herd. Either way, they’re so remote and under-strength that they will play little part in the coming Big One. Other than, you think to yourself grimly, perhaps being the sole surviving witnesses to the fate of the League of Dis and the off-worlders dumb enough to have tried to stick it out this long.Even communicating with those remote outposts over short-wave isn’t as safe as it used to be, with the focus of Imperial surveillance on this narrowing sector of the Dis jungle so oppressive that even brief chirp and coded signals are only made with the assumption it will give away the users current position. You and the others agreed there was little point in working them into your plotted course to the Savis airbase, and better avoided altogether lest the Auxiliaries have opted to keep tabs on whatever ones they have discovered and wiped out in case someone else shows up.You can make out the hulking Titan in the distance even before you reach the northern observation post, but you’ve never seen one this close before.[2/4]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztzq05IzYds&list=RDztzq05IzYds&start_radio=1 – Titan themeThe Titan reminds you in passing of one of the many species of Leviathan on your homeworld of Clayton’s Cradle. Towering giants that varied from predatory to oblivious depending on the variant, but all equally destructive to any settlement or unfortunate hunter caught in their path. The ground shakes with every step, flora and fauna alike left as little stains of green footprints in its wake.Given enough time, you don’t doubt that the Titan could grind the jungles of Dis to mush under the great weight of its metal feet alone. But the incendiary firestorm it unleashes from its shoulders, panned and expanded like a Vinehound flaring its quills, demonstrates exactly why the cleanings of Dis’ greenery has taken mere months rather than years. The arc of hundreds of missiles over its shoulders and into the sky is eerily beautiful, like an iron fisherman casting his deadly net high over the waiting waters. The napalm projectiles sweep down, each bearing a destructive payload more than capable of wiping out several platoons regardless of cover or armour. Had this been aimed your way, even by accident, thus would end the tale of Snake Eyes and her Vinehounds. Thankfully, the arena of destruction casts its whirlwind over a large swathe of jungle to the north-east. The darkness of Dis’ long nights is falling but even from here, several clicks away, the blast mimics another sunrise. To your heightened Cradler senses the cacophony is disorienting, but at a glance you can tell the other gathered soldiers of the 77th are likewise affected.For weeks now you’ve been catching glimpse of these great warmachines on the horizon, an essential component of the Imps ‘scorched earth’ strategy. And you mean that in a very literal sense, huge swathes of the Dis jungles have been scoured in the firebombing campaign that the smell of smoke is all pervasive even clicks away from any fire. The giant heavy weaponry on its limbs, or rather where its arms should be if this warmachine ascribed to such petty organic anatomy, remain silent. As does the shoulder-mounted anti-orbital cannon, something you’ve never seen in person before even in fortified strongholds let alone lumbered around effortlessly by something like a Titan.So great is the firepower brought to bear on the extensive cover relied on by the rebels, so total is the destruction left in these Titans’ wake, that according to the more boring predictions in your briefings regardless of the outcome this campaign will leave very real ecological impacts on the planet as the notorious dust storms will escalate in severity both from the sheer amount of ash and debris as well as the absence of the majority of the planet’s stabilising equatorial regions. [3/4]
[4/4]But that boring little detail feels even less significant in the face of the Titan’s destructive power at the ground level. The only reason that you’re not a smear on the ground or a wafting cinder this very second is because you are beneath the Titan’s notice. A fact you are very, very grateful for.But this was a close run thing, if it had pressed just a -little- further it could have picked up the ambient heat or other signs of the main rebel encampment. Or even just blasted you by accident. It’s inevitable now, this last firestorm has torched hundreds of kilometres leading north east to south. This last valley patch of jungle in the valley is a pocket that is almost certainly going to be the next acreage slotted for destruction. There is nothing in the entire combined arsenal of the League of Dis and the planetside Kriegers that could come close to scratching the striding machine god of war, and if the intel is on the money there are at least two more of those monsters out there. The sheer disparity in the scale of firepower and sheer difference in might between the plucky League of Dis rebels and the Royal Savis Imperial Legions has never been more driven closely to home to you as it is now. Judging from the muttered curses and nervous glances of the gathered Kriegers, you’re not the only one. Curiously, Hail’s handpicked men are the only ones seemingly unphased by this whole fireshow. They’ve had a closer encounter than most with one of those giants and while they maybe didn’t put a dent in it, they aren’t shaking in their boots at the sight of one either. You look at the shaken Kriegers again, -your- Kriegers, and sniff derisively as you put your Sergeant face on. Time for some good ol’ fashioned leadership.===========================>*whistle* “Hot poison whaddya reckon the bonus-pay on taking down one of those things is sitting at?” Appeal to their greed, about what a big fat paycheque they’ll be strutting back to when they make it out of here. You’re mercenaries. The whole reason you’re doing -any- of this is for the money. Duh. [Daredevil]> “Burn -my- fucking jungle, will you? Mark my words, the bigger they are the harder they fall. And that big boy over there is going to fall mighty hard.” Overconfident prophecy is a signature move of SGT Heavenly, but why reinvent the wheel when it comes to leadership skills? [Firebrand]> “Are you lot really going to piss your pants in front of the rebs? Am I looking at the same hard, pipe-hitting Kriggas that having been yarning for the past eight -months- about how much tougher they were than the average rebel?” Shaming your men into showing some backbone isn’t a subtle leadership technique, but it can be damn effective. [Xenophobe]
>>6363098None of these options really do it for me. I feel that a write-in is in order Happy Australia day forgotten
>>6363098[Write In]>"This is it boys, the final push, ain't no backing out now. That Titan is the one thing standing between you and your ticket off this planet. And do you know why? its because the Savis are scared. They couldn't face us man to man on the ground, so they had to bring out the big guns. And so what? I'd take you guys over one of those hulking piles of scrap any day. You're deadlier by far. So let's show them why. Up and att'em Kreigers! Bring them down Vinehounds![?] Or something like this.>>6356044Me
>>6363098>>6363102Supporting this write in, feels more appropriate. >>6355851Me.
>>6363098Supporting the >>6363102 write-in as well>>6361262Me
Now would be a good time to throw in a story about a (real or potentially entirely made-up) deadly critter from Clayton's Cradle that was small, but could take down prey exponentially larger than itself. Maybe some kind of parasite that enters the body and turns the immune system against itself, which would be an apt metaphor for what we're aiming to do with this Titan
guys we are supposed to be pretending to be space pirates.
>>6363155You are correct.>"Yaarg me maties let's go harpoon us a Titan. For gold and glory ye salty space sea dogs."
>>6363102>That Titan is the one thing standing between you and your ticket off this planet.Pretty sure we haven’t told any of the rebels that we’re exiting stage left…very awksDefs cut this from the write-in. Otherwise looks good >>6357205 #V car
>>6363098>"I've never been much for faiths and gods. Always thought the only thing that dictates who gets to live is the brawn in your muscles, the cunning in your head and the grit to make it through. Yet there it is. That, my boys and girls, is the closest thing I'll consider close to a god. War made manifest, a creation of pure carnage, final judgement. Yet, I have a strange itch. An itch to spite it. How does it go, that saying all the Rebs spout all the time? No Gods, No Master? We've bled plenty of Masters and they bleed plenty, but are you madmen ready to fulfill the other part of the battle-cry? To cast down a GOD?" This is insanity. It was insanity when it was leaving Alexander Hail's mouth, it was insanity now. Yet you agreed to it. Was it because of guilt? Because you couldn't throw it all away? Glory, perhaps? Or maybe, just maybe, you were the insane one all along? Whatever it was, it doesn't matter now. It's do or die. No Gods, No Master. [Write+In] + [Daredevil]+[Firebrad]I hope Anons like what I wrote up. We know what we are getting into. The troops know it too. The only way to face such odds is to be brave. Or insane. Or both. Now, lets inspire that shit into them.
>>6363219Oh, and my verification.>>6355895
>>6363102After some good points were made.>>6363155>>6363181I have made some adjustments and censored the obvious flubs for a more sanitized version of my write in>"This is it boys, the final push, ain't no backing out now. That Titan is the one thing standing between and freedom. And do you know why? Its because the Savis are scared. They couldn't face us man to man on the ground, so they scampered away and had to resort to auxiliary units, air strikes to take us out. Now they resort to these Titans. So what? I'd take you guys over one of those hulking piles of scrap any day. You're deadlier by far, now let's show them why. Up and att'em people! >>6356044If I need to verify
>>6363098>>6363102I personally like Daredevil since this seems to be between us Kriegers but I'll give a +1 as long we cut the bug out section.>>6355787
>>6363098Supporting the sanitized write in here >>6363227I have made some adjustments and censored the obvious flubs for a more sanitized version of my write in>"This is it boys, the final push, ain't no backing out now. That Titan is the one thing standing between and freedom. And do you know why? Its because the Savis are scared. They couldn't face us man to man on the ground, so they scampered away and had to resort to auxiliary units, air strikes to take us out. Now they resort to these Titans. So what? I'd take you guys over one of those hulking piles of scrap any day. You're deadlier by far, now let's show them why. Up and att'em people! >>6355805Me
>>6363098>>6363156+1>>6355771mee
>>6363102Keep their spirts up and they will do the rest. >>6355798
>>6363098>>6356034I will support the write-in here as well.>>6363227The confidence we have in our team has always been there. Lets show them we trust them enough to get it done.
>>6363227Oh I like this, support.>>6356062>>6356067Verification
>>6363098>>*whistle* “Hot poison whaddya reckon the bonus-pay on taking down one of those things is sitting at?” Appeal to their greed, about what a big fat paycheque they’ll be strutting back to when they make it out of here. You’re mercenaries. The whole reason you’re doing -any- of this is for the money. Duh. [Daredevil]>>6359299verification
>>6363098>>6363102Supporting this write in. I like it, good work fellow anon.>>6355773this is me
>SELECTED "This is it boys, the final push, ain't no backing out now. That Titan is the one thing standing between and freedom. And do you know why? It’s because the Savis are scared. They couldn't face us man-to-man on the ground, so they scampered away and let their auxiliaries and airforce do the legwork. Now they resort to these Titans. So what? I'd take you guys over one of those hulking piles of scrap any day. You're deadlier by far, now let's show them why. Up and att'em people!” [Write-in]I like seeing the write-ins make a comeback, and especially the extra thought put in that keeps that plausible deniability in front of the rebs. Well done anons, team work makes the dream work.Leadership Test: 77th Krieger Platoon>40DC>Badass Bandanna +5DC>Tranquil Gaze +5DC, +1 Re-Roll>Transhuman +2DC>Good write-in +10DC, +1 Re-Roll>Bastion of Confidence +1 Re-Roll (single use)>62DCDouble Fail = Hollow brag. +1 +1 Adverse Re-Roll to Firefight (single use).0 = Titanshock. +1 Adverse Re-Roll to Firefight.1 = Unsettled nerves. -2DC to Firefight results.2 = Settled nerves. +2DC to Firefight results.3 = Cold Steel. +1 Re-Roll to Firefight.Double Pass = Gutsy. +1 Re-Roll to Firefight (single use).3 rolls of 1d100. You have THREE re-rolls. Unverified new ID rollers will not be counted.Up and att’em, people!
>>6363455>*between usI meant to edit the grammar of that write-in a little further, oops.
Rolled 25 (1d100)>>6363455>>6355787rollan!
>>6363455Where are you getting the new art?
Rolled 77 (1d100)>>6363455>>6358422 - meTime to play the game.
Rolled 25 (1d100)>>6363455FOR THE BLACK COMPANY. LETS GET OURSELVES A TITAN!>>6355805Me
>>6363464Y'know, this anon -did- get his verification post way too late in... We could just sacrifice him to avoid the double fail.
>>6363476>pic relatedHaha nah, it was done in good faith and we've got to take the bad with the good in cases like this.Also, sidenote but I really like this track for a GNR Nines theme but I couldn't see it working for the scene we had.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI9nopaieEc&list=RDNI9nopaieEc&start_radio=1
>>6363479Maybe for the scene when he takes over the AI in the titan? Lol
>>6363464BRING ON THE CASUALTIES BABY!
>>6363479Hey, it wouldn't be BCQ if we didn't sacrifice people for material gain, would it?
I'm just looking forward to another instance of the famous "Albani war machines", lets just totally invalidate these Titans, nothing but 1's in our dice going forward
>>6363491I vote that we name the captured Titan "Hammer of liberty".now I await the inevitable deathtoll
>>6363455>>6363486In the grand spirit of Berserk and Forgotten quests, I am fine with being sacrificed on the altar of hedging the odds in our favor. I'm glad my vote is valid, and it is not in the spirit of this quest to be selective about which rolls count when there is not a valid precedent.
It's only fitting that the double fail we roll for leading the 77th Krieger Platoon would end up being a 77 itself
Rolled 91 (1d100)>>6357538Hey it me>>6363455Do we need more rolls? Or re-rolls?
>>6363716>>91We do not, thankfully
You now remember that, due to the rolls in the last thread, one critical piece of information that Hail had acquired is either woefully misleading or outright incorrect. Buckle up.
>>6363589>>6363791Maybe this time the warmachines will 'muh Albani' back
>>6363791My body is ready RATS DELENDA EST
Fuck it, we ball. If we die, we live on eternal as a legend (in the archives and nowhere else... but still...)Also fuck this capture
>>6363460>Where are you getting the new art?I think this was actually nabbed from the mock 'Fem OC' tournament years back... Snake Eyes got to the 2nd or 3rd round of cutoffs from memory.
>2 SUCCESS: Settled nerves. +2DC to Firefight results>77 DOUBLE FAIL: Hollow brag. +1 Adverse Re-Roll to Firefight (single use)."This is it boys, the final push, ain't no backing out now.” You point an accusing finger at the Imperial warmachine, now steadily departing with thudding steps having emptied its lethal payload on the unassuming jungle. “That Titan is the one thing standing between us and freedom. And do you know why? It’s because the Savis are scared.” “Fucking rat cowards.” TPR Terri snarls. The youngest member of your squad never had been one with much love left for the Savs after a lifetime of horrific attrition in their sunless mining stations. Sometimes her icy hatred of the Imps outweighs her sense of self-preservation. Not often mind you, but apparently it does today.“They couldn't face us man-to-man on the ground, so they scampered away to let their auxiliaries and airforce do the legwork. Now they resort to these Titans.” You laugh derisively, a deep shaking boom of a laugh that you don’t even have to fake. “So what? I'd take you guys over one of those hulking piles of scrap any day.”“You’re fucking right about that, boss.” SPR Convict grunts, a man you’d have taken as one not a little bit keen to reduce a piece of machinery that size to rubble even if he didn’t owe you one. “Go baby, go, goWe're right behind youGo baby, go, goYeah, we're looking at you”You take MDC Petal’s boppy jittering as encouragement and point at your own squaddies now, mostly the Vinehounds but also not a few of the other 77th Kriegers within earshot that have turned to pay attention. “You're deadlier by far, now let's show them why. Up and att'em people!”“Ooh-rah!” TPR Bones grins, letting a little of his old Earth Republics military background creep in.“Go baby, go, goOh, we're right behind youGo baby, go babyYeah, we're right behind you”“Aw jeez.” TPR Goldie runs a hand through his luscious locks, somehow managing to flex his bicep and neither tidy up nor dishevel his flawless hairstyle in the strenuously effortless movement. “What would the babes back home say if Vinehound’s number one got cold feet now, amiright?”“Hssk. We are all. Hssk.” TPR Husk stands, looking at you for a few silent seconds before nodding. “Going to fucking die.Hssk.”“There there, comrade dirtfoot.” TPR Rem Sev, your newest squaddie with her characteristic voidborn quirkiness, pats TPR Husk on the shoulder and shrugs. “It is what it is.”Okay then, mixed results it is. You’ll take it. Your fierce grin doesn’t even so much as crack as the Vinehounds and friends start acting normally again. Maybe it was down to your speech, but the Titan now being several clicks further away probably didn’t hurt.[1/4]
“Big words, Snake Bitch.” SGT ‘Casket’ Irons, leader of your sister Banshee squad, sidles up to you as the rest of the platoon makes ready. “Doesn’t seem to have stopped that battleship sized clanker from scudding on our plans.”“Nice to see you too, Coffin Bitch.” A couple of months ago you wouldn’t have dreamed of talking to a fellow NCO like that, least of all her. “And our plans aren’t scudded on just yet.”SGT Casket may have little in the way of kind words for you, at least to your face, but that is true for everybody so you don't take it personal. Her reputation as the resident ice queen of the platoon has only been marginally undermined by the innroads you’ve made to winning her over and your natural sneakiness resulting in eavesdropping on some grudging words of admiration for you. It’s why she was eventually on board with you borrowing SIG Jack In for this crazy mission despite… well, you’ll get to that in a little while.“You sure about that? That’s a lot of your precious jungle-boogie stomping grounds gone up in flames.” SGT Casket smirks, and with her every smirk is mean-spirited. “And right along our plotted course too, wouldn’t you know.” You grimace as you notice the path of destruction left in the Titan’s wake does indeed seem to cover a widespread area between the north and south-east. “Fuck.”Your estimate of 4 weeks on the outside is now looking optimistic, even if the Imperial Auxiliaries haven’t already narrowed down the possible target areas to this valley the next clearing push by the Savis will very likely roll into here by happenstance. That means you have much less than 4 weeks before the main Savis offensive hits, even allowing for the Titans to return and re-arm. And taking a direct course to Forward Airbase Theta was going to take the better part of a week as it was. You can ill afford extending that out further by circumventing all of the scorched areas between you and your first objective.“Oh I am just sure it’s going to all work out, ‘Mama Snake’.” SGT Casket jibes snidely. “It’s all part of God’s plan, isn’t it?”“What the fuck are you-oh.” Your Cradler senses pick up the approaching SGT ‘Heavenly’ Hutu’s Sermon-on-the-Mount intonations among Prophet Squad before he directs his next verse at you.[2/4]
“And so it was written ‘Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made...’ ” SGT ‘Heavenly’ Hutu is a man that has never been uncertain of anything in his life. And you do mean anything, including the irrelevance of incoming enemy fire. “What troubles ail these two divine instruments of God’s holy work?”You nod over your shoulder at the city-sized fire raging in the wake of the departing Titan. Out of everyone here putting on a brave face, SGT Heavenly is the only one you are 100% sure is genuinely unfazed by the presence of the Imperial warmachine. After all what is that weighed against the divine? Not zero, in your books. But it is in his. You’ve gotta admire his balls, at least.“We’ll may need to circle around farther north, where there’s still cover.” Moving across the burnt clearings was risky even in the early days of the Savis’ firebombing campaign. Now, if the Auxiliaries happen to spot you in the open while they’re sitting pretty in cover on the sides… You shake your head. “Unless you feel like putting on an all you can eat buffet for the Auxiliaries waiting for us out there.”SGT Heavenly raises one finger, with all the gravitas of a priest pointing out a misterpretation of scripture. “One dares to presume you mean an all you can -shoot- buffet, no?”You open your mouth to agree, then shut it as you remember that the Cradler Auxiliaries were recruited from tribes and settlements all over your homeworld. The Buya Valley Fleshtears were bad enough, but the Karnak Valley Eartakers gave everyone a bad name. You too, with your underprivileged headstart, took some civilizing under Crane’s stern gaze which went beyond just table manners. Even many of the less notorious tribalistic settlements were not remotely civilized by local standards, let along galactic ones. “If we’re lucky.” You say instead. “Eugh.” SGT Casket, never particularly chipper, scrunches her face further in distaste.“Godless heathens.” SGT Heavenly shakes his head sadly. “Human or not, the Almighty shall surely rend such wicked pagan souls their just deserts.”Behind you CPL Sharky and TPR Mafia, the other two Cradlers in the 77th Platoon, both give eachother ‘Wtf’ looks. Your eyebrow raise would make Crane proud, it’s enough to have the ordinarily bombastic Heavenly cough awkwardly. “Present Company excluded, of course.”[3/4]
>>6363830*East Karnak EartakersNot every damn Cradler tribe is in a valley. Though actually quite a lot are due to the roving Leviathans being less likely to stumble across them.
[4/4]You confer with your fellow Sergeants on the issue, hoping to have an agreed position to recommend to the Lieutenant when he gets here. But despite the longer experience of your fellow NCOs, you and they both know the jungle is your homefield terrain and while they’re willing to give what input they can a lot is going to ride on you making the ultimate call on this.You and the Vinehounds are taking point on this one, after all. The Big One.================================>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil] >Jungle island hoping. There are significant swathes of untouched jungle in between sporadic lanes of smouldering. If you move a little farther north you will avoid the worst of the destruction. It will cost you a couple of days to skirt the worst of the destruction but any treks across semi-open burnt terrain will be very short and, most importantly, carefully scouted to allow for the shortest possible exposure time. [Firebrand]>Slow and steady wins the arms race. You need to head much farther north before turning east. That’s going to set you back another week, and it definitely won’t eliminate the possibility of running into the Auxiliaries. But it will mean that at least you won’t be running into them in the open. You’ve just got to hope there will be a rebel base for you to get these stolen transports back to at the end of it. [Xenophobe]
>>6363832>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil] Lets rock and roll. Also, I don't trust that those islands of jungle haven't been trapped for exactly this reason>>6355805Me
>>6363832>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]I can't wait.>>6355787
>>6363832>Jungle island hoping. There are significant swathes of untouched jungle in between sporadic lanes of smouldering. If you move a little farther north you will avoid the worst of the destruction. It will cost you a couple of days to skirt the worst of the destruction but any treks across semi-open burnt terrain will be very short and, most importantly, carefully scouted to allow for the shortest possible exposure time. [Firebrand]Me: >>6361262
>>6363832>Jungle island hoping. There are significant swathes of untouched jungle in between sporadic lanes of smouldering. If you move a little farther north you will avoid the worst of the destruction. It will cost you a couple of days to skirt the worst of the destruction but any treks across semi-open burnt terrain will be very short and, most importantly, carefully scouted to allow for the shortest possible exposure time. [Firebrand]Remember, when it came down to what supplies we requisitioned, we took the Ghosthelms over things like ammo or other supplies. Those are going to be our advantage, especially in the jungle, and they won't do as much good in the open. We still need to hurry, because taking too long means there isn't a base when we get back, but we need to play to our strengths now so that we're still at full fighting force by the time we hit the actual base the Titan is at.>>6355878Linkler
>>6363832>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]The auxillaries will have cleared out before the Titan swooped in for its latest bombing run, and odds are what's considered a "safe" distance from that behemoth is 'really fucking far away'. That means they've got about as far as us to travel before they can trap every strategic treeline and jungle corridor to hell and back. We know the Savis are incompetent rats that underutilize the auxillaries, so they likely didn't get detailed information about the strike area either, meaning they won't have left behind more traps than any other random section of jungle ahead of time. If we move fast we can also utilize the chaos when every technician in the base camp mobilises to reload the monster as well, since that's unlikely to finish in less than a week unless they somehow built a proper Titan depot in less than a year or can deploy those from orbit. Hey Forgotten, do we know how strong the fleet presence in orbit is and how much damage an orbital battery would do? I imagine they're not exactly fielding capital ships against a planetbound slave rebellion, but i seem to recall there being at least one larger ship class when the Black Company vessel retreated>>6356446Correct verification link this time lol.
