>>939519
>"Working on it! Tell Gabriel that I want double after this."
Time to rip and tear a mother fucker.

>>939519
>Working on it.

>>939519
>>"Working on it!"
>>"There's a pilot here, and he has a Titan."

>>939519
>"Working on it!"
Good to see it's back.

>>939519
"Working on it!" You shout into your commlink. You have Orphan fire the sonar into the clouds of smoke, hoping you'll get an outline of you're opponent, but there are none. "Fuck. Eagle, I've been engaged by a hostile Titan. It has a Pilot commanding it."

"...What?!"

"I say again: There is a hostile pilot in my AO. He's fighting in a custom Ronin chassis and is pretty damn good."

"Do you need any help?"

>Send in Hong.
>Send in Eva.
>Send in Eagle.

"Don't know. But make sure you tell Gabriel that we're getting double after this. The bastard been keeping us in the dark!"

You HUD suddenly pings as the sonar picks up Reaper-1. Behind you.

Fuck.

>1d20+8 to dodge [+5 from Athletics, +3 from Titan skill].

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>939598
>Send in Eva.
She's providing overall backup for the op, so it's time for her to do her job and provide some backup to us.

>>939598
Shit I forgot to add the "I don't need any help." option. So that's there as well.

>Send no one.

File: 1481524041863.jpg (115 KB, 533x547)

115 KB JPG

>>939602
Still, I'd suggest calling up Eva. With the Reaper in play, even if it's just a Reaper, we are officially outnumbered, and even Titans must respect the numbers game.

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>939598

Send in Hong

>>939654
Hong and Eagle are currently pounding on the guard towers at the entrance, while Eva is providing idle support. Let's keep those two on their task.

>>939661
Ok then forgot but hong is the cqc guy juat have eva take his position

>>939598
Great roll from >>939601 gives us a result of 28

>Send in Hong
Momentarily replacing Hong with Eva on tower pounding should suffice, as the the grunts that Eva is to command aren't deployed yet.

Sorry had some shopping to do

>>939598

>Rolled 27, Near-crit success!

Reaper was expecting you dodge forward, jump to the side, roll. Anything that would have put you in a bad position as you desperately would try to get out of the way of his blade.

Too bad for him you did the exact opposite of his expectations.

You spin around and clocked that motherfucker straight in the cockpit.

The satisfying cracking noise of a shattering cockpit is like music to your ears, especially when Reaper's own broadsword is just inches away from your own, the blade crackling with energy. From this distance you can perfectly see the contours and the fine make of the weapon.

You want that sword.

You deliver another kick for good measure, but once again the bastard phases out. He appears again a few meters away on the edge of your sonar. The intercepted communications revealing his error.

"Damage taken to cockpit. Vision fuzzy. Retreat?" There is a pause. "No sir. I will hold the line."

"He refuses to retreat." Orphan states. "He is stubborn."

"Good." You nod. "Hong?"

"Yes?" Your simulacrum responds.

"Get your ass over here. I'll need your help dealing with this Ronin. You were always the cqc specialist. Not me."

"I'll be there in five."

"Make it two."

"Yes sir."

With a sigh you prep for another onslaught to be made by your opponent.

>Flat 1d20 [I'll add the modifiers in later] and what will you try to do to beat your opponent.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>940045
Well he'll probably do some more phase bullshit, so be ready for that. He'll be trying to remove limbs or hit the cockpit, so Morgan needs to make sure to look out for that.

I'd say the main part of our action would be to go for a leg sweep. His mech's smaller, lighter and now he can't see well. We should be able to sneak it in on him with relative ease.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>940045
Has he drawn himself away from the AA guns? If yes, start pounding the guns. Retreat is just as good as destruction if it gets the enemy out of our hair and frees us up to complete the objective.

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>940045
Shooot him

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>940045

>>940045
>>940061
You raise your 40mm aiming to where Reaper would most likely charge you. Then, an idea strikes your mind.

"Orphan. Map." A 2D map consumes the lower right of your screen, and you scan it.

> Rolled 15 [10+Wits]

Holy shit. The fight with Reaper has made you switch sides. Your back is now facing the way to the enemy AA, and Reaper's back is facing a soon-to-be-coming Hong!

Damn... that's a bit lucky.
>Forget Reaper. Book it to the AA.
>Keep on fighting Reaper until Hong arrives. Make sure your buddy has the drop on him.
>Write in.

>>940318
>>Keep on fighting Reaper until Hong arrives. Make sure your buddy has the drop on him.

>>940318
>Forget Reaper. Book it to the AA.
Our mooks and planes are probably gonna get torn up otherwise, even if it exposes us to more danger.

>>940318
Fighting retreat to the guns. Keep Reaper distracted long enough for him to not notice Hong's approach while we close in on the AA guns to imminently tear them up.

>>940318
>Forget Reaper. Book it to the AA.
I think him going "Oh shit!" and chasing after us would guarantee Hong gets the drop on him.

>>940346
>>940354
>>940357
Right. So tactical retreat then.

>1d20+8 [+3 from Titan skill, +5 from Athletics, +5 from Wits, -5 from complexity.]

Rolled 12 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>940471

Rolled 2 + 8 (1d10 + 8)

>>940471

Rolled 2 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>940471

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>940471

Rolled 19 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>940471

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>940471

File: Gorilla_tank.jpg (287 KB, 719x519)

287 KB JPG

>>940471

>Rolled 20 - Passed!

You aim your 40mm at where Reaper is hiding. Your sonar giving his position away freely. Both you tensely wait for each other to make their moves.

You take a step forward, and the Ronin moves to strike.

And then you book it in the other direction.

"Wh- SHIT!" You hear Reaper scream as he realizes a second too late about what you're about to do. "Notify the AA! They need to move. Now!"

You drop a cluster at your feet when the Canyon begins to narrow. Reaper has no choice but to dash through them, scoring several hits across its hull.

You repeat this across several chokepoints. Chokepoints that you now notice would have made great ambush points if Reaper was before you instead of behind you. Some of the clusters he could phase through, but many others he had no choice but to sally through. Chipping it off little by little. The growls of frustration you hear over the comm was nothing but music to your ears.

You vault over one last piece of tall rock and find yourself at the canyon edge. This place must have been a waterfall before it got damned off, and now it's being used as a prime place for Gorilla Tanks to set up their back-mounted flak guns and ground to air missiles launchers. One of the tanks turns around suddenly, noticing your arrival too late as you kick it right off the edge of the dried up waterfall.

The rest of the tanks then turn to you upon seeing their crumbled comrade scream to his death. Many aim their autocannons on you, but they're Gorilla Tanks. And you're in the Titan.

It was a merciless slaughter.

Reaper arrives just as you crush the last tank in Orphan's grip. The Ronin pilot screaming his frustration at you. There are no words to be said, and he simply charges at you.

>Hong will be here soon. Just keep on dodging.
>All out assault. Waste this fool.\
>Write in.

>>940777
>Hong will be here soon. Just keep on dodging.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>940777
>Hong will be here soon. Just keep on dodging.
As in the words of all great tanks, be they Paladin, Monk, or Fighter:

ACTIVE DODGE.

>>940777
>>Hong will be here soon. Just keep on dodging.
>and shooting

>>940777
Wow, being Reaper is suffering.

>Hong will be here soon. Just keep on dodging.
Maybe with Morgan dashing away from Reaper and shooting cluster missiles at his feet a couple times. For fun.

>>940777
>Hong will be here soon. Just keep on dodging.
Oh god, poor Reaper. That was hilarious.

Rolled 9 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>940777
Dodge and push Reaper of the cliff

>>940818
...Man, the humiliation would be total.

