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


Nanami Touko
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Will to Help

"Huh? Oh, you are..." That was the other other Christina, right. Esther could keep track of that. "You really want to help? I suppose you are the one other person with experience piloting the Metis. I'll need you to be sure." She kept walking, vaguely acknowledging Kim as she made for her own suit. "I haven't ever piloted with a partner, so if you need to call me out, speak up, or I'll be too focused in battle. I'd like it if you tracked the presence of other machines while I'm fighting." What a snap decision... hopefully it wouldn't bite her back.

Ace in the Pocket

"Heh." Gordon's poker face broke as Monty put his hand on the table, a smirk escaping him, whereas Bonner remained quiet, playing a mental game as he read Monty's cards. It was all in vain, as the alarms flared before either made a move. "Ah... yep. We're postponing this." Gordon concluded, folding his hand as he stood up. "I can't say I'm surprised, but they could let us get the jump for once." A wistful sigh escaped the man.

"We'll have plenty of time once this is over, Lieutenant. Don't worry about it." Bonner followed suit, revealing his hand of a three of diamonds, seven of spades, and three kings --club, spades, and hearts--. "We weren't hired for our gambling skills, after all. We'll make it out."

"I still hope luck remains on our side, Major."

Eidolon King

"I wish I had some more time to test it out, but it's all good." Carlos replied, "I'll figure it out as I go, Firmia." It truly wasn't the Rhea, but there was some semblance in there. Less than Carlos desired, but still. He worked with poor odds all the time.

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Feeling Stronger

"Hyah! K-Kim, now is not the..." It wasn't about that, alright... "Of course... I'm still scared too. I'm sure if she shows up today, it'll get worse, but I can't keep running from everything. If I'm helping... Then, I'm helping. That's all I want. Let's put a stop to this today." They had to, after all. Today was their big showdown... This was going to be a speedbump, compared to everything they'd gone through.

Status Report

"The news is get that ass into your machine and get ready to take off." Calina was already suited up, ready to play copilot again. The new Vergloria was equipped for melee combat, and while Calina pulled the trigger better than Abby ever would, she couldn't match the woman when it came to cutting things up close. "Enemy's coming up on us. No time to dawdle." Helmet on, she was rushing past Abby, calling the lift to the Vergloria down without a second thought.

Flashy

"I'm flashy enough for an entire relationship, Thorvald... Someone normal, down to earth, caring and, even boring, is much more my speed. They say that relationships are about bringing something into the other person's life... I could use a lot more of that in my life." The elevator was right on time, luckily for them, heading into it with Tiff in tow, and starting down. "You haven't. By all means. It's good to know what you're fighting for is worthwhile." All of this was finally making Vera smile. The Riese was definitely full of good people, despite its fringe cases.

Big Challenge

"You think the aliens are gonna be easier than Tonya? Man, Brant, you took this ring off of her like you'd been planning this whole thing. Honestly never thought she'd give it up so easily... Was all ready to explain to the girls why I was so beat up last night, too." Chris sighed again, adjusting her helmet some. All's well that ends well, running a finger over the ring just under her SKIN suit. "You're right, though... This is gonna be a cake walk, now. I think I finally know what happiness feels like, Brant. Not gonna let them take it away from me!"

Absolutely Sure

"Yes! I can do that. The Metis' tracking systems are much more advanced than standard mobile suits, it should be easy to keep track of enemy models. If you need any help with the funnels as well, I can take care of that." Nina saluted and followed after Esther, ready to provide assistance.


Scenario 10: End of The Spider's Web

"Soor'Kan," a voice spoke out, low, heavy, and mocking, as the Sacarian's cockpit hummed quietly. "You were ordered to return by the King, so you shall not be punished, but... You truly could not defeat such a piddly force?"

"I... They are stronger than they seem. One of their humans as well, is beginning to push the borders of our powers--"

"Pah! Humans! Maybe your powers, runt! I shall allow you to make up for your mistakes. Do well, and I will report your success to the King." The aggravated voice was that of Iln'Teer, his machine crushing the dirt beneath it as it walked towards the Riese. "Warp to their bridge and crush it, like you should have when you had the chance."

"Wh-What? Warp? I... That, is paramount to suicide--"

"ARE YOU NOT A KNIGHT!?" Iln'Teer bellowed back, silencing the younger Sacarian. "In sworn service to the King, Trel'Vaar!? Are you telling me you cannot handle the cannons of such a puny ship? Perhaps your promotion was just for show! What trickery did you use to defeat Taurus before you?"

Soor'Kan's fur bristled. He would not take this affront to his bravery and strength. "I used no such trickery! I shall accomplish this task like plenty before it, and you shall choke on your words, Iln'Teer!" Within moments, his Praxis Alpha was charging, ready to warp on his command.


"All units, deploy!" Jess was rather content with how well things were moving. The enemy were all coming into range, Jess marking them and beginning scans on the machines they didn't recognize... One, yellow lizard looking one with a giant tail stood out the most. It was definitely unique... A few other one were as well. "More knights...?" Scans began, either way... That was when she noticed their previous encounter. Glowing. "What's--" Then it was gone. A shadow appeared over the bridge of the Riese.

"No--" Jess didn't have time to think, or talk. Her next actions were automated.

"Glory to the Sacarian race! Die, you inferior scum!" His claw came down hard, clashing with the Riese's E-Field.

E-Field to max, guns trained, grab as many people as I can, fire main cannons--! Jess' mind was running miles, as she'd leapt from her pilot seat. First was Roxanna, harshly grabbed by the arm and tossed at the now open elevator, then Tristan and the navigator next to him. She didn't have time for anyone else, the doors shutting and the elevator heading to hopeful safety. "Everybody get down--"

The resounding crash as the Riese's main cannons drilled into Soor'Kan's Praxis, and his claw pierced the E-Field, was ear shattering. The Alpha nearly exploded, managing to reel back enough to stay in one piece, though the damage was evident... What was more evident was the... The twisted metal cage that was one the Riese's bridge. "Hah... Hahaha! HAHA! FOOLS! HUMANS ARE ALL FOOLS!"

Iln'Teer scoffed, smiling. "Looks like he's good for something. All units, move out! This is the day this thorn is plucked from our side!"


Something was on fire. Smoke everywhere. Alerts and warnings sounding out. Jess coughed. Coughed up blood... "I can bleed? Hah... What kind of mess am I?" Her eyes... Eye. One of them still worked. The bridge was... What used to be the bridge was gone. Twisted metal and glass were all she could see right now. Someone was crying. Others were groaning. How many lived, and how long they could survive remained to be seen... She tried to get up, but couldn't. "Come on legs, work... Legs?" Managing to prop herself up on the arm she still had attached, she glanced back at... Nothing. "Great... This is... Great."


The bridge's elevator had nearly been knocked out of its socket from the impact, Roxanna Tristan and the navigator being tossed from it when the impact struck. The ensign was out cold... The navigator, Eric, was still awake, shaking, terrified, but cognizant. "XO! XO get up! Oh, Gods... Ahhh!" Roxanna wasn't bleeding, and she seemed to be breathing... Th-The infirmary! "Megumi! Megumi, doctor! Doctor please!"


Jess coughed again, still surprised by the blood, but she wasn't getting the sense she was about to die. Far from it, while her systems were alerting her of her limb loss, they were telling her that as long as her head remained in tact, she'd survive. For better or worse. "So there's something special in there. Cool... You better not think the Riese is down and out, you scumbag."

Soor'Kan kept cackling to himself, even as the Riese's machines started to pour out. "Come! Break yourselves against me! Your ship is nothing, you have no-- What!?" Several cannons pierced through the side of his machine, shots from the Riese. "How is it still... No! I will not be made a joke! I have come to far to be stopped by monkeys and ramshackle robots!" Saber out, he would strike against the Riese and finish it, even if it cost him his life.

