Jackbot: Partial Eclipse

THIS IS THE FIRST CHAPTER. IT IS MOSTLY THE TYPICAL NAMING THINGS THAT HAPPENS AT THE START OF EVERY FORUM ADVENTURE, AND ALSO A TUTORIAL ABOUT MECHA COMBAT!

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SpoilerYou! Are an enterprising young person who has just had some WONDERFUL NEWS!

But before we deal with that! There are some THINGS we need to know about you!

Things like-

What's your name?

:> _:

Zoosmell Pooplord

Nice try, smartass.

The ancient and proud name bestowed upon me by my loving parents is Roberto Domingo Sanchez Don Juan Ranchero, but you can call me Jesus for short (pronounced hay-SOOS).

You're pretty sure Ranchero isn't a proper noun. And where's the secondary name? And why not- ARGH why are you talking about the proper construction of Spanish names in an MSPA DIE IN A FIRE

Porco.

Now that's just hurtful. Just because you put on some weight once in the seventh grade... *sniff. Sniff.*

Jack "Gear" Tex

Oh. Right. Now I remember. They call you Jack. Which you're kind of peeved at, since you're a girl. But you suppose they can get away with it, seeing as you're Jaqueline and all. But everyone calls you Jack.

Actually, everyone calls you Gear, because you go out to the OLD BATTLEFIELD and scrounge 'Mech parts with- What was his name, again?

[You have acquired a GENDER: Female]

:> _:

Farmstink Buttlass

... Either you need to be less meta, or need to have less of a scat fetish.

Freedy Johnson IV

Freedy? Did someone make a typo? And who would be 'the fourth' in this Podunk town? That's like trying to find a 2300-year-old tree in the middle of a wasteland.

Lance Goodthrust

Oh, he WISHES he could live up to that name.

Billy "Cog" Czernobog

Ah, that was it! Billy had always had "Cog" as his nickname, ever since you, apparently in the time when you were very young and don't remember, mispronounced his last name. You deny it every time the story comes up. And it comes up an awful lot. Like every time a MECHA PILOT or TRUCKER rolls into town and asks about it.

And yes, you are both perfectly aware of the irony of being called Gear and Cog.

Speaking of, you should probably tell him this excellent news! But FIRST!

YOUR ROOM
You are inside your room, on the top floor of your family's TWO-STORY JUNK SHOP. All around your room are MECHA POSTERS. There is a DESK, with a COMPUTER on it. Various SALVAGING EQUIPMENT litters the area. An PRE-WAR MILITARY BACKPACK sits in a corner, and will serve as your inventory. To the north is the UPSTAIRS HALL. To the east is YOUR BATHROOM.

:> _:

Quickly retrieve arms from desk.

You can't afford cyber-ware! And even if you could, you certainly wouldn't detach it and store it in your desk! Besides, you'd probably spend it on better augmentations than just the arms, unless you've lost one or something.

>Jack: Wear backpack
>Backpack: Serve as Jack inventory

The backpack's weight feels familiar to you, as you heft it and look inside. Huh, looks like you didn't unpack when you came in from your run yesterday. You check the contents.

INVENTORY
[3x EMERGENCY RATIONS]
[1x PDA with ADDED PROGRAMS]
[1x WATER FILTER]
[1x CHELATION TABLETS]
[2x ANTI--MECHA GRENADES]
[1x CHANGE OF CLOTHING]
[2x CLEAN UNDERTHINGS]
[1x TEN ESSENTIALS]
[1x SPEEDLOADER]
[1x SNIPER CLIP]
[1x SURVIVAL KNIFE]

Looks like everything's here.

You decide to check your email again just to make sure you've remembered everything. While you're at it, you [SYNC YOUR PDA]. You may do this at any INFOLINK-ENABLED DEVICE.

There are actually two new e-mails. Well, aside from the typical ENLARGE YOUR CANNON spam-type emails. You suppose some things never change.

From:Billy@Wunderkindnet.net
Subj.: Core delivery
Sent: About 2 minutes ago

Jack,
Have delivered the FUSION CORES we got from the Big Yard last night. Looks like they're two size 4s- they're ready to install whenever you feel like coming down to the hangar.

-- The Cog

Well, that's good news, but it's not the wonderful news. And you'd hardly need to tell him about it. But this next one-

From: <!-- e --><a href="mailto:Drawing.No.Reply@BlackwellHeavyIndust.com">Drawing.No.Reply@BlackwellHeavyIndust.com</a><!-- e -->
To: "Jacqueline Tex" <JTex@Silverhame.gov>
Subj: Results of SHIVA-II Drawing #436

To whom it may concern:
spYour ticket, #523156, of drawing #436 for a brand-new SHIVA II in our occasional giveaway has been selected as the GRAND PRIZE WINNER.

As always, the winner of the GRAND PRIZE must appear in person to receive the SHIVA II in question, or it will pass on to the next draw, after a period of one (1) month.

Please keep your winning ticket and take it with you to the main factory in Greenhill, as you will need it and a photo ID to claim your prize.

Thank you,
-- Seraphino Porco
Vice President of Public Relations
Blackwell Heavy Industrial Concern
"We love our machines so much, we positively GIVE them away! Learn more [HERE]."

You retrieve the e-mail to your PDA, and stand up. You'd better get down to the HANGAR, quick! But that doesn't matter, because nothing's gonna stop you now!

[Morale : 100% WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!?]

*growwwowwr*
... Well, maybe SOMETHING.

[Hunger : 20% Yeah, I could eat][/QUOTE]

Deciding you should probably get on with it, you quickly grab some items from the kitchen. A couple sausage links- those fully cooked ones that you can eat cold- a couple slices of cheese, some fresh fruit.

You start eating them on the way down the [ELEVATOR] to the [UNDERGROUND HANGAR], which is where your family keeps the mecha on sale as well as all the salvage jobs and repair work. Unsurprisingly, there's really only one mecha that's really fully operational and "On Sale". You've checked it on Infolink, you're offering it at half list price. Of course, only really big corporations and maybe the Solar Navy could afford an OGRE... And they generally have better artillery platforms. So it sits gathering dust, in pieces.

