Drone: REMOVE YOUR... PERSON FROM THIS UNIT! OR ANTI... HANDLING COUNTERMEASURES WILL BE DEPLOYED! YOU WERE WARNED - ELECTRIFYING OUTER SHELL!
Mira: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! ...That was... something else! Hit me again! And d'you have a vibrate mode?
Drone: ...INITIATING PROTECTIVE SHUTDOWN LEVEL 2... ACCESSING DATAFILE: THOUGHTS OF ENGLAND
>:=)> ...which naturally leads onto this thought of Mira's doings in the big city...
Vinnie:
THIS ROYAL THRONE OF KINGS, THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE,
THIS EARTH OF MAJESTY, THIS SEAT OF MARS,
THIS OTHER EDEN, DEMI-PARADISE,
THIS FORTRESS BUILT BY NATURE FOR HERSELF
AGAINST INFECTION AND THE HAND OF WAR,
THIS HAPPY BREED OF MEN, THIS LITTLE WORLD,
THIS PRECIOUS STONE SET IN THE SILVER SEA,
WHICH SERVES IT IN THE OFFICE OF A WALL,
OR AS A MOAT DEFENSIVE TO A HOUSE,
AGAINST THE ENVY OF LESS HAPPIER LANDS,
THIS BLESSED PLOT, THIS EARTH, THIS REALM, THIS ENGLAND,
THIS NURSE, THIS TEEMING WOMB OF ROYAL KINGS,
FEAR'D BY THEIR BREED AND FAMOUS BY THEIR BIRTH,
RENOWNED FOR THEIR DEEDS AS FAR FROM HOME,
FOR CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND TRUE CHIVALRY,
THIS LAND OF SUCH DEAR SOULS, THIS DEAR DEAR LAND,
DEAR FOR HER REPUTATION THROUGH THE WORLD,
IS NOW LEASED OUT, I DIE PRONOUNCING IT,
LIKE TO A TENEMENT OR PELTING FARM:
ENGLAND, BOUND IN WITH THE TRIUMPHANT SEA
WHOSE ROCKY SHORE BEATS BACK THE ENVIOUS SIEGE
*shakes leg, trying to dislodge Mira*
OF WATERY NEPTUNE, IS NOW BOUND IN WITH SHAME,
WITH INKY BLOTS AND ROTTEN PARCHMENT BONDS:
THAT ENGLAND, THAT WAS WONT TO CONQUER OTHERS,
HATH MADE A SHAMEFUL CONQUEST OF ITSELF.
AH, WOULD THE SCANDAL VANISH WITH MY LIFE,
HOW HAPPY THEN WERE MY ENSUING DEATH!
Officer Thespienne: Now that was good! There was real conviction there! Mira, sweetheart, have you ever thought of becoming a drama coach?
>:=)>
Not to mention that this sort of thing was what came to mind in answer to the question "Where is Teedee", and I don't even know if she swings that way... >;=)>
If they are clearly of New Troy manufacture and they are the latest versions then you don't need to have NT codes - either it's a New Troy op or their arms manufacturers are more leaky than is acceptable!
I understand that CentComm plans to deny knowledge but, if I was an Intelligence Officer of New Rome, and we had captured some of the drones, my thoughts would be along the lines of:
All the drones are the latest versions.
All the drones are of NT manufacture.
Yes, NT does have a black market but CentComm is known to be very good at security, therefore, whilst older models may reach the black market it is unlikely that so many new models would. Therefore, it is likely that CentComm herself arranged this.
In short, if the New Romans twig that every single piece of equipment is the latest version then CentComm's denials hold as much water as Douchimus's denials that he was involved in Lynn's kidnapping.
Another thought that Nova Roma Intel SHOULD be having after all of that is...
"Good thing they didn't retaliate in force, we wouldn't have stood a chance in hell!".
