Jump to content

Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 2: Of Dire Tides


Xinnidy
 Share

Recommended Posts

Reaching the hangar floor, Tarquin was met by Nikolai. However, his pace and expression showed that he meant business. Of all people, Tarquin knew he had the most to explain to Nikolai. He was stunned into silence as the goblin barked at him, the emotional display a stark contrast from his usual behaviour. Nikolai wasn't exactly known for his social grace, in fact, he often intentionally antagonised people,. However, there was a frustration in his words that he'd not quite seen before. At least he wasn't threatening to pee on him.

"I..." Tarquin began, trying to figure out what he could and couldn't say. "It's complicated. I want to tell you, but there's so much to it. I used to live at Corona Ten... and the Professor, he's the one who looked after me. He told me to come back and not tell anyone. I thought I could trust him, but I was wrong."

There were several reasons that Nikolai could kick his ass for, and his explanation hadn't really saved his buttocks from an incoming boot. His own artificial nature was one thing that he couldn't disclose, even trying to form the words caused his throat to tighten and close. It was the one secret he couldn't share, a vulnerability he had to keep hidden.

-

The troll boy looked like he was given T-4 a hard time, something that gave Talia a cruel sense of satisfaction. It was good that not everything always went his way. She nearly jumped as Elaine called out to her, her ability to converse incredibly rusty after two years of almost no social interaction. She didn't know what to think of the ginger punk, she looked more like she belonged in a bar fight than in a military uniform. 

"Oh? Me?" she replied hurriedly, bringing her arms across her chest. Was she going to get beaten up too? The woman was a Sargeant, so she was probably fairly inimportant in the grand scheme of things. "Hello... I'm Talia. Hopefully I can answer some of your questions."

What did she want to know? Was she going to be taken to a cell and be beaten until she told them everything? No, this was the ANF, and nobody knew about her here... except him. As long as T-4 didn't squeal, she'd have a chance to explain things to the captain. She needed to find this Thorvald, he was a person that seemed trustworthy just from his voice alone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 2.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

"For starters," Elaine said, crossing her arms, "How much do you know about the attack itself? All we know is that Apotheosis showed up to Corona Ten with several mechs, and when we got there, a pilot had gone in to collect something from the facility, so any details you might have about the sequence of events would be helpful." Elaine tried to not be intimidating towards the girl as best she could, but her tone of voice wasn't helping the issue. She quietly breathed in, hoping Talia wouldn't notice, and tried to be gentler with her voice. After all, Talia was already going through more than any person should.

"Take your time answering if you need to. There's no rush. If it's too much for you, right now, I can get you some time with one of our doctors, Cheryl Hart. We just need to know everything we can." The more she spoke, the more awkward Elaine felt. She didn't want to come off condescending, as if she were a child, but the only time she had ever acted 'motherly' towards someone who was clearly distressed was towards her little cousin Nico, and that was very different than talking to an adult. At least, she was fairly sure Talia was an adult. Under 21, yes, but... "I... apologize if I'm making you feel uncomfortable. Is there anything you think you might need? We don't have a whole lot to offer on the ship, but we can try and accommodate."

Edited by Dandragon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Talia froze, her knees wobbling as Elaine barraged her with questions. How was she supposed to answer so many? Was she going to get the answers by force? Talia had always wanted attention from other people, but not like this! It was just in her drama "Don't drop the Soap", Elaine was establishing her authority over her and then... no, it couldn't end that way. Talia covered her face with her hands, was this what she'd escaped to? She could never catch a break, every option she had was torture. Burning to death in her room, running through a base full of dead people, flying a mechanical death trap, and now this? She paused for a moment, Elaine's response creating a good few seconds of awkward silence.

"Oh? You mean I can think a... little first?" she answered, genuinely surprised in Elaine's shift in tone. Was she... being nice? It was hard to tell, she was still so scary. Maybe it was one of those things where she looked worse than she really was? It was like the opposite of T-4, he looked normal but he was a little shit on the inside. Talia gave an awkward smile, not too dissimilar to Tarquin's attempts at facial expression. "All I know is that they came to pick up the Professor... I was in my room for most of it."

If she could keep on the good side of this Elaine person, she might have a chance of establishing herself as part of their group, right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Don't worry. I got it." Spoke Aliza as she made it to the Lieutenant. But stopped for a moment to observe the pilot...well then! "Mm..." She grinned a bit. 'He's kinda handsome...abooooout a 7 on the scale.' "So I'm Aliza, the pilot you spoke to earlier. I know the code to the cockpit, so no worries handsome." With a wink she nudged her way past Brant to open the hatch. After a quick dial in she opened it up. Hicks was found slumped in his seat. "..." She turned down her momentary flirtatious nature to take a look at Hicks. While she didn't know Sledge all that well she could tell they were good friends. She felt terrible. "...you guys have a medical bay right?" She asked as she slowly got Hicks out of his seat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Megumi glanced to Olivia when she asked about the SKIN suits, the scanner still running on Christina. "Yes, we'll be taking them off once I know what we're dealing with, here." This particular scanner was a handheld, but just as bulky and almost as stupid looking as a 1950s depiction of a ray gun, and its passes would highlight any anomalies in the subject's bone structure for the medical staff's convenience.

"Alright, onto Lieutenant Kim ..." She moved over to the next bed. "Remove Christina's suit but do it very carefully. Cut away anything that's stuck and clean and treat the wounds. Keep in mind there might be burns on her back as well, and remember to keep her head stable while you're working." The gowns could go on once they were finished with any burns.


"That's fine," Firmia said, a phrase she would probably only be using once this conversation. Forwarding the data to Brant to get his thoughts was indeed fine. What came next, however ... <"... what ... the f--what the crap?! You're equipped for THAT?!"> What were her designers thinking? Weren't the HAn4 models for colony defense or something to that effect? What did they need the bedroom equipment for? Incomprehensible design choices aside, at least this Galatea program was starting to make a certain kind of sense. Better said, it seemed to fit with these extra functions Hannah possessed. As for why the program and these functions existed in the first place, Firmia didn't have a clue. <"I don't understand ...> I ... don't even know how to respond to that ..."

Hannah was starting to remind her of an assassin gynoid, perfectly suited to killing, but just as good with feminine infiltration tactics like seduction. Perhaps the HAn4s were meant to be as versatile as possible, to fulfill a large variety of potential roles. Kind of like the mass production Throne model. It was easier to chalk it up to that for now, than come up with some other reason for a colony defense machine to have a synthetic reproductive apparatus installed neatly between her thighs. Yep. Much easier. "Like I said," Firmia winced, "even if it's unpleasant, I'd rather know than not know."

Battleship armor? Firmia suddenly beamed with excitement. She hadn't been holding out any hope for a sample from the Chaldene. Sure, it had engaged the Riese directly for a couple of minutes, but she expected the fragments to be too damaged to properly analyze, or too big for the Mantle to carry. It felt a bit like cheating; the Regalia and Mantle hadn't engaged the battleship, so they didn't have even the flimsiest of claims to the debris other than first come first served. Still, there was probably some other pieces left for the salvage team, anyway. There wasn't anything left of the Hunters Brant had gunned down, so they didn't have a lot of options from their own kills. Not that Hunter salvage would necessarily aid the AMS units, anyway ...

"Yeah, bring it back here," Firmia said, not bothering to keep the elation out of her tone. Messing with battleship components would be well worth it if they learned anything useful.


The other Legionary pilot got up there fast. "Brant Abrams," the TK introduced himself. The situation seemed to handle itself from there, at least to a point. Brant wouldn't need to try either of Buck's codes, but he might still have to carry Hicks, so he only got as 'out of the way' as he needed to in order to let Aliza be the first to check on her squad mate. He could carry Hannah--with some serious effort--so Hicks shouldn't be a problem. Brant hadn't sensed much of anything from the man in a while, so seeing him passed out in the pilot's seat wasn't surprising.

"Well that's not good ..." Fortunately, they did have an infirmary exactly one deck up. "Yeah, we have one. I'll go ahead and get him up there."

