Prior thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/18395949/
Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Maverick%20Hunter%20Quest
Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2ptMsuKB0s

You are Anode, 4th Overland, currently on mission to retire the maverick Spin Jagwire, and you are looking at a pile of fucking bodies.

Living bodies. Mostly. Cables tapped into their cores sap the power. Their eyes are glassy and blank. A few bodies groan and move--no, writhe. At least one of these is human--no wires, but he's missing an arm and a leg. On opposite sides.

Now you know what that power source is. Jagwire is using ...this. Them. To help power his abandoned factory, and who knows what else.

>Feels?
>And what the fuck do?

just popping in to tell you that you rock
carry on

>>18543998
We still have Wells in our ear, right? Stutter incoherently at him, and see if we can get some advice about this utterly fucked up situation. Any way we can teleport these poor bastards out of here X5/6 style, and even if we could, will that work on the human?
Also, chances of us being able to feed some of our reserves into the wires they're plugged into, keep them alive a little longer, or would that most likely just fry them?

GOD yes. Have been waiting on this.

How healed up are we from the last time we charged ourselves up? Can we safely remove the wiring from the downed reploids?

Can we save the human?

RADIO FOR SOME FUCKIN' INFO HERE.

>>18544058
You're actually pretty beat up, you just got mauled by a pack of mavericks in the last room before you fried them and Chaff Missile'd the survivors.
You can try to save the human and the reploids. I'll factor that into the post.
>>18544053
They seem okay, just...sapped by the cables. Non-responsive, but alive. Teleporting them out, however, is problematic. Unfortunately Cain Labs is out, so I can't speak to whether you can beam the human(/s) out. My personal first thought is no, they need conventional transport.

>>18544058
That looks like Tear Grants from Tales of the Abyss.

delicious Maverick Hunters

>>18544221
Fanart of that actually exists.
>>18544201
Then let's get this show on the road. We're a Maverick Hunter, not a lazy rent-a-cop. Our job is to save people from bullshit like this, not to kill mavericks mindlessly.
Check the cables carefully. If they're safe and it won't cause trouble with the reploid bodies, yank 'em.

>>18544201
So, we can teleport the reploids, at least? I say we do our best to see if we can unhook any of them and send them back. If we can't, we at least need to get the ones that we can out of any obvious harm, and then get back to searching for Jagwire. We can't let him start a fight here, with all these potential hostages.

>>18544053
>>18544058
18544328
I...
This.
"Wellsley," you croak, half-dazed, barely coherent.
"What? What is it?"
"I can't even..." you take a moment to get a grip. "Bodies. Human, reploid. Lots of them."
"A--" You cut him off as you continue, aware you're half-rambling.
"The 'roids have cables drawing power from their cores. I think he's running this factory with it."
"Slow down--"
"Humans. At least one alive. Partially dismembered. Bandaged, poorly."
"Anode."
"Lot of blood on them, almost soaked through. A few dead, both--"
"Anode!" Finally, you snap out of it. "Okay, stay calm."
"Calm--yeah. Yeah, okay. Sorry. Thanks, Wellington."
"It's all right. If you're going to help them, we need more information. I'm on that. Beaming is scrambled, so we'll need to dispatch a transport. It'll be a while, but evac will be coming."
Well...that's a start, at least. You calm down as Wellington continues gently.
"Right now you need to prioritize the victims. The leads are unsafe, but removing them shouldn't cause any damage."
Prioritize...
>The reploids?
>The human(s)?

>>18544443
Let's lay this out first.

Logically, Reploid bodies are packing a LOT MORE POWER. It comes with the whole energen crystals thing - courtesy of none other than Doctor fucking Wily mining them all the way back in Mega Man 3. Background story, ho!

Realistically, humans are considered more 'worthwhile' and Reploids are second class citizens. Prioritizing Reploids could tarnish our rep.

Do we want to make this fight easier or do we want to avoid a political shitstorm?

>>18544443
Do we know anything about treating injuries like the human has? Check him out, even if we just have the basics, and make sure he'll last long enough for the transport. Reploids are a little sturdier, after all, and we can unhook them and give them a look when we're sure the fleshy one isn't about to bite it right away. If any of them are conscious enough to speak to, let them know that help is on the way. We should also try to ask if there are any other captives that they know of.

My suggestion is to make your way through them in order. That is the closest ones to you you to do first. Move them so they are easiliy accessable for the emergency teams.

For the humans first aid is a must so your going to be spending a bit longer making sure the bandages are tight, there aren't any additional wounds as well as putting them in the rescue position so they don't choke to death if they start convulsing.

Quick check with Cain Labs: You can teleport a human safely. Kalinka from MM4 is our precedent. MHQ beaming is spatial compression.
>>18544519
>>18544579
Human's just about at the forefront of the pile, so check on him/triage his injuries acceptable?

>>18544707
I think checking the human first is a good idea. Lost limbs for Reploids aren't nearly as big a deal as for humans, and honestly, everyone needs help. While we're worrying about who to check first, they're getting worse off.

AW YEAH THIS THREAD

Yeah, we should be prioritizing the humans. It's not a race thing, it's a "bleeding out is a lot more goddamn serious for a human" thing.

>>18544785
2nded. Stupid squishy humans.

>>18544785
Still, I hope this doesn't lead to any race traitor type animosity. Not from our bros in the hunters, of course. Civilian Reploids.

>>18544881
From some of the Q and A with Cain Labs in previous threads, I get the feeling that Reploids and Humans are, for the most part, past that sort of thing.

>>18544881
All things considered, this is probably gonna end up as the lead-up to Repliforce. There's no real action that we can take that'll please everyone if we're not able to save all of them - which seems to be the case - and we've gotta deal with a supercharged maverick on top of this!

Times like these, we've just gotta buck up and do the best we can. Which, right now? Is saving, or trying to save, all those poor saps on the ground. Worrying about it pissing someone off doesn't seem to be our style.

>>18544785
Human. The Reps seem fine, just in comas. Tend to the human, unhook the reps if you can, then wait for evac.

Yes! MHQ is back! I've been waiting eagerly since the last one.

One of my biggest worries is that once we remove a few of these guys from the network the others are going to get drained faster. Can we hook into the system in order to compensate for the removal of the victims?

>>18545142
OH SHIT WHAT?
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
If he has any control over the draining at all, he'll basically instakill you if you try it. You need to see what it does first unless you want to hand the maverick a chance of instantly winning.

>>18545142
No. Seriously.

You clear your head with another breath, and remember something Cathode said once. Something about starting with what you can do immediately. So you do.
The first body is the human, groaning. He's half-conscious. You carefully crouch and set him upright (he gasps sharply), careful not to touch any of his wounds. ...Any of the ones you can see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeDrqVwxj8U

The ragged remains of a shirt cling around his shoulders, his chest bared and lined with literally dozens of cuts, most of them fresh. The bandages are clean, if in dire need of changing--bastard is keeping him alive. His missing leg seems mostly fine, but your fingers feel wet on the shoulder, and your fingers come away slicked with human blood. His eyes suddenly pop open, and then slide into focus on you.

"...you're not one of them," he mumbles.

"Maverick Hunters, Fourth Overland," you respond. His head lolls to one side again, but he's still conscious. He's covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and his face is pale--he's lost a lot of blood. He probably won't be able to answer a lot of questions, but he seems stable.

You force yourself to remain calm and level-voiced. "Be careful, don't strain yourself. Help is on the way. Can you tell me your name?"

He groans, voice labored. "Rob. Wound up here with my friend Abe. He's...back there."

He grunts and sits up straighter, pointing at one of the reploids behind him. ...no life signs. He's gone.

Cont.

>>18545363
"Two of us were on some construction duty down by the docks," he says, before he swallows, then coughs raggedly, body spasming. Flecks of blood spatter the ground, and you realize he just choked on a mouthful of his own blood. God damn. "Took my leg first. Then the arm. Said... said it'd make the 'pattern' more interesting."

You move beside him and begin to examine the wires on the reploid beside him. "Careful," Rob warns. "Not all of them are--are prisoners."

You look at him. He takes a shuddering breath and continues. "Some are his own guys. There was a girl--I think she said Sara--one of them killed. He threw him around and then wired him up for 'ruining the piece.' ... Saw the Sigma insignia on another. He dragged a few in here like that...he'd just put the cables in or out, but just...just watch..." he coughs again. Jesus, he's shaking himself to pieces right in front of you.

"Okay, thanks for the warning. Don't talk. I don't... know how to treat you." He nods wearily and slumps back, closing his eyes to rest. You hope.

So... some of these bodies are maverick. Some aren't.
>?

>>18545408
Shoot anyone with a Sigma-, no, don't do that! Sadistic bastard might have added it to innocent repaloids in case they were found.

Is there any way to differentiate the two types?

>>18545456
Not until you wake them up, unfortunately.

>>18545408
Outside of a rather obvious Sigma symbol on any of the Mavericks, I doubt it matters at this point which ones we release and which we don't. For all we know, none of them -- even the Mavericks -- willingly consented to this...procedure. We'll do it one at a time, and what happens happens. Though I doubt any of the Mavericks will immediately attack us after bringing them out of a coma. Though that's just me being hopeful.

Also, "pattern?" Serial killers are usually methodic in their works. Something's turning in those twisted gears in Jagwire's head. Who knows what?

Let's ask for Wellington's opinion. Maybe we can disconnect them, but bind them somehow, if any of them are in any shape to fight back.

Also, it looks like messing with his masterpiece is going to rile up Jagwire something fierce. Best to move the battle whenever he comes stomping down.

Maybe there's a way to put them into stasis while they're out like this? Off switches?

>>18545408

So, in summary: Some of these guys are Mavericks, some aren't, time is running out for the humans that aren't already dead, it's anybody's guess as to how long it'll be before backup arrives, and I'm not sure how many more Hanako images my heart can take before it does a convincing Hisao impression.

God damn.

>>18545480
>>18545483
I doubt we carry twist-ties or anything to bind them. Then again, particularly in this day and age (IRL, I mean), it's common protocol for police to bind hostages at the scene when they're recovered so they don't do anything crazy. We came here to retire a Maverick, though, not rescue a room filled with half-dead humies and Reps.

>>18545480
How strong are the cables they're hooked to. We could bind their arms and legs AS we're releasing them. and make sure to place them all some distance apart from one another.

>>18545471
Unless I'm wrong, the Mavericks are still keeled over even if we disconnect the wiring. I don't think we have to worry about them pulling a slasher movie on us.
>>18545511
We've hardly turned down going out of bounds to do the right thing so far.

>>18545511
I think the point is, we're a little out of our depth here. We'll assume Wellington has already put in the call for conventional emergency evac, since we can't warp until we scrap Jagwire. We should just start unhooking Reploids.

>>18545493
Damnit, now you've made me imagine something retarded.

>Anode gets caught playing KS on base
>hijinks ensue

>>18545542
"This is NOT what it looks like."
"I knew you were weird, Anode, but DAMN."

