File: 1348272046846.png-(1.34 MB, 2000x1000, ssubwitches.png)

[Shall I try one now, Cleona?] Socks asks, bringing you back to the here and now.

[Hmm?]

[This strawberry.]

[Oh, sure. Go ahead. Don't blame me if they're poisonous to you, though,] you warn.

Socks scoffs at such a suggestion. [Our biological chemistry is similar enough to consume much of the same foods, Cleona. I doubt this exquisite object would be an exception in that regard.]

[Your funeral, buddy.]

Socks' response is to take a large bite, leaving only the leaves, stem, and very tip top of the fruit.

He doesn't break out in the expected ecstasy of fruity goodness. You can feel his disappointment.

[ ] Tease
[ ] Comfort
[ ] Other

File: 1348272106346.jpg-(Spoiler Image, 228 KB, 750x750)

>>20814951
Blitzkrieg for the panzerhexe!
[X] Tease

>>20814951
[x] Comfort

I take it martian taste buds are different?

File: 1348272254192.jpg-(51 KB, 500x387, destroyed panzer.jpg)

>>20814966
In after panzer. With bazookas apparently.

>[x]Tease
>[x]Comfort

In this case, [x]Other - Let's do Both!

[x] Tease
We have superior tastebuds.
[x] Comfort
Clearly we should share them.

>>20815070
[x] Other
Do so lewdly

File: 1348273345460.png-(3 KB, 279x237, 1294155338113.png)

[Good, right?] you say reassuringly. Taking one from the pile for yourself, you show it off as you take a bite, tracing its outline with the tip of your tongue. [Did you know?] you begin, biting slowly and carefully. Each bite is so small, it'll take you just over a minute to finish it off. [The strawberry...]--Bite--[is a hybrid]--Bite--[of two different plants]--Bite--[and has been around]--Bite--[for 300 years?]

[N-no, I did not,] he responds meekly.

[The fruit]--Bite--[isn't actually]--Bite--[the ovary]--Bite--[of the plant]--Bite--[like other fruits, but-]

[Cleona!] Socks interrupts at last.

[What is it, Socks?] you ask innocently, finishing off your nibbled strawberry.

[I...]

[Yes?] You reach for another strawberry.

File: 1348273392915.jpg-(58 KB, 157x180, 1282675493914.jpg)

>>20815242


[I cannot taste them!]

[What do you mean? They're so delicious...] you ask, taking a bite.

[I do not know!] he whines, confused. [I can feel the texture with my tongue, but I cannot taste it! I try and try, but to no avail! Cleona! What is going on!?]

[Hmm...] you say playfully, [I guess tastebuds work differently on Martians.]

[...Yes. Yes, of course...] he acknowledges sadly. [We evolved in different environments. Why would a Martian ever be able to taste the succulent 'Strawberry?' How silly...of me.]

Well now you just feel bad. [I-I'm sorry, Socks. Here, let me.] You attempt to deepen the link once more, proceeding successfully when Socks begins to as well. You're once again flooded with the feeling of being in two places at once, seeing yourself and Socks through two different sets of eyes at the same time. Carefully, you take a bite out of another strawberry.

Socks nearly falls over in ecstasy.

[You Martians must not have any immunity to sweetness,] you comment.

[Mmmhmm...] Socks mutters.

[ ] Continue savoring
[ ] Back out
[ ] Other.

>>20815257
[x] Continue savoring
[x] Lewdly

File: 1348273934368.png-(14 KB, 250x332, 1347554110091.png)

>>20815257
[x] Continue savoring

File: 1348274363607.jpg-(64 KB, 500x400, 1273940376157.jpg)

You continue, grabbing another strawberry. It's amusing to see the usually composed Socks so...not composed. It's an entirely new sensation to him, and he doesn't seem to have any control.

[How's this?] you ask, taking another bite.

[Delicious...] he says.

You smile, knowing how incredible this is for Socks via the link. [Maybe this is why you guys invaded?]

