Juliette Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Juria slumped in her seat as the battle ended, shaking her head. Astin said she did well, but... "Battle scary, Astin friend... you am good pilot, Juria only help with little stuff. It hard for paying attention to all things going move, that make Juria nervous. N-not knowing how react for stuff like that. Am scared will not be helping when fight even scarier people." Her hands were shaky as she removed them from her keyboard. "Juria good engineer, but not very good at understand situation in fight. Want be help more, but this not really best way, right? Maybe need more learning... Ah." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Stay Hydrated "Y-Yeah, I will. Just need to do that, a-and see if I can afford to lay down for a bit." She looked over at Tristan, then at Roxanna, sighing quietly. "XO, y-you, have the bridge, wh-while I'm gone. See if you c-can find any survivors in the base, or... A-Any supplies that we could s-salvage. And get s-started on those Cressidas. W-We need all the metal w-we can get." With how damaged everyone had gotten, salvaging the Apotheosis models that hadn't incinerated themselves would likely help things greatly. Jess had been about to leave, when Kim's message came in. She picked it up, before Tristan could, figuring she had it in her to do one more thing. "Yeah, th-that's fine. I'll send that to all pilots. Take c-care coming back, Lieutenant." Jess quickly changed channels to the entire squadron, taking a small breath before speaking. "W-We've got another f-friendly coming into the f-firezone, s, so... Hold fire on any new m-models that arrive." Hopefully that was good enough for all of that. Jess turned off her radio and leaned back, before picking herself out of the chair and heading to the elevator. Need to sleep... More Models "Another one? We sure got the motherload with this delivery, huh... Glad no one got too hurt, in the end. Hey, uh... Do you mind if we get back, like... Now, Kim? I... I really do want to get changed out of this thing." Christina squirmed in her seat some, wondering if she should start bringing jackets with her, so no one would have to see her walking through the hangar wearing this thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 "Hmm... Well, if you don't feel confident being up here, you can always go back to being an engineer." Astin knew how she would take that so they quickly hurried to explain. "Don't get me wrong, I like having you up here. But if it scares you so much, I want you to be doing what you feel comfortable and useful doing. Not wasting time stressing out and being worried you're not helping." As they steered the Ceres into the hangar and parked it, they turned around and gently squeezed her shoulder. "You're a good co-pilot, believe me on that. But if you think you'd be more useful somewhere else, don't stick with this because of me. That's all I'm saying." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandragon Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 The sound of someone, Astin in this case, calling her out and telling her to stop was just enough to get Elaine out of the bloodlust she was in. She found herself panting heavily, and took deep breaths to calm herself. The Heracles lowered the rifle, and began to move back to the Riese, while Elaine tried to contemplate and figure out just what had come over her. It certainly felt familiar, like she had experienced it before, but couldn't quite put her finger on when or where. Or why. If there was one thing she could take solace in, it was that she hadn't been reprimanded throughout the actual mission, but even Elaine knew just one time of following orders wasn't nearly enough to put her on the captains good list. This was what she had to do from now on, and it felt empty. Not questioning orders, not doing what felt right, just being a mindless slave. How long could she last doing that? If the captain was to order her to die, what could she do? These and many more questions floated in her mind, as the Heracles set itself back into its spot in the hangar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted September 7, 2017 Author Share Posted September 7, 2017 Taking Command "...Understood." Roxanna nodded coldly. In retrospect, it felt like the only time Jessica acknowledged her during the whole mission. "Everyone, keep steady pace towards Great Lake, I will continue trying to reach out to the base for any survivors. Make sure to mark the coordinates of the scrapped Cressidas as we pass by, and warn ground crew to ready four recovery groups. We'll be sending them to land briefly." It was... a bit nostalgic to take the reins like that once again. It made Roxanna feel good about herself. Now, to see if there were any survivors. "Incoming. This is the Riese. Nearby hostile units have retreated. If there's anyone inside the base, please speak up." She sent the signal towards the base, wondering how many of their comms were even functional. Ideally, even private-use devices would pick the message up, but that still assumed someone alive remained in the base. Guess we'll find out soon enough... Makoto on the Job The jovial colony boy was sat on the upper floor of the hangar, watching the battle through the window same as last time. "Whoah... what are these green barriers made of, anyways? Well... what powers them?" That was really a mystery, not the kind of stuff one internet search or school would teach him. Guess there were perks to being in such an established force as the army. Perhaps they would have the answer? Watching the mechs slowly come back, Makoto observed curiously the state of each of them --it seemed this one mission had them more beat up than the one before. The boy had to wonder how the Phalanx Custom was faring, that one pilot was pretty brave... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliette Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 "Nooo, it not that Juria not want help. It that... ah, it that Juria not know what to do for more help." Juria tensed up a bit when Astin touched her shoulder. "Am just scared and not knowing how act in fight. So just do little things... but want do more, just not knowing how! Astin friend am manage to be calm for fight, and Juria... Juria am not very good at staying calm. But am sure you know that by now." She balled her hands up into fists. "There am people who have need help. Just because Juria nervous, that not reason not be doing everything to help that am able! It just important to know how do that instead of being fearful." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 (edited) Astin blinked, doing their best to translate the broken English. "Err... Well I'm glad to keep you as my co-pilot of course. And it's not like I'm not ever scared. I just need to be able to control my emotions..." They considered their next options for a long moment before realizing they'd lost their train of thought. "Uhm... Right well, if you need help knowing what a co-pilot does... Maybe ask the Captain? I'm not really sore what all you can take over. In site there are lots of small things that you could focus on instead of me... Like the scanner you've used a couple of times. That's always nice. Maybe she'll have more suggestions on what to work on?" There was probably someone better than the captain to ask but they couldn't think of who right now. "Well... Either way, let's get out of here and get ready for debrief, ok?" Hopping out of the mech and onto the lift, they descended down to the floor of the hangar, glancing around to try and find a mechanic to give the Ceres a once over after the beating it had taken. Edited September 7, 2017 by scorri Lifts, how do they even work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 (edited) Calm Thoughts Jess' only takeaway from handing the helm over to Roxanna was that she didn't make any moaning comments as the captain left, but her tone was just as undesirable as expected. Jess sighed, taking the elevator down to the top floor from the bridge. I'll just go take a nap, and deal with things when I wake up. Things can't get that bad until then... Slowly making her way to the other set of elevators, Jess hit the call for them and patiently waited, hoping her throbbing head would die down some. Call Sign "Hey, hot stuff! Looks like ye did a real good job t'yer Ceres, huh?" Avery strolled up to the pilot, hands behind her head, grin on her face. Throwing an arm around their shoulder as she got next to them, she planted a kiss on their cheek before looking up at the mech. Only a whistle followed. "Yer gonna get yerself killed one o' these days, Astin. Y'keep puttin' them mechs through the wringer... Yer givin' me so much work, darlin'. How'm I s'posed t'get you alone when I'm stuck here fixin' all yer mistakes~?" Avery sighed and let them go, adjusting her hat. "Ahh, well. Job's a job. Ain't lookin' like Elaine did much better on keepin' things t'gether. Seriously, though... Try'n watch yerself out there, Astin. Ye'd be makin' me real sad, comin' back with more'n just a beat up robot." Edited September 7, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 With the captain making her way off the bridge and Roxanna taking over, Megumi headed back over to her console and shut it down. It was a bit early, admittedly, but she wanted to head down to the hangar before the pilots all cleared out of the area. There weren't any injuries besides Hannah, and Megumi wasn't a mechanic, so she shouldn't be needed in a professional capacity for a little while, but she did want to go check on Abigail. Maybe see about getting her into a larger mech during any future sorties. The enemies had left the combat zone, and so there was nothing left to do but land on the Riese and catch their collective breath before the debriefing. Firmia was unusually silent given everything that had happened, but he could sense a struggle for calm propagating from the Regalia. Firmia was probably trying to keep herself from thinking about everything that had happened. He couldn't blame her, but ... "It's okay. I'm not feeling any better about what happened. I'm just glad you're alive." "... me too," Firmia eventually responded. "Are you going to be alright to land?" Brant supposed she had to be, the Regalia couldn't land itself, not on a flying runway, at least. "Do you need me to guide you in?" "I'm fine. Don't worry." "Alright then. We're getting close so be sure to call in." Brant did so himself immediately afterward, and lined his Accensus up with the launch bay. "This is Oni One, on final approach." He glanced back as the Regalia began to slow down and tail him from a safe distance. They would be coming in about four seconds apart, a bit close but they could manage that easily enough. "Regalia, on final approach," Brant heard Firmia radio the ship as they both closed in on the target. She was adapting instantly, today ... "They'll know it's her, but here's her suit's data," Sasha replied, forwarding the info to the Artemis. Speaking of which, Tonya popped up on the Mantle's long range radar almost immediately after he said that. She was awfully close and coming in hot given the radar's maximum range, which meant she was hugging the ground and flying at supersonic speeds. Yeah, that sounded like something she'd do, especially if she was tired and short on time. Hopefully she'd remember to slow down ... "Hey, there she is ... keeps popping in and out but that's definitely her coming in." After the Accensus flew into the hangar, the Regalia came in, transforming just before touchdown. Brant had just barely caught the stunt, and smiled, glad to see his mobile suit giving a good first impression. As soon as his current craft came to its spot in the hangar, however, Brant's thoughts leaped back to Hannah. Had she been picked up, yet? Best not to leave that worry unaddressed. "Oni One here," Brant spoke on an open channel after disengaging his T-Link and powering down a few other systems, "has anyone picked up Hannah, yet?" It might have been better to use her callsign but as far as he knew, she hadn't been given one. She felt it. As soon as Brant was no longer connected to the T-Link of his aircraft, Firmia felt the slight shift from him ... and immediately broke down. <"Dammit!"