Operation: Blazing Star

[SRoss]

Had an idea for a campaign, ok it's largely ripped off Space Battleship Yamato 2199 , but here's my idea.

Operation: Blazing Star

Premise: In the aftermath of the events in ROBOTECH: The Shadow Chronicles, the Earth has a year’s worth of Protoculture stocks left. After the Archangel leaves on it’s mission to find the SDF-3 and the Protoculture Matrix. During a routine patrol, a group of UEEF ships are attacked near Pluto by a fleet of Haydonite ships. While this is happening, the Invid Princess, Sera receives a message from her mother, the Regess; “In light of their having a common enemy in the Children of the Shadow, the Regess will give the humans the means by which to process the Flower of Life (still growing wild on Earth) into Protoculture. The humans need only come to the Invid home world to get it.”

For this mission, a crew is hastily put together and a heavily modified Tokugawa class ship, the S.S. Argo.

S.S. Argo

The Argo spent most of it’s unremarkable career as a test-bed for experimental weapons, equipment and configurations. Consequentially it had a very non-standard refit, including a barrier system.

Armament

Bow Mounted Experimental Fold Emission Beam Cannon (aka; the Fold Gun): This weapon uses the ship’s Fold Engine to briefly generate a micro-black hole in the firing chamber that emits an intense blast of Hawking radiation out the bow. It’s a dangerously powerful weapon that can only be fired once every two minutes.

3 x HPC-SC440 Double Barrelled, Heavy Particle Cannon Turrets: Salvaged from the SDF-1, these cannons are kind of a maintenance nightmare as many of the parts are no longer made. The engineering crew has actually been using spare parts designed for the HPC-SC320s, and these guns have the same miss-tuning as the 320s.

10 x HPC-SC320 Triple Barrelled, 320mm Particle Cannon Turrets: These guns were a manufacturer’s error (they were supposed to be twin barrelled). Too big to go on the ships they were meant for, they were installed on the Argo instead. Unknown to anyone, another error during installation lead to the guns being miss-tuned to the point they’ll pass unaffected through Haydonite shields.

12 x M-400 Quad Barrelled 40cm Artillery Cannon Turrets: Installed as an experiment to make use of a surplus in 40cm cannons.

30 x HM-1 Heavy Missile Launchers.

12 x MLWS-60 Rapid-Fire, 60mm Point Defence Lasers.

Vehicle Complement

250 Assorted VFs for escort and defence, (Mostly Alphas and Ajax) led by Shinden squadron in the VF-SDP “Kawamori”.

1,000 Assorted VFs for attack and planetary assault, (mostly Alphas, Betas, Hover Tanks and 1 VA-6 “Mothra Monster”) led by Mauve squadron in the XVF-15 “Gamma”.

700 Assorted Destroids and Battloids, led by Gnome company in the MBR-12 Mk III “Super Condor”.

60 Other (AWACS, Transports, etc.).

1,000 Assorted Cyclones and Power Armours, led by The Easyriders in the VR-057 Veritech “Super” Cyclone.

[Arnie100]

We're off to outer space...we're leaving Mother Earth...to save the universe...uchuu senkaan Aarrggooo!! Wait, Mauve Squadron's in this?!

[SRoss]

We're off to outer space...we're leaving Mother Earth...to save the universe...uchuu senkaan Aarrggooo!! Wait, Mauve Squadron's in this?!

Yes, but where I equate the original Mauve squadron as being kinda like Police Academy with mecha, the New Generation Mauve squadron is more along the lines of the US Marines Black Sheep squadron.

[taalismn]

Their bad luck had to break sometime.
Of course, that only means the Black Clouds of Misfortune will have to find some other bunch of schmoes to pick on.

[Alpha 11]

Liking the ideal.

[SRoss]

Their bad luck had to break sometime.
Of course, that only means the Black Clouds of Misfortune will have to find some other bunch of schmoes to pick on.

Major Jones felt a sudden chill run down his spine, and this time it wasn't just the draft coming from the latrine door.

[taalismn]

Their bad luck had to break sometime.
Of course, that only means the Black Clouds of Misfortune will have to find some other bunch of schmoes to pick on.

Major Jones felt a sudden chill run down his spine, and this time it wasn't just the draft coming from the latrine door.

