Red mask

Silence 2026/02/02(Mon)14:18 No. 1120718 ID: 6d1406
File 177004188115.png - (27.54KB , 660x407 , Mech409.png )

>>1120570
You pull up Red Mask's record. There's more on the Mech Red 9 on another page, but the mech on the screen doesn't resemble any of the mechs you've faced. You do get a general history of what Red Mask was doing here.

Could the Red Mask you're facing now really be the same one? The records are from a century ago.

"He was still only flesh"? ...I think we faced an AI based on Red Mask. That would explain the multiple mechs. Maybe it was a brain scan even.

Info on any of these mechs won't be tactically useful since it's so out of date. Could give us ideas on how to build our own tho.

Let's check the other two pilots. Bronson?

Hm, the text mentions legacy, which hints at several people bearing the mask in sequence. But that "only flesh" comment is indeed troubling.

Silence 2026/02/04(Wed)14:36 No. 1120806 ID: 6d1406
File 177021576381.png - (46.54KB , 887x446 , Mech410.png )

>>1120721
>>1120728
Could be, he could have also been heavily augmented, similar to how you were. Cybernetic research has been around a long time, there's some reports that the right implants and biotech can extend lifetimes. Add in the alien tech on the world...

You move onto Bronson. His mech has no parts listed, seems it was a proprietary industrial build, judging by the reports on topology reading.

However, the confirmation that the world is artificial, this is troubling. Why hide this?

Hm, Mateo is in charge then? Check his bio.

oh is the planet named after him? or his family at least

lets read his file

Silence 2026/02/06(Fri)15:15 No. 1120857 ID: 6d1406
File 177039091394.png - (48.75KB , 888x397 , Mech411.png )

>>1120810
>>1120818
You pull up Mateo's file, kingbreaker certainly seems old, but the Mateo in the file is only a year or two older than you are when this report was made.

Something happened, the technology of this world got to Mateo in some way. Either by influencing darker desires or controlling him.

Wait... is this guy the local Monarchy's founder/ruler?

A house of aristocrats that deposed royalists devolved into a royal family that looked down on aristocrats... what a disgrace.

Weird. This intel isn't just stale, it's archaic. Why hasn't this data been curated and updated?

>>1120871
i guess.

Check the Kingbreaker mech.

>>1120806
>artificial world
>>1120857
>Mateo uncovered something and he shifted
Sounds like he might have uncovered some ancient technology that belonged to whoever made the planet. And that ancient technology messed with his augments, causing him to change.

I think the lesson here is that we should get some kind of protection for our augments, so we don't change like Mateo did.

Silence 2026/02/09(Mon)15:01 No. 1120931 ID: 6d1406
File 177064928347.png - (58.86KB , 829x455 , Mech412.png )

>>1120869
More than likely, considering what was said about Red Mask, Mateo might still be alive in some way.

>>1120871
You're not certain, this entire place seems old. The ITA surely has other spaceports.

>>1120876
You open up the build on the Kingbreaker mech, the parts are of course, outdated, your standard August mech is more high tech than this thing. This thing is also a medium assault mech as well, seems Mateo was a frontliner.

>>1120880
You're gonna need a dedicated surgeon for that, there might be one in Operations, there has to be an infirmary for that. Of course you've already connected to alien tech, how do you know you haven't been altered by it already?

Alright shut it back down again. Don't wanna get caught with your fingers in it.

well that's something to think about. seems like the alien tech changes people. or maybe that's just greed

Silence 2026/02/11(Wed)14:21 No. 1121000 ID: 6d1406
File 177081970893.png - (31.63KB , 292x306 , Mech413.png )

>>1120932
You shut the terminal down, nobody's come by so you're fine for now. You're still concerned, you could ask if anyone knew about this, but who would you ask anyways?

>>1120939
Could be either, maybe the tech just empowered the greed.

With all that said, you're fairly certain you're done here. Where do you go next?

>>1121000
Let's go visit Operations

Yeah, let's stay on top of things. Operations it is.

