2/3 Coil 2022/06/16(Thu)15:05 No. 1035160 ID: 2edd05
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"Laaaaaame! Do you know where we're going at least?"
>"A remote airfield that I haven't been to before."
"In the wind tunnels? I thought Summit lost most of its grip on this place to Edevane a few years back."
>"Summit loses and gains territory back all the time. At the moment, I believe this territory is considered wilderness. You can see the occasional raider or scavanger picking the abandoned buildings clean from up here."

"So... Are we there yet?"
>"What's the hurry? We have twenty minutes or so to burn, why don't you find a way to entertain yourself?"
"On a plane? What's there to do on a plane? We don't even get TV reception!"
>"You can find something to do... Like meet the nice aliens. You could possibly even find out what exactly it is we are doing here, even if we're being paid not to know. I love how exotic those aliens are..."
"Yeah, uh-huh, I know- yep, mmm-hmm. What else?"
>"If you feel like sightseeing, you could get a better view of our surroundings by taking a look through the top, bottom, or rear turrets. You may even spot some interesting sights. There is supposed to be an abandoned summit radio tower around here, but I can't seem to spot it..."
"I will let you know if I feel like getting a better view of... whatever’s outside. I may even see a rock or two."
>"We also have a small equipment replicator, you may find entertainment in watching it make something."

3/3 Coil 2022/06/16(Thu)15:05 No. 1035161 ID: 2edd05
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"Oh! I should use the replicator to build some new hands! I've always wondered what it’s like to have an extra finger on each hand like the aliens!"
>"Do what you would like. You could even stay here and chat with me, I do enjoy your company after all~... Hold on, do you know where my pipe went?"

heheheh. Wouldn't you like to know?

Why not use the replicator to print out some random disposable junk and just eject it from the plane over the wilderness? Imagine the look on some scav's face when he gets beaned in the head with a pack of smokes!

>>1035161
Go talk to one of the aliens, maybe you might learn something neat today. What's your name by the way? Who are you?

>>1035164
I wouldn't recommend it. You can't just open a window and toss something outside. That how you get sent to toilet cleaning duty. heh....."duty."

check out the aliens just to see who's bumming a ride with you two.

I got a feeling Bry is the most uplifting company in this plane.
Give his pipe back and talk about silly stuff both of you find fun.

Talking to aliens sounds good.

>>1035161
Hand holding. With aliens. Kawai!

Too bad you can't replicate peanuts.

Talk to the aliens! Having a copilot is overrated.

yaaa, new tobak quest

Have you messed with the replicator? That sounds fun. Or talking to the aliens. Or talk to the aliens about the replicator. Rummage around for peanut substitutes.

Heavens, not does Roaway make a new Tobak Thread, he starts it with "Hey, guys, do you want me to draw you landscapes, aliens, or a super-machine crafting cool stuff?" I love this guy.

Let's talk to the humans!

Soooo, B-29 formation.

What happens to be our payload?

>>1035161
Fess up about the pipe. It’s too good not to share, what happened to that pipe.

>>1035250
Or at least give him a hint

>>1035161
Let's go check out the aliens.

Talk to the aliens. What kind are we flying with?

1/2 Coil 2022/06/19(Sun)02:25 No. 1035415 ID: 2edd05
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>what happened to that pipe
I can't say for sure where it is, it could be in my pocket, or it could be in my other pocket. If he didn't want me to take it, he should've nailed it down better!
>Or at least give him a hint
How do I hint without giving it away? Besides, I'm doing a good thing here, smoking is bad for your health. (And it's only cool when I do it!)

>What's your name by the way? Who are you?
The name's Coil! Weird name for a tobak, I know. There is a distinct lack of T's, L's and Y's in my name. A name like 'Tylo','Latt' or 'Elty' is a suuuuuper tobak name. Coil? Not as much.

>B-29 formation. What happens to be our payload?
I suppose that's classified. All the crew knows is that a bunch of Summit guards came on escorting some kind of container. I'm not sure what the other B-29s are doing, we're all going different places in these ancient planes. Grunts like us are given such dated equipment that I sometimes forget that the more important guys have access to hovercrafts, laser guns, plasma knives, energy shields and teleporters, weird living armor and all that other cool stuff.

>I got a feeling Bry is the most uplifting company in this plane.
He sure can be eccentric - like how he calls people 'darling' and 'sweetheart' but he is usually good at focusing on his job. I suspect he is terrible at picking up the ladies though, because he tries practicing his flirts and pickup lines on me from time to time.

>Talk to the aliens! Having a co-pilot is overrated.
It sure is!
"Hey Bry, you don't need a co-pilot right now, do you?"
>"I don't mind~ I can hold things down while you stretch your legs."

2/2 Coil 2022/06/19(Sun)02:25 No. 1035416 ID: 2edd05
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>What kind of aliens are we flying with?
Summit is a company that is joint-owned by both humans and belenosians - which is a little unusual because I thought aliens didn't like sharing their companies. Though I have heard that humans and belenosians in particular get along well, and have for a long time because they were the first intelligent alien life to come into contact, so I guess they've known each other longest. I don't know much about the Belenos, besides them having been super advanced in the past before sending themselves back to the stone age somehow. Humans on the other hand have been really good about recording their history, so we know the most about them. A lot of the equipment employed by Summit is replicated war equipment that humans used to fight each other long before they were anywhere near a spacefaring age. I can't remember how old this human war plane was designed though. 200 years? 300 years? 500 years? How old is the universe again? I'm pretty sure it's 2000-something years old, at least.

I walk in to see the aliens, all wearing armor and holding their laser guns. You can tell they are well equipped, holding tech that looks like it was designed less than a century ago.

There is a selection of belenos, human and female tobaks making up the team of armed soldiers. Some are wearing helmets, some aren't. One Belenos lady notices me come by. Seeing a female with horns and such short ears is very odd to me. The tail is close enough though.

>"Hey there little guy, are you lost? Can you understand me?"
"Of course I can! Why wouldn't I?"
>"S-sorry, I just didn't know you tobaks were as smart as the more well-known aliens."
"You must be new down here then, we're fast learners."
>"Why are you dressed like that?"
"They say to dress for the job you want, how else do you think I became a pilot?"
>"You're not qualified?!"
"I am! mostly. "
>"I see. Can I help you?"

Just making small talk. For a design that's at least two hundred years old, she sure is pretty ain't she? So what brings you by our humble little hollow earth?

>>1035415
>I suspect he is terrible at picking up the ladies though, because he tries practicing his flirts and pickup lines on me from time to time.
That's because he likes dudes. He's gay, bro.
...does he have tails? I can't see them.

>>1035416
Tell her you're just taking a little walk and admiring their equipment. Are there any snacks around?

"I came to check and chat. We got twenty minutes of plain dark caves ahead of us that don't require two pair of eyes to navigate."
"So what bring you to this corner of the underworld sweetheart?"
"Are you planing to do something fun after we land? I bet it's gonna be a party when all those flashlights are lit."

Are you sure you don't want to return Bry's pipe? Don't you want to find out how good he is at smoking?

I kind of want to ask about the gun. I mean I don't think you've ever even held a real gun before, closest you have come is just using a supped up nail gun and seeing a real gun and such an advance one... I admit I'm kind of curious about it. I mean yeah you saw clover with her rail gun but even then that's still just a slug thrower at the end of the day... if a highly advanced one.

Wonder what it would take for us to get something like that one day. Though that does bring up a question, how do laser weapons work with your kinds light sensitivity? Or do they use UV light that can't be seen by the naked eye?

>>1035416
Ask the goat lady to lean on down so we tell her a secret, then boop her on her cute snoot!
Waddle away before she reacts!

>>1035421
You are confusing him with Dowser. This protagonist is Coil who likely doesn't know Clover, seem to be employed as a pilot and have a prosthetic hand. For all we know it's possible he already had the opportunity to use something from his company arsenal.

>>1035415
Okay not gonna lie. I looked at Bry again and hes doing numbers for me. Like really cursive, gay numbers. 10/10 would hold his hand.

>>1035416
Ask about armor and guns?

So like what are we gonna ask again? Guns, armor, reasons for being here, reasons for using old mass printed shit, do they got food to trade with, what MRE's like, whats an Arkot, is the rumors true about human-halflings, how much do their gear cost, can we use their printer to make our own replica cool stuff?

Do we have a phone? Can we play games on it?

>>1035426
ah I though the pilot was calling himself coil, my bad.

>>1035415
>it could be in my other pocket

Did you shove a pipe up your ass as a prank?

>>1035416
Ask about the cool gun.

Coil 2022/06/19(Sun)12:57 No. 1035453 ID: 2edd05
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>Bry likes dudes
I would like dudes better too if I had trouble with the ladies - which I do. Chicks flirt with Bry all the time though, and he always chokes! Maybe I should act as his wingman next time.

>Does Bry have tails?
He does, they are just really small and stubby.

>Do we have a phone? Can we play games on it?
I wish! Instead, we get given phones without screens attached to different surfaces in case of emergencies, presumably so we don't mess around. I would have brought my personal PDA if they had let me, but I was made to leave it behind.

>Are you sure you don't want to return Bry's pipe? Don't you want to find out how good he is at smoking?
He is excellent at smoking! he can do that thing where you can blow rings, I just don't like when he blows them at my face while I'm daydreaming!

>boop her on her cute snoot!
Touching people's head parts without asking first is a bad idea, speaking from experience!

"Just making small talk. What brings you to our funny hollow planet?"
>"I figured the weather this time of year would be nice for a vacation. Just kidding! Indentured servitude! I am not good with money... eheh... Looks like I'm working as security for the foreseeable future."
"Is there a snack stash around here?"
>"Oddly enough, there is a vending machine. I'm not buying anything from it though, too expensive."
"Can you tell me about the armor and guns? I don't see equipment like that too often."
>"Standard issue Summit medium protection combat armor- it'll protect against nails, small bullets and laser blasts. And this laser blaster... is a laser blaster. I haven't had a chance to fire it yet. how do you turn the safety off? It has been a couple weeks and now I'm too afraid to ask..."
"How much does the armor cost?"
>"More than I could ever comfortably pay to replace it if I lost it."
"Think I can use the printer to make equipment like that?"
>"Possibly! You need to get a code from the platoon leader for the printer to be able to create anything more advanced than human world war tech."
"Who is your platoon leader?"
>"Captain Fletcher..."
"Oh."
>"You know her?"
"Yeah, I met her back when she was still a first lieutenant, she dislikes me - perhaps more than everyone else who dislikes me, which means a lot!"
>"Even though she is a tobak like you? I see... It might be a bit hard getting the code from her then."

"Do you know what's going on?"
>"I wish. I'm just following orders to guard some kind of container. The only person who knows what's actually going on is the captain, and she won't say any specifics. I guess this is some kind of secret mission, in which case, the movies make them out to be a lot less boring."

Well, in the movies they're usually exciting because something bad happens. Idle chatter is the fun kind of excitement! Are belenosian males smaller and fluffy like tobak males?
Trade names.

If you have a laser blaster, you're going to need some really good dark goggles! Backscatter and reflections are no joke! Also you can get your steampunk vibe on.

>>1035453
Tell her that knowing how to use her gun is probably going to be important soon.

If we somehow know how the laser blaster works point the safety to her. It's an easy favor to score.
If you don't, tell her to swallow her pride and ask. She might be needing it very soon.

I didn't know you could get indentured servitude from debt. There is a bit more to this tale, doesn't it?

>He is excellent at smoking!
So you've seen his skills. Are you sure you don't want to find out how good he is at smoking?

Check out the vending machine. Snacks sound like the best idea right now.

>>1035453
Go flirt with Fletcher and see if you can get the code to the printer. Maybe you can make something cool for yourself.
Failing to flirt with Fletcher, try flirting with Bry. Bros before hos or something right?

>>1035471
Do you think we could pull off the "coin on a string" tactic to get free snacks? I hope so.

>>1035454
This! If we dont die, maybe they can hang out and watch movies.

>>1035455
Now that you mention it, i think i know why tobaks use primarily nail guns. Its because the muzzle flash of a gun might blind them.

>>1035416
Say what is Coil good at? Do we have any particular skills?

ask someone else if their gun has a safety and how someone can tell if it's on or off, then come back and tell bad with money how to change the safety off her gun. Also ask her for her name because I realize we never got it.

>>1035453
What if Bry is gay? Try flirting with him next time you see him. Thers just something about a tobak wearing eye make up that has me guessing.