Somewhere, Karl Riber had a bad feeling, and began to wonder if maybe FAKING his death was not the best idea he'd ever had...

[Alpha 11]

Their bad luck had to break sometime.
Of course, that only means the Black Clouds of Misfortune will have to find some other bunch of schmoes to pick on.

Major Jones felt a sudden chill run down his spine, and this time it wasn't just the draft coming from the latrine door.

Their bad luck had to break sometime.
Of course, that only means the Black Clouds of Misfortune will have to find some other bunch of schmoes to pick on.

Major Jones felt a sudden chill run down his spine, and this time it wasn't just the draft coming from the latrine door.

Somewhere, Karl Riber had a bad feeling, and began to wonder if maybe FAKING his death was not the best idea he'd ever had...

[taalismn]

Mandatory alien princess(es) as part of the crew....whether anybody else knows of their presence or not.

There will also be:
-Fresh from the Academy cadets(because of the massive losses at Reflex Point)
-Several old veterans from the Second, and even the First, Robotech Wars.
-Experimental Artificial Intelligence(NOT T.E.D., though he can be nominally part of Mauve).

I'd toss a few oddball secondary and tertiary weapons systems on the ARGO as well; recycled MAC II and III cannons, first generation UEDF plasma guns, etc., for flavor.

[Alpha 11]

Mandatory alien princess(es) as part of the crew....whether anybody else knows of their presence or not.

There will also be:
-Fresh from the Academy cadets(because of the massive losses at Reflex Point)
-Several old veterans from the Second, and even the First, Robotech Wars.
-Experimental Artificial Intelligence(NOT T.E.D., though he can be nominally part of Mauve).

I'd toss a few oddball secondary and tertiary weapons systems on the ARGO as well; recycled MAC II and III cannons, first generation UEDF plasma guns, etc., for flavor.

And experimental mecha.

[SRoss]

Mandatory alien princess(es) as part of the crew....whether anybody else knows of their presence or not.

There will also be:
-Fresh from the Academy cadets(because of the massive losses at Reflex Point)
-Several old veterans from the Second, and even the First, Robotech Wars.
-Experimental Artificial Intelligence(NOT T.E.D., though he can be nominally part of Mauve).

I'd toss a few oddball secondary and tertiary weapons systems on the ARGO as well; recycled MAC II and III cannons, first generation UEDF plasma guns, etc., for flavor.

And experimental mecha.

That goes without saying. The UEEF would be scrambling to replace all those Shadow Fighters that have to be pulled off the line. Ironically, Mauve's Gamma Fighters are actually LESS buggy with the Shadow tech removed.

[SRoss]

Mandatory alien princess(es) as part of the crew....whether anybody else knows of their presence or not.

There will also be:
-Fresh from the Academy cadets(because of the massive losses at Reflex Point)
-Several old veterans from the Second, and even the First, Robotech Wars.
-Experimental Artificial Intelligence(NOT T.E.D., though he can be nominally part of Mauve).

I'd toss a few oddball secondary and tertiary weapons systems on the ARGO as well; recycled MAC II and III cannons, first generation UEDF plasma guns, etc., for flavor.

I had some thoughts about that. Since Sera was apparently pregnant at some point after Reflex Point, I'd think she and Lancer wouldn't have left with the Archangel. So depending on the timing, she could be the known princess (a repeat of Mirya's adventures in parenting, anyone). I was also thinking of throwing in a young female recruit who is secretly an Invid/Human Hybrid (from the New Generation source book).

[taalismn]

[
I had some thoughts about that. Since Sera was apparently pregnant at some point after Reflex Point, I'd think she and Lancer wouldn't have left with the Archangel. So depending on the timing, she could be the known princess (a repeat of Mirya's adventures in parenting, anyone). I was also thinking of throwing in a young female recruit who is secretly an Invid/Human Hybrid (from the New Generation source book).

The Exotic Love Interest. A stable of these sorts of genre-missions.

[Arnie100]

Of course, the exotic love interest eventually falls in love with the hot shot fighter pilot who eventually becomes captain after the actual captain is injured. The enemy fleet is comprised of rogue Zentraedi led by an officer with Breetai's tactical/strategic abilities and with an ego bigger then Khyron's. This fleet will eventually ally itself with the humans and the leader begins to respect the hot shot fighter pilot turned captain.

