Schlock Mercenary

Well once the threat is gone any vehicles they commandeered which aren't already destroyed have to be returned to their owners. So that's not really an option.

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Technically those ships will belong to the UNS government, and those guys can make donations if they want to. That, or just give them a standard UNS frigate, I mean for heavens sakes, they just save 4 billion people in Dom Atlantis and who knows how many dozens of billions in the wars that would have resulted.

edited 3rd Mar '15 10:46:01 PM by MattII

Everything Is Awesome With Bears.

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And apparently there's a Schlock Mercenary fan on Red's Paintball field in today's◊ The Whiteboard... who also happens to be a koala.

(TWB has no "current strip" permanent URL, so I had to link directly to the image.)

All your safe space are belong to Trump

Ooh, new maxim. Also, one or two new species do you think?

edited 10th Mar '15 10:47:00 PM by MattII

New species. It's not the reptilians the O'benn were fighting with, as per Word of God from the SM Facebook feed, her arms are too long.

All your safe space are belong to Trump

The lady's a reptilian, the one behind her looks more amphibian than anything, so I'm thinking two species, but I can't quite be sure.

Well. looks like those that thought this whole thing was the work of The Schuul Called It!

edited 11th Mar '15 5:47:14 PM by Seraphem

So are the Schuul supposed to be getting built up as the next big villain or something? Because this plot seems kind of... unconnected from the other plot they were behind that springs to mind, the mall cop arc. I can't see how the same plotters could even care about both, but that's two out of two appearances and they were villains in both.

edited 11th Mar '15 8:45:16 PM by Brickman

Your funny quote here! (Maybe)

Well, the fist one... The squid part seemed upset there was no overreaction, no retaliation, no chaos. Possible that it was a test to try and see what might be the best way to create the kind of panic they were looking for on a large scale. Basically small experiments at how to manipulate humans.

In one of the print bonus stories which also touched more on the ninja vs gnome war between Karl Tagon and Timeclone!Kevyn, a Schul shaman is the main villain, though off the top of my head I forget the story details other than it involving drug running.

edited 11th Mar '15 9:00:47 PM by Nohbody

All your safe space are belong to Trump

Inclined to agree. They seem disconnected because the first instance is a small, prepatory operation while this was the all hands on deck production.

That being said I don't think this is over. Just because two operations have failed doesn't mean there isn't a third in the works. Narratively it seems rather anti-climatic to have someone who can must this sort of force be defeated both times without even an off screen event to establish the credibility of their threat.

However it could play out a couple of different ways. The situation escalates even further or they notice the part the Toughs played in both incidents and decided to eliminate them before moving on to their next plan.

The preparatory operation we've seen was probably not the only test they've run. Also they weren't "defeated" - they got their data.

But I do expect for the plot to appear again. However I also very much wonder how will the "immortality for everybody!" plot will go.

Why does Emm keep evidence in the first place?

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Evidence can mean "things I need to operate, but which would get me in trouble if anyone saw them". Like technical specifications on what Redhack can and cannot do, or equipment she needs to communicate with his clones.

Your funny quote here! (Maybe)

The alternative being that they put so much into these operations that they have little left over. This would have to have been in planning for months or ever years, and it was just a chance operation half a galaxy away that meant that it failed. Hells, most of the actual brainwork was down to Mako, not the Toughs.

Or maybe a whole mess of plans, Jud Shafter and Lunesby are out there somewhere, as is LOTA, plus a Petey-made LOTA copy, plus a loose Da ME. I could easily see a gambit pileup sooner or later.

edited 13th Mar '15 11:48:07 PM by MattII

The fact that Admiral Emm seems to be fleeing the stage with Kowalski seems to add weight to the Schuul being the next recurring antagonists, since she was filling that role. I guess that means there's a chance the Toughs will end up working with General Bala-Amin (and thus the UNS government) again, cooperatively and on purpose.

Your funny quote here! (Maybe)

Maybe the Thoughs *do* get someone new.

edited 19th Mar '15 5:03:36 AM by 3of4

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They may get to work with some non-Toughs.

= Spindriver =

I really, really hope that it doesn't turn out that Bala-min was somehow behind all of this as a powerplay.

The resources involved would seem to indicate a major power, not just a rogue intelligence officer (who'd have to operate through trusted cut-outs).

= Spindriver =

As I wrote on the Nightstar SM forum, I doubt Landon will join the Toughs, at least as a regular member, for in-universe and storyline reasons.

In-universe: The head of Internal Affairs has to be above reproach morally, above and beyond normal JSC officers. Given the "hat" of the Toughs tends to be a distinctly dingy gray, I can't see him being comfortable there.

Storytelling: He doesn't really bring anything to the table for the Toughs that isn't already provided by others (even if not on-screen at the moment). Morality? The reverend and his wife have that covered. Big mean omnivore with a penchant for eating people? Schlock. Big grunts, non-human or otherwise? Elizabeth and Chisulo, and to a lesser extent Andy. Landon's intelligence hasn't been discussed (though I imagine you wouldn't want an idiot in charge of IA), but Elf has tactical intelligence covered, and Landon hasn't been shown to have Kevyn's Mad Scientist tendencies.

About the only thing he can bring along is investigative abilities, but liberal applications of firepower with occasional Smart Ball contact hasn't done the Toughs too badly so far.

edited 19th Mar '15 12:10:34 PM by Nohbody

All your safe space are belong to Trump

No party like a boarding party. Breya, you spoilsport. :P

All your safe space are belong to Trump

The last few pages are only making my "the next arc is about the Toughs working with Bala-Amin and the UNS, without any backstabbing" theory look more likely. In any case it'll give both Landon and Sorlie a chance to stick around for another arc as protagonists.

Though personally I thought Landon was kinda boring, the "bears are scary" joke got old fast and it's all he had going for him as a character.

Your funny quote here! (Maybe)

... did I read that right? Does that mean that the Toughs are taking possession of a battle-plate? Incomplete or not, that's still a freaking battle-plate.