TSAW 3.0 ... The REF and Third Robotech War.

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:54 pm

::The non-descript man waits for the conversation to return to the topic the class was presently discussing with the instructor.:::

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:44 pm

::In the back of the room, a form clad in dark blue female CVR-3 with faded markings slips in, tiptoeing to avoid disturbing the class.::

::When she gets to her seat, she slips her helmet off, revealing a light complexion, slightly fluffed out reddish hair that doesn't extend even down her neck, but is relatively even around her head. Her eyes are dark blue, but have an unnatural glow behind them.::

::Her eyes suddenly widen greatly, and she peers down into the front row, seeing the two Invids present, twitching just a little and patting her holster behind. But she stays quiet, and slips out her pen and pad to take notes, glancing around for anyone who might have notes she missed.::

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:34 pm

(The Stage 5 Sulogi gets that annoying twitching feeling in his neckhairs again and sighs...KNOWING he's probably going to get sore ears, frostbite, and/or eyeball scorch marks before class lunchbreak....and then decides to go for it...)

"If I recall correctly, the REF used Destroids only sparingly during the Earth liberation campaigns....mainly as manual labor and as strongpoint defense...both roles requiring a secure beachhead that would then have defense in depth...Of course, the Regis wasn't about to allow THAT, as the fate of Point Kilo and other attempted open landing and basing zones can attest....However, there was enough information relayed back that the REF wasn't about to make that mistake twice, and the subsequent probing taskforces that attempted to set up smaller advance base camps used their own Alphas and Cyclones as work mecha, and kept surface facilties light and easily moved, if not outright expendable in a bug-out situation...The Destroids that were supposed to be deployed with the later waves were offloaded on Luna where they and their pilots...those that couldn't quickly be retrained into Cyclone troopers...found employment defending the shipyards and bases until the situation on Earth stabilized enough to warrent their deployment....The REF Destroids my people encountered on Earth tended to be lucky survivors and stragglers, rather than part of concerted taskforces..."

batlchip · Unread post by **batlchip** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:15 pm

*Zara starts to make a paper airplane.*I always thought the destroid pilots where nuts.They always got the worst jobs and unless you where spec ops you got no respect from the vt pilots.

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:11 pm

:::The non-descript man continues to record data with one hand reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls a notebook with an obviously full notepad out, He sticks his hand and notebook out to the new comer in the classroom. He says quietly,::: "Here you go Ms. in the CVR-3 body armor. This notebook has everything that the class has mentioned so far. It's my spare copy." :::He smiles at the woman in the body armor and then goes back to recording the incoming data.:::

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:20 am

::The young woman in the CVR-3 nods quickly to the non-descript man, responding in a slightly odd accent.::

"Seren, and thanks." ::She offers a warm smile, adjusting to write her own notes. She peers over at Zara making a paper airplane, laughing and shaking her head softly at the commentary.::

"The main use I can think of for a Destroid in the occupation would be if someone found a base camp location they could operate from for a reasonable amount of time. And even then, its a potential suicide mission for the pilot. Because if they're in range for Destroid fire, the base is forfeit, and the destroid is covering the retreat."

"After the occupation, well, for a group that acquired one during the war, like a local police department which served a while as the ad hoc area resistance, it was good for hangar guarding. But then, so was a repainted Solugi command battloid. Which looked a lot meaner, but required the owner. So it couldn't be used when said owner was out on her Cyclone, keeping hostiles out of town."

