William Rhodes
Signature
Position: Lieutenant, Legionnaires
Callsign: Damocles 1
Current BattleMech: Verfolger (Bucephalus) [Heavy]
Current Loadout: 1 x ER PPC, 1 x LB 10-X, 3 x Med. Lasers, 1 x AMS
Callsign: Damocles 1
Current BattleMech: Verfolger (Bucephalus) [Heavy]
Current Loadout: 1 x ER PPC, 1 x LB 10-X, 3 x Med. Lasers, 1 x AMS
Topics
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The BattleTech ranking system really depends on which House army you're talking about. But in general things proceed in the following fashion;
Private: infantry trooper, vehicle crewman
Corporal: assistant squad leader
Sergeant: squad leader (7 troops), vehicle commander. Also MechWarriors often hold this rank or a close equivalent
Sergeant First Class: Senior NCO in a platoon, assistant lance commander in Mech units
First Sergeant: Senior NCO in
Private: infantry trooper, vehicle crewman
Corporal: assistant squad leader
Sergeant: squad leader (7 troops), vehicle commander. Also MechWarriors often hold this rank or a close equivalent
Sergeant First Class: Senior NCO in a platoon, assistant lance commander in Mech units
First Sergeant: Senior NCO in
Happy Holidays (whatever your persuasion) and Happy New Year to all!
I'm off to Spain tomorrow, so I'll see you guys on the 10th of January.
Good luck with the first part of next Op!
Joaquin
I'm off to Spain tomorrow, so I'll see you guys on the 10th of January.
Good luck with the first part of next Op!
Joaquin
Delacruz…a place of many memories for William Rhodes. After the trauma and pain of the FedCom Civil War, William had spent a year in the tranquility of the world’s monasteries, seeking to heal his psychological scars through simple labor and contemplation. He had emerged a much stronger and confident man, but he had never expected to return to the rocky highlands of the Roche Grande. He was shocked to learn that the objective
William raised the cup of black noxious liquid that the AutoVendor claimed was coffee to his lips as Major Maxwell began talking. The vile brew made its way down his throat to begin the assault on the walls of his stomach, but at least it was hot and washed down the quasi mashed potatoes and mystery gravy on his tray.
Lieute
Lieute
William pondered the Major's question for a moment, digging back into his memories of his time on Delacruz.
I guess you could say he was my mentor when I was living among the monks. He helped me work through a lot of issues I had left over from the FedCom Civil War. Despite our close relationship, I never knew that Father Umberto was a member of the Croix Rose. He always seemed so
I guess you could say he was my mentor when I was living among the monks. He helped me work through a lot of issues I had left over from the FedCom Civil War. Despite our close relationship, I never knew that Father Umberto was a member of the Croix Rose. He always seemed so
William looked up from his less than appetizing meal to see the new kid, Nathan Schuster, searching for his credit tube at the AutoVendor. He had recently been assigned to Damocles Lance as the pilot of a custom Raven scout mech, which gave the unit a valuable recon capability complete with an advanced Angel ECM suite and Bloodhound sensor probe. Rhodes had taken Nathan, the younger sibling of the ill-fated Nicholas Schuster, under
Note: For convenience on my part, I posted this under William's name even though he is not present in the following post, which takes place on Delacruz.
Meanwhile in the city of San Joaquin, capital of the planet Delacruz in the Draconis Combine…
Governor Alistair Tavrick, the Daimyo or Lo
Meanwhile in the city of San Joaquin, capital of the planet Delacruz in the Draconis Combine…
Governor Alistair Tavrick, the Daimyo or Lo
Three days later at Sheratan's Zenith jump point...
William and Emma Mirado floated in zero-g, looking out of one of the Liberty's armored viewports at the long slender outline of a Merchant-class jumpship. The vessel had already folded its kilometer long jumpsail that was used to recharge its Kearny-Fuchida drive that made faster than light travel possible. The vessel, dubbed the Kashmir, was technically
William and Emma Mirado floated in zero-g, looking out of one of the Liberty's armored viewports at the long slender outline of a Merchant-class jumpship. The vessel had already folded its kilometer long jumpsail that was used to recharge its Kearny-Fuchida drive that made faster than light travel possible. The vessel, dubbed the Kashmir, was technically
What the hell is the hold up? grumbled William, strapped into his restraining chair for the jump. We've been waiting to jump for almost a bloody hour!
