Rhona W

The Heavenfall Universe - A Guide

The Heavenfall

The Heavenfall was the name later given to the event that occurred on March 23rd, 2004 at 11:23pm, Greenwich Mean Time.
An object travelling at a significant proportion of the speed of light entered the solar system from outside the ecliptic plane of Earth, and impacted above the Arctic Circle in central Russia The immediate impact caused massive earthquakes, as well as tidal waves. The shockwave travelled around the globe three times, and shattered windows as far south as Seoul.
However, this was only the first impact, as a string of follow-on objects laid a path of destruction across Earth's surface, travelling Eastwards, with the final impacts striking in the North Atlantic.
With the projectiles travelling so fast and approaching from such an oblique angle, there had been no opportunity or chance for them to be spotted by the various space agencies of Earth, and even if they had, little time to be able to prepare any kind of credible defence.

The end result was not quite the end of civilization that had been predicted by popular fiction, but it was very close.
The impacts caused massive geological upheavals. Earthquakes and tectonic activity rocked the world and toppled buildings, blocked roads, collapsed tunnels and shelters and disrupted and destroyed vital infrastructure and caused widespread devastation. Tidal waves ravaged coastlines and left vast areas flooded, destroying even more vital infrastructure and buildings.
Dust and debris thrown up by the impact darkened the skies and played havoc with weather patterns for months, further disrupting efforts to provide organized response and relief, and hampering rebuilding efforts tremendously.

With the incredible, unthinkable scale of the devastation, and the inability to respond effectively to the sheer magnitude of devastation, the after-effects of the impacts claimed even more lives, and caused even more destruction themselves. Exposure through lack of shelter, disease, injuries and starvation claimed more lives, along with fires, flooding, and other such disasters and accidents.
By the time the remaining governments and organised response had finally managed to get into action and begin to provide some kind of relief, the total casualties worldwide were estimated to be in the billions, roughly a third of Earth's total human population having died as a result of the impact and its' immediate aftereffects.

The incident became referred to as the 'Day the Heavens fell' in a now-iconic news report, and the name stuck, the 18-month period being referred to as 'The Heavenfall' as a whole, or 'The Long Winter', as a result of the persistent darkness and winter-like weather that ravaged across the world.
The impact had lasting effects as well. The Earth had been tilted on its' rotational axis, leading to longer summers and shorter winters. The global climate rose rapidly through the greenhouse effect caused by the impact's fallout. This, and the impact being above the arctic circle itself, resulted in the melting of large areas of continental ice and a concurrent rise in global sea levels. Many former coastal cities were abandoned, and capitals or major cities and population centers resettled elsewhere.

With so much devastation and loss of vital industry, transportation, and other long-held and long-established infrastructure, cultural, economic and civil hubs and sites of great importance, the old order of things and the focus of power shifted. Ancient seats of power such as London, Washington D.C., New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles and others were crippled, and the nations they served heavily affected by the Heavenfall. In the resulting chaos and ruin, other powers were left to pick up the reins of leadership and influence.
As the impact was in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere became the new leading seat and focus of power. Relatively speaking; the southern hemisphere was less affected, and much of its' infrastructure had fared moderately better. In other countries, places more inland or at higher altitudes had survived better, and consequently became the new focus of development and population as people flocked to them looking for shelter, and as their intact industries, facilities and infrastructure became increasingly important and vital to the redeveloping world and society.

By default, this upheaval meant the end of the Cold War and of the divide and conflict between the Eastern and Western ideologies. The destruction overall and especially in what had been Russia had left the government, already tenuous and fractured, utterly shattered and dismantled, unable to respond effectively to the crisis that now faced its' people, and that had devastated much of its effective infrastructure and power base. Likewise, the leading nations of the West had been similarly subjected to massive upheaval, and left struggling to rebuild and regain their momentum over the following years.

Author's Note: The Heavenfall did not completely destroy civilization and society, but shifted the balance of power, and changed the 'modern era' away from the OTL into one where a setting and world like Shattered Steel can exist, while also preserving the idea of modern technology and society, and creating new enemies and powers as enemies and allies to fight against and for.