As you finally hit the bottom of the hangar, Cog is there to greet you. "Little late getting up this morning, Jack?"

"Never mind that," you say, taking a bite out of the sausage. "Take a look at this."

You show him the [MESSAGE FROM BLACKWELL HEAVY INDUSTRIAL].

He whistles. "A Shiva, huh? Well, I don't want to bother with Blackwell, I'd rather take a Greensec Corporation 'Mech."

Ah, yes. The Greenzone Security Initiantive. They do a lot of good work based on the old Pre-War designs. Some of the stuff is actually surprisingly up-to-date, even now. "Let me guess, Cog- you decided most of the other 'mechs weren't worth it."

Cog nodded. "Yeah. I've narrowed the choices down to these five." He hands you his PDA. "You pick one, and I'll pick one."

The first one is the [YORKE]. Primary armament appears to be some kind of LASER CANNON, though it has a FIELD ARTILLERY PIECE and a backup ANTI-MISSILE VULCAN CANNON. Very well-rounded. Even you admit this is a decent choice; it's a standard mecha still used by law enforcement. It's the only model here to have the WHEELED MODE option, which allows it to SKATE instead of RUN.

The second is the [PATTON]. It seems to have a lot of big guns, and a lot of space for extra big guns. the centerpiece is the PAIR OF 200 MM MORTARS. You're pretty sure that if you don't pick this, Cog might. Big, a little sluggish in the controls as might be expected, but has enough firepower to take down just about anything, and it does have plenty of armor.

The third is the infamous [NAPOLEON]. The smallest Size 4 mecha on the market, the Napoleon earns its name by being tiny and massive. It's built to slam and take down other mecha, and is terrifyingly good at its job, including several BEAM KHATARS and a HEAT AXE to bring bigger things 'down to size'. It has no ranged options.

Next, there's the [SIMON]. This speedy little bastard is the 'fencer' to the Napoleon's berserker. Light on its proverbial feet, this is probably the fastest of the selections- at least in terms of pure maneuverability. Armed with a HEAT HALBERD and its devastating, if disappointingly short-range, FLECHETTE CANNON, it can advance on many heavier mecha and lay them to waste.

Finally, there's the [BURNS]. You've always had a thing for this model. Maybe it's just the connection with snipers. It uses a SHOULDER-MOUNTED 150MM RAILGUN to lay down ACCURATE, ARMOR-PIERCING fire. It also has a backup RAPID-FIRE 80MM CANNON, though this is DIFFICULT TO AIM. It's actually remarkably maneuverable. It has weaknesses- LOW VOLUME OF FIRE, and LIGHT ARMOR, to name two- but when you can knock an OGRE to the scrapyard, what's to complain about?

Make your choice.

_________________


You look them over, dithering between the YORKE and the SIMON for a while, before settling on the SIMON.

The SIMON is middling tall for a Size 4 'Mech, at about three and a half stories. It has a head, but the cockpit is in the torso compartment, generally a mark of Post-War modifications to Pre-War 'cockpit in head' designs.

As you're installing the power core, you think it prudent to check the other systems. At least the motive systems seem to work out okay, and a brief check at dock power proves the control systems are fine. The radiation seal is completely intact, and that's really all you need to know.

The HEAT HALBERD is not quite an energy weapon, but it still tears things apart in MELEE. It also has REACH.

The FLECHETTE CANNON is a SHORT RANGE ENERGY WEAPON. Think of something like a sawed-off flack cannon using plasma instead of lead. It has a decent RATE, but the HEAT LOAD is absolutely terrible- if you want to use this for any appreciable length of time, you'll need to find a way to install more heat sinks or spend all your time underwater.

As you suspected, Cog selected the PATTON. He's always had a thing for artillery. Men and their explosions...

You may now control either-

A rumble shakes the underground garage to its foundations!

You're being shelled!

You quickly power on the SIMON, the HUD running through the checklist as the cockpit closes in around you. You get your hands into the CONTROL DOCKETS.

So this is what it feels like...

SEAL. . . . CHECK
MOHYDRA . HECK
LIFE SUPPORT ONLINE
FUSION DRIVE ONLINE
STARTING HUD... OK!

You see the OK blink three times quickly before the garage is presented to you again. You open up a line to YOUR PARENTS.

"Mom! Dad! Open the gate, I'm going to fight!"

"WHAT?"

You start to move the SIMON. Huh. Not bad. You had expected the vibrations to be a lot worse than this. "It's the bandits again, right? And I have a mech now, right?"

"Oh, honey, please don't tell me-"

You can hear Cog joining you on the horn. "I hearby swear to uphold the Common Code of the Cavalier. Finish the job. Fight injustice."

The Gate is opening for you. You both get to the Elevator.

"To Remember my roots." The Elevator, in Emergency mode, moves a lot faster than you expect. You're suddenly glad you strapped in. Both you and Cog step out. "And treat your mecha with respect!"

[You have gained PERSONAL STAT: Honor]
[You have gained PERSONAL STAT: Reknown]
[You have gained PERSONAL STAT: Lawfulness]

COMBAT BEGINS
You are standing just outside town.
Cog is right next to you.
You, the player, may now control both Gear and Cog.

SIMON- Size 4 close combat mech
[ARMOR: 100%- CONDITION GREEN]
[MANEU: 100%- MOVE MOVE MOVE]
[SENSO: 100%- I can see clearly now~]
[HEAT: 20%- Operational standard heat. All systems OK]
[Heat Halberd: READY]
[Flechette cannon: READY]
[Fists: OPERATIONAL]

Pilot: JACQUELINE "GEAR" TEX
[Morale: 80% A little nervous...]
[Stamina: 100% LET'S DO THIS]
[Mental: 100% Ready!]
[Health: 100% Fighting trim!]
[Honor: 50% Where will your legs take you, Cavalier?]
[Reknown: 0 "Gear who?"]
[Lawfulness: 50% Whose side are you on again?]

