Balcerzak

"Oh! Hmm, yeah, lemme take a look!" Jade had missed whatever Lavinia had spotted until it had been pointed out to her. ...No, it wasn't because she'd been stealing glances at the vampire as they pushed through the trees. Well, not entirely, anyway. But now that her attention had been directed toward the center of the clearing, there definitely was--if not a bright glint, a dull gleam, coming from an object half-buried by the grass. The zombie approached, then first bent over for a closer look. Confirming her suspicions though, she squatted down close to the ground and began clawing at the dirt to liberate the rusted metal object. It'd have been better if she'd brought a spade, but like so many other things, if she had one it was back at the wagon, so strong, undead hands would just have to do. Jade 15,19!

Jade giggled a bit at Lavinia acting so bashful. She'd have expected the more assertive mood to continue, but it had toppled almost immediately as the zombie had hugged her. That was going in her mental notebook. "It's fine if you can't manage right away. At least you're willing to try. And I... I will try too, for my part." Jade to 13,19

Jade hadn't expected that last bullet to have finished the job. Not based on the effect her previous two had. Not that she was complaining, mind! Just... Lavinia's arrow must have put in some real work there. Either way, the zombie drake wouldn't be threatening them any further. Ejecting the spent casing, the merchant briefly considered loading another. But, aside from the dog that had run off, this neck of the woods had seemed almost tranquil. If she didn't need to fire it, there was no point in carrying it loaded. That sort of thing just invites accidents. Jade slung the rifle over her shoulder instead, and swung down from her steed. And then she ran off (well, insomuch as zombies can actually run)... straight toward Lavinia. Wrapping her arms around her waist, the zombie looked up at the much taller woman and exclaimed, "Your shot was amazing! I knew we could do it, with how slow and lumbering it was, but I thought it'd take a good deal longer." Then, the excitement having vented itself, she released her hold and stepped back a bit. "You are worrying too much," the zombie began, establishing the groundline. "If I had run into anything I couldn't handle, I certainly would have come back. That dragon wasn't there earlier, please believe me. But..." Jade paused and looked a little to the side. "I can afford to be more mindful, going forward." Stepping toward the vampire again, turning as she did, a slight rotation to bring them side-by-side, Jade grabbed Lavinia's left hand in her right, and linked their fingers. "We can finish exploring the rest of this together, at the same pace. DV won't mind, she'll follow along without complaint. Won't you girl?" The zombie called back to her nightmare with a smile. Deep Vermillion merely snorted a little, not even kicking lightly at the ground or anything.

"Oh, thank you Asami. How about you, Lavinia, you also ready for another pass?" Turning to check, Jade felt something fall in her chest--figuratively only, thank goodness-when she realized the vampire hadn't followed her back. Ah, this must be exactly what she was feeling. "Oh..." A bit of a falling tone as she gave voice to realization. Well then, only one thing to be done. Chambering the next round in the rifle, she wheeled DV back around and rejoined Lavinia. She felt like she should say something, but all the jokes about how 'hit and run requires running,' fell flat in her mind, and she still refused to admit that she was wrong. "Another couple more, looks like. If we can keep doing it just like we have been..." Neutral, no it was a bit weak, even. But... Whatever. Jade stopped breathing and fired her gun. Jade to 10,20, fire Rifle at Draco Zombie 3, remain in position.

Jade honestly hadn't been prepared for the full lecture Lavinia seemed intent on giving her. She'd been pretty sure she hadn't done anything worth scolding, not really. ...maybe a little bit with the cerberus... But that had turned out fine! And the vampire hadn't even been around to see the dangerous bits! Plus, her hand had almost fully healed by the time the knight employed her staff, so why was she getting the nth degree? Nerves. It had to be. The girl was just worried. Best to simply shut up and take it for now, talk it out later then. Boundaries, risk levels, expectations. They had a lot of things to sort out, probably more they wouldn't realize until something else cropped up. It did hurt a little, being treated as something just to be protected, but that feeling swiftly melted after Lavinia took a shot herself, and saw how vulnerable the dragon carcass really was. 'Jade, we may have a real chance now,' was an concession. And more than that, an invitation to join in, one she gladly accepted. Jade to 10,20, fire Rifle at Draco Zombie 3, canto back to 7,20 before realizing Lavinia wasn't coming back too

Jade had been prepared for many things. The earth quaking and shaking was not one of them. Caught off balance, she instinctively reached out to support herself on the cerberus, only to find that it had darted off somewhere, after having delivered several barks. And now, with nothing to catch her fall, the merchant landed splendidly on her ass. "Don't laugh," she grumbled, standing back to her feet. But Lavinia was too busy staring at something that had appeared behind her, apparently. Turning to check, the zombie frowned. That certainly was a dragon. A zombie dragon at that. There was an almost unpleasant familiarity to it as well, but Jade had no idea why she felt that way. If there was any pattern to things, it shouldn't be any different than the wights or ghouls they'd been facing up till now. But... She narrowed her eyes, staring at the beast. "...This couldn't possibly be the wayward spirit we came here to settle down, could it?" Jade didn't quite believe that. But whether it was or not, could they really just look the other way? Making some haste back to her nightmare, the zombie quickly took her rifle and carefully loaded it. "I doubt its wings will hold it in that state, and as bulky as it is, it will probably have quite the time tackling all this undergrowth. We should at least try some hit and run tactics while retreating and gauging its strength." Perhaps that was bold of her to suggest. Perhaps the vampire's instincts were more correct. But Jade had been having a good run lately, and was inclined to press her luck. Riding just close enough to take a decent shot, she then wheeled Deep Vermillion back around and cantered back, meeting up with her companions. Jade to 11,20, Rifle Draco Zombie the Third, canto back to 6,20