> Apotheosis, Rex, her own mother, it was all too much. So many people dead, so many lives ruined because of people like them, and all she could do was react to things as they happened. Worse still was the battle itself. Firmia wanted to destroy them all so badly, but knew she wasn't skilled enough. She'd managed to kill, though ... and that was something. It wasn't something the Alkaev should have felt so satisfied with at the time, but she had. It had been the most satisfying part of her day, in fact, incinerating those bastards inside their own cockpits was a catharsis Firmia more than welcomed after the massacre she'd endured. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Firmia unstrapped herself, retrieved her mink coat and put it back on before sitting back down in the pilot seat. She didn't know what to do, now. She didn't have anywhere else to go or anything in particular she needed to do. The only thing that felt right now was destroying Apotheosis, and beating the most sincere apologies out of Rex and Rosa that the world had ever seen. She couldn't do any of those things. Even if she got her mother on the line, the woman would just try to put Firmia back in her place and change the topic. It was infuriating just imagining the exchange in her mind. There was no way to win, and nothing she could do to remotely improve her chances of righting a single wrong done here. Was that the reason, she wondered? Was this why people always settled on war and violence? It all seemed so ... justified, all of a sudden. "... you're the daughter of demons, and you know that, now ..." Rex's voice came unbidden to Firmia's mind and made her curl up in her seat. Suddenly her own thoughts seemed off, and almost demonic, themselves. Why was she acting like this? "... remember ... that's your blood, your family, your heritage, and the people who brought you up in this world. Remember that," more of Rex's words assailed her, as if answering that very question. <"Urgh ... I'm not like her. I'm not like any of them."> It was different, surely. After all, Rosa hadn't suffered anything to warrant what she'd done to Tonya, or the Abrams brothers. Neither had her grandfather, Dima. They hurt people that inconvenienced or interested them too much. Firmia hurt people who hurt her, first. There was a difference! <"You're wrong, Rex. You're the demon, not me! Argh!"> The Regalia's T-Link shut down, along with most of the primary systems, and the cockpit went dark as Firmia curled up even further in the pilot seat. <"... I'm better than them ..."> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 "Yeah, lets head back to ship." Kim replied to Christina, glancing at the data Sasha was sending her, before forwarding it to the Heion Riese, noting the blip on the radar as Sasha mentioned it. "Forward data on additional Russian suit, do copy? Coming in to land with Sasha in tow." Kim announced to the ship, before flipping back over to Sasha's comms. "Let them know she on way, anyway. Follow me get on board so can get this shit show behind." The Lieutenant noted, guiding the Mantle along with it's pilot over to the Heion Riese and boarding, setting the Artemis down in the hangar a short distance from the Regalia, which had already landed, allowing Sasha to park the Mantle in-between. Lying back in her seat with a sigh as they had finally touched down, Seung-Min took a moment to stretch before opening the cockpit hatch. "There... back, safe sound... hopefully every else make out okay... look like Hannah only unit go down, but she seem resilient enough." Kim noted, Brant's transmission soon to follow, which likely meant she was relatively okay... robotic limbs were easier to fix, or in the worst case, replace, than flesh and blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Long Awaited Disturbance Christina's sigh of relief was one that she felt could be heard from the shop. It was more like a groan of relief, really. A nice, long soaking bath, getting back into comfortable, baggy clothes... She couldn't wait. Even if it was temporary and this terrible suit came back on again, it was the comfort she really needed. Only when the Artemis finally stopped inside the hangar did she start smiling some. Her smile immediately left as the T-Link picked up a terrible chunk of a emotions. Like a thick blob of prom night gone wrong... Mixed with disappointment and rage. Coming from... "The Regalia?" Christina unhooked herself and felt the calm of nothing come over her, getting out ahead of Kim. The lift down was always a bit scary, and she really wanted to make a mad dash for the changing rooms... But she couldn't let that feeling go unchecked. Unfortunately, since she couldn't get up to the cockpit by herself, the only thing she could do was bother Brant... He was still in his plane, but getting up to one of those was far easier than any mech. Well, not getting up to the cockpit... More like getting his attention. Looking about the hangar as she made her way over to the Accensus, she stopped where she could see him, waving an arm up high. "Brant! Brant, uhm... I think something's wrong with Firmia." She didn't know how well he could hear her, but she could repeat things. What she was worried about more was being stared at... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 The call of 'hot stuff' startled Astin and they turned towards Avery, cheeks turning pink. "Avery, you can't just-- eep?" The kiss on the cheek was highly unexpected and managed to not only shut them up but also leave them completely red. It was one thing for something to have happened between the two of them, it was a completely different thing for her to be making that obvious in front of everyone. Mumbling, they were very interested in anything but the arm around their shoulders, so when that finally came off, they could finally focus on what she had been saying in her teasing lecture. "I... I'm not going to get killed. I mean... It's my job. And I'm not comfortable using guns... So I need to fight up close. And there's an inherant risk in that and the bot is going to take some damage. But it's a good bot. Not as good as the Mk. iii or something you would come up with but it does the job and...." They trailed off as the last bit She said combined with the get alone