74 replies to this topic

[guardian wolf]

"Okay, Nelson, if your doing great then keep your *** in gear, and on the ball," Chris tossed him the dogtags.
Chris knew he had hit some nerves that were going get this rookie's anger going, and he'd rather have an angry mech pilot, than a scared one. Chris looked at Nelson, while Mac was walking off.

"If anything, the way I figure, I treat every mission like it's my last, so, share the intell with the commander, and let him decide. And remember, those dogtags are your responsibility, not buts about it. I already got Barrett's, and I don't want him to have to send another message to report another dead mech pilot,"
Chris also heard Mac's little comment on Barrett, and then walked after him.
"Barrett has seen more combat than all of us, and has watched more damn mech pilots die than you or me. Yes, he can be a bit of an a$$hole, but what he says is the truth. Mac, I respect that you do your best to keep your men in check, and keep them alive. Just remember, I'm on loan with him, and I am here to make sure that this op gets completed, with Barrett alive, as command sends us in twos to watch each other's backs. Mac, what I am trying to say is, is that Barrett is not trying to sugar coat anything, he says it plain as day, and sometimes, people need to hear it. If anything, I am sure that he'll not only be worth what ever trouble you get from him, he'll be worth more. As for you Mac, good luck when you hit the ground, as I'd hate to have to kill them all myself,"
He said the last part jokingly to try and lighten the mood a little, it was a joke that most Hell Jumpers shared.

[Dreadstar]

Without breaking his stride, or even really acknowledging Chris was following him. "Listen, your makin' some fairly 'large' over exagerratin's about Barret's skill, and just how long he's been around a mech, when compared to every other jock in dis here outfit Chrissy."

Continuing his walk, ducking through gangway doors at the seemingly last moment. "I ain't sayin' that tha guy ain't got skills, he does. But that doan mean he's any better than tha rest o' us. But he's got issues that you ain't seein' cuz ya got him so high up on a pedestal, ya tink it's raining, but he's actually pissin' on ya."

"Look..." He suddenly stops and turns around, causing Chris to run head first into Mac's stone-like barrel chest. Mac looks down at Chris and shakes his head slightly. "There ain' a one o' you I wouldn't put ma blessed Auntie between a firestorm o' LRMs, iffin' it would save ya lives."

"Why? Ya ask?"

"I'll tell ya." He puts a huge hand on Chris's shoulder and grips it hard, but not so much painful, but attention getting. "All o' you are the best damn jocks I've had tho pleasure ta serve wit. And ya, that even includes that stimhead Kurt. Doan be sellin' ya self short Chrissy, I'd have ya watchin' ma backside anyday o' tha week before Barret. Skill doan equal trust. That very same skill..could one day turn on 'you', an Barret is tha kinda guy that trust and team doan fit into his o'quation."

"Barret may be one of the best, but ....I wouldn't trust 'em. He's a bird that's flown da coup an lookin' for the next target to drop a blob o' sh!t on whether it be friend o' foe. Iffin' ya would git your lips offa his a$$hole, ya would see it."

Mac turns around, and enters the Mech bay, and as he passes by Chris's mech, without even turning his head to look at it, he merely points at it's leg joint. "Ya got a hydro leak Chrissy. I kin' smell it from here."

[DocBach]

Nelson flinched as the dog tags were tossed at him, but he managed to catch them against his body without dropping them on the deck. He opened his hands and looked at them, and when he looked back up, Chris and Mac were already gone down the cooridor.

I've got almost fifteen years of being a MechWarrior - I graduated from the most prestigious academy in the Draconis March and fought on the front lines of the largest battles this century, but these guys still call me kid. Their egos are so thick they can't see through it and see the big picture.

Nelson rubbed the dogtags in his hand.

"Theirs not to question why, theirs but to do or die," he mumbled to himself, as shook his head before turning to follow the other MechWarriors to the 'Mech bay, ducking as he passed through a bulkhead.

Edited by DocBach, 26 April 2012 - 09:56 PM.

[Xinaoen]

On the other side of the bulkhead stood Xinaoen, leaning lazily against a wall as he filed his fingernails. His attitude suggested casual indifference, but it was obvious that he'd been waiting for Nelson.

