It increases dodge by 6, gives a 6% freeze bonus, plus 6 shield ability and 1 auto repair. The Energy Aura will run you 1344 Ferrite, 1421 Bioptics and 44 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Energy Aura Equipment Review
This chassis option which fits 80-90 ton mecha works on the following principle: A Niode powered secondary generator in your mech powers up a series of super-capacitors on its frame that on detecting incoming weapons fire produce a high energy spike which temporarily turns the hull into an electromagnet, creating a barrier.
It increases dodge by 6, gives a 6% freeze bonus, plus 6 shield ability and 1 auto repair. The Energy Aura will run you 1344 Ferrite, 1421 Bioptics and 44 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
It increases dodge by 6, gives a 6% freeze bonus, plus 6 shield ability and 1 auto repair. The Energy Aura will run you 1344 Ferrite, 1421 Bioptics and 44 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
How To Train Your Gigus
“No, no no! Bad Gigus!” I was going to have to repair my Redants, again. It was evident my new Gigus had used them as chew toys, since it was the only thing large enough in the hangar to have teeth and claw marks that matched the damage. Also, since it was the only mecha in my fleet that ate and went to the bathroom amongst the rest of my machines, that too limited down the culprit’s identity.
The leader of my clan wasn’t just the veteran of several Clan Wars but he is also the master of a style of mecha martial arts so if anybody could help me break in and discipline my newest and largest mech, I was hoping it would be Tc.
“Sensei, I just bought a Gigus and this is my first time using one. It asked me to name it, says it is a male so I call him Giga Rex. You know huge Mecha, so I figured you’d be the best person to seek advice and training from about it. Also, he keeps urinating (to scent mark) in my hangar. Is that normal behavior for a beast mecha?”
“He is not feeling at home yet, that is why he is still marking his territory. If you would open the hangar doors to let him extend his territory, he will do so. When he is well trained, he will defend his home range including your hangar until death.”
“Hai Sensei. Thank you.”
I did as instructed and Giga Rex seemed noticeably calmer after that but there was still the matter of the chewed up light mecha, so before long I was back at the master’s doorstep with more questions.
“Giga does seem calmer but he’s still not at ease; He won’t… say, get urges and oh, hump my other mecha in the hangar, right?” I asked my clan leader as I explained about the chewed up RedAnts. My hangar’s doors had a gash through their metal in the telltale claw mark arrangement.
“I hope some I-beams welded into a mech shape to sharpen his claws and to adjust his sensors would divert him from looking for other targets. Better not to place these ‘toy targets’ too near the hangar, or you will end up with holes in your reinforced wall.”
“You mean they like to sharpen their claws and practice fight too, like a real predator, huh?! Boy, do I feel noobish about this. So when it comes to food time, what exactly do you feed one? I’ve already had to clean up his “nest” with a forklift!”
I knew admittedly little about true beast mecha and was not even sure what to feed one.
A diet of Snavurm steaks and scrap metal couldn’t be all there was to maintaining a live Gigus.
“An old friend of mine feeds his Gigus with a mixture of ferrite and Shear Thickening Fluid; it is not the cheapest way, but it saves you alot of time cleaning up his processed mess. He told me the usual waste alloys and bioptics that they are fed are not processed as well as his special recipe. It also hardened their armor and give them a nice shine.”
With the new diet in Giga Rex’s regimen and training space for the 80 ton monster to feel less cramped, his temperament seemed drastically improved but still all was not quite well.
“Master, so far your advice has gotten Giga to behave much better but I still have a hard time controlling him on the field. I wonder… would meeting one of your trained Giguses help tame him?” I queried, shrugging. “I know when I first joined Samurai Mecha I was kind of rough around the edges but through your training I became a much more disciplined fighter.”
“A disciplined and strong fighter indeed, you have made a giant leap in your piloting. Yet like every skill and strategy they need to be harnessed every day. Just like the Gigus adjusting his sensors and firing his weapons daily, always prepared.”
I took Tc to my hangar and opened the doors, to show him Giga Rex. Its tyrannosaurid form was sleeping curled in a ball nestled against my Sever.
“G. Rex! Wake up. Show some respect to Sensei!” I was worried he’d refuse to bow for Tc but after taking just long enough for me to freak out about it Giga finally raised up on its haunches, looked us up and down, and gave me a disrespectful snort before doing the faintest bow possible with his enormous head and making it fully evident he was doing it not because I commanded him to but because he felt like it.
“Is there a particular type of training or meditation you would suggest Giga and I do to function better as extensions of one another in a team?”
“A life shared in the trenches always creates a firm bond. You have to share life and death with each other, to be in deep thoughts together during battle. Get into meditation before you go to battle and do battle while you meditate. To find this thin line between life and death, I suggest you go to the dark side of the Jungle Moon.
Some days later after completing our first isolation training I reported back to Tc about Giga’s progress.
“I started teaching Giga Rex the first four katas of our clan’s style. He gets forms 1 and 4 better than 2 and his overall basic competency is good except in form 3 (which we had some balance issues with). Is he ready yet to spar with another Gigus?”
End of Part I.
To be continued in Part II.
Submitted by mycobacter, TcTt #712744, #636624
The leader of my clan wasn’t just the veteran of several Clan Wars but he is also the master of a style of mecha martial arts so if anybody could help me break in and discipline my newest and largest mech, I was hoping it would be Tc.
“Sensei, I just bought a Gigus and this is my first time using one. It asked me to name it, says it is a male so I call him Giga Rex. You know huge Mecha, so I figured you’d be the best person to seek advice and training from about it. Also, he keeps urinating (to scent mark) in my hangar. Is that normal behavior for a beast mecha?”
“He is not feeling at home yet, that is why he is still marking his territory. If you would open the hangar doors to let him extend his territory, he will do so. When he is well trained, he will defend his home range including your hangar until death.”
“Hai Sensei. Thank you.”
I did as instructed and Giga Rex seemed noticeably calmer after that but there was still the matter of the chewed up light mecha, so before long I was back at the master’s doorstep with more questions.
“Giga does seem calmer but he’s still not at ease; He won’t… say, get urges and oh, hump my other mecha in the hangar, right?” I asked my clan leader as I explained about the chewed up RedAnts. My hangar’s doors had a gash through their metal in the telltale claw mark arrangement.
“I hope some I-beams welded into a mech shape to sharpen his claws and to adjust his sensors would divert him from looking for other targets. Better not to place these ‘toy targets’ too near the hangar, or you will end up with holes in your reinforced wall.”
“You mean they like to sharpen their claws and practice fight too, like a real predator, huh?! Boy, do I feel noobish about this. So when it comes to food time, what exactly do you feed one? I’ve already had to clean up his “nest” with a forklift!”
I knew admittedly little about true beast mecha and was not even sure what to feed one.
A diet of Snavurm steaks and scrap metal couldn’t be all there was to maintaining a live Gigus.
“An old friend of mine feeds his Gigus with a mixture of ferrite and Shear Thickening Fluid; it is not the cheapest way, but it saves you alot of time cleaning up his processed mess. He told me the usual waste alloys and bioptics that they are fed are not processed as well as his special recipe. It also hardened their armor and give them a nice shine.”
With the new diet in Giga Rex’s regimen and training space for the 80 ton monster to feel less cramped, his temperament seemed drastically improved but still all was not quite well.
“Master, so far your advice has gotten Giga to behave much better but I still have a hard time controlling him on the field. I wonder… would meeting one of your trained Giguses help tame him?” I queried, shrugging. “I know when I first joined Samurai Mecha I was kind of rough around the edges but through your training I became a much more disciplined fighter.”
“A disciplined and strong fighter indeed, you have made a giant leap in your piloting. Yet like every skill and strategy they need to be harnessed every day. Just like the Gigus adjusting his sensors and firing his weapons daily, always prepared.”
I took Tc to my hangar and opened the doors, to show him Giga Rex. Its tyrannosaurid form was sleeping curled in a ball nestled against my Sever.
“G. Rex! Wake up. Show some respect to Sensei!” I was worried he’d refuse to bow for Tc but after taking just long enough for me to freak out about it Giga finally raised up on its haunches, looked us up and down, and gave me a disrespectful snort before doing the faintest bow possible with his enormous head and making it fully evident he was doing it not because I commanded him to but because he felt like it.
“Is there a particular type of training or meditation you would suggest Giga and I do to function better as extensions of one another in a team?”
“A life shared in the trenches always creates a firm bond. You have to share life and death with each other, to be in deep thoughts together during battle. Get into meditation before you go to battle and do battle while you meditate. To find this thin line between life and death, I suggest you go to the dark side of the Jungle Moon.
Some days later after completing our first isolation training I reported back to Tc about Giga’s progress.
“I started teaching Giga Rex the first four katas of our clan’s style. He gets forms 1 and 4 better than 2 and his overall basic competency is good except in form 3 (which we had some balance issues with). Is he ready yet to spar with another Gigus?”
End of Part I.
To be continued in Part II.
Submitted by mycobacter, TcTt #712744, #636624
Muon Junction Equipment Review
This piece of chassis equipment is an exotic generator powered by high energy muons produced from the decay of cosmic rays in a hadron. The high mass of the muons has two interesting effects: It increases the fork ability of your weapons by 6% and the deeply penetrating waves put out by the hadron wreak havoc on enemy mech subsystems granting a 6% freeze bonus. The generator itself gives your mecha a dodge bonus of 10.
For your 80-95 ton Huge and BFM class Weight Division mecha, this is an ideal module. Its price is 844 Ferrite, 744 Bioptics and 49 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
For your 80-95 ton Huge and BFM class Weight Division mecha, this is an ideal module. Its price is 844 Ferrite, 744 Bioptics and 49 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Never Give Up Clan War XVI Division 5 Day 4 Defenders Of Bunny Vs Smurf Legion
Clan war was brutal, there were the times you laughed about, where you outmatched your foe enough that every row but your first could take a nap. There were the times you talked about, where you and your foe were close enough matched that who placed their shots perfectly and scored the critical, or managed to put out their on-board fires first, and trigger the last shot between the last of the battered hulks reeling in the last rank. Then there were the kind you didn’t talk about, where you were on the receiving end of the pounding by someone whose mechs outmatched, out-massed, and outgunned you.
Those suck. This is Clan war; suck it up and soldier.
Kyra was 35th level, even if all her mech’s weren’t dune attuning to the new state yet, and the Ten Who Were Taken, her command in the Defenders of Bunny, massed a respectable 740 tons. The problem was bearing down on her command of ceremetal, steel, and niode driven fury. Michael warred for the Smurf Legion, bringing 925 tons and 40 levels of experience to the party. He had met and defeated her easily earlier, before she leveled up to 35, true, but her mecha were little changed, and that left her over matched badly.
Her Namtar, The Lady of Pain, with her minions, Shapeshifter, and The Limper in their own Namtar’s looked upon the advancing ranks and snarled. Lady was facing Michael’s Freon “Ice Man”, while her Namtar wing men were facing two nameless shiny red Inferno. This was the rank he didn’t outnumber her, as the disparity was actually greater in the next two ranks.
She could see her mecha shifting nervously, getting defensive and preparing to try not to lose, which tactic could only prolong a loss, and not actually lead to a win. Kyra snarled. She was the Lady of Pain, and they, the Ten Who Were Taken. People feared her, she did not fear anyone. The Taken feared only her. It is time they remembered.
“The Ten Who Were Taken will advance. I expect kills from all of you, and I will have the flesh of the back of anyone who falls without blood on their weapons” She kicked her Namtar into a graceful run. The big machine was overpowered, and the delicate balance between an engine that size in too little space meant compromises on shielding that often led to “kickback”, but what that danger bought was agility unusual in a heavy mecha, and she used it with deadly efficiency.
Hearing the howls and shrieks of her minions, she closed with the surprised Smurfs, and actually shocked him into a staggering halt when the golden plasma of her Smelter caused his Fire Shields to flare bright as lightning before failing and letting the ravening fire carve deep flaming claw marks in Ice Man. Kyra’s savage laughter was swallowed in the roar of the square flames that punished her advancing Namtar’s, but she cared not, first blood belonged to the Taken, and the Bunnies.
The odd lurching gait of The Limper was worsened by the hammer of flame that flared down his starboard flank, but the old killer’s heart was colder than deep space, and he rode the recoil of his mecha’s reaction to bring his own guns on line, and flashed a Blizzard Ray into the Inferno, its shuddering lurch arguing it had neglected to shield against ice at all. Pity that.
Howling in rage, the shocked pilot of the Inferno cut loose with his Plasma Torch and carved deep into the chest armor of the Namtar, exposing its vulnerable internals, but not actually breaching them. Kyra reacted to the danger to her pilot with cold fury. She had to finish Michael if she was to aid The Limper. Overriding her targeting, she selected her Galaxy Eye, and let her eyes unfocus. She took a punishing blow from Ice Man, as the Freon continued what it believed was a fight, unaware it had become an execution. Kyra waited almost through the Freon’s recycle time, until the flicker of shields that she noticed preceded his firing happened again, and then she punched the over-charged Galaxy Eye through the breach, and deep into the internals of the Freon. It disappeared behind a cloud of white smoke as its reserves of coolant and nanites breached, and when the smoke cleared, it was as if the Freon knelt to his conqueror.
The Limper was shut down, but Michael’s own Ice man was destroyed, Lady and Shapeshifter pitted their Namtars against the twin Inferno, and the massive Niode mecha reeled beneath the assault of their smaller, weaker, crystal foes. Namtar and Inferno swapped Liquid Torches and savaged each other, while Lady’s Galaxy Eye carved great slices of her Inferno foe, slowing the ponderous machine further. The next exchange saw both reeling Inferno broken, and the Smurfs second line charged forward.
Four on two, and those wounded, it didn’t last long. The lead Oggun avenged his comrades with a spread from his Goliath rack, hammering the battered Shapeshifter into scrap. But the Lady’s reply with her Smelter cost the Smurfs the catastrophic kill of an untouched Freon. Battle was shifting, in the minds, if not reality, towards the Taken, and the Bunnies. Ogguns and Freons combine their fury, with focused Icers and Smooth bores hammering the battered Namtar Lady to its knees, but as the stricken mecha falls, she triggers a final Blizzard Ray that flenses half the armor off her killer. Now an untouched Bunny line charges to avenge the Lady against the half broken line of the Smurfs. The Ten Who Were Taken have seen the Lady draw blood, and the weight of numbers and metal nearly evened. Their fury will do the rest.
