Ginger Maniac
Subject to Gravity
- Location
- Old Blighty
[] Everyone has to do their part, and this is mine.
Last edited:
Milal Tan'kun Corasuul (Homeworld/Neon Genesis Evangelion Quest)
- Thread starter Dessard
- Start date
Ginger Maniac
Subject to Gravity
- Location
- Old Blighty
Changing to,
[x] I got a chance, and who wouldn't want to be part of this?
[x] I got a chance, and who wouldn't want to be part of this?
- Pronouns
- He/They
[x] I got a chance, and who wouldn't want to be part of this?
You look back at Bez. "Well, the my squad leader offered to recommend me for the mission and there's no way I could say no that. I mean, leading the return to the Homeworld, protecting the Mothership from whatever's out there, even just seeing something other than cement and sand - it's exciting, I guess. That sounds selfish, but... it's not like I'm not still qualified or anything."
She nods. "No, I know how it is - that's basically why I'm here. It'll suck to leave everything behind, but to be honest I didn't have much to leave anyway, and even just moving rocks or exploring the Homeworld or something'll be interesting. Exciting space adventures and all that."
She's about to talk again, but a blocky shuttle passes close by the window, filling the room with the vibrating buzz of its engines. "That's always sort of weird," you say once it's quiet enough to be heard, " in some of the space familiarisation classes they kept talking about how there's no air, no sound or anything. Then we get up here and everything makes just the noises you'd expect."
"Huh. I hadn't thought of that but it is a little strange - maybe it has to do with magnetic fields, or particles hitting our ship or something? Anyway, what you said reminded me - the Jefet'ne, Hesta Soban, she's the old Planetary Command squadron commander, right? What's she like?"
"Good enough I guess." You try to think of how to describe her, but never really interacted in person. "We're pretty sure she was a political appointment back there, military but never actually rode a Koiya, but she kept things running well and left the actual operations to squad leaders. Don't know how that'll work out with only one squad, though."
"That doesn't sound good."
"No, but she's really not as bad as that sounds. You'll see for yourself soon."
"I suppose so. Hopefully it won't matter anyway, if she isn't too hard on us it probably won't matter how she commands."
"Yeah, hopefully, but you've seen the Khar-Selim right? The Ancients sure went armed, and it's got to be for a reason."
"Sure, but that was what, 4000 years ago? And we don't even know if they had to use them. No point speculating now, though."
The two of you walk into the mess, and Haim catches your eye from the corner of the room. He's talking to another young man in what looks like a Nabaal army uniform, the insignia carefully cut off and replaced with Planetary Command patches. His very military appearance contrasts with Haim's shaggy hair and casual civilian clothes, you note, as your friend stands up to greet you.
"Hey, long time no see. I guess this is the other pilot? Where have you two been?"
"Oh, you know... just hanging around." You shrug and give him an exaggerated wink.
Bez cuts off his response - "Wait, what? You know perfectly well we were talking on the observation deck, and - "
"Don't worry, it's a running joke. Yeah, we were looking at Kharak and talking. Bez, this is Haim Somtaaw. He served with me for the Planetary Command squadron." You leave them, slapping Haim on the shoulder on the way past, and sit down next to the other man, introducing yourself. He gives you the exact same stiff handshake Bez had, introducing himself as Arahin Nabaal; he had been another pilot for the Nabaal army.
Before you get a chance to talk, though, the commander shows up. "Good to see all of you; I'll keep this brief because of the circumstances. I've arranged for us to fly an exercise against the Mothership's interceptor squadron during the hyperdrive functionality tests; we'll then return to the ship for the calibration jump to the edge of the system."
"The point of the exercise is to familiarise ourselves with the performance of space-modified Koiyas, and to develop effective tactics for potential space combat situations, so don't be afraid to experiment; however, and this shouldn't need saying, but don't actually damage the interceptors. We won't be using live weapons, but should you get into melee range of one don't actually do it."