>>940777
>>940818
Changing to this from >>940801
He won't even see it coming since he's so angry.

>>940777
>Hong will be here soon. Just keep on dodging.
Scream/laugh like a maniac over open coms while doing it.

Right. So I'm seeing that you keep on dodging until Hong comes while also laughing and continuing to humiliate Reaper?

>>940887
Sounds like a plan.

>>940887
Pretty much. Morgan's probably going to feel bad about this later.

>>940887
Not so long that we jeopardize the mission for stalling so long.

>>940891
>>940893
>>940913
Righto then!

>1d20+8 please.

Rolled 4 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>940937
>We still get a +8 when deliberately humiliating someone
Being Reaper is suffering all the suffering ever. Especially once Hong gets here and shoves his own sword up Reaper's ass.

Rolled 17 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>940937

Rolled 5 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>940937
ACTIVE DODGE

>>940951
Well, I suppose I should expect nothing less than total domination by Morgan and his team

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>940937

Rolled 15 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>940937
It be meeeee

>rollan intensifies

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>940777

>>940951
>Rolled 25 - Passed!

You dance around your opponent. Launching taunt after taunt against the originally cool and calculative reaper, your words cutting deeper than any knife ever could. On occasion you would launch clusters at Reaper's feet to watch him dance around you.

He stabbed. You sidestepped.

He slashed. You ducked.

He spun. You spun.

It was easy to keep in tempo with Ronin's reckless slashes. All the while you were laughing at him on the open comm. Slowly, but surely, peeling away whatever vestiges of pride this man once had.

Then Hong came in for the finishing blow.

He phases in just as Reaper raises his broadsword high. Broadsword cutting into Reaper's cockpit. The ronin goes tense, arms flailing against Hong's own Titan. Desperately scrabbling for something to grab on to. Anything to free itself.

Then the ronin goes slack, and the Titan slides off the blade like butter on a hot knife. A clean kill.

"Target eliminated." Hong states, the arcing waves of his broadsword igniting the oil into puffs of smoke while the blood evaporates. With a spin of the blade he attaches it to the back of his Titan. "Good job keeping it distracted. And eliminating the targets."

You nod. "Thanks for the assist."

"Captain this is Goblin 1-1." You hear over the commlink. "Thanks for the assist. We'll be dropping troopers on your AO. Expect reinforcements in five minutes."

Hong gives you a thumbs up. "Good distraction. And... were you taunting him at the end?"
>"What of it?"
>"Yeah. It was surprisingly easy at the end."
>"Eh, sort of."
>"Enjoy the show?"
>Write in.

>>941589
>>"Yeah. It was surprisingly easy at the end."
>> It kept him off his game and made it easy for you to sweep in and ice him. Just because we ban the use of nukes and chemical weapons doesn't mean we ban harsh words or derision.

>>941589
>"Eh, sort of. It was pretty easy."
"I was more concerned with not dying, but he's just some pirate that spends all his time bullying civvies. He had it coming."
>"Enjoy the show?"

File: MY SIDES.jpg (55 KB, 511x511)

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>>941589
>>941602
This.

Also, are you going with a 'first roll takes all' system?

>>941611
picture was unintentional and has no relevance

>>941611
best of 3 it seems

>>941589
>"Yeah. It was surprisingly easy at the end."
>"Enjoy the show?"

>>941589
>"Yeah. It was surprisingly easy at the end."
> It kept him off his game and made it easy for you to sweep in and ice him. Just because we ban the use of nukes and chemical weapons doesn't mean we ban harsh words or derision.

>>941589
>>"Yeah. It was surprisingly easy at the end."
>> It kept him off his game and made it easy for you to sweep in and ice him. Just because we ban the use of nukes and chemical weapons doesn't mean we ban harsh words or derision.

>>941589

Just because we ban the use of nukes and chemical weapons doesn't mean we ban harsh words or derision

>>941589
"Enjoy the show?" You cheekily ask.

"Yes." Hong admits. "It was a beautiful display of art and total domination. I say you had him wrapped around your finger right until the very end. A wonderful showing."

>Hong Approval raised by +1!

Ah, right. Sadist.

You cough into your fist. "Yeah. It was surprisingly easy at the end. It kept him off his game, became too focused on just hitting me that he never saw you coming." You kick the unresponsive Titan. "It kept him off his game and made it easy for you to sweep in and ice him." You then smile again, giving your friend a thumbs up. "Just because we ban the use of nukes and chemical weapons doesn't mean we ban harsh words or derision."

Hong simply laughs. "Indeed! Maybe I should apply that to my own fighting style." The ronin adopts a thinkers pose, the machine balancing itself by digging its broadsword into the rock. "Hmm... that would be a good idea, wouldn't it?"

"It depends if their feelings get easily hurt." You pat him on the shoulder. "C'mon. We still have a contract to do, and I want some damn answers with Gabriel once this is over."

"Indeed." Hong nods. "You're not the only one who's pissed off with him. I heard Eagle was reaming the poor bastard before I left."

"Ooph. I hope she doesn't say too much then." You cringe. Eagle was someone who despised error, especially misinformation that could cost more lives then necessary. This isn't exactly a clandestine mission, but it's still something that should have been revealed to you. This isn't your first rodeo with dropping into a hotzone after all. You'd done that plenty of times during the beginnings of the Titan Wars. Hell, you did it at Demeter.

You don't think you'll ever forget Demeter. Those defeated looking faces as you flew away...

Right. Time to stop thinking about the past. Prep for the future.

"Reinforcements will be hear any minute now." You state. "Let's move up and storm the gates. No telling about what's waiting for us inside."

"What about the sword?" Reaper points to Reaper's broadsword. Even now it still crackles with nascent energy as it lays beside its fallen master.

>Take it.
>Don't take it.

Off to bed guys. Will post in the morning.

>>941999
>Take it.
If we have the space for it. A sword's not very useful for a long range Titan. If not have a Goblin or whatever's used to ferry cargo come around and pick it up.

Nice trips by the way.

>>941999

Take it
Every one wants and sword

>>941999
>Take it.
If we can't find a way to slot/slave it to Orphan, it'll at least make a neat trophy.

>>941999
>Take it

Maybe modify it in the future

Also
>Reaper points to Reaper's sword

>>941999
>Take it.

As a start up merc group we should not refuse free things.

>>941999
>Take it.
Never turn down loot!

>>941999
>Take it.
I mean, we said we wanted it.

>>941999
>Take it.
Hong can have it if he wants.

>>941999
You dig your feet beneath the sword, then kicking it up. It flies for a short while before you grab it by the hilt. You take a moment to spin the blade around, testing its length and balance. Every time you swing it it leaves a short wave of arc energy behind it, making a satisfying sound as it electrifies the air.

You like this sword.

You mag-lock it to your back, satisfied. "What's the situation, Hong?"

"Talk to Eagle." He suggests.

You nod, pinging her on the commlink. "Eagle?"

"WHAT?!"

Oh boy. She's angry. No doubt Gabriel wasn't forthcoming. Best to keep things official. "AA has been destroyed. What's the situation at the gates?"

"Reinforcements are here. We have one the four defense towers destroyed, and another disabled. There are still two more. Eva took a bad hit to the shoulder and can no longer aim as well. She needs repairs."

"And how are you?"

"I'm fine. Took some shots but the armor is still holding up. We can still fight."

"Good. We'll be coming soon."

"What's the plan?"
>Now that we have grunts. Storm the gates.
>Keep on peppering the towers until they're all down.
>Write in.

>>942379
>Now that we have grunts. Storm the gates.
See if the grunts can capture the remaining towers and turn them to our side.

