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


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Why, gods, why did she sound so convincing?! Every word out of her mouth was so sickening sweet and yet so patronizingly toxic, it was unbearable! And why did she have to repeat everything that kept eating at her for years? She was a failure. A huge, complete, utter failure. She failed to keep herself in line during the days at the Academy, she had failed to keep the people on the Colony safe from those that attacked, she failed to keep her god damn mouth shut to Jess, she failed to be a good guardian for Nico when her Uncle wasn't around, and, most importantly... She failed to be a good enough daughter to her parents.

When Elaine had returned from Colony 2, no one cared about her. When Jane had to leave, still no one cared about her. And when she joined the ANF, became a pilot, and went out to take on those that would threaten every innocent life on the planet, no one ever cared about her. Yet, here was this woman, Louise Park, on the other side of a communicator, part of a terrorist organization, telling Elaine that she... liked her. That she was wanted somewhere. That she could make a difference. And yet...And yet...

"I...I can't answer...I'm sorry!" Not waiting for a response, she turned off the communicator, ended the call, or at least hoped she did, and finally, the butterflies in her stomach too much to handle, hurried over to the trash bin and puked. How could she betray everyone that depended on her? How could she let down everyone that expected better of her? The answer was that she couldn't. She couldn't give herself over to Apotheosis, to Louise. Yet, she also couldn't deny her conflicting feelings. For gods sake, she just apologized to Louise, someone who had been tormenting her for the past several minutes or more. Why would she do something like that? She needed someone. She desperately needed someone to tell, but there wasn't anyone here. There was just her, curled up on the floor, crying like a scared little girl. Just like the first day of prison...

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The straightforward response not quite what he'd been expecting--what had he been expecting--Thorvald couldn't help but smile. In a situation when all you could do was worry, it was okay to do just that then, to worry? Maybe Sherry needed more background to work with, before she could really show off her therapist chops? That seemed to be the case, based on her follow up questions, so he nodded, and began to clarify the situation a little more, his hands going through well-practiced motions as he did.

"Not really the threat against the nation so much, I'm not quite so patriotic as that--but don't tell that to my bosses. The worry does stem from the same root cause, though: Apotheosis." Finished fishing it out, Thorvald flopped down a family photo onto Cheryl's desk: the two women leaning into him, at his spot in the center, while sticking their hands outward in Vs, making the whole ensemble look a little bit like a giant X. "With having left my family behind at Las Vegas, and having been unable to get in contact with them since coming back down to Earth, and believe me I've tried, it's really been gnawing at me. I know, by all rights they should be safe, left with the military like they were, but then there's reasons to doubt that. The terrorists seem to be striking for ANF specifically, near as we can tell with the limited info we have. Serpent Eye and Great Lake confirm that, and the seed of worry is watered further by the seeming inability of any other ANF force to hold their own against their assaults."

He sighed and bowed his head. "In the last meeting, the captain asked for suggestions, for stops along the way as we head back to Central, but I... I couldn't raise my voice. It was almost like speaking up about the fear might make it real. But after hours have passed, that feels more like a mistake than anything..." Shaking his head from side to side and letting out another sigh, Thorvald shifted tracks slightly, continuing to pour out his misgivings to the shrink. "I'd always felt having someone to protect made me stronger, but I guess that was only as long as I could keep myself between them and the danger. Now that it's on the other side of me, I feel... trapped, weak. Worse off than the others, all of them really, but especially the ones that seem to usually be really put together, you know, like Tarquin or Astin."

 

 

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It seemed the universe was telling him something. Maybe it was time to take a break? Brant supposed it would depend on what the discussion was about. "Sure, what'd you need, Hannah?" It didn't sound urgent, but it probably didn't have to do with A2, either; they hadn't set a timetable on that little project. So that meant it was probably something new or random, random simply being something Brant himself wouldn't have thought of. Moving quickly but smoothly, he activated the lift again, sending it down for the android. Then he plopped back down into the flight seat, just as he'd done with Sasha.


Firmia had an impossible time settling on just one documentary, so she put up two at the same time, using the cockpit's imaging system. Normally the system would process the feed from the external cameras and generate a 360 degree view of the surrounding environment for the crew. It obviously had some recreational potential in the right hands. An old documentary about lions was displayed slightly to the left and partly overlaying the cockpit hatch, and another documentary, one about an older Alkeav company mobile suit, was displayed slightly to the right and also obscuring the exit. The ratio of dialogue between the two was roughly 1:5, and the latter film was in Russian, which made watching both presentations at once unexpectedly easy for her, even in her jet lagged state.

The Alkaev documentary had admittedly been a risky choice, since she wanted to take her mind off things, but she felt drawn to it the moment she saw it. The occasional brushes with the Alkaev family's history in the business and the like never quite touched on anything that would raise any red flags, though Firmia was confident that would change once she had gone through more of Rex's notes. The lion documentary was safe as could be, but also seemed to draw Firmia in for vaguely strategic reasons. Every time the lionesses were on the hunt, Firmia couldn't help but hone in on them and watch extremely carefully. When the hyenas showed up, she was also extra attentive ... especially during the times when the lionesses were chases up into trees by the overwhelming number of hyenas. There was always something to learn from in nature.

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Getting Into It

"Yer gettin' real used t'this, huh? Well, that's a good thing. Ain't gonna be a bother iffin I start introducin' you as my partner, then?" She snickered at Astin, munching down the biscuit, and making for the pop. The soup could wait, it was probably still hot. Trying to stay smiling through everything else Astin had to say, she ended up sighing quietly. It was nice that they were up for making small quips, and it did help make her feel more comfortable. She adjusted the prosthetic, feeling it move, but not feeling anything from it. "It's just... Weird. Like havin' a ghost limb. I can move it. I can feel it move. I just can't feel it gettin' touched, hot or cold, any injuries... It's so weird."

"Well, if it don't bother you, then it ain't nothin' t'worry 'bout. And 'course I'm goin' back t'work. It's only five! That ain't nothin'." She hopped out of the bed and started rummaging for a pair of sweat pants, grumbling over her clothes not being properly organized. Something she'd have to get to at some point. "I ain't gonna let Buck have full run'a'the hangar fer a whole day. I bet he's already done somethin' stupid. Not dangerous, jus' stupid. An' I can't let him go an' do that, 'fore it becomes dangerous. So... There we go!" Sweatpants acquire, she got her ass in them quick, and stepped on over to Astin, giving them a quick kiss on the cheek. "Y'can make yerself at home, or ye can go do whatever y'all want. I'll be upstairs, alright? ... An' thanks fer makin' t'day better." Snatching her cap, she gave Astin a peace sign, and stepped out of her room. She could always reheat the soup...

Going Up

Hannah nodded, waiting for the lift to come down. There wasn't enough room to fit both Kim and her on at once, so the obvious solution was to help her up. Wrapping an arm around Kim's waist and gently hoisting her off of the ground, Hannah stepped onto the lift, and took it up, letting the TK into the cockpit first. She stepped in and smiled, waving at Brant. "Hello. I... Simply wished to get your reaction on... Me." She slowly gestured to herself and her features, hoping they weren't too alarming.

Sorry?

Silence filled Elaine's room after she turned off the call, and had her moment. Or at least, for the few seconds that followed. "Did you just throw up? Oh my gosh, you're hilarious, Elaine." Louise hadn't been cut off when Elaine pressed the button, Louise's chuckling filling that quiet void. "Well... That's fine. The next time we talk, it'll be in person. That's the plan, anyway~ So look forward to it. Make sure you wear something nice~ Bye..." This time, silence did follow, Elaine's recorder turning off properly.


"So, who're you calling?" Vera's voice cut into Louise's room, eyes like daggers shooting in her direction. Louise simply smirked back, resting on her tail.

"Just a potential new recruit. One of the Riese's least trusted member--"

"And you're risking our security over a game?" She'd almost snarled that out, not pleased by Louise's playing around, less so that it was with their biggest problem.

"Goodness... Don't get so jealous, Vera. You're still number one~ I'm simply sowing dissension among the ranks. They can't trace back to our station anyway, the firewalls are too good. They'd get 'North America', at best, but that was already a given. Besides... What's another mole among the ones already on board? They could even get along~"

"Tch..." While she didn't appreciate the snake working on her own whims, Vera did like the thought of having more backup on that ship when their trap was eventually sprung. There just weren't enough turncoats among the Riese crew... Unless their plans went perfectly, it was almost a suicide mission. "Fine. Do what you want. But if you compromise us..."

"You'll kill me, yes, yes... Don't you have someone to go see? Unless you're finally going to admit I'm more important than--"

"Enough. Goodbye, Louise." Vera sighed and left, Louise gently playing with the end of her tail and smiling.

"Mmmhmhmhm... But I didn't lie, Elaine. You'd fit in quite well around here. Here's hoping that we can get along~"

All There

Cheryl listened, listened, and listened... By the end of it, she almost wished she could share just how much of a mess Tarquin and Astin both were. Confidentiality would always stand, but Thorvald placing themselves up against those two with his most normal of worries, it was too ironic.

Fear over his family's well being... It made perfect sense. He as a father, a father away from a loving wife and a cute little daughter-- the photo told a lot about their family --and he couldn't get into contact with them. In a situation like this, who wouldn't be worried? "I think your worries are entirely normal, and founded, Thorvald. Not being able to know if your family is alright is definitely an issue... I think the best solution would be to contact them as soon as possible. Now, I know the Captain's mentioning that we have no contact with HQ, but that's definitely just through secure channels. If you speak with her, I'm sure that you'd be able to open up a direct line to your family. The problem there lies in anyone being able to tap in and listen. I can't imagine a talk with your wife and daughter would reveal military secrets, but if Apotheosis, or anyone else listening in was able to single you and your family out... It could very much make those fears real."

