Mercenary on the Winds Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Sia flinched slightly as Louise's arms suddenly wrapped around her. The surprise was evident, but Sia didn't move at all. Taking in all of those positive feelings before Louise herself let go, reseting the situation. Sia looked over at Louise, a tired smile on her face, "I know... and I really do have to do a better job of remembering that. It's just... a little difficult. Have a lot to prove, what with being the youngest captain ever, and with my frailty... So, it's... very easy for me to want to do more than I really should be doing." Sia sighed, "Alright, you win... I'll try to take a nap or something when I get back, and see if that helps with things." Louise walked past her, but then Sia returned the hug, right before Louise could get into the driver's seat. Mother always said that a hug was one of the most powerful recharging tools in a person's arsenal. It was a quick squeeze, Sia letting go almost as quickly as the hug began, "Alright... let's head back to the ship. Thank you Louise, I feel a bit better about the whole situation... Let's see how long that lasts when we get back and underway..." Sia rounded the car, and got herself into the passenger seat. Sia spared Louise another glance before getting herself comfortable, and shutting her eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Doctor's Appointment It might still be too early to tell if things were actually going well, but at least Dante was going to get onto that CEN warship. He doubted he would get to see much more than the infirmary if he didn't come up with some excuse, but he couldn't be too ambitious here. This was already about as dicey as breaking into a police station, but at least he still had his cover, and a few legitimate avenues of inquiry to pursue. "Before we actually get there, I assume a ship like that is run fairly tight. Is there anything they're going to need to know about me before letting a civilian through? Anything I'll have to sign?" He had half a mind to ask about any copay or other random thing that might come up in a regular doctor-patient scenario, but he was half serious about this. After all, he had a number of lies to keep straight. The fewer curveballs he had to deal with, the easier it would be to maintain his fake identity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Gean smirked as Sen began to talks business with this Norm. She didn't know whether to roll her eyes at his rather lack of keeping up appearances, or roll them at how he was falling into Sen’s trap, a trap Gean was asked to play along with. Gean ran a hand through her hair and looked upwards. "Yeah, boss man was not happy the last time we went looking for parts, so any discounts would be lovely." Oh she's giving him direct contact. Strong play. "If it's been sitting in a place like this after a project like you mentioned, I'm sure you'd be glad to have it off your hands right?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 "Huh? Oh." Markus gave a small laugh, scratching his head. "I mean, I guess you needed help, and you wanted to win, so I... kicked it into gear, I guess. I like to... well, not necessarily hold back, but like, when playing a game, I think having fun is the most important. Sometimes, something is a little..." He pondered a moment to muster a thought about it. "...too easy, I suppose? So I kinda, tone down the skill a bit. It makes for a more fun experience, for me at least. There's a Zelda game, old one, that's super easy to break, and make really easy, but I'd rather play a way that's more fun for me?" The blond gave another nervous laugh. "I can keep playing like I just did if you want. I just don't want you to think I'm carrying you through the whole campaign." He smiled with a playful bump to the shoulder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 "Er, y... yes." Louise had nearly frozen when Sia hugged her, still not used to the woman's sudden softness against her, but more disarming was the reciprocation of the act... Louise had to pause once she sat in the transport, staring out at nothing, finally starting the engine. "Sia..." She spared the half asleep captain a glance and muttered her name, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. No matter what, I will do everything I can for you. No matter how difficult this all becomes... Even if I have to stare down that monstrous woman on foot. I'll do it... "First thing's first, let's get us back." She'd calmed herself down enough to manage driving, focused on the next step. "We get back, you get some rest, and I start diving through what we have access to..." Louise was repeating the instructions to herself quietly, pulling the transport out of the embassy's parking lot and down Remansburg's roads... "Uh." Kazue wasn't actually sure... She didn't know the Dawn's policies about allowing civilians on board, but... "I am sure that, as long as you are with me and do not wander off, it should be fine. I am registered as an Ensign aboard the ship. I can supervise your being there." She was confident about that much, but... "I will ask the Doctor and the Captain if there is anything you need to sign when you come on board. I think that will be alright, though, unless you have reason to stay, I do not believe I will inconvenience you for long... If I knew any of them, I would bring you to a Doctor here in Remansburg, but, alas... I am only familiar with Earth." Hopefully this all would do. Whether or not he was that harmed or injured, their practice conflict had come about by her own indecision to act. She owed him this much. "Wooooowwww... What a gentleman. I think you should play the rest of this as best as you can. How's that sound?" Miz didn't holster the toy gun, but she was ready for things to get much, much more easy. "Don't you think seeing the ending would be worth it? And there's no way that I'm gonna be able to manage that on my own, or really help you to achieve it. I'll still shoot the funny zombies, but... Maybe, flex a little, and see where we get~?" She smiled and aimed her gun at the screen again, the cutscene starting to end. "Whacha say, Markus?