Apropos of nothing:

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/37087254/#p37096788

http://www.youtubemultiplier.com/54c949e185139-now-you-fucked-up-carol-of-the-bells-edition.php

>Susan, luckless Steel Beret.

Fuck yeah! Mav hunt! Good to see you HC

We're back once more! It's been far too long.

>>37681860
>Susan, luckless Steel Beret.

>>37682038
No shit I only see you guys in the suptg archives and like once a month now. This is the first one I've caught live.

>>37681860
>Susan, luckless Steel Beret.
Finally, the best quest returns.

HALLELUJAH
And right at the beginning too!
>Susan, luckless Steel Beret.

I wish we'd just get back to the main story. Gaidens are fun, but it's been months since we've been in control of Anode.

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>>37682137
Next thread. For realsies. And like always I can't really promise anything, but I'm definitely hoping to run it sooner than my usual.

>>37682137
For what it's worth, the Zero op has gone on for several threads straight, so breaking it up with these gaidens are welcome.

>>37681860
>Susan, luckless Steel Beret.

>>37682137
Yea true on all accounts, but you know...deal with it

>Susan, luckless Steel Beret.

Let's be a grunt for a bit, see what it's like.

>Susan
The day I move house, you run Susan's thread? You son of a...
Let's see how long I can stay for.

If we don't get to do a "Man Named Sue(san)" Joke at least once this thread I'm gonna be sad.

HC, what's happening to Grach, officially? Are they still investigating or what?

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>>37681937
>>37682079
>>37682101
>>37682129
>>37682290
>>37682450
>>37682690
You are Susan, Steel Beret, C-rank, enlisted maverick hunter and production model infantry. Your duty is thankless and your life is cheap, but you still have it.

Today, though, you face what might be the gravest task of your short and stormy existence.

You have to attend a promotion party.

That last mission was messy. Most didn't make it home, and you suspect that it's only by the purest stroke of luck that your Beret team was sent underground, when the maverick--some S-class nightmare--was above. One of your number was up for promotion based on a side objective that he managed to complete. You were there to support him, defending his flanks for him to make the takedown. He pulled it off, too--you have to admit you're genuinely proud of him. Not that you'd ever say it.

"This is gonna be so awesome," Flak says for the hundredth time, practically vibrating, rocking back and forth on his heels, looking across the shelves for something suitable to buy your comrade. Why does it have to be booze? Why is it always booze?

>Just hurry up and pick something, people are starting to stare.
>Let him have his puppy-like excitement. Gotta save your wet blanket for the event.
>Other?

>>37682099
We're trying, I assure you.

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>>37682982
He's still under armed guard, but it's basically a formality at this point. He's been cleared of (most) wrongdoing and he's in continued debriefing talks with hunter officials.

>>37682990
>>Let him have his puppy-like excitement. Gotta save your wet blanket for the event.

>>37682990
>let him have his excitement

>>37682990
>Let him have his puppy-like excitement. Gotta save your wet blanket for the event.

>>37683015
So any chance of one day hiring him as a permanent hand-to-hand trainer for the enlisted? If they don't want him as a Hunter, anyway.

>>37682990
>Let him have his puppy-like excitement. Gotta save your wet blanket for the event.

Its only going to be worse later might as well brace for it.

>Let him have his puppy-like excitement. Gotta save your wet blanket for the event.

>>37682990
>Let him have his puppy-like excitement. Gotta save your wet blanket for the event.
Was she one of the survivors of the Solstrike Saetos takedown?

>>37683158
... Susan is a guy. You new?

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>>37683074
It's possible, though right now he's a big fat international liability.

>>37683298
Grach by himself is why the Russians just yanked their Hunter support contributions.

That and Uralmash Ursa detonating one of their lost nukes.

>>37683577
I forget, did they actually follow through on that, or did they get cold feet when Rhodes called their bluff?

>>37683627
That guy didn't have the authority to ban them. He was just bluffing.

>>37682990
Let him have his puppy-like excitement.

>>37682990
>>Let him have his puppy-like excitement. Gotta save your wet blanket for the event.

>>37682990

Welcome back, 's good to see ya.

>Let him have his puppy-like excitement. Gotta save your wet blanket for the event.

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>>37683029
>>37683033
>>37683042
>>37683100
>>37683104
>>37683158
You keep your grumbling to a minimum. Flak's allowed a little fun now and then.

He's practically skipping--a feat in the integrated chassis/combat armor you can only describe as "rotund," traipsing up the aisle and back. After a few more agonizing minutes of this, he takes a pair of bottles off the shelf, some kind of chocolate liquor.

"You don't need to buy one for me," you say hurriedly. "I already got him something."

"I'm not," Flak replies. "This one's for you."

"...Oh," you mumble dumbly. "Thanks."

He just grins and leads the way to the checkout counter. He strikes up a cheery conversation with the cashier while you grimace internally at being a pair of combat Reploids in the middle of a civilian shop. Finally he finishes his horrible extrovert thing, and you leave the store.

"So where are we supposed to ... ah, crap, we're late," you realize.

"Not a problem. We're gonna meet here in town."

"In Geneva?" you ask. "Why?"

"He got his commission this morning. He's gonna go spend his check on a new voice."

Serial 15817--also known as "Why I'll Call You 'He' And You'll Like It," to you--has always been something of an odd man out. Smarter than you by leaps and bounds, you can't really deny that, or at least more motivated. Serial/Serie/Cereal/any number of ridiculous nicknames Flak keeps giving him has always seemed just a bit uncomfortable in his own skin. When the Lieutenant cooked up his personal squad idea, you thought to ask him if he was interested first--after some consideration, he declined. Rather than accept a randomly generated name, he opted to go by his number, saying he'd pick one himself when the time was right. You have to assume this will be that time, but you never know.

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>>37684004
Apparently, though, the time is right for him to change his voice. That's going to be a trip. Every Steel Beret has the same voice box, with some random corruption introduced to the base modulation, making all of you sound just a little bit different. Serial never liked his.

And so, one awkward public transportation trip later, you find yourself in front of a HAYATOM store--one of the oldest companies in existence. Their claim to fame was the voicebox of none other than Megaman X himself, and coasting on that fame they've remained a forefront developer of voice technology for everything from civilian mechaniloids to extensive hunter contracts--like the one for the Steel Beret line's voices.

Waiting at the entrance are Serial and another Beret from the Himalayas op, Cuzco.
>Give Serial your gift. You're tired of carrying it.
>Hold off until later. He probably cares more about his new sound than anything he'll get from the team.

>>37684027
>Hold off

>>37684027
>Hold off until later. He probably cares more about his new sound than anything he'll get from the team.

>>37684004
>horrible extrovert thing
It's these little touches that really make this quest.