PATTON- Size 4 artillery mech
[ARMOR: 100%- CONDITION GREEN]
[MANEU: 100%- MOVE MOVE MOVE]
[SENSO: 100%- I can see clearly now~]
[HEAT: 20%- Operational standard heat. All systems OK]
[200 MM Mortar- Loading]
[80 MM Machine Gun- READY]
[Arm-mounted AAMissile Pack- READY]
[RArm-mounted 130 MM cannon- READY]
[Torso- 2x 30MM Antimissile AEGIS- READY]

Pilot: BILLY "COG" CZERNOBOG
[Morale: 81% Not our first combat...]
[Stamina: 100% Throw anything at me]
[Mental: 100% Calm. Cool. Collected. ]
[Health: 100% Let's go.]
[Honor: 50% Where will your legs take you, Cavalier?]
[Reknown: 0 "Cog who?"]
[Lawfulness: 50% Whose side are you on again?]

Cog> quickly, before the elevator reaches the top, fire on the ledge before the elevator, you want to make the coolest entry ever! also it will provide some visual cover but loosing yourself the element of surprise, which you didn't have in the first place with this slow, loud elevator.

Problem: That would damage the town!

You really don't want to break the Common Code less than five minutes after you swore to uphold it.[/QUOTE]

Either Pilot> Request some positioning of the opponent, you at least want to know which way you should be aiming.
Gear> try to leap out before the elevator fully raises, you can either get the drop on them or draw the bead off the elevator entrance.

Well, you don't have jump jets, but you still use the ledge to haul yourself out; surprisingly, you're not getting much fire on your position.

However, it does look like there are some fresh craters near the SHERIFF'S.

Speaking of, the Sheriff is now on your comms. "Who? Cavaliers?"

"Yes," Cog responds. "Where's the enemy?"

"What? Cog? What's- Screw it, I'll figure it out later. You've got the job! They're about two klicks from your position- to the east. I'll lay covering fire when I can, but I'm pinned behind a hill right now- DAMMIT I'LL TALK LATER-"

The sheriff's comm cuts out. East is directly away from the town- small favors.

:> _:

Gear>find cover
Cog> get a sight lock on the opponent
Adventure> be posted on by someone other that me or the author.

Gear doesn't need to find cover, the enemy is over the horizon!

However, Cog does manage to note five Class 3 reactors two clicks east on his sensors, as well as a Class 4. Looks like the sheriff's getting mobbed. You'll have to get closer if you want visual confirmation, though.

[Cog's AWARENESS increases!]
[Shoulder-mounted 200MM Mortars- LOADED]

Stealth your way to the enemy position.

You both agree to cut off communications and try and approach from the ridge. At this distance, they won't be able to see you easily. Cog's PATTON simply is not as fast or maneuverable as a SIMON, though, and Gear gets to the ridge well ahead of him. Cog is in the cover of the FOREST right now, but that might change at any moment.

None of them have split off to go after Gear's SIMON, though.

[Gear's STEALTH increases!]
[Gear's ECM skill increases!]
[Gear's AWARENESS increases!]

You have visual confirmation on the enemy. The Sheriff's YORKE looks like it has taken quite a pounding, but it's on the run in SKATE MODE and occasionally getting a shot off.

The five Class 3 mechs reveal themselves to be three CLAYMORE humanoid mechs, and a pair of artillery platform zoanoids usually known by MASTIFF. The CLAYMOREs are the ones in pursuit if the sheriff, keeping him away from the Mastiffs, which seem to be trying to land a shot with the BACK-MOUNTED ARTILLERY.

[Objective updated: Protect the SHERIFF and defeat 5*BANDITS]

:> _:

Gear> set yourself up to blindside one of the Masstifs
Cog> get the lead out

They're a little far off, but you wait until the Claymores are drawn opposite the ridge. Maybe the Sheriff knows you're there?

Gear: Get out your melee weapon and charge!
Cog: Once you catch up, brace yourself so you can aim your weapon (like a sniper)

Cog reaches the ridge just as Gear starts RUNNING towards the MASTIFFS. Gear draws the HEAT HALBERD. She cannot fire one of her FLECHETTE CANNONS like this, as it is installed in the FOREARM. The other one is still available though.

Cog adjusts his aim to go for the Mastiff!

[1x 200mm mortar- FIRE]
[1x 200mm mortar- READY]

BOOM. The mortar shell is placed neat-as-you-please on the stationary Mastiff's position. Its ARTILLERY is toast, and it now has only THREE LEGS. The second Mastiff got out of the way, though.

[1x 200mm Mortar- Loading, 4 rounds left]

The Claymores have realized the Mastiffs have been ambushed. Two turn around to face you.

Gear enters CLOSE RANGE.

:> _:

Gear HESITATES.

Cog HESITATES.

The Sheriff takes the opportunity to hit a Claymore in the back. An ARM is hit! The HAND and its attendant MACHINE GUN is destroyed! The BOIL-OFF deals immense damage to the Claymore's arm!

The Sheriff opens his comm. "Move, idiots! Are you Cavaliers or not!?"

[Cog's Morale goes down 10%.]
[Gear's Morale rises 2%.]

The Mastiffs start to RUN from Gear! Only one remains in CLOSE RANGE, the other is at MID RANGE.

You'd better do something, quick!

:> _:

Quickly run up to the closest one and take it down
Gear: Shoot the midrange one.

Gear closes to MELEE RANGE with the damaged Mastiff.

Gear attacks with the HEAT HALBERD! As it lacks one leg already, hitting it isn't much of a problem. Gear neatly severs A DIFFERENT LEG. A very clean cut- you should be able to salvage it later! The HALBERD will take a moment to READY.

Internal damage on the Mastiff has forced it to SHUT DOWN. 1*Mastiff eliminated.

[Gear has discovered a talent: TECH VULTURE- more likely to collect intact pieces from destroyed mecha!]
[Gear's Morale increases 2%. Current morale 84%- I think I've got the hang of this!]

