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A professional, anxiety-riddled, part-time worker

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In Nerves In Carbonox Reforged: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay → 4 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Lucius


"Pilot on third team. Name. Rank. Framewerk ID. What is your given primary objective in this battle", ???? asked in a rather emotionless voice.
???
@DarkRecon

Another question asked to him over the comms, and yet as Lucius moved to respond the comms began to light up all over again. Chatter and texts running back and forth so rapidly it took his attention off just to try to process it in a hurry. Seemed enough like some peculiar team banter back and forth in the end, though as things almost seemed to slow for a second-

???? finally decided on what she would do, trusting her heart, and connected Rex Artus to the encrypted team Apple channel, shielding the Framewerk from Electric Dragonfly's jamming. She then typed out a private message for Lucius' eyes only: "Please don't betray team Mango or team Apple, and choose whose side you will fight from the beginning. Even if we'll fight as enemies now, I don't want anyone's trust to be broken. I want us all to be friends."
????


Hmm. His comms system was reporting that he'd been connected to the Team Apple channel, which was useful at least if they wanted secretive communications. Had Mema-ka organized this? Though soon afterwards, a message pinged into his messages and he opened it up to read in a hurry. However, it seemed to be from someone who was rather different than the more threatening message of Mema-ka at least, but-...eh? So they wanted him to 'choose whose side you will fight from the beginning', and-...ah, that was true. They were all comrades in arms for this, that was true, but even then there was a need to be able to face deceit right? Thoughy, well, had he also rushed to think of a plan here at the start, not thinking much of the potential consequences?

...The message was naive enough even to his eyes, or at least that was his first impression, and yet at the same time it made him take an uncertain and genuine pause all the same. He couldn't find the words for a moment to respond with, though his thoughts were suddenly cut off by a general comms announcement from an already-familiar-feeling cranky voice.

"Team Banana's destruction is not necessary for either team to achieve victory. They can be shot, or not. It is up to you to decide if you can trust a rogue actor in the middle of a battlefield."
He cackled, which turned into a slight cough, like the kind you often hear over Microsoft Teams virtual meetings and the person doesn't mute themselves, to the displeasure of everyone.
"Now then, remember to give it your all in this battle even if it is virtual: there are no second chances when up against the Cruxi, so take everything you've learned, and hone your skill to kill!"
He paused.
"Ready!"
He paused again.
"Set!"
He paused one last time.
"GO!"
Grumpy Old Fruit Bat


...The old man had enough bravery to be himself in all of this, it seemed, so in that vein he could respect it. Albeit the comms coughing was almost like the ancient phrase of 'nails on a chalk board'...whatever a chalk board was at least. Yet he'd prepared to make a run to a new position of safety, and that is what he'd do reflexively as his drones deployed around him and kept below the 'firing line' there'd perhaps be above the tops of the simulated buildings. They'd keep around him and coordinate defense for him, but for now he'd make a dead dash to the east with the aim of finding cover. In that sense, he was keeping to his orignial plan for now and falling back a bit on what they'd drilled and trained him to do back home.

It was then that the politician-like voice rang again over his comms from the side of Team Mango.

"Keeping it short.

Not gonna threaten you. Not the point. We'll all eat together tomorrow.

Not gonna say join us. Merely stay out of the way. Strat would be tangled with a new unknown anyway.

If you feel like it, I'll use my money and connections to grant you boons. So this is a bounty list.

Sleeping Thunder: Worth 3 Favours.
Raptor, Logic Diver, Dragonfly: Worth 2 Favours.
Everyone else: 1 Favour.

Accept or decline at leisure. Don't come near our lines unless you at least take someone down and prove you've chosen our side. We will be forced to shoot and void the deal.

Good Luck."
????


Ah. Ok this was all going down faster than he'd thought it would, but his breaths would fall into a form of practiced breathing exersize as training began to kick in. Keep a cool head. Level it out. Adapt to the suprises, and get some responses out before things got too heated perhaps. He did need to respond to the offered deal at least though, so-

@AtomicNut

'Hmm, a bounty system? An intersting proposition to digest, especially with the promised favors, but between you and someone else bringing it up I believe you're right that we'll all eat together and such as it is. So...I'll say that I'll make my choices in this sim battle clear via my actions, out of respect for both sides, and for now I'll give you all some space before making any decisive actions. When I do act either way, it'll be a fun surprise to see what happens that way!

