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>>47954347
Right now it's India's turn. She's almost trembling with murderous rage, clenching and unclenching her fingers, sucking deep breaths through her teeth and exhaling, low and venomous... and staring at you pointedly, waiting for your answer.

"I'll try, okay?" You offer placatingly, hands up. "I have no idea what will or won't be useful for a jet."

After a moment, she nods, and her tense, brimming fury relaxes just a hair. "I'll handle that. And I'll make it worth your while."

"Endo for everyone!" Foxfire calls. Loudly.

You facepalm as half the bar turns, and India seems to regard her for the first time. "Way ahead of you, sweetheart."

"I'm just going to step in here to prevent this rapport from reaching critical mass," you grumble. "Foxfire, tonight my CO is stepping down. He just watched everyone he knows die or go maverick, again, and if you ruin this, I really am going to kill you."

Foxfire raises an eyebrow and sits back, not so much intimidated as... impressed? India's body language is a near-mirror. Christ, this is the worst possible friendship, sent to you by the mecha-devil atop his pile of burning cars on Fuck Mountain.

"Not to worry," Foxfire offers. "I won't be here. Self-preservation comes first and always."

"Right, I'm lost," Em declares, standing up again with a wobble. "I'mma just go dry out and take care of some shit before tonight. Tell Max to call me if he needs me."

He stumble-trudges off--snatching his datapad off the table an instant before Foxfire and India make a grab for it--and heads for the exit.

India has retreated into another grouchy silence, interspersed with occasional swigs from whatever booze she can get ahold of, while Foxfire taps away on her arm terminal, humming to herself with self-satisfaction. A ping in your comms from Em tells you he sent you "your part of Frog's party."

You're still a ways off, and you don't exactly have anything to prepare.

>Wat do?

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And good morning, all. Another relaxed-pace thread today--I should have plenty to do and write, but work has been doing its level best to drive me insane and leave me no spare brain to develop with. I think that's going to be changing sooner rather than later, but for now, it makes running extra tough.

>>47954356
Fuck it, train with the Bravely Broken.

Not so much to be productive, but because hanging out with them is going to be less stressful than this, and maybe the training will bore Foxfire enough to leave.

Ayy, good morning. Gonna go with this.
>>47954476

>>47954356
Check what 'our part of the party' entails.

Yay, Maverick Hunter Quest!

Voting for
>>47954476

>>47954356
First time here for a live thread, and I'll be backing this vote.

>>47954476

>>47954476
Might be a good idea to train them with Spider. Get a good variety of experience with them and in a way, training them helps us train as well.

>>47954818
Welcome to the fourth.

Oh, we should probably apologize to Max for bringing our own booze in like an asshole.

>>47954872
Glad to be here, sir!

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Okay, back and getting into gear now, had to take care of some weekend essentials/exercise/laundry/kill me it hurts to live.

>>47954356
Combat sims time. I say we fight Tanker Tigershark's data so we can enact vengeance when we eventually cross paths.

>>47955098
Let's see if we can get the sims combined so it's us vs X vs Sigma.

>>47955182
No. We have to go deeper. Us vs Em vs X vs Zero vs Tanker vs Vile vs Nicholz vs Rhodes vs Schwarz vs Frog vs Sev vs Sigma.

>>47954356
Backing every one of these training ideas. Anode vs Bravely Broken vs Spider vs X vs Sigma BATTLE ROYALE THIS WEEK ON RRRAAAAWWWWWWW

>>47955273
Vs Saetos vs Wren vs Max.

>>47955275
I smell an underground simulated fights betting pool in the making...

Hey! Money source for Indy's plane! Nothing can possibly go wrong.

>>47955279
Oh man, I COMPLETELY forgot about them. I approve.

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>>47955098
>>47955182
>>47955273
>>47955275
>>47955279
>>47955289
>>47955339
2nd Recon has a special Large Scale Simulator that lets them project a massive combat zone to train within.

Ideas like this are why they don't allow everyone to use it.

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>>47954476
>>47954491
>>47954659
>>47954818
“Right, I declare banana shenanigans on all of you,” you say, standing up yourself. “I’m gonna go train with my squad.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be keeping me under custody?” Foxfire points out, fluttering her eyes menacingly.

“Oh, right. India! She’s your problem.” That ought to at least force a power dynamic conflict. You can’t stop the friendship train barreling towards the station, but you can at least slow it down.

India waves you off. “Yeah, yeah, boy scout.”

The range is fairly empty again--with the exception of your team. Flak is carrying that Blackout Flare launcher you ordered, sighting it downrange--the dense, compact design of the Beret chassis makes the rocket tube look cumbersome and awkward, but he shoulders it aptly. Your OPAL reminds you that it exists by giving a faint warning tone in your ear, an overlaid from the end of the rocket showing you its projected flight path. As you approach, Flak lowers the weapon, raises it, sights, and mock-fires, all without firing a shot.

Beside him, Susan is taking notes of some kind--he pops off a salute when he sees you. “Good to see you up and about again, sir.”

“Still kicking,” you reply, returning the gesture. “How’s it going?”

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>>47955408
“Calibrating sensors, nothing to write home about.”

“Good to see you, sir!” Flak chimes in, raising the weapon and safing it.

“Likewise. Susan tell you about our plans?”

“I’m not going to say no to more upgrades,” he replies excitedly. “Already thinking of how we could use them.”

You nod. “That’s part of what brings me down here. Other part being distraction and escape.”

Susan gives you a bemused look, but says nothing. Flak just beams, bouncy enthusiasm unshaken. “What’s the plan, boss?”

>Some coordinated fireteam exercises--if I’m going to lead you guys, we may as well practice fighting together.
>General drill--get all the basics out of the way, and we won’t have to worry the stupid stuff in a fight.
>I was going to hunt for someone to get some more input from again. (Specify)
>Other?

>>47955418
>Some coordinated fireteam exercises--if I’m going to lead you guys, we may as well practice fighting together.

>>47955418
>Some coordinated fireteam exercises
We've seriously barely worked with these guys since we formed this squad up, and the basics are better suited to regular training. If we're pulling the team in, we should focus on the team.

>>47955418
>Some coordinated fireteam exercises--if I’m going to lead you guys, we may as well practice fighting together.
toooo many solo missions

>>47955418
>>Some coordinated fireteam exercises--if I’m going to lead you guys, we may as well practice fighting together.

It's a shame we don't have

>>47955418
>Fireteam exercises
Practice with the chaff launcher and setting up anti air fire with it. Aerial combat is one of our greatest weaknesses that a squad could help mitigate.

>>47955501
*It's a shame we don't have someone on hand with experience with that sort of thing.

>>47955418
>>>Some coordinated fireteam exercises--if I’m going to lead you guys, we may as well practice fighting together.

By God, this is something we should have done ages ago.

>>47955418
>We're all going for team-bonding ice cream. Yay!

>>47955384
So we've got a ready-made area and equipment for it, too? Perfect. We'll cut 2nd in on the profit, win-win.

Can we casually ask how it's going with all the infantry? Considering how pissed off most of them are with humans, I'm concerned about a mass defection/quitting. The range being empty again isn't a great sign.

>>47955418
>>Some coordinated fireteam exercises--if I’m going to lead you guys, we may as well practice fighting together.
Take 'em on an A rank sim, it'll be educational

Where's Grach?

>>47955816
Got transferred over to 10th to train the shit out of people.

>>47955816
Don't worry. We have a brand new enemy capture-turned-base-fixture who is clearly just as disciplined and helpful.

>>47956076
And is probably already shitposting the infantry private forums.

>>47956203
As expected of a maverick sleeper agent.

>>47955418
>>Some coordinated fireteam exercises--if I’m going to lead you guys, we may as well practice fighting together.

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>>47955459
>>47955468
>>47955483
>>47955501
>>47955507
>>47955583
>>47955746
>>47956563
“How do you guys feel about some squad-level training?” You ask. “Myself included. I haven’t fought directly alongside you since we put the team together.”

“I noticed,” Susan replies wryly. “And sure, I was going to suggest we do something eventually anyway.”

Susan places a few comms to call the rest of the team, giving you a couple minutes to pass getting things set up.

“So, before we start,” you say conversationally. “What’s the team’s specialty anyway?”

Susan side-eyes Flak. “Elevator pitch?”

Flak nods. “Elevator pitch.”

With that, Susan turns back to you, standing up straight and clearing his throat for effect. “The Steel Beret series of production infantry solutions is a showcase in affordable durability, with a rugged and dependable chassis that is easy to upgrade, backed by a flexible tactical mind. Steel Berets are easy to train, personable, considerate of their environment, and exhibit patience that the preceding generations of Lanceteamers lack. They retain the cohesive team-mindedness and coordination while remaining flexible and approachable for commanders or civilians alike.”

“That sounded scripted,” you observe.

“It was. Pamphlet description of our line,” Susan explains. “However, it has been noted in real-world battlefield operations that Steel Berets have somewhat lackluster mobility and firepower. While patient, they also lack aggression, and have only middling reaction speeds when sending fire downrange. In practical applications, their lack of integrated weaponry can occasionally cause performance to degrade if caught out.”

“Hhhhuh. Does it… bother you, knowing people write shit about you like that?”

“Not really,” Flak says with a shrug.

“All the time,” Susan replies.

Right.

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>>47956577
Finally, two more Berets--the more elusive Marx and Derby/Derb Y/Y showing up together. The latter is, in fact, wearing the relevant hat. It’s a little tough to get a read on them, but they certainly seem up for things--both wearing the modular armor kits over their base plating and looking ready to go.

Your training winds up involving clearing the targets from the range and setting up there--one of you trading off by turns as a hostile attacker from varying positions, and the team coordinating in response. You haven’t seen Looey, but you can’t shake the feeling he’s watching your every move. After an hour or two, you think you have a better idea of what your Berets are capable of.

