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11

Fan Articles / Re: Mech of the Week: HEL Helios

« Last post by DragonKhan55 on Today at 14:45:32 »

Is it actually that much cheaper than a Victor-9D? Their capabilities aren’t quite identical, but they’re similar enough that I’d think just building more Victors would make more sense than developing a whole new mech that has…a few more SRM tubes and a lot less armor.

Cost is a factor in actual BT. A Helios-3D is about 5.7 million C-Bills, a VTR-9D will run you 8.5 million and requires Endo-Steel as well which can only be spun and forged in Zero-G conditions.

12

Fan Fiction / Re: Hidden Hope (Golden Lion AU, Part 4)

« Last post by AlphaMirage on Today at 14:27:02 »

03:38
An MP motorcycle with two riders motored running dark and silent as they approached the iron gate that covered the entrance to the former Nashan Diversified timberyard, now mostly empty ersatz Clan airbase. Its contingent of Nova Fox fighters were either lost or docked above on their dropships. Katya’s attack helicopters were deployed forward with the rest of the 37th Strikers and most of the motor and tech pool was secreted in the forest in between.

Orbital space remained contested above squadrons of fighters jockeyed for position, warship crews engaged in repairs, and all were held in reserve for the eventual escort or interception of the impending invasion force. The MPs guarding the gate stepped forward but unlike the others they didn’t reach for a flashlight and instead had their carbines readied, “This is a restricted area, present ID, and state your business.”

Diana took the lead as Ranna held a gloved finger just over off her SMG’s trigger as she handed them the documents, both women looked similar enough and every female Warrior had grown their hair out since Katya wasn’t a stickler for the rules and regs, except they looked to perfect. “We are searching for saboteurs on orders of the Sheriff.”

Something about them seemed off, Ranna fought her training, everyone was a threat here, but this was the first time someone had felt off. They were so close; Diana slipped her hand back to her sidearm as the MPs neared but Ranna pushed it back. The guards kept a clear line of fire between them as a machine gun truck pulled up behind them with a remote turret on the roof. “There are no saboteurs.
Patrols have been running the perimeter all night. We would’ve seen them.” At that utterance the other woman looked strangely at her companion who contorted herself.

Ranna clutched Diana’s vest as she gripped the handlebars, “I hear that some can hide in plain sight or become invisible.”
“We think you might have missed a few.”

“Shoot them!” The cycle’s high beam headlights flicked on, blinding the truck and its weapon’s operator. They sped off to Ranna fired back at the guards dropping some but unfortunately only hitting them on the vest. Both ROM women rallied and jumped into the truck which burned rubber and engaged its headlights while Diana turned hers of and evaded incoming machine gun fire erupting around them.

“I told you something was up!” Ranna screamed over the intermittent fire and return fire she was doing with her pistol.
“I never said you were wrong. I just DIDN’T want to get involved!”
She fired off a few shots toward the headlights that both blinded her but gave her a rough idea of the target zone. “Well, we are involved now.”
“All I wanted was a quiet night where I can get off easy, meet some people, try on some new clothes, have a few drinks, perhaps handle a few rough characters if necessary, and then everything goes according to plan. Is that too much to ask!”

More truck began to appear with red and blue flashing lights, “What are the odds we can convince them that ROM had replaced a patrol?”
“I’d say poor as long as our opponents can speak.”
Ranna pulled the last magazine from her chest rig, the ones in her BDU pants were already expended. “You wouldn’t happen to have more ammo then, would you?”
“You already used your one twenty!? And its still not handled!?” A burst of machine gun fire ripped into the asphalt beside them sending up chunks of bitumen selling the point.
“It’s an armored truck Diana!” Ranna fired in the direction of the driver’s window squinting in the light as she unsteadily held it out while racing along the runway. “These pistol rounds aren’t going to do anything to it.”
“There’s a compartment in the saddle bags with a flare gun. Ensure it is loaded then pass it up.”
“What are you going to do with a flare gun?”
“Sink an armored truck and playing chicken with a bunch of machine gunners.”
“WHAT!?”
“Don’t worry they won’t shoot if the truck is right behind us, crossfire and all.”

