Super Robot Quest

A quick shout-out to @DaLintyGuy's new quest:

To Cause the Fall.

This is an official spin-off AU Quest of Super Robot Quest (and again, I love the fact that I can say this). @DaLintyGuy approached me awhile ago with the beginnings of an idea for this, and he and I have been bouncing ideas back and forth about it. It's a very different tone than this one is, and expect more Real Robot tendencies over Super Robot ones.

That said, it should be an awesome ride, and I do encourage you all to check it out!

Update should still be on track for tomorrow. Hope everyone's having a restful holiday season!

0926, 2 May, A.D. 2072
The Proving Grounds

"Hey, Jess."

"Yeah?" Jessica looked up from training with the C-Crystal the Regent had given to her. Her pilot suit had not dramatically changed from before, but a socket where the red crystal fit in perfectly rested on her wrist. "What's up, Cav?" She looked closer at the scout, then grinned. "I thought Patch buffed out the bruise," she teased.

"Yeah, well." Cavalier shrugged. "That Banner kid hits hard. You guys have good talent."

"I'll say." Looking over at the rest of the Proving Grounds, it was a hive of activity. More and more, the pilots of the supporting units were actively training. There was no rhyme or reason for it - the pilots were just incredibly dedicated. That, and some were actually engaging in combat with remote-controlled units from the Pilot Exchange Program.

Fighting, and utterly stomping them flat.

"Ouch," she winced as another remote Jackal was unceremoniously slammed into a nearby concrete platform. "Wasn't that guy-?"

"Ground Defense Force I think," Cav shrugged. "Heard Diana wasn't too impressed with a lot of them."

"I'm a rookie. I'm not impressed with them," Jessica said dryly.

"How's that...thing working out for you?" he asked.

"This?" She held up the C-Crystal, which all but glistened in the afternoon sun. "It's...weird. Not in the bad way. I'm honestly just trying to get into the mindset of using it - the Regent was saying emotions were kind of like a switch to get this thing really powered up." She shrugged, gesturing towards the maintenance area where the modified chassis of the Pilum rested, still covered in tarp. "There's only so much I can do until the Regent modifies it."

"Fair." Cavalier then grumbled as he saw another remote-controlled Centurion get outmaneuvered by a Jackal.

"Thinking of going out there?" Jessica asked with a smirk.

"Don't tempt me. I just might."

---

Special Actions



Over There - Colonel Bernard reached out not long ago. Though his technicians are already here working with Lana to establish the new model, he's interested in sending not only pilots to the Pilot Exchange Program, but he's also willing to detach some of his Marines to serve along your formations. Officially, their job would be to assist as training cadre for the Exchange Program. Unofficially, he's not going to say no to you deploying them in active combat 'if you think it necessary.'


Excavation Again - Anna has approached you about mounting an expedition. One that has you a little leery.

Apparently the message left behind by General Armistead on the infamous exploding tablet-bomb was not hyperbole. The only reason word of this is even reaching you this late is because of just how insignificant it seemed on the face of it when everyone was dealing with so many actual problems.

The final resting place of the KMS Bismarck - months ago in fact - was reported as having suspicious personnel coming and going near it. Now that it has Anna's full attention, Intelligence Service queries as to what was going on to the civilian authorities (through their own disguised networks, of course) was met with silence.

She smells a rat, and she wants armed backup in case things go sour (which she suspects will happen). She thinks this would be a good first run for Ichiro, but the authority of who to send - if anyone - rests with you.

---

Defense Force Actions


Reaction Force - Now fully operational, and with a Super Robot ready to go, you are in a prime position to start scanning the world for any potential hotspot to intervene in. Brigadier General Peters has assured you that there will be no conflict of jurisdiction; you are only going to be diverted to an area which really needs a Super Robot that no one is going to complain.

At least, not as much as the Naval Defense Force asshats.