[It would be very worth it, Cleona.]

You take several more bites, lost in a combination of sensory overload, sweetness, and amusement. You're so lost, in fact, that you don't remember when the bespectacled figure hovering over your head first appeared.

"-ona. Cleona! Hellooo?"

It's Dr. Alice Wackett.

"O-oh. Hey, Alice," you say, quickly backing out of the deep link. Socks radiates disappointment.

"What the hell were you two doing?"

[ ] Tasting strawberries
[ ] Experimenting
[ ] Other

>>20815506
>[x] Experimenting

>>20815506
>[ ] Tasting strawberries
>[ ] Experimenting
WE MUST GO DEEPER

>>20815257
>I can feel the texture with my tongue, but I cannot taste it!
Hmm, I think I know your problem- does your mouth produce saliva?

>>20815506
>[ ] Experimenting
For, uh, SCIENCE! Yeah.

>>20815506
[x] Tasting strawberries

We should try other sweets next. Like apples and oranges.

>>20815506
[x] Experimenting

Lewd science.

File: 1348275736003.png-(245 KB, 1000x700, too-lewd-for-SuWQ.png)

"Oh, you know. Just...experimenting," you answer.

"E-experimenting? With what?"

"Oh, just testing the link between our senses, learning the boundaries of our individual perceptions of reality and all that."

Alice regards you with a confused eye. "Um...it looked like you two were...actually, I don't even want to know."

"Don't knock it until you try it," you say, tossing a strawberry her way. She catches it with surprising ease.

"What?"

"Eat it."

Alice takes a bite. "Mmm. These are quite good."

"Exactly."

"...I'm still confused. Look, whatever. I've got some big news," she says, taking a seat. "Hello, Socks," she says. Socks waves a tentacle in response.

>>20815781

"So what's up?" you inquire.

"It looks like the bigwigs are in an uproar. Rumors are floating around, something about increased Martian activity in the Far East."

"Mmm. That'd make sense, I guess," you reply.

"What do you mean?"

"They had some pretty neat new toys the other day. Ships that actually looked like ships, armed with some serious guns. That plus the infighting makes me think the entire area is under new management on the Martian side."

"Hmm. That's worrying. Anyway, it looks like the military brass are trying to respond in a big way. I don't imagine they'll have much luck right now, given the relative lack of pressure the Martians have applied for the majority of the war, but they're already refitting some subs to Substriker carriers."

You bite your lip. "But there aren't that many people that can even use the damned things. Hell, the entire Substriker doctrine is pretty much untested; the first combat mission was a complete failure and the second was an oddball."

"Doesn't matter; they're trying to do whatever they can, I guess. MacArthur's impressed by what you managed to do to the Harbinger."

"But I only managed that because we jammed a Martian Engine in the thing!"

"I don't dictate the war, Cleona. I just build the vehicles and engines."

[ ] Demand a debriefing. Now.
[ ] Well, are you any closer to copying the engines?
[ ] Fuck it, grab more sweets.
[ ] Other.

>>20815789
[x] Well, are you any closer to copying the engines?
Then, on to:
[x] Demand a debriefing. Now.

>>20815789
[x] Demand a debriefing. Now.

oh god it's the Tullibee all over again

>>20815789
>[ ] Well, are you any closer to copying the engines?
Can't we have Socks help? We could translate for him.

File: 1348276924525.jpg-(136 KB, 355x495, 1275786281197.jpg)

"Well, are you any closer to copying the engines? That'd help justify converting ships to Substriker carriers."

Alice sighs. "I'm making good progress, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to justify the expense to the military. The Martians basically took the conventional magical engine and optimized it to its limit. We've got some serious improvements across the board as a result, but overall it's an evolutionary dead end as far as I can tell. Once the jet engines get their efficiency issues sorted out, they'll probably outclass the Martians' engines."

"Can you drop in one of those jet engines in the Substriker?"

