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Hangar Queens: A Modern Military Mecha Satire

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[x] Take the fight to them.

"Maneuver warfare... is America's warfare!"
 
In addition to what @Jonen C has mentioned, I feel like it's worth pointing out that only you, Taylor, and Buck are equipped with armaments intended to be used on tanks. Everyone else will be stuck trying to pelt their delicate bits with 30mm fire, at least initially.

Letting the enemy come to you will also result in a longer battle. The expected duration of combat encounters is an additional factor to consider in mecha deployments, though admittedly, with your character setup this is less of a concern.

Whether these factors are important enough to influence your vote, I leave to your judgement.

Jonen C said:
... As if Rookie Butterbar will have any say in how the engagement is conducted. Squadron leader will decide, if not ordered by higher, oh and the enemy gets a vote (which is why it is usually a good idea not to be passive).
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Narratively, you really don't have any say. Realistically, with how enormously expensive these machines are, I'd expect their every move to be carefully scrutinized by a committee of top men. Marines might get more leeway depending on the results.

From a meta perspective, I need to give questers choices to vote on, so consider these sorts of votes as guiding the direction of the quest from above.

Votes will be closed in 8 hours.
 
What's the effect of a assault Rifle mech trying to stop tanks? Double Damage like in battletech, or more like trying to stomp on a Lego that also fires bullets at you?
 
RubberBandMan said:
What's the effect of a assault Rifle mech trying to stop tanks? Double Damage like in battletech, or more like trying to stomp on a Lego that also fires bullets at you?
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I figure if you imagine trying to step on a "bulletproof" skateboard drone equipped with a Desert Eagle, you won't be too far off.
 
[X] Take the fight to them.

Tayta Malikai said:
Everyone else will be stuck trying to pelt their delicate bits with 30mm fire, at least initially.
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To be fair, assuming we have the nice 30mm DU API the A-10 uses, or the 30mm DU APDS that all other American 30mm Bushmaster IIs use, I'm actually fairly confident of using these on the tanks. Our team won't get frontal kills for sure, but we can go for side shots to fuck up their tracks and m-kill the tanks. DU APDS has better penetration than DU API so we should got a somewhat larger margin of effectiveness for rear and top shots, imo.

Also: The A-10 Pilot's Coloring Book might be helpful I suppose.

...if we're loaded with the smartfuze HEI-frag then nvm, we can't do jack and shit to those tanks lol :p Great for fucking up infantry and light vics tho.
 
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So are we deciding our team's actions, rather than only our own? I didn't quite catch that.
 
Despite an unexpectedly strong rallying effort on the part of "Take the fight to them" at the eleventh hour, Let them come to you is still in the lead.

It turns out I won't have as much time to write today, though, so I'll be closing the vote tomorrow morning instead. That's another 12 hours from now.

Whiskey Golf said:
To be fair, assuming we have the nice 30mm DU API the A-10 uses, or the 30mm DU APDS that all other American 30mm Bushmaster IIs use, I'm actually fairly confident of using these on the tanks. Our team won't get frontal kills for sure, but we can go for side shots to fuck up their tracks and m-kill the tanks. DU APDS has better penetration than DU API so we should got a somewhat larger margin of effectiveness for rear and top shots, imo.

Also: The A-10 Pilot's Coloring Book might be helpful I suppose.

...if we're loaded with the smartfuze HEI-frag then nvm, we can't do jack and shit to those tanks lol :p Great for fucking up infantry and light vics tho.
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Many thanks for the links. I do my best to keep on top of things but there's a limit to what you can learn from Google.

Onmur said:
So are we deciding our team's actions, rather than only our own? I didn't quite catch that.
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Uhh yeah, I probably should've made that clearer in the vote text. It was supposed to be inferred through the lack of detail about the deployment, but I switched that scene around to keep the sequence of events linear. Sorry to anyone who was confused by this.
(Stuff like this is why I usually don't like to post updates as soon as they're done. Gotta go fast, though.)

In the future, I'll try to be more explicit about what votes mean and how they affect things.
Adhoc vote count started by Tayta Malikai on Jan 1, 2020 at 2:30 AM, finished with 28 posts and 21 votes.
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Tayta Malikai said:
Many thanks for the links. I do my best to keep on top of things but there's a limit to what you can learn from Google.
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Well, I'm always available as a resource, although I tend to perform better the more targeted the questions are. Alternatively if you get on voice in that discord i can give a TED talk in the morning :V
 
Tayta Malikai said:
Uhh yeah, I probably should've made that clearer in the vote text. It was supposed to be inferred through the lack of detail about the deployment, but I switched that scene around to keep the sequence of events linear. Sorry to anyone who was confused by this.
(Stuff like this is why I usually don't like to post updates as soon as they're done. Gotta go fast, though.)

