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

[Shin]

Tarquin had been trying think of a suitable greeting for Nikolai, he wasn't sure whether to apologise or thank him - he'd never really done either much in the past. Surely there was an easy way of doing these things? It didn't really matter though, Nikolai had fled before he could get even within ten feet of him. Completely stumped for words, even as the Captain chased after Nikolai, Tarquin wondered if there was anyone who didn't feel the need to rush away in a panic.

It made sense though, they were all normal people with normal responses to things. Even Elaine's tearful escape hadn't bothered him. He might have been in pain, but Tarquin didn't feel a thing, he'd succeeded - or at least that's what he was telling himself. It was painful, that was a given, but he was certainly in control. His wounds had been covered, his condition was stable provided he didn't exert himself too much - and Doctor Amparo was likely busy with emergenices. There was another doctor he could speak to though, and she would probably do something if she were worried about his condition.

Leaving the mechanics to do their work, Tarquin had to pass the first two elevators - both happened to be in use. It was almost funny, he was heading in the complete opposite direction to the infirmary. It was probably worth getting changed first, being coated in his own blood wasn't exactly a reassuring look.

It was only a matter of moments until he reached the bottom deck, the boy stopping as he noticed the Captain. She was with what appeared to be Nikolai on the floor. Was he hurt, had he been injured? Had she hurt him? Shaking his head, he knew the Captain wouldn't do anything like that. She wasn't the best at commanding, but she wasn't cruel.

"Captain? Nikolai?" Tarquin asked, stepping forwards slowly. With all the time he'd had to think of something, and all his brains, he still couldn't find something better to say.

People were hard.

-

Christina seemed pleasant enough, Bill was rather glad that the taco girl had made a friend - it was probably rather lonely shooting adverts. The janitor had nearly finished his rounds, most of the rooms had been sorted out but he'd cut things tight taking so long with Christina. Not that it was a problem, keeping the crew and any guests happy was just as important as keeping things tidy. A miserable crew in a spotless ship wouldn't do at all!

Speaking of miserable, there was odd sobbing sound coming from one of the rooms. It was something between a young girl crying and a kangaroo being skinned, both were possible options. Although he wasn't sure that the Captain had authorised any kangaroos, Bill didn't think they made very good astronauts. In fact, most marsupials probably didn't, gravity was key to keeping their young in their pouches.

Breaking away from his unusual recollections of home, Bill approached the door cautiously. Someone was definitely crying, most likely into a pillow - one that needed its case changing. Not only was there a pillow in need of his assistance, but there was probably someone that needed cheering up. If anything, Bill vowed to achieve at least one of the two. Knocking on the door gently, Bill called out to Elaine.

"Knock, knock. Being a bit of a stickybeak here, but sounds like you've spit the dummy." Bill called out. "If you need some time to drink with the flies, I don't mind, but if you need someone to give an ear bashing or just need some fresh whities, this ocker here can sort you out."

[Phoenix]

"That's fine," Megumi said, "just stand right there for a moment." And the results were in as soon as she'd given the instruction. "There's no bleeding, at least," she gave a microscopic shrug as she gently removed the scanner, "but I'm going to have to keep an eye on her for a while. No sorties for the time being." One down, three to go if memory served. "It's your turn," she said, offering the scanner to Astin.

The door leading out into the rest of the ship opened and the ship's telekinetics stepped into the infirmary. Megumi had been wondering just how bad Kim's injury was, and now she knew. Anyone who wasn't bleeding out or suffocating could wait. "Come over here. Have there been any changes since your last report?" she asked the latest patient, a little surprised the injured pilot wasn't pleading for painkillers.

[Juliette]

Juria lay quietly on her bed, not making any signs of motion or awareness, still out cold, but breathing steadily still. in time, she would probably feel just fine, but bedrest was definitely in order for her still. A small mechanical mewl was heard as Reo stood at the door just a bit after Kim arrived. The robot cat approached its maker, sitting at the foot of her bed and poking at it with a paw before lying down. With her at least breathing, Reo gave his small distinctive purr.

[Dandragon]

At this point the crying had...somewhat quieted down, though she still cried through her pillow, which was now wet with many of her tears. Her face was buried into it, the soft fabric absorbing her uncontrollable sobs as well as her leaking eyes. She felt tired. She felt weak. She felt...

The sound of someone at her door startled her. So much so that she fell off her bed onto the floor, hitting the ground with a loud 'thud'. Great...Now she probably bruised herself. It took a few seconds for her to recall the voice of the janitor of Riese, Bill. She sighed as she laid on the floor in a pretty pathetic manner, staring at the ceiling.

"Sure...Whatever, come in if you want..." She spoke, sniffling a bit. Maybe she did need a tissue or two.

Edited October 27, 2016 by Dandragon

[scorri]

Astin hesitantly took the scanner, and held it while the doctor started taking care of Kim. Which made sense as she needed help significantly more than they did. Looking over at Tal, Astin gave a slight shrug. "Looks like you were right about Juria being ok. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it." Giving the scanner another look over, they hesitantly placed the scanner on their head and let it do the job it was made for. Seeing Reo come in made Astin smile, and they gestured at the small robot. "Could... uhm, could you put Reo, err, the robot, on Juria's bed? It would probably make her happy to see him when she wakes up."

[Balcerzak]

From the sounds of things, Avery was swamped out there, so she passed Thorvald off to her associate, Buck. That was just fine by him, he didn't really care who pried the hatch open, so long as he could get out of his robot and could move around properly again. There was a knock, and some muffled instructions that probably amounted to "stay clear and we'll get you right out", but Thorvald pretty much had expected that. This wasn't exactly his first time on the merry-go-round, he knew to keep his hands, arms, and legs within the vehicle for the duration of the ride.

