[OOC] Falling Skies: Reboot (Mecha, Space Opera)

[vietmyke]

@Senhara eh, things are going a bit slower than I expected, so perhaps we could do with one or two more

[Senhara]

@Senhara eh, things are going a bit slower than I expected, so perhaps we could do with one or two more

@vietmyke

Cool, I'll draft up a charsheet. I'm not sure what the proper engagement ranges you're looking for are, I'm super tactical about my mech designs

[vietmyke]

@Senhara For the most part we're going to be fighting within visual range, some situations might put us out further then that- as well as some specific weapons or machines, but in general it'll be a dogfight more than modern-day missiles firing from well out of visual range.

[Rapid Reader]

Another day, another sheet finally finished:

Pilot Profile: Alcántara, Clara

"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough." - Mario Andretti

Appearance: Clara measures in at a modest 5 ft 5 in when standing on the very tips of her toes. However, her short stature has noticeable advantages in terms of her comfort in even the most cramped cockpits and regarding her ability to tolerate higher g-loads. Pragmatic to the core and deeply dedicated to maximum efficiency in her private life, Clara keeps her chestnut colored hair cut short and rarely does much to maintain it. Her calm eyes are cast in a shade of gunmetal grey and mirror the mostly collected expressions that travel across her features. Hailing from Colony 725-T, she possess a pallor that is the composite of her parents and her skin is a light shade of olive.
Name: Alcántara, Clara
Age: 23
Rank:O-2 2nd Lieutenant
Callsign: Zoom
Kills: 1

Psychological Analysis: Steeped in more books and technical manuals than any one person should be, Clara Alcántara is a test pilot locked in an endless battle with gravity and the limits of human physiology. Pairing a natural technical aptitude with an intuitive ability to pilot Mobile Armor Suits, Alcántara possesses many of the traits required to excel as a test pilot. Calm and steady even under fire, Alcántara is able to think clearly and problem solve complex issues even when these issues occur in the middle of combat and at g's high enough to induce unconsciousness.

With deft movements of her controls, Clara flies through the midnight of space effortlessly, an interstellar feather gently drifting in the star strewn winds, and stoically accepts her place as a test pilot constantly fighting for more speed in a universe ensnared by gravity.

The bane of any sane mechanic, Alcántara has made it her habit to push her MAS far past the bleeding edge of what could be considered safe or usually survivable. She rarely bring her MAS back in pristine condition and she's known for managing to buckle armor plating with high sustained g-forces more frequently than any manual says should be possible. Embracing the risk of being a test pilot, Alcántara lives her life on the cusp of G-force induced loss of consciousness (g-loc), Alcántara has a knack for making incredible high speed shots and performing maneuvers that threaten her own safety. While she can best be described as an aggressive pilot, Alcántara is not reckless, and she claims to risk only enough to accomplish the objectives of the current mission.

Seemingly unburdened by her professional career, Clara has managed to separate her persona as a test and combat pilot from her persona as Ana the person. She is friendly, if a bit reserved, and is amicable in most social situations. Far from a loner, she nonetheless takes care to spend time by herself and if left unattended she is likely to bury her face in one of the many books or convoluted technical manuals she keeps on her personal data pad.

Personal Record:

An Interview with a Test Pilot

"Steiner and Thompson?"

Clara shook her head, "Dead."

"You're sure?"

Another pointless question, another wasted breath. The briefing room felt wrong. The air felt hot. Her skin was on fire and she felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins, "I'm sure."

"How can you be sure, Lieutenant Alcántara?"

Alcántara tried to stare a hole through the scientist's skull. Five minutes, five minutes in, and she already wanted to vent him out of an airlock, "Thompson's reactor went critical. He didn't have time to punch out and even if he had, he would have been caught in the blast wave."

"And Steiner?" the Commander added, nodding respectfully. Clara trusted her. She was the real deal. A careerist through and through, but she wasn't bad, not as far as high ranking officers went.

"We had to split up. I broke left, away from the colony, he broke right towards the colony. A squad of Gramrs took him out. Souped up models. Veteran pilots. A new variant. I haven't seen a Gramr move like that before, not that fast, not that well. He bought me enough of a head start. I got one of them in a derelict field. The rest couldn't track me with all the radiation."

"Unfortunate, very unfortunate, the data those suits carried was invaluable," Zamorano began. Clara listened to the Chief Engineer, burying her anger beneath tired eyes. He didn't know. He didn't understand. He hadn't watched her friends die. He didn't care. All he cared about was telemetry. Steiner had warned her. She'd tried to tell her.