"We have only a few hours before the hyperspace tests start, and the Koiya are being readied for launch now. Do whatever you want, but I recommend inspecting your units before we get out there. Be at our hangar bay an hour before launch for pre-flight checks. Dismissed." The commander sits down, her one arm retriving a computer from her bag.
Well, that was a short briefing. You have a bit over an hour before it's time to report; how will you spend it?
Pick any number, but you have limited time to do them in.
[ ] Talk to...
---[ ] Who?
---[ ] About anything in particular?
[ ] Inspect your Koiya
[ ] Hey, is that a bunch of fighter pilots over there?
[ ] Something else?
You look back at Bez. "Well, the my squad leader offered to recommend me for the mission and there's no way I could say no that. I mean, leading the return to the Homeworld, protecting the Mothership from whatever's out there, even just seeing something other than cement and sand - it's exciting, I guess. That sounds selfish, but... it's not like I'm not still qualified or anything."
She nods. "No, I know how it is - that's basically why I'm here. It'll suck to leave everything behind, but to be honest I didn't have much to leave anyway, and even just moving rocks or exploring the Homeworld or something'll be interesting. Exciting space adventures and all that."
She's about to talk again, but a blocky shuttle passes close by the window, filling the room with the vibrating buzz of its engines. "That's always sort of weird," you say once it's quiet enough to be heard, " in some of the space familiarisation classes they kept talking about how there's no air, no sound or anything. Then we get up here and everything makes just the noises you'd expect."
"Huh. I hadn't thought of that but it is a little strange - maybe it has to do with magnetic fields, or particles hitting our ship or something? Anyway, what you said reminded me - the Jefet'ne, Hesta Soban, she's the old Planetary Command squadron commander, right? What's she like?"
"Good enough I guess." You try to think of how to describe her, but never really interacted in person. "We're pretty sure she was a political appointment back there, military but never actually rode a Koiya, but she kept things running well and left the actual operations to squad leaders. Don't know how that'll work out with only one squad, though."
"That doesn't sound good."
"No, but she's really not as bad as that sounds. You'll see for yourself soon."
"I suppose so. Hopefully it won't matter anyway, if she isn't too hard on us it probably won't matter how she commands."
"Yeah, hopefully, but you've seen the Khar-Selim right? The Ancients sure went armed, and it's got to be for a reason."
"Sure, but that was what, 4000 years ago? And we don't even know if they had to use them. No point speculating now, though."
--------------------
The two of you walk into the mess, and Haim catches your eye from the corner of the room. He's talking to another young man in what looks like a Nabaal army uniform, the insignia carefully cut off and replaced with Planetary Command patches. His very military appearance contrasts with Haim's shaggy hair and casual civilian clothes, you note, as your friend stands up to greet you.
"Hey, long time no see. I guess this is the other pilot? Where have you two been?"
"Oh, you know... just hanging around." You shrug and give him an exaggerated wink.
Bez cuts off his response - "Wait, what? You know perfectly well we were talking on the observation deck, and - "
"Don't worry, it's a running joke. Yeah, we were looking at Kharak and talking. Bez, this is Haim Somtaaw. He served with me for the Planetary Command squadron." You leave them, slapping Haim on the shoulder on the way past, and sit down next to the other man, introducing yourself. He gives you the exact same stiff handshake Bez had, introducing himself as Arahin Nabaal; he had been another pilot for the Nabaal army.
Before you get a chance to talk, though, the commander shows up. "Good to see all of you; I'll keep this brief because of the circumstances. I've arranged for us to fly an exercise against the Mothership's interceptor squadron during the hyperdrive functionality tests; we'll then return to the ship for the calibration jump to the edge of the system."
"The point of the exercise is to familiarise ourselves with the performance of space-modified Koiyas, and to develop effective tactics for potential space combat situations, so don't be afraid to experiment; however, and this shouldn't need saying, but don't actually damage the interceptors. We won't be using live weapons, but should you get into melee range of one don't actually do it."