comment hit them and they turned bright red again. "Avery, I... I mean I like you and you're very attractive but I don't.... I thought what happened was a one time thing..." Well that just sounded horrible. Like they just wanted to use her but it was the opposite. They thought she'd just been looking for some fun not looking to find someone they would worry about getting hurt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Between the wait for a reply regarding Hannah, the tidal wave that began crushing down on him moments earlier, and Christina's waving from outside the cockpit, Brant was at a loss for what to do next. In a bit of desperation he took off his helmet and popped the canopy open. "If it's about Firmia, I know, but the Regalia's shut down. I don't think we'll reach her through comms." He took another look up at the mobile suit just to confirm, and all external indications were that the suit was essentially shut down. The cockpit was still accessible, assuming Firmia hadn't locked herself in there, though without an external lift, there was no going up there to knock and see what was wrong. He could try throwing some concern Firmia's way, but that probably wouldn't accomplish much ... he was always concerned about her, after all. Finally~ Sasha, not having much else to do until introductions got underway or Tonya landed, sat on the edge of the Mantle's open cockpit, enjoying his cigar and taking in the view of the Riese's mech hangar. He'd never been in a ship's hangar before, so it was a welcome new sight. It was also distinctly modern and 'fresh,' from what he could tell. Sasha didn't have to wait long for Tonya's suit to reach the ship ... about thirty seconds from the time he opened the cockpit and took a precarious seat on the edge. Like the Mantle and Regalia before it, the prototype both suits were based on, had transformed into MS mode just before landing, and finished its entry into the hangar on foot. It wasn't the most encouraging of the mobile suit landings so far; aside from the layer of extreme heat enveloping the entire machine, there were trace amounts of smoke wafting up from the exhausts and thruster nozzles all over the suit. The thrusters on the suit's legs were just now returning to normal, cooling down enough to cease glowing. <"Pretty sure she's broken it in, now,"> Sasha mused as the suit knelt down just out of the way of the launch bay. The AMS prototype had definitely been operating at maximum output, nearly since takeoff. On the bright side, as a technology demonstrator, it was capable of being pushed this far consistently given proper maintenance. It just didn't have any business being on a real battlefield. <"Yeah, she's practically on fire, heh."> Time to come down, he supposed. Grabbing the lift cable just overhead, Sasha road it all the way down to the hangar floor, being careful not to drop his cigar along the way. "Can someone out there do me a favor and hose me down?" Tonya called out over the comm system, "The cooling system prioritizes critical areas so it's not safe to come out, yet." It probably wouldn't be for a few more minutes without some outside assistance ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 One Time Thing Avery almost seemed sad, before it became quite obvious that her pout was only a play. "Awwww, only one time~ That's disappointin'. I was hopin' on hearin' yer voice like that again. Y'get real squeaky, it's cute as heck. So... I'll just have t'see how hard to get y'all wanna play. As fer you dyin' er not, I know it's yer job. An' if the bot ain't as good as the Mark III, then I just gotta make it better! Don't worry too much-- iffin yer worryin' at all. I'll get 'er fixed up real quick, an' see about freein' up some time." Avery cocked an eyebrow and gave Astin a nice smirk, before throwing her hands back behind her head and going about inspecting the damage done to the Ceres. Most of it was cosmetic, and damaging to the outer frame, but there were a few deeper wounds. They were lucky that all the Apoth bots weren't blowing up. The scrap they brought in was going to be incredibly necessary. Awestruck Buck was stuck staring at all the cool robots coming in, eyes wide and jaw agape, not able to get enough of their features and how sleek they all looked-- until the steaming one got itself in, and the threat of a fire hazard set him about doing his job. "Get the hoses, boys! Spray that robot down!" He was far too small to help out with that, as some of the nearby engineers grabbed the emergency pumps and started hitting the bot. The pressure was enough to hit it up high, even from standing, though it took two to three men to hold the hose steady. Washing a bot down wasn't a regular occurrence, so they didn't have completely proper ways of taking care of it. Luckily, no one lost their grip, and the bot was sprayed down as best as they could manage. "Geez, what kinda speeds was that pilot reaching to heat up the robot like that? I'm amazed the Gs didn't take them out..." Trying "Oh! It is, but... Well, if we can't reach her through comms..." They had manual lifts to get up to the cockpits of robots in the hangar, Chrissy running over to one and driving it over. She couldn't leave well enough alone, could she? Setting it next to the Regalia, she hopped on and rose it up to where she... Figured it opened up. When it was standing like this, the cockpit was in the chest, just like every other robot, right? With a gently knock, she hoped someone would respond. "H-Hello? It's Firmia, right?" Was this a good idea? The girl had seemed a bit out of it in their talks over the radio, but... Something else was really wrong. She didn't know what, and she couldn't feel it anymore, but she wasn't about to forget how it had felt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Astin stood, jaw hanging open, staring at Avery for a few seconds before they managed to squeak out, "A--avery! Stop! Ah....." Burying their face in their hands, they silently wished that they were anywhere but here right now as Avery walked around looking at the damage to the Ceres. "You... I can't believe... Ugh." Thankfully there had been a few things in there that they could reply to, even if