Edited by Phoenix
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the first time, Juria departed from Astin's mech pleased with herself, hugging Astin briefly before she left. "Thank you, Astin friend! You are such amazing pilot to be helping. Juria always glad to help!" She smiled, and wider when Reo came bounding through the hangar for her to cling onto, hugging the robocat for a few moments before zoning back into reality. Astin said she should rest... but she felt there was at least one thing she had to correct before she went anywhere else.

Even though she made up her mind, though, she still shuffled her feet about as she approached Abigail who had been talking with the Captain. Her head tilted towards the ground. Juria not say very nice things before... "Ahm... Hi, Abby." Juria also not sure what nice things to say now... "Juria just want say sorry... Not nice before. It hard for forgive everything, but, have seen what good thing Abby do today and before for us. It not fair to not even think about that either. Past is over, but... tomorrow still important." She raised up Reo a bit, partly hiding a bit- Abby was still sort of scary- but partly a rather awkward gesture of forgiveness. "Is that... okay?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Set Her Up

Olivia got things setup for Val, looking at her for a second, before the doctor gave orders. "Right... Hope you remembered your underwear, Christina." She reached over to the girl's wrist, pressing a small button just below her hand. Instantly, the suit lost it's cling, starting to puff up around Christina, until it was just loose material. "Val, help me hold her head while we slide this off. And... Well, that's unfortunate." A spot of the suit was still clinging to her stomach, despite the rest hanging loosely. "She might have a burn on her stomach, Val. Okay... I'll hold her head, and work on getting this down her shoulders. You take over after that, and see about getting that bit taken off of her-- carefully. Especially if you actually have to cut it off... Don't want to give her a fresh scar along with the burns." Olivia couldn't imagine that getting a cut on a burn would be anything pleasant feeling. At least she was still passed out... Gently cradling her head with one hand, Olivia started sliding her suit down, glad that there were no other resisting bits on her shoulders.

Designed Without Accuracy in Mind

Firmia's reaction wasn't at all shocking. Most people were bothered in some form when they found out... Was it such a bad thing? Even if she'd never developed a personality, it wasn't like people didn't use objects for their own needs... Technically, she'd been just an object. It was different now, but... Wouldn't it be more acceptable now? She supposed that it was simply the shock of it, but, maybe Firmia wasn't quite getting something about her creation. "Firmia, perhaps you are confused about my installations. Should I continue in Russian? <I was assigned to the Colony, yes. They did order us, but we had already been created at the time. So rather, we were not created for the Colony's defenses, simply tasked to that once we were fully functional. I do not know what my... I suppose 'parents' is a rather apt term, had in mind for us when we were initially designed, but you should not be that shocked. They are not detailed, anyway... I was designed for function, not accuracy.>"

Bring it back... And Firmia seemed quite pleased. Storing the other chunk of the Cressida away under the Mantle's arm, Hannah went about scanning the slab for an appropriate piece of tech to bring back... Most all of it was simply metal, though the origin of which was not available through her machine's database. Interesting. Perhaps the superior models are also constructed of this material. That would explain why they are so difficult to damage, compared to the Cressidas... And why they immolate upon defeat.

"<I am going to bring back the thicker section of this hull fragment. It appears to be made of an unknown metal, or alloy. We should scan it as soon as possible, once it's brought in...>" Continuing in Russian as to not throw Firmia off, swinging languages, Hannah went about chopping a section of the hull off. The Mantle's beam sabers had been installed, though she hadn't needed them with the lance she'd brought with her. Now, they were the perfect tool for removing the hefty wedge. Carry capacity reaching peak with this new item, Hannah took one last zoomed look over the battlefield... The Luna's sword was still there-- what was left of it, anyway, after the metal has melted. She almost thought about taking it... But the mechanics had likely already been informed of it. If there was anything to be gotten from the Luna's armor and armaments, they could settle it after.

"<I'm returning now, then.>" The Mantle had to push a bit harder to fly back to the ship in MS mode, with all this weight, but no matter. It was a short trip.

Do More

"Them bein' a live 's'all I care about. Coulda been way worse, facin' down that monster of a machine. An' I don't wanna think about worse. A concussion, maybe, an' some burns? Coulda been way worse..." Avery shook her head as they walked out of the infirmary, yawning. She'd slept, but it hadn't been the most restful... Because of someone. "Maybe we are. So you keep doin' what yer doin', Astin. Even iffin ye can't keep everyone from gettin' hurt, ye kept more people from gettin' hurt. That matters a tonne... So thanks." Avery leaned over and planted a kiss on their cheek, sticking her tongue out after and adjusting her hat.

"Alright. I got a buncha machines t'fix up. An', all them cool metals t'look over. What're you gonna do, hot stuff?"

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"In your room, huh?" Well, that didn't help much, beyond knowing for certain they were looking for someone, not something. Though, I guess hiding in your room is probably how you're going to survive a raid on a base. "Well, that's alright. You were pretty brave to get into that mech." She said, smiling back at her. It was clear that Talia was not comfortable around Elaine, and that just made getting any answers out of her more difficult. There were the surviving Legionary pilots that she could question, but it didn't feel right to leave Talia all alone, even for a moment. She looked weak, dependent, and needed someone to help her. But...Elaine certainly wasn't the person for that, if her track record was indicative of anything.

"Listen, Talia. Why don't I bring you to Doctor Hart's office? You look like you're having a rough time, and she can definitely help with that."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was a good hug, once Jess seemed to get over her initial surprise. Apparently she'd been expecting something else? But Abigail needed a hug probably as much as she did at the moment, so it was really win-win. Maybe even a triple w, when taking into account the the delightful squeal she'd managed to elicit. Their captain sure was quite the package, wasn't she? Pleasant to hold, full of fun noises, even smelled goo-- Oh no, Abby really, you're doing this? It was that moment when she realized just how dangerous things may have already gotten.

Letting Jess squirm herself free and chastise her for the bit of liberty she'd taken, gears in Abigail's mind whirred to life, trying to decide just what to make of recent developments. It was unlikely they'd soon reach an answer, especially still clouded in a haze of sleep deprivation. And of course, wittingly or unwittingly, it was deceptively hard to tell, Jess was stoking the fire of temptation even higher, offering--almost begging to be able to provide--a closer, non-military, just a woman-to-woman relationship between the two of them.

The tips of Abigail's ears burned a little, and a pleasant tingling crawled down her scalp for a few moments, as she opened and closed her mouth a couple times before finally finding a response. "I think... I'd like that... when I'm ready. I'll try not to make you wait too long."

About to turn away, before--well before anything else unexpected could rock her emotional boat further, it seemed she'd already lingered a little too long. The plump engineer who'd so angrily accosted her the other day was headed straight for her.  Closing her eyes and steeling herself for another tense confrontation, Abigail was pleasantly surprised to find the purpose was otherwise. Perhaps the captain's close proximity was responsible? At any rate, this Juria seemed to be apologizing.

Waving a hand, as if to clear away the tangles they'd had between them, Abby did her best to meet the girl halfway. "It's fine, I was, uh, pretty rude to 'Astin friend' at the time too, so it's not like my side was all sunshine and rainbows. I guess I don't know what you said when you went native on me, but nothing I understood passed the point of no return, so if moving onward to the future is what you want..." she shrugged. "I don't have the energy to really hold that against you right now. I guess you picked a good time to reconcile."

Well, maybe it wasn't her absolute best, what with the slight digs at Juria's language proficiency, and being more or less indifferent than enthusiastic. But, well, hell. She could have done a whole lot worse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hannah's explanation cleared things up for the most part. Firmia personally wouldn't have ordered androids that would distract people in that way if she wasn't planning on making use of the feature ... but that was just her. Of course all of this meant that as a combat unit, Hannah had a lot of extraneous functions, and Firmia had no doubt that some of them were holding her back. It couldn't be helped, either ...

<"So you weren't a special order or anything like that. Understood."> Firmia wasn't sure if that phrasing would annoy Hannah or not, but hopefully the android could tell she didn't mean it in a demeaning way. It would annoy Brant at this stage, but he was too busy to care, right now.

