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the JJ posted:Care to share? Some idiot furry did a couple stories about the Eridani Light Horse under contract and started making ridiculous claims about the scope of said contract, including ownership of either the ELH or the Battletech line as a whole. He got laughed out of court but it still takes some money to get the lawyers moving. Said stories may have involved the ELH getting surgery to become permanent horse furries. dis astranagant fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 04:36
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dis astranagant posted:Some idiot furry did a couple stories about the Eridani Light Horse under contract and started making ridiculous claims about the scope of said contract, including ownership of either the ELH or the Battletech line as a whole. He got laughed out of court but it still takes some money to get the lawyers moving. Said stories may have involved the ELH getting surgery to become permanent horse furries. ... ... ... 
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Jul 19, 2014 05:38
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Ever wonder why Alex Iglesias drew all those pics of `Mechs lighting furries on fire? Welp.
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Jul 19, 2014 05:48
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T.G. Xarbala posted:Ever wonder why Alex Iglesias drew all those pics of `Mechs lighting furries on fire? Those are still some of the best BT fanart around.  But yeah, the community did not take the shoehorning of loving anthromorphic horse into BT canon lightly.
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Jul 19, 2014 06:04
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That and he essentially thought that because the i's weren't dotted and t's not crossed he was at a minimum an equal partner in ownership of the Battletech franchise, later downgrading that to owner of his stupid merc outfit when it finally sunk in just how stupid the whole thing was.
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Jul 19, 2014 06:11
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Wasn't there a link earlier in the thread to where he tried to explain his reasoning on the official battletech forums and immediately got laughed out because of how dumb it all was? I remember reading it some time ago and almost not believing how idiotic his claims were.
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Jul 19, 2014 06:17
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Scintilla posted:A Stackpole.gif should be exactly that - a .gif of a mech Stackpoling. [color="purple"]Prose[/color]
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Jul 19, 2014 06:25
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Scintilla posted:Wasn't there a link earlier in the thread to where he tried to explain his reasoning on the official battletech forums and immediately got laughed out because of how dumb it all was? I remember reading it some time ago and almost not believing how idiotic his claims were. yep. http://www.sarna.net/forums/showflat.php?Number=155739
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Jul 19, 2014 06:29
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All this because a glorified intern at WhizKids confused an unpublished story with something out of the old Mercenary's Handbook and stuck it on the official site for a while before taking it down when it was brought to his attention.
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Jul 19, 2014 06:34
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T.G. Xarbala posted:Ever wonder why Alex Iglesias drew all those pics of `Mechs lighting furries on fire? I had wondered that, but I first saw all that art on 4chan, and figured they were just having their usual laughs in a delightful new way.
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Jul 19, 2014 07:16
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It sounds like there isn't a big enough for the whole thing. I did think it was kinda weird that the Eridani Light Horse that had survived through a ton of poo poo in the setting suddenly between Era Report 3145 and Wars of Reaving was completely annihilated to the last trooper, but this explains it. So yeah PTN's probably right and CGL's just being "gently caress it burn it all to the ground" when it comes to the established mercs at this point, and it seems that the fiction points to the post HPG collapse merc market is so ridiculously volatile that you'd be a complete idiot to start on up by the 3140s.
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Jul 19, 2014 18:15
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The "mercenary" units that do survive will probably be more similar to the Kell Hounds: personal troops tied to a powerful noble kept outside the chain of command. It's a very advantageous position to be in.
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Jul 19, 2014 18:29
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All this talk about Catalyst killing off mercenary units is getting ironic. Ironic because Catalyst just sent out a email about a weekend sale for their Chaos Irregulars mercenary books. Odds on the Chaos Irregulars surviving Catalyst's mercenary purge went up drasticly for me. quantumfoam fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 18:43
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tuluk posted:All this talk about Catalyst killing off mercenary units is getting ironic. I think they survived the Jihad but then signed up as part of one of the FWL breakaway states' regular army units, if I remember right. So kind of a half purge then?
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Jul 19, 2014 18:50
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Defiance Industries posted:Not familiar with those, to be honest. But by "original ComStar book" do you mean the one from 1989 that came out right after the end of the Clan Invasion, when Focht took over ComStar? That book is a hilarious bookend to the House books, since so much of it is Focht saying "that assassination that caused this war, or this disaster that sabotaged your R&D program? That was ROM. Fooled you." for 200 pages. Defiance Industries, do you have a exact name for that book? Sounds interesting. http://www.sarna.net/wiki/ComStar_(sourcebook) , is 60% internal Comstar politics, with the remainder of the book being ROM operations versus the Inner Sphere, Word of Blake details, and 8 pages of colored artwork....with meta-commentary by Word of Blake scribes sprinkled everywhere.
