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


Nanami Touko
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Astin grimaced as the new alien charged in, following up on the barrage from further away. "Tsk, yeah, ok. I don't want to distract her but..." Pulling up their communication again, Astin quickly typed out a message.

[Vera, get out of there and come meet up with us. Even you can't fight against that many people by yourself. We need you, please.]

Glancing back up, they shook their head. "There are too many people focusing on us and her... I wonder though... Heh. This might work, hang on."

[Thorvald... Please, help. Be careful. Avery, she kidnapped me! I was trying to get in the Ceres and she tricked me! Please... You can't shoot us down...]

"Time to see if 'Papa Bear' really cares as much as he says he does."

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Abigail casts Focus![-15SP]

Abigail moves underwater, and readies a gift for their feline intruders!

Quote

Abigail attacks!
Weapon: Pulse Kunai
Target: Praxis Gamma #8
Final Hit: 55
Final Crit: 12
Roll: 48, 20
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 65! 20 EN damage!

Praxis Gamma #8 has no effective weapons to counter with!
"..."

Abby gains +50 EXP, +2 Will!

That turned out fairly well for Abby!

ENEMY PHASE/TURN 1

"Hmmm... I suppose I should show them how serious we are. Men, continue to dismantle their machines, Gaal'Bathy, fetch my pet. And you, metal woman, controlling this sinking vessel. I suggest you do not take me lightly!"

Soor'Kan aims at the Riese! Oh dear!

Quote

Praxis Alpha (Soor'Kan) attacks!
Target: Heion Riese (Jessica)
Weapon: G-B.R. Prototype 1
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 14
Roll: 79, 50
Damage: 139! Whew!

Jessica counters!
Weapon: AA Missiles
Final Hit: 100!
Final Crit: 11
Roll: 65, 66
Damage: 62

Jessica gains +130 EXP, +2 Will!

"Ugh...! That, blast was... Stupid barrier, someone get down there and check on these engines!" With so much to oversee, Jessica had her hands tied.

---

The slimmer Praxis units move!

Praxis gamma #1 moves to (11,18) and fires at Caroline's Legionary!

Quote

Praxis gamma #1 attacks!
Target: Legionary Mk.IV-M (Caroline)
Weapon: LB Beam Rifle
Lucky Roll: 49
Lucky fails. Lucky chance up to 2%.
Final Hit: 88
Final Crit: 12
Roll: 32, 27
Hit!
No Crit.
Caroline defends!
Damage: 49

"T-that range, I wasn't ready..."

Caroline gains +1 Will.

Praxis gamma #2 moves to (10,14) and readies its sword to fight the Fury Arachnid!

Quote

Praxis gamma #2 attacks!
Target: Fury Arachnid (Vvi)
Weapon: Plasma Cutter
Final Hit: 8
Final Crit: 17
Roll: 61, 97
Miss!

Vvi counters!
Weapon: Lance Rush
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 28
Roll: 21, 14
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 96

Vvi gains +40 EXP, +4 Will!

Praxis gamma #3 moves to (8,13) and fires at Vvi as well!

Quote

Praxis gamma #3 attacks!
Target: Fury Arachnid (Vvi)
Weapon: LB Beam Rifle
Final Hit: 20
Final Crit: 2
Vvi chooses to evade!
Final Hit: 10!
Roll: 35, 66
Close, but no cigar.

Vvi gains +2 Will!

Praxis gamma #4 moves to (6,16) and fires at the Riese!

Quote

Praxis gamma #4 attacks!
Target: Heion Riese (Jessica)
Weapon: LB Beam Rifle
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 3
Roll: 78, 99
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 73

Jessica counters!
Weapon: AA Missiles
Final Hit: 100!
Final Crit: 12
Roll: 3, 22
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 95

Jessica gains +50 EXP, +2 Will!

Praxis gamma #5 moves to (7,16) and fires at Caroline! Uh-oh!

Quote

Praxis gamma #5 attacks!
Target: Legionary Mk.IV-M (Caroline)
Weapon: LB Beam Rifle
Lucky Roll: 4
Lucky fails. Lucky chance up to 3%.
Final Hit: 88
Final Crit: 12
Caroline chose to defend!
Roll: 41, 16
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 49

"A-ahhh, I'm holding on, just. Hmm..."

Caroline gains +1 Will!

Praxis gamma #6 moves to (12,17) and furthers the dream of making the Riese sink.

Quote

Praxis gamma #6 attacks!
Target: Heion Riese (Jessica)
Weapon: LB Beam Rifle
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 3
Roll: 22, 85
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 73

Jessica counters!
Weapon: AA Missiles
Final Hit: 100!
Final Crit: 12
Roll: 28, 3
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 152! Whew!

Jessica gains +50 EXP, +2 Will!

Praxis Gamma #7 moves to (11,19), fires at Caroline as well! Oh my days!

Quote

Praxis gamma #7 attacks!
Target: Legionary Mk.IV-M (Caroline)
Weapon: LB Beam Rifle
Lucky Roll: 44
Lucky fails. Lucky chance up to 4%.
Final Hit: 91
Final Crit: 12
Roll: 24, 22
Oh no!
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 82

Caroline counters!
Weapon: Head Gatlings!
Final Hit: 55
Final Crit: 3
Roll: 23, 3
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 27

"I-I think systems are failing..."

Caroline gains +60 EXP, +2 Will!

[Part 1/3]

Edited by Xinnidy
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[Part 2/3]

Praxis gamma #8 holds position, as the former pivot, and swings at Vvi for being too close!

Quote

Praxis gamma #8 attacks!
Target: Fury Arachnid (Vvi)
Weapon: Plasma Cutter
Final Hit: 28
Final Crit: 17
Roll: 97, 14
Definitely a miss!

Vvi counters!
Weapon: Turbo Smasher Punch
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 33
Roll: 37, 39
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 67

Vvi gains +40 Exp and +4 Will!

