Breaking Point

[Atton Rand]

IC: "That's what special forces is for," The Sergeant explained. "It's a lot easier to take enemy mechs by surprise from the ground if you have the right weapons. A lot of our work was also in sabotage. We'd sneak into enemy camps, gain intel, and whenever possible try to weaken or disable mechs. Basically, just about anything that would make things easier for the mech operators."

[25K Now!]

IC: Christoph Lockheed

 

"I see."

 

Christoph crossed his arms.

 

"Any experience with friendly Walker forces?"

[Atton Rand]

Well if by that you mean making it easier for ours, then yes, though I usually had a platoon of thirty experienced soldiers working with me."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Walkers on foot?" The incredulous question came from the other occupied simulator as the occupant opened the entry hatch and stepped out. The brown-haired engineer had long since abandoned the coat associated with his uniform, leaving it hanging outside the sim, since the machines could get pretty stuffy. Not that he made any move to grab it. He was too busy sizing up the Sergeant with a faintly skeptical expression, adding to Christoph quietly; "A Raptor's head vulcans have a rate of fire like a close support craft, and none of the accuracy impediments brought on by flight speed. And that's without considering the same weapons ported onto a Warrior, or a Gunner. Ich denke, man hat ihr ins Hirn geschissen."

 

"Still," The test pilot stretched a little, slipping his hands into his pockets while he cocked his head slightly. "I guess this means Harken's getting bumped into a Walker. Good news, I have a few systems I want him to test. Think she'll get the Gungnir, boss, or d'you think they'll be putting it on ice? It didn't exactly deliver in the last fight."

 

IC:

 

"They're unfortunately common. Not so much in Tokyo, the place is too quiet for them." The Japanese pilot shifted slightly to offer her hand to Maigo, making an effort to keep all three of the women around her within view, and thus included in the conversation. "Perhaps she is just on edge. 

Edited April 25, 2016 by It's A Gundam MkII

[Silvan Haven]

Kasper Harken

 

IC: "My given/received damage ratio begs to differ." Said Kasper as he walked up to the group. "And yes, I'm getting fast tracked into the Walker program. Seems that attack left us somewhat short on qualified pilots."

 

A wry smile flitted across his face as he looked at the two Walker pilots.

 

"I ever so look forward to whatever you have for the junior pilot to test."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"The stealth and evasive maneuvers worked fine. And the Gungnir was effective on APCs." The German elaborated, turning a little to be able to include the Specialist in the conversation. He crossed his arms loosely across his chest, leaning back on the simulator behind him. "As an anti-Walker tool, it left a lot to be desired. Not your fault. R&D boys had a good concept."

"The tech to take down a Walker on foot just isn't really there yet. Glad you didn't get hit, though, Harken. That's be bad." Benjamin gave a cheerful grin. "And don't you worry. I have plenty of tech that needs a guinea pig."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Maigo:

 

"Everyone's on edge after that attack, you don't see -them- taking it out on other people....." She retorted, shaking the proffered hand briefly.

 

.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Ayane likes to believe the best in people. Don't worry about it." Lauren held out her hand for a proffered shake and clasped the Japanese pilot's shoulder. 

 

Wonder if she'll fall for it.

 

-Tyler

[Atton Rand]

OOC: You guys do know that the green berets are a real thing, right? They're the people you're supposed to call in to do the seemingly impossible tasks when the regular army isn't good enough. As a member of special forces Casey would naturally have been involved with some very difficult operations. She wouldn't be working alone, naturally, but they would be things that require special training.

 

IC: The Sergeant remained quiet, somewhat frustrated. An experienced green beret with a record in the field and she was being assigned to test a few weapons. It seemed like a strange choice. The last real mission she could remember was about a year ago, and it involved taking out an enemy camp. Fifty soldiers had gone in, about a third of whom returned. That was about the time she was transferred to the role of drill instructor. Last she had heard, the rest of her team had been transferred elsewhere or discharged.

 

"I guess you'll want me to be testing something now," she finally said. "Let's get this overwith."

[Krayzikk]

OOC: No, that is not what special forces is. Special operations forces, as they are more properly called because special operations refers only to the US Army's special forces (in the United States), are units trained for unconventional warfare. The Green Berets, as the example you cited, are explicitly meant to handle; "unconventional warfare (the original and most important mission of Special Forces), foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, and counter-terrorism." These are small-scale operations, in terms of special operations' role in them. Special operations is who they send if they need an unconventional situation solved quickly, quietly, and competently.

