"Sam here! It's been a hot minute since I've done these short briefings, but that's just how the self-assembling nano-particulate de-constructor paradoxes itself out of a metaphor. Let's get back to it!
"First off, let's start with the good news, test subjects: your minds are perfectly fine. You both ratcheted up the Psychic Theater Link a little more intensely than I thought you were going to, but as I'm finding, the kaiju involved had a bit more bite to them. Bite, heh. But aside from the fact that you're a little more multilingual and have a weird habit of anticipating each other's thoughts a little better than married couples do, I'd chalk this up as a net positive for you both honestly! Well done!
"Now, the awkward part: having gone over your notes about how Perseus was exhibiting far more independent and anticipatory movements than expected, we ran a battery of tests on it. Data log review, input from the engineers, even a simulated Rorschach test or five. It's not responding to any of it, but I can tell you one thing based off of your testimonies and our own tests: we're pretty sure Perseus is developing some kind of low level sentience.
"Unfortunately, I have no idea why. I also can't tell you how far along it's developed. We're far beyond the point of chalking it up to quirky programming when you tell me your Super Robot independently decided to emulate the same namesake statue by Benvenuto Cellini. Try saying that five times in a row without coffee.
"Until we find out more, we'll continue more testing. This is Sam Carlson, we're done here."
Perseus pilots are not at risk of mental degradation. However, Perseus's growing independence remains inexplicable.
ESP Materials Augmentation
"Good morning, everyone! This is Katarina, and I have some great news to share with you all!
"And please, don't mind Ivanna over there. We, ah, might have kind of sort of maybe slightly broken a tangible law of physics, but I'm sure it'll be fine! Heheh...I think at least...
"So, I will preface this with some limitations and to set expectations - we're still very much in the theoretical side of things. Originally, Dr. Carlson and Ivanna were determining if ESP waves conducted through the Man-Machine Interfaces could fundamentally alter physical materials, with the primary focal point being K-Class and all other mundane materials serving as secondaries. Further research has concluded that while mundanes cannot be altered at this time, K-Class Materials...kind of can.
"I emphasize 'kind of' very strongly for one reason. The changes are not permanent, and if done incorrectly could lead to destabilization of K-Class augmented materials.
"But what this does mean is that K-Class can be altered slightly to facilitate a certain effect very temporarily. We have found that with enough ESP waves directed into, say, a weapon such as the Arc Blade, one can render it to be more conductive than it already was. The same applies for making things more flammable, but this unfortunately does not come so far with a matching durability to being set on fire.
"And...I think that's it for now. Especially since Ivanna is about to reboot out of frustration, so I should reallytakecareofthatokaytalktoyoualllaterIvannaholdonasecond-!"
New insights into temporary phenomena on the interplay between K-Class and ESP waves directed by MMI.
New options for ESP Theory available next turn.
Improved Dispersion Field Projection
Meanwhile, in somewhat more sane conditions, Zulu has continued tinkering with the Dispersion Field Projector prototypes. Having spent a good deal of his online time tinkering with Bandit's equipment while onboard the Belligerent as a means of survival and appearing useful, he's actually rather familiar with the equipment - far more so than Bandit ever was. It also unfortunately didn't come with an actual instruction manual - Bandit had, by Zulu's recollection, stolen it from a scientist called Aftershock back on Mekaen, and even then it was mostly notes for a potential patent equivalent. So not even the original inventor was 100% sure where he was trying to take the idea.
The advantages to Dispersion Fields are clearcut - they are basically science fiction force fields that can block kinetic and energy strikes, and possibly detonate warheads earlier than intended. This comes with two problems, however:
1) Actually powering the Dispersion Field. Even by the Free Brothers' standards, the Dispersion Field is notoriously energy inefficient. Max's earlier experimentation infamously drew so much power that it actually was starting to bite into the budget in the early days when you had to worry about resource constraints. Both Max and Zulu are still not entirely sure how Bandit was making it work - Zulu is pretty sure he just carried around a battery pack or something, but he was never made privy to that.
2) Actually maintaining the Dispersion Field. Even Bandit's models are inconsistent in activating or staying online. Zulu's determined that it has something to do with the Dispersion Field itself - it is incredibly powerful, but such an effect can only materialize into reality for a brief amount of time in a coherent form.
Current prototypes that can actually be used come in the form of 'riot shields' mounted onto Phalanx-type models, though any Super Robot could mount it onto their forearms. But even then, those models don't just rely on the Dispersion Field for the very reasons mentioned earlier - inherent unreliability. So they still unfold into material shields, with the Dispersion augmenting it.
Zulu's current workaround is to collapse the Dispersion Field into small charges. Packed with enough power and energy for a one-time 'cloud' of Dispersion Field, in theory it will serve as a smoke grenade that also just happens to block incoming energy and kinetic attacks for maybe up to one second (with wildly different extremes shown during testing). Still horribly inefficient, but also at least much more predictable.
Dispersion Charges developed. Can be equipped with any Super Robot or certain Support Units.
Further insights into Dispersion Field technologies now in reach. New options available next turn.
Energy Blaster w/Faedium and Production
You are rapidly coming to the realization that whoever had ignored or blacklisted Mary's Faedium research was heavily sleeping on something revolutionary. The Engineers are already singing its praises openly and have even come up with a prototype engine based around it with promising results. So naturally you were going to wonder how well it applied to weapons technology.
Given Zulu's uncharacteristic difficulty around Kausen energy blasters and reworking the internals and the ergonomics behind it, Mary decided to join in and see what they could come up with. That, and she was naturally curious about the Kausen, especially after learning that they were just as divided as mankind currently seemed to be.
It quickly becomes apparent to Mary that the current generation of energy blasters created by the DFRI are 'brute forcing' an emulation of Kausen energy crystals. You don't understand the details despite - or because of - a rapid crash course given to you by Mary in the span of about five minutes, but the short of it is that conventional human understanding of material sciences are falling short of efficiently recreating the focusing crystals. Creating the energy to power the weapon is no problem - actually focusing it into coherent attacks is a problem. And even the Legion's workshops are making do with cannibalizing their own equipment or salvaging what they can from skirmishes with the Free Brothers, leading you and Mary to suspect there's some method to making them that just won't work on Earth.
So naturally her solution was her own pet project. And given how successful it has been so far, you give her the green light to try.
Growing and shaping Faedium crystals into the same geometric structures as the original weapons has proven rather interesting. Some attempts have concentrated it too much, leading it to drill a hole into the exact same ice cream delivery truck that the K-Horn experiments had by chance (sadly, there was no ice cream to salvage from this one). Others were not concentrating it enough, leading to a rather wide blast rather than the standard single shot. But according to Zulu, this is not something he would consider a failure. In fact, he was making a note of significant success, even if he was understating his satisfaction.
These are not ready for actual development yet, as Mary wants to find a way to standardize the crystal growths into templates for ease of future use. But this is far more successful than anticipated.
Especially since Galbinus found out about the experiments and is very keen to opening discussions about it. You suppose Mary is going to get that meeting with the Kausen sooner than she expected.
New development options for Energy Blasters available next turn!
Legio-Galbinus want to discuss this development with you. Liaison option open next turn.
Faedium Crystal Battery
Mary is also taking notes from the Faedium 'Block' engine - though she has grumbled quite a bit about the name, no matter how simple and straightforward it is. But regardless of names or aesthetic, she has focused her efforts on testing to scale and durability rather than seeing if it works - thanks to Wilde and Henry's prototype, she knows it works mostly in practice.
