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

[Dandragon]

"...Louise. Her name is...is Louise Park. That's...all she ever gave to me...No, wait!" Elaine's tears still flowed out, but her head quickly perked up. "I-I remember Christina saying something about her in a meeting! She has...a mechanical snake tail from the waist down! ...That's all I can think of but...but maybe Christina knows more about her! Like what she looks like!" Hope filled her heart and once more raised it up from the pits of despair. It was a small chance, especially since Christina was only just a pilot that had been captured by Apotheosis, and not an actual trusted member, but it was all she had. "A-and maybe Chris has some information on her, too!" Elaine scrambled to stand up inside the elevator before grabbing the bar, it becoming painfully obvious she needed it to get up, again. "Brant, please, we have to find them. I can't do this alone anymore. Please, you have to come with me when I ask them!" Elaine got close to Brant and clasped her hands together in front of her, begging him to continue to help her.

[Nanami Touko]

What Friends Are For

"I... I do care about, Brant. But... You do not have the circle of help that he has, Firmia. Even if you believe that it is impossible, that you will not succeed, I want to be there to help you. Is that wrong? Well, you will probably think so, but I do not. I know that you have Tonya and Sasha, and from what I have learned... I do not believe either would wish to return to their previous work. So... I will stick around to help, no matter what." Hannah smiled, standing up just a little bit. "I am sure that we will be fine. And, once Brant is finished here, he will come and join us. I have told him everything I feel I needed to... Everything else comes down to waiting, doesn't it?"

Galatea sighed, smiling, and shaking her head. "You're hopeless on that front."

"H-Hopeless?" Why was she saying that? Hannah didn't quite get it, but there was something else to address here. "I cannot imagine this is what you wished to speak to me about, Firmia, so, what had been on your mind?" Hannah tilted her head a bit, thinking about the conversation. Firmia had started off with her tears, and Hannah had taken over there, so... "Hmm..." What could it be?

[Balcerzak]

Okay, yeah. The lieutenant was definitely in a bad way, staggering and unsteady on her feet. Christina moved quickly underneath one arm, and Thorvald wasted little time catching up and helping support the other side. Kim's explanation was still a bit, unhelpful of what exactly was going wrong, and which doctor should have priority, but given they were right across from the medbay right now, it wouldn't make any sense to go all the way looking for Cheryl unless it turns out she'd be needed if Rapunzel fell through.

"Whoa, easy does it. We'll be with you 100% of the way. You can't expect me to just look on and not help, can you?" Maybe Christina had? But that wasn't Thorvald's style.

[Ether]

"Thank you." Kim mouthed quietly, as Christina and Thorvald helped her up, glancing at the reply that Avery sent her. Well, that confirmed something, at least. Maybe a bit of explanation would help... considering how concerned Thorvald had seemed at her earlier outburst, it would certainly ease his worries some, as well.

"When we were... attacked by those aliens, something happened in the Artemis. After Chrissy... passed out, something activated. It was called the... ARES System. I don't know... exactly what it did, but it felt like... it pumped a year's worth of... adrenaline and anger into my... head. Avery says... she took a look, and it gave me two people's... worth of... whatever it was, because Chrissy was unconscious, so the system... couldn't give her anything. Haaah... still... feel like decking anything that... looks at me funny, is why I was like that... earlier. My head... isn't used to it, so it's messing up... the rest of me." Kim explained what she knew about it, which was little aside from how it was making her feel, but it would hopefully clear the air some.

[Phoenix]

They could both certainly agree on long term recovery taking priority. Megumi was still keenly aware of the potential shift in the crew's roster once they arrived at Central, and that could put a wrench in any plans they had for Nikolai. The Heion Riese, being the most successful ship in the war against Apotheosis, seemed to be the ANF's greatest military asset for the time being. That meant the organization's military leaders might take steps to 'improve' the situation here. While a more hands off approach was better than a massive injection of new blood into an already volatile crew, Megumi felt an argument that the ship owed even part of its success to the way things were set up and working now was at best a silly assumption, and at worst, flat out incorrect. The advanced design of the ship, the prototypes they had gathered along the way, and skilled piloting; that was what they had, that was what the doctor felt mattered most to the upper echelon. As for how this related to Nikolai, he was in no condition to be piloting, and Command might see fit to have him moved to another facility somewhere off of the ship. The Riese's infirmary could manage several dozen people easily over an extended period with more medical staff, so if they did move him, it wouldn't have anything to do with saving space. Still, it was something to consider, and reason enough to make sure Tarquin didn't neglect his time with Nikolai.

"You may be lacking in medical training, Tarquin, but you still came here to check on him. That's important. Nikolai's survived one of the worst wrecks I've seen." She'd seen worse wrecks, naturally, but there hadn't been survivors ... "Having a friend like you by his side right now will help him recover, psychologically," Megumi gently tapped the side of her head for emphasis.

Tarquin's question surprised the doctor, though she should have seen it coming after Chris showed up. If there was anyone that was going to be getting questions on those topics on the Riese's staff, it was likely her. The trouble was, Megumi knew more than she ought to, being a product of cloning and genetic tampering herself, but not enough to do much more than speculate. Once again ... thanks, Nicholas. You bastard. Frowning again, Megumi answered, "Cloning is definitely a field I'm familiar with ... genetic tampering too, but I doubt I can shed much light on what Liebenwalde is actually doing. If your older sister is any indication, he's probably going to work out any perceived flaws from the previous generations, like Chris warned." There was also another possibility, one that the doctor was reluctant to mention. Liebenwalde might just be the type of man to create a T-5 for Apotheosis. A T-6 and a T-7 could easily follow, on and on until they stopped him. Thinking back to the issue of her missing birth date, Megumi was both impressed and annoyed. Whether the Sacarians were involved or not, the technology and techniques of cloning were definitely improving. That meant a lot of disposable humans at a relatively low cost. They needed to win this war, quickly ...

---

Firmia supposed Hannah would rather look at things from the perspective of being a good friend than fighting Apotheosis effectively ... and fair enough. She had her own priorities just as Firmia had hers. It was enough to know that Hannah was willing to help her, because she most certainly needed it, now ... despite what she'd said in the meeting room. "Yes, there was a reason I needed to speak with you specifically, Hannah ..."

"No one here can help me." It hadn't been true, but it was something Firmia couldn't help but fire off in the moment. "I've been trying to work with that damn captain and treating everyone else like her servants, but that was a waste of time. What's even worse is that I needed to tell her about the Kremlin ordering me back to Russia, but I didn't want any of the spies knowing about that until I could figure out a way to use that information to trick Apotheosis into making a mistake. If she really wasn't working with them, then I could have used her help with that ... so when that idiot decided that a 'need to know basis' meant everyone including Apotheosis needed to know, I just ... gave up. I lost it ... like I said, I don't have a lot of wits left for this war. Even if she's not a mole, I don't want anything to do with her anymore. I trust you two, though ... as uncomfortable as that is to actually say. What the two of you need to know is ... that the Kremlin ... those people betrayed me. Those ... stupid, scared politicians betrayed me the moment they ordered me back and set a deadline. All they want is to put their pilots in my machines and pressure me to sign all three of them over for a few extra credits. I didn't have any intention of going home. My 'home' is a glass crater now, and the Kremlin is just a collection of old suits that don't know how to do anything but steal property and manipulate people." Firmia didn't hold back a bit of the hatred that had been building for the Russian government. "If Apotheosis doesn't burn them to the ground, I will if they ever come after me."

Firmia sighed at her own tirade. "I'm never going to run out of enemies .... For now, though ... I want you both to keep quiet about my intentions. I told the whole meeting room that I was leaving after Central figuring it would get back to Apotheosis. I want to at least see just how much they're paying attention, and if this changes anything. Even if I have to follow through and 'leave' to sell the deception, the AMS units can all tail the Riese from below radar for a little while before giving the game away."

