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we-r-nomad — NITE Bear Mark II
Published: 2010-08-03 01:24:10 +0000 UTC; Views: 9872; Favourites: 47; Downloads: 361
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Description
Slight update on FMP's perennial Nocturnal Incapacitation and Tactical Extraction Bear design.I wanted to go for something simultaneously cutesy and creepy.
The NITE Bear pictured is in capture mode. You'll note the lens covers have been retracted from over its eyes, revealing its optical equipment. (NITE Bears can see through walls and in total darkness, fyi.
)Also, the bear has extended it's manipulators from its distal limbs. Most "recruits" seem to find these nimble little extensions the most disturbing of the NITE Bears features--along with the revelation that it can walk, climb walls, talk, and tends to transpose its "w's" and "r's".
NITE Bears, coming to a slumber party near you.
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Comments: 96
The Aldamari likely wouldn't give NITE bears a chance to infiltrate their ranks. They are pretty paranoid and all outside materials brought back to the ARKs are thoroughly analyzed.
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Then they wouldn't infiltrate; they'd invade!!
That's what drones are for.
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Drones, such as the Recruiters, Seekers, and Terriers are the FMP's chief means of abducting highly resistant maids. They lack intelligence but are easy to mass produce, and modify to specific mission parameters.
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Thankfully the Aldamari marines know their ships like the back of their hand and the non Combat civilians are trained to contribute in their own small way. They specialize in repelling boarding parties. It's like Vietnam in there. (*glug* *glug* History reference). They'don't struggle hard!
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The AMAZON use of asymmetric tactics, such as refusing to engage in open space fleet battles with FMP, or their later use of tactical magic, are inspired by historical examples of smaller armies repelling larger forces through use of unconventional means. Vietnam, WWII Soviet Russia, and ironically enough, Revolutionary America are definite inspirations.
The Aldamari marines* would definitely hold their own against Fremp drones, but unfortunately, to really exploit the advantages of asymmetric warfare, they would require two factors that they would not possess in this circumstance.
First, they would need a ready avenue of retreat inaccessible to the invading enemy, as the Vietnamese enjoyed with Cambodia and Laos, and Revolutionary America had with the southern colonies. Second, they would also have to fight an enemy, whose limited will to fight can be eroded through mounting casualties. Vietnam, Revolutionary America, and even Cold War Afghanistan were able to outlast the resolve of superior invaders.
Unfortunately, the Aldamari have no avenue of retreat. The drones will start by cutting off access to the out sections of the ship (Bulkheads, airlocks, portals, hangars, etc...) and systematically work their way into each vessel's interior, squeezing off the surrounding marines and civilians until they are completely surrounded. The marines may delay this closing of the proverbial noose, by striking out at individual sections, and taking airlocks and such, but that would ultimately prove little more than a delaying tactic.
Also, the Fremps have no compunction with throwing MILLIONS of the mass produced, unintelligent drones at any problem. Their strategy is to bury their enemies under weight of numbers. The deaths, damage, and dismantling of drone soldiers has no effect on Benefactor resolve to capture a target. (This is one of the justifications used by Prin to advocate the killing of sentient Fremp "officers" at every opportunity. As only the loss of lives they value would affect the Benefactors in any meaningful way.)
I suppose the Aldamari could have a chance if they mounted such a stiff resistance that throwing bodies at the problem failed to capture a ship, requiring a Benefactor, Bear, or Screenface to be called in to coordinate things on site. If the marines could kill the arriving officer class robots, that would certainly affect morale, but I don't see the Fremps ever relinquishing a boarded vessel once they've sunken their teeth into its flesh.
*Since Marines are a portmanteau for "Maritime Infantry" I often think a similar term for their orbital counterpart should be coined. "Cosmorines" perhaps?
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It's true, the Marines (or cosmorines?) Have no chance to defeat their enemy once caught. The Marines would focus on trying to distract the enemy to safely evacuate civilians. Historians would go first, and the others would follow. They would make a last Stand after making sure all of their history and important data was safe. They'd prioritize the escape shuttles especially.
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Evacuation suggests an avenue of egress. If their entire civilization is contained on their city ships, where would the Aldamari have to evacuate to?
Is this strategy assuming the the entire fleet isn't simultaneously engaged, and that there are other vessels for the civilians and protectors to retreat to? If this is the case, then the refugees would be leading the Fremps to the location of the unengaged Arks?
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They do have decoys in place, but the Aldamari have to bank on not every Ark being taken over.
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This would probably overcrowd and tax the dwindling resources of the surviving vessels. In this way, even if the Ark's weren't under direct assault, they'd still be under siege in a way.
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Yeah, some might make it, or get picked up by many of the Aldamari's personal dogfight erst and bombers (haven't drawn those cause i'm not good with ships 
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Aldamari fighters eh?
About that...
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There is a reason AMAZON maintains its own air force.
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Are all of these designed to tangle with other aircraft (or spacecraft?) I mean, the Aldamari are mainly focused on their dogfighting. Even their turrets on the ARKs are designed to assist them and their training is thorough
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Good point. These are mostly specialized atmospheric drones.
The antigravity driven Seekers, FMP's workhorse drones, can be used both in atmosphere and vacuum.
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The Ark's turrets would likely not be an issue, as they would be destroyed early on by the Behemoth's numerous lightning arrays.
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I'm still not quite sure of the drones could defeat and Aldamari dogfighter. Do they have experience defeating them? I know Amazon keeps an Airforce, bUT I was under the impression that they primarily support ground forces and stop hostage transports
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AMAZON's Air Branch does have a variety of ground support craft, such as the Owls, and the HAARE's, which are low altitude, low speed vehicles, optimized to loiter over targets and provide fire support.