::The glow in her eyes brightens just slightly when she senses the front row Solugi twitch and sigh. She smiles to herself, glancing up to the lectern.::

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:41 am

(*Oh great...she's a sadist*...*%%%*...*Oh stop it #, I am NOT going to ask her out to dinner....you've been watching entirely too many human video fictions; humans aren't like that in real life...How would -I- know? I'm the Sulogi, remember?* ...*%%%6$^^*... *(!)...where did THAT come from?! I am NOT hormonally challenged! I just prefer not to pursue relationships that involve me staring nostril to gun-muzzle or involve handcuffs!...Now enough of this! This is a course on mecha and military technology, NOT 'Invid Angst!'*...*----@@@@----*.....*Whatever*)

"Yes...I agree...Destroids made great 'scarecrows' for small base security...The presence of one would sometimes buy enough time as the locating Invid patrol called in backup, delaying an attack long enough for the smart fighters to evacuate out the back....The MAC IIIs, on the other hand....long range weaponry, yes, but utterly useless in the sort of high-mobility combat they saw on Earth...If they weren't uphull of a Hive or tower, all those drum bombs ever were good for was a last kamikaze suicide blast that might take down a few pry-happy Scout or Trooper drones..."

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:07 pm

(OOC:

Invid Angst. Whee.

For note, this char is based slightly out of the Palladium 'second' invasion, kinda pared down to what amounted to a second malcontent era past the series end. But anyhow...)

(*I am not a sadist. And dinner is a 'no'. I'm not any more like that than the humans are.*)

::Seren mmphs and tries to hold back from laughing enough to annoy anyone next to her, glancing back down to the front row. A couple brief snickers escape, however.::

(*Hormonally challenged? That's a pretty funny one. At any rate, no, this is not a class in Invid Angst, nor is it Solugi soap opera. And I intend to make certain it stays that way. Even if it involves you staring nostril to gun-muzzle, or handcuffs.*)

"I really would like to know what genius was behind the MAC III drum bombs, or dumb bombs depending on who you asked about them, as well. They really were pretty useless. Even if the drones did get pry happy, it would never take out enough to be worth the bomb weight and size. "

"I could maybe see a use for them just to be carried along, for people with enough Shadowtech equipment to sneak them up to Hives in the middle of the night or such by carrying them, with a camo tarp over them to disguise what it is after leaving it. But in that circumstance, the MAC III itself is still a major disadvantage. It lights up like a Christmas tree on a Protoculture sensor, it only carries two of the bombs with it, and the aforementioned slowness..."

(ooc: Taalismn, if the stuff I responded to on top wasn't over hivelink, swat me and I'll change post.)

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:17 pm

"You're welcome!":::He say this and thent he non-descript man continues recording the conversation where the class if going.:::

AdmTolval · Unread post by **AdmTolval** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:16 pm

During the occupation, there was only one mission in which we used Destroids. The mission was a protoculture raid on a Invid transport ship. We managed to slip an agent onboard a transport at a protoculture farm before it took off. At a predetermined time, the transport, while in flight, was attacked by shadow veritechs. This gave the agent the chance to take control of the transport and bring it to a preplanned location where we had destroids to provide cover while we offloaded as much protoculture as we could. We had old RDF Sea Sergeants and old cargo trucks moving the protoculture to our main base. We took as much as we could, which was quite a bit, before the Invid showed up in enough force to push through.

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:19 pm

:::The non-descript man looks over at the Admiral and shakes his head in understanding of both the success and the cost extracted during the raid. He records the data revealed from the speaker.:::

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:39 pm

AuroraKet wrote:(ooc: Taalismn, if the stuff I responded to on top wasn't over hivelink, swat me and I'll change post.)

ooc: Happens it WAS over HIvelink...but since I publicly posted it, it's fair game....Not that ...hell, I never gave the guy a name...everybody calls him Taalismn, so that's as good as any...is, for the foreseeable future, going anywhere near Seren with a box of chocolates or a bouquet of roses...
But since we have a TimeLord in the back acting all mysterious, have weathered invasions by talking rodents, and have a Metal Siren Veritech standing watch on a mutant cockroach agent-lawyer that may or may not be actually DEAD....Female Zentraedi who can read Invid minds through sheer inane good luck(or Masters' genetic experimentation) is par for this course...

