mcd900

"W-What? N-No, I'm not... ah, hey, Syta...!" Only a moment after Syta pulling her to meet the other group, the other cat Clouded was already excitedly greeting her, all smiles and bounces, practically vibrating in place. "O-Oh...! Um, hello, it's, it's nice to meet you, Amera... we have a couple others in our group as well." Her tail swayed a bit, awkward, uncertain; she'd certainly spoken to higher-energy people before, but this had to be a new level. "Ah... I'm Laniva. I'm a mercenary knight for the Iron Tigers, and... I suppose I'm a morning person, and... getting p-pet, is a-alright, I suppose..." She stood rather characteristically calmly still, though she couldn't help but be extra aware of it looking down at the hyperactive Amera, her own ears twitching a little, shoulders falling a little as Syta patted her back. Seila sighed softly as Amera bounded off, nodding to Jesse. "For the most part, right up until she decides she wants to laze around for a little while. This is... well, it's definitely more than usual, but she certainly has something to be excited about this time. She should be her usual level in about... mm, an hour or two, probably." She called over to Amera from where she stood, so as to not be too discourteous to their new acquaintances. "Tell them about what you like to do in your free time, Amera. Otherwise they'll think you spend all your time asking for pets~" The slightest smirk formed on her face as she pushed the brim of her hat out of her face again. "Oh, that's quite a nice idea... and Amera could probably use something to do to spend that energy. I've spent so much of my time here reading, I haven't been out to see the city much..."

As Rina rushed forward into the fight with the other still-standing member of the Lower Rung, who had bravely enough charged as well to defend her as she fought what as looking like an increasingly losing battle, she saw the princess beyond her own foe. Not only the princess, however, Ser Antonio, blade in motion...! "W-What?! S-Ser Antonio?! Ser Antonio, stay your blade - what, what are you doing? That - that is the Princess! Have you lost your mind, ser...?!" The words of the princess struck true, more than close enough to hear well and clear; and she hesitated - these were beyond a shadow of a doubt bandits, and yet here she stood beside them, fighting her own fellow knights. I-It... it cannot be true. And yet - here she stands; surely there is but no greater evidence one might need to fathom her words as anything less than the truth... but-- then, Ser Evelyn...?! Rina's resolve wavers!

The long walk was rather mind numbing, but despite it Rina found herself still vigilant. This was no ordinary march, after all; it was none less than the princess of the Halsprian Empire, and despite herself, she did feel a pang of admiration for her prowess at battle, strength becoming of a modern ruler of Halspria. So lost in her watch was she that when Antonio spoke, her focus remained a moment before Rina realized she was being spoken to. "Ah... Yes, Ser Antonio." She was one for formalities on any given day, a natural consequence of her heritage; but on a mission especially so, and it wasn't as if Ser Antonio was not rather deserving of her respect; since she'd entered his command, he'd been nothing less than welcoming and conscious of her at every opportunity. "I do wonder about the route we are taking, ser. Were it not for the importance of our mission, I would not deem it any concern, but I cannot help but consider that we could be rather more averse to risk..." It was that lapse in concentration, then; at that moment, beyond that shock of blonde hair, a flash of movement between the trees, a rush of violence, and one of their own was down in an instant, an archer, one of her fellow Lower Rung; she let out a momentary gasp, drawing her rapier, the thin pale blade shining faintly in the light. Bandits...?! So close?! How could they have known--? Her countenance betrayed none of her confusion, however, and as she echoed the call to arms, she gave her fellow knights nearby a look of reassurance. Just mere bandits - it may have been a surprise attack, but to fight together would surely yet see them the day won. "To arms! We must protect the carriage...!"

Seila stood by as Amera introduced herself, sheepishly smiling slightly as the cat, so bundled with energy, eagerly greeted the two humans, followed by Ember and Bella as well. The latter two had been whispering about the dragon man in the back of the group; she’d given them a quiet huff during the talks. It wasn’t that she had any qualms about them doing it in general, just the timing... though she knew protesting any more risked some of Bella’s ever-ready teasing. “Haha... It is quite nice to see you all doing so well for yourselves, to be sure. It was a nice little dream, back for a while in Kansei. Mm, but don’t worry about that...” Her face shifted into a pout at hearing Ember’s last remark. “Hey! Hahh... come on, Ember, what do you mean...” She’d handled most of the talking when they’d gotten their contract here, but she had a pretty solid inkling that hadn’t been what she meant... and she certainly hadn’t expected teasing from Ember, not while Bella was standing right there. “Hahh... a-anyway. Morano... hmm, I don’t think so? Did we pass by once, maybe...? Maybe Amera or Ember would remember better...” “Oh, h-huh...? I can wait for you, it’s okay...” Laniva tilted her head as Syta gave her assent, then promptly changed her mind. Her reason became clear soon enough, though, as she took off her amulet and offered it to the Evokers. Oh, Kisara must want something... She’s all over the place lately. She woke up a lot faster than it seemed like she was going to... I guess there must be something important for her to talk about. Still, for her to be apart from Syta... mm. I’m sure it’s okay... Syta was back quickly enough, though, and with the poke in her arm Laniva snapped out of her brief moment of pensiveness. “Mrah...? Mm, sure. Hey, I thought you would want to see her, it’s not just for my sake...”