The Heavenfall Universe - A Guide

Life and Culture during the 1990s and into the 21st Century

With the Cold War an ongoing concern, the effects on society and culture were subtle, but obvious.
While outright nationalism and jingoism were not as apparent as during previous conflicts, the celebration and embracing of the freedoms of the West was a direct counterpoint to the more practical, formal and rational outlook of the East, or at least the USSR.

Many works of fiction and entertainment used the backdrop for tales of daring espionage and heroism, with many characters and conflicts characterised by the emphasis of individuality, imagination and ingenuity over rigid conformity and collectivism, whether grounded in fantasy or reality, there were many films, television programs, video games and more of all genres that drew parallels.
Equally present and notable was a rising voice of popular sentiment that called for embracing the other and for drawing together, rather than apart. Many works of speculative fiction showed a world where people of all nations worked together and ideologies of the past were abandoned, and were produced by both sides.

With the continuing tension and worry of attack, drills and knowing the location of nearby shelters, and what to do in the event of an alert became commonplace parts of everyday life, especially in Europe where large centers of population were very close to striking range of Soviet missiles or bombers. Architecture reflected this, with many buildings having basements and sub-ground floors that doubled as shelters, and many civil engineering projects like tunnels, subways, and other such constructions having areas that doubled as shelters, be they long-term or temporary.

The peace movement also encouraged the rise of the counter-culture elements of society; a rebellion against the ever-present tension and threat. This often took the shape of non-conformist media, style, music, and other such things; the punk, goth, grunge and metal sub-cultures were something of a backlash against the ideas of conformity, with much of the 'message' being one of non-conformity, and a deeper connection with raw emotional elements, liberating of feelings and behaviour, and other such ideals and concepts.

Peace marches and movements were frequent and wide-spread, especially and often in reaction to the placing of military establishments and forces in allied countries, and in reaction to the continuing development and manufacture of NBC weapons or platforms for their launch, or stationing of them in various countries and territories. None was more notable than the 'Peace Camp' that was established outside Greenham Common airbase in the UK, an airfield used by the USAF to station nuclear-capable bombers and long-range missiles. The camp was established in the 1980's, and lasted right up until the Heavenfall itself in 2003, and the effective end of the Cold War.

Author's Note: Much of the popular culture of the 1990s, the major movies, shows, music and suchlike will still be present for the most part, though likely with some minor changes and alterations in keeping with the continued presence of the USSR and it's 'position' as the 'big bad' in a lot of media of the 1980's, for example.

The Heavenfall Universe - A Guide

The Cold War

The timeline is the same - in broad strokes and in all the ways that are important - up until the 1980s, where the landscape shifts slightly and the timelines diverge.

During the 1980's, the USA and USSR held several talks aimed at defusing the resurgent tensions of the Cold War. While things had settled down - to a degree - in the 70s, the 80s saw a resurgence due to Soviet activities in Afghanistan, as well as in other spheres of interest and through other activities. Technology was advancing rapidly as well, and new generations of weaponry had created something of a new arms race and competition, as well as increasing economic and social pressures on all sides.

Despite promising starts, and many positive outcomes, overall the talks between Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev did not lead to a cooling of tensions as much as might be hoped, although agreements were made for the continuing reduction of Strategic and Tactical NBC weapons.
Gorbachev's policies at home in Soviet Russia were not as welcomed as they were by the West, and fearful of the results of decentralized power and the lack of influence over the Soviet satellite states, a cabal of military officers and high-level politicians organized a coup, and in 1991, they successfully overthrew President Gorbachev and his government. They immediately reversed many of his policies and quickly instituted many of their own.

While the USSR and Russia in particular were still suffering from economic stagnation and criticial shortages of medicine, fuel, food and other essentials, the sweeping and decisive reforms managed to first patch together and then later reinforce much of the areas that had been so heavily affected, giving the USSR a stronger foot to stand on than it had had for decades.
Things were far from being 'good', or even 'prosperous', but they were certainly stable, at least for the meantime, and enough so that the USSR was able to mount a credible threat and challenge to Western and Capitalist domination.

