Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 2: Of Dire Tides

[Ether]

"Am sorry, Chrissy. Felt was bad idea but go along anyway, make feel bad." KIm replied, cringing a little bit as Christina went on to talk about her speech pattern. She said she didn't mind, but her description sounded annoying...

"Sound... good, if not mind. Don't want be bother, just... can do many thing, but English? Make feel... stupid, guess."

[Phoenix]

Straight? Oh, she meant heterosexual. It took Megumi a second to recall in her sleep addled state. It wouldn't hurt to clear that misunderstanding up, among other things. "I am straight. Wherever your imagination is going with this, reel it back in." Maybe if her body doubles were both naked, but Megumi knew better ... plus it was a hassle getting them dressed in the first place. "I don't know if anyone aboard would appreciate me using them like I use these and not getting anything in return. Even if there were someone that 'selfless,' there are some cons to using a real person that way." 'Some,' being a heaping long list, and that was just off the top of the doctor's head.

Megumi considered inviting her colleague inside to explain things in more detail now that the morning traffic was picking up, but something important seemed to be going on nearby with Jessica. Something worrisome ...

"What's going on over there?" Did something happen to Abigail? Some TK sense sure would have come in handy right about now. Megumi quietly stepped back into her room for a moment, leaving the door open and setting the absinthe down on a nearby table. Next, she grabbed her long white coat off its rack and slipped into it, and then into some house shoes. "Curiosity beckons. I'll explain more afterward if nothing comes up," she promised Cheryl.

That just left one more thing ... Megumi hurried over to the bed, scooted her two body doubles closer together, and threw the blanket over them. Then she returned to the door. "Come on, you should be there too, in case it's serious."

---

It was working? That was a good thing, even if there was still more to sort out. Brant listened to Hannah's next question and was immediately stumped by it. He tried to think on it as he rode the lift up to the Mantle's cockpit. What should she do? If her feelings were real, then it was only a question of what to do about them, right? Brant felt like he was among the worst people to ask that particular question to. He knew what he would do with his feelings ... absolutely nothing. He'd been doing that for a long time, now. That may have been the more practical answer, but it wasn't one he could give the confused android. After all, if it was best to simply do nothing, then that applied to Brant as much as it did to Hannah ... and something about that just didn't sit well with him.

The TK received one more request before he arrived at the Mantle's cockpit, a request not to put himself down, anymore. Hannah's reasoning made sense, even though it was a little dramatic. As the lift stopped, Brant smiled somberly at Hannah. "You know, we humans are usually running on autopilot. I'll try, but old habits are hard to break."

Brant was still turning over the other problem in his head and trying to come at it from different angles. Like before, he was zeroing in on just one serviceable answer.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Phoenix
Addition of Brant segment

[Balcerzak]

As Thorvald stepped back into the main dining area from the kitchen corner, having finished washing his dishes and putting them away, he spied a pair of faces that hadn't been there before when he'd been eating: Elaine and uh, one of Rapunzel's little helpers, he forgot which was which at the moment.

"Oh hey, I err, made some extra omelettes this morning, forgot I wasn't cooking for the wife and kid. Dunno if either of you want one, but they're still in the pan on the stove, covered by a lid. Chow down if you're interested!" Then, with a quick little wave, he was on his way out.

 

---

 

Abigail, in fact, had not gotten any meaningful sleep, but eventually the crying had stopped, replacing itself with a deep empty feeling inside. Unable to sit still any longer, at around 7 she had washed up and headed to the gym, where the simulators were kept, but upon spying Juria, she had quickly backed off, retreating to one of the other offshoot rooms, where she could watch the hallway for the arrival of her partner in the promised match-up. She didn't see anyone but tall dark and handsome, the mechanic she'd spoke to in the hangar, and she was pretty sure she hadn't dozed off, so she was starting to get angry. It was almost a pleasant feeling, by comparison. Getting stood up, huh, we'll see about that... 

Whipping out the communicator and firing off a quick text to the offending party, she looked down at it, briefly satisfied.

Back to waiting--

Oh, what the hell? Was that the captain, yelling? Damn, she could hear from all the way down here. Suddenly conscious of the fact that she hadn't done her hair, or really anything with herself really aside from trying to get rid of the most obvious red marks on her face, she was even still in yesterday's clothes, Abby felt a twinge of embarrassment as she hurried toward the source of the sound. Her own damn fault really, what reaction had she expected with that foolish mail of hers last night.

"I'm coming," she called out flatly as she rounded the corner and made her way down the hall, "Calm down or you're going to wake the dead, jesus."

Edited October 23, 2017 by Balcerzak

[Shin]

Tarquin walked down the hall for what he assumed would be the last time. It had only been a few days, but the ship had become more of a home than the training base ever had. In fact, it was rivaling Corona Ten in his mind. It was almost tragic that he was leaving one home for another, but it couldn't be helped - he had been given definitive orders. Perhaps one day he'd be able to see some of the crew again. He wouldn't exactly miss Elaine too much, but the rest he'd have some desire to meet.

Reaching the hangar and entering it, Tarquin approached Buck. To leave he'd need the launch pad opened up, and he'd have to choose his words carefully. "Buck, I have orders to launch, would you be able to assist with the deployment procedure?" Tarquin asked calmly, staying to the point. It wasn't exactly untrue, and he'd always been told to listen to the Professor above all else.

[Nanami Touko]

Let's Get Started

"I can do many things, but English makes me feel stupid. Repeat after me." She wasn't a teacher in any regard, but just getting Kim to repeat some things and read more, would probably help slip some more of the small connecting words she needed into her speech. If nothing else, it was a good start. "And if that's too awkward to try, I guess we could start with books and music first. Don't really want to make you feel worse over your english, after all..." She could deal with her lingering feelings later. This was a good distraction for the time being.