>>942379
>Keep on peppering the towers until they're all down.
No need to waste our grunts, also giving them the image that we truly care for them will give us better morale and make us more attractive to contractors with morals.

>>942387
This.

>>942387
What if the grunts can flip those towers?

>>942394
It's a question right now of if we want the titans or the grunt to take the hits, and given that titans can be repaired, but a human taking an anti-titan round can't, I'd prefer to use the titans to take down the turrets, or at least take a lot of the punishment.

>>942379
>>942387
I'll vote for this.

>>942379

>Keep on peppering the towers until they're all down

>>942379
"Keep on peppering the towers." You begin. "Keep the Grunts out of the sightlines. Let the Titans do most of the work. We'll be there soon to assist."

"Very well. Be here soon."

The call ends. Nodding to Hong the two of you exit the canyon, and move closer to the real battle.

~

It's carnage. That's one way to say it. Smoking wrecks of APC's, Gorilla Tanks, and a few light tanks dot the horizon before the wall. Two of the final four defense towers fire their cannons straight into the rocky outcrops where your men and titans are hiding in. You vault over a fallen stalagmite and the two towers snap to you. You dash towards a chipped rock wall and take cover, the enemy fire chipping more off your cover as they keep you suppressed.

Hong phases besides you, ducking a bit lower as to avoid getting caught himself.

"Morgan!" Eagle shouts your name, peering from your cover you see her and Eva taking cover behind a large outcrop of stones. "We need to take out those towers before we can hit the gates! Plan?"

>Rockets. Lots of rockets.
>Save the rockets. Use bullets.
>Someone distracts the towers while the rest shoot them.
>Write in.

>>942534
>>Rockets. Lots of rockets.

>>942534
>Rockets. Lots of rockets.
We've got fire support now, right?

>>942534
>Someone distracts the towers while the rest shoot them. With lots of rockets.

Us and Hong. Hong because he can phase to avoid fire. Us because we're next to undamaged.

>>942534

Thiw the sword you just got at one of them

>>942534
>Rockets. Lots of rockets.

>>942534
Rockets it is.

>1d20+8

File: Weight of my Tank.jpg (98 KB, 766x417)

98 KB JPG

Rolled 6 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>942820
We're not in a tank, but it fits.

Rolled 20 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>942820

File: 1481076572660.jpg (110 KB, 379x596)

110 KB JPG

>>942834
I think we jut Aced the second half of battle.

File: Massive collateral damage.jpg (12 KB, 190x266)

12 KB JPG

>>942834
Aww yess!

Rolled 3 + 8 (1d20 + 8)

>>942831
Nat 1!

File: Critted.gif (536 KB, 381x512)

536 KB GIF

>>942862
Do you happen to know what sauce that image is from?
>>942834
Pic related

>>942834
Well shit

>>942534
>CRITICAL SUCCESS

"Rockets on my mark!" You shout to both Eva and Eagle. There's no need for Hong since his Titan doesn't come equipped by them. "Now!"

You, Eagle, and Eva fly from cover. Launching a barrage of rockets into the enemy towers and fortifications. Eva's salvo slams across the walls, shredding apart defensive positions and sending the enemies hiding behind them reeling.

Eagle's calculated barrages send missile after missile into key weak points of the enemy structure. One such rocket slams into a crevice; widening it for another rocket that shatters the entire wall, sending it crumbling to the earth.

Finally, there's you. You fire a cluster at the first active tower. And you watch in complete shock as the missile somehow penetrates its armor and traps itself within. The bombs go off and the armor ruptures from within, sending deadly blades of shrapnel to the surrounding guards, eviscerating them. A lucky rupture destroys one of the tower's legs and it falls into the second tower, slamming into it. The opposing tower desperately tries to function, its main cannon flailing wildly as it attempts to find a target, only to be crushed under the weight of its opposite.

Everyone is quiet. Nothing but the sounds of fire, explosions, and dying men filling the air.

"Wall taken." You state. "Now let's open that damn gate. Gabriel has a lot to answer for."

~

"I am... impressed, Captain Shrike." States Gabriel, a calm smile on his lips. "You have exceeded my expectations."

You frown, crossing your arms. Around you are your grunts moving to and fro with bands of arrested pirates marching in front of them. Once the walls had fallen the remaining pirates realized that they stood no chance against two flanking teams of pilots and their Titans. Not only that but they had lost their own pilot and titan to you.

The surrender was almost instantaneous.

You left the management to your comrades while you spoke with Gabriel at the center of the compound. Behind you kneels Orphan who glares down at the dark man who nearly got you killed. Titans are... protective like that.

>"...I want double."
>"Mind explaining me why this place is so worth your time? It isn't because of the civilians, is it?"
>"I'm a mercenary, Gabriel. It's what I do."
>Write in.

>>942963
>Write In. "You knew about the pilot and didn't say a damn thing, didn't you?"
>"...I want double."

>>942963
>>942965
This.

>>942963
>>"...I want double."
>You knew about their little surprises and didn't share.

>>942963
>"I'm a mercenary, Gabriel. It's what I do."
>"...I want more. And while he was more an inconvenience than anything else don't pretend you didn't know there was a pilot. Or that you wouldn't have been in a rough scrap without us to smooth this all out. "

>>942963
>"Mind explaining me why this place is so worth your time? It isn't because of the civilians, is it?"

>>942963
>>942965
>>942978
These.

>>942963
>Write In. "You know, withholding information on a contract is hardly the action of a man who desires repeat business. Or to keep breathing."
>"...I want double."

>>943056
This too.

>>942960
I'd say it comes from Ajin: Demi-Human (great manga). Looks like the main antagonist, a cunning fucker.

>>942963
Like so
>>942978
>>943056

>>943121
Yeah, I read it. Loved the premise and execution for the manga. Not the anime though, they fucked that with the 3d modeling.

File: Gabriel.jpg (124 KB, 1200x1600)

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>>942963
You glare at Gabriel for a long moment. The men behind him standing around awkwardly from your withering glare. They can feel it even though your helmet is still on.

"...I want double."

"Done." Gabriel claps his hands together, still smiling. That smile is beginning to infuriate you. "Anything else?"

You take a dangerous step forward. The pilots behind Gabriel reach for their weapons, but they don't draw them. As if sensing the tension in the air your grunts stop what they're doing and begin to watch the scene unfold.

"You knew about the pilot and didn't say a damn thing, didn't you? Hell I bet you knew about *all* the surprises this place held."

Gabriel's smile falters a little, but it holds. "I knew *some* of them, Captain Shrike. But I didn't know the full extent of what they had."

"He is lying." Orphan's voice buzzes into your commlink.

"Bullshit." You lean in closer. "I know you're lying to me, Gabriel. I've lived long enough with corporate shitheads to know when someone is lying to me. Don't pull that shit with me." You then smile beneath your helm. "You know that withholding information on a contract is hardly the action of a man who desires repeat business. Or to keep breathing."

That sets off his guards. They draw their rifles, one of them reach for Gabriel's shoulder to safely pull him back. Your grunts react in tandem, drawing their own weapons, one of them even looks ready to prime a grenade.

Gabriel and yourself, however, don't draw their firearms.

Gabriel raises his hand, signalling the other ACEs to stand down. His men share a worried glance, but nonetheless lower their weapons. In turn you give the signal for your men to lower theirs.

"I... see that we have come under a grave misunderstanding." Gabriel begins. This time, he's not smiling. "Please do understand me, Captain Shrike. That the concern of the people was our first priority, and you have done an excellent job with securing them. The people will no doubt be thankful, and I am sure many would be willing to replenish the ranks of the men you've lost on the field. However, the true priority of our mission lays beneath this facility."