Kazue unsheathes her halberd and slams it down into down into tank 3A! (24, 50) 14 damage to Tank 3A, (70), and the tank's machine gun spray goes wide! 11XP to Kazue. Azame's machine sets some of Esther's parts back in place! 9HP to Esther, 9XP to Azame. The Dawn flies forward, opening a curtain of gunfire against Tank 3A! (57, 46) 6 damage to Tank 3A, 11XP to Sia! Sia levels up! 83 8 28 26 80 14 89 +MELEE/+SHOOT/+SKL/+LCK Markus draws the long cannon from his HEX's back, putting some 180mm heat downrange! (100 to hit, 26) 7 damage to Tank 2A, with the tank uselessly firing back! 11XP to Markus. Leon won't be left out of the fun, tearing up Tank 2A with his halberd! (20, 34) 8 damage, and he's attacked from Tank 2A's blind spot! 11XP to Leon. Bonner slides up and rips tank 3A apart! (80, 26) Critical! 33 damage to Tank 3A, destroying it! 4XP to Bonner. Daeran gets nice and close with Tank 4A! (100 to hit, 85) 11 damage to Tank 4A, with the machine gun firing back - (42) - missing entirely! 11XP to Daeran. Enemy Phase 7 Tank A4 fires shells in Scylla's direction, catching her out of support range! Scylla chooses Evade. (100) miss, 1XP to Scylla. Alrenne looked to his side as the captain gave the order to advance. It was... sound, given the circumstances and urgency of the situation, and he silently nodded his assent. She did look to be... flagging, somewhat, though. It could have been fatigue; or perhaps the burden of command for a new captain? Either way, it was not his place to question, but to support. <<Allllrighty, looords and ladies. You remember the details. Get in there, raise some hell, kill some rich boy if you can pick 'em outta that mess of the same bot. We feelin' it today or what?!>> <<God, shut up. Who died and made you Scythe 1?>> <<I dunno, buddy. Maybe you'll figure it out once you get off your ass and get enough contracts to get yourself out of a shabby-ass Lancer, Scythe 4. How old's that thing? They can't still be making them, right? Gotta be at least half a century old...>> <<...Shut up.>> <<Haha! Love ya too, Four. It's okay, you can buy my Arde when we get outta here if you live. I'll be upgradin'! ...Oh, shit, is she hailing us? Wow, we get to use the cover story! ...a-hem.>> <<Hello there, Lieutenant... ah, we are with Avyndor Heavy's security forces, responding to a, eh... major disturbance! That you look to be oh very much so involved in - so, y'know, we're the local authorities, so I gotta say - we're requesting that you lay down your weapons, and ah, maybe we don't use lethal force!. Yep, that'll be it." Player Phase 8

Seila sighed, smiling a little as Amera whined for a moment, then promptly went back to her usual energetic self. "Mm? All that energy, and you're getting nervous now? Come now, Amera..." As the cat rattled off a couple options, tail left to its own devices, she half-shrugged at Ember; before she could respond with a choice, though, a couple of new faces approached, and she Amera's arm a soft tug to get her back on track. "Look, Amera, lucky you. Now you won't have to choose." She turned to face the two introducing themselves, dipping her head in greeting, her hat following after a moment. "A pleasure to meet you, Jesse, Miria. I am Seila; and yes, we are in the lord's employ currently. I'll let the rest speak for themselves." Laniva, for her part, had stood by quietly during the talks; it was a practice that was becoming quite familiar to her, though not unpleasant. After all - from the start, she had been rather content to go along with things, follow Tasha's orders... be an ordinary mercenary, really. Things had become quite extraordinary in retrospect, though; and not just in matters of their mission. So many different places, and so many different people; and at the near forefront of her mind recently was Syta, who she'd been standing next to during the talks. She gave her hand a shy squeeze. "Not too bored by all the talking, are you, Syta? Come on, it looks like we have some free time... do you want to do something?" Laniva glanced around the room briefly, as people set about various whims. "I think that cat Clouded over there was looking at me earlier..." Her voice took on the slightest teasing lilt. "...Want to go meet her?"