Relax, Will, said Emma with a gentle pat on the knee.
Relax, Will, said Emma with a gentle pat on the knee.
Ten weeks later...
Pirate Point known as Hangman's Noose
Delacruz System, Kazjenov Prefecture, Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine
May 14th, 3069
The Merchant-class jumpship Kashmir materialized in the Delacruz system at a pirate point ominously known among a small group of fringe astronavigators as "Hangman's Noose." William didn't want to dwell on the meaning beh
Pirate Point known as Hangman's Noose
Delacruz System, Kazjenov Prefecture, Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine
May 14th, 3069
The Merchant-class jumpship Kashmir materialized in the Delacruz system at a pirate point ominously known among a small group of fringe astronavigators as "Hangman's Noose." William didn't want to dwell on the meaning beh
William Rhodes was strapped tightly into the cockpit of Bucephalus, the glow of data screens reflecting off the visor of his neurohelmet. So far the Liberty's apporach vector had kept it hidden from the planetary radar network, and Damocles Lance was now loaded into the Union's four drop chutes and ready to go.
Suddenly the Liberty lurched to one side, throwing William hard against his seat restraints. The soun
Suddenly the Liberty lurched to one side, throwing William hard against his seat restraints. The soun
Bucephalus’ myomer powered legs flexed as the Endo Steel chassis absorbed the stress of touchdown. Tall grass was fried to cinders by the hot jet exhaust, leaving a scorched patch of dirt where the 65 ton Verfolger landed. William pulled a striped lever in the cockpit and explosive bolts jettisoned the now empty rocket pack with a bang.
Affirmative, Tiger 1. Contact is genuine. It's Shepherd.
William popped the hatch on his Verfolger and climbed down the retractable boarding ladder. Hitting the turf he removed his nuerohelmet and turned to face the monk. It was cold on the windy hill top in just shorts and a cooling vest, but Rhodes was smiling.
William popped the hatch on his Verfolger and climbed down the retractable boarding ladder. Hitting the turf he removed his nuerohelmet and turned to face the monk. It was cold on the windy hill top in just shorts and a cooling vest, but Rhodes was smiling.
Mission de la Cascada stood perched upon a promontory above a towering waterfall, whose currents plummeted down to crash among the slick boulders of a deep gorge that feed a tributary of the mighty Rio Verde. Its gothic spires, carved with images of ancient saints and fantastic beasts, soared above the foam and spray of the falls, reminding William of a vision from a medieval fairy tale.
It was said that San Joaquin hims
It was said that San Joaquin hims
William watched as Tiger Lance peeled off and headed downstream towards the ford and the Kurita reinforcements. Rhodes flicked the master arm switch for his weapons and watched as one by one the green ready light lit for each on the armament display.
Energizier ER PPC...check
Mydron LB 10-X with 30 rounds....check
Defiance B3M Medium Lasers...check, check, and check
Su
Energizier ER PPC...check
Mydron LB 10-X with 30 rounds....check
Defiance B3M Medium Lasers...check, check, and check
Su
William moved his sixty five ton Verfolger into close range with the enemy Wolverine. Even though William had the range advantage with his ER PPC, he didn't want the enemy Mech deciding to use the monastery for cover if Rhodes went for the long range sniping option. Instead, William fired off a cloud of explosive submunitions from his LBX Autocannon, which had twenty standard armor piercing rounds and ten cluster rounds in its
William watched as another Pegasus hovertank exploded in a ball of flame under a combined salvo of Puma gauss rifles and SRMs from the Croix Rose infantry. To his left, Corporal Lourde was engaging a Hunchback in his Thanatos and Schuster had destroyed the Panther that was rampaging around the abbey grounds. Only one Vedette tank was left to the defenders. William could see the burning wreckage of the Striker and the Croix Rose in
Acknowledged, Damocles 2. Good shooting people.