Serious Situation

"Yeah... You can save the explanations, don't worry. I get most of it. For whatever reason, you need to watch your back that much. Won't tell anyone," she added, waving her hand at the situation and turning to their unfortunate Captain. What was she shouting about? Abigail? Their prisoner pilot? Something must've been bad for her to go yelling like that in the morning, but it seemed she wasn't even in her room. Abby turned the corner down at the end, Cheryl shook her head-- but Jess...

"Abb... Abby..." She'd stopped banging on her door, taking slow steps towards her, before jumping into a sprint and throwing herself at her, clinging tight. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!" What else was there she could say? 'They're definitely still alive?' 'We'll fine them?' Some other empty promise? That report... Jess had taken a moment to search some things while it played. Even with all of her permissions as a captain, she couldn't find any source contradicting it. That's what hurt the most. There... Was nothing. And she didn't have anything either. How silly that talk yesterday seemed, now...

"Whoa... Lovers' quarrel?" Cheryl joked, pushing her glasses up some. "Nah, can't be. Even our captain knows better than to get involved with a criminal... Right, Megumi?"

Launch Nerd

"Huh?" Buck had just finished the latest addition to his second pet project, turning and wiping his brow when the other similarly aged boy popped up. "Uh, I didn't get a notice... But, I guess you outrank me. Sure, whatever. The captain's probably still asleep. Yesterday was pretty crazy, huh? Then again, all of these fights are gonna get crazy... No point holding you up, though!" Buck reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out his own little pad. "Username, password, aaaaand, thumb scan..." The lift opened up, Buck gave a mock salute, then looked back at his machine.

"Alrighty Tarq. You're good to go. Have fun patrolling or whatever it is you have to do!"

Autopilot

Hannah picked herself up in the pilot seat of the Mantle, returning Brant's smile as he showed up, as though it was automatic. "I apologize. I know that most actions humans perform are simply reactions due to patterns and routines... It... Is simply upsetting to know you would lower yourself like that, especially to a machine. I am far from what should be compared to, when looking for impressive human qualities. I nearly shutdown over a simple query, after all. A human, while not necessarily finding a proper answer, would have been able to stay working..." That was definitely a loose end on Hannah's part. Upgrades or not, if she ran into something she couldn't answer through her own means, it would eventually stall her processing.

That aside, Brant seemed to be mulling something over. "I do not know much about you, Brant," she spoke up, tilting her head some. "Do you think it would be imperative for me to learn more about you? And, yes, surprise. I spoke with Firmia previously about being allowed to pilot this machine... I hope that I have not overstepped any boundaries. I simply... Or, not... So simply. I... Assumed you were lonely, being the only pilot to fly planes on the ship. It may not be my expertise, but Firmia approved it, so... I can only assume that I meet the standards she wishes for, in this instance." Hannah definitely had a lot to say. A lesson in pacing would probably do wonders for her.

Edited October 23, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Shin]

It was almost surprising, it had been relatively easy to get Buck to cooperate. Then again, it wasn't as if he had any reason to doubt or question Tarquin. "Yesterday's battle was perhaps the most taxing so far. Apotheosis appear to be solidifying their efforts. Thank you for your assistance." Tarquin replied, giving Buck a nod as he hurried over to his Velite. It was falling behind in terms of technical prowess, but it was a suitable platform for his long range shooting. He had his role within the team, much as the others did too.

Climbing into the cockpit, Tarquin began preparing the launch routines. His unit had taken several beatings in his short time with it, but the engineering team always brought it back to fully functional. It had taken a few tweaks, but even Avery had done wonders for his rifle. "Auf wiedersehen..." Tarquin muttered under his breath, gripping the controls with his hands. It was a shame he had to leave so many books behind, although he knew he was only thinking about them to avoid thinking about people.

It wasn't long before he launched, leaving the Riese behind him as he landed on the ground. Corona Ten wasn't too far away, although he didn't have the luxury of travelling through the air. Skimming across the ground would have to suffice.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Shin

[Dandragon]

It wasn't long before someone started talking to her. Thorvald, specifically, offering some omelettes to eat before he left. Elaine still hadn't eaten breakfast, and anything was better than another day of pancakes. Elaine got up, slowly and sluggishly walking over to get a plate and a spatula, taking two of the extra omelettes, leaving two for the other person present. Elaine wasn't entirely sure who it was, she had thought she had seen her around the infirmary working for Megumi, but she was too tired to actively think on it.

As Elaine sat back at her table, her coffee cup still steaming, a beep on her communicator watch startled her. A quick look at it presented Elaine with the image of several different emojis in a row. It took a moment for her to understand what was trying to be conveyed, but a look at the sender and it started to make sense. At least give me some damn time to wake up. She thought. Yes, she had stated to Abigail that tomorrow, which was now today, would be when they would have their competition, but she hadn't set a specific time. But apparently, someone was too damn impatient to wait. Then again, she didn't know she had a terrible night sleeping thanks to a woman with a supposed cybernetic snake tail.

Elaine's stomach growled at her, and she took a bite out of the omelette, hoping that getting food in her system would help wake her up. ...Ham? Really? Sausage or Bacon are way better choices.

[scorri]

Astin smiled as Avery scolded them for hitting her hat and then gave a lecture on staying safe. "Yes ma'am, no dying and no making you worry. I'll do my best." They couldn't help but chuckle as well as she promised to make their robot Astin-proof. That would certainly be interesting to see what all she would come up with. As she exited the room, they quietly sighed, mostly in a happy manner, before collapsing back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was going to make life interesting, that was for sure.

