Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 3: Crisis Point

[scorri]

As the doctor and Cheryl left with the alien on Cheryl's back, Val stared after them, stunned at what had happened. Still, she'd been told to do something. And she couldn't just ignore Jessica, even if the comments about taking her to was... Oh. She finally got a good look at her arm. That wasn't... Right. S-so the captain was at least partially mechanical. Sure. The hangar. That made sense then. Right. Either way, she was human enough for Val to want to take care of her.

Walking over and gently kneeling next to her, she hesitantly reached out and touched her on the shoulder. "Captain? Excuse me, captain, they're wanting to take the invader to the medbay. She's acting calmly and not attacking, so Cheryl wanted her to be treated for her wounds instead of putting her in a cell. Do you have any objections?" Hesitating, and trying very hard not to look at her arm, she finally managed to continue, "A-and, do you want to go somewhere? If we're taking the alien to the medbay, it's probably best that you don't go there. But I can take you to your room, get you a blanket, maybe something warm to drink? Y-you're showing symptoms of shock, and no matter what, we need to take care of that, a-and... and I want to help you if I can." That was why she'd joined this ship after all. To try and be a help to the crew that had saved her. The captain was one of the reasons that the colony was still intact. No matter what was going on with her, Val was there to help the crew members of this ship however she could. That was what was important. Robot, prosthetic, human, it didn't matter right now. She had a patient, and she was going to do what she could to help.

[Xinnidy]

Boarding Attempt

So, farther than Alphonse hoped  He winced at the information provided, and Tristan could hear a clear groan coming out of the Admiral's end, as he bothered the ensign once more. "What's the damage?" Alphonse was more demanding in tone, that concern seemingly suppressed, or stowed away. "Was she wounded in any way that would leave deep wounds?" The question was specific, and perhaps a bit leading.

Foe's Remainders 

"It's... It's down." Caroline was speechless, the Riese was truly comprised of monstrously good pilots to deal with those two menaces back to back. She couldn't even tell which one was the right machine and not a double inage, yet here it was, shot down. Such incredible display did give Caroline some confidence, enough to start moving her machine more proactively. "I'm going to try... firing on that one. It's taking a good beating... requesting support fire?" Caroline wasn't sure if she counted enough to start talking with the Riese crew like this, but it was worth a shot, maybe?

Caroline was supposed to cheer Tarquin before his move but I'm a bad gm, this has been rectified as it was a mod mistake, and will reflect on last action post.

Caroline casts Faith on the Riese, get those mechanics to work!

Caroline fires at Duane with Hi Beam Cannon, and has chaff support from Brant!

Quote

Caroline attacks!

Target: Ganymede (Duane)

Weapon: Hi-Beam Cannon

Final Hit/Crit: 32 hit 0 crit

Roll: 9, 56

Hit! But the Ganymede's I-Field absorbs it for 0 damage!

Ganymede is too far to counter!

Brant provides support fire!

Weapon: Chaff Grenade

Final Hit/Crit: 100/0

Roll: 80, 19

Hit! Damage: 1, Duane suffers the chaff debuff!

Caroline gains +90 EXP, and +1 will!

Brant gains +40 exp and 2 will!

 

Carlos slumped. There was nothing else he could do in that situation, his unit was pretty much gone for. "Sigh..." He picked up his comm. "Fatima, get out of here. I'm safe, I think. They're going to gun for you at this rate." At least,  Ganymede being this close meant it was a priority to the Riese as well. "I'm going to stay alive, I can guarantee... I really hope you can too."

Edited September 14, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

Iron for life, Megumi thought, though in Alriana's case, the doctor was still leaning toward copper based blood. She had to wonder what the patient's natural environment was like. She also had to wonder why Cheryl was trolling her boyfriend. Those teeth scared the hell out of Megumi personally. Alriana had already replaced a couple of very large predators native to Earth as 'hyper lethal' in the doctor's mind. And at least lions and grizzly bears didn't wear armor or carry other weapons.

The only reason Sasha hadn't panicked was because Cheryl's tone clued him into the joke in advance. It didn't change the fact that there was a saw toothed land shark hanging out over her shoulder ... but it was enough to keep him from overreacting. "What ... the hell is she?! A Sacarian?! ... ... Godzilla? What's going on over there ...? What'd I miss?"

"I really hope she doesn't break our enemy flipping spree," Megumi sighed.

---

Tonya squinted at the Rhea after it was thoroughly thrashed by the Riese Team. It wasn't exploding ... and that barrier wasn't showing up ... "Wow, is he still alive?"

"Please still be alive," Firmia said, her thoughts coming out on their own, "Hey!" She tried to reach Carlos again now that the Rhea was ... neutralized. At least it was still recognizable ... "Are you okay in there?" Firmia didn't mean to sound concerned for the man personally. Her only goal was to salvage the suit, and to meet the man that killed off her people and stranded her on the Riese. It wouldn't mean as much if she couldn't see him face to face.

---

"It'll be fine," Brant assured himself and Chris both, "and thanks again." All the while, internal accusations and lamentations echoed in his mind like cannonfire. Brant didn't know why he only ever seemed to get one of the little devils on his shoulder and not the opposing angel. It was either that or the nihilistic doppelganger. If not for his own scripted counters, there wouldn't be any positive take on what was happening, now. Simply put, it was very easy to put a negative spin on this, and at least part of him was taking full advantage ...

Answering Jessica's first question was one of the hardest things Brant had attempted within the last twenty-four hours. Agape, agape, agape ... "... you can talk to me whenever you want, Jess." It felt like giving out permission to run him through a couple more times, today. The knife was considerably thinner, at least. As for AIs, Brant felt like too much of a novice to even attempt something on Galatea's level--though he was making preparations to do just that. When it came to the fundamentals, he was right at home, and could probably help Jessica in some way if he could just stay positive. "We've still got a battle to win, here. Chris and I are just heading out to take care of it. Anyway, I'm ... not a master programmer-" Incredibly obvious with how things have turned out, Brant noted bitterly to himself, "but I'm learning." Dammit am I learning ... "Ask me whatever you want to ask me."

[Nanami Touko]

Godzilla!

"It's fiiiine, Roxanna. If she wanted to eat me, I'd be eaten. I'm gonna take a wild guess, that she's just following orders. And judging by how receptive she is to a nice, gentle hand, the people giving her orders aren't exactly nice. We'll get her patched up... I'll see how much she can tell me." It wasn't like Cheryl was vastly required for the Riese's success... And this got the alien away from Jess. Win win.

"You're Aly. It's, a nick name. A cute one." Cheryl replied, snickering as the alien opened her jaws, an scared the heck out of Sasha. Her teeth truly were terrifying, but beyond that, impressive. "Bet she can chew through steel with those," Cheryl shot at Megumi, relishing Sasha's reaction. "She's... An Alriana. That's her name, at least. I'm not really sure what her race is called, but, pretty sure we'd be having some intense headaches if one of the other aliens were here. Didn't the lieutenant report them as strong TKs? Aly's not really brain, mostly all brawn. Took a chunk out of the captain's arm... Turns out the captain's an android. Today's exciting, isn't it? As for why she's on my back and not going to the brig, well... With our track record, and some gentle coaxing, I figured we could avoid further issues. Working out so far." That had been so worth it. Godzilla? So worth it.

