Discovery #40

[saikyocivrobo]

Two of the Inspectors are down. Three are left, two of which have big, exploitable weaknesses. All we need to to is find a way to beat their ovepowered leader.

You know what I think? It's time to stop just reacting to them whenever they show up. We should focus on finding their base. They had the initiative for long enough - now it's our turn.

Comments

[azure_savior]

A slow and armored enemy -but not the most durable we've ever faced- and then a fast one -one that several of our units have managed to keep up with even if overclocking was required.

... We definitely do have a good chance of taking those two if we take the fight to their doorstep. Not like retreat'll be an option.

The last one though...

[saikyocivrobo]

So far he's been able to brutally no-sell everything we've thrown at him. He's disgustingly strong, tough, fast, and can teleport.

If nobody can think of a better solution, our best bet might be rushing him with all the most powerful units. And rotating them if someone gets damaged, because we have few people who can take several hits from that guy.

[azure_savior]

He's got to have a limit though... otherwise he wouldn't have settled with just wrecking the Mobile Doll System. We've been too much of a roadblock for the Inspectors for them to leave us alive if they don't have to.

[saikyocivrobo]

The fact that the Mobile Doll System itself was a threat for them speaks volumes too.

[azure_savior]

At the very least, it means there's a limit to what they can do and how much they can handle.

So your plan might be what we need to go with.

[saikyocivrobo]

It's not a plan yet, just a rough idea. After I think about it further... Who knows, we might see another President Orbital Drop in action.

[themomentoftherose]

Do we have any idea where they're getting their supplies from?

[saikyocivrobo]

Might be thin air as far as I know at this point.

I know they have to get their resources from somewhere, but they were very good at keeping it out of our collective radar so far.

[hobo_lantern]

And one of the inspector was killed by a cat.

[saikyocivrobo]

Further proof that cats are vicious killers.

[hobo_lantern]

Cats are more dangerous than extraterrestrial aliens, apparently.

[saikyocivrobo]

Hopefully we'll never meet a creature that's both at once.

[nietzsche_waifu]

Good thinking, but do you have any idea where their headquarters may be?

Inspectors appear and disappear almost out of nowhere. It could be anywhere.

[saikyocivrobo]

There has to be some pattern to where they show up... And where they don't show up. We might find at least an idea of where to send scouts.

[nietzsche_waifu]

They are targetting events when they can expose humans' "hypocrisy" or other weakness of character. Of course, they do not see any irony in that at all.

Other than that... they attacked White Chalice directly only once. When we had something they wanted gone.

[saikyocivrobo]

Are you suggesting we set up a lure?

[nietzsche_waifu]

No. Inspectors are too dangerous to do something like that.

But watch out for situations that may interest them.

[saikyocivrobo]

I'm sure they're smart enough to expect us there, too.

[nietzsche_waifu]

Let them come. Arrogance was already the downfall of one of them.

[saikyocivrobo]

Mhm. Let's just make sure it won't be ours, either.

[alwaysmyturn]

Seconded! They way they keep popping up is getting old.

So, when do we move?

[saikyocivrobo]

Hold your eggplant horses, Nep. We still don't know where their base is.

[alwaysmyturn]

Duh! That's why we're gonna -look- for it!

In the alternate Gamindustri, we leave this to Scouts most of the time though.

[saikyocivrobo]

How are they different from scouts of this world?

[alwaysmyturn]

They've all got special stats and perks that make them specialized in finding one thing or another. You just pay them as much as you want, and they go out to dungeons and find stuff for you!

Oh, they can even change what kind of monsters spawn and affect drop rates.

[saikyocivrobo]

Yeah, unfortunately this is not a video game world. There's no such things as drop rates, spawning takes considerably more time and effort, and I don't think I ever saw a dungeon for real.

[alwaysmyturn]

Hey, hey! Stop shootin' down my game's mechanics - that's really how they work!

Anyway! We don't have 'em here, but we still have to start somewhere!

[saikyocivrobo]

I'm sure that's how they work... on Planeptune. This is Earth, and we have a completely different set of physics.

Anyway... If I can't make a list of potential locations for their base, I'll at least narrow it down by crossing out places where it cannot be. Then we'll have to check out the rest... Which is easier said than done, but it's better than nothing.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"I concur!" Matthew agrees.

"Perhaps if we plant a tracking device on one of their mechs during an engagement and allow it to escape, we can follow it back to it's port of origin!"

[saikyocivrobo]

That's a good plan... As long as we make sure the device is inconspicious enough that they find out only after they already bring it home. And we have to plant it on one of their main units, of course, not disposable replicated mooks.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Why not both types of foes?" Matthew suggests. "It would give us a measure of redundancy, quiaff? Further, if they dispose of any surviving 'mook' units in a different location, it would be helpful to find out."

He scratches the side of his neck in thought.

"Still, you are right. It would be tricky to devise a bug that would not be spotted on it's hull..."

Light-bulb.

"What if we planted a bug...in the interior of one of their mechs?"

[saikyocivrobo]

How confident are you in our ability to break through their armor like that?

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Star Captain Ranna Kerensky did it...with a Warhawk's arm cannons!" Matthew points out.

"I believe we can devise some kind of lance weapon that would be an effective weapon against them and be a means of inserting a tracer into the interior."

[saikyocivrobo]

A giant needle-shaped stinger, huh...

As long as its purpose is not obviously transparent, it might work.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"We should make it a practical weapon as well, something well-suited to piercing their armor."

He snaps his fingers. "Ah! What if they were designed to absorb beam fire from a distance and conduct it into the Inspector machine's innards? Or perhaps they are one-shot beam weapons themselves, fueled with capacitors? Like the bang sticks that deep-sea hunters use?"

[saikyocivrobo]

Don't ask me if that can be made, I'm a chemist, not an engineer. Not all scientists can build giant robots.

[whitedevilbot]

I've been developing something that might be able to at least keep up with their leader, despite his teleportation. The question will be whether or not my theory regarding that beam absorption is correct...

As for finding them... I would start with that satellite that was up in orbit. If we had any indication on where it came from, that would be our starting lead... Not like people haven't been anxious of things in the sky ever since the One Year War.

[saikyocivrobo]

That's possible. I wouldn't be surprised if someone is taking a look at it as we speak.

What's your theory?

[whitedevilbot]

It might be entirely wrong, given we've no idea what the basis of the design is...

But I suspect there has to be a limit. If its absorbing energy, that energy has to go somewhere. And if there's too much to take in...?

[saikyocivrobo]

You want to shut down the system by overloading it.

It happened once to Ichitaka before. And since Laplace Wall seems to work on a similar principle...

[whitedevilbot]

At the very least, what it can't absorb should manage to get through anyway. Of course, the energy requirements are... large. I'm having to develop a whole new type of funnel to even be able to carry such power.

[saikyocivrobo]

Why a funnel? Wouldn't a more ordinary cannon work better here?

[whitedevilbot]

Part of getting around the teleportation issue. The ability to appear theoretically anywhere on the battlefield is... less problematic, if you're able to quickly respond nearly anywhere on the battlefield.

[saikyocivrobo]

That's a good point. And more efficient than a weapon that just fires beams everywhere at once.

[whitedevilbot]

Yep. Add in Newtype reflexes, and a machine actually built to handle just speed... It just might work.