Intro:In an ideal world all members of a mech squad would go through training together. That way they would learn how to fight as a cohesive unit. However a pilot needs around 9 months to learn how to operate their mech effectively whereas a giant robot takes on average 6 months to construct. As such all nations in the Great War eventually found themselves with an acute shortage of trained pilots, and so a scramble to find replacements took place, with retired veterans, military-minded mechanics and similar folks all being drafted into the mech force. Thus squads formed early in the Great War were known as 'Mixed Nuts', for they contained pilots from wildly different backgrounds, training and experience.
The 25
th is one of these 'Mixed Nuts' squads, and it is a sign of how quickly it was formed that most of you have not met each other until this day, July the 15
th, 1904. A few hours ago the majority of you were in the half-ruined metropolis of Dirst, where you had spent several days doing nothing as you waited for your assignments to come in. But eventually your orders to join the newly formed 25
th did arrive, and so you headed north along a half-ruined highway to your new assignment at Calignac Base.
The village of Calignac was a peaceful place before the war, and its inhabitants were content to tend to their paddies of rice and fields of vegetables like their ancestors before them. After the invasion most of them fled their homes, and since then the Terralban military established a base by the village due to its position along a major highway. Yet little fighting has taken place around the base, for the major Terralban offensive has been directed along the coasts instead of the less favourable terrain inland. Thus the newly formed 23
rd, 24
th and 25
th mech squads were posted to Calignac Base, allowing the more experienced 7
th and 12
th to be rotated back to the front lines.
With very little fanfare the general staff at Calignac Base accepts your documents, assigns you a place to sleep, and hands over appropriate equipment for your new posting as mech pilots for the 25
th. Sergeant Tonya Aurelio and Corporal Sean Hosier also receive folders packed to the brim with important documents for their role as officers, such as requisition documents, pilot assignments, and the radio frequencies and codes currently used at the base. They also receive a large manila envelope from the Executive Officer before being dismissed.
The envelope contains the details for the 25th’s first mission, a shakedown of their assigned mechs through a patrol along the outskirts of the sector. Command deems it important that the pilots familiarize themselves with their robots and the terrain as soon as possible, so you have only one hour to prepare the squad for the mission. The rest of the contents of the envelope contain information on the route to be taken and information on Edo forces in the area.
Obviously the most difficult part of the mission will be the preparation for undertaking it, but that should only take thirty minutes at most.
OOC ThreadLayout:
Calignac Base is laid out around the village of Calignac, with living areas to the south and the mech repair and maintenance facilities to the east. A defensive line of fixed guns protecting the base lie a kilometer or so to the north, though it's obvious to even the untrained eye that a concentrated assault of mechs would easily break through them. All of the guns are exposed or protected by a shallow wall of sandbags, so a few good shots would disable them and leave Calignac Base completely vulnerable.
The Village of Calignac:
A few buildings in Calignac were damaged by trigger-happy mech pilots, but for the most part they have remained intact. The command staff has claimed most of the buildings for themselves, allowing them to work in peace and quiet, while the rest of the buildings house either the officers stationed at the base or the few frightened civilians that remain. Even with the base established around it Calignac is rather picturesque with its pointed roofs. The church is still open to all for it has been taken over by the army chaplains and the tavern is open too, though only off-duty personnel are allowed inside. Aurelio and Hosier share a bunk in one of the houses in the village. While it is cramped. at least it's warm and dry.
Living Area:
To the south of Calignac is the living area that houses the soldiers, mechanics and pilots and everyone else stationed at the base. Since the front around Calignac is expected to stay static for an extended length of time, prefab structures have been erected to shelter the troops, though many are still sleeping in tents at the present. Kitchens have also been set up to feed everyone, and several wells dug for drinking and bathing water. Stores of weapons and ammunition for the infantry are kept on the southern edge of the camp. Everyone in the 25th besides the officers sleep in one of the prefab shelters, which they share with the pilots of 23rd and 24th. A curtain has been draped across the centre of the room to separate the men's side from the women's, which makes the room look starkly bare. Other than bunkbeds and chests to store personal items, there are no other furnishings.
Mech Facilites:
To the east of Calignac are the facilities that maintain and repair the mechs that are stationed at the base. Unless actively being worked on, the giant robots are generally covered with a large tarp in a camouflage pattern to protect them from the elements and hide them from scouts. The large metal tanks that store biofuel for the base are set up behind the mechs, for easy refuelling. A direct hit to these tanks would be disastrous, for it takes plenty of fuel to power a mech and so each drop is precious. Several large tents have also been erected to cover the mechanics as they work, and many cranes are parked neatly out of the way for when they're needed. The base's motorpool is established to the south of the facilities, for officers and soldiers to requestion cars and motorcycles when needed.
Western Field:
The field to the west of Calignac is not designated for any use by Command and so has largely been left untouched. As such most soldiers congregate there on their time off, for besides the occasional visit from the Movie Unit there is nothing to do for entertainment. Ballgames are most often played, and a few people have even set up a little garden on the southern edge. Enterprising Edomen can also be seen hawking food, booze and small goods to the soldiers in the field despite efforts from Command to throw them out on suspicion of being spies. However the average soldier has too much money and not enough to spend it on, and so the hawkers still make a brisk business.
((The first mission will be up on Monday or Tuesday depending on my schedule, so use this time to introduce your characters and get to know each other a bit. I’m going to assume that nobody wants to get bogged down in bureaucratic stuff, so it’ll be handled in the background. Thus Tonya Aurelio and Sean Hosier technically don’t have to do anything to prepare for the first mission as that kind of stuff handled automatically, but I would prefer it if you organized everyone under your command into two fireteams, one for each officer to command in battle. However anything above and beyond that will definitely be appreciated.
Let me know if I missed anything, or if there's any piece of information that you want to know. I'm sure that I left something out somewhere.))
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Topic: 25th Mech Squad - IC Thread [IN-BETWEEN MISSIONS] (Read 17889 times)