Sam 2022/03/17(Thu)17:47 No. 1026513 ID: 67181a
File 164756444984.jpg - (489.96KB , 2445x2158 , 0317221935_HDR.jpg )

Today, youre riding un to town with your dad, he saud he had an old friend making a delivery. Hes generally a very stoic and quiet guy, but having known him your whole life you can tell he's extremely excited.

He's a mechanic that works on a lot of heavy machinery for the miners and farmers, so he's fairly respected around the territory. You help him out in the shop, vut also do odd jobs and make deliveries on your own time. A lot of people scattered across the territory know you, and you them, but none of your relationships are terribly deep.

As the truck pulls into town do you:
A: Go with your dad for the delivery
B: look for work on your own
C: head down to the bar and see who's around
D: head to the docks on the off chance there'll be a ship in (very unlikely)
E: loiter by the truck
F: get your hopper out of the bed and go for a ride around the hills
G: other (specify)

>Additional important decisions!

What are your skills (choose two)?

Crack Shot - an expert at shooting, not a professional by any means but damn good for your age. Pretty damn perceptive in general.
Cliff Jumper - great at operating any vehicle, especially doing dtunts or on difficult terrain. Pretty sure-footed even on your own two feet.
Gear Hound - great with machines, can fix damn near anything and could probably build just about anything if you had the parts
Meat Head - strong, tough, and athletic. Pretty damn good at brawling, lifting, jumping, or just about any other physical activity.
Proper Cautious: good at staying unseen, unheard, or just generally getting away with things. Would be a pretty good liar, but obviously you wouldnt do that.
Good Folk: people likeyou, they can just tell you're good folk. Wont help you if you try to lie, but makes it easy to make friends without needing to.

Additionally, choose one of these categories which you lack.

F, Cliff Jumper, Proper Cautious. Just not a gear hound.

You LOVE vehicles, so you're a Cliff Jumper, real good a driving
you're also a gear hound, you can fix a lot of things and build and add modfications, especially VEHICLES!
(I think these two will make a good combo)

You're not good at being a meat head tho (or a good folk, one of those two, can't decide)

F, lets go riding!

F is what we do when our help isn't needed, aye.

We're a Cliff-Jumper, of course, and Proper Cautious. We'd probably make a good smuggler. Low-profile work is good, too; we're not exactly a Crack-Shot per se. We'd prefer to use our stealth, wild driving, and words to get the drop on someone up close or, preferably, avoid a fight entirely.

[C] because the bar sounds interesting. I wanna see what people around here are like.

And obviously you're a crack shot, and a gear hound
Being able to build fancy weapons and use them too sounds like a fun combination of skills.

But you're probably not too strong, so not a Meat Head

>>1026513
B
There's an old saying "Speak softly and carry a big stick" while we might be a bit of a MEAT HEAD people are generally able to tell that we're still GOOD FOLK. It's just a pity that we're not always PROPER CAUTIOUS

Sam 2022/03/18(Fri)14:41 No. 1026623 ID: 67181a
File 164763970755.jpg - (458.67KB , 2298x2145 , 0318221719_HDR.jpg )

You know your dad can handle himself,so before he pulls his truck into town you ask him to stop and let you unload your hopper. You arent particularly strong (meathead -), so its built out of relatively lightweight materials. That could cause problems if you were to crash it, but you're probably rhe best rider ij the territory (cliff jumper +) so that's not much of a concern.

The terrain around the city is very rocky and uneven, but that just makes it more fun to rocket through and gives you plenty of opportunities for jumps. The aur around the bay is also quite a bit less dry and bitter than it is further inland, so you dont even need your mask.

You roll up through the hills and cliffs; you dont know the area super well since you dont come to town often; but you know it well enough to stay out of the secure areas around the bunkers. As you make your way up onto one of the bug cliffs overlooking the city, you see that Tiffany is here. You wave, but she doesnt respond. Theres no way that she doesnt know you're here, the hopper is pretty goddamn loud; she just seems preoccupied looking out over the water toward the rising sun.

You know tiffany a little, she's head and shoulders taller than most of the men and town and is the strongest person youve ever met - so she stands out. She could probably hoist your hopper onto her shoulder with you still on it and carry you all the way into town. You know that she lives somewhere in the hills and comes into town for supplies, but not much more than that. Even the people who live in the city around tend to be pretty private; so the ones who dont even live there tend to be on a whole different level.

You had a full tank when you set out, so you aren't in any real danger of running out of gas.

Do you:
A: stop to talk to Tiffany
B: head on into town (what to do in town)
C: keep driving around the hills
D: other (specify)

>additional important suggestions!

There was a tie between PROPER CAUTIOUS and GEAR HOUND in the previous update, please choose between the two to break the tie!

Chat with Tiffany, like a proper cautious fellow!

A, but try to make out what she's looking at first. Maybe she thought we were farther than we were? I could see us accidentally sneaking up on people sometimes, given how Proper Cautious we are.

