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Zikan
Feb 29, 2004

c

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Azhais
Feb 5, 2007
Switchblade Switcharoo
BD

Review the plan and hit the sack. Last thing we need is to hit the ground drunk or broken.

golden bubble
Jun 3, 2011

yospos

A: old habits die hard

dont be mean to me
May 2, 2007

I'm interplanetary, bitch
Let's go to Mars


ABC

Don't really care what we do, but let's do something.

Black Feather
Apr 14, 2012

Call someone who cares.
BA

The Lone Badger
Sep 24, 2007

For alcohol!

sheep-dodger
Feb 21, 2013

Blasphemaster posted:

E:Fabricate a miniature spy drone and remote control it to the women's barracks. :shepface:

Let's not go there please.
A

hollylolly
Jun 5, 2009

Do you like superheroes? Check out my CYOA Mutants: Uprising

How about weird historical fiction? Try Vampires of the Caribbean

B

I’d like to make a good impression on the mission, too. At least this first one.

Cloud Potato
Jan 9, 2011

"I'm... happy!"
B. Knowledge is what keeps us alive.

Lemniscate Blue
Apr 21, 2006

Here we go again.
B. We may be a crooked weasel, but the first thing a weasel knows is how to save it's own skin, and that takes Intel.

CourValant
Feb 25, 2016

Do You Remember Love?
Vote: C: Tinker With Your Gear (Tech)

Before a mission isn't the best time to fleece the 'Grunts', who we need to watch our backs in 7 hours.

Let's save the gambling for post-op, once we get them nice and drunk.

super sweet best pal
Nov 18, 2009

C

malbogio
Jan 19, 2015


Changing my vote to A

Hexenritter
May 20, 2001


A!

PoultryGeist
Feb 27, 2013

Crystals?

BOUDICA posted:

Final Status Check, All Stations Report

You groan a bit as the restraints push you down into the crash-couch’s embrace. The foam quickly conforms to your body, but the few seconds it takes reminds you of the bruises you picked up a few hours ago.

As you thought, a drink was out of the question. No official rum ration, and nary a drop of the ‘shine among the most straight-laced grunts you’d ever met. But with wide smiles they introduced you to their preferred rec: some sort of weird two-armed form of arm wrestling. And after the third time ‘their freshest recruit’ sent you rear end over teakettle they clapped your back and let you off the hook. You laughed with them, of course, and joined the crowd. There was betting going on, but the rules to this ‘Mkono’ were arcane. I mean, you still won, but only a respectable amount instead of your usual fleecing. Still, having a pocketful of local currency is always a good thing. And you also passed a test of sorts. You were still an outsider, but you were an outsider that could take his lumps, a stand-up individual.

It was all bullshit of course, you’d popped a pain tab discreetly before your first Mkono bout. You knew well enough to take your hazing with a smile, Toni Two-Nose had taught you that lesson well. But some sore muscles were a small price to pay for ensuring you weren’t the first person to get dumped if things went sideways.

(Swindle Roll: 22. You gain a useful item: Pocket full of credits and a good reputation.)

BOUDICA posted:

Final Status Check Green, Nearlight drop in five, four, thr-

Your first thought is the drop was mistimed, the unforgiving weight of the deceleration from .95c coming seconds early. But then the grav-field fires when the ‘zero’ would be, momentarily pinning you in place mid head-snap. The amber drop-lights switch to red, and emergency klaxons sound. The grav-field releases you with a pop, but the ship continues to shudder and heave.

BOUDICA posted:

WARNING WARNING WE HAVE TAKEN HEAVY FIRE. DAMAGE REPORT, ALL STATIONS!

The NHP’s voice also sounds in your ear. “Pilot River, please make your way to your transport, the hanger bay suffered severe damage in the attack. We will have to evacuate it soon, the Captain has authorized an emergency deployment.”

“Attack? How the gently caress could something hit us at nearlight?” You’ve already retracted the restraints and pulled yourself out of the couch. You maglocks clunk to the deck plating, the sub-g safeties kicking in. The Intrepid Dawn was drifting, not a good sign.