Kazue cleaves yet another tank into two neat halves! (100 to hit, 35) 19 damage to Tank 1A, 37XP to Kazue! Leon stalwartly pushes his HEX forward yet further, closing in and putting a slug in Lancer 1A, sending it reeling! (18, 32) 6 damage to Lancer 1A, and as it fires back (76) the rounds make dull thuds against the heavy armor! 2 damage and 11XP to Leon! Markus dips and dives, firing his rifle and darting back! (100 to hit, 8) 9 damage to Lancer A3. It fires back... lucky shot! (10) 11 damage to Markus. But he finishes, following up properly! (100 to hit, 98) 9 damage to Lancer A3, 11XP to Markus. Bonner stands his ground as a shield, shells falling into a rough pile to his HEX's side! (21, 60) 12 damage to Lancer A1, and as it suffers the blows, it fires back, nailing Bonner... (28) but harmlessly pinging off his armor! Bonner cleans up neatly. (12, 56) 12 damage to Lancer A1, destroyed, 4XP to Bonner. Daeran drops the grenade squarely onto the control unit of Lancer A3! (100 to hit, 15) Critical! 27 damage to Lancer A3, destroyed. 37XP to Daeran, level up! +HP/+SKL/+DEF. Scylla charges hard, sword coming down onto Tank A2 as its machine gun sprays back! (11, 63) 13 damage to Tank A2. (75) Scylla takes 0 damage from the counter! 11XP to Scylla. Enemy Phase 6 Tank A2 fires at Markus, cannon shells landing wide! (0 to hit) 1XP to Markus. The other two tanks fire at Scylla, out in the open! Scylla chooses to Evade. (74, 82) (16, 38) 11 damage to Scylla, as the first tank's second shell lands directly! Panic Switch activates! (36, 51) The other tank fires wide as Scylla gets dodgy! 2XP to Scylla. Esther comes under fire from Lancer A2! (71, 23) The rifle fire can't find it's mark! Esther unleashes the blade array on Lancer A2! (100 to hit, 22) Critical! 27 damage to Lancer A2, destroyed! 37XP to Esther, level up! +SPD / reroll option +HP/+SHOOT +SPD selected! "Lt. Drachenheim! Stay in formation!" Alrenne cursed to himself in his mind; just when one loose cannon was getting tightened up ever so slightly, the other had to slip free. At least the Captain's tactical command was keeping everyone else well in control, and in good health; hits here and there, but with their new addition things were getting a little more manageable, at least... As Louise turned to set her rifle sights south, he almost spoke to rein her in as well; but the Captain had given her approval, and in truth he wasn't all that opposed to it as well; if anything it was the habit of telling people to stay close that was kicking in, here... The incessant beeping of the radar console from in front of Ensign Kiria grew quieter briefly as some of the active targets were wiped off the map; then louder again as a new line of units followed hot on the heels of the last. Her face fell for a moment, then she shook herself back into focus. "O-Oh... F-Five more! T-They're trying to close in on us again...!" Elsewhere, not-too-distantly... "Did - did we make it...? I can still feel my arms. And my legs. And my everything else." "I think we did... w-what was a CEN battleship doing all the way out there? That was the CEN, right? I, I didn't see a symbol anywhere but I wasn't like... looking. At all." "I... I mean, who else... the captain lady did say they were CEN, right? Oh, man, it's a blur..." Player Phase 7

The Dawn unleashes a volley against Lancer 4! (80, 71) 15 damage to Lancer 4, 10XP to Sia. The Lt. Commander takes the lead, making ready to defend his allies! (100 to hit, 30) 12 damage to Tank A1, 4XP to Bonner. Daeran runs up to the high ground of the hillside, firing down to clean up Lancer 4! (100 to hit, 49) 13 damage, Lancer 4 destroyed, 30XP to Daeran! Enemy Phase 5 "DIRECTIVE. CONCERTED. OFFENSIVE. CONTAIN. SUPPRESS." Markus comes under fire from a broadside of 3 tanks! Markus chooses to evade all 3! Tank A2: (93) miss! Tank A3: (19, 38) - hit! Tank A4: (38) miss! Markus takes 6 damage and gains 3 XP. The Lancers close in on Scylla as she makes her advance! Scylla chooses to evade all 3! Lancer A2: (50) miss! Lancer A3: (5, 90) hit! Lancer A4: (64) miss! Scylla takes 7 damage and gains 3 XP. Alrenne braced as the main cannon fired, waiting for the wave of force to resonate through the ship; but there was nothing but a flash of bright light as the beam shot across the sky. ...Damn. He grimaced. There was just a faint shake to the hull as the battery of beam cannons blasted a Lancer. The instructors had been such sticklers for tradition in the academy, making them train with traditional gunnery... that was admittedly one weakness of his - never could get over the habit of flinching, not of any fear of combat, but - gah. Focus. He cleared his throat. "A-hem. We need to press this initiative. If we can defeat these automated units before those HEXes approaching from behind us arrive, the battle will be much easier for it." Kiria piped up from her seat. "I-It looks like the worker HEXes are leaving the area! I-I think they made it out... I wonder who they were...?" Player Phase 6

