Imminent Dawn: Callisto

[MRDRHAWK]

Scylla was scrambling after the announcement, her past paranoia - and nerves that came from it - quelled even further by her chance encounter with a lovely engineer. She shrugged on her military uniform and rushed off, a lavender-haired blur eager to make up for past mistakes.

Only thing is, she was still in a goddamn panic, as evidenced by the loud expletives she could be heard screeching out as she ran through the ship, her pilot suit flapping behind her like a flag as she kept it slung over her shoulder.

[TheRoon]

Leon spent some time laid back in his bed in his room, he stared up at an old unloaded revolver in his hand as he pondered to himself. ...Virion, huh? This really is a cruel joke. He put a thumb on the cylinder and spun it. I wanna volunteer, can't let Kazue handle it alone but...I really wonder if a tiger can change it's stripes. Before Leon could dive too deep into his potential depression, an announcement had been sent throughout the ship. Unknowns ahead, a familiar order. "...hm." Despite the situation, the red haired man took a little more time to collect himself. He jumped from his bed right back on his feet and spun the revolve by the trigger guard. "Welp, time to get to work. S'only thing I'm good at." He put the revolver away in a box and suited up. He opened the door and stepped out into the hall with his game face on to keep up appearances.

[Nanami Touko]

The blankets on Miz's bed squirmed as she kicked her legs a bunch, the little heart at the end of Markus' message sending her into a bit of a tizzy. "Ah, geez! I'm way too old to be feeling this giddy... Hahhh..."

[exactly]
[so stay safe!]

She didn't have the heart to send more, too flushed and swamped by the sudden wash of emotions. "Okay!" She sat up in bed suddenly, nodding. "I gotta... Learn how to cook, or something. I don't think I can do anything else here, other than look pretty and talk, so I'll... Uh... Bother the cafeteria...? How exactly am I meant to learn how to cook on this ship?"

---

Viv idly spun in her chair as Markus responded. She sent him a thumbs up back, before realizing she'd missed someone. Leon was pulled up, her fingers already shooting towards mean jabs.

[heyyyyy sus fucker]
[you turn on anyone in combat and i'll spread ur secrets ALL over the ship]
[prepare for your short leash...]

[Ursali]

"What the hell could be happening all the way out here in the boonies?" Daeran grumbled to himself as he slipped out of bed and into his pilot suit, uniform over top of it. He'd been trying to power nap before they reached the capital; sleep hadn't found the young man well the past couple of days. He'd lost about half of it to, in the end, pointless thought experiments trying to figure out what could be causing the Callistrans to rebel, as well as what his homecoming would symbolize with him a pilot on CEN's newest battleship. He'd begun to doubt if he truly had a place on the ship, was as deserving as the other pilots, and if his inclusion was more politics than anything else; however, he didn't let that stop him from hopping in the simulations with Kazue everyday, or spending his time in the public spaces of the Dawn. He refused to let the mask crack, hoping that Iskra and Esther weren't interested in his thoughts or that the others were just as nervous as he was and it wasn't anything unusual.

A heavy sigh left him as he hurried to the hangar, blinking the tiredness from his eyes. Hopefully the XO was just prone to being cautious and there weren't really unknowns this far out. All that was out here were warehouses and corporate settlements, hardly the place to stage a rebellion. Though, who was he to say? It'd been years since he'd had more than small talk and casual conversation with his father, he truly had no idea about the politics or development of Callisto, partially out of choice, until he'd been placed on this mission. He'd be hot news for the gossipmongers all the same, he could picture the headlines: 'Staunton's Son Brings Peace Where The Bull Cannot', or 'The Prodigal Son Returns: "Millitary Life Ain't For Me"'. He'd deal with that later, for now all that mattered was getting to the hangar.

[scorri]

Iskra had been laying on her bed, half asleep with a book dangling from her hand when the announcement went out. She shot upright, book fully falling out of her hand as she did, landing without care for the last page she had been on. She sighed, before turning back to the task at hand. She quickly got into her pilot suit, tossing her jacket on over top of it. The suit made her uncomfortable, but it was what she needed to wear. As she was getting ready to leave the room, she got a notification, a message from Miz. She smiled slightly, and then quickly replied.

[Thanks. I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Watch a movie or something to help distract you.]

Turning back to the door, she took a deep breath. This was it, she was going to have to find out if she could actually manage in a real battle or not. Training was one thing, this was going to be different. She exited her room, and then dashed off, headed towards the the hangar.

