Mecha RP: Legend of M

[dr xenon]

"Ya know I wouldn't be surprised. They've been here, what? Two years? They were bound to get smart at some point. Naturally, I notified command when I wrote my report on the engagement. Let's hope the eggheads can figure it out." He paused momentarily. "So, Athenian? That's a mercenary outfit isn't it?"

"The Freecity of Athens does run some mercen'ry units, yes sir," Jackson replied with a proud smile. "We have whatcha call a Convention with the League. We provide a certain amount o' stability to our little slice o' what used ta be northern Alabama and don't throw in direct with any known rebel forces. Fer their part, they employee some've our cadres, and don't try 'n roll over us. Would be a helluva fight if'n they tried, an' that's a fact. My cadre was on home duty. I'm just here followin' up on some raider activity, and earnin' my keep here an' there. But I've done a merc tour or two - gets you out inta the world."

 

[H3LLJUMPER_177]

"I'm not sure exactly where he went... I can go to where I last expected him to be. He said 3.5 miles... So he likely hasn't gone farther than that in these conditions. Also, if you want, I can bring you with me. Just expect a Kaiju, as we're in a yellow zone."
Ivis waited beside Jack, expecting a response soon. She looked to the mech, then back down the road.


"I don't know why he didn't carry you, that made no sense."

(Posted at the same time lol)


"Well, now that you say that...yeah, that made no sense." Jack said, looking around, his mech was so cool, it had transparent front, but has to weaken a bit, so if he's doing that, a hard hit can smash the frontal armor. But they were in a yellow zone, so he turned them off and went with the regular monitor, turning his mech about, looking for a heat sig, "Alright, I got nothing...go for it." Jack said to Ivis.

 

[Strategos]

as steven walked closer... suddenly his radar beeped, a red dot was coming to him... he thought it was a malfunction, but the dot came closer... the blue light in the distance also came closer, the radar was showing it coming to him, 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 miles, 500 meters... suddenly it him him... "kaiju...". he unsheated his blade, as he did that, the kaiju jumps on him, to his head and chest when suddenly....


ssssrrrrriiinnnngggggg





as the sound of what seemed like a metallic object slicing through something, the kaiju fell, and so did it's head... the kaiju didn't even manage to touch him, and his sword was covered in it's blood. he grabs the head and walks at the opposite direction, the battle movement was enough for the snow to dissipate and the antenna to be uncovered, which means now both jack and ivis can contact him again and can see him in their gps.





@Crimrose


@CERBERUS177


(NOPE! haha! xD )

 

[Crimrose]

"Working on it." Ivis gathered the dim particles, moving them over to Jack's machine, merging them to the mech's interior and exterior, as a partial teleport would be bad. The loose items should remain in the mech, including Jack. This whole process took about 2 minutes, which Ivis seemed to take quite seriously. She sighed, and gave a thumbs up.


"Okay, I'll be there in no time flat, so prepare yourself."


Ivis waved, then disappeared with a couple green sparks. She had teleported 2 miles, ending up in the sky. She then began to search at a speed of 300MPH, or 482KMH. It wasn't long before she heard a large screech, and a thud soon following. Descending, she discovered Steven. She hovered to the left of him, and connected to his communications. "Hi there. Looks like we've crossed into the Red Zone... I suggest we turn back... Also, mind carrying Jack?"


@CERBERUS177


@Salex

 

[Strategos]

"Working on it." Ivis gathered the dim particles, moving them over to Jack's machine, merging them to the mech's interior and exterior, as a partial teleport would be bad. The loose items should remain in the mech, including Jack. This whole process took about 2 minutes, which Ivis seemed to take quite seriously. She sighed, and gave a thumbs up.
"Okay, I'll be there in no time flat, so prepare yourself."


Ivis waved, then disappeared with a couple green sparks. She had teleported 2 miles, ending up in the sky. She then began to search at a speed of 300MPH, or 482KMH. It wasn't long before she heard a large screech, and a thud soon following. Descending, she discovered Steven. She hovered to the left of him, and connected to his communications. "Hi there. Looks like we've crossed into the Red Zone... I suggest we turn back... Also, mind carrying Jack?"