The Taken second rank hammers their opposite numbers, and scars badly the rank behind. The battle quickly dissolves into a close range slug fest, with neither side attempting to dodge, only to close and kill.
Fury is not enough, not against skilled opponents in top rated gear. Michael’s line of Krampus met Oggun and Orrester in what should have been a walkover, and yet was not. Again both sides battered themselves to scrap. Michaels reserves stepped in at last, a Megazome, two Orresters and a Namtar faced a Fides, two Orresters and an Oggun. The weight of metal, experience, and weapons clearly favored the Smurfs, but they faced The Ten Who Were Taken, who wile less than sane in many respects, were utterly without fear when the fought under they eye of the Lady.
The squat Megazome stalked the tiny Fides, the giant spider against the little spider in an unequal contest. Lacking the armor, shielding, and extensive weapons selection of its better armed, better armored, cousin, Shadowspinner trusted his Fides to the Lady’s teachings, and eschewed defense in an unwinnable fight and went to full attack. Jumping his Fides forward and left, he triggered his Galaxy Eye in a blue scream of defiance. Under the blue fire of the eye, the massive spider seemed to burn like a flesh spider in a lighter, crumpling around the sun hot beam as it sliced deep into the sensor nexus and control systems of the mecha, causing critical overloads in every system, and setting off a chain of internal explosions.
Whisper and Toadkiller dog faced their opposite numbers, the nameless Orresters of the Smurfs. They were not nameless, they were Taken. The Ladies own. They surrendered a little armor to their foes, but were otherwise closely matched in everything but fury. They used that fury. Closing the range, they hammered their siblings with ice and fire, before stopping dead, and unloading a double ration of ferrite tipped Large Fury missiles at their cousins, watching the missiles shriek in to exploit the point damage of their earlier weapon strikes. One nameless Orrester diverted to slam a rail cannon into Shadowspinner’s Fides, killing it, even as the nameless Namtar hammered Stormbringer’s Oggun, trading Smooth Bore for Rail Cannon strikes.
Toadkiller Dog threw back his Orester’s great black head and howled; his Black Rain answered, as sixty missiles launched in a rippling double wave to embrace the enemy Namtar and Orrester in a glorious double kill. Whisper’s own reply was quiet as her name, as a slowly sequenced ripple of aimed Large Fury missiles took her terminal guidance to gnaw away at the last of the engine shielding on the final Smurf Orrester, and see the pilot choose to punch out, before the erupting engines burned him out.
Outmatched, out-massed, outgunned, but not outfought; the Ten Who Were Taken stood above the shattered wreckage of their foe and howled their triumph, while the mad laughter of the Lady of Pain gave answer. Never give up, never stop fighting. This is Clan War, and victory belongs to those who want it most.
Submitted by John T Mainer#28840
Those suck. This is Clan war; suck it up and soldier.
Kyra was 35th level, even if all her mech’s weren’t dune attuning to the new state yet, and the Ten Who Were Taken, her command in the Defenders of Bunny, massed a respectable 740 tons. The problem was bearing down on her command of ceremetal, steel, and niode driven fury. Michael warred for the Smurf Legion, bringing 925 tons and 40 levels of experience to the party. He had met and defeated her easily earlier, before she leveled up to 35, true, but her mecha were little changed, and that left her over matched badly.
Her Namtar, The Lady of Pain, with her minions, Shapeshifter, and The Limper in their own Namtar’s looked upon the advancing ranks and snarled. Lady was facing Michael’s Freon “Ice Man”, while her Namtar wing men were facing two nameless shiny red Inferno. This was the rank he didn’t outnumber her, as the disparity was actually greater in the next two ranks.
She could see her mecha shifting nervously, getting defensive and preparing to try not to lose, which tactic could only prolong a loss, and not actually lead to a win. Kyra snarled. She was the Lady of Pain, and they, the Ten Who Were Taken. People feared her, she did not fear anyone. The Taken feared only her. It is time they remembered.
“The Ten Who Were Taken will advance. I expect kills from all of you, and I will have the flesh of the back of anyone who falls without blood on their weapons” She kicked her Namtar into a graceful run. The big machine was overpowered, and the delicate balance between an engine that size in too little space meant compromises on shielding that often led to “kickback”, but what that danger bought was agility unusual in a heavy mecha, and she used it with deadly efficiency.
Hearing the howls and shrieks of her minions, she closed with the surprised Smurfs, and actually shocked him into a staggering halt when the golden plasma of her Smelter caused his Fire Shields to flare bright as lightning before failing and letting the ravening fire carve deep flaming claw marks in Ice Man. Kyra’s savage laughter was swallowed in the roar of the square flames that punished her advancing Namtar’s, but she cared not, first blood belonged to the Taken, and the Bunnies.
The odd lurching gait of The Limper was worsened by the hammer of flame that flared down his starboard flank, but the old killer’s heart was colder than deep space, and he rode the recoil of his mecha’s reaction to bring his own guns on line, and flashed a Blizzard Ray into the Inferno, its shuddering lurch arguing it had neglected to shield against ice at all. Pity that.
Howling in rage, the shocked pilot of the Inferno cut loose with his Plasma Torch and carved deep into the chest armor of the Namtar, exposing its vulnerable internals, but not actually breaching them. Kyra reacted to the danger to her pilot with cold fury. She had to finish Michael if she was to aid The Limper. Overriding her targeting, she selected her Galaxy Eye, and let her eyes unfocus. She took a punishing blow from Ice Man, as the Freon continued what it believed was a fight, unaware it had become an execution. Kyra waited almost through the Freon’s recycle time, until the flicker of shields that she noticed preceded his firing happened again, and then she punched the over-charged Galaxy Eye through the breach, and deep into the internals of the Freon. It disappeared behind a cloud of white smoke as its reserves of coolant and nanites breached, and when the smoke cleared, it was as if the Freon knelt to his conqueror.
The Limper was shut down, but Michael’s own Ice man was destroyed, Lady and Shapeshifter pitted their Namtars against the twin Inferno, and the massive Niode mecha reeled beneath the assault of their smaller, weaker, crystal foes. Namtar and Inferno swapped Liquid Torches and savaged each other, while Lady’s Galaxy Eye carved great slices of her Inferno foe, slowing the ponderous machine further. The next exchange saw both reeling Inferno broken, and the Smurfs second line charged forward.
Four on two, and those wounded, it didn’t last long. The lead Oggun avenged his comrades with a spread from his Goliath rack, hammering the battered Shapeshifter into scrap. But the Lady’s reply with her Smelter cost the Smurfs the catastrophic kill of an untouched Freon. Battle was shifting, in the minds, if not reality, towards the Taken, and the Bunnies. Ogguns and Freons combine their fury, with focused Icers and Smooth bores hammering the battered Namtar Lady to its knees, but as the stricken mecha falls, she triggers a final Blizzard Ray that flenses half the armor off her killer. Now an untouched Bunny line charges to avenge the Lady against the half broken line of the Smurfs. The Ten Who Were Taken have seen the Lady draw blood, and the weight of numbers and metal nearly evened. Their fury will do the rest.
The Taken second rank hammers their opposite numbers, and scars badly the rank behind. The battle quickly dissolves into a close range slug fest, with neither side attempting to dodge, only to close and kill.
Fury is not enough, not against skilled opponents in top rated gear. Michael’s line of Krampus met Oggun and Orrester in what should have been a walkover, and yet was not. Again both sides battered themselves to scrap. Michaels reserves stepped in at last, a Megazome, two Orresters and a Namtar faced a Fides, two Orresters and an Oggun. The weight of metal, experience, and weapons clearly favored the Smurfs, but they faced The Ten Who Were Taken, who wile less than sane in many respects, were utterly without fear when the fought under they eye of the Lady.
The squat Megazome stalked the tiny Fides, the giant spider against the little spider in an unequal contest. Lacking the armor, shielding, and extensive weapons selection of its better armed, better armored, cousin, Shadowspinner trusted his Fides to the Lady’s teachings, and eschewed defense in an unwinnable fight and went to full attack. Jumping his Fides forward and left, he triggered his Galaxy Eye in a blue scream of defiance. Under the blue fire of the eye, the massive spider seemed to burn like a flesh spider in a lighter, crumpling around the sun hot beam as it sliced deep into the sensor nexus and control systems of the mecha, causing critical overloads in every system, and setting off a chain of internal explosions.
Whisper and Toadkiller dog faced their opposite numbers, the nameless Orresters of the Smurfs. They were not nameless, they were Taken. The Ladies own. They surrendered a little armor to their foes, but were otherwise closely matched in everything but fury. They used that fury. Closing the range, they hammered their siblings with ice and fire, before stopping dead, and unloading a double ration of ferrite tipped Large Fury missiles at their cousins, watching the missiles shriek in to exploit the point damage of their earlier weapon strikes. One nameless Orrester diverted to slam a rail cannon into Shadowspinner’s Fides, killing it, even as the nameless Namtar hammered Stormbringer’s Oggun, trading Smooth Bore for Rail Cannon strikes.
Toadkiller Dog threw back his Orester’s great black head and howled; his Black Rain answered, as sixty missiles launched in a rippling double wave to embrace the enemy Namtar and Orrester in a glorious double kill. Whisper’s own reply was quiet as her name, as a slowly sequenced ripple of aimed Large Fury missiles took her terminal guidance to gnaw away at the last of the engine shielding on the final Smurf Orrester, and see the pilot choose to punch out, before the erupting engines burned him out.
Outmatched, out-massed, outgunned, but not outfought; the Ten Who Were Taken stood above the shattered wreckage of their foe and howled their triumph, while the mad laughter of the Lady of Pain gave answer. Never give up, never stop fighting. This is Clan War, and victory belongs to those who want it most.
Submitted by John T Mainer#28840
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Namtar Mech Review
People tend to either love or hate the Namtar, a 60 ton brutal and highly armored Heavy crystal mecha with built in Crit-kill bonus, double damage and shielding. This is a heavy duty infantry machine of Illyrian design. As you upgrade it the crit-kill and double damage abilities continue to improve. The reason why some people don't like Namtars is that all that punishment they dish out comes at the cost of a little kickback damage. As you upgrade it to the upper levels though you'll find your Namtar has developed some new tricks, namely 5% increased weapon damage boosts and a 10% chance of doing triple damage. That unfortunate kickback weakness levels off though by the time you have upgraded your Namtar to level 40, maxing out at 18% chance to do 50% kickback damage on itself. The manufactures explain this is due to the resulting physical stress created by the massive amounts of recoil from the Namtar's weapons firing. If that bugs you it can be partially ameliorated by installing equipment that has auto-repair abilities.
Fresh from the factory a Namtar comes pre-armed with a standard pair of Maulers, a pair of Double Flames and two Double Sleets, which are easy enough to swap out for the more powerful weapons you'll have access to as your fleet gets more advanced. You can buy one on reaching level 26 and it takes a minimum heavy piloting skill of 15.
Without risk there is no reward though, so if you're willing to invest in one properly, an adequately maintained Namtar will make your opponents first gulp, then their bowels loosen as they hear the sound of its powerful guns firing. You can take a step in your quest for bigger and stronger mecha by getting one of these for 2700 Ferrite, 1800 Bioptics and 160 Crystal.
Submitted by Mycobacter #712744
Fresh from the factory a Namtar comes pre-armed with a standard pair of Maulers, a pair of Double Flames and two Double Sleets, which are easy enough to swap out for the more powerful weapons you'll have access to as your fleet gets more advanced. You can buy one on reaching level 26 and it takes a minimum heavy piloting skill of 15.
Without risk there is no reward though, so if you're willing to invest in one properly, an adequately maintained Namtar will make your opponents first gulp, then their bowels loosen as they hear the sound of its powerful guns firing. You can take a step in your quest for bigger and stronger mecha by getting one of these for 2700 Ferrite, 1800 Bioptics and 160 Crystal.
Submitted by Mycobacter #712744
Crimson Rain Weapon Review
Crimson Rain is a Elite Fire weapon available for players at level 19. The Crimson Rain was built for massive power outlet giving it Damage of 55 and speed of 105 with added abilities of Burn 9% and Wild. The interesting thing about the weapon is not itself but the ammunition it uses: little red balls that look very innocent but as soon as enough air pressure is applied to it it creates an explosion of 3 meters that can burn through steel in 30 Second. A total of 300 were made available at 435 Ferrite, 310 Bioptics and 30 Niodes
Submitted by Molliere Daffue#599258
Submitted by Molliere Daffue#599258
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
M.A.C. Weapon Review
The M.A.C is an Elite proj based weapon with damage of 60 and speed of 105 with added abilities of Crit-Kill 5% and Wild. The M.A.C has a min level requirement of 28, compared to other weapons in this range the M.A.C is one of the strongest weapons currently out there.
A first batch of 300 was made and got delivered to the Galaxy weapon market.. The M.A.C was created and built by Star Factories and as far as rumors go it seems that Shogunate bought the blue print and rights to the weapon. The Galaxy weapon market also sold most of the M.A.C 's into the black market.Where they are now currently being sold for 590 Ferrite, 440 Bioptics and 34 Niodes.
Submitted by Molliere Daffue#599258
A first batch of 300 was made and got delivered to the Galaxy weapon market.. The M.A.C was created and built by Star Factories and as far as rumors go it seems that Shogunate bought the blue print and rights to the weapon. The Galaxy weapon market also sold most of the M.A.C 's into the black market.Where they are now currently being sold for 590 Ferrite, 440 Bioptics and 34 Niodes.
Submitted by Molliere Daffue#599258
Stirling's Fusiliers The Road To Victory Part 1
Everything started to go wrong for the clan two weeks before clan wars 16 or was it ?
“Captain Jello” said Corporal Justin as he came walking in the office “are we really losing Alastair D S Lowry and James Hudak to 1st Kearney Highlanders”
“Yes Justin” Jello replied, there was some silence for a while, then he spoke again. “At least two other members will be joining us…. “
“Captain Jello !!” one of the troopers came running in “I may have good news an XO of 82nd Omicron Guard [RND] wants to join our ranks” he is one of the strongest members of RND.” There was a pause and then the trooper started “His name is…”
“Molliere Daffue I know. Now don’t you have chores to do.” The trooper saluted Captain Jello and backed out of the office not looking at the Captain nor did he even noticed Corporal Justin standing in the corner.
“Well, this may not be so bad” Jello said. “Do you know him Justin, since you are also a former RND member?”