Alice shakes her head. "We designed the Substriker for conventional engines. That's not to say we wouldn't be able to redesign it to mate with a jet engine, but the jets use air for more than cooling. We'd have to find a new way to work the entire process underwater if we wanted to use them in the Substriker."

"Then it sounds like we'll need those Martian engines if MacArthur's pushing for these Substrikers."

"I guess, yeah."

[ ] Demand that debriefing.
[ ] Try to figure out how extensive this refit project is
[ ] Other.

File: 1348277241948.jpg-(16 KB, 400x403, 1347677699337.jpg)

>>20816029
[x] Try to figure out how extensive this refit project is

>>20816083
You take Alice in a sudden and passionate kiss. She almost pulls back, surprised, but quickly reciprocates.


Just kidding.

>>20816029
[x] Suddenly invent nuclear sub-strikers despite having no knowledge of physics or engineering.

>>20816112
You begin to glow with a deadly light.

Ten years from now, you all die of cancer.

>>20816083
Goddamnit, that spoiler typo is annoying me too much. I gotta fix it.

>>20816029
>[ ] Other.
Make out with Alice while connected to Socks
Don't do it I'm not serious at all.

I mean,
>[ ] Try to figure out how extensive this refit project is

>>20816137
We win the war first, right?

>>20816157
Yes
Probably
Maybe

>>20816029
[x] Try to figure out how extensive this refit project is

>>20816137
How does witch healing work? Can Meeafooogee cure cancer?

>>20816275
Who's Miyafugi? We don't know a Miyafugi.

>>20816275
Um...I dunno, actually. I imagine so, it's magic. Don't have to explain shit.

>>20816275
Dr. Miyafuji's a scientist, man. He's not a witch.

>>20816296
I know, I was just wondering about the setting. We don't actually have cancer so it doesn't matter. Or do we?

>>20816300
I googled it.
>Yoshika's inherent magic is Healing Abilities. Classified as a variety of the telekinesis-lineage, it puts a living thing back to how it was by means of magic and is effective not only against external wounds but also diseases.
Seems like it would work. Just turn the cancer cells back into normal cells.

>>20816358
Yeah, but those cells turned into cancer in the future. If it's just time reversal, you'll get it again.

You sigh. "Well, how extensive is the refit project? How many subs are they opening up like tin cans to use the Substriker?"

Alice shakes her head. "I don't know. I think they've got some nearby being converted, but it's all hush-hush. CAC isn't involved in the actual refit operation, so I haven't heard much more than that. I can show you, if you'd like."

"Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea," you say. [Socks, sorry, but I need to go ahead and deal with something. The brass are getting...stupid again.]


[Ah, wait, Cleona!] He wraps a tentacle around your wrist.

[What?]

[May we... eat another strawberry?]

You roll your eyes and smile. [Sure, sure.] You go through the procedure, popping one of the fruits in your mouth before leaving. Socks' satisfaction is most apparent, as is Alice's discomfort.

A short while later, Alice and yourself arrive at the shipyards. Several guards block your path.

"Identification, please."

You're pretty sure you don't have permission to waltz onto the pier.

[ ] Pretend you belong
[ ] Throw your witch weight around
[ ] Talk to MacArthur
[ ] Other

>>20816394
>[ ] Pretend you belong
>[ ] Throw your witch weight around
We can talk sense into a japanese witch mid-breakdown, we can do this.

>>20816394
We are a Subwitch. This will probably be our boat.

>>20816394
[x] Talk to MacArthur
Get him to give us authorization.

>>20816381
Cancer is a random mutation, there's no guarantee it will happen again. Although if you just turned into Radioactive Man because of a joke update it's probably extremely likely.

>>20816394
[x] Let Alice deal with it and pretend you belong.

You hand him your identification. The guard scans it, noting the details and looking you over quickly. After several seconds, he hands it back. "I'm afraid I can't let you in, Ma'am."

You give him a look. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're not authorized for this pier."

"You're kidding, right? Not allowed to see my own ship?"

"Not without authorization, Ma'am."