Sure enough, their mobility is pretty weak--they can run at a decent clip, but you can outjump and, of course, outdash them, making outflanking their cover almost trivial. You didn’t trade live fire, but based on combat projections, they can take a pretty solid beating apiece--Susan mentions offhandedly that the Beret is the sturdiest C-rank model yet created. What’s more, that battlefield coordination really shines--Susan in particular is on the aggressors constantly, hampering their movements and covering the team. Flak, unsurprisingly, is a great shot, able to catch several targets on the move, in the air, or behind cover. Their offense and defense is only going to be improved by the weapons and armor you’re providing, and you don’t doubt that with time to train, those hand-held shields are going to be a great investment. Once or twice, you catch yourself genuinely surprised at their skill, and you can immediately see why those expensive dash upgrades could really pay off. It’s going to solve one of their biggest vulnerabilities, and you could absolutely see any of them becoming officer material with relevant improvements.

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>>47956605
By the end, you’ve worked out a few tactics to try with the team, working together around what you--and they--can do. It feels pretty positive. By the end, even Susan is almost smiling. Almost.

“So, what do you think? You still want to buy that gear you were talking about?”

“Almost definitely. I’d probably have ordered them already, but… well, I think our next target is a bad fit. At least not until you’ve had time to train with the gear.” You outline what little you know of Sabomole, and Susan nods.

“I mean, it’s a specialty tool we’d need training with, but we could still buy them and get them ready--and maybe take them along anyway. Confined tunnels would be a good place to use those shields.”

>Order the gear you squirreled money away for now. It’ll open up a world of tactical options.
>Scrap the shield plan--that’ll get you that much closer to other upgrades, for them or for you.
>Other?

>>47956632
>Order the gear you squirreled money away for now. It’ll open up a world of tactical options.

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>>47956632
>Order the gear.

We were in a tunnel once against a Rabbit ride armor. A shield would've come in handy then.

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>>47956632
>Order the gear you squirreled money away for now. It’ll open up a world of tactical options.
Get em prepped and ready for action. We're fighting a war here and our squad needs equipment to reflect that.

>>47956632
>Order the gear you squirreled money away for now. It’ll open up a world of tactical options.
P rank beret soon.

>>47956632
>Order the gear you squirreled money away for now.
Rather have and not need, etc.

Also, we should get off-base maybe? Go shopping Get Frog a thoughtful going away present. The old man has done incredibly well by us.

>>47956632
>Order the gear you squirreled money away for now. It’ll open up a world of tactical options.
Shields now, dash later.

>>47956855
>Also, we should get off-base maybe? Go shopping Get Frog a thoughtful going away present. The old man has done incredibly well by us.
Sounds good to me. Call Em or Max for ideas?

>>47956632
Order the gear and get a gift for Frog. Even if it's a nice radio so he can listen to something while he does what he does.

>>47957776
M.C. Hammer album.

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>>47956667
>>47956677
>>47956781
>>47956800
>>47956855
>>47957017
“Done deal,” you say. “I’m ordering them right now. Two heavy shields, one Lockon rifle. That’s yours, by the way.”

Susan blinks. “Not Flak’s?”

“Already got the rocket launcher. He can supervise, if you think you need the help.”

Susan shrugs. “Noted. Thanks, I guess. I’ll try not to waste it.”

“The better shot’s supposed to be the spotter anyway,” Flak offers. “Besides, you’ll do fine. You’ve got better situational awareness than me, any day. You’ll put it to good use.”

Susan looks a little out-of-sorts at the praise. “Thanks.”

You’re about to give him a good-natured ribbing when your comms ping.

“Yoooohoooooo~” comes an annoyingly familiar voice, drawing a facepalm and a groan.

“Foxfire, who gave y--never mind, I know who. What.”

“Hold on, how do you turn this o--there we go, Shelby Cobras for everyone.” With a burst of static, a video feed opens, revealing a very upside-down Foxfire, reclining back over an armature you recognize.

“Nice ride armor,” Foxfire observes, splayed across the top and looking up at the camera. “Your friend told me what happened.”

The alarm bells immediately start ringing. It’s not like India to talk about her failures. “If I find any fur in what’s left of the Crossmore, I swear I’ll--”

“Butter your britches, Candyman, I’m about to do you a favor.”

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>>47958003
“...What does that even--”

“So, I know you’re a busy sort, but I imagine it would help someone somewhere if this thing were back up and running.”

That gives you pause. “Yeah?”

“So, here. A sign of good faith. While I’m in Halcyon’s big stupid secret materials lab, I’ve got access to parts no one else does. Plenty of stuff could go into repairing this heap. Nothing that’s even seeing any use. No strings attached.”

>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?
>Save it. Whatever your game is, I want no part of it. Better to let the Crossmore rust.
>Other?

>>47958007
>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?

>>47958007
>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?

>>47958007
Is she going be be our junk repair expert? radical.
Can't wait for her to get us all killed
>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?

>>47958007
>>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?
If it involves calling command dildos, then thats more India's thing though.

>>47958007
>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?

The next time we see the Crossmore it's solid pink.

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>>47958007
>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?
though i do have my doubts, fixing it as part of an elaborate practical joke is still fixing it

>>47958007
>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?

>>47958059
And the speakers blare shitty jpop whenever you turn it on.

>>47958007
>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?

>>47958007
>>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?

>>47958120
So Dvas mech?

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>>47958178
You have no idea how tempted I was to have Foxfire chewing bubblegum when she commed you.

>>47958007
>All right, fine, I’m not going to turn down something like this. What’s your angle, Foxfire?
"Please don't make our lives any harder if you can help it."

> If you turn it into Unit-05 I *will* kill you.

>>47958217
slightly related
http://aberrantkenosis.bandcamp.com/album/the-bike-horn-collection-volume-1

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Suppose it's time for me to make my customary appearance. Burning cars for the car throne.

>>47959213
But I don't have a car Cain Labs.

>>47959282
Anyone's car will do. If they're inside, even better.

>>47959213
Hi Cain Labs, any chance of a continuation of the events of X2? Or are you just here for fun (i.e. murdering Anode and/or characters we care about)?

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>>47958017
>>47958025
>>47958037
>>47958046
>>47958059
>>47958108
>>47958120
>>47958126
>>47958162
>>47958525
“... All right, fine. Wouldn’t be the dumbest offer I ever accepted,” you grudgingly admit.

Foxfire pauses. “...What WOULD be the dumbest--”

“Alf keychain for novelty electromagnet.”

“Ah.”

“What’s your game, Foxfire?” you ask warily.

She snickers. “I doubt you’ll understand, but you thinking I’m up to something when I’m not is all I need. It means I’ve got people guessing.”

“Noted,” you reply coolly.

“No, I’m serious,” she replies. “In my line of work? That’s important. Anyway, no game.“

“Uh huh. Just promise me it’s not going to have an ejector seat or shoot confetti instead of plasma in combat.”

“You probably shouldn’t give me any ideas.”

“Lovely. Anode out.”

Susan eyes you as you sigh and look skyward. “Should I ask?”

“Probably not, no.”

“Right. So… what now?”

“I guess I need to start getting ready for Frog’s party tonight,” you reply. “It’s not a formal thing, if you’d care to come along?”

“Enh, no thanks,” Susan says. “I liked the guy and all, but Berets are pretty new. I’d feel out of place with all the officers and Lanceteamers and whatnot. Give him our regards?”

“Sure thing.”

Susan salutes again as you head off--he’s gotten a lot less cranky as time’s worn on. That’s a good thing, you hope, though maybe it’s just because he’s taking stock of who’s left after Doppler’s rebellion.

You might be getting a bit more Susan-like yourself, you realize, checking the thought as you leave.

>Go and get something for Frog. (Specify?)
>Head straight to the party.

>>47959532
>Go and get something for Frog. (Specify?
Call Em/Max/crankshaft for ideas.

>>47959532
>Go and get something for Frog. (Specify?)
Well, it's hard to get him something when we really don't know what he likes, so why not a radio? Something he can listen to while he works so he can make the drudgery more enjoyable. With a recording of all the songs we sing tonight?

>>47959532
>Go and get something for Frog. (Specify?)
seconding
>>47959655

>>47959532
>>Go and get something for Frog. (Specify?)
Our favorite movie (whatever that is, my votes for Brave Little Toaster) on whatever super format exists now. Tell him he has to tell us what he thinks after watching.

>>47959642
I feel like it's more meaningful if we don't ask others for advice this time

>>47959532
>Go and get something for Frog. (Specify?)

Old movies, as though it would be anything else.

I'm thinking lighthearted military comedy.

>>47959799
Oh, oh, we should get him Sgt. Bilko.

>>47959498
Oh that's right, I didn't finish that. Where did I leave off?

>>47959868
I thought we liked Frog?

>>47959868
That's not how you spell Stripes.

>>47959885
Last update I see is Flame Stag

Get him a classic british tv show, reconstructed by archaeologists and cinematographers from incomplete fragments in the ruined film archives.

I am referring, of course, to Blackadder's Bizarre Adventure, the generational story of the blackadder clan, and their continued attempts to take over the world with unique supernatural powers only to be thwarted time and again.

>>47959532

Let's get him some whiskey like crown-royal.

>>47959532
>Go and get something for Frog.
A good bottle, a something personal to remember the crew by, and an official-looking letter pronouncing him 'Too Old For This Command Shit.'

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Stand by, dinner followed by almost guaranteed foodcoma.

>>47959532
'World's Best Ex-Commander' mug.

>>47960235
curse you meat bag body functions!

We need to make a decision or HC will stay dead.

>>47961057
Then I guess a movie would fit us. Why not the untouchables or a movie in chicago?

>>47961109
This is a pretty good idea, really.

>>47961109
Chicago! Battlescarred veterans love musicals, right?

>>47961123
Not Chicago the musical. But yeah, untouchables, maybe police academy to remember us by as well.

>>47961109
Seconding (thirding?) Untouchables.

Jackie Chan greatest hits.

