>>18658119
Pilot Stats:
Gerald DeFlynn
Age:27
Citizenship: Empire

Shelling: 5
Maneuver: 3
CRC: 2
Affinity: 3

Sandwise
Bandit Hater

Assets:
One tricked out Molga
900 Credits
One unconscious bandit

It is now 6:00 in the morning, and your feeling rather rested in the cot you were lent inside the hangar. You're wide awake, a habit from your days in the mercenary company.

The battle is not till noon today, 60 miles North East of the Terminal office, and about 50 miles south of your present location.

>Actions

>>18658224
Double-check everything on the Molga, make sure it's ship shape. Look in awe at the Hound-Soldier, and cringe at how much damage there is. Wonder how in the fuck Vince is D rank.

Make some breakfast, see if anyone here knows what the competition will be like in the battle.

Oh shit I'm still reading last week's episode but yay for an early episode!

>>18658259
(Vince is D-rank because, like you, he only recently got his official license.)

Deciding that giving the Molga a shake down is probably the best way to start, you leave your room and head for the hangar.

Walking down the rows of maintenance squares, you see someone is already there. You recognize the older looking to be Eri's father. He's looking up at Vince's zoid, rubbing his temple.

"He's really done it this time..." you hear him mutter to himself.

>Stop to talk
>Leave him be for now

>>18658370
Stop to talk.

Such a beautiful creature, so full of holes and gashes. It makes you want to cry and tell it that everything will be alright.

Where did he get this baby anyhow?

>>18658370
>Stop to talk.
"As opposed to how many other times?"

>>18658390
You give him a 'good morning'as you walk to where he's standing. He takes his time acknowledging you.
"Ah, the freeloader."
Ouch. Well, that's still technically true. Though Eri said she'd put all the work done on your tab, whether she was joking or not.

You ask him about the zoid.
"This was something excavated after the cataclysm, about 20 years ago. Vince's parent were excavators, and I was along as a technician." He gestures to the Hound Soldier.
It's armor on the front and left side are almost shredded. You spot some internal damage as well, not to mention the missing Cross Lance.
"We found this, and another zoid, buried in a heavily scared region. Seems they were in the midst of battle when the asteroids hit. They were damaged pretty badly, took 10 years to restore them. Vince ended up with one, and...."
He lets out a long sigh. "And Daniel got the other one."

>Actions

>>18658509
"What 'other one?'"

>>18658509
I'm sorry to bring up painful memories, it wasn't my intent.

>>18658535
>>18658527

He waves it off, somewhat grouchily.
"Never mind that, I'm tired of talking about this. What are you doing up this early anyway?"

You explain that you wished to test out the new components of the Molga before the upcoming battle.

"Shakedowns go better when there's someone watching from outside." He states gruffly. "I'll go get Eri up while you do an internal diagnostic, she'll walk you through whatever she's slapped on to your zoid."

You thank him and locate your Molga. After getting in and working the console for sometime, all internals come back green. About that time your hub beeps, and an image of Eri, slightly disheveled from sleep comes up on your screen.

"Hey, hotshot, whats the rush?" she jests. "You could have at least waited till after breakfast to give your baby a spin."

>Talk
>Test
>Others

>>18658635
Habit, I tend to get up bright and early, and didn't feel like breakfast until everyone else was up. I've also learned to never delay testing your machine.

Test it out, see how the stealth rig works, make sure burrowing is still working and nothing snags, basic maneuverability tests. A few test shots from the new weapons to make sure they're doing ok.

>>18658663
The amber haired girl smiles and nods. "I like a man who takes his work seriously. Lemme open the hangar for you."
You wait for the doors to clear, then make you way outside. You go full speed, turning this way and that.

Your Molga does not have the maneuverability to turn effectively, however you are able to 'drift' from side to side while moving at high speeds, by making use of hydraulics and sudden shifts of weight. You find the performance satisfactory, and move on to the next test.

You unveil your main turret, and give the area a sweep with the targeting array. Seems to be functioning properly. You cue up the Laser mach. guns and squeeze the trigger to fire a small barrage of light red slivers of light.

