Mecha Space Pirate Quest X

Welcome back, to a Super Tuesday (how many of these things are there, anyway?) edition of Mecha Space Pirate Quest. This is our tenth chapter, swashbucklers! As always, you are Admiral Roarke S. Starwind of the Iron Kestrels Pirate Fleet, pilot of the Knuckle Kaiser.

Previous Threads: suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Mecha Space Pirate Quest, Collective Game, mecha
Master Pastebin: pastebin.com/sSHs0QmF
Upgrade Menu: pastebin.com/QQQzkFZe

Last time, you arranged a ransom for Lady Fatima Ahmad, a thorny Martian rose. You also had an emotional reunion with Red Siren, Pirate Idol, and sold her the Heart of the Sunshine in exchange for twenty-two damaged Bluegills.

Which means that it's finally time to go to Suleiman 1, and get some well-deserved revenge on the Green Skulls.

Other urls found in this thread:

drive.google.com/file/d/0B6iimHE85EZZWjJCLXRLem1mQ2s/view?usp=sharing
pastebin.com/ks5SsXBq
pastebin.com/HSdyCe2y
twitter.com/AnonBabble

>twenty-two damaged Bluegills
Do we need to put in at port to fix them, or will they be automatically fixed as we go to Suleiman 1?

As usual posting our mixtapes

drive.google.com/file/d/0B6iimHE85EZZWjJCLXRLem1mQ2s/view?usp=sharing

First for Best Girl Sam!!

Much to your mutual sadness, you and Red Siren aren't able to have that dinner together yet. She's entertaining some captured guests, and having a bunch of civvies gawking is a surefire way to spoil a nice romantic meal. Besides, you have work to do, work that promises to be both difficult and satisfying. You spend the day on Auditorium, letting Miles and Richard handle the transfer between the Iron Kestrels and Red Siren's fanclub.

Cornelius Cohen, his granddaughter Karen, and the other technicians of the Rhinehawk are pulling double-shifts to fix your new Bluegills, but when asked whether they'll be finished in time the elderly mechanic is rather hedgy. After all, working on one machine is a lot more difficult than working on nearly two dozen, even if the repairs are relatively simple and routine.

The good news is, Karen pulled an all-nighter and managed to get the Knuckle Kaiser completely upgraded before she fell asleep with her cheek on the cold metal of her workbench.

[Continued]

Subjective. Both "Girl" and "Best".

Hey just because you have shit taste in waifus doesn't mean we all do.

Also don't take that serious. Just so no hard feelings pic related is for you. Spoilered cuase it might be a little to close to the nsfw side.

QM, what do the FC and R in the upgrades pastebin mean?

Here, Sleepy, have a real spoiler.

Alright I can see you are a gentleman of the most refined taste in waifus. I give you this.

Full Coating and Right Arm

I feel ya, but try this on for size.

Good taste good taste. Can't fualt you at all. But just something slightly wrong about it. Can't quite put my finger on it. In any case might I offer this one up?

Also maybe we should stop till the end?

However, the starship bay of Auditorium is rather small, the entire colony is smaller than any one of California Station's four, and it's full of Red Siren's people scrambling to refit the Heart of the Sunshine. It can accomodate both ships, but it would take longer considering that all of the bay's resources are being put into the Heart of the Sunshine.

Incidentally, she loves the scarlet rugs inside the cruise liner, and leaves a lipstick mark or two on your face before you return to the Rhinehawk and California Station, where you can do repairs more quickly. The day after you arrive, you get a message. For once, it's not from Lt. Farragut, but rather from the Corporal you had such a lovely date with.

Samantha: 'Roarke, I was able to get that vacation time, but that isn't as important. You need to hurry and get your ship ready for departure, I think the Cincinnatus might be ordered to pursue and arrest you soon. A patrol ship sent to escort some Martian VIP to Europa ran into a pair of Scimitar pilots who claim they were attacked and the passenger ship was taken by the Iron Kestrels. They had some footage of the fight. It was really good, but you're officially on the UJCIDF's radar as a dangerous individual now. No question it was you, they had your order to the ship to surrender recorded in their Scimitars' computers. Oh, and the official military designation for your machine is in...it's on file as the Black Ogre. You really did clean that tan scrapheap up into something nice, didn't you?

Full Coating (if you get the shield too it becomes an X) and Right Fist. Sorry, I know it was a bit obtuse.