 

That, granted, is in terms of the real world. In terms of Breaking Point, if a special operations team is engaging a Walker in combat, someone seriously screwed up. It isn't a matter of training. It doesn't matter if you're spec ops, a SEAL team, or the lowest enlisted soldier. If you are on foot and facing a Walker without artillery or air support, you are doomed. The technology to take down a walker on foot does not exist.

 

The Gungnir and Mantle, the prototypes that Harken was testing, were specifically designed to try and give units like special operations a chance at taking down a Walker. And after being field tested for the first time, they didn't really work as intended. Because the firepower needed to pierce a Walker's armor does not exist in handheld form. Walkers are 20m tall, agile, armored bipedal tanks with more firepower than any modern tank. Their shotguns are almost literally tank cannons. The head machine guns in a Raptor, which exist in other Walker types as well, have a rate of fire comparable to an A10's GAU/8 Avenger cannon (designed for close air support) albeit with a smaller caliber, but a greater degree of accuracy. A group of soldiers engaging a Walker will, at best, be able to give it some scratches before retreating. At worst they'll be wiped out to the man without ever putting a dent in its armor.

 

Nor has the Federation been at war recently. Not open war, that is. Minor border skirmishes with countries that refuse to join the Federation have been the extent of it, and those are the sort of missions a special operations unit would have gone on. Espionage. Training missions to the armies allied with member states that may not have the same training as the Federation Armed Forces. If a situation really got tense, maybe a sabotage mission.

 

But if Walkers are going to be involved, no one is going to send spec ops because that would be a blood bath. They're going to send forces actually equipped to deal with Walkers. Namely, other Walkers or perhaps air strikes.

 

I say all of this not to be mean, but because frankly to everyone else, Maxwell sounds crazy. Because I'm not entirely sure that you understand the nature of warfare in a mecha game, which multiple people have tried to impress on you. The staff, after a little talking, decided to transfer Maxwell to the Test Team because it was the only place we could see her potentially being guided down a path that would actually gel with the setting.

 

IC:

 

"Ma'am, with all due respect," The German pilot began, rather quickly dropping the cheery attitude with which he had spoken to Harken as he spoke directly to the Sergeant for the first time. "I don't think you have a idea what you're in for. There is no 'get this over with', and frankly, that attitude towards the Test Team ###### me off. I don't care if you say you've taken down a Walker on foot. I don't believe you, but I don't care."

 

"A Walker pilot is the new front-line soldier, and the Ark Union proved it today." A hint of Benjamin's accent began creeping back into his voice, while he pointed at Maxwell. "The colonists outclass us in every respect with tech. We lost seventeen Walkers today, and that was what it took to repel a single invasion. We lost a lot of those pilots, too, and some of them were friends of mine. You're here because we need more people to test the tech that might let us level the playing field. It's not easy. It's not always safe. And now, we're front-line material, too. Double duty."

 

"You'll test things when they come up, and if you treat my teammates' duties with disdain, I swear to mein Gott none of us will take it lying down like your recruits. Ma'am." He pointed to Harken and Lockheed, then back to himself. "You treat us with respect, I'll treat you with respect. If Lockheed needs something tested, I'll let him handle that."

Edited April 25, 2016 by It's A Gundam MkII

[Atton Rand]

OOC: Right, I obviously need to work on my character's backstory. I didn't actually mean to give the impression that she was charging out into the field by herself with a shotgun and taking down walkers left and right if that's what you're thinking, and obviously you wouldn't sent a group of soldiers to take out a giant walker. That said, if the means to take down a walker (as you noted, other walkers, artillery, air support) are all present, would it not be possible for a group of trained soldiers to find ways to give them a better advantage? While they might not be able to take down a walker on their own, they probably could find ways to give their other forces a better chance at it. For example, a properly timed explosive could in theory damage and thus weaken an enemy walker, making it easier for one of the other walkers to actually take it down or at least reducing its impact on the battlefield. Another way they could be useful is if the mission requires the team to sneak into an enemy camp and sabotage a walker while it is not being used, during which time someone who knows what they are doing could either weaken or disable it.