Gear pivots and FIRES the FLECHETTE CANNON! It seems like a weak hit- the Mastiff's armor absorbed most of it. Maybe you should get in closer range?

Cog HESITATES again.

A Claymore FIRES at Cog! MISS.

[Cog's Morale drops 5%. Current morale- 66% I'm not so sure about this anymore...]

Cog: Shoot that midrange one quickly.
Gear: Hesitate for 10 or so seconds but go running after the midrange one.

Pilots cannot choose to HESITATE! HESITATION is a result of LOW MECHA PILOTING SKILL. A pilot without an assigned action will resort to DEFENSE or HESITATION.

Gear takes full command of her SIMON!
[Gear's MECHA PILOTING skill ->2]

A Claymore takes a pot-shot at her and misses.
[Gear's Morale increases by 2. Current Morale 86% - Are you even trying?]

Gear has closed in on the healthy Mastiff. She is now in CLOSE RANGE. Her HEAT HALBERD is READIED.

Cog>shoot the 80 mm at the Claymore that missed, he spooked you. once you regain your composure (be quick about it) finish a different Claymore off the the 200 mm Mortar

[80MM Machine Gun- FIRE]

Cog fires a three round burst at the far Claymore, and scores two hits, one in the leg and one in the torso. The LEG is DISABLED! The Claymore FALLS! The PILOT is now UNCONSCIOUS. Consider it disabled.
[Cog's Morale increases by 11. Current Morale 77% - I'll blow you away!]
[Cog improves the skill MECHA GUNNERY ->1]
[80mm Machine Gun- UNREADY, 21 rounds left]

[200mm Mortar - FIRE]
Thunk. BOOM. The Claymore that was concentrating on the Sheriff is now officially slag.
[Cog improves the skill MECHA ARTILLERY -> 2]
[Cog Improves the skill MECHA PILOTING -> 1]
[Cog's Morale is now 85% - Rallied]
[1x200mm Mortar- loading, 4xammo left]
[1x200mm Mortar- READY, 3xammo left]

At this point, I'll let you figure out the individual increases in Morale on your own. Each character increases and decreases in morale in different ways and differing amounts. In general, high Morale is good, low Morale is bad. 'Rallied' is a little special- it means it'll be a little harder to put that pilot's morale up higher. As you'll notice, Cog will tend to HESITATE more because unlike Gear, he had no experience in mecha piloting previous this combat.

[Back-mount ARTILLERY- FIRE]
The Mastiff tries to fire at the Sheriff! The Sheriff skates out of the way! *dodge*[/QUOTE]

a tally of allies and enemies would be nice if you can spare it.

Of course I can! Currently, allied in Green, Opposing force in red:

SHERIFF PARRISH
PILOTING: YORKE
[UNKNOWN WEAPON LOADOUT]
Applicable talents: SHARPSHOOTER- doubles chance for SPOT WEAKNESS skill to work.

BILLY "COG" CZERNOBOG
PILOTING: PATTON
[1x200 mm Mortar: READY] [3] [RShoulder]
[1x200 mm Mortar: Loading] [4] [LShoulder]
[1x150 mm Cannon: READY] [LArm Mount]
[1xAA Missile Pack: READY] [LArm Mount]
[1x80 mm Machine Gun: Unready] [21] [RHand]
[1xAA Missile Pack: READY] [RArm Mount]
[2xAntimissile Vulcan Cannons: READY] [Torso]
HEAT: 45%
Applicable Talents: NONE?

JACK "GEAR" TEX
PILOTING: SIMON
[1x Heat Halberd: READY] [RHand]
[1x Flechette Cannon: UNAVAILABLE] [RArm]
[1x Flechette Cannon: READY] [LArm]
HEAT: 50%
Applicable Talents: TECH VULTURE: Better able to harvest intact parts from destroyed mecha.

1xCLAYMORE BANDIT
[1x 80mm Machine Gun: DESTROYED] [RHand]
[1x Rocket Launcher: READY] [LShoulder]
[1x MIGHTY FIST: READY] [LHand]

1x MASTIFF BANDIT
[1x 180mm Cannon: Loading] [Back]
[2x Antimissile Vulcan Cannon: READY] [Torso]
[1x Heat Claw: READY] [LForeleg]
[1x Heat Claw: READY] [RForeleg]

Command? :> _:

Gear>stab dat shit!
Cog> is there a Claymore left? if so take that one out with the 80 mm to conserve the more expensive 200 mm rounds, if not > giant robot victory dance

COG: Aim at the Mastiff, but don't fire yet (attempting to SNIPE).

GEAR: Hit the Claymore.

[LArm Mount][150mm Cannon: LOCKING]
Well, his Machine Gun is still Unready, so Cog takes AIM with the 150mm CANNON.
[LArm Mount][150mm Cannon: LOCKED]
[Cog's AWARENESS -> 2]
[Cog's ECCM ->1]

[LArm] [Flechette Cannon- FIRE]
Gear opens fire on the last Claymore with the Flechette Cannon. The Claymore takes a torso hit! The increased HEAT causes an AMMO EXPLOSION! The Claymore is TOAST.
[Gear improves the skill MECHA GUNNERY ->1]
[Gear's Morale -> 98% THIS HAND OF MINE IS BURNING RED!]

:> _:

COG: Snipe at the Mastiff!

[150mm Cannon- FIRE]
The Mastiff takes a direct to its side, nearly knocking it over! The Mastiff recovers.
[Cog's Morale -> 86% Rallied]

Gear finish this with a combo attack Burning Heat Lance
(dramatic stab at the mastiff with a quick retreat when Cog blasts the guy to oblivion with the cannon)

[ERROR ERROR ERROR- SAFETY INTERLOCKS RELEASED]
Something strange is happening with the FLECHETTE CANNON in the Right Arm! The HEAT HALBERD becomes imbued with a higher temperature than its DESIGN CAPACITY! This looks like it might be bad...

[TEMPORARY PLASMA HALBERD- ATTACK]
Gear RUNS the remaining distance and while the Mastiff is still recovering, slices through the Mastiff's TORSO, somehow missing the cannon in the process!