"Not bad, huh?" Eri coms in. "The two barrels are firelinked together, you can also link it to firing the main cannon. Just remember to not let the barrels over heat. And it goes without saying, but you can't use them while underground, so be sure you unlink them before you try."
(cont.)

>>18658812

You move on to the big finale, the Stealth shield you took from the Helcat. It takes you a moment to find the new mechanism, and with a quiet whir, you make out a slight distortion wash over you hub, and the rest of your Molga.

"Yes!" Eri cheers excitedly. "Completely invisible! I thought I'd need to adjust it some first, but ts working perfectly."

You drive around the plain a bit, checking behind you as you go. You notice you're not kicking up any visible dust, and the tracks are miniscule. You tell Eri as such, and she chuckles in triumph.
"Surprised? I modified your drive wheels, they cause 50% less disturbance to the ground you're going over, and reduce any marks you leave, all with no loss of speed!"

You marvel at her work. All operations check out.

>What do?

>>18658899
We couldn't ask for a better result. Head back to the garage and have some victory bacon.

>>18658899
Ask for confirmation on her age. If she is legal or not. Presuming of course that we are a legal adult. It's good to figure these things out early.

>>18658899
Laugh maniacally. IT'S PERFECT, I SHALL CRUSH ALL THOSE PUNY INSECTS WHO STAND BETWEEN ME AND VICTORY IN THE ARENA!! MWAHAHAHA!

*ahem* Sorry about that, care for some breakfast?

>>18658899
WE HAVE BECOME DEATH ON MANY LEGS.

>>18658925
"Bleeeh!" she jeers, sticking out her tongue. "You shouldn't ask a girl her age." She grins a bit. "I'm less than 10 years younger than you, you'll have to figure out the rest on your own."

>>18658920
You make your way back inside, and park your Molga. You find Eri where her father was earlier, in front of the Hound. She seems visibly ill.
"That idiot." she grumbles, clenching her fist. "Does he not realize how short of funds we are?"

"Relax." Vince states as he appears beside her. "The job paid 3 times what it will cost to repair this."
Eri's head turns mechanically, a forced smile on her face.
"Is that right~." She grabs him with a choke hold. "Does that mean if you had totaled it, we could by 3 new ones?~"

Vince gasp for air, wheezing out some pittance of an apology. Your now next to them and ask if they want some breakfast. Eri releases Vince and greets you, ignoring the man she just strangled.
"Sure thing! This time I'll whip you something up."

In the kitchen, you take a bite out of the omelet she fixed you, and she sits herself down with her own.
Vince is left with a single peace of toast.

"Anything you want to know about?"

>What do?

>>18659057
Do any of you know anything about the competition I'm up against today, skill level, what zoids to expect and so on?

>>18659122
Well, part of the reason they're eager for us to compete is to find the third member for the team. It's probably safe to assume they'll be no more prepared or equipped than we are.

>>18659216
That and the dosh.
Can't forget dosh.

>>18659122
Eri thinks for a moment.
"Before you, I saw one other person take the license test. Some one using a Stealth Viper." She frowns a bit. "I think it was someone under Vlad."
"Tch!" Vince spat. "That guy, why'd he have to show his face?"

Eri pours something to drink and continues. "I also saw someone else register for the battle, someone who came in the shop before, they use a Guysack. He looked kinda shady though." She thinks for a minute. "They need at least one more besides you to have a proper battle royal, though there can be more participants, up to six at a time."

"You don't have to worry." Vince assures you, attempting, and failing, to take an omelete off a plate in front of Eri.
"Anyone who'd bother participating won't be bringing any heavy weights. Use your head and you won't get blasted."
Amusing, coming from him. You finish your breakfast. Yo still have 5 hours before the event. You should be able to spare about 3 safely.

>What do?

>>18659362
We should probably head down to the city soon and properly scout the competition and check out any weapons/parts dealers

>>18659362
Get there early, once there we can look at the competition, see if there's anything good for sale and so on.

>>18659411
Sounds good to me.

>>18659411
>>18659423
>>18659429
You inform the two that you'll go ahead early, to get yourself situated and scout the other competitors. Eri looks disappointed.
"I have to stay here." she says. "The sooner we start fixing up the Hound, the better."