Soor'Kan has taken 1000 damage!

The Riese has taken 700 damage! It cannot be repaired past 50% of its HP!

Player Phase/Turn 1!

Map Coming Soon!

Victory Conditions:
Defeat all enemies!

Loss Conditions:
The Riese is destroyed!

Battle Mastery:
Defeat Marianne and Astin in the same turn!

Doc

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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"I won't... I won't let her touch you again. You have nothing to fear from that bitch... yeah, let's end this." Seung-Min replied, releasing Christina after a few moments.and allowing the both of them to finish getting dressed. Seemingly just in time, as right about the moment they were approaching the Artemis, Seung-Min felt an intense, familiar pressure. Here, so close, now? Christina could surely feel him too, she let out a squeak as Kim grabbed her and rushed the both of them up the elevator, the Lieutenant immediately dropping into the seat and closing the hatch behind Christina.

"Damnit damnit damnit... hold on Chrissy, no time for a smooth takeoff..." Kim swore, feeling the Heion Riese begin to shake from impact as the Artemis cleared the launch catapult and began to move. As they came into the open air and gained a proper visual... things weren't pretty. The bridge of the ship was... gone. Crushed inwards by the Alpha's claw. It had done some damage back, but Soor'Kan was in position to go in for the finish. Immediately putting the new booster to work, the Artemis took a hard turn out from the launch catapult, rocketing up towards Soor'Kan.

"Rrrgh... bridge, do you read me? Are there any survivors? What's your status?" Seung-Min desperately shot off over comms as she cleared distance, hoping that anyone would... could... respond. Drawing her Xiphos, she managed to reach Soor'Kan just as he moved to bring his sword down, locking the energy  blade against her own in a hard clash, coming in at full speed.

"SOOR'KAN!" Kim roared as she began to push the Alpha slightly back from the Heion Riese as the Artemis' head came up mere feet from that of the Praxis, singular eye glowing directly into Soor'Kan's optics.

Edited by Ether
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Brant smiled, glad Chris was ready to truly dive into things. No Tonyas, Rosas, Jessicas, or hypotheticals would get in the way going forward. All that was standing between them and their life together was a detachment of Apotheosis and the Sacarians' finest. "Let's do this. Regalia, launching!" Oh the timing ... as soon as the Regalia cleared the catapult, Soor'Kan materialized out of thin air. Brant didn't even have time to transform or aim his rifle before the Heion Riese's bridge was crushed by the Praxis Alpha's massive claw. "Oh no! Hey-"

"Don't even think about it!" Firmia radioed the Regalia directly, Brant's transmission being rerouted, "Focus on fighting and keep comm chatter to a minimum. Let me worry about the Riese." The Alkaev didn't wait for Brant's okay, since she had full control of her mobile suits' comms anyway and could simply keep them quiet the hard way if need be.

"You've got to be kidding me ..." Brant hissed. The damage to the bridge looked ... complete. Was Jessica alive? There were no energy weapons involved, so the odds weren't trivial ... still, that looked terrible, and even if Jessica survived, anyone on the bridge with her likely hadn't ... ... or maybe they had? Brant could definitely sense more than just Soor'Kan's anger and confusion from that direction. Even more good news to go along with the Riese's deploying mobile suits, the ship's weapons started moving again in short order. "She's still alive ... she has to be."


Firmia sat uneasily in her captain's chair, her thoughts racing as she tried to keep herself composed and get a hold of the situation. Having a number of her own androids to look after, Firmia had been immunized from the fear of Jessica dying to a cheap maneuver like the one Soor'Kan had just pulled. She was far more concerned with the chain of command, and whether or not Roxanna had survived. The defense drones hadn't had enough time to act, unfortunately, and so Jessica wound up using the ship's main weapons to damage Soor'Kan's Praxis. The trouble now was deciding whether or not to stick to the original plan, or try and take command temporarily.

"Jessica! Jessica, respond! I know you're still alive, so plug into a radio or something and tell me what's going on!" If she couldn't get a hold of her in the next ... three and a half seconds, give or take, she'd make the call, take command until further notice, and have them blow the hell out of Soor'Kan before his friends showed up.


Megumi had been lagging behind, but only because she thought she had enough time to reach the bridge without running before the opening salvos were fired. She was ten feet from the lift up to the bridge when the ship got shaken violently, and the doctor nearly lost her footing. "That's not good ..."

Suddenly her comm lit up. "Megumi! Megumi, doctor! Doctor please!" That was Eric's voice, wasn't it? She'd never heard him that scared before ...

... and then the lift came down ... "What happened?!" All she could do was rush over and start checking Roxanna and Tristan for any obvious injuries, but chances were the bridge was where that attack had landed, and she likely had a lot more patients to deal with ... or maybe not ... worst case scenario.

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"Hahhhh! Human! You, you're the anomaly, you will die today and stop troubling our race!" His confidence was skyrocketing, holding back Kim's charge, finally shoving her away, howling laughter even louder, speakers maxed. Showboating was only boosting his ego further. "None of you can stop me! Not even you, Kim Seung-Min! Your powers are intriguing, but nothing else! They will fail today! YOU WILL ALL DIE!"


Firmia was trying to call... Made sense, but the bridge's communications were down. "Can I even reach the Avalon from here? Uh..." Jess tried a direct line from herself, managing to get in. "Hey, Firmia. You're right, still kicking... I'm... Down to one eye, one arm, and... I'm, bleeding. Like... Real blood. I don't know why, but it's, it's bad. I couldn't..." Swallow the guilt, people survived, if you finish this fight fast enough, some more might join them. "Couldn't save everyone, but I got the XO, and Ensigns Calvin and Johnson... Just..." She sighed, struggling to move, arm not keeping up. "I can't get out of here. I can still command the ship, fire the guns, run the shield... But, again, I don't know why I'm bleeding, so if I pass out... Here's your advance warning." Why would an android even have blood in them? It didn't make sense to her. She began a scan, maybe in such a dire situation she could get around Gaertner's lockouts and find out why her head was so important.


"One of the enemy, they just... Just warped in and crushed the bridge. I can't..." He was huddled against the wall now, hands curled up, head hiding against his legs. The bridge staff hadn't been trained for giant alien machines literally crushing their workspace.

WfcX2HI.png

Map! Turn 1 may proceed!

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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The enemy had finally arrived in full force, familiar machines reappearing in the form of both the Ceres and the personal machines of several Sacarians Knights. Of course, the Alpha was here, the pilot could only be him. Concentrate. It's just another target. Another to be added to the pile. She just needed to keep telling herself that, keep reminding herself that they would win. After today, there would be no more Soor'kan. She would make sure of it. And if she needed help in any way, Aliza, Cheryl, and of course Tristan were here supporting her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Everything would be alright. 

Opening her eyes, something clearly wasn't right. What had been empty space before was now the Alpha almost directly above her. Had he detected her? No, his attention was elsewhere... Eyes widening in horrified realization, Alriana shouted over the comms. "Tristan run!" Far too soon for anyone to have acted upon her warning, she watched as the Alpha's claw smashed into the bridge of the Riese, letting out a deafening sound as alien metal tore through the ship. And then there was silence, save for the cackling of the cat. "No... No! Tristan! Tristan, answer me! You said...! You promised you-!"