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Jul 19, 2014 19:11
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Yeah, that's the one. The "history of ComStar" section is a lot like the Star League sourcebook in that it pulls back the curtain on a whole bunch of manipulation that nobody else knows about.
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Jul 19, 2014 19:27
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Defiance Industries posted:Yeah, that's the one. The "history of ComStar" section is a lot like the Star League sourcebook in that it pulls back the curtain on a whole bunch of manipulation that nobody else knows about. thanks. http://www.sarna.net/wiki/The_Star_League -the Star league sourcebook you're talking about. You must have mentally combined those two sourcebooks when mentioning 200 pages of Focht dropping Inner Sphere truth bombs/ROM dickery. It's a good excuse to re-read those two sourcebooks and not skip the political bits that normally make me zone out.
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Jul 19, 2014 19:48
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Yeah, when I say "the Star League sourcebook" or "the House Steiner sourcebook" those are always the ones I mean. They needed more distinctive names but what can you do? It was like 30 years ago.
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Jul 19, 2014 19:50
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Defiance Industries posted:Yeah, when I say "the Star League sourcebook" or "the House Steiner sourcebook" those are always the ones I mean. They needed more distinctive names but what can you do? It was like 30 years ago. quote their FASA or series publication #'s? CAT35002 -Classic Battletech Techmanual for example it's the only way I keep any of my battletech pdfs organized. quantumfoam fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 19:57
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Ultimatum: Tactical Update 31 Mechwarrior Adrian McKenna breathed a silent sigh of relief as one of the Rim World machines drove a six-meter armored spike through the Sea Fox Galaxy Commander’s center torso, silencing his furious ranting. At the same time another enemy machine, a forgettable little Crab, drove its cloven hoof into the back of the Atlas’s knee, snapping the Clan machine’s leg off cleanly. Her hand hovered over the eject button as she brought her limping, crippled Dire Wolf to a halt to await her own machine’s execution. The enemy made no move to oblige her, instead they simply assembled in good order. Those with hands stopped to gather any Clan equipment small enough to cart away, but aside from the big, beetle-shaped assault `Mech that wrenched the right weapons-pod off one of the Clan’s rare Timberwolves none of the enemy machines seemed too focused on looting. From McKenna’s position it didn’t seem like recovering Clan equipment was a priority. It looked more as if the Rim Worlders were taking things simply because the Clans would expect them to. It was disconcerting, as though they were simply the smaller and weaker crèche brats playing the part of barbarians in a game of Warriors and Bandits. Except for once, the bandits had won. Combat Phase Dire Wolf H - No orders received! - Gains 0 heat, sinks 40! Atlas IIC - Fires Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifle 40 at Hogzilla (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 minimum range + 2 Void Signature System - 1 Short Range HAG = 6): rolled 10, 3 projectiles hit Right Arm (7/32 armor remains), Right Leg (25/37 armor remains), Left Torso (19/31 armor remains)! - Fires ER Medium Laser at Hogzilla (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System - 1 Short Range HAG = 4): rolled 7, hit Left Arm (18/32 armor remains)! - Fires ER Medium Laser at Hogzilla (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System - 1 Short Range HAG = 4): rolled 7, hit Right Leg (18/37 armor remains)! - Fires ER Medium Laser at Hogzilla (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System - 1 Short Range HAG = 4): rolled 8, hit Right Leg (11/37 armor remains)! - Fires ER Medium Laser at Hogzilla (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System - 1 Short Range HAG = 4): rolled 6, hit Center Torso (31/45 armor remains)! - Fires Streak SRM-6 at Hogzilla (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System - 1 Short Range HAG = 4): rolled 6, 4 missiles hit Head (7/9 armor remains (Pilot Hit!)), Left Arm (16/32 armor remains), Left Torso (17/31 armor remains), Right Torso (9/31 armor remains)! - Fires Streak SRM-6 at Hogzilla (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 2 Void Signature System - 1 Short Range HAG = 4): rolled 7, 4 missiles hit Left Arm (14/32 armor remains), Center Torso (29/45 armor remains), Center Torso (27/45 armor remains), Left Arm (12/32 armor remains)! - Gains 37 heat, sinks 36! Crab (ACE) - Fires ER Large Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat = 4): rolled 6, hit Rear Left Torso (2/10 armor remains)! - Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat - 2 Pulse Laser = 2): rolled 7, automatically hit Right Leg (0/42 armor remains)! - Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat - 2 Pulse Laser = 2): rolled 12, automatically hit Left Leg (26/42 armor remains)! - Gains 33 heat sinks 34! Overheating! ACE! Hogzilla (ACE) - Charges PPC