How come Bry has short, stunty tails and you have extra puffy tails? Have you been stealing from him?

1/2 Coil 2022/06/21(Tue)01:51 No. 1035577 ID: 2edd05
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>Do we have any particular skills?
I'm really good with my hands - at least I used to be, when I still had my hands. I used to be able to repair equipment and jury rig all sorts of stuff, but I mainly just operate on aircraft nowadays.

>How come Bry has short, stunty tails and you have extra puffy tails? Have you been stealing from him?
While it isn't exactly difficult to steal from Bry, I have nothing to do with his tails. Perhaps he lost his tails in an accident like I lost my hands - relatable if true.

>Are belenosian males smaller and fluffy like tobak males?
I know for a fact that this isn't the case, I've seen quite a few belenosian guys and they are almost always bigger than the ladies. Alien sexual dimorphism is very strange!

"What's your name? I don't think I ever picked up on that."
>"My name is Sam. Nice to meet you, um..."
"Coil. The safety on your gun is a button on the top of the trigger guard on the left side, push it in and it'll pop out on the right side. Press on it again to put it back in safety."
>"O-oh! Thanks! How did you know?"
"I've repaired a few laser guns, and I've read many more operational manuals. I fix stuff, it's what I used to do."


>Try flirting with Bry next time you see him
What a great idea! I'll be the one practicing on him for once. I just need to think up some material.

>Go flirt with Fletcher and see if you can get the code to the printer
While I consider myself to be quite charismatic, I can be quite a hard sell for some people! I don't think I could ever successfully charm someone who despises me as much as Fletcher, but the very thought of trying is too entertaining to let up.

I go over into the unlit room where Fletcher is sitting in a room with various other armed tobak ladies. The isn't wearing her armor, just sitting there lifting a weight.

"Hey Fletcher, I -"
>"The hell do you want, Coil?"
"To seduce you into giving me the code to unlock the advanced equipment for the printer!"
>"No. Idiot. Why do you even need special equipment? And why the hell do you think you could seduce me? You are not my type."
"I thought you liked guys who dressed sharp?"
>"You're dressed as sharp as a clown. I can't believe they put me on the same plane with you and put you in charge of helping fly it. Whatever. Don't bother me unless you have a good reason, or else I’ll -… What happened to your other hand?"
"Oh, you know. The usual."

2/2 Coil 2022/06/21(Tue)01:51 No. 1035578 ID: 2edd05
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>Do you think we could pull off the "coin on a string" tactic to get free snacks.
Maybe if the machine took coins. These machines only take company credit - which is fine seeing as that is what they pay me.

The belenosian wasn't lying, these are at least 20% more expensive than normal, but the machine is well stocked as a result of everyone else being stingy. I could pick up a snack or two before we land, let's see what we have here... Candy bars, food bars, beverages, chips, chocolate, and foods that come in any flavour I can think of! What I see before me is my reason for existing! This is my god! I am a true believer in alien food supremacy!

...Ew... Is that... coffee cake? That sounds awful.

Ooooh but they have caramel slice!

I think Fletcher likes you.

Just to be clear, are the food prices inconveniently high or are they barely affordable? I never got a good grasp on this.
If they are very expensive make a single purchase and don't think about your foolishness incapacity of delaying your gratification as the sugar dances in your mouth.
If they are an inconvenience you could buy some for your coworkers, just for today. A bit of bribe could give you a better chance of scoring a favor, or get them to overlook something.

As for pick up lines what about any of those:
>Baby, if you were words on a page, you’d be fine print.
>I'm no photographer, but I can picture us together.
>Something’s wrong with my eyes because I can’t take them off you.
>You know what you would look really beautiful in? My arms.
>I bet I need a refined route framework to explore myself to your heart.
>I never expected to discover heavenly messengers at this elevation.
>Is your runway prepared for landing?
>It's pretty plane and simple... I really think we could take off.
>My heart must be a plane, cause you just hijacked it.
Hopefully you can get a few chuckles out of Fletcher and Bry. Just don't put too much faith on them working for their stated purpose.

Oh, those aren't gloves, you've got cybernetic hands. What happened, did you get them replaced just because you wanted to?

Get yourself some caramel slice, then get back to the cockpit to do your job.
Is Bry's eye shape a commonly seen one?

I notice that fletcher has cyber eyes, seeing how she isn't wearing goggles, and I'm not sure but does your co-pilot have cyber eyes as well or is the cockpit separate from the rest of the plane so you guys don't have to worry about being blinded by the light and the aliens don't have to worry about fumbling in the dark?

Either way is their any tobak on this plan that still has all their original parts? I'm a bit worried that so many of you seem to have lost limbs.

>>1035584
Her goggles are down on her neck, his too

What did happened to your hands? Did you blow them up or something?

>>1035577
Wow. Fletcher is very pretty. I cant image why she doesnt like you. You're such a swell dude! Did you do something im the past to make her not like you? Have you tried asking her out on a date? Maybe you can go watch a movie or dine at a resturant.
Maybe she'll let you use the printed at least ONCE so you can print out a spare hand in case of one of your hands gets damaged?

>>1035578
Wow those ARE expensive. You cant exactly binge with vending snacks. If youre gong to geting something, get a snack that 10 zeny or less, or whatever you can company credits. You know what I mean.

>>1035581
Tobaks are probably the ones most susceptible to food bribery. Dunno if they'll work on humans or goat people. We shouldn't binge too much on snacks for co-workers since we might not see some of them again barring Bry and Fletcher. You know, department transfer, KIA, and all that junkmail garbage.

>>1035583
How'd you come to the conclusion they were gloves? So far Coil's mentioned, or insinuating, hes lost his hands in accidents.

Don’t tobak hands have some regen capability? How did you have the same accident twice?
Try a candy bar. Avoid the ones with peanuts, unless you know whether tobaks are allergic to any human staples or not.

>>1035604
I was thinking of only those two. Coil wouldn't gain much by spending money to please slave soldiers.
He could try to get lucky with the exotic lady but as you pointed out this wouldn't be the right gift for her.

>>1035605
Tobaks can regrow their fingers and toes. Their digits, not the entire hand or food. Just the digits aparently. Those nero-dog aliens have it good with their bullshit regeneration.

>>1035611
Which exotic lady? Sam, or the BIG tobak LADY Fletcher? The goat lady I think Coil could get into her good graces relatively easily. She seems kinda new. Fletcher would need some elbow grease but i can see it working. She's workingout though, so if Coil got her anything it would have to be a protein bar or something. The less shitty ones.

>>1035577
Date! Ask her! Compliment her work ethics and military prowess! Because saying she's pretty and have beautiful eyes is too easy!

>>1035578
Hmmmm. Do you know any Tobak by the name of Dowser or Lyvvy? Yellow tobak? Do you know a female Tobak named Clover with clover shaped eyes? Do you know a drone that goes by the name of Lyvvy? Can you tell us any neat people if interest in your life? Friends? Family? Bosses?

>>1035614
I don't think we are getting into Fletcher's good grace at all. It's amusing that the approach he used was blunt seduction, but what I would hope to gain would be a more cordial relation and to light up the mood, not a romantic one.

The exotic lady I was referring to was Sam. From his perspective she should be a bit androgynous or a mismatch of sexual characteristics. This could be either off putting or intriguing to him.
Regardless she seem very disposable for the company, so maybe we shouldn't get too invested in someone who could die very soon.

As for the candy bribery, I meant Fletcher and Bry. It sound like a good idea to improve the opinion of us from people we want to ask either favors or to overlook our misconducts.

I'm sorry if was difficult to understand.

1/2 Coil 2022/06/21(Tue)18:21 No. 1035649 ID: 2edd05
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>I can’t imagine why Fletcher doesn’t like you. You're such a swell dude! Did you do something in the past to make her not like you?

3 YEARS EARLIER.

"Pssst. Lieutenant Fletcher! I know you're in some big meeting and all, but I just came by to tell you that I unclogged all the pipes in your bathroom like you asked. You shed a lot of hair, you know that? I put it all in a bag in case you wanted to keep it and make a wig out of it or something. Hello?... Hellooooo? Why are all these aliens giving you such funny looks? There's a guy over there trying not to laugh. Hey, isn't that that high-ranking warboss over there on stage? He's looking right at us! Helloooooo!"

2/2 Coil 2022/06/21(Tue)18:22 No. 1035650 ID: 2edd05
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Nothing comes to mind. For someone going by the moniker 'Honey-Hair Fletcher' you'd think she would try being a little sweeter! Especially since I apparently 'made her work twice as hard for that promotion.' - you'd think she would be a little more thankful for me being such a good motivator.

>I think Fletcher likes you.
Yeah, I bet she is just pretending to hate me to hide how much she secretly loves me!

>What happened to your hands?
Industrial accidents! Both separate incidents. I coincidentally lost my left hand the day after Fletcher got her nickname. I was working on repairing a steamroller when it rolled ever so slightly over my hand, good thing I’m ambidextrous. The second accident happened somewhat recently. Luckily for me, hooking up robotic limbs for tobaks is as simple as soldering a few wires together.

>Don’t tobak hands have some regen capability?
Only for our digits - Not much can be done for anything beyond that. Not like those neuron-mono dog guys who can regenerate full limbs, or even their heads after a decapitation.

>fletcher has cyber eyes
Nah, we're just in a different room that is dark enough for tobaks to see in.

>Is Bry's eye shape a commonly seen one? Does he have cyber eyes?
He has that glade tobak eye gene that allows him to see in both the dark and in lower light levels. He can still be blinded, but he has a higher tolerance threshold.

>Date! Ask her! Compliment her work ethics and military prowess!
I hate to say it, but I'm thinking that a date with her and me is pretty unlikely. Though I bet she would be totally into Bry, he wears a suit, and she is all over guys who wear suits. Maybe I should introduce the two.

>Do you know anyone by the name of Dowser or Lyvy?
Oh yeah. Those two are my roommates. I don't see them too often though, I'm usually staying in the work provided sleeping quartars. Dowser happens to be one of Fletcher's many brothers - It has to be said, Dowser has a lot of family. I don't know Lyvy much, but I know he dislikes me!

I buy a couple of items from the vending machine, one caramel bar to eat now and a different favored bar for later. Maybe I can use the spare as a bribe or something.

Do Dowser and his sister get along?
Anywhere else to explore back here? Maybe the turret controls?

Tobaks have wires for nerves? Incredible.

See if you can spot any animals on the walls of the tunnel.

so do you know where you're flying to or is that still a mystery as well?

Let's buy a chocolate for Bry because he is a good friend, then check out the landscape we are flying over.

>>1035650
Fletcher is super cute anyways. Maybe Dowser could help you get into her good graces.

Coil 2022/06/22(Wed)09:36 No. 1035687 ID: 2edd05
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>Do Dowser and his sister get along?
On one hand, people get along well with family, and I'm sure Dowser views his positively, on the other hand, tobaks that work for different companies tend not to get along too well (even if they are family.) Dowser became an independent a while ago, but he did work for Edevane before that. Maybe it doesn't matter too much, he does have a relative working for just about every company.

>Fletcher is super cute anyways. Maybe Dowser could help you get into her good graces.
I'm not sure if he'd approve of me making moves on his sister. Then again, he has made worse decisions in the past - like how he bet his own name and lost it to a sect. Maybe if I help him find a lady, he'll help me get on Fletcher's good site. Gotta find a big lady first. Dowser loves big ladies. not that he'll admit it.

>Tobaks have wires for nerves? Incredible.
I'm just as surprised that all the aliens have something completely different. I bet we have wires because we eat so many minerals.

>so, do you know where you're flying to or is that still a mystery?
Apparently, this is all standard protocol. A fleet of planes fly together and slowly splinter off one by one down different tunnels to different bases. I'm not sure what the point is, but who am I to turn down a plane ride.

>Check outside
I walk over to one of the windows with a snack in hand. Just a bunch of rocks. I can't really see any animals, they must blend in well with the environment. What else can I see...

We got some planes back there...

Big... red...

Those aren't our planes.

Weird. Wonder what those are doing there.

Sounds like you should go to battlestations, just in case.

Hurry back to the cockpit and notify your co-pilot, the crew, and the other planes in the fleet with your radio that you have some unknown aircraft approaching you. Things might be getting interesting.

"WE GOT UNKNOWN RED PLANES!" you shout as you run back to the cockpit to repeat the warning on the radio.