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:43 pm

AdmTolval wrote:During the occupation, there was only one mission in which we used Destroids. The mission was a protoculture raid on a Invid transport ship. We managed to slip an agent onboard a transport at a protoculture farm before it took off. At a predetermined time, the transport, while in flight, was attacked by shadow veritechs. This gave the agent the chance to take control of the transport and bring it to a preplanned location where we had destroids to provide cover while we offloaded as much protoculture as we could. We had old RDF Sea Sergeants and old cargo trucks moving the protoculture to our main base. We took as much as we could, which was quite a bit, before the Invid showed up in enough force to push through.

"Yep...and afterwards Corg insisted on having all transport ships depressurize when travelling at altitude, figuring it was a lot harder to hide in environmental armor than in a state vulnerable to anoxia....
Funny guy, Corg....He did more for stiffening resistance in sectors we THOUGHT were secure than anything else we ever did..."

glitterboy2098 · Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:46 pm

(OOC: the powers of protoculture

i'll post the next bit either tomorrow or friday, i've been working on school work)

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:01 pm

taalismn wrote:
AuroraKet wrote:(ooc: Taalismn, if the stuff I responded to on top wasn't over hivelink, swat me and I'll change post.)

ooc: Happens it WAS over HIvelink...but since I publicly posted it, it's fair game....Not that ...hell, I never gave the guy a name...everybody calls him Taalismn, so that's as good as any...is, for the foreseeable future, going anywhere near Seren with a box of chocolates or a bouquet of roses...
But since we have a TimeLord in the back acting all mysterious, have weathered invasions by talking rodents, and have a Metal Siren Veritech standing watch on a mutant cockroach agent-lawyer that may or may not be actually DEAD....Female Zentraedi who can read Invid minds through sheer inane good luck(or Masters' genetic experimentation) is par for this course...

(ooc: ... Where did you get Zentraedi? I never said a word about Zentraedi.

The only place I may have mentioned one was when Seren was looking over at Zara. Zentraedi also do not have glowing eyes. Not like a fellow Invid would, especially when responding to hearing stupidity on the hivelink

Even a fellow Invid standing loyal to Earth, in however unofficial a capacity.

That's why I mentioned the setting she's based from. And the other part about what worked as a better scarecrow than a Destroid.

)

::Seren glances over to the Admiral, nodding a little to the story and listening intently to it.::

"Sounds like quite the successful mission, Admiral. Impressive planning."

::She glances down in Tal's direction idly.::

"Well, it isn't impossible to sneak around at least somewhat in CVR armor, either. Aside from that, they'd only have to get aboard in the armor and hide. As soon as the shadow fighters hit the transport, it would repressurize quickly from the holes in it."

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:07 pm

AuroraKet wrote:(ooc: ... Where did you get Zentraedi? I never said a word about Zentraedi. The only place I may have mentioned one was when Seren was looking over at Zara. Zentraedi also do not have glowing eyes. Not like a fellow Invid would, especially when responding to hearing stupidity on the hivelink Even a fellow Invid standing loyal to Earth, in however unofficial a capacity. That's why I mentioned the setting she's based from. And the other part about what worked as a better scarecrow than a Destroid. )

::Seren glances over to the Admiral, nodding a little to the story and listening intently to it.::

"Well, it isn't impossible to sneak around at least somewhat in CVR armor, either. Aside from that, they'd only have to get aboard in the armor and hide. As soon as the shadow fighters hit the transport, it would repressurize quickly from the holes in it."

ooc: Oops...me bad....serves me right for trying to be smart after work...Okay, so maybe he WOULD deliver a box of chocolates or bouquet of flowers, but, to qoute _Schlock: Space Mercenary_; "At a run, under cover fire from troops personally loyal to you!"

"Corg was sadistic and smart...not BRILLIANT....otherwise he wouldn't have gone one-on-one with a man and a mecha known for firing overwhelming missile salvoes..."

