@Cleverbird Either, or more than either. My character's mech is based on Id-Weltaill from Xenogears. I used a villain whose mech was a scaled-up Fireclaw from Horizon Zero Dawn. But we've also had an actual tank-mech, I believe.
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NCQuest: A Mecha RP - The Relief of Cape Town (With gratitude to Inkarnate/Gowi).
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Forum: Casual Interest Checks
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5 yrs ago
Forum: Casual Interest Checks
Terra Laedo Will Return.
((Post between @Letter Bee and @FalloutJack))
The Kuei-Ren flew into the clusters of nanotech particles and did not turn or slow down. Anything that thought it could fire anything to disrupt the machines. Results may vary, but...let's just face it. They're nanites. If it doesn't do enough significant damage to a dust cloud of tiny metal robots, it's a minor inconvenience. Nevertheless, Theodore's attempts to eat away the sky-carrier were gonna take time, like maybe not enough. He was reducing mass, which would help in terms of the final impact, one hopes. But...he was also reducing the mass that the ship had to carry, making it that little bit faster, and that the meltdown explosion was the real issue here.
Life just doesn't play fair.
The missle cruiser was a wreck on deck, and with a pair of NC's wreaking havoc, it wasn't long before everyone who could abandon ship DID. Who'd wanna be around for this? This was a mess. It was chaos, and it was about to get worse. When the pilots of Id and Grand Sword Star heard transmissions and saw what was going on, Terra frowned.
"They stole everything from our country, even our own tactics."
She didn't need to say it, but we all know a Kamikaze when we see one. Except that the Red-Star pilot behind it all wasn't out to sacrifice himself. He was out to kill everyone he possibly could and potentially walk or swim home to brag about it. He was every biit a beast as that mech he was in... They needed to act now, without delay. Terra quickly opened a private line to Hisako.
"Hisako, when we get up there, do what you have to do to get my parents out, and then take them and run."
"Terra-"
"No time to argue. We were told to rescue them and that's the way. Don't come back until they're safe."
"Alright...but, later on..."
And here, the pilot smirked, knowing what was on the other's mind.
"Of course."
The two of them flew up to meet the scene at level with the Kuei-Ren, to see the two super-tanks on deck...and to see Dread in Ursa Nova...waiting for them not far behind...
And it was then that Lucille, who was protecting Theodore, made her move, saying to Terra and Hisako, "You two, do what you have to do! I'll slow down the ship!"
With that, she dives for the prow of the Kuei-Ren, trying to push it back with the strength of her NC, while several globules of nanobots from the Perfect Qamishlo attach themselves to Lucille, forming a fire-resistant coat that also enhances her strength - The nanobots were forming minature motors to add more strength to the mech. Manbij strained its own fusion reactor, hoping that Terra and the others would hold back Dread!
In the meantime, Alexander would vanish from the deck, the only clue to his disapperance being a sudden 'woosh' before the young man vanished. Mako had chosen his side.
Okay, Terra had to admit that she hadn't thought of a way to deal with Alex also being on deck. The shock of seeing Hibiki was still fresh in her mind. So many 'Left Field' situations happening to her since she left Red-Star. She assumed that Dread would just burn him to death while she watched. He certainly looked prepared to do it, but then with a 'Whoosh!', he was gone! Who...?
An invisible foe... Had to be...
Dread was certainly non-plussed by this action. He had certainly been looking forward to killing Alex at the last minute, but someone snatched him away! Well, this was further proof that you just can't rely on anybody. In fact, these two tanks were looking a might bit cumbersome and unnecessary... Raising Ursa's hands, the bear-like mech prepared to burn the tanks and set off their self-destruct protocol. No sooner had he done so, however, than there was a heavy transmission jam from multiple sources, principally the two NCs before her. It was actually disruptive to some of the nearby nano-clouds, but then there weren't many near this part of the ship because of Ursa and because of tank avoidance.
Only a second or two after that, Id had gotten in the way of his plasma flames, its own shields overcharged to cause the spray to spread out all over the place, anywhere but its destination. So, as Dread could see, the battle was engaged. Pity he couldn't transmit anything right now. He never got to talk to these people when they were about to be destroyed... Now, Ursa Nova moved to grab those dangerous arms of Id's so he could try his hand at tearing them off. No, Id was going to back slightly off as the shield disengaged and avoid those claws. Really, both off their NCs had lethal hands. It was difficult to get near him with all this flame-spewing madness. Even a backhanding could lead to the grinders on his mech's arms taking a shot.
Not to say he didn't TRY that. A hit from the vibro-blades of her suit jammed one of them up nicely. Terra made sure to open fire on him with her plasma rifle to keep his attention while Hisako operated.
As Alexander vanished, Mako sent out a simple message, "I'm defecting. I'll dive in once Terra's parents are free."
Terra, Hisako, and Dread couldn't hear that. The jamming in their immediate area was for the sake of the operation, so that the tanks - which were randomly firing, quite inaccurately at things - could not register any sensor input to self-destruct. Hisako was making progress. She could only work on one at a time, but because of both her scans and the prior leak of schematics, she was dealing with this rather quickly. The first tank fell silent, input cut while unable to trigger the on-board triggers.
"One down..."
Meanwhile, Terra occupying Dread meant that she was the subject of his target practice! He began scooping molten chunks of deck and slagged equipment for a few lobs, and just when Terra thought a heavy-handed one left him open to attack, her flying lunge to tear open his back led to him using just one jump-jet to spin and deflect her like some martial artist!
Of course, you'd take the training... You balk at every form of command, but when they offer you new ways to kill...
Exposed now, she had little else to do but hold up her shield against the torso-mounted flamers. Ah, but then, he needed to shield himself while his heat-dispersers were at work. Perfect! Terra overcharged Id's claws and stru-
Terra was nearly thrown off of the ship by the blast. Hisako had just barely managed to pull the second cockpit as the blastwave came. Both of them were knocked back, automatically in flight mode to stabilize. Communications were also up, as Terra heard...
"What the hell was that?"
Ursa Nova's mouth was smoking. That'd been a mouth-blast, but it was much more powerful than it'd been before!
"An Overcharger... It's got an Overclock Engine."
"But that's yours! Where'd they get one in such short notice?"
"Oh, that's easy... They had a spare that didn't work, a prototype just lying around, waiting to be fixed. And it's a perfect fit for my machine."
Well...that was... Son of a bitch! He was charging up another attack!
"Hisako, get out. Get out, NOW!"
She didn't want to, but for the sake of the lives she was carrying, Grand Sword Star turned tail and flew for safety.
In the meantime, Dread's Ursa Nova felt a few impacts at its back, as Mako shot it from behind with his NC-sized shotgun. Osamu, meanwhile, chose to intervene, having made his own choice.
"My country... I can get it back. All I just have to do... Is this!" He directed a sharp mental assault at Dread, syncing with Ursa Nova, trying to make him feel emotions that the sociopathic pilot was not able to conceive of before. Foriegn concepts flooded Dread's mind, even as Ursa Nova's moves began to become more sluggish. "Nihon forever!" Osamu screamed out, making his final betrayal and its cause clear.
He cannot be forgiven. He won't be forgiven. What he had done to Alexander and Mako was too vile for that. But the fact remained that Osamu was done with serving the people who had killed his father and ruined his country. So he attacked Dread with his mind alone, even as Mako shot another round of magnetically-boosted shotgun shells at Ursa Nova's back.
And good god, what Osamu had to face in there! The man who loathed and despised human beings, barely even considering himself one of their wretched filth... In his own mind, he considered himself nothing less than a predatory creature that MUST be feared or MUST destroy that which does not cower before it, so naturally he was twisted and horrible inside the neural interface. Mako pelted him externally, not doing much damage, due to the heavy armor, but Dread was feeling it, and he felt Osamu distorting his grip on Ursa, and every inch of him hated enough that after a moment, one thought most certainly DID get through:
"KILL!!"
Dread raged in rejection of what Osamu was flinging at him, trying to expunge the artificial being in a trial by fire. At the same time, he was now turning to blast the source of the nearest irritant: The shotgunner! The chances of hitting Mako with precision was unlikely, but the mouth was not going to fire for accuracy. You're in the splash zone, boy! The deadly maw of the predatory NC opened and-
Clink!
Something was shoved into it, jammed in there, last second! Id flew away at maximum speed as the plasma flames detonated her rifle in said mouth. There were even a few grenades leftover! Hopefully, Mako was getting out of that explosion, but even if not...it was a damn good boom.
It's just a shame it didn't kill the rat bastard...
