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

[Aramanthus]

OOC He's probably busy with school!

[taalismn]

"Something about a Destroid galloping over his transportation, I believe..."

[Aramanthus]

OOC: Oh so he wants his present vehicle to get hit by a destroid.

[AuroraKet]

::Seren rolls her eyes just a little, listening to the comments.:: "Never seen much cricket, so can't really comment."

::She narrows her eyes at the drum beat and changed image over the hivelink, slipping out for a moment.::

::When she returns, she has a music player with headphones, which she sticks in.:: (*apologies in advance for this, taal, but some things require immediate retaliation.*) ::With that, she switches on the player, and tries to keep her ears and mind open and connected enough to push loud, slightly shrill LeAnn Rimes music up onto the hivelink, to counter the drumbeat.::

ooc: I hope our digressions haven't gotten too bad. I'd hope he'd say, if they have. Hope he gets back soon.

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man starts tapping out the RTSC theme with his pen while waiting for more information to be discussed with the class.:::

[taalismn]

"Yeah, now that we're climbing the Invid evolutionary ladder of hardware here...I'm rather interested in seeing what the human take on our gear is...Might be good for a few laughs, or maybe provide some tactical insight...After all, we were hardly in a position to be objective about our own gear..."

[AuroraKet]

::Seren sighs and rolls her eyes, getting out a piece of bubble gum, and starting to chomp on it idly while she listens to her music, and keeps trying to put it over the hivelink at high volume.:: "Maybe not, but it'll last as long as my player has batteries. Or until the lecture starts back up, at which point all distractions need to stop."

::She blows a bubble then, chomping on the gum further and laughing just slightly.:: "Depends on which of us is asked, I'd think. Having flown equipment from both sides, I'd like to think I'm relatively unbiased. But then, since I like most of the local equipment better, maybe I'm not unbiased at all."

::She ponders that a moment, chomping on her gun, and reaching into a compartment in her armor, for something.::

ooc: If there's worry that we're getting off topic, it occurs to me that we need more In Character TSAW type threads. Maybe a history class or student lounge one, or such, for random silliness.

[AuroraKet]

ooc: If there's worry that we're getting off topic, it occurs to me that we need more In Character TSAW type threads. Maybe a history class or student lounge one, or such, for random silliness.

OOC: I am offended!!!! My silliness is not random, but cunningly designed to use classic-handtooled-reworked silliness!!!!
So there Nah-nan-na-ner-nah

OOC: WE ARE THE KNIGHTS WHO SAY, "NI!"

ooc: I was just suggesting. It might be fun since it could cover all the things not covered in the armored warfare threads, and could be quite interesting for an in char thread, to hash out politics, history, have open forums, speculate on things...

[Colonel Wolfe]

OCC: its an unfortunate thing when people want to create an IC thread, but want to call Flamebating/Flaming or Trolling. It happened several times a Heated IC discussion caused Warning from the MODs simply because the IC talk was becoming heated. its why i stay away form how i generally play my characters on these forums.

[AuroraKet]

OOC: *sigh* oh. I thought an 'open forum' one would prevent that, at least slightly. But oh well. I just figured we could get them for the topics it was mentioned this one isn't for.

::Seren peers at the bespectacled man then, taking her gum out of her mouth and glancing at it. She pulls a slingshot from the compartment, smiling very slightly and glancing around a little, the glow in her blue eyes just a little brighter, as she idly sets the gum into a position on the slingshot.::

"Oh, they'll stop enough, or more direct action will be taken." ::She smiles sweetly then.::

::At Selest's comment, she glances over in that direction, cocking her head slightly.:: "Response time won't save you from a more heavily armored and armed unit. There's only so much you can dodge before you die. And..." ::She makes a face.:: "The RCB got rid of the 'icky' really. If they'd filled it up with the green stuff again, most of us would have never gotten into one. I certainly wouldn't have."

[AdmTolval]

AuroraKet wrote

Response time won't save you from a more heavily armored and armed unit. There's only so much you can dodge before you die.

There's truth in that. I had a Beta pilot under my command once who decided to fire half his missile payload at a RCB. The Invid fired 1 missile and took out the entire volley. The Beta than fired off his remaining missiles and finally got the RCB. On the other hand, the full sized Zentraedi in my group could always dodge anything as long as he was not in a Battle Pod. Put him in a Battle Pod and the moment he gets into an engagement, *BLAM* there goes his pod. And yes, to help him survive longer, we installed ejection seats in his pods.

