The next report

[srwu_mods]

[NPC log part only]

"You... expect us to continue keeping them around?" Commander Antov blinks in disbelief at the man in his gabinet.
"I'd like to remind you that Unity Group is a fast response unit, not a private prison."

"I'm aware of what it is." The inspector responds dryly, his back turned on Roland.
"I'm also sure there are people who'd love to take Gavin off your hands, but there are certain elements that lobby to prevent taking further action against him. The same applies to taking legal action against miss Venczel. They're quite good at stalling any progress, so you will have to play gracious hosts for a few months more. The alternative is setting them free, and are you sure you'd want that, Commander-in-Chief?"


"Peola's unruly mother, Antema's ignorant nephew... some guests we have, don't we? The former seems to have a bounty on her head actually. On her home planet I mean - I wonder when will otherworldly visitors arrive to pick her up, hmm?"


"Anyway, there have been surprisingly few problems related to that so far, so I think we can manage a little longer..."

"Speaking of few problems." The inspector turns and puts something on Antov's desk. Something that is enough to render the two other men present speechless.
"ESUN is satisfied with Unity Group's performance. No, more than that - you have performed admirably. Our members are not ignorant as of who they owe thanks regarding dealing with the Lady's Good Men incident. Or stopping the Kijin crisis - which may I remind remains top secret for all but the people involved."

"You may consider this a favor - one that would need repayment through extensive field testing, something which Unity Group is no stranger to. Happy Valentine's."

[Actual part you can react to]


"So... looks like it's good news for a change."

There are two new units in Unity Group's hangars.

"Thanks to our benevolent benefactors..." Dirchs did not make air quotes, but the tone of his voice makes it obvious he'd like to.
"You can say hello to Grungust Alpha and Huckebein Omega. These are top of the line machines we have here - pre-production in fact. We are tasked with testing their capabilities in the field, so take them out for a spin as many times as you'd like. Considering what they're capable of, I don't think I'll have to persuade the lot of you much."

"Oh yeah, one more thing."

"BrightSaber and the rest are fully repaired but they're still under lock. Commander-in-Chief's orders. No one's allowed to use them unless it's an emergency, and the Commander's the only person who has authorization AND knows how to release the locks."

Comments

[deathflag_survivor]

[Albard just whistles when he takes a look at that new Grungust.]

Someone's definitely spoiling us with this beauty.

[srwu_mods]

"Every Grungust is a powerhouse already, and this one's supposed to trump them all. This also makes Unity Group the first organisation I'm aware of that has more than one active at a time."

"Yeah, I'd say that's spoiling alright."

[deathflag_survivor]

You're making it sound better and better by the minute. I'd like to see for myself though, if you catch my meaning.

[He's got experience using a Grungust, after all. Why shouldn't he be able to give it a spin?]

[a_linear_mind]

A new Huckebein huh, never thought I'd see another model in the series.

[srwu_mods]

"The mass produced version entered service only last year, didn't it? It's not that some madman blew all the Huckebeins up."

[srwu_mods]

"Knock yourself out, Lieutenant. Don't forget to share your experience about how it fares compared to Type 2 M."

[a_linear_mind]

Well, I've been in La Gias for a while. The closest thing to a Huckebein they have down there is a monster...well actually both Huckebein-like machines down there are monsters.

[srwu_mods]

"With its rep, some would say Huckebein is enough of a monster as it is."

[actuallyselfish]

Dido whistles between her teeth.

"Not bad." She mutters. "Not bad at all!"

She looks up the specs and frowns. "Huh...why did they install TK systems, though?" She asks Dirchs. "We don't exactly have many psychics in the UG."

[srwu_mods]

"Good question, that one. I don't have any clear cut answers for you, but you know what I think?"

"I think these two weren't meant for us. It must've took a while to develop them anyway, yeah? Someone else was going to test them, but situation's changed so now they're with us."

[actuallyselfish]

"So the ESUN had a pool of psychic soldiers ready to test these out...but then something happened to them?" Dido muses aloud. "Hopefully their brains didn't explode..."

She frowns. "Or maybe their's another reason why we're getting these units...what if they're fishing for more pilots with psychic potential, by bringing them into contact with TK-responsive technology? I mean, there's ESP tests, but you have to volunteer for those..."

[srwu_mods]

"Either way I had my boys test the system and it works nominally. No idea about the intentions behind it, but the TK Field itself won't give you any unpleasant surprises."