Looking back, Terra saw that Ursa wasn't down. It was harmed - the mouth looked messed up, servos inoperable - but she'd kinda' been hoping that her damn gun going off in its mouth would blow off its head! No such luck... At best, it looked like it wasn't gonna be mauling anyone with those teeth anymore, but Dread was obviously still kicking. In fact, he...pounded right through the deckplates? Why...? And uhh...that was when the ship lost some of its front stabilizers... It was getting prow-heavy and harder for those holding it up to maintain like this!
And just when one of the disabled tanks started sliding, something picked it up from below - Yeah, you know who. - and threw it at her, firing plasma bursts to make its explode as designed!
Osamu screamed, the once-coward striking back at this one person who was worse than him. You want fire?! He thought, I'll give you fire! He pressed on, his own rage matching Dread's, centered around the opportunities he had wasted, the vile things he had done and been party to. And of course, what he was fighting for now.
Hibiki and Nihon! he thought as he lashed out, burning Dread with his own inner fire. This feels good! So this is why the enemy fights!
Mako, meanwhile, obviously veered away from Ursa Nova's exploded head - 'Alexander-senpai's' life was more important to Mako than other people, even after making the decision to defect.
Theodore, meanwhile, was directing the fight against the rest of the Red-Star fleet, which was fighting to the end or commmitting themselves to suicide explosions and charges.
Dread and Osamu's conflict was going to be ever-growing, with the pilot growing ever-more wild and enraged as it went on.
"You want to play with fire, boy?! I don't BRING the fire! I AM THE FIRE!!"
It was because of this that he didn't notice yet that while the explosion had engulfed Id, the energy shield made it curl around the NC, rather than impact it, it seemed. It was going to be dueling overclocks here, soon enough. Anyway, he had not noticed that part, but he DID see the flicker of motion on the periphery and flung the other tank at it! The tank bisected as Grand Sword Star sank its sword through it. Quite an effort, given the size, but then Hisako had initiated her own overbooster to get here and amp up her mech's performance.
Occupied by this, Id lowered to the ground, then flew at Ursa for some fly-by slashes. No good. Dread had activated shields to cool his mech and deal with his own mental disruption. If they could only see his synchronization rate... It was all over the place! One minute, he'd be in total control, and therefore more vulnerable to mental feedback. And in the next, it was lower and he might feel nothing. It was maddening! Dread didn't like it much, either. He activated jump jets and ALL flame weapons to ruin everything around him while Ursa did a quick 360-degree turn. He was out of his mind! Terra and Hisako were dodging shots while getting on a Haven-only comm-channel.
"If he keeps this up, the ship may end up going up ahead of time!"
"I wish. I mean, maybe. He has heat-dispersion to prevent overheating his mech, but then he also redlines it, practically, for more output. Plus, he's got an OverClock Engine. If we can push him into charging too many things at-"
"Terra!"
If? IF?! He already did it! Without warning, Ursa Nova hit the jets AND the shields on Overclock mode, trying to hit Id right out of the park...and into about a million pieces. Hisako had been at the right angle to see the engines powering up, and flew full-force at Id to knock it out of the way. Got out of the way herself...mostly. Terra had been knocked out of the sky and onto the deck, straightening itself out as Ursa revealed that it could get itself back onto the carrier with its own jets. They weren't meant for flight, but he wouldn't be taking a dip in the ocean, it seemed. Terra looked to Grand Sword Star lying before her...both legs shattered. Dread had acted just as she was thinking about taking advantage of his machine's flaw. Was it an accident, or did he just think 'This is what a strategist would be thinking now, so I'm gonna break her concentration'? She couldn't tell. Years of predicting people's actions and trains of thought, and she hadn't seen it coming!
"Hisako, are you alright?"
"Rrrgghhh... No...! My legs are gone! The pain is incredible..."
"You've done enough, now-"
"No, it's okay! Let him think I'm helpless! We'll surprise him!"
"That's a stupid plan!"
"Only because of the risk, but I trust you to carry it out."
"Alright...but only for that."
She knew what Hisako was thinking. It was risky as hell. She'd rather risk her own neck, at this point, but the GSS pilot wanted another swing at the opposition, so Terra made like she was keeping Dread from getting at helpless prey.
"SHUT UP, DREAD!" Osamu shouted as Mako picked him up as well, but didn't put the young artificial human into the cockpit. "I AM DONE BEING THE INSTRUMENT OF MY OWN COUNTRY'S OPPRESSION!"
But nevertheless, he paused his assault on Dread, letting Terra and Hisako handle this. Theodore seemed ot have the same idea, as Perfect Qamishlo diverted its attention to other battles...
The interface of the NC was reverberating with Osamu's shouting, but Dread wasn't having it. He had found his center, the simple things, the rage and the darkness, the howling joyous laughter of crushing one's opponents to dust. They could not stop him... He began to approach Id and Grand Sword Star.
"That is enough from all of you... No more talk. No more touching moments and last-minute stands. Time to burn. Time to scream. Time...to DIE."
When he came upon Id, he blasted it with firebombs from his chest unit to force it to shield, then just Haymakered it right out of the way with flaming claws alight! This ship, half-eaten and partially exposed, was going into that shield to explode GLORIOUSLY! These people were going to DIE in the biggest bang they ever saw! But before that, he was going to crush these two, one after the other, in Ursa's bare hands and listen to them gurgle their last... Grand Sword Star, too grand a weapon for that slave they kept around, spouting their propaganda. Just another pointless idea among many in the Red-Star group. This, he was gonna enjoy...
And that's certainly what he would've liked...if he'd remembered GSS was a flying mech and still retained full engine control right now. Hisako spun her NC around and slashed into Ursa's chest before rocketing away! The flame emitters there were completely useless now! Had a nice slash in the armor too. Oh, Dread was certainly livid now, but he had a problem. He had a BIG problem. He and Ursa Nova had to deal with Terra and a plan. Grand Sword Star got out of sight so that Dread couldn't reap anymore retribution.
"That's enough for me. I'm de-synncing and pulling out. Meet you and Kxeyun at the coffee shop later? ...or maybe the bathhouse?"
"Perhaps. I've got shit to do, first."
Id hovered at the ready, and prepared to take this war machine apart.
Almost immediately, Ursa leapt at her with an overcharged engine boost. Terra disengaged engines and re-engaged once she fell below its path and kicked up with both legs, knocking the bear mech further aft on the carrier. Dread landed and charged a mammoth mouth attack. Seems that part wasn't out of commission! Id overcharged its own engines and rammed at its feet, shields up regular, so it fell forwards, blasting the heck out of deck, not any part of her. Dread flipped Ursa into a backhanded strike with its remaining grinder, catching Terra off-guard and damaging an armo, but no follow-up mauling would occur. A foot smacked both arms out of the way, followed by a rapid-punch combo, and a catch of the arms at the wrist as Ursa jetted at her, causing them both to tumble further back.
Alright, he's in position. Now, the tricky part...
Id wasn't badly damaged, but it wasn't as durable as Ursa Nova. Ursa was damaged, but it had alot keeping it together. Terra began to overcharge Id's claws. In response, Ursa was preparing another one of those heavy-handed ram attacks that broke GSS's legs. Id slammed its claws to the ground and broke the deck to pieces, and the two of them fell towards the carrier's engineering section. When they hit the floor, though, Dread de-powered his Overclock Engine.
"You must think I'm a simpleton. Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to engage full power HERE?"
"No...but I am."
Terra pushed her NC systems to the limit and did as Dread did as a risky option, only while he had power-rammed with brute force or fired a huge nova-blast that only he could survive unscathed, Terra did something a little more risky: A consecutive overcharge. It was close to charging all three systems at once, which could blow the entire mech up, but maybe just surviveable... Id thrust overclocked claws into Ursa Nova, right where its power core had to be, causing it to lose containment. Dread had tried to stop her, and there were lacerations in the armor where the hands just busted on past with its sonic forces and impacted the chest. Then, overclocked shields to survive the sudden explosion, followed by overclocked thrusters to get the hell out of there, straight up and out of the Kuei-Ren.
Once out, Terra adopted what had to have been Dread's plan of getting out alive. She dropped like a stone into the ocean, where her overloading NC would get a chance to cool off and NOT explode around her. De-syncing from her interface kept her from feeling the full shock of the impact with the water, allowing the mech to cushion her, instead. The sky-carrier's premature meltdown was visible from even down here... It was going to be a mess to clean up, but at least didn't impact Haven's shields or any part of the continent. And hopefully, even the fallout was more maneageable.
"I need sleep... Today was just...too much."
And with that, the battle was over. Mako planned to surrender himself, give back Alexander, and hand over Osamu to the Havenites at the first opportunity, then rest...