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:17 pm

taalismn wrote:
AuroraKet wrote:(ooc: ... Where did you get Zentraedi? I never said a word about Zentraedi. The only place I may have mentioned one was when Seren was looking over at Zara. Zentraedi also do not have glowing eyes. Not like a fellow Invid would, especially when responding to hearing stupidity on the hivelink Even a fellow Invid standing loyal to Earth, in however unofficial a capacity. That's why I mentioned the setting she's based from. And the other part about what worked as a better scarecrow than a Destroid. )

::Seren glances over to the Admiral, nodding a little to the story and listening intently to it.::

"Well, it isn't impossible to sneak around at least somewhat in CVR armor, either. Aside from that, they'd only have to get aboard in the armor and hide. As soon as the shadow fighters hit the transport, it would repressurize quickly from the holes in it."

ooc: Oops...me bad....serves me right for trying to be smart after work...Okay, so maybe he WOULD deliver a box of chocolates or bouquet of flowers, but, to qoute _Schlock: Space Mercenary_; "At a run, under cover fire from troops personally loyal to you!"

"Corg was sadistic and smart...not BRILLIANT....otherwise he wouldn't have gone one-on-one with a man and a mecha known for firing overwhelming missile salvoes..."

(ooc: As she said, she dun want it to turn into Solugi soap opera

)

"A lot of pilots really do love their overwhelming missile salvos, certainly. It isn't just the one. Dangerous business, all around. I can understand it a bit more against a Command Battloid though, than I can with some other units."

"I've always wondered about the predisposition of the RDF and subsequent REF, of Veritech equipment with so much disposable ammunition. With both the Alpha and the Beta, it's quite literally possible to run completely dry and leave your rear end freezing in the wind... The Southern Cross armies seemed much smarter, with the hovertanks and helicopters. They were more energy weapon based."

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:32 pm

"Well, yes...as mentioned earlier in the lectures, Invid armor had adapted, not to any great degree, but significantly, to energy weapons fire...after all, we HAD been fighting the Zentraedi, who used mainly particle beams and lasers, for longer than we fought the humans...From fightig the Regent's forces, the REF learned that a missile or burst of discarding sabot rounds could penetrate armor that would otherwise ablate a contact energy blast...
...Plus, those shells tended to ricochet inside a Trooper, and kinetic shock through the FoL nutrient tended to pulp the pilot..."

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:05 pm

"I just don't like the butt freezing in the wind sensation that comes with depleting ammo supplies, I guess. Still, the armor hadn't adapted to any great degree, no."

::She offers a quick smile, glancing around idly at the room then.::

"The lower level models are particularly vulnerable to snipers with higher powered weapons, though. Especially ones who can sneak in close without protoculture. Though it isn't recommended without heavier backup nearby, of course. And it was noticeably difficult to get someone willing to try and poke a Gamo's eye out. Always got the resistance groups laughing when it worked, though. Too bad it was so painful whenever it didn't..."

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:40 am

:::The non-descript man continues to take notesand notes the speakers in another note book.:::

batlchip · Unread post by **batlchip** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:34 am

*Zara finishes her paper airplane and looks over at the new girl.*You'ed be amazed at some of the tricks used to get in a hive.I found useing a drone could be fun.One of my squads took 2 fighter pods,Officer's Pod armored vehicle, and an old beaten up super vt.We use them for decoys.Some times to be sucessfule in fighting your enemy you must learn his culture.The FoL was only eaten by few of us I am the only meltran to have done so,At least to my knowledge.

ooc;Ya forgot the seemingly ageless RDF guy.Zara is also older then she looks.Left the vat 10 years before Miriya. :-P

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:40 am

:::The non-descript man takes more notes. He then pulls a sensor from another pocket and activates it. It chirps happily as he points it at various individuals in the class.::: "Hmmm"

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 6:33 pm

"I'm rather grateful that later model Invid mecha didn't put the cockpit right behind the eye sensor...that configuration was just SUCH a Golden BB situation, if I understand the phrase correctly..."

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 6:55 pm

::Seren smiles over at Zara, laughing just a little bit.::

"Hmm. Everything but banging on a pot to draw attention, huh? As long as the ones doing it were able to get away from the pursuing forces, after the special ops teams were done, anyway. If not, that could be more problem."