For their part, the Western powers intervened and provided aid and support wherever possible, both overtly and covertly. While all-out conflict was to be avoided as much as possible, providing military, material and economic support to third-world countries, especially in Africa, South-East Asia and South America. These interventions sowed much of the seed for the reform and developments of these regions, and set the foundations for what would become new centers of economic power and commercial development in the 21st century.

With the continuation of the Cold War and the continuation of its' tensions and conflict, development, funding and deployment of conventional military technologies continued apace. The SDI - 'Star Wars' - programme reached operational status. The soviet Buran orbiter was developed and put into service, and both the USA and USSR deployed orbiting manned Space Stations, with both later involving international partners and allies. Additionally, military stations were deployed.
Many models of combat aircraft and vehicles reached full production and were stockpiled, and even deployed in support of proxy wars across the globe, engaging in combat over Central Africa, South America, the Middle East, and the Far East.

Notable wars or conflicts during this period were the collapse of South African Apartheid and the 'Bush War' of the area, which was a long period of conflict over several years as Soviet-sponsored, trained, and supplied groups fought against the South African Defence Forces. When the South African parliament voted to end Apartheid, long-standing sanctions were lifted by Western powers, and they deployed forces and gave materiel and economic aide to combat the insurgent forces.

The Iraq War in 1991 - commonly known as 'The Gulf War' - began in 1991, with the Iraqi forces supplied and trained by Soviet personnel. The war became especially notable and a high tension point after Chemical and Biological weapons were deployed on the front lines by Iraqi troops against the advice of Soviet advisors, against Western Coalition troops. In other parts of the conflict, Soviet pilots and their aircraft, as well as Soviet armour crews and their vehicles engaged their Western counterparts in direct conflict for the first time, each side learning a lot about the others' equipment and tactics. The conflict lasted approximately eight months, before both sides drew back.

The Yugoslav wars of the 1990s were a direct conflict between the Eastern and Western ideologies. While Yugoslavia itself collapsed into six republics, these held differing ideologies and as such there was a clash of sentiments as different groups tried to asset power and influence, and the external influences of the West and East also tried to gain a foothold over the other.
As a result, Soviet forces backed the nascent communist-aligned nations, while NATO powers backed their opposite, resulting in direct clashes between both as well as the armies and states they back. The warfare that followed lasted from 1992-1998, finally coming to a close after individual accords were signed in various countries and resulting in an area of great ethnic, religious and political unrest as several different cultures and peoples ground up against one another in close proximity, held in a tenuous peace only by several complex treaties and agreements.

As well as the wider scale conflict between East and West, there were also a number of other regional uprisings and conflicts that were directly or indirectly influenced by one side or the other. Soviet forces and Soviet-aligned or supplied nations and groups often supplied and supported insurgencies and uprisings across the worlds. Many terrorist or extremist anti-government groups only tangentially aligned to communist ideals were supported and supplied with Soviet-made weapons and equipment, or trained by KGB advisors in overseas training camps.
Anti-government insurrectionists in Central and South America caused problems, with drug cartels and insurgent groups blurring lines as they became powerful enough to challenge the elected governments. In the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, as well as in the far east, similar ideological, religious or ethnic groups fought insurgent conflicts against their governments, often challenged and opposed overtly or covertly by Western allies and powers, and supplied, aided or equipped by them.

This wider tapestry of conflict set the stage for the dawning of the 21st century, and as the calendar ticked over from the last year of the 20th century and into the beginnings of the 21st, the specter of the Cold War still loomed over the heads of everyone, and was an inescapable reality of life.