The Kuei-Ren flew into the clusters of nanotech particles and did not turn or slow down. Anything that thought it could fire anything to disrupt the machines. Results may vary, but...let's just face it. They're nanites. If it doesn't do enough significant damage to a dust cloud of tiny metal robots, it's a minor inconvenience. Nevertheless, Theodore's attempts to eat away the sky-carrier were gonna take time, like maybe not enough. He was reducing mass, which would help in terms of the final impact, one hopes. But...he was also reducing the mass that the ship had to carry, making it that little bit faster, and that the meltdown explosion was the real issue here.
Life just doesn't play fair.
The missle cruiser was a wreck on deck, and with a pair of NC's wreaking havoc, it wasn't long before everyone who could abandon ship DID. Who'd wanna be around for this? This was a mess. It was chaos, and it was about to get worse. When the pilots of Id and Grand Sword Star heard transmissions and saw what was going on, Terra frowned.
"They stole everything from our country, even our own tactics."
She didn't need to say it, but we all know a Kamikaze when we see one. Except that the Red-Star pilot behind it all wasn't out to sacrifice himself. He was out to kill everyone he possibly could and potentially walk or swim home to brag about it. He was every biit a beast as that mech he was in... They needed to act now, without delay. Terra quickly opened a private line to Hisako.
"Hisako, when we get up there, do what you have to do to get my parents out, and then take them and run."
"Terra-"
"No time to argue. We were told to rescue them and that's the way. Don't come back until they're safe."
"Alright...but, later on..."
And here, the pilot smirked, knowing what was on the other's mind.
"Of course."
The two of them flew up to meet the scene at level with the Kuei-Ren, to see the two super-tanks on deck...and to see Dread in Ursa Nova...waiting for them not far behind...
And it was then that Lucille, who was protecting Theodore, made her move, saying to Terra and Hisako, "You two, do what you have to do! I'll slow down the ship!"
With that, she dives for the prow of the Kuei-Ren, trying to push it back with the strength of her NC, while several globules of nanobots from the Perfect Qamishlo attach themselves to Lucille, forming a fire-resistant coat that also enhances her strength - The nanobots were forming minature motors to add more strength to the mech. Manbij strained its own fusion reactor, hoping that Terra and the others would hold back Dread!
In the meantime, Alexander would vanish from the deck, the only clue to his disapperance being a sudden 'woosh' before the young man vanished. Mako had chosen his side.
Okay, Terra had to admit that she hadn't thought of a way to deal with Alex also being on deck. The shock of seeing Hibiki was still fresh in her mind. So many 'Left Field' situations happening to her since she left Red-Star. She assumed that Dread would just burn him to death while she watched. He certainly looked prepared to do it, but then with a 'Whoosh!', he was gone! Who...?
An invisible foe... Had to be...
Dread was certainly non-plussed by this action. He had certainly been looking forward to killing Alex at the last minute, but someone snatched him away! Well, this was further proof that you just can't rely on anybody. In fact, these two tanks were looking a might bit cumbersome and unnecessary... Raising Ursa's hands, the bear-like mech prepared to burn the tanks and set off their self-destruct protocol. No sooner had he done so, however, than there was a heavy transmission jam from multiple sources, principally the two NCs before her. It was actually disruptive to some of the nearby nano-clouds, but then there weren't many near this part of the ship because of Ursa and because of tank avoidance.
Only a second or two after that, Id had gotten in the way of his plasma flames, its own shields overcharged to cause the spray to spread out all over the place, anywhere but its destination. So, as Dread could see, the battle was engaged. Pity he couldn't transmit anything right now. He never got to talk to these people when they were about to be destroyed... Now, Ursa Nova moved to grab those dangerous arms of Id's so he could try his hand at tearing them off. No, Id was going to back slightly off as the shield disengaged and avoid those claws. Really, both off their NCs had lethal hands. It was difficult to get near him with all this flame-spewing madness. Even a backhanding could lead to the grinders on his mech's arms taking a shot.
Not to say he didn't TRY that. A hit from the vibro-blades of her suit jammed one of them up nicely. Terra made sure to open fire on him with her plasma rifle to keep his attention while Hisako operated.
As Alexander vanished, Mako sent out a simple message, "I'm defecting. I'll dive in once Terra's parents are free."
Terra, Hisako, and Dread couldn't hear that. The jamming in their immediate area was for the sake of the operation, so that the tanks - which were randomly firing, quite inaccurately at things - could not register any sensor input to self-destruct. Hisako was making progress. She could only work on one at a time, but because of both her scans and the prior leak of schematics, she was dealing with this rather quickly. The first tank fell silent, input cut while unable to trigger the on-board triggers.
"One down..."
Meanwhile, Terra occupying Dread meant that she was the subject of his target practice! He began scooping molten chunks of deck and slagged equipment for a few lobs, and just when Terra thought a heavy-handed one left him open to attack, her flying lunge to tear open his back led to him using just one jump-jet to spin and deflect her like some martial artist!
Of course, you'd take the training... You balk at every form of command, but when they offer you new ways to kill...
Exposed now, she had little else to do but hold up her shield against the torso-mounted flamers. Ah, but then, he needed to shield himself while his heat-dispersers were at work. Perfect! Terra overcharged Id's claws and stru-
BOOOOOOMMM!!!
Terra was nearly thrown off of the ship by the blast. Hisako had just barely managed to pull the second cockpit as the blastwave came. Both of them were knocked back, automatically in flight mode to stabilize. Communications were also up, as Terra heard...
"What the hell was that?"
Ursa Nova's mouth was smoking. That'd been a mouth-blast, but it was much more powerful than it'd been before!
"An Overcharger... It's got an Overclock Engine."
"But that's yours! Where'd they get one in such short notice?"
"Oh, that's easy... They had a spare that didn't work, a prototype just lying around, waiting to be fixed. And it's a perfect fit for my machine."
Well...that was... Son of a bitch! He was charging up another attack!
"Hisako, get out. Get out, NOW!"
She didn't want to, but for the sake of the lives she was carrying, Grand Sword Star turned tail and flew for safety.
In the meantime, Dread's Ursa Nova felt a few impacts at its back, as Mako shot it from behind with his NC-sized shotgun. Osamu, meanwhile, chose to intervene, having made his own choice.
"My country... I can get it back. All I just have to do... Is this!" He directed a sharp mental assault at Dread, syncing with Ursa Nova, trying to make him feel emotions that the sociopathic pilot was not able to conceive of before. Foriegn concepts flooded Dread's mind, even as Ursa Nova's moves began to become more sluggish. "Nihon forever!" Osamu screamed out, making his final betrayal and its cause clear.
He cannot be forgiven. He won't be forgiven. What he had done to Alexander and Mako was too vile for that. But the fact remained that Osamu was done with serving the people who had killed his father and ruined his country. So he attacked Dread with his mind alone, even as Mako shot another round of magnetically-boosted shotgun shells at Ursa Nova's back.
And good god, what Osamu had to face in there! The man who loathed and despised human beings, barely even considering himself one of their wretched filth... In his own mind, he considered himself nothing less than a predatory creature that MUST be feared or MUST destroy that which does not cower before it, so naturally he was twisted and horrible inside the neural interface. Mako pelted him externally, not doing much damage, due to the heavy armor, but Dread was feeling it, and he felt Osamu distorting his grip on Ursa, and every inch of him hated enough that after a moment, one thought most certainly DID get through:
"KILL!!"
Dread raged in rejection of what Osamu was flinging at him, trying to expunge the artificial being in a trial by fire. At the same time, he was now turning to blast the source of the nearest irritant: The shotgunner! The chances of hitting Mako with precision was unlikely, but the mouth was not going to fire for accuracy. You're in the splash zone, boy! The deadly maw of the predatory NC opened and-
Clink!
Something was shoved into it, jammed in there, last second! Id flew away at maximum speed as the plasma flames detonated her rifle in said mouth. There were even a few grenades leftover! Hopefully, Mako was getting out of that explosion, but even if not...it was a damn good boom.
It's just a shame it didn't kill the rat bastard...
Looking back, Terra saw that Ursa wasn't down. It was harmed - the mouth looked messed up, servos inoperable - but she'd kinda' been hoping that her damn gun going off in its mouth would blow off its head! No such luck... At best, it looked like it wasn't gonna be mauling anyone with those teeth anymore, but Dread was obviously still kicking. In fact, he...pounded right through the deckplates? Why...? And uhh...that was when the ship lost some of its front stabilizers... It was getting prow-heavy and harder for those holding it up to maintain like this!
And just when one of the disabled tanks started sliding, something picked it up from below - Yeah, you know who. - and threw it at her, firing plasma bursts to make its explode as designed!
Osamu screamed, the once-coward striking back at this one person who was worse than him. You want fire?! He thought, I'll give you fire! He pressed on, his own rage matching Dread's, centered around the opportunities he had wasted, the vile things he had done and been party to. And of course, what he was fighting for now.