they were still dangerous topics that she could apparently easily turn towards making them blush. "I mean, it's plenty good for what it is. It's not a Mark III, but no one expects it to be. Besides, that one's got all sort of fancy guns and T-Link stuff. I don't need anything like that. I'm easy. Just give me a couple of swords and a ranged option, and I'll figure it out from there. Besides, the sword that came with this thing is pretty excellent. I managed to cut a bot completely in half with it. Can't get much better than that." They considered briefly and then commented, "Though... if you have the chance... I suppose giving a bit more oomph to the boosters in the legs could be nice? Like I said before, I've sorta gotta be on the front lines with my weapon kit, so having just a bit more quick movement power could be a huge difference in a battle situation. They didn't end up needing it, but having the ability to reach Kim and our new Russian friends could have been really helpful if things had gone differently there." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 It didn't take Christina long to bolt out of the cockpit, Kim calling the lift back up after she had departed, and following her down shortly afterwards. It seems that, instead of immediately moving to the change rooms like she had initially indicated she wanted to, it seemed she was sticking around to check on Firmia. It made a bit of sense, with the Russians being new to the Heion Riese, there was no inherent bias one way or the other from the way Christina had joined them, unlike with most of the existing crew. Deciding to leave her to it, Kim scanned the room with her eyes, though the first thing that caught her attention was a wave of embarrassment... tsunami seemed a better term, actually, emanating from Astin and Avery. Upon closer inspection, it was definitely from Astin, the melee fighter glowing bright red. "Avery, when finish here, can take look at Artemis? Took nasty hit to leg, had eject missile pods. Don't think any structure damage, but always best make sure... also, should be worried what you doing to make Astin that colour?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Once Brant was out of his Accensus, he headed over to the lift Christina was using and waited, hoping everything was okay. He could still sense Firmia's feelings, but they were getting weaker. She was either distracted, or beginning to calm down. As soon as he decided to try the radio, despite his own worries earlier, Sasha came over. "Oh, hey. Sasha, right?" "That's right," the fellow test pilot nodded. "How the hell did we both get dragged into real firefights? With you it made sense. You're a TK. I'm just a regular pilot." Brant shook his head at the remark. Anyone, and Brant meant anyone who could survive the Alkaev company's training regimen was a superb pilot in their own right, and the battle today proved it. Sasha could be modest all he wanted, but Apotheosis had them dead to rights, and they were the ones that nearly got obliterated in the end. "We're at war with Apotheosis. The days of 'test' piloting are over." Sasha could agree with that. "I guess so. Anyone who survived back home is probably about to get conscripted by the Federation, though. Not looking forward to that, myself .... Enough of that crap, though. What's keeping Firmia? Did she finally crack?" "... maybe," Brant said reluctantly. Whatever was wrong, it was still dying down, slowly but surely. "Well? What do you sense up there, man?" "... lots of things. What I'm not feeling ... joy, excitement ... that's a much shorter list," Brant sighed, glancing back up at the cockpit area. Tonya took off her helmet while she waited for the air outside to approach some breathable temperature. Admittedly, the situation was looking up, if just barely. Even though nearly everyone had died along the way, they had accomplished their mission. It all just felt so murky and myopic, now. Whatever the Alkaevs were planning with Tonya's students, they surely had to be on hold for now. The main facility was gone, Apotheosis was picking fights with just about everyone, and there was no longer any such thing as safe harbor. With that in mind, it seemed the only purpose of delivering the Regalia to the Heion Riese, was to get revenge on Apotheosis. At least it would serve well for just that purpose. The AMS Prototype wasn't ready yet, unfortunately, not for the kind of fights Tonya often found herself in. She had tried her best to dismantle that enemy sniper, but to simply stay alive required her to push her suit to its limits and keep it there for the entire engagement. She couldn't overpower that barrier and destroy him, which was definitely going to be a problem in the future if she didn't find a way to address it. What to do, though ...? "Tch ... there's nothing I can do, myself. I see how big a threat Apotheosis is, now. The military is going to start grabbing everything and everyone they need in order to fight back against them. They won't even blink at the mention of civil rights; they've got a war to win. Everyone back home is as good as drafted, and the Throne's probably going to be taken, too. Should Sasha and I even go back at this point? Rex is trying to kill Firmia, too. Dammit, this is even worse than I thought ..." The overall picture was a lot easier to see now that she was idle, and it was a mess too big and convoluted to solve by herself. It didn't take long to reach the hangar with the lift traffic being so minimal, and the scene was almost impressive. 