Current
Stop being passive aggressive. Just be aggressive.
7
likes
1 yr ago
It is certainly not 'optimal', but it *is* doable, depending on what you want to do with it. You could go swords or valor bard and play them more like a warrior with some magical ability
2
likes
2 yrs ago
One might say your villain arc has begun. Embrace it.
As always, Esben had found another way in- a lucky thing the SEED was on their side. Also, in what was seemingly a disturbingly regular occurrence nowadays, something went wrong. Not for lack of planning, or lack of stealth, but the sheer dumb luck of a pair of guards slacking off and going out for a smoke break. On another night, Galahad might've found the change in schedule humanizing, but tonight was not that night. The Kirins were spurred forward, the element of surprise lost, and they now made do with violence of action and the shock and surprise that came with it. Galahad had no need to bark orders, they were all basically stabbing in the dark anyway, rushing their way to the uppermost floors, and dealing with any unfortunate soldier that got in their way.
Galahad found himself rather limited in these close quarters, stuck holding his halberd close to the chest and employing short stabs and kicks, lest his wide swings get caught on a wall or an ally. Luckily, none of these men wore the same armor and had the same weapons as Valheim soldiers did, and his jabs easily pierced and sundered through their relatively light clothing and armor.
The stairway that filled with gunfire might've been a problem had Eve not subsequently filled it with fire, Arton leading the charge up the stairs shortly afterwards. Galahad began to hang towards the back of the formation, where he could swing and stab with impunity to hold off any goons that were trying to reinforce their boss from the lower floors. Out of the corner of his eye, Galahad spotted a man bearing a crossbow, a glinting tip levelled at the firebreathing pseudolon.
Grabbing the half-dragon by the back of her robe, Galahad yanked her a step back, crossbow bolt spiraling through the air her head just occupied. Rearing back, Galahad hucked his halberd down the hall, the heavy weapon knocking the offending man off his feet, through the outer wall, and clear off the building. The sound of rushing wind was accented with the faint noise of a man screaming as the halberd flew back into Galahad's hand. He pushed the black mage onward towards the rest of the party.
"Set the corridor behind us on fire, prevent reinforcements from catching up with us." Galahad said as he stabbed forward at another man rounding the corner, pinning him to the wall. "But lets try not to blow up the building while we're still inside."
Visiting Alora had always been something in the cards- supposedly the resort scene on this planet was to die for, but this wasn't exactly what Sabine had in mind. A a few months ago, if someone told her she'd be getting a month and a half on Alora, she'd have been jumping for joy. She was still jumping of course, though now it was mostly over rubble and pockets of radiation- not exactly her idea of a vacation. Not for a lack of trying of course, Sabine had conveniently parked her mech more or less in the center of the pilots' congregation and was currently lounging in a hammock strung between the mech's leg and the remains of a nearby pillar. In her hands was a scorched magazine, and the remains of the tanning mirror she'd found somewhere within the remains of the hotel did little for her skin- currently clad head to toe in her flight suit. To her side, a holo-display slowly scrolled by, displaying diagnostics information as she was wrapping up the Hare's maintenance checks. Only a scorch mark gouging through the left side of her flight suit from a rather close call signified that their current situation could've been anything other than a vacation to the young pilot.
Not that the situation around them was any better. Even after over a month of hard fighting, they hadn't made nearly as much progress as they needed. The planet was dying. If they didn't take care of the Aberrant threat soon, then the entire planet would be lost within the week. No doubt Howe was beginning to think this was all a wasted effort, and Sabine couldn't exactly blame him either. Sure, she enjoyed flying and fighting- loved it in fact, but brutal attrition wasn't exactly her style, blaze of glory was much preferred. The White Hare was designed for rapid assaults, and instead they were bogged down in what more or less amounted to a slow slog through the middle of Aberrant territory. Damage was slowly but surely mounting, and she down to about a quarter of her smartcannon and missile ammunition, forcing her to rely mostly on her energy weapons for the past few days. But with resources spread thin the way they were, they all had to make do: ad hoc units formed in the middle of fighting, picking up pilots and infantry from depleted and shattered units to fill out their own dwindling ranks.
Commander Aurigae- Ahkari had approached their small formation with a plan: One last daring, all or nothing type of raid. End the Aberrant threat in a day, no doubt at the cost of many- or most of their lives. A suicide run with dubious odds of success at best. Sabine snorted at the thought of the mission being a request. They all knew that at the rate they were going, the planet would be lost before they could get to the Princess. They were going in, or they were pulling out, no two ways about it, though Sabine at least appreciated the courtesy of asking, as unnecessary as it was.
"Safe is boring." Sabine whined. The mirror cracked and broke as it clattered to the ground, magazine unceremoniously dumped aside as Sabine swung off of her hammock and back down to the ground with the rest of the crew. Her footsteps light and bouncy as she casually sauntered over to Howe and swiped the lit cigarette from his fingers, taking a long drag from it as she leaned on the taller pilot. She winced slightly as she stretched the burn on her side, but otherwise ignored the discomfort. With a languid yawn, Sabine fixed her eyes on their current Constellation-Commander and winked. "Howie's right, and you said it yourself, we don't have enough time to take it slow. Might as well quit beating around the bush and hit that bitch where it hurts."
"Besides, as much as I've liked Alora, all the radiation really isn't good for my complexion."
