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Prior Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/40711412
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Maverick%20Hunter%20Quest
The IRC: suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com, #MHQ
The Twitter: https://twitter.com/HunterCommand

You are maverick hunter Cathode, and you think you just watched your brother die.
>>
Cry. A little.

Then shoot a lot.

(I'm not a robot)
>>
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>>40728019
Cradling his body, eyes blank, you heft him over your shoulders with a grunt, staggering away from his assailant, his back turned to you.

“I can’t in good conscience recommend that,” Doppler says, making you whirl and level your rays on him--for whatever good they are. He ignores you, examining the … chunk of your brother hefted in one of his hands, still dripping oily blood. “I can save him, you know. And you.”

Your eyes widen. Then, that hollow exhaustion that’s been spreading through you…

“You did your duty to them. Now, it’s time you do your duty to your people,” he continues, looking at the immense damage inflicted on Limited’s power generators. “If you flee… you can’t escape. And you will be dead inside an hour.”

You back up another step, glaring a hole in his back, before turning and rushing Anode out as fast as you can carry him.

“This is Cathode, 1st Advance, is any friendly receiving?” You comm. Nothing. Gritting your teeth, you stagger ahead, pushing back the way you came, through the ruined hallway you brought down Nicholz in. Nothing.

You don’t dare turn and see if Doppler’s following. Your shields are practically spent, and… and you feel your limbs numbing, the familiar hum of power to your weapon systems going dead. It spreads to your legs before long, each step coming harder than the last, your feet dragging, until finally, you stumble and collapse, only just turning to catch Anode’s body with your own. God, not like this.

Fingers heavy and clumsy, you try to scrub and boost your comm signal as well as you can, using an old trick the Boss taught you, piggybacking off of Anode’s own comms. “Cathode, 1st Advance,” you repeat, voice slurring, “I need immediate assistance from any hunter forces.” God damn it, come on--
>>
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>>40728048
“Cathode?” Your eyes widen as a last burst of static gives way to your CO’s voice.

“Cobra,” you pant, grimacing with exertion. Just moving your mouth is hard--your face hurts. “Wounded and… probable KIA on the 0 op. I’ve got my brother with me, he’s down. I… can’t move.”

“What do you mean, can’t move? Stay with me.”

“I got hit with… something. Grey energy wave thing.” There’s a long silence. For a terrible moment, you think you’ve lost Cobra’s signal. “Boss?”

“I’m here,” he says quietly. “Cathode, this is important. When you got hit, did it drain your weapons energy?”

“Yeah,” you reply, trying to drag yourself along the ground with one arm.

“Stand by,” he replies, voice starting to build a seething fury. “I’m getting you out of there.”

“How?” you mumble thickly. “I think it’s too--”

He cuts you off. “Stow it, soldier, no one in my unit gets out that easily. Stay on comms as long as you can. Keep talking. That’s an order.”

“...Copy,” you manage. “Thanks, boss.”
>>
>>40728074
You are Striker Cobra, G-rank, Commander of the 1st Advance, and you are going to have someone’s fucking head. Maybe X. Maybe Zero. Maybe--

“Doppler?!” you ask. “You’re sure?”

“He stuck his fucking hand through my brother’s chest,” Cath growls, speech labored, sounding like nothing so much as a wounded animal. “You tell me.”

You bang out the telemetry coordinates on the 1st’s Command room pad yourself. ‘Just a few more boots on the ground for mop-up, Cobra,’ Spider said. ‘We’ve got this all sewn up,’ he said.

“Cathode, the weapon you got hit with is some variant on a Nucleic disruption weapon. I know, because I applied to have one of those, and they turned me down.”

“Great. What’s that mean?”

“It means that anything the weapon hits has its electron orbitals collapsed. Covalent bonds disentangled. Molecular disassembly.”

“That sounds bad,” she jokes grimly.

“‘You’re coming apart at the atomic level’ bad, yes.”

“Fuck.”

“Just say calm. I’m coming to get you. Might take a detour to go cave Zero’s pointy little head in, if I find him.”

“Would appreciate if you got me out first, boss,” Cathode mumbles. Heh. Smartass kid.

But before that, you need to collect yourself for a moment and plan this.

>Withdraw the rest of the 1st.
>Find Doppler. Remove arms.
>>
>Find Doppler.

Form up the First if we can. We don't want them in this blind, but we don't want to be unsupported in the face of this fresh hell.
>>
>>40728119
>>Find Doppler. Remove arms.
They're capable of taking care of themselves. Let's go screw up the timeline with extreme prejudice.
>>
>>40728119
>Withdraw the rest of the 1st.
While I am all for timefoolery, getting out the people without plot armor is probably a better option? Then we go for Option: Remove everything.
>>
Welcome back, everybody. Your score stands at +5.
>>
>>40728119
>Find Doppler. Remove arms.
>>
>>40728119
>Withdraw the rest of the 1st.
>>
>>40728119
>Withdraw the rest of the 1st
get your men out
>>
>>40728119
Withdraw the 1st. Get all fragiles out of there. We need to get the twins to safety so they can not be demolecularized and fixed up.
>>
>>40728119
>Withdraw the rest of the 1st.
>>
>>40728119
>Withdraw the rest of the 1st.
>>
>>40728198
Agreed with this.

>Withdraw the rest of the 1st.
>>
>>40728119
>Withdraw the 1st
>>
> Withdraw the rest of the 1st
>>
>Find Doppler. Remove arms.
>>
>>40728119
>>Withdraw the rest of the 1st.
Saving soldiers comes before finding the madsci we thought was on our side.
>>
>>40728019

Withdraw the rest of the first.
>>
>>40728198
>>40728252
>>40728300
>>40728331
>>40728435
>>40728550
>>40728575
>>40728592
>>40728698
You slither on the pad in Geneva and exit the one in Who The Fuck Knowsistan, ignoring the salutes of very surprised hunters around the arrival site, as you start warming up your weapon systems. You flag down two of your officers, only just settling into their duties on the op. "Spike, Bullet, pass on the order for Advance to RTB immediately." They salute, by now used to your clipped, rapid-fire Command shifts. ...And experienced enough to tell you're pissed. "Which way am I going, Cathode?" you ask her over comms.

"Down," she mumbles, her signal faint and static-y despite being half a world closer. "Trying to set up my tracker now. Fingers aren't working so good."

"Neither's your English. Keep talking, walk me through this."

You force Cathode to stay with it and focused, occasionally asking her something on your way as you rocket through the remains of this giant base. It reminds you of nothing so much as a colossal maverick ant farm, full of twisting tunnels and chambers. Everywhere you go, you see signs of battle, damaged machinery, scorches on the ceiling and floors.

Exploding out of a service duct (a maverick shrieks with surprise before you take his insignia off his head by taking his head from his shoulders barehanded), you come up in a long hallway, riddled with the signs of battle... and an internal Geiger sensor tack-tackitas in your head, warning you that your hunch about the nucleus weapon. This must be where they fought.
>>
>>40729257
"From... from there..." Cathode's voice is ragged and her speech inconsistent. "I took Anode back up through the hall, away from Doppler... don't know where now."

"I'm close," you reply. "I've got lock on your beacon."

Sure enough, three halls up there she is, cradling her brother's body, collapsed against the wall. Her head's down, mumbling on her lips that you can't make out. And, across the way, you see the one who put the two siblings down round the corner, a look of complete non-concern on his face as he adjusts his gauntlets.

"Striker Cobra," Doppler says, beady eyes glinting under a shock of synthetic hair. "G-rank. Today is indeed a fortunate one."

"Yeah?" you ask. "That's nice."

He's forming some sort of glib reply when you shoot him in the face with a Cleopatra missile. He reels back, clutching his eyes, and you dart in to scoop up the Diode Twins. Unfortunately, having your hands full means that Doppler gets to keep his. Stupid big-nosed Doc Brown better hope he never sees you again.

(+1 points)
>>
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>>40729283
You are Web Spider, Special Unit 0, and this is officially your least favorite part of any assignment: the clean-up.

There’s reports to file, documents to request, contact reports, and, of course, casualties. All of those, however, can take a back seat for at least another few minutes, while the op draws to a close. You have one last priority issue before you’re doubtlessly retasked to another one.

Search and rescue.
You have one team put together--you couldn’t spare any more firepower from the fight. And you have several missing hunters. Topping the pile, though, you have two dossiers.

The obvious choice is Major Warhead Wisent, SA-rank, 15th. Your highest-ranking operative still missing. His firepower opened up the doors to the inner facility--with a rumble you swear you felt from the command post. He boasts powerful kinetic missiles that trivialize the strongest defenses in existence. He was last seen engaging targets of opportunity at his discretion after completion of his primary objective.

The other is a Captain Emerald, the most decidedly lopsided A-rank you’ve ever seen. With the help of Lieutenant Anode he survived close contact with a G-class threat, and then in turn assisted with the retirement of the first “returned” maverick rebuilds. He continued to be surprisingly effective in completing his own rescue mission--six other missing Reploids returned together and reported that he had opted to advance further through a time-lock door in search of additional captives. Now, it seems, it’s his turn.

Unfortunately, you only have one team. And splitting your forces is almost a guarantee you lose all of them. The lower levels have not yet been fully cleared, and the reports making it back to you are… troubling.

>Task the team after Wisent.
>Task the team after Emerald.
>>
So the thread fell off the board as I was typing this, but >40718512 had asked about the results.

Some of them are going to be spoilers for events to come, and some of them you can definitely argue for or against--which we did want, to some extent. These weren't meant to be easy choices, but again, the clues are there. Hopefully at least mostly apparent, even if only in hindsight.

Of the ones I feel comfortable sharing, though:
Attempting to drag in Los Mortales not only cost Maverick Hunter resources, it also distracted them from prosecuting their own (admittedly questionable) war on Reploid threats.

Emerald, to put it briefly, has guilt issues. Completing the test successfully while still not landing the contract, while not his fault, left him feeling like it was a personal failure. He wasn't sure he should try in the first place, and even when he did, what good did it do?