'Almost,' because Megumi was used to seeing this sort of thing, only in a different setting, and with more rugged designs being brought up to snuff. It was a wonder how that bastard ever managed to get things running as well as he had. Shoving her previous employer well out of mind, Megumi made her way toward the docked machines, taking special note of the navy blue one being sprayed down with hoses. She couldn't help but wonder if the machine was damaged at all. The mobile suits she had worked around in the past would be at risk of exploding under these conditions. What's more, this particular mobile suit, while intimidating enough, didn't have much armor. There were areas exposed on the limbs that would make snipers sigh longingly, and what armor plating was there was clearly minimal, and absolutely necessary. Hopefully that wasn't the Regalia they had come to pick up. It wasn't designed for battle, Megumi was sure of that. The other two suits were more respectable looking. The one beside the Artemis had a head that was essentially a hive of sensors, designed for long range targeting. Judging by the massive beam cannon it sported, it was a sniper unit, or possibly artillery. One of the two. It seemed like a good candidate for Brant's new mobile suit at any rate. The one with a more ... normal looking head, was currently being investigated via lift by Christina of all people. When Megumi spotted three of the third suit's six funnels on one of the wings, she realized that it was the Regalia. The other two weren't equipped with TK weapons, so that had to be the one. Sure enough, Brant and a man Megumi didn't recognize were chatting next to the lift. Now, where was the Phalanx and its current pilot ...? Firmia had felt something getting stronger over the last few moments, but she wasn't sure who it was or what they wanted. With the primary systems off, she could just barely make out the knock outside. That prompted her to slowly turn on the external speakers. Did they really need her, right now? The battle was over, and Brant didn't need to inspect the Regalia right now, did he? Either way, it wouldn't do to give the wrong impression. Firmia quickly wiped her eyes and checked herself over, making sure no more of her SKIN suit was showing than what was necessary. "... who's there?" Firmia asked, hoping the volume wasn't too loud. The last thing she wanted was for the whole hangar to catch half of the exchange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Nasty Hit "Boosters upgrade? Yeah, sure. I can do that. Jus' gotta mess with th' output an' make the frame tougher fer faster speeds. S'all good. Y'all sure y'can take th' Gs o' more speed? Just askin'. Yer a pilot an' all, but... Somethin' like that ain't as easy as you are~" Avery stuck out her tongue as Kim came over, but her good mood left when she started talking. "H-Hit t'the leg, huh? I, uh... I can take a look fer ya, yeah. Just... Yeah. After I'm done with th'Ceres. And er, n-nothin'. Just flirtin'. They make it easy. I'll see iffin I can replace those missiles too. After I deal with the damage. 'S that all?" She'd gone to fixing her hat, shuffling on her feet some, probably trying to not seem bothered. "Wew, lotta mechs need fixin' t'day. Y'all keep up th' good work, but make sure y'all remember how much work yer makin' fer us, ah?" Keep Calm "It's Christina. We spoke over the radio." Good, she was talking. That was better than expected. "My stuff doesn't work when I'm not hooked up to a T-Link, so I wanted to come and see if you were alright. You... I, felt how you were feeling before I unplugged myself. Are you okay? You don't have to talk about it, but it'd be better to come out of there, wouldn't it? We're nice people. Lieutenant Kim is really nice, Brant's nice. Did you know she used to be an idol? Crazy, right? Working in the military now... A-And the captain's really nice too, kinda soft, but... You can tell she cares. Uhm. I-If I'm not helping you can, tell me to go away, but... I, just got worried. S-Sorry." Now, she just felt awkward. Going on like that, hoping that one thing would stick, and maybe help to get the girl to open up. She didn't even know what was wrong. Maybe it was the shock of a heavy battle like that? Getting targeted by that crazy robot? Whatever it was, she didn't want to let it go like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 That reaction was... unexpected. If Avery wasn't the bragging or sharing sort, which didn't seem to be the case anyway due to how open she had been with Astin in relative public, then it would have made sense for her to shrink a bit when approached, but her mood took a sudden nosedive as soon as Kim had entered the conversation... she covered it up quickly, far too quickly to pinpoint a cause, but something that she had said or done must have caused the sudden shift... but what? Working on the Artemis was unlikely to be it, the mech was a passion project for her in a sense, and Avery had gone back to normal too quickly while talking about repairs. What else could it be, though? "Yeah, no rush. Just wanted let you know... if need anything, can talk to me, okay Avery, Astin?" Kim added, giving Avery a clear knowing look... whether the mechanic would take up her offer she didn't know... Astin doing so seemed unlikely at any rate, but if she had done something to upset Avery, or their melee specialist felt a need to vent or discuss anything, she wanted to be available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 "E-easy? That's not what I meant! I just..." Kim had come over, but not to save them. Asking about why they were so red instead, which just resulted in them buring their head in the hands again. Strangely, Avery didn't rise to the question quite like they'd expected. Instead of more teasing, she'd just barely responded and focused instead on the mechs. Pulling their head up, they glanced at her. She was messing with her hat and seemed upset, and Kim's offer of talking seemed to confirm what Astin was sensing. "Er, yeah..." They weren't really focused on what Kim was saying, still looking at Avery, trying to figure out what had caused the sudden shift. She clearly wasn't shy, so why had she suddenly clammed up? They shouldn't be complaining to have the focus off of them but even still. "Err... I guess if you don't have anything else to ask about the Ceres, I'll just... head to get changed and all that..