[batlchip]

*Zara wakes up from her trance and looks at Seren.*Nice cover of Patsy Cline.I got to admit that LeAnn can sing.Anyway my commander's squad had to emergency fold once and he came out right in the middle of REF an fleet.The fleet admiral was quite upset with me for laughing during a debriefing.It seems he and a lot of other commanders had to change their jockey shorts.Because we almost crashed into a fully loaded munitions ship that was in the middle of the fleet.



ooc:Just got through watching my old copy of Nadesico

[Aramanthus]

:::The non descript man catches the jelly baby that bounced off his head. He pops it into his mouth. He looks at the bespectacled man with a smile.::: "Thank you for the treat." :::He then reaches into a pocket and pulls a small bag out. He takes a single jelly baby out it and tosses it at the bespectacled man, it flies true and straight and hit the target on his forehead.::: "I thought I should share the new flavor since that flavor you shared with me is from last year." :::He smiles and waits for the bespectacled man's next move.:::

[glitterboy2098]

reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

[glitterboy2098]

The Invid trooper is aptly named. although the Scout comprised the majority of Invid, the Trooper did most of the work. troopers were as large as a southern cross battloid, sixteen feet at the 'shoulder', and were just a bit tougher than an Armored Scout. the basic form was a small body paired with absurdly oversized arms and legs, which would have been considered comical had it not been for their ferocious presence in combat. the arms were popeye like with thin uppers and large lowers, and tipped with a razor sharp three fingered claw. the legs were of a kind, small on top, large on the bottom, with limited articulation and clawed feet that dug into the ground regardless of the terrain. the Trooper was not a mecha capable of high agility on the ground, and when they reached their 60mph top speed they did so through a scuttling movement that looked like footage sped up about a dozen times normal speed. the Trooper was much more at home in the air, its back mounted thruster able to push it up to three miles per hour, although its turning and climb/dive rates were horrificly bad.

the basic trooper had only its claws to fight with, and being the lumbering brutes they are, were not much use against anything smaller then themselves. a cyclone equipped soldier could easily avoid the troopers swipes, and even unaugmented infantry could manage to escape in the right terrain. generally though, the invid didn't send regular troopers into combat. they were a more common sight as 'bouncers' for hives, slave farms, and other invid facilities. were they relied more on their imposing presence as an invid mecha than any real combat ability. when they saw combat, it was usually as workers alongside armored scouts and more advanced invid, capturing resistance fighters or civilians, tearing into buildings and ships, and otherwise performing as a brute squad.

the Shock Trooper, on the other hand, was greatly feared. the shock trooper possessed a pair of plasma cannon sufficently powerful to penetrate most CVR or southern cross armor and able to blow off large chunks of mecha armor. these troopers were the 'soldier' of the invid, the basic combat unit comprising most combat patrols and raids. it had the same lack of agility as the normal model, but the addition of the cannon made it fairly dangerous. on the ground it typically adopted a 'slow and steady' march while firing the cannon in bursts at targets, but the most feared by ground bound resistance was the strafing runs where the cannons would be rapid fired as the mecha fly by, often in swooping nape of earth flightpaths.

the regent made excessive use of the trooper, which almost outnumbered the scouts in his army. the majority of these were shock trooper versions, making the most of his limited resources. only the facility guards tended to be the unarmed models. the regent also made versions of the shock trooper that had a cockpit geared for a stage four pilot, with controls not unlike that of a simplified terran mecha. these model were rare, but feared, because of the higher stages skills and tactical ability.

[taalismn]

"You got that right...The Trooper was a sound design that set new standards for us....Besides being far more versatile in security and heavy labor roles, the ShockTrooper that evolved from it was a stable firing platform and the basis of a lot of experimental work...Those annihilation disc launchers weren't the only weapons we tried on them, nor were they the last...And the Trooper was the basis for the Pincer, moreso than the Scouts...."

[Colonel Wolfe]

yes, but a trio of Troopers busting up form the ground around your Cyclone, knocking you off it, then one of them steals your cycle... then it gets scary....