A
And gear hound. Think about it, we can modify our vehicle to make it better.

>>1026623
Talk with Tiff
Gear hound

A: chatty time!

Gear hound. Specialization is the mark of the professional!

Sam 2022/03/22(Tue)18:47 No. 1026975 ID: 67181a
File 164800004571.jpg - (736.49KB , 2717x2724 , 0322222000_HDR.jpg )

You peel around and pull up to stop behind Tiffany, shutting off the engine so that it isn't rumbling over everything. It looks like in addition to her full pack, shes carrying a large tank of something. You start to sweat a bit, knowing that if it's full it probably weighs a few hundred pounds. Tiffany is honestly a little bit terrifying, but its at least a relief to know that she likes you. Or at least tolerates you. You're pretty sure, anyway.

You muster up thr courage to greet her, but she speaks before you get any words out.

"Hello, Sam." She doesnt turn to face you at all, still looking out over the bay and barely moving.

"Oh, hey Tiffany," you start, pausing as you realize something, "wait. How did you know it was me?"

"There is nobody else in the territory who could ride a motorcycle up this ridge at the pace you took. Even if there were, i have doubts they would be so bold."

"Oh, yeah that makes sense," you nod pointlessly as she is still not looking at you, "You making a supply run?"

"I am returning home now, but did come in early this morning to receive some deliveries that were ordered."

"That explains that tank you're hauling, then. Looks pretty heavy."

"It is."

"Do you jeed any he-"

"Neg." She interrupts. Tiffany always soeaks with an odd, stern courtesy; so you know that if she cuts you off its probably best to just drop the subject. You sit in aqkward silence for a few moments, before speaking up again.

"So uh, I didnt expect to see anyone up here, and you've never really been the sort to stop and watxh the sun rise. Anything going on?"

She nods out towards the sea, "82 degrees, down by the waterline. I trust you can see it?"

You think you see something small out over the bay, but cant make out any details. You reach into your pack and fish out some binoculars, raising your goggles and scanning over the area.

==>

Could it be a small part of a submarine emerged from the ocean?

Sam 2022/03/22(Tue)19:18 No. 1026977 ID: 67181a
File 164800189155.jpg - (553.30KB , 2644x2454 , 0322222111_HDR.jpg )

>>1026975

It isnt long before you spot it.

"Whoa, a VTOL! Looks like its coming in really low, too. Just barely above the water! Must have a pretty great pilot in there!"

"Yes, Sam. Now tell me, are there any markings?"

You look away from the aircraft toward Tiffany, whose gaze is still locked on it. "Markings?"

"Yes, as in insignias of onwership, or identification."

"Oh, i didnt even think to check!" You turn your attention back to your binoculars, scanning for anything of the sort. It doesnt take long to see, now that you're looking for it, that there are no identifying markings on the craft at all. Just a matte dark grey paint job. "Huh, nothing at all."

Tiffany exhales sharply,and you hear her turn and begin walking away. "It is as i expected, then."

You almost drop your binoculars as you turn to face her. "Expected? Whattaya mean? What's going on?"

She shouts back to you as she continues walking inland, her stride even and measured despite the massive weight on ger shoulder, "The aircraft was on a steady patrol out at the horizon as I arrived this morning. Six minutes ago, it ceased its patrol and decreased altitude. Three minutes ago, it began to approach the city."

Your hands start to tremble as you start to realize what Tiffany is suggesting, "Are you saying they're raiding the city?"

"It fits the pattern of their approach." She does not break stride, and you habe to jog after her to continue talking.

"They'll just get shot down by the batteries though? Right? Its not like there are never pirates here."

"Perhaps they will. But the raid sirens have yet to sound."

You freeze mid-step as she mentions this. Youve hears the sirens before when the city was attacked by pirates. There's a whole system of lookouts and comms in cliffside posts to provide early warnings. But why arent they sounding an alarm?

Youre starting to get worried. At its current rate of flight, the aircraft will reach the city in a few minutes. Do you:
A: Ride safely into town and find your dad
B: Ride quickly into town and find your dad
C: Attempt to radio somebody in town
D: check on the lookout bunkers, you know where at least a few of them are and you drove around some of their secure areas to get here.
E: assume this is a false alarm, find something else to do since Tiffany is leaving and you know she probably doesnt want to be followed.
F: other (specify)

B! Time to put our mad driving skillz to the test.

B, because that's your thing isn't it

Fun times over, let's get serious.
B

Sam 2022/03/23(Wed)17:10 No. 1027095 ID: 67181a
File 164808063058.jpg - (640.68KB , 2785x2693 , 0323221936a_HDR.jpg )

The VTOL is farther out from the city than you are, and doesnt appear to be flying any faster than your bike can go, but you'd have to take a pretty long road around to get down there from up on the ridge.