 

IC: The Sergeant remained quiet, agitated and frustrated but reluctant to provoke anything worse than needed. It was already frustrating enough that the other soldiers felt it was necessary to punish her for doing her job as a drill instructor. It was not like she had any reason to expect to be well-liked by whoever she was assigned to; she could only hope her field experience could make up for her difficult personality. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, placing one into her mouth and lighting it.

 

"Yes sir," she finally said. "What do you need me to do?"

[Silvan Haven]

Kasper Harken

 

IC: Kasper stayed quiet. Partially because Benjamin had a point. As much it irked him to admit it, the Gungnir had not performed as hoped. Best case scenario it would new relegated to allow infantry to act in a supporting role.

 

The other reason was that he did not want to break into the German pilot's flow. The man had a thing going and to be frank, the Sergeant's attitude was not winning her any popularity contests.

[Krayzikk]

OOC: Sabotage is a perfectly valid use of special operations, and obviously if a Walker is just in storage, it can be sabotaged. Once it's active, though, soldiers on foot should just get out of the way. The number of scenarios in which a soldier on foot could be of use against a Walker are very, very small. And generally would be a pyrrhic victory at best.

IC:

"He's the 'sir.'" Benjamin inclined his head slightly to indicate Christoph, crossing his arms loosely across his chest. "I work for a living. I just happen to work here for a living, instead of a cushy engineering career in Berlin."

[25K Now!]

IC: Christoph Lockheed

 

Christoph had stayed silent throughout his subordinate's entire diatribe. It was true. Sergeant Maxwell's exploits sounded quite unbelievable, although he had seen attempts by infantry forces at combating Walkers during his time in South-East Asia (with little to no success, admittedly). He did, however, dislike the attitude displayed towards their work. Testing was not simply something that needed to be "gotten over with". It was rigorous. It was systematic. Every variable needed to be properly recorded. It decided whether or not a piece of equipment would be used in the field, whether or not it would risk someone's life.

 

But first.

 

"Please refrain from smoking here, Sergeant," said the captain calmly, gesturing at the nearby simulators. "The smoke isn't particularly beneficial towards the equipment ... or our lungs."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Cap's from Australia. They're serious about their anti-smoking campaigns."

IC:

What are you up to, Lauren?

 

"More a matter of trying to give the benefit of the doubt. I'm the new one here, best not to alienate people. I think we'll be here a while."

[Atton Rand]

IC: The Sergeant groaned. Reluctantly, she tossed her cigarette aside. Still, it could be worse. At least no one complained about her drinking.

 

"Fine," she muttered.

[25K Now!]

IC: Christoph Lockheed

 

"Do you have any experience with piloting a Walker?" continued Christoph, eyes watching as a Roomba moved to suck up the discarded ciggy.

[Atton Rand]

IC: "No, sir." The Sergeant replied. "I've been in the field with them and I've been on sabotage missions in which we destroyed enemy walkers while they were in storage, but I've never operated one myself."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Come to think of it, we'll need to get one tailored to your control schemes, Harken. Maybe see if we can get a good set of pilot data out of storage to make it a little easier."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"It'll be good to have you guys here. You have a cool ship. Just wish I'd known it'd be in town."

 

Nadia shook Ayane's hand firmly.

 

-Tyler

[25K Now!]

IC: Christoph

 

"What of their inner workings? Are you familiar with how they tick?"

[Atton Rand]

IC: "A little. Knowing their weak spots is useful for sabotage."

[25K Now!]

IC: Christoph

 

"Be specific."

[Atton Rand]

IC: "Back in Special Ops, we got a lot of assignments which involved sneaking into enemy camps in the middle of the night and trying to sabotage their walkers, then getting out before anyone noticed we were even there. Not an easy task. There would be around thirty of us on such missions, and a variety of specialists: snipers, demolitions experts, technicians. Fortunately, when things went as planned, it took little more than a few silent kills to get into the hangar, then our technical and demolitions specialists could deal with the walkers appropriately. Most of the time, we tried to quietly disable them, but we weren't above destroying them whenever we could. Sometimes we'd set up explosives in the cockpits or engines so that they could be set off by an unwitting operator later."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Maigo Koizumi:

 

"Well it looks like she's getting her's, anyway..... so where's this.... huck-bin I'm piloting with you, anyway?"

[25K Now!]