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Luckily, Selumine had managed to stay upright, and seemed to be enjoying herself properly by the end of the second song. As things came to a close on the Japanese ballad, Catrin struck a bit of a goofy pose, before turning towards Selu and nearly flopping into the girl with a hug, pressing her into the support bar of the DDR machine. Nuzzling into Selu's neck playfully, Catrin gave her date a squeeze, letting her tail swish behind her absentmindedly. "Aye love, didja 'ave fun then? Didn't fall over or nothin' like y'were worried about, though Oi hope you weren't too concerned with that t'enjoy yerself." Catrin asked, leaning into Selu, casually placing her own hands on the back bar and bracing so the duo wouldn't tumble and flip over the damn thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 Long-awaited customers these two might've been, it was starting to look like a matter of payment, and there was that whole thing about how he wasn't exactly the kind of guy to start just giving things away for free. "Err, well, yeah... I, ah, s'pose..." The tunnel vision was starting to set in, real quick like. "Well, if you can't, uh, pay too much for it... I guess I can let it go at a decent price for you, since you're... such good customers, an' all..." He glanced over at Gean, who was selling the story just about as hard as Sen was. "Tight, uh, tight grip on the purse, right, right, okay. Yep. Discount parts, discount parts. Well. Well!" His hand was drawing, nearer, nearer. "Well, well, well. So, I mean, maybe it's been there quite a while, and maybe, uhh... alright, well, yep, I don't got any other customers lined up or nothin, so... hell." It wasn't fair! Not-at-all. No sir. "I s'pose whoever you two ladies might be, you might have a little something I can find a seller for... so, I tell you what I can do. You go ahead and don't tell me who you are, just, uh... I'll put that ol' prism up in a box truck, and you two go ahead and take it, and just fill it up with... whatever parts or something and send it on back to me. That's... yep. That's what I can do for ya." As the pilot took her headphones off, music echoing through the ship's hall, she took his hand, taking to her feet. "Ah... Iskra, alright. Sorry about that, I must have forgotten..." One of the pilots, huh... Noted. "Nervous...?" The feeling deepened, tinged with confusion for a moment, but faded; clarity replaced it. Ah... she must be a Newtype...? I saw that there were a couple on the ship's records... "O-Oh. Well, alright... thanks. I appreciate that, y'know... Not sure if they just leave me here if I get fired and all, haha." His name. Well, that was easy enough. When he'd done his initial system cracking and made a little extra billet for a janitor, he'd put his own name down on the docket - kept things simple, and while he may have been a little adept at getting information - well, he didn't quite have the makings of an undercover agent, by his own measure. Why a janitor - well, there were quite a few options, in truth, but this was probably the one that got you the least second glances. He shuffled the cap on his head slightly, tugging it by the brim. "You can call me Sei. No real mystery in what I do, huh?" He flashed a sheepish smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 "Alright, I'll keep it up then." Markus gave a small thumbs up, as they prepared for the game to start up again. "We'll see that ending, without a doubt." He prepared his guntroller, and got into a battle-ready stance. He was in full serious mode now, he was gonna make sure he and Miz both got to the end of the game. He swiped a bit of hair from his face, and the stage started. Almost immediately Markus showed his ability with a gun. Enemies felled left and right. He tried to not hog everything, but Markus seemed nearly unstoppable when zoned in. More silly, yet creepy monsters and goofy voice acting later, and they were atop a skyscraper. It was the final boss; the Emperor. "Alright," He rolled his shoulders. Once the 'Hold Your Fire' message left, the blonde was back on his firing streak. Really, the fight to Markus was put under an surprising amount pressure. It's attacks needed to be blocked if they were to get hits in. Even then, the chance to hit back were few and far between. But eventually, the monster was taken down. The final cutscene started, and Markus let out an exasperated sigh. "Hell yeah, I don't think I've game'd that hard before." He finally turned back to Miz, with a small nudge. "Good job. That was fun." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 Sen chuckled, releasing the man's hand only to give him a sudden hug. "Oh, thank you~ You have no idea how much you've saved us. I'm sure that we'll be able to find something interesting to send back to you after the favor that you've done. I can't believe how lucky we were to run into you! We'll borrow the truck and send it back with no problems, promise~" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before flouncing back to Gean. "So, do you want to drive the truck or drive the car? Either way I'll call ahead and ask them to get some delightful treats ready for our new friend here so that he doesn't feel like he's lost out either~" She grinned up at the other woman, enjoying how fun and easy this had all ended up. "It's wonderful that we'll be able to finally finish the project. The boss will be so happy!" "A-ah, err, yes, sorry... I can't. I'm a Newtype, th-though I think you may have realized. I can't really, uhm, turn it off. But I can't believe you'll be fired for anything like this! The ship has seemed clean to me. So, you've, uhm, been doing a good job. Sei." That was a nice name, easy to remember. The man seemed nice enough, she couldn't believe that she had just run into him like that. Her blush was starting up again and she shook her head. "I don't want to, mm, hold you up though, if you have a job to do. Not after I ran into you..." She smiled hesitantly, hoping that it didn't seem like she was running away. She was, a little bit, but that wasn't the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Gean chuckled at how thoroughly ensnared Sen had this man. He was practically melting in her hands, and to double down, once he agreed to their deal, she sealed his cooperation with a kiss. Gean almost felt bad for him, but seeing the engineer so happy... and so lively, had Gean distracted herself. Noted. "Yeah we lucked out big time. "I can take the car, big trucks were never my thing." Gean then leaned forward, whispering into Sen's ear, "Though if we needed to send things back, we might have to schedule for drinks later. I was looking forward to that part~" Gean then looked back to Norm reaching out a hand to shake and wink of the eye, "Thanks man, you're a lifesaver. I can help load it into the truck if you can show me the way." Gean quickly flexed an arm as proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted July 7 Author Share Posted July 7 Norbert blinked, nodding as Sen said - something - to him in the middle of the hug, the brief kiss leaving him stunned as she bounced energetically back towards Gean, who came back to give him a handshake, which he returned in a daze. "Ehh, yeah, the, uh... thing. Right. Yeah, it's kinda big, it's, uh... it's in that building. If you could go clear some of the stuff out of the way, I'll... go find a forklift or something. Yeah. Ayup. Just a minute." He went off in search of equipment, his gait halfway between stumbling over himself and actually walking. "Oh. Yeah, I was thinking maybe you were something like that, and uh... yeah, thanks. There's a whole lot of ship and only one of me... well, not that I'm the only guy doing this job, but there's not that many of us and all." He paused for a moment, noticing her blush. Quite shy, huh. I guess Newtypes wouldn't be any less susceptible to feelings, after all... "Ah, sure, yeah. I should get back to it; I wouldn't want to keep you, either - I'm sure a pilot like you has a whole bunch of stuff she needs to get to." He gestured vaguely around. "Just, ah... watch out; floor's still a bit wet and all." JULY 11TH, 2174 08:22 CEN Battleship Imminent Dawn, Outskirts of CEN Callisto Research Facility Kiria was practically glued to her radar screen as she searched for any signs of activity; the rest of the bridge was no less vigilant. Toki had told them plenty enough to know that the Dawn should expect a fight, and every single one of the pilots and crew was on standby - including Cia, who had spent the night along with Sen and some of the other of the engineering team to install new equipment onto the Dawn's main cannon. She was running on copious amounts of caffeine at this point, but aside from a bit of a shake all was normal in the hangar, orders being barked around to do the final fits of equipment requests to all the pilots' HEXes. They'd even found time to strip the HEX from the previous battle, the fine HEX-sized revolver mounted on the hip of Lt. Park's HEX. The bridge was quiet, most waiting for Kiria to say something; she'd be the first to see anything, after all. Alrenne had his arms crossed, impatience written across his face. We'll be within sensor range any minute now... hmm. Eight o'clock... She's probably still asleep by now. Won't be a fun way to wake up, I imagine... There was a long, long moment on the bridge, quiet except for the occasional reports from navigation and piloting of their distance to the facility, interrupted suddenly by Kiria popping up in her seat, her bob of hair bouncing up along with her. "O-Oh! T-There's, um, a lot of interference, it matches with HEX activity, Captain! Um, switching... switching to high-power scans..." The secondary mode of the ship's radar was a lot shorter in range, but could break through the signal interference caused by HEX engines - the technology wasn't new by any stretch, but the Dawn's was a touch better than most of the other ships around currently. A pulse flitted across her screen, hazy dots popping up. "It looks like... at least ten, the reading isn't so good... but, that's definitely them, I think! Probably..." Alrenne sighed; the XO had been quietly hoping against hope that the fox had just been messing with them for a laugh, but prudence had unfortunately served them quite well on this day. "Alright. Proceed as the Captain planned. Comms, issue the general order to launch; Navigation, bring us to combat maneuvering speed; Weapons, bring everything online. We won't be caught by surprise this time." Reed nodded, professional as ever. "Aye, sir. Bridge to hangar; all pilots, launch. Catapults one and two are ready." Kiria squinted, really, really focusing on her display, raising a hand. "Oh! Oh, um, it looks like there are a bunch of computer controlled somethings. On our side. Uh, but more important, there are friendly HEXes in