At least, you would if you needed a road. They dont call you a cliff jumper for nothing. You gun your engine and nose your bike down over the ridge line, careening sown the steep incline toward the buildings stretching out between you and the sea. The rush of adrenaline as you skid oast rocks and brush, and the thrill you feel each time your bike leaves the hill during what you would honestly describe as a slightly-controlled fall are frankly intoxicating. The impact shuddering through you each time your shocks compress; this is the sort of thing you were born for.

You'll be un the cuty in just a few moments. You didnt check where your dad was expecting to pick up his delivery before you went out for a ride; and the aircraft is still approaching. You will only have time to check one location to find him:

Do you check:
A: Jim's bar
B: Stunt's junkyard
C: The port
D: The Matthisons' repair shop
E: The Red Light District (most businesses there are closed this early in the morning)
F: Just zip around town and look for the truck
G: do something else (specify)

G: head to a guardpost and warn them.

D: The Matthisons' repair shop

>>1027095
C

>>1027142
Agreeing with this - something's preventing the early warning system from working correctly. We need to rectify this. Maybe test your radio on the way into town to confirm if that's being jammed, too. We can't afford to waste these precious moments before the storm on a gamble to find our dad early.

Stick to the facts; quickly explain what you and Tiffany witnessed and that your radio wasn't reaching the lookout comms channels for some reason. Even if you didn't actually have time to try and reach somebody over comms, you're sure enough about this that it barely even counts as a lie.

Sam 2022/04/12(Tue)02:17 No. 1029017 ID: 0055dc
File 164975507812.jpg - (752.50KB , 2819x2930 , 0412220014a_HDR.jpg )

Even if you wanted to try to reach somebody over comms, your radio equipment is in one of your hauling containers; you can't even try to get a hold of somebody while you're on your bike. Not like anyone would hear anything with your engine roaring and you crashing down what would be generous to call a "hill" instead of a cliff.

You careen into the city and feel your bike slow down as gravity is no longer helping you accelerate; fortunately there are not many people in the streets and your hopper is noisy enough that they can easily hear you coming and get out of the way. You'd be pretty damn proud of the ride down here you took, but you're in a bit of a hurry.

You head to one of the buildings you know to be a guard post; where there is a guard smoking outside next to the steel door. You wrench the handlebars sideways and slide the last few dozen feet up to the building, causing the guard to raise his rifle before you come to a stop.

"Whoa whoa! Don't shoot!" You shout, and the guard lowers his aim, but keeps his gun shouldered.

"What's yer business?" He growls.

"I was up in the hills, and I saw a VTOL coming in low like it's coming for a raid," You begin. "I didn't hear the alarms, So I came down here quick as I could to alert somebody."

He looks at you incredulously, "So what? Crashing through the streets just 'cuz you saw a plane flying low?"

"Well," you lie, "I also couldn't radio the emergency channels, so I figured it might be getting jammed."

The guard rolls his eyes, unclipping the walkie talkie from his belt and raising it to his ear as he flicks the dial; "Yo, what's up?"

His expression darkens, and he flicks the dial a few more times while talking like he's not getting through to anyone.

He looks anxiously toward you, reaching back and banging on the door to the building. "HEY JEK, YOU HEAR THIS?"

You hear a muffled "yeah" come from inside the building.

"Well up the ladder already! This story check out?!"

You hear a creaking hinge from the roof and a rapid thunk of heavy boots on metal rungs as somebody climbs a ladder. There's a brief pause, then you hear somebody curse and a thump inside the building just a moment later.

Just as you start to consider what might be going on, the air raid sirens begin to blare.

People in the streets begin to hurry into buildings or towards their vehicles, and you notice several of them pulling out their firearms.

A few seconds later, you hear the distinctive crack of gunfire echoing through the streets alongside the blaring siren.

Do you:
A: Hunker down in the guard building
B: Find your dad
C: Find cover somewhere else in the city
D: Gun it and get the heck out of town.
E: Other (specify)

You have a sawed-off shotgun, a radio, tools, and camping supplies in your hauling containers.

>>1029017
Nice, we got the alarm raised earlier than it would have been.
B. Let's try the junkyard.

B

B

Sam 2022/04/20(Wed)16:02 No. 1029886 ID: 67181a
File 165049575157.jpg - (827.78KB , 2988x3039 , 0414222029_HDR.jpg )

You fure up your hopper and race toward the junkyard to look for your dad. You see locals barricading doors to shops, and some of them train guns on you; but nobody fires. You're pretty sure you see people farther down some of the streets with what looks like standardized clothes and equipment; which sticks out like a sorw thumb to you in the city. Youre too fixated on getting to Stunt's to take a good look at them, however.

You dont get far from the guard station before you hear the rapid thundering booms from one of the hillside batteries openong fire; but it's only a few seconds later thqt you hear an explosion and the guns go silent. You gun it, weaving through the streets as quickly as you can until you spot your dad's truck outside the junkyard.

You dont hesitate to rocket into the rows of junk, and none of Stunt's lackeys are around to try to stop you. You Arent far in before you slide around a corner, and see a shotgun pointed directly towards you.