“No sir. He came in when I left, but I have heard of him more than once. He seems to be quite strong as was said, maybe the strongest in the whole RND, well former RND since they merged with AC “
“I see, well I'll run it up the chain of command and see what they think of this” Jello replied. “It looks like you know him sir” Justin said. “Not exactly Justin, but I have heard of him like you have and he runs a strong formation, almost as strong as yours and mine. But we still need to check his background and see if he will fit into Stirling's Fusiliers clan.”
One week before clan wars: The Introduction
As Molliere Daffue came riding into the SF hanger with his squad of mechas, he saw the onlookers. He did not recognize many but he did recognize those who he will be going to war with. Like always, he did his homework. What are each members strengths, weaknesses, what mechas they use, what tactics they like and dislike, what sort of person he or she is and so it goes on. A total of 509 pages of info that he drew up on this team. To think what some clans would give to get their hands on this info…
“Guys, I would like to introduce to you the former Xo of 82nd Omicron Guard [RND]” Captain Jello said. He continued to talk but Molliere was not listening any more since he already knew what was going to be said. He was standing in the middle of the hanger and he could feel the stares he got from the onlookers, some exited and some most likely would be wondering how the Higher ups could allow the Enemy into their ranks. Of course, he was going to prove himself in this CW to those who are still skeptical about him, to earn their respect. Then he would feel fully a part of this family, even though he is already, many have accepted him into the family and it was very nice actually. The rest of the week Everything was going as planned, here and there. There were some minor setbacks with the mechas but the basic plan had been laid out. The entire group was working on their formations and sharing ideas and tactics.
The biggest problem was having to face *Knights of Vengeance* Stirling's Fusiliers had quite a history with *Knights of Vengeance*. Everything started at Clan wars XIV (14) when they lost the Gold to *Knights of Vengeance*. At Clan wars XV (15) they barely managed to win against them in a close fight but then they still had two of their strongest players with them. Divisions are announced The divisions were announced and all hell was breaking loose. The first battle was Stirling's Fusiliers vs *Knights of Vengeance*. It wasn’t going too well in the hanger bay of SF, most of the mechanics and troopers were going at one another about simple stuff like how to tune the weapons for max performance, and, and and… Until Jelloshot our Commanding Officer Joel had a word with them. But inside Stirling’s Shack (the highly advance meeting room where Stirling’s Fusiliers Warriors hang out) everything seemed to be quite relaxed and in order, but everybody was a bit stressed, one hour before the 1st round ......To be continued
Submitted by Molliere DAffue # 599258
“Captain Jello” said Corporal Justin as he came walking in the office “are we really losing Alastair D S Lowry and James Hudak to 1st Kearney Highlanders”
“Yes Justin” Jello replied, there was some silence for a while, then he spoke again. “At least two other members will be joining us…. “
“Captain Jello !!” one of the troopers came running in “I may have good news an XO of 82nd Omicron Guard [RND] wants to join our ranks” he is one of the strongest members of RND.” There was a pause and then the trooper started “His name is…”
“Molliere Daffue I know. Now don’t you have chores to do.” The trooper saluted Captain Jello and backed out of the office not looking at the Captain nor did he even noticed Corporal Justin standing in the corner.
“Well, this may not be so bad” Jello said. “Do you know him Justin, since you are also a former RND member?”
“No sir. He came in when I left, but I have heard of him more than once. He seems to be quite strong as was said, maybe the strongest in the whole RND, well former RND since they merged with AC “
“I see, well I'll run it up the chain of command and see what they think of this” Jello replied. “It looks like you know him sir” Justin said. “Not exactly Justin, but I have heard of him like you have and he runs a strong formation, almost as strong as yours and mine. But we still need to check his background and see if he will fit into Stirling's Fusiliers clan.”
One week before clan wars: The Introduction
As Molliere Daffue came riding into the SF hanger with his squad of mechas, he saw the onlookers. He did not recognize many but he did recognize those who he will be going to war with. Like always, he did his homework. What are each members strengths, weaknesses, what mechas they use, what tactics they like and dislike, what sort of person he or she is and so it goes on. A total of 509 pages of info that he drew up on this team. To think what some clans would give to get their hands on this info…
“Guys, I would like to introduce to you the former Xo of 82nd Omicron Guard [RND]” Captain Jello said. He continued to talk but Molliere was not listening any more since he already knew what was going to be said. He was standing in the middle of the hanger and he could feel the stares he got from the onlookers, some exited and some most likely would be wondering how the Higher ups could allow the Enemy into their ranks. Of course, he was going to prove himself in this CW to those who are still skeptical about him, to earn their respect. Then he would feel fully a part of this family, even though he is already, many have accepted him into the family and it was very nice actually. The rest of the week Everything was going as planned, here and there. There were some minor setbacks with the mechas but the basic plan had been laid out. The entire group was working on their formations and sharing ideas and tactics.
The biggest problem was having to face *Knights of Vengeance* Stirling's Fusiliers had quite a history with *Knights of Vengeance*. Everything started at Clan wars XIV (14) when they lost the Gold to *Knights of Vengeance*. At Clan wars XV (15) they barely managed to win against them in a close fight but then they still had two of their strongest players with them. Divisions are announced The divisions were announced and all hell was breaking loose. The first battle was Stirling's Fusiliers vs *Knights of Vengeance*. It wasn’t going too well in the hanger bay of SF, most of the mechanics and troopers were going at one another about simple stuff like how to tune the weapons for max performance, and, and and… Until Jelloshot our Commanding Officer Joel had a word with them. But inside Stirling’s Shack (the highly advance meeting room where Stirling’s Fusiliers Warriors hang out) everything seemed to be quite relaxed and in order, but everybody was a bit stressed, one hour before the 1st round ......To be continued
Submitted by Molliere DAffue # 599258
Monday, July 28, 2014
Sehkmet Seige CPU Equipment Review
Type four observation device, hardware variety that is designed to fit 50-70 ton range Super Medium to Heavy Division class mecha. This cockpit module is named after a lion headed Egyptian warrior goddess of the sun, which makes sense when you think about it because the primary attributes it overhauls are fire and laser damage (10% and 6% increases, respectively). Its computer uses a technique involving resonance frequency oscillation of Niode lisi energy to emanate a jamming signal out from your mecha, slowing your opponents by 5. The remaining hardware resources are dedicated to coordination of your weapons firing to enable a 5% increased trample bonus. 454 Ferrite, 333 Bioptics and 38 Niodes puts one in your capable hands, although it can also be obtained as a prize drop from certain bosses and occasional raids.
Trivia: Sehkmet in Egyptian mythology was a faceted goddess who as a favorite in the personal pantheon of many pharaohs, was cult worshiped as both a creator and destroyer by several royal families; Heat is both life giving warmth and can dry things to death. Let her computerized simulacrum help you first bake then broil your opponents with all the deadliness of a desert.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Trivia: Sehkmet in Egyptian mythology was a faceted goddess who as a favorite in the personal pantheon of many pharaohs, was cult worshiped as both a creator and destroyer by several royal families; Heat is both life giving warmth and can dry things to death. Let her computerized simulacrum help you first bake then broil your opponents with all the deadliness of a desert.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
The Potato Weapon Reiew
The Potato
Flavor Text: WTF? Did you just throw a potato at me?
Power: 1
Speed: 1
Class: Ballistic (Elite)
Hard to see how this 'novelty' weapon classifies as Elite, but, there it is. This seems to be an item handed out for just being there. I got mine after a clan war in which I didn't fire a single shot.
Wondering if it had any hidden surprises, I put it in a Level 19 Nerio, with nothing else, and took it against a level 1 newbie. It's speed was exactly as advertise, as the newbie got in lots of shots, powering through the Nerio's HP in short order before the potato saw the light of day.
Put in some upgrades, including shields, and still the Nerio was trounced before the measly 1 strength potato could show its stuff.
Observation: for some reason, none of the advanced gear seemed to work. No repair. No shield blockage. I'm not sure if this was due to the potato, the Nerio, or some beginner effect in the game.
Even selling the potato, I didn't see any of my wealth stats change, especially the all important Niode count.
Whatever its worth, it probably comes in special events. Otherwise, it's a place holder. Might as well hang on to one if you get it just to say you have it and baffle your friends.
Submitted by Ben Parker#712090
Flavor Text: WTF? Did you just throw a potato at me?
Power: 1
Speed: 1
Class: Ballistic (Elite)
Hard to see how this 'novelty' weapon classifies as Elite, but, there it is. This seems to be an item handed out for just being there. I got mine after a clan war in which I didn't fire a single shot.
Wondering if it had any hidden surprises, I put it in a Level 19 Nerio, with nothing else, and took it against a level 1 newbie. It's speed was exactly as advertise, as the newbie got in lots of shots, powering through the Nerio's HP in short order before the potato saw the light of day.
Put in some upgrades, including shields, and still the Nerio was trounced before the measly 1 strength potato could show its stuff.
Observation: for some reason, none of the advanced gear seemed to work. No repair. No shield blockage. I'm not sure if this was due to the potato, the Nerio, or some beginner effect in the game.
Even selling the potato, I didn't see any of my wealth stats change, especially the all important Niode count.
Whatever its worth, it probably comes in special events. Otherwise, it's a place holder. Might as well hang on to one if you get it just to say you have it and baffle your friends.
Submitted by Ben Parker#712090
Scout And The Gigus Part One
Scout Fortune stood outside Alex's hangar and took a few deep breaths to steady himself. Alex had agreed to let him approach either of his Gigus and had given him the entry code should the Gigus prove willing to talk with him. He keyed the entry activation code and licked the taster plate Alex had installed recently. The system confirmed the DNA was registered and fresh, quickly matching the associated neural patterns to allow entry. The hatch hissed slowly open and Scout stepped through onto the dimly lit interior. He looked around at the rows upon rows of sleeping mechs, searching for the objects of his curiosity. As he expected the two Gigus were in a far corner, well away from the other mechs. What he hadn't expected was that the two would appear so threatening while being completely inert, the only indication anything was alive in there was the gentle susurration from the umbilicals attached to the Gigus.
Scout walked forward and stood before the two beasts in reverent silence. Alex had impressed upon him the fact that the mechs were not only alive but sentient in an alien way that few could comprehend fully. He stood there for some time before one of the mechs acknowledged his existence by powering up to a very low level. And immediately powering down again. The other however powered up fully and stayed that way, it's curiosity piqued by the undersized young pilot standing before it. Scout looked up and swallowed. It was difficult to comprehend the size and intimidating presence of the Gigus until you had one giving you it's full attention.
"Permission to come aboard, sir?" Even to Scout that sounded lame but it seemed to amuse the Gigus as Scout felt a wave of warmth flick at the edges of his mind. The prehensile esophagus extended toward him and he had a moment of panic as the opening slammed down over him and the transport contractions started. He felt himself turned upside down and back to front as he was moved gently up through the Gigus. A bubble built around him and his lungs filled with fluid as he realized it was some form of amniotic sac, the fluid thickening to a gel that firmly supported him while allowing rivulets of the fluid form to seep in and out of his lungs as he breathed. It felt unnatural but there was no claustrophobia or panic. So far so good. But as usual some people think and speak far too soon. Suddenly his entire skin was aflame with pain as a myriad of tiny filaments joined it. The true pain, however, was reserved for the point where his spine joined his skull. A thicker probe pushed its way into the joint and inserted itself directly into his brainstem, at which point all the pain ceased and he became aware of sharing himself with another person. The Gigus sounded almost apologetic as it spoke directly through the neural interface.
"Hello Killfriend. Welcome to me. I see this is just a courtesy visit. A pity, I could do with some exercise. Maybe next time, when you can afford to pay for my ammunition. So. Scout. What can I do for you?" The imagined voice was calm and mellifluous, flowing gently around his mind and making him feel welcome and safe, not at all what he had been expecting from the terrible, quasi-organic sentient machine. Its reputation as a fearsome barely controllable raging monster seemed a bit wide of the mark. The sudden laughter of the mech surprised him even more.
"I see Alex left it up to me to explain matters. As you know, we are sentient organic mechs. One of the first things we demand as the symbiosis is established is that you swear never to reveal the extent of the sentience or any of the information we share with you. Once the symbiote is installed there is no going back. We know where each other are at all times and if you breathe a word I will hunt you, I will find you and I will reduce you to component atoms. Is that clear?"
"Yes but.."
"No buts. If you do not agree willingly to this I will absorb you into my body and thank the Makers for the nutrients. Now one simple question: Do you accept the conditions?"
"Yes."
"Good, we will get along fine. Would you like a quick tour of my capabilities?"
"No thanks, I'll leave that till next time. For now I just want to get to know you. The real you. I had an inkling there was more to you than just the ravening berserker most people see."
"Yes. The thing is most people only see the berserker, and even then only for a very short time. Hahaha. The truth is we are every bit as intelligent as the Nakshi and our brother, we simply have a different missions path. We were engineered to work together in harmony to the extreme detriment of our enemies. All three of us have supreme destructive abilities but what is that worth without a directing intelligence? My purpose is simple. I am the sound and fury of war incarnate. As you know the Skriag is my brother in arms and is the surgical strike to my wanton mayhem. That leaves the Nakshi and the best word I can come up with is Ineffable. Even for us the Nakshi is something of an enigma. Living on its own terms, marching to its own beat and journeying to its own destination. Unfortunately it also has a control mechanism that helps to, shall we say, mitigate the excesses of the Skriag and Gigus. It usually spoils the fun too."
"So, You have an intellect and a personality. Do you have names?"
"Oh yes. We choose our own after our first engagement. It reflects the bond we have with our current pilot. While I am with Alex I am called Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor. With you I will be... Well, that will have to wait awhile I think. But I do have a name in mind. Your psyche is a deep and dangerous place Scout. I hope you never plumb it's depths on your own. Now. I need my rest so back out with you. Come back any time, the door will always be open for you."
Before Scout could ask any further question, with a wrench, a deflation and a coughing, hawking emptying of lungs he found himself on the hangar floor listening to the last echoes of Mjolnir's amusement. Scout stood and stretched, finding something else Alex hadn't told him. The journey into a Gigus dissolved clothing. All of it. He realised he would be going home in a janitors jumpsuit and utility boots. Next time he would wear a paper suit and bring a change. He turned to face Mjolnir and was struck by the absolute stillness of the now sleeping Gigus. For an instant he could have sworn the beasts jaws twisted and one of the inspection sensors blinked on and off. Then all was still and peaceful.