So instead, she decided to try creating smaller block 'batteries.' Having conceded the point on the name, Mary's cultivated smaller cubes that can fit into the palm of a Jackal and hooked them up to conventional power. She's doing this in isolated environments, mind - the problem with Faedium is that if it is overly taxed, the results do resemble that of a fragmentation bomb. She's just trying to see how quickly they charge, how long they retain the charge for, and how easily another energy source can siphon off the stored power.
In order: moderately quickly (no more than you would expect a conventional battery power unit), a fairly long time (there is some power seepage, but it appears to be negligible up to about a week before it starts degrading more dramatically), and remarkably easily (the hardest part was coming up with a 'port' to plug it into).
Mary is convinced she can go further with this line of thinking. Anything from energy blaster 'cartridges' to plug and play battery units. She just needs to work with the engineers to come up with an ideal template to build off of and make it all standard.
New Engineering option available for 'Faedium Block Refinement'
QM Note: Some of the research options haven't been fleshed out narratively. That's because either it's coming up in a Sam Carlson special or because of the Beowulf interlude. I'll begin work on that tomorrow!
Not feeling too great today, so to tide you all over, I'll be putting up a side story. And this time, I'll be putting in links in when these take place.
???, 26 November, A.D. 2072 <ERROR, LOCALE NOT RECOGNIZED>
Ozawa Harumi tapped her foot impatiently as the creature's descent into the oceans finally completed. Her constant taps echoed incongruously, the sound of faint metal clashing with that of squishier, repurposed flesh. Nevermind the fact that they were at depths that would have crushed the Titanic into a teensy-tiny ball of metal and broken dreams - Ozawa hated this part for how long it took. "If there were friggin' stairs, I would've taken them," she grumbled.
All she heard was a huff from the creature, as if it were telling her to knock off the backseat driving.
But even her annoyance with the travel time - comforting as it could be given it was something to be annoyed about - couldn't quite overcome a slight sense of dread that descended upon her. She had left the sanctum with three kaiju, a few hundred-ish of the expendables, and a well thought out, planned, and awesome dream. Now, she was just returning with herself - and a bit of brain matter embedded with computer parts.
Never make promises before you leave, she thought to herself glumly.
The kaiju carrying her chose that moment to open its maw, revealing the - Ozawa blinked. The kaiju had taken her straight to the Incubators. That doesn't happen normally. What happened to making everyone walk everywhere? Doubt compounded unpleasantly now with being thrown off of routine as she walked forward, barely even noticing the kaiju's snout snap shut and withdraw, the fleshy walls sealing behind it on its way out.
"So you return." The voice was raspy, yet projected easily across the massive room. Large, transparent and organic vats lined the chamber as various pieces of kaiju floated in amniotic fluids, with twitching, growing kaiju slowly expanding to fill in the void of space in their tanks. More of the weird-ass colors that the unaugmented human eye couldn't see filtered through what the doc insisted wasn't glass (Ozawa still called them windows - what else were you gonna call them?), casting light and shadow in writhing, maddening ways that would have sent an artist straight to the funny house right after winning a gallery prize.
And in the center of it all was Doctor Sheol. What had once been a relatively nice business suit had strewn out into tatters, with bits of woven together biomass extending out and draping around him. Yellow, almost-pupiless eyes framed by papery and green skin peered at Ozawa from beneath wild, wispy hair bleached to bone white. And those freaky shadows were casting all sorts of patterns across his face that Ozawa was decidedly not happy about staring at.
"Yeah." She scuffed the ground with her foot, procrastinating actually approaching the raised platform for just one more moment. But she forced herself upwards, wanting to avoid the judging glare of an old man who was probably going to gig her a bit more severely than 'your term paper was late.' "I'm back. And-"
"You failed."
Ozawa recoiled slightly. Those two words were spoken at almost a whisper - yet all around her, they echoed right back into her, from every possible angle around her it felt like. She knew it was coming - and yet she was still too shocked to try to deny it either. "Y-yeah, I did." Steeling herself, she stepped forward, and presented to the old man the remaining bit of Titanosaur still writhing in her hands. "I-I promised I was gonna tear it all to the ground, and I couldn't."
"Mercury-" The word came out as a venomous hiss, with almost enough strength to melt the console he was obsessing over, "-was deactivated and forced into repairs-"
"Mercury wasn't the only problem!" Sheol glanced back up at her with frightening speed, his eyes now fully focused on her. "L-look, just plug the damn thing in!" Crossing her arms, Ozawa felt a little bit of her confidence return to her. "I was on schedule, but something got in the way long enough for Mercury to come back online, alright? It would'veworked if-" Ozawa paused midrant as Sheol slammed the brain matter into the incubator pod with a loud squish. "Uh, gross-"
"Silence, child." Ozawa wisely decided to just cut her loss and stay quiet as the memories of the Titanosaur flicked past the holographic display. It appeared murky, as if someone had spilled oil all across the moving images-
-but the memories backed her up in this regard. "What. Is. This."
"The normies have a Super Robot." Ozawa's tone was as flat and annoyed as her mentor. The image of the broken and battered thing holding up one of the Egg's heads like a grisly trophy was frozen on display. The scene then reversed slightly, separating the image to the side as yet another visual appeared - the flying battleship and the transforming jet fighters, all fighting against the flying swarms, and still firing at the Titanosaur even as it was swatted down from the earth like a fly. Those three images remained hanging in the air, and the silence drew longer and longer. This time, Ozawa fidgeted, not wanting to draw attention by tapping her foot or anything. But she couldn't help but glance nervously at the old man, as -
Abruptly his hands on the controls lurched, and the image on the Super Robot magnified. Further, further, further still, zooming even past Mercury V's face as the bulky robot was getting to its feet from the Yukimura Institute wreckage. And it zoomed in on the open cracks. "...this…" Sheol hissed. The ambient lights twisted suddenly - and the multihued lights began to fade, as deep red slight began to crawl down along the walls slowly. "...that is kaiju flesh." The image zoomed in yet further, revealing the torn carapace link laying exposed beneath the cracks. "That is my work."
There it was. Ozawa had missed it earlier, but when the Titanosaur was smashing it into the ground, there had been giant cracks in it. And now that they weren't in the height of the moment, she could see it as clearly as he could - layers of what looked like kaiju skin, spread just beneath the metal surface as if it were chain mail. And despite how thoroughly smashed it was, the damned thing still got back up on its feet long enough to hit her with that damned cannon.
All at once, the pressure on Ozawa's shoulders were released - and Sheol simply nodded at her. "Despite your failure…you could not have accounted for this one, no." His voice, once raspy and bitter, was now calm. Eerily, flatly calm. "First, the robot they used in San Francisco...now this. The fruits of my labor, wrought from my hands...the likelihood that they were woven into both of them...tch." His frame began to tremble, a trail of what looked almost like blood seeping from his lip as his eyebrows twitched. "The Union laughed away my research, and the hypocrites now use it themselves!?"
"Yeah." Ozawa was looking at the thing even closer - in the heat of the moment she hadn't noticed. "It's like they just wanted to make their own Mercury or something, y'know? Not that it lasted that long or anything."
Sheol's eyebrow twitched - then his eyes grew thoughtful. "Their own 'Mercury,' you say," he said slowly. "Their own Mercury…" It was as if the old man was rolling the phrase around in his tongue.