[glitterboy2098]

Of course, the exotic love interest eventually falls in love with the hot shot fighter pilot who eventually becomes captain after the actual captain is injured. The enemy fleet is comprised of rogue Zentraedi led by an officer with Breetai's tactical/strategic abilities and with an ego bigger then Khyron's. This fleet will eventually ally itself with the humans and the leader begins to respect the hot shot fighter pilot turned captain.

i vote the main enemy antagonist (not the leader, just the main badguy the group encounters multiple times) be named in Mauve squadron tradition. i suggest Haydonite commander Dak-Iri.

[Arnie100]

Haydonite: "Leave US out of this!!"

[glitterboy2098]

who else is going to be the badguys though? the invid sent the invit, there aren't going to be enough zents left to serve that role (especially since the UEEF would have plenty of psy-ops stuff to negate them), the master's don't have enough fuel left... that leaves either the haydonites, which would be logical given the post-invid era.. or some new enemy we've never heard of before.

[taalismn]

Haydonite: "Leave US out of this!!"

Veidt: "Can't decline. We're up."

[Arnie100]

who else is going to be the badguys though? the invid sent the invit, there aren't going to be enough zents left to serve that role (especially since the UEEF would have plenty of psy-ops stuff to negate them), the master's don't have enough fuel left... that leaves either the haydonites, which would be logical given the post-invid era.. or some new enemy we've never heard of before.

From the depths of space...a giant meteor approaches our galaxy...but it is not a natural meteor. It is The Meteor Kingdom!!!! (Ominous, evil-sounding music plays in the background...followed by the maniacal laughter of the new bad guy!"

[taalismn]

(Evil)Disciples of Zor, then. They've been hiding out in some desert system's Ort Cloud, using the cold of cometary nuclei to mask their hideout and fuel their base and ships. Maybe they have an early model Fold-capable Command Asteroid, a proof-of-concept article for Dolza's command fortress.

They're deadset convinced Zor made a forced error in sending the Protoculture Matrix to the Terrans. THey think they're the true heirs to Zor's legacy and they mean to dispute his will.

[SRoss]

Of course, the exotic love interest eventually falls in love with the hot shot fighter pilot who eventually becomes captain after the actual captain is injured. The enemy fleet is comprised of rogue Zentraedi led by an officer with Breetai's tactical/strategic abilities and with an ego bigger then Khyron's. This fleet will eventually ally itself with the humans and the leader begins to respect the hot shot fighter pilot turned captain.

i vote the main enemy antagonist (not the leader, just the main badguy the group encounters multiple times) be named in Mauve squadron tradition. i suggest Haydonite commander Dak-Iri.

Miazaki's Mauve squadron was actually opposed by the mighty (cough, cough) Haydonite Warlord Doz.

[SRoss]

Haydonite: "Leave US out of this!!"

Veidt: "Can't decline. We're up."

"This is what you get for allying with the Protocola machines."

[SRoss]

who else is going to be the badguys though? the invid sent the invit, there aren't going to be enough zents left to serve that role (especially since the UEEF would have plenty of psy-ops stuff to negate them), the master's don't have enough fuel left... that leaves either the haydonites, which would be logical given the post-invid era.. or some new enemy we've never heard of before.

From the depths of space...a giant meteor approaches our galaxy...but it is not a natural meteor. It is The Meteor Kingdom!!!! (Ominous, evil-sounding music plays in the background...followed by the maniacal laughter of the new bad guy!"

By a tragic miscalculation, they pass too close to Pluto and slam into an unexpected island, pancaking the entire kingdom.

[SRoss]

(Evil)Disciples of Zor, then. They've been hiding out in some desert system's Ort Cloud, using the cold of cometary nuclei to mask their hideout and fuel their base and ships. Maybe they have an early model Fold-capable Command Asteroid, a proof-of-concept article for Dolza's command fortress.

They're deadset convinced Zor made a forced error in sending the Protoculture Matrix to the Terrans. THey think they're the true heirs to Zor's legacy and they mean to dispute his will.

Wouldn't they have the same fuel situation as the Masters?

[glitterboy2098]

(Evil)Disciples of Zor, then. They've been hiding out in some desert system's Ort Cloud, using the cold of cometary nuclei to mask their hideout and fuel their base and ships. Maybe they have an early model Fold-capable Command Asteroid, a proof-of-concept article for Dolza's command fortress.

