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

[Juliette]

Starting off, Juria felt confident in herself and how she'd trained over the last few days... it didn't last all that long as the battle actually progressed. Her and Astin had been hit pretty badly, Kim suffered a nasty bit of damage before retreating to the Riese, and now... the sound of the Rhea's cannon shook her. "Niko!" She hardly knew him at all, other than that they were both part of the Riese crew, but it was still terrifying. "A-Astin... am s-s-sc... scared, Astin," she stumbled on the words, failing very badly at keeping composure in a high pressure situation again. She turned on her comms for the Riese command room. "Ah-ah... this Juria, requesting... info on scary cannon bot be sent to Astin." Terrified or not... there was still a mission to complete.

Jura double Devotes Roxy

[Nanami Touko]

Feeling Out of It

"Wh-- Kim?" Christina caught the girl, who seemed... Distressed was putting it lightly. Trying to prop her up some, she also seemed pale... Was it because of that machine? Maybe being the sole person plugged in had pushed her body too hard, or something. Properly fixing Kim up onto her shoulder, Christina looked back over at Makoto. "Looks like I gotta go. You can come if you want! Or head back out, if you have to. Thanks for checking on me, Makoto!" Christina did her best to smile and started taking Kim away, towards the lifts.

She wasn't really heavy, but Christina was as fit as your average teenager-- not very. So, walking this nearly collapsed girl across the hangar was getting pretty tough. She paused to break near the elevator, leaning herself against the wall, but Kim was still a bit unstable, slowly slipping up against her instead of standing straight. "Geez, Kim, are you okay? I don't think I can carry you the whole way, but... Should we stop? Take a second? I'm..." It was probably a terrible time to think about how cute Kim looked, but with her so close, she couldn't help the spurred thought. Turning her head away and propping herself up properly, Christina tried to take this more seriously. "Just, let me know. We're almost at the elevator, but I'm not exactly fit, here... Don't think I could carry you across the way."

[Ether]

"Mmm, I'm... okay. You're soft." Kim mumbled as Christina stopped guiding her along after a few moments, her breathing ragged and erratic, hand reaching up to clutch her own temple as they stopped. If Christina had been paying any attention to Kim's mental state, it would have come across as a jumbled mess, different emotional signals firing erratically, at seemingly random intervals. It was as if her emotions were changing too rapidly to register physically, Kim's face not shifting even though it seemed like she was cycling through anger, sadness, elation and just about any other feeling one could think of.

"Mmm, it's weird... my head... feels like it's running at full blast. More than full blast... uhn. I still feel tense, like I'm... fighting something, even though I'm not... anymore. Must have done... something to my head." Kim continued, as she rested said head against Christina's shoulder, using her soft blonde locks as a makeshift pillow.

"You can just... call some help if I'm too heavy, Chrissy."

[Xinnidy]

They Came From Outer Space

Christina was doing fine, apparently, but her words had certainly shocked the boy. "Another you? Wait, what?" That... didn't make sense in the slightest. Did Chris awaken an evil side during the battle? No, it had to do with that other machine. Makoto had heard schizophrenia didn't work like that, anyways... "That means... whoever was there looked like you? Uh..." He had very little insight he could actually give to that. What a trip. It seemed like Avery was having just as hard a time catching up as well... "At least you look fine, yeah... You take care of yourself in the infirmary, alright?" If she could walk, Makoto didn't want to be a bother, especially when she had a point about him going back out. For what it was worth, the tiny Phalanx took pretty much no fire from enemies, and was holding up better than the big boys... not that it dished much damage back.

He was curious enough to stay around to listen to Kim's spiel, a shock as it was, perhaps Makoto was one of the few people who would take the information the best. So there are aliens, huh? We've been searching for so long... ahhh, but that's bad, they're with Apotheosis. Damn, that's no good. Are they using them? I bet that's it, they think we're bugs. And they're super TKs. Dangerous aliens, oh man... All the hype of the scientific community for finding sentient extraterrestrial life would sink with a whimper when that was revealed. And then all the boring philosophers would make connections between sentient life and cynical warmongering destructiveness thanks to them, mreh. And that other Christina --"Holy moly, it is another you, literally..."-- was properly explained. Boy, Apotheosis was full of surprises in the past hour. Not to mention the Artemis seemed to have a TK enhancing system? Goodness... a lot of stuff to take in at once. Kim did seem to be taking it worse than Christina, for once...

"I... uh." Correction, Kim seemed to be taking it real bad, he was starting to get concerned. At least the girls seemed to be pretty close friends. "I... I should go back, I don't know where the aliens went, but I can't sit around while other people might be fighting who-knows-what... I'll go to the infirmary as soon as it's over, okay?" He looked over to Kim, "Hang in there. All this stuff about aliens and systems is pretty scary, but we've gotta stay strong for them. No other way, right?" At least, not that Makoto knew, but the Riese crew gave him a sense of safety that he'd come to rely on since Colony 1's attack.

"I'll be back!" Giving the girls a wave and letting them hurry on their way, Makoto hopped on to his (relatively) small machine, kicking it to high gear and life, as he made his way out of the open hangar. "Makoto, out!" With a rush, the boy quickly left the hangar.

Amparo in the House

There the doctor came, her reaction pretty much what Ignatius expected, a bit of suppressed confusion and all, with a straightforward question. "Yup, that's the guest. Pilot with ties to Apotheosis number 4, not to be confused with number 1... or 2, I forget the order." Hopefully that would preemptively answer everything. "Was in an unique machine that got totalled real fast. Said she's taken some internal damage. Give her a quick check if you would be kind, doctor." Naturally, after this, it was going to the brig with the captive. This one didn't seem as cooperative, so they might have gotten somebody who will actually stay in the brig for a while.

However, as much credit as he gave her, this new Chris sure wanted to play uncooperative, already barging into the infirmary. "Wait-- Goodness, what are you on a rush for?!" He followed her inside, brain already firing off alarms at her rush, tazer gripped, finger on the trigger in case she got any more suspicious. "You aren't going to get treated until the doctor starts on you anyways, honestly..." Geez, what an individual.

Sound of Silence

Nobody liked to see that. The flash and fireworks at their vicinity was heavily dulled from the bridge, but it still painted a grim picture. One that Roxanna knew a bit too well. Damn... even with pilots like these... It was no mystery that Jessica took it the hardest, becoming basically absent from the bridge at that point. Roxanna's mind flashed back to the small Prioxis fleet she had with her, back then. Even if the pilot was somebody who for all extents had no relation to the ANF, a stowaway, almost, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "...My condolences, Captain." For once, she felt like speaking to Jess, and not in a condescending manner, she almost sympathized with her situation.

