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[Haspen]

8th September 2245

15:55

As another cargo plane was being unloaded on the airstrip outside, the terminals in quarters have beeped up.

"Lieutenants Josephine Tala, Jason Thrace, Luis Augusto dos Santos Oliveira and Kenneth Parley report to Commander Arnold Petersen. Lieutenants Josephine Tala, Jason Thrace, Luis Augusto dos Santos Oliveira and Kenneth Parley report to Commander Arnold Petersen."

[Tiruin]

"I hope this is another mission, although that's...the four of us. So we're not getting two more?" Tala said as she met the other guys along the hallway. "Although I'm also hoping that- wait, did any of you get anything from the Interstore? I heard interest in getting the free equipment but I heard nothing else from me and Thrace."

[Solymr]

I don't have space left in my mech to put stuff in and I didn't think I could replace any of my stuff until I have more money, so I guess I'm stuck with this loadout for a bit. I've been making progress on combat repair training though.

Luis goes to report with the rest.

[Kashyyk]

I've made myself a little less likely to explode. There wasn't much in the way of items I thought would be useful to us though.

[Haspen]

Commander Petersen was waiting inside his office, with two badge-less UNDMF lieutenants and a holovid depicting some sort of Martian bot.

"You've arrived." He waved his hand toward the two pilots.

"Lieutenants Lemashe Aphudovy and Rein Force." He then gestured toward the starter team.

//Lieutenants Lemashe Aphudovy (SaberToothTiger) and Rein Force (TricMagic) are in!

"Lieutenants Tala, Thrace, Augusto and Parley, meet your new squad mates. You will introduce them and tour them around the base most important facilities at a later date, however." He tapped his mobile computer few times, enlarging the holographic projection in the middle of the room.

"This is a new heavy assault bot used by Martians. From what leaked information we've gathered, it seems that its working name is 'Olympus Mons'. Thirtyy percent larger than BUSTERs from ARMSTRONG company. Thick armor, three hardpoints, one of them boasting an armor piercing cannon. It seems the alien bastards have caught up with the fact that our shield technology is lagging and our mecha are getting better and better armor and structural strength instead. The only good thing is that this new Martian dronebot is slow and easily targeted, but considering most of our soldiers are crackshots already, it's low evasion score is hardly a weakness. Our database operators have already uploaded tactical data on Olympus Mons to your onboard computers."

//New Database Entry obtained!

Name: Martian Olympus Mons Dronebot
Desc: Large and equipped with large array of weapons, including an armor-piercing cannon. Its bulky silhouette is as clumsy as it is durable.
Hull Points: 135
Base Armor: 13
Base Evasion: 2%
Weight Limit: 73/75
Heat Limit: 22
Inventory (preset):
-Martian AP Cannon
-Imperial Napalm Cannon
-Martian Energy Lance
-Martian Cooling System
-Martian Drone RTG
-Martian DroneCPU lv.2

Name: Martian AP Cannon (Ordnance)
Ammo: 12
Damage: 42-58, Piercing
Weight: 14

[Kashyyk]

Well that's one chunky mutha. Our squad kill team should be able to handle it just fine though. Jason grinned, glancing over at Jo and Ken.

[TricMagic]

"Then you may end up being the first to fall."

"How good are you lot at evasion?" Rein asks.

[SaberToothTiger]

One of the new pilots straightened his back and saluted upon seeing his new squadmembers. There was talk of them back home, talk of new veterans in the Mechanised Corps. Apparently there was a team of four mechs which had eradicated a Martian incursion without much difficulty. Serving with experienced pilots was quite an honor. Now, if the man wanted to survive the war and perhaps even join the esteemed ranks of Earthen heroes, he had to learn from anyone willing to teach him. The man listened to the briefing with great attention and especially noted the names of his companions. Every name sounded exotic, at least to a simple mind from a small village in the Caucasus. Then, when the Commander paused his briefing the pilot perked up. "Permission to speak, sir!" he said before turning to the other pilots.

"It is an honor to serve alongside you, lieutenants. It is most generous of you to let me join you in the many battles that will come ahead."

The man bowed his head and turned to Rein.

"Evading foes is a dishonor. If we are to maintain our nape huzhkle we must face our enemies head on and brave their wrath directly."

[TricMagic]

"I run light and strike where the iron is hot. The principles of combat is not to bleed for your world, but to make them bleed for theirs'. And I like to think I can do my job well."

"Hope to see you put them down hard alongside me"

Force turns to speak with the other four.


"I hope to test myself against you in sim one day soon."

Speaking to the commander-"Sir, if I may ask, what are our orders. From what you said, we do not have much time for chit-chat."

[Haspen]

"That is true." He switched the holovid from the new dronebot to a big map. The very western tip of Britain was flashing red.