Capacitor - Charges PPC Capacitor - Fires ER Micro Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat + 1 Void Signature System = 5): rolled 9, hit Left Arm (21/33 armor remains)! - Fires ER Micro Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat + 1 Void Signature System = 5): rolled 6, hit Right Leg (18/21 structure remains)! Crit! - Gains 42 heat, sinks 32! Overheating! ACE! Hogzilla (ACE) - Fires LB-10X Autocannon (Cluster) at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat + 1 Void Signature System - 1 cluster = 5): rolled 3, miss! - Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat + 1 Void Signature System - 2 Pulse Laser = 4): rolled 5, hit Right Arm (2/33 armor remains)! TAC! - Gains 15 heat, sinks 26! Hogzilla - Fires LB-10X Autocannon (Cluster) at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat + 1 Void Signature System - 1 cluster = 5): rolled 4, miss! - Fires Medium Pulse Laser at Atlas IIC (2 base + 0 range + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement + 1 heat + 1 Void Signature System - 2 Pulse Laser = 4): rolled 9, hit Center Torso (20/46 armor remains)! - Gains 15 heat, sinks 26! Longbow - Holds fire! - Gains 2 heat, sinks 26! Longbow - Holds fire! - Gains 2 heat, sinks 26! Longbow - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 26! Thug - Holds fire! - Gains 2 heat, sinks 26! Black Knight - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 36! Black Knight - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 36! Excalibur - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 22! Excalibur - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 22! Coyote - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 28! Coyote - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 28! Coyote - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 28! Coyote - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 28! Coyote - Holds fire! - Gains 12 heat, sinks 28! Phoenix - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 30! Bobcat - Holds fire! - Gains 10 heat, sinks 24! Locust - Holds fire! - Gains 2 heat, sinks 28! End Phase: Hogzilla - Must pass a 3+ consciousness test: rolled 10, succeeds! Atlas IIC - Through-armor critical chance in Right Arm! No critical hit sustained! - Critical chance in Right Leg! No critical hit sustained! Physical Combat Phase: Hogzilla (ACE) - Punches Atlas IIC with both arms (2 base + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement = 3): rolled 7, both punches hit Left Torso (4/32 armor remains), Center Torso (0/46 armor remains)! Hogzilla (ACE) - Attacks Atlas IIC with Lance (2 base + 2 movement + 0 enemy movement = 4): rolled 10, hit Center Torso (0/31 structure remains)! `Mech destroyed! Crab - Kicks Atlas IIC (2 base + 1 movement + 0 enemy movement - 2 kick = 1): automatically hit Right Leg (0/21 structure remains)! Leg destroyed!    Player Status:  Glorious Deaths  Primary Objective: - Defend Clan HQ Vehicles (0/3 remaining) Secondary Objective - Defeat as many enemy `Mechs as possible (17/39 defeated) - Defend Clan Personnel (11 tents remain) - Defend Clan Equipment (11/36 units remaining) After-Action Report: Well, that wasn’t the ending I was hoping for but it was hard-fought and I had to commit way more force than I was expecting for every player machine I took out. Not counting the machines killed by That  .  In hindsight, if I had to do something like this again I’d have built the map with a ‘safe’ entry zone for Goonstar. I went with a more dynamic entry system because I didn’t want anyone to feel forced to committing to a certain objective. In hindsight, not giving the players clear enough objectives was a mistake and I should’ve known that they’d take more pride in accomplishing a ‘defeat enemy `Mechs’ objective over every other option, and that setting it as anything other than a secondary objective would make the players prioritize it to the exclusion of everything else. That was a major gently caress-up on my part, and it took me way too long to realize it. I know better, and for that I apologize. On the other hand, when I told the players when the mission started that this was about triage, I was kinda expecting them to pick an objective to defend. The top half was designed to be the more easily defended location, especially once the Locusts were deployed to give the players guarding the plateau a little cover from incoming fire; while the bottom half was always intended to be much harder (due to the arrival of the Coyote lance and their targeting priorities) but doable if the players committed to it. Unfortunately (but, in retrospect, not unexpectedly) it seems like the players never really committed to defending any objective. That was probably my fault for not emphasizing which objectives were the most important, but this mission was supposed to be about a confused response against a completely unknown and unexpected force. It felt cheap to give away too much information in hard objectives when I could reveal it in the fluff. Does anyone remember that both the Snow Raven saKhan and Loremaster were still in one of the northern Mobile Command Centers? Just me? Alright then, no sense crying over dead Clanners when I can convert them directly into Plot. Plot and more importantly MVPs* await! *Any vote for something other than That will also count as a vote for That . So feel free to vote for whatever you want!