"Ah-- hey..." Seila huffed quietly as Amera slipped behind her, adjusting her hat slightly out of her face again as the active cat flopped and knocked against it. She whispered quietly towards her back, less exasperated this time. "It's okay, Amera... just try to relax a little. They don't pay us to talk anyways." She glanced to the side, following Ember's gaze towards the mercenaries filling the room - there was quite a number of them - the muscular woman was giving them a look that rather distinctly was not a stoic guard's stare. Prideful, certainly, that was there; but there was a bit of something else in there too. Hahhh... well, as long as she doesn't go wagging her tail it's fine if she stares... probably. At least they seem to be focused on the talks, not gazing idly around the room at us... "Come on now, Amera... let's look proper, now..." She gave the cat a bit of a nudge, encouraging her out from behind. "We can go talk to them afterwards. Look, there's so many Clouded... I'm sure we'll get along great." Won't need to worry about that this time at least...

Kazue charges at Lancer 7, a trail of nanofoam clinging to her HEX! (100 to hit, 90, 44) 30 damage to Lancer 7, destroyed! 30XP to Kazue! Level up! 3, 72, 38, 8, 21, 94, 57. +HP/+SKL/+SPD! Azame repairs Kazue for 5HP, casts Trust for 10HP on Kazue! 5XP to Azame. Louise snipes Lancer 6! (100 to hit, 18) Critical! 45 damage to Lancer 6, destroyed! 30XP to Louise! Iskra surrounds Lancer 5 relentlessly with cannons! (100 to hit, 7, 68) Critical! Lancer 5 destroyed, 30XP to Iskra! Level up! 25, 77, 53, 15, 24, 26, 9. +HP/+SHOOT/+SKL/+SPD/+LCK/+DEF Bonner puts some rounds into Lancer 8! (100 to hit, 61) (26) (100 to hit, 1) Lancer 8's rounds ricochet harmlessly off Bonner's armor as he takes it out cleanly! Lancer 8 destroyed, 3XP to Bonner. Esther flings grenades at Lancer 3! (100 to hit, 61) (40) (100 to hit, 75) They go off, causing it to buckle, but not before it returns the favor! 16 damage to Lancer 3, 14 damage to Esther, 11XP to Esther. Leon rushes up and puts an end to things! (65, 62) 8 damage to Lancer 3, destroying it! 37XP to Leon, level up! 76, 16, 68, 87, 58, 27, 19. +MELEE/+LCK/+DEF Enemy Phase 4 "ESTIMATED. THREAT LEVEL. EXTREME. SUPPORT REQUEST. DIRECTIVE. RETREAT." Lancer 4 retreats towards reinforcements! Alrenne's brow furrowed further as he stared at the tactical map. He'd been hoping that Daeran's training was going to help Kazue get herself under control, but there was something of an already all too familiar headache forming... Reed keyed her mic, responding to the hail from the new friendly face. "Glad to see you, Ensign Nishimiya. The Dawn is moving to engage the northeastern group - please assist immediately!" Player Phase 5

Leaning against the wall alongside the other Gaffney mercenaries, a mage stood draped in heavy robes dyed a deep forest green accented with gold, letting out a quiet huff at the hyperactive cat Clouded's excitement. She had been lazily paging through a book as they awaited their guests; but with their arrival the mood in the room was rather less than conducive to reading, and she dropped a bookmark between the pages, tilting her own hat up to see past the brim which had shaded her eyes just in time to see her duck behind Ember. "Hahhh... aren't these talks supposed to be serious? You're going to give our guests the wrong idea, Amera..." She debated internally whether to go for her ears for a moment, but decided against it after what she'd just said. She tucked her book away in one of her robes' pockets, watching as Bella set her hands on Amera's shoulders, reining her in in a manner she'd come to find somewhat familiar as of late. That's also... mm, oh well. It's not like it's not how they are, after all. Maybe this mercenary group's weird too... She glanced past Amera and Ember, tilting her head (and hat) slightly. "Oh - look, they've started. Hush, listen..."