"Beneath the facility?" Confused you look down, seeing nothing but cold rock.

"Yes. We have discovered that their are alien ruins located deep below the facility, and that the pirates here and were planing to mine them using slave labor. Of course, it was poor luck that the colonists had arrived shortly before the pirates came as well. You can see where I'm going with this, yes?"

"Yes." You nod. "Colonists came at a bad time, then came the profiteering pirates who wanted to make it big using these ruins."

"Exactly." Gabriel nods, his smile slowly returning. "We merely wished to... kill two birds with one stone. Save the colonists and slaves, and also earn ourselves some ancient ruins."

>What are the ruins from?
>What if the pirates had friends?
>Which is why you hired us...
>Write in

>>943242
>Which is why you hired us...
So, let's nope out of here and avoid this alien conspiracy thing.

>>943242
>Which is why you hired us...
>What are the ruins from?

>>943242
>Which is why you hired us...
I don't think fucking with alien shit would be a good idea. Let's just help the colonists and stay away from the freaky shit.

>>943200
That's a problem with some of the more recent animes. They should partner up with some game artitsts to increase the quality of their models.

>>943242
What does Orphan says on the last part?
>Which is why you hired us...
>What are the ruins from?

>>943272
The last time the IMC or Militia messed with alien shit, Marder tried to Death Star the Militia stronghold planet of Harmony, and Typhon was destroyed in the process.

>>943283
Yeah, I know. Which is why I think messing with it isn't a good idea.

It MIGHT be a good idea because it could be worth a lot of money. But maybe not enough to cover all the bullshit.

>>943276
Honestly the one I was most disappointed with was Kingdom. The manga is great, and it could be a significantly better Dynasty Warriors if they tried, but the animation is just so off putting that I can't get over it.
>>943242
>Which is why you hired us...
>What if the pirates had friends?
"How do you plan to hold the place? My team doesn't kill non-com, and we sure as hell don't leave them to die a worse death than what they had."

>>943308
>>943242
this

Wel need to set an insurance they won't try to cross us (again), like a timed bombardment with burrowing payload or something

>>943308
Trying to do animes with quality graphics while using budget companies/ nonspecialized graphic artists give us this kind of shit. I understand 3d modeling shaves off the time and cost of making an episode, but the cringe factor prevents them from being as well-loved as they should.

Producing shitty animes for the sake of publishing many of them, is like throwing barely cooked pasta at a wall to see if any stick.

>>943389
I mean, it took years for a bunch of anime to be made in a quality manner, and we responded to those by throwing money at them.

Why don't they learn from that?

File: ly08hdshWf1r534vfo1_500.gif (499 KB, 500x281)

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>>943431
Not all studios got what they thought they deserved.
And ravening consumerism still gives purchase to the mass-produced crap, like the shittiest instant noodles (not even in a cup, fer christ's sake).

>>943242
>Which is why you hired us...
Well this doesn't bode well.

>>943242

Which is why you hired us
Just loot the fallen towers and solders and piloet we to restock then gtfo

>>943242
You hold your glare. "Which is why you hired us..."

"Yes." Gabriel nods, his trademark smile now returning. "We wanted a one-hundred percent success rate. And we wanted someone who *knows* how to get the job done. You aren't as secretive as you think yourself to be, Captain Morgan Isaacson."

You don't react. This isn't your first rodeo. "What if the pirates have friends?"

"The skullz are a... unpopular group. Even among their own kin." Gabriel continues, not reacting to your lack of reaction. "We researched them extensively."

You huff, crossing your arms. "I would ask about the ruins, but I know you'll be a cryptic little shit. So!" You clap your hands, interrupting whatever Gabriel was going to say next. "I will take my payment, and the civilians will be escorted to the nearest Freespace port. After that we're done here. If this turns into another Typhon, I want to be as far away from this place as possible."

Gabriel nods. "Indeed. You'll get your pay, and then you're free to go."

You hold the glare a little longer, and then you sigh. "Orphan. Let's go."

On command the Titan picks you up, her cockpit opening to put you in.

"And Captain Shrike!" Gabriel shouts just before the cockpit closes. He takes off his hat and makes a comedic bow. "It was a pleasure."

You stare at the man in your seat. "...It was." And then you turn to leave, rallying your men behind you to leave.

>CONTRACT COMPLETE!
>Money Earned: 13000$ [6000$ from job, doubled. 1000$ from salvage].
>Gained Broadsword for Orphan.
>Gifted several working Gorilla Tank [Gift of goodwill from Gabriel]. Grunts now have light Gorilla Tank support on the ground.

>+1 Reputation gained with the Angel City Elite.
>+1 Reputation gained with the Militia.
>+1 Reputation gained with the Freeport Systems.

"And this is your host, Amanda Holiday!" The chipper blonde news reporter smiles at the TV screen. "And boy do we have some great news for you!"

The woman shuffles through some papers before picking up the one she wants. "As of three hours ago a unknown Columbia Class Frigate jumped into Freespace territory and contacted the nearest station about holding several colonists and slaves rescued from a pirate enclave. The Star Burner - the ship's name, was also escorted by an ACE carrier carrying several more rescued persons. Thanks to the rapid response of the station they were more than capable of handling the wounded and distraught. It became later known that the Star Burner's crew is lead by the infamous Captain Morgan 'Shrike' Isaacson and his newly christened Mercenary Company, The Falling Stars. Whether it is to be believed that Captain Morgan - and by extension his company - is willing to help the Frontier further, or if he was in it for the money, is not known. Please stay tuned to learn more about this infamous survivor of Demeter next on the FNN!"

>1/?

File: Liberty Station.jpg (433 KB, 1680x769)

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>>943915
You kick back another shot of rum as the reporter continues on with mundane, everyday reports. Right now the Star Burner is docked at Liberty station, a popular space station that is just on the edge of the Freespace systems. It's well armed and defended by all the Core Fleets of the Militia and has become a popular station for trade and reinforcement. Thanks to your help on Gria the people of the station were more than willing to help your men restock on arms, ammunition, and medical supplies. While it will take some time to make sure the civies get a nice place to stay, at least their safe now.

"Captain! Captain Morgan?!" You see a grunt walk in, holding a datapad. When he sees you wave him over and he quickly moves to your side, bringing his voice down to a whisper. "Private call for you, Captain. Two of them."

You raise an eyebrow, looking at the datapad he's given to you. "From who."

"Commander Sarah Briggs, and another from..." He pause for a moment. "Admiral Marcus Graves."

Your hand tightens around the datapad, making the screen nearly crack.

>"What the hell does Marcus want?"
>"I'm not interested in either."
>"Why do they wish to talk to me suddenly?"
>Accept the call (which one?)

>>943926
>>"What the hell does Marcus want?"
>"Why do they wish to talk to me suddenly?"

>>943926
>"What the hell does Marcus want?"
>"Why do they wish to talk to me suddenly?"
>Accept the call (which one?)
Both. At the same time. They probably have offers for us, making them bid against one another is good for us.

>>943949
>>943926
This

Also, fuck mobile. Third attempt at posting.

>>943956
4chan mobile is literally garbage. Why does it default to zooming in on the top of the page every time you change orientation (I do it on accident all the time) instead of where you were? They didn't even try to get it close to where you were.

>>943926
>"Why do they wish to talk to me suddenly?"

>>943926
>"What the hell does Marcus want?"
>Accept the call (which one?)
Let's see what Sarah has to say.

>>943959
I'm on Android and use the Clover application.

>>943972
Clover app? Never heard of it. Is it not as bad as mobile 4chan?