The Schwarzhund and Crankshaft decisions are still up in the air--variables that haven't resolved yet.

You made the right call on Frog--it was one of the easier ones, knowing how skilled and capable Schwarz is. He was thorough (and discriminate) in dealing with the maverick sleepers. Leaving it to an outside group would have been clumsier and less effective, leaving elements to contend with at a later date.

Garm had the unfortunate position of having to weigh his tactical value against the lives he could save. He survived, but being under the Enigma bombardment took him out of the Maverick War entirely. The hunters suffered greater losses later on lacking his strength in key battles.

Koala's decision was actually a true trade--you'll receive better intel during the events of X3 due to activating the Geist 4S Riss series, but their high maverick incidence rate is going to complicate the short term.
>>
>>40729316
>Task the team after Wisent.
SA takes priority over A.
>>
>>40729283
>> Stupid big-nosed Doc Brown better hope he never sees you again.
Oh, his days are numbered. Im more worried about X and How horrible he's going to feel when this whole thing gets back to him. And you know, Cathode and Anode dying or whatever, that too.
>>
>>40729338
You made the right choice with Conda, but if Conda had admitted racial bias, the hunters would still have admitted him but kept him at arm's length. He had a chance to earn trust in the outcome you picked, and by present-day he's well-trusted in the hunters.

Valdivieso and Shade Tanuki was a matter of prioritizing. If they had opted to prevent the rise of another Sigma, they would have interfered with numerous G-rank projects, keeping them from learning about Doppler in time--and also hampering the development of Rhodes, among other things.

Crucifer was actually one of your few win/wins, though leaving Schwarz to scout talent was a trade in its own way. He's better at scouting promise. Crucifer is better at finding trouble.

Sigma's decisions began with a win/win. It's not simply the approach you took, but a sign of the strength of Sigma's command and his deep empathy for his fellows that whatever tack he took, he would be able to reach X. As for what the choice itself determined... well, that's another trade you'll see in the future.

The decision between S and A for live capture was one of simple numbers--it's riskier with A ranks, but there are a great deal more of them than S-ranks. The impact was much larger as a result. There simply weren't enough S-ranks (especially earlier on, before the maverick threat worsened) to make a meaningful number of capture attempts.

The third decision basically revealed Vile's erratic behavior had worsened before it happened at a critical moment. If it hadn't been Zero, he would have gone off on someone or something much more fragile, and before being subdued he would have done considerable damage.
>>
>>40729316
>Task the team after Wisent.
Emerald is a hardy little bastard, he can find his own way back.
>>
>>40729316
>Task after Wisent
Unfortunately the most pragmatic choice.
>>
>>40729316
>Task the team after Emerald.

I know this is the wrong decision tactically but Em. Em, man.
>>
>>40729316
>Task the team after Emerald.
i think Wis has a bit more combat endurance than Em so that's why we should to pickup Em first.
>>
>>40729316
Emerald. Winsent is durable and if push comes to shove, he could do a shit ton of damage. Emerald is a A rank of a older model with a weakness to magnets and range with last known fight being a lot of mavericks. At the very least helping him can help him rescue other people as well.
>>
>>40729316

>Task the team after Emerald

Pretty sure Wisent can handle himself.
>>
>Task the team after Wisent.
>>
>>40729316
>Task the team after Emerald.
>>
>>40729316
While I really really want to go rescue them both immediately that's not doable, and we may need Wisent's massive firepower to help 'open' a route to go rescue Em so...

>Task the team after Wisent.
>>
previous vote deleted.

>>40729316
On second though, changing vote to Emerald, whatever he went chasing after has to be important, and this is out best chance to figure out what was behind that door.
>>
Oh god, I just realized that you'd greyed out Anode's picture in the OP.

Excuse me while I cry like a bitch.
>>
>>40729316
>Task the team after Emerald.
>>
(and goddamnit, you two, you better not be setting us up for a fall with this one by making us want to help our bro)
>>
>>40729316
>Task the team after Wisent.
>>
>>40729316
>Task the team after Wisent.
I'm going to have to pick the big guy simply because he still had weapons LOCKED that were even more powerful then what we saw him use. If he goes maverick and they UNLOCK those things I am not looking forward to trying to clean up that mess.
>>
>>40729674
you know that is most likely because he got hit by the same thing Cath did that's tearing him apart on a subatomic level and not that he's dead.
>>
>>40729573

Change vote to Wisent. Em isn't alone, he's got a couple other hunters with him
>>
>>40729760
It's a one shot weapon and one that the mavericks would not really know how to properly do. If they fuck it up, they would blow THEMSELVES up.

>>40729792
Emerald is alone. The other hunters vacated and Em was the rear guard who was going to try and rescue the captured and incapacitated hunters. Thus they would be unable to fight.
>>
>>40729792
no he doesn't, they escaped while he covered the exit and headed into the unknown by himself.
>>
>Find Wisent

The Major is worth a mint, and a much greater asset to the Hunters.
>>
>>40729316
> Task the team after Emerald
>>
>>40729701
Oh come now, would I do several things like that?
>>
>>40729792
>>40729824
>>40729832

gdi, disregard me. I can't read apparently
>>
>>40730186
just seven? you're going soft these days it seems

also I like how you said it like you're hinting something about seven. Good show my good man
>>
>Task the team after Wisent
>>
>>40730253
He said several you donut
>>
>>40730253
I said "several." Go pay a visit to optometry. No, that's orthopedics, try again.
>>
>>40730229
So wait, does that mean you change it back to Emerald or what?
>>
If its not too late, I vote Wisent
>>
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Okay, so I THINK Wisent wins it.

Gonna give it five more minutes, tops.
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>>40730356

Yeah
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>>40730474
why does this post make me worry?
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>>40730541
Everything will be fire.

...Fine. Everything will be fine.
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>>40729316
>Task the team after Wisent.
>>
>>40729363
>Task the team after Wisent

this
>>
>>40730589
Oh god thank you. Tiebreaker get. Closing votes, Wisent wins it.
>>
We're picking between The Greater Good with Wisent and our best friend Emerald living, aren't we?
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>>40730665
yup
>>
>>40730665
the joys of being in command
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>>40730665
Doesnt matter anyways because Anode is either FUCKING DEAD or a mav clone now
Slightly salty
>>
>>40730754
Reploids can be revived from the dead, it's 'kay. I mean how many times does Zero get revived from death, fuck.
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>>40729396
>>40729419
>>40729584
>>40729637
>>40729744
>>40729760
>>40730037
>>40730277
>>40730443
>>40730589
>>40730637
The decision's ... surprisingly difficult, all things considered. But in the end, you have to bow to simple numbers--on his best day, Emerald couldn't put out the kind of firepower Wisent manages on a daily basis.

Plus, the unspoken implications of the hostage rescue are clear. If Wisent were targeted and captured... "converted," or whatever it is these revived mavericks underwent...

Fifteen minutes goes by before you receive a ping on your secure line.

"Spider? Rescue team."

"Go ahead, Rhinestone."

"We've made it to the last confirmed position of Major Wisent. You're...not gonna like this."

"Of course," you mutter dryly. "What is it?"

"Signs of combat. Big combat. No bodies, some damaged parts. We found one of his internal components, a secure comm-codelock. He has numerous weapons that--"

"I know. Did he tear it off himself to fire the weapon?"

"Doesn't work that way, sir. Without this it won't be able to fire at all. And there's more. It's still broadcasting. Its last transmission was sending a request for weapons-free. Repeatedly."

"Break it down for me, Captain. What are you seeing?"

"Sir. I'm saying he wasn't killed. He was taken. They wanted to make sure he couldn't use his codelocks."

"...Acknowledged. Stand by for further orders, I have other tasks for you."

(+1 points)
>>
>>40730868
So what were going to get a MY EVIL TWIN BROTHER! situation?
>>40730903
>Nothing you ever did mattered and things only got worse the quest
>>
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>>40730903
You are Gaff, official Third Deploy liaison to Dopplertown, and you are talking to the most pissed-off human you have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.

“I understand,” you say in hopeful placation, palms out. “I assure you, we’re aware of the issues and the Doctor has his best men on it as we speak.”

“‘Best men’ can’t cure dehydration, sir,” the man--some representative or another, you weren’t even pretending to pay attention--grumbles. “It’s very easy to say ‘you’re working on it’ when you don’t have to worry about dying of thirst.”

“Really,” you reply, unable to quietly bear your annoyance quietly any longer. “I know it can’t be pleasant, but it’s not even been thirty-six hours. No one is in any danger of dying of thirst.”

“That’s putting it mildly. We can’t bathe--” You’d noticed. “--Can’t cook our own food. The vending machines in the visitor’s center are all cleaned out. This is outrageous. Completely outrageus.”

“I know. I know,” you insist. “But it’s out of our hands.”

The man sullenly accepts that for all of ten seconds (a new record!) before starting in again. “You said ‘best men?’ Do you happen to have their names?”

Really? It’s come to this, now? “Okay, perhaps ‘best man’ is more accurate. But yes, I can tell you that Doctor Doppler’s water treatment expert--and yes, he has one--was sent to the dam yesterday to investigate the issues.”

“Yesterday? We were told he was sent as soon as it happened.”

You shrug in exasperation, wishing you could hate him an ulcer. “I’m sure he was sent as soon as possible. Toxic Seahorse is--”

“Toxic Seahorse!” the human exclaims. “There’s a name for someone you want hanging around your water supply.“

“Excuse me!” you snap. “That is incredibly--do you have any idea how offensive that is? He is one of the community’s foremost--”
>>
oh thank god after the wisent post went up my internet went done for a minute, glade I haven't missed the voting yet
>>
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>>40730977
>“Toxic Seahorse!” the human exclaims. “There’s a name for someone you want hanging around your water supply.“
yo
rude
>>
>>40730977
You’re cut short in your indignant diatribe as the man opens his mouth to respond--and then seems to seize up, looking stung.