The difference between a mercenary force, very well equipped mercenary force, and a direct invasion by the city state New Troy, HiFranc. The mercenary force can be disavowed by CentComm, the invasion by the New Troy forces couldn't be.
thats prety much it, Cent Com can deny that she had any involvment, and that an outside mec corp was hired in to do the job... its all clean and neat and political like that.
And even though the Nova Roma intel certainly will rightfully believe that Cent is behind the whole thing and the attacking people were actually NT spec ops, they can't prove it.
Politically that makes all the difference. Stupid as it may sound.
If Decimus is still in charge after the op, I suspect that it won't make a difference to him. Even though he was counting on that fact when he took Lynn.
It wouldn't to him, certainly. But if you want to declare war, there are rules and customs to be observed. Or else you'll have any number of additional parties pooling their assets together against you.
The more I think about it the more convinced I am that he would prefer war to this course of action. In his eyes, *he* is the sneaky one, *he* is the one who knows how to play the great game of politics. If they succeed they would do something worse than kill him -- they would make him look stupid! Death in battle is a glorious end and if Nova Rome goes boom because of his contingencies then it serves the population right for not being able to stand up to a few machines. In his eyes it would be even worse because of the number of androids involved in the ops and the fact that the chess mistress is an AI herself.
I can't wait for them to disarm the contingencies and bring him down. I hope he doesn't die in the encounter.
I'm almost with you, HiFranc. I hope the teams don't kill him. Disable him, stuff him in a slow, self-guided ground car and program it to 'drop' him off at Aeneas' front door... Make sure he is awake for the trip... Let him experience the terror of being sacrificed to the great machine his grandfather tried to 'kill'.
Agreed, the heavy drones look seriously impressive.
The orb looks fine in the shadow, on the rear angle shot; but not so convincing on the frontal shots. I believe it's mostly the polished paint job -- not something you typically find on military equipment, I think...
(Of course you could argue that there are technical reasons for it -- but it just doesn't look right to our early 21st century eyes ;-) )
LOL poor Marcus, not getting ANY respect. Be glad Marcus that they DON'T consider you a threat. I have a feeling that threats don't last long around those drones!
its all in the name of good fun, at the end of the day as long as the job gets done I'm not concerned with my wounded pride.. Dr. Silver does amazing work and when it comes to mater tech, I trust her completely.. a snide joke here and there is all part of the way we all do business... and the two cells name amused me greatly.
Eighty Five pieces of heavy weapons plus one Android with a love of big guns that go boom-boom-boom, one deranged cyber weapons expert who just might like violence as much as TeeDee does, the assault craft, who knows what surprises the contract merchant has, all the arms, Armour and ammo sent to rebels, a nice 5th column force if Mamma Bear and Mercs are knocking at the front door especially with large heavy duty door knockers like low yield nukes.
Will make sure I rate each comment, I have a tendency to skip rating when I comment.
The one that rampaged got shot by an emplaced cannon and it was STILL ALIVE. Imagine trying to discipline it with a rolled-up newspaper after it craps on the carpet (and the downstairs neighbor lodges a formal complaint for the condition of his ceiling)!
I have feeling that while high-tech and quite nice in anything resembling "surgical", they wouldn't fare too well against *really* heavy weaponry like ...oh, say those orbital cannons surrounding Aeneas' installation.
Well to be honest those A/M cannons would have to be able to target a drone. Somehow I doubt they are equipped to do that. Larg3ly because the people that designed the A/M cannons would have never thought of using them on something as insignificant as a drone.
Lol they may be able to target a a tick on a dogs back, provided the dog and tick are holding still. Once the target starts moving, the massive systems that support their laser will work against them. After all why do current MBT's still mount machine guns? Because tracking moving infantry with a 120mm cannon is a light fired pain in the arse.
I'm pretty sure it's not just about tracking. Anti-tank rounds would do fairly little damage to an infantry unit, compared to a machine gun salvo. Also, reload times, and ammo usage.
The coaxial machine gun at least traditionally could also be used as an aiming help. Thanks to the tracer rounds you could follow even better where it was aimed. As soon as it was on target: Boom! the big gun follows.