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Jul 19, 2014 23:40
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Clan MVP: The Vapor Eagle, that was cool. Blackguard MVP that isn't a smug crab: The Coyote that crippled the Kraken. vvv - C assuming it's a clenched teeth kind of "yes", and A assuming he's boasting about his intentions and telling them exactly everything they know so that there can be a follow up if it all goes tits. goatface fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Jul 20, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 23:47
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Political Vote 15 The man who stepped boldly from the Princess-class Dropship Koan’s entry gantry didn’t look the sort to warrant such a vessel. He was ugly to be sure, scarred, burned and healed until he was nearly unrecognizable. A lattice of fine white scars radiated out from his right eye, giving his face a craggy, almost volcanic appearance. Even being told that it was nerve damage and partial paralysis that caused his mouth to curl into a perpetual scowl likely wouldn’t have brought the man much sympathy. He wasn’t the sort to ask for consideration nor was he, since his maiming, the sort to give others any consideration in return. The man who met him didn’t look much like the President of the largest Periphery nation in mankind’s history. He was a young man in his mid-twenties with dark-tanned skin and black hair, and his eyes—so dark they almost looked black—sparkled with a dangerous, calculating intelligence. He didn’t wear the ornate robes of state one might expect in the Capellan state, or the simpler ones of House Kurita. Nor did he adorn himself in the flashy paramilitary garb favored by the Mariks, Davions, and Lyrans. Stefan Amaris VII wore the simple vest of a clavesman over a cloth tunic and leather breaches. He looked more like a colonist than the leader of a nation, and in any court in the Inner Sphere he would likely have been assumed a simple commoner and tossed out. Stefan Amaris VII and Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht stared at each other across the intervening space. Neither had brought bodyguards. Stefan Amaris stood so casually it was as though he simply couldn’t envision anything happening to him on New St. Andrews, while Focht’s appearance seemed a calculated gesture suggesting there was simply nothing Amaris could do that could hurt him. They stood in silence for a few moments before Stefan stepped in with a grin and thrust his hand forward for a brisk shake. “It’s good to see you again, Ian.” Somehow, the scarred man managed to scowl even harder. “It’s Anastasius Focht.” Amaris seemed contrite as he clapped the man on the back, but the infectious-seeming smile never left his face. “Oh, right! My apologies, old friend, but you never write! I never was quite sure which confirmation name you settled on. I do try to keep abreast but the preparations on Andurien require so much attention. How’s the family?” Focht grunted as though he were apathetic and turned to follow Amaris as the man led him through the spaceport. “They have a son on the way.” “ROM works fast. Do they know yet?” The scarred man shook his head. “Yes, but not the gender. They want it to be a ‘surprise.’ Damned reckless and knowing m—knowing Hanse Davion—they haven’t even started talking about names. He wouldn’t want to jinx things.” “From your stories,” Amaris continued casually, “I have a feeling he’s probably going to name a boy after you.” Focht seemed shaken for a moment. “He wouldn’t dare.” Amaris turned, and elbowed the older man in the side. “Hanse doesn’t think of himself as the ruler of the Federated Suns. My analysts think he sees himself as a custodian for a true heir, rather than a worthy leader himself. If you were to turn up on New Avalon tomorrow, he’d probably abdicate in your favor.” Stefan’s guest barked a laugh. “And you compliment ROM’s efficiency?” “I don’t have spies. Just analysts.” Amaris shrugged, then offered a sly smile. “You just wanted to command `Mechs. Like Frederick Steiner, and Takashi Kurita. You won’t show yourself to him because you think he’s doing a better job than you could’ve; but just think: You could rule the largest and most powerful nation the Inner Sphere has ever seen in ComStar’s name and bring about a true Pax Blake.” “My compliments to your analysts,” the sound of hard-soled boots on stone punctuated Focht’s sour retort. “They are partly correct.” “Their son will probably be a lot like you,” Amaris continued, ignoring the slight shift in Focht’s tone. “With any luck, he’ll inherit his mother’s sense of duty and his father’s cunning. It’ll be a real problem if he inherits Kurita anger and Davion impatience. Will you be forcing Primus Tejh to re-sign our mutual noninterference treaty next year?” “Every time you open your mouth, I’m reminded just how dangerous and erratic you are.” The pair stepped into an empty concourse, save for a single distant figure. The space should normally have been crawling with technicians, janitors, and possibly even waiting travelers. The display of power wasn’t lost on Focht, although Amaris hadn’t shown any bodyguards they were clearly present. “You really gave our analysts