"At fourteen hundred hours, the Martians have begun a major assault on the Cornwall's End naval and armor base. It includes several Martian ships, hundreds of drones and they've already established a stable Trans-Gate point on the shore. Cornwall Defense Forces are doing all they can to repel the invasion, but the casualties are mounting." The map changed to a spinning show of several mecha, tanks, trucks and planes.

"Several convoys and air support teams have been already dispatched or are being prepared for dispatch. You will be assigned to Convoy 13. It is comprised of five M-Ap5 and four M-E2 tanks, as well as six trucks; two with munitions, two with electronics, and two heavily armored with classified cargo. The tanks are not the escort - you are. Each tank and truck counts, but our remote spydrones already detected several barricades, patrol groups and we've got reports of drone ambushes and aerial bombardments against previous convoys."

"The tanks will provide some fire support, of course, but remember that you will be doing most of the fighting, and that you're responsible for safe delivery of the vehicles. After you get in the close vicinity of the base, you will be given the order to disengage and return, for we might need to dispatch additional convoys. Get ready and report to the hangar. You're leaving in twenty minutes." He looked at all six pilots.

"And that is all. Dismissed!"

[TricMagic]

Move to the Hanger immediately, and run a systems check.

(Quick run down of my equipment to the others via radio test as well.)

[Kashyyk]

Whilst Jason stepped through the start-up sequence, he keyed his comms: I agree with Lt Force. The best way to survive a strike is to be somewhere else. Preferably having already struck your opponent.

Start-up will be complete in three minutes. It looks like we'll be keeping to schedule.

[Tiruin]

Lt. Tala listened and let everyone else speak during briefing. It was a good time as any to see impressions herself form on them, and then think ahead from that point. She only had one question for the commander...

"Sir, can we deploy ahead of the convoy then? I do believe our presence makes us more of a target, especially after our weapons start firing. Are our mechs at the same mobility to reach the area after clearing the first obstacles?"

==+==

"Glad to know the Martians still retain the sense of symbolism. Olympus Mons is-or...was the highest peak on Mars. I'm unsure what they have now given the terraforming and the satellite blackout on our part." Josephine stared and sighed mentally being the only female present--not that it was anything negative, it was more that she did want to talk about personal things wholly unrelated entirely, until it hit her that this was conditioning from centuries past and only present because this one person in family was that influential on her...

"Evading foes is a dishonor. If we are to maintain our nape huzhkle we must face our enemies head on and brave their wrath directly."

"Evading their weapons isn't! I should show you one of the recordings from battle; you could see the tracers whizz past the camera (...my camera for that point). That said, I should introduce the rest of you to the Interstore! I can make an order in advance for later."

Spoiler: She brought up an old email which may be outdated in offers presented given the past week... (click to show/hide)

Name: YokohamaPTS-88
Heat Limit Bonus: 0
Weight: 7
Radiator Level: -4 Heat/Turn
Cost: 1500c per unit

Name: SGMG Yokohama
Ammo: 20
Crit%: 0%
Damage: 25-30, Default
Weight: 10
Cost: 500c per unit

Name: Type-13 Peashooter
Ammo: 30
Crit%: 0%
Damage: 16-24, Default
Weight: 7
Cost: 400c per unit

"That being said, it is nice to meet you two! I do hope you're all used to shooting and moving, because we'll be doing a lot of mobility exercises from thereon out. I do wish our mechs had the same shaped and slanted armor like those tanks though; gives much less of a target and a lot more in protection. Also...I envy your choice of mechs," she said, with the last sentence being more a whisper to that one pilot who had the fancy BESPECTACLED mech around.

If she had browsed the pilot manual (or...at least, had one of the NEWLY UPDATED ONES), she would've known that your starting mech was the most influential and highest investment a newbie pilot could make in comparison to any equipment available. But that wasn't available in the manuals she had when before she was set out for deployment.

The envy tasted like machine oil and felt like a constant itch outside of your range of scratching.

[SaberToothTiger]

"Maybe you do things different here. I learn, though! You is perhaps right." Aphudovy blurted out. "But mechanism is indestructible. It is armor not penetrable. For proof, nobody yet destroy mechanism."

For a second there, Lemashe thought his words over. Tempting fate just before battle was perhaps not the best advised thing one could do. Annoying the people who would watch your back was even worse. Perhaps he should apologise?

"You right, though. I will run like coward chicken and hide from enemy."

Much better. Surely, no man or woman could be insulted after such a polite statement.

"I stay with truck. I get attention from enemy and they not see backstabber mechanism hiding in bush."

There was no time for idle chit-chat, though. Aphudovy walked to the hangar in which his prized mecha waited for him. A machine thrice the height of a man, covered in composite armor and exotic weaponry stood there, waiting to join the ranks in the long war ahead. There was no time for admiring, though, and the pilot quickly climbed into his seat. The mech quickly whirred to life, activating all systems. Inside the pilot's cabin the music of Baragunov begun playing.

[Solymr]

Luis didn't say anything, just shrugged in his own mech and started it up for another day of combat.