Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 1: The Culmination

[scorri]

"A... Apo.... Apotheosis? Are... are they sure about that?" Astin was clearly nervous and unsettled. They stared at Jess, not sure if they could really believe what they were hearing. This whole thing was arranged by Apotheosis? That couldn't be. Though... It would fit their MO. Letting other people do the dirty work while they sat back and watched. Still... It clearly didn't sit right with the normally spacey pilot.

[Balcerzak]

Thorvald was relatively unphased by the mention of Apotheosis, in contrast to Astin, for whom the news appeared to cause quite an effect on. Instead he was more focused on the technical parts of the briefing: how adept the enemy craft were for space battle, and what should be done to minimize risk. When Jess described the Plasma Buckler and instructed that they should stay out of range or dodge it, he mentally translated it to "deflect the damage to nonvital systems", and when discussion moved on to outline the superior ability of the Prioxis to outmaneuver other craft, he nodded, familiar with having to fight against that kind of enemy. This was going to be another situation pretty much like most others, just at a slight bit more of a disadvantage than usual, it seemed. Nothing to be too concerned about, barring a really bad case where they get caught between multiple patrols and grossly outnumbered. At least that was his estimation of the situation.

Thorvald had felt the discussion about the capture of an enemy pilot for their codes was a little underdeveloped, but the captain opened up the floor for questions, so it as a prime time for him to explore that in a little more detail.

"As for the capture targets, do you have any preference on Heracles or Prioxis pilots, would you say? My initial inclination would be to capture the squad leader of the scout patrol, as they'd be most likely to possess the codes and intel we need, but at the same time, they're likely to be the most dangerous target. The decision will ultimately end up depending on the situation we find ourselves in, but it couldn't hurt to have a preliminary goal to work off of. I would also suggest that it would probably be best to take a couple of captives, as people may be more inclined to part with information to save a comrade's life where they might otherwise be willing to take it to the grave if the only thing at stake was their own."

Edited July 9, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Dandragon]

"So...we're painting our mechs the same colors as theirs? Won't they be suspicious that there are different models coming back that the heracles sent out?" Elaine felt she had to point this out, hoping she didn't miss a crucial part in the explanation to make her look stupid, but she could have sworn that nothing about it was mentioned. "Also what happens if they're able to contact their HQ before our jammers stop them?"

[Phoenix]

The meeting room was almost crowded by the time the mission briefing began ... almost, but not quite. They likely were going to be gearing up for battle not long after leaving Earth's atmosphere if the briefing was taking place on the ground. Brant cleared his thoughts as the lights dimmed and tried to tune out everything but the captain's voice, and the information she was going over. With even slight changes in the moods nearby, that was no mean feat, but he managed not to miss anything important.

Apparently that shadow group was behind this. If that was true, then one of the bigger mysteries surrounding the attack was more or less solved, though it did raise some new questions. Brant was more concerned with the opposition, the heracles and their plasma weapons, and the prioxi and their maneuverability. The latter wasn't anything new to him, as Firmia had subtly reminded him during their phonecall. He'd dealt with faster enemies, and he'd dealt with more maneuverable ones ... and sometimes he'd dealt with both, simultaneously. Those were typically the times when he'd wind up being shot down, he noted bitterly to himself. At least in the case of the prioxis models, he had some options, and likely first move advantage. Hopefully their agility came at the price of durability.

Foxhound vs Flankers, essentially, Brant concluded as the lights came back and the images faded. The plan was to put on the enemy's colors, capture one of them, and figure out as much as they could before bum rushing the rest and muscling their way into the colony. Expecting the hostages to be okay by the time they reached them was almost unreasonable with this approach, but he couldn't come up with an alternative on such short notice, and it wasn't his place to do so. It was the upper brass' plan, and their choice of team.

The first question was a shakily worded one about Apotheosis from Astin. There was some doubt about whether that group was really involved, but Brant didn't much mind one way or the other. Whether the rebels were well armed pawns or vicious entrepreneurs the Riese crew was still going to have to fight them. It was uncertain whether the following assignment would have any link to the current one, and so for him, it wasn't worth worrying about just yet. If the name Apotheosis ever came up in a mission briefing again, however, he had every intention of giving it his full attention.

Thorvald's question was more relevant to the actual mission challenges and got Brant thinking about the particulars, as well. By his own estimates, disabling a prioxis would be easier than a heracles if they could catch it by surprise, but doing so without killing the pilot might be a bit trickier. The heracles were the opposite problem; the pilots would likely be fine unless the cockpits or generators were directly targeted, but would put up one hell of a fight. Thorvald went on to suggest taking multiple captives for psychological purposes, which Brant could agree with, though they probably shouldn't spend too much time and effort on it if they weren't making any headway after a short engagement.

Elaine also had a question, one about the paint schemes they would be using. The models they were using were an obvious problem, especially since this was a visual deception and not something more technical, but it was still a part of the plan. That meant they were either severely underestimating their enemy's intelligence or they just needed the disguises to buy them a few precious moments of confusion to get in a decisive first stroke. Brant wasn't sure which was more likely given the circumstances.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Phoenix

[Shin]

Apotheosis, that was a name Tarquin had heard a few times during his training. A hostile group who would work for their own gain, either with or against the two major factions. It didn't matter what they were doing, it would inevitably turn against the ANF - their unpredictability was the only thing you could trust them on. He'd come across AI equivalents in the simulation sessions, the Apotheosis AI was among the most challenging to take down. With their numbers and ability, they'd need to be incredibly carefully in approaching their targets. Considering his life was on the line during this mission, he at least wanted to make sure that he could have as much input to make up for any shortcomings.

