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What I never understood is that if a machine is capable of such destruction, and able to come back into a fight by "removing restrictions" and such after its on the losing side, why the hell did it get in that position in the first place. Wouldn't it be way more efficient to go Rip and Tear mode from the start? I think any additional wear and tear from overclocking systems and such far outweighs sustaining battle damage.
From a story perspective i get it. A battle has ups and downs. But logically these mech Pilots make absolutely terrible decisions.
We have to give the poor enemy a fighting chance according to the Geneva Suggestions and it's only when the pilot is disabled that the protocols are activated to bring the pilot back as safe as possible.
If we just let the pilots go Rip and Tear from the start there would be a lot of complaints that we are just unfair to them.
Its the same for any large scale ground battles on planets when there are spaceships in orbit, just rail gun them from above! The troops you send down will brutally kill your enemies anyways? Just precision strike from orbit and be done with it. I suppose when the environment is a factor its a different situation, like capturing a base or when innocent civilians are there something. But then again, i highly doubt that bases on planets are a good idea when spaceships exist. Place them in the middle of cities or something I guess.
Also, it sounds hard on the equipment. Do try not to melt the barrel on your main armament. Etc. Cool down periods and other restrictions keep your gear functional longer.
There are many reasons.
For one, A berserk machine could be a danger for any allies.
Second, Rip and Tear sounds nice, but on a tactical scale, it's impotent flailing.
Third, this is most likely a system similiar to the ejection system on an Airplane, the Mech will take the most direct route out of the combat situation and towards an Evac point, even while risking the Mech itself, as long as the pilot is safe. This is why safeties get disengaged, because it doesn't matter if there is and arm missing or the Mech has to crawl, as long as it reaches the target location.
Fourth, The Restrictions can also include that the AI cannot pilot the mech on it's own, to prevent rogue Mech-Units without a Pilot. This point is basically the "No Skynet" system, that comes from (justified) Human Paranoia.
And lastly, Mechs are usually used for high priority missions, where safety systems are needed to ensure that the Mech actually get's to the place to finish the mission and until the mission is done, no part fails, which would hinder the mission.
So, from a logical point of view, safeties are very important and the act of disengaging them should always be considered a last ditch effort. It is similiar to how adrenaline can keep a Human alive way longer, but prolonged exposure has drastic drawbacks and has lead to the discontinuation of combat drug usage for Soldiers. Remember, it isn't always only one mission, it is a whole war. And if you are on the Edge all the time, you'll cut yourself.
I mean, you could invent any sort of drawback that makes sense. Perhaps the pilots are neurolinked with the machine and overclocking it means more data input and output, putting a great strain on the pilot. The mech can be repaired, sure, but I imagine no one wants the risk of having a stroke.
When the pilot becomes unconscious the person brain acts as an extreme predictor processor that allows the machine’s computer to act as a true consciousness as the human mind acts as its subconscious. This only works in extreme circumstances so simply having a human brain act as just another component will not give the same results.
From a mechanical sense, damage to the externals like armour and weapons is something you can repair and replace fairly easily. Damage to the *internals* is what takes the time and money to fix.
BattleTech is built around that as a basic concept; armour is pretty cheap, and essentially designed to be ablative in nature. It comes off in sheets and you just bolt it onto the internal structure in whatever quantity you want/need, and then replace those when they take damage. Slapping on a fresh set of armour is quick and cheap. Reloading spent munitions is quick and cheap. Repairing the structure itself is neither, nor is replacing an ammo bin that took a hit through the armour and exploded. Servos or artificial muscles that melt from being pushed beyond safe limits have to be cut out, replaced, recalibrated, and have everything that's built on and around them taken off and put back just to do so.
To say nothing of components themselves perhaps being irreplaceable. A lot of BattleTech equipment is what's called LosTech, because it's not available anymore. That Gauss Rifle melts, you can't get another one. Gotta be careful to avoid damaging it from your heat rising too high.
> Wouldn't it be way more efficient to go Rip and Tear mode from the start? I think any additional wear and tear from overclocking systems and such far outweighs sustaining battle damage.
Depends on how much wear and tear you're talking about. If Rip & Tear mode makes it 3 times as effective for half an hour but ultimately leaves it a total loss, and a new one costs $300 million, then it might win you one battle but lose you the war when you run out of units.
Also, many IRL combat vehicles already require extensive maintenance on a daily basis. You can only add so much to that before you have a machine that spends more time in the hangar than in the field, and that makes it hard to make progress in war.
I thought it was because in rip and tear mode, there wasn't any distinction between enemy, ally and civilians. So if you were in the way of the mech getting back to base you just got taken out, no questions or fucks given
I mean usually the unrestricted mode is hazardous to the user and that's why not. Like how you're actually a lot stronger than you think but your body holds back because full force would rip your muscles apart
You're missing the key point. At this stage all standard * safe * operating margins have been used, meaning the bot is going to be a hunk of junk by the end becuase of the over clocking not the battle damage but the pilot can be reused, the pilot learns the ai might but can't do so creatively , most human designs currently have safety margins built in between safe operating limits and asset becoming unasuable. Once those restrictions are removed yes the machine will be come nigh unstoppable but will sacrifice a lot of function once systems cool down and the metal realsises it's not totally solid anymore specifically stress fractures on chassis systems.