>>18545542
>BROUGHT TO YOU BY FIVE-LEAF STUDIOS
>THE SEQUEL TO THE EVER POPULAR KATAWA SHOUJO:
>KATAWA ROBO

>>18545529
I'm not saying we aren't going to do the right thing; it's in our synthetic bones to do so. I'm just saying we weren't prepared for this scenario and are a little out of our depth here.

>>18545542
Rin's route would probably give him a recursive overflow error.

>>18545527
They're basically heavy insulated cables. You might be able to bind a civilian model with them, but it'd be kind of hard.
>>18545480
Basically as above. It's time-consuming, but you could probably try.
>>18545483
Sadly, no off-switches.
That'd be a hell of a liability.
>>18545542
Welp

>>18545588
I think the consensus is that outside of any overtly obvious signs, start unhooking the Reploids one at a time and see what happens.

>>18545609
All right, we'll go with that.

>>18545588
I wonder what Jagwire would do if we took the time to bind them?

He could either run off while we're at it.
Pro: no one is going to fault us for stopping to save a group of civilians.

Con: He's free to do just this again.

Or, he might get super pissed and attack us here.

Pro: we would defiantly get our man.
Con: We'd be fighting in the room full of civvies. Expect heave casualties.

>>18545694
>Con: We'd be fighting in the room full of civvies. Expect heave casualties.
Which is why we'd German suplex him out of the room back into the factory proper. We'll have to ask Jagwire about his "pattern" when we get there.

>>18545408
Well, you're warned, so you know it's coming. You carefully approach the first body, positioning your own between it and Rob, just in case. The cable juts out of his back, crudely but cleanly worked in through a cut to reach the power core in his torso. Carefully, you twist the cable by the end, and it pulls free with a crackle.

Immediately, the reploid's eyes refocus, locking on you...and then narrow as he grabs at you with his hands. You turn around and hurl him into the wall. He raises his arm, transforming into a buster, just in time for you to run him through.

"H--" you hear Rob. "Hhh--!" You turn and look. ... He's pointing behind you.

You turn just as Jagwire strides through the doorway, almost lazily casting his armblade at you, slicing deeply into your left thigh. With the same motion he snaps the other arm around, wrapping your arm in biting razor wire, and hurls you through the wall, tumbling out into the hallway. You pull yourself up as he follows after you, blades snapping back to his sides, dripping with blood--yours.

>Oh shit, what do

Note for the future: if We get Data from Jagwire after this is over, Sell it, dont keep any of it. I dont think Anode would want ANYTHING from this animal in his body.

>>18545767

Nigga, you crazy. Upgrades are upgrades, it's how you use them that determines if they're bad or good.

>>18545758
Tactical retreat. Try to get him far away from that room. Taunt him about his "art" and keep your guard up.

>>18545758
Our lance gives us range. Use it to dance just outside of his claws. Poke at him a while then go for an electro dash.

>>18545789
Naw man, not from this crazy fucker. It wouldn't feel right. We can use the money to buy a different upgrade.

We're a little beat up for this... Say, this is a mechaniloid factory, think there's a place where they store the energy capsules? If so, I'm thinking a running battle is in order.

>>18545802
Those Omega Red-type monofilament wires give him more range than our lance. How narrow is this hallway? Unless we can blast him with a Blackout Rocket and run him through with a couched lance in such close quarters, I recommend drawing him out into more open space. As it is, those wires with no room for movement will annihilate us.

>>18545805
Exactly, we could use it to buy that Chaff Shotgunn thing, or more phasing stuff. but putting somethign from This...THING in you would just be like a dirty reminder. not something Id want.

Strategy: Get up, start circling, focus on blocking his attacks first, then when we get him a bit away from the room, then begin the atack, busters first. Draw him in, then go at it with the lance.
If the chance comes up, I want to see the Sicko Spitted on the lance when we take him out with that beam saber.

>>18545883
We ought to take it if it's something that's going to be exceptionally useful... IF it gets by the virus screening.

>>18546068
We'll figure out what to do when we get to that point. For now, not dying is first on my list.

Sorry for the delay. I was rather distracted because my friend was being awesome. Pic related, what do you guys think?
>>18545758
It hurts. Damn. You test your weight, and your leg seems to hold it, though the wound burns. You ready your lance as you quickly decide you need to get him away from the civilians.

Jagwire's eyes are an opaque, inscrutable red. He casts another blade-wire at you, which you quickly bat away, snap-firing your buster to throw off his aim on the second. You quickly circle around, putting yourself between him and the 'power' room.

"Patterns and pieces, huh?" You ask. His face splits into a grin.

"Patterns and pieces." He whips his blade out, nearly slicing you with the wire as it passes. "Art." You come in a step, forcing him back further down the hallway.

"It's not about the wounds," he continues, almost casually. "It's about the blood." He throws--you duck--"the lacerations to the chest for volume--" he raises his arm and then snaps it down, sending the wire down toward your head--"the left and right limbs for balance--" you roll aside and fire at him, literally chasing him down the hall.

You follow after, reasonably sure you're far enough away from the room for now. How do you want to approach this battle?
>Tactics?

>>18546243
>top right
>2pilot4u.jpg

This guy is fucking cracked. He may have been unbalanced even before he went maverick, holy shit. Are we still stuck in that narrow hallway? If so, trap him with a couple Blackout Rockets, and while he's shredded by the flak, open up full-auto with the Anode Cyclers.

>>18546243

Taunt him and critique his "art" while dodging and building up a charge. When after a decent charge has been built up, grab one of his wires and give him one hell of a shock.

>>18546297
Should he bolt out of the clouds of flak in an attempt to (literally) blindly escape, that's when we charge forward and run him through.

>>18546243
That's some good shit.

As for tactics, let's see... What's our charge level? Next time he tries to wrap his wire around our arm, we should light him up like a Christmas tree. But perhaps less suicidal tactics are in order. Jump up and fire a Blackout Rocket at him, aimed down and behind but likely to hit him if he's stupid enough to stand still. Then charge him using the regular EAS with our lance out in an aggressive feint. If he dodges to the side, redirect our force with the raikousen and do our level best to make him a kabob.

And if he goes overhead and behind, get ready to fall to the ground and fire off another missile to get a Rockout Cloud between where he's going and where he is.

>>18546387
That thought hadn't cross my mind. Next time he grabs us with his wire. We beat his electrics with our own, emptying our charge through his monofilament wires into him. The rest sounds much like what I would do. Trap him with Blackout Rocket clouds in front of and behind him, see what he does, and run him down.

This was a quick and dirty impression of Anode (and Cathode's) symbols that I threw together--the arrow-tails need to be longer, but you get the idea.
>>18546387
>>18546338
>>18546300
>>18546297
"You're insane," you snarl, leveling your arms as you ready a pair of missiles. "A butcher."

"Butchers are artists too," he replies evenly as you fire. He wheels between them, one impacting behind him and the other in front, throwing up a pair of shrapnel walls. He stops, sizing them up...and then puts an arm through one. You hear the slashing of the razor-chaff and the ringing of metal on metal as some pieces cut, others glance off, and some embed. He pulls his arm back, gazing at it interestedly even as silver-black blood pours from a half-dozen wounds. "...Fascinating," he says detachedly, before looking up at you. "I will be taking that."

"Like hell," you snap, charging after him, lowering your lance. He dives to one side--through the cloud, netting him a few more cuts--and you quickly turn on your heel, activating your Raikousen. You're on him before he's cleared the shrapnel, but he's too fast to score a hit on.

A bright flash and a crack rings out as your electric wake suddenly arcs through the chaff cloud. In an instant, the slivers of metal are white-hot and glow as the electricity from your capacitors floods the air with a lethal field of energy.

...And, when the smoke clears, you see Jagwire was not affected by it at all. He quickly steps into you, hunching and suddenly turning into a blurring razor. You bite back a scream as he spins up like a bladed wheel, scoring up your front as he slams into you, sending you sprawling back down the hallway.

>!?

>>18546585
This motherfucker is insulated?
Shit.
Do we have any charge left? If so, we should use the "electrocute him by his own wires" plan.

>>18546585
Well, at least we know where "Spin Jagwire" comes from.
That symbol is Anode and Cathode's unique signature/avatar? Interesting.

>>18546639
Anode's the arrow, Cathode's the C.
They're based off the symbol for a diode, made up of those two halves.

>>18546585
After this, Anode needs to spend some time learning how to NOT GET HIT.

But for now, ranged attacks to keep him the fuck off.

>>18546681
Okay, yeah, that makes way more sense now, seeing the source material. It'll like the arrow in the FedEx logo.

>>18546688
Agreed. If we can't get any solid hits on him, wear him down. Concentrate on dodging and shooting; this is probably going to be decided by attrition instead of a clean kill, at least on our side. That said... Has he deactivated his pain sensors or something, or is he just that crazy?

>>18546735
My guess is he's nuts... and also afflicted with some form of robo-Synesthesia.

>>18546735
Considering he was unphased by our clouds of sensor-deadening flak and an almost-full discharge of our signature electricity, I wouldn't put it past him to have ignored his damage receptors. Maybe he's already dead and doesn't even know it. A battle of attrition might be in order, but we have to make the final blow decisive.

>>18546625
Also, just gonna give you the heads-up--he just took a zap without blinking, and you saw that he mucks around with power systems already. Capacitor probably isn't gonna save you this time.

That said, have this: The man himself! What do you guys think on the colors?

>>18546809
I like it I liiiiiike iiiit!

>>18546809
I always pictured him as a reskinned X with a darker color scheme. This is a bit more colorful and not as bulky as I initially pictured, but I like it. He looks like a cop. And that's pretty much how I pictured the lance.

Speaking of which, if our electricity won't work, then we'll just dice him up with the lance and scorch him with the busters. Get inside of those wires and hack off those arms, cuz damn that shit's annoying.

>>18546842
I guess I just didn't picture white on Anode.
I wonder what'd happen if we slapped that on a sprite.

>>18546809
So, then, Jagwire is either also an electric type, or properly grounded. Missiles, busters and lance it is then.

Image works for me.

>>18546858
Command said he futzes with power plants (see the reploids in the last room), so I wouldn't put it past him to have protected himself better against an assault like ours.

So far, this new maverick seems like a mid/close ranged fighter who's a little bit faster than Anode. That's not really a good sign because he doesn't seem to have done anything at long range - leaving us easily surprised if he does pull something out of his ass - and he's got plenty of cover. The best we can do is hope to back him into unfavorable terrain.

How strong was his melee strike compared to our lance?

>>18546923
He's got those blades on wires in his forearms. They can reach pretty damn far, and the wires are not only high-tension, but razor sharp. Damage-wise, the spin hurt you pretty damn bad. The damage from his other hits hasn't been as bad, but it's extremely painful. You might guess he was aiming to injure and wound.

So, going with ranged fire, or?

>>18546949
Range. Keep him the fuck off us.

>>18546949
I think we've used five rockets at this point (one on the street, two against the swarm, two just now against Jagwire). Let's use another one for good measure and unload on him with our dual busters.

