the beetles image is fucked
The Lords of Ruin -- Battletech/Killzone
- Thread starter prometheus110
- Start date
- Crossover
Omega-Chris
The Friendly Ghost
That's strange it's fine on my side. But if you can't see it here I will put a link to the pinterest post for the art. Here ya go:
View: https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/741827369909389495/ Edit: No idea why it's trying to put a image here as it's just a link
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- Comet
Hey the zaku image looks like it was created by someone I know on Deviant ArtSo which of the ORDI nations would be most likely to create designs which combine omni-mech pod equipment with handheld weaponry?
OZ-06 Leo - Battletech Into The Future
OZ-06 Leo is a standard battlemech with omnimech-like gun configuration designed for the Fidelis, who later became the reborn Smoke Jaguar.battletechfuture.com
MS-06 Zaku II - Battletech Into The Future
MS-06 Zaku II is the evolution of the "handheld weapons" design started by Principality Manufacturing and The Clave, an upgrade to the Zaku.battletechfuture.com
WarCher - Battletech Into The Future
WarCher is a frankenmech put into full production by a former Rasalhague military officer, purchased by the FWLM and the AFFS recently.battletechfuture.com
0t4n1z3r019
Member of the HAFPTG
- Location
- Philippines
Is that someone Real Mech Is Love?
- Pronouns
- Comet
Rein Project
Omega-Chris
The Friendly Ghost
Rein Project the Taurian Concordat and Magistracy of Canopus future collaborative tech development program:
#Design
A collaborative effort between the Taurian Concordat and Magistracy of Canopus, the Rein project was created to strengthen relations alongside developing new technologies. The two participating nations sent some of their best minds to this project with the Taurian contingent being led by Samantha Stoning while the Canopus contingent was led by Abbie Payne. The project began in 3057 with no overall goal besides the aforementioned goals which caused the project to flounder for an entire year with not much progress being made either reverse engineer clan technology or developing new technology. So in 3058 Samatha conversed with her counterpart to come up with a solution. The solution they came up with was that the teams would work together to develop 2 prototype heavy battlemechs each with their own niche to make use of the new technology they were developing.
While both prototypes where incredibly expensive they did succeed in proving the viability of all the technologies used within them. Unexpectedly the Taurian and Canopian military overseers of the project where so impressed by the machines performance that they went to convince their superiors to have the prototypes be mass produced for ORDI forces. The task of mass producing these machines would be given to Majesty Metals and Manufacturing and Vandenberg Mechanized Industries.
Entering production in 3059 the newly christened Rein Ray and Rein Rex would be effective members of ORDI's ever growing domestically designed mech line up.
6D-RRX Rein Rex:
Art by MattPLOG.
Overview:
The first mech the Rein team worked on going by the code name of Rex was focused on the recently developed Tactical Missile Launcher and the development on a new type of melee weapon. The Tactical Missile Launcher is a recent Helghan invention and an evolution of their Multi Missile launchers. The team chose the missile launcher because it was newly introduced and would work well for testing the mechs missile modularity.
Meanwhile the new melee weapons were focused on augmenting a melee weapons ability to disable an enemies internal systems even if it had a lot of armor left. The solution the team came up with was a pile bunker that used a solid ferrous nickel-iron alloy spike accelerated and retracted using electromagnets similar to a gauss rifle. This pile bunker was a complete success punching trough armor and doing internal damage upon impact however each use of the pile bunker does degrade the spike which can cause it to snap after too much use requiring replacement.
Both technologies proved themselves effective during testing and thus the Rex was considered a success by the design team and their military observers.
Capabilities:
The 70 ton Rein Rex is a highly flexible battlemech which depending on its ammunition can fulfill a verity of roles from close range brawler, to mid-range skirmisher to long range fire support. Within it's Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Steel structure lies a Magestries Flame Clan grade 350 XL Engine allowing the Rex to reach walking speeds up to 54,0 km/h and a running speed of 86,4 km/h. To protect this engine and structure are clad in 13.5 tons of S-Type 1 Standard Armor giving the Rex superb durability. Within the cockpit the mechwarrior piloting this mech makes use of a Magstrix Zeta targeting and tracking system and a Datacom 30 communication system for communication.
For weapons in both side torso's a HAM-12 ATM-12 is installed with 3 tons each protected by clan grade CASE. These highly versatile weapons allow the Rex to perform a variety of roles. To support the massive missile launchers 3 Martell Model HM Helghan Medium Lasers are installed into the left arm. These lasers are highly effective both at close range and long range thus pair very well with the ATM launchers. Meanwhile in the right arm a V1B Electric Pike Phile Bunker (retractable blade) is installed. This Phile Bunker is highly capable of piercing armor in melee combat and inflicting internal damage. To deal with all the heat generated 14 double heatsinks are installed allowing the Rex to fire all it's weapons without fear.
Variants:
6S-RRX: Designed and introduced by the Aurigan Confederation in 3060 this variant of the Rex sacrifices fire power for mobility. The ATM-12's are downgraded to HAM-9 ATM-9's to install 5 Solictice Trust Jumpjets. Because of the overall lower heat produced the total heatsinks is decreased to 13.
6M-RRX: Introduced in 3062 by Ceres Metals Industries the version of the Rex is converted into a long range support mech. The ATM's are switched out for 2 Sian-Ceres Bee swarm Clan grade LRM-20's with 3 tons of ammo protected by CASE. The Phile Bunker is also replaced with a Martell H1L Helghan Large Laser for even greater long range fire power. The 6M like the 6S only has 13 double heatsinks however that is still enough to fire it's long range weapons without any heat buildup. However to fit all of this the total armor had to be reduced to 12.5 tons.
5B-RR Rein Ray:
Art by MattPLOG.
Overview:
The other mech code named Ray was meant to test a system the Canopian team had been experimenting with on and off for the last 2 decades. This system is putting wings onto a mech to enhance its jumping and sinking capabilities. However the team had never gotten the system to work do to the materials they had being either too heavy or bulky. However with the recent insights into Clan structural materials the team was confident that with the help of the Taurians this time they could get the system to work.
Another thing tested with this prototype was the viability of hand held weapons. Inspired by the Omni tech of the clans the Ray would test out various interchangeable rifles that can be quickly mounted on and detached from the mech. The system proved to be a success though with some limitations like ammunition based rifles needing the ammunition in the rifle itself alongside the rifle needing to be connected to the mechs arm to power the energy weapon based rifles. Though this was achieved by having the arm have a special port where rifles could be plugged into to be powered by the mech fusion reactor.
Capabilities:
The 70 ton Rein Ray, unlike it's sibling, is a far more focused machine primarily being intended for skirmishing and sniping. Like it's sibling unit the Ray has a Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Steel structure surrounding a Magestries Flame Clan grade 350 XL Engine allowing the Ray to reach walking speeds up to 54,0 km/h and a running speed of 86,4 km/h. However to further augment the Ray's mobility it has 5 Solictice Trust Jumpjets which combined with the partial wing allows for jumps up to 180 meters. For protection 10 tons of C-type 1 Clan grade Ferro-Fibrous is installed on the mech which only give it moderate protection.
However this lack of protection is made up with its weapons. In the right arm the Ray wields a rifle with 2 Nemesis CPP Clan grade ER PPC's. These devastating weapons are perfect for the Ray allowing it to snipe targets from range while continuing to be on the move. The Rifle is supported by 3 Martell Model HM Helghan Medium Laser in the left arm just like its sibling. To make sure heat impacts the Ray as little as possible 15 clan double heatsinks are installed into the mech with 2 more being installed into the Rifle itself bringing up the total to 17. This alongside the partial wing which also helps dissipate heat allows the Ray to make a full jump and fire both PPC's without any heat buildup.
To make sure the Ray can actually hit it's targets while being on the move the Magstrix Zeta targeting and tracking system is linked to a targeting computer. For communication the Ray has the same Datacom 30 communication system.
Variants:
6M-RR: Designed as part of the Rein Project the 6M was designed to use a different rifle from the 5B. Instead of 2 ER PPC's 4 Solly Clan grade SRM-6's each with a ton of ammo protected by CASE are installed into the rifle. With the weight being freed up by the SRM-6's 3 Omnicron 4000PL Helghan Medium Pulse Lasers replace the original medium lasers. However this rifle doesn't have any additional heatsinks installed resulting in the total heatsinks to drop to 15. Which is still more than enough for this variant's purposes. Finally the total amount of armor is increased to 11.5 tons with the remaining weight. Though this armor is easily removable should this variant be changed to a 5B.
7P-RR: A more substantial redesign introduced in 3064 by Detroit Consolidated MechWorks the 7P removes the left arm mounted medium lasers and instead installs another Rifle port. This allows the 7P to dual wield 2 rifles with 3 Pulsar Flash MKII Helghan Medium Pulse Lasers each. To fill up the remaining tonnage in the main body 2 Solar Ray MK2 Helghan Medium Lasers and 2 Quasar Grazer MKII Helghan Small Pulse Lasers with 1 of each type in each side torso. Again no extra heatsinks are installed into the Rifles themselves resulting in 15 total double heatsinks. Like with the 6M the total armor is increased but only to 11 tons this time.
AN: And two more mechs bite the dust in my post schedule. Next up the Capellan's future mech. Also stay tuned as I plan to commission 2 more pieces of art for mechs. One we have had on our roster for a while and one future Helghan mech. But expect those somewhere in January as MattPLOG doesn't do commissions in December.
#Design
A collaborative effort between the Taurian Concordat and Magistracy of Canopus, the Rein project was created to strengthen relations alongside developing new technologies. The two participating nations sent some of their best minds to this project with the Taurian contingent being led by Samantha Stoning while the Canopus contingent was led by Abbie Payne. The project began in 3057 with no overall goal besides the aforementioned goals which caused the project to flounder for an entire year with not much progress being made either reverse engineer clan technology or developing new technology. So in 3058 Samatha conversed with her counterpart to come up with a solution. The solution they came up with was that the teams would work together to develop 2 prototype heavy battlemechs each with their own niche to make use of the new technology they were developing.
While both prototypes where incredibly expensive they did succeed in proving the viability of all the technologies used within them. Unexpectedly the Taurian and Canopian military overseers of the project where so impressed by the machines performance that they went to convince their superiors to have the prototypes be mass produced for ORDI forces. The task of mass producing these machines would be given to Majesty Metals and Manufacturing and Vandenberg Mechanized Industries.