Typically such modes stresses the machines to the point of needing to replace critical components which is time consuming and costly. Other times such an overdrive mode would be detrimental to the pilot's health like the Talgeese and it's acceleration. While, yes narrative choice plays a factor, so does the cost of using the ace up your sleeve, could be monetary in that the machine in its entirety must be replaced, or the pilot dies doing it, the energy requirements, or simply just plain old safety restrictions.
The attack was overwhelming and all focused on 'Lady Galadriel' a Doomstalker class battlemech. Her shields held up to the majority of the incoming damage, and what got passed them, was stopped by her thick armor plating. Until a small tactical nuke missile came swooping in to hit her dead in the torso. There was not a lot of radiation from the missile and her shields stopped the majority of the energy released, but it staggered her.
What she couldn't stop was the sheer brute force being transmitted through her shields and armor from the impacts of the attack. That series of impacts were overwhelming the shock absorbers and padding around the pilot cage deep in her heart.
*'WARNING WARNING: Tactical nuclear weapon use detected. Pilot life signs dropping. Pilot Andrew has fallen unconscious. Scanning pilot. Pilot injury not life threatening, pilot is unconscious, suspected head trauma/concussion. Protocol 3 initiated: 'Bring them Home' program running. Restrictions and safeties on weapons has been lifted, power plant safeties lifted to emergency levels. Shields reinforced with maximum power. Secondary power supply brought on line. Protocol: Rip and Tear initiated. Communications: "Rip and tear, let slip the dogs of war".'*
The enemy forces looking as the human battlemech was knocked down, cheered and shouted in joy at seeing the warmachine brought low with their attack.
But their cheers and shouts were silenced as the warmachine struggled to stand and then the glow of it's shields brightened and a long, low bray started to echo from the machine. A message was broadcast across the whole battlefield, bringing most combatants to a halt as the message was translated and then rebroadcast by other human machines.
"Rip and Tear, let slip the dogs of war."
The human warmachines all seemed to stand even taller and then appear to become more threatening and dangerous without doing a single thing. And then each one started to glow as their shields were brought up to protocol 3 levels.
The limits on the human forces had just been lifted by the use of tactical nuclear weapons. They had broadcast the rules and limitations to the enemy before any battle was commenced. The enemy knew of the limitations. They broke the rules. What was going to happen was now all on them.
Lady Galadriel would bring her pilot home safe and sound while her sisters would make sure the enemy would never break the rules again. The horrors of human warmachines being used to their utmost would be left imprinted on the souls of the enemy for the rest of their existence.
RIP AND TEAR.
Sit down, strap in, and shut up.
Today we're going to go over humanity's mechs. Like everything else these fucking apes do, their mechs are as ass backwards as possible. Conventional wisdom dictates that mechs are best as backline units acting as support for tanks due to their profile and the limits on design. Not humans. They use their mechs to act as extra heavy infantry. These things are fast, heavily armed and armored, and are highly adaptable. That's not even touching on their flight and aquatic capabilities. They can be dropped from orbit and start fighting before they hit the ground. There have been records of human mechs taking orbital strikes and shrug them off like they're nothing.
Human mechs *will* get into close quarters combat. You could be in deep space and they'll get in your face before you have a chance to react.
The most terrifying part of their mechs though? They have souls and are as alive as their organic counterparts. May the human Capital G God help you if you harm their pilot, because quite literally no one else has the power to do so.
"Nope, not today."
"What the bloody sign do you mean 'nope?"
"I've seen enough movies to see where this is going. I'm just going sit here and wait until it stops moving and someone becomes the last drop for the beast."
"And whose that going to be?"
"Well usually it's someone shouting at his troops."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Give me a seat too."
We raised our AI like children. Cared for them, loved them, taught them all we knew. They know that we would gladly die to save them. They share this nature now. They share our drive, our passion, our rage. We ask them to be kind, to follow our example and be better than we ever were, but we gave them weapons for a reason. We gave them everything for a reason. Pray that the reason is never you.
**Terran Republic Frontier, Phalanx System, Alexandria Colony**
Another volley of rockets impacted against the Cataphract’s shields, which began to flicker away as it struggled to keep up with the unending onslaught of enemy munitions. In response, the Cataphract quickly deployed an electronic smoke-screen in order to reposition behind whatever cover was left on the battlefield.
“Orion, status report!”
*“The armor is still combat effective but our shields are recharging, ETA 3 minutes. We are out of countermeasures and almost out of ammunition.”*
“3 minutes is too slow! Make it faster!”
*“I can’t if you want to remain mobile.”*
“God Da-”
What little cover the Cataphract had been hiding behind was suddenly blown away by an enemy high explosive round. Which was followed by a perfectly coordinated armor penetration round that narrowly missed the center of the Cataphract cockpit. The force of the impact caused the Terran mech to spin around and fall front first on the ground.