Sheol leaned back, before a coughing, raspy sound began to wrack through his body as it heaved from the effort. At first, Ozawa thought the old man was having another of his moments - but then the sound just kept escalating, the coughing slowly growing more coherent. Growing into laughter. Mad, directed laughter that washed over all of the creatures, all of his domain in waves, and the creatures yet to be incubated seemed to twitch and spasm as if reacting to their master's state of mind.
"You, uh…" Ozawa raised a finger questioningly. "...you alright, boss?"
"Their own Mercuries!" Sheol's voice boomed, the clearest she'd ever heard since they did a runner from the Union's men. "That is the game they wish to play, do they!? Their own monsters to fight mine!?"
"Are you listening-?"
"They will learn!" Nope, he ain't listening. "They will curse the day they dared to try matching wits with me!" The images of Mercury and the other robot overlaid with one another as his fingers glided across the controls, already sequencing something new. "I will show them the work of the true master!" Strings of kaiju DNA began to flow across the screen, various spare body parts pulled from existing specimens and tentatively being flesh sculpted for his new purposes as spindly fingers glided across the keyboard. "My answer will grind them into the trenches! Beauty, savagery, and insult to injury!"
"I'll, uh, find out about them then," Ozawa said, even though her words clearly weren't getting to the man. "And, uh, just leave. Yeah? Cool?" All she heard back was maniacal laughter booming across the room as she slowly backpedaled. She gave a vague thumbs up, her thumb resembling more of a hooked claw than anything else at this stage in her augmentation. "Cool! I'll get right on it. Good talk, Doc."
Yet even as she left, the very implications of the doctor's new obsession sent a slight shiver down her spine. "Our own Mercury, huh." Ozawa Harumi mulled on that thought. "There was that one walking tank I saw…"
Slowly, her own grin began to cross her face. "Well, I'm sure I could find us a few specimens to get us started…"
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Science Report: Carlson Laboratories, Kaiju Biotechnology Study #4
"Sam Carlson here. We've got a doozy of a presentation for you, so listen up."
"So! Kaiju. Bane of our existence. The classic definition of giant monsters-"
<Various kaiju making landfall across different video clips impose themselves over the screen>
"-with all the collateral damage that it involves. Strong, tough, fast, regenerative in some cases. But not invincible."
<The video clips are all flipped over showing various kaiju decomposing from their acidic components. Most show a victorious Mercury V alight with the chill effects of Aeon Particles, and two from the Beowulf Timberwolf formation and the Perseus>
"We can and do make use of the kaiju's own biology against them. You all know K-Class Materials. Incredibly durable-"
<A video clip of the Timberwolf being stabbed by the Dragon plays, followed by the Timberwolf not particularly caring all that much>
"-flexible-"
<1LT Wilde and SFC Henry's early experiments showing the weaving of K-Scale Mesh over a Jackal's components displays>
"-and, most important and most marketable - adaptable."
<The various products that have resulted from K-Class reverse engineering scroll across the screen. The K-Suits. The very circuitry in the latest models of MMI. And the now ubiquitous layers of K-Scale Mesh that have become all but standard for Super Robots>
<And one image shows a particularly satisfied scientist with a fork and knife, and a plate full of oddly delicious-looking meat>
"Paul finally figured out how to make some of the less critical parts of it edible. Go figure. You might want to double check the mess halls later."
"But so far, we've basically been playing in a sandbox with very specific rules. As you all know, Samples Zero and One have particular temperaments. They do one thing and one thing well, and any derivatives from them had damned well better get with the program. Anything else we've designed from that is in spite of that. But the original kaiju scale Major Devin deep froze along with the Dragon's Horn has been the foundation for the Super Robot program."
"And now, we just had an entire suite of them fall into our laps. So let me and Ivanna get you up to speed."
<An image of the Olympic-class kaiju displays in the corner>
"Let's get the basic stuff out of the way first - this chubby boy's the biggest one on record so far. But thanks to Perseus and Mercury V, we were able to salvage a lot out of it. I'll start with what I like to call the Thunder Lung."
"Yes. Thunder Lung. It's my Biotechnology Lab, and I get to make the names. Don't like it, find another head scientist."
<The still image of the Olympic's spewing of lightning clashing with Mercury V's Chill Glare displays>
"Pretty straightforward, but the devil's in the details here. The Olympic's lungs generates static buildup that then gets focused through a secondary esophagus that links back to the maw. It needs time to 'breathe it in' before it can then focus it out into a shock stream. This is the first time we've seen any kaiju do something like this outside of the Crocalisks, so this is a pretty strong hint that it's not the last time we're going to see it."
"Next is the brain...and chief, I do not like what I'm seeing."
<The various brain matter floating in its own containment jar is laid side by side with a partial reconstruction graph with what Sam thinks the completed structure would look like>
"This sucker is producing ESP waves. Very, very different from human ESP, but working on a similar idea. Sort of like how two different saxophone players would compare - they learned differently, but they produce mostly the same sound. What this means for us - I have no clue. I have ideas, none of which I like, but I'm gonna need to see more before I can make a solid hypothesis. What this means is that we're fairly sure that this is how the Olympic-class was conducting command and control - literally bossing the others around with its mind. Now, the kaiju behavior didn't radically change until it arrived, so maximum range is probably taking effect here. More testing and more samples are needed."
"And before you think about it - I am not incorporating the brain into our designs. There's too much I don't know about to try literal brain surgery with K-Class, so don't bother asking."
"And on a more upbeat note, here's the real blue ribbon prize - the leg."
<The giant, reptilian leg of the Olympic is shown floating in its own vat, perfectly preserved and pored over by Sam's team>
"It's too early to get anything practical out of it yet, but I can promise you that this is going to make the Engineers very, very happy people. We now know how the internal muscles of at least one form of kaiju works. It's incredibly dense, full of multiple moving parts and requires a significant amount of blood flow to keep moving. At this stage of study I can conclude that we can emulate a 'small scale' version of it."
"One caveat that I'm going to bring up, however - at the rate we're going, there's only so much we can push that with our current models of Super Robots before we have to start making some choices. If you want to perfectly emulate the full strength and scale of the kaiju, we're going to see more and more K-Class in there to the point that it's going to be diet-kaiju that can't Configure. Otherwise, we can take the choice bits and emulate what we can, but I'll leave that explanation to the men with the glasses and the beret."
"With that out of the way, Ivanna?"
"Thank you, Dr. Carlson. My findings were not quite so dramatic as his, but what I do have is fascinating on its own. I will start with the Crocalisk-class kaiju's remains."
<An image of the Crocalisk appears, with two particular bits highlighted - its lungs, and the scales>
"I will start with the scales. For a kaiju of that size, they should have not been able to carry nearly as many Pterawings as they did. My current hypothesis from the battle logs and the video recordings is that the Pterawings were quite literally flash grown into existence the moment the scales exploded."
<A recording of the Crocalisks 'exploding' early in the engagement shows the scales all but shattering - and the video is frozen as the resolution hones in on one particular sample>
"The scales in turn are...interesting. They are rather durable, but also hollow and brittle enough to detach from the skin despite also housing enough fluids to provide basic life support for the Pterawings. There also appears to be no method of reintegration, suggesting that Dr. Sheol designed this fully well to be a one-way method of travel." "We will need to conduct more research, but...one possible suggestion I have is for a 'pod' or 'capsule' that could be adapted from this material. It would not be a permanent housing unit, but perhaps as a weapons pod or a drop capsule for rapid deployment? We are still unsure of how well this would translate to Super Robots or even support units, so please bear with us on this."