Direction

Jess was... So happy, to hear Brant saying this. Despite everything she'd done, they could still be friends? Really? "If..." Jess shuddered. "If this is too hard for you, Brant... If... If you never want to talk to me again, you can tell--"

"Stop right there, Bishop!" Chris wasn't having that, almost grumbling. "Brant's doing his best to talk to you with a smile. The least you can do is accept that... And do your best to talk back all the same. Yeah, it's hard for him. You hurt him pretty badly." Chris wasn't beating around that, even if Jess was like this right now. "Despite that, he's doing his best. So you do your best right back."

"... I... I see. I'm sorry... I..." Jess wasn't sure what to really say... But if that, was the case, she'd have to try, wouldn't she?

"Huh?" Jess was shook from her talk as someone had come to see her... One of... Megumi's helpers, right? "The alien... Uh... S-Sure... That's... Th-That's fine. M, My room, I... Would, like to go to m-my room..." She didn't want to act like this was fine, and just head into the hangar with a fake smile. She needed to be alone for a while, at least away from people. Trying to stand... She didn't have any trouble. Those same systems that were calming her down were keeping her stable despite how she felt, huh? What a useful system... Too useful. "I'll be... I can, uhm... Make it." She'd at least wait until the alien left, glancing over to the elevator. Doctor Hart sure had gotten chummy quickly...

"Alright, Brant... Uhm... How, h-how far, do you think... 'Jessica' goes? I... If I've been this, the whole time, and I didn't even know... Am I just, a brain in a jar? Am I like Hannah? Do I stop at some point, will I error out? I don't... I have too many questions..."

[Ursali]

"No. I'm Alriana," she corrected Cheryl, the explanation flying over her head. Something about a... cute name? Her codename, maybe? "Other name, 'Shark'." She watched the communicator intensely, waiting for a response from her new 'target'. "Not Sacarian. Stygusian," she answered, this time clarifying what the human male had asked. He must've been the Sasha that she was supposed to scare. He seemed distressed, to her at least, so hopefully she had done enough. She continued to listen to the conversation around her, deciphering it as best she could, but didn't hear anything else that she needed to correct so she was content to resume her silence. If they wanted her to talk they would just ask her to anyway.

[Shin]

One of Firmia's henchmen was broadcasting a request to avoid destroying Carlos' machine, supposedly for another one of Firmia's selfish schemes. He hadn't completely destroyed the machine, but keeping the damage to a minimum hadn't been his priority - nor was the fate of the pilot. He'd done it, he'd struck back at the foe who had crippled Nikolai... it wasn't a happy ending for anyone involved, but his shot hitting the Rhea had been satisfying. "My priority was disabling the enemy unit, optional advice was acknowledged." Tarquin replied, taking a degree of rebellious pleasure in the damage he'd dealt to the Rhea. For so long he'd followed orders to a tee, perhaps some more flexibilty and freedom would be something he enjoyed. He had one last message to make, although he wasn't entirely certain whether Carlos was alive to hear it or his communications were functional enough to receive.

"I'm not like the other clones, you weren't shot down by T-4... I'm Tarquin. Make sure Professor Liebenwalde knows that too." Tarquin said firmly, this wasn't something that he was commanded to do, this was something he actively wanted.

[TheRoon]

With all the chaos on the battlefield it was easy to lose track of things. Aliza had a hard time keeping up with her team, before she knew it another mech dropped at the amazing coordination. She was too busy trying to calm herself in the massive archer bot. 'Ok, relax...things are looking a bit bett-" Then came the call from Ensign Calvin that someone had boarded the Riese, which made Aliza's heart drop. Oh dear, she could have sworn they taught her something like this in a simulation back at the academy. But of course things were too frantic to find the answer to that. Regardless the same voice came back to assure the team no one was injured, at least not yet. To add to that the battle had to keep going. So many thoughts raced through her mind, like who was the one who boarded exactly. But nevertheless Aliza decided to do her best to put that in the back of her mind and turned back to the battle.

The Ganymede was in her sight, so she decided to take a shot at the red mech with her crossbow. '...keep the bow back just for a bit longer....' It was her trump card of course, wouldn't be right to reveal it now. Or rather that's the excuse she came up with, truth is nerves may be starting to get to her over the weapon and responsibility.

With the support of Firmia's Dual Beam Cannons Aliza darts off toward 21,18 and busts out a Beam Crossbow shot at Duane!

 

Edited September 14, 2018 by TheRoon

[scorri]

Shield, 15-20, big dick sword Fatima

[Nanami Touko]

Knowledge

Deep wounds? Why would he... No... "You knew?" Tristan asked quietly, a sudden anger welling up in him. "If you tell me you knew, Admiral... I'm afraid that all, despite all my years of training, I may lose, my cool. An alien attacked the ship, it was here for Jessica. If you... If you knew..."

Aliza putting in work!
(58% 10%)
(12% 6%)
All of my rage.
Aliza pumps Duane for 142 damage!
"Auughh... That's...!"
Duane fires back with the spray gun!
(85% 25%)
(87% 11%)
ALL OF MY RAGE
Duane misses!
Firmia comes in for the support attack!
(100!% 22%)
(33% 79%)
132 damage! That's exact!
Aliza gains +500 EXP, +6 will!
Aliza levels up! Shoot, Skill, Accuracy!
Firmia gains +225 EXP, +4 will!
Firmia levels up! Shoot, Skill, Accuracy!

"D... Dammit! I couldn't... This... This isn't over, Riese crew!" Duane activated his emergency energy reserves, smoking machine teleporting away in an instant. Today had been an absolute mess for Apoth...

"Wh-What? Carlos I can't, leave you here-- ahhh!"

Dig Bicking commencing!
(100!% 42%)
(37% 51%)
172 for the worried girl!
"Carlos, n-no! I'm nnnn... Not leaving you! Die you mother fuckers!"
Fatima swings into Astin!
(76% 23%)
(56% 4%)
"DIE! GET AWAY FROM HIM, AND DIE!"
68 damage through shield! Whoa nelly!
Astin gains +25 EXP, +4 will!
 

"Oof, nasty... Just, going to... Maximize your defenses, Hannah~"
Galatea casts Shield!

Edited September 15, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

Astin grimaced at the counter, before calling out over the coms to the angry pilot attacking them. "It's time for you all to get out of here. If you value your lives, go now while you're still alive! Tell the rest of your group what happened here, so they know the Riese isn't to be underestimated! Otherwise, it will be more of you dead wasting your time trying to kill us!" Instead of putting the sword away, they kept it pointed at his opponent, waiting for an answer.

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

Val nodded, pulling off her sweatshirt and draping it over Jessica's shoulders for now. "Your room makes sense. The XO has control of the bridge, she'll do the job that's needed for the rest of the battle, ok? We need to take care of you for now. Once the alien is gone, we'll go down." She was trying her best to not listen in too much to the conversations going on. She wasn't a part of them, it wasn't her place to know the worries going on. Even if the captain was an android... No. It didn't matter. She was still acting human, so Val would treat her as such.