As the combat raged on, Ensign Kiria squirmed around at her console's seat, anxiously staring as the red and blue dots on her fuzzy screen blipped in and out, only taking breaks to peer out the bridge's windows at the actual events. Ughhh, this is dragging ooooon... this sucks, we're WINNING and it's STILL terrifying why did I sign UP for this... The rest of the bridge paid little attention to her nerves, until a few moments later, when she promptly practically squeaked, her gaze now transfixed on her screen. Alrenne did a bit of a double take, looking off to the side to check on the commotion. "...Ensign Kiria? Do you, ah... have something to add?" Her response - still momentarily stunned - was to point vaguely at the screen, hardly visible from over her shoulder, much less halfway across the bridge; before blinking a little, poking at her console, at which several new red silhouettes appeared on the tactical map to the southwest and northeast. Alrenne winced. "Er... oh. Hmm. This is problematic." Kazue blitzes right into Lancer 2, taking a slice out of it; Louise gets a little closer than usual and follows up to finish it off! (73, 85) (100 to hit) Lancer 2 destroyed, 11XP to Kazue, 37XP to Louise. Louise levels! 36 8 10 84 44 15 72 +HP/+Melee/+Shoot/+Luck Markus focuses and puts a slug squarely into Lance 1! It sprays back wildly, somehow missing the entire group. (100 to hit, 75) (48) 10 damage to Lancer 1, 11XP to Markus. Iskra puts her mind to it and sends her wire-guided cannons to attack! (100 to hit, 27) 8 damage to Tank 2. The computations care not for fancy weaponry! An uninvited shell lands on Iskra's HEX. (27) 8 damage to Iskra. 10XP to Iskra. Scylla takes a schwing and Lancer 1 locks up! (12, 18) Critical! The old HEX is shredded to ribbons. 48 damage to Lancer 1, destroyed, 37XP to Scylla. Leon is a little unprofessional with his Heat Halberd in front of Lancer 3. (94) Miss, 1XP to Leon. Bonner grumbles and rumbles, shots landing right on target on Tank 2. (46, 34) 12 damage to Tank 2. 4XP to Bonner. Tank 2 sits there like a sad little box. Esther pulls a gamer move and steals the kill! (100 to hit, 84) 7 damage to Tank 2, destroying it. 33 XP to Esther. Enemy Phase 3 Lancers 7 & 8 fire 90mm Autorifles at the exposed Kazue! Kazue cannot counter, choosing to Defend under the withering hail of bullets. Lancer 7's attack (20) - 5 damage to Kazue! Lancer 8's attack (44) - 6 damage to Kazue! 2XP to Kazue. Lancer 5 sprays its rifle at the swordbearing Scylla! Scylla cannot counter, choosing to Evade. (64) - miss! 1XP to Scylla. Lancer 6 chips at Markus from out of range, his shotgun can't find a target...! Markus chooses to Evade. (90) - miss! 1XP to Markus. Lancer 3's rifle barks as the Dawn brings its guns to bear! (26, 68) - 8 damage to the Dawn! Autocannons roar to life! (100 to hit, 37) - 7 damage as Lancer 3 gets clipped! 11XP to Sia. New enemies have arrived! Reed furrowed her brow, listening intently through frequency after frequency, letting out a bit of a huff of frustration after a long moment, turning her seat towards the captain's chair. "Just more automated warnings from the northeast group, ma'am. I can't make out anything from the southwestern group, though... I'm not sure what that means." Kiria let out another noise, this time jabbing at her touchscreen more eagerly, and a new contact appeared on the tactical map; this time, the IFF reading out friendly - and a very old model number; some kind of custom CEN C-HEX-1. "Oh! U-Um, there's, that's an ally, over there! By that... fuel depot, thing? Sir- um, ma'am!" Player Phase 4