"What my esteemed colleague is trying to say," the Commander interrupted, cutting off the scientist with a sharp wave of her hand in his direction. "What we would like to say is that we are sorry, very sorry to hear about the tragic deaths of Lieutenant Commander Thompson and Lieutenant Steiner. They were good pilots. They were good people. They were our friends and they will be missed."

"They knew the risks, they knew what they signed up for, Commander Wright," Clara replied half-heartedly, feeling a sob tugging at back of her throat. Thompson deserved better. Steiner deserved much better. The UEE owed them more than some weak condolences in a briefing room.

"What happened out there, Lieutenant?" Wright continued, her voice laced with carefully chosen sympathy. "This was supposed to be the final flight test. Rules of engagements precluded-"

"The Coalition happened," Clara replied bitterly. "We were following the projected ingress route when-

"You were supposed to avoid engaging enemy forces! You were only supposed to watch them! You were supposed to evade them if they spotted you!" the engineer shouted, his red turning a unflattering shade of red.

"We tried. They ran us down. We didn't have any other options and so we fought."

"That's not good enough, Alcántara! Not good enough by a long shot. You're supposed to be the best. You're a test pilot, you're supposed to be the very best the UEE has to offer!" Zamorano roared, jabbing his data pad with his finger as if he was stabbing a knife into her heart with each jab.

"Chief Engineer Zamorano," the commander attempted. "Please keep your voice down-"

The engineer brought his data pad down on the table so hard that Clara was surprised that the screen didn't crack. "Mars Military Institute. Top of your class. 52nd Research and Development Squadron. Three years. Thompson and Steiner were supposed to be just as good! Better even! You were supposed to bring back my prototypes in one piece!"

"ZAMORANO! ENOUGH!" Wright ordered, her clinched fist hammering down on the table. "I've heard enough about your precious prototypes to last me a lifetime. If you can't control yourself, then I will have you escorted to your quarters. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Zamorano said with disinterested shrug. Clara could see the sweat pooling at edges of his forehead. He knew better than to play games with the Commander. She didn't make idle threats, and she outranked him. She outranked him by a couple of decades.

"What about my MAS?" Clara interjected, hoping to catch the Chief Engineer before he recovered.

"My prototype?" Zamorano hissed. "Scrap."

Reeling, Alcántara gripped onto armrest of her chair. She knew the mission. She had worked on the project for two years. She knew everything there was to know about the prototype MAS. Everything that mattered and then some. She had loved her MAS. She had loved her MAS like an old friend. And now it was gone. They were gone. All of them.

"There wasn't much left of it after you crashed it into the hanger bay," the engineer lectured, with a disgusted frown. Clara could feel the scorn emanating off of him. He was annoyed. He was more than annoyed. He was furious. And it almost made her glad that she had sent the prototype careening into the wall of the hanger at close to 350 kilometers per hour. If only it hadn't been the only one. Clara winced. They'd only ever had three working prototypes. Two years and all they had to show for it was seven wrecked Mobile Armor Suits and twice as many bodies.

"And the data? Did we manage to-"

"We managed to recover it! No thanks to you. It took us five hours to dig the black box out of the wreckage and ten more to salvage the data."

Clara took a deep breath, loosening her grip on the edge of the chair, a smile tugged at the edge of her mouth. She could die happy. They could take her wings, they could bury the data, but she knew, and they knew. She hadn't let them down. She'd landed a burning prototype MAS at 500 kilometers per hour without so much as a single functioning guidance system and they couldn't take that from her. No matter how hard they tried. No matter what old friends the Chief Engineer called on.

"Do you have anything else that you would like to add, Alcántara?" Commander Wright said.

"Ma'am, just a question," Clara replied, straightening up in her chair. "Is the project canceled?"

"Canceled? No, no by the Heavens no," Wright said with a chuckle and as she turned to Zamorano, it seemed to Clara that even the Chief Engineer was on the verge of smiling. "The data you brought back to us was lovely. The Brass were pleased, real pleased in fact. A twenty-five percent increase in performance is no small thing and for three suits to take out most of a Coalition task force is no small feat."

"I'm sorry, what?" Clara managed, feeling her heart pounding against her ribs. Her bruises screamed with the effort and she felt suddenly light headed.

Commander Wright smiled gently, offering a knowing look, "Congratulations, Lieutenant, flight testing of Project [-Redacted-] has been deemed a complete success. Combat testing is set to begin within two weeks and effective immediately you are transferred to the 7th MAS Squadron, 101st Legion."