>>943974
I don't bother with 4chan on a mobile browser. Clover lets you cleanly navigate and post between boards and threads within its own UI, and you can even pin favorite threads for immediate access.

>>943976
Sounds pretty good I'll look into it. Hopefully I'll never need it though.

>>943974
>>943976
Am... am I in a commercial?

>>943981
I think so. At least I'm not shouting at you like Billy Mays.

File: 83f.jpg (85 KB, 611x924)

85 KB JPG

>>943981
>>943983
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! DOWNLOAD IN THE NEXT .22222222 SECONDS AND GET 100% OFF!

>>943976
Clover got taken off the google play store...

mimi is nowhere near as good

>>943926
>>"I'm not interested in either."

uhhh bump?

>>943926
>Accept the call [Both, Marcus First]
Bitch about it.

>>943949
Supporting.

>>943926
"What the hell does Marcus want?" You growl. Ever since he defected he hasn't contacted you in years. Years! Why now of all the times? Is it because you 'helped' the Frontier? Bullshit.

"I-I do not know, sir." The grunt stutters. "But we have a private conference room for you to make the call at anytime, sir."

You glare at the datapad. "...Why do they wish to talk to me suddenly?"

"I...I do not know, sir."

You glare at the datapad a little bit longer, hoping that it would spontaneously combust after a short while. Sadly that turns out to be wishful thinking. So instead you sigh. "Set up the call. For both of them. Marcus first, then Sarah. Let's see what they have to say."

~

It was easy enough to set up the call. Eagle had seen to it. One of the neglected office spaces aboard the Star Burner was finally put to use. The room was cold as hell due to the lack of heat, but if you're going to have these 'face-to-face' sessions with clients you think you'll have the cold rectified.

A hologram screen widens before you. At first there's nothing but static, but then it begins to rapidly clear. Revealing a dark-skinned, older man with a stubble of black and gray hair and heavy bags under his eyes.

Marcus Graves.

"Morgan..." The hard-faced admiral's face softens somewhat as he begins to recognize you. The vestiges of a familiar smile forming on his lips. "It's good to see you."

>"Why now, Marcus?"
>"What the hell do you want?"
>"This better be good, Marcus."
>Write in.

>>944312
>Good to see you too Marcus
> Now what the hell do you want?

>>944312
>"What the hell do you want?"
My paranoia senses are tingling

>>944319
This.

>>944312
>>944319
This. Friendly and to the point.

>>944312
>>"This better be good, Marcus."

>>944319
>>944312
This

>>944312
>>944319
This

I much prefer IMC fashion, though.

File: 31e928191c072a5579cea63fe(...).jpg (203 KB, 480x1440)

203 KB JPG

>>944563
You fucking would.

File: 1480637150890.jpg (380 KB, 1080x1920)

380 KB JPG

>>944586
That said, the Militia is fine too.

File: TF_IMC_M01.png (367 KB, 460x1080)

367 KB PNG

Oh Yes...

>>944312
>"Why now, Marcus?"

>>944312
>"You didn't even have the balls to see if I was still alive after Demeter, but you call me now?"
>"What the hell do you want?"

>>944312
"Good to see you too, Marcus." A thin smile also appears on your lips, and then it suddenly drops. "Now what the hell do you want?"

Marcus' smile fades and he makes a sad sigh. "Well... when I heard that you were docked in Liberty Station, I heard that you docked there and... I was hoping we could do some face to face. Morgan, it's been nearly six years after Demeter. And... honestly I have to say that I have no excuse for not contacting you sooner."

>"This better be good Marcus."
>"I'll be around for two days, Marcus. Two."
>"Why now, Marcus?"
>Write in.

>>945362
>"I'll be around for two days, Marcus. Two."
>"Why now, Marcus?"

>>945362
>>945384
This.

>>945362
>Why now, Marcus?

>>945362
>"Why now, Marcus?"
>"It's been years. Years. Don't pretend like we have some war buddy in the trenches bullshit when you walked off and left us behind without a single goddamn word."

File: Graves.png (351 KB, 750x750)

351 KB PNG

Bloody hell I keep on forgetting to post Grave's picture

>>945362
"It's been years. Years." You growl. "Don't pretend like we have some war buddy in the trenches bullshit when you walked off and left us behind without a single goddamn word."

"I can understand your resentment but-"

"Why now Marcus? Why. I'll give you two damn minutes to explain yourself or I'll end this damn call right now."

Marcus is quiet. He opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it. He repeats that several more times as you impatiently wait for him to say something. Anything.

"I...I can't talk to you about here. On call. Too many people listening." He is quiet, and serious. You've known Marcus long enough to know when he's being serious. "I just need a day, Morgan. Just a single day. And when that's over, we can never talk again. All right?"

>"Two days, Marcus. Two days."
>"...Fine."
>"What the hell have you gotten yourself into now?"
>"The Militia life not suiting you?"
>Write in.

>>945574
>"...Fine."
>"Two days, Marcus. Two days."

>>945574
>"...Fine."
>"The Militia life not suiting you?"
>"Gonna try to jump their ship and onto mine?"

>>945574
>"Two days, Marcus. Two days."
>"...Fine."

>>945574
>Fine

>>945574
>"Two days, Marcus. Two days."
>"...Fine."

File: 1481953977055.webm (2.93 MB, 1280x720)

2.93 MB WEBM

>GIVE THAT GRUNT A PROMOTION

>>947147
The melee's janky as fuck for everyone else too? I thought it was only me.

File: Sarah Briggs.png (171 KB, 340x595)

171 KB PNG

>>945574
You are quiet for a long moment, staring at the screen. "Two days, Marcus. I'll give you two. If you're not here, I'm gone."

Marcus breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Morgan. You have no idea how this means to me."

You raise a hand. "Just be here. We'll talk more later."

"Of course, Morgan! I will explain everything once-"

You end the call. Not really wanting to hear him talk anymore. Rude? Yes. But he should know better than being a cryptic little shit.

"Marcus..." You grumble, opening a text file. "BE SAFE." Is all you send. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into now?"

~

"This is Commander Briggs." A brown-haired woman with spiky hair and a red bandana wrapped around her forehead salutes you. "You're Captain Morgan, right?"

"In the flesh." You state with a nod, saluting her as well. Your hands then go to your back. "It's rare to get a private call from the commander of the Marauder-Core. What's this for?"

She smiles. "Glad you asked. Personally, I wanted to congratulate you on a job well done rescuing those civies from those damn pirates. We're stretched thin as it is on the frontlines now that the Freespace Systems have begun to feel it."

Ah... so the rumors about the dwindling support for the M-Core is true then. Makes sense. With other Cores like the Serenity and Native Core now encroaching on their AO... things have apparently gotten really tense.

>"I assume you have a job for me, Commander Briggs."
>"Trouble on the frontline?"
>"Have you seen Marcus Graves? Me and him go way back. How is he?"
>Write in.

>>947241
>"Trouble on the frontline?"
Asking about a mission commits us

>>947241
>"Trouble on the frontline?"

>>947241
>"Trouble on the frontline?"
>"I guess that means you have a job for us there."

>>947241
>Trouble on the frontlines?

I wanna ask about Marcus but that seems like a good way to get leverage on us

>>947241
>"Trouble on the frontline?"
I thought it was Marauder Corps, not Marauder-Core.

>>947241
>"Trouble on the frontline?"

>>947241
>"I assume you have a job for me, Commander Briggs."

>>947241
>"Trouble on the frontline?"
Give nothing, take everything. Don't agree to contracts until we have talked to Marcus.

>>947241
>>948040
second

>>947309
Funny enough the lore calls them the Marauder Core. That, or I misread it.

>>947241
"Trouble on the front line?" You ask innocently. That means more money.