Slowly getting up, grabbing their book, they quickly changed with the spare set of clothes they'd brought and headed out, leaving behind their pillow and pajamas, figuring they might end up back there tonight. Slowly making their way over to their room, they stopped short when they saw the fuss that was going on outside the room next door. Outside Abby's room. Something was clearly up, and it would make reaching their room awkward. Thankfully the captain seemed distracted and they somehow doubted Abby would want them involved. That left the two doctors, and Astin could only hope they would just let them pass by. Sucking it up, they made their way the rest of the way down the hall and ducked past Megumi and Cheryl, muttering something that could have been an excuse me before slipping into their room. Making their way over to their bed, they flopped back down on it, closing their eyes for a brief second, before asking out loud to the empty room, "So what was that mess all about?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Val had barely stirred when Thorvald informed the room about the omelettes, and by the time Elaine reemerged from the kitchen, she was back to being fast asleep. She seemed quite content, a small smile on her face. If Elaine was listening though, she might hear the girl quietly talking in her sleep. Most of it was unintelligible, but she might be able to catch a few distinct words. "Mmm, 'livia... mmm"

[Ether]

"I can do many things, but English makes me feel stupid." Kim repeated, the words easy enough to string together when they were presented to her. But without any context, her brain just didn't... do that. Why of all things did this feel so... unnatural? Focusing for a moment on replying to Christina properly, it took longer than usual for the response to come out.

"Whatever you... think will work best. It shouldn't... be this hard to speak... properly."

[Juliette]

"Um?" Juria watched in bewilderment as Jess darted right past her, leaving her clueless as to what to do once again. The Captain seemed busy, and heading towards Abby's room, which Juria had just determined she was not up to right now. She felt very out of place in all the ensuing commotion, and nobody seeming to pay much attention to her.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long for her original talking target to zoom by, too. "Ah! Astin!" They seemed not to notice her either, but she was not going to fail three times in a row! Undeterred, she knocked on the door to her main pilot's room. "Astin, it Juria. If not in emergency, can please be talking with? Wanted to say how things going for training."

[Phoenix]

Megumi groaned inwardly as Jessica and Abby both went down in a heap. Would the doctor have to find some way to hack into the surveillance system to stay in the loop? What was this about, and what was Jessica even apologizing for? As comical as the captain's display was, there was definitely something darker driving it. Megumi herself had thought something serious was going on, so rather than getting dressed, she'd simply put on her coat and shoes. The captain may have done the same, though prompted by something else ...

Cheryl's quip pulled the doctor back out of her own head and provided and interesting though unlikely interpretation of the small pile up. "Nothing would surprise me at this point," Megumi gave an incomplete answer. She found herself taking the question too seriously and was still parsing it as a result.

---

"This may sound a little strange," Brant cautioned Hannah, his smile turning less somber and more amused, if only slightly, "but my 'comparisons' between us aren't serious. I wasn't thinking of you as an android when I made that comment, last night. Actually getting into comparisons between humans and machines feels so much like an apples and oranges problem. It's better to just focus on who we are and ... not what."

Brant didn't know what to say when Hannah asked if she should try to get to know him better. Fortunately, he was afforded a moment to think it over as Hannah broached another topic. He wasn't terribly good with multitasking, but he got the gist of it, and had his own question from earlier addressed in the process. Hannah had asked Firmia for permission to pilot the Mantle, and her reasons for asking were astonishingly on point. Brant wondered just how easy he was to read; he did feel lonely being the only one fighting primarily from the air. There was a certain pride that came with it, but he never truly felt like a part of the team. Brant felt much closer to a support unit for the Heion Riese itself, rather than a squad member. That vague sense of isolation aside, Brant supposed Firmia was willing to work very closely with the ANF or those who were themselves working very closely with the ANF, provided there was some tangible benefit. Brant could already think of a few, like freeing up Sasha for his other duties, and keeping her employee out of harm's way, and at her beck and call. There was probably more to it, but on the surface, Brant could see the Alkaev agreeing, at least temporarily.

As for getting to know him better, Brant had the distinct impression that Hannah already understood him better than most on the ship. Since she was already on a roll ... "If that's what you want, sure." What sprang to mind next had the TK feeling a little awkward. "Just ... don't bury me alive in personal questions. My life's not that interesting and it's usually better to get to know people over time."

[Nanami Touko]

Wonderful!

Christina was glad to hear Kim repeat what had been said to her back, but more so, she was elated to hear Kim trying to speak on her own. When she managed a perfectly legible string of English, Christina was all smiles, clasping her hands together in excitement. "That's great! That's a wonderful start. Just do that more. Speak slowly. Let your mind think things through. The more exposure to the language you get, especially if you already have a solid grasp on the words, the better it'll start to flow out of you... Alright!" Christina grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the door. "We'll go to my room, and get you to sing some songs~ I'm sure it'll go perfectly." It had been the first time in a while that Christina was so excited about something... Hopefully the atmosphere outside wouldn't ruin how she felt.

Only Who We Are

Hannah paused to store that... Finding it a bit difficult to set into her programming. Only compare who they were, not what? But then, she still didn't understand why he'd said what he did. Did her truly consider her that much better than himself? But that was simply not true... Maybe from his point of view it was. That just made him more interesting, in an unfortunate sense. Hannah stored, 'why does Brant value himself so little?' in her folders, and was going to make sure to keep an ear out for anything that would be able to go towards answering that. Perhaps she would be able to ask Firmia, but it would likely be better to do so after proving herself in a few battles.

Limit personal questions... "I do not believe that to be true, about your life," she said, though she knew that she had no information to the contrary. It was just something she wished to believe in. No matter what had made Brant... This way, he had to have a much more interesting life and personality than he gave himself credit for. I may be over analyzing this. I should wait until I know more. "I have one request, first." She gently raised her hand up, almost against his cheek, holding it there. "May I?"

[Ether]

Well, it seemed Christina was really getting into this, her emotions spiking as Kim spoke to her in more coherent English than usual. It seems she had really chosen to invest herself, which was probably a good thing, she had been out of sorts due to the large shake up of her life in general, and while her life on the Riese had been on an upswing, there had still been issues.  Hopefully this would give her something to be truly positive about.

"Okay... let's go." Kim replied after a moment, following Christina's lead.