Damn. Why do they only ever know how to do their jobs right when you're trying to get through? "You saw right there I'm a Witch, right? Sub Witch, even."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"…" You're not sure where you were going with that.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Ma'am." He gestures to his fellow guard. Said fellow takes a step towards you. He seems to mean business. It's probably not wise to get tangled up in a military incident, so you make to leave, when...

"There you are!" calls a familiar voice. It's Victor. He runs up to you, panting. Poor guy seems to be forever darting from place to place.

"I've been looking for you," he says.

[ ] He's on MacArthur's staff, right? Use him.
[ ] Demand to see MacArthur
[ ] Other.

>>20816620
>[x] He's on MacArthur's staff, right? Use him.

>>20816620
>[ ] He's on MacArthur's staff, right? Use him

>>20816620
[x] 'sup.

>>20816620
[x] He's on MacArthur's staff, right? Use him.

Or was he part of the lab's staff... I can't remember...

You have a spark of brilliance. "Victor! Yeah, sorry about that. This guy's taking his job real seriously."

Victor blinks "Uh, what?"

"He won't let me on the dock. Been trying to get that inspection done all day and when I finally get here, there's some crap about not being authorized."

The guard stiffens as he recognizes Victor as one of the guys following MacArthur around all the time. He snaps a brisk salute. "Sir! Just trying to do my job, sir!"

Victor's still a little lost. "Ah, uh, yes. Good job, Petty Officer," he says, returning the salute.

"Now will you let me get on with my job?" you ask the guard.

"O-of course, Ma'am!" he says hurriedly. With a few quick gestures, he tells his fellow to back off and let you through.

"That's more like it. Come on, Doctor, Victor." You walk on to the pier, followed by a nervous Dr. Wackett and bewildered Victor. There are several ships here, including a few of the worst-hit ships of the Japanese Flotilla. You stroll down towards the far end, projecting an air of confidence as you do.

"Wait, wait. Chief Kuykendall, what do you think you're doing?" Victor says at last.

"Checking up on the rumors. Are you guys refitting submarines to carry an untested weapon?"

"What?"

"Are you converting ships to carry Substrikers?"

"I...I believe that was on the agenda, yes, but-"

[ ] That's completely retarded.
[ ] Get more info.
[ ] Other.

>>20816765
Unless there's more to it:

[x] That's completely retarded.

>>20816765
[x] That's completely retarded.

One witch already died and four more very nearly did. Just because they both work underwater does not mean you should cram subwitches into those fucking sardine cans. Deploy them from surface ships goddamn.

>>20816765
"ships" should be "subs," I'm tired.

[x] That's completely retarded.

I believe we talked about this Kota.

>>20816765
[x] Get more info.
Oh man, is Yamamoto going to implement the I-400 Project?

G'day Kotters. Sup?

THanks for running a Quest in my time mate. Watching and enjoying this one.

"To be frank, that's incredibly stupid. Do you remember what happened to the last Substriker carrier?"

"Well, I-"

"I do. Quite well, actually. It got sunk. Four witches captured. One witch dead for all we know. Zero damage done to the enemy."

"But that was a fluke! You guys ran into that huge sub on a test cruise!"

You roll your eyes. "So? You're right. It was a test cruise. The results of that test are horrible."

"But you attacked the Harbinger even at its maximum depth!"

"That was because I was using an untested engine we still haven't duplicated yet! Come on, Victor! This is a horrible idea!"

"...I'm not the one in charge here, Chief Kuykendall. If you want to express your concerns to someone that matters, you're free to talk to General MacArthur."

You reach the far end of the dock, a pair of submarines being cut into horrible pieces as part of this inane program. Looks like it's too late to keep them from starting. That'll be a lot of wasted manpower, probably.

"Speaking of which," Victor says, "that's what I was looking for you for."

[ ] Tell me about these subs
[ ] What do you mean, Victor?
[ ] Other.

>>20816890
No problem. Wish I had planned a little better, but I've been busy. I'll make it up to you next week, ok?