Maybe she should just leave him be, really. Brant's interest was purely in Hannah's sentience, or whatever was going on with her. Firmia's was more utilitarian in nature, and she knew it could put them at odds, eventually, even though she had no intention of altering Hannah in any way. She doubted the android would consent, as well as whether it would really improve her performance enough to be worth the scorn. At some point, however, she would need to put together a prototype drone, and that prototype's sole purpose would be combat. It wouldn't have a humanoid form, or much of a personality. It would simply be a drone inhabiting a relatively small shell. No talking unless that was an absolutely necessary feature. No smiling or blushing. No questions about itself or the nature of existence. Firmia's drone project didn't have room for any of that, and that was why Brant would likely get fed up with aspects of the project as it progressed. Imagining that play out over and over again in her head made the Alkaev consider keeping her fellow TK's involvement extremely minimal.

It was a shame they couldn't get the entire piece back, but that wasn't stopping Hannah. Having the beam sabers installed made it a simple issue to address. Firmia would take whatever she could get without having to ask, first, especially armor samples. Reproducing the material might not be possible, so this piece would have to count; they could cut it down further for direct use, or use it for testing. Either way, it was now a question of its characteristics. How superior was this armor, and what was the difference in weight? It would only be useful to her if its weight was comparable to or less than what they were already using, while also being more durable or resistant, or it yielded data that would lead to the creation of plating that was.

Hannah's imminent return to the ship reminded Firmia that she didn't really have an 'area' in the hangar that she could use for personal storage. The hangar was filling up, too. <"I guess we'll just have to set it down between the Mantle and Regalia's docks, for now. Anyway, good work, Hannah. I don't know if we'll get a new alloy out of this, but at the very least we should be able to find a kink in that battleship's armor. Next time we can shoot one down~"> ... or encourage them to self destruct ... however their captain preferred to go down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Making me Wait

Abby really was having a hard time with this, huh? Between the pauses and breaks in her speech, it seemed like talking about it at all was so tough for her... Jess bit her lip, sighing quietly. Breaching the topic so early was definitely a bad idea... At least Juria had come around. Good timing, probably. It'd give Abby something else to think about, and let Jess get away from the subject. "You don't have to make me wait, Abby. I'll come by later this evening, okay? Let you get settled into your room first. I figure it'll be easier for you to feel relaxed if you're away from all the machines... Hopefully we don't have to deal with any surprises in the meantime." Checking on her later was likely for the best, yes. She could ask what that radio silence was all about, if it really was just about concentration...

In any case, "I need to see about Tarquin, so I'll see you later, Abby. Again, you don't have to come to the debrief, if you're not able." With a small wave and a smile, Jess put her cap back on, fixing it over her orange locks. It was a good thing she'd left Abby to her devices when she did, Nikolai looked about ready to tear the boy apart! "Oh, crap-- Nikolai!" Jess rushed over and put herself between the two of them, looking at them one after the other.

"Look, I'm... I'm sure Tarquin had his reasons for what he did! And if he was going to betray us, they wouldn't have been shooting at him. This was the best time to collect, so to speak... Right? So..." She hoped that would satiate the angry teenager, enough to stay put, just for for a bit. "Tarquin," she began, looking at him with worried eyes, "I really do hope you have an explanation for things. This isn't something I can wave a hand at and overlook... You abused your position and trust of the mechanics to take off without orders, to follow someone else's? You're going to have to tell us all what this was about if you want us to trust you."

Settle the Metal

Not a special order... In the context of the colony, that made sense. She didn't quite have an ego about her existence to be upset by a comment like that. She knew that, scientifically, she was the forefront of mechanics and engineering. Still, knowing that, she didn't think it mattered all that much. Firmia's comment hadn't been anything other than in regards to the colony, so nothing had to be said about it.

"<I do not know if we would be able to shoot down a ship of that magnitude. The Riese, as advanced as it is, was unable to do more than damage it through continued volleys of its main battery. Do you believe that even with concentrated fire, we would be able to down something that heavily armored? I feel that it would simply warp away before we were able to fully dismantle it.>" Those were her thoughts on the matter, anyway. If it was doable, then she would assist, but if it was too much of a stretch to accomplish, their ammo was better spent elsewhere.

Taking the Mantle into the hangar, and being careful not to land on anyone, she settled it down gently next to the Regalia, placing the arm and armor where Firmia had wanted them: right in between the machines. It only took a few more moments for the android to open up the cockpit, leaving the machine in the fashion she seemed to prefer-- without the lift. Maybe it was simply how fast it got her from inside the robot to out that she appreciated it, but waiting for a lift like that was an unneeded step in disembarking. This new skin she'd received appeared incredibly malleable as well, not a single tear or stretch from that level of exertion.

Giving a quick look around the place to get a read on how things were progressing, Hannah spotted her next priority helping their new arrivals. Approaching the impressive looking machine, she gave a small salute, waving up at them. "Hello, Brant! Is there anything that I can do to assist with our new friends? I am currently without a task, and do not mind being ordered around by you."

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Juria smiled, lowering Reo a bit out of the way. "Sorry... Juria English, know it is not very good. Only start to learn few months ago, since was told would have to be learning official language if wanting to continue be with Riese. Still, trying best to learn when possible! Am proud to be continually helping, am head engineer on now and was big helper with making Riese space boat in first place." She hesitantly extended her arms with Reo still in them towards Abby, the robocat mewling. "Heehee! Reo kitty likes you. He is friendly cat, made from stuffed toy and extra parts. You can pet if want!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Compliments? Talia was pretty sure that the ginger bruiser in front of her was giving her a compliment! Thinking about it, after all Talia had been through, it was pretty impressive to have the guts to go out and try again. She wasn't a hardened veteran or a tool of war, she was an unlucky girl who had decided to act against all odds. Perhaps there was hope for her yet, if she could prove herself useful then she'd be accepted by everyone. Nobody needed to know about all her failed tests and the time she crashed the Umbra into the sea.

However, Elaine's suggestion knocked the wind out of her. Containing her surprise, she desperately tried to think of a reason why she'd need to see a therapist. Of course, there were probably a great number of reasons why but she didn't want to face any of them right now, all she wanted was the praise for a job well done. Smiling nervously, she nodded her head in a reluctant agreement.

"That would be nice... but maybe I should rest before something like that... I wouldn't want to waste Doctor Hart's time..." she replied timidly, trying to maintain a facade of agreeability. Things were going smoothly so far, she didn't want to throw a spanner in the works. There had to be another path the conversation could follow. "So... T-4... Tarquin, is he a friend of yours?"

Edited by Shin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nikolai narrowed his eyes as he took in the situation. His initial instincts told him that it was obvious not to trust anyone who would ask him to do anything completely unaccompanied, let alone without telling anyone about it. Obvious honeypot or no, however, it was quite clear that the boy was troubled in a way that brought up conflicting emotions to say the least...

This would be so much easier if I wasn't utter garbage, huh? I'm sure you would know exactly what to say, you dead motherfucker. Tell me again why it is you took that bullet because I'm sure if you were standing here you would know exactly what to say.

There was his anger, yes, but also a desire to comfort the child even though it was unbelievably clear that he had no idea how to approach the situation. He sighed, tending forward a hand in a manner that was simultaneously awkwardly mechanical and entirely sincere as he placed it on the younger pilot's shoulder.

A caretaker doing that to a kid is bad, right? I mean I know nothing about things like Having Parents or Being Taken Care Of but... It must hurt. Perhaps. Just try to be nice about it Nikolai for once in your goddamn life.

"I am sorry for losing patience..." He muttered, casting his eyes to the floor as he spoke. There was something warm prickling under his skin, partially shame, partially indignant anger that the one person he cared about had been clearly taken advantage of, but mostly guilt that he had no idea what to say. "I do not understand but is clear that person... was important to you. I am sorry that happened, but think about yourself, da? What would happen if you died before finding meaning to life, do you think that would be satisfying narrative for your life?"

There seemed to be something else, some sort of secret that was getting caught in Tarquin's throat as he spoke as well. Nikolai's instincts once more told him that he was going to stick his hand in the beartrap, but that seemed completely unimportant.

"Is alright if is complicated, is alright if can not say... secrets are secrets, you can keep yours but don't be a fucking idiot or I will kick your ass for real."

