Ariamis

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

As each pilot reported in, Elora listened quietly, noting any additional mentions for the particular weaponry or other systems her fellow squadmates specialized in. While she did read the files pertaining to them, it still helped her to retain that knowledge with vocal reminders. "Understood, Goliath Buster. Marking the effective range of repair drones on your HUD," she spoke when Zane spoke, and with a quick clack of they keyboard created a new graphical element for Zane to use when gauging effective radius for his repairs. As she finished up, she let out a slight gasp as Rose sent data her way, followed by audible joy in communications. "Yes, thank you, Senko-san!" While the strobe lights were surprising, Elora did not mind the visual feed once she dimmed the brightness down.

When the rest of the squad reported in, the pilots once again heard Lorenzo's voice on the command channel. "Alright then- Ritsu's going to give out the mission briefing now. Make sure to listen carefully." Soon, it was Ritsu's turn to speak.
"We have detected high energy readings from the mountains directly north from your position, ETA 10 minutes if travelling by full speed. We suspect that the Cruxi have set up an outpost and preparing artillery to strike against the defenses for a nearby colony."

"Your mission objective is to destroy the artillery and capture the outpost before the weapons are fired on the colony defenses in half an hour. Based on older intelligence, it seems the artillery weaponry employed by the enemy is highly accurate and devastating, but only when they have direct line of sight to the target. Therefore, it is recommended to use the local terrain to your advantage when approaching the target. However, be wary of vanguard units in the area as well as at the outpost: we suspect defenses to not only include standard Cruxi War Machines, but also Cruxi Snipers and Cruxi Beasts. You also have to keep damage to the local environment to a minimum: not only are these trees millennia old and considered a world nature relic, they also sustain the ecosystem for various lifeforms and endangered species including sabretusk mammoths. Do you have any questions?"

As Ritsu waited for questions, Elora finished mapping out the three routes she mentioned previously: the first path was the fastest, but would have the least coverage, and thus be the most susceptible for long range weaponry. Another route goes near the first one, but performs certain winding turns for more coverage, but lagging behind the first, and also happens to hit a nesting ground for sabretusk mammoths. The third path is the safest, but takes a detour, resulting in the slowest route. Of course, there was always the option of outright ignoring cover and flying above the forest for the absolute fastest route.

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

I'll be undergoing treatment for the accident I mentioned in an earlier post. I'll try to make the post during the weekend, but there's a chance it gets delayed.

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

I will give an extra week of time before planning the new post.

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

Sanro and Ritsu

As the group dispersed, Nero looked over at his brother and tilted his head in the direction of the barracks. Sanro shook his head at the unspoken question, then nodded his own head to indicate that Nero should go on without him. His brother raised an eyebrow and looked back and forth between Sanro and the Lieutenant, who was now walking away; he looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he just shrugged, shouldered his pack, and followed the small crowd heading towards quarters.

Sanro grabbed his own bag as well, but instead of going along with anyone else, he jogged lightly and caught up with Ritsu. “Excuse me, Lieutenant? Do you have a minute?”

The lieutenant stopped and turned to Sandro with practiced grace. “Yes, I do, Cadet. What’s on your mind? Was there something you wanted clarification on?” She asked with a hand resting on her hip, keeping mostly the same professional outlook, but with a hint of gentleness.

Sanro came to a stop. It was awkward, with his bag still hefted over his shoulder, but he attempted at least a semblance of military posture.

"Thank you, ma'am." He was clearly trying to school his expression, but for a second something that looked like anger flashed across his face. "I wanted to ask you about the Professor." Sanro paused, took a deep breath. "I... don't fully understand his position in the chain of command. And I have some concerns about his attitude towards some of the other members of the squad." The young man tilted his head slightly and met Ritsu's eyes, hoping no further clarification would be necessary.

Ritsu sighed, and slightly lowered her head. “Yes, I should have expected that you would ask about the Executive Officer. However, regardless of your personal feelings, I suggest you do not antagonize him, or give him any reason to do so. The Galactic Federation’s Parliament of Defence had assigned him as the director of the Framewerk Project XJ9. In other words, he is the highest in the chain of authority. However,” she then spoke, lifting her eyes up in thought with a hand to her chin. “Colonel Cain has been given inspection duties over the Framework Project, and the Executive Officer, so he does not have absolute power. Still, I would be careful around him: while I hold some rank, even I cannot ignore his position.”

Sanro listened, doing his best to appear impassive. "I'm glad to hear that there's some oversight in place. That said, I'm a soldier, ma'am. I'm fully capable of keeping my personal feelings in check." An uncharitable observer might have doubted that statement, given the tension evident in the young man's body, but he continued anyway. "What I'm worried about are his."

He looked to one side, then the other. The other pilots had all dispersed, and for the moment he and the Lieutenant were alone in the corridor.