"We only need to pose as non-hostile until we've gained information and reached a favourable position. Matching their colour scheme should be suitable to fool them at a distance." Tarquin pitched in coolly. "My recommendation would be to preferentially capture the scout patrol's leader. They would be more likely to possess necessary information. If we were to capture someone who did not have the codes, we'd have alerted the entire base to our hostility and be missing the means to progress in the plan."

It was a logical plan, although its difficulties would be in the realisation of it. Still, sound logic generally prevailed over sporadic choices.

[Nanami Touko]

Questions

And here they came. Jess tried to take Brant's advice as best as she could, and put someone in that seat, to watch squirm... Herself! She took his other advice as well, standing up out of her chair, and trying to visualize herself still sitting in it, panicking over what to say. Take them one at a time... Just talk slowly, and calmly... "Right..." she said to no one but herself, fixing her eyes on Astin. They glazed over for a moment, as she was prone to do, but she seemed fine. "Central suspects them because of the ease the rebels had at taking over the colony, and the majority number of mechs being the Prioxis fighter. It's only a guess, because if it's true, this would be their first directly involved act against either nation... Which would not be a good sign of things to come. If their first step is to try and take a colony, I fear for what actions might come next. This stand off between the ANF and the EU has been... Rather peaceful, compared to engagements in the past. A third party instigating events like this, it will have ramifications..."

Jess had gone on a bit of a tangent with that one, but it was a serious consideration. A move, finally, by the phantom group, would be huge. And if they were doing this to colony one, Jess could only imagine their attack on the EU... Though, this was all an if. A big if. Something in the back of Jess' mind was gnawing at her over it, making it hard to disregard, but she had to. They had to treat this like it was just rebels. Just rebels who had gotten lucky.

Next, Thorvald's question. Jess did her best visualizing again, taking a few steps away from her chair, around the back of Roxanna who'd decided to sit next to her. The pacing was helping, a bit. "I... Would prefer the squad leader, if that can be managed. If not, one of the Prioxis fighters would be the best bet. They're better models than the Heracles, harder to program an explosion into, if it were to come to that. As well, even if they're faster targets, they're much weaker, and disabling one, pilot or not, would result in worthwhile information. If we can decrypt their codes, even without a pilot, we can get the information we need. If you can manage to capture one, or manage the miracle of two, then so be it, but the primary objective will be disabling the squad leader with or without killing the pilot; failing that, one of the Prioxi."

Alright, that went well... Mostly. She hoped. She was starting to squirm, even standing, despite doing well at answering. Just keep up this pace, Jess... You can do this. You're almost done! Come on...!

Elaine. Of course, it had to be Elaine, didn't it... She sighed, quietly, swallowing hard. She finally alerted the crew to a sign of her worry, taking a deep breath. "Th-The painting," stuttering, come on..., "o-of, of! Our mechs, will be to offer us a few moments of confusion to engage as close as we can to their squadron... The, Riese will be hanging back as to not alert suspicion from their radars or monitors, and even if there aren't very many ANF robots among the rebels, unless every one of them is up to date on their current mechs, seeing similarly painted robots will lower their guards for a moment... They'll most likely attempt radio communications with you all, but, ignore them, a-and, twy, agh!"

She'd bit her tongue, finally making a major mistake. She blushed over it, and sighed, stamping her foot a bit. "Ignore them! And try to get as close as possible! While the Riese will be hanging back, we will be firing off a jamming missile when you move to engage. It will scatter particles over the area that interfere with radio signals, so you will also be in the dark... You'll have to rely on yourselves to perform. The rebels will most likely attempt to leave the area and contact their main force, and the particles will disperse over time, so... You'll be on a time limit, and you can't let any stragglers escape. If even one of them does, the base will know we're coming. That's why... The paint, a-and all that. Just, a small, little thing to give us all the extra time we can get." You're almost done just one more thing!

Before she could get to it, Tarquin chimed in and agreed with most all of the plan. That was a welcome sign, considering how flustered she was getting, and honestly, it helped her calm down, just a bit. "Right. As well, we will be engaging them on an arc that places our squad between theirs and the course towards the colony. This will make them have to go through us on a direct route to the colony, to alert their force. As well... We will most likely," 'most likely' was becoming the phrase of the day, "only have an hour or so to engage the rebels at the colony before their group notices a squadron is late for reporting in... Once we capture the mech or pilot that we need, we will not be stopping. Interrogation will occur while we're moving towards the colony, and if we don't get the information we need, well... We'll, h-have to keep pressing on anyway."

"Before any other questions, uh... I'd like to outline one more thing." She turned on one monitor this time, a close up of the outer layer of the colony. "The Riese's main beam cannons will be blowing a hole through the outer layer of the colony to allow you entry. It has a powerful beam coating, so the cannons should only destroy the outer layer, and the inside of the colony will contain its vacuum, so the hostages will not be harmed by a lack of oxygen, or anything. But... Once you're inside the colony, you're all on your own. The Riese will still be in contact through radio, but it won't be able to fit inside, so..." She saluted, worry plain on her face, trying to hide under the best confident look she could muster.

"Best of luck, Riese crew... We're... I'm going to be honest with you all, alright? Just... A moment away from being a captain!" She puffed herself up and shrank back down near immediately, but... No! She had to speak to them as Jessica, not Captain Gefalscht, even if for just a moment!

"We're a shabby crew! I'm...! I'm a pretty awful captain... Most of you are greenhorns, some of you are veterans, some are experimental fighters and others are just..." she glanced at Elaine, but didn't say anything. "I don't know why Admiral Alphonse thinks so highly of us, but... We have this ship! We have a plan! It's not perfect, b-but... But, d-dammit," she squeaked, blushing, "it's good enough! W-We've only been in one exercise together, and I messed it up, but I can do this now! We can do this! We're gonna do this, and we're gonna save all those people, and we're gonna come back heroes! Alright!?" She felt... Pretty damn stupid. But, she also felt a lot more confident about everything she'd said. She needed the pep talk as much as she thought a few people in the crew did too.