"We have only a few hours before the hyperspace tests start, and the Koiya are being readied for launch now. Do whatever you want, but I recommend inspecting your units before we get out there. Be at our hangar bay an hour before launch for pre-flight checks. Dismissed." The commander sits down, her one arm retriving a computer from her bag.
Well, that was a short briefing. You have a bit over an hour before it's time to report; how will you spend it?
--------------------
Pick any number, but you have limited time to do them in.
[ ] Talk to...
---[ ] Who?
---[ ] About anything in particular?
[ ] Inspect your Koiya
[ ] Hey, is that a bunch of fighter pilots over there?
[ ] Something else?
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Ginger Maniac
Subject to Gravity
- Location
- Old Blighty
[x] Inspect your Koiya
[x] Hey, is that a bunch of fighter pilots over there?
Pre-exercise banter with the unfortunate targets? Not passing that one up.
[x] Hey, is that a bunch of fighter pilots over there?
Pre-exercise banter with the unfortunate targets? Not passing that one up.
- Pronouns
- He/They
[X] Inspect your Koiya
[X] Hey, is that a bunch of fighter pilots over there?
You haven't eaten since before the shuttle ride over; while you're here, you may as well pick something up before checking out the Koiyas. "I'm gonna get some food while we're here; anyone want to join me?"
Arahim stands. "I could use a good meal. You all coming?"
Bez goes along, but Haim doesn't - he's been up for nearly a day now because of the differing schedules, and wants to get a bit of sleep before flying. The other three of you go get some some food - it seems to be tan rubbery cubes and boiled vegtables, though it actually smells pretty good - and move to a table. As you go, though, you notice a group of people in flightsuits sitting at a nearby table. "Hey, is that a bunch of fighter pilots pver there?"
"Why, I do think it is." Bez turns and takes a seat by them, you and Arahin following. She breaks the sudden silence - "How're you all doing?"
"Pretty good." A big, older man answers. "I guess you guys are pilots?"
"Yeah - we're actually flying against you later." Arahin raises an eyebrow at her, and she points to their patch - a sword with wings. You haven't seen it, but since there's only one fighter squadron it's not too hard to guess who they are.
"Oh, so you're the Koiya-suul pilots?"
All of you nod, and a young man with the squadron-leader insignia speaks up. "Well, let's hope it's a good match. I'll be interested to see how those things do in - "
"Hah! We'll kick your asses!" He's interrupted by a young woman who seems to have painted red stripes on her suit. "Who do you think we are?" There's some headshaking from her comrades, but some agreement as well.
"Seriously, though, if you can win in those mechs I'll be impressed," A fourth picks up. "Sure, they were effective on the ground, but space is big and we're fast. Not much to do about it, I'd think, but good luck."
"That's just what the tankers said back in the day. 'Oh, those are nice but you'll never beat a Baserunner. The Desert's big and you need something that can actually get to where you're fighting, and that won't get shelled by the whole army.' Look where that got them!" You deliberately bite into the one of cubes. Not that bad actually, if a bit like gelatinous bread.
"'Back in the day'? Why, the war was over 20 years before I was born, and I can tell you..."
The hangar bay again impresses you with its size. Through the shuttle window it had seemed pretty big, but now, standing in it, it's awe-inspiring. Just the sidebay holding the five Koiya is maybe 25 metres high and a good bit wider, and extends far enough you can see the walls start to converge. Opposite the main bay from you, a Resource Collector stands with its side laid open, spacesuited figures barely distinguishable from where you stand. You're on a catwalk two-thirds of the way to the ceiling, and under you stands a gun rack with pistols the size of small artillery pieces, and even larger rifles, all built for shooters who can wield them easily.
It's those that are the main focus of the room, of course. Eight huge gantries hold stand along the walls, restraining arms and cranes surrounding the bulks that fill several. Shaped more or less like humans, though with a lot more angles and metal, they stand 20 metres high, more if you count the fins extending from their backs. You're looking at yours, distinguished by the number "15" imprinted over the winged planet on its chest, and the green-and-white trim.