When the young mechanic's voice crackled to life over his communicator, fully intelligible this time, asking if he was alright and letting him know he should be able to push his way out now, he responded in kind. "Roger, you're coming in loud and clear there, Buck. No injuries here, but I could certainly use some time to rest. Still got enough left in these ol' muscles to get the job done though," he acknowledged, maneuvering about the cockpit for the best angle to apply some good pressure from the inside to get things popped open. "Make sure you're clear before I give it the old heave ho," Thorvald warned, and waited for the boy's reply before giving the hatch a good shove.

Ah, the wide expanse of the hangar. Freedom. Thorvald gave a thankful shake of the hand to his liberator, and clambered down to the deck, taking a look around to judge the surroundings. Unsurprisingly, most of the other pilots had already disembarked and seemingly dispersed, including the captain, whom he'd have to track down. It looked like that would be on the docket for a little later, however, as it seemed nobody had done anything about the rebel leader just yet. That was hardly surprising; given the bevy of injuries their team had sustained most people had likely made a beeline for the infirmary. Besides Buck, the only familiar face still in the hangar was Avery, at least as far as Thorvald could see, though he had to admit he wouldn't have recognized the policeman at all if he were present. The head mechanic was over near a repair station standing next to what was clearly their android compatriot from the battle on the colony.

A brief pit stop couldn't hurt anything, could it? If Abigail had had a mind to escape she'd have done it long before now. "Buck, I'm gonna need your hand again here pretty quick, so don't run off anywhere. Just wanna go exchange a few words first, then I'll meet you by that custom Heracles, alright? And bring along that laser cutter too, just in case."

Hustling over to get a good look at the relentless robot of death, as she must have seemed to the rebels anyway, Thorvald caught just the tail end of her conversation with Avery. Looks like it hadn't taken much time since she was jacked in for her to get enough power to turn on. He didn't know much about androids, but that had to be a good sign right? Perhaps the only one, though, he soberly realized upon taking in a better glance at her current condition. The bot's black and orange security jumpsuit had seen better days, tattered and torn in places, particularly badly around the area where her right arm should have been--it would be generous to call what remained a stump--and her corresponding side was stained dark with mysterious fluids that had seeped out of a nasty looking cut. The damage went far further than just that, though. Chunks of her ears were missing, victims to prolonged exchange of gunfire no doubt, and her right eye and the left side of her face had also been rather torn up. Her seafoam green hair was frazzled and unkempt, almost as if it had been through an explosion or two. And this must have been the state she was in before she'd even jumped into the Heracles to help out! Thorvald didn't remember her mech being on the receiving end of much in the way enemy fire, there was no way this all had happened when she was piloting.

Swallowing back a slight gasp, and waiting till an unbidden shiver of fear had finished running down his spine, he tried to keep any trembles from his voice when he introduced himself. "Don't let me get in your way here, Avery, just wanted to get a few words in as long as it's no trouble," he prefaced before getting properly into it. "You'd said to call you Hannah, right? My name's Thorvald. Specialist Eriksson, if you're being formal about it. Felt I oughta stop by and thank you before I got too caught up in other duties here. You did good some mighty fine work out there, both on and off the field. Things could've been a lot worse if you hadn't been around."

Edited October 28, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Sandalphon]

"Oh that is understatement cap," Nikolai groaned, clutching his head hard, still maintaining a crouched position. It felt like something had poked him with a red hot poker. No matter how many times this exact thing had happened, coming down from it was always a bad trip. "I might be more metal than human on the inside at this point...Room or no room it does not matter. I deserve to be dead but the cosmos is not that kind ha ha."

He stayed silent for a while as he noted things. The captain's body language, still apprehensive and tense. Her breath was shallow and slow, implying that she was actively trying to calm down, her pupils still slightly contracted, her arms forming a barrier in between the two of them. She didn't quite trust him yet, and he did not blame her for it. Still, there was some emotional connection there... pity maybe?

Nikolai was used to pity. Some of the softer doctors, who hadn't had their empathy sapped out by long hours or thankless work, had spoken to him in that tone, like he was a small puppy who had been rescued from a dog fighting ring. Something salvageable but not entirely human.

His ears perked as he heard slow footsteps tapping on the floor. He turned his head slowly, ready to snap at whoever was coming down the hall now. His reproaches died in his throat as he saw Tarquin, roughed up but still alive.

"Are you alright?" He said, rising to his feet surprisingly fast, "You are hurt... You need medical attention then? I am not good with injuries, always said 'if it can still move and its still attached then is fine' but uh, maybe that is not so good advice." He said awkwardly. Usually, back in the old days, if someone was bleeding you just stuck a wad of gauze or cloth on it, but that usually resulted in gangrene or pus setting in. He'd dug out a bullet or two as well, but generally the idea of aiding the ill was... well, it was someone else's job. "I am glad you are alive though."

He tried to smile, but it probably looked more like his face twitching. He wasn't quite good at this friendship and social interaction stuff yet.

[Ether]

As soon as she had entered the infirmary, the Doctor went to work looking her over, asking her to come further inside and for any change of status that had occured. Standard procedure, really... seeing Juria lying unconscious on one of the beds, and Astin nearby, coherent enough to administer their own scan, so it seemed... it left her feeling worse for wear than she had been before. If she had just managed to avoid this injury, they would have more time to tend to the others who had been hurt...