Silence 2026/02/16(Mon)14:58 No. 1121131 ID: 6d1406
File 177125392976.png - (6.00KB , 235x111 , Mech414.png )

>>1121023
>>1121106
You move on to Operations

Silence 2026/02/16(Mon)15:03 No. 1121132 ID: 6d1406
File 177125423073.png - (32.06KB , 352x188 , Mech415.png )

You poke your head into the operations room, and find a chimp or a monkey in there, barking orders into a headset into an incredibly hectic room. Countless operatives and operations are going on in here.

Looks like now is not the right time to barge in. Which... is a bit weird, since the base is supposed to be laying low at the moment.

Yeah let's not bother anyone.

handsome monkey, but don't bother him now.

Silence 2026/02/18(Wed)15:01 No. 1121189 ID: 6d1406
File 177142687956.png - (25.79KB , 326x248 , Mech416.png )

>>1121133
>>1121135
>>1121144
You opt to leave the official alone. It's not surprising that operations are still undergoing, the spaceport houses mercs but the ITA has their own forces undergoing other operations, there are after all a bunch of spaceships in orbit.

From the sounds of it, it's quite a frustrating situation. You know a bit about the ITA, they're supposedly glorified traffic cops for colonized space but in truth they're the oldest authority. At least a few worlds have burned at their discretion.

You're not left with much else right now, have you visited everywhere? What's left for you to do other than hit the barracks and sleep?

Let's hit the bed, tomorrow may be a big day.

We haven't poked around the Garage.

Silence 2026/02/20(Fri)14:01 No. 1121335 ID: 6d1406
File 177159610494.png - (5.50KB , 205x77 , Mech417.png )

>>1121226
You decide to inspect the garage

Silence 2026/02/20(Fri)14:07 No. 1121336 ID: 6d1406
File 177159646211.png - (152.96KB , 649x457 , Mech418.png )

The inside of the garage is much different than you expected, you were expecting a mech hanger but there seems to be actual trucks and APCs in here. You can hear activity and it does sound like someone is here.

This place is an old Spaceport for certain.

Let's go see what people are doing.

mosey around

Silence 2026/02/23(Mon)16:02 No. 1122539 ID: 6d1406
File 177186257674.png - (22.96KB , 314x224 , Mech419.png )

>>1121348
>>1121350
You wander about, between the vehicles, there are a lot of trucks here. You get near the entrance of the garage when suddenly an ape pokes his head out.

Hey! What are you doing in here?

You ask him for his name.

I'm Paul. The hell are you doing in here?

'I'm one of the mech pilots. I've got nothing to do, so I'm just wandering atm'

There's nothing to do, so just looking around. Seeing what we've got and weather we'll stand a chance.

Silence 2026/02/25(Wed)14:37 No. 1122624 ID: 6d1406
File 177203023753.png - (38.74KB , 386x242 , Mech420.png )

>>1122540
>>1122541
You inform Paul that you're just wandering around, there's nothing for you to do.

Ah, passing time and getting a lay of the land. I get it. Yeah for you pilots there's really just short downtime and the next mission, think you get wired up that way?

You're not certain.

Well regardless, you've probably got a lot of questions. Go ahead, ask em. You wouldn't be the first one I've dealt with all day.

>>1122624
Do any of these vehicles ever get used? What are they used for? And what's your opinion of the current situation on this planet?

Don't want to interrupt him while he's on the clock. Maybe you can hang out and talk while he works.

Silence 2026/02/27(Fri)15:00 No. 1122690 ID: 6d1406
File 177220443434.png - (38.10KB , 326x253 , Mech421.png )

>>1122636
>>1122644
If you wanna stay here for a bit, that's fine. Got time to kill, just doing some tuneups.

The APCs you should be familiar with, they're used for transporting people, occasionally VIPs for important missions.

The trucks however are for cargo and logistics. Most of the parts around the ITA campuses on the planet get their parts shipped from here and there. These things usually ship them.

Can't wait for this war to be over though, I want off this world...

oh yeah? Where's he want to go?

Silence 2026/03/02(Mon)14:55 No. 1122844 ID: 6d1406
File 177246335208.png - (42.64KB , 289x302 , Mech422.png )

>>1122711
He relaxes and leans against one of the trucks.

Oh man... Pirmante, a lovely tropical world. I'd relax on the beach, just drink, and watch the waves. Far away from any frontier or war front, god what I wouldn't give for my job here to be up... what about you? Where would you go?