They're deadset convinced Zor made a forced error in sending the Protoculture Matrix to the Terrans. THey think they're the true heirs to Zor's legacy and they mean to dispute his will.

Wouldn't they have the same fuel situation as the Masters?

worse, one would expect, since i doubt they would have had the same kind of stockpile the master's started with. they'd have been getting by with whatever they could steal, most likely. and while they might be the 'disciples' of Zor, i doubt they would have had their own copy of the Matrix.

the again, the master's had to have some sort of non-PC power and FTL prior to zor finding Optera, the FoL, and Protoculture. probably a lot less capable, but if the DoZ were using that as their primary, and being frugal with the PC they captured..

[taalismn]

(Evil)Disciples of Zor, then. They've been hiding out in some desert system's Ort Cloud, using the cold of cometary nuclei to mask their hideout and fuel their base and ships. Maybe they have an early model Fold-capable Command Asteroid, a proof-of-concept article for Dolza's command fortress.

They're deadset convinced Zor made a forced error in sending the Protoculture Matrix to the Terrans. THey think they're the true heirs to Zor's legacy and they mean to dispute his will.

Wouldn't they have the same fuel situation as the Masters?

worse, one would expect, since i doubt they would have had the same kind of stockpile the master's started with. they'd have been getting by with whatever they could steal, most likely. and while they might be the 'disciples' of Zor, i doubt they would have had their own copy of the Matrix.

the again, the master's had to have some sort of non-PC power and FTL prior to zor finding Optera, the FoL, and Protoculture. probably a lot less capable, but if the DoZ were using that as their primary, and being frugal with the PC they captured..

They're mining cometary nuclei for hydrogen fuel....fusion thrusters and ion drives. They've been ambushing surviving Tirolian and Zentraedi ships and facilities for the last dregs of protoculture. And they keep talking about how powerful they'll be when they can energize the entirity of the war machine they've built up using conventional means.

[glitterboy2098]

(Evil)Disciples of Zor, then. They've been hiding out in some desert system's Ort Cloud, using the cold of cometary nuclei to mask their hideout and fuel their base and ships. Maybe they have an early model Fold-capable Command Asteroid, a proof-of-concept article for Dolza's command fortress.

They're deadset convinced Zor made a forced error in sending the Protoculture Matrix to the Terrans. THey think they're the true heirs to Zor's legacy and they mean to dispute his will.

Wouldn't they have the same fuel situation as the Masters?

worse, one would expect, since i doubt they would have had the same kind of stockpile the master's started with. they'd have been getting by with whatever they could steal, most likely. and while they might be the 'disciples' of Zor, i doubt they would have had their own copy of the Matrix.

the again, the master's had to have some sort of non-PC power and FTL prior to zor finding Optera, the FoL, and Protoculture. probably a lot less capable, but if the DoZ were using that as their primary, and being frugal with the PC they captured..

They're mining cometary nuclei for hydrogen fuel....fusion thrusters and ion drives. They've been ambushing surviving Tirolian and Zentraedi ships and facilities for the last dregs of protoculture. And they keep talking about how powerful they'll be when they can energize the entirity of the war machine they've built up using conventional means.

maybe the DoZ are the 'space pirates' the ASC mis-dentified the master's as originally?

[taalismn]

Entirely possible. The Tirolian empire could have fragmented into dozens of factions, some better equipped or prepared to handle the protoculture shortage better than others. There might even be an 'Iscandarian' faction of fey pacifists who used genetic engineering to amp their psychic potentials early on...but now face mounting sterility problems.
The problem is, depending on how far Earth is from the established territories of that empire, how any of the factions could get to Earth in any meaningful numbers.
BY the same token, while there's a definite attraction for the Earth colonization effort to use the Zentraedi charts to go to KNOWN habitable worlds, the idea of getting away from possible trouble is best served by going where the Zentraedi and Masters likely AREN'T, which has its own share of risks.

[SRoss]

Miazaki: "We're going where!?!"

Sera: "The new Invid home world is in what you call the Large Magellanic Cloud."

[taalismn]

"Okay, who missed the class on preparing the ship for amphibious operations? One: CLOSE THE SCREEN DOORS. "

[SRoss]

Veritech Pilot #1: "Dude, why do you always take up this position when we're flying patrol?"