"You've had enough pep talks for one day, I think," Xin announced by way of an introduction. "I'll keep this brief."

Xin frowned at his cuticles, still not looking at Nelson directly.

"I'm fully aware of the fact that you have a wealth of field experience," Xin drawled. "You seem to forget that all of us do. The reason that we're alive to tell the tale, Nelson, is because we are not stupid enough to rush into a battle half-cocked."

Xin flicked a glance towards Tibbitz, and then resumed filing.

"I admit that I have known Felix Maan for only a brief time. In that time, however, I have never known him to be reckless - especially where the lives of those under his command are concerned. To leap to the conclusion that he hasn't put any thought into this operation strikes me as a bit insulting."

"You have the good fortune of serving under a commander intelligent enough to value suggestions from his subordinates. If you have concerns, I have little doubt that Maan would be willing to entertain them. To offer a suggestion is one thing, however, while to presume to address your commanding officer as if he were a fool is another thing entirely."

Xin finally looked up from his fingertips to lock his eyes on Nelson's.

"A man with your experience should know better than to second-guess his commander in front of the men," Xin growled.

Xin looked back down at his nails, gave a murmur of satisfaction, and then strode past Nelson into the 'Mech bay. His parting words were pitched for Tibbitz' ears alone.

"You are a worm," Xin snarled. "A worm should know its place."

Edited by Xinaoen, 27 April 2012 - 12:21 AM.

[Thom Frankfurt]

(Sorry if my spelling is horrible. It's been a long day. Oh and I hope it's a decent first post for this character...)

That should do it. Lasers should all be synced now.

Orson did a double check on feedback from the analyser and smiled. It wasn't often that the man smiled. Hell, some would even say that it was more of a cruel snear than a smile, or they'd even say he was incapable of smiling at all. Still smiling/snearing he disconnected several cables from the device that led to a small panel under the 'hood' of console and sat back into his command couch and sighed.

He checked the time on his noteputer. And his eyes grew wide when he saw the time.

Oh sh!t, I;m late!

Orson bolted from the cockpit and flew down the rungs welded onto his Hermes II. When he reached the floor of the mechbay the doors open allowing his fellow mercs to trickle into the bay...

Look at these chuckleheads....

He chuckled to himself and with a quick pase made his way towards the breifing room, passing his comrades along the way. He wondered how much trouble he was about to get into, this was the second briefing he was late to. He wondered if the meeting was over. He shrugged as he passed more of the fighting men aboard ship, one toying with a nail file and another rubbing a set of dogtags.

Orson took a moment to straighten his coolant splotted field uniform and activated the panel nest to the door, which open with the hiss of air. Then he strolled in. He did a quick take on the rooms occupants then addressed the commander with his gravely voice.

"Apologies sir. I got caught up working on my ride... Ah, what I miss?"

[MacabreDerek]

Barret left the briefing room to go check on his Mech in the Bay, sliding the chair back with that annoying sound of steel grinding over concrete. The late-comer was mildly frustrating, but this wasnt Barret's Op to plan, and he would leave that to the commander.

As he stepped out, all he could hear was the commotion over Nelson's step-out of the briefing. In a way, it was understandable. Most of them wanted to make sure the mechwarrior was able to preform his duties on the field without freezing like so many casualty reports. Though he found it odd on how all of them wanted a piece of him like he was some holiday dinner. Chosing to leave the insecurities of the lance to themselves, he would take it up with the pilot if he was ever approached, but as it stood, there was no benefit for Barret to intervene any further than had already been done.

He continued down the hallway, not giving any attention to the motley crew that was the Blue Suns Mechwarriors, save for Chris, who he gave a cross look towards and a soft nod. He didn't choose Chris as his lance-mate when they were drafted to this unit, but there was still that animosity Barret harbored for the younger Mechwarrior.

It seemed like time passed away in a blink by the time Barret found himself seated on some of the scafolding surrounding his mech. The repairs had been successful, but the techs just left it set up. It was up high, out of the way for him to conduct his business. Pulling out a PDA, he looked over a document that he had been preparing for some time, and began to scan the screen, a softer eye began to form in his face as he read silently to himself.