Edited September 15, 2018 by scorri

[Xinnidy]

Knowledge

There was a clear pause when Tristan had come to his realization. Alphonse had the answer he sought for, but it also came at a cost. With the shock that had left the Riese crew, some of them would take an incredible morale hit. "I'm going to the Riese, immediately." He affirmed, "If you must know... I did." It was pointless to hide that. Jessica's perfect aptitude and her choice as the Riese's captain was no accident or gamble. "I am one of the few... was." And now he had some damage control to do. That didn't go as hoped... but the Sacarians were always a wildcard.

Shaken Up

"U-ugh... alright, doctor." Voicing her discontent with Doctor Hart's decision would be pointless at that point, so Roxanna just let the matter go. Why is the Riese crew... so this? That'd be a question begging for an answer another day. Right now, Roxanna had some captaining to do. She wasn't doing poorly so far! Well, aside from the glarimg miss on the Rhea, with heavy retaliation back. Details.

"Is it down? Somebody, keep track on damage to our weapons. We're receiving a barrier, but I don't know for how long it'll last." Somebody was going to have a field day fixing up the Riese later, that's for sure. I wish I could just...borrow whatever Jessica used to target these monsters, right now. At least most of the remaining Apotheosis units seemed to not be speed demons.

Popular Guy

Carlos couldn't understand it. This was Firmia Alkaev, girl he had been ordered to kill in a previous mission, trying to get him to surrender himself in. At least it wasn't death, but he was very puzzled by her motives. At least Tarquin's send-off message made sense, vengeance for his friend that was shot down. Carlos decided not to answer that one, let the boy satisfy himself in his achievement. Making enemies was natural in this type of job.

"I'm alive, better than my machine." Carlos responded to Firmia, quite simply. "Comms will probably stop working soon."

Meanwhile... "Fatima... please take care. I'm still alive. No matter what I still will be. Evacuate your machine soon. Please. Now that... was entirely up to her.

Another One

"Haah... that field is so annoying." Caroline sighed again, relieved it all went well. "Thanks for the follow up, uh... 'Merlin'? That's the code name showing up. Weird." Well, whether somebody just liked Arthurian lore or whatever pop culture that decided to mangle the whole thing wasn't really important right now, it was good enough to feel like part of the crew. "A-any idea on how to deal with these chunky guys? They look annoying..." Everything looked annoying... it wasn't like back when her worries were hunter planes and the odd Cressida.

Time for Plan Two

"G-guh... I can't believe the Riese was..." It certainly shook Makoto to hear the news, almost frozen in place. No! Bad! Amateur mistake, that gets you shot! He needed to keep moving, but in this frame, it was a bit harder. It certainly took some gunner training to get good with. It was high skill ceiling but low skill floor. Honestly, Makoto needed to accept he wasn't at the level to use it effectively yet. "I-I'm going to the hangar. Requesting a lift, will shift frames!" It wasn't like he needed mechanics to be there, with the switch process basically automated on the spot he liked keeping the Phalanx, but it was a plus. "Ah, q-question. Was the infirmary hit?" Makoto called the infirmary, hoping somebody would pick it up. He could at least figure that out now that he opened the channel.

Makoto boards the Riese, switches out for the ground frame!

Edited September 15, 2018 by Xinnidy

[Balcerzak]

Excellent. Everything was coming up aces for the Riese squad. Thorvald radioed Brant a quick acknowledgment after their tag-team effort did heavy damage on the snake machine. "Beautiful follow through, Merlin. Glad to have you by my side."

Another couple of attacks forced the crazed lieutenant to unleash all the machine's limiters in some last ditch effort, one which proved ultimately fruitless before the power of his squad's teamwork. It was Elaine who dealt the final blow, which hopefully would help to boost her confidence. He'd worried about that from time to time, but she'd never taken him up on the offer to run some practice drills, and he'd had so many other things on his plate that he'd not really had the chance to hound her about it after the first suggestion.

Makoto, though, had damn near given him a heart attack with his wild charge. Nobody could fault the boy's heart, but his machine was falling behind. Looks like he'd have to talk to Avery about spending some more time and resources on the thing. Whatever she'd done to upgrade Astin's sword was working wonders, after all.

Unfortunately, cutting down the snake didn't cause the rest of the body of troops to disperse. Nearly caught in a pincer between two groups of Apotheosis, disaster was somehow averted by Abigail's efforts, of all people. Thorvald had always had a bit of a wary opinion of her, but so far the concerns appear to have been ungrounded. As she held off the east, and the rest of the Louise takedown squad held off the west, unfortunately a third, barely noticed prong, shot straight toward the undefended underbelly of the Riese, in a bizarrely suicidal maneuver. Thankfully the bridge was quick to report back that the situation was under control, but things were still worrisome. Their allies were struggling, save for Alphonse's core, who were still managing alright, no need to divert course and try to stage a heroic rescue.

Instead he held back and played support on the east side efforts, forwarding data to those engaging the craft that had sped out to meet them. It took considerable effort, but the Ganymede was forced into a retreat, and catching up on the situation on the western front, it appeared another of the commander models had been disabled. More good news all around. Still, it seems Apotheosis morale refused to crack. Maybe an assault on their battleships would be necessary? It would also be only fair, after what they tried to do to the Riese. However, they'd need to punch a hole in formation first to get to them.

"Hannah, I'm gonna try to see if we can punch through that defensive line and get at their battleships, maybe that's what we need to do to rout them," he radioed over. "If you're free, mind giving me a hand on the designated target?"

Thorvald moves to 17,21 fires some rockets at Saturn 1 with Hannah support (beam smart gun)

Edited September 16, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

It was a lot to take in all at once, but since it instantly reminded him of Brant, the part about Jessica being an android stuck out for Sasha the most in that first couple of seconds. The ensuing laughter was inevitable. He'd just been talking with Brant last night about this woman and his problems with her. Now it turned out she was just a more convincing version of Hannah? If it wasn't so sad it'd be quality entertainment. Sasha could only guess how Brant would try and process this when he found out. He'd probably try to find some place to hand in his imaginary 'AI Expert' badge. The poor guy~

"I trust you know what you're doing," Sasha smiled cautiously at the video feed, "Just be careful." And keep some stygusian treats in your coat pocket ... "Nice to meet you, Alriana." ... sort of. Meeting the extraterrestrial lizard girl could have been less adrenaline inducing, but Cheryl just had to have her fun. That was fine. She knew how to keep things interesting in an otherwise boring day job.

Megumi meanwhile responded to Makoto's call. Being the good doctor and all, comms traffic there would be routed to her in situations like this, just as planned~ "The infirmary's fine, Makoto. So is your mother. They need you, so try to stay focused on the battle. I'll let you know personally if the situation changes." The timing of that information would be intentionally late, but hopefully that was enough to keep the boy's head in the game.

---

Was the man's comm system damaged? "Carlos, respond!" Firmia yelled at her own console. She let Marcia handle their momentary coordination with the Sagittae for the most part, but still managed a "Kill it!" when the time came for the Avalon to attack. Marcia was an exceptional gunnery officer. They had managed to keep up with Jessica of all people, which Firmia didn't think would be possible just starting out. Knowing what she knew now about the android, it was even more incredible. Still ... the Alkaev couldn't help but worry that the teams had hit the Rhea too hard. It wasn't even warping away like she feared it might ...

