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>>37752927
>One Year Previously
September 22, 0084.

You are Commander Dominic O'Hara, and your friends are staring at you like you're a crazy person. Granted you've just gotten through sweet-talking an antique fighter jet like you were trying to pick it up at a nightclub, but it's not your fault they don't understand your love.

“I've sort of got the hang of it,” Carya announces as she returns from a not-so-quick training session in one of the T-38 trainer jet's you're about to appropriate from an air museum in Florida. “Jeez, I forgot how much I hate these old G-suits. They're so sweaty.”

“I'm fine with that," you shoot back with a grin as you sit on the Messerschmitt's wing. “Nina? You got a control system jury-rigged?”

“I will,” the blonde designer replies with a dismissive wave. “The limited camera angles and sensing equipment will make it tougher to control than a bit or a funnel, but it should work.”

“Good,” Karen tells her, finally standing up and stretching after a long hour of waiting for the sisters to finish with the other trainer. “Dominic? Your turn.”

As you approach the T-38 that's still sitting out on the tarmac, you spot Kensington. The man seems absolutely giddy to give you the run-down on one of his planes.

“Any questions 'fore we get goin?” he asks with a grin and a wave.

>Questions?

>>37753051
No questions.

>>37753051
Anything I should look out for?

Rolled 8, 8, 6 = 22 (3d10)

>>37753051
"Is there any known quirks with this airframe?"

"Can I keep her?"

"What are you going to do now?"

>>37753051
"Is there any known quirks with this airframe?"

Better ask now before we accidentally stall the thing out or something...

>>37753051
"Can we keep them?" you ask the old man.

Kensington gives a curt laugh. "Yeah, sure, kid. Blow 'em up, keep 'em. Don't matter none. Just be sure Titans never gets a good look at the serials and we're golden."

"Any peculiarities about these things?" you ask. "Something I should out out for?"

Kensington nods. "Yup. The T-38 was a good trainer 'cause it was easier to recover from a spin innem than most jets that age. But it's still not easy."

"You ever done training for that?"

You nod. "I was in evaluations after the war. They taught me to fly conventional fighters too."

"Good, good," the old man nods. "Well, go on then. Sit behind the stick and I'll give you the tour."

The inside of the T-38's cockpit is vastly different to the Lilium, or any other mobile suit. The dashboard has about a thousand switches, dials, and gauges that all do something different, Some of them you recognize, others are foreign to you. There's nothing really in the way of sensors: just an old fashioned air radar.

"This is an unusual model," Kensington tells you, standing on the ladder next to your cockpit and leaning in to point out the various features. The man's clearly begun to slide from his usual gregarious Southerner routine into an attitude more appropriate to a flight instructor. "These two were rigged up in the late 2020's AD as aggressors at the US Navy's Top Gun school. They're two of four T-38s to ever have wing-mounted gun pods and ordnance: used to be they were laser pods for simulated combat."

"Those are your weapons selection switches," Kensington tells you, pointing at a series of switches to your left. "Select gun pods or missile mounts. You've got four hard points for missiles, no bomb load, and space midline for a fuel tank. With me so far, son?"

>Questions?

>>37753918
>"yes sir. Go on."

>>37753918
"No bomb load?"

That's going to make things a bit more difficult. We're going to have to rig up a way to carry bombs or psycho-mines on the tank hardpoint.

>>37753918
"Women are more complicated than these old girls. Plus they're far more elegant, refined, and don't steal your lunch. I follow."

>inb4 Twins wack us

>>37753918
Sounds alright with me so far.

The no-bomb thing might be a problem, but hopefully we can get around it with the new missiles.

>>37754147
The missiles will be carrying our payload, its fine.

>>37753918
"Well, I doubt the gun pods would be any more useful than a peashooter in UC era engagements. Are we gonna have to go for full detection evasion on this then? Something like an ECM pod perhaps?"

>>37754346
Good question.

Also, will we be able to outmaneuver the Titans in these?

>>37754207
They'd have to be dumb-fired. If the scanner has its own powerplant (and it likely does) then Minovsky interference would ruin the guidance systems on the missiles. That's why UC-era missiles were unguided until funnel missiles were developed after Unicorn

>>37754431
The main aim is to fly in, blow the target and bugger off before they can scramble to intercept.

>>37754463
Sounds like its going to be difficult.

>>37753918
"Guns don't seem useful," you observe with a frown. "What're these, 30mm?"

"Twenty," Kensington corrects. "And no, they're only really useful in an anti-air role. Against MS, you'd be advised to fire the missiles."

"Speaking of which, how're yours guided? Heat? Anti-Radiation? Radar?"

You shrug. "I guide them with my mind."

"Holy shit, you're not lying," Kensington mutters half to himself.

"Go on?" you press.

