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

[Hawthorne]

Nice, good to know. I'll probably have something up sometime soon.

[Hawthorne]

Pilot Profile

Appearance: A lean, muscular man, slightly on the taller end of the spectrum. Long, red-brown hair typically tied up when doing fieldwork, or when in combat. Short beard and mustache. Freckled, white skin and brown eyes. Jolly expression and grin. Calloused hands used to hardship with the scars to prove it. His heart and lungs replaced with bionic substitutes, which have improved his health significantly. Left-arm has been replaced with a mechanical prosthetic. Looks younger than he actually is.

Dieuseul Robert "Bob" Etienne

Name: Etienne, Dieuseul Robert
Age: 33, chronologically older.
Callsign: "Bob", as a shortening of his second name. Supposedly a reference to an ancient vintage children's cartoon several centuries ago, though he's never seen it himself.
Kills: Nine (Two MAS kills, four bunker kills, two fortress kills, and a warship kill)

Psychological Analysis: A simple man of simple pleasures. Dieuseul loves his work, is confident in his skills, and when the working day is done, he would love nothing more than a cold beer and good company. He has a friendly demeanor, and a live and let live attitude to most things. Surprisingly well-educated when it comes to mathematics, engineering, and architecture. When on the job, he doesn't complain, and he when the going gets rough, he hunkers down and does his work with a grin.

Duty being a part of his work, he follows orders as best he can, though he doesn't enjoy the act of killing, instead seeing combat as an unfortunate incident that must be done. Dieuseul would love nothing more than to leave the war and settle down, but in his own words, he "has to make sure there's a home to go back to, first." He's not a religious man, instead choosing to hedge his bets on the potential of humanity. In his off-time, he likes relaxing in the breakroom, watching intergalactic television, and occasionally working with his tools to make something.

Personal Record: Born on the fringes of galactic society, Dieuseul Robert Etienne was one of several children in a family of spacefaring construction workers and miners. The Etienne family lived in Liberty Point, a colony in the Free-Enterprise Zone, working underneath the local mining company. They lived modest lives within the system's asteroid belts, harvesting ice and minerals from the asteroids to turn them into water and materials respectively.

With a lack of career options, Robert naturally also joined the family business. As a blue-collar worker, he made enough money for himself to live a modest lifestyle. His life was largely uneventful barring the occasional skirmish on the frontier, but that much was to be expected in a place like this. With no particular desire to emigrate towards the coreworlds, or to press his luck with a deep-space expedition, the man continued as-is for years on end. During his stint as a worker, he picked up certifications on how to drive small ships, operate heavy machinery, and even how to pilot a MAS.

As conflicts arose, however, things went from relatively peaceful, to uncomfortably tense. Pirate and criminal activity within Liberty Point began to swell as the UEE began to press in on the place. They had lived on a barren rock, but the pirates felt that it was their barren rock, and that they'd fight tooth-and-nail for it-- the pirates escalated matters, organizing a violent takeover of the colony. The colony militia, caught by surprise, fought and died, or had to surrender. Some of the militiamen had even turned over to the side of the pirates, marking the first point in Liberty Point's descent into lawlessness.

The civilians of the town were soon forced into what was essentially slavery, the pirates taking a heavy tithe of their resources. As was the case with criminals, if you give them a cent, they'd take a pound. The Etienne family, Dieseul included, toiled away in the mines, while the pirates plucked the fruit of their labor for themselves. With unrest growing, the people of Liberty Point had a plan... but they'd need the Empire's help for it.

At great risk to themselves, a skiff from Liberty Point was dispatched to alert the Imperials of their plan. All seemed to go well, but soon, the pirates had moved to round the people of the colony up-- it had seemed that there was a rat. Instead of surrendering quietly, the colonists sprang into action, their plan now triggered far too early. As the people armed themselves with whatever they could get their hands on, they could only hope that the Imperials would hear of their plan soon enough.