Welp. Message Sam thanks for the tip and don't get in trouble over me. Pull the ship away I guess and head in on the Yamato?

I believe some of you wanted to rub it in Jesus' face that you took those Bluegills he shot down. Do you still want to do that?

Why not

I'd rather not just yet. Let them all get repaired first before that.

Samantha: Thanks for the heads up. Since we aren't wanted in this station I might as well move on to Suleiman 1 then. We are just here to pick up some scrap metal to repair some of our mechs anyways.

Clemmy: Yes, yes. I hope it will be you to arrest me too, if you can. I promise I'll give you a one hell of a fight. Just be sure not to ding up my Knuckle Kaiser's head too much.

Clemmy: Hey, show this to Jesus. Tell him thanks for giving us intact presents.

Thank Sam and ask Clemmy to thank Jesus for twenty new bluegills.

I don't know where we are supposed to go from here. Is there some shithole deep-space bar we can go to and use it as a staging point for harassing the green skulls?

We're gonna save some miners at Suleiman 1. After that, probably try to hunt down the remaining Green Skull ships, or take over another band of pirates and make their base ours.

Did Sam tell Pierre who she went out with?

You send a message back to Sam first.

Roarke: 'Not staying long, just buying parts for repairs, could leave tonight. Thanks for the heads up, but I'm serious when I say don't get in trouble over me.'

Samantha 'You're always trouble, but that's okay, I'll be alright.

Apologies for the delays, incidentally, they were sadly unavoidable and posts should be coming more quickly soon.

By the way, there absolutely will be some combat tonight, so use up your bad luck with a d10 offline or whatever you want before it starts.

Rolled 8 (1d10)

Bad luck? Sir, I only ever roll as intended.

Watch, this roll is less than 4!

On a related note, I fucking hate how you handle the dice in your quest, the reason being is because it gets really fucking tense and I end up bending my computer desk when I grab it too hard. It's too fun, too much drama. So Tsundere.

Way to waste that 8 ya bastard.

Rolled 3 (1d10)

You wanna talk shit, I'll fuck your dice.

No they'll fuck you.

Clemmy's PC: 'This is Sgt. Keith Young. If you think this is funny, you are sadly mistaken. I knew from the beginning that you were a pirate, and I have no intention of letting you escape justice. Do you hear me? Do you understand me? You will be arrested, tried, and if the system actually works you will spend the rest of your life in a penal colony atoning for your many sins. This is not a game, this is not a joke. You have a more powerful Exo-Suit than most line units, yes, but it's no match for the new SOUL units, particularly the Squad B Experimentals made with technicians from both Bucephalus and Bahamutcorp. Evil like yours is a weed that needs to be plucked out.

PS stop honeydicking my co-workers.'

Before you can muster a sufficiently sarcastic response you receive another message.

Clemmy's PC: 'The LT makes a good point. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. If you turn yourself in, give back the VIP, show up and endorse the UJCIDF and talk about the need for Solar System unity in one of our recruitment advertisements, and really turn over a new leaf I'm sure you can get your sentence reduced to...the LT is saying community service and a spot on Squad B. I'm not sure if she's being realistic, but it's a possibility. I read in your file that you like old music, have you ever heard of a band called Nickelback, or Linkin Park?'

Avi's voice comes in over the PA, "Admiral, Yoritomo's back and the parts are loaded, we can take off whenever you're ready."

>[God damn it, Jesus]

And that means they'll fuck you even harder when I roll that 1 for the roll call

So we aim for the cockpit when we fight him agreed?

>have you ever heard of a band called Nickelback, or Linkin Park?'

Im fine with it

>Nickleback, Linkin Park
Just dropped down by two tiers there

No fuck you. I have been an upmost gentleman in my interactions with them. You however are only behaving like a little child that needs to be put in time out.

>have you ever heard of a band called Nickelback, or Linkin Park?'

HAHAHAHAHA oh my sides. The funny thing is that while there are plenty of terrible bands in the same decades hating these was such a popular meme it stuck around even when no-one listened to them anymore or has a clue what they sound like.
Even still AHAHAHAHAHA
On another note if were ready to go lets say our goodbyes over video conference and head on out.

Thats too formal lets just say, you weren't gonna do anything with them and tell him we might let him have our nicest cell when we kick his ass

Kill him? What would we do without him? Laughs like these just don't grow on trees.