fits when you forged and then immediately broke an alliance with the Free Worlds League.” “I had reasons,” Amaris replied flippantly. When he said no more, Focht pushed. “And you’re not planning to enlighten me.” “And leave ROM nothing to do?” Amaris grinned as the pair approached the passive, white-robed figure of William Cameron Blake. The real Jerome Blake had no children of record, and aside from a cadet branch of House Cameron that’d vanished with General Kerensky none remained—apart from Amaris himself—who might draw a lineage to the First Lords of old. As Precentor of one of the two most important worlds in the Republic, Precentor New St. Andrews William Blake—along with the equally-important Precentor Canopus IV—were allowed to sit in on first-circuit meetings although neither was allowed to vote. In practice, Blake had never done so, but he remained the highest-ranking member of ComStar not on the First Circuit. “Of course not,” Amaris continued unperturbed. “You’re not here for me anyway. William! Shame on you for not telling me one of the Precentor Martials was coming for a visit!” Blake bowed his head differentially, not to Focht but to Amaris. “My apologies. I had hoped to have this meeting over and done with before you learned of it.” “William,” consternation crossed Amaris’s rough and friendly face. “You’re not planning on turning down New Avalon, are you? This is your calling, William. You must answer. We’ll be fine here, don’t sacrifice everything for the sake of misguided loyalty.” Cameron bowed his head in apparent contrition, “Of course.” Amaris slapped Focht on the shoulder, “See? He can be reasoned with. I expect you’ll also be calling up Emiliar Grinn to replace Tejh in the Confederation?” Focht stared for a few moments. “Yes, we will.” Amaris clapped his hands, “He’ll be glad to hear that! I’ll send word to Canopus so you won’t have to make a trip to visit him as well.” “I shouldn’t have had to make the trip here!” Focht growled as anger reddened his features, making the sharp white scars even more obvious. Amaris held his arms open wide, and shrugged as though he were helpless. “You should have spoken with me. You know I would’ve said something on your behalf!” Focht’s good eye twitched, “This is an internal ComStar affair. I shouldn’t have had to speak with you at all!” The apparent friendliness left Stefan Amaris VII’s face in an instant. Focht started at the sudden change in the man’s demeanor, he’d met the man face-to-face on numerous occasions but had never once seen this side of the normally friendly and gregarious young man. For a brief moment, he entertained one of the old rumors that occasionally circulated or, probably more accurately, recirculated every so often among the ComStar offices on Terra that the entirety of House Amaris was actually mad. “There are quite a few people out here in the deep periphery,” Amaris’s tones were distant, and cold as hard vacuum, “who worry about the new direction ComStar seems to be taking. They worry that you no longer mean to bring peace to the Inner Sphere but are more concerned about bringing to it the Word of Blake. You can hardly blame them. Being so far from “civilization” anyone might have doubts if the rumors start coming frequently enough. Tell me, Precentor Martial, does ComStar still recognize House Amaris as the First Lord of the Star League?” “Yes,” Focht’s response was automatic, but for once his twisted expression seemed more uncertain than angry. Amaris VII stared at Focht with the same intensity and regard a child with a magnifying glass might regard an ant. “Does “The Master?”” ******************** The roar of the Karnov’s twin-engines was deafening as it touched down. A half-dozen or so enemy machines tracked the unarmed helicopter’s every movement but at least it seemed the red cross emblazoned on its white frame was something the Clans still respected. As the twin rotors whined and spun to an eventual stop, the pilot slumped into his chair and simply shook. He’d flown combat patrols before but never once had he been asked to land while staring down the barrel of a hostile PPC. Dr. Jagika Uhelj rose from the passenger seat and pushed her way out of the side door without waiting for the rotors to fully stop. A blast of wind whipped her short hair about but found no real purchase. Her loose doctor’s coat fwapped and twisted, and a Clan Lucerne with an ivory paintjob adorned with subtle dark patterns that made the machine seem more a colossal piece of carved scrimshaw than a BattleMech twisted to follow her. The machine guns jutting from their mountings on its chest spun up and down, as though the pilot were a scant moment away from opening fire. She could hardly blame the enemy pilot for his nervousness, behind his machine one of the massive hundred-ton command vehicles was still burning with an eerie green light that told her something that probably shouldn’t be capable of burning had decided to go ahead and do so. Corpses littered the field where they’d been crushed under falling repair gantries or trod on by passing war machines. Dr. Uhelj didn’t wait to be queried, but instead shouted, “I’m Dr. Uhelj, Eighteenth Marik Militia Aerial Battlefield Support Hospital! We’re here to offer our