"Shit!" your dad shouts, lowering his gun and slumping against the wall of junk hes huddling behind, "You scared the heck out of me, Sam!"

The barrel of his gun is smoking, and hes carrying an unfamiliar battered attache case.

"Good to know you're safe, but if your ride works why aren't you out of here already?"

You hear the scream of the vtol's engines as it flies over the city, followed by a string of explosions.

Do you:

A: Ask dad whats going on
B: No time for that, just get the hell out of here
C: hug dad
D: something else (explain)

B

Unless your dad has a bomb shelter you don't know about, get the hell out of dodge.

D: get your ass to some cover and hunker down with your dad because he doesn't seem intent on leaving either.

>>1029886
It's bombing the city?! Fuck that.

D: Offer dad a ride on your bike.

A)

Dad aid!

D. Offer dad a ride, or ask how you can help.

Sam 2022/05/06(Fri)20:12 No. 1031464 ID: 67181a
File 165189317031.jpg - (735.83KB , 2797x2857 , 0506222244a_HDR.jpg )

You start asking dad if he needs help with something, and he mostly seems to brush you off as he leans forward to strap the case to the rumble seat on your hopper.

"Sam seriously you need to get out of here," he says, "It isn't safe."

"Dad what the hell," you start, "I'm not stupid enough to think it's safe, but I'm also not leaving you here. Hop on." You reach back behind you, to pat the seat, tapping on the attache case instead."

He stops for a second and stares blankly, then smirks and shakes his head. "Sam, I know how you drive this thing. You'd toss me off before we even went a klick out of town."

"Too bad," you snap, "We're leaving, or I'm staying."

He sighs and says, "Look, just run me by the truck. Ill be right behind you on the way out. I promise."

You know your dad would never lie to you, so you motion for him to get on the bike. He stands on the pipes with his arms around your shoulders, and you gun it towards the truck as you hear gunfire erupting from nearby.

As you pass by the truck, you feel a violent force on your bike as he leaps off into the bed. You look over at him as you slow down, but he waves you om as he starts to open up the window on the back of the cabin. You see some of the uniformed men rushing toward you from across the yard, and gun it to get out of the junkyard and into the main street.

A few moments later, your dad's truck smashes through the junkyard's wall. You see the telltale sparks of slugs ricocheting off the side of it as he tears into the street, frantically waving you forward as he sees you are stopped. You gun it, and keep your head down as you and your dad scream out of the town, and before long you see the buildings and walls receding behind you, plumes of smoke billowing up from the town and out of the wreckage of one of the seaward batteries in the cliff wall.

Do you:
A) take the beaten path home, you'll get there faster but be easier to follow if somebody comes after you
B) go cross country - it will be slower but you will be harder to follow
C) either A or B, but gun it and ride out ahead of your dad. Your bike is a lot faster than the truck, and the difference will be more exaggerated if you go cross-country.
D) try to get your dad to slow down to talk
E) something else (explain)

CB. Spread out, you'll split up pursuers.

B. First priority is getting clear of enemies.

>>1031464
B
Who knows, maybe you two can ditch the truck someplace safe along the way and ride the rest of the way home on the bike

Sam 2022/05/30(Mon)22:15 No. 1034074 ID: de15ea
File 165397413008.jpg - (517.74KB , 2754x2645 , 0520222320_HDR.jpg )

You and your dead head out cross country into the wooded part of the territory between your house and the city. It's a shorter path as the crow flies, but the rougher terrain means it'll take longer to get back to the house anyway. Especially sticking with the truck.

You slow down and pull up beside the cab, it's too noisy to talk but you're still able to communicate a bit with hand signals through the window. At the speed you're going you don't have any trouble avoiding collisions or keeping control.

You motion to see if he wants to abandon the truck or split up. He doesn't seem interested in either, and continues to ride alongside you for a time. You both pick up speed and head toward home.

A few minutes later, you hear a short, sharp blast from the truck's horn. Your dad is holding the hand receiver from the truck's console radio and looks worried, and is frantically gesturing for your attention. You pull back beside him, and he gestures something about the workshop and then holds up fingers showing a short sequence of numbers. You signal back asking for a clarification, but he suddenly slams down the receiver, breaks to get clear of you, and then sharply accelerates and turns to drive further inland into the woods, away from your house.

It isn't long after that you hear the roar of a VTOL engine and the rapid booms of autocannon fire. Looking up, you see the same VTOL from the city swinging overhead, billowing smoke from one of its engines.

Do you:
A) Follow Dad
B) Keep heading Home
C) Stop and radio Dad to ask questions. (You'll have to stop to use your radio. Dad will answer, but will be distracted by your conversation)
D) Head to the abandoned outpost on the way home to lay low. (It's out of the way, but you can get there sooner. It has long been stripped of any useful equipment, but for the same reason people almost never go there)
E) Other (specify)

B. He sent you on a mission, so obey it. Try to remember the sequence of numbers.

Supposedly he wants you to get to the workshop so do that. Do not forget those numbers.