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Alright, thanks sir." She spoke with another smile. With a nudge through the cockpit she helped her partner out of the seat and nudged the other open arm to the good Lieutenant. "Let's head out then." She was sure he'd be fine in his hands but she wanted to be around in case he started to wake up. So that way he wouldn't flip out or anything.

However before they could make some progress toward the medical bay another pilot stepped up to greet the group. Aliza took notice from the corners of her eyes and...well she was already smiling. Couldn't get much bigger. She made a mental note that this was a cute one too, 7/10. She was certainly generous but regardless she kept her eyes on the prize...no not that prize. "Oh that's real nice of you miss. Grazie!" Even though her offer wasn't directed to Aliza she still appreciated the help.

Edited by TheRoon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Astin blushed at the kiss, and gave a small shrug in response. "I don't know really. We'll have debrief at some point. And... I need to talk to Abigail. Tried to talk with her after the battle, but she'd gone dark and hadn't turned her com back on. Besides that... Sleep? Ha, I mean, that or exercise a bit. Read. Something. Something that isn't piloting a robot, you know? Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade places with anyone, I know this is the right place for me but..." They trailed off, clearly lost in thought again. A few seconds passed and they snapped out of it, focusing on Avery again, "Err, yeah. Nice to distract myself sometimes. That's all. Good luck with all the robot stuff. I'm sure you'll figure out something amazing."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Val winced as the cloth stuck to Chrissy's skin, quickly grabbing a towel and wetting it with cool water. Very slowly, she began to use the towel to remove the clothing from the burn, doing her best to be gentle and careful. This wasn't a pleasant process and it was likely for the best that the girl was unconscious. She managed to get the last bit to unstick and sighed with relief. "There. That ended up not being too bad but still... That was a nasty attack to do that." Putting the towel down and grabbing some supplies, she began to carefully clean the burn, asking while she did, "Did you see any other major burns besides this one? Anything on her back?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Oh ..." Megumi was a little surprised--pleasantly so--to see Valerie get the SKIN suit off, sans knife. "Good job, Tambre." Though that was preferable overall, the fact that they would need to have their skin partially replaced to have it look and function the way it had before the incident made either method somewhat arbitrary. It was a less severe treatment than what the lieutenant had gone through on Colony One. If the girls were fine with scars then this was by far the best method, but otherwise either would have panned out in the doctor's view. Valerie had probably saved a few hundred credits on local anesthetics, though, and that was definitely good. Minions with minds of their own were nice, as long as they weren't too ambitious ... and Megumi was admittedly no better with other people's money than the government was, nor did she really care as long as none of her patients died or left the infirmary in anything less than stellar condition. One could simply ask Mai. She knew.

Time to use the less costly method and get Lieutenant Kim out of her SKIN suit. The gowns could definitely wait from the looks of things. "How's it coming over there?" the doctor asked, glancing at the other bed occasionally while she copied Valerie's method. All the while she was trying to figure out how bruised ribs would affect Kim's performance. She was an exceptional pilot, so she would likely be able to handle it for the most part, but some painkillers would definitely be in order.


Hannah didn't seem to like their chances of gunning down a battleship, and it was a fair assessment; the damn things could vanish into the ether at will. Firmia wished they would just stay there and rust. Despite their unwillingness to shoo off to oblivion permanently, the Alkaev had been paying close attention during the two Apotheosis fights she had been present for, and even though that confused her about their intelligence as a whole, one thing was certain: These people reacted far too slowly when the battle began to turn against them. The fact that Hannah was able to bring back a sample of their battleship showed just how vulnerable they could be under the right circumstances. A swift and concerted attack on a Chaldene might not be worth the effort with more pressing concerns on the battlefield, but taking them down was an inescapable part of combating Apotheosis in the long run. For now, Firmia agreed that they had other concerns. Hopefully they could find a way to punch through that armor or bypass it altogether. At least that way, once these ships became priority targets, they could dispatch them before they decided to see themselves out.

Thinking about why Apotheosis' machines only teleported to and from the battlefield, and never for any other reason, or to save individual units, was almost too baffling, right now. Clearly their grunts were just shy of worthless expendables in their eyes, but surely if they planned to take over the world, they needed every operational machine and pilot they could manage for the long campaign this could turn into. There were too many possibilities for their apparent negligence to parse, and no easy way to narrow things down with so little information. It might be due to energy constraints, or minimum activation intervals. Minimum and maximum teleport ranges might even be a factor. Maybe these morons didn't even fully comprehend the tech themselves and were playing it safe ... safer. That too was a distinct possibility. 

Calling them morons with all the damage they had done probably seemed arrogant to some people, come to think of it. Firmia liked to mock and ridicule them for any perceived mistakes on their part, but such mockery served an important purpose. It helped to balance out the fear that came with facing an enemy force of unknown power and scale. Add the ridiculously advanced equipment and it was downright necessary to take them down a peg at every opportunity, for morale's sake. What would help her own morale even more than lowering Apotheosis in her eyes would be uplifting the Riese and her crew, though that was incredibly difficult while working so closely with them. Firmia would have seen them as demi-gods, pushing back the forces of evil if she could watch them fight from afar ... but two days in and it was nothing but impromptu badassery, with interludes made up entirely out of poor communication and organization, security as lax as an orange kiosk on a freeway, and just plain strange behavior in general.

... maybe these Apotheosis pilots were clones on the whole? That would explain their relative edge over most AIs Firmia had seen, but not much else. Depending on the cost and effectiveness vs AI, that would be a reasonable legion of expendables for the enemy. Then again, Hannah was ...

Hannah was giving Firmia a headache, that's what she was doing ... <"Grrrrrr! Enough of this bullshit!"> She was done. Firmia had enough and needed to focus on the other side of the chess board, right now. There were a ton of things she needed to do, and there was still some time before the debriefing from the look of things. Getting on the Artemis team's case about the anti-TK field wasn't much of an option with both of them in the infirmary. She might need to find whoever the actual mechanic for the machine was, anyway, and with all that damage, they would be several different kinds of busy. The captain was also busy, so bringing up her current list of grievances would probably have to wait until post-debrief.

The Regalia and Mantle repairs were a post-debrief affair, as well ... like pretty much everything else. That just left Brant's reckless piloting, and Hannah's even more reckless piloting to try and remedy in the short term. Firmia had touched on the issue, but hadn't really reached a concrete solution, only stumbled onto the most likely culprit, this Galatea program. Brant might be easier to deal with, but perhaps not. Firmia understood him quite well despite the recent revelations about his past, but that was why she knew this might not be any easier. He could be more stubborn than an android under the right circumstances.

What else could be taken care of, right now? Firmia hadn't recruited enough mechanics to help with the Reign's upgrades, but now really wasn't the time. That meant Tonya would be camping out like a perverted homebody in Brant's room for another day or two. Firmia really needed to find something for that one to do in the meantime. Her specialty was fighting, though ... and little else. Just great, Firmia thought. At this rate, the situation wouldn't have changed overly much by the next battle, which at said rate would be somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty-four hours.

Firmia supposed she didn't need sleep, anyway ...

Looking toward the Mantle, Firmia saw its current pilot disembark and head over to the Regalia and Legionary nearby. What was she rushing off to see Brant for? Actually that was kind of a dumb question, now that she thought back to Hannah's earlier confession. On the one hand, Hannah's near obsession with Brant was annoying as all get out. A human and android in a serious relationship seemed like a slap in the face, somehow, and Firmia couldn't quite place why she felt that way about it. Not with the other two billion thoughts swirling around in her head. On the other hand, Hannah's attraction was downright tangible, and made the Alkaev question the android's loyalty to ... well, anyone. Could Firmia use Hannah's affection for Brant to lure her away from the ANF's camp and into her own? She couldn't do it without Brant, of course, but could she do it at all? Forget whether it was fair play or even morally decent, Firmia knew damn well that it wasn't. That didn't mean it wasn't worth at least considering ... and if Brant wound up falling for an android of all things, wouldn't it be better to at least maximize the benefit of such an outcome? Wouldn't it? That had to be better than telling him how to live his life, or going in the other direction and letting everything happen without steering it toward something remotely useful. If everyone got what they wanted--save for the ANF, Firmia granted--wasn't that okay ...?