[Xinnidy]

スーパーヒーローまことさん

Spoiler

Morning had come early to the infirmary, devoid of personnel aside from two civilians --Makoto and his mother--. Due to Mai's circumstances, the both were staying there overnight, again. While Makoto had no qualms sleeping in one of the waiting couches, Mai certainly had trouble with this little energy spent, it wasn't fun to stay in an enclosed room bored out of her mind for a couple days, able in all manners aside from her damaged leg. TV was only a worthy distraction for so long, the news focusing on Apotheosis to such a degree where everything was almost tangentially related to the terrorist organization. From conspiracy theories to 'mythbusting' experts... ugh, it wasn't going to do her any good. She needed to put her mind off of that group badly. "...Makoto." It was five in the morning, Mai couldn't force herself to sleep any longer. Usually she'd be preparing breakfast now, but that wasn't really possible. Next best thing was to get Makoto to go do some in the kitchen. "Makoto!" It seemed like he'd take a bit longer to wake up at five, however. "Ma-koooo-tooooo!!"

"Mrr... Huh?!" Makoto's dream was abruptly ended by his mother's constant calling, the boy scrambling to stand up, having been shocked awake, confused and wondering what had been the pressing matter... oh. "Need-- right, breakfast again today, huh?" It wasn't the first day, but his mother's sleep schedule was so strict lately... Makoto could only mourn his precious sleep in his thoughts.

"If you could." His mother nodded, pleased that she didn't need to spend much longer trying to wake him up. "Just a sandwich and yogurt will do."

"Will... will do." Makoto saluted, turning around to head out of the infirmary, steps still a bit slow as he tried to keep himself from stumbling in his early-rising lethargy. Makoto made it halfway through the room before he paused, remembering of something important. Something he really shouldn't have delayed talking with his mother about. "...Mom?" He turned back to to room, waiting until he heard an 'yes?' to continue. "...I've been, uh, talking to the pilots here. They've been really nice." He didn't recall if any of them left a bad impression, now that he thought about it... except maybe Nikolai. But even Nikolai turned out to be fine... if Makoto recalled right. "They've been going through a lot as well, and, uh, some of them are even around my age, so, uh..." It was hard to spit it out when he could imagine the negative reaction. "I want to help too, so, uh, I asked if I could enlist. Just to help these people here." No response, he bit his lip. "It... it's not like I'll be having class again for a good while, with how things are. So... I'm not giving up on being an engineer, but--"

"So I'm going to lose my son to these terrorists too?" Mai's tone held no bitterness back. Makoto couldn't see her face through the privacy curtain, but he could imagine how distressed she was. "We already don't know where your father is, and now you're going to throw yourself in front of guns and bombs..."

"Mom..." Oh boy, that wasn't what Makoto hoped at all. Father isn't dead, he can't be, otherwise they wouldn't have taken him." That's what Makoto told himself. There was thr chance that they were going to use him only as a hostage, to make their escape from the colony... but he was an important scientist, right? They couldn't just kill him... "And... we don't know how to save him, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do something. We're not safe because we're civilians... how many malls are going to fall? Or, or worse?" The colonies were in heavy threat, and the US had no safe coasts anymore. Who's to say they wouldn't be at gunpoint if the Riese fell? "We depend on these people to stay safe right now, mom. And they said they wouldn't put me on the front. They don't want me to risk my life for nothing either. And, even if we don't find dad... at least I'm keeping everybody safe from these guys, so maybe others won't lose family or their homes because of this." It was an inspiring thought. Even if Makoto had no idea of who he helped, he would be somebody's hero.

"But..." Mai's voice was trembling, she was probably tearing up, if Makoto had to guess. "I don't care, I don't care if the whole world falls, I don't want to lose you..." She knew she was being selfish, but the thought of being alone in the world was despairing. It was no good reason to hold up her child, but... "Promise me you won't die." She spat out, sinking on the mattress. "Promise me, or you're grounded for life."

"Mom..." That was a hard pill to take, but he knew where she was coming from. Mai had abandoned her parents to live with Juuzou in space, back in their time. While it had been what she wanted, she practically shot her own social life in the foot to become a housewife. "...I'll be back, you know. Justice Fighters never lose! It's a promise!" Technically, they could still die, like in seigiranger season finale, but their spirit lived on! You couldn't stop a sense of justice like that! "I'll do everything I can, okay? I'll be showing up every day to prove to you I'm taking care of myself." He did his favorite Ranger Pose to emphasize his confidence... but that didn't do a lot when your conversation partner was behind a curtain. "Ah, I... I should go get that breakfast, uhh, sandwich and milk, right?" As Makoto changed his tune, he was already hustling to the door, closing it as he left the infirmary in a rush.

"Sandwich and YOGURT!!" Mai yelled, but it was possibly too late... ah, what a klutz of a boy. He certainly doesn't take after his father there... At least it was enough to lift her spirit, resigned as her smile was. I just hope he didn't take after the sense of self-preservation...

 

[scorri]

Astin had noticed Juria but given she'd been waiting outside Jess's room, they'd assumed she was waiting for her. Only after seeing the mess going on down the hall had they realized Jess was over there but hasn't updated the fact that Juria was waiting on someone that was busy until Juria knocked on the door.

"Huh? Yeah come on in Juria." Honestly Astin wasn't really sure what more there was to say to the engineer about training. It was good she was working on stuff, but they didn't know how well it would translate to being a co-pilot since the simulations had you being the main pilot. Still, if it made her happy, that's what was important. "You had a productive time yesterday then?"

[Xinnidy]

A Gun and a Drink

Yesterday's antics had been... quite far from the usual for Ignatius. Having to do work on sensitive parts of an android wanting skin for the sake of Buck's innocence was a bit awkward to say the least, let alone with the android having supposedly grown a conscience. Of all the things to add to his curriculum, he'd never thought "robot gynaecologist" would even be possible.

By the end of the shift, he'd given himself a shot of whiskey and gone to study some of the scraps that had been scavenged by the ground crew. Buck had become particularly interested in the cressida model they recovered in relatively good shape, so he let the boy focus on that while he looked on the rest of the scraps. What particularly interested him was the kind of beam rifle the leader unit was carrying, but unfortunately none of the scraps came close to similar. In the end, he had to ask permission to get video feed on the Artemis during the mission, an interesting film to spend the night analyzing.