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>>47959532
You opt to take a two-tined approach on your gifting, mostly for lack of any concrete ideas. You’re good for two things, you figure--movies and alcohol. For the former, you put together a collection of your favorite cop flicks from an online catalog--comedies, serious, whatever. After some consideration, you throw the M*A*S*H collection into the mix--whatever he’s in the market for, it ought to have it. That turns into a segue into military flicks, and in two minutes, you’ve racked up a good Z200. You ping Max, real quick, and sure enough, he can sell you a bottle of some of his top-shelf stuff. You figure whiskey will be Frog’s speed, and Max helps you pick out a good one.

By the time you make it back to the bar, it looks like everything is ready to go, and everyone is at least one drink deep. The place is abuzz, humming with more life and activity than it has since before the attack. Enlisted pack the place--like Susan said, a lot of the older crowd, types you don’t normally see in here. Including--

“Come on, Yu, don’t do this to me, I’m beggin’ ya,” Crankshaft pleads.

His daughter gives him a sympathetic pat on the arm… before upending her glass and draining the contents, lowering the now-empty liquor glass with a sunny smile.

“You’re killing me here, Yuzuki,” he glowers, and she giggles at his stormy pout. “Fine, fine, have it your way. Maybe a hangover will teach you right.”

She waits for him to finish politely before pointing you out, and the grizzled old Gomeister turns to regard you with that weatherbeaten faceplate of his. “Well! The new kid. Good to see you again.”

You nod--you haven’t heard anything from him since that hurried comm message during the attack. “Good to see you too, Cranky. What’s up?”

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>>47961648
“Just trying to impress upon the youth the lessons of experience,” he grumbles. “We’ll be up bright and early, you hear? Bright and early!”

“You can’t get a hangover,” Yuzuki replies, cheeks pink from the combination of liquor and laughter. “Hardly the lessons of experience.”

“Bahhhhh.”

“Glad you both made it,” you interject before the next round can start. “I’m sure Frog will be grateful.”

“Wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” Crankshaft replies. “I still remember his first day like it was yesterday. Never been happier to see someone go.”

You snort. “I bet.”

“Plenty of faces in here,” Crankshaft observes, looking around, argument with his daughter forgotten. “Frog’s made a lot of friends outside the 4th in his time.”

>Go look for some. Best foot forward, right?
>Stay and chew the fat. It’s been a spell.
>Other?

>>47961665
>Stay and chew the fat. It’s been a spell.

>Go look for some. Best foot forward, right?

after Cain has killed off so many named characters we need to replenish the stock.

>>47961665
>Stay and chew the fat. It’s been a spell.
Spill more backstory, Mr. NPC.

>>47961665
>Stay and chew the fat. It’s been a spell.

>>47961665
>>Stay and chew the fat. It’s been a spell.
He could also point us to a few and tell us some good stories of the ol' frog. Hell, he could point to a few faces as well.

>>47961665
>Go look for some. Best foot forward, right?
Cranky will be around. We can always use more contacts outside the unit that are sympathetic to us. Also, it's easier to set up more shitty jokes with multiple people than one old bastard who knows them all.

>>47961665
>Other. Stay for a bit to chat but try to make the rounds as well if you can.

>>47961665
>Go look for some. Best foot forward, right?
look at us, we're the captain now.

>>47961755
switching to
>Go look for some. Best foot forward, right?
but I would like Cranky's opinion so we can find some good people to talk to and can help us. We may be a captain, but we do need to keep learning and growing while keeping with our friends as well.

>>47961908
I also think taking a second to ask Cranky who's most worth knowing in the room is best.

>>47961665
Even though I know it's the unpopular option,
>Stay and chew the fat, it's been a spell.

Just because we haven't talked with him at all and we haven't gotten to know him or Yuzuki as well as we likely should. Maybe find out what was happening with them in the assault in general.

Also, should I resume story times in these threads if/when HC has to sleep but the thread's not necessarily done? End up awake when everyone else is asleep these days.

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So I believe it's time to continue canon X2!

The 6th Marine Armada had been sorely overtaxed by X-Hunter forces deploying the deadly Maverick super-Mechaniloid weapon "Sea Canthller" against important areas. With many deep-sea installations abandoned during the Maverick War due to the onslaught of Launch Octopus's forces and several national defense forces of the Pacific Rim unwilling to disclose the locations of their facilities, tracking the coordination and deployment of these weapons was proving difficult. 5th Navigation managed to get a signal lock on a stationary Sea Canthller undergoing repairs in an automated photic zone facility concealed under a tiny rock spit. Anticipating that it would be recalled to its home base for new orders and outfitting, the 5th Unit contacted X and directed him to beam-in coordinates that would put him on top of the facility. Sure enough, Maverick Mechaniloids in the nearby cave confirmed activity under the water, and X was able to track the Sea Canthller's route through an undersea tunnel to a deep-sea base, destroying the weapon before it could reach home and signal its commander. X infiltrated the base via an automated airlock to a secured access tunnel between the Canthller dock and command console, scaling the narrow and uneven shaft to reach Bubble Crab. The violent ex-Hunter's all-out offensive caught X off guard and his powerful defensive barrier put the hero on the ropes, but X soon discovered that Crab could not both sustain his barrier and unleash his powerful aerial spike attack at the same time. As the fight wore on, X tried different VWS attacks on the crab, ultimately figuring out that the Spin Wheel could penetrate the barrier and deal serious damage to the Maverick behind it. With this newfound realization, X was able to turn the tide against his aquatic adversary and set coordinates for a Hunter force to beam in, eliminate any further Maverick presence, and recall all active Sea Canthllers for destruction.

Stand by, gonna do the walk-and-talk for simple expedience.

>>47962595
God, I love the image of a Hunter contingent just sitting on a rock, shelling the shit out of Canthllers as they tell them to come home.

>>47963337
Probably has it's own clips and images saved to something along the lines of "Maverick Hunting; Like shooting fish in a barrel"

>>47962595
>With many deep-sea installations abandoned during the Maverick War due to the onslaught of Launch Octopus's forces

How much time passed between MHQ's X1 and X2?

>>47964028
I'm pretty sure it's less than a year.

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>>47964028
Six months, same as canon. It's only after that it starts getting a bit vague.

Also, unfortunately in the time it took us to dig up some prior thread data and create some more, I got tired. I'm getting old. Putting the thread on pause for tonight. I will be continuing tomorrow, however.

In the meantime, Magnet Lobster offered to fill the space with stories, and if he's still around, they're always a treat for me. Have at, if you will!

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>>47964185
>Magnet Lobster

I meant Charge Tortoise. I AM tired, cripes.

>>47964185
Did... did you just volunteer me?

I'm in session right now, man!

Also I'm pretty sure it was Charge that offered sweet sweet storytimes.

>>47964207
>>47964185
It's fine, get some sleep man. Guess I'll start with...did I do the Shark and the Dragon yet?

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>>47964219
As in all things, I blame Cain Labs. Sorry, man!

>>47964297
I'll get you for this, Cain Labs. I'll get you if it's the last thing I do.

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>>47962595
Despite tracking telemetry pointing to an X-Hunter stalking the Robot Junkyard, X had a higher-priority mission to attend to. Mysterious Maverick operative Crystal Snail, whom Zero had fought and crippled during the Maverick War, had seized control of a valuable high-purity energen vein and was installing automated grading systems throughout the mine in preparation for massive Maverick exploitation of the site. Laden with automated traps and abandoned Ride Armor, the energen vein also presented treacherous unstable crystals and perilous drop shafts. X faced off against a dangerous energy transfer Mechaniloid and its invincible drones, using a deftly-steered Rabbit Ride Armor to break through its thick energen shell. A large pit presented a deadly hazard to the young Hunter, as he collided mid-jump with a Batton Bone. Managing to grab onto a wall, X discovered a side shaft in which Dr. Light had concealed a capsule containing a valuable sensor upgrade. Climbing back up and deftly avoiding a dangerous trapped corridor of Batton Bones, X confronted the rogue Maverick and discovered that "crippled" was something of an overstatement: Crystal Snail still possessed the strange capability to crystallize X, using his rocket-propelled shell to brutally collide with the Maverick Hunter.

X evaluated the combat style of his foe and noticed that Zero's earlier handiwork had left Crystal Snail's primary armament with severe coverage gaps that could be exploited. Enraged, the snail Maverick revealed his true power, discarding any pretense of playing around as he began to bend time locally, interfering with X's mobility and forcing the Hunter to adjust to altered time. Despite this powerful attack, X was able to prevail and finished the job his former mentor had started six months prior.

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Alright, then. Time for a bit of leadup:

Maelstrom Mako, new member of the Sixth, she was designed for long range scouting trips and minimal downtime, basically using systems to make the water around her useful for assisting in keeping her systems as cool as possible while taxing them as much as she could, as well as an experimental method of recharging her own repair systems, though that would go down until repaired if used too much. Her specialty in combat is basically grabbing people and digging hibeam claw fingers into her foe, then using them to beat anyone else attacking her with said foe. Her appetite is insatiable, her home state Hawaii, and her language as coarse as any sailor. And her first hunt was against an idiot in England.

>>47964520
[urge to waifu robot shark girl intensifies]

No regrets

Sorry if I've told this one before, I just honestly tend to forget what I've shared. Got more stories after this that I'm sure I haven't shared, though.

>>47964520
Starting out by swimming from Hawaii to Europe, and jumping over the Panama Canal (getting some interesting times of her own pregame), before getting directed to Berg Celion's office, being assigned a sudden priority hunt as repairs from Vienna were still going on and a multitude of hunters were called in on this. Because a dragon had just kidnapped a princess.