@CERBERUS177


@Salex

"sure, i'll carry jack, but carry this for me" he said, he then tossed the kaiju's decapitated head to ivis, then using his finally working gps, walked back to the yellow zone


@Crimrose @CERBERUS177

 

[H3LLJUMPER_177]

"sure, i'll carry jack, but carry this for me" he said, he then tossed the kaiju's decapitated head to ivis, then using his finally working gps, walked back to the yellow zone
@Crimrose @CERBERUS177

"No fair! You got to kill something..." Jack said almost pouting, "My trigger finger itches, now I have to hunt after the blizzard passes...who wants what?" he asked as the forest could have deers, bears, bunnies(Deal with it. Food is food!), and other types of animals that can be cooked and eaten. "I could have killed it too...All I need to do is get under it's belly and unload my boxes into it..." he said, now taking a small candy bar out and munching on it. He was trying to be a bit funny...maybe it worked?


(No fair!! I wanted to fight...)

 

[Strategos]

"No fair! You got to kill something..." Jack said almost pouting, "My trigger finger itches, now I have to hunt after the blizzard passes...who wants what?" he asked as the forest could have deers, bears, bunnies(Deal with it. Food is food!), and other types of animals that can be cooked and eaten. "I could have killed it too...All I need to do is get under it's belly and unload my boxes into it..." he said, now taking a small candy bar out and munching on it. He was trying to be a bit funny...maybe it worked?
(No fair!! I wanted to fight...)

"it was a huge one, half the size of mine... it'll make scrap metal of you" he said, he then grabs jack and puts him on his shoulder "we need to report this back to hq, the kaiju activity is rising..." he said


@Crimrose @CERBERUS177

 

[Crimrose]

"Hmm... This head is quite a decent size." Ivis examined it as he tossed it to her, and she had to increase output slightly to continue hovering. "I think I understand the urge to kill Kaiju, but maybe you should be happy you didn't have to. It would be terrible for you to waste ammo when you don't have to." Ivis continued to carry the head, wondering if anything good would come out of bringing it back to base. How many Kaiju had been killed? Was this one unique? Could it be used for upgrades? She figured she may as well ask.


"So... Is this one unique or..." She lifted the head some.


@CERBERUS177


@Salex

 

[A Skull on the Shelf]

The massive bolt fired by the Joust struck the back of Thunder Child's left knee, impaling it and locking the joint in place. "Oh boy" was all Sullivan managed to get out before his machine landed face-first onto the concrete, rolling several times and ripping out large chunks of road before skidding to a halt, the office building just outside his reach. Several fresh gouges had appeared all over Thunder Child's body, black marks from the concrete outlining each one.


"Gah...I'm gonna feel that one in the morning," Sullivan moaned, rubbing the back of his head. He tried to get Thunder Child to stand, but the left leg had become totally unresponsive, so instead he merely struggled up to a single knee. "That's some gun you got there, Emo Hair. I admit, you got me good."


"...It's a real shame for you, though. If I was piloting anything else you might've won there."


Raising the arm without a heat knife embedded in it, a bright white light shone from the center of Thunder Child's palm for s brief second, following by a massive boom, almost like thunder, as a white ball of plasma launched itself towards the office building, exploding on impact. The already weakened structure collapsed instantly, a cloud of dust and fire spewing into the air. "With that, it's my victory," Sullivan said triumphantly. "And now...cutting power to auxiliary boosters and white lightning cannons, diverting all excess power to regenerative processes."


For a second, nothing happened, then the pained groan of metal could be heard as the bolt stuck in Thunder Child's knee was forced out, falling to the side with a loud clang. A strange steam could be seen rising from every bit of damage Thunder Child had taken during the contest, the metal around each wound looking as if it was boiling, and though the machine couldn't stand before, it now rose to both feet, the smoking ruins of the office building casting an intimidating shadow on it.


"Now, I want you to take a good hard look. And that goes for anyone watching, too!" Sullivan said, switching on Thunder Child's loudspeaker system. "You see what's happening? My Thunder Child is repairing itself. I guarantee by the time that sun sets, my machine will be in perfect condition! So the next mechanic that uses 'checking for damages' as an excuse to poke around without my permission is getting his teeth knocked in!"


Sullivan turned off the loudspeakers and let out a tired sigh. Now that the fight had ended, the adrenaline was slowly leaving his system and he began to settle down. After another second, Sullivan opened a line to the other pilot. "Look, Emo H—Joust pilot, I don't want to antagonize anyone. I've just been cooped up in this place for weeks, and the guys in charge won't let me leave because of some favor they want to cash in on, and every other day some new mechanic's poking his head into my suit without even bothering to talk to me first. It gets tiring, you know? The Thunder Child is the only thing I can really call my own, so at the very least I'd appreciate it if they asked first, okay?"