Of course that only really worked on relative short a distance. Otherwise the difference in flight curve of the projectiles became too big.
If those HUGE fighter-looking things are the Hammer class Heavy Drones, I can't imagine how they hid the components to build THIRTY-FIVE of those things, much less have the room to build them. We knew their freighter was very big, but... dang! This might as well be a small carrier with a full fighter complement.
There is a LOT of room on a Hercules class craft not the absense of all those containers and things .. other parts were hidden in the walls and everywhere else :D each of the hammers are about 8 feet long
If you'd seen the whole ship, xpacetrue...that thing is HUGE. Like, it could fit the Millenium Falcon inside it and still have room to walk around huge. (Ok, ok, I'm exaggerating, but only a little...)
You can get an idea of just how large their ship is by looking at panel 3 of "A popular guy..."
Remember that that's a full sized fighter she's flying (i.e. a lot bigger than their drones) and, as the freighter is further away, it looks smaller than it really is.
Thing is, as far as I can tell, they're all inside the cargo bay of their hulking huge freighter. Even if there was a security drone (or three) roaming around wherever they're parked, they wouldn't detect what's going on inside their ship unless either the drone(s) do a thorough scan of their ship or the team opens the cargo bay door.
Remember, they already passed through customs. I'm sure their ship was scanned upon arrival. So why would NR Customs scan their ship a second time? BTW: At their earlier stop (before New Rome) it was revealed that their ship has scanner baffles to throw off scanners.
And now Nova Roma hits the problem with not differentiating your port security from your military.
That's why you have civilians to check things out too.
I don't think he PLANNED on exposing Connie that way, Sheela; however, once they did it to Connie he was going to make them PAY for it and KEEP them paying for it as long as he can. He was WHITE hot with that one idiot... and was ready for full bore economic warfare on the city.
I'm not sure they ARE missing that suit yet, velvet. Don't know the capabilities of that shiny suit. Though, Dr. Silver would probably name her AI helper something besides Jarvis. :-D
Alright Draginbeard with THESE additions to the small arms they can start a war. Those drones are probably worth a LOT of Nova Roma forces! And they fly too, so the air cavalry is in for a RUDE surprise.
And I know New Roma is suppose to be behind the times and all. But they need some serious security upgrades if they allow a freighter full of ultra advanced weapons Tec into the city. Disguised or not!
Oddly enough, I had this exact conversation with Cent and Mr. Black while working on the script for this page. I opened with the question of "How in the ever-living luminous fuck did they expect to sneak this shit past any customs inspection that went further than glancing at the crate labels?"
Their answers were frighteningly thorough, and I did my best to include a hint of it in the narration box. The drones were all broken down into components that could be passed off as completely harmless cargo--avionics parts for the grav-plates, survey equipment for the sensor suites, and so on. The parts that couldn't be passed off in that fashion were hidden in other ways. For example, the gun barrels can fit rather neatly into sections of piping that are spot-welded in place to blend in with the cargo ship's own pipe and cable runs...
So I've spent several years playing various freetrader games with my friends.
I can speak to many, many methods of smuggling parts, and many more ways of beating them.
Key to beating the smuggler it to know the model of his ship. If you don't and they're competent, it's all over right there.
The next major part is to figure out how much of what things they officially have, and whether the spare parts match those the ship uses, and whether or not the number of them is reasonable. (learned this after someone got parts for a 'reactor bomb' past a security checkpoint I was playing, seriously, spare parts for the ship reactor supposedly, but it was for a freestanding one they melted down, damn terrorists)
Next step is to make sure the ship fits specifications, question all modifications that do not have an obvious purpose.
Next step is to do an ultrasound of the damn pipes, looking for any evidence of baffles that ought to not be there. Don't use fancy advanced scanners, use simple primitive stuff. You're not trying to catch what they did, you're just trying to figure out what is out of the ordinary.