---

Louise Park, a woman working with Apotheosis ... and a snake tail? The hell? The first thing that came to mind was that monster machine that took on the ANF military, singlehandedly. "Oh please no ..." Brant shook his head at the thought. The last thing they needed was that particular monstrosity coming for them. They weren't ready for it, and if a showdown like that happened after they left Central, Brant himself would be stuck in a Velite or something, likely an updated TK model borrowed from Central, but that was still inferior to an AMS unit like the Regalia.

Elaine suggested getting more information from Christina and her ornery clone, Chris, but Brant didn't like the prospects of an open investigation, just yet. With Chris, it was a fair enough point, but the Artemis Team were joined at the hip these days, and both were TKs. The best case scenario in trying to keep this secret for now was simply bringing them both into the loop, since one or both were bound to become suspicious, anyway. Brant wasn't sure if Kim would be that cooperative on the issue. Christina might be, but Brant was almost certain she'd defer to the lieutenant's judgment on the matter.

Another option was checking the ANF database for Louise and seeing if there were any hits. A search like that would be logged though, and given the timing, it could be interpreted a few different ways if someone looked into it. Still, it might be a better place to look for more of the woman's personal details. Eventually, though, Brant knew all of this would come to light. He just didn't know how to mitigate the damage. He couldn't even make a case for not putting Elaine in the brig, at the moment. Actually, maybe he could make a case ... not a particularly strong one, but anything was better than just waiting for more targets to take down.

"Okay, I've got an idea, but it's going in a few different directions at once here so give me a minute ..." Immediately, Brant pulled up his alpha tool and got to work typing up a funnel request message for Buck ... Avery had to be busy as hell after the Umbra exploded like that. This took far less than a minute, thankfully. "Okay, I'll check for Louise in the database before we ask either of them about her. Our biggest problem is we're in danger of losing too many pilots. Keeping you in the brig means we'll be even easier for Apotheosis to take on next time, and they're only getting stronger. If we're going to have any chance of keeping you on the team after this, then we need to be able to keep track of what you're doing at all times."

"Huh, looks like we've got some hits. Good." Multiple hits meant a bit more searching was needed, but at least there weren't thousands or even hundreds of Louise Parks still living and relevant. It seemed to only be a handful. Time to come up with some filters ...

Edited January 27, 2018 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

Carry On

Christina pouted a bit, but, supposed that Thorvald was right... She just wanted to redeem herself for her silly decision earlier. How unfortunate. Kim's explanation did shed some light on a few more things... And made her feel bad for passing out, again. If she'd been awake... A small sigh followed. It didn't take them more than a minute to carry Kim over to the infirmary, the sight of Nikolai inside another shock on top of things. He... He'd taken that much of a hit, huh?

"Sorry, Megumi," she started, helping Kim into a nearby empty bed. "Have another one for you. She's having problems with her head... More TK system stuff. I... I think she just needs rest, but, you're the professional." Maybe there was something medical going on, but as far as she knew, the machine hadn't actually injected her with any real substance... It was all just brainwaves and the like. It shouldn't last forever.

Plans

"I... May I speak freely?" She was going to anyway. She'd only said it so Firmia could try to prepare herself better. "I believe the captain's stubbornness is in direct response to your way of being. You are afraid of the lax situation on the ship, and so result to trying to give her more advice... I agree that the ship could use more security measures, and I believe it will get them as time goes on, despite needing them now... That said, it would have been better to ask her more prudently for a private audience. That does not mean that your reaction was incorrect," Hannah added, knowing it may have been taken wrongly. "You are on more edges than anyone else around here, I would go as far as to say. It was... A bad time for the captain to press back. That is all. I won't tell anyone, Firmia. Do not worry."

The Kremlin... Dealing with the Russians... "I have, a suggestion. It may not be one that you like. But, it could work... Unfortunately, it means working with the captain again. I do not know if you would be willing to do so... I will explain it anyway." Hannah sat back against the dash, making sure not to put her weight on anything important. "Do you believe that we would be able to make the Alkaev machines appear to have been shot down?" Hopefully Firmia would catch onto what she was driving at. "If you were 'killed' in action... I do not believe the Kremlin would be able to divert any investigations here with its current situation. The issue... Would be getting the captain and crew to work along with things. And if there are spies, they would not be allowed to hear the plan. Thus... You would have to trust the captain to not be a spy. Of course... If you decided to do this, with the captain being the only party, were the Russians to find out you were lying, it would out her quite decidedly." It was a side thought, but it was present in her mind. Any one person on the ship aside from the Russians' company could be a spy... Even Brant.

"You said that you have two weeks. Do you believe this would be a worthwhile endeavor?"

[Phoenix]

If by more prudently asking for an audience in private, Hannah meant asking to hang out by the pool and do things informally, Firmia almost preferred the outcome she got. Thinking about it honestly, Firmia supposed she did feel better, now. She was having a productive conversation with someone outside of her company. This was actually pretty rare ...

At last, after what felt like days to her, Firmia managed a faint smile. "I figured you wouldn't tell anyone if I asked. That's why I'm here talking with you about this and not ... them." Her cheeks were getting uncomfortable thanks to the drying tears, so she began wiping them as Hannah went on.

Hannah's idea was certainly an interesting one, one that Firmia herself had played around with for a few minutes after getting the Kremlin's veiled threat. She didn't quite get anywhere with it, though. Admittedly she was under nearly as much stress at the time as she was now, desperately trying to figure out how to make her return unnecessary. Defeating Apotheosis in two weeks was out of the question unless some major battle went down and Apotheosis' main forces were all wiped out. Very unlikely, even with the Riese present. So Firmia was left to try and figure out other ways to solve the problem. Eventually she got it in her head to get an outside opinion ... and then today happened ...

"I've thought about faking my death before," Firmia admitted, "but I'm not sure if it's worth it in the long run. I'd have to live under a different name ... and as much as I hate my family's legacy, I'm not sure how well I'd do pretending to be someone else in public." On the other hand, it wouldn't be a difficult transition at this stage. All she had left in terms of assets were the AMS units and a little over seven million credits. If they were pretending to destroy the suits then there wouldn't be any legal issues over them. The Kremlin wasn't going to pester the ANF to send them the scraps, after all. There was the question of what to do after the fireworks. The Regalia and the Mantle still had a lot to contribute to the war against Apotheosis. If they kept on fighting after their supposed destruction, the Kremlin would figure out what was going on. Give them ten minutes, they'll figure it out. Those two suits in particular would need a new look at the very least to make this work for any meaningful length of time. It seemed easier to flip them off over vidcom and avoid Russian airspace from then on. They shouldn't have the resources to come knocking until the war was over. At least that's what it seemed like, given their sudden interest in the three AMS prototypes.

"That's also a point, we don't really know if the Captain is with Apotheosis or not. I was just suspicious of her because I think Apotheosis is planning to hijack the ship and she's making it a lot easier for them. If we did do this, I'm not sure how we could keep the spies from finding out, though ... not without operating away from the Heion Riese from now on, and I don't like our chances away from the ship anymore than you do. Dying my hair, wearing contacts, and giving the suits a new paint job isn't going to fool anyone, either ..."

[Xinnidy]

Not Invited

The rest of Makoto's conversation had been... just as unproductive as expected. This Chris did not see herself as fit for anything other than piloting, that kind of view seemed to be expected, but Makoto didn't want to be too nosy about it. "Well, you made a conscious decision to tell on Apotheosis for us, so if they had made you only good for piloting, you wouldn't do that." The boy thought it was clear she had some form of autonomy, and keeping it gated would be harmful for her in the long run. Perhaps she didn't care about it, and it was pointless to press. "Well... Hope you don't hate the place." Makoto waved awkwardly as a farewell as the door to her room closed, standing in silence for a fraction of a moment until he and the mechanic exchanged glances. "S-sorry." He didn't have much of an excuse, he was just curious, but the mechanic didn't seem to care. At least Makoto wasn't considered suspicious for it...