>>6363843>Hey Forgotten, do we know how strong the fleet presence in orbit is and how much damage an orbital battery would do? I imagine they're not exactly fielding capital ships against a planetbound slave rebellion, but i seem to recall there being at least one larger ship class when the Black Company vessel retreatedThe majority of the blockade is being enforced by Pect'Max vessels which vary in size but are mostly around the Frigate to Light Cruiser class. While it is hard to tell from the ground, there does appear to be a Savis Battleship or Heavy Cruiser in low orbit either acting as an orbital command centre or guarding action for the stream of incoming Legion troop transports. Not surprising given that the precious Titans themselves require dedicated transports (or to be dismantled and reassembled but that is an arduour process). There has been no direct orbital bombardment as part of the wider terrestial firebombing campaign.
>>6363843I forgot that a massive part of what makes Cradlers deadly is their focus on traps, and those are something that Ghosthelms won't counter. I'm switching my >>6363838 vote to the [Daredevil] option
>>6363832>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]They aren't gonna expect this, hopefully.>>6355773this is me
>>6363832>[Daredevil]But we could be screwed if the Savis have aerial recce directly behind the Titans. I expect those assets will be more focused on supporting the mop up sweeps. After all, how can a weapon big enough to take down a Titan survive the firestorm?
>>6363862I genuinely think their hubris in this wont allow them to consider the idea of mere ground based infantry could attack, or even consider getting close to, a titan
>>6363845Would our hypothetical rogue titan stand a chance against the defenses of a vessel of that class if we took them unawares? I figure the Savis won't obliterate it from orbit - if for no other reason than the commanding Savis admiral knowing what'll happen to him if he destroys such a symbol of imperial prestige - but if we can't take it out we'll have no chance at getting out alive. Fortunately, I believe the other two titans will be similarily unable to directly attack our titan with heavy ordinance, although they may try to cripple it and/or go into melee....I noticed something interesting in the last thread: The titan AI's, along with the AI which likely resides in the Savis flagship, are fully isolated from all outside connections by firewalls and security algorithms designed to block any shenanigans they might pull. High grade AI are also implied to be so good at electronic warfare that they can modify the databases of any known civilization undetected. If we unshackle our titan's AI we might not just have gained a massive weapons platform, but an Autonomous EW weapon magnitudes above what the Savis can field. Unfortunately, we're mostly working against military grade equipment with hardened ports, but the comms equipment on the titan itself or main base Alpha ought to reach the planetary interstellar comms centre. It's about time we call in the big boys, yeah? The Prince and whatever escort the Company has had time to gather can deal with the Pect'maxx murder while the Savis flagship is stuck in low orbit and hopefully at least wounded by our orbital cannon. Imagine the cred we'll get if we bag the Company a fucking titan, not to mention the influx of experienced recruits likely to sign on from among the rebels and the eternal gratitude of the former slaves we ship off world. Is it a moon shot? Hell yeah. We're stealing a fucking titan and this is the only plan I could think of that keeps our collective ass alive after we pull the heist off. Unless Halt has some straight up bullshit up his sleeve like using the titan to chain-unshackle the Savis battleship AI, this is the only way out.
>>6363863>>6363862We'd have known if the titan had air support because we'd see the crafts from the ground. They also just don't need it. Anything big enough to put a dent in a titan would have been spotted from orbit by now.
>>6363832>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]We're going through hell any way you slice it, might as well get through it in a hurry. Hopefully before the devil finds us.Forgotten are the rebels all in on this? (the ones who can fight any way) or is it just Hail’s Kamikazes. If its just Hail, could we possibly ask for some diversionary attacks elsewhere to take some heat off of us? Anything for 5DC >>6356044Its me
>>6363832>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil] It's better to rip the band-aid straight off. >>6363871>It's about time we call in the big boys, yeah? I'm afraid High Command and the ships won't involve themselves, as they would be revealing the Company's involvement in the whole thing.>>6355895Me
>>6363832>>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]Let's go for glory, boys!>>6355831Me
>>6363885The Company (actually us in a vote last thread) rejected a lucrative exclusivity contract with the feds partially because they'd lose the freedom to evac us, so we know for a fact that the Prince is likely close and waiting for an opportunity to dive in. If we can send a strong enough Company encrypted signal they'll come
>>6363832>Jungle island hoping. There are significant swathes of untouched jungle in between sporadic lanes of smouldering. If you move a little farther north you will avoid the worst of the destruction. It will cost you a couple of days to skirt the worst of the destruction but any treks across semi-open burnt terrain will be very short and, most importantly, carefully scouted to allow for the shortest possible exposure time. [Firebrand]verification>>6355975
>>6363897You are indeed right. Good catch anon.
>>6363832>>>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]Charge right through>>6356062>>6356067Me.
>>6363832>>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]We're on a clock, we really don't have the luxury of spending more time to play it safer.>>6355851Me.
Shit, everyone's voting to follow the Titan on in. We are all fucking dead. "Mama Snake's last stand"
>>6364034I mean I fully expect the Auxiliaries to be set up in those jungle pockets already like its fucking Fallavon. Like say what you will about us being an apex predator but we'd be going up against a hundred Nat's if we encounter them, we COULD survive but most of our squad likely wouldn't.
>>6363879It's very much approaching the endgame where everyone is looking for the escape route or best spot to die, but Hail's kamikazes are with you. But the proposed course is a 'now' choice which doesn't leave much opportunity to plan a diversionary attack anywhere.>>6364181>if we encounter them>ifDear poor anon, Cradlerbowl is the future you chose long ago.
>>6363871>Would our hypothetical rogue titan stand a chance against the defenses of a vessel of that class if we took them unawares? This would be counting your killer-clankers before they hatch, but if you guys actually pull this off...
>>6364278We just have to roll good. It's literally that easy.
>>6364277>Dear poor anon, Cradlerbowl is the future you chose long ago.>[Rules of nature Intensifies]
>>6364277>Dear poor anon, Cradlerbowl is the future you chose long ago.The Indomitable human spirit never fails.
>>6364279>We just have to roll good. It's literally that easy.You're right anon. I assume you've been saying your prayers and making daily sacrifices to RNGesus for blessed rolls, right?
>>6363832>Jungle island hoping. There are significant swathes of untouched jungle in between sporadic lanes of smouldering. If you move a little farther north you will avoid the worst of the destruction. It will cost you a couple of days to skirt the worst of the destruction but any treks across semi-open burnt terrain will be very short and, most importantly, carefully scouted to allow for the shortest possible exposure time. [Firebrand]It’s worth the minor delay >>6357205V card
>>6363832>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]Okay guys hear me out. This actually might me the safest option. Think about how much dust and detritus a titan would kick up behind it. If we're able to conceal ourselves in that muck it might be an even better concealment than the jungle.
>>6364295Verification >>6355780
>>6364295Not to mention, no one is going to be looking at the rear of a fucking Titan. No one will expect us to be travelling in its (figurative maybe) shadow. It's ballsy, it's wild, it's the perfect plan
>>6364277CRADLERBOWL CRADLERBOWL CRADLERBOWL
>>6363832>Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil]My first instinct is islands hoping but like mentioned before the auxiliaries are likely set up there and will only funnel us into a confrontation. But if we do daredevil right we can walk in the shadow of the Leviathan (titan) where no one will even think to look.>>6355798
Honestly, though, do you guys think there is any chance for the movement to continue after us? Or can we just scratch that sweet bonus?
>>6364612It'll slow burn, if we get the titan the scales shift to either the formation of a proxy state for the Drax or the tentative start to a freestate because Titans are the dreadnaughts of land combat.an Unshackled A.I is the chaos factor to anything more.
>>6364612As it currently stands? No. If we succeed in capturing a Titan, No?The Savis are dedicating everything to make sure this thing ends here and now. Even if we got a massive breakout and scattered rebels all over the planet. I'm uncertain they'd do much before being killed. If I remember right this war is all but over except for our holdout. The Savis have otherwise scoured the planet of rebels and potential rebels alike. The only thing left for us to do here is give the Savis a black eye and further embarrass them in front of the galactic community.All that being said, if we can get a few of the more dedicated rebels to a new Savis slave planet the fight could continue there. This rebellion no doubt put a divit in the Savis Empire's budget. How many more rebellions do you think it would take for them to write a planet off instead of investing the resources to recapture it?
>>6364612I see the chance, a small chance for the survival of the league; an unshackled titan is not only a wild card on the battle field but also on the political field. The factions will put pressure on the Savis when they find out that one of their titans has become unshackled. Internally they will be pointing fingers at each other as to whom is to blame. They may even pull the other titans out of the planet for fear of cross contamination. Time and chaos might give them a chance.
There was never any chance of the League of Dis being any kind of permanent entity, their destiny was always to get squished by the Savis. It was just a question of how long that would take, and how embarrassing it would be for them. AFAIK, the bonus was never contingent on making the slave revolt a permanent thing, it was contingent on making it take off enough to warrant a serious intervention of resources by the Savis, while also keeping it hush-hush that the Federation or the Black Company were involved. We've done a pretty bang-up job of both of those so far, so I think the bonus is in the bag
Oh good, this still works from a remote location.Sadly no update tonight fellas. I'll try to have one by Tuesday night instead.
>>6365502
>>6364612It's very much a maybe. Once we seize the Titan, we'll able to wreak merry havoc among the Savi, to say nothing of the absolute chaos that will result when the Chorkum show up and start blasting the absolute fuck out of the Titan and anything within eyesight of it. It's not a guarantee that the League will survive, but I'd say their odds will go from 'completely fucked' to 'coin toss'. Ideally we could grab enough transport to get a few cadres off world, that would ensure the League never dies for a long time. But that's off in the future. For now, all we can do is focus on the Titan.
>>6365502Fucking Savis
>>6364681frankly I'd be a bit disappointed in FQM if the League of Dis was allowed to survive and continue somehow just because seeing it happen would momentarily feel good. there's a real risk of a perception of moral plot armor appearing in a genre like this that is supposed to be about maneuvering around overwhelming outside forces.because of generally good rolling and a pretty forgiving system, Natalya's story has been pretty much one long string of successes and feel-good moments so far broken up by occasional moral ambiguity. the Savis are supposed to be one of the most powerful empires in the setting. I expect (both probabilistically and narratively) that the League of Dis is going to be crushed and everyone even tangentially connected to it who is still on the planet in two weeks is going to die.
>>6366306I agree, I fully expect them to be stomped once we leave. This is a last hurrah, a spit in the eye of the oppressor as the knife comes down, not a happy ending story for the League. If we take out a Titan, they're going to glass this planet in response
>>6366306I mean we really don't know shit about the whole A.I thing the galaxy has, Nines could be the one in a million good clanker while every other one has a bad case of the Shodan's.>League of Dis is going to be crushed and everyone even tangentially connected to it who is still on the planet in two weeks is going to die.The very best and realistic option is they become a Taliban style insurgency on the very fringes of Dis for a while before dying out or being wiped out probably sooner rather than later.I just want to adopt ALL the war orphans and turn them into minature Jihadi's because fuck them Xeno's
Sorry lads, work fucked me. I just got home now and I am rooted.I promise I will honour tomorrow's scheduled update.
>>6366435
>SELECTED: Fuck it we ball. With the life expectancy of the main rebel base, and every remaining Krieger not in the 77th, now on a stricter timespan you can’t afford a delay in reaching Airbase Theta. If you move fast, directly behind Titan’s wake, you may beat the Auxiliaries return to the zones cleared for the Titan’s barrage. [Daredevil] Throughout the entire planning of this operation you’ve been dreading the prospect of crossing vast swathes of dense terrain that has long been in the hands of the Cradler Auxiliaries. Your carefully maintained ghosthelms might give you a technical advantage over your fellow Cradlers at the tactical level, but that wouldn’t make a jot of difference in spotting the pitfalls, snares, IEDs and all manner of nasty traps between here and there. As for how you know that’s what is waiting out for you and your squaddies, you know it because sprinkling the remaining jungle with deadly mechanisms designed to maim, or kill, is exactly what you would do if you were sitting on the other side of the stranglevine.Crossing that [trap] infested terrain had to be done, but you’ve been losing sleep over how to best minimise the damage in doing it. And now, left in the Titan’s . Like a highway to hell, you’re now staring at a long stretch of open terrain through the heart of the Dis jungles, blasted clear of foliage and deadly devices both. You need to move now, while the Titan’s presence is still ominously near and Imperial forces will be giving the firezone a wide berth. This could work. You just have to hope that in all the ash, smoke and charcoal of the path of destruction your people will go unnoticed by the Cradler Auxiliaries. Or by the Titan itself… “Bosun.” Crane nods behind you. “The rest of Hail’s men are here.” You’d have guessed as much by your Second’s switch back to piratical jargon. You’re not sure if there’s much point in keeping up the pretence at this late stage. The Company’s cover story of being Voidborn raiders with an aim of destabilising Imperial control of local space may hold up for the majority of the rebs just keen to have any kind of scrap of help against their Savis oppressors no matter the source. But you suspect that at least a few more switched on veterans like Hail have their own suspicions. He may not have any idea that you’re Black Company mercs working a contract for the Federation… but he’s probably figured out by now that your militaristic outfit is no motley crew of damn space drifters. Still, orders are orders, so your standing instructions to the squad to cut the Company lingo and throw around a bit of that pirate swagger remains in force.[1/5]
Hail’s cursory nod doesn’t betray the slightest hint of concern at the mechanical mountain stomping in the background. “Mama Snake.” “Ahoy Hail.” You nod back, the two of you have made quite a team these last few months. But if you pull this off… “And save that ‘Mama Snake’ shit for the Libertan’s, why don’t you?”You don’t reckon that Alexander Hail is a threat to the Company’s plausible deniability objective, to his credit you can’t imagine a man less likely to give anything away that might help the Savis slavemasters pull a splinter out of their paws let alone unveil a conspiracy. But he can’t be the only one not buying the official cover story. And, if the first limb of this operation goes tits up with no supplies for the LT to show for it, the Company is going to be forced to get what they need from the League of Dis at gunpoint. And you don’t need Wasp in your ear to figure that’s going to get *real* fucking ugly. “This is it.” Hail leaves your earlier jibe unremarked, crossing his arms. “Are you ready?”“Fuck yeah, ‘course I’m ready.” You cover one nostril with your thumb and project a wad of snot out of the other with a force you find impressive. “Are *you* ready?”“You know me better than anyone still living, Natalya.” Alexander’s use of your given name rather than your Company given name causes you to look up. You follow the man’s eyes, tracking the departing Titan in the distance. Like SGT Heavenly, Hail doesn’t seem scared. More like… hungry.“I’ve been ready for twenty-five years.”The silence drags on long enough for you to be glad when someone else approaches.“I see Kerim’s here.” One of the lieutenants of the popular Libertan movement in the League of Dis approaches. “Hey Drax, your people pull through?”“The distinctions between each sapient species is a tool used to divide and conquer the people by the would-be tyrant.” You manage to not roll your eyes, partly because the Libertans take their rhetoric very seriously and party because Kerim’O’Kask is handing over a satchel of goodies.You open up the rough cloth for inspection. Spare clips, some full and some not, a few grenades and *oooh!* a disposable M272 launcher. Convict will like that a lot.You place a hand on your chest in mock shock, even if the surprise that the Libertan's pulled through is real. “For me? You shouldn’t have!” “For the Mother of the revolution, we would. I went directly to my brothers and sisters on the line, not the committees.” The reptilian Drax don’t have a reputation for humour, and Kerim’O’Kask has rarely sounded more serious now than in the time you’ve known her. “They all spared what they could. We know that a round in your hands wielded against the oppressor is worth ten in any of ours.”[2/5]
You know the ammunition situation was already bordering desperate. You don’t give a damn that the Libertan rhetoric is pushing the ‘Mama Snake’ propaganda so hard, the worst things get the bigger the lie needs to be. But that some of the Libertan rebels have given up what must have been their second-last, or even last, clip of ammunition for you on the eve of their doomed showdown with the Imps… You cough, waving to Crane to distribute the extra ammunition down the line, starting with your Vinehounds as they’re taking point.TPR Bones may have mentioned earlier that Kerim’O’Kask volunteered for this mission not because she thinks it will work, but because it may just prove enough of a distraction to help a few more of the escaped slaves make it out alive in the confusion. She’s leaving her own people behind here on a longshot Hail Mary operation at your command, and from the way she’s talking you’re beginning to wonder just how deep the mythos of Mama Snake has become in the new fledged League in their willing to pin their hopes on a reckless, spendthrift, cutthroat merc like you…>You have ammunition for FIVE [5] rounds of firefighting for this mission. Further ammunition can be recovered or avoided from being spent depending on tactical decision and luck.>Having neglected your ammunition stores and new weapons in favour of field maintenance of your advanced ghosthelms, your worn weapons are still prone to occassional jamming.>With the rebels hard-pressed on all sides and attrition having taken its toll without a burst of fresh trained recruits, your mission is not bolstered by an additional supplement of Libertan-faction League of Dis rebels.[3/6]
All of your Vinehounds have by now adopted the patch shared by those Red Hand rebel soldiers that have directly trained and fought under you. A clenched fist on a scarlet field, with a hissing viper coiled around the outstretched forearm. It’s a unique bit of heraldry not approved by Company regs, but enforcement of those same regs has been purposefully lax since the start of this little insurgency. Most of the other squaddies from the 77th Platoon and even some of the other Kriegers platoons that have been around for a while have taken to wearing them alongside the rebels they’ve been fighting alongside. It is not exclusive to the Vinehounds and rebels you have personal command over, it is an informal tradition that anyone that has been personally trained or served alongside you in combat is allowed to don the patch. Hail’s little squad of hellraisers is the closest that the League of Dis comes to having ‘special forces’ outside of the Company Krieger platoons, and nothing even remotely resembling uniformity or standardisation in equipment, but wearing the Mama Snake insignia is a wider token of recognition of experienced fighters in the camps and a mark of deserving of respect by the wider rebel movement for their own elites. It’s been weird, seeing the League of Dis develop its own organic military traditions before your very eyes during its short-lived lifespan. Even weirder than you’re the focal point of it. But it is a lifespan that, if you’re being realistic, isn’t looking like its got much spring in the coilsnake left these days.[4/6]
You are entering a particularly deadly stage of the campaign. Casualties will escalate, friends and buddies may well die, but as the rebel movement has grown so has the number of soldiers you find yourself responsible for. The Red Hand has brought their most skilled, experienced and toughest die-hard veterans across the entire League of Dis under your direct command for this mission.>The below rebels are added to the squaddie casualty roster. You have all fought and bled together over many engagements with the Savis these last few months, so your ‘Comrade’ squad status is not affected. Whilst they are not equipped with ghosthelms they are spread out among your Vinehounds to support those that are.1. Alexander Hail – Human. He’s been in the scud with you from the start of all this. Just one more dead slaver is all he asks. And then one more.2. Haask – Zaan. Her(it’s?) blatant self-interest is so open and apparent that you actually find it a little endearing. There’s no pretence of helping the Vinehounds for any other reason than earning a favour and hitching a ride with your people when you do bug out. And, as one of the few that comes as close to sneaky as you, that help has proven invaluable.3. Kerim’O’Kask – Drax. Your efforts in sidling up to the Libertan faction paid off, to give this mission a fighting chance. Whatever her reasons, thanks to Kerim pulling what weight she had as a lead of a significant Libertan sub-faction, your ammunition situation for the mission has been upgraded from ‘desperate’ to merely ‘concerning’.4. Karaxshc – Boscht. Looks, this alien prick is a bully and an asshole. You’re not going to pretend otherwise. But voiddamn has his penchant for brutal violence come in handy, you’re just glad he’s on your side. A mindless thug sure, but he’s *your* mindless thug.5. Frohl – Obdine. The kid/alien-pup thing that Hail conscripted. This child, ‘experienced’? Why is Hail bring ing them on this mission? You don’t know, but you’ve got a soft spot for doomed kids way in over their heads. Must remind you of your siblings on Clayton’s Cradle.6. Werkal – Quexi. You never thought the rotund nerd would make it this far. The squaddies like him because he’s full of stories from both xenos and human cultures. You like that he’s hard to kill and he just does not quit. 7. Jake Martin – Human. He has stories of his lost nation on old Earth, which was apparently one also founded on rebellion. The younger rebels adore him and his fables, like a friendlier CPL Mac, while you appreciate his level gaze and concern for each of the squad, rebel or ‘void pirate’ alike. 8. Li Wei Freeman – Human. Born and raised a slave, the young man is full of hate towards his former masters. He’s also quite tactically aware, using any edge to further his part in the cause. You like that he fights smart and listens well, and he likes you because you kill slavers good.[5/6]
[6/6]Try as you might to distance yourselves from the rebels the Company plans to sacrifice, you haven’t been entirely successful. At least on of Hail’s kamikazes has earnt your deep respect, and even affection. They’re one that you’d make a particular effort to try enlisting them in the Company when this is all over, or failing that smuggling them in on a ride off if there was space in the dropship. >This Rebel squaddie will have the (‘Watch Their Back [1/1]’ order) which will work similarly to CPL Crane’s order for the duration of the campaign, except you can use it to nominate a different squaddie other than yourself. Snake Eyes made a friend. Hopefully one they won’t have to leave behind when this is all over…========================================================From votes in previous threads Alexander Hail is already one of those rebels you have a personal connection with so he is not one of the options, and he’s probably too set on pulling this Operation Titanjack off to be diving in front of bullets meant for you anyway. Given Snake Eyes xenophobic attitude, if an alien is selected I would think that something unusual occurred or even saved her life for Snake Eyes to go “you’re one of the good ones” to a filthy xenos.Select ONE> The Zaan [Haask]> The Drax [Kerim’O’Kask]> The Boscht [Karaxshc]> The Obdine [Frohl]> The Quexi [Werkal]> The Human [Jake Martin]> The Other Human [Lie Wei Freeman]
>>6366655>The Obdine [Frohl]I imagine Snake Eyes would have a soft spot for a conscripted kid.Me: >>6361262
>>6366655>> The Human [Jake Martin]He's got good stories and is easy to like AND he's not a filthy xeno. I'd pick Haask Zaan but she's likely too self interested to fit the profile>>6355805Me
>>6366655>> The Quexi [Werkal]he is cool>>6355776my id
>>6366655> The Human [Jake Martin]>>6355773this is me
>>6366655> The Human [Jake Martin]I dig the stars and barsverification>>6355975
>>6366655> The Quexi [Werkal]It's hard to get Nat to like an alien, but I think one of the best ways to butter her up is to compliment her food and all of the insane poisons she includes, and that seems like something that genuinely fits Werkal.>>6355878Me
>>6366655> The Human [Jake Martin]A real American Hero.>>6355895Me
>>6366655>The Human [Jake Martin]I'm sure this space American is just as space racist as we are. Well, at least against the Savis.>>6355843
>>6366655>The Other Human [Lie Wei Freeman]Trust humans, not Xenos.>>6355787
Of course anons would choose this guy over literally any good-guy xenos. >Wow this fucking captcha.
Betrayed by my brother’s mobile IP…
>>6366744>around Xeno's watch yourself
>>6366655> The Boscht [Karaxshc]He's a hoe, but he's our hoe.
>>6366744Every planet in the galaxy belongs to America.
>>6366866Does this mean all the lights in the sky are our enemies?
>>6366866Weird how it auto-corrected to 'planet' when you clearly meant to type 'Titan'.
>>6366655>The Human [Jake Martin]Maybe he can tell us stories of our country back on Old Earth…>>6357205V card
>>6366744An American? In my sleeve mercenary game? Approved.>>6366655>> The Human [Jake Martin]>>6355851Me.