You see, in the past hour, a dragon reploid lumberjack called Razor Linnorm (who had bought wing upgrades but never updated the name) had apparently flown into London, carved a hole in a wall of the palace using unimaginably sharp scales as throwing discs, knocked the wall over, and absconded with the princess of England in his talons while twirling a facial sensory patch suspiciously similar to a thin mustache with his other, as the news was constantly showing from the equivalent of sent in phone videos. Mako, being new to this, just kind of wondered if this was a joke as she watched, learning that Linnorm had, despite all this, somehow managed to disappear into London, and that she and a few other hunters were being dispatched into the city to try and find him and his captive. With a quick salute and some cursing, she was off to go handle the hunt, and with trip to the beamin pad and a flash, ended up in the palace's private pad, amidst police, investigators, and soldiers as a part of the staff shows her to the site of the attack. As she arrives, she is the first to notice a very, very faint wobble in the wall, mostly intact save for being cut out from the rest, and with the ease of one picking up a brick hefts the chunk up to reveal what seems to be one of the scales, apparently having been caught between floor and wall in it's collapse and trying to fly off to it's owner. Picking it up, her hunt was on.

>>47965065
The scale was fairly simple to use in tracking the mav-just watch and see where it wanted to go. Following it, she eventually found her way to the front of Big Ben, staring up at it before she went to issue a challenge a dragon for a princess upon a bridge, because there is a certain order to things. However, she was...surprised, to say the least, when Linnorm stuck his head out with a pair of glasses, fake beard, and a mustache on while trying to claim that he, who was most definitely not the dastardly Razor Linnorm, was most assuredly not a maverick, nor did he have any captive princesses tied to a giant bell before pulling himself back in.

Once again wondering if this was some sort of hazing ritual for the rookies, Mako went in to the clock tower, only to be savagely gummed at by a civilian grade Mettool, every step of the place covered in mechaniloids that looked less like combat models and more like someone robbed a few robotic pet stores and dumped the wares here. Heading up with caution in case at some point, this poor idiot had grown a brain or actually been thinking, she notes the sounds of metal cutting through stone, three voices in argument, and a child who wants a sandwich. Before I continue, I will admit, I have no idea how much strength it took her to avoid hitting her head against the wall from the topic long enough to either demolish the wall or her skull, but her self restraint was admirable as she comes to the other side of a doorway to hear an Ax Max trying to talk his friend down from this shitshow he just made for himself, a princess trying to explain how royalty works, and Linnorm loudly proclaiming that no, his idea is genius, because people with a princess are royalty, right? Meaning that, by him kidnapping her, he had taken the crown, making him the newest King of England and that this was just a matter of waiting for the rest of the world to catch up, cheered on by a four year old wearing cardboard hoganmer armor.

Now, OOC, I feel it important to explain a few things. In my game, the maverick virus has a few different methods of going about it's work, meaning different strains. Some degrade the mind so that it ends up like Wren, a simple machine devoted to the most efficient method of murdering nearby meatbags. Others can end up devoted to it spreading, thinking themselves given truly free will when instead they are fettered even more to simply purge all life. As it stands, Razor Linnorm will, in due time, be found early stage viral, given Doppler's "cure", and due to a particularly robust antivirus system actually make a recovery, but he is beginning to suffer degradation of his mind from a simple guy to something worse. As it stands, said robust antiviral system is actually keeping him from being an actual threat to people in his first day as a maverick, this plan actually his remaining sanity trying to push through the feverish haze and twisting nature of his ailment to get help immediately.

>>47965701
To this day, I will never know how Mako managed to keep a straight face busting in, the Ax Max staying close to the kid and the princess as Linnorm rounded upon her, wondering how Mako could ever have seen through his brilliant disguise. It took a lot of willpower to not just facepalm with her hibeams out at that point, just from the absurdity of the situation. However, through a bit of cleverness between her and the maverick's worried associate, they manage to talk him away from the humans, for he has to take such challenges to his crown such as the one Mako made earlier seriously after all. So, leaping out of the tower and gliding down, the Ax Max asks Mako to try to not kill his best friend before going to free the princess, the kid riding with Razor Linnorm as a crowd begins to form at the ends of the bridge, as when do you get to watch someone fight a dragon over a princess?

>>47966028
So, as Linnorm goes into a tirade that gets the crowd wondering if this is all staged, Mako gets the cops to establish a stronger perimeter as she spots the cops escorting the princess to safety, unfortunately catching the tail end of his monologue and suddenly getting a harsh reminder that, for all his stupidity, Razor Linnorm is still roughly thirty feet of flying, sharpened steel in semi serpentine form as he plows into her, wing carving into her side. As the two get down to it, Razor Linnorm getting frustrated enough to send his scales in massive clouds of hacking and carving arcs quickly as Mako grabbed on and managed to swing him into the ground, clawing into his sides. The two trade blows further, before Mako, having enough of his crap, lifts up Linnorm and puts his head through the bridge they were on, wedging him into it as he tries to get a good grip to drag himself out of his hole. Meanwhile, the kid in the hoganmer costume walks up, the cops distracted enough by the combination of seeing a giant robotic drake getting hit so hard it goes through a bridge, and the fact that the crowd was large enough that controlling it was challenge enough, and walks forward, giving Linnorm a ten count and then telling him that he'd lost, official rules and everything. Defeated, Linny sinks down, going limp as he lost his chance to become a true king. From there, Mako manages to bring the forlorn dragon in, which when the Berets clamp him with a special device from the Sixteenth, ends with him shedding all his controllable scales to reveal a body covered in what seemed more like hair, apparently attachments to let the scales shift more freely. The now fuzzy Linnorm is led off, Mako goes to meet a princess because they had to talk ramifications of saving a princess from a dragon, robotic or not (it's going to end in a knighthood later on and a nice shore front house), and to get upgrades. Picked up what amounts to Seregios scales added to her armor.

Wondering if I should do more stories or see if people have concepts they want to try out. Anyone have anything they prefer?

Alright then, I guess the next one is Blare and Hailstorm Snowfox in the ant's nest.

Blare: Civilian model that got refitted to hoganmer before the first war to pay for college and because it's a better life than security for a mall. Has a pink flail and captcha grenades. Noted drunk and part of the Fifteenth.

Snowfox: Designed to fire off cryogenic missiles and with demolitions in mind, he shatters armor and creates difficult terrain normally. Got some upgrades for aquatic function by freezing the surface and running across if he needs to, and has a fondness of guns which has led him to want to begin a gun collection. Technically a custom order for Frost Walrus.

>>47968445
captcha grenades?

Just found out MHQwas running today... darn I should actually finish that mission. Sorry, have been really busy with dissertation stuff, and haven't been able to contact you on edupad

>>47968640
Not a problem, though you may want to go to the one in my sig on the forums.

>>47968500
Well, they spam copious amounts of images the enemy brain begins trying to match and sort into matching sets that are used to freak out the reploid brain before they explode, effectively paralyzing what they hit. Therefore, captcha grenade.

>>47968445
Anyway, Snowfox begins this one, having been called by Orca to do his first solo hunt after the start of the campaign by going after a maverick named Cosec Ant, a B rank who is heavily dependent upon mechaniloid drones to be any kind of threat, but whose expertise happens to be in production and assembly, providing maverick bases with mechaniloids and upgraded versions of them. As it stands, they had finally found her hive, a nest of mechaniloids hiding beneath a mountain that was shipping rehauled mechaniloid designs out to a maverick group called Claws of Echidna. Being sent in as this was the kind of mission where high collateral is a plus, and because her general rank is a B, Snowfox goes in and finds a pathway into the mountain, slowly working his way past antlike workers mining out energen, metal, and space from within the area, hauling them back in a consistent stream. Of course, nothing good lasts, as a drone eventually spots him and, seeing as Cosec is connected to ALL the drones, they all suddenly see him. As the ground shakes and rumbles, Snowfox decides fuck waiting for them to come to him and runs off at full tilt, using one of his various cryogenics based weapons to stay ahead of the impending swarm trying to cut him off at every turn by effectively icing the ground and skating on it, which also helped him by slowing down the slew of fire ant based worker drones that flooded the tunnels right behind him. As he ran, he requested backup, getting a reply from Command that he would have to secure a beamin pad just as he entered the factory proper, blowing up a tunnel behind him and swinging to safety on a recently added zipline. Looking for the nearest pad that he could commandeer, which was being used to ship out what looked to be Hama Hamas with Gunvolt turrets built into their chests, he tried out an upgrade he had recently gotten for his missiles-namely, a charging mode where they would split into smaller ones.

>>47969181
As Snowfox fires off copious amounts of rockets and decimates the line of hama hamas, even as the swarm of worker drones, a hoganmer wakes up with a hangover from hell. Blare had gotten promoted a few days before Vienna from the rank and file infantry, acting as spotter and protection for the large guns since the first Maverick war after a life spent watching a mall. As such, and as such an old vet, his decision after this was to get so drunk he then blacked out the week through, including action in Vienna with the other two of the rare remaining Hoganmers, named Defcon and Klaxon, in the boiler room. Now, to clarify a bit, Klaxon is a tech specialist, preferring to stay back behind her friends and using a drone system she developed over time to provide information to improve their tactics and aim, while Defcon just decided early on that he wanted as much armor as he could get his hands on and, at this point, is roughly four times the size of a standard hoganmer, most of that being layer upon layer of armor. Which is why, when Blare woke up groggily, he realized he would have to manage to get Defcon's fat ass unwedged from the door before anything else. This is when he noticed the small frog reploid whose snore sounded like buzzsaws hanging from a pipe.

You see, it seems that Madhouse Crucifer got picked up in their drunken escapade, though no one is entirely sure when that occurred. Maybe they were a distraction during a maverick assault that could have gone bad for Madhouse, maybe they stole a tank and were trying to order from a burning restaurant when he commandeered them for a bit more directed firepower on a maverick force, or maybe they flung Defcon through a wall, or shot him through one. No one's sure at the moment, since the most sober of them was currently being held up to the ceiling by her small drone squad while a number of fridge magnets were stuck all over her. This was then made worse by Orca yelling.

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Morning, folks. Let me get some coffee and we'll try to see off an old frog.