B, and I'd say it's safe to gun it at this point, while you're at it. Do not forget the number sequence; is there anything at the shop that might take that kind of input?

Sam 2022/06/02(Thu)16:08 No. 1034252 ID: 67181a
File 165421128134.jpg - (599.80KB , 2784x2690 , 0602221843a_HDR.jpg )

You rev up your engine and gun it for home as fast as you can. Your dad is a smart guy; he kmows what hes doing and you trust hulis advice. The rude is fadt, but uneventful as far as rocketing cross-country at 90kph goes.

Still, your heart is racing by the time you make it home. As much as your dad knows what hes doing, theres no way his truck would stand a chance against a military vehicke like the vtol that chased after him. Still, he signalled somethimg sbout the workshop so you head for the side door instead of entering the house proper. You make sure to unload your shotgun from your hopper as you go, and grab the attache case dad strapped to your bike as well; since he clearly thought it wasbsomething important.

You push the handle on the heavy steel door into the workshop and lean against it to open it, bracing for some kind of surprise as you enter. Theres nothing here, though. The various tools and machines dad uses in his day to day eork are alk neatly organized around the sides of the room, leaving the bulk of the shop empty except for the tracks which are bolted to the floor as supports for large machines. This is actually pretty avnormal, as your dad normally keeps everything strewn about the room in some haphazard method that he insists is organized but youve never managed to comprehend. Dad's 'office,' a small room built into the corner with a cinderblock wall and its own cheap small roof,is in the corner. The door to the house proper is shut, as is the large shutter door that heads outside.

Your house is directly across the shop from where you entered, whule the back wall backs up against the 'warehouse, which is essentially your dad's own indoor junkyard where he keeps unsalvagable machines to scavenge for spare parts.

Do you:
A) try to contaft someone for help (who?)
B) sit down to catch your breath
C) examine the attache case
D) examine something else in closer detail
E) go somewhere else (where?)
F) other (specify)

You remember the sequence of numbers your dad showed you, but you still arent sure what they're for.

>>1034252
Put that case in his office and see if that sequence of numbers your dad gave you is like the code to it.

>>1034252
C

Sam 2022/06/02(Thu)17:23 No. 1034260 ID: 67181a
File 165421578734.jpg - (741.55KB , 2804x2776 , 0602222009_HDR.jpg )

You head into your dad's office. The only things in here are his desk and a safe in the corner that is supposed to be concealed as a nightstand but the door never closes right. The safe has a keypad on it, but you know the combination to open it and its not the sequence of numbers your dad conveyed to you.

The desk is covered in papers, but they're "organized" in about the same way the shop normally is, which as far as youre concerned is "not at all." Even if you had some idea of something to look for in the pile you wouldnt have any idea of where to start.

You quickly sweep a bunch of the papers onto the floor and set your shotgun and the case on the desk, sitting down to checkthe combination. But as far as youcan tell, the case doesnt even have a functioning lock as youre able to easily unlatch and open it.

Inside is some kind of other blocky metal case, there's a handle on one end, and you can see various ports for cables yo connect. The bulk of the thing seems to be a protective case for some kind of internal circuitry. As far as you can tell, it looks like some prefabricated system box for some kind of unfamiliar industrial machine, like an automated rivet driver from a factory.

Theres some kind of insignia on the box's case, but you dont recognize it. The whole thing is extremely kld and beaten-up, but as far as you can tell it should still work for whatever its designed to do, unless theres some sort of internal damage that youd have to take it apart to find.

Do you:
A) attempt to take the thing apart
B) check the machines in the shop
C) try the sequence of numbers on the safe despite knowing it isnt the combination
D) try to find something in your dad's stack of papers (what to look for?)
E) something else (specify)

>>1034260
C, then B

>>1034260
C, e
Try can find an actual safe place to stash this thing. Once you do, head back out and go find your dad again.

>>1034260
C then D, look for anything that mentions todays date. If we have gearhound, let's do A as well to look for clues.

Sam 2022/06/03(Fri)18:46 No. 1034295 ID: 67181a
File 165430720873.jpg - (948.41KB , 2872x2889 , 0603222136_HDR.jpg )

Lacking any better ideas, you open the ostensibly hidden panel covering the safe and key in the sequence of numbers. For a second, nithing happens. But you notice the quiet sounds of muffled machinery, followed by an unlatching sound as what you always ytought was a cinderblock wall pops apart and a panel slides forward, revealing a door recessed into the wall behind it. It occurs to you that this wall of the 'office' is flush against the house, so it never made sense for it to be cinderblocks in the first place.

You grab your shotgun and open the door, revealing a staircase dowm into a dimly-lit basement of aome sort. The air smells strongly of ground metal and welding agents, and there's no dust on the stairs. You can see inset fixtures for emergency lighting, but have no idea how to turn it on.