Entering production in 3059 the newly christened Rein Ray and Rein Rex would be effective members of ORDI's ever growing domestically designed mech line up.
6D-RRX Rein Rex:
Art by MattPLOG.
Overview:
The first mech the Rein team worked on going by the code name of Rex was focused on the recently developed Tactical Missile Launcher and the development on a new type of melee weapon. The Tactical Missile Launcher is a recent Helghan invention and an evolution of their Multi Missile launchers. The team chose the missile launcher because it was newly introduced and would work well for testing the mechs missile modularity.
Meanwhile the new melee weapons were focused on augmenting a melee weapons ability to disable an enemies internal systems even if it had a lot of armor left. The solution the team came up with was a pile bunker that used a solid ferrous nickel-iron alloy spike accelerated and retracted using electromagnets similar to a gauss rifle. This pile bunker was a complete success punching trough armor and doing internal damage upon impact however each use of the pile bunker does degrade the spike which can cause it to snap after too much use requiring replacement.
Both technologies proved themselves effective during testing and thus the Rex was considered a success by the design team and their military observers.
Capabilities:
The 70 ton Rein Rex is a highly flexible battlemech which depending on its ammunition can fulfill a verity of roles from close range brawler, to mid-range skirmisher to long range fire support. Within it's Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Steel structure lies a Magestries Flame Clan grade 350 XL Engine allowing the Rex to reach walking speeds up to 54,0 km/h and a running speed of 86,4 km/h. To protect this engine and structure are clad in 13.5 tons of S-Type 1 Standard Armor giving the Rex superb durability. Within the cockpit the mechwarrior piloting this mech makes use of a Magstrix Zeta targeting and tracking system and a Datacom 30 communication system for communication.
For weapons in both side torso's a HAM-12 ATM-12 is installed with 3 tons each protected by clan grade CASE. These highly versatile weapons allow the Rex to perform a variety of roles. To support the massive missile launchers 3 Martell Model HM Helghan Medium Lasers are installed into the left arm. These lasers are highly effective both at close range and long range thus pair very well with the ATM launchers. Meanwhile in the right arm a V1B Electric Pike Phile Bunker (retractable blade) is installed. This Phile Bunker is highly capable of piercing armor in melee combat and inflicting internal damage. To deal with all the heat generated 14 double heatsinks are installed allowing the Rex to fire all it's weapons without fear.
Code:
Rein Rex 6D-RRX
Mass: 70 tons
Tech Base: Mixed
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: X/X-X-X-X
Production Year: 3059
Dry Cost: 16.397.407 C-Bills
Total Cost: 16.847.407 C-Bills
Battle Value: 2.214
Chassis: Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Stee Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Magestries Flame 350 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 54,0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86,4 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: S-Type 1 Standard Armor
Armament:
2 HAM-12 ATM-12s
3 Martell Model HM Helghan Medium Lasers
1 Electric Pike Retractable Blade
Manufacturer: Majesty Metals and Manufacturing, Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
Primary Factory: Canopu IV, Vandenberg
Communications System: Datacom 30
Targeting and Tracking System: Magstrix Zeta
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 107 points 3,50
Internal Locations: 1 HD, 2 CT, 1 LA, 1 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Engine: XL Engine 350 15,00
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: (CL) Double Heat Sink 14(28) 4,00
Gyro: Standard 4,00
Cockpit: Standard 3,00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 216 13,50
CASE Locations: LT, RT 0,00
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 22 35
Center Torso (rear) 8
L/R Torso 15 23
L/R Torso (rear) 7
L/R Arm 11 22
L/R Leg 15 30
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATM-12 RT 8 5 7,00
ATM-12 LT 8 5 7,00
Retractable Blade RA - 5 4,00
3 H-Medium Lasers LA 9 3 3,00
@ATM-12 (5) RT - 1 1,00
@ATM-12 (HE) (10) RT - 2 2,00
@ATM-12 (5) LT - 1 1,00
@ATM-12 (HE) (10) LT - 2 2,00
Free Critical Slots: 12
Quirks: ModularVariants:
6S-RRX: Designed and introduced by the Aurigan Confederation in 3060 this variant of the Rex sacrifices fire power for mobility. The ATM-12's are downgraded to HAM-9 ATM-9's to install 5 Solictice Trust Jumpjets. Because of the overall lower heat produced the total heatsinks is decreased to 13.
Code:
Rein Rex 6S-RRX
Mass: 70 tons
Tech Base: Mixed
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: X/X-X-X-X
Production Year: 3060
Dry Cost: 16.557.207 C-Bills
Total Cost: 17.007.207 C-Bills
Battle Value: 2.189
Chassis: Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Stee Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Magestries Flame 350 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 54,0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86,4 km/h
Jump Jets: Solictice Trust Jumpjets
Jump Capacity: 150 meters
Armor: S-Type 1 Standard Armor
Armament:
2 HAM-9 ATM-9s
3 Martell Model HM Helghan Medium Laser (IS) Medium Lasers
1 Electric Pike Retractable Blade
Manufacturer: Coalition Heavy Industry
Primary Factory: Coromodir
Communications System: Datacom 30
Targeting and Tracking System: Magstrix Zeta
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 107 points 3,50
Internal Locations: 1 CT, 2 LA, 2 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Engine: XL Engine 350 15,00
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 5 Standard
Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT 5,00
Heat Sinks: (CL) Double Heat Sink 13(26) 3,00
Gyro: Standard 4,00
Cockpit: Standard 3,00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 216 13,50
CASE Locations: LT, RT 0,00
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 22 34
Center Torso (rear) 9
L/R Torso 15 23
L/R Torso (rear) 7
L/R Arm 11 22
L/R Leg 15 30
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATM-9 RT 6 4 5,00
ATM-9 LT 6 4 5,00
Retractable Blade RA - 5 4,00
3 H-Medium Lasers LA 9 3 3,00
@ATM-9 (7) RT - 1 1,00
@ATM-9 (HE) (14) RT - 2 2,00
@ATM-9 (7) LT - 1 1,00
@ATM-9 (HE) (14) LT - 2 2,00
Free Critical Slots: 9
Quirks: Modular6M-RRX: Introduced in 3062 by Ceres Metals Industries the version of the Rex is converted into a long range support mech. The ATM's are switched out for 2 Sian-Ceres Bee swarm Clan grade LRM-20's with 3 tons of ammo protected by CASE. The Phile Bunker is also replaced with a Martell H1L Helghan Large Laser for even greater long range fire power. The 6M like the 6S only has 13 double heatsinks however that is still enough to fire it's long range weapons without any heat buildup. However to fit all of this the total armor had to be reduced to 12.5 tons.
Code:
Rein Rex 6M-RRX
Mass: 70 tons
Tech Base: Mixed
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: F/X-E-X-X
Production Year: 3062
Dry Cost: 16.710.207 C-Bills
Total Cost: 16.890.207 C-Bills
Battle Value: 2.494
hassis: Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Stee Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Magestries Flame 350 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 54,0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86,4 km/h
Jump Jets: Solictice Trust Jumpjets
Jump Capacity: 150 meters
Armor: S-Type 1 Standard Armor
Armament:
2 Sian-Ceres Bee swarm Clan LRM-20s
1 Martell H1L Helghan Large Laser
3 Martell Model HM Helghan Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Ceres Metals Industries
Primary Factory: Cappela
Communications System: Datacom 30
Targeting and Tracking System: Magstrix Zetan
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 107 points 3,50
Internal Locations: 1 CT, 2 LA, 2 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Engine: XL Engine 350 15,00
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 5 Standard
Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 LL, 1 RL 5,00
Heat Sinks: (CL) Double Heat Sink 13(26) 3,00
Gyro: Standard 4,00
Cockpit: Standard 3,00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 200 12,50
CASE Locations: LT, RT 0,00
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 22 31
Center Torso (rear) 8
L/R Torso 15 22
L/R Torso (rear) 8
L/R Arm 11 20
L/R Leg 15 26
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CL-LRM-20 RT 6 4 5,00
CL-LRM-20 LT 6 4 5,00
H-Large Laser RA 8 2 5,00
3 H-Medium Lasers LA 9 3 3,00
@LRM-20 (18) RT - 3 3,00
@LRM-20 (18) LT - 3 3,00
Free Critical Slots: 12
Quirks: Modular5B-RR Rein Ray:
Art by MattPLOG.
Overview:
The other mech code named Ray was meant to test a system the Canopian team had been experimenting with on and off for the last 2 decades. This system is putting wings onto a mech to enhance its jumping and sinking capabilities. However the team had never gotten the system to work do to the materials they had being either too heavy or bulky. However with the recent insights into Clan structural materials the team was confident that with the help of the Taurians this time they could get the system to work.
Another thing tested with this prototype was the viability of hand held weapons. Inspired by the Omni tech of the clans the Ray would test out various interchangeable rifles that can be quickly mounted on and detached from the mech. The system proved to be a success though with some limitations like ammunition based rifles needing the ammunition in the rifle itself alongside the rifle needing to be connected to the mechs arm to power the energy weapon based rifles. Though this was achieved by having the arm have a special port where rifles could be plugged into to be powered by the mech fusion reactor.
Capabilities:
The 70 ton Rein Ray, unlike it's sibling, is a far more focused machine primarily being intended for skirmishing and sniping. Like it's sibling unit the Ray has a Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Steel structure surrounding a Magestries Flame Clan grade 350 XL Engine allowing the Ray to reach walking speeds up to 54,0 km/h and a running speed of 86,4 km/h. However to further augment the Ray's mobility it has 5 Solictice Trust Jumpjets which combined with the partial wing allows for jumps up to 180 meters. For protection 10 tons of C-type 1 Clan grade Ferro-Fibrous is installed on the mech which only give it moderate protection.
However this lack of protection is made up with its weapons. In the right arm the Ray wields a rifle with 2 Nemesis CPP Clan grade ER PPC's. These devastating weapons are perfect for the Ray allowing it to snipe targets from range while continuing to be on the move. The Rifle is supported by 3 Martell Model HM Helghan Medium Laser in the left arm just like its sibling. To make sure heat impacts the Ray as little as possible 15 clan double heatsinks are installed into the mech with 2 more being installed into the Rifle itself bringing up the total to 17. This alongside the partial wing which also helps dissipate heat allows the Ray to make a full jump and fire both PPC's without any heat buildup.