>>20816894
[x] What do you mean, Victor?
Uh oh. MacArthur looking for us?

>>20816902
What do you have to make up for?

Shit is running swimmingly!

>>20817010
>puns

>>20817021
I dunno. I think lack of quality has really taken a dive lately.

"What do you mean, Victor?"

"MacArthur wants to talk to you."

"Took him long enough. I've been sitting here for days," you complain.

"There's been, uh, a lot of activity lately. I think he was trying to calm things down, first," Victor explains.

You're not that impressed.

"Calm what down? Any potential uproar over the battle we had with the Harbinger and those new ships? Or me telling them not to fire on the Harb? How would he have done that without talking to the person most relevant?"

Victor shrugs. "I'm not the General. You'd have to talk to him." That's all too familiar an answer.

Alice taps your shoulder. "You know, if the Martians scale up their naval operations, this might not be a bad thing."

You turn to her. "Yeah, but what are the odds of it being hugely meaningful? They've got a handful of ships as far as we know. They're not exactly trading and shipping over open water, either, right?"

Alice bites her lip. "Maybe, but we know for sure there's at least one possible threat out there that requires capabilities the Substriker is able to provide, and the Martians are branching out into the sea."

She makes a decent point, but you're not sure converting two subs is a good use of wartime material and men. Then again, it's not like those subs are vitally important...

[ ] See MacArthur
[ ] Check out the subs
[ ] Other.

>>20817189
See MacArthur

Where the fuck is the Navy brass in this clusterfuck? I get that MacArthur is Supreme Commander and all, but he can barely handle ground operations and doesn't know shit about running a fleet.

>>20817189
We can't really do anything about the subs at this point, so to MacArthur.

>>20817189
[x] Check out the subs

File: 1348284854396.jpg-(131 KB, 500x555, 070910ap_macarthur_500.jpg)

>>20817189

[X] See MacArthur

"Alright, Victor. These the only two subs being refit?" you demand.

"Y-yes. Wait, why am I telling you?"

"Because I needed to know before we left to see the General. Let's go."

You nod to Victor. After a hesitant second, he leads the way. As you pass by the guards again (they snap perfect salutes as you walk by), you look back at Alice. The Substriker is her pet project, her way to put Australia at the forefront of at least one important technology. That means she knows a lot about it and its uses...but also means she's probably biased; all this new support is probably like an early Christmas for her. She notices you looking at her.

"What's up, Cleona?"

You shake your head. "Nothing, just thinking."

She smiles. "If you say so."

You return to MacArthur's headquarters, at which point Alice bids farewell. "I've got a lot of work to do with those engines," she says, then heads back to her temporary workshop.

"Hold on," Victor says as you approach the large doors of MacArthur's war room. "General MacArthur," he says as he pokes his head in. "Chief Kuykendall is here to see you."

After some ruckus, General MacArthur emerges. "Good job, Victor," he says, nodding. Victor salutes and scurries off in a hurry again. "Well, Chief, shall we step into my office?" MacArthur leads the way.

As you enter the office, he offers you a seat. You take it. He sits across from you, behind his desk. "You're probably wondering why I called you here."

[ ] What are you thinking, refitting those subs?
[ ] You probably want to know about my last sortie.
[ ] Other.

Seems like the substrikers came at the opportune moment, just when the Martians make a serious naval attempt.

We can swim under them, too small for sonar, plant remote mines, get to safety, then blast them out of the water.

>>20817503
>[ ] You probably want to know about my last sortie.
Let's start this professional like.

>>20817510
Until they spot us with telebots and use sonic canons to turn us into salsa.

We'll just need to recruit aquaman, and summon all the squid.

>>20817503
[x] You probably want to know about my last sortie.
Let's prove that we're sort of useful before we go being annoying.

>>20817503
>[x] You probably want to know about my last sortie.
We can segue into "What are you thinking?" after non-lewd debriefing is done.

>>20817503

[X] You probably want to know about my last sortie.

>>20817503
[x] You want to fuck.