Yeah, Gear's pretty sure that because it's cut in half that it's disabled.

Suddenly, a HEAT ALARM goes off in Gear's cockpit. [Heat: 70% NORMAL HEAT CAPACITY REACHED. WARNING WARNING WARNING]
[Gear's Morale -> 100% TAKE THIS!]

-- Combat over. MORALE partially reset. Victory!--
[Cog's Morale set at 84%]
[Gear's Morale set at 90%]

Sheriff Parrish exits COMBAT MODE, and opens up his comm. "Now, I'd like some explanations as to what you two think you're doing, please."

:> _:

>before answering, Giant Robot Caramelldansen.

Both of you go across the battlefield, exiting battle mode, and do some sort of odd hornpipe/jitterbug combination, the mechs going hand-in-hand.

You're about to turn it into a full swing maneuver when Sheriff Parrish interrupts you. "I understand you're giddy, but could you answer the question?"

[Gear increases MECHA PILOTING skill -> 3]
[Cog increases MECHA PILOTING skill ->2]

Both: "We heard gunfire and fighting way back home, so we got into our mechs and saw you in trouble. You know the rest."

"Your mechs?" Oh, god. You can hear Parrish's infamous RAISED EYEBROW TECHNIQUE from here! I don't think he liked the sound of that. "Last I recall, you two didn't own any size 4 mecha. You two had a pair of Bodybags you used to transport parts. Explain."

>Quick! Up, Up, Button, Button!

Neither Jack nor Cog know what the hell you're talking about.

>Um, is the axe still overheating? You might want to fix that or at least get far away from it.

The Simon's heat is at 68% and dropping; on closer inspection, the HEAT HALBERD still has some damage, but nothing a decent repair shop can't fix.

Tell the truth about where you got them (Personally, I think they're actually the parents' mechs)

I seriously didn't expect you to comply with the nonsensical ramblings i just said. anyways yeah, tell the truth and then tell him about how you did win a free mech. rules and restrictions may apply

Gear speaks up first. "We installed new cores in some of the old 'mechs Mom and Dad keep around for parts. I sort of figured they wouldn't mind."

"Did you discuss this with them?"

"Yeah, they sort of gave each other this stupid look parents do when they think you're being futile and said that if we ever found an intact power core, we could have a mech."

Cog nods. "That was the agreement."

"Hmmm. I've never heard a word of this. Do you mind if I come with you?"

>Salvage parts from defeated bandits, and that one with the unconscious bandit, might as well bring the whole thing home, and keep him for questioning or something

It looks like the Sheriff is already dealing with the unconscious one- You can hear the ambulance arriving. So Gear picks up the parts she managed to cut cleanly- an entire right leg, weapons, that sort of thing- and ties them down while this is going on.

Cog and Gear: Prepare scathing jibes for parents re: having found power cores and thus earning the mechs.

Cog starts to consider how he is going to do a SICK BURN on Gear's parents, but reconsiders. And his own parents own the weapons shop where they got most of their other stuff from, so that's really no good either.

Gear though, is trying out some dialogue. Guess what? We got Power now. Bwahaha- No, too villainous. Really, she needs a good one for this. Man, it's on the tip of her tongue.

In any case, the Sheriff hands the unconscious one off officially to the hospital and asks Gear and Cog to lead the way, which they do.

Gear and Cog get out of their mecha. Gear's parents' mecha. Whatever.

:> _:

Take him to where he asked, no tricks.

>And leave the salvage in wherever you keep that stuff

Well, Gear just tends to keep it in the garage to sell later. But whatever. You go upstairs- well, up the personal elevator- and strike up a conversation with Gear's parents.

"Tell me again why you two suddenly decided to be Cavaliers?" Mrs. Tex asked. "What made this shelling different?"

Oooh, Gear wishes she could come up with a SICK BURN right now!

> _

>"we've actually been planning this for quite awhile, it is only now that we have been able to do it!"

Gear laughs a little as she states this.

Cog just rubs his eyes.
[Cog has gained personality trait: MELANCHOLY]

Mrs. Tex looks at her daughter. Cog looks up at Mrs. Tex. "I don't believe this. You've been planning to use salvage title mecha as a stepping stone to become a member of one of the worst occupations in existence? For all the mecha on Luna, WHY?"

Mrs. Tex looks Cog dead in the eyes. "I want your answer too, bucko. I need something to tell your parents..."

Gear> "because I can't see myself doing anything different. i can't cook, i hate cleaning, I'm a terrible teacher, and fixing the small stuff that breaks every now and then is wearing on my nerves. I want to make a bigger difference then anything I can do here."

[Gear gains MOTIVATION: "Defend all innocents in the Federated Territories'']
[Gear's CONVERSATION skill -> 4]
[Gear has gained a personality trait: PASSIONATE]

Cog says "We're tired of this. Tired of dealing with bandits. With corrupt marshals. With having our efforts wasted on the next bandit attack. The War of Superpowers has been over for nearly a damn century but it feels like everyone's still fighting it! I know it was stupid for us to go out there. But we had to do something. We couldn't just watch and wait." He shakes his head. "Not anymore."

[Cog gains MOTIVATION: "Reform Law Enforcement in the Federated Territories"]
[Cog's CONVSERSATION skill -> 3]

[New Keywords: 'War of Superpowers', 'Motivation']

Gear grins. "Besides, being a cavalier is awesome."

Cog sighs.

Mrs. Tex sighs. "You always were your father's child- thinking maybe things will change." But she does seem to relent. "All right, Sheriff. I'm giving the salvage titles to them. If they want to leave..." *sniff. Sniff sniff* "I won't stop them, I guess."

[Gear/Cog RENOWN -> 1]
[Lawfulness -> 52]

The Sheriff nods. "All right, Mrs. Tex. No harm. I'll need my Yorke repaired..."

Mrs. Tex waves that off. "Leave that to me. Go on."

The Sheriff leaves.

"As for you two. Go. I take it the salvage is yours. I'll credit it to you. If there's anything you actually want to keep out of that mess, tell me now."