@HEATS

 

[Foxora]

@HEATS[/URL]

An Orange mech landed next to Thunder Child from above, turning on it's speaker as well. "Sooo, that great and all about your mech's self repair and all, buuuut you two are done fighting right?" the mech then pointed toward the Joust "Cuz I gotta go curb stomp that pilot in the teeth for skipping out from paying me" the Mech's head turned toward the joust as well "Remember me Jack off?! Thought I'd just forget?!" the same mech then turned back and gave a thumbs up to the Thunder Child "Cool fight though"


@A Skull on the Shelf

 

[Pacificus]

[QUOTE="dr xenon]"The Freecity of Athens does run some mercen'ry units, yes sir," Jackson replied with a proud smile. "We have whatcha call a Convention with the League. We provide a certain amount o' stability to our little slice o' what used ta be northern Alabama and don't throw in direct with any known rebel forces. Fer their part, they employee some've our cadres, and don't try 'n roll over us. Would be a helluva fight if'n they tried, an' that's a fact. My cadre was on home duty. I'm just here followin' up on some raider activity, and earnin' my keep here an' there. But I've done a merc tour or two - gets you out inta the world."

[/QUOTE]
Clayton nodded. "Sounds nice." He looked over his shoulder, scanning for any officers or shinies. "I'm just thinkin' out loud here, but do you think the League has been getting a little shifty lately? I've been getting some weird missions as of recent." Clayton was not supposed to be talking to other pilots about orders given to him, much less mercenaries. But maybe if he just didn't go into any kind of specifics it would be fine.

 

[dr xenon]

Clayton nodded. "Sounds nice." He looked over his shoulder, scanning for any officers or shinies. "I'm just thinkin' out loud here, but do you think the League has been getting a little shifty lately? I've been getting some weird missions as of recent." Clayton was not supposed to be talking to other pilots about orders given to him, much less mercenaries. But maybe if he just didn't go into any kind of specifics it would be fine.

"Friend," Jackson begins, drawling out the word into at least 2 extra syllables no one ever intended it to have, and scratching his head in thought. "I don't rightly know. I been pounding home turf for the past month so I ain't been 'round the League much. Before that, shore, we were on the job fer the League but it seemed 'normal' enough - patrols in ol' California an' some raids in Rebel strongholds along the Med. I'll keep my ears open though and letcha know what I hear. And thank you fer the tip. Like you said - gotta watch yer 6."


Jackson swipes a few controls on his handheld. Off in the hangar a whir builds in his Riptide as its fusion reactor and systems shift from idle to active.


Best get Riptide on line for guard duty, he thought. And what is this feller angling at?

 

[Tierax]

A loud static filled voice filled the air as roux woke from a drug induced coma, he barely rembered what happened during his last raid.. There was an ambush... A trap? He was outside of his pride and joy Scorch, he had just stepped inside the chamber to steal the experimental suit... Then... It was a blur, he couldn't quite recall...


"Pilot 'Cutter' report to sortie briefing room 12 for re-assignment. Repeat, pilot 'Cutter' to SB-12 for re-assignment!"


The voice droned in Roux's ears.


His sight started to come back, he noticed he was being moved down a well lit corridor, League propaganda splashed every few feet.


Then he noticed the sharp pain running along his spine, feeling like his entire back was on fire.


The intercom repeated it's call, as Roux was left in an empty medical cell.


He tried to move, when he realised he was still in that damned chamber from the lab.


The restraints pinning his every movement, he couldn't even move his head.


"I.... Am not... Canned... meat, you pricks..."


He struggled to get the words out, wheezing against the pain.


"What have you done to me?"


He felt a sharp jab in the nape of his neck, and the chamber resonated with a voice similar to The standard female Ai interactive HUD sets.


"Finishing procedure, warning, subject not stabilised"


A heavily accented voice, maybe Irish? Spoke out behind him.


"Confirm, finish operation"


A beep was all Roux had time to register, before the chamber tore into him once more.


Once it was finally done, the chamber slid open and the restraints keeping him in place released, dropping Roux unceremoniously to the floor.


he sputtered and coughed while trying in vain to stand on his own two feet.


"Guards, the collar."


Roux couldn't even fight back, he felt the thick metal brace clasp around his neck.


"Test charge, stat-1"


A mild jolt threw Roux about,as his muscles spasmed.


"Stat-2"


This jolt was much harder, this time causing Roux to cry out in agony.


"That's enough, strap those limbs down and take him to sortie."


The guards did as they were told, the cold metal limbs pressed against Roux's tank top.


