Robotech - Tales of the RDF

[Purr]

Staff Sergeant Taniya


"Religion," she scratched her head.  "To believe wholeheartedly in an invisible, unprovable force to the point of following its every direction; this is a most difficult, unscientific concept.  I long for the destruction of my own creators, the Robotech Masters.  As for the African followers, this IAPR 'cult' is equally mysterious.  To be sent to kill them when instead they should be fighting the false Zentraedi, the Malcontents, and assist in the battle to free your Earth from their hold."  


Taniya lets the sentence fall.  Yes, there was many a time when her 'fellow' Zentraedi yearned for each other's blood, but when a common enemy like the Invid threatened them, there was no question which way their cannons and missiles would be pointed.   "Killing humans for these apparent reasons seems counterproductive to freeing Earth.  I do not pretend to understand it.  Yet, I remain a warrior and soldier, and I will do as the RDF orders.  And speaking of orders..."


"Red Pandas," she gave them a serious stare, "we have a new mission.  I want a climate control device properly installed and operating optimally inside of McKinley's Defender before we next do battle.  McKinley, if this Africa realm is as consistently hot as Braidwood describes, then I cannot stand idly by.  I will not allow you to fade from heat exhaustion or become brain-damaged from heatstroke.  Come with me."


Taniya immediately made for the mecha hangars to have a talk with the head technician.  She would request politely, bargain if need be, threaten and carry out if it came down to that.  The leader of the Red Panda Squadron did not care if she had to go out into the field herself to find a downed Defender and strip it of its own A/C unit; there was no way one of her Red Pandas was going to suffer this disgraceful state any longer.  Bad enough McKinley had to endure it for this long.

 

[Sherwood]

When Taniya gets to the motorpool to talk to the mechanics about Connor's Destroid, she is met with surprise.  "What do you mean, his climate control is not working?"  He grabs the maintenance log for that mecha.  "Humph.  No one has ever said anything about it before, so it was never checked by the grease monkeys.  Since you are moving out soon, I'll put a rush on the repair.  As the old saying goes, 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease'.  Now, tell your pilot that if we don't know its broken, it won't get fixed."  He starts to turn away, then pauses.  "Hey sergeant, according to the roster of your team, you are eligible to be assigned another mecha for your radio head, um, some Barbara Tolson.  If you want, you can requisition her a Defender or a Spartan; both of which are in stock right now and can be loaded into your team no worries, and according to her record, she is qualified on both units."

 

[Purr]

Staff Sergeant Taniya


Taniya's eyes narrowed when she heard the mechanic's statement, but she gave no sign of her thoughts.  Those thoughts, however, were far from cordial.  And this, coming from a male unfit to stand among warriors, much less make repairs for their machines.  Would these mechanics simply neglect to check the climate control unit if it belonged to their commanding officer?  How does one not see to the functionality of such a crucial unit in a land as ragingly hot and humid as jungle-laden Brazil?  Their inattention could harm McKinley, if not in the short run, then in the long.  I will see their leader pay if this comes to pass.


As far as the Zentraedi Ace was concerned, it was not her squadmate's responsibility to find what was broken but to kill the enemy.  This McKinley did.  It was the mechanics responsibility to find and fix the broken as certainly as if it were their own bodies.  Prior to Lord Breetai coming to Earth and had the mechanic been Zentraedi, she would have seriously considering blowing a smoking hole through the mechanic's chest for his team's inattentiveness and his lack of respect toward her in telling her what to tell McKinley and turning away as if she were a subordinate.  For replacing, not fixing, malfunctioning parts and people was the way of the Zentraedi.  


Once again, she found herself grateful that these were different times.  She was no longer what she used to be.  Violence was, at the moment, unnecessary. 


Taniya nodded to the mechanic then motioned for her team to follow her until they were out of earshot of the mechanics, all without comment or any outward sign of irritability.   Once alone with her fellow Red Pandas, she raised her eyebrow and placed her hands upon her hips.   "McKinley, after the repair is complete, I want you personally test it.  If these 'mechanics' have failed in their duty to bring satisfaction, you will tell me."


Changing her thoughts, Taniya turned and smiled.  She liked rewarding the deserving.  "Tolson.  You have killed at my command and I deem you worthy to stand on your own beside us in battle.  You may choose the Defender, Spartan, or remain in someone's backseat as you see fit.  Speak your desire, my Red Panda, and see it made reality."  With that, Taniya stood at ease and watched in earnest to see which road her squadmate desired.