Next step is to check the seat cushions. (Seat cushions with sensor baffling weave, I managed to smuggle a hundred AT mines and 3 suitcase nukes past port authority in the seating of a passenger shuttle under the grounds of 'going to extract refugees as part of a humanitarian mission' which I did as well).
Seriously, no one inspects seat cushions (except for my gamemaster, he does now).
Rely on primitive sensors that can't be foiled without it being evident in addition to the advanced stuff.
Sure it's not as detailed, but you can't do much to stop an mechanic with a stethoscope from going "there's something solid in this pipe".
Investigate all recent repairs and modifications, ESPECIALLY spot welds.
Make sure the reactor isn't loaded over capacity with a bunch of inactive-at-the-moment stuff (since we all know that will be used for a bomb)
Things to be included in any kit to foil smugglers.
A mechanic's stethoscope (my experience with them has usually involved finding things in pipes... which has included vermin. Figured out where a mouse nest was in the vent because when I tapped the ventilation housing, it sounded different, didn't know what it was at the time, but we stuck a periscope and a spotlight down the floor vent and figured out what it was)
A screwdriver (for consistent tapping noises)
A small collapsible periscope
multiple flashlights, including a battery powered spotlight of substantial power.
A paint brush
a 9 volt battery
some steel wool
a box of matches (matches, not a lighter, the neat lines of smoke you can get are great for finding ventilation irregularities)
an extremely sensitive compass (if there is a current going through the wires in the pipe, it will detect said current without fail)
Now, this isn't always proof to go tearing their ship apart to search it, in fact it rarely is, but it is evidence enough to, say, go check on them a few times. Maybe 'drop' your compass and go back to get it.
This is not the full comprehensive game of beating smugglers in sci-fi and are just a few pertinent notes. You need to be a lot more tactful than these would indicate on the surface.
Seat cushions. That was actually one I hadn't thought of yet. Thanks for the idea. There'll certainly be an Edge of the Empire or Shadowrun game at some point, where I can use that.
Oh, God. I would forbid CptKerion and Mr. Black from talking about this kind of thing, but they'd inevitably find some loophole and the next thing you know they're walking out with the entire city in three shoeboxes and a backpack.
Honestly, if you guys ever want me to look for holes in a plan or ways to make them I'd be happy to be of assistance.
It's the least I can do to repay you guys for making my favorite comic of all time. Well, at this point.
I'm a poor college student so actually sending money via patreon isn't an option yet.
Of course I'm going into a well paid profession once I graduate, and I'll hopefully get a job that pays more than minimum wage so I'll be able to contribute via Patreon soon enough.
and anyone who sees my typos and accidental ommissions and regular edits to make my stuff, you know, readable knows exactly how brain fried I am.
That I managed to remember all the bullshit I've done to my poor gamemasters over the years is a miracle.
Lets not forget that you could scavenge the freighter itself for materials to build stuff out of.
Nothing is easier to smuggle throuhg, than stuff that is supposed to be there. :)
And that container the murderturd came in ? It could make a fine ram, with a bit of ballast in it.
One of my favorites in smuggling things was to assemble a tramp trader, with the internal components of a lot of it actually being parts for weapons, then bring it in, drop of the completely harmless cargo, and start disassembling the ship and selling the parts to my contacts.
Intimidated me, absolutely... Scared me? not really!
Now though, I'm wondering if she's the incarnation of Shiva, Destroyer of worlds *lightning crackling in the background*. She is singlehandedly controlling enough firepower to level the city.
(of course, the fact that I'm an idiot and try to see the good in people first might be a factor)
Hey guys, I'm gonna point something out here.
This is going WAY too well for them thus far.
Something, not sure what, but something is going to get in their way.
Where would I put my money?
The janitor.
He or she will stumble on something he or she shouldn't have and will then raise the alarm.
There's the old adage that no plan survives contact with the enemy.
I suspect, however, that you don't need a janitor to complicate things when you have a Dolly and a Ceci. There is no way that Dolly would let Lynn come to harm and I suspect something happens that make Team Kill-'Em-All think that CentComm's other order may be appropriate.