You did it! You're FREE!

:> _:

List of all the stuff we salvaged please. Also, I really like this textventure.

Certainly! You have collected:
[1x Class 3 Zoonoid Right Leg Part]
[1x 160mm Cannon]
[1x Mounting Point]
[2x 60mm Machine Gun]
[1x Rocket Launcher]
[1x Battroid Left Arm]
[Gear's MECHA REPAIR skill 5 -> 6]

Though you suppose that last wasn't so much a matter of inventory as skill increase. Whatever.

Ooo, we won like a contest thing for a really powerful mech at the start didn't we? Go get that.

Gear would love to! The SHIVA II is perhaps THE premier mecha for long-range engagement of enemy forces. Even those bastards on Luna and the fine specialists on the Yui Spinner Colony admit it. But...

Greenhill, is like, a thousand miles away. And Gear has to go collect it IN PERSON, in case you haven't forgotten. So no, she really can't go get it. Or rather, She IS going to get it, which, while tangential, is part of the point. It's even in the title!

Cog: "If you find out anything where these bandits were based, Any scrap of knowledge, tell us. It will be useful when we're more prepared."

Mrs. Tex nods. "You'd want to ask Sheriff Parrish about that more than me. And don't forget to pick up good gear from your parents too." She mutters something about saving her trouble.

:> _:

Okay, sort what quest stuff we need to do in order of priority, and any possible side-quests.

Well, you're not sure which are 'main' quests and which are side-quests. But you do put them down in order of urgency!

CURRENT JOB:
- None. Hrm.

URGENT QUESTS:
- Collect the SHIVA II, within 30 days.
- Get money, perhaps as you go, to afford traveling to Greenhill, where said SHIVA II may be collected.

LESS URGENT QUESTS:
- Gain Renown, so you can work on better jobs. Luckily as you take jobs and finish them, this will go up!
- Maintain the Common Code. This isn't so much a quest as it is a guideline, but you suppose being heroic is probably going to make life a little easier for you.

IMPORTANT, LONG-TERM QUESTS:
- Complete Gear's Motivation: "Protect innocents within the Federated Territories"
- Complete Cog's Motivation: "Reform law enforcement in the Federated Territories"[/QUOTE]

What are we traveling in? can extra parts come with or is it just going to be lots of mech walking?

Gear only has the two mecha she's got and a pair of bodybags- which is to say, open-top cars. So for her own peace of mind, she'd rather walk in the mech, thank you.

>Inspect the cooling systems of the Simon.Transfering the heat from one weapon to another isn't a standard behavior,maybe they are damaged and will fail at the next use of the mech.

Thinking of something, you go back into the garage and inspect the Heat Halberd and the Flechette Cannon, wondering how you that safety interlock could have been removed.

Cog has gone off to collect supplies.

[Gear checks Craft + MECHA DESIGN: Success]

Gear looks over the Heat Halberd carefully, as well as the Flechette Cannon. The main conduit for the heat halberd appears to actually be a plasma deload/heat sink for the Flechette Cannon- a quick look at the firmware indicates that this is generally not supposed to be anywhere near the level of an actual discharge of the Flechette Cannon, though. So while the Halberd is designed to take a lot of HEAT apparently the engineers didn't think it could take a full plasma burst from the Flechette cannon- and as you look over the Halberd, you absolutely agree; the damage was a bit more extensive than you thought.

tl;dr The good news is the Flechette Cannon is fine. The bad news is that the Halberd is most certainly not designed with a full plasma charge in mind and continuing to do something like that will probably cause it to explode messily. You still have no idea how the safety locks came off, though.

Sell the salvage you can't really use, and keep the rest (so you can have more weapons later).

No! USE EVERYTHING ON COG'S MECH!

Well, Cog's mecha is pretty full up as it is! Let's review this, it has, on its arms and shoulders alone, two missile launchers, a field artillery cannon, two mortars, and a machine gun. Quite frankly, you're pretty challenged to find a place to put a mounting point, never mind an extra leg and several cannons. And it would take days to install everything, especially that extra leg. Days, need I remind you, Gear does not have.

tl;dr Are you crazy? It has more weapons than GOD right now. You'd need to have like, some kind of crazy hyperspace mounting point or something, or need to be exceedingly careful. Gear doesn't have TIME to be careful!

So she sells the leg, the machine guns (which are pretty crappy anyway), and the artillery piece because Cog has one of those already and she wants to minimize cookoff damage. She'll keep the half-ton mounting point though- those are nifty for all sorts of things!

Your mecha are repaired.
[Gear's MECHA DESIGN -> 7]
[Gear's MECHA REPAIR -> 7]

Cog>plan a route to Greenhill, you want to stick to major trade routes and pit stop areas. the closer you guys travel to civilization the better you can protect people and the more renown you can get.

Gear: Start thinking about how you could repair the halberd. Perhaps you could install a cooling system inside the halberd. It would have to be extremely durable though. Maybe one of your parents' contacts knows a system or two that could do the job respectably.
Cog: Go to the computer and do some research about regional law enforcement.

Cog looks up things on INFOLINK about the Federation Defense Force and the Guardians.

> From what Cog can gather, the Guardians tend to make sure that the larger cities are well protected. Sheriffs are technically Guardians, though they don't have nearly the pull or support of a marshal; marshals are allowed to act independently and dispense justice as an answer to the less common, and usually more lawless Cavaliers. Many marshals seem to be beyond reproach, something Cog finds abhorrent as at least two of the local marshals are corrupt.

Now technically, there exists a sizable cash reward for a live corrupt marshal. The problem lies in bringing them in alive and being able to prove how corrupt they really are, because bad marshals do have the law on their side to kill those who threaten them. I mean, who's a court going to believe, the marshal or some idiot Cavalier?

> The Federation Defense Force is the Earth counterpart to the Colonies' Solar Navy and Luna's Divine Aegis- a military force designed to advance that faction's agenda abroad. However, most of the Federation Defense force is spread thin.