>>47970208
Sup HC

>>47969967
Now, this isn't particularly abnormal for him, mainly because dear god, Blare is one of the people under his command. However, it also usually doesn't involve a post tragedy debriefing where the other division commanders and Rhodes are in a meeting together and one of Defcon's weaponized porn folders replacing the relevant files. Of which, only Blare would have access to both as he loves paperwork, seeing as it helps pay for his alcohol problem. It also normally requires him to be bellowing over the comms instead of just bellowing. Wheeling Defcon out of the way, he makes his way to his enraged, embarrassed CO, who was incidentally contemplating running Blare's head through a trash compactor. Mid chewing out, he gets a call where the Fifth forwards Snowfox's request for backup, and decides to send Blare into the apparent shit show as punishment as either he'd get killed and not be Orca's problem any more or bring back the sane one and then Orca could make Blare Fox's problem. So off Blare is sent to his potential demise, joining with Snowfox just as the swarm approaches once again, skittering and crawling across the massive factory floor and rising up machinery. The floor ends up flooded with some red goop that looks odd to them both, and strange life begins growing out of the metal as mechanical plants bloom. However, Blare has one trick that I hadn't originally counted on-he comes equipped with a signal jammer. Thinking fast, he tries just blacking out the area around himself, causing any mechaniloids within 200 feet to end up going mindless as they lose their guiding function and become easy prey. Which is when we go to the next idea...

>>47970208
Morning HC. Should I continue or leave it to you?

>>47970475
Nah, go ahead and continue, I'm moving really slow this morning for a number of reasons.

>>47970475
AA here to correct you that Blare doesn't have a drinking problem. It's a drinking solution, which solves far more trouble than it causes.

>>47970479
Got it boss.

>>47970502
Never said it was a problem for Blare, mind you. Just everyone else.

>>47970475
Anyway, as Blare begins making worker minds crap out, scout drones, which are all basically flying versions of these, are sent out as a batch of the drones are sent into the goop, being reformed by Cosec into a reploid form that they begin trying to claw their way up to Blare and Snowfox with to protect their Queen and Mother. That said, this strange goop has made them no better physically, just installing a brain in them, and they are shot down in a hail of missiles and plasma from a rifle. Even then, as they fall, more mechaniloids are dropped along their path to delay them, these being the more independent sorts such as hama hamas, gun walkers, and the like. Even then, the pathways that they could likely take end up slowly getting moved away as the factory moves to Cosec's whims, trying to snare them in an isolated platform. This also backfires on Cosec though, as Snowfox decides to experiment and try the goop, as they find themselves on more and more industrial belts. Ones that lead to first Blare, then Snowfox getting exposed to a tiny portion of the Rust below.

Those of you who are new to the stories, there is a faction or two devised by one mav that a PC knows from their past, formerly called Gleaming Doe. She has made a rabidly consumptive version of the healing systems that breaks down metal and other needed materials and uses it and their own frame to rebuild or improve on existing designs. That said, it's also proven rather dangerous as too much exposure has had malign reactions such as giant globs of nanomachines trying to consume all in their paths before they harden into something nasty and near mindless. In this case, it got them some good stuff at least-generally leg upgrades and some gun integration.

Well, post limit messes this one up.

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>>47961665
“Mind pointing a few out to me?” You ask.

“I s’pose I could,” Crankshaft says. “Head on a swivel, son, there’s lots to see.”

He leads the way, slowly pushing through an increasingly milling crowd. You realize after a moment that there are a great deal more humans than you usually see in the mix. “First, we have a few unitmates--that’s Xere Xolo, over there.” You look and see a thin, almost gangly canine Reploid--he almost looks like Schwarz shaved off his plating and went on a diet. “The one beside him? That’s Ignacio Castrillo. Former human ace. He got old enough to retire, bless him.” The man--in his 40s, maybe, but looking older due to an impressive array of facial scars--flips a lighter in his hand, tumbling it over his knuckles before snapping it shut, all without looking away from his conversation. “They called him ‘Ignite You.’ Over there, with him, that’s Arctic Arctos, Overland Japan. I came in with her. She brought out old Hawkeye--Yoshitoma Ota, another retiree. Does training nowadays.”

Behind you, Yuzuki gasps.You turn as she points to a small gathering of humans, off on their own, all wearing very nice dress clothing and looking somewhat out of place among grizzled veterans and heavy Reploid armor. “What?” you ask.

“That is… probably the biggest concentration of political power the unit’s ever seen,” Yuzuki whispers, subtly hiding her drink behind her back. “That’s… oh shit they’re looking at us.”

One of the figures in particular, a shortish man with short, wispy black hair, looks at the three of you… and them, at you in particular, beaming. He breaks away from his crowd and heads over, arms wide.

“Captain Anode!” he calls. “I was hoping I might meet you.”

You awkwardly offer a hand for him to shake. “You, uh, have me at a bit of a disadvantage.”

He chuckles. “Of course. Guy Arthaud. It’s good to meet you.”

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>>47971190
“Prime Minister of France,” Crankshaft helpfully whispers in your comms. Oh. Uh, wow.

“Well! Uh. You as well, and I am completely lost,” you tell him frankly. He laughs again.

“Don’t mind me, I just wanted to give you my regards for your latest mission. We’re very grateful for your work.”

You nod numbly. “Thanks. So, uh, who are your friends?”

Guy smirks at that. “Friends, if only for an evening, we’ll all be back to business as usual tomorrow morning.” He points out the group, while Yuzuki stealthily retreats behind an amused Crankshaft. “Tanko Oguntade, Nigerian Security Minister. You may recognize John Glaston, my counterpart in Great Britain. The man in uniform beside him is Donovan Laliberté. Defense Minister of Canada. Miria Bwanika is the Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Zahra Shinde, Prime Minister of India.”

You whistle. “Commander Frog made a lot of friends, huh?”

“Something like that. He’s had a very long time to do it.” He pauses, and then that little smirk of his returns, his voice falling conspiratorial and low. “There’s actually a few more of our number that haven’t yet arrived...and one that won’t. Can you keep a secret, Captain?”

You blink.

“Good enough. You will miss Mrs. Janet Browne tonight. She’s the Prime Minister of Australia, and she is currently doing the Commander the greatest kindness we can afford him.” You lean in, perplexed, as he grins and whispers theatrically. “She is acting as a decoy to keep General Halcyon from getting here tonight.”

...Oh. OH. That’s… wow. NO one likes Halcyon, do they?

“Quite,” he replies, fighting down a laugh at your face.

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>>47971201
Perhaps wanting to get back to his conversation, or perhaps sensing your nervousness and doing you a small mercy, the PM leaves you in peace, with one last cryptic warning. “There’s an even bigger name somewhere here--if you see a Chinese tiger, please do the western world a favor and be very polite to him?” With that and nothing more, he retreats back into the corner of Ministers, and Yuzuki pokes her head out from around her father.

“Is it safe?” she asks, unintentionally quoting a favorite movie and sending you into giggles.

Crankshaft’s introductions continue--Titanium “Titan Tammy” Tamias, an ancient 8th-Armored retiree (who is also a chipmunk) crushes the old Gomeister in a hug, while Yuzuki introduces Vlad “The Impala” Bogoescu, another former human ace. Two more come over with the damselfly Masqueen Jewel of 7th Air Cav in Africa. Nchaye and Rumbi Dembélé--siblings, former aces, and once more, retired, give their regards.

“I’m noticing a pattern here,” you say. “A lot of retired aces.”

“You won’t see very many active ones, no,“ Crankshaft says. “They’re all on-mission.”

“Plus, ten years is a long time,” Yuzuki adds. “More than enough time for a human hunter to end their career. It’s rough work, and you can’t fight the clock.”

Crankshaft nods. “They’ve got a saying. If you age out, you won at maverick hunting.”

There are a lot of winners in the bar tonight. The beat goes on--back to political figures--the catfish Lightstorm Glanis, and two humanoids, Twiga and Maua, all from the African Union Security Commission, though all three are very clearly built to rumble. Leah Wechsler, President of Austria, here with Brigitte Mehler, the Chancellor. Konrad Urbetsch, the mayor of Vienna. Alain-Michel Crête, the mayor of Geneva.

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>>47971214
Meanwhile, you finally start to see some faces you recognize--all maverick hunters. Commanders Rig Wanna, Modem, Boom Foxflash, all speakers at the hunter memorial, with two or three you remember seeing with them. A few more you don’t recognize--Crankshaft is hesitant to introduce Allseasons Tenguzam--callsign “Uglyfuck,” to Yuzuki’s massive amusement--a goblin shark Reploid from Japan. Montana, a humanoid mass-production model from 14th Americas. Longpaw Corbetti with Geneva. PR8R, the sole rep from the 17th unit, bringing regards from X, who is out on mission.

Finally, still not out of people to meet, you get a comm from Emerald. “Head towards the back. It’s showtime.”

Next to the bar, a long stage has been set up, the back storage area opened up to make it possible. Max nods to you as you approach--once again wearing a “formal” overshirt and bowtie on his ancient chassis--and motions you around the side.

You’re inwardly grateful Reploids don’t have the same voice concerns as humans do, as the crowd quiets, the lights come on, and the music starts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc4J3dP7RWU

The stage isn’t big, but it’s enough for the three of you. Emerald, India, and yourself--the last of Frog’s officers in Geneva--stand up tall and belt it out, staring out into that sea of strangers and celebrities. You try not to catch anyone’s eye or focus too long, but you can’t help but notice another figure slip in and join the crowd--Striker Cobra, the Reploid who saved you and Cathode from Doppler personally. You almost falter on a note in your surprise, but manage to hold on. He sees your eye, and, ever-so-faintly, gives you a nod.

You can’t get off the stage fast enough--India has no such problem, blowing a theatrical kiss and practically sliding offstage. Polite applause suddenly turns into hoots and laughter as the music changes, with only one hunter up on the stage.

So glad we didn't skip the meet and greet.

