Letter Bee

How do you like your Mechs?

For all my Mech enjoyers out there, how do you like your fighting robots?

Walkers, humanoid, or just slightly bigger suits of power armor? Do you like analogue controls, motion body suits, or some sort of neural-link tech to pilot them?

Do you like it when Mechs are presented as just another piece of military hardware on the battlefield and mass produced like tanks, or do you prefer it when they're limited and rare, extremely powerful pieces of tech that save the day from a monster attack? Share your thoughts, I'd love to hear!

@Imperial Fox

All of them, but I like them as a piece of military hardware the most.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

I recall I once tried to make some kind of songstress Arms Master back in the first thread. Does anybody remember that? I can't seem to find the details

@Aisede

It should be in Thread One. Let me find it.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

@QJT, Lore approved. @Gerlando approves powers if he is available, but if not, I can grant emergency approval if he's absent.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

@QJT, Approval One.

@Gerlando can assess the powers.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Intermission Five - Aftermath of Victory

Municipality of Lubao, Pampanga Province, Philippines - 1/1/2023, 10:15 AM, UTC+8

Myron took some of the chocolates before memorizing the color and shape of the pills Kaitlyn used; after all, his job was partly to observe and find secrets - Just because he let a few secrets out was a flaw, but also a lapse he'd remedy once it was time to be mindful again. Right now, he and Crown Prince Shinyahito were on Baalphegor's 'dislike list' and that was a very bad thing.

To be honest, he should be glad everyone now had a chance, considering the fact that he had been nervous just an hour or so ago. Either way, time to eat food; he'll need it, particularly as a thought entered his head and it needed to be said without breaking the OPSEC that their new members justifiably found so very important.

His tone turned calm, even, and professional as he spoke to Callie, then Lukas, then Baalphegor as he spoke again, "Can this establishment be further secured against surveillance and eavesdropping for the moment? There are... agendae that need to be set, and its best they be set outside of our current quarters in the Lubao City Hall; I'll share why in a few moments."

One should remember that this restaurant was in a City that had been under a politician-turned-warlord's rule, then was liberated by the Philippine Government of National Salvation just before Task Force Obsidian was transferred here, and most patrons were by necessity members of the PGNS, aka military men and civilian offiicals. So it was easier to secure this place than it otherwise would be.

He waited; he dutifully waited, and it was only when the restaurant was fully secure that Myron spoke the words that were so important he had to call for the immediate securing of the restaurant.

"Just before this battle, we fought and captured Fēng Lin, the Pig of the Zodiac, when she tried to take us all out alone and nearly succeeded. Feng's Noble Arm is a shield capable of 'Devouring' Arms Masters and their Noble Arms and using those powers; she had Noel' devoured, plus two other Arms Masters, a defector to our side named Shen Tu and a newly-awakened one named Mykhailo Martinez. But what made her both nigh-invulnerable, yet allowed her to be defeated anyway, was the fact that she had absorbed several Avatars of the Seven Virtues and at least one Avatar of Superbia of the Downward Descent."

There was an aura of calm, of clear-headedness, that was flooding everyone except Baalphegor right now, even the ones not listening to Myron's talk. Myron himself felt... encouraged, his mind suddenly supercharging itself seemingly on its own.

Then he added, " Fēng was defeated by our own Henri Janessens, then absorbed into my shield, then I let her out so that our resident healer, Marta Rocha, can keep her body from disintigrating from... the effects of the fight. It revealed two things: One, that the Seven Virtues attacked the black site in Gansu that Noel was being kept in after the Phnom Penh incident, and two, during this, Fēng and maybe one other - I suspect Huang Baihu, the Tiger of the Zodiac, or Ding Qi, the Dog of the Zodiac - actively attacked the Downward Descent in a fit of infighting so that Fēng's shield can be empowered."

His tone turned bitter, "We were able to win the Battle of Scarborough Shoal - La Naval de Manila, Part Two - Because this infighting meant that Huang and Ding were not able to join Wu Shufen, who nearly defeated our party alone some weeks earlier. That miracle won't repeat itself a second time..."