The reflection on Chris' condition did cause more than enough food for thought while Makoto walked away to his room. Apotheosis wasn't below cloning one of their own, and would do so more than once if necessary. How troublesome... it really showed how much technological power Apotheosis possessed. And with aliens backing them... that was too ridiculous. The boy froze as he stared the door to the room that was assigned to him. What... did they even want with my dad? It begged the question. They were likely forcing him to create designs for them... were they better than what the aliens could come up with? As he came to his room, looking himself in the mirror, something dawned on him from memories still fresh. That rifle... that was something my dad had in a blueprint, right? He remembered something like that, from the few files he caught his dad working day and night every once in a while, the distinct bulk near the handle and the thick singular were a simile to some of his dad's passion projects. They are totally forcing him to work... crap. That machine was probably tweaked by him, too. He'd been fighting his fathers creations... that was a dreadful feeling. "I-I need to talk to the mechanics..."

[scorri]

"They what?" Val stared at Tarquin, pity in her eyes. "Can you imagine? Being made for the sole purpose of fighting? You're right... It really does sound like something Apotheosis would do..." The poor kid... His whole life was made for this and now he was dealing with a friend almost dying. I can't even imagine...

"Still, you should be careful about peeking into files. Some of that stuff could be classified. And yeah. Jess Barnes I think she said? She should be fine. It'll take a little for her arm to get fixed but there shouldn't be any long term issues. Her eye will take longer but we should still be able to get her a normal range of sight back. Just need to be careful. Wonder what shot her down..."

[Dandragon]

It didn't look like naming Louise was making things easier on Brant's mind, which was fair, considering she was the pilot of the snake-like robot that had single handedly destroyed an ANF ship, a fact that Elaine had only just now recalled thanks to Brant's reaction. She frowned as she stood there, waiting for Brant to say something else, hopefully something that wasn't along the lines of 'I give up, you're on your own'. The silence as she waited was painful, and Elaine's eyes darted around the rather featureless metal box that contained the two pilots, still having not moved since stepping inside. If there were any hidden surveillance cameras in here, recording everything that happened, then Elaine had doomed not only herself, but also Brant, possibly.

At last, Brant spoke up, and pulled out some sort of device she wasn't entirely familiar with. Had Elaine not been so desperate for help, she might have marveled at it for a moment, perhaps asking him if she could study it more closely. For now, she had to nod her head at Brant's idea to try and look up Louise in database, though without knowing what she looked like, it was probably going to be a hassle to even find someone like her, if she was even there to begin with. She also nodded her head to-...wait, what?

"H-hold on, at all times? I mean, yeah, that makes sense, but...How are you gonna do that?" Elaine's face flushed a little, with slightly uncomfortable ideas forming inside her head. There were times when a lady wanted some privacy! ...Though, with how much she royally fucked up, she might have just sacrificed that privilege. "You're not gonna be following me everywhere, are you?"

[Shin]

It was rather strange, hearing about sentimentality and friendship from Doctor Amparo. Of all the people on the ship, she was probably the least involved with others on an emotional level. He looked at the doctor, genuinely surprised by her advice. Nikolai seemed to be mostly settled in his tank, or he was too feeble to protest it too much. Apotheosis had their legions of cloned soldiers, but the Riese needed to value each of their individual crew members. They'd come far with their limited resources, and Tarquin didn't want to see anyone disappear, even Elaine had proved her existence was slightly better than her absence in battle. 

"I understand, but I don't want Nikolai to fight any time soon." Tarquin replied firmly. As adept as Nikolai was, the Umbra  had been essentially destroyed and its pilot wasn't in a much better state. Nikolai had spent much of his life fighting, this was the time where he needed to avoid doing so most. Ideally Nikolai would have been able to avoid the conflict entirely, but that was wishful thinking on Tarquin's part. "I'll trust you to do your part to help him, and I'll do mine. I'm not a very likeable person, but Nikolai wanted to be my friend... and I owe him a lot."

As expected, Doctor Amparo was at least somewhat familiar with cloning. It made Tarquin wonder what her actual field of specialisation was. If the Professor had gone to Apotheosis, it was likely to continue with his work. He'd only caught snippets, but his creator seemed to be restricted by the ANF. Was there a greater goal he could achieve with more freedom? Would there be T-5's and T-6's to replace him? It was a likely prospect, it would be frightening if they were as much of an improvement as he was compared to T-2. Genetically, he was as good as a human could get, but if alien technology were involved, the possibility for superhuman individuals was very real. He looked back at the tank again, was he born in something similar to it?

"Facing newer versions of myself is not a pleasant mental image, but it seems to be an inevitability." Tarquin replied, he'd simply been a stepping stone for his creator, were the words of praise simply a way to placate him? There was no doubt he had been successful, but he couldn't help but feel like a prototype - one that was intended to be disposed of. "It becomes easier if I think of myself as Tarquin rather than T-4. I'm not that different from Hannah, even if I am organic."

One of Doctor Amaparo's underlings appeared horrified by the concept, but realistically, was it really that much of a surprise in a planet-wide conflict? Perhaps he'd just been exposed to everything, his surreal life had made him numb to the abnormal. If anything, the ordinary was stranger to him, he had no knowledge of what life was like for an ordinary child his age. "Fighting may have been my design, but I want to do something else one day." Tarquin remarked, already with plenty of options in his head. He'd decided the ANF wasn't going to have him as their puppet forever, that was for certain. "I'm going to go to school, just like everyone else."

Edited January 27, 2018 by Shin

[Nanami Touko]

Treatment

"Well... If you don't think it'll work, we could always try to call their bluff. If things are going badly, they won't have the manpower to send any force after you. It would give you much longer than two weeks, but it would solidify any negative outcomes for not returning in that time span... You could receive sanction from the ANF for your efforts in the war, but that would likely involve working directly for them, instead of being technical mercenaries aboard one of their ships. How troublesome..."

There didn't seem to be a clear solution, but they still had time. "We'll figure something out... Firmia?" Hannah was almost afraid to switch topics now, but with how open she seemed, and even her smiling, it was a decent time to ask. "Do you... Think that you can treat me like a person? And not a machine... Or... I suppose, stop thinking of me as an android. This entire... Experience, I shall call it, is amazing. Being a part of all of you, without that extra little hint of being an outsider... It would mean the world to me." She smiled softly, somber eyes looking elsewhere. Tonya had said an effective no, she didn't quite expect better from Firmia... But, she wouldn't cry this time. "Either way. I am happy to be your friend. I'd like to keep being that."

Getting Settled

The first thing Chris did with the door closed and the colors changed was lose that stifling SKIN suit, and put on the, unfortunately white, provided ANF clothes. They smelled almost too new, and were definitely not made for people of her specific needs, but they were soft, comfortable, and far away from any machine or lab. "But machines are all you know, Chris. They didn't put any of her other skills into you. If she even had any..." Chris recalled some piano playing from her-- Christina's --memories, trying to move fingers to match what she could faintly remember in her brain... They didn't really match up. Maybe with the actual instrument, but it was more than likely any 'useless' tasks had been programmed out.