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliette Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 "Ask Jess Captain? Juria learn more about scannery thing from her? If you am happy with Juria, then will stay co-pilot for you, Astin friend," Juria spoke somewhat assuredly, climbing down from the mech to a bit of an awkward scenario. Cute sound? Both Astin, and apparently Avery was here now, looked uncomfortable, and Kim not much better. "Um, hi everyone. Am something wrong?" The subtext of the conversation was completely lost on her, having missed some of it while in the mech still, but it was still very awkward to see everyone speaking quietly and glancing around. She too turned to the side for a bit, until one of her favorite sounds came in the form of a mechanical mewl. "Ah! Reo kitten!" She scooped up the robocat as it ran towards her, patting it. "You not causing much trouble, am hoping! No, probably Reo just lazy, all cats am lazy sometimes." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandalphon Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 (edited) Nikolai watched as the remaining foes scattered, vaguely reminiscent of minnows in a pond once a pebble was lobbed in. There was a time in his life where he might try to give chase, maybe try to get in one more shot of red hot adrenaline to the veins, but as it was he just felt heavy and tired. His head was throbbing, but he did feel a sort of vague of self-satisfied pride at the fact that, for once in his life, he'd maybe allowed reason to rule over his baser urges to throw himself at whatever was closest to maim (whatever strange, fucked up version of reason it may be). Perhaps he was still fighting a war with an enemy who had died years ago. A smarter, more emotionally intelligent man would probably take these sorts of things into account, maybe try to puzzle out the more viscerally unpleasant parts of his psyche and the intangible mysteries they presented. Nikolai, however, was not that man. "Too bad is not time for molotov cocktail party. I am sure idiot redhead would love, she seem violent enough..." He blurted out loud to no one in particular, filtering out the more uncomfortable introspective thoughts, glossing them over with his typical sheen of bile and provocation. "Not even a matter, I go in idiot ship and take nap, maybe paint nails. Unless someone want to actually shoot me in ass which is acceptable too, da?" That was more like it. He thought to himself as he scampered down, making an ungraceful descent from the mechanical titan that was cradling itself in the hangar. Despite everything, every time he set foot in there he was vaguely reminded that his ass had gotten tazed the first time he'd done so. Sweet misty watercolour memories, right? Edited September 8, 2017 by Yuuki Mishima Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 (edited) Her 'stuff' didn't work when she wasn't hooked up to a T-Link? What sort of TK was this Christina person anyway? Firmia wondered if that had something to do with the Artemis' jamming field ... that wretched concept .... Firmia curled up a little further just thinking about it. Why field something like that for a rescue? Christina didn't relent in trying to talk Firmia out of her metal cocoon right away, insisting that the people aboard the Riese were nice. The young Alkaev personally didn't care if the people here were friendly or not, so long as they were civil. She could deal with anything short of violence easily enough. Firmia did realize that even though she didn't necessarily have anything to do, staying cooped up in the Regalia's cockpit with most systems powered down would, at best, bring more unwanted attention onto her. It was definitely time to get out and ... face these 'nice people,' head on. A few seconds after Christina's apology, a sharp hiss escaped the seams of the Regalia's abdominal area, and the center chest plate began to fold up and outward, revealing the mobile suit's combined cockpit-escape capsule. Once the chest plate was fully open, the cockpit's own canopy slid up and out of view, revealing nothing but darkness. Firmia stepped out of that darkness a few seconds later, her flight suit hidden beneath the mink coat she'd taken along with her. She was glad to have it, now of all times. "You're ..." Firmia paused, taken aback by Christina's SKIN suit. She was probably a TK, then ... but she could only sense the feelings of others with the help of a T-Link? Perhaps she was a cyber TK in the making? Firmia hadn't heard of anything like this happening, though. Was she just the weakest TK in existence, then? No, that was ... probably not it, either. Flying in a special mobile suit along with a former idol was weird enough, so there had to be more to it than simple weakness. "What ... are you, exactly?" It sounded like Christina had made some real progress. After a relatively brief explanation from Christina, Firmia opened the cockpit and came out. "She's still wearing that thing? Doesn't that mess with the T-Link?" Sasha asked, glancing at Brant. He got a swift shrug in response. "She probably just put it back on on her way out," Brant offered a second later. He didn't wait long to address the two blondes overhead. "Hey, get down here! I don't know when the debrief is, but we should get changed, soon!" Edited September 8, 2017 by Phoenix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 Signal Zero "Hmm... is that, the Russian pilot?" Roxanna mumbled, looking at a speeding target their way. Considering it was lone and with Kim's warning, she wasn't overly worried about with. With the signal matching up what they received shortly after, any worry she had vanished, a wistful whistle escaping as she watched the thing practically zoom by the radar. "Pretty fast, huh." With that out of the way, Roxanna still had to receive any response from the base, which wasn't looking up. Whoever survived probably evacuated... "Keep the steady pace, fly low until all pilots return, drop the scavenge crew then make it for the base." She needed to be completely sure, if only out of protocol. What a Wreck! "Ehh, what's all these new mechs, so much work..." A somewhat aged man sighed, eyeing the freshly hosed mech with scrutiny. "Please don't tell me we're going to send that to battle next time, Russians are crazy..." What was all this hype about plane-biped hybrids anyways? That thing looked so flimsy... "Wait, what's this?" His attention quickly shifted to the Heracles model, the damage it sustained pretty telling. "Oh, Buck and I worked so hard... he's going to break his heart." Hands holding his head in a dramatic display, the man