Thankfully Carlos responded, though apparently his comms were about to give out like the rest of the machine. "I can't risk your mobile suit blowing up in our faces," Firmia replied over the radio. "I'm sending someone to pick you up." Firmia wasn't willing to risk the Rhea going green and then nuclear on them, nor was she willing to risk Apotheosis swooping in to grab Carlos, first. That meant ... "Tonya," Firmia muted herself briefly, "Get to the Reign and go pick him up. Don't get close enough for that barrier to trap you inside. Have him come to you."

Tonya was shocked to say the least.

"If we move the ship over there we'll just take unnecessary damage AND if the Rhea explodes it could take out the Avalon." As much as Firmia hated to leave the Rhea itself just sitting there, they had to save salvage operations until after the battle. The only thing she could securely take aboard was Carlos, and only if they acted before Apotheosis. The Reign was the fastest mobile suit they had, and the only enemy unit left on the field that had a decent chance of knocking it out of the sky with Tonya piloting was the very machine they were waiting for the opportunity to salvage. It was now or never. "Go! Hurry!"

As Tonya got up and ran for the exit, Firmia unmuted herself.

"Carlos, I want you to carefully get out of the Rhea. I'm sending someone to pick you up now. I think it's the best chance you have of making it through this battle." That and not being whisked off by any nearby allies, but Firmia was trying to frame Carlos' survival and capture as one and the same. If she could do that, getting his full cooperation shouldn't be too difficult. The rest would be up to Tonya, though. Hopefully they could use drones for this sort of thing in the future. Having to pilot the Avalon herself in the meantime wasn't the Alkaev's idea of a fun time.

As she took over the controls from the captain's chair, Firmia directed Marcia toward the remaining Rhea. That was when it occurred to her that she should probably hold back, a little. 

Firmia activates Alert (8 SP) and attacks Fatima with the Dual Beam Cannons!

Tonya moves to the Hangar for plot stuff!

---

It was only surprising that Chris stepped in to straighten Jessica out until it happened. She always stepped in when she could have an impact, after all. It worked, too. Jessica got off her previous train of thought, that low self esteem railroad that practically begged others to shun and condemn her. Brant was past that. He had to be, especially now that her voice was no longer just a painful memory. Her questions were coming in rapid fire though, and that was presented its own challenge for him.

"Honestly?" Brant responded, unable to get his mind off the fact that his sense of Jessica had completely vanished momentarily. That spoke volumes about just how far her synthetic components went. It was a fair assumption that she was a completely cybernetic being, like Hannah or Galatea, only more convincing ... more advanced, obviously. It still didn't bother Brant personally, but that wasn't something that would be easy to cope with. It meant that her entire existence was a lie, if nothing else. "Not being able to tell where you are or how you're feeling ... that's my relationship with Hannah in a nutshell. You two might be the same on that level. I'm pretty sure I could sense a brain in a jar if that person was conscious, so ... ... mgh, I know it's not easy to hear, but I do think you and she have the same kind of ... infrastructure. No organic parts, at least not natural ones." This was way too cruel of a thing to be saying to her, but he wanted to be honest, too. Dammit ...

He wanted to slip in a 'congratulations, you're immortal!' or anything dumb enough and shocking enough to cheer her up ... just a little. It just wasn't in him, though. This wasn't the kind of grief he could fix or shorten by just trying to lighten the mood. It was probably only going to get worse for Jessica when Abigail found out, if she hadn't already. If she did know then there was probably another conversation happening right along side this one that was far from pleasant. "Regardless, though ..." Brant spoke again, hoping to offer as much support as he could to counter everything else going on, "nothing's changed in my view, alright? You're still Jess to me."

Crap, a Velite. Not a big issue on its own, but the Regalia couldn't just keep cruising around doing nothing, and the bigger threats in the area were definitely helping the bastard move about relatively unopposed. They could probably knock it out right here and now if they sent a missile at it. Brant timed the firing of that missile as best he could, so the Velite wouldn't have time to react and put a building between itself and its one way ticket to hell. "Got'em," Brant said, certain the missile would hit home as he fired.

Brant moves to 16,18, activates Strike (20 SP) and attacks Velite #3 with the Shield Launcher!

Edited September 16, 2018 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

Too Much Knowledge

"Dammit Alphonse!" Tristan slammed his console, causing some of the crew to turn towards him. He grit his teeth, sighing. One look at Roxanna, her surprise was still evident. He hadn't even told her... "Roxanna, the admiral knew. About Jess... This whole time." How many people at Central knew? What was this game plan? Whatever it was, it was blowing up in their faces.

Going Down

Cheryl pressed down, the lift taking them to the top floor of the ship in less than a minute. "Don't laugh too hard. She went into shock over it, and I'm probably going to get one hell of a visit later... You're taking all of this down right, Megumi? At least mentally? I don't know if we're going to report an alien to the world, but Vance is probably going to want to know why I'm carrying around a xenomorph." Luckily she didn't have a second... Well, actually... "Alriana, can you open up for me one more time?" Cheryl made to sure to get a good look back at her this time, as they headed out of the elevator. Whoever put the infirmary on the top floor was a genius. Between having to step over the girl's tail, and carry most of her body weight, Cheryl was glad for the short walk.

Inorganic Matter

There went the elevator... Time to wait over there instead. Jessica slowly made her way over as Brant tried to answer things. She didn't like the answers. "I... I see. I guess that makes me immortal," she tried to joke, but no laugh came after it. "But... I did, bleed. When I was... Bit into. Or I think, it was blood. It was red. Maybe it... Ahahhh... It was, probably coolant. Colored to... This is a mess..." Hopefully the doctor's assistant didn't mind her focusing on Brant, he was really her only grounding right now, with Abby so apparently busy. She didn't have someone to take over controls for her, so... Jess guessed that it made sense. This fight was a rough one.

"I might still be Jess, but I don't know what 'Jess' is, now. And I..." I'm not, saying that. She'd been about to suggest running back to him, rather, that she couldn't. And even putting it out there, it was too painful to consider. Especially with Chris involved in the picture now, she'd done enough damage. "I just don't want everyone to hate me. I don't want to have been an information breach. I don't... Want to be even more of a mistake, for this ship." The elevator dinged, opening up empty. Jess stumbled into it, leaning against the wall. "I need... I need to find out if I can, access programs. Or something. I need... To find out what's running. If I've been giving them anything..."

Makoto hops onto the Riese and scares the heck out of the mechanics! Don't get that damaged you little nerd! Ground frame go~

Thorvald rides forward and fires ze missiles!
(100% 8%)
(41% 69%)
26 damage for his troubles!
He is fired back upon, oh no!
(100% 7%)
(12% 91%)
A hit! 75 damage!
"Affirmative, assisting immediately!"
Hannah comes in next!
(100% 15%)
(25% 3%)
Nice shot! 76 damage!
Thorvald gains +35 EXP, +4 will!
Hannah gains +15 EXP!