[Xinnidy]

"Hmm..." Having his break interrupted by the announcement, Bonner took a moment of introspection, as the mind was so wont to worry about the worst case scenarios. "Danger on arrival. We'll need the HEXes for certain. Haah..." It was time to get back to what he did best. Bonner kept his pilot suit separate, ready, in his room, to switch to it at a moment's notice --it was good practice, and his job, after all.

---

After being used to a couple days of lazing and console gaming in between piloting practice, Esther sprang from her bed at the announcement. "Oh fuck." They hadn't even arrived at their destination, a fact that alarmed her by the need of the situation. It was motivation enough to start dressing that dreaded pilot suit.

In the time it took to ready herself, Esther picked her comm to a specific person's message... inflamatory as she expected.

[i guess ill just live then]
[thanks!]
[ill kick ur ass again later]

Snickering to herself, she walked towards the hangar. It was a nice distraction to ease her mood.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

Markus was fine, then. She hoped he'd gotten better, at least... A movie. "Hmmm..."

[I'll put on one of the old Gundam movies then, like trailblazer, it's pretty brainless and the music is good, good distraction, good idea, thanks]

Then came Esther... Leaving Vivien smirking.

[better not miss prodigy newtype]
[good luck finding my ass to kick it btw you don't even know where i am]
[and i can see ur fine ass whenever i waaaaaant]
[bye, enjoy getting shot at xd]

"Hmph~ She's kinda fun... I guess."

[mcd900]

Alrenne thought it over for half a moment, then shook his head. "No - maintain our current speed, Lieutenant. We can't afford to risk the time and resources for repair, if the situation here has already broken down. We'll reach whatever's occurring soon enough, and we can evaluate our next move from there."

He turned, snapping a quick salute to Sia as she stepped onto the bridge. "Captain. We're about half an hour from the capital, but Radar has picked up interference indicating signs of active combat up ahead; medium-range comms are blocked as well. We should pick up whatever's happening on visual sensors soon; I've ordered our pilots to stand by in their machines, in case we need to intervene in whatever conflict is ahead of us." The corners of his lips turned downwards in a slight frown, pensive. "I wasn't anticipating to see something like this so soon. If Avyndor is needing to take measures like this..." Or perhaps doing it on their own initiative...

The rest of the bridge, for their part, was coming alive with activity. Reed brushed her hair out of her face, hands nimbly flicking switches on her console as she coordinated the ship's crew. To her side, Kiria was a coiled spring; her hands gripped the sides of her seat tight, staring at the fuzz on her radar screen, nervously mumbling something incoherent about 'actual combat oh no'.

Alrenne gazed out the front viewport of the bridge, watching the terrain rush by underneath. It wouldn't be long before the combat shutters closed on them; now was the last chance he was going to get for a bit.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by mcd900

[TheRoon]

Miss Zero-One had left him something along the lines of blackmail in their PM. Part of Leon just wanted to leave it alone, but the cute message actually got a chuckle out of him.

[One minute you tell me not to die, the other you're tryin' to blackmail me. Has anyone ever told you you're cute sometimes?]

[:P]

[You won't hear back from me for a while, gotta make sure my squad doesn't bite the bullet. Keep yourself safe now, y'hear?]

He ended it there, but he wasn't done with texts. He scrolled down to a familiar martial artist and opened that conversation.

[Kazue, it's Leon. I know you said you won't take lives, and I respect that. Just know that as your teammate I'm not going to let you die out there no matter what, I hope you can understand. I've got your back.]

He wanted to tell her in person, but he could sense they may not have time for that. So a message will have to do for now. Party time. He was determined to keep his word no matter what happens out there. With his business done he put his phone away and rushed off to get into action.

Edited September 12, 2023 by TheRoon

[Xinnidy]

A notification hit Esther's comm as she was running across the hangar, dressed in her pilot suit and hoping to reach her machine quickly. "Hmm?" With a brief stop, she pulled her comm, expecting further commands from the Captain or XO... and met with frivolous replies from Vivien. "Mm--Huh?! Oh, damn it." She'd eased up and read the replies, expecting some levity before entering her machine. Instead, she was struck by a line that reminded her of Viv's previous antics.

[i dont miss]
[just need a machine that can follow my movement]
[i bumped into u once i can find you again if i ask]
[but stop staring oml]

"Haaah..." It was enough teasing to make her want to focus on performing well this time, a thought she carried with her as she took a lift to her machine's cockpit. "Hope that new loadout works..." She can't stare at me in my room or in the cockpit, right...?

