>>3989829
>New Avalon, the brand new Capital of the Federated Commonwealth

>>3989829
>Tharkad, the Lyran Capital of the FC

>>3989829
>Tharkad, the Lyran Capital of the FC

>>3989847
This

>>3989829
>Forbidden City of Sian, Capital of the Capellan Confederation

>>3989835
>>3989839
>>3989847
>>3989862

The Steiner's it is.... COMMENCE THE STEINER SCOUT LANCES

https://youtu.be/73zK-PjmyKY

++++++++++

Shaking your head, you reach for the vid-phone.

"Who is this?" You ask grumpily.

"Guten Morgen, Herr Amarr". A jolly voice replies. "This is Herr Nikolas Theophanas. Your late father's counsel. I'm just confirming your appointment at noon with us?"

And then it all rushes back. A dead father & apparently sizeable inheritance coming out of nowhere. That & apparently your mother's deathbed ramblings about your father being noble turned out be true after all.

>Roll 1d10s. Counting up to 3 rolls.

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>3989878

>>3989829

>Luthien, capital of the DC

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>3989878

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>3989878

>>3989888
Trips can't save a wrong roll tho...

Need 1 more 1d10...

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>3989878

>>3989880
>>3989891
>>3989909
>9,3,0

++++++++++

"Herr Amarr? Are you still there?" Theophanas asks.

You close your eyes, hoping that it would make your hangover go away. "Yes. Still here. Push the the appointment to an hour later. I'm still not used to the city yet."

"Of course, Herr Amarr. I left the address to our office with your hotel's concierge. I am very much looking forward to seeing you in person. & Happy New Year, Herr Amarr."

"Same to you as well," you mumbled before disconnecting and diving headfirst back to bed in pain.

+++++Several hours later+++++

After forcing yourself to wolf down a sweet & salty Lyran hangover cure the hotel concierge swears by and a brief but bone-chilling walk later, you arrive in a lobby of a non-descript skyscraper. Holiday decorations seems sparse, and the petite yet curt secretary ushers you in an office with Christmas decorations yet to be put down. There, you see a large heavyset wooden desk with paperwork & ornaments all over it, & a office chair facing the breathtaking view of Tharkad.

As you approach the desk, the chair swings about revealing a swarthy chubby old man with thick hair and a magnificent beard reaching chest level.

Before you could react, he rushes forward & grabs you in a bear hug. "Ha, Herr Amarr! You have no idea how happy am I to see you..." Although by how hard he's squeezing, you'd think he was trying to kill you by forcing your lungs out.

"Can't...brea...th..." You forced out a whisper.

"Oh! Apologies!" Nikolas immediately lets go and you finally got that sweet, sweet oxygen to keep on going. "Missus always say, 'Nikolaus! You always get excited & will eventually kill someone with your bear hug!'" He laughs and slams his hand onto your back.

Between gulping for air, the pain that his dinner plate-sized hand left on your back, and you almost losing your balance, you'd think he really was trying to kill you. "About...the...wi..ll?" You gasp for air.

"Right, Herr Amarr! Right away!" He scuttles back, seeming defying the rules of physics with his girth and height to display such speed. "Oh, and if I recall correctly, you've just graduated from a military academy, have you not?"

>Sakhara Academy (Mechwarrior)
>Flight Academy of Thorin (Aerospace Fighter Pilot)
>Solaris VII Internship (Solaris Gladiator)
>Others (Please Specify)

>>3989970

>Sakhara Academy (Mechwarrior)

Stompy robots!

>>3989970
>>Sakhara Academy (Mechwarrior)

>>3989970

>Sakhara Academy (Mechwarrior)

I must agree on the topic of big stompy robots.

>>3989970
Sakhara Academy

>>3989982
>>3989983
>>3989988
>>3990000

Big Stompy Robots it is, so sayeth the QUADS!!!!

++++++++++

"I was lucky," you say. "Not many of my peers were so.."

"...My condolences, Herr Amarr." Nikolaus' tone softens. "I did not mean to bring up such memories."

"Doesn't matter," you insist. "All I need to do is sign the stupid verigraph, right?"

Nikolaus sighs & finally pulls out the will from underneath a stack of papers. "Yes, but with a condition attached..."

"Go on," you begin tapping your feet. Starting to wonder if this is some sort of scam after all...

"As you might not have known, the late Graf Connors was Terran. However, he was personally enfeoffed by Archon Katrina Steiner for extraordinary services rendered to the Commonwealth," Nikolaus paused. "And for that reason alone is his will followed to the letter instead of being given to his designated heir and 3 other children."

You begin tapping your boot, "And where this is going?"

"All my good friend ask for you is to lead his retainers the Connors' Crusaders." Nikolaus looks at you eye-to-eye, almost trying to scour your soul for any worthiness.

You begin to laugh. "You mean my deadbeat of a gene-father who abandoned and neglected his "loved ones" for power plays wants me to inherits his janitors?" You stare into the verigraph, slightly tempted to pray to the God of Toasters that you could wrung your father's neck yourself for all the years of pain & heartache caused to your mother.

The grandfather clock, no doubt a priceless Terran artifact & most assuredly your father's gift to his counsel, ticks the time away. Beads of sweat roll down the swarthy man's face. "Fine," you relent. "A little too little too fucking late... but fine, I'll take whatever fucking restitution I can get." You signed the verigraph as recipient & beneficiary.