@Chiro@Nimbus@Digmata@Gerlando@Lloki@Creative Chaos (if returning) @Paths of Parity@esqueleto@Aisede@Lewascan2

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

Mykhailo Martinez

Mykhailo had tasted victory once more, knew that sweet Ace-hood was in his grasp. But as he grabbed a soft drink first - You can never beat a good Coke or Pepsi - he had to say to himself that it all felt hollow. Like, these were the bad guys, but the line between hero and villain was thinner than he wanted; that explosion, from where the Libyans must have stashed some form of prototype explosive they should not have had... that explosion stayed in his mind, rent-free.

How many civilians have that harmed, people who did not deserve that level of tragedy whether or not they approved of the current regime? It would do no good to dull that question; if offered alcohol, Mykhailo would drink only the smallest amount to avoid offending people, while upping his consumption of coffee if there were any.

Also, it was best if he learned how to socialize sober. So now, he had to ask himself... who should he socialize with? Fuka, Freyja, Ximena, and Amelia were people he did not want to annoy and whom he'd spent vital social capital with. So that left Scott and maybe Kat, and so Mykhailo walked towards the former, remembering that he was his commanding officer, and asked, "So, umm... it's been a long night for all of us; it's almost dawn."

His next words were, "I hate to ask this, but... how do I talk to people? And by people, I mean the rest of the squadron? How do I make friends when my money doesn't matter, my good looks are canceled out by my bad or nonexistent manners, and well, waiting for people to approach me is crass, right?"

@Damo021@Smike@Rhona W@Finetales@AvaP

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Intermission Five - Aftermath of Victory

Municipality of Lubao, Pampanga Province, Philippines - 1/1/2023, 10:15 AM, UTC+8

Myron forced himself up to greet the new guests/members, barely noticing the sights, sounds and smells around him as he focused on greeting the newcomers. Baalphegor, the Arms Master Plutocrat; she had been a boogeyman to the Disablers during the Hammer War, back when the main conflict was between those who had Noble Arms and those who did not. This in turn was not just because of her wealth and power but also because she looked like a demoness. It was time to apologize for that.

"Ms. Baalphegor," the tall young man said to her, "I have heard of you. A wealthy Arms Master investor who runs on contracts and magically-binding deals; my previous allegiances were narrow-minded when judging them and I must apologize for their... demonization of them and you, pardon the pun."

Then as he turned to face The Liberator, Myron cannot but help but remark, "You used to mistrust Arms Masters too, but chose to become one as a sacrifice for your country. As for myself, I gained my own Noble Arm after realizing that my previous side - The Disablers - and the Hammer of Masters were merely two ends of a cycle of revenge. I admire your willingness to put the good of others above one's personal... stances; thank you for coming to our aid."

Looking at Kaitlyn, Myron smiled faintly and said, "Welcome back. Noel is in the hospital, recovering from more than a month in the hands of the enemy; he got captured after a botched diplomatic conference that was a thinly-veiled attempt at betrayal by Cambodia's Prime Minister and the head of its Army. So Callie is in command of most combat operations while I... well, I'm filling in for Noel in other areas."

A sigh escaped his lips as he continued, "But I'm avoiding the issue; the issue is that we've all endured a lot, many people whom we expected to stay just left, and three months of missions have put us on the verge of victory but also nearly destroyed us. So for you to return..."

His smile grew, "It gives us hope."

---

Crown Prince Shinyahito, accompanied by Princess Fukuyo, his sister, walked over to Baalphegor and introduced himself with, "Ms. Baal; I am Crown Prince Shinyahito, and this is my sister Fukuyo, born to the current Emperor through the power of Noble Arms-enhanced fertility treatments."

The boy then decided to be open with it, "I volunteered by myself; not sure if I'm technically even within TFO or subject to its chain of command. My Noble Arm also retcons out my existence and makes my cousin the Crown Prince whenever I stab myself with it, but it also allows me to teleport at will while healing my body. Surely you can see the drawback in that, Lady of Deals?"

Princess Fukuyo looked at her brother, the light catching on her magical silvery tresses, and remarked, "You're usually not so open about that power, brother. Today is the first time I've heard about it."

The prince nodded at her, then turned to Baalphegor, "I've almost never asked for anything for myself. Technically, I am not asking for anything now, just putting an idea on the table. But... I thought the people here might need to know."