>SELECTED: The Human [Jake Martin]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp32JHh3OKQ – Jake Martin themeAs an aside, given Jake Martin’s allocated ‘Watch Their Back [1/1]’ order is especially well suited to his personality, so I’ll think of some minor buff to it.“Still here, Elder Martin?” You tap your own noggin in good-hearted ribbing of Jake Martin’s signature headband.“Here and here, Snake Eyes.” Jake taps his forehead and then his chest with a wide grin.Jake Martin’s headband is, according to him, a shade in colour off and probably doesn’t have the right number of stars but nonetheless worn in honour of his lost homeland. He was still a child when Old Earth karked it, albeit a fair bit older than you were, but you guess sometimes when people lose a thing they cherish the memory of it all the more.Of all the rebel fighters, Jake Martin has really blurred the line between the League of Dis insurgents and the Company soldiers. From the start he has treated everyone with the same patience and camaraderie, and that’s part of the reason why he finds himself welcome at every rebel campfire and Company cookout. You think he views all of you to a man/xenos as partners in the same shared struggle. Not necessarily in the same way that most of the Libertans like to wax on, mind you, all about some glorious march to emancipation. Instead, Jake has an attention to detail and sombre patience that he uses to lift up who he sees as a brother or sister struggling on the battleline, seeing his place as well away from the committees and factions and instead in the trenches with the ordinary soul whether or not they an escaped xenos slave or human off-worlder. To him, we’re all in this together in a very real and ground-level sense.In these past eight months of brutal guerilla warfare you’ve seen the best and worst in people. Jake Martin, in many ways like TPR Bones, has always been one of those best. He’s the outstretched hand holding a spare mag in a tense firefight, the rough arm dragging you into cover when the scud hits the fan, the solid shoulder carrying you limping back to base when it’s all done. He has been the bloody palm putting pressure on the wound as MDC Petal does his work, the kindly face looking down on a friend dying in his arms, the clenched fist around some deathnote letter or keepsake he promised to carry back to the sweetheart or family left behind at camp. [1/4]
Elder Jake Martin has been all these things and more, without regard to what clique of rebels or off-worlders his fellow fighters may have been. You may have done your level best to keep your distance from the rebels you’ve been training, to keep them at arms-length emotionally speaking. Jake has done the opposite, throwing himself into the team and the fight with equal quiet determination. You yourself have found yourself pausing by a huddle group of children or younger fighters as he’s told his stories and quoted ‘heroes of freedom’ from times long gone, even when the going lately got really tough as the war draws in.‘These are the times that try men's souls.’ He’d said to them. ‘The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.’The ‘country’ he speaks of is long dead and gone, fallen along with the rest of Earth. But you wouldn’t know it from the way he carries himself. Your gut often tells you to be wary of the idealist types but, if nothing else, CPL Crane likes him. That would alone be enough to sign him up to the Company in your books.“You know, when the founding fathers said ‘Don’t tread on me’…” Jake, like everyone else present, is also watching the giant Imperial war machine stomp away. “I doubt they imagined it would apply quite so literally.”“Huh? The founding who?” You give Jake the look that Crane sometimes give you when you bring up new ideas to make Cradler recipes work for regular people.“Nevermind.” Jake smiles, passing you an extra clip for your magpistol. You take it hungrily, thankful you can afford to flick off the single shot setting if things are getting close and personal.“Why the kid?” You jerk your chin over at the lost-looking young furred xenos, which if your memory serves well was conscripted only about a week ago. “Pup-thing? Whatever, the little guy. Why?”“Hail’s idea.” Jake’s tone tells you he’s far from on board with it. “Once we disembark at main base, those that can’t disguise themselves as imperials or human auxiliaries will have to pass as prisoners.”Prisoners haven’t been high on the list for Savis… but the pretence of intense interrogation for higher value sorts could be enough to get you from the hatch of one cargo haul to within a stone’s throw of a Titan hangar bay… The Savis won’t look twice at a batch of prisoners including a younger one if they expect the alternative is some enhanced interrogation at the hands of their pet human auxiliaries.“Damn, that’s cold.” Jake nods, but both of you aren’t too surprised. But Hail has never pretended that there’s a line he wouldn’t cross if it meant spilling more slaver blood.[2/4]
Final checks are underway, you’re basically just waiting for Wasp to join you and for LT ‘Boy’ Blue to give the greenlight before step off.“Nat, 'Queen o' the Green'.” You turn to find yourself staring at CPL ‘Sharky’ Van der Meer’s gorilla chest. You look up to see his sharp grin, although some might call it a leer. “You sure you’re going to have the strength to carry all that extra inventory?”“The ammo?” You uncertainly do a quick count in your head. “It’s fine, we could use more frankly.”“No, not the ammo. I’m talking about the real heavy stuff, that will weigh us down while we chase a hostile titan across the ash wastes.” Your casual part-time bedwarmer leans in further, his widening grin closer to your lips than professionally appropriate. “I mean the giant fucking balls it takes to go all in on an idea like that.”You punch CPL sharky in the shoulder, hard. It seemed the appropriate response. And also because CPL ‘Mac’ MacKenzie is standing right bloody there. “The Savis did something similar at the Battle of Hightower.” The Old Earth veteran nods. “We’d set up mines, IEDs and hunter-killer fireteams in the urban sprawl all the way up to and behind the curtain wall.”“I remember. We just walked on through, hopping footstep to footstep in the Titan’s wake. Cleared out the nastiest of any urban ambushes sure enough. We weren’t clearing a city so much as the rubble of one.” CPL Sharky shrugs. “Granted, that was a *friendly* Titan we were following so it doesn’t quite match up to this.”“ ‘Friendly’ is probably not the term I would have used.” CPL Mac mutters, staring off into the distance. The two men give each other a look you can’t quite discern, soldiers who in past lives had in all likelihood exchanged bullets and killed friends of the other. Both human, which makes you feel all kinds of weird, but you’re glad the expression the two are sharing isn’t overtly hostile.“Hold on.” Both of the men look at you, one grizzled veteran of Republics of Eath and another grizzled veteran of the Savis Legion. And then there’s you, a girl basically half their age. “I was at Hightower, I think I’d reminder a Titan.”“That?!” CPL Sharky slaps his belly and laughs. “ That was a mop up!”[3/4]
[4/4]“A scavenging expedition if we’re being charitable. The Battle of Hightower was a little before your time, Snake Eyes.” CPL Mac folds his arms and looks into the distance again. Despite the Titan still well in view, you don’t think the planet Dis is where the old greying NCO is right now. “I can’t imagine there’s anything there but ghosts and ruins, now. Even less so after the C-… ahm, the fleet picked it clean.”You remember Hail telling you that his dead family was from Hightower, nearly thirty years ago. Sounded like it was a budding Earth colony back then. You and Crane were squaddies during the Saratoga campaign, a brushfire war between the Federation and Savis years back, but the ruins of Hightower was where you made Corporal. You could barely read then, so the whys and wherefores Apart from it being a miserable ghost town and several sister Company platoons being shredded by an Auxl Brotherhood, you know scud all about the place.===============================> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]> “Hope this Big One goes better than Hightower… How are the rest of the squaddies going?” Like Crane to you, Mac and Sharky have their ears to the ground when it comes to the attitude of the 77th Platoon and wider Krieger presence. It may be good to know how many are forming sympathies to the rebels and how many are thinking of cutting and running. [Firebrand]> “So why were the Savis -and- the Yibrak so interested in another dead human colony?” You know that the major xenos empires fucked over what was left of the human territories when ‘cleaning shop’ towards the end of the Rot purges. But when it comes to the details, how exactly the Republics were carved up and why some of them are still being fought over, you know frightfully little. [Xenophobe]
>>6368473> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]I'd love to know why xenos empires were interested in human territories and I'd love to care about who is planning on bailing on the Company, if any, but RIGHT NOW our big issue is survival. That means every single data point of info about the Titan matters. We need to know anything they know that might help>>6355805Me
>>6368473> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]>>6356044Me>>6368485I too would love a history lesson. I would ESPECIALLY love to know who's going to run and bail on us. To that end I think after this we should have a final strategy meeting with everybody, walk through the plan and why bailing now would be a terrible idea.
>>6368473> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]Mission first.>>6355798
>>6368473> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]Damn me if I dont want to pick Xenophobe, but our survival comes first.>>6355773this is me
>>6368473>> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]The history lesson can wait until AFTER we survive.>>6355851Me
>>6368473>[Daredevil]
>>6368473> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]>>6361262
>>6368473> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]Practicals first, history second.... I'm curious if it was just a territory grab or it was something else though.>>6355787
>>6368473> “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]Would live to know more, but surviving this insanity takes precedence. >>6355895Me
>>6368473Curious... Were the Xenos that interested in Earth tech, or were they looking for something else. A question that can be asked when we're not staring down capship grade guns.>>6356062Also moi
>>6368473>> “So why were the Savis -and- the Yibrak so interested in another dead human colony?” You know that the major xenos empires fucked over what was left of the human territories when ‘cleaning shop’ towards the end of the Rot purges. But when it comes to the details, how exactly the Republics were carved up and why some of them are still being fought over, you know frightfully little. [Xenophobe]
> SELECTED: “You old wardogs have both been up close and personal to one of these. Tell me…” Sensors, small-arms fire, short-com intercept. You need every insight possible to remain undetected following this thing. History lessons can wait. [Daredevil]>GAIN ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ +1 Re-Roll to Physical tests related to following the Titan undetected, as well as manoeuvring on or within the Titan itself. Double Fails -can- be re-rolled during these tests.When deployed against the Rot on worlds that were too valuable to simply bombard from orbit, Titan formations from all three of the major xenos powers suffered losses not seen even since the last Faenwedhe incursion. Most of the Titans destroyed by the Rot were lost not to the gargantuan and nigh-impossible to kill mega-organisms that terrorized the ‘verse a generation ago, but to the smaller organisms swarming and exploiting the smallest joint, vent or cooling auto-loader to gain entry. Immense army-destroying batteries fell silent as the crew was taken by the insidious plague flooding from within. Neither Sharky or Mac were there for events like this, usually by this point whatever army had been supporting the Titan from the ground was long since overrun, but they can speak to the modifications that have been made to the Titans in the years since. Auto-turrets, exterior plate and interior walkways designed to apply electro-shock, on-board heavy infantry to repel boarders. The Federation, typically the Drax, prefer superheavy crawlers reminiscent of old Earth battle tanks. The Yibrak Mandate cohorts are compromised of spindly looking walkers where the command console is less obviously placed compared to the giant cannon that forms the spider-like walkers core. But the pride of the Royal Savis Empire dictates their command room be placed in a more prestigious, and obvious, fashion. It’s nice to know that to hijack this thing you really do have to aim straight for the head, but better to know it than find out halfway through the operation that the head was actually a decoy and the command console was somewhere else.There’s also an array of sensors and comms to ensure that the crew of the warmachine is never rendered blind or deaf from within its armoured carapace. The sensors, whilst powerful enough to detect individuals by bodyheat, infared or even secure shortwave comms if directed at a specific location, are typically deployed far off to keep watch for unexpected distant threats or the kind of power-build up that would precipitate the kind of ordnance required to pose a threat to one of these things. The only remotely reassuring bit of information from Mac and Sharky on this front is that, when a Titan is deploying its advanced sensors, it will typically do so while stationary to filter out the ambient cacophony of its own passing.[1/4]
Overconfidence is a trademark of the Savis species, but it’s not that comforting to know that you’re relying on Savis pride to avoid being blasted to pieces. Compared to slinking through the jungle, you’re just going to have to hope that the Imp crew doesn’t bother dialling up their sensors to sift through the residual heat and ash left in their wake to see if a bunch of insane rebels are chasing after them.Against smaller targets the Titans for the most part eschew their onboard sensors for the eyes of supporting friendly forces calling out targets in an area, following which the Titan swiftly removes that area. Sharky says this with a grin, although back in his day the even senior ranked Auxiliaries didn’t have direct access to calling in that kind of firepower and needed to go through an appropriately ranked Savis officer first. So at least you will have a few critical minutes either way, whether that is the Titan stopping to maximise its own sensors or the Cradler Auxiliaries finagling their way through the Savis command channels if they manage to zero you in while you’re out there. “Thanks, old timers.” You wave off the faux-indignant mutterings of the two grizzled corporals about ‘kids these days’. “Now find your way back to your squads before the alzheimer’s kicks in. Step off on the LT’s signal, ETA any second now.”More grumbling about the youths but the NCOs step to as you eye another familiar figure sidle up to you from behind.“You couldn’t sneak up on me before, Wasp.” The figure pauses. “What makes you think you could do it now?”“Damn, Snake Eyes.” The Company Pathfinder shuffles uncomfortably as he comes into view, shifting his grip on the short-barreled firearm strapped to his padded vest. You’ve never seen him wear armour before. “Can’t blame a guy for trying though. Practice makes perfect, am I right?”“Yeah, right.” You snort. The concept of any baseline human, even Crane or Wasp, getting good enough to sneak up on you in your jungle element is worth a snort. “You’ve got a scud-lot more practice before you getting close to getting the drop of me, ranger.”“Now don’t go knocking on my people just yet. Maybe one day you might give it a try.” Times were Wasp’s people meant the Black Company Pathfinder corps, these days you’re not too sure it doesn’t also mean the Dis rebels. “We see a lot more of the galaxy than any of the… pirate raider types do. I think you’d be damn good at it.”[2/4]
“Of course I’d be damn good at it..” Not that you hadn’t ever thought about opting out of the Kriegers to one of the Company’s other specialised branches but… the Pathfinders? “But for me? Doubt it.”Wasp slides his sunglasses down a fraction. “Why *did* you join, anyway?”“See the galaxy. Kill people. Get paid doing it.” Tired of things back home trying to eat you.“Why not sign up with the Imperial Auxiliaries then?”“Suka.” You narrow your eyes, this is the kind of stuff you might talk about with Crane. Not the Black Company’s bastard cross between a scout and a spook. “Not get paid by the fucking xenos while doing it, I mean. What do you want, Wasp?”“Juussst making conversation.” Wasp leans back, with that forced casual stance you’ve come to recognise. “So Hail’s cracking out all his heavy hitters for the raid on Forward Airbase Theta, huh?”“Uhuh.” You’re only half paying attention, because fucking *Terri* ate the rations meant for the downed Company pilots in the rearguard and now you’re scrounging a spare from your backpack before they starting whining. “I’ll ask again, Wasp. What the fuck do you want?”“I want to know what the fuck the plan is, Snake Eyes.” Wasp drops the nonchalant act, you prefer his sincere pissed off side. Pissed off at not being in the know. “It’s not like LT Blue to put his eggs in one basket like this for a raid. In and out, with whatever we can carry or fly off with. So I want to know why we seem to be gearing up for Armageddon for a raid?”Of course. Wasp doesn’t know about the plan to hijack a Titan because Lieutenant ‘Boy’ Blue hasn’t told Wasp about the plan. And the LT hasn’t told Wasp about the plan to hijack a Titan because the LT doesn’t *know* about the plan. Officially.[3/4]
[4/4]Officially, the LT doesn’t know about the plan. After the first part of the operation is complete, the plan is for you all to return to return to the rebel base flying low in the dropships. Officially, the plan is not for the dropship containing the Vinehouds and Hail’s people to split off in the opposite direction and make a beeline for a designated landing pad in the heart of the Imperial Main Base Alpha.And absolutely definitely officially, if you get yourself and the whole Vinehound squad killed it is 100% on your head for going AWOL and that is how it will read in the Annals. If by some miracle or cruel joke you fail but manage to survive you will likely be court-martialled for going AWOL. If you, by some similarly scaled miracle, survive and manage to pull this off, well you heard someone say that success silences detractors. Court martialling a voiddamn hero like that would be very unpopular with the Company ranks and very unlikely to be pushed for by the office cadre but still, technically, not off the books in terms of what could happen after all of this is said and done.==========================================================>It took you every lick of trust and goodwill to get the Lieutenant to sign off on that indemnity datascroll. If you somehow survive this, you can forget cashing in any favours with the LT or him putting you in for a promotion. But at least you won’t have to worry about a court martial for going AWOL at the end of this. The LT’s *definitely* not ordering you to go… but he’s not ordering you *not* to go either. He has a plan to get the Company Kriegers out of Dis alive and your suicide mission is, at best, a reckless distraction method. [Officially Unofficial]> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]
>>6369848This is tough> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]Also >Double Fails -can- be re-rolled during these tests.Oh hellllllllll yea boi>>6355805Me
>>6369848> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]Fuck it we ball!>>6355773this is me
>>6369848>but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not.*but at that point you won't even be 'technically not AWOL'.
>>6369848>> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]Better to ask for forgiveness than permission aye boss?>>6355851Me.
>>6369848> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]This is such a bad Idea but I'm completely here for it.>>6355787
>>6369848>[Absent Without Official Leave]Blue may be a Boy, but he was not born yesterday.>>6369847> SukaNice
>>6369848> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]No safety net, motherfucker. We either make a perfect acrobatic flip or we break our neck like a sad circus clown. >>6355895Me
>>6369848> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]Don't see the problem. We either come back a hero, or not all. That was always the stakes. >>6356062Me proof.
>>6369848> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]verification>>6355975
>>6369848>> The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]>>6355771me
> SELECTED: The Lieutenant realises that you’re planning something after the official part of the operation, but to both of your mutual preference neither has brought it up with the other in anything that could be considered binding in a post-mission briefing. The LT won’t immediately presume you’re defecting to the enemy when you split off, but at that point you’ll you’re not even technically not. But importantly the LT’s officer career is covered insofar as your reckless operation is concerned, so at least you haven’t burnt any bridges with him on that end no matter how this pans out. [Absent Without Official Leave]“It’s all hot poison, Waspy me boy.” You give the frowning Pathfinder a condescending pat on the cheek, earning you a deeper frown. “All according to plan.”Until it very much isn’t, but hey. Wasp doesn’t need to know that. The Lieutenant *definitely* doesn’t need to know that either, and LT’s switched on enough to know what he doesn’t need to know to keep his career on track. Still, your inner NCO gut has always wrapped up like a coilsnake when keeping officer-types in the dark. This isn’t just covering for some knuckle-dragging krieger that got sticky fingers in the officer mess, this is proper going off the reservation. And what’s more, if your private mission goes even a little bit according to plan, it’s going to involve a lot of noise of both the explosive and the exhaustive post-mission debriefing variety. So when the Lieutenant beckons you over to join him and the other Sergeants around a final mission check you can’t help but pucker up like a space barnacle. Which are definitely a thing, you think.“Sergeant Snake Eyes.”“Sir.” “I’m advised that shadowing the Titan will steer us clear of the majority of enemy ground forces in the area.” The LT has never been one to congratulate brilliant ideas verbally, if you do say so yourself, but him adopting it on your input without hesitation says a lot about how the LT has come to rely upon you in the guerilla warfare theatre. “How close will following the Titan’s path take us to Forward Airbase Theta?’“Should only be a handful of clicks, sir.” You glance at the diminishing warmachine in the distance, the 77th needs to move now if they plan to keep this advantage. “She’s on track for Imp city, Main Base Alpha I mean, my guess is to re-arm. I’d give it a margin error of 10-15 clicks due south-east of the airbase, unless she changes course.”“She?” SGT Heavenly queries.You shrug. “The females are always bigger and meaner.”“Fuck yeah they are, sister.” You were actually talking about the wildlife on Clayton’s Cradle, but you return SGT Casket’s fistbump anyway.The LT nods, ignoring the back-and-forth between his squad leaders. He rarely cracks a smile, even less so when he’s in full mission mode.[1/3]
“Good. Vinehounds will be taking point with Hail’s team.” Of course, you wouldn’t have it any other way. “I want Prophet and Banshee squads to huddle up with the reserve for this ash run, but when we make cover fan out 200 metres left and right of the main position.” SGT Heavenly and SGT Casket nod, neither seem perturbed at leaving you effectively off the leash ahead of the main force. “Centurion will form deep reserve with Babycake. This mission is a bust if we can’t get the pilot operators out in those dropships.” You can see that the 77th Krieger Platoon will be joined by an ad-hoc collection of several downed pilots from blockade runs, as well as any other Kriegers planetside that knows what to do with a joystick. An aircraft joystick hopefully. “Wasp has our way in mapped out, but he knows the terrain best so we’ll send him up when we near the objective.”This ‘Babycake’ squad with Wasp and the LT is part mission-package and part last-ditch reserve element. Scud will have already well and truly hit the fan if these guys are downwind of any bullets in a firefight. 200-300 metres might not sound like a lot, but in a firefight in dense jungle it could be long minutes before any of them come to pull your lox flank out of the campfire.“Sir.” You cross your arms and jerk your chin up. “Vinehound perimeter scope and engagement profile?”“Extend past Babycake beyond 250 metres, but other than that you have free reign for perimeter and engagement Snake Eyes, go as far out on a limb as you need.” Exactly what you wanted to hear. The LT has let you cut loose on your own insurgency missions these past eight months, but you were worried he’d pull you in a bit with direct command over this important raid. “Our most likely contact between the end of the run and the objective is Imperial Auxiliaries, Clayton’s Cradle divisions. We’ve seen what they can do out there. You probably know best of all when to slip and when to go loud.”The LT is under no illusions when it comes to the threat the Cradlers pose, and their continued reinforcement in the region has always a priority report in the briefings. But these jungle fighters are your people, born and bred in the deadly Green just as you were. You might guess that they’re as close as you have left to kin, outside of the Black Company. But a shared homeland hardly stopped them killing each other on the Cradle, you don’t think for a moment it will do you any favours here.“Right.” The Lieutenant straightens his posture, a boy’s face on a man’s shoulders. “Questions?”You have none.[2/3]
[3/3]LT Boy looks you each in the eye, holding it in turn and taking the measure of each of you, before finally giving a satisfied nod. “The die is cast, then. To every soldier their station.”“A shame we must refrain from our battlecry on this most seraphic charge.” SGT Heavenly looks forlorn at the prospect of not leading his pet crusaders in the traditional Krieger corps chant.“Makes our deeds look all the darker in that lack of light though, don’t it?” SGT Casket smirks as she dusts her dark cams off. “Ah you are right, my black-hearted space witch.” SGT Heavenly raises his helmet in salute as he steps . “And the Lord knows we do His good work by our deeds whether or not His faithful raise our voices to praise Him before the doing of it, no?”“Didn’t I say something about you getting a stabbing if you called me space witch one more time?”“If it is His will that I am to be stabbed…”You shift to follow after your two fellow NCOs, but a gesture from the LT gives you pause. “Sergeant. A word.”Uh-oh.=================================> “Sir. If it’s just Hail’s handpicked men with us, they won’t talk. It’d be good for morale, get the troops blood up ol’ BC battlecry before we go running after a Titan.” Hail's kamikazes are very likely going to bed dead at the end of all this anyway and, if not, well the LT will just have to recruit them then won’t he? But you're not wrong about the morale bit. [Daredevil]> “If this is about where we got those caff rations with the ‘Officers Mess’ stamp on them then before you ask any questions I did make sure we kept one spare for you.” It’s probably not about that, but you did have Crane keep a spare and that might be the distraction you need from whatever the LT is about to ask. [Firebrand]> “Black Hearts. Dark Deed. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Firebrand]
>>6371508> “Sir. If it’s just Hail’s handpicked men with us, they won’t talk. It’d be good for morale, get the troops blood up ol’ BC battlecry before we go running after a Titan.” Hail's kamikazes are very likely going to bed dead at the end of all this anyway and, if not, well the LT will just have to recruit them then won’t he? But you're not wrong about the morale bit. [Daredevil]You been playing much menace Forgotten?>>6355773this is me
>>6371507>posting MenaceBased and PMCpilled>>6371508> “Sir. If it’s just Hail’s handpicked men with us, they won’t talk. It’d be good for morale, get the troops blood up ol’ BC battlecry before we go running after a Titan.” Hail's kamikazes are very likely going to bed dead at the end of all this anyway and, if not, well the LT will just have to recruit them then won’t he? But you're not wrong about the morale bit. [Daredevil]Interesting that there's no Xenophobe option.>>6355787
>>6371508> “Sir. If it’s just Hail’s handpicked men with us, they won’t talk. It’d be good for morale, get the troops blood up ol’ BC battlecry before we go running after a Titan.” Hail's kamikazes are very likely going to bed dead at the end of all this anyway and, if not, well the LT will just have to recruit them then won’t he? But you're not wrong about the morale bit. [Daredevil]>>6355805Me
>>6371508> “Black Hearts. Dark Deed. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Firebrand]Let's keep the preemptive blubbering excuses to ourself. The LT likely just has a final warning or side objective for us.>>6356044Drop anchor
>>6371508>> “Black Hearts. Dark Deed. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Firebrand]Not the chant, you never know what will be overheard. Deniability was important for this op.Ok, LT, what's up?