After all, simply sitting by and doing nothing is the more boring if practical option in a situation like this, wouldn't you agree? Will be intersting to se you all in person after this! ;)

Jokes aside, though, good luck to you as well.'

Heh. A small smile came to the pilot's face as the Rex Artus continued its dash toward the mid-eastern-edge building he had selected as a good spot for cover. Meanwhile, he would try to think up a message the unknown messager from Team Apple (Elora) back as well. Well, as quickly as he could at the very least. Not that he wasn't interrupted along the way by yet another message and then some chatter over the Team Apple comms he'd been pulled into.

'Feeling is mutual. We acknowledge your plan of action, Lucius, proceed ahead and locate team Mango. Upon receiving codeword: Fruitpunch, fire at will upon team Mango. The high command is watching. Dedicate yourself to a cause and stick with it. Doubt is the foundation of defeat.'

"The 'Obscure' is to be regarded as a sleeper agent, trigger it by using codename Fruitpunch once the lines collide. If the 'Obscure' remains unwilling to act the part it has offered. Regard it as hostile and shoot it down. Mema-Ka over."
Meme-kun


Vicious, much like his original plan it seemed. Curious. Most of Team Apple seemed to be quiet and focused on things, or being a bit threatening of course, and only the mystery messager had actually taken the time to at least be open with him about things in a less threatening manner. Perhaps this Mema-ka was a more focused and disciplined sort, the like to try to take some lead and deal with matters that could threaten his allies. Noted, for now of course. Would be interesting to talk to him later as well perhaps. Though he was scrolling back as his mech ran for good cover, looking at comms chatter records and-...pfft.

Ok, he had to comment on this with a private message (@Dezuel). He had to, if nothing else to make himself lighten up a bit more.

'Beep boop. Beep boop bop. I am totally a robot. :P'

Griff would get a simple private message from the Rex Artus...partly out of Lucius finding it funny to send such a message to him out of the blue, partly due to what he'd found in the comms chatter records. But, for now, back to his analyses thus far on the teams.

So the one who offered him bounties was being nice, but it was bascially to offer a deal and tell him to get out of the way. A nicer way of putting it, reminded him in tone of a politician's writing, and yet his gut told him there was something more to the one from Mango whoo had messaged him in that case. Would be good to put a face to the name. Likewise the friendlier voice was certainly a welcome one before this, more chipper and the like, that had talked to him from Team Mango prior as well.

Though as for making a call to Elora (@Ariamis) over private comms-

"Mema-ka seems a bit vicious there, haha. Ah, but I suppose I walked into that with what I offered.

Still, while I don't know your name yet I do appreciate your honesty and openess about things with me despite things. So I'll give you something to work with here, since you and Mango have made it clear we're still supposed to be teammates at the end of the day after this is said and done. To do that we need trust indeed, though we may face deception out there in the field as well later on.

So I sent Mango back a message making it clear I'd speak for what side I choose with my actions. Less deceptive, but I figure let's have a little fun with this. Fun? Heh. Sorry, this place and everyone here are all still so new to me as it is. But with the jamming in place blocking me from Mango's comms I can't say more to them if you wish for me to be clearer."

His tone was a touch apologetic at the end, but even so he was going to take his own gamble on this other voice. Something in him...wanted to, for whatever reason, and he had The Rex Artus kept crouched, though he would move his mech around while still crouched behind the mech-hiding building cover into the space of P-27 so he could take the more careful glance around the side of the building to see what was going on. Meanwhile, he sent one of his drones to R-25, to have it hover and maintain a vigilance in case soeone tried to come around to attack his rear.

Meanwhile, the other three drones would be kept close to him and behind building cover, being set and ready to strike in defense or be sent out on offense as needed.

"...But I'll respond specifically to your call to attack or not. Further, I'm moving into position P-27, and placing an Attack Drone to keep watch on my rear at R-25 while I have three others kept by me to be ready to attack or defend on a dime.

Call it...a sign of open trust being made in return for your own. Or perhaps call it my own naivete, haha! But the name's Lucius, and I hope to learn yours and the others' later after this when I can."

This was going to be an interesting first day, that much was for certain.
In Nerves In Carbonox Reforged: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay → 4 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Lucius


His probing attempt to see if the others could hear him was certianly panning out well enough in terms of giving him an understanding of his situation. Sure it was revealing himself as the neutral party in all of this, and his location was already on the map, but it was certainly a better situation than nothing....he hoped. Because hindsight after he'd already chimed in over the general comms was certainly one thing, but another was deciding what to do from here. How to juggle these responses as they came in and he was put in a more tenuous, but perhaps more salageable, position than he'd already been in at the start of this.