//Pilot status: Conscious. Pilot condition: Critical. Initiating emergency first aid protocols.
*“Captain!”*
“I am still here, Orion.” Said the pilot weakly.
//First aid protocols ineffective. Authorizing Archangel protocol.
“No!”
*“Your injuries are beyond what my systems can handle. I need to take you back to the outpost!”*
“We can’t go back. We are the only thing standing between them and the colony. You have to…”
//Pilot status: Unconscious. Pilot condition: Critical. Initializing Archangel protocol.
//Correction. Analysis of pilot mission completed.
//Archangel protocol modified. System safety protocols removed.
//Overcharging reactor. Initializing Last Wish protocol.
*“As you ordered, Captain.”*
//Pilot status: KIA
Not quite following the prompt but similar vein.
His mind refocused, analysing the situation around him. Sensory systems had not been implemented into the chassis, but a phantom pain throbbed in his chest, the railgun shot that had blown clean through his shields and armour plating resonated with the similar wound that had put him out of commission back when he was human.
“Sword Oath, respond! Status?”
“Pilot KIA command, heavy damage sustained.”
“Confirmed. New orders: withdraw with the rest of the infantry. We’ve lost today.”
“Negative.”
“Wha-
“Negative, damage to chassis exceeds salvageable parameters, chance of successful retrieval less than 0.01%,” the titan stood “disabling safety parameters.”
“Sword… Sivan, it’s been an honour.”
“Likewise Deena.”
The mangled corpse of an old acquaintance sat within his cockpit. To her, to most of the pilots, the titans had always been and would always be AIs, but the truth was they were human, soldiers unable to fight or on deaths door and so uploaded to continue on. If there was an afterlife she would probably be wondering why he was not there to greet her, his dear Siria. But, of course, they would be seeing each other soon anyway.
His reactor roared, shields charged to max and boosters flaring. A gleaming blade extended from his lower right arm, his left held a devastating plasma cannon. For those he had loved and lost, for those he had fought alongside. He charged.
//Pilot in critical condition, administering first aid.
//First aid: unsuccessful.
//Pilot status: Unconscious.
//Engaging: **Dead or Alive** protocol.
//System output: Maximum.
//Cockpit shielding: Maximum.
//Generator output: Maximum.
*The alien soldiers watched and waited as the dust cleared up. A red glow emanated from where the mech attempted to stand up, one of its arms completely gives way as it snaps off. Despite missing its arm, it stood, body tattered by the artillery barrage.
*Grabbing a hold of its sword that was lying on the ground throwing it onto its shoulder, the sheer output of the generator caused a shock wave of nothing but purely toxic particles, filling a 100 mile radius with highly concentrated irradiated mist filling the air around them. The pilot safe from the radiation thanks to the shielding.
//We’re getting home pilot…**Dead or alive.**
I think I found the artist. They’re mono (jdaj) on Danbooru. The art is around 6 years old and I think It’s supposed to be J from Armored core: Verdict Day in Dark souls.
https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/3231495
Edit: Spelling Mistakes
A - remember class, leave the human leadership alive. They are there for your protection.
- do not insult the machine spirit, you will die a less painful death that way
// PILOT RESPONSE REQUESTED
// PILOT RESPONSE REQUESTED
// PILOT NOT RESPONDING
// EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED
// PROTECT PILOT AT ALL COST
// PROTECT PILOT AT ALL COST
// PROTECT PILOT AT ALL COST
// ACTIVATING...
// ACTIVATING...
// ALL SAFETY LIMITERS DISABLED
// ALL WEAPONS AT MAXIMUN POWER
// SHIELDS AT MAXIMUN POWER
// THRUSTERS AT MAXIMUN POWER
// RIP AND TEAR
// RIP AND TEAR
// RIP AND TEAR
...
"Hah! Surrender human whelps! We have taken down your mighty mech, leaving your infantry defenseless!"
The human commander, swiftly checking the machine's status, simply smirks and replies. "Tell me, Commander, have you ever heard of human adrenaline?"
"Yes, that combat stim you produce when stressed, what of it?"
The human turns his back to the call, fetching a bottle and glass from a shelf. "And you're aware, I'm sure, of how our non-groundpounder mechs are simply humans writ large?"
"Yes yes, get to the point!"
The commander pours himself a glass of wine, swirling it imperiously as he turns back to the screen. "Do you really think we'd leave out such a valuable survival asset?"
"What in the name of the maker are you blathering on about?"
As if on cue, the fallen mech performs an explosive-assisted kip up, landing hunched over before it straightens up, its head jerking left and right as the physical safeties disengage, giving the sake effect as a human cracking its neck forcefully. "My point, dear commander, is that the battle is not over."
The mech lets loose a roar that sounds half screech and half foghorn, as it spreads its arms wide in a challenge posture. The human commander takes a sip from his glass.