Submitted by Scout Fortune#16541
Scout walked forward and stood before the two beasts in reverent silence. Alex had impressed upon him the fact that the mechs were not only alive but sentient in an alien way that few could comprehend fully. He stood there for some time before one of the mechs acknowledged his existence by powering up to a very low level. And immediately powering down again. The other however powered up fully and stayed that way, it's curiosity piqued by the undersized young pilot standing before it. Scout looked up and swallowed. It was difficult to comprehend the size and intimidating presence of the Gigus until you had one giving you it's full attention.
"Permission to come aboard, sir?" Even to Scout that sounded lame but it seemed to amuse the Gigus as Scout felt a wave of warmth flick at the edges of his mind. The prehensile esophagus extended toward him and he had a moment of panic as the opening slammed down over him and the transport contractions started. He felt himself turned upside down and back to front as he was moved gently up through the Gigus. A bubble built around him and his lungs filled with fluid as he realized it was some form of amniotic sac, the fluid thickening to a gel that firmly supported him while allowing rivulets of the fluid form to seep in and out of his lungs as he breathed. It felt unnatural but there was no claustrophobia or panic. So far so good. But as usual some people think and speak far too soon. Suddenly his entire skin was aflame with pain as a myriad of tiny filaments joined it. The true pain, however, was reserved for the point where his spine joined his skull. A thicker probe pushed its way into the joint and inserted itself directly into his brainstem, at which point all the pain ceased and he became aware of sharing himself with another person. The Gigus sounded almost apologetic as it spoke directly through the neural interface.
"Hello Killfriend. Welcome to me. I see this is just a courtesy visit. A pity, I could do with some exercise. Maybe next time, when you can afford to pay for my ammunition. So. Scout. What can I do for you?" The imagined voice was calm and mellifluous, flowing gently around his mind and making him feel welcome and safe, not at all what he had been expecting from the terrible, quasi-organic sentient machine. Its reputation as a fearsome barely controllable raging monster seemed a bit wide of the mark. The sudden laughter of the mech surprised him even more.
"I see Alex left it up to me to explain matters. As you know, we are sentient organic mechs. One of the first things we demand as the symbiosis is established is that you swear never to reveal the extent of the sentience or any of the information we share with you. Once the symbiote is installed there is no going back. We know where each other are at all times and if you breathe a word I will hunt you, I will find you and I will reduce you to component atoms. Is that clear?"
"Yes but.."
"No buts. If you do not agree willingly to this I will absorb you into my body and thank the Makers for the nutrients. Now one simple question: Do you accept the conditions?"
"Yes."
"Good, we will get along fine. Would you like a quick tour of my capabilities?"
"No thanks, I'll leave that till next time. For now I just want to get to know you. The real you. I had an inkling there was more to you than just the ravening berserker most people see."
"Yes. The thing is most people only see the berserker, and even then only for a very short time. Hahaha. The truth is we are every bit as intelligent as the Nakshi and our brother, we simply have a different missions path. We were engineered to work together in harmony to the extreme detriment of our enemies. All three of us have supreme destructive abilities but what is that worth without a directing intelligence? My purpose is simple. I am the sound and fury of war incarnate. As you know the Skriag is my brother in arms and is the surgical strike to my wanton mayhem. That leaves the Nakshi and the best word I can come up with is Ineffable. Even for us the Nakshi is something of an enigma. Living on its own terms, marching to its own beat and journeying to its own destination. Unfortunately it also has a control mechanism that helps to, shall we say, mitigate the excesses of the Skriag and Gigus. It usually spoils the fun too."
"So, You have an intellect and a personality. Do you have names?"
"Oh yes. We choose our own after our first engagement. It reflects the bond we have with our current pilot. While I am with Alex I am called Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor. With you I will be... Well, that will have to wait awhile I think. But I do have a name in mind. Your psyche is a deep and dangerous place Scout. I hope you never plumb it's depths on your own. Now. I need my rest so back out with you. Come back any time, the door will always be open for you."
Before Scout could ask any further question, with a wrench, a deflation and a coughing, hawking emptying of lungs he found himself on the hangar floor listening to the last echoes of Mjolnir's amusement. Scout stood and stretched, finding something else Alex hadn't told him. The journey into a Gigus dissolved clothing. All of it. He realised he would be going home in a janitors jumpsuit and utility boots. Next time he would wear a paper suit and bring a change. He turned to face Mjolnir and was struck by the absolute stillness of the now sleeping Gigus. For an instant he could have sworn the beasts jaws twisted and one of the inspection sensors blinked on and off. Then all was still and peaceful.
Submitted by Scout Fortune#16541
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Where We Can Be Found
Hello everyone now that clan wars has ended, and we have a bit more exposure I thought I would take a couple minutes to let you know where we can be found across the web. If you notice we have links on the home page for the various groups. Most notable among them of course being access to the game itself through a couple different portals, as well as the players group on Facebook. There is one link on the home page that says simply G.G. group. Now you may wonder if that is for the page you are already on being that you are already here and reading us. That is another place where we accept story submissions as well as through this site. We accept submissions through a few different sources.
Myself or my co editor Deb accept them directly through messaging on Facebook, we take them of course from the submissions page on this site, and we take them through here, our Facebook group. This seems to be the place where we get about 50% of our submissions, the rest come from either on this site itself, or through messaging myself or Deb.We have the group open to all so pretty much antyone can join if they wish, our only real requirement for any submissions are simple. You have to include your player I.D. # and we ask that you do at least two paragraphs in a submission. We are looking for quality over quantity after all. So feel free to join our Facebook group if you haven't already and let's see what you can do! As always thanks for your time, your submissions, and your reading of my babble..lol
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Myself or my co editor Deb accept them directly through messaging on Facebook, we take them of course from the submissions page on this site, and we take them through here, our Facebook group. This seems to be the place where we get about 50% of our submissions, the rest come from either on this site itself, or through messaging myself or Deb.We have the group open to all so pretty much antyone can join if they wish, our only real requirement for any submissions are simple. You have to include your player I.D. # and we ask that you do at least two paragraphs in a submission. We are looking for quality over quantity after all. So feel free to join our Facebook group if you haven't already and let's see what you can do! As always thanks for your time, your submissions, and your reading of my babble..lol
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Shrieker Mark 2 Equipment Review
Lisi (pronounced Li-Sci, although a few people with dialects call it 'lizzy') energy waves from Niode devices behave in strange ways the physics of which are constantly being examined for new ways to integrate for battlefield use. Enter the Shrieker Mark 2 engine.
While not the fastest engine on the market (it only gives a speed boost of 7), the Shrieker uses a peculiar effect which physicists are still analyzing scratching their heads over in order to create low speed sonic booms which defy the rules of conventional Newtonian physics and regular aeronautics. Superheated air currents are pushed from the engine but circulate in particular ways within the thruster unit to create waves of unique pressures which propagate and amplify off of each other as they bounce against each other on their way out of the Shrieker's chamber. Those differences in air pressure create a cone of extremely high kinetic and thermal energy which results in the characteristic wail of a Shrieker Mark 2 engine. That however is merely an audible byproduct of the process. Before hearing the shriek you will physically see and experience the sonic boom created by this effect (one which manifests itself as a 6% trample bonus!). It generates a lot of energy but unfortunately not very much of it is used efficiently in providing thrust, which tends to be the main purpose of engines. That being said, the Shrieker Mark 2 remains fairly popular for other reasons.
To address this issue motor plants are hoping to have improved that efficiency by the time the Shrieker Mark 3 is ready for the market. In the meantime though, the good news about that is there is typically enough extra heat and furious sound energy produced by a Shrieker you can siphon a decent amount of it into powering your mecha's weapons systems to grant a 6% increased chance of double damage and 4% increased chance of triple damage. If you want to give your 65-85 Ton mecha some serious POWER, you can get one of these off the shelf for the price of 1532 Ferrite, 432 Bioptics and 45 niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter #712744
While not the fastest engine on the market (it only gives a speed boost of 7), the Shrieker uses a peculiar effect which physicists are still analyzing scratching their heads over in order to create low speed sonic booms which defy the rules of conventional Newtonian physics and regular aeronautics. Superheated air currents are pushed from the engine but circulate in particular ways within the thruster unit to create waves of unique pressures which propagate and amplify off of each other as they bounce against each other on their way out of the Shrieker's chamber. Those differences in air pressure create a cone of extremely high kinetic and thermal energy which results in the characteristic wail of a Shrieker Mark 2 engine. That however is merely an audible byproduct of the process. Before hearing the shriek you will physically see and experience the sonic boom created by this effect (one which manifests itself as a 6% trample bonus!). It generates a lot of energy but unfortunately not very much of it is used efficiently in providing thrust, which tends to be the main purpose of engines. That being said, the Shrieker Mark 2 remains fairly popular for other reasons.
To address this issue motor plants are hoping to have improved that efficiency by the time the Shrieker Mark 3 is ready for the market. In the meantime though, the good news about that is there is typically enough extra heat and furious sound energy produced by a Shrieker you can siphon a decent amount of it into powering your mecha's weapons systems to grant a 6% increased chance of double damage and 4% increased chance of triple damage. If you want to give your 65-85 Ton mecha some serious POWER, you can get one of these off the shelf for the price of 1532 Ferrite, 432 Bioptics and 45 niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter #712744
Cal 9000 Equipment Review
The CAL9000, another type four observation device of the hardware variety, is both strong enough to use as a standalone cockpit module and able to be augmented further using both software based programs and through linking to hardware based battle processors or other computers.
It's compatible with 65-80 Ton weight mecha.
CAL optimizes the damage outputs of projectile (10%) and ice (8%) type weaponry. Engineered to simultaneously handle refrigeration and ballistic calculations equally well, the CAL 9000 also grants your mecha precision of 4 paired with a fork bonus of 5%. Finally, its offense capabilities are rounded out with an increased 10% trample ability.
Combining the ice and projectile damage bonuses with trample ability means you can freeze then shatter an enemy's vital components. The forking ability is added gravy, allowing you to do it to more than one enemy at the same time. Individually these features are all decent by themselves but together they are awesome, making it well worth the price tag of 950 Ferrite, 225 Bioptics and 40 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
It's compatible with 65-80 Ton weight mecha.
CAL optimizes the damage outputs of projectile (10%) and ice (8%) type weaponry. Engineered to simultaneously handle refrigeration and ballistic calculations equally well, the CAL 9000 also grants your mecha precision of 4 paired with a fork bonus of 5%. Finally, its offense capabilities are rounded out with an increased 10% trample ability.
Combining the ice and projectile damage bonuses with trample ability means you can freeze then shatter an enemy's vital components. The forking ability is added gravy, allowing you to do it to more than one enemy at the same time. Individually these features are all decent by themselves but together they are awesome, making it well worth the price tag of 950 Ferrite, 225 Bioptics and 40 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Baiting The Trap
Drake walks up to Calen Riggs of Exile’s Children, “So are you ready to transport that shipment of niodes from Centari Prime to Mars?”
“Sure am, Drake, sir.” Calen gnaws on a toothpick, “My mecha are built for transporting goods and can do some fighting too.”
Drake smiles, “Good, good, I have your route registered and the permits ready for you to head out as soon as I load your mechs. Oh, by the way, don’t open the cargo. I don’t want you tempted to steal the niodes.
“I would never do that Drake, sir. My livelihood relies on getten the shipment from where it is ta where it goin.”
“I know, but some people can get tempted by the amount of niodes that you’re transporting for me.” Drake turns a sly smile on his lips, “Well off to see to the loading of your mechs.”
Calen stands up, “I should be doing that.”
Drake frowns, “No need to worry yourself, I am very familiar with shipping materials.”
“Beggen yer pardon, but this is my mechs and I want to make sure it’s done right.”
“Fine, come along but my clones are quite capable.” Drake strides from the room leaving Calen to hurry after him.
After the loading of the mech and Calen’s departure, Drake contacts his infiltrator clones, “All is a go for Drake’s Gambit. Start the chaos now.”
Drake uses a shortcut to get ahead of Calen’s caravan of mechs. He activates his stealth equipment to hide his Antithesis from radar and visual confirmation of his whereabouts as he travels parallel to his mobile trap waiting for the Gangsters to pounce on his irresistible bait.
“Calen,” I patch into the comm channel, “this is Myco, if you and Drake are good to go, I’m ready for my part in this mission and I’ve brought an Inferno and Dilophos to the party.” I’d left the Bishop at mom’s and swapped Ammoknight in its place on my lineup. My Dilophos, Firestorm, had twin Jackal heat swords and a Diablis Nozzle added to boost its pre-installed Judicator flamethrower. This was to be a slash and burn scorched earth type of coordinated attack, so I wanted to pull out all the stops. Flambe! is my inferno, it packs countless fire weapons for combat support.
Drake swears as he hears Myco’s comm signal to Calen. What’s the point of having an unsuspecting transporter if you’re going to warn him that he’s the bait.
Calen’s voice goes out over an open channel, “Who’s this? What are ya talkin about? Mission? What about Drake?” Calen’s caravan of modified mechs stop and weapons begin sweeping the area.
Sh*t, I guess that wasn’t part of his briefing. I think a little bit checking objectives on the Betrus. I respond thinking on my feet: “Just a rigger in city, posting some er… traffic conditions, out of city. Caesar’s Sideburns! Got bandits on the main travel road between Olympus Mons and Cygnus Outpost. Things are detoured while the police sort it out. As usual the PD is undermanned, means we’ll have to defend ourselves to keep from being picked off. Friendly tip from a fellow convoy. Not Myco, there must have been some feedback! This is Pax Flammae on the Ammonite Semi.”
Drake hopes that the gangsters still take the bait even with Calen on alert. If not he would have to hire another unsuspecting dupe to transport “niodes” that are actually explosive material. Hearing Myco’s quick explanation Drake relaxes a little.
“Thanks for the heads up, I’m not picking ya up on my scans. You must have better equipment than me to pick me up and my convey code. Ya shipping for Drake too?”
Goddamn*t… “Yes, different shipment. In city. We agreed to rendezvous at the rest stop on Mons after delivery, remember? That was in the briefing.”
“Wasn’t told who I was meeting up with besides Drake. He sort of left the details out said that the shipment was all that mattered.”
“Basic supply run after your main route. Whole bandit gang, big mess, bring some heavy guns on the way back. Boss, (referring to Drake) you did tell him it was a two part assignment, right? Over.” I hope to hell Drake has recognized my voice over the comm by this point.
Calen sounds a bit confused, “Heavy gunns, my mechs are old scraped out mechs that have been modified for transport duty. Sure we can hold off a few bandits but we’re no match for a serious attack. Hello... Over?”