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>>47971219
Somehow, Emerald managed to produce what looks like a croquet mallet from (heh) hammerspace, twirling it around like a showman’s cane, in a small, silly parody of Frog’s massive sledge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ZxxHbJGbY

As you rejoin the crowd--to some claps on the back and applause--you watch the show. You’d have never known Em was a drunken, surly wreck this afternoon--he’s bright, cheerful, and smiling, spinning his mallet theatrically as the crowd parts in front to admit the man himself. Hammer Frog approaches the stage with amusement all over his features, graciously accepting a mock-knighting with the croquet mallet before Em kneels to present him with it, to whoops and cheers all around.

Almost. You notice a figure--Firestar Aardwolf, you think his name was--off to one side, arms folded, very clearly not so pleased in a sea of mirth. His narrowed eyes are fixed on the stage, even as Frog pulls Em down, claps him on the back, and hoists him up on one shoulder.

>Uh-oh. Go check that out.
>Go talk to Cobra--you never got to thank him for saving your bacon.
>Other?

>>47971201
pfffff

>>47971233
>Go talk to Cobra--you never got to thank him for saving your bacon.

probably going to be my only post, my schedule clashes with your run time Hunter Command, and that makes me sad

>>47970842
At this point, Cosec was getting desperate, so she sent out her trump card-her son, a maverick named Arsenal Myrmidon who favors a variety of different modified weapons, wielding four guns at a time and able to keep rather mobile. On his side were a number of soldier ant reploids, though given more standard design and function. This led to the boss fight where Snowfox made terrain, the boss got shot off some scouts and had to stick to machinery, and reploids chased the other two, until both Snowfox and Blare managed to get rid of a couple guns, one going into the Rust and rebuilding into a new version of what would be a dead reploid, more akin to how Berets are all identical in form and function but not in mind. As they keep touching Myrmidon's stuff, getting him into a rant more and more, eventually he makes the mistake of being loud and near the (at that point) fully formed Blazing Cassowary (or as she called herself, Bloodwing Razorbeak), who was at that point sporting the hangover from hell and retaliated thusly, freeing him up to be finished by the other two. Any and all support easily made a joke by the hunters, they make their way to the control room. There they find Cosec Ant, hooked into the system and manufacturing her drones, and she promptly surrenders as she was never good in a fight. So the heroes return, Snowfox leaving a plethora of explosives behind and decimating the entire mountain. Unfortunately, as they return, they find themselves in front of Orca and a pair of Berets, told to get checked out ASAP due to exposure to potential viral substances. Right now, the hunters are currently code locked unless on mission, and given probationary officers. Snowfox has Defcon, poor sod, and Blare has either a rabbit or a spider, whoever responds first.

>>47971233
>Go check that out.
Then, time permitting:
>Go talk to Cobra.

Not illegal to be surly at a party, but there are a lot of important people in the room.

>>47971314
Seconding. We can thank Cobra at any time, but making sure no-one's going to start shit is immediate.

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Bumping while working out. Slow one today. I blame my horrid delays between threads.

>>47971233
>Uh-oh. Go check that out.

>off to one side, arms folded, very clearly not so pleased in a sea of mirth. His narrowed eyes are fixed on the stage, even as Frog pulls Em down,
Looks to me like he may have a problem with Em, rather than Frog. Did Em ever get that apology off to... that guy... about the thing? The shakedown thing?

Sorry. It's sunday morning.

>>47971233
>Uh-oh. Go check that out.

>>47972016
>Sorry. It's sunday morning.
Sunday evening here, and still a bit hungover from drinking into the wee hours of sunday morning.

>>47972016
He's in Air Cavalry so yeah, probably pissed off about Seek Parrot. Time for us to give grovelling apologies to prevent a scene.

>>47971233
>Uh-oh. Go check that out.

>>47971233
>>Uh-oh. Go check that out.
Be the fellow to keep the party going for everyone else. Only fair.

>>47971233
>Thank Conda

>>47971233

>Go talk to Cobra--you never got to thank him for saving your bacon.

The other guy probably isn't a Maverick, probably.

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>>47971314
>>47971332
>>47972016
>>47972055
>>47972087
>>47972395
>>47972651
It isn’t hard to put two and two together. You carefully cross through the raucous proceedings and beeline the Air Cav officer.

“He’s sorry,” you say by way of greeting.

Aardwolf’s eyes flit to you only for a moment, before turning back up to Em. “He doesn’t look it.”

“You should have seen him earlier,” you say warily--Aardwolf doesn’t look like he’s about to lay out and start swinging, but you can read the tension and anger all over him. “He’s putting on a brave face for Frog.”

He exhales a low, noncommittal growl. “I still need to talk with him.”

“He was going to apologize to Parrot earlier,” you continue--quietly. “I told him to sober up first.”

That gets a little purchase, at least. He exhales again--visibly lowering his shoulders--and turns to regard you. “He should. Tell him his brother would be ashamed of him.”

Ouch. “I’m not going to do that.”

“Then I will.”

“Come on,” you reply. “Half the reason he did it is his brother. And then there’s Schwarz.”

Aardwolf scoffs. “As if the Fourth is the only unit with losses.”

You put up your hands. “I know, all right? I know. I’m not defending what he did, and neither would he. Come on, let me get you a drink.”

“No, thank you, Captain. I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, and I accept that he made a mistake. But this is the last time to turn on your own like an animal. Now more than ever. Especially given Seek was nearly killed not a week before!”

He’s working himself up again--you need to de-escalate.
>I’ll talk to him, okay? It won’t be anything he doesn’t already know, but--just trust me. I’ll take care of it.
>...All right, if you won’t be mollified, chew him out, he’s got it coming. Just wait until you have privacy, please?
>Other?

>>47972758
>...All right, if you won’t be mollified, chew him out, he’s got it coming. Just wait until you have privacy, please?
Don't ruin the party.

>>47972758
>...All right, if you won’t be mollified, chew him out, he’s got it coming. Just wait until you have privacy, please?
>And let him apologize to Seek Parrot himself too.
>Ask how Parrot is.

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>>47964376
Faced with intensifying Maverick activity, Hunter forces were spread extraordinarily thin. The force fighting to keep the Europa facility held were unprepared for the attack of an X-Hunter, who cut through their ranks and proceeded to reconnect the Replibrain to the global communications net. A new wave of cyberattacks poured out from Europa, flooding the world and inserting malicious code into Mechaniloids at production sites. X realized that the X-Hunter had to be stopped and rushed to confront the Mavericks at the Europa facility, taking care to avoid the deadly traps that had forced him to pull out last time.

With the Mavericks not having bothered to resecure the internal beam-in coordinates, X was able to bypass external defenses and make his way through the facility, reaching a central command room where he was confronted by a primitive cyberspace projection. Destroying the cross-domain weapon, he discovered a highly-securitized hidden access shaft descending deep into the substructure, where a basic cyberspace domain had been erected within a large gallery. Sensing trouble from above and his target ahead, X dashed through the falling data-blocks as fast as possible, reaching the other side and confronting the X-Hunter Agile, who had been waiting for X in a gated chamber with no elements to defend from the Hunter. Using energy drawn from a Sub-Tank, X was able to overcome the arrogant Maverick and forced a retreat, claiming Zero's leg parts.

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>>47972824
Returning to his mission to put a stop to the Maverick exploitation of Europa, X came face-to-face with a strange predator Mechaniloid whose basic attack pattern was easy to overcome and destroyed it without stopping to consider the massive supercomputer that had been supervising the combat.

The Maverick guarding the facility was not one to wait around; detecting X's approach, he activated the security controls in the access corridor. X dodged treacherous falling floors and block traps and confronted the deadly ex-0th Commander Magna Centipede. Still reeling from the final hurdles and tapped out from his battle with Agile, X was not even remotely prepared for Centipede's evasive combat style and soon found himself heavily crippled by electromagnetic "poison." As a trio of tail-segment drones rushed in to crush his power core, X's shielding collapsed and his Lifesaver emergency beamout activated.

>>47972758
>...All right, if you won’t be mollified, chew him out, he’s got it coming. Just wait until you have privacy, please?

>>47972818
I can agree with that. We can take the edge of this entire thing once things slow down a bit, but as is this is about Frog and not anyone else. Give them at least that much.

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Since it's fairly slow, I'm going to go take care of some errands I don't really want to do, but a lack of things like "food" have necessitated.

No real rush, will be back to try to finish things out, etc.

>>47972758
>...All right, if you won’t be mollified, chew him out, he’s got it coming. Just wait until you have privacy, please?

From a purely manipulative angle, I think Em needs to hear this stuff. Might give him a better sense of perspective. We can't be the Bad Cop without alienating him as a friend, but Aardwolf? Sure, have at it.

>>47972758
>>...All right, if you won’t be mollified, chew him out, he’s got it coming. Just wait until you have privacy, please?
Now go Thank Conda

>>47972758
>I'll talk to him, okay?

Aardwolf bringing up Diamond in any way that implies he knew him better than his brother did will hit all of Emerald's rage alarms. There will very likely be an Incident. Don't give it an opening.

Bumping for the great Maverick cause!

>>47972758
>...I'm not saying he doesn't have it coming. But he also knows it, you're not gonna tell him anything he doesn't already know. And Frog had nothing to do with it. If you really have to do this, just wait until you have privacy, please?

Bumping in the glorious name of Sigma!

Hail Sigma! Hail the reploid revolution!

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Okay, I am back, you can stop hailing Sigma.

Or don't, I'm a writer, I'm a cop.

>>47976869
Welcome back.

>>47976869
COUGHhailsigmaCOUGH

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The Robot Junkyard had seemed like a lower priority on X's mission dossier despite Recon advising that it was being used as a base by the unknown Maverick "Morph Moth," believed to be related to an old enemy of Zero's named Collect Caterpill. It took time for reports of kidnappings and mind-controlled Reploids in the area to pile up enough to cause serious concern, but with the remaining X-Hunter having gone dark and Centipede continuing to rule over the Europa facility with impunity, the threat of adding "undead" machines to the war on the Maverick side became preeminent. X ordered Beams Nautiller to contain Europa as much as possible while he mobilized a large containment strike against the junkyard, using 3rd Deploy, 7th Air Cavalry and 15th Artillery forces to establish a rolling perimeter.