>>1035649
Smooth.

>>1035687
>tobaks that work for different companies tend not to get along too well
Destiny is a funny thing.

Also, those planes look like something you should totally report to somebody. Like, right now.

Time to go back to co-pilot and announce to your passengers that the ride's about to get bumpy on account of bogeys on your tails.

Grab a reserve parachute or two on the way back to the pilot seat. Juuuust in case.

Wait, you do have parachutes, right?

>>1035689
That cover everything. Just run.

casually walk back to everyone and tell them that we're meeting some weird unexpected red planes

Are we under Fletcher in this operation or are they just leader of a platoon we are escorting? If they are in charge we should tell them first for them to decide how to respond if not then the pilot.

>>1035687
Oh Fuck! Go inform Fletcher, then go to the cock (hue) Pit with Bry. We might need to do some maneuvers. Where the hell is our escort fighter planes!?

>>1035687
Oh and I nearly forgot. Give Bry a kiss on the lips in case we don't live through this apparent assaults. And uh give back his pipe.

>>1035687
Wow, you guys are kinda fucked if they start firing. You guys are in an ancient fossil of a plane that was a sitting duck in its heyday and they seem to be in modern aerospace fighters.

>>1035687
Alert the crew, and get to your seat.

>>1035687
Do you think Dowser could handle a 5% or 10% grade bio armor?

Those can be enemy airplanes! Fast, ask some attentive and reliable superior! Tell Fletcher!

1/2 Coil 2022/06/24(Fri)17:25 No. 1035880 ID: 2edd05
File 165611670704.png - (149.35KB , 800x600 , TQ12.png )

>Do you think Dowser could handle a 5% or 10% grade bio armor?
Never seen bio armor before, I've only heard stories - and from what I've heard, I don't think there is a male tobak on Saxum VIII that could handle it at any grade (unless it goes in the negatives.)

>Unknown red planes
Those planes aren't unknown at all, in fact, there's only one other company that comes to mind that thinks they own all the airspace around here.

Just as I suspected - Edevane. Looks like we got a couple patrol jets trailing us. Look at them, with their slicker, futuristic, aerodynamic designs - They think they're sooo much better than us! Looks as if they were designed and built by engineers and mechanics. It probably took a number of months for them to build those! It only takes Summit mere days to replicate a B-29!

>Wow, you guys are kinda fucked if they start firing. You guys are in an ancient fossil of a plane that was a sitting duck in its heyday and they seem to be in modern aerospace fighters.
Pssssh! They don't call this thing a flying fortress for nothing! And even if they manage to down us, Summit will just print two more in our place! Summit Mining Company is the greatest company in the universe!

2/2 Coil 2022/06/24(Fri)17:25 No. 1035881 ID: 2edd05
File 165611673001.png - (241.32KB , 800x600 , TQ13.png )

>Give Bry a kiss on the lips in case we don't live through this apparent assault
It's a little too early to be performing CPR!

>Things might be getting interesting.
Interesting is right, I might actually have to do my job. I don't like having to get serious, but now might be a good time.

>You do have parachutes, right?
Just about one for everyone on board. We are at maximum passenger capacity, so there are no spares for me to take, should I need one.

>those planes look like something you should totally report to somebody. Like, right now.
Probably a good Idea. I tune in to the comm system.
"We got a situation! Two Edevane patrol jets trailing us at eight o' clock! They probably got light emitting weapons systems, so all tobaks should put their eye protection on!"
"We're being followed? Since when? This complicates things. You should come back to the front, Coil"
Fletcher tunes into the conversation.
>"Never mind the front, one pilot is enough. Get on one of the turrets and shoot those bastards down. I'd get one of my guys to do it, or even do it myself, but we're wearing too much armor and it's too damn cramped in the tunnels leading to the turret positions. Only you male tobaks and sect on the plane crew can move around quick enough. I'm getting my guys to equip parachutes and hold onto the cargo in case we have to jump off early and do the delivery by foot. Don't screw this up."
"Everyone to battle positions! I am maintaining current route!"

>Are we under Fletcher in this operation or are they just leader of a platoon we are escorting?
She just leads the platoon we are escorting. Whether I follow her orders or go to assist Bry is my call.

A burst of energised projectiles flies past our left wing, a shot managing to land between two of the engines. The damage isn't too urgent, and I'm protected from being blinded because my eyes are well protected. These guys are using better tech, but our projectiles should work just as good on them.

Get in the turrets and shoot back! This isn't just a flying fortress, it's a flying superfortress! It's time for the old ways of bomber self reliance to make a comeback.

Going off on your own to repair is fighting a losing battle - the top priority is minimizing hostiles. Get shootin'!

>I'd get one of my guys to do it, or even do it myself, but we're wearing too much armor and it's too damn cramped in the tunnels leading to the turret positions

wow they really don't plan these things out do they? You think the company would have a full crew to man all positions or at least have the passengers capable of pulling double duty and being able to main the turrets on the plane while flying through known enemy territory (or contested territory, not sure if you guys own these tunnels). Then again you work for a corporation and not an actual military so the bean counters probably decided to cut on the plane's crew down to a minimum (just the pilots) and then load everything else up with passengers so they could squeeze more people in so they wouldn't have to use as many planes.

>>1035881
>eyes are well protected
So both sets of goggles block light? What's the difference between them?

Get in the turret, Coil.

...Why are those modern looking planes so close you can see them? That's very odd for a modern design. Shouldn't they be attacking from BVR? Like, the first time you know you are under attack from a modern jet be when you eat a missile and then start to go down?? Are they just... not using appropriate tactics? Even if both of you have short ranged DEW's, shouldn't that be, yaknow, just backup weapons for modern fighters? Since you can actually see them clearly, aren't you in 'knife fight in a phone booth' range??

Also, if it takes months for them to make those, and days for your people to make your low tech hunk of junk, shouldn't you outnumber them by well over a 10:1 ratio?

ALSO ALSO, if you are limited to World War II tech, then why aren't you all escorted by Messerschmitt JET fighters?!?!

We are in a dark cave and all available weapons produce light that may blind the pilots. Maneuvering while wearing those dark goggles must be very risky.

I can operate the turrets but get someone ready to replace me near the tunnel. You are underestimating the usefulness of a second pilot in this situation.

>>1035896
Radar and BVR don't really work when you are flying through a bunch of huge bendy tubes.

>>1035896
Also lasers don't use any ammo, and plasma would use minimal ammo, so that would actually be more cost effective than using expensive missiles.

>>1035901

Lasers can use ammo! Haven't you heard of capacitors? Sometimes those are single use 'bullets'; laser revolvers exist. ALSO, parts for combat lasers wear out because they get overheated and distorted and need replacement!

Also, it'd be cheaper to use missiles because you aren't... you know... losing the entire airplane and the pilot, and are instead expending a relatively cheap missile (you do NOT need the most high tech missile to defeat a WWII tech airplane!), and leveraging the fact that you can fire it from well outside the engagement envelope of the other plane (possibly vertically not just horizontally!) to, yaknow, get 100:1+ kill death ratios. Laser weapons, particle beam weapons, and plasma weapons have utility, but in an atmosphere with clouds and diffraction and scattering and all the problems with AIR and such, their range is QUITE a bit lower than a missile in this context! They're not being fired from massive ground or orbital installations to power through this kind of thing, after all! Laser weapons are good for point defense and intercepting missiles and other sorts of incoming fire, since it's point and shoot, but generally only if they are under automatic computer control!

I call foul. Something VERY VERY weird is going on; I expect interference from some sort of 'outside context' agency or power to bring about this set of events and circumstances.

>>1035881
Find a turret and radio in with the other male Tobaks and sects. Role call! Who's manning what battle stations! We need all turrets gunners operating the turrets since yesterday!
Turn of safeties and fire back at those jet fighter fucks!

Turret plan sound good. If you trust Bry to pilot the plane alone thats it...

>>1035902
Perhaps they want to take the cargo so rather then risk vaporizing it with a missile they're trying to force a landing with precision weapons

>>1035926

Then wouldn't it be more effective to hijack the plane, or to have a 100% effective threat of destruction than risk it able to defend itself effectively? A shot from wayyyyy above their flight ceiling, exploded directly in front of them, and then radio contact saying 'divert to x location and land or be destroyed'?

RETURN FIRE!!!

>>1035881
Oh, yeah, i nearly forgot. If there is a male tobak or a sect not doing anything except sticking their thumbs up their own ass, they can take over the turret for us as we return back to Bry as his co-pilot.

Coil 2022/06/26(Sun)02:53 No. 1035976 ID: 2edd05
File 165623718455.png - (342.98KB , 800x600 , TQ14.png )

>So, both sets of goggles block light? What's the difference between them?
These goggles block light well, but my eyes are already covered beneath that. The dimming goggles are an extra measure beyond that. I really prefer that my eyes be shielded at all costs.

>Why are those modern looking planes so close you can see them? That's very odd for a modern design.
Modern is such a funny word, especially in relation to aircraft tech and tactics. Humans stopped designing aircraft a bit before spaceships pretty much made them obsolete, and lots of tactics were forgotten or deemed impractical for these sorts of situations. "Modern" Aircraft are now just a good way to bring things through big caves at unmatched speeds without risking an expensive spacecraft. That’s my theory anyway.

>Since you can actually see them clearly, aren't you in 'knife fight in a phone booth' range??
These caves can have fairly tight turns, meaning it's difficult to get a direct line of sight at a far range. This forces confrontations to be closer together, which is good for us, I guess.

>shouldn't you outnumber them by well over a 10:1 ratio?
Building planes is one thing, training pilots is another.

>why aren't you being escorted by jet fighters?
We spread ourselves too thin as it is. Summit is a big company, but we don't realistically have the resources to reinforce everything.

>You are underestimating the usefulness of a second pilot in this situation.
Maybe. But Bry is a natural, why else would they give him such a nice uniform? I'm just a helping (robotic) hand to him anyway.

>Perhaps they want to take the cargo so rather than risk vaporizing it with a missile they're trying to force a landing with precision weapons
That makes sense, but not even I know about the cargo, how does a rival company? I doubt this is an uncoordinated attack, something might be up.

>Get in the turrets and shoot back! This isn't just a flying fortress, it's a flying Superfortress! It's time for the old ways of bomber self-reliance to make a comeback.
Now that's what I'm talking about!
I haul myself through the tunnel and start crawling my way towards a turret. I stop just below the top turret before meeting up with a couple crew members.

"Coil! What's the situation looking like?"
"We're getting shot at. I was thinking one of you could fill me in."
>"We're in the process of shooting back, but we don't seem to be making much of an impact."
"Not like I can tell, I can't see a damn thing."
"What's the issue? They got shields or something?"
>"Could be. I've noticed a few important facts so far. One, both of these guys fly completely different. One is an amateur and the other is clearly more experienced. The rookie is firing more and missing his shots, and the vet is dodging more and positioning himself better."
"Like that information is going to be helpful."
>"There is another thing. Whenever we try to land a hit, force field shielding appears to protect them. This would be a problem if not for one thing - we hit the rookie plane once on a non-critical point."
"What does that mean?"
>"Means their shields aren’t on all the time. Trouble is finding out when exactly they become vulnerable. Then again, this could all be a question of which plane we should try to shoot down first."

They probably need to lower their shields when firing!

You should practice your aim on the rookie to get a feel for when the shields go down, then apply that to the veteran, who knows when his shields are down, but you know that he knows, and he knows that you know that he knows, and thus the mind games will begin.

take down rookie so the other plane doesn't have a wingman, also can you radio the other bombers and have them focus fire on the two planes with you to give them less options to dodge or would that be a no go?

So shot when they are shooting. The rookie will give us more opportunities than the veteran.

Can the sect even aim?
If she can have her focusing on the rookie enemy regardless of who the tobaks focus on. Whenever there is light coming from him direction send bullets in his general direction.
If everything is a blur from this distance independent of the light levels she could accompany one of the tobaks and help with the controls. That is assuming there are buttons to press or change of ammunition that four extra arms could be useful at handling, I don't actually know if this is the case.

Unless there is a chance that they will run out of bullets, which I doubt, the rookie won't be much less dangerous than the veteran. So it's better to eliminate him first.

>>1035976
You're wearing two pieces of eye protection, and you have a spare set of goggles too? What prompted such overkill?

That Sect looks different... do Sect from different hives have significant differences in anatomy? Or is she some sort of mutant?