Well, first thing was first and he'd have to start first with the first response he heard over the comms:

"This is Mema-Ka, pilot of the Raptor. Identify yourself. We may provide you with with aid if you align yourself with strike force Apple. Make your way to designation U-15 to make your intentions clear, failure to do so we shall regard you as an adversary. Over and out." He said in a firm but polite manner, he wasn't trying to sound intimidating or aggressive, just speaking in a matter of fact manner.
Curse of Ra


And that was coming from Team Apple, from one Mema-Ka in particular, so that'd be the team to his south if he went on the displayed map. Seemed to be confident in his tone and manner, talking rather matter-of-factly, and firm but not oppressive. A sort of team leader type perhaps? Depended on his spot in the formation, but it was some kind of assumption to make based on what info he had thus far. Channel he was calling from was also that of Team Apple, so it matched with what he'd said at least.

Figuring the pilot was inexperienced, she chimed in to the general chat: "Oh, are you the new guy I saw earlier? I thought maybe Lorenzo had sent someone new into the other team last minute. Everyone can hear you on this channel, so if you wanna talk to your team you gotta use a different frequency!"
Some Cheerful Positivity


The voice made a few things clear at least. The pilot was younger, closer in age to himself perhaps. Female for sure. Cheerful enough in tone, at least from his perspective, and yet he couldn't recall having been able to see much of anyone on the way in either. She had seen him earlier? He was a touch confused on that one, but overall it seemed to be chatter coming from Team Mango's channel all the same. So she could be pinned down as being from that team if nothing else.

"Dame Gene, I do think we're not facing with one, but two surprise additions. An entirely new team, Banana, is...a different set of parameters. Allow me to make a little guess. It seems you've gotten a rough landing, friend. Smack in the middle of a crossfire between two teams of Framewerk pilots. I do dread of what you have done...to unsettle our Executive Officer for such fate. But alas, we're not the enemy. Yet. Could I perhaps ask of you to move aside in this battle?, or even better, if you are eager to test yourself, perhaps we can reach some sort of settlement to peruse your skills and your framework. Quid pro Quo, hm? What do you say?" Astolfo said in his most honeyed and corteous voice. This wasn't a battle where lives would be wagered, so a little nicety could be spared. The new addition did look a bit like a deer in the headlight.
King Of The Legendary Basement


A voice sickly sweet with a honeyed voice and courteous tone, feeding lines of sympathy in his direction whilst laying it on just well enough to tickle the ears and tickle the potential of allying with...the side of the battlefield wherein lied Team Mango. Yes, that was where this chatter originated from it seemed. It was the kind of voice he felt like he'd associated with the sort he'd met enough times as part of the pilot prep program back home: A politician, trying to sway him and use him and the other program participants as publicity for their running politican campaign or otherwise.

After that? A data packet from Team Mango, which was itself a touch peculiar, and a response from Team Apple's side of things alongside a voice he hadn't heard before coming from that side of things. Beyond that, he hadn't seen or heard any other sort of chatter headed his way...no one else talking to him...hmm. So it was time to make a decision, and a snap one at that when the battle would start.

One side, promising cooperation but silently and overtly threatening for his cooperation lest they hold him accountable as an enemy. The other, bearing a kinder voice and yet another one that had the bearing of a politicians trying to win him over with the carrot rather than the stick. That plus a bit of trackable banter and image sharing, it seemed, sealed enough of the situation in an apparent manner. It would be obvious and far more instinctive to pick the side that offered him the carrot rather than the stick, to take up as an ally rather than bending a knee to danger and threats. It made enough sense as it was, but even so...hmm...

There was no perfect way to handle the situation. So he'd have to work with what he knew, and what he had, in the heat of the moment. And it seemed that Team Apple had a giant and loaded weapons platform while the other had a giant robot with an equally as giant hammer to boot.

Lucius would flip his comms channel over, selecting Meme-kun, wait I mean- Mema-ka and the Team Apple channel to send a text-based message to while ensuring that Team Mango could not hear him.