Brant was just going to lug Hicks over his shoulder and head to the infirmary, leaving Aliza to do whatever she wanted, but he supposed they wouldn't lose much time carrying him together. Hannah's arrival presented a third option. There were a few combinations of the previous two, but the third by itself would work just nicely~ "So Hannah reporting for duty, then?" Brant teased, "Alright then, can you carry Hicks for us? He's not heavy or anything, just figured we'd let you since you volunteered to chip in. I'll come with you to the infirmary anyway since I want to check on Kim and Christina, too."

Edited by Phoenix
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Tarquin was already getting a talking too from Jess by the time Thorvald finished his ride down the lift. Guess if she was handling one rogue little boy, that left him the other then. There was still time until he, Elaine, and Miss Haley were due for their tour of the facility, at any rate. Makoto hadn't gotten far from the Phalanx he'd taken for a joyride, albeit with partial permission. Things had been a little rushed and delaying chasing after Tarquin to specifically remove him and keep him from heading out with the rest of the party could have made all the difference it turns out. It had probably been officially the wrong call to make, and Thorvald wasn't exactly sure why he'd gone with it originally, but perhaps he'd subconsciously figured things out before the realization had fully caught up to the surface brain.

"All right, I have to admit, you did a pretty good job out there, Peace Officer," Thorvald started, making his was over to Makoto and distinctly emphasizing the mode of address he'd used previously, back at the colony, to tip off the boy that yes he'd finally connected the dots. "And I guess saving a friend is the kind of thing important enough to blow your cover, but what I need to know is why you didn't just come clean in the first place. Lying about things like that hardly seems something one of those 'say cheese no mi casa' fellas you look up would do, now does it?" Trying to pronounce one of the bits of Chinese he thought he remembered being slung around the types of shows it was obvious the lad was into was hard, he decided that was probably the first and last time he went for that.

 


 

Abigail supposed if there was one thing to be thankful for with this Juria conversation, was that it forced her to distract herself from the implications of Jess's parting words. The captain didn't want to wait, and was going to come by her room late in the evening. Which obviously only meant one thing...

But, right now there was a... well, it almost resembled a cat. And somehow, despite slipping into old habit and aping the mechanic's linguistic quirks, she hadn't blown up like she had the last time. It seemed she really did want to mend bridges with Abby.

"Uhh, would petting him help pacify the headache that's been slowly amping itself up since I don't remember when? If so, bring it on," she reached out a hand, gingerly, trying to be sure she wouldn't startle the other woman, who still seemed rather meek and bashful.

Edited by Balcerzak
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Make Your Mark

"I'm sure I got it all figured out nice'n easy, darlin'. Don't go losin' yerself in thoughts, there... An', iffin yer not busy when we're all done repairs... Ye can come see me inside the Ceres. We'll give it a, special touch~ Heh. Have a nice day, Astin." Avery grinned and chuckled to herself as she walked down the hall towards the elevators. As much as she was enjoying joking around, the Artemis was her main concern. That thing had nearly been torn apart. Missing an arm, paint worn off everywhere, leg mangled. It was a surprise it could even move, with the shock the system had received. That was either testament to how good a machine it was, or if that electricity was just for show. Did manage t'shock the Lieutenant an' Christina... Can't be that showy. With repair plans forming in her head, she took the lift back down. It was gonna be a long morning.

Major Malaise

"Doesn't seem to be anything else..." Her SKIN suit had come off without extra hassle, and luckily, the girl and the lieutenant had remembered undergarments. Probably less embarrassing for them when they came too, medical gowns or not. "If all she's got to deal with is the concussion and the burn, she's incredibly lucky. I don't know what sort of weapon they got hit with, but anything strong enough to shock the pilot through the MS is pretty intense..." Olivia sighed, trying to gently move Christina's hair away from her lovely little gash. It would be a pretty easy fix with some stitches and time, but it was still an unfortunate sight. "How bad is the Lieutenant, Doctor?"

Going Up!

"At all times, Lieutenant!" With another mock salute, Hannah paused to analyze the new girl's language. "Italian. Installing... Calculating trajectory... Carry the one... Alright." Giving her knees a small bend, Hannah pushed off with enough force to make it up to the Legionary's cockpit, gently landing right on the edge in front of Aliza and Brant. "It is quite easy to traverse still objects. Scaling the Heracles on Colony One during the attack was much more difficult at the time. I nearly fell at three different junctures. Now, I am to carry this Hicks, yes?" Hannah carefully lifted up the man with easy, cradling his unconscious form in her arms, and resting his head against her shoulder as to not let it hang.

"I believe I should take the lift down. Any unnecessary motion to his body could cause further damage... Or would moving the Regalia's hand down be easier? As well, yes, it would be good to see if Private Christina and Lieutenant Kim are doing well. Did you get to see them before they were wheeled off, Brant? I am afraid that I was running a quick errand for Firmia and did not return immediately." Hannah gently stepped over to the Regalia's hand as she spoke, wondering how bad of an assault the two girls had suffered. Electricity was dangerous, not just for androids...

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"...No. We're not friends." When Talia had asked, Elaine had turned her attention towards Tarquin, now being surrounded by both the captain and Nikolai. Tarquin was the furthest thing from a friend on the boat to her. He was a smug brat that had way too many privileges just because he had good piloting scores, practically unnatural. He was a 14 year old boy serving as a pilot on a military vessel, and Elaine knew that he was judging her every time he even looked in her direction. Elaine turned back to Talia. "We're both pilots and that's it. Frankly, I got nothing else to say about him." She let out a sigh, knowing full well that there were plenty of things she wanted to say about Tarquin. But, this was neither the time, nor place.

"Back to the matter at hand." She said, unfolding her arms. "If you don't wanna talk to Doctor Hart right now, that's fine." It was obvious that Talia wasn't entirely thrilled to go talk to a therapist, ironic considering Elaine's own situation, but she didn't need arguing someone who was going to be yet another person coming on to the Riese, especially someone as...emotionally unstable. "But, it's probably best you visit her at some point." Maybe I should follow my own damn advice.

"So... about the facility itself. What can you tell me about it? And is there anything you want us to salvage from it while we're here?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tarquin could see the cogs spinning in Nikolai's mind through his eyes. The goblin boy's harsh expression softened as he appeared to contemplate his next response. He had never found it easy to read people, the closest he'd come to it was learning the typical behaviours of teenagers, but Nikolai's thoughts were an enigma. The freedom of emotion, as well as its range, were vastly different to his own limited repoitre. Not that he would want to trade places, coping with that much emotional turmoil was not something he could even consider himself capable of dealing with.

The apology was but another surprise for him, it was perhaps the most genuine regret that he'd seen Nikolai display - he didn't seem even half as sorry when he'd goaded Elaine into punching him. It only added to his own guilt, did he really need to hide things when the world was in complete chaos?

"I want to tell you one day... but I don't know how." Tarquin replied, his focus shifting as Jess appeared from seemingly nowhere. It was the critical assault he'd been anticipating, although she appeared to read Nikolai's expression as more hostile than he had himself. Tarquin lowered his gaze, he'd have to choose his explanation carefully, omitting it would result in a complete lack of trust. "I understand, Captain. I will attend the debrief and attempt to explain my course of action. I can appreciate your comments and I will not refute their validity."

He'd have to try at least, but there would only be so much he could say without giving the game away.

-

Talia smirked, it looked like Tarquin was being told off by someone else too. "Serves you right, I don't know what you did but I hope more people didn't like it..." she muttered under her breath, her grin almost sadistic in nature. It was only for a few seconds, but she lost herself in relishing the sight. Elaine's reply made her jump, the girl quickly returning her focus to the task at hand. Elaine's own response was less than cheerful, did she not like him either? Perhaps he wasn't as beloved as she thought? It was nice to know his genetic superiority didn't make him popular too.

"Oh... that's a shame, never mind." she replied, probably chirpier about it than she wanted to let on. Conveniently skipping over the topic of the ship therapist, she moved to the next topic. "Corona Ten? It's a major research centre, mostly secret military projects. I think most of the scientists are dead, but there was at least one left... I was hoping to visit my room, it would be so strange to come here without any clothes and a few other things."