Dear Juri,

I hope this letter finds you well, and your daughter Elizabeth growing like a weed. Her birthday is coming soon, right? I can only hope she is getting into all kinds of trouble, as children do at that age. I trust she is still in school, as Paul would have wanted it. He always said how important an education would be, and how proud he was when he heard she was accepted into the private school.

Is the new home everything he would have wanted you to have? I dearly hope so. I remember him talking on and on how you always missed the water-front you grew up with, and how the city always left you longing. He would go on and on for hours on end of a vision of seeing you and Elizabeth in the water when he finally came home and put aside the life to see you both. I still feel regret on how he can not. But I hope that his vision had in some way come true, and given you the lives that you both deserve.

One day, as you asked, I'll talk to Elizabeth and try to explain to her why her daddy was away for so long, and why he never came home. I know you would not know where to begin, and I am sure it brings you to tears just to think of it. Know I intend to be coming soon to see you both, and tell Elizabeth of her father, the man I was proud to serve with, and even prouder to call 'Friend'.

Enclosed you will find enough C-Bills to cover any costs you will have for the year. It's a modest sum, and I know you will make a fuss over it as you always do, but I will not accept them back. I made a promise to Paul that I would take care of everything incase the unthinkable would happen, and I will continue keeping that promise for as long as I am capable of.

I know you as a strong woman, who shoulders many burdens that both me and Paul wish you did not have to, but I can say Paul was an excellent judge of character when he chose to marry you. Find strength in that.


Barret sighed, and began typing, it was clear he was struggling with the PDA, and more with the words.


Also enclosed is a photo, the last one I had of him before we set out. He still had that stupid grin of his even then, and maybe that's more telling of the man than any words I could tell. I want you to give this to Elizabeth for her birthday. I will be coming over the next flight out to check on you both, and we can have that talk with your daughter.

Best of wishes,


Barret closed the document, he would read it several more times before he would ship it at the end of the eve. He then looked over the folder containing another thirty seven documents. He opened the second one and began to type.

Dear Ben,

It has been four years to the day now since your mother passed on. She was a proud and beautiful woman, who I am blessed to say had the privilege of serving under her command. As I promised her that you'd turn out to be the fine man she knew you would grow up to be, I have enclosed some of the C-Bills needed to continue your pursuit of becoming a journalist. She always new you had talent and she would not have you want for anything.


Barret continued to lose himself in his reading and writing, taking care of the important business before they were all launched planet-side.

Edited by MacabreDerek, 27 April 2012 - 03:27 AM.

[DocBach]

Nelson paused for a minute after Xin walked by, his words permeating through Nelson as he watched Xin stride into the MechBay. His mind wandered to all sorts of terrible things he could do to him while his back was turned....

He took a deep breath and cleared those ugly thoughts. Keep in control Nelson, keep it together. You've been around long enough to see dozens of guys just like him, and where are they now? Either dead or missing so much of their body parts they wish they were. You do what you've always done and you'll walk away from this jump just like all the other times.

He smiled to himself as he entered the Dropship's cavernous 'mech bay. He passed by Chris' Warhammer, which had techs swarming over it, apparently looking to find and fix a hydroleak. He strolled by all kinds of chassis, a squat, hunched over Marauder, a Blackjack, another Blackjack, and a towering Atlas with its gigantic grinning death face staring down at him. Finally, he had reached the foot of his own 'Mech, a barrel-chested JagerMech.

Nelson's JagerMech was a unique creation; thanks to his time as requisition officer during his stint with the AFFC, he managed to get his hands on all sorts of spare parts, and his 'Mech clearly reflected that: anyone familiar with the chassis would instantly recognize that his JagerMech had thicker armor plating, especially around the torso, providing much thicker shielding over the vital components like the engine and ammunition compartment.

The dual Mydron Class-C Autocannons were removed, replaced by twin Parti-Kill Heavy cannons. The PPC's were originally spare parts from Manticore tanks, but with the right paper work Nelson managed to have them reassigned to his 'Mech. They provided double the firepower over the Class-C autocannons, while retaining the same range profile. A JagerMech with twin particle cannons was quite the surprise to someone underestimating his 'Mech, especially an opponent expecting to face the pop-gun armament of a standard JM6-S JagerMech. The downside of the Parti-Kill cannons was because they were originally designed for use on a tank, the retrofitting to get them to work with the JagerMech's arm actuators made the ammunition feed system from the torso to the Mydron D AC/2's mounted above the PPC's iffy at best.

