Smashing Axe is right. Unless we want to become a parading Mech Warrior we should stick to our original strengths - analysis, planning, sabotage. Captain Grimrock already has a very high opinion of us, and what's important is that we be there to make the right decisions to ensure the plan as a whole succeeds - a plan that everyone in the military now knows is ours. That will give us all the good kind of recognition. Going out there and hoollaballoing about will make us a target of both lasers and jealousy.
Much bro-love and all, Tigranes, but the best way for this plan of ours to succeed is for us to be there on the front lines
making sure it succeeds. GreyViper has it right when he says this
You know about "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy", A choice seems more passive role, while B seems more active. Second consider the human factor the plan misfires, but other pilots refuse to acknowledge your orders because they don't trust/like(not enough rank) you and improvise in the heat of battle. So A seems good for ship to ship combat, less for space mech where pilot skill counts more and orders are more like a guidelines to follow for best best of ability.
With B you are a pilot you have more mobility to engage moving single targets and as I understand they are the main threat now.
Yes, Senya is great of on-the-spot improvisation (I wonder who he got that from, hm? His daddy?
) and the place where it will matter most is out there, in the field where the shit will be going down. Right now, they are sending out two mechs
“
That depends on you, son. If you are not confident enough, I won't throw you into the meat grinder immediately until I really need it. Emperor knows I'm not a wasteful man.
salute
Judging from your plan,
we should be able to manage fine with just two mechs... but a third one would be nice."
against five trained, and likely experienced, enemy mechs. They will need maximum support and help if they are to succeed. And also, accepting the Captain's offer will pretty much guarantee us his protection (a man that has the balls to step up to the Empress is surely a man we want on our side); there's also the small matter that no general that ever lived got to where he got by sitting back and relaxing while men died by his plans and orders (Alexander, Napoleon, Caesar, etc) and by the time the general "will really need it," it will already be way to fucking late for us to make a difference. Think of this as our "Siege of Toulon," Napoleon made his plan and was on the front lines to see it accomplished.
I agree with Tigranes. The risk of going out will not only be from a shitty construction mech being weak, but also Naim possibly looking to sabotage us.
And the accusations leveled at Naim are absolutely groundless: he seems like a professional, experienced officer that will follow his assigned orders to the maximum of his ability (sure, he's hot-headed, but that doesn't equate him to Theseus); and out there, where squabbling equals death he will hold off all the bitching and moaning, I'm sure. And we aren't there to do combat, but to buy the ship time to escape, so juicing ourself up before the operation seems like the optimal thing to do, maximizing chances of success and all that.
In conclusion: Grimrock knows the gist of our plan (it's not that complicated, really) and he seems like a competent commander, he
will not let us down. And he is more than enough to coordinate three mechas. This is our call to glory, bros, let's not waste it, eh? The best thing we'll get out of staying in the command center is lose any respect the soldiers had for us (the officer who tells others to do something he wouldn't do himself isn't much liked) and
maybe become Grimrock's aide-de-camp. If he doesn't drop us from the draft when we get back (seriously, the Empire can draft underage students?). Barring any sudden reinforcements for the UNS, we should be fine.
Annnnd so begins teen filled angst with a false modesty hero complex.
I'd rather Senya gain confidence through actual deeds and successes, because that is the only kind of confidence that counts.
P.S.:
treave, assuming we get to the point, will we be able to create and command our own squadrons/companies/divisions (and most importantly, name them; because "Crocodiles" sounds, well, underwhelming)? Or enroll in spec-ops? And will there be combat bikes?
Edit:
They already have enough people at the command. What they don't have is pilots for the CFs. It's in the field where we can do the most good for the mission.
Basically, this.
Edit 2: I also think that the Captain is giving us this "great opportunity"
By the way, for your first mission, I'm offering you a great opportunity.”
probably saving our ass from insubordination charges or securing us some nice accolades to cement our position, or a sweet assignment in West Point (please let it be so). Really, we should trust him for now.