The guards begun to drag him through the base as Roux took the time to adjust to the pain, by the time they reached the mess hall he was already walking on his own two feet, only just realising the thing he was sent to get was now fused to him.


-You cowardly bastards...- he thought. -who set us up? How many lives where thrown away? Did anyone make it out alive? If they did, did they get back to their secret base? The questions weighed on him, like a heavy pit in his chest.


As Roux and the guards, four? No... There were at least another three trying to disguise themselves that were following further behind.


As they crossed the mess hall, it erupted with jeers and insults, some even threw the fetid slop they call food here at him.


He sneered back at them, causing some of the greener troops to cower. But veterans were only encouraged by his reaction, as trays and cutlery also began to fly in his direction.


They finally reached the sortie room, the guards took up positions at each corner of the room, the three that followed behind took guard at the door, while the accented voice walked in.


To the left of the door the long rooms wall was basically one big heavy duty blast shield, in the centre, a large desk with three small stacks of papers at different seats.


"Sit and wait, we shall begin as soon as one last person arrives."


Roux stood defiant, meeting the older mans gaze with a deep hate burning in his eyes. The uniform he was wearing was familiar to Roux, but couldn't place it.


He was League, that wasn't in dispute, but he obviously belonged to a division that didn't see a lot of field time, or maybe worse didn't leave anybody to tell the tale of their field time.


Against every instinct, against all his rage and the nearly overwhelming urge to punch him in his smug face, Roux took the seat, he wasn't keen on seeing if this collar had any higher settings.


He took a seat by a stack and stared at the oddly uniformed man.


"Good." The man spat, "now sit quietly dog and wait."


@dr xenon

 

[Pacificus]

[QUOTE="dr xenon]"Friend," Jackson begins, drawling out the word into at least 2 extra syllables no one ever intended it to have, and scratching his head in thought. "I don't rightly know. I been pounding home turf for the past month so I ain't been 'round the League much. Before that, shore, we were on the job fer the League but it seemed 'normal' enough - patrols in ol' California an' some raids in Rebel strongholds along the Med. I'll keep my ears open though and letcha know what I hear. And thank you fer the tip. Like you said - gotta watch yer 6."
Jackson swipes a few controls on his handheld. Off in the hangar a whir builds in his Riptide as its fusion reactor and systems shift from idle to active.


Best get Riptide on line for guard duty, he thought. And what is this feller angling at?

[/QUOTE]
"Eh, forget I said anything. I'm probably just looking at things from the wrong angle." His wristwatch beeped at him. He looked down at it. "No rest for the weary." He stood up with his tray. "It was good meetin' ya. Stay safe out there." He dumped his tray at the window and made his way to the hangar.

 

[dr xenon]

A loud static filled voice filled the air as roux woke from a drug induced coma, he barely rembered what happened during his last raid.. There was an ambush... A trap? He was outside of his pride and joy Scorch, he had just stepped inside the chamber to steal the experimental suit... Then... It was a blur, he couldn't quite recall...
"Pilot 'Cutter' report to sortie briefing room 12 for re-assignment. Repeat, pilot 'Cutter' to SB-12 for re-assignment!"

"Yep, that's me anyway," says Jackson to Clayton's retreating back.


He also buses his tray and then dog-trots to his billet to change into his full BDUs. He dons the light-armor jacket in the same blue-grey tones of his pants, his duty belt, and the skyblue-beret of an Athenian mech pilot. He contemplates shaving for half a second, but then nixes the idea. He usually shaved twice a day on garrison duty, but this sounded interesting and he'd hate to miss any action.


He dashes out of his quarters and jogs down the concrete corridors to SB-12, slowing as he sees the guards stationed outside the door. Subconsciously he checks his 6 as he approaches, hiding it under an attempt to straighten his beret. Not seeing a brass-toting officer outside the room he nods at the guards and heads into the sortie briefing room.


"Sergeant Jackson November, reportin'!"


@Tierax

 

[Tierax]

The door slid open, a man stood there in familiar Athenian uniform, and if they were half as good as Roux had heard, his rank alone was worthy of respect... Unlike his current captors.


"Sergeant Jackson November, reportin'!"


The man was ushered in, and Roux couldn't tell if he was recognised or not, the new man was entirely unreadable to him.


He took a seat opposite Roux, as the still standing man made his way to his own seat.


"My call sign is Beast Tamer, and until this assignment is over, this is your new centre of operations. 'Sergeant' November you have the rest of the day to organise your belongings and move them here. The paperwork is before you."