support! We can do triage, or—” “Go away, freebirth,” A chill passed down the Doctor’s spine as the voice that issued from the massive, boxy BattleMech sounded more bored than angry or frightened, as though the carnage surrounding it was something expected or normal rather than the result of a brutal surprise attack. “We have the situation under control. You are unwanted here.” “We’re doctors!” Dr. Uhelj shouted, “We can—” The paired three-barrel machineguns spun back up to full speed with an audible whine. “Go away freebirth. We have the situation under control. You are unwanted here. We do not need your leeches, barbarian! Leave immediately or I will—” “Stand down, Mechwarrior!” A woman peeled herself away from a cluster of distant Clanners. A collection of white-robed doctors followed in some distress. Her face was bloody and burned and even from a distance Dr. Uhelj thought the woman would likely lose her left arm and eye. White robed technicians holding instruments and equipment the doctor didn’t recognize continued to flutter around the woman like a cloud of mosquitoes. Dr. Uhelj took an involuntary step back as the woman stared at her with one good eye and another that was bloodshot and cloudy. One of her doctors fitted something resembling a pressure bandage over the side of the injured woman’s head. “I am Loremaster Lynn McKenna,” she hissed. “You will take me to Duncan Marik immediately.” ******************** “I will be honest with you,” Duncan Marik didn’t rise although his guest had refused a seat. If she was at all concerned about her grievous injuries it didn’t show in her sharp, angry eyes. Duncan Marik chose to pay it no mind, although one of her bandages was currently dripping fresh blood on his hardwood floor. In truth he felt he owed the Clans an explanation but didn’t much care if they chose to accept it. “The attack by Kemper Varas was not ordered nor planned by any Free Worlds League personnel, but it has put me in an exceptionally poor position.” He drummed his fingertips together irritably and continued, “This attack means I can no longer deny you the right to pass freely through Free World Space.” The woman, Lynn McKenna, started at the revelation. “Our trial was incomplete.” “You’ve told me the Clans are not monolithc. Would you deny the rights of another Clan to avenge themselves upon someone who interfered in one of your own trials?” She stared, “We would join them.” “You would not permit, nor would I allow, an alliance between the Free Worlds League and the Clans.”Duncan stood, slamming his palms into the top of his desk. “Every fiber of my being is telling me that I should be fighting you and your people. You’ve been honest with me and I appreciate that.” “Your society is monstrous,” He stared at McKenna. It was the cold, hard stare of a man who was fed up with the cards the universe was dealing him. “And now Stefan Amaris has tied my hands. He forged an alliance with me to create a battlefield to fight you in, and then broke it so I wouldn’t feel compelled to help him. And now that he’s attacked you openly during “negotiations,” I can’t deny your request for vengeance.” “I am sick to death of being manipulated,” Marik hissed. “Sick and I’m furious. I can’t fight you myself, so take your fleets and go. I’ll inform the systems you plan to pass through that they may trade for food or water or whatever you may need but you shall not set one foot on another planet of the League; and if you harm even a single one of my citizens I will fall on you so hard you’ll think the Star League had collapsed a second time. Am I understood?” Lynn McKenna regarded Duncan Marik in silence for a few moments, and then laughed. “Captain-General, when I first met you to “negotiate,” I thought you a weak man. Say what you will of our culture, we respect strength and you? You are not weak. I will speak with the Khans, we shall cause you no trouble as we pass. We wish this fight with Stefan Amaris VII as much as you claim he wishes one with us. Meet all of your challenges with this strength. I think I would very much enjoy doing battle with you, someday.” Duncan Marik’s reply was as direct as it was concise. “Get the hell off my planet.” ******************** “That could’ve gone worse.” Dechan Fraser kicked at a stone, his hands thrust into the pockets of his leather jacket. The weather on Summit wasn’t noted for its inclemency, but the Steel Vipers had sited their supply depot high in the mountains. Out of his Shadow Hawk’s cockpit, a cooling vest wasn’t enough to ward off the chill for more than a few minutes at a time. Each breath came short as his body struggled with the relative lack of oxygen, the simple act of breathing left his head shrouded in steamy white mist. “It could’ve gone better,” Fraser’s voice lacked conviction. They’d gotten drat lucky only two of the Clan pilots had been able to bring their machines online. Fraser stared pointedly at the burnt-out husk of Rose’s Thunderbolt. She’d borne the brunt of a Lucerne’s counterattack while Frasier and the other members of the lance had dealt with a closer Swordbreaker. Fraser could still hear her Scottish brogue in his ear, telling him to help the rest of the lance while she held the Clan heavy at bay. “Don’t let