>>1122844
Don't know, haven't really thought about it before, I'm usually taking jobs and piloting a mech. But if I could take a vacation……

Maybe I'll also go somewhere tropical. Wear a bikini, catch some sun, try and learn to surf, if my implants are waterproof.

Then again, I might go somewhere with lots of snow. Sit by a fireplace, drink some hot chocolate, try and learn to snowboard.

Wherever I go, I might try and find a date or something. Never been on one and I figure it'll be an interesting experience.

Silence 2026/03/04(Wed)14:43 No. 1122987 ID: 6d1406
File 177263542692.png - (92.63KB , 457x451 , Mech423.png )

>>1122849

You reply that you're not certain, probably take a vacation if you could, or at least get your implants corrected. Learning to surf, maybe sitting by the fireplace, getting your memories back and maybe find a date. There's a lot.

Right you're one of them Indentured mercs. Sucks to here... anything I could do to help with that?

You're pretty sure he can't fix it, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

[Slight error when it came to saving the art, can't correct it, will make sure it doesn't happen next time.]

>>1122987
Yeah, might as well ask.

Does he have a secret side hustle that can bring in a lot of cash?

Well, what's keeping us indentured? Just debt? I guess we'd have to find some way to get rich then. If it's some kind of prison sentence then we'd have to look for ways to get a pardon.

Silence 2026/03/06(Fri)14:47 No. 1123095 ID: 6d1406
File 177280843380.png - (53.00KB , 359x341 , Mech424.png )

>>1123039
>>1123072
You ask if Paul has a secret cashflow or anything.

Nah, don't got that. Cases like yours are more about fulfilling a contract. I do know someone in the infirmary who is a wizard with implants, they owe me a favor.

>>1123078
You ask what could be keeping you indentured.

It's usually one of three things, prison, money, implants. All 3 apply here on this damned planet. If you're indentured via debt then the jobs here will pay that off. If you're indentured for a prison sentence then this is a high risk zone that'll clear that, either you go free or you die. If it's tech and implants, then you're under a contract to test some experimental BS and this is just the kind of high chaos zone needed for it.

Well that's pleasant.

My recommendation, visit my pal in the Infirmary, they'll get you tuned up and hopefully unlock some memories for you. By the way what company do you work for anyways? Different corps have their reasons so...

Do you tell him or just thank him and move on?

>>1123095
Can't imagine why the name of the corp is a secret, may as well tell him.

yeah why hide it, if you know it

Silence 2026/03/09(Mon)13:51 No. 1123236 ID: 6d1406
File 177306430247.png - (48.33KB , 304x377 , Mech425.png )

>>1123104
>>1123133
You inform him that you're under contract with Kowalski-Wayne Mercantile.

Oh shit, Kowalski Wayne? Oh lord... That... wow... yeah I think you should probably hit the infirmary or something. Like if you were with Wislon Scrap or something else that'd be somethin- and you don't even know. Right... look this is probably a little confusing for you. Do you want the information?

>>1123236
If it's that bad, then yeah, I'd like the information.

yes

Silence 2026/03/11(Wed)13:42 No. 1123322 ID: 6d1406
File 177323657370.png - (44.90KB , 359x259 , Mech426.png )

>>1123237
>>1123239
You decide you need to know, Paul places a hand on your shoulder.

Okay so Kowalski Wayne is the premiere freight and shipping company because they are the monopoly on it! Everything they do is to maintain that monopoly.

Your handlers are there to make sure that your implants don't drive you nuts and that you can still focus on the task ahead, you can earn your freedom sure but being one of their indentured means something big happened to you and the only way out was to get them to cover it.

Oh. Well shit.

Tell me, do you have some generic handler, or do you have someone who actually gave you a name?

You're this deep in, do you go further?

>>1123322
Tell him it's not a generic handler, and you were given your name... but you're not sure if you should say who your handler is.

in for a penny, in for a pound

Silence 2026/03/13(Fri)13:34 No. 1123413 ID: 6d1406
File 177340888293.png - (49.05KB , 374x359 , Mech427.png )

>>1123353
You tell him it's Hannibal. You're this far in why not?