those hangars, and I think they're starting them up now 'cause they just popped up! Overrrr... there. Ish." Reed cocked her head, giving Kiria a bemused smile. "Everyone, please be aware there are friendly units near the facility buildings." An fast-talking engineer gestured from a catwalk in one of the facility's hangars, the windows overlooking a long large paved strip outside. "Okay, the KN has all the armor on - listen, I'm gonna go find one of the shelter bunkers, okay? The lance and shield are on the wall racks like usual - it sounds like they're getting close, I have to go. I'm sorry for leavin', but I'm not going to do any good in here and all. Dr. Sombre is over in the main facility - the Vanguard should be ready to back you up soon, so hang in there, okay? Good luck, miss Selumine." She snapped a salute, dashing down the metal stairs and off into the distance as the ground shook with the thunder of approaching HEX footsteps. Player Phase 1 "Ehh, are you sure about this? They got a whole lot of tanks and stuff..." "Yeah, and we got HEXes. Don't think about it so much, okay? Just get the hell in there, it'll be easy. You know these guys gotta be up to no good. All the way out in the middle of nowhere, it's gotta be BAD." "Well, yeah, I guess... I mean, you don't gotta tell me Avyndor's up to nothing good. But these buildings look kinda different than most of 'em..." "Why do you care if it looks different? I sure as hell don't. I'm just gonna bust 'em up." Battle Mastery: Disable (not destroy) at least 3 of the REM units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 Sia found herself deep in thought as the Dawn sped along to their destination. Toki really was trying to press her buttons, and for what purpose? She'd tried to get some sleep knowing that an operation would follow the morning after, but she had to make sure that things didn't boil over following her unceremonious reveal of Leon's identity as one of the infamous Blackwell. Almost anyone associated with CEN would have known the name, known the carnage that the Blackwells were known for. It wouldn't have been surprising if someone on the ship today had been harmed by the Blackwells, and so Sia had to put her foot down. However, that was only going to serve her so well. The most important thing on any ship was the camaderie of her crew, and if she were to unilaterally protect Leon from the disdain that came along with his family name, then she would be creating a dichotomy that would be difficult to bridge in the coming days. She hated the idea of punishing Leon for an immutable fact of his existence, but balancing that with the anger of her crew was equally as important. It turned 8:15 as Sia finished pulling on her things; sleep hadn't gone so well, but that was just the mark of the day, she'd have to make it work, and she was going to. Far too much was at stake, and probably even more than she realized. There's no if here... we're going to protect the lab, and then you're going to tell me what you're up to Toki... I don't appreciate being toyed with like this, and your plans are going to find that out first hand... Sia marched herself down to the bridge, pulling her hat down tight, figuring out how to navigate the Leon situation was going to be difficult, but the moment that door opened, it was no longer her major concern, "Pardon my late arrival," Alrenne had just finished issuing orders from the sounds of things, "I'm assuming that she wasn't lying to us in this matter..." Honestly... what point does this serve? Are you testing us, Toki? Is that what this is all about...? Sia took her seat in her chair, "Continue to follow the XO's orders, and if possible, someone bring me up to speed... It appears that combat is inevitable, so our mission, as ever, remains the same. Protect the lab, and bring down the enemy's forces. If possible, I want some of the machines and their pilots captured intact... We're going to have to start getting to the bottom of this. Communications, after you've authorized our units to launch, I'd like you to attempt to reach out to the attackers--I don't expect anything will come of it, but we have to attempt. Else... nothing left to do but press forward, regain control of the facility and turn the enemy back!" The Dawn moves to 33, 15! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Before his sortie, Markus sat in his cockpit eyeing his phone. It was resting on Leon's dms on Round Table. That woman who leaked his past onto their chat meant that Leon's whole deal was out. The blonde couldn't imagine what was going through the former merc's head with that out in the open. He sighed, and started typing, he'd let his feelings do the talking. [Hey.] And he started, [I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but I'm making sure. Just because your past is out, doesn't mean your life is over, so don't start throwing it at the enemy to take. I'll purposefully get in your way if you try.] [I don't know all the details about your past, Leon, but if it helps, I don't care. If you're truly trying to be better than who you were, then you gotta prove it. Even more than before.] [And I'll keep looking out for you until you give me reason not to.] Setting his phone aside, and cracking his knuckles. Once the okay was given to launch, Markus set himself on the catapult. He took a deep breath, he could put aside his thoughts on Leon to focus on better ones. That time with Miz was fun, so now he just had to make sure he made it back so they could make more time together. "Lieutenant Stewart, launching in the C-HEX-3!" His machine launched, and he began his advance. Markus to 32,16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Louise