No response from the bridge at all, not even Jesicka. Collapsing, tears began to fall. She was crying over open comms, but she just didn't care. Soor'kan had stolen Tristan from her, and she had been powerless to stop it. It wasn't fair! None of this was. Joining her sorrow was her anger, rapidly building; she was angry at Soor'kan for taking Tristan, the man himself for dying, herself for exposing herself to this, everyone for not stopping the cat, the cat for boasting, herself for being weak, and everything else in between. Her building anger quickly turned to fury, and that fury, in turn, became a wild rage with one thing, one thought, at the center. Rising to her feet, she exploded. "SOOR'KAN! Y' YMG' EPHAIAH'N'GHA LIAHE LI AH AHOTH!" Nothing else mattered anymore. No matter what it cost her, he would die by her hand.

"Ymg' nafl l' ah na'ah'n'ghayar. Nafl mgepnnn ah hnah. Epgoka fahf agl." Not fit to fight? Retreat? The Almydis wanted her to flee with her tail tucked between her legs, defeated. Stupid machine, what did it know? She brushed the warning and new system aside. Retreat was no longer an option... No, it had never been an option. What happened to her was never of consequence; she was going to fight until- A sudden prick in her back, where she was connected to the Almydis. What did- She staggered, clutching at her head and growling as something took effect, coursing through her system. "RrrrraaaaaaaAAAAAHHH!" She felt lighter and the world somehow seemed both clearer and hazy. It felt like she was losing herself, losing control. "GRAAAAAHHHHH!" A proper roar this time as the Almydis lurched forward, much more feral and much less like 'Aly'. "Hraa... Hah... Hah..." Only instinct was left, that being to destroy until she herself was destroyed. But perhaps she wasn't all gone, her attention still locked on the Alpha. For now.

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"Jess...! Firmia! Firmia!! Is there any response from the bridge!?" Hannah was stunned, had this actually happened? Had this really... No, this was reality, this was what they were dealing with. They had to defeat him while they had the chance! "Analyzing enemy machine, sending data to all pilots! Machine more susceptible to damage in the joints, please target accordingly!"

Hannah Analyze Soor'Kan!

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"Takeoff succesfu--" There wasn't much time to gather her bearings, Esther was greeted with a emerald shine as a Sacarian machine warped in... the rest was history. "Ruthless..." To put itself in the middle of fire for such a tactics, it was somewhat formidable. So this was the Sacarian resolve...

"Hmph." Esther kicked the Metis into high gear as she charged the enemy suit. It certainly caused casualties, but that was for later, with the nature of this battle. "You're going to stop right there, alien scum!" The Metis withdrew its knife. Esther had enough intel to know beam-based attacks were a futility for now, she'd have to make it up with fast strikes.

Esther casts Sense [-25SP]!

Esther moves to 6,8 and brandishes A KNIFE.

Quote

Esther attacks!

Target: Praxis Alpha(Soor'Kan)

Weapon: Heat Carving Knife

Final Hit: 100; Final Crit: 76

Roll: 33, 29

Hit! Crit! Damage: 102

Soor'Kan counters!

Weapon: Adamantium Claws

Final Hit: 0! Final Crit: 39

Roll: 64, 93

Miss!

Esther gains +110 EXP, +7 Will!

 

Edited by Xinnidy
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"Great work, Esther!" Nina was all smiles as her pilot managed a hefty hit against the Sacarian menace!

"Hrrgh! Telekinetics, you fake our powers and still assume you can handle us!? You're not even a real one! You're broken, a fake of a fake!" Soor'Kan lashed out at the Metis, narrowly missing, still riding his high of having crushed the Riese's bridge.

"We're also ridiculously persistent!" Louise cackled her way into the combat, sword coming down hard against the Alpha's arm!

Louise casts Strike, moves to 5,9, and swings hard into the Praxis!

Final Stats: 100,50
Roll: 41,39
Hit
Crit!
201 Damage!

"Ghhhhgh! Accursed metal women!"
Soor'Kan swings back!
Final Stats: 98,50
Roll: 66,38
Hit
Crit!
171 Damage!
"Die, machine!"
"You first, kitty cat~!"

Louise gains +80 EXP, +4 Will!

"You will not stop me here! Not now!"
"Soor'Kan!"
"What!? You-- You should be dead! Useless traitor!"
"And now you will be!"

Vera casts Sense, moves to 3,8, and flings daggers at the Alpha!

Final stats: 100,26
Roll: 81,75
Hit
89 Damage!
Soor'Kan fires back at her, she dodges!
"How!?"
"I'm better than you!"
"Lies!"

Vera gains +1 EXP, +3 Will!

"This evil pervading the skies... My eye burns..."

Kazue casts Sense!

"You shall not escape my gaze! Treacherous scum! Villain to end all villains! Underhanded tactics are only used by the weak!

Kazue moves to 4,8!

"Taste cold steel! Taste vengeance upon your black heart! DIE, IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE!"

Kazue attacks, with the liquid metal blade!

Final stats: 100,38
Roll: 59,57
Hit
152 damage!
"What are you blathering about!? Die, human!"
She parries his blow, and kicks off of him!
"Gragh!?"
"Evil cannot defeat a warrior of justice!"

Kazue gains +150 EXP, +4 Will!
Kazue levels! +Melee, Skill, Avoid!

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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Crushed the bridge?! Megumi's face went pale, the implications almost freezing her solid. Almost but not quite. Even that wasn't enough to slow her down, though. "Alright, get up and help me get them into the infirmary. We'll have to send the androids back up to rescue any survivors ..." Those instructions had been surprisingly hard to give, especially since Megumi really wasn't sure there were survivors ... maybe Jessica, but the others? ... and holy crap, what if she hadn't been tardy this one time? She could have died ... or maybe just wound up unconscious in a heap with Eric panicking even more since the Doctor herself was out. Either way, Cheryl probably had a new patient on the way after this.

With no hope of dragging, much less carrying a fit man like Tristan on her own, she opted for Roxanna. "Bennet, Tambre," she called the infirmary, "The bridge was just destroyed, but we've got survivors. Get the androids and some stretchers ready. We have three incoming for now, but possibly more in the next few minutes." She said nothing of the ship crashing in the absence of the main flight controls since ... well, that should have become evident by now. Jessica was definitely still alive, somehow.


Firmia breathed a sigh of relief at the news. There were casualties, but everyone crucial was still alive. Jessica clearly felt guilty about the others, and Firmia couldn't blame her, but she could mourn later. The bastard who killed members of her crew was still right outside. The rest of Jessica's news was decidedly irritating. As if they didn't have enough problems, she was once again in danger of shutting down. "Urgh, can we get through just one battle without you breaking? Anyway, focus on keeping the Riese in the fight. I'll figure something out. No one else is going to die, Jessica." The android's profuse bleeding didn't make a lot of sense, but fluids belonged inside the body, not out. The Riese's captain was rightly concerned about that, even if neither of them knew what was going on.

Hannah hadn't reacted to that attack any less severely than Brant had, but Firmia hadn't seen it coming quickly enough. "Hannah, focus on helping the Riese take out Soor'Kan. Jessica's alive, don't worry." ... Firmia 'just so happened' to use the Avalon's main combat channel to send that message, so the other units received the same message. Don't panic, just focus on the enemy like you always do. That and ... make sure Jessica doesn't shut down and crash the ship ...


Brant sighed. His instincts hadn't failed him, and now there was the matter of Soor'Kan to deal with ... well, not just him. One of their own machines was overflowing with murderous rage. To say he didn't 'trust' Alriana right now was a bit of an understatement. Worse, attacking Soor'Kan was something of a danger close scenario for the Riese and their close range pilots. If they all dogpiled him at once, there would be some friendly fire incidents. That was absolutely the last thing they needed right now. "We're going to have to hold here and let them handle this. This furball's going to be too hectic."

