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Still, it seems like a jaeger going down and taking the crew with it would be the kind of thing with some tradition for. Even if it's just the jaeger crews gathering for a round in their honor.
Elsewhere in the base, Ben walks down dimly lit, mostly empty, corridors. Eventually he spies what he's looking for, tell tale scratch marks on an otherwise unremarkable structural feature. Shane pops open the hidden cache, only to fubd an empty bottle with a hurriedly scrawled I.O.U. taped to the outside. "Son of a Bi..." Shane turns and hurls the empty bottle down the hall where it hits a wall with a satisfying smash "..tch".
Ben continues to walk, not bothering to close the cache behind him, or acknowledge the bystander he almost hit with the empty bottle.
"But yeah, we'd love to come check it out. We'll head down there soon."
I suppose we could always start up a new tradition, I'm sure at least some of the pilots would be keen on a get-together if nothing else."
The unexpecting bystander jumps skittishly at the sound of shattering glass, calling after Ben with a, "Hey! You alright there pal?" Half angry, half concerned, the voice is familiar from this morning's ill-fated drop, the Spanish lilt of one of the Fiesta Vanquish rangers echoes in the otherwise empty corridor.
@SirEtchwarts
@Fencingsax
"Gone. As in... Wow. I did not think we still failed on that level as an institution. What conspiracy theory are we working with?"
___
Shelley smiled.
"Wow. It's almost like ignoring my advice isn't paying off! I'm shocked!"
Why I fear the ocean.
As for the drink, I've heard rumors that some of the pilots are starting an underground watering hole on base, feel like tracking it down? It seems we've got nothing but free time until another beasty pokes it's head out of that hole, and I think I'd prefer not to be alone, or alone with Ben, at the moment.
Ben shakes his head trying to clear it, that was the fourth cache he'd hit and the second to be empty, and some still sober part of his brain thought it recognized his own hand writing on the IOU on the bottle. He half turns his head to address the voice down the hall, his speech slurs a little, but not enough to be incomprehensible.
"Just looking for a drink. Got to get a drink. Drink until I'm convinced I did all I could. Until I'm convinced it wasn't my fault. Then, maybe drink a little more until I believe it.
OOC
Biomass Processor:
Fluff: Originally designed as a building demolition and reclamation tool, the Mass Processor has been refitted and upgraded to break down kaiju flesh and bone (and carapace, blood, possibly lymph... the whole spectrum of kaiju crunch and goo really) into their component chemicals and construct repair parts for the jaeger out of these component chemicals.
Crunch: On a successful melee attack, this unit collects a quantity of kaiju flesh (meat token) and begins processing it. On the next (or any subsequent) turn, the Jaeger can repair one point of stat damage or one damaged system/weapon by spending a meat token (and one system activation). Ending a drop with an unspent meat token will reduce repair costs by 25%.
Level 1: Max of 1 meat token can be collected
Future upgrade paths: More meat tokens, repair multiple stat points, temporary stat buffs, use meat token for bonus energy
@See317
A hidden bar? Sounds like a pretty good place to start up some sort of drink-based tradition I think. I'm happy to keep you company for a while any idea where this mystery location is?"
"Hah, I hear that my friend. It's never easy is it?" Tito lifts his arm, bringing attention to the glass bottle sloshing with an amber liquid clasped in his hand, "you want to talk it over? Or just mope round the corridors alone?"
((I'm not too sure the research teams would be too happy with you taking bites out of their subjects, or if engineering would be too pleased with having to deal with Jaeger parts made from potentially toxic Kaiju components.
That said it is a pretty cool idea and stat-wise it looks fine to me so if you want to give it a shot go for it.
Cost wise I think ~6 points? It has a fairly powerful effect in repairing damaged systems and no real failure chance so that seems about right to me.))
@SirEtchwarts
The improptu bar building is a surreptitious hive of activity, a number of shady looking men and women skulking around the shadows of the old building, which is already looking a little better-kept. The interior has seen some considerable work so far and almost looks like a liveable space.