had been going over things in her head ever since that damned fox revealed Leon's identity. For one, she'd been right to feel wary of him, and it was both vindicating and upsetting to know that. For two... Sia must have known. She'd shut down the thread as quickly as she could, and didn't seem at all surprised by the reveal. Why was he here, then? Some CEN deal? Frustrating. Frustrating frustrating frustrating... What do you see in him, Sia? A former mercenary, and not just any sell-sword, the scum of Earth, from one of the worst mercenary families in history... Why? He's changed his tune, so he deserves a second chance? They're MURDERERS! Not the fancy, military regulated kind, the kind that kill civilians, non-combatants, anyone that gets in their way! So why!? Because he's hot!? Because he regrets it!? Ugh. Ugh! Disgusting, disgusting, awful awful awful, I hate this! I hate him! ... I hate feeling like this. I'm going to be sick... Her head spun, as orders to launch arrived. It wouldn't do anything to keep spinning over this. Asking Sia wouldn't help, not now, not after the battle. It didn't really matter what she saw in him, what deal was made, what the situation was... She swallowed her feelings and the vile sensation in her throat, eyes forward, opening up the communications app. [Leon-- if that's even your name. If you ever. Ever. Give me reason to believe that you have betrayed anyone on the crew, I will kill you. You do not deserve to be here. You do not deserve anyone's forgiveness or second chances. Were I Captain, had I been put in this situation, you never would've made it on this boat. So ride out what leeway you've been given. I'm in no position to remove you-- so don't you dare give me a reason to. I will not hesitate.] She closed the app; she didn't want to see his reply if he even bothered to send one. "Bright Eyes, launching." She'd changed her callsign before things got underway. Her last one had been a crude joke, a jab at herself, but despite the disgusting welling in her, for once, it wasn't at herself. "Even if I will never trust him... Sia does. And she believes in me. I will do everything I can for her..." Louise to 32,18 Kazue's thoughts were centered. She would make good on her plan even if it got her into serious trouble... The main road back into Remansburg was near the other side of the base. All she had to do was engage the enemy as they came to her, and then make her escape as the pilots fought. "I am sorry, Captain. Leon. Markus. Daniel. Daeran... Everyone. Even if this is dangerous, I must do this." "正義の味方, 行きます!!" Kazue to 31,14 "Yes, yes..." Selu was hitting buttons all over her console. Real combat. Real combat in the Kn... She hadn't expected this, not today, not soon, perhaps not even ever... But she had to be ready. Whoever these people were, they had come to take or destroy their technology, and she wouldn't have it. "You're not taking this from me..." [Catrin, everything all good over there? Catch up with me as soon as you can. I'm engaging the first target I can make contact with.] "Rhongomyniad, launching! Target secured! Engaging combat!" With the extra booster the engineers had hastily plugged into the Kn's framework, Selu was flying, an enemy target already in her sights! "HaaaaaaaahhHHHHH!" Selu casts Guard, and ROCKETS to 6,8, spearing REM #1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 It was over. That was the one thing that went through the mercenary's mind as he sat in his cockpit with his head tilted up. Toki had opened the floodgates and now all of the Dawn knew his past. His bloody history was more than likely on everyone's minds, even if it wasn't the main reason why they were here. The merc spent the whole day after the reveal laying low in his room, prepared to be hauled off when it happened. But to his surprise it didn't happen. Granted he knew Sia wouldn't just order an arrest considering she knew before hand and gave him her trust, but he was worried about Alrenne taking action due to protests from the ship staff. Thankfully that didn't happen, so the day went by and he managed to survive on some jerky and water he had hidden away in his room. When the next day came he sneaked to his HEX as early as possible to avoid confrontation, and he was allowed to fight. Which brought him to where he stood now. We are shorthanded, maybe that's why they don't mind me out here...shit dude... He had a feeling the truth would eventually come to light, especially with the way Toki was about being in control. One small spark was all it took to set the seas ablaze. I could just do my job here and bounce...nah, they'd shoot me as soon as I tried to leave. Can't just throw myself out there to die in glory either, not with my body working against me and the promise I made. I'm. Stuck. All he could do was settle in for the long haul of torture. Though a small part of him didn't mind taking heat from his own team, he was used to being hated. Even as Louise chewed him out in comms he didn't respond, there was nothing he could say that could change her mind at all. Everyone else had given him radio silence so far, and he only assumed they hated him too. Though there was one message that stood out to him: Markus. "..." His words were brief, but it actually managed to shake him more than the hatred did. Even after everything Markus still believed in him. Leon balled his hand into a fist tightly and lowered his head, it was very rare for the man to cry but it did move him at least. He sat there for almost a minute going through his emotions, but he realized that now wasn't the time to wallow in self pity and doubt. Markus was right, it wasn't over. This was the make it or break it