With that said, a peculiar call came her way first, still paying attention to the pilot's outgoing messages, Juria had sent a request for help to the Riese, one that almost felt desperate in tone. They were certainly all feeling the hit to morale out there. "The Ceres, right? I'll sync you up with my computer. Um... uh, stay strong." Being supportive was really awkward for the XO, it was just words... but in times like these, they said the smallest gestures made a difference.

It was still hard not to feel awkward, though.

Roxanna casts Attune on Astin![-25sp]

Edited January 17, 2018 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

Heavy Lifting

"You aren't too heavy, I'm... I'm just not strong. Heh." Too heavy for her, at least. Kim didn't seem physically ill, just mentally upset. Maybe it would go away if she took a break? The doctor wasn't too great at this TK stuff... And Kim didn't seem hurt. "I'm not being selfish, am I?" she mumbled, as she helped Kim to sit down, sliding down the wall with her, and letting her relax on her shoulder. "Just focus on me... Okay? I feel pretty good. Things are going okay, we're still alive... I'm worried about you, of course, but you did great, keeping us both safe." Christina kind of felt like a mom, so much so she'd started petting Kim's hair, trying to keep her calm. Her emotions were a mess, like a blender on max, going from one to another. "I'll be your anchor... Things are going to be fine. Promise." Soft, though, really? You sure have a focus on weird things when you're woozy... Please be alright, Kim.

Ally Down

Hannah's optics went wide as Nikolai was shot down, the enemy putting in the final blow being the leader of this group. The Umbra was supposed to have been a state of the art machine, was their tech really that advanced? Or perhaps the enemy pilot had gotten a lucky shot, he must've been an ace. "Damn..."

"Hannah, focus. You need to help or there'll be more just like that." Galatea was in no nonsense mode now, no quips snips or jokes coming Hannah's way.

"I-I know... It's just... It is difficult, I..." Hannah took a deep 'breath'. "I must focus. Forwarding enemy information to all pilots. Please make use of it." The Mantle had a rather fantastic scanning system, and it made checking out the specifications on the leader's machine that much easier, for what she could access, at least.

Hannah uses Hannalyze on Carlos and Cressida #3

[Balcerzak]

Alright, that looked bad, very bad. But Thorvald knew he couldn't let the team get any more distracted by it than they already were. It would need some serious luck, but not quite miracle level, for Nikolai to make it out of that. If he kept a cool head and the safety systems were engaged... Yeah, trust in that.

"Okay people, we still have a job to do out here, and there's one major factor in the way of that. We down this sniper before we try to rescue that pilot, make sure we're secure before the SAR. Any of the others we can mop up, fine, whatever, but if some get away, they're not priority. Fencer, I'm tasking you with the takedown, I know you can do this, I've seen the good work you're putting in every mission. Red, you look like you're in position to help too, and if you need it, call in the big guns. Terminator... your tank's indicator is showing desperately low, hold on a minute while I get you fueled back up and good to go. Everyone else, if you can't assist directly, help out by clearing the way for them."

Closing the comms, he frowned. It was hard to keep a cheery attitude in situations like this, but if nobody did, then things would only be the worse for it. So much for protecting the lost boys forever. It hurt, failing like this, it really did. But there was work to be done.

Thorvald bless Astin, resupplies Hannah

Edited January 17, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Ether]

"Selfish? How?" Kim mumbled, lazily focusing on Christina. It didn't seem to be doing much, her mind still running at a mile a minute, cold sweats still running down her face onto Christina's shoulder, and body exhibiting odd twitches and spasms at seemingly random intervals, occasionally seizing up entirely for seconds at a time as she tensed on some sort of reflex. That aside, her emotions seemed to be filtering... somewhat. Going from majority aggression focused to more normal... as normal as cycling through so many different emotional states so quickly could really be considered, anyway.

"Mmm, shouldn't... just be sitting here. The others... are still fighting..."

[Nanami Touko]

Fighting Over

"You've done your fighting, Kim. If you go out like you are right now, you'll just get hurt... So please." She wasn't about to explain her selfish comment, she knew how silly it was based on the circumstances. Fumbling about for a moment to slip her coat off and wrap it around Kim instead, Christina sighed. "Focus on me. That's all you have to do right now." Christina snuck an arm around the girl and gave her a small hug, hoping it was working at all. Kim's mind seemed to be calming down, but it was just going from max spin to gentle stir. It was still in the blender...

[Ether]

"It only... got bad after I unplugged. Would probably... be fine." Kim replied, without much conviction. Shivering a little bit as the coat was placed on her, it seemed Christina wasn't going to just let her go... focusing on Christina as she was told, the Lieutenant felt her eyelids getting heavy as she started to come down from her adrenaline high.

"Mmm... soft Chrissy..." Kim murmured, eyes closing every few moments, barely catching herself as she started to slip from Christina's shoulder.

[Nanami Touko]

Soft, huh...

This whole situation felt rather out of place, but Christina was happy for it. "We'll go up to the infirmary after. Shhh... Just relax." With Kim starting to nod off and head into snooze land, Christina tugged her closer and gave her a proper hug, letting Kim relax against her. She sighed quietly, glad that no one else was really around here at the moment. She was getting small pangs of others from far and away on the ship, but Kim was a good anchor for her wandering powers, as much as Kim was using her as one right now. "Comfy..." Maybe she could take a small nap, too? No, no, better to stay awake, just in case.

A Reigny Day

According to Firmia, the Reign was slated for some major modifications in the cockpit down the road. For the time being, however, there was still plenty of room for two people, though not in the same seat. That would require some quick adjustments, adjustments Sasha already had planned out in his head, of course, but they would still be required to pull off any shenanigans involving only a single seat. Sasha decided not to rush in and do any of that before at least making a play at giving Cheryl the tour he'd promised. He wasn't going to turn any primary systems on, since Firmia was the most calculating girl he'd ever met and would likely get pinged or something if one of the suits powered on unscheduled ... and if that happened, Sasha wouldn't put it past her to yell at them over the radio almost immediately,  even in the middle of a battle ...

"Give me a second to hit the lights." Not too bright, of course, but enough to not be fumbling around in the dark if someone decided they wanted to close the cockpit hatch to reduce the incoming noise from the hangar.

"Woooooooow... These things are really nice, aren't they? Bigger than an ANF cockpit, definitely more streamlined... Two seats, huh? Are all the Alkaev machines like that? Gonna try and sneak some of us away from the Riese to fill the seats?" Cheryl snickered as Sasha hit the lights, taking in the rest of the cockpit she couldn't see from the hangar light. It was, by all means, an impressive machine. The seats even looked more comfortable than standard... Cheryl smiled wide.

"So, how do we get the two of us into one of those seats without any uncomfortable arm rests digging into places." Cheryl figured that, especially if the door was going to get shut, she could do without her doctor's coat, slipping out of it and setting it on the floor for now.