>>18546949
>that feel when the Quest you want to play is on a completely different timetable from yours
god dammit, I have been searching for this all week, and find it now when I need to go to sleep. You guys better kill this bastard.

>>18547058
Sorry, bro. To be honest I run this at entirely the wrong time for myself, too. It does seem to get a bit more attention late night my time, however.

Once I start scheduling (which should be soon) I'll aim for earlier.

>>18546949
If rockets don't seem to affect him, we should try to surprise him. Run away for a second, because he'll enjoy the chase. Then, quickly turn and electric dash into him with the lance.

>>18547081
If he seems to relish in our pain, then I think we can take him out the same way we retired Chaff Weasel: play up our injuries, let him get close, then skewer him. He ought to delight in the sight of a wounded Maverick Hunter.

>>18547092
I really don't want to let this guy get too close. We did it with Chaff because we couldn't really fight him otherwise, blind as we were.

Some music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct6CpjM0d-c
>>18546992
>>18546964
You grit your teeth as you pick yourself back up again, stowing your lance and leveling both busters. As he comes out of his spin, you unload on him. He seems not to have been expecting that, faltering a moment as dozens of shots splash across his front. You advance again, keeping up the fire. He blindly throws his blades--you sidestep as they slice new cuts into your forearm--and continue to fire. The wires snap back and he dives into another roll, barreling for you down the hallway. You leap aside as he rockets past you, then you sprint after, firing as you run. The shots ping uselessly off during his high-speed spin. You lead him one more time, waiting for the right moment...

His spin slows--now. You fire a chaff rocket as he untucks from the spin. It overtakes him, and then detonates at his feet just as he slows. This time the peal of shrapnel on armor is deafening, and you see sprays of blood gout from a hundred little cuts on his body. You shower him with even more plasma as he stumbles and staggers, temporarily blind and disoriented.

And through it all, you still hear him marvel. "Magnificent..."

And then he fires a blade--behind him. You hear it anchor on something, see the wire go taut--and he zips along, back the way the two of you came.

Shit. He's going for the power room.

>?!

FUCK. Run after him. Keep pelting him every chance we get.

>>18547135
Damn. This is like Guns Wallaby and the Enigma. I don't even wanna think of what Spin has in plan for the power room of this industrial factory.

He's gonna drain the rest of the reploids still hooked up to the system.
Fuuuuuuuck.
Chase him, 'cuz there's not much else to do. Emergency support is on the way, but we still have to take out Jagwire before then.

>>18547135
We have to give chase, and hope he isn't just going to kill the survivors. Need to be careful we don't fun into a trap.

>>18547135
The Electricity doesnt affect him, But we can still use our charge to increase our speed! just a little bit was enough to nearly break us when we tested it, so it should be enough to let us outrun his wire retraction. use it to get behind the fucker and impale him on our lance using his momentum and ours. And since he'd probably enjoy that stick your hand in the wound and fry him with whatever we got left. No end in pieces for this one.

We've got to be careful about going through these clouds. If we raikousen through them, do they not effect us?

>>18547236
I'm pretty sure we're immune to our own weapons.
I think.
I hope.

>>18547221
>>18547190
>>18547178
You don't have a ton of juice left, and it can't hurt him, but you at least have enough to run the son of a bitch down.
You lean forward into a dash, drawing out your lance. You vault the cloud of chaff, diminished by all the pieces sticking out of Jagwire, and trigger your electro-dash again as you land. In an instant his retreating back is suddenly much closer, he turns to look, trying to maneuver an arm around as you take a two-handed grip and swing--

He pulls away, but not before you take a deep gouge out of his side, sending him tumbling down the hall, into the wreckage of the wall he put you through. Before you can pounce on him to finish the job, he springs up and runs in. You follow right after, fearing for the worst...

You see him at the back of the room, having pushed three or four bodies off a large machine there. That human, Rob, isn't moving--he seems to have slumped over from when he pointed behind you. Jagwire has embedded two wires from his wrists into the machine, head turned up and eyes closed...

...And his wounds are knitting quickly.
Cont.

>>18547285

Throw the beam saber we picked up and hope we cut one of the wires!

>>18547285
Get on his ass while he's attached to the thing. Spear into guts.

>>18547245
it'd be pretty retarded if we weren't.

>>18546809
Also, it's a little late but give us Archer's hair under that helmet and I think it'll work for me. Unlimited blade works optional.

>>18547285
Oh jesus, FIRE EVERYTHING

>>18547285
In an instant, you understand many things--when he's not running this factory with it, he's using them to heal somehow. He's leeching their power for his life. This is what Command was so paranoid about--a maverick that can heal itself.
And just as quickly, you know exactly what to do.

You take three steps and plunge your hand into the machine, punching clear through the side. You feel his systems, feeding on the power source like a perverse vampire.

And all at once, you seize the current and wrest it away from him. Your capacitors drink the reserve dry. You don't know how long he was leeching the captive reploids, but the power draw from them is trivial--not nearly enough to heal him after all the injuries he's sustained. Not any more. You look at him as his optics open, one arm falling to his heavily bleeding side. If he understands what you just did, you can't tell--whatever lies behind those red eyes is alien and inscrutable, but you don't care, as your lance snaps alight.

...And then he grins again. Wider than ever, as the wire leads retract back into his arms.

"...I get it now. It's time. It's time!"

He walks into the middle of the room, standing astride and amid the bodies of his victims, his peons, his playthings, his "art."

"It's me! I am the center!"

He turns and looks you in the eye again with that unsettling grin. "I'm ready."

>Art.
>...No.

And meanwhile, in non-horrifying maverick news: A sister. Got a second version with lighter armor color that I'll post next, see which you guys like more.

>>18547406

>>18547398
His masterpiece ends with him.
"Hope you like being a happy little bush in a Bob Ross piece, you fuck."

Split that fucker down the middle

>>18547406
>>18547412
I imagined Cathode being a little bulkier, since she was the heavy weapons to our shocktrooper, but this is acceptable as well.

>>18547398
He's asking for it. He wants to fight to complete his "Art" Either himself or us.

I say we fire a missile at his feet, air dash above him and then finish him off

>>18547398
"This isnt Art. This is just putting down a mad dog."
Finish it. Feel nothing

>>18547406
oh damn, Cathode has dat ass.

>>18547406
>>18547412
Huh. For some reason, I always thought Cathode would have had yellow armor.

Can we knock him out? I bet they'd want a psycho like this to study at the AI dev labs.

>>18547453
Also, I don't want to go se7en on this and give him what he wants.

>>18547434
>fire a missile
>room full of half-dead humans and reploids
PERFECTLY SOUND tactical decision, mate.

Justice, or judgement?

>>18547449
Makes sense we have a matching color scheme, in hindsight.

>>18547453
>>18547462
You can't really subdue him--he's a dead motherfucker either way. You could try, but keep in mind you're heavily damaged too.

On a similar note, most hunter doctrines about attempting capture are for cases where rehabilitation might help, or they have valuable/unique intel. Spin is pretty damn far past gone. And guess what he doesn't have.

Also, have a cheerful picture of a friend~

>>18547478

>>18547478
Okay, yeah, fucking end him.

Take care not to draw any pleasure out of it.

>>18547478
I repeat: SPLIT HIS ASS DOWN THE MIDDLE

>>18547449
Huh, I just was thinking the same thing.
Then again, I also pictured her with a Vile-style shoulder cannon thingy.

Put him down.

>>18547515
Shit, me too, what the hell man, are you me?

>>18547515
Stop reading my notes for her future upgrades.
>>18547449
I imagined Anode yellow at first. I actually know the guy who ended up casting the vote for the MC's identity, so I ask him about things now and then, mostly centering around appearance. Wasn't rigged or anything, I promise. Cathode and everything else were stuff I cooked up after.

Also: Looks like two votes for grisly murder, two votes for putting him down clean.
Do we wait for a tiebreaker, or do we make this interesting and roll to see if Anode gives in to the urge?

>>18547531
Make a crack at se7en?

>>18547531
Keep it clean, keep casualties down.

Witty one liners are approved in all cases.

>>18547531

Clean execution style.

>>18547531
Anode may be a little new to this maverick-busting business, but he keeps it clean.

I still want a Bob Ross quip in there somewhere.

>>18547548
>>18547549
>>18547553
Well, there's three for clean.

DRAMATIC 30-MINUTE CLIFFHANGER WHILE I GO BUY MY DAD A CUP OF COFFEE.

Something to put on Anode's bucket list:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T2S8GHzxqc
We have to say that line at least once before we die.

Usual archive guy here, I'm not going to be up to see the end of this, so if someone else could snag this that'd be swell.

>>18547553
"Remember, there are no accidents, just happy mavericks"

>>18547594

"Art is supposed to have happy accidents. You... are just a mistake."

>>18547587
Not to worry, I'll get it.

A bit more from my friend.

>>18547645
And, apropos of nothing...

(Writing now, I swear.)

>>18547660

>>18547449
>>18547515
>>18547525

Back onto the subject of Cathode and what we thought she'd look like, I kept getting a Mami Tomoe vibe for some reason. I don't even fucking know anymore, maybe I spend too much time on /a/.

>>18547398
For a long, painful moment, all you want to do is give this son of a bitch exactly what he deserves--skewer him, slice him up the middle, watch his insides fall out and his fluids boil inside him. Your fists clench as he stands there expectantly, arms outstretched, amidst the slaughter.

And then you take a long, long breath. No. You engage your Raikousen as you leap.

In an instant, you've embedded him in the far wall, run through. He looks down at his chest, about to say something...before his eyes dim, and he goes slack.

You sit there a moment, breathing heavily. Everything is quiet.

You did the right thing. Better to put him down clean. No amount of pain could undo the murder and torture in this room, or anything else he's ever done.

At least, that's what you keep telling yourself.

Mission complete.

"Wellington," you finally say. "I'm done here. How's that transport coming?"

"Nearly there. Status?"

"Damaged. Make sure the evac crew knows some of these captives are enemy combatants."

"Acknowledged. Recommend you stay where you are, keep an eye on them."

"Copy," you reply flatly. "I'll be here."

"...Want to talk about it?"
>...Yeah.
>No.
>Why does everyone keep asking me that?!

Thread archived.

And I'm sorry I put my friend up to this one.

>>18547778
"How far can we fall, man? Is this what they had in mind when they made us, androids with free will? Is this what we become, this-this fucked up mass of carnage and pain? Is this what reploids become? Is this what I become?"

>>18547778
Get out of this corpsed up joint before you start getting chatty.

>>18547778

...Yeah, and ask him to look up the number for a good reploid psychiatrist.

>>18547778
>...Yeah.
"I have to wonder...Was this all because of the Maverick Virus , or, was he just...broken already. its kind of scary to think the former.

>>18547778
If we want to talk we should check the status of the humans/reploids while we do, give the emergency team a heads up on casualties.