To help deal with the taxing burden the particle cannons put on his dissipation system, Nelson had techs install two additional heat sinks. It still wasn't efficient enough to let him fire all of his weapons without moderation, but it helped control the heat a little bit.

Nelson began his standard pre-combat checks and inspections, beginning from the massive feet of his JagerMech. He checked over the gigantic gauged hoses attached to the coolant ports, ensuring his coolant levels were adequate. He checked his noteputer, and saw that his actuators were due for their periodic lubrication and made a mental note to get the techs to get on it after they were done fixing Chris' hydroleaks. He made sure his ammunition magazines were locked and loaded to capacity, and that the feed system was working properly; despite his previous apprehensions about it, the autocannons seemed to be loading just fine, at least during this test. Nelson checked the sensor readout from the powerful Garret D2j targeting computer, it checked out clear.

He was meticulous; he had seen the results of what happened when MechWarriors were either impatient or thought they were so experienced they couldn't forget something - he had seen 'Mechs drop without ammunition, coolant, or other mission critical equipment in order because their pilots became complacent or lazy and overlooked attention to detail.

Finally content that all of his systems were green to go, Nelson began climbing up the lift to the JagerMech's cockpit.

Edited by DocBach, 27 April 2012 - 05:42 PM.

[Joe Davion 86]

Joe had followed the majority of the folks out of the "briefing room" and to the Mech Hanger. He saw Nelson on his way down and gave him a friendly head nod. It was good to meet another Draconis Marcher...even if they weren't from Robinson. He'd heard about what happened at Marduk and felt for the guy, wasn't everyday that crap like that was forced down your throat.
As he got closer to his Crab's Mech bay he was astonished to see his old BJ-1 "Helga" sitting there looking pretty with a shiny new arm and no paint job! "Holy hell!" he exclaimed out loud. He ran over to the techs and began asking where and how they'd gotten the parts for it. They explained they had gotten a replacement on their last stop but had just been able to get it attached. "We're just about to attach the last coolant line," the tech replied.
Joe looked over his BJ-1 with the thoroughness it deserved. It had been a good ride to him, and he made sure it was always in top shape. He climbed into the cockpit and ran through a quick prestart inspection and when the tech gave him a thumbs up, he powered the fusion reactor up to maintenance mode. Checking his targeting and optics modes he gleefully ran a finger over the embossed 1st Rangers logo on the main console dashboard. After confirming everything was A-OK he powered Helga down and began the climb back down to the Mech Bay floor; a grin the size of Auntie Ann on his face.

Edited by Joe Davion 86, 27 April 2012 - 03:28 PM.

[Hanyit Greyhame]

“Hmm…. What?!?” Hanyit grunted with a start, “Sorry Xin, was thinking.”

Hanyit then turned to face Xinaoen as the full import of his words hit him.

“Xin, there is absolutely no way I am going to curtail anything anyone says during this session, except for comments like those! The risk of missing some vital insight is more than worth your passing aggravation!” Hanyit said hotly, “Stand down, soldier, unless you have something construction to say!”

“To address the Boss’s answer, why don’t we just flame them out? With luck, we can have them operating at high heat levels even before the fightin’ begins,” Hanyit asked, “Yeah, the smoke might obscure our vision some, but I hear the men in the Hermes and Wolfhound could call some information to us.”

[Charles Martel]

Cornelius nodded to all still present and exited, heading to the mechbay. He walked past the line of mechs and the mechwarriors and techs milling around. He stopped in front of a Marauder, his Marauder, "Maddie". It wasn't his first mech to carry that name, nor is it the best, but it was more a matter of honor and remembrance than something of pride. He placed his hand on the mech's leg, "Into the fray we go again."

He pulled his tablet out of his backpack, going over the logged maintenance work, no anomalies were noted. The tech's even remembered his request and had the mech painted in digital multi-cam. He went over the mech, making sure there'd be no surprises and didn't find any. Satisfied he got into the cockpit and powered up the mech for a full review. After a quick sequence of movements of the gunnery stick the displays came to life and the ominous hum of the reactor increased in volume and the synthesized voice, his have a british accent, began the well known run down......