After a few minutes of unpacking and carrying around tables, booths, and barstools, Ashkir stops in place and stares into space for a few minutes.
"We're going to need a new barkeep, aren't we?"
Ian opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it again. He decides to just nod in agreement.
"We should probably see if Mozart can hook us up with someone the next time we see him."
They go back to unpacking.
OOC
Ben: "I suppose we could talk a bit, first, let me see the bottle..." with an surprisingly adroit movement Ben snatches the bottle out of Tito's hand and tilts it back, draining half the contents in a series of gulps. Ben shakes his head and in a voice that he tries to hold steady repeats to himself "I did all I could. It wasn't my fault... Still sounds like bull, but I think I'm getting there."
Ben tilts his head back and drains the rest of the bottle. "Sure, let's talk. You know where we can get something to drink? All of the caches I've found up here just contain IOUs... I think I may have written some of them. Is it possible to give yourself an IOU?
OOC
Another idea, for anyone that wants it:
Orbital Kaiju Response Aassault Projectile satellite. An early anti-kaiju weapon briefly put into service before the Jaeger program went live. A fleet of highly mobile satellites loaded with self guided de-orbiting kinetic penetrator rounds (fancy speak for tungsten steel telephone poles with fins), it was mothballed due to the difficulty of getting accurate and up to date targeting information on the swiftly moving kaiju. Once the Jaeger program had proved itself and moved into full production, funding dried up for designers and engineers working on non-jaeger related projects and the satellite array was lost to the archives. Researchers recovered the information and were amazed to learn that these satellites are still in orbit and still functional, if they could equip a jaeger with a satellite uplink and enhanced targeting and sensor arrays, the satellites should be able to accurately target a kaiju while it was distracted by a jaeger.
Of course, I've got no idea how to work that into the game system, just that the thought of it made me smile a bit.
(and by "it" I mean a literal OKRAP button in a jaeger cockpit)
@SirEtchwarts
Oh, also, whilst I'm here in OOC can one of your characters just make a Mind check for me?))
Mozart sidles into the construction site which is, theoretically at least, to be a bar. He has a key apparently, either that or the door is less solid than it looks.
He looks around appraisingly, the place is rather more organised than he'd last seen it, most of the boxes had been emptied and tidied away, someone had even run a futile brush over the floor.
"Looking good," he speaks up suddenly, "everything in order I hope?"
@See317
Tito: "Woah hey, steady with that friend, that ain't your cheap liquor there," he takes the bottle back with a laugh and swigs heavily himself, "you're supposed to at least try and taste it. Before your tongue goes numb."
He sighs, "Try not to beat yourself up to much kay? There was nothing you could do, I was there too remember, shit like this happens sometimes ya'know, just gotta live with it." He takes another mouthful of the harsh liquid, swilling it thoughtfully round his mouth before handing the bottle back.
It's getting disappointingly empty.
"There's plenty of drink back at my place, slightly comfier than squatting out here in the hallway, and, since you've had a rough day, I won't even charge you, don't let anyone say I neve do anything for you new folk huh?"
((I'm all for satellite launched precision weaponry and is, in fact, something which may well come into play later in the story, but we can probably work out something fun around that concept.))
((And sure!))
Geth, roll 1d10+2 for Mind Check
Ben: Yeah, I know I gotta live with it. I know that people were always going to die. I just thought that we'd be the first in our group. We've got a jaeger designed to punch things and get punched by things. Get in close, unleash hell, then take a shot to the chin and keep on coming.
She's not really designed to run, can't get out of the way once she gets in close. Figured that we'd get up close and personal, drop a couple of monsters, make a name for ourselves, then we'd stop being lucky. We'd come up against something able to take more of a beating then we could hand out, or something that could deliver more of a beating then we could take and we'd be done. Or we'd step between an ally and a monster and get taken out protecting a teammate.
But Disco... That was a fast machine, may not have packed as much of a punch as the other jaegers on our squad, but that one that could stick and move, keep out of the way... And she jumped in front of Great White like she was a god damned knight out of some idiotic pulp fantasy novel and they hauled that dragon back to hell. Dragged it down while all I could do was watch.