The feed had a particularly good sample shot from the massive beam rifle early on, and only. It seemed that pilot had no plans of firing a weapon with such a windup when its enemies proved so mobile. Still, a sample of one was good enough when he had video feed of the rifle's design up close. It was familiar, and for a reason.

A beam rifle with its own generator, the sheer size intimidating compared to usual models --even the Legionary's beam cannons blushed next to it--, yet somehow still streamlined enough to be carried by a mobile suit, able to be attached vertically to the back when not in use. That was uncannily similar to the initial prototype of project G-B.R. from Colony scientist Juuzou Watanabe. It didn't take much to connect the dots when the information that Apotheosis captured him during their colony attack was put side to side. Are they forcing him, or...? The remaining question were Apotheosis' motive to revive that shelved project, and how willing Watanabe was to push it forward.

The initial concept was simple enough. Using a magnetic generator, the rifle was able to maintain the energy to keep itself running while holding its ammunition as a torus of plasma, able to reach mass otherwise impossible to replicate by how long a rifle would need to stay on and control its heat radiation. The project was deemed too costly and unnecessary, the doctor's idea scrutinized by peers for its inelegant destructive force, calling it a parallel step to nuclear weaponry. And yet here it was, something that could veritably punch a hole through a battleship, in the hands of a terrorist organization. And the final model was much worse. The proof-of-concept used the normal plasmoid ionic composition found in military beam rifles, and it seemed the same way in the video. The final product, theoretically, could produce an artificial corona, missing a target and still melting it through radiation alone... 

I know what I'm working on these next few days. The old man sighed, relaxing on his reclining chair. "Tch, I'm not paid enough for this..." He took another shot, man, that chair was the best purchase he'd done since Magnolia ran off with his car and insurance. "I can't have these kids dying because some tax-avoiding terrorists want to play at making a tiny sun, though..."

---

The morning had come with a surprise as well, one of the pilots showing up early to patrol. What was up with that? "Hey Buck, think we should warn the captain we let him head off, just as a heads up?" Ignatius suggested, watching the Velite head off of the hangar with a curious eye. It wasn't that it never happened. The Artemis had gone ahead to the Great Lake base once, so nothing stopped somebody else scouting ahead for Corona Ten. Still... the Velite wasn't as fast as the Artemis or one of the Russian mechs for that job.

Scouting Buddies?

After a light breakfast and a healthy amount of training (even though the main simulation machine was occupied by some girl with fancy hair all morning), Makoto was pretty confident in his odds that day. He'd probably be assigned to a legionary if he were allowed to go... good thing he focused on long range fighting for yesterday and today's simulation. There was a lot he could learn from Tarquin alright!

Humming as he walked  to the hangar, Makoto anxiously observed the machines as he imagined his first sortie. How daring! A new experience awaited him... as soon as the call to arms happened, of course! Though, now that he looked... what was Tarquin doing getting into his mech so early? Preparing the cockpit or doing a manual checkup were out of the window as the hangar actually opened and the Velite made its way outside. Wha?

Makoto thought of calling Tarquin, only to realize he had no way of contacting the boy personally! Right... does he even have a contact ID? Maybe not as a civilian, but definitely as part of the crew. The problem was that Makoto had no way of accessing those. Or... wait.

Sneaking through the hangar, Makoto went to the only mech in there he knew how to get in without help --the Phalanx! Without the need of a lift, and with security checks he knew inside and out, the boy was able to hastily open the cockpit, getting inside and closing it, starting up the unit's command center to get access to the private lines installed.

There it was... the channel for Heion Riese operating units! "Hey! Tarquin! Do you copy?" Makoto tested it out, hoping the brainy boy had it turned on. "What's going on? There wasn't a call or anything." At least... he was sure there wasn't! "Did you spot something out there?"

Edited October 24, 2017 by Xinnidy

[Balcerzak]

Abigail's shoulders shrugged slightly and a look of resignation crossed her face as the captain came rushing down the hall at her. Yes, part of her had been crying out for attention, but now that she'd gotten it, it felt distinctly uncomfortable. Would it have been better without the peanut gallery of onlookers? ...probably not, but maybe? Emotions were fucking weird sometimes. Still--

Jess collided into her with a thump, and a fair bit more momentum than she'd expected, caused the now tangled pair's bodies to go stumbling backward a few steps until Abby's back crashed into the frame of one of the doors along the side of the hallway, hopefully an uninhabited one. The captain didn't say much, but what else was there she could add to those few impassioned apologies? Abigail simply let her head slump forward, burying itself in one of Jess's shoulders for the moment--at least that was comfortable, if nothing else was. "Not here," she whispered hoarsely.

[Phoenix]

They would have to agree to disagree on how interesting Brant's life was, for the most part. Of far greater interest was Hannah's latest request. It brought Brant right back to their previous talk, when she'd first showed him her synthetic skin ... and when he'd inadvertently caused this problem. Smiling as she mirrored his own action, Brant said, "Of course. Ju-"

"Hannah, what's going on? Why did that Velite take off, earlier?"

... just be gentle, Brant finished, mentally. His mind quickly caught up with the situation, though. "Firmia?" That was definitely her voice just now ...

---

Sasha's first lesson had left Firmia a little rattled. She had no idea that understanding his methods would require such a shift in reasoning, nor such a nosedive back to the basics. The lesson had nothing to do with why Firmia was currently seated inside the Regalia, but it was at least partially to blame for her lack of progress in this latest bout of multitasking. She couldn't stop going back to it. The large tablet in her hand had an interface quite similar to the Regalia's, and the window Firmia was currently working with was divided into two uneven columns. The larger column on the left contained a buffer with raw code in it, and the more narrow column had a programming assistant with various items and menus at her disposal. She was almost finished, but something strange seemed to be going on, outside.