And then he explodes, in a shower of gore. Through the--the CLOUD of blood and fleshy ribbons strides Blast Hornet of Unit 0, ignoring the red mist now decorating his armor. You stagger away, nausea and horror overwhelming you. Oh god.

“I’ll make this quick,” is all he says, fanning his wing-blades and spattering you with the remains of a human being.

Going numb and terribly cold, your backwards step turns into a run. You have to--you have to get word to someone. Anyone.

(Results threshold: +5 or higher: SUCCESS)

And so you run.

You run, and you run, instinct and fear slowly losing their deathgrip on your mind--never vanishing, but reduced to a clawing dread at the back of your mind, and the disconcerting presence of Blast Hornet at the edge of your vision.

Somehow, it makes it easier. You know, somewhere, you can't escape him. As the sirens wail, confusion turns to horrible clarity. You hear buster fire, and screams. Human screams, mostly. Display screens overhead broadcast a new symbol, and speak of rising up. This is a coup, and you are trapped in it. You dodge incoming fire from "rehabilitated" Reploids, upstanding members of the community. They still are, you dimly realize. Just not yours.

So you spit in God's eye, one last time. You find a broadcast room, still pristine, still cheerful, sun still shining over what's become the scene of mass murder.

And you make a final broadcast to home.

"To any Maverick Hunters receiving, this is Gaff, Third Deploy. Doppler has gone maverick! Doppler has gone maverick! Evacuate at once! The antivirus is a placebo! The antivirus is--"
>>
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>>40731146
You are Major Seven, A-rank logistics officer of the 4th Overland, and this is not really the way you saw your day going.

What began as another exciting round of paperwork (cleaning up after Lieutenant A-Hole, your least favorite person, because of course), you found an anomaly in a file. Someone had edited a requisitions document only you and Frog should have had access to. Investigating found a “ND” entry, which you immediately kicked to Rho, who explained the listing is “not defined.” Something was very clearly fishy, and faced with the prospect of reporting the anomaly and doing more paperwork, or going out to find it yourself, you made the easy choice.

Which brings you to now, up in the disused observatory tower on the roof, your buster smoking, a heavily wounded maverick named Crop teetering in front of you, unsteady on his feet. “So tell me,” you ask. “Did you catch a bug, or are you one of those Sigma Leads the Master Race ‘true believer’ types?”

Crop just laughs. You grimace in annoyance, checking the urge to ditch the buster and just punch him in the throat. “Sigma? Sigma is long dead, fool. There is a new order.”

You roll your eyes. “The Philosophers? 0 for 3 on retreats from combat, last I saw. Ding, try again, please.”

Crop’s manic grin, even when he knows he’s beat, is unsettling. “Them? No, no. Not them. They don’t call the shots. It’s bigger than them. Bigger than anyone. Bigger than you can do anything about, little hunter. I hope you’re ready to die.”

About then is when Crop lost a knee. Still laughing and howling through the pain, he sucks air over a bloodied foam in his mouth.
>>
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>>40731146
And so it begins.
>>
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>>40731186
“Who.” You demand, light fading from the barrel of your cannon. “When.”

“Doppler,” he coughs, still grinning up at you with an uncanny leer. “Now.” Fucking--what? His laugh redoubles, now harried by a wet cough and the soft patter of his insides dribbling onto his outsides. “That’s right. He’s coming for you. All of you.” He pulls himself upright, his speech becoming labored as something whines and sparks in his damaged chest. “Everything he told you,” he gasps, “Was a lie. And now that--Little Boy Blue and Big Red have left the nest...”

About then is when Crop lost a face.

You turn away from the sizzling body, toggling comms and ping for the nearest available officer. You get Dash Dodo.

“Dodo,” you call. “This is important. Is Frog on-site?”

“Negative,” he replies. “Command meeting at central.”

“Schwarzhund?”

“Negative.”

What a fantastic day to be in charge. You turn back to the observation window into clouded evening skies, just beginning to be lit from below by the lights of a massing fleet of attack vessels.

The alarm begins to wail as they fill the horizon, searchlights snapping on and the distant wink of energy weapon fire beginning to strobe.

You picked a great day to play hero.

>You need a fireteam. Get some berets together, fast.
>Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor.
>>
>>40731204
>CROSSMORE
>>
>>40731204
>You need a fireteam. Get some berets together, fast.
Time to see the Bravely Broken in action!!
>>
>>40731204
>>Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor.
>>
>Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor.

My highly advanced neural network assures me this is the correct response.
>>
>>40731204
>You need a fireteam. Get some berets together, fast.
i'd like to comm BB while getting the Ride armor
>>
>>40731204
>>You need a fireteam. Get some berets together, fast.

We are in command as much as ride armor would be fun our soldiers need to be led.
>>
>Get a fireteam.

I am as sexually attracted to the Crossmore as the next guy, but Seven is a logistics specialist. He needs troops.
>>
>>40731204
>Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor.
Seven does not seem like he plays well with others.

Having him in command of a bunch of Berets might not be the best option.
>>
>>40731204
>You need a fireteam. Get some berets together, fast.
We're a leader and the officer in charge, not a cowboy discipline disaster like someone we know. Get the troops ready for this shit.
>>
>>40731204
Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor.
If I recall Anode picked up that Big ass super ride armor not to long ago and I believe it still hasn't been full put through it's paces yet, lets fix that.

Also fuck you captcha, I had to reload this page 3 times because it wasn't loading so I couldn't reply.
>>
>>40731204
> Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor
If they get some of the stuff in there. like the Crossmore, the fireteam won't do any good.
>>
Logistics is more about commanding the flow of materiel than personnel. That would mean Seven would be better in something like the cargo loader from aliens
>>
>>40731344
Logistics just means he's good with supplies, not soldiers.

And Seven isn't a very popular guy.
>>
>>40731204
>You need a fireteam. Get some berets together, fast.
>>
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>>40731192
With proper boxart this time.

>>40731204
>You need a fireteam. Get some berets together, fast.
The sooner troops can be rallied, the better we can repel the forces.
>>
>You need a fireteam. Get some berets together, fast.

As much fun as a joyride would be, we're responding to a major uprising, and the faster start getting things organized, the better.
>>
>>40731204
Get the crossmore first. The weapons are useful for dealing with large enemy carriers and considering his buster, the crossmore's weaponry will alow seven to do his job. Besides, he seems more tech savy than person savy.
>>
>>40731204
Like, start issuing orders, but get to the hanger
>>
>>40731204
>Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor.

Holy crap, voting in a live thread.
>>
>>40731204
> Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor
Yesss get out the Crossmore. Someone has to
>>
>>40731204
>Hit the hangar. Get a ride armor.
[CROSSMORE INTENSIFIES]
>>
>>40731518
And this breaks the tie, 9 to 8. Thank you, based Anon.

In retrospect, "I want these decisions to be hard" is something of a double-edged sword.
>>
>>40731531
Hunter-senpai noticed me!
>>
>>40731446
pretty sure we're going to yell at dodo to grab the berets
>>
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>>40731245
>>40731272
>>40731276
>>40731350
>>40731371
>>40731374
>>40731467
>>40731485
>>40731518
>>40731522
>>40731530
You're already on the move, heading right for the hangar. "Air incoming, Dodo," is all the time you spare for him.

"Hey, what? What the hell is--"

You tune him out, breaking into a full sprint. The spotlights are snapping on and the alarms wailing all over the place, now. You don't stop for anything, even as plasma-fire begins to erupt all around you, the 4th's headquarters suddenly a seething boil of infighting and not-so-friendly fire.

You reach the hangar early, and immediately dive past India's stupid "you are dead if you cross this sign" warning to rip the tarp off one of her squirreled-away babies.

It's...not the one you were hoping for. The Crossmore is conspicuously missing from its berth. Damn, so much for that. Still, you warm up the beast you found, flipping the switches and settling in behind the controls.

Let's go make some noise.

(A future event has been seeded)
>>
>>40731706
India's using the Crossmore isn't she
>>
>>40731706
huh, well that didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would have, and at least with the ride armor we don't have to worry about it shooting us in the back unlike if we were to pick up a traitor beret
>>
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>>40731706
You are Husky Fencer, A-rank, 50% of the 10th Civic Unit.

For a few more minutes, at least. “How you doing over there, Fencer?” you hear over the gunfire.

“Ammo!” You reply. A moment later, a duffel skids across the floor, arriving at your feet.

“Last bag,” he warns. “And I meant the arm!”

“Know you did,” you reply, fumbling to reload the buster pistol one-handed. “Still gone, you tell me!”

“Ahhhh, quit your bitching!” he yells over the firestorm.

You look down at your shoulder, relieved of its duties just a little early, cauterized as best you could manage in the few seconds you had. You can still use your saber, but without your off-hand, your balance is ruined. Your remaining hand wraps around Kinsley’s borrowed pistol, trigger guard torn off to accommodate. The thin hoop of gold and titanium alloy on your finger is still where you had it welded on.

If they had taken off that arm instead… heh. You shake your head with a tired, rueful smile at the insanity of the situation. You’re about to die, and here you are relieved you’ve still got your wedding band.

“Not long now,” Tom calls.

He’s right. Too quiet. They’re always up to something during the lulls. “Yeah. How you doing, Rho?”

“I am well,” she reports from the overhead speakers, her voice still distant and cold. “You are committed to this course of action?”

“Told you once, told you a thousand times,” Thomas’s voice carries his ragged grin, even as he shelters behind a databank, half-melted from the sheer volume of oncoming fire. “Too late now, anyway.”

“I suppose so. No word on re-establishing communications--”
>>
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>>40731765
Rho continues speaking, but you don’t hear it over yet another round of bombardment, explosions kicking up scraps and wreckage in a cloud of dust. You wait for a brief break (such as you can get in an open barrage of suppressing fire) and peek around the corner, snapping your head back just in time to avoid completely losing your ear, instead of only half of it.