{edit} Reviewing their orders (datachasers.thecomicseries.com/comics/630 and datachasers.thecomicseries.com/comics/629, strip Stike Team and previous page, Of Mice and Men) I can see another potential problem. Given that CentComm disabled her ship and gave Ceci hidden orders, I suspect that Dolly is not in a rush to return to New Troy. Given that her daughter has expressed an interest in exploration/travel (datachasers.thecomicseries.com/comics/893) and that Dolly seems to be more emotional in this new body, I suspect that she may want to start living her cover. However much Ceci annoys her, I'm sure that something will happen that will let Dolly understand how much she means to her.
{edit 2}
I can just see it now. Ceci is out of her depth and, before Dolly knows what she's doing, Dolly's pulled out her gun and orders, "Leave my daughter alone!"
I was looking at the archives last night: Marcus was told that Dolly and Ceci were on their way to rescue Lynn. It's clear that Marcus was monitoring their situation because he got Dr Silver to fix Ceci.
How much consideration is Marcus giving to Dolly and Ceci?
They just helped a poor android in a difficult situation...
...well, Marcus received an alert and acted on that - if he really knew it was *that* Ceci does not become clear, though he knows very much about her - so, he might know...
True but, before that, CentCom tells Marcus that Dolly is attempting a rescue and has a black angel with her. Shortly afterwards Marcus comes up with this plan and says that he wants Dr Silver on his team.
I know that's only circumstantial evidence but I would be surprised if he doesn't know/suspect that there's another team.
I was more doubtful he knew it was the black angel from the other team - though on hindsight - how would a black angel be out there without it being them...?
Marcus absolutely knew about CeCil, mjkj. I doubt Marcus would have had her password otherwise.
I'm thinking CentComm not only gave Marcus the password, but also knowledge of her REAL mission to delay Dolly. I think Marcus was further told that Dolly should be grounded in or near Joleet. I believe Marcus was just checking to make sure that Dolly was in fact in the area and found out CeCi had a problem. I don't think he expects to see them though. The problems that CentComm inflicted upon Dolly's transportation should keep them out of the way longer than the extraction should take.
And as far as he knows, Dolly and CeCi are still back in Joleet with engine troubles.
Boy, he won't be happy once he realizes they are both in Nova Roma. XD
At least Kyle had the decency to get himself killed !
Dolly is an experienced protector. She also knows that CentComm would never let Lynn stay in Decimus's hands so I would be very surprised if she hasn't worked out that there's another team on their way.
As for Dr Silver's ah hem Cup size, If you look her entire body proportions are all slightly larger. Armor plus underpadding for shock absorption=larger proportions. Look at her derriere, It was not as quite filled out before nor were her thighs as large around. She is wearing some serious armor with proper padding underneath to take possible hits.
My Sister in law when she was in Iraq, looked like she weighed almost 200 lbs when she was wearing all of her gear and body armor. And Susan weighs maybe 115 to 125 lbs soaking wet. Front and back plates, side plates, thigh and crotch armor, then you add in mag pouches, radio pouches etc, it adds up and makes a person look much larger than they are.
I know when I wear my armor I look like I weigh over 300 instead of the 278 I actually weigh.
Shiny :)
Okay, it's the boy in me...
*sighs* what is Mira doing at the moment? long time since we heard of her...
Sounds like a vote incentive to me. :)
I really do hope we see Mira again...
Mira: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! ...That was... something else! Hit me again! And d'you have a vibrate mode?
Drone: ...INITIATING PROTECTIVE SHUTDOWN LEVEL 2... ACCESSING DATAFILE: THOUGHTS OF ENGLAND
>:=)> ...which naturally leads onto this thought of Mira's doings in the big city...