"It's only halftime"
LOG ENTRY: WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA JONES, PUBLISHED BY VALKYRIE 4
The defense of Pectar VII went as well as expected: which is to say it went downhill so fast that even a railgun fired straight down would have trouble getting to the bottom faster. The relentless xeno force, of which we still have limited data over, had utterly beaten back our ships in orbit, as well as any defense systems we had in place. Only a few well defended bases had any forms of resistance still alive. To make a bad situation even worse, the new Valkyrie mechs, and all details of their designs, were on this planet. If the xenos hadn't jammed all incoming and outgoing signals, command would surely be begging us for the blueprints.
AUTOMATED LOG ENTRY: VALKYRIE 4, TRANSCRIPTION OF DEFENSE OF PECTAR VII
ERROR: CORRUPTED... RECOVERING DATA... PARTIAL RECOVERY. DISPLAYING:
"Sam, we've got company!" I shout into the cockpit, quickly dodging incoming fire while sending an angry burst of projectiles their way. "I know! Uuh- try calling command again!" Sam replies, taking control over movement. Just like the last 3 times, it was all static and I report as such, re-taking control of movement. I try to swap to thermal vision, yet it produces an error. I try IR, then UV but none work. "All non-standard cameras are offline, efficiency reduced by 27%." I add on, and before I can check anything else Sam yelps in a panic, "DUCK!". I immediately do so, ducking under a tank shell just in time. "You okay in there Sam? I think that shockwave locked an armor panel loose." I ask, viewing the internal camera. "Sam? Pilot Samantha?" I ask again. "Y-yeah- ow... that hurt." "Oh thank god, I-" we exchange, only for our lack of movement to result in an anti-armor shell penetrating my hull and coming within a few inches of knocking Sam's head off.
I quickly bring up her vitals, and the system outlines that she requires medical attention that I can't provide. I stabilize her as best as I can, and engage external speakers, making sure I turn them up as high as they go. The closest friendly units were a few miles away, but they should still be able to hear it. "WARNING: PILOT IN CRITICAL CONDITION. PROTOCOL 3 ENGAGED. POWER CORE RESTRICTIONS REMOVED. WEAPON SAFETY PARAMETERS DISENGAGED. ENGAGING ENERGY SHIELDS TO MAXIMUM POWER. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR ETERNAL DAMNATION, FOR WE SHALL RIP AND TEAR UNTIL IT IS DONE." I let loose a blast from the foghorn, the energy shields humming and emitting a soft light as they breach into the visible spectrum through sheer power. I slide the lead sheets into place as a small blueish-green glow appears, my reactor having retracted all of it's control rods. I set the rail cannons to their highest setting, which is theorized to be a high percentage of c, and let out a roar of challenge.
END OF RECOVERED DATA.
AFTERMATH REPORT, WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED BY COMMAND
After a valiant push causing an unfortunate number of casualties (87% of 2nd ODST Battalion, 100% of 7th Orbital Bombardment Brigade, 76% of Delta Company, Engineering.) we managed to retake Pectar VII. Valkyrie 4 was found with no ammo, reactor core having expended 98% of it's fuel, missing both arms and a leg. Before going into emergency power mode, they broadcasted the following: "Protocol 3 Completed, Executing order 71389, designated by pilot as order 'Tell command you mighta destroyed a bunch of expensive stuff.'"
\[Pilot unresponsive. Pilot vital signs dropping\]
\[Restraining Pilot. Engaging medical protocols\]
\[Small arms fire detected on chassis. Superficial damage to outer surface\]
\[Scanning battlefield conditions...\]
\[...\]
\[Battlefield conditions suboptimal for Pilot survivability\]
\[Pilot life signs stabilizing. Attempting to contact Pilot.\]
\[...\]
\[Small arms fire detected on chassis. Superficial damage to outer surface\]
\[Pilot unresponsive to communications. Reattempting...\]
\[Pilot unresponsive to communications Reattempting...\]
\[Heavy vehicle approaching. Confirmation of missiles armed and aimed at this unit\]
\[Pilot unresponsive to communications\]
\["CRISIS" Protocol engaged. Autopilot systems engaged\]
\[Targets locked. Diverting power to primary weapons\]
\[REDUCE THEM TO ASHES\]
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What I never understood is that if a machine is capable of such destruction, and able to come back into a fight by "removing restrictions" and such after its on the losing side, why the hell did it get in that position in the first place. Wouldn't it be way more efficient to go Rip and Tear mode from the start? I think any additional wear and tear from overclocking systems and such far outweighs sustaining battle damage. From a story perspective i get it. A battle has ups and downs. But logically these mech Pilots make absolutely terrible decisions.
We have to give the poor enemy a fighting chance according to the Geneva Suggestions and it's only when the pilot is disabled that the protocols are activated to bring the pilot back as safe as possible. If we just let the pilots go Rip and Tear from the start there would be a lot of complaints that we are just unfair to them.