In the future, I'll try to be more explicit about what votes mean and how they affect things.
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Kind of inferred the opposite due to the total lack of details on our squad's loadout. So naturally it has to be either IC from our perspective and our unit's operation, or meta with the relevant details at hand?
 
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EP1 Squadron Composition and Roles
  • Informational
    • veekie said:
    Kind of inferred the opposite due to the total lack of details on our squad's loadout. So naturally it has to be either IC from our perspective and our unit's operation, or meta with the relevant details at hand?
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    I didn't feel it was necessary to provide more details than the (admittedly minimal and somewhat vague) introductory blurbs everyone gave. The chief purpose of the vote is to provide a broad direction for the quest so I can fill in the gaps. I'm not exactly asking you guys to write in a full OPLAN that min-maxes everyone's strengths and weaknesses with seven layers of contingencies including secondary and tertiary extraction points. That comes later.

    To recap, as well as a precaution in case I forget to write stuff into the story again, the composition of your squadron is as follows:
    1. Capt Edward Tanner. Squadron leader, rifleman.
    2. 1st Lt Robin Taylor. Assistant squadron leader, sharpshooter.
    3. 2nd Lt Antonia Clarke. Rifleman.
    4. 2nd Lt Patrick Hansen. Pointman.
    5. 2nd Lt Richard Buck. Grenadier.
    6. 2nd Lt Ricky Eagle Buster Johnson III. Anime protagonist, sharpshooter.
    [] Rifleman.
    A generalist, jack-of-all-trades role, which mainly exists to round out the capabilities of more specialist members of the squadron. In lieu of any special equipment, your Q-35 is able to haul significantly more 30mm magazines to the battlefield. You can also deploy with a massive ballistic shield in situations that warrant it, boosting your ability to hold the line.
    The price of not being particularly good at anything is not being particularly good at anything.
    Most effective against infantry.

    [] Pointman.
    A reconnaissance-based role, in which your Q-35 will always be ahead of the squadron and operating in unknown territory. To facilitate this, your engines and radar have been swapped out for more powerful models, while your servos receive top priority during maintenance cycles.
    Your mecha is fast and light, with greater capability in close-quarters combat than peer models. However, its performance suffers against larger numbers of opponents and in longer-range engagements.
    Most effective against mechas.

    [] Grenadier.
    A heavy weapons and area denial role, with the Q-35's signature maneuverability being sacrificed for even greater firepower. Your mecha is outfitted with a wide assortment of rocket pods, anti-tank missiles, canister rounds, and smoke grenade launchers that will make mincemeat of any massed opposition.
    The only problem with this is that your mecha is really slow and heavy, less able to adapt to evolving situations. Inertia is a real drag.
    Most effective against vehicles.

    [] Sharpshooter.
    A battlefield control and overwatch role, this variation of the Q-35 spends most of its time in the air, which is made possible by a greatly extended fuel capacity. Whenever it does sight a high-value target off in the distance, the replacement of its standard assault cannon with a heavier 120mm tank gun allows it to strike instantly and brutally.
    However, you will have to pay a heavy price for this power: you will be unable to equip a sword and will have no close-quarters ability whatsoever.
    Most effective against tanks.
     
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  • Informational
    • Tayta Malikai said:
    1. Capt Edward Tanner. Squadron leader, rifleman.
    2. 1st Lt Robin Taylor. Assistant squadron leader, sharpshooter.
    3. 2nd Lt Antonia Clarke. Rifleman.
    4. 2nd Lt Patrick Hansen. Pointman.
    5. 2nd Lt Richard Buck. Grenadier.
    6. 2nd Lt Ricky Eagle Buster Johnson III. Anime protagonist, sharpshooter.
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    Since our line in the list is the longest one, we're clearly the highest value teammate. And it's thanks to being an anime protagonist, so this logic makes sense.

    [X] Take the fight to them.
     
    Tiebreaks for the tie god. We're a sniper with a focus on standup fights. Stop trying to push someone like that into a battle of manoeuvre.

    [X] Let them come to you.
     
    I'm honestly astounded by the direction this vote took, going from 13-0 unanimous to a 12-12 tie within the space of a day. This quest has seen the strangest votes...

    With @Snowfire breaking the tie, the vote is now closed. Let them come to you is the winner.

    Thanks for voting, everyone. I commend the valiant effort made on behalf of "Take the fight to them". It made for a very interesting quest.