::She glances over at Taal then.::

"Only the extremely late model. Still, I suppose it was well deserved in a sense, for the ones lucky enough to not get snipered. The cockpit being right behind the sensor was exactly that. Though again, missing could be problematic for the one firing..."

(*And I do feel bad nowdays, for the guy who missed... At least to an extent. If it was him or me, I'd probably still pick me, but would certainly stop short of incinerating him*)

::She turns back then to watch Zara with her paper airplane, with idle interest.::

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:13 pm

"Fortunes of war...not that that stopped EITHER side from going full-metal when a comrade got killed in a one-on-one....
Still, I've had other Solugi comment that they really wished there had been more than one primary sensor system in place and that they were positioned differently...There were one two many close calls for their comfort during the climb up the rank and evolutionary ladder..."

glitterboy2098 · Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:27 pm

frankly i suspect that the regis' choice to move the control section away from the eye on the command battloid was not entirely well thought out. the cockpit didn't have the same weakness, but those big transparent canopies made great targets, and were not up to the same level as the armored bathtubs found on most veritechs and destroids.

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:41 pm

"Oh, if someone gets killed one on one, the full show is pretty well automatic. Killing the one trips off all the others. I can see where they might have wanted a few adjustments in the sensor system though, definitely."

(*the time in the Gosu was the closest scrape I had. I consider myself very lucky*)

::Seren then turns to the lectern, listening to the other comment.::

"Transparent canopies. Why you never saw a Solugi on the ground more than three feet from their battloid. Because if someone got up close and personal then got away, they've seen said Invid's face, and know to tell the sniper to shoot on sight if they see em outside ever."

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:38 pm

"THAT had its pluses and minuses too....A minus that everybody saw what we looked like, which had the witch-hunters out in force looking for us....Plus in that it hadn't have been for that recon Alpha getting some great footage of me pulling a squadron leader's bacon out of the fire from a couple of evolved psychos, I would likely have been shot 'accidentally' during my first interview with REF intel...."

batlchip · Unread post by **batlchip** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:30 pm

*Zara looks over at Seren*What do ya mean banging on a pot? Tis true.Have you heard about any other meltran eating flowers?*RDF guy walks back in class and sits down in the back row.Props his feet up and looks around.*Heard everything though Zara's watch.*Looks at seren and smiles.*Zara's always been like that since I first met her.*Zara throws her Airplane at him*Like you don't have quirks either.Anyhow,It didn't take us zents long to find out that if we shot the sensor eye we could get an easy kill.So unless you were facing an inorganic or the new RCB. Taking out an invy was canna easy.In fact most of our ace's took pride in getting one shot kills.No offense to our Invy friends here.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:05 am

"None taken...It was sorta a point of pride for a Scout to be able to take out a larger, more heavily armored and armed Alpha single-clawed...even more so if the Scout was of the unarmored variety....Normally it would take three to one odds to take down an Alpha unless the human pilot was a TOTAL idiot..."

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:32 am

:::The non-descript man goes back to recording the incoming data from various speakers.:::

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:43 am

::Seren glances over to Zara::

"Banging on a pot is basically the opposite of shadowing in this instance. I've seen it used effectively once or twice. Put out a protoculture signature big enough to look like a large force inbound, then send the special ops team in from the other way after the hive's outer defense is drawn off to check for an 'attack'."

::She pauses for just a moment then.::

"And as for eating the flowers, well, unless you suddenly turned into an Invid, have a nice trip to the poison control center. You're likely to eventually wind up there."

::She nods to the one sitting next to Zara, then looks down towards Taal, considering.::

"An unarmored scout against a loaded Alpha is simply a waste of a perfectly good scout. And as for human pilots being total idiots... well, the failure of the Mars mission, among other things, left an unfortunately large amount of Robotechnology sitting around for the first ones to find it. So complete idiots and people who should never have been within 2000 meters of mecha, were getting their mitts on mecha. In some less occupied places, that caused as much trouble as the Invid. And still caused problems in places, even after the war ended."