I'm going to agree on that the shields go down when they shoot. That's why you got the hit on the rookie without knowing the trick- his shields are down more often because he's attacking more. My inner scientist says to confirm the theory by testing on the rookie since you have more opportunities to do so, then using the confirmed theory to take out the skilled pilot since he's more of a threat.

>>1035977
This, their shields probably arent one-way where bullets leave the ship and can enter. So, their shields turn off briefly to fire, before theyre up again. Relay this information to the gunners that havent figured this out yet.

>>1035976
Wait a second, is that a male or female sect? I thought only the males were short, or are those chest impressions something else? Chitin plates?

>>1035977
This sounds about right.

>>1035976
Are we being hailed over the radio?

>Humans stopped designing aircraft a bit before spaceships pretty much made them obsolete
Clearly you have not heard of aerospace fighters.

>Shields not up all the time.
That could be because you are (presumably) shooting bullets at them. Shields are most likely designed to stop railgun rounds and lasers. Bullets may be reaching the lower limit of how slow of a projectile they can stop. Some bullets may get through. Keep unloading. There are five turrets, fire at both.

>>1035976

Either not on all the time or limited to specific vital areas to limit the energy cost, if they're using energy weapons as well, since having a full-out reactor on those things would probably make them too unwieldy.

It might be smartest to try to disable the fighters by INTENTIONALLY shooting at non-critical parts outside the fuselage, to either damage ailerons or flaps to prevent them from maneuvering.

We shouldn't focus on the rookie entirely, however, as that might be a feint intended to keep us occupied with the veteran wears us down. Trying to focus on both, however, just means thinning our offense, so we should target whichever is lining up for a shot or moves nearest, thus forcing THEM onto the defensive.

>>1035977
Most likely scenario. Try shooting them while they fire. If you don't hit them, it will at least make them take maneuvers and make you harder to hit.

>>1035993

Agree on the aerospace fighters thing! Spaceplanes should be a thing, yaknow? Just because you have spaceships which can take the ultimate high ground above a given gravity well doesn't make ALL forms of air based combat obsolete!

It sounds like we need to be shooting them at the same time they shoot at us. It's all a matter of getting the timing just right.

1/2 Coil 2022/06/27(Mon)02:24 No. 1036154 ID: 2edd05
File 165632186965.png - (248.68KB , 800x600 , TQ15.png )

>do Sect from different hives have significant differences in anatomy?
Yep! They say that no two sect are the same. Some hives can look similar, but they generally look vastly different, especially depending on which biome you visit. Some have two arms, others have four, I've even heard that some can have four legs. I have also heard that some can fly, but that seems to just be an urban legend.
>is that a male or female sect? I thought only the males were short
That is a female, it isn't just the males that are short. Sect aren't like tobaks, both the males and females are the same size with the exception of the queens and royal guards. In the case of most types, drones are even slightly smaller than tobak males.
>Can the sect even aim?
She can't see much, so I'm thinking not really. She does stuff like radio transmissions, navigation, putting fires out and stuff like that.

>Clearly you have not heard of aerospace fighters.
I have heard of stuff like that, but I have never seen any of it flown in a cave. Building one down here seems like a waste, as all that fancy space travel tech wouldn't see good use here. Actually... I'm curious if someone like me could ever make it as a space pilot, as if a tobak would ever be let anywhere near an FTL warp drive.

>You're wearing two pieces of eye protection, and you have a spare set of goggles too? What prompted such overkill?
Because I don't want to get blinded, and totes not because of any other reason!

>There are five turrets, fire at both.
The problem seems to be that not all of our turrets can reach them. We have two on the top, two on the bottom and one on the back. Only a couple seem capable of getting a good shot at them from some angles. Some fire machine gun rounds - the others fire rail gun rounds.

I clamber to the turret remote control system that operates the machine gun turret to the bottom. I can also switch control to the front bottom turret which operates a rail gun, which could probably make quick work of these guys if they didn’t have shields.

I look outside the window to try see if I can spot anything, but it's completely dark out there. Is this really what aliens see, all the time? Luckily, we have spotlights attached to the turrets so we can see our targets better.

2/2 Coil 2022/06/27(Mon)02:24 No. 1036155 ID: 2edd05
File 165632188840.png - (244.09KB , 800x600 , TQ16.png )

>They probably need to lower their shields when firing!
Possibly... it sounds risky, but it also makes sense. The rookie got hit because he always has his weapons on, which means he is exposed longer. It might be a good idea to test this theory on him.

I turn the turret towards the rookie flying in the plane marked with the number '5' and I get ready to fire in his general direction, looking to get a shot in on the wings or fins. I wait for him strike and before too long, he lets out a spray of shots with me responding with my own shots shortly after.

Boom! A few of the bullets make contact with the enemy jet, ripping through some of the light armor! Looks like the theory was correct, their armor turns off when they are firing!

The rookie reacts by backing off, but he hasn't withdrawn yet. He has stopped firing while trying to stabilise his movements, his shield protecting him no doubt. It won't be long before he tries firing again.

I alert the rest of the crew to the discovery over the radio system.
>"T-that's good news! Unfortunately, this 'veteran' of ours seems to know better, and hasn't taken a single hit, not even on his armor. His manoeuvrability is impressive, dodging shots with ease. He is so close to us that the tail gun can't reach him, and I can't get any good hits on him without shredding our back fin. He is starting to move below my firing range, positioning himself behind our right-side engines, looks like he is looking to finally make a move."

I feel confident that I can take out the rookie from here, but the vet might require my attention. Deciding on what ammo type to use may also be of consideration.

How good are this plane's airbrakes? Suddenly slowing down and causing the vet to overshoot would be good, but if he stops shooting that might not help that much.
You probably need to radio a fellow bomber for help, to cover your dead angles while you bait him into shooting.

Swap to rail gun mode. Aim and hold fire, waiting to nail the veteran as he swoops in. Full on ignore the rookie now.

>>1036155
The rookie is missing his shots, let him go for now. The veteran thinks he's about to do some serious damage so take him out.
Railgun rounds sound stronger, use some of those. Also I'd guess the projectile speed is higher which means you have a chance of taking him down like a half second earlier which could be important.
Make sure to fire only when you know you can hit him. If you're peppering his shields he won't lower them to attack, because he's smart.

>>1036156
>>1036158
>>1036159
These are all great points. Breaking to decelerate might spook the fighter and cause them to overshoot, also there are multiple turrets? We should try collaborating with another turret operate to align the railgun with the veteran as we lay down suppressive fire, or "pretend to" shoot him so we don't cause him to back off entirely, but draw enough attention where he won't pay the railgun any mind?

A good railgun shot on the veteran.

probably going to need to railgun the veteran because he's the bigger threat right now and you're probably only going to get one shot on the guy before he falls back or takes out and engine.

Yeah, radio up to your copilot to break as you get into position to shoot the vet when he does.

Armored or not, a plane’s still a fragile thing, and you need to hit him as soon as possible. Switch focus to the veteran, and use machine guns!

>>1036156
B-29 doesn't have airbrakes, unfortunately.

>>1036162
This is the play. Have one gunner cow them into the stream of another gunner. Railgun probably has to cool down for half a second or so (maybe longer) between firing, so it should be used as the knockout punch (also it will ignite the oxygen in the atmosphere as it flies out so it will make a pretty big bright fireball, prep for it).

>>1036178
Also, even if the vet has his shields on the whole time, if they get hit constantly in the same hemisphere, they should weaken there (at least until they stop getting hit on that part and can remesh the hardlight or whatever they are using for a shield). If you keep the pressure on and keep them from flying off, you could bust through with brute force.

>>1036178
>This is the play. Have one gunner cow them into the stream of another gunner.
I like this plan!

>>1036199

obligatory "don't cross the streams" post

1/3 Coil 2022/06/28(Tue)02:17 No. 1036331 ID: 2edd05
File 165640783108.png - (186.50KB , 800x600 , TQ17.png )

>radio a fellow bomber for help
We moved away from the pack a while ago, it is likely that help would not arrive in time.

>How good are this plane's airbrakes?
Not very good - which is to say: non-existent! For some reason, only our dive bombers have those. It wouldn't help much if we had air brakes anyway because we are already going as slow as we can (Flying too fast through caves is a bad idea!) Because of that, our manoeuvrability options in general are a little limited.

>Swap to rail gun mode. Aim and hold fire, waiting to nail the veteran as he swoops in. Full on ignore the rookie now.
Seems like a good idea. I swap the turret I am operating to the rail gun, and I take aim.

>Make sure to fire only when you know you can hit him
He has been pretty quiet in terms of attacking, he hasn't fired any shots yet - so I'll fire when he takes his first shot, that is when he'll least expect it!

I bring my attention off the rookie jet and to the veteran on our right. I watch the plane closely

I wait and I wait, until he suddenly starts his attack - I squeeze the button and take the shot!

The shot lands squarely, directly, precisely in the centre of his shield, and bounces off harmlessly.

Huh?

Wait... He only fired once, and his shields came back up just as I pressed the fire button. Why did he stop firing?

2/3 Coil 2022/06/28(Tue)02:17 No. 1036332 ID: 2edd05
File 165640785445.png - (195.38KB , 800x600 , TQ18.png )

Not even a second later, the vet unloads a volley of shots directly onto engine 3 as I wait for the rail gun to cycle another round. Engine 3 bursts into flames and the propeller slowly stops spinning, effectively becoming useless.

>"What was that? What the hell just happened?" A voice from the radio calls out.
"I don't mean to be of alarm, but it would seem as though one of our engines has ceased functioning. Don't worry though, as long as the engine next to it stays working, we should be able to continue flying just fine... Please, do make sure that the engine next to engine 3 stays functioning, will you?"
Fletcher pitches in
>"Looks like this piece of junk is going down. I'm putting my platoon's parachutes on, and we are getting ready to jump out the moment this thing can't get us to our destination."
"No need to be hasty. We can get this setback sorted out."
"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor! Let us take care of this!"
>"You better. I have my hand over the door handle, just in case. I suggest you guys put on your parachutes as well."

I was right about one thing; the veteran seriously is the biggest threat right now.

3/3 Coil 2022/06/28(Tue)02:17 No. 1036333 ID: 2edd05
File 165640787668.png - (213.35KB , 800x600 , TQ19.png )

I pick up a pair of binoculars and look closer at the veteran's plane. I can get a clear look at the pilot...

He's looking at me, how...

Wait.

He knew.

He knew I figured out how their shields worked, he knew I would fire a railgun round at him the moment he started firing! He knew what my target was and knew when I would attack! he feigned his initial attack so I would waste my shot to create an opening!

Auuuugh! I hate going up against people who are smarter than me! I suck at chess for this very reason, but I can't even cheat in a situation like this! Talk about unfair.

Still, I'm not going to let this smug salad alien get away with this! I now know one useful piece of information; His next target is for certain going to be the other engine, that is the fastest way to take us down and he isn't even pretending like he won't go for it.

>Bust through the shield with brute force.
That could be possible. Even though my shot didn't go through, it probably weakened that part of the shield, hitting the same place might be enough to force a projectile's entry.

>This is the play: Have one gunner cow them into the stream of another gunner.
This could work. It would certainly get him away from the engines - but I'm not sure if he will lower his guard enough for us to touch him. Worth a try though.

I can even go for the same strategy of trying to fire the railgun when he fires, but I'm not sure if he will feint again or not. If I fail to take him down before he takes out our other engine, we are toast.

>>1036333
Hmm, nah, he's too good. Just play defensively, spray him down whenever he's in the right area to shoot. Have someone pelt him with a railgun occasionally to see if the shields eventually go down- he'll probably retreat when they get too weak, at which point you can take out the rookie. Heck, you could all try focus firing on him with railgun shots to punch through, by staggering your fire so he doesn't have an opening to shoot.

...use your binocs to check the rookie. Make sure he's not another veteran acting as bait.

How quick can you switch between firing modes? Could you fire the rail gun then switch over to the auto canon to pepper him when he thinks he’s safe?

Also those marks on the side of the plan make me think he’s shot down mountains. I mean all those white makes have to mean how many things he’s shot down, but the ones under her window look like mountains to me and I’m wondering why he’s shooting mountains?

Parachute on!

Baiting your shot was damn clever, especially considering you'd been spraying earlier and there was no reason to believe you'd shift to railgun. Then again, baiting would've worked in either case, and since you weren't using a machine gun he could just go ahead with his initial approach. Man, this guy looks for win-wins. You gotta put him in a lose-lose!