Its dark down by the bottom of the stairs, but you can make out a door that looks like an old naval bulkhead below the platform where the stairs turn.

You know that a lot of folks who live outside the city have bunkers on their properties for, well, mostly paranoid reaons; but your dad never mentioned anything about one being under your house.

Do you:
A) check the machines in the shop
B) attempt to dismantle the box in the attache case
C) explore the bunker
D) head to the radio and attempt to calm someone (who?)
E) go back out to look for your dad
F) something else (specify)

>>1034295
C. I'm betting the thing in the case is used down there.

C, and bring the case with you. Your dad sent you here with that combination of numbers for a reason. Either he wants you to take care of whatever's hidden in there (whatever that entails) or it's a panic hole and he wants you to lay low with the case. Keep an eye out for anything that lets you close the bunker from the inside if the latter seems to be true.

C what we can C

>>1034295
F
Drop off the case in the bunker and figure out how to close it back up. It'll be safe there. Radio your dad after.

Sam 2022/06/06(Mon)14:12 No. 1034490 ID: 67181a
File 165454997269.jpg - (1.54MB , 2750x2745 , 0606221639_HDR.jpg )

You wrench open rhe bulkhead and theres a short hallway before another hatch. There are some corded lights hanging in the hall, but you still arent sure where their power source is. When you open the hatch at the end of the hall, you hear a quick rush of air as though opening a pressurized container.

Yheres almost no light beyond the door, so you take out your pen light as you step into the room; though you bump into something before you caneben turn your light on. Sweeping the light around veiefly, thus looks like an extremely small and cluttered room with a bunch of machinery in it. You arent looking long though, before you see a mussing panel in the ceiling with a dust sheet tacked over it and some loose cables bundled inside. It looks like it is about the same shape as the box you examined inside the case your dad oedt with you.

Do you:
A) attempt to hook the box into the slot
B) try to get the lights in the hallway on
C) use your oen light to examine the small room more closely
D) leave and do something else (specify)

>>1034490
C. If putting the box in turns on this machinery, better make sure it won't start moving around and injure you.

Then A.

Sam 2022/06/06(Mon)16:36 No. 1034498 ID: 67181a
File 165455861454.jpg - (963.99KB , 2842x2925 , 0606221856_HDR.jpg )

You look around the room with your light, and aside from a few levers and a weird loose cylinder on the floor it looks like nothing in here should be moving around. It seems more like the levers are some kond of control for some unseen mechanism you cant find. You find a radio with a handset mounted in the ceiling as well, but it seems not to be getting any signal.

You decise to just go ahead and try to plug the box into the missing panel, checking the bundled cables in the gap you find several that fit the ports you found earlier, and after plugging them you hold the box up to the panel and slide it in until it sticks in place with the deep, telltale click of a modular component being locked into place with a mechanical release.

Almost immediately, a display screen just above the box's handle lights up with the same insignia you saw on the side. You frel a vubration run throigh the room, which you immediately recognize as the operation of a power generator og some sort.

A screen next tothe box flickers to life, and tect begins scrolling across it too rapidly to read. A few other screens around the room flicker on as well. The screens are blank,but the dim light illuminates the room.

==>

Sam 2022/06/06(Mon)16:48 No. 1034503 ID: 67181a
File 165455932729.jpg - (1.01MB , 2936x2909 , 0606221926_HDR.jpg )

>>1034498

>==>

You look around and take stock of the surroundings. There are rungs of a ladder in the floor heading toward the hatch that you came out of. You are kneeling on the back of a seat fixed into the room facingthe ceiling, with some kind of industrial control handles mounted in its armrests. There are lots of consoles and recessed switches and monitors around the edges. There is a large cylindrical object on the floor, connected to the seat by a large reinforced cable. From this angle, you can see that there is an opening in one side of it with some kind of padding inside.

Its a lot to take in, and you arent sure how long you stare around trying to make sense of this upturned cockpit before you here a soft mechanical buzz.

Looking back towards the box, the kights on the side are all softly glowing green. The screen next to it has stopped scrolling, with the ramoning text onthe screen:

>NSS 2629 v 0.9m.227.x112
>DIAGNOSTIC CONPLETE
>IRREGULARITIES DETECTED
>IRREGULARITIES WITHIN ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS
>CALIBRATION FOR FIELD TEST AVAILABLE
>BEGIN CALIBRATION Y/N _

There is a cursor next to the text flashing as though the computer is awaiting input.

Do you:
A) Begin calibration
B) Do not begin calibration
C) other (specify)

>>1034503
C. Find some way to close this back up. Your dad is probably going to want to be here for this so let's head back out and find him.

... I'm wracking my brain for a reason not to do this. Maybe Dad meant to tell us to take the box as far away from the garage as possible... but no, he wouldn't have given us the code if he didn't explicitly want us down here for some reason.

And there's only one reason I can really think of.

It's time to get in the robot, Shinji... After checking to make sure you aren't about to immediately crash this baby into a wall or something on startup.