“Get a look at them?” Thomas yells, firing back.

“Think this is it, boss!” you shout back. “Got your grenade?”

“Got one for each of us, catch!” You watch it pirouette through the air between blazing lines of death, rolling off to who knows where.

“Thanks, asshat,” you reply. He just gives a wheezing, unhealthy-sounding laugh as the incoming fire fades again. They’re massing for the push. “I guess I’ll see you on the other side, Tom.”

“No, you won’t. I already told you that you clankers don’t have souls.”

You chuckle. “Then you better drag your meatbag ass out of Hell and come switch me back on.”

“I will. It’s been a pleasure, Fencer.” The fire grows louder and louder as they brave the barrage Tom sends their way. Too many, now. Too close.

You smile bitterly. If you weren’t about to die, Swan would fucking kill you. You fire the last few shots of this battery down the lane, eject the hot mag, and decide to go for the grenade first. You find it and pull the pin, holding down the spoon with your thumb.

You clack your ring against the casing once, twice. Through the smoke, you meet Kinsley’s eyes, the human ace reloading without so much as looking down, his position ringed in emptied, sizzling plasma batteries.

“All or Nothing, Kinsley.”

He nods solemnly as you wait for your moment, and burst from cover. “For the--”
>>
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>>40731841
(Results threshold: +5 or higher: SUCCESS)

-----

“Fencer, report.”

Silence.

“Fencer, I am not receiving. Requesting status update.”

Still nothing.

You switch. “Commander Kinsley, respond. My camera in the room has been damaged.”



“Commander Kinsley, this is Rho. Please respond.”



“Commander Kinsley.”

Nothing.

"Rho?" Another voice--you crossreference and track its owner.

"Doctor Cain."

"What is your status?"

"I am well, Doctor," you reply. "The Tenth has kept me secure."

"Is Thomas there?"

"...Negative," you reply. "He and Husky Fencer are no longer responding.

"I see." The old man's voice is heavy.

"If I may, sir, I have restored communications. I am needed to coordinate our counterattack."

"...All right. Thank you, Rho."

(+1 points)
>>
>>40731862
so this is the end of the 10th and a free point?
>>
>>40731908
Free? No. You were over the threshold for the positive outcome of the attack on Rho. The 10th was able to defend her long enough to re-establish hunter communications and prevent her sabotage--or outright destruction.

Also, stand by--I just ran out of my pre-prepped writing, so we'll be slowing to normal MHQ rates.
>>
>>40731936
but the 10th is still dead though right?
>>
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>>40731951
It is.
>>
>>40731966
If we'd had more successes, could we have saved them?
>>
I somehow doubt that with there being a whole 2 of them. But at least we don't have an ex-10th maverick running around.
>>
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>>40731979
>>40732009 is correct.
>>40731979
No. This went as well as it could have for themselves and Rho. When the attack began they made right for her with as much extra gear as they could carry and held out on their own for as long as they could. It made the difference. Given that they were basically defending part of her brain, their expertise in minimizing harm (as much as possible against a massive, maverick onslaught) was crucial.
>>
>>40731966
son of a bitch, I was hoping we'd get to know the a bit more since I find the the 10th one of the more interesting units but seeing how they've been basically side lined for how long now with no real promise of ever actually getting restored I'm not seeing them making reviving the 10th after this. But at least they went down like the badasses they were.
>>
>>40732052
Yeah, I was hoping we could learn some live capture techniques from them.

Well, maybe the 'rents will end up being commissioned for a reploid for 10th.
>>
>>40732052
You never know, they may restore the unit. I think the main thing that Hunter Command and Cain Labs mentioned is it takes a long time to train more. Which likely means there are some in the works by this point.
>>
>>40732090
They have yet to restore... was it 8th who were annihilated? Could be quite a while before 10th is up and running again.
>>
>>40732130
They need reploids AND equipment for 8th, ride chasers and the like must add a lot more to the expenses.
>>
Maybe it's best if Em's MIA. He'll kill us himself if he finds out his lance got hit with that disruption weapon.
>>
>>40732193
Didn't Em have the lance? We traded it for his flamberge.
>>
>>40732193
It's going to be strange if by going after Wisent Em ends up coming back alive and not mav.
>>
>>40732222
Guh, that's what I mean. In a moment, I will attempt breakfast. And waking up.
>>
>>40732247
>strange
You spelt 'fantastic' wrong.
>>
Thanks to you both, this should get a hell of a reaction from my ex-Tenth, practically civilian pre upgrade player if we get that far. She owed those two for the upgrades from evacuation and defense mass production to ass kicker near Anode or Em's tier
>>
>>40732297
Excellent. More storytime for everyone!
>>
>>40732287
That too. But to be fair, it involves Cain Labs and us not screwing up forever. That's plenty weird.
>>
>>40732314
I rolled a 97 on us ruining things forever, even luck itself is against us.
>>
>>40732311
speaking of story time
>MAGNET LOBSTER
you got your story time you've been promising us since Christmas ready?
>>
Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>40732338
COUNTER ROLL
>>
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>>40731862
You are Chernyee Grach, the Black Rook, former member of the Chessboard Platoon counterinsurgency unit, and erstwhile prisoner of the Maverick Hunters, 4th Overland.

Your handler tosses you his rifle before grabbing another from the rack at the range.

"You're sure we can't get you to stay?" The Reploid range officer--Tenpenny--insists.

"No way," the group's human leader says. "We're getting the hell out of here."

"You don't even know where to go," Mike insists.

"Anywhere but here. We'll stick together and keep quiet. Who here can fire a gun?"

A few of the humans, all noncombat personnel, raise their hands. You don't recognize any of them, and together they look huddled, scared, and lost.

"Your grip is too tight," you offer. "Hold it like this. Your hands will shake less."

(Results threshold: +10 or higher: FAIL)

"Hands-off," snaps the human--once it came out that you were a Reploid infiltrator, they were immediately as wary of you as any maverick. Mike tried, but they wouldn't have it. Not from you, and now not from him.

"We going with them?" Mike asks.

"Don't," warns one.

"At least take a few Lanceteamers," he pleads. "You're not fighters--"

"And you're not human. I'm sorry, but we can't tell friend from foe. Until this all settles..."
>>
>>40732343
Magnet Lobster had to go to sleep after tonight's tabletop session ended, so he's out.

I'm the GM for our group, so I can tell you that we're still going strong and generating more stories. As soon as I can force him to post the damn things.
>>
>>40732390
"Listen, I don't care if you think we're maverick," Mike presses hotly. "But we have a responsibility to protect--"

You put a hand on his shoulder and shake your head. "Let them go," you say quietly. "They can't tell friend from foe."

The human glares at you at that, and you meet it, simply staring back until he looks away. "...Sorry," he mutters. "But it's true."

"Good luck, then," Mike sighs. "If you need to come back, we're going to fortify the range as best we can. Looey's already making barricades."

"Yeah. We'll tell any non-hostiles to come here. ...Bye, I guess."

The humans didn't made it far, unfortunately. It was hard on Mike, even though you did your best to reassure him it wasn't his fault. They made their bed. The hunters wanted for their expertise, but you were able to set up a safe zone that a number of other civilian and production infantry groups made it to. Even then, you couldn't help but note the humans tended to shy away from the Berets and LTBs trying to keep them safe.

What a world.
>>
>>40732343
I actually do, but I'm in bed and not on my laptop. Besides, this thread probably won't have room for my shenanigans. Next run, maybe.
>>
So we've gone past the 5s, I presume we've now got a massive string of failures for 10 and above.

Joy!
>>
>>40732439
What a great motivator to the people who missed the first thread
>>
>>40732311
Once things get started, I promise. Unfortunately I could only manage PBP, so expect things to go slow. On the other hand, if this system actually works in the long term, I can possibly share results!
>>
>>40732449
I hope we get a chance to earn a couple of points before the next 10 pass/fail, but I doubt it.

Poor Grach and Mike.
>>
so people, to kill time till the next update how do you think the hunters will come out of this after everything is said and done on a scale from 1 to 10?

1 being HQ being burned to the ground and and with over a 50% causality rating while 10 being other then a few minor wounds everything turned out ok.

I'm going with a 6
>>
>>40732439
The DC doesn't have to increase from now on. It could dip down to 5 or lower.
>>
>>40732564
4, maybe 3.
>>
Unless my math is wrong, we have 8 points now.
>>
>>40732571
Pessimism is my only answer to anything that Cain Labs helped plan.
>>
>>40732580
Correct. As of right now, you have +8.
You've also had three positive outcomes and one negative--these don't counteract each other, but instead represent changes in the ongoing battle for MHHQ.
>>
>>40732571
I want to have faith that the higher DCs are less important story wise.
I really want to believe that it's this way. It's how I would do it.
>>
>>40732564
I'm guessing a 4.
>>
>>40732603
Well to be fair, the points were assigned for situations that either increased funds or decreased them, included hunters we knew or put them on a potential path towards Mavdom (Conda), and set doctrine and removed a...Vile's a G Rank threat, right? early. So good things can happen.
>>
>>40732660
And dopplers bullshit being exposed
>>
>>40732660
Taking out Vile early was crucial.
>>
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>>40732406
You are Boot, a first generation Lanceteamer Assail, and after years away, you are returning home.

This time, you march under Doppler's banner. Newer models--LTBs, Steel Berets--all marked with freshly emblazoned, stylized letter Ds and red stripes--fall in line behind you as you clear the command pad. The ostentation is a bit much--especially when you could be surprising them by posing as loyal hunters. Still, this has been long-awaited, and it's only natural some would cut loose.

"Report," you order, marching briskly. The halls are just like you remember.

"Contact with some meat, minimal resistance. They've been dealt with."

"Any major forces in play?"

"Not here," one of the Berets says. "Not yet. Most of the officers are out, or being handled by their fellows."

A round of chuckles at that. "So we've the run of the place?"

"Yes, but not long."