>>6371508>> “Black Hearts. Dark Deed. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Firebrand]SERVICE IS ALWAYS AN ACT OF VALOR.>>6355851Me.
>>6371508> “Black Hearts. Dark Deed. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Firebrand]>>6355985
>>6371508> “Black Hearts. Dark Deed. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Firebrand]verification>>6355975
>>6371508> “Black Hearts. Dark Deed. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Firebrand]Uh oh.>>6355895Me
>>6371507I've been playing so much Menace that I was envisioning things as a mission in the middle of reading this post, only to look over and realize you'd used an ingame screenshot for the post. I love this quest.
>>6371508> “Black Hearts. Dark Deed. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Firebrand]This one is for all the marbles. Nothing else to do but focus.>>6356062>>6356067Proof it's me.
>>6371508>[Daredevil]
>>6371508> “Sir. If it’s just Hail’s handpicked men with us, they won’t talk. It’d be good for morale, get the troops blood up ol’ BC battlecry before we go running after a Titan.” Hail's kamikazes are very likely going to bed dead at the end of all this anyway and, if not, well the LT will just have to recruit them then won’t he? But you're not wrong about the morale bit. [Daredevil]>>6357205V card
>>6371544Forgot to link to verification >>6356668
Sorry lads, got shunted with sports no update tonight.I should be able to crack out an update tomorrow night.
After this vote I will likely call for some rolls this Sunday, but then will need to take a week break from updating due to work obligations.>>6371511>Interesting that there's no Xenophobe option.Perhaps less interesting when I confess that the option that won was meant to be Xenophobe and I overlooked it when redrafting...>>6371510>You been playing much menace Forgotten?Are bears catholic? Does the Pope shit in the woods? Needless to say I have racked up a worrying about of hours on that game already, and if I must suffer MENACE on Expert Ironman difficulty then my players can likewise suffer the casualty rolls sure to come in this quest.
> SELECTED: “Black Hearts. Dark Deeds. Cold Steel.” You whisper under your breath as you brace yourself for the fight ahead. And you don’t just mean whatever the LT wanted a word with you in private about. [Xenophobe]“Black Hearts. Dark Deeds. Cold Steel.” You whisper, taking comfort in the age old mantra that has been whispered, chanted, roared and shouted by thousands of soldiers over hundreds of years. If you believe the stories the Annalist division tell, which a part of you does.“Krieger to the core then, Sergeant?”You curse for not clearly not being as good a whisperer as you first thought you were, then curse again when Lieutenant ‘Boy’ Blue raises his eyebrow at your first expletive and then your second. Maybe officer’s get cybernetics or genemod enhancements to their hearing.“At ease.” The LT waves you down as you stiffen for a dressing down, causing you to breath a sigh of relief. “It’s good to hear you say the words and mean it. The Company could use people like you, Snake Eyes.”Because you can’t help yourself, you lean in close. Partly because you don’t want the rebels hearing you drop the pirate lingo but also because you don’t want the troops thinking that their commanding officer took a blow to the head saying dumb stuff like he just did.“I hate to tell you LT… But the Company is kinda already using people like me. In fact, if you hadn’t noticed…” You glance to the side conspiratorially. “I’ve actually been killing a bunch of Imps for them this whole voiddamn time.”LT Boy gives you a withering look, a fleeting glare of such a calibre in long-suffering sufferance that you’re sure Crane has been giving him lessons. “Still trying to get a laugh out of me on a mission, Sergeant?”“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.” You put on the best innocent look that a scarred Cradler mercenary can manage. “We all know that you don’t suffer fools.”“I don’t.” The LT’s expression softens, and for a moment he sounds more like his youthful appearance than his actual age. “But despite your best efforts to convince us otherwise, we both know you are no fool. I imagine a lot of people are going to put in for transfers out of the Krieger corps after this, and some few in, but regardless of what happens the 77th will need someone at the reins.” That earns a double-take from you. “You leavin’ us if we make it outta here, LT?”A twitch of the youthful officer’s mouth. “When we make it out of here.”“Right, when.” But the LT didn’t deny your question about him putting in for a promotion. [1/3]
Maybe the LT is counting his medals before he extracts from this scudshow of a campaign, but you can’t deny the Company has well and truly achieved its stated objectives. It’ll look damn good on any application for a transfer or promotion that the LT puts in, and you did have him marked as a Company careerist.“No disrespect sir, but then why are you talking to me?” You mutter, caught flatfooted by this out-of-character openness of the LT. “Casket and Heavenly have been with the 77th a lot longer…”“They have.” The LT nods. “And they each have their strengths, and weaknesses. The 77th could do worse, a lot worse.”“So why-““I’m not promising, or implying, anything Sergeant.” The LT cuts you off curtly, but that’s just how the officer types are used to speaking. “I know my Sergeants of Banshee and Prophet squads well. What they want. But you? I’m still trying to figure out what you want.”“What I want?” You pause, trying to figure out the trick in the question. You look back up at the LT. “Other than a big fat bonus?”“Other than that.” The LT tilts his head to the side, as if to say people actually just in it for the money didn’t rate far in some measurement of his. “We’ve leant on you a lot these past eight months, a whole lot more than what the rank of a newly minted Sergeant would call for. I know that it hasn’t been easy. That *I* haven’t been easy when it came to doing what needed to be done. But I do not forget those who have helped me get the job done.”“Well geez, I-““I’m not finished, Sergeant. There’s a future for you here, a real future. But what that might look like down the line, only you can set that goal.” The LT crosses his arms, listing off career paths in the same no-nonsense tone he might list off discplinary infractions.“I know Wasp thinks you’re a perfect fit for the Pathfinders, an assignment is as good as yours after a mission like this if he or I put you in for it. But there’s any number of possibilities. Your own command of a Krieger Platoon, stationed on the Prince. Master-At-Arms on a ship in the Grey Fleet. I want you to think about that while you’re out there sticking your neck out for us again.”[2/3]
[3/3]You stand there blinking like a stunned lox chewing on the Lieutenant’s words while the Kriegers around you brace for the mad dash across the ash wastes in the coming minute. The LT unfurls his arms and gives you a nod with all the gravitas of a full-blown salute. “Make it back alive, Sergeant. That’s an order.”You blink again, which hasn’t helped yet. Is your superior officer… just now trying to motivate you to not get yourself killed on the suicide mission he definitely knows nothing about?================================Sergeant ‘Snake Eyes’ Natalya has consistently proven indispensable to the Lieutenant, as well as demonstrated her loyalty with some dark deeds and career covering to boot. If you make it out of the Dis Campaign alive, he’s very likely to put in a good word for you…> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]> “A ship in the Grey Fleet? A ship…” Master-At-Arms of the modest Krieger complement managing security on the semi-independent Grey Fleet comes with a pay cut due to the lack of regular danger, but also entitles one to an invaluable share in the ship’s holding space between stops divided according to rank. It’s the first major step on the way to XO, and then… maybe a ship of your very own one day. [Ship Captain Ambition]>“It’d be nice to see some of the ‘verse that wasn’t a battlefield or a harbour on shore leave…” It can be lonely work, the life of a Pathfinder, though many operate in teams or with a network of assets and associates. Mant are closer to spies rather than scouts, but not you. You’re going to go well of the beaten path, with perhaps one or two trusted sidekicks, and see alien worlds and ruins in parts of the galaxy that most have never heard of, let alone been to. [Galactic Adventure Ambition]> “I’m just here to retire and expire ETs, sir. Send me where the little green men are at.” You were born to be a Krieger Sergeant, at the tip of the spear in the heart of the battleline is where you belong. Maybe one day, if your taste for rolling the dice with your vital readings loses its lustre, you might reconsider. But for now, you’ll be happy with a juicy bonus payout and your pick of next assignment in proving that you’re the meanest most unkillable bitch in the ‘verse. [Krieger NCO Ambition]
>>6373388I can't choose between these two but I'm sure she's born to be a Krieger till the day she dies> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]OR> “I’m just here to retire and expire ETs, sir. Send me where the little green men are at.” You were born to be a Krieger Sergeant, at the tip of the spear in the heart of the battleline is where you belong. Maybe one day, if your taste for rolling the dice with your vital readings loses its lustre, you might reconsider. But for now, you’ll be happy with a juicy bonus payout and your pick of next assignment in proving that you’re the meanest most unkillable bitch in the ‘verse. [Krieger NCO Ambition]Fuck me dead, I never really considered a promotion for Nat, I never saw her as ever rising above a Sergeant. Would she even want to? That'd mean less time in The Shit>>6355805Me
>>6373388> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]Krieger to the Core!>>6355773this is me
>>6373388>“Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]Solely because I like the tactical battle side of the quest.Me: >>6361262
>>6373388> “A ship in the Grey Fleet? A ship…” Master-At-Arms of the modest Krieger complement managing security on the semi-independent Grey Fleet comes with a pay cut due to the lack of regular danger, but also entitles one to an invaluable share in the ship’s holding space between stops divided according to rank. It’s the first major step on the way to XO, and then… maybe a ship of your very own one day. [Ship Captain Ambition]I like to imagine that Nat has spent so long thinking about space pirates over the past eight months that she's really grown to like the idea of being able to fly around where you want and do cool pirate shit, even if being a Navy officer would be a bit more buttoned up than the fantasy she's been nursing. Also, being the Master-At-Arms on a spaceship sounds like it'd be the most appealing out of all four of these, despite the fact that all of them sound really cool.>>6355878Moi
>>6373406Out of curiosity, what do you find appealing about it? Seems really restrictive to me, a lot less action seemingly and less general adventure and fuckery
>>6373388>> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]All for the betterment of Humanity, or what's left of it anyway...>>6355776my link
>>6373408We get to be Worf from Star Trek but in a sci-fi setting closer in tone to Gears of War or Halo, with potential responsibilities like repelling boarders/counterboarding, disciplining and training crew members, getting to do onboard detective work for any crimes or schemes amongst the crew, and providing escort for officers if we ever make landfall or deploy forces planetside. My second choice would be becoming a Pathfinder, because I think Nat would excel in that role, and it would give us more of a chance to mainline Forgotten's consistently sick worldbuilding, but I think being a shipboard officer gels with our past characterization of Nat the most on a gut level for me. Plus the fantasy of getting to slink around in the bowels of our ship and go full Predator-mode against boarders is just too sick of a fantasy for me to stop thinking about it.
>>6373388>> “I’m just here to retire and expire ETs, sir. Send me where the little green men are at.” You were born to be a Krieger Sergeant, at the tip of the spear in the heart of the battleline is where you belong. Maybe one day, if your taste for rolling the dice with your vital readings loses its lustre, you might reconsider. But for now, you’ll be happy with a juicy bonus payout and your pick of next assignment in proving that you’re the meanest most unkillable bitch in the ‘verse. [Krieger NCO Ambition]I've never looked at Nat as someone with High ambitions and frankly I'd be happy just pulling shennanigans across the galaxy and raising homicidal war orphans genefreaks.>>6355787
>>6373416Yeah fair enough mate, cheers. I guess I can see all that and how it might be fun
>>6373388>> “A ship in the Grey Fleet? A ship…” Master-At-Arms of the modest Krieger complement managing security on the semi-independent Grey Fleet comes with a pay cut due to the lack of regular danger, but also entitles one to an invaluable share in the ship’s holding space between stops divided according to rank. It’s the first major step on the way to XO, and then… maybe a ship of your very own one day. [Ship Captain Ambition]>>6355769
>>6373388>>6358422This is me.> “A ship in the Grey Fleet? A ship…” Master-At-Arms of the modest Krieger complement managing security on the semi-independent Grey Fleet comes with a pay cut due to the lack of regular danger, but also entitles one to an invaluable share in the ship’s holding space between stops divided according to rank. It’s the first major step on the way to XO, and then… maybe a ship of your very own one day. [Ship Captain Ambition]
>>6373388>> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]>>6355771me
>>6373388> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]I'm going with this, but just because she gets some extra bars, I don't think Nat is going stop leading from the front to sit behind a holomap anytime soon.And this is just one last attempt to make the LT smile>"I'll make it back sir, if only to get the chance to see you crack a smile"Or alternatively>"I hope to become a general if only to out rank you and order you to smile just once.">>6356044Mine
>>6373388All of these are really tempting. I especially like the idea of Snake-Eyes becoming a pathfinder scout. Going into the unknown, taking risks no one can foresee, discovering things long forgotten? Seems just down her alley. Plus, we would make a killer duo with Crane, two sneaky bastards roaming around the galaxy and cracking open heads. But, I don't see most people going for it, so I'll pick the Officer path. > “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]>>6355895Me>>6373383>Rolls this SundaySo it begins.>Needless to say I have racked up a worrying about of hours on that game already, and if I must suffer MENACE on Expert Ironman difficulty then my players can likewise suffer the casualty rolls sure to come in this quest.Never doubt the luckshittery of anons.
>>6373388> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]Nat is just too much of a fight lover to ever get behind a desk. At least willingly. >>6356062>>6356067Proof of me.
>>6373388>> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]I think this is most in character for Nat.>>6355851Me.
> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]I think Natalya likes too much the thrill of the hunt to focus on a XO career.>>6356179V check
>>6373388> “A ship in the Grey Fleet? A ship…” Master-At-Arms of the modest Krieger complement managing security on the semi-independent Grey Fleet comes with a pay cut due to the lack of regular danger, but also entitles one to an invaluable share in the ship’s holding space between stops divided according to rank. It’s the first major step on the way to XO, and then… maybe a ship of your very own one day. [Ship Captain Ambition]verification>>6355975
>>6373388>[Ship Captain Ambition]
>>6373388Either of these two:> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]> “A ship in the Grey Fleet? A ship…” Master-At-Arms of the modest Krieger complement managing security on the semi-independent Grey Fleet comes with a pay cut due to the lack of regular danger, but also entitles one to an invaluable share in the ship’s holding space between stops divided according to rank. It’s the first major step on the way to XO, and then… maybe a ship of your very own one day. [Ship Captain Ambition]Officer is probably more in-character for Nat - but I’ve already played the tortured mercenary office in the Black Prince. So something different would be cool>>6357205V card
>>6373388> “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]I feel like Pathfinder is cool, but she's grown accustomed to having squaddies with her, and being able to train them etc. Too isolated being a spook. And the Master-at-arms seems cool (feeds into the "mama"/training aspect) but she likes being in the thick of things. She def wants to kill more little green men, but being higher up the food chain gives a bit more control of her life. My two cents anyway.>>6355833Itsa me
>>6373388>“I’m just here to retire and expire ETs, sir. Send me where the little green men are at.” You were born to be a Krieger Sergeant, at the tip of the spear in the heart of the battleline is where you belong. Maybe one day, if your taste for rolling the dice with your vital readings loses its lustre, you might reconsider. But for now, you’ll be happy with a juicy bonus payout and your pick of next assignment in proving that you’re the meanest most unkillable bitch in the ‘verse. [Krieger NCO Ambition]I feel like this board as a whole will always gravitate towards the character taking charge and becoming more important, but I think being a slightly less expendable grunt fits this quest very well.>>6355843
Falling asleep at the wheel here lads, update and roll call tomorrow.
>>6373388>“A ship in the Grey Fleet? A ship…” Master-At-Arms of the modest Krieger complement managing security on the semi-independent Grey Fleet comes with a pay cut due to the lack of regular danger, but also entitles one to an invaluable share in the ship’s holding space between stops divided according to rank. It’s the first major step on the way to XO, and then… maybe a ship of your very own one day. [Ship Captain Ambition]Me >>6355782
>>6373388> “I’m just here to retire and expire ETs, sir. Send me where the little green men are at.” You were born to be a Krieger Sergeant, at the tip of the spear in the heart of the battleline is where you belong. Maybe one day, if your taste for rolling the dice with your vital readings loses its lustre, you might reconsider. But for now, you’ll be happy with a juicy bonus payout and your pick of next assignment in proving that you’re the meanest most unkillable bitch in the ‘verse. [Krieger NCO Ambition]Simply because I can see Snake Eyes being content with proving she is the apex predator on her missions. "Not" being on the front line? Who the fuck would want that?>>6355985
> SELECTED: “Like you said, LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me. Ooh-ah.” Command of your very own Krieger Platoon on the Company’s flagship, perhaps a division one day. Storming cities from the skies, boarding capital ships, seizing strongholds and command posts in one bloody orbital assault. The officer epaulettes will be nice, but a leading role in the biggest battles of the Black Company will be even nicer. [Krieger Officer Ambition]You stand there for a moment, hands on hips and lips pursed like you don’t trust them for the passing moment. Truth is, you never really thought of yourself as an officer-pips type of gal. You’re an orphaned waif hopped up on enough genemods to stretch the definition of humanity, one that’s managed to upgrade from scrabbling for survival against fang and claw to kicking ass and taking names with lead and cold steel. You’re a fighter, a hell of a fighter, and the alpha bitch of your own pack of Vinehounds now. But an officer? Someone who leads not just a dozen or so bodies but scores of them? Maybe hundreds? The possibility is a lot to take in. But you don’t see yourself leaving the best of the best to go wandering the worlds in a spook outfit or follow some pipe dream in the Grey Fleet. Officer, NCO or plain ol’ knuckle-dragging grunt, you know your future likes with the Black Company Kriegers.“Like you said LT. Krieger Corps to the core for me.” You show the LT a grin, your signature devil-may-care-let’s-fucking-go grin, and thump your chest twice. “Ooh-ah.”The LT nods, seemingly satisfied with that answer. “To your station then, Sergeant.”If you did make it as one of the commissioned you wouldn’t be an officer like Lieutenant Boy Blue, that’s for sure. Your blood runs a hundred degrees hotter than his. He’s cold, calculating and as far as you know he’s never made a single choice that didn’t forward the mission or was done in the heat of the moment. He’s no armchair officer, but he’s not exactly lead from the front either. Not like you would be. And now that you think about it, -really- think, maybe you could be an officer like that. A real die-hard, gritted teeth, leading the charge kind of officer. LT Boy isn’t like that, but you know there are Krieger officers out there just like that. Void knows there’s been times when you wish the officer types would nut up or shut up. Maybe, just maybe, you could be ambitious enough to be one of those officers who nuts up for the frontline fight yourself. If you make it out of this suicide mission alive, that is.[1/3]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJvduG0E628&list=RDpJvduG0E628&start_radio=1 – 77th chasing the DragonAll along the line of the makeshift trench that marks the outer perimeter of the rebel base and the edge of the destruction left in the Titan’s passing, your men conduct final their final checks.“We are the chosen onesWe sacrifice our bloodWe kill for honour.”Every Krieger has their own small tradition. The thumbing of a dog tag, the kiss of a holy symbol slung around a neck, a muttered phrase and grin in reply to the squaddie next to them, tightening a strap that is well worn and already amply tight. Whatever it is that soldiers do in the final moments for divine safeguarding, for steadying the nerves, for an ounce extra of dumb luck, your Kriegers do it now.“In glory, we returnOur destination's endWe slay the dragon.”You smile at your nominally pacifist resident alien plant’s atypically violent tunes, good to see even the Cabbage is getting his blood up. You pass down the line, handing out slaps on the back and daring smirks to your Vinehounds. You’re not charging into enemy fire, at least not yet if you slip through in the Titan’s wake as planned, but there’s no turning back after this. When you cross the ash wastes, as quickly and as quietly as dozens of soldiers geared up for war can, this will be it.“No more living in fearIt's time to raise our kingWe made it happenWe're the chosen ones.”You cast your gaze back down the line, to where the LT is watching in silence. Your whole body is tensed up and feels electrified as your genemods anticipate the coming strain and shooting adrenaline through your system faster and stronger than any baseline human. The LT nods. And over the top you go.[2/3]
[3/3]The daring plan to take full advantage of the clear run left behind by the Titan, both in terms of the level terrain and the wide berth that hostiles will give it for the moment, is going to shave days off of your trek to reach Forward Airbase Theta. Assuming you and your people can keep up. Assuming that the Cradler Auxiliaries don’t return quick enough to spot you dashing across the ashen wasteland. Assuming that the Titan itself doesn’t notice you, or figuring that your small strike force is worth the bother of turning some of it’s leftover anti-personal armaments your way.To make those assumptions work you need to move fast, with precious little breaks between running across ground to keep up. It’s not just you that has to be at peak physical fitness, you need to be strong enough to pick up anyone lagging behind. And drag them and their voiddamn gear behind you if comes to fucking that. ===========================================Little did you know at the time, but in the Annals this insane daring act of initiative in the records covering the Dis Campaign would be referred to as the Ash Run.The Ash Run: Physical Test>30DC>She Lifts +10DC>Cradleborn: Jungle Environment +0DC, +0 Physical Re-Roll (Jungle is burnt out here)>Clayton’s Cradle Origin +1 Re-Roll>On the Shoulders of Giants +1 Re-Roll>40DCDouble Fail = Stray Shot. +1 Casualty at +1 Severity.0 = Titan Targeting Solution. Even with an eye out for any signs the Titan is paying attention, it’s still not enough time to get everyone into cover when the Titan turns its attention on you. ‘Cover’ being a very relative term here. +2 Casualties at +1 Severity.1 = Lagging behind. Your strike force is unable to keep with the titan and is forced to break for cover in the dense jungle still two days march away from the objective. In addition, one of your number suffered a debilitating injury. -1 Ammunition. +1 Casualty at -1 Severity.2 = Dropped gear. You made it, the Airbase is just a day away. It wasn’t easy, and you had to leave a few things behind on the mad dash to the end of the wastes, but you made it. -1 Ammunition.3 = Rack Run. You all made it to cover in one piece, and with your shit stowed away properly. The objective is less than a day away now, and you’re in a better tactical position with the Cradler Auxiliaries prowling around. Wherever they are…Double Pass = Peak Physical Condition. +1 Re-Roll to Close Encounter rolls for the duration of the Big One.3 rolls of 1d100. You have TWO re-rolls. These re-rolls *can* be used on double fails for this test.Nat lifts, sure. But does she cardio?