Drake comms Myco on a secure channel, “Myco, he’s the bait. They come for him and his mechs explode taking them out any left over we wipe out. I just needed someone expendable to be the bait. Guess I could have used a clone instead of my clan mate but he was already an established transporter.”
I drop my space trucker act “Mom hadn’t explained that bit. My apologies.”
“Ah, yes I didn’t really explain that to anyone did I? I thought when I had laid out the plan that I said that the cargo would be some of my volatile experiments and assumed you would understand that I was expecting an explosion and ambush and not a dog fight.”
“I got that part, I just was wondering if I could get a little backup taking out the gangsters afterwards. You got Blue Wrath or anybody else, handy? Mom’s messengers aren’t much for fighting.”
“Oh yeah, I have about a thousand of my raid clones ready and waiting for me to send them where ever we want them.” Drake sounds very eager as he says that.
I patch Drake the coordinates to a side road between Old Mars and Olympus Mons off the major highway. “Good. Well, it’s like this. The gangsters’ hideout is in a ghost town that winds towards one of the oldest districts. A few hundred years back or so it was a ghetto, they declared it uninhabitable in the 3100s but squatters who were stubborn refused to leave. Attempts to renovate it as a garden then to turn it into a park met mixed success and in the end criminals wound up taking residence by 3200. So now you have vegetation and arboreal stuff growing on top of the old city, which means even more hiding places.” The map has street view information, major buildings overview and content about some of the structural info on the crumbling utilities of that region.
Back to the false ID: “So that’s a no go on the backup good buddy? Ten Four, I’ll just have to see if Gasman has his Namtar Fuel team en route then. Roger.”
“So, um I will be heading to my Delivery, whatcha call sign, so I can tell Drake that there was some sort of miscommunication in his instructions. Over.”
“Pax Flammae, Illyrian Trucker.”
Calen’s convoy starts cautiously advancing again its weapons systems still at hyper vigilance. Drake watches his scanners looking for the telltale signs of the gangsters. Halfway to the next gate location they strike. Coming out of the forests in droves. Drake waits patiently his weapons systems hot and stealth ones at full effect.
The gang leader has a Freon which has been painted a garish shade of YELLOW with green striping and two bishops standing at close attention behind him as bodyguards. One scratches its crotch… but mechas don’t exactly have crotches, so the pilot must be wearing a Spinal Tap.
Several Niftels and Oresters also strangely painted fill out the rest of the lineup. It’s evened out with a few Megazomes and some Buchises that must’ve been stolen from mech dealers since they look out of place and newer than the rest of the lineup. Crude tribal looking symbols have been spray painted on their hulls so they somewhat match the rest a little.
Calen’s mechs open fire, the old scrapped mechs recovered from junkyards and battlefields way past their prime shutdown from kickback and damage from the gangsters mechs.
Drake waits in anticipation, he knows they’ll have to come in to get the “niodes” and once they open the cargo bays that’s when they would meet his trap. Those that manage to survive would then be easy pickings for him and Myco to handle.
Calen is pulled from his cockpit and thrown to the ground by one of the gangsters, who points at the cargo bay and holds out his hand. Calen pulls out the ident card to open the doors and is rewarded with a backhand as the man climbs up to the cargo bay doors. The gangster laughs. “I don’t need your Ident card chump! What have we got … here?” The look of greed is quickly replaced with one of horror.
Multicolored explosions rip all of Calen’s mechs apart sending deadly shrapnel in all directions the explosions are many times the size what conventional explosives would have generated and the multicolored fumes trigger bio hazard readings in the mechs alarm systems.
Drake’s Antithesis tramples trees as he disengages his stealth mode and unleashes full weapons on every mech in sight the wide fork of his Antithesis modified for full effectiveness.
I tap the Synthman control headband. “Firestorm, Flambe, cover me. You two are active support. We’re to follow Drake’s offensive in overtaking their base as your primary objective. Use your Jackal bayonets and fire sprays for a controlled burn through the vegetation to clear a path for his mechs, save the flamethrowers for once we’re inside. Secondary objective… see how many gangsters you can kill.”
The former slum first turned ghost town and half abandoned public works project and now gang hideout was already crumbling and the overgrown vegetation made it difficult for large mecha to navigate, hence the need for acid and fire weapons.
Dropships begin landing at the coordinates Myco sent unloading tons of mechs of Drake’s clone forces. They attack in waves of sixteen mechs each, some easily blasted by the gangsters weapons while other mechs showed the horror that the clans know first hand of mechs with wide fork and so much armor careen down the ghost towns overgrown streets to assault the headquarters.
“And that is how you make a trillion credits.”
“Yes it is,” Drake whoops excitedly.
In the confusion of the firefight at the gangsters’ hideout in Ammoknight I’d managed to procure a Forerunner artifact they’d probably been meaning to hawk on the black market using the cargo manipulator arms I’d attached. Something which I’m fairly sure Drake would like a chance to study.
In the aftermath Calen manages to make it to safety, extremely angry to be used the way he was by Drake. Drake replaces Calen’s mechs and a nice cup of “special” Drake tea and it’s like the trap never happened for Calen.
In the den of Exile’s Children is a card with an apology from “Pax Flammae” and a bunch of new Namtar mecha for Calen. The revised event according to it was they got into a drag race or some demolition derby on Mars as a non televised dark match and that was what had trashed his mecha.
I twiddled my Van Dyke goatee looking at the old wrestling mask mom had saved in what was once my room, wondering if the fresh Namtars would be an adequate replacement when I remembered something.
I had a very hard time analyzing it after but from what I could make out it seemed to be either some sort of storage drive or the remains of the hardware to what may have at one point been an extremely ancient AI. One which I dared not interface with lest I befall a similar fate to Evil Santa.
What Evil Santa had gone about wrong was the way in which he’d attempted to directly interface Forerunner technology with his brain. I believe the reason why I was spared the cybernetic based insanity that engineer/pilot had suffered was because my integration method was more indirect having been conducted in a tertiary manner via a biological route. Maybe Drake could uncover something interesting about the relic.
“Oy Drake, you remember that thing back when we blew up those gangsters? Got something from their storehouse you may want to have a look at. Couldn’t make out very much from it but you’ve got a better head for this stuff than me so I sent it to one of your labs via express.”
“I’ll get to examining it right away. Did you send your results as well? It’s always nice to see what has already been done so I can see what else I can try.”
“Yeah, I got ‘em for ya, encrypted more seriously this time so you don’t have to blow the place up like last time. On a disk in the crate with the drive.” Drake laughs, “That is much appreciated my friend. Labs are expensive to replace when you’re not expecting to. Like that time Serpentarius Alpha swallowed my lab whole with me in it.
“Sounds smelly. Also, while we’re on that subject, Sutenresu wouldn’t shut up either by the way. He wants to put us in a comic book and mom agreed to let him sell them at the newsstands next to her courier offices on the three planets Cumulus covers. Atom thinks it is hilarious we disguised ourselves as space truckers and won’t stop laughing. Sends a lisi powered Noogie and I hope your clan mate doesn’t mind Namtars. Had an extra cache of them on hand.”
“Calen takes what he can salvage, he’s thrifty that way. So free new Namtars is a bonus for him. Well another comic with us sounds fun. Can not hurt my reputation I would think.” Drake chuckles, which turns into a hearty laugh as he reads the title.
Drake Novum: Science Hero and Bacteria Guy
Guest Starring: Atom Cumulus, Atomic wrestler.
“I don’t even get mentioned by name but my muscle headed idiot brother does? That’s really fair.”
I facepalm. Atom puts me into an antique half nelson “Oh come on, you get to be in a comic for free. My promoter had to pay to have his wrestling stable put in the funny papers.”
“I guess you’re right. Could you put me down now?”
Myco’s notes are cursory and say that the device seems a bit unstable and that the data is corrupted in a few places but from what sectors he could recover it seems to be either like a diary or some sort of a log kept by a Forebearer. He was not sure if it was an important individual or a commoner but the individual probably had to have possessed a trade to keep records like this. There is a great deal of confusion about dates which are referenced in the fragments however. One concrete one seems to bounce between 80 and 800,000 years in the past indecisively but the rest are incredibly fuzzy.
The artifact when unlocked though yields the following information - It would at least suggest that the Forerunners may well have been a type of hominid after all, which threw earlier theories of them being perhaps an amphibian or insectoid, even avian race completely out the window. A ridiculously advanced enough one that this would explain why their DNA seemed so different from humans. Yet, while having existed very long ago. Which was incredibly perplexing. This brought up intense chronological questions and near maddening lines of reasoning as the logic branches changed, creating an altogether different pattern amidst the old ways of thinking. The time span of the Forerunners’ Forebearer Civilization itself was becoming more and more unfathomable-
Drake’s asset file gained a few choice tidbits that he did not share with anyone, so much new data just unlocked so much more potential….
Submitted by Mycobacter & Drake Novum Scientist#712744 #706289
“Sure am, Drake, sir.” Calen gnaws on a toothpick, “My mecha are built for transporting goods and can do some fighting too.”
Drake smiles, “Good, good, I have your route registered and the permits ready for you to head out as soon as I load your mechs. Oh, by the way, don’t open the cargo. I don’t want you tempted to steal the niodes.
“I would never do that Drake, sir. My livelihood relies on getten the shipment from where it is ta where it goin.”
“I know, but some people can get tempted by the amount of niodes that you’re transporting for me.” Drake turns a sly smile on his lips, “Well off to see to the loading of your mechs.”
Calen stands up, “I should be doing that.”
Drake frowns, “No need to worry yourself, I am very familiar with shipping materials.”
“Beggen yer pardon, but this is my mechs and I want to make sure it’s done right.”
“Fine, come along but my clones are quite capable.” Drake strides from the room leaving Calen to hurry after him.
After the loading of the mech and Calen’s departure, Drake contacts his infiltrator clones, “All is a go for Drake’s Gambit. Start the chaos now.”
Drake uses a shortcut to get ahead of Calen’s caravan of mechs. He activates his stealth equipment to hide his Antithesis from radar and visual confirmation of his whereabouts as he travels parallel to his mobile trap waiting for the Gangsters to pounce on his irresistible bait.
“Calen,” I patch into the comm channel, “this is Myco, if you and Drake are good to go, I’m ready for my part in this mission and I’ve brought an Inferno and Dilophos to the party.” I’d left the Bishop at mom’s and swapped Ammoknight in its place on my lineup. My Dilophos, Firestorm, had twin Jackal heat swords and a Diablis Nozzle added to boost its pre-installed Judicator flamethrower. This was to be a slash and burn scorched earth type of coordinated attack, so I wanted to pull out all the stops. Flambe! is my inferno, it packs countless fire weapons for combat support.
Drake swears as he hears Myco’s comm signal to Calen. What’s the point of having an unsuspecting transporter if you’re going to warn him that he’s the bait.
Calen’s voice goes out over an open channel, “Who’s this? What are ya talkin about? Mission? What about Drake?” Calen’s caravan of modified mechs stop and weapons begin sweeping the area.
Sh*t, I guess that wasn’t part of his briefing. I think a little bit checking objectives on the Betrus. I respond thinking on my feet: “Just a rigger in city, posting some er… traffic conditions, out of city. Caesar’s Sideburns! Got bandits on the main travel road between Olympus Mons and Cygnus Outpost. Things are detoured while the police sort it out. As usual the PD is undermanned, means we’ll have to defend ourselves to keep from being picked off. Friendly tip from a fellow convoy. Not Myco, there must have been some feedback! This is Pax Flammae on the Ammonite Semi.”
Drake hopes that the gangsters still take the bait even with Calen on alert. If not he would have to hire another unsuspecting dupe to transport “niodes” that are actually explosive material. Hearing Myco’s quick explanation Drake relaxes a little.
“Thanks for the heads up, I’m not picking ya up on my scans. You must have better equipment than me to pick me up and my convey code. Ya shipping for Drake too?”
Goddamn*t… “Yes, different shipment. In city. We agreed to rendezvous at the rest stop on Mons after delivery, remember? That was in the briefing.”
“Wasn’t told who I was meeting up with besides Drake. He sort of left the details out said that the shipment was all that mattered.”
“Basic supply run after your main route. Whole bandit gang, big mess, bring some heavy guns on the way back. Boss, (referring to Drake) you did tell him it was a two part assignment, right? Over.” I hope to hell Drake has recognized my voice over the comm by this point.
Calen sounds a bit confused, “Heavy gunns, my mechs are old scraped out mechs that have been modified for transport duty. Sure we can hold off a few bandits but we’re no match for a serious attack. Hello... Over?”
Drake comms Myco on a secure channel, “Myco, he’s the bait. They come for him and his mechs explode taking them out any left over we wipe out. I just needed someone expendable to be the bait. Guess I could have used a clone instead of my clan mate but he was already an established transporter.”
I drop my space trucker act “Mom hadn’t explained that bit. My apologies.”
“Ah, yes I didn’t really explain that to anyone did I? I thought when I had laid out the plan that I said that the cargo would be some of my volatile experiments and assumed you would understand that I was expecting an explosion and ambush and not a dog fight.”
“I got that part, I just was wondering if I could get a little backup taking out the gangsters afterwards. You got Blue Wrath or anybody else, handy? Mom’s messengers aren’t much for fighting.”
“Oh yeah, I have about a thousand of my raid clones ready and waiting for me to send them where ever we want them.” Drake sounds very eager as he says that.
I patch Drake the coordinates to a side road between Old Mars and Olympus Mons off the major highway. “Good. Well, it’s like this. The gangsters’ hideout is in a ghost town that winds towards one of the oldest districts. A few hundred years back or so it was a ghetto, they declared it uninhabitable in the 3100s but squatters who were stubborn refused to leave. Attempts to renovate it as a garden then to turn it into a park met mixed success and in the end criminals wound up taking residence by 3200. So now you have vegetation and arboreal stuff growing on top of the old city, which means even more hiding places.” The map has street view information, major buildings overview and content about some of the structural info on the crumbling utilities of that region.
Back to the false ID: “So that’s a no go on the backup good buddy? Ten Four, I’ll just have to see if Gasman has his Namtar Fuel team en route then. Roger.”
“So, um I will be heading to my Delivery, whatcha call sign, so I can tell Drake that there was some sort of miscommunication in his instructions. Over.”
“Pax Flammae, Illyrian Trucker.”
Calen’s convoy starts cautiously advancing again its weapons systems still at hyper vigilance. Drake watches his scanners looking for the telltale signs of the gangsters. Halfway to the next gate location they strike. Coming out of the forests in droves. Drake waits patiently his weapons systems hot and stealth ones at full effect.