Edited by Phoenix
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Well, Elaine hadn't swung at her, and Jess had positioned herself in such a way that when Tarquin arrived, the wild woman hadn't the chance to take another pass at him. Maybe the boy would take offense at not being treated like he could handle his own problems, but Jess she'd rather he be mad at her than decked again and laid out on the hangar floor, right before an important engage. Whatever the case, they'd made it into the Aria and launched, just before a tremor shook the ship.

"Running analysis," Jess informed Tarquin, once the cause became clear, both visually and over comms chatter. They were fresh out of the gate, so obviously fuel, ammunition, and other reserves were fine, she'd checked before they launched, and her other designated responsibilities were taken care of. Which left sparing a few moments to size up the enemy.

It was, of course, that enemy. Jess swallowed slightly, and closed her eye briefly. She had a feeling she knew who else might be badly affected by his arrival, and almost unconsciously opened up a channel to them.

"Hey, Alriana," the one-eyed sergeant began softly. "Look at that. He's surrounded, he's vulnerable. He is NOT all powerful. We can do this. Together. Here's what I've got on him." Then she punched a button and transmitted current readings and projections of his suit's capabilities and likely responses.

Jezebel attunes Alriana

"Remember. You are not alone." While Jess didn't have an incredibly strong bond with the alien, a few cooking adventures and some curiosity mostly, she did feel a strange bit of kinship. Hopefully her concerns and encouragements were not unwelcome.

Turning to Tarquin, she inquired, "There's a lot of things in the way here, do you think we have a shot?"

 


 

There'd only been a slight bit more grumbling on her end before Abby and Calina were in the air, and into battle. The whole 'air' bit was still a little unnerving for her, but at least the Vergloria was nothing like the flying coffins she vowed never to set foot in again. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Last time she'd managed to ignore the fact that she was flying under the sheer weight of everything that had happened, and everything had worked out fine. So, it couldn't be so bad this time either, could it?

Such mundane thoughts had been swirling about her brain, as the pair had begun floating off away from the Deliverance, setting up a vague perimeter/offensive line with the units launched from the Riese, but without a moment's notice, even the briefest bit of leisure before they clashed swords with the enemy--off in the distance--had been snatched away. Abigail felt a wrench in her gut, and a shiver of horror as the loud reports of gunfire rang out behind her. And not just gunfire, but the sound of it impacting a target. And also the ear-grating screech of metal in pain, hull giving way, shrieking as it collapsed under heavy force and fatigue. Swivelling to face the rear, with only a bit of wobble as she did, Abby took in the gruesome scene of smoke billowing out from where the bridge of the Riese had used to be. A couple girders still protruded awkwardly, one draping the remains of a sheet of glass, now spiderwebbed, broken, and looking like nothing more than the tattered and torn canvas sail of some ancient museum relic.

The cause of the destruction: Praxis Alpha. The alien machine Abby had already hated more than any the cats could have fielded. Her heart resumed beating after what felt an eternity, but was really only a scant handful of seconds, when Firma let slip a vital fact in her exchange with Hannah. The rush of blood in her ears was still a roar, but... things were manageable again. And it was time to take stock of the situation. Several others had already sprung into action, Abigail couldn't afford to be late.

She looked around, the nearby units were all... fuck, really? No, there was that one from the base defense that she'd had a good time working with before, in the old machine she'd spent a time or two in. And there was one other. Abby gave Calina a quick nod and meaningful glance, indicating to get ready for springing into action, but she grabbed the comms first and sent a private line, hoping it would go through, work out. It wasn't like there'd never been friction between them, but it had been on the mend, and the friendly sparring match after they'd both apologized had been proof of that.

"...Hey, Kim. I'm asking for a favor here. I know he's already got his paws full by having to tussle with the folks that charged him, but I'm gonna make a strafing run here, and wanna be absolutely sure this magnum hits him dead center between the eyes. You mind helping out with another layer of distraction? Riddle him with, I dunno, your favorite fucking bullets, it doesn't matter if they hit. This asshole needs to pay for what he's done, so please."

...Actually.

Closing the channel, and settling back into position, Abigail turned to her partner again. "You know what. Cally, we both owe him," Abigail didn't need to say 'for Hilling', it was understood. Though, looking again at the gaping hole where the Riese's bridge used to be... no, even with that, there wouldn't be a mistake in meaning. Putting words to it would just be scraping at open wounds for no reason. Continuing, she added, "Let's make this a double tap, you get in on the action here and squeeze the trigger too." Her girlfriend had always been a better shot, but with this much on the line, Abby sure as hell wasn't going to miss. They were both doing it together. For their family.

Abigail casts Valor. Calina casts Sense. They move to 6 9 and use Beam Magnum on Soor'Kan

Edited by Balcerzak
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"[We're already here, Megumi.]" Tiffany and Rachel turned the corner and got to helping Tristan, just as Bennet turned the corner and gasped as the broken elevator.

"Is that what shook the Riese!? God, what the fuck!?" She didn't stick around for an explanation, following after the androids to make sure Tristan was okay.

"I never should've taken on this stupid job," Eric muttered to himself, shaking against the wall.


"I'd love that," Jessica coughed back, finally managing to get herself onto her back, instead of being face first in that ever growing pool of oil, blood and other working fluids. "Must look real sexy right now," she tried to joke, hoping to find some sort of levity in this situation. Something to keep her mind off the fact that she might've been actually dying.

[Scan complete.]

Her body had gotten back to her, had it? She cut the line with Firmia for a moment, looking over things in her head. "What's the problem, then... ... ... You're... You're kidding, me... Ahh, fuck..." Jess bit her lip hard, sighing, connecting back to Firmia. "Hey, Firmia... Sorry... If I sound a bit choked up right now. Found out why I'm bleeding." Jess bit back a small sob, the weight of her situation hitting her pretty hard. "There's... Half a brain, attached to my central processing suite, in my head. Probably what's making me so lifelike... Probably why I have blood in me, at all. If..." There it went, a small hiccup passing with a bit of tears. "If I bleed out, I'm real sorry. For a lot of stupid shit. I'll keep the Riese moving as long as I can..."

First thing was to check the outside cameras. Soor'Kan was getting pretty beat up. Good. They had to take him out, for the sake of the world... The enemy force wasn't trying what he had. Probably used him as bait, or something. It worked...


Chris was radiating some real hate right now, scowling hard at the Praxis Alpha as it started to get dismantled... Something else was building up, though. Not just Alriana. "That's fine, Brant. Think this one's taken care of... Just get ready for the rest of them."


"Controls ready, Abby," Calina replied with a satisfied grin. This smug fuck of an alien shitbag was going to get everything he'd given out and more. "Time for some real payback you motherfucker!"

Abby casts Valor, Calina casts Sense!
Final Stats: 100,N/A!
Roll: 69,72
Hit
Final Valor Damage: 321!!
Soor'Kan fires back, and misses!
Abby gains +150 EXP, +2 Will!
Abby levels! +Defense, Accuracy, Skill!

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"Hhh-- Oh god, the bridge..." Launching was rough after all that shaking, but now it was clear why that was the case. That imposing alien machine... the one from before. Whoever piloted it really had it against them, huh? "Everybody there... a-augh..." Caroline's brain decided to picture the scene, giving her a quick, strong bout of nausea to accompany the cockpit's shaking as it landed. She leaned forward, lowering her head as she fought the urge to puke. "Gh, ah..." A brief guttural sound escaped before Caroline put a hand over her mouth. It was an uncomfortable feeling, swallowing back acid reflux. Her eyes teared up a little at the ordeal.

