Scooter looks at the specs and rubs his chin.  He's got misgivings about doing that.  Putting the Vulcan system in the arm means the AMS system may interfere with the use of weapons in that arm.  He things the system is plenty glitchy as it is and that youre crazy to even be installing it.

He suggests swapping it out for a hard mounted torso weapon.  It would limit the arc that it could react, but it would also keep the AMS software from hi-jacking the targeting system for the other arm weapons.

Youre the boss though, you want it in the arm he'll stuff it in the arms.

(He points to a large gaping hole in the Firestarters Right Torso where the MG's ammo use to be stored)

"We can remove the laser off your arm, and stick it in there.  Good?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:34, Fri 30 Dec 2011.

Svend was shaking his head at the thought. The system was risky. He nodded at Scooter's idea of mounting it to the center of mass. Svend let the man know to make it happen. "Do what you have to, Scooter. Center is better."

Cat walked back in from outside, having an animated but friendly discussion with Pegan. "Really....and it only fires if it gets a lock on? And then it's guaranteed to hit, and you want to test it on my Valk? I guess my answer would have to be Hell yes!" Her eyes fixated on Scooter and she walked over to see him.

"Uh Scooter, the brainboxes here want to test out some new gear on my Valkyrie. Some kinda new fangled system that stops ammo explosions from wrecking your mech and some kind of new SRM system. Any chance you can get it installed before the next op?" Cat batted her eyelashes at the tech, hoping he would find it cute and adorable instead of annoying given how many other women there were around competing for his professional services. "I can throw in a dessert ration to sweeten the deal."

It was day after Operation Home Run, and the Wild Stallions luck was starting to look like maybe... just maybe it was going to change.

The Pursuit lance and Air Cavalry had beat the shit out of the partol on the west side, but manage to keep the equipment intact for salvage.

The Mobile and Strike lance had kept their half of the base preoccupied, forcing them to expend munitions that was going to hurt the Combine defenders in the long run.

It was a crafty call to make a true that would allow the base commander to evac out with most of his men and equipment intact.  It would have been nicer to just trap and crush them here and now the way the plan was meant to go down, but Nate couldnt complain too much.

6th Company was eating under a roof tonight.  The rest of Battalion and what was left of the other Eridanis and Davion Militia in the area was falling back here to make it a hardpoint to fight from.

The Wild Stallions had their choice of bunkers to call home.  Space was going to be limited and tight but it was at least a real roof, and other units would be in the area to keep the Combine honest.

The only problem was... with this planned success, Battallion had decided to give him his promotion, and take him out of 6th Company up to Battalion HQ.  It was a fraking waste.  He wanted to fight not push little toys around on a map.  The mood in the company was mixed, and he wanted to be certain to keep it on the positive side.  They had did good.  They had bloodied the Combines nose and made them cry uncle.  It was the first step to throwing them off the planet.

Pagan made an appearance in the bunker, stepping over bits of equipment strewn about the hanger, that didnt quite make it into the Combines hands for removal.

"Captain Armstrong.  6th Company has gathered to throw a belated New Years Party.  Will you make an appearance and give them the news?", she comments curious at the newly promoted captain's sullen mood.

"Yeah Peggy, I'm on it.  They're a good crew.  Take care of my boys then.  By this time tommorrow Schmidt, as the  more senior L.T., will be in charge of the Stallions.  The troops are going to love hearing that.", Nate shrugs into the warm leather jacket he favored over the winter parkas that was standard issue, "Nothing that needs mentioning tonight.  Tonight we party.  Can i interest you in a drink in exchange for a New Years Kiss L.T."

Peggy gave the rugged captain a thoughtful look.  He was easy on the eyes and had a certain boyish charm that she was sure had wooed many before her.  Still, he looked like he could use a little honest company tonight.  "The nights still young, am i on the list for your list of conquest for the new years resolution?"

"Nope.  Just got one resolution to throw the Dracs and Wolves off Hoff.", he comments with his boyish grin soundings totally ridiculous and sincere at the same time.

"Well... then thats something i can drink to.", Pagan comments as she turns out the lights to the hanger as she exits a step behind Nate.

Svend found himself sitting at whatever passed for the drinking hole in their current setup, nursing a bottle of clear liquid. It was obvious that he was upset. He had the stare of a man in deep contemplation and regretting his decision to stay there. Instead he simply swirled the potent liquid in the glass he was using to make himself at least try to resist drinking straight from the bottle itself.

Cat stood in the shower for a very very long time. It was good to have running water again, but running hot water. The sensation was almost sinful, and she still had some of the Snake body wash and shampoo left. A small smile appearing on her face, Cat could almost forget everything over the last few days. She rested her head against the wall trying not to fall asleep in the sheer bliss of a hot shower.