Thorvald waved a bit as Esther arrived, then nodded. "Yeah still up there, seems like." Hadn't gotten a reply back yet, but as the cyber-TK gave her own plea to get the woman to open up and come out of the cockpit, a text did come through on his communicator. Quickly thumbing through it, he had to frown a little. It's not that he couldn't understand where Vera was coming from--having to shatter the idol image someone has of you by looking weak and vulnerable in front of them can be a very real fear for people--but he wasn't sure she was doing herself any favors right now either. Still, she was an adult and could pick her battles. Who was he to really question. "Hmmm, looks like she just wants to be alone right now. I guess we'll have to settle for just, letting her know she's got people thinking of her. It's like that saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. I'm sure when she's ready, after we've let her know the water's there, she'll reach out to one of us and come for it. But until then..." He put a hand on his chin and paused in thought. There was also Roxanna's message to consider. There wasn't anything he could do to help the Jess situation. Thankfully ever since Megumi found herself some assistants he hadn't been pressed into emergency surgery again, and he honestly doubted even people with actual training wouldn't be finding themselves ill at ease having to work on someone as... special as the captain. But maybe he could help manage morale for everyone else's rest and recuperation? "Well, in the meantime, I'm making waffles! Who wants in?" He looked slowly around at the gathered pilots. Including himself... Four in the immediate vicinity. That would be a manageable batch. "Tarquin, Nina, Esther, you guys hungry?"

The cat seemed to pick up on how to shake hands quickly, whether from reading her mind or not, Abby didn't really want to try to think about. But it was a firm clean shake, neither trying to overpower the other. Good. That was a sense of stability much welcomed in these trying times. Both Reed'Nahl and Calina seemed to think it just best to tear off the bandage, so to speak, as far as Sena's sensibilities might be concerned, or anyone else's for that matter. With a bit of a shrug, Abigail came around to that way of thinking too. It's not like she'd been married to her previous proposition, after all. Sena was going to have to get over things sooner or later, and if the cat wasn't disappointed by the change in expectations either... Muffled noises resembling Roxanna's voice started coming from the helmet she was holding in her hand--probably coordinating debriefing or something. Just another bit of a nudge to get this alien business wrapped up, huh. That was fine, Abby could ask Calina for the specifics, if they mattered, later. "Right then," she stepped backward toward the center of Vergloria's palm again, nodding to indicate the other party was free to do the same. "We'll cover anything else in the hangar. Follow us, I'll have Terry make sure someone clears a space for your machine." Snapping her helmet back into place, she then clambered back inside the cockpit, taking her seat again. Calina's latest comment was slightly spooky, but... business first. "All right Terry, new plan. We need room for one more in the hangar, and I'm cancelling my rush to the Riese. Got some things that need explaining and handling, and I can't go gallivanting off without doing them. See you soon." Then, cutting her mic, she sighed and turned to Calina. "I missed it earlier, when was Roxanna setting up for the AAR or whatever she was broadcasting about? We've got enough time to get everyone on Deliverance up to speed with the new guest and all that, right? We can cut it a little short if we have to, but I can't just skip it completely..." Okay, hearing about the head trauma and related blackout, it became clear the man really wasn't a reliable judge of the rest of his injuries. However, he was conscious, mobile, and no signs of spinal... As Monty gave Tycho a quick scan, making sure there didn't seem to be anything broken or other missed injury, the wrong woman headed off to carry out his elevator request. Well, it didn't really matter who, in the end, but... Guess she was just shy? "Dr. Amparo?" The doctor hailed the fellow healer over his tool, giving her an update. "One pilot on the way. Probable concussion, multiple lacerations on the arm. A few foreign objects lodged in there. No serious bleeds and nothing visibly broken, but he's understandably in pain, and there is some swelling. I'm sending him up to you with another pilot for an escort. Gonna do a quick sweep of the rest of the hangar, check out the others before joining you up there." Then, with another look at Aliza, as well as the one that ran away, he asked for clarity. "You don't mind accompanying him, or making sure she does? I did just volunteer you, but..." Tarquin had cabled down, quickly heading off to check up on a knotted group of some of the others. Jess leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling of the cockpit and sighing. Her heartrate had come back to normal, and--as far as the Aria was concerned--everything had ended up more or less all right. Maybe she could have kept a better eye on their fuel? They had needed to stop in to fill up the tank and get a few emergency repairs... but thinking back on it, there hadn't been much wasted movement, and--especially considering some pilots she'd trained--next to no wasted shots flying wide of their mark. She closed her eye and frowned. Then after a few more moments, she let out a soft, slightly self-derisive laugh. Was she really fighting this hard not to accept success? They'd never been out of position, hadn't overexposed. Her moments of crippling fear hadn't overwhelmed, she hadn't failed to copilot properly. Deep breath in, then out. They did their job out there, and came home. Still, somehow she felt like crying. Funny, wasn't it? She almost snorted at Roxanna's broadcast, the final sentence especially sticking with her. "Rest, and mentally prepare yourself... She makes it sound so easy." Pushing herself up, she finally exited the cockpit, taking the cable down to the hangar floor. Where to next? Off to the right, was Tarquin and some others, off to the left, a small group making for the elevators. And in front... The enemy. A cat alien, dangerously close to Caroline. Jess froze, her breath caught in her chest. But gritting her teeth, she forced herself to take a step forward. And then another. Striding over, providing backup. Craning her neck a little, she attempted to glare up at the figure towering over her crewmate, disguising her fear. "Good work out there, Caroline. ...Need help?"