Firmia gives Fatima some beam!
(100% 19%)
(1% 17%)
158 damage! yikes!
"DAMN YOU!"
Fatima fires back just to clear Firmia's alert!
Firmia gains +30 EXP, +3 will!

Brant fires a stray missile, for a stray enemy!
He used strike, bye bye Velite!
Brant gains +250 EXP, +7 will!
Brant levels!

"Brant, commencing attack pattern TBS! Follow my lead!"
"She actually takes it seriously, hahaha!"
"Ch-Chris, why are you laughing?"
"This is some anime bullshit!"

Hannah moves to 16,19, and tries to dice up some Saturn!
(100% 25%)
(77% 12%)
Oh no.
166 damage! Ow!
And his counter roll is (68% 24%)
That's a miss.
Hannah gains +30 EXP!
 

Edited September 16, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Ursali]

"Nice meet you," Alriana returned Sasha's greeting; even with her limited understanding of English, she could at least do this. Cheryl's request to open her mouth again confused her. Did she want to scare Sasha again? But all the same, she had more or less agreed to follow whatever orders they gave her, such was her lot in life. She opened her mouth wide again, displaying her rows of razor-sharp teeth and her long tongue for Cheryl to see. 

[Nanami Touko]

Enemy Phase / Turn 04

"No! No... I'm not, I'm not leaving you! You're all I have left, they're not taking you from me unless they kill me!" Fatima wasn't having any of what Carlos was saying, and to emphasize her point, the Rhea's free, clawed hand, dove its talons into the core of Carlos', wrenching the cockpit out of the rest of the system. She held it close to her machine's own, scowling down the boy who'd dared to bring his machine to its knees. "Doll! You're with me, we're killing him! Can you hear this, Tarquin!? You hurt Carlos! I'll kill you!"

"Affirmative..."
C3 moves down, takes a shot at Tarquin!
But he's alert, so she misses. Mwah mwah.
Tarquin fires back, full output!
(100!% 19%)
(3% 25%)
A clean shot! 174 damage!
Tarquin gains +15 EXP, +4 will!

"TARQUIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"
Fatima doesn't spare a second!
(81% 27%)
(27% 1%)
Tarquin Defends! Boy howdy does he!
Tarquin loses 1 will!

Hyperion #2 takes a shot at Legionary #3, who tries to evade!
(100,69)
Yeah that's evaded.

"Take aim at that larger machine. It seems to be one of their leaders. Main guns, fire!"
Raul doesn't like the cut of Thorvald's jib!
(82% 5%)
(89% 43%)
"Darn... Re-calibrate-- And brace for impact!"
Thorvald doesn't take too kindly to getting shot at!
(94% 0%)
(91% 58%)
133 damage and some burns in return!
Thorvald gains +40 EXP, +2 will!

Saturn 5 finds Abby's Heracles a rather interesting target!
(72% 13%)
(74% 22%)
Not close enough!
Abby snipes back!
(100% 12%)
(96% 61%)
Guess who's bad at math!
26 damage, will +2, +35 exp, yadda yadda

"Justice never dies, and neither will I!"
Kazue evades Saturn #8's incoming fire!
(33% 12%)
(56% 43%)
"遅い!"
Kazue gains +2 will!

The remaining right side saturns (6 and 7) both fire into velite 4!
Saturn 7 with its cannon!
(58,93)
Saturn 7 just hits! (61%)
No crit, but a walloping of damage! Valite 4 is toasted!
6 turns on the remaining velite!
(54,57)
Another packed punch!
166 damage! It fires back, for a piddly 10!

"Roxanna, incoming fire!"
Saturn 1 rocks the Riese!
(100% 16%)
(2% 4%)
226 damage, Roxanna, watch out!
She fires back!
(63% 9%)
(16% 72%)
She hits! Miraculously!
74 damage!
"Er... I, good shot, XO!"
Roxanna gains +35 EXP, +2 will!

Roxanna chooses to defend the rest of the saturns!
They can't miss!
(82,84)
85 damage!
Roxanna gains +1 will!
(51,50)
85 damage!
Roxanna gains +1 will!
(22,45)
85 damage!!!!
Roxanna gains +1 will!
The ship fires on the Riese, BUT SOMEHOW
ROXANNA
MANAGES TO EVADE IT!
(34%)
(62,69)
GOD BLESS
ROXANNA GAINS +1 WILL

Edited September 16, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Shin]

The combination attack between Fatima and one of her minions was something Tarquin couldn't take lightly. Evading and retaliating against the first was simple enough but the sheer speed and power behind Fatima's approach was tremendous. Either she'd studied his record or she was truly furious, a close quarters attack like that was something he could barely reply to. Forcing the Aria's shield in front of him at the last second, Tarquin felt the impact of the blocked blow. The entire cockpit shook, the screech of tearing metal ringing in his ears as the glaive's blade ripped against the Aria's shield and body in turn. It had been a split second decision to defend, but he was glad he had. The stingers wouldn't have done anything to halt the approach - and probably would have seen his end.

"Scheiße, das war viel zu nah für meinen Geschmack." Tarquin muttered, putting a little more distance between himself and Fatima. It wasn't Fatima was displeased with Tarquin's victory over Carlos, she was absolutely livid. Considering how he felt when Nikolai went down, such a response was to be expected. She'd done a number on the Aria too, he was picking up several damage alerts and system malfunctions - including his railgun's power supply. Fatima had made one mistake though, her attack had put her in a vulnerable position. He couldn't exactly engage her at this range but that couldn't be said for his allies.

"Take him back, I've gotten what I wanted from him. I'd be careful with how you treat dolls, sometimes we fight back." Tarquin replied, a strange sense of kinship tainting his smug response. Killing or maiming Carlos wouldn't do anything to help Nikolai and Louise was proof that vengeance could go too far. "Coming in close would be the best tactic to defeat me, but that would assume that I lacked adequate support. Chasing after a doll who shot down your friend might not be the cleverest, no?"

Tarquin smiled, he wasn't sure if he taunting her or trying to offer her advice, perhaps even both. The battle wasn't anywhere near from over, but he felt at peace. He might have been forced into his fate, but he was the one choosing to move forward through it.

 

 

 

 

[Xinnidy]

THE RIESE WAS CHUNKED BUT STILL LIVED GET BIG BRAINED

*ahem*

The bottom group is still hot on Alphonse's tail!
Cressida #13 moves to 27,4 and stabs at heavy #3!

Cressida #13 attacks!
Target: Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #3
Weapon: Heat Carving Knife
Final Hit: 95
Final Crit: 41
Roll: 63, 22
Heavy #1 defends!
Heavy #1 takes 78 damage!

Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #3 counters!
Weapon: Impact Gunlance
Final Hit: 54
Final Crit: 9
Roll: 8, 11
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 70

Cressida #14 fires at heavy #1!

Cressida #14 attacks!
Target: Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #1
Weapon: Beam Rifle
Final Hit: 56
Final Crit: 6
Roll: 28, 29
Heavy #2 defends!
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 32
Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #1's prevail activates!

Deimos #1 sets sights at heavy #1!