"Excellent, Herr Amarr Conners!" Nikolaus resumes his jolly tone as he gently takes away the verigraph and smoothly shove a terminal into your hands. "And now the good-&-also-same-time-bad-news."

>CONT.

>>3990025
inb4 we are stuck with a locust or a trashcan

>>3990055
Rember its trash can not teash can not

>>3990062
Trash demmit phone

>>3990073
Blame Comstar.

>>3990077
Don't let anyone hear you say that, better yet, don't even think about that...

And make sure to pay your internet bill

>Battletech Quest
OH SHIT MY DICK JUST TURNED INTO A THUMPER ARTILLERY PIECE!

File: Spoiler Image (1.15 MB, 1363x579)

1.15 MB PNG

>>3990025

https://pastebin.com/60Bx2PQg

"As current Major of the Crusaders, you've inherited a square battalion of ten Battlemech Lances & nine Aerospace Wings, & an Armored battalion as well," Nikolaus explains as you scroll down the TO&E of the Crusaders.

You barely pay attention, more focused on the equipment specs. Then you blink. Not once, not twice, & you almost dropped the terminal as you jumped out of the chair. "What the fuck?! Are those freezers?! How the hell did that SOB stumble upon an SLDF cache???!"

"Your late father was returning from a mission for the Archon herself when they stumbled upon a radio signal," Nikolaus pulls out a thermos hidden somewhere in his desk. "Imagine his surprise, when following the radio signal to the source they found a perfectly intact Monolith with its parasite Dropships still attached."

"Imagine their even bigger surprise when they found Mechs' in perfect storage & mint conditions inside those Dropships," Nikolaus starts pouring out what looks to be Scotch onto two tumblers. He passes one to you, to which you graciously accept.

"Unfortunately, one of the senior COs got bit by the green humbug, & managed to get a few others to stage a mutiny to get as much Lostech they can." Nikolaus downs the Scotch in one gulp & pours again. "Fortunately for us, your father figured it out & thwarted them at the cost of his life... Your father died a hero."

What say?
>Say nothing. Let the old man continue.
>"So what?" His poor judge of character killed him, not the mutineers.
>Other (Specify)

>>3990104
>Say nothing. Let the old man continue.

>>3990104
>Internalize our thoughts and say nothing. Let the old man continue.

>>3990104

>say nothing

Lets not waste our time spitting bile when we have bigger issues to deal with.

Also, holy shit that is quite some hardware, and very well equipped to if we have some Lostech to play with. I wonder if we have time to head to the perifery and conquer some planets.

>>3990104

>"So what?" His poor judge of character killed him, not the mutineers.
>Other (Specify)

Good riddance for that good for nothing ass of his

Funny how often "heroes" are actually shitheads with their families

>>3990113
Soon

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>>3990104
>>3990113
>8x Alacorn Mk. VI Tank
Holy crap, dad didn't just find any old freaking cache, he pretty much found an old forgotten magical weapon.

>>3990112
This is good too, we can curse his name in our heads

>>3990104
Quick question, is this a mercenary unit or a house unit?

>>3990104
hero? the guy found a random signal that lead him to a treasure chest and he couldn't keep his underlings in control and got killed by it, sounds like a lucky fool and then a dead fool

this is better tho>>3990112

just spit on the floor to show our distaste and let the man keep talking

>>3990108
>>3990112
>>3990113
>>3990114
>>3990123
>Say nothing. Let the old man continue.

++++++++++

Bullshit, you thought as you fought the urge to spit into the counsel's nice & shiny office. But you let the old man ramble on anyways on Graf Conner's "heroism".

"The bastards would've killed us all via venting the jumpship reactors," Tears start falling down his beard. "The Graf did the only thing he could, diverted most of it through the empty Dropships. Saved us & killed them, but the radiation killed him too." He took a look at the empty tumbler, & emptied the thermos instead.

"Ya da's heroics managed to salvage most of the Mechs' for the Archon," Nikolaus dries his eyes with a handkerchief. "As a reward, the Archon declared that 50% of the find be bequeathed according to Connors' will. Which led to you here," Nikolaus points to you. "And that's the good news."

"Telling me that bastard is a hero & left me to clean up his mess is the good news?" You say almost exasperatedly.

Nikolaus pointedly ignore your snark, "The bad news is that the Estates General deems your...inexperience as a waste of combat Lostech. So as a compromise, the Archon allowed the Estates General to re-evaluate your qualifications to use all those Lostech."

"How?" You ask in part for curiosity, in part anger at feudal inbreds' blatant attempts at stealing your property

"You have until April to form a filled Battalion that can fight on the frontlines. Be warned, they are...very determine to acquire your father's legacy." Nikolaus drops his usual tone.

What do?
>What that asshole left behind is fair payment for what he did to us. Not gonna let some inbred hatfuckers steal my shit.
>Who the fuck cares. I'm just gonna take what I want & give the rest to those hatfuckers. At least I got the C-Bills
>Other (Specify)

>>3990164

>What that asshole left behind is fair payment for what he did to us. Not gonna let some inbred hatfuckers steal my shit.

>>3990164
>>What that asshole left behind is fair payment for what he did to us. Not gonna let some inbred hatfuckers steal my shit.

>>3990164
>What that asshole left behind is fair payment for what he did to us. Not gonna let some inbred hatfuckers steal my shit.