Bringing as much of her old life with her was Talia's plan to coping with the strange new situation she was in. With everything that had happened, there wasn't much else she could actually take with her.
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Installing? Was that what Aliza heard? Hm, interesting. Before she could continue on that train of thought however the girl suddenly jumped up to the mech in a jump that would make basketball players blush. "!" Aliza gawked a bit at that. She thought she made it up here fast, this girl didn't even need the stairs. This girl was... "...an android." She spoke aloud. 'Hm, can't really do much with that...still a 7/10 tho. Good eye candy.' With a nod to Hannah she let her take Hicks, almost effortlessly too. Hicks wasn't really a buff or portly fellow, but he was a little tall. So seeing her take him with no effort only confirmed that. "Maybe you guys can point me out to the captain then. I need to talk to her."

Edited by TheRoon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The captain's sudden appearance stunned Nikolai for a moment, not having heard her bolting towards them. Perhaps he'd been drawn too deeply into his concerns and emotions to pay attention to his surroundings, which came across as something vaguely troubling. Luckily, this was a vaguely safe space, he supposed.

In the future he'd definitely need to make sure no one was sneaking up on him before resorting to a brief moment of emotional vulnerability. 

The desperation in her voice surprised him as well. Sure, he had just made a not-so-subtle announcement that if Tarquin died he would kick his ass, but the fact that the captain genuinely seemed to think he would do it was slightly distressing. 

Is different when say that, kurva. 

Instead of antagonising her, however, he gave Tarquin what he hoped looked less like a muscle spasm and more like a knowing nod as he spoke in a tight, choked voice. "Boy has reasons, da. Is stupid decision, but please do not punish harshly. Is not bad intention, is shitty adult's fault... please try to understand captain."

Asking for compassion, even from someone as soft as the captain was not natural, no matter how hard he tried. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dreams and Reality (Heion Riese, somewhere in Kansas Airspace, 0620 CST)

Spoiler

Night had been nearly sleepless for the Heion Riese's XO, Roxanna. It came without saying that the previous day was just foul for her relationship with the rest of the Riese crew. That concern of failure had brought her troublesome dreams throughout the night. Was it even worth it to stay on the Riese? Hadn't she ruined her chances at becoming a Captain? If Jessica played her cards right, she definitely had a lot she could pull on Roxanna so that the XO would never have a role of power in the military again. Roxanna's ego and the way she magnified Jessica's faults were her downfall in the end.

The first phase, denial, only lasted her the afternoon, removing herself from both the meeting and the bridge as soon as she wasn't needed. As long as she though she was needed, she would be needed... but the more she stayed the more it became painfully obvious that her contributions were menial task forwarding and great disruptor of the Captain's authority. It was easy to argue that Roxanna was actually a detriment to the Riese in overall contributions. She could no longer bear the atmosphere, sensing a level of enmity in the air only known to her --it is likely that no one else felt it, but Roxanna's instincts predicting judgement from all around her just screamed at the XO to flee--. Roxanna chose not to leave her room after the afternoon that day, simply choosing snacks at her room over getting dinner. Perhaps it was the high intake of sugar, the feeling of dread over her professional future, or a mix and match, but a painful night was inbound: Thoughts of her dismissal, Jess' triumph, and a humiliating farewell from the crew as a whole were the primary topics to fight for a place in her dreams. All in all, if she'd gotten 3 hours of sleep, that'd be impressive.

It was at 6 AM where she couldn't bear to lay on her bed anymore. It was cold in sweat already, and her room temperature wasn't helping. Standing up, still on her bed dress, the XO made a hasty walk to her desk, picking up her trusty device and turning on a trusty civilian communication channel --the internet! It had been a long time since she'd last been bothered to use an internet messaging system, but right now it was probably the easiest way to reach him. With the military's safe connections as shaky as they were. Roxanna stood there, a mess as she was, staring at the virtual display in hopes of a response, of any kind, to the message she sent. He showed as offline, but Roxanna knew a familiar message would alert him, wherever he was.

'I am occupied, you can tell me what you need when we next meet.'

Ten minutes for a response, Roxanna sighed. The typical sort, a dismissal quick and curt, as usual of him. 'I need to talk to you right now.' The XO typed back, to no response. Roxanna sighed, starting a video call request. If he was still around, the intrusive message pop-in about her request would at least distract him. No response, she repeated a second time. A third tim--

"You just can't have things not be your way, huh?" A rough voice finally came out of the device, its disappointed, tired tone far too clear. Alphonse was sat on a chair, the room relatively dark and featureless, but Roxanna could tell he was in the ANF's HQ main building still. The admiral's stress was clear, but Roxanna had an inkling she wasn't the only factor of his foul mood... at least, she was pretty sure he didn't think that low of her... "I'm in the middle of a meeting. You can imagine how busy things are since Apotheosis' open announcement. It's six in the morning... you just got up?" At least, he was there, that was enough to mellow Roxanna a little bit.

"Uncle, just bear with me." Roxanna wasted no time, her brain finally springing back with questions and jabs at the crew... she needed to pause for a moment, looking down at the floor as she exhaled, closing her eyes to try and subvert her deadbeat expression. "I... don't know why I am here, in this ship. In fact, I don't know why this ship exists at all. Have you seen how some of the pilots act? If we--"

"Bad topic." Alphonse interjected her, and she knew precisely why. This was 'safe', but not the same level of untraceable as the ANF's private connections. If anybody was trying really hard to get information on them --and they knew how much Apotheosis would benefit from it--, they'd certainly try to hack it. "We'll have to talk later, right now, I need you to keep supporting Captain Gefalscht."

"No, we're talking right here and right now." Roxanna stood her ground, "We'll reach HQ before the comms work again. They're jamming us, they know where we are. It can't be later." Roxanna huffed, sitting on the edge of her bed, that small bout of expressiveness woke her up, but there was still a lot on her mind to push out. "Look, I need to know everything. I'm going crazy here. Jessica hates me, the crew barely listens to me. I don't know what you think I can do here."

"...I'm embarrassed." Alphonse muttered, a downward glance as he pressed two fingers against of his nose. "I'd hoped you could at least do that job. I know the assignment was rushed, but you were off duty for a long time since then. As an officer, I thought that would make you value your new post." A sigh followed, the admiral clasped his hands as he looked to the video feed again. "For what it was worth, you had a lot of years on your belt, and a way to deal with failure even if your decision making was brought to question in our ranks." He stared fiercely at his niece, "We needed an executive officer for the Riese, to support the Captain as she got used to it. You were never going to be the Captain... or be a Captain again, since your last mission's results have been... grave."

The admiral's tone hit Roxanna hard, that feel of disappointment making her wince and look away. "So she wasn't lying..." What a time to add that to the pile. "I was going to be dismissed... so you just thought it'd be better to put me in this special hell of a ship with all these nutcases?"

"Mind your tone!" That was the first time in a long time that Roxanna had heard Alphonse raise his voice like that. His face was stone cold, but she knew she had stepped some boundaries. "I chose your captain because I have reason to trust them. Your pilots have been chosen by high ranking members of our board save for maybe a couple that we needed to add for a minimum, we even have an entrusted in your ranks." By entrusted, Roxanna knew he meant Brant, and was doing his best to remain as obtuse as possible in the open. It certainly wasn't a military term for Brant's role. "For all it is, the Heion Riese stands to be our finer ship, and it has results. Please don't undermine them so blindly, or you'll end up as laughingstock again."

Roxanna bit her lip as Alphonse mentioned that, the term hitting her pretty hard. "I think I already am. I chastized her on a meeting and walked away. She must be done with me. Probably writing her summary of that incident soon." Roxanna still avoided the gaze of the virtual feed, it was almost as if she was on the verge of tears, for once. "I won't have anything if that happens." The feeling of hopelessness wasn't entirely new to Roxanna, she'd found herself worse for wear during a Canadian political campaign, back before she even considered the military. It was incredible how much a misstep in wording killed your credibility, and your party's. Her campaign that year ended up being her last, but thankfully with how quickly information went and came her infamy was... neutralized by time. "I'm guessing there's no job waiting for me after this..."