 

[Sherwood]

Barbara's eyes go wide when Taniya gives her the option of taking her own mecha into the field.  "Um, wow.  I - well, thank you, Taniya.  I never expected to have my own mecha.  I just took the training courses so I'd understand how they work.  But, if you think - no, it shouldn't be what you think. It should be what I want, and I want to be able to help out the Red Pandas as best I can.  So long as I can keep working the team's radio needs, I'll gladly take a Defender.  That electronic suite with the SHORAD radar will help me keep an eye on everyone, too.  Listen to me, I'm babbling I'm so excited!  Yes, I'll do it!  Thank you!"  She then jumps up and impulsively throws her arms around your shoulders to give you a hug and plants a kiss on you. 


Suddenly, she seems to realize what she has just done, and lets go of you like your body temp was hundreds of degrees.  "Oh, God!  I - I shouldn't have done that.  I'm sorry!"  Her face is bright red, and she turns and starts to run off.

 

[Purr]

Staff Sergeant Taniya

Taniya reflexively turns her face at the last moment and takes the kiss on the cheek before she realizes what is happening.  


For one long moment, Taniya simply stares stunned at the receding Tolson.  


Then she says...


"Where in the cosmos is Zaile when I need her?"


(Spoiler contents: OOC reactions.  =)  )

Spoiler

Barbara Tolson.

Taniya.

=)

 

[Sherwood]

Checking on the work done by the techs, Connor now has a fully functional climate control system, and they have no idea just how close they came to bodily harm from a very cross Zentraedi warrior. 


Assuming that Taniya gives the ground crews the ok, they begin to load your mecha including Tolson's old style Defender onto the cargo boat for your trans Atlantic crossing to the African continent. Barbara finally comes back, looking very embarrassed. "Sergeant Taniya, I am very sorry for my inappropriate behavior earlier. It will not happen again, but if you feel it necessary, I will accept any disciplinary action you feel is appropriate."

 

[Purr]

Staff Sergeant Taniya


Taniya crossed her arms.  "Tolson, if I wanted you disciplined, do you honestly believe you would have succeeded in running away from me?"  She patted one of the pistols on her hips.  "Just control your personal feelings in the future, prepare to leave Brazil behind you, and make ready yourself for the mission ahead - in your new Defender."   


With that, Taniya paid a close eye on the loading crew as their machines were in transit.

 

[Sherwood]

You are loaded into a large warship built to transport large amounts of mecha and tanks across the ocean. One of these transports has made its claim to fame by being attached to the SDF-1 when it was transported to Pluto all those years ago





It takes a few days to make the ocean voyage across to the African coast before you are unloaded at a military port. For your overload trip, it will take you two days. At least this time you don't have to worry about escorting transports; it's just the four of you.

 

[Soviet Panda]

Connor stared at the other Defender, another old style one like his. A good solid mecha those old Defenders. A bit fragile, yes, but damn did they pack a punch. The amount of times he obliterated and severely damaged destroids with the tungsten rounds were many. And if he had to bet it would be even more now that he'd be out in the savannas of Africa where he could use the tungsten rounds range to full use and not have to rely on the shotgun blast that was flak rounds. Plus now he had a fully functional climate control system. Good, now he wouldn't have to dress super warm for the mission that will take them somewhere cold. He knew that mission was coming, he could feel it. He just couldn't tell when that would happen. 


The flight to Africa took longer then he expected. They were in a space barge, you'd think it'd be a couple minute flight. Then again, he wasn't an expert on those kinds of things so he was probably wrong. Either way he preoccupied himself by figuring out what it was exactly that Tolson did back when she got her Defender. In the end he just settled on her being a bit weird and left it at that. He didn't want to assume. You know what they say, assuming makes an ass out of you and me.

 

[Kaerri]

Eadric Braidwood, Field Scientist

Eadric takes advantage of the travel time to go over his mecha, looking for dents, weak spots, or even scratched paint.  Anything fixable en route, he takes care of as best as supplies allow, particularly the paint.  Image is important when arriving at a new base!  He offers to do the same for the others, if they want and as time permits.

 

[Purr]

Staff Sergeant Taniya


Taniya accepted Eadric's offer with a nod of gratitude.  Then she provided a little mission for them to perform.  "Red Panda Squadron, this is a good time to take a tour of this vessel.  We may not have the opportunity to do so a second time.  You especially, Braidwood.  A soldier with your particular education might learn much.  Travel together, tour, return, and tell me what you have learned."  


As the rest of the team tours, Taniya stays behind and pulls a surprise inspection upon her squadron's mecha, especially McKinley's newly-installed A/C unit and Tolson's new Defender.  She makes a point of getting into each vehicle and fully testing it herself, getting the most out of her own Mecha Elite Combat Training in each of her squadmates' vehicles, finishing with her own.  By the time her Red Pandas return, she has a checklist for each mecha, and she assists each of her squadmates in clearing that checklist.  Her goal is to have each vehicle in excellent fighting shape by her standards prior to their next combat in Africa.