>>3990164
>What that asshole left behind is fair payment for what he did to us. Not gonna let some inbred hatfuckers steal my shit.

>>3990164
>What that asshole left behind is fair payment for what he did to us. Not gonna let some inbred hatfuckers steal my shit.
>But whatever, let's get started. The quicker the better.

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>>3990170
>>3990188
>>3990199
>>3990202
>>3990246
>What that asshole left behind is fair payment for what he did to us. Not gonna let some inbred hatfuckers steal my shit.

++++++++++

"Fuck that, those inbred hatfuckers want some Lostech personal army?" You slam your right fist on an armrest. "They either can hire my unit, or go over my dead body."

Nikolaus leans back against his office chair, "For some of them, that's literally the idea. But it's not all bad news per se. You have the very bestequipment to field a battalion. And you still have the core of Connors' Crusaders to rebuild the battalion around."

"What are my options?" You ask, rubbing your chin & mulling over your own network.

"You could visit the Crusaders, they've practically taken over the Riot Bar in Tharkad City, drinking away their re-listing bonuses. You could also put out a recruitment call to hiring halls on Arc-Royal, Solaris VII, or Galatea itself," Nikolaus strokes his beard. "I'm sure you too have contacts from...Sakhara that might help as well..."

What do?
>Visit the Crusaders. See what kind of men would serve under that bastard.
>Hire Nikolaus as your personal lawye. Mercs do need lawyers after all.
>Send out a recruitment call
>Reach out for your own network
>Other (Specify)

>>3990419
>Visit the Crusaders. See what kind of men would serve under that bastard.

He said re-listment, so we already own them.

>>3990419
>Visit the Crusaders. See what kind of men would serve under that bastard.

>>3990419

>Visit the Crusaders. See what kind of men would serve under that bastard.
Good start, let's see what we are working with first.

Also
>Hire Nikolaus as your personal lawye. Mercs do need lawyers after all.

He knows the unit and knows the politics better then you. Plus he seems even more committed to make this work then we do, so we can hopefully rule out attempts to screw us over by buying out our legal team.

>>3990633
>>3990419
Supporting.
It's not the combat that kills most companies, it's the legalese and politics.

>>3990443
>>3990419
this
we own their asses so we might as well put them to good use.

after that we can look elsewhere to enlist people to fill in the gaps of the dead ones

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>>3990443
>>3990482
>>3990633
>>3990703
>>3990704
>Visit the Crusaders
>Hire Nikolaus as your lawyer

++++++++++

Looking up the Crusaders might be a good idea, seeing as they're drawing their salary from you. And judging by how much Mr. Theophanas looks up to the bastard, maybe it wouldn't be bad to retain his legal services as well.

"Well, Herr Theo..phat nass?" You try to recall his name.

He laughs heartily, "Please. My friends call me Klaus." He offers his right hand. You take it even as it almost engulfs yours.

"Klaus, I'm convinced you certainly have the old man's interests at heart."

"It's is no trouble at all." He beams. "Nothing is too much for the man who saved my life & career."

"I would very much like to hire your firm as my legal counsel." You offer.

"Haha! Of course! Of course! Klaus & Zabi are ever at your service!" He starts to go for one of his killer bear hugs before you preempted him from crushing your ribs again. "Come to my house later for dinner, me & the missus would gladly show you a true Lyran welcome!"

"Of course," You accept. "But before I go there, I would like to meet with the men first."

"Ja, of course..."

+++++1707hrs, Local Std Time+++++

Night fell on the Royal Capital. You find yourself nowhere near the glitz & glamor of city central, but the seedy outskirts. As you exit the limo Klaus loaned to you, you hear a shattering of glasses, & saw a man thrown out of the ground floor window. The three story building itself has only one large neon sign spelling "THE RIOT BAR". A trio of men in mercenary BDUs smokes on the steps to the entrance, smelling of tobacco & cheap alcohol. From outside, you can hear the distinct sounds of things crashing & hitting.

What do?
>Ignore the men. Walk straight into the bar.
>Ask the men if they could point out where the acting CO of the Crusaders are?
>Other (Specify)

>>3990778
>>Ignore the men. Walk straight into the bar.

yeah right, no need to bother with this drunks, let's just go in

>>3990778
>Ignore the men. Walk straight into the bar.
Some of our guys are probably wearing jackets with our mercenary logo on the side.
Also is it possible to rename our Merc Company or is that set in stone?

>>3990782
I'd be down for renaming it

>>3990782

It's probably open for change, but that might have negative consequences. Not only do the men probably respect the name and the man that gave it to them a lot more then they do us, the old man just pulled off a job that got the attention of the Archon herself. It would not be bad to ride a little further on his reputation.

>>3990820
not riding that wave is the exact reason I think it would be fitting to change the name, but we'll see when we get a better look at things

>>3990778

>Ask the men if they could point out where the acting CO of the Crusaders are?

This, they might be part of the crusaders.

>>3990820
I'm just asking it because I want to know how much leeway we're allowed to have as players. Also we don't KNOW if they actually care about the company name, they like you said, respect him which is different from respecting the company, and considering how much the guy we're playing hates his dad I don't think we'd actually care as much about his rep in that regard.
Until we actually meet the crew and see their opinions of the man and what they think of us changing the company name, anything can honestly go.

>>3990826

Agreed. Please don't mind me, i tend to think too much.