A bloody battle lit up the void black sky as they began their impromptu revolution. Some were driving weaponized ore haulers, while others were within armored exo-frames meant to assist in construction. A rare few were within proper Mobile Armor Suits-- Robert included, piloting the Hephaestus. The battle was long and hard, and it was not in the colonist's favor. Having received critical wounds in the midst of battle, and no possible medical treatment in sight, Dieseul decided to put his faith in the people and head into cryosleep. It wouldn't heal him, but it would keep his body in a state of not-dying. If they unfroze him and tended to him quickly, perhaps there was a chance.

The rest was up to them, now.

---

The next time Robert had awoken, he was in an advanced medical facility receiving treatment for the wounds he had received... seventeen years ago. As it turned out, Imperial forces arrived at Liberty Point just in the nick of time, driving the pirates away. Although some of the colonists were not pleased to have had to hand over sovereignty of their beloved rock, most simply wanted stability-- which the Empire could thankfully provide.

As for the reason as to why he was only being treated now, it had seemed that the Empire had scanned his injuries within the caskets, and had to shuttle him around until they could find a hospital good enough to house him. As a critically injured individual in cryostasis, conditions not only had to be good but perfect. Such treatments were exceedingly expensive, more than what a family of blue-collar workers could provide.

And thus, the Etienne family worked themselves to the bone to accumulate the money needed for his treatments. If it was any consolation, they had all the time in the world. By the end of it, though, they had managed it, and the operation had gone off without a hitch. For a moment, Robert wondered if it would have been easier for him to have died, but instead, he focused on the fact that he was alive. With happiness in his heart, he returned to his family.

But a young man frozen in time had little to do once he returned home. Liberty Point had been an Empire town for seventeen years, and it showed. Things weren't the same anymore. The majority of the Etienne family had died in the uprising, died in mining accidents, or had long since left for greener pastures. All that remained was his younger sister, now older than he was, and terminally ill from years of dust inhalation.

Dieseul remained by her side until her death several years later.

As a simple man with simple desires, complicated things made him think about his next move. Robert was not a particularly ambitious man, and while he could emigrate towards the coreworlds, he had no skills aside from what he already knew. He could remain in Liberty Point, but then what? He pondered this long and hard, but then decided upon something he had never even considered before this: he would join the military.

The man took the ancient, run-down Hephaestus his family had owned and signed on for the Imperial Navy. He was in good physical health, had known how to pilot a MAS, and had even seen actual combat before. His mech was retrofitted and repaired, and soon, he was transferred to one of the many Mobile Armor Forces. He whet his teeth there, gaining additional training and combat experience. This campaign continued for a while before he was transferred once more towards the 101st Mobile Armor Force.

Equipment:

Engineer's Flight Suit	A vacuum-sealed full-body suit for use in the pilot's seat, as well as for exterior repair jobs.
Plasmacutter	A handheld power tool with a miniature reactor. Can cut through rocks and steel alike, and can also be used to weld something into place.
Multi-tool	A battery-operated power tool that can be used for anything the plasmacutter can't handle.
Unfinished Exoskeleton	A personal project. When he needs to do any real heavy-lifting, he just borrows one of the suits from the hangar, but it's nice to have something to work on.
Colonial Arms Coilgun Revolver	Robert's personal sidearm. A six shot slugthrower that can deliver frontier justice at 5,000 mph.
Personal Effects	Civilian clothes. Mementos of home. Pictures of family.

MAS Profile

Appearance: A far cry from the sleeker, military-grade MAS that typically take the forefront, the Hephaestus lives up to its name as an ugly, asymmetrical mech that towers over many of its peers. Its hull is patched up with varying qualities and shades of metal, and is painted in a drab construction worker yellow, a matte black, and a reflective grey. This Mobile Armor Suit certainly won't win any awards for style.

Still, its rugged, brutalist appearance aside, it's clear that it was made with function over form in mind. Its simple, bipedal design makes it easy to repair, and the lifter frame exoskeleton provides a 'backpack' and second set of arms for general use. The reinforced cockpit gives the pilot a full view of what's ahead of them, and cameras in the back show side and rear views. This cockpit can be opened up to let the air out, sealed shut in a combat situation (switching all views to rely on external cameras), or even ejected entirely, if push comes to shove.

ICR-309 Hephaestus M

((As I couldn't find a singular proper image that fit the design I was going for, I've selected five of the most relevant pictures. You are free to combine themes of each one together, taking artistic liberties as you see fit.))