Alrenne stood fast on his spot on the bridge, observing the battle through the holoprojector. The Captain's orders were more than reasonable, especially given how one-sided the fight - if you could call it that - had been until their arrival. Still, Bonner raised a good point - the autonomous units were far from berserk. They still appeared to be acting on some kind of logic. "Captain, I agree with the Lt. Commander. Protecting them is important, but if we're going to take an action like this we need to ascertain the situation before they leave. Reed - hail those machines. Let's at least get them identifying themselves." "Right away, sir." Kazue takes a couple swings at Tank 4, but not before it fires back! (76, 86) (13, 34) (76, 72) The tank's armor is crushed under her blade! Kazue takes 7 damage on the counter. Tank 4 destroyed! 37 XP to Kazue. Louise takes a long-range shot at Tank 1. 100 to hit. (65) Tank 1 is rolling along a lot less smoothly! 14 damage to Tank 1. 10 XP to Louise. Leon boosts forwards and blasts Tank 3 with an explosive shell! (21, 25) The tank can't counterattack! 7 damage to Tank 3. 10 XP to Leon. Daeran follows up with another shotgun shell! 100 to hit. (3) Critical! The tank is little more than a smoking wreck now! Tank 3 destroyed! 33 XP to Daeran. Bonner rocks up and drills Tank 1 with his Autorifle! (39) 13 damage to Tank 1. Tank 1 counters with cannon fire! (74) miss. 4XP to Bonner. Iskra cleans up! (11, 13) 9 damage to Tank 1. Tank 1 destroyed. 33 XP to Iskra. "Unidentified units, this is Warrant Officer Reed of the Imminent Dawn. We are defending you from the autonomous Avyndor forces at this time. Identify yourselves and state your intent immediately." Enemy Phase 2 "DETECTED THREAT LEVEL... ESCALATING. ENGAGING. PRIORITY TARGET. FINAL WARNING TO BYSTANDERS. AUTHORIZED LEVELS OF RESPONSE. INCREASED. AVYNDOR HEAVY INDUSTRIES. AUTONOMOUS SECURITY OPERATION. IN-PROG--" Tank 2 levels its twin barrels and fires on Markus' shiny new HEX! (80) Miss! 1XP to Markus. Lancers 1 and 3 advance on Daeran and Leon, rifles blazing! (12) (24, 53) The two pilots brace against the impact! 5 damage to Daeran, 2 damage to Leon, 1XP each. Discharge is now active on Leon! "U-Uh... crap. We're, we're from Callisto! We're fed up with how much control Avyndor has! If things keep going the way they are, then-- agh?!" Lancer 2 interrupts Kim's response with a burst of bullets! (39, 85) She hastily guards herself, her HEX losing an arm in the process! 5 damage to REM 2. "Give 'em the ideals crap LATER, run NOW!" "This is the WORST!" Player Phase 3

Reed sat calmly at her comms station, broadcasting the Captain's terms on an open frequency, awaiting a response; Alrenne's brow furrowed after a short moment. "Officer Reed. There's no response?" The edges of her mouth curled down in a frown as she flicked through frequencies; most were little more than static, but after some searching, a cold, staccato voice finally crackled over the speakers. "--IS MESSAGE. WILL REPEAT. AVYNDOR HEAVY INDUSTRIES. AUTONOMOUS SECURITY OPERATION. IN-PROGRESS. ALL NON-COMBATANTS. ARE. ADVISED TO EXIT. THE AREA. THIS MESSAGE. WILL REPEAT. AVYNDOR HEAVY--" The XO sighed, crossing his arms. No other way through, it seemed. The Captain's intent had certainly been a noble one, but the likelihood of negotiation had tanked rather quickly; especially given long-range communications were blocked with the interference of HEX reactors - there was no way to get the autonomous units called off like this. WO Reed turned towards the head of the bridge, a bit sheepish. "...well, it's as you heard, ma'am." Enemy Phase 1 Meanwhile, the sound - and sight - of gunfire echoed through the valley between the moon's cliffs. "A-Ahhh! Whatever, who cares about the battleship, go FASTER, they're catching up!" "What do you THINK I'm doing?!" Lancer 1 and 2 open up with their autorifles! REM 3 and REM 4 guard themselves, weathering the damage. REM 3 takes 5 damage, REM 4 takes 6! Tank 1 rolls forward on its treads, parking itself squarely in front of REM 2, machine gun drilling holes in the mining HEX! REM 2 takes 6 damage! Player Phase 2

"Oh... good. That's good. It really takes a lot out of you when she..." Laniva trailed off for a moment; Kisara's return had happened rather unexpectedly, and having happened in the middle of battle, she really hadn't had the chance to process that it even had happened, much less... what she'd said. "Mm... Don't worry, you helped me a lot. And..." She sighed, a little pensively. "It would be nice if we weren't dealing with all this fighting... or at least not against these types of people, yeah..." Is she looking at me differently...? S-She definitely, might be... Laniva blinked a bit out of her own train of thought at Tanya's question; probably for the best. For now. "O-Oh. Um, how I fight... I learned most of it back in Kansei. It's too long a story to tell right now... oh, but the chain is something I was thinking about for a long time. There was a time when I didn't have much to do but train and think... The practice swords kept breaking, though. I guess it just needed something heavier." She fidgeted for a moment, glancing away briefly at the compliment. "A-Ah... thanks. For what it's worth... I think you're doing just fine."