"That being the case, follow me." You turn down a hallway into the officer's quarters--relatively unharmed in the fighting and quiet as a tomb.

"Where are we going?"

"Where are we going 'sir.'" you say sternly. "Backbone and discipline is what made today happen. My teacher made me very sure of that. Which brings us... here."

You push in the door, the terminal on the wall reading "Major Schwarzhund." On any other day, walking in here might be a deathtrap. Not today.

"...Damn," you hiss.

"What?"

You put your fist through the personal terminal, dusty with disuse. "A chance we might have had. No matter. Let's find one of our objectives and see to it."

(Results threshold: +10 or higher: FAIL)
(+1 points)

-----
>>
>>40732774
You're TEARING ME APART HC
>>
>>40732774
was this because we chose to turn the computer off that we gained the point or something else?
>>
>>40732799
This one was a little tricky, but yes--a variable outcome. If you were over 10 points, hunter forces would have made it to the terminal first. But since you turned it off in the past, you prevented the mavericks from capitalizing even though they got to it first.
>>
>>40732816
holly crap we lucked out there
>>
>>40732816
When was it turned off?
>>
>>40732854
We voted to turn it off last thread. Have you read yesterday's archive?
>>
Huh...I never quite got this before, but this means the intro stage to X3 is hunter command, doesn't it.
>>
>>40732938
yup
>>
>>40732938
Yeah, it's outlined in the intro to X3 that X and Zero are forced to return to base to defend it from the Maverick offensive. The intro stage is Hunter HQ.
>>
>>40732774
You are Piledrive Anisodon, nascent Commander of the newly-reinstated Eighth Armor.

Rollout wasn't set for another few weeks, but given the circumstances, you've decided to bump things up on your itinerary. Starting with your brand new priority one--finding the mavericks ripping apart your base and shooting them the hell back.

You've got an unusual advantage, here. You received a call from Zero Unit not long back, requesting your A-ranks. You had the rare luxury of telling Commander Zero to sit on it and spin. Not in as many words, but heh, pretty close. With the 8th still being restored, you made the call to reserve them from the fight, reasoning that you needed to get back to nominal fighting strength, not risk losing a few of your officers and delaying even further. Your troop--some very young, some very old (mostly the former) has also been largely loyal in the wake of this sudden insurrection. It had something to do with Doppler, is all you know--and your guys either missed that boat or never got on it at all.

What all of this comes down to is that you're sitting on a large number of solid, dependable A-ranks kept from combat and itching to go. And now, you've got a shot. What you need is a good target. And you've got two. On the one hand, when you blew Zero off, he said he'd be asking the Seventh next--and after that business in the Himalayas, they're strapped for high rankers.
On the other hand, you also have most of the MVPs and HVTs in a single location--the central command headquarters building. It's going to already have a high concentration of elite hunters firing back, but it also has the highest concentration of valuable resources to lose.

With your new unit at your back, you give the order. "Eighth Armored Battalion, forward!"

With a chorus of whoops, they move out, following you into the fray.
>Wake up, Seventh! Eight is come a knockin'!
>Let's go crash the party at HQ, kids!
>>
>>40733014
>Wake up, Seventh! Eight is come a knockin'!
>>
>>40733014
>Wake up, Seventh! Eight is come a knockin'!

Without Seventh, Doppler's army will have air superiority.
>>
>>40733014
>Wake up, Seventh! Eight is come a knockin'!
>>
>>40733014
>Let's go crash the party at HQ, kids!
sounds like the more professional of the two i guess? I can see pros and cons with both options so... yeah
>>
>>40733014
>Wake up, Seventh! Eight is come a knockin'!
>>
>>40733014
>Let's go crash the party at HQ, kids!
>>
>>40733014
>Wake up, Seventh! Eight is come a knockin'!
>>
>>40733014
Get our air units off the ground so we can work together to push back. Do NOT go in piece meal.
>>
>>40733014
>Wake up, Seventh! Eight is come a knockin'!

X and Zero are about to come crashing in. Getting the flyboys clear will be a massive boon.
>>
Okay, so, on one hand, if we go for the Seventh, we maintain the chance for air superiority in the future, and it's not likely that anyone else will be coming to back them up. However, if HQ cannot keep holding out, we're going to find it in the state we see it in the intro of X3.

On the other hand, if we go for HQ, we can make a sizable difference. Armour is very good for punching through infantry. However, we stand the chance to lose air superiority.
>>
>>40733014
>Wake up, Seventh! Eight is come a knockin'!

Haha, time for the cavalry!
>>
>>40733076
not to mention their could still be traitors in the seventh. Normally I wouldn't care but with the points actually meaning something I've been paranoid about just about everything.
>>
Calling it for Seventh. Stand by.
>>
>>40733036
>>40733052
>>40733054
>>40733057
>>40733064
>>40733071
>>40733090
Your team sets out at a steady cruise, holding fire on the massive bee mechaniloids overhead until they notice you and open fire. Shells and plasma cannons roar their response as you comm ahead.

"Seventh, this is Piledrive! Piledrive Anisodon, Eighth Armored calling to any remaining hunter forces! Open the door, we're coming in to help!"

There's no response, even as the high walls surrounding their airstrips begin to loom. "The 'loids have noticed us, boss," one of your men warns. "They're breaking off a few to circle back around and target us again." You don't wanna be here, stuck on flat ground outside the wall under a mob of attack helis. This could be bad. "Do we blow the gates open, boss?"

"Not unless we have to. There's already enough friendly fire, we don't want to come across hostile." You radio again. "Seventh Air Cavalry, this is Eighth Armored! Let us in! We--"

Your calls are answered in the nick of time as the massive gate ahead finally cracks open and swings in, permitting your forces entry. You think you hear something on the comms--just a faint crackle of static to suggest that someone else is on the line--but no one says a word.

Still, you can't dwell on it--you've got a unit to rescue. "Get in there, boys and girls! Find something hostile and blow it up!"

In sweeps the Eighth, on rolling treads and stomping Rides, from custom models to masspro A-Cruise, guns blazing and cheers flying as they cut across cratered runways and mangled helipads.

You never did find who let you in.

(+1 points)
>>
>>40733193
And now that we hit 10 points we'll start running into 15 point goals
>>
>>40733216
I figure we'll probably have 1 more 10 dc before it leaps again.
>>
>>40733216
Yuuuup.
>>
>>40733231
>>40733216
>>40733234
Yesss, let the pessimism flow through you.
>>
I hope we don't come off too well after this, it'd make the future threads a lot more interesting.
>>
>>40733264
Dont worry, it'll make it quite harder for Anode
When we're a mav
>>
>>40733239
Pessimism does not merely flow through me. My organs, my flesh, my bones and blood - all is pessimism and cynicism, commingled in glorious, grimdark horror.

We're all gonna die.
>>
I can't do it anymore /tg/. I need sleep. Here's hoping everything hasn't gone to hell when I wake up. Night MHQ
>>
>>40733276
Welcome aboard.
>>
>>40733285
>Here's hoping everything hasn't gone to hell when I wake up.
You already know it will, but that won't make it any less of an enjoyable read.
>>
>>40733193
ACTIVATED

.Running parameters... error--mismatch in last known geopositional coordinates (X,Y,Z)
..Correcting
..New location confirmed (WITHIN BORDERS: Geneva, Switzerland)

.STATUS ASSESSMENT
..body linkup good
...separator clear
..top system OK
...top stabilizers OK
...top thrusters OK
..bottom system OK
...bottom stabilizers OK
...bottom thrusters OK
..shielding engaged
...cell charge nominal

.WEAPONS ASSESSMENT
..generator OK
..focus array OK
..projector OK
..targeter OK

.ALL SYSTEMS OK
.PRE-BOOT COMPLETE
..AWAITING INPUT

"Online."

.PROPULSION SYSTEMS ACTIVE
.WEAPONS SYSTEMS ACTIVE

"Weapons free. Engage my targets."

.ACKNOWLEDGED.
..identifying command units
...done
...FOF registry updated
...valid target registry updated

(Results threshold: +15 or higher: FAIL)

...Maverick Hunters confirmed primary targets
.ENGAGING

(-1 points)
>>
>>40733341
Youre a real mother fucker you know that?
>>
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>>40733355
Just as long as I'm a fun motherfucker and people are enjoying this.
>>
>>40733341
>...Maverick Hunters confirmed primary targets
Damn it Crankshaft, you said it was safe.
>>
>>40733341
...whelp quest is over GG folks
>>
>>40733385
Thank God I'm a masochist.
>>
>>40733341
Cue Gamma Unchained
>>
>>40733385
If the next fucking thing has a 10 point goalpost, I will be pissed.
>>
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>>40733341
>>
>>40733404
That was the last (and highest), rest assured.

Really, you guys are doing a lot better than you think.
>>
>>40733385
>DC was 15
>also put also under 10
It wouldnt be a problem if I had any say in it.
Having crankshaft not tell HQ about this was fucking retarded in my opinion.
But that just being salty i guess
>>40733404
This
>>
>>40733404
Let's rename this thread, 'An Ode to Cain Labs'.
>>
>>40733341
>Just finished all maverick hunter archive stuff catching up for the return of this quest.

>Get on tonight and read all of last quest on the archive, holy cow ITS HAPPENING WARGLE BLARG!

>Get here

>Read all of this shit

>FAILED. DC'S.

>THIS IS NOT WHAT I IMAGINED IT WOULD BE LIKE.

>EVERYTHINGS ON FIRE, OH GOD NOT THE SHARK ITS ALL GOING DOWN OH GOD

>AAAAHHHHHH

>PANIC.

And that was how i became a live follower of this quest. How fucked am i?

I already know the answer to the question. AAAAAHHHHHHH
>>
>>40733423
Welcome to the tomb! We're just about done walling everyone in alive, get in here!
>>
>>40733423
Welcome Anon, hope you enjoy your stay!
>>
>>40733414
That's cool, than. Just thought it would be bullshit if we ended up missing a lower tier goal just because we missed a higher tier one.
>>
>>40733433
Pic related?