Okay, that seemed to be having good effect. The bit of whine coming from the previously bitey head was actually cute. Jade gave it a conciliatory pat with her injured hand; if it didn't like the drool and slobber, it had nobody to blame but itself. Then came the calling from Lavinia, and the zombie felt a twinge of guilt for having sped so far ahead. The vampire sounded seriously worried. The addition of new sounds, new stimulus seemed to put the cerberus back on edge some though, so with a "Pspspss," to get its attention back on her again, Jade did her best to calmly explain. "They're friends, just... be calm, wait. You'll like them. I'm sure of it." Then slowly, to avoid causing any alarm, she moved from the dog's front to its side, turning to face back the way she came as she switched from headpats to shoulder rubs--easier to accomplish and didn't show the favoritism that would have come naturally without her having three hands. Then, the merchant raised her voice and called back, hopefully putting a damper on her friends' worries. "I'm fine, I'm fine! I'll wait here for you. Haven't run into anything I couldn't handle. Woods look mostly empty up here... though, I might have found a new friend..." Jade idles, continuing to pet the dog

Well, on the one hand, the patient in question was saying that the current arrangement wasn't a problem. But on the other hand, it wasn't unheard of for a wounded person not to be the best judge of their own situation. Still, the Asian woman helping hoist him along was supporting him properly, and if it was true that only the other arm was badly off... Then came the mention of blows to the head. Always a red flag. "Did you ever lose consciousness, black out, even for an instant?" Around that time, before the man had a chance to respond, another female pilot had arrived, expressing concern. Monty couldn't help a bit of crooked smile when she mentioned she wasn't a doctor, but didn't want to embarrass her too badly... though maybe she would have a cute blush? "Ah, Miss, we're working on getting him up to the infirmary, but I'm taking a look along the way. Things should be about as well as could be expected, though... if you'd be a dear, run ahead a bit, and call the lift so it'll be ready for us when we get there, that'd be much appreciated."

Jade winced as the Cerberus bit her. It wasn't painful, her condition dulled that pretty heftily, but it certainly was uncomfortable. While this development ran counter to her hope, it was somewhat expected. At least it was far from the worst scenario! All of the heads could have attacked, and yet two had not. The poor mutt seemed to be all sorts of confused. Clucking her tongue, the zombie reprimanded the beast, trying as best she could to direct the disapproval at the head responsible. "No! Bad dog. No biting," she exhorted, bringing the fingers of her free hand down to lightly bap the offending snout on the nose. Having grown up around various animals, she knew better than to try to pull her hand free, that would likely only trigger the fight response worse, so Jade had to try other tactics. This one, didn't quite prove as effective as she'd hoped, however, with the one head continuing to chew on her trapped hand while the others remained more or less unchanged, the right still barking at the left, and the center seemingly wishing it had been born on some other body. Sighing, the merchant switched gears, pushing inward with the hand inside the mouth, hoping to unsettle or unbalance the left head from the unusual response, while she brought her other hand gently up, slowly up, scratching beneath the chin of the center head. "You know, you really should be more like... Medius," she bargained with the left head while naming the one she was rewarding. "...Or even Dexter," she added, carefully moving her scritches around to the side of the outer neck and up towards the ears of the right head. "Both of them are a far sight better than your behavior right now."

Monty had just popped the hatch, stood up, and stretched when, 'Oh goodness, you're bleeding!' caught his attention. Unlike over at the Avalon, apparently there was never a dull moment on the Riese. Looks like the pilot had good intentions, helping the other pilot, but... "Whoa, whoa! Hold up there, pretty lady. If he's actually hurt, manhandling him like that isn't gonna make it any better," calling out, hoping to catch their attention before the pair of them made it too far, the doctor made a swift descent from the borrowed shuttle. He didn't actually hit the ground running, he did have his medical bag to carry after all, but his long legs gave him a decent stride and if they listened to him like they should, he ought to catch up rather quickly. "I'm a doctor, popped over from the Avalon. Might as well triage as we move, but it really would be better letting him walk under his own power." Smiling, enjoying feeling useful, Jess took control while Tarquin handled other business. There were zero problems bringing the Aria in for a landing, and they were soon enough occupying their designated position in the hangar. "After you," she offered Tarquin first use of the cable down. The debriefing would be soon, most likely, and Jess didn't have anything pressing she needed to do before it began, but perhaps the boy did? In that case, it only seemed natural. She could use the extra time to think, if nothing else. "We are now arriving at the Heion Riese station, I repeat, now arriving. As this is the terminal stop of the Odin line, even if this is not your final destination, we still require you disembark," Thorvald jokingly informed Makoto of his options, as the giant robot settled into the hangar. Perhaps being just a little silly would be enough to brighten both of their spirits, after the battering they'd received today. Maybe, maybe not. He, at least, still had some rough weather ahead of him, but at least he'd gotten Esther to agree to serve as reinforcements. After setting the Phalanx down on the ground, and leaving it to go find its hangar home, Thorvald took a cable to the floor, and navigated his way to where Vera's Mark III had come to rest. He didn't wait for back-up, she'd come when she came, and maybe spacing out their arrivals could actually be a good thing. Incremental reminder that she was cared about could be better than one group effort from the start, perhaps? Looking up, it was clear the machine hadn't opened, the pilot was still inside. Well, let's start with with comms, hopefully she'd come out with just a little prompting, and he wouldn't have to go through any heroics. Taking a bit of a seat on one of the Velite's feet, he opened up a private channel. She hadn't responded to his message back then in the fight, in the heat of the moment, but he was pretty sure she'd heard it. It was probably as good a point as any to build off from. "Well, we did manage to clean up, and you have pulled through. If you wanna talk, like I offered before, I'm here to listen..."