The gang leader has a Freon which has been painted a garish shade of YELLOW with green striping and two bishops standing at close attention behind him as bodyguards. One scratches its crotch… but mechas don’t exactly have crotches, so the pilot must be wearing a Spinal Tap.
Several Niftels and Oresters also strangely painted fill out the rest of the lineup. It’s evened out with a few Megazomes and some Buchises that must’ve been stolen from mech dealers since they look out of place and newer than the rest of the lineup. Crude tribal looking symbols have been spray painted on their hulls so they somewhat match the rest a little.
Calen’s mechs open fire, the old scrapped mechs recovered from junkyards and battlefields way past their prime shutdown from kickback and damage from the gangsters mechs.
Drake waits in anticipation, he knows they’ll have to come in to get the “niodes” and once they open the cargo bays that’s when they would meet his trap. Those that manage to survive would then be easy pickings for him and Myco to handle.
Calen is pulled from his cockpit and thrown to the ground by one of the gangsters, who points at the cargo bay and holds out his hand. Calen pulls out the ident card to open the doors and is rewarded with a backhand as the man climbs up to the cargo bay doors. The gangster laughs. “I don’t need your Ident card chump! What have we got … here?” The look of greed is quickly replaced with one of horror.
Multicolored explosions rip all of Calen’s mechs apart sending deadly shrapnel in all directions the explosions are many times the size what conventional explosives would have generated and the multicolored fumes trigger bio hazard readings in the mechs alarm systems.
Drake’s Antithesis tramples trees as he disengages his stealth mode and unleashes full weapons on every mech in sight the wide fork of his Antithesis modified for full effectiveness.
I tap the Synthman control headband. “Firestorm, Flambe, cover me. You two are active support. We’re to follow Drake’s offensive in overtaking their base as your primary objective. Use your Jackal bayonets and fire sprays for a controlled burn through the vegetation to clear a path for his mechs, save the flamethrowers for once we’re inside. Secondary objective… see how many gangsters you can kill.”
The former slum first turned ghost town and half abandoned public works project and now gang hideout was already crumbling and the overgrown vegetation made it difficult for large mecha to navigate, hence the need for acid and fire weapons.
Dropships begin landing at the coordinates Myco sent unloading tons of mechs of Drake’s clone forces. They attack in waves of sixteen mechs each, some easily blasted by the gangsters weapons while other mechs showed the horror that the clans know first hand of mechs with wide fork and so much armor careen down the ghost towns overgrown streets to assault the headquarters.
“And that is how you make a trillion credits.”
“Yes it is,” Drake whoops excitedly.
In the confusion of the firefight at the gangsters’ hideout in Ammoknight I’d managed to procure a Forerunner artifact they’d probably been meaning to hawk on the black market using the cargo manipulator arms I’d attached. Something which I’m fairly sure Drake would like a chance to study.
In the aftermath Calen manages to make it to safety, extremely angry to be used the way he was by Drake. Drake replaces Calen’s mechs and a nice cup of “special” Drake tea and it’s like the trap never happened for Calen.
In the den of Exile’s Children is a card with an apology from “Pax Flammae” and a bunch of new Namtar mecha for Calen. The revised event according to it was they got into a drag race or some demolition derby on Mars as a non televised dark match and that was what had trashed his mecha.
I twiddled my Van Dyke goatee looking at the old wrestling mask mom had saved in what was once my room, wondering if the fresh Namtars would be an adequate replacement when I remembered something.
I had a very hard time analyzing it after but from what I could make out it seemed to be either some sort of storage drive or the remains of the hardware to what may have at one point been an extremely ancient AI. One which I dared not interface with lest I befall a similar fate to Evil Santa.
What Evil Santa had gone about wrong was the way in which he’d attempted to directly interface Forerunner technology with his brain. I believe the reason why I was spared the cybernetic based insanity that engineer/pilot had suffered was because my integration method was more indirect having been conducted in a tertiary manner via a biological route. Maybe Drake could uncover something interesting about the relic.
“Oy Drake, you remember that thing back when we blew up those gangsters? Got something from their storehouse you may want to have a look at. Couldn’t make out very much from it but you’ve got a better head for this stuff than me so I sent it to one of your labs via express.”
“I’ll get to examining it right away. Did you send your results as well? It’s always nice to see what has already been done so I can see what else I can try.”
“Yeah, I got ‘em for ya, encrypted more seriously this time so you don’t have to blow the place up like last time. On a disk in the crate with the drive.” Drake laughs, “That is much appreciated my friend. Labs are expensive to replace when you’re not expecting to. Like that time Serpentarius Alpha swallowed my lab whole with me in it.
“Sounds smelly. Also, while we’re on that subject, Sutenresu wouldn’t shut up either by the way. He wants to put us in a comic book and mom agreed to let him sell them at the newsstands next to her courier offices on the three planets Cumulus covers. Atom thinks it is hilarious we disguised ourselves as space truckers and won’t stop laughing. Sends a lisi powered Noogie and I hope your clan mate doesn’t mind Namtars. Had an extra cache of them on hand.”
“Calen takes what he can salvage, he’s thrifty that way. So free new Namtars is a bonus for him. Well another comic with us sounds fun. Can not hurt my reputation I would think.” Drake chuckles, which turns into a hearty laugh as he reads the title.
Drake Novum: Science Hero and Bacteria Guy
Guest Starring: Atom Cumulus, Atomic wrestler.
“I don’t even get mentioned by name but my muscle headed idiot brother does? That’s really fair.”
I facepalm. Atom puts me into an antique half nelson “Oh come on, you get to be in a comic for free. My promoter had to pay to have his wrestling stable put in the funny papers.”
“I guess you’re right. Could you put me down now?”
Myco’s notes are cursory and say that the device seems a bit unstable and that the data is corrupted in a few places but from what sectors he could recover it seems to be either like a diary or some sort of a log kept by a Forebearer. He was not sure if it was an important individual or a commoner but the individual probably had to have possessed a trade to keep records like this. There is a great deal of confusion about dates which are referenced in the fragments however. One concrete one seems to bounce between 80 and 800,000 years in the past indecisively but the rest are incredibly fuzzy.
The artifact when unlocked though yields the following information - It would at least suggest that the Forerunners may well have been a type of hominid after all, which threw earlier theories of them being perhaps an amphibian or insectoid, even avian race completely out the window. A ridiculously advanced enough one that this would explain why their DNA seemed so different from humans. Yet, while having existed very long ago. Which was incredibly perplexing. This brought up intense chronological questions and near maddening lines of reasoning as the logic branches changed, creating an altogether different pattern amidst the old ways of thinking. The time span of the Forerunners’ Forebearer Civilization itself was becoming more and more unfathomable-
Drake’s asset file gained a few choice tidbits that he did not share with anyone, so much new data just unlocked so much more potential….
Submitted by Mycobacter & Drake Novum Scientist#712744 #706289
Slumming It
I'd spent all the bounty rewards I'd collected and my reporter Niodes from this last cycle on getting my new Dilophos up and running with good weapons and equipment... so by the time I qualified to operate a Bishop I didn't have any left. The (sort of) good news though was that all those circuit fights had paid off leaving me with a pretty sizable surplus cache of crystals.
Old Mars, yeah, where I grew up.
Drake had been kind enough to provide me with a clone of my old man so the spendthrift could fake his own death when the loan-sharks sent out their hired muscle to collect on his debts. This was the last time I’d loan dad sums of credits though… he should know better at his age but I guess if a habit has set in by that stage in life then it’s pretty much cemented in your personality.
I named that Bishop mecha in my team Diocese as a bit of a religious joke. See, a diocese is the clergy territory which a bishop is in charge of. A few of the parts thumped and thudded and I could hear a thunking coming from the Plasma Bottle engine. Definitely going to swap it out for a more stable Caged Singularity as soon as I can afford one. With the calibrations I’d made and frequent repairs though it should hold together for awhile... I hope.
My mom is a businesswoman and she runs a courier service using a fleet of Orcuses. Or would that be Orcusi (not sure what the plural of Orcus is but they’re speedy enough to be practical so leave that conjugation to the linguists if they want to puzzle it out)? She personally watches over the service yard of her messengers in a Keradon that she has painted blue. Things were a bit like I’d remembered, and the site still had Krampuses posted as sentries with the familiar Cindron for gate watch and a detachment of smaller Hoplites inside whirring around doing active security patrol. When I was little she and dad used to let me try out Red Ants and Shocklites to get a feel for piloting. My Shocklites Prime and Deuce are near-replicas of the ones I grew up on but upgraded with Goliath Racks in place of the Mordems and Furys I’d trained on as a kid.
You can imagine my surprise to see Drake in the Cumulus Courier office nestling a mug of Mars Cocoa.
I guess he decided to brief my old lady on the cloning procedure that was going to get the gangsters off pops’ tail once and for all. See, she’d wanted to cover part of the costs.
“Mom, you didn’t show him the old mechwrestling pics of me and Atom as teenagers did you? How embarrassing.”
Drake smiles, “She did indeed.” He lets loose a good natured laugh before taking a drink, “Excellent Cocoa Ma’am”
Aurora Cumulus: “Luke,”
“It’s Myco now. Luke Cumulus died back in that lab accident.”
“Myco, your brother is still a Mars Mech pro-wrestler. I was just showing Drake a holovid of him performing his Atom Smash laser finishing move.” She cleared some dishes from the table.
“You boys are going to send a double of my husband for the creditors to go after instead, is that right?”
“Correct. They’ll have all the fun of torturing and killing the clone and you get to keep your husband, a Win Win situation I love those.” Drake smiles his sly smile a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, “Of course I have other plans for those creditors depending on what my good friend Myco wants done.”
Aurora: “I don’t mind you fragging the gangsters, lord knows the police here have their hands full enough as is. If either of you wants a staging area to prep your mechs the stockyard is out back; The Krampuses have AI that are voice activated, I’ll just give them the passcode.” She audibly mutters the code into a microphone with her hand over the microphone and her mouth.
“Thanks mom,” I tell her but she is already directing her workers to move things in the stockyard around making a staging area for us to prep my and Drake’s mechas.
Submitted by Mycobacter & Drake Novum Scientist#712744 #706289
Old Mars, yeah, where I grew up.
Drake had been kind enough to provide me with a clone of my old man so the spendthrift could fake his own death when the loan-sharks sent out their hired muscle to collect on his debts. This was the last time I’d loan dad sums of credits though… he should know better at his age but I guess if a habit has set in by that stage in life then it’s pretty much cemented in your personality.
I named that Bishop mecha in my team Diocese as a bit of a religious joke. See, a diocese is the clergy territory which a bishop is in charge of. A few of the parts thumped and thudded and I could hear a thunking coming from the Plasma Bottle engine. Definitely going to swap it out for a more stable Caged Singularity as soon as I can afford one. With the calibrations I’d made and frequent repairs though it should hold together for awhile... I hope.
My mom is a businesswoman and she runs a courier service using a fleet of Orcuses. Or would that be Orcusi (not sure what the plural of Orcus is but they’re speedy enough to be practical so leave that conjugation to the linguists if they want to puzzle it out)? She personally watches over the service yard of her messengers in a Keradon that she has painted blue. Things were a bit like I’d remembered, and the site still had Krampuses posted as sentries with the familiar Cindron for gate watch and a detachment of smaller Hoplites inside whirring around doing active security patrol. When I was little she and dad used to let me try out Red Ants and Shocklites to get a feel for piloting. My Shocklites Prime and Deuce are near-replicas of the ones I grew up on but upgraded with Goliath Racks in place of the Mordems and Furys I’d trained on as a kid.
You can imagine my surprise to see Drake in the Cumulus Courier office nestling a mug of Mars Cocoa.
I guess he decided to brief my old lady on the cloning procedure that was going to get the gangsters off pops’ tail once and for all. See, she’d wanted to cover part of the costs.
“Mom, you didn’t show him the old mechwrestling pics of me and Atom as teenagers did you? How embarrassing.”
Drake smiles, “She did indeed.” He lets loose a good natured laugh before taking a drink, “Excellent Cocoa Ma’am”
Aurora Cumulus: “Luke,”
“It’s Myco now. Luke Cumulus died back in that lab accident.”
“Myco, your brother is still a Mars Mech pro-wrestler. I was just showing Drake a holovid of him performing his Atom Smash laser finishing move.” She cleared some dishes from the table.
“You boys are going to send a double of my husband for the creditors to go after instead, is that right?”
“Correct. They’ll have all the fun of torturing and killing the clone and you get to keep your husband, a Win Win situation I love those.” Drake smiles his sly smile a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, “Of course I have other plans for those creditors depending on what my good friend Myco wants done.”
Aurora: “I don’t mind you fragging the gangsters, lord knows the police here have their hands full enough as is. If either of you wants a staging area to prep your mechs the stockyard is out back; The Krampuses have AI that are voice activated, I’ll just give them the passcode.” She audibly mutters the code into a microphone with her hand over the microphone and her mouth.
“Thanks mom,” I tell her but she is already directing her workers to move things in the stockyard around making a staging area for us to prep my and Drake’s mechas.
Submitted by Mycobacter & Drake Novum Scientist#712744 #706289
Friday, July 25, 2014
Thermal Analyzer Equipment Review
A type 3 observation device for mecha Cockpits. The thermal analyzer is a scanner that uses infrared imaging to detect and home in on heat and cold sensitive areas on an enemy's mecha. These "critical hit" vulnerability points allow you to do 8% more damage with your fire and ice weapons. The device improves your accuracy by automatically taking some of the guesswork out of figuring out where to shoot (increases precision by 3) and in doing that, also decreases the amount of time involved in aiming (speed boost of 2).
It works in 45-70 ton mecha. The most straightforward choices of mecha to use one in would be the Inferno and Freon but you can also put them in Namtars or Fides. The price is 300 Ferrite, 220 Bioptics and 33 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
It works in 45-70 ton mecha. The most straightforward choices of mecha to use one in would be the Inferno and Freon but you can also put them in Namtars or Fides. The price is 300 Ferrite, 220 Bioptics and 33 Niodes.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Quad Turbo Drive Equipment Review
This engine is made more efficient through use of a design featuring highly modular compartments. The Quad Turbo is engineered exceptionally well and has internal temperature regulation mechanisms to prevent overheating or freezing over (no increased vulnerabilities). Another feature that sets the Quad turbo apart is that is has dedicated computerized valve systems which regulate flow of fuel to and exhaust from each compartment and keep the mixtures just right to avoid flooding your engine. Each module works together in concert to give your mecha a speed boost of 12!