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:56 am

"Tell me about it....Last week a vigilante in a cobbled-together relic of Mars Division buzzed me on Coastal 21....At least I THINK he was buzzing me....he seemed more intent on giving the air-cops behind him a harder time..."

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:53 pm

:::The non-descript man continues to take notes on the various speakers thoughts.:::

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 3:01 am

taalismn wrote:"Tell me about it....Last week a vigilante in a cobbled-together relic of Mars Division buzzed me on Coastal 21....At least I THINK he was buzzing me....he seemed more intent on giving the air-cops behind him a harder time..."

::Seren rolls her eyes a bit.::

"At least the police were already in pursuit. If they had enough mechanized units to take care of such a problem. Some departments do. Which is another interesting thing about the post-war environment. Police were competing for salvage as hard as the troublemakers. I know for a fact that Rio de Janeiro had a decent amount of Cyclones and a couple Alphas, in their police garage. Only way to handle mechanized troublemakers."

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:46 am

"Desperate, I'd say...I saw a pair of Invid TROOPERS wearing SWAT insignia in Bolivia...And a Bioroid in Marshal's Department colors just inside Texas..."

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 4:01 pm

taalismn wrote:"Desperate, I'd say...I saw a pair of Invid TROOPERS wearing SWAT insignia in Bolivia...And a Bioroid in Marshal's Department colors just inside Texas..."

::Seren laughs just a little then, just shaking her head.::

"Suppose the first case has advantages over some of the previous methods of taking doors down. Though I can just imagine the panic when someone didn't notice the markings. Which is why the Rio de Janeiro Police mechanized unit leaves a couple old command battloids in as scarecrows.
Don't want to haul em out and cause a panic. The girls who piloted them love the Alphas and Cyclones better anyway. I love my Cyclone certainly. When I'm not getting speeding tickets from enjoying it too much."

::brief pause::

"And somehow... I can almost imagine a cowboy hat fitting on a Bioroid. But then... I'm silly anyway. Or so people have told me."

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:44 pm

"I doubt, though, that the Texas Marshals got that Bioroid locally....We were pretty good about pasting any Masters' hardware we came across in North America, even when we KNEW it was dead....We might not have known about all the various local hardware, and thus would be more inclined to overlook it, but did we ever know Zentraedi and Masters' gear and treat it with a vengeance.....
More than likely the Bioroid got hauled in from Australia, Asia, or South America...places a lot of the Tirolians still in orbit when the 2nd War ended tried to make landfall by all accounts....The fact that anybody bothered hauling old alien mecha all that way after the 3rd War tells you something about both the demand for mecha and the black market that arose to meet it..."

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 11:15 pm

::Seren nods a little at that, scratching her head a little bit.::

"Well, before I run off on a silly tangent on hats, yeah, it probably wasn't local. If it was, they must have been hiding it pretty well. The Zentraedi were never gotten rid of, for certain. I've still seen them in South America, for sure, and back in India where I worked before that, on the eastern end we sometimes picked up Zentraedi activity. Not very often, though. Wasn't my problem at that point anyway."

::At this point, she starts doodling idly on her notepad for lack of notes to take.::

"Demand for mecha is just nuts, though, yeah. I seem to recall hearing complaint about levels of Invid mecha running around one Alaska town, and associated reports that some were firing main weapons off. Mostly Pincers sitting on crab fishing boats, being used as ice cutters. Went up and took a peek into that myself once. Seems they were high on hiring experienced pilots for them as well, rather than taking the risk of someone cutting their boat in half. I guess as long as an idea works..."

::She roosters her head then.::

"I shouldn't say that the Invid command battloids 'never' got dragged out in Rio, either. Sometimes having something with a decent energy weapon for some odd project or another around town, was useful. And they're decent for pulling tree stumps and such."

