Current
Noble Arms is now either four years old, or three years and eleven months. The third thread had lasted for more than one year.
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1 mo ago
New Interest Check, everybody!
2 mos ago
My Roleplay, Noble Arms: The ASEAN War, will reach its 4th year in June or July. It's been a long journey.
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2 mos ago
Despite its massive flaws, my RP, Noble Arms: The ASEAN War, is still one of the longest ongoing RPs in RPGuild - It turns 4 years old in July and the current thread itself is more than a year old.
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3 mos ago
On 4/14/2026 (on my end), my RP, Noble Arms: The ASEAN War, is now three years and ten months old, and the current thread is one year and four months.
Dang, NCQuest got off the ground and I didn't get so much as a Discord ping. That's cold, @Letter Bee.
Tongue-in-cheek sarcasm aside, glad to see your thread finally take off. Since you seem to have all your bases covered, I'll settle for watching the IC.
I thought you'd lost interest, actually. That and I no longer frequent the RPG Discord as much as I used to.
This kinetic shield made things interesting. Almost like shooting fish in a really big barrel. He wouldn't even need to fully eliminate a target; if they sustained enough damage he could simply pick them off as they attempted to flee through the barrier at a snail's pace.
Suddenly, Isaac LaBelle would feel a tickle at the back of his head, where the implants every NC Pilot held met with his Mech's man-machine interface. Said tickle would shape itself into a voice, a smug voice that said, <Ah, so this is what a Paragon's brain looks like from the inside.>
A face appeared at the edges of his vision; purple eyes, red hair, and pale skin,. <Happy to meet you for the first time, Isaac LaBelle. My name is Osamu Akiyama, of Red-Star. Now, will you give up control of your NC to me, or will I have to take it through mental force?>
Isaac tugged at his controls, initially assuming the feeling to be some minor glitch or other maintenance oversight. Until, of course, someone started talking. He flicked on his comm while he was still certain he had control,
"Non, non, non! I think I'm compromised, keep your heads down and out of my sight! I'll try to stall him."
He set his focus on keeping Algernon from moving, even going so far as to deactivate his lancer. If he lost control, Osamu would at the very least have to sit through another lengthy bootup sequence while the railgun charged if he wanted to inflict sizeable damage.
<I was briefed on you. This is a neat little power. I look forward to seeing the inside of your brain as well - splattered on concrete, that is.> At least he wouldn't have to pretend to be a shy loser in his own head.
Despite his words, his NC's controls were locking up, becoming less and less responsive to his instructions; Isaac wouldn't know if his Lancer was truly deactivated, before Osamu's face, inside his head, grinned widely. <So our Paragon spy has a spine after all! How literally cute.>
He licked his lips. <Here's a bit of news; Paragon's manager in Southern France just decided to sell a few of his gene-serfs to Red-Star, including two people with your same general build, the female a brunette and the male a blonde. Of course, given how your bonds with them have deteriorated over the years, this won't be enough to get you to give your mech over to me unhesitatingly. But it's enough to hurt, right?>
A smirk. <I can show you the torments I can put them through once their slave transport arrives in Red-Star territory. Would you like them to make you a few siblings in the breeding camps?>
The smirk widened.
Isaac clenched his teeth, every bit of his mind screaming at him to run but with nowhere to run to. Bad enough that this guy was invasive, he knew way too much. How far into his head could Osamu see? At least he seemed a bit overzealous with his taunting. Isaac still had an edge. If you could call it that, he still wasn't sure what the conditions were to "win" this little mental match.
<You overplayed your hand, you flirty runt. I have no reason to trust a word you say. I'm not giving you a damn thing, let alone control of my Algernon.>
He let himself focus on his earlier panic, despite some hesitancy on his part. Not enough to completely lose himself in some primal, animalistic emotion, but enough to rail his consciousness against the intruder in an attempt to run, if only metaphorically.
Osamu laughed within Isaac's head, <All right, you got me; I haven't bought your parents yet. But I can do so in just a few seconds; I know their identities, I know their employer, and I have Red-Star's money.>
A vision came to Isaac, of Osamu in his cabin at the Red-Star Supercarrier that formed the enemy fleet's flagship. Everything that can be of military use, including documents, was blurred to Isaac's mental vision, but the screen of Osamu's communicator was perfectly clear. Osamu was now typing the name of the Paragon Aristocrat-Manager who owned Isaac's parents, preparing to send a call...