>>1034503
A, but sit in the seat properly beforehand.
Your dad is probably still being chased by the bomber, so it's up to you to save him!

Sam 2022/06/10(Fri)16:12 No. 1034737 ID: 67181a
File 165490274910.jpg - (949.37KB , 2886x2879 , 0610221846_HDR.jpg )

You twist yourself around to lie back in the seat, ehich is mostly comfortable enough but seems to be lacking in neck support. You take a deep breath snx lean forward and press the "y" key on the keypad underneath the screen. You hear a rumble build up as whatever power system in the machine begins to increase its output, but then it abruptly stops and the kught from the screens switch to a blinking red.

You hear an artificial electronic voice from somewhere nearby, and looking around you see a blinking red light inside the cylinder lying on the floor. You reach over to pick it up and ecamine it, and hear the voice more clearly saying "ERROR: CONNECTION MISSING." There is padding inside the cylinder and some kind of harness at the base, and you swiftly recognuze it as some kind of strange, awkwardly heavy helmet. There are several cables coming out of the back and heading to a sequence of ports at the "top" of the chaur you're in. It seems like some of the cables have been pulled loose, so you adjust them so they are securely connected; causing one of the blinking red lights to shut off.

You take a feep breath and put your head into the helmet, snugly fitting your fafe ti the internal padding. Almost all of the weight rests on your shoulders, making the helmet far more comfortable than you expected it would be; and ehen you rest back into the chair you no longer feel the lack of neck support you felt earlier.

The screenwith text on it has added another few lines of text.

>CONNECTION SECURE
>BEGIN CALIBRATION? Y/N _

You take a slow, heavy breath and hit "Y" again, but this time the engine does not cut off. The lights in the room come on, revealing that there is currently a tarpaulin draped over the windows from outside. You feel slightly uneasy.

You hear rhythmic metallic grinding noises and other unusual mechanical sounds as the whole room vibrates. You hear the same artificial voice from earlier on your ear as text appears on the screen.

>CALIBRATION COMPLETE
>ENGAGE SYSTEM FOR FIELD TEST?

You are starting to feel disoriented and nauseous lying on your back.

Do you:
A) Engage System (stand up)
B) Engage System (launch)
C) Engage System (remain on back)
D) Shut Down System
E) other (specify)

>>1034737
A

A) standing up seems like a good first step

C. You gotta crawl before you can walk.

>>1034737
C

Sam 2022/06/14(Tue)15:04 No. 1034987 ID: 67181a
File 165524425791.jpg - (939.39KB , 2891x2956 , 0614221748_HDR.jpg )

You sit around for a few minutes fiddling with the controls, but as a gear hound and cliff jumper you are able to wuickly get a grasp on what the various switches do. You manipulate the levers on the chair's arms and the pedals at your feet, and although it makes your head swim you feel the machine shudder as you begin to rause and rotate upright.

You hear a crashing sound and feel a shake as you collide with something, but the force behind your machine's action isstronger than whatever is impeding it and the motiin continues. The tarpaulin oger the windows is pulled back as you come to a stop, your head swimming as you look around to see the wreckage of the floor and one of the walls of thr spare parts shed. It looks like you are currently about 10 feet above the ground. There is a crackle of static on your ear and the screens around you flicker to tlife showing numerous different pieces of information as the artificial voice returns.

>Reactor Online
>Sensors Online
>Weapons Online
>All Systems Nominal

Your mech is currently standing in a hole in your shed. You feel dizzy. You feel nervous, but also excited, youve never felt so free. What do you do?

(Specify)

>>1034987
Use sensors to look for the enemy craft. Shoot it out of the sky.

>>1034987
Start heading the direction you last saw your dad. You're on a rescue mission.

Well, the structural integrity of this shed is one dog you can't unfuck. Priority one is maneuvering yourself out of this hole as soon as possible.

After that, head off after your dad; maybe see if it's him trying to reach you on the radio.

Sam 2022/06/15(Wed)16:42 No. 1035083 ID: 67181a
File 165533656855.jpg - (748.80KB , 2812x2762 , 0615221910_HDR.jpg )

From what you are bale to gather from the consoles, switches, and readouts all around you this machine is equipped with thrusters on its back which should be able to provide enough thrust to propel it about 60 meters and safely land; but firing those while still sunk into a building attached to your house feels like a very bad idea. You feel like, as a Cliff Jumper, you could probably get a bit more distance out of the thrusters if you set them to use their full thrust on acceleration and land yourself; but that may cause damage to the legs if you slip up. You uave a sinilar system built unto your hopper for emergencies, so you're confident in being able to handle them.

It takes you a little bit to get accustomed to moving around a giant machine with legs, but you are eventually able to clamber out of the hole without damaging the shed substantially further. It would probably be easier if this thing had arms.

You set off in the direction your dad was driving, pushing the throttle on the machine to its limit. While the machine can easily handle terrain your hopper qouldnt be able to drive across, but it feels disappointingly slow. According to the readouts from the console, it is maxing out at about 32 kph.