She almost sighed, it was a grim situation. The only solution for a quick fix could potentially make everything worse. "The best thing I can suggest is to try and find the best distraction available for one more day. We'll be heading to central as soon as possible, and going through Corona Ten. It wouldn't be impossible for them to have a direct line to HQ, and if not, it would only be a few hours past that until we were in close enough airspace for radio calls. Is there anything that springs to mind when you think of a way to distract yourself? I can suggest some coping techniques if you don't have anything suitable. Or, we can just chat. You seem like the sort of person I'd get along with." She smiled softly, hoping this was helping. It was a simple issue, with no easy fix. Problematic...

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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Dwight gave a knowing nod as the young Ensign explained himself. "It's true, her accuracy is quite impeccable, and seems to defy common logic. Like many other situations we have been in on the Riese, the circumstances seem very unusual... While Jessica has her flaws, and they will have to be ironed out, she has the makings of a truly great Captain in due time," he agreed. "But even so, I think it best not to fret about whether or not you can exactly follow in her footsteps on that given task. Even if you are not performing incredible feats, I assure you that your effort doesn't go unnoticed on the Riese. Do not forget that behind any excellent Captain is a fine crew as well, and it is our duty as members of the Riese's crew to support her endeavors and growth as a leader for us all."

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"Well, I figure the more I get used to it, the better, right?" They tried to be casual about it, but her talk of calling them her partner brought back the blush they had just managed to get rid of. "Ah... yeah, I suppose you could do that. If... if you wanted to." She seemed to be dealing alright with the leg, though she didn't focus on it long, hopping back up and getting ready to leave. "What? Already? But... I mean... Just... try not to fall asleep out there, alright? You gotta take care of yourself better than that. If you burn out, the whole ship loses something, alright? So... so promise me you'll take care of yourself." They knew their words were probably just falling on deaf ears, but maybe she would listen. Maybe...

Off she went, with a kiss on their cheek, an offer that they could stay here, and a peace sign. And without eating her soup. A small sigh escaped Astin's lips as they covered the soup with a napkin, and then looked around. Eventually coming to a decision, they made a quick stop back at their own room, swapping out their usual outfit for a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt, before returning back to Avery's room with a book, a set of clothes for the next day, and their own pillow. Something just comforting about having their pillow. Laying down on the bed, they decided they could read there until Avery came back. That way she wouldn't return to an empty room, just in case the good mood didn't last.

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The lighting in the cockpit wasn't unmanageable, but it was crap lighting to try and read by or use for investigating anything in hand or in the vicinity. It only made sense for Brant to turn up the cockpit's lights to see exactly what Hannah had done, or had commissioned to herself. A good 400 lumens ought to be enough to see what was going on with the enthusiastic android. The TK couldn't help but smile at the almost human exterior he was now faced with. Her synthetic skin was slightly darker than her factory coverings, and with her bright teal hair to contrast her new flesh, Brant was almost instantly reminded of Tarquin. The vague similarities ended there, of course; not once could Brant recall the child soldier smiling like Hannah so often did.

"Can I ...?" the TK reached out with an open hand. He wasn't after a handshake, but Hannah's hand would do just fine. Seeing the synthetic skin was one thing, but feeling it was something else entirely.

((Below is bonus material since this is just shy of 'important' with non-phees moving around in the cockpit area.))

Spoiler

AMS Cockpits:
Like many of the zeta era mobile suits (google image search '360 cockpit mobile suit' if you're interested in a visual reference), the AMS cockpits have an imaging system that uses the walls and even the hatch as a 'screen' when the cockpit's locked down. When it's on and the external cameras are working, it generates a 360 degree view of the external environment, and basically makes the pilot feel like they're flying around in just a chair.

The main differences here are that all AMS cockpits have two seats that share a special rigging that raises and lowers them in opposing directions (A diagram of the rigging would look vaguely similar to a seesaw, but it's not nearly that rigid EG: the seats can be pulled closer together or pushed further apart and offset in pretty much any direction). In the MS mode preset, the pilot seat is lowered one and a half feet, and the copilot seat is raised the same amount, while in the flight mode preset, both are level. Additionally there are currently sets of panels on both sides of the seats that line the rigging. When the seats are level with each other, the panels form a narrow, continuous walkway on both sides, but in MS mode, they form a staircase for the copilot.

Lastly are the seats and the controls. The seats aren't as bulky as what you'd normally see with a 360 view cockpit, and aside from the necessary functions and safeties, they're somewhat minimalist and very ergonomic. The user interface is like a fold out monitor and keyboard and it's attached to the center front part of the chair, just below the seat's 'cushion edge.' The entire thing can retract and fold up, getting completely out of the way, which is why the chairs can be leaned back so far (the types meant for this style of cockpit anyway). It also lets the pilot get in and out of the seat quickly. The pilot controls are attached to the sides of the flight seat, but don't take up much space, either. They can also fold up and out of the way as needed, and the ones in use here were designed with flight mode in mind. The standard controls come out of the 'arm rests' at an ergonomic 30 degree angle, and have hand guards (see Kshatriya controls) to prevent loose objects or moving people from bumping into the sticks. In MS mode both sticks are positioned normally, but in flight mode the left stick turns into a dedicated throttle, the upper half of it folds down to a 90 degree angle and its sliding function is enabled, for the traditional fighter cockpit setup. Everything in the cockpits are modular in design, so the parts between seats and cockpits (of the AMS suits and the Edict's flight seat) are all interchangeable (you're dealing with space age Legos).

tl;dr: Hah, like I'm summarizing that. Shoo, lazy one. Shoo.

 

Edited by Phoenix
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Juria nodded at Dwight's advice cheerfully. "No need for worrying! Juria not do more than need for training. But for now, practicing and... more practicing." Try more sword this time...

...

Three hours later, Juria was not entirely honest with her statement to Dwight. She lazily walked out of the gym, Reo following close behind, her eyes strained from hours of staring at all the different robots across the screen. Too much practice make lose focus even more... It had helped her learn, but enough was enough, she decided. All the practice made her hungry, and she headed towards the cafeteria, starting off with ice cream. Rubbing her eyes, she smiled when she saw someone familiar. "Ah, hi Chrissy. How are? You having food now, too? Juria not feeling best, right now..."

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Stepping inside the privacy curtain and nodding at the woman laying on the bed, Abigail somewhat awkwardly began to talk to her. She probably should have planned things out better in her head before hand, but there was no helping that at this point. It was hard, because what she really wanted to ask was probably the only thing she couldn't bring up. So instead she settled for just trying to ease a bit of her guilt by making sure the woman was comfortable now, at least.

"Ah, excuse me, Mrs. ... Huh, I don't think I ever got your last name. But, you're Makoto's mother right? I ran into him in the hangar after our last engagement, and between bits of hero worship I don't think I really deserved, he mentioned you'd been hurt during the fighting on the colony? I'm sorry to hear that, and probably should have visited sooner, but I was kind of laid up myself. I hope you're feeling better. Megumi and the rest of the crew have been treating you alright, I assume?"

Abby passed the apple back and forth between her hands while she spoke, without even seeming to notice she was doing so.

 


 

If it was a choice between not knowing or risking jeopardizing their safety, that was no choice at all. But that had pretty much been what he'd expected.

"A good distraction, huh? I'd ask what you'd recommend, but considering that you dropped your other method of coping with your withdrawal by deciding to listen to a patients' problems, and that's not really something I'm well equipped for, maybe I'll have to end up winging it," Thorvald smiled as he joked around a little. "Or perhaps I should actually give that on a go, degree or no degree? I'm not sure how good anything I choose will be though. While I bet it'd work as long as I was doing it, like when I was exercising earlier, I kinda feel like the worries will just come back after I hang the towel up. Can't run forever, and all. But yeah, if it only needs to be for one day... Sure, let's chat awhile. At least that'll work for now."

Edited by Balcerzak
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Status Quo

"I know... Of course. I'm not thinking that I'm underperforming, or anything. I just don't know what makes us different. It's vexing... I wish I knew. Maybe the captain would be able to explain, if we get the free time." It was something to think of, and Dwight was just as reassuring as always. Tristan smiled, leaning back in his chair. I'll bet it's something silly... Or something I'll never be able to do. That sounds about par for the course with this crew of talented people.

You Can

Hannah nodded, taking a tentative step forward. Brant's reaction was... All around pleasant. Not something she'd expected, mostly primed for rejection or confusion based on the mechanics and Elaine's reactions. Gingerly taking his hand, she guided it up to her face, placing it on her cheek, smiling wider. "I'm... Not a monster?" she asked, brows furrowed some, trying not to start crying. What a confusing mess, emotions were... Sometimes they made logical sense, and times like this, feeling elated and happy, she couldn't fathom why the urge to cry would appear. Would Brant or Kim know? Was she going to run out of whatever liquid was producing these tears soon? Perhaps speaking to Avery as well would be a good idea.

Just Finishing

"Oh... Hi, Juria." Awk. Ward. She tried not to look it, but she definitely looked a bit uncomfortable talking to the engineer. Hopefully this wouldn't last long. "No, I was just finishing eating, actually... If you're not feeling great, maybe sleep would be better? Or, some sort of gentle food... Anything like that." As long as it gets you away from me for now. I'm trying to do better, but I can't go from zero to one hundred like that...

Cheeky

So, he was up for jokes, was he? Then maybe he was better at controlling this worry than he thought... More than likely they were attempts to keep himself smiling so he didn't fall into worrying about it more. She smiled, and decided it was worthwhile to play along with. "Let's talk, then. Maybe you can give me some advice, Thorvald. Have you ever dealt with an addiction? I've been smoking for seven years now. You can ask why I'm choosing to stop if you want, but more importantly, I'm wondering how I'll even manage not to lose my mind without another puff... And I can't go back, now. My cigars just finished incinerating. Cold turkey's going to hit me hard~" She smirked at that, sitting on just a bit. "What would you say I do?"