Roux hated this man already, but the thinly veiled disgust at this Jackson guys rank was distasteful even to him.


"How about a little respect eh? He's not the captive."


"No he's not"


The 'tamer' spoke sharply, discouraging anyone from speaking up, barely allowing time for Roux to even interject as he did.


Clearly agitated 'tamer' turned his gaze to the newcomer.


"Jackson, do you recognise the dog in front of you?"


@dr xenon

 

[Strategos]

"Hmm... This head is quite a decent size." Ivis examined it as he tossed it to her, and she had to increase output slightly to continue hovering. "I think I understand the urge to kill Kaiju, but maybe you should be happy you didn't have to. It would be terrible for you to waste ammo when you don't have to." Ivis continued to carry the head, wondering if anything good would come out of bringing it back to base. How many Kaiju had been killed? Was this one unique? Could it be used for upgrades? She figured she may as well ask.
"So... Is this one unique or..." She lifted the head some.


@CERBERUS177


@Salex

(sorry bout the late reply, fell asleep mid-writing it)


"think about it, how does a kaiju half my size that weight about maybe 500-1000 tonnes be able to jump up to the height of my head?" he asks


@CERBERUS177


@Crimrose

 

[dr xenon]

The door slid open, a man stood there in familiar Athenian uniform, and if they were half as good as Roux had heard, his rank alone was worthy of respect... Unlike his current captors.
"Sergeant Jackson November, reportin'!"


The man was ushered in, and Roux couldn't tell if he was recognised or not, the new man was entirely unreadable to him.


He took a seat opposite Roux, as the still standing man made his way to his own seat.


"My call sign is Beast Tamer, and until this assignment is over, this is your new centre of operations. 'Sergeant' November you have the rest of the day to organise your belongings and move them here. The paperwork is before you."


Roux hated this man already, but the thinly veiled disgust at this Jackson guys rank was distasteful even to him.


"How about a little respect eh? He's not the captive."


"No he's not"


The 'tamer' spoke sharply, discouraging anyone from speaking up, barely allowing time for Roux to even interject as he did.


Clearly agitated 'tamer' turned his gaze to the newcomer.


"Jackson, do you recognise the dog in front of you?"


@dr xenon

Gone was Jackson's usual smile and eye twinkle in front of "Beast Master." He presented as stone-faced and crisp - a drill sergeant's dream - in front of this partially identified League officer.


'Beast Master'? he thought. You gave yourself that handle. No way someone dubbed you that. And what's Roux le Corps doing here alive? I could live off his bounty and have enough left to pass on to my grandchildren. Watch your 6 indeed...





Jackson looks Roux in the eye. A slight twinkle shows.


"No dogs in here, sir," he starts flatly. "According to base regulations that's prohibited. But if pictures on the wanted posters are correct, then I'm a'sittin' across from Roux le Corps. Not the way I'd'a hoped to meet him, neither. But this is probably more friendly than aiming an ion cannon at him."


By the time he finishes there's a tone of respect clearly in his voice for the rebel pilot. He turns an icy eye back to "Beast Master" and continues in his flat tone.


"And I'd appreciate your proper name and rank, sir, as I've provided mine in standard military protocol, or do I need to contact the Watch Officer to confirm this change in my duties?"


@Tierax

 

[Tierax]

Tamer, Beast... Roux chuckled to himself, should he call him master? The arrogant Boy Scout would probably miss the joke.


The man looked on the defensive anyway.


It was clear this briefing wasn't going the way he expected, his smug look started to fade as it was slowly replaced with frustration.


Though he still nodded in acknowledgment.


Roux looked at Jackson with barely hidden curiosity, was that a hint of respect he had heard? Or just him putting this League clown in his place? Roux had always been terrible at reading people on first dates.


Either way, Roux taken an interest in him.


"Already made those minor preparations, you simply need to finalise it." The response was monotone, but the "beast" had a red face, probably a mix of embarrassment and anger.


"As for why you are both here, if you would look at page two there's a briefing from units located at shell bay.." He droned on, giving a full briefing on what happened there. Roux wasn't the slightest bit interested, eventually leaning over the table placing his bound arms upon it for support he stood defiant once more.


"Ok, that's sweet, really! But I think I speak for the class when I ask, w-" he was cut short as electricity coursed through him, throwing him to the floor, he knocked the paper into the air and kicked the chair to the back of the room in a mad, flailing attempt to stay standing.