sighed, slowly making his way to the machine in spite of these crestfalling news. "Hey, numbnuts!" He rapped on the feet's plate with his knuckles, angrily shouting upwards. "Nice going there, decorating the plating with all these dents and plasma marks!" He wondered what kind of pilot would be this careless with refurbished machinery. Little did he know it was the same person that bothered him in the mechanic's lab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 (edited) Abigail had been about ready to take her little ball and go home, after the enemy she'd been engaging simply opted to vanish, rather than face her down. Some people had no confidence. About ready, and then her comms board had light up like a christmas tree. The incoming transmissions arrived practically one after the other. Two of them had been varying shades of unpleasant, while in comparison the other was a shining beacon. Thank you, Megumi. The doctor didn't actually need a response, so she decided to get back to the other two in order of which would cause her the least amount of headache. That meant starting with Doyle. "Of course I survived, I'm almost hurt you thought otherwise. Certainly wasn't going to die to Apotheosis, and definitely not on my first fucking deploy. Who would go and do a damn fool thing like that? No, hun, you're stuck with me for quite a while longer if I have any say in the matter." Abby went ahead and closed down incoming private messages from that channel immediately after, she'd deal with any fallout from it when they were on the ground. It did get her to thinking a little, though. Her Heracles had fallen to this rather hodge podge of federation pilots, after all, so her bravado was a little heavier on the bluster than she'd have preferred. That was something she'd have to think about on the walk back to dock up with the Riese. But first... "It actually is too much trouble," Abigail replied to the robot, after taking a moment to compose herself. Continuing in a somewhat clinical tone, she explained, "If you're falling apart like you say you are, I'm not sure you could even hold on if I tried to carry you, and there's no way I'm opening the cockpit to let you sit on my lap. Besides, that'd just be forcing one of the others to stay behind and chaperone, make sure I don't just take off in this robot while ostensibly helping recover our fallen, right? Who would put enough trust in me for that already, seriously?" Aside from Jess, that is, she silently answered her own question. "Besides, this thing's taken quite a beating as is, and while you probably didn't hear, the doctor tried to call me back in early, already. Don't want to keep her waiting any longer. I'm sure someone else will give you a ride." They weren't lies either, not really, that was the best part. Just thinking things through rationally, Abigail couldn't figure out why the android would have bothered her with the matter unless specifically trying to make a nuisance of itself. And she could tell by the way Megumi had paused in her reply what she'd really intended, despite her letting up on the matter in the end. Abby was feeling guiltier about not following through with that request than she did ignoring Hannah's. Leaving the wreck and its cargo to one of the others, probably that Legionary, as Abigail rolled over toward the Heion she tried piecing together just who had been whom based on what she'd seen about how they'd fought, both just now, as well as back on the colony. Given none of the mechs really had paint jobs, nor particularly distinguishing markings, that was the best she'd have to go on, really. Brant was obvious, she'd nailed him down even before the hangar after all. The others... Well, there was the Velite with the sniper rifle, that had to have been the same between the missions, and she'd seen the small boy, Tarquin, loading into that one. The only other sniper she remembered fighting had been in a Legionary, but they'd only fielded the one of those today. Seems that must have been Elaine, who'd commandeered her Heracles, as she'd been seen firing a rifle like that today as well. Thorvald had been one of the Legionary's from back then, that much had become obvious, it could have been one of two choices though, there'd been another defensive type back then too, hmm where had they gone? Then there was still the mystery of who'd been in those two Velites that had been attacking her with their various energy rippers to pin down... Based on how Nikolai had been fighting today, and what had been loaded on his bot it wasn't him. Process of elimination would suggest they'd been that asian lieutenant and Doyle, right? There were some missing puzzle pieces though, at least the one disappearing personnel, if it was safely assumed the police bot that had joined in had been a local. And was all this ruminating on who was who, and how they'd contributed to her earlier defeat really even healthy? Probably not, but having watched everyone fight again... how could she not? It was simply natural. Getting docked back up, Abigail found she's perhaps spent a little more time wool-gathering on the way back than she'd intended, having slowed pace a bit as she pondered. But the hangar had plenty of room regardless, and she picked an out-of-the-way corner to bring the Phalanx to rest. Opening the hatch almost proved to be a real hassle, the pounding the tiny bot had taken nearly denting the frame enough, but in the end after bashing the button a couple times it finally creaked itself into doing what it was supposed to. Glad to find she wasn't doomed to be prisoner in there until one of the mechanics could help her out, Abby lightly made her descent to the hangar floor. Once one the ground, it was time for a giant stretch, her joints giving off a few cracks here and there as she limbered up and unwound. "Goddamn, I could go for a soak in a hot tub right about now," she spoke aloud, to no one in particular, then began to look around the hangar and take in the sights. There was sure to be much to do before that could happen, unfortunately. Edited September 8, 2017 by Balcerzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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