<Not convincing enough for you?>
Isaac stared coldly ahead, clutching his now-useless controls with determined furor. Was this some fabrication? Could he actually do it? He needed a way to momentarily placate Osamu. Giving up control was an obvious no, as there was a good likelihood he'd just end up in those very same slave pits himself.
<You're not a very convincing man. You'll do what you want regardless of how I act, giving in would just get me killed - or worse. Besides, you can't do anything to my parents if I kill you first.>
He needed some way to make that more than an empty threat. It didn't seem like he was winning, but he had no other choice. Like a rat, he had to scurry away and hope for the best, or he'd be eaten. Osamu seemed pretty secure for the time being, if he had even given away his real location. Could he just disconnect from his NC? No, that might just let Osamu take control easier, not to mention leave him stranded in a warzone.
Another set of laughs. <You can't kill me first,> Osamu said, although Isaac can detect a twinge of doubt. <And I actually have an alternative proposal - Keep your Mech, but shoot one of your comrades - Alexei, the Southshell Twink looks good, just as good as you do - at the right moment to get him captured. Then pretend I was controlling your NC the moment you did so you can keep yourself away from a court-martial for betrayal. Isn't that a bargain?>
Osamu was now typing numbers into his communicator, slowly and tauntingly. The numbers were of the Paragon transhuman aristocrat who owned his family. He was about to push the 'send' button...
Isaac cringed, he hoped he wouldn't have to see Alexei much after this, that nickname was going to stick with him, he could feel it. Although, there was an obvious solution to that; take out Alexei. Isaac tried to keep his thoughts simple and focused on Osamu's bargain - too much rumination could be damning with this guy poking around in his head. The Red Star pilot sounded like he dropped his guard for a second, so this might be the best deal he was going to get.
<Sounds reasonable, actually. You know psychologists say positive reinforcement is more effective than threats, food for thought.> He tried to keep his thought-"voice" casual enough. <Now piss off and you'll get your-> Ew, there's that nickname again, he knew it was going to stick, <Southshell twink...>
A smile. <Thank you,> Osamu said, <I will give you back control of your NC now. But remember, I have your parents' employer on speed-dial...>
Issac might feel his controls returning to him; his Mech was his' once more - for now.
After a short amount of time, Sahaquiel is released into the battlefield. She walks forward slowly, stomping with every footstep, kicking up dust. She proceeds to crouch down behind a large building, waiting for the enemy and to avoid snipers. She turns on the communication systems and tells the team "Godspeed, everyone. Let's not die today." Sahaquiel pokes its head up. "I uh... See an NC, black and purple with horns on its head. I'm... Not picking up any life signatures from it, no jamming detected. That's impossible! No NC can operate without a human pilot! Why does it look exactly like an armored human?" Her NC's claws twitch and the hands ball up into fists.
"You have other things to worry about," a voice interrupted her rant through the comms. If Kyexun in Sahaquiel turned to the side, she would see Alexander Sky in his Phoenix Inferno rushing at her, it's EMP-claw out and ready to pulse. The red-orange mecha looked like a beastman from so up close; a match for Sahaquiel in every way.
The hidden thrusters fire according to Kxeyun's battle instincts, and the machine rotates around to face Alexander. The machine's large claws raise up as it prepares for battle. The shield-peircers spring to life whilst Kxeyun looks at Phoenix Inferno. "Avoid the giant claw, I won't die." Kxeyun picks up a van and chucks it at Phoenix.
Phoenix Inferno yanks itself upwards, avoiding the van even as its Fusion Cannons try and blast Sahaquiel's right arm off; he had seen how the shields didn't seem to cover said arm. The superheated gas, as hot as the sun's surface, ought to melt the enemy NC's arm, but Alex knew he was not that lucky - His opponent seemed to have skill.
Indeed, Alex was right. Kxeyun formulated a plan that seems rather suicidal. She dashes backward and leaps onto a building, and uses the machine's powerful legs to leap up into the air. She wouldn't be able to leap that high, intending to claw at the NC's legs. How she would land, is a mystery.