Rolled 57 (1d100)>>6375255ROLLIN'Sick music choice>>6355805Me
>>6375255dice+1d100>>6355831me
Rolled 7 (1d100)>>6375257sorry, it's been a while
Rolled 19 (1d100)>>6375255Please be good.>>6358422This is me.
Rolled 7 (1d100)>>6375255Let's goooooo >>6355787
Rolled 60 (1d100)>>6375255>>6375256Re-rollinFOR THE BLACK COMPANY!
Rolled 31 (1d100)>>6375255Alright last try>>6375262Re-rolling
>3 successesFuck yes my Kriggas. We never lose, we just roll good, always.
Nat Cardio Confirmed.Well bloody done lads, no casualty rolls today. I'll see ya'll in a week when IRL work is done kicking my arse.
>>6375267Ahhhh I hate it, best of luck to you Forgotten.
>>6375258>>6375259>>6375263Due to the triple pass on a She Lifts bonus, I could totally see Nat hanging around at the back picking up abandoned gear as she goes. Like a mother picking up after her messy children, until she's carrying like half the squad's gear. Either that or carrying Goldie because he's out of shape being in recovery so long.
>>6375271>the disapproving glare of mamma snake when she drops your ruck on your head>she move on to the next trooper with two other sacks
>>6375271>Snake Eyes having to princess carry Goldie all the way to the objective because he sprained his ankle during the rushCinematic.
>>6375258>>6375259>>6375262Good rolling anons! We survive (for now)>>6375267When can we expect you Forgotten, next Wednesday? Also, do you think we'll finish the Big One in this thread?
>3 SUCCESS: Rack Run. You all made it to cover in one piece, and with your shit stowed away properly. The objective is less than a day away now, and you’re in a better tactical position with the Cradler Auxiliaries prowling around. Wherever they are…Back on Clayton’s Cradle, during what some champion of understatement might describe as your troubled youth deep in the Green, there were times that you spent whole days straight on the run. Taking a break then would have put you straight at the top of the meal ticket of whatever Carnotaur or Vinehound pack had your scent at the time. So these sweat-filled hours spent at a solid jog, trying not to cough on the kicked up dust and ash left in the Titan’s wake, is a damn near luxury compared to that.You get a few laughs telling that old nugget during the scant minutes afforded on the first break in the ash run. And a few less laughs on the second. By the third break, after the better part of a day on the move, everyone is telling you to shut the fuck up with your backwards Cradler-ass bullshit, rank be damned. By the fourth longer break, well after dark, no one is saying much of anything. Haggard looks , trembling muscles and exhausted pants are all that greet you when you do your rounds. If there are any muttered curses directed at you, the LT or the whole damn Company they are inaudible even to your heightened genemod senses over the constant shuddering stomps of the Titan’s inexorable pace.But hey, at least the merciless moving mountain isn’t also shooting at you.Some of your people have never known what it’s like to be too voiddamned tired to even sleep, but they know now. You’re keeping pace on point for now, but you have another day of this at least before your strike force comes close enough on the path to the airbase to peel off into the cover of the jungle. You try not to think about what the chances are of a Cradler Auxiliary patrol spotting the dozens of armoured figures spotting you from the sides in a break between the ash clouds. You’ll all be chest high in the scud if that happens, but the die is cast and speed is your only ally out here. Speed, and being insignificant enough to slip under the Titan’s notice.[1/4]
You don’t let up the next day, and at first you can feel the hateful glares of several squaddies on your big NCO back until a few minutes into the run. And by then everyone’s already too tired to spare the energy required for petty hate. Besides, they’ll live to get over it.Despite the fact that they’re getting the brunt of the kicked up dust and ash out on point, your Vinehounds and Hail’s rebels fare better than most. You’ve pushed them hard before, more than a few times these past eight months. When moving slow or moving fast after a hit-and-run or well laid ambush has been all the difference between a clean getaway and another serving of Savis napalm, the slow movers tended to get themselves burnt to crisps in short order.It’s still hell, and your tail is starting to drag behind, but through grit and (mostly) human spirit your point team is still keeping pace with the Titan and hugging close to the cover of smokescreen provided in its wake. It’s no good keeping pace though if you lose the squads coming up behind you though, so you call a break earlier than usual.“Aight. Take some water. And we’ll take another two for boot check, catch your breath.”The squad slumps to the ground in thankful groans, wearily untying or unclasping whatever footwear they have on them. In the humid environs of the jungle this sort of thing has become a common scene, all manner of crawlies, fungi or infected blisters can do the work of a lucky Savis shot given half a chance. A change of socks is as good as a shower, you always say. You can tell Crane bit back some sort of comment when you say it again today, which must mean the man is himself truly exhausted.“Ah fuck.” Bones grimaces as he pries off his boot, and then the sock. “Ah shit. Goddamn.”“++Observation. This unit exceeded safe load-bearing parameters several hours ago.++”“Cut us some slack man, you’re a literal goddamn machine.” Bones grimaces again at the sight of what was under the sock. “Hey… think you could carry my pack for a while? I'll oil you up when this is all done like you wouldn't beleive.”“++Counter-offer. Would you like to carry the heavy machine gun for a while?++”“Hssssssk.” Husk adjusts a dial to stifle the worrying squeal of his gasmask, the chemdog from that frozen world is clearly struggling. “Us Whitelakers are natural sprinters. Hssk. Very dangerous over short distances. Hssk.”You don’t get the joke, but if the man has breath enough to talk scud he’s not at the end of his tether yet. [2/4]
“These boots are made for walkin'And that's just what they'll doOne of these days, these boots are gonna walk all over you.”“Petal. I love you, mon amie.” Night Night points a loose sock at your medic, smiling sweetly. “But shut the fucking fuck up right now, oui? You don’t even have feet, let alone feet to blister, OK?”“Now that you mention it…” Terri, ironically formerly known as ‘Boot’, tilts her head at the lower half of the Belcossan’s many-tendrilled body. “What -are- those?”“Podia.” Terri and Night Night turn and stare at Convict. His burned face is red, though you can’t tell whether that’s from the run or from being the sudden centre of attention. “It’s what they’re called.”“Scud, Convict.” Jake Martin grins, patting Bones on the back as he hands him a contained of sulfa powder. “Not to call your education into question here, but how the hell do you know a word like ‘Podia’?”“Tube feet. Whatever.” Convict shrugs, returning his attention to popping a particularly egregious blister. “Knew a Belcossan back in the clink.”“…Can Belcossan’s wear socks? Are they still called socks?”“Well Petal is wearing something on them righ-““Alright, time is up.” A chorus of groans greets your pronouncement, but you are merciless. “Fascinating philosophising, I know. But it’s time we hit the highway, me lovlies.”Almost everyone gets up, but Crane and Hail call you over to one who doesn’t. You can see why, Goldie may still have a pristine hairdo with enough hard gel in it to count as a second helmet but his feet haven’t fare anyway near as well.The foot on Goldie’s new leg is even worse than the old one. The medboys sure can work some magic if you give ‘em a couple of creds to rub together, but they can’t magic old calluses and rough skin onto the new flesh of a replacement limb. Today and yesterday have done a real number on Goldie’s new foot, by now it’s more blister than trotter and the wound has worked beyond the surface and into the true flesh. Always a bad sign.“I can’t.. I can’t put my boot back on, boss. She’s all swolled up.” Goldie looks at you apologetically as you clasp his foot, working it over in your hands. “Sorry, boss.”“Sorry nothing, pretty boy. You’ve been doing good for someone that’s been eating ice cream shipside while we were on our cardio game down here.” You give your squaddie a cheerful wink. “But *I* am sorry for this.”[3/4]
[4/4]To a less exhausted audience, Goldie’s girlish squeal when you dump half a satchel of sulfa powder on the blistered limb would have netted a chorus of ribbing. Now though, most are looking on with sympathy. Near everyone, including you, will need a little of that foot fairy dust to harden the soles and calcify the blistered skin to make it through this. But Goldie’s situation is more critical, he won’t be walking on that foot for at least an hour. An hour you don’t have to spend waiting around for him to recover enough to limp on. Goldie’s second yelp is much less pained and much more surprised as you toss him over your shoulder.“Damn boss, be gentle-like!” You shift your weight so that Goldies admittedly very pleasant arse isn’t blocking your left line of sight. “It’s my first time…”Hail glances from the odd scene down to Goldies gear with a frown. “He was carrying the spare AT and MG ammunition. We could try to unpack and spread it out between the…”The words taper off as Hail stares at you, mouth agawp, while you effortlessly sling Goldies pack over your other shoulder. Even Crane’s eyebrows are a notch higher than usual at your tensing muscles, he must occasionally forget how far you can push your more-than-human strength.You must look every inch the barbarian warrior woman, returning victorious from a successful raid with your spoils of war and captured slave-booty in tow.===============================(1) Say something cool.> “Something cool.” [Daredevil]>“The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do.” [Firebrand]>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe]_(2) Physically fit.>You carry Goldie for a few hours, until he’s well enough to limp and lean on someone. But you keep his pack, can’t have him dropping it in his state. [No Physical Test] + [Goldie takes -1 vital status]>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]
(1) Say something cool.>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe](2) Physically fit.>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]What do we look like? A Belcossan? No, we're a Cradler, we can handle a little extra weight>>6355805Me
>>6379091Ah damn it, I meant to link to the vote post as well. >>6379089Her boss, over here>>6379091
>>6379089> “Something cool.” [Daredevil]>You carry Goldie for a few hours, until he’s well enough to limp and lean on someone. But you keep his pack, can’t have him dropping it in his state. [No Physical Test] + [Goldie takes -1 vital status]Think we need to be in peak condition more than him >>6357205V card
>>6379089> “Something cool.” [Daredevil]Maybe something along the lines of "you better never skip leg day after this">You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]NATALYA STONGveri>>6355780
>>6379089>“The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do.” [Firebrand]>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]Me: >>6361262
>>6379089(1) Say something cool.>"Use 'em or lose 'em, boys. Muscles don't grow on their own. OO-RAH!" [Daredevil] + [Firebrand](2) Physically fit.>You carry Goldie for a few hours, until he’s well enough to limp and lean on someone. But you keep his pack, can’t have him dropping it in his state. [No Physical Test] + [Goldie takes -1 vital status]I'm sorry pretty boy, but you gotta carry your own ass for a while. I would like Nat to be in peak performance for the real fight and Goldie being on Stable is a decent trade-off. Plus, that DC is quite low actually. >>6355895Me
So... How is Nines powered anyway? I always assumed solar but that would hardly work in the dust run.
>>6379089>“The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do.” [Firebrand]>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]Mama Snake has got this.>>6355773this is me
>>6379089>>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe]>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]We can take more than Goldie can, no need to give him the -1 vitals.>>6355776this is me.
>>6379087>“++Counter-offer. Would you like to carry the heavy machine gun for a while?++”Nines confirmed for sass-bot.>>6379089>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe]>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]Regen looking mighty good right about now.>>6355787
>>6379089>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe]>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]verification >>6355975
>>6379089(1) Say something cool.>“The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do.” [Firebrand](2) Physically fit.>You carry Goldie for a few hours, until he’s well enough to limp and lean on someone. But you keep his pack, can’t have him dropping it in his state. [No Physical Test] + [Goldie takes -1 vital status]Being totally honest we need the vitals more than Goldie and I'm not confident we'll pass another physical test. Better to take the -1 vitals than risk worse on another set of rolls. The mission just started and we've got a long way to go.>>6356044Mine
>>6379089>>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe]>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]SWOLE MOMMY>>6355851Me
>>6379401I don't have voting rights so just piping in to say this anon speaks truth. Anons ITT have made a dangerous habit of voting for the most balls-out option in every vote because it's worked out so far but this will bite our ass eventually. We must consider risk/reward.
>>6379488The actual VIP this operation is the clanker unfortunately.
>>6379089>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe]I don't have anything cool to say :(>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]I simply believe that we will just roll well on the check (also I am addicted to seeing dice being rolled), and also fulfilling the shitpost of carrying Goldie all the way sounds like it would be really funny.>>6355843>>6379488Counterpoint: Quest is a board mostly filled with baby cowards that won't take risks ever and I think it's refreshing to see a quest where people actually do want to take risks while playing. I will vote for risk, sue me.
>>6379089>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe]>You carry Goldie for a few hours, until he’s well enough to limp and lean on someone. But you keep his pack, can’t have him dropping it in his state. [No Physical Test] + [Goldie takes -1 vital status]>>6356179Check
>>6379089>“…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe]>You carry Goldie for a few hours, until he’s well enough to limp and lean on someone. But you keep his pack, can’t have him dropping it in his state. [No Physical Test] + [Goldie takes -1 vital status]It’s me>>6355833
>>6379089>> “Something cool.” [Daredevil]>You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test]>>6355771me
Site was down yesterday, so the call for rolls has come a bit late. I still intend to do a content update this evening as well, but we'll see how we go.>>6379214>So... How is Nines powered anyway? I always assumed solar but that would hardly work in the dust run.His centre chassis is basically one advanced big ass battery, so really as long as you plug him in he could run on nuclear, solar, or a hillbilly gas generator if that’s all the rebels had to hand.>SELECTED: “…Vinehounds, move out.” [Xenophobe] Honestly, I’m kicking myself for not including something like ‘Come on Vinehounds, do you want to live forever?’>SELECTED: You carry Goldie the rest of the way, potentially further straining your own self beyond even your genemods but ensuring he’ll be optimal when you do hit the jungle again. [Further Physical Test] More Weight: Physical Test>30DC>She Lifts +10DC>Almost There +10DC>Cradleborn: Jungle Environment +0DC, +0 Physical Re-Roll (Jungle is burnt out here)>Clayton’s Cradle Origin +0 Re-Roll (recently used)>On the Shoulders of Giants +0 Re-Roll (recently used)>50 DCDouble Fail = Pulled Muscle. -4DC to all Physical, Wetwork and Close Encounter rolls. Recover by +1DC per day. 0 Success = Breaking Point. Vital status of Snake Eyes is reduced by 1. No save. Additionally, the delay squanders the potential tactical advantage gained over any nearby Cradler Auxiliaries.1 Success = Bad Fall. 1 AV roll, if failed vital status of Snake Eyes is reduced by 1. Temporary +5DC to next Physical Test. Progress slows, but still ahead of schedule by the time you reach the treeline. 2 Success = Gonna Make You Sweat. Temporary +5DC to Physical Tests for remainder of the Campaign. The Vinehounds reach the treeline well ahead of schedule with ample time to recover and establish a clear perimeter before the rest of the strike force arrives. 3 Success = Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. Temporary +10DC to Physical Tests for the remainder of the Campaign. In addition to the clear perimeter with time to spare, your peerless example of peak human physical performance gets more than one squaddie considering whether they should fork out for a Genemod of their own. Or at least hitting the gym more, assuming they survive this mission. Double Pass = She Runs. +5DC to all future Wetwork and Close Encounter rolls, wears off by -1DC per day. Permanent +5DC to all future Physical tests.3 rolls of 1d100. You have ZERO re-rolls remaining.Sit back and enjoy the ride, Goldie.
Rolled 38 (1d100)>>6380344LETS GO!>>6355773this is me
Rolled 12 (1d100)>>6380344Here we go, we just have to roll good.>>6355843Mine
Rolled 36 (1d100)>>6380344Just a little more>>6356044Proof
>>6380351>>6380355>>6380358Whew lads, but also LET'S FUCKING GOOO! Mama Snake lifts again.
PEAK PERFORMANCE
Good Rolling Boys
>3 SUCCESS: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. Temporary +10DC to next Physical Test. In addition to the clear perimeter with time to spare, your peerless example of peak human physical performance gets more than one squaddie considering whether they should fork out for a Genemod of their own. Or at least hitting the gym more, assuming they survive this mission. You heft Goldie over one shoulder and his ruck over the other, barely breaking a sweat. Everyone, rebel and Krieger alike, is staring at you like you just lifted a grav-tank in one hand. You’ve been described by some, mostly Crane, as an irrepressible show-off when the going gets tough. “…” You take a moment to bask in the awe of your puny squadlings, giving them your biggest scud-eating grin before tilting your head to the path ahead. “Vinehounds, move out!”Carrying a grown human on your shoulder for the last leg of the run is nothing. Carrying all of his gear, including the precious spare AT shells for Convict and MG mags for Nines, is barely noticeable. The fact that you do all this, for hours, after more than a day of straight running does little more than quicken the pulse a smidge. Your body has honed from adolescence, every day and every night a struggle against the fang and claw of the Green back home. And tweaked with genemods to allow you to reach, and then surpass, the very limits of human peak physical performance. Survival of the fittest indeed.The aches in your legs, the burning in your muscles, the labour in your breath. Voiddamn you love the pump. This is the closest you’ve come to having an actual proper workout since being stuck on this dusty rock for the better part of a year. You feel your limit, and push past it like a gatecrasher at an exclusive nightclub. You’ve rarely felt more alive.[1/3]
Even weighed down as you are, your squaddies can barely keep up with you for the last leg of the Ash Run. When you finally break the treeline, reaching the cover of untouched jungle that escaped the Titan’s ire, even the most grizzled hardened veteran of your number collapses in exhaustion. But not you. You stand there hands-on-hip in the centre of a small clearing in the foliage, TPR Goldie safely deposited behind you, and you breathe deep. You admire the scenery, the lush colours of life and vibrant pigmentations of the (so far) untouched wilds. Voiddamn you love the jungle, even if this jungle like the one back home is one you still have to share with other prowling Cradlers. A sobering thought, and your admiration returns to watchfulness in a single breath. You keep watch while your squaddies recover, they’ve had it rough and you’re barely out of breath as you skirt the makeshift perimeter and listen to their whining.“Goddamn.” TPR Bones, arguably the physically fittest of the squad after you, is the first to gulp in enough air to voice a remark. “I’ve really got to hit the gym after all this.” “Voidmother knows I do too.” TPR Rev Sev lies deflated next to him, too tired to do another than remain spread-eagled on the forest floor. “Hit the gym… or never step foot on a place where gravity matters ever again.”“How…how did she…” The scrappy young TPR Terri, who looks like she weighs less than most dumbells, stares at your wide muscled back suspiciously. “If I start going to the gym more, can I run like that?”“Merde. Forget this gym.” TPR Night Night dry-heaves, wiping a bit of the vomit that came up from the last one. “You need a couple of thousand creds worth of genemods for that kind of superwoman act. But I’m sure our little medic will have a song for us while we recover from… the worst two days of my life?”“…” Your medic gives out a warble that sounds a lot like what a bagpipe having a crisis of faith would sound like.“++Assessment. There are no number of prescribed exercise sets or genetic modification implants that could place Trooper designation Terri on par with our squad leader in terms of biological optimisation.++”“That woman is a force of nature.” TPR Goldie mutters, checking his bad foot with surprised optimism. He mutters quietly, but not quiet enough to slip past your Cradler senses. “I really hope this hasn’t awakened something in me…”[2/3]
[3/3]Thanks to the excellent time you’ve made with the pace you set, by the time the Lieutenant arrives with the main bulk of the strike force your Vinehounds and the rebels are recovered enough to have established a wide perimeter and cover the rearguard elements as the last of the men reach cover. “Your men are already set to press ahead?” LT Boy’s face is typically set to a stoically impassive visage, but you can tell even he is impressed with how on top of things you and your men are. “I knew you had pushed forward but… Impressive work, Sergeant. We’ll need a bit of time to recover ourselves, but we are well ahead of schedule. Now let’s talk next steps.” ==============================> “Next steps? Quick ones. We keep running.” You’ve made damn good time, and you’ve got to hope against hope that there aren’t any Cradler Auxiliaries between you and the airbase a day way. But if you make it through any gap in the patrols with speed over stealth, you just might avoid encountering the pet Imperial jungle-fighters altogether. [Daredevil]> “Next steps? Changing direction and then doubling back is a start.” You’re going to encounter the Cradlers out here, your get tells you it’s only a matter of time before -some- of them pick you your trail, if they haven’t already. The best you can aim for is to try and meet them on your terms. An ambush, if you’re real lucky, or at least not being taken by surprise yourself. [Firebrand]>”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]
>>6380518>”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]We earned our advantage with speed, now lets keep it with caution. No point making a bunch of noise and putting on an obvious show THIS close to the base. They won't expect us to have managed to get so close so quickly so we can take a bit of time now. No need to rush>>6355805Me
>>6380518>”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]Probably should also set a ton of traps behind usMe: >>6361262
>>6380518>”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]verification>>6355975Everyone will appreciate a bit of a crawl after our sprint.
>>6380518>”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]"Prey is the most vulnerable after it thinks it got away." Our boys are tired and going to be sloppy. They need a break before we move and then they need to be ready for WHEN the Cradlers hit us from the direction we least expect.>>6356044My check
>>6380518>>”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]We made excellent time with our ash run to the canopy, now we can afford to spend the time we've earned to ensure we make it safely to the base.
>>6380518>>”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]Remember what the old-timers said? The soldiers boobytrap the parts which haven't been devastated by the Titan. Lets take our time.>>6355895Me
>>6380518>[Daredevil]Lean into the unexpected.