Veritech Pilot #2:

Meanwhile in the Argo's bathhouse...

Random Crew Women: "Do you get the feeling we're being watched!?!"

[taalismn]

"Okay, who failed to secure the bathhouse facilities during zero-gee operations?"
(shot of a massive blob of water tumbling down a hallway, a midshipman drowning in its middle)

[Alpha 11]

Miazaki: "We're going where!?!"

Sera: "The new Invid home world is in what you call the Large Magellanic Cloud."

Going to be a long trip.

"Okay, who missed the class on preparing the ship for amphibious operations? One: CLOSE THE SCREEN DOORS. "

Veritech Pilot #1: "Dude, why do you always take up this position when we're flying patrol?"

Veritech Pilot #2:

Meanwhile in the Argo's bathhouse...

Random Crew Women: "Do you get the feeling we're being watched!?!"

"Okay, who failed to secure the bathhouse facilities during zero-gee operations?"
(shot of a massive blob of water tumbling down a hallway, a midshipman drowning in its middle)

[SRoss]

Several wet naked female ensigns tumble away clutching towels.

Midshipman: (Still drowning) "Totally worth it!"

[Arnie100]

Midshipman: "SAVE ME!!!! SAVE MEEEE!!! (Runnining down the corridor as fast as he can go...)
Crewman: "From who?!"
Midshipman: "From THEM!!!" (Pointing at the enraged mob of female crew weilding various implements capable of inflicting tremendous amounts of PAIN)
Crewman: "SAVE ME, TOO!!"

[taalismn]

"Have we cleared the atmosphere yet?"
"Ay, Captain!"
"Have we locked in our course?"
"Ay, Captain!"
"Have we tested the FTL drive yet?"
"Ay, Captain!"
"Have we had naked crew hijinx jet?"
"Ay, Captain!"
"Have we had a fight break out between either our rival squadrons or between our squadrons and our crew?"
"Working in it, Captain!"

[glitterboy2098]

"wait, so you Vermillion squadron guys are.."
"yeah, we're all former members of Skull Squadron. except for Fred over there, he was TASC"

[taalismn]

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean your squadron's mecha should be HAULING garbage, I meant they should be hauled away AS garbage!"
"No, you're perfectly right."
"OKA-what?!"
"The Gamma-Etas are real garbage. Obviously stopgap designs we got stuck with because they were all that was available. And I wouldn't want to be out beyond radio range in one of them on a deep space LRP if they ever broke down, let alone in a real furball with enemy forces. Kinda glad then that my squadron's assigned to operational positions BEHIND your unit, backing you up, eh?"

[SRoss]

Vermillion #1: "Bah! Miazaki is just a Stirling wannabe."

Fred:

Vermillion #1: "She's, behind me, isn't she?"

Fred didn't stick around to answer.

[taalismn]

The Haydonites would be the main enemies, since the majority of the Invid went a galaxy hopping to a new planet. However, there are still bases of leftover Zentraedi, Tirolians, and Regent or Regess based Invid out there. What if the new faction called the Children of Zor that Harmony Gold unsucessfully tried to make were a new offshoot of Robotech Masters that saw Protoculture as a method for their species evolution, and decided that they were the only ones who could use it, and left during the decay of the Master's Empire? They decide to reunite the Tirolian Empire and see Earth and the Sentinels as a new foe for their domination of the galaxy?

Forgot about the CoZ. They could, as you note, be one of a number of Zor-inspirred dissident factions like the DoZ. There could also be the Faithful of Zor(Foz), the Sword of Zor(SoZ), Hammer of Zor(HoZ), and Zor's Own Directive(ZOD)...anybody see the possibility of a pile-up like what happened in Life of Brian?

[SRoss]

The lights suddenly go out in the room.

Zor: "What the hell!?!"

Cut to: the pov of someone stalking toward Zor with night vision goggles.

Zor: "Who's there?"

SRoss: (Hacking Zor with an axe) "STOP INSPIRING THREE-LETTER ACRONYMS!"

[glitterboy2098]

, and Zor's Own Directive(ZOD)..