He hit the floor with the distinct crash of metal on metal, the pain of the fresh implant being so roughly thrown about was intense, it was all Roux could do not to shout out or cry. He would stay on that floor twitching, as the shock relentlessly pinned him down.


"To put it bluntly Sergent, my real name and rank- for all intents and purposes- no longer exist.


I am in charge of recovering the stolen device on Roux's back, and to gauge it's effectiveness on the field, I'm sure you noticed this dog has a collar? Well..."


Tossing the remote over to Jackson, the 'beast' sat in his own seat, the smug look returning to his face.


"As an Athenian you are allowed a certain... Autonomy, on the field. Every collar has a leash, and I'm handing that leash to you. He is to remain separate from the general population, and used as an expendable weapon on field.


WHEN he dies on field, you are to recover his body and bring it back. This order supersedes any other."


He glared at Roux but directed his question at Jackson.


"Do you understand what is required of you so far?"


@dr xenon

 

[Crimrose]

"So... You're saying Kaiju aren't known for jumping that high? This could be quite helpful if what you're saying is true." Ivis would like to see something decent come out of this, maybe something that could get her closer to human.


She smiled, which would be weird under normal circumstances, as she was carrying a Kaiju head.


@Salex


@CERBERUS177

 

[H3LLJUMPER_177]

"So... You're saying Kaiju aren't known for jumping that high? This could be quite helpful if what you're saying is true." Ivis would like to see something decent come out of this, maybe something that could get her closer to human.
She smiled, which would be weird under normal circumstances, as she was carrying a Kaiju head.


@Salex


@CERBERUS177

"Interesting, never had one jump as high as you said it did... But then again, they're dead before they get near me... Well the small ones. " Jack said, now a bit interested in the way it behaved, "I'll send a recovery team to investigate the body. " Jack said looking back at it.

 

[dr xenon]

"To put it bluntly Sergent, my real name and rank- for all intents and purposes- no longer exist.


I am in charge of recovering the stolen device on Roux's back, and to gauge it's effectiveness on the field, I'm sure you noticed this dog has a collar? Well..."


Tossing the remote over to Jackson, the 'beast' sat in his own seat, the smug look returning to his face.


"As an Athenian you are allowed a certain... Autonomy, on the field. Every collar has a leash, and I'm handing that leash to you. He is to remain separate from the general population, and used as an expendable weapon on field.


WHEN he dies on field, you are to recover his body and bring it back. This order supersedes any other."


He glared at Roux but directed his question at Jackson.


"Do you understand what is required of you so far?"

The "leash" hit the table in front him and Jackson just looked at like it was some sort of red zone serpent. He pulled his handheld from his pocket and made a series of gestures on its face, then sets it on the table in front of him. In the shatterdome hangar where we first met the pilot a bank of lights in the Riptide mech's command center flashed from blue to green and a voice patterned after a long-dead 20th century actor, or an equally dead 20th century computer game intoned in an almost inhumanly deep voice, RIPTIDE ONLINE.


The mech fluidly rose to its full height.


RECOVERY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED


The mech departed the hangar, silently acknowledging the hangar reassignment with control.


"Oh, I understand what yer sayin'," Jackson drawled, "and I'm having my mech moved here now," he says pointing to his handheld by way of explanation.


"I'm also thinking that we have a misunderstanding we'd best clear up. First, the Freecity of Athens milit'ry has a Code of Conduct, and Article 5 clearly proscribes the use o' torture 'gainst enemy combatants. So I ain't touchin' that leash, mister. Second, the 44th Cadre, that'd be my unit, Murphy's Marauders, ain't under contract to the League at the moment. I'm watcha call a guest at this shatterdome and lending my assistance as needed is a sign o' good relations. You cain't order me to buy you a cuppa joe let alone participate in whatever you call this black ops outfit without a contract. That's Article 2."


The tread of multi-ton footsteps can be heard approaching the hangar doors, which iris open to reveal the forest-splinter camouflage Riptide towering and resplendent with an ion haze around its powered up weapons and shield. Jackson quickly makes a gesture to the mech and it shifts into an ready, stationary posture.


"Now, I'm not of a rank to negotiate a contract, bein' a lowly Sergeant an all. But as a sign o' good relations here's what I can do fer ya, Mister."


Jackson gets up and walks over toward his mech, clearly not even bothering to look at "Beast" out of contempt.