Having confirmed that no one was within earshot, Sanro turned back to Ritsu. "Do you know what the deal is with his attitude towards Minerva?" His mouth twisted into a frown, like he had eaten something unpleasant. "I hope I'm misreading the situation, ma'am, but the Professor looked... Well, 'disgusted' with her, is the only word that fits. I've looked at the service records of the other members of the squad--the publicly available parts, I mean--and hers is, well, impressive. So I'm having a hard time understanding where that's coming from."

She looked aside into the distance. “I am not at liberty to speak of such matters, for I do not know. Only the Executive Officer himself can answer about his personal feelings…not that I think he will. It might have something to do with the Olympus Project, but that's all I’ll say on the matter, Cadet.”

Sanro kept his gaze locked on the Lieutenant for a long second after she spoke, then jerked his head to the side. "Yes, ma'am. Understood." After another silent moment he straightened, saluted, and marched off towards the barracks.

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

Just letting you guys know that I got into an accident while cycling, so responses might be slightly slower than usual. I'll continue to regularly visit and make posts as I manage, however.

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

The hour before the start of the VR mission is free time, and thus you may describe how your character spends the time as you see fit.
You can spend the entire time in the pilot quarters, have a conversation or two with someone, and so on.
After the hour is up, the next event, which is the VR mission, will start.
If anyone wants to, I'm open to collabing for conversations with my characters such as Elora, Ritsu or even Lorenzo during free time.

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

The lieutenant's eyes glanced over to the Marques twins, and the two men realized at that moment that they were caught. "Clever use of non-verbal communication, Cadets Nero and Sanro," she noted as she walked right up to them, before she leaned closer towards them, adjusting the rim of her glasses with a single finger. "But I won't tolerate idle chatter in my presence, whether it is in words or in eyebrow wiggles. You won't get a warning next time. Understood?" She asked.

Regardless of the two's response, the lieutenant pressed a key on her device, and a faint tone rang out briefly from the pilots' personal devices. "Your devices have now been linked to the Solaire network under my flag. I will use the designated squad channel to hand out missions and other critical information whenever I am unable to do so in person. The network also allows sending messages, so report to me whenever the need arises."

As Elora was in the middle of listening to the officer's instructions, she happened to glance over to Minerva's direction, only to meet her eyes: to her, it seemed like she was giving an icy cold glare to her, though it was simply indifference on the latter's part. Nonetheless, as she felt the social dread rise within her, she wondered whether she should just walk right then and there to her cabin and bury her face in a pillow. However, she was suddenly startled by the touch on her shoulder. "Cadet Liu'un, concentrate! This is important information, and I won't be repeating myself." The lieutenant chastised her, and she saluted back with a trembling hand. "Y-Yes, ma'm!" The officer then continued speaking of various less important matters such as daily meals, laundry and so on, while Elora glanced over to see that the well-dressed brother gave a thumbs up. She subtly nodded back, surprised by the gesture.

More expressions of kindness came her way, as Zane suggested using a breathing technique to calm herself down. She nervously complied, and managed to recover enough to stop shaking, placing a hand on her chest to measure her breathing rhythm. The tanned man of the group, David, reminded her that the mission was non-lethal. Ved, the largest pilot of them all, also chimed in, reassuring her that the practice mission was meant for estimating piloting capability and was an opportunity to improve safely, assuaging her worries with a smile full of teeth.

Even Rose, an alien, seemed to try and lift her spirits; even if it came across as a little strange, Elora sincerely appreciated it, and a small smile began to form on her face. It was about then that Ritsu had finished her instructions. She nodded with an agreeing smile as Rose, the Rosnian pilot of the group, expressed her enthusiasm...Or as close to such an emotion as a member of their species is capable of, what with every word of theirs coming off as enthusiastic and full of energy. However, this didn't seem to mind the lieutenant. In fact, Rose could tell that for a human, she was surprisingly acute in sensing the Rosnian's demeanor past her voice and verbal signalling. "That is what I like to hear, Cadet Rose. It also seems like your family agrees," she noted upon looking down at the two smaller Rosnians. "However, do not let yourself be distracted while on duty, Cadet," she reminded the short alien in an unusually mindful manner.

"Anyway, those are the basics," Ritsu concluded. "The training schedule will be handed out at a later time. I will leave and prepare for the practice mission now. I suggest you also prepare. Dismissed." And with that, the lieutenant turned, and began to walk away, the clack of her heels echoing over the vast hangar, soon drowned in the clamor of workers and heavy machinery. Elora took in a deep breath, and then gave a bow to the other pilots. She felt like she had to say something. "M-My name is Elora Liu'un," she began, and bowed politely.
"I'm going to do my best, so...I hope we can get a-along. Thank you." And with that, she picked up her bags of luggage, and then started walking away, though it resembled more of a flustered half-sprint towards one of the corridors.

Once she reached the women's side of the pilot quarters, Elora prepared herself mentally for the mission as she unpacked what little personal belongings she had, and looked at the open locket on her palm. "Mom...Dad...I won't let your deaths be in vain. It's scary, but I will get through this...I will." For the rest of her time, she wandered Solaire uneasily as she first went to take a look at her Framewerk, Logic Diver. She approached the front chassis of the titanium titan, and laid a hand on it in contemplation. "It might be in virtual reality...But I'll still be piloting you," she spoke softly. "I just wonder if you will receive any of the data from that mission...Probably not. Anyway, see you later, LD."