If that hasn't sold you on it yet, as with a few other types of equipment like it, there are additional components packaged with the main unit which incorporate into the armament slots to increase the damage of your weapons systems. In this case, a 2% increased chance of doing double damage and a clocked in 4 slow bonus as icing on the cake just to mess with your opponents even more.
It costs 945 Ferrite, 861 Bioptics and 37 Niodes and will fit 50-70 ton weight mecha.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
If that hasn't sold you on it yet, as with a few other types of equipment like it, there are additional components packaged with the main unit which incorporate into the armament slots to increase the damage of your weapons systems. In this case, a 2% increased chance of doing double damage and a clocked in 4 slow bonus as icing on the cake just to mess with your opponents even more.
It costs 945 Ferrite, 861 Bioptics and 37 Niodes and will fit 50-70 ton weight mecha.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Fast Data Switches Equipment Review
This chassis part uses circuits made from solid state electronic components and fiber optic cables to accelerate your mecha's bioptic nervous system so much that they give it a dodge bonus of 11 and speed boost of 5. The tonnage of mecha Fast Data Switches are designed to be compatible with are 55-70 tons and as such can be equipped on most of the Heavy weight division class.
They can be yours for 458 Ferrite, 389 Bioptics and 38 Niodes.
You can see them used to good effect on the Cindron, Buchis, Megazome, Inferno, and Freon. It's a good dodge bonus and the plus 5 speed boost is nothing to sneeze at when talking about Heavy mecha.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
They can be yours for 458 Ferrite, 389 Bioptics and 38 Niodes.
You can see them used to good effect on the Cindron, Buchis, Megazome, Inferno, and Freon. It's a good dodge bonus and the plus 5 speed boost is nothing to sneeze at when talking about Heavy mecha.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Pneumatic Shocks Equipment Review
This chassis part, designed for 60-70 ton mecha, uses the action of compressed gases in extremely efficient pneumatic pistons to move your mecha's limbs. The tubes, motors, everything is laid out in an easy to install modular set of units you can install into each limb.
It gives a dodge bonus of 8, speed boost of 5 and the pipes of the Pneumatic shocks also can be attached to weapons systems to provide your projectile weapons with a 6% damage increase by using pressure and kinetic push to increase the muzzle velocity of their firing chambers. This Pneumatic Oomph also generally gives all your weapons a 3% increased chance of dealing triple damage. The particular gases used by the Pneumatic Shocks have a certain ideal heat range for optimal functioning which renders them 5% ice vulnerable.
It costs 812 Ferrite, 228 Bioptics and 39 Niodes. I like using them on Namtars and Smilodons but you could probably use them just as well in a Megazome, Buchis or Orester.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
It gives a dodge bonus of 8, speed boost of 5 and the pipes of the Pneumatic shocks also can be attached to weapons systems to provide your projectile weapons with a 6% damage increase by using pressure and kinetic push to increase the muzzle velocity of their firing chambers. This Pneumatic Oomph also generally gives all your weapons a 3% increased chance of dealing triple damage. The particular gases used by the Pneumatic Shocks have a certain ideal heat range for optimal functioning which renders them 5% ice vulnerable.
It costs 812 Ferrite, 228 Bioptics and 39 Niodes. I like using them on Namtars and Smilodons but you could probably use them just as well in a Megazome, Buchis or Orester.
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Mid-CWs XVI Raid On Opponents in AFF
Credits for collaboration to Willie Walton #22338 and Martin Cartwright #51616, thanks for your assistance. Discussions with Leader “Da Boss” Goetz #571430 of clan Death's BattleForce {AFF} confirms approval for this next transmission...
Time-stamp 22nd of July, 10pm It was late and the mecha party was planned weeks ago, we still needed to get the supplies before wars started so we'd be ready to party after. Who knew BOOB parties would have some expense? The AFF boys seemed the best targets, their armory had gotten lax in security. Scouts confirmed what was suspected so this would be the night. Bella Tin Grey let the schematics for the AFF armory slip to Martin to get him, literally, off her ass. He's smooth with such a wonderful accent. Twenty years ago he would have left her walking funny for a week but these days a cup of tea is preferred. He's still got it despite a few replacement parts, like his knee. Watching him run with those schematics was worse than a pregnant oxen chasing a calf. He made it, despite the hilarious efforts and the stash would be more than enough for the party after server save. I often wondered why my men did some of the crazy stunts they do, just to see if they can? To see if it's possible to pull it off and not get caught, is that the thrill? Not sure any would honestly answer me, they call me Sir but my boobs aren't balls so they don't play the same games as well and information sharing gets confused in the translation too often. Moving up the ranks from cabin boy to master sergeant, working with the pool boy Willie, is it any wonder Martin was stressed? They weren't caught so all is well and the party will be in place in time.
Time-stamp 23rd of July post server save The opponents discovered the raid just moments before server save, as they prepared to suit up. Word got out hours later, they chose to not bother to show up it appears. A cook out at Molly's was a better alternative I'd have to agree. Seems the least she could do since none would know of the slip. Had a bit more thought gone into the plan, it would have been better to try for the C$ armory. Oh well, the party for winning three wars used to mean we'd have Gold but this CWs a 4th day is required. Best to party before that day, scout reports can't guarantee us any victory so let's celebrate what we've earned to date.
Time-stamp 24th of July at server save Success! Let the party begin. Thanks to AFF, our boys are swimming in the sea of this b00b party. None thought we'd have to face another clan on a 4th war day. Not sure if a day off in between is enough, considering the extent of the party as it stands. The guys need time to let loose, the real challenge hasn't presented itself yet though. They've grown bored of the same old routines so this party was needed, just what the doc would order-back in the day. If they get any rest before the next server save, it'll be a miracle. Looks like a belly dancer showed up, is that a baby snarvum around her should..... ~transmission trails off into a jumbled faint mess before being lost
Transmission relayed by Major Deborah Roaché-Hudak #289133 of NWHLs
Time-stamp 22nd of July, 10pm It was late and the mecha party was planned weeks ago, we still needed to get the supplies before wars started so we'd be ready to party after. Who knew BOOB parties would have some expense? The AFF boys seemed the best targets, their armory had gotten lax in security. Scouts confirmed what was suspected so this would be the night. Bella Tin Grey let the schematics for the AFF armory slip to Martin to get him, literally, off her ass. He's smooth with such a wonderful accent. Twenty years ago he would have left her walking funny for a week but these days a cup of tea is preferred. He's still got it despite a few replacement parts, like his knee. Watching him run with those schematics was worse than a pregnant oxen chasing a calf. He made it, despite the hilarious efforts and the stash would be more than enough for the party after server save. I often wondered why my men did some of the crazy stunts they do, just to see if they can? To see if it's possible to pull it off and not get caught, is that the thrill? Not sure any would honestly answer me, they call me Sir but my boobs aren't balls so they don't play the same games as well and information sharing gets confused in the translation too often. Moving up the ranks from cabin boy to master sergeant, working with the pool boy Willie, is it any wonder Martin was stressed? They weren't caught so all is well and the party will be in place in time.
Time-stamp 23rd of July post server save The opponents discovered the raid just moments before server save, as they prepared to suit up. Word got out hours later, they chose to not bother to show up it appears. A cook out at Molly's was a better alternative I'd have to agree. Seems the least she could do since none would know of the slip. Had a bit more thought gone into the plan, it would have been better to try for the C$ armory. Oh well, the party for winning three wars used to mean we'd have Gold but this CWs a 4th day is required. Best to party before that day, scout reports can't guarantee us any victory so let's celebrate what we've earned to date.
Time-stamp 24th of July at server save Success! Let the party begin. Thanks to AFF, our boys are swimming in the sea of this b00b party. None thought we'd have to face another clan on a 4th war day. Not sure if a day off in between is enough, considering the extent of the party as it stands. The guys need time to let loose, the real challenge hasn't presented itself yet though. They've grown bored of the same old routines so this party was needed, just what the doc would order-back in the day. If they get any rest before the next server save, it'll be a miracle. Looks like a belly dancer showed up, is that a baby snarvum around her should..... ~transmission trails off into a jumbled faint mess before being lost
Transmission relayed by Major Deborah Roaché-Hudak #289133 of NWHLs
News Bulletin On Division 4 For Clan Wars XVI Predictions
Currently the 3rd round is now under way so there will be one more battle after this one to decide the winner and losers.
So first up we have the clans that fall in to the A and B category and the end results after the 3 round will look something like this...
A *Knights of Vengeance* Will have 2 wins silver
A D.A.K. Will have 0 wins
A Black Star Lycan Rangers Will have 1 win Bronze
A Stirling's Fusiliers Will have 3 wins Gold
B Highlanders (Highland Regiments) Will have 2 wins silver
B 64th Armored Engineers [ARC] Will have 3 wins Gold
B Abominable Snowmen (MMI) Will have 0/1 wins
B YBZ-719 Will have 0/1 wins
Round 4
1. 64th Armored Engineers [ARC] Vs Stirling's Fusiliers For Gold and Silver
Now this will be a battle to see since I'm a former RND- [ARC] player
Some info on 64th Armored Engineers [ARC]
It's a new clan that was created when RND and AC merged:
3 Former Rnd players
5 Former AC players
2 New players
Furthermore about all of these players have won gold in clan wars and some quit a few times like the RND players. 5 time gold winners in 82nd (Rnd ), AC players 1 time gold winners AC 1
64th Armored Engineers [ARC] seems to be the favorite in this division because of their great run against the other clans in the B category. But now they come facing a clan that also dominated in their Category , Stirling's Fusiliers
This will be a battle not to miss not only for the fact that 2 of the players in Stirling's Fusiliers, former Rnd players but because of the fact that both of these clans are equally motivated to take the Gold home. So which side will brake first find out in the 4th round of Clan wars 16
2. *Knights of Vengeance* Vs Highlanders (Highland Regiments) for Silver and Bronze
3. Black Star Lycan Rangers Vs Abominable Snowmen (MMI) or YBZ-719 for Bronze and 4 place
4. D.A.K. Vs Abominable Snowmen (MMI) or YBZ-719 5th and 6th place.
Submitted by Molliere Daffue#599258
So first up we have the clans that fall in to the A and B category and the end results after the 3 round will look something like this...
A *Knights of Vengeance* Will have 2 wins silver
A D.A.K. Will have 0 wins
A Black Star Lycan Rangers Will have 1 win Bronze
A Stirling's Fusiliers Will have 3 wins Gold
B Highlanders (Highland Regiments) Will have 2 wins silver
B 64th Armored Engineers [ARC] Will have 3 wins Gold
B Abominable Snowmen (MMI) Will have 0/1 wins
B YBZ-719 Will have 0/1 wins
Round 4
1. 64th Armored Engineers [ARC] Vs Stirling's Fusiliers For Gold and Silver
Now this will be a battle to see since I'm a former RND- [ARC] player
Some info on 64th Armored Engineers [ARC]
It's a new clan that was created when RND and AC merged:
3 Former Rnd players
5 Former AC players
2 New players
Furthermore about all of these players have won gold in clan wars and some quit a few times like the RND players. 5 time gold winners in 82nd (Rnd ), AC players 1 time gold winners AC 1
64th Armored Engineers [ARC] seems to be the favorite in this division because of their great run against the other clans in the B category. But now they come facing a clan that also dominated in their Category , Stirling's Fusiliers
This will be a battle not to miss not only for the fact that 2 of the players in Stirling's Fusiliers, former Rnd players but because of the fact that both of these clans are equally motivated to take the Gold home. So which side will brake first find out in the 4th round of Clan wars 16
2. *Knights of Vengeance* Vs Highlanders (Highland Regiments) for Silver and Bronze
3. Black Star Lycan Rangers Vs Abominable Snowmen (MMI) or YBZ-719 for Bronze and 4 place
4. D.A.K. Vs Abominable Snowmen (MMI) or YBZ-719 5th and 6th place.
Submitted by Molliere Daffue#599258
Brother And Shield
"Guns! Jesus Christ, I've got no function on my guns"! The young pilot screamed as his Keradon raced towards the enemy line. He'd seen the opening and taken the initiative but his crystal auto-targeting systems failed.
Ahead of him an enemy Nerio had spotted the lag in the attacking form and capitalized. It swung it's stocky bipedal frame hard to the right and side-stepped the Keradon's charge. As the troubled mech raced by it threw up an arm and blind fired a volley from it's Duboce battery, raking the left flank of the hapless rookie and tearing into his outer-plating.
The mercenary commander, compensating for the recoil of his own weapon systems, checked the tracker view on his heads up display and located his unfortunate colleague. "Marneus. You've got a clear line on the new boy. Get some covering fire out there. Rogal, use your speed and put yourself between those mechs and take up an offensive stance".
These situations were a pilot's worst nightmare. It was a small mercy that the mercenary forces had gained an early advantage and crippled the majority of their foe's front rank. If this minor lull in the hostile attack held for a moment longer the situation might, just might, be salvaged.
The skilled piloting of Rogal Dorn was sufficient to cut beneath the missile barrage of the squad's rocket platform Marneus and bring himself length on to the Nerio. He activated the thermal imaging system, finding the heat bloom from the enemy's colling vents and let rip with his torches. A spray of white hot slag spewed skyward and the hostile mech span on it's feet and rocked backwards into the red earth.
"Rookie, get yourself out of there boy", Dorn ordered. "You can't do anymore good here". The new guy thumbed his com-switch twice, signaling his acknowledgment, and pulled the Keradon around 360 degrees before forcing it to full speed and heading for the compound safety wall.
As Dorn watched his comrade depart he became aware of rapid movement far off to the rear of the downed Nerio. An enemy Orester had caught sight of the rescue attempt and hauled it's ponderous bulk to face the scene.
Dorn noted the machine's missile bays opening, ready to return a burst of artillery support for it's flailing squad mate. 'Too slow sunshine', Dorn thought inwardly, and locked his sights on the opening rocket bays. There followed a scream of ordinance as Dorn's loaded arrow batteries howled into life. The first shot struck the covering panels above the Orester's armament bay. The second found it's mark and struck home, detonating a death's head missile as it left the launcher. A brief super-nova of luminescent debris flowered above the enemy cockpit, followed rapidly by the sonic boom of exploding uridium plating. The Orester exploded internally as it's munition banks took the full blast, and like a cherry bomb in a tin can, it's shuddered, then flew appart in a hail storm of searing components.