"We're going to do this. And we're going to do it well... I-If there are no further questions, you're all dismissed, for take off. You can buckle in here, o-or the bridge or down in the mech hangar... Whichever you choose."

[Phoenix]

If not for his own deliberate attempts to tune out anything and everything that might distract him from the meeting, Brant would have noticed the change in the captain's emotion just before her body language telegraphed that truth to everyone. It was a pleasant surprise, though he wasn't sure how long she could keep it up while tackling the small assembly line of questions.

So far so good, Brant thought, as the Apotheosis theory was laid bare. It made sense, in a somewhat disturbing sort of way. It was too much to hope they wouldn't have some major problems coincide with the commission of a new class of spaceship.

Next up was the answer to Thorvald's question, which confirmed Brant's suspicions that the prioxi were dangerous, but lightly armored targets. With first move advantage and a bit of luck, taking one of them out of the fight would be easy enough. Hopefully they would get some data from its systems if nothing else. If they couldn't take a heracles pilot or a prioxi pilot, or get any data from the machines themselves, they would be off to a very poor start.

With Elaine's question answered, it was confirmed that the paint schemes were about confusion, and not counting on the stupidity of the enemy forces, but with this revelation came some new information Brant sorely wished he'd heard sooner. If they had to go radio silent during the capture phase, then they would likely have a repeat of the rash, snap decisions that occurred during the training exercise. Seeing more and more similarities to the training exercise crop up by the second, Brant decided to take exercise even more caution during the capture phase. He needed to be relatively fresh and mostly undamaged for the infiltration phase.

As the captain addressed Tarquin, more and more of the big picture for this assignment began to fall into place. Naturally they would need to interrogate the prisoner or prisoners along the way, and of course they had to push through to the colony regardless of how poorly everything else up to that point had gone. They would have to use brute force and speed to breach the colony, and since it was under the control of the rebels, they would have to blast themselves a way in and handle the last leg of the mission without the Riese providing direct support.

Captain Gefalscht had finally lost her nerve again. That was okay for a first try. Apparently it was time for some cold hard honesty to go along with their shaky captain. Brant had serious doubts about their ability to help the hostages. A part of him was beyond convincing that they could save even one of them, but he put on an optimistic front and tried to keep it out of mind. They would cross that bridge, however bloody, when they got to it. At the very least, they were going to get Colony One back in tact. Even this 'shabby' crew could pull off that much without much of a problem.

Brant wasn't sure why but it seemed like they were being given the choice of where to spend the takeoff. That was an obvious choice for him, of course. "I'm interested in seeing the bridge from the inside," he said, wondering if there was extra seating available for this sort of situation.

[scorri]

Astin was still very clearly nervous about the whole situation, but simply sat in silence while Jess tore down their crew in what seemed to be an attempt to encourage them. They stared at the ground and clearly seemed to be thinking things over. At the talk of buckling in, they looked up again and quietly asked, "Would we be able to buckle up in our rooms or no?"

[Dandragon]

Of course it was when she had to look at her is when she began choking up. It seemed her presence wasn't making anything better for the captain. She was beginning to wonder if Jessica really was cut out for this. Elaine flinched a bit as Jessica visibly bit her tongue.

"On our own, eh? Well, shouldn't we elect some sort of leader for when we're inside?" She asked, looking around to the other pilots. "Make's sense, don't it? If we don't got orders from our captain, who's gonna direct us?"

[scorri]

Astin spoke up again. "Thought that'd be Thorvald. He was perfectly fine during the battle we had and no one objected to it then. Why should that change now?"

[charlie_]

Mateus nodded along, but Jess' visible worry didn't exactly make him feel at ease. But still, they had their plan now and they just had to execute it. If all went well, they would be able to drive the rebels out and save all of the hostages. If not... well, he didn't want to think about it right now.

He was still hanging around for now in case there was anything else to be said, but otherwise he was as ready as he'd ever be. He nodded in agreement when Astin suggested that Thorvald take the lead again, having enough confidence in the older man after the last mission and his apparent experience.

Edited July 10, 2016 by SB.

[Ether]

The plan seemed to be mostly set... it was rudimentary, but it was all they really had to go on with their lack of prep and mission time. It was servicable enough, at any rate.

"Specialist Erikkson... perform, admirably. Test. Recommend... remain squad lead." Seung-Min replied, as Elaine brought up the issue of leadership. Thorvald seemed capable enough, and level-headed, which, as far as she was concerned. It seemed that Astin had the same idea, which was positive overall. More voices echoing the same sentiment made it more likely to pass.

"Other... matter. Salvaged... gauss rifle from... enemy pilot in exercise. Someone... may want... use in loadout?"

[Dandragon]

Elaine's ears perked at that. "The rifle that that guy was using? You were able to get it off him?! Oh, I totally want to try that baby out!" The spark in Elaine's eyes had finally begun to light up, again. "Don't worry. It'll be in good hands. I wanna see the full potential of that thing." A gauss rifle...Oh how I'd love to tinker with that thing. Hell, with the right parts I could probably make it outclass the 175 Millimeter~!

[Nanami Touko]

Seat Belts First

There were a few more questions to iron out, but no one had laughed at her little out of captain outburst, so she didn't feel quite so stupid after all. "There's room, Brant, for all of you to take off in the bridge, if that's the consensus. So if you're wanting to see it, then feel free to follow me up there and strap in." She figured that, it was a battleship. It would be interesting to see the bridge, at least the once.

Astin's question has an amusing answer. "Well... No. It may seem odd, but, during takeoff, you have to stay here, the bridge, or the hangar. The rooms, so that all of your belongings and sleeping arrangements don't get knocked around, get put under a gravity lock-- it's like stasis. It would be incredibly uncomfortable to get stuck in that along with everything, so for your own safety... Yeah. I think you understand."