>>37684027
>Hold off on the gift, it'll be a surprise later.

>>37684027
>>Hold off until later. He probably cares more about his new sound than anything he'll get from the team.

>>37684027
>>Give Serial your gift. You're tired of carrying it.

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>>37684060
>>37684113
>>37684221
>>37684228
>>37684242
You're tempted to just get the gift-giving over with, but you opt not to if nobody else is. Plenty of time for that later. You leave your present in your satchel for the moment, and instead greet him with a nod.

"Thanks for coming," he says.

You shrug. "Felt right, we were there for the fight."

"Plus I insisted!" Flak adds cheerfully.

You snort. "Yes, plus Flak insisted. You know what you're gonna buy yet?"

Serial shakes his head. "No idea. Come on, they've already got someone waiting on me."

The inside of the store is fairly spartan--it's not every day someone comes in with a request for a single order--the front reception office consists of a desk and a row of displays and videos. You look at a small blocky device, labeled as the first voice system they sold commercially. You're amused briefly by the mental image of swallowing the thing like a brick, and are momentarily grateful that they've had a hundred years to improve.

Before long, your merry band is greeted by a representative in a suit, a woman named Christine. "Welcome to HAYATOM. I'm looking for Serial...er..."

"15817," he says. "That's me. Don't worry about the name."

"Ah," she says, looking very clearly relieved--unless you're a Beret, differentiating one of your number from another is pretty hard. Moreso if you're not a Reploid yourself. She bounces back quickly enough, falling into practiced presentation demeanor. "So, do you know what you're looking for in a vocal production system?"

Serial shakes his head. "I honestly don't have any idea what I'm doing."

Christine nods. "Please, come with me. I have some samples lined up."

>>37684027
>Hold off until later. He probably cares more about his new sound than anything he'll get from the team.
A bit late to the party, but I hope I last at least an hour before the beer puts me to sleep.

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>>37685036
She takes you on a tour that you pretend not to pay much attention to. It goes most of the way you expect it to, blah blah founded in 2021, blah blah early robotics, blah blah police and security automation, blah blah X. You're more interested in the fancy machining of the physical production itself, though you only get to see a small part of the end-line.

Finally, you reach your destination, a sample room. Laid out along the wall are a series of terminals, and along a table, some demo booths and some unnecessarily flashy speakers.

"If you would like to take a look at some of the stock voices, please go ahead," she says.

"Wait," Flak speaks up, examining the terminals. "This is...we can tell them to say stuff and they say it?"

"If you'd like," the representative says. "We also have some stock phrases and greetings, if you'd like to test a range."

>Play a stock greeting.
>Try inputting a phrase to sample.

>>37685078
>stock greeting

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>>37685078
>dickbutt dickbutt titty sprinkles

>>37685178
My God, it's beautiful!

>>37685078
>Play a stock greeting.

How do you say "15817"?
Personally I want to pronounce it as "Fifteen-Eight-Seventeen", makes more sense to me than "One-Five-Eight-One-Seven" or "Fifteenthousandeighthundredandseventeen"

>>37685306
'Lebit'. Obviously.

>>37685078
>Try inputting a phrase to sample.

Boosh.

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>>37685306
He answers to any combination thereof. When greeting people he does One-Five-Eight-One-Seven.

>>37685355
Why not "Isbit" or "Libzi"?

>>37685428
Because those would be silly, and I won't permit silliness on /tg/.

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>>37685531
But /tg/ has silliness abound

>>37685684
That is a filthy lie and you should be ashamed of yourself for spouting such gibberish. Good day to you, sir!

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>>37685078
>Reach for the sky!

>>37685078
>Hi, I'm Johnny Knoxville. Welcome to Jackass.

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>>37685114
>>37685178
>>37685306
>>37685357
>>37686386
Flak gleefully tromps over to the nearest terminal as you examine one of the speakers.

"That is pretty interesting," you have to admit. "I'm curious to see how much inflection the read software is capable of putting into--"

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1bykkv57F8x

You turn and blanky look at Flak, who is still giggling madly.

"Er," Christine says. "HAYATOM's demonstration room system is designed to, er..."

"That," you say dryly. "Yes. Behave, Flak."

"Aww..." he pouts.

"Be serious. We're trying to help Serial pick a voice."

"Well, wouldn't swearing be an important part of that?" Cuzco observes, looking at Christine.

"On custom orders, we get that question a lot," she says. "And we do have a private uncensored sampler for it. It's a bit more advanced, and we generally only configure it once the voice selection is more pinned down."

"I think if we get that far, I'd like to see that. Privately," Serial adds, shooting Flak a look.

"Awww..."

"Let me try one." Cuzco inputs one of his own, and...

http://vocaroo.com/i/s15bj2gkdw0x

"...Whoa," Serial mutters.

"This is so cool," Flak breathes.

"How does it handle pronunciation?" You ask. "Accents?"

"Later in the consult, again," Christine explains. "The samples available here are based on focus groups and a small survey Mister ... Serial filled out." You're grateful to note that she doesn't seem to be betraying any form of give-a-damn about four identical-looking combat models rampaging through her store, though then again she's getting paid for it. "Shall I, erm, leave you to it?"

>Eh, why not. Play around with some voices.
>We're approaching peak silly. Flak must not be given this leeway.

>>37686867
>Eh, why not. Play around with some voices.

>>37686867
>We're approaching peak silly. Flak must not be given this leeway.

>>37686867
This is Serial's big day let him decide.

>>37686867
>We're approaching peak silly. Flak must not be given this leeway.

>>37686867
>We're approaching peak silly. Flak must not be given this leeway.

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>>37687021
>>37687437
>>37687462
>>37687057
"Probably best that you don't," you grumble. "Or else my friend over there will never leave."

"That's not true!" Flak says indignantly. He glares at you for a full three seconds before pressing enter on his terminal.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1w9fDrWffcl

Okay, that got a snort out of you and a chorus of snickers from your fellows. "All right, all right, that's enough. Serial?"

He nods. "I think I'm all set here."

You wait by the door, arms folded, until Flak finally pries himself away from the terminal and leaves. The tour goes on ahead as you're the last to file out.

...

...Oh, hell with it. You duck back into the room and try one out for yourself in the quietest voice settings the computer has.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0dGuvkRMN3u

Suppressing your own little giggle, you exit the demo room, satisfied, and catch up with the group. You discretely fall into the back of the line (Flak notices, because of course he does), but before he can say something, your group passes a news terminal on the wall, broadcasting a report about...

"Hey," you call ahead. "Is that Aegis Garm...?"

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>>37687687
>...Oh, hell with it. You duck back into the room and try one out for yourself in the quietest voice settings the computer has.

>>37687687
>Long "a" pronunciation of Anode
I always used the short "a" pronunciation, especially since Cathode uses the short "a" as well.