"Ghh..." She... wasn't under attack yet, that was good. A faltering moment like that could end far worse, or so Caroline expected. Rather, taking her second wind to look at the battlefield again, it was clear that those that picked up faster were giving the alien what for... and it seemed the alien they had on their side was taking it horribly? Her mobi... mech, alone was making erratic sudden moves. Caroline probably didn't take it the worst.

"C-can you hear me? We've... we've got this. Whoever that is, they're getting a beating. We can't... we can't let them get away with what they just did." It felt surreal, was Caroline really trying to pep talk an alien. Maybe she'd be more confident in this if she ever bothered to talk to Alriana... no day like today? "S-so... we're all with you!"

Caroline cheers Alriana[-20SP]. I have no idea how to flavor this. Enjoy your story-gameplay segregation. Mel please don't make me flavor this.

Edit: Mel sux

Edited by Xinnidy
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Alriana had yet to act after the outburst, merely observing as Soor'kan was penned in and assaulted by a variety of machines. What was left of her attention was solely on the Alpha, Jess' and Caroline's words fell on essentially deaf ears. Alriana wasn't exactly capable of understanding them at the moment, but, if she was, she would have definitely appreciated the women's words. As soon as the Almydis finished processing the data and confirmed a lock on the Sacarian suit, it was immediately in motion.

With no warning save another murderous roar from its pilot, the Almydis leapt into the air and onto the Praxis Alpha, latching itself in place with its new tail. Raised fists mercilessly crashed down on the craft over and over again, smashing and bending the Alpha's protective plating out of shape. The Almydis only ever paused its assault to tear the plating from the suit, as if trying to tear its way into the very core of the machine. There was no sense to the attack, no coordination between blows or logical targetting of already damaged areas. Just nonsensical carnage fueled by murderous rage; destruction for the sake of destruction.

Eventually, the Almydis' assault slowed, and then finally came to a halt. How long had it lasted? It didn't matter, the damage was done. Tail loosened, the Praxis Alpha was able to push the Almydis off of it, creating space for a counter attack.

Aly (The Beast) Dunwich Horrors Soor'kan.

Edited by Ursali
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THE BEAST CATCHES ITS PREY

Quote

Alriana attacks!

Target: Praxis Alpha (Soor'Kan)

Final Hit: 100!; Final Crit: 39

Roll: 48, 26

Hit! Crit! Damage: 314! Wowie!

Fear debuff on Soor'Kan! -5 Will!

 

Soor'Kan attempts a counter!

Weapon: GBR Prototype 1

Final Hit: 25; Final Crit: 16

Roll: 27, 52

Barely a miss!

Alriana gains +1400(!) EXP, +40 PP! +19000 credits acquired!

Alriana levels up! + Skill, Avoid, Accuracy. +2 SP!

Alriana levels up! + Skill, Avoid, Accuracy. +2 SP!

Alriana levels up! + Skill, Avoid, Accuracy. +2 SP! (yes, thrice)

Whew!

Edited by Xinnidy
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“Kkhhrrghhh!” His machine was taking so much damage… Were the humans truly going to defeat him here-- “No! NO! I’ve climbed my way up from nothing! I’ve proved my worth! I defeated Taurus before me, I’m a true, proper zodiac knight! I won’t lose to humans! I won’t!” Setting up his suit to warp, he refused to die there, rationalizing his progress, and calling this a tactical relocating, rather than running away. I’ll come back! I’ll come back and kill them all! I’ll prove to Iln’Teer and Trel’Vaar both, I am worthy of my station! All of them!

He froze, as a feeling he had quietly grown to fear started to ignite in front of him.

They were doing good damage to Soor’Kan, his machine taking heavy fire from a coordinated assault. He would go down soon, but something… something didn’t feel right.

I’ll come back! I’ll come back- Seung-Min could feel those words in her head, emanating from Soor’Kan… why would he be sending her that sort of message? It didn’t matter. It was unacceptable… she wouldn’t let him get away. Closing in on the Praxis Alpha before it could engage it’s warp, a shot from the MARS Railgun to stop him.

“I won’t let you! This is where you die, Soor’Kan!” Kim roared, heat zanbar igniting with a heavy glow as she charged into the zodiac Knight.

“Hhhgh!” The Praxis was assaulted once again-- By this human! This stain, this irregularity, this monster that pretended her race while acting like one of them! “You will not stop me, Kim Seung-Min! You are not, strong enough, to…!” His Alpha was being pushed back again, cursing her name under his breath. It was going to hurt him, but he didn’t care at this point. He focused his mind, a splitting pain searing into him, but he didn’t stop! “Bow before me! Bow you wretch! You are nothing! NOTHING!”

“Augh! Kim!” Christina felt it immediately, the sudden weight of a full Sacarian’s might pressing against her mind. Hands losing her copilot’s controls and clutching at her head, she cried out in pain.pain.

“Hrggh-” Kim groaned, an immense weight crushing into her skull. This wasn’t like the first time, this was so much more intense… it felt like her skull was going to cave in. She had managed to prevent Soor’Kan from warping, but he had effectively blunted her charge in riposte.

“I won’t… I won’t lose to you… this is… this is nothing!.” Seung-Min managed, gritting her teeth as she forced her gaze in up in the direction that Soor’Kan’s pressure was unmistakably coming from. All of her hatred, all of the pain she felt, channeling it all back towards him… he wouldn’t be suppressed by it, she wasn’t an ESPer, but she could direct it all at him in spite. As she did so, the weight on her head felt lighter… lighter… lighter-

“YOU! YOU’RE NOTHING!” She roared, as suddenly Soor’Kan’s suppression felt… negligible. Her TK-field roaring and crackling at the hands of the Artemis, Seung-Min stared defiantly at Soor’Kan, as the Artemis’ hands came together, and within an instant, not only were it’s hands aglow in green light, but the entire machine had been engulfed by the flaring field. Christina’s pained cries echoing in her head the only motivation she needed, the Artemis resuming it’s charge with even more fervour than before.

“I’LL KILL YOU!”

“Wh-What, no, NO! This can’t-- This isn’t, possible! E-Engage the warp! Start it, no!” For the first time in his life, Soor’Kan felt fear. They had dealt with races that their power could not affect, but never a race strong enough to turn that power back against them. “This is mine! This is what, what makes me… No… No you, you can’t…!” His saber was all that was stopping his machine from being sliced in half at this point.

Fear. That was fear. Gaal’Bathy had denied it to her, but this… this was the genuine article. Lips curling subconsciously into a grin, the heat zanbar’s blade being covered in the luminescent field as she charged. Immediate warning signs… hairline fractures in the rifle, continued pressure would induce structural damage… she wouldn’t need long. A beam sabre stopped a blade from passing through it because the blade would melt if it tried, but as the aura solidified on top of the heat blade, Seung-Min knew it… could feel it. This is a clash she would win. Swinging the TK blade down on Soor’Kan’s sabre, the blade crushed clean through it, barely slowed down by the beam sword. Smashing into the Alpha’s already damaged arm, the limb was cleanly severed, the heat blade leaving a deep gash along it’s chest.

“You’re scared, Soor’Kan! Whimper like a sad little kitten!” Seung-Min roared, plasma gauntlet sparking to life and encased in her tk-field, as she plunged it towards Soor’Kan’s chest in a savage strike.

This evolution was proceeding too quickly. Whatever was happening to this human needed to be told to the King! Even if he was executed for fleeing, this information had to-- The Alpha’s arm flew off, the clash lost, as he backed away again. This machine was impressive, to be keeping up with such an assault… But despite the fear in his mind, he smiled. A flash of green, a perfect barrier of protection encased the Alpha, as he laughed back at her taunt.