Hibiki and Nihon! he thought as he lashed out, burning Dread with his own inner fire. This feels good! So this is why the enemy fights!
Mako, meanwhile, obviously veered away from Ursa Nova's exploded head - 'Alexander-senpai's' life was more important to Mako than other people, even after making the decision to defect.
Theodore, meanwhile, was directing the fight against the rest of the Red-Star fleet, which was fighting to the end or commmitting themselves to suicide explosions and charges.
Dread and Osamu's conflict was going to be ever-growing, with the pilot growing ever-more wild and enraged as it went on.
"You want to play with fire, boy?! I don't BRING the fire! I AM THE FIRE!!"
It was because of this that he didn't notice yet that while the explosion had engulfed Id, the energy shield made it curl around the NC, rather than impact it, it seemed. It was going to be dueling overclocks here, soon enough. Anyway, he had not noticed that part, but he DID see the flicker of motion on the periphery and flung the other tank at it! The tank bisected as Grand Sword Star sank its sword through it. Quite an effort, given the size, but then Hisako had initiated her own overbooster to get here and amp up her mech's performance.
Occupied by this, Id lowered to the ground, then flew at Ursa for some fly-by slashes. No good. Dread had activated shields to cool his mech and deal with his own mental disruption. If they could only see his synchronization rate... It was all over the place! One minute, he'd be in total control, and therefore more vulnerable to mental feedback. And in the next, it was lower and he might feel nothing. It was maddening! Dread didn't like it much, either. He activated jump jets and ALL flame weapons to ruin everything around him while Ursa did a quick 360-degree turn. He was out of his mind! Terra and Hisako were dodging shots while getting on a Haven-only comm-channel.
"If he keeps this up, the ship may end up going up ahead of time!"
"I wish. I mean, maybe. He has heat-dispersion to prevent overheating his mech, but then he also redlines it, practically, for more output. Plus, he's got an OverClock Engine. If we can push him into charging too many things at-"
"Terra!"
If? IF?! He already did it! Without warning, Ursa Nova hit the jets AND the shields on Overclock mode, trying to hit Id right out of the park...and into about a million pieces. Hisako had been at the right angle to see the engines powering up, and flew full-force at Id to knock it out of the way. Got out of the way herself...mostly. Terra had been knocked out of the sky and onto the deck, straightening itself out as Ursa revealed that it could get itself back onto the carrier with its own jets. They weren't meant for flight, but he wouldn't be taking a dip in the ocean, it seemed. Terra looked to Grand Sword Star lying before her...both legs shattered. Dread had acted just as she was thinking about taking advantage of his machine's flaw. Was it an accident, or did he just think 'This is what a strategist would be thinking now, so I'm gonna break her concentration'? She couldn't tell. Years of predicting people's actions and trains of thought, and she hadn't seen it coming!
"Hisako, are you alright?"
"Rrrgghhh... No...! My legs are gone! The pain is incredible..."
"You've done enough, now-"
"No, it's okay! Let him think I'm helpless! We'll surprise him!"
"That's a stupid plan!"
"Only because of the risk, but I trust you to carry it out."
"Alright...but only for that."
She knew what Hisako was thinking. It was risky as hell. She'd rather risk her own neck, at this point, but the GSS pilot wanted another swing at the opposition, so Terra made like she was keeping Dread from getting at helpless prey.
"SHUT UP, DREAD!" Osamu shouted as Mako picked him up as well, but didn't put the young artificial human into the cockpit. "I AM DONE BEING THE INSTRUMENT OF MY OWN COUNTRY'S OPPRESSION!"
But nevertheless, he paused his assault on Dread, letting Terra and Hisako handle this. Theodore seemed ot have the same idea, as Perfect Qamishlo diverted its attention to other battles...
The interface of the NC was reverberating with Osamu's shouting, but Dread wasn't having it. He had found his center, the simple things, the rage and the darkness, the howling joyous laughter of crushing one's opponents to dust. They could not stop him... He began to approach Id and Grand Sword Star.
"That is enough from all of you... No more talk. No more touching moments and last-minute stands. Time to burn. Time to scream. Time...to DIE."
When he came upon Id, he blasted it with firebombs from his chest unit to force it to shield, then just Haymakered it right out of the way with flaming claws alight! This ship, half-eaten and partially exposed, was going into that shield to explode GLORIOUSLY! These people were going to DIE in the biggest bang they ever saw! But before that, he was going to crush these two, one after the other, in Ursa's bare hands and listen to them gurgle their last... Grand Sword Star, too grand a weapon for that slave they kept around, spouting their propaganda. Just another pointless idea among many in the Red-Star group. This, he was gonna enjoy...
And that's certainly what he would've liked...if he'd remembered GSS was a flying mech and still retained full engine control right now. Hisako spun her NC around and slashed into Ursa's chest before rocketing away! The flame emitters there were completely useless now! Had a nice slash in the armor too. Oh, Dread was certainly livid now, but he had a problem. He had a BIG problem. He and Ursa Nova had to deal with Terra and a plan. Grand Sword Star got out of sight so that Dread couldn't reap anymore retribution.
"That's enough for me. I'm de-synncing and pulling out. Meet you and Kxeyun at the coffee shop later? ...or maybe the bathhouse?"
"Perhaps. I've got shit to do, first."
Id hovered at the ready, and prepared to take this war machine apart.
Almost immediately, Ursa leapt at her with an overcharged engine boost. Terra disengaged engines and re-engaged once she fell below its path and kicked up with both legs, knocking the bear mech further aft on the carrier. Dread landed and charged a mammoth mouth attack. Seems that part wasn't out of commission! Id overcharged its own engines and rammed at its feet, shields up regular, so it fell forwards, blasting the heck out of deck, not any part of her. Dread flipped Ursa into a backhanded strike with its remaining grinder, catching Terra off-guard and damaging an armo, but no follow-up mauling would occur. A foot smacked both arms out of the way, followed by a rapid-punch combo, and a catch of the arms at the wrist as Ursa jetted at her, causing them both to tumble further back.
Alright, he's in position. Now, the tricky part...
Id wasn't badly damaged, but it wasn't as durable as Ursa Nova. Ursa was damaged, but it had alot keeping it together. Terra began to overcharge Id's claws. In response, Ursa was preparing another one of those heavy-handed ram attacks that broke GSS's legs. Id slammed its claws to the ground and broke the deck to pieces, and the two of them fell towards the carrier's engineering section. When they hit the floor, though, Dread de-powered his Overclock Engine.
"You must think I'm a simpleton. Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to engage full power HERE?"
"No...but I am."
Terra pushed her NC systems to the limit and did as Dread did as a risky option, only while he had power-rammed with brute force or fired a huge nova-blast that only he could survive unscathed, Terra did something a little more risky: A consecutive overcharge. It was close to charging all three systems at once, which could blow the entire mech up, but maybe just surviveable... Id thrust overclocked claws into Ursa Nova, right where its power core had to be, causing it to lose containment. Dread had tried to stop her, and there were lacerations in the armor where the hands just busted on past with its sonic forces and impacted the chest. Then, overclocked shields to survive the sudden explosion, followed by overclocked thrusters to get the hell out of there, straight up and out of the Kuei-Ren.
Once out, Terra adopted what had to have been Dread's plan of getting out alive. She dropped like a stone into the ocean, where her overloading NC would get a chance to cool off and NOT explode around her. De-syncing from her interface kept her from feeling the full shock of the impact with the water, allowing the mech to cushion her, instead. The sky-carrier's premature meltdown was visible from even down here... It was going to be a mess to clean up, but at least didn't impact Haven's shields or any part of the continent. And hopefully, even the fallout was more maneageable.
"I need sleep... Today was just...too much."
And with that, the battle was over. Mako planned to surrender himself, give back Alexander, and hand over Osamu to the Havenites at the first opportunity, then rest...
I must concur the surprise swiftness of places being eaten up. This all happened in one day, in fact less, and I never got a chance to see this until now, all while loving Persona and unusual plots. Shame, that.
It WAS rather unexpected to see the ordinarily-calm Gunner that is Britta so-clearly bothered by something. She didn't seem overly-keen to talk about whatever it was yet, but perhaps later she'd be more open to conversation. Her speaking to the table with the people in charge was her way of saying that while what she was obviously going off to go see to this matter, she wasn't putting the squad above herself and therefore offered to go and get a few supplies while the getting was good. Isaac knew that this had to be serious, since it had taken essentially getting to know her over time, socially and professionally, and then finally the two of them getting drunk and losing some inhibitions before she very-seriously asked her favor of him. All of this was on the wings of 'Mickey' admitting that he liked Lucia, and that Jean might have some juicy info their hated captain, which left a strannge sort of ambivalent feeling...somewhere between intrigued, heartwarming, and concerned. Michael gave out a request for some clean cloth, which was okay, but Isaac was serious about doing right for Michael, so he volunteered the only idea he'd had on the matter.