it get to you,” A hand harder than stone closed on Dechan’s shoulder. The faceless expanse of the Bounty Hunter’s strange, nearly headless armor swung into view. The contents of that armor remained a mystery even after several months of close contact. He spoke with a voice that was recognizable but electronically distorted and inhuman nonetheless, “She wanted that fight.” Dechan couldn’t argue that, it was true enough. Marie Rose had quit the Northwind Highlanders in a rage when they’d refused a contract in Lyran space to help fight the Clans. She’d told him the story once in a half-drunken stupor during the long transit from Galatea. She’d raged that the Highlanders had put “their purses” over the safety of the Inner Sphere. She’d wanted to fight the Clans even if the Lyran Commonwealth’s entire economy collapsed completely; and hated the decision that’d seen the remaining Highlander regiments sign on with Skye instead. “I’ll see to it her `Mech is returned to her family.” “We all knew this was risky when we signed on,” Jason Youngblood interjected. He was a year or so older than Dechan himself, and another Lyran Commonwealth native. Like Fraser he had plenty of reason to hate the Clans and like Fraser he hadn’t asked too many questions when given the chance to fight back. He’d fought brilliantly but even with the Bounty Hunter’s amazing field upgrades Jason’s Phoenix Hawk had lost an arm. “Three captured Clan machines. If we put them on the open market, we could retire and ten generations from now our descendents would still be living lives of leisure.” “If you can call retirement living,” The Bounty Hunter interjected. It sounded like a joke but to Dechan’s ears there was an element of seriousness to the statement that stopped his laughter before it could start. The hunter turned away, staring pointedly at a Clan design shaped a lot like a marauder with a Catapult’s missile pod strapped to one shoulder. “For me? This was just a warm-up. My real fight is with Clan Widowmaker.” The Bounty Hunter didn’t explain further, “I expect the Steel Vipers will realize something’s wrong in about six hours. They can have a force here in eighteen. We’ve got twelve to get loaded and gone. I don’t want even a scrap of armor left behind.” “Alright gang,” Jason replied with mocking over-enthusiasm. “Let’s leave the snakes with a mystery on their hands!” ******************** Khan Michael McKenna stared silently at the holotank in his office. A string of numbers flowed through the display: coordinates, frequencies, times, dates. It was a message but simultaneously it was gibberish. It told him nothing and at the same time it was an invitation. Stefan Amaris VII, the descendent of the bastard progeny of the Usurper, wanted to talk. The disc containing the HPG frequencies and coordinates had been recovered from the battlefield encased in a chunk of ferrocrete. Only a signal beacon on the outside—silent, while in the radius of the enemy’s impressive electronic countermeasures—had sung a siren’s call to every Clan BattleMech in ten kilometers once the enemy’s assault force had vanished. “I’m here,” it sang, planting a beacon on every radar and even going so far as to draw arrows of falsified heat and magnetic resonance data in every pilot’s hud. “I’m something important. I’m something you’re not going to like.” It was right. Khan McKenna had no desire to speak to any Amaris. He only had one use for that ancient house: in his eyes the Clan who claimed the head of the last living Amaris had better claim to being ilClan than one who simply took ancient Terra. The latter was still a laudable feat but the former protected the Inner Sphere from the machinations of a family that had destroyed the Star League and everything it’d stood for and humiliated McKenna’s ancestors—and those of every living Clan warrior. The two tasks were incomparable in scope, retaking Terra would restore a portion of the Clans’ lost honor but only the extermination of House Amaris could restore all of it. Does “The Master”? A) Yes. B) No. C) “Yes.” D) Better you than me. Respond to Amaris’ Invitation? A) Yes, and tell the other Clans prior to responding. B) Yes, but don’t tell the other Clans. C) No, tell the other Clans of Amaris’ insulting request. D) No, tell no one. E) No, tell no one while also destroying the disk. PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Jul 20, 2014 |
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Jul 20, 2014 00:14
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PoptartsNinja posted:Does anyone remember that both the Snow Raven saKhan and Loremaster were still in one of the northern Mobile Command Centers? Just me? Alright then, no sense crying over dead Clanners when I can convert them directly into Plot. Was the saKhan the dick, or am I thinking of someone else? Cause if he was, then that seems an equitable exchange.
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Jul 20, 2014 00:29
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The Master says "Yes" (C). Focht's behaviour implies this turn of events is somewhat unexpected. Play along until it benefits ComStar. The challenge is accepted, but without telling the other Clans (B). It may be a trap, but think of the glory! 