X located a central processing facility and approached on foot, discovering Maverick forces defending the interior and facing off against kidnapped mass-production Reploids who had been stripped of hardware and kept in a state of torture, suspended from energy beams throughout the passageways. Attempting to scan the area with his new Tracer sensor upgrade, X discovered a shaft in the ground that could be broken through using the Spin Wheel, and gained a tremendous gift from his creator in the form of an armor upgrade that also bestowed the mighty Giga Crush.

Back up in the main facility, X ran into the Garakuta Robots, strange functional amalgamations of Reploid and Mechaniloid detritus with no obvious core element that were capable of "rebuilding" themselves with nearby scrap. Breaching a vertical shaft guarded by Disk Boys, X discovered the dangerous secret development being led by Morph Moth: the creation and deployment of Pararoids, a type of Mechaniloid capable of animating disused Mechaniloids and using them as war machines.

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>>47977017
X fought off an old robot infested by a Pararoid prototype, destroying the flying insectile Mechaniloid, but in the chamber beyond he found to his dismay that many other models had already been released into the facility.

Descending into a Pararoid-infested scrapping facility, X came to learn that the hopping Pararoid V-1 model could latch onto him and scramble his systems, causing erratic movement and firing patterns. The Hunter shook off the parasitic Mechaniloids and followed their trail through the infrastructure and foundation of the facility, following a duct access tunnel to another infested old robot and quickly laying it low with the Giga Crush. Beyond, X located the hidden trash-filled nest of the former Collect Caterpill, currently configured as a bagwormlike core with stray dangling circuits and wires.

The Hunter Commander fought the mysterious Maverick, eluding its electromagnetic junk spin and causing it to retreat into the ceiling. Collapsing his hiding place, Morph Moth revealed his new body with a devastating kick to X that might have proved fatal if not for his new armor upgrade. Taking care to avoid the fast-moving Maverick, X traded fire for laser from a distance and at long last ended the menace of the self-rebuilding Reploid.

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>>47972795
>>47972818
>>47972877
>>47973144
>>47973196
>>47974360
You take another breath and exhale slowly. “...All right. Have it out with him. Just--wait until after you get a minute in private?” He looks up at you again. “Tonight’s supposed to be for Frog.”

“...All right,” Aardwolf decides reluctantly.

“Get you a drink, in the meantime?” You offer again.

“I suppose,” he says. ”Thank you.”

He takes a whiskey sour, as it turns out. Max doesn’t ask questions, but he does catch your eye and nod--he’s likely up on what happened, one way or the other. Aardwolf is silent for a good minute after you hand him his drink, letting you listen in to the festivities.

“It’s not as if I don’t understand you coming to the defense of a unitmate,” he finally says. Under the anger--you can tell he’d rather not have stormed into someone else’s party to look for trouble.

“It’s fine,” you offer--no need to make this any uglier than it has to be. “And honestly, he did it to himself. Sometimes the best thing you can do for a friend is let them eat it when they fuck up.”

Firestar nods over the lip of his drink, looking out into the crowds. “I wouldn’t be so adamant had he not just stood with us at that service and been counted with the unit.”

“He’s the one who rescued Seek, you remember that, right?” You point out, signaling Max that you could very much use your own drink Right Fucking Now.

“That does not make it better,” he replies. You have to admit you find yourself agreeing.

You lapse into another silence for a time, trying to pick out Frog--you can guess about where he is by the traveling ball of increased volume and commotion, across the way. “Your attitude surprises me, Captain,” Aardwolf starts again.

“What, about letting Em have it?”

“To an extent. But I meant this… party. Commander Frog has been a member of the Fourth since its inception, hasn’t he?”

“Yeah, why?”

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>>47977491
“Then why is there not some… displeasure about him leaving?” he asks. “It feels disloyal, almost. Like they should feel abandoned.”

You frown, and mull it over. “Would there be something like that in the Seventh?”

“Yes, absolutely,” he replies.

“I think that might be a difference between our units. Fourth… well. With the understanding I’ve only been here a few months?” You look over at him, and he nods. “A lot of us are just… here, because there’s nowhere else to be. We don’t rate this or that unit, we’re thrown into this or that conflict because they needed someone they didn’t have. And, I dunno if this is just me, but… there’s a lot of that feeling of being ‘thrown in.’ Frog never wanted command, that’s no secret. It makes it hard to feel like there’s some unified body for him to betray. We’re too busy reacting to have that kind of tradition. All the time.”

Aardwolf makes another contemplative noise, sipping his cocktail. “I think I understand.”

“Fourth isn’t a particularly glamorous place,” you point out. “No real reputation, like 14th, or 7th, or whoever. We’re just big and flexible. Whatever’s needed, whenever.”

“That’s an interesting take on ‘Anytime, Anywhere,’” Aardwolf points out wryly.

“Heh. I guess so.”

>Well, this is as settled as it will be for a spell. Try to track down Cobra in the crowd.
>You might have a shot at getting through the throng to actually see Frog. Go give your regards.
>Other?

>>47977525
>You might have a shot at getting through the throng to actually see Frog. Go give your regards.

>>47977525
>You might have a shot at getting through the throng to actually see Frog. Go give your regards.

>>47977525
>Well, this is as settled as it will be for a spell. Try to track down Cobra in the crowd.
>Comm Em, let him know he's going to get a verbal takedown from Aardwolf later

>>47977525
>Other?
>Well, this is as settled as it will be for a spell. Try to track down Cobra in the crowd and if unsuccessful, go give your regards to Frog.

>>47977525
>Well, this is as settled as it will be for a spell. Try to track down Cobra in the crowd.

>>47977525
>Well, this is as settled as it will be for a spell. Try to track down Cobra in the crowd.
Frog's probably still surrounded by people he knows better than us, wishing him well. Let's leave him to it.

>>47977525
>You might have a shot at getting through the throng to actually see Frog. Go give your regards.

>>47977525
>Well, this is as settled as it will be for a spell. Try to track down Cobra in the crowd.

>>47977525
>Well, this is as settled as it will be for a spell. Try to track down Cobra in the crowd.

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Regrouping with 16th R&D at the Europa facility, X prepared for a final incursion to take down Magna Centipede and recover the Replibrain. In his haste to reach the Maverick, X accidentally triggered the security alarms in the shaft to the secret gallery, causing a rapid cascade of data-blocks inside the cyberspace domain perimeter that forced careful navigation. X examined the monitors in the gallery and learned, to his concern, that the hidden facility was being used to analyze the Father of Reploids himself! Slowed down by the falling blocks and forced to slowly navigate the constantly-forming terrain, X attracted the attention of scanning reticles, to which he paid little heed.

While the Hunter was unsurprised to discover a new Raider Killer waiting for him, he had not expected the supercomputer in its guard chamber to upgrade it based on the scans taken during his traversal of the gallery. The green Mechaniloid was reconfigured to blue, red and then a purplish hue, making aggressive lunges as it changed up shot angles. X had particular difficulty with an unorthodox barrier attack that the enemy robot deployed, forcing the use of carefully-timed charged shots to break through. However, even in its upgraded form the Mechaniloid proved inferior to the hero, and in short order it fell.

X crossed the security corridor for his rematch against Magna Centipede, when began as before with electromagnetic poison disabling X's charged shot but turned rapidly in the Hunter's favor when he used his new Silk Shot weapon to disable Centipede's tail unit. The badly-injured Maverick attempted to avoid X with frequent teleports, but the Silk Shot proved able to rapidly counter the elusive Centipede ad spelled his final end. 16th R&D officers Detect Aureus and Polymath Dugon were assigned to work on the Europa Replibrain and undo the damage Centipede and Agile had wrought.

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>>47978611
ith X having taken the occasion to pursue the X-Hunter Serges to a confrontation in the depths of the energen mine, all three of Zero's major components were now back in the hands of the Maverick Hunters. Dr. Cain advised X that it would take some time to reactivate Zero and passed on information secured by 5th Navigation and 16th R&D: working in tandem with information gleaned through the tracking telemetry and from the Europa facility, they had triangulated the position of the X-Hunter base of operations to a site inside the Arctic Circle.

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>>47977750
>>47977859
>>47977886
>>47978036
>>47978305
>>47978600
“All right, you going to be okay if I go look for someone?” you ask.

Firewolf nods again.

“You mind if I warn Em you’re coming?”

He pauses, frowning. “Is he the type to slink away if you do?”

“No. If anything, he’ll probably come looking for you.”

With one last grunt, Aardwolf turns back to the bar. “As you will, then. Thank you again for the drink, Captain.”

You make your way back the way you came--past diplomats, heads of state, veterans and enlisted, looking for the 1st Advance Commander.

You find him… pocketing a tablet datapad, a trio of enlisted cursing and tromping away.

“Sir?” you ask.

“Not here on business, no ‘sir,’” he replies. “And easy money. Just hustling a few people on bar bets.”

That… is hilarious. “Right. I just, uh. Doppler, and all… Thanks?”

He waves it off. “Nothing anyone wouldn’t have done, kid. Plus, your sister does good work. You wanna see a card trick? He produces a small, well-worn deck of cards and begins quickly shuffling them on top of a coaster.”

“Does this end with me losing money?” you ask.

“Usually,” he replies nonchalantly.

“I’ll pass.”

“Smart,” he replies.

“So, how’s Cath doing?”

“Built like a tank, for her grade. Does good work. A little gun-crazy. Hits like a truck, at least.”

“Think she’s going to… y’know.”

“‘Make it?’” Cobra looks up with a chuckle before going back to his cards. “Little tip from an old hand--until you quit, none of us have ‘made it.’”

“Ah,” you say dumbly.

“Besides,” he continues. “Of the two of you, you were the one headed for the cleaners.”

“Yeah, probably,” you admit. “I just worry, you know?”

“Yeah, I do know. All you can do is your job. Trust her to do hers. She’s working with the best.”