This is pilot Lucius Sterling. It is good to make your acquaintance, Mema-ka, though regarding me like an adversary might come in handy if you're open to a little gamble here. My goal is to survive to win, and the other side seems to be friendly so far to boot. Naturally it'd make sense for a new pilot to panic and run to open arms like theirs.

So I suggest that is what I do, and that you treat me like an adversary from the start until I've run well into their back lines to 'join them'. From there, you get a double agent once you give me a signal to me privately over comms, to start shooting and the main lines get tied up in combat. We'd still have to sell the idea I'm your enemy well enough, but not so much I can't take action back there.

What do ya' say?

I'll even call Team Mango back right now as if I'm joining them as I send this, but I'll need your answer ASAP before we start or not.'

@Dezuel

Was it a bad idea? Yes. The worst possible choice to gamble on if this team wanted to win, but they seemed....focused. Directed. Less chatter, more sighting in guns. And in any case he was goiung to simultaneously enter Team Mango comms to talk again while he sent his message to Mema-ka all the same. A little multi-tasking, if one will, to try to make sure his tracks were somewhat covered. Though in any case, his survival wasn't a guarantee and it seemed that Lorenzo wanted him to scramble in this scenario as compensation for his very arrival.

However, he'd go down at least trying to do something. One simulation battle be damned, he would at least try to do something on his feet in the heat of all of this mess. So he'd enter Team Mango comms to address one Buggy Bugatti of a prince in good time.

"A 'rough landing' would be putting it lightly...the old fruit bat seems to be grumpy enough today as it is just from my arriving here. Even so, I'm listening if you have an offer or a spot for me. The other guys threatened me to move to U-15 if I want to not get shot by them already, and I don't think I'm going to get much of a warm welcome over there as it is.

Er...just let me know your terms before we start."

@AtomicNut

Wasn't hard to channel some real uncertainty in his own voice, and to let out his frustrations from the Professor, so it all came out as naturally as breathing air. Smooth. Maybe. In any case, he was trying to let the bit come out naturally, rather than sell it too hard, and he had anonymity and such on his side as much as he had it against him in this situation. Albeit it all made him wish he had the chance to eat his new chocolate bar before this as a snack at this point in time, however it all went down in the end.

In New Dawn of Civilizations(Always Open) → 4 mos ago Forum: Nation Roleplay
I was, in fact, unable to get something up here. Or, rather, get a post idea in my head to work with. Blargh. At the same time, I work the next couple of days, so I won't be posting then, but this writer's block is a touch...frustrating. Frustrating indeed.

In Nerves In Carbonox Reforged: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay → 4 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Lucius


The instructions were clear enough, though it seemed that Admiral Cain was unavailible at this time. Hmm. Either way he was going to get to meet the Executive Officer himself, the peculiar (if the rumors were to be believed) Professor Lorenzo. In that sense, it still bode well enough for him to make a proper introduction of sorts. Didn't want to anger the new boss, as it were, before he'd even done anything. A bad start, that'd be, if the lead of Project Framewerk didn't even want to keep him around for that matter. But all things in due time, yes? So he simply had to take his time properly to-

Hmm?

As a lone uniform-clad pilot walked by him in the hall, a potential peer of his no doubt, Lucius tried to give a somewhat friendly one-handed wave along the way. Yet at the same time, she looked back at him with...surprise? Wait. He hadn't seen her before in person, at least, but something felt oddly familiar about the girl, mostly as he got a good glance at her face as they passed each other in the hall. Like a sensation in the back of his mind, a sense of recognition but without having prior knowledge. It was strange, alien even, and yet it wasn't a totally unfamiliar sort of thing he'd felt in life either. Like a...gut feeling, but stronger? Hmm.

In any case, his eyes would linger with a raised eybrow for a moment as Elora passed, before snapping his head back to look forward with a soft and quiet sigh aimed at no one in particular. Last thing he needed to do was look like a weirdo, but then again maybe the girl's surprise was something rather normal now that he thought more about it. Another pilot, and one sent in so late as to be interrupting some kind of training exersize from what he'd heard? Perhaps they'd sit him out to the side, then, and give him time to gague things a bit from seeing his fellow peers in action (or something of the sort). Or maybe he'd be debriefed on the trip he'd taken or such like, superiors did like to ask enough questions as it was sometimes in his limited experiences over the past years. Though with instructions from a nearby janitor, he would at least get to the right door of all things.