[mcd900]

In but a few minutes, the source of the disturbance came into view both on the bridge and the viewscreens throughout the ship. The quiet thump of faraway weaponry, and a dim haze of reddish dust kicked up by HEXes as they crossed the horizon. In the distance, old-model Lancers emblazoned red with AHI logos followed in a loose line, firing wildly as they ran. Now and then, the industrial HEXes turned to snap a shot aimlessly with a sidearm, not appearing to even faze their pursuers; it was clear enough that there was little chance of getting away.

Those things aren't even made for combat. What are they even trying to do with those...? Alrenne pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sharp sigh.

"Captain, we have unidentifieds ahead. They appear to be retreating from Avyndor security forces - I believe we should intervene, or at least deploy to defend ourselves. I don't like the look of this."

Player Phase 1

"What the hell, Lyle?! I told you we should've followed Hall, she knows the outlands better than any of us! I bet the guys who went with her are almost-- w-what--?"

"I told you hitting the warehouse was a mistake! Ugh, now you shut up. At least now I can think about how we're gonna get out--! ...Kim? Kim, is that a battleship?!"

"T-They're not here for US, are they? Uhh, uhh, crap. There, there, over there, there's an opening in the cliff wall, hurry UP, Lyle!"

Battle Mastery (Only 1 out of 2 objectives is required - completing 2 will not give additional rewards):

1. At least 5 neutral units survive.

2. ???

Edited September 21, 2023 by mcd900

[Nanami Touko]

"Ugh, this guy... I swear."

[Gross]

[Go crash]

Vivien tossed her communicator onto the bed and flopped.

---

Kazue got herself situated in her cockpit, before realizing someone had sent her a message. "Leon..." She paused a moment to consider his words, slowly typing a response back.

[Thank you. I will do my best to keep people safe without self sacrificing... I am sure that if I can push myself hard enough, I can succeed in both of these endeavors; staying alive and not killing anyone. I realize this is selfish, but... I just have to become the best version of myself to succeed.]

With that said, she strapped herself in and locked her HEX into the launch runway...

Kazue rocketed out of the battleship and immediately took point, but this time, didn't rush completely ahead. Her simulations with Daeran had taught her plenty. "Lieutenant Vhane, I am identifying unlabelled work machines and... Avyndor Heavy Industries on the tanks and HEX models...? Lancer models, I, er..." Kazue patched into the bridge, confused. "Captain, XO, my apologies; which side are we assisting? The Lancers are firing on the worker models, to be sure, but are we not meant to be conducting peace with Callisto? Do we assist the AHI machines in what they are firing at, or attempt to stop them from firing?" She took point ahead in one of the nearby craters either way, hoping to receive more clear orders.

Kazue to 21,9

"Well, isn't this a shit show already? An unmarked group getting fired upon by the very people we're meant to be making peace with~ How lovely." Louise held back a groan, driving her HEX forward and opening frequency to both groups ahead. "This is Lieutenant Junior Grade Louise Park of the Council of Earth Nations Celestial Navy; identify yourselves at once or we will be forced to take effective measures!" She attempted to scan a small group her cameras had picked up past a plateau, but as she drove forward, they moved behind it. "Tch... Visual ranges."

Louise to 16,9

Edited September 21, 2023 by Nanami Touko

[GoldsbroTSG]

Markus had to breath a bit. This was his first time in a real fight, and the first time he'd been in a real HEX since the academy. It was... almost alien. He was more accustomed to fighters; things he'd flown confidently and a lot more than mecha.

"Alright Markus... You promised to be safe. Gotta come back and see Miz with a smile. Breathe in, breath out..."

The blonde assessed his weaponry, all his systems. All green.

Kazue and Louise were quick on the draw trying to ascertain who they were supposed to fight. Markus carefully advanced, waiting on the Captain's decision.

Markus to 15,10

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Sia clicked her tongue as Alrenne rattled off the words she wanted to hear the least in this moment, 'Active Combat.' "Excellent call, XO. If we're flying right into harm's way, it's best to be ready. Yet, so close to the city... Something about this is not pleasant." Rebels, infighting? Both are possible, and neither are appealing... The only way to know for sure to move in. "Everyone, please be on high alert. If combat is ahead, and we are drawn into it, we will act in accordance with our mission. Every single one of us needs to be ready. Look at the person next to you, and then behind you. They will be counting on your assistance, and giving you theirs; don't let them down." 