>>37687687
Aegis Garm: intercontinental ballistic mall santa.

>>37688217
I've been pronouncing it Ah-node, with a short "a"

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>>37687687
You are Aegis Garm, and it's Christmas.

Well, okay, no it isn't. But one month ago you put a jaunty red cap on the top of your massive head and declared the holiday would last as long as it did. So far, no one has attempted to take it off. Therefore, it's Christmas.

And besides, you didn't get a chance to do the thing.

"Come on, Garm," Madhouse growls (mostly because he's incapable of not growling). "Let's get a move on."

Beside you hops Madhouse Crucifer, your oldest friend and fellow blackcoat. He can be a little abrasive, which is to say hilarious, but it hasn't won him many friends. You'd wager you were one of the first. Adjusting his perpetually worn, perpetually beaten coat, he bounds ahead and waits impatiently for you to catch up as you go.

"Come on," he repeats. "Your legs are twice as tall as I am, act like it."

Though no one would ever know it, this little mission was his idea. There are only two things you've ever known Madhouse to take seriously, and tending to the Blackcoats is one of them. You make your way at the same speed you always have, lumbering through the halls of HQ to make your way to the Special A group's gathering spot.

The Hangar is functional by design, and the Blackcoats have made a special point of keeping it that way. The walls have been decorated and the floor filled with various supplies, but the deployment dome remains functional and serviced regularly, and all of the assorted claptrap you've all filled the place with are on rollers, ready to be kicked out of the way without a moment's notice. SA-rank is a functional one, and it shows in your decor.

Sitting on a stack of crates at the entrance is Boom Foxflash, who gives the two of you a nod. "Boys. Still carrying on the Santa delusion, are we?" He casts a critical eye at your matching Christmas headgear.

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>>37689237
“Speaking of hats, I think Command was looking for you,” Crucifer returns. “They need some shirts ironed with your flat, stupid head.”

Fox growls in annoyance, as you suppress a snicker. In here, rank exists in exactly two forms: ‘Fellow Blackcoat,’ and ‘we don’t care.’ In the Hangar, being the commander of an entire unit counts for precisely beans.

You were the one who suggested the name, actually--when you pitched it to Schwarz, he took a moment to stare at you blankly before it clicked, and then he started laughing. It took him three minutes to stop. You promised to never tell.

“So what’s the occasion?” Foxflash asks. His tone’s informal, despite having been your direct superior on more than one occasion.

“Overdue Christmas tidings,” you intone gravely. “The gang needs a cheering-up.”

“You mean Schwarz needs a cheering-up,” he notes. You nod.

“Got any ideas?”

>I was just going to loose Madhouse on him and see what shakes out.
>Not a one. You got any?
>Actually, yes. [Write-in]

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>>37689283
>and then he started laughing. It took him three minutes to stop. You promised to never tell.

>>37689283
>Actually, yes. [Write-in]
Get a Playboy or one of those other porno rags, and paste Boom Foxflash's face on top of every model's head.

>>37689283
>Actually, yes. [Write-in]
We found this great brewery that we were thinking of carving out of Germany and airlifting over here with giant balloons, but apparently stealing a chunk of a country is considered an "act of war."

Also, impossible. So,

>Not a one. You got any?

>>37689459
>Get a Playboy or one of those other porno rags, and paste Boom Foxflash's face on top of every model's head.

>>37689283
>Not a one. You got any?
Yeah, I'm drawing a blank.

Maybe... drive him somewhere and get him to stick his head out the window in the wind? That always works for me!

>>37689283
>>37689846
>Not a one. You got any?
Here's an idea: edit a video of dog doing that to make it look like Schwartz

>>37690103
derp
>Actually, yes. [Write-in]
should start paying more attention...

>>37689283
>I was just going to loose Madhouse on him and see what shakes out.

its not like it could make things worse.

>>37689459
Yes.

>>37689459
>>37689585
>>37689776
>>37689846
"Well, I was thinking we could paste your head over some pin-ups, that ought to cheer him up," you shrug.

Foxflash folds his arms. "Not likely. Maybe you could take him on a ride and let him stick his head out the window, that always works for you."

"Ooh, I know, we can give him a shiny new red coat and he can chase you up a tree with a bunch of British lords." Madhouse suggests.

"So, no idea then?"

"Not a one," you admit. Schwarz has always busied himself with helping other people, and then being impossible to help back.

Boom slides off the crates and stretches. "Well, either way, I think you're out of luck. I haven't seen him all day."

"Think he's at the Fourth? He's been busy at home a lot more these days."

"No, I don't think so."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because about five minutes ago, Dash Dodo sprinted up at full speed and asked me if he was here." You and Crucifer exchange a glance. "Yeah. He said he was trying to find where Tanker had gotten off to."

Uh-oh.

"He said something about him trying a nanite drink for the first time."

"So!" Madhouse turns to you, clapping his hands. "New priority?"

"New priority," you nod. "Where did he say he was going?"

"Into Geneva."

Uh-oh.

"Don't worry," Fox shrugs. "I told X about it. He said he'd handle it."

"Uh-oh."

Madhouse has begun to grin. Oh, hell.

>Try to raise Schwarz on comms.
>Try to raise Dodo on comms.
>Try to raise Tanker on comms.
>Try to raise X on comms.

>>37690710
>>Try to raise X on comms.
We need to get a feel for how much shenanigans X is up for.

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>>37690710
Damn, it, board, accept my pictures.

>>37690710
>Try to raise X on comms.
Don't do it, X! You've got at least six more games ahead of you!

>>37690710

>Try to raise Dodo on comms.

of all the parties involved in the coming shitstorm he's the one we can most likely warn off.

>>37690710
>>Try to raise Dodo on comms.

I kind of want the full story here.

>>Try to raise Dodo on comms.

What shenanigans?

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>>37690951
Drunk Tanker in public, with only X and Schwarz to stop him.

>>37690879
Also, he's here. We can team up.

>>37691010
a survivor? don't you think that's being a bit optimistic?

>>37691579
Survivors? In *my* MHQniverse?

It's more likely than you think.

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>>37690800
>>37690879
>>37690951
You frown, keying comms to try and get ahold of Dodo. He's a good egg (heh), if a little brusque.

"Hello?" you try. "Dodo?"

"Who is that?" you hear through static and... is that music? "Who is this? Actually you know what, I don't care. SEND HELP."

"Help? Are you in--"

"SEND EVERYONE."

"Slow down, what's..."

"Tanker, put down the schooner. It didn't do anything to you. Tanker, it's not a mechani--Tanker, it is not challenging you to see whose kung fu is strongest--Tanker. Tanker!"

You hear something akin to a garbage truck elbow dropping a meteorite from a turnbuckle, followed by a long silence and a faint "not again" before the line goes dead.