Vinnie:
THIS ROYAL THRONE OF KINGS, THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE,
THIS EARTH OF MAJESTY, THIS SEAT OF MARS,
THIS OTHER EDEN, DEMI-PARADISE,
THIS FORTRESS BUILT BY NATURE FOR HERSELF
AGAINST INFECTION AND THE HAND OF WAR,
THIS HAPPY BREED OF MEN, THIS LITTLE WORLD,
THIS PRECIOUS STONE SET IN THE SILVER SEA,
WHICH SERVES IT IN THE OFFICE OF A WALL,
OR AS A MOAT DEFENSIVE TO A HOUSE,
AGAINST THE ENVY OF LESS HAPPIER LANDS,
THIS BLESSED PLOT, THIS EARTH, THIS REALM, THIS ENGLAND,
THIS NURSE, THIS TEEMING WOMB OF ROYAL KINGS,
FEAR'D BY THEIR BREED AND FAMOUS BY THEIR BIRTH,
RENOWNED FOR THEIR DEEDS AS FAR FROM HOME,
FOR CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND TRUE CHIVALRY,
THIS LAND OF SUCH DEAR SOULS, THIS DEAR DEAR LAND,
DEAR FOR HER REPUTATION THROUGH THE WORLD,
IS NOW LEASED OUT, I DIE PRONOUNCING IT,
LIKE TO A TENEMENT OR PELTING FARM:
ENGLAND, BOUND IN WITH THE TRIUMPHANT SEA
WHOSE ROCKY SHORE BEATS BACK THE ENVIOUS SIEGE
*shakes leg, trying to dislodge Mira*
OF WATERY NEPTUNE, IS NOW BOUND IN WITH SHAME,
WITH INKY BLOTS AND ROTTEN PARCHMENT BONDS:
THAT ENGLAND, THAT WAS WONT TO CONQUER OTHERS,
HATH MADE A SHAMEFUL CONQUEST OF ITSELF.
AH, WOULD THE SCANDAL VANISH WITH MY LIFE,
HOW HAPPY THEN WERE MY ENSUING DEATH!
Officer Thespienne: Now that was good! There was real conviction there! Mira, sweetheart, have you ever thought of becoming a drama coach?
>:=)>
Not to mention that this sort of thing was what came to mind in answer to the question "Where is Teedee", and I don't even know if she swings that way... >;=)>
All the drones are the latest versions.
All the drones are of NT manufacture.
Yes, NT does have a black market but CentComm is known to be very good at security, therefore, whilst older models may reach the black market it is unlikely that so many new models would. Therefore, it is likely that CentComm herself arranged this.
In short, if the New Romans twig that every single piece of equipment is the latest version then CentComm's denials hold as much water as Douchimus's denials that he was involved in Lynn's kidnapping.
"Good thing they didn't retaliate in force, we wouldn't have stood a chance in hell!".
Politically that makes all the difference. Stupid as it may sound.
I can't wait for them to disarm the contingencies and bring him down. I hope he doesn't die in the encounter.
The orb looks fine in the shadow, on the rear angle shot; but not so convincing on the frontal shots. I believe it's mostly the polished paint job -- not something you typically find on military equipment, I think...
(Of course you could argue that there are technical reasons for it -- but it just doesn't look right to our early 21st century eyes ;-) )
Hurt his pride, huh?
Will make sure I rate each comment, I have a tendency to skip rating when I comment.
Ada: "NO."
If they can target an orbital Laser canonn at a common housefly, then by damn, they want to be able to do so!
(For further info, just check on the Schlock Mercenary homepage.)
"There's NO kill
Like Overkill
it's the Only Kill I Knooooow!"
The machine guns mounted on top of the cupola, is mostly there to defeat people trying to get to the commander, while he's up there.
Of course that only really worked on relative short a distance. Otherwise the difference in flight curve of the projectiles became too big.
and somewhere to go!
And all systems go!
You'll be staring in my late night show...
Remember that that's a full sized fighter she's flying (i.e. a lot bigger than their drones) and, as the freighter is further away, it looks smaller than it really is.
Plenty of space for a few disassembled drones.
Remember, they already passed through customs. I'm sure their ship was scanned upon arrival. So why would NR Customs scan their ship a second time? BTW: At their earlier stop (before New Rome) it was revealed that their ship has scanner baffles to throw off scanners.