Alexander uses his superior maneuverability to jerk himself backwards, firing his Fusion Cannons as he did so to rocket himself back, back out of the range of Sahaquiel's claws. Said cannons were still aimed at the mecha's arms; this time the upper parts close to the shoulders. At the same time, he keeps watch for the other enemy NCs, just in case.
Sahaquiel reveals another trick, the shield-piercers are designed to be switched on and off rather fast. The piercers disable themselves, but it would've been a better move to shoot her lower arms, due to how the shields extend. She takes the damage, growling inside the control seat. Her legs fully extend and lands on another building, completely collapsing it.
Alexander charges, his Fusion Cannons covering his approach as they fire at Sahaquiel's head and eyes where he thought the sensors were. His Right-hand claw draws back for a swipe at the large NC, this time taking a cue from the latter's movements and aiming for the legs.
At the same time, at the corner of Sahaquiel's eyes, a kicking of dust can be seen...
The shields take the impact, however a few of Sahaquiel's cameras are damaged. The presence of the new NC triggers a reaction from Kxeyun and the machine. She lets go of the controls, and growls loudly. Several plates start shifting on the NC's face, Phoenix's sensors can pick up an increased reactor output. The blue "wires" in the face of the NC retract, so does the top of the head. The bottom of the head shifts as well, revealing a mouth. Two panels move, revealing what represents eyes. They squint at Phoenix Inferno. The mouth opens and the machine lets out a MASSIVE roar, Alexander can hear it without needing a microphone on the external armor of his NC. The machine growls after that roar, and on the inside of the metal mouth, Alexander can see dried blood. The shield-peircers reactivate and Sahaquiel charges at Phoenix, attempting to use both arms to grab onto the massive arm before it can hit. While this happens, all allied NCs get a message from Sahaquiel reading:
WARNING: MENTAL CONTAMINATION IS AT 94%. SAHAQUIEL IS BERSERK.
Alexander's left arm then cuts upwards at Sahaquiel's claws, a plasma dagger held in said arm. In the Havenite NC's berserk state, it probably won't notice that the claws had been cut apart, if it was going to be the case.
The dagger gives a significant cut to a few of the claws, not completely destroying them but getting close. However, the other claws sink into the right arm of Phoenix Inferno, and Sahaquiel then uses that leverage to slam Phoenix into the ground, stomping on it. All the while the machine keeps growling and letting out little roars, completely unaware of the cloaked threat. Kxeyun begins shouting words over open comms that don't seem to 100% belong to her, and it has a mix of a robotic voice in there too. "You call yourselves PILOTS?! How crazy you are to think of yourselves as that! You're just a catalyst to turn on the machines! TOOLS! YOU CRAZY GOD DAMNED PEOPLE! This is what Sahaquiel is!"
Another light kicking of dust, before Alexander screams out, clearly in pain, "No, Mako! A little pain..." he grunted, "WON'T STOP ME!"
His Mech's right arm was damaged, but not so entirely that the EMP projector was entirely useless. Phoenix Inferno's right hand grabs at one of the gigantic claws of the enemy mecha, then pulses, unleashing a wave of energy that shorts out Sahaquiel's electronics - or hopefully does so!
The energy mixing with Sahaquiel's shield piercers triggers a backflow, the right arm's shield piercer overloads and sends a massive jolt of electricity, all of which was contained in the shield piercer into Phoenix. However, the right arm is now rendered useless, smoking heavily. This causes Kxeyun, and in turn Sahaquiel, to scream out in pain. She uses the machine's left arm, left leg and Viper Thrusters to tear the arm off, pushing against Phoenix with the leg and pulling against the arm with the rest. She proceeds to kick backwards and back away from Phoenix, finally noticing the dust.
Phoenix Inferno flies backward, facing Sahaquiel as he did so. It was then that Alexander says, "Well-done; but Red-Star teaches a mind to endure pain in ways that a Pilot of Denver-Vegas cannot. And one of the things I pride myself for is... Being the Bane of Denver-Vegas!"