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>>3990827
>i tend to think too much.
Welcome to Battletech, if you're aren't thinking about how to fit a heavy autocannon on a light mech or figuring out how to turn a catapult into a Pocket Awesome then you're not trying hard enough.
What I'm saying is that I'm cool with people who actually think about this kind of stuff muh nigga.

>>3990829
>https://pastebin.com/60Bx2PQg

talking about that, we may need to invest on some light and fast mechs to do the scouting, protecting flanks and vehicles for us

and to strap a/20 on the fastest things we can grab our hands on too

>>3990832
Agreed, and if we can, see if we can get some Veteran or Elite crews for the Alacorns and Regular to Veteran pilots for the Rapiers, because each of those Rapiers are packing AC/20s.
But those Crabs, those are gonna be useful when we're hungry for ammo out in the field. Same with the Black Knights.
We can probably remod our Shadow Hawks to start carrying AC/10s after stripping out the LRMs and SRMs. And if we can we should nigger rig a spare medium laser to the left arm, that way if the right is lost it can still have some form of energy support.
Honestly like what we're seeing, we just need some proper scouting mechs. Because this list is dedicated towards being a smash and bash force without anything real fancy.

>>3990836
well, it's steiner style scouting

https://youtu.be/73zK-PjmyKY

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>>3990838
True, very very true.

>>3990829
>>3990836

One thing i notice among the mechs is that almost all our heavier platforms prefer long range combat. The Highlander b's will want to keep those gauss rifles at long range, the archers, thugs and catapults are all about slinging LRM's and the excalibur carries both of them.

This isn't bad per se, we can work with a doctrine where the lighter mechsand vehicles spot stuff for the heavy mechs and alacorns, but if something heavy tries to get into knife fighting range we will need an answer.

Maybe we should swap the gauss rifles on two of the highlanders for AC20's and dedicate them to cqb? It's a better use of their armour and means we have some spare gauss rifles.

>>3990844
Good idea, and it would also offset some of the ammo hunger pains for the Gauss Rifles.
Also we could turn the Catapults into SRM boats for brawling support for our long ranged assaults and leave the Archers as they are for the time being.

>>3990844
Also I think I may know what we're gonna need the most: Contacts
Because with this amount of weight we're slinging around we need support both in technicians and soldiers, but also accountants, lawyers and negotiators.

>>3990825
>>3990780
>>3990782
>Ignore the men. Walk straight into the bar.

++++++++++

You ignore the men by the steps & strut pass them. One of them spits away as you approached, "Bar's not safe for kiddos like you. Connor's Cunts are getting riled up again."

You hesitate for a split second. "Thanks for the warning. Tell the bartender tonight's drinks are on me." You push the doors & enter.

The Riot Bar itself isn't anything fancy or decked with haute-couture art. Just an open bar with 2 extra floors overlooking the dance floor & pool tables. Said dance floor now filled with brawling soldiers in their twenties & a couple of them in their thirties. The dark & ultraviolet lighting paints the bar as though it's some grunge themed fight club instead.

You approached the bar, trying to make yourself heard over the Lyran-beat. "I'M LOOKING FOR THE ACTING CO OF THE CONNORS' CRUSADERS!"

Amazingly, the bartender looks up from pouring drinks & points towards the third floor. You toss him a C-Bill chit, and head towards the staircase.

Thankfully, the area there is insulated from the dance floor & music. Which is why you could overhear the people in the third floor lounge as soon as you approached.

"...I'll not have some Social General or some pimply arsed greenhorn so green that even the Mariks wouldn't want them just waltz in & take over the battalion," a male baritone thunders.

A female voice tersely replies, "Sure, but I'm not just worried about the Estate Generals. We gotta think about the Graf's heirs as well. Feuds between the nobility are nasty business. And I'm especially uncomfortable just stealing from them."

What do?
>Introduce yourself
>Interrupt what is obviously a discussion on stealing your inheritance
>Others (Specify)

>>3990868
>Try and see if you can listen in on their conversation a little bit more.
INFORMATION IS AMMUNITION!

>>3990868
>>Interrupt what is obviously a discussion on stealing your inheritance

sound like the bastard's men alright, already planning to steal and run

>>3990874
I think you're right, but I also think that they don't think we are the actual heir to the company and are under the belief that dad didn't have any other kids.

>>3990868

>Interrupt what is obviously a discussion on stealing your inheritance

"True, dealing with those hatfuckers is a massive headache, you're much better off sticking with me. I'm (name), Greenhorn extrordinaire and the new CO of the Crusaders."

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>>3990870
>>3990874
>>3990890
>Interrupt what is obviously a discussion on stealing your inheritance

++++++++++

Sensing your cue, you step into the lounge. "True, dealing with those hatfuckers is a massive headache, you're all much better off sticking with me."

All head turns towards you. A couple of burly men with Major Sergeant chevrons block your path, as though like guard dogs straining their leash to be sicc'd on you.

"The fuck are you?" A man in his mid thirties with a pompadour & chevron mustache sneers at you, his voice marking him the man with the distaste for greenhorns & Social Generals.

"Haven't you heard? I'm Amarr Callaghan-Conners, greenhorn extraordinaire, & I just inherited an SLDF Battlemech Battalion." You reply. Not quite the answer these guys wanted to hear, as fists start clenching at the thought of beating up the fool who's eavesdropping on them.