Deimos #1 attacks!
Target: Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #1
Weapon: Laser Gatling
Final Hit: 61
Final Crit: 26
Roll: 62, 33
Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #1's Prevail is active!
Whoa! So close!

Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #1 counters!
Weapon: Particle Cannon
Final Hit: 65
Final Crit: 19
Roll: 12, 71
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 108!

Deimos #1 is done for!

Deimos #2 moves to 25,6 and attacks Lucas!

Deimos #2 attacks!
Target: Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) (Lucas)
Weapon: Buster Sword
Final Hit: 54
Final Crit: 31
Roll: 8, 17
Hit!
Crit!
Heavy #2 support defends!
Heavy #2 takes 79 damage!

Lucas counters!
Weapon: Impact Gunlance
Final Hit: 68
Final Crit: 4
Roll: 28, 81
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 75

Phobos #1 fires at heavy #2!
 

Phobos #1 attacks!
Target: Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #2
Weapon: Laser Sniper Rifle
Final Hit: 79
Final Crit: 39
Roll: 28, 67
Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #3 support defends!
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 49

Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #2 attacks!
Weapon: Particle Cannon
Final Hit: 56
Final Crit: 9
Roll: 39, 52
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 83 (hi mel)

Phobos #2 is dead set on taking heavy #2 down too!

Phobos #2 attacks!
Target: Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #2
Weapon: Laser Sniper Rifle
Final Hit: 79
Final Crit: 39
Roll: 11, 78
Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #2 defends!
Damage: 52! Oh no!

Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #2 can fight no longer...

And that's the enemy phase!

NPC Phase coming soon to an edit near you!

NPC Phase / Turn 04

"E-everybody... Damn you, terrorists!"
Velite #2 does a suicide charge! 28,20!

Velite #1 attacks!
Target: Saturn #8
Weapon: Beam Saber
Prevail is active!
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 23
Roll: 86, 2
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 9! The Saturn's armor is too thick!

Saturn #8 counters!
Weapon: Wrist Beam Gatlings
Final Hit: 63
Final Crit: 27
Roll: 60, 30
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 60

"N-No..."
Velite #2 chose poorly...

"Uh, they're too many, I'll stay behind you guys." The legionary waddled to 17, 20.

Heavy #1 wants that Phobos down!

Velite Mk.II-M (Heavy) #1 attacks!
Target: Phobos #2
Weapon: Spread Missiles
Final Hit: 91
Final Crit: 1
Roll: 48, 67
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 15

All that they need to take down Phobos #2!

Heavy #3 moves to 24, 4, and waits! Rip post move weapons.

"Everybody, stay calm, we can do this!
Lucas repairs Heavy 1!
Heavy 1 recovers 42 HP!

"Tch, I can't stay here... but you guys can't handle this... unless."

Alphonse moves to 24,8!

Alphonse attacks!
Target: Deimos #2
Weapon: Beam Rifle
Final Hit: 81
Final Crit: 28
Double Image! (Roll: 66)
Roll: 68, 21
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 139

Deimos #2 counters!
Weapon: Pulse Kunai
Final Hit: 18
Final Crit: 0
Roll: 24, 3
Miss!

"That should even the field."

Player Phase / Turn 05

Battle Mastery acquired already!

Victory Condition: Defeat All Enemies!

Defeat Condition: The Riese is destroyed!

Doc!

Edited September 17, 2018 by Xinnidy

[Phoenix]

"Someday we'll all be able to look back at this and have a good laugh," Sasha wagered, "most of us, at least. That's assuming the rest of this fight goes alright ... huh?" Sasha saw Tonya rush into the hangar at mach speed. She rounded the corner on the walkway by kicking off of it and picked up speed again as she approached him. He almost didn't have time to react, just barely stepping aside as she came. "What's the ru-"

"Captain's orders," Tonya said as she leaped up onto the outer walkway rail and flipped high over Sasha's head. She landed on the inner rail as she cleared her confused obstacle. She hopped back down to the walkway on her next step and then kept on sprinting to the Reign. "Open sesame!" Yes, the AMS unit actually responded to that, its chest plate folding upward to let her through to the cockpit hatch.

Sasha supposed he'd better prep catapult A and not slow her down any further. "One sec, Cherie~ It's not getting bad out there, is it, Tonya?" He sent the signal to the elevator and it went into standby mode, waiting for the next MS to approach.

"Not yet, but we've got a chance to capture Carlos and Firmia's not passing it up." By the time she'd said that, the cockpit hatch had opened, and she disappeared inside. She was wearing her coveralls but not an actual MS flight suit, which meant all she would have for this brief sortie was her helmet, which she kept inside the cockpit most of the time.

From what Sasha had gathered, Carlos was the one Tonya had tried to distract while he and Firmia escaped to Great Lake Base. That wasn't long after the Black Swan went down. That made him that sniper that had caused the little Alkaev so much grief starting out. The Reign had run out of ammunition before anything could be designed, and had to high tail it out of there to make it back to the Riese before its fuel ran out. Wanting to grab that guy made sense; sending Tonya to do it was more questionable. Who was piloting the ship right now? Firmia? Sasha just hoped the captain could keep a level head, and not try to extract her revenge on an unarmed prisoner. Time to let the Reign out for some fresh air.

---

Sasha seemed occupied all of a sudden. And Cheryl was as happy to toss out old references as Megumi was. As for Cheryl's question, she had some ideas ... mostly old quotes now that aliens were firmly on the brain. "I know exactly what I'm going to tell him. 'She's a robot!' 'Bring back life form, priority one, all other priorities are rescinded.' And lastly, can I get a bonus for treating an alien without getting anyone else killed? I think I've earned it." No smiles or witty grins, Megumi was wearing her poker face like always. That was until they came across the disembodied head of Tiffany, again. Then she just winced. it would be funny ... if only it weren't so sad.

"Ugh, I can't take this anymore," Megumi shook her head, stepping over to the android and picking her up off the ground. They weren't just going to leave her there. The mechanics could ask around for the head after the battle. "Anyone ever tell you you look dead?" One more more to fully calm her nerves~

---

"Grrr ..." Firmia was afraid of that, one of Carlos' allies stepping into defend him ... and eventually pull him out of there. She couldn't let it happen, which was why she'd sent Tonya. The Reign wasn't meant for combat, and the armor they added to it while it was aboard the Riese wouldn't change that, but with Tonya piloting, it could easily stand up to a Rhea. "Tonya, hurry! Split those two up and bring back Carlos! Go! Open fire!"

---

"Heh, yeah." The joke had fallen as flat as Brant feared it would, but at least Jessica had tried. "Congratulations." Might as well fall flat together.

As she continued talking with him, there was something about the way Jessica was explaining herself, something that really irked Brant. The Velite going up in smoke didn't do much to balance out that feeling. It was just another enemy that refused to back down, getting exactly what they deserved. It only took a moment to link up with Hannah and unleash hell on the Saturn she'd marked for them, but it was still an intense moment, trying to do everything at once like this. Thinking on it though, fighting and having a serious discussion at the same time may not have been smart, but it was still working. Again it brought him back to his days of coaching Firmia through a fight while they were both being shot at. It always brought his survival time down a little but it also brought hers up. Even if it was a detriment in live combat, Chris seemed to be offsetting the danger a good deal for him. This was actually getting slightly easier. His shooting, even with missiles in high traffic environments was getting better. His accuracy in general seemed to be improving, too. And it definitely took skill to even attempt something like this in the first place.