>>20817406
All I see is Bruce Willis.

>>20817503
Me and Kota were having a bit of a chat recently. The amount of explosives a person, magical witch strength or not, is actually quite limited. Sabotage and breaching charges would work, for a SEAL style commando operation, but there's no way you can sink a flotilla with that amount of explosives.

What I thought was that the primary problem with battleship combat is rangefinding - You fire one shot at a time trying to zero in their range, then once you get them locked in, fire ALL the guns. Now, what if you took something like say, a limpet mine, and replaced the explosive charge with say, a radio beacon in a waterproof casing? Some basic rangefinding (How far away and on what bearing is the orgin of frequency X?) and you've got a range and bearing to the target.

Basically, instead of acting as submarines, subwitches can act as covert scouts. Launch from a screening ship and approach under cover of night, plant beacons, signal "Beacons planted, returning to base", and do a full-fledged fleet engagement come dawn.

When it comes down to it, even a destroyer such as the Yukikaze packs more firepower than it's complement of Subwitches, and the primary advantages of witches (Namely, maneuverability), subwitches in particular (stealth) and the primary disadvantage of witches (Lack of firepower, lack of range, lack of durability) lends them quite well to a scout/observer role, especially in the water, where even the screening ships are heavily armored mobile artillery batteries.

File: 1348286464664.jpg-(34 KB, 558x381, Douglas MacArthur – Bru(...).jpg)

>>20817672

>You are now imagining MacArthur having to fight his way out of an office building occupied by aliums. On christmas.

"I presume you want to know what happened on my last sortie," you say professionally.

"Yes, yes, Let's begin there. I presume the Substriker performed well?" he asks.

You have to give him that one. "Yes, sir. I was protected from all threats: water pressure, biting cold, giant squids, and underwater explosions."

"Giant squids? Intriguing. I'll have to ask you to elaborate some time. For now, however, let's move on. You successfully forced the Harbinger to the surface using your charges to damage their cooling intakes."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, upon surfacing, the Harbinger opened fire on its own forces. At this point, you told us not to fire upon it, though it was the primary objective of the operation."

"That is correct, sir."

"Now, I stuck my ass out on the line and went ahead with the order not to fire on it. So far that hasn't come back to bite me and those under my command, but you better have a damned good explanation for that. Remember how I told you I hoped your trust in superiors wouldn't be betrayed?"

"Yes, sir."

"I trusted you. Now justify that trust."

[ ] The Martian High Command betrayed the Harbinger
[ ] I was aboard the Harbinger at the time, sir
[ ] Other.

>>20817744
You are correct.

>>20817748
>[x] The Martian High Command betrayed the Harbinger
And definitely /not/
[x] I was aboard the Harbinger at the time, sir

because we are willing to die, not for our country, but for our planet. What's a little blue-on-blue at the cost of an enemy superweapon biting it?

>>20817748
>[x] Other - Both

"I was aboard the Harbringer, which was firing on it's own forces. It has gone rogue."

>>20817748
[X] The Martian High Command betrayed the Harbinger. I believed the change of circumstances made it a significantly smaller threat.

>[ ] I was aboard the Harbinger at the time, sir
Come on, we're not going to say 'I jeopardised the whole operation to save my skin'. He'll gut us.

>>20817748
"I must admit that initially I panicked, because
>[ ] I was aboard the Harbinger at the time, sir.

"However, after discussing the situation with Socks, we're fairly certain that
>[ ] The Martian High Command betrayed the Harbinger."

More the latter, than the former, really.

>>20817748
[x] The Martian High Command betrayed the Harbinger

>>20817748

[X] Martian High Command betrayed the Harbinger

"According to Socks, their entire command structure is politicized as hell, and this whole incident is the result of some kind of internal power struggle. Harbinger's commander will probably concentrate on getting revenge on the other alien forces, at this point."

>>20817748

[X] The Martian High Command betrayed the Harbinger

and ABSOLUTELY NOT the other thing.