"No change, rebel retreat before further combat." Seung-Min replied, holding back a wince as she walked forward towards the Doctor.

[MechanicalBull]

Talog gave an easy shrug. "No need for thanks. You're all pretty much featherweights, anyway, so it isn't much of a strain. More surprised you didn't need a carry as well, to be honest. I'm betting concussion. Good thing there's painkillers, eh?"

She picked up the robotic cat, it dwarfed in her hands.

"Huh. Neat little thing. Always did like robots... I'll have to check the robot we picked up."

She placed it at the foot of the bed, where it wouldn't be in the way, only to let out a whistle as the mangled-Min stepped in.

"Damn, girl! Just a flesh wound, eh?"

[Nanami Touko]

Bring the Laser Cutter

Buck's eyes went wide as a sly grin slid onto his face, double taking between Thorvald and the damaged Heracles. "Ohhhh, man! What are we gonna do? We gonna take it apart!? Alright! Wahoo! I've been eyeing that thing since you brought it in and I can't wait to get cutting! Aw, dude, what if we can, like, fashion the plasma buckler into like, something with a chain, make it, extend, or... Ohhh, what if we made a gun that fired, plasma stakes, I... Hooo! I'll be over next to it. Dreaming~" Buck hopped off his platform as Thorvald went over to Avery, humming to himself, that sly grin now slid ear to ear. He was already thinking about the things he could do with all those parts~!

"Hey, Thorvald!" Avery chirped, as he approached, her table already pulled over. "Ain't no trouble fer me. Here, though." She hanged him her tablet as she got her own laser cutter out, starting on cutting off Hannah's jumpsuit. "Her voice box ain't workin'. In fact, 'fore I get started here..." She hauled the heavy android off of the ledge she was leaning against, laying her down on the hangar floor. "This'll be easier iffin yer flat." She got to cutting, going through the jumpsuit, and straight through the silicone lining her chest and stomach.

The scene could've been portrayed as gruesome, but Hannah didn't so much as flinch as her body was cut into. Her voice crackled over the radio again, a bit stronger, the ship's charge providing her far more energy than a Heracles in motion.

"I appreciate your commendations, Specialist Eriksson. I only regret that I
was unable to do more for the civilians, as well as your squad. My repairs should
be swift, and then I will be operational to provide further assistance to the Riese
crew so long as it may be necessary."

She smiled, faintly, before staring back up as the ceiling, right about when Avery finished cutting her open. "Right, lessee..." Beneath the silicone skin layer was... Well, it was a pretty big mess, honestly. Hannah had reconfigured herself twice during the engagement with Vera and the rebels. Twice when she had parts missing, and holes in her. Avery sighed, grimaced, looked everywhere, and then slapped a hand onto her face.

"Hannah... Were you ever given, like, regulations'n shit fer yer operations? This ain't... I'm honestly surprised yer still runnin', I ain't gonna lie. This gon' take a bit... I can fix ye, but... Y'gotta promise me, y'ain't gonna do somethin' like this, again... Jesus, yer voice box's stuck near yer waste, the hell'd you do ta yerself..." Avery didn't waste much time, starting at what she could. Again, this wasn't her first android rodeo, so she knew were things were supposed to be, and what was not supposed to be cut into.

"I was unable to help the scientists after my engagement with Vera for the
first time... And then I was unable to acquire the rebel Heracles model. Both of
these situations required reconfigurations to my inner workings to suppl power
and functionality to the necessary systems for each situation. I was never given
any instructions on a limit I should be employing for my reconfigurations. Would
you like to set a new limitation?"

"I'll get t'that after... Just lay still. Gonna need t'find some new silicone y'fix yer skin after this, geez..." Thorvald could stick around, or walk off. It was time for Avery to get to work!

Edited October 29, 2016 by Narmaya

[Shin]

Tarquin still hadn't figured out how to say what he wanted to say - it wasn't like telling Hedrick to be quiet. His lower half had a reasonable splattering of blood, and he wasn't exactly comfortable - but at least he hadn't had his head bashed in or his arm torn to pieces. He couldn't see any visible wounds on either Nikolai or the captain, their casualties had been fairly limited.

"No, it's not that bad, Nikolai." Tarquin replied, not wanting to worry his friend too much. "I attended to my own wounds earlier, visiting the medical facility can wait. I'm... glad you came. I'm glad the captain let you come and help."

He'd almost wanted to tell the captain that he'd been right about trusting Nikolai, but the thought took a backseat to the rest of what his young mind was processing. Was Nikolai hurt? His face looked pained and uncomfortable. Was it really that bad spending so much time near the captain?

"Are you not feeling well, Nikolai?" Tarquin asked, curious to his friend's expression and completely oblivious. "Should I get changed? Is the blood making you feel sick?"

-

That had sounded like a yes to Bill, he wasted no time in entering the room. The damage wasn't as bad as he'd been expecting. Maybe a few things to dust and a trashbag to change, but there was something unusual. Someone had left a young woman lying on the floor next to the bed, and Bill certainly wasn't used to cleaning those up! It was a thought, maybe just a thought, that perhaps the woman on the floor had been the person crying.

Extending a hand, Bill leaned forwards, ready to help her up. "Not going to be very comfortable sleeping like a swagman, how about we get you off that floor and onto something a little softer." Bill affirmed, pondering why she could have been so upset. "It ain't easy being in space sometimes, gonna be times when you don't feel so spiffy!"