In but a few minutes, the source of the disturbance came into view both on the bridge and the viewscreens throughout the ship. The quiet thump of faraway weaponry, and a dim haze of reddish dust kicked up by HEXes as they crossed the horizon. In the distance, old-model Lancers emblazoned red with AHI logos followed in a loose line, firing wildly as they ran. Now and then, the industrial HEXes turned to snap a shot aimlessly with a sidearm, not appearing to even faze their pursuers; it was clear enough that there was little chance of getting away. Those things aren't even made for combat. What are they even trying to do with those...? Alrenne pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sharp sigh. "Captain, we have unidentifieds ahead. They appear to be retreating from Avyndor security forces - I believe we should intervene, or at least deploy to defend ourselves. I don't like the look of this." Player Phase 1 "What the hell, Lyle?! I told you we should've followed Hall, she knows the outlands better than any of us! I bet the guys who went with her are almost-- w-what--?" "I told you hitting the warehouse was a mistake! Ugh, now you shut up. At least now I can think about how we're gonna get out--! ...Kim? Kim, is that a battleship?!" "T-They're not here for US, are they? Uhh, uhh, crap. There, there, over there, there's an opening in the cliff wall, hurry UP, Lyle!" Battle Mastery (Only 1 out of 2 objectives is required - completing 2 will not give additional rewards): 1. At least 5 neutral units survive. 2. ???

As the fighting drew to a close, Laniva took a moment to catch her breath, the strain of battle fading, the instinctive motions fading away and the rest of the world gradually returning to her. She took a deep breath, returning her blade to its sheath, and felt the last of her wounds close as the magic of Syta's healing washed over her. There was... soem kind of argument happening across the way, but she had not quite been sufficiently... present to register the most of it, turning instead to Syta. "O-Oh. I... um, yes, we probably should..." She blinked slightly at the distinctly more awkward than usual Syta, who had already turned to look elsewhere, as Tanya approached. "Yeah. We're... okay, I think, somehow. It... looks like I must have been pretty lucky today." That much was true, at least. It had been hard fighting, and that she wasn't worse for wear at the end of the night was in truth somewhat of a surprise to her. "Don't worry about it. There's no such thing as an easy fight, I think..."

There was a lot - a lot - happening all around her. Panic, confusion, a clash behind her; but right now, she only had eyes for the enemy before her. Laniva to 9, 27, Iron Greatsword Mage 5.

Alrenne thought it over for half a moment, then shook his head. "No - maintain our current speed, Lieutenant. We can't afford to risk the time and resources for repair, if the situation here has already broken down. We'll reach whatever's occurring soon enough, and we can evaluate our next move from there." He turned, snapping a quick salute to Sia as she stepped onto the bridge. "Captain. We're about half an hour from the capital, but Radar has picked up interference indicating signs of active combat up ahead; medium-range comms are blocked as well. We should pick up whatever's happening on visual sensors soon; I've ordered our pilots to stand by in their machines, in case we need to intervene in whatever conflict is ahead of us." The corners of his lips turned downwards in a slight frown, pensive. "I wasn't anticipating to see something like this so soon. If Avyndor is needing to take measures like this..." Or perhaps doing it on their own initiative... The rest of the bridge, for their part, was coming alive with activity. Reed brushed her hair out of her face, hands nimbly flicking switches on her console as she coordinated the ship's crew. To her side, Kiria was a coiled spring; her hands gripped the sides of her seat tight, staring at the fuzz on her radar screen, nervously mumbling something incoherent about 'actual combat oh no'. Alrenne gazed out the front viewport of the bridge, watching the terrain rush by underneath. It wouldn't be long before the combat shutters closed on them; now was the last chance he was going to get for a bit.

The chakrams hurt, but so too did her blade sting the giant in return; and Syta was at her side, healing her wounds, fatigued as she now was. She nodded solemnly, gripping her blade again tightly, coiled like a spring, letting it fly once more towards Krauser! Laniva holds, Iron Greatsword Krauser!

"Rrgh...!" The ground shifted, slipping slightly underneath her boots as Laniva fought to maintain her guard against the giant's chakrams, awkward as they were to parry; but she slammed her rear foot down, reversing her momentum to strike twice, whipping her greatsword about the man to send him reeling. She grit her teeth with frustration, seeing the healer rush to his side; a rather attentive follower, if an annoying one. She stared - there was only a short distance between them now, and it was little different from the previous night. No... not quite. Last night's fear had gone from her... "That's it... that's more like what I expected from you! I don't care why, but you ran when I didn't have my armor... when you had the better of me! You'll regret that... come and try, then, if you're not too craven to accept a challenge!" She retreated as she spoke; in her mind, admittedly, it was not quite in line with her words, but the big one probably wouldn't care enough for the taunt, and by her reckoning if they didn't all retreat he was liable to put someone into a wall. There was not one whit of hesitation in her stance now; she stood in a high guard, one hand on the chain, ready to strike back... Laniva to 6, 27, hold.

Syta and a shaman traded spells, and it looked like she had taken a heavy blow; but only a moment later, it happened again - her hair, her eyes, changing. Kisara was back. "Ah- K-Kisara...?!" The shaman was already on the ground before she could so much as blink; Laniva decided to make good on the fox's taunt and stepped forward to meet the giant of a man, swinging at a stray caster as she went. Laniva to 9, 29, Iron Greatsword Shaman 1.