>>20817748
[x] The Martian High Command betrayed the Harbinger
The Harbinger's Commander has apparently been painted as a rogue element within the Martian military; the more forces they have to devote to sinking it is less forces they have to throw at us. And the Harbinger's Commander won't be able to attack us, because he'll be too busy raiding the Martians' own supply lines for spare parts and material.

You nod. "The situation changed, sir."

"Elaborate."

"As you said, the Harbinger opened fire on its own forces. All of its efforts were directed to the new Martian ships that spoiled the party, if you will. That alone might not have been enough reason to cease fire, but Socks discovered something interesting; the only Martian ship on our captured sub's display was the Harbinger."

MacArthur rolls his pipe around in his hand. "What does that mean?"

"Either every Martian asset suddenly returned to Mars overnight, or the Harbinger had been deliberately disconnected from the rest of the Martian network. They were alone, completely cutoff from the rest of the Martian forces. Given the actions of the Harbinger in comparison to the rest of the Martian forces, I think it's likely its commander has been betrayed by his superiors."

"Hmm. What makes you draw that conclusion?"

You realize that you learned about this after the fact, but... "According to Socks, the Martian High Command is likely as political as it is military. This could easily be a political move to reward certain underlings and punish others."

"That still doesn't explain why we shouldn't eliminate the threat the Harbinger poses when able, Chief Kuykendall." He raises an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir. I've talked with Socks about the Harbinger's commander's personality, what he's likely to do. I agree with his opinion: the Harbinger will likely ignore Human targets in pursuit of revenge."

>>20818030
"Now Chief, I can't say that our friendly Martian thinks it won't be a problem and wash my hands of this."

"I understand, Sir, but there's a reason why I agree. Think about our escape from the Harbinger."

MacArthur bites the mouth of his pipe. "You were chased by commandos, Jayapura got hit just before you arrived, and Brisbane suffered a small attack as you pulled in."

"Yes, but that's not the point, sir. The Harbinger is a highly mobile base filled with enough firepower to effectively combat a large fleet. It can move undetected and strike with impunity. How in the hell did our tiny flotilla manage to make it all the way back to Brisbane?"

"You don't mean to point to his incompetence, do you?"

"No. I mean, yes, in a way. He didn't send out tons of subs or aircraft to eliminate us and Socks. He sent out commandos to board the ships and retrieve us. He's a petty Martian, sir. Revenge is something he seeks from anyone that can insult his command. Now that the rest of Mars has screwed him over, you can bet he'll be hitting them hard. Besides, they're the only ones that have the supplies and resources he needs to keep going. Cutoff from his usual sources, he'll have to take them by force. Leaving him roaming about would divide Martian attention and give us an advantage."

>>20818038
MacArthur taps his chin with the mouth of his pipe. "That's still not the best argument, Chief..."

You gulp.

"...but I think it's enough to keep Carpender off my back. He's been fighting me tooth and nail, lately. Good work, Chief. You're dismissed for now."

[ ] Bring up the subs
[ ] Salute and exit

>>20818045
>[x] Bring up the subs
"Sir, a question, if I may..."

I forget, does Cookie wear pants?

>>20818045
>[ ] Bring up the subs

>>20818068
Of course she does. If we didn't wear them, we wouldn't have been able to get Ito to wear them.

>>20818068
Yes, because she's not lewd.

>>20818045
[x] Salute and exit
I'd rather not push things right now.

>>20818045
[x] Bring up the subs
Just state that we don't think we should be rolling out huge refitting operations based on unproven experimental technology.

"Excuse me, sir, if I may?"

"What is it, Chief?"

You're a little nervous, now that you're sitting in front of the man. Still, you feel like you need to bring it up. "May I ask about the rumors I've been hearing about refitting several subs to carry Substrikers?"

MacAthur leans back. "I see security is as lax as ever, damned bastards. Yes, I've managed to...convince Vice Admiral Carpender to have a pair of his subs converted. The Substriker seems to have proven itself to be a useful asset, even when deployed for missions it wasn't intended to."