...So yeah. A bit more to drink sounds good.
They walk back to Tito's quarters, Ben staggers a bit, but manages to keep his feet under him, just barely.
"Huh, I just kinda figured you'd be serving yourselves, but I can probably rustle someone up sure. Might be someone desperate for a job mind, but they'll provide their own theft-deterrence club. Ooh, you want someone with an eyepatch? Nothing adds an element of class to an illegitimate establishment like a one-eyed barkeep."
@See317
After a short while you arrive at a seldom used access door. It's locked tight but Shivala kneels down and does something to the lock and it soon swings freely open.
"Hah, called it," she mutters, pointing across the ill-kept perimeter land towards a small building, the windows flickering with a faint electrical light, "there definitely shouldn't be lights on in an abandoned loading bay I think. They should probably put some blinds up."
Tito does his best to keep Ben upright on the walk back to his place, which is a little tricky considering the Spaniards isn't exactly steady on his feet either.
He nods sagely, "well, you know how it feels when you're strapped up in there, like you could take on the world. If you let that get to your head you can find yourself in some real trouble. Hell I'm guilty enough of that myself, it's a hard habit to break until you really over-extend yourself."
What you can make out of Tito's living space is surprisingly homely. It looks to be of the same sort of size and style as your own bunk but some considerable effort has been put into hiding the utilitarian look of the place. Thick, colourful curtains are draped around the walls, comfortable looking chairs surround a small wooden table and a couple of neat cabinets sit in out-of-the-way corners, including a tall glass-fronted affair filled with an enticing array of bottles and tumblers.
The room is not empty of human occupants either, a tall, amazonian woman with olive skin and a mane of dark curled hair is sat with book in hand beneath a standing lamp. Presumedly the second pilot of Fiesta Vanquish; Leonor Martinez. The couple share a look as you enter the room before Leonor speaks up, "oh, a guest, how unexpected, a pleasure I'm sure."
"To be honest, I thought it was implied."
"I think my idiot brother has gotten into trouble by now. Excuse me."
She arrived to find Jonathan talking with one of the disposable non-geniuses around the base. And, from the sound, things were as bad as expected.
"Missing. Oh. Oh crap. Oh crap."
He turned to Shelley and smiled.
"Hey Shelley! We're all screwed!"
"What now?"
"We lost a Kaiju. And considering..."
He made an exaggerated shrug.
*It's the one that slipped the net. Which should have been impossible. So, I think it could have been assembled over here.*
*I thought it was years out... and it's been years. Right. Maybe.*
*And from the removal, they probably have someone one the inside to make sure they got it back instead of us.*
*Which means talking about any of it would show off knowing too much. Don't say anything until we have some proof. And I'm not saying don't trust the pilots...*
*Because that's already covered by your usual 'don't trust anyone but me.' Act casual?*
Shelley nodded, then frowned.
"It means the recovery teams are failing us again. So much for the brains. I really wanted to get one."
"Ha! You said you didn't have a brain."
*Too casual, Jonny.*
*Sorry.*
Why I fear the ocean.
Ben, his mind impaired by alcohol completely misses any implications of the look. He stumbles across the room, narrowly missing tripping over the low table and landing in her lap, thrusts a hand towards the woman. "I'm Ben, this is Tito. But you know that I'm sure..." Ben shakes his head to try and clear some of the gathering fog.
Mozart glances around, mouth half open as if to say something else, before he is interrupted by a sharp knock on the door, "huh, expecting someone?"
@chiasaur11
@see317
As you reach the plain door, the wood slightly stained but it looks like a new frame has been fitted recently, Shivala leans over to rap sharply against the wood.
The woman puts down her book, smiling softly, "I know who you are Ben, nice to meet you properly. And yes I also know who my husband is, but I appreciate the introduction anyway, how are you?"