"As for the...flame l-"
"Fire Lung, Ivanna!"
"Dr. Carlson, we need a more-"
"K-Lungs then! Hurry up, we don't have all day!"
"*sigh* The...fire incarnation of the 'K-Lungs' operates much the same as the Olympic counterpart. The Crocalisk needed to inhale and concentrate it before effectively vomiting it out. What this means for both versions is that we can create small scale units that can mimic the effects. A more immediate result might be to increase the efficiency of the Beowulf's 'Inferno' mode. In more long term...I will suggest to the Engineers that this might be incorporated into the new melee weapons they are currently developing."
"Finally, the one finding I have from the Pterawing."
<The pterodactyl-like creature in flight is shown - and more specifically a close up of the leathery wing>
"This is incredibly lightweight, yet also durable enough that it could withstand the raw pressure produced by the wing muscles. On its own, there is not much we can do with it - no matter how amusing it sounds, we cannot expect the Beowulf or Perseus to focus on flapping their arms to produce similar lift."
"My suggestion here is to not think of it as a wing at all. With enough layers of this material, and with sufficient Anti-Gravity solution applied, we might have the beginnings of a flight propulsion system for a potential Super Robot. This will need more testing, however - and might I add, sir, that we will require some direction on this when we present this to the Engineering team."
"Thanks, Ivanna. There you have it, folks. Quite a lot to unpack today, but another solid and honest month of good Science!"
SCIENCE!
"You tell 'em, folks. That's all for now - we'll have some proposals on your desk at the top of the month. This is Sam Carlson, we're done here!"
You have a lot of new options incoming.
Olympic-class Brain Sample analyzed. Insights developed into kaiju command and control with troubling implications.
Olympic-class Leg Sample analyzed. New insights developed into Super Robot limb construction, potential new class of Super Robot theorized. New Engineering and Biotechnology Options available next turn.
Olympic and Crocalisk-class 'K-Lungs' studied. Potential new elemental weapons systems theorized. New Engineering Options available next turn.
Crocalisk-class Scales studied. Potential weapons or Super Robot delivery systems theorized. New Biotechnology Options available next turn.
Pterawing-class wings studied. Potential flight propulsion system theorized from 'K-Wing' materials. New Engineering Options available next turn.
Personally, as morbid as I find the EVA units, the protagonist models are still pretty damned cool. (And are an iconic part of the anime mecha genre) The plot on the other hand...
Also, while I work on the interlude: here's just a few general notes I feel like sharing. As we move on along the quest, I'll start sharing notes occasionally based off of what I was inspired by, though don't expect things to quite play 1:1 to the source material.
Inspirations
This whole darned quest
After writing a few omakes for another quest here and there on the forums, I decided I wanted to make a quest about what I wanted to read specifically. I am an unabashed fan of the Super Robot genre (which I hope doesn't come as a big surprise to anyone), but I will also admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the Super Robot Wars original characters. There's a few I like (Kouta and Compatible Kaiser very specifically, but that's also from nostalgia because I did play the Great Battles games on the SNES way back when), but I was always more of a fan of the series that came in. The various Mobile Suit Gundam series, Getter Robo, Mazinger Z, and even the ones I considered to be somewhat stranger because I never did get to see them on TV. Daitarn, Zambot, Braiger, and the Romance Trilogy (Combattler, Voltes, Daimos) - I'd never heard of them until I played SRW.
So I decided, let's make an homage. Most of the readers have already noted that there's plenty of inspirations drawn from other source materials, and that's made pretty clear I think with the NPC super robot factions, but also from what you all have developed. So in the order of keeping this short (and because my break is about to end as I edit this), let's go over a few in no particular order.
Variable Configuration
Let's be honest - good old Transformers (its NA and JP incarnations both) served as a huge bedrock for this one. I grew up watching Generation One as a kid (and was just as traumatized by the movie when Hasbro decided to axe Optimus Prime), but I also was at the right age to catch the Yuusha/Brave series (and particularly the Brave Saga games, which I was exposed to before Super Robot Wars I admit). As far as shows to watch as a kid, those stuck to me pretty hard, and on and off I would always come back to think about them. I snuck Variable Configuration (and the pseudo-Mythbusters shoutouts) as part of your starting options, and I'm glad you all picked them.
Beowulf / Timberwolf / Foxhound / Beowulf Fenrir
I've shared a few videos like this, but in describing the Beowulf (new art inbound for that, so keep an eye out for it), I drew very heavily from the Brave series. The idea of a truck or trailer forming the body of the mecha is a very common one - but specifically the idea of a car merging with a larger truck/support unit for a mecha combination comes from Brave Police J-Decker. Another good example that I've shared is the Brave Saga specific Baan Gaan, and so on.
The Mighty Mercury V
I don't think I need to go too far in explaining the source material. But TL;DR - Mercury is inspired by the venerable Mazinger Z. And if you read the previous omake, Dr. Sheol is a sinister shoutout to the main character's perennial mortal nemesis, Dr. Hell. Character-wise, Hiroki is my take on a more well adjusted blend between Kabuto Kouji and Tsurugi Tetsuya (the pilot of Great Mazinger and the older brother figure to Kouji), and isn't an exact match up to either character. Dr. Yukimura, on the other hand, could more or less be a straight comparison to Dr. Yumi.
I will not say whether Hiroki also shares a Go Nagai grin. But I'm not saying he doesn't.
Dynamic Armor Valiant
Some people have been asking what one of the biggest source material inspirations for Valiant is, so I'll give them to you here. Steel Jeeg - and its recent successor, Steel God Jeeg, which was a very respectful followup. As far as the actual armor is concerned, imagine a mecha armored knight operating on the same principles - super dynamic magnetism that holds the mecha together, but also allows for literal plug and play limbs, which allows Valiant to not just hit hard, but also ensure that direct hits aren't always fatal for something so frail relative to Mercury.
The other inspiration - the Big O. Erika is basically a genderbent Roger Smith with a similar devil-may-care attitude combined with the investigative chops Roger displayed in the series, with Patrick being a shoutout to Norman, his butler (who could also be seen as a shoutout to Alfred from Batman). That said, the reason why Erika complains about most of her cases usually never ending quietly is a bit of a joke. Roger himself faced a similar issue in his debut during the Z line of SRW games - because it is a tactics RPG, there's no point to the investigations ever ending quietly. If they did, why would you ever get to use the Big O?
Legio Galbinus
Transformers. But also Shattered Glass. I am a big fan of mirror universes, and I decided when I brought in the Legion and the Free Brothers to play that up to the hilt. Effectively, Galbinus-R is Megatron, but with the temperament of Optimus Prime - world weary, really ready to retire, but also doggedly dutiful and willing to go the extra mile to do right by his people. Tyrannous is effectively Optimus Prime with some elements of Star Saber (as folks on the trope page have also highlighted) but with the personality of the worst incarnations of Megatron.
So far, aside from the fact that you all have inadvertently introduced Variable Configuration to both sides, the conflict is playing out mostly as you would expect. But let's just say that the Generation One style status quo isn't going to last terribly long...
QM Note: I admit this one is a little messy, but based on the rolls, I felt this was appropriate. Hope you all like it.
1530, 18 December A.D. 2072 C-Crystal Chamber
"...holding steady..." Dr. Brand and Dr. Carlson were both fussing over their respective monitors in the circular chamber. The rocky walls were mostly smoothed out, its crevices and uneven surfaces helping to cast odd shadows from the main source of light in the chamber. "Sam? Frequency?"