Honestly though, there isn't much to say. This guy was some sort of psycho artist, something along the lines of "I don't understand how someone's programming can go this wrong"

Definatly will need a drink or two when we get back to base, and hey, we won't have to spend much time in the hospital this time.

>>18547821
I wonder how he did the life jacking.

Ask him what it says about us that we cant seem to get through a single mission without getting all kinds of fucked up one way or another. Are we really that bad/ reckless?

>>18547827
We're new. We're only been out of the factory for, like, a week.
We've busted three Mavericks, all minimum A-rank, and we're not dead yet. I'd say we're doing pretty well for ourselves.

>>18547832
Well, technically, Spin was B-rank, but Schwarzhund's note said he may as well be A-rank, so there's that.
Like Guns Wallaby's listed A-rank when he was really SA-rank.

>>18547823
Probably something to do with wiring to their power cores. He was literally using their life energy to self repair, I doubt it's a power we could take, or that command (not the Quest Master, actual command) would let us have. One the plus side though, electric whips/grappling hook possibilities.

>>18547846
I'd say it wasn't so much his power as it was just him being crazy and jury-rigging reploid power cores into a single source. If anything, we'd probably get those monofilament wires of his.

>>18547851
Yeah, I'm sayin, monofiliment wire with blades on the end, which we have the power to electrify, and can act as a grappling hook. We're getting Samus' grapple beam. I dunno if he had any other powers, besides being crazy.

Anode is going to eventually ruin some water-based maverick's day.
>>18547872
especially if we do this.

>>18547881
Dude, if Anode and Cathode go deep-sea diving, everything everywhere forever is fucked.

>>18547872
Where do we draw power from? Just contact with electrical sources? Could we use a whip to draw power out of enemies rather then use it to stun them maybe? Not to physically heal ourselves, just to restore capacitors.

>>18547778
...

...

...

"Anode?"

"Yeah. Yeah, let's talk." You decide to keep yourself occupied checking the bodies. "Let's talk about how I keep almost getting myself fucking killed every time I go out. Am I that bad at this?"

"Anode, you're A-rank."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you're officially Big Leagues. Meaning they're sending you out against things you'd need a small army to take otherwise. Meaning you're perfectly fine at this, and operating well within standards."

"It's standard to get yourself slagged?"

"You're new. This is what, your third mission? And all of them have been unusual. Do you want to know how many people, civs and hunters, Jagwire killed?"

"No."

"Good, because we're still counting. You're doing fine, Anode. Experience will come with time."

Cont.

>>18547899
You laugh bitterly. "If I make it that long."

"You will."

"Maybe. Okay, what about all of this shit?" You turn over another body--reploid, dead, missing half his face. You gently remove the cables as you talk, voice softening. "Is this where we're headed, Wellsley? Am I going to lose my shit and get put down like an animal?"

Wellington's quiet for a moment. "No. We all worry that it could happen to us, but it's not set in stone. Look at your own unit--pulling up the records--Schwarzhund has been in service almost as long as there have been reploids. Frog too. Hell, Crankshaft is ancient. There's others...then there's the rehabilitated cases."

"Yeah? How many of those?" You carefully check the pulse on another human, fingers playing over shallow cuts in the throat.

"Not many," he admits. "But they're there. We're not doomed, Anode. And neither are you."

"...Yeah. Okay, thanks."

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. No. I don't know. But thanks for understanding."

"It's what they pay me for. That, and guiding our little hens around the death traps. Anything else?"

>?

>>18547899
>>18547901
Yeah, we pretty much needed that. Let's clean the rest of this up, wait for emergency support to swing by and take over, then warp out of here ourselves. We're done here, so let's timeskip.

>>18547901
"Nah, I'm finished here" give coordinates and casualties and head home

>>18546809
>>18547406
>>18547412
I just now noticed the anode and cathode symbols on Anode and Cathode's chest (and Anode's kneepads). Clever.

>>18547898
>>18547889
>>18547881
>>18547872
Still not comfortable with taking the thing, whatever it is, but this it /tg/, so you guys going to snatch up anything put in front of you regardless of source or possible character development. The guy could have made a snuff film with Anodes mother, in front of him, and you'd be all over it.

Anyway, Im sure Anodes so ready to get out of that place. Is that human we were talking to before still alright?

>>18547948
A tool is a tool. How you use it -- for good or for ill -- is the difference.

>>18547914
>>18547922
"I'm good. Such as it is. Just doing a check on the bodies--the captives."

"Roger that. Evac crew tells me they've touched down, it won't be long."

He's right, though the few minutes as they sweep and clear the facility still feel like hours. On some level you know he's right, but your mind keeps going back to that manic grin on Jagwire's face. You keep throwing looks at the body. Damn it.

Finally, though, they come, and with your help, quickly secure the survivors. Rob is quickly carted out, a Lifesaver jogging after him issuing orders to a medical mechaniloid.

The team gives you a once-over as well--you're surprised when one cuts power to your arm, explaining that the wound is extremely deep and you stand a very real risk of it just falling off--and before long deem you sound enough to beam out on your own. A team is disabling the jammer hidden in the factory, but you don't feel like waiting any more. You want to get the hell away from this nightmare factory.

So you walk. You walk back out, through the condemned buildings, around the rubble of the collapsed buildings (a few police officers are investigating, and nod to you as you pass), and back closer to the old, abandoned station where you came in. Wellington tells you you're clear of the jamming, but you feel like walking. Your legs burn from the cuts and rents Jagwire's blades and cables dug, but you still walk.

And finally, you reach the old, dusty station--you run your hand along the wall--and leave a red smear of human blood where your fingers pass.

You leave a fist-sized dent in the wall beside it.

Fuck this. Fuck everything.

You step onto the pad, and you go home.

>>18547958
Plus this is Mega Man. Not taking his weapon would be weird. I mean it's not like it was the knife-fuck suit from se7en.

>>18547958
Yeah whatever.Thats bullshit but I already explained my feelings and I already know im going to get outvoted so, lets move on.

>>18547976
Schwarz isn't there when you get back.

>Medbay. I'm tired of feeling like shit, not that it'll help.
>Labs. Let's get the 'upgrade' process over with.
>Pond. This must be why Em does it.
>Other (?)

>>18547977
>>I mean it's not like it was the knife-fuck suit from se7en.

Except in terms or parallel, it pretty much IS that. And every time Anode uses it, I cant help but see him thinking about How this guy was using the same weapon to basically make torture/snuff porn for himself using innocent people.

>>18547990
Straight to medbay. The immediate response fellow said we're suffering some critical injury, so let's get this out of the way now.

>>18547990

Medbay for repairs then Pond to get Jagwire out of our head.

>>18547990
Pond, definatly Pond.

Is there a way to see whose on Base? Let's give Em or India a call, better then drinking alone

>>18547992
It'll be perfectly understandable that, when presented with Jagwire's weapons data, Anode will wave his hands with a "Keep that shit away from me."

>>18547990
Medbay, then upgrades.
>>18547992
It really depends on what we get from command- an upgrade from Jagwire most likely isn't going to actually be his weapon, and it could even closer to the Vile side of upgrades. That guy got some weird things from beating his opponents, and a few of them weren't even offensive measures. I think we should at least see what's available.

>>18548003
Hunter Command, take this as a compliment to your writing. You have people not wanting to take a new weapon in a Mega Man Game.

Bravo sir.

Seriously though, I understand what you're saying. But you have to seperate the mind from the impliment. Most reploids aren't even designed with Combat in mind,even in the X world, most are still designed as workers, with Hunters growing in numbers since the Sigma wars. What they use their tools for once they go maverick is up to them, and how they use them as well. If he had just been killing people, not doing some crazy art, would it be okay to take the weapon? It shouldn't be looked at what was done but what good we can do with it. Will it make us better at saving live, protecting people and stopping Mavericks in the future? Yes.

The disturbing this, to me, is how crazy the mind was, not what he used to show his crazy, or even how he did it.

You decide to bow to common sense and head straight to the medbay. The Lifesaver on duty sizes you up--you think it's the Hardass--but he just nods and motions to the table.

"Bad?"

"Bad." You reply. Guess he does have an eye for this sort of thing. You ease yourself onto the table without any argument and he quickly sets to work. Part of you idly contemplates just moving your quarters down here, maybe it would be faster...

...and you come to some time later. When did he put you out? Your whole body feels lighter--in the heat of the fighting, you hadn't realized just how much your whole body ached. Now that it's gone, you wonder if the damage had crippled your capabilities. Just something else to wonder about, you guess.

"Thanks," you say to the Lifesaver as he wipes his hands down. He grunts in response. You'll take it over "get out of my bay" any time.

That said, no need to push your luck. You get out of his bay. It's been a few hours, and it's approaching mid-to-late afternoon.
>Punish central processing unit with data nanites!
>See if Em's in town for hashing out what to do with that shithead's weapon.
>?

>>18548082
We'll have time to drink the night away a little later. Let's try and be a little productive before we get completely and irresponsibly smashed, with a stern talking-to by our sister and Schwarzhund after the fact.
JUST YOU WATCH.

>>18548082

Inebriate self.

>>18548082
Don't we have to debrief Frog? We should take care of the before getting plastered.

If not debrief, I vote upgrades.

>>18548082
Find Em, get a status update to see what everyone else is up to at the moment, and then have a talk about Jagwire and this possible upgrade.

>>18548101
Frog's in Vienna, though comms/vid call aren't necessarily out. You could report to Schwarz, however.

>>18548101
Schwarzhund is acting commander while Frog is out in the field. Let's deliver our report now while we're still lucid and fresh, THEN get blitzed out of our skull.

>>18548111
Oh, when you said Schwarz isn't here I figured you ment he was on a mission.

Upgrades and status update on personnel locations. We're going through a teenage angsty reploid period (How can someone be so crazy, what does it all mean?) and need to talk to someone about it. Maybe write some bad poetry.

>>18548119

I'll change my vote of "Inebriate self." to this.

Knowing Schwarz, he is probably in the Pond.

>>18548142
We're not THAT miserable. Just a little shaken, that's all.
If I see a Reploid with emo hair, though, Anode will flip a table.

>>18548158
I don't know why, but now I want there to be a black and grey colored humanoid reploid who, instead of being emo, is a racist. He can be all like "Why is it that only non-humanoids go Maverick huh? It's a conspiracy"

Heh, sorry.

>>18547992
You're misunderstanding how the upgrade system works. You don't get their literal weapon, you get their weapons DATA.

Refusing on the grounds that it's been used to kill people would be like never using a kitchen knife again because someone used a kitchen knife to kill people.

>>18548082
You may as well get reliving your traumatic experiences done with sooner, rather than later. You key your comms on a general band.

"Hellooo, 4th Overland, back on base and feelin' lonely!"

The response is immediate and gratifying. You hear no less than three separate clicks as someone goes to respond and says nothing, Crankshaft actually calls back to guffaw over the airwaves, and Tanker snorts into his comms.

"But seriously," you continue, "I need to talk to Schwarz, anyone know where he is?"