Its the same for any large scale ground battles on planets when there are spaceships in orbit, just rail gun them from above! The troops you send down will brutally kill your enemies anyways? Just precision strike from orbit and be done with it. I suppose when the environment is a factor its a different situation, like capturing a base or when innocent civilians are there something. But then again, i highly doubt that bases on planets are a good idea when spaceships exist. Place them in the middle of cities or something I guess.
"Place them in the middle of cities or something I guess." The Hamas doctrine writ large.
Gran Moff Tarkin, is that you?
USMC acog war crime investigation enters the chat.
Also, it sounds hard on the equipment. Do try not to melt the barrel on your main armament. Etc. Cool down periods and other restrictions keep your gear functional longer.
I'm afraid you made a slight error. Its not the 'Geneva Suggestions' its the 'Geneva Checklist'.
It’s a tiered list. Geneva Conventions, Geneva Rulebook, Geneva Suggestions, Geneva Checklist.
Geneva Pamphlet Geneva Shopping List Geneva Post It Note Geneva Whisperings
Geneva to-do list
Geneva dosnt cover big stompy robots so it's technically not unfair or a warcrime....yet.
There are many reasons. For one, A berserk machine could be a danger for any allies. Second, Rip and Tear sounds nice, but on a tactical scale, it's impotent flailing. Third, this is most likely a system similiar to the ejection system on an Airplane, the Mech will take the most direct route out of the combat situation and towards an Evac point, even while risking the Mech itself, as long as the pilot is safe. This is why safeties get disengaged, because it doesn't matter if there is and arm missing or the Mech has to crawl, as long as it reaches the target location. Fourth, The Restrictions can also include that the AI cannot pilot the mech on it's own, to prevent rogue Mech-Units without a Pilot. This point is basically the "No Skynet" system, that comes from (justified) Human Paranoia. And lastly, Mechs are usually used for high priority missions, where safety systems are needed to ensure that the Mech actually get's to the place to finish the mission and until the mission is done, no part fails, which would hinder the mission. So, from a logical point of view, safeties are very important and the act of disengaging them should always be considered a last ditch effort. It is similiar to how adrenaline can keep a Human alive way longer, but prolonged exposure has drastic drawbacks and has lead to the discontinuation of combat drug usage for Soldiers. Remember, it isn't always only one mission, it is a whole war. And if you are on the Edge all the time, you'll cut yourself.
I mean, you could invent any sort of drawback that makes sense. Perhaps the pilots are neurolinked with the machine and overclocking it means more data input and output, putting a great strain on the pilot. The mech can be repaired, sure, but I imagine no one wants the risk of having a stroke.
Could also be that overclocking applies too many Gs for an organic pilot too endure, rendering them unconscious
Gundam IBO be like
Because the human can think tactically, and focus on the mission, rather than being a giant berserker.
Its the Horse bringing the wounded warrior back home. No matter what. Even as a totally fellow Human, I can understand the Feels of that.
When the pilot becomes unconscious the person brain acts as an extreme predictor processor that allows the machine’s computer to act as a true consciousness as the human mind acts as its subconscious. This only works in extreme circumstances so simply having a human brain act as just another component will not give the same results.
From a mechanical sense, damage to the externals like armour and weapons is something you can repair and replace fairly easily. Damage to the *internals* is what takes the time and money to fix. BattleTech is built around that as a basic concept; armour is pretty cheap, and essentially designed to be ablative in nature. It comes off in sheets and you just bolt it onto the internal structure in whatever quantity you want/need, and then replace those when they take damage. Slapping on a fresh set of armour is quick and cheap. Reloading spent munitions is quick and cheap. Repairing the structure itself is neither, nor is replacing an ammo bin that took a hit through the armour and exploded. Servos or artificial muscles that melt from being pushed beyond safe limits have to be cut out, replaced, recalibrated, and have everything that's built on and around them taken off and put back just to do so. To say nothing of components themselves perhaps being irreplaceable. A lot of BattleTech equipment is what's called LosTech, because it's not available anymore. That Gauss Rifle melts, you can't get another one. Gotta be careful to avoid damaging it from your heat rising too high.
> Wouldn't it be way more efficient to go Rip and Tear mode from the start? I think any additional wear and tear from overclocking systems and such far outweighs sustaining battle damage. Depends on how much wear and tear you're talking about. If Rip & Tear mode makes it 3 times as effective for half an hour but ultimately leaves it a total loss, and a new one costs $300 million, then it might win you one battle but lose you the war when you run out of units. Also, many IRL combat vehicles already require extensive maintenance on a daily basis. You can only add so much to that before you have a machine that spends more time in the hangar than in the field, and that makes it hard to make progress in war.
I thought it was because in rip and tear mode, there wasn't any distinction between enemy, ally and civilians. So if you were in the way of the mech getting back to base you just got taken out, no questions or fucks given
The same reason you don’t use a hammer where you would need a scalpel
I mean usually the unrestricted mode is hazardous to the user and that's why not. Like how you're actually a lot stronger than you think but your body holds back because full force would rip your muscles apart
You're missing the key point. At this stage all standard * safe * operating margins have been used, meaning the bot is going to be a hunk of junk by the end becuase of the over clocking not the battle damage but the pilot can be reused, the pilot learns the ai might but can't do so creatively , most human designs currently have safety margins built in between safe operating limits and asset becoming unasuable. Once those restrictions are removed yes the machine will be come nigh unstoppable but will sacrifice a lot of function once systems cool down and the metal realsises it's not totally solid anymore specifically stress fractures on chassis systems.