Praxis gamma #9 is raring to go to (9,13) and duel the Fury as well!

Quote

Praxis gamma #9 attacks!
Target: Fury Arachnid (Vvi)
Weapon: Plasma Cutter
Final Hit: 43
Final Crit: 17
Roll: 28, 40
Hit!
No Crit.
Damage: 122

Vvi counters!
Weapon: Turbo Smasher Punch
Final Hit: 100
Final Crit: 33
Roll: 85, 27
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 123

Vvi gains +40 EXP, +1 Will!

Praxis gamma #10 moves to (5,18) and you know what, let's fire at Caroline as well. Not bullied hard enough.

Quote

Praxis gamma #10 attacks!
Target: Legionary Mk.IV-M (Caroline)
Weapon: LB Beam Rifle
Lucky Roll: 40
Lucky fails. Lucky chance up to 5%.
Final Hit: 88
Final Crit: 12
Caroline chooses to evade!
Final Hit: 44!
Roll: 98, 85
Miss!

"One for four..."

Caroline gains +1 Will!

Gaal'Bathy has thirst for blood and Alriana's name on her blade!

Quote

Gaal'Bathy attacks!
Target: Almydis (Alriana)
Weapon: Adamantium Claw
Final Hit: 28
Final Crit: 53
Thorvald is in position to defend!
Roll: 7, 9
Thorvald takes the hit!
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 64!

Alriana counters!
Weapon: Rapid Fire Pistols
Final Hit: 78
Final Crit: 37
Roll: 26, 22
Hit!
Crit!
Damage: 69!

Alriana gains +70 EXP, +2 Will!
Thorvald gains +2 Will!

"I'm going to TEAR you out of that machine!"

---

"... I know. This is truly embarrassing. Retreating towards your position."
The Luna moves to (18,19)!
Ceres moves to (13,14)!

Edited by Xinnidy
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[Part 3/3]

PLAYER PHASE/TURN 2

"Long range scanners... What now!? More reinforcement-- these IDs are ANF, what's--" This was puzzling. Despite being ANF, these IDs matched none in Jess' database, just who could they...

Speeding across the ocean towards the Riese's engagement, several Velite Mk.III models skimmed across the water. Their leader, heavily outfitted, gun and sword at the ready, sported a grey paintjob, and a skull & crossbones across the chest. "Come in, Jess the girlfriend stealer!"

"Wh-Wha? Wait, then you're--!"

Calina growled over the comms, trying to bite back her frustrations. "On good faith that you're keeping her safe, I've decided not to bomb the fuck out of your little dingy today! But when this mess is over, if I don't get to see Abby, your head's rolling, do you understand!?"

Jess couldn't hold back her smile. Reinforcements, now, even if it was the most unexpected of people. "Of course! Abby's on the field right now, the modified Heracles model, you can talk to her all you want, just help us out of this mess!"

"You're having her fight Apoth in that!? What the fuck!?" Calina blamed Jess, but it was probably Abby's fault, the girl was way too attached to that machine. And if it was the same one... "Abby, we're here." Codes punched in, hopefully the message sent. "I've really missed you, I love you, and when these fucks are dead, I've got so much I need to talk to you about. Stay alive, you hear me!?"

Hilling had a slight bit of a smirk on his face. Calina was certainly a far cry from her momentary crisis of confidence the other week, Sena's information had been just what she'd needed to hear. Even with the added... complications. In any case, he was glad they hadn't needed to go through with that discussion they'd had, of passing the mantle of leadership, and that she'd bounced back stronger than ever. And Sena too, had certainly come away with a bit more cheer. Sure she spent a little more time on that whatever-it-was game, paying back some promise or something she'd said, but she seemed to be enjoying herself there as well. Maybe she'd branched out and made another friend, in the course of her investigations.

"All right people, eyes on the prize here, before saving Abby from these ANF jokers, we gotta save them from these crazy c--" Hilling cut off his quip mid-syllable as the radar signatures showed one of the craft abruptly vanish, and then almost immediately reappear, right in their vicinity. "Oh hell," he swore, kicking into action as he saw it begin to draw a bead on Sena. "Look alive folks!"

"Yes, I hear you loud and clear." It was almost monotone, Soor'Kan's response. The Praxis had warped from its original position in front of the Riese, now facing down Calina and her small group of machines. "And I tire of these antics. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to deal with some of you myself." Before the woman could react, Soor'Kan's rifle was already painting a target on Sena's machine--

Like hell I'm gonna let you hurt her after everything she's already suffered. Hilling punched it, hurtling to intercept, push her out of the way or help to cover her. But the angle was bad, or the enemy's weapon was just too strong, and warning klaxon immediately filled the cockpit, before the electronics powering the alarms failed, fried, and everything was replaced with utter silence.

...

..

.

One violet blast of energy was all it took, the mass produced model unable to withstand such an unguarded beating. It ruptured, caught fire, and while it was falling to the ocean, exploded mid-air.


Calina sat frozen, staring at what had just occurred. "H... Hilling, you..." He wasn't picking up, his vitals were offline, that... N-No...! "YOU, MOTHER FUCKER!"

Calina's Will increases by 30 points!

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"You may try." Soor'Kan scoffed.

"R-Rob... ert..."

Sena's Will increases by 50 points!

26e0a5547e.png

OBJECTIVE: Defeat All Enemies!

BATTLE MASTERY: Reduce the Ceres to below 500 HP by the end of turn 3 Enemy Phase!

DEFEAT CONDITION: The Riese is sunk, or, all player units are destroyed!

Jess interfacing: Turn 2 of 3.

Stats!

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And the ship was shaking. Again. As long as they weren't hit too hard, or at a bad moment, Megumi was still confident she could save Christina. Still, with the ship under fire, it might be best to ride out the battle before doing anything delicate. Christina was going into the SIEG tank now; no backing away from that if they wanted to avoid complications, but between the gentle but very noticeable swaying of the Riese in the ocean waters and whatever the hell just hit them, any delicate procedures could lead to fresh injuries.