Equipment: Like any sane military personnel operating in an active war zone, Clara carries a standard issue UEE sidearm on her person and a well-stocked MAS pilot survival kit in her MAS. Minimalistic in terms of her possessions, Clara does keep an encrypted data pad stuffed to the brim with old books and highly classified technical manuals.

MAS Profile: SRS-717 Peregrine Prototype

Appearance: Painted a dashing shade of blue with gold trim, the Peregrine is a sleek MAS that screams speed, speed and lots of speed.

Flight Mode

Mobile Armor Suit Mode

Designation: SRS-717 Peregrine Prototype
Role: Rapid Response / High Speed Scout
Chassis: Light
Description: Featuring a high-powered generator developed in a joint project between Dassault Aviation and the UEE, the Peregrine is a sate-of-the-art prototype MAS designed to provide unparalleled speed and maneuverability. Boasting a surprisingly powerful armament for a light MAS, the Peregrine is a notoriously difficult MAS to operate and requires a skilled pilot comfortable operating at the very limits of human physiology to reach its full potential. Stripped of any armor that might limit maximum performance, the Peregrine sacrifices direct pilot and MAS survivability, and instead relies on almost completely on the pilot avoiding any incoming enemy fire.
Systems:

• Rheinmetall MK 508 - 120mm Autocannon (Primary) - A prototype weapon developed as a private venture by Rheinmetall and submitted to the UEE in response to a requirement for a heavy MAS weapon intended to be used against newly developed Coalition MAS appearing on battlefields across UEE controlled space in growing numbers. Relatively light for a high caliber autocannon, the MK 508 has proven to be well suited to this role and is capable of brining down even heavy MAS with only a few hits. To allow the MK 508 to be mounted in smaller mobile armored suits, the cannon is quite compact and has been optimized for a high rate of fire at the expense of long range ballistic performance.
• Saab Bofors Dynamics Advanced Missile System / SBD AMS 85 / "Rapier" (Primary) - The latest and greatest from the Swedes at Saab Bofors Dynamics, the SBD AMS 85 represents the latest and greatest in terms of modular advanced missile systems. Holding a respectable payload of 6 Claymore, 6 Micro, and 2 Longsword missiles in a standard configuration, the AMS 85 can also be be modified with minimal preparation to carry different mission appropriate payloads as needed.
• IPG Photonics Micro Laser Defense System / IPGP MLDS 2035 (Secondary) - Rather than relying on cumbersome ballistic system, prone to running out of ammo or exploding when damaged, the Peregrine utilizes four short range micro lasers to deal with softer targets such armored vehicles, missiles, and infantry.
  a lightweight, low-cost and modular laser-based infrared protection
• Compact Beam Saber/ EB-21C / "Stiletto" (Secondary) - A compact plasma beam saber, with limited power capacity, the EB-21C is intended to be utilized for quick strikes targeting critical components of enemy MAS or vehicles.
• Dassault Aviation Flight Booster System / DA-597 FBS / (Utility) - The result of thirty years of research conducted by Dassault Aviation, the DA-597 flight consists of two massive flight boosters that take up much of the body of the Peregrine. Powered by an equally ambitious and advanced generator, the DA-597 puts out an unprecedented level of vertical and horizontal thrust that at maximum throttle input borders on completely uncontrollable. The end result is that the Peregrine is blisteringly fast and provided the pilot can remain conscience, few things in space can outmaneuver or outrun the Peregrine.
• Westinghouse Electric Corporation Upgraded Targeting Suite / WX-357 UTS (Utility) - To facilitate high speed and high angle deflection shots that border on the impossible, the Peregrine has been equipped with a cutting-edge and custom built target suite developed by the researchers at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Utilizing a smart AI trained on data collected from some of the best aces that the UEE could find, the WX-357 upgraded targeting suite rapidly analyzes target range, speed, environmental factors, and pilot MAS movement to provide the Peregrine pilot with projections that allow for accurate fire even at maximum speeds.
• Honeywell Advanced Threat Countermeasures System / HON-95 ATCS (Utility) - A lightweight, modular protection system that utilizes flares, chaff, and modulating laser pulses to confuse missiles' guidance systems causing them to miss their target.

@vietmyke

[Senhara]

@Senhara For the most part we're going to be fighting within visual range, some situations might put us out further then that- as well as some specific weapons or machines, but in general it'll be a dogfight more than modern-day missiles firing from well out of visual range.