[glitterboy2098]

from my own experience prior to reflex point, the trooper and shock trooper were hard to get eyeshots on when they knew an opponent was present. the tended to put an arm over one eye and charge an opponent. the armed ones were less likely to do that, but if you got too close they'd forget they had guns. you could wear them down with fire from a gallant or other antimecha infantry weapon, but it could take a few minutes, of which you had to be very good at dodging their blows and charges. the favorite tactic of the group i joined up with was to use a cyclone equipped person to lure the troopers nto a clearing, where a sniper would take them out with a eye shot from a .50 BMG rifle using old RDF armor piercing rounds, or an RL-2 or other Rocket Propelled grenade launcher.

since i was the only one with a working cyclone, and my talents leaned more towards flying than infanty tactics, i was usually the bait. they had found static protoculture lures didn't fool the invid for long, and they didn't want to risk their deuce and a half truck or jeeps. i was considered expendable. lucky for me i did survive, and when we met up with the landing forces my presence convinced the commanders they were resistance, not symps.

[AuroraKet]

::Seren snickers just a little at Selest.:: "Ah, those. I guess I didn't even think about that. Never bothered me. Least not till after I'd flown an Alpha a while. Amazing how some mannerisms cross over from one group to the other. Clutching the controls more tightly in the Alpha came very quickly. And it got frustrating when I had to fly the RCB again, to not have ones that were as clutchable." ::She blushes very softly, with the admission.::

::She then glances over to Zara and laughs just a bit.:: "Yeah, Not my favorite one though, some of the others were a lot better." ::She hmms a little then and winces.:: "That might have been fun to see. But yes, laughing during the debriefing, I can see them getting upset with. Hitting a munitions ship would have probably gotten ugly. One of the problems of equipment that uses so much ammunition based ordinance."

::She goes back to listening to the main lecture then, nodding just a little at the thought of it.:: "Shock troopers could be very useful, yes. And very annoying to the people trying to pick them off. Going up close to get away from the plasma cannons is a dicey game, depending on what you're in. The claws can make nice rip holes if you aren't very careful. I had that happen once. Took some doing to get the holes fixed, too. I just attributed it to getting what I probably deserved, though, for doing it to some other poor saps while I was in one."

::She glances up to the lectern, then, raising her eyebrows and laughing just a little.:: "Always fun being the bait, yes?"

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man laughs at the bespectacled mans joke! And then he gets back to taking notes o the latest series of speakers.:::

[batlchip]

*Zara looks at Seren*I couldn't help it.It was funny too see a bunch of rough and tough men scream like lil' girls.*She looks at the lectern and smirks*I thought you micronains like being targets.

[taalismn]

"Yep, and the enlarged foreclaws were designed for blocking enemy fire, much more than an Alpha's...Smart Stage 2s learned that a little damage was acceptable in order to close with an enemy where brute strength and mass worked to the Trooper's advantage...Later, though, I wondered why we didn't spend more effort on melee combat skill indoctrination for Troopers...all those rounded surfaces made for excellent rolling and tumbling...But I may just be channeling what I saw later on the mecha wrestling networks...."

[Aramanthus]

:::The nondescript man continues to take notes of the present speakers.:::

[taalismn]

"Well, I figure by the time the Alpha came into its own as the main mecha of your REF, you'd gotten used to the idea that Invid were not terribly big on projectile weaponry, where curved armor was most useful ....The Alpha's big defense was not getting hit while hitting the enemy as hard as possible in return....The Destroids, if I recall, were devised when you were still anticipating facing remaining legions of Zentraedi with autocannons and missile artillery support...which would have been used liberally on slow-movers like Destroids..."

[AuroraKet]

::Seren grins at Zara and nods a little bit.:: "I can imagine. Fragile male egos being bruised by screaming like little girls that way, and all. Shatters their macho acts."

::She peers a little at taal and laughs, shaking her head.:: "Way too much mecha wrestling networks, sorry to say." ::She ponders a moment.:: "Have to remember the REF was built initially with the assumption that they'd be facing Zentraedi or Tirolians. Can imagine the skidmarked shorts when they saw how slow the destroids were in relation to the new opponents."

[taalismn]

"Yep...the way I understand it, a Zentraedi trying to close to melee range with an improvized club or sword was generally regarded as a bygone conclusion as long as the VF kept the distance open....The REF tactics weren't designed to deal with supersonic knife-fighters who'd be on top of them before they could change clips...Our mecha might have been lightly armed and crude by veritech standards, but we refined what tactics we knew...And sometimes history smiled on us..."