You look up. "Don't suppose either of you got a fix on where that was coming from."

"Outskirts of Geneva, that one long stretch of bars by the water," Madhouse answers primly.

"What? It makes sense, but..."

Foxflash points at the live news terminal on the wall, cheerfully displaying Tanker biting a boat to death, Dodo holding onto him for dear life.

"...Oh."

"Good news, though," he offers. "X is there."

"Bad news, though," Crucifer adds gleefully. "Tanker is now chasing him."

What.

"We, uh," you shrug helplessly. "We better go."

"This is going to be awesome," Madhouse proclaims with a grin like he woke up three feet taller.

>We need a plan.
>We need a priest.

>>37692025
>We need a bigger boat.

>>37692025
>We need a priest.

A BIG priest. With a giant heavy bible. Some canon support, too.

>>37692025
>We need a bigger boat.

Never not reference shit.

>>37692025
>We need a plan.

All you need to do is punch him in the nose and rub his belly, that's how you calm sharks down.

>>37692025
>We need a plan.
If robot booze exists, it logically follows that robot tranquilizers also exist. And if robot tranquilizers exist, it further follows that robot tranquilizer dart guns exist.

>>37692025
>We need a plan.
And a bigger boat.

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>We need a bigger boat... AND a priest.

>>37692162
We need one of those huge, rocker propelled ones they use on the T-Rex in Jurassic Park.

>>37692162

Dart gun + metal armor = not very effective...

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This seems appropriate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrTsuvykUZk

>>37692162
Wait, wasn't there some junk Reploids could ingest that sobers them instantly?

We could get a bunch of that stuff, pump him so full of it he gets knurd.

>>37692252
Armor-piercing rocket-propelled darts, anon.

>>37692025
The priest is the plan??

>>37692283
There is indeed an agent you can ingest that purges the nanites nearly instantly.

Tastes like dick, though.

>>37692283
Gotta get it in him first.

>>37692466
Right, we're going to need a boat and a barrel of that stuff. We attract him, toss the barrel into his mouth when he rips into it like a can of sardines, and violently introduce some sobriety into his system.

We're going to need a really sexy boat. One that he won't be able to resist.

>>37692466
Well, we're not going to be the ones drinking it, so that's okay.

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>>37692591
>really sexy boat
You, uh, you're gonna have to explain that one.

>>37692591
A big ol' gal with huge guns. This is a military base, there must be something that fits that description in the harbor.

>>37692741
You take a regular boat and dress it up in drag, obviously.

>>37692777
Meant to reply to >>37692741

>>37692025
>We need a plan.
Who bets Tanker is humming Jaws' theme?

>>37692741
Kancolle.jpg

>>37692844
If he's seen Jaws then that dramatically lowers the viability of my plan.

>>37692591
>"Hey Tanker! That barrel called yer mum a slag!"

>>37692025
i like the plan of throwing a barrel full of sober up at his mouth. hopefully he'll be less rampagey when sober.

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>>37692025
You head for the beam-in pad (a perk of the SAs, fast response and all that) at a heavy trot. "We need to get out there."

"Any idea what to do once you're there?" Fox calls after you.

"We're gonna need--" Madhouse rasps unhelpfully.

"Don't." You sigh. "Just... don't. Fox, get us a... keg of that sober stuff, and meet us in the city."

The nearest beam-pad is a tourist trap one along the waterline, for luxury visits to drunktown. Fortunately, a drunken rampaging shark has cleared out all the traffic, so you don't even need to pull emergency priority.

You step through and emerge in sea air and utter chaos. Civilians--not screaming and running, but fleeing in a decidedly panicked fashion--around you.

And, faintly, in the distance, you hear yelling, with that inordinately distinct inebriated quality.

"DUNNNN NUN," it rumbles.

Madhouse is practically glowing.

"Can't you make yourself useful?" you sigh.

“Can,” he croaks cheerfully. “Won’t.”

“Aren’t we friends?” you ask.

“Oh, sure. In fact, I’d say you’re my best chum.” You resist the urge to throw him, however much he deserves it for that. Instead, you head towards the shouting.

And then you start hearing the yelps of the Father of All Reploids. Crucifer is unable to contain his giggling at this point, which sounds like nothing so much as a blender blending another, active blender.

You're getting close ("DUN NUN DUN NUN DUN NUN DUN NUN DUN NUN"), and you honestly have no idea how this is going to go, but you need to buy time for whatever it is you wind up doing.

>Try reason. Try.
>Release the tiny frog on him.
>Other?

>>37693399
>>Other?
Deck him in the schnoz.

>>37693399
>Release the tiny frog on him.
If you can, chuck him. He's helping, whether he likes it or not.

>>37693399
>Release the tiny frog on him.
Tanker does reason less than India when you wreck her bikes.

>>37693399
>Release the tiny frog on him.
FLY, MY TINY FROG BROTHER.

BE FREEEEEE.

>>37693399
>Release the tiny frog.

>Try reason. When he doesn't listen,
>>Release the tiny frog on him.

>>37694031
this

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Bump.

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>>37693472
>>37693487
>>37693499
>>37693760
>>37694031
"Say, Mad," you begin conversationally, "do you remember that time in Bogota?"

"Yes," he replies cautiously, "what about it?"

"I'm calling my favor in. Do your thing."

"Which favor was--oh, damn it." You unceremoniously grab him around the middle with a massive hand, dwarfing his entire body, and break into a run. Resigned to his fate, he comms ahead. “X, Dodo, ears off for thirty seconds,” he grouses. You already killed yours on the run.


You round a corner to see your target jumping up and snapping at X's feet as he hastily scrambles up the side of an upscale diner's front marquee. Dodo hangs on Tanker's back like a knapsack, thrashed around with each jarring landing. X, bird, and shark alike look up in time to see you sidearm Crucifer into the fray like a tiny, shrieking baseball.

"I hate yooooooou," he caterwauls. You probably put a little too much English on that throw, heh. Wait. No you didn't. Suck it, Madhouse.

Crucifer hits Tanker square in the chin, bounces off as the massive tiger shark stumbles, rebounding the little peeper into the air. He unfurls and waves a hand at Tanker as he falls, landing ungracefully on his ass while the 4th officer reels.

"Anything?" you ask.

Voice slightly dizzy, Madhouse shakes his head. "Just how tanked is he? I keep trying to hit him, and all I hear is 'The Little Spanish Flea.'"

"That's normal," grumbles Dodo miserably.

"...Not the Jaws theme?" X asks, cautiously sliding lower.

"Tanker's never seen Jaws."

X makes a noise somewhere between a choke and a sob. Dodo reaches up and pats him on the leg consolingly.