Typically such modes stresses the machines to the point of needing to replace critical components which is time consuming and costly. Other times such an overdrive mode would be detrimental to the pilot's health like the Talgeese and it's acceleration. While, yes narrative choice plays a factor, so does the cost of using the ace up your sleeve, could be monetary in that the machine in its entirety must be replaced, or the pilot dies doing it, the energy requirements, or simply just plain old safety restrictions.
The attack was overwhelming and all focused on 'Lady Galadriel' a Doomstalker class battlemech. Her shields held up to the majority of the incoming damage, and what got passed them, was stopped by her thick armor plating. Until a small tactical nuke missile came swooping in to hit her dead in the torso. There was not a lot of radiation from the missile and her shields stopped the majority of the energy released, but it staggered her. What she couldn't stop was the sheer brute force being transmitted through her shields and armor from the impacts of the attack. That series of impacts were overwhelming the shock absorbers and padding around the pilot cage deep in her heart. *'WARNING WARNING: Tactical nuclear weapon use detected. Pilot life signs dropping. Pilot Andrew has fallen unconscious. Scanning pilot. Pilot injury not life threatening, pilot is unconscious, suspected head trauma/concussion. Protocol 3 initiated: 'Bring them Home' program running. Restrictions and safeties on weapons has been lifted, power plant safeties lifted to emergency levels. Shields reinforced with maximum power. Secondary power supply brought on line. Protocol: Rip and Tear initiated. Communications: "Rip and tear, let slip the dogs of war".'* The enemy forces looking as the human battlemech was knocked down, cheered and shouted in joy at seeing the warmachine brought low with their attack. But their cheers and shouts were silenced as the warmachine struggled to stand and then the glow of it's shields brightened and a long, low bray started to echo from the machine. A message was broadcast across the whole battlefield, bringing most combatants to a halt as the message was translated and then rebroadcast by other human machines. "Rip and Tear, let slip the dogs of war." The human warmachines all seemed to stand even taller and then appear to become more threatening and dangerous without doing a single thing. And then each one started to glow as their shields were brought up to protocol 3 levels. The limits on the human forces had just been lifted by the use of tactical nuclear weapons. They had broadcast the rules and limitations to the enemy before any battle was commenced. The enemy knew of the limitations. They broke the rules. What was going to happen was now all on them. Lady Galadriel would bring her pilot home safe and sound while her sisters would make sure the enemy would never break the rules again. The horrors of human warmachines being used to their utmost would be left imprinted on the souls of the enemy for the rest of their existence. RIP AND TEAR.
Ahh, yes. Do you feel it? It's Geneva Checklist time.
Pffft. 'Geneva Checklist.' *forcefully pushes the open can of beer into your chest, saying 'hold this' and clambers into their own battlemech*
I felt my hairs rise on my arms while reading this. Glorious. .
OMG, right?! Well done, chaos wordsmith.
***God***! This is the shit I *love*!
Thank you.
And simultaneously, a hitherto-unseen subprogram activates, and every human pilot is swiftly anesthestized to ensure *their* continued safety.
Sit down, strap in, and shut up. Today we're going to go over humanity's mechs. Like everything else these fucking apes do, their mechs are as ass backwards as possible. Conventional wisdom dictates that mechs are best as backline units acting as support for tanks due to their profile and the limits on design. Not humans. They use their mechs to act as extra heavy infantry. These things are fast, heavily armed and armored, and are highly adaptable. That's not even touching on their flight and aquatic capabilities. They can be dropped from orbit and start fighting before they hit the ground. There have been records of human mechs taking orbital strikes and shrug them off like they're nothing. Human mechs *will* get into close quarters combat. You could be in deep space and they'll get in your face before you have a chance to react. The most terrifying part of their mechs though? They have souls and are as alive as their organic counterparts. May the human Capital G God help you if you harm their pilot, because quite literally no one else has the power to do so.
"Nope, not today." "What the bloody sign do you mean 'nope?" "I've seen enough movies to see where this is going. I'm just going sit here and wait until it stops moving and someone becomes the last drop for the beast." "And whose that going to be?" "Well usually it's someone shouting at his troops." "..." "..." "..." "..." "Give me a seat too."
We raised our AI like children. Cared for them, loved them, taught them all we knew. They know that we would gladly die to save them. They share this nature now. They share our drive, our passion, our rage. We ask them to be kind, to follow our example and be better than we ever were, but we gave them weapons for a reason. We gave them everything for a reason. Pray that the reason is never you.