Two seats was definitely standard for Alkaev designs, especially now that the machines were getting more complicated. The only exception that came to mind was the Edict. It had room for a second seat, but he'd heard the mechanics had ditched the copilot setup to try and fit some extra equipment into the cockpit ... not unlike what Firmia was planning with the Reign, come to think of it.

"For the most part, yeah," Sasha nodded, plopping himself down in the pilot's seat. "I don't know if you've seen 360 displays like these before, but we can't get enough of them back east. I honestly wouldn't want to fly a machine like this without one." The thought of a completely enclosed cockpit with only a few monitors to show what the outside world was like did not sit well with Sasha while approaching mach two at near ground level.

Cheryl's question about their seating arrangements would work nicely with what Sasha wanted to show her next. It might mark the end of the tour, though, as he couldn't risk powering on the primary systems right now and tipping off Firmia. So far, it seemed like just basic interior functions wouldn't raise any potential alarms, which made sense with all the maintenance and upgrades happening day to day. "I'm so glad you asked," Sasha smirked at the doctor as the cockpit door began to shut, "these armrests here can be adjusted along with the rest of the seat. They won't be in the way~"

With that, Sasha began a brief demonstration, adjusting the back of the flight seat so it was resting at roughly a forty-five degree angle. Leaning forward to deal with the flight sticks and arm rests, Sasha unlocked and folded the former out of the way, while moving the arm rests down to the sides of the seat. He had to give his old employers credit for the extremely versatile equipment. "That should do. So, without sounding too forward, you want to be on top or should I?"

"They aren't standard in our suits... Haven't seen inside the Artemis, but I can tell you, a Velite isn't giving you this much coverage. One eighty at best." Cheryl smirked as the cockpit closed, musing over the dim lighting. Nice mood setting.

Sasha kept up being smooth by working into what he wanted to share, the chair unfolding quite quickly and easily. "Wow, it's like it was made for this sort of thing... Pfft. Geez, without sounding too forward, huh? Well. Considering how tired you are, I think you deserve the rest. Lay down and let the doctor do all the work." It was a good thing he was so fit... He barely took up space on that chair. Carefully straddling her thighs around his and getting comfortable against his chest, Cheryl closed her eyes, grabbing her glasses and expertly tossing them onto her bundled up coat.

"Now... We can risk Firmia calling at a very inappropriate time, or, you can get some of the rest you sorely deserve. What're you in the mood for, big guy?" The temptation to give that scraggly chin a kiss was very tempting, but that might've swayed him too hard... A finger aimlessly rolling patterns over his chest would accomplish enough.

Could they manage both, Sasha wondered? In that order? He had a part curious and part puzzled look on his face to match the unspoken question. "You've got me feeling greedy, here," Sasha admitted, raising his head a little closer , "Tomorrow's going to be hell anyway, so I don't mind the risk~"

There was a quiet beep from the direction of the cockpit hatch Sasha thought he recognized. It wasn't until a series of 'thunk thunk' noises began sounding off just outside the cockpit and around the suit that Sasha realized the Reign was most likely entering emergency lockdown mode. "Ah hell, did she really just lock us in ...?" On the one hand, it was a little alarming to be at the mercy of an Alkaev. On the other hand ... "I hope that's ... not a mood killer," Sasha smiled apologetically.

At least the lights and the life support system were still running.

"Don't mind the risk? If you get me that excited, you'll--" the heavy sounds coming from behind her were a bit startling, causing her to pause, looking between the door and Sasha before he explained. Was that all it was? "That's fine. Makes it cozier. I wonder if she can hear us... Unless that was automatic. At least we won't be interrupted now, right?" Not by anyone else but the girl, but, Cheryl was pretty confident she could handle her if she had to... Though, that thud hadn't done her headache any good. At least the dull silence of the cockpit was doing wonders-- made hearing Sasha's body all that much easier. Mmm, he has a nice heartbeat. Comfy.

Sasha tried not to laugh. "Yeah, the emergency lockdown shuts off all the relays. No remote signals make it in or out of the cockpit without those relays. This is as private as it gets ..." and then the lighthearted laughter escaped. Sasha knew Firmia was probably planning on leaving them like this long enough to make things a little uncomfortable, but for now it was just too amusing to have so much privacy. The worst Firmia could do now was try and leave them in there all day, but they were on a schedule here, and Cheryl was ANF staff, so that definitely wasn't happening.

"As private as it gets... Hmhmm. How many layers of clothes do you think I can take off before Firmia starts shouting at us, huh?" Without missing a beat, a free hand slid itself under Sasha's shirt as she smiled up at him, glancing briefly back at the cockpit door.

Weren't the pilots getting ready to deploy? ... Sasha was going to go with 'all the layers'~ "Heh, I've got a feeling we've got plenty of time before we have to deal with her, again," he smirked. Seeing an opportunity to take two birds with one stone, Sasha leaned up and planted one on Cheryl as he began slipping off his jacket.

It's been years since I've been this turned on... All the layers it is. I only hope I can last... Cheryl met Sasha's lips as her worries over her stamina slowly slipped away~

---

Round one hadn't lasted more than half an hour, Cheryl still heavily out of breath as she cradled her doctor's coat over her shoulders, still resting weakly against Sasha. "Hahh... Sorry, w-wow... Talked a big game, didn't I? Ahh, haha... Too much smoking does, the lungs poorly." He didn't even look tired, she was so embarrassed. "Hope that's not too disappointing..." At least it felt good... Really good. I could use a... No, you're not doing those anymore. There aren't any on the ship, anyway.

"I know what you mean," Sasha smiled sympathetically, thinking today was definitely a good day to be quitting. Now certainly seemed like a good time for a smoke, but he'd have to find something else to fill that void now that he was fresh out. "You were fantastic, don't worry," Sasha assured her, gently kissing the doctor's forehead before relaxing in the flight seat.

<Now, how to convince her to do this again, later ...>

"In fact, if we ever get out of this cockpit, I wouldn't mind picking things up again somewhere roomier. Absolute privacy isn't everything, and you're doing wonders for my stress levels, Doctor Hart~"

"Heh... You didn't think I was about to cut and run, did you?" Cheryl gave him an affectionate squeeze, closing her eyes. "I'm not quite in my prime, anymore... But you? And hearing you call me fantastic, that's one of the best compliments I could get. No no, as long as we're both on this ship, you can have me whenever you want, Sasha. No need to convince me." Her office was going to get a lot less clean soon, wasn't it? Poor Bill.

"So... Now that we've done introductions... Do you mind if I peek into your past, some? I can't imagine someone as wonderful as you still being single. They'd have to be crazy to give this up..."

"I've been wondering the same thing. Figured someone dropped the ball with you pretty hard, heheh."

Whenever he wanted, though? Hallelujah, that was music to Sasha's ears! He had to quickly rein himself in, remembering that he ought to go easy on the good doctor. Just because she was putting herself out there like this didn't mean he should overdo it ... but oh did he so want to overdo it~ They were going to be stuck on this ship for a good while, whether Firmia liked it or not, so patience was definitely warranted.