Briggs scoffs. "Of course not! Yes, I do admit that the M-Core is a bit thin at the moment. But we're swelling with new and eager recruits. And experienced pilots."

You get the feeling you know where this is going.

"In fact. I was hoping to hire you for a job."

Knew it.

You straighten yourself. "I'll need details, ma'am."

"Of course!" She smiles, apparently happy with getting down to business. "You're familiar with Harmony, yes?"

"Harmony?" You raise an eyebrow. "The Planet?"

"Yes! You see we're dealing with some annoying Remnant Fleet bastards that need dealing with. Interested?"

>Accept Special Pilot Mission?
>Yes.
>No.
>Maybe later?
>Write in?

>>949629
>What sort of trouble are they causing?
Since we helped the colonists, it's unsurprising the Militia wants us to throw in with them. That said, the Remnant Fleet is an enemy to everyone (General Marder calls them a "rogue element"), so it's not like anyone will miss them.

>>949629
>Write in?
We'll need details and a contract. This doesn't make us or the Falling Stars part of the milita, first and foremost. The contract is good for this one job.

And when I say "details" I mean every detail. Numbers, Titans, amount of Pilots, everything. And what they're sending. No way we're walking into a suicide mission.

And Morgan says something about wanting to help the Colonists but not dying or getting his guys killed is more important.

>>949651
>Don't die, and don't shoot innocents
That's the modus operandi.

>>949651
>>949670
That's what I was going for.

>>949651
voting for this

>>949629
>>949651
Oops, just noticed.

*not dying and not getting his guys killed is more important.

>>949629
"With all due respect, Ma'am." You begin. "I need details, and I mean *every* detail. Numbers, Titans, amount of Pilots, everything. And what they're sending if things go south."

"That's completely understandable!" Briggs claps her hands together. "The Remnant base we want you to hit is... fairly small, actually. It's an observation post."

An observation post?

"We *believe* that there are about twenty or so living persons with some light Specter and Stalker support. No Titans, or Pilots." She winks.

You can't help but think about how cryptic Morgan was being the call before...

Something's fishy here.

>"Ma'am. Just what are you playing?"
>"How soon do you want the contract done?"
>"Where's the base?"
>"I accept. We'll be at Harmony in two days."
>Write in.

>>950123
>"Ma'am. Just what are you playing?"

>>950123
>"How soon do you want the contract done?"
>"I'll have to put you on hold for now, I have some business for the next couple days. I'll have to give you my answer 3 days from now."

>>950123
>"Ma'am. Just what are you playing?"

>>950123
>>950144
This

>>950123
>>950144
Hmm, maybe "I can give you my answer 3 days from now would sound better."

You know, just take creative liberty and write whatever you think would sound best, it doesn't have to be what I wrote. I'm not good at writing dialogue.

>>950123
You think about it for a short while. This is too sketchy for your liking.

"Currently I'm going to be busy with resupplying my forces for the next one or two days, or so. We got some new Gorilla Tanks that'll need some calibrating and rearming as well. That takes time, you know?"

"Understandable." The Commander nods, her smile falls somewhat, but there's an understanding glint. No doubt she has dealt with the hell of battlefield logistics. Luckily, you have Eagle for that. "I'll wait two days for your response, or we'll find someone else. Understand?"

"Of course!" You nod. "That is completely understandable. I'll let you know soon."

"Be sure of it. Some of us don't have all the time in the world!" She chuckles, but there's a notable edge to it.

You smile, betraying nothing. "I'll be sure to notify you."

The call ends, and you quickly exit the room. All of this just doesn't feel right dammit. You were hoping for a day or two of well earned relaxation and now it feels like you're stuck in a conspiracy. Dammit!

>Talk to one of your crewmates/mercs (Who?)
>Maybe check the marketplace here. No doubt you'll get a little discount for helping those colonists.
>Just... try and relax for now. Somehow...
>Maybe examine some pilots who want to go merc. You've got a bucket list to empty apparently.
>Write in.

>>950664
>Talk to one of your crewmates/mercs (Who?)
Eagle. We can bitch and moan with each other. It'll be cathartic at least, if not relaxing.
Maybe after that look at the Pilots we could hire with her. Since she's the head of Logistics she'll have a unique opinion on who would be good compared to Morgan. She'd know what would work well logistically with what we already have.

>>950664
>>Maybe check the marketplace here. No doubt you'll get a little discount for helping those colonists.
>Talk to one of your crewmates/mercs (Who?)
Get our ship Captain, E-GL and Hong. Read them in.

>>950684
If anyone can handle Morgan's kvetching, it's Eagle.

>>950664
>Maybe examine some pilots who want to go merc. You've got a bucket list to empty apparently.
>Write in.
Look for someone who focuses on tankiness, something our entourage currently lacks.
>wacky auditioning scene occurs

>>950664
Also, do we have any fighterplanes and lowercase-p pilots to fly them? If not, look for some.

>>950664
>Maybe check the marketplace here. No doubt you'll get a little discount for helping those colonists.
Ooh, discounts!

>>950664
>Maybe check the marketplace here. No doubt you'll get a little discount for helping those colonists.

>>950664
For the first time you actually leave the ship to explore Liberty Station. The large facility cordoned into several open areas that range from housing units, to hangars, and a sprawling market quarter. Seriously, the entire place was packed with merchants dealing in all sorts of (legal) hardware that you honestly didn't know where to begin. Luckily, you had plenty of hours to check on everything. That, and many of the merchants were more than willing to give you a discount for "Fighting the good fight."

You think they're just happy that you're going to be buying stuff.

Titan Equipment:
Plasma Railgun Schematics: 5000$
XO-16 Chaingun - Extended Magazines Schematics: 1200$
Quad Rocket Schematics: 2500$
Arc Cannon Schematics: 6000$
120mm Cannon Schematics (Powerful, one-shot cannon that is normally mounted on Paladin Tanks. The Elephant Gun for Titans): 11000$

Titan Upgrades:
Expanded Smoke Launchers - Gives one more electric smoke charge [Upgrade!]: 8000$
Turbo Charger - Gives your Titan one extra dash [Upgrade!]: 10000$
Assault Chips - Improves Auto-Titan precision and lethality when Pilot is absent: 7000$

Pilot/Grunt Weapons:
Box of Flatlines: 4000$
Box of Kraber Sniper Rifles: 6000$
Box of Wingmans: 3000$


Pilot/Grunt Anti-Titan Weapons:
Archer Heavy Rockets: 9000$
Charge Rifles: 5000$
LG-97 Thunderbolts: 7000$

Pilot/Grunt Ordnance:
Frag Grenades - High Explosive [Upgrade!]: 1800$
Arc Grenades - Super Charged [Upgrade!]: 5000$
Satchel Charges: 7000$
Arc Mines: 3500$

Pilot/Grunt Misc:
Threat Scopes [Highlights enemies in scope, giving improved accuracy]: 9000$

>>951011
>Frag Grenades - High Explosive [Upgrade!]: 1800$
XO-16 Chaingun - Extended Magazines Schematics: 1200$
Quad Rocket Schematics: 2500$

>>951011
How much money do we have on top of the $13000 we got on the last job?

I'm voting for Turbo Charger. Dash is amazing. I want the 120mm but we might need more than $2000 to hire a Pilot.

Also Salad you may want to just put this in a pastebin. It would make shopping posts much quicker and easier. Just make a new pastebin or point out what we've already bought if you don't want to make a new one.
Oh and are you going to add the new Titan Kits that were released in the latest update?
Though Legion's borderline OP now. I can chunk off half to three fourths of any Titan's health in 4 seconds.