Author's Note: This is the first major point of divergence. The most notable thing is that the Berlin Wall did not come down, and of course; the Soviet Union did not break apart. This results in a very different 1990s in some ways, but with many of the same events, just playing out differently in some ways. This provides a fertile background for characters old enough to have gained experience in direct combat, or have relatives who would have done the same. It also lays the foundations for the post-Heavenfall period. Notably 9/11 did not happen, and there was, as a result, no second Gulf War or war in Afghanistan.

Shattered Steel - Armoured Fist. An RP about modern armoured vehicles in an alternate world

That's a good group of interest already.
I'll get an OOC up within the week; I'd like to try and get a bit more of my guide to the setting written up first, as it'll be beneficial for playing in both this, and for the original Shattered Steel as well, and will kind of save me having to repeat everything twice.
As soon as I have something up, I'll post a link here

The Heavenfall Universe - A Guide

The Heavenfall Universe

A Guide To The Shattered Steel RP Setting

This is a reference guide for the setting I have created, initially for Shattered Steel and potentially other RP's by myself and others in the future. Please feel free to read over it. If you have any questions, please feel free to DM me or otherwise contact, but I would kindly ask that comments are not left on this thread, in order to keep it solely for reference purposes.

---

Note: The guide is written in a mainly in-universe tone and style. Any commentary in italics is from a real-world or 'OTL' (original timeline) perspective.

Contents:

Part 1: Recent History and the Heavenfall

• 1.1: The Cold War
• 1.2: Life and Culture during the 1990's and into the 21st Century
• 1.3: The Heavenfall

Part 2: The Modern World

2.1: The Post-Heavenfall Era

• 2.1.1: North America
• 2.1.2: Western Europe
• 2.1.3: Central Europe
• 2.1.4: The former USSR and Eastern Europe
• 2.1.5: The Middle-East
• 2.1.6: Central Asia
• 2.1.7: South-East Asia
• 2.1.8: East Asia
• 2.1.9: Central America
• 2.1.10: The Carribbean
• 2.1.11: South America
• 2.1.12: North Africa
• 2.1.13: West Africa
• 2.1.14: Central & Southern Africa
• 2.1.15: Oceania
• 2.1.16: Antarctica, Earth Orbit, and beyond

2.2: Organisations and Other Non-State Actors

• The Neo United Nations
• Megacorporations
• Private Military Contractors
• - Shattered Steel
• Cartels, The Black Market, and Organised Crime
• - The Carillo Cartel
• Ideological movements and organizations
• - The ISL
• - Elysium
• - The Eternal Church
• - The WANC

2.3: Technology, Science, and Industry

• 2.3.1: Weapons Technology
• 2.3.2: Robotics, computing, and Artificial Intelligence
• 2.3.3: Medical Technology, Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
• 2.3.4: Power Generation and Industrial technology
• 2.3.5: Travel, vehicles, and Space Technology

Part 3: Running RP's in the Setting

• The Tone of the Heavenfall Universe
• Canon and Non-Canon
• What kind of RPs is the setting for?
• Inspirations for the setting

Current RPs in the Heavenfall Universe:

• Shattered Steel

Shattered Steel - Armoured Fist. An RP about modern armoured vehicles in an alternate world

Hello, everyone.
Many, many, many years ago - we're talking on the old version of the Guild - I ran a short-lived RP about modern armoured vehicles.
There's been a few murmurs of interest in resurrecting the idea, and I'm kind of interested in the same myself.

I have the idea of putting it into the existing setting I have developed for my fighter-pilot based RP, Shattered Steel; which I'm otherwise dubbing 'The Heavenfall Universe'.

The long and short of the setting, is that the Cold War didn't end in 1991, and instead continued throughout the 90s, with all that implies, such as an increased technological development, especially in the form of military technology.
This all came to an end when an asteroid travelling at a significant portion of the speed of light impacted Earth in the mid-00's. This resulted in wide-spread global devastation, at first from the impact - and the subsequent impact of follow on objects. The impacts caused massive geological upheaval, weather disturbances and massive tidal waves. Added to this the following deaths from the devastation itself, and the rising global sea level, and the end total amounted to almost one third of the global population dead.