[Nanami Touko]

Deserve

"Deserve to be dead? No. No, you don't... We've all done something stupid. We've... We've all killed someone, now. Your stupid might have been worse than someone else's, but... You're not trying to keep doing it. It might be too naive of me, but you're... Trying to change. I didn't really know you before; maybe you aren't, but... Just, going off how you were when you were pulled out of that cockpit, to now, with Tarquin, it's..." It's a huge step to go from killing people without a reason, to saving those who are innocent. Even if you don't see it as a huge step, I can't believe you followed through with any of it, even if it was just for our young ace.

Jess smiled again, wider now, as Tarquin showed up. Nikolai left the ground, Jess slowly followed. "It's good that you're alright... Relatively. Have you gone to see Megumi yet, Tarquin? Even if the others have it worse, you can't leave that alone." Had he been put off by all the people heading there? Or did he really want to check on Nikolai? It was kinda cute how quickly Tarquin had found a friend, even if she was still dubious of his choice. Nikolai had done something amazing today, she was sure he wasn't a bad person, that wasn't it. He was just... Odd. Maybe Tarquin found a similar soul in that weirdness.

"No, it's... Well, I don't think the blood is making him happy, but... I'll explain to everyone what's going on with Nikolai, once things are settled. I promise. You head on to the infirmary... I've gotta take our... Is that a smile? Heheh. Cute." Jess was in pretty good spirits despite thing, seeing the rampaging mess they'd brought in so pacified. She took a step closer and held out her hand. "Can I show you to your room, Nikolai? I think you've earned a nice rest."

Edited October 29, 2016 by Narmaya

[Snowy_One]

The police station was a place that, a few hours ago, Melissa had never wanted to be. After all, unless you were a cop it meant something wrong had happened. Yet, now, it was a welcome and warming place. After the fighting had finally ceased she and the other scientists had practically made a beeline for it along with many of the other survivors for obvious reasons. However, only now was the full impact of what she had done dawning on her. She had killed someone. Three someones. She could feel shivers running up and down her spine as the incident played over in her head and she could feel her stomach churning. She had even pulled over a small can incase she finally was overcome by the fact so much her stomach couldn't handle it. She had been shot at, saved lives, ended lives, and did her best to call out someone who could have killed her in a second. All while armed with little more than a WRENCH! She didn't know what scared her more, that her life had been hanging by a thread or that she wasn't disturbed more by what had just happened.

She pulled her knees up close, sliding them under her shirt as she pulled her own head down under it, trying to get some privacy and surprised that it was stretchy enough for such a thing. No matter the outcome she was certain she'd need some sort of pill or therapy to sleep well for the next few nights. How did army people do this? There must be a booming market for military psychiatrists.

[Dandragon]

Elaine took the kind janitor's hand to pull herself up to her feet. She stood up, and looked at her now mess of a bed, the blankets now tossed all over the place, and the pillow...well, she probably needed a change of pillows at some point.

"Space? ...Got nothing to do with space. Maybe it's got something to do that you're in a place full of people that couldn't give a damn about you or what you do right. ...Or maybe with a person that's afraid of you." She said, speaking the last bit quietly, to no one in particular. Truth be told, it was hard to understand what Bill was saying most of the time, but she did understand that he came inside to probably help clean up the results of her sobbing. She picked up her blankets and began to attempt to straighten it out, throwing out one side and letting it float down onto the bed. Then, she began to smooth it out, moving her hands over any wrinkles in the blanket. She had to do this a lot, always finding herself waking up to a completely messy bed in the morning.

"Just wanted to be congratulated for being a hero for once, instead I messed up and almost let a monster loose on my team. ...Just can't do anything right if I'm not following orders, I guess."

[Sandalphon]

Nikolai's cheeks felt hot at the captain's words. He rolled his eyes, regretting not having jettisoned her into the vacuum of space.

"Shut up," he mumbled under his breath. This turn of events was frankly utterly confusing to him. On one hand, at least the Apparatus was loosening it's grip on his brainmeat, but on the other he was now being... teased? It was a surreal feeling, he'd never really experienced something like that before. "Earlier you try to shoot my head off and now this nonsense about rooms. Hey Idiot I am the bad guy, remember?" He rapped on the side of his head with a knuckle as if to remind her of that fact, making a notably metallic thud with each knock of his finger.

"But still I am glad you are alive, ja?" He sighed, trying to put on an amicable expression as he turned his attention to the younger boy, "it is not me that you should be worrying about. Even if you tend to injuries, I have seen people die hours after fights. They bleed under the skin. It's unpleasant." He wrinkled his nose at the memory, people just suddenly slumping forward after internally hemorrhaging, weak and slurring as their bodies were hauled off to die in less inconvenient places.

"Besides, I am like a cockroach. Disgusting and too hard to kill." He added with a laugh.

[Balcerzak]

When he was handed the tablet with the news that Hannah's voice processor was currently out of commission, Thorvald hadn't at first been entirely sure what Avery had expected him to do with it. The revelation that followed immediately thereafter--as the android's voice, complete with all the unique tones and qualities that made it distinctly hers, came broadcasting through the device's speakers--simply served to drive home her inhumanity even further. The chilling fact that the android barely seemed to even need her physical body at all was just one more reason to feel a little uneasy around her, despite the fact that she'd been nothing but genial to him and the rest of the crew.

Hannah's protestations that she hadn't done enough to warrant the scant praise he'd offered bordered on disbelief, and prompted a reflexive rebuttal. "Sheesh, if you'da pushed yourself any harder, tried to do any more, well it sounds like not even all the king's horses and all the king's men coulda put you back together again. And let me tell you, Humpty Dumpty ain't no kinda name for a lady."