To make sure the Ray can actually hit it's targets while being on the move the Magstrix Zeta targeting and tracking system is linked to a targeting computer. For communication the Ray has the same Datacom 30 communication system.
Code:
Rein Ray 5B-RR
Mass: 70 tons
Tech Base: Mixed
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: F/X-F-X-X
Production Year: 3059
Dry Cost: 17.193.007 C-Bills
Total Cost: 17.193.007 C-Bills
Battle Value: 3.066
Chassis: Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Magestries Flame 350 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 54,0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86,4 km/h
Jump Jets: Solictice Trust Standard
Jump Capacity: 150 meters (180 meters)
Armor: C-type 1 Clan grade Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
2 Nemesis CPP Clan grade ER PPC
3 Martell Model HM Helghan Medium Laser
Manufacturer: Majesty Metals and Manufacturing, Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
Primary Factory: Canopus IV, Vandenberg
Communications System: Datacom 30
Targeting and Tracking System: Magstrix Zeta
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 107 points 3,50
Internal Locations: 1 HD, 1 CT, 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 LA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Engine: XL Engine 350 15,00
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 5 (6) Standard
Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT 5,00
Heat Sinks: (CL) Double Heat Sink 17(37) 7,00
Heat Sink Locations: 1 RT, 2 RA
Gyro: Standard 4,00
Cockpit: Standard 3,00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous AV - 192 10,00
Armor Locations: 2 RT, 3 LA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 7
L/R Torso 15 24
L/R Torso (rear) 6
L/R Arm 11 22
L/R Leg 15 21
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IS-Targeting Computer LT - 4 4,00
CL-Partial Wing LT/RT - 3/3 3,50
2 CL-ER PPCs RA 30 4 12,00
3 H-Medium Lasers LA 9 3 3,00
Free Critical Slots: 1
Quirks: ModularVariants:
6M-RR: Designed as part of the Rein Project the 6M was designed to use a different rifle from the 5B. Instead of 2 ER PPC's 4 Solly Clan grade SRM-6's each with a ton of ammo protected by CASE are installed into the rifle. With the weight being freed up by the SRM-6's 3 Omnicron 4000PL Helghan Medium Pulse Lasers replace the original medium lasers. However this rifle doesn't have any additional heatsinks installed resulting in the total heatsinks to drop to 15. Which is still more than enough for this variant's purposes. Finally the total amount of armor is increased to 11.5 tons with the remaining weight. Though this armor is easily removable should this variant be changed to a 5B.
Code:
Rein Ray 6M-RR
Mass: 70 tons
Tech Base: Mixed
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: F/X-E-D-D
Production Year: 3059
Dry Cost: 16.900.607 C-Bills
Total Cost: 17.008.607 C-Bills
Battle Value: 2.228
Chassis: Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Magestries Flame 350 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 54,0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86,4 km/h
Jump Jets: Solictice Trust Standard
Jump Capacity: 150 meters (180 meters)
Armor: C-type 1 Clan grade Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
3 Omnicron 4000PL Helghan Medium Pulse Lasers
4 Solly Clan SRM-6s
Manufacturer: Majesty Metals and Manufacturing, Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
Primary Factory: Canopus IV, Vandenberg
Communications System: Datacom 30
Targeting and Tracking System: Magstrix Zeta
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 107 points 3,50
Internal Locations: 1 HD, 1 LT, 1 RT, 2 LA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Engine: XL Engine 350 15,00
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 5 (6) Standard
Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT 5,00
Heat Sinks: (CL) Double Heat Sink 15(33) 5,00
Heat Sink Locations: 1 RT
Gyro: Standard 4,00
Cockpit: Standard 3,00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous AV - 217 11,50
Armor Locations: 1 LT, 2 RT, 2 LA, 1 LL, 1 RL
CASE Locations: RA 0,00
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 22 33
Center Torso (rear) 11
L/R Torso 15 23
L/R Torso (rear) 7
L/R Arm 11 22
L/R Leg 15 30
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IS-Targeting Computer LT - 2 2,00
CL-Partial Wing LT/RT - 3/3 3,50
4 CL-SRM-6s RA 16 4 6,00
3 H-Medium Pulse Lasers LA 12 3 6,00
@SRM-6 (60) RA - 4 4,00
Free Critical Slots: 3
Quirks: Modular7P-RR: A more substantial redesign introduced in 3064 by Detroit Consolidated MechWorks the 7P removes the left arm mounted medium lasers and instead installs another Rifle port. This allows the 7P to dual wield 2 rifles with 3 Pulsar Flash MKII Helghan Medium Pulse Lasers each. To fill up the remaining tonnage in the main body 2 Solar Ray MK2 Helghan Medium Lasers and 2 Quasar Grazer MKII Helghan Small Pulse Lasers with 1 of each type in each side torso. Again no extra heatsinks are installed into the Rifles themselves resulting in 15 total double heatsinks. Like with the 6M the total armor is increased but only to 11 tons this time.
Code:
Rein Ray 7P-RR
Mass: 70 tons
Tech Base: Mixed
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: F/X-E-X-X
Production Year: 3064
Dry Cost: 16.785.007 C-Bills
Total Cost: 16.785.007 C-Bills
Battle Value: 2.774
Chassis: Earthwerks Rein Clan grade Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Magestries Flame 350 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 54,0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86,4 km/h
Jump Jets: Solictice Trust Standard
Jump Capacity: 150 meters (180 meters)
Armor: C-type 1 Clan grade Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
6 Pulsar Flash MKII Helghan Medium Pulse Lasers
2 (Solar Ray MK2 Helghan Medium Lasers
2 Quasar Grazer MKII Helghan Small Pulse Lasers
Manufacturer: Detroit Consolidated MechWorks
Primary Factory: Detroit
Communications System: Datacom 30
Targeting and Tracking System: Magstrix Zeta
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Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 107 points 3,50
Internal Locations: 1 HD, 1 CT, 1 RT, 1 LA, 1 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL
Engine: XL Engine 350 15,00
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 5 (6) Standard
Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 LL, 1 RL 5,00
Heat Sinks: (CL) Double Heat Sink 15(33) 5,00
Heat Sink Locations: 1 RT
Gyro: Standard 4,00
Cockpit: Standard 3,00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous AV - 208 11,00
Armor Locations: 4 LA, 3 RA
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 22 32
Center Torso (rear) 9
L/R Torso 15 24
L/R Torso (rear) 6
L/R Arm 11 22
L/R Leg 15 27
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Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H-Medium Laser RT 3 1 1,00
H-Small Pulse Laser RT 2 1 1,00
H-Medium Laser LT 3 1 1,00
H-Small Pulse Laser LT 2 1 1,00
IS-Targeting Computer LT - 4 4,00
CL-Partial Wing LT/RT - 3/3 3,50
3 H-Medium Pulse Lasers RA 12 3 6,00
3 H-Medium Pulse Lasers LA 12 3 6,00
Free Critical Slots: 2
Quirks: ModularAN: And two more mechs bite the dust in my post schedule. Next up the Capellan's future mech. Also stay tuned as I plan to commission 2 more pieces of art for mechs. One we have had on our roster for a while and one future Helghan mech. But expect those somewhere in January as MattPLOG doesn't do commissions in December.
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Crafter of War
The Dorf
- Location
- Bend
I was thinking more along the lines of an Armored Core or a LYNX.
Hell, the Rein Ray looks like it is straight up a Gundam, and is great for it.
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The Battle of Lyndon - Part Six
prometheus110
Join Cayman-Global & be part of the 1E-9 percent!
- Location
- La Ballena City Raft
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Sulphur Gorge, Aiken Formation, Lyndon
ComStar Intervention Zone, Lyran Commonwealth
19 May 3051 (Day 13 of Operation GUILLOTINE)
Star Commander Dusan grunted as he slammed into the barren earth opposite the rock formation on wings of fire, his left knee locking in place and sending the jolt of impact up through his left. Ignoring the searing pain that washed over his hip, the Clan Warrior instead swept the ground before him for any sign of hostile activity, the machine gun that made up his right arm shifting right over the black and yellow terrain as the grenade launcher in his left arm did the opposite.
Both stilled as he conceded that no ComGuard stood against him.
The Stravags could not have shot me in the chest, could they? He grumbled as he turned his attention back to his battle armour and tapped the stuck joint with a claw, the half-melted plate loosening with a crunch he could feel in his teeth.
Frowning at the crimson damage icon splashed across his HUD—a gift from a now departed Mechwarrior whose final panicked laser blast had caught him across the legs mid-leap—the damaged knee joint was merely one of several components on the Star Captain's Elemental Battle Armour that were playing up of late. As annoying as it was, the loss of mobility bothered him far less than the fuzzing sensors, the sandblasted shoulders, or, and most pressingly, the hairline fracture across his visor; a thin black line of hastily applied HarJel all that stood between his lungs and the intensely toxic atmosphere that lay a few centimetres away.
"Star Commander," a voice suddenly crackled over the radio. "Are you injured? Do you require assistance?"
Plummeting to earth, the voice's owner settled to the fire-blacked ground in front of Dusan an instant later, a wall of midnight dust cloaking Troy as he landed.
"Neg!" He replied hastily, the older man bristling at the young Warrior's presumption. As if taunting him, Troy rose smoothly from his landing point and bounded for a nearby boulder, the bulky Elemental reaching it just as the remainder of the unit began to land around the Star Commander.
To his right came Sumiko, the woman crashing to the ground atop the rolls and ruffles of a lava bank, soft black stone crumbling beneath her battle armour's clawed feet. To his left, Warrior Theodore came bounding into view, the hand-painted Jade Falcon on his armour pitted and scarred after the day's battle. Aubrey followed soon after, the woman waddling into view from somewhere behind him despite the sluggish movements of her scorched armour. Then came Ami, Baytor, Prabhu, Britney, and half a dozen others—thirteen of the Jade Falcon's best joining Dusan on the ridge overlooking the Sulphur Gorge's eastern expanse. All were damaged to one degree or another.
Look at us, the Star Commander all but spat. Almost half the number we started with, and none without battle scars. The Great Father would be ashamed of our performance on this day.
Heaving his suit towards the nearest cover and pointedly ignoring Troy, Dusan turned his attention westward and frowned at the sight that greeted him.