"Yes," Kensington coughs once, before pointing to another switch. "This is your release switch for the drop tank. And THIS is your afterburner. Go easy on that, it'll chew into your endurance. Fuel gauges are here for the mains, and here for the drop tank. Handle for your ejection seat is to your right. Be careful to leave yourself enough altitude if you have to bail the fuck out."

"Now, care to tell me what these things all do?" the man asks, gesturing widely at the dash.

>3d10, DC 6.

>>37754502
Talking about the worst case scenario here.

I don't think it's going to be as smooth as just flying over there and delivering a payload.

Rolled 7, 2, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>37754600

Rolled 8, 3, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>37754600

Rolled 1, 4, 4 = 9 (3d10)

>>37754600
Fucking dice.

Rolled 7, 10, 7 = 24 (3d10)

>>37754600

>>37754502
Maybe. If nothing else, we could just remote-fly the plane and kamikaze it into the sensor. Load the missile points or tank point with E-caps and we're good to go.

Rolled 7, 3, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>37754600
Praise the Dice!

>>37754678
God damn it!

>>37754678
So very close.

As it stands you've failed, with your best result being one success.
>writing

>>37754600
You stare blankly for a moment at the gauges... holy shit, this is even worse than a Saberfish.

'That's pitch/roll," you observe. "Altimiter, airspeed indicator, landing gear lights... fuck, I'm drawing a blank on that one."

"That's your air radar," Kensington explains, raising a single eyebrow in amusement. "It's turned off right now. Speaking of which, how do you turn this thing on?"

You stare hard at the console. "Throttle is here... pedals there... stick... fuel... this one? No, that's the tire pressure gauge... that's more of a dial than a knob... why are there six switches when there are only four hard points..."

Kensington heaves a tired sigh, pointing to the appropriate series of controls to actually get the turbines to turn over.

"Keep it steady under the redline," he tells you as one final warning. "They're old engines, best not to press 'em unless you have to. Remember your basic training and you'll be fine, son."

You shrug. "And if Miss Purpleton fits an RC system to it, it'll be that much easier.

Upon returning to the hangar, Reiko is the first to greet you with her characteristic enthusiasm for all things piloting-related.

"How'd it go, sir?"

You shrug. "It's been a long time, and it's an old plane."

"So what do you think?" Karen presses. The others listen closely, though Carya feigns disinterest.

>I think it's too risky to get behind the stick, hook up the remote control system.
>I'm not sure I can fly it without positive feedback and cockpit awareness. I've gotta be behind the stick.
>I'm not sure anymore if this is a good idea in general.
>Other?

>>37755026
Also, I'm stepping out for a moment. Feel free to discuss this a bit, as it's a big decision.

>>37755026
Sit down and read the manual. It'll give us a massive power-up to our piloting.

>>37755026
>I'm not sure I can fly it without positive feedback and cockpit awareness. I've gotta be behind the stick.
Is it possible to get a training run before the real mission starts?

>>37755026
>I think it's too risky to get behind the stick, hook up the remote control system.
We're a space wizard, we can do this.

>>37755026
>>I'm not sure I can fly it without positive feedback and cockpit awareness. I've gotta be behind the stick.
>Other?
Read the manual.

>>37755026
>>37755095
This.

>Read the Fuckin Manual. It's an air museum, they should have a few.

>>37755026
>I'm not sure I can fly it without positive feedback and cockpit awareness. I've gotta be behind the stick.
And get the manual.

Speaking of the psycommu, could we rig the missiles with them? Connect them with that mine-thing we have on our old ship, and just use the planes to deliver the missiles to a certain location from where our newtypes can redirect them to their target.

>>37755242
We're already doing that, actually. That's why Dom said the missiles were guided by his mind.

>>37755026
>>I think it's too risky to get behind the stick, hook up the remote control system.

I'm not too certain they'd have the flight manual, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

>>37755242
We don't have psychoframes yet, so control range would be a big issue. How much range does the ship psycommu system really have? Could we move one of the Gundams in closer as a forward control unit without being detected? Actually, that might work. The curvature of the Earth could mask a MS until it gets close to the scanner, depending how its set up.

>>37755388
Pretty sure we need to mount a psycommu onto the plane for that.

>>37755026
"You guys have a manual for this thing?" you ask Kensington, who quickly runs a finger along the spines of various folders and books on a nearby shelf before pulling out the manual for the T-38.

"Here," he grunts. "All yours."

"I'm inclined to say I'd need to be in the cockpit to make this plan work," you admit. "There's too much information I'd be missing any other way: feedback from the controls, situational awareness, cockpit awareness, visibility. You'd be asking me to fly this thing half-blind."

Carrina nods, her violet eye coming to rest on you. "I hate to say it, but I agree on every point. I'd never be able to fly something like this on a jury-rigged system, no matter how good a job Nina did with the electronics. Or at least, not very well."