[taalismn]

"Well, the Stage 1s and 2s learned fast that if they got in close...and I mean CLOSE...the big guns couldn't get you, and incidentally the other guys were less inclined to fire off heavy weaponry if you were on top of their buddy...Didn't work with Khyron of course...He'd kill his own squadmates at the drop of the proverbial helmet if it would push up his kill record...That much we discovered from our Zentraedi experiences..."

[batlchip]

*Zara smiles and nods*Some of us found it was easier to trap and fight the Invy without mecha.So many of us would fight HtH .This made it more of a challege and an honor to beat enemies without using energy weapons.Most who tried it against the RDF met their doom.So very few of these specialists are left.There was one type of specialist that the Invy and the RDF hated the most and that was our Power armor specialists.I recall some one saying some thing about a fellow meltran taking out hundreds of Invy before they killed her.I bet that meltran was a Power armor specialist.



ooc:Both Khyron and Miriya were specialists.

[AdmTolval]

Dracurian wrote

"I like fighting full size Zentraedi in their full size battle-pods, scouts could actually land on them & have a picnic due to the massive difference in size, 15.2m tall for the pods Vs 2.5m tall for the scouts. Nothing funnier than seeing a Zent officer pod covered in scout-scales "

I've got a former team member, who just happens to be a full-sized Zentraedi, who would disagree with you on that.

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man records the data from the past few speakers and shakes his head slowly and sadly while thinking about the something that made him feel sympathetic towards those lost due to the manupulation by outsiders.:::

[taalismn]

*Zara smiles and nods*Some of us found it was easier to trap and fight the Invy without mecha.So many of us would fight HtH .This made it more of a challege and an honor to beat enemies without using energy weapons.Most who tried it against the RDF met their doom.So very few of these specialists are left.There was one type of specialist that the Invy and the RDF hated the most and that was our Power armor specialists.I recall some one saying some thing about a fellow meltran taking out hundreds of Invy before they killed her.I bet that meltran was a Power armor specialist.



ooc:Both Khyron and Miriya were specialists.

"Quadrono power armors and Alphas have an important thing in common....LOTS of missiles...First time we encountered the Alpha, we thought for certain it was an adaptation of the Tirolian FPAs...."

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man records the information from the last speaker.:::

[taalismn]

"And the maneuverability was a factor too...I sometimes wonder just how MUCH inspiration the Alpha programme took from the Quadronno suits."

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man records the data from the speakers.::: "There had to have been some influence in the alpha taken directly after examinations were carried out on the Quadronno suits. I know there were several reverse engineering projects carried out after the Zentraedi joined with the RDF. I know I assisted with every reverse engineering projects that were occuring at the time. I know it was always fun to put them back together after wards. I worked with several test pilots at the time this testing was occuring. Of course at the time it was considered most secret."

[taalismn]

"Yeah, heard your people actually built a few of your own....never faced them myself, but it would be interesting to see a comparison..."

[Colonel Wolfe]

as with much of the REf equipment, it was Designed at the Launch of the SDF-3 to Fight against Zentradie. The Alpha & Beta are EXTREAMLY effective against the Majority of Zentradie Mecha. What the Alpha Alone Sacraficed in Atmospheric Ability it made up for in Space Fighting Ability. Its Smaller Air Frame made it a harder targte for the Zents, and the Superior FCS and Laser Based arms Shined in Combat against the Zents... 'Unfortunatly... They werent Expecting Bioroids or Invid/Inorganics...

[batlchip]

*Zara takes another sip of her soda*While I'll agree on the alpha statement.I have to disagree about the bioroid one.Breetai and Exedor knew about the Masters.They also knew about the Invy.What we didn't know was that the Masters would come looking for us or that the invy would be so deep in master space.Anyway,The REF brass had designed mecha to fight us zents and bioroids.It was running into the invy that shocked them.

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man records the information that has been relayed from the past few speakers.:::

[AuroraKet]

::Seren listens to the others, taking notes and nodding just a little bit.:: "Yeah, homemade clubs against Veritechs isn't going to cut it, even at their size. Getting into melee range as fast as the scouts do can really mess them up though. It's one of the basic issues with the missile based design. Unless you hit all of them, immediately, they're suddenly too close to fire on, without getting caught in your own missile blasts. That was one of the things I tried to maintain acute awareness of, during the second invasion when flying one."