By the time you reach it, the space modifications have become fairly obvious. The rocket boosters strapped to the legs during the original space trials have been replaced with big boxy pods, the sunken lines of fusion drives showing on the backs. Huge hoses connect those to a protruding backpack wrapped in warning stripes and vents, and two new radiators stick out inside the pair of shoulder fins. The arms have thruster pods at the wrists, as well, and the various missile pods that had once been mounted all across its frame are gone. The single 'eye', a chevron extending across most of the face, now shines with a gold finish where once it seemed to absorb all light, and the simple claw in the place of the left hand is replaced with a much larger, four-fingered one.
Before you can examine it more closely, a man approaches you. "Asyia S'Jet?"
"That's me."
"Good, nice to meet you. I'm the engineer-in-charge of this unit; if there's anything you need, I'll be in charge of it - the others do work on all of them." He turns to face the Koiya. "I guess you're here to inspect it before the exercise?"
"Yeah. It looks good, good work."
He beams. "Thanks! We've been working on it for weeks, but I gotta admit the assemblers it a lot easier than it used to be. We say 'Hey, we need this armor plate with these attatchments' and they have it to us by the next shift - back on Kharak we'd need to wait days or weeks for them to measure and cut everything and run up the factories. It's no wonder we only got 20 of them. Anyway, the biggest change is the boosters - they take plasma from the reactor and put it out like a full-size fusion drive, but without burning it right there. That doesn't mean you can just use them in the bay, though, it's still pretty hot."
"Those are fired by some new foot pedals we've added, and the smaller thrusters are just put on the thumb trunk of the control arm. That one might take some getting used to, but other than that the changes have been pretty intuitive." Pretty intuitive? Has someone already flown?
"I notice you said reactor." You point up at the yellow 'backpack'. "I assume that's it?"
"Yes, same kind of fusion plant that goes on our shuttles. That pack's got it, the fuel tanks, and some more coolant systems on there; it's heavier than the old radio one, but should be a little safer and does let you run those engines. There'a some reactor controls on the right by your shoulder; I'll show you once you're in the cockpit. We've made some other changes, a lot of comms and sensors, but that won't matter so much for the exercise."
You nod. "How much fuel does it have? I know the fighters can only last a few minutes in combat, and that wouldn't seem good."
"Well, there's not much we can do about that - you've got less engine burn time even than that, but unless you use the boosters it'll last a good long time. Hours if you just do the AT flying thing."
"Well, that's good. Those big new rifles are ours?"
"Yeah. They're basically an Interceptor gun with the drive and loading mechanisms behind them instead of in the middle, should fire fast enough to hit things even in space. It holds 3000 slugs, which is over a minute of continuous fire - that's actually more than the fighters have - and should be nearly as accurate as their guns. The only problem is recoil - we have no idea what happens when you fire one from an off-center point; we assume the AT field should affect it, but don't know how."
"Uh, great..."
As the airlock seals behind you, you finally relax. That man sure seems to know his work, but damn does he like to talk, following the control technician in to explain details of the new instrumentation. Strapping into the seat, you check the hand controls - everything seems pretty much normal. It's good to be back in the cockpit, even if you're about to fly a wargame in space for only the second time in an unfamiliar machine. You move yout left arm experimentally - nothing happens. Good, the anasthetic has set in - you reach across with your right and flip the neural link on. There's a stabbing pain in your arm, moment of blindness and disorientation while the system calibrates, but you're expecting it now, and within seconds everything's back to normal.
Well, more or less. After so long, it's hard to track anything visually or balance, but hopefully that'll pass soon. You flex your left arm, and the Koiya arches its back, pulling against the gantry locks. "This is Pilot Asyia, neural links established. Ready for final startup sequence."
"Copy that, everything looks good on our end. Beginning startup sequence." Behind you there's a humming as huge pumps start drawing in fuel, coolant, and whatever else goes through all those hoses. You look around, seeing the other pilots' units in similar states; as you wait, the gantries unfold from around Arahin's Koiya, and he takes a clumsy step forwards.