The Regalia's T-Link was active, as were the external cameras, with the exception of the advanced sensors in the head. That was how Firmia was able to spot the long range Velite step onto the elevator and be delivered up to a catapult for launch. It was just that one Velite, though. Not much of a patrol. Aside from the odd sense she got from the pilot, nothing else seemed off in the hangar. Was this an exercise? Not likely ... as this crew didn't seem to do much in the way of drills or formal training. Until the Velite had taken off, it had been pretty quiet on this deck, no huge spikes in emotion or other things that would warrant her attention. Things on the deck below were another matter, though, and had the Alkaev wanting to yell at the distant sensations. There wasn't much point, though. Best to leave them to their own issues.

Brant's arrival wasn't a surprise, but he made a beeline for the Mantle once he entered the hangar. As a registered operator, the Regalia placed a pale blue marker on his position that stayed with the TK as he moved through the hangar, separating him out from the rest of the personnel. Registered operators of the other AMS units would have been framed by teal markers. The markers stood out in the display in the same way marked enemies would, only in less striking colors. That made them useful when stomping around in a mobile suit. The markers even displayed the names of the identified operators. In very low visibility, the Regalia's head sensors would have been required, but the machine would have still been able to identify Brant, instantly.

Firmia waited a couple of minutes, giving herself time to think about some possible reasons why that mobile suit had launched, but only a couple seemed plausible. She wanted to radio the captain to see what was going on, but raising that kind of alarm would just hurt her credibility, later. It was primarily the captain's problem if something bad was happening anyway, but they were still allies ... and Firmia, her people, and all her assets were still on this ship. There was a razor thin line between being helpful and being a bother, though. Better to see if one of the crew knew what was going on, first. Better to ask Hannah specifically, since she had a direct line to the android. "Hannah, what's going on? Why did that Velite take off, earlier?"

Edited October 24, 2017 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

Intercepted! Issues at 11

Christina led Kim out of her room, but promptly stopped. There seemed to be a... A bit of a mess going on in the hall. The captain, Abby, the doctors-- even Juria was down the hall trying to talk to Astin. "What's..." She didn't really want to get involved with all of this, though the traffic must've seemed a bit ridiculous. Adding to it almost seemed too much, but they were through the hallway quickly, Christina shutting the door behind Kim.

"Phew... That... Was kinda tense. Heh... Uh. So, are there any songs you know, already? That might help get us started rather than having me toss anything at you." They could just play it a bit quieter through the TV. That was easy enough.

Jess heard another door open and close, but was a bit too focused on things to turn away. Abby slumping against her didn't make her worries lessen at all, either. "A... Alright..." By the time she'd managed to help Abby back up to standing, and let go of her, Cheryl and Megumi, the dark haired doctor looking them over curiously. "So... She didn't break up with you, did she cap--"

"Cheryl!" Jess snapped, taking the doctor off guard, making her flinch. She hadn't expected that from Jess of all people, and it made her rethink joking.

"Sorry, sorry... Just wondering what's going on. You... Aren't normally one to run down hallways at ex-criminals and provide them a shoulder to rest on..." It was a rather silly scene, and all the people going through the hall just made it seem sillier.

"I... It's not for me to explain." Jess looked at Abby, wondering how she was feeling. She couldn't imagine... Having her whole world torn away like that. And some people would probably say they deserved it for what they did. If Jess hadn't known Abby personally... She'd probably have thought the same. How disgusting that felt...

Hangar Mayham

"Huh? Oh, yeah, su... Hey, isn't that... Wh-What the heck!?" That was Makoto! Getting into the Phalanx! "Jess can wait! What's he doing?" Buck locked down the Cressida he was fiddling with out of paranoia at this point, running on over to the kid. He was too short to bang on the cockpit, but he could kick the leg, thanks steel toed work boots!

"Get outta there Makoto! I don't care how interesting the machines are, you're a civilian! Stop fooling around!" Ugh, what was this kid's deal?

While that mess went on, Hannah's attempt to feel Brant was interrupted by Firmia, asking why a Velite had taken off. Hannah didn't know which one, or who, or why... So she wasn't sure why Firmia was asking her. Perhaps because she was the quickest pilot to get in touch with, and she was hoping that other pilots would know what was happening. "I'm sorry Firmia, I don't know. Please excuse me, I was busy feeling Brant's body heat," she replied, closing her communicator for a moment.

Not picking up on how awkward that might have sounded, she continued, finishing his sentence with her own, "just be gentle, right?" Gentle she was, her hand nearly ice cold as it cupped his cheek, but after a few moments it warmed up... Doing her best to match his own body heat. "Your warmth is comforting. It will not be too taxing on my system to emulate such a temperature. Thank you." Back to the issue at hand...

Turning the comms back on, she started with, "my apologies. My hand was occupied. I will send the captain a message and ask for her response on what's happening." Quickly turning on a digital keyboard, her fingers hit the air as quickly as she could, sending Jess a concise, 'Captain, do you know why a Velite just took off?' Hopefully that would clear up Firmia's concerns.

Pause for Impact

Jess' wrist communicator dinged, taking a small step away from the other three. The email was pretty clear... And with another worry in mind, Jess quickly leafed through the virtual registry of machines... Tarquin's Velite. What? Why? Why was... All she replied back with was an 'I don't know'. That was followed by her turning to a wall and projecting her own keyboard onto it, awkwardly typing with one hand. 'To all pilots. Tarquin has taken off, without permission. Please suit up and be ready for arrival at Corona Ten. Thank you.' Ugh... It was one thing after another, wasn't it? "Sorry, uh... Someone took off without clearance. Just telling everyone to get ready to sortie just in case. You can't tell what is and what isn't trouble, these days..."

"And... Abby. If you... If you don't want to pilot, I understand. You don't have to, I... Things must be... I wish I knew what to say, but I don't. I'm so sorry..."