"Bit more from the top," came the noncommittal reply. "Candidate's making it pretty easy, honestly."
"I'm still annoyed," Dr. Brand huffed. "'Purity of heart?' How do you even judge such a thing?"
"What, do you want a scorecard based on adherence to the Golden Rule?"
"I would, actually. Would help to actually quantify this data." Dr. Brand peered up from her console, staring directly at the figure standing in front of the Master C-Crystal. "You! Stop fidgeting!"
"You know that's not going to make me stop, right?" Richard Callaghan was standing in front of the C-Crystal, and for the life of him he couldn't recall a similar time when he felt so judged by an inanimate object. "And before you ask again, yes, I did remember to go to the bathroom before I started the test."
Left with nothing else to do but glance around from his fixed position, Richard could only glance around as best he could. Behind the main holding capsule that dominated the center of the chamber, both of the doctors were working on...something on their consoles that were on an upper gantry level. But it was hard to focus on them when the central capsule just dominated all attention in the room.
The Master C-Crystal. A large floating red crystal that spun softly around, casting cheerful red light across the chamber - and very specifically across Richard. It might have been due to how bright and almost blinding it was, but the crystal seemed to change shape. One moment, it looked like something that would fit on the crown of royalty. The next, it glinted in a shape that seemed like a stereotypical 'jewel' picture from roleplaying games. And yet again it almost appeared like a perfectly shaped sphere. The only thing that remained constant was that it wasn't.
All the while, Richard couldn't help but keep thinking back to certain memories, memories he hadn't dwelled on in quite some time. His time in highschool, and the bullying that he had to endure. The cute girl he never worked up the nerve to ask out on a date. His commissioning into the U.S. Army, followed by his secondary commission to the EUDF-
"Well, stop anyway!" Any additional words from the irate doctor was put on hold as a final notification popped up on her console. "Alright, for the marbles or lack thereof this time. Hold. Still."
"But-" Suddenly, Richard, found he didn't exactly have a choice. The light suddenly grew even more blinding, all but obscuring Doctors Carlson and Brand, and even the shape of the crystal itself momentarily vanished.
< His duel against the Dragon, and the Dragonfly it became. His manic aerial ballet against the Warlord. All of his combat experience seemed to flash before his eyes - >
- WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? -
- but Richard cast them aside. He couldn't stop staring in fascination, as memories that were misty from the length of time returned to him in picture-perfect clarity.
'This is Callaghan! Kausen engaging downed friendlies! Engaging!'
'Pleasure to meet you, Sir. I hope our discussions can go forward in peace.'
< - the CRX prototype held firm, the crude limbs ripping the roof of the wrecked Coyote clean off to allow his fellows to escape as he engaged the Westphalian Frankenstein machine - >
- But you all volunteered for this job. Maybe not for this post, but you all volunteered to help Sam with his research. -
The answer came clearly to Richard, even as a more recent memory came unbidden.
1752, 16 December A.D. 2072 Engineering Bay, Temporary Rocket Testing Zone
The alarms had started sounding right as what Dr. Brand had called the 'audition' C-Crystal had been installed into his K-Suit.
"All Engineers, evacuate the immediate area!" Katarina's voice sounded frantic, more so than usual. "Misfire in the Rocket Testing Zone! All Enginee-!"
The Beowulf Fenrir, already pre-combined from earlier experimentation, was already charging away from its hangar, and Richard had barely felt the maintenance harness neatly rip apart from the sudden impact. Already ahead, he could see the bright flares of the discontinued rocket system Major Devin had acquired, and his mind was already starting to feed data considerations of force and possible trajectory of the rocket - and more critically, the possibility, however remote, of the rocket hitting a nearby civilian center.
He never noticed the C-Crystal's light filling the cockpit.
With one giant leap, the Beowulf Fenrir launched itself into the air just as the rocket began to lift off - and the boosters of what was the Foxhound screamed into life as it propelled the combined mecha directly onto the fuselage. Large, metal hands dug deep into the surface as the pilot's mind worked overtime, forcing the physical might of the Fenrir to wrench the rocket onto the ground even as the MMI was running hot to feed calculations into the booster's flight computer.
Callaghan didn't consider that a head on collision might destroy him and the Fenrir and the rocket in one fell swoop. He only was concerned with wrenching the rocket back to the ground, beyond the Institute's walls, well short of it hurting anyone else-
His world collapsed as he momentarily blacked out, even as the light of the crystal flared even more brightly -
THE PRESENT THE FUTURE
"...research that could, just maybe, hold a secret we need to help keep the dream of the Union alive long enough so our children will remember what we did for them. And if these tests pan out? We just might call on you to perform another great service to the Union and all she stands for. So from the bottom of my heart…thank you."
Richard blinked as the memory of the recent near-accident flashed before his eyes. But that was all he had time for before the clarity of the memories once again cut off, leaving only the chamber he was standing in front of.
With a concerned pair of doctors peering at him from just inches away.
"...lieutenant? Hello? Earth to Callaghan?" Max snapped her fingers in front of his face a few times. "You've been standing there for two hours. Did you just find enlightenment or something?"
"I..." A flash of red light appeared once again - this time from Richard's chest.
A triangular red crystal hanging on a loose thread of golden string rested against his chest. "...I'm...not sure."
0943, 17 December A.D. 2072 Commandant's Office
"...on the one hand, whoever your contact was, Sir?" Katarina's hands were on her hips as she did her best to stare you down. "There were some systems in there that they hadn't fully defueled." The effect still looks more adorable than terrifying - but you know her better than to make the mistake of the former. "Someone could have gotten hurt from it!"
"So I noticed." You're still staring at the long, long de facto irrigation ditch that the rocket had dug right outside of your walls. The rocket's fuselage still stuck upwards, miraculously not destroyed or permanently damaged.
And the collapsed form of the Beowulf Fenrir, still clutching it tightly as if it were still intent on keeping it pinned to the earth.
"...on the other hand, thankfully even if Lieutenant Callaghan hadn't interfered, it wouldn't have landed anywhere that could hurt someone," she concludes, visible relief on her face. "I mean, it's the principle of the thing!"
"But he did interfere." Your arms are crossed behind your back as you continue to study the display before you. You can't help but allow a proud, satisfied smile to cross your face. "And I'm glad he did." Turning your attention back to Katarina, you give her a thoughtful glance. "That said...he was able to aim that fairly easily."
"It does give food for thought," Katarina agrees reluctantly. "Maybe not for the combined mecha, but...an initial strike glider? It would only be a one way trip for it..."
"I could also see it for payload and support module delivery." You nod, making a note for yourself. "See what we can make out of it later. But first things first - make sure Callaghan is alright, if just so I can smack him across the face with his commendation for worrying us."
C-Crystal Integration and Usage Requirements definitely tested. Purity of heart and strength of character directly leads to greater focus and potential power output for the pilot and the machine respectively.
Beowulf Fenrir fully integrated with C-Crystal.
New potential options for Rocketry System - Support Module Delivery or One-Way Strike Craft. New Engineering Options available next turn.
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End of Year Discussions - A Plan and some Proposals
0530, 21 December A.D. 2072
MSS Support Vehicle 'Galahad'
By now, any locals that had ever possibly seen the Galahad idling around had grown accustomed to it. Probably had even taken a few selfies, if Erika was being honest - not that she cared at the moment. For what she was planning to do, the less attention that was on her for the immediate first part of the operation, the better - Patrick could help with the optics on that front. Then again, she highly doubted anyone was going to be up this early - herself included, given that she was nursing a thermos of tea that Patrick had so thoughtfully provided.