"Kneel before ZOD!"


all those names reminds me of this:

BRIAN: Are you the Judean People's Front?
REG: **** off!
BRIAN: What?
REG: Judean People's Front. We're the People's Front of Judea! Judean People's Front.
FRANCIS: *******.
BRIAN: Can I... join your group?
REG: No. **** off.
BRIAN: I didn't want to sell this stuff. It's only a job. I hate the Romans as much as anybody.
PEOPLE'S FRONT OF JUDEA: Shhhh. Shhhh. Shhh. Shh. Shhhh.
REG: Stumm.
JUDITH: Are you sure?
BRIAN: Oh, dead sure. I hate the Romans already.
REG: Listen. If you wanted to join the P.F.J., you'd have to really hate the Romans.
BRIAN: I do!
REG: Oh, yeah? How much?
BRIAN: A lot!
REG: Right. You're in. Listen. The only people we hate more than the Romans are the ****** Judean People's Front.
P.F.J.: Yeah...
JUDITH: Splitters.
P.F.J.: Splitters..
FRANCIS: And the Judean Popular People's Front.
P.F.J.: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Splitters. Splitters...
LORETTA: And the People's Front of Judea.
P.F.J.: Yeah. Splitters. Splitters...
REG: What?
LORETTA: The People's Front of Judea. Splitters.
REG: We're the People's Front of Judea!
LORETTA: Oh. I thought we were the Popular Front.
REG: People's Front!
FRANCIS: Whatever happened to the Popular Front, Reg?
REG: He's over there.
P.F.J.: Splitter!

[SRoss]

SRoss: "Next thing you know, someone will want TheElf to do the Regess dressed as Starsha."

SRoss: (Thinks about it)

taalimn: "Mind Bleach[sup]TM[/sup]?"

SRoss: "Yes please, make it a double."

[taalismn]

, and Zor's Own Directive(ZOD)..

"Kneel before ZOD!"


all those names reminds me of this:

BRIAN: Are you the Judean People's Front?!

Exactly.
Overall, I didn't think the movie was all that good, but it two or three scenes that were outstanding...The Romans in particular came off rather well in that.

[Chris0013]

Safe to assume that the mecha on board would be any and everything they could assemble? VTs and Battloids/Destroids from all eras....kind of like what they did with Moon Base Copernicus in RoTM??

As for enemies...Of course the Haydonites...but I really think there are rogue Zentraedi and maybe Tirolian colonies and renegades out there to deal with

[taalismn]

Safe to assume that the mecha on board would be any and everything they could assemble? VTs and Battloids/Destroids from all eras....kind of like what they did with Moon Base Copernicus in RoTM??

As for enemies...Of course the Haydonites...but I really think there are rogue Zentraedi and maybe Tirolian colonies and renegades out there to deal with

My money's on Tirolian used spacecraft salesmen...sneaky conniving bastards.

[Arnie100]

Tirolian: "It's completely SAFE. Those are NOT energy burns on the side of the craft...never mind the hole where the cockpit used to be...so it's missing a couple of engines. It still perfectly SAFE."

[taalismn]

Tirolian: "It's completely SAFE. Those are NOT energy burns on the side of the craft...never mind the hole where the cockpit used to be...so it's missing a couple of engines. It still perfectly SAFE."

Enough air freshener bags, and you can cover the smell of burning insulation in the life support system.

[SRoss]

Operation: Blazing Star Cast

Captain Marie Erdrich: A full blooded Algonquin Indian woman who worked her way up the ranks through the Exploration Corps. Unknown to most people, she’s dying from something she was exposed to on one of her missions.

X.O. Commander Dr. Sanjay Dravid: A “top man” in the Robotech Research Group, seemingly emotionless.

Tactical Officer, Lt. Commander Lance Belmont: With his past experience with the Invid Resistance his posting was a no-brainer.

Invid Liason, Princess Sera: Right now she’s the UEEF’s best expert on the Invid.

C.A.G. Commander Margarita Miyazaki: The youngest daughter of Dana Miyazaki and the Zentreadi Commander Maitai. She’s actually a very competent Commander who’s feelings of inferiority toward her older and much more successful sisters drives her to volunteer her squadron for more and more dangerous missions.

[taalismn]

Operation: Blazing Star Cast

Tactical Officer, Lt. Commander Lance Belmont: With his past experience with the Invid Resistance his posting was a no-brainer..

"Oh good! I get to sing the opening credits song!"