It only took a moment to move Christina over to the SIEG tank and place her inside. Megumi quickly set the patient up with a breathing mask, securing it, and then starting the main sequence. "Try to relax," Megumi instructed, closing up the tank as the lukewarm SIEG solution began to gently flow into the capsule, "You're probably going to have some visitors when you wake up, so just look forward to that."

That was it, then. Once Christina was fully submerged, she would be fully anesthetized--via her breathing mask--and her wounds would begin to heal. Without that surgery the doctor had planned, the healing would be somewhat limited, and the severed tissues and scarring would run deep, potentially affecting Christina's muscles and internal organs. "I'll just have to be careful," Megumi murmured to herself, opting to start the surgery now rather than putting it off. She was on the clock now that the SIEG was involved. "Captain, it's Doctor Amparo. Christina's out of immediate danger, but I need to operate on her if she's going to make a full recovery. A blood transfusion might also be necessary, but if it's possible, could you ... I don't know, send me some kind of warning if you think the ship is about to take another hit? A blinking light or something? I don't want to add to her injuries."


Having to watch the Riese take a direct hit from the Sacarians while the shields were offline was frustrating, almost as frustrating as seeing the Luna start its retreat toward the larger group of enemies. Was anything going to go right today? Anything at all? ... anything? Firmia could only hope that the ANF machines approaching were ready to assist, but she quickly realized that if not for some very bad timing, they could potentially be fighting them instead. The back and forth over the open channel was ridiculous. "They're Abigail's old team? And a girlfriend? What's ..."

Firmia quickly opened a direct line to the Regalia. "Brant, tell me you're hearing this!"

"Wish I wasn't," Brant coolly replied, "but at least they're on our side."

For now, Firmia shook her head, the thoughts in the back of her mind putting together a somewhat grim picture of the aftermath of this battle. "It's not that simple, especially not for me. Keep focusing on the Luna for now-"

Soor'Kan had moved from the Riese to Abigail's crew in the blink of an eye, and Firmia had just enough time to focus in on the exchange before one of them was completely destroyed. Firmia felt several different emotions in herself in that moment, chief among them, disappointment. These people came out of nowhere and the first thing they do is lose one of their own, along with their composure. The fact that they had ANF machines could only mean one thing, that they were stolen, stolen and then joyridden out of an ANF base somewhere amidst smoke, rubble, and dead soldiers. They came to strong arm or fight the Riese, not the Sacarians, so they weren't really allies, and they certainly weren't ready for the struggle they had just barged into.

"We need to be quick here ..." Brant's voice came back over the bridge's comms.

"Do not go over there. The only ones we're protecting are the Riese and ourselves." Firmia leaned back in the captain's chair, frustrated. An admittedly dark thought came to her: Wouldn't it be convenient if Soor'Kan shot them all down but took too long, giving her side the advantage? It was extremely unlikely, and better for these people to survive for now and dilute the enemy's fighting strength, than for Soor'Kan to sink the Riese. If some of them did survive that monster, Firmia knew that they still had a new issue to deal with. She had to get a head start on this, somehow. "Jessica, Stephanie, it's the captain. Galatea's busy right now so I need you two to connect to our sensor network and the ANF's database and try to figure out where those ANF machines came from. If I could get the name of the base they were stationed at and any news from there ... that would be nice." She ended with a heavy sigh and turned her attention back toward the battle. "We're not letting the Luna escape," she addressed her own MS teams, "Run her down so we can finally end this."


Focus on the Luna. There was so much more going on, though. Still, Brant didn't have the slightest inclination to help out their so called reinforcements. Unlike Firmia, whom he figured was going to complicate things over the stolen mobile suits, unlike her, he'd been on Colony One himself. He knew what kind of destruction these people were partly to blame for by teaming up with Vera and Apotheosis. And for what, to hurt the ANF? Moreover, from the sound of things, they were here for Abigail, and to shoot down anyone that got in their way. Brant was working strictly on orders right now, so unless the situation changed dramatically, their reinforcements would have to find a way to deal with Soor'Kan on their own.

As Brant moved the Regalia to intercept and attack the Luna again, he realized something. He'd been here before. Colony One. There was the Luna, and Vera trying to escape now that things had turned against her. There was Seung-Min, fighting like hell to prevent it. There was Hannah, determined to bring Vera down, bare hands if necessary. There was the Riese, so close but so far and unable to render full assistance. Jessica was in there. Abigail was out here in the ocean. And there were her people, the ones that had teamed up with Vera initially. It really felt like the cast was all gathered here for one last encore. "Heh ... we've come full circle. Need to get it right, this time."

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Tumbling Down

One of Calina's allies was immediately turned to dust, Jess gritting her teeth at the sight of it all. What a massive mess, were they even going to get out of this? Soor'Kan had even put a significant gouge into the bow of the ship, any more... "Rerouting power to automated repairs, Vvi, sending you a shield-- Megumi, I'm going to try and stabilize the ship's gravity fields in that area around the infirmary, it should stop any shaking if we get hit again-- Yes, I know we're not in space, turn the damn things on anyway!" Jess was playing chess with too many opponents right now, still keeping the ship's guns trained on any more incoming targets. And Abby... I have to focus, but if her friends actually all die...

Jess uses Vigor x2, Trust on Vvi!

Model Numbers

"Firmia," Hannah chimed in on the channel, sounding... A bit odd, but not distressed, "I've been through the ANF's database. No idea on where they were taken from, but they were definitely stolen; those are Velite Mk.III models, Seung-Min's machine is the prototype for their design. They weren't ready for mass production yet... So these must be test models, or otherwise prototypes that were taken and refitted for their purposes. The lead machine also looks heavily modified, though I cannot tell how exactly, at a glance... They should all posses similar output to Seung-Min's machine, her special systems aside." Which meant that if she'd taken that sort of blast head on... What terrifying power.