"Hah..." Curling up onto the bed and lazily fumbling for the room's TV remote, a news broadcast came on, about another successful endeavor by the country's finest... The Heion Riese. She couldn't help the laugh that followed, crawling under the covers and getting more comfortable. "Spin it any way to keep the rest of the country content and at peace, huh? I wonder what people would think if they knew their hopes and dreams were being headed by a teenager and a bunch of misfits... Not to mention the moles. Pfft..." Moles... Why can't I remember any names? I know I was there, when they were shipped out. I know I saw them, but... The memories are all... Foggy, and the names are mumbled messes. Did they do something to me? To everyone that was there? Ugh... An... Ander, son...? But... No one on this ship has that, name... She was starting to frustrate herself, sighing and changing the channel to movies. Die Hard. Fitting.

"Maybe I'll remember stuff if I get a good sleep..."

Fixing It All Up

Jess stepped out of the elevator and took a walk into the hangar, looking around for Avery... Who was fairly fixated on the Ceres. Did Astin's machine take that much fire? Maybe. They were a frontliner... I should start paying just a bit more attention to that. I think I can juggle one more ball, so to speak.

"Avery? Can we talk?"

"Oh, hey, captain! Yeah, 'course. What's up?"

"It's... About the Umbra. What can we do with it? With what's left..."

Avery's cheerfulness dropped a bit, but she did have some good news on that front. "I think the system's entirely fried, that I-Field stuff... But, with those parts we salvaged from the battle, especially that set of legs, I think I can fix it up something good. Only... Well, we're runnin' outta pilots t'field these things. Don't think Tarquin's sis is gonna get inside 'er any time soon... Naw, Jess, yer not, come on."

The captain had been holding a knowing look in her eye, Avery had guessed the mark pretty well. "We just happened to pick someone up that hates Apotheosis, and is able enough to pilot. I don't see an issue with it. Christina's worked out, as have Abby and Nikolai... I know she's one step above, in terms of converting the enemy, but... If it's an act, it's a convincing one."

"And iffin it gets someone else shot in th'back? Christ... Ye can't be doin' this with every soldier that manages t'end up in our lap! It ain't right! I know we're strapped, but, just... Fuck's sake, Jess."

The captain winced, hearing it laid out so plainly by Avery really hit hard. It didn't stop the way she felt, but it painted things fairly darkly. "I know it's dangerous, but we're a small enough group as it is. Biggest ship or not, Central has their hands full. And giving us any old right off the bench rookies... This crew only works because of how advanced it is. Everyone piloting is some level of competent, each with a special machine. Former enemy or not, that Chris is--"

"Just. Just stop. I don't wanna hear it... I'll fix th'machine, an' I getchur point, but I ain't happy about it. And your ass is th'first I kick iffin anyone gets hurt cuz o' this. Y'hear me? Kick. Your. Ass. Don't give a good goddamn how good ye are at captainin', these are peoples' lives yer playin' with... Jesus. Fine, get. Get before I change my mind. See what I can do..."

"...Thank you, Avery."

"Eat me."

"G-Geez..." The mechanic started to walk away, leaving Jess second guessing herself. Should I ask everyone else? But if I do, we never would've had Abby helping us, or Nikolai... Even if he ended up as he has, he was definitely a strong asset. So... Jess sighed, and turned away, thinking of who it would be good to get an opinion from... Thorvald? She hadn't really spoken to him, as much as his experience could be a real boon. "Thorvald."

Edited January 27, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Balcerzak]

"Sure, no problem, let's take you down to the cafeteria," Abigail shook her head a little, trying to keep from laughing herself.

A bit of a dark look flashed across her face at the mention of 'dibs', it reminded her a little too much of how Elaine managed her squatting act with the Heracles, which frankly Abby had just about given up on seeing the inside of again. "Yeah, I mean, maybe we can't just make them give you the newest, shiniest thing to come along, but we can at least take a looksee about tuning something up or swapping around some parts. No promises anything amazing is gonna happen before our next fight, what with things coming fast and furious as they have," she shrugged. "But I guess we can save that talk for when we get a good look at it, after we eat."

Abigail led the way to the lifts and got her and Aliza headed down, soon to get that bite to eat.

---

Thorvald had to frown a bit at Kim's explanation. "Sounds like a safety feature that needs adding, overdose is no joke. Least that explains the extra aggression." Between his help and Christina's, they got the lieutenant over to the infirmary with no further issue, and settled her onto one of the free beds. And not to far away was...

"Geez, they really did a number on you, Jess," Thorvald breathed out as he made his way to the bedside of his former squad leader. While the woman appeared to be sedated well into tomorrow, if not next week, he couldn't help but speak a few words she wouldn't hear. "Glad to see you survived, at least." He then spared a glance to the tank containing Nikolai. He too had made it through that wreck, in a manner of speaking.

Today had without a doubt dealt the crew the worst hand they'd had to deal with yet in this fight. That said, things had never exactly been easy. After giving Jess a brief squeeze of the hand, Thorvald returned to where he and Christina had deposited the woozy idol, and recalled just the other day when he'd been visiting Seung-Min in not entirely dissimilar circumstance.

Thorvald had finished helping with a few things in the hangar, then stopped off for a quick bite to eat before finally paying a visit to the infirmary. Hopefully the timing wouldn't too bad. While certainly most of the initial crush of worried visitors ought to have finished up and moved on by then, he had a slight concern that by waiting too long perhaps he was sending the wrong message instead. If treatment had been finished and the patients already discharged by the time he arrived... well then he supposed that meant the injuries were thankfully less severe than they'd appeared and he'd just have to apologize later. That might actually be the best scenario, all things considered, he thought with a bit of a rueful smile. If he'd been smart about it, he would've hit upon the idea of asking one of the assistants, who he'd seen eating lunch, but sadly that idea hadn't come to mind at the time.

Arriving and poking his head in, shortly past one, he observed that Christina had already been let go, he always seemed to miss an opportunity to really have a talk with that one, but for better or worse Kim was still around, so the trip certainly wasn't wasted. He'd probably stop by Makoto's mother on the way out, as long as he was in the neighborhood, but Mai wasn't exactly the purpose for the visit to begin with.

Giving a wave to the staff, Thorvald made his way to the side of Seung-Min's bed, pulled up a chair, and took a seat. "I'll bet you're sick of answering how you're feeling, so we can skip past that part if you want," he began with a bit of a smile, bringing his hand up for her to squeeze if she was feeling up to it. "I do have a few things I'm hoping to say and ask, but if there's anything on your mind, do feel free to start first."

With goings-on in the infirmary having slowed to a crawl, Seung-Min laid awake in her hospital bed once again, her eyes vaguely shifting towards the clock every so often. 1:06... wasn't it 1:06 the last time I checked? That must have been at least fifteen minutes ago... no, it wasn't. Fifteen seconds, maybe. These hospital beds, a strange technology they were. A soft... not really soft in actuality, the thing had a consistency reminiscent of a sack of rice if you stayed on one long enough... nexus of boredom. The seemingly innocuous white sheets drew in the universe's malignant energies to a fine point, and then proceeded to use that divine weapon of the cosmos to tear away any semblance of joy or levity in one's heart in a single, immaculate thrust.

Perhaps it wasn't quite so bad, but if described that way to someone who had spent a length of time on such a bed, many would agree wholeheartedly. Luckily for Kim Seung-Min, the heavens had seen it fit to send a harbinger of relief in the form of a visitor! A welcome distraction from the doldrums of recovery.

"Hello Thorvald. Doctor Megumi want observe bit longer, make sure no severe head injury. Once pass inspection, hopefully get quick SIEG treat, back on feet before Apotheosis show up again." Kim replied, briefly explaining the current situation to Thorvald. So he had some sort of agenda in mind, did he? Kim wondered what it could be...

"What did want say?"