B A S I C I N F O [Name]Sabine Dassault-Delacroix [Callsign]Rabbit [Gender]Female [Age]24 [Rank and Designation]E-5 - Petty Officer second class [Place of Birth]Atrebois [Official Statement]<Miss Delacroix! Miss Delacroix! Please don't do aileron rolls while we have the recor- ksshk pffffffffffffff>
C O M B A T A B I L I T Y [Mech Model]DTX-103 Wyverne Custom 'White Hare' [Type]High-Mobility Assault, Armored Cavalry [Size]45 ft tall, 35 tons [Core]Epsilon [Armaments]
DPW-12 Beam Rifle - Primary, Right- Dassault's DPW-12 is a 1.9 MW, semi-automatic beam rifle. The DPW-12 is designed to be a priemer beam weapon option for next-gen mecha troopers, combining both high accuracy and high punching power, limited mainly by sustained rate of fire and the cost of production. Charging directly from its own Beta core, the weapon's battery 'banks' up to 20 shots, allowing for effectively limitless ammunition- provided the pilot is conservative with their rate of fire. The weapon is designed to combat well armored foes, such as Rooks or Knights, or particularly well armored Pawns, though the power of its beam allows it to penetrate through multiple lightly armored or smaller targets. A second pre-charged battery 'magazine' is kept in a compartment underneath the rifle's stock in case the primary overheats or is damaged in some way. A 'bayonet lug' on underneath the main barrel allows a beam sabre to be mounted. A magnetic clamp mount is located behind the shoulder when the rifle needs to be stowed.
DKWx-31 45mm Smartcannon - Primary, Left- Fresh from the forges or Artebois and in the final stages of development, the brand new DKWx-41 Smartcannon uses specialized 'Smart' ammunition, bridging the gap between micro missiles and autocannon shell used by conventional forces. Using the agile and precise micro-missile as a base, the rocket propelled 45mm 'Smart' shells have built-in guidance systems and can self correct mid-course, allowing it to effectively shoot around cover, chase down targets, or even differentiate between targets. The Smartcannon is capable of multi-locking, and in a pinch can be fired in unguided mode. The weapon has a 60 shell external box magazine, with reloads stored in the ammunition compartments across the body. Due to its smaller size, it can be stored on the small of the back when not in use.
Dassault Estoc-15 Missile Launcher - Shoulder, Left, Right - Mounted on each shoulder of the Wyverne is a Estoc-15 missile launcher, capable of loosing a flurry of high powered airburst explosives. These missiles pack a decent punch and effect a larger area than their size would suggest, making them effective against numerous and tightly packed, or lightly armored targets, but suffer against more heavily armored foes.
E-21 Plasma Beam Saber - Secondary, Left - A standard pattern plasma beam saber used by the Wyverne in close combat. The blade length can be adjusted, and its high energy output allows it to be a deadly close ranged weapon. The weapon comes pre-charged prior to launch, though can be charged from the mech core if needed during long sorties. One is carried on a hip case on the side of the Wyverne.
DPW-02 Particle-Pulse Vulcan - Secondary, Right - A low powered energy weapon imitating the shape of a rotary cannon, the DPW-02 PB Vulcan was designed to utilize the efficiency of Aberrant core energy production to combat ammunition limitations in drawn out battles, and is slowly being phased in, in place of traditional aircraft based rotary cannons. Mounted on the forearm of the Wyverne, this weapon dispenses a high volume of plasma bolts with power comparable to that of standard 20mm autocannons and is rated for dealing with Pawn class Aberrants, but in a pinch can be used to harass stronger foes. A battery banking system stores around 2000 charges at a time, for about a full minute of firing before needing to recharge. The PB Vulcan's charge system can be manually disabled when needing to shunt power to other systems.
Wyverne High-Mobility Mode - The default 'mode' of the Wyverne in its bipedal mech form. While in this form, large directional thrusters give it incredible lateral movement, and substantial- though not groundbreaking top speeds. Meant for close-in fighting, the High-Mobility mode can change directions practically on a whim, built in G-force absorbing fields preventing its pilot from blacking out in its extremely acrobatic maneuvers.
Wyverne Flight Mode - When speed is required over mobility, the Wyverne can fold its legs and arms to transform into a more compact 'Flight' mode. While in flight mode, the Wyverne both acts and is visually more like an aerospace fighter, and can reach considerably top speeds- often higher than most other mechs thanks to its more aerodynamic shape. While in Flight mode however, the Wyverne loses its ability to turn on a dime or drastically adjust its angle of fire. Used for covering long distances, strafing enemy targets, or quickly maneuvering to a new position.
Emergency Countermeasures - A holdover from aerospace craft designs. A small combination of chaff, flares and smoke for defensive purposes.
Constellation Carry Handle- Affectionately referred to as 'the strap' , the standard issue CCH is included on all Dassault Aerospace mechs. What more or less amounts to a harness, straps and grab bars mounted on a cutout embedded in the back of the Wyverne. Provides minimal protection from G-forces during flight, but a small shroud of armor plating protects the rider from thruster backwash. A quick release function allows a rider to detach at will. Note from the user manual: 'It ishighlyrecommended that a Constellation notify their pilot before release, so the pilot can momentarily cut thrusters to prevent severe plasma burns.'