Not for long, though. Clearing his head, Tanker looks up and sees the projectile that just beaned him is a fellow hunter. "Ha! A-HA! It if isn't Madhouse!"

"Oh, hell," he mutters.

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>>37695370
"Madhouse 'Glass for breakfast, lunch, and dinner' Crucifer! How the hell are you, you little freak?"

"Oh, you know," he gargles, "Out on the town with a bosom companion. Getting thrown at people five times my size and weight."

Tanker guffaws. "Sounds fun! Can I come?"

Dodo's voice speaks of endless realms of suffering far beyond your own understanding. "...Tanker, you're already here."

"I am? Oh, yeah!"

"Oh, no," X murmurs dejectedly.

"OH YEAH!"

"One drink," Dodo sobs quietly, "he tried one glass of egg nog..."
>Okay, now you're having fun. Watch the fireworks for a bit.
>Get smart. You should probably stop this while any of you have any bank accounts left after damages.

>>37695424
>Get smart. You should probably stop this while any of you have any bank accounts left after damages.

>>37695424
>>Get smart. You should probably stop this while any of you have any bank accounts left after damages.

As fun as it would be to see him do his thing, I don't think Geneva can handle much more of drunken giant sharkman.

>>37695424
>>Okay, now you're having fun. Watch the fireworks for a bit.

Front row seats to this is worth the money.

>>37695424
>Okay, now you're having fun. Watch the fireworks for a bit.

>>37695424
>Okay, now you're having fun. Watch the fireworks for a bit.

>>37695424
>Get smart. Challenge him to a game of Battleships.
This cannot go wrong.

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Pausing for tonight, with the end of the shenanigans tomorrow. I'm expecting a work call, but that shouldn't be a major obstacle.

As ever, thank you for reading!

so is a good year for the 4th overland one where the prevent slightly more damage than they cause?

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>>37696811
Pretty much.

Imagine what it's like to have a Zero Unit operative with the same tendencies.

On a related note, insomnia bedtime now.

>>37697620
>Imagine what it's like to have a Zero Unit operative with the same tendencies.

...how in gods name is the planet still intact?

>>37697620
I'm just worried for the day that the 4th gets the 0th Unit to join in some pranking shenanigans... or just Zero himself. None would survive the ensuing chaos.

Bump to keep this alive for Hunter Command.

Bump for the bump gods

Also, thinking of starting storytime. Anyone still here?

>>37699255
I'm checking in once in a while.

>>37699255
Nope.
Seriously, fuck yeah, storytime.

>>37699506
>>37699504
Storytime then, the PCs:

Longstrider - 6th marine, a-rank, one of those insects that walk on water surface, normally working on swamps and rivers. Alongside the ability to walk on water and the standard buster with vwes, he can lay down mines. Can also walk upright when on land

Depth Charge - 9th rangers with underwater specs, a-rank, basically an humanoid submarine with various lasers and sonic charges. Really fast for someone so big

and my PC, Data Ink - b-rank, also 6th, is only a head and torso, with his arms and legs exchanged by tentacles with four more growing from his back, most of them tipped with cannons, only the 'arm' ones changing into hands. Lots of sensors

This story takes time inbetween x2 and x3, but ins't really part of MHQ

>>37699653
The mission was simple: military reploid responsible for the maintenance and patrol of an old oil rig just went maverick; the target Fire Lionfish, used chemicals that consume oil, helping cleaning it, but changed them into more dangerous ones, blew the oil rig, and was last seen charging towards a civilian resort at the closest piece of land on Florida

We deploy and each go his own way: Longstrider at the surface, Depth as deep as he can, I in the middle, scanning the sea and informing the team. Combat ensues with some fish shaped mechaniloids, and we discover that even peashooters like mine - not even have basic charge - when fired eight times can cause a lot of damage

Message from Depth comes in - he was engaged by a Utoboros (which I probably wrote wrong - giant serpents X fights in Launch Octopus stage) and needed help, which I could only give with potshots as he was already too deep for me, and Longstrider was even less suited for

Forced to go up, they finally got into range for my weapons and the fight finished soon as my concentrated fire blew the giant serpent in half, the DM then nerfing my guns accuracy to hell. We - Depth and I - continue at mid level, close to Longstrider, who rolls wonderfully on a perception check, his radar pinpointing fast movement and my sensors confirming the target just passed us

>>37699738
Longstride dashes on the water surface to intercept, but is halted as jellyfish mechaniloids start surfacing, shocking anyone who got too close, with some mavericks circling in with jetskis, taking some damage before he says 'screw it' and diving underwater, blasting the jellies unprotected undersides and even snagging a jetski with a mine

Finally we all get together, Depth using a wide area sonic cannon to stun the mavericks with both me and Longstrider shooting them down. Longstrider charges again, with Ink clinging to Depth following behind him

The real problem then began, as Lionfish stopped running away and dived. A lucky Depth's laser clipped him, but the damage was minimal and Lionfish slowly went too deep for anyone but Depth. Knowing that it was an obvious trap, he only fired more sonic cannons and actual depth charges, bombarding the area from up above

That was when my own radar pinged him retreating west, away from the fight, amidst mechaniloids being blasted by Depth who was finally using all his weapons - both the mines and sonic cannon had an ammo limit

>>37699826
Lionfish, having been detected, was soon bombarded again by a frustrated Depth, finally growing still on the seafloor. I could detect he was still alive, and Longstrider reported enemy presence was lessening - they were retreating, going away from land. Depth, thinking that only the boss fight was left, dived after our target

Our DM - the jackass - sprang the trap then. Apparently Fire Lionfish's corruption was the signal for an assault from various mavericks, and he just retreated right to the middle of the main force. Depth's panicked fire dented it a little, including to my eternal gratitude counter-intelligence equipment, thus we knew we where far above our paylevel

Alerting HQ of a full blown military assault against southeast USA, we started retreating as a wave of enemies charge. My inaccurate gun was a blessing in disguise, as the plasma fire, by hitting various enemies, weakened them to Depth's sonar guns

Finally, we reached an area were we all could be close to each other, holding the line. ETA of support was 15min, with 7th bombardment beginning at any moment as soon as the signal was given. We are both patting each other's back for surviving, until Longstrider points out that since Lionfish was escaping, this mission would still count as a failure

>>37699826
Longstrider once again saves the day, detecting him at the surface climbing on an enemy ship - I was pointing my sensors to the seafloor still. He also notes that he couldn't actually detect the ship itself, and that Lionfish disappeared as soon as he entered a hatch door. Unfortunately for him, we already knew where he was

Aware of the presence of the unknown ship, our CO informed us that it was maverick built and we were free to engage as we wished. 7th bombarded the area; Longstrider mined the area, trapping the ship; my own buster fire; and then Depth uses his last sonic cannon round, triggering a mine close to the ship. Both the mine blast, the sonic wave and water pressure are too much for the ship, which loses half of its middle, almost snapping in two

To our amusement, Lionfish was also sent flying from the blast, landing amidst the mines, right into Longstrider hunting grounds. Our mission ended there as Lionfish chemical spray simply did not have the range needed for the fight, and he was too clumsy to evade the mines

After that was some more rounds of combat, a lucky shot removing one of my leg tentacles, another maverick appearing out of nowhere - Tsunami, g-rank, massive and filled with weapons - and our group running away with our tail beneath our legs

>>37699937
Then was the post combat stuff. Some roleplay, some info on Tsunami - none, the guy was a complete unknown - and the repair and upgrades.