>>40733415
He didn't keep it a secret, he just kept it. >>40733389
In fairness, it's a mechaniloid. It follows orders. No one saw Doppler's attack coming.
>>
>>40733451
Felt like people were purposely making poor judgement because they didnt want to be meta.
But its already done; I'm just whining.
>>
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>>40733435
>>40733433
Thanks anons!

Glad to know that the people burning alive right next to me ARE SO FRIENDLY!

SOMEONE PHOTOSHOP ANODE ON THIS AND CALL IT A DAY.
>>
>>40733414
>Really, you guys are doing a lot better than you think.
our man guy is dead, HQ is compromise, the humans we work with no longer trust the reploids they work with causing a divide that will bite the hunters in the ass if they don't fix it soon, a super tank is now on the lose and Doppler has just committed mass genocide within his city. And we're fine... well ok then
>>
>>40733481
X verse doesnt end well for humans
>>
>>40733481
And we're apparently +19 away from the worst result, so just think how bad THAT would be.
>>
>>40733491
Anode gets revived,
well we brought you back, but everyone else is dead... have fun
>>
>>40733481
Dude, this is the introduction to X3. Everything ALWAYS goes to shit in the intro, moreso in this game. All we have to do is wait for X and Zero to surf a bee copter to the ground and the game actually begins.
>>
>>40733509
>What if
>Everything goes fucking BAD
>BAAADDDD
>Anode comes back to, half completed with parts from his salvaged sister and what was left of him
>Still half put together
>Human are extinct
>everyone is either Mav, gone insane, or dead
>Go save all the nothing thats left hero
>>
>>40733514
this is also where we're going off the rails though so...

>>40733509
probably more along the lines of everyone who isn't a commander or doesn't have plot armor would be dead and we'd have to roll a new character
>>
>>40733509
Anyone else wondering if anode is gonna go mav? (Of course you are.)

I feel like it is gonna be something we are gonna have to struggle with for a while, off and on.

Cain labs must be smug as hell right now.

AREN'T YOU, YOU ARE AREN'T YOU.
>>
>>40733542
He's going to have so much fun when he gets online.
>>
>>40733553
Imagine the horror
>>
>>40733542
I recall something about Cain Labs taking the kiddie gloves off for this one?

Looks like that started quickly.
>>
>>40733632
He's shredded the gloves and revealed writhing eldritch tentacles beneath.
>>
>>40733639
this is cain labs we're talking about, we all know what laid beneath for awhile now.
>>
>>40733632
The first eight Mavericks Anode hunted were the tutorial. Now that we've been ganked by Doppler and X3 is officially underway, things are going to get real.
>>
>>40733639
I knew it.

I knew it the whole time.
>>
>>40733647
>Solstrike

>Merely a tutorial

>PANIC

PANIC MORE, YOUR PANIC IS INSUFFICIENT. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
>>
>>40733647

I look at 'em like games. The first eight were the first game, now we're in the second (Maverick Hunter: Anode 2)
>>
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>>40733341
You are Rhodes, and you are under attack.

On your monthly visit to inspect one of the few G-rank Reploid projects underway in existence, it--and you--came under attack by not one, but two of the three known G-class mavericks.

Brama and Bisanu, two of the infamous Philosophers, ambushed the meeting, the former creating and heading an army of mechaniloids, the latter harrying you, forcing your attention on him while you attempt to defend the building--and the incomplete G-rank--inside.

You hammer at Bisanu's eight-fold shield, forcing him back as you try your comms again--this time, breaking through.

"Rho? Rho, are you there? I need immediate support, put me in--"

"General Rhodes," Rho interrupts--a first--"I do not have any operatives to send to you. Maverick Hunter Headquarters is under attack."

"What?!" Of course. "Sitrep, now."

"Doctor Doppler has gone maverick and his antivirus has proven ineffective. Multiple hunters from all units have gone maverick, supported by a heavy mechaniloid air attack."

"Damage to the city?"

"None. It seems this attack was focused on us."

You grit your teeth, ignoring the now-constant barrage of fire across your armor. "Put me through to Halcyon."

"Transferring..."

The ever-smooth, infuriating voice of the leader of the Weissritter comes through. "General Rhodes. Good to hear from you, at last. You've heard?"

"Just now. I need immediate backup, at--"

"I'm sorry, General," he responds, voice soft as satin... and rich with smugness. "I can't do that. You've heard Rho's report?"
>>
>>40733703
"That was an order, Halcyon," you growl, only just turning in time to catch Brama midcharge, meeting him head-on.

Halcyon just chuckles in your ear. "The Weissritter do not take orders from you, Rhodes. If this truly is a decapitation strike, then I am needed where I am--defending the council. Are you asking me to abandon their defense?"

You roar in anger, shoving Brama back before he can rake a scythe-blade across your midsection. "I'm defending the National Project," you retort hotly. "From two G-class threats."

"Sir, I don't think you understand the big picture here," Halcyon responds, emphasizing the words like he's disciplining a child. "The Americans can simply self-destruct the model in progress if necessary. If the funding council is compromised... well, that would be the end of the hunters as we know them. Rest assured, I am keeping them very safe in New York--"

"You're not even in Geneva?!" You bellow it aloud now, too enraged to give a damn about the mavericks.

"No, sir," he replies. "I felt it safest to remain with them at a secure location. I've sent Heilige back to headquarters, though--thinking about it, he might be senior officer on location."

"I don't have time for your politicking, Halcyon!" you snap, obliterating the newest wave of 'loids Brama sends at you.

"And I'm afraid I don't have any more time for you, General," Halcyon replies primly. "I need to see to coordinating the defense with Heilige. Good luck."

With that he cuts the line, and leaves you without any other option. "Rho?"

"I am here, General."

"Put me through to Rama."

He isn't ready--his G-rated systems are still locked--but you need him here, if you have any hope of stopping the Philosophers from killing you and capturing the incomplete G. You might even survive.

God damn you, Halcyon.

(-1 points)
>>
>>40733712
>-1
it's all down hill from here isn't it?
>>
>>40733741
It's the end of the world as we know it

and I feel shit
>>
>>40733712
And with that last nastygram from the head of the White Knights, that ends our interlude.

In one week's time, the new season proper begins--and you'll get to explore the attack from a single perspective.

Your net total was +8, and you were able to prevent some of the most crippling damage Doppler's attack would have inflicted on the Maverick Hunters.

I'll be here to answer some questions (I expected this to take a good six more hours) and discuss some of what happened today, some of the consequences, and so on. In addition, if there's any storytime to be had by players of MHQ-based games, now's a great time.

Thanks as always for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the ride.
>>
>>40733749
What would have happened at the end of best and worst?
>>
>>40733749
Will anode still have his upgrades and shit if he hypothetically comes back?
>>
>>40733749
What caused Halcyon to give Rhodes the middle finger?
>>
>>40733749
alright I've got some, what was the highest score we could have got and what was the lowest we could have gotten? That and depending on the score what could have the other outcomes have been?

>>40733712
and who the hell is Halcyon again?
>>
>>40733749
Your net total was +8, and you were able to prevent some of the most crippling damage Doppler's attack would have inflicted on the Maverick Hunters.

So things went good, but not great?

Question: IS OUR DEAR OLD BOY ANODE GONNA BE THE STAR OF SEASON TWO AS A MAVERICK HUNTER?
>>
>>40733749

Just to clarify, the MC got fucked up, the Maverick Hunters are being fucked up, The humans distrust the few who aren't fucked up, and even more shit is about to be fucked up?

I picked a wonderful day to start reading this quest I see.
>>
>>40733794
It's just like canon!
>>
>>40733749
>In one week's time, the new season proper begins--and you'll get to explore the attack from a single perspective.
...Anodes?
>>
>>40733770
Halcyon and their company have always been pricks to the rest of the Hunters.
>>
>>40733749
Is this result better or worse than the canon game result?
>>
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>>40733762
At the absolute worst?
The 4th would be crippled and the 7th taken entirely out of the running, the 8th's return put off for the foreseeable future, the 10th dead for nothing and Rho destroyed. Massive casualties among all the units, with the 17th and 0 units taking high losses, with many powerful operatives going renegade and causing even more severe damage to infrastructure and personnel.

At the absolute best?
4th and 7th would counterstrike hard when pressed, inflicting heavy casualties on the attackers. 8th would sally forth into the fray and retain nominal fighting strength, protecting the more vulnerable units. Rho would quickly and decisively secure communications, turning the maverick attack into a rout in short order as 17th and 0 units purged their traitors and set about dealing with the rest. Only a few of the most powerful turncoats would escape with their lives, and be unable to inflict further damage as they do. Casualties would have been trivial among noncombat and support staff, with light but weatherable losses all around.

That outcome would require almost every single decision to have been the right one, and was very much not expected. Neither was a -10 disaster--you were actually fairly close to what I was expecting.

>>40733770
Politics.

>>40733775
The highest threshold for altering results was +20, and the lowest -10.

>>40733775
Halcyon is the head of the Weissritter, an organization outside the usual unit structure of the Maverick Hunters. Halcyon and his adjutant, Heilige, are both G-ranks, with the latter being the "weakest" to hold that distinction. Historically they served as an honor guard and advised the acting Maverick Hunter leader, but their role has since become largely ceremonial.

>>40733793
>>40733813
>>40733766
One more week of infuriating secrecy, I promise.

>>40733825
Roughly on par, with a few trade-offs here and there.
>>
>>40733846
Halcyon sound like such not traitors its hilarious
>>
>>40733846
Next thread Saturday or Sunday?

(Please be Anode.)
>>
>>40733846
Dare I ask how China's going? Still no rush.
>>
>>40733884
I'll shoot for Saturday, but it's a bit of a tossup--I scheduled it because I knew you'd all have my head if I sprung all this on you without a swift follow-up to put it all in perspective.
>>
>>40733884
Not trying to be that guy but if were not Anode I would be extremely unmotivated to continue participating in this quest.
>>
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>>40733895
I put Cain to the coals on it, and he wound up very proud of his work.