Hannah had to focus, Vera was trying to get away again, Colony One's mistake was not going to be made again. "Galatea, full evasive systems."

"I'm already on them, but what's with your voice--"

"Vera! You're not running again!"

Galatea casts Alert!

"You're damn fucking right she isn't! Get back here you bitch! Brant, if we're running in with Hannah to do any coordinated bullshit, I want full control of the funnels! I'm putting my abilities' worth into taking this monster down."

Chris casts Analyze on Vera!

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It had happened in the blink of an eye. One moment she had been blasting the Ceres with acid and the next she had been staring down death. Vvi had been assaulted by a small gang of Sacarians, giving Gaal'Bathy a straight shot at the Almydis; if Thorvald hadn't stepped in when he did, Gaal'Bathy would already have her prize. "Thank you, Papa Bear". She would have to be even more careful moving forward; alternatively, she could just glue herself to the Odin as long as Thorvald didn't mind. "You, can try. But you will... fail."

Aside from the relief that came with Soor'kan getting farther away from her, she didn't really care about the new reinforcements. One had already been blown to bits by the aforementioned homicidal space cat; if Alriana didn't know just how powerful the Praxis Alpha was, she would have assumed them to be a bunch of incompetents. Instead, they were just unfortunate cannon fodder. It was a shame, but she wasn't getting anywhere near that mess... At least, not until the other cat was off her back.

Edited by Ursali
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Those machines were certainly something. Seeing a model so similar to one of the ANF's ace units go down so quickly was sobering to be certain, but they couldn't let that hold them back. After all, if the Heion Riese went down here, the Avalon itself would be stranded, and likely quick to follow, even if the flagship's demise didn't almost certainly doom their chances against Apotheosis and these aliens overall. They'd just have to show their own display of force, and taking out the Luna like Captain Alkaev desired was a fine way to start.

"All weapons trained on the Luna and ready to fire at your command, Captain." 

Marcia casts Strike

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What a right mess... the ship was getting pounded something fierce, and it was nothing more than a sitting duck at that point. "We need them to pull our weight..." Roxanna was truly antsy. What was taking the Avalon so long...? The Luna, right. That monster right there. With their numbers, They would need all the support one more time. "Disable it quickly! We need you here!" Maybe Hannah still needed some help predicting its movements...

Roxanna attunes Hannah! [-25SP]

"That mech is very durable. We'll need to use our heavy guns!" Gordon assessed.

"Probably... hmm." The whole picture was a bit puzzling to Edson, "You see it? They're trying to rendezvous with the unit that escaped the Riese... it's parameters seem entirely off from our data. It shouldn't be able to fly. Let's fix that."

Bonner analyzes the Ceres (Marianne)! [-20SP]

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"You are not getting away!" While Kazue would much prefer to charge after their escaped traitors, the thought of defeating such a powerful enemy swordsman was definitely heavy on her mind. This would strike a heavy blow to Apotheosis, and she couldn't think of a better use of her strength!

Kazue casts Accel and Sense, chasing after Vera to 17,19!
(100!,17)
(8,3)
:AUGERY:
Hit
Crit!
174 damage!
Vera swings back, but misses!

Being driven into a corner by the ANF's most advanced prototypes was one thing, but being bested like this, it was driving her mad. No more. No more! I'm not losing here, to some unknown in a remodeled grunt suit! NO MORE!

The Luna's systems shot into overdrive, Kazue getting a boot straight back into the ocean, as the machine practically began to radiate energy.

"Alright, then! You want me at my best, you have me! Face me you government dogs, I'll put you down one by one!"

Vera casts Drive, Focus, and Valor!

Kazue gains +180 EXP, +4 will!

"Gladly!"

Hannah transforms and flies to 19,19, before flipping back into MS mode and swinging hard on Vera's flank!
(100!,13)
(86,83)
Hit!
99 damage!
Vera swings back, and misses again!
"Damned, android-- too fast, ugh..!"

Hannah gains +170 EXP!
Hannah levels up! +4 Skill!

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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"Thank you, Captain." They were cleared to operate. If the infirmary wasn't going to be shaking like a maraca then it came down to the doctor and the SIEG tank's own instruments, and both of those were as good and ready as they could be. "Bennet better get back here soon. I'm going to get set up and close these wounds, Tambre. Be ready for anything."


"Huh?" Firmia was expecting to hear back from Jessica or Stephanie, or maybe even Galatea. Instead she heard a familiar but lower pitched ... Hannah? Like usual she unconsciously set to work on that oddity in the background and just focused on the information Hannah was giving her. Apparently these machines were sister units to the Artemis, none truly identical. It probably wouldn't matter if Soor'Kan was just going to blow them all away, but in case the Sacarians didn't win this, it was useful intel.

"Thanks, Hannah. Alright, new orders for you two," Firmia addressed Jessica and Stephanie, "Search everywhere. News articles, satellite data, casualty reports. Find any ANF bases that weren't hit by Apotheosis and send them to my console."

And then it sort of just clicked ... Hannah's voice was deeper, but not completely different. That wasn't radio interference; the signal was way too strong for that. No, it had to be Hannah's own doing. What was she up to? The Alkaev had a feeling. Not a bad or good feeling, just a feeling.


"We're out of position," Brant grimaced toward Chris, "but take the funnels anyway and shoot Vera or shoot anything that gets too close. Firmia, we're ready for the next pass."

"Good because we're out of time! Blast her! Everyone!" The Alkaev's command transcended the airwaves and the Avalon's funnels encircled the Luna admist a torrent of weapons fire and dealt yet another series of blows to the machine. That was when the Artemis rushed in to finish things, Firmia's drones sticking close but out of the way.