::She smiles at the Colonel and shrugs slightly, laughing.:: "Well, it's been said that we're nothing if not extremely persistent, after all... It does pay off once in a while."

::She grins at Taal then, turning and nodding to Zara after.:: "Anyone on the wrong end of a Female Power Armor specialist, is gonna be quite suitably nervous, and with very good reason. Watching entire flights of mecha die to them is a good reminder of how expendable one is."

::She peers over at the bespectacled man idly, laughing.:: "Or landing on a MAC and clawing at all its gun barrels the same way." ::She nods to Tolval.:: "Well, once again, mecha designed for swarm tactics. Especially vulnerable if used in small numbers."

::She shrugs a little at the Alpha dispute.:: "At least a couple were former Quadronos, I'd guess. I never saw them as being new kinds of Bioroids. Too light on their feet, and better self-thrusting without needing secondary transportation. Especially after mode shifts."

::She nods and takes notes, listening to other discussions.:: "I'd think they'd do just fine against Bioroids though, yes. Missile surprise works nicely on any targets that aren't set up in enormous waves at high speeds. Just not so well on ones that are set up that way."

::She makes a little face, then smiles at Selest.:: "I'm sure it was a little shocking. And I'd have to guess a bit of both, probably. I'm just glad the whole mess is over. Fallout could be interesting later though. Wonder where my team and I are gonna get sent for non-classroom stuff. Heard mutters that it might be at the Karbarran facility. I'm rather hoping not, but if it is, I can just imagine how 'interesting' it might get."

[taalismn]

"From what I gather, they could get interesting...I wasn't assigned in early life to any of the Sentinel worlds, but the Karrbarreans were more than happy to use swarm tactics of their own when they turned on the Regent's garrison...of course they were attacking from all directions using firearms...and a Karbarrean's idea of a sidearm is a heavy weapon...and using cover...upper stories of buildings, tubeway enterances, highway ramps, sewer drains..."

[glitterboy2098]

alright class, i know your having fun debating this, but we do have to have lectures sometime. feel free to start up the debate after. today we're going to look at the last mecha common to both the regent and regis' forces. the Enforcer.

*looks at the 'student' in the first row.*
as you can see from our local representative, the enforcer was most definately designed to do all the face to face occupation work for the invid. less of a mecha and more of a suit of powered body armor, the enforcer is fairly human shaped and sized at a mere seven feet tall. the stage four invid inside are some of the most mentally developed of the invid prior to the simulagents, and we beleive to be the final stage of the invids natural life cycle. this makes them capable of understanding human concepts and behavior, although complex things like human emotions and logic are often beyond their capacity. frankly, understanding those are often beyond human capacity, so this is no mark against the invid.

the enforcer compares well to the Robotech masters Terminator augmented body armors, with comparable protection, roughly on par with terran CVR. where the enforcer surpassed those was in mobility, agility, and firepower. the Enforcer has a built in flight system, with the main thruster mounted on the back. this system allows the suit to reach speeds of up to two hundred miles per hour in an atmosphere, and antigravity augmentation gives it superb handling. at least in flight. on the ground the suits are somewhat sluggish and clumsy, especially in comparison to mecha like the cyclone.

in regards to firepower, the Enforcer is fairly well off. built into each forearm is a light laser equivilent in power to a Gallant in pistol mode, but tied directly into the suits protoculture powerplant giving it a practically unlimited payload. for anti-mecha work, a 'bazooka like' energy rifle is available, which is attached to the forearm over the lasers. this rifle is comparable to a EU-14 Destabliser, although without the shield disruption effects. this weapon also draws on the suits onboard power, giving it the same effectivly unlimited payload. the last weapon is defensive in nature, a buckler type shield that projects a forcefield around itself, giving it a durability triple that of the mecha itself. this is also attached to the forearm over the laser, and is very effective at protecting the sensitive eye and head against attacks.

as with most invid mecha, variants were often seen. most common was what was dubbed a 'gunslinger' variant that substituted the shield for a second energy rifle, providing double the firepower at the expense of protection.

the Enforcer served mostly in a defensive role. either as hive guards or on patrols in the streets and alleys of mankinds few remaining cities. the Enforcer was also used to round up and escort prisoners to the protoculture farms for slave labor, or as liasons with sympithisers, taking advantage of thier ability to enter and move around human structures without demolishing them. this also is why the Enforcer has access to a voice synthesisther capable of producing human language, although this was mostly used to issue orders or challenges, and not for true conversation.

should we meet with the regis again, we must expect to encounter improved Enforcer armors, worn by either stage fours or the simulagents. the REF expects such suits would be tougher, faster, and more agile than the versions we have had experiance with.