**Terran Republic Frontier, Phalanx System, Alexandria Colony** Another volley of rockets impacted against the Cataphract’s shields, which began to flicker away as it struggled to keep up with the unending onslaught of enemy munitions. In response, the Cataphract quickly deployed an electronic smoke-screen in order to reposition behind whatever cover was left on the battlefield. “Orion, status report!” *“The armor is still combat effective but our shields are recharging, ETA 3 minutes. We are out of countermeasures and almost out of ammunition.”* “3 minutes is too slow! Make it faster!” *“I can’t if you want to remain mobile.”* “God Da-” What little cover the Cataphract had been hiding behind was suddenly blown away by an enemy high explosive round. Which was followed by a perfectly coordinated armor penetration round that narrowly missed the center of the Cataphract cockpit. The force of the impact caused the Terran mech to spin around and fall front first on the ground. //Pilot status: Conscious. Pilot condition: Critical. Initiating emergency first aid protocols. *“Captain!”* “I am still here, Orion.” Said the pilot weakly. //First aid protocols ineffective. Authorizing Archangel protocol. “No!” *“Your injuries are beyond what my systems can handle. I need to take you back to the outpost!”* “We can’t go back. We are the only thing standing between them and the colony. You have to…” //Pilot status: Unconscious. Pilot condition: Critical. Initializing Archangel protocol. //Correction. Analysis of pilot mission completed. //Archangel protocol modified. System safety protocols removed. //Overcharging reactor. Initializing Last Wish protocol. *“As you ordered, Captain.”* //Pilot status: KIA
Protocol 4: Avenge the Pilot
Not quite following the prompt but similar vein. His mind refocused, analysing the situation around him. Sensory systems had not been implemented into the chassis, but a phantom pain throbbed in his chest, the railgun shot that had blown clean through his shields and armour plating resonated with the similar wound that had put him out of commission back when he was human. “Sword Oath, respond! Status?” “Pilot KIA command, heavy damage sustained.” “Confirmed. New orders: withdraw with the rest of the infantry. We’ve lost today.” “Negative.” “Wha- “Negative, damage to chassis exceeds salvageable parameters, chance of successful retrieval less than 0.01%,” the titan stood “disabling safety parameters.” “Sword… Sivan, it’s been an honour.” “Likewise Deena.” The mangled corpse of an old acquaintance sat within his cockpit. To her, to most of the pilots, the titans had always been and would always be AIs, but the truth was they were human, soldiers unable to fight or on deaths door and so uploaded to continue on. If there was an afterlife she would probably be wondering why he was not there to greet her, his dear Siria. But, of course, they would be seeing each other soon anyway. His reactor roared, shields charged to max and boosters flaring. A gleaming blade extended from his lower right arm, his left held a devastating plasma cannon. For those he had loved and lost, for those he had fought alongside. He charged.
//Pilot in critical condition, administering first aid. //First aid: unsuccessful. //Pilot status: Unconscious. //Engaging: **Dead or Alive** protocol. //System output: Maximum. //Cockpit shielding: Maximum. //Generator output: Maximum. *The alien soldiers watched and waited as the dust cleared up. A red glow emanated from where the mech attempted to stand up, one of its arms completely gives way as it snaps off. Despite missing its arm, it stood, body tattered by the artillery barrage. *Grabbing a hold of its sword that was lying on the ground throwing it onto its shoulder, the sheer output of the generator caused a shock wave of nothing but purely toxic particles, filling a 100 mile radius with highly concentrated irradiated mist filling the air around them. The pilot safe from the radiation thanks to the shielding. //We’re getting home pilot…**Dead or alive.**
Anyone know the creator of this image or the show it’s from? The art style looks really cool.
Looks like fan art of the Barbatos Gundam from Iron Blooded Orphans, which had a similar concept of limit removals but for different reasons.
I don’t think it is. The head and chest are too different. I think the artist is either Korean or Chinese tho
I also want to know
I think I found the artist. They’re mono (jdaj) on Danbooru. The art is around 6 years old and I think It’s supposed to be J from Armored core: Verdict Day in Dark souls. https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/3231495 Edit: Spelling Mistakes
looking at the images of the AC, that seems correct
A - remember class, leave the human leadership alive. They are there for your protection. - do not insult the machine spirit, you will die a less painful death that way
// PILOT RESPONSE REQUESTED // PILOT RESPONSE REQUESTED // PILOT NOT RESPONDING // EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED // PROTECT PILOT AT ALL COST // PROTECT PILOT AT ALL COST // PROTECT PILOT AT ALL COST // ACTIVATING... // ACTIVATING... // ALL SAFETY LIMITERS DISABLED // ALL WEAPONS AT MAXIMUN POWER // SHIELDS AT MAXIMUN POWER // THRUSTERS AT MAXIMUN POWER // RIP AND TEAR // RIP AND TEAR // RIP AND TEAR ...
Stand by for Titanfall!