Vince looks thoughtful for a second. "I can meet up with you later in the jeep. All combatants are permitted a support team, I'll give you an extra set of eyes during the battle."

You thank him and say good bye to Eri. You suggest Vince try to bring the man you caught earlier to the authorities, so they can properly treat and interrogate him.

You get ready and exit the hangar, making your way toward the terminal. The facility is like a small city, with its own garrison, and many venders make their way there to sell components, and even whole zoids.

It's 9:30 when you arrive, and you stow the Molga in one of the Terminals regulation hangars. You've still got over 2 hours before the match.

>Collect the ammo you depositted yesterday
>Look at the Bulletin board in the main office
>Window shop
>Scope out the competition(not all have arrived)

>>18659597
Collect the ammo first, necessities first. Then check out the Bulletin Board, we shouldn't blindly accept jobs on our own given we're part of a team now but we should check them out.

Scope out the competition once more people have arrived.

rolled 72 = 72

>>18659597
Look at bulletin board and window shop. Who knows if we might find something or some piece of information that would be useful.

Ammo first so we will be prepared then window shop and scout after (leave enough time to have a conversation with some of the competition)

>>18659664
>>18659686
The storage units aren't far, so you head there first. Taking a cart from your crate, you only load it with the ammo needed to top of your weapons.

You also have a few small warheads on you. The Molga is able to hold 2 in the launcher under the rear armor plate. Which type would you like?
>Standard explosives
>Chaff
>Smoke
>Glue

>>18659778
Standard is always good. That or glue. Because it sounds like a dickish thing to do.

>>18659778
Chaff since radar is the big threat to our new stealth

>>18659778
Chaff, we have stealth now, we don't need more dakka, instead we need to fuck with any methods of finding an invisible burrowing mech.

>>18659798
>>18659810
Chaff it is.

You take the ammo and load it up. You reloaded once yesterday so it doesn't take long.

Seeing as how you have more then enough time to kill, you find the bulletin board. You find only a few in the lobby. There's someone reading the board, a girl when you realize as you get closer. You recognize the dark haired girl from yesterday.

You greet her, more quietly this time. She doesn't jump, but still seems startled when she looks at you. She seems slightly less scarred of you this time, maybe she remembered meeting you.

>What say?

>>18659901
Hi there, I never caught your name last time, it's Geral DeFlynn. You a pilot as well? If yes, ask if she's interested or in the Battle Royal later today?

>>18659936
Gerald. I think the OP had a typo.

>>18659936
She lowers her head a bit. "I'm not suppose to talk to anyone." Her voice is hardly above a whisper. You ponder why she wouldn't be allowed to do something so mundane. You glance at the board, asking her what she was looking at. She cautiously raises her hand and points.
"This."

You look closely. 'Construction: Help wanted building a new school building.' You smile a little. You tell her that's a very nice thing to do. She blushes a bit.
"I like helping people." she says as she fidgets.

She looks up to you momentarily.
"Mister," she says solemly, "do you like hurting people?"

>Answer?

>>18660074
Do I like hurting people, no I don't. But there are times and places where hurting someone bad is the only way to save innocent people.

I also like testing my strength, trying to be the best that I can be, which is why I'm planning on fighting in the Arena. Not to hurt others but to pay the bills, and to prove myself.

rolled 35 = 35

>>18660074
"Not really. I'd rather help. Most of the time I help myself out. But the other day I helped out this courier from getting whacked by a pair of bandits."

>>18660133
I like this response. Let's use it.

>>18660266
>>18660133
Feels like it's leaning a bit too much on the "I WANT TO BE THE VERY BEST" for meeting one another. That may just be my interpretation though.

>>18660283
Really? Cause I'm not getting that sort of vibe from it. It's setting off my Paladin-dar though.

She smiles a bit. "I'm glad you think so."
She looks sad again. "I don't like hurting people at all. But," her eyes well up a bit. "They always tell me to. They make-"

"There you are," a new voice says as you instinctively turn. It belongs to a man about Vince's age, with short black hair. "You shouldn't wander off like that, princess. I'd loose my head if anything happened to you."