What was different was the help that had arrived. Another of Ichiro's lot had just arrived, just as that sentient sugar cube known as Adrianna had promised earlier. Something that looked like a Buckler, a van, and an armored motorcycle had arrived - and now that she knew where to look, Erika had spotted how the vehicles didn't have drivers. One of them did - the motorcycle, naturally enough. Young girl, about five years or so younger than herself, had arrived as the passenger. Short cut black hair, casual biker clothes (with reflective strips on the leather jacket, she noticed), and a necklace with a red jewel adorned around her neck.
The warehouses involved were some twenty minutes away, so they were at least beyond visual sighting. But as odd as they seemed together in a cluster, it did look as if it were a convoy gathering.
At least, if it weren't for the vehicles being veritable chatterboxes.
"Stop fidgeting." The van's headlights flickered slightly along with its words.
"I'm not." The Buckler-like's engines revved slightly in response.
"Bro, you totally are."
"I'm not fidgeting. I'm...idling."
"The disguised robot thing only works if you blend in, and you're an armored personnel carrier."
The motorbike seemed to just deflate in frustration. "Both of you, please shut up. And Frankie, you are fidgeting too."
Erika just huffed in amusement as Jessica put a hand to her face. "Mind you, when we were talking about getting early mission jitters, I hadn't quite expected to see it happen with AI."
"They're...well, they're just as much people as we are," Jessica replied. "Anna tells me that Ichiro had his own way of being nervous too."
"And he has a terrible sense of humor."
"As I said, just as much people as we are. Bad jokes and dad jokes included."
"While I would wish to add that those are not mutually exclusive," Patrick interjected calmly, even as the beginnings of a smile tugged at his lips, "we are digressing somewhat from the point here."
"So we are." Erika took one last sip of tea before she handed the thermos back to Patrick, who wordlessly stashed it back into the heater carrier. "So, plan. You...Frankie, was it? Would you mind?"
"Oh, right!" Immediately, the headlights shifted color and began to project a three dimensional wiregrid layout of the warehouse.
"Cheers. Right, we've got what looks like Westphalians and those infiltrator blokes Jessica mentioned playing silly buggers in here." Erika nodded towards the avatar Adrianna was displaying along the map, the relative scale meaning she was looking about as large as a kaiju herself. "Thanks to our girl here, we think we have an idea of why."
A momentary flight of fancy imagined a giant Adrianna stomping her way through Birmingham while making fake kaiju sounds - and distressingly, she found it all too easy to visualize. Dismissing that right quick, she said, "What did you find?"
"Right! So, for immediate practical considerations, we've already identified likely enemies around the area." Three or so 'vehicles' were immediately highlighted - along with projected simulations of what they could be, along with a decent number of armed toughs. "They look a lot like the 'I can't believe it's not configuration' models Erika and Ichiro ran into last time, but they look a lot more sturdy. So far, that's all we could find. But!"
Another grainy image of certain boxes being offloaded were displayed as well. "Someone's making a trade. Of what, from who and to who specifically, no clue! But it can't be anything good."
"Which is where you all come in," Patrick concluded. "If we cannot outright stop the exchange, then we need to at least identify what the goods in question are, or at least deny them. This is madam's specialty, but in order for her to sneak inside, we will need security somewhat occupied."
"We could just charge in-" Charlie - at least, that was his name, Erika believed - chimed in.
"You always want to charge in," Frankie retorted.
"Well, it'll grab their attention," Charlie shot back.
"Alternatively, we could strike and then lure them away," the last robot - Iris - added.
"Definitely should hit them first," Jessica concurred. Even in the low light of the projections, the red jewel seemed to glint a little too brightly for her liking. "You'll also probably need another distraction on foot too. I could make them think that I'm the actual infiltrator and make them chase me until I can just beat the crap out of them."
"You're a little underarmed for that, aren't you?" Erika said in an asking tone.
"Don't worry." Jessica's grin took on a slashing quality. "I'm full of surprises I want to try out."
"And I'll be with Erika for this one!" Adrianna declared. "If it's digital, she's gonna need someone to lift it."
"I will be on standby with the Galahad as well," Patrick added. "More than likely we will need the Valiant."
Erika just shot him an annoyed look, but soon, they had a rough plan in place...
Erika and Adrianna will be sneaking in. But what will Jessica and the Argonauts be doing to create the distraction needed?
- [] Jessica
-- [] Start a fight on foot and draw assets away. The C-Crystal and embedded K-Suit will be one hell of a surprise.
-- [] Bring the Thunderbolt right down onto the base. This might spook the meeting agenda, though.
-- [] Write-In
- [] Argonauts
-- [] Charge right in! This might spook the meeting agenda, but it's definitely going to draw attention.
-- [] Hit and run! Sideswipe the security and draw them away, and take the fight away from the meeting grounds.
-- [] Write-In
2030, 22 December A.D. 2072
Unity Station, Brigadier General Peters' Office
'...despite the recent spate of attacks over the last few months, the Earth Union Defense Forces have reported higher than average rates of success in peacekeeping operations,' the news announcer blandly declares on the holo. 'Westphalian and suspected Kausen forces continue to maintain the initiative in most cases, but Defense Force elements reported a great success in defending the Yukimura Institute against the greatest concentrated attack in recent memory, following-'
"That was your group, wasn't it?"
You look up from the holo and your cup of coffee - and blink in bemusement as you see someone you hadn't expected to. "Jenkins?"
"I was, last time I checked," came the snarky reply. "Otherwise I've been wearing the wrong skin for years."
You just give her a look. "Really?"
"Look, it sounded funnier in my head, alright?" Glancing around, Lenora Jenkins spies the carafe and immediately bolts towards it before Peters' aide can even try to offer some. You just give him a shake of your head, and he wisely decides to get back to work.
Out of respect for someone you would consider your peer, you hold back your inner cries of 'heresy!' at how much milk and sugar she's putting into her coffee. Or the fact she's putting any of it in there to begin with. "What did she call you in here for?" she asks as she sits down across from you.
"Usually I'm here for the end of year review," you say. You take a sip of your coffee - black, and with no additives, thank you very much. "You? I wasn't expecting to see you here. Is Ground Pound up and running already?" That would be a surprise - you hadn't heard anything about that at all.
"Not just yet," she says, confirming the more likely scenario. "We're getting there, but not quite prime time just yet. We've started receiving some pilot candidates...not for actually piloting, mind."
"The nightmares?" Even in an office where everyone - the aide included - has the clearance to know about Fulgur Particles, you've spent enough time around a certain Anna Smith to know better than to just blurt out the name anyway.
"The nightmares," Jenkins confirms. "We've had about an eighty percent washout just based on exposure. Which isn't filling me with confidence for pilot redundancy, but...we've had about two or three that look like they can take it." She grimaces at the thought. "I think they're kind of crazy already in some ways, which maybe means they have a tolerance to it or something. But I was actually going to reach out to you about another thing."
"Like what?"
"That Configuration tech you all came up with. And-"
"Begging pardon, sir, ma'am," the aide cuts in. "The general will see you both now." And this time, as he's already standing in front, he's in a position to offer a refill - which neither of you are going to turn down, it turns out. Still, as you both enter the room, you both give each other questioning glances. 'Both of us?' seemed to be the general question.