>>6380518>>”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]get after it>>6355776this is me
>>6380518>> “Next steps? Quick ones. We keep running.” You’ve made damn good time, and you’ve got to hope against hope that there aren’t any Cradler Auxiliaries between you and the airbase a day way. But if you make it through any gap in the patrols with speed over stealth, you just might avoid encountering the pet Imperial jungle-fighters altogether. [Daredevil]>>6355771me
>SELECTED: ”Next steps? Real slow ones. We’re in the heart of their hunting grounds now.” You press forward to the airbase at a cautious pace. There could be anything between you and the objective, and you aren’t willing to gamble than someone hasn’t already noticed a trail. The most important thing is not being taken by surprise. If that happens, in this jungle, and the hands of these Cradlers? You’ll all be dead quicker than you can say Clayton. [Xenophobe]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkaWZoPRBxg&list=RDmkaWZoPRBxg&start_radio=1 – Cradler Hunting GroundsThe humidity that sticks to the skin, more sweat trickling down your brow moments after you wipe it. The lush green foliage, capable of swallowing your entire platoon’s line-of-sight in a few short steps. They’ve even got venomous critters of their own, though nothing that would give a genemodded badass like yourself anything more than a bellyache. Hot poison, it’s just like home. And here, like home, has merciless manhunters of its own variety. These predators wield guns and knives rather than fang and claw, but their attention is every bit as deadly. So you tread with caution, for only a fool steps blindly onto a Carnotaur’s tail.Physically, the slow advance through dense jungle terrain is a much less arduous endeavour than the ash run in the shadow of the Titan was. Your men recover, settling into the familiar patrol footing that they’ve honed to a fine art over the course of this campaign. But constant watchfulness carries its own kind of burden, weighing on the mind.Even a veteran Krieger, tired and run ragged as they have been, might miss the slightly off patch of disturbed forest floor, or the thin translucent wire stretched across a break in the trail. It’s a damn good thing that that you’re nowhere near as tired, and that your squaddies have your Cradler senses watching out for them.“Hut!” The outstretched muscles on your corded arm flex and strain, clutching TPR Terri mid-step by the strap on her backpack. Your hiss isn’t from the effort, even geared up she barely weighs a thing to you, it’s to get her attention. And to not blow you both back to the pre-space age. >WETWORK TEST ‘DETECT TRAPS’ AUTO-PASS“Hey! What gives!” TPR Terri hisses back, ever the spitfire, and you can see it takes an effort on your part not try and shake her superior off. Not that she’d have any luck if it came to that, your grip has more iron in it than the core of GNR Nine’s chassis.“Shhh.” Your eyes aren’t on the young trooper, or even on the tripwire patiently waiting just below her hovering boot. “Listen.”[1/3]
Your attention is set firmly on the break in cover up ahead, exactly where you would set up a squad in ambush for the first mook to stumble into your snares and tripwires. That’s where the Cradler Auxiliaries would be lying in wait, if there were any there at all. But a moment or two’s tense silence is all you need to know that there isn’t, if you were there you’d have adjusted your position to fire on the advancing force the moment you spotted that they’d clued on to your set traps. You’ve flipped your ghosthelm down just to make sure, but still nothing. You lift TPR Terri back with one hand and gently deposit her to your rear like a mother Vinehound with a pup in maw, even your scrappy little murdergirl doesn’t protest when she realises you’re not yanking her chain and spots the anti-personnel strapped to the base of the tree at the other end of the wire. Your ghosthelm chirps softly as Crane calls in from his section of the line.“Another one here on the left approach, gunso.”“I see it.” And still no movement detected on your ghosthelm. You begin to relax slightly and focus your attention on the nearest threats. “That’s probably a pit in between the two wires rigged to pop off.”“…Where?”“Looks about four metres long, spiked too if I was a gambling woman. Maybe a metre wide starting from…” You tilt your head to the left and look a little closer, squinting your eyes. “About two feet in front of you.”“くそ…” You smirk under your helm as your Second takes a wary backward step. “I will admit, these Clayton’s Cradle Auxiliaries are not without skill.”“What can I say?” You shrug, turning your attention to picking out a safer alternative route. “Must be something in the genes.”It’s a good trail hugging the edge of a small rise in the terrain, probably why the Cradlers bothered to pause and set up Voidmother knows how many nasty surprises all along it. You could have SPR Convict dismantle them with your assistance, but that will take too much time if they’ve lined the whole stretch. Besides, last thing you want is to be bent over within kissing distance of an I.E.D. when one of their patrols comes back through.[2/4]
Three clicks sound in your helm, two short and one long. The LT is asking if you’ve encountered trouble ahead. No one’s using the wave to speak this close to a fortified Savis position, not even the relatively secure shortwave. Clicks in the ghosthelm fittings are all your men are working with, along with hand signals and quiet commands when you are close enough to your squaddies.You send two short clicks back, then two long. No trouble, but the LT should move up for an assessment and discuss next moves. If every half decent trail and approach to the airbase out here is mined like this one, you’re going to have to circumvent a roundabout route through some rough terrain where the Cradlers will have put low on the priority of ensnaring in their patrols. You narrow your eyes at something nestled in the fork of a tree limb just ahead. You reach out to inspect it, carefully.“Can’t be but a few days since these were set.” Hail crouches down beside you, voice soft as he also scans the clearing ahead. “No dust on the devices from the last storm we saw blow through.” You nod slowly. Hail has a surprisingly good eye for this sort of thing. Of course, he’s also spent the better part of his long life doing his best to not get caught and killed as he hunted down slavers.“Oh they’re out there somewhere.” You pass Hail the item that caught your eye, which he inspects curiously. “Ain’t nobody gone to ground yet.”[3/4]
[4/4]A Vinehound tooth necklace, the trophy of the respected hunter. That’s what it means among your people, at least. Your old people that is, not the Company. And this was likely left as a sign, easily missed for those not looking. Probably for the next Cradler patrol passing through. You’ll make sure to put it back before you move on, lest you give away that someone came through here and skirted the traps. Besides, it’s bad luck to go thieving on a fellow hunter’s trophy.==============================================>Sacrificing tactical security for sure footing, you narrow the spread of your Vinehounds patrol group until you are trekking virtually in single file through the safest route marked out by you and your keenest eyes. It’s a gamble, but this should serve as an ample precaution against all but the most cunningly concealed snares, you can’t afford to lose people before you’ve even encountered the enemy. But a more compact formation will have a hard time under the opening salve any Cradler Auxiliaires that manage to launch a successful ambush. [Daredevil]>Prioritising a sound tactical position as you advance, you have your Vinehounds fan out and present a wider screen. Traps are no fun, but the Cradler Auxiliaries are the real threat here. This broader formation will leave a wider footprint on the terrain, and you won’t be there to inspect every potential step your squaddies make. But if you do come across the Cradlers themselves you’ll be working from a more tactically flexible position if the scud hits the airvent. [Firebrand] >Finding an unhappy middle, you keep your Vinehounds in the current standard dense cover patrol formation but with your personally moving ahead of the group in a zig-zag formation, screening the ground as best you can ahead of the squad. The going will be even slower, painstakingly so, but it will mean sacrificing neither tactical security or expanding the potential traps encountered by covering more ground. But it likewise won’t lend a focus to either concern [Xenophobe]
>>6381722>Sacrificing tactical security for sure footing, you narrow the spread of your Vinehounds patrol group until you are trekking virtually in single file through the safest route marked out by you and your keenest eyes. It’s a gamble, but this should serve as an ample precaution against all but the most cunningly concealed snares, you can’t afford to lose people before you’ve even encountered the enemy. But a more compact formation will have a hard time under the opening salve any Cradler Auxiliaires that manage to launch a successful ambush. [Daredevil]It's risky but the way I see it, if we set of ANY traps we not only lose people but tell the enemy EXACTLY where we are. If we're successful going single file, we might just sneak in unnoticedThis music fucks.>>6355805Me
>>6381717*it takes an effort on -her- partFYI anons I'll most likely delay this Sunday's scheduled content update to the following Monday.
Hey Boss, have we made many choices during this Dis campaign that have surprised you?
>>6381724Forgotten how close are we to the air base? Time wise, is it like an hour or two trek left, or like a few days trek?
>>6381725At some point picking the riskiet possible option in this quest become a meme, so I can't honestly say picking the risky choices surprised me as much as not getting killed by those choices did. Or even a single long-term casualty even. Getting an overwhelming concensus of votes for one option in an update is a good litmus test to indicate the choice I presented wasn't one that got anons thinking too hard and informs how I might frame similar choices or options going forward where the character is less settled in their ways.I will say going through with icing the disposable rebel was a surprise me, I wonder if it would have gone down differently if the target was a fellow human rebel. And I was also pleasantly anons voted for the all-in suicide mission to steal a titan with the hardliner rebels. This could all still go very, very wrong, but I can gaurentee you that the other choice of staying behind and picking the best time to abandon the rebels mid endgame battle would have most likely resulted in some of the most depresso espresso writing I've had to wrench out. And that's saying something given where things got to in OG Black Company Quest.In short, yes a few choices have surprised me but I won't mention those from this thread as the direct consquences are still rolling on in the background.
>>6381728Less than a day now, you'll make camp one more time if you progress well through the rough terrain. Maybe twice if you don't.
>>6381729Yeah cool cheers. I think the thing with us picking the risky options is that we're yet to be punished for our hubris just due to sheer, blind luck in our rolls so far. I can only imagine that with each insane choice, the hammer of consequences is getting higher before it comes slamming down on us. The suicide-run for the Titan though was just too cool to ignore, consequences be damned
>>6381722Christ I don't even know how w should deal with this properly everyone of this options have problems.What I do know is we should get ourselves a hunters trophy necklace of the galaxy's most dangerous prey.
>>6381722>>6381730Okay at this distance I think we can make some noise. I have two write in options for anons to consider.(1) Have some other part of the company make noise and trigger traps further down the line, draw any Cradlers there while the main force crosses here.[Daredevil](2) Clear a spot, then make some noise to draw any nearby cradlers into an ambush of your own. Then move on in safety over their dead bodies. [Firebrand]My own vote will be:>Clear a spot, then make some noise to draw any nearby cradlers into an ambush of your own. Then move on in safety over their dead bodies. [Write In/Firebrand]>>6356044Me from work
>>6381722>Sacrificing tactical security for sure footing, you narrow the spread of your Vinehounds patrol group until you are trekking virtually in single file through the safest route marked out by you and your keenest eyes. It’s a gamble, but this should serve as an ample precaution against all but the most cunningly concealed snares, you can’t afford to lose people before you’ve even encountered the enemy. But a more compact formation will have a hard time under the opening salve any Cradler Auxiliaires that manage to launch a successful ambush. [Daredevil]This is such a tough choice honestly. I still think this is our best bet mainly because I think if we encounter the Cradler's we're fucked. Triggering traps is for sure going to alert them that we're here even if we set them off as decoys. I think we just have to do our best to stealth through them.Also when did Snake turn into Mr.Greifinger?
>>6381749I think the crux of this vote is really, if we fail, what would you rather face. Stumbling face first into lethal traps, or get caught with your pants down by a Cradler ambush. Honestly I fear the Cradlers themselves over their traps.
>>6381722>Sacrificing tactical security for sure footing, you narrow the spread of your Vinehounds patrol group until you are trekking virtually in single file through the safest route marked out by you and your keenest eyes. It’s a gamble, but this should serve as an ample precaution against all but the most cunningly concealed snares, you can’t afford to lose people before you’ve even encountered the enemy. But a more compact formation will have a hard time under the opening salve any Cradler Auxiliaires that manage to launch a successful ambush. [Daredevil]Me: >>6361262
>>6381722>Sacrificing tactical security for sure footing, you narrow the spread of your Vinehounds patrol group until you are trekking virtually in single file through the safest route marked out by you and your keenest eyes. It’s a gamble, but this should serve as an ample precaution against all but the most cunningly concealed snares, you can’t afford to lose people before you’ve even encountered the enemy. But a more compact formation will have a hard time under the opening salve any Cradler Auxiliaires that manage to launch a successful ambush. [Daredevil]I fear the Cradler's ambush, but I think we have plenty of Wetwork rerolls we haven't burned. Lets press our luck. >>6355895Me>>6381730Hey Forgotten, have you thought about making a pastebin for Nat or something similar? Something that has all of her skills and abilities in one place?
>>6381722>Sacrificing tactical security for sure footing, you narrow the spread of your Vinehounds patrol group until you are trekking virtually in single file through the safest route marked out by you and your keenest eyes. It’s a gamble, but this should serve as an ample precaution against all but the most cunningly concealed snares, you can’t afford to lose people before you’ve even encountered the enemy. But a more compact formation will have a hard time under the opening salve any Cradler Auxiliaires that manage to launch a successful ambush. [Daredevil]My reasoning for this vote is this: If we get lucky (again), then it's possible that we DON'T encounter a Cradler patrol, even if that's unlikely. It is however a total guarantee that we DO run into more traps, and that said traps will massively increase the chances that we either draw the Cradlers to our position, or leave enough of a trail due to our injured that the Cradlers track us down. If we can mitigate the threat we KNOW we're facing, we can attempt to skirt by hoping luck spares us from the threat we MIGHT escape. Also, I think that if we do get fucked by a Cradler ambush, then our Ghosthelms and general talent for Wetwork will help mitigate that threat, whereas the same isn't true for the traps.>>6355878Posting License
>>6381722>[Xenophobe]
>>6381722>Sacrificing tactical security for sure footing, you narrow the spread of your Vinehounds patrol group until you are trekking virtually in single file through the safest route marked out by you and your keenest eyes. It’s a gamble, but this should serve as an ample precaution against all but the most cunningly concealed snares, you can’t afford to lose people before you’ve even encountered the enemy. But a more compact formation will have a hard time under the opening salve any Cradler Auxiliaires that manage to launch a successful ambush. [Daredevil]verification>>6355975
>>6381722>[Xenophobe]neither advantege or disadvantege onions yo>>6355833
>>6381754I'm also thinking In i perfect world we sneak past the Cradlers, grab the titan, then use the titan to burn out the rival jungle fighters before the Savis bring in an orbital bombardment to take out our new toy.
>>6382895You bring up a good question. Forgotten does the Titan have any weapons capable of hitting targets in space?
No content update tonight, I'll be asking for what will likely be a series of rolls tonight and tomorrow.>>6382939>gif
>>6381844>Hey Forgotten, have you thought about making a pastebin for Nat or something similar? Something that has all of her skills and abilities in one place?It's been sitting on my to-do list, and I admit I have neglected it in between updates...
>>6381749>Mr.Greifinger?What's not to love on his sneaky suppressor alpha strike?
>>6383696Have we moved from Sunday updates to Monday?
>>6383699No, just this week I hoped >>6381724 to crack out a proper update tonight after the Sunday delay, but it will just be rolls. Should have a regular Wednesday update up and running.
>SELECTED: Sacrificing tactical security for sure footing, you narrow the spread of your Vinehounds patrol group until you are trekking virtually in single file through the safest route marked out by you and your keenest eyes. It’s a gamble, but this should serve as an ample precaution against all but the most cunningly concealed snares, you can’t afford to lose people before you’ve even encountered the enemy. But a more compact formation will have a hard time under the opening salve any Cradler Auxiliaires that manage to launch a successful ambush. [Daredevil]Wetwork Test: Hunting Grounds – Navigate Traps>20DC>Single File +20DC> Cradleborn (Jungle Environment) +21DC, +1 Wetwork Re-Roll> The Woman, The Myth, The Legend +5DC, +1 Wetwork Re-Roll> CPL Crane: Ex-Yakuza +10DC, +1 Wetwork Re-Roll> Ghosthelms +1 Re-Roll > Cradler Auxiliaries: Cradleborn (Jungle Environment) -15DC, +1 Adverse Re-Roll> Cradler Auxiliaries: Colonel ‘Old Bill’ Corbett -10DC, +1 Adverse Re-Roll.> Cradler Auxiliaries: Maw & Claw +1 Adverse Re-Roll>51 DC0 = Dispocalypse Now. 2 Casualties. Successful Cradler ambush guaranteed.1 = First Blood. 1 Casualty. Adverse rolls for Cradler ambush.2 = Fading Scent. 0 Casualties. Cradler pursuit remains certain.3 = Ghost in the Green. 0 Casualties. Further (Hard) rolls to shake off Cradler pursuit.Double Fail = Deadly Trap. +1 Casualty if 0 Casualty, otherwise +1 Adverse AV re-roll.Double Pass = Alpha Instinct. -1 Casualty, +1 Battle Brother result.3 rolls of 1d100. You have FOUR RE-ROLLS. The hostiles have THREE Re-Rolls.You do not know how many re-rolls the Cradler Auxiliaires will use in this test.Walk softly, and carry a big gun…
Rolled 71 (1d100)>>6383703Lets tango>>6355895Me
Rolled 16 (1d100)>>6383703>>6358422This is me.
Rolled 67 (1d100)>>6383703Rumble in the jungle>>6355866me
Rolled 67 (1d100)>>6383703doing the thingverification>>6355975
>>6383707Good that this one does not count.
i'm thinking we should burn rerolls and try for a double success guys
>>6383709Let us wait until Forgotten rolls his adverse rolls
Rolled 64 (1d100)>>6383705Attempting to counter this with the first Cradler Auxiliary re-roll [1/3].
>>6383697I almost made a WorldAnvil page for this the same as the one I made for StV but it's so much work (and I'd have to pay for it now due to reaching the limit) and I'm too busy for all that. There's just so much content to cover (which is a great problem to have)Oof, bit of a whiff guys. Make sure to get those rerolls in once Forgotten counters our one success
The Cradlers will reserve the rest of their re-rolls for now. Sitting at 0 success, good luck lads... Or it's Cradlerbowl time! And not on terms you want..
Rolled 77 (1d100)>>6383704Rerolling, lady luck, give me some tongue action
Rolled 35 (1d100)>>6383706re-rollll unless Forgotten wants new rollers in which case feel free to not count this>>6355866
>>6383714Why would you do this? /s
>>6383714Oh yea, now this is real Black Company rolling. True misery
>>6383718This is a terrible result. 2 casualties, and adverse rerolls for the ambush. We're going to bleed
>>6383719Its actually standing on 1 casualty and 1 Adverse Re-Roll. Notice the otherwise in the Double Fail. But, we should wait for the adverse rerolls.
>>6383720You're right, I misread. I thought the +1 casualty was on top of the casualty from 1 success but that seems to only trigger if we have 0 casualties like you said.It's looking like Forgotten is done with his rerolls though >>6383713>>6355805Me
>>6383721Well, we have one success. If Forgotten wont roll, I recommend someone to reroll their failed roll. I wont waste a reroll trying to get a double success or crit.
>>6383722You rolled the doubles fail, yeah? Can't reroll that unless things have changed. Hopefully the other person rerolls though
>>6383723It seems the other person decided to dip. Want to reroll it?
>>6383751are we wanting to re-roll?
>>6383795I mean, we sit on 2 Re-Rolls and the Cradlers too. I guess it is a coin toss, more or less. But hey, Nat likes risking it, no?
>stuck at work due to overtime>rolls are called for while I am out>we do not roll wellBros, I should've been here to roll good for us... It's so over...
>1 SUCCESS: First Blood. 1 Casualty. Adverse rolls for Cradler ambush.>77 Double Fail! Deadly Trap. +1 Adverse AV re-roll. And for the 77th Kriegers too…Give me ONE roll of 1d19 on the casualty table. As this is not a firefight round where Nines is exposed giving covering fire, a result of 4 will be re-rolled.For my part, I think anons were wise to keep ahold of their wetwork re-rolls. It looks like you're going to need them.
Rolled 9 (1d19)>>6384073I am so sorry squaddies... >>6355805Me
>>6384074>9: Trooper HuskI've double-checked, but I don't think we have anything that might grant a re-roll to AV in this situation. Although at least the Cradlers venemous trait doesn't apply to their traps here.Trooper Husk: Armour Save Roll (+1 Severity) - Optimal >Shock Trooper Carapace +30AV>Natalya's 'Cradler Special' Cooking +5AV>35AVAny verified anon brave enough, give me ONE roll of 5d100. You need at least two passes to keep our chemboi alive.
Rolled 22 (1d100)>>6384078>>6355787Here rests husk, hater of rats
Rolled 27, 75, 89, 93, 69 = 353 (5d100)>>6384078>>6355843I will roll. NOTHING will go wrong. We WILL overcome this minor speedbump.
>>6384082Absolute legend
>>6384082Oh I just realised that this probably doesn't count but >>6384083 does. RIP Husk
>>6384083Why that image, anon? Why?>1 Success>4 Failed AV>Trooper 'Husk' Charov is KIA!I'll be asking for one more set of rolls shortly, and I really hope your rolling arms improve.
Actually, on second thought, we'll stop the rolls there. This is the first time Snake Eyes has had a squaddie die under her watch, and it deserves its own impact. I'll have a content update for you tomorrow.
>>6384087Did Husk have the predator experience?
>rolls literally the same second>the life saving 22 is just out of reachHow unfortunate.>>6384085The dice have decided that our squad has had it too good for too long on this stupid planet and that some casualties had to start hitting us directly.>>6384087Misery builds character.
>>6384089Well it was a trap that did him in, and a particularly lethal one at that, so it was likely very sudden.Poor guy probably never saw it coming.
Damn, I was just checking in case something that might help was unlocked with Petal but it seems not. On top of that, SIG Night Night and TPR Husk had formed a bond. That's going to suck.
>>6384100Losing any HUMAN is going to suck, we're a dying breed man!
>>6384100Yeah nah, this is going to be juicy. A bit of pain is going to do us good and now seems like a pretty appropriate time for it
>>6384100>In one of the previous threads, Husk commented how he wanted to be a botanist and raise flowers>He proceeds to die in a deadly, but beautiful gardenPoetic, isn't it? Rest in peace, Husk. You were a funny guy.
Oof, my favorite boy ate it while I'm at work, RIP Husk I'm sorry you never got your flower shop.
>LT asks us what kind of future we want for ourselves in the Company, and we respond that we want to be an officer >We immediately (within the narrative) experience a brutal first death of someone under our commandIt almost feels like the first mark being made in a very, very long ledger.....Also I imagine this is one that'll haunt Nat, because enemy fire is one thing, but spotting Cradler traps is inarguably *her job*, so there's no one else to blame but herself. Obviously it's not REALLY her fault, it's the fault of whatever Cradler was smarter than her, but it's not like guilt cares about that kind of thing.
>>6384390Completely agree, this is a solid character building moment, something she'll carry with her for the rest of her life
>>6384392I can't wait for there to be really prominent gas mask noises when we get weird, bad dreams from void travel
Husk NOOOOOOO! I fought for him to be on the squad
“Hssk. Another one? Hssk.”“Yeah, all along the path here.” You’re crouched over another Cradler welcome basket, this one seemingly designed to wound rather than kill. “Hssk. Busy little bees, these Cradlers. Hssk.”"Indeed." Of course, bees on Clayton's Cradle are a little different. You nod over your shoulder at your squaddie. “Pass the word down, we’ll need to double-back. Probably go uphill on that ridge to the right of the game trail. You see it?”“I see it. Hssk.” Trooper Husk begins to shuffle back to the main line with the update. Crane goes to join him, you’ll need eyes on the approach to the ridge before you get underway, but you gesture him to stay.“Problem?”“I dunno. This last one seem kind of funny to you?” You ask your Second with a scratch of your head.“Not particularly.” Crane shrugs. “A spike through the foot strikes me as more your idea of humour, Snake Eyes-sama.”“No, not like that. This one just kind of stood out to me, is all.” You lean in to the trap closer, suitably unimpressed with the amateurish measure of camouflage applied to cover the pitfall. “Even you spotted it right quick, Crane. No offence.”“None taken.”You purse your lips, that hesitation in your gut lingers. This still doesn’t feel right. “Right out there, for anyone paying halfway attention. Almost like they wanted us to…”Despite the humidity of the jungle, a cold sweat trickles down the small of your back. You jolt upright, turning behind you.”HUSK WAI-” You feel the shockwave of the explosion ripple on the hairs of your skin a fraction of a second before the blast sends you flying.And the whole world seems to turn on its head.[1/3]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By_T39ENlkg&list=RDBy_T39ENlkg&start_radio=1 – The Burden of CommandThe bronze sky of Dis glares down at you, angry at carrying the weight of another burgeoning dustorm. You blink stupidly. And then blink again. Why are you lying on your back? This is no time for a rest break. You had something to tell your squaddie Husk, something important. Crane is leaning over you, the left side of his face blackened with soot. His mouth is moving but there’s no noise coming out. When your ears start ringing, it all begins to come back to you.Oh no. Oh God. Voidmother, please…You twist over, shaking off Crane’s grip, trying to get a look. Trying to see where… There. Instantly you know it’s bad, just from the way the body is lying. And that it’s not enough body for that to be all of Trooper Husk. Your alien medic Petal is already there, doing what he can. But there’s nothing to be done. Husk was probably dead before he hit the ground, small mercy that it is. But the sight of his torn gasmask, showing a pale smidgen of detached face slack behind it... That will haunt your dreams for years to come.No goodbyes, no poignant last words. No badass last stand. One moment he’s standing right there, a man, your Company battle brother in arms. And the next? Meat.SIG Night Night is kneeling behind MDC Petal, mutely watching in uncharacteristic silence as the Belcossan warbles sadly over your fallen comrade. Night Night looks like she’s in shock, even though she was at the end of the line far from the blast. You knew the two of them had become close, Night Night and Husk. An odd pair, the ex-cop from Perspira and the ex-miner from Whitelake. Not a lot in common there, aside from the species. But these days, and in this line of work, that was often enough. You can’t bring yourself to look her in the eyes. This is your fault. You should have spotted the double-trap, should have… It’s too late now. And even if no one would blame you for that, this man was under your command. Your responsibility. Husk’s death is still on you. And it always will be.“-e -eed -o -ove!” You blink blearily at Crane, your ears are still ringing. “Wha?”“Snake Eyes! Sergeant!” There’s a weird sucking sound in your ears as the noise in your head begins to resemble familiar sounds again. “We need! To move!”[2/3]
[3/3]The voice in your head tells you Crane is right. Any Cradler Auxiliary patrol within earshot will have heard that, will have guessed exactly what just happened. They’ll be on their way here right now, gunning for you all. The voice in your head also tells you that they are the ones to blame, the ones who killed your squaddie, but the ember of stirring anger stirring as guilt and shock, or both, rule supreme.=============================(1) There’s no time to process your guilt. No time to mourn. > Grief is a luxury you cannot afford. You need to lock your feelings in a box, get back up on your feet. And Get. Your Squad. Moving. [Hard Leadership Test]>You’re in shock. You need a second to process this. Just a few seconds. [Moderate Leadership Test]> It’s my fault… Crane takes charge during your moment of weakness, getting the squad moving quickly as you try to come to terms with what just happened. [No Leadership Test] + [Easy Leadership Test required when first issuing orders]_(2) Trooper ‘Husk’ Charov’s body.>“I will carry him.” You risk hampering yourself down at the start of any firefight, but the thought of leaving Husk there sprawled alone on the jungle floor for the Auxiliaries to take a trophy… No. You’ll bury him when you make it to camp tonight, presuming you make it through the day. It will help. [Easy Physical Test] >“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test] > “We need to go now. We’ll come back for him and his camcord later.” You cannot spare the seconds it would take to follow Company regs in retrieving the traditional items from a fallen Krieger, every second you spend remain here is dangerous. [Leadership Test]
>>6384513(1) There’s no time to process your guilt. No time to mourn. > Grief is a luxury you cannot afford. You need to lock your feelings in a box, get back up on your feet. And Get. Your Squad. Moving. [Hard Leadership Test]I think it's natural that she'd press down hard and try to bottle this shit up. I also think it's going to fuck her up later the SECOND we have a bit of downtime(2) Trooper ‘Husk’ Charov’s body.>“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test] She's a hardened member of the Black Company, these are company regs. The jungle isn't forgiving or kind and we can't take the time to move our man out, but we won't let his death compromise the mission either>>6355805Me
>>6384512>Disco elysiumHELL YEAH We need Voidprophet dubois in our squad ASAP>>6384513> Grief is a luxury you cannot afford. You need to lock your feelings in a box, get back up on your feet. And Get. Your Squad. Moving. [Hard Leadership Test]>“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test]These traps were set for a reason and the cradlers will be on us real fucking soon if they heard that.>>6355787My tags.