Designation: ICR-309 Hephaestus M (Mass Produced)
Role: Industrial Work Unit (Retrofitted for Field Construction, Entrenchment, Repairs, and Demolitions)
Chassis: Heavy
Description: The Hephaestus is an all-purpose heavy-duty construction, mining, and repair MAS for use in various environments. Although not as popular in the coreworlds due to its steep price tag, high maintenance cost, and large stature, it found great success within the Free-Enterprise Zone and other fringe colonies, where its rugged build and capability for self-sufficiency allows it to thrive. A highly-valued workhorse in any colonial industrial line, many of its kind were integral in the starting phases of any spacefaring organization, whether it be an asteroid mining company, a burgeoning company, or simply a well-equipped salvager.

Thus, when the Great War began, many Hephaestus units beat their plowshares into swords and went into combat. Although mostly valued for their ability to build, mine, repair, and manufacture for its associated faction, the MAS in question was found to hold up decently well in battle, provided it served an auxiliary support role. With a few modifications to its equipment, the Hephaestus' size and tonnage allows it to keep up with smaller-sized mechs, though like most civilian craft, it easily folds under the weight of any dedicated military strike force. As such, these industrial work units are mostly relegated to their original roles, only really showing themselves in the thick of battle if the situation calls for it.
Systems:

VF-2 Modular Forgeblade	Superheavy	The pinnacle of new-age heavy-duty tools, the Modular Forgeblade is an innovative design that uses technology similar to a Hybrid Plasma-Kinetic system. With ample materials at hand, the integrated fabricator within the device can flash-forge disposable silicon-carbide power tools to fit the situation. The transparent, nearly diamond-hard blade is created and suspended in an energy field safely away from the wielder's hull. Warning lights illuminate the field so the searing-hot blade only burns and cuts what it is intended to; whether that's dirt, concrete, rock, metal, or an enemy MAS. It is, however, unwieldy, and best used as intended: as a general, all-purpose construction or mining tool, rather than an impromptu melee weapon.
D-10 Bolt Thrower	Primary	A glorified nail gun, the Bolt Thrower was intended to be used as a construction tool, using powerful electromagnets to drive rivets and stakes into the hull of various constructions projects. With some modifications, however, it can be a serviceable weapon, though only truly usable at short to medium range. Ammunition includes 30mm heated rivets, 30mm armor-piercing sabots, or 40mm explosive saber darts.
G-24 80mm Smoothbore Launcher	Primary	The closest thing resembling a true weapon on the Hephaestus. Mounted on the backpack over the right shoulder, this launcher is typically used to fire specialized coring charges. These spiked mining explosives embed themselves deep within space-rock, before detonating to reveal the core within. In combat, these coring charges can be used as-is or swapped out for 80mm autocannon shells, or even autonomous missiles and rockets. However, as the Hephaestus was never intended for a direct combat role, it lacks a properly integrated targeting computer-- as such, it is typically relegated to the destruction of enemy entrenchments, or as long-range fire support role to provide indirect mortar fire.
"Atlas" Lifter Frame	Secondary	Although most Mobile Armor Suits already sport an impressive carrying capacity, this exoskeleton frame increases the mass the attached mech can lift by a factor of ten. An extra set of auxiliary power arms is added to help carry multiple loads at once (or a singular, heavier load), and the retractable 'backpack' provides ample storage for all of the MAS' equipment, weapons, and materials when not in use. In combat, this allows the Hephaestus to perform incredible feats of strength, which even extends to its use of close-combat maneuvers, though it cannot leverage all of its power to its advantage, making melee a last-ditch effort. This module also comes with bunker bolts, allowing the Hephaestus to plant its feet into the ground for steady footing in areas where its magnetic boots cannot take hold of things.
"Foreman" Drone Control Tower	Secondary	Mounted on the backpack, behind the left shoulder. This large pylon serves as the control network that allows the Hephaestus' pilot to control swarms of construction, mining, and repair drones. These drones lack an AI controller, and instead follow the pilot's commands to the best of their abilities, though they may fall back on internal subroutines if forced to act independently. In combat situations, these drones can be outfitted with light anti-personnel weaponry to deal with ground infantry, with point-defense weapons to deal with missiles and enemy aircraft, or with explosives, to be used as minelayers or as suicide bombers. The combat effectiveness of these drones are limited, however, and can be easily dispatched even with concentrated small-arms fire.
"Atelier" Mobile Factory	Utility	Housed within the Hephaestus' backpack is a fully functional fabricator, 3D printer, autoforge, assembly line, and requisite databanks to make use of these facilities. This factory can be deployed away from the front lines within base camp for a platoon of soldiers, or used within the Hephaestus itself while out in the field. The facilities can process scavenged materials found in the field into usable supplies, allowing the MAS to repair and resupply allied forces, even in areas without proper supply lines. However, use of this module is both time-consuming and extremely power-hungry, making its use in combat scenarios limited unless the pilot is willing to power down all non-essential systems-- weapons and movement included.
"Casket" Hazard Protection Suite	Utility	This module was made to allow the Hephaestus to perform construction, mining, or repair jobs even in extreme conditions. This module only shows marginal improvements in MAS-to-MAS combat, but has been shown to improve survival rates of pilots by up to 80% in situations containing environmental hazards. This protects the mech and its pilot from extreme heat and cold, intense gravity and pressure (or lack thereof), highly toxic, acidic, and basic environments, and even provides some form of EM shielding, allowing the Hephaestus to operate in conditions that would cripple other Mobile Armor Suits. As a last resort, the pilot can also choose to divert all power and hermetically seal the cockpit to go into cryosleep, the inbuilt reactor capable of keeping someone under the ice virtually indefinitely, provided that the reactor remain intact.