"Insubordination to your captain?" Alphonse shook his head, "She need only say the word, I can't defend you like your father did. Just the fact we are related means your decisions impact me." It was not for lack of trying, as Alphonse well knew. Despite his warnings and chances, it was as if Roxanna fully expected her family name to work as a safety net. "I will not try to plead an administrative job for you. It isn't within my power, either way. Furthermore, your name is still damaged, your father's party would not accept you back." Roxanna knew, yet it still hurt to think of the prospect. "You'll have to try and excel at something, if you want it." Her uncle certainly held no punches, "... you are going to have even less support from now on." For once, Alphonse's tone subsided greatly. It almost sounded regretful. That, alarmed Roxanna.

"What do you mean, even less?" She hesitated, but spat out. "You and father are going to leave me to my own merits in pursuit of a new job, how would it get worse?" The incoming notice was a slap she would never have accounted for.

"You haven't heard the news yet... It was yesterday night, after all. There was a terrorist attack on Canadian airspace." With the topic they had reached, it couldn't be a coincidence, Roxanna's eyes were wide open, her blood running cold. "The president was calling a meeting this morning --well, later afternoon in his timezone--. ANF is being attacked from all sides, but we can't afford to segment our command." That much was true, the army was doing well, but other segments of the ANF were falling apart and staying in the dark. The bureau of defense was a hot mess, and civilian reallocation was a big incognito with the 'safe haven' of the colonies also under attack. "I'm sure you know of the incident earlier yesterday, where a base was wiped." Alphonse winced on his side of the screen. As much as he was trying to be vague, it was probably in vain. That video would have gone viral by now, and if anything an Admiral attesting its validation would only make things worse. "We were on high alert thanks to that, the Ministers were escorted from Quebec with a fleet of defense jets, supposedly untraceable, but they were intercepted before crossing the Michigan frontier."

"You're joking." Roxanna was shaking her head violently at the news, completely incredulous. "What the hell, uncle. This isn't something you can just drop like that. This isn't--" His defeated downward glance made her cringe, shaking her head again as she clutched to her dress. "Hah-- Right? This is to get back at m--"

"Roxanna, please. I would not bother touching it if Roland wasn't in that jet." Alphonse interjected, very much used to Roxanna's few crisis comebacks, minding her the distasteful nature of the subject. "We lost contact near midnight, though we had observers claim they saw beams of light in the sky. Our best guess is that Apotheosis somehow got track of them and had snipers ready, and we speculate the jet fell somewhere on Lake Huron. We're still searching."

So there was only vague information right now. Roxanna's father could well be dead, and she was about to lose her job. The blow beat the fight out of her. "A-and what? Why can't you find it? No plane, no bodies... what do you know?" She was tearing up, completely avoiding her uncle's virtual gaze. "It can't be that they were shot down this easily. The couldn't have been tracked. Not even Apotheosis can do that. They must be on their way. Our channels are just compromised, they're garbage." Things just couldn't get that bad. Apotheosis couldn't be that good.

"I wouldn't be able to tell you how they were tracked." Alphonse admitted, "But it has been roughly six hours, they should have reached Hawaii to refuel, at the least." It was a dangerous mission from the start, but with how Apotheosis was spread out, if they made if through the coast, they'd be safe. "It should be coming up on the morning or noon news... but I shouldn't be talking about it. The pieces don't fit." It was as if the admiral was afraid to talk after that, opening his mouth, but quickly changing his mind. "All I can say is the captain could use your help. You can't be dismissed when we need every able man."

The same spiel as the first day... Roxanna just couldn't understand it, but her uncle valued this rookie so much. She could barely think, anymore, with the magnitude of news she just received, on top of her own issues. "Y-you're mad." She couldn't take it, tearing up. Roxanna couldn't help but wonder how much worse the day could get, with such a start. She had to cover her face, buried in palms as her sobbing grew louder. Roxanna couldn't even find the will to deny the situation anymore, or bark at her uncle.

The painful silence was only disturbed by Roxanna's cries, as Alphonse watched with a pained expression. His posture had given up, leaning on the desk he'd been sitting by as he watched his niece breaking down in front of him --arguably one of the worst spots to be as an uncle--. He hadn't many words of comfort to her, closing his eyes. "We're not sure what happened, but you should prepare for the worst. Now that you know your predicament." He stood up from his chair, not planning on staying for much longer. "We should talk later. In person if possible..." Alphonse turned his back to the feed, but couldn't quite leave yet, feeling he owed his niece something more. "I was too busy at the day of your launch, but I was going to suggest you to the psychiatrist we chose for the Riese. You should see her today still." That was it before the admiral's feed cut, leaving Roxanna on her own, alone in her room, and possibly worse for wear than if she didn't call him to begin with.

Roxanna slumped back onto her bed, still in shock from the information. It wasn't something she was prepared to swallow in one go, and her uncle consistently adding distance didn't help her any. She had nowhere to go if it was true... aside from staying in the Riese. The one place she wanted out of the most.

There was no 'take me out' card this time. Roxanna wasn't going to go back home.

---

Caught in the Act

Whew. At lest Makoto's lift issues were solved with Thorvald able to give him a lift. Getting into the hangar... things seemed rather hectic, more than he was expecting. Mechanics seemed busy, people were being carried around... was that woman just walking from mech to mech with a guy on her back? Well, it was just from cockpit to hand, but she was shorter but carrying him effortlessly on top! She looks familiar...

Overall, the hangar was quite a bit to take in overall, and while the hatch was opened and the Phalanx's cockpit was exposed, Makoto had to take in the sights for a bit. That was his first mission... though he wasn't really supposed to go. Makoto went out there and it worked! He was pretty sure he did good, too. He managed to get the last shot on many units way taller than the guard trooper. Of course, an ominously paternal voice calling him a Peace Officer was a scare enough, making the boy jump from his seat, face to face with Thorvald himself. "Ah... s-so, you remembered that? Uh, yeah..." Makoto scratched the back of his head, forcing out an awkward laugh. "I-it wasn't like I was supposed to be out there, really. I kind of bugged a cop in the colony into using that unit back there --but I promised I wouldn't get in a fight... aaaand I guess I did the same here." He hadn't realized it, but it was a pretty convenient way to get into a combat zone... n-not that he wanted to do it again!! "But really... I almost froze out there. I guess hyping myself helped out, but if I'm going to be part of the group I should try making more official, huh?" On the bright side, it was an experience he'd remember for the rest of his light.

Now, if only he could understand what the heck were these español fellas Thorvald was going on about...

Guess I'll Work

"Oh? The captain, she's--" And there went the girl, preoccupied with the Regalia once it dropped in. Well, most likely she was worried about whoever was in the mech similar to hers. Ignatius stood on the sidelines as he watched the events unfold. There was a lot of pilot damage this mission, and this man was no exception. Of course, the android he helped give skin to was helping speed things up with taking that pilot to the infirmary. Right... That was still a bit awkward to think about, the old mechanic sighing and making his way back to work. If they needed him, he'd be called. The captain was going to talk to these newcomers sooner or later anyways.

Edited by Xinnidy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

An Android

"Yes! I am Hannah. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Corona Ten guard. You can give me your name whenever you feel it is necessary. As for the captain, I believe that is her speaking with Tarquin and Nikolai." Hannah took a moment to adjust Hicks, pointing out the orange haired gal down a ways in the hangar. "It would likely be best for you to speak with her once she has finished her dealings here. I would suggest coming with us first, to ensure that your friend is alright, and then making your way to her afterwards." Hicks properly carried after that, Hannah simply had to wait for Brant to lower the Regalia's hand, and she could make her way off to the infirmary.

Attempted Explanations

"You won't attempt, Tarquin. I'm getting an answer to all of this before the day's over." Jess mulled over her attitude a moment after saying that, before saluting and starting off to see a few more people. I'm probably just tired... That's all. Tarquin'll explain his actions and things will be resolved nice and comfortably. Then I can go see Abby, make sure she's alright, and get some real sleep. Hopefully... Can't keep banking on Apoth leaving us alone every night. Even if the ship never turns off...