"See about getting us some new or better Sapper material, expecially explosives. We may end up seeing an armored car or two."
Anyone would, and that would kinda' mean that every squad needed extra boom-booms, but it never hurt to ask. Michael was a small target with a big heart and alot of courage. If anyone was going to plant explosives and destroy one of those cars, it was gonna be him. Speaking of him, it looked like Michael really didn't want to talk about Captain Grumpus anymore. Best let the topic drop. When Britta saw that there were no other requests, she nodded at everyone, said "I'll be back as soon as I can.", and left. Part of him wanted to go with her, but something in the tone of 'I need to go take care of something' said that the 'I' part of it was most important, for now. So, the farmer NCO remained with the others here as the topic moved onto the topic of love and the mutual feelings thereof. Not a wasted conversation, in Isaac's opinion. Jean looked like he needed someone to help him through the dark and he himself had questions on where he stood with Britta. Still, he added to the conversation, with a smile...
"Well, of course, I am honor-bound never to speak of the things that may be written in verse. A promise is a promise, and I was the one who politely asked Lucia not to go through our personal mail when she came upon a letter I planted, back on the train, so I can't set a bad precident. I mean, it'd be rude to talk of what someone might be embarrassed about, even though that kind of warmth and affection would certainly gravitate some towards his person."
He wasn't naming names, Jean, but if a certain fellow, Jean, were to perhaps open himself up to a girl, then he, Jean, might find someone to keep his counsel and support his ever-brittle conscious. Right, Jean? Hint, hint! Okay, Isaac wasn't being quite that obvious, but he wanted the guy to repair his himself, somehow. He didn't exactly look like he unwound at all, back at the White Hart. The whole gas fiasco put the pressure back on, but at least they'd had something...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The plan was not so much a real plan-of-action, but more of a vague feeling of what needed to be done.
No, not about the supplies, but the other thing. The thing in her letter. This long and uncoordinated line of the new front into Amone was difficult to navigate, with the only real saving grace being that you had one direction or another to wander, or else you were going out into the open, either farther out or further into the city itself. Either way, that left Britta with basically venturing forth from her squad until she found where she needed to go to get some information. Such things wouldn't come flying into her lap, except in the case of her parents telling her. It'd come in the mail today. She'd seen that Isaac had good news, Diana had been still distressed about home, and she'd gotten only that far when she started reading her own letter and found in the middle of it something that did not sit well with her, even though she understood why.
What she eventually found was some kind of dispatch, which was exactly the one where Isaac had gotten his information from, and in fact the mail that'd come in on backlog. His awkward embarrassment over the mispoken jerky material seemed alot further back, just now, along with the flavored strips of beef and Diana's cookies. Reading those words had been like a sudden gust of winter air, and then she felt like she was in a whole different world, for the moment. She had to look into this, at least get some details, while she still could. She had to do a bit of cuing to wait her turn at the man with the typewriter and, presumably, all the records.
Listening to them all speak, you'd think Isaac would have a typical Edinburgh accent, but he doesn't. Must be because of where he lives.
Finally, she was next in line, and the man there was all business, because he had alot of people to get through.
"Name, rank, current regiment."
"Britta Hagen, Private, 15th Atlantic Rifles."
That...seemed to stick out in his mind for a second, and the look he gave her seemed to say 'Oh god, another one' before he settled on...
"What do you want?"
"Information."
"Of course you do..."
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing. Lots of people want information. What information are you looking for, in particular?"
He didn't sound entirely honest with her, there, but she continued.
"Current assignment or anything else you can get regarding Hans Hagen. He's my brother. I wanted to know if he was here or not..."
'...We would be doing better, in fact, but we're worried about your brother. Shortly after you left, he went to join the army, himself. He said he wanted to do you proud. We can understand his attitude, looking up to his big sister, but he is young and now we worry for both of your sakes...'
He took a while to look for information, asking for a current directory on soldiers on assignment. Results came back a negative, though.
"Is he new? Our information is not current, and if he recently joined, he won't be on the books for another month."
"Yes, he probably is, only trailing behind me a little ways. Can you help me send a message out to him? Query a location on him and pass him on a note from me?"
"I can do that."
He passed her a piece of paper and a pencil, and she wrote a quick note, just asking for Hans to please write to her in the 15th Atlantic Rifles and talk to her. The dispatch officer accepted it and asked her to to step aside and let him get to the next person in line. With that in mind, she was only slightly put at ease. It was better than being completely unable to contact him or get any information at all, but it was still a little unsettling for her. Britta had made peace with the fact that something may happen to her at any time, but she hadn't done that for Hans, and she could only guess what he was thinking beyond doing what he thought was right because she did it first.
You're setting a WONDERFUL example, Britta. Good god, am I going to end up like Jean? No, that isn't nearly as likely. Cold as it is, there isn't much hatred for those who aren't of Darcsen descent. Now, I REALLY understand what it was like for him, I guess. Hans, I hope your CO is better than mine...
All she had was Jean and Isaac to clean up the mess that Middleton always made... Well, given that in mind, she had a few errands to take care of. She didn't know how easy or hard it was going to get that Sapper equipment, but Michael was getting that clean cloth, and the rest of the squad... Yes, that sounded like a good idea. She was going to try and make them something nice...
"See about getting us some new or better Sapper material, expecially explosives. We may end up seeing an armored car or two."
Anyone would, and that would kinda' mean that every squad needed extra boom-booms, but it never hurt to ask. Michael was a small target with a big heart and alot of courage. If anyone was going to plant explosives and destroy one of those cars, it was gonna be him. Speaking of him, it looked like Michael really didn't want to talk about Captain Grumpus anymore. Best let the topic drop. When Britta saw that there were no other requests, she nodded at everyone, said "I'll be back as soon as I can.", and left. Part of him wanted to go with her, but something in the tone of 'I need to go take care of something' said that the 'I' part of it was most important, for now. So, the farmer NCO remained with the others here as the topic moved onto the topic of love and the mutual feelings thereof. Not a wasted conversation, in Isaac's opinion. Jean looked like he needed someone to help him through the dark and he himself had questions on where he stood with Britta. Still, he added to the conversation, with a smile...
"Well, of course, I am honor-bound never to speak of the things that may be written in verse. A promise is a promise, and I was the one who politely asked Lucia not to go through our personal mail when she came upon a letter I planted, back on the train, so I can't set a bad precident. I mean, it'd be rude to talk of what someone might be embarrassed about, even though that kind of warmth and affection would certainly gravitate some towards his person."
He wasn't naming names, Jean, but if a certain fellow, Jean, were to perhaps open himself up to a girl, then he, Jean, might find someone to keep his counsel and support his ever-brittle conscious. Right, Jean? Hint, hint! Okay, Isaac wasn't being quite that obvious, but he wanted the guy to repair his himself, somehow. He didn't exactly look like he unwound at all, back at the White Hart. The whole gas fiasco put the pressure back on, but at least they'd had something...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The plan was not so much a real plan-of-action, but more of a vague feeling of what needed to be done.
No, not about the supplies, but the other thing. The thing in her letter. This long and uncoordinated line of the new front into Amone was difficult to navigate, with the only real saving grace being that you had one direction or another to wander, or else you were going out into the open, either farther out or further into the city itself. Either way, that left Britta with basically venturing forth from her squad until she found where she needed to go to get some information. Such things wouldn't come flying into her lap, except in the case of her parents telling her. It'd come in the mail today. She'd seen that Isaac had good news, Diana had been still distressed about home, and she'd gotten only that far when she started reading her own letter and found in the middle of it something that did not sit well with her, even though she understood why.
What she eventually found was some kind of dispatch, which was exactly the one where Isaac had gotten his information from, and in fact the mail that'd come in on backlog. His awkward embarrassment over the mispoken jerky material seemed alot further back, just now, along with the flavored strips of beef and Diana's cookies. Reading those words had been like a sudden gust of winter air, and then she felt like she was in a whole different world, for the moment. She had to look into this, at least get some details, while she still could. She had to do a bit of cuing to wait her turn at the man with the typewriter and, presumably, all the records.
Listening to them all speak, you'd think Isaac would have a typical Edinburgh accent, but he doesn't. Must be because of where he lives.
Finally, she was next in line, and the man there was all business, because he had alot of people to get through.
"Name, rank, current regiment."
"Britta Hagen, Private, 15th Atlantic Rifles."