“Unknown Pilot River, most of the ships sensors are damaged or still recalibrating from the Cherenkov flash. Please hurry, We’ve queued up Transport Able-2 for lau- oh dear.”

The spare crash couch cabin was right off the hanger bay, so only a few steps were required to emerge into the chaos. All five mag-launchers firing at full-cycle, sending out fighter wings and troop transports as fast as the alignment armatures could shift them. Multiple teams of subalterns, fighting a losing battle against the flames encroaching the fuel bowsers. But what immediately draws your attention, and the source of Bo’s ‘oh dear’, is Transport Able-2. An alignment armature has been blown loose from its mounting and has sheared clean through one of the transport’s vector-thrusters. Baby’s systems are still showing green, snug in the cargo pod. But your ride isn’t going anywhere.

“gently caress ME! Bo, how long to print a Class 1 booster rig?”

“BOUDICA, Pilot River. And it would take 12 minutes 43 seconds. Please note, We estimate that the hanger bay will suffer a catastrophic existence failure in just under ten minutes.”

A stream of loud Ciorench curses is your only response. Your original transport is hosed, and there’s not enough time to print out booster engines for Baby. You could hop onto the last two troop transports, but you’re a loving mech pilot. You aren’t going to leave Baby behind even before the mission starts.

Getting Off the Intrepid Dawn
A: Transfer Baby to a New Transport
Able-3 hasn’t left yet, swap out its cargo pod for Baby’s. You’d lose the *checks manifest* 1XFIRE TEAM, SUBALTERN /HEAVY WEAPONS CONFIG/ though.
B: Use Your EVA Module
Your EVA module has the propellant to get you to T3, but it would be much slower than any other method.
C: Use a Mag-Launcher
Your Deployable Cover is approximately the right size to fit into the launcher’s guide-slot, and is ferromagnetic. However, you’d be moving faster than your EVA module could reliably steer.

PoultryGeist fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Sep 20, 2018

CourValant
Feb 25, 2016

Do You Remember Love?

PoultryGeist posted:

Getting Off the Intrepid Dawn

Vote: C: Use a Mag-Launcher

Either die getting slammed between our 'mech and the shield, or, die when the ship blows up.

Might as well take our chances.

Zikan
Feb 29, 2004

C

Nothing can possibly go wrong with slamming into a battlezone as fast as possible with no intel imo

Hexenritter
May 20, 2001


CourValant posted:

Vote: C: Use a Mag-Launcher

Either die getting slammed between our 'mech and the shield, or, die when the ship blows up.

Might as well take our chances.

This.

Lemniscate Blue
Apr 21, 2006

Here we go again.
C Speed is life.

Speed is also death, but who's counting?

dont be mean to me
May 2, 2007

I'm interplanetary, bitch
Let's go to Mars


Zikan posted:

C

Nothing can possibly go wrong with slamming into a battlezone as fast as possible with no intel imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8tfuAa1zHU

C

Jossar
Apr 2, 2018

Current status: Angry about subs :argh:
C

I'm sure we can roll with the punches!

Dog Kisser
Mar 30, 2005

But People have fears that beasts do not. Questions, too.
The answer is obviously C!

golden bubble
Jun 3, 2011

yospos

C

Blasphemaster
Jul 10, 2008

C

:asoiaf:

hollylolly
Jun 5, 2009

Do you like superheroes? Check out my CYOA Mutants: Uprising

How about weird historical fiction? Try Vampires of the Caribbean

Just to be contrary:

A

We don’t need a *checks notes* 1XFIRE TEAM, SUBALTERN /HEAVY WEAPONS CONFIG when they’ve got us and Baby

Hexenritter
May 20, 2001


hollylolly posted:

Just to be contrary:

A

We don’t need a *checks notes* 1XFIRE TEAM, SUBALTERN /HEAVY WEAPONS CONFIG when they’ve got us and Baby

I was really tempted to vote that too, and tbf a single fireteam of roboscrubs is nothing compared to big mech Big Mech BIG MECH

Kai Tave
Jul 2, 2012
Fallen Rib
Let's go Curfing.

