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

[SB.]

Lyra waited calmly for the others to load up into the elevator, nodding along with Melissa if only for the sake of keeping up appearances. The officer's question caused her to frown for a few seconds as she brought a finger to her chin, mulling it over. "I'd say... I don't know, there's a dozen or something in there." She didn't have a precise count, considering they were sure to stock a couple of spares, but the number sounded about right. The kid pilot who just joined them might know better, but then again her might not. Either way, with all of the volunteers already inside, Lyra stepped in herself and prompted the elevator to begin its descent as they talked.

"Don't worry about pilots being too careless with their equipment." She interjected, not sharing the mechanic's worries. "I'm sure they know they'll get an earful if they're too careless about it - and it's not like they want to die in them, either." Lyra had never been one of them, but the previous mission had proved that they were far hardly infallible. As long as you weren't on too much of a power trip, she figured the pilots would all be aware of that as well.

The elevators wasted no time whatsoever, and before they knew it she was leading them out again, well on the way to the hangar. "That doesn't mean they're all going to make it out unscathed either." she replied over her shoulder. Tarquin's response was proof enough of that. But as long as they were salvagable, why did it matter? Wasn't it the mechanics' jobs to fix things? "I'm glad you were all able to keep things... mostly together here too." The rebels had gotten inside, but the damage could've been far worse. "If they'd had more time to fortify the place, things could've probably gotten uglier."

She once again ignored Melissa's ramblings, although she was glad that the others couldn't see that she was rolling her eyes. She didn't think very much before speaking, did she? What a weirdo... She was glad to see the hangar was so close by, so she could leave the pair before any other weirdness happened. "Well you two, this is it. Sorry Officer, could... actually scratch that." The navigator shook her head. "If you want to take in and take a quick look around, I don't think there's a problem with it... but just don't touch anything." If he wanted to know about all of the mechs, he could take a closer look. Just not too close.

As for Tarquin, she had no idea what he wanted. It wasn't really her problem, he could do whatever.

[Balcerzak]

"Nice, good progress," Thorvald acknowledged when the doctor discovered one source of bleeding and swiftly patched it up. Even after the injector had done its work, it had needed some stitches, so it much have been a pretty big issue, as least as far as he was aware. Knocking down that one also made his job a little easier as well, but there was still plenty of work to do, suggesting that Rapunzel still had some digging ahead of her, a hunch that was confirmed when she announced their next destination was the spleen. Thorvald didn't really have a firm frame of reference, but they seemed to be making good time, and given the progress so far, it seemed the doctor had had every reason for her initial diagnosis that the patient would certainly be fine. That was certainly a relief. Almost all of his nervous tension had fallen away as well, once he'd gotten absorbed in the task he'd been given. Focusing on following along and keeping the sites as clear as possible for Megumi didn't leave much spare thought to devote to idle worries.

[Phoenix]

If only the second find and seal could have been as easy as the first. While it wasn't something the doctor would classify as a 'complication'--she knew this was a possibility going in--she was a little annoyed to have to look so far into her patient's rib cage to reach her target. It still didn't take her long to find the damaged organ and maneuver it into view. Abigail's spleen was ruptured, though not beyond Megumi's ability to address right then and there.

"And here's the main problem," she mused aloud. It was the source of the bleeding, alright. Not wasting any time, she checked for any internal damage, applied several SIEG injections, then sutured the injured organ up. "There, that should do it for the bleeding. We'll do a quick sweep for any remaining blood and then close her up. Good job."

[Balcerzak]

The next area the doctor went to was apparently the main source of trouble for the patient. While it never even came close to what could be called 'touch and go', the woman's efforts here were more considerably involved, though still performed with the same clinical precision as before. Thorvald couldn't help but be a little impressed, and honestly a little relieved that if, heavens forbid, anything went terribly wrong and he'd need to end up going under the knife, the ship had an eminently skilled physician at the ready. Her bedside manner could maybe do with a little improvement, but that's not really primary as far as why you hire the doctor you do, especially for treating soldiers and pilots. Maybe that's why she wasn't on some cushy civilian hospital's payroll though...

No matter. It was time to get this finished up. Thorvald gave the suction tool another thorough pass around the affected areas, and there were no obvious signs of other hidden problems, so he pulled it out, switched it off, and turned to congratulate Megumi on a job well done. "Have to hand it to you, that was smoother than I might have expected. Any ideas on what messed her up like that in the first place; is the spleen always so fragile? Would be good to have some tips on what to avoid in particular, you know more than just 'don't let yourself get surrounded by enemy machines and end up struggling futilely while your own is pounded into inoperability'."

Edited December 28, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

Without knowing what the overall setup was like in Abigail's mobile suit, Megumi could only speculate as to the exact cause, but it was a common enough occurrence in severe wrecks, and she had some useful information from earlier. "You said she was still strapped in when you found her? It must have been a spectacular crash if she still ruptured her spleen." She started to put everything back in its proper place and then removed the spreader so she could begin closing up the incision. "Normal safety restraints can't always prevent these types of injuries. In fact they can cause the damage if you get thrust forward with too much force, which is what I think happened here." Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on the person, one would normally know when this happens due to the intense pain in the area and sometimes beyond.

"You could get your own safety restraints upgraded, but it'll be harder to move in the cockpit. My advice is to not worry about it. I can reverse most damage as long as you aren't missing any organs. Even if you bleed out a couple of minutes before getting here I can still get you fit to fight again eventually. It's your brain function you need to worry about the most." It would definitely be a good idea to let the Captain or someone know that their captive was in the clear for the moment. It would also help to know if she would be staying in the infirmary for the time being--Megumi's own recommendation until she could assess the pilot's mental state--or being relocated to the brig once she could be safely moved. At least it was on the same deck ....

[Nanami Touko]

Repairs Nearly Complete

Avery was still stitching up Hannah's outsides when Astin called on her, pausing a moment to stretch and turn her attention to them. Hannah did the same.

"Ye came down here fer somethin' an' ye already fergot? The heck you in a rush fer then, Astin? Haha, ye really are a cutie, aren'cha?" Avery sighed and shook her smiling head, turning back to Hannah while Astin collected themselves.

Hannah simply stared at Astin, unsure which pilot this was.

"Hello. I an colony android HAn4. You may call me Hannah. I am pleased to make your 
acquaintance, Astin. What is your field designation? I am slowly assigning call signs 
to names and faces as I am introduced. Avery has been kind enough to keep me running 
while performing repairs."

"And ye haven't shocked me yet, so don't go makin' me regret this."

Training

"Ahhh, haha... Yeah... T-Training." What a terrible cover story. Christina was entirely unsatisfied with it, but one look back at Kim made her wonder, would she do better with a co-pilot? Would Brant? This Juria girl said she was flying with someone today, and had gotten hurt. Had she helped, though? Before that? It was... She couldn't be sure, right now. Too many things floating through her brain. How to feel towards the captive, how to feel about Kim being hurt, how to just, feel...

The robot meow brought her attention away from herself, smiling some. "He's cute. Hi, Reo~" Christina smiled at the cat and giggled a bit, withholding pets for the moment. "Sure. Friends. I could use more of those, out here. Maybe I will get some training done..." It would be useful to at least run some simulations. She could keep it together for those, right?

Crumble

The door to Jess' cabin sprung open, as she dashed for the washroom. She collapsed to her knees as her lunch left, finding itself in the toilet. As she tried to pick herself up-- breathe, calm down, not vomit again --she had to contend with the thoughts running through her head. You made her bleed you hit Roxanna she's going to kill you you're not going to ever be captain again what if she broke someth-- she's gonna hit you back harder she'll get back at you she was already trying so hard and now--

It was impossible to avoid, as the stress bomb exploding caused her to evacuate anything that was left in her, tears starting to fall down her face. She looked at her hand, still red; she was sure her cheek was too.

"What... What, did I do...?"

Edited December 31, 2016 by Nanami Touko

[scorri]

The Pilot (formerly?) known as Oni Leader

Astin blushed, started to protest and then realized they had no ground to stand on. Avery was right. Mumbling quietly under their breath, they decided to just answer Hannah instead of trying to deal with Avery right that second. "Right, uhm, yes. I was Oni Leader in the battle. I don't know if I'll keep that call sign moving forward as splitting into squads was the Captain's idea for this specific battle and I uh... It's not clear that we'll continue using it going forward. Uh... thank you for your help. I'm not sure we would have made it out... Especially if you helped slow down Vera. That couldn't have been an easy fight."

They suddenly stopped talking and then switched back to talking to Avery. "Err, ah, right. What I wanted to ask. Obviously not right now. Since you're busy. But maybe some time you could take me on a tour of some of the more intricate parts of the ship? Engines and all that sort of stuff? I've never been on this kind of ship. And all the classes in the Academy were just on old models so nothing like this one. And I figure if anyone knows their way around engines, it's going to be you, right?" They gave a small smile, hoping they would get a positive answer.

Med Bay Drama

Val finally moved away from the monitor, having gotten a basic grasp of the supplies and equipment the med bay offered. She glanced back at the surgery going on behind her, which seemed to have mostly finished up at this point. That was good. She suspected the injured from the colony would be showing up soon enough and they would need as much attention as possible. She glanced over at Olivia and sighed. This was going to need to be dealt with sooner rather than later or she would never be able to focus. At least maybe setting a time to deal with it would help? That way she didn't have to deal with it right this second but could still help work on the wounded. She inched closer to the other girl and then whispered in a serious tone, "Look, we need to talk, alright? I didn't expect to ever see you again to be honest and I just... We need to talk. Soon. Ok?"

Mecha Mechanic

Colt gave a whistle as he stepped out of the elevator. This place meant business. Glancing around, he couldn't help but be impressed at the tech they had going on. While that made sense, it was one thing to have a sense of it and another to really see what was going on. The suits alone were impressive, much less the repair stations and equipment. "Right then. Who do we have to talk to to get some work around here?"

Edited December 30, 2016 by scorri

[Xinnidy]

A Hand to the Hangar

To hear such positive feedback from the civilians was pretty heartwarming. Considering the Officer wasn't even expecting it, he felt very uplifted. "Aw, shucks. Thanks guys!" He was scratching the back of his head, it was really those moments that made the work of a policeman worth it. "I wish we could've handled them on our own, but at least the rebels are in the past now. Gotta focus on getting the colony back to speed now." That's all there was to it, in the end. These engineers would have their work cut out for them, but they seemed like good people. The military probably won't shun their help after that scare, either.

The elevator reached its destination, and their guide dropped them by the entrance to the hangar. Her words stuck in the officer's mind, especially regarding the number of units housed in the Riese. A dozen.... including spares? That's way too little. He threw a puzzled look, glancing around the perimeter in his sight. Not a lot of jets either... what's up with that? That was very unexpected to him. "Uh, okay." The guide wasn't that interested in getting the engineers familiar with the crew --mayhaps that was officer Grey's job after all. "Alright... well, we'll just ask around until we find a place for you guys." It couldn't be that hard, right? He took the lead, glancing at the nearby staff before raising his voice. "Um, excuse me! Who's the head mechanic around here?"

Sure to Hurt

Roxanna's continued her slow, struggling walk through the hall outside the meeting room. She leaned against the wall, holding the side of her face. A muffled, guttural cry escaped as she made the mistake of moving her jaw again. She spat, more blood escaping with her saliva. What a mess.

She was faced with conflict as she could see the elevators to her sides, she could go down to her room, hide and spare the humiliation of letting people know she was beaten by a girl much younger than her, or just take it and actually treat her broken teeth. "Uhhh..." She winced, incredibly frustrated, couldn't she be spared that decision?

Gulping --much to her chagrin, as Roxanna started to cough immediately after--, the XO slowly turned back towards the infirmary. Hoping it wasn't full, hoping people wouldn't ask. She'd never give the full story.

New Arrivals

Outside, a vehicle stationed itself near the Riese. Its size much larger than the previous car, made to carry a great deal of people. "Hello? Hello? Riese crew?" A voice could be heard from the bridge's main receiver, "This is officer Carlson, station 13. I'm bringing the injured now, they total eight. If possible, I'd request a hand bringing them in." It was going to be a busy time in the ship.

"I can follow my mother there, right?" Makoto spoke up, as soon as the communicator was brought down, sitting on the passenger's seat beside the officer. "I'm uh... the only family she has now, so please..." It was a bit surreal to remind himself his father was taken by Apotheosis, and a bit guilty to use that as ammo. He didn't want to leave his mother alone, though.

"Ah..." The officer sighed, "I guess. I'm going to tell them your situation and let them decide, okay?" He couldn't afford to be so strict after everything the kid went through, but guidelines were guidelines.

[Sandalphon]

Nikolai continued creeping around the kitchen, grabbing things and putting them in his pockets at random. Food, mostly, but he also pocketed a small kitchen knife just in case he needed to make a break for it. He was, for the most part, entirely unaware of any of the politics currently going on with the chain of command, but there was something about the piercing gaze that the older man had given him earlier that did not inspire confidence...

He made away with his ill gotten gains, keeping an ear perked for any traces of danger. His new crewmates were surely mostly in the meeting they'd talked about. It would give him time to make his way back to his room, assuming that it was clean by now. He peered into the hall before slowly slinking out of the mess.

The way was clear for now...

[Nanami Touko]

We Need to Talk

"Do we?" Olivia said, curtly and quickly in response to Val. She didn't even bother to look at her, more curious about watching the doctor's finishing surgery than anything. "Last I remember, you left... And I came here for work. We just so happened to run into each other. Getting on this boat was... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying to get a bit closer, but I'm more here to see if I can land something better than an office gig. Just have to do a good enough job that the doctor still wants me around."

She finally glanced at Val, sighing quietly. "But if you really think we need to... Then we can. I can't say no to you."

Grand Tour

"My altercation with the Apotheosis Lieutenant would have been far easier had I not 
been previously damaged by the rebel forces. I will not give her a moment to rest 
or underestimate her if I am ever brought to combat her again. She is too dangerous 
to leave alive. Though, even I am unsure if my strength would be enough to damage her.
The metal composing her limbs was of a material that I do not have information
on in my database."

Well, that was an interesting piece of information. Avery held onto that; she'd have to tell the captain, and the squad. Maybe Hannah would be better off simply talking to everyone once she was completely fixed.

"A tour? Well, I mean, unless yer inta all that stuff, it ain't real interestin'. Just a buncha levers and nobs and all kindsa metal. Typical stuff ye think you'd find in one o' them rooms. Iffin ye want, I mean, sure? Ain't no skin off my back. Check in t'morrow, I gotta make sure Miss Hannah's all workin' fine before I let her wander about."

"I am free to explore the Riese once I have been repaired? If that is alright, I would
like to be allowed this. I wish to scan the Riese for my database, as it is something that a colony
android would not typically have access to. Knowing his the ship functions would be necessary
were something to go wrong with me on board, as well as having a well structured map to refer
to."

"Well... Yeah. Y'all fine t'do that. Ain't no issue with an android walkin' 'bout the boat."

Assistance

Tristan was glad that he had stayed on the bridge, as their remaining patients for the med pay had managed to arrive, just on time. "Yes, of course. I'll be down to help, personally. We're a bit short staffed, right now." No XO or Captain. That meeting must be going on longer than they expected.

Tristan called in an, "over," before heading off the bridge, towards the elevator. Lyra hadn't returned, so someone had to.

"Head" Mechanic

Buck's head popped out of the Heracles' cockpit, covered in grease and oil-- and his hair looked a bit... Frizzy? He hadn't gotten shocked in there, had he? Either way, he expected Avery to respond to the call, but seeing her busy with someone else and STILL working on Hannah, Damn girl! Hurry up! We've got important robots to fix! he figured that put him in charge, didn't it?

He jumped up and out of the cockpit, sliding down the side of the thing into another tumble, as he dashed off towards the group. Nearly bouncing in place, he gave the officer a salute, smiling wide-- and then using his hat to wipe the grease off of his face.

"Head mechanic in charge, sir! What can I do for you? I was just messing with the generator access in the Heracles over there; thing's got some MAD customization! It's set to output way more than it should be. I'd hate to get punched with that Buckler, no lie, dude. And to think some of out pilots did! Okay maybe I wouldn't mind, that sounds hella rad, just like a cartoon~"

"Er... So, uh, what can I help you and your pals with?"

Edited December 31, 2016 by Nanami Touko

[scorri]

Med Bay

"You can't say no to-- Actually, yeah, you're right. We don't need to talk. Forget I said anything." Val turned away and walked over to the tank with the injured pilot, a scowl on her face. Try and sort things out. But no. She can't say no to me. Ha. That's rich. I know she didn't follow me to the colony. But even she said that I was part of why she got onto the ship. Ugh. Focus. She looked down at the screen, hoping to see more progress made on the scan. The sooner that was done, the sooner the poor pilot could be as fixed as she was going to get tonight.

Hangar

Astin's smile widened. "Yeah! I'll ask tomorrow. I think it's just something to know, right? Better to know about the inner workings of the ship. What if something went wrong or something? Best to know where the possible weak spots are. Just in case, right?"

Colt couldn't say he was overly impressed by the mechanic that greeted them. Still, he seemed to be working on the mechs, so he had to know what he was doing at least somewhat, right? "We were sent from the colony to assist with repairing your robots if you need the help. My name is Colt. While I don't have specific experience with mechs, I have a significant amount of experience with general mechanical repairs."

[Juliette]

"Very important!" Juria agreed, far more enthusiastic than Christina (not that she seemed to notice). "Have never flown robot by myself. If Astin friend got hurt... would not be much help. So, maybe we could do training together, Christy friend! Oh, and sorry for using nickname if you don't like. My English, is not best. Am from First Colony that we just helped rescue, and Mizushima family come from Japan long time ago, so am much more fluent in Japanese. Try to improve English each day by using it, but... am used to talking so fast in first language! Slowing down for English words, that very difficult to me, so say stuff wrong a lot instead. But hopefully am able to be understood most all the time, at least. Recently have been using own name more. When little, had difficulty speaking even in Japanese, so used nickname Jade. Maybe not using it is sign of growing up?"

The head engineer of the Riese was astonished to see Reo jump from her arms, landing in Christina's. "Oh! He very happy to see you. Juria don't have many friends, either... focused on schooling too much when younger. Now that am here, lots of people don't seem to like how active I can be. Sometimes hear them say Juria is crazy... that is sad. But at least friends make things better. So we can be good friends for each other. Christy and Juria!"

[Snowy_One]

"Melissa. General mechanics repairs as well." replied Melissa with a smile. "Along with experience in mechs as well, though I suspect the models I worked with were nowhere near as advanced as this."

[Xinnidy]

Mechanic Surprise

Officer Grey was surprised again that another young-looking boy seemed to be in the ship, as head mechanic no less! What's next? Turns out the captain isn't even on their 20s or something? It... wasn't a very comforting picture, kids their age being used by the military in a mission such as this. "Howdy, these are people from the colony that volunteered to help." He extended an arm towards the two civilians, "They're gonna be helping your crew here, as long as you need them." At least this kid seemed to act more their age than the first, though was that a good thing in a head mechanic?

Eh, it probably changed little.

"You don't seem to have a lot of mechs here, huh?" He couldn't help slipping his curiosity, "When I saw this ship, I was expecting a massive fleet --not that I'm trying to undermine you guys! I'm just surprised is all."

Transmission received

"Roger, we'll be on standby." Carlson replied, "over." Did he need to do that? It wasn't necessary in his duty, but the crewman's own compelled him to return the technicality. He sighed.

"Let's get them out, now. He's coming down to help us bring them up." He turned to address Makoto, hand already opening his door. It was just a matter of carrying them from the back of the vehicle to the ship now. Makoto nodded, complying as helping hand.

Impromptu visit

The infirmary's door slid open, a silent figure walking in. It was Roxanna... looking much worse for wear than anybody last saw her. The XO herself felt flustered, realizing the infirmary looked rather busy made her pride sink. Please, don't ask questions. That had been enough of that day for her. Should she speak up to call for the doctor? Gosh, that would feel horrible, on top of her hurting jaw. She opted for the meek option, taking a seat near the door. A hand was covering the red side of her face at all times.

[Ether]

Things seemed to be going relatively smoothly, which was wholly welcome after how hectic the battle had been. Her own scan was progressing smoothly, Christina had managed to deflect Juria's curiousity well enough for the time being... it would likely bite them later if the engineer found out the truth, but better then than now, with injured on the scene. The surgery on their captive rebel Captain didn't appear to be having any issues, and the volunteers were acclimating themselves to the infirmary. Everything was fine until an unexpected entity made their appearance.

"XO?" Seung-Min questioned, as the officer entered the infirmary, covering her face. Had she been injured? When, how? To top it all off, she didn't even approach anyone, simply sitting off to the side in silence... how strange. Hopefully one of the physician's assistants would either notice her enter, or hear Kim's own inflection. After all, if she was hurt, it needed to be taken care of.

[Phoenix]

More SIEG injections came in order to erase what would otherwise turn into an embarrassing scar as Megumi sealed up the wound, although Abigail had bigger things to worry about now than her appearance. "And we're done here. Time to see where she's headed." That would involve getting either the Captain or the XO on the line ... of course the XO herself stepped into the infirmary before Megumi could decide which one to call. Roxanna didn't look like she was in any mood to talk, though.

"... I'll just assume you fell," Megumi shrugged. "Bennett, take care of the XO. Incidentally, I need to know where you want this prisoner now that she's in the clear." She looked down indicating the captured mercenary.

Brant looked back when Kim mentioned Roxanna and winced. Did she really fall? He glanced at her high heels and wondered about that. Is that really military standard? Seems kind of pointless since everyone has long legs nowadays.

[Nanami Touko]

Forget it

"Consder it forgotten," Olivia said in slight shock, as Val stormed off. Had she said something wrong? It was just how she felt... Maybe it was the wrong wording. Ugh... I wanted to come on board to see if we could fix things, though... I guess the 'last I remember, you left', was a bit off, huh. It was just the truth. What's wrong with that? Olivia scratched her head, but wouldn't have time to give it any more thought-- someone important looking just came into the infirmary with a stiff jaw and a wobble.

"Yes, ma'am." She gave the doctor a nod and approached the apparent XO, kneeling down to check her over. Bruising on her cheek, in a lot of pain, wobbly... "How hard did they hit you?" she asked, quietly, without pressing further. "She's going to need some attention in her face. XO, do you mind opening your mouth for me? If it doesn't hurt, that is. I need to see how bad it is in there."

Christina, meanwhile, was more focused on the cat in her arms, and finally noticing Brant, waving him over. The XO looked pretty bad, but that was why she was here, right? "Yes... Christy and Juria. Haha." I hope this bubble doesn't burst soon. Or at all. At all would be pretty great.

Assistants!?

Buck's smile went ear to ear. "Lackeys!? Hot damn! I've always wanted lackeys! I, er... Ahhh, screw it; I ain't head mechanic. She is." Buck's cover had been blown by his own exuberance, as he thumbed towards Avery. "She's just really busy fixing that android, and I'm second in command down here, so I figured I'd play it off big. But second in command is good enough! Come on you guys, come help me take apart this Heracles! Don't mind the smell, and watch that you don't accidentally strip the core's protection. We'd blow up pretty hard!"

"And yeah, not a lotta mechs. The hangar's not that big, y'know. Only got room for so many on standby. But hey, it's enough. Our pilots are kickass! Managed to beat those rebels, right? Anyway come on! Robots don't take themselves apart!" Buck sped back over to his project, not really caring if anyone joined him. He was having way too much fun.

Bringing up The Rest

Tristan only had one thing on his mind as he headed down to help with the other injured colonists. Where were the captain and the XO? The meeting couldn't have gone on that long... It was nagging at him. He'd have to check in with both of them once this was dealt with.

[spoiler=Preparations (July 28th, 2100 hours, CST)]

North American Base, somewhere in the North Pacific Ocean

The day was one of silence in their base, though with purpose. They had finally made their first public move, and things were to escalate soon. A greater part of their initiates were sortied, but to the few still in the base, the tension could be cut with a knife. This was the day they would change history, and their lives. Yet, they were certainly not the only ones on edge.

The room was dark, its illumination focused on the central table. Much like the rest of the base, it was chilly --the heaters could only do so much against the outside temperature before their use became inefficient, but at least the temperature wasn't hazardous to human health. Gathered around it were some of the most important figures of the American side. Apotheosis didn't believe in such a simple structure as putting all their eggs in the same basket. Still, the American side was momentous to their current operation, and the weight was reflected on all members.

A woman stood out and the northern end of the table, wearing what seemed to be an old ANF blazer as a coat, over her shoulders, a green, long-sleeved wool shirt, and military pants and boots. That was Helena Wayne, former ANF field major, and now Commander to that side of Apotheosis. Sitting at the head, she leaned over, elbows on the table. Her stoic stare made its way through every member of the room before staying steady on the newest arrival, freshly-promoted Intermediate Duane. "I can't say I completely condone your actions, but your information was of great help, Ivanov." There was a hint of a smile that quickly faded Helena's face. "The details on the Heion Riese crew were helpful in assuring our mission in Colony 1 wouldn't be hampered. Still, from the preliminary report by Initiate Maxwell, it wasn't without risk." He stopped herself, leaning back on her table.

"From today onward, the world won't be able to ignore us." She continued, "They'll be out to get us if we fail... I'm sure you all understand the gravity of this." There was another moment of silence. Perhaps it wasn't necessary to use the reminder, but Helena's days of teaching cadets imprinted that principle on her. "Before I begin, are there any questions?"

Duane sat quiet, he honestly didn't think he should've been sitting at this table. Recently promoted, barely new to the organization... He withheld a sigh, and nodded, trying to stay calm. Someone else at the table wasn't enjoying his presence, either...

...And she was about to be very vocal about it. "I have a question, commander~ Why are we allowing a recently promoted Intermediate to sit at our table? Perhaps I missed a memo, but information on the boat or not, he shouldn't have to be here, after giving it to us..."

Louise's robotic eye stared daggers into Duane's skull, the red glow making him feel even more awkward. He continued to stay quiet. The last person he wanted to upset was Lieutenant Park. Not after her first sortie.

A metal thwack echoed into the meeting room, accentuating Louise's perturbed attitude. "I won't press it once you answer, but it's not something I can leave alone."

Helena wasn't surprised at all that Louise would be the first to speak up. It... was her nature to question things, and be herself. That, Helena knew. It didn't make it any more convenient to go through the motions, though. "About that... Intermediate Duane is here because he will be given a mission, taking in mind his previous achievement." She spoke, curt and to the point. "And before you say I'm putting too much stock in what he did. He's so far the only member with combat experience against that ANF squad that's returned." An honor that would change as soon as Vera showed up, but it would be no less important then. "And I'm sure he's more than willing to learn from his mistakes." Helena turned her head to give the intermediate a stern look. "Am I wrong?"

"Worry not, Louise. The meeting is effectively us three, but it is important that he stay here to listen." That was probably what she was looking to hear, wasn't it? Looking face to face with her was always interesting.

"Hmph. Fine... He can stay. And stay quiet." She sighed, leaning back into her chair, resting her eyes on the map. She didn't like some of Helena's answer, but she was the leader, for good or bad. He's not the only one, but I suppose revealing that sooner than later would be detrimental... I wonder how much they could take out, if they were to suddenly turn? Hmmm... It was something to muse on, as she went on her meeting. "Carry on, then. Explain your meeting."

Duane could feel his worries increasing, but he simply nodded and tried to seem calm. He'd seen what had happened to the last initiate to cross Louise, and he'd rather not be choked to death. He was curious as to what Helena wished to discuss, anyway. Getting ejected from the room right away would not do.

"Very well, if that's all..." Helena had managed to convince Louise enough quite quickly this time, at least she'd get the meeting moving on, however her personal feelings were. "I've arranged this meeting to decide our next course of action. Most of our hired forces in the Colony 1 blitz were taken out, but thankfully, that should be the last of our big losses." She adjusted her seat, pressing a button underneath the table to highlight a map in its surface. It was an easy to read world map, sprinkled with red dots across the american coast. "Our offensive against the ANF has been fruitful, but we can't stop there. We have to exhaust the ANF entirely." They were a lot more resourceful than the ANF would be prepared for, no matter what elite squad they prepared. The ANF had too many exposed cracks to cover.

"The preparations are already complete to strike while the iron is hot." She clasped her hands, the slightest bit of satisfaction in her tone. "The ANF's great military flaw is that it is not ready to protect all its assets at once." The table's image changed to show the Earth as observed in space, orbited by the five colonies. "While the ANF retreats its forces, we'll be able to lead a strike on the colonies again." No amount of foresight from the ANF top brass would prepare their armies for this. There was too much difference between earth and space combat for them to transfer large amounts of their army back and forth, and Apotheosis' new machines couldn't be dealt with as easily as to not pull from space navy.

"Louise," Helena met eyes with the Lieutenant, "You will be on standby, but I will have good news for you, shortly." The woman would definitely not enjoy staying put, Helena sighed internally. "After talking over your situation, I might have something to... patch up, your loss." Leaving the matter with a momentary smirk, Helena looked towards the intermediate, the odd one out among them. "As for you... I have a new assignment for you, Ivanov. Vera is set to return with our hostage, and I need here for our next confrontation. However, we could still use a reliable pilot in space." She dragged her finger on the screen towards one of the colonies, highlighting it. "Colony 2 is our next target. While the ANF could prepare for our first strike, they won't be expecting a similar impact in another of their colonies so soon. You'll be risking less than Vera did, furthermore, to ensure you'll succeed in the mission, we have a new unit ready."

This news was not good news for Louise, doing her best to hide her growing scowl. Another sharp slap of metal against the floor was heard as Helena mentioned her loss, gritting her teeth. "Not my fault that our best machines were still unable to beat the relics the ANF's pushing out." In reality, she'd lost to an ace pilot, someone that she never thought would be taking the front lines ever again. Alas for her, and for her legs.

"Fine, fine... Standby it is." While Ivanov got sent out? Louise hoped, for her own patience's sake, that Vera would return soon. She could use something to stare at while trying to push out her anger.

"Me?" Duane finally spoke, not sure if he should have, but that was out there, now. He only nodded afterwards, knowing full well of Louise's growing ire. A new mission out in space... And with a new unit? It's exciting... Almost too exciting. I don't know if i'm ready for this, but... He was having trouble hiding the growing smirk on his face, fists clenched under the table. I hope I get to fight against the Riese crew again. A real fight. Not some half baked attempt at rushing them during prep.

As Duane lost himself in thought, the door to their meeting room opened. Vera swiftly walked in and calmly took a seat next to Duane, the doctor walking behind her, escorted by Andy.

"Commander," she started, glancing around the table, doing her best to avoid looking at Louise. "I've brought Dr. Watanabe. He offered himself as a hostage on the colony, so... I'm sure he has a good reason to want to be here. though, I don't know if he's going to be so happy about being knocked out for so long." Notably, Vera was wearing a tank top, with bandages very openly visible around the sides. That ANF pilot's shot had done some serious work on her insides... She'd been patched up, but considering she was needed for active duty, there was no time to be sitting in some SIEG.

Looking downward, Helena offered a brief smirk as Louise mentioned their past failure. "What happened can't be changed. The ANF brought us to retreat despite their disadvantages, but that time was different." Holding her head high, eyeing each of the three in the room, Helena continued to part with the details. "If we hadn't pulled off that retreat, they'd have found out everything about us, in the state we were. That's why I urge you both not to underestimate the situation." This time, all of Apotheosis would strike a heavy dent, one that the factions couldn't possibly turn against them. They needed to ensure it or risk the end of it all, no slips would be acceptable.

With very appropriate timing, Vera entered the meeting room and took a seat, her report focused on their hostage. "Thank you, Lieutenant." Commander Helena studied the hostage doctor with a piercing gaze before speaking up again, "Doctor Juuzou Watanabe, if you would, could you give us the reason you were so complying with the Lieutenant's request?" For the sake of his peers seemed a bit too altruistic for one of the head figures in the ANF's bellic research division, his position placed his value higher to the ANF than his peers, and there was no chance of the doctor being so blind to the reason behind the colony attack.

Silence fell to the room as the commander expected a response from their hostage. Dr. Watanabe, himself, brought a hand to adjust his glasses. "Your... Lieutenant, is right that I didn't find my traveling terms very pleasing. Considering the poor job with suppressing the colony, I'll gloss it over this time." Despite the meeting's tense nature, the doctor was rather relaxed, even allowing himself a foul mood over the past events. "Still, it was a rather off move. To bruteforce your way into the ANF's databanks is hardly what I'd expect from a subversive group."

"Doctor, I'm expecting a proper answer." Helena wasn't one to be patient with berating from an outsider, cutting the Doctor's spiel short. "I'm only giving you this chance to be clear about your motives."

"Hmm," The doctor shook his head and crossed his arms, but complied. "I'm here to make a proposal. I know what you wanted with the ANF's database, and I'm willing to provide what I can, but there's something I want in exchange."

"And what would that be?" Helena was curt.

"Free reign for my projects." the doctor adjusted his glasses again, "ANF's R&D is in a frustrating situation, shackled to the whims of our superiors. It's a shame to have so many promising projects rejected, funding taken away in such a dire time. The policies made to ensure we won't make weapons of mass destruction are far too strict, especially considering all the other venues the ANF considers..."

"It was a distraction, Watanabe," Vera offered, a bit annoyed. "We attack the colony and the ANF sends their most precious toy to go and defend it. I manage to make it out alive with you and plenty of data while our main forces succeed in crushing most of their resistance. Brute force is sometimes smarter than it seems." She was rather annoyed, probably from the throbbing still evident in her side. It had been a quick SIEG injection, so it was still healing. She'd needed to make it to the meeting more than get fully attended to. That could wait.

Louise nodded, but left it at that, enjoying staring at Vera much more than speaking with her. She had to address the doctor's request, after all. Helena's own comment was too bothersome to respond to. "And what makes us think we can trust you, hmm? I realize you're not in any position to truly betray us, or get away, but... You were still aligned with the ANF only a few hours ago. And now you wish for free reign? In our base? One small slip could leave us with you releasing information of where this place is located... And that would be unfortunate. For all of us, Watanabe..." She would have thwacked the ground again, but the point had been made, quite clearly.

"I suggest that we give you access to our materials, but only under strict supervision. I'd love to see your work; and put it to use! But I simply can't agree to letting you go unrestricted." Helena might have had other plans, but that was how Louise saw it. "Wouldn't you agree, Vera~?" Ahhh... I want this meeting to be over.

Vera sighed, nodding. "That would be for the best. As much as I am glad you didn't put up a fight, you still seem annoyed. We can't risk you trying anything against us."

"The ANF's precious toy..." Doctor Watanabe mumbled under his breath. So they've sent that ship to deal with the attack? What an embarrassment. He had definitely underestimated how much Apotheosis and the ANF knew of each other, what an annoying situation the top brass had let this be... So be it, choosing these roundabout methods will bite them soon. Whover comes out on top does not matter.

"She has a point." Helena added, her glare casting how little she trusted the doctor. "You are asking us too much from a position that has no right to it. You're a top researcher for the ANF, that's impossible." She clasped her hands, "We are aware of your ability, but we won't let you run around unsupervised, doctor."

"Hmm." The doctor didn't present himself any more annoyed than before, pausing as if considering his words. "That won't bother me, as long as I can pursuit the projects ANF had rejected me. Of course, I can't work without resources, but I guarantee that the result will be to your liking." The atmosphere wasn't any less tense, but the doctor seemed almost oblivious to it, a confident smirk followed his claims. "There's much potential with the technology you've acquired. I hope I can keep in contact with your commanders."

"Supervised is fine with me, as long as he produces results... So, set him up with someone we can trust, and see what he brings about, hmm?" Louise didn't see an issue with this conclusion. The doctor was weak; if he tried anything, they could simply get physical and set him right, again. "Vera?"

"That sounds fine... If that's all for the Doctor, then... Initiate Maxwell," she said, turning to her brother. "Take him to holding. We'll assign him a proper guard soon, and then he can get to work on whatever it is he wants."

"O-Of course, s--" Vera shot Andy a harsh glare, instantly shutting him up.

"L... Lieutenant, Maxwell." He shrunk, and approached the doctor, not waiting for him before snatching his wrists and cuffing him. "Come with me."

"Was that all, Commander?" Louise immediately asked. "You've set out plans for the next attack, and we've gained a vital asset. I can't imagine there's much more..."

"I see." There was still much Doctor Watanabe wished to inquire and request Convincing this commander with a good project would be a priority. "I hope this will prove fruitful." Lowering his head, he allowed the young man to lead him away, a slight wince hinting unhappiness as he was cuffed. Such a bother...

The meeting had been a bit more eventful than Helena expected, but all the same, it was meant to be a short one. I should tell them about this man, Doctor Watanabe. "That should be it, Louise.You've already received yours orders, unless you have somerhing to report as well." Handling their most eccentric member was something Helena grew rather used to, even accustomed to her tone, so long as Louise never tried anything truly out of the line. "Vera, is your situation manageable? If you think your wounds might increase the risk of subsequent missions, we will need to adjust our plans." As much as she was augmented, Vera was still human. Humans could be frail, no matter what. "Other than that, this meeting ahould be over. Thank you for your attention." As much as the situation was tense, Apotheosis was part of her, Helena helped it grow. She was strict for the situation called it, she wouldn't let her people die in vain.

"Nothing, nothing to report~" Louise yawned, sliding out of her chair, as the mechanical monstrosity that was her lower half finally slipped out from underneath the table, slithering off towards the door. Her altercation with Alphonse had cost her. Alphonse had brought one of the ANF's new toys to bear during their altercation, and the impact from it against her Io had compacted the cockpit, crushing the lower halves of her legs. Were it not for an immediate evacuation, she would have died there.

But instead of go through something similar to Vera, Louise wanted something... Eccentric, outlandish, and over the top. She wanted to be unique. And with their best mechanics working on it, she'd been granted the lower half of a snake, in full. Of course, nearly everyone questioned her decision, Vera included, but Helena, she'd remained stoic about it. It seemed it would take more to shock or set off their commander.

"Vera... I'll see you later, right~?" Louise stopped for just a moment to smirk and wink at her comrade, before heading off. She had to see about her new robot... the Io was powerful, but it simply couldn't stand up to that prototype Alphonse had brought out. That was what she needed to crush, to destroy, to give Apotheosis unstoppable headway into ANF territory.

Vera grimaced after Louise had left, looking at everyone else in the room. "It's not fun. I hope no one here envies me... No, commander, I'll be fine. I've already been given a SIEG injection. A few more, an hour's rest, and I'll be ready to take off again. I don't want to put your plan on hold over something as simple as a bullet wound... And I'd rather leave the initiates to the gruntwork, not the spearheading. Some of them are still too young for this magnitude of operation." She saluted, and got up to leave, Duane similarly doing the same.

"Thank you, uh... C-Commander. For the opportunity. And the robot. I won't let you down, promise." Vera cocked an eyebrow at that, heading out and waiting just beyond the door. As soon as Duane stepped outside, she pushed him up against the wall with a hefty smirk.

"I know you're scared to, but... Can't you act just a little bit jealous, when Louise makes eyes at me? Or are you afraid the commander's going to reprimand us for fraternizing?" Vera smiled, an expression most would think she couldn't manage, before letting Duane go. All he could manage was a sigh, and a worried glance down the hall.

"I'm not scared of Helena! I'm scared of Louise... I'm not foolish enough to think she hasn't noticed you getting closer to me, Lieutenant. Did you see what she did to the last Initiate that stepped out of line? That mecha mess hanging from her waste became a noose real quick. I don't--"

Vera put a finger on his lips, and hushed him, shaking her head. "You're an Intermediate, now. One with his own personal robot, and a doting Lieutenant. Even Louise knows she can't touch you without repercussions. So try not to worry. I'll be in my room after I get this fixed. If you want to stop by... The door's open." Without another word, she headed off.

Duane groaned, once she was out of earshot. "She's pushy... But damn if she doesn't turn my cranks... Ah, dammit, I was supposed to tell her about my mission. I doubt she's going to want to talk later, either... Wonderful." Duane scratched at his head, and went off, himself. As someone that had simply joined because he shared ideals, this promotion, this attention, and this leering stare he always felt at the back of his head; they were all too much for someone so new to deal with.

[Nanami Touko]

Bright Morning

In the aftermath of the destruction, the colony's artificial sun still rose in time with its clock, tuned to central standard time. Morning brought with it the relief of surviving the previous day, and the pain of having to rebuild from such a loss. Half of the colony had been nearly demolished in the incident, buildings strewn about, some structures still smoking; a Heracles had destroyed the entire west side mall. But the colony was not without hope. Still stationed in the colony's space port sat the Riese, stoic and undamaged from the fight. A beacon of hope for everyone still alive.

Those selected for treatment on the Riese had been dealt with by the doctor and her new assistants, all strapped in safely to the Riese's plentiful med bay beds. Down in the hangar, repairs on the colony's android had completed. She had been quietly scouring the ship all morning, not wishing to move around during the night and scare or worry anyone stationed for security detail. Her map was nearly finished. The mechs hung in the hangar were nearly finished, as well. The extra hands had made repairs proceed at least an hour faster, but Avery had been kept up nearly all night, laid out over a bench near the repair station, snoring quite loudly. She'd wanted to make sure that everything was fixed. Double checked, triple checked-- quadruple checked! After messing up with Tarquin's rifle-- which she'd also fixed --she didn't want to make another mistake again.

Jessica hadn't left her room. She'd managed to make it into bed, and stayed curled up in the sheets all night. Whether or not she'd slept was anyone's guess, at this point. The lump under the covers kicked and groaned every little bit, so if she was asleep, she wasn't having a pleasant time.

Christina had managed to wander back to her room, after helping Kim to hers. She still wasn't one hundred percent, and it would take the TK time to fix up that wound. Still, that she was fixed at all was a wonderful thing. Christina slept well that night, waking up with a heavy yawn. Slowly sitting up and shoving off the covers, she rubbed at her eye, and stared at the clock. "Nine AM... That's way too early... Agh, geez, military people... How do they even manage to be awake like this, after fights like that? It's bonkers..." With another yawn, it was time to shower. She wanted to see if she would be allowed to roam just a bit more around the ship, without an escort.

What Christina had not bothered to check was her own room's message system. If she had, she would have seen a message sent out by Ensign Calvin. As the Riese had not been given any orders as of the morning, all pilots were free to act as they wished. This didn't apply to her, but for everyone else on board, it meant they could go about their day doing what they wished, whether that be on or off the ship. And there was plenty to do for both.

Colony One Areas of Interest

Current time, July 29th, 0900 hours, CST

Everyone may post!

Edited January 4, 2017 by Nanami Touko

[Phoenix]

[spoiler=411]

Hate. Brant absolutely hated having to contact Rosa of all people, but it was either that or stay in the dark with everyone else about these transforming mobile suits the Alkaev company had built. Real-time communication would only make the conversation more annoying by dragging it out slightly while also providing video feed, so Brant opted simpler text based messaging. Rosa almost didn't go for it, attempting a video call twice before giving up and responding to Brant's message with a text of her own.

Her first message read, "Is this really necessary, Brant? This won't save you any time."

Brant smiled. No face, no expressions, nothing especially personal about a text. It was surprisingly refreshing in his current situation. He could almost tolerate the woman in this format. "Yeah it's necessary," Brant said aloud before sending his words back to her verbatim, along with his inquiry into the transforming mobile suits.

The reply was startling. Rosa hadn't simply sent Brant back an affirmative and some paraphrased details. She'd sent actual data, along with a brief, "This is everything you need to know for now. The third mobile suit will be yours once we finish working out the design flaws." The information Brant had seen on the Alkaev Fan Forums was here, though more accurate, and the missing information was all here.

"If it's going to be my mobile suit, can I make suggestions?" Brant spoke his message aloud as he replied.

"Of course. Try using this data in some simulations to get used to the Regalia, and send us your suggestions. It should fit you like a glove when you finally receive it."

Brant felt a little awkward, being in a good mood and also being in a conversation with Rosa weren't two things that should really be happening at the same time, but knowing that at some point, provided he could stay alive until then, he would be piloting a mobile suit specially tailored to him, without the innumerable weaknesses of a scarcely armored test machine, that easily overcame is normal feelings concerning her. "Thanks. I'll be in touch, then. Goodbye." Brant sent his final message to Rosa for the night, and transferred the data to a monitor before lying down and having a good read to lull himself to sleep.

[spoiler=42]

"You can't handle that many, Firmia," came a frustrated male voice in the young telekinetic's ear. She scowled beneath her visor as she made additional changes to the loadout of her simulated mobile suit. "Firmia, seriously ... that's way beyond your current parameters." Hitting a button on the console, a 3D rendering of her current mobile suit materialized another rack of remote weapons on its shoulder, bringing the current total to twenty-one. "Hey! Are you listening to me?!"

"It's just a simulation," Firmia dismissed his concerns, "there's no feedback or anything to worry about. The T-Link is only sending data."

"That's my point," the voice shot back, "you won't be able to control twenty-one drones simultaneously, even in a simulation, not without an amp, and that's just a fake signal. I know you scaled them down but that's not going to be enough. What are you trying to do, anyway?"

Firmia casually added another weapon rack after rescaling it. "First off, I'm not stopping at twenty-one. I'm going up to forty-two."

"WHAT?!!!"

"Forty-two is the perfect number. I've been thinking about this for a while now and it turns out that forty-two really is the answer, just like the classics say~"

"How ... j-just how? Have you been drinking?"

"That's not the point," Firmia hissed, "look. You know the number 'lucky seven', right?"

"No," the voice came back honestly.

"And you know how important countdowns are, right?" Firmia continued, not missing a beat.

"I ... I guess so?"

"Well think about it. Seven times three is twenty-one ... twenty-one times two is forty-two ... and forty-two times one is forty-two. Aaand launch funnels! That's my answer." The silence persisted until Firmia eventually broke it. "It makes perfect sense! Besides, you're not thinking tactically, here."

"I'm not, huh?" The man seemed a little amused by that.

"No, you're not, or you would be congratulating me for coming up with this idea all by myself. Watch and learn~" Firmia continued adding racks of remote weapons to her simulated mobile suit until it had a total of forty-two available units attached somewhere on its body. She began the test sortie after saving the configuration to the system's files. Her operator, the man pestering her about the absurd weapon count, watched the action from his own monitor.

Firmia's mobile suit, the Aspiring Queen, was little more than a command and control unit, with only a beam rifle, beam saber, and a shield for its own defense. Its true strength was its ridiculous number of remote weapons attached to various parts of its body. They were plentiful enough to look like external armor at a glance, but small enough to still permit normal range of movement. Firmia's opponent was a heavily armored Volkov HS model. The HS model was a H.A.L.O. equipped mobile suit used for incursions and was somewhat old, but frighteningly well armored. Like many machines, its performance was either helped or hindered by the pilot. In this simulation, the pilot was an AI, an advanced marksman program Firmia had picked not only to challenger herself, but to test her 'Forty-two' theory.

The Volkov began the battle from the air, parachuting down while firing on Firmia's position with a beam sniper rifle. Each time Firmia moved out of the way, a batch of trees was scorched beyond recognition. She had to block the next one with her shield, or take a shot directly to her cockpit. The forest around her was starting to catch fire from the first and third shots, and after only half a dozen discharges, the smoke was obscuring a large area of the forest. The darkness covered the Volkov's descent, preventing Firmia from returning fire once she finally had her opening. Her operator waited, wondering when the telekinetic was going to try to use her remote weapons, and wondering what would happen when she did. Would she realize her mistake? Maybe. Hopefully, he mused.

Suddenly, before Firmia could circle around the inferno overtaking the forest, the Volkov appeared, leaping through the fire and rising smoke to fire on her. The shot hit one of her remote weapons rather than her mobile suit, and reduced her total number to forty-one. No matter; it was time to show the true strength of the Aspiring Queen's current loadout. "Funnels!" Only six of the weapons floated free from the mobile suit, but they went after the Volkov with all of the fury of their controller ... and were shot down one after the other.

The operator sighed quietly as he watched. "I told you ..."

"Funnels!" Twelve more funnels left the Aspiring Queen, and bull rushed the Volkov. Its armor was cooked by beam fire as it started to shoot them down. It took another shot at her, seemingly at random, but Firmia's shield took the hit. She replaced the destroyed funnels with new ones. More and more were shot down, but from that point on, there were always twelve of them in the air. By the time Firmia began to run low on reinforcements, the Volkov's armor had been stripped away, and its left arm and main camera had been disabled. "Alright, it's defenseless," Firmia smirked, "Finish him off! Self destruct!" Twelve of the flying demons came screaming in at the Volkov, slamming into it from every direction before exploding like missiles. The mobile suit wasn't destroyed outright, but it was rendered completely inoperable. With its backpack severely damaged, legs destroyed, neck jammed, and both arms out of commission, it was effectively neutralized. Seven funnels were left, and none of them had participated in the duel. "End simulation." The battlefield disappeared and Firmia was returned to the sortie menu.

"I don't get it," the operator said, not willing to concede to whatever Firmia's point was just yet, "what were you trying to do?"

"Testing a theory," she said, taking off her visor and stepping out of the simulator, "see, during most of my tests, I only use six funnels. When I run out of funnels, that's when I get shot down on the harder difficulties. Having more than that isn't just to control them all at once--though I plan on being able to do that by the time I'm finished training. It's really about not getting disarmed."

"You nearly did run out of your little suicide bombers, though," the operator said critically.

"Of course I did! I picked the best marksman AI we've got! Didn't you see the size of those funnels?! They were tiny, and it was still swatting them like flies! I just ... had to test this with a disadvantage to make sure it works even if things aren't going my way."

The operator sighed again. "Fair enough, but this swarm tactic of yours needs some work, Firmia."

"So what?" Firmia crossed her arms in a pout, "I won. That's all you people care about. I'm going to bed ...."

The operator shrugged and leaned back in his seat as Firmia left. "I guess I'll cut her some slack. She is just seventeen, after all. Besides, the rest of the Alkaevs sure won't go easy on her. Must be hard, especially now that she's the only TK we've got left with us. It's got me missing home. My folks are ... a bit more supportive than hers. Yeah that's a nice way to put it."

Breakfast? Brant wasn't especially hungry, but it wouldn't do to wait until his stomach was actually bothering him about it. Since they hadn't received any orders, another mission was unlikely unless Colony One saw incoming before the Riese left the area. There wasn't anything in particular he needed to do this morning, so he left his room and headed down to the cafeteria after freshening up, planning to have a light breakfast and make up the difference at lunchtime, whenever that came around.

---

Having already had breakfast, or whatever passed for that with Megumi, she spent the first part of her morning in the infirmary, keeping an eye on those patients still recovering from yesterday's battle. She was back to reading, one of the few past times she could comfortably get away with while minding the few remaining patients. For once she'd rather be doing other things, but only because Escaping Tartarus was at one of its slow points. Virtually every story had at least one, and this one was testing her patience. Being bored in the morning was a surefire way to get caught in a low energy state for the rest of the day.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Phoenix

[Ether]

Eventually her scan had finished, her wound had been fixed for the most part, only requiring to be held in a sling until it had fully healed and settled, and she had been brought along to her room by Christina. Trying to sleep without erring from lying flat on her back was a bit of a chore, but not as much as trying to go about her normal routine with one of her arms playing dead weight at her side. The announcement that they could wander the colony freely also wasn't quite as appealing with that in mind.

Instead of going out of her way to dress up and go out on the town, therefore, Seung-Min settled for a rather simple ensemble, notably one that was unlikely to cause issues with her current arrangement. A loose top and a pair of her workout shorts was more than enough to be comfortable, presentable enough, and give her a wide berth of movement... as wide as she could manage at present, anyway. Exiting her room afterwards, she lazily walked down the hall without much of a destination in mind, though that changed fairly quickly. As soon as she came anywhere near the Captain's quarters, Kim was bombarded by a swathe of negative emotion, the sheer volume of it, combined with having caught her off guard, and her own weaker than normal constitution causing her to pause, bracing herself against the door. Composing herself after a moment, she lifted her good hand and gave the Captain's door a hard, loud knock.

"Ca-... Jess, open door please. Want talk." She announced, figuring that perhaps a lighter hand was better here.

[scorri]

Astin had woken up early and was heading out of the Reise already. A bagel with peanut butter was all the breakfast they needed and they munched on it as they made their way out of the ship. As they stood in the elevator heading down to the ground, they recalled the events of yesterday and quietly sighed. I wonder where the Captain disappeared to after the meeting. We were going to talk but... No one answered in her room and I couldn't find her anywhere else. Maybe I'll have a chance to find her this afternoon before I meet up with Avery. She and I never set a time, did we? Well, she's been so busy lately, she probably won't mind having some time to relax before showing me around. Arriving at the base of the elevator, they exited and glanced around. Giving a small nod, they headed over to an area near the exit of the spaceport where a collection of cars sat. As they approached, they spotted a robot standing near the entrance to the lot.

"Hum... I suppose you're probably where I get a car. Now... how do I get this to work... Oh, uhm... Astin Doyle, serial number Hr-7..420. I would like to request use of a car?" They stood patiently waiting for a response and not getting any. They fidgeted, waiting a few more seconds, before glancing around again and noticing a small sign indicating they needed to enter their ID number into the keypad next to the robot. Blushing slightly, they walked over and entered in the number before taking a step back again. The robot quickly snapped into life, stating, "Welcome to the Colony One Spaceport Vehicle Rental. Please state the number of occupants that the vehicle you desire will need to carry and how long you will need to use the vehicle."

"Ah, just me. Er that is. One. Just one. And just for the day. Or probably just the morning." The robot paused for a few seconds before responding. "You will be granted use of the black two person Honda in the third row. The passcode to unlock the doors is 19253. Please drive responsibly." Astin watched as the robot returned to its former unresponsive state and gave a small shrug. Heading into the rows of cars, they soon found the small black car they were supposed to be taking and thumbed in the code for the door. Entering into the driver's seat, they took a few seconds to get accustomed to the details. Flipping off autopilot, they pulled up the built in map of the Colony. Hmm, the police station might be the best place to start. Get some more information about the attack yesterday. And maybe finding out more about what Vera might have been up to... The destination settled and the car ready to go, Astin pulled out of the parking spot and headed off towards the rest of the Colony, hoping that the roads were clear enough of debris to make their way through.

[Shin]

Tarquin watched as everyone else left the elevator. He couldn't quite say that he understood them very well, or to any reasonable degree, but as long as they were able to do their job properly he wouldn't need to. The door closed, and the elevator continued to descend down to the bottom level. Everyone else seemed to be getting along fine, except for the Captain and XO, and they'd left him alone until the meeting came up. Had he really made a bad call? Until he understood, or even if he could ever understand, the others, it would be easier to keep his distance.

Was it his age, or maybe his upbringing? He just couldn't find himself being able to mingle with them. Nikolai was the only person he could talk to without feeling like he was under interrogation. There had to be a way to learn, reading didn't appear to be enough - he needed experience in the field. His simulations hadn't entirely prepared him for actual combat... and certainly not being wounded. He'd been able to make one friend so far by accident, surely that proved he was at least capable of it?

-

The next morning was the start of Tarquin's new plan. He knew he was a genius, far more intelligent than most of the people around him - but even he didn't know everything without learning. Living in the facility had helped bring out the best of his ability but it hadn't prepared him for working with other people - so he needed to at least understand what regular people did. He'd never been out in public by himself, or actually out in public, but it was the only way he'd be able to understand. Breakfast had been quick, he'd gained an odd liking for toast, despite his previous thoughts on the breakfast.

It hadn't taken too much time to get to the residential area, although once Tarquin had arrived he wasn't sure what to make of it once he'd arriving at the shopping centre. The sheer number of people inside was more than anything he'd ever seen before. He had funds, but in reality he had never made a single purchase in his entire life. The hardest decision he'd ever made was what to eat at the cafeteria. He wasn't exactly sure what all the different stores were, but people were going in and out of them, surely there were things people liked in them. There had to be a map somewhere or at least some sort of information on what they were - because Tarquin could barely associate any products to store names.

[Snowy_One]

Once things were done for the night Melissa headed back for her 'home', a small apartment barely worthy of the name meant mainly for people on a shoestring budget as opposed to some wealthy place, kicked off her boots, grabbed a carton of moon ice cream, and outright devoured it until finally falling asleep. It had been a stressful day and ice cream was never the wrong answer for stress relief. Unless you were stressed by ice cream at which point you likely lead a sad life.

Come the following morning she woke up, thankful she had finished the ice cream so it didn't leave a runny mess during the night, and quickly went about trying to get ready for work. Well...

"Hello, boss?... ... ... ... ... ... Well... This is Melissa. When you get this message I would like to use one of my vacation days today. I apologize for the short notice but I'm still badly shaken by yesterdays events."

With that she took a deep breath and headed down to the mall.

---

Melissa had never been a mall rat. As she headed down to the shopping center she could count the number of times she had gone through entire stores in a mall-ratty manner on one hand that had had all its fingers removed. However that didn't mean that the concept of shopping was some abstract notion to her. No. Instead she needed something to calm her nerves badly. So, as she approached the shopping center, her eyes were already looking about to see which stores were even still open. Doubtless employee's would be missing or dead and some would gladly close to let their staff recuperate, but others demanded 24/7 service!

Yet, as she looked, she saw someone she didn't expect to see there; one of the people from yesterday. Why was he here? Wait. That was a stupid question. Better question. Could she help?

"Hello." she said as she waved her hand to Grand Moff Tarquin. "I did not think you would be here. I did not think I would be here either. Is there something I can do to assist you by any chance?"

[Juliette]

After a few minor checkups, Juria was back to her own room for rest at last, snuggling Reo as sleep evaded her for a while. The thoughts of the day were ones she couldn't shake completely... but she felt glad that she'd made a contribution, and that while the Colony was damaged, it would heal in time. Before she slept, she sent out a short message on her phone. Still, the night was not an easy one.

She awoke in the morning fairly early, brushing up her hair nicely and smiling at the response to her message before departing the ship for the colony, Reo at her side. Being back home it felt strange after her voyages to and from Earth, but she was glad to see that life on the First Colony was not entirely devastated by the battle. She made her way to the Eastern side of the colony, but unlike many people who were interested in the mall or stores, the Riese's head engineer walked towards one of the nearby houses before pressing a button at the door.

A brown-haired woman who looked to be nearing her fifties opened the door, and Juria practically jumped into her arms. "<Mom! It hasn't really been that long, but being here is such a relief. Thank goodness... I'm glad you're alright. Where's Dad?>"

"<Oof! Be careful, Juria. All your tinkering has made you stronger! He's helping with the reconstruction in the West side of the colony, but he'll be back close to noon. We're so proud of you that the ship you helped design came to save the Colony.>" Juria's mother pat the young engineer on the back. "<Come in! Tell me how you've been. I'm sure you've met lots of new people and have stories to tell.>"

"<You'd never guess it, but I helped more than just making the ship! I helped co-pilot one of the mechs out there. I wanted to make more of an active difference when it came to saving home... watching from the ship would have been torturous!>" Juria explained, waving her arms around at her mother's concerned expression. "<I hit my head towards the end of the battle, but it wasn't that bad. I feel better already, the ship's doctor was very helpful. And the pilot of the mech I was in, Astin, is very friendly and skilled! Maybe I can introduce you if they're not busy later. Captain Jess is very nice too, and we even have a famous former Admiral as an advisor of the ship! At least I think that was his rank... some of the people aren't that fun to be around, but I'm making new friends too! Just last night I met a girl who is in training to help! I think we'll be good friends. Reo likes her a lot too!"> She sat down at a couch, patting the spot next to her. "<Wow, I have so much more to tell you. The ship is working fantastically, and there've been no major issues with it at all so far, even yesterday. Where should I even begin? Maybe I should start with Captain Jess, since I met her first. Let's see...>"

[Nanami Touko]

Knock Knock

Jess flinched in bed at the knock. It was loud. She'd expected Roxanna, or Dwight behind it, but Kim's voice sounded past the metal frame. "K-Kim...?" Could they talk? Maybe. It depended on what she wanted to talk about... This was Kim, of course she wanted to talk about whatever Jess was feeling. She'd been locked up in her room ever since the meeting, other people were going to start noticing. "Fine..." she grumbled to herself, sliding out of bed, in her lion print PJs. Very civilian, but no matter. It was her room, she could wear what she wanted. But, Kim wasn't getting in that easily. The numbers on her door's nameplate fizzed, turning into video. The tired, baggy eyed captain stood, clutching her blanket and staring blankly through the camera on her end.

"What do you wanna talk about?" she said, with little emotion, and even less interest. Maybe she could just seem... Very uninteresting. Yeah! That would make Kim go do something else, yeah, yeah~ That was definitely how to get rid of her, so... She could... So you can go back to sulking. Idiot... How are you going to captain if all you do is sulk over every mistake? Even if it was a big mistake... A bridge atmosphere ruining mistake. She sighed, not noticing it, but before she realized that much, her hand was already on her door's lock.

"Just... Come in, if you want..." She slid the lock to the right, and turned off the video, slowly stumbling back towards her bed and flopping onto it, blanket tossed over her.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Nanami Touko