The girl looks at the ground when he stops next to her. He greets you and shakes your hand. "Sorry if she bothered you, she's a bit off. I'm Kai, her guardian." He smiles and gestures apologetically. "I'd love to chat, but we need to be somewhere." He gently takes her hand. "Come along, princess, we can't keep everyone waiting."

She nods obediently and is lead off. Before they leave the lobby, she looks back at you longingly. You feel a bit irritated, though you don't understand her situation.

>look at the board
>forget it, I'm not in the mood now

>>18660341
Look at the board, we can't really do anything for her at this point and we have bills to pay.

rolled 7 = 7

why do i get the feeling that she is one of the competitors?
skim over the board then head to the arena to scope out the compotition

You look at the available work. You smile a bit at the construction request, maybe you'll look into that sometime.

As for any major jobs, you see the following:

[Sleeper Clearing: Sleeper Zoids are harassing travelers, 500 Credits to clear the area plus rights to all salvage.]

[Bounty for Bandits hiding in an old military mine. 1000 Credits plus first salvage rights, must return stolen property. Culprits have some Heavy zoids, though reports say they are in poor condition.]

[Underwater Salvage: Recover lost cargo and components in the bay. Pays 500 credits, 750 if you bring your own zoid.]

That's all that really jumps out at you. You grumble at the Bounty job, its should pay at least double what's listed.

You check the time; and hour and a half to go.

>Window shop
>Competiters

>>18660453
I'm interested in the Bounty one, if it's in a mine, underground we can go fucking predator on their asses, sure it should pay more but we get to keep all of the salvage. We'll talk it over with our team later.

For now check out our competitors.

>>18660453
>>18660463
I like the Sleeper Zoids myself. Let's check out the competition.

>>18660463
'The sooner you know the face of your enemy, the sooner you can punch the enemy in the face!'
Your dad always said the weirdest things when drunk. Still you get the gist of what he was try to say.

Heading back to the hangar, you find someone has already parked beside you. You see a man in a clean uniform, who waves you over.
"Hey there!" he says cheerfuly, shaking your hand. "I know you, you were here yesterday, right?"
You nod.
"I thought so, I'm Cody," he says heartily. "I'm a member of the Garrison." You cock an eye, looking at his zoid, which isn't in the standard blue on white of the ZBF.

Sensing your puzzlement, he decides to clarify. "I restored this Godos in my spare time. We're not allowed to join teams, but we can participate in free events like the battle royal taking place here, so long as we don't use our issued zoid."

You take another look at the zoid. It's cheap but well rounded. It might be tough to take on at the start. It may be a good idea to leave him for later, given you outdo him in speed and range.
>check Eastern Hangar
>check Western Hangar
>Ask Cody who he thinks might be a contender

>>18660629
Go west with the rising sun.

>>18660629
Ask who he thinks might be a contender.

Also what is the Garrison? He might be much more dangerous than we think, especially given that this is his hobby Zoid and not indicative of his skill.

>>18660687
He's basically a police officer/Security guard who works for the ZBF.
He's got about as much training as you, though since he's stayed in the same location, he has less experience. Most bandits aren't dumb enough to pick a fight with them, or to stick around when they get word they're heading their way.

>>18660718
What do they usually pilot or is it not that standardized?

>>18660725
His issued Zoid is this, an upgraded. He's pretty comfortable using his regular godos thanks to that.

>>18660687
>>18660672
"Who do I have my eye on?" he ponders, then gestures far down the hanger. "See that?"
You squint, then frown. A Demantis, the tails to your Molga's heads. Light, agile, with very powerful close combat abilities. Although not by any means a powerhouse, it easily has the most offensive firepower for any zoid its weight class. It's front claws can crush even your armor, meaning if it ever catches you, its over.

>>18660857
I'll keep an eye on him, those claws would seriously hurt. Thanks for your advice.

Go and check out some more combatants.

>>18660857
(Woops, jumped the gun there)
"Its light, and armor is non existant. Not an ideal choice for this kind of battle, yet there it is." He closes his eyes and thinks seriously. "If someone was going to use that zoid, they'd be either crazy, or extremely sure of themselves."