Nah, we just engage in the basics of CQC and watch him turn into the absolute bitchboy he is because he never learned how to punch.

Then we cripple his machine and steal parts of it while he floats in his cockpit, watching, powerless.

Formal distance for a misbehaving little man child. It will only piss him off more.

I sounds lame as shit though

>Ey, boss, wut if we loot em whoile we bash em!?

For the next ten minutes or so, you're too stunned to think of an effective response.

Roarke: 'I am, and remain, a gentleman. So I won't laugh at you any harder than I already have. You've made an effort, and I appreciate that despite you being a petulant, arrogant child. As a token of my extremely moderate esteem, let me make a promise to you. When I finish ripping the limbs off whatever overly-engineered modern monstrosity you think stands a chance against my War-era Thoroughbred MP Custom...' You need a moment to remember exactly what the frame would be called for the Knuckle Kaiser. '...I will let you have the nicest cell in my brig, next to Fatima. I'm sure the two of you will get along famously.'

PS Thanks for the Bluegills, give Clemmy a hug for me.' You decide not to mention Samantha. She's a lower rank than the Lieutenant and can't just bully Keith away.

You also send a message to Samantha.

Roarke: 'Setting sail, keep some of that Moet et Chandon in your pretty cabinet for me. I hope we're able to meet soon, under circumstances where I'm not dodging a Wels-Class Battleship.'

You get on the PA, and announce that it's time to get going. It only takes about an hour for any crew that had gone ashore for priority shopping (running out of something essential like salt mid-voyage with no way to replenish it is actually a very dangerous thing) to get back onboard, and Captain Oda confirms his crew have done the same with many a "Taishou-sama!" and "Aniki!" thrown into his speech. The whole time, you find yourself peering out the viewport, expecting to see the mighty bulk of the UJCIDF battleship blocking the bay with its massive cannon batteries deployed.

By the time you make your way to the bridge, though, it still hasn't moved, and sensor readings confirm it. Avi keeps frowning at the radar screen, blinking and rubbing his eyes as though he's having an allergic reaction.

"Avi, let's check out. Ready both ships for jump on my mark."

[Continued]

The Heavy Striker Rhinehawk and Medium Weight Battleship Yamato both lurch out of port at the same time. The Cincinnatus, as you watch, finally begins to swing around and slowly make its way towards Colony 3 as they confirm your presence and location. It's much too slow and much too late, and being this close to the Colony means that it would be a PR disaster if they fired on you with their long range weapons. Their only hope would be to deploy mecha within boarding range, and you're not waiting for that. Ignoring their hails, you authorize the jump, and your pirate fleet activates its two microgate generators simultaneously. As you slip into the void between folded space, Avi glares at the sensors, "Admiral, um, maybe we should have the technicians take a look at this. I keep getting ghost readings."

"Ghost readings?"

"A tiny blip showed up right before you reached the bridge, sir, then vanished. It can't be a mech, it couldn't have jumped from nowhere right on top of us and then out again that quickly, so it must be a glitch in the system. I saw it again right before the jump." He adjusts his cap with a nervous smile.

"A glitch, right." You settle back into your chair with a sigh, wondering what was so important in the mech bay that Miles and Richard had to be there instead of here. You're uncharacteristically nervous, you definitely would have preferred to spend some time on California Station, enjoying the company of one of the three women available and getting those Bluegills battle-ready. At last, space resumes its usual shape, and you swig coffee like water to get that strange, stretchy feeling out of your muscles as the universe makes up its mind about where exactly you are.

Avi did his job well, both ships are out of maximum sensor range for Suleiman 1 but well within cruising distance.

>[Approach with one ship, keeping the other back]
>[Approach with both ships]

>>[Approach with one ship, keeping the other back]
Have the faster ship investigate.

>[Approach with one ship, keeping the other back]

>[Approach with both ships]
There's only one of us, and we don't want to get picked off one at a time.

Hey, can we send a recon flight ahead to check things out before both ships get in sensor range?

That would be the Rhinehawk, incidentally. The Yamato rocks a ten-pack of 150K missiles that can be fired individually or in a salvo (for salvo fire, each point you beat the target's defense roll by means an extra hit per ten missiles fired. So if you launched sixty, somehow, each point you beat the roll by would be +6 hits. Sadly, the Yamato just has 10, but that's still a lot of damage if the Storm Dragons roll well)

The problem with that is that your mecha can be picked up by sensors as easily as a ship, and since it's impossible for Harpies or Bluegills to get this far into space without hitching a ride on a vessel with a microgate generator any enemy commander would likely assume that you have a ship as backup.