Depth opted only for extra armor and a speed boost and Longstrider added Fire Lionfish's data to his VWES: Boiling Roar, wave of chemical fire that burns even underwater. I opted to simply add more intelligence and counter-intelligence equipment, with the sliver of money left used for a little of extra armor

And that's it. It was rather slow, as we were still figuring numbers and such, but at least it was fun

And now to wait for HC...

Checking in. We'll get back on track as soon as Hunter Command is back in touch with me.

>>37700858
thank god, this stuff is to much gold to just leave it laying around unfinished

cain labs? HC? anyone?

>>37702587
Still here. I think HC might have gotten a work call; he hasn't been responding. We're not going to leave you hanging, though.

Can't use Vocaroo atm, can anyone tell me what they said?

Can't use Vocaroo links atm, can anyone tell me what they said?

>>37703120
... Okay, my laptop's more fucked than I thought.

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I am back! Will get rolling shortly.

>>37703143
1: "[bleep] [bleep] [blee] sprinkles."
2: "Reach for the sky."
3: "One of our operatives shoryukened a... bear two stories up? ...Oh, he wa--oh, Fourth, okay."
4: "Oh god, Anode's at it again."

I don't think I have time to run a story right now, but if Command isn't back in a few hours, I'll give it a shot.

>>37703502

....or that.

>Get smart. You should probably stop this while any of you have any bank accounts left after damages.

>>37703502
yea

>>37703502
Thanks, HC! And welcome back, too.

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>>37695496
>>37696184
>>37696184
>>37696446
Somewhere during this fracas, discretion and valor swapped places. Or that's what you're going with, anyway.

X gives a yelp as Tanker finally snares him by one leg, yanking him off the sign sharply. He snaps back, helmet hitting against Dodo's beak (with a loud, painful squawk from the latter). Crucifer looks between Tanker and you, giant and gianter.

"Well don't just stand there," he says. "Help me!"

"Sorry," you reply with a toothy grin. "I'm paralyzed by indecision. Grappling with hesitation. You know how it is."

"Garm, you son of aaaagfgkffg!"

Dodo and X, lightly concussed, stare at you in bewildered awe even as Tiger begins playing a rousing game of uppity-up with Madhouse. The fun thing about being a massive bruiser is that no one really knows who you are unless you let them. It also lets you get away with so much. So, so much. Like that time you left the supply truck very slightly upside down. Or that time you threw Madhouse Crucifer at Tanker Tigershark, that was great.

“Okay, that’s about enough,” Mad snarls, reaching into his coat at the top of his arc through the air. Tanker roars in surprise as he’s pelted by a series of miniature explosions that look like glittery dust.

“My EYES!” Dodo yells. X, apparently more accepting of fate (or too dizzy) doesn’t react, leaving him to instead be surprised when Tanker blindly swings him like a baseball bat and sends Madhouse flying.

Tanker, blind, follows the fading wail and the loud crash of his impact, thundering through the streets(, buildings, billboards, fire hydrants) of Geneva. He discards X on the run, leaving him facedown on the road. You follow after at a more relaxed pace, delicately picking him up and setting him upright.

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>>37703909

“Hello, Garm,” he mumbles thickly, clearly not feeling so well after that.

“Hello, Commander.”

“Could you,” X breathes, “possibly explain to me what is happening?”

You frown. “You know, I’m not entirely sure that I could.”

“Oh. That’s okay. ...Let me know how it goes?”

“Will do, Commander.”

“Thank you,” he says politely, before keeling over backwards.

Heh. You leave him where he fell and plod onwards in the wake of Tanker’s blind, drunken wrath. The path of destruction has led to, appropriately enough, an old junkyard. You step delicately over the smashed-in front gate like a human over a baby gate.

>Dodo! You all right?
>Having fun, Mad?
>What’s good, Tanker?

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>>37703645
Thanks. Sorry for the delay, had some ridiculous sleep issues.

>>37703933
>What’s good, Tanker?

>>37703933
>What’s good, Tanker?

>>37703933
>What's good, Tanker?

>>37703933
>Dodo! You all right?
>>Having fun, Mad?
>>What’s good, Tanker?
might as well do them all.

>What’s good, Tanker?

Get him talking. It's bound to be hilarious.

>>37703909
>Dodo! You all right?

>>37703933
>>What’s good, Tanker?

Havin' fun?

>>37703976
>>37703986
>>37703992
>>37704000
>>37704185
And Merry Christmas.

>>37703933
>What’s good, Tanker?

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>>37703976
>>37703986
>>37703992
>>37703997
>>37704000
>>37704185
"Hey, Tanker, how's it going?" you comm.

You don't get an answer per se, but apparently it's going 'gwar,' 'har,' 'har,' and 'har.'

"Worthless overgrown fish," Madhouse seethes from somewhere in a cloud of wreckage up ahead. "It's like your brain is a toy sponge in a pill and nobody added water. Does he get smarter when he's underwater? Is it a bends thing, does it expand when the nitrogen does?"

"Wouldn't that--aghkfpg--make him dumber at the bottom?" Dodo chokes.

"Well, yes, I'm just assuming based on the robust depth of character presented here todAUGH--"

Crucifer is cut off by yet another unseen disaster. You're considering your approach when you feel a light tap and a coolness atop your head.

"Got you," Schwarzhund says, your Santa hat in his hand.

"Drat. I guess Christmas is over." Schwarz tosses the hat back to you and looks into the fray of bird, shark, and frog. "We've been looking for you," you note.

"I know. Been avoiding you."

You chuckle. “What brought you out of hiding?”

Schwarz juts his chin in Tanker’s direction.

“He’s not causing any harm. Not really.”

“Not yet. Need to keep it that way.” Schwarz’s eyes never leave Tanker rampaging in the background. He has that coiled-spring tension you’ve seen him go into before he does his thing. One hand hovers at his waist, coat pulled back and hip cocked--the original Blackcoat in the dusters-and-busters stance he invented. Scary.

Despite the atmosphere, he attempts what passes for small talk. “Heard the unit didn't go through.”