He looks at you again. "Either way, it could pose a problem." You find yourself agreeing. You thank him and start down the western walkway. You spot a man in a cloak obscuring his face. He glares at you, and does not start up conversation.
>Hey there!
>Nope

>>18660917
Hey there!

Fuck people trying to be dark and mysterious, greet him happily and when he tries to brood or be dark and mysterious remain chipper and polite.

>>18660917
Nope.

>>18660930
This we did that with the first dark and mean guy we have to be fair and do it for everyone else.

>>18660930
>>18660975
Thirding. Why the hell not.

>>18660917
Greet the shit out of him

>>18660995
>>18660988
>>18660975
>>18660930
Greet him. Be annoyingly chipper. Brooding mysterious types HATE that.

You give him a friendly enough greeting.
"I don't like you." he says flatly. Well, that was just rude.
"Don't get anywhere near my zoid. He likes blood." Yeah, this guys has problems.

A Guysack, huh? Is this the one Eri worked on before? She must have been hurting for money if she even let this guy in.

"I kill for a living." That's nice, you didn't ask. "I kill brats like you." You'd punch him, but that might get you disqualified.
"I don't want to be your friend." Well the feeling wasn't mutual earlier, but consider it done.

You don't feel like talking to him anymore. He probably has some experience, and he definately doesn't mind fighting dirty. You best keep you an eye on him, he might 'accidently' aim at other competitors' cockpits.

>What do?

>>18661053
Y'know, he probably needs some serious therapy, serious fucking therapy if that's how he acts when someone is just plain friendly.

Check out who else is in the competition.

>>18661053
Is it weird that I'm picturing him with Youngblood's Disease?

>Check out who else is in the battle.
Maybe we'll meet someone else who ISN'T a sociopath.

>>18661071
You remember Eri mentioning someone with a Stealth Viper before. You also remember that they're associated with that Vlad character, and your not sure you want to deal with him right now. You've had 2 instances of annoyance already.

You take a look at the Eastern hanger, and sure enough, there the Viper is.
>Go say hi to Vladdy
>You know, I saw this shiny, convenient distraction earlier...

>>18661153
Heeey Vladdy, my main man, how's it hanging? Aren't you just plain excited for this match, it's gonna be swell buddy! Well, catch you later dude.

All without giving him a chance to respond or brood in our direction, leaving him deeply confused.

>>18661153
>You know, I saw this shiny, convenient distraction earlier...

Also, lets find a commandwolf.

>>18661180
THIS!
A MILLION TIMES THIS!

>>18661153
Go check out the demantis and its pilot

>>18661153
oh look, a shiny distraction. How convenient.

>>18661153
Vladdy Vladdy bo baddy banana fana fo faddy fee fi mo maddy! Vladdy old buddy how are ya? What are ya doin'? How's your sex life? Do you even have a sex life? Do you sometimes feel not so fresh? How regular are you?

>>18661180
>>18661198
You give yourself a 'welp' gesture, and saunter over. After a good walk, you get a good look at the Viper. It's kind of like your Molga, except it gives up armor, and a pinch of speed, for a lot more maneuverability. It's got quite a few guns too. You notice the usual anti air warheads on the tail have been replaced with a pair of short range missile. It's got a lot of weapons that could get through your armor, but since its low to the ground, you could probly just keep some cover between you both and try to outshell...

"Ahem."
You suddenly become aware of you error. You were so distracted by the sweet daka, you payed no attention to what people were around. You face whoever it was trying to get your attention. It's some redheaded fellow about your height, looks fairly young too.
"Can I help you?"

You apologize and introduce yourself, which gets you a weird look. "YOU'RE DeFlynn? A putz like you got my Uncle's eye?" they say crudely.

Wow. Just, wow. Too much information to take in. Vlad's this guys uncle? Your dad took Vlad's eye? Or was it you and you didn't even know it? What the degunning hell?

>ask about Vlad
>ask about them

>>18661340
>Ask about them.
Be a cool guy. Maybe he'll turn out to not be as big a dick as his uncle.