And the final question of the hour, or so she hoped, was who would lead the squad when the Riese was waiting outside the colony. It made the most sense for them to pick their own leader, and most people seemed set on Eriksson. That was the right choice, in her mind. There was more discussion on who would be getting the salvage from the last fight as well, but no one else seemed to have anything to say to her.

"You're all dismissed, then. Leaving the atmosphere will only take a few minutes, so once we've left and the ship's internal gravity systems take over, you'll all be free to move about the ship as you see fit. Brant, if you wish to see the bridge-- as well as anyone else who does, please follow me." Jess saluted and left, leaving the door open for anyone to come with her... '12:48' huh. That meeting had taken about as much time as she'd hoped it would, giving them plenty of time for take off. Jess turned down the hall and pressed for the elevator to the bridge, hoping take off would be as smooth as simulations had made it out to be.

[Phoenix]

The question of who would lead the team proper once they were inside seemed obvious, enough. Why fix what wasn't broken? The next question, regarding the salvaged gauss rifle, didn't much interest Brant. He didn't have an opinion on that, and Elaine seemed to be itching to get her hands on the thing, anyway. He followed after the captain once she started for the elevator.

[Nanami Touko]

Bridge

Jess was glad to see Brant had followed her for the elevator, giving him a small smile. "I... Tried to use what you said. Except... I put my old self in the seat, instead of anyone else. Who I used to be back at the academy... It didn't quite work, but, I made it through, s-so... That's good, right?" Jess put her fist to her head and stuck out her tongue a bit, as the doors opened. "I hope my talk came across well, as well... I know we're not the best crew, but I truly think we can do great."

As she stepped onto the elevator, it dawned on her, "why were you interested in the bridge anyway, Brant?" He wasn't coming just to buckle in for take off, he'd said he wanted to see the inside of the bridge... It wasn't anything special, really, just a big room with a lot of consoles. She wasn't going to stop him, but it was curious. She didn't press the button yet, waiting a moment for anyone else from the meeting room that wished to either see the bridge or buckle in there.

[Phoenix]

So she'd used her old self as the victim. That was an interesting workaround, though it wore off a little too soon, Brant realized. "It was good for a first try," he smiled and shrugged. "You're going to have plenty of chances to practice, either way." That was especially the case if they pulled off this assignment with flying colors ... it probably wouldn't be long before they were pointed at another timely challenge and sent off to crush it. "We can do great, alright," he agreed, "I just hope we can keep up with everyone's expectations. They're rising faster than you'd think ..."

The bridge question was an easy one, though he reminded himself to watch his wording, here. "You already know what the hangar and Accensus cockpit look like. I'm curious about your domain. I'm sure I'll see something else interesting up there too but that's the main reason."

[Oersted]

[spoiler=Some time in the distant past...]

Abigail Casson stretched as she leaned back from her screen and rubbed her eyes. She'd been at this for a bit now, trying to make sure everything about the (non-jet) mechs were in tiptop shape The preparations for the attack on Colony 1 were well under way and she was feeling stressed as both a pilot and one of the rebel leaders, the mysterious pilot and their mech sure didn't help any and no matter how well they followed orders, Abigail couldn't help but be suspicious of them. The mechanic work was her only real catharsis here on the rebel ship. She supposed it was probably a bit weird for one of the leaders to be here doing simple check-ups and repairs as opposed to doing something more leader-like, but, that was what Sena and Hilling were for; to fill in for her during times like this.

She stood again, and after another stretch, scanned the mech hanger, looking over rank and file doing grunt work. Everyone seemed to more or less be pretty into it. She wasn't all that surprised; they probably thought it would soon be their chance to prove themselves, impress people like her who'd then recommend they get promoted, or something like that anyway. Or maybe they were all nervous and putting their all into their work distracted them from it. She could never tell; she was no telekinetic, and was probably guilty of both at the same time sometime in her life.

But of course, there were always outliers who seemed like they were indifferent to the whole thing. Indifference could be good and could be bad; in her experience, it was mostly a bad thing. Especially during preparations. Walking over to one chosen in her mind at random she tapped their shoulder to get their attention. "Hey, mind stepping over here for a quick chat?"

Nikolai hummed Pachebel's Canon to himself as he milled around, waiting for something to happen. If he had been inclined to describe the feeling in the air, it would be comparable to the calm before a hurricane. He tried his hardest to enjoy the relative calm of the situation, knowing that it would soon be replaced by the chaos and confusion of another battle against an enemy he neither knew nor cared about.

He never did enjoy the periods of idling between combat. Too much time, he figured, for people to try to talk to him or ask questions. He would much rather the transition from fight to fight be instant and painless.

As if the universe heard his thoughts and responded with a firm "fuck you Nikolai", he felt a tap on his shoulder and a request.

He grunted noncommittally at the source of the sound, turning to face the fairly tall blonde. He figured she must be some form of authority here, though he could be wrong. He hadn't really taken the time to learn who was the boss, as that seemed like more commitment than he cared for.

"Was ist das- What is it?" He responded, his voice slightly rusty from disuse.

If this is going to be small talk or idle chit chat I might throw myself off the tallest surface right now...

Abigail still wasn't quite used to her role as a leader, at least in regards to interacting with those not immediately below her anyway. On the battlefield, she could bark out orders like anyone else could, but interpersonal relations off the battlefield eluded her. But she couldn't just go 'nevermind' and retreat. She ended up pausing before even speaking, trying to think of something to say before giving up and deciding to wing it, as usual.

