Schlock Mercenary/Heartwarming

The tale of a band of gravity-cannons-for-hire traveling the galaxy to meet fascinating life-forms and kill them ... and there are still those moments which make us go awwww!

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• This strip, where Liz asks Nick the right question: http://schlockmercenary.com/d/20100618.html
  • And later...
• After Brad detonates his disabled tank to keep it from causing thousands of deaths, they erect a 25-foot tall statue of him in a Credomarian park.

Lota: "King Lota thinks it is a little too big."
Schlock: "Brad's best friend thinks it's almost big enough."

• Schlock himself demonstrates the other side of the Description Cut.
• "What if, for at least the next couple of weeks, we put all our life-or-death expertise and energy into building something wonderful... something that will outlast our stay here?"
• "Playing Goddess of War and protecting the most beautiful bald head in the universe is supposed to be my job. Thanks for standing in for me."
• Sergeant Schlock demonstrates his friendship and loyalty here...which is quickly subverted .
• Tailor gets one partway through this comic that is passed by pretty rapidly but really highlights his growing character and loyalty past just his duty.

"My captain needs me to be something I'm not."

• The truth of the Toughs' mindwipe finally coming out, and Tagon's total trust in "amorphous psychopath" Schlock's verification.
  • The comic in general has a twisted sort of heartwarmingness about it; in spite of being about a group of scruple-deficient mercenaries, as the above-linked strip shows, friendship actually plays a big part and is sometimes the only thing the Toughs can really rely on. They may not be able to trust the person paying their commission and the guy with the altruistic motive for being on their side is almost certainly up to something, but they know damn sure they can rely on their friends.
• SNAP!
• One for the entire universe: The footnote that describes inertiics mentions that inertiic engineers get free passage anywhere out of appreciation for the fact that their skills save thousands of lives daily.
• Petey not only was happy to host Theo and Bunni's wedding, but he went to exceptional lengths to make sure it was the perfect wedding. For a god-koala-AI, he still looks after and cares for his friends.
• Tagon grumbles that any death benefits for the Toughs come out of the captain's pay ... but a note reveals that he was the one who put that into the charter, because it averts a We Have Reserves attitude and "it is inherently noble...."
• A Shout Out to the first Superman (film) with Christopher Reeve is accompanied by a heartwarming note. Even though it incorrectly spells his name "Reeves."
• Just before setting off a hand-carried missile warhead to wipe out an enemy boarding party, Captain Tagon recorded a message to his father. He apologized for an incident years before that killed the rest of their family, and for the way he and his dad drifted apart after that. "I can't fix that. I can't bring them back." But, he said, he'd built a new family and brought his father into it.
• The new Captain Tagon, having been cloned with downloaded memories — only the last 42 minutes missing, overhears a new recruit from the Fobott'r (Andy's four-armed species) explaining why he or she wants to join the Toughs.

"He's a hero. And he's our kind of hero.
"Any one of us will take a hit to save the rest of us. The Fobott'r fighting clan code is "Grip Tight."
"Captain Tagon walked a warhead into the middle of an enemy armor squadron to save his crew. He is a grip-tight Fobott'r, even if he is a couple of hands short.
"Serving with him is a privilege. The best service is given proudly in front of those who have your back."