Profile
[Surface-level Impression]
Energetic and snarky, Sabine is for the most part fairly easygoing and playful. Despite being casually flirtatious with practically everyone she meets, Sabine shows little interest in actual romantic relationships. Regarded by many as an adrenaline junky, Sabine seems to love the thrill of flying and fighting, and has a reputation for being a bit of a thrillseeker and capable- if reckless, pilot. She trends towards sarcasm when faced with serious situations, and will regularly tease friends, coworkers and foes alike. Though not a stereotypical 'rich girl', Sabine has absolutely no issue throwing money around, especially if it can solve immediate problems. Sabine seems to have a soft spot for those displaced by the war- particularly children, and reacts aggressively in their defense.
On the rare, chance encounter with Sabine's more 'serious' side, it can be assumed that a lot of Sabine's more casual, devil-may-care attitude can be attributed as a way of dealing with the stresses of combat and warfare. Those particularly close to Sabine note that while she's still friendly, she tends to be far more reserved when in the presence of those she's comfortable around. She avoids being 'mopey' when possible, often hiding behind vices or vaguely related stories when pressed.
[Personal History]
Born to a pair of unknown parents, Sabine Delacroix and her sister Sera's earliest memories were of an orphanage in the Capitol city of Artebois. Soon after, Sabine and Sera were adopted by Lucien Dassault, a widower, a veteran of the ongoing conflict and the current head of the Dassault Aerospace Core Worlds branch. As newly minted heirs, Sabine was afforded practically any and every luxury she could want for. The best things, tutors, schools and education available in the Core Worlds.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a young Sabine- like many a youth in these trying times, spent much of her formative years inundated by news and stories of the war, the heroic tales of larger-than-life Constellations fending off the Aberrants and the brave soldiers who supported them. Countless holo feeds of real-to-life superheroes riding into battle on the backs of the machines her father made, and the exciting and death defying feats they accomplished. From a young age, she was hooked.
While possessing no otherworldly powers of her own, Sabine, like most Artebois natives, took great interest and pride in their burgeoning mech industry. She learned how to move a mech before she learned how to drive a car, and even among Artebois youths, she was a natural at it. By the age of 13, she was a test pilot on Dassault's production lines, and by 15- along with a the hefty backing of her father, was put into the Artebois Military Academy.
The Academy was a hard adjustment for Sabine- while a gifted pilot and a decent academic, her instructors always found her a little difficult to control, a little too foolhardy and eager for a fight. Despite these setbacks, Sabine graduated from the Academy with high marks and was assigned her desired role: Pilot.
The next several years would see Sabine deployed to various fronts along the Frontier Worlds, holding back the inexorable tide of Aberrants. She'd discover that, unlike the holos, the war against the Aberrants was not nearly as glamorous and exciting as she'd originally thought it to be. On her first sortie, half of her unit was destroyed, and she'd barely made it through her second sortie alive. The horrors of war broke the spirits of many rookies, but somehow Sabine managed to keep her sanity in spite of what she'd witnessed. She proved to be a natural, regarded as a top performing apprentice by her peers by the end of her first tour, and an ace by the end of her second.
During her third tour of duty, Sabine would earn some noteriety for both her recklessness and her daring prowess. During the Siege of Cerol, a garden world in the frontier region, the planet came under surprise attack by a massive number of Aberrant forces. The sheer speed of the assault caught the MHA Fleet in orbit around the planet with their pants down, and a vicious fight ensued. During the opening stages of the battle, Sabine's squadron leader was shot down, along with their Constellation as they were overwhelmed by large numbers of Aberrant forces. Managing to rally the remains of her squadron, Sabine would regroup with another depleted squadron and their surviving Constellation and go on a counter offensive. Running out of ammunition in most of their weapons, the remaining pilots would scavenge the destroyed bodies of their comrades, using the cores within the mech husks as impromptu bombs to hurl into groups of Knights, managing to clear a path for the Constellation to assault the Bishop. Against the warnings of her squadmates, Sabine flew in the direction of the dying Bishop to extract the Constellation from the collapsing Aberrant and the remaining Knights around it. Though finishing the battle heavily injured, Sabine would earn a commendation of valor for her efforts.
Now on her fourth tour of duty, Sabine brings her skills and devil-may-care attitude to the next front, kitted out with the latest in next-gen mech technology- courtesy of Dassault Aerospace.
Home World
[Planet Description] Arbetois is a boreal planet in the Serpent's Eye system in the heart of the Core Worlds. Artebois has overall cool temperatures, its warmest regions near the equator about on par to Earth's more temperate climates, with the vast majority of the planet featuring boreal or subartic climates. Depending on who is asked, Artebois is either 'blessed' or 'plagued' by both megafauna and megaflora in vast quantities, the forests of its northern and southern hemispheres filled with trees the size of buildings, with creatures and animals often reaching the size of vehicles or larger. Vast mountain ranges and gorges in the central areas of the planet allow for easier access to the planet's considerable natural resources. The vast majority of the planet's population centers are built within or nearby the equator belt, with more remote settlements hidden deep within the cold forests. The twin moons that orbit the planet are covered with all manner of factories and production plants, with only small amounts of industry still found on the planet proper these days.