>>1036333
And that's a stupidly impressive list of takedowns. He's smart, he knows what works, and if he doesn't want to waste any more time or risks, he'll definitely go for the other engine just to get this over with.

He'll definitely try to trick you again - as mentioned, if both approaches works it costs him nothing to try. Even if you shift to machine gun fire, one gun doesn't have the volume of fire needed to constantly keep him away. It'll overheat or run dry and whatnot, right? All he has to do is to keep attack runs, dodging, shields up. If he's really clever he'll know the specs of these machines. He'll know roughly how much ammo you can afford to shoot on a clip, how much continuous fire is liable to make it overheat and jam.

... hm. Maybe he can be too clever. Or you. One of you.

Hot reload a fresh ammo crate - have more ammo than he thinks you do. Just be careful not to overheat the barrel as you spray wildly to 'keep him away' or 'get lucky'. Count shots if you can - he might be, and he knows you wasted some ammo on the Rookie. Don't give any indication you're reloading on the sly, track him with the guns when you can. Soliciting some help to get the reloading done quick might be good - is the Sect tech still free? Hard to put out engine fires on the outside.

>>1036335
Name of the company is Summit. Those are all company logos.

You don't necessarily need to punch through the shield with a projectile that's still going full speed. Try to line it up so that bullets get sucked into his jet intake, maybe after bouncing off once and thus matching speed - shield might not react to a relatively low-velocity impact but jet turbines absolutely will.

>>1036333
Wait you said these tunnels were tight? Could you shoot the cave ceiling so that a bunch of rubble falls in front of his plane? I wonder how his shield would react to a bunch of massive relatively slow objects as opposed to tiny fast objects.

>>1036358
Or dust in the air intakes

You can’t underestimate him like that. You already know he’s a veteran, and knows enough to counter basic counter strategies! Use the bullets to try and get through on sheer volume, you will not outsnipe him.
…I wonder if the air intakes really are a weak point. How’s the air getting through the shield if the bullets won’t?

>>1036358
WE can't shoot loose roof shingles - being the bottom gunner - but maybe the top gunners can?

You could be the next target, be prepared to jump out of the turret. Defeating the bigger treath is the priority after all.

How much time you have left to reach a safe place? Are all reinforcements out of reach? Maybe you all can storm him with fire and negate him the oportunity to attack. A drawn is a win with enought luck and board control.

oh man, thats a lot of kills marked on that plane

>>1036332
>parachutes
If everyone needs to jump out, you all better hope these pilots aren't a bunch of assholes that would shoot you while you're helplessly floating down in your parachutes!

>>1036333
He's currently not wearing anything on his eyes. Would it be possible to blind him? Do we have any spotlights that can aim towards him?

Or we could keep spraying him with the machine guns and have someone else shoot their railgun at him. He'll need to keep his shield up to avoid the machine gun shots and the railgun will keep weakening his shields.

He'll eventually need to back off so he doesn't lose his shields.

>>1036381
>Not wearing goggles
Gonna guess he's not a Tobak, but a Miklik, considering how green he looks.

Edevane is the miklik corp, after all! If anything, the Rookie might be a Tobak? This guy, though? Probably a well-trained ace imported from offworld!

The plane can't brake or accelerate, and turning won't help, but maybe it can gain or lose altitude quickly? It could allow the top gunner to fire an unexpected shot? But if he is smart he will probably anticipate that.
You could also take advantage of the rookie and herd him on a collision course with the veteran using machine gun fire (and help from the other gunners), and maybe a well timed railgun shot to damage him so he can't avoid the vet? I doubt his shield could block that, and even if the veteran dodges the rookie, that's still one less plane to worry about, assuming you manage to shoot the rookie down.

Also, quick, while he is looking at you, make a rude gesture!

1/6 Coil 2022/06/30(Thu)07:39 No. 1036595 ID: 2edd05
File 165659994721.png - (245.17KB , 800x600 , TQ20.png )

>while he is looking at you, make a rude gesture!
I stick out my tongue while giving a biiiiig disapproving robo-thumbs down, the rudest gestures I can think of. I loudly proclaim (in my head) that his mother was a mudskimmer and his father smelt of glowberries.

>Gonna guess he's not a Tobak, but a Miklik, considering how green he looks.
That checks out. He doesn't seem to be wearing his goggles because night vision doesn't work that well in a lit firefight. Or maybe he is taunting me in some kind of alien gesture I don't understand.
>Edevane is the miklik corp, after all! If anything, the Rookie might be a Tobak? This guy, though? Probably a well-trained ace imported from offworld!
That's probably it! No way someone gets this much experience flying in caves all day. When there's a job a local can't do, they always get offworld talent!
>Would it be possible to blind him?
He's an alien. A plant alien! lights only make him stronger!

>How quick can you switch between firing modes?
Pretty much instantly, but if I want to fire both turrets at a constant rate, I need to get another turret operator to take control of the other turret.

>those marks on the side of the plan make me think he’s shot down mountains
Those are the summit company logo! he probably thinks he's some kinda big shot for shooting down poor defenceless super fortresses. We'll show him!

>Parachute on!
I'll be sure to put a parachute on just in case.

>Could you shoot the cave ceiling so that a bunch of rubble falls in front of his plane?
I have no doubts that somebody has tried that trick on him before and failed. I wouldn't be surprised if he is prepared for such a scenario - he's too smart for that!

>How much time do you have left to reach a safe place?
Not enough! This guy could shoot us down before we get there.

>This guy looks for win-wins. You gotta put him in a lose-lose!
Isn’t that the truth! The only way I can think of beating this guy is by thinking of a plan so unthinkable, that even he can't think of it! Just gotta think, and I gotta make it quick before I get a headache from it.

2/6 Coil 2022/06/30(Thu)07:39 No. 1036596 ID: 2edd05
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>He'll definitely try to trick you again - as mentioned, if both approaches work it costs him nothing to try. Even if you shift to machine gun fire, one gun doesn't have the volume of fire needed to constantly keep him away. It'll overheat or run dry and whatnot, right? All he has to do is to keep attack runs, dodging, shields up. If he's really clever he'll know the specs of these machines. He'll know roughly how much ammo you can afford to shoot on a clip, how much continuous fire is liable to make it overheat and jam.
I'm willing to bet so. A guy like this is probably more familiar with these kinds of planes than I am. He probably knows of flaws that I'm not even aware of.
>... hm. Maybe he can be too clever. Or you. One of you.
Oh?
>Hot reload a fresh ammo crate - have more ammo than he thinks you do. Just be careful not to overheat the barrel as you spray wildly to 'keep him away' or 'get lucky'. Count shots if you can - he might be, and he knows you wasted some ammo on the Rookie. Don't give any indication you're reloading on the sly, track him with the guns when you can. Soliciting some help to get the reloading done quick might be good - is the Sect tech still free? Hard to put out engine fires on the outside.
>Yeah... I think she's free. This plan sounds logically sound enough to work!

I use the radio to communicate with the four-armed sect
"Hey Freya, you got a minute?"
>"O-oh, yeah?"
"I have something I need you to do."
>"Beats trying to put out that engine fire. What do you need?"
"I need you to hook up a fresh ammo crate to the bottom rear turret, I need to keep it firing so I have more rounds than this hot shot ace pilot thinks I do. Try hook up a belt as I'm firing, I don't want to give away what I'm doing."
>"That sounds... do you think that'd work?"
"I'm thinking it's worth a try!"
>"Aren't you worried about the gun overheating? Or jamming?"
"A risk I need to take."
>"Well... Ok. I'm loading the belt from a fresh ammo crate now. Make it count because we're all counting on you."

3/6 Coil 2022/06/30(Thu)07:39 No. 1036597 ID: 2edd05
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I train the machine gun turret on the ace pilot's fighter jet. He makes little attempt to dodge the shot as he is staying in place for the opportunity to take out engine 4. So long as I am firing, he won't get that opportunity, which is why it looks like he is waiting for an opening in my firing pattern to make the decisive move.

I get on the radio to another turret operator, and I tell him to train the railgun turret on the ace fighter's jet, and to continuously fire as fast as he can, even if he can’t get past the shield. He fires the rail gun, but there is a noticeably large attack window in the time it takes to reload. The machine gun turret is the only thing stopping the ace from shooting us down right here and now.

The barrage of bullets continues for seconds, which turn to minutes. The shield is holding up, possibly because they gave this pilot something able to withstand this kind of attack.

4/6 Coil 2022/06/30(Thu)07:40 No. 1036598 ID: 2edd05
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Despite my efforts to pace my shots, the machine gun turret is no doubt getting hot, really hot. The shots are becoming less accurate, and the risk of jamming is becoming a more likely possibility by the second. It is starting to emit a glow that even I can see from my window, and the ace can no doubt see it too. He is waiting for the moment the gun gives out. At one moment, the turret reaches the point where it runs out of ammunition on a regular fully loaded capacity, and the firing of bullets abruptly stop.

5/6 Coil 2022/06/30(Thu)07:40 No. 1036599 ID: 2edd05
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This was it, the perfect opportunity for attack. The machine gun had run out of ammo and the rail gun was early in its reloading cycle. This is the perfect time to strike for the ace.

Or at least it would have been if I hadn't gotten the turret reloaded mid-fire.

I slam the trigger back down after that masterful feint and continue my barrage on a gun that is on the verge of practically melting from the heat.

My suspicions were correct, this was the moment he has let his guard down. The bullets spray far off in wildly different directions, but most manage to land on different parts on the plane, some hitting the body, others hitting the wings, and a few stray shots manage to hit the glass of the cockpit.

6/6 Coil 2022/06/30(Thu)07:40 No. 1036600 ID: 2edd05
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The ace pilot's plane flies far ahead, soon emitting a load crashing sound that can be heard far and wide. We soon approach a fiery, smoking pile of destroyed plane. looks like the nuclear-powered reactor must've gone off. It brings me great joy thinking of the millions of zeny that just went down the drain.

I wonder if that pilot is ok.

He probably ejected.
Well that turret’s probably shot, but it was worth it. Don’t forget about the rookie.

>>1036600
>I wonder if that pilot is ok.
I’m pretty sure he’s dead.

Don’t relax yet, you’ve still got another enemy to worry about! And don’t use your turret, it’s overheated too much! Have someone else shoot the other guy down!

>>1036600
Yeeah prett sure the ace gained some fresh head holes which kills pretty much any species.
Also don't forget the rookie, he's not as good but your gun is in rough shape

Outplayed ‘im, aw yeah! Maybe you should try your hand at chess again, you just need to do something so unexpected your opponent can’t predict or take advantage of it.

>>1036600
If a nuclear-powered reactor went off, I’m wondering if you are okay.

Also, let’s not celebrate too early. Rookie’s still out there, yeah?

I'm sure he's fine but right now you still have one plan to worry about and your gun is basically fried right now and needs to cool before it melts or jams. Either switch to the rail gun to see if you can't snipe the rookie (if he hasn't fled) or act as a spotter for your buddy on the railgun to help him time his shots with the rookie powering down their shields.

Switch to a new gun. That one needs to cool down unless you want to turn it into useless slag.
If the engine is still on fire, tell the pilot to shut it down. That should stop the fire. I know the prop stopped spinning but the engine is still on fire so that seems to indicate that the engine is still running, but not engaging the prop. The wing fuel tanks are self-sealing so the fire has to be from the engine.
Start searching for the remaining plane. Since you are in a tunnel, they can't exactly pull off, so they must still be there.

Also scratch a tally down on the wall.

>>1036607
Reactor explosions aren't like nuclear bombs.

The rookie may want to avenge the other pilot, be careful.

You know it would *totally* suck if it turns out the rookie is actually another ace pilot in disguise

>>1036600

He's a plant. Stick him in the dirt and water him like a thirsty flower and maybe he'll be alright. I think.

Well, congratulations! No time for celebrations, but you can afford to announce your success on the radio.

It's amusing we've been show the pilot death when Coil haven't see such scene.
Would you prefer for the ace to survive? I'm not sure if you would fear meeting him again or if you feel respect for a fellow pilot.

Unfortunately we still have to endure a few shots from the rookie to take him down, and the turret that better cover the vulnerable engine is currently overheating. Ideally we would keep him away from our right wing with suppressive fire and offer opportunities on the left, but that may not be an option.
If we have to take damage on the remaining right engine, don't lose your chance of taking the enemy down at the same time. The parachute fall will be much less dangerous without a jet shooting at us.