The Commander's voice comes in over the radio. "Everyone, get ready to launch. You'll be fighting in pairs; Arahin and Bez, Asyia and Haim for now. Launch as soon as you're ready, to get some time to adapt to the space controls. Good luck, everyone." You steel yourself as your gantries raise; it's hard not to be nervous, but there's really nothing to worry about. After all, modesty aside, you weren't chosen for no reason! All the pilots on the Mothership were some of the best on the planet, and there's no way you're losing to a bunch of cocky fighter pilots.
Obviously they didn't select anyone who's bad at any aspect of piloting, but people do have different strengths. What's yours?
[ ] Syncing ability. You find it easier than others to control a whole humanoid body with just an arm and a hand, and can move with unusual speed and precision.
[ ] Fighting skill. You're very good at aiming, reactions, all those things that go into making the Koiyas effective war machines rather than big bulky targets.
[ ] Technical knowledge. You've learned how the Koiya's control systems and implants work, and how to make them work. You also know more about the machine itself than most people, including some things that would be considered secret.
[ ] Tactical Genius. You can think and judge situations quickly, skills both useful in combat and outside it. [also allows write-ins in some situations they would otherwise not be available]
[X] Hey, is that a bunch of fighter pilots over there?
You haven't eaten since before the shuttle ride over; while you're here, you may as well pick something up before checking out the Koiyas. "I'm gonna get some food while we're here; anyone want to join me?"
Arahim stands. "I could use a good meal. You all coming?"
Bez goes along, but Haim doesn't - he's been up for nearly a day now because of the differing schedules, and wants to get a bit of sleep before flying. The other three of you go get some some food - it seems to be tan rubbery cubes and boiled vegtables, though it actually smells pretty good - and move to a table. As you go, though, you notice a group of people in flightsuits sitting at a nearby table. "Hey, is that a bunch of fighter pilots pver there?"
"Why, I do think it is." Bez turns and takes a seat by them, you and Arahin following. She breaks the sudden silence - "How're you all doing?"
"Pretty good." A big, older man answers. "I guess you guys are pilots?"
"Yeah - we're actually flying against you later." Arahin raises an eyebrow at her, and she points to their patch - a sword with wings. You haven't seen it, but since there's only one fighter squadron it's not too hard to guess who they are.
"Oh, so you're the Koiya-suul pilots?"
All of you nod, and a young man with the squadron-leader insignia speaks up. "Well, let's hope it's a good match. I'll be interested to see how those things do in - "
"Hah! We'll kick your asses!" He's interrupted by a young woman who seems to have painted red stripes on her suit. "Who do you think we are?" There's some headshaking from her comrades, but some agreement as well.
"Seriously, though, if you can win in those mechs I'll be impressed," A fourth picks up. "Sure, they were effective on the ground, but space is big and we're fast. Not much to do about it, I'd think, but good luck."
"That's just what the tankers said back in the day. 'Oh, those are nice but you'll never beat a Baserunner. The Desert's big and you need something that can actually get to where you're fighting, and that won't get shelled by the whole army.' Look where that got them!" You deliberately bite into the one of cubes. Not that bad actually, if a bit like gelatinous bread.
"'Back in the day'? Why, the war was over 20 years before I was born, and I can tell you..."
--------------------
The hangar bay again impresses you with its size. Through the shuttle window it had seemed pretty big, but now, standing in it, it's awe-inspiring. Just the sidebay holding the five Koiya is maybe 25 metres high and a good bit wider, and extends far enough you can see the walls start to converge. Opposite the main bay from you, a Resource Collector stands with its side laid open, spacesuited figures barely distinguishable from where you stand. You're on a catwalk two-thirds of the way to the ceiling, and under you stands a gun rack with pistols the size of small artillery pieces, and even larger rifles, all built for shooters who can wield them easily.