"Halt." A lady in officer uniform raises her hand. The men went from bristling to give you the beating of your life, immediately went into a guard stance. At least discipline is good & they haven't drunk it away. "You're the old man's bastard?"

"At your service, & as of 1434 hrs, your CO." You take out a terminal & shove it to Pompadour's hands. He takes it & passes it to the lady. She scrolls down the screen. Her eyes widened as she looks at you. "Attention!" She salutes you & the men followed suit.

"At ease," you reply. "Now let's get to work."

>CONT.

>>3991431
I love that we have our mother's name on us and that should be introduced to the company name, lol, fuck you old bastard

>>3991537
It is a neat little detail.

>>3991431

I don't know who this lady is but she is looking at a bright and prosperous career after that. I'd be a shame if we had to beat up the few mechwarriors we do have left.

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>>3991431

You take a seat, pouring yourself a shot from one of the open bottles on the table. Tharkad 98'. Quite an expensive taste. "Well, introduce yourself."

"Captain Claudia Steiner, TacOp Officer & your father's XO for the Conners' Crusaders." A Steiner, & in your corner to boot. Interesting.

"Hang on, why are we taking orders from this pipsqueak?" Pompadour scoffs. You can hear his spurs. "What makes you qualified to be our CO? Do you even know what it takes to pilot a Mech?"

Well, what say?
>"Besides signing the agreements that designate me as heir & two years of Mechwarrior training at Sakhara? Nothing at all"
>"I was at Sakhara when the Genyosha & ISF hit the academy,"
>Others (Specify)

>>3992432

>"I was at Sakhara when the Genyosha & ISF hit the academy"

I have to admit, no idea what this refers to, but i assume it shows were have tasted blood before. Lets not start out by waving our position in their faces.

>>3992432
>>"I was at Sakhara when the Genyosha & ISF hit the academy,"

"but I'm more interested in knowing what makes you even qualified to be piloting one of my mechs"

>>3992439
+1

Turn the tables a little on the 1 rude little shit

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>>3992438
>>3992439
>>3992445
>"I was at Sakhara when the Genyosha & ISF hit the academy,"

++++++++++

You thumbed the shot glass, wondering how'd you respond to that barefaced challenge.

"I was there at Sakhara...when the Dracs landed with two Genyosha Battlemech regiments led by the great Tai-sa Yorinaga Kurita." You downed the shot & poured another. "The entire class of a thousand of the FedCom's best & brightest Mechwarrior cadets...against the elite of the DCMS personally trained by the Blade of the Dragon. You do the math." You downed that one too, "But enough about me, I'm more interested in knowing what makes you qualified to be piloting my Mechs'?

The men sobered up quickly & Claudia's face bleached. "My condolences, sir," she said. "We didn't..."

"That's alright, Claudia." Pompadour interrupts her. "My deepest condolences, sir. Captain Bernard Mason, XO for the Connors' Crusaders, 1st Mech Company at your service." He bows before you.

What do?
>Let him stew for a few moments before accepting his apologies
>"Call me Boss, I ain't old enough to be Major yet."
>Other (Specify)

>>3992513
>>"Call me Boss, I ain't old enough to be Major yet."

make somethings clear for them too

"I have no love for my dead father, but I'm not letting those hatfuckers take whatever compensation that bastard left me, so I want to know what you know, who are the ones trying to take what is mine and what is the state of the company, what do we need?"

>>3992513

>"Call me Boss, I ain't old enough to be Major yet."

>>3992513
>"Call me Boss, I ain't old enough to be Major yet."
>>3992527
I'll support this but can we call them other derogatory names besides hatfuckers? We're gonna wear out that word before the month is out. Yes I am being a little bitch about it, variety is the spice of life after all.

>>3992513

>Let him stew for a few moments.
>"Call me Boss, I ain't old enough to be Major yet."

Now, since we can all agree on who i am, let's talk. I may have just inherited this operation from a father i've never met, but i'm growing quite fond of it. And as we speak, several of my new family members and other noble types are scheming to steal all of our assets from under our asses, including the mechs and machines you and your comrades fought and bled for. I want to stop them, but i'll need all of your help. So, are you with me?

>>3992527
>>3992558
>>3992576
>"Call me Boss, I ain't old enough to be Major yet."

++++++++++

"Call me Boss. I ain't old enough to be called Major yet. Sit." You gesture to Claudia & Bernard to seat. "Being the old man's bastard, it's kinda hard to ignore the years of neglect & watching my mother slowly die of cancer as she calls out that fucker's name again & again. So forgive me when I say I have no love for the old man."

"But, I will not let those armchair hobnob generals take the only restitution that bastard left me," you leave the shot glass on table. Steepling your fingers as you lean forward, "So I want to know what you know, which pig-sticking hobnobs are trying to rob me of what's mine, the state of the Crusaders, & what do we need."

Bernard snorts, "Who doesn't want a pristine battalion of SLDF-era mechs? Take your pick. We have Steiner offshoots, the Bradfords, the Kelswas, the Haynes, & every other self-important prick with a title gunning for us."

"And that's not the worst news. The Monolith Jumpship, the Toung Taloung is in pretty bad shape. Seven out nine of its docking collars need work, which means the Command Overlord & Mule Dropships can't be released. And the Dropships need substantial amount of repairs & maintenance themselves," Claudia interjects.