All four of the Ghost Regiment Mechs were down for the count and Tiger Lance had stopped the reinforcements cold at the Rio Verde river crossing. Another Pegasus tank, after having taken a pounding from the Croix Rose and the Infiltrator platoon, had shut down its engines and
All four of the Ghost Regiment Mechs were down for the count and Tiger Lance had stopped the reinforcements cold at the Rio Verde river crossing. Another Pegasus tank, after having taken a pounding from the Croix Rose and the Infiltrator platoon, had shut down its engines and
Tiger 1, Liberty reported two Manticores and two Bulldogs accompanying the Mech lance you defeated. They must have split off and used another ford.
This is Damocles Four, I've got multiple contacts on my Bloodhound probe!
This is Damocles Four, I've got multiple contacts on my Bloodhound probe!
William's Surefire Anti-Missile System was working overtime, emitting a high pitched buzz like a swarm of hornets and filling the air with bright orange tracers. Empty shell casings spat out of the ejection port in the back of the Verfolger's head, bouncing off the shoulders and raining to the ground in a jingle of smoking brass. Incoming missiles flash detonated but they were just replaced by more warheads. Each time the
William watched in amazement as Major Maxwell's Daishi stomped up the hill and unleashed a whirlwind of destruction on the two platoons of enemy armor. A furious storm of laser and missile fire tore into the Kurita vehicles, leaving a trail of twisted metal and smoking wrecks in the wake of the one hundred ton assault Mech.
Blake's Blood! No wonder the Dracs named it &qu
Blake's Blood! No wonder the Dracs named it &qu
She is called Tizona, answered Father Umberto, smiling at Garrett.
Tizona?
Tizona was the sword of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, a medieval Spanish knight better known as El Cid, The eight BattleMechs of Tiger and Damocles Lances clustered around the massive egg that was the grounded Liberty as techs withdrew portable ammo loading cranes and service platforms from the giant war machines. New sheets of armor had been welded into place and ammunition had been topped off in the hoppers for the next phase of the operation. Meanwhile, the MechWarriors had got a chance to freshen up and grab a bite to eat in the
Tizona?
Tizona was the sword of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, a medieval Spanish knight better known as El Cid, The eight BattleMechs of Tiger and Damocles Lances clustered around the massive egg that was the grounded Liberty as techs withdrew portable ammo loading cranes and service platforms from the giant war machines. New sheets of armor had been welded into place and ammunition had been topped off in the hoppers for the next phase of the operation. Meanwhile, the MechWarriors had got a chance to freshen up and grab a bite to eat in the
The two lances of Legionnaires BattleMechs, led by Father Abelard's Black Knight and the Croix Rose Armor, winded their way into the rocky foothills of the Roche Grande highlands. Jagged walls of rock forced them into narrow caverns that twisted and turned, creating a labyrinth that William was quickly lost in. Fortunately, Shepherd seemed to have a solid route mapped out and he guided his flock of deadly war machines deeper a
The sixteen BattleArmor troopers of Puma Platoon leap frogged across the rocky rideline like a herd of evil gazelles. The Infiltrator Mk. II suits they were wearing were a big improvement over the earlier Mk. I, boasting an integral jump pack and advanced electronic countermeasures. Soldiers had nicknamed the earlier suit the "waddling toy robot" or "waddie" for its clumsiness. The Mk. II had been dubbed &quo
BTW, just to clarify things for everybody. The Legionnaires are attacking the Internal Security Force of House Kurita not the Word of Blake. Crayven Corporation is fighting the Blakists in a seperate engagement on another continent. I think confusion arose because the Legionnaires are here to steal a Word of Blake data core that was captured by House Kurita on the battlefield.
William glanced at his tactical monitor and saw that MacArthur's Catapult was in deep trouble, encircled by the two Kurita Tessens. Rhodes had hoped that the Catapult would be able to use its MRMs to keep the lighter Mechs at a distance, but the fast mediums had quickly closed the gap and were now delivering a pounding to Talon at close range.
William traded lightning bolts with the enemy Black Hawk KU, filling the air with azure beams of charged particles. The heat levels in the Verfolger's cockpit spiked, drenching Rhodes in a thick layer of sweat that his cooling vest labored to overcome. Broken, smoking shards of armor rained through the air whenever a PPC bolt made contact amid a flury of sparks and static electricity. Snow showed on most of the cockpit monitor
The Ghost Black Hawk-KU finally collapsed to the ground, its torso cored out by repeated particle bolts and autocannon rounds. Blue lightning bolts coursed across its chest as its ruined armor fell away in layers of smoking composite. The cockpit module imploded inward, slaying the MechWarrior in a storm of flames and shrapnel.