It's those that are the main focus of the room, of course. Eight huge gantries hold stand along the walls, restraining arms and cranes surrounding the bulks that fill several. Shaped more or less like humans, though with a lot more angles and metal, they stand 20 metres high, more if you count the fins extending from their backs. You're looking at yours, distinguished by the number "15" imprinted over the winged planet on its chest, and the green-and-white trim.
By the time you reach it, the space modifications have become fairly obvious. The rocket boosters strapped to the legs during the original space trials have been replaced with big boxy pods, the sunken lines of fusion drives showing on the backs. Huge hoses connect those to a protruding backpack wrapped in warning stripes and vents, and two new radiators stick out inside the pair of shoulder fins. The arms have thruster pods at the wrists, as well, and the various missile pods that had once been mounted all across its frame are gone. The single 'eye', a chevron extending across most of the face, now shines with a gold finish where once it seemed to absorb all light, and the simple claw in the place of the left hand is replaced with a much larger, four-fingered one.
Before you can examine it more closely, a man approaches you. "Asyia S'Jet?"
"That's me."
"Good, nice to meet you. I'm the engineer-in-charge of this unit; if there's anything you need, I'll be in charge of it - the others do work on all of them." He turns to face the Koiya. "I guess you're here to inspect it before the exercise?"
"Yeah. It looks good, good work."
He beams. "Thanks! We've been working on it for weeks, but I gotta admit the assemblers it a lot easier than it used to be. We say 'Hey, we need this armor plate with these attatchments' and they have it to us by the next shift - back on Kharak we'd need to wait days or weeks for them to measure and cut everything and run up the factories. It's no wonder we only got 20 of them. Anyway, the biggest change is the boosters - they take plasma from the reactor and put it out like a full-size fusion drive, but without burning it right there. That doesn't mean you can just use them in the bay, though, it's still pretty hot."
"Those are fired by some new foot pedals we've added, and the smaller thrusters are just put on the thumb trunk of the control arm. That one might take some getting used to, but other than that the changes have been pretty intuitive." Pretty intuitive? Has someone already flown?
"I notice you said reactor." You point up at the yellow 'backpack'. "I assume that's it?"
"Yes, same kind of fusion plant that goes on our shuttles. That pack's got it, the fuel tanks, and some more coolant systems on there; it's heavier than the old radio one, but should be a little safer and does let you run those engines. There'a some reactor controls on the right by your shoulder; I'll show you once you're in the cockpit. We've made some other changes, a lot of comms and sensors, but that won't matter so much for the exercise."
You nod. "How much fuel does it have? I know the fighters can only last a few minutes in combat, and that wouldn't seem good."
"Well, there's not much we can do about that - you've got less engine burn time even than that, but unless you use the boosters it'll last a good long time. Hours if you just do the AT flying thing."
"Well, that's good. Those big new rifles are ours?"
"Yeah. They're basically an Interceptor gun with the drive and loading mechanisms behind them instead of in the middle, should fire fast enough to hit things even in space. It holds 3000 slugs, which is over a minute of continuous fire - that's actually more than the fighters have - and should be nearly as accurate as their guns. The only problem is recoil - we have no idea what happens when you fire one from an off-center point; we assume the AT field should affect it, but don't know how."
"Uh, great..."
--------------------
As the airlock seals behind you, you finally relax. That man sure seems to know his work, but damn does he like to talk, following the control technician in to explain details of the new instrumentation. Strapping into the seat, you check the hand controls - everything seems pretty much normal. It's good to be back in the cockpit, even if you're about to fly a wargame in space for only the second time in an unfamiliar machine. You move yout left arm experimentally - nothing happens. Good, the anasthetic has set in - you reach across with your right and flip the neural link on. There's a stabbing pain in your arm, moment of blindness and disorientation while the system calibrates, but you're expecting it now, and within seconds everything's back to normal.