moment. So he composed himself and sent a message back to Markus. [Keep an eye on Kazue for me. We'll talk later.] [Thank you.] With the red composed he got back in control and put his game face on. Kazue's planning on doing something stupid, the damned fox has got a fun scheme planned for us, and I'm fucking mad. I think I know what I'm gonna do... "Ignited, Mission Start." That was the only thing he said on comms, he was off to enact his plan of attack. Leon moved toward 34, 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 Iskra frowned as the rest of the squad began moving out. There hadn't been much discussion about everything that had happened since the reveal that Leon had a... checkered past. It wasn't that she didn't believe the woman who had revealed the information, but the question was why had she done so? Sure, the easy answer was that she wasn't getting what she wanted from him, but that didn't sit quite right with Iskra. There had to be more. The next likeliest thing was that she viewed the Dawn as enemies and so she was doing whatever she could do to disrupt their teamwork. To that end... The lack of discussion might hurt things more than help. Still. She'd meant to reach out to Leon, say hi to him, back before all of this happened. Perhaps... She shook her head. Now wasn't the time for it. They had a battle to handle. She could deal with everything else later. When it was safer and she could always hide if she needed to. For now, she just pushed forward, making sure she was ready for anything that came her way. Iskra to 33-12, equip wire-guided cannons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 (edited) Alert! Alert! The warning rang across the main facility, sprung by the decently numerous perimeter breach by all manner of HEXes. The writing was on the wall with regards to what their presence meant, but there was little the facility could do about the politics surrounding their situation. ...Still, they could fend for themselves, with what CEN had afforded them. A chance to probe the project's worth. You'd think the top brass kinda wanted this to happen... A short statured, bespectacled woman walked along the upper rung of the main facility's hangar, coming to watch the engineers as they finished tuning up the facility's other major project, the Vanguard. "Catrin, can you hear me?" Using the comms, the bespectacled woman spoke directly to the Vanguard's cockpit. "The enemy are surrounding the perimeter, lots of HEXes, gen 2. We're going to need you to perform well, at least hang until our other readings come closer. CEN seemed to pick up on that one." And thank god for that, she thought. She couldn't imagine what was going through AHI, but things became untenable way sooner than she hoped. "The others will be going to the bunker as soon as you're good to go, but we'll keep contact. Dr. Sombre, out." Like promised, the woman's threats had turned into truth. On top of that, Leon's nature was exposed in a very... unceremonious manner. "What exactly is the endgame...?" Bonner grumbled, a bit too concerned to dismiss the woman's eccentric plays as byproducts of a damaged mind. "I suppose we don't have much of a choice but play the hand she dealt, but still." Perhaps, at a time like this, a bit of a pep talk was warranted. AHI had done enough mental damage as it were. "Lieutenant Silvavolke?" A private comm was established, "For this mission, I'll be relying on you as usual. Few can do well with defensive maneuvers like we do." There was enough time to deliberate to do about his identity. Later. "You cover for the ensign, I'll see to those sniper types. We'll minimize casualties this way." Aligning his HEX to the catapult, Bonner sortied, landing on the dry soil of Callisto with radars online. His HEX kept his main gun steadfast as Bonner made the dash forward. Whatever game she wants us to play, best to always keep the mind open for alternatives. Bonner to (31,14). Deep breaths. Esther was trying. She'd made a fool of herself --if mostly to her own perception, and was now on the battlefield again. It's okay. I can do this. She took some time alone, after everything was said and done, more of a reset than anything. I was made to succeed, sacrificed so much... but in the end, that won't matter if I take a bad shot, will it? "Haah..." An exasperated sigh, as her HEX came to life. "So what do I do... I still want to succeed, damn it..." Esther mumbled to herself, guiding her HEX deftly enough to deployment. She didn't need to go all put at once, she was surrounded with her squad, and for the first in a long time, felt a bit more aware of their positions. "Sorry I'm not that good at learning these things, Doc..." Not that Cheryl was likely to blame her, not yet. She could tell some agitation burdened Leon's HEX, and enough context clues to figure out the rest. "Hmm... no, I should wait a little." Best cure for a down mind was to find a decent outlet. Esther to (33,15). Edited July 15 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 [Yeah, we're all good. Just took a little longer to get the Vanguard ready to sortie. I'll be out with you any moment.] Catrin shot back the message to Selu, watching the Kn rocket into action over the video feed of the outside. It figured that the one time it mattered, her Vanguard was docked in the main facility instead of one of the outer hangars... with contact from the labcoat, it seemed everything was good to go. "Yeah, Oi 'ear ya doctor. Don'tchu worry a thing... they're so bloody curious to see what we're workin' on out 'ere, so be it. We'll bloody show 'em." Catrin responded, giving the engineers just enough leeway to clear out before revving up the Vanguard and