Walking in the door indicated to him, Lucius would scarecely step inside of the room in his uniform before his own eyes briefly met the gaze of a seemingly silent and surprised older man with a suspiciously trademark-looking eyepatch on his head. Wait? Was this Professor Lorenzo? And next to him seemed to be the Lieutenant that he'd been told about before his-

The professor stared at him for seconds that felt like hours for the pilot, before he snapped:

"Who the hell is this? I thought the helmet lad was the last one!"

Lieutenant Ritsu sighed, and checked her own device. "Looks like...The Galactic Fleet Board of Members also sent a pilot to the program."

"Damn scheming snakes!" Lorenzo cussed, and walked over in a fast pace, looking like he was about to trip with how violently his walking cane shook. "Laddie! You will be taking a special assignment! Head to the virtual training sector, and plug in."


Eh? Well the old man seemed at least to be more animated than the military usually had been around him, so that much was at least a 'good sign' in his eyes. The comments on the GFBM was certainly not something he was going to comment on either, internal politics were not a new a thing and seemed to be everywhere (even back at the program HQ he'd been at back home), but the command to report to the virtual trianing simulator was certianly something of a shock to the cadet in kind. Well, not a 'total' shock, but he'd been about 50/50 on the odds of such a thing as it was before even entering the room.

He pressed a button, and the projector display updated for the final time. To the new cadet's surprise, his Framewerk Rex Artus was added in to the list of Framewerks that would participate in the simulation mission. However...

It was under a new team: Team Banana.

"You're on team Banana. Your winning condition is not getting disconnected before all members from one team are wiped. Maybe one of the teams will spare you, hoping they'll get an ally out of you. Or maybe you'll just be used as bait to draw the other team out. Either way, try to avoid getting blown up, haha!" the professor cackled, and walked out of the room, not giving another glance at the pilot.
The Grumpy Old Fruit Bat


So much for a good first impression, eh?

Not even a situation outside of his control seemed to mitigate his reception, though he would hold his tongue on the matter. Nor was he here in time to talk to anyone else among his new peers, it seemed, and now the project lead was making him a walking target dummy in a suitably well-named team label for the occasion. He would not care to explain why he felt that way, or how it felt fitting, though some good fruit would be nice now that he thought about it. Good taste in all the team names, really, though as the old man and his violently-shaken cane staggered off without so much as looking at him again (or asking for an introduction), the Lieutenant would at least give him the time of day if naught else.

Lieutenant Ritsu gave her trademark sigh with an adjustment of her glasses, and greeted the pilot with a salute.


Lucius would greet her with a proper military salute back in kind...though she seemed to be a touch exasperated by the Professor there. At least he knew what she looked like from the intel given to him before his shuttle trip.

"Cadet Sterling. It seems you have caught the Executive Officer at a bad time. I apologize on his behalf. Now then, here is the necessary data such as your training schedule," she added, and sent him the same information she had given to to other pilots, as well as the same introductory speech she had given to the first group of pilots.


Taking in the information, and pulling out his own datapad from its belt-mounted 'holster' on his right thigh, the cadet would glance over the information in quick summary as Ritsu gave him the data and a speech following this. It was useful information, so that much he could work with for sure. Maybe better improve his chances of at least trying to get to know some of his peers after all of this was said and done (hopefully) or something. He'd need to look it back over, but for the time being he looked back up at the Lieutenant and gave an appreciative nod.

"Thank you, mam', for the information and assistance. I'll make my way to the virtual training sector straightaway."

He did at least try to get a read on the Lieutenant's bearing, albeit it was obvious that she was more formal and drilled in her mannerisms thus far than the Professor seemed to be. All that in mind, though, he'd move with a bit of haste in trying to get to the locker room...or, well, get directions to there for the first time at least. That and making his way to the virtual training sector as quickly as he could at this rate. The Professor seemed to be in a mood as it was already!



To say the darkened room of the training sim room was familiar was, at least, something that gave him a mild sense of comfort given the circumstances. He'd been in a room much like this one before when doing training sims, though such had different naturally from the live-piloting sparring matches and training in kind during his tenure in the "Pilot Preparation Program" of sorts. It didn't take much to acclimate a bit to the room, though, as he sat in one of the simulation seats in his all-black piloting attire and pulled on the familiar-seeming type of helmet therein. From there, it was as simple as the shimmering cockpit of the Rex Artus forming around him as his senses were pulled into the simulation itself in a likewise familiar sort of sensation.