Hannibal? Huh... never heard of that one, you sure it's not somebody else?

You know your handler.

Huh... well okay then. Hannibal, don't think I've ever seen that name on the records.

>>1123413
Huh, neat. Special handler! Or maybe you've been stolen and Hannibal isn't with KWM. Can't hurt to do a few basic checks, right? Ask how you can confirm that you're working who you think you're working for.

Hm, weird. Either it's just a codename Paul doesn't know, or there is indeed something strange at work here.

You've been told by a KW suit that Hannibal is legit, though rumor has it that he's ambitious? All he's done is look out for you so far, providing support for whatever mission you happened to be on. He's a good handler, helps keep you out of trouble. Both with the bad guys, and your bosses at KW.

Silence 2026/03/16(Mon)14:35 No. 1123501 ID: 6d1406
File 177367173224.png - (43.57KB , 277x306 , Mech428.png )

>>1123419
Maybe a special handler? Hannibal seems known to other circles, maybe this guy has limited info?

>>1123450
Possible, Paul is a mechanic. Everyone else seemed more in the know.

>>1123468
This is very true, you respect Hannibal and he hasn't steered you wrong once. You're not sure what his end game is but you know he at least has well meaning intentions.

Speaking of which, your implanted comms crackle and suddenly you hear him.

Good news 637, the negotiations are finished and Wilson Scrap has officially allied with Kowalski Wayne for the near future. You've even got a job, tomorrow is the big day, the assault on the door. You won't be in the frontline however, you'll be with the Junk Division.

That's quite the news.

We finish this, we get your life back.

Better get plenty of sleep. Thank the mechanic for the information and head to bed.

>>1123501
Oh hey, we were just talking about him. Odd timing.

Don't forget to go to the infirmary before we hit the barracks. We've still got a wizard to meet.

First we find alien tech on the planet, now we're working with an actual wizard? What a time to be alive.

Silence 2026/03/18(Wed)12:31 No. 1123561 ID: 6d1406
File 177383707033.png - (8.05KB , 149x122 , Mech429.png )

>>1123504
You thank Paul for the info, and head out.

>>1123511
You remember, the infirmary visit. You should probably get your cyberware looked at, at the very least.

Silence 2026/03/18(Wed)12:32 No. 1123562 ID: 6d1406
File 177383716374.png - (40.75KB , 237x236 , Mech430.png )

The interior of the infirmary is clean, makes sense at the very least, before you can catch on the rest of the environment you're greeted by a Salamander with an armature rig.

Oh hello there! I'm Nora Kensington, you're one of the mercenary pilots right? Pleasure to meet you! Welcome to the Infirmary, do you need any help?

... She's forward and friendly.

>>1123562
She seems friendly, but are we sure she's the wizard Paul told us about? Tell her that the mechanic spoke highly of her skills and see how she reacts. If she knows him by name, I guess we can trust her to take a look at our implants and see what we can find out.

Ask if she knows Paul. Someone here owes him a favor?

Silence 2026/03/20(Fri)13:39 No. 1123632 ID: 6d1406
File 177401394186.png - (68.81KB , 401x411 , Mech431.png )

>>1123563
You ask if she's a wizard of sorts.

I've been called that a few times! It's mostly about my long shifts, I've worked nearly 16 hours here. Man a lot of you mercenaries are augmented! Where do you get all these implants? Haha!

More seriously I am the chief here when it comes to dealing with cybernetics.

>>1123576
You ask if she knows Paul.

Paulie? Of course I know him! He's a good guy and all, but I'm betting you're not here to ask about him or his dating life! You're here because he has a favor he wants to cash in! Am I correct? I bet it has to do with your cyberware doesn't it!

>>1123632
Yep, you're here to see if you can get your implants looked at, maybe some improvements could be made or a few memories unlocked. Nothing that would piss off your handler, please. Next mission should be your last one, so there's no rush.

>>1123632
Sounds like she's the one we're looking for! We're an indentured pilot sent by Kowalski-Wayne Mercantile and we don't actually remember where our implants came from. We're hoping she can take a look at them and see if she can recover some of our memories, and tell us about any other weird surprises she might find. Also we'd like to improve our resistance to being controlled by alien technology, though we still want the ability to interface with it.