"Look, I know prep work isn't anyone's favorite job, but it still needs to get done. And if it doesn't get done right, well, that's when things start to go wrong." She paused, one of many memories surfacing. She shook her head. "Anyway!" she said suddenly, trying to get back on track, "don't just stand around like a log out here. Find something to do, even if it's just watching people to make sure they do it right!" She tried to make the last bit sound like an order.

Nikolai eyed her suspiciously. If she was the boss, she didn't seem particularly confident at all. Typically, this would be worrisome but he figured that if she turned out to be totally incompetent he could just choose to ignore any orders that would lead to him dying.

"Things will get done ja? It is going to be ok miss boss lady. I know is important." He crossed his arms, sizing her up in his mind. He never really got the hang of talking to his superiors and, to make matters worse, he sure as hell did not know how to talk to women. It wasn't that he thought they were weak or anything of the sort, he just saw them as foreign entities that had only recently come into the scope of his human experiences. He figured she wouldn't be the type to be hurt or cry if he was his typical brusque self, but he never knew.

"Is like I am your gun, right?" He said, hoping that he didn't entirely sound like he would rather have his teeth pulled than have this conversation, "You don't need to tell a gun to be ready, the gun is ready. I have my plane. I have my bullets. If you need me to do anything, tell me ja?"

He stopped and kicked over a small stone on the ground. Might as well make this conversation practical...

"Who is it we are fighting anyway? Is good to know for a strategy, right?"

Abigail raised an eyebrow. Was this guy, some rando, telling her to buzz off unless she had a specific task for him? She could feel her anger build at the thought, but couldn't deny that it was probably a much better course of action than milling around here herself. Unable to think of a response without seeming like the subordinate she was about to walk away, likely back to her repair station to bury this interaction entirely, when she was asked about their enemies. This, she could do.

"Intel says the colony only has rookies in standard Velites for their defence; little to no field experience, not heavily armed, not even a single Legionary," Abigail spoke with confidence, her uncertainty from before gone. "All things considered, it should be a relatively simple job. Show up, light the rookies up, steal their space travel stuff and get outa dodge." Despite the apparent ease of the mission she'd just described, something in her gut told her it wouldn't be that easy. "But, well, if experience is anything to go by, expect at least something to go wrong. So, if I were you, I'd be prepared for that."

She wasn't really sure if she should've told someone like him that she expected something would go wrong but it was too late to take it back now. Oops.

"Need anything else?"

Nikolai watched the effect of his words quietly. He hadn't meant to destabilise her like that, but at the same time he couldn't quite bring himself to be concerned about her feelings. If that was enough to break her facade of command, then maybe he would need an escape plan after all...

Still he listened intently as she filled him in on the details of the operation. He nodded grimly.

"There is no such thing as a simple plan..." He started, "Seems too good to be true. Do you think it could be a trap? I mean, is a very light force to protect such important cargo..."

For a moment, his stoic face broke out into a small twitch. For the fraction of a second, his lips curled into a nervous smile. Last time he had been involved in an easy mission like this one it had ended incredibly badly. Regardless, at least this time he would have nothing to lose if things went south...

Abigail downright frowned at the suggestion. Not because she didn't believe it at all, but because it was an all too real possibility. Maybe it was because Abigail herself wasn't familiar with how the rebels did their intel gathering, but someone slipping them some false information to draw them out seemed entirely possible. Maybe that's mystery pilot's real purpose... Maybe she'd ask Calina about it later; that stuff was more up her alley.

"It's certainly a possibility," she admitted, perhaps making another error on what she should be telling a rank and file soldier. "But, we'll just have to be prepared for that possibility. We have our orders and, unless they change, we'll be moving in for those parts soon." She leaned in and lowered her voice to the point where even Nikolai might struggle to hear her; she knew she shouldn't be telling, well anyone really, what she was about to tell him.

"If it turns out it is a trap, or even if something just goes really wrong, get out of there safely if you can; those are my orders, understand? You can't just un-die and try again, you know." She leaned back and made to leave again, this time for real, unless he had anything to say to her.

Nikolai eyed her suspiciously, not quite registering what he had heard. It was admittedly the first time had been told to save his skin outright. Sure, it had always been his intention but admittedly hearing it as an order struck him as a bit odd.

"A little soft of you, no?" He said in a tone that came very close to being amicable, "It is definitely the first time I hear order like that. Not very good commanding if you ask me... I am not afraid of you right now, and if I am not afraid there is nothing to stop me from fucking off in the middle of the fight. Then again, maybe is new-age technique from your homeland."

If she didn't hate him before, she was going to hate him by the end of the discussion he had decided. He did not need any more people worming their way under his skin, he decided.

People who are kind to you on any level, are either incredibly naive, stupid, or looking for something. remember that. always remember that...Only 'a little soft'? I think that's a bit of an understatement. Abigail thought to herself. Granted, he didn't know her very well but the point still stood. Rather than getting mad at his jab at her competency as a commander, she couldn't help but laugh at the silliness of the situation from her perspective; everyone had told her she was doing fine and the first person she talked told her she was doing. She apologized after getting control over her very un-commander like giggle fit. "Sorry, it's just that no one has told me that before; or at least to my face anyway." She had no idea what people said about her behind her back.

"However, and I know I just told you to live above all else," she swiftly approached Nikolai, doing her best to actually loom over her shorter subordinate, "but if you think that's an excuse to desert whenever you want, well then I've got news for you, pal. I don't care what our situation is or what's going on at the time, but I will personally hop in my Heracles and hunt you down." It was said almost emotionlessly and entirely seriously.

That said, she stepped away and her mood shifted back quick enough to give Nikolai whiplash. "Anyway, what's your name?" She could, of course, just look him up, which she would've done anyway, but with his name it'd be faster than searching through images. Besides, they were quickly running out of prep time and she still had some duties to take care of.