[Culture] Artebois holds history as one of the earlier Core Worlds to be settled when humanity began expanding beyond the Milky Way. Steeped in an old tradition of hunters and gatherers, from it's earliest days the people of Artebois utilized mechs to both clear the land of dense and titanic foliage and to hunt and defend themselves from massive beasts. As a result, it is not uncommon for denizens of the planet to be proficient- or at least familiar with the use of mechs. Unsurprisingly, Artebois attracted the interests of corporations and companies capable of building and maintaining these machines, eager to exploit the bounty of raw materials the planet held. Artebois- or more specifically it's moons are now one of the largest manufacturers of mechs and mech parts in the Core Systems. While the people nowadays put an emphasis on industry and manufacturing as opposed to their old hunter/gatherer ways, they still maintain a somewhat cautious respect for nature.
Notable Contacts
[Name] Sera Dassault-Delacroix
[Relation to Subject] Sister
[Analysis] The current Chief Engineer of the Dassault Aerospace R&D Division, for the Core Systems branch, and local company representative. Like her sister, Sera has always had an interest in mechs, though unlike Sabine who likes to fly them, Sera's interest lie more in the creation of them, and is a talented inventor and mechanic. She's constantly tinkering on equipment and is knowledgeable enough about even the most obscure models of mech to perform maintenance and repairs on them, though obviously she prefers to work with Dassault models.
A large producer for the war effort, Dassault mechs make up almost 20% of all of the mechs seen on the frontlines, and have a reputation for reliability and performance. The current flagship design of Dassault is the versatile DTX-101 Chevalier, and its variants. Directly improving upon the Chevalier, Sera spearheaded the development and creation of the DTX-103 Wyverne, a next generation mech trooper and a marked improvement over the original frame, emphasizing mobility and striking power. Unfortunately, the Wyverne has been slow to mass adoption and currently only sees use with elite units, squadron leaders, and those with special privileges, on account of its rather high production costs. Sera was quite disappointed when Sabine 'took her baby' and promptly damaged it on its first sortie.
Though she prefers solid land, Sera can make do with most available workspaces if given the time or resources. Though not military herself, she is currently attached to the same unit as her sister as a representative engineer from Dassault to maintain and gather combat performance data on Sabine's Wyverne.
[Name] Solomon 'Dunkirk' Howe
[Relation to Subject] Wingman- on and off duty
[Analysis] Somewhat unflappable in the face of Sabine's constant comments, the two were assigned to the sortie a while back and perhaps due to the nature of their equally aggressive and foolhardy flight tendencies, quickly became fast friends- at least according to Sabine. Howe is a quiet, somber sort of guy, and for some reason makes an excellent drinking buddy. Constantly attempting to get a rise out of him, Sabine regularly pulls Solomon along with whatever antics she feels up to at any given time, and can usually expect him to follow along- if grumbling the whole way. In a way, Sabine finds the constant grumbling endearing- plus, dragging him along means she never has to drink alone.
[Name] Alto 'Eight-Ball' Valenti
[Relation to Subject] Squadmate, Rival??
[Analysis] Sabine met Alto during long haul escort mission across space, the two attached to her family's convoy- Alto to test the flight capabilities of his machine, and Sabine to make sure nothing actually went wrong with the journey. Being relatively similar in age, and without any action to speak of, the two quickly became friends- more specifically, Alto quickly became the regular target for most of Sabine's teases and taunts, his reactions to which helped keep her entertained for the entire trip. A bit like a younger sibling, Sabine finds Alto both easy to get along with, and occasionally aggravating. While often surprised with his capabilities, Sabine is also quick to point out the younger pilot's lack of experience, and though she won't say it out loud, she occasionally worries about his safety. Interestingly, Valenti looks not too dissimilar to a famed Constellation of the same name, though lacking much of the fame and dashing looks. While Alto failed to answer directly when asked, Sabine suspects a familiar connection.
It was a bit later than when he usually logged on, but Rathello's eyes opened inside the Guildhall Bedroom he had logged out of the day before. He wasn't the type of Roleplay player that liked to log off in the bedrooms to simulate sleeping, but it gave him a second to get used to his surroundings- he found it a lot easier to get adjusted to movement when he logged off while sitting. Very slowly lifting to his feet, Rathello slowly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, lifting the free foot off the ground before pacing a few times inside of the room. At this point, he didn't expect anything different, but it was more a peace of mind thing anyway.
With the certainty that his legs worked the way he wanted them to, Rathello confidently strode into the main room of the guild hall, idly checking his messages as he did. One of the guys he regularly partied with was in the middle of complaining to a group chat about getting PK'd by the 'Jester', it wasn't the first time Rath had heard about it, but it seemed the guy was striking at dungeon diving teams all over the place. Irritating, and time wasting, but not the end of the world, ultimately- and it sure wouldn't stop Rath from doing dungeon delving of his own. He was about due for a some material farming anyway, one of the Guild crafters he had added the other day had agreed to build him a new sword in return for some rare materials.
"I wonder how long it'll take me to- oh"
Rath didn't even have time to finish his sentence before he saw Goibniu's message pop up in the area chat. He was answered not long after by a healer, so Rath figured now was as good a time as any to chime in as well.
Rathello: I'm in. I can tank, already at the guild hall.
Pausing to switch his interface to display player names, it took only a few moments for Rathello to spot the others- the fact that one was a centaur made it easy to catch the eye. He'd seen a few players like that, but couldn't really see the appeal, though maybe he was biased towards liking a pair of legs. The big firbolg walked over to the pair already in the middle of introductions.