Abigail frowned as the cat corrected her, the deal wasn't quite so good as she'd been hoping, but at least the alien was being forthright and honest about it. She could have just as easily not said anything and stabbed them in the back later. "Well, I've never planned on losing before, and I don't intend to start now. Give me your hand, let's shake and make it official then." Abby transferred her helmet to her left hand, and extended the right, walking close to the edge of Vergloria's palm so that the alien, who'd come out to meet her on the palm of her Gamma, could easily reach without issue. "...Actually, come to think of it. It might be best if rather than bringing this on board the Deliverance, at least while Sena is like she is, maybe it'll be better for you to stay in the 'more impressive ship', or would that be a problem for you?" It was a random thought that had come to her while waiting, so she simply spoke her mind.

"I... can't order you to stop reading minds," Abigail reluctantly acknowledged, thinking back to her talks with Kim. "Not any more than I could order Cally to stop listening to our current conversation with her ears right now," Abby turned and gave a small smile to her partner. "We'll have to work on boundaries for what you should do with any information you might come across, have to get you to learn respect for privacy and how to treat delicate subjects with decency, but that can be an ongoing process." "Besides," her tone brightened a little. "Your skills might prove a potent weapon in the future. Discarding a weapon like that because it makes me personally uncomfortable would be short-sighted as your captain, no?" This did of course, bring to bear on the other topic of concern. Could this offer really be trusted? Finding out which of the alien leaders Reed'Nahl had served ended up proving incredibly useful in shining a light on that situation, it turned out. In more ways than one. Not only did there appear to be no connection to Soor'kan, who'd been the bastard responsible for Hilling's death, and also the one responsible for the warp in on the Riese's bridge that had gravely wounded Jess, but Abigail easily recognized the wreckage pointed out as belonging to the craft that she had personally destroyed--with Seung-Min's help, of course. And that had been the first of the alien leaders to fall, with this surprise surrender not coming until all of them had been defeated. The evidence was mounting up that even if you looked at this as a case of 'fair weather friends', it had to be quite the intense storm to shake the loyalty. "So, let me just make sure I'm properly understanding you here," Abby tried sorting through her thought process, hoping it still made sense as she spoke it out loud. "Because we were stronger, we've proved ourselves capable, and you'll serve that strength so long as we continue to win? And not only that, but even if I personally were to fall, if Calina, or Jessica, or Hi--" she accidentally caught herself still relying on Hilling to be there, even after his death. A dark cloud crossed her face, and she bit her tongue, taking a few moments to finish the sentence. "So long as one of my commanders on the field remains capable, or so long as retreating to regroup at the base of operations remains feasible, you will not desert at the first sign of struggle?"

"Not much to see yet, no enemies in sight, but the path veers off to the right here though," Jade called back to the core of their little group. If Aithlin had any information, she'd likely have spoken up. But with the elf dullahan more than shaken by her sudden transformation, and probably not knowing all that much to begin with based on what she'd already mentioned, the right choice for the merchant was clearly to continue scouting ahead. Deep Vermillion meant she travelled faster than anyone, and her surprise victory in the arena had given her confidence she previously didn't know she had. "Going to keep pressing on. You guys can choose whether to stay there and wait for Gabriela or I to report back if we find anything, to follow me at a slower pace, or some combination of both." Lavinia was a competent knight, leaving that decision in her hands was the right call. Having said her piece, Jade lightly used her heels to signal DV to take off again, trotting down the path. Even without going to canter, much less gallop, the merchant would be making fine progress, with no particular deadline to speak of. After a fair distance, the densest thickets surrounding the path had begun to ease up, but it was still heavily wooded. Still no sign of mons--wait... There was a tail, and beyond that the hindquarters and body of a wolf. Much like the ones that had swarmed them earlier, though this specimen was clearly bigger and healthier. She couldn't see its head yet, obscured by the trees but... it seemed to be all alone, and this time, none of their more fragile party members were around. Smiling a little to herself, gently, Jade pulled back on the reins, signalling DV to stop, then patted her on the flank as she dismounted. The zombie readied her shield again, just in case, then walked along quietly, leading the nightmare behind her. If she could make friends with a nightmare, surely a wolf could also be a friend? And if it didn't end up working out, what was the worst that could happen, right? As she came around, its head came into view, facing the other way snarling at something. Jade paused, a frown forming. If it were in a bad mood to start with, that would surely make things more challenging. But! Nevertheless, she was determined. Striding forward with purpose, the merchant only realized her mistake when the line of perspective shifted, when the other two heads came out from behind the profile of the first--one snarling back, and the other almost seeming aloof, bored of its siblings' quarrels and wishing to keep out of things. Not a wolf then, a Cerberus. It was too late to turn back now though. Jade coughed, announcing her presence, and stepped forward, lowering her hand slowly and steadily as she did, bringing it in for a pat. While she might have initially planned to aim for the head, with that choice now becoming more difficult, the shoulder seemed a better bet. Heads could come after, if her hand was still intact. If not, she did still have her guns, in the worst case scenario. Jade to 9, 20 Jade opens convoy: Deposits Dragonspear Withdraws Rifle Withdraws Iron Shield Equips Iron Shield Pets the Dog