@Chiro@Nimbus@Digmata@Gerlando@Lloki@Creative Chaos (if returning) @Paths of Parity@esqueleto@Aisede@Lewascan2

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

@Aisede, Approval One given.

@Gerlando can give the second review.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

@Lewascan2, Approval One, if you're truly coming back.

@Gerlando, give a second review?

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

Mykhailo Martinez

Scott 'Heartbreak' Valentine - Cobalt Leader

The Aqua-tailed Titan being hounded by Amelia and Ximena had no chance. Between them, the two women had pushed and pulled the Silent Eagle and it's pilot into the corner. Ximena danced her Sea Raptor out of the way of the laser, a move that goaded the enemy pilot to chase the plucky sinomexican into another shot, only to have one of Jefe's pair of missiles as a return for their troubles. At the same instant, Calico let fly with a trio her her own.
Bracketed by both planes and with five air-to-air missiles bearing down on them, there was really no avoiding it. The Titan pilot was no quitter, and they pulled to try and gain altitude, heeling into-
Before they could even complete the maneuver, the first of the three R-73's detonated, the close proximity fuse showering the belly of the Silent Eagle with blazing shrapnel. The second plowed home moments later, and the third arrived at the same instant as Ximena's missiles. The F-15 was obliterated, the machine and pilot alike so thoroughly obliterated by the successive hammering of explosions that it was spread out square miles of the suburbs in a shower of fragments that looked like a brief, if heavy meteor shower.

@Rhona W

"чудовий (chudovyi)!," Mykhailo said the word for 'magnificent' in his mother's tounge. He could laugh out loud, but at the same time, the risk that innocent civilians might get hit by debris... Well, he hoped the Libyans actually put in alarm and evacuation measures and had bought their share of ambulances and fire trucks.
Point was, the brilliant rain of fiery lights were magnificent from the air, but they also marked a waste of human life; Mykhailo hated it when his actions had a human cost out of all proportion to victory. At least he was closer to Ace-hood, right?
"All our powers combined!" Mykhailo couldn't help but blurt out, before biting his tounge to avoid saying, Go Go Power Rangers!
He still had a mission; this was not a movie where the narrative was winding down and he can relax. But compared to the flipping laser that had taken out his stabilizer, black market SAMs were child's play to avoid even with his plane's ability to form fancy turns disabled. Laughing, Mykhailo shouted, "Rifle!" as he unloaded his last rocket pod at some hapless emplacements, watching them blow up into clouds of orange and dark grey.
After that, he did a sweep to see if there were still planes or a missile silo he can still strike, and upon finding that the runaway was untouched, he made a move to remedy that, shouting, "BAT!" before dropping his F-16's Guided Bomb.
The noise and the explosions were a mark of a job well-done; to be honest, Mykhailo knew that to enjoy the harm, the pain, he was doing to real people - enemies - to express that outside of some vaguely defined boundaries of agreement like a duel or lack of civilian populations, well... he didn't feel comfortable doing that now that he was actually inflicting damage to his foes, foes he regarded as proxies for the mobs that killed Artemio.
To be fair, Artemio saw you for you; he was your boyfriend because he was willing to tolerate a brat like you, an intrusive thought parked itself in his head. You've done nothing but annoy people and show enough skill that you've not been thrown out on your rear. And all for what? To childishly hurt your enemy or those loosely connected to them just like you've been hurt?
"Out of Ordnance!" Mykhailo said to drown his thoughts before circling to follow Scott, his hunger for battle sated for today.

He flew. He took as many minutes as possible to get to safety, and enjoy being in the sky again, a sky starting to bloom with the early rays of sunlight. The Pilot's next words were addressed to Scott, "So, Cobalt Lead, did I do great? No big blunders?"
It was a vulnerability he had not wanted to show; Mykhailo Martinez was many things, but showing vulnerability on such spontaneous terms was not something he wanted to show.
"The Lasers..." he started a new line of conversation, "It seems our foe decided better tech made them more than a match for us, but it didn't work? What firms are developing those and where can we find them? Is anyone else interested in trying to get them?"
More vulnerability. More spontaneity. He did not want to open up. Why was he opening up? Should he brace to be shut down (verbally) right now? Was he being annoying again?

@Damo021@Smike@Rhona W@Finetales@AvaP