Without having planned it, Thorvald's words triggered an unintended cascade of further reflections. Was it really alright to consider this murderbot a 'lady'? Would that make processing her situation better or worse? At the moment everything about the way she seemed and acted--from her current complete lack of any sort modesty or embarrassment upon having her clothes cut away in a very public setting, as Avery endeavored to acquire better access to her internals to begin affecting repairs; all the way to getting a clear visual picture of just what comprised her now exposed inner workings, that had hitherto lain hidden beneath the facade of fake flesh--it was all so far removed from that of a typical human female that even trying to pretend otherwise was a process doomed to end up dead on arrival. But if she could be taught, if she was one of those adapting, learning AI and eventually adopted a persona convincing enough to allow people to forget about the unfeeling inhuman core beneath it all, was that something to be sought after or rejected? Might not a cute, smiling, and cheerful killer be even more of a frightening proposition? Or maybe, if she learned enough, adapted enough, would she actually stop being just programs and instructions, would she truly become a real person, someone more than just a deterministic dealer of death? Thorvald was completely out of his element as the various philosophical quandaries swirling around his head vied for dominance.

Nope. This was just all too much. There was more than enough on his plate than where he could allow himself to get bogged down by some dead-end, navel-gazing bullshit. Clearing the mental cobwebs, Thorvald decided to stick with his gut. If the circumstances had been different and he'd witnessed Seung-Min snapping a man's neck before his eyes, or if he'd watched on as Jess put her gun to someone's forehead, pulled the trigger, and executed them in cold blood--well he was sure he'd be just as disturbed and uncomfortable then too. It didn't matter that they were human and she wasn't. Some things would make one's blood curdle regardless of the particulars of situation. What was weird though, was that he hadn't even personally seen her mow down what must have been countless rebels during that hostage standoff, nor seen her climb that mech unaided and toss its former occupant to the ground when she'd pulled off her hair-raising hijack. Her relentless rampages were really scarcely more than rumor, so why was he letting it get to him? Nobody else was treating Hannah like a pariah; there was no reason he should be the only one getting worked up over such crazy little details. Just take things as they come; ride the waves, don't fight them. That was the key to keep from getting pulled under and drowning; this was no different. If he still found himself getting wigged out over Hannah as time went on, well there were people he could talk to to try to get everything sorted out, but it would be pitiful to just give up from the get-go, without even trying to settle things on his own first. That approach would just be an abdication of responsibility, cowardly avoiding a situation that was better off faced head-on, taking an easy way out that wouldn't do anyone any good in the long run. Yeah.

Still holding Avery's tablet, Thorvald wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do with it now. She'd obviously passed it to him so he could have an easier time communicating, but given how the speakers' output seemed more than suited to the task, what with the mechanic carrying on in conversation herself, it seemed like it had been quite the unnecessary gesture. Maybe she'd just wanted to free up her hands so she could dig in and get to right to work? Speaking of work, watching Avery go diligently about her business reminded him of something else he ought to cover. Hannah's weren't the only contributions to have played an important role in deciding the outcome of their recent battle.

"Maybe I don't need to say it," he started off by backing into the subject in a bit of a roundabout way. "I don't know what you and your team are used to as far as things like this go, but it'd feel wrong for me if I didn't let you know much what you guys did also helped to save a lot of lives today. Shouldn't be hard for you to see it neither. If you all hadn't improved the responsiveness of Lt. Kim's craft, instead of coming home with that arm injury, she might not have made it back at all. After those defensive reinforcements, Sergeant Talog was able to take a lot more punishment, and provide much more vital support to a lot more of the team, enabling us to pull off quite a few maneuvers that might otherwise have been too risky. And finally, some of those close kills wouldn't have been possible without that added stopping power on Specialist Herrington's sniper rifle. Seeing as how we were nearly always outnumbered, getting the enemy to manageable numbers and keeping them there was of utmost importance to eliminating the threat. We haven't been working together long, but you've more than earned my trust. If there's anything you need that I'd be able to help with, just say the word. I'd be glad to pay you back any way I can."

Edited October 30, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Shin]

The medical horrors that Nikolai described sent shivers down Tarquin's spine, he'd never really seen anybody injured - or that many people in general. Even thinking about what such wounds looked like made him feel a little queasy. At least he seemed a little brighter now, Nikolai's face had stopped doing the strange contortion it had moments before. Tarquin wasn't sure, but he still seemed a little low. Nikolai couldn't be worthless, he was Tarquin's friend, right? The boy had no idea what he was meant to say. Telling Nikolai he was wrong didn't seem like a good idea, although it was what he wanted to do. Was there not somebody who could make Nikolai feel better?

"I don't think you're a cockroach, cockroaches don't save other people." Tarquin replied, his social skills unable to come up with anything better to say. Why didn't people write books about how to do these things? "I'll get changed then go to the medbay. I said the Captain would give you your own room, I just knew she would."

His own room was his next destination, he'd prefer anything to his bloodstained flight suit. The question was, what did he exactly have with him? The facility had organised most of his packing, they'd have put clothes in with his books, right? Before he left, Tarquin set his gaze on the Captain, giving her proper eye contact for the first time since he'd met her.

"Captain. You made a reckless decision which could have cost us the entire mission..." he began, pausing briefly both his his words and gait. "... but thank you for trusting Nikolai. He's not a bad person, and neither are you."

Hurrying away quickly, Tarquin noted a strange feeling in his middle. It wasn't quite like the pain he had from the wound, if anything it was more like how he felt when he'd spoken to Nikolai at the brig.