::idle shaking of head, and 'thinking out loud' type tone of voice:: "Still, adjusting from that to an Alpha and Cyclone was easy for me. Trying to learn Portuguese? That took a while..."

ooc: *randomly pokes people* anyone else in here?

batlchip · Unread post by **batlchip** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:37 am

*Zara starts to make another paper airplane.RDF guy pulls out a coaliton card deck frome his pocket*I've heard of mecha being used for law enforcement. I had a FPA pull me over once for speeding.I've also seen two biorids on their hover platforms working as security guards.But I think the stangest thing I ever saw was two Praxians on RAT-1s herding cattle.

ooc:(gets poked)ow! :-P

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:28 pm

::Seren glances over towards Zara and the RDF guy::

"... Now there's a video I want to see. Did they pick up your vehicle to talk to you, to avoid the height difference issue? And I'm assuming it was electronically filed, the paper waste would be ridiculous otherwise." ::she roosters her head a bit:: "Herding cattle on flying horses. Bet that got a lot of crap from the old school cowboys. Unless they were too busy looking at places other than the horses."

::She turns and peers at Fury::

"And in regards to talking cockroaches, I will assure you that if another comes in, I will be quite ready for it."

::With that, she pulls her Gallant from her holster, and starts field checking the power cell and such.::

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:28 pm

"It was the bar-bouncer that was wearing full Cyclone armor that got me worried...Didn't know if I should go in because they would be on top of trouble before it happened, or avoid the plce because they NEEDED mecha augmentation..."

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 3:06 pm

::Seren roosters her head a little at that, considering it for just a moment.::

"Actually, I can understand that. If something major happens, there wouldn't be time to get it on. And CVR alone won't win one a fight against large numbers of rowdy drunks. I've worn the full Cyclone armor in when breaking up altercations before, and am not ashamed to admit it. After all, it's kinda hard for a skinny little girl to break up the big boys fighting, otherwise..."

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:50 pm

"Though I admitt the replacement of the weapons and targetting packages with a breathaylzer and tazer was a nice touch..."

AuroraKet · Unread post by **AuroraKet** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:26 pm

::Seren laughs softly and shakes her head quickly.::

"Being able to take off weapons and targeting packages is a luxury. One that we couldn't afford to take in Rio, since we have to defend a lot of the countryside along with the town. I usually keep the breathalyser and something more gentle like a high power taser, somewhere in one of the saddlebags, though. Even if I have to go back out and get them, its safer. Tear gas and stun bombs can be put into the missile racks for more severe problems. Though I really hate having to write out the paperwork for doing that, unless its hugely serious."

::With that, she keeps cleaning her Gallant, finished enough to start putting it back together.::

batlchip · Unread post by **batlchip** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:02 am

*RDF guy starts to play solitary.*No the Praxians kept the Rats on the ground.Umm, I was in a Modified Hover tank so the size thing between me an the FPA was no problem.

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:14 pm

:::The non-descript man continue taking notes. He notes the time and place in yet another notebook.:::

glitterboy2098 · Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:41 pm

alright class, settle down.

although the class schedule specifies that we should be starting section 3.2, Destroids of the REF, i am afraid i misplaced my lecture notes. so we will be moving directly onto section 3.3, The Invid.

first up is a general look at invid mecha technology. the invid build very differently than the masters or us terrans. most of their mecha are bio-mechanical, machines made using organic components. where a human factory would produce a veritech or destroid on an assembly line, invid mecha are either grown in genesis pit like facilities or created whole cloth by the invid regis.

an invid does not pilot a mecha, it wears it. the mecha picks up the neural impulses of the pilot and transmits them to the muscles of the suit. this system is superior to the Telemental helmet of the Eastern Bloc or the Bioroid control system of the masters. where those systems connect the pilots mind to the machine and allow them to think their way through piloting, an invid mecha literally becomes the invid's body. this is especially true of the lower caste, which cannot survive outside the flower of life enriched nutrient pools that comprise their cockpit. advanced invid designs like the enforcer armor and the command battloids mimic human mecha in certain design methodologies, and rely less on this mind-machine link.

