Laying the Foundation [Sontrebren Crew/Phoenix Corp Only]

[Ru the Boatswain]

Teo shook his head. "We'll have to think of a plan for augments. I honestly don't think many of the crew can be trusted with this stuff. I think we wont take you up on it, implants and cybernetics are really a thing that a single person should deal with. We can't give them to our employees because it just doesn't work that way. For example I payed for my own prosthetics and trust my doctor to operate successfully. I would say no for now, but a discount to crew members would be appreciated."

 

[Viggy]

Poknor nodded in agreement with Teo.

"I would be very interested in getting some of these procedures done for myself. But for the Crew... Well, I'm skeptical. Handing out augmentations isn't quite like handing out rifles, let's just say that."

 

[Jiang Winters]

Winslow had no problem with that, in fact, he was happy with their decision. It meant that Phoenix Corp didn't have to shell out additional credits in order to buy the Sontrebren Crew's allegiance.

"Very well then, we'll provide discounts to crew members, and Poknor, just let us know what implants you want - if you decide you do want to be augmented - and we'll see to it that you get them as soon as possible. Now gents, if you'll follow me outside, we'll wrap this up by showing off the big toys." The eccentric businessman stated, as he turned and walked off to the front door, pushing the archaic hinged door open and walking into the grassy field in front of the house, away from the freighter, while typing a command into his datapad.

 

[Viggy]

Poknor nodded and followed Winslow, running over in his mind the augmentations that had been described to him and trying to choose which ones he could do with having. He waited to see the big toys.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

"Pok, if you plan on augmentation, I would recommend starting small. Getting large implants before you're mind has adjusted can cause a number of mental disorders that doctors still don't have cures for. It's best to work slow, also, fur is very expensive." As he landed a heavy metal hand on Poknors shoulder, it didn't feel like metal, but it was heavy.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Once outside, Winslow sat down upon one of several conveniently placed boxes as he tucked his datapad back into a concealed pocket in his outfit as he folded his gloved hands together. He tapped his foot for a moment as he waited, until he could feel the air grow still. Where once birds had been chirping and their fellow fauna joining in to create a soft chorus of lively sound, there was now nothing. Absolute, utter silence.

"Ah, good! He's coming." Winslow announced as he shot up from the impromptu seat, a grin crossing the eccentric man's tattooed visage. Little more than a moment later, a massive war machine, humanoid in nature, came sailing over the house and landed directly in the dead lawn in front of them, a cloud of dust rising up as the war machine landed in a crouch. The electronic whirr and squeal of servomotors was curiously absent as the hulking gray armor rose to its full height, towering over all those present at no less than 3.5 meters in height.

"Sir Winslow, I am at your disposal." A deep and metallic voice thundered as the great machine turned about on the heel of one of its heavy feet, the machine's head - the only part of it clearly visible through the swirling dust - staring down with a cold, unfeeling gaze at the three men standing before it.

"Gentlemen, might I present the Crusader Mark IV Power Armor, piloted by Gunnery Sergeant Vilhem!" Winslow said proudly, as more of the dust cleared, allowing unobstructed view of the Power Armor's intimidating features, and the pair of M-109 Heavy Machine Guns attached to the underside of its arms.

"The Crusader Mark IV is an improvement upon the Mk III, which is the workhorse armor of the Elysian Defense Force. The Mark IV is more advanced, combining ultra-dense synthetic muscle with silenced hydraulics to create a very fast and quiet suit of power armor, that is just as strong as its predecessor. It is equipped with a more advanced combat computer and even sports a Direct Neural Interface, enabling a wearer to sync to it and literally move it as though it were an extension of his own body. It is agile, heavily armored, and armed to the teeth, this war machine will strike terror into even the most stubborn of enemies. It can be equipped with a wide range of weapons to suit any mission, from heavy laser cannons to EMP 'Shotguns' to a 75MM Hypervelocity Sniper Cannon. It is equipped with microthrusters to enable it to maneuver even in zero gravity environments, and it is vacuum sealed to enable the wearer to survive in space or toxic atmospheres. Some models - including this one - are even equipped with repulsor jump-packs or jet jump-packs. This one utilizes a repulsor jump pack, which is why you did not hear it until it landed in front of us."

The businessman smiled as the machine's pilot grew impatient, rotating the machine's joints and flexing it in a very human-like manner that might make one wonder if it was actually power armor, or if it simply hid a humanoid being of truly massive size. "Bear in mind, we will not actually give you any of these suits until we get to know the Sonterebren Crew better. However, we will loan you such suits to help you cope with difficult missions. Now... Which of you would like to give the Crusader a test-run, mmm?"

 

[Viggy]

Poknor had seen a lot of kriffing incredible things, but his mouth fell open and his dark brown eyes widened in amazement when he saw the Crusader Mark IV. It was without a doubt the most impressive mech he had ever seen, and particularly impressive was its quietness. The sheer shock and awe of using such a weapon would surely convince any competition to stay away from the Sontrebren Crew’s business. It wasn’t exactly well-suited to most of their business ventures, but as a tool of distraction for a pirating mission or simply a powerhouse for a strong armed robbery… Well, he could think of lots of uses for the Mark IV.

All he could do was clap his furry hands together as he watched more of it be revealed by the fading dust cloud. Winslow noted that they wouldn’t just be handing these over anytime soon, though they would allow the Sontrebren Crew to make use of them. But still, Poknor was excited.

Winslow asked who would be testing it. “I’ll try it out!” Pok said enthusiastically, taking a couple steps forward and waiting to see how he would get inside.

 

[Jiang Winters]

The moment Poknor eagerly announced his wish to test the Crusader, the Power Armor's pilot turned it about and knelt, laying the two M-109 Heavy Machineguns alongside the war machine's heavily armored legs before slowly leaning the torso over, planting its hands in the ground so that the war machine was on its hands and knees. "Usually, we have a 'rig' that locks it in a standing position and has a ladder for easier boarding, but this is how one enters and exits a Crusader in the field, when such a 'rig' is unavailable." Winslow explained, as various back plates hissed as they popped up and then slowly hinged upwards, exposing the back of the pilot - who was wearing a gray flightsuit with light armor plates covering vital areas such as the back, chest, and abdomen, along with the knees and elbows. After the armor plates came to a halt, the pilot extracted himself from the machine's torso, and stood atop one of the shoulder plates as he motioned for Poknor to come up.

After instructing the Cathar to climb up the war machine's thigh and helping him up, the pilot pointed into the snug-looking section of the war machine in which Poknor would have to insert himself. "Boarding the Crusader Mk IV is relatively easy. Simply lay down inside this slot, and slip your arms and legs into those frames, and grasp the control bars and tuck your feet into the control frames. I see you do not have a neural interface, so it will not be able to interface with your mind, which is how most EDF pilots prefer to operate the Mk IV. But the controls are intuitive, and the HUD is very easy to use. It is just like playing a holo-vid game. You will get the hang of it in no time. Just take care to set the controls sensitivity to the lowest setting until you have had a chance to walk around a bit and get used to it. Also, once it detects your presence, the machine will automatically seal itself around you and conform the interior to your body, so it will be very snug in there. It feels very... Strange, at first, but it is very comfortable."

With that, the pilot hopped off the machine and walked away, so that he wouldn't be thrown off the Crusader's back when Pok fired it up.