Yep lead them into the missiles of the Yamato with the Rhinehawk as bait?

This sounds like a good plan.

QM, do mining colonies usually have any anti-ship batteries/missiles?

"There it is again! Right when we completed the jump!" Avi is normally never annoyed at anything, but today he's outright scowling at the screen and taps it with his fist. One of the bridge bunnies gives him a sympathetic pat on the back.

"I'll have Cornelius look at it when we aren't going into combat." You open a line to the Yamato, "Captain Oda!"

"Taishou-sama, is it time for our heroic charge?" He sounds so hopeful that you're momentarily reconsidering your plan, but a sensible strategy comes first.

"Yes. Only, I need you to stay here, out of sensor range. As far as the Green Skulls know the Iron Kestrels only have one starship. I'd like you to be our nasty little surprise once they inevitably try to gang up on us."

"HAI, aniki! Just save some for me, alright?" He chortles, before cutting the comms, humming one of Red Siren's songs. You're not surprised he listens to S-Pop at all.

The funny thing about the Belt is that it's nowhere as dense as most people think. The vast majority of it is empty space, where you won't encounter a single asteroid in days of travel. Parts of it are more dense, and there are a lot of old debris fields from the War, but on the whole it's just empty. Suleiman is one of the exceptions. The asteroids are clustered rather thickly, even if it's nowhere near enough to make maneuvering the Rhinehawk difficult, and you're able to keep some semblance of cover until Suleiman 1 is within visual range. The colony is connected by what looks like dozens of tiny hairs to a large asteroid, although you know that each of those cables is a transit tube large enough for you to fit dozens of mecha side-by-side or a small starship through without scraping the sides. Fortunately, you didn't see extensive anti-ship batteries or missiles on the blueprints Samantha gave you, apparently the UJCIDF wanted to keep their research a secret and thought that anyone who knew what they were doing wouldn't have the temerity to strike at them.

[Continued]

> (running out of something essential like salt mid-voyage with no way to replenish it is actually a very dangerous thing)

god damnit white base

>"There it is again! Right when we completed the jump!"

Someone's going to feel the power of an enraged neckbeard (minus the beard) if they keep that up.

Here comes captain autismo!!

at least its not Bizkit.

It's jesus.

The other starship on your sensors is another matter.

If it was a mech, it would be classified as a Striker. The difference between it and the Rhinehawk is roughly the same as the difference between a bog-standard Bluegill and Red Siren's Archen, or Captain Oda's Osano-Wo if it wasn't so heavily armored. The crisp green skull painted across the top of its vaguely brick-shaped hull with a cluster of thruster ports at the rear tells you all you need to know. A second ship is noticeable on the very edge of your sensor range, but it hasn't moved yet and would take an hour or so to reach your location. At this distance, you can't be as certain of its size as you are of the smaller one, which is likely a transport ship with a Harpy complement, but it's in the same general range as the Rhinehawk and Yamato.

It's also launching Harpies while it can. Which is sensible, because it doesn't seem to have much beyond a Light Battery to threaten you with and it doesn't have much chance against the Rhinehawk's powerful double Medium batteries if it comes to a head-to-head battle. It puts out roughly twenty Harpies, likely its maximum complement, before it starts trying to turn its less-ponderous-than-your-ship's bulk away.

>[Continued, sort of, you have three main options since it isn't chasing you towards the Yamato and explaining them would likely put me over the character limit]

It's not their fault, the Federation basically let them ride around with almost zero support and only three experimental Mobile Suits until Odessa to get combat data and apparently lure Zeon into sending wave after wave of zakus into the murderous grip of Amuro Ray. It's only natural one of the many hits the White Base took would hit a cargo bay. Everyone hates the salt episode, but I thought it was at least kind of realistic. Gotta have salt to live.

In a brand-spanking new mech with radar absorbent materials and optical camouflage?

Probably. Would explain how all the Bluegills were only damaged really and why he was so confident that he would win.

It still wouldn't save him.

Lsts go out with our mech and the aces to fight the harpies while our ship takes on theirs

It's a trap, mang. And you never reveal your ace for a trap.