After this is done, Taniya asked what each Red Panda learned about the Daedelus II class vessel.  Taniya had never sailed upon such a gigantic human-made vessel.  She wanted her squadmates to show her around providing each of their individual perspectives on the grand ship.  


This is how she passed the time during their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

 

[Sherwood]

There are areas of the ship that are off limits to you as simple mecha drivers; even with some technical background, the navy crew doesn't trust you to get near their sensitive equipment.  It does give you plenty of time to go over every detail of your mecha, making sure that every switch and system is at 100% before you exit the ship's cargo hold.  Given the amount o time that you have at your hands for this, you do find a few minor items that have not shown themselves to the maintenance crews before, or they were just so low on the priority list that they were just put aside for a later date.


Even Barbara's 'new' Defender has a few issues to it, just enough to show that it is not a direct from the factory model.  All minor items that are easy enough to fix and have your mecha ready for the rigors of Africa.


It is on the morning tide that you find yourselves pulling into Carson Naval Base, the RDF's main ship supply depot for the west coast of the African continent.  It is not a pleasant place to look at; all functionality and little in the way of creature comforts.  You can also see that your ship is not the only one currently moored there; other than several smaller auxiliary vessels that have made their way there, you can see one of the massive aircraft carriers getting some work done on the upper hull, with a large section of the ship being removed for a new module to be plugged into the empty place.  With as much money that has been put into building these ships, they damn well better be able to be upgraded to incorporate the newest technology for decades of time.  If the shipbuilders' expectations are to be believed, they will be in service for the UEG for at least another fifty years before their retirement.


As you are guided off the massive ship and led out into a 'mecha parking lot', there is something that is just a bit 'off' about the layout and numbers of land-based security.  To your trained eyes, there is little in the way of land-based security between you and the outside world.  Barbara likens it to how the aircraft on Pearl Harbor during the Second World War were lined up in neat rows, making it easy for the attacking aircraft to strafe down the line and destroy them by the hundreds; this base seems to be an incident waiting to happen.  Unless there are layers of protection that are not visible to you, this place is understaffed and vulnerable.

 

[Purr]

Staff Sergeant Taniya




Taniya ran a hand through her hair and examined Carson Naval Base with narrowed eyes.  She did not like the look of this new base.  Not one bit.  In her way of thinking, every military installation should be worthy of warriors, however destitute or well-off.  Carson Naval Base seemed to be hiding something from the get-go and this rubbed the Zentraedi ace the wrong way...  It was time to ask her human squadmates for their thoughts.


"Red Pandas?" she shifted.  "I do not like what my eyes see.  But... this is your world and your realm far more than it is mine.  What do your senses tell you?"

 

[Sherwood]

Barbara looks uneasy as she ponders her answer.  "If there wasn't already a case of two RDF armories being raided and all their gear taken, I wouldn't be too worried.  But, these rebels have some pretty serious firepower in the form of tanks, helicopters, and even a handful of mint condition Destroids!  This is either a trap to try and lure these rebels in where they can then be crushed, or it is what I would think to be a criminally negligent effort on the part of the base commander.  Imagine what harm this APR could do with just one of the ships currently moored here, like the Daedalus transport that hauled us over here?   Or that Prometheus class supercarrier.  That is a real scary threat, and this base is just wide open to allow it.  What the hell?"

 

[Soviet Panda]

"My senses tell me that this is wrong. Every part of this is wrong." Connor said as he eyed the nothingness suspiciously. "It doesn't seem like it's a trap for the rebels, or else I doubt they'd put us here. And if things go wrong, it goes very wrong. Destroids taken and carriers destroyed compared to a couple hostages taken and some enemies killed. They don't balance out if you ask me." What he wanted to do right at that moment was find his Defender, dings and all, get in it and get ready to kick some ass. He knew he'd have to kick some ass, he could just feel it.

 

[Kaerri]

Eadric Braidwood, Field Scientist

Eadric shakes his head in disapproval.  "We don't know enough of this base and its commander to know the reasons, but like the rest of you, I can't think of any that could justify this ... this disregard of basic safety.  I would very much like to know the base commander's logic behind this seeming carelessness, if indeed he has any."

 

[Sherwood]

Barbara looks uneasy.  "What are we going to do?  Its not like we have the authority to call up the base commander and tell him that he's being a friggin' idiot.  Not to mention that if there is trouble waiting out there, its just the four of us in our Destroids.  Not exactly the cavalry to come charging over the hill; especially if there are other Destroids involved in the supposed raid that we only suspect of happening, not like we have any proof of the onrushing hordes of bad guys due to attack."  She chews on her fingernail in concern.  "If it came down to it, and we did stick around somewhere, hiding out, would the four of us be enough to make any kind of difference?  Two Defenders, a Spartan, and a Officer Battle Pod is not an invincible amount of firepower.  I'm not sayin' that we couldn't do some real harm to the baddies, but would it be enough?"