"Do I mind? Nyet. Not at all," Sasha said, thinking back on his relatively brief bouts of bachelorhood, "ask me anything." Cheryl had more than earned it, being the sort of company she was.

"Anything is a lot of free reign, don't you think? Alright... Why are you single right now, then? What woman made a big mistake... Or what man...?" She joked that, trying to settle more comfortable onto his lap... This thing was locked down pretty tight; it felt pretty warm in there, now. Thanks to them, of course, but...

"You must've done something, I can't fathom so many women being so foolish as to give you up. Didn't Firmia mention something, too? I might just be groggy from round one, but... Anyway." Cheryl smiled, sighing. "Go ahead and explain some foolishness to me. Really, if I had my way, you'd be here permanently... You sure you don't want to split a salary with me...?" A small chuckle left that comment hanging, Cheryl trying to calm herself down. It was mostly the sex high talking, but it would be pleasant to have someone wonderful always around...

"Well, I don't think I'm ever 100% innocent," Sasha admitted, "but I like to think of most breakups as me standing my ground on some level." It wasn't his most recent breakup, but he did have Sandra on his mind now that Cheryl was asking about it. "Case in point, my ex ... Sandra. She and I were serious for a long time. Maaaybe too long? We had a wedding coming up and after she moved it back a couple of months, I found out she was screwing around with a girl named Clara. I was pissed off, yeah. Did a bit more yelling than I'd like to admit ..."

Thinking back on it, things could have turned out much differently, if he'd wanted them to ... "Sandra told me that she didn't want to give up on either of us, so she pushed the wedding back to buy time to figure out a way to make this little triad thing work and sell it to me. I wasn't interested. Clara was though, and she tried to butter me up to the idea more than once. I couldn't talk any sense into Sandra so I left. It's bad enough to be a third wheel ... how much worse is it when your fiance and her mistress are so ready to hide things like that from you until they can 'sell you' on it?"

"Anywho, I've got absolutely nothing against bi girls, believe me; they're actually pretty fun to mess with ... but THAT gave me a newfound appreciation for the straight ladies in my life. I've got enough competition with other men. I don't want to have to deal with Clara's GG cups and thigh highs on top of that," Sasha shook his head in bitter amusement. "I guess Clara gave me a slight self esteem hit there. I figured if Sandra ever went after someone else, they'd be bigger and taller than me, not curvier and ... you know heheh ..."

"Seriously? Fuck that." Cheryl scoffed heavily at Sasha's little story. She wasn't about to crap on any triples that wanted to be together, but when one party-- the original party wasn't up for it, well. That was bullshit, to the highest degree. "And you were set to get married? Ugh... I'll refrain from diving into names, I don't quite know how you feel about her now, but... I'd be just as upset. I hope you never feel bad about leaving. If I'd ever... No, not going to think about it. Said I was avoiding insults." Cheryl sighed, wishing more now than ever she had a nice smoke... Hugging Sasha tighter would have to suffice.

"You won't have to worry about me playing for the other team. I'm sure bi girls appreciate curves, but nothing gets me more excited than the cheese grater you've been hiding. Ugh, I need to get you tank tops to wear around the hangar... And start spending most of my time there." Cheryl whistled quietly and giggled, feeling a lot younger than she was. How invigorating.

"I should set hours for my office... No one's coming, it'd give me an excuse to get out of there more often. All my horny rantings aside, it's your turn, Sasha. I agree that hiding things is terrible, so let me be an open book for you to read into. Ask whatever's on your mind."

"These days it's just pity," Sasha sighed, "Sandra was ... definitely a work in progress. I wanted to help her become her best self. Help her be more brave, honest, etc ... could not deal with Clara too, though. She was not a part of our agreement." That went without saying, or at least it should have. Sandra seemed to think otherwise, though.

In lighter news, it seemed like Cheryl was straight. It was more of a relief for Sasha than it probably should have been, but given the incident with Clara, it was only natural. "Tank tops, huh?" Sasha tried to imagine himself wearing something like that. It wasn't a bad look, and not much different from how he used to dress when he used to larp with his friends back home.  When piloting a steam spewing, homemade mech for a four hour long game, a tank top just couldn't be beat. "Sure, I can do that. Anything else?" Despite it not accomplishing much in keeping his relationships alive, Sasha was more than happy to change up his style of dress and grooming to suit his partner. It seemed like such a small thing to him, honestly.

Sidestepping part of the Sandra situation for now seemed like the right move, since Sasha would wind up informing Cheryl that Sandra was most likely dead, otherwise. The doctor might feel even worse for the righteous fury she'd let slip if he did do that, and that wouldn't do. Sasha didn't know with absolute certainty that Sandra was dead, anyway. He believed it, of course, but for now it was a detail that wasn't going to help anyone else. He was just glad he'd gotten to explain the situation to someone and get the kind of response he had. Since Cheryl was giving him an opportunity to look into her past, Sasha was more than happy to focus on that, instead~

"I've got to know, why am I not getting my ass kicked by your boyfriend, right now?" Sasha asked, trying not to break into laughter as he did, "emergency lockdown aside," he added, glancing toward the hatch. "If these guys knew what I just learned a little while ago ..." Sasha feigned a grimace, picturing a small mob outside Cheryl's locked office.

"I'd say no pants, but that'd get you into trouble. The eyecandy is enough. I can't be greedy just because we're high on life, right now." It was enough of a deal, in her mind. He had the arms to match the stomach, one hundred percent a prize, to her. Oh, but his own question... That was a long and painful story. How to omit the painful parts...?

"Hmm... A lot of bad things happened during my BA years. All sort of... Spiraled into my Masters and PhD. Started smoking, became quite... Cold, and unfriendly. I'll leave out the details on why, i don't want to ruin this mood, but, I wasn't nearly as friendly as I like to let on. And once I joined the ANF, from ship to ship, the men here... Have either been too job focused, like Tristan, or just not worth my time. Pardon me for being a little bit shallow, but they have to at least be a bit of a looker, no? Character's great and all, but it only goes so far... Thankfully, you've got both, so I win in the end."

A confident smirk helped crush the memories attached to her life, pondering what else to add for just a moment. "I suppose it's been an unfortunate mix of poor timing and lack of interest. Only in the past year or so have I forgiven myself for how I acted and what happened. so... You came along a the perfect time. Probably a part of my heavy approach with you, I didn't want such a catch to swim away before I could throw a line. Not sure if you've noticed how beautiful the crew is around here, and I'm getting on in years. Even if some of the age gaps would raise eyebrows, all of the girls here are legal... Except Lieutenant Kim, I believe, but she's only got two weeks left."