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Jul 20, 2014 00:32
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These political vignettes really are the best. It's always interesting to get another peek at what Amaris or Duncan are up to, but now I'm curious as to who the Bounty Hunter is. Maybe another Clan-born canon character displaced in the plot for want of a nail? We haven't seen Jaime around yet. Have we?Pooncha posted:The Master says "Yes" (C). Focht's behaviour implies this turn of events is somewhat unexpected. Play along until it benefits ComStar. I'm agreeing with these because both options together will probably disadvantage both the NRWR and the Clans, and it's not fair to gently caress one over but not the other. Or not to gently caress either of them over at all! This oughta be good. MVPs! It's been so long it's hard to keep track of what actually went down after you look past the Fist of the North Crab and the Kial's dice so I'm just going to toss these out like candy. GoonFor MVP: Kial's Ebon Jaguar, for managing to somehow get the killshot on two `Mechs in spite of his terrible gypsy curse. OpFor MVP: The Krakenhunting Coyote, for bringing inevitable doom to an unlucky Assault. Honorary OpFor Mention: The terrible gypsy curse
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Jul 20, 2014 00:54
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First vote: C Comstar has never actually been honest and straightfoward with anyone, so why start now? Second vote: A for maximum chaos. MVPs: The Crab for Goon MVP, The Crab for Enemy MVP, and The Crab for overall Hero of the People.
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Jul 20, 2014 00:55
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Pooncha posted:The Master says "Yes" (C). Focht's behaviour implies this turn of events is somewhat unexpected. Play along until it benefits ComStar. My vote is for these. I'm assuming the quotation marks indicate that Focht is lying, and that The Master doesn't recognize Stephen's authority. I'm hoping that means that at some point the NRWR will have to deal with both the clans AND Com*/WoB.
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Jul 20, 2014 00:58
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Pooncha posted:The Master says "Yes" (C). Focht's behaviour implies this turn of events is somewhat unexpected. Play along until it benefits ComStar. Echoing these votes.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:09
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quote:“With any luck, he’ll inherit his mother’s sense of duty and his father’s cunning. It’ll be a real problem if he inherits Kurita anger and Davion impatience." Hahahahaha. Good ol' Ian D.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:17
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On the clan vote B seems the most likely to get an intact force to whatever party the trouts have planned, as A and C sound like the clans would tear themselves apart over who gets the honor of killing Amaris til hardly anyone is left to actually get the job done.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:19
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A and A, for maximum Comstar and NRWR versus all the clans action.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:21
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dis astranagant posted:On the clan vote B seems the most likely to get an intact force to whatever party the trouts have planned, as A and C sound like the clans would tear themselves apart over who gets the honor of killing Amaris til hardly anyone is left to actually get the job done. The second vote isn't an invitation to fight (that's already been sent). The second vote is an invitation to talk.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:25
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I assumed the "talk" was a trap too, whoops.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:27
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1.  2.  Voting icons available here and here.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:29
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PoptartsNinja posted:Political Vote 15 This should be 'led'. quote:Stefan’s guest barked a laugh. “And you complement ROM’s efficiency?” 'compliment' quote:Like Fredrick Steiner, and Takashi Kurita. 'Frederick', I think. Unless his name has always been spelled unconventionally, I don't remember. quote:You could rule the largest and most powerful nation the Inner Sphere has ever seen in ComStar’s name and bring about a truePax Blake.” This one is just missing a space. quote:“My complements to your analysts,” Again, 'compliments'. quote:The weather on Summit wasn’t noted for its inclemency, but the Steel Vipers had cited their supply depot high in the mountains. 'sited' --- I don't feel I know enough to make an informed vote, so I guess I'll just watch for once!
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Jul 20, 2014 01:35
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Master says A. Clans say A. I love this Amaris. He's awesome. He's sane. He's using proper spy networks and analysts. He has rediscovered the greatest lostech of all: common sense.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:37
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Gimmick Account posted:Typos That's what I get for staying up late to write these.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:41
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DatonKallandor posted:I love this Amaris. He's awesome. He's sane. He's using proper spy networks and analysts. He has rediscovered the greatest lostech of all: common sense. Yeah, seriously, he's fantastic and interesting and thankfully NOT a comic-book-villain like the first Amaris. PoptartsNinja posted:That's what I get for staying up late to write these. Please don't ever take my corrections as criticism! I'm SO glad you wrote all of that! 
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Jul 20, 2014 01:41
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Gimmick Account posted:Please don't ever take my corrections as criticism! I'm SO glad you wrote all of that! I don't, I appreciate the attention. For whatever reason, I've always had difficulty finding my own typos.
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Jul 20, 2014 01:44
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jng2058 posted:1. This. Goonstar MVP: The Warhawk. Honorable mention to the Arctic Cheetah for proving speed is life. OpFor MVP: The Thug for putting the Vapor Eagle into an early grave. Olothreutes fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Jul 20, 2014 |
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Jul 20, 2014 01:47
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