Hm. Actually, it looks like you'd get jobs more frequently if you stayed off the major trade routes, but word would spread slightly faster if you kept on them. You don't know which would be better, but you do know that the more difficult jobs, the ones you sort of already need to get known for, are in the bigger cities.

:> _:

Cog: "Well, they wouldn't believe me if I was just another schmuck, but I'd venture to guess that the government does have an anti-corruption task force; It's probably being hindered by the corrupted officials with people in higher places. I could change that though. I'd need to work my way in though. They're not going to let in any old joe. They'll need proof that I get the job done. Looks like I'm going to have to get the job done."

Cog considers this line of reasoning. Of course, there's always a more direct approach but that would be much less lawful. Not that Cavaliers haven't occasionally made careers and legends out of destroying corruption wherever they found it in service of the common man, though this has given Cavaliers a reputation for lawlessness, albeit with honor. Well, that and the drinking and other such things. Really, if it wasn't for the Common Code, Cavaliers would be as bad as the bandits and officials they take down.

Mechanics note: Honor and Lawfulness
Honor measures your adherence to the Common Code of the Cavalier. You get it by protecting innocents, finishing jobs and honoring pledges, occasionally taking charity work, saving people, and in general being one of the Good Guys. This even includes, on occasion, taking the law into your own hands, especially if the law won't touch someone.
Lawfulness is something entirely different, measuring your respect for authority, no matter if that authority is honorable or not. A propagandist in service of Luna's government may have high Lawfulness, but low Honor.

Cog has a lot of choices! Currently through sale of salvage and weaponry, you have around $10k to spend on equipment. Not a lot, but it should get you some necessities.

Jobs first. Renown can wait.

agreed, we need the tougher missions when we have the prize robot. it better not be pink.

Cog arranges a route that will take you off the main routes and on occasion, into the wilderness; there are several towns along this route. Barring mishap or taking a job, this route will probably take around ten days to reach Greenhill from Silverhame.
Is there any equipment on a personal scale you think they should get before departing Silverhame?[/QUOTE]

Cog: Take your computer. Take your gi. Oh, and take a few of your old stuffed animals that few people know you still keep.

[Cog's MARTIAL ARTS skill ->5]
[Cog's FLIRTATION skill -> 4]
[Cog's ARMED COMBAT skill -> 4]
[Cog acquires his LAPTOP]
Ok.

a towel, and some duct tape.

OK.

Your basic needs (food, water, etc.), and maybe a few personal-scale weapons.

Well, Cog and Gear already had personal-scale weaponry, mostly to take on genics in the old battlefield. But he does pick his weapon up.
[Cog acquires DRUM-FED SHOTGUN]
[Cog acquires SPARE SHELL DRUM]
[Cog acquires MINI-GRENADE DRUM]
[Cog acquires SWORD]

He also decides to buy some decent food and some good water now that he has the storage capacity in the Patton, and emails Gear so that she doesn't forget to properly collect her weaponry.

:> _:

Gear: Go get your clothes, your computer, your smartphone, all your robot pets who can also fight for you, and your backup beacon.

Gear already has her PDA!
[Gear acquires FANCY DRESS]
[Gear's CONVERSATION -> 5]
[Gear's FLIRTATION ->4]
Gear considers those ROBOTS to be largely failures, as they don't actually fight, but they do help as assays into something better!
[Gear's ROBOTICS -> 4]
Otherwise, your sundries have been collected.

>Gear: properly collect weaponry, and collect more food and water and such.

Well, Gear trusts Cog's judgment. But she does get her weapons from her room.

[Gear acquires SNIPER RIFLE]
[Gear acquires SCOPE]
[Gear acquires SPARE CLIP]

It's only early afternoon, on the first day.

:> _:

Cog: Go and tell your parents about where you're going. Research to see if the sheriff has any links to corrupt officials; If he doesn't, go visit with with Gear before you go. Mention about your goal to reform law enforcement because you're just sick of the corruption.
Gear: Indulge watching a few episodes of that tv series you like that takes place in some far future noir city. You want some relaxation before you go.

Cog looks at his parents. This might be the last time he sees them. "Hey, mom? Dad?"

"What is it, son?" Mr. Czernobog asks.

"Well, it's about Gear. We're headed to Greenhill and-"

"Oh, is that all?" Mrs. Czernobog says. "Well. Eloping was never my style, but-"

Cog blushes. "Mom, that's not it. We're going to be Cavaliers. We're collecting a mecha in Greenhill and then we're- we're gonna come back, and get rid of these marshals! We're gonna be back real soon, so... So..." Cog finds he is trying not to cry.

Mrs. Czernobog hugs Cog. "Honey. This town is doing pretty well for itself. Don't worry about us. We'll be all right. Go and be a Cavalier if that's what you really want. But don't settle for anything less, you hear me?" Cog feels tears on his shoulder.

"Y... Yes."

"Good. Mama didn't raise no quitter. Now go do everything you need to do to prepare."

Cog rushes off to talk to the Sheriff. He's pretty sure Sheriff Parrish hates the marshals as much as he does. So maybe he'll have some new information.

Sheriff Parrish looks at Cog. "You're here for information about the marshals, right?"

Cog nods.

Parrish shakes his head. "Nothing about that, but I do have a line on a bandit stronghold, if you're interested."

:> _:

Cog: You do? What do you know?

"What do you know about it?"

"I know I can't do anything about it. It's sitting in the wilderness about fifty kilometers from town, just outside my jurisdiction. It's north-northwest of here." The sheriff sighs. "I also know they have a Minofsky detector, so getting any closer than twenty kilometers in a mecha is impossible- at least, not without some really good ECM. I can't even get information about how many bandits are camped there." Parrish looks, perhaps for the first time in conversations with you, truly exasperated. "I can't do anything about it without endangering the town. But if, say, a couple of Cavaliers were to go in and raid the place, by walking..."

The Sheriff shakes his head. "Still, I wouldn't advise it. Not without some backup. And I honestly don't think you two are up for it yet."