That...seemed to stick out in his mind for a second, and the look he gave her seemed to say 'Oh god, another one' before he settled on...
"What do you want?"
"Information."
"Of course you do..."
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing. Lots of people want information. What information are you looking for, in particular?"
He didn't sound entirely honest with her, there, but she continued.
"Current assignment or anything else you can get regarding Hans Hagen. He's my brother. I wanted to know if he was here or not..."
'...We would be doing better, in fact, but we're worried about your brother. Shortly after you left, he went to join the army, himself. He said he wanted to do you proud. We can understand his attitude, looking up to his big sister, but he is young and now we worry for both of your sakes...'
He took a while to look for information, asking for a current directory on soldiers on assignment. Results came back a negative, though.
"Is he new? Our information is not current, and if he recently joined, he won't be on the books for another month."
"Yes, he probably is, only trailing behind me a little ways. Can you help me send a message out to him? Query a location on him and pass him on a note from me?"
"I can do that."
He passed her a piece of paper and a pencil, and she wrote a quick note, just asking for Hans to please write to her in the 15th Atlantic Rifles and talk to her. The dispatch officer accepted it and asked her to to step aside and let him get to the next person in line. With that in mind, she was only slightly put at ease. It was better than being completely unable to contact him or get any information at all, but it was still a little unsettling for her. Britta had made peace with the fact that something may happen to her at any time, but she hadn't done that for Hans, and she could only guess what he was thinking beyond doing what he thought was right because she did it first.
You're setting a WONDERFUL example, Britta. Good god, am I going to end up like Jean? No, that isn't nearly as likely. Cold as it is, there isn't much hatred for those who aren't of Darcsen descent. Now, I REALLY understand what it was like for him, I guess. Hans, I hope your CO is better than mine...
All she had was Jean and Isaac to clean up the mess that Middleton always made... Well, given that in mind, she had a few errands to take care of. She didn't know how easy or hard it was going to get that Sapper equipment, but Michael was getting that clean cloth, and the rest of the squad... Yes, that sounded like a good idea. She was going to try and make them something nice...
Things were not ideal, right now. They weren't BAD, but they could be better.
As of right now, they'd engaged and were successful in repelling Phoenix Inferno and Titan Breaker, though the order to disengage was a bit strange. Perhaps they were overloading and out of action for the day. Perhaps they were taking a few field repairs and would be back to fight again after a brief pit-stop. We don't know. Additionally, there was no further action from the Kitsune, Mako's mech. Where it was right now, we're not sure, but it might have also decided to leave, based upon Terra's broadcasted threat, or the fact that the now-free Grand Sword Star had a multi-spec scanner that might pick him up. Either way, the situation insofar as direct NC confrontation appeared to be over, for now.
That left their current problem: Id was okay, maybe a scratch from nearly getting stabbed by Mako, but Sahaquiel was damaged and still wasn't any good in water. Hisako came over in GSS to check on Id and Terra within.
"Terra, are you alright? I didn't see him. I was suppose to be watching you-"
"I'm alright, Hisako. Things are complicated right now, but it's okay."
"So, what happened?"
"The plan that Kxeyun and I hatched up worked, for the most part. Osamu took the bait to go after her in her NC and I had access to connect to her system. Hibiki's safe in her cockpit now, and Osamu is... Osamu's just another example of how Red-Star utterly ruins people. They've made people from the ground up under completely controlled conditions and they still can't do anything right."
Osamu seemed to turn against his masters, or that seemed to be the case, though he was still a piece of shit with the way he acted. Terra didn't want to think about it. One third of their team was still a land-bound and damaged NC. With a little field work from Chelsea or someone, Sahaquiel's arm would probably work again, at least. What Terra really hoped was that if Hibiki recovered while inside the clawing slasher-mech that he didn't freak out on Kxeyun.
IN THE MEANTIME, it looked as though the rest of their forces had taxed the missle cruiser's non-NC combatant reserves. What was once a tide was more a trickle now, with many retreating to regroup to a better defensible position, namely the cruiser itself. This was good because it took the pressure off of they who stood at this sadly-abused beachline. It ummm...lasted for maybe a couple minutes before you could see problems on the horizon. Fresh gunships, powerarmored troops, drones...
"Hisako, how's your ammo?"
"Holding, for now, but I've been taking out opponents at close range to stretch it out."
"My gun stays charged, but cooling system needs to kick in every now and again, so it isn't constant."
As soon as the new tide hit, destroyers included, Terra ordered everyone to move, as their position would probably become a new bunch of sandy/watery craters from sheer volume of attack. She then added "Kxeyun, get yourself fixed up, quick as you can. We'll bring back that cruiser.". Because without an NC opponent, this was just a little easier for them now.
Id and Grand Sword Star took off, both flying in an arcing path to head in the direction of the two rail-gun destroyers.
"Carrier Khalid-ibn-Walid, if you can still give us all covering fire, it'll make this push alot easier!"
High-speed evasive flying, keeping the two destroyers between them and the missle cruiser to prevent any direct attacks from IT while slicing through or shooting apart gunships, or at least staying that just ahead of rail-gun and laser fire so their tracking gets the wrong targets. Once the two mechs were in position, it was time. Terra activated the Overclock Engine, Hisako activated the Overbooster. Both NCs dramatically-improved in speed and maneuverability to suddenly attack the rail-gun destroyers directly. Now right up-close-and-personal, Terra worked on clawing up the structure, weapons, and engines of her destroyer, and Hisako did same with GSS' sword. What they wanted was for these things to crash, but ideally...they would like them to plummet somewhere in the neighborhood of the missle cruiser, so that they had if not a direct impact...then enough cover to jump to THAT ship and disable everything on deck.
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This wait was too fucking long. He hated it almost as much as he hated the contemptable people around him. Dread sat waiting inside of Ursa, watching the battle unfold on remote uplink. This was irritating as hell. Why did Phoenix and Titan disengage? What the fuck was Osamu doing? Throwing out the kid pilot like that was amusing, but where was the follow-up, you fool? Where was the carnage? Even that supposed assassin, Mako, was a failure. They were all completely useless.
And no sooner had he completed this thought...then a new display sprang to life. He was being contacted. The source, however...
Dread scowled. He knew this man. He hated him as much as the rest of the smug overlords of Red-Star. This one in particular was a behind-the-scenes man with his hands in many projects and places, smaller influences without being a particularly-strong figure within the organization. Nevertheless, he could move mountains with an avalanche caused by a single pebble. He knew how to apply proper stresses and motivations, gain trusts and allegiances, and was no slouch when it came to understanding the various technologies of the world. Much as everybody knew Dread ONLY as Dread, he knew this man as Director Phalanx.
"You know very well what's going on down here, why I'm not busy yet."
He frowned.
"What makes you think I want to take your errands anymore than I want to do theirs?"
Now, the man smiled, and it was genuine...in that it was quite pleased with what he was about to say...which in Dread's mind was good news.
He outlined the tale, and the more he said...the deeper Dread began to smile. The Director was calling because one of his subbordinates aboard the Kuei-Ren sent out a quick message: 'Osamu actions erratic. Orders requested'. So, with the machine-controlling artificial behaving less than predictably, it was time to cleansweep this entire thing. Dread was to take charge, illegally, using Ursa Nova as leverage to force compliance. The Director had assured others on the vessel prior to all of this mess that Dread was kept compliant via threatening the one thing he valued: His own life. So, with him in the one place that was safe from even perhaps decent NC snipers, he was now in a position to do whatever he wanted. Mainly, keeping him happy was the clincher, influencing him towards better behavior by letting him indulge himself harmlessly. So now, he was being asked to do something pleasant...and he would do it, not because Phalanx wanted it...but because ramming this carrier into Haven's shield while the engines go into critical meltdown would be FUN.
Would it crack the barrier wide open from the stresses of checking such a physical and thermonuclear impact? No idea. Would the fallout create endless trouble for those living there? Hell yeah. Would they take out a load of traitors, rebels, and the frankly useless chaff that is Red-Star staff? Definitely. Dread liked this plan, and he liked it more when his on-board computer stated that all he had to do to survive the blast was drop to the bottom of the water and WALK home.
"You know I don't actually take orders from you, right? I was already thinking of something like this from the start. I even worked the math out in my spare time."
Director Phalanx's smile broadened.
Transmission ended. Dread smirked as he began to power Ursa Nova up in earnest. Today was a good day...
As of right now, they'd engaged and were successful in repelling Phoenix Inferno and Titan Breaker, though the order to disengage was a bit strange. Perhaps they were overloading and out of action for the day. Perhaps they were taking a few field repairs and would be back to fight again after a brief pit-stop. We don't know. Additionally, there was no further action from the Kitsune, Mako's mech. Where it was right now, we're not sure, but it might have also decided to leave, based upon Terra's broadcasted threat, or the fact that the now-free Grand Sword Star had a multi-spec scanner that might pick him up. Either way, the situation insofar as direct NC confrontation appeared to be over, for now.