-

Pulling Elaine up, Bill's eyes scanned her sheets intently. They weren't exactly dirty but it had been perhaps six days, maybe five and a half at best, since they'd been changed properly. The rest of Elaine's room was surprisingly well kept, the crew were far tidier than the folk at the training facility. It took Bill a few moments to process what she was saying, although he was hard pressed to believe anybody would find her scary at all. The only thing Bill feared was if she were te oily boot bandit, but there was a time and a place for his quest - and now was not it. Besides, there was still a good chance it were the Captain or the taco girl.

"Good on ya for helping out though. When I first came up into space, I was worried my mop would go floating off on me!" he replied, impressed with how this woman could fly her armed trash can around in space. "Sounds like you're all wrapped up in the nitty gritty, but at the end of the day, you all came back for dinner and got what you wanted sorted. That's pretty ace if you ask me. If you make a blue and then have a think about it, you know what not to do next time. I think if you're worried about how people feel, you should go and have a good chinwag with them. Problem won't go away if you don't have a try!"

[Phoenix]

As much as Megumi would have preferred to avoid full immersion, Kim was too banged up for anything else. She had just the right sort of injury to make isolating her arm impossible. Getting everything set up wasn't a quick and easy process; Kim had to be moved into the tank, and it had to be prepped, as well. Megumi opted to remove the skin suit's sleeve after Kim was hopped up on painkillers and lying blissfully in SIEG fluid. While all that was going on further back in the infirmary, Brant was looking around for pain medication for Astin after getting some vague instructions from the doctor. Eventually he found what he was looking for, but not before scowling at all the unmarked drawers he'd gone through.

"I think you just need one of these tablets?" he guessed before handing Astin the whole bottle, anyway.

The immersion tank Megumi decided to use would cause a claustrophobic person to flail about in desperation, injuries be damned, but the glass coffin filled up incredibly fast despite its low pressure fluid pumps, and its internal tools--tiny robotic manipulator arms and their mysterious gadgets--were responsive and precise. The mask that came with it would also allow Kim to speak normally, as well as breathe. She probably wouldn't have a whole lot to say initially though; the painkillers were strong enough to force a person to constantly remind themselves that they were indeed severely injured, and the temporary chemical imbalance could be quite stupefying. Kim's temporary euphoria aside, for the situation, this was Megumi's best option for ensuring the Lieutenant made a complete recovery, as well as a swift one.

"Those armored pilot suits from Ellen's game don't seem quite so stupid all of a sudden," the doctor murmured to herself as the tank finished filling up completely. She donned some remote gloves that would allow her to go full manual on the controls for the tank's manipulator arms, and got to work. Step One, was to peel back the sleeves obstructing the wounds. "Let me know if any of the pain gets through," she said, glancing at Kim's partially covered face briefly.

[Ether]

The next few minutes were a bit of a blur to Seung-Min... mostly because she had been given military grade pain-killers, which were more akin to tranquilizer shots than anything else. Her wounds were too grievous to remove the SKINsuit without disturbing them, so she had simply been laid in the SIEG tank as she was, the Doctor would remove what bits of her suit were necessary for treatment... further damage to the thing didn't really make things any worse, this one was as good as trashed anyway. Mask slipped on so she could breathe and communicate, the glass tank slid into place over her, locking down so that the medical fluid wouldn't escape, and the tank began to fill. Within moments Kim found herself submerged, hazily taking in the instructions through her medically-induced stupor.

"Nothing yet, Doctor."

[Dandragon]

"Well, I guess I'm glad somebody can see the bright side of things." Elaine took a tissue out of a small box near her bed and blew her nose, which had become stuffed full of snot due to her sniveling and crying earlier. A feeling of relief washed over her face as she emptied her nostrils onto the soft square she held in her hands. At least now she could breathe through her nose, again. "Still feels like we failed that mission, though. We let someone get away."

Then, Bill had suggested talking to someone, and that got her thinking. The last time she talked to someone...well, she already knew her answer. But, could it hurt to try?

"Hey. Hey, Bill, do you know if Doctor Cheryl is available, right now?" If I'm gonna talk to somebody, might as well be a professional, right?

[Shin]

Arriving at his room, Tarquin hurried to one of the wardrobes, stripping off his flight suit as soon as the door had closed behind him. Opening the drawers and searching through them, Tarquin barely recognised any of the clothes he found. Were they really his? It was defintiely his room, the basic decor and large bookshelf confirmed it, but who had provided these? He normally swapped between his military uniform, flightsuit and sleepwear, but what were all of these?

It took a few moments to decide, but a plain white shirt and black trousers were the best he could muster. It wasn't particularly impressive, but he had no idea of what was meant to be "normal". Perhaps all of life wasn't written inside books, or at least his collection didn't have the answers for him.

Tarquin looked at himself in the mirror, it was strange seeing himself without some sort of uniform on - he almost looked like a normal boy, whatever that was meant to be. Maybe he wasn't so unusual after all?

-

Bill wasn't entirely sure who Doctor Cheryl was, he'd only ever seen the name when he'd cleaned what was presumably her room and office. "Can't be too sure, you know those medical types, like salmon trying to climb a waterfall. Might be worth checking her office if you need her." Bill replied, wondering what exactly the mission had been about. "If it's eating away at you like the dingos, could be worth a shot. Even if you let one person get away, I bet you lot stopped a whole lot and saved even more. Don't worry about me, I'll be done here in a jiffy, go see if you can find the doc."