Rising a hundred metres up on either side of him like wings, Sulphur Gorge's onyx walls ran arrow straight for all of five hundred metres before suddenly veering right, the sudden turn lending the environment a closed-in feeling little helped by the cloying grey fog that puffed at random from the earth before oozing its way downhill. Everywhere he looked, sulphur ran down the rough slopes in great streaks, the substance carried by rivulets of brackish water that spilt from dark rents in the earth and staining the rock walls a hideous yellow as if infected. Frowning, Dusan paused as a tremor ran up his legs before, without warning, a jet of silvery air burped from the ground a short distance away, the toxic gases settling over the ground in a shimmering blanket before fading from sight.
It was an ill-favoured battlefield, and after weeks of fighting and dying in it, Dusan just wanted to be done with it.
If only our leaders thought the same, he thought as he turned his eyes skyward.
Overhead, battling in the cerulean vault of heaven, Jade Falcon OmniFighters duelled their ComStar counterparts for control of the sky, one fighter—its allegiance impossible to tell—bursting into flames as he watched before plummeting out of sight.
He was loathe to admit it to the pilots—their egos needed no massaging even now—but the sight of Falcon fighters in the air was welcome to the aged Elemental. It had taken two weeks and many lives to capture the airfield-cum-victory-point that served as their staging ground—two of his subordinates left in pieces on its runway—but doing so had dramatically improved the Clan's ability to fend off the ComGuard's ground strikes.
Shaking his head as another fuzzy dot suffered an undignified death, Dusan turned his attention to the here and now.
"Troy," he barked. "Distance to target."
It was an unnecessary request. Dusan could see the distance displayed on his HUD above his eyes. But as he was loathe to boost the egos of pilots, he refused to let a training opportunity pass without comment.
To his credit, the youth replied almost immediately. "Aff, Star Commander. Point eight klicks southeast, Star Commander."
He gestured towards the gorge's far wall with his small laser.
"The observation point lies over that ridge, Star Commander."
"Cease your useless prattle, Warrior Troy. I am no preening Snow Raven seeking reassurance as to my rank."
Irritatingly young though he was and fresh out of his training, the boy had learned tact enough at Dusan's fists as he did not waste breath apologising for his insistent use of the man's rank.
Turning to what remained of his Star, Dusan spoke again. "You heard Troy. Eight hundred meters to the OP, and then we blind the freeborn scum. Advance in points, then as planned. Move out."
Displaying none of the indecisiveness or cravenness endemic to Sphereoids, Dusan's Star reacted to his orders all but instantly, jump jets kicking on across the ridgeline as Elementals hurled themselves towards their distant target point by point. Ill-suppressing his pride at their obedience, the Star Commander followed suit a heartbeat later, a sudden lurch and a dizzying ascent seeing him travel ninety meters in the blink of an eye. Crashing back down to earth amidst a cloud of sharp black dust—his armour's knee thankfully remaining unstuck—the elder Clanner paused just long enough to ensure no ambush had been sprung and then repeated his leap again and again and again until, at last, he landed halfway up the pitch-black wall that closed off their section of the gorge.
Chips of porous black stone crunching beneath his heavy boots, Dusan moved towards the lip of the rise as gracefully as he could manage, a painful ache rising through his legs with every step. Followed by the rest of his Star, themselves clambering up the stoney slopes a touch more gracefully despite their heavy power armour, the Star Commander paused just shy of the barren lip. Here, the steep slope terminated at the base of an overhanging stone whose much-eroded surface was breached in places by channels carved by wind and water.
Here, the plan would change some; the keen eyes and keener guns of the ComGuard had long forced the use of new tactics by the Jade Falcons, and Dusan's was not a Star to clutch at traditions when the Clans' ultimate victory—and the rights to have their genetic material included in the next clutch of warriors—lay almost within reach.
"Sumiko, Baytor, Lorenz," he commanded, the trio saying nothing but seeming to stiffen in their battle armour suits. "Deploy smoke in thirty. Ami, any surprises?"
"Aff, Star Commander," the four replied as one, the Warriors climbing up the slope with youthful ease before halting a short distance from the overhang.
Stepping around the trio as they began prepping their SRMs, Ami advanced on the rock line until her head was nearly poking above it before halting and unwinding a length of cable from her arm. As inelegant as it was to use a labour caste's snake camera to image their target, the long weeks had taught Dusan's Star well the dangers of advancing into territory where ComGuard snipers lurked.
Ignoring the quartet's labours, Dusan turned downslope to face the rest of his Star. Despite their expressionless faceplates, each seemed ready to burst into action, eagerness and a hunger for glory written into every tightly controlled motion.
"Do not stop," he told them, perhaps unnecessarily. "It is three hundred meters of open terrain before we make it to the observation point, and we will only have the advantage of surprise for a few moments. Stop, and you will surely be killed."
Almost absently, he clacked the three pincers of his battle claw together and growled. "Do not disappoint me."
It was no idle threat, as his Star well knew. For weeks now, the Stravags had been using the observation posts to direct pin-point artillery strikes on the heads of Clan warriors as they were led on a wild chase throughout the valleys and gorges. Among others, Dusan's Star had been charged by SaKhan Pryde with plucking out the ComGuard's eyes, and he was too old to risk failing her.
"On your mark, Star Commander Icaza," Sumiko reported crisply, the woman's words snatching Dusan from his rumination the way an Eden Serpent did the imperious gaze of the Falcon's totem animal. Letting the snake drop where she stood, Ami reported nothing outside expectations.
Shifting a few steps towards the nearest ramp, his heartbeat picking up and an electric tension filling his limbs, Dusan breathed deep and smiled behind his visor.
"Mark."
There came a sudden shriek, a blinding flash, and a sharp crack followed by a dull pop. Already triggering his jump jets when the SRMs left his Warriors' launchers, Dusan fairly leapt over the overhanging rock ridge, his clawed feet scraping over graphite--grey stone and sending scree tumbling down behind him. For a solitary heartbeat, he had a clear view of the space between the rise his Star had assembled on and the observation point, the nearly featureless black sand plain interrupted only by the occasional pool of alkaline water that boiled furiously and stony mounds whose origins he could not discern. A little over a third of a kilometre distant, his vision enhanced by his battle armour's sensors, he could make out the tell-tale shine of a lens pointed his way.
And then the image vanished as grey-white smoke clouds burst into view across the expanse and merged, the churning gas impenetrable as a lead wall to even his refined sensors.
Dusan hit the ground running, stone chips and sand spraying around him as he landed a distance from the edge he'd started from and crunched loudly underfoot. Behind him, he felt more than heard the rest of his Star do the same, their sun-stretched shadows flickering in and out of view as they followed after him.
Automatically, he started counting heartbeats.
One.
Two.
Three.
He made it to seventeen before the ComGuard opened fire, blazing tracers and flashing lasers punching through the smoke bank barely six seconds into the mad rush, the first few wild shots missing entirely. Triggering his jump jets with utmost indifference as to the barrage, Dusan and the rest of the Star lept another ninety meters towards the nearby ledge—plunging into the smoke cloud in an instant—and he noted with some surprise that the fire heading towards them was already starting to tighten.
They have a good commander, he thought generously.
An instant later, his goodwill evaporated as the torrent finally found a target; Britney's battle armour exploding into a ball of hungry orange flames as no less than three sapphire beams pinned her like a butterfly.
"Move, move, move!" Dusan roared over an open channel, the thunder in his chest growing louder and louder.
Again, he triggered his jump jets, and again, another of his Star died; an untimely gust thining the smoke just enough to reveal Lennox's faceplate, the man collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut as some unseen sniper ensured he would never contribute to the Clan's genetic legacy.
"We are only halfway there," Dusan muttered as he crashed back down to earth, estimates already flashing through his mind as to how many would die before they reached their target.
Growling to himself in an almost wolf-like fashion, he spoke up. "Beta and Gamma points: cover the advance. Everyone else, do not stop."
Triggering his jump jets before either point could respond, Dusan rode a pillar of flame high into the sky a moment before a satisfying burst of machinegun and laser fire whipped under his feet, the Warriors making good on their orders and laying down a flood of fire on the still-unseen enemy. As expected, the counter-fire was harsh; an Elemental killed before the two points could reposition and find cover.
Snapping orders to the remaining members of his charge to keep them in something roughly resembling a flying vee with him at its head, Dusan counted down with almost religious zeal as the jade figures splashed across his HUD dropped, the smoke thinning as he neared its edge. His heart hammering in his chest with the rhythm of a rotary autocannon, Dusan's face contorted in a savage snarl as he activated his jump jets one final time, the final burst of accelerating sending him rocketing out of the churning grey-white cloud and into the open air beyond.
Reality came in snatches as Dusan's eyes automatically drunk in the battlefield. There lay an observation post, its sensor booms and gleaming lenses pointed away from Dusan down a long and narrow gorge. There: a dugout carved from the black earth, cunningly laid camo netting rendering it invisible from above. There: a Bjorn drone. There: a laser designator. Everywhere: ComGuard troopers in power armour.
A lifelong warrior, it was all the time Dusan needed.
Fast as a diving falcon, he slammed behind a stony lump as wide across as he was tall, fire washing over his head a moment too slow. Not waiting for the inevitable grenade or flank, the veteran hauled his weighty machine gun over the lip of the rock and blindly opened fire at the dugout, a tongue of flame as long as his arm burping from the weapon as it spewed forth a hundred rounds. Like a light switch being flipped, the ComGuard fire lessened, the Jade Falcon seizing the moment to step around the rock and level his grenade launcher at the ComGuard sat crouched within the low-slung prefab.
"Die, freeborn!" He howled as he fired a burst, a sharp triple crack ringing out as the grenades fell around it—a Freeborn vanishing from view as one detonated mere inches from their helmeted face.
The survivors didn't hesitate.
With practised ease, they split apart, one diving left and the other twisting right—laser rifles snapping towards him and opening fire in the blink of an eye. Heedless of his vulnerability, glowing metal spraying from his armour as a dozen bolts struck true, Dusan swung his machine gun towards them and barked a rejoinder. Laser-thin and burning bright, the line of tracers sawed through the dugout's walls near instantly and caught the rightmost trooper about the waist, hot blood spraying over black sand as their armour gave way beneath the barrage.
Snarling as the foe collapsed to the ground—their ruined chest steaming in the toxic air—Dusan swung his grenade launcher towards the other trooper and froze as something glinted on a distant hill.
Snipe- He thought.