Her eye never leaves you. "Besides I'm not letting him go up alone."

Karen sighs to herself quietly. "Nina, keep working on that control system, just in case minds end up changing. Kensington, you have our thanks. We'll be taking the birds aboard immediately."

The old mechanic cracks a smile. "Give 'em hell from us, ma'am."

>3d10 for manual reading. DC 7 for basic competence, DC 8 for actually understanding all this 21st-century technical jargon
Also
>Any final details to be worked out?

>>37755700
It was mentioned before, almost as a sidenote, but the sort of headset Haman designed in ZZ is available. In this case it would be complicated to use, but workable.

Rolled 8, 4, 4 = 16 (3d10)

>>37755733
Any chance we can get a decoy going while doing this? Detach the Albion from the Nagato and have it flank while using its countermeasure suite, make them think the attack is coming from a different place than it is?

Rolled 2, 1, 3 = 6 (3d10)

>>37755733

Rolled 3, 3, 7 = 13 (3d10)

>>37755733

Rolled 5, 10, 4 = 19 (3d10)

>>37755733
inb4 1

Rolled 4, 8, 7 = 19 (3d10)

>>37755733
For the plane or our extraction when we eventually bail?

Why do the dice hate us lately?

Rolled 9, 1, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>37755858
Because you have to ask this question. The dice gods show no favor, but they do punish.

Rolled 1, 4, 2 = 7 (3d10)

>>37755858
Because we're not carrying swimsuits or pool tickets.

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>>37755858
Not enough Haman.

>>37755858
3d10 changed the game.

>>37755954
ya why did we switch to 3d10 from 3d20

>>37755989
maybe we should try 3d30

>>37755919
Can confirm a distinct lack of Haman.

>>37755989
It was never 3d20. It HAD been d100, which I'd thought was decent, but I felt like trying out 3d10 for a while.

Missing DC 6 and DC 7 shouldn't be THAT bad, though. It's just a run of bad luck.

Rolled 4, 8, 6 = 18 (3d10)

>>37755954
It does seem like everyone's luck went to pot when the 3d10s were tossed around.

>>37756061
dc7 has a low chance of being reached

Rolled 6, 10, 10 = 26 (3d10)

>>37755858
We have not praised the dice enough!
We must reaffirm our faith in them.

Quick, make offerings of pictures of Haman and Artesia to the Dice Gods!

>>37755733
Yeah, no.

Two hours later and you're still sitting in the mess trying to digest this absolute TOME of technical specifications and figures when the Nagato's Craft System starts moving her slowly forward again.

"Dammit," you mutter under your breath.

A voice from behind you interrupts your study session.

"What're you doing?" Haman asks politely.

You spin around, shutting the book with a snap. "Trying to bone up on the T-38. It's... not really working."

"It's nothing like a mobile suit, is it?" she continues. "I haven't got any experience with aircraft, so I'm sure I'd be even more lost than you."

"What's up?" you ask, trying to change the topic. Suddenly, Haman seems a little uneasy.

"Well, some of us have been talking..."

Oh, great. This never ends well.

"... and we're a little nervous. You haven't really been acting like yourself lately," Haman explains.

>How do you mean?
>I don't really see a problem.
>I don't see how this is relevant.
>Other?

>>37756369
>How do you mean?

>>37756369
>How do you mean?

>>37756369
>>How do you mean?

>>37756369
>>How do you mean?

>>37756369
>How do you mean?

Rolled 10, 6, 4 = 20 (3d10)

>>37756369
"I'm thinking it has to do with the fact I have a psychic alien girlfriend hitting on me that has me weirded out the most. I can deal with aliens, but to have one hitting on me? I'm supposed to being doing that."

>>37756369
>>How do you mean?
Earth's gravity is weighing Dom's soul down.

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>37756369
>How do you mean?

When someone with an intimate psychic connection to your brain tells you you're acting strange, they probably have a point.

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>37756369
>How do you mean?
The truth is revealed. The reason the system changed to 3d10 is because Dom hasn't been himself lately, and that was reflected in the way his Luck works.

>>37756369
"... how do you mean, 'not like myself'?" you ask.

Haman shuts her eyes, pondering the words as she walks around the table and sits down across from you, brushing some of the lightish-red hair from her face. "You're reading an instruction guide, Dominic. Normally, you *write* the instructions. You use your basic training until it becomes instinct, and from there you fight on instinct. You don't stop to ask yourself if you can do a thing, you either know you can and you come up with a plan to do it, then execute: or you know you don't, and come up with something you *can* do."

"And you never let a thing intimidate you," she finishes, snatching away the guide and tossing it over her shoulder. "The man I know is decisive. And he doesn't back down. And from what Carya and Catrina have told me? He's always been that way."

"So what happened?" she eventually asks after letting her declaration stand for a few moments in silence.

