Board Thread:Random RP/@comment-26084195-20160413054226/@comment-26084195-20160413063517

"Alright, listen up recruits!" The major said to the crowd assembled before him. "I can understand why you all signed up for the United Nations Space Forces. We're a hell of a lot more exciting than the navy, that's for sure. Now there are some questions I need you all to answer before we get started. How many of you have seen Star Wars or Star Trek?"

Most hands went up.

"How many of you have read Starship Troopers or Ender's Game?"

Only a few hands went up.

"Prepare to be severely disappointed. The stuff you've been exposed to is nothing like this. For example, this right here is your spaceship."

An image flashed up behind him. It was a large silvery sphere with no windows, the occasional odd protrusion, a propulsion system in the back, and a pair of guns sticking out of the front. "This is the most common starfighter we field. Let's take a look, hmm? First we have the interior. As you can see, there isn't much room in there. That's because most of that room is taken up by the systems we need to power and propel you through space. You will only be firing your engines in short bursts. In space that is all you will need. You maneuver your vessel with the help of a gyroscope. If it gets knocked out of alignment, expect yourself to go spinning through space. You will also notice that there are no windows. That's because you will be wearing this." He produced a grey, metal plated suit with a helmet that appeared to simply be a metal bubble you couldn't hope to see out of. "This is a pressure suit that you will wear constantly in case your vessel gets a hole poked through it. Your helmet will link up with your fighter and you will see what all of its sensors see. No need for the weak points that windows create. You will also be strapped down at all times. Now, let's talk weapons." the image zoomed in on the two guns sticking out of the front of the orb. "These are flak cannons. You'll have enough ammunition to last you a while, but only if you're smart about it. The advantage kf a flak cannon in space is that it will detonate when it is near an enemy vessel or when you choose to detonate it. This sends shards flying all over,  and that means that you're not likely to miss if your aim is anywhere near decent. Just above that you have what we like to call a blinder. It's a laser capable of blinding enemy sensors temporarily and allowing you to move in closer for the kill. Good against the bigger ships, somewhat less good against fighters. Now, in a slot on the top, bottom, left, right, and back of your fighter is loaded a single kinetic torpedo. Kinetic torpedoes are basically big guided bullets, that you fire like a slug then watch as they fire their engines and slam into the enemy. Good for one use each. Why do we have one of those on the top, bottom, left, right, and back of our fighters? Because this is space combat. The battle zone is fully 3D, and the enemy could come at you from just about every direction. If you spot an enemy fighter screaming toward you from below, lock on and fire your underside torpedo and you might survive. The key word being might."

"Next we have the hunter variant. It looks like the fighter I just showed you, only without the flak guns. That's because the flak guns got replaced by several torpedo tubes. These are essentially our bombers, they strike out at the bigger ships. Flak cannons generally aren't so goos against heavy armour. Other than that, they're identical."

The next ship was elongated, like a football. "This is a destroyer. It comes outfitted with eight torpedo tubes, a flak turret on the top and bottom, and a melter. Melters are stronger lasers, designed for targeting the more sensitive parts of ships and disabling them."

The next ship appeared exactly the same as the destroyer, only with a greater amount of turrets. "This is a frigate. A pair of torpedo tubes in the back, and eight total flak turrets. These guys usually run backup for the big ships, but they may be used to hunt down fighters. Watch out for them, they can do real damage to fighters."

The next ship was also football shaped, only bigger and sporting a pair of engines at the back. "This is a cruiser, and they are often outfitted for multiple purposes. The two most common are direct combat, in which case it sports a wide array of torpedo tubes and several flak cannons, and carrier, in which case it is riddled with tubes that launch fighters and hunters. You will be deployed in combat either by these or by space stations. This is the first lighter (which means vessel sporting an Alcubierre Drive) that you've seen so far."

The next vessel sported three engines, and was the biggest thus far. "This is a battleship, also called a command ship. It has plenty of torpedo tubes, multiple flak cannons for point defense, and even some of our more exotic weaponry. Things such as kinetic lances (railguns) and burnouts. Burnouts are  very powerful lasers capable of knifing right through an enemy vessel at incredible range. However, it is almost always a once-per-battle weapon due to the energy consumption. Can anybody tell me why I never mentioned an explosive weapon? Yes, you there."

"Because in space there is nothing to create a shockwave, sir. It would just create a ball of fiery gas for a moment."

"Very true. Now, let's get to the combat simulators and see just how good you are right off the bat."

The recruits strapped on their pressure suits, and clambered into the simulators that looked like replicas of the actual fighters. They put on their helmets and grabbed the controls. They could suddenly see in their helmets exactly what was outside of their fighter, and there were also several readouts. Ahead of them, or so it appeared, an enemy squad was approaching fast...