"If we can't put that thing down after all this ..." Brant carefully timed his missile launch, making sure they would get through without being caught up in the flurry of plasma shots destined for the same target ...

Firmia activates Dreams->Fury, move to 23,26/19,22 and attacks Vera with Avalon Funnels!
Brant activates Strike and Snipe, then moves to 22,21 and attacks Vera with Shield Missile!

Edited by Phoenix
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Firmia lights up the Luna with some well placed funnel blasts!
(100!,6)
(71,22)
Hit!
120 damage
Firmia gains +160 EXP, +3 will!
Vera fires back at the ship, but misses... Somehow...

Brant finds missiles slip past i-Fields better than beams!

(100!,4)
(80,18)
Hit!
79 damage
Vera is too far to counter!
Brant gains +160 EXP, +2 will!

"Go down you damn hindrance!"

Jess fires missiles at the Luna!
(100!,5)
(27,53)
Hit!
90 damage!
Vera can't counter!
Jess gains +180 EXP, +1 will!

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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"I-I'm, I can do this, I think..." Caroline still had backup shielding, for what it was worth. And the Artemis... it was almost toe to toe with that terrorist machine, huh? "Keep going, you almost have her!"

Caroline uses Faith on herself [-30SP], uses Cheer on Kim [-20SP].

Edited by Xinnidy
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This was it, then. Some sort of back and forth occurred between some new arrivals and the ship. Abigail's old crew? So they were alive then... and piloting stolen Velite Mk.III prototypes. Some part of Seung-Min should have felt... something about that. On another day she probably would have. There was a twinge of regret as one of them took a shot meant for another, dying instantly. Emotions flared... wrong place, wrong time. If they hadn't been caught out of position, that might not have happened. Can't let that get in the way, though. All she could do now was look at the enemy in front of her, this long-time foe... and hope her allies would exact the justice unto Avery she herself was too far away to administer.

Thrusters to maximum. Funnels deployed in flanking formation. Missiles locked and loaded. It was now or never... as the Artemis began to move, a barrage of missiles and plasma began to close in on the Luna from all sides, the only conceivable way out of the closing net of ordnance was through a charging Artemis, Xiphos alight in one hand, and plasma gauntlet crackling and roaring in the other...

"I need to defeat you, is that it? Fine! I'll make you talk by force. VERAAAAAA!"

Kim Sense, move to 16,18 and Hunt Vera

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So this is... As far as I can go? "Marianne, Astin, run--" Vera's contact was cut off, as the Artemis poured everything it had into her machine, the frame compacting and the hull failing to weather the more focused blasts. Her systems were blaring warnings from every corner of the cockpit, and luck would have it, the Luna didn't have a self destruct. "Dammit... I should have... But... But then, I..." She didn't have much time left to think, as lights turned off, and the Luna's propulsion failed... The once terrifying metal husk slowly falling, then rapidly, crashing hard into the ocean... Vera couldn't hear the sound of water coming in... And in this part of the ocean, it wasn't likely she'd sink deep enough to get crushed. Not in a normal situation, anyway, but with all this damage...

"I guess I'll have to wait and see... If I die, or if I'm left behind. Hahhh... Please get out of here, Astin..." Vera could already feel her limbs going limp, sighing. "Quick to give up on me... But that makes sense."

Kim gains +1700 EXP, +7 will!
Kim levels 4 times!
Def/Acc/Evd
Sht/Acc/Evd
Sht/Acc/Evd
Sht/Acc/Evd


"Oh?" Soor'Kan glanced over to their distraction finally going down, sighing quietly in his cockpit. "I suppose it's back to the drawing board... They'll be hindered long enough, I suppose. Gaal'Bathy!"

"Yes, my liege?"

"Succeed here and I shall see you promoted to next in line for zodiac. Fail, and do not bother returning. Am I clear?"

"... Yes, sir."

"Now then... My plans have been fooled with long enough. Shall we, humans? I will give you all one thing, I have not met a more stubborn race in my centuries of galactic conquest!"

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Not with a bang, but with a whimper. There was little other way to describe it... the Luna's sword didn't even properly come out in riposte... by the time the Artemis had reached it, some sort of critical damage had accumulated, plasma gauntlet failing to hit the Luna's arm as it began to fall. And continued to fall, into the ocean's depths below. There had been no witty reply, no final clash of blades... just a pang of realization and sadness. What kind of end was that?

"Someone assemble a retrieval team. This... this is no way for this to end." Seung-Min noted solemnly over comms, as the Artemis put it's weapons away, and took a dive below the waves after the sinking Apotheosis Lieutenant.

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It should have been a relief to see the Luna hit the water like it had, but with the Sacarians still going strong, it was too early for anything of the sort. The drones already had their orders--retrieve whichever mobile suit went down first--and all six of them transformed and dove into the ocean after the Artemis. Rather than keeping pace with the original MK.III, the drones took advantage of their size and disproportionate thrust, racing beneath the Luna's ravaged frame and latching onto it one by one, each new grip slowing the defeated's descent into hell.

On the Avalon's bridge, Firmia's gaze shifted toward Soor'Kan for a moment. "The Artemis needs to get back up here ... ... Tonya, get us to the Riese. Right now. I don't know how long we have until those stolen suits are wiped out, but we have to take advantage of this."

"What happens if Top Cat comes after us, next?" Tonya glanced over her shoulder toward the captain's chair.

"As a last resort, we'll dive ... assuming we still can. I'll leave the call on when to do that to you," Firmia said with grim resignation. The Luna had been on defense this whole time, which meant for the most part, they weren't much better off than before, and they were still out of position. "Avalon here," Firmia addressed the Riese crew on their main channel, hoping to keep the Sacarians and interlopers out of the loop for a few more moments, "The Luna is down and we're moving to engage the Ceres and the Sacarians with you."

To her own crew she said, "Good job, everyone. No, great job. There's still more to do, but we needed this. The whole war effort needed this."