Not Alex
Oct 9, 2012

Cut loose before the god eaters show up.
C I'm sure the brass will love our... ahem, aggressive deployment.

Blasphemaster
Jul 10, 2008

As we prepare to shoot ourselves out the launcher, we need to consult our Loveable Scamp's Handbook(e-book version) on whether this situation calls for a quip about leaving the stove on(timed directly before something important on the ship detonates) or a girlish scream about regretting everything.

Skellybones
May 31, 2011




Fun Shoe
C if GMC didn't want their stuff to be fired out of orbital assault launchers they shouldn't have made them fit.

malbogio
Jan 19, 2015

C

Cloud Potato
Jan 9, 2011

"I'm... happy!"
C. We’re gonna get lost when we land off-course, but that just means the enemy will be totally surprised at our approach!

JesterOfAmerica
Sep 11, 2015
C

Not Alex
Oct 9, 2012

Cut loose before the god eaters show up.

Cloud Potato posted:

C. We’re gonna get lost when we land off-course, but that just means the enemy will be totally surprised at our approach!

I think its fair to say that everyone will be surprised by this.

PoultryGeist
Feb 27, 2013

Crystals?
The Jericho settles into the launcher slot with a heavy CHA-CHUNK as the electro-mags grab on. You settle Baby’s armatures and feet into the hardpoints on the inside of the cover, and lock them down.

“We must advise you Pilot River, We have the sum total of over 40 tactical manuals in our fast-memory. This action does not appear in any of them, We believe it is unwise.”

You grunt, mainly to quash the hysterical laughter that threatens to bubble up. “Oh, I strongly disagree Bo. This isn’t unwise, its loving loop-o. Now hit me before I come to my senses.”

“BOUDICA, Pilot River. Informed consent logged, launching in 3, 2, 1, launch.”

The gees kick you in the chest, though not as badly as in the recent drop. The strain gauges on Baby’s limbs redline, but you’re clear of the launch tube before they take any lasting damage.

After the chaos of the hanger bay, the silence of the vacuum is eerie but welcome. More holovids open up as the com/con tries to assist with the now-360 battlefield. Behind you is the rapidly shrinking Intrepid Dawn, venting atmo, fire, and tardy subalterns from the hanger bay in an attempt to keep its volatiles from detonating. You can see at least three impact craters in the hull plugged by emergency shielding, and thermal indicates that the engines are ramping back up again. Furious Twilight seems mostly untouched, though its distance and visual angle makes it difficult to make out details.

The escort frigate Eternal Dusk was not so lucky. In addition to being smaller than the two pocket carriers, it was also lead in the formation. You can see at least two through-and-throughs in its hull, and its thruster modules seem to be venting plasma at random.

But as Baby and legionspace feeds you more data, you see that the Auxiliary forces are rallying. More detailed orders begin to come across the omninet feeds as command gets a handle on the situation, and fighters and transports have linked up, and are forming tight defensive wings. Defensive wings... that you are rapidly outpacing.

Baby was undersized for the mag-launchers, and it seems that you’ve been accelerated far more than the actual spacecraft. By dint of physics you’re now leading the assault on T3, the first to clear the electromagnetic haze of the flux band. The first to get a full sensor sweep of T3, and see It.

For the most part the AO looks the same as on the briefing slate, an old GMS prefab with a large hanger door along with 3 smaller access points. But north of the facility, where the antenna farm should be, someone’s made some changes. Four huge curve tower-armatures, easily 200 meters tall, edge the radius of a large sphere of absolute blackness. As the horror grows in the pit of your stomach, the skin of the sphere… twitches, and Baby registers a massive explosion in Eternal Dusk’s drive housing. You’ve seen that before, in MSMC orientation. A shaky mech-view, part of a section called What Happens If Your Target Has A loving Pegasus. You drop Baby into autopilot and trigger the legionspace viewer.