 

[Purr]

Staff Sergeant Taniya





Taniya spoke matter-of-factly as she began memorizing the natural geography and layout of the base.  "That entirely depends on what we faced, Tolson.  Still, as it stands, I wish to give this commander the benefit of the doubt, at least until I know more.  Zaile is one of the most open-minded creatures I have ever met and, from time to time, I still find myself wishing to follow her example.  Unless the rest of you think it is foolish in this particular situation?"  


Taniya approached anyone who looked like a leader and introduced herself, asking, "We are newly-arrived and must check in with your commander.  Would you point us in the right direction?"  Then Taniya thought about Zaile again and added, "please?"


(OOC in spoiler)

Spoiler

While Taniya doesn't realize it, she is following the approach of Lao-Tzu, a Chinese scholar of old.  =)

 

[Sherwood]

After a bit of looking around, you find a mechanic with corporal stripes on his sleeve that is walking past. When you ask about his commander, he scratches his head. "Do you mean Chief Alverez, my department head? He's down at the docks working on the electrical refit on that beast." He points over at the supercarrier that is still under repair. "If you are looking for some officer higher up than that, it all depends on who you are looking for."


Barbara snorts. How about anyone in charge of security? Who is in charge of that?"


"Oh, that. You want to see Lt Barker. He's running the shop while everyone is off post."


Barbara looks confused. "What do you mean, 'while everyone is off post?'"


He nods. "Uh, yeah. There is a meeting of the higher ups at some base to the south, and most of the command staff of General Zhu is with him."


Now looking pale, Barbara weakly smiles. "Thank you, corporal. You have been quite helpful." She is silent as the young man walks off. Once he I'd out of earshot, she says, "Oh hell no. Please tell me that no one here thinks that this is a coincidence. This place is about to get hit."

 

[Kaerri]

Eadric Braidwood, Field Scientist

Eadric gapes at the departing corporal.  " 'Hell no' is right.  Sadly lacking defenses, most of the command staff is visiting another base, and we -- and our mecha -- just happen to show up right now?"  He shakes his head disbelievingly and turns to Taniya.  "Ma'am, the local enemy has already captured too much of the RDF's gear.  I don't think we should give them the chance at ours.  Recommend we remain on high alert until we know exactly what's going on.  At the least, we should track down that Lieutenant Barker and see if he's got any explanations."

 

[Sherwood]

Barbara shakes her head. "I say we make a big show of moving out, then circle around and make a surprise appearance behind the attackers. You have to figure that the combatants we will be facing will not be well trained, so having a force of destroids show up suddenly can throw them into disarray. With the range of the Defenders' auto cannons, wrt can hit from a long range out while Eadric uses missiles and Taniya can fly overhead and use her particle cannons. What do you think of that?"

 

[Soviet Panda]

"Boom and zoom," Connor said, giving the tactic an impromptu name, "sounds good to me. Now how do we go about making a big enough fuss that they'll notice us leaving?" Their plan would be for absolutely nothing if the rebels didn't take the bait. Then again, it would be for nothing if nothing happened. Which was good, that meant they were wrong about the ambush and everything was just a coincidence. But somehow Connor doubted that. He doubted that very much.

 

[Purr]

Staff Sergeant Taniya


Taniya clasped her hands in thought.  It was clear that her human squadmates were convinced not only of danger, but imminent danger.  However...  yet another concern mounted.  She put one hand on her hip.  "Braidwood is piloting a new mecha design which might not even be known on this side of the planet.  That goes double for my new officers pod.  Since mine is flight-capable and not in plain view, do you recommend we split up and take on this ambush from two directions?  Or should we head out with the four of us?"

 

[Sherwood]

Barbara says, "Both me and Connor can hit targets from a long ways away.  If we get close enough to be able to use our area effect rounds, that's four miles out.  If we split up, Connor on one side, me on the other, and the two of you coming up the middle, that would be able to engage the enemy from multiple directions and, possibly, convince them that there are more of us than just us four.  That, combined with what little defenses there are still in place at the naval base, we can catch them in a pincer."  She pulls out her data pad and pulls up a topographical map of the area.  "Hmm.  Looking here, there is a rise about three miles to the south that would be an excellent vantage point to hit the baddies.  To the north, there doesn't look to be any overwhelmingly better spots to set up comparted to any other, so whomever goes that way can sneak along and hide in the sparse trees, out of easy sight."

 

[Kaerri]

Eadric Braidwood, Field Scientist


Eadric shakes his head, listening.  "We don't know exactly where they are, where they're coming from, or even when they're coming.  Splitting up could get us counter-ambushed without at least a little more information.  I'd still like to talk to that lieutenant, if we can find him."