REACTOR: ONLINE
SENSORS: ONLINE
WEAPONS: ONLINE
ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL

He began pouring over data from the multiple MFDs in the cockpit, everything was indeed "nominal".

Satisfied he powered the mech back down and exited the cockpit seeing Joe grinning like a madman coming from a freshly rebuilt Black Jack. Cornelius smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

[Xinaoen]

Xin arched an eyebrow at Haynit's outburst, and then did his best to affect a disarming smile.

"Only joking, Lance Leader," Xin murmured. "Forgive me if I was out of line."

Xin glanced at the doorway. If he hurried, he might be able to catch Nelson on his way into the 'Mech bay. Xin returned his attention to Maan.

"No further questions from me, commander. May I consider myself dismissed?"

Edited by Xinaoen, 27 April 2012 - 11:52 PM.

[guardian wolf]

Chris watched as the techs finally found the leak, in one of the arms, and then quickly fixed it. Chris went a stopped by his locker. Discreetly he opened it, and took a datapad out of his pocket, and set it on the shelf, the top one. He hoped that no one would have to open it and read what was on, it. He checked it one last time, and made some subtle changes, instructing Nelson what he was to do, in the case of Chris's death. One didn't dwell on the fact that he was probably going to die, but you understood that, and planned for the inevitable. Chris satisfied with the changes to his will, put it back up on the top shelf, and shut the locker.
When he finally got to the Warhammer, the techs had finished their repairs. Chris climbed up the Warhammer, and slid into the cockpit. He started up his secondary power systems, then started up the main reactor. The computer, in an cold, generated voice went through the checks, and finally showed all systems nominal. Chris checked the actuator, and it was fully online now, as apparently the damn thing had a bad valve that finally got replaced. Finally Chris went through weapon systems, and all were fully functional. He then powered down, and awaited the start up command to get things going for the combat drop.

[Thom Frankfurt]

Orson cleared his throat. The boss must have been really pissed at him, judging by how long he was making him wait.

[Dreadstar]

"There's ma sweetie." Mac smiled as he turned a corner and was looking at his Auntie Ann, all 100 tons of her. "Jus' where ah left her. Damn Auntie, you is lookin' purty today!"

Dwarfing all the other mechs in the bay, the Atlas stood in it's own enlarged enclosure, that was positioned near the bay doors since the Atlas was usually the first to drop into any given LZ, and cover the rest of the squads landings. The infamous 'Skulls Head' was a reverse color of black skull, with white eyes, and the 'teeth' were painted a blood red. Mac always refered to the red teeth design as his Auntie's lipstick.

"Jonesy!" Mac suddenly screamed, and a oil and grime smeared, pasty colored, slender faced techie's head popped up from the Heat Sink housing on the Atlas's chest. His equally smeared round glasses reflected the light of the bay, as he pushed them up from the end of his slender nose.

"Yes Boss?" Jonesy's voice squeaked in reply.

"Did ya skinny a$$ git those sinks hooked up yet?" Mac yelled up to him.

"Yes Mac, I am putting the final touches on the modified dissipators. You should be able to get about a 15% increase from the units. That should give you about another 100 rounds on the AC's before they begin to redline."

"That's a good thing then, cuz we're gonna be usin' the A Pack on this OP. So git ya skinny butt outta my Auntie's t!tties, and git those AC5's outta tha lockers. An' for frack's sake make sure the BAPs and AECMs ain't on the fritz dis' time, I gots to be able to protect mah kiddies out there iffin they start lobbin' things bigger then rocks at us."

"Already did that Boss, plus I uploaded the new software into the LAMs." replied Jonesy

Mac squinted an eye at Jonesy. "Whatta ya wantin' a raise er somethin'?"

"No Boss, your pleasant demeanor is more than enough to satisfy my cravings for reward." Jonesy stated in a slightly snarky manner.

Mac looked down, and then did a double-take back at Jonesy, trying to figure out if the little shrimp had just insulted him.

Edited by Dreadstar, 30 April 2012 - 11:34 AM.

[Highlighter]

OOC:
Sorry, I'm rarely ever around a computer during the weekends.