The global axis of power shifted to the southern hemisphere, and the United Nations reorganised and reshuffled into the Neo (or new) United Nations, a more global government with a unified presence and military power, comprising much of the remnants of the old leading nations, and many of the current one.
As well as this, there was the rise of new global corporations, having survived the impacts and risen to prosperity by providing relief and supply in exchange for power and territory. Other groups and nations rose as well, changing the balance of power further.

With the N/UN spread so thinly, a radical action was undertaken; the legitimising and increase of global PMC's - private military contractors; mercenaries - acting under N/UN mandate to carry out operations and missions under oversight from advisors and to standards to deal with hotspots of trouble around the world.
Less legitimate PMCs arise in response or regardless; sponsored by the megacorps from nations less beholden to N/UN law, and allowing them, or other newly arisen and developed powers and governments to exercise their will and influence around the globe.

The PC's will taken on the role of armoured vehicle crews in one of the 'Armoured Fist' squads of Shattered Steel, one of the largest and most well-known of the PMCs in this new world, undertaking missions around the world.
As they undertake missions against a variety of enemies in a variety of places, their operations and activities will start to reveal powers working behind the scenes to influence global policies and events, and the dangers they represent.

The tech level is mostly modern, but with some sci-fi elements creeping in over time, as well as the existence of cancelled or abandoned tech from the Cold War made real, both by the divergence of history, and also the existence of mega-corps enabling such wide-scale and free development.

I am hoping for about 4-6 players minimum, who are happy to be in it for the long-term - I've had so many games die from people flaking out or just wandering off in the middle of things.

I am not looking for die-hard realists and sticklers for reality. The RP will be grounded, but with room for a level of 'enhanced' fantasy and excitement; something a bit more grounded than the Hollywood version of reality, but still with fantastical elements. However, of course, an interest in modern armoured vehicles and their technology, and a willingness to learn more is somewhat essential, given the subject matter.
Players do not have to command and crew a Main Battle Tank - MBT - as other kinds of armoured vehicles are available, but they must be some kind of vehicle crew, rather than infantry, pilots, etc.
Each player would be in control of as many characters as would make up the crew of their vehicle, e.g. three or four characters.
If wanting to use an APC or IFV-type vehicle, then the player will have control of a squad of Infantry, but they need not be all extensively detailed, and would likely be NPC's outside of combat and not really dealt with in depth, and considered supporting characters.

It will mostly be somewhat serious in tone, but with moments of levity, humour and even darkness, but the ultimate goal and feeling being that the players - and Shattered Steel by extension - are the 'good guys' of the setting on the whole.
There will of course be plenty of room for character development and interaction during and between combat as well, as that makes the heart an RP much more worthwhile and gives everything more stakes and interest than just fighting because you're ordered to.

If you're interested, please make a mention of it below, and once I have enough people, I'll get an int-check up.

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

Katherine Kane

Ximena Huang

Ximena laughed easily at Kat's joke. Pretty women were funnier; it was a scientific fact.

"Flying through enemy airspace in a Hog must be nerve-wracking. You have that titanium tub for a cockpit, sure, but still, it's not like the friendly folks on the ground are going to have trouble spotting you. But I guess getting to shoot the big gun makes up for the risk, eh?"

@Smike

"It definitely has it's squeaky bum moments when you're low enough to count the leaves on the trees or look the guy shooting at you in the eye, while at the same time looking over your shoulder for anyone waiting to swoop down on you from above from five miles away and just... delete you out of the sky; you're not wrong. But at the same time; when you can reach down and give the friendlies on the ground the direct help they need, right in the moment, right on time, and right up close, it does have a sense of... mm... accomplishment, I suppose, knowing you can help people depending on you. Especially yes, when you can reach out and swat someone down with the big gun. All that titanium armour and the redundancies built in definitely do give you a sense of safety too though, yes"

Freyja Svensdotter

“Thank you, I am sure you will recover in no time, I will say though, you call that a plane? It’s more like a flying tank, I feel for the poor bastards on the receiving end of it. Especially with an over six and a half foot tall glamazon operating it”

@Damo021

Kat's lips screwed up in something between an amused smile and confusion as Freyja described her as a 'glamazon', and a delayed, awkward laugh followed, unsure how to react to the comment.
"Compared to most planes, it's definitely more a tank, you're right; though luckily it doesn't handle like one... and yes; I can't help but feel sorry for whoever's on the other end of all the stuff I can sling at them while I'm flying it".