Cog shakes his head. "I think you underestimate-"

"No, seriously. There could be anything from fifty to a hundred people who will kill you on sight. Don't risk it if you're not absolutely certain you can take them on. Get me, Billy?"

"... Yes, Sheriff."

:> _:

Cog:Clarify please, can we not get within 20 kilometers in a mecha without being destroyed or detected?

"Detected," Parrish replies. "But there's no telling what they'll do about that."

"How big is the fortress exactly?"

"I'm not sure, but I know that to run a Minofsky detector and other facilities that they probably have a generator or two." Parrish looks at you suspiciously. "I told you, going up there with the intention of taking them all on is suicide."

"Just one more thing, have they kidnapped anyone? Is there anything supervaluable there that was taken?"

"Oh, there's a reward out for them, but it would be wrong to tell you it comes to around forty thousand dollars; and that breaking the generator would at least halt a lot of their activity..." Parrish doesn't quite wink at Cog.[/QUOTE]

"Okay, thanks for the information. So let's say I destroy them at some point? Would you have information on corrupt marshals for me?"

"I'm not saying I would, and I'm not saying I wouldn't," The sheriff says, smirking. "But an upstanding Cavalier could well get information about that."

Gear: Remember the 'break generator' bit.

Gear isn't here right now! But Cog puts it down in his laptop.

Gear: Indulge watching a few episodes of that tv series you like that takes place in some far future noir city. You want some relaxation before you go.

Gear is, in fact, sitting in front of the television, watching Curse of the Idealists, a soap opera set Pre-War. *sniff sniff* Don't leave her! She may not be the best geneticist, but she loves you![/QUOTE]

Cog: "Well, thank you, sir! I hope to be seeing you soon!" Head home and start researching on your laptop about EMP non-nuclear weaponry. Research on kinetic bombardment too.

Well, after a bit of thought, long-range bombardment would be out entirely; there's only one mech out of the two of you that can get that kind of range, even with the right to bear arms.

On the other hand... If you could take them by surprise, in whatever fashion, you could probably get in and out before they knew what hit them. You know Gear has more skill with electronic warfare than you do, and the fact that she usually runs the sniper role when you're in personal scale means she probably is a little better at concealment and stealth as well.

Maybe it's time to get her opinions.

:> _:

Cog: Maybe you can get her to hack into one of the old derelict kinetic bombardment from the war; She could destroy the bandit rat-nest if she is able to hack into the satellite. She'd have to disable their monitoring systems so they don't abandon the fortress when the tungsten rod is coming down.

Cog>confront Gear with the Bandit Encampment, but be shushed because she is in the middle of a Curse of the Idealists marathon. man, didn't that show get canceled?

Cog heads over to Gear's place, where she seems to be in the middle of that soap opera she watches. There are only a few things that would move her from the chair at this point!

Luckily, you have the promise of two of those things right freaking now. "40 thousand. And combat. You interested?"

Gear looks up. "Did someone say money and combat?"

Cog turns off the TV and lays out the information the Sheriff gave. "If we had access to an orbital bombardment satellite like in the War of Superpowers, I'd blast them from orbit."

"Don't be stupid," Gear replied. "Old as it is, and damaged by the Cataclysm, it might just decide to drop on the town instead. Besides, I think the Spinners installed new AI to prevent people from wrecking the terraforming efforts. They've been working on it for years and years now, I don't think anyone can hack them anymore."

"Well, what about taking down the Minofsky detector?"

Gear laughs. "A Minofsky detector? We have one of those in town, it's child's play to muck about with those. In fact, I have just the things..." She produces one of her old robotics projects that don't ever work right.

"Oh, not that again."

Gear smirks. "They might be useless for most things, but they give off Minofsky wavicles just like most other energy generators. It'll buy us time if nothing else."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Well, like you said, there are really two ways to do this, both of them raids. We can raid without mecha, and hope we can get in and out before the main forces return, or raid in the mecha and blast our way out."

"Neither seems appealing."

"We can always just leave them alone, you know."

:> _:

Gear and Cog decide to leave it to others, or possibly raid it later if they get back before someone else takes action.

It is now late afternoon. Do you want to set out now or wait until morning?

wait till morning, that way you can get some sleep and be refreshed for the 12-hours of cockpit sitting that you will have to do tomorrow.

Cog and Gear shake hands and each goes home to get some rest.

Morning arrives. It's time to say heartfelt goodbyes and go, you guess. Gear looks at the rising sun out of her window.[/QUOTE]

>Ride off into the sunset.

You'd need to wait for evening to do that. Why'd you rest if you were just going to wait for evening? Besides, Greenhill is the other way, moron!

>Now we can go to greenhill.

Everything's packed up. Gear finds it odd that most of her most precious equipment fit into two duffel bags. Her room is now surprisingly bare. She takes one last look at the sunrise through her window, overseeing the little town of Silverhame, perhaps for the last time.

Downstairs, Mrs. Tex is already waiting for her daughter. The look on her face is somber even as she hands Gear the passkeys to the Simon and the Patton. "You could stay and protect the town, you know... Like Sheriff Parrish did."

Gear shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. Not and live with myself later." She smiles. "I'll be back someday. I promise."

"Your father said that too..." *sniff sniff*

"He'll be back. I'll be back, too. Cavaliers don't break their promises." Gear smiles, but is still crying. "I'll even bring him back, too, for a visit if I can."

[Long-term mission added: Find Gear's father]

The two mecha are waiting outside.

Cog hugs his father, and his mother. Mr. Czernobog harrumphs. "Go on. Get out of here. You've made your decision, right? Stick by it! That's the Cavalier way you talk so much about, isn't it?"

Cog shakes his head. "No, dad, that's still your way. Don't worry. You'll get it eventually." He pats his father on the shoulder. "Maybe someday." He sighs. "Still. Take care of Mother while I'm gone."

Mr. Czernobog harrumphs again. "I should be saying that to you! Go on." He smiles.

Cog and Gear enter their mecha.

Cog and Gear have left Silverhame.

END CHAPTER ONE- BEGINNINGS