    Coming up next update to round off the first episode of this new and exciting series: the obligatory tank massacre.
    Adhoc vote count started by Tayta Malikai on Jan 1, 2020 at 4:36 PM, finished with 39 posts and 25 votes.
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    EPISODE 1.3 - Join the Air Force, they said
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    • Let them come to you.
    I'm slipping into my bad habits again. Please stop me.
    Snowfire: No :V

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    NORTH KOREAN ROCKET PUTS TENTH SATELLITE INTO ORBIT, VIOLATES UN SANCTIONS AGAIN

    North Korea announced the successful launch of its Kwangmyongsong-17 satellite, the tenth such object to be launched into orbit by the isolated hermit kingdom in violation of UN sanctions.

    The launch was immediately condemned by the international community, while the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting to discuss the imposition of even harsher sanctions on North Korea.

    "It's very concerning that North Korea continues to behave in an irresponsible manner, with complete disregard for international norms," US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told reporters. "The United States and its allies will be pursuing significant measures to hold them to account."

    China, which is North Korea's main benefactor but also South Korea's biggest trading partner, has expressed concern over the launch and urged all sides to act cautiously to prevent escalation. Russia, another key ally, also issued a rebuke of the launch, calling it a "needlessly provocative action" that could trigger an arms race in the Korean peninsula.

    North Korea's continued launching of satellites is speculated to be an attempted show of strength in the face of increasing US deployments of mechas to the Korean peninsula. The US escalated its commitment in response to last year's nuclear tests, which North Korea claimed were of a hydrogen bomb that could act as a missile payload.

    Senior Pentagon officials have reiterated concerns that North Korea's growing space program represents an increasing capacity to recklessly deploy anti-satellite (ASAT) or electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons into orbit. In an age where low Earth orbit is so densely packed with satellites of all descriptions, even a genuine accident on the North Koreans' part could have a devastating impact on the world's ability to access space, potentially setting back orbital development efforts by generations.

    In response to the satellite launch, US President Donald Trump tweeted, "Little Rocket Man might be feeling pleased with the size of his constellation right now – but mine is still bigger!"

    ----------​

    "Anything yet?"

    "Nope." The reply comes from a Marine slouching in his turret, peering at the horizon with a pair of binoculars. "Tanks are still a couple miles out."

    "And chair force is still getting out of bed," another Marine adds, wiggling suggestively in his seat as he fiddles with the dashboard radio.

    "This sucks," the questioner declares from the driver's seat. "Why do we have to wait around for the chair force anyway? Why can't we just call in our own mechas to handle this?"

    "You know why," the radioman says. "They're all in Okinawa, having ballroom dances with Japan's finest. Oh yeah, torque it baby."

    "So we're out here sweating our balls off without lube for our fifties, but some pussies sitting on a beach sipping pina colada and spearing fish get to have giant robots. I swear this country's getting more and more fucked up all the time."

    "The one you're serving, or the one you're getting shot at in right now?"

    "Yes!"

    "Y'know, I hear the giant robots cost a hundred grand an hour to run," the turret gunner interjects.

    "Are you sure?" the radioman frowns. "I thought it was more like half a mil."

    "Whatever. Point is, it's all just a scam to give trillions of dollars to LockMart so those things don't fall over when someone jacks off on them. And we're the ones footing the bill."

    "Wow, dude, you're saying that like it's fucking news or something," the driver snarks. "Have you, like, been living under a fucking rock with your head up your ass or what?"

    "I heard the pilots are all kids," the radioman adds his own gossip to the conversation. "Like, teenagers with pimples and shit. Something to do with brains developing at that age."

    "Well, that explains why we don't get any mechas," the driver snickers. "Marines don't have any brains to develop."

    "Speak for yourself, you inbred fucking retard."

    "Hey, look!" The gunner points skyward. "That's them coming in now, five o'clock."

    Everyone else peers out their windows to look, seeing a veritable meteor storm hurtling down from the sky, rocket plumes blinding as they burn to cushion the mechas' fall.

    "Woo! Go chair force!" the driver whoops. "Go get some for ol' George here!"

    The radioman frowns. "Aren't they landing a bit close? Check that angle."

    "I don't see JESUS CHRIST GET DOWN–"

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    You let out a horrified yelp and slam on the throttle hard, diverting the Q-35A's rocket exhaust away from the Humvee at the last moment. Alerts shriek in your helmet as you struggle desperately to keep your mecha upright, its balance thoroughly disturbed by the abrupt maneuver you pulled.

    Eventually the mecha's posture comes under control, and you manage to bring it in on a low sweeping trajectory that somewhat resembles a negative logarithmic curve. It even touches down on the sand-blasted expanse of the Syrian Desert without ploughing more than a metre or so of dirt – although the feedback that reverberates up from the legs into the cockpit makes you somewhat concerned.

