Deconstructicons! For when you need to demolish a building - or whole suburb, make a new riverbed at fast pace, flatten a mountain or have a battle moon that's a very tempting blob of processing resources hovering menacingly where in a place where it's a really bad idea. Inconvenient godlings and Intelligent SuperObjects cost more! Deconstructicons! Best in class of strategic grading and other civil engineering fields!
Deconstructicons! For when you need to demolish a building - or whole suburb, make a new riverbed at fast pace, flatten a mountain or have a battle moon that's a very tempting blob of processing resources hovering menacingly where in a place where it's a really bad idea. Inconvenient godlings and Intelligent SuperObjects cost more! Deconstructicons! Best in class of strategic grading and other civil engineering fields!
Now all we need is someone to break out super 3-D printers. Ain't exactly a super robot anime. Far from it, but the Supcom command units probably fit well as mook maker robots...
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.
Uh @Basarin. I didn't know the Vote was open. Sorry I must have missed it. I will still vote even though it's closed.
[X] theguynamedwafer
- [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: Basic Combined Arms
--[X] 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.
--[X] 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.
--[X] 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.
[X] theguynamedwafer
- [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: Basic Combined Arms
-[X] 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.
-[X] 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.
-[X] 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.
Unless anyone has any objections to the vote, I'll write as is and have something by tomorrow or so. I'll be more clear about when a vote is ongoing in the future.
Unless anyone has any objections to the vote, I'll write as is and have something by tomorrow or so. I'll be more clear about when a vote is ongoing in the future.
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.
[] "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.
I think these two, with the write-in being giving them the designs behind our Pegasus Dropship? Because that will allow Ground Pound to have the rapid response capabilities they need.
K-Class seems like tempting fate with the Motes, but some of the ESP research might be helpful to make the power source less… horrible. Or at least contain the effects some.
Adam and Henry should have a free action next turn so we can spare them for the configuration project immediately. I like the AI option because more robot friendos and it helps normalize mechanical beings as people. The K-class seems like the only non-starter to me since they don't have our tech base and it will be just a shortcut that they will later have to spend double the time patching out.
[X] I can think of something...
-The chemical compound that was found in the Warlord's gunship. By the time we discovered it, it was rendered redundant, but maybe Ground Pound can find a use for it.
-In addition, if that is not useful to them, we can also provide the schematics for the Pegasus Dropship.
There's a lot of really use tech that we're not really proficient enough with yet to really pass on properly. C-crystals would be amazing assuming they don't violently reject the Motes, and Faedium is great, but we're still very early in figuring them out.
Heat knives, antigravity treatment and some alien armor materials would all fit amazingly well with their stated goal of having a heavy hitter, and are all not only fairly established by this point, but things they don't have to worry about policing too much as we already know the Westphalians have a source of Kausen parts, and the crazy Kaiju dude through deals with them.
Still, pretty damned nifty!