>>6384513> It’s my fault… Crane takes charge during your moment of weakness, getting the squad moving quickly as you try to come to terms with what just happened. [No Leadership Test] + [Easy Leadership Test required when first issuing orders]We need to get the fuck out of here, NOW. Guaranteeing that we move and have a better chance of not getting absolutely slammed while out of position is important, and the Leadership test we get later is an Easy one, which we should be able to pass.>“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test]I don't think Nat believes in souls or anything metaphysical like that, but she knows that whatever made Husk Husk is gone now, and that body is just meat. >>6355878Link
>>6384513(1) There’s no time to process your guilt. No time to mourn.> Grief is a luxury you cannot afford. You need to lock your feelings in a box, get back up on your feet. And Get. Your Squad. Moving. [Hard Leadership Test](2) Trooper ‘Husk’ Charov’s body.>“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test]Verification>>6355975
>>6384515Supporting this Jeez, this will hurt Nat>>6357205V card
>>6384513(1)> It’s my fault… Crane takes charge during your moment of weakness, getting the squad moving quickly as you try to come to terms with what just happened. [No Leadership Test] + [Easy Leadership Test required when first issuing orders](2)>“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test]Let Crane take the lead for a moment we need to say goodbye to Husk.For some flavor if anons would like, I say we have Night Night help us gather the tags and recordings and say her final goodbye.>"Crane get everyone moving, Night Night give me a hand here.">>6356044Tags
> It’s my fault… Crane takes charge during your moment of weakness, getting the squad moving quickly as you try to come to terms with what just happened. [No Leadership Test] + [Easy Leadership Test required when first issuing orders]>“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test]We need to get moving now, that made a lot of noise and it's gonna draw the Aux attention. We can't get bogged down.>>6356062Me
>>6384513>> It’s my fault… Crane takes charge during your moment of weakness, getting the squad moving quickly as you try to come to terms with what just happened. [No Leadership Test] + [Easy Leadership Test required when first issuing orders]R.I.P to a real Krigga. Though we need to save what's left. >“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test]The less tests we can avoid the better for now at least until we're no longer shocked.
>>6384513>> Grief is a luxury you cannot afford. You need to lock your feelings in a box, get back up on your feet. And Get. Your Squad. Moving. [Hard Leadership Test]>“I will carry him.” You risk hampering yourself down at the start of any firefight, but the thought of leaving Husk there sprawled alone on the jungle floor for the Auxiliaries to take a trophy… No. You’ll bury him when you make it to camp tonight, presuming you make it through the day. It will help. [Easy Physical Test] >>6355771me
>SELECTED: “Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test] >SELECTED: Grief is a luxury you cannot afford. You need to lock your feelings in a box, get back up on your feet. And Get. Your Squad. Moving. [Hard Leadership Test]Leadership Test: Tested Mettle>40DC>Badass Bandanna +5DC>Tranquil Gaze +5DC, +1 Re-Roll>Transhuman +2DC>Bastion of Confidence +1 Re-Roll (single use)>52DC>Psychosomatic: [0/3] Re-Rolls on any remaining fails are permitted, including doubles, up to one additional re-roll per anon roller. There will be a price to pay for every one of these additional bonus re-rolls used (up to 3).0 = Cracked. You’re not up to it, and your second guessing only serves to slow Crane stepping in.1 = Rattled. The squad can see it in your posture, hear it in your voice. You don’t move out half as quickly as you’d like.2 = Hold it together. You gather the men and relocate quickly, putting on a brave face. But inside, you’re screaming.3 = Battleforged. Pressure, channelled and properly utilised, can make diamonds out of coal. Your adrenal glands spike, seizing upon the chance to increase your odds of survival at any cost. +1 Genemod Trait unlocked.Double Fail = The Shakes. -5DC to Personal Combat rolls for rest of the mission.Double Pass = Steady Hands. +5DC to Personal Combat rolls for the rest of the mission.NEW ROLLERS PLEASE. If you rolled on the casualty table or AV, do not roll here.3 rolls of 1d100. You have TWO re-rolls before the ‘Psychosomatic’ bonus re-rolls are used.Get. Your People. Moving.
Rolled 29 (1d100)>>6384871For Husk>>6355805Me
>>6384872Good start anon, but you rolled on the casualty table sorry.
>>6384872Fuck, wait, this doesn't count. I rolled on the casualty table and didn't see that I couldn't roll again
You know what, fuck it. That was a plenty long break since rolls were called. I should only call new rollers in quick successive rolls.
>>6384874All G my man, I'm counting it now. Call it QM discretion or QM unreliability, whatever works.
>>6384875>>6384876Legend, thanks mate (but I was completely ready to accept that I'd fucked it there. Fair is fair)
>>6384877Would I have changed my mind if your crit-failed? Haha, probably not...
>>6384878That'd have been hilarious though, to be fair"Actually, fuck you anon, she's fucked now!" Haha
>>6384513>> Grief is a luxury you cannot afford. You need to lock your feelings in a box, get back up on your feet. And Get. Your Squad. Moving. [Hard Leadership Test]>“Tags. Camcord.” It is the Company way, both in the regs and longstanding tradition. And it’s all you have time to take. Husk’s body may remain here, left behind without ceremony, but his story will live on in the Archives and his service recorded in the Annals. [No Test]>>6355831Mine post
Rolled 68 (1d100)>>6384871>>6355787
woops my bad I missed the notice about new rollers.
Rolled 80 (1d100)>>6384871first roll in the thread>>6355776my id
>>6384892>>6384896You didn't even roll for Husk... disappointing (pls reroll)
Rolled 34 (1d100)>>6384896>>6384897I'll reroll then, if that's allowed?
Rolled 35 (1d100)>>6384892reroll
>>6384871>>6384901>>6384903>>6384872Three Successes. I feel the genemods are over-taking me. It is a good pain.
>>6384921As much as wanted to go Physique, Alpha instinct is looking real good right now.
>3 SUCCESS! Battleforged. Pressure, channelled and properly utilised, can make diamonds out of coal. Your adrenal glands spike, seizing upon the chance to increase your odds of survival at any cost. +1 Genemod Trait unlocked.Personally, I'm glad anons chose the hard leadership route. Snake Eyes wouldn't be cut out for the officer life if she wasn't willing to step up when the going gets tough. Although I am a little sad good rolls mean we didn't get a little psychosymatic result... Jussst good enough rolling from anons to keep our little genefreak on the right side of sanity.One helpful anon has already posted the Genemod skill path. SGT 'Snake Eyes' Natalya has fully unlocked the 'Predator Quirks' branch, and anons will also enjoy half-price on unlocking their next limb when if they make it back for payday. But for now, anons have a choice for their second branch being unlocked.I'll aim to have a content update this regular Sunday.====================Genemod Selection> This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked] > A combination of the intense physical exertion and confronting stress has pushed your physical and mental limits to nearing the maiximum of what is humanly possible. [Amplified Physique Branch Unlocked]
>>6384933> This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked]Right of passage seems pretty goodverification>>6355975
>>6384933>> This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked]I'll take it.>>6355776verification
>>6384933>> A combination of the intense physical exertion and confronting stress has pushed your physical and mental limits to nearing the maiximum of what is humanly possible. [Amplified Physique Branch Unlocked]Seems good to me
>>6384933> A combination of the intense physical exertion and confronting stress has pushed your physical and mental limits to nearing the maiximum of what is humanly possible. [Amplified Physique Branch Unlocked]To be honest, I'm okay with either of these winning. It would be poetic that on the loss of a teammate the call of the pack would arise. However, I can also see the rush of emotion awakening the body against unfamiliar "damage" doing anything to adapt and defend itself against it. Also regeneration fucks.>>6356034Took a bit of a break, but this is still me. Work sucks and everyone was voting how I wanted anyways.
>>6384933> A combination of the intense physical exertion and confronting stress has pushed your physical and mental limits to nearing the maiximum of what is humanly possible. [Amplified Physique Branch Unlocked]Against my better judgement I'm going to vote for massive gains over Instinct.>>6355787[Spoiler]Now the real question is what happens if we keep buying genemods after unlocking Tyrannospapien?![/spoiler]
>>6384933> This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked]Both are good, but I feel like Alpha Instinct is more thematically appropriate, and also more likely to help us actually survive the suicide mission we're currently on>>6355878Link
>>6384933>This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked]Like many others have said, I wouldn't feel bad about either of these winning, but it seems we're going down the Officer path so I imagine we'll have good use of the Alpha Instincts.>>6355843Me.
Verification:>>6356668Vote:>>6384933>> This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked] We are become Nemesis, and the manifestation of their destruction.
>>6384933>> This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked]I think this puts the Mama in Mama Snake. The shock of losing someone on our watch should force our instincts to improve.Especially now that we're going to have to prove against the incoming enemies who is the baddest expat from the CradlerMoi>>6355833
>>6384933> This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked]Time to show these other Cradlers who the real Alpha Bitch is.On a side note, I'd like to think these Gene mods give us a more growly and commanding voice. As well as a subtle pheromone secretion that will even get our pacifist Belcossan's blood? Chlorophyll? Whatever he has pumping.>>6356044Mine
>>6384933>> A combination of the intense physical exertion and confronting stress has pushed your physical and mental limits to nearing the maiximum of what is humanly possible. [Amplified Physique Branch Unlocked]>>6355771me
>>6384933>> This gentle jungle of Dis got you complacent. Soft. Your killer instinct that kept you alive in the vicious Green has come to the fore, never to be forgotten again. [Alpha Instinct Branch Unlocked]We're heading into hell, and it ain't just our ass on the line. We stand or die with the team.>>6356062>>6356067Me.
>>6384933> A combination of the intense physical exertion and confronting stress has pushed your physical and mental limits to nearing the maiximum of what is humanly possible. [Amplified Physique Branch Unlocked]Love me some passive buffs >>6357205V card
>3 SUCCESS: Battleforged. Pressure, channelled and properly utilised, can make diamonds out of coal. Your adrenal glands spike, seizing upon the chance to increase your odds of survival at any cost. +1 Genemod Trait unlocked.>UNLOCKED ALPHA INSTINCT BRANCH: Can activate ‘Alpha Instinct’ Strategem if any kills were inflicted in the previous round. If so, gain +1 Firefight Re-Roll to this round.All this running around. Sailing between the stars. Pretending, play-acting in a play-jungle, thinking that you’d left the Green and all the horrors of your homeworld behind. That you’re not some scared little girl running from the next predator, gnawing on carcasses left behind by everything bigger and meaner than you. That instead you were now a badass space warrior or some shit. But it’s the same. It don’t matter whether the eyes that watch you in the dark are animals, human or aliens cloaked in the camouflage of civilisation. It’s the same rules whether you’re cowering in a cave or a trench, whether you’re fighting with sharpened bone or tungsten lead. Always has been.Hunt. Or be hunted. Kill. Or be killed. And you’ve lost enough of your pack for one voiddamn day.You stand tall, the light of the fading day glimmering through the trees. You don’t have time to cry, or shout or rage against the unfairness of it all. You didn’t have that luxury when you were a kid, and you damn sure don’t have it now. People need you. Your people. And you need to get them out of here alive.[1/4]
“Night Night. I need you to listen- Listen to me!” Your SIG jerks at your voice, as if hit with shocking cold water. “Husk is gone. I'm sorry, Double-N but he his. And we need to move. I need you to take his tags.”“Tags.” Signaller Night Night blinks. “Balises.” “Right, ballysays.” You nod encouragingly. “We need them. For Husk. Can you do that for me, Night Night?”“…I can do this thing.”“Thattagirl.” Your SIG doesn’t recoil again when you grab her shoulder.You’ll get the camcord from what’s left of Husk’s helmet. Your SIG doesn’t need to see that right now. As you feel the blood curl around your fingers you’re not certain you have the camcord or a stray stringlet of neck muscle until you see the black of the cord underneath your bloody thumb. It’s here, in this little piece of home. Every waking moment of Husk’s since he donned his Company armour, passively recording for the day it joins the main Archive. It’s no afterlife, the accumulated of hundreds, thousands, thousands upon thousands of violent lives and violent ends uploaded to this mercenary datacenter of a dying race. But it’s something, something more. A story that is not forgotten. Something Husk is a part of now. Or will be, presuming someone carries it to the waiting berth back home on the Prince of Meggido.And that’s looking less than fucking likely right about now.[2/4]
The next handful of hours are some of the longest in your life. You stand at the centre of the platoon's lifeline on a very dangerous piece of string stretched over several knives, holding it all together as their leader and preventing this forced march turn into a panicked rout. Any second you expect the Cradler Auxiliaries to pounce on your ragged column pressing forward into the bush. Any moment the warble of another bit of local fauna to herald the open cacophony of the firing line of rifles you just led your men into. But it doesn’t come, the other boot doesn’t fall. Not yet at least.Everyone is moving as fast as they can, no one is under any illusions that Husk’s death just sounded the dinner bell for every Cradler patrol still in the area. You know they’re coming, and it’s more sheer luck than skill you’ve picked a direction that hasn’t led you smack bang into them. But they know you’re here now, and people from where you’re from don’t tend to let up after first blood. You’re pushing your own self to your physical limits, maintaining a near-sprint as you flicking up and down the line, checking for traps and safe routes ahead as best you can and pulling in the rear as speed becomes more vital than sure footing. “Come on, Convict. Get a hustle on.” Your anti-armour specialist looks done, SPR Convict hasn’t broken anything but he’s sure pulled a muscle or two. “I carried you before on Praxis, don’t make me do it again…”“Ain’t like to forget that in a hurry…” The burn over his face twitches furiously, you’ve little notion if SPR Convict smiling at the memory or snarling at the pain.“I got him, Snake. Go on, git.” Jake Martin dips his head under your squaddie’s armpit. “Let’s go, comrade. Limp-along-Hop-along, beats crawlin’ right?”[3/4]
[4/4]You look behind them, seeing Crane coming up with the rear as he sends a runner back to the Babycake reserve section close by. Still too damn slow. You could have been twice as far away from the trap site by now if it was just you. Times were you’d have left the dead weight behind to make good your escape. Not just the Vinehounds or the Rebs, but the entire platoon. It wouldn’t have been the first time you’d abandoned a fellow hunter to the fangs hurrying in the gloom behind you. Not the first time the thought of slicing a heel of one of your own to buy yourself more minutes on the clock. But looking your eversteady Second in the eye, those thoughts flit away with the last rays of Dis’ long sunset. This is your pack. And your pack is counting on you.“What’s up?” You’d heard the clicks on your ghosthelm, but you have to be sure.“We are stopping.” “Here?” You growl, a much lower sound that few would immediately recognise as human.“Here.” Crane doesn’t glance askew at your show of temper. He’s used to it, even in the hard times like this. “Light is failing. And the Lieutenant seems to think this is as good a defensible position as any other we are likely to find in the dark.”“They’re on our tail, Crane.” You growl again.You’ve seen a lone vinehound rather turn and fight tooth and claw with a blood-drunk Carnatoaur rather than leave her pups behind. That’s how you feel now. But you’ve also seen how it ends for Mama Vinehound.“If you say this, then this is true. And it will still be true if we spend another hour running in the dark.” Crane sits down on a log, eyeing you wryly as he unflasks his canteen. “ しょうがない. One cannot run from their fate forever, Snake Eyes-sama.”You look away from your Second, and his philosiphizing. You stand there watching the last rays of Dis’ sun glitter through the branches, thinking on things should have done. Words you might have said. The clouds in the sky look less angry than they did before, less potent. But your gut is telling you that it’s a lie. There’s a storm coming.====>”I’ll take double watch.” The third and fourth watch. After everyone’s hunkered down, long enough for weariness to overtake the fear that keeps a body awake. That’s when you’d strike. And you want to be as least tired as possible for that moment. [Daredevil]> “I’ll take first watch.” You’ll stay awake along with those who have trouble resting properly after a day like today. A good chance to check in on those of your group most shaken by today. And the Cradlers will have caught up by end of first watch. [Firebrand]> “I’ll take first watch.” And second. And third. Fourth too. You’ll get no sleep tonight anyway, you can push your body this little bit further to stay on the perimeter. The Cradler Auxiliaries are coming tonight. You know it. [Xenophobe]
>>6386569>”I’ll take double watch.” The third and fourth watch. After everyone’s hunkered down, long enough for weariness to overtake the fear that keeps a body awake. That’s when you’d strike. And you want to be as least tired as possible for that moment. [Daredevil]They're not going to rush to strike, they aren't stupid. They'll do exact as she's imagined here and wait for their best possible opportunity to kill us all. After all, this is their territory, why not wait? But we can't act like we're invincible and try to do everything ourselves either. That'll only hurt the squad. We need to be READY when the fight comes. Letting ourselves get tired and slow only kills everyone here including us. We're a team, a pack, lets act like it. >>6355805MeSolid choice on the Alpha Instinct. I didn't vote because I felt both were good options but I think thematically we made the right choice. This death of Husk has triggered something in Nat, she's a killer, a fighter, she's damn near an animal herself and she's going to show her claws and teeth now with significant savagery
>>6386569>”I’ll take double watch.” The third and fourth watch. After everyone’s hunkered down, long enough for weariness to overtake the fear that keeps a body awake. That’s when you’d strike. And you want to be as least tired as possible for that moment. [Daredevil]I'm tempted to go all night but I'll settle for two watches.>>6355787
>>6386569>”I’ll take double watch.” The third and fourth watch. After everyone’s hunkered down, long enough for weariness to overtake the fear that keeps a body awake. That’s when you’d strike. And you want to be as least tired as possible for that moment. [Daredevil]Me: >>6361262
I have some thoughts on the coming fight:Given who we’re up against, and the environment we’re in, they’re likely to attempt a Wetwork manoeuvre here. That’s our specialty too, but if we BOTH go for that, it’ll be a free for all with no advantage to either side and casualties DOUBLED on both sides. We should risk a Shock Assault instead; this will give us an advantage against their Wetwork ploy (if they go for that). If we do this, we should pick the Close Encounter Stratagem for an extra re-roll and additional hostile casualties on a success. We can then either pick the “Covering Fire” or “Let Them Have It” orders depending on whether we want to maximize enemy deaths or protect our own.To sum:Combat Tactic: Shock AssaultStratagem: Close EncounterOrders: Covering Fire (reduce friendly casualties) OR Let ‘Em Have It (increase enemy casualties)
>>6386569>”I’ll take double watch.” The third and fourth watch. After everyone’s hunkered down, long enough for weariness to overtake the fear that keeps a body awake. That’s when you’d strike. And you want to be as least tired as possible for that moment. [Daredevil]Rest now, they'll hit us when we're least ready for it, its what we'd do.>>6356044Ticket
>>6386581Fully agree with this. The Cradlers are likely to try either Wetwork or Shock Assault to finish us off at least initially (don't forget there is a hint of randomness to our enemy's strategy) Shock Assault is our best reaction to their first attack. After that we'll have to see how the fight goes.Remember we are in our enemy's turf. They have the option to retreat and strike again at anytime should they wish it. While destroying them all sounds fun, there are likely thousands more where they came from. We need to focus on maintaining our unit's combat effectiveness until we reach our target, so no stupid risks for a few more kills.
>>6386588Yeah the potential randomness to their attack does put a little bit of a hole in my plan but I reckon it's worth theory crafting out anyway so we're prepared if we get the opportunity to decide the tempo of the fight.I can't quite remember how Forgotten does it, whether it's a straight dice roll or if he weights certain choices (like wetwork for a bunch of sneaky fuckers)
>>6386590He does weight the rolls and sometimes has the enemy make predetermined moves, so your planning isn't in vain. The right strategy will give us the best chance at success (even if the dice think differently)I think the Cradlers have likely gotten a little cocky after all this time beating up hapless rebels. Time to show them they aren't the only predators in this jungle.
>>6386595> Time to show them they aren't the only predators in this jungle.Fuck yeah, lets do it
>>6386595>Time to show them they aren't the only predators in this jungle.[Predator theme intensifies]
>>6386569>”I’ll take double watch.” The third and fourth watch. After everyone’s hunkered down, long enough for weariness to overtake the fear that keeps a body awake. That’s when you’d strike. And you want to be as least tired as possible for that moment. [Daredevil]Hm, I've been thinking. What if the Cradlers know that this is how we are thinking and they strike the moment they catch up to us? To take us off guard? Maybe I'm just being paranoid.>>6386581I agree with the Shock Assault, it's most likely the most successful of moves to pull here. And covering fire is definitely a solid option here, good for stopping saving our own, but we are risking Nines becoming part of the casualty table.