Brant kept trying to figure out just what was bothering him about Jessica's remarks. It wasn't until she'd just about repeated a prior point that it finally hit him. "Jess ... I know Abby's important to you." His grip on the controls became a little too tight having said that, "but she's not the only person in the room. If you're worried about everyone hating you, stop. That's not a possibility. It never was, and you should know that already." In one respect it was just plain wrong, but in another it was an insult to everyone under her command. If Abigail was her whole world then where did that leave everyone else? This was the reason, this right here was why any chance he had of being with her was effectively gone. Even if Jessica wanted him and not her, it would just be more of the same. She would put too much focus on her partner, whoever they were, and together they would form a self centered black hole, a giant sink from which no agape could escape. Jessica couldn't seem to get far without reminding him of that, but he'd already resigned himself to getting shivved a few more times, today.

Jessica did have a very fair point about being an information breach, though. If she was an android, and all evidence suggested as much, it would be that much easier to incorporate programs and other gadgets into keeping tabs on the Riese. Firmia was probably half right, then; Jessica probably was one of the moles, but not intentionally. Brant should have suspected something along these lines when Louise started prodding him about his relationship troubles. Instead the danger and disgust had his attention, while for Firmia, it just confirmed everything for her. "If Apotheosis is using you to keep an eye on the Riese then we've got to figure out how to cut the connection, but you're not a mistake. Don't talk like that, anymore. Just ... see if you can find anything ... and be careful." Memories of Galatea and the traps she'd run into while retrieving the Alkaev journal sprang unbidden to Brant's mind, and he seriously hoped Jessica didn't have any system traps to deal with.

[Ether]

Some followup from Elaine and Tarquin, along with the Heion Riese... based on the trajectory of the shot, helmed by Roxanna... had been enough to take Carlos out of commission. Luckily enough, for Firmia at least, who had asked them not to destroy the Rhea outright, the machine hadn't exploded. Although, the other Rhea ripping the cockpit out of the other and carrying it about was worrisome, as was it then assaulting Tarquin at close range for a sizable chunk of damage. Brant's request would have to go on the back burner, here...

"Puppet! If you can make some space with your shield, I can... force that Rhea off of you! Just be careful!" Seung-Min noted, before opening a private channel to Thorvald, forwarding some data to him at the same time.

"Thorvald, do you see the Metis, there? It's got another clone of Christina inside of it... Brant wants to try and bring her on board in one piece... I'm a bit preoccupied trying to make sure Tarquin isn't turned into a... smoldering rubble, and you seem like the best choice for the job. What do you say?"

[Nanami Touko]

Referenced

So Alriana didn't have two mouths. Good. Good... No acid blood, no second mouth, her eyes looked relatively typical. Phew. No surprise xenomorph riding on her back.

"See you later Sasha... There is still a battle going on, I'm not surprised he's suddenly busy. Oh, are we doing that now? It's too bad things got resolved so quickly, I could've tossed out the ol', 'Get away from her you bitch'. Good thing Aly here is seeming more like a scared dog than an angry alien queen." A heavy dog, that was for sure... Almost there, at least. Cheryl didn't stop for Megumi to pick up the android's head, Tiffany staring at Alriana as the doctor passed by.

"[No one has ever told me that before. Is the situation safe, now? I cannot help but notice that the intruder is currently using Doctor Hart as a lift.]"

"Everything's fine, metal head~ She's as docile as a cat in a sunbeam, now. Just gotta... Hoof, get her patched up and talk." Too much tail... Slipping into the infirmary, Olivia turned around to see who was at the door-- and immediately pressed herself up against the back wall.

"Why is, that's, alien, whhhhhhh...!"

"Caaaaaalm, calm down, Bennet. She's not attacking anyone... Come on, Alriana, let's... Get you... There." Cheryl pulled herself over to one of the empty beds, turning and setting the alien down on it gently. She sighed, stretched her back, and groaned just a bit. "Whew! There's my work out for the day. Geez..." Adjusting her glasses, Cheryl went around behind Alriana, taking those cuffs off, giving her hair another gentle ruffle. "You're gonna be alright."

Everyone

"... Wh... Why are you bringing her up, again? I said everyone. I meant everyone! My whole, wh-whole world doesn't revolve around her being okay, or not okay, with me... I just found out everything I knew about myself is a lie, that I might be a camera, for the worst terrorist organization of our time, that I'm not, even human, and you think I wouldn't consider everyone hating me now!? Of course I would! Of course that's a real fear... On being some tool for Apotheosis alone... I can already imagine Firmia screaming her head off at me, and that's just her to start with. I... I'm..." Jess shrunk against the elevator wall, sinking to the floor as it started to go down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't... I shouldn't be yelling at you... It's just, real fear... O-Okay? There's... There's too much that I have to think about, think through. Too many people I have to talk to now, and tell them all... I'm not, human. I never was. I'm... Hhhhh..." The tears were coming back again, she didn't know what to do. Everything kept piling higher and higher the more she thought about it.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch...

There was that machine again, this time going after Tarquin. It had been a real thorn in their sides ever since it appeared at Corona Ten, and despite taking some heavy hits, it was still functioning. "Engaging the Metis! Provide backup if necessary!" Hannah readied the Mantle's new beam saber and charged forward!

Hannah to 14,18, takin' a swing
(43% 13%)
(8% 40%)
Wowzers
84 damage for the poor C3
And a knife to grow on
(100% 57%)
(51% 27%)
Wowzers!
146 in return for the poor robit
Hannah gains +25 exp, +3 will!

Dolljoints

"Shut up! You're not a doll, you photosynthesized fuck! Keep taunting me and we'll see how long your big talk lasts!" Fatima was furious, this child thought he was better than all of them, didn't he? "It's a real shame you're going to die here before you find out why your shit of a professor decided you weren't worth it. Less a doll, not even a plant, just garbage he couldn't clean up, huh!? I'll play janitor for this mess!"

Something to Cut

These larger models were something else! Their fire power, their armor, this sword wasn't going to do much against them... And that's when she spotted it. "Casson, I suggest a tactical withdrawal. My powers are needed elsewhere... Take care!" The Crescent's boosters shot into overdrive, rocketing her towards the base where Alphonse's group was stationed.

Kazue casts Accel and flies off to 25,8!
"追いつけるかな?"
Sword out, the Crescent springs into the air!
"竜神の剣を喰らえ!"
Double Image!
(18%)
It goes through!
(57% 29%)
(34% 20%)
38 damage, but it's more than enough!
With a swift dive back to the ground, the Deimos is no more, rendered in twain, as it collapses to the ground. The parts fall through the sky like cherry blossoms in spring...
"Admiral, I have come to assist. Point me at our foes!"
Kazue gains +300 EXP, +4 will!
Kazue levels up! "Humph, of course." +Melee, +Accuracy, +Skill!
 

 

Edited September 17, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Xinnidy]

スイッチ・オン!