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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Just about the last thing Seung-Min had expected to happen was to have Hannah grab her around the waist and pull her up to the meeting with Brant as well. It wasn't a problem, really, and bracing herself on the android as they ascended to the cockpit of the Regalia, the Lieutenant then watched Hannah's first interaction with Brant donning her new visage, the android seeming quite surprised, and... tearing up? She hadn't started to actively cry, but it seemed like it might be soon to come, and her question after that was... peculiar.

"Monster? Where idea monster come from?"

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Louise's last words to Elaine filled her with uncertainty and fear. The mere idea of meeting her in person could mean several things, one of which meant encountering the giant snake robot, the 'Regina', before they even knew how to deal with it. And that could be considered the best possible outcome, because at least there, there was a chance that she could die, and none of this would matter, anymore. But, Louise's choice of words, 'make sure to wear something nice', could very well mean that she intended to meet her face to face, on the ground, in the flesh. Not behind any metal wall, not inside any robotic suit, and not over a hacked comm system. And that made it all unbearable.

What would she do? What could she say? Would it be private, or in front of the crew? Would she reveal herself, or keep quiet about her true nature? Those questions, and many more, swirled in her mind like a whirlpool in the ocean, threatening to swallow everything else inside of it. And those questions only regarded Louise.

Elaine was overflowing with conflicting thoughts and emotions, unable to cope or handle them on her own. She was wanted, but by a terrorist group. She was wanted, but by someone with possible malicious intent. She was wanted, but by someone who had been emotionally manipulating her through means of blackmail, among other things, and it was driving her to the brink of insanity. ...But she was wanted somewhere. And that was far more than she could say about the ANF and the Heionn Riese.

Elaine crawled, slowly, her tears bursting and flowing from her eyes down her face as she could barely hold them back, sobbing, feeling sick, feeling vulnerable. It took several long moments, but she finally crawled and climbed up onto her bed, knocking her phone off and letting it fall to the floor. Her head hit the pillow, face-down, and soon the sobbing turned into weeping, and then wailing and bawling, muffled slightly by the soft cushion that now soaked up the tears that came from her eyes.

"Why is this happening to me?!" She yelled into the pillow, no longer trying to keep her voice down out of fear that someone would hear her. It was like the first day of prison all over again, crying her eyes out over the unfairness of the world, and how everything terrible seemed to happen to her. She was having such a fun time at the pool, that having been one the only good notes to this mess of a day, and now... Now all she had to look forward to was pain that would never go away, no matter what. And she didn't know what to do about it.

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Strike Two

Roxanna's spike had caught Thorvald off-guard, which was reason to feel pretty proud. She wasn't the one needing to be in tip-top shape to pilot mobile suits after all, but it was short-lived as the stray ball seemed to easily have been caught by Jessica, of all people. "Nice..." At least she hadn't hit one of the Russians by accident, the XO reasoned, ready to catch the ball as Jessica spiked it back to the pool, receiving a fast ball crashing straight on her chest. Oof! W-what? She caught her breath, staggering, the ball already bounced off to the surface of the water by then, leaving the XO to pick it up again, rather embarrassingly. Why did she throw it this hard? Damn it, pipsqueak... It seemed the bad blood among them was not to be forgotten so easily... ah well, she was trying to enjoy herself with Thorvald and Elaine, not pipsqueak. It'd do better not to think too hard on certain prepubescent captains for now. "Ahem... alright, next up..." She raised the ball, aiming her next throw. This wasn't too bad... maybe it was best to take her mind off of things for the moment, after all.

Pool-Ready

"Ah, I guess... I don't really feel right yet, since I'm not part of the crew like you. But if we're going to stay here, then I'll find something to wear real quick." Makoto saluted Tarquin, relying on the boy a great deal to get his wishes. Despite their age and height difference, it was almost as if Makoto was starting to look up to the boy! Nonetheless, after a confused glance to his surroundings, searching for where the swimwear would be stored, Makoto started his search for appropriate swimwear.

 

---

 

Peaceful Intrusion

"Hmm?" Mai Watanabe slowly rose her head to look at Megumi as she was called, rather surprised that she was needed at all. Usually, Makoto wouldn't need Megumi to warn her a heads up before showing up, so the notion that somebody else needed her in the ship was... confusing, but Mai nodded acknowledging it nonetheless.

A blonde woman walked through the privacy curtains, the curiously hesitant way she was holding herself catching Mai's attention. She looked at the woman with a puzzled look, but the mention of her son brought some clarity to her eyes. "Oh, you've met Makoto? I hope he's not being too much trouble, he's very excitable, I'm sure you've found out." Mai held a soft smile as she said that, speaking of her son seemed a quick way to get her spirits up. "My name is Mai Watanabe. And yours?" She replied, "I don't think any of the other pilots stopped by... you are a pilot, right?" Despite all the concern from Abby, Mai still had no idea who she was, exactly. "It's not like you owe me a visit. I'm sure you have a lot to worry about as it is." She offered another sympathetic smile.

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A monster? Certainly not. Hannah was even well past the uncanny valley, thankfully. The feel of her skin, both on hand and cheek, were as close as she was getting to human without some very subtle additions, but for the moment, it was enough. Brant had considered taking a jab at Apotheosis when Hannah asked him whether or not she was a monster, but she seemed so earnest about it, he wouldn't let himself bring such a wrong headed organization into the discussion, not even in jest.

Seung-Min quickly asked a question of her own to the android, something Brant was wondering, himself. He had some ideas, even though he wasn't sure of Hannah's exact experience. "Have some people not been thrilled about the new look?" He glanced at Kim just briefly, figuring she probably hadn't been critical. She'd asked the big question, after all. "You know, it shouldn't matter, as long as it works for you. You're the one who's got to live in this new skin, not them."

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"No, Juria not tired... well, tired of looking at screens," Juria began. "Was doing practice in gym for pay attention, since battle hard. Feel better at it now, after train for hours, and better at help in case Astin friend need Juria to take over ever. So now was thinking of ice cream, nice soft food for helping feel better, yes? Well, hope you had enjoy food. What kind of ice cream you have? Riese such big ship, hard to keep track of everything, even though help make. Confusing."

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Cookies and Scream

Could she really not tell how awkward this was? Or did she not care? Ugh, what a mess... "Here," she said, hoping it would help her get away, "this one's cookies and cream. I was just about to put it away, but if you want some, then might as well take this, right? Just grab yourself a spoon, and you're good..." I can get away now, right?

A Monster

Brant certainly didn't seem afraid, which made things a lot easier to talk through. "Elaine, and the mechanics, did not seem as enthusiastic when they first heard my proposal. I was stared at as if I was malfunctioning... I probably am malfunctioning, but it is something I want to do. And you do not find it a problem, so I am not worried in continuing along with this... In 'living', in this. Eheh." She quickly wiped at her eyes to make sure nothing happened there, not wanting to worry Brant or Kim further. The fact that she was allowing them to worry over her in the first place was already going too far.

"Thank you, Brant." She let him take his hand down, still smiling. "That was all I wished to see you over. I have a few more people that I wish to show, but I wanted you to see first... I hope that, as well as being okay with this, you... Are happy." Why would he be happy? Perhaps due to his interest in robotics and AI, but there was some other issue biting at her. Another confusing query that her processing couldn't define. It would take time to calculate, but hopefully not too long... It was a query that she could not close. How worrying... I wonder why I can't stop this process? Maybe Avery will know...

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"Probably just take aback, is all. Not problem with Hannah, but hear request like that first time must have thrown loop." Kim replied, when Hannah indicated the root cause of all this worry, an initial unfavourable reaction from the mechanics. It made sense that they would be dubious of such a request made from seemingly nowhere, and with Hannah in her current state of self-inflection, such a thing could easily raise a flag where one didn't truly exist.

"If truly thought was such awful idea, unlikely would have done request anyway. Don't think anything wrong with Hannah."

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So Elaine and some of the mechanics were the ones that needed a good earful. Kidding aside, Brant was glad to know the source of the problem, and that, even as Kim explained, it wasn't anything serious. That just left Hannah's other question. Admittedly, Brant wasn't sure how to come back to that one. He was certainly 'happy' about the situation overall, but he couldn't help but wonder if the underlying reasons made sense. What Hannah had done was significant, but only because it was her. Firmia running off and getting a tan wouldn't get much of a response out of him. What was happening here was well beyond a makeover; it was like a metamorphosis, and that's why it truly mattered.

Brant had been a little late to simply nod and smile at the question, so he said, "Oh I'm definitely happy, Hannah." And to prove it, not one but two thumbs rose up ahead of Brant's smile.

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Small Talks

"Thorvald... Spoke to Buck in the elevator. When they were helping me down earlier. Their conversation seemed to calm his worries about my situation. I simply hope the rest of the crew that I have grown closer too is as pleased as you are, Brant. Thank you very much." Hannah couldn't help her smiling at this point, even giggling some. She returned his thumbs up, and looked back at Kim. "And thank you too, Lieutenant Kim. Your passiveness towards this issue has certainly made it more comfortable for me. I only hope that these new feelings do not interfere with my performance." That was always something to consider, if her feeling and thinking would make her pilot worse at a point... Hopefully it would only bring good things.