Kat listened to the back and forth about pills between the pair and smiled in amusement as she finished her meal, and sat back to sipping her tea, shrugging.
"Well, seems like you two know more about it than me. If I ever do decide to explore that side of things, I know who to come to. But I'm not currently in the business of looking for highs, getting back into the air will be good enough for me".
As she said as such, her tablet pinged with a notification and she gave the device a look, quickly scanning over it.
"And speaking of which; looks like we're scheduled for a briefing this evening and a mission directly after, so we're all on crew rest!"

Scott Valentine

Yuna leaned forward a bit when Scott mentioned hitting a bar. "Speaking of bars...are they still allowing us off base after the firefight last night? Jefe and I would hate to lose our bar privileges in Malta...we've only been to one bar in town so far! I got a list going of others I want to hit and everything."

@Finetales

"Once we've got the next mission flown, as long as we've got time I'm sure there'll be a chance - hopefully for everyone - to have a chance to kick back and let off some steam again. The saboteurs seemed to be entirely limited to those people we already dealt with internally. No signs of anything from outside so far, and the Maltese Police and Defence Force people are doing everything they can already. Probably best to have some sensible limitations for our own safety, but right now, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be going off-base for R&R when it's appropriate, at least".

"You give me a proper range or an airsoft arena and you can bet I'll be spending any time I'm not working or drinking in there. Which, granted, is not too often," she said with a grin and a shrug.

Scott grinned back and chuckled, nodding as she spoke.
"Well, I'll keep it in mind. See what we can get set up for wherever we end up next, so we can all get some more training and practice in - although, as always; hopefully we won't need it..."

"Tell you what Heartbreak, I can't wait to see what you do in that ancient Intruder." She chuckled and shook her head. "I'm still not convinced all those stories are true, but I'd sure as hell like to find out."

He took a last sip of his beer and set the empty bottle on the table, smiling across at her with another of those wolfish, eager grins that suited his rugged features so well, and complimented his mis-matched eyes. "Tell the truth; I can't wait to get up there myself. I always feels like I'm in control of a lot more when I'm at the controls of a jet on a mission, hitting objectives and targets. That clarity always helps with getting through things. And I think having a chance to hit back will clear the air for everyone a bit, too. And getting back up in a Harrier, well; that's something I'm even more eager to do. It might be a tempermental bird, but I love it like nothing else I've flown," he said with a warm smile.
"Anyhow, speaking of missions and flying; it's about time I took some rest myself to get ready for the one coming up. Anything else you needed, Calico, or can I politely show you out?"

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

Katherine Kane

<snipped>

@Smike

Kat smiled and nodded. "Well then; Jefe it is. And nice to meet you, too. Forgive me while I stuff my face, hospital food isn't exactly great stuff, and I can see we've got a mission coming up. Want to get myself fed while there's time".
She listened attentively and politely as Ximena spoke, nodding along to show she was listening and keeping up with what was being said, before she replied.
"Mm, maybe you have a point about the double duty - although, if that's the case, maybe we ought to see if we can negotiate for twice as much pay, for doing twice as much work? Somehow, I think that won't go down so well though," she said with a wry smile of amusement. "Still, I might have missed that but I'll be there for what's shaping up to be a big swing back against the Libyans - or whoever's put them up to this, anyway. I'm looking forward to getting back into the air in an A-10 and flying for myself, too. I didn't mind being Heartbreak's back-seater, but I definitely prefer being in control for myself when I'm in the thick of things". Her hushed, raspy, and rough tones robbed much of the volume from her words, but forced attention on them for her to be heard, certainly in a one-on-one conversation like this. She grinned and laughed softly as Ximena made a playful tease about her height, and swiped at the air, her laugh raspy and somewhat croaky, but her smile as genuine as anything. "Rarr, Kat smash!" she said playfully with a grin and a twinkle in her one remaining eye.
She would have continued, before Freyja joined them, and she looked up in surprise, that turned to a smile as the Swede gently squeezed her shoulder. She patted the other woman's hand as it rested on her shoulder and nodded in reply to her questions.
"I'd be happy for you to join us, as long as you don't mind, Ximena? And I'm doing well enough, thank you. A little sore still, but the doctors said that'll persist for a while. Gave me some anti-inflammatories and some pain medication." A little impish smile curved her lips as she sipped her own cup of tea. "Nothing strong enough for me to be flying without my plane, sadly"