[Dandragon]

"...Alright. Alright, I'll go do that." Elaine nodded. If Bill was right about one thing, it was that she should go check the office. She left Bill to his own devices, and went out into the hallway, taking a left, then taking a right. Before she knew it, she was at the door to her office, again. This was it. This was the person she was going to spill her guts to (figuratively, of course). This was the person that was going to find out. This was the person she was going to entrust her thoughts to. And possibly her past. If she got kicked out of the military for this...then that was that. She couldn't pursue what she wanted to if this got spread around. Not as long as...

Slowly raising her hand, and balling it softly into a fist, she took a few seconds to get herself to do it. Finally, after standing there awkwardly, she knocked on the door and asked. "Excuse me? Dr. Cheryl? Are you in there?"

[Nanami Touko]

Reconstructing

Hannah paused, eyes focused on Thorvald, small square patterns flickering over them as her mind processed what he had said, but a small frown indicated her search had gone poorly.

"My data banks have no match for this Humpty Dumpty, but it appears to be a
reference of some form. Would you be able to explain what you mean by this? I could
have pushed my parameters further, but some of your crew expressed care for my well
being and I did not wish to cause them undue stress by performing at my limits."

That had been Lieutenant Abrams, who seemed happy over the comms, speaking with her. She didn't want to be the reason he would be coming back to his ship with further concern on his mind, as the Riese crew most likely had to deal with the aftermath of the colony's invasion, already. Extra stress would provide him trouble with performing his duties, so she had resisted the parameters surrounding her limits, staying near the edge instead. In a normal situation, with her body in this state, it would have been a more intelligent idea to charge the Heracles she had taken and perform a self destruct on another model. Unfortunately, even without the crew man's mental fortitude to worry about, their fight had been very tight, with everyone gathered close together. Perhaps it had been for the best that she had declined the most drastic of steps.

"I appreciate your worries, Specialist Eriksson, but I am a robot. Perhaps it is
presumptuous of my A.I. to point this out to you, but as long as my memory core remained
in tact, I would be able to be deposited into a new model. Even now, were it not for the damages
to my facility, I would be suggesting to Ms. Wright that I be scrapped and transferred to a
more suitable host. Perhaps I am simply too damaged; I do not see the point of repairing
a body as damaged as mine as compared to replacing the model."

There may have been some error in her logic processors; was there a point to their sentimentality? Perhaps she did just did not understand it. She had only been active for two years at best, and in storage for the past two months on the colony. Humans were an odd bunch, yet she was their creation. Understanding could come with time, and some effort, a part of her A.I. hoped.

Avery shook her head, flicking Hannah's metal forehead, shaking her hand after. That wasn't the smartest action, but she wanted to get her attention. "Yer bein' an idiot, Hannah. I'll let Thorvy here take the time t'explain it to yer, but it just ain't that simple." You know what else wasn't simple? Avery's reaction to Thorvald's compliment. It felt... Not at first, but the more he went on, the more hollow it felt. Tarquin had gotten hurt because of her faulty upgrades to his weaponry. She'd adjusted Kim's mech, but maybe she hadn't done that properly, either. Would Kim have come back with an injury at all, had her fixes and upgrades been perfect? Or was it like Thorvald said? The thought of anything but an arm injury was incredibly upsetting; the doctor could patch together a wound like this one, but Avery felt a sharp shiver from her knee. The cold reminded her of what the alternative was if the nerve damage was too severe.

Suddenly, repairing Hannah alone didn't seem like the best idea.

"Er... Yer don't gotta go on with all'a that, Thorvald. Guess I'll take ye up fer that drink ye offered, before. Howzzat sound? Feel like I need t'get myself smashed after all o' this work. Ain't gonna keep on goin' iffin I don't, y'know?" She tried to hold onto that mirth she'd had before, but it was quickly slipping. Her hands stopped working on Hannah for a moment, the android aware of her pause.

"Is there an issue, Ms. Wright? Have you encountered something difficult with my
circuitry? I am aware of all of my inner workings and can provide help on--"

"Naw, naw, s-s'all good! Sorry, there, jus' got thinkin' too hard. My bad, darlin'. I'll make sure t'ask ye iffin I need some guidance, arright? Fer now, just... There we go." A pesky wire had gotten itself tightly trapped between the servo operating Hannah's waist and part of the bent metal from the heavy cut she'd been dealt. Wrenching the thing out of its trapped space, she reached onto the table for a soldering iron, getting to work on re-connecting the wire to where it was supposed to be.

"You two can keep on goin', iffin ye want. I ain't one fer the philosophical stuff, but I ain't gonna shy 'way from it, either. It's interestin' chatter."

A Whole New Room

"You're the worst bad guy I've ever seen, Nikolai. Just like I'm probably one of the worst good guys you've ever seen. Good match, huh? As much as you seem to hate me being nice to you." Jess let herself laugh some, the back and forth calming her down further, and giving her a moment to think about what she had to get done.

Gotta get Nikolai into his room, first off... I hope he's compliant. He has been so far, no matter what they did to him, or what he was taught. As long as Tarquin is around, we can probably rely on him. That's good! That... That bodes well for both his situation, and my fate. If the crew sees that... Even if this was a stupid idea, that it worked out, they might go lighter on me. On him. He doesn't deserve more from my rash actions. She placed a hand on her chin as Nikolai and Tarquin shared their moment, wondering what else there was. I suppose it would be best to call anyone that wants to speak to me to the briefing room. I can take them all at once... Or one at a time, whichever works. I expect I'll get Thorvald, Roxanna... Maybe Brant, I'm not sure. Kim would probably show up if she wasn't hurting... Ahhh, what a mess I've made.