...Which, of course, is currently resting with him out of contact. He should be back on within a few hours, at which point he can share whatever he's got.

While we're asking questions, my turn for one--did everyone enjoy this? Even/especially through the difficult choices?
>>
>>40733910
As would I, but I'd give it a thread to try, and probably be sucked right back in. I'm majorly attached to Anode and Em though.
>>
>>40733920
Feel better than the guys in the first thread probably do.
>>
>>40733920
i ended up sleeping through most of it, but yes, I did
question, how did you guys come up with all these scenarios? were you trying to hit specific psychological notes or was it more of a matter of how broad across the timeline you could get them?
>>
>>40733920
It's was interesting, but but the whole "Best choice isn't right choice" got annoying at times, and sort of forced us to have to consider 'bad' choices on the off chance that that was the right one.
>>
>>40733920
It was horrible, gut-wrenching goodness that made me feel physically ill at some points. So glad I got on just after the Emerald or Wisent vote was called, that would have killed me.

Thanks for China too, that'll be massively helpful!
>>
>>40733939
A little bit of both. The unifying factor of all the events was that their outcomes, one way or the other, would affect the readiness the hunters had for the surprise attack during the events of MMX3. This is why the "correct" choice wasn't always the right one. If an action, good or bad, would strengthen the Maverick Hunter footing in the present day, it would be a positive point value. For a few of them, the values were variables--those future outcomes, based on whether they would go on to help the attackers or the defenders of MHHQ.


We also wanted to use it as a vehicle to explore the timeline before now, and even allow the readers to determine the way some historical events went. Cain Labs was beside himself with glee at the responses to playing as the original Maverick, for instance.
>>
>>40733970
What would have happened if we hadn't shut down Weiss' comms and the Mavs had got to them first?
>>
>>40733920
I liked how it forced us to chose between hard decisions and I keep going back and forth between wanting to see what would happen at the absolute worse and trying to get as many points as possible but didn't like how almost everything was always pick either A or B. Honestly I felt like I could have just flipped a coin or used /tg/ dice and could have gotten to about where we got. Not saying it was cool as hell seeing how things we did earlier actually effecting things later but at the same time this felt like a chose your own adventurer rather then a quest. I mean I know why you didn't want us to go off the rails but it was a bit hard for me to actually feel involved and more like I was helping someone decide what color paint they should use in to paint each room.

So in short it was fun but I really didn't feel all that involved throughout the whole thing. More like a spectator really.
>>
>>40733977
You'd have eaten another -1. Boot was one of several mavericks that served under Weisshund, and learned of the two-way communication route. While Schwarz was out of base, they'd be able to relay information back and forth and receive orders pinpointing weaker Hunter locations.
>>
>>40733986
Kind of like this, yes. When two choices seem equally bad, there's really not much to choose between them except for luck.

Mostly fun, but beyond brutal.
>>
>>40733990
Thats pretty fucking bad for just a -1
>>
>>40733970
so will that event we triggered with seven show up next week? Also what would have happened had we chose to form a fire team of berets?
>>
>>40733970
Is our Beret team safe, or is that for next week?

inb4 Marx and Y are both Mav
>>
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>>40734004
Most events were a simple + or - 1 (there was exactly one +2 option, which would have been Striker Cobra introducing Doppler to how a real G-rank fights), simply because of the sheer number of factors that went into the attack and the defense alike. A rampaging D-Rex was only a -1, for example. Remember that this was a planned attack by the best intelligence the maverick army could muster--active enemy effort went into this attack, just like active friendly effort went into repelling it.

>>40734007
It will. And that would have been another seed.
>>
>>40733970
is Des Mortales or however you spell that an independent organization that has survived to the current time, or a special unit like the Weisritter that was restored after the original left?
>>
>>40734029
Los Mortales is a group of eight of the oldest and most legendary hunters ever, more or less a hand-picked goonsquad of Commander Valdivieso.

You'll be seeing more of them in the future.
>>
Reminder that the two threads have been archived, for anyone who hasn't voted!

>>40734026
Missed a +2? Dammit.
>>
>>40734026
seed as in different triggered event or seed as in he'd go maverick and become a mole?
>>
>>40734042
The former.
>>
>>40734042
>honestly believing he would answer that
>>
Nice to have confirmation someone fucked with our missions as well. I guess that ND was for the Wolfspider mission?
>>
>>40734049
So was there any decisions that you were surprised that we got right/wrong?
>>
>>40734068
And were there any -2 choices?
>>
>>40734076
Nope. Every negative was -1 or +0.

>>40734068
Both Cain and I were pretty surprised at the run of bad luck right at the start, with the first three all getting missed--especially since I had to delete you initially picking a correct answer once and rewrite with the other choice. Given all the salt expressed in-thread, I was worried it started things off on the wrong foot and soured you guys on the interlude before it was really even started.

Even if you had picked every possible wrong option, though, it was never a matter of game overs or bad ends or what have you. It just modified the severity of the damage inflicted during the MHHQ assault.
>>
>>40734084
Think you missed this.
>>40734013
>>
>>40734102
For next week, sorry.
>>
>>40734113
They're all dead.
>>
>>40734084
Will Largescale Mustang or Uncultured Swine ever make an appearance?
>>
Anyone still updating the tvtropes page for this?
>>
>>40734084
So wait, Maverick defending himself from security would have been a +1? how is that even possible? going on a rampage after popping a dudes head on national tv seems like a bad pr source.
>>
>>40734156
Raised awareness that shit is going fucking wrong
>>
>>40734156
Maverick was not a maverick hunter. At the time, there were none. He was the very first Reploid, ever, to kill a human being.

What do you think would get more funding, resources, and training for an organization dedicated to preventing belligerent Reploids from causing harm, a confused, peaceful surrender, or a bloodthirsty maniac killing a studio's worth of guards (and probably some police) to protect himself?
>>
>>40734156
Exactly. He was the first sign of the virus. Doing that on live tv would have caused a massive call for funding, more Hunters, etc.

Worse for everyone there, better for the long term.
>>
>>40734156
no he would have panicked shot people up on live tv and really drive home how dangerous a maverick can be which would have investors throwing more money at the hunters trying to make sure something like that doesn't happen again.
>>
>>40734179
Did Maverick end up executed, or is he still locked away?
>>
>>40734135
I think Cain Labs would skin me.

But that's not a no.

>>40734192
Gonna want to knock heads with Cain Labs before I commit, but my guess would be that he was very swiftly made a scapegoat and executed. We had centuries of science fiction talking about machines killing humans, and he was the one that finally did it. He got to bear the brunt of an entire multi-generational cultural locus.
>>
>>40734221
Poor guy. And he never got his second season, either.
>>
I wonder how those grouchy 4th Lifesavers are. Seems like one of the most important places to hit, getting rid of the medics.
>>
so it looks like the thread is slowing down now and we seem to only be on page 3...

Anyone got any stories for us that they'd like to share? Now would be a wonderful time
>>
>>40734391
Magnet Lobster's player might have more for us, and at some point Cain Labs will return to help field more questions and whatnot.

In the meantime I'm gonna go take a quick power-nap, so I don't pass out midday before the interview tomorrow.
>>
>>40734391
Don't know if Magnet Lobster has access to his files. China will be up whenever CL gets on.

Any homebrewers have general tips or suggestions for MH games? I've only just started writing things up.
>>
>>40734426
G'night, Hunter Command. Don't let the pissed-off players bite. (Unless you like that sort of thing)
>>
How about Glory Hog? The maverick photobomber.
>>
>>40734431
Magnet Lobster's GM here. I've heard another group is using Legend. My group is using a homebrew monstrosity I built out of the Run&Gun ruleset on 1d4chan, a d6 system I found somewhere, a body-equipment step that's a compromise between Front Mission and Battletech, a point-buy system for creating custom weapons and armor parts, the clash mechanic stolen from Velocity, and a great deal of winging it.

Basically the "duct tape and bubblegum" method of homebrewing.
>>
So due to capturing proof of the Virus, and that youtube footage with the missiles, Anode is probably a vaguely recognized name to Hunter fans. What the hell would he find if he googled himself?
>>
>>40734522
No problems with it yet, then?
>>
>>40734541
Hundreds of Emerald/Anode slash fanfiction. Interrupted only by Anode/Cathode porn.
>>
>>40734554
We're halfway through our seventh "real" maverick mission, so it's working pretty well. We actually were running this week's session when this thread started.

Not to say the system isn't broken. It's a point buy system built by an amateur, of COURSE it's wildly broken in obvious ways, but my players are more interested in doing cool things in character than building a dodgebot.
>>
>>40734571
This is why Indy and the infantry shouldn't be allowed online.
>>
>>40733712

So what happened to Rama? Did he get killed in the fighting?

Was this another event with a "threshold" we could have met?
>>
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What a lovely way to wake up. Despair... anguish... nausea... abject suffering... could have done without the robo-incest but who am I to judge?

Oh yes, this is indeed a good morning. For me.
>>
>>40734754
HC said on the IRC channel that it was impossible to pass that one; Rhodes is pinned no matter what choices we made. And it's one of the "in progress" events, so we dunno if Rama survives yet.
>>
>>40734754
According to IRC that one was a guaranteed loss, which was balanced with other guaranteed positives.

Dunno about Rama.

>>40734771
I hate you, but love China more.
>>
>>40734771
>could have done without the robo-incest but who am I to judge?
it's the end of the world Cain, people do craaaaaaazy things when they think the end is near
>>
>>40734771
So you're saying we can ward you off with robutts and mechanilewds?
>>
>>40734790
China? What's China?