I wonder how Nora knows Paul. What's the "favor" about, and why is he spending it on us? They must have worked together if he's this confident in her skills. She says she's had experience working here for... 16 hours? I hope that means "in a row", not "total".

Silence 2026/03/23(Mon)14:10 No. 1123882 ID: 6d1406
File 177427503558.png - (38.67KB , 417x188 , Mech432.png )

>>1123659
>>1123661
You confirm that you're here to cash in that favor of Paul's.

Figures! Well, just lay down on the bed there and we'll get you hooked up, I'll need to get the partition from your implants and we should find what's keeping those memories of yours locked away!

Silence 2026/03/23(Mon)14:12 No. 1123883 ID: 6d1406
File 177427514771.png - (51.66KB , 217x321 , Mech433.png )

You lay down, and Nora gets a cable plugged into the neural port. The bed is a little uncomfortable but you're a pilot, you're used to this.

Alright, this won't hurt a bit, it'll be a dreamlike sequence. You'll be alright, are you ready?

You're already here.

Excellent! Here we go!

You feel a click, and suddenly the world falls away from you.

>>1123882
A "partition"? So the memory loss isn't just an effect of the damage or the surgery, it was intended to keep something hidden.

>>1123883
Nora sure seems nice. Well, we're on our way to a dream journey, so... go on a dream journey, I guess. Not sure what else to say in this situation.

Remember when you pee in the dream, you pee in real life!

Silence 2026/03/25(Wed)13:47 No. 1123930 ID: 6d1406
File 177444644146.png - (372.94KB , 1102x715 , Mech434.png )

The dream begins... and you awaken.

You are a mercenary known as Fox, you've got a job on this station here, Stanford Station as it's called. You have a long job ahead of you and if you play it right you'll make more money than you ever needed, you'll be able to pay off your ITA debts, and retire at last.

Your tail swishes, and you think to yourself about all the ways this job can go wrong. But for now, you have some armor, you have a job, and finally, you have a name. Fox is just a call sign.

What is your name?

And so begins our two week hiatus

Juniper

Steven McDot

>>1123951
Oh that's good!

Silence 2026/04/08(Wed)14:16 No. 1124859 ID: 6d1406
File 177565780580.png - (52.49KB , 668x344 , Mech435.png )

>>1123951
Your name is Juniper, you're a freelance Mercenary under the Frontier Trade act, you've got some experience in the modern mechs of the age and you've proven yourself.

For now you're without a machine, you've got some debts wracking up, and you're supposed to meet your contact on this station. Someone named Mr. Silver, that's who you're meeting, but for now you have other issues.

You've not eaten much due to not having much money to your name, but your stomach growls and you are getting desperate. Nearby is a food stand labelled "cheap", with a little old frog woman running it. You can smell the kebabs, the noodles, the spices, and it's not helping at all.

Still, you have to focus... but maybe... maybe one bite wouldn't hurt. Do you risk your wallet? Or do you keep moving ahead?

>>1124859
Get something cheap that we can eat on the way. Our body needs nutrients! We can't do our job correctly if we don't eat.

pilot needs food badly

Silence 2026/04/10(Fri)13:03 No. 1124996 ID: 6d1406
File 177582623798.png - (48.89KB , 410x276 , Mech436.png )

>>1124876
>>1124892
You opt to get yourself something, it wouldn't do Mr. Silver much good if you collapsed from hunger now would it.

You could spare maybe 30 credits for this, you greet the woman running the stand, she says to you. "Oh hello there! What can I get for you today?"

"I'm looking for something, what are the specials of today?" you reply.

"Well, the current specials are right on that board over there! Take a look!"

You see a board by your feet and it lists the current specials and prices.

* Spicy Noodles 15 Credits
* Kebabs 10 credits
* Drink 6 credits
* Hot Sandwich 11 Credits
* Mystery Special 20 credits

"Wait hold on! Your sign said cheap, these prices are anything but cheap!"

The Frog Woman grins. "Oh my deary... what will you do about it?"

Crap.

Supply n' demand. Leave now and wait for her prices to rot.

Obviously, "Cheap" is actually her name.
Just order the kebabs, to-go.