"Cadets, report on your deployment status once ready, and wait for further instructions. System checkups and communications are permitted." Then Lorenzo's voice boomed in at an comfortably loud volume.

"HOWEVER! If I see anyone move out prematurely with their Framewerks, they will be disqualified immediately. That is all. Also, Logic Diver's enemy data will be set to zero: can't have you cheat, can we, haha!"
The Grumpy Old Fruit Bat Part 2


As Lucius took a look around himself from where the simulated Rex Artus stood, getting a lay of the land visually and via sensors in a usual Framewerk-startup systems checkup as he'd been drilled to do before a battle, he would make note of team positions and his own alike. It wasn't a...good thing overall for himself, not one bit, and he was now a wildcard sat in the middle of a match whose only goal was 'survive' in a field where everyone else likely had the time to get to know each other. Still, he followed the professor's instructions to 'not budge an inch out of place too early', to give his own summary of the older man's words, but two words came to mind the more he got a lay of the land from his position.

"...Oh balls."

Seemed the Professor really had it out for him in this case, taking the frustrations out on him by placing him in this sort of position. He sat in the middle of some serious firepower on both sides, no one knew him, and for all he knew everyone would blast him out of the way as 'practice' on their way to gun for each other and 'more important targets'. If such a thing happened, of course, he'd be humiliated in a futile effort to particiipate and be tossed out of the way of the day's activity before he could really do anything, potentially, and all for the Professor's amusement and gratification he imagined. Not that it was a guarantee this would be the situation either, he had enough of a head on his shoulders to see that, and if he played his cards right he could perhaps make it as close as possible to the end without getting knocked out right out of the gate (if nothing else).

His Framewerk's head barely poked up above the building as it was, enough for him to have gotten a look around himself of course, though with a little testing of crouching in-place Lucius found that his Heavy-weight-class Framewerk was at least not too tall as to be totally and utterly exposed. Or perhaps he was simply on the shorter-end of Heavy weight class Framewerks maybe? Hmm. In any case, his comms were closed and silent as ever, not a word being said to him as the teams around him prepared likely some kind of strategy or another.

...There were two silver linings, however, to the parameters of the simulation battle in his mind.

One, the penalty seemingly only came if any of them move out prematurely or such things, which he wasn't going to do. Systems checkups were permitted alongside comms, though, and his weapons systems were automatically prepping for battle as designed in turn. That wasn't breaking the rules, as far as he was aware, unless automatic systems in their simulated units counted. Albeit it was not that he either had comms with the teams or access to that, as far as he knew, or vice-versa. Or did they have access to comms with him and vice-versa due to his wildcard position? Worst case scenario he was stuck in silent with the other pilots and had nothing to do but operate the simulated Rex Artus. Best case, he could talk to both teams perhaps to negotiate or the like. Maybe. It was something to consider at the very least.

Two, he could make other preparations, however, in the meantime. Little preparations without giving away things or moving out of position early and being disqualified, but ones he'd hope would be helpful in his...er, 'potential' survival past the first few seconds of the simulated battle. The Rex Artus was still standing in place, albeit he'd have it now crouching a bit to hopefully mostly keep out of the view of the two teams, with its legs ready to begin running to boot. Second, his weapon had automatically loaded a starting round, a HECC round as he could see on his internal cockpit indicators, and his drones were going through startup routines. He would not deploy the latter into the air, but he would prepare two drones each (as he ran then through startup mode) to deploy upon the battle's start to stay close to him and defend him automatically on either his left or his right. He'd need that whenever he began a dead dashing sprint to the side, as he'd be unable to take action with his primary weapon in the process, but the drones would at least be able to automatically respond to threats, or at least they'd be able to.

Beyond this, the Stargazer and MFCS were finally finishing their checkups to boot, and he hadn't moved a thing out of place for the Rex Artus save for his crouching a bit in-place. Didn't want to give away what direction he'd be running in as well, though his intention was (at the start of the simulation battle) to dart straight east in a direct line to get behind the far-middle-east building near the edge of the simulation (Aka: @Ariamis PQ, 27.5 on the grid) and crouch behind it for cover as fast as his unit could manage. Good cover, good position, got him out of the direct way of things, and...well that was if he even made it that far!

"All systems are nominal and in the green. Team Banana Split is ready to go."

He reported back in to the Professor that he was ready, at least, though out of curiosity Lucius would try to see if he had comms with the other two teams at least, and in that vein-

"Testing testing. Just testing to get an idea of my comms situation here. Can anyone on either team hear me?"