The man himself replies, voice soft as ever. "On my way. Meet you in the command room."

You don't have to wait long--Schwarz is nice and prompt. "You don't look good," he says by way of greeting.

"Wasn't fun," you agree. "I just want to get this over with and go rid myself of higher functions for a while."

"Been there. Go on."

You sigh, and begin to recount your mission...
>Long, drawn out synopsis
>TL;DR, skip to the end of the briefing

>>18548208
Eh, let's be thorough. Talking it out will help Anode cope better. That and it'd be interesting to see how he sees it himself.

>>18548208
tl:dr, maybe expound on the condition of the casualties and Jagwire's mental state to get Schwarz' reaction. That's the only real important part here.

>>18548208
Mention the mechaniloids he was messing with, and the factory, no need to go over too many of the boring details that led up to the actual encounter. Might also want to mention the buildings he dropped.

>>18548243
>>18548241
You hurry through the briefing, occasionally stopping to answer questions when Schwarzhund speaks up. You cover all the important parts, and despite wishing otherwise, you don't gloss over any of the details. Schwarz's expression is unreadable as he mulls it over.

"First of all," he says. "I need to be honest." He looks you straight in the eyes, expression severe. "You are going to see worse than that in the maverick hunters. Not often, not many, but you will.

"Can you handle that?"

>Yes.
>No.
>...I don't know.

>>18548311

Could you give any example of worse?

This whole fight was so messed up that he needs to hear the whole thing. Dropping buildings, hordes of henchmen, the ability to regenerate; all of those would be enough to require an in-depth report. Combined, it's a must.

Yes, if only to stop potential killers like Jagwire.

>>18548311
As far as I'm concerned, knowing that we skewered Jagwire and have now kept him from pulling anything like that again, we should feel a little bit better about it. When we run into worse on the job, we'll just have to be ready for it. Also, damn, we really should have made a Pollock painting crack when we stuck him to the wall.

>>18548311
"I was built and programmed for Combat. Protect the lives of those around me has been ingrained in me since the first day of training. In battle I will do whatever is necessary to complete my mission. But this, killing for the enjoyment, the art? I can deal with it, it's what I was made to do, but I don't know if I'll ever understand it."

>>18548311
>...I don't know.

>>18548359
Amendment
>"Protecting the lives of those around me, and destroying those who threaten them has been..."

"...Worse?" You ask. You have to know.

Schwarz grunts. "Never heard his name, we called him Koschei. Was quiet, unassuming. A lot of victims. Knew some. Don't want to get into it.

Taking him in a straight fight was easy. Stabbed him. ... Human organs." Schwarz is staring very pointedly at the command terminal. "Flinched. He cut a patient's throat and ran. I stabilized the victim. He got away."

"So..."

"Swear I keep seeing him. Found a whole squad of LTBs cut up and laid out in a ring. If it's not him, it's an imitator. ...Don't know which is worse."

You're both quiet for a while, before he continues. "So, can you?"

You take a moment. "...I don't know. I think so."

He nods. "Understand if you're not sure. Honest. Just keep it in mind."

"No, it's just...I'm glad to rid us of him, but... I'm a contract model. I was commissioned for this. I'm okay with that. Fighting--hell, killing--is part of what I am. I won't hesitate when it comes to it, but...what Jagwire was doing... he just kept calling it 'art.'"

Schwarz grunts again. "Sorry you had to see it so early."

"I'm not sure if I wish I could understood how he became so ... wrong, or if I'm glad I can't."

"Be glad," Schwarz answers. "And glad to be done with it."

"...Yeah. Done?"

He nods.

>Acquire drank
>One last pill to swallow first, to the labs
>L'autre

>>18548568
>Acquire drank

>>18548568

Drink.

>>18548568
time to unwind, drinkin time.

>captcha echanke embracing

Yeah, that sounds like what we need.

>>18548568
Might as well get a drink. Also, just wondering, what was the deal with Vile? He had a pretty damn strange upgrade system. Was he X-based and just heavily modified, an original design by someone, or what?

>>18548629
Strictly speaking all reploids, even modern ones, are X-based. X routinely goes in for study as new scanning technology develops and one more of the mysteries in his construction is revealed, and applied to reploid tech.
Vile is unusual--or was--but part of that can be explained by his "unorthodox" line of thinking, and his blatant disregard for convention, be it hunter regulations or weapons data application. He could also have wheeled and dealed, trading weapons data or his skills for resources. Since records are incomplete and nonexistent when he went off the grid, the exact details of his kit are up in the air.

So this is probably the last bit of new art for the "night," and with it comes a confession.

Em here was my Super Special Original Character as a kid. Hell, I still use it as my primary handle on most of the internet. That's a part of why I'm so glad he's starting to become Anode's bro, and part of why he's been so prominent a character; not because of favoritism (let's not lie, a bit probably wormed its way in there), but because I know his character that much better than most of the cast.

I'm basically going to use this as a wild card; his fate's up in the air, and it's actually kind of freeing in a way. He might live or die (or worse), and I've decided to let it play out how it will.

Anyway. It's something I've wanted to get off my chest since I introduced him. I hope nobody minds.

>>18548782
Also emerald_loves_balls.jpg
>>18548589
>>18548591
>>18548616
>>18548629
That's enough bullshit for one day. "I'm going swimming," you tell Schwarz.

"Pace yourself," he calls after you. "I'll be there in a few hours when I'm off." Well, you'll try, but no promises.

Music: http://youtu.be/2HHqdLrTBwQ

It's a bit livelier than it was yesterday. Max shoots you a dirty glower, but lets you approach the bar unmolested. And, surprisingly, you see Dodo there, hunched over the counter.
"Don't normally see you here," you say as you slide into the spot next to him.

"Don't normally have Schwarz doing half the paperwork," he replies. "I'm enjoying it while I can. You look like shit."

"Yeah, getting that a lot lately. That's why I'm here."

"Fair enough. Grab something."

"Don't mind if I do..."

>>18548939
And on that note, I think I'm done for the moment. It's 10:30 local time and I've got very little blood in my caffeinestream. I'll hang around a bit for questions or what have you.

>>18548950
It was fun, and the art was nice, though I probably like Jagwire more than I should because of the silly look on his face.
That said, we heard before some of the conspiracy theories people have on X. What do the Reploids think of him, considering they're all pretty much made from his design and technology at a basic level?

>>18549027
It depends a lot on the individual, but the outlook is generally positive. There's a reason "the Father of Reploids" has stuck around as a title, not that X has ever been really comfortable with it. Even avowed enemies acknowledge they came from him--ones like Vile think of themselves as staunch modernists, and X as an obsolete blue(hurr)print.
It helps X's popularity that he's basically the classic goodie-two-shoes, or at least that's how he's perceived. It's probably not a coincidence that Hunter Command uses X as their golden boy when they need to look good. As for X himself, he mostly plays things close to the vest, but his unit-mates and subordinates can all attest to his courage and compassion.

>>18548782
At least you're honest about it, Command. It's always good to dust the closet once in a while. Besides, we were all like that at one point.

>>18548950
It's commonly acknowledged that each of the X games themselves are the "big" Maverick rebellions. Were the rest of the Maverick Hunters busy around the world while X was busy busting the eight game Mavericks, or was it just X tromping about everywhere? Were the eight game Mavericks the top-priority targets, or were they just faces among hundreds (or thousands) of other Mavericks?

tl;dr - Were the events in the X games bigger than the game shows, or was it just X & Zero vs. eight Mavericks and Sigma?

>>18549244
Bigger than shown. In X1, X was unproven, and some of his opponents were second-string types. (See: Chill Penguin getting tenderly loved). By X2, he's well and truly proven, having taken down Sigma alone. Now he's hitting high-profile enemies, especially since, for however brief a time, he commanded the Maverick Hunters. But in both major instances, there was a good deal of activity outside of the games, and there will be in the future as well. You'll probably never kill Tunnel Rhino, since we know who gets him, but there's plenty of ... robo-fish in the death-sea.

>>18549289
Thought so. I had a feeling the games weren't as isolated as they appeared.

Okay, gonna try and sleep. Stay beardy, /tg/.

>>18549343
Don't take too long with any forthcoming entries or if you come back to this thread, Command. This quest is a treat to be a part of.

Mid-day bump.

>>18549244

In the first Maverick War (the X1 conflict), Sigma's massive wave of defections sorely crippled the Hunters, especially his own former unit (the 17th). With the 17th specially trained to take on ex-Hunters, rank thinning forced X to take the field with limited support against some higher-grade Mavericks than would have ordinarily been assigned, including several divison commanders. However, if you only saw what ZERO was doing during that war... ;)

>>18552779
Are you saying that *Chill Penguin* was one of the cream of the crop?

In fact, what were the ranks of all the enemy Mavericks in X1? How many different ranks are there?

>>18552779
Huh. What went on behind the scenes of the second Maverick War?
>>18552996
Chill Penguin is shitty on his own, true.
However, if you think about his abilities on a larger scale - creating giant blizzards that muck with mobility and shove slow targets back, freezing things in place, invincible dive bombs that hit HARD - he could be extremely effective against mechaniloid spam or especially strong when others back him up.

>>18553043
Point taken.

>>18553043
Was the blizzard thing his doing, or was it just the thing on the ceiling?

>>18553615
That latch on the ceiling. That thing has always bugged me. Why was it there? Did he set it up?

Did he have battlefield control, and still got his ass destroyed?

>>18553615
It could go either way.
Still, "hey fuck you I'm invincible and if I hit it's going to hit like a speeding semi" is really, really shitty to deal with when you have other people capable of shaping the battlefield. AND he's anti-melee on top of that.

>>18553645
Well, he was going up against X.

He was heavy anti-melee, if you had to fight him and any of the other bosses at the same time, you'd be hard pressed to win. Him + Launch Octopus = blizzard + that life siphon, or the solid statue + missiles. Would be hell to deal with. In game anyway

>>18554087
Storm Eagle would be the worst thing to fight ever if he had Chill Penguin as backup. Both of them would basically own the battlefield because you can't go ANYWHERE they don't want you to.

>>18552996
Chill Penguin was former head of the 13th Polar Region Unit and transferred to the 17th Elite Unit. He was an officer above X. So yeah, he was fairly strong.

As far as ranks are concerned:

Launch Octopus: S-Rank
Chill Penguin: A-Rank (S-Rank specialist, thermal containment)
Flame Mammoth: A-Rank
Boomer Kuwanger: A-Rank (S-Rank specialist, retirement)
Sting Chameleon: B-Rank (A-Rank specialist, stealth)
Spark Mandrill: A-Rank
Storm Eagle: A-Rank
Armored Armadillo: B-Rank (A-Rank, fast approach)

>>18554490
Jesus, Chameleon was only a B? That guy wrecked my shit all the time as a kid. Still don't like to fight him without the armor upgrade.

>>18554508
Well, Chameleon's fighting on his own turf. He probably couldn't pull a tenth of the shit he does if he had to fight on open terrain.