As they arrived on scene, the course of the conflict was clear, and one sided; worker machines flying no distinguishing remarks were fleeing the thunderous fire from the Avyndor Security forces. Kazue moved ahead and asked her for orders--which side they were to assist in this conflict. "...We assist the unaffiliated escaping forces. Those are worker machines, and hardly equipped for combat, but at a glance, those Avyndor machines are not loaded for suppression, they're loaded for genuine combat." Sia turned to her communications officer, "Patch us through to those you can." Sia took a deep breath as she waited a moment, weighing her words. Remember Selensia, when you are a commander, the first thing you must understand is that you don't know, and can't know everything. You are but the base of a spearhead, without you the operation falls apart, but it is spearhead that you are part of that drives the mission forward. You have to give commands knowing that there is a risk of not knowing what comes next. A good commander both makes accurate, quick decisions with limited information, and knows how to adjust when the situation changes. You are excellent at both of those things, which is why I gave you that recommendation. You just need to follow through. 

"This is Captain Selensia Silverwind of the CEN Celestial Navy. I am requesting an immediate end to hostilities, and an explanation as to the conflict. We have been sent to investigate what is occurring here on Callisto as a peacekeeping force. I am unaware as to what is happening at the moment, but I can see that even in the case of Avyndor taking security measures, that current actions are excessive in nature. If necessary, we'll mediate the situation, but I first must speak with whoever is leading your forces." 

The Dawn moves to 19, 8! 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds

[MRDRHAWK]

Avyndor… well, Scylla had a nasty gut feeling that this was going to be a right old mess. Still, she had to calm down… for her comrades, for herself, and because she made a damn promise to not kick her own ass over things again.

”Alright, come on. These punks ain’t shit for nothin’.” She muttered to herself as she moved forwards, standing firm alongside Louise and Markus. “Oi, Marky Mark! I got your back again.”

Scylla to (14,9)

[TheRoon]

When the red haired man got in his HEX he had one last look at his messages. Viv's message got a chuckle out of him, whereas Kazue made him feel a little better about her choice. "She's technically a civ, but if there's any civ I trust out there it's gotta be her." He still resolved to look out for her. When the whole unit dropped onto the field Leon noticed worker machines doing their best to run from a desperate looking situation. Lancers with AHI markings upon them, firing without caution toward the fleeing machines, Leon had no idea how the situation went down of course, but he knew that this match was one sided as hell. "I'm willing to bet the people in those worker machines aren't even battle hardened, we sure got our work cut out for us." He revved up the engine. "Stay on your toes guys!" Off he went!

Leon moves 18, 9

[scorri]

Iskra silently followed the others as they pushed forward, the whole situation leaving a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something didn't feel right about all of this. Hopefully they would get some sort of response from the forces out there that would clarify everything.

Iskra to 17-10

[Xinnidy]

"Ah... now that's a sight." With the hint of emotions drained from his face, Bonner led his HEX forward, trying to take as close to a point position as he could still  The captain gave her terms, let's see how they react, then.

"Civilian models, if you agree to the ceasefire, disengage and retreat." Surely they'd understand the compromising position they were in.

Bonner to (15,9).

---

Esther was raring to go, seeing the conflict as an opportunity. "That's a lot of units." Whistling, she counted the amount of military units on Visuals. I don't think they'll just retreat because we're saying so... the enmity is a bit overbearing. Trying to make sense of these feelings, Esther trained her weapon on the closest targets, ready to provide backup if necessary.

Esther to (18,8).

Edited September 22, 2023 by Xinnidy

[Ursali]

Daeran let out of sigh of relief as Kazue's charge stopped short, though that was only one of the worries weighing on his mind. "Hold position Ensign Fujiwaru. Wait for the Captain's orders." He matched her position, visuals flicking between the independents and the AHI forces. If these were the rebels then they didn't stand a snowflake's chance in hell against AHI, or the Dawn. However, something rubbed him the wrong way about the force being displayed against worker HEXes. HEX based crime was usually handled by actual human pilots so either AHI had called in a large number of pilots for a miniscule force or something else was up...

Daeran to 19, 9.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Ursali

[mcd900]

Reed sat calmly at her comms station, broadcasting the Captain's terms on an open frequency, awaiting a response; Alrenne's brow furrowed after a short moment. "Officer Reed. There's no response?"