Ho? Who was this, now? Olivia studied his face, taking a second to go through the banks of personnel she'd read through... He was Thorvald, right? Most senior pilot on the Riese, no apparent health problems... Was he here to see Kim? Olivia lazily watched him through her glasses, mostly hidden behind her book, sat in the chair next to Kim's bed. She'd offered her the opportunity to talk if she needed it, and went back to her reading in the meantime. Maybe this would provide some level of interest, it wasn't every day that two people with near zero relation met up.

It seemed Lieutenant Kim had felt like giving a health status update anyway. Maybe she was bored, or felt obligated despite his mention otherwise? Either way, it was good to hear she would be quick on the mend, and Thorvald couldn't help but nod and smile. The assistant seemed absorbed in her book, and with the Korean obviously curious about the reason he'd stopped by, there was no point in holding back.

"Well, there were a couple of things running through my mind," Thorvald prefaced with, before continuing onward. "One's a rather light-hearted request, but the other's well, hmm. I guess the best way to put it is the subject's a little more on the serious side. I'll leave the choice of order to you, Seung-Min."

"Start serious, that way can end on positive note. Better do that way, yes?" Kim replied, as Thorvald offered her two choices of subject matter. It seemed like the fairly obvious option to take, ending on a high note would potentially cut any unfortunate feelings from a more serious beginning, whilst ending with the serious option could easily drown out a pleasant beginning.

Thorvald was a little surprised at her choice, but Kim's reasoning made sense. Suppose this just went to show how little he really knew about some of his crewmates. He spared a brief glance at the medical assistant, nose still stuck in her book, but even if her attention hadn't been absorbed elsewhere, it's not like the subject matter wasn't anything she couldn't listen in on.

"Fair enough, that's not a bad way to look at things," Thorvald rumbled an agreement before setting into the matter proper, which prompted a small sigh and a bit of a difficult expression crossed his face. "It's a bit hard to put it into words exactly, but I really feel like I've let you down. Like the reason you're in this bed right now is my fault, and so I wanted to apologize for that, make up for it somehow if I could, but I'm not really sure how."

After Thorvald agreed with her reasoning and began the more serious of his queries, Seung-Min grew... confused. A puzzled look adorned her face as Thorvald spoke his piece, the younger pilot tilting her head the slightest bit by the end.

"How your fault, Thorvald? Formation end up putting you across battlefield, and Legionary not built to take on something like Luna or other machine." Kim replied, voicing her confusion. Thorvald did like to throw himself in the path of fire to help comrades, but the Artemis was built about as sturdy as the Legionary if only due to newer tech. Had he taken the same assault, the best he could have hoped for would be to swap positions with her at this moment, unless luck was on his side.

The lieutenant had fallen for the most immediate and direct correlation, which Thorvald couldn't really blame her for. While it's true, he did wish he'd been closer during today's fight, to at least keep things open with a few more possible options, the circumstances were nowhere close to having allowed that, and he'd accepted and was comfortable with everything he'd managed for Tarquin, Makoto, and Nikolai instead. No, the concerns he was expressing were of a different nature.

"Oh, no, nothing like that, though your confusion is understandable," Thorvald corrected Kim. "This is going back to that day at Colony One, when I stopped you from melting her to atoms with your mech's particle cannon or something, and you opted for taking some potshots at her with your sidearm instead--a stupid brave thing to do too, if I might add, and one that caught me by complete surprise. But yeah, even though that should have been the right call to make, just... watching the ripples of consequence now, from time to time I find myself doubting. And I'm sure you're frustrated with that decision I made, both back then, and probably again now."

"Whoa..." Olivia could only ignore the conversation for so long after that. "You had the chance to melt that bitch and you didn't take it? ... Was the collateral that important?" Olivia didn't know the situation, but if Thorvald had stopped Kim, there must've been a reason beyond using machine armaments on foot soldiers... Geneva convention be damned.

Ah, so that was his angle. In a way, that line of reasoning made sense... Kim had managed to hit Vera at range with her automatic pistol, the far wider radius of the beam rifle would have been an easy shot... and while Vera's cybernetics were top notch, the chances of her surviving a direct shot from an anti-mech beam rifle were slim to none. And yet...

"Despite that, think you made right call. Dangerous as Vera is, Luna is as much a problem. There was another person inside at time, could feel them panic when wounded Vera. Might have killed Vera, definitely would also killed scientist hostage... if shot bad, kill rest of science staff, vaporize Hannah. Even if other person in Luna novice, would have still gotten away. Lacked firepower take it out. Dangerous Vera is, no way she only person in Apotheosis can pilot the Luna." Kim replied somberly... to think, she had almost taken that option in the moment.

"And public backlash would been massive if word get out. Imagine camera feed from Luna upload to web if had taken that shot." Kim continued with a sigh, looking over at Olivia as she chimed in.

"Also had no idea who Vera was or how dangerous at time. Only find out later... easy look back and think was obvious choice."

Well that had got the assistant's attention. But then again, hardly surprising given her Colony One origins. Seung-Min's explanation covered her concerns nicely, and addressed his own as well, so Thorvald felt no specific need to respond directly. It really was refreshing to hear it all laid out so convincingly... wait.

"The Luna is a two-seater? She's running with a co-pilot?" That was news to Thorvald. Of course Kim had been tanked up after the mission recovering, and he'd missed the debrief while operating on Abigail, so it's not surprising a few of the puzzle pieces might not have made their way all around the table, but that certainly did put a new spin on things.

"Was." Kim corrected as Thorvald expressed a bit of incredulity at the remark... Kim supposed she never had brought that up in the aftermath of the mission... too many other things on the mind.

"Only felt second person with Vera at colony. She was alone today. Haven't fought enough to know which normal."

"... I guess." The reasoning made sense to Olivia, who looked back at her book, before trying to engage the situation again. "Maybe she just had someone in there with her. If Kim didn't feel anyone else in there today, that makes sense. Or wait, wasn't she on the ground first? Then got into the machine? Someone probably had to fly it in for her..."

"Hmm, interesting, and good points all around," Thorvald acknowledged Olivia's contributions "I guess we'll have to just keep on our toes every time we run into her. So long as we keep doing a little better than the last, each time, eventually we're bound to come out on top. Anyway, hearing you don't resent me over the decision really takes a load off. Thanks, Minnie," he slipped into his habit of using nicknames without really thinking about it.

"Still, I doubt Holly or Anya would forgive me if I let you get yourself killed on my watch, whether it was my fault or not," Thorvald gave a bit of a crooked grin as he prepared to segue to the other matter. "They're both big fans of yours. The little one's more into your singing, though she doesn't really understand most of the words, but the big draw for my wife is, no surprise, the dancing. It was a bit of a shock and disappointment when you left the group. Never thought I'd be running into you like this, myself, either. Been hard to find a good time for this before now, but given we're coming up on Central I gotta stop putting it off if I mean to gift it to them before we get whisked off to wherever they'll send us next. You wouldn't mind giving me an autograph, would you?" He pulled out the album he'd brought along for the occasion, from Kim's idol days.

That had been about how things went down, Kim recalled, as Olivia mentioned that the second person had likely flew the Luna over to pick Vera up from her ground mission, which would explain their presence that day, but not being present during today's mission. With that matter apparently settled, Thorvald moved on to his second agenda of the meeting, which seemed to be informing Seung-Min that she had fans within his family, and that he hoped he could get an album autographed. Receiving the album from Thorvald... in vinyl of all things... somehow that just seemed to fit his persona, Kim gave a light giggle before placing her well practiced signature on the front in Korean.

"Somehow not surprised you have in vinyl... most people buy digital these days... then again, didn't think people in America bought much at all, but seem still meet decent number fans despite old news by now." Kim noted somewhat wistfully, a gentle sigh escaping her lips.

"Still, is nice be remembered. Saw so many girls fall off main roster and never hear of again. Figured would be same for me after left."