He laughed a bit coldly as he listened to her threat. If he had a nickel for every time someone had personally threatened his life, he'd have enough to make his own mech entirely out of the damn things. He felt a bit bitter about being shorter than her, though. Something told him that, while he could probably take her on in a fight, he shouldn't actively provoke her into a physical confrontation.

there was something uncomfortable, he mused, about the way her demeanour snapped back to a mildly pleasant one. He never trusted people who had that much control over their emotions.

"Ah see, now that is more what I am used to. Slightly better effort... but next time I would give more detailed description of what you do when you catch me like the little rat I am." He gave her what he thought was a smile. Truthfully, he had never mastered making facial expressions on demand (as opposed to when they were rarely coaxed out of him). "My name is Nikolai Zelenko. Und du, madame?"

He knew it was probably a bit impertinent of him to ask but he figured he wanted to be on the same plane information-wise.

Abigail had been a bit unnerved by his response to her threat; in the past, when she was but another grunt, she'd worked with people who did the same thing to her commanders and they always proved to be at least a little off kilter. But she stood firm; she'd actually follow up on it if she needed to! She tried really hard not to roll her eyes at his advice, but she'd already started when she noticed so when she forced herself to stop it probably looked like her eye had twitched.

But at least he gave his name so that was one less hurdle to jump through. She was more surprised than anything when she found out he didn't know her name; she was head honcho around here after all. "Abigail Casson," she said in her normal tone. "Red 1 Rebel Leader," she added, a bit more seriously.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Oersted

[scorri]

Astin frowned, glancing down at the ground, clearly thinking something over. "Well... If... Hmm..." They sat in silence for a few moments before standing up. "I'm going to go to the hanger I guess." They headed out of the room, and towards the hanger to get strapped in there.

[Balcerzak]

There was some further speculation on what Apotheosis's motives may have been if they were really involved in the assault on the colony, either directly or through supplying the rebels, but as far as Thorvald was concerned, that was a pointless exercise in navel gazing. It doesn't matter the why. Certainly not at this stage anyway. Maybe after the wrongs have been righted the politicians will have a field day with this, but that was neither here nor there. Their job was to stop the bad guys.

She hadn't really had a decisive answer to his question either, though he'd kind of talked through a general outline as he'd brought it up, which was more or less approved. It looked like things were going to basically boil down to "capture whoever you can, the more important the better, but for heavens sake get someone".

Thorvald had thought the whole paint job discussion had already been pretty much settled, so he zoned out a little as she went back through the rationale, only snapping out of his trance when she bit her tongue and stumbled on her words. The following explanation of what was going to need to take place after the first scramble with the scout patrols for the codes was important news, but not terribly enlightening. If they didn't have detailed intel on the interior layout and possible hostage locations now, radio contact from the Reise would only be a couple steps up from the blind leading the blind once they actually infiltrated. At least they'd have additional people brainstorming solutions to any roadblocks they ran into while they were storming the colony, trying to root out the rebels and rescue the hostages.

Jess's final words were quite possibly her worst of the entire bunch, and it was all Thorvald could do to keep from visibly wincing when she went about her best efforts to absolutely torpedo the men's morale. She must have thought she was helping, trying to reframe the situation, and to address the obvious confusion that all of them must be feeling. But her execution simply stunk, countering credible doubts with empty boasts. After that, the meeting was a wrap, and having explained the launch procedure and their various options for buckling in, she and Brant had headed off down the hall toward the elevator to the bridge.

He'd been more or less selected squad leader for this mission as well, pretty much unanimously. That meant he'd have to try to repair the damage done by the captain, and to steer them straight both in the coming sortie and beyond. It sounded like a tall order, but it really wasn't. It was just putting in to practice what he'd been doing for years. The hard work was going to be on everyone else, really.

"Alright, listen up. The captain clearly meant well, bless her heart, but her final words were clearly off the cuff and definitely needed some more polish. She focused a little too hard on elaborating the evidence of our shortcomings, while providing nothing but platitudes as far as our promise is concerned. The difference between a successful mission and a failed one is mostly mental. One's mindset greatly affects how they perform, so let me bring up concrete examples our each of our strengths, so you have something solid to remember when you find yourself starting to doubt. Because more than anything the rebels can throw at us, doubt is going to be our number one enemy out there on the field."

"Steel 1 and Giant 3, I want you both to think back on your coordination there at the end of the exercise. The two of you combined to take down an enemy who by all rights could have proved extremely dangerous with minimal expenditure of effort. I watched it happen, so I know it was more than just luck. Continue to play off the openings each other create during the mission to come, and I trust you'll perform admirably."

"Steel 2, your marksmanship has already been aptly demonstrated to be phenomenal. Not only did you never miss a shot, but the precision with which they landed was frankly something I'm more than a little jealous of. If we find ourselves with a Prioxis who looks like it might start causing problems, I know the first person I'll be calling to take it out."

"Steel 4, Giant 4, you two are going to be powerful pillars of support. When something goes wrong, you've shown that you can do what it takes to patch it up. Moreover, Giant 4, I'm expecting that your considerable experience in zero g will prove an invaluable asset. When I start tossing out a plan, if there's anything I overlooked because I was operating under the assumption of terrestrial conditions, do not hesitate to interrupt me immediately."

"As for myself, I've considerable experience in non-lethal takedowns, so I expect I'll probably be our point man as far as that goes on this initial engage."

"Steel 3, and Stealth 1 have already headed off, so I'm going to go see about catching up and reminding them that yes they do have what it takes for this mission, and pointing out exactly how and why, probably leaving me ending up facing the launch from the bridge myself. You all should go wherever makes you most comfortable, we've got a lot of work ahead of us when we arrive in orbit, and we should meet it rested and ready."