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"Addiction, hmm? Can't rightly say that shoe fits. While I've been known to enjoy a vice or two, they've not really been something I couldn't put down and walk away from. Well, unless you count spoiling my daughter. In that case guilty as charged," Thorvald snorted slightly, unable to completely put family from mind, despite attempts at distraction. "Couldn't rightly call it advice to switch from one addiction to another, either, so it's not like telling to to drown your urges in a bottle'd be any good. But maybe try hitting the gym? Could just be folk medicine, with no basis in science, but sweating out the toxins oughta do a body good."

 


 

"Oh, he certainly was, no doubt about that. Umm, the, uh, excitable bit, that is, not the being any trouble part," Abby tried digging herself out of the minor pitfall she'd stumbled into with mixed results. Thankfully a transition to introductions seemed to provide a safer out. "Abigail... Abigail Casson. And yes, I'm one of the pilots they've got on board here." She paused for a moment trying to decide how to proceed.

"Wait, nobody else dropped by? At all? I mean, I know things've been busy, but..." the troubled pilot finished parsing Mai's statement. "Huh," Well, nobody visited me either... aside from Megumi and eventually Jess, but that's a wildly different situation. Makoto seemed well enough liked by the crew, from a first glance anyway.

"I guess, maybe you're right. But owed or not, I wanted to swing by at least. Makoto seems like a good egg and it would've been a shame if he'd lost a parent in the fighting. The mall wasn't very far from where I clashed with some opponents either. That's where he said you got hurt, right?" Abby apologized.

"But, here, it's a get well present, though not a very good one," she offered the apple to the woman. "Still, I hear one of these a day should keep Megumi away," she added, turning and giving the doctor a bit of a smile.

Edited by Balcerzak
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His physical activity and philosophical ponderings were opposite outlets of his current thoughts, but they both had contributed to one thing. They'd both made him relatively hungry. Deciding that the ball deserved to finally reach the ground, Tarquin gave it one last almighty strike. The ball hurtled towards the net, placing itself right in its corner and coming to a halt. It was such a simple action, yet it was somehow satisfying. It was perhaps a little early for an evening meal, but he was no longer bound by strict times at the training base.

He walked down the hall, spotting the insane janitor. It was perhaps a little difficult to understand him at times, but he seemed tolerable. Bill waved at him, although he could only give a half hearted acknowledgement back - he was never quite sure how much he caught on to things.

Arriving at the cafeteria, Tarquin spotted both Juria and Christina. Admittedly, if he'd had his way, the former would be stuck in the engineering department and the other would have been airlocked days ago, but their presence was far more tolerable than Elaine or Firmia. He approached them cautiously, wondering if Juria understood that perhaps she needed to lay off the ice cream. The conversation appeared somewhat awkward, either Christina was keen to ensure that Juria obtained her ice cream or she was trying to escape the engineer. Whilst leaving them would be an option, ironically he actually needed one of them for help.

"Are either of you intending to use the kitchen area?" Tarquin asked, approaching the pair slowly. "I may require some assistance with some of the shelves. They do not appeared to be designed with myself in mind."


-

Corona Ten, Colorado - Talia's Room 1700 local time

"This is a security announcement. All personnel are to be on amber alert. In the event of an enemy attack, remain in your working area and wait for security to-..."

To try and shoot at mobile suits with their slingshots and water pistols? Talia buried her head under the pillow. Maybe Apotheosis would forget about Corona Ten, it wasn't as if there was anything particularly useful present? They weren't a major weapons centre, and the Umbra wasn't worth raiding an entire base for. Would they really want the Professor's work so badly? He'd assured her that she would remain safe if she just stayed in her room, but words like that wouldn't protect her from rockets. She was helpless, powerless to stop the terrifying world around her. It wasn't like in her games where she could eliminate everything from the comfort of her bed, she'd experienced real battles and vowed never to expose herself to them again.

"Maybe they won't realise I'm here..." Talia muttered anxiously, curling herself up tighter under her bed-sheets. For someone who was designed to be superb at everything, she had become increasingly aware of her role as fate's loser. Nothing ever went right for her, the only place she was happy was within the four walls of her room. She was so good at Incredible Mechanoid Confrontations... why couldn't she do it for real?

-

Corona Ten, Colorado - Professor Liebenwalde's office

Spoiler

"Three mechanised units and the Umbra in reserve, the Aria if need be too..." Stefan mused, gently pivoting his office chair from side to side as he held his phone to his head. He looked up at his shelves of books. Genetics, medical science, physiology, every shelf had been sorted by subject and author. An Apotheosis would be unfortunate, if only because he'd have to reacquire some of his favourite volumes. An attack would be inevitable at this rate, but it wholy depended on when. The rebel faction were fascinating, their diverse technology made him wonder how much freedom their science division had. Their workplace was unlikely to be as well decorated, nor would it probably smell of lilac, but it was the price for creative liberty.

The lines were still down, contacting Central Command would be a task for another time, perhaps after his evening tea. His phone began to ring, it was an internal number. Major Payne? He certainly lived up to his name, the constant calls alone were enough to make one want to defect. Picking up the receiver, he lazily replied to the predicted ramblings.

"Good afternoon, Major. I suppose you are asking again for the use of my units, yes?" he asked, smirking as he enjoyed the brief moment of stunned silence. "My answer remains as it was an hour ago. These are valuable pieces of ANF technology, your men will have to make use of the standard models they have in their posession. There are three correct?"

"Professor... don't go thinking that I'm just an open book to be read... an extra two suits would improve our chances against an attack. You say they're experimental models but there won't be any experiments to be done if Apotheosis decide they like the looks of them." Major Payne barked back, simply getting a yawn from the Professor. "Can't you get your shut-in to help out? She passed the basic tests, surely she can-..."

"It is not up for discussion, Major." Stefan replied playfully, his hand hovering over the end call button. "My creations and my machines are not security dogs. They are the result of science far beyond your comprehension. Would you be prepared to pay the billions they cost if they were to be damaged?"

Major Payne didn't reply, although Stefan was certain he could hear some mutterings. Satisfied, Stefan had one last message for him. "It was pleasant speaking with you again, I look forward to our next conversation in an hour's time. Enjoy your evening meal."

Hanging up the phone, he could only imagine Payne's response. If things did go poorly, he would at least miss keeping him on his leash.


 

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Recent Memories

"Abigail, nice to meet you." Mai nodded her head in response, from her demeanor, it was likely she would have bowed instead were it not for laying down on her bed. "I know you needed to return to earth urgently. I imagine you must be all quite busy, besides, I'm not on a death bed, despite how long I've been here." The woman giggled, as if missing or unconcerned by Abigail's point. "I suppose it gets a bit lonely here, but the worst part is over. At least I have a lot of time to think..." Her eyes for a moment lost focus, as if she was staring right past Abigail, though Mai quickly picked herself with a light shake and blink. She reached to take the apple, mildly amused by the way Abigail presented her gift. "Thank you. I hope I won't bother the doctor much longer, maybe this will help."

"...We were at the mall when it happened, the crowd was so chaotic. we ended up separating. I tried to take shelter in a store when I lost him, hoping to make a call, but that wasn't so smart with the building falling apart. Some debris ended up falling on me and other people at that store, my leg was trapped in it." Mai was fidgeting with her hair as she told the story, clearly not a comfortable memory by her looks. "Makoto was a bit too bold... he took one of the police's units and went back to get me. I'm glad it worked out, but it was so dangerous... one of the terrorist's mechs broke the place apart trying to get him." There was a hint of melancholy as she looked down, forcing a smile as the memories did a hit to her mood. "I should be grateful that we're both safe and sound, but we don't know where my husband might be, now. The terrorists took him, in a high-profile machine. That's how Makoto put it... I guess I'm not seeing him soon." There was a clear restraint in her voice as she moved to that topic. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you already have a lot in your mind right now."

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"Am sure will come around, just take time adjust." Kim repeated, hoping to assuage Hannah's worries with the idea that humans always took an initial stance of suspicion towards that which was foreign to them... they would come around in time, surely. Though the Lieutenant couldn't help but notice that the android seemed far more invested in Brant's input than her own... perhaps just another quirk of her developing AI.

"Seem much more interest Brant feedback mine, anyone else, hmm? If not know better, think Hannah might have develop hots Brant along new personality. Careful, seem like have lot competition try get with our popular Russian." Kim teased, wondering how the android would react to such a thing... she wasn't wrong at any rate, Brant seemed quite popular.

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Megumi quietly wiped an imaginary tear from her eye after Abigail's little jab. It did get her thinking about her study material, though. It wouldn't hurt to leave the two alone for now and get back to it. "I do suddenly feel repelled ... those apples. Anyway, I'll be at my desk if you need anything Mrs. Watanabe." With that, Megumi headed back to HQ, and took a seat. It was back to these interesting, though dully delivered course lectures. It really ought to be a crime to put one's younger students to sleep. Megumi would be fine, but eight hours of this ninety year old monotone professor's explanations was going to push even her to her limits.


Oh, there it was. Brant had been wondering where Seung-Min's silly side had gone and run off to. As for this competition, the only person that came to mind was Jessica. Did she know something he didn't, or did she have the wrong impression of Firmia? Then again, with the captain of the ship interested in him, that seemed competition enough. Images of faceless suitresses on kitchen duty and stuck cleaning maintenance shafts ran like slides in Brant's mind. Regardless of what the situation was actually like, Brant felt he ought to interject before Hannah ran into a processing error or something. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't kid around a little, himself.

<"She's out of my league, anyway,"> Brant gave an exaggerated shrug, his Russian smooth and casual, <"Such is life.> Anyway, I'm really glad you decided to do this, Hannah, and that you came to show me. Be sure to let me know if anything else comes up first, though. I want to see you learn and grow, so let me set the precedent initial reactions." It may have been a little suspicious, being able to count on positive reactions from a particular individual, but Brant's interest in Hannah's development was genuine. It was like an equestrian living with a pegasus on their property. They couldn't tame it, nor did they want to, but they could watch, perhaps feed, and care for it. Hannah with wings, though ... that would be something ...