IC: October M. Brightbridge

 

"

"

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Always good weakpoints to know, but things are a little different when they're in motion. Most of the biggest weaknesses are too small to hit when they're already in motion." Ben inclined his head towards Christoph. "He'll try and teach you the basics, at the very least. Dunno what they'll have you testing, but it'll probably be Anti-Walker in nature. We've always gotta make sure that if there's a problem, it's tech error not operator error."

"Only way they can get good results."

IC:

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Nah. But we can table that for right now. C'mon, I want to show you Munequita up close."

 

-Tyler

[Atton Rand]

OOC: I just looked at the discussion topic again, and I think I figured out where I goofed up with regards to Sue the Bartender. It has to do with me misreading the following post:

 

And then there's Skri and Reo, impersonating Imperial officers, NT-081 (a rogue Novatrooper), Ghost and Dov's smugglers, Sue the bartender, the Chistori retired bounty hunter, Sen, a ship captain, an air traffic controller, Dov's rogue Dark Side practitioner, and probably a few I'm forgetting. 

 

So what I think happened was I misread this excerpt as saying "The Christori Bartender" obviously mixing up Sue and the bounty hunter. I apologize for that misunderstanding. I probably also should have read Sue's profile in more detail beforehand. 

 

IC: Nadia performed a quick double-take towards the bartender as she looked at her. That was a bit strange; mistaking a wookie for a Christori. Of course, this realization wasn't totally comforting to her. It was after all a Wookie who had attacked her friends earlier in the day. That didn't matter much for now, she was probably just tired and not thinking clearly. So far they had failed to call over the Wookie bartender, who was too busy attending to other matters. She cursed in her native Twi'Leki.

 

"I've got a strange feeling," Viseria muttered. Nadia turned towards her. 

 

"Is something wrong?"

 

"I'm not sure. I just feel a strange presence here," the Miraluka paused. "It's probably nothing. I'm just exhausted."

 

"We've had a rough day," Nadia said. "Let's just get a drink and then go back to the base and get some sleep."

 

The Twi'lek turned back towards the bar. She felt somewhat reluctant to order drinks from the Wookie after what happened earlier, but that was the only person currently working.

 

"HEY!" She yelled. "Can we get a couple drinks over here!"

[Krayzikk]

OOC: Slightly wrong topic.

[Atton Rand]

OOC: Oh wow. That was silly of me. I'm so sorry. I must have clicked the wrong link.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Atton Rand

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Maigo:

 

"That's what I said."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Alright then, lead the way. I'm curious to see this 'Huckbein', as well."

[25K Now!]

IC: Christoph Lockheed

 

"Hopefully nothing that differs from the norm too spectacularly," said the test team captain. "We do not wish to repeat the Baconator incident."

 

IC: October M. Brightbridge

 

A smile bedazzling in the manner of great Sunna's life-giving rays. With the slightest of nods, reposeful in action and restrained in thought, fair October stepped away, beginning anew like buds in springtime. She crested the distance, leading them forth. Their curiosities would be sated, fuller than any glorious feast, for the great Huckebein was far more, greatly superior, to any simple, delicate dish.

 

Greatest of Midgard's weapons, it was.

 

Huckebein.

 

Indigo in shade, a knightly machine bestrid the very world. Armaments plentiful, promising Götterdämmerung to vanquish all foes.

 

Eyes flashed brighter than even Baldr himself.

 

The masterpiece of Copernican technology.

 

FAW-016[GB]+AMGγ-009/RTX "Huckebein".

Edited May 6, 2016 by Selfdestructive Workaholic

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Maigo:

 

She looked slowly up and down the colossal machine. Armed to the teeth, and then some, this was clearly a powerhouse.

 

Head vulcans, twin railguns, missile bays, what looked like a tank cannon, shields, and wrist gatlings, Truly, the Huckebein was a marvel of destructive weaponry. Technicians scrambled over its surface, making adjustments, ensuring that when it ran, it would do so at peak efficiency.

 

 

"I don't like it."

Edited May 6, 2016 by The Amaztastical Lynn

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Looks big.

 

Lauren stared for a couple seconds before slowly gravitating, with the sideways waltz of the mighty and graceful hermit crabs, towards Horizon's last and pluckiest Raptor.

 

-Tyler

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Why are you walking like that?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Headed for my Munequita."

 

-Tyler

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Why does that require walking like a hermit crab?"

[Atton Rand]

IC: "So what exactly am I supposed to do?" the Sergeant asked.