You shrug. "Maybe it was the alien mindfuckery. Maybe it was getting drunk and finding practically half the ship in my bed making me question how in control of my life I really am. Maybe it was the declaration of war at Dakar. Maybe I'm just getting old."

"Those are all things we'd considered," Haman agrees. "It's a lot to have on your plate at once, especially after the kind of career you've had."

You grin nervously. "What do you mean, 'the kind of career I've had'?"

"I've seen you naked, Dominic," she chastises you. "That's at least three Purple Hearts worth of shrapnel. Maybe four."

"Fair point," you shrug.

"The important part," Haman presses, "is what you do from here on?"

>Use the plan with the planes. I can do this.
>Fuck the planes. I'm not a fighter jockey, I'm a mobile suit ace. We spring a stealth trap and counterattack their intercept forces.
>We need to find some other way to take that jammer down.
>Other?

>>37757148
>Fuck the planes. I'm not a fighter jockey, I'm a mobile suit ace. We spring a stealth trap and counterattack their intercept forces.

>>37757148
>>Fuck the planes. I'm not a fighter jockey, I'm a mobile suit ace. We spring a stealth trap and counterattack their intercept forces.
World's coolest RC planes.

>>37757148
>>Use the plan with the planes. I can do this.

>>37757148
>all those little mistakes
Fuck, am I tired.

>>37757148
>Fuck the planes. I'm not a fighter jockey, I'm a mobile suit ace. We spring a stealth trap and counterattack their intercept forces.

As much as i like the plane idea, it seems Dom is just not a fit for the plan.

>>37757148
>>Fuck the planes. I'm not a fighter jockey, I'm a mobile suit ace. We spring a stealth trap and counterattack their intercept forces.

Hey KoH, could you give us a little more info on the scanner site?

>>37757148
Wait, we have a way to control planes as if they were funnels, right?

>>37755733
>Karen sighs to herself quietly. "Nina, keep working on that control system, just in case minds end up changing.

Why can't we do all of the above?
Have Dom make a distraction on his MS while the planes come from the opposite side. Have the planes bomb the place, set them on auto-pilot for the return trip and have Carrina extract him.

>>37757148
>Fuck the planes. I'm not a fighter jockey, I'm a mobile suit ace. We spring a stealth trap and counterattack their intercept forces.
>Other?
"...does this mean I have to give the planes back?"

>>37757286
Sounds like a good alternative.

>>37757350
Hell, move the Lilium near the base with a truck to elude the Minovsky sensor, take a long range beam weapon and time the start of the operation with how long the planes will take to reach the base.

Dominic can fire on the base and the planes hit them right before they can deploy. With some luck one of the E-CE-Cap missiles hits an Hangar and kills both pilots and machines.

>>37757486
Frankly, all we need to do is get the Lilium close enough to launch a low-flying psycommu-guided missile (or plane) on the site. Keep the missile flying low like a cruise missile, and the Minovsky scanner would never see it coming. In the age of Minovsky powerplants, things like long-range radar are mostly useless, so they'd never see the missile until it was too late.

>>37757668
But muh planes, man.
They said we can keep them if we use 'em to fuck with the Titans.

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>>37757148
"Fuck the planes," you announce. "I'm a mobile suit ace and a Gundam pilot. Tell Audrey and Nina to hook up the remote systems to the T-38's, we'll pilot them from the Liliums. I'll go upstairs and let Karen know to spike the stealth system as we get into range of the target."

"And?" Haman presses, happy to hear you finally making a decisive call.

"And we'll draw the ms response towards us. We'll hit the scanner station from the air, blow the planes, and then counter the ms while they're blind and they've got no coordination from their home bases," you finish. "Then we get out into space, fuck up the Zeek, Martian, AND Titans forces, stop Axis, and put an end to this idiotic war so we can all move on with our lives."

"YES!" Haman shouts, leaning across the table to cuff you around the ears. "That's more like it! That's the man every politician in the Earth Sphere is afraid of!"

"Come on, Dom, let's get it done!"
(1/2)

>>37757919
September 23, UC 0084.

The morning is chilly, with light cloud cover: great for a surprise aerial assault. It's just after 0530, and the pre-dawn dim is starting to cast deep shadows around the Georgian wilderness.

"It's all pretty standard, really," you reassure your team. "ALICE cut our comm lines out last night, so Titans is probably gonna buy it when we pop stealth."

"Are your teams ready, Dominic?" you hear Karen's voice ask over the radio.

You key the comm to reply. "Affirmative. We are ready to sortie at 06:00 hours local. Any weather systems we should know about?"

"Negative, Commander," Noel replies from the bridge. "Weather's fine all day. Cloud cover's set to burn off 'round noon."

"If it goes off as planned we won't be around by then," Catrina observes.