The Luna hit the water. Done and done. It was somewhat concerning to see the Artemis diving in after, but if Vera was still alive in there, she wouldn't last long at crush depth. No mobile suit could. At least that menace was finally neutralized, though what would become of the wreckage was anyone's guess. For a brief moment, Brant was struck by an almost terrifying thought. It was the thought of that green barrier Apotheosis employed so liberally. If Vera decided to self destruct right when Kim reached her, there wouldn't be anything they could do. The only thing that could prevent that was the woman's own sense of honor, or the Luna being damaged beyond any sort of internal operations. Brant wouldn't even consider the latter if Carlos hadn't been sitting in the Avalon's brig, and the Regina hadn't been fully salvaged by the ANF. Focusing on the sinking Luna and diving Artemis, it was clear that Vera wasn't necessarily about to attempt anything. Her actions were deliberate and forceful on the whole, and there was none of that sort of tension building. Here was hoping ...

Brant's eyes immediately shifted to the Ceres. "Payback time?" he asked his copilot, his voice admittedly indicating that he was on the fence, himself. Brant was a little disoriented from the fighting thus far and could definitely use a minute to recenter himself. The severity of emotions in the air, the timing and positioning involved in fighting Vera alone, it was all draining. The Regalia could handle plenty more action, so that wasn't stopping them.

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Moment's Relief

So the Luna really was down. There had been no counter to Kim's assault, no quip, no warp, no shields or explosion, the Luna had been battered by the Artemis' barrage, and lost functions, careening towards the ocean... And when it hit, Kim dove in after it. "Lieutenant Seung-Min, you get your ass back into the air right now! Vera can wait!" Thankfully Firmia was on top of things, her ship's drones were quickly lifting the Luna back out of the water.

"Firmia," Jess chimed into their previous channel, "I'm going to be blunt and quick: bring the Luna over to the Riese and have Hannah land with it. I know we need her on the field, but if you're set on bringing the machine back, we need Vera incapacitated. I don't think anyone other than Hannah or myself could handle her in physical combat, and I know your ship isn't outfitted to hold her. If you want to scavenge the thing for parts, or anything, by all means, I promise you the pick of the litter-- so to speak. We have a maximum security holding cell, and... I honestly don't know if that can handle her, but it's the best we've got. Please." Hopefully Firmia understood the dangers of letting Vera onto the Avalon, even with her machine defeated. The woman inside was likely more dangerous than what was now her coffin...

Searching

"[Affirmative, captain. We shall search for any facilities assaulted by unknown groups during the past few weeks, and report our findings. Please do your best in this battle.]"

Hannah watched the Luna collapse, and fall... It was an odd feeling. Satisfaction? Relief? Happiness? She couldn't quite place it, whatever was running through her circuits was foreign and mildly alarming, happy as she was to see the woman defeated. No explosion, though... If she was still alive, that could prove quite troublesome. "Orders for what to do with Vera, Firmia?" Maybe the captain had an idea...

Subject Found

"Megumi!" Olivia barged back into the infirmary, short of breath, dragging who could've just been Christina behind her. Clones were certainly jarring... "Here she is! How's Christina? Does she need a transfusion, nothing's gone wrong?" Taking a moment to sit herself down, and catch herself, Nina walked ahead, looking at Christina in the tank with what was likely the most genuine emotion her face could produce: a huge pile of worry.

"Can I help?" That was all she asked as she glanced at Megumi, looking back towards her sister soaking in SIEG.

New Target

Chris gripped her controls tightly, and grit her teeth. The Luna was down, their biggest obstacle between Chris and putting several holes through Avery's body. "Payback time." The funnels were shaking in the air, Chris had way too much control over them right now. "Avery first. Then these stupid cats. I've got a lot of rage to work through."

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It seemed Firmia was on top of things, several of the Avalon's drones catching the wreckage of the Luna before it could sink too far into the ocean. It seemed she had quickly drawn Jessica's ire diving after it... why had she dove after it? She wanted answers from Vera, and it felt... wrong for things to end in such an anti-climax, but it made little sense for her to personally follow it beneath the waves. Rubbing at her own temples while the Artemis remained momentarily submerged, above surface a few oddities were beginning to show. The quad-funnels of the Artemis, which had until now been moving with a delicate precision, suddenly began to jerk about, rapidly fluttering about and spinning through the air with little rhyme or reason. It was almost as though they had broken into pairs and entered into a passionate tango or a rhythmic salsa dance. 

Meanwhile underwater, Seung-Min grimaced as she tapped at the Artemis' T-link... why was her feedback so... twisted? The settings should have been corrected from her emergency calibration, but she was still receiving a glut of sensory information... had the Luna done something? Surely not... if it had such capabilities, why only use them now? Aggravating as it was, Kim set the console aside, the Artemis finally rising out of the ocean's surface after a few moments. As it did so, the errant funnels began to fall in line, though not fully, still erratically dancing around the main body of the Artemis.

"Sorry, Captain, I... don't know what came over me." Finally came the Lieutenant's reply, bracing her hand against her head for a moment, before shaking it off. What were those bloody funnels doing? Finally calling them back to a relative standstill, something still wasn't right. She could feel every defiant rattle of the remote weapons as they attempted to defy order, follow the strange cacophony of her brain waves... why were their movements so clear, so fluid in her mind? 

"Graaah... the hell is wrong with me? Avery, what did you do to this T-link...?" KIm muttered, clutching her temples instinctively once again. 

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"Holy shit! Did Vera just go down? Apotheosis ain't got nothing on Kim!" Elaine exclaimed, shocked as she watched the Luna plunge into the water below. It had all started with taking a potshot as Vera was leaving the colony, she'd seemed almost invincible back then. Admittedly, she still seemed pretty invincible but they'd somehow managed to pull it off. If they could defeat Vera, then it meant their fight against the other Apotheosis aces was far less daunting. They'd already taken down Louise, Carlos and Vera... could they win this war?