Well, more or less. After so long, it's hard to track anything visually or balance, but hopefully that'll pass soon. You flex your left arm, and the Koiya arches its back, pulling against the gantry locks. "This is Pilot Asyia, neural links established. Ready for final startup sequence."
"Copy that, everything looks good on our end. Beginning startup sequence." Behind you there's a humming as huge pumps start drawing in fuel, coolant, and whatever else goes through all those hoses. You look around, seeing the other pilots' units in similar states; as you wait, the gantries unfold from around Arahin's Koiya, and he takes a clumsy step forwards.
The Commander's voice comes in over the radio. "Everyone, get ready to launch. You'll be fighting in pairs; Arahin and Bez, Asyia and Haim for now. Launch as soon as you're ready, to get some time to adapt to the space controls. Good luck, everyone." You steel yourself as your gantries raise; it's hard not to be nervous, but there's really nothing to worry about. After all, modesty aside, you weren't chosen for no reason! All the pilots on the Mothership were some of the best on the planet, and there's no way you're losing to a bunch of cocky fighter pilots.
Obviously they didn't select anyone who's bad at any aspect of piloting, but people do have different strengths. What's yours?
[ ] Syncing ability. You find it easier than others to control a whole humanoid body with just an arm and a hand, and can move with unusual speed and precision.
[ ] Fighting skill. You're very good at aiming, reactions, all those things that go into making the Koiyas effective war machines rather than big bulky targets.
[ ] Technical knowledge. You've learned how the Koiya's control systems and implants work, and how to make them work. You also know more about the machine itself than most people, including some things that would be considered secret.
[ ] Tactical Genius. You can think and judge situations quickly, skills both useful in combat and outside it. [also allows write-ins in some situations they would otherwise not be available]
- Location
- Third planet from the star named Sol
- Pronouns
- He/They
[X] Tactical Genius. You can think and judge situations quickly, skills both useful in combat and outside it. [also allows write-ins in some situations they would otherwise not be available]
Ginger Maniac
Subject to Gravity
- Location
- Old Blighty
[-] Technical Knowledge.
Knowing exactly how far we can push our equipment is very useful, as is knowing the bits we probably shouldn't but might provide an edge when we really need one.
Knowing exactly how far we can push our equipment is very useful, as is knowing the bits we probably shouldn't but might provide an edge when we really need one.
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Ginger Maniac
Subject to Gravity
- Location
- Old Blighty
Well, looks like once again I'm going to have to change my vote in order to tiebreak.
[x] Syncing Ability.
Because focused legbreakers are fewer and farther between than generalist commander types when it comes to quest protagonists. Also, being team beatstick is fun.
[x] Syncing Ability.
Because focused legbreakers are fewer and farther between than generalist commander types when it comes to quest protagonists. Also, being team beatstick is fun.
Kharak Orbit - Wargames
- Pronouns
- He/They
You take a step forwards, thrown off by the Koiya's unfamiliar balance, but manage to balance smoothly. You spin to the side, testing the balance - this time almost falling. The weight shifted off the back and to the ends of the limbs makes it a lot easier to overcompensate, and you figure that even with practice it would be awkward to move planetside - luckily, that shouldn't be a problem. You clip a pistol to your side and heft one of the big rifles. It's heavier than any weapon you had used on Kharak, possibly than any used at all on Kharak, but you should be able to handle it fairly easily. Well, as long as the recoil isn't too bad.
Bez steps from her gantry, not managing to make it without staggering; Haim, learning from her mistake, takes a very small step pretty gracefully. After a minute or two of much complaining, though, everyone's managed to get the balance down, well enough for Arahin and Bez to take running leaps out into the main bay, and start guiding themselves out towards space. Haim looks over at you. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah." You take a running start and jump, passing through the forcefield enclosing the subhangar and out into the main bay. Not bothering with thrusters in the enclosed space, you expand an AT field in front of you and just fall into it, curving gradually towards the hangar bay door. Haim boosts past you, engines leaving blue trails across your screens, but stops soon enough as he tries to turn to the exit.