"Powering up systems," Haman announces. "Switching psycommu over to recognize Commander O'Hara's brainwaves. Initializing."

>Any words of encouragement?

>>37758121
Godspeed and let's fuck up!

>>37758121
"Don't fuck up. Don't fuck up. Don't fuck up... oh shit my channel is open." *click*

>>37758121
"Drinks are on Karen tonight."

>On her or *on* her?

"Both."

>>37758195
>let's fuck up!
Oops! Them, let's fuck them up! Yeah...

>>37758267
This.

>>37758121
Sieg Zeon!

>>37758121
"So, who's up for some insurrection?"

>>37758267
Wish everyone good luck.

Give Haman a hug for breaking us out of our funk.

>>37758121
The Astronaut's Prayer!
"Dear Lord, please don't let me fuck up."

>>37758121
"Well," you announce over an open comm, "I guess today's the day we hand in our official resignation to Titans."

"Suppose so," Catrina replies. "I'll miss the uniforms."

"They were classy," Rossweisse agrees.

Audrey isn't having any of it. "You know people said the same thing about the SS?"

"She has a point," you agree. "Besides, we've still got the tartan skirts."

"Bet you're real happy about that," Audrey shoots back.

"Damn right I am. Drinks on you when we get back, Skipper?"

"Yeah, sure," Karen replies wearily. "My last Titans paycheck just cleared yesterday, so I may as well blow it all on booze."

"You're going to spend fifteen thousand on alcohol?" Haman muses.

"Gotta stock up," Defrah replies in Karen's defense. "Don't know who'll be paying us after this stunt."

"Alright, stow the chatter," Karen finally chides you. "Reiko?"

"Prep bay one doors for launch," Reiko orders. Somewhere aboard the Nagato, large hatches are sliding open to allow your T-38s to launch.

"Cats are primed," Catharine announces. "Clear for launch on your mark."

>roll me 1d100. Considering first of four.

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>37758650
Here we go.

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>37758650

>>37758650
And this is me, btw. Was posting elsewhere.

Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>37758650

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>37758121
Wait a sec...

>Florida
>jury rigged inventions
>making an escape for the border (of space)
>armed patrols and detectors

We're Space Cubans then?

>>37758650
Rollin'

Rolled 44 (1d100)

>>37758650

<witty pun here>

>>37758650
>You know people said the same thing about the SS
Well, they were right. About the uniforms that is.

And as soon as we switch back to 1d100, we start having good luck again. I think there might be something to this "the 3d10s represent Dominic's self-doubt" theory.

>>37758650
>Cats are primed
>Cats

"Thundercats, ho!"

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>37758673
>>37758676
>>37758678
Maybe the dice gods haven't abandoned us after all.

>>37758769

They do not favour the indecisive. It is all or nothing. Do or Die...

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>>37758725
Maybe. Or maybe we shouldn't forget the queen of /tg/ dice and /m/.

>>37758650
Your T-38 throttles up... without you in it. Your image feed shows the controls and several views out the cockpit canopy as it rolls into motion, before finally streaking out of the hangar and into the air. In your mind you know there would have been a slight feeling of weightlessness, as your trainer wasn't quite up to its launch speed due to the short runway. But the thing quickly claws at the air for altitude with Carya's T-38 hot on its tail.

The two aircraft break above the cloud deck, and your radars read all clear.

"Alright," Karen announces. "Miss Takisawa, hit the stealth field on my mark. Three... two... one... MARK."

At Karen's word, the Nagato's jamming field goes active, and the radar on your trainer fizzles out. It's completely jammed.

You're now flying on instruments.

>Tell Carya to drop below the cloud deck, it'll make it easier to see the target even if you're more visible
>Tell Carya to continue flying on instruments, and trust that when you break cover your target will be there

>>37758995
>Tell Carya to drop below the cloud deck, it'll make it easier to see the target even if you're more visible
Who ever looks up anyway?

>>37758995
>>Tell Carya to continue flying on instruments, and trust that when you break cover your target will be there

>>37758995
>Tell Carya to continue flying on instruments, and trust that when you break cover your target will be there
If Doc had a hand in picking and tinkering with the plane, and with Nina fiddling with the machinery too, I do have high confidence in their work to consider this action.

>>37758995
>>Tell Carya to continue flying on instruments, and trust that when you break cover your target will be there

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>37758995
>Tell Carya to continue flying on instruments, and trust that when you break cover your target will be there

>>37758995
>>Tell Carya to continue flying on instruments, and trust that when you break cover your target will be there

>>37758995
>>Tell Carya to drop below the cloud deck, it'll make it easier to see the target even if you're more visible

>>37758995
"Dom?" Carya asks. "We've got some heavy cloud cover down low, shall we fly under or over the cloud deck?"

"Over," you reply. "Fly by your instruments, and when we drop down we should be right over the target. If we're not, we'll reassess based on local landmarks."