That left their current problem: Id was okay, maybe a scratch from nearly getting stabbed by Mako, but Sahaquiel was damaged and still wasn't any good in water. Hisako came over in GSS to check on Id and Terra within.
"Terra, are you alright? I didn't see him. I was suppose to be watching you-"
"I'm alright, Hisako. Things are complicated right now, but it's okay."
"So, what happened?"
"The plan that Kxeyun and I hatched up worked, for the most part. Osamu took the bait to go after her in her NC and I had access to connect to her system. Hibiki's safe in her cockpit now, and Osamu is... Osamu's just another example of how Red-Star utterly ruins people. They've made people from the ground up under completely controlled conditions and they still can't do anything right."
Osamu seemed to turn against his masters, or that seemed to be the case, though he was still a piece of shit with the way he acted. Terra didn't want to think about it. One third of their team was still a land-bound and damaged NC. With a little field work from Chelsea or someone, Sahaquiel's arm would probably work again, at least. What Terra really hoped was that if Hibiki recovered while inside the clawing slasher-mech that he didn't freak out on Kxeyun.
IN THE MEANTIME, it looked as though the rest of their forces had taxed the missle cruiser's non-NC combatant reserves. What was once a tide was more a trickle now, with many retreating to regroup to a better defensible position, namely the cruiser itself. This was good because it took the pressure off of they who stood at this sadly-abused beachline. It ummm...lasted for maybe a couple minutes before you could see problems on the horizon. Fresh gunships, powerarmored troops, drones...
"Hisako, how's your ammo?"
"Holding, for now, but I've been taking out opponents at close range to stretch it out."
"My gun stays charged, but cooling system needs to kick in every now and again, so it isn't constant."
As soon as the new tide hit, destroyers included, Terra ordered everyone to move, as their position would probably become a new bunch of sandy/watery craters from sheer volume of attack. She then added "Kxeyun, get yourself fixed up, quick as you can. We'll bring back that cruiser.". Because without an NC opponent, this was just a little easier for them now.
Id and Grand Sword Star took off, both flying in an arcing path to head in the direction of the two rail-gun destroyers.
"Carrier Khalid-ibn-Walid, if you can still give us all covering fire, it'll make this push alot easier!"
High-speed evasive flying, keeping the two destroyers between them and the missle cruiser to prevent any direct attacks from IT while slicing through or shooting apart gunships, or at least staying that just ahead of rail-gun and laser fire so their tracking gets the wrong targets. Once the two mechs were in position, it was time. Terra activated the Overclock Engine, Hisako activated the Overbooster. Both NCs dramatically-improved in speed and maneuverability to suddenly attack the rail-gun destroyers directly. Now right up-close-and-personal, Terra worked on clawing up the structure, weapons, and engines of her destroyer, and Hisako did same with GSS' sword. What they wanted was for these things to crash, but ideally...they would like them to plummet somewhere in the neighborhood of the missle cruiser, so that they had if not a direct impact...then enough cover to jump to THAT ship and disable everything on deck.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This wait was too fucking long. He hated it almost as much as he hated the contemptable people around him. Dread sat waiting inside of Ursa, watching the battle unfold on remote uplink. This was irritating as hell. Why did Phoenix and Titan disengage? What the fuck was Osamu doing? Throwing out the kid pilot like that was amusing, but where was the follow-up, you fool? Where was the carnage? Even that supposed assassin, Mako, was a failure. They were all completely useless.
And no sooner had he completed this thought...then a new display sprang to life. He was being contacted. The source, however...
"Well now... Mr. Dread. I see I've caught you at a good time. That is, I take it you're not busy."
Dread scowled. He knew this man. He hated him as much as the rest of the smug overlords of Red-Star. This one in particular was a behind-the-scenes man with his hands in many projects and places, smaller influences without being a particularly-strong figure within the organization. Nevertheless, he could move mountains with an avalanche caused by a single pebble. He knew how to apply proper stresses and motivations, gain trusts and allegiances, and was no slouch when it came to understanding the various technologies of the world. Much as everybody knew Dread ONLY as Dread, he knew this man as Director Phalanx.
"You know very well what's going on down here, why I'm not busy yet."
"Hmmm. Yes, I do. Between the reports I hear specifically about you, my personal link, and those of my employ reporting in, I get a complete enough picture when I want it."
He frowned.
"I don't like the direction things have been taking lately, either. How ironic that the loosest cannon of all talks the most sense. That smug arrogance among command, that sycophantic loyalty in the lower ranks, and that quiet desperation which leads to treachery all-too-quickly if offered a juicy bone to gnaw upon... This cannot continue, Mr. Dread. WE must do something about that. After all, I didn't recruit you to sit around in a hangar bay, twiddling your thumbs."
"What makes you think I want to take your errands anymore than I want to do theirs?"
Now, the man smiled, and it was genuine...in that it was quite pleased with what he was about to say...which in Dread's mind was good news.
"Because you get to make martyrs of them, every last person on that ship. Here's what I want you to do..."
He outlined the tale, and the more he said...the deeper Dread began to smile. The Director was calling because one of his subbordinates aboard the Kuei-Ren sent out a quick message: 'Osamu actions erratic. Orders requested'. So, with the machine-controlling artificial behaving less than predictably, it was time to cleansweep this entire thing. Dread was to take charge, illegally, using Ursa Nova as leverage to force compliance. The Director had assured others on the vessel prior to all of this mess that Dread was kept compliant via threatening the one thing he valued: His own life. So, with him in the one place that was safe from even perhaps decent NC snipers, he was now in a position to do whatever he wanted. Mainly, keeping him happy was the clincher, influencing him towards better behavior by letting him indulge himself harmlessly. So now, he was being asked to do something pleasant...and he would do it, not because Phalanx wanted it...but because ramming this carrier into Haven's shield while the engines go into critical meltdown would be FUN.
Would it crack the barrier wide open from the stresses of checking such a physical and thermonuclear impact? No idea. Would the fallout create endless trouble for those living there? Hell yeah. Would they take out a load of traitors, rebels, and the frankly useless chaff that is Red-Star staff? Definitely. Dread liked this plan, and he liked it more when his on-board computer stated that all he had to do to survive the blast was drop to the bottom of the water and WALK home.
"If any of the staff argue, remember that at least my own spies are loyal enough, and remind them that they could very well be reduced to meat puppets like Miss Laedo's parents on-deck, they and anyone they've ever associated with. So, there will be no turning back home or surrender for them. Naturally, you can kill anyone at your own discretion. I wouldn't dream of inhibiting you at this crucial moment."
"You know I don't actually take orders from you, right? I was already thinking of something like this from the start. I even worked the math out in my spare time."
Director Phalanx's smile broadened.
"I know you did. And that's why it's all yours... Enjoy yourself. I'll be watching."
Transmission ended. Dread smirked as he began to power Ursa Nova up in earnest. Today was a good day...
Yes? Hopefully?
So, she had received mail, just like everyone else, but felt rather distracted from reading it. Britta was actually looking forward to hearing some news from home, hopefully that her plan to alleviate some of the expenses there had had a positive impact and all. However, there had been a number of distractions. One of them, of course, had been Isaac. She had written home about the entire squad, how they seemed to knit together like family. Some of them were like arguing married couple, others were under a strain, but mostly they banded together. And yes...there were a few lines thrown in about Isaac and that his family might be nice to get to know, though Britta did not convey Isaac's scheme to corner the livestock and crop market with their farms. It takes more than two to control the industry.
That was in the one Britta hadsent. This was the reply, but she hadn't been reading it. At first, it was just the light-hearted banter over the jerky with Isaac, but...she kept going back to the moment at the White Hart Inn, something she couldn't really overlook. She had been afraid. Not to the point of inactivity, but rather she reacted so because she and Isaac could do nothing for Jean as the gas advanced upon him. This war, she had handled with a determined look in her eye. The bombardments on Hill 58? Taken like a champ. The armored car? Just an obstacle in the way. But the gas... For one moment, that creeping sinister fog was more than Britta had ever experienced, an issue where life and death was only determined by a flimsy mask. It bothered her that she had felt that tremendous dread that she'd be watching Jean puke out his innards. That they'd gotten out of there was a boon and a half.
What is this war, where it can still find ways to creep me out, when I've accepted it in all its violent ways?