"Certainly, Captain - it would be prudent to introduce ourselves formally in advance. That's a good idea." He nodded towards Kazue, who was ever-so-formally requested to be a part of the diplomatic detachment. "Ah. Very good. To be honest, I was already considering putting you on the detail; I'll mark your name down. I'll select the remaining pilots to accompany us a little later on, if there are no other volunteers at this time." He took a long look around the room, quietly taking a slightly longer breath than usual. "Alright. If there are no other questions... that the Captain and I are able to answer at this time... then you are all dismissed. It's three days to Callisto. Sharpen your minds, and let us proceed and present the CEN's best." JULY 10TH, 2174 13:29 CEN BATTLESHIP IMMINENT DAWN CALLISTO SURFACE - APPROX. 150 MILES FROM REMANSBURG The engines of the Dawn roared as it continued steadily on its course to the Callistan capital, though through the thick armored hull of the ship and noise dampeners, it was little more than a low rumble to those inside. Alrenne gazed out the frontal viewport of the bridge, watching over the terrain. Hmm. Out here, it still hasn't been terraformed... despite that, there's still the occasional settlement. These people are either quite dedicated to Avyndor Heavy, or very interested in their own privacy... Interesting. In about twenty miles or so we'll reach the edge of the industrial zones, probably just warehouses and the like... Still a hundred miles or so to civilization proper. Over towards the port side of the bridge, at the radar station, Ensign Kiria was leaning back in her chair, only one eye open, lazily looking at the empty screen as the display cycled; Warrant Officer Reed to her right, sitting straight up, monitoring the occasional transmission. Nothing but enthusiast signals and local radio... Until they got closer to the capital city, the passive interference from years of wars wouldn't allow communication - even all the way out on the remote moon. Alrenne picked up the intercom, keying it. "All hands, we are one hundred and fifty miles to the capital. Prepare for landing in half an hour." Kiria blinked her other eye closed for a moment, slowly opening it, sighing. Ugh, I'm not gonna do aaaaanything this whole mission... then, the screen began to fuzz at the edge. "Mmhuh...?" She glanced at it again - rubbed the sleep out of her eyes - and sat up, staring at it now. It cycled again - and this time, more of the screen was covered with the creeping static. N-No way. "U-Um, XO, sir...? There's... there's something on the screen. Um, it looks like... interference, sir." The Lt. Commander looked over, a sudden furrow appearing on his brow. "...Interference. Combat, out here? That's..." He sighed heavily. Sure, there was the possibility that some kind of R&D was happening out in the more remote areas of the moon... but at the same time, the price to be paid for making such an assumption was more than he'd like. He clicked the intercom again, his voice resounding through the ship's interior speakers. "Belay previous order. All hands, ready stations. Pilots to the hangar bay, standby in your machines. Potential unknowns ahead." Potential. Was he hoping for too much?

Laniva took a deep breath as she felt the healing magic course through her, taking a heavy sigh as everything suddenly felt much better... looking over, only to see Syta struggling to make eye contact, all red... Ah, uhm... h-huh? Pretty...? "U-Um, thanks, Syta..." She blushed slightly, faint thoughts taking hold in the background of her mind, though she was rather still feeling the fighting she'd just done rather intensely; and the next enemy wasn't far. She gave Syta's shoulder a quick squeeze, turning her a little towards herself. "L-Listen. There'll be time for thinking about petting later... it's, not a very safe time for that, okay?" That... would have to do for now. Laniva holds.

There was an arrow stuck somewhere - didn't hurt too bad, probably not more than the tip of the arrowhead made it through; a dent in her breastplate, too, where the bullet had made a harsh impact, but not gotten through. She could already feel tomorrow's bruise forming. She took a sharp, heavy breath, about the chase the fourth man deeper into the building before hearing Syta's call, hearing the man's taunt, her eyes narrowing. Laniva to 9, 28, Iron Greatsword Archer 1! She spun on her heel, pivoting wordlessly, swinging her blade on its chain in a great arc as if a pendulum; its edge catching the archer in the chest, its weight slamming him back against the pillar; and with a sharp tug she drew the chain and hilt back into her grip, effortlessly slipping back into her low guard. "Tch, I was wrong... You bastards aren't brave. You've just hidden behind your pure weapons so long you've forgotten what a true knight looks like!" A sharp exhale. She turned to Syta and Ren as they moved to tend Tanya's wounds. "Is she all right? We'll need everyone for this." It looked bad from where she was standing, but... "It's only just started... Once she's up, we need to move quickly. One went running for help."