>I’m not too broken up about it.
>Shame. 18th has a nice ring to it.

>>37704972
>Shame. 18th has a nice ring to it.

>>37704972
>>I’m not too broken up about it.

>>37704972
>I’m not too broken up about it.
not when I get free shows like this to keep my occupied at any rate.

>>37704972
>I'm not too broken up about it.

>>37704972
>Shame. 18th has a nice ring to it.

>>37704972
>>Shame. 18th has a nice ring to it.

>>37704972
>>Shame. 18th has a nice ring to it.
Oh shit.

>Shame. 18th has a nice ring to it.

Tell me this is Blackcoats: The Unit.

>>37704972
>>Shame. 18th has a nice ring to it.

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>>37705024
>>37705224
>>37705296
>>37705338
>>37706088
>>37706329
"I'm a little disappointed," you have to admit.

"I'm not. Saw the unit directives. The real ones." 18th, "Extreme Regions Unit," was publicly going to serve as the combat team for environments too dangerous for most--nuclear sites, lunar operations, volcanoes, sea trenches. This was, of course, completely redundant with multiple other units and a complete lie. You had your own name for your prospective group--"Hell Team." A high-rank, all volunteer force that stayed behind to die while the rest pulled out.

You chuckle, totally unsurprised. "You're not cleared for those, are you?"

"Nope."

The two of you watch Tanker's rampage, Dodo and Crucifer hanging off either of his arms. "Still, leading a unit is about the only thing I haven't done yet."

"You will eventually. Where were you last, 17th?"

"14th. 17th before that."

He nods. "It'll be 8th."

You raise an eyebrow. "You sound pretty sure. That in another classified document?"

Schwarz shakes his head slightly. "Gut feeling. Perfect fit."

You've learned to trust Schwarz's input. He's usually on the money. Plus, it does make sense--the thought had crossed your mind already. You served with them years ago already, and you're quite possibly the sturdiest Reploid ever created. Everyone knew Command was tapping all the units for new membership, but so far they'd been completely silent about command candidates. "Maybe."

"Definite. You've got everything for it. Only hunter they trust more than you is Commander X." Schwarz pauses. "He okay?"

You point a massive thumb over your shoulder. "Taking a nap in the road. He's fine."

"How's Crucifer?"

"Small and angry about it. The usual. Spent all last night doing bankroll for the Hangar."

“Fun.” After a moment’s silence, he breaks his watch from Tanker for the first time to look up at you. “What about his other job?”

>>37706557
... Still writing?

>>37706754
He is.

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>>37706557
You pause. “...Probably Zebra.”

Schwarz makes a low, contemplative growl. “X is going to take that pretty hard.”

You nod. “When the time comes, leave it to me.”

After another pause, Schwarz nods faintly, turning back to the fray. “Thanks.”

By now Crucifer has tried every less lethal option available to him, while bemoaning an inability to use the bigger stuff loudly. It’s probably about time to wrap this up.

You look to your side at a small pyramid of slagged metal, crushed down from junked vehicles. You recognize one or two of them. “Think you can get Dodo away from him without being seen?”

Schwarz’s posture relaxes and his presence almost literally diminishes from your peripherals. “Yeah.”

“Good.” You heft one of the cubes--still a good couple thousand pounds--and toss it up and down once. “I’ll keep Tanker busy until he calms down. On your go.”

It takes Schwarz exactly seven seconds to climb up a mountain of junk, align himself, and time a perfect swoop to snatch Dodo off of Tanker's arm, land clear, and slide down an embankment, out of Tanker's sight. Always love to watch that man work.

That also leaves no one to worry about smashing with a car cube. You wind up and throw, beaning Tanker on the snout. He lets go of Crucifer mid-motion, causing your little friend to bounce off the opposite side of his head and pirouette into the air. He flips and rights himself midfall, landing with about as much grace as he can manage, leaving Tanker to see the source of the disturbance.

"Hey, Tanker," you call, striding closer. "Snowball fight?"

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>>37706792
He grins a line of steely teeth, taking a twohanded grip on the remains of a city bus, and swings it full-force into your jaw. The sheer momentum drags you with it even as Tanker lifts the bus free and then breaks it in half over your head. Not to be outdone, you grab the base of the mound of scrap Schwarz was perched on a moment ago, and upend it, pelting Tanker with a cascade of wrecked tonnage.

"Just so you know," Dodo comms, "There's a news copter circling overhead."

"Give 'em a show," Schwarz adds.

The evening is spent lobbing slabs of metal and junk back and forth, two giants playing in a world of ruin, incapable of harming the other--not that either of you is really trying. Between crushing blows, you notice a small audience--Dodo, Schwarz, Crucifer, and eventually X--sitting on the fence and watching the fray. The news chopper puts a spotlight on your brawl, Tanker laughing madly as you bludgeon each other with anything you can get your hands on.

As far as late Christmases go, you've definitely had worse.

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And that's the end of the late-as-hell special! I hope you enjoyed it.

As for the rest of the thread, the possibility of interviews and Q&A was raised, and both Cain Labs and myself should be on deck for that.

Also, I seem to recall someone needing more information about the 10th, which we should be able to provide.

>>37706970
well it made my day so thank both you and Cain Labs for that.

>>37706970
That was a great thread, thanks for running.
Any idea on when Anode's thread will be?

>>37706970
This always brighten my day. Or my night. My long, long, nights.

I can't decide weather the idea of the 18th is noble or insane.

>>37706970
Thanks for running.

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Stand by, long-ass infodump incoming:

Commanders: Wing Larken (deceased), Acting Commander Thomas “Limerick” Kinsley (human A-rank).

Models Used: Alight 77 (1st Generation), D-Tain (1st Generation), ReN4 Guardian T-Model (2nd Generation), RSK Cerca (3rd Generation, not in service yet)

The 10th Special Forces, Civic Defense Division has perhaps the most frustrating job out of all the units. Their mandate is to engage rogue Mechaniloids and active Mavericks threatening civic areas in such a way as to minimize collateral damage caused by the attack. Officers of the 10th send their troops to protect valuable infrastructure while they engage the target and draw it away from civilians and areas with massive collateral probability. The unit has had a rocky history, and has proven nearly impossible to reinforce, never once in its history keeping pace with combat attrition.