"I'll take this fella as a probationary recruit under my command," he shoots a glance over at Roux, and winks. "I'm authorized to do that, see? As a probationary recruit he will be subject to the Freecity of Athens militr'y Code of Conduct, so if he desserts ... I'll shoot 'im dead. That's under Article 16. We were gettin' a lot of opportunist raiders tryin' to run off with our mechs back in '75, see? Had to discourage that sort o' thing."


He turns and faces the officer with no name.


"That's what I can do. Seems like the right thing, don'tcha think? Now if'n he's agreeable an all, I suggest you bring my pilot's gear down here ASAP so we can attend to this Kaiju situation y'll let get outa control ... mister."


"Oh," he says pointing back to his handheld. "I been recording all this too. Article 12."

 

[Pacificus]

After finishing a much needed meal, Clayton sauntered back to the hangar. His watch beeping was a reminder to meet with the rest of his unit in a sort of group-chat over longrange comms. A former captain in the 23rd OD had suggested they start doing this when the unit found itself spread across the country on assignments, so that pilots didn't become alienated from one-another. It also served as a bit of a tactics conference as they shared things they had learned or seen.


Clayton climbed into lucky, who now sat with a tired look to it. He shifted in the cockpit seat and got comfortable before giving power to the basic electrical systems. His screen flickered for a few seconds before displaying a dozen different faces. Audio followed suit. A resonding "Ayyyy!" filled the confined space. "Ayy, guys." He replied. He noticed some were still unaccounted for, including their lieutenant. He commenced small talk with the rest while they waited for the others to come online.

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

@HEATS[/URL]

An Orange landed next to Thunder Child from above. as it turned on it's speaker as well. "Sooo, that great and all about your mech's self repair and all, buuuut you two are done fighting right?" the mech then pointed toward the Joust "Cuz I gotta go curb stomp that pilot in the teeth for skipping out from paying me" the Mech's head turned toward the joust as well "Remember me Jack off?! Thought I'd just forget?!" the same mech then turned back and gave a thumbs up to the Thunder Child "Cool fight though"
@A Skull on the Shelf

Roland chucked to himself as he pulled himself out of his cockpit and stared down the other pilot, flagrently ignoring the orange mech that had interrupted their little pow-wow. "Not much of a victory if you can't even stick to your own laurels to see it done. I believe you're exact words were I'm going to charge it and knock it down, your job is too keep me from doing that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the actual charge was stopped the moment you slammed into the ground. That light show of yours wasn't part of the deal." Roland sighed.


"Moving goal posts aside, that machine of yours is impressive, even as far as jaeger knock offs go. I'd be happy to fight along side it, but you're gonna run out of allies fast if you attack people who want to help. I guarantee no one in the mutineers gives a damn about any debt you owe, it's the first I've heard of it in any case." He reached into the pocket of his flight jacket and brandished a badge bearing a pair of twin stripes.


"My name is Roland Croix. I'm a Flight Lieutenant and one of the rebellion's top aces, or so people keep telling me." He added nonchalantly as he pinned the rank insignia back onto the collar of his suit.


"With that being said, not a whole lot of people can take me on like that, even with a better suit. With that being said, I might have a job I'm gonna need help with tomorrow that could help get rid of your debts, if you're willing to here me out when we get back to the hanger."


"Now as for you.." He turned to the orange mech, unfazed by the apparent threat. "...Do I know you?"


The pilot squinted his furrowed his brow as he tried to recall where he'd seen the machine before. It took a moment but eventually came to him.


"You're that shitty mechanic from shell bay!" He seemed genuinely shocked at the revelation. "Why the hell would I owe you money? All you did was run a blow torch across my shield for like 5 minutes before the city got attacked. I had to fight that asshole without my rockets because of you!" He motioned wildly over to the white aired pilot opposite to him, his sudden anger seemingly blinding him to the fact that it was very much his own fault the shield was damaged in the first place.


"Whatever!" He added indignantly as he threw his hands up and climbed back into his cockpit. "Anyway, I'm going back to the hanger. I still need to fill in my report. I'll fill you in on the job afterwards." And with that he was off.


(Admittedly not great and kind of jumbled, but I just wanted to get it done so that we can move on. Once we get everyone back to the hanger I'll explain the mission and we'll try to start chapter 3 tonight.)

 

[Tierax]

[QUOTE="dr xenon]The "leash" hit the table in front him and Jackson just looked at like it was some sort of red zone serpent. He pulled his handheld from his pocket and made a series of gestures on its face, then sets it on the table in front of him. In the shatterdome hangar where we first met the pilot a bank of lights in the Riptide mech's command center flashed from blue to green and a voice patterned after a long-dead 20th century actor, or an equally dead 20th century computer game intoned in an almost inhumanly deep voice, RIPTIDE ONLINE.
The mech fluidly rose to its full height.