Too bad you're not the radio officer, you can't contact the second bogey and tell him to SUBMIT TO SUMMIT or be destroyed.

>I wonder if that pilot is ok.
Plants and fire don't go hand to hand, so i doubt he's ok, being surrounded by fire and possible high caliber rounds inside his body.

Now we can pay attention on our own damage. Put that fire out and check the condition on the turret.

>>1036630
>Now we can pay attention on our own damage.
Not until we take out that last hostile! The rookie is still around here somewhere!

Coil 2022/07/02(Sat)07:56 No. 1036765 ID: 2edd05
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>"No time for celebrations, but you can afford to announce your success on the radio."
"I stuck a fork in the ace, he won't be a problem anymore!"
>"Hell yeah!"
"I knew you could do it, I was rooting for you the whole time! now why don't you come up to the front with me?~."
>"Coil did that? He's annoying as hell but I gotta give him credit."
"Thank god that paid off! looks like we live to fly another day..."
>"Yeah, Coil gets on my nerves too but at least he didn't screw up for once."

Ah, such kind praises...

Fletcher's voice comes on over the call.
>"Congratulations. Looks like we won't be jumping out after all - but I'm getting everyone to keep parachutes on in case anything happens in the next ten minutes."

>Too bad you're not the radio officer, you can't contact the second bogey and tell him to SUBMIT TO SUMMIT or be destroyed.
Oooooh I like that, I need to write that in big letters right next to the shiny new Edevane decal I get to put on the front of this plane.

>The rookie may want to avenge the other pilot, be careful.
He must be doing it from very far away because I can't see him anywhere.

>worry about the rookie
Right, right. I should ask on the radio what happened to him.
>"That other guy? He flew far ahead whilst you were firing at the ace. We put a lot of holes in him, and he is losing altitude fast. I doubt he'll make it back to his base, and his chances of finding a landing spot out here are pretty slim, so I think it's fair to say that he is done for. I'm still keeping an eye out, but I really doubt we'll see him again."

>The state of the machine turret
It's jammed, and even if it wasn't, it is almost out of ammo. Not getting much use out of this in the future.

I crawl my way through the tunnel back towards the front of the plane so that I can return back to my co-piloting position, but I am suddenly stopped upon hearing a conversation that I'm not being involved in. Oh, would you look at that? It's what's her name... Sam! She seems to be speaking into some kinda PDA device, one they must give to their security teams, because it doesn't look much like a summit PDA.

>"H-how was I supposed to know they were going to fight them off? and win? "

...

>"Y-... yes! I saw it! They got the professional guy! Fletcher says we're not jumping anymore."

...

>"Plan B? Y-you didn't tell me about a plan B!"

...

>"Why? What's going to happen to the back of the plane?"

...

>"The blue suitcase? What's inside the-... right, right... I get it, deliver it to where you ask, and if I do that... you guys will pay off all the debt, and make the charges go away, right?"

...

"Hello? Mister Tan? Are you there?"

Well, that was.... unussually expository. Is she framing herself on purpose?

Well, we might as well run and inform Fletcher, anyway. Time for her to earn HER money's worth!

Try to crawl back silently before she notices you're here.

Traitor!! Attack!

Before you speak to her, you should probably demonstrate how to disconnect the battery on the laser rifle.

The blue suitcase might be a bomb. Probably want to go deal with that right now.

Forget about the traitor for now, find that suitcase ASAP and dispose of it!

>>1036765
Can you privately radio Fletcher? If you can, you should tell her about this traitor so she can do something while you go look for that blue suitcase!

This is bad; there's almost certainly a bomb in that blue suitcase, and while we know where it's going, we don't know where it is right now. Unless he has some other way of tracking the bomb's relative position inside a moving plane, 'Mr. Tan' will need verbal confirmation that it's properly placed, whether it's from Sam or another agent. He's going to call again, and I'm thinking the suitcase is gonna go "boom" regardless of whether he thinks things are going to plan.

Walk away quietly and Radio Fletcher. Tell her to have everyone look for a blue suitcase NOW; you just overheard a Belenos named Sam having a convo with a 'Mr. Tan' (as if Tobaks wouldn't instantly get such a classic movie reference) about planting a bomb that's kept in it.

Of course, if she and the other soldiers are in the same room, you can call Sam out on her 'mission' right here, loud enough for everyone to hear.

I'm not the blue suitcase is a bomb, since it may be what she's asked to deliver (the syntax is ambiguous). So it can be the "some kind of container" the soldiers are guarding... or it can be a bomb.

Either way, that's for Fletcher and co to handle. Just warn them about it.

Try taking/disabling her rifle while she is not looking before doing anything noisy like alerting the rest of the crew or talking to her.

>>1036765

Uh oh. Sounds like we got a big white horned MOLE in our midst!

(you know, those weird Earth critters from those monster movies, or whatever)

Sounds like our buddy Sam needs a chaperone and maybe also to talk with Fletcher, since like, it's TOTALLY easy for new recruits to get lost in these planes, right? Be awful if she got stuck somewhere, being so big and all.

Oooh! Alternately, you could tell her that you know of a very good way for her employer to wipe her debt, criminal record and a potential witness, and she's not going to like it.

Turn her against her boss. Him not telling her about his "plan B" should make it easier to sell.

>>1036765
Yoink her gun while her back's turned for safety's sake? Speaking of safety, remember to turn it off, too!

And immediately radio in and tell everyone to get away from the back of the plane if they can! And it definitely wasn't you who screwed up a thing this time!

(saying that last thing might get their asses moving faster, if for some reason they are ready to believe that you have, indeed, screwed something up this time)

Oh, and parachute's still in reach, yeah?

>>1036765
IT IS TIME TO GERMAN SUPLEX THE TRAITOR

>>1036824
She’s too big for a tiny male tobak to suplex!

>>1036765
Yoink her weapon and unload it's ammo.

Your mechanical hands are good at grappling? I hope you at least have this as an advantage in a possible physical altercation in a tight space with someone twice your height.
If it comes to that you should at least break her wrist before she beat the shit out of you.

Sam, please rethink your options. How sure are you will receive a reward and not an execution? If we fall you will have to cross the dark caves, and believe me this is no place for an alien like you to be alone. Help me get this plane to safety and we can deal with your problems by talking. Thrust me, I will be there for you after we get to safety.

>>1036824
I concur on this course of action. Spike those horns deep into the ground to keep her from being able to get away while we deal with the suitcase/interrogate her.

whelp time to find that blue suitcase and see what's inside. Then once you have evidence then go show someone because with your reputation I'm sure someone wouldn't believe you if you just told someone. Guess that's just the curse of being the life of the party because people seem to have trouble telling when you're serious or not.

"Blue suit case? Eugh...hope that isn't the one over by engine three."

>>1036765
For an off worlder you sure are gulible. You think theyll keep their word on helping you?

>>1036862
Afaik the B-29 does not have passageways for people or storage in the wings. In fact, I am pretty sure they are narrow enough it would be physically impossible.

Anyhoo, discretely message someone about the situation and look for the bomb.

1/2 Coil 2022/07/03(Sun)10:54 No. 1036918 ID: 2edd05
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>The blue suitcase might be a bomb. Probably want to go deal with that right now.
Uh oh. Bombs and planes don't mix.

I look around Sam, and the entire room, but I can't seem to spot a suitcase anywhere, blue or otherwise. It must be somewhere else.

>Can you privately radio Fletcher?
I don't have access to her private frequency, it seems my device has specifically been denied access to Fletcher's private frequency. Must be a glitch! Unless I want to use the public frequency, I have to meet with her in person.

>IT IS TIME TO GERMAN SUPLEX THE TRAITOR
Maybe I would if I wasn't so vertically challenged!
>I concur on this course of action. Spike those horns deep into the ground to keep her from being able to get away
I mean it! She has like, a foot and a half on me! If I fight her, I will not win!

>Break her wrist
While my hands are capable of crushing stuff (namely soda cans and soft fruits) I don't want to hurt someone before I know this isn't just one big misunderstanding. Also, she could still probably beat me in a physical fight...

>Yoink her gun
It seems to be strapped to her shoulder; I doubt I'm strong enough to wrestle it from her.

>Try disabling her rifle while she is not looking before doing anything noisy like alerting the rest of the crew or talking to her.
>demonstrate how to disconnect the battery on the laser rifle.
I may have lost my hands, but that doesn't mean I lost my sleight of hand! I creep my way over and remove the battery. I also flick on the safety, for good measure.

I decide not to engage in a conversation with her, as I want to keep this on the down low as not to set people against each other or cause any panic amongst the crew. I instead head to Fletcher as fast and silently as I can, she'll know what to do.

2/2 Coil 2022/07/03(Sun)10:55 No. 1036919 ID: 2edd05
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"Fletcher!"
>"Don't you dare try to touch my ears, or I'll crush your other... never mind. someone already got to it. "
"This is serious, I need to talk to you."
>"Can it wait? I'm sending in a report to headquarters right now."
"This really can't wait, there might be a bomb on the plane!"
>"What? Where?"
"In a blue suitcase! I'm thinking somewhere towards the back of the plane."
>"A blue... hey, you're not supposed to know about the suitcases. And nobody should be able to sneak something like a bomb on board without me knowing about it."
"I heard Sam say some suspicious stuff, I think you may have a traitor aboard."
>"I don't know anyone who goes by that name. You better not be playing a prank on me."
"I'm not! I heard one of your people talking over a phone thingy about some shady stuff."
>Well... you know about one of the suitcases. I can give you the benefit of the doubt. Don’t worry about the blue suitcase, it’s safe and sound where nobody should be able to access it. So, what exactly is it you want me to do?"

Step 1: Find Blue suitcase
Step 2: Check Suitcase for bomb
Step 3: Disarm bomb
Alternatively, throw suitcase out of plane

It's not just physical access that's the problem, but radio access too! If it's left where it is, it might just kill everyone as well as what they're after. Planes need their tail sections!

Please, just check the suitcase's contents and if it's a bomb then chuck it overboard.

Describe "Sam". There probably isn't many white belenosian onboard.
And if the suitcase isn't the bomb, her goal probably is to steal the suitcase. Which means there is a bomb somewhere, but not in the suitcase. Or maybe some sort of ambush?

>>1036919
Inform her to keep that some belonosian lady is going to try and take the blue suitcase and bring it somewhere and that something is going to happen to the back of the plane. It definitely sounded like the two were connected, and if we go by the wise words of Mr. Ockham and his handy dandy razor, theres a high chance that theres a bomb in the blue suitcase that will be placed at the end of the plane and then explode.

"Wait, what was that about crushing my other....? Fletcher, did you crush my first hand?"

Since the clue suitcase isn't the bomb it must be the target. Regardless she mentioned the back of the plane blowing up.
Try to solve the situation with your belenosian with a fake name without damaging the plane. I really want to land safely.

Ears armor? Really? That must be a lot of extra weight on your neck.

At this point I doubt very much that there is a bomb inside of the suitcase. This seems like a secret mision to make Fletcher's team evacuate the plane. It seems like the enemy want to pick the package without damaging it.

What we know is that something bad is going to happen in this plane's tail, that Sam is a traitor and now is searching for the blue suitcase and that the enemy want to leave the plane.

Let's asume that either they have a bomb already in the tail or they are going to fire something big. It better to evacuate the place before so we don't unnecesary risk our people's lifes (or company assets if need burocratic leverage).

The ideal plan would be to catch Sam and make her talk with the enemy so we can gain time. Telling we have the suitcase in the tail or something like that.

>>1036919
I think we misunderstood, the bomb is something at the back of the plane, but the blue suitcase is what needs to be extracted by the traitor after the bomb goes off.
Anyway, show her who the traitor is, so she can be captured and interrogated. You can help out with bomb discovery and disposal?

Maybe Bry has some idea where the bomb could be? He probably knows the plane well.

>>1036919
>So, what exactly is it you want me to do?
Since you're the one with the higher rank, I was hoping you could come up with a plan and tell me what to do!

>>1036919

Well, the tall white goat lady (not of the Tobak variety) was talking all frantic to someone about a plan-B and Fletcher's team's NOT having jumping, and needing to get the blue suitcase to the back of the plane, so ...

... maybe see that she doesn't do that? Because it maybe could be a bad thing?