Jess nodded, listening to Tarquin's explanation. Finishing up the diagnostics on the Aria, she found herself wondering how she would fare, if placed in similar circumstances. If forced to work alongside the animal that had massacred her squad, could she handle it in as mature a fashion as this young boy seemed to be dealing with Carlos? She... wasn't sure, and that bothered her. Another item to discuss with Cheryl, perhaps. "Ah, if it's just the docking sequences, I could certainly take over and let you focus on your conversations." It was almost a pointless offer, it was basically all autopilot anyway, but she'd finished speaking by the time that fact really sank in. Abigail shared a bemused glance with Calina upon hearing 'Captain', but with neither of them having any answer, there was nothing to do but go with the flow. Have fun out there, sure. A bit of a wry smile on her face as she unlatched her helmet and held it casually to her side in her right hand, Abby raised her left hand to her brow and used it as a visor to cut the sun as she peered into the Praxis's opening cockpit. The speaker was one of the cat aliens, tall, with grey fur. Looked strong enough, and she was offering her services, maybe this could work? But then Rockefeller hit her like a slap on the face. It was like all of her unfounded fears about Kim's telepathy had been multiplied tenfold and brought to bear in the worst possible way. Abigail had told nobody that name but Jess, so it wasn't like the moles had just passed information along. There was no way this Reed'Nahl should know. Well, not just Jess, Abby mentally corrected herself as Calina spoke up, thankful the woman had glossed past the issue of name entirely and stuck with just general disbelief as to how quickly the enemy seemed willing to turn her coat. She was waiting for orders, time to give some. "First order: Never use that name again. You don't have that right of familiarity. I'll figure out something I might be comfortable enough to allow later, but for now 'Captain' is fine, I guess." She paused here, squinting and frowning a bit, deep in thought. "Second, tell me which Knight--that's what you call them, right? Who did you serve under before we killed them?" "Roger that," Monty replied as Megumi gave him a bit of a heads up on the Riese's current situation. "Should I head straight for the infirmary then, or are some of the wounded still elsewhere?" His shuttle was just settling itself down onto the hangar floor, so as soon as he got directions he could head to where he was most needed.

After rushing Aithlin, the ghoul was falling apart at the seams. That only left one zombie mage to deal with, as far as Jade could see. She didn't fully trust that, but if that was the case it might be wise to send some of their forces to help the others that had branched off in different directions. "I'm going to go scout ahead a bit, everyone. Gabriela, if you wouldn't mind peering over the thickets and seeing if you can spot any of our allies and whether they might need our help... Actually," the merchant paused and rustled through a few things, offering the siren some additional spellbooks and other items. "These would probably come in handy for you too, when you do. And why don't I take some of that junk you've scrounged from the fallen enemies for now. I'll hold onto it, keep it safe." Jade opens convoy: Deposits Rifle Deposits Iron Shield Withdraws Lightning Withdraws Mage Masher Withdraws Flux Jade trades with Gabby: Dragonspear <--> Lightning Greatbow <--> Flux (empty slot) <--> Mage Masher ---------------- (empty slot) <--> Chest Key (empty slot) <--> Vulnerary Cantos to 4,20

Unlike Esther, Thorvald didn't suppress his chuckle at her response to his choice of name. But the mirth didn't last long, with the woman bringing up her concerns about Vera, though she didn't call her by name specifically. They were concerns he also shared. "Haaa," he sighed and wrestled with the right approach. "'Suicidal Sword Girl' brushed aside my earlier attempt at contact, but with the battle still raging that was only natural. Suppose knocking on the hatch and paying a physical visit is the next step? You want in on that with me?"

...It was looking like Abigail's Riese run might need to be put on hold. They had company. She and Calina hadn't managed to dock yet, so at least there was that, but she hadn't expected to be approached by the enemy machine that had flipped its IFF signal to 'surrender', discarded its weapons, and had its hands up. She'd seen it on the Vergloria's monitors, sure, but after it had ceased to be a threat it hadn't really registered as important... until the direct comm contact at least. "Look! If you'd seen what she looked like before we got our hands on her you'd agree she's plenty impressive..." Abby quickly shot back, before managing to rein herself in. "I'll be right with you, just. Wait there." Aborting any further efforts to board the Deliverance, she gave a short message to Terry instead, "...Understood. Looks like we'll be a moment more... got some things to deal with out here yet, it seems." Then, turning her mech back to face the foe, she began slowly walking it back till only maybe a dozen meters separated the two. There was also the Sena matter to worry about. While Abby's initial comment to Terry had been made rather lightly, it was a serious issue, and having Calina step up to the plate would really be a relief, given everything else the rebel commander needed to juggle. As they piloted over to the alien craft, Abigail turned to her partner and let her know how much it meant. "Thanks. About Sena. It means a lot. I'm afraid of dropping the ball on this with just so much... Knowing you'll help look after her is..." But that was all the time for awkward sincerity they had. "Okay, I'm going out on the hand. Cally, hold me out close, and keep an eye on things," Abby transitioned back to the matter at hand, pushing the buttons to open up the Vergloria's chest cavity and step out into the fresh air. "Hail, vanquished. Open up. Show me your face, and state your business."