The Fusion Cannons mounted on the shoulders fire again, over and over at Sahaquiel. At the same time, Kyexun's remaining sensors would see two Repair Gunships that were moving towards Alexander; magnetically attached to their bottoms was... A new EMP Claw. She can hear Alexander scream at the gunships, "Stop! This is a matter of honorable combat! Don't come near us!"
At the same time, there was another kicking of dust, this time close to Sahaquiel's back.
Mental contamination reaches 100%, she's no longer herself. Sahaquiel dodges behind a building "You may be the bane of Denver-Vegas, but I am Sahaquiel, Ingenuity of God! I will drive this lesson deep into your head, I will defeat you! I am a Prototype designed to counter close range NCs! LET THIS TEACH YOU WELL!" She proceeds to use her legs to kick said building directly at Phoenix, chucking the destroyed arm from his NC to follow up and stab into him. She thinks he's finished and remembers the dust, and proceeds to stomp on the ground.
Except not, as she can feel a dagger, a meta-material dagger designed for opening up armor plates (and thus also good against shields), piercing Sahaquiel's back. Kyexun would feel the pain through her Neural-Net connection, and her body would be paralyzed and the mech with it as it was the equivalent of a spinal injury.
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH ALEXANDER-SENPAI!" A voice called out; young and shrill. It was Mako Shintai, pilot of the Kitsune.
Alexander, meanwhile, had dodged Kyexun/Sahaquiel's thrown building and mech-arm, and was now having a new one painfully installed by the Red-Star Repair Gunships, who were releasing minature drones to help with the process of mending. More Gunships and drones were coming out of the smoke, holding Alexander's Phoenix Inferno in place as the NC/Mecha was repaired. Alexander himself was saying, "Mako! Don't deny me this duel!"
A pause. "But... Good job anyway."
Sahaquiel begins to rapidly heat up, it's left arm explodes from an overload. It's going to attempt to self-destruct! Apparently they damaged something critical.
Mako, brushing aside his Senpai's words, tries to cut out Sahaquiel's NC Core and Ejection Pod, hoping to yank it out in record time and zoom off with his prisoner before the explosion struck.
The thing is, Kxeyun is only inside the ejection pod when an ejection sequence is triggered, and due to the spinal damage, it can't activate. The machine spits out something quickly. "DO THAT AND I EXPLODE INSTANTLY! LET GO AND I SHUT DOWN!"
Alexander responds instantly, "Let go, Mako!"
Mako obeys this time, zooming away from Kyexun/Sahaquiel as more Red-Star forces, this time Tanks, move in position, staying far enough to be relatively unaffected by any explosion, but close enough to fire.
The NC's legs collapse due to the paralyzing effect. She begins laughing. "Riddle me this, Alexander. Do you think I'd give up THIS easily? You know that sooner or later you'd die. Look me in the eyes, do I look like the type to let you win?" The mouth moves while it talks, and in her mind, the Kxeyun/Sahaquiel merge is praying for a miracle, if none comes, she'll die instead of letting them get hands on her. Alongside that, she's putting full willpower into trying to move, the animalistic instincts making her do that.
Alexander looked at her and said, "Actually, yes."
Kyexun's commlink - Her Havenite Commlink - beeped. If she opened it, she would find it at maximum quantum encryption, the highest grade that Haven can provide. She would then see a message:
Don't die yet - I'm spying on Red-Star for Theodore. Let's talk here so Osamu doesn't hack our brains. - Love, A.
You and I know very well I cannot believe you, Denver designed me to kill you and taught us that you are the absolute definition of deception and evil. I'd love to believe you, but this is not the case. Convince me to not blow ourself up and I will trust your words. Oh and if that other NC comes and tries that again, I will self-destruct instantly. - Though the Heavens fall, let there be peace, Kxequiel.
The eyes then re-open, they have a timer set for 5 minutes, he doesn't have much time to convince her.
Funny, Red-Star taught me the same about Denver-Vegas, and added some things about how you were dirty imperialists. But tell me the truth, do you really trust the company that made you kill your best friend? I know about it, 'Kxequiel'; I know quite a bit. But here's one thing that only a Havenite or Havenite Agent would know; you've found someone new to love. Over coffee.
A reference to Terra.