"What about the Crusaders?" You ask. "Klaus said only the old man's retainers renewed their contracts."

Claudia looks at you, holding her champagne glass. "True, we have about 3 Mech lances, an ASF wing, a Tank Lance, & a platoon of admins, medteks, & technicians. Oh, & a platoon of Jump Infantry."

This is your chance to rename the Company. Gonna need at least 3 votes for the name.
>Callaghan Cavaliers
>Conners' Bastards
>Others (Specify)

>>3992644

>Callaghan's Crusaders

Lets keep the current title, but replace our father's name with our own.

>>3992644
>Callaghan Cavaliers
Suits it just fine

So we need to repair that ship and hire people, and most importantly, find a contract so we can make those assests useful

>>3992644
>Callaghan Cavaliers

This sounds nice.

>>3992652
That's better actually
Change to this

>>3992644
>Callaghan's Myrmidons

>>3992652
+1

>>3992652
I can understand that.
>>3992654
Agreed, and also some scout mechs. Since we're in Steiner space we could try to get our hands on some Commandos.

>>3992673

We already have scout mechs. We got 4 highlanders and 4 thugs.

More seriously, we need to put a full battalion together in a very short time. We have the number of mechs to do it, but we lack the pilots. Let's focus on that before we buy new mechs.

>>3992686
>We already have scout mechs. We got 4 highlanders and 4 thugs.
Good joke
As for more meat to put into the machines that usually goes without saying, but yeah we are going to need a lot more crews and pilots.

>>3992686
scouting mission was a success, there are no survivors just a huge crater now, no one knows we are here

>>3992652
Il back this.

>>3992652
>>3992654
>>3992656
>>3992671
>>3992657
>>3992663
>>3992701

>Callaghan Crusaders

++++++++++

"Alright, so it's not all bad news." You stand up, the men & woman stand at attention. "I may have inherited this operation from a deadbeat of father, but I'm growing quite fond of it. As we speak, we have elites & armchair fuckers who think they have a right to the mechs & lostech you & your comrades have bled & died for simply because they were born with a silver spoon up their ass. I want to stop them, but I will need all of your help."

"So, are you with me?"

The men reply & the spurs jingle, "HOO'AH!"

You nod, now to make the company your own, "Claudia, get the paperwork for renaming the company by 0900hrs tomorrow."

She asks, "What's the new name, boss?"

"Callaghan Crusaders. For my mother."

"Good choice, boss. Where do I bring the paperwork?" She tilts her head.

"Go to Klaus & Zabi's. We'll get a working plan together once all of us are bright & sober in the morning. And Mason, you'll join us too."

Claudia & Bernard salutes. "Aye, boss. Orders received."

You return their salute, & head back to the limo. Now after dealing the men, you look forward to a New Years dinner with Klaus.

>CONT.

+++++1335hrs, Local Std Time+++++

After the wonderful dinner with Klaus & family & a good night sleep, you & Klaus head back to the office first thing in the morning. At 0900hrs sharp, Claudia & Mason arrived promptly, paperwork in tow to rename the Crusaders to new management. Verifying the paperwork to ensure all is in order, you all start brainstorming how to pass the Estate general's test. After several hours, you managed to break down to three viable options.


Coming back from lunch break, you take your seat at the head of the conference table. "Ok, these are our options. Claudia," you ask. "do you mind recapping the options again?"

"Not at all, boss." Claudia replies. Her uniform cuts a striking figure & after a few hours of discussion, you know she has the brains as well.

"Option 1, we recruit from Tharkad itself. Easy access to Mechwarriors, ASF pilots, Jumpship & Dropship crews, & combat vehicles crew too."

"Except most of them would definitely be spies from the nobles & itching to sabotage us." Klaus answers.

"Correct. Option 2, forget about actually trying to build a combined arms battalion. We go to Solaris, find enough Mechwarriors to fill up our roster. We then have a full Mech battalion."

"It's take us 12 days to reach Solaris, but we can definitely recruit some aces there." Mason happily replies while pouring himself some water.

Claudia nods, "And then Option 3. We take 20 days to reach Galatea, will cost us slightly more both in time & financially. But we'll be able to recruit the same group as on Tharkad. So...what do you think boss?"

What do indeed? (Choose one option)
>Option 1. You'll risk the spies.
>Option 2. Mech Aces sounds good, & there's always plenty of time to recruit the others later.
>Option 3. Time would be tighter, but you'd be able to screen out the spies,
>Others (Specify)

>>3992799
>>Option 2. Mech Aces sounds good, & there's always plenty of time to recruit the others later.

a sucker for aces

This is an interesting dilemma. Personally, i'd say screw Tharkad. We have enough issues to deal with without needing to distrust our own crew (more then your regular mercenary, i mean). That leaves 2 options: go to Solaris and focus on mechs for the time being, or take the gamble and hope we can get things done in time on Galatea. Personally i think it would be a shame to not put those Alacorns and LRM carriers to use, but for the concrete challenge ahead of us Solaris offers a quicker and more certain answer. We can always go recruit more personnel when we have the funds, plus "battalion of Lostech Battlemechs"has a nice ring to it. So my answer is

>Option 2. Mech Aces sounds good, & there's always plenty of time to recruit the others later.

But while we are on the subject OP, do we have any contacts among our fellow graduates we can bring in? Some people we know personally, close enough to make them being a spy unlikely, and who would appreciate a new job in a large and stable mercenary operation?