There it was! Thorvald's 250mm rounds had caught the Hexis's attention for long enough: he'd caused the pilot to pivot his direction, thus allowing Firmia blast to catch the enemy machine square on the broadsides. And it had proved enough, finishing the long process of wearing it down to disrepair. There looked to be enough left to salvage, though, the prospects of which would certainly excite many, not the least of which the young Russian captain. But for now, the number one priority for most everyone would have to be licking their wounds. Both physical, and emotional. There was a lot to unpack. Thorvald had been considering raising comms to Miller's man, making sure he'd survived the loan okay, but he broadcast first and Aliza (of all people) came out of her shell a little and responded. Looks like that's one hassle he can put on the back burner. He'll do that meet and greet after they both unload in the hanger, make sure the newcomer feels properly welcomed. For now, though... Operating the levers and switches required to transform the Odin back into its hulking giant humanoid form, rather than the lumbering tank he'd spent most of the combat in, Thorvald cast his gaze closer afield. That policebot was looking rather battered. A bit of a weak smile, he hailed Makoto using the same mistaken code from the colony, the small inside joke trying to be a meager patch of brightness amid the dark and stormy mood they'd all been plunged into. "Peace Officer, your ride's looking like it's seen better days. Need a lift?" The offer was accompanied by the Odin kneeling down to bring an open palm to ground level, so the Phalanx could step on if he wished. The lad seemed eager to acquiesce, but not especially talkative--maybe something else had his attention? No matter. The pair of them began making the hike back to the Riese, arriving not much behind the others that had begun heading that way. Well, relatively, at least. Tycho and Tarquin had a significant geographical headstart, of course, and even though they started a lot closer to Esther's Metis and Vera's Mark III, those machines did have an edge on his in terms of speed. Speaking of those last two... he'd promised to look after Esther, and technically was still succeeding at that. It felt like she was still trying to keep him shoulders' distance though. Andy's death had hit Vera like a ton of bricks, how was the impact on her 'sister'? Time to play nosey father figure and find out. What was her call sign again? Eh, time to just guess and hope he got it right. As they rode down the elevator to the hangar, he opened a private line. "Gamer Girl? This is Papa Bear. How you holding up?" Monty had been given the go ahead by the boss, so he waved goodbye to the android that had been keeping him company till now, boarded one of the small automated shuttlecraft, and hummed to himself as it pathed its way toward one of its few preset destinations: the Heion Riese. The doctor had cleared the Avalon's airspace before everyone else began crowding in, which was good, with enough traffic he'd probably have needed someone to pilot for him, and that might have been asking a little much. Hmm, better phone ahead and let them know he was making a house call though... Poking around a few menus on the console, he finally found what he was looking for, a connection to the larger ship's infirmary. "Dr. Amparo, I presume? This is Monty, the Avalon's physician." His introduction showed that he was willing to extend formalities if she wanted them, heavens knew some people were stuffy on principle, but that she didn't need to extend any back if she didn't want to. First name basis was ripe for the taking. "With no need of my services on the Avalon, I figured I'd offer to lend a hand over there. I'm assuming you could use the help? That damage looked rather horrific..." He probably should have asked before he left, but if he ended up not being needed, well, an excuse to hobnob with some folks outside of his usual company. It'd be like a small little vacation, and nobody could blame him. "Wait, what?" The pilot who'd shot down Nikolai--Jess remembered the boy in the tank from her time in the infirmary, and from her previous conversations with Tarquin--they were on the field here, working together? Which had it been? Given the tone, and the nature of the conversation, it was probably not one on some distant corner of the battlefield, maybe even... She turned her head, staring out the Aria's viewport. Thankfully the craft she suspected wasn't on her blind side, so she didn't have to turn far. "The Eidolon," Jess inquired, before quickly appending an apology. "I'm sorry, if I had known..." If she had known... what? The contributions that craft had made fighting the aliens had been vital. If she'd urged Tarquin to pilot to a different sector, to avoid dealing with unpleasantness, the battle might still be raging on. And to begin with, she'd been busy enough monitoring energy levels, accumulated damage, and her other tasks, most of the strategic choices had been left in the main pilot's jurisdiction. She wasn't to blame for this. But even so... "...Still," her voice softened and she tried to move past the unwelcome realization, back to something rather more pleasant. "It's good to hear you feel we get along well. It'd have been a shame if I were the only one thinking that."

After Abigail and Kim had initiated on the Hexis, in spectacularly showy fashion at that, several others threw their hats in the ring too, taking turns to tango. This foe was definitely much more sturdily built that the other knights, and it certainly showed. What finally did him in was battleship-class weaponry, from Firmia's Avalon. While Abby had no qualms about losing out to a battleship, she would have to admit a small quibble with it being that woman's. Why couldn't it have been Jess that had taken out the knight? ...Actually, where was Jess and how was she holding up? "The fuck is she doing now," Abby muttered as she stared at the monitor in bemusement. The Riese had gone full-throttle chasing down some smallfry. Well, with the sole remaining Chaldene having booked it, and the praxis models... surrendering---that can't be right... but by all indications it was--there were no viable threats to capitalize on its vulnerability, far afield from its forces. That didn't mean they weren't gonna leadfoot it over there, that just meant Abigail would be slightly less worried while in transit. Slightly. The whole memory loss thing was hard to put entirely from her mind. They were ridiculously low on energy though, the suit had enough to make it across the lake in flight mode, and another click or two further, but then, "Cally, gonna be a bit of a rough landing, and we'll have to take it on foot the rest of the way. Hope you don't mind." Actually, as for the 'rest of the way', Deliverance was right in their current path, and... "Terry, what did you let them do to our baby!?" Her poor retrofitted freighter had definitely been banged up. "We're coming aboard, Vergloria needs fuel and repairs, but with Deliverance also hurting, and no threats at the moment, no need to rush it, I guess. Oh! If Sena's still slacking, tell her I'm stealing her suit to make a run to the Riese and check up on things there." Maybe that would shake the girl out of her funk. Probably not, but, Abby wasn't sure what else to try, really. Suddenly called to, with her mind otherwise occupied--still half-dreading in the back of her mind one of the alien's powerful energy beams coming her way to send her to join her squad--Jess squeaked. Realizing the reality only moments later, she covered for it poorly with nervous laughter, and a proper response. "Right, haha, sorry. Wasn't expecting that. Should have been, really, but heh... Yes, running damage report now." Tarquin was still so calm, despite everything. It was admirable. She should say something. Something like, having enemies joining up and working with was better than... No, now was an uncommonly bad time for that comparison, given what had just happened. "Life can be funny sometimes," she found herself unconsciously agreeing without having put any further thought as to where that might lead. Aside from having shut off talk of traitors, everything else was open fields, uncharted territory. "Can even feel like your life is the butt of some cosmic joke, at times." No, that's too gloomy, too pessimistic. Jess shut her mouth, stopped talking, and focused on the diagnostics tasks instead.