[AuroraKet]

::Seren glances to taal and the bespectacled man, laughing a little.:: "That's actual coordinated tactics, not swarming. I'm only worried that my girls and I will get sent there for reservist training maneuvers, and get an unfriendly welcome for being who we are."

::She shrugs slightly, then turns back up to the podium, listening and nodding slightly.:: "Hive guard, urban enforcer..." ::She peers down at *#* in the front row with taal.:: "The natural cycle, maybe. And if everyone could understand emotions and some peoples idea of logic, there would be far less need for psychiatric care facilities on Earth, yeah." ::She grins just a little then, listening quietly to the lecture, and nodding at some of the comments, then shaking her head slightly.:: "Somehow I doubt if we see the Regis on a hostile level again, we'll be seeing so much of the enforcer armors. The newer equipment for the Solugi were all designed around having to fight far superior Human equipment. If there is a new kind of Enforcer armor, I'd expect it to perform more similarly in maneuvering and such to a Cyclone, than to the old model."

::She smiles just a little then.:: "I'll say this for certain: Being in the Enforcer armor is one of the biggest reasons I'm glad I'm no longer a stage 4, and a large part of why I love my Cyclone so much."

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descrpit man records the incoming data from various speakers on the enforcer.:::

[taalismn]

alright class, i know your having fun debating this, but we do have to have lectures sometime. feel free to start up the debate after. today we're going to look at the last mecha common to both the regent and regis' forces. the Enforcer.

*looks at the 'student' in the first row.*
as you can see from our local representative, the enforcer was most definately designed to do all the face to face occupation work for the invid. less of a mecha and more of a suit of powered body armor, the enforcer is fairly human shaped and sized at a mere seven feet tall. the stage four invid inside are some of the most mentally developed of the invid prior to the simulagents, and we beleive to be the final stage of the invids natural life cycle. this makes them capable of understanding human concepts and behavior, although complex things like human emotions and logic are often beyond their capacity. frankly, understanding those are often beyond human capacity, so this is no mark against the invid..

*#* bangs her energyshield and does a two-fingered two-arm salute...
Taal:"And making it possible for them to be total hams....sit down, *#*"

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man looks over at the table banging 5th stage and smiles sadly.:::

[batlchip]

*Zara nods and frowns*There are always some soldiers who like the suffering of others to much.*Looks at Taal*there is nothing wrong with being a warrior.She knows like many of us here the joy of having a warrior's heart.She should be proud.

[taalismn]

"Besides having a more developed nervous system, being an Enforcer also meant being at a scale closer to the human world, and having a better range of manipulatory skills...I can recall from my own experiences as an Enforcer-pilot feeling a lot smaller...but also a lot more 'in tune' with my human-scaled surroundings...You need to notice more when you're not ten or twelve feet above the ground, crunching along...maybe not least because you feel a little more vulnerable and are intelligent enough to understand the concept of snipers, but also because for once you can interact with human artifacts without crushing them
Enforcers may have been a lot more alert to vagaries of human behavior as a result, and thus less likely to be fooled or thrown off a trail, but I knew more than a few who exhibited outright curiousity...WE may not have been as easily corrupted by human culture or given to the same fads of consumerism as the Zentraedi were early on after their contact with micronian culture, but more than a few Enforcers took to caching small collections of objects that simply caught their attention, or having favorite spots on their patrols...
Of course, by the same token, for every one Enforcer who felt a sublime curiousity or infatuation with Earth, there were easily two or three who channeled their new measure of individuality into cunnig aggression or outright hatred of the opposition infesting 'their' territory..."

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man records the valuable data from the last few speakers.:::

[taalismn]

"...of course, that in no way explains the 'Matchboxer' fixation..."

[Aramanthus]

:::The non-descript man records the data from the past few speakers. He stops for a second and then pulls a small electronic device from one of his pockets. He starts entering data at an incredible speed. He spends almost 10 full minutes typing data in. Then he hits the run button and the device hums loud enough to be heard in the front and back of the class at the same time. It chirps quietly to indicate it has reached an answer. The non'descript man smiles and says,::: " I thought so."