>>18553043
A new officer was created by the Greek Division by second descent from Project P. Considering the first descendant of Project P was Project Σ...

Anyway, this yielded an officer named Rhodes, who was assigned to counter a warmongering nation trying to take advantage of the damage from the first Maverick War. Hunter Command delegated him after receiving intel that Maverick forces were manipulating the human state's aggression.

In that time, the X-Hunters unleashed a horrific series of tactical strikes - not typical Maverick activity at all, but rather surgical hunting of Hunters. When X was forced to engage the major attacks staged by the X-Hunters, Rhodes was coordinating cleanup, defense and recovery while luring Hunter Killers to himself wherever he went.

>>18553043
Also I'll point out that few of them are in any way shitty.

Launch Octopus can fire ridiculous numbers of powerful missiles in a huge spread, siphon energy, create whirlpools which in the open ocean would be just devastating...

Chill Penguin has a jump that X only wishes he could match. He's compact, uses a quick-firing weapon that can deflect plasma shots entirely, is packing the ability to freeze other Reploids solid or sculpt solid obstacles (hello, blocking hallways!) and can use his armor in short bursts for that aggravating slide attack. His weakness is underestimating X and enjoying the damn hook too much. Imagine Chill Penguin if he shot diagonally.

cont.

Mammoth took damage during the rebellion that impeded his flamethrower. He's also too arrogant to get fixed and too impatient to plan his oil/flame combo (which is why it so rarely happens, he'd rather just flatten you).

Kuwanger had the disadvantage of NOT setting up his boss room. He has the capacity to vertically teleport, but without a platform to stand on he'd fall unless he teleported back down immediately. Rather than let X pull off some cheap wall shots at his expense, Kuwanger just used his cutter to fish him down. They worked in the same unit long enough for Kuwanger to know the cost of wall shots taking him down. I'll point out he's also freakishly strong - dead lift, anyone?

Chameleon without his spike-lined room, without a ceiling to hang from, has stealth mode (only really useful if he can keep off the ground) and his irontongue. He can use his Chameleon Sting as well, but bringing it to bear without the freedom of a wall hang to let him angle it is kind of tough and inefficient. Don't get me wrong - B-Rank can be very strong, but you face certain limitations.

Mandrill is hefty, fairly mobile and has a lot of power behind his dash. He's the kind of guy who could have had an S if he didn't have a seriously debilitating combat weakness: his knockback is absurd for a heavy hitter, and his systems are overall just too sensitive. He's pure offense and can't hack it at S Level.

It sounds like they overestimated themselves and underestimated X.

Storm Eagle obviously doesn't do the best in constrained environments. He has a powerful buster that he had technicians divert energy away from to prime his other systems, meaning he never fires it. He's got great airspeed for such a large Reploid and immense suppressive capabilities thanks to his Storm Tornado, which when tuned right can damage anything shy of Titanium-X (hint). If it weren't for his lack of serious offense and his environmental needs, he'd probably S-Rank easily.

Armadillo's a soft touch for players starting the game, but imagine him in an open environment. He's a truck.

>>18555071
Bad guys have a bad habit of doing that. You should know this by now.

>>18555071
Largely. You'll notice they all CHOOSE to engage him. Mind you, Eagle only shows up when you fuck him in the plane, but had that been Zero most of them would have retreated. The one most raring for a fight: Mammoth, who was waiting in his room already. The ones not expecting a challenger: Armadillo and Kuwanger, who suffered from rooms not suited to their needs.

>>18555119
Ever try to kill Armored Armadillo with just the default buster? It's very possible, but also very tedious.

>>18556060
Speaking of, Spark Mandrill is an amazing boss fight if you don't have the dash or Shotgun Ice.

>>18556301
Also completely possible to do without even getting hit. Though having the dash boots do help.

bumping

So later today I have a Protomen show to be at, but right now today I have a sleep problem.

Commence operation: Farting around on base, with the understanding that I might need to pack up abruptly, since I volunteered myself to play chauffeur and I have no idea when I need to go pick everybody up.

That said:

You are in the Pond. Max is giving you the stink-optic. You are next to Dash Dodo, who is drumming his fingers on the bar while winding his finger around a small tube running from behind the bar and into his forearm. It reminds you of Art Class more than you'd like, but that's hardly Dodo's fault.

Wat do?

Bumping with a couple questions/request

First, has support unit tech (Rush, Treble) been replaced entirely with reploid partnerships like Cathode and Anode? Or has it simply been lost? I don't remember seeing anything like it except for Sigma's dog in X1.

Second, we're after X2 yes? Can you do a class ranking for the X2 bosses as well?

>>18558968
We really should behave ourselves this time. Ask for something light, ask Dodo what he's been up to, and... hell, do they have a TV in this bar? See if there's anything on the news.

>>18558985
Support tech is, in all likelihood, still kicking around, it's just not frequently needed. A common limiter on reploid capability is size of components; but even the most cumbersome gear today is a fraction of the size and exponentially more capable than even the most efficient pieces of the classic era. There's nothing to suggest the tech was out-and-out lost, but with most reploids doing more with less, the need to combine units for additional functionality is less important. That said, pic related.

On another note, cooperative model design is on its way out with the advent of the Rock-Paper-Scissor system, intended to limit the threat if one member of a set goes maverick. Anode and Cathode's design contract was basically grandfathered in after the RPS system became common practice; they're the exception. Emerald, though a generation older, was built by a lab that had pioneered the RPS concept in its early days--unlike Anode and Cathode, Emerald, Diamond and Sapphire are all built to counter (and be countered) by another of the set.

As for X2 maverick ratings, I'll need to square that away with Cain Labs, but they'll most likely be higher all around than X1. I could be wrong, though--I thought X1's crew would have a lower average rating than we ended up agreeing on.

>>18558968
Let's get a couple drinks in our system to get rid of all this awkward we've got pent up after that Spin Jagwire operation. It's why we came here in the first place. Nothing too heavy at the moment.
>>18558985
Basically what >>18559026 said. Anode and Cathode got off *really* lucky. Their design scheme wouldn't be permitted nowadays, since their inherent chemistry and tandem functionality is so good (which really ought to be demonstrated at some point).

>>18559038
As a combined unit, Anode and Cathode should answer to "Diode," if only because it's obvious.

>>18558968
Order a drink, get one for DoDo too if he wants. Let's be quiet and sociable, try to not cause too much trouble.

Are their reploid sports? Do we like to watch reploid sports? Would be nice to sit back and have something to take our mind off Jagwire.

Music: Still http://youtu.be/2HHqdLrTBwQ
>>18559038
>>18559014
You sigh as you turn to Max. "I'll be good, promise. So..."

He stares.

"...Please?"

Stares.

"With, I don't know, oil on top?"

"...Ew," he replies, finally grabbing a glass and topping it off. "That's a bit different from what you've been having. That's an oatmeal stout."

"Is it supposed to be that dark?"

He chuckles. "Have an imperial, and then we'll talk about dark."

You shrug and take a sip. It tastes burned. Max watches, amused, when you pull a face, but you decide you like it once you get over the difference from what you've tried before.

"So what's that you've got, Dash?" You ask.

He uncoils the tube from his index finger. "Liquid nitrogen."

"...Wat," you reply.

"Much lower temperature than standard cooling," Max explains. "Causes disruptions in subsystems, but it produces a very different internal feel."

"It's an acquired taste," Dodo admits, and you realize his words are slightly thick. "First time just feels weird."

Heh. First time. "I bet." Dodo punches you in the shoulder lightly.

So, you've secured delicious nanites, and the world already sucks a little bit less.

>Shoot the shit? About what?
>Watch the terminal and veg out?
>Other?

>>18559144
Let's mellow and see what's on the tube, unless they're still running images from the Battle of Vienna or Doppler City promos.

>>18559144
Ask Dodo for a sip.

>>18559162

I don't think that is a good idea.

Liquid Nitrogen and other enhanced coolants are probably the Reploid equivalent of Speed.

>>18559187
It's coolant, though, so maybe it's a depressant like marijuana. It's meant to relax you.

>>18559194

Coolants increase conductivity and make electronics go faster.

We could ask about the rest of the team, how Frog is doing in Vienna, for example.

>>18559207
Well, when you put it THAT way...
>>18559213
We've only been gone for a day, maybe a little more depending on how long we were under in medbay. Then again, India and Em may have already started designed their new modern fighter already.

>>18559223
Hey, it's something to chaT about. We have a team member NPC gettin high on liquid nitrogen. We shouldn't just ignore him.

>>18559245
Well, if they have it available in the bar, and in Hunter HQ no less, it can't be that big a deal. If we want to know more, we should probably get the opinion of someone who isn't currently plugged into a supply.

>>18559207
It's not like we're going to chug it, it's just a sip. I curious how it's supposed to taste.

>>18559255
I'm not sayin I care about him getting high, I just ment, the DM put an NPC there with us as someone to interact with while we get a bit drunk. If we don't talk with him then the whole scene becomes: you drink and watch TV, what now?

So, something to chat about, how the rest of the team is doing, what he does to unwind, whatever, you know?

>>18559293
Kinda interested in what goes on on TV though.

>>18559144
You notice Max has his eyes on the screen behind you, overlooking the bar, so you turn around on the stool and see what there is to see.

"...Trick gets a piece of it that time, two strikes, one ball..."

The monitor displays what seems to be a baseball diamond populated by models identical to Max, watching interestedly. A small icon in the left corner--two crossed axes over, natch, a letter X--tells you that this is the Axe League. The players are armored in light armor, one team drab gray and blue (hey!) and the other a solid, muted yellow. The feed cuts to an Axe Max in the dugout, wearing an actual fabric uniform tailored to his body--maybe a manager?

The score's 2-1, Boston Bolts leading over the Kansas City Handles. ...Handles? Bottom of the third inning.

"So, can I try a sip?"

Dodo shakes his head (sending vibrations through the tube stuck in his arm). "Nah, the hoses aren't s'posed to be shared. Could get your own, though."

"Eh, maybe. ...So, I miss anything important?"

Dodo goes back to fiddling with the nitrogen tube. "Heh. Nothing to write home about. India practically dragged Crankshaft off to hash out details on this plane project."

"Jet project. ...I think."

"Hell if I know. I run, not fly."

"How's Frog?"

Dodo frowns. "Tired. I'm about due to go in and give him a hand. Probably tomorrow."

"The hell does protecting a city entail, anyway?"

"A lot of work. Most of it boring. They're doing block by block sweeps, cordoning off damaged buildings, trying to clear the damage, pulling people out of the rubble. I hear R&D and Recon have detachments dealing with mined roads."

"Lovely." Fuckin' mavericks.

>Continue shit-shootan (about what)?
>Try liquid nitrogen cooling
>Other?

>>18559317

>Other. See what India and Crankshaft are up to.

>>18559317
Reploid sports leagues? Interesting. As weird as it feels to leave the bar so soon after we got here, drain the drink we already have, thank Max, and go make sure India and Crankshaft haven't created a monster while we weren't looking. We aren't the only one on base who's not to be trusted, after all.