Your virtual self stumbles slightly, the Auxiliary’s LS system must be having some sync issues. Captain Okafor and a few others you vaguely recognize from the briefing look up from the tactical display. You storm over, waving your arms and not caring as dozens of BOUDICA instances duck out of the way.

“Who the gently caress did you people piss of?! There’s a capital-class Paracausal weapon down there!”

Captain Okafor looks confused. “ A what kind of weapon Pilot? We haven’t received the full UnionINT updates yet.” More of the command staff and BOUDICAs turn and look as your curses fill ‘space. You flip the mech-cam from the training video onto a screen, the USHABTI Omnigun of the Pegasus mech shredding the MSMC fire-team in seconds. Barely hidden distress replaces the confusion all around. But to her credit, Captain Okafor recovers quickly.

“Get a grapple on Eternal Dusk ASAP, we need to get back beyond what BOUDICA believes is the max range. As much engines as is safe. Pilot River, you’re nearly to their Point Defense Weapon perimeter-”

“I am?” You open up a window onto Baby. “Oh poo poo, I am!” The Captain continues as if you didn’t say anything.

“-so I’m assigning Wing Delta-1, Transport Able-1, and Able-3 to you. Delta-1 and the 1st Recon are both full strength, I need this.. weapon disabled. Before it finishes shredding us.”

You get a quick salute off before a warning from Baby comes through. Dropping out of Legionspace, you’re welcomed back by your screens full of PDW fire. They’re quickly tagged as GMS Pattern 3 Anti-meteorite guns, more civilian models. Slow firing, but the 3-meter hypervelocity rounds would hole Baby right good. And the area is filling up with rounds, looks like a battery at the base of each of the containment towers.

Another ding from the com/con alerts you to one of the spacecraft clusters changing course to come up behind you, their IFF feeding you detailed information. They’re waiting for word from you of course, as you’ve obviously put yourself in the vanguard for a reason. You sigh, and activate the comm.

“Hey mes amies, River here. So what’s going to happen is-”

A: We’re going to set down in this LZ on the edge of fire zone.
The safe approach, but you will have to make a Difficult Agility check to hit the LZ yourself due to your speed/poor maneuverability.
B: You’re going to land out of range while I deep-strike myself into PDW-1 to cause a distraction.
You’ll be cut off from reinforcements until you can disable any ground security. PDW- will shoot at you.
C: I’m going to land sword-first on the PDW emplacement, you’ll land right after me in the confusion.
*Manufacturer’s Notice*: Suggested attack will place ~101% of Maximal Structural Stress on Charged Blade. (You’ll need to make a Hull check to avoid damaging your Charged Blade). PDW-1 will shoot at you, but with Difficulty because you’re going really fast.

JesterOfAmerica
Sep 11, 2015
Charge the line

Not Alex
Oct 9, 2012

Cut loose before the god eaters show up.
A. Can't go full madman all the time. Gotta keep em guessing if nothing else.

dont be mean to me
May 2, 2007

I'm interplanetary, bitch
Let's go to Mars


C is for "gently caress it yolo"

Kai Tave
Jul 2, 2012
Fallen Rib
Hahaha holy poo poo this is loving awesome so far. Well I guess that explains how they were able to tag us coming out of nearlight. The USHTABI for those who don't know is a gun-that-isn't-a-gun. The black sphere isn't the weapon itself, it's the containment field for the weapon. Nobody's quite clear how it works, simply that it does, period...it hits whatever it's fired at regardless of obstruction, it damages whatever it's fired at regardless of protection. The version that can be found mounted on a PEGASUS-class chassis does mech-scale damage to things. This one seems to be a bit bigger.

So at this point we have three choices, all of which have some sort of drawback. We're getting shot at in two of them in the other we aren't even guaranteed to land where we need to be. Taking that into consideration I'm gonna vote for C. We know we'll be landing in the right spot with no check necessary and while we'll get shot at, the shooter will be taking a penalty which makes it more ideal than option B. We may lose our sword but we'll still have our other weapons and the HMG is plenty of firepower in and of itself.

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The Lone Badger
Sep 24, 2007

C is the only strategy that makes it look like we were doing this on purpose.

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