A Hell's Horse kicked him in the chest, a booming report filling the air as he tumbled behind cover.
Cursing, his chest aching despite the battle armour's thick hide, Dusan dragged himself to a crouch behind the rock before examining his armoured chest with a claw, the digit catching on the cratered armour and eliciting an irritated growl from the elderly Warrior.
A gauss rifle, he thought hotly—honourless cur.
Dusan's temper simmered as he checked his HUD. The damage was mostly superficial, but the impact had sent shockwaves through his already battered body. He felt the strain in his ribs and the unwelcome twinge in his bruised hip. Somewhere at the back of his mind, a too-familiar voice whispered that he was getting old.
He snorted hotly and drove the voice away.
He had no time for weakness. No time for pain.
He toggled his comms. "All points, report!"
"This is Alpha lead," Prabhu said, an explosion underlying his words. "We are in position to the north and engaging entrenched infantry."
Ami went next. "Beta lead: Suppressed but holding—two ComGuard squads with Gauss weaponry advancing."
"Kappa," huffed Aubrey, her voice rasping in his ear as it always did when her blood was up. "Repositioning to provide crossfire."
On and on it went, the remaining points reporting that their assault was ongoing, though slower than he'd like. The thoughts flowing in the back of his mind, Dusan chanced a peek around the edge of his stone shelter only to jerk his head backwards as a too-eager shot blew a fist-sized hole in the craggy surface.
And then, quite to his surprise, Troy spoke."Star Commander, I've identified the sniper's position—west ridge, one kilometre. Elevation: fifty meters above our position."
Dusan growled low, the shallow tide of gratitude overridden by a flash of anger at the boy's use of contractions. "Acknowledged. Beta and Gamma points, direct fire on that sniper. Take the Stravag out!"
"Aff," came the curt reply, thunder spilling across the plain as they opened fire.
Peeking around the stone once more, one eye kept on the hillock where the sniper lay, Dusan fired a string of grenades at the dugout—grinning as it went up in a satisfying burst of flame—and peered at the observation post beyond.
It lay only a hundred meters away now; the dense web of camo netting that had covered it half slipped off, exposing it to the world. Glancing at his HUD, Dusan frowned as he realised he and Troy were the closest members of the Star to their objective—the rest scattered about the place battling ComGuard troopers and automata.
Dusan growled and thought, If we can take the post and its sensors, the Freebirth artillery will not be half as effective.
"We just need that sniper dealt with," he hissed as another hypersonic crack rolled over the plain, and a pained cry burst from the radio.
The Jade Falcon in him seethed at the inaction. Choosing the moment was one thing, but being prevented from striking altogether was another. Driving down his anger, transforming the feeling into fuel for focus, Dusan clenched his teeth as he realised what he must do.
"Troy," he spat. "On me. We are taking the observation post. The rest of you, suppress the sniper and clear those ComGuard troopers!"
Engaging his jump jets with a blink, Dusan hurtled out from behind the rock as a barrage roared out from his disparate warriors. Either too slow to react or pinned down by the covering fire, the sniper failed to end his gambit before it could begin, no hypersonic booms sounding as he hurtled through the air. Moving in a low arc toward the observation post, the ground beneath him was a blur of black and yellow, the occasional smatter of white on black marking ComGuard troopers—dead and alive. In the blink of an eye, he passed over the still-burning ruins of the dugout, a glance at his HUD showing Troy following on his trail.
They landed hard, glassy stones crunching underfoot as they touched down in a shallow pit halfway to the post. Once more, pain pulsed up his leg as his battle-worn suit transmitted the force into him. Biting back a bark, Dusan made to take a step only to halt as his much-abused knee plate once again refused to move.
"Star Commander?"
"Just go," Dusan growled and gestured toward their objective.
Troy hesitated and turned to face him.
"That's an order, Warr-"
Something struck Dusan's armour at the shoulder joint, a terrible screech accompanying the blow as he stumbled forward. Swinging around, the Star Commander spotted the half dozen ComGuard troopers instantly. Their bone-white power armour streaked with filth but fully functional, the fireteam leapt over the jagged rocks scattered about the plain with ease, the Gauss rifles in their hands up and firing as they moved to intercept the pair. Operating more on instinct than conscious thought, Dusan surged forward despite his immobile knee, he and Troy bounding over the sulfur-streaked earth as quickly as his leg would allow.
Bringing his weapons to bear on the half-dozen troopers, Dusan opened fire almost without aiming, the grenade launcher in his left arm pumping round after round at the enemy even as the machine gun in his right roared. One fell immediately, their leg vanishing as a grenade struck their thigh and detonated. Another dropped as the wild string of tracers from Dusan's machine gun clipped the side of their head, no word or utterance escaping them as they lost their footing and slammed against a stone.
Beside him, Troy opened up, his mech scale laser spearing a ComGuard trooper in the chest with a ruby beam so bright it stained the world a rich blood-red. Undeterred by the assault, the ComGuard did not relent.
Falling around the Elementals like torrential rain, gauss rounds in their hundreds filled the air, showers of sparks pouring off their battle armour as countless rounds found their mark. Simultaneously grinning at their bravery and cursing his slowness, Dusan ignored the integrity warnings flashing across his HUD and swung his weapons onto the next set of targets: a storm of tungsten tearing through a trooper's chest and pitching them backwards in a limp, smoking heap.
Great Father, but these freeborn vermin can fight when they wish it!
About to open fire at the remaining two with his grenade launcher, Dusan flinched as a well-aimed burst struck his visor at eye level, instinct seeing him jerk his arm up to cover his face as cracks spiderwebbed across the already damaged screen.
The action saved his life.
With a bone-rattling roar and a wash of heat, his grenade launcher exploded without warning, hungry orange flames blossoming all around him as the sniper's gauss round—aimed for his head—instead pierced its half-empty magazine. Dimly, distantly, the world disintegrating into a senseless blur, he felt himself lifted off the ground and flung like a ragdoll through the air. A heartbeat later, he hit the ground with a brutal crunch, the blow knocking out what little breath remained in him.
The world went utterly still, and then reality surged back; the taste of sulphurous air and burning circuits filled his lungs as he gave a hacking cough.
He groaned, forcing his eyes open. His vision was blurred, but his HUD was worse: every item on the display was an unreadable snowy hash. Stirring where he lay, he winced instinctively before pausing as he realised that the expected pain had not come for him. Indeed, for the first time in over a week, he felt fine. Better than fine. Great.
All at once, his faculties snapped into place, a bone-deep cold chilling him to the core and banishing the drug fog.
Still alive, he thought as the world began to sharpen. Still in the fight.
Though for how long, he didn't dare wonder.
Suddenly, Troy's voice cut through the haze, frantic words lifting the haze from Dusan's eyes and revealing the boy standing mere meters from him, their attackers nowhere in view.
"Star Commander!' Troy gasped as he stirred. "Star Commander, respond!"
"I am here," he rasped, a metallic taste filling his mouth. "Situation?"
"The ComGuard counter-attacked while you were out, and Beta Point's been overrun!" Troy's voice was pitched just below a shout.
Dusan ignored the boy's panicked contraction and the implication that he'd been unconscious for some time and instead forced himself to sit up, his battered armour whining in protest as twisted armour plates scraped together. Coldly, his gut surging in protest as he did so, he glanced down at his left arm and felt his face contort into a bitter frown. It was gone at the elbow, a jagged mass of twisted metal all that remained of the limb—the only good news was the black bulb of HarJel that had sealed wound and armour alike from the toxic air outside his armour.
He craned his neck toward the ridge where the sniper had been and felt a wave of relief sweep through him.
From the bottom of the pit, the sniper's nest was invisible—blocked from sight by the rough stone ridge. Doubtlessly, that fact was the only reason he and Troy hadn't been shot. Equally, it was likely that the sniper was up there waiting for someone to poke their head out so that they could blow it off.
"Troy," Dusan said in a steely voice. "Suppress the sniper with your SRMs. I will deal with the observation post."
"But your arm—"
"Do not argue!" he snapped, ignoring the boy's comment. "Buy me time to destroy the objective, and I will commend your service myself."
For a long moment, Troy stood still and stared at him, the faceless visor of his Elemental armour betraying nothing but some sense of disbelief spilling out of it nonetheless. Ignoring it, Dusan staggered to his feet, his left arm—what remained of it—hanging uselessly at his side, and blinked away the wave of discomforting not-pain that flooded him at the motion; the equally discomforting taste of toxic air harder to ignore.
He felt calm. Strangely calm. He knew his body was awash with drugs from his armour's pharmaceutical suite, but he had been drugged many times before in his long career as a Jade Falcon Elemental, and this felt somehow different.
With icy clarity, the idea that he wasn't going to survive crystallised in his mind.
But I can still move, he thought, still fight. That is enough.
His machine gun clicked as he checked the feed, confirming he had enough rounds to make it count.
"Troy," he barked, the command cutting through the chaos like a blade. "Fire now, and do not stop until I order you to."
The boy hesitated for a heartbeat, then obeyed. Turning away from him, he triggered a salvo of SRMs that streaked up toward the ridge, each missile leaving a spiralling contrail as it arced toward the unseen sniper's nest before vanishing from sight. Then orange-white light spilt over the ridgeline as the missiles detonated, a dull boom languidly rolling over the stony lip and buffeting the pair.
The sniper would likely have survived, he knew. But the point wasn't to kill them—it was to keep their head down.
Wordlessly, Dusan lurched towards his objective, uneven strides transforming into a ragged run up the slopes made worse by his locked knee-joint. Ahead, peeking over the pit's walls, the observation post loomed large, inscrutable sensors and bare walls battered but still functional. Looking past the smoke and haze, Dusan could see the faint stirrings of movement within, ComGuard troopers scrambling to reposition against him.
If I can take the post… The thought was hollow, a lie he didn't bother pretending to believe. The truth was stark and unforgiving: this was a suicide run; a last desperate attempt against the impossible. The post was heavily fortified, its defenders outnumbering him five-to-one at least, and he was down an arm and breathing toxic fumes.
He'd be lucky if he made it out of the pit.
But, he considered as he began climbing up the slopes, he was Jade Falcon, and Jade Falcons did not retreat.