Jess was snapped from her thoughts by Tarquin saying something she never would have expected, honestly stunning her into silence as he walked off. The first line, that was a given, but... "Am I?" She wasn't sure, not at all, but it was Tarquin giving her a compliment at all that had caused the distress. She let herself smile some more. "Maybe this won't go so badly... I feel pretty good about it, now! Yeah. You're not a cockroach. You're a wonderful guy... Who just smells a bit like one. Do me a favor and take a shower in your new room, okay, Nikolai?"

Jess motioned for him to follow, and walked down the hall, spotting Elaine leaving her room, letting her go off. The woman had been an emotional mess, more so than Jess, during that fight. She didn't want to hear much from her, right now, and would avoid it as long as she could. As she left, she led Nikolai to the room next to Elaine's, opening the door and standing aside. It was another brilliantly white room, but there was a panel that Nikolai could use to change the color to whatever he liked. "Alright, so... Here's your room. It has a proper bed, TV, computer, shower and a change of clothes... There should be a washer and dryer in the washroom as well, if you want to clean your stuff off. I said I'd give you a room, so I... Well, I-I hope it's better than a cell, Nikolai. You deserve it."

House Call

Another billow of smoke left her mouth as the sound of knocking filled the air, Cheryl smiling just a bit, before sighing the cloud away. "It's Dr. Hart. And come in. The door's open." She put her hobby down, letting it quietly sizzle on the edge of her tray. The room was fairly thick with the smell, the grassy hay smell that a cigar let off. It wasn't pleasant to some, but it calmed Cheryl down fantastically. The ventilation was doing all it could to keep it contained to her little desk area, but perhaps Elaine would be able to pick up on a hint of it, before spying the object.

"Anything I can help you with? Also... Is this a call for Cheryl, or a call for Doctor Hart?" Always a good distinction to get out of the way. It wouldn't be good for whoever this was to start blabbing without setting that, first.

Edited October 30, 2016 by Narmaya

[Dandragon]

"It's for Doctor Hart. It's definitely for Doctor Hart." Elaine walked inside, letting the door close behind her. Automatic doors usually did that, but it was good to make sure it did. She instantly noticed the cigar, as well as the smell in the air, trying to ignore it as best she could. She sat down in the nearest chair she could find, making herself as comfortable as she could, which was difficult considering what she was about to go into detail about.

"I've got some things I'd like to get off my chest...Several things actually, but I'm not sure I can get everything out today. It's...got to do with today's mission, a bit. ...Okay that's a lie, it has to do with my past far more than anything but I just I'm...I'm not good with going into detail about my past, it's not something I like to do...This is all confidential, right? Nothing leaves this room? No matter what?"

Edited October 30, 2016 by Dandragon

[Sandalphon]

"Nonsense." He mumbled, rolling his eyes at Jess, "Maybe that is better for you then, ja?"

Nikolai watched Tarquin make his way down the hall. His first instinct would've been to follow, but he figured he should trust him enough to take care of himself for now. He nodded as he followed the captain apprehensively down the hall. He wasn't sure why, but the cleanliness of the place made him dizzy, like this was not quite the kind of environment he should be in. He saw, from the corner of his eye, a mass of red hair exiting a room briskly.

His neighbour, he figured.

The captain opened the door to the room next to red-haired girl's, telling him about the luxuries contained within. He nodded politely, trying his best to play along, as he had agreed to do earlier. "Is kind, but I don't sleep in beds. Give me nightmares. Thank you cap, you're not so bad. Sorry for calling you slut so much..." He added quickly, his ears turning red. "Does not mean I will not do it again in future, but you know how it can be."

He watched her close the door as he explored the room slowly, like a zoo animal exiting a carrier into its enclosure. Not quite a space of his own, he had never had one of those, but this borrowed place would be where he would exist for the next while. It seemed too immaculate, too clean for something like him. It was as though no one had ever lived in it prior to him. A step up from the alley he slept in before being employed by the rebels but honestly anything would've been a step up from that.

He threw off his poncho and shirt, kicking off his shorts and peeling off the bodysuit he wore under them as he stepped into the shower. His ankle monitor clanged discordantly against the tile as he turned on the water to freezing, because frankly hot water seemed utterly extravagant. He frowned as he saw the medical bracelet hanging like some sort of shackle from his frail wrist as he reached for some sort of floral scented shampoo. It had bite marks from when he had tried to chew it off years ago. They had never bothered to remove it, in case he needed to be readmitted and needed the id. He scrubbed for a while, feeling as though he was peeling off layers of sin and self from his aching skin.

He toweled off quickly, determined not to spend any time looking at his newly freshened flesh. He threw on a pair of black trousers and a baggy black sweater from the drawer. He looked at his face in the mirror. He looked years younger with damp fluffy hair framing his face... A green eyed and confused little stranger staring back at him. He grimaced as practiced smiling, squeezing too much minty toothpaste onto a brush. It stung his mouth as he tried to remember how to brush his teeth. This "being a human being" nonsense was difficult to master. He made a mental note to respect people for going through this routine on a daily basis.

Finally, he stared at the washer and dryer, having thrown his last worldly possessions into it before undergoing his purification ritual... some strange fucking mysterious thing. He picked up a colourful plastic packet of fragrant jelly, which shone like a berry in the light. He sniffed it curiously before throwing a handful of them into the machine. He slammed the lid shut, turning the dial to... some set of symbols. He was pretty sure it was right... It had the word l-i-g-h-t on it.

He didn't know what brightness had to do with cleaning clothes, but whatever.

Edited October 30, 2016 by ♡ Komaeda ♡