IC:
"Our DropShips will be grounding near this plateau here," Felix answered as he pointed to a point on the map. "If things go south, and I don't believe they will, we'll fall back to these coordinates. The location is preprogrammed into all of your nav computers, so presuming there's no ravine between you and the extraction point, you could set your 'Mech on auto and it'll get you there."

That answer seemed to satisfy Kurt, and Felix ended the briefing. As everyone was filing out, Orson entered the briefing room. "Apologies sir. I got caught up working on my ride... Ah, what I miss?" he asked.

Felix shrugged. "Honestly, not a whole lot. Just the usual mission briefing items you've seen a dozen times. You know, the LZs and target locations, some intel on Linda's Raiders, that type of thing." As he explained the important points, Felix brought up relevant diagrams and maps on the floating hologram of Main Street. "That's pretty much it. Kurt will brief you on the finer details important to your lance.

"Do you have any questions?" the Blue Suns commander asked. "How's your 'Mech looking? Everything all squared away?"

[Xinaoen]

A computerized voice with a thick Steiner accent began listing diagnostic data as Xin's Wolfhound came online.

"His" Wolfhound. In his mind, it was still "the" Wolfhound. He hadn't gotten used to thinking of it as "his" 'Mech yet, even if nobody still alive would have contested his ownership of it.

The last 'Mech that he'd thought of as his own had been a Grand Dragon - a weapon fit for a man of his station. It had been awarded to him by DCMS high command to commemorate his promotion to Sho-sa; he'd lost it in a pirate ambush in his second year as a fugitive. The Wolfhound now joined a long line of 'Mechs salvaged or stolen in the years since; the Black Knight that it was replacing had been won in a game of cards. It had been a long time since a new 'Mech had signified honor and status.

That didn't bother Xin. Most days it didn't, at least.

He'd never piloted a Wolfhound until recently, but he was nevertheless intimately familiar with the 'Mech. He'd graduated from Sun Zhang just in time for Operation Götterdämmerung; a Steiner Wolfhound had been the cause of the first death under his command. By the end of the Fourth Succession War, he'd gained a healthy respect for the design. Respect tempered by hatred.

The pirates from whom he'd taken the 'Mech had never bothered to strip its original coat of paint. In places where the veneer was peeling, the livery of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces still peeked through.

It was hard to look at the Wolfhound without seeing an enemy 'Mech. To look at his fellow mercenaries without seeing enemies was nearly as difficult.

For the time, at least, Xin did his best to manage.

A full diagnostic check showed that the Wolfhound was in exemplary shape; the techs had done a commendable job of getting the 'Mech up to code. Xin made a mental note to send his compliments to the support staff, and then sank back into his seat to await the order to drop.

Strapped to the back of his chair were his Daisho - beaten, battered, but still intact.

Edited by Xinaoen, 30 April 2012 - 03:23 PM.

[Hanyit Greyhame]

As the Boss went out of the breafing, ((sp?)) Hanyit hurried right in his wake, eager to get back to his mech and run a full system check. Striding purposely through the long steel hauls, he couldn't help but ruminate on the missing at hand. As eager as he was to get in the cockpit and feel the wonderful hum and discharge of his dual PPC's, he remained worried about this band they were fighting. Something didn't seem quite right........

Before he could go any further on that train of thought, he found himself in the main hanger. Despite the many years he had spent in the service, that walk into the hanger, where the hall opened into a massive holding chamber full of giant machines, was one of the most breathtaking things he would ever see. And there, in the midst of the other behemoths, was his mech. Despite what others said, the sight of his mech, towering over him, with the muzzles of two PPCs, one in each arm, was the most beautiful thing in the world.

With that thought, he scaled the rigging on the outside of his mech until he got into the cockpit, sealing it and running a full systems check. Everything checked out ok, down to the "Systems: OK" that his tech had installed as a practical joke on a previous mission.

Hanyit opened an intercom channel straight to the Boss, "Locked and ready Boss!"

As the Boss went out of the breafing, ((sp?)) Hanyit hurried right in his wake, eager to get back to his mech and run a full system check. Striding purposely through the long steel hauls, he couldn't help but ruminate on the missing at hand. As eager as he was to get in the cockpit and feel the wonderful hum and discharge of his dual PPC's, he remained worried about this band they were fighting. Something didn't seem quite right........