Olivia gasped. "Youuu... Aw, man... I knew I should've bought one when I had the chance." She'd seen this in store once or twice... But decided on getting it digitally and told herself that she'd never meet the person, what was the point of getting something like that? Well...

Thorvald just smiled at the playful jabs about his taste of media, and actually, laughed a little when the assistant cried out in surprise and envy. "Fans never forget the line-up as it was when they were were first introduced," he asserted, to try to reassure Kim, who'd seemed to be taken by an almost melancholic nostalgia. "Do you miss it? Working as an idol?" Thorvald was interested to hear her take on having given up something she used to love doing for something else instead. Well, at least he assumed she'd enjoyed it.

"Miss it? Sometimes miss... crowds, cheering fans, easy get swept up in it all. But wasn't all rainbow and sunshine... if told you current job less stressful most time, would believe me?" Kim replied, chuckling a bit at Olivia's reaction at the same time, considering what Thorvald had said for a moment. The original lineup, huh? If that was a part of it, was that a good or a bad thing, she had to wonder for a moment. Either way, there was no way to change it.

"For what it's worth," Olivia decided to chime in with, "you looked like you were having a lot of fun on stage. Whether that was an act or if you really meant it, it felt pretty real. Wouldn't mind seeing something on the ship, if you ever felt like singing for a crowd again."

"Maybe... probably not something most here interest in, though... also not lot time stuff like that, everything going on." Kim replied somberly, toying with the idea for a moment before doing so.

When Kim told him that their current piloting gig was often less stressful than her old life, Thorvald did a double-take. Such a statement would have been significantly more believable, had they been still posted at Caribou Cape, a training facility. But stationed aboard a cutting edge, experimental battleship, in the midst of an armed conflict with terrorists, and maybe worse if the EU tries to muscle in...

Perhaps he'd greatly underestimated the rigors of performing life all along. There may have been more to Anya's decision than simply staying home and raising Holly. He should have been more understanding, less hard on her for 'giving up on her dreams'. After all, she was the one who'd decided on it, no? But... even still... there was something, sad about it all. He couldn't help but want to cheer them on, both of them, his wife and Lieutenant Kim.

"Probably more interest than you'd think, and it's not like dancing isn't good exercise," Thorvald offered, before tempering it with reality. "You're certainly right about the issue of time, though. We never know when the next crisis will strike, and if it's during a 'concert', well, that'd be problematic, and pretty depressing. It wouldn't be the same feel, but maybe a single song solo or something some time? Can't be any worse a choice for recreation than our pool party. Then again, that'd saddle you with the additional burden of practicing, even if all the rest of the preparation could be divvied out. If you'd rather put that to use in the sims, nobody would blame you a bit. Don't let us greedy fans dictate what you choose to do."

"Mmm... maybe. If chance come up, can't hurt try, I suppose." Kim replied giggling slightly at Thorvald's obviously bewildered reaction to her prior statement. Most people couldn't relate to that idea, so it wasn't surprising that he was taken aback... the feeling of regret welling up from him for a moment seemed odd, considering the circumstance.

"Thorvald, Olivia... thanks. Feel... good hear all that. Am glad... manage leave mark some kind, that people haven't... forget move on."

Thorvald smiled and paused a few moments, letting everything sink in. Then, with practiced motion, he pulled out his phone. "As long as we're on the subject, and you're both a captive audience, I think I've got a few pictures you really should
see. Oh, and a video too, actually let's start with that. Now, bear in mind, she's only just turned seven before you judge her too harshly, but go ahead and watch her dance along to one of your songs..."

[Xinnidy]

Patients and Guests

Mai had to wonder how much more hectic the infirmary was going to get after the meeting. Hopefully not much more. The patients currently there were fairly scarring sights for the mother of one, having to discreetly excuse herself after they removed the intruding object in this Jezebel's eye. Piloting could surely be dangerous, and Mai suddenly felt riddled with second thoughts about what she let her son do.

Perhaps what stunted her paranoia before it grew too wild was the fact Makoto showed up a moment before heading to the meeting to ascertain his mother that he was, indeed, safe. Her sinking heart was at ease, at least for the moment. But the real possibility that the person inside that tube could have been her son, or worse, he never came back, were cracking at her thoughts, and breaking her resolve. Mai still returned to the infirmary in the end, to continue helping as she could, but she couldn't deny those dark thoughts shook her a bit.

Mai watched the tank of SIEG at a distance, hoping earnestly for the boy's recover. She wasn't completely knowledgeable of the substance, but knew it could heal a body plenty. It probably couldn't replace a leg, though, or she'd have come across stories before. One kid that continued to stare at the glass intrigued Mai, making her way closer to him and the doctor with her chair. "That's a friend of yours, right?" She seemed to remember something such from Makoto... something about a child pilot and his scary friend. "He should recover... but what you're facing out there doesn't seem worth throwing young lives at. I don't know how you manage it..."

[Phoenix]

"I don't want him out there fighting, either, but it's not up to us. It might not be the Captain's decision either, unfortunately," Megumi noted, thinking back to their trip to Central. A lot could happen there. Megumi supposed she should put together a report for the captain for a case as serious as Nikolai's. It had been a while. The most she could do was make her recommendations as clear and well argued as possible. Nikolai needed a rest, not just from this war, but war as a whole. "Whomever the decision comes down to, I'll do my best to convince them that Nikolai has done more than enough for the cause."

The doctor was at a loss for words when Tarquin said he wasn't a likable person, and decided not to comment at all when he went on to point out that Nikolai befriended him in spite of that. There was no point in being contrary on the topic, really.

After Megumi's brief assessment on Liebenwalde's machinations, Tarquin hit on the same concern she'd held back on, future iterations of the boy's design. At least she didn't have to be the one to broach the subject. "Fighting familiar faces is going to be hard on the pilots, but I don't see any way around it ... and it's good that you're sticking with Tarquin and not T-4." Megumi was no fan of the number, herself. It reminded her too much of her intended purpose ... which certainly wasn't being a furtive doctor aboard a warship.

Megumi wasn't surprised to see Kim back in the infirmary. The girl had been roughed up by the Sacarians, after all. The real question was what had taken her so long. One surprise did accompany the lieutenant. It was Christina. She'd made it to the infirmary on foot, and she was helping Kim along to boot. Maybe she was an impostor, too? Amusing thoughts aside, the doctor felt she really ought to check in on the TKs herself and make sure it was nothing serious before leaving them in the care of her two bored minions. The Artemis Team wound up here often enough that they might have some other problems cropping up in the background. "Excuse me for just a minute, Tarquin. If you notice any sudden changes with Nikolai, call me back over."

"You can take the bed beside her, but tread carefully," Megumi informed Christina as she approached Seung-Min. Hopefully Christina would get the humor. If not, well ... she still needed the girl present for an examination. Christina had been subjected to a telekinetic assault by the Sacarians, same as the lieutenant. The doctor had every reason to keep an eye on her and make sure there were no post-battle issues.

---

"I'd rather not sign any ANF contracts, right now," Firmia agreed, finding the idea of Jessica being in charge of her machines just as distasteful as the Kremlin at this point. The way things were looking, Firmia was just going to have to cut all her ties back home, not just the familial ones. If that was what it took to no longer be held under that kind of sway, then so be it.

... and then things took a subtle shift sideways, with Hannah hoping the Alkaev would try to think of her more as a human and less as an android. Firmia was a little put off by the request, if only because that fragile foundation of trust she'd established with Hannah relied heavily on what the latter was ... an android. And interestingly, all of her contention with Hannah lay with her more human tendencies: her odd 'preferences' in combat, her infatuation with Brant, and so on. Firmia hadn't yet considered whether she could make a worthwhile attempt. Once she began taking that into account, Firmia tried to imagine how she would naturally react when seeing Hannah hooked up to the Mantle's systems. She supposed if she was going to do something like that, Firmia could treat Hannah more like a cyborg. That was less delusional, at any rate ...