ComStar Intervention Zone, Lyran Commonwealth
19 May 3051 (Day 13 of Operation GUILLOTINE)
Star Commander Dusan grunted as he slammed into the barren earth opposite the rock formation on wings of fire, his left knee locking in place and sending the jolt of impact up through his left. Ignoring the searing pain that washed over his hip, the Clan Warrior instead swept the ground before him for any sign of hostile activity, the machine gun that made up his right arm shifting right over the black and yellow terrain as the grenade launcher in his left arm did the opposite.
Both stilled as he conceded that no ComGuard stood against him.
The Stravags could not have shot me in the chest, could they? He grumbled as he turned his attention back to his battle armour and tapped the stuck joint with a claw, the half-melted plate loosening with a crunch he could feel in his teeth.
Frowning at the crimson damage icon splashed across his HUD—a gift from a now departed Mechwarrior whose final panicked laser blast had caught him across the legs mid-leap—the damaged knee joint was merely one of several components on the Star Captain's Elemental Battle Armour that were playing up of late. As annoying as it was, the loss of mobility bothered him far less than the fuzzing sensors, the sandblasted shoulders, or, and most pressingly, the hairline fracture across his visor; a thin black line of hastily applied HarJel all that stood between his lungs and the intensely toxic atmosphere that lay a few centimetres away.
"Star Commander," a voice suddenly crackled over the radio. "Are you injured? Do you require assistance?"
Plummeting to earth, the voice's owner settled to the fire-blacked ground in front of Dusan an instant later, a wall of midnight dust cloaking Troy as he landed.
"Neg!" He replied hastily, the older man bristling at the young Warrior's presumption. As if taunting him, Troy rose smoothly from his landing point and bounded for a nearby boulder, the bulky Elemental reaching it just as the remainder of the unit began to land around the Star Commander.
To his right came Sumiko, the woman crashing to the ground atop the rolls and ruffles of a lava bank, soft black stone crumbling beneath her battle armour's clawed feet. To his left, Warrior Theodore came bounding into view, the hand-painted Jade Falcon on his armour pitted and scarred after the day's battle. Aubrey followed soon after, the woman waddling into view from somewhere behind him despite the sluggish movements of her scorched armour. Then came Ami, Baytor, Prabhu, Britney, and half a dozen others—thirteen of the Jade Falcon's best joining Dusan on the ridge overlooking the Sulphur Gorge's eastern expanse. All were damaged to one degree or another.
Look at us, the Star Commander all but spat. Almost half the number we started with, and none without battle scars. The Great Father would be ashamed of our performance on this day.
Heaving his suit towards the nearest cover and pointedly ignoring Troy, Dusan turned his attention westward and frowned at the sight that greeted him.
Rising a hundred metres up on either side of him like wings, Sulphur Gorge's onyx walls ran arrow straight for all of five hundred metres before suddenly veering right, the sudden turn lending the environment a closed-in feeling little helped by the cloying grey fog that puffed at random from the earth before oozing its way downhill. Everywhere he looked, sulphur ran down the rough slopes in great streaks, the substance carried by rivulets of brackish water that spilt from dark rents in the earth and staining the rock walls a hideous yellow as if infected. Frowning, Dusan paused as a tremor ran up his legs before, without warning, a jet of silvery air burped from the ground a short distance away, the toxic gases settling over the ground in a shimmering blanket before fading from sight.
It was an ill-favoured battlefield, and after weeks of fighting and dying in it, Dusan just wanted to be done with it.
If only our leaders thought the same, he thought as he turned his eyes skyward.
Overhead, battling in the cerulean vault of heaven, Jade Falcon OmniFighters duelled their ComStar counterparts for control of the sky, one fighter—its allegiance impossible to tell—bursting into flames as he watched before plummeting out of sight.
He was loathe to admit it to the pilots—their egos needed no massaging even now—but the sight of Falcon fighters in the air was welcome to the aged Elemental. It had taken two weeks and many lives to capture the airfield-cum-victory-point that served as their staging ground—two of his subordinates left in pieces on its runway—but doing so had dramatically improved the Clan's ability to fend off the ComGuard's ground strikes.
Shaking his head as another fuzzy dot suffered an undignified death, Dusan turned his attention to the here and now.
"Troy," he barked. "Distance to target."
It was an unnecessary request. Dusan could see the distance displayed on his HUD above his eyes. But as he was loathe to boost the egos of pilots, he refused to let a training opportunity pass without comment.
To his credit, the youth replied almost immediately. "Aff, Star Commander. Point eight klicks southeast, Star Commander."
He gestured towards the gorge's far wall with his small laser.
"The observation point lies over that ridge, Star Commander."
"Cease your useless prattle, Warrior Troy. I am no preening Snow Raven seeking reassurance as to my rank."
Irritatingly young though he was and fresh out of his training, the boy had learned tact enough at Dusan's fists as he did not waste breath apologising for his insistent use of the man's rank.
Turning to what remained of his Star, Dusan spoke again. "You heard Troy. Eight hundred meters to the OP, and then we blind the freeborn scum. Advance in points, then as planned. Move out."
Displaying none of the indecisiveness or cravenness endemic to Sphereoids, Dusan's Star reacted to his orders all but instantly, jump jets kicking on across the ridgeline as Elementals hurled themselves towards their distant target point by point. Ill-suppressing his pride at their obedience, the Star Commander followed suit a heartbeat later, a sudden lurch and a dizzying ascent seeing him travel ninety meters in the blink of an eye. Crashing back down to earth amidst a cloud of sharp black dust—his armour's knee thankfully remaining unstuck—the elder Clanner paused just long enough to ensure no ambush had been sprung and then repeated his leap again and again and again until, at last, he landed halfway up the pitch-black wall that closed off their section of the gorge.
Chips of porous black stone crunching beneath his heavy boots, Dusan moved towards the lip of the rise as gracefully as he could manage, a painful ache rising through his legs with every step. Followed by the rest of his Star, themselves clambering up the stoney slopes a touch more gracefully despite their heavy power armour, the Star Commander paused just shy of the barren lip. Here, the steep slope terminated at the base of an overhanging stone whose much-eroded surface was breached in places by channels carved by wind and water.
Here, the plan would change some; the keen eyes and keener guns of the ComGuard had long forced the use of new tactics by the Jade Falcons, and Dusan's was not a Star to clutch at traditions when the Clans' ultimate victory—and the rights to have their genetic material included in the next clutch of warriors—lay almost within reach.
"Sumiko, Baytor, Lorenz," he commanded, the trio saying nothing but seeming to stiffen in their battle armour suits. "Deploy smoke in thirty. Ami, any surprises?"
"Aff, Star Commander," the four replied as one, the Warriors climbing up the slope with youthful ease before halting a short distance from the overhang.
Stepping around the trio as they began prepping their SRMs, Ami advanced on the rock line until her head was nearly poking above it before halting and unwinding a length of cable from her arm. As inelegant as it was to use a labour caste's snake camera to image their target, the long weeks had taught Dusan's Star well the dangers of advancing into territory where ComGuard snipers lurked.
Ignoring the quartet's labours, Dusan turned downslope to face the rest of his Star. Despite their expressionless faceplates, each seemed ready to burst into action, eagerness and a hunger for glory written into every tightly controlled motion.
"Do not stop," he told them, perhaps unnecessarily. "It is three hundred meters of open terrain before we make it to the observation point, and we will only have the advantage of surprise for a few moments. Stop, and you will surely be killed."
Almost absently, he clacked the three pincers of his battle claw together and growled. "Do not disappoint me."
It was no idle threat, as his Star well knew. For weeks now, the Stravags had been using the observation posts to direct pin-point artillery strikes on the heads of Clan warriors as they were led on a wild chase throughout the valleys and gorges. Among others, Dusan's Star had been charged by SaKhan Pryde with plucking out the ComGuard's eyes, and he was too old to risk failing her.
"On your mark, Star Commander Icaza," Sumiko reported crisply, the woman's words snatching Dusan from his rumination the way an Eden Serpent did the imperious gaze of the Falcon's totem animal. Letting the snake drop where she stood, Ami reported nothing outside expectations.
Shifting a few steps towards the nearest ramp, his heartbeat picking up and an electric tension filling his limbs, Dusan breathed deep and smiled behind his visor.
"Mark."
There came a sudden shriek, a blinding flash, and a sharp crack followed by a dull pop. Already triggering his jump jets when the SRMs left his Warriors' launchers, Dusan fairly leapt over the overhanging rock ridge, his clawed feet scraping over graphite--grey stone and sending scree tumbling down behind him. For a solitary heartbeat, he had a clear view of the space between the rise his Star had assembled on and the observation point, the nearly featureless black sand plain interrupted only by the occasional pool of alkaline water that boiled furiously and stony mounds whose origins he could not discern. A little over a third of a kilometre distant, his vision enhanced by his battle armour's sensors, he could make out the tell-tale shine of a lens pointed his way.
And then the image vanished as grey-white smoke clouds burst into view across the expanse and merged, the churning gas impenetrable as a lead wall to even his refined sensors.
Dusan hit the ground running, stone chips and sand spraying around him as he landed a distance from the edge he'd started from and crunched loudly underfoot. Behind him, he felt more than heard the rest of his Star do the same, their sun-stretched shadows flickering in and out of view as they followed after him.
Automatically, he started counting heartbeats.
One.
Two.
Three.
He made it to seventeen before the ComGuard opened fire, blazing tracers and flashing lasers punching through the smoke bank barely six seconds into the mad rush, the first few wild shots missing entirely. Triggering his jump jets with utmost indifference as to the barrage, Dusan and the rest of the Star lept another ninety meters towards the nearby ledge—plunging into the smoke cloud in an instant—and he noted with some surprise that the fire heading towards them was already starting to tighten.
They have a good commander, he thought generously.
An instant later, his goodwill evaporated as the torrent finally found a target; Britney's battle armour exploding into a ball of hungry orange flames as no less than three sapphire beams pinned her like a butterfly.
"Move, move, move!" Dusan roared over an open channel, the thunder in his chest growing louder and louder.
Again, he triggered his jump jets, and again, another of his Star died; an untimely gust thining the smoke just enough to reveal Lennox's faceplate, the man collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut as some unseen sniper ensured he would never contribute to the Clan's genetic legacy.
"We are only halfway there," Dusan muttered as he crashed back down to earth, estimates already flashing through his mind as to how many would die before they reached their target.
Growling to himself in an almost wolf-like fashion, he spoke up. "Beta and Gamma points: cover the advance. Everyone else, do not stop."
