[@Crimson Lion][@Renny][@Dezuel] - [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVw0QqWOSv4]A Decisive Sortie![/url]
[b][u]Riku POV[/u][/b]

Thanks to Naoki's assortment of weaponry, Riku was finally able to find something he thought would suit the Shin Musha well enough. It was one of Naoki's spare Tactical Arms, meaning the Shin Musha's entire backpack part had now been replaced. In addition, the extra shoulder plates it had sported were also removed so as not to get in the way of the Tactical Arms during it's various mode changes. While this did have the unfortunate side effect of causing the Shin Musha to lose a little bit of its Samurai aesthetic, in exchange it now had greater aerial maneuverability in addition to a wider range of attack options via the Tactical Arms' Sword Mode and Gatling Mode. But fortunately for Riku, this particular Tactical Arms looked like it had originally been used with a Astray Gold Frame build, and so it was colored mostly gold and white. That at least made his inner artist feel better about using it, since the Red or Blue color would have clashed horribly with the Shin Musha's golden armor. Lastly, Riku had included a pair of yellow-bladed beam sabers that he attached to the Gunpla's right side leg armor.

[i]Wonder if I should rename you the Shin Musha Hyaku Shiki Kai?[/i] Riku wondered to himself for a moment before shaking his head. Perhaps later, but right now there was no time left. During his last minute modifications, Riku listened in on the plan and heard Naoki pair him up with the kid, Tomiyoka. A flight-based Zeta build made for a good support unit, and so Riku decided then and there that he would open this battle using the Shin Musha. The Manticore was, itself, a squad support unit, so pairing it up with another support wouldn't make much tactical sense. It also meant that Riku would have to play the lead role in this squad due to the kid's confidence issues.

"Haro..." Riku said to the AI privately over the comms while waiting for his turn to launch, "...if I get shot down, then I want you to change positions with me. Use my Manticore to provide the others support while I take command of the Yamato. If things get bad enough I'll use the secret weapon and destroy the colony entirely. That might hopefully still score us the win." he wasn't fully confident in that idea, not knowing if [i]destroying[/i] the capture points still counted as "capturing" them. But still, it made sense to have it on the back burner at least, giving the team a sort of safety net to fall back on if things went far enough south in the battle.

And then it was finally his turn to launch, "Tenkagomen Kogane no Samurai: Shin Musha Hyaku Shiki... mairu!" and the newly modified golden Gunpla flew out into space like a horseback samurai galloping onto the fields of valor and honor. He let himself keep pace with Tomi's Zeta, no sense in the two of them separating too much. Especially not if Naoki's prediction about Seo was correct. There was a solid chance they'd have to face 3, 4 or even 5 opponents at once. They'd be crushed if alone, especially Tomi.

"You okay up there, Tomi?" asked Riku, wanting to check on the kid and make sure he wasn't too nervous, "Just keep within visual range of me for now. We'll play it safe for the time being, force them to make the first move." it probably seemed a little unusual to go with a defensive opening play when they were supposed to be the invading force. But everything Naoki had told them about Seo's tactics informed Riku that the Zenshin Team would be the aggressors of this battle regardless of the objectives, "Don't let your nerves get the best of you, Tomi. If you need to, just use this brief calm to practice controlling your breathing. It's something I picked up while doing my boxing training. Good breath control is a great way to empty the mind of distractions and staying focused. And if that doesn't work for you? I've also found that music has a way of really helping me to stay in the right mindset."