“You’re too late! Your sword, your rifle, your flimsy little fist won’t be able to get through this in time! My King will know of you, and he will be prepared! You have LOST, HUMAN!”

As the green bubble shield came up to block her strike, rather than punching through, the Artemis’ momentum sent both units hurtling to the ground, ramming the shield into the dirt, thruster at full throttle crushing it into the hard rock… but it wasn’t cracking. What in the hell was this bubble made out of? Thrusters flaring to maximum to apply more pressure… nothing. Was he really about to get away? No… no, she wouldn’t allow it. There had to be something that would break through this shield. Anything… a pain in her chest as she focused her hatred into Soor’Kan… her chest? That was where… searching inward as the Alpha’s shield continued to hold as it was pressed into the ground, she could feel it. Something was there, it was-

The display of the Artemis came to life in that moment.

ARES System activated. ARES Integrated Enyo class Positron Blaster Cannon online. Seung-Min didn’t even need to look into the specs… this is what Avery had been hiding from her, what Buck couldn’t access. That this was coming to light now, as she gained full control of her machine… this would do it. It had to.

“I’m trusting you, Artemis! Show me what you can do!” Kim affirmed, as the chest of the Artemis parted open with a hefty thunk, extending to reveal a large cannon… it had to be at least battleship class, maybe more. As it began to glow with a surge of light and heat, centre burning red as the fringes shone a blinding white, in tandem with the ARES system exposing the Artemis’ venting and causing it’s singular eye to glow brighter than ever before, soon Soor’Kan’s optics were filled entirely with the blinding light of the Enyo cannon.

“Soor’Kan! PERISH!” Fire.

This was impossible… He refused to believe it, it couldn’t-- “Warp! Warp, you… Blasted machine, engage the… The… No…!” A brilliant flash of crimson fury plowed through the field surrounding his machine, driving into the earth behind it as it ruined the Alpha. The force pushed the Artemis away, as the Alpha exploded in a massive wave of energy, force hitting the nearby woods and causing the trees to shake violently.

Soor’Kan was… Gone. His presence no longer there. All that was left was a molten pile of scrap, of what was once the Praxis Alpha.


Iln'Teer stood in his cockpit, staring out at the sudden explosion. This was no human trick or illusion. Soor'Kan had lost. "San'Xuur, Yan'Tuul. I believe we may have a problem..." These humans were a danger that needed to be stopped here and now.

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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Help arrived a lot sooner than Megumi expected, but Eric was still in complete shock. "Eric, get a grip," Megumi scolded him. Stopping just short of smacking him, she refocused her attention on Tristan and Roxanna. Since the androids had the former, she motioned for Bennet to help her carry the latter. "Just ... get to the infirmary for now and try to calm down." He was in no mental state to be helping right now--he'd probably even manage something stupid and unhelpful, so the doctor decided to rely strictly on her assistants and the androids.

"Is there any way we can contact the bridge? If anyone else survived, we need to find a way to get to them."

"Doctor Amparo," Megumi's comm lit up and Firmia's voice came through, "I need your help."

"We're fairly busy right now, Firmia ..."

"You're going to be even busier if the ship crashes," Firmia snapped, "Drop what you're doing and help! Jessica doesn't have a lot of time!"

Uh oh ...


"Grgh, apologize to my face," Firmia hissed, not sure what to do now that she knew how bad the situation really was. A normal person would be gone in seconds after being torn in half and losing an arm on top of that. Jessica being conscious at all was probably due to her being an android. Or rather, a cyborg. That didn't mean they had a lot of time. The human brain needed a steady supply of oxygen and Jessica was losing the fluid vital for delivery.

Nervously thumbing at her comms, trying to decide who to drag into this mess, Firmia said, "For now, focus on the battle. I'll find a way to get you out of there. Alive." Already half a dozen plans were tried and failed in the Alkaev's head. The main problem was retrieving Gefalscht without damaging her or compromising her control of the Riese, not to mention managing it in the next few minutes, before things became even dicier.

"Doctor Amparo," Firmia tried to get ahold of the Riese's doctor. She knew the woman would be at least near the scene by now, "I need your help."

"We're fairly busy right now, Firmia ..."

Busy? Screw that. If Roxanna was alive, then let the assistants take care of her for now. Things would be a lot worse if they didn't do something, right now. "You're going to be even busier if the ship crashes. Drop what you're doing and help! Jessica doesn't have a lot of time! First, I need you to inspect the lift up to the bridge. If it's not working then we'll have to find a way around it to get up to the bridge."

Firmia wanted to send over some of the drones to peel away the wreckage. That way, they could carry what was left of Jessica back into the ship, either through a docking hatch or the mech hangar, but there were a few problems, unknowns mainly. One was whether or not they could safely move her, to begin with, and if moving her wouldn't somehow accelerate the blood loss. Another was moving her outside of the ship. Could she maintain control and consciousness while being moved around from outside? Firmia didn't know, so she wasn't willing to try that plan just yet. One thing that might work was breaking through the roof of the lift up to the bridge, climbing up, grabbing Jessica, and bringing her back down to the first deck. The infirmary was a short run from there. The unknown there was if the androids could clear any obstructions between them and Jessica ...

Firmia's train of thought was interrupted when she saw Soor'Kan, desperately trying to escape. That was when the Artemis unleashed something new that completely overpowered the Sacarian Sphere. Soor'Kan didn't have time to react and was shot down in flames. Firmia could only sigh at the sad sight. He'd barely gotten away when he had backup, so what made him think he would beat them coming in by himself? Whatever prompted the foolhardy maneuver, it had ultimately failed ... Firmia was resolved to save that idiot on the Riese's shattered bridge no matter what it took.


"He's gone ..." Brant gawked briefly, "A few more like that and it'll just be the usual grunts left. Brant put the Regalia through its transformation sequence and started off ahead of the Avalon. "Hey, Fi--Vivian, we're pushing ahead. How're things on the Riese?" He had to ask now that the immediate danger had passed. Not that another Sacarian couldn't just warp in and smash up something else, but that seemed a lot less likely, now ...

"Focus on the enemy ... ... I'll let you know if anything changes."

Brant winced, not because he was being kept out of the loop, but because of what being kept out of the loop usually meant. "Jess isn't out of the woods yet, is she ...? Damn ..."

Brant transforms the Regalia into flight mode and moves to 12,9!

Firmia moves the Avalon to 11,8!

Edited by Phoenix
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A private line? From Abigail... the message was simple enough. Putting some fire on Soor'Kan was never a suggestion she intended to turn down, after all.

"Can do, Abby. Let's put him in the dirt." Seung-Min replied, aiming down the sights of her MARS Railgun, unloading a few rounds in Soor'Kan's direction to pin him down and suppress... she had zero intentions of missing though, clipping the Praxis Alpha in the back and side while he was lead directly into Abigail's shot.

"Nice shot."

__________________

Kim feel the power of COURAGE(not really) and goes to town on Soor'Kan!

__________________

That was it. He was gone... Soor'Kan was no more, and his reign of terror was over... unfortunately the war wasn't over with him, with the combined forces of Apotheosis and the Sacarians spread out on three flanks. Floating up and slowly away from the smoldering crater that now scarred the Earth, Seung-Min set her sights on the centre of the enemy formation... another Sacarian Knight in the middle, but on the flanks... Avery... and that Luna model... it had to be Astin, didn't it? As she focused on them to confirm, Kim finally noticed something strange. Or well... normal, really. She wasn't passively reading Christina anymore. A quick test confirmed she still could, but it was conscious now, instead of automatic. So this was the next step. Did that mean that the incident with Soor'Kan was-?