It soon becomes apparent why.
"We have mad science and even madder proposals crawling out of the woodwork these days," Peters begins without preamble. Nodding towards Jenkins, she adds, "Now that we have one successful core program, and another that's along its way, the Executive Board is now exploring the idea of seeding some 'pilot programs.'"
"What's...our part in it, ma'am?" You're not dumb enough to imagine you don't have a part in it - as far as the budding Super Robot field goes, you're the oldest hand in it. God help us all in that case.
"Simply put - you're in the best possible position to literally write the book from the ground up, Major," Peters replies. "And, if I'm not mistaken-" and she says it in a way that demands you accept the reality that she isn't mistaken, "-despite your success, your main stumbling block at this point is coverage. I've made the point to the Executive Board that even though we have three successful Super Robots, we still have to lie, cheat and steal in order to get them anywhere."
You decide it wise to not bring up the second Pegasus under development for the purpose of the argument. After all, when it came to budgeting, you had to undersell yourself along with promises of how much more you could achieve with a slightly larger slice of that sweet, delicious funding pie. Instead, you do truthfully say, "There's more fires out there than I have teams to put them out with."
"Precisely. Which is why I was able to secure resources for something new." The screen behind her shifts - and what looks like a proposal presentation title screen appears.
'Proposal: Super Robot Defense Corps'
"So, tell me, Major Devin," Peters asks calmly. "If you were to help provide guidance for new Super Robot programs, what would be a good place to start?"
- [] Write-In (this will help to determine the narrative flavor of how this will progress)
Hello thread, with Basarin's permission, I would like to promote my own thread, Super Robot Wars Null. Please join it and participate if you like this thread!
Scheduled vote count started by Basarin on Mar 18, 2023 at 9:35 PM, finished with 43 posts and 2 votes.
- [X] Jessica
-- [X] Start a fight on foot and draw assets away. The C-Crystal and embedded K-Suit will be one hell of a surprise.
- [X] Argonauts
-- [X] Hit and run! Sideswipe the security and draw them away, and take the fight away from the meeting grounds.
-[X] Starting Doctrine: The Basics
- [X] Jessica
-- [X] Start a fight on foot and draw assets away. The C-Crystal and embedded K-Suit will be one hell of a surprise.
- [X] Argonauts
-- [X] Hit and run! Sideswipe the security and draw them away, and take the fight away from the meeting grounds.
theguynamedwafer
- Jessica
-- Start a fight on foot and draw assets away. The C-Crystal and embedded K-Suit will be one hell of a surprise.
- Argonauts
-- Hit and run! Sideswipe the security and draw them away, and take the fight away from the meeting grounds.
Starting Doctrine: Basic Combined Arms
- Key Points: Keep an open mind about things, embrace unconventional ideas when it comes to science and engineering, and think outside the box. Iterate, iterate, iterate.
- Other Pointers: Expect the unexpected in combat and R&D. What might seem like a failure or disaster in the labs or the machine shop might be the start of something groundbreaking. Remember that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. When developing your Super Robot, pick a design goal (crowd control, endurance, etc) and focus on it-a finished Super Robot might seem powerful in a vacuum, but circumstances can conspire against it.
- Support Forces: Super Robots will be the center pieces but it is also important to form effective supporting units that can assist and cover the flanks of the super robot. Do not neglect advances in making conventional forces more effective. Example: 25th Marine Air Wing in the Yukimura Institute defense.
QM Note: This post opens up a quick vote! More details at the end.
You cough lightly as you find yourself distinctly put on the spot. "You're not asking for much on short notice, are you, ma'am?"
"Not terribly," came the glib reply. "Now, how about you answer the bloody question?"
You ignore how you have two pairs of eyes focused on you - your superior, who rates your evaluations, and your peer, who is roughly at about where you were two and a half years ago. Back then, you really had no idea what the heck you were doing, and if you didn't have the likes of Sam, Wilde, Henry, and Ignatov along with Sasaki's steady hand to keep things from going too insane, you doubt the program would have amounted to anything.
That, then. That's what it comes down to. The people - and the fact that none of them had fit the mold of 'establishment' science, engineering or military. Out of all of them, you and Sasaki probably come the closest - and that is because you were willing to keep an open mind about all of the nonsense that had taken place. If nothing else, it'll do as a starting point.
"The first thing about developing a Super Robot," you begin, "is that there can't be a 'by the book' approach. They're all unique, and a standard mindset isn't going to get you any closer to the legitimate article."
In hindsight, Ethan realized that there were plenty of indicators that today was, according to the old hands, going to be one of 'those' days if one bothered to think about it.
The first moment that the security detail realized something wasn't quite right was the moment a crazy woman riding a motorcycle smashed her way through the front door.
The second piece of evidence that this was not the standard authorities was the moment right after said woman jumped using the vehicle's momentum to conduct a flying drop kick into a man's face was when said motorcycle transformed into a giant robot and began throwing what looked like blinking beacons.
Then all hell simply broke loose as what looked like a tank smashed through the bits of wall that the door hadn't covered and simply kept driving on through, followed by a van. All while that was going on, the bike robot simply changed back into a bike and the woman's foot was already flying towards him at high velocity.
Having woken up just recently, now everything was on fire and the vehicles were running off, with those new toys command had given over to them in hot pursuit...yeah. Today was surely one of those days. Not that anyone was going to appreciate him mentioning that.
"Unconventional, hm?"
You just give Peters a proud grin. "Headaches and all, entirely worth it," you agree. You quickly turn to Jenkins, adding, "Don't tell them that, though, or their egos get big enough to power Shanghai for a week." Turning back to Peters, you say, "We have to prepare and equip for the fight we're going into, not the ones we want. The Kaiju and the Kausen are blatant examples where we're badly outclassed, and while we could theoretically make something more conventional to counter them, it's going to result in more scorched earth than anything else.
"Even the Westphalians have some kind of exotic technology working for them. Their ability to not just sneak around with a logistics network I would kill for, but also their ability to field superheavy walkers and their criminal networks to bribe and blend in wherever they want - along with god only knows what else they're capable of - is something conventional arms could eventually overcome, but only at risk of us making things worse afterwards."
Pulling out your own datapad and synching permissions with Peters' presentation screen, you begin to put together the beginnings of what might pass muster as a briefing slate. "We have to think in terms of task forces or specialist teams, not in conventional warfare or peacekeeping terms. We have to be willing to embrace the unconventional, both in tactics, research ideas and engineering. If the Research Institute is any indication, and if Mercury V, Valiant or even the Westphalians are any indication, then it's that unconventional science and engineering is viable. So we have to vet what has viability, and then iterate off of it.
"No matter how crazy the results might be, they might just work if we give them a chance."
"We're subtle!" Jessica shouted gleefully as she clotheslined another guard. By this point, they all had led the guards along a merry chase down to the dockyards of the warehouse district - if Erika needed a distraction, she surely couldn't have asked for a more thorough one than this!
Pressing her back against a shipping crate, she counted from five while she waited for the oncoming footsteps to grow closer. Wait, wait...
At 'five,' she spun around - only this time, these weren't the men and women in faux-security uniforms. Both she and they paused, blinking in confusion as they stared at each other. "Um...hi?" They looked like normal men and women...except they were a little too casually dressed to be around at six in the morning when most non-military people were asleep, they weren't first responder types. And the various clubs and nail boards they seemed to be fielding spoiled the illusion somewhat-
The C-Crystal along her neck flashed brightly - and the illumination was enough to show one last detail for her.