That's why you have civilians to check things out too.
*looks angrily in Mr Blacks direction*
.... he now owes Connie a dinner in a very fancy restaurant !!
...and why would they stack deck? is douchie not stacked enough? (jk)
@alt text: indeed :D
Their answers were frighteningly thorough, and I did my best to include a hint of it in the narration box. The drones were all broken down into components that could be passed off as completely harmless cargo--avionics parts for the grav-plates, survey equipment for the sensor suites, and so on. The parts that couldn't be passed off in that fashion were hidden in other ways. For example, the gun barrels can fit rather neatly into sections of piping that are spot-welded in place to blend in with the cargo ship's own pipe and cable runs...
I can speak to many, many methods of smuggling parts, and many more ways of beating them.
Key to beating the smuggler it to know the model of his ship. If you don't and they're competent, it's all over right there.
The next major part is to figure out how much of what things they officially have, and whether the spare parts match those the ship uses, and whether or not the number of them is reasonable. (learned this after someone got parts for a 'reactor bomb' past a security checkpoint I was playing, seriously, spare parts for the ship reactor supposedly, but it was for a freestanding one they melted down, damn terrorists)
Next step is to make sure the ship fits specifications, question all modifications that do not have an obvious purpose.
Next step is to do an ultrasound of the damn pipes, looking for any evidence of baffles that ought to not be there. Don't use fancy advanced scanners, use simple primitive stuff. You're not trying to catch what they did, you're just trying to figure out what is out of the ordinary.
Next step is to check the seat cushions. (Seat cushions with sensor baffling weave, I managed to smuggle a hundred AT mines and 3 suitcase nukes past port authority in the seating of a passenger shuttle under the grounds of 'going to extract refugees as part of a humanitarian mission' which I did as well).
Seriously, no one inspects seat cushions (except for my gamemaster, he does now).
Rely on primitive sensors that can't be foiled without it being evident in addition to the advanced stuff.
Sure it's not as detailed, but you can't do much to stop an mechanic with a stethoscope from going "there's something solid in this pipe".
Investigate all recent repairs and modifications, ESPECIALLY spot welds.
Make sure the reactor isn't loaded over capacity with a bunch of inactive-at-the-moment stuff (since we all know that will be used for a bomb)
Things to be included in any kit to foil smugglers.
A mechanic's stethoscope (my experience with them has usually involved finding things in pipes... which has included vermin. Figured out where a mouse nest was in the vent because when I tapped the ventilation housing, it sounded different, didn't know what it was at the time, but we stuck a periscope and a spotlight down the floor vent and figured out what it was)
A screwdriver (for consistent tapping noises)
A small collapsible periscope
multiple flashlights, including a battery powered spotlight of substantial power.
A paint brush
a 9 volt battery
some steel wool
a box of matches (matches, not a lighter, the neat lines of smoke you can get are great for finding ventilation irregularities)
an extremely sensitive compass (if there is a current going through the wires in the pipe, it will detect said current without fail)
Now, this isn't always proof to go tearing their ship apart to search it, in fact it rarely is, but it is evidence enough to, say, go check on them a few times. Maybe 'drop' your compass and go back to get it.
This is not the full comprehensive game of beating smugglers in sci-fi and are just a few pertinent notes. You need to be a lot more tactful than these would indicate on the surface.
Mwahaha
Honestly, if you guys ever want me to look for holes in a plan or ways to make them I'd be happy to be of assistance.
It's the least I can do to repay you guys for making my favorite comic of all time. Well, at this point.
I'm a poor college student so actually sending money via patreon isn't an option yet.
Of course I'm going into a well paid profession once I graduate, and I'll hopefully get a job that pays more than minimum wage so I'll be able to contribute via Patreon soon enough.
and anyone who sees my typos and accidental ommissions and regular edits to make my stuff, you know, readable knows exactly how brain fried I am.