Cheryl sighed a rather mocking sigh at herself, chuckling quietly. "... Makes me really happy to hear you say those things, Sasha. Even if it's just the high, it means a lot to me. Keep up the flattery, would you? I don't think I hear it enough."

There was no getting around physical attraction on at least some level, Sasha agreed. "Yeah, I hear you," he nodded. Really, a kind of balance was what worked best, so he was glad to know he was the right fit in Cheryl's eyes. He was less enthused to know that she had such a hard time at university. It seemed they had both started smoking for vaguely similar reasons, though Sasha couldn't be sure without the dirty details. He'd omitted some of his own, so he wasn't going to hold it against Cheryl for doing the same. Quite the opposite. Not everything needed to come out at once. Right now, they were just getting to know each other. They'd taken care of the physical part, so that just left their headspaces.

As the topic shifted to the numerous 'options' aboard the Riese, Sasha grinned. He'd definitely noticed others working around the ship, though Cheryl's haste and no nonsense approach had won him over. There was something to be said for making your intentions clear from the get-go. "I wasn't expecting to be teaming up with a pair of cute girls in a flying death machine to knock out that Apotheosis guy ... but yeah ... that actually happened," Sasha chuckled after a second. "And you're more than welcome. I'm glad I nibbled on that line of yours. Independent, good standards, a sense of humor, some hair I could get lost in, delicious hook, qualified to try and fix this brain of mine," he tapped his temple for emphasis, "Yeah, withdrawal's going to be so much more bearable with you. Dare I say fun~" There was no need to worry about the flattery, it seemed ...

Now, Cheryl had asked for the flattery, but to hear it all laid out so matter-of-factually was enough to make even her blush. Hope what I'm hiding isn't enough to ruin this. I could seriously get used to this sort of attention... Dare I act fanciful and call it love? Heh... "Flattery will get you everything, Sasha. Buckle up for round two." Her coat slipped off some as she pressed up to his lips again. Hopefully, Firmia did not, come a knockin'.

Edited January 17, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

Interesting. This lookalike was nothing like the Christina Megumi was used to. In a way it was refreshing, though it seemed to stem just as much from the awful situation she was in as it did from her own nature, leaving the doctor with somewhat mixed feelings. If nothing else, she wasn't a much better pilot than Troy was, having been overwhelmed so quickly. There wasn't a rush, right now, so Megumi wasn't going to be speeding the girl off to the brig as soon as she'd like. After all, she still needed to get things set up in the infirmary so she could keep an eye on the battle outside.

Stepping into the infirmary after Ignatius and the others, Megumi made for the nearby console and with a few swift keystrokes, brought up the pilot feeds she'd normally be watching from her console on the bridge. And then something unsettling caught her eye, Nikolai's vitals. What should have been the boy's ridiculously unstable readings were all flatlines. Nikolai's entire stat column was bathed in red, like the doctor would expect from the destruction of the system on the pilot's end. A regular disconnect would look completely different, which meant the Umbra had likely taken catastrophic damage in the cockpit. Had Nikolai been taken out ...?

"Keep an eye on her for a moment," Megumi instructed the mechanics, "We've got an emergency here. Bennet, get a hold of Tambre and then bring a SIEG tank online." Megumi doubted Nikolai was still alive, but if he was, they still had time to save him. "As soon as I leave the bridge ... Avery, do you read me? This is Doctor Amparo. I need you to put together a search and rescue team. The Umbra was just destroyed, but Nikolai might still be alive." Hopefully the pilots could cover them if Avery went for this; Apotheosis had been nearly in full retreat when she left the bridge. Either way, there was no time to wait for them to wrap things up. "I know it's dangerous but if he's not dead yet, he will be if we don't get him back here as soon as possible."

---

Brant winced as the Umbra seemed to wink out of existence on his radar. Looking behind him, as the Regalia entered a wide turn to return to the main battle, Brant could make out the destruction, though just barely until he focused on the wrecked machine and zoomed in on it. "Dammit ... ... Merlin to Goblin, do you r-"

"Don't bother," Firmia had switched the comms back off before Brant could even say anything, "Let the Captain figure that one out. We've got to get back there and help them out before someone else goes down."

Brant could at least somewhat agree with that. Thorvald already wanted Hannah back for a coordinated assault. They might as well chip in. With the battle nearly over, the ANF pilot was in far less danger, and Brant was starting to doubt Apotheosis had any people on foot searching for them. The Riese team needed all the firepower they could get, now, so it was time to head back and finish this. Brant turned the comms back on. "Alright, Mantle Team, we're coming in with you. Hasn't failed yet, so let's see if we can't squeeze in a couple more of those maneuvers to help soften them up for the others."

Great, Firmia mused, more melee attacks. For the upteenth time today, she reminded herself to make some needful adjustments to the Mantle. Hopefully they would actually have the time to make an attempt. It would have been a little better if Hannah was piloting a Throne. It was a general purpose mobile suit, better suited to her up close style of fighting. Firmia still didn't have one, though. It was somewhat debatable, but they were better off with the Mantle and its superior range. While it wasn't a dedicated sniping unit, a skilled enough pilot could make it one in practice. Until they optimized the machine for Hannah, it was always going to feel like a bit of a mismatch to her. Not that finding the suit's ideal pilot was the goal. The real goal here was Firmia's drone program.

... and speaking of odd snipers, there was that Apotheosis sniper that had been hitting them from absurd ranges. They hadn't even been able to fight back against that one until they'd gotten this close. It reminded her of her narrow escape from the Black Swan with Tonya and Sasha. They couldn't fight back against that one either, not until Tonya raced off to face them at close range. History was always repeating itself, but with the Umbra in ruins, this all felt eerily familiar to Firmia ... "Hey, Brant ... how many units like that do you think Apotheosis has?"

"No idea," Brant winced, "Maybe a dozen? Maybe more if they're trying to take over the whole world. Why?"

"I just ... had a thought. <Don't worry about it.">

Brant moves to 13,15 and initiates the Twinbird maneuver against Saturn #2!

Edited January 17, 2018 by Phoenix

[Balcerzak]

Abby hadn't expected that. And to Nikolai of all people. Sure, he was a bit of a disagreeable ass, but it's not like anybody was without their rough edges. Was this the universe's way of getting back at her, for trying to crawl out of the hole it tried stuffing her in earlier? Offing yet more people she actually knew from before. No fucking way. Slamming down on the console, she growled, and geared into action.

"Clearing a way for you guys by breaking up this guard unit. I'll position myself to back you up too, so just try not to take too long, alright!"

Valor move to 10,17 titanium sword #2

[Nanami Touko]

With Jess out of comission, Tristan takes over! Good thing he's actually competent!

Boat strikes, dual cannon Carlos 96 H&A to (12-13,17-18)

"Roger, Merlin! Heading in!"