With that, as the hour came to a close, it was finally time to suit up. She went to the women's locker room, dreading the prospect of putting on the uniform: the last time she had to wear one, it was meant for an older and more mature pilot, resulting in the front sagging and flapping like some bizarre poncho as she walked. She shuddered at the memory of it when she opened the locker and took her uniform out. To her surprise, the lieutenant had ordered for her to receive a new uniform: not only was it more protective, with advanced nanotechnology weaved into the Carbonox plates, it also came with a wrist-mounted display and an inbuilt small processing unit. She gasped as she saw that there was even a game installed to it: Definitive Daydream XXI, the very latest role-playing game in the hit hologame franchise.
While nervous about putting the suit on, the promise of gaming pulled through, and Elora gained the courage to change clothes.

When she was ready, she looked at herself in the mirror, and sighed: the suit fit her properly this time, though that came with problems of its own too. I don't think anyone's going to beat the lieutenant... She thought to herself, and headed towards the virtual training room:



The room was shaped like a donut, with the circle housing the open virtual reality pods the pilots were to enter, and the center a command station where the handlers for the virtual reality mission program were located. The pilots would be immersed completely in a sense-overriding chemical compound as they entered their pods. According to the pilot's manual Elora read, the chemical was highly oxygenated, allowing the occupant to breathe the liquid as if it was air. The compound's main function is as a neural mediator, allowing the pilot's nervous system to be electro-chemically interfaced with by sending specific electric signals from a central computing unit running various simulation programs. In other words, it could perfectly simulate any kind of reality directly into the occupants' nerves. Whatever they saw, heard, smelled, touched or even tasted could be controlled...And the occupant wouldn't know the difference.

Elora gulped, once again letting her body tremble. But then, she remembered what the other pilots said and showed him: she wouldn't be the only one diving into this simulacrum. They would all share the same virtual reality, and the same mission. People would count on her, and she wouldn't let them down. With newfound courage in her heart, she laid down into the pod. As the pod's lid closed, and the electro-chemical compound started to fill the pod, she closed her eyes, and let herself dive mentally.

Soon, she found herself sitting in a cockpit which was very familiar to her: it belonged to Logic Diver, her trusty metallic companion. Beyond the machine's optic detection system, she saw other Framewerks around her, like Rose's Senko-san to the left of her, and Zane's Goliath Buster to the right, among others. They were all situated in a grassy clearing, surrounded by a vast forest full of gigantic trees: they were tall enough to cover even a Very Heavy Framewerk, though Super Heavy Frames like Ved's Reaver were tall enough to see past the treetops, witnessing a sea of green leaves that seemed to stretch to the horizon in every direction except one, straight ahead. There, Ved saw what looked like a forest glade. A blue sky hung above, with only scant few clouds drifting across it.

Elora turned the ignition key, and heard not only the rising roar of Logic Diver's engine, but also the various computer systems booting with beeps and boops, accompanied by subtle flashes of opening screens and displays. She heard Lorenzo coughing in the command channel of the communication system, followed by words:

"Cadets, wait for further instructions. System checkups and communications are permitted. But If I see anyone deploy their Framewerk prematurely, they will be penalized immediately. That is all."

Even if they were permitted to deploy, Elora would still have waited until the the rest of the squad was ready. She checked her systems, and they were all green. She then opened up the Combat Analyzer, and set it to limit its environmental data processing to forested terrain, speeding up data processing. She added LD's data to the map for cross-referencing. It was easy enough to do, the Combat Analyzer being a state-of-the art supercomputer that could be customized up to the finest details, though Elora didn't touch on anything more than was necessary. She leaned back on her seat once she was done setting up a shared communication channel between her and the rest of the Framewerks, and then contacted them once they were in their Framewerks: "Testing, testing, do you read me? It seems the mission will take place in a forest. I'm already detecting at least three pathways large enough for all of us to pass through, but I'll set us up with a better map once we get moving." She then switched to the command channel. "Umm, ready for deployment."

She felt relaxed and at ease while she was sitting in front of a computer; she was truly in her element now. Elora was quite adept with computers for her young age, and was thus chosen to pilot a Framewerk reliant on expert technical skills like Logic Diver was. Unlike the outside world which was full of hate and malice, inside Logic Diver she felt like she was safe from all that. It was comforting, almost as if she was held in her own mother's arms.

But she shook her head.

I can't think about things like that. The mission comes first.

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

The opening post has been posted, and the first event has begun. Feel free to make introductory posts as you see fit. If you want to, you can have conversations during the shuttle journey. Also, do let me know if there's anything you'd like me to edit or add.

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

[Post moved to OP]

Nerves In Carbonox: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay

I have created the Character list for the CHAR tab's OP. Let me know if I made a mistake there.