The river was coming up quickly, more gun trucks took up position nearby to cut them off, deploying even more armed guards on the side of a desolate darkened runway with only a single N&D branded Cavalier Fast Courier Dropship parked alongside. Their lights concealed the fact that the perimeter fence was right there and not much further beyond it was the N&D canal where timber was barged in and out of Alba. Ranna passed the flare gun forward, “Hang on!”

They kept speeding onward into the barricade before Diana powerslid the bike beneath them lining up a shot against their pursuer. She held fast to the saddle beneath her as the blinding projectile splattered incendiary material onto the front window. Sparks erupted as the racing motorcycle’s frame hit the asphalt below as Diana failed to regain control, slowing just enough that Diana and Ranna were tossed onto but not smashed into the runway.

MPs scattered as a speeding MRAP smashed into their lighter jeeps and a motorcycle flipped out of control toward them. Both women slid across the tarmac turtling up on their armored vests and trying to keep their head and limbs off the ground coming to a stop just as they heard a splash and gargle as the heavy MRAP sank to the bottom.

Their vests were ripped up and both women ditched them right before the remaining MPs rushed to their location, pulling them to their knees and handcuffing them in the process.
“Hey! Hands off!”
“Yeah, we are on your side.”
Both were pulled to their feet and shoved into the back of a jeep beside the legs of a machine gunner as the jeep rolled back to base. Two more waited to see if anyone in the MRAP came back to the surface. Its heavy doors were hard to handle in goods times and would only be more difficult if you were surrounded by water, but they did have an air supply in the cabin assuming it was still intact. It was however unlikely that a salvage truck would be onsite anytime soon with the impending combat, so they had time.
Ranna whispered, “Where is the rest of your team?”
“If they were paying attention.
Already inside.”

13

Fan Articles / Re: Mech of the Week: HEL Helios

« Last post by Fat Guy on Today at 14:04:01 »

I've used the 4A. It's good but not great. I want to take the 7L out for a spin.

14

BattleTech Miniatures / Re: Clan Hell's Horses Alpha Galaxy painting log.

« Last post by God and Davion on Today at 14:03:45 »

It is nice to see how you are slightly improving with each one. The shadows and panel lines look better now and the paint is more even now. Well done. Not much to add to improve. The basing is good, but some acrylic paste and flocking would help a lot. Keep them going! Might before metal!

15

Off Topic / Re: What movies/tv are we watching part XXX, Back into the fray!

« Last post by elf25s on Today at 13:58:25 »

ok watched the fan edit of star wars 4k77
its upscaled version of original 1977 print to 4k nothing added or subtracted its just cleaned up and upscaled....
is it my imagination the original 1977 edit had more tension and exitement? i mean its like re edits and special edition edits are like here is a puppy go ahead pet it you will feel great compared to original cut?

16

Aerospace Combat / Re: FC Naval Command Decision

« Last post by Hellraiser on Today at 13:44:36 »

Mechanically, it's an armed transport for ground forces.  To me, this FITS a doctrinal hole, and fits it rather well.

Which is why I can see it being the most common warship type in a revitalized FSN.

Thus, in an FSN with a real budget, I can see the Fox being potentially in continuous production and use for decades, possibly outliving successors who had theoretically better weapons fit, thrust curve, etc.

because it's a remarkably good transport for ground forces.

To my mind, a revitalized FSN has to cope with that bureaucratic flack, and one way to do that, is to have lots of Foxes in the pipeline and in service-this also serves to build up your basics with regards to warship officers who actually know how to Navy as a verb.

Agreed.

I never minded the Fox being a Corvette/Transport & loved that they went full production at multiple yards to make it "common-ISH", for a 3050's warship anyway. 
It made sense to me when you have 200 Mech Regiments & ZERO Warships, that your first Warship actually work w/ said Regiments.

What did bother me is we got a pair of big specialized cruisers after that, 1 per realm, and no "Fleet Destroyer".
I can handle that we didn't get a "Fleet Corvette", since our "Corvette" was a "Transport" but that lack of a Destroyer really takes away your "Patrol" ship.