Hannah move to 12,16 twinbird cress #5

Goblin Down

Avery was still trying to figure out what this ARES system even was, frustrated grumblings coming out of her as she fiddled with the OS settings inside the Artemis, but her priorities shifted when the doctor radioed to her, explaining Nikolai's situation. She got a bit pale, and felt a hefty swallow slide down her throat, but she tried to shake it of and nodded. "R, Right. I'll get a small crew t'gether. Send 'em out. Should be safe, ain't no way they're gonna target somethin' that small when they got th'whole force bearin' down on 'em... Thanks fer the heads up, Doc."

Frustrations with the Artemis put on hold, Avery stuck her head out and pointed a swift finger at one of the larger gatherings of mechanics before spouting, "boys! Emergency stretcher and collection! Th'Umbra got shot down! Ain't no readin's from the pilot, but th'doc wants t'make sure iffin he's alright er not! Get out there, pronto!" In other situations, Avery would likely have been leading the charge herself, but with that recent attack over Hannah's injury, and the Artemis doing what it was doing, she didn't want to risk putting herself out of commission over another hefty injury. The machine needed her to sort it out. Heading back inside after getting some nervous nods from the mechanics, she cracked her knuckles and tried to put all her focus back into this.

"Ain't no program's gonna beat me one. You fuckin' ARES system, what th'fuck you are, think you can hurt my girls an' act like a normal feature. Let's see what you got..."

Nature

Chris followed the doctor into the infirmary, putting on less of a rush now that she was there. An empty bed was nearby, so she took it, of course, squinting as she felt out the mattress. Familiar, probably of similar make to the tables she'd been laid out on before. What a terrible memory. At least the room seemed nicer. Sterile... But, inviting. Like a regular doctor's office, or something you'd see in an Earth hospital. "Hmm..." It almost made her calm down, before remembering it'd be off to a brig after this. An uncomfortable sigh followed, not sure of what to do.

"Mmm? Oh, right, Valerie. Uh... I've been trying to for a bit, actually, doctor. She hasn't picked up. I think she might be asleep... Should I head down and try to pick her up?" Olivia gave a curious glance over at the Christina that had showed up, that wasn't theirs, was it? Unless she'd taken the time to get changed and had a rather angry meltdown.

"So do we call you Christina?" The name got an angry twitch out of the blonde, who glanced over and narrowed her eyes at the doctor's little assistant.

"Chris."

"Right..."

[Dandragon]

"Understood." Her response to Thorvald was no more than it needed to be. Elaine was still blinking from the bright light of the blast that had torn apart Nikolai, despite it having long since passed. It was powerful, far more than any blast she had seen the Artemis unleash. Then again, she still hadn't fully seen what the bright light was from the area that the Artemis was taken to. All the same, this machine had proven time and time again that it was efficient at long range.

"Okay...Let's see how you do up close."

Elaine casts Strike (41/56)
Elaine casts Valor (1/56)

Elaine moves to (8,17), attack Rhea CMD with Machine Gun for MAX DAKKA

[Phoenix]

Things with Avery had gone quickly and smoothly. Thankfully. Things on Bennet's end were quite the opposite, and this really wasn't the time for Tambre to be sleeping in. How was she even managing that with the ship occasionally rocking from enemy fire? Alcohol? Definitely not the most pressing detail, right now. "Okay change of plans," Megumi said, straightening up from the console, "I may need more hands than I've normally got available." That admission out of the way, the doctor tried to plan as efficiently as she could for when Nikolai's meat and tubes were hauled into the infirmary. Alive or dead, she really wasn't looking forward to seeing the scrawny gremlin in such a sorry state.

"Okay ... Bennet, I need you up here for now. I'll prep the SIEG tank, myself, and you get Chris' checked for any injuries. After that, you can look for Tambre, but if I page you, double back here. Ignatius, if you could do me one more favor when you go, I'd like you to find anyone else on the ship with any medical training and send them back here too. If you know where to find Tambre, you could also save us some time there. If the Umbra was taken out this quickly then there are probably more injured we don't know about yet, and I don't want to get swamped with only three people here." Chris was also a minor security risk, so she might have to keep the two mechanics with her, as well. The Artemis Team's feed was no longer active when she'd checked the console, but unlike Nikolai's, it was just a regular disconnect, not the blood red overlay that spelled doom most of the time. It was also expected, given the hit they'd taken earlier. Those two were probably on their way up to the infirmary, again.

[Xinnidy]

Brants gets up close there and initiates another synced up attack with Hannah, the Saturn was certainly confused by a mobile suit rushing towards it through heavy cover fire!

Quote

Brant attacks!
Target: Saturn #2
Weapon: Twin Bird Maneuver
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 32
Roll: 38, 72
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 153

Saturn #2 counters!
Weapon: Wrist Beam Gatlings
Final Hit: 0!
Final Crit: 18
Miss! Alert is used up.

Brant gains +40 EXP, +2 Will (capped)!

Even the Saturn's bulky design was giving in to attacks such as these!

Abigail casts Valor![-35sp]
Abigail readies the titanium sword and decides to swing it harder!

Quote

Abigail attacks!
Target: Saturn #2
Weapon: Titanium sword
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 0!
Roll: 45, 75
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 65
The Saturn's armor finally gives in!

Abigail gains +350 EXP, +7 Will, +5000 credits, and +14 PP!
Abigail levels up!

With that, the Apotheosis numbers were reduced to a mere few. Victory was close, at least.

Boat uses Strike! Good job Jess![-20sp]
Tristan is a fair helmsman.

Quote

The Riese attacks!
Target: Rhea CMD (Carlos)
Weapon: Dual Beam Cannons
Final Hit: 100!
Final Crit: 21
Roll: 47, 59
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 87

"Ugh... nice shot."
Carlos counters!
Weapon: Ballistic Missile Launcher
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 44
Roll: 55, 57
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 211! Yikes! Thanks Analyze...

Jess gains +90 EXP, +2 Will!

Carlos wasn't going to go down without a fight.
Then the Riese moved to its new position...

Hannah however, sets her sight on one of the escapees!

Quote

Hannah attacks!
Target: Cressida #5
Weapon: Twin Bird Maneuver
Final Hit: 82
Final Crit: 28
Roll: 73, 19
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 255! That's a goner!

Hannah gains +200 EXP, +5 Will, +2300 credits, +8 PP!

Now that was an explosion...

Elaine casts Strike![-15sp]
Elaine casts Valor![-40sp]
Unwilling to give Carlos much room, Elaine charges in with her machine gun!

Quote

Elaine attacks!
Target: Rhea CMD (Carlos)
Weapon: MT12 Machine Gun
Final Hit: 100!
Final Crit: 0!
Roll: 73, 21
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 119!

Carlos counters!
Weapon: Plasma Saber
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 17
Roll: 47, 36
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 65

Elaine gains +80 EXP, +4 Will!

Now that was a range Carlos seemed to be struggling to fend off Elaine from!