Judging by the trees youre passing as you move through the lightly wooded terrain, the machine seems to be about 9 meters tall. You're going through things in your head on how you might get more speed out of the thing and trying to suppress the nausea you feel as it lumbers along; when the voice crackles to life in your ear again.

>Fusion Signature on ELINT at 6.2km

You look over at the radar-looking screen on the console and there os a pip of light somewhere ahead of you and bearing slightly right. As you focus on the screen, it zooms in and a line draws out from yhe pip identifying it as "VT-COBR." A screen near it shows the view from some manner of external camera which zooms in on the target, which is clearly the same VTOL you sqw before; though it seems the fire on one of its engines has been put out. It is hovering in a small circle overan area of the woods. Looking out the cockpit window you are able to see it as a small block floating above the horizon.

According to the readout, the primary cannon on your machine has a maximum effective engagement range of 1.4km, well short of being able to fire. You continue running towards its position, watching the trangefinder on what you now recognize as a targeting computer tick down closer and closer to the effective range bracket listed.

>Warning: Excessive Heat Levels Detected

The voice chimes in to your ear, and you snap out of your focus to become aware that it is incredibly hot and you're absolutely dripping with sweat! You hear some unusual sounds coming from beneath your seat in the machine.

>Temperature exceeding safe operating levels, movement impaired

What do you do?
A) power down the machine
B) press on toward the VTOL and engage if
C) attempt to fix the heat problem without powering down
D) something else (specify)

The tarp is probably stuck on something...
A, because you can't just take off the helmet willy nilly. Once it's shut down, climb out and inspect the exterior.

>>1035083
C. You're a gear head, see what can be fixed while still in motion if anything. Power down if nothing can be done right now.

Yeah, if we didn't have the chops for it, C would be the wrong move, but we do have the chops - the exact right combination of chops, in fact. See if you can flush the exhaust; this looks like a cooling issue - there was a tarp and a whole building between where you started and where you are now.

That is... unless those dual-wielded chops combine to make a successful roll vs. stupidity and tell you to power down first. In that case, A.

Sam 2022/07/25(Mon)07:29 No. 1039189 ID: 67181a
File 165875937245.jpg - (691.92KB , 2827x2739 , 0725220949_HDR.jpg )

There are no mechanical warnings on the console about vents being unexpectedly blocked, so as a Gear Hound you quickly discard the idea of going outside to clear anything. Instead, you find one of the large panels that you're sure is covering the mechanics from the sounds youve been hearing; and pry it open.

You are blasted in the face by an intense wall of heat, but your goggles protect your eyes well enough for a cursory examination. It still feels like staring into a bonfire from arms reach, though.

You quickly spot what looks like some sort of radiator, but it looks like several systems meant to link up with it are currently disconnected. It doesnt look like a mistake, however; there are several mechanisms that look like they should be able to connect or disconnect these devices as needed; and by your guess they are currently engaged.

You quickly slam the panel shut and turn back to the console, trying to find what is causing this problem. In short order you find yourself looking at the unit you plugged into the console before the machine turned on in the first place; with one of the lights on it flashing. Taling a chance, you flip up the hinge over its switch and flick the lever inside.

>Null signature system disengaged

As the digitized voice plays again in your ear, you hear a sewuen e of regular mechanical sounds from within the machine similar to those from when you chose to begin calibrations. Almost immediately after, you feel much cooler and fresher air venting into your cockpit. Its still warm and stale, but its better than things have been.

Before you have time to feel relief, however, another warning blares in yout ear

>Bogey attempting weapons lock
>Incoming Fire

You look out of the cockpit window to see that the VTOL has banked towarss you and is rapidly approaching. One of the pods on its wing has opened and disgorged a volley of missiles towards you, but apparently the range and tree cover are enough that none of the missiles are able to score a direct hit in your machine. As you hear the splinters of trees and rock spatter across your mech like a momentary hailstorm, you beed to decide how to respond!

Do you:
A) Engage the target woth your main weapon system. (Clarify range, maximum engagement, engagement, or optimal engagement. The closer to optimal engagement you attempt to get, the more fire you will take from the target but the more likely you will be to hit)
B) Attempt to jump into range to engage your target with your secondary weapon system (You will take nore fire than engaging with your primary weapon, but will close in with the target)
C) Attempt to Flee
D) Something else (specify)

This Mech is equipped with a Null Signature system, which renders it all but undetectable by most radar or other electronic systems while engaged. This also makes the mech far more difficult to target at long ranges by interfering with targeting computers. However, as part of this function the system heavily restricts the venting of heat from your fusion engine while active. While active, your mech will be unable to maintain a steady internal temperature while moving faster than a 22kph walking speed, and will be unable to cool unless remaining still.

>>1039189
A, return fire with maximum engagement range. Don't make it easier for them to line up another volley.

>>1039189
A, midrange.