"Yo!" The big man called out cheerily, "Looking for a tank, right? Rath, good to meet ya." He gave Elian a short nod as well. "Heya El, been a while huh? Haven't seen ya since that field boss in Ebrax."
"Guess I'm on princess duty- what?" Gerard chirped happily, as the princess shot him a frustrated glance, the WARDEN seemingly more than content to sit in the truck while the others did the- in some cases literal- heavy lifting. Gerard watched with mild disinterest as Morden quite easily snapped the hitch between the fallen truck and the fuel tank and began to drag it away, stopping most of the current spill- though some Etherium still leaked out of the a hole in the side. With almost a modicum of effort, Gerard grabbed one of the empty jerry cans from the side of the truck and pulled it open, floated the thing over to beneath the current leak, even as Morden dragged it away. "Might as well fill up- better in our tanks than on the ground."
Nearby the front of the truck itself, Valerie found that the engine was still functioning- and in fact still running, the low putter implying that the truck's tank itself still had Etherium fuel within it. The cab itself was a bit harder to access- at least for a normal human, the side of the vehicle was warped from the impact and steel frame of the door had folded halfway in on itself. The hinges were bent and twisted, but it was little difficulty for the smaller WARDEN to merely rip the door off its hinges. The truck lay on its side, and as Val peered down into the truck itself, she found the hand that stuck of the empty windshield attached to an arm and a torso, though said torso was missing one of its legs. Vicious marks around the wound suggested that it was a less than clean separation, more likely being ripped or torn off rather than cut. The owner's face held a terrified look, though his face was slack and eyes glazed over, half of his trachea missing. The body was still warm to the touch, though had obviously been cooling for a little while now.
The RV wasn't in much better shape as the other diminutive WARDEN checked it out. The side facing the road had some dents on it, the color of the metal scrapes matching that of the truck on the other side of the road. The side facing the treeline however had a huge dent in it, as if a Morden sized football player had tackled it. The inside at least proved to be a veritable treasure trove as Silje opened its top and stole a glance inside. She was looking into what must've been the RV's living area, its contents strewn about almost as if the RV had flown off the road or something. There were a few open packages of food and snacks, though there were also what appeared to be several packaged MREs laying about inside as well- the type that the military would eat while travelling. Perhaps because of the impact of the vehicle, Silje also noticed, a few drab green hardcases had been flung from presumably the trunk or other storage spaces, into center view as well, one of them cracked open to reveal the suppressed barrel of a combat rifle.
"Is someone out there?" A panicked, strained voice squeaked out from inside the darkness. It wasn't a typical Rassvetian accent, though it wasn't a Vangarian accent either, "I- I need help! My legs are pinned!" Though her senses weren't as keen as Justice's, Silje couldn't detect any manipulation of Mist from within the RV, so at the very least no one was currently preparing a from spell within.
As the fuel truck was cleared out of the way, Kalina's job became increasingly easier, sightlines were clear, and there were no obvious signs of life immediately around them. Ahead of her, perhaps a dozen meters ahead, she could see tire skid marks on the road, probably from where the two vehicles made impact before ending up where they were. More curiously, she could see that the ground and asphalt had been disturbed another few dozen meters ahead of that- though the side of the roads were hard to notice with all the debris, it was hard to miss the rather large hole torn through the asphalt.
Her perception opening up around them like an invisible dome, outside of her own squadmembers manipulating the mist to power their bodies or abilities, though trying to 'sense' through the puddle of Etherium fuel was like trying to look through fog- doable, but a pain. Justice found little disturbances in the mist around them- at least above ground. Below ground, Justice felt something small, nagging at the edges of her perception. The sense grew closer, alarmingly quickly, growing in size as it rapidly approached them. A second one appeared- from a different direction, followed by a third and fourth, one much larger than the others.
Kalina saw pavement warp and shift, a blur bursting out of the asphalt a moment later. Only natural reflex allowed Kali to narrowly avoid getting her head taken off as the mass slammed into the truck behind her. There was the sound of metal crunching against metal as the mass, slowed to a stop, circling around to face the WARDEN. Tanned, leathery hide protected by a carapace smooth like steel, a pair of beady eyes and a toothy maw stared at the young WARDEN before it dove back into the ground, powerful claws tearing open the asphalt as though it were as little more than mud and dirt. From the dirt along the road, a second bullet shark burst out of the ground, flying towards Val, standing over the truck cab, and beneath Morden's, the asphalt shifted as the maw of a shark roughly four times his size began to rapidly appear around his feet.
Something within the Echo platform hissed with what could vaguely be analogous to displeasure, the idea of leaving any part of the colony behind for an extended period of time was not ideal, but the situation deemed it so. Either way, the warform was left with the slightest of skeleton crews, more or less rendering it a semi-autonomous weapons platform to be used by the Intransigence. That way, the vast majority of the smart coral could remain embedded within the main unit, with just enough smart and dumb coral inside of the Warform to keep it as 'Echo'. If the main unit was lost, Echo would remain- albeit at a vastly, almost cripplingly reduced efficacy, and if the Warform was to be lost, the Main unit would retain the vast majority of its intelligence.
As always, any audio and visual data regarding their mission and possible foes were quickly stored to purge-ready infobanks, ready for Echo to access should the need arise. It had little need for a visit to the armory, save for restocking on ammunition for its various weapons, perhaps for the rest of its squad as well. A remote command was sent to the armory master, to prepare vrexul sized, and dog sized carry packs, filled with the necessities: Ammo, grenades, sustenance, tools, and the like. Lacking the ability to grow 'tired' from carrying weight, the Endo and Microforms could huck the team's supplies as needed.