>>18559317
Keep shooting it with Dodo. Ask him...

>>18559317
Dodo was around for the first wars right? Are we interested in that in our current reflective state?

Actually, I wonder what he would do if he weren't a Hunter, what he was originally commissioned for if it wasn't combat.

>>18558985
Bear in mind that class ratings for these Reploids would depreciate after their deaths due to technological advancements. That said, at the time...

First off, I'll make a distinction here (because it's key, now): there's Hunter Rank and then there's Threat Class. Even though they use the same letter system (and are related), a Hunter might have a Rank different from his or her potential Threat Class.

Wire Sponge: B-Class Threat
Morph Moth: Unknown Reploid (SA-Class Threat)
Flame Stag: A-Class Threat (A-Rank Hunter)
Magna Centipede: SA-Class Threat (G-Rank Hunter, disabled and destroyed many of his systems when captured to lower his potential threat level)
Overdrive Ostrich: B-Class Threat (S-Rank Hunter, flight and combat systems destroyed in battle)
Bubble Crab: S-Class Threat (A-Rank Hunter)
Wheel Gator: B-Class Threat (A-Rank Hunter)
Crystal Snail: A-Class Threat (formerly SA-Class Threat, severely damaged by Zero)

I'd like to note as well that due to the short time period between X and X2, the latter is the point at which the greatest gulf exists between X's capabilities and those of any other Reploid. None of them have yet adapted to his improved weapons and armor. Picture their attacks all doing double damage and you quickly get the idea of what it would have been like for any other Hunter.

>>18559432
>Morph Moth: Unknown Reploid

So, what's the story on this?

>>18559449
During the first Maverick War, Zero was given intel on a Maverick-designed Reploid codenamed "Collect Caterpill," which had been staging attacks on Reploid scrapyards and stealing parts of certain retired Reploids for an unknown purpose. Zero eventually tracked the thing down and engaged it, finding it to be a macabre, parasitic "cannibal" which was aggregating parts from powerful Reploids to increase its own abilities (picture a robotic Granfalloon/Legion). Though apparently possessing little intelligence and behaving in an almost feral manner, Collect Caterpill put up a pretty good fight. Zero severed the thing's "body" and assumed it was destroyed.

The Robot Junkyard began to see new parasitic hardware developed and tested on junked war machines. Hunter Command located a signal at the Junkyard that vaguely resembled that of Collect Caterpill, except that it did not match normal Reploid ID signals in any capacity. And of course, Caterpill had been retired. No metrics on what exactly this thing was were available.

I'll point out that Morph Moth is as close to G-Class Threat as any normal series Maverick has ever gotten.

>>18559432
>Overdrive Ostrich
>flight

>>18559490
Meaning Morph Moth was, arguably, the single most dangerous Maverick of the X games (Sigma and whatnot notwithstanding)?

>>18559533
At the time, arguably yes. Had Magna Centipede not disabled himself so heavily, he'd also be a serious contender. X got there in time to prevent him from gaining any MORE power, thankfully, but Morph Moth is still so strong that he could kill unarmored, no Heart Tanks X1-era X in one hit (16 damage).

>>18559553
So what was Magna Centipede's gimmick? Was he captured by hunters and partly crippled before he took over part of Hunter HQ from within and went nuts?

>>18559564
He used to be capable of a LOT more aggression, had stronger defenses, and could use that black hole attack X gets when charging Magnet Mine. He was also resistant to knockback, more accurate with his shuriken, had more remote tricks with his tail, and could spread his "venom" via magnetizing portions of the wall and floor. When the Hunker Killers captured him, he took out a lot of his own systems to prevent misuse. They virused him, installed him in the central computer and had him oversee both viral transmission and the secret project to analyze and possibly duplicate X.

>>18559602
Oh yeah, that was Hunter Killer HQ. I thought that was something else for a second.

>>18559602
So for the sake of protecting his fellow hunters, Magna crippled himself before the Hunter Killers infected him and put him to work. Sounds noble. Then again, the capture of a G-rank Hunter is kind of a big deal.

Sorry for the delay, between the vote tie (pic related) and doing some much-overdue housecleaning I'm slowed up a bit.

"...So, Dash..."

"Hn?"

"You've been around a while. Where'd you start?"

He chuckles. "As a mascot for a mail company, believe it or not."

"No shit? Ever see yourself becoming a maverick hunter?"

"Hell, no. It just kind of happened. Mail-bomber sent a bunch of addresses candygrams using our service. Next thing I know, I'm in a recruitment line a block long at a regional outpost."

"How do you deal with shit like that?"

"That's the fun part, isn't it?" You nod. "You take it one thing at a time. It's not on a daily basis, and thank fucking God for that."

"How do you stay at it? You've been at this for years."

"How do you stay alive, you mean?" You nod again. "First of all, I'm in a lower class than you, which means I don't deal with the same kind of threat. Plenty dangerous, but...I dunno. Schwarz might be able to tell you, he didn't start out SA.

"And," he adds, unhooking the nitrogen lead from his arm, "I fight smart. Try to pick the battlefield when I can. Cut and run when I need to, come back, harass and evade. You don't always get that chance, but you take it where you can. Make them fight on your terms. Never run out of room to maneuver."

>Tell me more, sensei! (And what?)
>Super high-tech jet fighters!
>Other

>>18559634
Agile was personally involved. And Centipede took down a lot of Mavericks before going under. Remember, this is Zero's predecessor as commanding officer of the 0 Unit.

>>18559651
>Teach me, Dodo Sensei!

Also, I'd be interested in knowing what the most screwed up thing he's ever seem was.

>>18559651
Fuckin' Teddy Roosevelt.
Yeah, we might as well mine Dodo for extra advice. A good chunk sounds like common sense stuff to us: keep the enemy from their advantages, things like that. Dodo has a more stick-and-move style, while we're a little more well-rounded ourselves, preferring precise shots and keeping the enemy off-balance. We can use all the advice we can get.

>>18559678
Probably agreeing to a fight against Tanker.

>>18559673
What about the others? I'd be interested in a writeup of them like you did with the x1 bosses.

>>18559651
I would like to hear more about life pre-Sigma, but I concede it's probably super high tech jet fighter time.

>>18559651
We need to learn whatever Dodo can teach us! Never skip the tutorial.

>>18559681
Dash Dodo fights like the TF2 Scout: his shots aren't the most decisive, but he's very good at hitting from multiple angles quickly and generally being a major thorn that can't be pulled out. If it comes to a battle of attrition, Dodo has people beat.

You take a quick drink, mind buzzing with interest. B-rank or not, he's got years of experience on you.

"So what sort of fucked up shit have you seen?"

"A list of paperwork longer than I am tall," he replies, "So to speak. But seriously, it takes all kinds. You're going to see a lot of shit, and it sounds like you just got your first dose. Am I right?"

You sigh. "Yeah, everyone's got my number today."

"You see it a lot. Honestly, it's a lot like what human cops have to deal with. Usually it's straightforward, sometimes you run into something fucked up." You can get behind that--ancient police flicks were a favorite of yours. "As for stuff I've seen...honestly, I'd rather not get into it. Not right now, anyway. If you need to talk it out, you can look into some counseling or what have you. And you'll probably have a bit of extra time off for mental health before they put you back on combat-ready status."

"Not sure if that'll make things better or worse," you grumble.

"Sounds like Tanker, but I get what you mean. Honestly, I've seen hunters run ragged until they crack up. You want to take the breaks. Hell, you should have seen Frog. In one day, he goes from a pending transfer to the Eighth to fighting for his life to rallying the unit with zero combat experience to running the damn show. It threw him off balance, and I don't think he's ever really gotten used to it."

You have to ask. "...What was it like? Before Sigma."

Cont.

>>18559829
"Before the rebellion, you mean?" You nod. Dodo pinches his nose (well, beak.) "I know your whole world has been one where Sigma is a dirty word, but there was a time when his name was...hope. It was everything we aspired to be as hunters. Hell, as reploids." He twiddles the lead between his fingers. "It was a hell of a thing, serving under him. He was a golden boy. He could do no wrong. Well. 'Til he did. But you get what I'm saying."

You nod, taking another pull from your glass, fascinated. He reconnects the coolant and continues. "You never saw him hurt--all the media was shots of him coordinating with his advisors, or talking to the men. He was brilliant. Our losses were down, we instituted the capture policy. Mavs were ragtag, all cutting their own ways. No real coordination, no real support. It's still like that sometimes, but we learned the hard way they can go from rabble to army in an eyeblink."

Cont. fucking field too looooooong

>>18559872
He sighs again. "We learned that from him. When he turned, and suddenly we're shaken out of our beds by a full-scale attack. We never saw it coming--not one of peep out of the defectors before it happened. That was the kind of loyalty he commanded. It was only a few years ago, but it feels like it's been a lifetime.

"So suddenly, a force used to dealing with malfunctioning 'loids and civ models with a murder or two on their hands is dealing with an entire opposing force made of half your number, that knows all your tactics and doctrines, led by one of the most cunning and powerful reploids ever created. It was fucking terrifying."

"Jesus," you manage. It sounds like it.

"The morale hit was worse. None of us knew what to do. It's not exactly a popular opinion, but this is a big part of why I believe in virus theory. Just because it explains Sigma. I want to believe that's what happened. And a small, stupid part of me wants to believe we could take him back one day."

The two of you fall into silence, watching the Axe Max baseball game as you drink.

>...So what then?
>Enough depression, let's go see what Crazy Space Bitch is up to.
>Other

>>18559881

Lets go check on India.

>>18559881
Apologize for bringing up bad memories, and thank him for the advice, he helped our mental state I think.

Space engineering time
And can we get a one for the road? Or Maybethe equivalent of a six/twelve pack? We should come to India/Crankshaft bearing gifts

>>18559934
Bars don't sell six-packs. What the hell kind of establishment do you go to?

>>18559951
>>18559934
No, but Anode doesn't know that.

Oh yes, I can work with this.

>>18559951
Depends on where you live. If you can't buy beer in grocery stores or gas stations (I've lived in places where you can do both), a lot of bars will sell 6 packs. PA bars sell 6ers, but NY ones don't. In the south, where you can buy beer 24/7 in a gas station, some bars do, some don't. Same thing out west.

6ers from bars are a thing.

>>18559993
News to me.

>>18559881
"Well. Sorry for dredging up bad memories." Dodo waves it off as you finish your drink.

"It's fine. Better you ask and learn this shit. I don't want people forgetting it."

Reasonable enough. You look over to Max, who returns your gaze silently. "So...do you have anything I can take to go?"

And he just stares at you for a long, hard moment. It reminds you of Hardass-Lifesaver. It kind of scares you. Finally, though, he just points at a small refrigeration unit near the wall. You pick up a large bottle of something labeled Imperial Stout (it sounded interesting when he mentioned it), and turn back to see him reach under the counter and put down a few cylindrical cups with a flared bulb just under the lip.