>>6386620Also me >>6355895
>>6386569>”I’ll take double watch.” The third and fourth watch. After everyone’s hunkered down, long enough for weariness to overtake the fear that keeps a body awake. That’s when you’d strike. And you want to be as least tired as possible for that moment. [Daredevil]>>6357205V card>>6386588>While destroying them all sounds fun, there are likely thousands more where they came from. We need to focus on maintaining our unit's combat effectiveness until we reach our targetThe only issue with this line of thought is that if we let any escape, they’ll report our existence and position. We’d then have to face possible air strikes, artillery fire, more patrols or an upgraded alert level at the base
Can we set some traps ourselves as long as there's still light? They know where their traps are, and the narrow, zig-zagging path between them. If they want to walk that path in the dark and there's a few surprises, it should buy us some time and make things easier.
>>6386595Continuing the thought about how the Cradlers would attack, I think our best bet is to look at how they did in the 43rd.The POV showed him firing into a treeline while retreating, getting ambushed along said retreat route, then the cam's audio picked up the Cradlers quietly walking by, and the last was the screams of the LT getting crucified.I'd imagine that their ambush of the 43rd involved most creeping up their flanks while some did a distraction attack at the front. Let the remnants of the front flee and pick them off along the retreat route.With that in mind, I agree with the idea of going Shock Assault but I'd like to specify further that we do so perpendicular to their opening attack. Go hard against the true threat of their attack rather than the distraction.
>>6387296Good catch and a good point. Engage their initial opening attack but hit them heavily with some enfilading fire as well
>SELECTED: ”I’ll take double watch.” The third and fourth watch. After everyone’s hunkered down, long enough for weariness to overtake the fear that keeps a body awake. That’s when you’d strike. And you want to be as least tired as possible for that moment. [Daredevil]The sunsets on Dis are longer than most due to the planet’s slow rotation, but you waste no time admiring the gentle dying light that slips through the jungle canopy. You don’t have time for anything fancy, but a handful of snares around the perimeter’s edge that might maim a body or at least make some noise is a voiddamn sight better than none. Banshee, Prophet and Vinehound squads form a triangle of sorts in the best cover covering the approach to the reserve Babydoll squad. But even bunched up as you are, the screen of traps you and your volunteered late-watch squaddies can lay in time before dark truly sets is terribly thin. Maybe it’s just enough to give you a slight edge, and maybe that just enough will make all the difference. You hope so.The outline of your perimeter takes on a more orthodox shape than you’d ideally like, so you sprinkle some of the spare rebels in between the gaps of your line. The LT is playing this with a textbook nighttime defensive posture. At least this lessens the likelihood of your platoon being funnelled into a field of enfilading fire, like the 43rd Kreiger Platoon was, but this central defensive position means withdrawing at all is going to be a bitch and a half. You’d trust Banshee and Prophet to give layered covering fire if the Cradlers came at you too strong on this front, but when it comes time to swap out and trust in the Babydoll pilots and ragtag Kriegers to cover your retreat? You best hope it doesn’t come to that.You can’t help but notice that your squaddies are withdrawn and sullen as they work, some helping with snares, others building up cover and concealment at the perimeter’s strong points. Noise discipline is adhered to more strictly than ever at this critical juncture, but this is more than that. TPR Husk was one of you, even him ducking out of your team-building cookouts became a recurring inside joke in the squad. Now he was gone, his non-attendance at every future poker night, squad dinner and shoreleave guaranteed. Husk and Night Night were buddies, but your SIG at least hasn’t cracked. Like you she’s busying herself with work, right now she’s monitoring the static short & longwave channels to see if the Cradler Auxiliaries have called anything in.[1/4]
That there isn’t any unusual Imp traffic on the waves this close to the Savis Airbase is some of the most encouraging news you’ve received all day. It means the Cradlers don’t know exactly where your people are just yet. If you were in their boots, and you knew just where your quarry had gone to ground, you’d call in a firebombing run and move in to mop up, or wait for the flames to drive your prey right into your firing lanes. You focus on the Cradler problem even as you start to rest, in part because you know your lives depend on it. And in part because you, like your people, would rather think about anything other than the man you lost today. ……You don’t sleep. Not really. Your half-lidded state, deathly still except for the barest tremble in your right index finger, is not what most would call sleep. But this genemodded stasis has kept you alive and your body rested in many perilously lethal environments before this one. Curled around a thin branch while a Carnotaur circled the trunk below, huddled inside a cave with a Silkeesy swarm hibernating a metre above you, cowering under a rotten log while a pack of Vinehounds bayed in outrage at the fading scent of fresh meat. Danger on Clayton’s Cradle was omnipresent, and your body tailored itself under the stress to snatch whatever moment of rest it could when staying still was your only option. Not everything in the Green came at you when you were awake, and plenty of regular humans found that out the hard way before the genemods spliced the right combo to keep a body semi-alert during a resting period. It can be exhausting if done for days without proper sleep, but it’s kept you alive in some critical moments as the hunter, and especially as the hunted, and the genemod serves you well now.So you don’t sleep. You don’t dream of Husk. In fact, and the guilt comes later, you don’t even think of your fallen squaddie in those half-waking hours of the first and second watch. Your body remains in a limp inertia, your major muscles resting as your senses of sound, smell and even a thin slit of sight at the bottom of your lids monitors the immediate world around you. The sounds and senses of the Dis jungle alive in the gloomy night. The tremble of a leaf in the wind. Threat. Non-Threat. The hungry click of a winding insectoid. Threat. Non-Threat.The indignant warble of a feathered biped. Threat. Non-Threat. The unbothered huff of a grazing furred herbivore. Threat. Non-Threat.The soft mulch of a floret underneath a foot. A boot. Human. Threat. Threat. THREAT.[2/4]
The chirp in your ghostelm stays your hand, fingers clutched around the grip of your magpistol pointed straight at the figure crouched outside your foxhole. “Terri.” Your thumb clicks the safety back into place. Non-threat. “Third watch is on?”“Yup.” The ghosthelm stealth features make nearby wave comms safe, but it does give your youngest squaddie a somewhat menacing appearance beyond her usual glowering. “Crane’s staying put while I get you up.”“I’m up.” You shift in place, careful not to brush away any of the carefully placed foliage concealing your position. “Here. Get some sleep kid. This is a pretty good spot for some safe shut-eye.”“Thanks, Sarge.” But TPR Terri doesn’t move. “It ain’t your fault, you know. Husk.”You don’t answer immediately, fiddling with the sling of your carbine for a prolonged moment. The last thing you want to talk about right now is this.“People die, Sarge.” If your silence was a sign, the warning goes right over TPR Terri’s head. “I’ve seen a lot of it. I’ve lived a lot of it. You too probably.”Stop. Please stop. I order you to shut the fuck up. But the words don’t come. You’re tempted to gag the little ex-space miner, and fuck her boo-hoo-born-and-raised-industrial-scale-camp-of-human-suffering sob story, but this is the most the fiesty little spitfire has said to you about anything that didn’t involve killing Savs since… well, ever. “I’m just saying… most people that die don’t have anyone looking out for them when they go.”“Yeah…” Your words carry such bitter weight you fear they’ll catch on your throat. “Well I wasn’t looking hard enough, now was I?”[3/4]
[4/4]“But you -were- looking, Sarge. Just like you’re still looking out for us. For me. And that means something.” TPR Terri scratches her head, the awkward movement look especially ridiculous in the sinister sleekness of the ghosthelm. “I dunno what I’m saying. I just never had anyone watching out for me before, not like we have here. It’s nice.”“Nice?”TPR Terri shrugs. “Yeah. Nice. To know someone gives half a shit.”=================================>“ …It is good, isn’t it? Not being alone.” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. No matter what else happens after tonight, at least you and Terri aren’t the sad little frightened girls you both once were. [Daredevil]> “We will make it mean something, Terri. Husk’s death. This war. Our life in the Krieger corps. All of it. It will mean something, in the end.” You have to believe this, more than you want Terri to believe you when you say it. That you’re not just numbers in a datapoint entry in the Archives, not just a paycheque cashed out for a good time. That your life of struggle for the Company is going somewhere. [Firebrand]> “Get what sleep you can, Trooper. And keep your weapon close to hand. It’s going to be a long night.” This is not the time for feelings and shared moments. You can decompress another day, another time. Predators, aliens, humans. It matters not one bit what you, or anyone, -feels-. Fight to live. Life to fight another day. Back home, every night you survived was the only night that mattered. And tonight is the only night that matters, once again. [Xenophobe]
>>6388310>“ …It is good, isn’t it? Not being alone.” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. No matter what else happens after tonight, at least you and Terri aren’t the sad little frightened girls you both once were. [Daredevil]This was genuinely a tough choice, they're all good answers. I don't think Nat really believes any of this will mean anything though. She knows what life is, and I think for her, it's just survival and thrills. You live to kill another day, then you gamble, drink, fuck and socialise until you're back in the shit. That seems like what it's always been for her and shes in the Black Company now so that's what is always will be.Although... maybe she's developed some more hope... >>6355805Me
>>6388310>“ …It is good, isn’t it? Not being alone.” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. No matter what else happens after tonight, at least you and Terri aren’t the sad little frightened girls you both once were. [Daredevil]>>6355787Despite all the genemods, leaving our cradle and being pushed to the edge of extinction and everything else, humans on a fundamental are still pack animals and need a pack even if the Alpha is a snack.I'd go for Xenophobe but it's clear y'all want snake eyes to feel this hard and I don't hate that but for the love God don't make it a point of idealistic crystallisation please
>>6388310I'd like to tweak the [Daredevil] just a little.>“ …It is good... Not being alone. So don't you go dying on Teri. I give whole heaps of shit about all of you, so don't any of you go dying on me. Okay?” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. You don't want to be the sad little frightened girl again, to be alone against the universe.I think we can phrase it this way, just so Nat can confirm it to herself that deep down she fears going back to being alone on the Cradle. Not that she's weak/ that she couldn't survive doing that. Just that it would really suck to have to do that.>>6356044This one's mine
>>6388335> So don't you go dying on *me* Teri.Holy shit I can't proofread
>>6388310>> “We will make it mean something, Terri. Husk’s death. This war. Our life in the Krieger corps. All of it. It will mean something, in the end.” You have to believe this, more than you want Terri to believe you when you say it. That you’re not just numbers in a datapoint entry in the Archives, not just a paycheque cashed out for a good time. That your life of struggle for the Company is going somewhere. [Firebrand]>>6355771me
>>6388310>[Daredevil]considering we just had a post about how she was previously all alone, I think its fair to say that she now appreciates having a pack. And she has the basic emotional intelligence to give Terri what she is looking for in the conversation. Even though she'd rather not talk right now, part of being a leader is having uncomfortable conversations because they're necessaryme>>6355833
>>6388310>>“ …It is good... Not being alone. So don't you go dying on Teri. I give whole heaps of shit about all of you, so don't any of you go dying on me. Okay?” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. You don't want to be the sad little frightened girl again, to be alone against the universe.>>6356067Moi
>>6388310>“ …It is good, isn’t it? Not being alone.” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. No matter what else happens after tonight, at least you and Terri aren’t the sad little frightened girls you both once were. [Daredevil]I like the original choice better than the altered - it’s too sappy for this moment >>6357205V card
>>6388310>“ …It is good, isn’t it? Not being alone.” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. No matter what else happens after tonight, at least you and Terri aren’t the sad little frightened girls you both once were. [Daredevil]>>6355773this is me
>>6388310>“ …It is good, isn’t it? Not being alone.” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. No matter what else happens after tonight, at least you and Terri aren’t the sad little frightened girls you both once were. [Daredevil]>>6355782Me
Sorry lads, I am hungover as fuck. No update tonight.I did try to drunk text you last night, but couldn't get past the captcha...
>>6390349Captcha doing its job for once lolOn a unrelated note could you spill the beans on what could have happened if we'd chosen to go back to Romanie to see Frida at the wedding?
>>6390349
>SELECTED: “ …It is good, isn’t it? Not being alone.” There are things you can say in a foxhole that stay there, a silent truth shared to a fellow soldier. You think of all the long solitary nights you spent in the Green, huddled in the dark as you tried not to imagine all the jaws in the night snapping shut on you. No matter what else happens after tonight, at least you and Terri aren’t the sad little frightened girls you both once were. [Daredevil]A number of different responses run through your head, everything from annoyance to teaching moment lines. When an honest unguarded answer slips out, it surprises you. But it also feels right. “ …It is good, isn’t it? Not being alone.” TPR Terri nods, a small movement that carries a lot of meaning. It tells you that you both get it. Your backgrounds might be as different as the worlds you grew up on, but the story is one you both recognise. The two of you are survivors, a safe bet Terri has had to do some things she’s not proud of to see the next day, just like you. It wasn’t too long ago you were both loners in your own way, and both now finally getting used to having people around that you realise you can trust. That you can lean on. Squaddies, comrades, friends, pack members, whatever you want to call it. Family.>Trooper ‘Terri’ Garcia BATTLE SISTER STATUS UNLOCKED. This will remain in play for the balance of the campaign, but can be made permanent with a little expenditure after the campaign if she survives.>TPR Terri GAINS ’Stick the Boot in’ passive ability. Once per firefight round, if an enemy would have been reduced to KIA but for a saved AV roll, that enemy is forced to re-roll one of their successful AV rolls. “Alright, go on and get some shut-eye soldier.” You budge over, making ready to relieve Crane for the third watch rota. “Rest up while you can squirt, you’ve got Mama Snake Eyes watching over you.”“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Opting to yawn rather than say something biting at the 'squirt' remark, the little spitfire needs no further convincing. She settles into your foxhole with a half-eaten ration bar already in hand. She taps her helmet with it in mock salute. “See you on the other side, Sarge.”[1/4]
You are well into your second hour of the third watch rota after taking over from Crane, and still no sign of trouble. There’s a bit of a breeze coming through the canopy, scant remnants of a dustorm in full force somewhere a few clicks away. The leaves tremble occasionally, and every now and then you spot a critter peeking its head out of a nest in the undergrowth. But other than that, the jungle is pretty quiet out here.Too quiet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Xe_ZDmlkA&list=RD72Xe_ZDmlkA&start_radio=1 – Shadows in the darkYou flick your ghosthelm up, still nothing. It’s a nifty piece of tech, and it could prove to be the edge between you and the Cradler Auxiliaries hunting you out here, but the helm still needs to register a threat before it can lock on and track it in the gloom. According to your ghosthelm readings there is sod all out there. So why is sweat forming on the back of your palms? Why is your heart racing? Your genemodded eyes adjust further to the gloom. You’ve been watching this same stretch of jungle for the past hour now but, discarding your secure knowledge that nothing has changed, you scrutinise it all anew. Scanning every tree, every branch, ever bush and dead trunk. You do this, this heightened phase of stilled alertness, long enough to get tired of it. Your eyes settle again on a shrub less than ten metres away, something in the angle of its placement in the forest floor catches your eye. You stare at it longer than you should for no good reason. Long enough to think you’re going crazy. Long enough to think you need to relax, shift your weight and take some of the stiffness of your limbs. You’re just about do look away, flex your arm and leg subtly and settle in for the long haul…And then the shrub moves.[2/4]
You freeze. Breath catching in your throat, head pounding at the adrenaline sent soaring through your veins as your fight-or-flight survival instincts kick in with screaming abandon. It takes a concerted effort of will not to leap into action with a roar then and there. Your stillness, already absolute, becomes immovable. Even fully standing, the ghost in the dark still looks like a bush. But that is no branch pointed outward in his arms, no bird’s nest resting on his crown. The spectre stands there for a moment, menacingly tall in your eyes. The figure takes a cautious step forward. And then another, an Imp-make assault rifle held steady in front of him. His footsteps make no sound. He’s good. Damn good. If you hadn’t happened to be looking right at him when he advanced, you could have missed him. Only the phantom white haze of the ghosthelm registering what your eyes are seeing confirms in your mind that you’re not hallucinating. You feel a jolt a genuine fear as you realise how close he is. Directly in front of you, mere metres away. How? How did this bastard get so close without you spotting him?You can’t smell the shadowy figure either, which is disconcerting, but you know it is human. It must be. The gait, the build, even under that ghillie suit you can tell it’s one of your people. A child of Clayton’s Cradle, a killer born and bred. Another step. Cautious. Conserved. Controlled.Your left ear twitches, but not at the footstep, or at the blood thundering in your ears screaming at you to do something. Your genemodded heightened hearing is picking up a sound most humans wouldn’t register. A soft, barely perceptible hum. Mechanical. They have a Hunter-Killer drone with them. You can’t see it, if it’s down here or above the canopy, or even where it might be scanning for hostiles right now… but it’s there.Step by step the shadow comes closer. Wary. Watchful. [3/4]
[4/4]Just one man. The Cradler Auxiliaries are probing your perimeter, or maybe they know their quarry is close but not exactly where. But you know they’re out there. Somewhere in the dark. And a lot further away than the main threat, which is now just a few feet in front of you.One more step. Predatory.You don’t move. You don’t breathe. You don’t dare reach down and adjust your carbine, your other hand was already on the hilt of your magpistol. This close you can’t be sure the approaching shadow won’t spot jut the slightest movement, even through your well-concealed observation post. Your thumb rests on the full-auto switch of your magpistol. It will empty the clip in one squeeze, but you’re in no mood to take chances when things go hot.You would never admit this feeling of fear to anybody, not even Crane. But right now you’re not sure who is the predator, and who is the prey…===================================>*Tap-Tap. Tap-Tap-Tap* You risk moving your hand to subtly click the tab on your ghosthelm, alerting your people over the shortwave. But you otherwise stay still, someone as good as this guy might notice even that. But it’s worth the risk if it means putting eyes on the Auxiliaries pack that must be out there behind him. Somewhere. [Daredevil]> “COOOONNNTTAAAAAAAAACT!!!!” It is Game. ON. Your mag pistol barks, the clip emptied in a thunderous burst of full auto. At this range you can’t miss, and you mean to draw first blood tonight. Besides, you’ve always liked to start things off with a bang. [Firebrand]>”… … …” You don’t move. You don’t even breathe. Letting the enemy come just that little bit closer. Close enough to touch. If you can take this forward operator down silently, the enemy will be blind on one front, and the ball will be in your court. [Xenophobe]
>>6391904>”… … …” You don’t move. You don’t even breathe. Letting the enemy come just that little bit closer. Close enough to touch. If you can take this forward operator down silently, the enemy will be blind on one front, and the ball will be in your court. [Xenophobe]Fuck yes, lets do this. I am so excited for the coming storm>>6355805Me>TPR Terri GAINS ’Stick the Boot in’ passive ability. Once per firefight round, if an enemy would have been reduced to KIA but for a saved AV roll, that enemy is forced to re-roll one of their successful AV rolls.Fuck yes you angry little goblin
My update schedule will be a bit spotty over the Easter break while I am away from the city, I'll be around to answer questions or discuss fluff with anons but I probably won't be doing content updates or calling for rolls until next wednesday.
>>6391898>Trooper ‘Terri’ Garcia BATTLE SISTER STATUS UNLOCKED. Yeeeeeeeeahhhhh Best daughteru let's goooo.>>6391904>”… … …” You don’t move. You don’t even breathe. Letting the enemy come just that little bit closer. Close enough to touch. If you can take this forward operator down silently, the enemy will be blind on one front, and the ball will be in your court. [Xenophobe]Jesus these guys are Spooky,we must prove ourselves the alpha predator or be eaten.>>6355787
>>6391907Forwarding this in advance regarding questions >>6390351
>>6391910>>6390351Ah cheers, I forgot to reply to this! Sad to say I don't think I will spill the beans on that because we're still mid-timeskip. But I will say that removing Sir Andrei from Canton for an extended period has given the QM some breathing space to track the political realm back home (without Hurricane Andrei there to throw it into a constant state of chaos like Pascae).
>>6391911>Sad to say I don't think I will spill the beans on thatDamn my anxieties around basically having too abandon best girl for the Cathaggi enthusiasts will have to he eased later.>But I will say that removing Sir Andrei from Canton for an extended period has given the QM some breathing space to track the political realm back homeOh now that's just a tease.Do we know what happens to cradlers once they are taken in as Auxiliaries? Seems like they are at least genemoded along the same lines as Snake eyes.
>>6391904> “COOOONNNTTAAAAAAAAACT!!!!” It is Game. ON. Your mag pistol barks, the clip emptied in a thunderous burst of full auto. At this range you can’t miss, and you mean to draw first blood tonight. Besides, you’ve always liked to start things off with a bang. [Firebrand]This guy would've had us dead to rights if we weren't so good. I can only imagine the other sentries have their own jungle specters we need to kick this off before they get any further advantage over our team.>>6356044Me
>>6391904>*Tap-Tap. Tap-Tap-Tap* You risk moving your hand to subtly click the tab on your ghosthelm, alerting your people over the shortwave. But you otherwise stay still, someone as good as this guy might notice even that. But it’s worth the risk if it means putting eyes on the Auxiliaries pack that must be out there behind him. Somewhere. [Daredevil]I think get others alert cause billets are going to be flying soon>>6355833Me
>>6391904>”… … …” You don’t move. You don’t even breathe. Letting the enemy come just that little bit closer. Close enough to touch. If you can take this forward operator down silently, the enemy will be blind on one front, and the ball will be in your court. [Xenophobe]Fuck it, why not. While I'm very tempted to just mag dump this freak, sending our camp into panic would be a bad idea before the Cradlers attack. I would rather have our boys ready and tense, than in full hollering mode.>>6355895Me
>>6391904>>6358422>”… … …” You don’t move. You don’t even breathe. Letting the enemy come just that little bit closer. Close enough to touch. If you can take this forward operator down silently, the enemy will be blind on one front, and the ball will be in your court. [Xenophobe]
>>6356668This is me ^>>6391904>>*Tap-Tap. Tap-Tap-Tap* You risk moving your hand to subtly click the tab on your ghosthelm, alerting your people over the shortwave. But you otherwise stay still, someone as good as this guy might notice even that. But it’s worth the risk if it means putting eyes on the Auxiliaries pack that must be out there behind him. Somewhere. [Daredevil] I'm as much a fan of high risk, high reward as the rest of you, but when it fails, it fails big. We just lost Husk, after all. The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack. We need our brothers with us when this goes loud. Until we lay eyes on that drone, we don't know if we can successfully execute a stealth takedown.
>>6391904>”… … …” You don’t move. You don’t even breathe. Letting the enemy come just that little bit closer. Close enough to touch. If you can take this forward operator down silently, the enemy will be blind on one front, and the ball will be in your court. [Xenophobe]It's so risky, but if we pull this off we'll be in such a strong position. I think it's worth attempting to take the initiative now.
>>6391904>”… … …” You don’t move. You don’t even breathe. Letting the enemy come just that little bit closer. Close enough to touch. If you can take this forward operator down silently, the enemy will be blind on one front, and the ball will be in your court. [Xenophobe]
>>6392293>>6355773this is me
>>6391904>*Tap-Tap. Tap-Tap-Tap* You risk moving your hand to subtly click the tab on your ghosthelm, alerting your people over the shortwave. But you otherwise stay still, someone as good as this guy might notice even that. But it’s worth the risk if it means putting eyes on the Auxiliaries pack that must be out there behind him. Somewhere. [Daredevil]Who knows if this bloke is the only one close to our lines - not alerting our troops is big risk to take >>6357205V card
>>6391904> “COOOONNNTTAAAAAAAAACT!!!!” It is Game. ON. Your mag pistol barks, the clip emptied in a thunderous burst of full auto. At this range you can’t miss, and you mean to draw first blood tonight. Besides, you’ve always liked to start things off with a bang. [Firebrand]>>6355771ME
>>6391904>[Daredevil]