invid mecha, with a few exceptions, lack traditional communications devices. the invid are linked through what has been called "the hive mind", a mental link between each and every invid. what little we know of it is based on what we have been told by those invid that have chosen to come over to our side. mostly the humaniform simulagents and a few abberant invid of the regent, of the type classified as 'stage 4, hive guard'. according to their testimony, the hive link is not a true hive mind, which is a multitude sharing one mind, but rather a true link, each invid having a voice in a network. the more evolved an invid, the stronger the voice, and the farther it can reach. this limited range is the reason the invid constructed, or rather, grew, broadcast towers across the globe. these were repeater stations to ensure the hive link was not severed. they were later also outfitted with listening devices to spy on electromagnetic communications used by the resistance.
as an invid develops, its thoughts become more complex as well, able to grasp more concepts and think laterally. when an invid reaches a certain level of development, it is 'promoted' to a new form and usually a new mecha. thus a scout could eventually move up the ladder to a trooper, then a command type, and so on. each form exposing it to new stimulus and experiance, furthering its mental evolution.

invid mecha are powered by protoculture, though the means varies. the earliest used a distributed system in which protoculture was imbedded across several 'organs'. but by the time the invid had taken over earth they had adapted their design to use the common protoculture cell developed by the masters and adopted in modified form here on earth. invid mecha, being partially biological, required much less protoculture than zentreadi, tyrolian, or terran designs, and carry only a single cell, which will power them for a year.

invid sensors are also unique. they are simple visual sensos, monochrome red, and able to see protoculture like a snake sees heat. protoculture use that corresponds with hive mind activity is ignored, while that which does not is marked as a target. the stronger the signature, the easier it is to detect. the invid home in on protoculture like sharks detecting blood in the water, and are able to pin point the location of useage with unerring accuracy. this makes them very difficult to defeat.

in general, their only true weakspot is the sensor eye. this sensor sits directly infront of the cockpit or head in all but the command battloid, and the lack of an armored crew compartment like those used by terran mecha makes a shot through the eye fatal to the pilot.

alright, that covers the basics. next up is the scout.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:56 pm

"You got that right about the mecha being the caste's body....Invid mecha have a lot more in the way of feedback circuits...what a human might call touch plates and artificial nerves...strung throughout the mecha hull and leading into the pilot's tank...Gives an artifical sense of sensation in addition to the inner-ear-like gyroscopes, and helps the pilot maintain balance...as well as walking through forest and other close surroundings without constantly scratching up the paint job...An Invid mech, which would be expected to do manual labor on a far more common basis than a Human mecha might, has a lot more feedbacks than Human mecha does...
No, this does NOT mean an Invid mecha feels pain fom getting hit in the arms or whatnot, since the feedback is damped to prevent that sort of thing from paralyzing the pilot with pain, but the pilot gets a lot more immediate and running assessment of how much damage he's taking...
One of the big things that takes getting used to as an Invid 'evolves'into more advanced and potentially independent forms is the greater sense of self- and body-awareness...As a Stage One, I would have had very little in the way of sensation aside from what was artificially fed to me through the bio-processors in the mecha...Hit the actual 'me' with a hammer, and I'd scarcely register it.....As a Stage Four, the skin starts tingling whenever I'd unsuit...As a Stage Five, the sensory input every minute, every second, from the pressure of sitting, to the rumbling of my stomach to remind me to eat, was nearly overwhelming....

Yes, the Regis could transmute mecha, but she typically only did in small batches or when personally according an honor....Otherwise, in order to keep up with losses, she'd be constantly at work with little time to do anything else...Fortunately we'd perfected our own forms of production that was, indeed, like growing them...Maybe not one piece from nothing, but the parts would be grown, molded, then slipped together, 'glued' together under pressure and in a nutrient bath while the final artifical musculature and tendons grew and mended together, and then the new mecha was placed in stasis to await its new pilot..."

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:24 pm

:::The non-descript man writes the notes down from the last couple of speakers. He then leans back in his chair thinking about something.:::