Tito chuckles at your stumbling, pulling out a chair before crossing, a little shakily, towards the drinks cabinet. "Take a seat my friend, I wouldn't want to explain to the boss what you were doing brained on my table corner."
Chicago Megagame group
Watch me struggle to learn streaming! Point and laugh!
At the knock on the door, Ian and Ashkir glance at each other. Neither of them had been expecting anyone. Ian walked forward and opened it up, Ashkir just behind him.
Ben collapses into a well worn and remarkably comfortable chair. "Honestly, I've been better. I can't stop seeing Neon, playing it over and over in my head trying to figure out where I'd gone wrong. What I could have done better. Figured if I found the right bottle, it might have some answers for me in the bottom, or at least a convincing argument as to why it's not actually my fault. Turns out that none of the one's I'd found were being all that helpful, and Tito said you might have something a little more helpful here.
Ashkir, while a little amused at the idea that Ian was ordering him around, goes and does just that, finding the most expensive bottle he can and pouring out four glasses. He picks up his. "How do you guys want to start this toast?"
His brief eulogy nearly complete, Ben pauses and smiles before adding "And may I never forget the look on that bloody beasties face as Disco Neon was dragging it straight back to whatever hell it crawled out of."
Ashkir clears his throat. "I didn't know either of them for very long, obviously. I don't think anyone here did. But in the short time I fought alongside them, I grew to respect them. They were always there with an assist if you needed it, and their hearts were in the right place. Going forward, I hope that we can keep their sacrifice in mind, and make damn sure it wasn't in vain." He raises his glass. "To Disco Neon; the most kickass Jaeger ever to be colored pink, and to Michelle and Jane; the most kickass pilots this side of the Breach."
Lei's brow furrows at the question, "Huh? Are we already ignoring Icaro? I thought you media types had good memories, wasn't that long ago that we had four shatterdomes operating on this coastline, now we've got three and Aegis is still one of them, pretty sure are casualties aren't worse than the guys who got totally wiped off the map."
The conversation dulls to a slow halt, with nothing particularly interesting raised. After a short while the Commander ushers the reporters out and escorts them back towards the main entrance.
@see317
He uncorks the wine and pours it out. Leonor shifts over to the table, she fixes Tito with a slightly concerned look, "you sure? I know you don't have many bottles left."
"Ehh, it's fine, can't think of a better time than this."
@SirEtchwarts, @see317
She raises her glass as the toast circles round to her, "Well, I probably knew Jane and Michelle even less than you did, and I regret that I did not get the chance to know them any better. It's never easy when a crew is lost, and it's little consolation but at the very least we can take some solace in the fact that their bravery saved an awful lot of lives."
Meanwhile, Bill is staggeringly drunk.
Chicago Megagame group
Watch me struggle to learn streaming! Point and laugh!
"Ah, kaiju parts. The stuff of life! Lay on, Macduff,. And damned be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'"
Shelley stepped back.
"Security's on the scene already, right? We don't want another 'desecrating the dead' story. Or news teams in general, really."
Why I fear the ocean.
I'm not really sure if you've got further plans along the line of my guys continuing to drink, but I'm kind of at a dead end as far as ideas go for my guys. (Honestly, I figured you'd ask me for a resilience check and have Ben keel over black out drunk in the hall after he started pelting empty bottles at random people.) If it's cool with you and @SirEtchwarts, I'm fine with saying Ben and/or Shane drink the night away with their respective companions and wake up, having managed to stumble his/their way back to their quarters (or at least to more public areas) with considerable hangovers. Just hoping we can move the plot along beyond "Mopey pilots drinking and moping about".
Ben takes a shallow sip of the wine that had been poured and rolls it around on his tongue while desperately searching his memory for anything about wine more insightful than 'it comes from grapes'. Accepting this as an exercise in futility at the best of times, to say nothing of in his current state, he swallows. "I have to admit, I've never been much for wine. Thought it for those intellectual types without the presence of mind to focus on something more important than fermented grapes and nigh undetectable hints of flavor and all the other stuff that sounds half made up to anyone not in the know. I went for the strongest, cheapest rotgut I could fine, figured if I wanted to get drunk, that'd be the quickest and most efficient way there. But this, this almost makes me regret that decision.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to the vineyard?" Even through his drunken haze, Ben notes a pained look on Tito's face and a matching look of concern on Leonor's.