Triggering his jump jets before either point could respond, Dusan rode a pillar of flame high into the sky a moment before a satisfying burst of machinegun and laser fire whipped under his feet, the Warriors making good on their orders and laying down a flood of fire on the still-unseen enemy. As expected, the counter-fire was harsh; an Elemental killed before the two points could reposition and find cover.
Snapping orders to the remaining members of his charge to keep them in something roughly resembling a flying vee with him at its head, Dusan counted down with almost religious zeal as the jade figures splashed across his HUD dropped, the smoke thinning as he neared its edge. His heart hammering in his chest with the rhythm of a rotary autocannon, Dusan's face contorted in a savage snarl as he activated his jump jets one final time, the final burst of accelerating sending him rocketing out of the churning grey-white cloud and into the open air beyond.
Reality came in snatches as Dusan's eyes automatically drunk in the battlefield. There lay an observation post, its sensor booms and gleaming lenses pointed away from Dusan down a long and narrow gorge. There: a dugout carved from the black earth, cunningly laid camo netting rendering it invisible from above. There: a Bjorn drone. There: a laser designator. Everywhere: ComGuard troopers in power armour.
A lifelong warrior, it was all the time Dusan needed.
Fast as a diving falcon, he slammed behind a stony lump as wide across as he was tall, fire washing over his head a moment too slow. Not waiting for the inevitable grenade or flank, the veteran hauled his weighty machine gun over the lip of the rock and blindly opened fire at the dugout, a tongue of flame as long as his arm burping from the weapon as it spewed forth a hundred rounds. Like a light switch being flipped, the ComGuard fire lessened, the Jade Falcon seizing the moment to step around the rock and level his grenade launcher at the ComGuard sat crouched within the low-slung prefab.
"Die, freeborn!" He howled as he fired a burst, a sharp triple crack ringing out as the grenades fell around it—a Freeborn vanishing from view as one detonated mere inches from their helmeted face.
The survivors didn't hesitate.
With practised ease, they split apart, one diving left and the other twisting right—laser rifles snapping towards him and opening fire in the blink of an eye. Heedless of his vulnerability, glowing metal spraying from his armour as a dozen bolts struck true, Dusan swung his machine gun towards them and barked a rejoinder. Laser-thin and burning bright, the line of tracers sawed through the dugout's walls near instantly and caught the rightmost trooper about the waist, hot blood spraying over black sand as their armour gave way beneath the barrage.
Snarling as the foe collapsed to the ground—their ruined chest steaming in the toxic air—Dusan swung his grenade launcher towards the other trooper and froze as something glinted on a distant hill.
Snipe- He thought.
A Hell's Horse kicked him in the chest, a booming report filling the air as he tumbled behind cover.
Cursing, his chest aching despite the battle armour's thick hide, Dusan dragged himself to a crouch behind the rock before examining his armoured chest with a claw, the digit catching on the cratered armour and eliciting an irritated growl from the elderly Warrior.
A gauss rifle, he thought hotly—honourless cur.
Dusan's temper simmered as he checked his HUD. The damage was mostly superficial, but the impact had sent shockwaves through his already battered body. He felt the strain in his ribs and the unwelcome twinge in his bruised hip. Somewhere at the back of his mind, a too-familiar voice whispered that he was getting old.
He snorted hotly and drove the voice away.
He had no time for weakness. No time for pain.
He toggled his comms. "All points, report!"
"This is Alpha lead," Prabhu said, an explosion underlying his words. "We are in position to the north and engaging entrenched infantry."
Ami went next. "Beta lead: Suppressed but holding—two ComGuard squads with Gauss weaponry advancing."
"Kappa," huffed Aubrey, her voice rasping in his ear as it always did when her blood was up. "Repositioning to provide crossfire."
On and on it went, the remaining points reporting that their assault was ongoing, though slower than he'd like. The thoughts flowing in the back of his mind, Dusan chanced a peek around the edge of his stone shelter only to jerk his head backwards as a too-eager shot blew a fist-sized hole in the craggy surface.
And then, quite to his surprise, Troy spoke."Star Commander, I've identified the sniper's position—west ridge, one kilometre. Elevation: fifty meters above our position."
Dusan growled low, the shallow tide of gratitude overridden by a flash of anger at the boy's use of contractions. "Acknowledged. Beta and Gamma points, direct fire on that sniper. Take the Stravag out!"
"Aff," came the curt reply, thunder spilling across the plain as they opened fire.
Peeking around the stone once more, one eye kept on the hillock where the sniper lay, Dusan fired a string of grenades at the dugout—grinning as it went up in a satisfying burst of flame—and peered at the observation post beyond.
It lay only a hundred meters away now; the dense web of camo netting that had covered it half slipped off, exposing it to the world. Glancing at his HUD, Dusan frowned as he realised he and Troy were the closest members of the Star to their objective—the rest scattered about the place battling ComGuard troopers and automata.
Dusan growled and thought, If we can take the post and its sensors, the Freebirth artillery will not be half as effective.
"We just need that sniper dealt with," he hissed as another hypersonic crack rolled over the plain, and a pained cry burst from the radio.
The Jade Falcon in him seethed at the inaction. Choosing the moment was one thing, but being prevented from striking altogether was another. Driving down his anger, transforming the feeling into fuel for focus, Dusan clenched his teeth as he realised what he must do.
"Troy," he spat. "On me. We are taking the observation post. The rest of you, suppress the sniper and clear those ComGuard troopers!"
Engaging his jump jets with a blink, Dusan hurtled out from behind the rock as a barrage roared out from his disparate warriors. Either too slow to react or pinned down by the covering fire, the sniper failed to end his gambit before it could begin, no hypersonic booms sounding as he hurtled through the air. Moving in a low arc toward the observation post, the ground beneath him was a blur of black and yellow, the occasional smatter of white on black marking ComGuard troopers—dead and alive. In the blink of an eye, he passed over the still-burning ruins of the dugout, a glance at his HUD showing Troy following on his trail.
They landed hard, glassy stones crunching underfoot as they touched down in a shallow pit halfway to the post. Once more, pain pulsed up his leg as his battle-worn suit transmitted the force into him. Biting back a bark, Dusan made to take a step only to halt as his much-abused knee plate once again refused to move.
"Star Commander?"
"Just go," Dusan growled and gestured toward their objective.
Troy hesitated and turned to face him.
"That's an order, Warr-"
Something struck Dusan's armour at the shoulder joint, a terrible screech accompanying the blow as he stumbled forward. Swinging around, the Star Commander spotted the half dozen ComGuard troopers instantly. Their bone-white power armour streaked with filth but fully functional, the fireteam leapt over the jagged rocks scattered about the plain with ease, the Gauss rifles in their hands up and firing as they moved to intercept the pair. Operating more on instinct than conscious thought, Dusan surged forward despite his immobile knee, he and Troy bounding over the sulfur-streaked earth as quickly as his leg would allow.
Bringing his weapons to bear on the half-dozen troopers, Dusan opened fire almost without aiming, the grenade launcher in his left arm pumping round after round at the enemy even as the machine gun in his right roared. One fell immediately, their leg vanishing as a grenade struck their thigh and detonated. Another dropped as the wild string of tracers from Dusan's machine gun clipped the side of their head, no word or utterance escaping them as they lost their footing and slammed against a stone.
Beside him, Troy opened up, his mech scale laser spearing a ComGuard trooper in the chest with a ruby beam so bright it stained the world a rich blood-red. Undeterred by the assault, the ComGuard did not relent.
Falling around the Elementals like torrential rain, gauss rounds in their hundreds filled the air, showers of sparks pouring off their battle armour as countless rounds found their mark. Simultaneously grinning at their bravery and cursing his slowness, Dusan ignored the integrity warnings flashing across his HUD and swung his weapons onto the next set of targets: a storm of tungsten tearing through a trooper's chest and pitching them backwards in a limp, smoking heap.
Great Father, but these freeborn vermin can fight when they wish it!
About to open fire at the remaining two with his grenade launcher, Dusan flinched as a well-aimed burst struck his visor at eye level, instinct seeing him jerk his arm up to cover his face as cracks spiderwebbed across the already damaged screen.
The action saved his life.
With a bone-rattling roar and a wash of heat, his grenade launcher exploded without warning, hungry orange flames blossoming all around him as the sniper's gauss round—aimed for his head—instead pierced its half-empty magazine. Dimly, distantly, the world disintegrating into a senseless blur, he felt himself lifted off the ground and flung like a ragdoll through the air. A heartbeat later, he hit the ground with a brutal crunch, the blow knocking out what little breath remained in him.
The world went utterly still, and then reality surged back; the taste of sulphurous air and burning circuits filled his lungs as he gave a hacking cough.
He groaned, forcing his eyes open. His vision was blurred, but his HUD was worse: every item on the display was an unreadable snowy hash. Stirring where he lay, he winced instinctively before pausing as he realised that the expected pain had not come for him. Indeed, for the first time in over a week, he felt fine. Better than fine. Great.
All at once, his faculties snapped into place, a bone-deep cold chilling him to the core and banishing the drug fog.
Still alive, he thought as the world began to sharpen. Still in the fight.
Though for how long, he didn't dare wonder.
Suddenly, Troy's voice cut through the haze, frantic words lifting the haze from Dusan's eyes and revealing the boy standing mere meters from him, their attackers nowhere in view.
"Star Commander!' Troy gasped as he stirred. "Star Commander, respond!"
"I am here," he rasped, a metallic taste filling his mouth. "Situation?"
"The ComGuard counter-attacked while you were out, and Beta Point's been overrun!" Troy's voice was pitched just below a shout.
Dusan ignored the boy's panicked contraction and the implication that he'd been unconscious for some time and instead forced himself to sit up, his battered armour whining in protest as twisted armour plates scraped together. Coldly, his gut surging in protest as he did so, he glanced down at his left arm and felt his face contort into a bitter frown. It was gone at the elbow, a jagged mass of twisted metal all that remained of the limb—the only good news was the black bulb of HarJel that had sealed wound and armour alike from the toxic air outside his armour.
He craned his neck toward the ridge where the sniper had been and felt a wave of relief sweep through him.
From the bottom of the pit, the sniper's nest was invisible—blocked from sight by the rough stone ridge. Doubtlessly, that fact was the only reason he and Troy hadn't been shot. Equally, it was likely that the sniper was up there waiting for someone to poke their head out so that they could blow it off.