William had no time to celebrate his victory, however, as his Mech was rocked to its core by
William had no time to celebrate his victory, however, as his Mech was rocked to its core by
William remembered a stained glass window he had seen years before in one of the chapels of Mission de la Cascada. It depicted St. George, dressed in glowing plate armor, astride a mighty warhorse, plunging his lance into the scaly hide of a huge fire breathing monster. The glazier had been a master craftsman, fashioning the halo around the warrior saint’s head in brilliant golds, and the spray of fire and brimstone from the wyrm
There was quite a bit of history between Umberto Abelard and Hohiro Kurosawa and not much of it pleasant. As young MechWarriors that had met at the Wisdom of the Dragon officer’s school, they had both earned the katana and wakizashi blades that marked them as samurai of House Kurita. On the bloody fields of Luthien, capital of the Draconis Combine, they had been part of the force that had repelled the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats
When the dust cleared, William found that only a portion of the valley's northern wall had collapsed under the force of the exploding fusion reactor. Pulling a black and yellow striped handle, Rhodes activiated the explosive bolts that blew his cockpit hatch clear of his shutdowned Mech. Staggering from the wreckage of the Verfolger, his face streaked with tears and sweat, William was surrounded by smoke and burning debris. <
The Legionnaires quickly and efficiently prepared for the next phase of the operation where they would enter the ISF research base to locate the Word of Blake data core. Nearby, the Liberty touched down in a blaze of fire and smoke, settling on its massive hydraulic landing pylons. Hatches cycled open, ramps descended, and salvage crews quickly got to work, sorting and gathering up any valuable tech left on the battlefield.
William watched the two squads of BattleArmor troopers from Puma Platoon prepare to enter the ISF base. Their light gauss rifles were way too heavy to use as anti-personnel weapons but would come in handy against hardened doors or enemy BattleArmor. The bulky jumpacks, unnecessary in the tight confines of the Kurita base had been removed, and each Puma carried a anti-personnel machine gun and flamer in under slung positions on the
The eight Puma suits advanced into the darkened entryway of the ISF base, spotlights brightening the darkness. They entered what appeared to be a light vehicle bay and motor pool. The explosion that had destroyed Umberto's Black Knight and Kurosawa's Tai-sho had also ruined everything in the room. Scorched vehicle parts and debris were littered all over the floor. Fortunately, two Vulcan turrets, whose 20mm mini-guns had
Emergency Total Area Quarantine...
William rolled the words around in his mind as Sam filled him in on the details.
Guess we won't be going in the easy way.
Not that William was surprised. After all, the defenders had ample time to prepare what with a full fledged Mech fight going down on their do
William rolled the words around in his mind as Sam filled him in on the details.
Guess we won't be going in the easy way.
Not that William was surprised. After all, the defenders had ample time to prepare what with a full fledged Mech fight going down on their do
William found BattleArmor terrifying even when he was in a Mech. He could imagine the shock Inner Sphere MechWarriors must have felt when they encountered the Clan Elementals for the first time in 3050. For centuries, the MechWarrior had been at the head of the battlefield heirarchy. Infantry had always been...well, poor bloody infantry...annoying gnats that could be squashed beneath a seventy-ton foot. When the Clans introduced
William chuckled at Garret's comment as he let loose with another ineffective burst of SMG fire.
Maybe one of them will take off his helmet to scratch his nose and then I'll get 'em!
Between the relentless attacks of Emma's Puma Platoon, Sam and Major Maxwell's illegal Enforcer rou
Maybe one of them will take off his helmet to scratch his nose and then I'll get 'em!
Between the relentless attacks of Emma's Puma Platoon, Sam and Major Maxwell's illegal Enforcer rou
We could bring the Mobile HQ into the motor pool and then string a cable into the lower levels where the EMP blast didn't reach.
Time is of the essence, announced Father Abelard. Let's just hope we have enough Enforcer ro
Time is of the essence, announced Father Abelard. Let's just hope we have enough Enforcer ro
William tried to follow all of the techno-spiel that Sam seemed to be babbling, but quickly got lost at "Pseudo Time." It sounded like a bad psychedelic rock band. Fortunately, Sam seemed to have delivered solid results, wresting control of the security grid away from the Dracs and leaving the entry route for the Legionnaires open to infiltration.