That's what you were afraid of. "Sir, have you been made aware that I made my dive using an untested unit with a Martian magic engine retrofitted? The performance I achieved would not be capable using the current design."

MacArthur shrugs. "Dr. Wackett is working on reverse-engineering them, right? We'll replace the current engines with better ones as they become available."

>>20818322
"Dr. Wackett isn't sure it'd be worth the time and effort to do so, sir. She called it an evolutionary dead end; unless you provide funding specifically for use in the Substriker, it's likely the reverse-engineering project would be abandoned due to the anticipated performance of jet engines."

"The Substriker, I believe, has proven itself worthy of specific funding."

"But the Martians don't have an extensive naval presence we could strike!"

"I believe they're gearing up for more naval battles. God dammit, Chief, you operate these things. Why are you so against what should be a good thing for you?"

[ ] I'm afraid it might be a waste of resources.
[ ] I'm sorry, sir. I'll...trust you.
[ ] Other.

>>20818330

[X] I'm sorry, sir. I'll...trust you.

>>20818330
>[X] I'm afraid it might be a waste of resources.
For reasons previously posted.

>>20818330
[x] I'm sorry, sir. I'll...trust you.
If the Martians expand their naval assets, then the Substriker will become important.

And we could still swap from Substrikers to regular Strikers if the subs surface and we need more firepower. It gives the submarine carrier versatility.

>>20818330
>[ ] I'm sorry, sir. I'll...trust you.

>>20818330
[x] Other.
"And where are you going to get Witches to pilot them? They're experimental technology intended to deploy in a manner that we have almost no experience with.
I'm the most experienced Substriker pilot on the planet and I have only succeeded so far on blind luck and the help of a Martian defector.
I really hope you don't expect me to instruct anyone."

>>20818366
>>20818383
>>20818384
God dammit guys stop letting Kota browbeat you into being railroaded.

>>20818430
Fuck you.

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>>20818419
Tossing in for this one.

Big ole NOPE.

"I...I'm sorry, sir. I'll trust you," you say. There's not much more you can say against the matter. "I assume you'll need to find and train Witches, though, right?"

He nods. "That's what you and your party are for."

You blink. "What?"

"Don't 'what?' me, Chief. You heard me. You and your fellow escapees are tentatively in charge of training new operators for the Substriker."

"But sir, I hardly think I'm qualified," you protest. "Everything I've achieved was through dumb luck or by the assistance of Martian psionics."

"Then I hope you can teach some of that dumb luck to others. You're the most experienced Subwitch out there, Chief, and you've done some incredible things. You do any more and we might have to take your exploits public just for morale. You can do this. I trust you."

There's that word again: trust.

"I...yes, sir," you say, giving up.

"Then dismissed."

>>20818573


You give him a salute and exit. Training. Well, it's what you were doing on the Tullibee, familiarizing the others with the first production model of the Striker...but to be honest, the idea of so much responsibility frightens you.

Then you slap your forehead. The responsibility of training is scaring you? You just lead three fellow witches and a defecting Martian to friendly territory and attacked an alien superweapon with an entire operation depending on you, and you're afraid of the responsibility of training others? Sometimes you really surprise yourself.

You head to the bank of telephones for general use and call up the research base. Looks like Rae's going to be grounded for awhile.

NEXT TIME ON SUBWITCHES: TRAINING ARCS SUCK

Wednesday, 8 PM!

>>20818583
So we're gonna get some more characterization for the witches we haven't seen much of, right?

>>20818631
I hope to achieve this, yes.

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Thanks for the quest
Have a Horo
Pic from tailgrab.com

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>>20818664
Korbo is mai wolfu.

>>20818631
>>20818652
If this means more Yetta, I approve wholeheartedly.

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>>20818702
What would Perrine think, Kotters?

>>20818748
Most certainly.

>>20818784
Perrine is mai waifu, not a wolfu.

>>20818791
My apologies, I misread that the first time.