While effective against a diversity of ground assets and drones, these craft are vulnerable to Frump high speed drones, which themselves are optimized to cripple low flying aircraft, and place out their operators.
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Combat this threat, AMAZON deploys high altitude, high speed vehicles, like the Swan, and Dean Aerospace's Rebecca.
Swan Dive: AMAZON Tech by we-r-nomad AMAZON Tech: Rebecca by we-r-nomad
The pilots of these latter, high performance vehicles maintain a "Knights of the sky" sort of espirit de corps, which is fostered by their commander Marshal Masters. She may have barely escaped being sold into maidification by her own father, Admiral Seth Masters, but in terms of arrogance, and ego, she's very much her father's daughter.
AMAZON Air Marshal by we-r-nomad
Come to think of it, it was definitely a mistake for Seth to attempt to have his daughter maidified. If he could have kept her by his side, he would have denied the resistance a critical tactical asset.
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Doesn't sound like Amazon could make use of the Aldamari dogfighters, their bombers might be useful though
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Bombers.
I completely forgot about the Fremp gullwing bombers.
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These high speed, low altitude drones drop everything from tape dispensers to globs of fast acting glue. Fitted with Damsel Drums they also double as swift abduction transports.
I didn't know about the Aldamari bombers. More close ground support vehicles are always welcome.
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I don't know if I am missing something, but can these FMP drones take out an Aldamari dogfighter? I'm not sure I see how
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Likely not. They're the FMP analog to the old Stuka dive bomber. They're not optimized for air combat, they're strictly anti- ground assets. Their superior speed is mainly used for escape, although its insufficient when pursued by Swans or Rebeccas.
Of course there is the matter of the performance of the Aldamari DF's. Since it's reasonable to assume that they spend their entire operational life in space, would they ultimately prove an asset, or an overpowered non maneuvering liability inside an atmospheric envelope?
If they are space fighters, then really the only place they'd be of use to AMAZON is in support of their lone remaining exoatmospheric craft, the CROW.
Since the CROW's carry minimal armament, (Save for the Heartbreaker variant.) an they have become tasked with carrying Forward Magi to drop zones, armed escort would be advantageous. For that matter, armed magi carriers would also be a great boon.
Even if AMAZON were to use Arks for planetary attack, Forward Magi would still be advantageous over the traditional peril fraught armed transatmospheric landings. Aldarmari DF's could be a big help in that respect, while still keeping the magi useful.
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It makes me wonder how Amazon and the Aldamari would negotiate these arrangements. You could practicly make a post on that subject alone. It's clear that the Aldamari are formidable allies despite their small numbers, but this change in tactics and firepower from one side could only encourage a seemingly equal response.
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Well aren't you a cute little thing *leans over* are you lost?
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For a moment there, I almost thought that the bear was carrying another intelligent 'bot on it's chest, like Twiki & Dr. Theopolis from Buck Rogers.
This bear does look creepy. Maybe it's better that most of the targets are asleep or KO'd when they spring into action.
- JC
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This guy looks like he is blitzed out of his mind, what drugs is this guy on???
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He just loves his job. [link]
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And hen I first saw the smaller version of the picture, all I could think of was an ewok suicide bomber from the Star wars game Empire at War: Forces of Corruption expansion.
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"ewok suicide bomber"?
They have those?
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yup, the Ewok Keeper keeps them in a sack, pulls one out as needed, and it runs happily towards it's target before going kaboom. As far as I know, it wasn't an April fools joke.
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What is it with cute things being evil.... ultimate way of defeating an enemy, they never suspect a thing
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Yes,by all means go ahead, pick it up, and take it home.
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Hnnnggaaahhh!!
How could something so cute be so evi-
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"Who brought the teddy bear?"
"I don't know, I thought Lauren did."
"No, I thought you did."
"Wait, where is she, anyway?"
You've definitely had a bigger focus on the creepy. It evokes the most demonic of evil Twilight Zone stuffed animals... save this one creeps into college coed dorms for the most insiduous purpose of them all!
Mm. <3
I mean, uh, ignore the little heart. The only emotion I feel is abject terror!
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We should make sure to put one or two in your cell. (I love having a captive. 
Even if it's just for the bear's benefit, I'm sure you'd be great at fearful cringing.
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"Mrrf?" This isn't nearly as cuddly as I was hoping. And those metallic pincers look -much- more... pinchy? Is that the right way to describe it?
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Don't worry. They have retractable handling pincers too.
And tickling pincers as well.
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"Ladies, they're produced here - at the Fondletron factory."
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Hmmm. To unknowing NITE Bear purchasers, the "F" in FMP stands for "Fuzzy".
But "Fondletron" has a rice ring to it.
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Cute. Is the earth office still open, selling "Fuzzy Manakin Products" dolls and Fondletrons?
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Still hoping for an encasing bear to "envelop" a victim inside.
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That is such a specific and idiosyncratic scenario. Interestingly enough you're like the fourth person to mention it.
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Perverted minds think alike?.. Gah :/
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What would you think if the "bear suit" was form fitting? You know, like a fuzzy Venom.
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A fuzzy venom has a good ring to it sir. Originally, the first Nite bear sketch had me thinking it encased the girls in the belly the large bear. Complete with chloroform masks and optional chipping process.
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Nicest thing I've heard all day.
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Yeah, the glassy eyes and the fixed grin is definitely creepy.
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All toys need "accessories".
Hmmm, with the right marketing, perhaps the victims can be made to buy all the equipment as well.
Smiles are free of course--just like at McDonald's.
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