"Kim? You OK swimming down there? Don't let her get the jump on you." Elaine warned, slightly too paranoid to consider Vera completely defeated. Elaine knew, or thought she knew, what these terrorist types were like. It didn't matter how proud or honourable they were, they were a bunch a radical extremists. "She might pull a fast one, like explode and take you with her. Hang in there, Kim. We got ya back."

Even if Vera had been dealt with, there was still Avery and her furry friends to complicate matters. Elaine clenched her fist, the idea that Avery was a traitor the whole time and took advantage of their trust made her blood boil. She'd been against them the whole time and they'd been none the wiser. Maybe if she'd paid more attention or spotted the hints... it'd be a different story.

"You cow-herding lyin' piece of shit, I ain't gonna forgive at all for all this." Elaine roared, unintentionally broadcasting publicly. "Gonna shoot you right out of the sky!"

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"We're still getting readings, but no complications so far," Megumi said, relieved Olivia was back. Bennet and Tambre were like a pair of literal hands. She preferred having both around. She actually preferred pairs of things in general now that her thoughts had drifted there; two decoys, two gun closets, two main weapons, two bottles of rectified spirits within arms' reach ... Maybe it was because of her older sisters. The mind expressed itself in some very subtle ways ...

The readings Megumi got back from the SIEG tank's instruments were ... in that irritating gray area. Better than Christina being overall in the red, but definitely in dangerous territory with the surgery ahead of and not behind her. Since she needed those wounds closed properly, and the blood of her own clone offered the least risk, an RBC transfusion was an easy decision, one the doctor had been leaning toward even before checking her patient's vitals more closely. "Yes, you can definitely help," Megumi nodded at Nina.

 "Bennet, I'll need a unit from Nina to start. Just one. We'll have time for more if it's needed, but Christina is going to lose more blood while I'm operating and is probably going to slip into the red briefly, so we'll need to be ready for that." Once the first aid blocks were removed, Christina would start bleeding again, so best to be ready for that. One unit should be enough as long as Megumi was fast, which she generally was. Better to have it prepped in advance all the same.


Firmia was doing her best alright, frustration and multiple factors of concern aside. Finding out as much as she could about Abigail's crew before they had to deal with what was left of them face to face was important, though. It was good to not have to put that search off, and the Alkaev was thankful to her more recent androids for taking on that burden.

"One moment, Hannah ..."

Jessica's concerns were warranted, but still annoying. Firmia didn't see why they needed Hannah specifically for this, and the offer to 'let her' have her pick of the salvage was just downright insulting. Her drones were hauling that wreck up; it was doomed otherwise and therefore hers. She didn't care much for the pilot inside, but the Riese's mechanics couldn't get on this salvaging business right away. Avery was a traitor on the run, Buck and Ignatius would have their hands full after the battle with mobile suit repairs, and the Riese was one blunder away from sinking. If they were going to move Vera to a fancy lockbox then that was fine, but they should be able to do it with the overwhelming muscle they already had on hand.

"First of all, the Luna's mine; once the dust settles, we're taking it to the Avalon. Second, why on earth do you need Hannah when you have three other androids on the Riese?" Surely three of Hannah's sisters working together could get Vera to a secure cell without any trouble. If they couldn't, then what was the point of having them? Wasn't the threat Vera posed in close quarters and Hannah's ability to not only survive but drive the fake samurai back the main driving force behind assigning androids to both ships? They should come to the Avalon to get upgraded along with Jessica and Stephanie if they couldn't handle Apotheosis' best. And possibly stick around ... the Alkaev's preference for a monopoly on the androids was far from gone. "If they're not helping with the repairs, send them to the hangar. We can't afford to have them sitting this out."

The details were still being worked out, but the drones had already broken the surface and were quietly moving toward the Riese ahead of the Avalon. The further away they got, the more uncomfortable Firmia felt. Only having six drones available, and seeing all of them working on the same laborious task reminded her of how vulnerable they were in skirmishes like these. Nullify the speed factor and they were fairly easy to knock out, and she could easily imagine a potshot from Soor'Kan, taken in a moment of irritation, atomizing the lot of them and dropping the Luna hulk right back into the water.

"Hannah, escort the Luna to the Riese but don't dock, yet. We're ... deciding how to deal with Vera." By that point, Firmia had bumped up the transmission to the main line between the Heion Riese and the Avalon so Hannah would easily catch the rest of the exchange.


Rage was all the rage today, but it was more than justified, especially in Chris' case. They had been betrayed, ambushed by the most powerful enemies they had ever seen, and now had to tackle both problems while waiting for more news on Christina's condition. For once, Brant really liked the idea of a nice tall drink after this was over, though mainly he was just hoping to be able to relax. While not physically exhausted, mentally there was a lot keeping the mind occupied: the Sacarian menace, catching the Ceres while they still could, Christina, the Riese, the now thoroughly pummeled Luna and its pilot. The overbearing telekinetic presence of the Sacarians in particular might even be the worst of it. It almost felt like an unseen battle was going on in the mental realm that Brant could only experience the physical effects of, and could only fight back against subconsciously.

"Captain, are we free to engage the Ceres?"

"From the usual distance," Firmia replied, a gentle reminder not to get reckless and trip over their own momentum, "Don't get too far ahead of the Avalon."

"Right ... also ..." Brant's sudden shift in attention didn't make it back to Firmia. The transmission ended before that. "Is the Artemis ...?" He didn't notice the funnels at first, but he did notice Kim's reaction to them as she reined the antsy weapons in. Hopefully it wasn't more sabotage courtesy of Avery ... "Kim, is everything alright? We still have to deal with the Ceres and the Sacarians."

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It wasn't just the Captain checking in on her, but even Elaine? Her actions must have seemed quite out of whack... Brant checking in made sense at the very least, he was nearby and could likely feel something off with her mental signature... she certainly felt off.