Before he could go any further on that train of thought, he found himself in the main hanger. Despite the many years he had spent in the service, that walk into the hanger, where the hall opened into a massive holding chamber full of giant machines, was one of the most breathtaking things he would ever see. And there, in the midst of the other behemoths, was his mech. Despite what others said, the sight of his mech, towering over him, with the muzzles of two PPCs, one in each arm, was the most beautiful thing in the world.

With that thought, he scaled the rigging on the outside of his mech until he got into the cockpit, sealing it and running a full systems check. Everything checked out ok, down to the jo "Systems: OK" that his tech had installed

[Thom Frankfurt]

Highlighter, on 30 April 2012 - 02:29 PM, said:

Felix shrugged. "Honestly, not a whole lot. Just the usual mission briefing items you've seen a dozen times. You know, the LZs and target locations, some intel on Linda's Raiders, that type of thing." As he explained the important points, Felix brought up relevant diagrams and maps on the floating hologram of Main Street. "That's pretty much it. Kurt will brief you on the finer details important to your lance.

"Do you have any questions?" the Blue Suns commander asked. "How's your 'Mech looking? Everything all squared away?"

Orson nodded as Felix summed the meeting up. He kind of perked up when the boss mentioned his mech..

"No questions....sir. Hermes is at 100%. But, I'm not too sure about some of these yahoo's you have working here. That kid out in the hallway looks likes he's about to mess his under-roos... and I think I overheard one talking about hanging a pirate."

He shrugged.

"That being said, I'm ready to drop."

[Charles Martel]

Scrolling through the incoming email on his tablet Cornelius tapped one listed as being sent from his sister. For most people this would mean one or two possible individuals, not ten or so. The email contained the usual almost saccharine pleasantries, and a picture of a sunset on Dieron. With a couple of taps and a quick sequence of taps the image dissolved into the message it was hiding. The gist was that Cornelius had best spend the next month or two playing mercenary pirate hunter.

With a sigh he closed the email app and opened the picture viewer. Flicking one picture after the other he stopped on one. This picture shouldn't have even been on the tablet, as it was a risk. But it was a risk Cornelius took without regret. In the picture stood Cornelius and two others, in SLDF dress uniforms.........

A minute passed before he snapped back to reality, closing out the viewer and locking the tablet. He stood up straight, looking around the hanger. He gave Nelson's Jaegermech a crisp salute before he climbed back into Maddie, hooking up his cooling vest and donning his neurohelmet, locking it to the vest before strapping himself in.

This time he initiated a full start-up sequence. As the synthesized voice ran off the usual checklist HUD graphics showed up in his field of view from the helmet's HUD as the MFDs sprang to life along with the numerous indicator lights. He moved his head, a circle moving with his vision while to three other crosshairs stayed put, the movement of the weapon mounts they represented being locked.

"This is Alpha Two to drop control, all boards are green and I'm ready to drop when you are."

[Highlighter]

Thom Frankfurt, on 01 May 2012 - 01:56 AM, said:

Orson nodded as Felix summed the meeting up. He kind of perked up when the boss mentioned his mech..

"No questions....sir. Hermes is at 100%. But, I'm not too sure about some of these yahoo's you have working here. That kid out in the hallway looks likes he's about to mess his under-roos... and I think I overheard one talking about hanging a pirate."

He shrugged.

"That being said, I'm ready to drop."

Felix shrugged too. "These yahoos, I know they seem pretty, well, messed up at times, but I've fought with some and researched the others. As odd as they are, all of them operate fine under fire. They've got the experience and the skills." He paused as he considered Nelson. "Most of them should be fine. Nelson is the only one I'm worried about. You've got to go into combat with a degree of self confidence, or otherwise you're going to keep second guessing yourself and that'll get you killed. But, he's seen a lot of real fighting, so I know he's got the abilities. I just hope he's got the attitude.

"Ah well, there's no way to know until the drop. We've got a day or so left. Good to know that you're Hermes is at a hundred percent. Some of guys' 'Mechs are still being prepped as we speak. In fact, I've got to go check on my ride." He gave Orson a friendly nod. "I'll see you in a bit, Orson."