"Solid copy, Dom."

Your discussion is interrupted by a report from ALICE.

"Contacts! Fifteen miles out and closing, radio chatter makes it sound like they're taking the bait!"

"That's our cue, ladies and gents," you add. "All teams, prep for launch. Teams two and three, set your subflight systems. Team one's on me, we'll separate just after launch."

"Roger," you hear Emma reply. "You heard the man. On the line, second!"

"We'll spot artillery for ALICE," Marida tells you. "If they group up we'll hit 'em when we can."

"Copy that, Marida. Good hunting, ladies."

>Roll d100 to maintain control of the T-38 in combat

Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>37759578

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>37759578

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>37759578

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>37759578
WE ARE IN CONTROL

>>37759623
ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL

Okay, yeah. That was too obvious.

>>37759578
"Shit," Carrina mutters, "even like this I'm having trouble keeping our tasks straight..."

Oh yeah, you almost forgot: Carya and Catrina are basically multitasking right now. It's got to be tough for them to fly with any precision when they're essentially flying two different aircraft at once, in completely different places.

"Stay on my wing," you order as Haman separates from the Iiris and Audrey falls in beside you. "And keep tight with Rosse."

"On it," she replies wearily.

The contacts turn out to be a trio of Asshimars and a trio of Gaplants, who all seem surprised to see you. The lead Asshimar doesn't even get a chance to respond before being dropped by Haman, while his wingman tries to dodge a shot from Rossweisse and fails.

"They're scattering!" Audrey reports as the remaining Asshimar heads for the deck. "Keep 'em off me, I'm going after the third one."

"More contacts!" ALICE reports. "A flight of standard fighters from EFAB Robins, on an intercept from the far side. Commander? Now would be a good time..."

As the fighting continues, completely out of your hands, your T-38 reaches its area of operation... completely unmolested and unchallenged.

"Got your six, Dom," Carrina reassures you. "Let's waste these fuckers!"

>Roll me another d100, best of four.

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>37760097

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>37760097

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>37760097
inb4 69

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>37760097

Rolled 44 (1d100)

>>37760097

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>37760097
Engaging bombing run...

>>37760097
When you drop through the cloud deck, you see you've drifted a little to the west of your intended target: but you can plainly see the dish, even from here. From a hangar nearby, a machine emerges: an old Hizack model? Yes, that's what it looks like from this distance. It opens up with an ineffective barrage from its machine gun.

"That Gaplant has my six!" Carrina shouts. "Shit!"

Heavy tracer fire blows past the Viola as Carrina takes evasive action: the Gaplant pilots seem to be taking her divided attention as indicative of some sort of malfunction, and are trying to off her first to even the odds.

"I got 'im!" Haman replies, dropping from above to force the Gaplant off her tail... only to have a second Gaplant slot in behind her.

"Engaging in AA," Emma announces as somewhere on the far side of the Nagato her team begins the laborious process of shooting down the first few fighters to reach your area.

"Dom, I've got the dish!" Carrina tells you as her T-38 hits its afterburner and leaps ahead of yours.

>Linger on site with the T-38 after Carrina slams hers into the dish
>Crash your T-38 into their MS hangar
>Expend your ordnance and THEN crash into the MS hangar
>Other?

>>37760332
>>Expend your ordnance and THEN crash into the MS hangar

"Let's kick it old school, ladies! This is for Doctor Strangelove!"

>>37760332
>Expend your ordnance, Confirm target is neutralise THEN crash into the MS hangar

>>37760332
>Expend your ordnance and THEN crash into the MS hangar
I'm not sure if M-particle warheads are susceptible to sympathetic detonation, so we should fire them off anyway.

>>37760332
>>Linger on site with the T-38 after Carrina slams hers into the dish

>>37760332
>>Expend your ordnance and THEN crash into the MS hangar
Let's plow the field!

>>37760332
>Expend your ordnance and THEN crash into the MS hangar
Throw at least one for the Hizack so Carrina's plane can get a clear shot on the dish.

>>Expend your ordnance and THEN crash into the MS hangar

Hey, Titans. Guess what?

Boom.

>>37760332
>Expend your ordnance and THEN crash into the MS hangar

>>37760332
>>Crash your T-38 into their MS hangar

Wait a minute, the Nagato's in the air? I thought part of the plan was to keep it out of the area? Oh well, my mistake I guess. Can we call in a salvo from the Nagato on the site to mop up the area?

>>37760332
>an old Hizack model? Yes, that's what it looks like from this distance.
This wording unsettles me. I mean, I don't know what else it would be, there aren't many advanced machines based off the Hizack and the ones that are would look recognizably different. But I still am worried that attention is being drawn to this machine specifically.