"Okay, so, the bottom line is; something is gonna happen at the back of the plane, and a white-furred belenosian lady dressed as a soldier - claims to go by 'Sam' - is gonna try to get at the blue suitcase and take it somewhere. I say you should make a move on the most known factor, that being the belenosian, and maybe also send someone to find out if there's a bomb waiting in the back of the plane for 'Mr. Tan's' signal or something - maybe I'll do that second part."

As you head off... realize that if a bomb wasn't likely smuggled on board... if you were in the mastermind's shoes and realized you couldn't get that past these guys...

If you don't find a bomb inside, radio your copilot to ask if there's a way to deal with a bomb that might be outside the hull. Mid-flight.

might as well tell her what you overheard, that they wanted the plane to be shot down and everyone forced to jump. Not sure if it would help but she knows more about the mission than you do so she might have a better idea what their end goal is.

She was supposed to deliver it to somewhere. So we have two possible scenarios:

: it has a bomb and the destination is ither this plane, or wherever we are landing.
2: the contents of the suitcase are the target and she was supposed to take it with her when we parachuted off the plane, get away in the confusion.

Neither her or her employers were planning on us taking out the professional pilot, so this is plan B. But we really don't know what that could be.

We can identify the suspect, both because we know their face and because we took her ammo and we put the safety on her rifle. We can use this to our advantage.

>>1036919
The goat lady. The one that doesnt know how to use her laser gun. The one that is in debt.

>>1037000
To add, she may also be willing to defect if she is pressured. She doesn't seem very strong willed, nor does she seem to believe in the cause.

Of course, it could also be an act and she may have intentionally leaked info to us so we report it, but that would be some 5d chess level shit so Occam's razor says that probably isn't the case.

1/2 Coil 2022/07/05(Tue)11:43 No. 1037104 ID: 2edd05
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>Ear armor? Really?
Fletcher has sensitive ears, something which I suspect runs in Dowser's family. Dowser nearly went berserk on me that one time... We no longer keep forks in the apartment.

"Wait, about that first thing, did you crush one of my hands?"
>"Let’s keep this on topic."
"Oh, right. There is a belenos lady who wants your briefcase!"
>"That doesn't narrow it down. Much of my platoon are belenos, and a good portion of that are female. That's around four suspects."
"She's the one with light grey fur!"
>"How do I know what fur color anyone has when everyone is wearing armor? It can be pretty hard to tell troops apart in full uniform."
"I'll point her out to you, she's..."
I look around, but all of the soldiers are wearing their helmets and armor. They must have been on edge because of the attack.
>"Yeah. Hard to spot the difference, even with horns."

Captain Fletcher approaches a big safe looking thing and opens the door using a code. Inside is a rack of a couple dozen differently colored suitcases. Is summit transporting documents like this? Doesn't anybody use email anymore?

She pulls out the blue case and unlocks it, slowly opening it to unleash a bright shine that illuminates her face and armor.

"Is it a bomb? If so, throw it out the plane quick!"
>"You wouldn't have the clearance to know what is in here. But I can tell you for certainty that this is not an explosive."
"What's in there? shiny gold bars?"
>"The shine is coming from a light bulb someone built into the case. It's a good thing I wore my goggles before opening this. If I'm being perfectly honest, these items aren't familiar to me. I hope this puts you at ease."
"Something is still going to happen to the tail, the traitor said so!"
>"If there is a bomb, there isn’t any time to go looking for it before it goes off. For everyone’s safety, I'll order everyone to move into this room." She gets on the radio and does so. Eventually, the room gets filled with soldiers and crew workers.

The room is now pretty packed. I can barely see over any of the people in here. Why are aliens so gosh dang tall!

2/2 Coil 2022/07/05(Tue)11:44 No. 1037106 ID: 2edd05
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A few moments pass and without warning, a bright blue light fills the plane through all windows accompanied by a loud droning sound. The event lasts several seconds and quickly goes away. Voices start to speak up from the radio

>"What the hell was that?"
>"Whatever it was, it came from outside the plane."
>"Um... something isn't right."
>"What's not right?"
>"The back of the plane. It's gone"
"Oh. So, it is. Attention everyone, this is your pilot speaking; due to the lack of a tail, we will be crash landing shortly. please put on your parachutes and prepare for an emergency evacuation. If you require assistance putting on your parachute, make your way to the front and I will personally, tightly~"-

It becomes hard to hear Bry over everyone's panicking and shouting.

I look over to fletcher, who is already starting to bark out orders for her soldiers to pick up all the suitcases and parachute out with them.

"Fletcher! This is what the Belenos lady wanted! She wants the blue suitcase so she can-"
Fletcher angrily turns around and shoves the blue suitcase into my hands.
>"Fine then, you jump out with it. I'll stay and make sure everyone gets out alive. Deal!?"
Fletcher usually has a level head, but I can see that she is starting to panic a little.

>>1037106
"sounds good boss! Meet me at the [most prominent terrain feature here]!"

Well time to parachute out. Check that you have your parachute on, put it on otherwise, and be ready to jump.

Oooh, I know what happened. There must be a transmitter or some kind of location beacon so that whoever was aiming that laser thing didn't hit the cargo of the ship, since they were expecting it to crash... oh.
i think you should jump out earlier than the others, they'll expect the suitcase to be with the ship.
A few protips:
*Carefully* dump the contents of the suitcase into another case, or switch them. Who knows which of the objects has the transmitter or whatever, but it might help confuse them.
Have a few decoys jump with you with different packages, they might get confused and search different people, buttt that might result with someone dying.
When you jump, try not to activate your parachute immediately, and wait till you're closer to the ground, they might be able to spot you if you open it too early.

>>1037109
Swapping suitcases is a good idea but might be unavailable due to time/lock constraints.

Time to yoink and ploink!

The faster you jump out, the more whoever would be trying to follow you could get stuck in the crowd (and give you a head start on the flee-ning).

...

Onnn the other hand, if Bryn can keep the ol' girl up a bit longer, you can run through her and try to grab whatever small and valuable items may or may not have been left behind unattended in the rush. Maybe there's, you don't know, a spare nailgun or something probably-about-to-be-insanely-useful like that.

>>1037114
The plane isn't staying up. Without the tail we are going to start flat-spinning pretty damn quickly. We have seconds before everyone ends up knocked around.

>Dowser nearly went berserk on me that one time...
Checks out.

>you, alone, with the objective.
Hmmm, do you have weapons on you? I think you are going to need it.

Also, before jumping, tell her to check their guns, that is how she will find the traitor!

>>1037106
Deal!

I don't think there is time to do something too complicated. But having decoys jump at the same time with similar suitcases is probably fine.

"Doesn't know how to use their gun" might not narrow it down much.

If the plane's going to start spinning, jump from the starboard side! The engine on that side is out, so the thrust is uneven.

No, you keep the suitcase. Why would I be better at keeping it safe than you?

You are the co-pilot and this is a flying related emergency situation. You need to go to the cockpit and help Bry fly, crash-land or escape once everyone is out. This will also end up distancing you from the traitor.

You know, now that I think about it, are you sure she didn't gave you a false suitcase to use you as bait?

>>1037133
Without the rudder, there is no crash landing or flying. We will start corkscrewing and crash. The only thing we can do is bail out. Which we should all do.

huh, either the rookie came back or they were somehow able to target your plan with artillery of some sort. Wonder if the traitor put down a beacon or something allowing them to shoot you out of the sky?

Either way take suit case and grab all the crew on the ship and never be alone until you all make it to wherever the hell you're going. Not sure if we have to worry about the traitor trying to stab you in the back with everyone around or if whoever is after you is just going to send more goons after you to get the suitcase.

Whatever is inside that case, they enemy not only knows about it, but were willing to send one of their top aces to shoot down the plane, have a second plan if the ace failed, and are willing to compromise the identity of an inside operative just to be sure that they get their hands on the case.

Expect them to pull out all the stops, they seem to be willing to go to any lengths to get that case. Fortunately, I'm sure if you get word to Summit that the competition is going to any expense to get the cargo you have, they'll be equally determined to make sure they fail. Or at least make it as expensive for Edevane as they have the ability to.

1/2 Coil 2022/07/07(Thu)22:54 No. 1037361 ID: ba0f62
File 165725969652.png - (216.27KB , 800x600 , TQ31.png )

>Without the rudder, there is no crash landing or flying. We will start corkscrewing and crash.
Wait, what?

The plane suddenly makes a massive impact, and everyone gets thrown around. About half the soldiers and crew have jumped out, Fletcher is still here but she seems to insist on being the last one to go. I radio Bry.

"What was that?"
"I lost altitude and we dropped down to a plateau of sorts. We're grinding against the edge of a cliff."
"Great! Can you stop the plane?"
"I'm afraid not, we're grinding down an incline and I don't have the landing gear out. We're running out of cliff, I'd say you all have about a minute to bail."
"Are you going to be ok?"
"There's a parachute in here, unfortunately, it seems to be full of... food, cutlery, a newspaper, camping supplies and an anvil."
"Oh." I was wondering where I put that.
"It’s fine... Maybe I can… work something out. Don’t worry about me, focus on yourself."

Maybe I should hold out on jumping.

>are you sure she didn't give you a false suitcase to use you as bait?
I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was listening. She doesn't strike me as the smart, quiet type.

>Swap suitcase contents
No time!

>do you have weapons on you? I think you are going to need it.
Do my mechanical gauntlets count? If not, I am otherwise unarmed. (heheh)

2/2 Coil 2022/07/07(Thu)22:55 No. 1037362 ID: ba0f62
File 165725970753.png - (237.13KB , 800x600 , TQ32.png )

>either the rookie came back, or they were somehow able to target your plane with artillery of some sort.
No plane could've done that. Must have been artillery, and I'm not sure Edevane was behind it, otherwise why would they have tried to shoot us down with jets beforehand and lose the element of surprise? It just seems odd.

>There must be a transmitter or some kind or location beacon so that whoever was aiming that laser thing didn't hit the cargo of the ship
Makes sense. Also explains why we wouldn't be able to find it so easily, those things are usually pretty small. But why was the artillery a plan B?

Only a few people are left on board. I hear Fletcher calling out for everyone remaining to jump off immediately. My choices are to jump off with Fletcher and go with her group and leave Bry, or to go and help Bry by either finding a way to slow/redirect the plane. or share a parachute. The traitor is still probably on board, but I'm not worried about her.

Well, since you feel personally responsible for replacing his parachute with a collection of Acme gags, you should probably... take the briefcase and jump with it! Are you mad?!

I wonder what his odds are of making it to the back of the plane and jumping out of the severed tail section. Better than jumping without a parachute, right?

>>1037362
Tell Bry to get back here, you'll share your parachute.
Steal the traitor's parachute if she shows up.

>>1037362
Share your parachute with Bry. Hes too cute to die.

>>1037362
Wait i got an idea. If we see one of those goat aliens, call out to them. Say "Hey Sam!" If they confirm theyre Sam, we found the traitor.

No man left behind grab your co-pilot and either get ready to jump out together or maybe find a way to stop the plane from taking cliff diving lessons.

Go to Bry. If the traitor shows up, her gun isn't loaded, and it's more likely she'll assume someone already jumped with the case anyway if it isn't where she thought it was. Meanwhile, it's kinda ridiculous to expect you to stop a tailspin without a tail, so make to jump with him.

Bry is too precious to die alone! Go help him.

>why would they have tried to shoot us down with jets beforehand and lose the element of surprise?
>why was the artillery a plan B?

Hiding that they have spies in Summit would be the obvious motive. Should a jet have shot down the plane, there would be no questions. However, now there are lots of questions. How did they know where to place the artillery to get that plane? How did they target the plane? Did they know the flight path? With all those questions, it'd be obvious to Summit that this was not coincidental, it was targeted.
With your discovery of a spy, we've solved a few pieces of the puzzle, but it also adds more questions. Like, who placed the beacon in the tail? Was it an operative on the ground, or do we have a second operative with us on the plane? Since the hostile forces seem to know which plane had the case, the flight path of the plane, and had the connections to get one of their own *and* a targeting beacon on the plane, how high up in Summit does this conspiracy go? Plus, given the scope of this op, what will they do if their spy fails to drop off the case? Seeing the lengths they've gone so far, it's doubtful they'll just give up.

>>1037375
Youp.

Radio him and say: "Bry, I need you to come back here, we can share my parachute, hmmmmmm."
The hmmmm is meant to sound pensive but it comes out.... weird.

Anyway, now you can jump with Fletcher's group.