Let me know if I need to change anything! Open to criticism, too.

[Stitches]

Sheet's going well on my end, I'm just having difficulty figuring out the MAS stuff. Technical jargon goes in one ear and out the other. Got the personality done, history bulleted out and waiting for one of my smarter friends to explain the specs.

[Naril]

I'll have something up by tomorrow afternoon! Sorry for the intense delay.

[vietmyke]

@Hawthorne Looks good to me! The idea of cryosleep is not one we've tackled yet! Its kind of just assumed/handwaved for long journeys so its an interesting take to have a character directly affected by it. As far as the pilot goes, does Bob have any cybernetics or mechanical replacements as a result of his injuries? Or is he still all organic? While its possible for body parts/organs to be replaced by synthetic or natural parts, its far more economic to use mechanicals- just something to keep in mind. The other thing to consider is that mechs are expensive. Where did Bob get the money for the Hephaestus? Is it something his family has owned and he kinda just inherited it- or maybe he stole it from the pirates and since years have gone by since its ownership has kind of just been grandfathered into his family?

The mech itself looks good, sort of like the combination of a forward operating base and a mech. I have no complaints as far as that goes.

Yeah, other than those questions, Bob and the Hephaestus look good to go

[Bazmund]

@vietmyke Hyello. I'm one of the friends that Stitches mentioned. I'm currently in the immediate run up to my exam week so I'm working on a character sheet in my breaks from study and I'm not 100% on when it'll be done. I just wanted to check in and let you know that I exist, and also ask if there's anything you'd prefer we stay away from in terms of player worldbuilding; I'm hoping for my character to be a fairly veteran member of the 101st who was raised in an area of colonial space that I'd be interested in worldbuilding myself.

The broad idea is that his homeworld is a dangerous, highly rural place, where most of the urban centers are concentrated around resource extraction operations and associated natural deposits or facilities. He was raised out in the boonies as part of the sort of farmer-hunter countryside community, who developed and used a sort of powered exoskeleton along with high powered anti-tank style rifles to track and hunt local megafauna, both for threat control and consumption. These same people were then recruited for conflicts in the run up to the eventual Empire-Coalition war(s), serving in their exosuits in infantry roles before the day of the MAS. My guy in particular is a bit younger than some of the people who taught him this way of life, and subsequently served the UEE directly in a special recon sort of role - first in the exoskeleton, then in a superlight MAS, then eventually as a regular MAS pilot in either a light or medium MAS - before being selected for the 101st. I just wanna check if you're cool for me to write a bit about the culture and world he comes from.