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>>37707492
While a quite prestigious posting when first instituted by Commander Wong, the 10th soon came to be known as the worst job Hunter Command could offer and many promising officers took pains to avoid it. The first major blow to the unit came during the Sigma rebellion, as the 10th was almost certainly targeted by cold, calculating design in the prosecution of the war. The 10th’s casualties were brutal, and the lustre--long lost to actual members--faded from the once-glamorous unit in the public eye. The next major disaster, still fresh in the minds of the survivors, was the disastrous evacuation attempt in the face of Wheel Gator’s massive dinosaur tank assault. General Rhodes ordered the unit suspended indefinitely from direct combat duty, relegating them to an advisory and support status for other units operating in sensitive areas. In terms of their original mandate the unit is functionally retired, with UN oversight to replace their role with civic production models handed over to civilian law enforcement. Despite drawing a harsh rebuke from the PPC and several state governments, only Commander X has ever seriously placed a high priority on the revival of the 10th and in the immediate future it seems unlikely.

Members of the 10th Special Forces tended to be quite skilled and could handle even highly dangerous Mechaniloids one-on-one. Before the thanklessness of their job became publicly known, the 10th was considered an elite posting along the lines of the 17th. Officers and even higher-ranked enlisted troops had a mandate that let them order around local law enforcement and other civilian resources to assist in cutting down losses. A mixture of skills was required to excel in the 10th; an ability to prioritize, speed and efficiency, constant communication and the bravery to go in alone, whether facing down a CF-0 from the ground or going in to a densely-populated urban area to lure out a high-threat Maverick.

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>>37707526
Missions for members of the 10th tended to be a scramble; an alert would hit about a Maverick or rogue Mechaniloid along with the location and local resources would be dispatched for crisis control while the assignment was quickly transferred to the most appropriate officer available. Many missions were unnecessarily deadly due to the basic risk of mobilizing rapidly rather than having time to plan, and most members would run more than one mission against something that could rip them to shreds whether via simple outclassing or due to vulnerabilities/unforeseen immunities. The old guard called themselves the All or Nothing Brigade and the unit's unofficial motto was “The Lords of All or Nothing.” Morale was stretched thin at the 10th Special Forces; their main pastime was recording kill counts and talking shop about hazard countermeasures for some of the nastier Mechaniloids they would face.

The original and still well-regarded model from the glory days of the 10th was the D-Tain, a noncombat model whose N60 Force Shield emitter helped keep buster fire and other damage away from infrastructure. D-Tains filled a purely support capacity but were for quite some time the most day-to-day face of the Maverick Hunters as far as the public was concerned. Their combat counterpart, the Alight 77, was one of the most flexible humanoid chassis ever produced in the 1st Generation, rivaling the OS-Tyr. Rotated out of service because of the limited yield of their collateral-reduction weaponry, the Alight 77 has not yet seen a follow-up model. At the time the unit was officially folded, the latest model to be commissioned (only three had entered service) was the ReN4 Guardian T-Model, a modified humanoid chassis with superior mobility and ordnance control. ReN4s are still in production as a civilian model, and very few have sought out positions with the Maverick Hunters.

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>>37707560
The two remaining 10th Civic officers, Thomas Kinsley and Husky Fencer, both hold an A-rank, with the notable distinction of human ace on the Commander’s part. They have campaigned continually for the last few years for Hunter Command to begin attempting to replenish the unit in earnest, but thus far their response has been lukewarm at best. The two are very clearly itching to return to their original role, evident in their repeated attempts to take on as much direct duty as their back-burner orders allow.

>>37707592
Shit, if any unit could do with a protagonist it's the 10th.

>>37707592
so the 10th were basically the super SWAT team then?

Also what would be the deciding factor to call in the 10th over the 1st? number of civilians, the importance of whatever buildings or things that was being attacked or around whatever was being attacked, both, neither. Because from what I'm hearing it sounds like the 10th and the first would have worked well together. The both beam in, the 1st go after the maverick and the 10th secure areas of importance and evacuate the civvies.

>>37707526
What exactly went down with that dinosaur tank?

>>37707766
Probably why someone asked for it.

>>37707877
In a warzone, the 1st Advance establishes the battle lines and is the first offensive. 10th Civic would've been deployed in much more sensitive locations to minimize collateral.

>>37708054
seeing our track record with collateral damage I think it might have been a good thing that we didn't become part of the 10th. Although it still would have been fun as hell.

>>37708182
The way Anode was designed from the very beginning, he was going to be a groundpounder of some variety. Electricity is not conducive to non-collateral damage.

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>>37708261

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>>37707877
"Super SWAT team" is fairly accurate, yeah.

The 1st is more of a military footing for a broader engagement, with some expectation of collateral damage as a vanguard unit--they were deployed to Vienna, you might recall, though the 10th were as well in advisory capacity. In general, if there's a larger engagement at hand, the 1st is sent in. If the threat was more easily contained, Advance is unwarranted or there’s not enough time to field them--one giant mechaniloid or a small maverick strike force holed up in a dam--the 10th would deploy. For overlap situations, they routinely were fielded together, and due to long-term coordination, the two units had good rapport.

>>37707886
The dinosaur tank was basically a groundside attack similar to the aerial assault on Vienna. A massive combat vehicle on a Godzilla tear through a city. The Tenth was sent in rapidly on a bad read of the situation, to attempt to orchestrate a civilian evac, and took massive casualties from the maverick forces supporting the tank itself--most notably drop teams of Ride Armor soldiers. X himself was the one to mount a direct attack on the dinosaur tank and retire Wheel Gator, but by then the 10th had been savaged, the survivors pulled out, and the 1st sent in to stem the flow. In defense of the 10th, they contained the damage admirably--several buildings in the path of the attack were damaged, but not even one was rendered unusable. Their efforts helped prevent the 15th from shelling the area, or the 7th having to raid by air, neither option being very attractive with so many civilians at stake.

>>37708490
seeing as we're kinda in the final stage of anode's story what's the next plan? start over again except now during the 3rd game's timeline or will we field a new reploid?

>>37708490
>The Tenth was sent in rapidly on a bad read of the situation

They didn't anticipate the level of support that rolled in with the tank?

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>>37708673
Right after I finish tearing the old one to pieces, then you may have a new one.

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>>37708673
We have plans. For some of them we're thinking of polling the users, make sure we're on the same page of delivering what they want while telling what we have.

Suffice to say, the ride never ends.

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>>37708830
They expected a giant mechaniloid supported by heavy infantry.

They were not expecting an entire division's worth of ride armors.

The sheer audaciousness of a full city invasion had not been attempted on that scale since the Maverick War.

This one is related to the Fourth, specifically Dodo. Last year for Christmas, Schwarz footed the bill for a combat rebuild, so is that canon? What upgrades is Dodo gonna get?

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>>37710063
Last year's was fuzzy canon, and the details are up in the air. He might already have them, as far as you've seen.

>>37710119
Still, I just wonder as he's B rank what he actually has.

>>37707592
Thanks so much, Cain Labs. This'll really help with the 10th game I'm trying to put together.

>>37710677
Always happy to help. Shoutouts to HC for doing cleanup and canon correction on it for us. If there's anything else you need, let us know.

bump?