I think Fletcher's plan is to dismantle any previous plan by giving the briefcase to someone as chaotic as yourself. Getting separated is actually a good way to achieve that.

>>1037362

You can't possibly intend to leave Bry behind. Let's go rescue his stubby butt, and share a parachute like good comrades in arms (hah).

>>1037362
>Arty Plan B
You weren't in the cockpit at the time. The planes could have tried to radio and force the plane down initially.

--

There is no slow or redirect the plane at this point. It is fucked. Honestly, for the people jumping, they may still be fucked if they hit the plateau rather than making it off the cliff. Still, staying is certain death and the longer you remain, the less likely you are to survive.
It is sad that Bry will probably die, and that you were the one who killed them (you cruel bastard), but I highly doubt you have the time or agility to go up to them, grab them, and bail out of the plane without splatting against the cliff all before the plane hits something, the floor is sanded through, or the ground gets too close for the parachute to open.

>>1037415
If we're speculating on why that was Plan B, "Plan A" does have the benefit of waving a false flag around. I imagine the artillery might be a more overt smoking gun pointing to whoever's actually behind this, after the fact.

1/3 Coil 2022/07/09(Sat)12:14 No. 1037483 ID: ba0f62
File 165739405786.png - (335.75KB , 800x600 , TQ33.png )

I choose Bry! He is more than just a work friend and co-pilot to me! And maybe because I'd feel a tad responsible if anything happened to him.

"Hey Bry, can you meet me halfway?"
"Afraid not, I need to stay on the wheel, so we don't go over the edge. Let me worry about this... If I don't make it, I want you to know, I've got a crush on-"

*crackling*
Strange. Seems the power to the plane, as well as its communications got cut. The plane's reserve power lights come on. Wonder what he was trying to say.

And it's a good thing that I decided to move towards the front, because Sam blocks my way to the door.
>"I... So, I... I-I really need that blue suitcase... For... because Fletcher ordered that I do it, so... give it to me or I'll... I'll have to... use... lethal... force..."

Ugh. Her trigger discipline is awful. I feel like she is holding the whole gun all wrong. I can even see from here that the safety is still on. The battery is still gone, and she still hasn't noticed. I almost pity the poor thing, but she still thinks she's some kind of threat. Knowing that I'm going to be unharmed, I use the opportunity to look totes hard-boiled.

She shuffles around with awkward unease. Whoever is sending traitors is not sending their best!

2/3 Coil 2022/07/09(Sat)12:14 No. 1037484 ID: ba0f62
File 165739407561.png - (287.41KB , 800x600 , TQ34.png )

"Alright, that's all the cases, now who's left... Hey, Coil! What the hell are you still doing here? And who's this? Soldier, this is going on your report! Coil, I thought I told you to-"
Her words are cut short as we hit a big bump which throws the two off-balance. Fletcher falls back into Sam, who joins in on the stumble by taking an exit out of the open hatch.
the only noise remaining to fill the crashing plane is scraping, winds and the loud engines, or what is left of them. Hopefully the two deploy their parachutes in time.

I manage to stay on my feet because of my small stature and my three tails helping to keep my balance. There are only two tobaks left on this plane, and I sprint to the front.

>I think Fletcher's plan is to dismantle any previous plan by giving the briefcase to someone as chaotic as yourself. Getting separated is actually a good way to achieve that.
Hold on... Really? It all makes so much sense now! Her giving me the case, trusting me with it? How did I not see something so obvious! She is putting me on a secret assignment to hand deliver this case to the airbase while being so unpredictable, no enemy could ever know what I'm doing! Don't worry Fletcher, I'll get it done! Who knows, maybe I'll get a promotion - and some shiny new hands!

3/3 Coil 2022/07/09(Sat)12:14 No. 1037485 ID: ba0f62
File 165739408531.png - (228.09KB , 800x600 , TQ35.png )

>"Hey buddy, miss me?"
"Coil! You came back for me!"
"Of course I did! We've always been closer than just co-workers."
"Oh darling, we have?"
"Of course, we're [/b] bunk buddies! [/b]"
"Oh, right. This much is true. But there isn't much time, we need to act fast!"
"Is that a big lake ahead?"
"It appears so."

Should we jump out? Should it be off the cliff or onto the dirt to the other side. Or should we try landing (crashing) this plane, with all survivors!

"Get ready, Bry; we're jumping."

I mean, we have a parachute, and it's just us on board. It'd be kinda dumb to risk our lives to save the plane at this point.

As for "where"... I feel kind of uncomfortable being isolated from the troops, even if putting distance between us and the traitor does seem appealing. When you put the "chaotic gambit" like that, I suddenly have less confidence in it. Parachute now, off the cliff and after the troops.

Since I know nothing about planes I will trust the guy who seem to know something:
>>1037143
So let's jump.

Ask Bry to repeat what he said when the communication got cut.

I mean if you have people still on the plan aim for the lake but if it's just the 2 of you left just grab your buddy and jump. Remember to tell him to hold on tight. Would really suck for you two to jump out only for one of you to then fall.

Get out on the dirt side. I hope you have helmets, this is going to be a bumpy ride.

>>1037487
Yeah, let's bounce. Also, whad did they said bedore?

Go for the dirt, softer landing.

>>1037485
Please tell me Bry is secretly a shortstack lady tobak and not a pretty femboy.

>>1037485
At this speed, hitting the water will be like hitting the ground.

Just Jump and pray to make it off the cliff.

>>1037485
So if Tobaks have literals wires in their body, does that mean it's easier to incorporate hardware (cyberwar, cybernetics, implants, subderman armor, computers) as opposed to wetware (artificial organs, vat grown muscles, bioarmor)?

Jump to wherever the troops are.
Whoever shot down the plane has invested a lot of resources to get that case, so it'd be no surprise if they had an assault team on standby for search and retrieval should the spy fail to get the case to the specified location as planned.
Say, what does Summit do if a plane is downed? Like, what's the protocol?

>>1037485
Kiss him you fool!

>>1037557
Given how tunnels make radar useless, there probably isn't anything they can do until they know the plane is missing, and they will only know the plane is missing once it fails to reach its destination. Depending on how far along we are, that could be a while.

Since the adversary seems to be more willing to shell out money on tech, we could end up seeing some hovercraft coming at us here soon. Probably not actual full clearance hovercraft (cuz zeny), but we could totally see some air cushion skirt hovertanks since they are fast and amphibious.

>>1037574
Bunk buddies don't do that, silly. *Pained Bry noises.*

>>1037597
Sure they do. I kiss my bunk buddy all the time.

>>1037600

It's not gay unless all three tails touch

If it's just Bry and you,jump.
But if there is other survivors try crashlanding the plane.

>>1037485
Are all the soilders and smol people crew out? RADIO CHECK!

I get you tow are amazing pilots toghether. If there is still people onboard, try to make "an elegant crash".

If not, jump with your parachute over the cliff. I doubt those parachutes are made for more than one tolbak and it will probably will need more distance to decelerate.

If we really want to try and stop the plane, lets do this:

-Turn off all engines except the far right one. That one should still be intact and dangling off the cliff.

-Gun that one engine to max until the plane starts turning away from the cliff edge. (you will know when this happens cuz it will trash the right side propellers when they hit the cliff)

-The plane should (if we are very lucky) now be sliding away from the cliff edge. At this point, the wings should keep the plane from rolling down the incline and the friction should stop the plane pretty quickly since all the engines will be dead. (assuming we have enough space)

Aiming for the lake will mean death. The plane can't glide without a tail. Plus, the wings could easily rip off after grinding against the cliff for this long.

>>1037485
Bry is wife

>>1037544
This

1/2 Coil 2022/07/18(Mon)05:05 No. 1038459 ID: ba0f62
File 165814591656.png - (204.83KB , 800x600 , TQ36.png )

>Radio check
I can't get a signal, I think we're too far away.

>Say, what does Summit do if a plane is downed? Like, what's the protocol?
Usually, it crashes and they send a different team to salvage all the good bits. I imagine that'd take a while, local raiders will probably have first dibs at the crash site. Other companies may even show up before our guys do.

>So if Tobaks have literals wires in their body, does that mean it's easier to incorporate hardware (cyberwar, cybernetics, implants, subderman armor, computers) as opposed to wetware (artificial organs, vat grown muscles, bioarmor)?
Absolutely. All the wet squishy biological stuff is just as hard to do as it is for the aliens. It's not impossible, just hard and expensive. Probably something you wouldn’t invest into a tobak.

I tell Bry to hold on tight, we're jumping down into the caves below. I thread the briefcase handle through my tails and we both jump.

I pull the cord and the parachute deploys without problems or picnic supplies. I try to aim us towards the security team, but I can't seem to see any sign of those that jumped out previously.

"You seem to be holding on to me at a bit of a weird angle, you're not going to slip off or anything, right?"
>"I could hold you like this forever."
"That's reassuring. Hey uh, I think your snout is a little close to my snout there. Careful, we might touch snouts."
>"mhmm... yeah."
>Please tell me Bry is secretly a short lady tobak
That would certainly make this less weird for me but as strange as Bry is, I am at least 93% sure he is a dude and not an abnormally short lady.
>Kiss him you fool!
N-no! I like ladies!
"Cool, just make sure to not do anything from this angle that could be construed as kissing in case somebody sees. It'd be totes embarrassing. By the way, what were you trying to say before you cut out on the radio?"
>"Oh, I was just telling you that I have a crush on you."
"You got a crush on everyone! It isn't a special thing if you feel that way about everybody!"
>"I won't deny the fact that I have many crushes for many individuals."
"More than just tobaks, too. You got some sort of thing for a particular sect rogue."
>"Lyvy is adorable and misunderstood~"
Yyyyyyuck!

2/2 Coil 2022/07/18(Mon)05:05 No. 1038460 ID: ba0f62
File 165814592691.png - (213.06KB , 800x600 , TQ37.png )

Me and Bry plunge deep into a body of water. That's weird, who put this river here? Bry is able to swim off just fine.
I detach the parachute and harness and try to swim up as well.

This proves to be more difficult than expected - all my clothes have absorbed a bunch of water and become heavy, and I have anchors for hands weighing me down. This is unusual, tobaks are usually pretty buoyant.

I can try to swim all I want, but I'm not getting anywhere with all this weight, I need to lose some stuff.

Well, the jacket for starters, time to show off those pecs.
The Hok goggles can go too since you have a spare (and they look the heaviest of the bunch). If that's still not enough, you might have to lose the briefcase... or your pants.

Alas, it does look like you are going to have to leave all the heavy clothing. If it is still too heavy, detach your hands as well.
Tell Bry to not make any salacious comments and to try to retrieve your stuff once you get to the surface.

rolled 1 = 1

---

>Leave hands?
Tough call. The hands are bulky and cheap to replace, but you really need functioning appendages when dealing with a bleeding-edge Mega-Corp.

Coin toss (Y1/N2) to determine if you toss one hand.

Ditch one hand and the suitcase. The bottom of a river is pretty safe.

Get naked. If it doesn't work, lose a hand.
Check you still have the briefcase.

>>1038460
Dump the hat and jacket. They are both probably pretty heavy and dense. If you can get to the surface, you can take your pants off, tie the legs together, put them around your neck and make an improvised life jacket with them (It is kinda hard to explain how you do it without seeing it. There are probably pictures online.).

You gotta do it, you gotta get totally naked. For the mission, Coil. Think of the mission. If you gotta ditch the briefcase too then maybe you could wrap it with your clothes, hide it all at the bottom of the river.
All except for the hat, naturally. Maybe Bry'll let you use some of his clothes if he hasn't also ditched them to make swimming easier, that coat of his did seem heavy. And really, what's a little nudity between bunk buddies?

Accessories and jacket can go. The left hand if there is no other way, but the right stay. Suitcase only as the last resort.

Soon you will showing Bry whatever you've being hiding under the hat and goggles. If it's really that shameful you could joke about loosing his crush because of your ugly mug. It will make easy to explain you are not interested even though he is very cute.
Pity that is as far as we can go, but at least we got a passionate hug.

Uh, honestly I’d say ditch everything that you don’t need. Start with coat, then overalls if need be, and the f that still isn’t enough drop briefcase then hands if you STILL need to loss weight.

Putting briefcase and hands as higher priority because they’re important but if you’re going to die then fuck em. Still though if you can save them please do as the case sounds like it’s mission important and having hands is just plane better then not having hands.