Monty had filled a black leather traveling satchel with the kinds of equipment that might be needed for emergency treatment, and had gone to wait in the hangar. This was purely precautionary, of course. He'd been monitoring the vitals from the pilot's machines and the information was clear that none of the Avalon's crew were anywhere near to where any transport delay to the fully stocked medical bay might make a difference in treatment outcome. But, on the battlefield, things can change in an instant, yes? He'd stopped by the crew quarters first, to see if he could find one of the androids hanging around, to at least have a conversation partner while he killed time. Jessica wasn't around, off doing something else apparently, but Stephanie was fine too. The plan had been to ask what kind of music she liked, but if that fell through, he figured he could more than carry the weight by filling in with his own preferences. He'd configured the monitoring equipment in the infirmary to push updates to his alpha tool if any of the pilot's vitals fell outside of nominal range, too, so everything was well under control. Firmia's announcement about the end of hostilities was great news, and Monty signaled with his hand and broke off the conversation abruptly, an apologetic smile on his face as he did so. Flipping through some charts on his tool first, confirming nothing had strayed from ordinary, the doctor opened a line of communication to the bridge. "Captain, Avalon personnel's medicals are still showing all greens across the board, so I was thinking, with your permission of course, that it might not be a bad idea to take a transport over to the Riese and offer my assistance over there..." That attack they took at the beginning of the fight was surely straining their resources, and while the pilots under his care had made it through with little more than bruises, there was no telling how the ones stationed over there had fared.

"Avalon, do you read me? Most of us out on the field are getting dangerously close to empty, if not already there. I saw your last shot had good effect on target, so I'll try to take his attention back, hold it as long as I can if you can line up another one, biggest guns you've got this time. It's really looking like just one more good push might end this. If there's anything else you need from me to make it happen, just say the word and I'll do my best." Thorvald casts Bless on Firmia