Four, actually.

The first decision is, will you go out to meet them in the Knuckle Kaiser or stay within range of the Rhinehawk's CIWS? Harpies can still score crits and megacrits (with a +8 to-hit bonus versus starships) despite being relatively small and weak, and if you're within CIWS range a Harpy could theoretically dodge past you while you're murdering its friends and kamikaze-rush the Rhinehawk's engine. However, if you go out and meet them you won't have the Rhinehawk's CIWS turrets launching a 10K attack against every hostile target in range without penalty every turn.

The second decision is, are you going alone with perhaps one of the heavier mecha you have ready for backup? As you may have noticed from the pastebin, you have at least one capable of granting fire support. If you launch your full forces, you suffer the risk that those Bluegills aren't ready, and with roughly equal numbers of Harpies fighting Harpies it's almost guaranteed you'll take casualties.

Our armor is probably strong enough to take the majority of their harpy attacks and if need be we can withdraw and open with the CIWS. Gaining ground is harder than losing it so a push would be a good idea.

As is some ranged support that can fall back if it gets heated is also a good idea.

Could Strike Freedom or whatever Kira's gundam was called cloak? I know the Celestial Being gundams had a non-combat cloak, but Mohammed is definitely not with the UJCIDF.

One of the original gundams that was piloted by the green haired kid had a cloak. Got crucified by Jesus though.

Alright, that was frustrating, some of my statsheets got eaten and apparently weren't saved. The problem is now fixed, but we don't exactly have a consensus on what you're doing.

What about deploying mechs to protect the Rhinehawk, then accelerate and blitz through the enemy Harpies to let the Rhinehawk blast the Skull ship?

I disagree. Keep the suits at the ready, but meet the harpies. On even terms we will lose pilots which are a precious resource and the harpies can hit our ship. Our armor however is likely strong enough to absorb any hit the harpies can do to us.

Smash a few in, scare them greatly, THEN move in for the ship. Have the stronger mech serve as fire support.

Go out and meet them in the knuckle Kaiser with some back up but let most stay by the Rhinehawk and use long range fire to fuck with them.

Also keep in mind that Harpies are one of the lightest mechs around with armor and hull as thin as paper. Ripping off their heads to seperate the pilots from the machine is a valid tactic and their weapons are likely not going to do 5 kills of damage on average.

Meanwhile, you'll get a look a the first of the three Master Harpies.


Pirate Mecha Master Harpy Longshadow Variant

Medium Striker Torso: C/S/K 8, 4 tons
Medium Striker Head: C/S/K 4, 2 tons
Medium Striker L. Wing: C/S/K 4, 2 tons
Medium Striker R. Wing: C/S/K 4, 2 tons
Medium Striker L. Arm: C/S/K 5, 2 tons
Left Hand: 2 CP, 1 Space, 1 Kill, 0.5 tons
Medium Striker R. Arm: C/S/K 5, 2 tons
Right Hand: 2 CP, 1 Space, 1 Kill, 0.5 tons
Medium Striker L. Leg: C/S/K 5, 2 tons
Medium Striker R. Leg: C/S/K 5, 2 tons

Armor: Heavy Striker (5 SP, 5 CP, 2.5 tons) on all locations.

Main Sensors (Head): 4 CP, 1 Space, 2 Kills, 1 ton
Backup Sensors (Torso): 2 CP, 2 Spaces, 2 Kills, 1 ton

Options: Torso Cockpit with Environment Pod (2 CP, 2 Spaces), Torso Storage Module (1 CP, 1 Space), Liftwire (0.3 CP), Spotlights (0.2 CP), Interservo Weapons Linkage (Custom Medium Cannons 3 CP), Deluxe Anti-Theft Lock (0.4 CP), Stereo (0.1 CP)

Armament: One handheld Miles Custom Sniper Cannon, two Fire-Linked Custom Medium Cannons in the arm servos
Custom Sniper Cannon: BASE Range 450 meters (irrelevant due to Long Range) WA -2, 9K, Long Range (No further WA penalty up to maximum range of 4.1km), Ammo 10, 3 reloads, 13 CP, 10 spaces, 4.5 tons
Custom Medium Cannon x2: Range 350 meters, WA 0, 6K, Ammo 10, 3 reloads, 8.5 CP, 5 Spaces, 3 tons.