Keep you eyes sharp, people.
Keep you eyes sharp, people.
William listened to Corporal Tetsuhara's report through the small earpiece in his helmet.
Anti-personnel mines, a score of guards, a pair of Squad Automatic Lasers (SAL), and a full blooded ISF commando to boot...things were not looking good.
Members of the Draconis Elite Strike Teams (DEST) were a rare
Anti-personnel mines, a score of guards, a pair of Squad Automatic Lasers (SAL), and a full blooded ISF commando to boot...things were not looking good.
Members of the Draconis Elite Strike Teams (DEST) were a rare
William Rhodes staggered to his feet, breathing heavily from the shock of the DEST trooper's sudden attack that had pinned Sam Grisham with a razor sharp katana and sent him crashing back into the young MechWarrior. Robert had finished the commando with a storm of shotgun pellets, showering the corridor and the Legionnaires with blood and gore, but the attack had shaken William.
Where
Where
William and Garland's struggles with the BattleArmor trooper would have been comical if the mission wasn't so urgent. Deprived of his quadraped armored suit (which must have been captured or reverse engineered from the Lyrans), the trooper was still a fully trained infantryman and was not cooperating with the two MechWarriors' attempts to subdue him. Or rather, he was cooperating enough not to get shot but not enough to
William expected to be consumed by a firey explosion when Tai-sa Hohiro Kurosawa pressed the trigger on the detonator. But instead he was greeted by a deep rumbling coming from beneneath his feet. Far below the ISF base, buried amid the reinforced concrete foundations, were a collection of high yield explosive charges, each designed to shattered one of the concrete pillars holding up the bottom floor of the underground research fac
Dr. Edwards' MedEvac team secured Sergeant Major MacArthur to a stretcher and carried him upstairs to the waiting MASH truck. Meanwhile, Mirado and a few of her troopers placed a shaped C4 charge against the inner hatch leading to the main laboratory.
Fire in the hole! William was barely aware of the collapse of the world around him, as Garland and Sam dragged him through the halls filled with smoke and fire. He couldn't believe that the man who had mentored him years before and helped him battle his personal demons from the FedCom Civil War was gone. Abelard had always been a constant presence in William's mind, a rock that not even the mightiest wave could crumble. Of course recent eve
Fire in the hole! William was barely aware of the collapse of the world around him, as Garland and Sam dragged him through the halls filled with smoke and fire. He couldn't believe that the man who had mentored him years before and helped him battle his personal demons from the FedCom Civil War was gone. Abelard had always been a constant presence in William's mind, a rock that not even the mightiest wave could crumble. Of course recent eve
The MIT 23 MASH truck, like the proverbial bat out of hell, burst out of the dying ISF facility, chased by a cloud of debris and smoke. The ground heaved under the massive tires as the top of the mesa behind them collapsed in a geyser of flying rocks. The subterranean levels of the Kurita base pancaked one on top of the other under the tremendous pressure, as if hit by the iron fist of a vengeful god. The stone and soil of the Ro
Robinson Battle Academy
Beuller, Robinson
Draconis March, Federated Suns
June 23rd, 3069
Four men stared up at the eighty-five ton Templar OmniMech, illuminated by floodlights in one of the underground ‘Mech bays of the Robinson Battle Academy. The assault ‘Mech towered over the mere mortals below like a sleeping god of war, waiting to be awakened for battle. Then its mighty fusion heart would beat an
Beuller, Robinson
Draconis March, Federated Suns
June 23rd, 3069
Four men stared up at the eighty-five ton Templar OmniMech, illuminated by floodlights in one of the underground ‘Mech bays of the Robinson Battle Academy. The assault ‘Mech towered over the mere mortals below like a sleeping god of war, waiting to be awakened for battle. Then its mighty fusion heart would beat an
Meanwhile back on Delacruz…
Alistair Tavrick, Lord Governor of Delacruz, stared out of the armored windows of the Alcazar in San Joaquin, fists clenched in fury. May had been a bad month for the Lord-Governor’s plans and only now at the end of June were his intelligence people starting to piece it all together.