Their eyes - they did not look human. Their pupils looked far too vertical, their eyes more of a yellow sheen than white. And the 'skin' didn't show a uniform smoothness like on human skin, but far more scaley underneath the light.
"And goodbye!" With that, her fist immediately slammed into the man's face - where all pretenses of human skin simply fell away to reveal truly scaled skin beneath. Not bothering to wait, Jessica wailed in on the other, a flurry of jabs and kicks to the unmentionables (she was pretty sure they still cared about those) saw the rest of them go down quickly before she could lose the element of surprise.
But more were turning the corner - <small arms, support weapons, danger!> - and Jessica decided that the jig was up. "Alright, time to ratchet things up." She reached up, and tapped the glowing red crystal along her neck. She couldn't drop the growing grin on her face - she'd always wanted to do this.
"CHANGE!"
"There's another thing as well," you say, warming up to the subject. "That old cliche, that you can learn more from failing than success? That's a lot more literal here."
You upload a few holo pics onto the screen - the cave in that led to the discovery of a certain server room, the accidental vat exposure that led to K-Suits, the various attempts to perfect the V-33 TMU and Lana's efforts to create what became the Seeker, and more. "Nothing is a dead end as far as development is concerned. You can find a use for it somewhere, and in ways you're probably not going to expect. Maybe not right at that moment, but at some point they will."
The images of the Beowulf - and more importantly, the Beowulf Fenrir - the Perseus, and the Thunderbolt are all on display. "If I could go back and do this again-" God knows why, though, it took so much blood and sweat to get here! "-I would have fixed on a specific role if I could. The Beowulf's various incarnations all could do a bit of everything, but the Timberwolf - and now the Fenrir - is a heavy hitter, designed to take a punch, and dish it right back. But even now it still doesn't deal well with crowds. None of the Cores do, but that's something we're working on."
Turning to Jenkins, you say, "When you're finalizing yours? Pick a focus based on what your engineering and tech base lets you, and make it as good at that job as possible. Just recognize that while in a vacuum your Super Robot is going to look like the most powerful thing since the first ironclad battleship, its shortcomings are going to find ways to bite you later."
A beam of red light surrounded Jessica as the C-Crystal glowed. What felt like a gust of wind from below was creating a small localized tornado as the C-Crystal materialized the K-Suit around her, locking each piece of chitin and armor in place until it finally sealed with the helmet unit slotting firmly into place-
-and the lightshow and tornado ended, revealing a mixed group of both forces' footmen staring at her. Jessica simply waved cheerily, before she waded directly into the fracas with a rush of displaced air.
"One for you-!" A punch slammed directly into what looked like a light machine gun, shattering it into pieces before a backhand swing knocked him aside. "-and for you!" A follow-up punch slugged another of the not!lizards directly into the gut, sending the changed human slamming into the opposing wall. "-and all of you!"
It was over in surprisingly short order - they just didn't have an answer for this in particular it seemed. A flurry of broken pieces of metal, plastic, and probably bones later, Jessica was surrounded by the groaning, occasionally vomiting figures of the Westphalians and the...she wasn't sure what to call the lizard men, but it didn't feel right calling them that either.
Shrugging, Jessica turned around - only to see a familiar looking van skid right beside her, slamming into one more figure. "Missed one," Frankie said laconically as the last goon was casually sideswiped into the floor.
"Thanks, Frankie. How're we looking?"
"Think we're at the point where we can say we drew about...seventy percent of them off?"
"More like sixty, but you're not far off." A familiar motorcycle rolled in, before reconfiguring midstride. "Erika looks like she has a clean shot at finding the manifests and whatever else she and Adri can get their hands on."
"Gangway!" A hulking Phalanx screeched to a halt - thankfully not right next to her, as Jessica had enough debris and splinters to pull out in the shower later. "We've got the heavier hardware incoming."
Frankie's roof retracted, producing a small satellite dish that he directed opposite to Charlie's ingress. "Thanks for the trackers, Iris. We've got about four inbound - looks like one or two are still with the cargo."
"Then let's take 'em down!" Charlie reconfigured, stumbling only slightly to take a knee so he could hunch down and peer down. "They know we're not normal Defense Force at this rate, so there's no point in pretending anymore, yeah?"
"Bro's got a point." Frankie immediately reconfigured himself - and the heavy Energy Blaster was already mounted along his shoulder. "C'mon, Jessica, let's make this happen."
"...if you're expecting me to disagree with the boys, I'm sorry to disappoint," came the quiet reply from Iris.
"Wasn't expecting you to." Jessica's grin easily matched that of Charlie's underneath her helm. "Charlie, do what you do best - charge in and get their attention. Iris, get around to the sides and give Frankie some targeting data." Left unsaid was what Frankie would be doing, given the barrel of his weapon was starting to glow faintly already. "Once they're engaged, I'm bringing the Thunderbolt in."
To think mom wanted her to just get a degree in medicine over this!
"Finally, just because Mercury and Valiant make do without doesn't mean we can't give the Super Robots conventional support." Replayed footage of the defense of the Yukimura Institute populates on the screen. "You can and will get overwhelmed without help. Either to help distract the big target, or to soften up their own support so your Super Robot can focus on the main objective. We'd have been toast a lot quicker without the Marines' help."
"I notice you mostly use air support," Jenkins asks.
"Because it was the quickest assets we could get in," you admit, "and their commander signed off on them going directly into combat conditions."
"Be as it may," Peters says, "All fine starting points. Major, your comments will be going into initial doctrine after we've had time for the wordsmiths to shape it a bit." Turning your attention back to Peters, she then brings up another point of discussion. "The reason I brought Major Jenkins in here is because General Sukhman Kapoor has agreed to pool resources. He will maintain overall operational command over 'Ground Pound' - though I believe a new name is being workshopped?"
"It will once field tests are completed, ma'am."
"In return for recognizing the seniority of the DFRI and the resources it can provide, they will fall under our umbrella soon." Peters glances at the two of you. "I know you both have a cordial relationship so far, so this won't be an issue. But the biggest obstacle to the Super Robot program right now is coverage. Your Super Robots are commendably battle worthy, Major Devin, but they can't be everywhere at once."
"That...was something I was going to bring up with you, ma'am."
"Well, consider it brought up then. They will handle additional hotspots and increase Super Robot coverage. Once Ground Pound is fully operational, you will directly assist with creating additional satellite programs." Moving casually past that bombshell she just dropped, she adds, "But in the here and now, what can you provide to Major Jenkins in the interim?"
So this is a quick vote, but one all the same. The following choices will open a Special Projects option next turn to directly assist Ground Pound in overcoming the prototype stage into something really noteworthy.
Pick ONE.
[] "She was just talking about Configuration earlier..."
- Will open a vote to provide Configuration plans to Ground Pound.
[] "Depending on how reliable the Fulgur engines are, Energy Blasters could be a good shot in the arm."
- Will open a vote to provide Kausen Energy Blasters technology base to Ground Pound.
[] "K-Class requires some setup, but it's been the most reliable part of our hardware so far."
- Will open a vote to provide K-Class startup materials and plans to Ground Pound.
[] "With your permission, our super computer technology...it's come a long way, is all I can say right now."
- Will open a vote to provide Super AI assistance to Ground Pound. This may require some convincing.
[] "I can think of something..." (WRITE-IN)
- Provide something else specifically and why.