>>37760513
The Nagato hovers, like any other ship that's capable of in-atmosphere travel. And no, the Nagato is not close enough to the base where the scanner is located: the forces attacking it are from other Titans-held airbases in the area that are intended to protect it.

>>37760619
Ah, now I see.Thanks for the clarification.

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>37760513
>call in a salvo

The Nagato's ordinance is not over-the-horizon capable. We have only line-of-sight capability with the big guns. The main limitation of laser and plasma weaponry.

>>37760696

That and Minovski fields tend to gimp beam and MPC weapons...

>>37760696
It threw me off that Dom was picking up chatter from the other side of the Nagato, since communications in combat are limited to short-distances in the UC era due to Minovsky interference. I thought they were closer together.

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>37760744
That too. Plus strapping a railway gun similar to the Bertha to the supertanker is just asking for trouble. Can you imagine the amount of powder charges requires to fire that thing? One errant shot to the magazine bunkers and she'll pop like a ripe melon.

>>37760856
They have railguns in the Universal Century timeline, they just rarely use them because everyone prefers beam weapons. We could use those, instead, give us some artillery support.

>>37760696
And that's why what we need are remotely-operated focusing crystals (prism drones, if you want a better name) to redirect energy beams from our ship's guns.

>>37760332
Carrina's trainer expends its entire load of missiles, cratering the runway and damaging the air control tower before she finally slams it into the dish itself in a massive fireball. You're sure some ground personnel were killed, but thankfully the sensor dish itself wasn't actually part of a building.

And best of all, it can now be demonstrated later that Titans struck first.

"Oi, I'm re-engaging these Titans fuckers," Carrina announces as two more Hizacks emerge from the hangar near the now-ruined wreckage of her fighter. She pulls the Viola up and nearly pushes it to its stalling point before nosing over and diving on a Gaplant. She showers it in beam fire from her machine gun.

Audrey, meanwhile, is returning with her own good news.

"Another down," she reports. "ALICE? Status report?"

"The jamming station is offline," the AI confirms. "Stage two accomplished. Now maneuvering the Nagato away from its last known position."

Meanwhile, you shower the Hizacks in missiles as the Gaplants your team is dogfighting begin to withdraw. Finally, you bring your own T-38 into a low-angle run just off the badly cratered runway, heading for the open hangar doors.

Mechanical crew and other bystanders scatter before you crash the T-38 into the hangar, wrecking all sorts of equipment: probably all of it expensive.

The last image your camera records is a pilot shutting the front hatch of a Gaplant: and you realize it was the same one you faced back in Dakar...

(1/2)

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>37760911
Spinal mounted railgun for taking out orbital installations. I can get behind it. It's old school enough that people wouldn't expect it.

>>37760948
Well, that wouldn't work, we're using particle beams and not lasers so they would just punch through the crystals. But the same effect can be accomplished with I-Fields, there are a few suits in canon that use funnels with I-Field beam reflectors on them to bounce their shots around.

>>37760911
http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/RGM-79F_Desert_GM
It has a Rail gun.

>>37760997
...whoops. I hope they got the hatch closed in time. And that we didn't kill any of their friends and make them hate us. That pilot actually seemed like a decent person, I'd hate to send a mixed message to them.

>>37760997
"That went well," Karen offers, smiling as your team gathers for their debrief at 08:30 that morning.

The Titans forces that were still en route bugged out the minute they lost their direction, leaving the Nagato a clean vector to leave Earth's atmosphere. Honestly? It felt a little anti-climactic. Everyone did their jobs, there were no fatalities on the Nagato.

"Well done," you congratulate the assembled pilots. "We lost the T-38s, but nothing else, really."

"Some superficial damage here and there," Catrina reminds you.

"It feels... too easy, I guess," Diana muses.

"Kid, there's no such thing," Apolly counters. "So far as I'm concerned the Titans ran from a fight they couldn't win. Simple as that."

>Response?
>This will be the last write-in of the night

>>37761125
What do you think they planning?

>>37761125
"...yeah, I guess you're right. I'm probably still going to be in paranoia mode for a while, though. We're pretty high on their shit list, I just know they have something nasty planned for us. Not sure what, but I'm sure we'll see it soon enough."

>>37761125
Don't let your guard down, they could still have something up their sleeves

>>37761125
>Response?
"Apolly's right. No way to direct the battle or detect us, and reinforcements would be slowed down, if not out right disabled. They'd have a death wish if they still engaged in those terms."

"However, this means the Titans are still fighting smart and waiting for a proper opportunity in the future. We'll just have to stay on our toes and not get too complacent. That said, good work on this operation everyone. Let's head back to space."

>>37761125
"Get some rest while you can, everyone. Because it's not the next war that we're preparing for anymore; as of yesterday, it's this war. The only question now is who else is on our side."

>>37761125
>"So far as I'm concerned the Titans ran from a fight they couldn't win. Simple as that."