Edited January 18, 2018 by Xinnidy

[TheRoon]

After a quick pit stop on to the Riese Aliza jets back out toward 11, 19 and uses the impact gunlance to impale Cressidia 9.

[Xinnidy]

Aliza gets her gunlance ready and stabs!

Quote

Aliza attacks!
Target: Cressida #9
Weapon: Impact Gunlance
Final Hit: 67
Final Crit: 7
Roll: 65, 6
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 88!

Cressida #9 counters!
Weapon: Plasma Saber
Final Hit: 80
Final Crit: 18
Roll: 77, 43
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 46

Aliza gains +10 EXP, +1 Will!

Nice strike!

"Providing cover fire!"
Makoto casts Invincible![-10sp]
Makoto moves out to (12,20), and charges at Cressida #9 with an all-out assault!

Micro missiles sped ahead in a volley, the pistol was emptied while the Phalanx charged towards the Cressida, finally, with a jump boosting maneuver, the guard trooper struck a blow and finished off the attack with its anti-field pike!

Quote

Makoto attacks!
Target: Cressida #9
Weapon: All-Out Assault
Final Hit: 80
Final Crit: 45
Roll: 48, 2
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 159!

"What?! For just a police bot...!"
Cressida #9 is taken down!

 Makoto gains +150 EXP, +5 Will, +2300 credits, and +8 PP!

That worked out fine, somehow...

Edited January 18, 2018 by Xinnidy

[scorri]

Things were rapidly falling apart. Niko was down. Unclear if he'd survived though if any of them could have survived such an explosion, Astin couldn't help but think it would be him. Juria was scared, understandably so... "Juria, I know. It'll be ok, I promise. There's still a chance he could have lived. And if not... Well... I'll make sure you make it out alive. Don't worry." That was the hard part of having a copilot they guessed. The risks that they took affected more than just themselves now. It had never really seemed like an issue until the fact that they really could die at any second was shoved in their face. Taking a deep breath, they heard the call coming over the comms.

"Copy that... leader." They didn't have a better call for him, so that's what they were going with. "Time to finish this. Before anyone else gets hurt." And that was really all there was to it. As Abby cleared the way out for Elaine, and the Riese hammered in a final shot as well as passing on information to the Ceres, Astin gritted their teeth. "One last time Juria. Hold on tight."

Charging in, they pulled their blade back for a wide swing, not caring how predictable it was. It didn't matter. This was it. Slamming the blade down, they did their best to shear the enemy robot right in two.

 

Astin cast Gain, move to 9-18, stab Carlos with the big sword

[Xinnidy]

Astin casts Gain![-15sp]

Quote

Astin attacks!
Target: Rhea CMD (Carlos)
Weapon: Proto Hybrid Sword
Final Hit: 100! (Thanks Attune)
Final Crit: 38
Roll: 23, 96
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 121! (Thanks Analyze!)

"Ugh! Not here..."
The Rhea somehow disappears in a flash of green light!

Astin gains +800 EXP, +3 Will (capped), +33000 credits, +25 PP! 
Astin levels up!

And that's game!

Dangerous Game

It was pretty much over, the enemies had closed in too much, and even one of the Saturns could not stand the fire --things looked grim, and Carlos knew it. He couldn't wait on what was left of his unit to escape, not that it was an option any longer. The monsters had gone and finished the rest of the units that turned tail. Such an unit should not grow this powerful, I know Laine said we had plans, but this is ridiculous. He had proven by himself that such prototypes weren't needed or going to get above his level, now.

"All of you left, we're warping, this is pointless." There was no other way now, he sighed. The Rhea's Sacarian Sphere was weaker compared to even the Hyperions, incapable of traveling long distances, and it was still a shot in the dark to warp this close to Central, but it was the best he could do, especially with the Cressidas and Hunters --the only ones not equipped with the technology-- had been all wiped out. The Rhea's jamming system would mean he could get out unscathed, as long as he didn't end up warping towards another ANF unit. In his situation, even Velites and Legionary Mk-IIIs were a real threat. "I'm jumping to these coordinates... follow me." It wasn't too far away from there, but the terrain should keep them covered from the Riese's sight, but still... he couldn't get the warp system to start that fast.

Carlos tried to avoid the final attack coming at him with his own plasma saber but the final shot had managed to compromise the torso of his unit more than he wished it did. The unit had been almost severed through its midsection, but he had managed to deflect the blow from the cockpit and worse: the generator. While that was all he needed right now to escape, he still had an issue... the hybrid beam-physical blade was firmly stuck in the midsection, and forcing it out would be hazardous, one way or another. "Kh! Now! We're leaving!" He had to make yet another sacrifice, with that sword stuck in there, warping would be too dangerous... the job had to be finished. The Rhea's thrusters flared at full force. Forcing the blade out would have spent too much energy and provided the enemies with too much time, not to mention the leg's condition would be dangerous... so Carlos had to go a step further, and finish that machine's job, ripping the upper and lower body apart as it boosted through the blade, the Rhea flew past Astin as it shone a green light, and in the next moment, it had vanished. Only the upper body. Following that, the two hanger-ons seemed to have caught their leader's advice well, and turned away from the ANF group as they tried to gain some distance, boosting and warping shortly after.

The battlefield was devoid of funcioning Apotheosis units at that point, only their debrees left in its wake.

With only silence welcoming them, the Riese would be able to complete its mission unimpeded... hopefully.

Map has been cleared, as the hidden objective of beating the boss was concluded, and no other enemy units remain!

Battle mastery bonuses have already been added to the sheet!

In addition, you get the Rhea! ...Well, its torn legs. Have fun.

As the objective of reaching the green zone hasn't been completed yet, please be mindful of that pending mission in-character!

Due to the incredible damage the Umbra suffered, its down cost has been subtracted from your credits for repairs! (-5700 credits)

Edited January 18, 2018 by Xinnidy

[Phoenix]

Well ... that worked out in the end, though there was still the burning question of Nikolai ...

"Come on," Firmia grabbed Brant's attention, "let's find that missing pilot. The others can deal with the Umbra."

Brant glanced back at Firmia, though he didn't move far enough to actually see her behind him. "You really want to move past that, don't you ...?"

Firmia shook her head. "There are enough people worried about him. There's no point in us doing the same, especially since nothing we do will change anything. Let's just get back to what we were doing." She opened a line to the Mantle. "Terminator. It's Vivian. We're heading back for the missing ANF pilot. We're not splitting into singles so form up and come with us."

Firmia sighed after that. "I just hope Captain Gefalscht finally gets it, now ..." This was the lesson she'd anticipated, though it'd come a bit sooner than she expected.

[Dandragon]

It got away...mostly. Astin had dealt the final blow, and forced the robot to split itself in half before flashing away, just as the Luna had in the battle yesterday. Salvaged legs were better than no salvage at all, right? Still...at what cost?