First, the attack of the 11th Ghost Regiment on Mission de la Cascada had been driven b
Alistair Tavrick, Lord Governor of Delacruz, stared out of the armored windows of the Alcazar in San Joaquin, fists clenched in fury. May had been a bad month for the Lord-Governor’s plans and only now at the end of June were his intelligence people starting to piece it all together.
First, the attack of the 11th Ghost Regiment on Mission de la Cascada had been driven b
Sounds good!
I think it would be great if we could design rank insignia for the unit and add them to our avatars. I know on classic battletech forums they use Star League rank insignia, which is similar to our rank structure. We could use that or design our own. Does anybody have applicable art skills for this? Garland, maybe? Unfortunately, my drawing talent is limited to stick figures.
What do the rest of you think?
I think it would be great if we could design rank insignia for the unit and add them to our avatars. I know on classic battletech forums they use Star League rank insignia, which is similar to our rank structure. We could use that or design our own. Does anybody have applicable art skills for this? Garland, maybe? Unfortunately, my drawing talent is limited to stick figures.
What do the rest of you think?
Cool! Thanks Ben and Alex for making this a reality! 
Does this mean we'll use Alex's ranks for enlisted personnel and SLDF ranks for officers?
Does this mean we'll use Alex's ranks for enlisted personnel and SLDF ranks for officers?
Here's a link that shows the rank insignias of the old Star League Defense Force. Perhaps we could use these insignia but in red and gold since that's the trim color that goes with our gunmetal grey uniforms and paint scheme.
SLDF rank insignia
SLDF rank insignia
I say we go with Alex's ideas. They look awesome! Nice job, Alex.
Any new info on the rank system? I think it would be awesome to add insignia to our avatars.
Woops! I realize I wasn't logged in when I did that last post. The above post is from me.
And here I thought this thread was about the Crescent Hawks video game! LOL!
No problem. We'll hold down the fort for ya. Good luck with the evil roomie.
Good luck with the job hunt, Keith!
I was cruising the Wiz Kids MechWarrior site recently and noticed that they are planning a new MechAssault title called Phantom War for the Nintendo DS to be released at the end of this year. Also some students at a design school have gotten permission from Wiz Kids to make a short BattleTech film in CGI. Nifty!
Yes, I too dream nightly of MechWarrior 5! Alas, I feel WizKids and Microsoft have decided to take the path more traveled after the scent of the all mighty dollar. Sigh...
I agree that MechAssault was only distantly related to BattleTech. I would love to see the resurrection of the MechWarrior series, or better yet, a new Cresent Hawks game!
The fiction for the MechWarrior collectable miniatures game has definiately gotten better, and it seemed WizKids has finally settled on some form of storyline. I just wish they would do the detailed sourcebooks for Dark Age that FASA used to do (and FanPro still does) for Classic BattleTech. They really enr
The fiction for the MechWarrior collectable miniatures game has definiately gotten better, and it seemed WizKids has finally settled on some form of storyline. I just wish they would do the detailed sourcebooks for Dark Age that FASA used to do (and FanPro still does) for Classic BattleTech. They really enr
We'll hold good thoughts for ya on this end!
Congrats on your victory! How often do you get to play MechWarrior?
Yeah, I think they've improved the game a lot. I just wish I could find some mature players in my area. I'm not really keen to play with eleven year olds.
Nice work, Ben! Looks just like the Age of Destruction cards.
Wow, those are some wacky hijinks! I thought the German kid was gonna explode. I think I'll stick with single player games.
Enjoy yourself! See ya when you get back.
Congrats on the new job, Keith! You da man!
The Digital Animation and Video Effects (DAVE) School is producing a short MechWarrior film for release this summer in cooperation with Wiz Kids. You can see the trailer at the link below. Enjoy!
http://www.wizkidsgames.com/mechwarrior/mw...e=gameresources
http://www.wizkidsgames.com/mechwarrior/mw...e=gameresources
Good news about MechAssault 3, especially if they do a better job at connecting it with the BattleTech universe. The new MechAssault title for the Nintendo DS comes out next month I believe. As I've said before, I'd love to see a BattleTech game title that had both Mech simulation and Role-playing elements to it. Please Video Game Gods, hear my prayer! 
OK guys, I guess it's time for my report card. What did you all think of Operation Hellfire?
Woops! Forgot to log in. That's me above.