"These are tumbler pint glasses," he says. "Pouring is important. Do not drink that beer from the bottle. If you do, I will know."

He stacks them without breaking eye contact, his features, simple as they are, set in a mask of lethal seriousness. "And I will find you."

Holy sweet merciful Jesus fucking Christ. "Message received," you stutter.

Finally, satisfied, he turns his look up to the ball game. "The glasses are on me. Keep 'em."

You beat feet out the door, Dodo snickering behind you.

----

And brief break to go buy myself lunch and hit the ATM.

>>18559690
I'll cover them later today.

>>18560014
I'm...sorry?

ALSO, especially if you can't buy alcohol in other places, larger bars are can also be beer stores themselves. They'll have some smaller or local brewery stuff on tap,: and then you can buy 6 pack, or 12 pack you wouldn't beable to get at like a state run liquer/beer store.

I guess blame PA's ass backwards alcohol laws. But I dunno what the beer situation on the Hunter's base is. I would assume there is a grocery of some sort for the Humans, but I dunno if they can sell delicious nanites or if they would because you vassume most of their customer base wouldn't want nanites. Therefore a place like the Pond would sell 6 packs to make some extra money from the reploids.

>>18560063
>nanites
Damn, forgot to mention that even though I thought about it in advance. While he was getting your glasses, he also put a small bottle of the nanites on the counter so you can actually get drunk by adding it to your beer.
And while I'm correcting earlier mistakes, replace Dodo's "wants to believe" with "wanted to believe" they could bring Sigma back. He ain't psychic, so as far as he knows, Sigma's a dead motherfucker.

OKAY NOW LUNCH BREAK

man, I've always imagined Anode to look like Green Biker Dude with a visor and a bigass lance, this is going to be a major drawback on the imagination department.

>>18560040
Max takes his beer seriously. I like him more and more.

>>18560081

Writing now, though food-coma just hit me like a hammer.

>>18560040
A quick look tells you India's not in the lab (nor is anyone, surprisingly), so on a hunch, you trot out to the mechaniloid bay.

"...the entire frame? Why not just put in some composites--"

"Because I don't want the whole airframe to crumple as soon as it takes any Gs," you hear India reply. "Yeah, it'll be heavy, but it'll be solid."

"It'll have to be," Crankshaft replies. "With that much armor it'll accelerate slower than molasses. You sure you just don't want to plate it?"

"It'd ruin the aerodynamics and just add more weak points. Trust me, once you get this thing going, all the pilot has to do is keep it that way. Won't be the first sluggish bird, won't be the last."

India and Crankshaft are poring over a projection, occasionally inputting some command or other and altering the blueprint. It looks... jet-y, not that you have a whole hell of a lot of frame of reference. You clear your throat, causing both to look up.

"Booze?" You offer.

"Maybe I shouldn't have turned down your proposal after all," India replies wryly, taking a glass from your stack.

>>18560564
Crankshaft clears some space (though he declines a glass), and you quickly splash a bit of oily-looking nanite solution into each glass. India opens the stout with her teeth and does a quick, aggressive-looking pour, quickly topping each glass. You could have sworn she was going to overfill them, but the head settles back down.

So. You, a demented old driver, a demented young pilot, and--

"Oh? I didn't know we were expecting more help."

--And a young-looking human woman you don't recognize. Demented status unknown.

>Wat do?

>>18560588
"Ehh, depends on your definition of 'help.' Anode with the Fourth. A pleasure."

>>18560607
"I came over to offer immoral support" I say, brandishing the beer bottle, "Though I'm mostly just curious."

And then introductions, to determine dementedness.

>>18560607
>>18560664
"Just figured I'd offer a little immoral support," you reply, offering a grin and dangling your bottle. "I'm Anode."

"Ah! I've heard of you," she replies. "You've got quite a reputation for coming in half-dead." Before you can respond to that (no matter how true it is), she looks at the bottle. "May I?"

"Yuzuki..." Crankshaft says.

"We're in Geneva," she replies with a mock-pout. "It's perfectly legal."

"You're still too young," he replies.

You look back and forth between them. India shrugs and starts chugging.

>Side with Crankshaft
>Side with Yuzuki
>Wait. What?

>>18560710
We're a reploid.
What the fuck do we know about human drinking age?
How old does Yuzuki look, anyway? How does she look in general?

>>18560710
"Hell I'm only (what like 2?) Years old and they let me drink"

>>18560722
What you know about human drinking age: Precisely dick.
Yuzuki is somewhat short (even for humans, who tend to be a bit smaller than reploids by nature), with neatly-kept black hair, tied up at the top. She's wearing a white coat over a maverick hunter uniform. You'd guess she's noncombat. She looks to be of Japanese descent, and you can detect it in her accent, though her English is perfect.

>>18560760
Agewise, she looks like she could be anywhere from 14 (hunter why) to 18, but her face makes her look a bit younger than she is.

Also, looks like we've hit autosage. No new thread yet, but I'm still here.

>>18559690
Alright, series on the X2 Mavericks:

Wire Sponge is borderline C-Class. That's how weak he is. Even his top-of-the-line energy reserve, which is one thing the Mavericks usually get right, isn't really enough to qualify him as anything more than a durable threat. He's horribly immobile, his primary weapon is easy to avoid, his shield can be broken by cutter attacks, and his secondary weapon is piss-poor. He's ONLY pulled up to B-Class Threat because he can make total use of his environment: the Weather Control Station. Interfacing with that lets him deploy a lot of nuisances against you, and when his energy reserves fall he can use the depleted battery to get a charge from tapping into the systems, letting him chuck lightning bolts around. Still, his AI is utter junk and his independent capabilities are such that a couple of regular C-Rank soldiers could easily wear him down in a non-specialized environment.

Morph Moth we've already discussed.

>>18560760
>>18560771
"Ain't my place to say, what with not being human and all. But as long as she's not trying to stick wings on an Abrams tank after a couple drinks, I think she'll be fine."
>inb4 give a brick enough thrust and anything will fly

>>18560771
Give her a glass, if she's smart enough to be on a Hunter base, as an engineer or w/e, hopefully she's smart enough to hold her booze.

And ourselves and India should get through the rest of it.

>>18560815
She's obviously with R&D, so she's probably aware of her limits.

Flame Stag was a solid Hunter; his flaming rush attacks were of limited application in certain environments, but he could dominate a battlefield like nobody's business and had a souped-up version of X's wall climbing talents. His major weakness was a lack of serious ranged attacks.

Magna Centipede, even weakened, is still an absolutely dominating force capable of functioning in basically any battlefield environment, with a fair number of tricks including his magnetizing "venom."

Overdrive Ostrich was formerly in the Air Cavalry and had flight systems. Now grounded, he can still endure a lot of attacks using his speed to generate a barrier, but his combat abilities are fairly thin outside of colliding with his victims.

Bubble Crab's S-Class comes from his flexible combat abilities and aggressive strength. He's slow grounded, but can jump rapidly; can use his drilling shoulders to take down enemies who should be well out of his grasp; has a powerful barrier generator and can carry the shield with him when moving; specializes in a weapon that can short out several kinds of target and curves unpredictably, and of course, he's loaded with hunter drones that he can deploy like mines. He's not really a one-on-one guy, but is really capable of taking down even a fair-sized mixed force on his own with ease.

"Not really my decision," you say with a shrug. "You're welcome to some, but..."

"No granddaughter of mine is getting schnookered."

"...Granddaughter?" You ask.

"...Schnookered?" India adds helpfully.

Yuzuki giggles (doing nothing for the 'too young' semblance). "Don't tease him, grandpa. Crankshaft isn't really my grandfather, of course. We met when I was little, and he pulled me out of a falling building."

"Oh come on, I haven't gotten anyone with that one since India," Cranky replies (India throws him the bird).

"At any rate, I am sixteen years old, the legal age is sixteen, and if I am old enough to join the hunters, I am old enough for a little beer."

"I--Oh, all right, but if you make a fool of yourself you'll never hear the end of it."

You and India share another glance, amused, as you take a sip of the imperial stout.

>Sounds like there's a story there.
>So how's the work going?
>Other?

Wheel Gator's got the usual environment issue. Take away his oil concealment and he loses a lot of the advantages he needs to be a practical threat - he's got a predictable weapon, can't pull off his surprise attack, has a limited battery on his "spit buster" and fairly low service with his forcefield generator. Gator's spin attack keeps him at a reasonable threat level since he can do a lot of environmental damage and catch slower or less experienced fighters off-guard.

Crystal Snail is damaged and can't form complete crystal matrices anymore, but he still hits hard, uses a chemical attack most Hunters aren't experienced with and has a timespace attack, which is a rare and tactically nightmarish thing to deal with. Combined with a powerful defense and canny battle instinct, he's a solid A-Class Threat by every measure.

>>18560975
Ask about the work

>>18560975
Sixteen years old and in Hunter R&D? That's pretty prestigious. May as well get to know the gang before we get to know their project.

>>18560917
I'm still hung up on Overdrive Ostrich ever flying, considering he's, y'know, an ostrich (or based on one).

>>18561012
What was with Wheel Gator's tank-citybuster-thing he was trundling about in?

Okay, so eating lunch made all my nosleep catch up with me. Gonna lie down for a couple of hours, sorry guys. Just don't want to be completely dead for the driving I've got tonight.

Cain can ride this thread down the board doing Q/A if he's got the time.

>>18561113
Seconding this. Better find out if she's a prodigy or something crazy, and giving people the chance to talk about themselves always leaves a good impression. Let's be sensitive while asking, though, because I'm picking up an orphan vibe and I don't want to depress anyone.
Also, if she's with R&D, we may have just acquired a third person to bug about our upgrades!

>>18561174
No problem. Any idea when the next one of these might hit? Generally speaking, that is. I always manage to miss most of these.

>>18561122
Yeah, I know... but that's actually Capcom's brief on him. We didn't come up with that one. I'll chalk it up to "and mammoths don't shoot flames from their noses" and call it a day.

>>18561144
The Dinosaur Tank? A big Maverick assault vehicle. Not the first, and certainly not the last (remember the Skyjammer?) It was part of the big attacks staged in the Second Maverick War to draw X out as much as possible. Sponge caused hurricanes, Moth revived war machines, Stag caused geothermal stations to erupt, Centipede spread system viruses (and guarded covert research on X's specifications), Ostrich captured and launched old warheads, Crab coordinated ocean attacks from a deep-sea base and Snail occupied a crucial Energen mine. Compared to what X was dealing with in the first war, these are all major attacks.

>>18561188
I try not to step on other quests' toes, both for their sake, my sake, and also because I don't want to clutter up the front page with wall to wall quest threads. Possibly late evening/night in the next few days (before the weekend). By Friday though, don't expect it.
General likeliest start times are nights, eastern US time.

>>18561220
I always figured each stage in X2 was some big event, some manner of chaos or uprising. Seeing it in this context lets it make a lot more sense.