Real Robots

Spoiler

Taking steps through the hangar, Hannah couldn't bring herself to ignore the newly added machine that the Russians had brought in. It was designated as an AMS prototype, nothing else was listed in her records. It was so... Curiously unarmored. How was it expected to fight in that condition? Was it expected to fight? Why would it be here, otherwise? And that girl, Firmia Alkaev, she was still cooped up inside of it. Was it alright for her to remain in there all day? Or all night? To sleep in it? Overflowing with queries and wishing to obtain answers, Hannah waited and watched the machine. Eventually, Firmia did leave, though the android had no idea what for, and after a few moments, the girl came back. Perhaps to use the washroom? Surely the machine didn't have such facilities installed.

Nevertheless, that didn't answer all of her questions, and she was starting to pick up some more after making links between Firmia and the new machines in her registries. Taking steps towards it, she radioed into its receiver, hoping that Firmia was up to speaking. "Hello. My name is Hannah. Would you be alright to speak currently, Miss Firmia?" Did the girl know who Hannah was? Perhaps not. She likely had access to the Riese's pilot registry, but that didn't mean she'd gone over it. No matter, that wasn't of consequence. What was, was if she was willing to talk or not.

Hannah, was it? It was only a matter of time before someone besides Christina would want to have a word, Firmia supposed. She didn't remember if Hannah was a pilot, mechanic, or something else, though. Now wasn't the time to check, and she could get the details straight from the horse's mouth at this rate.

"One moment," Firmia replied via radio, right around the time the AMS Prototype's chestplate rose to reveal the cockpit hatch. Normally, she would have simply sent down the lift, but not knowing where this conversation was going or Hannah's position on the ship, it was better to meet her halfway.

Firmia emerged once again, and rode the lift down, herself. She immediately recognized Hannah from the meeting, but something was ... off. Had she gotten a tan? And ... wasn't she an assistant AI or something? She still had the tell tale signs of a machine ... that or some snazzy looking headphones, but the rest of her was thoroughly convincing at a glance. "You're Hannah?"

Ah, she was coming out. That was good. There was no need for conversation convincing her or trying to get her to talk over the radio. Hannah stood patiently as Firmia came down her lift, smiling lightly at the question. "Yes. Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you. I had a few questions for you, if that would be alright. Mostly they are regarding your machines, so I understand if some of them are off limits. I would simply use the ship's registry to update my local files, but there doesn't appear to be much available from the Riese... Shall I start?" She gently offered a hand to shake, holding her smile.

Firmia wasn't used to handshakes; far too often she'd either be in the background when business meetings were occurring, or she was speaking with company employees. Still, being out in the world, extremely close to alone, and in a war with Apotheosis, it would be a very good idea to start ... "Sure, questions are fine," Firmia nodded during the brief handshake, "what did you want to know?" ... as long as it wasn't anything too sensitive ...

"Thank you! I... Was just curious about this AMS prototype. Was it not designed for combat? Or was it not finished? I do not know the circumstances surrounding your arrival, but if there is something sensitive related to the completion of the machine, that is fine to not answer. As well, another question regarding the Mantle." She paused, thinking over her question as she ran it through her mind, furrowing brows and pausing to talk once her mouth was open.

"Would I be able to pilot the Mantle?" There. Now that she'd said it, she went back to smiling. That had been a rather difficult directive.

While Hannah mulled over her Mantle specific question, Firmia addressed the first few. None of them were sensitive, so the young Alkaev didn't hold back. She didn't elaborate much, either ... "This one," Firmia began, indicating the blue suit behind her, "is called Reign. It's the first proper transforming suit my family's company built. It's a technology demonstrator. The specifications are higher than any other AMS unit that's been built so far, so even though there's not much armor, it can still outrun anything that isn't teleporting or whatever Apotheosis does. You just need a pilot that can handle it."

That explanation seemed to end in time for the big question. Hannah wanted to pilot the Mantle. Firmia wasn't quite sure why. That aside, Firmia now knew that this Hannah woman/AI was one of the pilots. How did she get such serious injuries during the last battle? The cockpit breach must have been catastrophic ... As for her interest in the Mantle, perhaps Hannah was an aircraft enthusiast and liked the idea of a mobile suit that could take on the characteristics of one. That was certainly Brant's excuse. Rather than agree without any information, or deny the request for that same reason, Firmia opted for a question of her own. "What's your interest in the Mantle, exactly?" It did have the biggest gun of the three AMS units, but there was still probably more to this.

Hannah quickly stored the answers on the AMS prototype-- the Reign, and had her queries work themselves out in regards to them. She had a bigger task to focus on currently, one that made her a bit embarrassed to explain. "I... It is a rather, foolish and illogical request, but I have been rather illogical lately, and getting used to these emotions has been difficult. So I have decided that it is better to follow them instead of store them for future inspection. I would spend too much time processing queries if I attempted to do that..."

With that said, she sighed. "I... Wish to pilot something similar to that of Brant. He, has been assigned the Regalia in the ship's registry... And I... That is all." If Hannah could blush, she likely would be, currently.

Illogical? Emotions? Well, at least she was being honest. It was still alarming to hear up front like this. Firmia couldn't say Hannah wasn't fit for duty simply because her logic wasn't pure and she was experiencing emotions; ordinary pilots dealt with that problem from the first day of training, all the way to the last sortie of their careers. The issue was that Hannah was an AI, at least as far as Firmia could tell, so why did she have emotions to begin with? Was that a feature, or a quirk of some advanced combat program the ANF was trying out? Either way, it made her a somewhat questionable prospective pilot in the Alkaev's eyes ... and what was with her wanting to pilot something similar to Brant?

Firmia squinted at Hannah as a thought occurred. Hannah was probably a new addition to the crew. If they were short on pilots, they could always fill in with these advanced AIs of theirs, couldn't they? Since they hadn't, it was more likely she was a very recent addition to the crew, a proof of concept, much like the Reign was. "Did Brant help program you, or something?" Abrams would have killed for a chance to work on something this advanced, so perhaps. Why else would Hannah be interested in mimicking him?

"Brant? No... Er... I was created on Colony Five. And assigned to Colony One. I stayed on the Riese as we left after their handling the rebels and apotheosis, and... I, changed, as I interacted with the crew. I suppose that is an accurate way of explaining things. Brant has been..." She started to smile, despite being put on the spot. "He has been very supportive in my discovering everything. But, he... I simply wish to give him someone else to fly with. I do not know if I would be the best candidate, but I am programmed for almost all organizations' machine interfaces. And as much as your machines are not meant to take fire, they are still better armored than the ANF's standard Velite." Was that a good enough answer? Or was there more to Firmia's questionings?

So she wasn't strictly ANF technology per se. That was useful information to have, even if Firmia couldn't do much with it at the moment. There was more information she might have been able to use relatively soon if she could only comprehend it better. To her knowledge, AIs generally weren't yet on the level of 'perfectly flawed' or 'human-like' sentience. There was always some private and needfully quiet organization that was between ten and twenty years ahead of everyone else technologically, but generally speaking, AIs shouldn't be at the point Hannah was, yet. As an extremely annoying aside, if Apotheosis had AIs, they were probably as advanced as their mobile suits. Annoying, indeed.

When Hannah explained her interest in Brant, it made sense, in so far as he was occupying a good portion of her memory and giving positive feedback to boot. He would do that consistently enough to get a weird result like this, wouldn't he? Hannah also seemed to be at least partially aware of something that had crossed Firmia's mind a few times back when she left him here in America ... in the ANF's capable hands. She knew things would be different here. Even once he got one of the company's prototype transforming mobile suits, it wouldn't be like before. He'd be the only one fighting that way. This situation was different now, of course. Things had gone so poorly with the Regalia's delivery that all but one of the prototype AMS units was sitting in the Heion Riese's hangar.

Even though the nature of Hannah's mental processes was still a mystery, Firmia had at least reached a point where she could consider her 'a friend of Brant's' and work from there. Hopefully the fact that she was an android meant that if she was given access to the Mantle, she would follow Firmia's instructions to the letter and not tout her piloting skills. That wouldn't work on Firmia, not when one mistake could leave her with only two mobile suits instead of the original three.

"You're a strange AI, but I'll give you a chance, at least." Firmia turned toward the Reign and called out to it. "Lock down!" Without waiting to see what would happen, Firmia turned back to Hannah and motioned for her to follow. As the Alkaev started off toward the Mantle, the lift retracted and the cockpit and chest plate closed. The suit remained online, but with most systems still powered down, and the cockpit voice locked. As long as there wasn't a need to sortie in the next ten minutes, Firmia could run some tests and see if Hannah was a good fit or not.

"Strange?" She supposed that she was. Hannah was not unaware to the state of today's technologies. "My apologies... I know that I am not what is supposed to be. I do not have an explanation otherwise, either. I simply... Exist. And perhaps should not." Maybe if Hannah was human that would've been taken as some depressive statement, but really, all she meant was literal. Her AI was not something that modern science said could exist, and yet, her existence couldn't be denied. If you cut into her head, there would be nothing but computer parts and processing.

As Firmia set the AMS to close, Hannah followed after her, popping small questions into her head. "Are you also a friend of Brant's? Or does he work for you?" He had been sent by Russia. Was Firmia the holder of everyone's contracts? It was a curious thought, if somehow the person running Brant's paychecks had managed their way onto the Riese. "And if I ever ask anything too personally, please tell me to stop. I will not pry where I am not meant to."