The new tech Scoot said that he would be able to get her vtol patched up and running by new by the morning.  Damage this time was really light, and the worst of it seemed to have been inflicted on her whirly bird.  That was good enough news to put her in a good mood.  There was a small celebratory party being held for repopulating the base they were forced to depart several months ago.

With precise aim, Holly bounces a beer nut off Svend's head, and has her disarming smile ready to go to meet his expected dour mood.

"Why the long face Backdraft?  Thinking about people that should be here to celebrate the victory that's not?"

Jillian nodded out the window of the barracks as Nate went past. "See the look on his face? What makes you think it has just hit him that making full Lt, that's Captain to you yokels, has just taken him out of the field. Serious mixed feelings there."
She shrugged. "You want to make Captain, you do the staff time."

Another shrug, and she had an appointment with the shower.

Even as the rest of the company bemoaned Nate's fate and griped about what was about to happen, there was one person that seemed pleased.  He hadn't gotten another promotion...yet.  Perhaps, the powers that be...which seemingly favored him...were redirected this time.  Still, to him, the result was the same.  It looked as if Lieutenant Hinklemeyer-Schmidt would be leading the company.

The result was predictable.  To picture it, one had to only think about Aesop's fable...the one about the ox and the frog.  In that story, the frog had puffed out his chest so hard that it had exploded and perished.  Doubtless, many others in the 6th Recon Company of the Eridani Light Horse Regiment hoped that he would suffer a similar fate.  Simply put, he strutted...and nodded knowingly at the others.  Knowing what...nobody knew, but everyone was in a hurry to the showers to get the disgusting feeling off them...even the men of the company.

Holly was chatting with some of the guys from Hotel.  They were an okay bunch but they had a very poor opinion of the mechwarriors that had gotten them all shot up on an infantry ops.

Watching the Mech Jocks across the room, for some reason they always  seemed to keep to themselves for the most part, she caught wind of a shake up in command.  It was all internal politics which had no place on the field but here in the bunk house she was sure an ill wind was blowing.  Times like this she was glad she fell under Captain Garabaldo's command.

Still.. she wasnt heartless, she felt bad for Sandy.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Mon 09 Jan 2012.

Cowboy was making the rounds while the boys and girls of the unit where doing up a late New Years Eve celebration.  He let them party since they needed a break for a number of reasons.  He still hadn't heard any word from Command, Johan or Nate and that made him concerned.  Not so much that he was banging down doors but it was having an effect on his men and women and he didn't like that one bit.

They had been in the dark for some time after the 4th got hammered by the Dragoons until he finally had received word to rally what was left at the 6th's base of operations.  Despite his callsign he didn't do the lone gun of the pulp fiction old wild west routine very well, especially since he felt like the lawman trying to make the compromises that no one wanted.

He made sure to thank his aero-support since most mechwarriors tended to keep apart from other branches.  Seeing Holly he passed on by her, "Thanks for the assist Holly...or should I say doing our heavy lifting.  Give you guys another couple reloads we could have sat back while you crippled the entire Drac force..."

"Jimmy deserves the credit more than me, he single handedly took out that Striker and led the way after the bulldog.  Good thing we stood down when we did, the retal was going to be a bitch.  The turrets at the base were going online too, so i guess we cant complain too much, we might have narrowly escaped getting shot down."

"Turrets would have been our job...and the couple of artillery hits.  That is what we're built for and it's hard to miss an immobile target especially with something as big as Goth's PPC.  You would have been kept back to cut off any runners that tried to slip us but that is neither here nor there.  Thanks none the less.  Seen Jimmy around so I can thank him too?" asked Adam as he nodded to the rest of the Hotel crew.

Amos enjoyed the drinks and the new facilities. He found himself an wooden barrel. He rolled it into the showers and filled it to the brim. A good soak did wonders for the mechwarrior. Then he wandered outside with a bottle of brandy and joined the celebration.

Amos waited until the others in his lance appeared. "Come on. Let's drink up and enjoy the celebration. And." Amos raised his voice. "I think we should also celebrate taking the base without too much trouble. The LT made a good call." He looked around and waved at Johan.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:36, Tue 10 Jan 2012.

In reply to Pvt. Holly Day (msg #259):

Svend immediately turned, ready to fight the person that was antagonizing him and saw it was Holly. He resumed his drinking, this time taking a long slug from the bottle. "I'm pissed we didn't give the Dracs a good enough beating. We had them dead to rights and it is deemed they are to be let loose?"

He grumbled and went back to nursing his liquor bottle only to turn back to Holly and point at her, his finger wagging back and forth. "You know, it doesn't seem right. The Dancers took a beating, lost good men and women and just when we are able to get a chance to let them rest a little easier, that chance is snatched away." He was drunk and obviously emotional. "God damn noble bastards."