Dorn hardly paused. He forced his actuators to their very boundaries and hammered his Smilodon back towards the center of the continuing fray.
"Bloody good work Dorn"! The mercenary commander shouted. "Bloody good work indeed, and well done on that cover shot Marneus". "No worries boss", Dorn replied. "Now, let's put the final nails in the lid shall we"!
Submitted by Steve Ross#162076
Ahead of him an enemy Nerio had spotted the lag in the attacking form and capitalized. It swung it's stocky bipedal frame hard to the right and side-stepped the Keradon's charge. As the troubled mech raced by it threw up an arm and blind fired a volley from it's Duboce battery, raking the left flank of the hapless rookie and tearing into his outer-plating.
The mercenary commander, compensating for the recoil of his own weapon systems, checked the tracker view on his heads up display and located his unfortunate colleague. "Marneus. You've got a clear line on the new boy. Get some covering fire out there. Rogal, use your speed and put yourself between those mechs and take up an offensive stance".
These situations were a pilot's worst nightmare. It was a small mercy that the mercenary forces had gained an early advantage and crippled the majority of their foe's front rank. If this minor lull in the hostile attack held for a moment longer the situation might, just might, be salvaged.
The skilled piloting of Rogal Dorn was sufficient to cut beneath the missile barrage of the squad's rocket platform Marneus and bring himself length on to the Nerio. He activated the thermal imaging system, finding the heat bloom from the enemy's colling vents and let rip with his torches. A spray of white hot slag spewed skyward and the hostile mech span on it's feet and rocked backwards into the red earth.
"Rookie, get yourself out of there boy", Dorn ordered. "You can't do anymore good here". The new guy thumbed his com-switch twice, signaling his acknowledgment, and pulled the Keradon around 360 degrees before forcing it to full speed and heading for the compound safety wall.
As Dorn watched his comrade depart he became aware of rapid movement far off to the rear of the downed Nerio. An enemy Orester had caught sight of the rescue attempt and hauled it's ponderous bulk to face the scene.
Dorn noted the machine's missile bays opening, ready to return a burst of artillery support for it's flailing squad mate. 'Too slow sunshine', Dorn thought inwardly, and locked his sights on the opening rocket bays. There followed a scream of ordinance as Dorn's loaded arrow batteries howled into life. The first shot struck the covering panels above the Orester's armament bay. The second found it's mark and struck home, detonating a death's head missile as it left the launcher. A brief super-nova of luminescent debris flowered above the enemy cockpit, followed rapidly by the sonic boom of exploding uridium plating. The Orester exploded internally as it's munition banks took the full blast, and like a cherry bomb in a tin can, it's shuddered, then flew appart in a hail storm of searing components.
Dorn hardly paused. He forced his actuators to their very boundaries and hammered his Smilodon back towards the center of the continuing fray.
"Bloody good work Dorn"! The mercenary commander shouted. "Bloody good work indeed, and well done on that cover shot Marneus". "No worries boss", Dorn replied. "Now, let's put the final nails in the lid shall we"!
Submitted by Steve Ross#162076
Cumulus Courier Service Advertisement
Our Franchise is now branching out. We started on Old Mars but now also have locations on Cogwerk Port and Novum Dolorum. 'Ma' Aurora "Keradon" Cumulus promises fast delivery and with her fleet of Orcus equipped messengers, the results speak for themselves. You may know the Cumulus name from her sons Luke and Atom Cumulus who were a pair of themed recreational super bantam and featherweight Mars mech prowrestlers back in the day. Atom still does it but Luke disappeared some years ago after a biotech experiment he was conducting went awry.
Come to think of it, Luke and Myco share certain physical similarities...
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Come to think of it, Luke and Myco share certain physical similarities...
Submitted by Mycobacter#712744
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Clan Wars XVI Day 2 Interlude
Sitting in the cockpit of Joker1, Sean stared at his control console, and brooded. So far, the Clan wars had gone as expected, but he wasn't having as much fun, pounding his opponents, as he thought he would. Maybe it was all the rules, maybe it was the recent merger with Curse... those guys have NO sense of humor! Or maybe it was the pills that the Medic had given him after he had burned down the old Jokers barracks. For whatever reason, he just didn't feel like himself lately
Normally, the complete overwhelming of his opponents brought an even bigger smile to his face, but this time, it was actually kind of boring. 300 Wild Tigers started out strong, but as the battle wore on, they seemed to run out of steam. After that it was easy pickings for the rest of the clan to pile up the victories. Takeda 1st Wing was even worse... he felt so listless, Sean didn't even put on his war paint!!! Even without the war paint, Sean ran through Takeda's whole roster without even breaking a sweat, and the clan won another lopsided victory. It wasn't that he didn't like winning, far from it, it just seemed so, so, impersonal to him... nothing to ignite the fires in the belly.
Sean was just about to power down Joker1 and head for the firebase strip club for a nightcap, when his com system chirped at him. He activated his view screen and saw that there was a new message in his inbox. He looked at the headline and it read "At last, we dance" Intrigued, he first virus scanned the message. When it came back clean, he opened the message. He saw that it was from John T Mainer, leader of the Defenders of Bunny, their next opponent. Sean actually respected John....ANYONE crazy enough to ride into battle with a giant Easter Bunny painted on his mech was all right in his book. The message read..." Sean,
I have a feeling that many of my Clan are not going to enjoy this battle much at all. Of course, any Death Curse who wander downrange of my guns will know they have been Bunnied hard.
Bring your best, we came to dance. There are those who die laughing, and those who just never got it "
"AT LAST!!!! It's about time I had a reason to put on the war paint!!!" Sean exclaimed aloud in his cockpit. This is what he was looking for! A personal challenge! Sean knew that D.o.B. had a few serious warriors, and John had just woke up his battle fever!!!! He was actually looking forward to battle again!! Sean fired off a response to John, accepting his challenge. He then powered down Joker1 to stand-by mode, and started the long climb down to the hangar floor. Visions of flames and blood dancing through his mind, he muttered to himself " Careful what you wish for.... you might just get it!" With that, he laughed long and loudly, his peals of laughter echoing through the cavernous hangar. He then headed off to his room, to rest up for the battle in the morning. As Sean prepared his grease paint for the morning he muttered to himself "I think it's time to paint INSIDE the lines for this one!!" With that, he chuckled aloud, and went to bed.
Submitted by Sean Laverty #600987
Normally, the complete overwhelming of his opponents brought an even bigger smile to his face, but this time, it was actually kind of boring. 300 Wild Tigers started out strong, but as the battle wore on, they seemed to run out of steam. After that it was easy pickings for the rest of the clan to pile up the victories. Takeda 1st Wing was even worse... he felt so listless, Sean didn't even put on his war paint!!! Even without the war paint, Sean ran through Takeda's whole roster without even breaking a sweat, and the clan won another lopsided victory. It wasn't that he didn't like winning, far from it, it just seemed so, so, impersonal to him... nothing to ignite the fires in the belly.
Sean was just about to power down Joker1 and head for the firebase strip club for a nightcap, when his com system chirped at him. He activated his view screen and saw that there was a new message in his inbox. He looked at the headline and it read "At last, we dance" Intrigued, he first virus scanned the message. When it came back clean, he opened the message. He saw that it was from John T Mainer, leader of the Defenders of Bunny, their next opponent. Sean actually respected John....ANYONE crazy enough to ride into battle with a giant Easter Bunny painted on his mech was all right in his book. The message read..." Sean,
I have a feeling that many of my Clan are not going to enjoy this battle much at all. Of course, any Death Curse who wander downrange of my guns will know they have been Bunnied hard.
Bring your best, we came to dance. There are those who die laughing, and those who just never got it "
"AT LAST!!!! It's about time I had a reason to put on the war paint!!!" Sean exclaimed aloud in his cockpit. This is what he was looking for! A personal challenge! Sean knew that D.o.B. had a few serious warriors, and John had just woke up his battle fever!!!! He was actually looking forward to battle again!! Sean fired off a response to John, accepting his challenge. He then powered down Joker1 to stand-by mode, and started the long climb down to the hangar floor. Visions of flames and blood dancing through his mind, he muttered to himself " Careful what you wish for.... you might just get it!" With that, he laughed long and loudly, his peals of laughter echoing through the cavernous hangar. He then headed off to his room, to rest up for the battle in the morning. As Sean prepared his grease paint for the morning he muttered to himself "I think it's time to paint INSIDE the lines for this one!!" With that, he chuckled aloud, and went to bed.
Submitted by Sean Laverty #600987
Heatsink Ports Equipment Review
It's no engineering secret that the feedback and recoil from various weapons firing gives off waste thermal energy... what heatsink ports do is redirect that exhaust and spill energy for increased engine thrust. They only work for mecha in the 45-55 ton range, so finding one they fit on is a bit of a challenge but when you can, your reward is a speed boost of 10 and increase in dodge by 2.
For the enterprising pilot, this engine will cost you 355 Ferrite, 168 Bioptics and 44 Crystal. I like using them in Cindrons but have heard they also work to good effect in Dreads and Fides.
Submitted by Mycobacter #712744
For the enterprising pilot, this engine will cost you 355 Ferrite, 168 Bioptics and 44 Crystal. I like using them in Cindrons but have heard they also work to good effect in Dreads and Fides.
Submitted by Mycobacter #712744
Experience Editorial
This is an editorial by Deborah Roaché-Hudak and the opinions expressed here are mine alone and focused on one topic, experience (xp) within the game. There are many things to focus on but I feel it best to pick them apart one by one, starting with what I feel is most important. We have campers that look to avoid xp and we have movers that hope to level as fast as possible. Ironic I consider the turtle my totem since I've moved like a fast rabbit.
Since I've gotten L100, I've kept track of my xp needed for each level, as have many friends. It's disheartening to hear them post, “need 20k for L106-107” when I had to earn 65k. Another in between us had chimed in at 50k not long before that. So let's see, I earned 3x + the xp as the last and just 1/3 more than another. I figure from L100-150 was somewhere around 5kk xp that I earned and the only other player to do so was ahead of me, Al Smith. Everyone below us in level has had a reduction, sometimes major reduction, in the xp it took for them to get to the next level. Most will need less than 2kk to pass through those levels.
In connection with changing xp, we now have the added bonus of a few perks when you level, how ironic they come at a time when I currently need 255k to get to my next level. Bad enough others may only need to earn 25k for this quarter million xp level, but they'll get the 5% Dodge added for 24 hrs, a refill on energy as well as battles. Just in case you couldn't move fast enough, new bonuses should help ease the strain.
What I find amusing is most of these changes are to help others 'catch up' so the lead isn't as great as it currently is between players yet they've failed to. I'd hope to see fairness and a stable xp chart for ALL but it seems each will earn something different. May as well keep slipping 500s out of the bank in Monopoly to your fav friend, looks the same to me, just with xp instead of money. I've worked hard, fought many battles and gone through every mission multiple times-enjoying the unlocks when they come. Complaints may not change anything but silence never has. I speak up on behalf of everyone, do the right thing and lock in xp without making changes after it's already been earned by even one. The sportsmanship being shown is piss poor at the moment and morale lower because of such actions. Many have quit over less, can't blame any for becoming frustrated when so much isn't equal for all. Further discussions of other things I'd like to focus on will be featured in future editorials. If you have an editorial to submit, feel free to do so anytime.
Submitted by Deborah Roaché-Hudak#289133
Since I've gotten L100, I've kept track of my xp needed for each level, as have many friends. It's disheartening to hear them post, “need 20k for L106-107” when I had to earn 65k. Another in between us had chimed in at 50k not long before that. So let's see, I earned 3x + the xp as the last and just 1/3 more than another. I figure from L100-150 was somewhere around 5kk xp that I earned and the only other player to do so was ahead of me, Al Smith. Everyone below us in level has had a reduction, sometimes major reduction, in the xp it took for them to get to the next level. Most will need less than 2kk to pass through those levels.
In connection with changing xp, we now have the added bonus of a few perks when you level, how ironic they come at a time when I currently need 255k to get to my next level. Bad enough others may only need to earn 25k for this quarter million xp level, but they'll get the 5% Dodge added for 24 hrs, a refill on energy as well as battles. Just in case you couldn't move fast enough, new bonuses should help ease the strain.
What I find amusing is most of these changes are to help others 'catch up' so the lead isn't as great as it currently is between players yet they've failed to. I'd hope to see fairness and a stable xp chart for ALL but it seems each will earn something different. May as well keep slipping 500s out of the bank in Monopoly to your fav friend, looks the same to me, just with xp instead of money. I've worked hard, fought many battles and gone through every mission multiple times-enjoying the unlocks when they come. Complaints may not change anything but silence never has. I speak up on behalf of everyone, do the right thing and lock in xp without making changes after it's already been earned by even one. The sportsmanship being shown is piss poor at the moment and morale lower because of such actions. Many have quit over less, can't blame any for becoming frustrated when so much isn't equal for all. Further discussions of other things I'd like to focus on will be featured in future editorials. If you have an editorial to submit, feel free to do so anytime.
Submitted by Deborah Roaché-Hudak#289133
Battle Of The Briefs
This just in, a challenge of cheating was leveled against Division 11 opponents Avengers of Bunny and Smurf Patrol in the wake of their day 1 clash. Other Division 11 teams leveled the charge in the wake of the discovery that AoB and SP participated in joint after action briefings, and exchanged full cockpit records of the fight. Within minutes of the notice of challenge, a dismissal of charge demand was received from the AFF, citing their long standing policy requiring those elements of the AFF who frequently clash in Clan War to not only debrief each other after the fight, but attend a joint review by the senior AFF officers as part of their ongoing commitment to improvement.
It seems for those in larger Clan Families, no war is finished until the paperwork is done. Attempts to reach Big Papa Smurf Harley Gushwa and Defenders of Bunny chief John T Mainer for comment failed, as their XO’s reported they were both “goofing off in a post briefing drinking binge, and probably not sober again until the next battle".
Poor little Smurfs and Bunnies, your war is over, but your paperwork has just begun. Now back to the action.
Submitted by John T Mainer#28840 Defenders of Bunny
It seems for those in larger Clan Families, no war is finished until the paperwork is done. Attempts to reach Big Papa Smurf Harley Gushwa and Defenders of Bunny chief John T Mainer for comment failed, as their XO’s reported they were both “goofing off in a post briefing drinking binge, and probably not sober again until the next battle".
Poor little Smurfs and Bunnies, your war is over, but your paperwork has just begun. Now back to the action.
Submitted by John T Mainer#28840 Defenders of Bunny
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