>>1124996
Walk away. Don't reward false advertising.

get the kebabs and leave a bad review. Do you have a marker or anything?

>>1124996
Haggle. Give her one chance to offer us a better price, then leave. We'll want food sooner or later, but we don't need cheap overpriced junk. Tell her we might consider it if she didn't overcharge so much, but if she won't budge, we're saving our money for something worth the price.

>>1125001 How rare. Got beat to the punch. Seconded.

Silence 2026/04/13(Mon)13:47 No. 1125265 ID: 6d1406
File 177608802913.png - (31.12KB , 282x246 , Mech437.png )

>>1125001
>>1125020
>>1125101
You're hungry but not that hungry, your self control asserts itself and you decide to leave.

"Oh, but how will you meet with Mr. Silver then, deary?"

"Excuse me?" You say back.

She opens her eyes and her smile becomes a grin, steepling her fingers. "You heard me, you want to meet Mr. Silver don't you? You didn't think it'd be that easy. He runs this entire station right under the administrator's nose. Spinward he controls it all, you want the job... you have a few ways in. Mine is the easiest."

She has to be lying, and yet you see it in her eyes that she's serious.

"You're here for the job, the big one, with that fancy new machine in Hangar 15."

You didn't tell anyone about that.

"What'll it be? The easy war, or the hard way."

Well that depends. Is Mr Silver looking for a gullible rube? How about some assurance this isn't a trick.

Hey that's a pretty good sales pitch. Good enough to order some food at least. We'll see where things go from there.

>>1125265
And what exactly is this "easy way" she's proposing to us? Because we're not inclined to pay just for the possibility of being interviewed for a job.

Fun with typos! "Hard way beats an 'easy' war of course." Seriously though. She just gave it away like a fool. Hangar 15 so... go.

Silence 2026/04/15(Wed)14:12 No. 1125439 ID: 6d1406
File 177626232914.png - (43.84KB , 381x271 , Mech438.png )

>>1125272
"Is he looking for a gullible rube?"

She sets down a silver coin. "No, just seeing if you remember anything special. Keeping eyes on you, seeing how you behave, this is his station after all."

>>1125312
"What is this easy way you're proposing, because I'm not paying for an interview."

"Oh you're not paying for the interview. You're paying for information... and a meal judging by the noises your gut is making, haven't eaten in awhile have you?"

>>1125375
"You know I could just go to Hangar 15."

She taps on the silver coin. "Not without approval you won't, you want to meet with Mr. Silver for the job, you can't just enter the hangar anyways."

Well crap.

>>1125279
"Fine, I'll order... what would you recommend?"

The Frog Woman's grin grows. "I'd recommend the Mystery special, I'll even give you a 50% discount on it, if you want to take it at all."

...yeah, ok, that sounds like an acceptable price. Assuming food is involved.

that price is okay.

look at the coin, anything special about it? seems like its supposed to mean something.

Silence 2026/04/17(Fri)13:07 No. 1125522 ID: 6d1406
File 177643126365.png - (22.61KB , 244x222 , Mech439.png )

>>1125447
>>1125493
"Yeah, I'll take that."

"10 credits!"

You pay off the balance and look at the silver coin in the meantime, it's simple, just a silver coin with a printed "15" on it. Might be related to the hangar.

Silence 2026/04/17(Fri)13:10 No. 1125523 ID: 6d1406
File 177643140216.png - (44.40KB , 345x257 , Mech440.png )

You are slid your meal shortly, it appears to be a set of fried meat on skewers and some noodles, it smells good though. Real good.

"Just down the street," the Frog Woman says. "Mr. Silver will meet you in the old tax building, enjoy!"

You idly thank her.

>>1125523
Might as well eat on your way over. No sense in being hungry when you meet Mr. Silver.

>>1125523
Not sure how legit that was, but at least we got some food out of it. Two meat skewers and some noodles. When we're finished with the meat, we can use the skewers as chopsticks. Clever.

Is 10 credits a normal price for this amount of food?

Let's check out the bottom and sides of the package. There might be something hidden in it somewhere. And also pay attention to the taste. We're not usually this wary of someone putting something in our food, but that frog lady is pretty shady.

Are you supposed to take the coin?