Echo's musings were disrupted by what was a small argument happening in the corner. Not that it was trying to eavesdrop, but when one had eyes and ears commanded to follow and support its squad members, it was hard not to. The Microforms at Salvator and Kleo's heels picked up both sides of the conversation, and one of them opened its maw to chime in, even as the Endoform itself began to stomp towards the armory.
"Analysis. Aggression response suggests Operative Alves may still be concussed from prior injuries." Echo reported, perhaps unhelpfully. "Alternative. Operative Alves may be suffering from Earth based-disease: Napoleon Complex."
The Microforms stood still for a moment, as Echo's collective ran through possible ways to mitigate conflict between and within the Envenomed teams. "Suggestion. Limit interactions with others. Elaboration. Control of communication networks allows this platform to remotely turn off communication as necessary." Seemingly the only one satisfied with its response, the Microforms pointed themselves towards the armory, but didn't leave without their respective squad members. "Conclusion. Conflict resolved. Proceed to staging area."
Becoming a headhunter wasn't exactly how Galahad envisioned his career going after being disowned by his father. Nor was dealing with pirates in order to obtain passage on their ships- but it wasn't too abnormal a task for the adventuring sort, apparently. At least this head wasn't exactly a well liked one. Tane was a crime boss, and one that wasn't liked too well by other criminals for that matter. So perhaps at least karmically they were somewhere around neutral.
"It would've been nice if Ciradyl told us where she was going." Galahad grumbled, "Then we could've had some people go in with her again, like before."
Galahad's eyes glared at the looming structure as the team discussed their potential game plan. Like Izayoi said, they had no blueprints, no clue where Tane might be in there other than perhaps an office.
"Scaling that building wouldn't be the biggest issue." Galahad commented idly, "Worst comes to worst I could ferry people up and down. We can attach a rope- or a few, for when we need to get down in a hurry. If getting to Tane alive is the goal, it's better to stick together, clearing guards as we go. If we split the party, we have no easy eay of letting the external group that the internal team is done- unless we're okay with making a big bang like we did with Hein."
Galahad was curious to know what sort of relationship Ciradyl had with Tane. They were certainly not friends, as Izayoi had stated, and Ciradyl expressed no seeming resistance to the task. Even if she didn't trust the party altogether, Galahad would've hoped that she'd at least have trusted Izayoi enough to tell her about her plan, but it seemed that was not the case. More than likely, a fight was about to break out, which means they needed to be in there, now.
Eve and Izayoi are right. We need get a move on now. As soon as Tane's people realize they're under attack, they're going to be all over Cir. It'd be better for all of us if we were close by, and if we can get to Tane before Cir, we'll be able to interrogate her."
Looking over at Rudolf, Galahad took hold of his rope, and wrapped it around his hand. "I'll take one other and go up. With Eve, the two of them will cover the landing until everyone else makes their way up. Then we can sweep through and work our way down until we find her. If you're not a fan of heights and would like vastly prefer taking a side route, please make it known now."
"Keep eyes out for Tane and Ciradyl, don't stab the first thing that moves."
Mostly done, need to wait until I get back in front of a pc to make sure everything is the way I want it, but here she is:
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B A S I C I N F O [Name]Sabine Dassault-Delacroix [Callsign]Rabbit [Gender]Female [Age]24 [Rank and Designation]E-5 - Petty Officer second class [Place of Birth]Atrebois [Official Statement]<Miss Delacroix! Miss Delacroix! Please don't do aileron rolls while we have the recor- ksshk pffffffffffffff>
C O M B A T A B I L I T Y [Mech Model]DTX-103 Wyverne Custom 'White Hare' [Type]High-Mobility Assault, Armored Cavalry [Size]45 ft tall, 70 tons [Core]Epsilon [Armaments]
DPW-12 Beam Rifle - Primary, Right- Dassault's DPW-12 is a 1.9 MW, semi-automatic beam rifle. The DPW-12 is designed to be a priemer beam weapon option for next-gen mecha troopers, combining both high accuracy and high punching power, limited mainly by sustained rate of fire and the cost of production. Charging directly from its own Beta core, the weapon's battery 'banks' up to 20 shots, allowing for effectively limitless ammunition- provided the pilot is conservative with their rate of fire. The weapon is designed to combat well armored foes, such as Rooks or Knights, or particularly well armored Pawns, though the power of its beam allows it to penetrate through multiple lightly armored or smaller targets. A second pre-charged battery 'magazine' is kept in a compartment underneath the rifle's stock in case the primary overheats or is damaged in some way. A 'bayonet lug' on underneath the main barrel allows a beam sabre to be mounted. A magnetic clamp mount is located behind the shoulder when the rifle needs to be stowed.
DKWx-31 45mm Smartcannon - Primary, Left- Fresh from the forges or Artebois and in the final stages of development, the brand new DKWx-41 Smartcannon uses specialized 'Smart' ammunition, bridging the gap between micro missiles and autocannon shell used by conventional forces. Using the agile and precise micro-missile as a base, the rocket propelled 45mm 'Smart' shells have built-in guidance systems and can self correct mid-course, allowing it to effectively shoot around cover, chase down targets, or even differentiate between targets. The Smartcannon is capable of multi-locking, and in a pinch can be fired in unguided mode. The weapon has a 60 shell external box magazine, with reloads stored in the ammunition compartments across the body. Due to its smaller size, it can be stored on the small of the back when not in use.