"Troy," Dusan said in a steely voice. "Suppress the sniper with your SRMs. I will deal with the observation post."
"But your arm—"
"Do not argue!" he snapped, ignoring the boy's comment. "Buy me time to destroy the objective, and I will commend your service myself."
For a long moment, Troy stood still and stared at him, the faceless visor of his Elemental armour betraying nothing but some sense of disbelief spilling out of it nonetheless. Ignoring it, Dusan staggered to his feet, his left arm—what remained of it—hanging uselessly at his side, and blinked away the wave of discomforting not-pain that flooded him at the motion; the equally discomforting taste of toxic air harder to ignore.
He felt calm. Strangely calm. He knew his body was awash with drugs from his armour's pharmaceutical suite, but he had been drugged many times before in his long career as a Jade Falcon Elemental, and this felt somehow different.
With icy clarity, the idea that he wasn't going to survive crystallised in his mind.
But I can still move, he thought, still fight. That is enough.
His machine gun clicked as he checked the feed, confirming he had enough rounds to make it count.
"Troy," he barked, the command cutting through the chaos like a blade. "Fire now, and do not stop until I order you to."
The boy hesitated for a heartbeat, then obeyed. Turning away from him, he triggered a salvo of SRMs that streaked up toward the ridge, each missile leaving a spiralling contrail as it arced toward the unseen sniper's nest before vanishing from sight. Then orange-white light spilt over the ridgeline as the missiles detonated, a dull boom languidly rolling over the stony lip and buffeting the pair.
The sniper would likely have survived, he knew. But the point wasn't to kill them—it was to keep their head down.
Wordlessly, Dusan lurched towards his objective, uneven strides transforming into a ragged run up the slopes made worse by his locked knee-joint. Ahead, peeking over the pit's walls, the observation post loomed large, inscrutable sensors and bare walls battered but still functional. Looking past the smoke and haze, Dusan could see the faint stirrings of movement within, ComGuard troopers scrambling to reposition against him.
If I can take the post… The thought was hollow, a lie he didn't bother pretending to believe. The truth was stark and unforgiving: this was a suicide run; a last desperate attempt against the impossible. The post was heavily fortified, its defenders outnumbering him five-to-one at least, and he was down an arm and breathing toxic fumes.
He'd be lucky if he made it out of the pit.
But, he considered as he began climbing up the slopes, he was Jade Falcon, and Jade Falcons did not retreat.
prometheus110
Join Cayman-Global & be part of the 1E-9 percent!
- Location
- La Ballena City Raft
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This one was a bit like pulling teeth when it came to writing it, but what can you do.
- Location
- Northish
If you had been born in another state you could've been a good man Dusan, shame.
Omega-Chris
The Friendly Ghost
You guys are all on the right track but wrong franchise. In fact Gundam or Armored Core where not part of my inspirations for these designs at all. Instead the inspirations came from the Super Robot Wars OG franchise. To be specific the Alteinsen and Weissritter where the inspiration for the Rex and Ray respectively.
Here are some pictures that should make the inspiration quite obvious.
- Location
- SEAsia
- Pronouns
- Thou
Thanks again, Prom.
Omega-Chris
The Friendly Ghost
I think prom outdid himself with this update. It was really fun to read and also really tense along with the characters being really interesting. Thanks to a question on discord it was confirmed that Comstar is using both our PAL and Innersphere Standard in this battle. It's nice to hear IS BA became a thing in this timeline as it's iconic in canon. Though it's clear the Falcons underestimated the worth of both PAL and IS BA which very clearly bit them in the ass.
Edit: Correction me and Prom had a misunderstanding. Comstar does not have any suits of Innersphere Standard they only have a variety of PAL.
Edit: Correction me and Prom had a misunderstanding. Comstar does not have any suits of Innersphere Standard they only have a variety of PAL.
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A technological edge alone does not guarantee victory, as skill, doctrine, morale, logistics, and many other factors are needed in the end.
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Cataphract
Denizen of Qliphoth
- Location
- UTC +8:00
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This was such a damn good update. Couldn't help but root for Dusan as I read, even as I hoped he'd fail.
The Super Robot Wars franchise draws immense inspiration from various anime franchises (particularly gundam) and at times even directly draws characters from such.
So definitely a strong gundam influence.
How does the Helghan ATM contrast with the Clan version?
Does it only have the baseline ATM's integral Artemis-IV, or does it also have the Improved ATM's ability to indirect fire and/or have integral Streak?
Does it only have the original ATM's Ammo (Standard, Extended-Range, and High-Explosive), or does it also have the Improved ATM's Magnetic Pulse and Inferno Ammunition?
Does it only have the baseline ATM's integral Artemis-IV, or does it also have the Improved ATM's ability to indirect fire and/or have integral Streak?
Does it only have the original ATM's Ammo (Standard, Extended-Range, and High-Explosive), or does it also have the Improved ATM's Magnetic Pulse and Inferno Ammunition?
Omega-Chris
The Friendly Ghost
From what I know the Helghan ATM is the exact same as the Clan version created by us several years earlier then canon when we get Clan missiles. It's essentially Helghan using the Clans advanced missile technology to take our MML's to the next level (the MML's will also be upgraded separately). We simply came up with the tech earlier then the clans in this timeline because we already used the MML's extensively which are very similar to ATM's.
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Omega-Chris
The Friendly Ghost
Future Weapon design suggestion the X-PPC.
#Design
Lore:
Designed by Coalition Heavy Industry in 3056 the X-PPC is the result of using the Clans advanced PPC technology to enhance the design of the Sub Nose PPC. Like the aforementioned Sub Nose PPC the X-PPC is focused on close range combat having the same effective weapon ranges however unlike its counterpart this new PPC has 2 firing modes, Stream and Splitter. In steam firing mode the X-PPC doesn't have the damage drop off at longer ranges that the Sub Nose PPC while still firering one considerate blast of particles. In splitter mode the X-PPC fires a blast that splits into smaller projectiles after traveling a a short distance upon leaving the firing barrel like a LBX autocannon or shotgun. Though unlike the LBX the X-PPC fires less projectiles but each one is slightly more powerful than a LBX cluster shell.
This effect was achieved by containing the initial "ball" of ion particles in a weaker magnetic field then what is standard which will then destabilize into several smaller magnetic fields separating the ion particles into smaller "balls" that continue to travel towards their target.
Tabletop Stats:
Table top Rules:
When firing this weapon declare which firing mode it's using. When using the steam firing mode use the standard hit table and all the damage is done in that location. For splitter firing mode 5 shots are fired that land in clusters of 1 so use the cluster 5 table to determine how many hit. Every projectile that hits does 2 damage. When firing against airborne target, apply a -2 flak modifier.
AN: This just came to mind and though it would be cool as a potential future weapons system ORDI creates. This was inspired by all the times the Snub Nose PPC has been portrayed as a energy shotgun in video games. Also with this suggestion I am going to change the Beetles Snub-Nose PPC to an X-PPC as it would just make sense.
#Design
Lore:
Designed by Coalition Heavy Industry in 3056 the X-PPC is the result of using the Clans advanced PPC technology to enhance the design of the Sub Nose PPC. Like the aforementioned Sub Nose PPC the X-PPC is focused on close range combat having the same effective weapon ranges however unlike its counterpart this new PPC has 2 firing modes, Stream and Splitter. In steam firing mode the X-PPC doesn't have the damage drop off at longer ranges that the Sub Nose PPC while still firering one considerate blast of particles. In splitter mode the X-PPC fires a blast that splits into smaller projectiles after traveling a a short distance upon leaving the firing barrel like a LBX autocannon or shotgun. Though unlike the LBX the X-PPC fires less projectiles but each one is slightly more powerful than a LBX cluster shell.
This effect was achieved by containing the initial "ball" of ion particles in a weaker magnetic field then what is standard which will then destabilize into several smaller magnetic fields separating the ion particles into smaller "balls" that continue to travel towards their target.
Tabletop Stats:
Code:
========================================================================================================
Name Heat Critical Mass Damage Range Ammo per ton
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
X-PPC 10 2 6 10(ST),2-C5/1(SP) 9/13/15 --When firing this weapon declare which firing mode it's using. When using the steam firing mode use the standard hit table and all the damage is done in that location. For splitter firing mode 5 shots are fired that land in clusters of 1 so use the cluster 5 table to determine how many hit. Every projectile that hits does 2 damage. When firing against airborne target, apply a -2 flak modifier.
AN: This just came to mind and though it would be cool as a potential future weapons system ORDI creates. This was inspired by all the times the Snub Nose PPC has been portrayed as a energy shotgun in video games. Also with this suggestion I am going to change the Beetles Snub-Nose PPC to an X-PPC as it would just make sense.
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Reminds me of the Blossom PPC from Salvage Dogs.
Omega-Chris
The Friendly Ghost
No idea this existed but it is unsurprising. Though the X-PPC is slightly different because it can fire both a single projectile and a cluster shot while the blossom can only fire clusters.
Innovation comes in many flavors, nobody has a monopoly, and just because you didn't think of it doesn't mean it wasn't possible.
Let me give you an example.
#Design
-----
The Variable Charge PPC
Developed from the concept of PPC capacitors and stabilized into a more consistent system, the Variable Charge PPC is mechanically similar to the standard PPC. The primary difference is the presence of three distinct "Capacitor Cores" - a Variable Charge PPC can be selected to fire with one, two, or three of these cores at once, producing output similar to the Light, Standard, and Heavy PPC, respectively.
Weight: 7 Tons
Crit Slots: 4
Range: 7/14/23
Heat: *
Damage: *
*: When firing the Variable Charge PPC, choose whether you will fire one, two, or three cores. A one core shot inflicts 5 damage and produces 5 heat. A two core shot inflicts 10 damage and produces 10 heat. A three core shot inflicts 15 damage and produces 15 heat.
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Omega-Chris
The Friendly Ghost
Indeed though I was under no illusion that nobody had created something like a shotgun PPC for tabletop before. I simply had no idea where those potential designs could be found or what kind of rules they could have. So I made the X-PPC using my own interpretations on how a shotgun PPC and improved Snub-Nose PPC could work on tabletop.
I like this very much it's a very cool concept. Give it a hashtag design and some lore and it would fit right in as a future technological development. Maybe it's a creation of one of the Great Houses? Can't have ORDI invent all the new tech after all.
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