"If that's really what you want ..." Firmia looked away, clearly annoyed by the change in topic, "but if you ... if either of you really were like other people, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

---

"No, not me," Brant shook his head as he tried to guess which Louise Park was the right one. It seemed like they might have hit a dead end on the search for now ... unless Chris could narrow things down for them, better. Brant supposed that was next on their to-do list, then. For now, he'd do well to explain what he really had in mind to Elaine. "That'd be A2. Until I can think of something more foolproof, I was going to have you wear this," Brant raised his arm, showing off the alpha tool. "I figure ... the way the others would look at it ... even if you're the mole, if you can't contact Apotheosis without getting caught, you're not as much of a security risk, anymore. A2's in here, but he's isolated from the system and you can't tamper with him directly from the UI. That just leaves killing the power, but A2'll know he was out and log it. I'm not sure if it'll be enough to keep you out of the brig if Louise implicates you somehow, but ... it's all I've got, right now." The alpha tool's twelve days of battery life would also give him plenty of time to come up with a more secure device or perhaps even come up with a real solution to the mole problem.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

What's Wanted

"Hmmm..." It seemed the subject upset Firmia a bit, but not in the same way it had seemed to bother Tonya. I see... I think I am fine with this. Her smile only widened, closing her eyes a bit. "That you are willing to try despite discomfort is enough for me. You do not have to change how you see me then, Firmia. Please continue as you have been... Did you want to discuss anything else? I know that we did not solve all of your issues, but I hope that I helped to calm them somewhat, or at least allow you to think about them more clearly. To clarify, I do not have anywhere to go, so do not think that I am rushing you. It merely seems that we have come to a head on our discussion."

Hannah did want to check on Brant, after learning what she had, but suddenly showing up and pitying him would give too much away. It would likely make him uncomfortable. I do not think there is an easy way to breach the topic to him... So I won't.

Intruding?

Heading down to the personal quarters with Avery's words still fresh on her mind, Jess stepped out of the elevator right behind Abby and Aliza... Quickly hiding herself up against the elevator's inner walls, hoping it would cover enough of her. W-Wait, what am I doing? Her reaction had been immediate... Maybe I... I just don't want to get in the way. Or make it look like I'm following her? But I'm just here to try and find Thorvald... Too late now. This is gonna be awkward. Hoping her little scene wasn't noticed by the two, Jess pushed herself out of the elevator and past them, trying to look natural. It wasn't going very well. Just go the cafeteria and find Thorvald, that's all, it's easy. And if he isn't there, go to his room instead! Plenty of places to check...

The Future

"If her files weren't meant to be rifled through, she'd put better locks on them... Besides, plenty's still classified, and I'm just an art student. What do I know about opening computers?" Olivia shook her head, as Tarquin spoke about his school goals. "Sounds like a good idea. You'll have to skip a few grades, though... I don't think anyone would like you in junior high." The poindexter always did get the short end of the stick. They'd probably hate him in college or university too, though... Someone so young shouldn't be smarter than adults, or something like that.

Christina looked at Megumi confused, before shaking her head. "Uh, I know it''s kinda shocking, I guess, but I'm fine, Megumi. Or at least, I don't hurt anywhere... And nothing happened to me like it did to Kim. Please, check up on her first, I'm alright." The doctor was probably worried about that whole alien exposure thing, but really, Christina felt fine. Unless it's something I can't feel? Mmm... Maybe... But Kim first!

[scorri]

"Wha-- ah. You heard... I guess it's a small area..." Val blushed, embarrassed to have been caught talking about someone else like that. It had been rather rude of her, if she was honest with herself, but it was Olivia's fault really. Not that she expected her to feel ashamed about it. No, she seemed quite unashamed about her reading private files much less talking about someone in front of them. "Well... I agree with Olivia. I think you have a bright future outside of all of this. I hope you take that chance when you get it." Hopefully that chance came before he ended up like the poor boy in the SIEG tank. It was already bad enough without it being a child in there...

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

Astin collapsed onto their beanbag, giving the room one final look over. Everything was as good as it was going to get. Next step... Food was a good option, but it was still a bit early for lunch. They'd eaten before the battle, so they still had time before they were hungry again. Maybe a nap... Avery had shooed them away from that earlier, but that was then. This was now. Yawning, they considered making their way to the bed, but they'd just made it all nice and neat. And it wasn't like the beanbag was uncomfortable... Snagging the spare blanket that they'd folded up at the end of the bed, they settled into the bag. Now just as long as no one tried to get in contact with them, Avery being the most likely one for that, it was time for a nice restful sleep...

[Ether]

Luckily the infirmary was only a short walk away from the meeting room, Kim being set down on a bed soon after entering, and the Doctor coming over shortly, despite the... severity of her other work. Kim grimaced as she saw the state of Nikolai, if only for the briefest of moments as she was moved along. The Captain had said he had been shot down, but that was quite the injury... there wasn't anything she could do about it at this point, and she'd surely feel bad enough about her absence from battle at the time when she was back to coherent, so it seemed prudent to give the Doctor a synopsis before she fell back asleep, which seemed all too likely at this point.

Pulling up the response Avery had sent her in regards to receiving a double dose of... whatever the ARES system had done, as reference, the Lieutenant began a brief explanation once again.

"After the... Sacarians dragged us off, Chrissy fell... unconscious from... whatever they were doing. When she was out... a new system activated on the Artemis. I don't... know exactly what it did, but the result was... an increase in aggression, sharpening of all... senses, and a bunch of stuff... I can't really describe. According to Avery, I got... double the dosage of whatever it was... I don't know if it was... a physical injection through the T-link or brain wave manipulation, but the t-link was... calibrated for two people at the time. Now that it's over... it feels mostly like a... hard crash. My body is acting... like it's trying to fight off a virus, i'm... exhausted and sore all over, and dizzy... motor skills heavily effected." Kim began, slipping asleep for the briefest of moments before she woke again, shuffling in the bed slightly.

[Dandragon]

"A2? What-" Elaine let herself get cut off when Brant held up the device on his arm, showing that that was what would monitor her. Well...at least she wasn't getting followed? Wearing a relatively large device, compared to something like a watch, anyway, was a far cry from armed guards following you everywhere, looking for a reason to shoot you. And it was one she appreciated, even if she preferred not to have to be monitored, at all. Again, that was due to her own failures, and now she had to deal with the consequences. She sighed. "Alright. It's the best I got, and I'll definitely take it."

Elaine shuffled over to take a look at Brant's view of the database. There were plenty of women named 'Louise Park' all over, to cycle through them looking for anything suspicious would take hours, even days. They all had their own unique looks to them, too. One with hair only off to one side, one with large eyes, one with very bright green hair, one with the tiniest nose she had ever seen.

"Ehhhh...Okay, uhm...Maybe we can narrow it down a bit further? Let's try, oh..." Elaine was scratching her head. Without anything else to go on, this was proving far more difficult than anything she had ever tinkered with. "M-maybe we should try looking at ones who were discharged? Christina said that she thought Louise might have lost the use of her legs. That would definitely get you out of serving the military, right? ...It's all I got, right now."

Edited January 28, 2018 by Dandragon

[Phoenix]

Megumi wanted to make a Monty Python reference, assuring Christina she'd be out like a light soon enough, but the time for playful jabs had passed. "Just don't leave the infirmary," she said. It definitely sounded like an order and not a request.