It's been alot to take in, and what Britta eventually decided was that next time, she would be prepared. It would not shock her a second time. Now...let's move onto Isaac. He isn't aware that he's been effectively made part of a trashy novel, courtesy of Ines and Freya, way back at the Inn. He doesn't know that Ines called him Scarface or that Britta is secretly referred to as Silverhead. He isn't even sure why exactly he was shouted at for trying to get Franz back to his senses back then...when the state he was in could've had him lashing out at anyone. No, he was just bantering a bit with Michael, pleased that the oath to keep Lucia out of Middleton's claws was being followed. Shame, though. The Sapper didn't drink. Thomas, though...
"He might, at that."
He DID follow Michael, mainly because they hadn't spoken must lately, that Jean AND 'Marathon' were over at the table he went to, and frankly he wanted a load-off, as well, saying, "Well, I will. No reason not to.", after Michael had asked to sit down. In response to Jean's inquiry about how he was doing, a thought occurred: They were at a huge encampment. They could probably get full sapper gear out of someone around here, even proper explosives for those damn armored cars! He decided to hold onto this tidbit as Jean asked about him and Lucia, prompting him to listen and hear...that Diana was offering cookies! She'd been in sort of a mood, but fortunately Thomas seemed to help with that. Britta saw the plate and took one, letter in hand, thanking her now. Back to the conversation at hand...
"I think Michael is handling himself pretty well with the whole Lucia situation. I'd reward 'im if I knew what to do that with. Apart from foraging around the camps for a proper Sapper loadout, I don't have a clue."
Meanwhile, Britta had been leaning against the poll of a tent, finally reading into her letter. The farm was doing well, but they were short of work becau- The female Gunner's eyes shot wide as she read the lines that followed. Again, that chilly feeling at the base of her spine... It was an unwelcome sensation, something she only spared for rare occasions. She never intended this... It was only suppose to be her taking this risk, a risk she knew how to manage. Britta headed over to the table where Jean, Thomas, Michael, and Isaac sat, her expression just a bit anxious, but controlled, as she said...
"I need to go check on something. I'll be back soon. Perhaps there's something you'd like me to scrounge while I'm out?"
That was in the one Britta hadsent. This was the reply, but she hadn't been reading it. At first, it was just the light-hearted banter over the jerky with Isaac, but...she kept going back to the moment at the White Hart Inn, something she couldn't really overlook. She had been afraid. Not to the point of inactivity, but rather she reacted so because she and Isaac could do nothing for Jean as the gas advanced upon him. This war, she had handled with a determined look in her eye. The bombardments on Hill 58? Taken like a champ. The armored car? Just an obstacle in the way. But the gas... For one moment, that creeping sinister fog was more than Britta had ever experienced, an issue where life and death was only determined by a flimsy mask. It bothered her that she had felt that tremendous dread that she'd be watching Jean puke out his innards. That they'd gotten out of there was a boon and a half.
What is this war, where it can still find ways to creep me out, when I've accepted it in all its violent ways?
It's been alot to take in, and what Britta eventually decided was that next time, she would be prepared. It would not shock her a second time. Now...let's move onto Isaac. He isn't aware that he's been effectively made part of a trashy novel, courtesy of Ines and Freya, way back at the Inn. He doesn't know that Ines called him Scarface or that Britta is secretly referred to as Silverhead. He isn't even sure why exactly he was shouted at for trying to get Franz back to his senses back then...when the state he was in could've had him lashing out at anyone. No, he was just bantering a bit with Michael, pleased that the oath to keep Lucia out of Middleton's claws was being followed. Shame, though. The Sapper didn't drink. Thomas, though...
"He might, at that."
He DID follow Michael, mainly because they hadn't spoken must lately, that Jean AND 'Marathon' were over at the table he went to, and frankly he wanted a load-off, as well, saying, "Well, I will. No reason not to.", after Michael had asked to sit down. In response to Jean's inquiry about how he was doing, a thought occurred: They were at a huge encampment. They could probably get full sapper gear out of someone around here, even proper explosives for those damn armored cars! He decided to hold onto this tidbit as Jean asked about him and Lucia, prompting him to listen and hear...that Diana was offering cookies! She'd been in sort of a mood, but fortunately Thomas seemed to help with that. Britta saw the plate and took one, letter in hand, thanking her now. Back to the conversation at hand...
"I think Michael is handling himself pretty well with the whole Lucia situation. I'd reward 'im if I knew what to do that with. Apart from foraging around the camps for a proper Sapper loadout, I don't have a clue."
Meanwhile, Britta had been leaning against the poll of a tent, finally reading into her letter. The farm was doing well, but they were short of work becau- The female Gunner's eyes shot wide as she read the lines that followed. Again, that chilly feeling at the base of her spine... It was an unwelcome sensation, something she only spared for rare occasions. She never intended this... It was only suppose to be her taking this risk, a risk she knew how to manage. Britta headed over to the table where Jean, Thomas, Michael, and Isaac sat, her expression just a bit anxious, but controlled, as she said...
"I need to go check on something. I'll be back soon. Perhaps there's something you'd like me to scrounge while I'm out?"
At first, she didn't know what Sara was apologizing for, so there was a little glance of confusion before she continue and it made sense. Kate's mind worked rather quickly, so naturally she might have these moments of confusion, like she was trying to parse the whole before it was complete. A harmless fault. It came from processing too fast and jumping ahead of everyone else, mentally, before realizing the leap went too far and you have to go back. Anyway...Kate shook her head, letting off a sad smile.
"No, it's fine. The more, the merrier."
The more who thought of her kindly, the better. Myra's eccentric behavior was not easily engaged with. It required patience, and some people would cave on arguments largely because she'd thought so thoroughly on something, almost obsessively, that you didn't have a chance to find any flaws. Or to put it her way: 'If I'd seen any flaws IN my argument, I wouldn't bother to speak it. It had to pass through me first.'. And in a way, that meant that Myra was almost self-regulating. Almost. Still, there was no failing in the love she had for her daughter, and so nobody missed her more.
Now, when Sara asked Kate to lean against her, that led to a definite question of 'Why?'. No one had made a request like that of her, just out of the blue. It was an unexpected thing to ask. The only thing that Kate could think of was that she had a reason, and that it wasn't the light-haired woman's habit to lead people astray. For some reason, the thought of it made Kate feel...anxious. Couldn't really pinpoint why, but after a brief hesitation...she did, and Sara continued, giving her a slew of questions. At first, the Brunette simple wanted to answer them all, one after the other, as bluntly as you can imagine. But this is not what the Lieutenant wanted. She was asking one question...and it was not an easy one.
Who...and what? It wasn't just a straightforward answer, was it? It sounded more like what Sara was trying to say to her was...
"Many people said that I should...but the decision was mine. I can't speak for humanity, though. Only me."
Hopefully, that was an adequate response, because...in some ways...she didn't know humanity from the Titans. Kate felt that...as much as the sleepy giants appeared to be so aimless and vacant...they were purposed, mindful, conscious on some strange level. They may even have been withdrawn like she was, previously. It was because of such a fugue-like state in her past that she began to wonder what the Titans really were. And after learning all that she had about Eren's ability, that line between their two species grew much thinner.
"No, it's fine. The more, the merrier."
The more who thought of her kindly, the better. Myra's eccentric behavior was not easily engaged with. It required patience, and some people would cave on arguments largely because she'd thought so thoroughly on something, almost obsessively, that you didn't have a chance to find any flaws. Or to put it her way: 'If I'd seen any flaws IN my argument, I wouldn't bother to speak it. It had to pass through me first.'. And in a way, that meant that Myra was almost self-regulating. Almost. Still, there was no failing in the love she had for her daughter, and so nobody missed her more.
Now, when Sara asked Kate to lean against her, that led to a definite question of 'Why?'. No one had made a request like that of her, just out of the blue. It was an unexpected thing to ask. The only thing that Kate could think of was that she had a reason, and that it wasn't the light-haired woman's habit to lead people astray. For some reason, the thought of it made Kate feel...anxious. Couldn't really pinpoint why, but after a brief hesitation...she did, and Sara continued, giving her a slew of questions. At first, the Brunette simple wanted to answer them all, one after the other, as bluntly as you can imagine. But this is not what the Lieutenant wanted. She was asking one question...and it was not an easy one.
Who...and what? It wasn't just a straightforward answer, was it? It sounded more like what Sara was trying to say to her was...
"Many people said that I should...but the decision was mine. I can't speak for humanity, though. Only me."
Hopefully, that was an adequate response, because...in some ways...she didn't know humanity from the Titans. Kate felt that...as much as the sleepy giants appeared to be so aimless and vacant...they were purposed, mindful, conscious on some strange level. They may even have been withdrawn like she was, previously. It was because of such a fugue-like state in her past that she began to wonder what the Titans really were. And after learning all that she had about Eren's ability, that line between their two species grew much thinner.
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