"It's fine," Firmia waved off issue. The important thing was that Hannah did exist, and she was on their side. Normally Firmia would have some vague doubts about that second part, but Hannah's interest in Brant helped ease her concerns enough to take only the normal precautions. Hopefully the situation with Brant and her wouldn't change any time soon, because it was a good opportunity to study the technology that made Hannah what she was. She probably shouldn't exist, but since she did, they might as well learn what they could about her.

The question about Brant, whether he was a friend or merely an employee, hadn't been too personal, not really, but it still stung in light of the situation. He was certainly Firmia's friend, one of the few friendships she'd bothered acknowledging and maintaining, but he was also free from Rosa's influence, at least for now, and he didn't officially work for any of the Alkaevs. No, not even Firmia herself. Brant had opted to think about his employment situation rather than decide then and there while the topic was on the table, which was probably for the best. Still, it hurt. Firmia wanted Brant to always be around in some capacity, but what her mother had put him through was unforgivable, and she was the woman's daughter. What could she possibly do to get back some sense of normalcy? Even nudging Brant just a little felt wrong, now.

Sighing as they reached the Mantle, Firmia said, "He's my friend. Maybe an employee at some point. We're in a transitional period."

Firmia looked up at the Mantle's cockpit area and said "Open up!" The Mantle hadn't been locked down, but the cockpit had been closed. That changed with the verbal command, and the chest piece opened, letting the lift descend to meet them. Firmia was glad she'd gone ahead and finished setting up the verbal commands for all three suits. They were definitely handy.

"Okay," Firmia began, stepping onto the lift with Hannah, "I'm going to go over the basics with you and run some simulations once you're familiar with the controls. If everything goes well, I'll let you pilot the Mantle when the Captain wants you in the field. You're a ridiculously advanced AI so you shouldn't have any problems." It sounded like it was going to end as a question, but no, apparently not.

Hannah smiled a bit wider, for reasons she didn't mention. "I see. Thank you for telling me." Whether or not Brant became her employee, that was something to think about at another time. For now, Hannah was more stunned by the simplicity of Firmia's voice commands. They were likely tuned to her voice, but couldn't someone simply stand in the hangar and record her doing this? That would defeat the purpose, no? Maybe there was something else to it, or it was just that sensitive of a system. She didn't bother questioning the Alkaev on that, she likely knew what she was doing.

Hannah took a small step onto the lift, listening intently, storing what she was told and quickly going over it. "I understand, ma'am. Thank you for the opportunity. I feel as though as long as I am operational, the captain will want me deployed. Getting damaged while providing fire is better than lacking another body... As I will survive almost any crash or physical damage." She paused, looking at Firmia. "I am hoping your machine will greatly lower the chances of that... I found that the ANF Velite was not able to keep up with my reaction times."

When Hannah brought up her mech like durability, Firmia tried not to grimace and ultimately failed. It was good to know what Hannah herself could endure, but her tough interior obviously shouldn't be relied upon in battle. Neither should the Mantle's tough exterior. What was to be relied upon, especially when facing Apotheosis, was pure, unyielding piloting skill.

"Even if it can't, there are ways around input lag," Firmia said, some ideas already coming to mind. It normally would have been annoying to consider the Mantle too slow for some pilots, but after what she'd been through, it wasn't worth getting upset over. Firmia was already planning to upgrade these suits into machine gods, so why fret over somewhat conventional controls that would eventually need replacing as well? In Hannah's case, Firmia would need Brant's help to make it work, but for now it shouldn't be an issue. If Hannah's performance in the Mantle surpassed Sasha's, that was an upgrade in and of itself. A custom control system could remain low priority.

Firmia made her way into the cockpit as soon as the lift arrived at its station, and moved up to the co pilot's seat. She was seated within three seconds of her feet hitting the floor, and kept her momentum going by starting up some additional systems in preparation for the simulations. The cockpit hatch quickly closed, leaving Firmia and Hannah both in a relatively dark cockpit for a few seconds, before the external cameras and imaging system joined hands to reveal the hangar around the suit. It was a nice view, but it wouldn't be there for much longer.

"There are? My apologies. I was designed specifically for on foot combat. I am programmed to perform above grade in a mobile suit, but I was not installed with any specific patterns or improvisations that a normal pilot would be able to think up. I may be able to react faster than expected, but the tricks of the trade, as it were, are something I am still learning." Hopefully, this lesson with Firmia would increase those parameters significantly. And hopefully, Hannah would be able to prove herself up to the task of piloting the machine...

As Firmia nearly vaulted in and started up the machine, Hannah took in her surroundings, committing them to memory. It was a much more modern cockpit than she'd been expecting. Impressive and well designed. She couldn't fault any part of it, really. It meant good things for the robot's hardware. Assuming that her spot was the seat in front of Firmia, she took it, not at the speed that Firmia had, and scanned her eyes over the controls. It looked simple to control, or rather, not much more complex than the ANF machines. "Alright... Please test me."

The hangar vanished as Firmia started up a new program, and it seemed as though they had been transported to a Russian airfield in the middle of nowhere. It was roughly midday, with no personnel or noteworthy equipment anywhere in sight. The Mantle itself was standing idly on the main runway. Firmia was still typing away furiously on her own console, and occasionally a prompt or two would pop on Hannah's end. The first was the registration window, another was the customizations window, condensed compared to the normal version. The latest was essentially informing Hannah that her copilot was messing around on her own console, and showed a summary of the Alkaev's accessed items. Everything was in Russian, of course.

"If you can't read any of that," Firmia leaned to the left, though it didn't give her a good view of Hannah or the pilot's main monitor, "I can change it to English. Otherwise, you can use one of the relays to grab something online." Ordinarily a signal relay wouldn't be needed, but the cockpit blocked all wireless signals from the outside once closed, necessitating the relays. The result, once one had spent some time in the cockpit, was a much clearer head, and a deep sense of calm never felt by the average urbanite. "Go ahead and register yourself as a pilot, and then I'll walk you through the basic operations."

On top of being a faster approach, instructing Hannah during a simulation and not just beforehand, Firmia was also curious to see how an AI of this caliber would perform with an AMS unit. The Alkaevs didn't use AIs for anything other than operational assistance, because they weren't advanced enough to outperform a special forces pilot, which was the true test of an AI's abilities. With an AI like Hannah, though, it might finally be possible to work on a combat program that could absolutely destroy human competition in the long run. That was definitely worth fast tracking this particular potential pilot in order to confirm.

Hannah's eyes darted across the screen, quickly accessing the customization screen as Firmia typed and set up her own own personal settings, changes mostly small and aesthetic. "Installing Russian... Installation complete. признанный." While there was no Wifi, Hannah's internal database had all languages accessible for use if necessary. They only needed to be installed. That done, Hannah registered her name in the machine's system and waited for any basic operations to display themselves. She relaxed into the seat after doing so, eyes trained on the screen, hands on the controls. She suspected that this wouldn't be an average run in an ANF training program...

That was fast. Firmia would have to be sure to keep pace, both with her explanations and with managing the simulation. Even as she started pulling up combat units to employ against them, she said, "Okay start walking around, but don't leave the airstrip. We're going to be taking off soon."

As soon as she'd said that, Hannah's monitor gave her a new window with the instructions for MS mode maneuvering. "There's something important about this particular suit you need to keep in mind, Hannah. The beam smart gun is an integrated weapon and shield. You can't use both at the same time ... not unless you're clever. The gun itself has a deflector on the muzzle that can alter the beam's path up to 30 degrees. The system handles those corrections automatically, so you don't have to compensate for it or anything. Just keep your target within a 30 degree arc and you'll be able to hit them. You might be able to manually control the beam if your processors are fast enough. It wasn't really meant for sweeping multiple targets like that, but an AI could probably pull it off." That was the odd thing about AIs ... no intuition, but all the operational tricks to make human pilots weep with jealousy ...

While Hannah continued to operate the Mantle, putting the suit through her simulated paces, Firmia continued with the rest of the Mantle's considerable arsenal. "Next up are the arm mounted cannons. Use these to save energy or get around I-fields. Otherwise, you're probably better off with the energy weapons." No sooner than the word 'energy' was uttered, had an enemy mobile suit leaped out from the side of a plane hangar and begun firing at them with a beam rifle. It was a Volkov unit, surprisingly well armored for its weight class, and hell bent on bringing them down.

Firmia kept on with her explanation as if they hadn't just been ambushed. "The thigh mounted cannons are beam types, too. They're fire linked and have two modes, pulse fire, and irradiation. Use these in stead of the smart gun if the enemy is too close or you're having trouble getting a lock."

That just left the missile system and the vulcans, neither of which truly required much in the way of special instruction. "The Mantle's arms each carry a few small missiles. They're anti-air, so only use them on other targets if you're trying to distract them or finish them off. That just leaves the vulcans. Anti-personnel, anti-vehicle, and missile intercept only. They can't punch through much else unless there's already a hole in it."

Hannah listened intently, not expecting what was coming next-- but it didn't matter. All sensors were in combat mode at this point, reacting immediately to the assault in having the Mantle take off. Checking off the weapons as her fingers flew over the controls, settings the weapons into comfortable slots for quick access. Without Formia even suggesting it, she called back, "the machine can transform, correct?" and found the controls for that, setting the virtual Mantle into flight mode and taking off.

Easily evading incoming fire with the promising mobility that the machine's plane transformation offered, Hannah looked back at Firmia, still dodging incoming fire. "Could you explain what the weapon arcs are when in flight mode? Do I have to be directly facing my target while firing or--" Hannah turned back to the screen and performed a roll to avoid a shot connecting with one of the wings, before looking back. "Facing my target while firing, or do some of the attached weapons function like turrets with a full range of fire?" She looked back ahead, and could waste time dodging until her questions were answered.