launching out the catapult, her HEX immediately shifting into high gear as she throttled the boosters, rocketing towards the Southern flank to join Selumine and the tank crews. If that battleship from the City really was here... well they had a knack for timing for one thing, but she had to hope her crew was good enough to handle the flank closer to them if they planned to act as reinforcements. Catrin to 1,17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 (edited) Somehow, the reveal that Leon was actually a member, former member?, of the Blackwell family wasn't the only surprise that Daeran had woken up to this morning; the other surprise was at least pleasant, even if it came with its own set of complications and worries for the future. As he'd read over the Thread created by Tokiwa, he wondered if she would do the same to him if he provoked her; though, his past was far less of a concern than Leon's was... Unless she tried to push some sort of double agent narrative. He still had yet to relay the information Tokiwa sent to him via the video call to Sia with how yesterday afternoon and night had gone, but part of him still wondered if it was entirely true information. Though, given that the information about the attack on the facility was proving truthful maybe she really had been entirely truthful with him... As Daeran sat in his cockpit waiting for launch, a ping on his communicator interrupted his thoughts. It was from Thesephine, wishing him well, something that yesterday would've seemed impossible given how they had clashed in this very cockpit. It triggered a complicated surge of emotions, most of them positive, as he quickly typed back "I'll be safe." It was a minor distraction, but a welcome one to the suffocating silence of the inter-squad comms. The Captain had made her stance crystal clear, but, at least in terms of open communication, there was nothing that had been discussed between the pilots. He'd be lying to say that Leon's true identity didn't give him cause for concern. The Blackwell name was something that he was well aware of even as a boy lightyears away from the Earth; his knowledge had only grown once he joined the CEN and had been stationed on Earth. The atrocities committed by those bearing the name were unpardonable, so how had one managed to make pilot on a CEN ship, let alone board in the first place? Yet, whatever the man's circumstances were, he was here, still allowed to pilot his HEX and not rotting in the brig. Only time would be able to tell if the Captain's decision was a good one. He did his best to put it far from the forefront of his mind as he launched from the Dawn. Thoughts wasted on Leon's situation during live combat would just increase the risk of someone getting shot down, or worse. He could only hope everyone else had come to the same conclusion. Daeran to 32, 13. Edited July 17 by Ursali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted July 19 Author Share Posted July 19 Selumine charges REM 1 with her Ramming Beam Lance! 81/51/24 [81, 64] Hit! 24 damage to REM 1, disabling the machine! 30XP to Selumine. A vague groan echoed over the open comms channels, the pilot of the worker HEX a little more than sufficiently concussed. 1 REM out of 3 disabled for the Battle Mastery! Enemy Phase 1 Lancer S-1 sits on its little perch and snipes at CEN Tank 1. 86/13/10 [87, 3] And misses embarrassingly. Lancer S-2 does its thing too. 84/11/11 [92, 53] And also doesn't do its thing. Lancer S-3 snipes CEN Tank 4. 84/10/12 [64, 31] Properly, this time. 12 damage to CEN Tank 4. "Gah, shit. Guys, look alive - we've got bigger guns to deal with! Fuck, forget about the tanks! Locking the target--" Lancer S-4 whips around, lining up Daeran! 56/1/13 [95, 54] But Daeran sees it coming, sending his HEX into a roll out of the way of the round. 1XP to Daeran. "Did you see how fast that thing was?! Gaw, are you alive in there?! Rrgh, I'm payin' you back for that one!" Lancer 2 rockets forward, Heat Halberd at the ready and charging Selumine! 69/0/6 [69] Selumine shrugs it off by angling her armor. 1 damage to Selumine, 1XP. "Holy hell, you hardly scratched the fucking thing... the hell kinda research are they doing out here? How's a lump like that go supersonic?!" Arde 5 circles the knight, daggers flying through the air. 80/7/10 doubling. [27, 95] [85, 77] A hit and a miss, one dagger harmlessly exploding against the chobham armor. 1 damage to Selumine, 1XP. Ally Phase 1 Tank 2 levels its cannons at Lancer S-1. 65/8/8 [21, 23] The return fire is a lot better! 8 damage to Lancer S-1. <AI noises> Tank 5 shoots at Lancer S-3, their perch a little too close. 62/8/7 [22, 34] 7 damage to Lancer S-3! <AI noises> Player Phase 2 There was a blur in the distance - the only sign that it had been a HEX was the flare of the boosters attached to it, and Alrenne squinted. "Someone get a camera on that thing. Helmsman, if you've got a hand free. That looks to be an ally engaging - let's not leave them high and dry now." The outer defenses of the facility were half up in smoke, one set of automated tanks falling idle as the southern control cluster was unceremoniously dug out of the ground and torn to shreds by a worker HEX. The research facilities were still intact, but only by merit of the defenses holding as long as they had - and they were beginning to fail. "AA gunners, intensify the defensive screen! I don't want those snipers having a free shot at the bridge. Keep them on the move and don't let them breathe. Pilots, engage at your discretion - the foremost priority is beating back the attackers!" The Lieutenant Commander bowed his head to Sia as she came in in a rush. "Captain, it's as we expected - all