Yes. She could turn that ability on people aside from Christina and Chris. It didn't take much testing to confirm that. Useful, but nothing to worry about right now. It probably just meant that she had 'passed' the test that Louise had mentioned, the one that had killed all of the exposed telekinetics from Apotheosis. Having finally made it to a steady altitude, Seung-Min began to advance towards the enemy line. With any luck, her display of defeating Soor'Kan would intimidate the Apoth rank and file.

"I'll take point. Be ready to sweep in and mop them up." She noted to no one in particular, just a general notice as she moved forward into a central position. If they focused on her, it would give the others time to regroup and to hopefully cover the damage to the Heion Riese... no response from the bridge, but... the ship was still flying, and the cannons had fired. Comms might be down but... there had to be people alive for the thing to be flying...

Kim casts Focus and moves to 15,13

Edited by Ether
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Tycho barely had time to think before what had just went down. From the Riese taking a major blow from that attack, to watching the pilots curbstomp the Sacarian pilot. There was so much between coms and what he was watching, he guessed it was either some grudges, or it was one hell of a retaliation to the Riese attack. Regardless, this was a very different bunch than he was used to.

Once watching the... Artemis (yep, definitely from the briefing details) start to move, he kicked into action himself. Thrusters at max, he moved to the body of water in the center. He guessed his training would be helpful at this point, and plummeted into the water, watching intently at the enemy force in front. He shot a quick message back to the Artemis.

"Hey, not sure how much you need it, but I'll keep you covered." This was a 100% more capable bunch than he was, but that wasn't gonna stop him. Hands steady, eyes up, ready for action.

Tycho casts Focus, Accel, and moves to 13,13

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"I'm trying, you madwoman!," Eric snapped back, glaring at Megumi as he raised his head up. "The Riese is supposed to be safe! Didn't know we were dealing with kamikaze aliens!" Surely, since the ship had stopped shaking, the pilots surrounding it had dealt with whatever had warped in...

Just as the androids got Tristan into the infirmary and into a bed, he started to stir. "Wha... What, happ-- Ow, my... Head..." He ran a hand into his hair, no blood, but there was a serious bump forming. He had a splitting headache, too. "Tiff? Liz...? What happened? Last I remember I was monitoring the radar, then the Captain grabbed me..."

"[Ensign Calvin, please stay calm. The bridge has been severely damaged, and the Captain is trapped... She is still alive, and is maintaining the ship at the moment.]"

"What!?" What had happened...? Did anyone even know? And what... "Oh no... Aly!"

"[Ensign Calvin, you should stay laying down, your injury--]"

"Shut up! I can take a tylenol later!" Bursting out of the infirmary, Tristan glanced over at Roxanna, being carried by Megumi and now Olivia. Hoping that she would be okay, and if the bridge was out... He ran his way across the hall into the meeting room, nearly tripping his way towards the console. "Pilots... Contacts... Aly? Aly!?" The Almydis wasn't responding... Dammit! "Aliza! Aliza, do you read me!? What's going on out there? The bridge was destroyed, is, are people alright? Is Aly...?"


"Gotta say it now just in case I can't, Firmia..." Jess pushed her arm up, trying to adjust some of the rubble above her... It gave way, slightly, a crack of light spilling in. At least she wasn't completely buried down here, but she couldn't move all this with just one arm. Worst case, she made more come down on her. "I'm... Good luck, Firmia. I'll send where I am to your drones... Maybe they can, do something." For now... The ship needed to move. She could still access the outer cameras, so she did her best to keep it going towards the approaching enemy forces.

The Riese moves to top right square 8,11!


"She's right, Brant. We have to focus... The bridge looks like a mess, if we try and have any machines pry things out or shuffle the wreckage around, she might get hurt worse. Needs a smaller hand trying to get in there. Let's just make sure things are clear for her when they get her out of there, yeah? And good riddance, fleabag." Chris would be giving Kim the biggest pat on the back for ridding them of that freak.


"Hnnn... Kim...?" Christina hadn't passed out, but her head had finally stopped hurting, blinking and trying to get some awareness of their surroundings... "You got him...?" She couldn't stop the smile at that point, tearing up. Arms flew around the main pilot seat, trying to awkwardly hug Kim. "You did it! I can't believe it! I thought... I thought we were goners, that pressure was just... Just, crazy. But you did it! We're still alive! Ahh..." Leaning back in her seat, Christina wiped her eyes clear, smiling confidently now. "That means nothing stops us again, right? If you can take that much... I can do my best to back you up."


"Hey, pretty lookin' robot. Sit still a second, yeah?" The Deliverance pulled up next to the Luna, some small repair bots flying out of its side hatch. "You look like you got pretty banged up!"

"I couldn't be any better, right now~" Louise replied, the sword in the Luna's hand shaking. "I really... Really need more~"

"Uh... Yeah, sure. Gonna go ahead and fix your machine some, now..."

Terry moves to 5,10 and repairs Louise for 68 HP! Gains +60 EXP!

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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Remember that feeling Aly had about things possibly being bad out there? She must hold some form of clairvoyance because boy howdy did it all go south.

Before Aliza knew it the bridge was completely smashed. Which she stared at in absolute disbelief. She knew this fight would have it's prices and that things would not go as planned exactly, but she didn't realize how fast and bold Soor'Kan was. He aimed right for the neck, and it was an effective tactic. She was worried about everyone, especially Tristan. She didn't want to lose a friend, she promised to do her best to prevent that. "No!" She gasped out and was about to hail the bridge for Tristan, but before that Soor'Kan was suddenly swarmed on by a berserk Aly and an angry Kim. Kim losing her shit was understandable, though Aliza still worried for the idol. Alriana on the other hand...Aliza realized something was off about her anger. It was far more berserk and rage filled. As expected considering Tristan's situation.

The Almydis was less a mech and more a wild animal now, completely ripping into the Praxis Alpha, a sight that shocked Aliza. She did of course want Soor'Kan to pay, but not like this. Not at the cost of Aly's sanity. "Aly!" She hailed over the comms. "Aly, stop! You can't-" But Aliza was too slow. The Praxis Alpha was entirely smashed to scrap. The mighty Soor'Kan was defeated. Granted, it wasn't Aly alone that did it. But her focus was squarely on the alien mech before her. She knew she wouldn't stop here, not after what happened. "...." She bit her lip, trying to think on her next move when suddenly...

 "Aliza! Aliza, do you read me!? What's going on out there? The bridge was destroyed, is, are people alright? Is Aly...?"

"!" A voice came over her line, it was Tristan! Oh thank god, he didn't die. She felt her sinking heart suddenly rise up once more. Still, there was no time for this. "...I'm here, Tristan." She answered back. "But I can talk long, Aly's...lost control." She bit her lip as she decided to get a move on toward the shark's location. "I'm gonna try to help her out of this, just...make sure you stay safe! Otherwise she'll get worse!" With that in mind she swapped over to attempting to contact the Almydis. "ALY!" She shouted out. "It's me, Aliza! Tristan isn't dead he just called me!" She had hoped that piece of news was enough to bring her back to her senses...

The Saggitae moves 10, 10

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Although her own assault had ended, Alriana's attention was still entirely invested on the Alpha, like a beast preparing to finish off its prey; however, that chance never came. Soor'kan attempted to flee and Kim was more than ready to intercept. She watched as Soor'kan was bested at every turn by Kim, slowly beaten further and further into a corner until finally he, and the entire corner, was blown to kingdom come, leaving nothing but a smoldering wreck behind. "Zhro..." Even if not directly by her hand, it was over. Soor'kan was no more. His reign of terror, his control over her, had ended. Permanently.