Jade to 4,18 open chest, canto to 4,14 "A fight is always a good time to be horseback riding," Jade countered contentiously, but a moment's more thought and she shifted her tone to serious, with an almost coy ending. "Well, in my case anyway. I suppose you can't very well fire your bow from up here without me getting in the way though, so if that's what you're worried about, we can schedule a more peaceful outing later, to enjoy horseback riding as just us." Tempting as it was to reply to Lavinia's comment about biting her, the merchant wasn't sure that wouldn't lead things down a path to getting too carried away, absolutely inviting more distractions. A giggle--and bringing one of her hands to rest on the vampire's that was holding onto her--was all she allowed herself. "Keep your eyes out for somewhere that head might be hiding." It would behoove them to stay on task. "Well... That rather out of place chest might be the best place to start." Lavinia was glad that Jade hasn't added a comment on her promise, anything more might've sent her over an edge. "I don't suppose you have a way to go about opening it, do you?" Perhaps childishly, one of her gauntlets moved to cover the hand that had placed itself on hers, wishing to hold Jade's hand for herself. "Chest? What..." The zombie stopped talking as she almost immediately spotted the object in question. "Oh, well wouldn't you know. See, another reason it was good of me to have picked you up and brought you along. No complaining." It wasn't out of the question that she had overlooked it initially, not when she was tracking multiple enemies to make sure they didn't get the jump on them, like she thought the centaur might have before it ended up giving them wide berth. The ghoul hadn't moved at all, and that had contributed to her lowering her guard some, but with the shortest route to the chest taking them right past it, probably time for one hand on the reins and one hand on the gun again. Giving Lavinia's gauntlet a parting squeeze, not that she could feel it, before reluctantly extracting it from the hand sandwich, Jade answered the vampire's question. "There's a ring of chest keys on my belt. I'd been keeping it in the wagon, not on my person--at least until our path was blocked and I had to improvise to take it with me--so it's not exactly easy access like it could have been. Just ran my belt through the center of the keyring before retying it. I'll have my hands full getting us there and making sure the ghoul doesn't make a meal of us as we do, and it's probably a good idea to save time and have it ready before we arrive, so you'll have to undo my belt to get at it if we wanna make that happen." "Take off your belt? Jade, I thought we were going to take this slow? Besides, not while the undead are watching." Joking was all Lavinia could do to cope with the sudden, and unfortunately timed request. Between the still fresh smell of blood on the woman she'd spend the better part of two days now flirting with, and the sudden request to remove her belt, even for such a mundane reason, her mind was sliding between far too many unfortunate ideas. "Right, belt... A moment..." Not a difficult knot, by any means, but with the motion of the horse, and her gauntlets, just a bit difficult. "And... There we are. Keys, at the ready." Dangling them out in front of Jade as they approached the box of, hopefully goods, she glanced at their surroundings. "Shall I let you do the honors?" Jade snorted a light laugh at the vampire's joke. "If I had a free hand, I'd slap you for that one," she returned with a jest of her own. By the time Lavinia had had worked the keys free, the ghoul was far behind and they'd just about made it to the chest. Pulling back on the reins to signal DV to slow down, she traded the reins for the keys, and swung off to land on the ground. "Don't ride off without me," the zombie chuckled as she called up to the vampire before bending down and beginning work on getting the lock open. Not that the nightmare would let that happen anyway, unless she was severely misjudging their relationship. ...Yup, one of the keys fit; this would do the trick. Giving it a twist, the lock opened with a click, and then she just had to lift the lid to see if they'd been on the right track, or if all this work had been spent chasing a red herring. "Feel free to slap me whenever. I won't feel it, but it'll give me a good indication of too far... Though I suppose, if I can get away with jokes like that, your tolerance must be rather high." Lavinia did her best to stay stable on the nightmare, but she wasn't exactly used to riding horses. As Jade lifted the chest... A pair of eyes blinked back at her. That was their head, alright. "A zombie-- Wait, no! Don't close the chest! Also don't scream! Probably!" "That's the head, then. Grab her, Jade! We've a body to return it to!" "Wait, you're here to save me!? Oh, Hess, thank you! I put on that stupid set of armor, and suddenly, I'm on the ground, and my body isn't! Then this creepy lady takes my head and stuffs me into this chest... I could cry... Or, I would be, but it doesn't seem my tear ducts are cooperating. Haha! Hoo, boy..." "Talkative dullahan... This is new." Lavinia hadn't expected their find to be this... Rambling. "I think she expected me to be afraid? 'Don't scream!' That's cute," Jade had a broad grin on her face, which hopefully didn't look as terrifying as seeing a mouthful of teeth on a zombie sounds. "Forgive me if I manhandle you a little, I don't have any of experience with dullahan heads, thought I heard you guys usually carry them yourselves. ...Anyway, we have to get you back to your body before it endangers any more of our comrades--that armor you're wearing really is quite the piece of work, by the way." Hopping back up onto the nightmare was made a little more complicated, both because of her new cargo and the fact that Lavinia was already taking up a good deal of space, but it wasn't anything Jade couldn't manage. Once she was properly situated again, the merchant turned them back in the direction of the rampaging body. "You can tell us about the spooky lady as we go, I'd like to know a little more about whoever's putting this whole show on, to tell the truth. Awfully elaborate production..." Jade then drew quiet, trailing off as her thoughts darted down a couple random paths of imagination. "I... Well, yeah! I expected you to be scared! ... But, I guess, you're undead, so a head isn't much... Now I feel stupid-- Hey, are you undead too, lady? What's with all the sentient undead!? All these shamblers about, I figured you were all gone!" Lavinia gave the head a puzzled smile. "You're undead too, you know?" "What!? No, I'm an elf!" "Not anymore, you aren't..." "Wha... That's... Oh, crackers..." "... I believe I may have spooked her, Jade. I'm sure once she is whole again, she'll be more willing to speak. Or, so I hope..." Lavinia huffed, hoping their improptu horseride wouldn't last much longer. All this armor, and being unprepared, it wasn't exactly the best fitting experience. "Now now, Lavinia, she's still an elf... Just, an undead one. See, she's got the ears for it," Jade held the head out to her left a little and leaned to the right so she wasn't blocking as much of the vampire's view. But that said, it seemed that 'spooked' was right, perhaps they ought to have been a little more mindful. "I've been wondering how might be best to get the head to the body, actually. Don't want to have to dodge or block sword swings, and just tossing it feels... wrong. Maybe if someone flew up above it a little? Do you think that'd be better?" They were getting closer and closer, so the question was becoming timely. "Y-Yeah! Still an elf! I... Just, undead, oh, geez... I... I really should have thought before putting on that armor." A deflated sigh escaped the head, leaving Lavinia to smile wryly at it. "As soon as we get near the armor with her in tow, it should stop its assault," Lavinia began, trying to remain serious despite the amusing plight of this elf. "It will realize we have its source of existing, and stop, so that it does not accidentally destroy itself. If her head is slain, the body follows. Its the only weakness of a dullahan." "Wow, that sounda kinda cool! Well... 'Cept for the whole, bein' dead now, thing..." "Fair enough, that sounds like a plan," Jade grunted in approval, still slowing down as she began the final approach, regardless. "I suppose it's worth asking if you're on board with helping us clear out the, how did you put them--'shamblers'? After we get you reunited with your body, of course, Miss..." Jade cocked her head a moment trying to remember before realize her mistake. "...I do believe we've completely forgotten to ask your name. Well, desperate circumstances; I hope you'll forgive a bit of ill manners on our part." "Helping... Oh, like fighting! So long as my body is willing! I dunno what this armor did to me, so... We'll have to see, i guess... U-Uh, Aithlin, miss. Aithlin Merethyl, rogue extraordinaire, at your service." "So you're a thief?" Quite the amusing noggin, Lavinia was curious why their head had managed its way all the way here. "Treasure hunter, thank you... Thief, honestly..." "Treasure hunter, huh? Well, I'm something of a treasure seller, so as long as you're not hunting from me I think we might be able to work things out. Jade Persyn, by the way. You probably caught our names in the back and forth, but it would be rude not to return them properly. The woman behind me is Lavinia Vasilia. Now, let's get you taken care of."

"Ride?" Jade echoed, a hint of disbelief in her tone. "That might be the right idea, but if we can't defeat it, I'm not leaving you behind to trade futile blows with it." Leaning and reaching down, the zombie grabbed hold of the vampire knight and helped to lift her up, where she settled astride the nightmare behind her. Turning to the others, she called out, "The dullahan seems to be slow moving, so keep your distance and it should be fine. I'll be back as soon as I can... with its head!" Jade rescues Lavinia and moves to 4,15