That I managed to remember all the bullshit I've done to my poor gamemasters over the years is a miracle.
Nothing is easier to smuggle throuhg, than stuff that is supposed to be there. :)
And that container the murderturd came in ? It could make a fine ram, with a bit of ballast in it.
Great toys.
"The first one's birdshot, the next four are double-ought buck
The last one's a slug, just for good luck..."
Methinks Prince Douchebag's about to learn what the old saying 'Fuck with the bull and you get the horns' really means.
Now though, I'm wondering if she's the incarnation of Shiva, Destroyer of worlds *lightning crackling in the background*. She is singlehandedly controlling enough firepower to level the city.
(of course, the fact that I'm an idiot and try to see the good in people first might be a factor)
Dr Silver's Chest was NOT that big before......that armor has to have two inbuilt Airbagss there to compensate for this discrepancy
Let us please NOT annoy the nice Mad Scientist lady holding the Death Ray by asking her if she's a B cup or a C cup!
(edited as per Rose's Comments)
Dr Silver's Chest was NOT that big before......that armor has to have two inbuilt Airbagss there to compensate for this discrepancy
*pulls out seat, sits down* This is gonna be good. Popcorn, anyone?
This is going WAY too well for them thus far.
Something, not sure what, but something is going to get in their way.
Where would I put my money?
The janitor.
He or she will stumble on something he or she shouldn't have and will then raise the alarm.
I suspect, however, that you don't need a janitor to complicate things when you have a Dolly and a Ceci. There is no way that Dolly would let Lynn come to harm and I suspect something happens that make Team Kill-'Em-All think that CentComm's other order may be appropriate.
{edit} Reviewing their orders (datachasers.thecomicseries.com/comics/630 and datachasers.thecomicseries.com/comics/629, strip Stike Team and previous page, Of Mice and Men) I can see another potential problem. Given that CentComm disabled her ship and gave Ceci hidden orders, I suspect that Dolly is not in a rush to return to New Troy. Given that her daughter has expressed an interest in exploration/travel (datachasers.thecomicseries.com/comics/893) and that Dolly seems to be more emotional in this new body, I suspect that she may want to start living her cover. However much Ceci annoys her, I'm sure that something will happen that will let Dolly understand how much she means to her.
{edit 2}
I can just see it now. Ceci is out of her depth and, before Dolly knows what she's doing, Dolly's pulled out her gun and orders, "Leave my daughter alone!"
{edit 3} Changed URLs to links.
How much consideration is Marcus giving to Dolly and Ceci?
They just helped a poor android in a difficult situation...
...well, Marcus received an alert and acted on that - if he really knew it was *that* Ceci does not become clear, though he knows very much about her - so, he might know...
Currently to find under datachasers.thecomicseries.com/comics/936 and following pages...
I know that's only circumstantial evidence but I would be surprised if he doesn't know/suspect that there's another team.
I was more doubtful he knew it was the black angel from the other team - though on hindsight - how would a black angel be out there without it being them...?
I'm thinking CentComm not only gave Marcus the password, but also knowledge of her REAL mission to delay Dolly. I think Marcus was further told that Dolly should be grounded in or near Joleet. I believe Marcus was just checking to make sure that Dolly was in fact in the area and found out CeCi had a problem. I don't think he expects to see them though. The problems that CentComm inflicted upon Dolly's transportation should keep them out of the way longer than the extraction should take.
And as far as he knows, Dolly and CeCi are still back in Joleet with engine troubles.
Boy, he won't be happy once he realizes they are both in Nova Roma. XD
At least Kyle had the decency to get himself killed !
++Beyoooooooop++
My Sister in law when she was in Iraq, looked like she weighed almost 200 lbs when she was wearing all of her gear and body armor. And Susan weighs maybe 115 to 125 lbs soaking wet. Front and back plates, side plates, thigh and crotch armor, then you add in mag pouches, radio pouches etc, it adds up and makes a person look much larger than they are.
I know when I wear my armor I look like I weigh over 300 instead of the 278 I actually weigh.