"Yeah, I... just wanted to make sure we had her. It's taken care of though, thank you Elaine." Seung-Min replied... that one was easy enough, but she couldn't hide her unease from Brant in any similar manner. He had clearly clued into her deteriorating mental condition at this point. May as well clear the air just in case things got worse.

"Brant, it's... I'll be fine. I have to... probably just some... lingering meddling Avery left me as a present. I did emergency calibrations, but the Artemis has never been sat down and thoroughly had it's T-link calibrated for a single pilot. I'll have to make it a priority... after all this is over." Kim admitted, a shiver running up her spine as one of her funnels moved out of line, it's path taking it underwater for a moment, causing a jolt to strike Seung-Min as it returned from it's flight of fancy to an erratic orbit around the Artemis.

"Funnels seem to be... reacting especially oddly."

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Units to Spare

"I can?" Nina almost smiled, perking up, as Olivia got back up and made her way over to the girl.

"Come on, Nina. Gonna need to find a vein, and get some out of you. I can do that." Valerie wasn't doing much... Maybe she was too stunned by everything, not that Olivia could blame her. The ship went down, getting attacked by terrorists, trying to deal with the wounds of crew that was smiling and blushing not days ago. What a mess... "Alright, Nina. Let me just..." Strap around her upper arm, Olivia took a deep breath. "Make a fist, for me."

Target Down

Kazue saw most of the end of the Luna from below the waves, surfacing just to make sure things were fine. No one had been taken out... And they'd dealt with that woman. It seemed that some smaller machines were gathering to bring the Luna into the Riese... Hmmm...

"Captain, Sergeant Fujiwara reporting. Offering to detain the pilot of the Luna, given she is still alive." This was not the Crescent's battlefield, there was too much water for her to manage properly.

The Luna

Jessica winced. "F-Fine, the Luna is yours." What a foolish situation to get stuck in, they were going to lose all that tech just because all hands were on deck in keeping the ship afloat. Dammit, Firmia, how would you feel if it was your ship on the verge of sinking? Jess sighed, there was no point engaging the Alkaev currently; she could try and fuss out some sort of middle ground later. "I need Hannah because--"

"Captain, Sergeant Fujiwara reporting. Offering to detain the pilot of the Luna, given she is still alive."

Fujiwara? Oh, one of those... Martial arts expert, world champion level, only held back due to her abysmal scores with ranged weaponry.

"Escort the Luna?" And now Hannah was on the line, Jess quickly adding Kazue to the group conference situation.

"I need Hannah because Vera is not someone that a single regular android can stop."

Hannah clued in quickly, and nodded, through there were no visuals for her agreement. "Captain Gefalscht is correct, Firmia. When I fought Vera on Colony One, she managed to fight me to a draw, despite being exhausted from her previous dealings on the colony. A regular android without the capability of human thinking would likely fair incredibly poorly against her, her limbs are all constructed of the same metal keeping the Luna together."

Kazue went a bit silent, suddenly feeling rather out of place in this talk. "Uhm... I, I'm confident that I can... And, my machine... Isn't really suited for this terrain..."

Jess sighed. "What do you think, Hannah?"

"One moment..." Hannah poked into the ANF's database up look up and give Kazue a once over... She nodded again. "If the Sergeant is confident, then allow her."

"What?" Jess was rather shocked at that...

"I am confident that if Sergeant Fujiwara put her mind to it, she would be able to restrain even myself. And she is correct, the Crescent is not suited for aquatic combat. The Reign can fly, so it would be more helpful for me to remain in the air."

Jess sighed, heavily. This felt ridiculous, Hannah thought a human could overpower her? Just, a normal human? Whatever martial arts backing she had, it must have been incredibly impressive... World champion or not, these were still super humans they were talking about. "What do you think, Firmia?" Jess finally asked the other captain, whatever she said they would likely go with. Jess was starting to lose focus of her firing apparatus trying to parse all this.

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The Luna issue got settled faster than Firmia expected, but with Jessica too busy to put up much of a fight, she suspected it wouldn't be too hard. She didn't really buy Gefalscht's explanation on the androids, but with Hannah and even Kazue joining the debate, things got even weirder. The Alkaev agreed that if they had to choose between the Reign being out of action temporarily, and the Crescent, she'd prefer the latter. Submerging in this fight was meant to be an option, not unavoidable. As for Kazue escorting Vera, Hannah seemed okay with the idea. Both captains were beside themselves ...

"Wh-" Firmia wanted to know why Jessica was asking her, but that was obvious. It was Hannah or Kazue. This could definitely work to Firmia's advantage, though. "Have the sergeant and the Riese's androids work together." Foolproof, or hopefully Veraproof. "If THAT isn't enough, then I refuse to believe there's any way of taking Vera alive."


"Avery, again?" Brant winced. The sooner they returned her bullets to her the better. "Remember, you're down a copilot right now, so stay in contact with us. If things start getting really bad, shut down the T-link." Wouldn't want to have to fish a comatose Seung-Min out of the ocean. As for shutting down the T-link, well she was certainly good enough to manage without it, but it would definitely put her at an even steeper disadvantage against the Sacarians.

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"It must be. They've never... done anything like this before." Seung-Min replied with a grimace, finally getting her funnels to cooperate, hovering at an even level around the Artemis. It was a long shot, but...

"Chris, maybe your retained knowledge might be... helpful here. I don't have time to run any advanced logistics, but basic checks aren't bringing anything up. It's uhh... ahh... advanced levels of sensory output. Acute awareness of the funnels... not especially helpful when they're jittering about like this... I can almost feel the wind blowing across them on my skin. Nearly jumped out of my seat when one of them dipped into the water. I feel like I could control them more precisely if I got used to it but... it's throwing me off." Kim noted... Chris had all of Christina's memories of TCI, and with the original down for the count, well... who better to ask?

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