Edited October 24, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Sandalphon]

Nikolai's moment of self reflection was interrupted by a particularly unfortunate unexpected surprise. 

This is what you get idiot, this is what happens when you get self-involved . See what just happened? You lost sight of what was important, Nikolai, and now everything has gone tits up.

He clambered to his feet, his heart pounding in his ears as he tried to register the situation. No, discussing things with anyone else would simply take too much time. He grit his teeth as he sprinted down the corridor, his gait not unlike a dog that had somehow been taught to run on its hind legs but not how to do important things like maintain balance and look out for others. He couldn't be assed to give a shit about who or what got whacked by errant limbs as he ran faster than he ever had.

"YOU!" He shouted in a hoarse, breathless voice as he breached the hangar's entrance, desperately hoping someone would be there to hear him, "GIVE MECH. FAST. IF NOT, I STEAL."

[Dandragon]

Her communicator beeped once again, this time being an urgent message to all pilots from the Captain. They were probably being called to action, Elaine thought, as she viewed the details of the message. Slowly, her eyes widened, the drowsy daze fading as she read and reread the message multiple times. Tarquin had taken off on his own.

It was HIM. Whatever was left on her plate would have to wait. Elaine bolted down out of cafeteria, to the elevator, back to her room, got herself dressed in her pilot suit, then back to the elevator to go down to the hangar. All the while, her mind was racing. He was the mole. He was the one spying on everyone. On ME. No one paid any attention. No one ever paid any fucking attention to a god-damn 14-year-old boy serving as a fucking pilot in the military. No one but me! I'm not letting this little bastard get away with this. I'll bring him in. I'll tell Jess. I'll tell everyone everything that happened. I'll MAKE him confess! Then I'll finally be trusted on this god damn ship! FINALLY!

Edited October 25, 2017 by Dandragon

[Phoenix]

Jessica snapping was a rare enough occasion that Megumi was more intrigued by it than unnerved. If she wasn't willing to explain, then it was likely a personal matter regarding Abigail. Couple that with the apologies she was yelling as she tried to get into the woman's quarters and ... the most likely cause of the Captain's distress was some bad news that had filtered down to the ship, possibly about the colonies? They hadn't heard much on that front for a while. It could have had something to do with Abigail's fellow mercenaries, but how would they know what that bunch was up to? Megumi herself couldn't find anything on Nicholas and his people unless they showed up in the news or she just called the man up, directly. It might be good to ask Abigail herself, later on.

The Captain quickly changed the subject by explaining the messages she'd sent off, informing them that 'someone' had taken off without clearance. Megumi wasn't surprised in the slightest. She could easily see some on the team taking advantage of the morning haze to get off the ship, though the reasons varied. "I should go ahead and get dressed, then," the doctor said, pivoting and starting off back toward her room. Sleeping in was off the table.

Almost as soon as she'd turned around, Megumi's mind found the answer she'd only been lightly feeling around for ... "... it's Corona Ten, right? Right." She didn't stop walking, though.

---

There was a hint of urgency in Firmia's voice, but Hannah had fully committed herself, and begged the Alkaev's pardon before switching off and focusing on Brant, again. Oh boy, that was going to annoy the hell out of her. Brant would have suggested to speak to the Alkaev first, but things were moving too fast for him to get up the nerve. Hopefully Firmia wouldn't be too upset, and hopefully her question about the Velite's takeoff wouldn't amount to anything.

Hannah figured it out, alright, what Brant was saying when Firmia had interjected. It was just another joke, of course; Brant wasn't expecting the android to rough him up, accidentally or otherwise. What she wound up doing instead was quite interesting, though slightly startling at first due to her cold touch. "You're matching my temperature? Huh ..." Not exactly practical, but as long as Hannah had free access to power, the only risk seemed to be a shorter time limit between a halting episode and the android overheating.

Brant's alpha tool soon showed Jessica's response to Hannah's call, and it wasn't very encouraging. It wasn't like Tarquin to do ... well anything he wasn't authorized to. He ought to be easy enough to catch in a Velite, but depending on where he was going, things could get much more complicated. For now, Brant and Hannah had to get ready to sortie, and launch if the order actually came.

"Firmia, it's me," Brant opened up a channel to the Regalia, "the Captain just sent the order for us to go on standby. I need the Regalia."

...

"Alright, thanks."

Brant glanced back at Hannah, smiling apologetically. "At least it's not Apotheosis," he shrugged. Hopefully that much remained true.

---

Hannah didn't know what was going on? Firmia supposed there hadn't been a general alert, or even a launch notice made in the hangar. Still, how could someone just get in a suit and take off? The security on this ship was completely nonexistent, even by civilian standards! That would have made the Alkaev nervous if Hannah hadn't immediately shut down communications in order to 'feel Brant's body heat.' "Wait a minute!" ... too late.

"... my apologies," Hannah's voice came back, causing Firmia to grit her teeth. What was the big idea checking out to feel up Brant? Didn't this android have her priorities straight? Then again, if she was with this crew, her priorities were bound to be a little off. At least she'd only wasted a moment. It felt like an especially long moment on Firmia's end, though. Finally some reassurance came, as the android promised to speak with the captain about the unexpected launch. "Thank you," Firmia said, ending the transmission from her end, this time.

Being hooked up to the T-Link was starting to backfire, as stronger and stronger sensations were making their way toward the hangar. It looked like that Velite launch had indeed been unauthorized, at least higher up the chain of command.

"Firmia, it's me," Brant called her up in the cockpit, "The Captain just sent the order for us to go on standby. I need the Regalia."

The Alkaev had figured her maintenance time was just about up, anyway. "It'll be ready when you're suited up," Firmia replied. With that, she let Brant go and had a brief look around the cockpit.

She hadn't really made a mess, thankfully, but the general feel of the ship was getting worse, now. At least two sources of incredibly strong emotion were in the hangar, and getting closer. Firmia quickly and violently shut down the T-Link once she'd had enough. "Ugh! I HATE THAT!!!" ... venting, even if just briefly, seemed to help, and Firmia reached over for her clothes. She had to get herself decent again before exiting the Regalia, and she had to shut down anything not related to combat operation. Brant could handle the rest.