Firmia's initial plan for the engagement had been to have Hannah fight from the ground until one or two enemies were destroyed, in order to make the transition from Velite to the Mantle smoother. Instead, Hannah seized the initiative, launching the Mantle skyward, and taking the exercise to the next level. Almost on instinct, Firmia spawned the second Volkov not terribly far from the first, this one armed with a sniper rifle for longer range engagements.

"The beam smart gun still has its 30 degree firing arc, but you'll want to use the thigh mounted beam cannons for targets above and below us. They're good for enemy flankers, too. The arm mounted cannons can fire in any direction along our horizontal plane. You'll have about 12 degrees of wiggle room vertically, so be careful." The missiles weren't worth mentioning in this particular situation, as they would only be effective against aerial targets. Fortunately, they could be fired in any direction once a lock was obtained.

"Remember, the smart gun is integrated into the shield," Firmia continued, as Hannah fought the Volkovs, "so it's right on the bottom at the center of the suit in flight mode. If you're going to get hit, try to position us so the shield takes the hit."

"Yes, ma'am... I really like this machine. It's much more responsive than the Velite was. I believe I shall test its mobility for myself. I am glad there are no Gs in this sort of simulation." Firmia would be in trouble for some of what Hannah was about to try, were that the case. Aiming the hip cannons down towards the primary Volkov as they circled it, she aimed for the weapon more than the machine. It responded with its own dodging, boosting off to the right and firing back. That was an unfortunate mistake.

"I do not plan on us taking any fire." With the Volkov heading away from its only cover, the hangar, Hannah turned the craft and started a rapid descent towards the target, cannons firing, aimed at the weapon again, to dissuade return fire. As the Volkov continued to dip and dive, Hannah, pulled back on the thruster and initiated a midair transformation, firing the boosters and coming down on top of the Volkov hard, knocking it over with momentum, and managing to keep the Mantle standing on top of it. It tried to move, but a quick, point blank blast stopped that.

"One down--" which was interrupted by sniper fire, grazing the shoulder of the mantle. "These are very accurate simulations." She could be accurate, too. Getting down on one knee and aiming down sights, the sniper seemed just out of effective range. That was fine... This didn't need to remove it entirely. Locking on and accounting for enemy AI reaction time, she fired the Mantle's smartgun, managing to clip a leg as it took off to avoid fire.

"How persistent," she commented, blasting off into the Mantle's plane form again. "Miss Firmia, has performance been adequate so far? We can adjust difficulty if you wish for further testing."

Firmia hadn't seen that coming, not Hannah quickly closing in on the first Volkov, and certainly not transforming, pinning, and then blasting the thing into submission. It was something crazy that only pilots like Tonya would try. That was definitely a good sign, and Hannah's handling of the Mantle in general was more aggressive than Sasha or its original pilot. That was just what Firmia needed to start piling up the bodies of Apotheosis pilots.

Hannah was quick to check in with the Alkaev, asking if she was doing well so far as she took on the sniper. "Err-y-yeah!" The tattered remain's of Firmia's expectations aside, Hannah was doing quite well. Grazing hits really didn't mean anything; Firmia was less concerned with the Mantle's paint job than with its survival. "Now hurry and take it out, before it starts using its missiles!" That reminded her, the vulcans weren't available at the moment, not in flight mode. "If it does launch them, use the countermeasures and evade. Flares for heat seekers, chaff for guided weapons, and ECM for everything else."

Firmia was definitely planning on upping the difficulty, though the timing was important. She was starting to wonder if she should go through with her final simulation target in the end, though. It wasn't something Hannah could defeat, and it had nothing to do with whether or not Firmia would accept her as the Mantle's pilot. It was simply something she herself was curious about. The way the Alkaevs trained their pilots was harsh, and brutal. Victories were luxuries, and defeats were mandatory. It was soul crushing, to the point where morale was something the pilots had to work up from within themselves, and all by themselves. Firmia had let some of that methodology slip into her simulation plans with Hannah, and was starting to question that choice, if only because of all the other things the Alkeavs did that infuriated her. Perhaps this wasn't the right time ...

"Perfect." A startled response from Firmia could only mean that she hadn't been expecting any flashy maneuvers. Hannah herself didn't perceive them as overly effective compared to normal combat, but when dealing with less targets, they were more decisive. Against one or two enemies, being aggressive would reduce your opponents faster than not.

Before it started firing missiles, was it? There was no point in getting cocky after the victory over one model, that would make it seem like a fluke. Unfortunately, taking off so suddenly gave the Volkov time to prepare a missile barrage, one that didn't seem very threatening. Hannah launched chaff, but decided that a more direct approach would be better for any other stragglers. As they approached, she transformed the Mantle in midair, having the head vulcans take down any approaching missiles. As the Mantle began to descend, gravity taking course, she locked the smart gun onto the sniper, firing off another beam. This one made direct contact, plowing a hole through the chest of the machine.

With thrusters firing hard, the Mantle slammed into the ground, standing, cracking the base concrete beneath it. Not the most graceful landing, but she preferred using the vulcans for guided missiles. It was easier to aim. That aside, not letting her small victory get to her, but realizing how cocky this would come across as, she asked, "do you have more than Russian rank and file programmed in? I have faced down Apotheosis' latest technology. I do not believe this is an adequate test for what we will be attempting in the coming battles."

Well, the Cressidas were next on the list anyway, but Sasha and even Firmia herself could handle them easily enough. Hyperion it was, then ... with some Cressidas to the sides to keep Hannah on her toes. There wasn't just one Hyperion, though. There were two showing on radar, one just close enough to engage in a few seconds, with several Cressidas flanking it, and the other on the far side of the base, approaching with the goal of surrounding and destroying them.

"The Volkovs were just a warm up," Firmia said, typing away at her console, again, "Now, try to take down the Hyperion before the second group arrives. You can take down the Cressidas first, but it'll cost you some time." The Hyperions had given Sasha some trouble at Great Lake Base, which meant the Mantle wasn't perfectly optimized to deal with them, yet. Better to face them one at a time than two at once, then.

Hyperions... Those were the machines that had inevitably taken down her Vellite. "Not this time." Hannah frowned, gritted her teeth, and pushed the machine towards them. A smart beam shot disabled one of the Cressidas enough to give her time for a stop on the way towards the menace. Thrusters booming hard, she dove the Mantle for one of the Volkovs, snatching its beam saber. For whatever reason, the Mantle wasn't equipped with one by default, and it wouldn't do to get in trouble with these machines without something good for close range. She didn't have much time left to dally, either. The second Cressida was firing and the first was charging in with its beam saber, despite having lost an arm.

"Tenacious," she remarked, eyes focused on the Hyperions over those two. Another beam gun shot showed her that their barriers were up and running. That meant she could go for a slow showdown, or... "This is normally the part where the action hero would say, fasten your seat belts." The plane mode would offer her little, right now. Firmia had said, defeat the Hyperions before the next wave shows, or focus on the Cressidas. But those would still be there, even if she focused down the Hyperions. Besides, they were small fry.

The Hyperions were training rifles on her, but that was fine. That just meant their main cannons weren't charged yet, and gave her some more necessary minutes. Not looking to run in the face of the approaching Cressida, she took her superior mobility and put it to good use, quickly sidestepping a beam slash and driving the Volkov's own into the machine. The one armed mech slowly sputtered and gave out, as the other fired on her, the Hyperions following suit.

"Annoying." She trained the wrist cannons on the larger models, causing minimal damage as the rounds bounced off or dented their heavier armor. The other Cressida was still coming towards her while firing, and she was at a good distance to keep dodging the incoming fire from the Hyperions, but this wasn't a quick job... This would have been a good moment for that of that human ingenuity. Her plan, currently, was simply to deal with the other Cressida as quickly as possible, but it was easier said than done when focused with dodging incoming fire.

Something sparked, and she managed an idea, but it would mean questioning Firmia first. "How durable is the Mantle?" she began, configuring something. "Especially when it's in the plane form."

"It can take more punishment in flight mode, believe it or not," Firmia answered, quickly, not sure what Hannah was planning, but knowing for certain there was some considerable risk involved. Fortunately, in the strictest sense, the Mantle could handle more damage in flight mode before being disabled, simply because it used a minimum of moving parts and had all of its weapons in fixed emplacements in that configuration. If you were going to do something crazy, best to do it in flight mode, where severe damage was more manageable.

"You're not going to ram them, are you?" Firmia asked, afraid to hear the answer, "the smart gun will only function with 80% of the barrel missing, and not at all if it's bent." That said nothing of the deflector, which was in the muzzle, itself ...

"That is exactly the idea!" was all she added, before finishing her configurations. The Mantle transformed, and dropped the smart gun, racing towards the final Cressida. The AI had little time to react, firing shots, but neither did anything considerable. The nose of the Mantle impacted with the small machine, sending it back a fair bit, as Hannah pulled up and transformed back, aiming cannons at the Hyperions once again. The constant, small soaks of bullets were doing damage, just not enough for what she needed done. And while her maneuver had worked, the Cressida wasn't out of commission.

Paying attention to that for a moment had gotten her caught by the Hyperions' fire, taking a round directly to the shoulder and nearly knocking her off balance. The Mantle came down to the ground, sliding a bit as it landed, but Hannah couldn't let a shot like that ruin her stride. The hip guns swiveled and fired at the Cressida raising itself up, knocking it back down and doing further damage. That left her to recollect the smart gun, narrowly avoiding further fire from the hyperions-- "Tch!"

One of them had gotten tired of firing from a distance, and was now closing in with its rather ridiculous sword... Hannah barely had time to snatch the rifle back up before it was coming in swimming, raiding the Volkob's beam rifle to meet the Hyperion.