    You heave a massive sigh of relief as the danger passes, but it doesn't last. Ramifications start sprinting through your brain. Your career flashes before your eyes, the candle that burnt twice as bright having burned half as long. Images of court-martials, a dishonourable discharge, and having to come home to your disappointed parents follow swiftly. What would Ricky Eagle Buster Johnson II think?

    What would Ricky Eagle Buster Johnson I think?

    A transmission comes in from the assistant squadron leader. "Queen Six, Queen Two; your mecha's gone four klicks off-target. Is there a problem? Over."

    "I uh, no, there's no problem," you stammer. "Unexpected obstacle in the landing zone, over."

    "Roger." The smooth, steady voice on the radio gives nothing away. "Form up and proceed as planned. Out."

    Taking some deep breaths, you close your eyes and submerge again into the icy focus of operating the Q-35A in all its bipedal glory. Near-fratricide or not, there's still a sortie to fly. Your first sortie in combat with the enemy. Concerns of collateral damage can wait until after you've won.

    You just hope whoever those friendly troops were don't pass a report of attempted blue-on-blue up the chain.

    The terrain you're standing on isn't really conducive to a long run-up, so you perform a standing hop and fire your thrusters at half-burn for a few seconds. It's much less fuel-efficient, but it gets you to the designated coordinates without wasting too much time trudging over the ground in between.

    "Nice flameout there, Buster," 2nd​ Lt Hansen sneers over the radio when you approach. "They teach you that in flight school?"

    "I kinda wish you didn't realize until it was too late," 2nd​ Lt Buck chuckles. "Never seen a Humvee get toasted before. That would've been fuckin' cool."

    "I would've liked that," 2nd​ Lt Clarke agrees, her voice noticeably raised from the dull monotone you heard earlier.

    You stoically absorb your wingmen's mockery, knowing there's nothing you can say to dissuade them.

    "Friendly fire is no laughing matter, boys and girls," Capt Tanner cuts in sternly. "Now look alive. The enemy knows we're here now."

    Your radar pings as if in confirmation, and you look over to see that the two promised companies of Syrian T-62s are indeed present on the battlefield. You've landed about eight kilometres away from them – about half of your combined horizons – so neither of you are in range to start firing. And a few kilometres the rear, you can just make out the US base at al-Tanf you're tasked with protecting.

    You frown. This spot seems to be a lot closer to the base than it appeared on the map.

    The T-62s – you count twenty-seven in total – remain still for a few moments; then they split apart into their constituent companies, one driving west, the other to the east.

    "Not a bad choice, for hajis," Hansen admits with grudging respect.

    "They do realize we can boost jump a lot faster than they could possibly drive, right?" Buck says. "What do they think that's gonna achieve?"

    "Don't let your guard down," Tanner reproaches. "They're still a dangerous enemy and should be treated with respect."

    The tension in the air turns somewhat awkward as you wait for the Syrians to close into firing range. Even maneuvering at combat speed, it takes nearly ten minutes before they finally get close enough to have a decent chance at hitting them. You pass the time by checking and rechecking your readouts, flicking away the occasional error message, and wondering what those soldiers in the Humvee are up to.

    Finally, the range markers on the lead T-62M drop from red into amber. You raise your anti-tank sniper rifle to your shoulder; or, rather, your mecha does. It's the progeny of an unholy union between BAE Systems and Rheinmetall, boasting a seven-metre barrel and fifteen-round magazines.

    Some of your sniper training takes hold and has you instinctively exhale, even though it makes absolutely no difference to the Q-35A's stability as a firing platform. Where man wavers, machines stand firm.

    And right now, you are the machine.

    Target in the centre, pull the switch.

    The armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot round leaps from the barrel, crosses the intervening distance, and passes several metres above your target.

    You curse in annoyance. Three arcseconds too high. Part of you realizes that you were almost looking forward to seeing what would happen when it hit.

    "Hmph," Clarke transmits. "All that length and you can't even hit the pussy."

    "Yeah, I can see you're really bringing those eagle eyes to the party," Buck adds.

    "Shut up," you mutter, too embarrassed to come up with anything wittier.

    "Queens Three and Five, observe radio discipline, over," Taylor reprimands them.

    "Yes, mom. Over."

    From the right flank of your formation, Taylor fires. Her shot is, at least, more accurate than yours: the kinetic energy penetrator does actually strike her target T-62's cast steel turret, only to skitter off its curved surface. "No effect, target remains, over," she reports dutifully.