Dassault Estoc-15 Missile Launcher - Shoulder, Left, Right - Mounted on each shoulder of the Wyverne is a Estoc-15 missile launcher, capable of loosing a flurry of high powered airburst explosives. These missiles pack a decent punch and effect a larger area than their size would suggest, making them effective against numerous and tightly packed, or lightly armored targets, but suffer against more heavily armored foes.
E-21 Plasma Beam Saber - Secondary, Left - A standard pattern plasma beam saber used by the Wyverne in close combat. The blade length can be adjusted, and its high energy output allows it to be a deadly close ranged weapon. The weapon comes pre-charged prior to launch, though can be charged from the mech core if needed during long sorties. One is carried on a hip case on the side of the Wyverne.
DPW-02 Particle-Pulse Vulcan - Secondary, Right - A low powered energy weapon imitating the shape of a rotary cannon, the DPW-02 PB Vulcan was designed to utilize the efficiency of Aberrant core energy production to combat ammunition limitations in drawn out battles, and is slowly being phased in, in place of traditional aircraft based rotary cannons. Mounted on the forearm of the Wyverne, this weapon dispenses a high volume of plasma bolts with power comparable to that of standard 20mm autocannons and is rated for dealing with Pawn class Aberrants, but in a pinch can be used to harass stronger foes. A battery banking system stores around 2000 charges at a time, for about a full minute of firing before needing to recharge. The PB Vulcan's charge system can be manually disabled when needing to shunt power to other systems.
Wyverne High-Mobility Mode - The default 'mode' of the Wyverne in its bipedal mech form. While in this form, large directional thrusters give it incredible lateral movement, and substantial- though not groundbreaking top speeds. Meant for close-in fighting, the High-Mobility mode can change directions practically on a whim, built in G-force absorbing fields preventing its pilot from blacking out in its extremely acrobatic maneuvers.
Wyverne Flight Mode - When speed is required over mobility, the Wyverne can fold its legs and arms to transform into a more compact 'Flight' mode. While in flight mode, the Wyverne both acts and is visually more like an aerospace fighter, and can reach considerably top speeds- often higher than most other mechs thanks to its more aerodynamic shape. While in Flight mode however, the Wyverne loses its ability to turn on a dime or drastically adjust its angle of fire. Used for covering long distances, strafing enemy targets, or quickly maneuvering to a new position.
Emergency Countermeasures - A holdover from aerospace craft designs. A small combination of chaff, flares and smoke for defensive purposes.
Constellation Carry Handle- Affectionately referred to as 'the strap' , the standard issue CCH is included on all Dassault Aerospace mechs. What more or less amounts to a harness, straps and grab bars mounted on a cutout embedded in the back of the Wyverne. Provides minimal protection from G-forces during flight, but a small shroud of armor plating protects the rider from thruster backwash. A quick release function allows a rider to detach at will. Note from the user manual: 'It ishighlyrecommended that a Constellation notify their pilot before release, so the pilot can momentarily cut thrusters to prevent severe plasma burns.'
Profile
[Surface-level Impression]
Energetic and snarky, Sabine is for the most part fairly easygoing and playful. Despite being casually flirtatious with practically everyone she meets, Sabine shows little interest in actual romantic relationships. Regarded by many as an adrenaline junky, Sabine seems to love the thrill of flying and fighting, and has a reputation for being a bit of a thrillseeker and capable- if reckless, pilot. She trends towards sarcasm when faced with serious situations, and will regularly tease friends, coworkers and foes alike. Though not a stereotypical 'rich girl', Sabine has absolutely no issue throwing money around, especially if it can solve immediate problems. Sabine seems to have a soft spot for those displaced by the war- particularly children, and reacts aggressively in their defense.
On the rare, chance encounter with Sabine's more 'serious' side, it can be assumed that a lot of Sabine's more casual, devil-may-care attitude can be attributed as a way of dealing with the stresses of combat and warfare. Those particularly close to Sabine note that while she's still friendly, she tends to be far more reserved when in the presence of those she's comfortable around. She avoids being 'mopey' when possible, often hiding behind vices or vaguely related stories when pressed.
[Personal History]
Born to a pair of unknown parents, Sabine Delacroix and her sister Sera's earliest memories were of an orphanage in the Capitol city of Artebois. Soon after, Sabine and Sera were adopted by Lucien Dassault, a widower, a veteran of the ongoing conflict and the current head of the Dassault Aerospace Core Worlds branch. As newly minted heirs, Sabine was afforded practically any and every luxury she could want for. The best things, tutors, schools and education available in the Core Worlds.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a young Sabine- like many a youth in these trying times, spent much of her formative years inundated by news and stories of the war, the heroic tales of larger-than-life Constellations fending off the Aberrants and the brave soldiers who supported them. Countless holo feeds of real-to-life superheroes riding into battle on the backs of the machines her father made, and the exciting and death defying feats they accomplished. From a young age, she was hooked.