Contrary to Aliza's fears, Alriana did not appear to be continuing her rampage, at least for the moment. The driving force fueling her unbridled rage gone, the Almydis' pilot was in an odd state of flux. Her instincts still called for destruction, for the wholesale slaughter of any and everything she could get her hands on; however, the rest of her saw no point in continuing to fight. Soor'kan was dead, she had succeeded in that regard. Mission accomplished, and all that. There was no reason why she couldn't just simply... stop. "ALY!" A familiar voice, calling out to her. That's right, there was still... "It's me, Aliza! Tristan isn't dead he just called me!" The Almydis froze and went silent.

Alriana blinked and rubbed her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She was... in the Almydis? It felt like she'd just awoken from a dream, or maybe it was better to call it a nightmare. What had she been doing? Think. A mix of humans and Sacarians, a battle about to start. Then suddenly Soor'kan had teleported in, attacked and... The rest was hazy, as if under a veil, save for Aliza's news. Wait, was that wreck of a mobile suit the Praxis Alpha? Was- Had it all been real, then? She needed to know, hailing the Riese. "Tristan! Are you, there?" She asked, the question equally full of both hope and trepidation. 

Edited by Ursali
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"Stay safe? I'm as safe as I can get now... What happened to the machine that hit the bridge!? Is it still functional? I don't have eyes on the battlefield here, I can't..." Another line called in, just who he was hoping to hear.

"Aly! I'm alright, Aly... Splitting headache, but I can deal with that. Are you okay? Aliza told me you lost control, but... You sound okay... What happened? Is he... Is Soor'Kan gone?" He could only hope. Aly didn't sound scared, so maybe...

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Moving on?

"... Wow." This was... this was pretty crazy. Caroline was still picking up her bearings and processing what happened, to be honest. "They're gone... o-oh, oh! Right. Geez..." Their surrounding rid of threatening foes, there was only one other thing that stuck out like a sore thumb... She readied the thrusters. "C-Caroline here. Going to, help the ship..." With delicate manipulators installed, her mech could do some of the more basic repairing jobs. This meant she was going to see the bridge's state, though. God help me...

Caroline to (7,9), repair the Riese.

Caroline repairs the Heion Riese!
Repaired for 160HP! (DEBUFF: Cannot heal past half max health)
Caroline gains 80 EXP!

Cat-astrophe

Makoto had been aware of the suicide run on the Riese, he was watching it. Finding a gap was frustratingly impossible, with allies ganging up on the machine one after another. This... just left staring at the Riese, then at their surroundings. Were any of the other aliens going to warp in like that? That was a scary possibility. If they managed to blow up the Riese...

Makoto shook his head-- he couldn't afford to think like that! "We gotta guard it..." There were people inside the Riese he cared for, and Makoto was sure he wasn't alone in that! "I can't let the aliens touch it again!"

Makoto casts Drive[-50SP]! Makoto moves to (11,10)!

Eidolon Watch

"Hmm... I'll stay close to the Avalon for now." It seemed like the safe plan in Carlos mind. He also didn't want to try anything flashy --too many units coming their way. "Don't want a repeat of that."

Carlos to (11,9) MeL iM nOt AdDiCtEd To HaRuFe.

Sleight of Hand

"Hrmm..."

"That doesn't look good, does it, Lieutenant?" The pain coming from the Riese probably was disturbing the TK, Bonner wagered. Or maybe not, since the Mantle lacked a proper T-Link... "We can't do much else at this point but press on, we're part of the Avalon for now."

"I'd rather not keep supressing this feeling. I hope Firmia does something about it."

Bonner switches Mantle to plane mode, move to (12,8).

EDIT: Xin is garbage and forgets stuff meant for last map

Leave your Message at the Tone (~2100 hours, August 5th, Galactic Century 0251)

Spoiler

"Helena!?" Duane was shouting at his comms, waiting for the commander to pick up. This had gone wrong, despite the silver lining... And now he, and what was left of the Apoth assault group, were waiting for further orders just a small way away from Central. "Please... Ugh..."

---

That was sudden... a call from the assault squad after they'd been sortied. With their track record of late, Helena hardly expected anything at all.

"...Yes? I can hear you, now." From the ID, this was Duane, good, a familiar face. "What do you have to report?" The commander had to conceal her anxious tone, but the slightest hint escaped her.

---

"... I've... I've got great news, and awful news." This was going to be so much harder for Vera... God, dammit... "What do you wanna hear first, boss?"

---

"...Awful first." There was always a catch, best to take the hard blows first. Helena couldn't imagine what went on, but considering at least Duane was alive, it could've been worse.

---

Ahh, fuck... Duane bit the bullet. "We lost. And Andy is dead." He had to give Helena a moment to absorb that, it was awful to relay, and it wasn't even to the person it would hurt the most.

"Good news," he immediately shot into, "Vance and Conner are both dead... Andy took them with him. But... The base is still up, we've been massacred, and Alphonse is alive. We couldn't... I'm sorry."

---

"..." That was mortifying to hear first, but it was about what Helena was mentally preparing herself for. Even so, a moment of silence for Andy wouldn't be enough, Helena could feel a veritable pit in her stomach over the boy's death. "Vera's brother. I see. He did have what it took, like his sister..." It was clear Helena's voice was a bit dry, forced, perhaps not unusually so.

"His sacrifice will be remembered. Those two dying... is incredible for us. We can't let this go." The thought of Andy's death being in vain was what first hit Helena when Duane spoke. Even if they won against the ANF, could they keep the Sacarians in check anymore? Could Helena make their ideals work, any longer? The support Apotheosis counted on was failing.

...She'd have to find a way, there was no retreating, not this far, not since they had declared war, not since they sacrificed so many lives --and tampered with that much more--. "Retreat, with whatever is left of the assault group. We'll decide on our next move soon after." What would she tell Vera, when they next meet...

"And please, don't let stragglers engage you. Warp out alive if necessary." Helena could at least cut this loss, maybe.

---

"Yes, Command... Er... H-Helena?" Duane spoke out of turn a moment, unsure if he had the right to, but... "I was wondering, well, we all were, all of us that are left, if we could trail the Riese. I don't have any faith in those damn cats... And if we can keep tabs on it, maybe we can execute a pincer. There's about fifteen of us remaining, myself included. I don't know what kind of forces we have left, but even if it isn't a planned one, us striking them from behind while we hit it hard in front, it's gotta do something... Right?" Maybe he was wasting his breath, but he had to try.

---

"Intermediate Duane..." Helena had to sigh at that. Even after losing a big chunk of his units, Duane still wished to fight? "Make a good assessment here. If your machines were damaged, trying to perform a pincer will just leave you as fodder for the Riese. You'd be a liability." There were enough broken hearts in Apotheosis as it were... even Helena was tired. "Vera is operating on this mission. Even if the aliens can't match up, I believe in her capacities."

---

"... Even so, we can't... We can't let this all go to waste! I'm sorry!" Duane cut the line, he didn't know if this was the right idea, but most of their units were still full on ammo, they could repair things along the way. This was for the best. They just had to stay low, keep out of scanner range, and wait for the Riese to be attacked... "I'm sorry, Vera. Sorry Astin. I'm trying to be a hero again... Let's go, everyone! Radar jammers engaged."

---

He... He just... "...He's going to do it. Is this a joke?" Helena's grip on the receiver tightened enough that its outer casing deformed. A deep sigh. "I can't believe Vera's brother..." It was hard to picture Vance and Conner gone, but that was good. ANF was paying for their sins. If anything, Helena could at least hold herself confident that she stomped such a failed system to the ground. But, of all people to survive... Now, whether Helena'd live to see what were to replace ANF's current powers...

"Laine still needs to report back. Now, what's taking him so long..."

Edited by Xinnidy
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