hands are currently engaging and we're prioritizing enemy captures where possible." He glanced at his comm, briefly. The messages that had come in yesterday on the all-hands channels had been enough trouble - but there was only so much he could see, and he was sure all manner of dialogues were being exchanged beyond his view. Or perhaps there is a way...? Might be an intrusion of privacy, but if it's between that and safety... Maybe I'll ask Vivien. Warrant Officer Reed nodded at the Captain's command, shutting one eye as she focused on the cross-communication flowing through her comms headphones, pausing a moment before keying the mic on a wideband channel. "To all forces hostile to the CEN and its research facilities - this is a warning. Stand down immediately and disarm or we will fire upon you in anger. Facility defenses will not hesitate to engage you unless you power down your machines. Your surrender will be accepted in accordance with the standard rules of combat as established by the Council of Earth Nations..." The scattered old generation HEXes proceeded apace, heedless of her warnings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 (edited) The Kn rumbled, partly due to her charge, partly do to the return strikes from nearby machines, but none of them were near strong enough to pierce the ablative armor. "Kn, reversing thrusters for another charge!" The announcement from the battleship came in nice and clear, Selu nodding and open broadcasting her own message to the machines in close proximity. "This is Warrant Officer Sélumine Binoal, and this is your last chance to disarm and surrender, Callistan rebels! Do not underestimate the firepower of a prototype!" Selu to 5,13, ram into REM 2! "Eject, NOW!" "Like that call for surrender will ever work," Louise muttered with a groan, pushing her machine forward some. "Bright eyes to Sunrise Squad," a terribly cliché name, given the ship's own moniker, but the military loved its funny callsigns, "incoming Arde models. Looks to be light on the mobile engagement weaponry, so bait their ranges and blow them up. Snipers on the ridges... Be careful on the approach. Bright Eyes out." Louise to 29,16 "龍 が 和が 敵 を 食らう!" Kazue had her plan in mind, but that didn't mean leaving her allies high and dry, rocketing up the cliff side into one of the enemy models! Kazoo to 29,9, heat halberd into the Lancer-S! Edited July 20 by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 (edited) Leon moves to 30, 13 and his movement is back to 4. To Leon's surprise Bonner of all people established a private line to him, with reassurance and a request to watch Kazue. "Ah, yes of course sir. You can always count on me." Not everyone seemed to hate him, it caught him off guard somewhat. But that was all the more reason to do what he had to. The red head considered his options. I could just tell the crew Kazue is planning...no, I think that'll make things worse at this point. Telling Markus was one thing, but the whole crew? He wasn't even sure when Kazue would pull whatever she had in mind, so announcing out publicly would most likely spur her into action sooner. So he picked another option. "Kazue, this is a private line. It's just you and me here." He wanted to talk it out. "I beg you, please don't do anything insane. We're already in a dangerous position, and the crew needs you now more than ever. If you're upset with me because of my history then you can beat me all you want, but please don't throw your life into the fire. Shezsacosh wants us to do just that." He knew this wouldn't be enough, but he wouldn't give up until she did. Edited July 19 by TheRoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 "黙れ!!!" Kazue barked back at the comms, eyes glaring daggers towards the machine that handled communications... "YOU do not know what that damn kitsune wants of us! All we have been told is your past and that she would attack this place today, and here they are! We play her game! I will do what I must... She does not know what I aim to do and it will throw her scheme into disarray-- I will not play this creature's game!" Kazue shut off her comms completely, focusing on the enemies in front of her. She just had to break through... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 Selumine had taken down two of the approaching machines in short order, but it was clear to Catrin that the Kn was already showing signs on straining under the pressure. It was a powerful showing but it just didn't have staying power... she could only hope that the enemy missed those signs. Either way, time to take some of the heat off. Punching the V's thrusters, Catrin finally managed to catch up to Selu, taking point towards the enemy formation. "Alright, I'm 'ere Selu. Sorry t'keep ya waitin'... facility is too damn big for fast responses..." Catrin muttered, levelling her rifle at the approaching forces... no range yet. Soon... Catrin to 3,13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 (edited) "Wilco." Markus replied to Leon as he assessed the battlefield, as well as Kazue's machine. He didn't know if he could truly divert his focus between the fight, and the potential of babysitting. He did the best he could do, taking the controls and advancing on the line. Once the transmission came from Louise, that gave him some good direction to start with. "Bright Eyes, this is Thunderbolt." He had assumed translating his old codename would be easier for the rest of the squad. "I'll cut across and try to draw fire from the Ardes." And he placed his machine between Louise and the oncoming Ardes from the north. Markus to 29,18 Edited July 23 by GoldsbroTSG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.