Now do you believe me? I want you to survive as much as Theodore does, the words on the screen spelled out. And trust me; he cares for all of us; even me.
The mouth on Sahaquiel begins shifting, before slamming shut and opening again, the timer immedietly drops by 5 seconds.
She needs someone to keep her safe. I only killed Jack because he was Denver and he was trying to kill me. She already changed my allegience to Haven. It also stands to reason that the Red-Star defector, Terra, didn't really defect and is just YOUR agent. She was oddly calm... Something useful for a spy, is it not? You don't have too much longer to convince me.
Alexander replied, trying to convey anger over text.
I could leave you to your fate before you hurt her with that accusation. Said accusation might destroy your team, true or false - and it is false. But if you want something more substantial... I was saving this for my actual defection.
A blueprint shone on her commlink's screen: Tabris'. It would take three to five seconds to be seen as a genuine blueprint. The next three to five seconds will show Grand Sword Star's, then Ursa Nova's. The only thing left missing was Web-Spinner's schematics, as he was a Mercenary.
This causes Kxequiel to hesitate. You shared Red-Star's blueprints with me... That would be an absolutely stupid move from Red-Star, but you bested my berserker mode, you aren't stupid... The timer shuts off right before it hits 0, the eyes show again, but this time they're a deep gray, the same color as Kxeyun's eyes. She then says out loud "Well you foul Red-Star scum, you live this time. Next time we meet, it'll be your head on my dinner plate." The machine proceeds to collapse, and shut down. This leaves Kxeyun inside the darkened machine only muttering "Jack? Terra? Where are you? I see nothing... What am I? Do I even like you?" She then devolves into a crying fit.
She can hear Alexander say over the comms, "We're leaving, Mako."
A petulant reply from the invisible Red-Star pilot, "Why, Alexander-Senpai?! We can get a new slave for Red-Star this time!"
Alexander responds smugly, "Madwomen do not make good slaves. Besides, I prefer a proper twink."
And with that, Red-Star's NCs and their conventional forces leave Sahaquiel alone, focusing on other Havenite Mecha...
Guys, note that there is no posting order for the first 'battle' phase of the Mini-RP; you can post multiple times as long as you do not double-post. Not just that, but the GM will make short posts and collabs instead of long posts in order to keep the fighting moving at a consistent pace and to address things that are immediately needed.
Joey Glory then looked at his watch and said, "If my estimates are right, the General Commander ought to end the session in a few seconds; be ready, Pilots."
It was then that the International Volunteers received a call on their communication devices, saying, "All right people, General Commander Narra here! The bombardment has ceased, repeat, the bombardment has ceased. Red-Star will now attempt to send its invasion force through the Kinetic Shields the slow way! Report to the NC Hangar immidiately now that you've eaten - Zahra Mazghuuri is your squad leader for the duration of the defense!"
By the 'slow' way, Red-Star was relying on the fact that slow-moving objects can pass through the Kinetic Shields, such as transports and NCs. This was a very costly way to conduct an invasion, but Red-Star stood to gain much more from re-enslaving Australia and extracting its mineral resoures.
Now, one of the first things that the International Volunteers had been given when being housed in the building complex that was Haven Shield were easily memorable directions to the NC Hangar from any part of the base. If they forgot those, holographic maps of the base would pop out of the corners of the coffeehouse. Either way, they had better get moving.
------
The NC Hangar was a large chamber that was able to fit several times the team's number of NCs, and it was buzzing in activity as the mechanics were scrambling to get the Mechs ready for combat; it seemed that most of the maintenance work had been done already.
Chief Mechanic Cecily would then send out a comm to the various Pilots to tell them, "Your machines are ready; General Commander gave me orders to get them in fighting shape just a few hours ago! We've also filled up their ammo and energy reserves, so they'd be able to fight for days!"
Theodore's voice was heard once more through the speakers, "I wasn't completely neglecting preperations for combat when I asked you guys to socialize. Now get in your Mechs; Pilot Ang ought to know where they're to be deployed." His tone turned frosty as he addressed Maggie, "Pilot Gunn, I don't want there to be any incidents, so you're accompanying me and Lucille in the defense of the northern portion of Darwin."