1. Glorious Wall of Battle Cadillacs.  We see a LOT of these in the canon.  They're expensive, hard to crew up, easy to screw up, and consume vast quantities of resources for very little day-to-day utility.

2. Patrol Service Navy.....

So I favor looking at it step-by-step, from planning to live within limits, to finding ways to make those limits no longer limiting, to finally exceeding those limits into an adult form, rather than hoping you can spring a fully formed Navy like Athena from the brow of a godlike planner in the Foxes Den.

1.  LOL, Love #1  Hilarious & dead on.

2.  Agreed on concept, not sure any nation in 3050+ is even close to that, no one since the SLDF has actually pulled that off I think.

3.  My thoughts on the FC fleet is their attempt at a PSN would have been Destroyer based.  Its not as cheap or numerous, but nothing in 3050 is truly as common as a Vincent or Lola.  Nor does any nation have the materials to be tossing out ships that lack Collars.  They all need them to pull some measure of double duty or require escorts since they really can't afford to have WS deployed at the "Squadron" level.  And as mentioned the Suns have a history of DDs being their Go-To ship class.   Fox/Durendal might have been a similar planning as Robinson/Davion(II), only maybe smaller?

4.  Maybe if the Jihad didn't happen & we got to see continued growth they could have gotten to that point
Not entirely sure why the OG-Mjolnir & the Avalon were 2 different ships really as I don't get the point of multiple "similar tonnage" frames. 
At least not in 3060.  Maybe the Avalon w/ its Fuel Tanks & DS was going to be a "Fleet Tender" for several Destroyers?  IDK.

5.  What are your thoughts on the "Tracker" as a "Fleet Corvette"?
The similar Size & Docking Collars has always made me want to see the Merchant Shipyards covert over to Trackers.
Not sure how well it would actually work as a Corvette but I just like the idea of using those shipyards.

17

Off Topic / Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian

« Last post by Triptych on Today at 13:08:28 »

Claiming that both Wells and PKD are the same because they're both atheists (PKD was more of an agnostic) is just silly, and I'll leave it at that.

18

Off Topic / Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian

« Last post by Zematus737 on Today at 12:52:37 »

A excerpt from his Exegesis: 'My novels, for example. They are said by readers to depict the same world again and again, a recognizable world. Where is that world? In my head? Is it what I see in my own life and inadvertently transfer into my novels and to the reader? At least I’m consistent, since it is all one novel. I have my own special world. I guess they are in my head, in which case they are a good clue to my identity and to what is happening inside me: they are brain prints. This brings me to my frightening premise. I seem to be living in my own novels more and more. I can’t figure out why. Am I losing touch with reality?'

These are his own words.  As for being a futurist, the book is not so much about apprehension of the future as it is about struggling to interpret an abnormal experience that revealed to him the health condition of his daughter through a vision.  Like HG Wells, Dick was also militantly atheist and mocked religion in many of his works.  In this, and in my opinion, they are the same.  Except that it is worse for Dick, as he had an authentic experience that he did his best to say was a localized unconscious self inflection of presentiment or inspiration.  Rather than just accept the gift for what it was, he did his utter most to write what is possibly his largest labor, to disavow that it could have been received from a higher, separate, intellect.  As separate as God can be from the work of His hands is another matter for discussion entirely.  Carl Jung (if you read his Red Book, the translations of which have made an enormous impact on the world) made the same mistakes and attributed inspiration to a universal shared unconsciousness.  It was a cheap move and it was very sad to see how he misinterpreted almost every "dream" he had experienced.  Just as sad that he (Jung) did not have the guts to admit he was experimenting himself with psychedelics to achieve these altered states.

19

Fan Articles / Re: Mech of the Week: HEL Helios

« Last post by SteelRaven on Today at 12:29:08 »

Fasa needed to fill those TRO pages with something.

20

Off Topic / Re: NHL 2023-2024 Vegas Edition: Mojave, Mo' Problems

« Last post by rebs on Today at 12:07:22 »

Yzerman was a #4 pick as well.  In his year the #1 was Matt Lawton, "THE LAW".  No one has even heard of him and I only remember because comedy value. 

I would already agree Makar was the steal of the draft, even at #4.