@vietmyke

Gotcha, are there any rules about "discardable" weapons, so for when super close range combat occurs I can eject weapons or modules to lessen my weight?

[vietmyke]

@Rapid Reader looks good! Accepted!

@Senhara nope, I have no written rules about that- yes you can discard weapons and armor to shed weight. Just be sure to grab them at the end of the fight or you might not have them next time- depending on how much stock and munitions the ship has remaining.

[Senhara]

@vietmyke how far can I push a custom mech, and what constitutes for Special Operations Custom?

[Sep]

@vietmyke just announcing my formal interest in the OOC, again let me know if spaces fill up again as I won't be able to devote time to fully absorbing the OOC and making a sheet till Thursday.

[vietmyke]

@Senhara I'd rather you stay within the guidelines of the Suit Builder when possible- exceptions can be made, but I'd prefer that you stick to those limits. As far as what constitutes a SOC unit- its more of the lore of what the machine is designed for. Was your machine/its variant designed for Special Operations? Then its a SOC unit. Is it a bog standard unit? Then its a Mass Produced unit. Etc

[Senhara]

@vietmyke ok so here's a strange question. Can I effectively mount a mobile CIWS onto my mech or is that way too OP?

[vietmyke]

@Senhara That's plenty feasible- depending on the size of your mech. By CIWS, I assume you mean something similar to what a warship would use as anti-air coverage? Most modern-day CIWS use 20mm or 30mm shells- which is comparable in size to most mech sized primary weapons

[Senhara]

@Senhara That's plenty feasible- depending on the size of your mech. By CIWS, I assume you mean something similar to what a warship would use as anti-air coverage? Most modern-day CIWS use 20mm or 30mm shells- which is comparable in size to most mech sized primary weapons

@vietmyke

Yeah, I assumed it'd be too OP because that's a *lot* of rounds in a short burst, and given mech sizes I could feasibly strap one on and just let loose at other mechs

[vietmyke]

Hey everybody! Thanks for being so patient- so we've had a few drops, but luckily we have a few more coming in, so we can get started soon!

[Rapid Reader]

No rush, I'm still here, just always super busy at the start to middle of the week.

[vietmyke]

We'll probably look to get started around this weekend hopefully! Just gotta get those last sheets in, but I also don't want to completely blow out of steam

[6slyboy6]

@vietmyke I remember reading the last iteration of this RP, but sadly at the time it was closed and I had a lot of work to do. While I'm not particularly free at the moment as I'm soon starting an RP (hopefully) and already in another one, I do think that I could fit one into my schedule :D

I do have a question though that I would rather ask here than through the OC, because it tends to get murky when trying to find specific answers.

As a fan of series like The Expanse and about a billion more medium/hard sci-fi book franchises, and someone who has played too much Titanfall and Battletech/Mechwarrior, I want to know just what exacly the aim is for the general feel of the mechs. Personally I am not a fan of Gundam, not even the newer iterations: battlesuits that are also spaceships and whatnot completely break my immersion, though I do realize that making space capable suits isn't necessarily impossible. I'd say that for me Titanfall finds a perfect balance between the very much IFV-like aspects of battletech, and the hyper advanced non-realistic battlesuits of Gundam. Is there any side of the spectrum in particular that you are leaning towards? I don't mind when mechs duke it out on the outside of some planetary dockyard in zero-g and ahrd vacuum, but having them fly around like fighters is a big no-no for me personally

Of course, that all depends on whether or not you even want/need one more person haha. I'm a big sci-fi/warfare nerd so I do think I would fit right in, but as said above I want to make sure I can immerse myself into an RP before jumping in. Nobody is going to get anything out of half-assed posts if I get bored after a few months haha ^-^'

[vietmyke]

ya boi is back and now fully vaccinated

Er, just because I know its been a bit, can I get a roll call to see who's still in and up for this RP?

@6slyboy6 Hey! glad for the interest, though I will tell you now that this definitely falls more towards the gundam side of things than it does the battletech side of things ^^; Not quite as far flung as gundam, but there will definitely be mobile suits moving like fighters and the like

[FrostedCaramel]

I remember joining your iteration of this on Iwaku in 2014, though it didn't last long it was very impactful on the sort of RPs I've pursued since. How are you looking on slots here?

[Dog]

I am alive.

[Rapid Reader]

Er, just because I know its been a bit, can I get a roll call to see who's still in and up for this RP?

@vietmyke

Here and ready to explode enemy mechs. :D