Elaine turned the Heracles's visor towards the wreckage of the Umbra, still smoking from the laser blast that had engulfed it. It was a poor sight for a powerful machine that had barely gotten off the ground, relatively speaking. It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours since Talia had piloted the thing out of Corona Ten and into the Riese, and now, it got completely demolished by that sniper. And that was nothing to say of the pilot inside...Or whatever was going to be left of him.

Elaine's only meaningful interaction with Nikolai was a very negative one. She had her values, and he saw fit to trample all over them and insult her while doing it. It was petty, but as one of her least favorite people, it was hard for Elaine to get emotional about Nikolai's possible, and very probable, death. She wasn't happy about it, that was for sure, but she couldn't get herself to feel sad. Yet, there was a somber feeling in the air as she looked on, wondering how painful it must have been to be caught in that blast.

"...Red to Bright Eyes. I'm heading back to the boat."

[Ether]

As the last of the remaining adrenaline wore off and stopped pumping through her veins like mad, Kim felt herself getting more and more drowsy. Geez, having your mind and body run well into superhuman territory for even a small amount of time sure was tiring, wasn't it? Letting her eyes close without much resistance, Kim slipped off of Christina's shoulder as she drifted into unconsciousness, her head landing unceremoniously into Christina's lap.

[Shin]

Defeating Carlos was a hollow victory, an empty unsatisfying achievement that couldn't possibly undo the tragedy that had occured. The mission escaped his mind entirely, Tarquin's only goal to was to find Nikolai. He was holding onto a glimmer of hope, a string of good luck that would keep his friend alive. He'd over a dozen people during his assignment on the Heion Riese, but all of them were faceless redshirted enemies, he didn't need to care about any of them at all. The situation was now very different, one of their own had gone down and left Tarquin with a bitter reminder of the fragility of the people around him. He wouldn't wish death upon any of his allies, but why did it have to be Nikolai? It was almost unfair, fate had selected the very worst option.

He was fixed on the Umbra's wreckage, landing the Aria down next to the flaming heap of metal. The flames were intense, spotting Nikolai would be impossible from the cockpit - and getting to him without falling to the flames himself would eb difficult. There was one tool he had at his disposal, and he was glad that his memory was so precise. He reached down to the side of his seat, withdrawing a fire extinguisher from a panel. The Aria might have been an experimental model, but it thankfully adhered to standard ANF fire safety regulations, a three hour lecture that he could still recall. Thankfully his medical pack had been restocked, but realistically there was very little he could do even if he did find Nikolai. Upon his command, the Aria knelt down, its pilot swifty departing the machine and clambering down it to the ground. 

"Nikolai! Wo bist du?" Tarquin called out, shielding his face with his hands as he approached the blaze. There was no way he could contain it entirely, but he needed to give Nikolai the best chances possible. Aiming the nozzle ahead of him, he let out a spray of foam, tickling the flames at best. "Bitte sag was! Ich werde dich finden!"

His attempts were almost certainly futile, the flames were barely phased by his feeble attempt at quelling it. Using the Aria was out of the question though, he'd kill Nikolai for certain if he tried to douse it with water or soil. His stomach twisted, he was quickly facing the realisation that his friend would burn to death if he hadn't already, he was going to be alone again.

[Nanami Touko]

Stroke of Luck

"Hey! Get away from there, kid!" The mechanic team that Avery had sent out touched down near the Aria, the small hover platform carrying several well armed men heading over to the wreck. The one who'd called out for Tarquin placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze, but not out of any reprimand. "If he's still alive in there, we'll do our best to save him, ya hear? Ain't nothin' your gonna do with a small extinguisher like that, so let us take care of it... Fire 'er up, boys!" Two of them ran forward with hoses, spraying the burning wreck down, trying to stifle the fire. In the mean time, the man leading the operation let go o f Tarquin's shoulder, bringing out a small scanner. The look on his face wasn't a good one. "Not picking up anything... I don't think he... Wait."

There was a reading, but it wasn't coming from the machine. It was coming from-- "Boys, stretcher!" A good ten meters away from the wreck was the twitching, charred corpse of its pilot. Not a corpse yet, though. Close, but still breathing. "Hurry, but be careful with him! He looks halfway to a stack of ribs. If that breathin' stops, I'm sickin' Avery on every one'a you, and not in the fun way!"

It seemed like Nikolai was going to survive... Or what was left of him. The explosion and compaction of the Umbra had relieved him of his legs, and a crisp of human skin had formed all over his back and face. What was left of his clothing had nearly fused to him. This was going to be more than just a few hours of Megumi's time...

Clinic Panic

"Sir yes sir... Alright, 'Chris'," Olivia said with almost a half smirk, "tell me where it hurts." If they were going to be keeping their lookalike on board the ship, they might as well keep her alive.

Chris sighed. "My head. A bit... Probably smacked it against the cockpit chair when I was being shot at. Your pilots aren't very careful."

"Well, I wouldn't know the first thing about that. I've only met two. Cute girls..." Gloves on again, Olivia started to check Chris' head, the girl flinching at the touch, making the nurse snicker. "I can't check where you're hurt if you move away, you know."

"... Sorry."

The lioness seemed rather defanged from her brazen entrance, but this was better than some angry version of Christina. Going back over her head once again, Olivia poked through her hair gently, and sure enough... "Looks like she's got some unfortunate bruising along the back of her head. Nothing some rest and an ice pack won't help. No need to setup two SIEG tubs, at least."

"Guess I wait here, then..."

"Guess you do~ I'm off for Valerie now, right Doc?"

Lap Nap

As Kim fall onto her lap, Christina squeaked, not expecting the sudden flop, but she seemed to be falling asleep, finally. There wasn't any moving her now... Oh, but the pilots were coming back, weren't they? Ahhh... This was going to be embarrassing, but... Kim was too upset to disturb, and she'd just fallen asleep. "I'll just... Have to explain." Tugging the coat over Kim further, and sighing back against the wall, she tried to keep her nerves calm. It was nice, having her like this, anyway. She was almost like a regular girl, like this... "Maybe one day we can put this fighting behind us."

Landing Zone

It seemed that a small crew had been sent near the Umbra's wreckage, so as much as Hannah wished to help, Firmia was calling for her. What a mess... "Yes, Firmia. I'm coming... Although I cannot say that I am not worried about Nikolai. And, this distress signal, do you believe the pilot could be still alive? We have not been hailed since we have arrived, unless their radio functions are not working. They could perhaps be knocked out... This mission does not feel like much of a success... I suppose that none of our missions have felt like much success."

"Hey, at least you managed to defeat one of those insane robots. You even took some of it with you! Isn't that a good thing?"

"...I suppose. Thank you, Galatea." The Mantle turned and sped off after Firmia, switching to MS mode to coast along the ground instead.

Edited January 19, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa