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

[Juliette]

"Oh... ok."Juria hugged Reo against her chest instead, stepping onto the elevator. "Sure you not wanting hold cat friend for elevator ride? He is very listening! Or do you want cat, Mister Dwight?"

[riariadne]

"Reviewing and correcting in the future is really the most you can do. Practice makes habit, so be sure to make your habits good ones," Dwight advised. Juria's question caught him off guard, in part because he hadn't even been sure she was paying enough attention all the time to know him, but it wasn't an unwelcome one. "Sure I can. You said you made this, right?" He took the cat robot as the small group went onto the elevator, patting Reo. "He's a very lively robot for having been made by someone rather young."

[Xinnidy]

"Hmph." Having to stay put near the hangar, Roxanna settled down from most of her... frustration, at all the recent events. Her bad mood was there to stay, however. The idle time was enough to fix her dress again, but not too much could be done to help her lost heels --dropped somewhere along the way from the main building to the hangar in her frantic hurry. Now there was sand and dirt on her leggings and she was shoeless, but she couldn't do much about that but brush some dirt off. It was the pipsqueak's fault anyway, certainly people would understand her predicament.

Now, she just needed the pipsqueak to drop down from the hangar and... make a point about how unprofessional the whole operation was. Roxanna patiently waited in front of the elevator door, expecting it to open any minute now...

Edited June 19, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Phoenix]

With the last two AIs taken down, the order to return had been given. The mission was over, and it wasn't yet clear what was going to happen between Astin and the mystery pilot who'd attacked them earlier. Without a word, Brant followed the Heion Riese back to the base. His skygrasper touched down a couple of minutes later.

As the Accensus rolled back into the hangar, Brant played the entire battle over again in his mind, trying to take an outsider's perspective. They had succeeded in their mission, with no casualties and almost minimal damage, and had even defeated an unexpected foe, an unknown variable. These were definitely good things, but they weren't the only highlights of the battle. In fact, the sudden appearance of a living pilot was what caused most of their problems. The team's initial reaction to the unforeseen was inexcusable, and the captain had completely lost her nerve by the end of it. It was difficult to tell whether the actual results would be overshadowed by that or not ...

Having returned to its place beside the other fighter, Brant started the shutdown sequence and opened the canopy. He took off his helmet, the interior of which was just slightly moistened from the heat of battle, and secured it to his belt as he made his way down from the aircraft. About halfway down the integrated ladder, he noticed the damage to the left wing, as well as the missing pylon he'd jettisoned along with a spread missile. It hadn't been smoking on his way in and looked like damage from several hours ago, not ten minutes. He grinned guiltily, hoping the Heion Riese crew's mechanics were the enthusiastic sort who were just happy to have something to do.

[Ether]

They had landed, been taxi'd in... the lack of visual on her Velite hadn't proved much of an issue in that regard... the enemy pilot had gotten away from Astin, who had returned to the hangar. The other were most likely leaving their craft, by now... how could she face them? After such an abysmal showing, Seung-Min wasn't quite sure. That was why she hadn't even begun to make a move towards leaving her cockpit, even though the test Velite was safely parked within the hangar, simply sitting in her pilot's chair, her expression blank and her comms still turned off from earlier.

[Dandragon]

Elaine had been trying to contact Kim ever since they had doubled up on the custom Heracles and sent it packing with 1 swift strike from each of them, wanting to congratulate her on such an amazing takedown, and suggest that they should team up more. However, every time Elaine tried to open up a comm channel with Kim, there had been no response, as if their comm device was staying offline. Maybe it got damaged? ...Or maybe she was ignoring her? Elaine returned around the same time Kim did, but noticed she didn't exit her own robot. Perhaps there was trouble inside? Elaine shut everything down and hopped out, before yelling "Hey! Kim! Everything alright in there?" If the comm system was broken, she could fix it herself with the right parts. She might even be able to make it work better than before. She waited around the legs of Kim's bot, hoping nothing else was broken.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Dandragon

[Balcerzak]

The training exercise had come to, all things considered, what could only be termed a successful conclusion. There'd been some bumps and hitches, and there were definitely some interpersonal dynamics that needed to be ironed out, but on the whole the team had pulled together and there'd been little in the way of any real danger, no thanks to the efforts of the interloper.

At this point, back in the hanger, and with a little bit of time before the expected group debriefing, Thorvald had a couple of options he could pursue. Lt. Kim's final comms outburst was troubling, Elaine (who definitely had some issues of her own worth discussing) was already on that case though it seemed. That left Brant, though any further discussion about his squad leader plan was likely to be rendered moot when the captain arrived and gave her report, and Astin, who'd turned out to be a bit of a wild card in betraying his initial expectations. That's not to say a one-on-one with any of the other pilots wouldn't also be a productive use of time: it certainly would be worthwhile to have a good long chat with the third Legionary pilot for instance, or to maybe follow up on the conversation he'd had before with the two young ones. However, it was simply a matter of picking priorities.

Sergeant Doyle was simply waiting around at the foot of their mech by the time Thorvald hopped out of his. He'd almost expected the lad to have started wandering off again, like before, but maybe there was a reason for this? Either way, it suited him just fine. He sauntered over to the other pilot, then clapped a friendly hand on their shoulder. "Hey kid, wanna take a quick stroll, chat about some things?" With his other hand gestured over to the connecting passage to the other hangar. It was far enough out of the way that there'd be a bit of privacy from the other pilots, but also ideally situated so that when the captain came over from the Heion they wouldn't miss the cue to assemble up.

[scorri]

"I was waiting for the captain, but... given you were essentially promoted to squad leader, I suppose it would not be a problem." Astin started to walk in the way the Thorvald had indicated. They hesitated for a few seconds, and then spoke up. "Chasing after the man was likely a mistake. But something was clearly wrong in the whole situation, and I know the captain didn't want Brant chasing after him, but I had a good chance of catching up, more so than Brant, and I was in better shape than him anyways. I tried to catch up but... When i got over the plateau, I found the wreckage and nothing else. Not even footprints. The wreckage looked like it had been messed with, so I think that he must have built some sort of bike or something from the parts. I looked, but didn't find him. I'm sorry and I will take any punishment that is deemed appropriate by you or the captain."

[SB.]

Good shit. Even though things hadn't gone according to plan, they'd finished the mission off quickly and Mateus had a blast in real combat. Well, it was against AI for the most part, but it wasn't a sim - and that was the point. He'd fluffed a few of his hits but it was whatever. He would get better at it.

Everyone else seemed to have coped well enough too. There had been a bit of panic when the rogue pilot showed up, but whatever. Even if his escape meant that everything hadn't gone perfectly, they'd done a pretty good job at it in his eyes. His Velite's landing went smoothly, and he stood up and stretched as soon as he got the chance. It was only then he noticed how much punishment the left arm of his machine had taken, but it was still attached at least.

It's only a flesh wound. Or uh, whatever the machine equivalent is. Somebody had shielded him earlier on which probably came in useful, so he would have to thank them whenever he saw him. For now though, he was feeling pretty content just waiting for the debriefing. He personally still felt like he could go out and fight an army, even if the state of his Velite indicated otherwise.

[Balcerzak]

Astin had spoken up first, as they made their way along. It seemed his decision had been eating at him, and he'd clearly been expecting some blowback for it. Thorvald had had a hunch that might have been the case.

He couldn't help but smile a little wryly when the comment about "squad leader" came up. Thorvald didn't expect that to actually last for too much longer, especially given the fact that Ratigan would have surely have sent along a "glowing" recommendation of him along with the official transfer papers. Be that as it may, though, it was completely a side matter to the actual discussion he'd wanted to have.

"Look, everyone has to make judgement calls sometimes. I wasn't calling you over to chew you out about that, though I have to admit that a little curiosity about how it turned out did factor in. What the captain has to say on things is another matter," he paused, and thought to himself for a moment. Given she'd told Brant to 'do what he felt was best', it'd be a little hypocritical of her to come down too harshly on another pilot doing just that. "I expect you're going to be your own harshest critic on this one, though."

"No, what I'd mostly meant to do was actually offer my own apologies," Thorvald continued. "From your behaviour during the introductions, then in the hanger as we were getting outfitted and suiting up, I'd pegged you as a perpetually distracted, head-in-the-clouds type who wouldn't be able to read the battlefield at all, who'd end up being more liability than asset. I know I'd kept it to myself, but I'd still thought it, and it was wrong of me to stereotype you like that before we even got started. Glad to be able to say I was wrong on all counts there. You made a number of solid suggestions: falling back to get in formation when that surprise popped on us was one, and getting good pincer off on the enemy leader was another. I think you've honestly got a lot of promise. Going after the enemy leader at the end like that was risky, but while I might not have advised it myself, it certainly wasn't the riskiest thing anybody did out there today." That dubious honor belonged to Elaine, Thorvald mused before continuing.

"I guess mostly what I wanted to say was, I look forward to continuing to work with you, and I trust that you're not gonna let me down. Just work on getting a little better every deploy and I'm sure you'll turn out fine."

A little positive reinforcement often goes a long way. Thorvald's extensive experience with students in the past had certainly taught him that, and given that his hunch had panned out, it was even more important. When someone is feeling down about themselves, pointing out their strong points can keep them from getting stuck in a vicious mire of self-doubt.

[Ether]

There it was... the first one. The hothead, calling her down. Seung-Min took a moment to compose herself, as she disconnected her T-link, a deafening, sudden lack of sensory input hitting her, like it always did. Bracing her hand against her face for a minute until the light-headedness the ordeal had imposed had started to fade, Kim finally opened her cockpit, and upon seeing that she was not far enough from the floor to bother calling her elevator, she simply let herself drop from the cockpit, landing without much difficulty. Standing and looking at Elaine, unable to fully mask the disappointment in her face before she did so, she gave her fellow reply a short reply.

"Am... fine. Yes... fine."

[scorri]

"Ah, uhm..." Astin blushed slightly, and ran a hand through their messy hair. "I'm not exactly... Head in the clouds is a pretty good description for me. You're certainly not the first to apply it to me. But ah..." They trailed off, partially trying to figure out how to say their next thought and partially just distracted. "Err, right. There's a difference when I'm fighting though. It's something I figured out when I started fencing. When I have a sword in my hand... Everything just seems to make sense. It even applies when I'm in a mech with swords. It's why I outfitted my mech like I did.." They gave a slight shrug. "The rest of it was just... training. Keeping the group together, basic tactics... It's what they taught us. I mean, I appreciate the compliments, I do. But I am that head in the clouds person. So don't think too highly of me I guess."

[Dandragon]

Elaine tilted her head a bit, like a dog, expressing her confusion. Kim was obviously not looking well. "Something bugging ya? <You can tell me if ya want. We can speak in your language so nobody else understands!>" Elaine said, trying to do her best to help Kim. "<My uncle always said 'It's better to let your feelings out than have them boil up inside.'">

[Ether]

"<It's nothing... I got complacent, is all. I'll simply need to correct it for next time.>" Seung-Min replied, giving her head a shake as she spoke. It was somewhat comforting to speak in Korean... it always had helped get her confidence up, ever since she had moved to America, not quite enough just yet, though.

[Shin]

The battle had concluded, a lot had gone on, and more than a few things that didn't make sense. That wasn't his problem though, politics and treachery had never really interested Tarquin - he wasn't created to fret over those things. He'd performed adequately, only taking a single hit without missing a shot himself, that was something he could be proud of. Some of the others had been less than spectacular, Lemos in particular had missed a fair few attacks and been pelted by enemy fire. Doyle and the loud one hadn't really impressed Tarquin either, tactics like that had no place in a calculated battle. They'd survived though, it wasn't as if they were so dysfunctional to end their own careers... it would be something for him to remember.

He hadn't said a word on the journey back the hangar, the more he thought about the battle, the more it began to feel like one of the simulations at the training base. There wouldn't be a scoreboard though, just a debriefing. It was a relief in a way, he'd always found it nerve-wracking when his scores were put under the strictest scrutiny, the smallest flaws being pointed out and the rest discarded. He didn't have too much to say, the captain's words were all he was waiting for.

[Balcerzak]

"Ah, so that explains the loadout too then, huh," Thorvald stroked his beard and nodded. "Fair enough. You really shouldn't dismiss your accomplishments as 'just training', or sticking with 'basics', though. There's a surprising number of people who continue to struggle with the fundamentals for their entire career. As far as not thinking too highly of someone... well, there's no shame acting a little scatterbrained here and there as long as you're not on the clock. Hell, I'm not exactly a model soldier off of the field either, I could almost say the same thing. Oh, that reminds me..."

Thorvald reaches into his pocket, pulls out a phone, flicks his finger across the surface a couple of times then turns it to show to Astin. There's a picture of a young girl in a pink ballet leotard doing her best fourth position.

"That's my daugter, cute ain't she? Anyway, I was gonna buy another dance outfit for her soon, but was having trouble deciding on the color. Do you think she'd look better in red or yellow?"

Edited June 19, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

Jess offered an apologetic smile and nodded to Dwight as the doors closed, pulling the small group away from the Riese, and slowly going down to the ground of the hangar. Through the window, Jess could already see Roxanna there waiting for her, but... She had no time to deal with being yelled at! As upset as Roxanna was about to be-- and if previous talks had shown Jess anything, it was that Roxanna was one to get very upset --Jess still had to talk to the crew and debrief them, before issuing her apology.

The elevator landed, the doors opened. Jess stared Roxanna down for a moment, before walking right past her, not saying a word.

[scorri]

Astin gave a bit of a shrug to the first half of the speech, though a smile broke out on their face at the pictured of the girl. "She's adorable. I didn't realize you had a family. Er... I mean... that any of us had families. Err, kids. I mean..." Astin stopped talking for a few seconds and then shook their head. "Uhm... ignore that bit. I think yellow maybe? Red is pretty similar to the pink, so you might want to get a different color. Plus yellow is nice and bright. Cheery. Seems like it would fit her."

[Xinnidy]

And there she was, opening the door: Jess herself, with two other crewmen and... was that a robot? Roxanna stared daggers at the captain in particular, her arms crossed.

"I see you've--" Roxanna started, but the pipsqueak had the gall to pass by her and try to ignore the situation. The nerve. "Excuse me-- hey!" She turned to Jessica with a glare. "What's the meaning of this? You decide to lift off while I'm waiting for the elevator, then you mobilize the ship when it wasn't supposed to be part of the test! Can you tell me what was your idea, Captain?" Roxanna didn't hold back her annoyed lilt that time.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Dandragon]

"<Complacent? S'wrong with that? You saw how easily we took care of that guy. It was no problem whatsoever. Being a little smug ain't gonna kill ya.>" She said, chuckling a little bit. She walked up to Kim and put her arm around her shoulders, uncaring of how socially awkward it may be. "<I gotta tell ya, you were amazing out there. We GOTTA team up more often. We both saw the damage we did together, imagine what we could do when we plan that shit!>"

[Nanami Touko]

Jess stopped to look at Roxanna, scared, but not faltering-- or trying not to. She didn't frown back or put up a fight, but she managed to not shrink down, either. "We mobilized the ship to observe the test initially, but an unknown enemy arrived on the scene and it was pertinent to provide backup for the squad. You knew the test was happening. Where were you when we started taking off?" She shrunk just a little bit; challenging Roxanna was difficult. The woman had presence. Despite tensing up, she felt she'd addressed what she had to. "I need to apologize to the crew, now. While moving the ship out was the best idea, I failed to perform properly in front of the ambush... If you'll excuse me, XO."

Jess turned around again, only to see Thorvald and Astin in the entrance to the hangar, shrinking as she had before. Did they hear any of that? Geez... "Hello." Jess addressed them as calmly as she could, starting her walk again towards the mech hangar. "I'll need to address the crew, so... Once you're finished talking with each other, please come back into the main mech hangar." She nodded a bit, walking past them and waiting at the entrance to said hangar, hoping her nerves could handle things.

[Ether]

"<I failed to perform to the standard accepted of me. Had that fight occurred against live, reasonably skilled human opponents, errors of that magnitude would have gotten me killed.>" Seung-Min retorted, getting enough of a heads-up towards Elaine's brusque contact to not be phased by it, simply continuing to walk towards what appeared to be the most likely debriefing area, Elaine's arm still about her shoulder as they moved along.

"<As for your suggestion, I wouldn't be opposed to incorporating further coordinated strikes. At worst, an opponent is unlikely to avoid taking fire when being attacked at more angles, at best they are overwhelmed and quickly subdued.>"

[Balcerzak]

Astin tripping up over their words from surprise was rather precious, but Thorvald wasn't really in a position to fully appreciate that fact, absorbed as he was. He nodded at the choice of suggested color, it did provide a bit more overall diversity, and the listed characteristics were certainly positive ones. "You're right, I'll have to talk it over with Anya of course, but I'm pretty sure that'll be the color. And it really does fit her, I'm sure I have a picture of Holly with yellow in her outfit when we went on a picnic sometime, or was it the trip to the zoo..."

He pulled back the phone and was about to start flipping through until he found the photo in question, but a disturbance in the nearby Heion's hangar provided the necessary distraction to snap him out of his "doting father trance". It seemed their captain and XO had begun to go at it like a tiger and a dragon. It was a little embarrassing to be in the position to overhear, though he couldn't make out all the words. Before he had the chance to suggest to Astin that they make a hasty departure, however, the brief squabble had concluded, and after momentarily addressing the two of them Jess had walked past into the mech's hangar for the debriefing.

"Well, uh, that was certainly something. I guess we better head back in there ourselves then."

Edited June 20, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Juliette]

"Yes, make when eleven!" Juria recounted joyfully. "No animals in First Colony, so wanted something for me more than cute stuffed toy. Reo small cat of plastic, metal, stuffing, and program to have more friend! Talk with others not much when studying, but Reo making allowed learning and companion, less lonely."

Her story of friendship was juxtaposed when the elevator stopped by a display of less positive feelings between Jess and Roxanna. "Nooo, fight in team bad! Be friends better, Jess Captain and Roxanna Officer!" The Captain left quickly, but Roxanna still remained, and Juria retrieved Reo to offer to the Executive Officer. "Cat make feelings happier, maybe?"

[Xinnidy]

"An enemy? What do you mean--" The information threw Roxanna off, and she had a mind to retort that annoying comment on her tardiness, no matter how many people were there, but the engineering girl thought to distract her before she could. "What?" Juria's english was a work in progress, being spoken to directly made Roxanna realize. "Um, that's a bot. It looks a bit like a cat, I guess?" She couldn't help pointing out. "I can't let the Captain think it's fine to ditch me before missions. I'm the Executive Officer, I was here!" Returning to her old tangent was unfortunately quick. A catbot wasn't enough, it seemed.