>>951011
>Threat Scopes [Highlights enemies in scope, giving improved accuracy]: 9000$
2good

>>951049
Threat Optics makes enemy smoke useless and makes enemies insanely easy to spot. If there's anything a sniper like Morgan loves, it's clearly marked targets.

>>951011
> Threat Scopes

Now all we need is an A wall for our longbow

>>951011
this may be a stupid question. But once we buy something does that mean we never have to buy it again, say the arc grenades for the grunts? Because I had thought we already had that.

>>951497
Yes

The arc grenade option is to upgrade the ones we have

>>951513
Ok. I figured it was but I wanted to make sure before I did anything.

>>951011
>Arc Mines: 3500$
Allows them to set traps, defend an area if need be

>>951043
I'll get working on a Marketplace pastebin.
And Legion's kit isn't THAT broken. The fact it gives him two shots allows for some nice burst damage and it builds Core like a motherfucker.
>>951162
A-Wall... You. Shitter.

>>951962
But how else am I going to get 3+ kills in the first 60 seconds of the match cause they all follow the same route?

>>951043
13000$ was what you got from the job. It's all you have to currently spend.

>>951041
>>951049
>>951540
Right, so I'm seeing a consensus for the High Explosive upgrade for frags, XO-16 Chaingun Extended Magazines, Turbo Dash, Quad Rockets, Arc Mines, and Threat Scopes

Sadly the total comes to 28000$

So. What do you guys want to get, and what do you wish to leave for later?
>High Explosive [1800$]
>Arc Mines [3500$]
>XO-16 Chaingun - Extended Magazines [1200$]
>Turbo Dash [10000$]
>Quad Rocket Schematics [2500$]
>Threat Scopes [9000$]
>Write in if you want something else.

>>951978
>XO-16 Chaingun - Extended Magazines [1200$]
>High Explosive [1800$]

Let's stop at that. It upgrades things we already have, and I thought we wanted to grab more pilots.

>>951978
>Threat Scopes

>>951978
>Threat Scopes [9000$]
>Arc Mines [3500$]
If we get the threat scopes then I suggest that we get the Kraber sniper rifle next if possible. I mean, it works well with each other, right?

>>951978
> Threat scopes
> arc mines

Mostly because the grunts get these too

Now, gib A wall

>>951978
>>952039
second

>>951978
>>951979
seconding this

>>951978
>satchel charges
>arc grenades
Your grunts could use something for sabotage, and if the facility in the mission you just took does have spectre's on site arc grenades will come in handy.

>>953166
We already have arc 'nades, though.

>>951962
It's pretty close to it. If you use Overcore and land both shots you're either at 90% Core or 100%. Can't remember, it's been like two week since I played. The spawns finally got to me and you can only play Angel City so much before it gets old. Anyway, the point is if you play it right pretty much anyone's your bitch because they have at best half health and you have Core. Only Ion can deal with that Legion loadout reliably.

The only reason I think it's not broken is because Tone really needed another Titan that could compare to it in DPS. Ronin could, but you had to get in close. Tone could do it at any range.

>>951978
>Threat Scopes [9000$]
Think there's tie so I'll break it.

>>953173
upgraded ones

>>951978
Right so I'm just seeing Threat Scopes then. Yes?
>Y
>N

>>953692
>>Y

>>953692
Y

File: 1482106846474.webm (1.27 MB, 896x504)

1.27 MB WEBM

Proof-of-concept for Threat Optics on a Titan.

>>953692
>You have 4000$ left!

You take a large shipment of threat scopes for your primaries. Sadly they lacked the Titan variants but those can always be found later. The fact that you'll now be able to see enemies through smoke with your DMR would be a huge boon for accuracy.

The money changes hands with the smarmy merchant who's grinning like the happy fool he is. He promised that you'll receive the cases on the end of the day. Maybe you should leave a little note on the cases for the Grunts who'll inevitably be doing the heavy lifting. No doubt having their own threat scopes would help raise morale considerably...

Hmm... maybe later.

With that said and done you find yourself wandering around the market once more. Feeling hungry you fish out a burger stand and order some grub for the road. It's been awhile since you've ate, and there's nothing wrong with spoiling yourself after a good day's of shopping.

>You run into one of your crewmates/mercs (Who?)
>There's plenty of pilots wandering around. You wonder if any of them are willing to be hired.
>Just kick back, relax, and enjoy the day.

>>953934
>You run into one of your crewmates/mercs (Who?)
Eagle. She deserves to find out what Graves and Briggs are saying.

>>953934
>You run into one of your crewmates/mercs (Who?)
Eagle. To complain with each other. And to tell her about Graves and Briggs.

>>953934
>>You run into one of your crewmates/mercs (Who?)
E-GL

>>953934
>There's plenty of pilots wandering around. You wonder if any of them are willing to be hired.

>>953934
>You run into one of your crewmates/mercs (Who?)
Eagle

File: E-GL.jpg (227 KB, 634x950)

227 KB JPG

>>953944
>>953946
>>953948
Well that's unanimous.

>>953934
"Eagle?" You say your friend's name, surprised at seeing her in the food court.

"Captain." The blonde-haired cyborg is sitting next to a table with a bowl of noodle soup. She brushes a lock of hair behind her ear, a wide spoon in her hand. "It's good to see that you're enjoying yourself."

You shrug, taking the seat next to her. "So..." you bite into your burger. "What's up?"

Eagle only rolls her eyes at your crudeness, taking a spoonful of her soup into her mouth. "Hmm... relaxing. Logistics have been a pain since we had those colonists. Some want to join us, and some of our grunts want to join them. Etcetera, etcetera." She then grins mischievously. "It was a pain so I dumped it all on Damien and left.

You can't help but imagine Eagle dumping a large stack of papers on Damien's lap. The young man screaming profanities at Eagle as she cheekily waltzes out.

>Tell Eagle about Marcus and Briggs.
>Don't tell her about it.

>"Enjoying your soup?"
>"So I got some threat scopes for our rifles. Should be fun."
>"Have you seen any interesting pilots?"
>Write in.

>>954229
>Tell Eagle about Marcus and Briggs.
>"Have you seen any interesting pilots?"

>>954229
>Tell Eagle about Marcus and Briggs.
>"Have you seen any interesting pilots?"

>>954236
>"Enjoying your soup?"
Say that first.

>>954229
>"So you want to hear the bad news now or later?"
>Tell Eagle about Marcus and Briggs.

>"Have you seen any interesting pilots?"

>>954229
>>Tell Eagle about Marcus and Briggs.
>"Enjoying your soup?"
>"Have you seen any interesting pilots?"

>>944011
Yea, just gotta Google the file for it and download it. Works really well for me.

>>954257
You have to get it from F-droid now, which offers a bunch of free and open-source apps.

>>954229
"Enjoying your soup?" You ask. You don't want to bring up the bad news right off the bat. That would be impolite.

"Is it good news, or bad news?"

Dammit.

You sigh. "Is the soup good at least?"

"Yes." She nods. "Yes it is. Just the right amount of broth. I should order a few more packets..." she thinks idly, before becoming serious. "Now what is it?"

Again, you sigh. "Marcus called."

That makes her stop, her spoon falling into the near empty bowl. "Marcus Graves? Admiral... Marcus Graves?"

You nod.

Her eyes narrow. "What did he want?"

"To talk."

"About what?"

"I don't know. Listen. He called me, and acted all cryptic. Wanted to speak with me again in a day, personally. After that I talked with Sarah Briggs."

"Commander Sarah Briggs?"

"The one and only. And guess what? She had a job for us. A sketchy one. One that involved us taking out a Remnant Observation Post on Harmony."

