Compiled information on the mech and weapons of the blood bath king vote for easy reading. Frankly I really like this build as lean fast machine ready for conflict at all ranges, and find optional write in excellent. I'd much rather be Merc fighting for the thrill of it than more common reasons like freedom or money.
The mech build I was going for was something that could use its speed and agility advantage to consistently pressure targets at midrange, not letting any melee builds get close, long range builds create distance, and being good enough of a dogfighter to try and outmatch anything else that wants to fight in that range, until they make a mistake at which point it could dart in for a fast missile strike.
The cruise missiles were then put on to make sure it had something to strike with at long range if it couldn't close for whatever reason. I picked the pilebunker mostly because I thought it was cool, but also because I figured it'd be our best chance for ending a fight in a single blow if we ever closed for a melee strike. While I'm pretty confident in the Skyshredder's ability to reach melee range with it's speed and agility, I'm less confident in it's ability to survive an extended sword fight, so I'm expecting the pilebunker to be used more as a high damage finishing blow with openings forced by the micromissiles and 36mm.
Scheduled vote count started by BOTcommander on Dec 1, 2023 at 2:32 PM, finished with 26 posts and 22 votes.
[X] Plan: the old man
- [x] Viggo Brown
- [x] Old time
- [x] Old Earth
- [x] Freedom
- [x] An old grizzled veteran
- [x] Aeurobus EF-2 "Tempest"
- [x] 36mm Electro-magnetically-assisted Autocannon Rifle (H)
- [x] 120mm EMA Smoothbore Cannon Rifle (S)
- [x] Long Range Missiles Pods (S)
- [x] Pilebunker (H)
I know the theme is "this guys old", but it'd be weird to have started out with that callsign. How about Saurus (from dinosaur), which both is something a younger merc mightve called himself and is thematically old.
I know the theme is "this guys old", but it'd be weird to have started out with that callsign. How about Saurus (from dinosaur), which both is something a younger merc mightve called himself and is thematically old.
[X] Plan: the old man
- [x] Viggo Brown
- [x] Old time Saurus
- [x] Old Earth
- [x] Freedom
- [x] An old grizzled veteran
- [x] Aeurobus EF-2 "Tempest"
- [x] 36mm Electro-magnetically-assisted Autocannon Rifle (H)
- [x] 120mm EMA Smoothbore Cannon Rifle (S)
- [x] Long Range Missiles Pods (S)
- [x] Pilebunker (H)
Character Creation Part 0.2
The yearning for freedom propelled many to abandon Old Earth in the wake of the Exodus, a fervent desire to liberate themselves from the entrenched powers of the Sol systems. The cradle of humanity had long been sliced into portions, providing no space where one could settle down without the intrusive impositions of nation-states. Mars, the Belter Coalition, once composed of pioneers and freedom-seekers from the void, along with the Jupitarians and Saturnines, eventually just became like the ancient UN on Earth and Luna. Laws were enacted, rules were set, bureaucracies were established, and state apparatus emerged to govern and administer the people. Taxes were levied, and standing militaries and police forces were erected, gradually stifling the very freedom that had driven their ancestors.
This cycle has persisted since the earliest days of interstellar colonization. Those yearning to escape the regulations of the core migrated to the fringes of civilized space, establishing communities beyond the reach of core powers and megacorporations. While such havens often endure for a few generations, the weight of economic interests, ideology, and identity inevitably conspires to suppress this hard-fought freedom.
Yet, like an indomitable phoenix, freedom resurfaces perpetually. In spirit, independent, non-corporate mercenary outfits serve as its guardians. Having tasted the freedom that accompanies wealth, fame, and the skill to fend off enforcers of nation-states, few can willingly relinquish it. This trade allows those possessing the requisite skills to earn a livelihood outside of state-sanctioned violence, fighting not for any side but for themselves, fighting for a chance to break free from the shackles of their past.
You are one such mercenary.
Surviving in this perilous profession is a feat, considering its high attrition rates. Many either choose to retire, amassing sufficient credits and gold to settle down, or meet their end at the hands of a more skilled pilot.
You have no attention to ever let that happen.
The mech bays are quiet at this time in the ship's cycle, only a skeleton crew working on your aerospace MechS and those of your wingmen, welding sparks fly and industrial tools whirr and howl, but you don't mind. The feet of your Aeurobus EF-2 "Tempest" a good place as any enjoy some peace and quiet and an empty autocannon magazine as good a chair as any other.
Space is a bit in short supply on the Nest, a small, repurposed freighter turned mech carrier. The mech bay is cramped and you think the techs would probably prefer you stay out of it while they work, but you like looking at your new purchase.
Got it for a good-price on the second-hand market, your newest ride after a run-in with corporal enforcers. On mech-scale gantries left and right are your signature weapons. On the left, a Sturm 36mm EMA rifle, firing high-velocity armor-piercing rounds propelled by good, old black powder given an extra kick by coils in the barrel. Reliable, deadly, and not as expensive as that particle or railgun bullshit CSTAF likes running around with. On the right, an oulum pile bunker, a devastating, wrist mounted melee weapon, capable of piercing even an armored cockpit in a single blow
You grin and kick up your feet.
Viggo Brown, born on Old Earth in 1495 at the edge of the north american exclusion zone on the eastern seaboard's atlantic expansion, was never one for rules and you never changed. By now you have been to a lot of places, fought in most of them, and remain unimpressed. Democracies, monarchies, corpo-states, socialist regimes are all the same to you, loathing your existence as a mercenary yet paying for your services nevertheless.
Soon you'll be twenty years in this trade. It makes you smile, lets you scratch the stubble, thinking back to all the good times you had. Maybe your outfit is gonna throw a party for you, scrunge up a cake somewhere, or maybe you should even host one yourself. The boss thinks soon there will be good money to be made in Segara Tentrem, enough to fund the anniversary party of a lifetime.