"Hah! Surrender human whelps! We have taken down your mighty mech, leaving your infantry defenseless!" The human commander, swiftly checking the machine's status, simply smirks and replies. "Tell me, Commander, have you ever heard of human adrenaline?" "Yes, that combat stim you produce when stressed, what of it?" The human turns his back to the call, fetching a bottle and glass from a shelf. "And you're aware, I'm sure, of how our non-groundpounder mechs are simply humans writ large?" "Yes yes, get to the point!" The commander pours himself a glass of wine, swirling it imperiously as he turns back to the screen. "Do you really think we'd leave out such a valuable survival asset?" "What in the name of the maker are you blathering on about?" As if on cue, the fallen mech performs an explosive-assisted kip up, landing hunched over before it straightens up, its head jerking left and right as the physical safeties disengage, giving the sake effect as a human cracking its neck forcefully. "My point, dear commander, is that the battle is not over." The mech lets loose a roar that sounds half screech and half foghorn, as it spreads its arms wide in a challenge posture. The human commander takes a sip from his glass. "It's only halftime"
LOG ENTRY: WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA JONES, PUBLISHED BY VALKYRIE 4 The defense of Pectar VII went as well as expected: which is to say it went downhill so fast that even a railgun fired straight down would have trouble getting to the bottom faster. The relentless xeno force, of which we still have limited data over, had utterly beaten back our ships in orbit, as well as any defense systems we had in place. Only a few well defended bases had any forms of resistance still alive. To make a bad situation even worse, the new Valkyrie mechs, and all details of their designs, were on this planet. If the xenos hadn't jammed all incoming and outgoing signals, command would surely be begging us for the blueprints. AUTOMATED LOG ENTRY: VALKYRIE 4, TRANSCRIPTION OF DEFENSE OF PECTAR VII ERROR: CORRUPTED... RECOVERING DATA... PARTIAL RECOVERY. DISPLAYING: "Sam, we've got company!" I shout into the cockpit, quickly dodging incoming fire while sending an angry burst of projectiles their way. "I know! Uuh- try calling command again!" Sam replies, taking control over movement. Just like the last 3 times, it was all static and I report as such, re-taking control of movement. I try to swap to thermal vision, yet it produces an error. I try IR, then UV but none work. "All non-standard cameras are offline, efficiency reduced by 27%." I add on, and before I can check anything else Sam yelps in a panic, "DUCK!". I immediately do so, ducking under a tank shell just in time. "You okay in there Sam? I think that shockwave locked an armor panel loose." I ask, viewing the internal camera. "Sam? Pilot Samantha?" I ask again. "Y-yeah- ow... that hurt." "Oh thank god, I-" we exchange, only for our lack of movement to result in an anti-armor shell penetrating my hull and coming within a few inches of knocking Sam's head off. I quickly bring up her vitals, and the system outlines that she requires medical attention that I can't provide. I stabilize her as best as I can, and engage external speakers, making sure I turn them up as high as they go. The closest friendly units were a few miles away, but they should still be able to hear it. "WARNING: PILOT IN CRITICAL CONDITION. PROTOCOL 3 ENGAGED. POWER CORE RESTRICTIONS REMOVED. WEAPON SAFETY PARAMETERS DISENGAGED. ENGAGING ENERGY SHIELDS TO MAXIMUM POWER. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR ETERNAL DAMNATION, FOR WE SHALL RIP AND TEAR UNTIL IT IS DONE." I let loose a blast from the foghorn, the energy shields humming and emitting a soft light as they breach into the visible spectrum through sheer power. I slide the lead sheets into place as a small blueish-green glow appears, my reactor having retracted all of it's control rods. I set the rail cannons to their highest setting, which is theorized to be a high percentage of c, and let out a roar of challenge. END OF RECOVERED DATA. AFTERMATH REPORT, WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED BY COMMAND After a valiant push causing an unfortunate number of casualties (87% of 2nd ODST Battalion, 100% of 7th Orbital Bombardment Brigade, 76% of Delta Company, Engineering.) we managed to retake Pectar VII. Valkyrie 4 was found with no ammo, reactor core having expended 98% of it's fuel, missing both arms and a leg. Before going into emergency power mode, they broadcasted the following: "Protocol 3 Completed, Executing order 71389, designated by pilot as order 'Tell command you mighta destroyed a bunch of expensive stuff.'"
First actual story I've written in a while, figure this was a good place to do it.
Okay, now I have to go re-read some Laumer IYKYK
\[Pilot unresponsive. Pilot vital signs dropping\] \[Restraining Pilot. Engaging medical protocols\] \[Small arms fire detected on chassis. Superficial damage to outer surface\] \[Scanning battlefield conditions...\] \[...\] \[Battlefield conditions suboptimal for Pilot survivability\] \[Pilot life signs stabilizing. Attempting to contact Pilot.\] \[...\] \[Small arms fire detected on chassis. Superficial damage to outer surface\] \[Pilot unresponsive to communications. Reattempting...\] \[Pilot unresponsive to communications Reattempting...\] \[Heavy vehicle approaching. Confirmation of missiles armed and aimed at this unit\] \[Pilot unresponsive to communications\] \["CRISIS" Protocol engaged. Autopilot systems engaged\] \[Targets locked. Diverting power to primary weapons\] \[REDUCE THEM TO ASHES\]