Thrusters: 3 per leg, 3 per wing, 1 in the torso. Moves 450 meters per turn in flight, 900 in jet form. 13 CP.

Jet Mode: Allows the mech to take the form of a mechafighter (costs 0.3 multiplied by the base CP of the mech). This doubles the flight MA, prevents the use of handheld weapons, and inflicts -2 MV. It takes one action to transform.

Total Weight: 51.5 base, 49.5 after 4 CP spent on Weight Efficiency
Total Cost: 186 CP

head out to meet them, leave the CIWS on, bring out the best Bluegills we have.
have the Yamato close in behind us, see if we can spook them into doing something stupid keep an eye out for Green Mask and our stowaway

oh and launch harpies. Its time we taught these fuckers what its like to be caught with their pants down

Our bluegills are still being repaired. They are not combat fit right now thanks to jesus shooting their limbs.

Here's a decent picture of what it looks like, although Iron Kestrel colors are black with argent trim.

Years ago, you tricked Miles into painting your Harpy Custom for you by switching the names on the bays and putting a gun in your Harpy Custom's hands. In her defense, she was drunk.

In her ensuing tantrum she modified her Harpy Custom's armor and transformation mechanics enough that nobody could ever mistake it for anything else but hers ever again. It was originally intended to be temporary, Harpies, even Harpy Customs, get shot up like nobody's business and their actual armor plating tends to get replaced in a month at most. Except that she ended up liking the stable little saucer design, and has incorporated it into this Master Harpy as well.

You'll notice it has a lot of weight due to having all of the same limbs as your Knuckle Kaiser, plus wings, as well as an arsenal of long-range and high-damage weapons. However, it's fragile, despite the number of points it costs (it's a mostly completed mech where the Knuckle Kaiser still has a lot of room to upgrade) and lacks melee capability beyond grappling.

The Long Range property refers to the fact that a weapon's range is not actually the farthest it can shoot. Its maximum range is significantly longer (if we were using hexes instead of 50-meter lengths, you get the actual value by squaring its combat range), but shooting outside of combat range inflicts a -4 penalty. Long Range weapons reduce that to -2, but inflict -2 on shots inside the combat range as well. Fortunately, every Action she aims for gives her a +1 to hit.

So keep her very far away, possibly with the harpies to support if any enemies can get past us. They are pretty damn fragile even against other harpies, so it may be best to save harpy pilots as support until our bluegills are fully repaired.

So how about we deploy ourselves and a few Harpies to clear the enemy mech screen, while Miles sets up outside and snipes from afar, then once the enemy mechs are gone the Rhinehawk goes after the Skulls' ship?

No Mr. Wong you can't die yet!

Why not keep the harpies readied and just out of the enemies range? Moment they come close shred them with concentrated fire. Officer armor means that any small attacks will just bounce off us, and the moment they figure that out, they will go after lighter armor targets.

We want to make being near Kaiser the 'safest' spot for them and set up a kill zone with miles and long range harpies.

Backing this plan

Backing this

You're not enough of a fool to go completely alone, but even if there's something else out there, which is highly unlikely, that the Green Skulls haven't pulled out yet...you're better equipped to take a hit from it than a Harpy is.

However, Miles ambushes you at the mecha bay and demands to go along. Her new ride looks a lot like her old one except far larger, far shinier, and carrying a long cannon that puts the one on the Cannon Pumpkinseed then-Cadet to shame, along with a pair of large but less gigantic cannons rising up over the shoulders. They likely convert into turrets in saucer form, but using the sniper cannon in that form might be an impossibility currently.

You also send communications to Yoritomo, letting him know to prepare to move in. You don't want to be caught between the two starships, after all, without backup. Meanwhile, Karen is swaying on her feet but beaming, her voice slightly slurred as she points out that she managed to get the upgrades done on time. There's a small forest of empty energy drink capsules floating around her workbench. You sternly order her to go to bed, but she refuses to leave the bay until you launch. Her waving is a little unsteady, but you wave back as always. She leaves before Miles' new machine reaches the catapult, but on the other hand you know that her room can project the sky above and she could easily be watching you fight from her room.

[Continued]

My laptop overheated, I fixed it.

Okay I was worried. Seems the qm curse is still alive.