"I'm guessing it's not a happy story. Was it located in California, or some other place unfortunately close to the Pacific?
Shane: After a round of toasts had been made by the table in the nearly empty bar, Shane raises his glass again and says simply "To Neon Disco and her crew" his glass and watches as the others around the table echo him, then join him in draining their glasses. Elsewhere in the bar the small number of occupants: the handful of staff that had been brought on; a couple of the peculiarly prescient breed of alcoholic who always seem to find their way to a new watering hole before it opens and ingratiate themselves with the new proprietors; and a person who's particularly talented at expediting illegal and/or inadvisable business arrangements also raise their glasses and echo his toast.
Geth role 1d10+1 for Mind Check: Does Shane recognize Mozart's voice?
Weird, the roll didn't work here, see below for roll results. I'm guessing that's a pretty solid "No".
I fear I may have to put this thing on hiatus until I can get the free time to do it, and you lot, justice.
Hope your coming weeks clear up in a good way (as opposed to the bad way that involves unemployment or other similar circumstances).
I suppose on the plus side I'll have the time to come up with some more (theoretically) entertaining story hooks.
Name: Jax Benton
Stat Block
Strength 4
Agility 9
Resilience 4
Mind 7
Major Trait: Teen son to a genetics scientist, Genius, his mind adapts to any situation
Minor Trait: He has a weakness to the synapse, and doesn't preffer to show his memories to anyone but james who is and has been his best friend since he was adopted
History: He had a hard life at his old home and ran away. He got found by adoption places and was adopted by a high order family who took him in and taught him about jaegers. He learned the individual peices and designed his own streamlined version of the jaeger, very much like the striker eureka, but with more armor
Name: James Becket
Stat Block
Strength 9
Agility 2
Resilience 5
Mind 6
Major Trait: He is stronger than most other cadets and has a heart to match his muscle
Minor Trait: He is quick to share his synapse information for better grades(Unlike jax)
Neural Bridge Synergy: Skirmish Fever
Between the excitement and determination, the Jaeger's pilots are able to react quicker than normal, and once per battle may ready an action with no penalty.
History: He has always loved the strength and power you get from being in a jaeger and when the inflush flooded in he was the first to sign up. He was only good at attacking and not defense or speed so he couldn't untill they found some genius boy he'd never met who could do it all.
Jaeger: Sun Gladiator
Mk: X (30 pts)
Strength:8
Armor: 6
Agility: 10
Firepower: 7
Power: 10 (3+7 free point)
Weight: 5
Bonuses:
Qualities: The jaeger made by a famous genetists son, it is unpredictable and a protytype but world wide, scientists have big hopes that THIS will be the jaeger to end the kaiju
Weaponry: Wrist blades (Slashing cut)
Range: Melee
Special Effect: These swords are tipped with a hydrochloric acid that when lit gives the pilot a hope to use them to slice neatly through the kaiju
X slam
Range: 1"
Projectile: solid state
Damage: D4
Special effects: Jaeger crosses to wrist sword blade and slashes downward cutting into the kaiju's shield and lowering it by 1
Auxiliary systems: Kinetic Drivers
Specially designed systems that enables the Jaeger to move faster and stronger. Can add a +1 to either Strength or Agility Roll once per turn
Signature Ability: The blaze blow
Sun Gladiator is a very unpredictable machine with different gears that have never been invented before. It does have a chest cannon that is almost equal to the gypsy carbine
OOG//: I know this is op so....: The sun gladiator although powerful in every aspect of the word, is unpredictable and has been known to get joint floodings of gear liquod and this freezes the jaeger. Scientists and jax benton are currently working to find a cure to this strange predicament but for the foreseeable we will have to go with hit and run attacking.