>"Damn right they couldn't win, and we'll keep it that way. Whatever tricks and schemes they are preparing have won't be enough to help them and we'll keep beating them until they give up or die."

"Everything is simple, Apolly. Either you fight or you don't.

A toast to the future. For those who will die by our hands and for those comrades who will fall. We fight for a better world so that our children may be safe. May the Guard prevail."

>>37761125

We might be out of the Earth-Sphere, but we're not out of the war just yet... Once we're back in orbit we can celebrate, but for now let's play it safe...

>>37761435
We haven't left the Earth Sphere. The Earth Sphere refers to Earth and all that orbits it

>>37761125
"Nothing is ever simple. But today's small victory is proof that we've still got the touch and we definitely have the power to do so."

*sip some whiskey*

"It's when you abuse that power that everything turns to shit."

>>37761125
"And the fact that they ran means they've still got their wits about them," you point out.

Catrina snorts. "Killjoy. But yeah, we're on their shitlist now. They'll be coming after us in earnest."

"Don't let your guard down, any of you," you order. "Not now. Because until yesterday, we were preparing for a war. As of right now, we're in one."

The room falls silent at the sudden, serious tone you've taken. Each pilot and each crew member keeps to their own thoughts for a few moments, until Defrah finally breaks the silence.

"Let's fuck 'em up. Give these clowns a beating our whole damn species'll remember any time any of 'em are dumb enough to start a war," she growls, slapping Carya on her back.

"Yes," Rossweisse agrees, drawing your attention to her as she sits next to Haman.

The red-haired Princess of Axis grins at her friend. "And I think the two of us have an idea where to strike first..."

>>37761513
Speaking about planetary orbits, Mars Zeon is allied with Jupiter, right?
Do they have mining operations on Callisto?
Will we have to fight Orbital Frame Zakus when we finally invade Mars?

>>37761576
Aw boy. Is it finally time to wipe the cyber newtype facility off the map?

>>37761576
And that's it for tonight.

Next weekend, the war begins with a mission Haman and Rosse cooked up in their spare time. They intend to send a message to every major faction all at once with this one.

Archive is up, and thanks for playing! I'll be around for a bit answering questions.

>>37761601
>Orbital Frame
Yes.

>>37761626
Okay. Question!:
To date, what's been your favorite event to write/have players participate in?

>>37761626
Aw, you tease. At least it gives me something to look forward to, I suppose. See you next week, hearts. Thanks for running.

>>37761626
Thanks for running.

>>37761626
>Next weekend, the war begins with a mission Haman and Rosse cooked up in their spare time. They intend to send a message to every major faction all at once with this one.
All our girls are Best Girls, but you have to admit Haman and Rosse are just slightly more best than the others.

We need more Carya, Catrina and Audrey time, they need more love. Karen too.

>>37761659
The casino heist.

>>37761626
Thanks for running.

What're Kamille and Judau up to right now?

For that matter, is Katz still on track to be the second-worst kid of a White Base crew member?

>>37761626
Thanks for running, KoH. See you next time.

>>37761887
Is there a best kid of a White Base crew member? because from what I remember they all kind of suck.

>>37761887
Kamille is about to get drawn into the conflict. Judau is busy being a ten-year-old.

And Katz may not end up worthless after seeing Sayla on TV talking all that good shit in front of the assembly.

>>37762028
Speaking of which, how did the other White Base crew members react to our little broadcast? Or would that be spoilers?

>>37762012
As long as they're not Katz or Hathaway, they're tied for best

>>37762028
As long as Katz remembers to dock the G-Defender so Emma has the Super Gundam instead of just flying around with it like an idiot, I will declare him better than canon. Assuming Emma has the Super Gundam in this timeline. At the rate we're going it's more likely to be something like the Hyzenthlay-Rah. But that still requires combining with a piloted support craft, so my point stands. Actually dock, you little shit!

>>37762028
>Judau is busy being a ten-year old
>in an early-UC Gundam setting

So in other words, he and his friends are about to have a series of wacky and/or traumatizing misadventures that end with them on board our ship.

>>37762131
I don't think so. Mineva fulfills our required cute kid role. The Shangri-Lah kids shouldn't be needed.

>>37762097
It'd be spoilery, yeah.

And Hathaway is an intolerable shit who won't be appearing in the quest in any capacity.

>>37762181
What about Quess? I feel like we need to rescue her from falling in with a bad crowd.

File: 1377669506064.jpg (313 KB, 1277x850)

313 KB JPG

>>37762181
Hey, at least he had a nice Gundam for a while.

>>37762352
Won't be appearing in the quest either, the way things are going.

>>37762418
I suppose that's probably for the best. If she did show up I'd feel an obligation to whip her into shape so she's less horrible, and that would be tedious.

>>37762604
She at Hawaii.