[vietmyke]

@Bazmund Hello, good to hear from ya! Yeah looks like you've got something good all thought out! The gist of things sounds pretty solid to me! World building is always a go in my book- I like the whole boonies hunter vibe. Ultralights are like a type of power armor that was developed out of exoskeletons, so that makes sense. Operating a full sized MAS suit is more akin to piloting a vehicle than using armor, but I imagine your character would've had plenty of time to learn.

[Hawthorne]

@Hawthorne Looks good to me! The idea of cryosleep is not one we've tackled yet! Its kind of just assumed/handwaved for long journeys so its an interesting take to have a character directly affected by it. As far as the pilot goes, does Bob have any cybernetics or mechanical replacements as a result of his injuries? Or is he still all organic? While its possible for body parts/organs to be replaced by synthetic or natural parts, its far more economic to use mechanicals- just something to keep in mind. The other thing to consider is that mechs are expensive. Where did Bob get the money for the Hephaestus? Is it something his family has owned and he kinda just inherited it- or maybe he stole it from the pirates and since years have gone by since its ownership has kind of just been grandfathered into his family?

The mech itself looks good, sort of like the combination of a forward operating base and a mech. I have no complaints as far as that goes.

Yeah, other than those questions, Bob and the Hephaestus look good to go

@vietmyke

Gotcha. To answer your questions... I had first thought him to be mostly organic, but with a few bionic parts. I can probably list them down as a bionic heart and set of lungs, as well as a mechanical left arm, if that's okay.

As for where he got the mech, it was bequeathed onto him when his sister left, having been basically been owned by the family for generations. After seventeen years serving as a cryopod, they figured it was only right to let the man keep it for himself. Of course, at this point, the mech was basically a junker, and only after the UEE had decided to retrofit it for him did it become serviceable in any capacity.

I can edit the app to make both of these things more clear.

I've also got a few questions of my own, namely related to cryosleep and space travel. Does FTL travel exist? If so, how effective is it at moving people around? I believe the setting was implied to take place within the galaxy as a whole, rather than just the solar system as we know it, so I'd presume there's a way of getting around. Cryosleep being a common occurrence for long journeys makes sense, if FTL travel isn't completely instantaneous, but it also puts logistics into account, and all that stuff. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this kind of stuff.

[vietmyke]

@Hawthorne It can be assumed that cryosleep is utilized for longer journeys, but its not as fun for story writing so I kind of just handwave it. But yes, FTL travel does indeed exist, most ships have their own FTL drives, though smaller ships typically have shorter ranged/slower ones- requiring them to piggyback along with larger ships. Most larger ships will have docking sections for escort ships to latch onto, so they can take them along with them. FTL travel isn't instantaneous, I don't have any exact numbers for it, but a ship traveling about 100 light years will probably be in hyperspace for a few hours. Most drives will then require a cooldown time before being used again- typically around 24-48 hours, again depending on the size of the ship and its warp drive. The exact speed/travel time per lightyear is determined by the size/power of the ship's drive- the minutia of which is probably not worth getting into. For our purposes the ship this RP will be taken place aboard for instance, has a rather powerful drive for its size.

I played with the idea of hyperspace lanes or stuff similar to Mass Relays from Mass Effect, but for now, we're just sticking to 'standard' FTL

[Hawthorne]

Gotcha. Good to know! Let me know if you've got any other concerns or questions.

[vietmyke]

@Hawthorne Oh, and something else that slipped my mind- military MAS are a relatively new invention, moreso for the UEE anyway. The Coalition has been using mechs since the start of the war, whereas the UEE have began using them more recently. Though since Bob grew up in fringe colonies/FEZ, which is close enough to Coalition space, I suppose the Hephaestus could've originally been a Coalition built civilian model.

Other note, at this point, since its been retrofitted so heavily, the Hephaestus probably would not be much like its original model at all, so the 'Mass Produced' tag should probably be replaced with a 'Custom' or 'Retrofit' tag

[Hawthorne]

@Hawthorne Oh, and something else that slipped my mind- military MAS are a relatively new invention, moreso for the UEE anyway. The Coalition has been using mechs since the start of the war, whereas the UEE have began using them more recently. Though since Bob grew up in fringe colonies/FEZ, which is close enough to Coalition space, I suppose the Hephaestus could've originally been a Coalition built civilian model.