Edited July 12, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Shin]

Tarquin was almost amused by the captain's speech, it highlighted his own concerns about her ability and showed to the others that there was one member of the team who was especially liable. At least she had some self-awareness, unless she was trying to motivate the team. From personal experience, Tarquin knew very well that being told that one was poor did little to improve performance. At least Thorvald knew what to say. The man was too sentimental and far too nosy, but he knew everyone's abilities. The plan was ropey at best, and it was clear that they'd get little support once they were in there.

Thorvald's mention of his abilities gave Tarquin a smug sense of satisfaction. He didn't let it show though, there was no chance he'd let the man know how he felt.

"Specialist Eriksson, I have faith in your decision making. If there any specific instructions you have during the encounter, I will be ready and waiting." he replied, buckling himself into his seat. They would be lifting off soon anyway, so there was little point in moving too far.

[Xinnidy]

Roxanna didn't really know what to say during the meeting's course, her mind was elsewhere altogether. Uncle trusts this crew, and again, this girl to lead the Riese... that just doesn't make sense. Roxanna's eyes barely strayed from their captain during the meeting, but she made no reaction to what was actually going on. I understand that she was a star recruit, but it doesn't make sense to assign someone so green to this. It raised all sorts of flags for Roxanna. That was not a mission she expected them to succeed, when she drew all the conclusions. But, sacrificing the Riese doesn't make sense... She really, really wished she had time to talk to her uncle privately, and maybe get herself out of that situation.

Roxanna was snapped back to reality as Jessica began her pep-talk... or, some twisted version of one. The XO couldn't help but let escape a 'hmph' at the whole ordeal. She's right... it should be me commanding here. That hue of Roxanna's former self showed again. Well, what can an Executive Officer do...? Roxanna did have one thing she wanted now --to survive this whole mission. If his uncle sent her with this group, then clearly he had something in mind for Roxanna to do, she needed to figure it out.

With a deep sigh, Roxanna stood up from her seat. As much as Roxanna hated to admit it, the pipsqueak couldn't do everything on her own, and there was only somebody else qualified to take things from her shoulders (at least, in Roxanna's mind). Following the captain out of the door, the XO was quick to catch Jessica and Brant waiting for the elevator. Huh, are they... It seemed that the captain had chosen her favorite pilot, or something. Roxanna was beyond judging when it came to matters of fancy. "I'm coming with you... Captain." Roxanna voiced up, continuing to walk towards the two, stopping just in front of them and saluting. Roxanna was ready to do her job as an XO, despite how she felt about the matter.

[Nanami Touko]

Atmosphere

Well, good for a first try was better than nothing. And that meant she'd done better than before. That also meant it could be used to improve! Perfect. Now she didn't have to throw anyone else under her metaphorical bus to get better at talking to groups and taking questions. Especially taking questions. Thinking up answers to things was easy, but she always got flustered doing it. Blushy, sweaty, warm... It made her feel awkward, and that lead to more flustering, thus making more questions even more awkward... A vicious cycle. She'd always been like that. Maybe it was being put on the spot that did it... Perhaps she could take her own advice for Elaine, and talk to their ship psychiatrist. It couldn't hurt, could it?

"Then... W-We'll, just have to meet them. I know I don't... I can't, prove it, but I promise, to you and the rest of the crew, that I will not make the same mistake as during the training exercise. You'll see. I always do better on the second try." There was an uncommon look of confidence on Jess' face as she said that, as if it was something she definitely couldn't be wrong about. Only time would tell.

"Something else interesting?" Maybe Brant wanted to see what taking off through the atmosphere looked like. Jess had seen footage, and it seemed like quite an experience. She was sure to remember this for a long while.

Ah, there she was. Jess had been surprised that Roxanna hadn't said anything during the meeting, but at least she was here, now, with all of her ire. Jess tried to smile, managing a small one, and saluted her back. "Let's go, then."

Buckle Up

Avery slid into the side room Astin had made their way into; a small room to the side of the large robot hangar. All of the mechs assigned to the Riese were strapped in tight, all their armaments secured and ready for the take off. Avery sat down next to Astin and fixed her harness, giving them a grin. "You ready to get rocked? Take off ain't pleasant if it's yer first time. Ain't like it used to be, used to be awful way back when. Still, the force is somethin'. If ye gotta barf after it's done, there's bags in a shelf on the wall." She nodded towards a small hatch, likely containing plenty of first aid or otherwise materials if something were to go wrong during take off.

"Anyway, name's Avery. Didn't get a chance t'talk to ye before ye went and did yer trainin' exercise, but we're gonna be good friends; I'll be takin' care of yer robots, after all!" She would've offered to shake, but the harness was pretty tight, and there was a good foot of space between her and Astin's chair. They could talk after take off, anyway. It would only last around ten minutes.

Launch!

The small group arrived up the elevator with a few minutes to spare, Jess taking her seat in the captain's chair and strapping in tight. There were seats down below in the main stations area of the bridge, right in front of the captain's panel. Brant was a few feet below Jess, but he was secure, and he had a good view of whatever he wanted to see-- at least, for now.

"Alright, let's do this... Blast shields down, monitors on. Main engines, engage." The crew began to get to work, shutters coming down over the windows of the bridge, monitors turning on to show what was going on outside. The ship jolted to life and began to rise from its hangar, ceiling already open to let the Riese out. Thrusters engaged, the spaceship began its course, lifting itself out of the hangar with ease, Jess steering it towards the runway.

The strip of land itself was already starting to move around. A large section of it, long enough to house the length of the Riese, was beginning to raise. Within a few moments, Jess had safely parked the ship on that stretch, waiting for the runway to finish its business. Sections of it latched onto the bottom of the Riese, holding it securely in place as the structure began to tilt. In the meeting room, the chairs the crew were strapped into pulled away from the meeting tables, the tables them folding into the floor, allowing everyone sitting the space to be turned to face the front of the ship.