Pilot Training - The Pilot Exchange Program is sending back out its first set of graduates. All of whom have earned their certifications in the fiery hellpits of the DFRI's simulations. That said, you aren't entirely heartless (just mostly). You did give them about a week's worth of off-time before sending them back to their units.

Sasaki and Diana still weren't too impressed by the majority of the candidates.

2LT Zhang is also undergoing additional pilot training. She might be assigned as Tellison's co-pilot for now, but you want to know if she has any additional piloting talents that the earlier simulations haven't accounted for just yet.

You may choose one. If you have an investment project ongoing, you may still choose one and run concurrently.


Security Net – You are as secure as you can possibly be given the circumstances. Especially with Adriana running around all over the place. By now everyone has more or less taken to the newest 'sister' of the AIs as an incredibly hyper little sister.

The plus side: She's pretty much now on a first-name basis with the majority of people on the campus grounds. What was initially an annoyance is now just something of a menace.

...you're sure that's how it works, at least?

You may choose one. If you have an investment project ongoing, you may still choose one and run concurrently.

---

Engineering Actions


Variable Configuration – There is a lot of ground to cover here. Wilde and Henry have created all sorts of new designs, but they haven't exactly been tested properly yet. Before properly handing them over to the test pilots, they want to run some additional tests, and they certainly would like to see if they can come up with something new.

Wilde also has a few specific projects he thinks requires your attention and approval. Though the Beowulf is now fully online and active, it's still missing one feature, something they're not sure they can reliably activate just yet.

You may choose one, plus the specific projects listed below. If you have an investment project ongoing, you may still choose one and run concurrently.


Supercomputer AI – Still plenty to be done going around. Supercomputer development can still be pushed, though admittedly with the Mechanical Men Project and the Security AI Development already ongoing, Ignatov admits that his team has plenty enough on their plates.

You may choose one. If you have an investment project ongoing, you may still choose one and run concurrently.


Experimental Projects – You're noticing a fair number more experiments running through the Engineering Bay, only to find it's testing all sorts of weird stuff (and that's by the DFRI standards, which should tell you something). For one thing, the failed Psychic Enhancing of the K-Scale has given some strange ideas to Wilde and Henry, and they want to try testing out if you can weaponize that particular failure. They also wouldn't say no to additional resources to try...well, whatever you could think of. They don't guarantee it'd work, but it'd be good engineering!

QM NOTE: I will allow you to add a preference towards which bit of science you want to lean towards as a preference, but that's no guarantee that the results will come out that way.

You may choose one. If you have an investment project ongoing, you may still choose one and run concurrently.

---

Science Actions


ESP Theory - Sam is ecstatic, since Psychic Energy now has the potential to alter the composition of materials. Granted, it's probably a hell of a lot easier to do with K-Class for whatever reason than with standard building materials, but that gives Sam an idea.

So psychic energy, you've established, can already link with computer systems through the MMI. Heck, psychic energy interacts with standard materials ALL THE TIME anyway, but only if they're considered 'part of the wider machine' by the user. So what if you tried to alter some of the machine?

What if you wanted to try and supercharge the machine?

You may choose one, plus the specific project. If you have an investment project ongoing, you may still choose one and run concurrently.

Kaiju Biotechnology – The Dragon's Horn seems to have fully drained all of its acidic buildup (after melting half of a laboratory down). Just to be safe, Sam's ordered that it be kept in deep freeze at all times, even if this does seem a bit like shutting the corral doors after the horses have long-since made their getaways. But at the very least, you now have a new research project to pursue.

You may choose one. If you have an investment project ongoing, you may still choose one and run concurrently.


Xenotechnology Research - Max is a little twitchy around the Regent, but she's keeping a respectful distance so far. She's been fairly quiet recently, but that's largely due to resources being directed elsewhere, and that she's been busy studying the battle data from fighting the Dragon. She doesn't have anything specific yet, but along with her original idea with the Dispersion Field, there's still plenty to try out with the Xenotech you've received from the Legion.

You may choose one, plus the specific project listed below. If you have an investment project ongoing, you may still choose one and run concurrently.