Your subordinate Harpies and a small number of Bluegills, mostly still unpainted and some of them moving slower than usual deploy behind you, arraying themselves with Miles along the surface of the ship. Your Harpies are primarily equipped with a Light Cannon (3K) on one arm and a Small Shield on the other. They're modular little beasts. The Bluegills are equipped the same way, mostly using ones from old Harpies reconfigured on the fly. They form a cloud within CIWS range while you ride out to face the twenty Harpies covering the transport vessel's retreat. You going ahead doesn't seem to unnerve them, they show at least remedial signs of military training as they form a three-dimensional encircling formation.

[Continued with stats]

>bluegills are Leo's

You're telling me a gundam protagonist shot a Leo look-alike, and it DIDN'T explode?

shit, I'm actually worried about fighting him now.

Two of the Green Skulls' Harpies have a Scattershot Arm and a shield, ten have a Light Cannon and a shield and of the remaining eight four have an axe-and-shield combo for fighting other mecha and four have a drill-and-shield combo.

Pirate Mecha Harpy:

Lightweight Torso: C/S/K 4, 2 tons
Lightweight Head: C/S/K 2, 1 ton
Lightweight L. Wing: C/S/K 2, 1 ton
Lightweight R. Wing: C/S/K 2, 1 ton
Lightweight L. Arm: C/S/K 3, 1 ton
Lightweight R. Arm: C/S/K 3, 1 ton
Lightweight L Leg: C/S/K 3, 1 ton
Lightweight R Leg: C/S/K 3, 1 ton

Armor: Lightweight (2 CP, SP 2, 1 ton) all locations

Main Sensors (Head): Cost 4, Space 1, Kills 2, 1 ton

Options: Head Cockpit with Ejector Seat (1 CP, 1 Space), Storage Module (1 CP, 1 Space), Micromanipulators (1 CP, 1 Space), Liftwire (0.3 CP), Spotlights (0.2 CP)

Armament: Multiple options, Harpies can be refitted into different variants between missions. Pick two.
Drill: WA -1, 4K, AP, 3 CP, 3 Spaces, 2 tons
Light Cannon: Range 250m, WA 0, 3K, Ammo 10, Reloads 3, 4 CP, 3 Spaces, 1.5 tons
Axe: WA 0, 6K, 3 CP, 3 Spaces, 3 tons
Scattershot Arm (3x Fire-Linked Light Beam Guns): Range 200m, WA +1, 1K each, Infinite Ammo, 8 CP, 3 Spaces total, 1.5 tons
Mounted Small Shield: DA -1, SP 6, 7.5 CP, 3 tons

Thrusters: 2 per Wing (Wings themselves provide +2 MA in flight), MA 6 (12 in Jet Mode), CP 4

Jet Mode: Allows the Harpy to take the form of a mechafighter (costs 0.3 multiplied by the base CP of the mech). This doubles the flight MA, prevents the use of handheld weapons (if Harpies had hands), and inflicts -2 MV. It takes one Action to transform.

Total Weight: 18 tons unarmed, 24 tons with heaviest option
Total Cost: 65 base, 86.5 with most expensive options.

That fact that anyone can go more than a couple battles in a harpy and not getting brutally murdered is terrifying.

We should get Miles and the other mechs to target the Skulls with ranged weapons, while we go to fight the melee guys

yeah, ripping their heads off will likely be easiest and can give us spare parts. They won't be able to dent our shields at all.

List of moves for ya'll:
pastebin.com/ks5SsXBq

There's a mech called the Shetland. It is a beloved public symbol. There have been simcartoons about Shetlands, Shetland pilots, and even talking Shetlands that solve crimes. Only the best cops get them, and according to Captain Ozark Shetland pilots pull an immense amount of tail on most civilized Colonies.

The Shetland is a size smaller than the Harpy. It's primarily a police and disaster relief vehicle. There is a mech that even a Harpy can bully.

Rolled 8 (1d10)

Alright rolling for grabbing the closest mechs head and dismembering it

Jesus all we need to do is punch a harpy once in the head to fully kill them. Harpies are pretty suicidal. They can only damage our armour if they take a drill LOL.

And I fucked it up. Here's the right version.
pastebin.com/HSdyCe2y

Dude just punch. Harpy is 1 hit kill. Dismember is -2 WA. Punch is 0WA and an extra chance if we do miss. Also we just got an upgrade for our fists we better try it out and see how destructive it is.

...

Keep in mind, you can probably punch their heads off too. 6K AP versus 2K 2SP.