Once More With Feeling, 1200 CST, August 1st

Another mildly cramped collection of pilots met Jess in the debrief this time. She'd taken time to prepare, so hopefully it would go better... This was going to be her first proper meeting without that damn stutter, wasn't it? She couldn't hide a bit of a smile at that, definitely trying to stop it before speaking. "Alright... I'm going to cover a few things that happened during the battle before I turn things over to our youngest pilot." She was happy that Tarquin hadn't tried to avoid the meeting. It was a bit surprising to see that Talia girl there, though. She'd seemed at the end of her rope during the battle... Maybe it was just the battlefield that threw her off so badly. It wasn't a bad idea to have more people with information there for the meeting... Huh... They look pretty alike, don't they? She mentioned some things about T2s and T4s... Are they siblings? Maybe...

"The first thing I want to discuss is the Luna. As dangerous a machine as it is, and as much as things nearly went south, they didn't. In fact, going up against this monster and coming out on top is more than I ever could've asked for. It means we can fight against Apotheosis' most dangerous machines... And that means more than I think you all understand. We've got the salvage crews and our mechanics working on analyzing the material its made out of, from what we could take off of it. To that end, I really want you thank you, Sergeant Doyle. It was... Not a maneuver I would suggest again, to get so dangerously close to a machine specialized in close combat, but you succeeded, not only in damaging it and keeping yourself safe, you managed to remove its hand and weapon. That's going to give us volumes of information both on how their machines are constructed, and of what. Be proud of yourself."

Was that the right way to go about compliments? Probably. None of it was false, it was an insane victory for them in terms of technology. "Aside from that, we weren't able to glean much else from their standard troops... But." Jess turned on her projector, getting nice use of it now. "The Riese traded blows with their battleship, and we recovered this from the field." The screen consisted entirely of the slab of midnight blue metal that made up the Chaldene. "An entire armor plate from their battleship, either blown off or ejected during the volleys. We're going to try to see if we can get anything out of it past their armor make up. Anything involving that warping they do... Which is the last thing I'd like to speak about, on my end."

"I want to see if we can take one of their warp capable units with the pilot alive. We've all seen that the larger models and the... I wanted to refrain from referring to it as such, but the 'boss' models, we've seen that they both activate thick barriers and immolate themselves upon taking too much damage, likely to prevent us from getting anything huge in regards to data and tech. So... If we could take one with the pilot still alive, we could try to reverse engineer that mechanism of theirs. Now, I know that this comes with incredible risks. A few to name being, that the self destruct could be manual, they could warp with our units holding one of their machines down, or we might not even be able to get inside... I'm not worried about one of those, for one reason." Jess took a moment, that would likely be a difficult convincing.

"The warping. We've seen a few times now that they aren't using it for combat means. Either that means it's too dangerous to do so in the middle of a firefight, or their machines don't have the energy to perform them rapidly, or repeatedly. That doesn't cover the other worries, but... It does mean we won't have to worry about any of you suddenly getting spirited off to who knows where. To that end, I'm not making capture an order, but... If there ever comes a circumstance where it's possible, please take steps towards it." With that all said and done...

"Questions, then."

War is Heck

 

On her way up to the debriefing room to organize a meeting, Jess ran into one of the people she was hoping to speak with before they began. "Oh. You're one of those Corona Ten guards, right? I'm the captain, Jessica Gefalscht." She saluted, then held out her hand for Aliza to shake. "I was hoping I would get to talk to you before the meeting began. Few questions if I can... Would you like to be a part of the debrief? And is there anything you can tell me about the attack? Anything that came in before hand or alerted you to anything going wrong?" Jess hoped that a few questions would be alright. She knew things were probably very hectic for these guards, soldiers or not, so she'd likely have to tread carefully.

Good fortune smiled upon Aliza as she ran across the captain herself. Oh my. The girl's wide grin suddenly got wider. Almost cat like as she observed Jessica stepping up. She was quite a looker, and at the moment the top rated girl looks wise on this ship. Aliza struck gold. 9/10! Then came the question from the captain, snapping the daydreamer out of her trance. "...o.oh! Yeah yeah!" The saluted back and took the hand for a very rough shake. Was she nervous or just a little energetic? "Aliza Silvavolke, ma'am. Good to meet you!"

She slowly let go after taking in the questions. "Yeah I'll join in the debrief. I get the feeling we'll be here for a little while so I may as well. As for the attack well..." She suddenly grew a bit grim as she remembered Sledge. Her cat like grin turned into a neutral expression, almost a little sad even. "We were on patrol about an hour or so ago and then those mechs showed up. We didn't really expect it or were alerted before they were right in our faces. One of my squad mates didn't make it out." She took a light sigh. "Sorry I don't know a whole lot...I haven't even seen the base."

Jess had been about to try and clue this girl back into reality when she finally spoke up. Maybe she needed some time to breathe? Or not. Wanting to go to the meeting, huh... Jess had asked so it wasn't something she was going to suddenly take back. Still, she hoped that they'd get another full night's rest after today. It was never pleasant fighting multiple battles.

"That damn warping technology..." Even before the fight... It had to be on some sort of timer of recharge. How ridiculous. Warping at all was something that needed insane setup for the ANF, and even they, they only ever used it for hyperspace travel, never for MS combat. That sort of tech was unheard of. "I'm sorry about your friend, Aliza. Would you be able to tell me about the base, then? Or your own ranking and experience? If you're going to be staying with us, and you're willing, it would be nice to have another hand at combat. You seemed to be handling yourself pretty well out there, all things considered."

"Warping tech...?" She mumbled back. Whoa, these guys could warp? That would explain how they got past the alerts so fast. How'd these terrorists got a hold of such tech she wondered, it's not really something you can find in a dollar store. Another question came toward the Italian guard, she kept eye contact (away from things that would excite her) to answer. "Oh, well the base wasn't too big and there weren't a lot of guards. In fact I'm willing to bet only Hicks and I made it out alive."

With a pause she moved onto the next topic. This almost felt like an interview. "My rank and experience? Well I got out of the academy not too long ago, joined up as a guard because well they didn't have anywhere else to put me and...wait you think I was doing well out there?" Aliza was surprised. She lost her cool quite easily out there in battle and almost left the battlefield if it weren't for that other pilot talking her into staying. "...I'll be honest with you captain...that was my first sortie."

Nothing about what the facility was for. Most of the guards probably didn't know, then... Another mystery Tarquin or Talia would have to solve. How frustrating, they didn't even know everything in their own back yard! Jess was beginning to form a frustration bubble in the back of her mind, hoping that the meeting made it shrink instead of pop.

"First sortie, huh... It was a pretty good show for a rookie then, Aliza. If you want to keep going with us, we'll have you. Anyone that manages to fight back in the face of all that tech is enough of a pilot to me." Jess headed that off with a smile, hoping it was the right sort of encouragement. She still wasn't too sure how to go about doing that, most all of her compliments were riding bitch to complaints. Thorvald had already scolded her enough on that, so with some of the new faces, it was probably a good place to try.

Oooh, Aliza's weakness. Being complemented by a cute girl. Especially one like this. This only put a small blush and wide grin on her face as she let out a tiny laugh. "I really did that good huh, thanks. Must be all that academy training kicking in then, eheheh..." She was swooning alright. With a serious salute she responded. "Well in that case I'd be happy to lend a hand! Wouldn't mind working for a cute and nice captain over a shouting boss." She paused. 'Oh crap did I say that part out loud...ah who cares.'

Cute? Huh? That came out of left field. Made Jess pause a moment while she tried to figure out where it had come from. Was her little compliment that effective? How odd... "W-Well, Aliza, thank you. If you're going to stick around, then I'll see you at the debrief coming up shortly. Top floor, main meeting hall just before the bridge. If you get lost, just ask anyone you see around, alright? All of our current pilots know where it is... Thank you for your work, soldier." Jess saluted with her own small smile and started off towards the elevators, wondering what that really was all about. Figures that it takes me getting a real career for people to start noticing me. Thanks for nothing, school.

"Of course captain. Thanks a lot!" She kept her smile as she walked by and started off down the hall herself to find the infirmary to check up on Hicks and update him if he was awake. But before she got too far she stopped for a minute... '...wait a sec. Did I just volunteer to fight in a war?' That weakness just hit hard. "...oooooh boy...." When realization settled in, she let out a slightly defeated sigh. 'Dammit. Why didn't I think with my brain instead of my-'

Moving on!

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...