Other note, at this point, since its been retrofitted so heavily, the Hephaestus probably would not be much like its original model at all, so the 'Mass Produced' tag should probably be replaced with a 'Custom' or 'Retrofit' tag

@vietmyke

Ah, I see. That's good to know, I'll edit my sheet accordingly. Thanks for the heads up!

[Bazmund]

@vietmyke Would it be possible for a light MAS to have a customised control system, which invokes some - but obviously not all - of the principles of piloting an exosuit? My boonies boi, I'm imagining, would totally be able to learn to control it like a vehicle, but would still prefer to have as much tactile, physical interface with it as possible.

[vietmyke]

@Bazmund yeah that'd be possible! there's a few ways that might work- if boonies had cybernetic arms they could have an interface for him to 'plug' his arms in to control the mech instead of using traditional controls. It's very possible for there to be a specialized control system designed for him too. The main thing is to explain why he gets to have that system- beyond just making him more effective/comfortable in combat.

Perhaps he's being used as a testbed for a more tactile system, maybe cybernetic 'plugs' are becoming more common due to the growing number of pilots with cybernetics, stuff like that. Also keep in mind that, with some exceptions, very few people own their own mechs, just like no one in the air force owns the fighter jets they pilot. If the pilot dies, the navy will take the mech (if it's still intact) and put a new pilot in it. Individual combat effectiveness is important, but at the end of the day each of these pilots are just a tiny cog in the machine that is the Imperial Navy.

[Lightning Fast]

Hey there! I'm considering applying as a reconnaissance/long-range scouting-specialist character. Are you full up? Or able to squeeze in another player? :)

[vietmyke]

@Lightning Fast we may be starting to reach capacity now- With out current roster and the few more we have joining up, it may be getting to about as big as I'm capable of managing!

[Stitches]

My very quiet friend is making a sheet as well, but you won't get any messages from him until it's finished. @Hawthorne I'm thinking about making some delicate machinery for my MAS that needs a specialist to maintain it, do you think your guy would be trained up and qualified to do so?

@vietmyke iirc I've cut out a primary and secondary from my light MAS, how many utility systems can I replace them with?

[Hawthorne]

My very quiet friend is making a sheet as well, but you won't get any messages from him until it's finished. @Hawthorne I'm thinking about making some delicate machinery for my MAS that needs a specialist to maintain it, do you think your guy would be trained up and qualified to do so?

@vietmyke iirc I've cut out a primary and secondary from my light MAS, how many utility systems can I replace them with?

@Stitches

I think if he was given a chance to study the equipment in question, or if he was given some schematics/blueprints/operating manual, he could definitely pull it off! He's no scientist, but he's an engineer with enough knowledge of the fundamentals to do complex maintenance and repair jobs.

[vietmyke]

@Stitches understood, I was taking them into account when counting players! And if you stripped a primary and secondary, you'd probably be able to fit one more utility system

[Stitches]

<Snipped quote by Stitches>

I think if he was given a chance to study the equipment in question, or if he was given some schematics/blueprints/operating manual, he could definitely pull it off! He's no scientist, but he's an engineer with enough knowledge of the fundamentals to do complex maintenance and repair jobs.

@Hawthorne

Don't worry; I presumed the technology was installed into the MAS by the Powers That Be in the UEE once they were certain they had a technician on hand to maintain it. I imagine he was given comprehensive training before it was even finished with its final testing phase and given opportunities to try and fix known issues himself. The 101st seems like the sort of division where prototype/new tech that's implemented in the MAS would be done in a very slow, meticulous manner based on the gobsmackingly massive amounts of money it probably costed to develop.

@Stitches understood, I was taking them into account when counting players! And if you stripped a primary and secondary, you'd probably be able to fit one more utility system

@vietmyke

Nice, that's exactly how I had it set up beforehand. Alright, I've got pretty much all of the sheet sorted but I need to flesh it out, format it and make it read gud. Once that's done I'll post it.