“I’ll try.”

>Try to glean some more off Cobra.
>I’m going Frog-hunting; you in?

>>47979388
>>I’m going Frog-hunting; you in?
Time to give our gifts and see the ol' frog.

>>47979388
>I’m going Frog-hunting; you in?

>>47979388
>I’m going Frog-hunting; you in?
Is that insulting to say to a snake? Don't they eat frogs?

>>47979388
>Try to glean some more off Cobra.

>>47979388
>Try to glean some more off Cobra.
We'll get to see Frog off, probably with just Em, and the others. Might as well get a little insight into other goings-on if possible.

>>47979388
>Go Frog-hunting
>Warn Em

>>47979388
>Try to glean some more off Cobra.

>>47979388
>>I’m going Frog-hunting; you in?
We actually kind of need to talk to Frog at his own party. If we can get two old hands to give us slightly drunk, sage advice, all the better.

>>47979388
>I’m going Frog-hunting; you in?

>>47979689
>go to Frog's party
>don't actually talk to him
>run around preemptively breaking up fights the whole time
I dunno, sounds entertaining at least.

>>47979743
It's like Schwarz never left.

>>47979388
>I’m going Frog-hunting; you in?

>>47979868
He'd at least give a gruff nod and leave some super appropriate, bro-tier gift

Or start shouting about his sexcapades at the top of his lungs

>>47979868
It's our job to become the Schwarz for the next generation of hunters. Assuming we live that long.

>>47980019
SO THERE I WAS, AT FROG'S LEAVING PARTY

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>>47979436
>>47979439
>>47979464
>>47979630
>>47979689
>>47979712
>>47979743
“Just wanted to give my regards,” you reply. “I’ll let you get back to sharking--or, well, cobra-ing the rookies. Unless you want to come along?”

“I’ll catch up with Frog later,” Cobra replies. “Just some last CO-to-CO before I outrank him again.”

With that, you take your leave, remembering to shoot Em a quick warning about Aardwolf. You get a reply almost instantly, in text.

>I thought I saw him. Thanks.

You find Frog off to one side, having a very animated conversation with what seems to be a tall, armored tiger, cut in dramatic stripes of white, silver, and steel grey.

In Mandarin.

You half debate pulling down a copy of mnd.lpx, but eventually decide against it, eventually opting to lean against the back wall. Opposite you, two more Reploids you don’t recognize are doing the same--one bearing the hallmark dense frame and compact body of a mass-produced model, the other glittering silver with folded wings. She nods to you as you wait, and after a moment you return the gesture, the three of you waiting for your respective parties as they wrap up the conversation. Finally, the tiger steps back, putting out a claw, which Frog meets with a firm grasp, and they nod one last time before parting ways. Frog sees you and strides over, his gait calm and confident--he seems heads and shoulders taller tonight, without the world weighing on him.

“You know, that was the first time I’ve ever said a word to that guy?” he says.

“Who was he?”

Frog laughs. “That was Jin Baihu, one of the four Reploid generals of the Shenzhou Army, and he was never supposed to know I exist, let alone come to my retirement party.”

“Ah. I think I got warned about him. He certainly seemed all right.”

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>>47980167
“Good guy. Great fighter. We met all of once on a G-class threat where the borders get fuzzy. We both engaged at once, worked together, and then went our separate ways.” Frog laughs again, light and unburdened. “Do you have any idea how bad that would have ruined my night just a week ago, Anode?”

“Paint me a picture, it sounds like fun.”

He twirls something--Em’s little croquet mallet, you realize--and lays it over his shoulder. “He’s not supposed to be outside China at all. Just his being here would be a publicity nightmare. Imagine if one of the Ministers ran into him. Imagine if Halcyon were here.”

“No offense, sir, but I’d rather not.”

“Hey. Show some respect,” Frog glowers, suddenly darkening like a stormcloud. “I’m not ‘sir’ any longer.”

“Ah. Right, my bad.”

He laughs again, clapping you on the arm. “You know, I even had a drink tonight, and nothing blew up. I’ve needed this for a long, long time.”

“It’s nice to see you doing so well. For a change,” you add as an afterthought.

“I’m going to miss the Fourth,” he admits, as you step outside after him. “But not the work. I’ve been aching to be a dumb grunt again for years.”

“Good luck with that.”

“I already asked Commander Anisodon to tear a strip off me if I start falling back on old habits.” Frog chuckles, looking out onto the 4th base. “Thanks for coming out here, Anode. You were a pain in the ass, but I always thought you were one of the good ones.”

>?

>>47980188
"You did right by me, Frog, and I'll never forget that."

>>47980119
SO THERE I WAS IN MY QUARTERS, FIST DEEP IN THIS VIXEN, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I NOTICE A TATTOO ON HER ASS, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF IT DIDN'T SAY "HALCYON'S BITCH!"

>>47980188
>Thanks for not sticking me in a cell.
>Just so you know, the strippers will be here in a minute. Indy said you like insect-based builds, right?

>>47980188
I can't say I was trying to make to make things tough for you but we all gotta play the hands we're dealt, but at least you get to change tables on your terms. It was great having you as one of the the people keeping my ass above water. We'll miss ya MJF
>Michigan J. Frog

>>47980188
>I know we were all pains in each other's sides at one point or another but I won't forget what you've done for me. Better to enjoy a little bit of life out there while we can so... thanks again.

>>47980188
You're a good man and friend. Taught us a lot and helped us when we needed it. Thank you Frog.

>>47980275
>>47980328
These two go together well enough. Supporting.

>>47980602
oh, and don't forget our gifts to him either.

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>>47980275
>>47980328
>>47980410
>>47980452
You chuckle. “Sorry life kept making me complicated.”

“Sorry life was complicated for you. I’ve seen hunters go years and see less action.”

“Interesting times, hey?”

“Something like that.”

“Got you a few somethings,” you tell him. “Max is sitting on half of it. The other should show up at your new quarters sometime tomorrow.”

“I saw the notice, thank you. Movies and booze… I never did have time for movies,” he says musingly. “I’m going to have to change that. I mean, I’ll still be a Major, I doubt I’m going to be playing golf every day.”

“Don’t be a stranger here, all right?” You ask. “Fourth needs friends, you probably know that better than anyone.”

“Don’t I ever. Well, you’ll have 8th, at least, I can tell you that. And 7th… assuming this thing with Em doesn’t go sideways.”

You look up at him--a moment’s reluctance before you remember he’s not your boss any more. “You heard about that?”

“I’ve heard lots of things. He’s had more disciplinary action in the last week than he has in the last six years. He isn’t taking things well.”

“I don’t know if I’d do better, if it were Cathode,” you admit.

“It’s not just that--he never saw anything like Sigma--no one expected us to go through it again. Doppler, then Diamond, then Schwarz… I probably didn’t make things better. You know, before I contacted Gopher, I asked him if he’d be interested in command?”

You balk. “What, Em?”

He chuckles grimly. “I was desperate. I got as far as telling him he’d need to upgrade before he turned it down. He’s not command material--I guess I always knew that--I just didn’t expect him to be this brittle. I can’t even blame him.”

“No offense, but I think your retirement goes on that list, too. He has a lot of respect for you.”

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Frog sighs. “I know. He’s always been reliable for the day-to-day. Probably the one I worked with the most. I almost regret leaving, the way all this piled up at once--almost. But it’s now or never, and I can’t keep putting it off.“

Another minute of sullen silence, before he speaks up again. “I took him aside, a few minutes ago, and asked him to give Gopher a fair shake. Play nice, follow orders. No offense, but I would have expected to have to ask you that before him.”

“No, I get it.”

“He got real quiet, and finally told me he’d do it for me. Specifically. For my sake, and nothing for Gopher’s.” He grumbles. “I have no idea what to do.”

You chew on that for a moment, before you shrug. “Nothing. Not your problem any more, remember?”

He looks over, and chuckles. “True.”

“Nothing says you can’t be the guy’s friend. And I’ll look after him. And the Fourth, I guess.”

Frog turns to face you, turning that over before he extends a hand. “God help them all.”

You take his hand and give it a firm shake, nodding encouragingly. “Welcome to the Fourth, Frog. Now get the fuck out.”

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And that's the frog! Thread. I mean thread. Kind of took it to the wire, as far as my spare time goes. Next time, we'll likely be going for Sabomole. As always, thanks for reading, and have a good night.

>>47981223
Have a good night and best of luck with things. Thanks again for the thread as well.

>>47981223
Thanks for running.

>>47981223
Wonder how much support we're going to have and need for that S-class making a navy.

>>47981364
Less than we want, more than we have, in that order is what I am expecting.

>>47981223
Good thread man
>>47978648
Thanks for the background, Cain Labs
>>47981364
Maybe the Crossmore will be fixed just in time for us to wreck it against him

Now it's time for him to be

Hammered Frog.

>>47981223
Thanks for running. You have some of the best characters.

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When this quest started I never would have guessed that any of the characters would show up anywhere outside of /tg/. But look where we are now, Gundam has a green frog-themed mobile suit whose main weapon is a giant sledgehammer.

>>47968500
They're the weapon you get when you defeat the B-rank maverick Moot Moose. Its value lies in the fact that it can only fail to stop targets if they're not a robot, which excludes all Reploids.

Before this thread dies, I had a couple of questions about last thread.

First, was the I4203 post at the end supposed to lead to some extra writing, or something else altogether? It looks like "The Runner" won.

Second, does the news story about the Californian scientist dying refer to Dr. Cain? If I recall, he died around this time period in MMX canon.

>>47984074
Well, now I know what to pitch for the mav Blare took down to get that data and work towards it's integration. But in a nutshell, yeah. Just nicknamed it as such since Blare's player came from these threads.

>>47984298
From what I gather, that post gives us a tip after each mav fight usually related to the person based around that card. First one was schwarz and the second is Conda. What they mean? Well, thats up to discussion or debate but there are hints about the last one in previous threads.