The hangar seats did as well, Avery chuckling as hers turned. "Alright~ Time fer lift off. Don't worry 'bout yer seat movin'. Just don't want any necks breaking over facing the wrong way when this thing takes off."

The strip of runway had finished moving, the Riese angled up towards the few clouds over the desert that day. The whole area had become a launch pad for the Riese, Jessica finishing the final adjustments she needed to make to the ship's controls. She turned on the ship's internal speakers, issuing out one final warning to the crew, "the ship is preparing for take off. All crew members make sure you are securely strapped into your seats, and brace for departure!"

That was all that was left before they were to move, a tiny grin creeping onto Jessica's face. This was definitely exciting! Much different than the simulations, even if the steps had been the same. There was a real sense of motion as everything began to lean upwards. There were the sounds of the engine, the chatter of the crew... It felt nice, honestly.

But there was no time to sit and admire the ambience. "Leviathan, Heion Riese, departing!"

One final order, thrusters to max. The V-drives on the bottom and back of the ship whirred to live, reaching the necessary speeds. The latches holding the Riese in place on its launchpad let go, and with a slight jolt, the ship launched right off the pad, driving straight towards the sky!

It wasn't a bumpy ride at all, luckily for the crew. Internal stabilizers and shock absorbers performed magnificently. Though, the pressure of such speed hitting the crew was definitely evident, Jess even being pushed back into her chair. Exhilarating! She'd never felt a sensation quite like it! It was different to the pressure of the test machines, her heart racing in her chest. She'd have tried to smile if moving wasn't difficult.

The sensation only lasted a minute at most, the Riese tearing through the earth's atmosphere at an expectedly accelerated rate. Any discomfort the crew was feeling would be fading momentarily, as the pressure of Earth's gravity slowly began to fade. The automatic systems in the Riese began to adjust as the blue sky disappeared, the empty blackness of space and all the stars speckling it coming into view on the monitors. The only discomfort that might've remained was the sudden shift in gravity, from bearing down on the crew's front, to a moment of weightlessness, to coming back down onto their heads, as the Riese's artificial gravity systems kicked in.

Jessica felt woozy for a moment, but quickly readjusted, sighing and unstrapping herself from her seat. "Alright... We're in space. Haha... How about that." It felt so special, despite being mundane in the day's society.

Jess turned the ship's speakers on once again, doing her best to suppress a giggle. "Alright~ To all crew members, we have successfully broken through the Earth's atmosphere. The ship is on a steady course towards the meeting zone with Captain Miller and his ship. This will take us at least two hours, so-- until then, you're all dismissed to roam the ship, relax, or explore as you see fit. I know the new squad must be dying to find out what this boat has in store. As for myself, unless there is an emergency to handle, I will be in my room on the bottom deck. Over~" Jess couldn't help the slightly sing-songy tone in her voice, she was just too happy that she'd conducted something that had gone perfectly! And to be in space! It was her first time-- so exciting! For people like Juria and Bruno, it was probably as normal to them as a plane flight on Earth, but to Jess...

"Well. That was exhilarating, no? XO, you and Mr. Turner are in charge of the ship for now. I don't expect I'll be needed until we meet with Captain Miller, but, if there's anything I'm needed for, please call me immediately. Until then, I think I need to unwind..."

Jess lifted herself out of her chair, the blast shields for the bridge folding up as she did, space as clear as day seen by the bridge crew. She made her way to the elevator and pressed the switch, not holding up for Brant in case he wished to explore anything else up there. If he didn't, he was free to take it down with her, of course!

Edited July 12, 2016 by Melissa

[Shin]

Tarquin had read a great deal about space travel, as well as experienced several launches in the simulators. That hadn't quite prepared him enough, the force was truly phenomenal. The sheer force pushed his head back against the seat, his arms and neck powerless to resit the mighty pull of the ship's motion. The sensation didn't last long, but it was enough to stick in the boy's mind. There were people around him, people watching, he had to show that he could survive something simple like this, he wasn't just an ordinary child.

And there was nothing, it had all disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. The ship's gravity system had most likely kicked in, it was as if they were still on Earth. It certainly didn't feel any different, but the knowledge that beyond the ship's walls was a void, without either pressure or warmth, was unnerving. His life was being held together by a layer of metal, and whilst it was true the same applied to the previous battle, the mental image of drifting through space until his oxygen ran out was more than enough to rattle him.

Nervously glancing at the other pilots, Tarquin unbuckled himself from his seat, eager to return somewhere more comfortable. He was alone in space with a crack team of lunatics planning to try and take on an entire base. The plan had seemed solid before, but take off had shaken him up. Leaving the meeting room, Tarquin fled down the hall, past his room. He'd only had it for a few hours, it barely felt like home to him. However, there was one place that he knew he'd be accustomed to. Stepping through the door, the sight of the tables in line was enough to ease his nerves. This time, he could choose any table he wanted.

[Dandragon]

Elaine felt the pressure as the Reise rocketed past the safe atmosphere of the Earth, no longer in its reaches and far away from anything she might call home. It did not last long, and as she let gravity settle and her feet touch the ground once again, she undid the harness and got up from out of her chair. The feeling reminded her of the time she had taken a shuttle to Earth Colony 2, looking out in the window as she rode out into space along with several other passengers, the vision of the infinite void of space had been somewhat hypnotic. The one limit that she could never reach, the one boundary that was too far away for her to grasp, was the edge of the universe. But one day, humanity would find a way to get to the end of the ever expanding abyss of stars. Today, however, Elaine just wanted to check out her bot and make sure it was ready. Elaine quickly rushed off to the hangers to get the Gauss Rifle on her Legionary.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Dandragon