The edges of her mouth curled down in a frown as she flicked through frequencies; most were little more than static, but after some searching, a cold, staccato voice finally crackled over the speakers.

"--IS MESSAGE. WILL REPEAT. AVYNDOR HEAVY INDUSTRIES. AUTONOMOUS SECURITY OPERATION. IN-PROGRESS. ALL NON-COMBATANTS. ARE. ADVISED TO EXIT. THE AREA. THIS MESSAGE. WILL REPEAT. AVYNDOR HEAVY--"

The XO sighed, crossing his arms. No other way through, it seemed. The Captain's intent had certainly been a noble one, but the likelihood of negotiation had tanked rather quickly; especially given long-range communications were blocked with the interference of HEX reactors - there was no way to get the autonomous units called off like this.

WO Reed turned towards the head of the bridge, a bit sheepish. "...well, it's as you heard, ma'am."

Enemy Phase 1

Meanwhile, the sound - and sight - of gunfire echoed through the valley between the moon's cliffs.

"A-Ahhh! Whatever, who cares about the battleship, go FASTER, they're catching up!"

"What do you THINK I'm doing?!"

Lancer 1 and 2 open up with their autorifles! REM 3 and REM 4 guard themselves, weathering the damage. REM 3 takes 5 damage, REM 4 takes 6!

Tank 1 rolls forward on its treads, parking itself squarely in front of REM 2, machine gun drilling holes in the mining HEX! REM 2 takes 6 damage!

Player Phase 2

Edited September 23, 2023 by mcd900

[Nanami Touko]

Waiting for the captain's orders was good and all, but whoever was piloting these AHI machines wasn't stopping, opening fire on the retreating work machines... "Rrrhh...!" Kazue couldn't help herself, engaging her machine's thrusters! "It does not matter who is fighting who-- these AHI machines are going to kill people that clearly cannot fight back! This is not a battle, this is a slaughter!" She engaged forward thrust, flying towards one of the tanks without waiting for further orders... "My apologies, but I cannot sit and watch!" She pulled the hefty blade out of its sheath, swinging to disable both treads and cannon alike!

Kazue to 20,15, Heavy Metal Sword into Tank #4!

She flipped her loudspeakers on, "worker machines, run! We shall hold off these forces! Focus on defending yourselves and staying safe!"

"Dammit, Ensign! Ugh--" Louise switched her hailing to the bridge, having gotten no response from her call. "Captain! The Ensign has engaged; are we fighting the AHI machines or assisting in their cleaning up of these unmarked models!? If we act now and she was out of line, we can attempt to write it off as a targeting malfunction, but we have to know, now!"

Edited September 24, 2023 by Nanami Touko

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Sia's request went unanswered for a long time; long enough that by the time that Reed found the frequency, she'd already begun thinking of what to do in the worst case scenario. Autonomous units weren't uncommon, and especially not for Avyndor and their wealth, but this number of units as well as their armaments... Her mind was already made up, but it certainly raised questions as to what was really going on right now. In an uncertain situation, certain actions were to be taken, and the protection of life rose above all else. 

In an instant, it seemed like Kazue agreed, electing not to wait for orders, and moving in to disable the attackers, "All forces! My call has not changed! Protect the escaping worker units! AHI machines are autonomously controlled, and we can't expect our requests for a ceasefire to be met at this point. That means our only way of understanding what's happening here is if those machines are kept intact. If it's a mistake in the end, it's one that we'll rectify at a future point; lives are at stake in the moment. Advance and provide cover!" 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Nanami Touko]

"Orders acknowledged!" If the AHI machines were being AI controlled, that made things much easier; it was AHI's fault if their toys got out of control! "Let's make sure this lines up just right then...~"

Louise casts Snipe!
Fire on AHI Tank #1 with her Experimental Laser Rifle!
Hit & Away to 14,12!

Edited September 24, 2023 by Nanami Touko

[GoldsbroTSG]

"So it's a fight. Got it. Moving to engage the AHI machines."

Markus focused onto the battlefield. There were civilians in danger. "Not in a good position. Gotta get closer..."

Markus to 16,15

[MRDRHAWK]

Lo and behold, things did, in fact, go to shit. At least Scylla didn’t have to deal with the AHI machines being manned, which was a bit of a concern for her. “Moving to engage! Marky Mark, don’t go firing behind ya, it’s just me.”

Scylla moved forward, staying behind Markus as she did. Hey, she had to at least try and be able to keep the guy upright.

Scylla to (15,14)