Makoto gave the guys quite a scare, but thankfully he didn't need to worry about getting out of the Phalanx... right now. "Just patch up the exterior while the machine removes the frame." At least that could be done to a degree. The quicker, the better, though, and that left time for him to get a message from the infirmary...

"Hello?" A most familiar voice, his mother, was picking up on the other side. "Sonny, is that you?"

"Mom! Everything's okay over there, right? Nothing hurt you?" He quickly jumped to the questions, relieved to hear her voice before all else.

"Uh... there was some noise outside, something about infiltrators... the doctor was trying to get the girls ready for something, but I wasn't paying too much attention." Mai hummed, calm and oblivious on the other side of the line. "I guess I should try to help too. Did I mention it to you? I just got out of my wheelchair today! I can't wait to pester you." She joked, "What about you, are you holding up fine? No going ahead of everybody and getting yourself in dan-- oh, my god?"

"R-Right. I'm doing just fine?" He bit his lip, "Mom? What was that?"

"I... I'm gonna have to get back to you later, Makoto. Uh, something... big, they're bringing something over. I'll talk to you later?"

"M-mom?!" That was so sudden... what was that all about? The infiltrator was neutralized... maybe they were being sent to the infirmary? Took too many bullets? "Ugh, I can't really worry about that, I just hope it's nothing important." And just as he finished worrying, the new frame was already properly attached on the Phalanx's outer core. Timely.

"I'm off! Full power ahead!"

Makoto casts invincible, moves to 13,19 and attacks Saturn 1 with All-Out Assault!

---

"H-help me out here! You're good with that rifle, right? I'll distract this guy for you!"

Caroline to 17,16, attack Hype 5 with Head Gatlings(supported by Tarquin high precision rifle!)

---

Rolls up! (with phone formatting rip)

Makoto so brave! Targetting Saturn #1!

Weapon: All-Out Assault! Final hit/crit: 100/42

Roll: 85, 100. Hit and no crit!

Damage: 69

Yup, he's donezo!

Makoto gains +400 EXP, +5 Will!

Makoto levels! +1 skill, defense and avoid!

 

Caroline's time!

Target: Hyperion #5! Weapon: Head Gatlings

Final Hit/Crit: 94/10 Roll: 67, 43

Hit and no crit! Sacarian Sphere reduces damage to 0!

Hyperion #5 counters! Weapon: Over Cannon

Final Hit/Crit: 91, 15

Roll: 39, 81

Hit but no crit!

Damage: 125

"Aaah!"

Tarquin provides support fire!

Weapon: High Precision Rifle

Final Hit/Crit: 100/43

Roll: 43, 7

Hit and Crit!

Damage: 120! Oof!

Caroline gains +80 exp, +2 Will.

Tarquin gains +15 exp.

Edited September 18, 2018 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

Turned

"Dammit... Raul, we're sending out the machine the Sacarians gave us! We're getting over run, Fatima isn't going to last much longer!"

"Wait, no, they're supposed to be our trump--"

"Launching!"

Without a moment's hesitation, a machine flew out of the secondary Chaldene's launching bay. A white, blue and gold creation, floating almost magically above the battlefield. It made no efforts to begin attacking the Riese's forces, simply turning back to face the Chaldene. "Work like you're supposed to, Vvi! Maybe the cats will let you off if you do a good job here!"

Vvi spawns on 15,19... As an ally?

[sweet podado]

Their first mistake was entrusting her with a robot of her own.

Their second?  Entrusting her in the care of these feeble humans.

Vvi, for all intents and purposes, just couldn't go through with the orders she was given.  Why you ask?  Well, simply put: she was not theirs to control.  The bloody cats were nowhere to enforce these orders, and as she turned to face the Chaldene, her only thought to go through her mind was:

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

At their attempt (weak mind you) to order her around, Vvi simply laughed.  It was grand, it was boisterous, a whimsical yet sardonic display of emotion as she grinned while aiming her lance at the bridge of the Chaldene.  

"Sorry dears.  When the cats are away, this little spider comes out to play~."

She felt the power surge, she watched with manic glee and patiently waited for their reactions.  Although, as the charge of the beam was completed, she simply blew a kiss to the ship, wink and all.

"Tata for now~.  RHONGOMYNIAD!"

She watched with outward delight as the beam hit its target, shouting the rest of the way before laughing once more at the destruction in hand.  Still watching her lovely work, she started to contact one of the nearby "enemy" robots, the closest one to her.  Gently tapping on the communicator thingy, she smiled brightly, hoping they were all seeing her handiwork.

"Yes, hello?  Can you lovelies hear me?" she asked, meanwhile the bridge was still exploding in the distance.  "Vvi reporting for duty!  Before you ask, I will say this: I have deep rooted hatred for the Sacarians.  I am allying myself to your cause because it benefits me more.  Also, I feel like humans are much more fun to play around with~," she said with a sing song tone in her voice.  

"Hopefully we can get along, hm~?"

[scorri]

There was a brief moment, ever so brief, when the new mech flew out of the battleship, where Astin found themselves tensing for battle, reforming the long dangerous blade they had used so effectively so far this battle. This new combatant was dangerous, and was without warning right next to the Ceres. A foolish mistake if they were attacking but as Astin was bringing the blade back, preparing to swing, they hesitated. The stranger was pointing their weapon back at the ship they had exited. What was going on here? It had to be a trick, but suddenly a brilliant flash of light blinded them, causing Astin to stumble the Ceres back half a step.

Vision cleared, and where once there had been two battleships, now only one remained, the other dust and molten rubble. Opening a com link to the rest of the crew, Astin commented, "Unless they're putting on one hell of an act, I think this one is on our side now..." As they ended their communication, a new one crackled open. The somewhat expected call came, marred only by the few comments at the end. Humans... Like she isn't one. Not responding to her immediately, Astin called back out to the Riese and allied robots, "... It's another alien. Not a cat apparently but... She wants to ally with us. I'd classify her as friendly but still dangerous just based on what she's said so far." This human isn't going to be so easy for you to play with.

Still, they couldn't just keep ignoring her. Responding back to her, they answered as evenly as possible, "Hello Vvi. That was an impressive display you put on there. While I can't speak for sure for us, I'm sure the others would echo my thanks in removing that danger. You are welcome to fight with us for this battle, though I suspect there will be plenty of people wanting to ask you questions after this. I hope we can get along as well. I wouldn't want your playing with us to ruin a potentially wonderful relationship after all."

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

This was rapidly turning into one of the more awkward elevator rides of Val's life as the captain was having a breakdown over the radio to one of the pilots. She couldn't help but listen, hearing the pain and worry in her voice, and feel like she was so far out of her depth here. Cheryl was the one who needed to be here but she was off playing xenologist with the alien. Leaving Val to be the one there for Jess. Well, the one in person. It sounded like whoever she was talking to was helping but also hurting. As the doors to the elevator dinged back open, Val offered the captain a hand up from where she had sunk down against the wall. She didn't expect it to be taken, but maybe small gestures would help. She had to say something, right? But what? And besides, the captain was busy talking to someone so it would be rude to interrupt...

Edited September 18, 2018 by scorri