RECOVERY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED


The mech departed the hangar, silently acknowledging the hangar reassignment with control.


"Oh, I understand what yer sayin'," Jackson drawled, "and I'm having my mech moved here now," he says pointing to his handheld by way of explanation.


"I'm also thinking that we have a misunderstanding we'd best clear up. First, the Freecity of Athens milit'ry has a Code of Conduct, and Article 5 clearly proscribes the use o' torture 'gainst enemy combatants. So I ain't touchin' that leash, mister. Second, the 44th Cadre, that'd be my unit, Murphy's Marauders, ain't under contract to the League at the moment. I'm watcha call a guest at this shatterdome and lending my assistance as needed is a sign o' good relations. You cain't order me to buy you a cuppa joe let alone participate in whatever you call this black ops outfit without a contract. That's Article 2."


The tread of multi-ton footsteps can be heard approaching the hangar doors, which iris open to reveal the forest-splinter camouflage Riptide towering and resplendent with an ion haze around its powered up weapons and shield. Jackson quickly makes a gesture to the mech and it shifts into an ready, stationary posture.


"Now, I'm not of a rank to negotiate a contract, bein' a lowly Sergeant an all. But as a sign o' good relations here's what I can do fer ya, Mister."


Jackson gets up and walks over toward his mech, clearly not even bothering to look at "Beast" out of contempt.


"I'll take this fella as a probationary recruit under my command," he shoots a glance over at Roux, and winks. "I'm authorized to do that, see? As a probationary recruit he will be subject to the Freecity of Athens militr'y Code of Conduct, so if he desserts ... I'll shoot 'im dead. That's under Article 16. We were gettin' a lot of opportunist raiders tryin' to run off with our mechs back in '75, see? Had to discourage that sort o' thing."


He turns and faces the officer with no name.


"That's what I can do. Seems like the right thing, don'tcha think? Now if'n he's agreeable an all, I suggest you bring my pilot's gear down here ASAP so we can attend to this Kaiju situation y'll let get outa control ... mister."


"Oh," he says pointing back to his handheld. "I been recording all this too. Article 12."

[/QUOTE]
The man was flustered, constantly stammering to interject, his face awash with frustration and desperation to regain control of the situation.


Small clicks of the guards in each corner switching the safety off on their weapons could be heard as each became nervous of the intimidating mech's entry.


Dead silence followed Jackson's last lines.


-recorded the whole thing huh?-


Roux was impressed, though he was barely able to follow the conversation over his pain.


"I... I see... Well uh..."


The man was clearly shaken, looking at each person in the room but making a show of ignoring Roux... Giving him a facade of confidence once more.


-For sure a pencil pusher, probably got the position because daddy knew what strings to pull- Roux smiled at the thought.


The 'beast' walked to Jackson seat and picked up the remote, turning the collar back to standby.


"Well then.." He started, attempting to take control of the conversation once more.


"..When the time comes this collar does have a lethal setting, it won't damage the implant... I can't stress enough that the implant must remain intact! I'll..."


He paused a moment, indignantly he motioned for the guards to throw Roux out into the hanger, handing one of them the 'leash'.


with brief hesitation they did so, though this time with some semblance of respect for their captive.


Clearing his throat and fully regaining composure, he turned to address Jackson, albeit with forced respect.


"I'll contact your superiors to negotiate a proper contract... However you are to be confined to this hanger until such time as negotiations... Are completed."


He was careful with his words there, Too careful... It left Roux on edge.


The man went bak to his seat and fiddled with a previously unseen console, as Roux stood tall.


"Hey Boy Scout!..when I get loose, and I WILL get loose... You're mine."


He glared at the man, a wicked grin spreading across his face.


In response the blast doors slammed shut and the room lifted back to the roof, leaving the six gathered in the hanger.


The guards seemed uncertain and gathered some distance away from the two pilots.


"Hey you, Jackson was it? I like your style, are all you Athenians like this? Had a boy in my cell who..."


He paused a moment, feeling a heavy weight in his chest again. A little distracted, he attempted to finish what he was saying...


"He uh... Always swore that we should always leave you guys alone, zero contact, went to great pains to leave you lot alone... Good to see some level heads still out there.."


When Jackson returned his gaze he couldn't help but look away... Though the pain he was in felt like it was going to break him, a hollow feeling numbed it all to background noise.