[Xinnidy]

Gremlin Alert

"Huh?" Ignatius had to hold that though, as Buck needed to deal with a sudden sneaky civilian. "Goodness, beat him up, Buck!" Ignatius rose a fist to egg Buck on, but was quickly startled as one other pilot had headed to the hangar with a mood foul as late ma Genevieve's on a foul day. "W-what the-- calm down!" He stepped back, looking at the short, threat-happy boy with a bit of scrutiny as he checked back between the units. "What's going on, we just had a suit leave-- Buck! Buck!!" That tiny Phalanx could wait... right?

So No!

Oh no, Makoto had caught Buck's attention, now. "W-wait! I'm just using the comms! A-also, I'm a cadet-in-training right now! Technically!" Makoto turned on the external mic, trying to gesture with the Phalanx, raising its hands to plead the younger boy to stop. He still needed a reply from Tarquin before he left, if he received a response at a--

'To all pilots. Tarquin has taken off, without permission. Please suit up and be ready for arrival at Corona Ten. Thank you.'

The message showed up on the Phalanx's main screen, lit up since Makoto had turned the unit on. It had paused his thinking process in a moment. That wasn't an authorized departure. Something... something just wasn't right... "B-Buck! You gotta deal with that!" He pointed out, trying to buy himself time. Oh what was he to do now? The friend that was teaching him stuff, the 14-year-old, had now ran away without permission, and what could that mean? It just... made no sense to Makoto. I need to catch up to him.

Makoto needed to get that thing moving, then, but... that meant going out with the Phalanx, frail as it was. I promised mother I'd take care... If they weren't fighting anyone, it'd be okay... right? No, he had to believe in the Phalanx, he'd be fine, he'd grab Tarquin and return safely. At least... I've gotta put a frame, can't go out without a weapon. Makoto pressed the settings for heavier armor, automatic arms quickly placing a heavier sheet and long-range weaponry over the 'naked' Phalanx. "Sorry Buck, I gotta go!" Stepping on the gas, he drove around the mechanic and made it towards the outer lift. "Let me up, let me up!" If Tarquin could do it, so could he!

[Juliette]

Juria walked through the door when requested, waving cheerfully to Astin. "Practicing robot was good yesterday, and for today morning, too. Six hours, three each day. Juria always struggle know what look for before, but now understand better... promise to not get thoughts lost in fight anymore! No more just press few buttons. Whatever Astin needing help with, can rely on Juria for much more now- helper, not passenger, in robot."

Very quickly after her piloting update, there was a beep with a message from Jess about piloting standby. How convenient? "Ah, strange timing... that what Jess captain was confuse for before? Well, will be getting ready to go with you, Astin friend. If they need us, you see how much Juria improve so fast!"

[Balcerzak]

There hadn't been any words of thanks from the pair in the cafeteria, but that wasn't wholly unexpected given they had seemed half-asleep still, so rather than be offended, Thorvald just chuckled slightly to himself. He stopped when he caught sight of Tarquin walking by, a slightly strange cast to his expression. It wasn't quite melancholy, more... nostalgia maybe? The older pilot found himself somehow reminded of the series of evasive moments that had cropped up in his chat with the lad a couple nights back. There was something the boy had been hiding, some personal circumstances, and this slight detour to the Coronas was his idea. If only he wasn't such a recluse and could just find it in himself to say directly that he needed help. Well, hmm, maybe he was also reading the situation wrong. Couldn't hurt to follow along and see, now could it?

Having paused several moments for deliberation had put him an elevator's ride behind Tarquin, but honestly that was probably for the better. Either way, Thorvald had nothing else pressing to do, so when the destination had turned out to be the hangar, he figured he'd just roll in some other business afterwards, have a chat with Avery about whether the 'medicine' had helped, perhaps, or maybe see if Buck and the others had finished tweaking his loadout like he'd asked for. It wouldn't be a wasted trip either way, is basically what it amounted to.

When the elevator tube had opened to reveal the flare of thrusters taking off, then, it was quite the surprise. The young pilot had apparently been in quite the hurry, and had made quick work. A frown quickly spreading across his face, Thorvald found himself sighing. Kids these days, always thinking they could do it all on their own. Well, in Tarquin's case, he certainly was capable, perhaps it was possible. Still, he decided he'd at least tag along behind, watch from the shadows and make sure nothing bad would happen. Not to his pilots, not on his watch.

He'd changed into his suit in near record time, but still, when he'd popped back into the main hangar, it was in a bit of an uproar. Jess had sent out a message yes, and apparently a pair of other interested pilots had shown up, causing some consternation from the mechanics who, having already let one unauthorized departure slip, were now loathe to do so again. Buck was over banging on the Phalanx model, so he stepped up to an older gentleman standing by himself looking aghast as Nikolai demanding to be given a craft. Pumping his hand, he introduced himself. "Thorvald Eriksson, squad leader. I'll take full responsibility, but we're gonna need to improvise and make this a full scouting unit. Can't let that kid do something reckless without backup. I'll be taking my Legionary as always, and with that Phalanx and Nikolai's usual we should be good. If anybody else tries to launch, please make sure to draw the line there, though. Keep the rest on lockdown without either word from the captain, or a message back from me."

He wasn't sure just who was in the tiny trooper or what their connection with Tarquin was, but he could handle that later. While waiting for any possible objections from the old-timer mechanic, he quickly fired off a pair of messages on his communicator. The first to Jess, Don't worry, Papa Bear will take good care of these meddling kids (and Scoobert), quickly followed by another to Brant, I'm heading out after Tarquin with a couple craft, going to make it into a solid scout squad. You're in charge of the rest.

Thorvald looked back up across the hangar, a confident, serious expression on his face.

Edited October 25, 2017 by Balcerzak