>>18661340
Ask about them, see who they are, if they're competing and so on.

>>18661379
>>18661391
"Hmph, I'm glad you asked!" your company says rather extravegantly. "I'm the up and coming star of the Battle Circuit, this battle is but a stepping stone to my future career."
This person is babbling nonsense. Must be because they're young. "I'm the terror of the plains, the mangler of Zoids!"

God, were you like this when you were this young. You hope not.
"I'm the great-"
A large, burly hand clasps down on top of their head, shutting them up.
"This is my niece, Sarah." Vlad says dryly.
"Gah! Uncle! Don't tell him that!" It was a girl?

"Sup, kid." Vlad says, somewhat less threatening than yesterday. "I thought you might show for this ho down."
He gives the youngster a noogie. "And it wasn't him, stupid, it was in a barfight with his old man where I lost my eye."
"Owowow!" says the great rising star.
"You still have too big of a head. Remember," he says as he releases her, "if I'm not satisfied by how you do today, you're going back to your mother."
"But uncle!"
"No buts." he rejects. "Your mom would have my head if something happened to you. If you can't take care of yourself, then I won't keep you."

No. No! Stop that, brain, don't break! The image of this man acting like a responsible parent figure while the other pouts has been forever engraved in your mind.

>talk some more
>my brain, it hurts!

>>18661551
>talk some more
Maybe we can develop a mutual grudging respect with Patches here.

rolled 6 = 6

>>18661551
The aloof asshole showing care and concern for others?
Learn something new everyday.
Clear up the confusion that, however much Vlad may want this to be the case, we are not our dad.

>>18661551
Vlad, were we ever bad when we were kids, I'm hoping against all hope that I wasn't but I can't be sure.

Also my Dad took out your eye, didn't know that, sounds like an interesting story.

He shoos his niece away and you two have a chance to talk alone.
"So, barfight, huh?"

He laughs. "It's more a happy memory now." He seems almost normal right now. "Just so you know, I don't have any grudges, though I'd love to go at it with your old man again."

He looks over at Sarah fiddling with the Viper. "Can you do me a favor?" he's asking you to do something, your back to scarred. "Can you give her a good beating?"
You're taken back by that. He wants you to beat her?

"She's not like you and me." He explains. "It's been nothing but sims, target practice, and joy rides. She was too young to experience the shit we got put through. She doesn't understand." He shakes his head. "This gig isn't fun and games. People die even in sanctioned battles, not even talking about jobs where everything goes."

You kind of understand what he's saying. You have to experience the fear to respect it. You tell him you'll take you best shot.
He grins that evil, evil grin of his. "Appreciate it, kid. But be careful, she's not all talk." He turns to go help his niece.

"Oh, and by the way," he adds, "That barfight ended with both of us stumbling into our zoids and demolishing half a town."

You slackenly check the time. just under an hour left.

>What do?

>>18661781
>Go at it with your old man

Why, brain?

>>18661781
Make sure we have a handle on all of the participants. Stretch a bit. Get to our Zoid and mentally prepare outself, we want to be at our zoid and ready early.

>>18661781
Go talk with Cody some more. He seems cool.

>>18661835
(Because your trying too hard)
>>18661852
You stretch, eat, piss, ect. You recheck your Molga, all things set. Your com starts beeping.

"Yo, Gerald, you there?"
"Hey, G-man! How's life, bro!"
"Stop that." Vince comes back on. "Picked up a friend of yours, when the Garrison called him to give a testimony. When I told him you were here, he insisted on tagging along."
"Whew! Knock em dead, bro!"
"Stop that!"

You chuckle a bit and tell them your all ready on your end.
"Glad to hear it, listen, I checked out the battleground. It's an old fort thats been walled off, probably 15 miles radius, lots of rubble in the middle. Bad news is there's a lot of spots that are solid ground and bedrock, you wont be able to burrow in some spots, par attention to where you are. I'll send you a map."

You thank him and go over the image you recieve, trying to hash out some sort of plan.

I'm afraid I may have to cut things short, I go in tomorrow for a day shift. I might be able to pick things up and finish tomorrow night. Thoughts?

>our fondsY
"Aeeye!"