----------------------------------------------------

Scott Valentine

<Snip>

@Finetales

"Well, I'm glad you and I are on the same page about that, at least. I'm sure it'll settle down eventually. People are probably just testing the limits, seeing how much they can get away with, or finding out what kind of ship I run. And I mean; everyone's followed orders when we're in the thick of it. That's the main thing at least. If that didn't happen, well; I'd be a lot less understanding." He listened with interest and a nod as she mentioned Kazhakstan and laughed softly, sipping his own beer. as he did. "I think it's part of the way of being a fighter pilot - hell, a combat pilot at all - to have some wild moments under your belt. I'm sure we'll get plenty of chances to swap stories too. Lord knows I'm looking to being able to hit a bar and decompress for a bit once we get a breather - and it's only been a couple of days...!"
As Yuna mentioned being comfortable with engaging in more close-up-and-personal action, he gave an amicable shrug, leaning forward with his elbows on the 'desk' as he answered.
"Ahh, well; I'll keep it in mind. You obviously know your stuff, and it seems a few others do as well. Peacenik sure knows what she's doing. And Jefe... well, I'm not sure if she knows how to fight on the ground, or is just compensating for that by using the biggest gun she can carry. Either way, as long as it's pointed at the hostiles". He grinned and took another swig from his bottle, leaning back into a more comfortable position once more and fiddling with the label on the brown glass bottle.
"Heh, maybe next place we find ourselves, if we've got the space and the time we can set up a little training area and get some paintball or airsoft guns so we can all indulge in improving our ground tactics without getting seriously hurt. And set up a range as well, so we can practice with our actual guns. Maybe it'd be more popular than you think. And yeah - while I'm... well, not 'comfortable', but I'd say 'competent' with fighting on the ground, there's definitely a reason I chose to be a fighter pilot...!"

@smike, @Damo021, @Finetales

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

Katherine Kane

She fell in alongside the eyepatched giant, grabbing a tray and beginning to fill it without much regard for the menu.

"Nice to see you walking so soon. Couldn't miss the action, huh?"

@Smike

Kat was absorbed in her own thoughts, and it jolted her out of the moment as Ximena spoke up, and she glanced around before looking down at her, giving an apologetic smile and immediately feeling sheepish.
"O-oh, um; sorry. I was away in my own thoughts. I didn't mean to ignore you-" She glanced quickly at Ximena's uniform and saw her nametag and her rank insignia, before continuing "-Lieutenant Huang. You must be one of the new pilots that arrived while I was down".
Having taken her selections of food and drink, she gestured for Ximena to sit with her, if she wished, keeping the conversation going as she walked to the nearest table and sat down. A wry smile crossed her lips as she continued, after opening her can of drink.
"Mm, from what I've managed to scrape up, I missed some of the 'action' already. You had quite the first night here, right? Getting a lot more close to the action than most pilots do". She shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich waving it in one hand as she smirked, continuing after she swallowed.
"Can't say I'm disappointed to have missed that particular part of the action. But glad I'll be here for whatever's coming next. Well... maybe glad; I suppose we'll see how that goes".