It wasn't an amazing mach. The Mantle was being shoved back considerably from the impact, even if the saber was managing to hold it off of her-- "Wait!" This was perfect! Raising the smart gun, the Hyperion realized her idea far too late, as she discharged a full beam directly into its cockpit, finally piercing through the other side, as it fell over. No barrier, no problem... Though the biggest problem, was that there was still another Hyperion and Cressida to deal with... And her time was likely running out.

<"YES!!!"> Seeing the Hyperion felled at point blank was just too exciting, too satisfying for Firmia to contain herself! With no backup from the Artemis, Hannah had managed to bring down that tank of a machine without losing any functionality on her end. She'd even disconnected the smart gun momentarily instead of sacrificing it in the maneuver. Not all of the Alkaev's pilots would have thought of that once the pressure was up, but it was the kind of thinking Firmia wanted to see. The test wasn't over yet, but the Alkaev was at least comfortable with the idea of the android taking the Mantle into the field.

"It's not over yet," Firmia warned, "take down the rest. You never know when another enemy might show up." There were still two enemies left that hadn't appeared ... though, Firmia wasn't sure if she was still going to spawn the last one. She could ... it probably wouldn't leave Hannah too disappointed afterward. Firmia herself would probably be the one disheartened.

Quietly, as the fighting continued, Firmia spawned the Deimos, alone, and a short ways from the airfield. This wasn't going to be easy, whether she spawned the last enemy or not.

Firmia's elation was almost distracting, but something more important was causing Hannah issue. The smart gun was... Entirely out of energy. It would only serve to weigh her down at this point... No, there was one more use for it. Transforming into plane mode once again, another barrage from the hip cannons managed to down the other Cressida permanently, as she raced off towards the Hyperion-- Who was ready, this time.

Cannon charging in front of it, Hannah was barely able to swerve out of the way of the beam, which seemed to just get bigger the longer it was fired. The crater behind her was a sight to behold, and as sturdy as the Mantle may have been, it wasn't about to take a blast like that. All the better for what she was about to do. It didn't seem like the Hyperion was going to stop itself from charging another blast, but that was what Hannah wanted. Aiming as best as she could, and bracing herself for an impact she knew wouldn't happen in a simulation, her fingers had to work fast.

She crashed the Beam gun into the barrel of the Hyperion, and in rapid succession, set it to fire what was left, detach, and transform back to MS mode, arms up to protect the Mantle from the ensuing blast. As fast as she worked, a robot could only keep up so far, the arms not all the way in front when the beam gun chain reacted with the Hyperion's own blaster, knocking the Mantle back down to earth. Warnings sensors were going off, but it seemed like the machine was still holding together, slowly rising from the ground. The Hyperion had fared worse, losing its arms and smoking all over. It seemed that it didn't even have vulcans to attempt to fire back with, Hannah's turning the Mantle's cannons onto the machine and firing until it finally blew up.

She sighed, paused, and looked back at Firmia. "I do not believe the Mantle will be able to handle more in this simulation, Firmia."

"Are you at your limit?" Firmia asked, her face and tone perfectly neutral. She had her finger hovering over a certain button on her console. They were cutting it close now, but as long as there was a chance for total victory, Firmia was willing to give Hannah the 'boost' she needed.

"No," Hannah responded with zero hesitation. "None of my processors are overheating or overwhelmed. I am only concerned about the state of the machine keeping up with my decisions after taking this much damage."

That was certainly an interesting answer. It seemed like the decision was Firmia's ... and dammit did she want to see that Deimos go up in flames, again.

Her finger hit the button it'd been hovering over, and two new signatures appeared on the radar, approaching at tremendous speed. "Help's on the way. I know this is to test your skills, but you're not going to be working alone in the field, so it should be fine," Firmia quickly rationalized the move. "Now, get ready to take the rest of them out. The Reign and Regalia AIs are coming to support us. They should get here just ahead of the enemy leader." It was time to start having some victories.

With two signatures on the radar and Firmia's explanation, Hannah supposed that she was right. The Mantle in its current state would be unable to deal with this newer opponent. Even with these two, would it survive? Perhaps. The cannons were running low on ammo, and the beam gun had been destroyed. That left Hannah with the beam saber she'd picked up, and one of the Volkov's beam machine guns. Quickly jetting over and picking it up, the opponent came into view... A Deimos model. How Firmia had such good data on this machine, enough to create a simulation, was beyond her.

"I will do my best." Jetting in along with the Reign and the Regalia, they all unleashed their specific weaponry on it, but as expected, the enemy group's mysterious beam shield deflected all incoming fire, the Deimos itself dodging the rest of the fire. With only beam weaponry and some last shots of a cannon on her, would it be safer to let the new two machines handle the brunt of combat? Not that they seemed to be piercing it much easier. Most of the weaponry on the Regalia and the Reign were beams.

"Then this has to be an up close and personal fight." The boosters on the Mantle weren't exactly going as fast as when they'd started. Hannah had really been putting this machine through the ringer... Still, she couldn't give up here. Not that anything seemed to be working. And--

No more time to think about the situation, a large blast of energy firing itself towards her-- l-larger than the Hyperion's? How!? She barely had time to avoid it, not moving fast enough, the Mantle's arm getting caught in the blast and melting from the sheer energy of it. There went that gun...

The Mantle was running out of energy too, but it meant Hannah was able to do one last thing. Hopefully without losing the machine, either. Rushing towards it while another shot charged, it was luckily interrupted by the vulcans from her new allies, things the barrier didn't block as easily. It gave her a moment to slip in close. As much as she couldn't grappled it still while missing an arm, the hold gave the Reign and Regalia a moment to get close.

The Deimos wasn't having this without a fight, bringing an arm up and bashing into the Mantle hard, nearly knocking it off entirely, but Hannah managed to grab onto its leg and knock it off balance in the air a moment. It brought its saber up to block the Reign's incoming strike, and once again the barrier managed to block the Regalia's funnels. What were they supposed to do? Well, whatever it was, Hannah's only move left was to swing while inside the barrier. Since it was taking care of the Reign and Regalia's attacks, she managed her strike, cleaving its leg off, but the other leg gave the Mantle a swift kick, sending it spiraling down to the ground.

Emergency sensors were flaring louder and louder, and the machine didn't want to respond to controls anymore. Hannah swallowed, hoping that... Despite not managing it, that this wasn't a failure. Not a complete failure, anyway. The Regalia had swooped in during the kick and pushed its rifle saber through the Deimos, retreating as its barrier covered itself and imploded.

"I... I did what I could. My apologies, Firmia..."

Firmia sighed resignedly. A perfect victory would have been too much to hope for, especially for Hannah's first attempt. Still, it was cathartic to see the Regalia run the Deimos through like it had. The Mantle hadn't been destroyed, either, merely 'knocked out' so to speak. More importantly, there weren't any ANF logos anywhere in sight. This had been an Alkeav victory, and though not entirely realistic, that was what mattered most.

"Alright. You pass," Firmia closed her eyes and smiled faintly. 

Hannah paused. "I pass?" she asked no one, turning to see Firmia, smiling, contented. "R... Really?" Had that been enough? Even if she hadn't finished off the last enemy? She was a bit taken aback, unsure if the girl was teasing her.

Firmia nodded. "Anyone else would have died in a scenario like this, even Sasha. Look at it this way. I'm planning to upgrade the Mantle and the other AMS suits until they're on par with Apotheosis' machines or stronger. If you keep improving along with them, then there's nothing to worry about."

Firmia glanced up at the Regalia just before the battlefield went dark, and transitioned back to the Heion Riese's mech hangar. It hadn't been terribly long since they started, so things looked about the same as before the simulation began.

"O-Oh..." So Firmia had purposely put her into a near unwinnable situation... That certainly said a lot about the machine. And about herself... Maybe this hadn't been such a bad idea. She started to tear up once more, smiling, wiping her eyes. "M, My apologies. I still do not understand why this function surfaces when I'm happy... But thank you, Firmia."

A strange AI, indeed ...

 

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Working Out

"Heh... I'm sure I'll have to go to the gym, considering I can't exactly get a new stash. Megumi would shoot me if I tried, when we get to HQ... So perhaps I'll go work on my six pack, and improve the stamina I've lost over the years. Certainly can't hurt, can it? ... Probably not." She snickered and leaned back in her chair, sighing some. "So what do you do aside from being the world's most doting father, Thorvald? You have to have hobbies that aren't photos... Right?" Unless he was a one trick dad. She wouldn't be completely shocked if that was the case. Disappointed, but not shocked...

An Out!

Christina watched Tarquin come up to them and ask for help, smiling in her head. "Yeah! I'm really sure that Juria here can help you, Tarquin. Here, Juria, take this, aaaaand, you can help him with what he can't reach." She shoved the tub into Juria's hands and started to walk off, not looking back.

Interest

Hannah attempted to parse what Kim was trying to get at, and the only thing she could describe it as was teasing. But, of course she cared the most about Brant's reactions, he was the one who cared about her the most. Wasn't he? Wasn't it then logical that she be the happiest when his reviews were positive? "I do not know what 'develop hots Brant along new personality', means, but he is the person that I care about the most on this ship. From an, emotional standpoint, I suppose. He has shown more than positive encouragement and interest in this development in my A.I., and... I-It makes me happy when he is happy. So I, yes? That is correct? I do not know what else you are implying."

She'd tried. Brant's Russian didn't help, she hadn't installed her extra language packs yet. No point in doing it now, but... " В любом случае, она вне моей лиги, and Такова жизнь. I have stored them for future reference, and will make sure to install Russian language routines soon. Would that count as learning and growing to you, Brant? I shall return and ask you about these as soon as I have." Hopefully it wasn't something that she'd have to query for a while. There was too much to learn... An upgrade to her HDD space was likely in order.

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