Would be good to double-check that, at least, before things kicked off.

In Nerves In Carbonox Reforged: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay → 4 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Lucius


As the two shuttles moved along toward the hangar bay, one bearing the pilot and the other his Framewerk, the silence of the cold, empty space seemed to stand out somewhat more than the normal. It wasn't an arrival filled with pomp and circumstance, nor a covert operation being held under strict parameters. It was not the arrival of someone with ties to the military or the Federation's government, nor was it anyone who held great wealth or had a criminal record. The two shuttles might as well have been carrying shipments of supplies to the Fortress Shiop Solaire, for all it was worth, and yet despite it all the younger man, the new Framewerk pilot who sat in one of the two shuttles, felt as if the air around him was equal parts relaxed and yet able to be cut with a knife all the same.

All of the training, the drills, the simulation battles, the testing, the sparring matches with other new and veteran pilots, none of it was going to be the same as an actual combat situation. None of it was the exact same, as he'd assumed as of this point in time, as actually being sent to the Fortress Ship Solaire itself and landing in the hands of Project Framewerk in the formal sense. It was a touch nerve-wracking, to say the least, and yet he felt split about the whole matter. It wasn't true combat yet, nor was he having to return to his mother's place of work (or a few similar sore spots) for that matter. In that sense, it was among the easiest things he had been doing thus far into his 'career' already.

Part of him almost wished he was back in the cockpit of the Rex Artus, a place that by now had become familiar, almost comfortable to a peculiar degree to him if he was being honest about the matter. Still...he had to give it a shot. One way or the other, he had to. Personally, officially, legally, or whatever applied in this situation. In that vein, he'd accepted things already to enough of an extent well before this point in time.

Though he had managed to end up fiddling with something to keeps his hands and mind busy during the ride-

"Wait, why are you out of your seat, pilot? We're beginning docking procedures."

The voice of the shuttle copilot rang over the intercom, reaching his ears as the brown-haired man was sitting on the floor and half-bent over a somewhat outdated but modern coffee machine. A piece of equipment from the shuttle crew's 'break room/kitchen', he'd been allowed back there to get a cup of something to drink a good few hours prior. Hours being the key word there. The machine had been sitting there gathering some dust, and after that all it had taken was asking the shuttle's onboard maintenance engineer if he could try to fix it. Something to do on the ride at least, he'd argued, and the man had laughed and bet him a fistful of yerries if 'he could get it working before they finished docking'.

...Challenge accepted.

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry about that, I needed some room to work with during the ride. Need to take this back before we land, if that's ok."

"For the love of-...wait, how did you get ahold of-?"

"Engineer made me a bet when I went to get some water a few hours ago, and I needed something to do during the ride."

He could almost hear a sigh coming from the other end, see it even in his mind's eye, yet even so the intercom remained silent again before it crackled back again to life once more.

"Fine. But only if you bring me a cup before we're done with docking. Lazy-ass maintenance guy was supposed to fix that yesterday anywho..."

The exasperation from the copilot was almost palpable, though Lucius would brush off the hushed tone of what came afterwards.

Placing the machine in the empty seat he was supposed to have been sitting in, Lucius stretched his arms and legs for a minute before picking up the machine and looking back at the intercom. They had some kind of camera to keep an eye on stuff like this, he supposed, but he would even so give a semi-relaxed wave into the air before grabvbing up the machine and walking toward the kitchen without another word. As he was just about out of range, however, a flash of something popped into his head. Almost like a dream...but it was something he had become accustomed to nonetheless in his life by now.

"Ah, and I'll bring a seco-"

"Make that two cups!"

Ah, not fast enough on speaking to intercept that one on his part. Not a big deal, but he'd wave again in recognition as the pilot's own voice popped onto the intercom just as he was exiting the room.



The clang of a metal walkway underneath his boots and took his first few steps off of the shuttle, and feeling the weight of being under the effects of a more pronounced artificial gravity, felt more grounding and familiar to him than the tighter quarters of the personnel transport shuttle. A bit of a relief, really, now that he thought about it. Apparently the Rex was to be unloaded soon as wel, even as its transport shuttle sat some distance away on the other end of the hangar, but before than he'd get to at least enter the ship and introduce himself to his superiors. Or, well, those were his marching orders at this point in time.

Feeling his back straighten up without thinking too hard about it was something he'd become accustomed to, even as he looked over his uniform to ensure that everything was in order, Lucius would take in a deep breathe before letting it out slowly. Not a sign of a welcoming crew was present, but some part of him felt a small weight drop off of his shoulders as a result of that. Besides, he had a pocket with twenty five more yerries in it than he'd had before the shuttle trip, and a cup of hot, semi-watery coffee in his left hand that he'd proceed to take a long sip of before taking a look about himself...and promptly beginning to walk forward without skipping a beat.

Approaching the exit doors in due course, then, the light-brown eyed man would shoot a glance at a pair of hanger workers, one of which was holding some kind of datapad. From there he gave them a wave, mostly to get one of them's attention, as his mouth opened up with the first question of the day-

"Excuse me, do you know where Admiral Cain is at this hour? I was told to report to him after my arrival."

No time to find his assigned room or anything, or hearing if he had a roommate or anything like that. Nope. Orders were orders, though some part of the younger man hoped to be able to pull out the guava-jelly-filled dark chocolate bar he'd stashed in the pocket with the yerries he'd won at least. That had been a gift from the pilot in return for the second cup of coffee. From here, however, it was as simple as following a set of directions to the Briefing Room.

@Ariamis
In New Dawn of Civilizations(Always Open) → 4 mos ago Forum: Nation Roleplay
Okay, just when you can.

@Crusader Lord How are you doing?


Been feeling a bit stuck in my head on a next post, and drained by irl, but this Sunday or coming Monday I can get something up here to help push Eliza and such along.

Just need to think how far to skip, and what that means for her efforts toward iron tools and such proper, etc, etc. (@_@)
In Nerves In Carbonox Reforged: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay → 4 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay




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EDIT 3/21/26 - Neatened up Lucius' personality section a touch, and added a line or two I'd forgotten when intially writing his app (that is my bad).

EDIT 4/21/26 - Added his missing chosen bonus for the mech, which will be Speed.

EDIT 6/15/26 - Decided on a replacement system for the MFCS on Lucius' Framewerk, which is/will be the Air Recon Drones, and added it to the app.
In Nerves In Carbonox Reforged: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay → 4 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Ariamis Ok! I edited out the blank number 5 spot, and I switched the MMORPG system out with Stargazer for some potential defensive potential and space movement capabilities! He is kind of a sniper build, or at least that's my intention in enough of a sense.

Anywho, how do things look now? :O
In Nerves In Carbonox Reforged: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay → 4 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
<Snipped quote by Crusader Lord>

There seems to be a missing number 5 spot in additional information section. Also, I find it odd that you would pick MMORPG without any sort of close-range weapon.


@Ariamis Oh! I will get that empty 5 spot deleted after I get up later, and apologies about that being there. I had been hoping to think of another fun fact or such, but couldn't and forgot to delete the empty spot in this case.

As for the MMORPG system, I thought it would be helpful in improving Framewerk performance in terms of its dodging and movement in general. Er....unless I got things wrong about the system.

My understanding was that it adjusts to the pilot's movements, becomes faster, self-improves over time, etc, sort of deal. And the kid has Awareness and Clairvoyance, so I thought it'd be neat if his foresight would be helpful alongside the MMORPG in improving his Framewerk's dodging capabilities in that sense. He reacts faster than normal due to foresight or such, the unit eventually gets some benefit from refining its movements to respond to him better.

Though if I managed to get all of that wrong or otherwise in that vein, ah, I can change out the secondary system to something I either asked about earlier or roll foor a new one off the existing table. Either way, all is good! ^^;

Or if he gets another weapoon eventually for his Framewerk, could always go with a laser blade or such for the full Gundam experience and keep the MMORPG system around for that in the future.

In any case, I'll wait for your response to see what I need to do to address the MMORPG system (just to be sure).
In Nerves In Carbonox Reforged: A Roll-Your-Own Giant Mecha Roleplay → 4 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Ariamis For a good while I've been trying to make a second (and female) pilot plus Framewerk to submit alongside this at the same time, which the custom secondary system I had proposed a bit ago would be used by, and that's been its own struggle to find a good appearance pic for her and a possible Framewerk. Otherwise I've been debating submitting this first app on its own in the first place. But...hey, why not! I need to do something more, so if that means once a week posting on a Sunday afternoon or something then so be it! Lol.

So here is my submission! Hopefully it all works out to be approved, but if I need to fix anything then just let me know!




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