While possessing no otherworldly powers of her own, Sabine, like most Artebois natives, took great interest and pride in their burgeoning mech industry. She learned how to move a mech before she learned how to drive a car, and even among Artebois youths, she was a natural at it. By the age of 13, she was a test pilot on Dassault's production lines, and by 15- along with a the hefty backing of her father, was put into the Artebois Military Academy.
The Academy was a hard adjustment for Sabine- while a gifted pilot and a decent academic, her instructors always found her a little difficult to control, a little too foolhardy and eager for a fight. Despite these setbacks, Sabine graduated from the Academy with high marks and was assigned her desired role: Pilot.
The next several years would see Sabine deployed to various fronts along the Frontier Worlds, holding back the inexorable tide of Aberrants. She'd discover that, unlike the holos, the war against the Aberrants was not nearly as glamorous and exciting as she'd originally thought it to be. On her first sortie, half of her unit was destroyed, and she'd barely made it through her second sortie alive. The horrors of war broke the spirits of many rookies, but somehow Sabine managed to keep her sanity in spite of what she'd witnessed. She proved to be a natural, regarded as a top performing apprentice by her peers by the end of her first tour, and an ace by the end of her second.
During her third tour of duty, Sabine would earn some noteriety for both her recklessness and her daring prowess. During the Siege of Cerol, a garden world in the frontier region, the planet came under surprise attack by a massive number of Aberrant forces. The sheer speed of the assault caught the MHA Fleet in orbit around the planet with their pants down, and a vicious fight ensued. During the opening stages of the battle, Sabine's squadron leader was shot down, along with their Constellation as they were overwhelmed by large numbers of Aberrant forces. Managing to rally the remains of her squadron, Sabine would regroup with another depleted squadron and their surviving Constellation and go on a counter offensive. Running out of ammunition in most of their weapons, the remaining pilots would scavenge the destroyed bodies of their comrades, using the cores within the mech husks as impromptu bombs to hurl into groups of Knights, managing to clear a path for the Constellation to assault the Bishop. Against the warnings of her squadmates, Sabine flew in the direction of the dying Bishop to extract the Constellation from the collapsing Aberrant and the remaining Knights around it. Though finishing the battle heavily injured, Sabine would earn a commendation of valor for her efforts.
Now on her fourth tour of duty, Sabine brings her skills and devil-may-care attitude to the next front, kitted out with the latest in next-gen mech technology- courtesy of Dassault Aerospace.
Home World
[Planet Description] Arbetois is a boreal planet in the Serpent's Eye system in the heart of the Core Worlds. Artebois has overall cool temperatures, its warmest regions near the equator about on par to Earth's more temperate climates, with the vast majority of the planet featuring boreal or subartic climates. Depending on who is asked, Artebois is either 'blessed' or 'plagued' by both megafauna and megaflora in vast quantities, the forests of its northern and southern hemispheres filled with trees the size of buildings, with creatures and animals often reaching the size of vehicles or larger. Vast mountain ranges and gorges in the central areas of the planet allow for easier access to the planet's considerable natural resources. The vast majority of the planet's population centers are built within or nearby the equator belt, with more remote settlements hidden deep within the cold forests. The twin moons that orbit the planet are covered with all manner of factories and production plants, with only small amounts of industry still found on the planet proper these days.
[Culture] Artebois holds history as one of the earlier Core Worlds to be settled when humanity began expanding beyond the Milky Way. Steeped in an old tradition of hunters and gatherers, from it's earliest days the people of Artebois utilized mechs to both clear the land of dense and titanic foliage and to hunt and defend themselves from massive beasts. As a result, it is not uncommon for denizens of the planet to be proficient- or at least familiar with the use of mechs. Unsurprisingly, Artebois attracted the interests of corporations and companies capable of building and maintaining these machines, eager to exploit the bounty of raw materials the planet held. Artebois- or more specifically it's moons are now one of the largest manufacturers of mechs and mech parts in the Core Systems. While the people nowadays put an emphasis on industry and manufacturing as opposed to their old hunter/gatherer ways, they still maintain a somewhat cautious respect for nature.
Notable Contacts
[Name] Sera Dassault-Delacroix
[Relation to Subject] Sister
[Analysis] The current Chief Engineer of the Dassault Aerospace R&D Division, for the Core Systems branch, and local company representative. Like her sister, Sera has always had an interest in mechs, though unlike Sabine who likes to fly them, Sera's interest lie more in the creation of them, and is a talented inventor and mechanic. She's constantly tinkering on equipment and is knowledgeable enough about even the most obscure models of mech to perform maintenance and repairs on them, though obviously she prefers to work with Dassault models.
A large producer for the war effort, Dassault mechs make up almost 20% of all of the mechs seen on the frontlines, and have a reputation for reliability and performance. The current flagship design of Dassault is the versatile DTX-101 Chevalier, and its variants. Directly improving upon the Chevalier, Sera spearheaded the development and creation of the DTX-103 Wyverne, a next generation mech trooper and a marked improvement over the original frame, emphasizing mobility and striking power. Unfortunately, the Wyverne has been slow to mass adoption and currently only sees use with elite units, squadron leaders, and those with special privileges, on account of its rather high production costs. Sera was quite disappointed when Sabine 'took her baby' and promptly damaged it on its first sortie.
Though she prefers solid land, Sera can make do with most available workspaces if given the time or resources. Though not military herself, she is currently attached to the same unit as her sister as a representative engineer from Dassault to maintain and gather combat performance data on Sabine's Wyverne.
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