Thing were moving along well, and half way through the party Nate lets it be known that he was departing command of 6th Company to take up a position at Battalion HQ, which was in 'dire need' of experience officers at they put it.  Their words not his.

It's fairly obvious that this was more of a mandatory promotion than a voluntary one.  Nate manages to eke out a replacement pilot from 2nd Company to fill in the vacancy he's leaving behind.  He announces a bunch of promotions as well at this time, figuring the good news of fellow mech warriors being promoted, would be a good thing for morale.

(If youre taking advantage of the discounted rank bump for having leadership or noble, Nate notes it here, and now is the time to acknowledge it)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:32, Tue 10 Jan 2012.

Camille for one accepts the promotion offered, it did lighten her mood, and help dimm her dislike for Johan, still, he'd denied he salvage, he'd gotten promoted time and again, and he'd denied her a bite of her vengeance.

So Limping slightly cause of the injury to her side she approached Nate for it.

---

Kitten added...

Nate presented Camille with a letter of promotion and the double barred stripes to prove that she was a corporal.  It seemed like such a small thing and yet... it wasnt.

(dont forget to drop me a not to tell me where the experience is going, else it gets banked in ust 'experience'.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:04, Tue 10 Jan 2012.

Adam had been looking for James unsuccessfully when Nate made his announcement.  He was pleasantly surprised when Camille received her promotion as well as unsurprised when Johan received his as well as full command of the 6th.  That boy had a mommy or daddy dancing him at the strings.

Still worst that he could do is actually give him suicidal orders which at that point being a fellow officer he could relieve him of command for being bat shit bonkers to have him committed somewhere far from any chance of harming someone else.  Most likely he'd just continue ignoring Cowboy like he had to this point, safe in his position as a stepping stone to making Captain, eventually moving on from the 6th to be someone elses problem.  He just had to keep everyone, 4th and 6th, alive till that day rolled around.

So he clapped like others for everyone getting their promotions but kept his head low for all those that had to die to make them possible.  Sometime later that night he needed to track down Halo and thank her properly for fragging that Striker in front of him and convincing them to evac before they could pepper his ride with missiles.

Huffing and puffing, Oliver goes looking for Scooter. Wearing his vest and knit orange cap, he checks the various technician's areas, "Scooter here?" he asks repeatedly as he hunts around.

Eventually he finds the man and offers a hand to shake, "Hey there best friend of mine, could I talk you into doing some work on my baby boy?" he asks and hooks a finger towards wherever his mech might be standing.

Even as the short man speaks, he bounces on his toes energetically.

"Yeah... that's me.  Whatcha want?", Scooter stifles a yawn from where he was sleeping with his tools.  For once damage had been light and he had time to catch zzz, under a real room with real central heat... tommorow a bath... when was the last time he had one of those... wait... this kid looks like he's about to pee any minute now, best get his priorities straight.

"Simmer down, you found me... whazzup?"

Sliding his hands up under his hands up into his armpits, the energetic young man grins at the snaggle-toothed mechanic.

"Well, a couple of the lasers on my wolfhound are rear facing, I'd like to get them rotated," the Reaper explains, and of course, he looks nothing like a guy who should be called such a call sign but that is the nature of call signs, they don't always make the most sense.

To explain what he means by rotated he does a little half-spin with his hand and then says, "Forward facing. I mean, I get the whole shooting people behind me thing, but really, I think it makes more sense to have all my guns going one way."

After a second he adds, "Wait, you know what.. some guys from R&D were talking about some coolant system, did that arrive yet? I'd swap it for that." Leaning in, he tells the man, "I'll get you a good case of bourbon for it. Whaddya say?" and he waggles his eyebrows up under that brilliant orange cap.

All smiles.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Wed 11 Jan 2012.

Maybe it was the fact that it was his birthday just the day before, but when Johan got his promotion letter, it was a genuine surprise...and all smiles for the newly minted first lieutenant.  That was more like it.  Still, he wasn't about to celebrate it with the group of riff-raff such as it was.  So he quietly stepped out from the group and didn't offer any words to the company...at least not yet.  Besides, it was probably a noble thing to let Nate have his last day in the sun here at least.

So, he exited the party.  Just as he cleared the doorway, he could hear an explosion of cheers and the real part getting started.  Just as he thought...riff-raff.

Camille didn't stay for the celebrations either, not so much because she was a haugty bitch, (she was), more because the injuries to her side had sprung open during that last assault and she needed the med attention.

Running into his injured lancemate just outside the door, Johan proposed, "Corporal Sforza, maybe I help you to the infirmary."  And after an awkward pause.  "Oh...and congratulations."  He then stepped up close to her and offered an arm for support.

Camille kept a straight face, and accepted his gracious offer.
"Why thank you, that is very noble of you Sir"
while speaking though, inwardly her thoughts were another matter.
I'd rather kiss a Toad