A particular incident comes to mind. You could barely call yourself more than a rookie in hindsight, fewer gray hairs, and wrinkles, but that charm of yours was as potent as it is now. The heir of the Aerolead consortium, a sweet thing she was, entangled in a web of expectations. She yearned for the freedom she glimpsed in your world. So, she made her escape, running away with you, her supposed knight in shining armor, cutting through her security like a hot knife through butter. Three months of paradise on some cushy planet, all at daddy's expense.
It could hardly last, but few things do.
It put quite a few amounts of crimes to the charges levied against you. Her father must have been furious, using all the connections Aerolead had to try and get you for everything that might look like a crime with the right perspective. Kidnapping, 'sexual assault', indecent exposure, breach of common decency, false imprisonment, credit card fraud, illegal ransom, murder of retrieval teams, forced indoctrination, stolen property, breach of visa terms and a fine for failing to return the jetski to the rental place on time
Just more to add to your list of accomplishments. You pause, wondering. Last you heard the old man finally kicked the bucket, maybe you should give her a call, set you up with some top notch CTSAF equipment for old times sake.
Assassination, arms trafficking, sabotage, espionage, kidnapping, mining without a license, extortion, racketeering, smuggling, mercenary activities, sale and purchase of restricted goods, tax evasion, assault, battery, forgery of government documents, identity theft, real estate theft, use of harmful programs, terrorism, unlawful genetic modification of an organism, use of a biological weapon, use of a chemical weapon, membership of a criminal organization, murder, blackmail, parking in a load/unload zone, intellectual property theft, impersonating a military official, illegally accessing restricted communication channels, lèse majesté.
Some of these are true, others blown way out of proportion.
Except for tax evasion. You'll never pay taxes.
The mercenary Saurus has surely gotten around, but you are not alone, are you? You have wingmen, a support team, a boss. (As usual, you can add more context yourself, if not, I'll make it up.)
Who are your wingmen? (Vote for three)
[]Former Rich Kid
[]Ex CSTAF Soldier
[]Estranged Ace Pilot
[]Hotshoot Rookie
[]Mysteroius Outlaw
[]Lone Wolf Sniper
[]Reformed Pirate
[]Mystic Warrior
[]Renegade Princess
[]Displaced Colonist
Who stands out among your support team? (Vote for two. You will people to fill all of these roles regardless of what you choose)
[]Cute Chief Mechanic
[]Witty Comms Officer
[]Jaded Doctor
[]Resourceful Quartermaster
[]Parental Cook
[]Adrenaline Junkie Ship Pilot
Who is your boss? (Vote for one)
[]Merc Legend
[]Ruthless Handler
[]Stressed Bean Counter
[]Charismatic Entrepreneur
[]Mysterious Femme Fatale
Now, lastly, what is the name of your outfit?
[]Write-in (Subject to QM Veto)
Not a planvote. Comments and feedback sustain my soul.
[X]Estranged Ace Pilot, a old rival who you know for ages.
[X]Mystic Warrior, old lover who you have know for ages.
[X]Renegade Princess, kid you happed to save and take in.
[X]Witty Comms Officer
[X]Resourceful Quartermaster
[X]Mysterious Femme Fatale
[X] Hounds of War (Subject to QM Veto)
[X] Estranged Ace Pilot, your daughter from your ex who recently signed up with you after pulling a you. See below for context.
[X] Renegade Princess, fell in love with your estranged kid and ran away to be with her. Family doesn't approve.
[X] Hotshoot Rookie, your other daughter from one-night stand who seeks to follow in her old man's footsteps to point of taking he callsign 'Dino'.
[X] Cute Chief Mechanic, another young lass who thankfully isn't your kid or dating one of them. A shame she is a bit too young for you because she is cute.
[X] Resourceful Quartermaster, your best friend in the unit who gets you what you need so long as you don't ask questions.
[X] Charismatic Entrepreneur, the arsehole hired both of your kids and make them your wingmen. Family-oriented squadron is good for marketing your arse.
[X] Supernova Military Solutions
[X]Estranged Ace Pilot, a old rival who you know for ages.
[X]Mystic Warrior, old lover who you have know for ages.
[X]Renegade Princess, kid you happed to save and take in.
[X]Witty Comms Officer
[X]Resourceful Quartermaster
[X]Mysterious Femme Fatale
[X] Hounds of War (Subject to QM Veto)
[X]Mysteroius Outlaw
[X]Lone Wolf Sniper
[X]Mystic Warrior
[X]Jaded Doctor
[X]Resourceful Quartermaster
[X]Stressed Bean Counter
Picking all three slightly mysterious wingmen, the 22 duo, and the counter becase they sound less impressive then the other bosses.
[X] Estranged Ace Pilot, your daughter from your ex who recently signed up with you after pulling a you. See below for context.
[X] Renegade Princess, fell in love with your estranged kid and ran away to be with her. Family doesn't approve.
[X] Hotshoot Rookie, your other daughter from one-night stand who seeks to follow in her old man's footsteps to point of taking he callsign 'Dino'.
[X] Cute Chief Mechanic, another young lass who thankfully isn't your kid or dating one of them. A shame she is a bit too young for you because she is cute.
[X] Resourceful Quartermaster, your best friend in the unit who gets you what you need so long as you don't ask questions.
[X] Charismatic Entrepreneur, the arsehole hired both of your kids and make them your wingmen. Family-oriented squadron is good for marketing your arse.
[X] Supernova Military Solutions
Assassinating the Senator of Ithor, sabotage resulting in the destruction of the ecosystem of Vo... it just keeps going. Half of this stuff we didn't even do!