>>3992799
Option 2. Mech Aces sounds good, & there's always plenty of time to recruit the others later.

>>3992799
>Option 2. Mech Aces sounds good, & there's always plenty of time to recruit the others later.
Worst comes to worst we can always go for the down on their luck pilots and toss them into the seats as spare troopers.

And like >>3992825 said. We should at least know a few people we could trust from the good old days.

>>3992799
>Option 2. Mech Aces sounds good, & there's always plenty of time to recruit the others later.

>>3992799
>>3992825
second.

Wonder if we will eventually find anyone from our graduating class.

>>3992806
>>3992825
>>3992843
>>3992844
>>3993243
>>3993510
>Option 2. Mech Aces sounds good, & there's always plenty of time to recruit the others later.

++++++++++

"We'll go with Option Zwei." You lean back into the office chair. "Focus on getting us at least two more companies of Mechwarriors. Herr Klaus, how soon can we leave?"

Klaus checks his terminal, "Next Jumpship to Solaris is in two days, Sunday in fact. Shall I book tickets?"

"Sure," you nod. "How's the repairs going on 'Toung Taloung' & the rest of the Dropships? Did you find the crews for them?"

"About that..." Claudia says. "The repairs wouldn't completely finish on the Jumpfish until mid July. But it's jump-worthy by end of May. So we have plenty of time to search for a crew. As for the Dropships? I may have a crew for one of the Overlords on the line."

"Great," you say. "Anything else?"

Klaus reminds you, "You probably want to leave one of XO's behind to ensure that at least someone's guarding the store."

"Can't it be you?" You ask.

"Legal documents can only go so far without guns behind them," Klaus says. "A platoon of infantry & an XO who can represent you helps too."

Choose the XO accompany you.
>Cpt. Claudia Steiner. Honey pot might lure in more mechwarriors
>Cpt. Bernard Mason. He might know a few people seeing as he's a veteran.

>>3994000
>Cpt. Claudia Steiner. Honey pot might lure in more mechwarriors


she has the name, and seems a lot more reasonable

>>3994000
>Cpt. Claudia Steiner. Honey pot might lure in more mechwarriors

>>3994000

>Cpt. Bernard Mason. He might know a few people seeing as he's a veteran.

I would like to bring her but I trust her more to take care of our company on our absense since this guy was talking about stealing and running, she works better as a number 2 than him

>>3994000
>>Cpt. Bernard Mason. He might know a few people seeing as he's a veteran
Quality over quantity for our first recruits

>>3994000
>Cpt. Bernard Mason. He might know a few people seeing as he's a veteran
Quality can be a virtue. And we can try to get to know Mason a bit more during our recruitment drive.

>>3994106
I see that we both share a preference for quality. My negro of high culture.

>>3994000
>Cpt. Bernard Mason. He might know a few people seeing as he's a veteran.

Honestly I think I trust Claudia more so lets keep Mason close

>>3994000
>>Cpt. Bernard Mason. He might know a few people seeing as he's a veteran.

>Cpt. Bernard Mason. He might know a few people seeing as he's a veteran

Pls no ded

>>3998030
I sure hope he's not fucking dead. Otherwise it'll be a big dissapointment.

>>3998047
>>3998030
relax guys, it's the end of the year, things are slow now

>>3998055
I'll hope you're right.

>>3998055
Better bot of died from over drinking.

>>3994047
>>3994058
>>3994100
>>3994106
>>3994182
>>3994563
>>3994980
>>3995032
>Cpt. Bernard Mason. He might know a few people seeing as he's a veteran.

++++++++++

Klaus does have a point. And since Claudia is nominally more trustworthy than muscle-brain Bernard...

"Captain Mason, got any contacts on Solaris?" you turn to Bernard.

Bernard scratches his chin, "You made the right choice. I know Solaris like the back of my hand, we'll be swimming in Mechwarriors & babes alike before you know it! Hahahahahaha!" He throws back his head & laughs. Claudia just rolls her eyes in disgust.

You then turn towards Claudia, "Claudia, I need you to stay here to oversee the repairs & mind the store with Klaus' help."

"Wilco, boss." She salutes you.

"Now, since business is over, we have 'til Sunday. What are your plans?"

Mason, barely recovering, is the first to answer, "We're gonna hit the Tharkad bar circuit of course! Best beers this side of the Inner Sphere."

Claudia turns to you, "I'm going to check on our inventory at base." You can hear a slight mumble from Mason,"Workaholic witch." And promptly has to dodge a pen from Claudia.

Finally, Klaus finishes his glass of water, "Ja, I have an invitation for a small get-together from my associates. Herr Amarr is welcome to join me & Frau Klaus of course!"

Well, what do?
>Join Mason & the men on their bar crawl
>Join Claudia to inspect your mechs & inventory
>Join Klaus to see your opposition
>Others (Specify)

>>3998772
Join Klaus to see your opposition

>>3998772
>Join Claudia to inspect your mechs & inventory

>>3998772
>>Join Claudia to inspect your mechs & inventory

>>3998772

>Join Claudia to inspect your mechs & inventory

Those ship repairs are gonna set us back hard

>>3998772
>Join Claudia to inspect your mechs & inventory

>>3998772
>Join Claudia to inspect your mechs & inventory
Time to find out what condition our mechs are in and whether or not we have the resources to field any of them and repairing the ships.