Megumi had to make a quick mental list of the lieutenant's symptoms, but she could already tell that Seung-Min's reaction to the Artemis' murder-death-kill mode had spread throughout her body like wildfire. She should be fine with some rest, but the stress from a load like that could easily carry over into the next engagement ... if only because they couldn't seem to squeeze even a measly twenty-four hours of rest into their busy schedules. With a heavy sigh, Megumi nodded and said, "Just relax, now. I'm going to be monitoring you for any changes, physical or mental, and we'll be setting up an IV." She glanced at Olivia, letting the minion know she would be handling that part. "Once I've got a good estimate on your recovery, I'll decide when to green-light you. You may be spending the night here, though. Do you need any painkillers or would you rather tough it out?"

---

Hannah relented with a smile almost immediately after Firmia's explanation, apparently grateful that the ordinarily stubborn Alkaev was willing to humor her. Still, Firmia couldn't help but take note of the situation. Being viewed as an android was bothering Hannah just enough for her to make the request in the first place. Whether it was a pet peeve or simply another of the android's strange preferences, it clearly mattered to her. It wasn't something Firmia wanted to forget going forward.

"Alright, then," Firmia nodded, "Now then, if you don't have anywhere to go, there's something else I need your help with. While there's still time I need to keep working, and I need you two to keep working, too." Yes, thinking of Hannah as an android was bound to lead to more work than any human could manage ... "Since there's no cockpit damage the mechanics need to worry about, I need you to get back to running combat simulations. I didn't get into the details before, but I'm trying to use your combat data to design a combat program for AIs ... a universal one that even Brant's AIs can handle. Apotheosis has clones, but I'll have drones ... and we'll see which side is the last one standing."

---

Brant was a little relieved that he didn't have to sell Elaine on the idea of using A2 and his alpha tool to monitor her. He really didn't have any other ideas, at the moment, only variations with similar pros and cons. Elaine did put a temporary hold on their plans to go check in on the newest of the Troy girls, suggesting they filter the Louise search using some additional information she remembered. "One sec," Brant started typing, again, "checking discharges ..." ... and the list shrunk to almost nothing with that most innocent of filters. He added one more, 'paralysis,' and they were left with just one entry. "So you're getting set up by Professor X, huh?" He selected 'Louise Park''s profile and pulled up her information. "Here, have a look," Brant flipped the display upside down so Elaine would have a better view.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Phoenix

[Ether]

"Not really.. hurting, so much, Should be fine... without..." Kim began to answer, eyes closing midway through. Jerking back awake after a few second, she groggily looked between Christina and Doctor Amparo, trying to stay conscious long enough to address anything else that Megumi might need.

[Shin]

It always boiled down to whoever was in charge, the level above always needed to be appeased before anything could be approved. Previously he thought it gave a sense of hierachy and structure, but it was increasingly becoming more restrictive. If he wanted his freedom, the ANF had steadily established itself as a barrier to it. He lacked any authority himself, his relatively high rank meant nothing on a ship with a complete set off officers. It wasn't something he hoped he'd have to resort to, but refusing to pilot unless they could guarantee Nikolai's safety was the best of option he had. It was petty and rather childlike, but the ANF needed to acknowledge him as a child or an adult - they couldn't cherrypick the best of both.

"It won't be pleasant knowing that they're like me. I can't relate to many people, so it would feel strange to be removing those with the most similarities to me." Tarquin replied, trying to weigh up his perceived kinship to a hypothetical clone army. "Treating them as I would any other enemy would be for the best, sentimentality should be reserved for allies."

Doctor Amparo's minions were fairly amusing, their experience with military life was likely on par with his of civilian life. The biggest challenge for him wouldn't be the academic content, it would be dealing with everyone else around him. Doctor Amparo had left him in favour attending to Kim and Christina, but a new woman had approached him. He wasn't entirely sure who she was, did Doctor Amparo have another lackey to do her bidding? She didn't give off a clinical vibe though, although Tarquin felt rather safe in her presence, as if the weight on his shoulders had been lifted.

"He is, Nikolai was my first friend. I didn't have anybody when I first came here, but then I met him" Tarquin replied, watching Nikolai float in the tank like some sort of crippled goldfish. "I'm not sure how quickly he will recover, or how much by. I don't want him to fight either, but for that to happen, I need to. Once it's all over, we won't have to fight ever again."

[Dandragon]

A dated reference, but one that Elaine could appreciate, even if she wasn’t that big on comic books. She preferred to watch movies based on them, anyways. It got her to smile a bit, at least. Regardless, they had gotten a result, and Brant was showing it to her.

”What...what the heck?” The image she saw displayed on the device was that of the green haired girl she had seen earlier, but that was not what she was focused on. The information, or rather, the lack there of, was what confused her. All that was there, out of everything that could have been, was her name, how long she served, and the fact that she was ‘honorably discharged’ from the ANF military. “This can’t be right... This should have more, even for soldiers who barely lasted a week in the military. And it says here she served for seven years. So...Why is there nothing else?”

[Shin]

After much deliberation, Talia finally emerged from her room into the corridor. She looked left and right, the hallway seemed to stretch out forever - far longer than she remembered on her way in. The longer she looked, the further away the ends of it became, her own mind trying to deter her from daring to escape her comfort zone. What was she afraid of? There was nobody else around her, her only company was the wet floor sign standing a few feet away from her. Why did it have to be so hard? If she could find this Doctor Hart, she'd have made the next step. Trying her best just didn't cut it, she had nearly twenty years to prove it. No matter the amount of effort she put in, she always came short... was this the best she was capable of? She didn't know what Doctor Hart could do, or if there was anything she could, but existing like this was far too painful - especially with him around.

Talia let out a sigh of relief, Doctor Hart's office was almost immediately outside her own room. It was incredibly convenient, or it would have been if Talia hadn't deduced the reasoning behind it. "She thinks I'm completely hopeless, that's why she put me right next to her... so she could keep an eye on me." she fumed, a subdued anger swirling around in her head. She knew she had issues, but the Freudian know-it-all was clearly looking down on her. Just because she hadn't coasted through to a cushy desk job out of harm's way didn't mean that she could be considered trash. She was probably laughing about her in her office, amused by how pathetic she was compared to her perfect little brother. 

She clenched her fist, looking straight at the door. It wasn't just her, everyone looked down on her, treating her like a broken little child. Even that Elaine girl pitied her, the first thing she'd recommended was go to the local shrink because she thought Talia was a nutjob. 

"Viel Glück, du hast nicht das Talent zu überleben.  Ein Fehler bis zum Ende.”

Talia lowered her head in shame, her anger melting away into a dragging sense of hopelessness. Not even her creator had wanted her, the man who intentionally designed her existence. If he'd rejected her, what chance did she have with other people? Talking to Doctor Hart couldn't fix any of that, nothing could. She could just about escape disasters, but life on a day to day basis was almost impossible.

[Phoenix]

"Alright, try to relax," Megumi said, figuring she had everything she needed for now. It wouldn't hurt to check in with Avery at some point and see if the mechanic knew about the exact process the Artemis used to boost the lieutenant's abilities.

---

If the profile was this barren, then there were one or two likely explanations. The first was rather obvious: Brant's clearance was abysmal compared to someone like Jessica's, though there ought to be indications of that somewhere in the profile, right? Brant wouldn't recognize them but perhaps Elaine would? being an actual ANF pilot, unlike Abrams. Then again, people wouldn't try to access information they didn't know existed, so there might not be indicators anywhere in Louise's profile. The other possibility was a lot more annoying and just as likely. "If we've got moles," Brant let some of his irritation with the idea show, "then the rest of the ANF probably does, too. Maybe someone out there lightened Louise's profile for her when she joined Apotheosis. There's no way anyone's making a psych profile with just what we've got here, and I bet there are more personnel files just as light on details as hers."