By the time you've reached the "door", a huge hole in the ship easily a kilometre long, everyone's gotten enough of a hang of manuvering to get out pretty easily. After some booster practice - they're easy enough to use to fly forwards, but turning precisely seems to be another story - you decide to test the rifle. You haven't actually fired one before, but it can't be that hard, right? You stop it on your shoulder, contract an AT field behind you, and fire. Well, it sort of works - you aren't knocked back much, but you are spun nearly around before you can counter with thrusters.
Arahin tries to fire down, bracing on his knee, and it works but very clumsily. By the the rifles are figured out - firing from the hip seems to actually be the most stable method - it's nearly time to begin the exercise. The five interceptors sweep out of the hangar bay, lining up in the distance. Your squad waits across from them, ready for action.
When the start order comes, the interceptor squadron immediately splits, each fighter going a different way. You fire your boosters, speeding towards them alongside your comrades. Haim curves off, away from the other team, and you follow. He whistles. "Those are pretty fast - if someone's alone, they'll be able to single us out. Let's stick together."
[ ] Charge! Why bother with that when we can single them out? Get in close and one of us can take on one of them easy.
[ ] Attack. Sure, that makes sense. Let's move in, watch each other's backs while we try to catch one of them out.
[ ] Defend. Good idea - we've got guns for a reason, may as well use them at a range where we have the advantage.
[ ] Support. That's right - in fact, if we stick close to the other team there's not much they can do against all of us together.
Bez steps from her gantry, not managing to make it without staggering; Haim, learning from her mistake, takes a very small step pretty gracefully. After a minute or two of much complaining, though, everyone's managed to get the balance down, well enough for Arahin and Bez to take running leaps out into the main bay, and start guiding themselves out towards space. Haim looks over at you. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah." You take a running start and jump, passing through the forcefield enclosing the subhangar and out into the main bay. Not bothering with thrusters in the enclosed space, you expand an AT field in front of you and just fall into it, curving gradually towards the hangar bay door. Haim boosts past you, engines leaving blue trails across your screens, but stops soon enough as he tries to turn to the exit.
By the time you've reached the "door", a huge hole in the ship easily a kilometre long, everyone's gotten enough of a hang of manuvering to get out pretty easily. After some booster practice - they're easy enough to use to fly forwards, but turning precisely seems to be another story - you decide to test the rifle. You haven't actually fired one before, but it can't be that hard, right? You stop it on your shoulder, contract an AT field behind you, and fire. Well, it sort of works - you aren't knocked back much, but you are spun nearly around before you can counter with thrusters.
Arahin tries to fire down, bracing on his knee, and it works but very clumsily. By the the rifles are figured out - firing from the hip seems to actually be the most stable method - it's nearly time to begin the exercise. The five interceptors sweep out of the hangar bay, lining up in the distance. Your squad waits across from them, ready for action.
When the start order comes, the interceptor squadron immediately splits, each fighter going a different way. You fire your boosters, speeding towards them alongside your comrades. Haim curves off, away from the other team, and you follow. He whistles. "Those are pretty fast - if someone's alone, they'll be able to single us out. Let's stick together."
[ ] Charge! Why bother with that when we can single them out? Get in close and one of us can take on one of them easy.
[ ] Attack. Sure, that makes sense. Let's move in, watch each other's backs while we try to catch one of them out.
[ ] Defend. Good idea - we've got guns for a reason, may as well use them at a range where we have the advantage.
[ ] Support. That's right - in fact, if we stick close to the other team there's not much they can do against all of us together.
- Location
- Third planet from the star named Sol
- Pronouns
- He/They
[X] Support. That's right - in fact, if we stick close to the other team there's not much they can do against all of us together.
Ginger Maniac
Subject to Gravity
- Location
- Old Blighty
[x] Attack.
Go on the offensive, take advantage of our superior piloting ability, and give the chair force a good kicking.
Go on the offensive, take advantage of our superior piloting ability, and give the chair force a good kicking.