>>3998772
>>Join Claudia to inspect your mechs & inventory

File: Hanger.png (937 KB, 1000x559)

937 KB PNG

>>3998830
>>3998831
>>3998846
>>3998871
>>3998889
>>3998992
>>3999071

>Join Claudia to inspect your mechs & inventory

++++++++++

After an excellent lunch with your senior officers, you decided that a good use of your time was to join your tac-ops officer & actually take in what your gene-father left you. Slightly disappointed, Cpt. Mason instead vowed to drink on your behalf with the men. You also sent your best wishes to Missus Klaus & will spend the night at Klaus right before leaving Tharkad.

The Crusaders were temporarily stationed at Tatyana Island along with what Mechs they were able to unload from the Monolith. As such, you & Claudia needed to take a three hour sub-orbital flight from Tharkad City. She led you to a private airport just right outside the city, where an ST-46 shuttle is already waiting for both of you.

The flight itself was uneventful, if it weren't for the luxurious mods of the shuttle. You suspect that the shuttle itself was neither part of the Crusaders' original inventory, nor is it part of the SLDF cache that he uncovered. As for Claudia, she's even more of a green-eyed enigma to you, especially since she's a Steiner to boot.

+++++1827hrs, Local Std Time+++++

"Boss, here it is. Your father's legacy & your inheritence." Claudia presents to you in front of an open hangar of 32 assorted heavy & medium class Mechs stand in their Mech berths, with some technicians working on them. The hangar itself is built into a cliff, with architecture you suspect was built during the Star League.

You notice something wrong though, "Captain, what happened to my assaults?"

Claudia answers, "Sorry boss. They're still safe & sound onboard the Toung Taloung. Specifically, we couldn't detach the Command Overlord since its docking collar was damaged. As far as we can tell, the assaults are in factory condition like the rest, just mothballed temporarily."

That could be a problem. Claudia gestures you to follow her, leading you to an office nearby. The office itself is relatively spartan by Lyran standards, which means that there's still displays of luxury everywhere.

"Anything else I can do for you, boss?" She asks.

What do?
>Re-prioritize repairs to Jumpship & Dropships
>Ask questions about Claudia
>Designate your own Mech
>Others (Specify)

>>3999073
Ask questions about Claudia

>>3999073
>Re-prioritize repairs to Jumpship & Dropships

>Ask questions about Claudia
I especially want one of the questions to be: How She Found Herself in our dad's employ.

As for designating our own mech, let's actually get our ducks in a row. And actually know what weight tonnage we're actually an expert in before we do so.

>>3999073
>>3999100
This

Personally im a big fan of the Highlander for a command and personal battlemech, lots of armor, firepower and also room for command consoles and other C3 suites while being decently mobile with its JJs, though a bit slow on foot.

https://pastebin.com/60Bx2PQg

Just reposting the TO&E for anyone who might have missed it.

>>3999073
>Re-prioritize repairs to Jumpship & Dropships

>>3999100
This, repair and get to know her better, where has she been what she thinks of this situation, any tips regarding the company and all that

>>3999083
>>3999100
>>3999101
>>3999619
>Re-prioritize Jumpship & Dropships repairs
>Ask questions about Claudia

++++++++++

"I need details about the ongoing repairs," you ask. "A C-174 mil repair bill is a lot, considering future expenses of course."

"The Toung Taloung was severely damaged when the traitors vented the fusion reactors & the old man redirected it away from the crew," Claudia pulls out a Lyran Scotch & a couple of shot glass from her office table. She starts filling both shots & passes you one. "The venting is what caused the damage to both the Dropships & the collars."

You accept the whisky. The whisky feels subtle, but a bit dry for your taste. "Any way to mitigate the costs?"

"Well..." she replies. "You don't technically need to repair all of the collars, just the ones for two of the Dropships. But having extra collars mean that we can potentially collect fees from any dropship that might want to hitch a ride with us. Of course not fully repairing the Jumpship means higher maintenance costs."

"How about the Dropships?"

"Armors' are pockmarked from micro-meteorite impacts & probably need a paintjob, or so the technicians keep telling me. They also won't be ready until the aforementioned for frontline combat until May."

What do?
>Stick to original repair plan [Potential for extra income +25%]
>Only repair 4 collars, including for the Dropships [Postpone repair costs by C-60mil | Increase maintenance fees +15%]
>Others (Every C-20 million repairs one Dropship collar | Specify)

>>4000330
Only repair 4 collars, including for the Dropships [Postpone repair costs by C-60mil | Increase maintenance fees +15%]

>>4000330
>>Only repair 4 collars, including for the Dropships [Postpone repair costs by C-60mil | Increase maintenance fees +15%]

>>4000330
>>Only repair 4 collars, including for the Dropships [Postpone repair costs by C-60mil | Increase maintenance fees +15%]
We can fully repair it once its operational and earning us money

>>4000330

>Stick to original repair plan [Potential for extra income +25%]

>>4001184

>>4000330
>>Stick to original repair plan [Potential for extra income +25%]
Could help us mitigate cost when traveling

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>4000478
>>4000482
>>4000653
1
>>4001184
>>4001190
>>4001221
2

Ded thred?

>>4004390
No clue to be honest.

>>4001490
QM plz come back

Plz no ded

New Thread >>4013372