    "Gay," Hansen declares. "We're not gonna be able to do shit from this distance. Coach, request permission to close with the enemy."

    "Denied," Tanner answers. "Stay in position and keep us covered from forward threats."

    "…Roger."

    A couple of the T-62s start firing their main guns at you. They're not very accurate, the 115mm shells kicking up clouds of dirt dozens of metres away. Even though you're technically in their effective range, the SAA's tankers aren't skilled enough to hit you at this distance.

    You don't give them the chance to get closer for a better shot. Everyone activates their rocket thrusters and leaps to one side, the squadron splitting into two flights. As you hit the apex of your arc, you centre the nearest enemy in your crosshairs, and fire again.

    This time, lightning flashes from the heavens to strike the T-62M's top armour; and the machine, built by men to wage their petty wars, explodes in a divine conflagration.

    "Target destroyed," you report, feeling a rush of exhilaration flow through your brain.

    "Good work, Eagle Buster," Tanner commends you. He's one of the other two pilots in your flight, having boost-jumped to the left with you. "Stay mobile, keep your distance, and don't let up."

    It's far from the first time you've been called that name, but the captain saying it seems to take on new meaning. "Understood, Queen One."

    "This is fucking retarded," Hansen grumbles, firing a burst from his assault rifle at a T-62K. The 30mm rounds that do hit manage to shred the antenna and externally-mounted machine guns, but otherwise fail to penetrate. "Why do Buster and Drop Mom get to have all the fun?"

    The exhilaration is promptly replaced by exasperation.

    White smoke belatedly starts to spew from the exhaust of various T-62s, something they really should've been doing from the start to cover their approach. Nevertheless, as their advance halts and they withdraw behind the cover of the smoke cloud, your visual and infrared sensors are suddenly rather impaired.

    Your radar can still penetrate it just fine, but it only shows relative positions – you can't tell if you're aiming at the front, or at the side. It makes a lot more difference than you expect: without reliable targeting data, you find that quite a few tanks you thought killed survive to emerge from the smoke cloud and take some potshots. Some of them even come close, forcing you to regularly boost-jump to keep the enemy tankers from getting a lock on you.

    "Coach," Hansen begins, "this would go a lot better if we closed in and–"

    "I said denied, White Knight," Tanner snaps. "Continue to maintain distance and cover us."

    "Queen Five, why aren't you firing your heavy weapons?" you overhear Taylor demand on the radio.

    "Well, Drop Mom, it appears that this machine's fifty million dollar, gold-plated, DoD-certified targeting system has officially shit itself again," Buck replies, voice laden with sarcasm. "So unless you want me to kill a lot of sand, there's not much I can do here."

    "Use the Force, Skywalker!" Hansen laughs.

    "Fuck off!"

    The battle soon degenerates into both sides trading shots with each other. While Tanner and Hansen lay down suppressive fire with their 30mms, you fly up, aim down at what you hope is a T-62's top armour, and take your best shot at it. Sometimes, you hit; more often, you miss.

    Throughout it all, 2nd​ Lt Hansen repeatedly asks to be allowed to fly closer and hit the enemy tanks with his sword. Every time the captain shoots him down, you can just hear the undercurrent of frustration in his radio transmissions.

    All the while, you keep one wary eye on your fuel gauges. Those boost-jumps are using up an incredible amount of fuel, and if this keeps up for too much longer, you might not have enough left to make the flight home.

    At long last, after what feels like an eternity of this, you see the smoke dissipating and what remains of the SAA's armoured companies driving away into the sunset, their red dots receding from your radar. Evidently, their commander decided to call it quits while he's still above water.

    "Mission complete," Captain Tanner declares. "They won't be trying that again anytime soon, I can guarantee that. All Queens, form up and return to base."

    It's over. You've survived your first engagement with the enemy.

    And yet, for some reason, you can't help but feel really disappointed.

    End of Episode 1

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    Select one outcome which does not occur. This is a meta-vote.
    EDIT: Since there has been confusion over the use of double-negatives (my bad, sorry), I will clarify that you are voting for one bad thing to happen.

    [] None of the US mechas took any notable damage during the engagement.
    This is a vote for the US mechas to take damage.

    [] The SAA forces did not retreat in reasonably good order.
    This is a vote for the SAA forces to escape.

    [] The refugee camp at Rubkan was not struck by collateral damage.
    This is a vote for collateral damage to occur.

    [] The US Air Force was not embarrassed on international social media.
    This is a vote for the USAF to be embarrassed.

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    Some of you may recognize this style of vote from a certain prominent mecha quest on this forum. And if you don't, I recommend you to go read Petals of Titanium. Seriously, it's amazing.
     
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