Margaret/Maggie nodded with barely hidden discontent, "Of course, sir."
The General Commander of Haven responded, "Now, the rest of you - Move Out!"
Darwin City
As the NC Team deployed to Darwin City's western parts, they could see Red-Star's transports moving slowly through the shimmering kinetic barriers, the prows of the levitating ships penetrating the shields before projecting their own forcefields, forcefields that gave them a fighting chance against Haven's own artillery, which was as bound by the kinetic fields as the Red-Star's own guns. This chance wasn't enough to save the first wave of transports; they were blown up as they pushed further through the kinetic shields.
This was the same for the second wave, but not the third one, which managed to get a few transports inside, transports that deployed their fierce and fantatical cargo - Gunships, Tanks, and Power-Armored Infantry.
And finally, entering through the smoke of their own allies' wreckage, came the NCs of Red-Star and their pilots. Alexander Sky in his Phoenix Inferno and Mako Shintai of his 'Kitsune' went through the barriers, the latter vanishing into invisibility as it fully went through the Kinetic Shield. Others were there as well; monstrous Mecha of animalistic forms and sinister edges. It was clear that Red-Star was committing their all into this assault. Theodore messaged the Volunteers directly one last time to say:
"Make sure you have the support of Haven's own conventional forces when attacking the enemy NCs; they'll be supported by their own folk as well. Do not underestimate the enemy's own Non-Mecha troops; NCs are powerful, not invincible. Theodore out."
Two resets; this was getting bad. As the latest repeat made itself apparent, Ashton walked over alongside Kimura, registering the growing sense of panic and annoyance from everyone, including the small Japanese boy. He took a set of deep breaths, forcing himself to think of home, of Pidgey II. Then he added his voice to Kimura's, saying, "Guys, I think that either we should do what Yuuki says, or failing that, we should look at the three available paths open to us and ensure that we at least have some people on each one. And by that, either we all go with Aer to Mono, or we split our merry band between all three options we have. Those are our two main options; who will chose?"
Flame looked at his boyfriend, "I think that we should all go with Aer, but if we must repeat past... Risks, I volunteer to go with Doctor Donovan." He had accompanied Ashton and Yuuki as they went to the huddle where Aerith and the others were. "But I will be honest, going with Aer, then fanning out from the Guard Barracks in order to seek out Fritzi and Donovan would be the best idea."
He looked around to see if Aer was listening, and continued, this time in a whisper, "I do not think that the 'gift' we've been given is free; it must carry a curse if it came from L.T. So we should keep ourselves from using it as much as possible."
Ashton nodded at that, then added his own piece, "We should also keep each other in the loop, even the ones among this group that don't like me or Flame. Like it or not, we're all in this together, and no one should be denied the right to contribute to the fortunes of this group. We've wasted enough time already in futile, isolated, flailing."
And with that, the brown-haired boy went over to where Chieko was, unafraid of her 'mean looks'. Noticing that Aki was with her, he phrased his words carefully so as not to activate the 'geas' that bound what he was allowed to say. "Someone wants to kill your friends - Aerith and Hiro."
He faced the mean-spirited Japanese chunni girl, and continued in a barely audible whisper, "Someone wants to kill Aerith and Hiro and Alistair where they're going, but we don't have proof beyond our memories. Furthermore, any attempt to get them medical attention..." He gave the briefest of side glances to where Donovan was still waiting, "Will just seal their fate. And you and Yuuki both know what place is safe. So, I have to ask, can you convince your friends to pick the safe choice?"
A pause as Ashton took a chance, "One of the people here is the 'Arc Villian' of this particular chapter of our group's story. They're the one who masterminded the plan to kill Aerith and Hiro. You can guess who."
A slight bow, "By the way, I know you don't like us, but you have drive and I recognize that. That's why I came to you, because despite what you feel towards me and Flame, I trust you."
And with that, he walked off, back to where Flame and the others were, saying, "All right, everyone; the choices are to pick the safest choice or split ourselves as evenly as possible. The way I see it, our options are limited and our main asset might be cursed in the long run. And if we pick the safest choice, we can always come back later. Point is, though... We need to choose now and there is no shame in the safest choice if we can pick other choices after that."
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