I believe you were referring to the Chinese Hegemony - whoops, I mean the Westen Pacific Rim Convention, there's no such thing as the Chinese Hegemony, what am I talking about?
>>
>>40734821
Everyone start shipping and smut-writing.
>>
>>40734832
Your sadism only greatens my hype!
>>
>>40734843
The West Pacific Rim Convention (Chinese Hegemony? Such nonsense) is a politico-economic union of four sovereign states, with others nearby having expressed interest in joining and Singapore holding provisional status. WPRC (PRC does not stand for People's Republic of China, that would be silly!) is the political representative of its member states (client states? Of course not) on the international scene, sets central policy for member states to follow, and administrates the Shenzhou Army.

The WPRC has existed for just under two decades, the peaceful (of course it was) resolution to fifteen years of belligerence and hostility between the Chinese Republic and its neighbors. The borders of the entire union are sealed to the Maverick Hunters, who are ruthlessly monitored at all points of entry.
>>
>>40734843
Ooh. And I presume Hong Kong is cut off from outside as well?
>>
>>40734985
>>40734918
Meant to link to the WPRC post, my bad.
>>
>>40734918
What of BEST Korea?
>>
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>>40734985
>>40735004
>>40735034
The WPRC has four Signatory Members of Council - the four sovereign states at the heart of the transnational government. The first is the Chinese Republic, which succeeded the People's Republic of China over 60 years ago, shortly after the secession of two highly affluent regions caused austerity conditions and a popular uproar. To the south, United Guangdon & Islands (commonly known as Guangdong or United Guangdong) is a wealthy Pacific Rim nation that does brisk trade with Southeast Asia and the Eastern Pacific. In the Northeast, the People's United Industrial Republic of Chaoxian Liaoning is a production powerhouse that has often troubled relations with neighboring Russia but was building a rapport with the Republic of Korea until WPRC talks to persuade the latter to join caused the relationship to cool. In the West, the Central Asian Confederated Territorial State has recently ceded some territorial gains back to Uzbekistan as part of diplomatic talks in the region; it remains a remote and highly secure state with a laughable claim to "Pacific Rim nation" status.
>>
>>40733423
Oh you haven't even met the shark yet. He's a whole different beast, loves crunching mavs. Welcome for the ride and enjoy your stay!
>>
>>40735138
Speaking of sharks, Tanker's going to be so pissed off about missing all this.
>>
>>40735108
• The Chinese Republic has moved its capital to Shanghai from Beijing, which remains a major city and the sentimental heart of the nation. A large Shenzhou Army garrison watches the sea border for any trouble coming down from Russia or out of Japan, secured by powerful weapon emplacements near the major cities along the eastern coast. The Chinese Republic still exhibits traces of Black Skies and numerous cleaner satellites are in geostationary orbit, a disconcerting melee of flickering lights in the skies every night. Still one of the most heavily-polluted places on Earth, it has been trying to clean up its image to encourage international trade. The northern and western regions feature stabilized agricultural areas.

• United Guangdong covers the former province of Guangdong as well as the southern parts of Fujian (Quanzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou), the islands of Taiwan and Hainan and several islands in the South China Sea. Prosperous and traditionally more politically liberal, Guangdong seceded from the People's Republic of China and became a state with a population exceeding 180 million. Massive hydroponic silos and novel architecture characterize United Guangdong, which remained independent for over 30 years before joining the WPRC.
>>
>>40735172
• Chaoxian Liaoning formed after the PRC invasion of North Korea 70 years ago, originally maintained as the three provinces of Chaoxian, Jilin and Liaoning. After the secession of Guangdong, Japanese and American aid to the provinces helped them assert a new identity, banding together to form a vaguely-triangular industrial powerhouse profiting from the labor infusion and economy-building of the former North Korea and sizeable investments by European states and America. It is speculated that the proximity of the Chaoxian Liaoning border to Beijing is what prompted the Chinese Republic to move its capital, though the latter insists this is nonsense.

• The Central Asian Confederated Territorial State (CACTS) is well-understood from a historical standpoint, but has been sealed to outsiders for the last 25 years. Composed of the former Xinjiang, Tibet, western Qinghai and prior Chinese expansions into Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, CACTS is a multiethnic region whose local governance is largely left to its own devices. It is widely speculated that the Chinese Hegemony is undertaking dangerous and illegal activities in this large and remote region, possibly involving superweapons, bioweapons or questionable Reploid manufacture. Long-range evaluations have detected exotic baryon-type experimental laboratories and at least three PAEFs capable of truth hadronization.
>>
>>40735279
>filename
I'm so salty right now.
>>
>>40735301
Then my mission has been a success.
>>
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>>40735301
Saltier than the Slide fight?
>>
>>40735541
That didn't leave me salty at all, so yes.
>>
>>40733970
>A little bit of both. The unifying factor of all the events was that their outcomes, one way or the other, would affect the readiness the hunters had for the surprise attack during the events of MMX3. This is why the "correct" choice wasn't always the right one. If an action, good or bad, would strengthen the Maverick Hunter footing in the present day, it would be a positive point value. For a few of them, the values were variables--those future outcomes, based on whether they would go on to help the attackers or the defenders of MHHQ.

If you'd said that at the start, instead of the confusing and vague "sometimes the good choice isn't the right choice" message, the previous thread would have started off with a lot less confusion and saltiness and sheer **frustration** as we did not understand what was going on, why we were doing this, what we were supposed to be building up to, and so on.

Instead we bumbled around with no idea what was happening except that sometimes we would get shocked for it.


>>40734084
>Both Cain and I were pretty surprised at the run of bad luck right at the start, with the first three all getting missed--especially since I had to delete you initially picking a correct answer once and rewrite with the other choice. Given all the salt expressed in-thread, I was worried it started things off on the wrong foot and soured you guys on the interlude before it was really even started.

Yeah it did start things off on the wrong foot and did sour me on the interlude. For the reasons I just said above.

Just... You gave us no *goal* or even *explanation* to center ourselves when the interlude began.


It would have been a lot more fun and felt a lot less arbitrary if we'd been given more to work with.
>>
>>40735562
>That didn't leave me salty at all
I don't believe you
>>
>>40735613
Why should it have left me salty? It was fun.

>>40735586
Although we didn't know it would affect our current standing for X3, I think it was pretty clear what was meant by the right choice not always being the best one. Fucking up the Maverick one really should have kicked us into a more practical mindset.
>>
>Picking options during the interlude
>>
>>
>>40735754
One of them's a pussy, but I'm not sure which.
>>
>>
That ND Seven found, was that on our Wolfspider mission?

And would rejecting Geist deployment have retconned our Saetos mission to lower casualties?
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>>40735586
I did consider telling you the goal, but we discussed it and felt that more organic storytelling would lead to less meta discussion and a better focus on the actual past events. Several readers have talked to me about the themes they saw in the right answers, so overall I feel like we did accomplish what we set out to; we just didn't expect to start off with three failures in a row, nor what that would do to morale. Lessons for experimental formats, I guess.

>>40735818
>would rejecting Geist deployment have retconned our Saetos mission to lower casualties?

No. Maverick Geists wouldn't have been an issue during that incident.
>>
>>
If there are any other questions for me, now would be the time.
>>
>>40735975
How's our favorite Navigator doing? Next thread or can you say now?
>>
>>
>>40734812
It would be more tasteful (Not that that is saying much) if said robos were not currently in the process of dying via either having their vital organs ripped out, or delayed disintegration.
>>
>>40735975
Any tips for mav building? My first batch is made simple, easy to give them an idea that sometimes it is good to try and save people (that bit with Conda really helps by the way-gives an idea for how non viral conditioning goes), but I want to make sure each has a Saetos, and each has a Spinwire. And then get terrifying with the first arc boss, who accidentally has a few of Limited's tricks on a reploid frame.

Also, my players accidentally gave me another joke bot to add to the ranks-Pneumatic Ram of the 14th. NPC, but the sort who tends to send enemies and himself flying with every assault.
>>
no Magnet Lobster storytime again. such is life.
>>
>>40735871
>I did consider telling you the goal, but we discussed it and felt that more organic storytelling would lead to less meta discussion and a better focus on the actual past events.

You didn't have to give the full goal. But at least SOMEthing. More than just "here, make choices, I'll take points off if you guess wrong, and not every good choice is the right choice".

You gotta have something or else it's just going to cause confusion and frustration.
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>>40735975
what the hell does PAEFs capable of truth hadronization mean?
>>
>>40736941
Beats me, but I got the info I needed, so I'm happy.
>>
>>40735975
We got +8, what would be the "canon" score in the MMX games?
>>
>>40736123
There are a bunch of narrative roles that they can fill; you'll see many of them on display with our set. Beyond that, a bit of diverse history, personality, and I tend to plan mine around a setpiece attack or two.

>>40736783
I'm curious how it would have panned out if you'd won the first three (this is the collective "you") and then things started going off rails.
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>>40736941
Particle accelerating engine facilities capable of producing exotic matter via top quarks that have been "hadronized" (have successfully joined with other quarks via the strong force to produce a hadron, a composite subatomic particle like a proton or neutron). As far as our science is concerned, top quarks cannot form hadrons as they decay far too rapidly (which ironically makes them excellent for research on the properties of quarks, as the rest all hadronize too fast to be useful.) This produces exotic particles which have applications in advanced physics in the MHQ era. Why "truth?" Because "truth quark" was an overly-cutesy (and long-ago discarded) alt-name for the top quark, and the media found it way more fun to play with when the first discoveries of top quark hadronization were announced.

>>40736979
+0.
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>>40737119
So wait, we did better than the start of X3, at least somewhat?
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>>40737342
Quite!
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>>40737119
>This produces exotic particles which have applications in advanced physics in the MHQ era.
What sort of applications?
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>>40737387
I was initially pleased about that, but you seem excited about it too, and that makes me worry.
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>>40737553
Most of the phlebotinum-y stuff we throw around in these threads as technobabble would involve exotic matter like that.
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>>40737614
Ah, plotinum.
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>>40737387
any major differences between cannon and what we got?
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>>40737782
You'll see. Oh, you'll see.



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