@Smike

Scott Valentine

Scott was pleasantly surprised to see Calico as she came in, and took a seat. A slight amused smile crept onto his face at the half-eaten burrito and empty cup she was still carrying around, but he didn't comment on it as his mis-matched eyes shifted from the foil-wrapped comestible to her face, and he listened as she spoke. She had quite a charming, pleasant voice; her accent adding a flow and musicality to her words. Of course, what she said was something of a surprise - though, in no bad way.

"Hey, Heartbreak. I know you're the CO and supposed to be extra professional and all that, but somebody's gotta check on you and see how you're holding up once in a while. Especially after last night, and...whatever that was a few minutes ago." Yuna chuckled, before continuing. "Can't imagine us assholes make your job easy."

@Finetales

Scott gave a short laugh of his own back, one that was of surprise and some awkwardness. He leaned his elbows on the desk, one hand brushing through his sandy-blonde hair, with the salt-and-pepper around the temples, before he replied.
"I mean... thank you for asking, Calico; I appreciate that, if nothing else. Honestly..." His mouth screwed up as he tried to pull the threads of his thoughts together and weighed up how and what to say, and how to balance his responsibilities and the regulations; how to remain at least somewhat professional, while also not being completely isolated or aloof, especially given the attempt to actually reach out.
"I don't know if you've heard or read anything about me or my background - and I'm not saying that to brag, or to imply I'm like, some famous bigshot or anything. Because holy shit, I would hate to be that guy, or that well-known", he said with a knowing grin across the 'desk' at her. "But, well; while this is my first official command, it's not the first time I've been in command. During the Heavenfall, or I suppose; just after it, I ended up in a shitty position. The ship I served on got sunk. Long and short of it; a bunch of squids and Devil Dogs like me made it off, some of us with our jets and other stuff... but we were thousands and thousands of miles from home, with only what we could carry on the few vehicles we had while the world was eating itself around us". His eyes took on a far away look, and she might have noticed a slight twitch of his right hand, and the scars by his forefinger and on the back of his hand, before he swivelled around in the chair and rummaged in a box behind him, before coming out with two bottles of beer, opening them both on the corner of the desk and putting one down in front of her.
"It's light beer. Basically piss and seawater, but we're flying in less than twelve hours, so I'm already pushing it... but it seems the right moment. Anyway; the highest ranking officer above me turned out to be, well. A backstabbing, treacherous, pig-headed shit, and all-but sold the rest of us out" He paused and took a long swig of the beer as he leant back in the seat.
"Ended up that I had to take command, being the last highest rank left. I managed to pull everyone else out of there. Lost a good few on the way, ended up giving orders I didn't like, and having more than a few disagreements. But on the whole, those people respected me, probably because I was giving them some sorta direction and looking out for 'em".
He sighed as he turned the bottle around in his hands, and thumbed a bead of condensation back up the bottle to the rim, eyes focused on it before his mouth screwed up again and he took another sip, shaking his head as he swallowed.
"I dunno; I guess I wasn't expecting quite as much... pushback, and I definitely wasn't expecting a minor insurgency on my first op in command either. But I mean, who would be, I suppose?" he snorted at that and gave a side eye, gesturing with the bottle in hand.
"I guess I'm just impatient for things to settle down enough that we can actually get to knowing how each other work, and things to start being smooth - because we've had a hell of a rough and bumpy start. And I'm anxious that's gonna cause problems further down the line, especially with some of the... eccentric personalities we have on board. Oh, and for the record? So far, you don't seem particularly like an asshole. Also, you did a hell of a good job with the CQB last night; I was very impressed". He smirked at her and winked, his rugged features fitting the expression well. "And not just because you covered my ass from getting shot to pieces...!"

@Finetales

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

Scott had about finished up his reports, and hit send just as Yuna's smart knock-knock-knock sounded on the door. He tapped the mouse button and called out "It's open!" in a firm voice, looking toward the door to see who had come calling. When it opened and Calico stepped in, he smiled at her and nodded.
"Calico," he said in greeting. "Come in, take a seat. What can I do for you?"

@Finetales