Eagle slowly nods, you can see the cogs of her mind working behind her eyes. "You suspect something is up."

"I *know* something is up, Eagle." You make a point to casually look around. "This all too convenient for my liking."

"I see." She nods. "Are you going to accept it?"

"I've postponed my decision for another two days. Briggs is being very lenient with me."

Eagle nods again. "Does anyone else know?"

"Just you. And I'll be telling Hong later."

"What about Eva?"

You think about that for a moment.

>"If I take the job, and we bring her, then yes."
>"No."

She continues. "What else do you know about the job?"

"Post is lightly defended with some grunts and a few spectres. Skeleton crew apparently. Which raised an eyebrow. Even normal Militia grunts can handle that sort of job by themselves."

"Then why us?"

"Because obviously this isn't something Briggs wishes to notify the rest of the Militia." You scan your surroundings again. The food court is packed with people of all ages and sizes. You spot a few Militia grunts meander about, but nothing too suspicious. Of course this doesn't cure your paranoia in the slightest.

"We can talk about this later on board the Star Burner. In fact, if Hong is still beating up the Grunts in the training hall you could notify him for me."

"Of course." Eagle nods again, taking one last sip of her soup before leaving it half finished on the table. "I was planning on heading back there now anyways. I feel Damien must be absolutely swamped with the paperwork I've given him." Again, that mischievous grin appears on her lips. "You coming with?"

>"Sure."
>"Nah, I think I'll walk around some more."
>Write in.

>>954665
>"If I take the job, and we bring her, then yes. Only if we bring her."

>Write in.
"Nah, I was going to go look for Pilots to hire. Did you see anyone good?"
Something along those lines.

>>954665
>>"If I take the job, and we bring her, then yes."
"Nah, I was going to go look for Pilots to hire. Did you see anyone good?"

>>954665
>>954686
>>954692
Thirding.

>>954665
Again you find yourself making a show of thinking about something. "About, Eva. If I take the job, and we decide to bring her, then yes. Tell her everything."

Eagle nods. She doesn't say anything, knowing that you're going to reply to her most recent question.

"As for the ship? Nah. I was going to go look for Pilots to hire. Did you see anyone good?"

This time Eagle raises an eyebrow. "You want a full fireteam then?"

You simply shrug. "Eva is technically just a Titan Pilot, not an actual Pilot. So having a fourth on the ground would not be a bad idea. See anyone interesting?"

"Hmm..." Eagle taps her chin idly. "You know what? I distinctly remember four individuals on my way here. Two men, two women."

That makes you raise an eyebrow. Anything that catches Eagle's eyes is worth something of note. "Do tell."

"The first was a man, roughly in his late fifties, mid-sixties, I think. Old, yes. But a definite Pilot Veteran. I actually saw him take down three young and rambunctious Pilots all by himself."

"What were they doing wrong?"

"Typical kid trouble. Lifting skirts, making a mess, causing more trouble than it should. Simple stuff, but enough to warrant that man's attention and deliver a swift ass kicking."

A Pilot Veteran, huh? Sounds interesting.

"And who're the other three?"

"The second was a woman that you'll notice that is out of place almost instantly."

"Why?"

"She's wearing an IMC Ares Division Pilot Suit. Sans the markings. And she had a Devotion slung on her back. Carrying it like it was nothing."

"Rogue agent?"

"Possibly. But I've never seen one so bold... that, or she's stupid. Or that she doesn't care."

You nod again. "And the third?"

"A girl. Probably early twenties. Young, probably inexperienced. But she's a cyborg and she had a holographic AI assisting her when need be. Also seemed fairly smart."

Huh... you've heard of AI assistants before. But normally they're giant blocks that waddle around when mobile.

"Where was the AI stored?"

"Probably built into her head." She taps the side of her head. "Possibly. She was also wearing these strange looking silver earphones. May be some form of audio augment, that, or whoever did her augmenting couldn't fit all of the AI housing in the headcase."

"Interesting..." You scratch your chin. It's starting to grow a stubble. You should really shave sometime in the future. Probably before Marcus comes. "And the final one?"

"Bounty Hunter." She plainly states. "First thing I saw was a man running for his life out of the marketplace and a Pilot chasing after him by using the walls to stay above the crowd. About a second later the Pilot flying tackled the man into the ground and cuffed him. From the crowd I heard his name was Jaeger. Though that could be just a callsign."

So. You have a Veteran Militia Pilot, a possibly rogue Pilot from Marder's Ares Division, a Cyborg with an AI in her head, and a Bounty Hunter named Jaeger.

>The Veteran
>Ares Pilot
>Cyborg
>Bounty Hunter

>>954970
>The Vet
The last two sounds too similar to Eagle and Hong to be worth considering.

>>954970
>Ares Pilot
She has balls. And we don't have a heavy weapons specialist yet.
Doubt we have enough cash to hire a second pilot but maybe the cyborg after that. The AI interests me.

>>954970
>>The Veteran

>>954970
>>954986
I'm switching to the Ares Pilot

>>954970
>The Veteran
Please let him be vaguely Eastern European and be overly prepared

>>954970
>The Veteran

>>954970
>The Veteran
something about the pilot feels risky, while the latter two we have specialization for it already(eagle and hong).

can we pick up more than one, by the way?

>>954970
>Ares Pilot

File: William Stone.png (1.74 MB, 1152x648)

1.74 MB PNG

>>954970
"I think I will check out the Veteran first. He sounds interesting. That, and I'm pretty sure Hong'll love to have a new sparring partner."

"You think he'd be able to survive for that long?"

"Well." You shrug nonchalantly. "If he does. He'll be Hong's new best friend."

~

You move through the crowds. Following Eagle's directions where she last saw the man. Apparently he lives in one of the tenement complexes in the living flats. Cheap.

You asked around for the man, and despite your vagueness and lack of knowledge of the area it was... honestly, it was incredibly easy to find him. Everyone knew him.

William Stone. A black, fifty-nine years old soldier who's been fighting since he was just nineteen. When the Frontier was isolated he fought against pirates and greedy smugglers. When the Titan Wars began he was one of the first men to volunteer against the encroaching Militia as a Rifleman. Received various merits for bravery, acts of valor, and commandeering respect and loyalty from his men during the war. Understandably the Militia-Core wanted this man to be a Pilot.

Which is why he never really took his forced retirement well.

The more you ask about Stone, the more the people begin to gush about him. A, "true patriot," is one thing they like to call him. Another is that he's a grumpy asshole since he was forced to retire. He's also a grandfather to four and possibly has a string of bastards under his belt.

A colorful man to be sure.

It was easy enough to find his room number among the thousand other rooms in this tenement. Literally everyone knew him.

You're now standing in front of his door. Room 456 on the fourth floor. How do you approach?
>Be friendly: Say that you're a 'fan' and want to hear some of his war stories.
>Be professional: You're a soldier. He's also a soldier.
>Be Blunt: Your a mercenary captain and you want to hire him.
>Write in.

>>955705
>Be Blunt: Your a mercenary captain and you want to hire him.

>>955705
>Be professional: You're a soldier. He's also a soldier.
Knowing his type, he's going to be the no-bullshit sort of person who won't entertain you unless you meet him on equal ground (or you're a young gun who wants to hear his stories).

>>955705
>Be professional: You're a soldier. He's also a soldier.
use reasoning along >>955713 lines

>>955705
>Be professional: You're a soldier. He's also a soldier.
Along the line of >>955713

>>955705
>>Be professional: You're a soldier. He's also a soldier.
>>Be Blunt: Your a mercenary captain and you want to hire him.
The military is blunt typically anyway

>>955705
>Be professional: You're a soldier. He's also a soldier.